diff --git a/docs/search-chrome-behaviour.md b/docs/search-chrome-behaviour.md
index 10ef2f4ee0..2aef0f38a4 100644
--- a/docs/search-chrome-behaviour.md
+++ b/docs/search-chrome-behaviour.md
@@ -4,19 +4,20 @@ This repo uses one shared search experience across the global shell, dashboard r
 
 ## Page ownership model
 
-| Page state                                                   | Composer placement                                                                                | Reserve owner                                                                  |
-| ------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
-| Shared home (`/`, any mode) / standalone mode homes          | In-flow hero composer on phones and larger breakpoints                                            | Page content; no fixed phone dock reserve                                      |
-| Tools directory (`/tools`) and legacy alias (`/?mode=tools`) | No shared composer or phone dock; browse and filter through page-local catalogue controls         | Idle shell padding only                                                        |
-| Therapy Recommend (`/therapy-compass/recommend`)             | In-flow clinical-situation composer; no shared composer or phone dock                             | Idle shell padding only                                                        |
-| Submitted/search-result views                                | Compact bottom dock on phones; in normal page flow on tablets and desktops                        | Shell/dashboard `--mobile-composer-reserve` on phones; page content on desktop |
-| Answer result view                                           | Overlaid glass header plus answer composer dock                                                   | Dashboard `#main-content` top/bottom reserves                                  |
-| Document detail/source routes                                | `DocumentViewer` floating composer                                                                | `DocumentViewer` content padding                                               |
-| Document section navigation                                  | Header row disclosure (phone sheet) + rail index card at `lg`                                     | None — adds no chrome and no reserve                                           |
-| Record page breadcrumb header                                | Same header row without the disclosure or track; view mode inline from `sm`                       | None — portals into the phone collapse row, sticky at `sm+`                    |
-| Calculators (`/calculators`)                                 | In-flow hero composer at home; shared compact dock on `/calculators/search` (browse or submitted) | Page content at home; shell reserve for the catalogue and submitted results    |
-| Info/detail pages with no composer                           | No fixed composer                                                                                 | Idle shell padding only                                                        |
-| Guide Centre dialog (`GuideDialog`)                          | No composer — tour-action dock inside the Sheet footer; Sheet footer band from `sm`               | `[data-guide-content]` bottom pad (`guide-tour-dock` reserve owner)            |
+| Page state                                                   | Composer placement                                                                                            | Reserve owner                                                                  |
+| ------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
+| Shared home (`/`, any mode) / standalone mode homes          | In-flow hero composer on phones and larger breakpoints                                                        | Page content; no fixed phone dock reserve                                      |
+| Tools directory (`/tools`) and legacy alias (`/?mode=tools`) | No shared composer or phone dock; browse and filter through page-local catalogue controls                     | Idle shell padding only                                                        |
+| Therapy Recommend (`/therapy-compass/recommend`)             | In-flow clinical-situation composer; no shared composer or phone dock                                         | Idle shell padding only                                                        |
+| Submitted/search-result views                                | Compact bottom dock on phones; in normal page flow on tablets and desktops                                    | Shell/dashboard `--mobile-composer-reserve` on phones; page content on desktop |
+| Answer result view                                           | Overlaid glass header plus answer composer dock                                                               | Dashboard `#main-content` top/bottom reserves                                  |
+| Document detail/source routes                                | `DocumentViewer` floating composer                                                                            | `DocumentViewer` content padding                                               |
+| Document section navigation                                  | Header row disclosure (phone sheet) + rail index card at `lg`                                                 | None — adds no chrome and no reserve                                           |
+| Record page breadcrumb header                                | Same header row without the disclosure or track; view mode inline from `sm`                                   | None — portals into the phone collapse row, sticky at `sm+`                    |
+| Calculators (`/calculators`)                                 | In-flow hero composer at home; shared compact dock on `/calculators/search` (browse or submitted)             | Page content at home; shell reserve for the catalogue and submitted results    |
+| Dictionary catalogue (`/dictionary/search`)                  | Compact bottom dock on phones; in-flow shared composer from `sm` up, under mode nav and above the Filter band | Shell `--mobile-composer-reserve` on phones; page content on desktop           |
+| Info/detail pages with no composer                           | No fixed composer                                                                                             | Idle shell padding only                                                        |
+| Guide Centre dialog (`GuideDialog`)                          | No composer — tour-action dock inside the Sheet footer; Sheet footer band from `sm`                           | `[data-guide-content]` bottom pad (`guide-tour-dock` reserve owner)            |
 
