diff --git a/frontend/src/components/Flow/FlowDock.tsx b/frontend/src/components/Flow/FlowDock.tsx
index acbe2af..3c34312 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/Flow/FlowDock.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/Flow/FlowDock.tsx
@@ -25,6 +25,14 @@ import {
 } from "@/components/ui/tooltip"
 import { slideUp, transitions } from "@/lib/motion"
 
+/**
+ * What "fit" means on this canvas: the view a flow opens with, and the one the
+ * fit button returns to. The generous padding keeps the graph clear of the
+ * chrome floating over it, and the cap stops a two-node flow from being blown
+ * up past legibility.
+ */
+export const FIT_VIEW = { padding: 0.25, maxZoom: 1.2 }
+
 /**
  * The action bar, floating bottom-centre. Run is the one brand-secondary
  * affordance on this view; everything else stays quiet.
@@ -49,6 +57,7 @@ export function FlowDock({
       variants={slideUp}
       initial="hidden"
       animate="visible"
+      exit="exit"
       transition={transitions.emphasized}
       className="pointer-events-auto absolute bottom-4 left-1/2 z-10 flex -translate-x-1/2 items-center gap-1 rounded-full border border-border bg-card/80 px-1.5 py-1 shadow-e2 backdrop-blur-md pb-[max(0.25rem,env(safe-area-inset-bottom))]"
     >
@@ -85,7 +94,7 @@ export function FlowDock({
             variant="ghost"
             size="icon"
             className="size-11 text-muted-foreground md:size-8"
-            onClick={() => fitView({ duration: 300 })}
+            onClick={() => fitView({ ...FIT_VIEW, duration: 300 })}
             aria-label="Fit the flow to the screen"
           >
             <Maximize2 />
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/Flow/FlowEditor.tsx b/frontend/src/components/Flow/FlowEditor.tsx
index f40151e..b0b8097 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/Flow/FlowEditor.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/Flow/FlowEditor.tsx
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import {
 } from "@tanstack/react-query"
 import { useNavigate } from "@tanstack/react-router"
 import { Workflow } from "lucide-react"
+import { AnimatePresence } from "motion/react"
 import { useCallback, useEffect, useMemo, useRef, useState } from "react"
 
 import {
@@ -40,7 +41,7 @@ import useCustomToast from "@/hooks/useCustomToast"
 import { CommandPalette } from "./CommandPalette"
 import { bindingsKey, deriveEdges, portOf, qualify } from "./deriveEdges"
 import { EdgeInspector, type InspectedEdge } from "./EdgeInspector"
-import { FlowDock } from "./FlowDock"
+import { FIT_VIEW, FlowDock } from "./FlowDock"
 import { FlowNode, type FlowNodeData } from "./FlowNode"
 import { FlowPanel } from "./FlowPanel"
 import { FlowTabs } from "./FlowTabs"
@@ -608,6 +609,10 @@ function FlowEditorInner({ flowName }: { flowName: string }) {
   )
 
   const selected = definitions.find((node) => node.id === selectedId) ?? null
+  // A panel is the view you are working in: the bars would only compete with
+  // it, so they step aside until it closes. On a phone the panel covers them
+  // anyway, and its own close button is the way back.
+  const panelOpen = Boolean(selected) || flowPanelOpen
 
   return (
     <>
@@ -646,7 +651,7 @@ function FlowEditorInner({ flowName }: { flowName: string }) {
         edgeTypes={edgeTypes}
         proOptions={{ hideAttribution: true }}
         fitView
-        fitViewOptions={{ maxZoom: 1, padding: 0.25 }}
+        fitViewOptions={FIT_VIEW}
         minZoom={0.25}
         maxZoom={2}
         nodeDragThreshold={5}
@@ -660,30 +665,34 @@ function FlowEditorInner({ flowName }: { flowName: string }) {
         <CanvasBackground />
       </ReactFlow>
 
