diff --git a/packages/ui/src/components/chat/work-status/DOCUMENTATION.md b/packages/ui/src/components/chat/work-status/DOCUMENTATION.md
index 44e96381..18474cae 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/components/chat/work-status/DOCUMENTATION.md
+++ b/packages/ui/src/components/chat/work-status/DOCUMENTATION.md
@@ -203,6 +203,11 @@ section decides for itself that it has nothing to say, so they report through
 `presenceContext.ts` and the panel collapses when none rendered. Deriving that
 at the panel level would mean duplicating every data source the sections read.
 
+There is one deliberate exception: when the user hides every section, the card
+stays visible with a localized empty state and section controls. Collapsing that
+state would also hide the only recovery path. A panel with enabled sections but
+no data still follows the presence reports and collapses as before.
+
 The scroll offset resets on session change: restoring one session's offset into
 another's shorter panel lands somewhere arbitrary.
 
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/components/chat/work-status/WorkStatusPanel.tsx b/packages/ui/src/components/chat/work-status/WorkStatusPanel.tsx
index 260051a2..3f769d58 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/components/chat/work-status/WorkStatusPanel.tsx
+++ b/packages/ui/src/components/chat/work-status/WorkStatusPanel.tsx
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import React from 'react';
 import { useI18n } from '@/lib/i18n';
 import { cn } from '@/lib/utils';
 import { ScrollShadow } from '@/components/ui/ScrollShadow';
+import { Button } from '@/components/ui/button';
 import { useUIStore } from '@/stores/useUIStore';
 import { WORK_STATUS_PANEL_WIDTH } from './useWorkStatusVisibility';
 import { WorkStatusGoalRow } from './WorkStatusGoalRow';
@@ -13,7 +14,11 @@ import { WorkStatusMcpSection } from './WorkStatusMcpSection';
 import { WorkStatusPinnedSection } from './WorkStatusPinnedSection';
 import { WorkStatusContextSection } from './WorkStatusContextSection';
 import { WorkStatusSectionsDialog } from './WorkStatusSectionsDialog';
-import { areAllWorkStatusSectionsHidden, isWorkStatusSectionVisible } from './sections';
+import {
+  areAllWorkStatusSectionsHidden,
+  getWorkStatusPanelPresentation,
+  isWorkStatusSectionVisible,
+} from './sections';
 import { WorkStatusPresenceProvider } from './presence';
 import { Icon } from '@/components/icon/Icon';
 
@@ -89,7 +94,12 @@ export const WorkStatusPanel: React.FC<Props> = ({ sessionId, directory, visible
   // for the transient "no data yet" state so the panel doesn't flash a bare
   // bordered card on first mount.
   const allSectionsHidden = areAllWorkStatusSectionsHidden(hiddenSections);
-  const interactive = visible && (renderedSections > 0 || allSectionsHidden);
+  const { interactive, showEmptyState } = getWorkStatusPanelPresentation({
+    visible,
+    contentMounted,
+    renderedSections,
+    allSectionsHidden,
+  });
   React.useEffect(() => {
     if (visible) {
       setContentMounted(true);
@@ -251,16 +261,17 @@ export const WorkStatusPanel: React.FC<Props> = ({ sessionId, directory, visible
       </WorkStatusPresenceProvider>
       ) : null}
 
-      {contentMounted && allSectionsHidden ? (
+      {showEmptyState ? (
         <div className="flex flex-col items-center justify-center px-4 py-8 text-center">
           <span className="text-sm text-muted-foreground">{t('chat.workStatus.sections.allHidden')}</span>
-          <button
-            type="button"
+          <Button
+            variant="link"
+            size="xs"
             onClick={() => setSectionsDialogOpen(true)}
-            className="mt-2 text-xs text-muted-foreground underline underline-offset-2 transition-colors hover:text-foreground"
+            className="mt-2 normal-case text-muted-foreground hover:text-foreground"
           >
             {t('chat.workStatus.sections.open')}
-          </button>
+          </Button>
         </div>
       ) : null}
 