 The Tools row is scoped to the **mounted Tools directory**, not to `resultKind: "tools"`. Factsheets,
 Dictionary and Therapy Compass borrow that result kind purely as a benign search kind, and on the
diff --git a/src/components/clinical-dashboard/global-search-shell.tsx b/src/components/clinical-dashboard/global-search-shell.tsx
index b19977bf80..42e268739f 100644
--- a/src/components/clinical-dashboard/global-search-shell.tsx
+++ b/src/components/clinical-dashboard/global-search-shell.tsx
@@ -113,6 +113,7 @@ import { readSearchNavigationContext, type SearchNavigationOptions } from "@/lib
 import {
   isAlwaysStandaloneShellPath,
   isDashboardOwnedModeHomePath,
+  isDictionaryCataloguePath,
   isStandaloneModeHomePath,
   shouldRenderClinicalDashboard,
   shouldRenderDashboardSearch,
@@ -468,6 +469,7 @@ function GlobalStandaloneSearchShellBody({
   // searchMode before router.push landed, which made isStandaloneModeHome false
   // for one frame (dock reserve + 200ms padding transition = choppy resize).
   const isStandaloneModeHome = !hasSubmittedModeSearch && !rendersDashboardSearch && isStandaloneModeHomePath(pathname);
+  const isDictionaryCatalogue = isDictionaryCataloguePath(pathname);
   const isDifferentialPresentationWorkflow = pathname.startsWith("/differentials/presentations/");
   const shouldShowDesktopSidebar = !hideDesktopSidebar;
   const effectiveSidebarCollapsed = isDifferentialPresentationWorkflow ? true : sidebarCollapsed;
@@ -493,7 +495,9 @@ function GlobalStandaloneSearchShellBody({
   // This flag controls sm+ padding for standalone mode homes. Tools has no
   // shared composer, so it cannot reserve floating-composer space. Phone
   // clearance is resolved separately from heroOwnsPhoneComposer below.
-  const reservesFloatingComposer = shouldShowSearchComposer && !isStandaloneModeHome;
+  // Dictionary catalogue keeps the usual compact phone dock; sm+ still
+  // portals into the in-page slot under mode nav (`desktopHomeComposerSlotId`).
+  const reservesFloatingComposer = shouldShowSearchComposer && !isStandaloneModeHome && !isDictionaryCatalogue;
   // Most standalone mode homes keep the in-flow hero pill at every width. Tools
   // deliberately has no shared composer. Document viewer routes own their own
   // floating composer, so
@@ -963,13 +967,21 @@ function GlobalStandaloneSearchShellBody({
               desktopSearchPlacement={desktopSearchPlacement === "hero" && isStandaloneModeHome ? "hero" : "default"}
               showPhoneSuggestionTickerOnHome={isStandaloneModeHome || (pathname === "/" && !hasSubmittedModeSearch)}
               searchComposerVisible={shouldShowSearchComposer}
-              desktopHomeComposerSlotId={isStandaloneModeHome ? modeHomeDesktopComposerSlotId : undefined}
+              desktopHomeComposerSlotId={
+                isStandaloneModeHome || isDictionaryCatalogue ? modeHomeDesktopComposerSlotId : undefined
+              }
               desktopPageComposerSlotId={
-                shouldShowSearchComposer && !isStandaloneModeHome ? desktopPageComposerSlotId : undefined
+                shouldShowSearchComposer && !isStandaloneModeHome && !isDictionaryCatalogue
+                  ? desktopPageComposerSlotId
+                  : undefined
               }
               // Most standalone homes keep the in-flow hero pill at every width.
               // Tools suppresses the shared composer at every breakpoint.
-              heroComposerBreakpoint={mobileHomeComposerPlacement === "footer" ? "sm-up" : "all"}
+              // Dictionary catalogue uses the usual compact phone dock; sm+
+              // still portals into the in-page slot under mode nav.
+              heroComposerBreakpoint={
+                mobileHomeComposerPlacement === "footer" || isDictionaryCatalogue ? "sm-up" : "all"
+              }
               // Phones: #main-content owns vertical scroll, so hide-on-scroll
               // collapses the top bar to hand space back to content.
               // Tablet and desktop portal search into normal page flow. The outer
@@ -1046,7 +1058,7 @@ function GlobalStandaloneSearchShellBody({
               data-testid="mobile-composer-reserve-pad"
               className="max-sm:pt-[var(--phone-overlay-chrome-h)] max-sm:pb-[var(--mobile-composer-reserve)]"
             >
-              {shouldShowSearchComposer && !isStandaloneModeHome ? (
+              {shouldShowSearchComposer && !isStandaloneModeHome && !isDictionaryCatalogue ? (
                 <DesktopComposerPortalSlot
                   id={desktopPageComposerSlotId}
                   data-testid="desktop-page-search-composer-slot"
diff --git a/src/components/clinical-dashboard/search-results-header-band.tsx b/src/components/clinical-dashboard/search-results-header-band.tsx
index d7943071a8..653233041e 100644
--- a/src/components/clinical-dashboard/search-results-header-band.tsx
+++ b/src/components/clinical-dashboard/search-results-header-band.tsx
@@ -147,6 +147,8 @@ export function SearchResultsHeaderBand({
   filterLabel = "Filter search results",
   headingLevel = 2,
   resultNoun: resultNounOverride,
+  hideEmptyQuery = false,
+  emptyQueryLabel,
   className,
 }: {
   modeId: AppModeId;
@@ -207,6 +209,14 @@ export function SearchResultsHeaderBand({
   filterLabel?: string;
   /** Use level 1 when the ribbon is the route's primary page heading. */
   headingLevel?: 1 | 2;
+  /**
+   * Hide the query subject when `query` is empty instead of falling back to
+   * "All". Dictionary browse keeps this band as count + Filter with no
+   * invented query chip.
+   */
+  hideEmptyQuery?: boolean;
+  /** Accessible region name used when `hideEmptyQuery` omits the subject. */
+  emptyQueryLabel?: string;
   /**
    * What this count counted, when the mode registry's noun is not specific
    * enough to be true.
@@ -222,7 +232,10 @@ export function SearchResultsHeaderBand({
   resultNoun?: string;
   className?: string;
 }) {
-  const displayQuery = query.trim() || "All";
+  const trimmedQuery = query.trim();
+  const displayQuery = trimmedQuery || "All";
+  const showQuerySubject = Boolean(trimmedQuery) || !hideEmptyQuery;
+  const regionLabel = showQuerySubject ? `Search results for ${displayQuery}` : (emptyQueryLabel ?? "Catalogue");
   // `status` wins when both are passed; `loading` is the deprecated shim.
   const resolvedStatus: SearchResultsBandStatus = status ?? (loading ? "loading" : "ready");
   // The clinical invariant, expressed once: a search that failed has no count to
@@ -297,7 +310,7 @@ export function SearchResultsHeaderBand({
 
   return (
     <section
-      aria-label={`Search results for ${displayQuery}`}
+      aria-label={regionLabel}
       aria-busy={busy}
       data-status={resolvedStatus}
       data-testid="search-query-ribbon"
@@ -437,15 +450,21 @@ export function SearchResultsHeaderBand({
               always rendered rather than appearing on scroll — conditional chrome
               is what this band spent its last redesign removing — and it is the
               part that truncates when the line runs out, never the number. */}
-          <span className="search-band-rule mx-0.5 h-[1.125rem] w-px shrink-0" aria-hidden />
-          <QueryHeading
-            // `min-w-[2rem]` keeps a non-empty box at 320px, so the heading stays
-            // findable and visible when a wide page control squeezes the line.
-            className="search-band-subject min-w-[2rem] truncate text-[color:var(--text-muted)] lg:max-w-[24rem]"
-            title={displayQuery}
-          >
-            {displayQuery}
-          </QueryHeading>
+          {showQuerySubject ? (
+            <>
+              <span className="search-band-rule mx-0.5 h-[1.125rem] w-px shrink-0" aria-hidden />
+              <QueryHeading
+                // `min-w-[2rem]` keeps a non-empty box at 320px, so the heading stays
+                // findable and visible when a wide page control squeezes the line.
+                className="search-band-subject min-w-[2rem] truncate text-[color:var(--text-muted)] lg:max-w-[24rem]"
+                title={displayQuery}
+              >
+                {displayQuery}
+              </QueryHeading>
+            </>
+          ) : (
+            <span className="min-w-0 flex-1" aria-hidden="true" />
+          )}
         </div>
 
