diff --git a/apps/web/index.html b/apps/web/index.html
index 0713fbf..b249376 100644
--- a/apps/web/index.html
+++ b/apps/web/index.html
@@ -4,6 +4,9 @@
     <meta charset="UTF-8" />
     <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
     <title>Codewalk District</title>
+    <link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com">
+    <link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.gstatic.com" crossorigin>
+    <link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Plus+Jakarta+Sans:wght@500;600;700;800&display=swap" rel="stylesheet">
     <script>
       (function() {
         var t = localStorage.getItem('cw-theme') || 'system';
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/HealthDot.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/HealthDot.tsx
index 579bf0f..5503fb0 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/HealthDot.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/HealthDot.tsx
@@ -1,32 +1,35 @@
-import { trpc } from "@/lib/trpc";
 import { Tooltip, TooltipTrigger, TooltipContent } from "@/components/ui/tooltip";
 import { cn } from "@/lib/utils";
+import type { ConnectionState } from "@/hooks/useConnectionStatus";
 
-export function HealthDot() {
-  const health = trpc.healthCheck.useQuery(undefined, {
-    refetchInterval: 30000,
-    retry: 1,
-  });
+interface HealthDotProps {
+  connectionState: ConnectionState;
+}
 
-  const isHealthy = health.data && !health.isError;
-  const isLoading = health.isLoading;
+const healthGlow: Record<ConnectionState, string> = {
+  connected:    "0 0 6px 1px hsl(var(--status-success-dot) / 0.4)",
+  disconnected: "0 0 6px 1px hsl(var(--status-error-dot) / 0.5)",
+  reconnecting: "0 0 6px 1px hsl(var(--status-neutral-dot) / 0.3)",
+};
 
+export function HealthDot({ connectionState }: HealthDotProps) {
   return (
     <Tooltip>
       <TooltipTrigger asChild>
         <span
           className={cn(
             "inline-block h-2 w-2 rounded-full",
-            isLoading && "bg-status-neutral-dot animate-status-pulse",
-            isHealthy && "bg-status-success-dot",
-            !isHealthy && !isLoading && "bg-status-error-dot",
+            connectionState === "reconnecting" && "bg-status-neutral-dot animate-status-pulse",
+            connectionState === "connected" && "bg-status-success-dot",
+            connectionState === "disconnected" && "bg-status-error-dot",
           )}
+          style={{ boxShadow: healthGlow[connectionState] }}
         />
       </TooltipTrigger>
       <TooltipContent>
-        {isLoading
-          ? "Checking server..."
-          : isHealthy
+        {connectionState === "reconnecting"
+          ? "Reconnecting..."
+          : connectionState === "connected"
             ? "Server connected"
             : "Server disconnected"}
       </TooltipContent>
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/StatusDot.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/StatusDot.tsx
index e706160..e72a570 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/StatusDot.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/StatusDot.tsx
@@ -11,6 +11,15 @@ const dotColors: Record<StatusVariant, string> = {
   urgent:  "bg-status-urgent-dot",
 };
 
+const glowMap: Record<StatusVariant, string | undefined> = {
+  active:  "0 0 6px 1px hsl(var(--status-active-dot) / 0.5)",
+  success: "0 0 6px 1px hsl(var(--status-success-dot) / 0.4)",
+  warning: "0 0 6px 1px hsl(var(--status-warning-dot) / 0.4)",
+  error:   "0 0 6px 1px hsl(var(--status-error-dot) / 0.5)",
+  neutral: undefined,
+  urgent:  "0 0 6px 1px hsl(var(--status-urgent-dot) / 0.4)",
+};
+
 /** Maps raw entity status strings to semantic StatusVariant tokens. */
 export function mapEntityStatus(rawStatus: string): StatusVariant {
   switch (rawStatus) {
@@ -84,6 +93,7 @@ export function StatusDot({
 
   const variant = variantOverride ?? mapEntityStatus(status);
   const color = dotColors[variant];
+  const glow = glowMap[variant];
   const displayLabel = label ?? status.replace(/_/g, " ").toLowerCase();
 
   return (
@@ -94,9 +104,10 @@ export function StatusDot({
         "inline-block shrink-0 rounded-full",
         sizeClasses[size],
         color,
-        pulse && "animate-status-pulse",
+        pulse && "animate-status-pulse transition-transform",
         className,
       )}
+      style={glow ? { boxShadow: glow } : undefined}
     />
   );
 }
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/ui/button.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/ui/button.tsx
index 36496a2..2a8957e 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/ui/button.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/ui/button.tsx
@@ -5,18 +5,18 @@ import { cva, type VariantProps } from "class-variance-authority"
 import { cn } from "@/lib/utils"
 