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/components/chat/work-status/WorkStatusSectionsDialog.tsx b/packages/ui/src/components/chat/work-status/WorkStatusSectionsDialog.tsx
index ad60fd4d..4bbc81db 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/components/chat/work-status/WorkStatusSectionsDialog.tsx
+++ b/packages/ui/src/components/chat/work-status/WorkStatusSectionsDialog.tsx
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import React from 'react';
 import { useI18n } from '@/lib/i18n';
 import { useUIStore } from '@/stores/useUIStore';
 import { SettingsCheckboxRow } from '@/components/sections/shared/SettingsSection';
+import { Button } from '@/components/ui/button';
 import {
   Dialog,
   DialogContent,
@@ -63,13 +64,14 @@ export const WorkStatusSectionsDialog: React.FC<{
             {noneVisible ? (
               <span className="text-xs text-destructive">{t('chat.workStatus.sections.noneWarning')}</span>
             ) : <span />}
-            <button
-              type="button"
+            <Button
+              variant="link"
+              size="xs"
               onClick={handleShowAll}
-              className="text-xs text-muted-foreground underline underline-offset-2 transition-colors hover:text-foreground"
+              className="normal-case text-muted-foreground hover:text-foreground"
             >
               {t('chat.workStatus.sections.showAll')}
-            </button>
+            </Button>
           </div>
         ) : null}
       </DialogContent>
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/components/chat/work-status/sections.test.ts b/packages/ui/src/components/chat/work-status/sections.test.ts
index d4aae75c..9998e46e 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/components/chat/work-status/sections.test.ts
+++ b/packages/ui/src/components/chat/work-status/sections.test.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import {
   WORK_STATUS_SECTION_IDS,
   WORK_STATUS_SECTION_LABEL_KEYS,
   areAllWorkStatusSectionsHidden,
+  getWorkStatusPanelPresentation,
   isWorkStatusSectionVisible,
   sanitizeWorkStatusHiddenSections,
 } from './sections';
@@ -62,6 +63,44 @@ describe('areAllWorkStatusSectionsHidden', () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe('getWorkStatusPanelPresentation', () => {
+  test('keeps a visible all-hidden panel interactive and renders its recovery state', () => {
+    expect(getWorkStatusPanelPresentation({
+      visible: true,
+      contentMounted: true,
+      renderedSections: 0,
+      allSectionsHidden: true,
+    })).toEqual({ interactive: true, showEmptyState: true });
+  });
+
+  test('covers the optimistic fresh-mount count when all sections are hidden', () => {
+    expect(getWorkStatusPanelPresentation({
+      visible: true,
+      contentMounted: true,
+      renderedSections: 1,
+      allSectionsHidden: true,
+    })).toEqual({ interactive: true, showEmptyState: true });
+  });
+
+  test('preserves collapse when no section has data but sections remain enabled', () => {
+    expect(getWorkStatusPanelPresentation({
+      visible: true,
+      contentMounted: true,
+      renderedSections: 0,
+      allSectionsHidden: false,
+    })).toEqual({ interactive: false, showEmptyState: false });
+  });
+
+  test('does not expose controls or the empty state during a hidden collapse', () => {
+    expect(getWorkStatusPanelPresentation({
+      visible: false,
+      contentMounted: false,
+      renderedSections: 0,
+      allSectionsHidden: true,
+    })).toEqual({ interactive: false, showEmptyState: false });
+  });
+});
+
 describe('sanitizeWorkStatusHiddenSections', () => {
   test('keeps known ids and drops everything else', () => {
     expect(sanitizeWorkStatusHiddenSections(['usage', 'nope', 42, null, 'tasks']))
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/components/chat/work-status/sections.ts b/packages/ui/src/components/chat/work-status/sections.ts
index d7c6fcaf..9b0264cc 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/components/chat/work-status/sections.ts
+++ b/packages/ui/src/components/chat/work-status/sections.ts
@@ -60,6 +60,21 @@ export const areAllWorkStatusSectionsHidden = (
 ): boolean =>
   hidden != null && WORK_STATUS_SECTION_IDS.every((id) => hidden.includes(id));
 
+export const getWorkStatusPanelPresentation = ({
+  visible,
+  contentMounted,
+  renderedSections,
+  allSectionsHidden,
+}: {
+  visible: boolean;
+  contentMounted: boolean;
+  renderedSections: number;
+  allSectionsHidden: boolean;
+}): { interactive: boolean; showEmptyState: boolean } => ({
+  interactive: visible && (renderedSections > 0 || allSectionsHidden),
+  showEmptyState: contentMounted && allSectionsHidden,
+});
+
 export const sanitizeWorkStatusHiddenSections = (value: unknown): WorkStatusSectionId[] => {
   if (!Array.isArray(value)) return [];
   const seen = new Set<WorkStatusSectionId>();