         {hasUtilities ? (
diff --git a/src/components/dictionary/dictionary-catalogue-pages.tsx b/src/components/dictionary/dictionary-catalogue-pages.tsx
index 97496639bd..6ae8d32c89 100644
--- a/src/components/dictionary/dictionary-catalogue-pages.tsx
+++ b/src/components/dictionary/dictionary-catalogue-pages.tsx
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import {
   type ResultFilterOption,
 } from "@/components/clinical-dashboard/result-filter-control";
 import { SearchResultsHeaderBand } from "@/components/clinical-dashboard/search-results-header-band";
+import { DesktopComposerPortalSlot } from "@/components/desktop-composer-portal-slot";
 import { DictionaryResultRow } from "@/components/dictionary/dictionary-result-row";
 import { InPageNavHeader } from "@/components/in-page-nav/in-page-nav-header";
 import { type PageSection } from "@/components/in-page-nav/page-section-index";
@@ -47,6 +48,7 @@ import {
   dictionaryTopics,
   type DictionaryEntryKind,
 } from "@/lib/dictionary-data";
+import { modeHomeComposerReservePendingValue, modeHomeDesktopComposerSlotId } from "@/lib/mode-home-composer";
 
 const scopeOptions = [
   { value: "definitions", label: "Terms" },
@@ -116,14 +118,12 @@ function catalogueNoun(scope: DictionaryCatalogueScope, count: number) {
  * list, and clearing it restores the catalogue. `/dictionary/browse` survives
  * only as a redirect for existing links.
  *
- * The shared bottom composer is this page's ONLY search input. Do not add a
- * second one — `docs/search-chrome-behaviour.md`'s one-composer-per-page rule is
- * a hard constraint with committed tests behind it.
- *
- * The phone control row is sized to its own labels rather than to the viewport.
- * It keeps the complete “Abbreviations” and “Filter” wordmarks, with tighter
- * phone-only horizontal padding so the idle controls remain one balanced row at
- * common phone widths and wrap, rather than clip, on compact screens.
+ * The Filter band is always on this page (count, optional query, Filter). Compact
+ * Terms / Abbreviations and A–Z sit under that band. From `sm` up, the shared
+ * composer portals into this page under mode nav and above the Filter band.
+ * Phones keep the usual compact bottom dock. Do not add a second search field —
+ * `docs/search-chrome-behaviour.md`'s one-composer-per-page rule is a hard
+ * constraint with committed tests behind it.
  */
 export function DictionaryCataloguePage() {
   const { searchParams, replace, setOne, toggleMany } = useDictionaryUrl();
@@ -173,11 +173,8 @@ export function DictionaryCataloguePage() {
     });
   // Clearing the query drops `run` with it, because the shell re-derives the
   // composer's value from the URL on every search-string change and a leftover
-  // submitted marker would restore the results view the reader just dismissed —
-  // and it drops `letter`, because while searching that key is both invisible
-  // and inert, so keeping it would hand back a catalogue narrowed to one initial
-  // under a control that promises the whole thing. The key list is
-  // `dictionaryClearedQueryKeys`, next to the predicate that creates the hazard.
+  // submitted marker would restore the results view the reader just dismissed.
+  // Letter and facets stay: they remain visible under the band / in Filter.
   const clearQuery = () =>
     replace((next) => {
       for (const key of dictionaryClearedQueryKeys) next.delete(key);
@@ -285,48 +282,47 @@ export function DictionaryCataloguePage() {
     })),
   ];
 
-  /* Sized to its own labels, not to the viewport, and joined into one border
-     with no gap. The counts sit inline, so the row needs no summary line of its
-     own while browsing. */
+  /* Joined two-cell toggle: one border, no gap, sized to its own labels.
+     Each segment keeps the shared 48px tap target while compact text preserves
+     the row's visual density. `aria-label` keeps the accessible name
+     "Terms (2)" rather than concatenated "Terms2". Focus uses an inset outline
+     because the joined track clips an outset ring. */
   const scopeToggle = (
     <div
       role="group"
       aria-label="Show"
       data-testid="dictionary-scope-toggle"
-      className="inline-flex min-h-tap shrink-0 items-stretch overflow-hidden rounded-lg border border-[color:var(--border)]"
+      className="inline-flex min-h-tap shrink-0 items-stretch overflow-hidden rounded-md border border-[color:var(--border)] bg-[color:var(--clinical-accent-soft)]"
     >
       {scopeOptions.map((option) => {
         const active = params.scope === option.value;
+        const count = scopeCounts[option.value];
         return (
           <button
             key={option.value}
             type="button"
             aria-pressed={active}
+            aria-label={`${option.label} (${count})`}
             aria-controls="dictionary-catalogue-results"
             onClick={() => setOne("view", option.value, "definitions")}
             className={cn(
-              "inline-flex items-center gap-0.5 px-1.5 text-xs font-extrabold transition-colors motion-reduce:transition-none sm:gap-1 sm:px-3",
-              focusRing,
+              "inline-flex min-h-tap items-center gap-1 px-2 text-xs font-semibold leading-none tracking-tight transition-colors motion-reduce:transition-none sm:px-2.5",
+              "focus-visible:outline focus-visible:outline-2 focus-visible:outline-offset-[-2px] focus-visible:outline-[color:var(--focus)]",
               active
                 ? "bg-[color:var(--tone-purple)] text-[color:var(--surface)] forced-colors:outline forced-colors:outline-2 forced-colors:[outline-color:Highlight]"
-                : "bg-[color:var(--clinical-accent-soft)] text-[color:var(--clinical-accent)] hover:bg-[color:var(--tone-purple-soft)]",
+                : "bg-transparent text-[color:var(--clinical-accent)] hover:bg-[color:var(--tone-purple-soft)]",
             )}
           >
-            {option.label}
-            {/* No `opacity-80` de-emphasis, which the design-scratch mockup
-                carries: on the inactive segment it drops accent-on-accent-soft
-                to 3.42:1 and axe fails it as a serious contrast violation. The
-                count is already secondary by being a number after a word. */}
-            <span className="nums">{scopeCounts[option.value]}</span>
+            <span>{option.label}</span>
+            <span className="nums font-medium tabular-nums">{count}</span>
           </button>
         );
       })}
     </div>
   );
 