 const buttonVariants = cva(
-  "inline-flex items-center justify-center gap-2 whitespace-nowrap rounded-md text-sm font-medium ring-offset-background transition-colors focus-visible:outline-none focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:ring-ring focus-visible:ring-offset-2 disabled:pointer-events-none disabled:opacity-50 [&_svg]:pointer-events-none [&_svg]:size-4 [&_svg]:shrink-0",
+  "inline-flex items-center justify-center gap-2 whitespace-nowrap rounded-md text-sm font-medium ring-offset-background transition-all duration-150 focus-visible:outline-none focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:ring-ring focus-visible:ring-offset-2 disabled:pointer-events-none disabled:opacity-50 [&_svg]:pointer-events-none [&_svg]:size-4 [&_svg]:shrink-0",
   {
     variants: {
       variant: {
-        default: "bg-primary text-primary-foreground hover:bg-primary/90",
+        default: "bg-primary text-primary-foreground hover:bg-primary/90 hover:shadow-md active:scale-[0.98]",
         destructive:
-          "bg-destructive text-destructive-foreground hover:bg-destructive/90",
+          "bg-destructive text-destructive-foreground hover:bg-destructive/90 hover:shadow-[0_0_12px_hsl(var(--destructive)/0.3)]",
         outline:
           "border border-input bg-background hover:bg-accent hover:text-accent-foreground",
         secondary:
           "bg-secondary text-secondary-foreground hover:bg-secondary/80",
-        ghost: "hover:bg-accent hover:text-accent-foreground",
+        ghost: "hover:bg-accent hover:text-accent-foreground active:scale-[0.98]",
         link: "text-primary underline-offset-4 hover:underline",
       },
       size: {
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/ui/card.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/ui/card.tsx
index f62edea..1c30e75 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/ui/card.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/ui/card.tsx
@@ -2,19 +2,25 @@ import * as React from "react"
 
 import { cn } from "@/lib/utils"
 
-const Card = React.forwardRef<
-  HTMLDivElement,
-  React.HTMLAttributes<HTMLDivElement>
->(({ className, ...props }, ref) => (
-  <div
-    ref={ref}
-    className={cn(
-      "rounded-lg border bg-card text-card-foreground shadow-sm",
-      className
-    )}
-    {...props}
-  />
-))
+interface CardProps extends React.HTMLAttributes<HTMLDivElement> {
+  interactive?: boolean;
+  selected?: boolean;
+}
+
+const Card = React.forwardRef<HTMLDivElement, CardProps>(
+  ({ className, interactive, selected, ...props }, ref) => (
+    <div
+      ref={ref}
+      className={cn(
+        "rounded-lg border bg-card text-card-foreground shadow-sm",
+        interactive && "transition-all duration-200 ease-out hover:shadow-md hover:-translate-y-0.5 hover:border-border/80 cursor-pointer",
+        selected && "ring-1 ring-primary/30 border-primary/20",
+        className
+      )}
+      {...props}
+    />
+  )
+)
 Card.displayName = "Card"
 
 const CardHeader = React.forwardRef<
diff --git a/apps/web/src/index.css b/apps/web/src/index.css
index 8a40ac7..ddcbefa 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/index.css
+++ b/apps/web/src/index.css
@@ -150,6 +150,13 @@
     --ease-out: cubic-bezier(0, 0, 0.2, 1);
     --ease-spring: cubic-bezier(0.34, 1.56, 0.64, 1);
 
+    /* Spacing tokens */
+    --space-section: 2rem;
+    --space-section-lg: 3rem;
+
+    /* Background atmosphere */
+    --bg-gradient: radial-gradient(ellipse 80% 60% at 50% -10%, hsl(239 84% 67% / 0.04), transparent 70%);
+
     /* Z-index scale */
     --z-base: 0;
     --z-raised: 1;
@@ -259,6 +266,9 @@
     --diff-remove-border: 0 84% 25%;
     --diff-hunk-bg: 239 40% 16%;
 
+    /* Background atmosphere — dark mode */
+    --bg-gradient: radial-gradient(ellipse 80% 60% at 50% -10%, hsl(239 84% 67% / 0.06), transparent 70%);
+
     /* Shadow tokens — dark mode (inset highlights + ambient glow) */
     --shadow-xs: none;
     --shadow-sm: inset 0 1px 0 hsl(0 0% 100% / 0.04);
@@ -320,9 +330,28 @@ select:focus-visible {
     min-width: 320px;
     height: 100vh;
     overflow: hidden;
+    background-image: var(--bg-gradient);
+    background-attachment: fixed;
   }
 }
 
