diff --git a/ui/web/src/components/chat/active-run-zone.tsx b/ui/web/src/components/chat/active-run-zone.tsx
index d750e2d2..a9d7379f 100644
--- a/ui/web/src/components/chat/active-run-zone.tsx
+++ b/ui/web/src/components/chat/active-run-zone.tsx
@@ -42,15 +42,26 @@ export function ActiveRunZone({
           <BlockReplyBubble key={msg.timestamp ?? i} message={msg} />
         ))}
 
-        {toolStream.map((entry) => (
-          <ToolCallCard key={entry.toolCallId} entry={entry} />
-        ))}
-
-        {thinkingText !== null && (
-          <ThinkingBlock text={thinkingText} isStreaming={isRunning && streamText === null} />
+        {/* Tool cards: match MessageBubble's compact grouped layout */}
+        {toolStream.length > 0 && (
+          <div className="rounded-md border bg-muted divide-y divide-border">
+            {toolStream.map((entry) => (
+              <ToolCallCard key={entry.toolCallId} entry={entry} compact />
+            ))}
+          </div>
         )}
 
-        {streamText !== null && <StreamingText text={streamText} />}
+        {/* Streaming text: wrap in bubble matching MessageBubble's assistant style */}
+        {(thinkingText !== null || streamText !== null) && (
+          <div className="max-w-[85%] rounded-lg px-4 py-2 bg-card text-card-foreground border border-border shadow-sm">
+            {thinkingText !== null && (
+              <div className={streamText !== null ? "mb-2" : ""}>
+                <ThinkingBlock text={thinkingText} isStreaming={isRunning && streamText === null} />
+              </div>
+            )}
+            {streamText !== null && <StreamingText text={streamText} />}
+          </div>
+        )}
 
         {isRunning && (
           <ActivityIndicator activity={activity} isRunning={isRunning} />
diff --git a/ui/web/src/components/chat/chat-input.tsx b/ui/web/src/components/chat/chat-input.tsx
index 6a959cf5..9d85463f 100644
--- a/ui/web/src/components/chat/chat-input.tsx
+++ b/ui/web/src/components/chat/chat-input.tsx
@@ -12,13 +12,14 @@ export interface AttachedFile {
 interface ChatInputProps {
   onSend: (message: string, files?: AttachedFile[]) => void;
   onAbort: () => void;
-  isRunning: boolean;
+  /** True when main agent or team tasks are active — controls stop button, file attach */
+  isBusy: boolean;
   disabled?: boolean;
   files: AttachedFile[];
   onFilesChange: (files: AttachedFile[]) => void;
 }
 
-export function ChatInput({ onSend, onAbort, isRunning, disabled, files, onFilesChange }: ChatInputProps) {
+export function ChatInput({ onSend, onAbort, isBusy, disabled, files, onFilesChange }: ChatInputProps) {
   const { t } = useTranslation("common");
   const [value, setValue] = useState("");
   const textareaRef = useRef<HTMLTextAreaElement>(null);
@@ -101,7 +102,7 @@ export function ChatInput({ onSend, onAbort, isRunning, disabled, files, onFiles
           variant="ghost"
           size="icon-lg"
           onClick={handleFileSelect}
-          disabled={disabled || isRunning}
+          disabled={disabled || isBusy}
           title={t("attachFile")}
           className="text-muted-foreground hover:text-foreground"
         >
@@ -126,7 +127,7 @@ export function ChatInput({ onSend, onAbort, isRunning, disabled, files, onFiles
           rows={1}
           className="flex-1 resize-none rounded-lg border bg-background px-4 py-2.5 text-base md:text-sm placeholder:text-muted-foreground focus:outline-none focus:ring-1 focus:ring-ring disabled:opacity-50"
         />
-        {isRunning ? (
+        {isBusy ? (
           <div className="flex gap-1">
             <Button
               size="icon-lg"
diff --git a/ui/web/src/components/chat/chat-top-bar.tsx b/ui/web/src/components/chat/chat-top-bar.tsx
index 3e798791..77ebbf03 100644
--- a/ui/web/src/components/chat/chat-top-bar.tsx
+++ b/ui/web/src/components/chat/chat-top-bar.tsx
@@ -1,14 +1,16 @@
 import { useState, useEffect } from "react";
-import { Loader2, Bot } from "lucide-react";
+import { Loader2, Bot, Users } from "lucide-react";
 import { useHttp } from "@/hooks/use-ws";
 import { useAuthStore } from "@/stores/use-auth-store";
-import type { RunActivity } from "@/types/chat";
+import type { RunActivity, ActiveTeamTask } from "@/types/chat";
 import type { AgentData } from "@/types/agent";
 