-  /* The phone's whole alphabet in one 63px control. 27 chips cost a band and a
-     horizontal scroll; the rail below is the same control at a width that can
-     afford it. */
+  /* Phone A–Z: compact to match the toggle. The desktop rail below is the same
+     control at a width that can afford 27 chips. */
   const letterChip = (
     <button
       type="button"
@@ -337,12 +333,12 @@ export function DictionaryCataloguePage() {
       data-testid="dictionary-letter-chip"
       title="Jump to a letter"
       className={cn(
-        "inline-flex min-h-tap shrink-0 items-center gap-0.5 rounded-lg border border-[color:var(--border)] bg-[color:var(--surface)] px-1.5 text-xs font-extrabold text-[color:var(--clinical-accent)] sm:hidden",
+        "inline-flex min-h-tap shrink-0 items-center gap-0.5 overflow-hidden rounded-md border border-[color:var(--border)] bg-[color:var(--surface)] px-1.5 text-xs font-semibold leading-none text-[color:var(--clinical-accent)] sm:hidden",
         focusRing,
       )}
     >
       {params.letter === "all" ? "A–Z" : params.letter}
-      <ChevronDown className="size-icon-sm shrink-0 text-[color:var(--text-muted)]" aria-hidden="true" />
+      <ChevronDown className="size-icon-xs shrink-0 text-[color:var(--text-muted)]" aria-hidden="true" />
       <span className="sr-only">
         {params.letter === "all" ? " · jump to a letter" : ` · jump to a letter, currently ${params.letter}`}
       </span>
@@ -362,8 +358,7 @@ export function DictionaryCataloguePage() {
   );
 
   /* Clears the query from the band's own line, which is where the reader is
-     looking when they decide they are done with it. It is one shared control at
-     every breakpoint; Filter has the band’s dedicated phone slot. */
+     looking when they decide they are done with it. Filter stays in the band. */
   const clearQueryControl = (
     <button
       type="button"
@@ -375,108 +370,73 @@ export function DictionaryCataloguePage() {
       )}
     >
       <X className="size-icon-md" aria-hidden="true" />
-      <span className="sr-only">Clear the search and show the whole catalogue</span>
+      <span className="sr-only">Clear the search and restore the catalogue</span>
     </button>
   );
 