+/* Noise texture overlay */
+body::before {
+  content: '';
+  position: fixed;
+  inset: 0;
+  z-index: -1;
+  opacity: 0.015;
+  pointer-events: none;
+  background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg viewBox='0 0 256 256' xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%3E%3Cfilter id='noise'%3E%3CfeTurbulence type='fractalNoise' baseFrequency='0.9' numOctaves='4' stitchTiles='stitch'/%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Crect width='100%25' height='100%25' filter='url(%23noise)'/%3E%3C/svg%3E");
+  background-repeat: repeat;
+  background-size: 256px 256px;
+}
+
+.dark body::before {
+  opacity: 0.03;
+}
+
 /* Notion-style page link blocks inside the editor */
 .page-link-block {
   display: flex;
@@ -426,3 +455,27 @@ select:focus-visible {
 .ProseMirror pre code::after {
   content: none;
 }
+
+@layer utilities {
+  .card-hover-lift {
+    transition: transform var(--duration-normal) var(--ease-out),
+                box-shadow var(--duration-normal) var(--ease-out);
+  }
+  .card-hover-lift:hover {
+    transform: translateY(-2px);
+    box-shadow: var(--shadow-md);
+  }
+
+  .glow-active {
+    box-shadow: 0 0 8px hsl(var(--status-active-dot) / 0.4);
+  }
+  .glow-success {
+    box-shadow: 0 0 8px hsl(var(--status-success-dot) / 0.4);
+  }
+  .glow-error {
+    box-shadow: 0 0 8px hsl(var(--status-error-dot) / 0.4);
+  }
+  .glow-warning {
+    box-shadow: 0 0 8px hsl(var(--status-warning-dot) / 0.4);
+  }
+}
diff --git a/apps/web/src/layouts/AppLayout.tsx b/apps/web/src/layouts/AppLayout.tsx
index a7c08e5..b24dc12 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/layouts/AppLayout.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/layouts/AppLayout.tsx
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import { ThemeToggle } from '@/components/ThemeToggle'
 import { HealthDot } from '@/components/HealthDot'
 import { NavBadge } from '@/components/NavBadge'
 import { trpc } from '@/lib/trpc'
+import type { ConnectionState } from '@/hooks/useConnectionStatus'
 
 const navItems = [
   { label: 'Initiatives', to: '/initiatives', badgeKey: null },
@@ -15,9 +16,10 @@ const navItems = [
 interface AppLayoutProps {
   children: React.ReactNode
   onOpenCommandPalette?: () => void
+  connectionState: ConnectionState
 }
 
-export function AppLayout({ children, onOpenCommandPalette }: AppLayoutProps) {
+export function AppLayout({ children, onOpenCommandPalette, connectionState }: AppLayoutProps) {
   const agents = trpc.listAgents.useQuery(undefined, {
     refetchInterval: 10000,
   })
@@ -30,29 +32,39 @@ export function AppLayout({ children, onOpenCommandPalette }: AppLayoutProps) {
   return (
     <div className="flex h-screen flex-col bg-background">
       {/* Single-row 48px header */}
-      <header className="z-sticky shrink-0 border-b bg-background/95 backdrop-blur supports-[backdrop-filter]:bg-background/60">
-        <div className="flex h-12 items-center justify-between px-4">
+      <header className="relative z-sticky shrink-0 border-b border-border/50 bg-background/95 shadow-[0_1px_0_0_hsl(var(--border)/0.5),0_1px_3px_-1px_hsl(var(--primary)/0.1)] backdrop-blur supports-[backdrop-filter]:bg-background/60">
+        <div className="flex h-12 items-center justify-between px-5">
           {/* Left: Logo + Nav */}
           <div className="flex items-center gap-6">
-            <Link to="/initiatives" className="flex items-center gap-2 text-sm font-bold tracking-tight">
-              <span className="inline-flex h-6 w-6 items-center justify-center rounded bg-primary text-[10px] font-bold text-primary-foreground">
+            <Link to="/initiatives" className="flex items-center gap-2.5">
+              <span className="inline-flex h-7 w-7 items-center justify-center rounded bg-primary text-[11px] font-bold text-primary-foreground shadow-sm ring-1 ring-primary/20">
                 CW
               </span>
-              <span className="hidden sm:inline">Codewalk District</span>
+              <span className="hidden items-baseline gap-1 sm:inline-flex">
+                <span className="font-display font-bold tracking-tight">Codewalk</span>
+                <span className="font-display font-medium tracking-tight text-muted-foreground">District</span>
+              </span>
             </Link>
-            <nav className="flex items-center gap-0.5">
+            <nav className="flex items-center gap-1">
               {navItems.map((item) => (
                 <Link
                   key={item.label}
                   to={item.to}
-                  className="flex items-center gap-1.5 rounded-md px-3 py-1.5 text-sm font-medium text-muted-foreground transition-colors duration-fast hover:text-foreground"
+                  className="relative flex items-center gap-1.5 rounded-md px-3 py-1.5 text-sm font-medium text-muted-foreground transition-colors duration-fast hover:text-foreground"
                   activeProps={{
-                    className: 'flex items-center gap-1.5 rounded-md px-3 py-1.5 text-sm font-medium text-foreground bg-accent',
+                    className: 'relative flex items-center gap-1.5 rounded-md px-3 py-1.5 text-sm font-semibold text-foreground',
                   }}
                 >
-                  {item.label}
-                  {item.badgeKey && (
-                    <NavBadge count={badgeCounts[item.badgeKey]} />
+                  {({ isActive }) => (
+                    <>
+                      {item.label}
+                      {item.badgeKey && (
+                        <NavBadge count={badgeCounts[item.badgeKey]} />
+                      )}
+                      {isActive && (
+                        <span className="absolute -bottom-[13px] left-1/2 h-0.5 w-4 -translate-x-1/2 rounded-full bg-primary" />
+                      )}
+                    </>
                   )}
                 </Link>
               ))}
@@ -60,11 +72,11 @@ export function AppLayout({ children, onOpenCommandPalette }: AppLayoutProps) {
           </div>
 