 interface ChatTopBarProps {
   agentId: string;
   isRunning: boolean;
+  isBusy: boolean;
   activity: RunActivity | null;
+  teamTasks: ActiveTeamTask[];
 }
 
 const phaseLabels: Record<RunActivity["phase"], string> = {
@@ -19,7 +21,7 @@ const phaseLabels: Record<RunActivity["phase"], string> = {
   retrying: "Retrying…",
 };
 
-export function ChatTopBar({ agentId, isRunning, activity }: ChatTopBarProps) {
+export function ChatTopBar({ agentId, isRunning, isBusy, activity, teamTasks }: ChatTopBarProps) {
   const http = useHttp();
   const connected = useAuthStore((s) => s.connected);
   const [agent, setAgent] = useState<{ name: string; emoji?: string } | null>(null);
@@ -61,6 +63,12 @@ export function ChatTopBar({ agentId, isRunning, activity }: ChatTopBarProps) {
           <span>{activity ? phaseLabels[activity.phase] : "Running…"}</span>
           <Loader2 className="h-3.5 w-3.5 animate-spin" />
         </div>
+      ) : isBusy ? (
+        <div className="flex items-center gap-1.5 text-xs text-muted-foreground">
+          <Users className="h-3.5 w-3.5" />
+          <span>Team: {teamTasks.length} task{teamTasks.length > 1 ? "s" : ""} active</span>
+          <Loader2 className="h-3.5 w-3.5 animate-spin" />
+        </div>
       ) : (
         <span className="text-xs text-muted-foreground/50">Ready</span>
       )}
diff --git a/ui/web/src/components/shared/markdown-renderer.tsx b/ui/web/src/components/shared/markdown-renderer.tsx
index f7015c72..101a2fcb 100644
--- a/ui/web/src/components/shared/markdown-renderer.tsx
+++ b/ui/web/src/components/shared/markdown-renderer.tsx
@@ -50,9 +50,26 @@ interface MarkdownRendererProps {
   className?: string;
 }
 
-/** Check if a URL points to a local file via /v1/files/ endpoint */
+/** Common file extensions for generated/local files */
+const LOCAL_FILE_EXT_RE = /\.(png|jpg|jpeg|gif|webp|svg|bmp|mp3|wav|ogg|flac|aac|m4a|mp4|webm|mkv|avi|mov|pdf|doc|docx|xls|xlsx|csv|txt|md|json|zip)$/i;
+
+/** Check if a URL points to a local file (via /v1/files/ or relative path) */
 function isFileLink(href: string | undefined): boolean {
-  return !!href && (href.startsWith("/v1/files/") || href.includes("/v1/files/"));
+  if (!href) return false;
+  if (href.startsWith("/v1/files/") || href.includes("/v1/files/")) return true;
+  // Detect relative paths with file extensions (e.g. ./system/generated/file.png)
+  if ((href.startsWith("./") || href.startsWith("../")) && LOCAL_FILE_EXT_RE.test(href)) return true;
+  return false;
+}
+
+/** Convert a local file path to a /v1/files/ URL for serving */
+function toFileUrl(href: string): string {
+  if (href.startsWith("/v1/files/")) return href;
+  if (href.includes("/v1/files/")) return href;
+  // For relative paths, try resolving via /v1/files/ with the path
+  // Strip leading ./ or ../
+  const cleaned = href.replace(/^\.\.?\//, "");
+  return `/v1/files/${cleaned}`;
 }
 
