diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/renderer/styles/chat-header.css b/apps/desktop/src/renderer/styles/chat-header.css
index 13416f06ed..a26249d76e 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/renderer/styles/chat-header.css
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/renderer/styles/chat-header.css
@@ -84,6 +84,16 @@
   -webkit-app-region: no-drag;
 }
 
+/* A live Goal can keep creating Turns after the user stops typing, so its
+   identity and kill switches stay reachable while the transcript scrolls.
+   Ordinary lineage/revision context remains in-flow when no Goal is present. */
+.maka-session-context[data-has-goal="true"] {
+  position: sticky;
+  top: 0;
+  z-index: var(--z-sticky);
+  box-shadow: 0 var(--border-width-hairline) 0 var(--border-soft);
+}
+
 .maka-session-context__inner {
   min-width: 0;
   /* Control rhythm 36 (lg) — band holds sm/md controls without off-ladder 40. */
@@ -124,6 +134,23 @@
   white-space: nowrap;
 }
 
+.maka-session-context__goal-description {
+  display: block;
+  min-width: 0;
+  overflow: hidden;
+  padding-left: var(--space-1);
+  text-overflow: ellipsis;
+  white-space: nowrap;
+}
+
+/* Goal rows are intentionally single-line, but Astryx tooltip layers inherit
+   typography from their trigger subtree even after entering the top layer.
+   Restore the Tooltip contract here so long Goal copy wraps inside its 300px
+   content measure instead of being clipped as one unbreakable line. */
+.maka-session-context [role="tooltip"] {
+  white-space: normal;
+}
+
 .maka-session-context__cluster {
   width: min(100%, 560px);
   justify-self: end;
diff --git a/docs/astryx-surface-file-inventory.md b/docs/astryx-surface-file-inventory.md
index f174bb33c5..4f85c6583b 100644
--- a/docs/astryx-surface-file-inventory.md
+++ b/docs/astryx-surface-file-inventory.md
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ Wiki bar: Design Conventions · API Use-the-System · Theming · Container Paddi
 | `packages/ui/src/scheduled-task-inspector.tsx` | module-hub | Button, Divider, HStack, Heading, List, ListItem, MetadataList, MetadataListItem, Switch, Text, VStack | aligned — uses Astryx (Button, Divider, HStack, Heading, List, ListItem, MetadataList, MetadataListItem) | aligned |
 | `packages/ui/src/scheduled-task-panel.tsx` | module-hub | Button, Divider, EmptyState, List, ListItem, SegmentedControl, SegmentedControlItem, Selector, Text, TextInput, Toolbar | aligned — uses Astryx (Button, Divider, EmptyState, List, ListItem, SegmentedControl, SegmentedControlItem, Selector) | aligned |
 | `packages/ui/src/search-modal.tsx` | dialog-overlay | none | aligned — no raw controls; no Astryx JSX usage | aligned |
-| `packages/ui/src/session-context-layer.tsx` | shell-chrome-or-panel | BreadcrumbItem, Breadcrumbs, IconButton, LayoutHeader, Text, Token | aligned — uses Astryx (BreadcrumbItem, Breadcrumbs, IconButton, LayoutHeader, Text, Token) | aligned |
+| `packages/ui/src/session-context-layer.tsx` | shell-chrome-or-panel | BreadcrumbItem, Breadcrumbs, IconButton, LayoutHeader, Text, Token, Tooltip | aligned — uses Astryx (BreadcrumbItem, Breadcrumbs, IconButton, LayoutHeader, Text, Token, Tooltip) | aligned |
 | `packages/ui/src/session-history-list.tsx` | shell-chrome-or-panel | Badge, VStack | aligned — uses Astryx (Badge, VStack) | aligned |
 | `packages/ui/src/session-list-panel.tsx` | shell-chrome-or-panel | SegmentedControl, SegmentedControlItem, SideNav | aligned — uses Astryx (SegmentedControl, SegmentedControlItem, SideNav) | aligned |
 | `packages/ui/src/session-rename-dialog.tsx` | dialog-overlay | Button, Dialog, DialogHeader, HStack, Layout, LayoutContent, TextInput | aligned — uses Astryx (Button, Dialog, DialogHeader, HStack, Layout, LayoutContent, TextInput) | aligned |
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/__tests__/session-context-layer-goal.test.tsx b/packages/ui/src/__tests__/session-context-layer-goal.test.tsx
index ee3ac1463a..2466d8b715 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/__tests__/session-context-layer-goal.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/ui/src/__tests__/session-context-layer-goal.test.tsx
@@ -50,6 +50,8 @@ test('a running goal reads as running and offers pause, with elapsed and tokens'
     onClear: () => undefined,
   });
   assert.ok(markup.includes('Goal 3 of 50'));
+  assert.ok(markup.includes('Ship the feature'));
+  assert.ok(markup.includes('role="tooltip"'));
   assert.ok(markup.includes('12m'));
   assert.ok(markup.includes('12k / 100k'));
   assert.ok(markup.includes('Autonomous goal running'));
@@ -58,6 +60,7 @@ test('a running goal reads as running and offers pause, with elapsed and tokens'
   assert.ok(!markup.includes('Resume autonomous goal'));
   // The clear kill switch stays.
   assert.ok(markup.includes('Clear autonomous goal after 3/50 iterations'));
+  assert.ok(markup.includes('data-has-goal="true"'));
 });
 
 test('a paused goal reads as paused and offers resume, not pause', () => {
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/session-context-layer.tsx b/packages/ui/src/session-context-layer.tsx
index ec881657b3..ddc9b62e28 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/session-context-layer.tsx
+++ b/packages/ui/src/session-context-layer.tsx
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ import {
   StatusDot,
   Text,
   Token,
+  Tooltip,
   type DropdownMenuOption,
 } from '@astryxdesign/core';
 import { getConversationCopy } from './conversation-copy.js';
@@ -348,6 +349,7 @@ export function SessionContextLayer(props: {
       label={copy.sessionContextAriaLabel}
       className="maka-session-context"
       data-session-context-layer="true"
+      data-has-goal={props.goal ? 'true' : undefined}
     >
       <div className="maka-session-context__inner">
         {/* Lineage only. The session's own name moved to the window titlebar
@@ -356,7 +358,15 @@ export function SessionContextLayer(props: {
             twice. What stays is what the titlebar cannot answer: which session
             this one branched FROM. */}
         <div className="maka-session-context__lineage">
-          {props.branch ? (
+          {props.goal ? (
+            <Tooltip content={props.goal.condition}>
+              <div className="maka-session-context__goal-description">
+                <Text type="supporting" maxLines={1}>
+                  {props.goal.condition}
+                </Text>
+              </div>
+            </Tooltip>
+          ) : props.branch ? (
             <Breadcrumbs
               label={copy.sessionLineageAriaLabel}
               variant="supporting"