-  /* The band is this page's "what did that narrowing return" line, so it is
-     absent from the plain browse state and present whenever there is something
-     to report: a query, or an applied facet. The retired Browse header carried
-     a summary line unconditionally, and in the default state it was two-thirds
-     empty while the control below it took half the phone width. */
-  const showBand = searching || appliedFilters.length > 0;
-
   return (
     <>
       <InformationPageShell testId="dictionary-catalogue-main" width="bleed" gap={false}>
-        <header className="mx-auto w-full max-w-[76rem] px-4 pb-3 pt-4 sm:px-6 sm:pb-4 sm:pt-7">
-          {/* Desktop-only: on a phone the mode-nav rail sitting directly above
-              already reads "Terms", so the kicker repeats it for a whole band. */}
-          <p className="hidden text-xs font-extrabold uppercase tracking-kicker text-[color:var(--clinical-accent)] sm:block">
-            Clinical dictionary
-          </p>
-          <h1 className="text-2xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-[color:var(--text-heading)] sm:mt-1 sm:text-4xl">
-            Clinical terms
-          </h1>
-        </header>
-        {/* The query gets a line of its own, and only while a query runs.
-            Measured at 390px: sharing the control row, the query is allotted
-            135px of which 95px is text — "tardive dyskinesia" wants 123px and is
-            cut to "tardive dyski…". Given the line, the same words fit whole.
-            The extra row is spent only during a search, on the one thing the
-            reader typed. */}
-        {showBand ? (
-          <div className="mx-auto w-full max-w-[76rem] px-4 pb-2 sm:px-6 sm:pb-3">
-            <SearchResultsHeaderBand
-              modeId="dictionary"
-              query={params.q}
-              matchCount={hits.length}
-              status="ready"
-              resultNoun={noun}
-              utilityControls={
-                <>
-                  {searching ? clearQueryControl : null}
-                  <span className="hidden shrink-0 sm:flex">{filterTrigger("desktop")}</span>
-                </>
-              }
-              mobileControls={filterTrigger("phone")}
-              mobileControlsPlacement="inline"
-              appliedFilters={appliedFilters}
-              onClearFilters={activeCount ? clearFilters : undefined}
-            />
-          </div>
-        ) : null}
-        <div className="border-y border-[color:var(--border)] bg-[color:var(--surface)]">
-          <div className="mx-auto grid w-full max-w-[76rem] gap-1.5 px-3 py-2.5 sm:gap-3 sm:px-6 sm:py-3">
-            {/* The phone gutter and internal gaps are deliberately tight enough
-                for the complete labels to stay on one row at 390px. At 320px the
-                intrinsic controls still wrap rather than squeezing counts or
-                clipping the Filter wordmark. */}
-            <div className="flex flex-wrap items-center gap-2">
-              {scopeToggle}
-              {/* The alphabet is meaningless against a ranked result set, so it
-                  stands down rather than competing with the words for the line.
-                  `dictionaryCatalogue` drops the letter from the predicate at the
-                  same time, so nothing narrows the list without a visible
-                  control saying so. */}
-              {searching ? null : letterChip}
-              {showBand ? null : (
-                <span className="ml-auto flex items-center gap-2">
-                  <span className="hidden sm:flex">{filterTrigger("desktop")}</span>
-                  <span className="flex sm:hidden">{filterTrigger("phone")}</span>
-                </span>
-              )}
-            </div>
-            {/* Wraps rather than scrolls: 27 chips overrun the 76rem container by
-                a chip's width, and a rail that clips Z is worse than a rail that
-                takes two rows on the narrower desktop widths. */}
-            {searching ? null : (
-              <nav aria-label="Browse by letter" className="hidden flex-wrap gap-1 pb-1 sm:flex">
-                {["all", ...alphabet].map((value) => {
-                  const empty = value !== "all" && !letterCounts.has(value);
-                  return (
-                    <button
-                      key={value}
-                      type="button"
-                      aria-current={params.letter === value ? "page" : undefined}
-                      disabled={empty}
-                      onClick={() => setOne("letter", value, "all")}
-                      className={cn(
-                        "grid min-h-tap min-w-tap place-items-center rounded-md border text-xs font-extrabold sm:min-h-10 sm:min-w-10",
-                        params.letter === value
-                          ? "border-[color:var(--clinical-accent)] bg-[color:var(--clinical-accent)] text-[color:var(--clinical-accent-contrast)]"
-                          : empty
-                            ? "border-[color:var(--border)] text-[color:var(--disabled)]"
-                            : "border-[color:var(--border)] text-[color:var(--clinical-accent)] hover:bg-[color:var(--surface-subtle)]",
-                      )}
-                    >
-                      {value === "all" ? "All" : value}
-                    </button>
-                  );
-                })}
-              </nav>
-            )}
+        <DesktopComposerPortalSlot
+          id={modeHomeDesktopComposerSlotId}
+          data-testid="dictionary-catalogue-composer"
+          data-composer-reserve={modeHomeComposerReservePendingValue}
+          className="mode-home-composer-slot mx-auto hidden w-full max-w-[76rem] min-w-0 px-4 pt-3 sm:block sm:px-6 sm:pt-4 sm:min-h-0 sm:data-[composer-reserve=pending]:min-h-[var(--spacing-mode-home-composer-wide)] sm:[&:not(:empty)]:min-h-[var(--spacing-mode-home-composer-wide)]"
+        />
+        <h1 className="sr-only">Dictionary catalogue</h1>
+        {/* The original Filter band stays on browse and search. Compact Terms /
+            Abbreviations and A–Z sit underneath on the right. */}
+        <div className="mx-auto w-full max-w-[76rem] px-4 pb-2 sm:px-6 sm:pb-3">
+          <SearchResultsHeaderBand
+            modeId="dictionary"
+            query={params.q}
+            matchCount={hits.length}
+            status="ready"
+            resultNoun={noun}
+            hideEmptyQuery
+            emptyQueryLabel="Dictionary catalogue filters"
+            utilityControls={
+              <>
+                {searching ? clearQueryControl : null}
+                <span className="hidden shrink-0 sm:flex">{filterTrigger("desktop")}</span>
+              </>
+            }
+            mobileControls={filterTrigger("phone")}
+            mobileControlsPlacement="inline"
+            appliedFilters={appliedFilters}
+            onClearFilters={activeCount ? clearFilters : undefined}
+          />
+          <div className="mt-2 flex flex-wrap items-center justify-end gap-1">
+            {scopeToggle}
+            {letterChip}
           </div>
+          {/* Wraps rather than scrolls: 27 chips overrun the 76rem container by
+              a chip's width, and a rail that clips Z is worse than a rail that
+              takes two rows on the narrower desktop widths. */}
+          <nav aria-label="Browse by letter" className="mt-2 hidden flex-wrap gap-1 sm:flex">
+            {["all", ...alphabet].map((value) => {
+              const empty = value !== "all" && !letterCounts.has(value);
+              return (
+                <button
+                  key={value}
+                  type="button"
+                  aria-current={params.letter === value ? "page" : undefined}
+                  disabled={empty}
+                  onClick={() => setOne("letter", value, "all")}
+                  className={cn(
+                    "grid min-h-tap min-w-tap place-items-center rounded-md border text-xs font-extrabold sm:min-h-10 sm:min-w-10",
+                    params.letter === value
+                      ? "border-[color:var(--clinical-accent)] bg-[color:var(--clinical-accent)] text-[color:var(--clinical-accent-contrast)]"
+                      : empty
+                        ? "border-[color:var(--border)] text-[color:var(--disabled)]"
+                        : "border-[color:var(--border)] text-[color:var(--clinical-accent)] hover:bg-[color:var(--surface-subtle)]",
+                  )}
+                >
+                  {value === "all" ? "All" : value}
+                </button>
+              );
+            })}
+          </nav>
         </div>
         <div id="dictionary-catalogue-results" className="mx-auto w-full max-w-[76rem] px-0 py-3 sm:px-6 sm:py-4">
           {hits.length ? (
@@ -509,16 +469,22 @@ export function DictionaryCataloguePage() {
                   catalogue the reader is not looking at. */}
               <h2 className="mt-3 text-lg font-extrabold text-[color:var(--text-heading)]">
                 {searching
-                  ? "No matching dictionary entries"
+                  ? params.letter === "all"
+                    ? "No matching dictionary entries"
+                    : `No matching dictionary entries under ${params.letter}`
                   : params.letter === "all"
                     ? `No ${catalogueNoun(params.scope, 0)} match these filters`
                     : `No ${catalogueNoun(params.scope, 0)} under ${params.letter}`}
               </h2>
               <p className="mx-auto mt-1 max-w-md text-sm text-[color:var(--text-muted)]">
                 {searching
-                  ? activeCount
-                    ? "Keep the search term and remove a filter, or try a broader term."
-                    : "Try a broader term, check the spelling, or clear the search to browse the catalogue."
+                  ? params.letter === "all"
+                    ? activeCount
+                      ? "Keep the search term and remove a filter, or try a broader term."
+                      : "Try a broader term, check the spelling, or clear the search to browse the catalogue."
+                    : activeCount
+                      ? "Keep the search term, show all letters, or remove a filter."
+                      : "Show all letters, try a broader term, or clear the search to browse the catalogue."
                   : params.letter === "all"
                     ? "Remove a filter, or switch between terms and abbreviations."
                     : "Choose another letter, or widen the filters."}
@@ -532,7 +498,8 @@ export function DictionaryCataloguePage() {
                   >
                     Clear the search
                   </button>
-                ) : params.letter === "all" ? null : (
+                ) : null}
+                {params.letter === "all" ? null : (
                   <button
                     type="button"
                     onClick={() => setOne("letter", "all", "all")}
@@ -564,7 +531,7 @@ export function DictionaryCataloguePage() {
         panelId="dictionary-filter-sheet"
         testId="dictionary-filter-sheet"
         title="Filter and sort"
-        description="Facets narrow the current list; the Terms / Abbreviations scope remains a separate control."
+        description="Facets narrow the current list; Terms / Abbreviations and A–Z remain on the page under this band."
         groups={groups}
         onClearAll={activeCount ? clearFilters : undefined}
         summary={{ count: hits.length, noun }}
@@ -573,13 +540,7 @@ export function DictionaryCataloguePage() {
         chromeResetKey={params.q}
       />
       <ResultFilterSheet
-        // The alphabet stands down during a search, and the chip that opens this
-        // sheet unmounts with it — but `letterOpen` is component state, so a
-        // history navigation onto a searched URL changes `params.q` without
-        // closing an already-open sheet. It would then offer a letter that
-        // `dictionaryCatalogue` deliberately ignores: the same invisible-and-
-        // inert filter the chip's own comment exists to prevent.
-        open={letterOpen && !searching}
+        open={letterOpen}
         onClose={() => setLetterOpen(false)}
         panelId="dictionary-letter-sheet"
         testId="dictionary-letter-sheet"
diff --git a/src/lib/dictionary.ts b/src/lib/dictionary.ts
index e5d6501367..fd2633f489 100644
--- a/src/lib/dictionary.ts
+++ b/src/lib/dictionary.ts
@@ -250,7 +250,7 @@ export type DictionaryCatalogueSort = "relevance" | "az" | "za";
 export type DictionaryCatalogueParams = {
   q: string;
   scope: DictionaryCatalogueScope;
-  /** `all`, or a single A–Z initial. Ignored while a query runs — see below. */
+  /** `all`, or a single A–Z initial. Always applied: the A–Z control stays on the page. */
   letter: string;
   topics: readonly string[];
   kinds: readonly DictionaryEntryKind[];
@@ -293,34 +293,24 @@ export function parseDictionaryCatalogueParams(params: URLSearchParams): Diction
 }
 