 /** File type detection from name */
@@ -122,19 +139,20 @@ export function MarkdownRenderer({ content, className }: MarkdownRendererProps)
           },
           a({ href, children }) {
             if (isFileLink(href)) {
-              const name = typeof children === "string" ? children : fileNameFromHref(href ?? "");
+              const resolvedHref = toFileUrl(href!);
+              const name = typeof children === "string" ? children : fileNameFromHref(resolvedHref);
               return (
                 <span className="inline-flex items-center gap-0.5 rounded border bg-muted/50 text-[0.85em] font-medium">
                   <button
                     type="button"
                     className="inline-flex items-center gap-1 px-1.5 py-0.5 text-primary hover:bg-muted cursor-pointer rounded-l"
-                    onClick={(e) => { e.preventDefault(); handleFileClick(href!, name); }}
+                    onClick={(e) => { e.preventDefault(); handleFileClick(resolvedHref, name); }}
                   >
                     <FileText className="h-3.5 w-3.5" />
                     {children}
                   </button>
                   <a
-                    href={href}
+                    href={resolvedHref}
                     download={name}
                     className="inline-flex items-center px-1 py-0.5 text-muted-foreground hover:bg-muted cursor-pointer rounded-r border-l"
                     onClick={(e) => e.stopPropagation()}
diff --git a/ui/web/src/hooks/use-auto-scroll.ts b/ui/web/src/hooks/use-auto-scroll.ts
index 16040c27..3b476594 100644
--- a/ui/web/src/hooks/use-auto-scroll.ts
+++ b/ui/web/src/hooks/use-auto-scroll.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,10 @@ import { useEffect, useRef, useCallback } from "react";
  * Auto-scroll to bottom of a container when content changes.
  * Only auto-scrolls if user is near the bottom (within threshold).
  * Pass a `forceTrigger` counter to force scroll regardless of position (e.g. on send).
+ *
+ * Uses instant scroll (not smooth) to avoid jitter during rapid streaming updates.
+ * Ignores scroll events fired by programmatic scrolls so `isNearBottom` isn't
+ * incorrectly flipped to false mid-animation.
  */
 export function useAutoScroll<T extends HTMLElement>(
   deps: unknown[],
@@ -12,8 +16,12 @@ export function useAutoScroll<T extends HTMLElement>(
 ) {
   const ref = useRef<T>(null);
   const isNearBottom = useRef(true);
+  // Guard: ignore scroll events triggered by our own programmatic scrolls.
+  const programmaticScroll = useRef(false);
 
   const checkScroll = useCallback(() => {
+    // Skip scroll events fired by our own scrollToBottom calls.
+    if (programmaticScroll.current) return;
     const el = ref.current;
     if (!el) return;
     const { scrollTop, scrollHeight, clientHeight } = el;
@@ -23,17 +31,23 @@ export function useAutoScroll<T extends HTMLElement>(
   const scrollToBottom = useCallback((instant = false) => {
     const el = ref.current;
     if (!el) return;
+    programmaticScroll.current = true;
     if (instant) {
       el.scrollTop = el.scrollHeight;
     } else {
       el.scrollTo({ top: el.scrollHeight, behavior: "smooth" });
     }
+    // Re-enable user scroll detection after the browser paints.
+    requestAnimationFrame(() => {
+      programmaticScroll.current = false;
+    });
   }, []);
 
-  // Auto-scroll when content changes (only if near bottom) — smooth
+  // Auto-scroll when content changes (only if near bottom).
+  // Uses instant scroll to prevent jitter from rapid streaming chunk updates.
   useEffect(() => {
     if (isNearBottom.current) {
-      scrollToBottom(false);
+      scrollToBottom(true);
     }
     // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
   }, deps);
diff --git a/ui/web/src/pages/chat/chat-page.tsx b/ui/web/src/pages/chat/chat-page.tsx
index c856cddc..c24b2221 100644
--- a/ui/web/src/pages/chat/chat-page.tsx
+++ b/ui/web/src/pages/chat/chat-page.tsx
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ export function ChatPage() {
     thinkingText,
     toolStream,
     isRunning,
+    isBusy,
     loading: messagesLoading,
     activity,
     blockReplies,
@@ -59,14 +60,14 @@ export function ChatPage() {
     addLocalMessage,
   } = useChatMessages(sessionKey, agentId);
 