           {/* Right: Cmd+K, Theme toggle, Health, Workspace */}
-          <div className="flex items-center gap-3">
+          <div className="flex items-center gap-2">
             {onOpenCommandPalette && (
               <button
                 onClick={onOpenCommandPalette}
-                className="flex items-center gap-1.5 rounded-md border bg-muted/50 px-2.5 py-1 text-xs text-muted-foreground transition-colors hover:bg-muted hover:text-foreground"
+                className="flex items-center gap-1.5 rounded-md border border-border/60 bg-background/80 px-2.5 py-1 text-xs text-muted-foreground backdrop-blur-sm transition-all duration-fast hover:border-border hover:bg-accent/80 hover:text-foreground"
               >
                 <Search className="h-3 w-3" />
                 <span className="hidden sm:inline">Search</span>
@@ -73,8 +85,9 @@ export function AppLayout({ children, onOpenCommandPalette }: AppLayoutProps) {
                 </kbd>
               </button>
             )}
+            <div className="mx-1 h-4 w-px bg-border/50" />
             <ThemeToggle />
-            <HealthDot />
+            <HealthDot connectionState={connectionState} />
           </div>
         </div>
       </header>
diff --git a/apps/web/tailwind.config.ts b/apps/web/tailwind.config.ts
index 4305b76..9c04775 100644
--- a/apps/web/tailwind.config.ts
+++ b/apps/web/tailwind.config.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ export default {
       fontFamily: {
         sans: ["Geist Sans", ...defaultTheme.fontFamily.sans],
         mono: ["Geist Mono", ...defaultTheme.fontFamily.mono],
+        display: ['"Plus Jakarta Sans"', "var(--font-geist-sans)", "system-ui", "sans-serif"],
       },
       colors: {
         border: "hsl(var(--border))",
@@ -168,12 +169,37 @@ export default {
           "0%": { backgroundPosition: "-200% 0" },
           "100%": { backgroundPosition: "200% 0" },
         },
+        "glow-pulse": {
+          "0%, 100%": { boxShadow: "0 0 4px var(--glow-color, hsl(239 84% 67% / 0.3))" },
+          "50%": { boxShadow: "0 0 12px var(--glow-color, hsl(239 84% 67% / 0.5))" },
+        },
+        "fade-in-up": {
+          "0%": { opacity: "0", transform: "translateY(8px)" },
+          "100%": { opacity: "1", transform: "translateY(0)" },
+        },
+        "fade-in": {
+          "0%": { opacity: "0" },
+          "100%": { opacity: "1" },
+        },
+        "scale-in": {
+          "0%": { opacity: "0", transform: "scale(0.95)" },
+          "100%": { opacity: "1", transform: "scale(1)" },
+        },
+        "slide-in-right": {
+          "0%": { opacity: "0", transform: "translateX(16px)" },
+          "100%": { opacity: "1", transform: "translateX(0)" },
+        },
       },
       animation: {
         "accordion-down": "accordion-down 0.2s ease-out",
         "accordion-up": "accordion-up 0.2s ease-out",
         "status-pulse": "status-pulse 2s ease-in-out infinite",
         shimmer: "shimmer 1.5s infinite",
+        "glow-pulse": "glow-pulse 2s ease-in-out infinite",
+        "fade-in-up": "fade-in-up 0.4s var(--ease-out) forwards",
+        "fade-in": "fade-in 0.3s var(--ease-out) forwards",
+        "scale-in": "scale-in 0.3s var(--ease-out) forwards",
+        "slide-in-right": "slide-in-right 0.3s var(--ease-out) forwards",
       },
     },
   },
diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index 3093fb4..4bb3e07 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
         "execa": "^9.5.2",
         "gray-matter": "^4.0.3",
         "js-yaml": "^4.1.1",
+        "motion": "^12.34.5",