 /**
- * One selector for the merged catalogue: the query, the scope, the alphabet and
- * the facets all narrow the same list.
+ * The URL keys a "clear the search" control has to remove.
  *
- * **The letter is dropped while a query runs.** The alphabetical index stands
- * down mid-search in the UI — an A–Z jump is meaningless against a ranked result
- * set and only competes for phone width — so honouring a stale `letter` here
- * would silently withhold matches with no visible control to explain it. That is
- * exactly the "filter the reader cannot see" failure `docs/filter-contract.md`
- * exists to prevent, so the rule lives with the predicate rather than in the
- * component that happens to hide the chip.
+ * Facets and the letter jump stay: they remain visible on the page after the
+ * query is dismissed, each removable in one tap. Dropping `letter` would reset
+ * an A–Z choice the chip still shows. Anything `dictionaryCatalogue` learns to
+ * ignore while searching belongs in this list; `tests/dictionary-data.test.ts`
+ * pins the pair together.
  */
+export const dictionaryClearedQueryKeys = ["q", "query", "run"] as const;
+
 /**
- * The URL keys a "clear the search" control has to remove.
- *
- * `letter` is the one that is easy to miss, and it lives here rather than in the
- * component because it is the direct consequence of the rule below: while a
- * query runs `dictionaryCatalogue` ignores `letter` and the chip that owns it
- * stands down, so a `letter` in the URL is invisible AND inert. Delete only
- * `q`/`query`/`run` and dismissing the search hands the reader back a catalogue
- * silently narrowed to one initial — 6 of 96 entries for `?q=tardive&letter=T`,
- * which is exactly what the Terms tab's own self-link produces — under a control
- * whose accessible name promises the whole catalogue.
+ * One selector for the merged catalogue: the query, the scope, the alphabet and
+ * the facets all narrow the same list.
  *
- * Anything `dictionaryCatalogue` learns to ignore while searching belongs in
- * this list too; `tests/dictionary-data.test.ts` pins the pair together.
+ * The A–Z control stays visible during a search, so a `letter` in the URL is
+ * never an invisible filter. Honouring it here is what `docs/filter-contract.md`
+ * requires of a control the reader can still see.
  */
-export const dictionaryClearedQueryKeys = ["q", "query", "run", "letter"] as const;
-
 export function dictionaryCatalogue(params: DictionaryCatalogueParams): DictionarySearchHit[] {
   const filters: DictionaryFilters = {
     q: params.q,
@@ -330,7 +320,7 @@ export function dictionaryCatalogue(params: DictionaryCatalogueParams): Dictiona
     sources: params.sources,
     sort: params.sort === "relevance" ? "relevance" : "az",
   };
-  const letter = params.q ? "all" : params.letter;
+  const letter = params.letter;
   let hits = searchDictionary(filters).filter((hit) => {
     if (!letter || letter === "all") return true;
     return dictionaryBrowseLetter(hit) === letter.toLocaleUpperCase();
diff --git a/src/lib/search-route-ownership.ts b/src/lib/search-route-ownership.ts
index fe45b0e515..94f6b39487 100644
--- a/src/lib/search-route-ownership.ts
+++ b/src/lib/search-route-ownership.ts
@@ -52,6 +52,19 @@ export function isStandaloneModeHomePath(pathname: string): boolean {
   return standaloneModeHomePaths.includes(pathname as (typeof standaloneModeHomePaths)[number]);
 }
 