-  // Refresh sessions when run completes
-  const prevIsRunningRef = useRef(false);
+  // Refresh sessions when all work completes (main agent + team tasks)
+  const prevIsBusyRef = useRef(false);
   useEffect(() => {
-    if (prevIsRunningRef.current && !isRunning) {
+    if (prevIsBusyRef.current && !isBusy) {
       refreshSessions();
     }
-    prevIsRunningRef.current = isRunning;
-  }, [isRunning, refreshSessions]);
+    prevIsBusyRef.current = isBusy;
+  }, [isBusy, refreshSessions]);
 
   const isOwn = !sessionKey || isOwnSession(sessionKey, userId);
 
@@ -212,7 +213,7 @@ export function ChatPage() {
           </div>
         )}
 
-        <ChatTopBar agentId={agentId} isRunning={isRunning} activity={activity} />
+        <ChatTopBar agentId={agentId} isRunning={isRunning} isBusy={isBusy} activity={activity} teamTasks={teamTasks} />
 
         {sendError && (
           <div className="border-b bg-destructive/10 px-4 py-2 text-sm text-destructive">
@@ -230,6 +231,7 @@ export function ChatPage() {
             activity={activity}
             teamTasks={teamTasks}
             isRunning={isRunning}
+            isBusy={isBusy}
             loading={messagesLoading}
             scrollTrigger={scrollTrigger}
           />
@@ -238,7 +240,7 @@ export function ChatPage() {
             <ChatInput
               onSend={handleSend}
               onAbort={handleAbort}
-              isRunning={isRunning}
+              isBusy={isBusy}
               disabled={!connected}
               files={files}
               onFilesChange={setFiles}
diff --git a/ui/web/src/pages/chat/chat-thread.tsx b/ui/web/src/pages/chat/chat-thread.tsx
index 7f07a4e6..c5c46f0e 100644
--- a/ui/web/src/pages/chat/chat-thread.tsx
+++ b/ui/web/src/pages/chat/chat-thread.tsx
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ interface ChatThreadProps {
   activity: RunActivity | null;
   teamTasks: ActiveTeamTask[];
   isRunning: boolean;
+  isBusy: boolean;
   loading?: boolean;
   scrollTrigger?: number;
 }
@@ -72,7 +73,7 @@ function buildDisplayItems(messages: ChatMessage[]): DisplayItem[] {
 
 export const ChatThread = memo(function ChatThread({
   messages, streamText, thinkingText, toolStream, blockReplies,
-  activity, teamTasks, isRunning, loading, scrollTrigger = 0,
+  activity, teamTasks, isRunning, isBusy, loading, scrollTrigger = 0,
 }: ChatThreadProps) {
   const { t } = useTranslation("chat");
   const { ref, onScroll } = useAutoScroll<HTMLDivElement>(
@@ -83,7 +84,7 @@ export const ChatThread = memo(function ChatThread({
 
   const displayItems = useMemo(() => buildDisplayItems(messages), [messages]);
 
-  if (messages.length === 0 && !isRunning) {
+  if (messages.length === 0 && !isBusy) {
     if (loading) {
       return (
         <div className="flex flex-1 items-center justify-center">
diff --git a/ui/web/src/pages/chat/hooks/use-chat-messages.ts b/ui/web/src/pages/chat/hooks/use-chat-messages.ts
index 5ec37dc8..3f3b7b63 100644
--- a/ui/web/src/pages/chat/hooks/use-chat-messages.ts
+++ b/ui/web/src/pages/chat/hooks/use-chat-messages.ts
@@ -411,12 +411,17 @@ export function useChatMessages(sessionKey: string, agentId: string) {
     setMessages((prev) => [...prev, msg]);
   }, []);
 
+  // isBusy: true when main agent is running OR team tasks are active.
+  // Used for stop button visibility, top bar status, empty state check.
+  const isBusy = isRunning || teamTasks.length > 0;
+
   return {
     messages,
     streamText,
     thinkingText,
     toolStream,
     isRunning,
+    isBusy,
     loading,
     activity,
     blockReplies,