diff --git a/kits/slides/app/src/components/ChatPanel.jsx b/kits/slides/app/src/components/ChatPanel.jsx
index b3e8a86..8facac8 100644
--- a/kits/slides/app/src/components/ChatPanel.jsx
+++ b/kits/slides/app/src/components/ChatPanel.jsx
@@ -52,8 +52,8 @@ function turnsToMessages(turns) {
   return m;
 }
 
-export function ChatColumn({ deckId, seed, title, copilotBuilding, collapsed, onToggle, onDeckMaybeChanged,
-                             onSessionStarted, width }) {
+export function ChatColumn({ deckId, seed, template, title, copilotBuilding, collapsed, onToggle,
+                             onDeckMaybeChanged, onSessionStarted, width }) {
   const [messages, setMessages] = useState([]);
   const [draft, setDraft] = useState('');
   const [attaching, setAttaching] = useState(false);
diff --git a/kits/slides/app/src/pages/DeckPage.jsx b/kits/slides/app/src/pages/DeckPage.jsx
index f16d545..8ca1b8b 100644
--- a/kits/slides/app/src/pages/DeckPage.jsx
+++ b/kits/slides/app/src/pages/DeckPage.jsx
@@ -274,6 +274,13 @@ export function DeckPage({ id: routeId, seed, template }) {
                     exporting={exporting} peers={collab.peers} live={collab.live}
                     saveState={saveState} copilotBusy={copilotBusy} />
         <div className="sl-body">
+          {/* No deck yet: the skeleton IS the body. Rendering it inside the canvas left
+              the real rail sitting empty beside it — two rails and a white gutter. */}
+          {!deck && (!noDeck || noDeck.working) ? (
+            <SkeletonDeck note={noDeck?.working
+              ? (tplName ? `Designing your deck in ${tplName}…` : 'Designing your deck…')
+              : 'Loading deck…'} />
+          ) : (<>
           <aside className="sl-rail scroll" ref={railRef}>
             {slides.map((s, i) => (
               <button key={s.id} className={'sl-rail-item' + (i === sel ? ' active' : '')}
@@ -296,25 +303,21 @@ export function DeckPage({ id: routeId, seed, template }) {
                 onDragState={(elId, frame) => collab.setDrag(elId, frame, slide.id)}
                 peers={collab.peers}
               />
+            ) : deck ? (
+              <div className="empty-note" style={{ paddingTop: 80 }}>This deck has no slides.</div>
             ) : (
-              deck ? (
-                <div className="empty-note" style={{ paddingTop: 80 }}>This deck has no slides.</div>
-              ) : noDeck && !noDeck.working ? (
-                <div className="empty-note" style={{ paddingTop: 80 }}>
-                  <div>{noDeck.text}</div>
-                  {noDeck.detail && <pre className="deck-empty-detail">{noDeck.detail}</pre>}
-                  <div style={{ marginTop: 14 }}>
-                    Ask the copilot again on the right — the conversation is still here.
-                  </div>
+              // The only case left here: a turn finished without writing a deck. Its own last
+              // words are the only honest explanation we have.
+              <div className="empty-note" style={{ paddingTop: 80 }}>
+                <div>{noDeck?.text}</div>
+                {noDeck?.detail && <pre className="deck-empty-detail">{noDeck.detail}</pre>}
+                <div style={{ marginTop: 14 }}>
+                  Ask the copilot again on the right — the conversation is still here.
                 </div>
-              ) : (
-                // Still coming: show the shape of a deck rather than a sentence in an empty pane.
-                <SkeletonDeck note={noDeck?.working
-                  ? (tplName ? `Designing your deck in ${tplName}…` : 'Designing your deck…')
-                  : 'Loading deck…'} />
-              )
+              </div>
             )}
           </div>
+          </>)}
         </div>
       </div>
 
@@ -322,6 +325,7 @@ export function DeckPage({ id: routeId, seed, template }) {
       <ChatColumn
         deckId={id}
         seed={seed}
+        template={template}
         title={deck?.meta?.title || 'Copilot'}
         copilotBuilding={copilotBusy}
         collapsed={false}
diff --git a/kits/slides/app/src/pages/Landing.jsx b/kits/slides/app/src/pages/Landing.jsx
index 0237723..15479b2 100644
--- a/kits/slides/app/src/pages/Landing.jsx
+++ b/kits/slides/app/src/pages/Landing.jsx
@@ -120,12 +120,6 @@ function ViewToggle({ value, onChange }) {
 const AV_COLORS = ['#4F46E5', '#7C3AED', '#DB2777', '#D97706', '#059669', '#2563EB'];
 function colorFor(id) { let h = 0; for (const c of String(id)) h = (h * 31 + c.charCodeAt(0)) >>> 0; return AV_COLORS[h % AV_COLORS.length]; }
 function initialOf(n) { return String(n || '?').trim().charAt(0).toUpperCase() || '?'; }
-function AccessStack({ me }) {
-  if (!me?.id) return <span className="gt-last">—</span>;
-  const name = me.display_name || me.name || me.email || 'You';
-  return <span className="acc-stack"><span className="acc-av" style={{ background: colorFor(me.id) }} title={`${name} (you)`}>{initialOf(name)}</span></span>;
-}
-
 const VIEW_KEY = 'slides.decks.view';
 
 export function LandingPage() {
@@ -298,7 +292,7 @@ export function LandingPage() {
               )}
             </div>
             {decks === null ? (
-              <div className="gtable-wrap"><table className="gtable"><thead><tr><th>Name</th><th className="col-last">Last viewed</th><th className="col-access">Access</th><th className="gt-actions" /></tr></thead><tbody><SkeletonTableRows count={4} /></tbody></table></div>
+              <div className="gtable-wrap"><table className="gtable"><thead><tr><th>Name</th><th className="col-last">Last viewed</th><th className="gt-actions" /></tr></thead><tbody><SkeletonTableRows count={4} /></tbody></table></div>
             ) : decks.length === 0 ? (
               <div className="card empty-note">No slides yet. Create a deck from the prompt above or pick a template.</div>
             ) : deckMatches.length === 0 ? (
@@ -318,13 +312,12 @@ export function LandingPage() {
               </div>
             ) : (
               <div className="gtable-wrap"><table className="gtable">
-                <thead><tr><th>Name</th><th className="col-last">Last viewed</th><th className="col-access">Access</th><th className="gt-actions" /></tr></thead>
+                <thead><tr><th>Name</th><th className="col-last">Last viewed</th><th className="gt-actions" /></tr></thead>
                 <tbody>
                   {deckMatches.map((d) => (
                     <tr key={d.id} tabIndex={0} onClick={() => { if (editingId !== d.id) openDeck(d.id); }} onKeyDown={(e) => { if (e.key === 'Enter' && editingId !== d.id) openDeck(d.id); }}>
                       <td><span className="gt-name"><span className="gt-thumb"><DeckThumb id={d.id} /></span>{editingId === d.id ? renameField(d) : <span className="gcard-name" title={d.name}>{d.name}</span>}</span></td>
                       <td className="gt-last col-last">{relativeTime(viewed[d.id]) || '—'}</td>
-                      <td className="col-access"><AccessStack me={me} /></td>
                       <td className="gt-actions">{rowActions(d)}</td>
                     </tr>
                   ))}