+/**
+ * Dictionary catalogue owns the desktop in-flow composer slot (under mode
+ * nav, above the Filter band). Phones keep the usual compact bottom dock.
+ * Pathname-only so a submitted `?q=` cannot move the desktop composer into
+ * the generic page slot above mode nav.
+ *
+ * `/dictionary/browse` redirects onto `/dictionary/search`; keep both so the
+ * brief pre-redirect frame cannot paint the wrong slot.
+ */
+export function isDictionaryCataloguePath(pathname: string): boolean {
+  return pathname === "/dictionary/search" || pathname === "/dictionary/browse";
+}
+
 /** Exact pathnames that mount ClinicalDashboard for an unsubmitted mode home. */
 export function isDashboardOwnedModeHomePath(pathname: string): boolean {
   return Object.hasOwn(dashboardOwnedModeHomePaths, pathname);
diff --git a/tests/dictionary-data.test.ts b/tests/dictionary-data.test.ts
index 80edd58872..4c8c09caab 100644
--- a/tests/dictionary-data.test.ts
+++ b/tests/dictionary-data.test.ts
@@ -151,14 +151,17 @@ describe("merged dictionary catalogue", () => {
     expect(dictionaryCatalogue({ ...baseCatalogue, q: "" })).toHaveLength(96);
   });
 
-  it("drops the alphabetical index while a query runs, because the chip stands down", () => {
-    // The letter chip is replaced by the query line during a search, so a
-    // `letter` left in the URL would keep narrowing the list with no visible
-    // control to explain it — a filter the reader cannot see or remove.
-    const searched = dictionaryCatalogue({ ...baseCatalogue, q: "tardive", letter: "Z", sort: "relevance" });
-    expect(searched.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
-    expect(searched).toEqual(dictionaryCatalogue({ ...baseCatalogue, q: "tardive", letter: "all", sort: "relevance" }));
-    // Browsing still honours it.
+  it("keeps the alphabetical index while a query runs, because A–Z stays on the page", () => {
+    // A–Z remains visible under the Filter band during search, so a `letter` in
+    // the URL must keep narrowing — a visible control that did nothing would
+    // break docs/filter-contract.md.
+    const unrestricted = dictionaryCatalogue({ ...baseCatalogue, q: "tardive", letter: "all", sort: "relevance" });
+    const matchingLetter = dictionaryCatalogue({ ...baseCatalogue, q: "tardive", letter: "T", sort: "relevance" });
+    const vacantLetter = dictionaryCatalogue({ ...baseCatalogue, q: "tardive", letter: "Z", sort: "relevance" });
+    expect(matchingLetter.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+    expect(matchingLetter.every((hit) => dictionaryBrowseLetter(hit) === "T")).toBe(true);
+    expect(matchingLetter.length).toBeLessThanOrEqual(unrestricted.length);
+    expect(vacantLetter).toHaveLength(0);
     const browsed = dictionaryCatalogue({ ...baseCatalogue, letter: "A" });
     expect(browsed.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
     expect(browsed.every((hit) => dictionaryBrowseLetter(hit) === "A")).toBe(true);
@@ -195,25 +198,22 @@ describe("merged dictionary catalogue", () => {
     expect(descending).toEqual([...ascending].reverse());
   });
 
-  it("clears every input the search state hides, so dismissing a search really shows the whole catalogue", () => {
-    // The regression this pins: `letter` is ignored while a query runs AND its
-    // chip stands down, so it is invisible and inert — but it survives in the
-    // URL, and the Terms tab's own self-link is one of the things that puts it
-    // there. Clearing only `q`/`query`/`run` handed back 6 of 96 entries for
-    // `?q=tardive&letter=T` under a control whose accessible name promises the
-    // whole catalogue.
+  it("clears the query without discarding a visible A–Z or facet choice", () => {
+    // A–Z stays on the page after dismissing a search, so `letter` must survive
+    // in the URL the way facets do. Clearing it would reset a jump the chip
+    // still shows.
     const dismissed = new URLSearchParams("q=tardive&letter=T");
     for (const key of dictionaryClearedQueryKeys) dismissed.delete(key);
-    expect(dictionaryCatalogue(parseDictionaryCatalogueParams(dismissed))).toHaveLength(96);
+    expect(parseDictionaryCatalogueParams(dismissed).letter).toBe("T");
+    expect(
+      dictionaryCatalogue(parseDictionaryCatalogueParams(dismissed)).every(
+        (hit) => dictionaryBrowseLetter(hit) === "T",
+      ),
+    ).toBe(true);
 
-    // Stated directly as well, so a future edit that drops `letter` from the
-    // list fails here with the reason rather than only through the count above.
-    expect(dictionaryClearedQueryKeys).toContain("letter");
+    expect(dictionaryClearedQueryKeys).not.toContain("letter");
     expect(dictionaryClearedQueryKeys).toContain("run");
 
-    // Facets are deliberately NOT cleared: they stay visible on the band's
-    // applied-filter shelf throughout a search, each removable in one tap, so
-    // dropping them would discard a choice the reader can still see.
     const withFacet = new URLSearchParams("q=tardive&topic=assessment-and-measurement");
     for (const key of dictionaryClearedQueryKeys) withFacet.delete(key);
     expect(parseDictionaryCatalogueParams(withFacet).topics).toEqual(["assessment-and-measurement"]);
diff --git a/tests/mobile-composer-reserve.test.ts b/tests/mobile-composer-reserve.test.ts
index 9241a36ffc..79083e6647 100644
--- a/tests/mobile-composer-reserve.test.ts
+++ b/tests/mobile-composer-reserve.test.ts
@@ -156,6 +156,14 @@ describe("mobile composer reserve contract", () => {
     // dock on `/` and lost the hero composer, ticker and privacy notice.
     const dashboard = source("src/components/ClinicalDashboard.tsx");
     const header = source("src/components/clinical-dashboard/master-search-header.tsx");
+    const shell = source("src/components/clinical-dashboard/global-search-shell.tsx");
+    expect(shell).toContain("isDictionaryCataloguePath(pathname)");
+    expect(shell).toMatch(
+      /const heroOwnsPhoneComposer =\s*isStandaloneModeHome && mobileHomeComposerPlacement === "hero";/,
+    );
+    expect(shell).toMatch(
+      /heroComposerBreakpoint=\{\s*mobileHomeComposerPlacement === "footer" \|\| isDictionaryCatalogue \? "sm-up" : "all"\s*\}/,
+    );
     expect(dashboard).toContain('(activeModeResultKind === "favourites" && favouritesAccessible)');
     expect(dashboard).toMatch(
       /const heroComposerBreakpoint =\s*showDesktopHomeComposer && \(showSharedHome \|\| activeModeResultKind !== "tools"\) \? "all" : "sm-up";/,
diff --git a/tests/search-results-header-band.dom.test.tsx b/tests/search-results-header-band.dom.test.tsx
index a3292b8c43..834d860f7a 100644
--- a/tests/search-results-header-band.dom.test.tsx
+++ b/tests/search-results-header-band.dom.test.tsx
@@ -27,6 +27,26 @@ describe("SearchResultsHeaderBand", () => {
     expect(screen.getByRole("status")).toHaveTextContent("12 services");
   });
 
