apps/desktop/src/renderer/src/components/screens/focus-screen.tsx

@@ -7,9 +7,10 @@ import { EmptyState } from '../shell/states.js'
 import { Badge, Button, Card, IconButton, Tag } from '../ui/index.js'
 
 /**
- * Morning service — the Now/Next/Later focus cards + the burn-up cone.
+ * Morning service — the Now/Next/Later focus cards + the burn-up cone, from the
- * `focus` (scheduler) and `forecast` (Monte Carlo) override the demo fixtures
+ * scheduler (`focus`) and Monte Carlo forecast (`forecast`). Both come from the
- * when gitea is configured; both fall back to the handoff demo otherwise.
+ * reconciled backlog; with no open work the scheduler has nothing to pour, so we
+ * show the empty state.
  */
 export function FocusScreen({
   onOpenIssue,
@@ -66,7 +67,9 @@ export function FocusScreen({
     </Card>
   )
 
-  if (!focus) {
+  // The scheduler returns a FocusView even when the backlog has no open work —
+  // treat "no now/next/later" as empty, not just an absent `focus`.
+  if (!focus || (!focus.now && !focus.next && !focus.later)) {
     return (
       <EmptyState
         icon="coffee"

apps/desktop/src/renderer/src/components/screens/standup-screen.tsx

@@ -161,6 +161,25 @@ export function StandupScreen({
         </Section>
 
         <Section overline="Stale blockers" order={3}>
+          {s.nag.id === 0 ? (
+            // Calm sentinel — nothing is over-steeping; render just the reassurance,
+            // no issue chrome, no click target (there's no #0 to open).
+            <div
+              style={{
+                display: 'flex',
+                gap: 10,
+                alignItems: 'center',
+                background: 'var(--paper-2)',
+                borderRadius: 'var(--radius-2)',
+                padding: '12px 14px',
+              }}
+            >
+              <span style={{ color: 'var(--ok)', display: 'inline-flex' }}>
+                <Icon name="circle-check" size={15} />
+              </span>
+              <p style={{ font: 'var(--text-agent)', color: 'var(--ink-2)', margin: 0 }}>{s.nag.text}</p>
+            </div>
+          ) : (
             <div
               role="button"
               tabIndex={0}
@@ -194,6 +213,7 @@ export function StandupScreen({
                 <p style={{ font: 'var(--text-agent)', color: 'var(--ink-2)', margin: '5px 0 0' }}>{s.nag.text}</p>
               </div>
             </div>
+          )}
         </Section>
 
         <footer