         "nanoid": "^5.1.6",
         "pino": "^10.3.0",
         "simple-git": "^3.30.0",
@@ -32,7 +33,7 @@
         "zod": "^4.3.6"
       },
       "bin": {
-        "cw": "dist/bin/cw.js"
+        "cw": "apps/server/dist/bin/cw.js"
       },
       "devDependencies": {
         "@types/better-sqlite3": "^7.6.13",
@@ -6699,6 +6700,33 @@
         "url": "https://github.com/sponsors/rawify"
       }
     },
+    "node_modules/framer-motion": {
+      "version": "12.34.5",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/framer-motion/-/framer-motion-12.34.5.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-Z2dQ+o7BsfpJI3+u0SQUNCrN+ajCKJen1blC4rCHx1Ta2EOHs+xKJegLT2aaD9iSMbU3OoX+WabQXkloUbZmJQ==",
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "motion-dom": "^12.34.5",
+        "motion-utils": "^12.29.2",
+        "tslib": "^2.4.0"
+      },
+      "peerDependencies": {
+        "@emotion/is-prop-valid": "*",
+        "react": "^18.0.0 || ^19.0.0",
+        "react-dom": "^18.0.0 || ^19.0.0"
+      },
+      "peerDependenciesMeta": {
+        "@emotion/is-prop-valid": {
+          "optional": true
+        },
+        "react": {
+          "optional": true
+        },
+        "react-dom": {
+          "optional": true
+        }
+      }
+    },
     "node_modules/fs-constants": {
       "version": "1.0.0",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/fs-constants/-/fs-constants-1.0.0.tgz",
@@ -7409,6 +7437,47 @@
       "integrity": "sha512-gKLcREMhtuZRwRAfqP3RFW+TK4JqApVBtOIftVgjuABpAtpxhPGaDcfvbhNvD0B8iD1oUr/txX35NjcaY6Ns/A==",
       "license": "MIT"
     },
+    "node_modules/motion": {
+      "version": "12.34.5",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/motion/-/motion-12.34.5.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-N06NLJ9IeBHeielRqIvYvjPfXuRdyTxa+9++BgpGa+hY2D7TcMkI6QzV3jaRuv0aZRXgMa7cPy9YcBUBisPzAQ==",
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "framer-motion": "^12.34.5",
+        "tslib": "^2.4.0"
+      },
+      "peerDependencies": {
+        "@emotion/is-prop-valid": "*",
+        "react": "^18.0.0 || ^19.0.0",
+        "react-dom": "^18.0.0 || ^19.0.0"
+      },
+      "peerDependenciesMeta": {
+        "@emotion/is-prop-valid": {
+          "optional": true
+        },
+        "react": {
+          "optional": true
+        },
+        "react-dom": {
+          "optional": true
+        }
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/motion-dom": {
+      "version": "12.34.5",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/motion-dom/-/motion-dom-12.34.5.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-k33CsnxO2K3gBRMUZT+vPmc4Utlb5menKdG0RyVNLtlqRaaJPRWlE9fXl8NTtfZ5z3G8TDvqSu0MENLqSTaHZA==",
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "motion-utils": "^12.29.2"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/motion-utils": {
+      "version": "12.29.2",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/motion-utils/-/motion-utils-12.29.2.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-G3kc34H2cX2gI63RqU+cZq+zWRRPSsNIOjpdl9TN4AQwC4sgwYPl/Q/Obf/d53nOm569T0fYK+tcoSV50BWx8A==",
+      "license": "MIT"
+    },
     "node_modules/ms": {
       "version": "2.1.3",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/ms/-/ms-2.1.3.tgz",
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 07aae5b..5e98f83 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@
     "execa": "^9.5.2",
     "gray-matter": "^4.0.3",
     "js-yaml": "^4.1.1",
+    "motion": "^12.34.5",
     "nanoid": "^5.1.6",
     "pino": "^10.3.0",
     "simple-git": "^3.30.0",