-      {editorExpanded ? null : (
-        <FlowTabs
-          flows={flows.data}
-          active={flowName}
-          saving={saving.isPending}
-          onEditFlow={() => {
-            setSelectedId(null)
-            setFlowPanelOpen(true)
-          }}
-        />
-      )}
+      <AnimatePresence>
+        {panelOpen ? null : (
+          <FlowTabs
+            key="flow-tabs"
+            flows={flows.data}
+            active={flowName}
+            saving={saving.isPending}
+            onEditFlow={() => {
+              setSelectedId(null)
+              setFlowPanelOpen(true)
+            }}
+          />
+        )}
 
-      {editorExpanded ? null : (
-        <FlowDock
-          issues={issues}
-          running={runMutation.isPending}
-          onAddNode={() => setPaletteOpen(true)}
-          onRun={() => {
-            flush()
-            runMutation.mutate()
-          }}
-          onFocusNode={focusNode}
-        />
-      )}
+        {panelOpen ? null : (
+          <FlowDock
+            key="flow-dock"
+            issues={issues}
+            running={runMutation.isPending}
+            onAddNode={() => setPaletteOpen(true)}
+            onRun={() => {
+              flush()
+              runMutation.mutate()
+            }}
+            onFocusNode={focusNode}
+          />
+        )}
+      </AnimatePresence>
 
       {definitions.length === 0 ? (
         <div className="pointer-events-none absolute inset-0 flex items-center justify-center">
@@ -857,7 +866,11 @@ export function FlowEditor({ flowName }: { flowName: string }) {
 
   return (
     <ReactFlowProvider>
-      {/* Remounting per flow keeps canvas state from leaking between them. */}
+      {/*
+       * Remounting per flow keeps canvas state from leaking between them, and
+       * it is what makes `fitView` run once per flow: xyflow queues the fit on
+       * mount and resolves it as soon as the nodes have been measured.
+       */}
       <FlowEditorInner key={flowName} flowName={flowName} />
     </ReactFlowProvider>
   )
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/Flow/FlowTabs.tsx b/frontend/src/components/Flow/FlowTabs.tsx
index baf39e8..050342d 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/Flow/FlowTabs.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/Flow/FlowTabs.tsx
@@ -130,6 +130,7 @@ export function FlowTabs({
         variants={slideUp}
         initial="hidden"
         animate="visible"
+        exit="exit"
         transition={transitions.emphasized}
         className="pointer-events-auto absolute left-1/2 top-4 z-10 flex max-w-[calc(100%-2rem)] -translate-x-1/2 items-center gap-1 rounded-full border border-border bg-card/80 px-1.5 py-1 shadow-e2 backdrop-blur-md"
       >
@@ -200,7 +201,7 @@ export function FlowTabs({
             {!connected
               ? "Reconnecting to the engine"
               : saving
-                ? "Saving"  
+                ? "Saving"
                 : "All changes saved"}
           </TooltipContent>
         </Tooltip>
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/Flow/NodePanel.tsx b/frontend/src/components/Flow/NodePanel.tsx
index 5901a3f..5f649db 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/Flow/NodePanel.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/Flow/NodePanel.tsx
@@ -459,14 +459,21 @@ export function NodePanel({
       onClose={onClose}
       header={
         node ? (
-          <Input
-            value={node.title || node.id}
-            aria-label="Node name"
-            className="h-8 flex-1 text-sm font-medium"
-            onChange={(event) =>
-              onChange({ ...node, title: event.target.value })
-            }
-          />
+          <div className="flex min-w-0 flex-1 items-center gap-1.5">
+            {/* Where the node lives: the flow is the namespace of its
+                messages, so it reads like the folder holding them. */}
+            <span className="min-w-0 truncate font-mono text-sm text-muted-foreground">
+              /{flow}/
+            </span>
+            <Input
+              value={node.title || node.id}
+              aria-label="Node name"
+              className="h-8 flex-1 text-sm font-medium"
+              onChange={(event) =>
+                onChange({ ...node, title: event.target.value })
+              }
+            />
+          </div>
         ) : null
       }
       footer={