+  it("can omit the empty-query fallback so browse is count plus Filter only", () => {
+    render(
+      <SearchResultsHeaderBand
+        modeId="dictionary"
+        query=""
+        matchCount={96}
+        resultNoun="terms"
+        hideEmptyQuery
+        emptyQueryLabel="Dictionary catalogue"
+        mobileControls={<span data-testid="band-filter">Filter</span>}
+        mobileControlsPlacement="inline"
+      />,
+    );
+
+    expect(screen.getByRole("region", { name: "Dictionary catalogue" })).toBeVisible();
+    expect(screen.queryByRole("heading", { name: "All" })).toBeNull();
+    expect(screen.getByRole("status")).toHaveTextContent("96 terms");
+    expect(screen.getByTestId("band-filter")).toBeVisible();
+  });
+
   it("can provide the primary heading on standalone search routes", () => {
     render(<SearchResultsHeaderBand modeId="specifiers" query="seasonal pattern" matchCount={2} headingLevel={1} />);
 
diff --git a/tests/search-route-ownership.test.ts b/tests/search-route-ownership.test.ts
index ee6065b21e..2c98760389 100644
--- a/tests/search-route-ownership.test.ts
+++ b/tests/search-route-ownership.test.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import {
   isDashboardModeHref,
   dashboardOwnedModeHomeModeId,
   isDashboardOwnedModeHomePath,
+  isDictionaryCataloguePath,
   isStandaloneModeHomePath,
   shouldRenderClinicalDashboard,
   shouldRenderDashboardSearch,
@@ -68,6 +69,16 @@ describe("shared-search route ownership", () => {
     expect(isStandaloneModeHomePath("/dsm/search")).toBe(false);
   });
 
+  it("classifies the dictionary catalogue as an in-flow composer owner", () => {
+    expect(isDictionaryCataloguePath("/dictionary/search")).toBe(true);
+    expect(isDictionaryCataloguePath("/dictionary/browse")).toBe(true);
+    expect(isDictionaryCataloguePath("/dictionary/topics")).toBe(false);
+    expect(isDictionaryCataloguePath("/dictionary/compare")).toBe(false);
+    expect(isDictionaryCataloguePath("/dictionary/sources")).toBe(false);
+    expect(isDictionaryCataloguePath("/dictionary/auditory-hallucination")).toBe(false);
+    expect(isStandaloneModeHomePath("/dictionary/search")).toBe(false);
+  });
+
   /*
    * Consolidated modes own no composer at their bare path.
    *
@@ -257,6 +268,10 @@ describe("shared-search route ownership", () => {
       resolve(process.cwd(), "src/components/tools/tools-search-results-page.tsx"),
       "utf8",
     );
+    const dictionaryCatalogueSource = readFileSync(
+      resolve(process.cwd(), "src/components/dictionary/dictionary-catalogue-pages.tsx"),
+      "utf8",
+    );
     const shellSource = readFileSync(
       resolve(process.cwd(), "src/components/clinical-dashboard/global-search-shell.tsx"),
       "utf8",
@@ -280,7 +295,8 @@ describe("shared-search route ownership", () => {
     expect(homeTemplateSource).toContain("[&:not(:empty)]:min-h-[var(--spacing-mode-home-composer-phone)]");
     expect(homeTemplateSource).not.toContain("mode-home-composer-slot hidden");
 
-    // Bespoke mode homes (favourites and tools) satisfy Chrome Invariant 15 with pending reserve & min-h tokens
+    // Bespoke mode homes (favourites and tools) satisfy Chrome Invariant 15
+    // with pending reserve & min-h tokens at every width.
     for (const bespokeSource of [favouritesPageSource, favouritesHubSource, toolsPageSource]) {
       expect(bespokeSource).toContain("data-composer-reserve={modeHomeComposerReservePendingValue}");
       expect(bespokeSource).toContain(
@@ -292,6 +308,21 @@ describe("shared-search route ownership", () => {
       expect(bespokeSource).toContain("[&:not(:empty)]:min-h-[var(--spacing-mode-home-composer-phone)]");
       expect(bespokeSource).toContain("sm:[&:not(:empty)]:min-h-[var(--spacing-mode-home-composer-wide)]");
     }
+    // Dictionary catalogue portals the shared composer from sm up only. Phones
+    // keep the usual compact dock, so this slot is hidden and must not reserve
+    // the phone hero height.
+    expect(dictionaryCatalogueSource).toContain('data-testid="dictionary-catalogue-composer"');
+    expect(dictionaryCatalogueSource).toContain("data-composer-reserve={modeHomeComposerReservePendingValue}");
+    expect(dictionaryCatalogueSource).toContain("mx-auto hidden w-full");
+    expect(dictionaryCatalogueSource).toContain("sm:block");
+    expect(dictionaryCatalogueSource).toContain(
+      "sm:data-[composer-reserve=pending]:min-h-[var(--spacing-mode-home-composer-wide)]",
+    );
+    expect(dictionaryCatalogueSource).not.toContain(
+      "data-[composer-reserve=pending]:min-h-[var(--spacing-mode-home-composer-phone)]",
+    );
+    expect(dictionaryCatalogueSource).not.toContain("Clinical terms");
+    expect(dictionaryCatalogueSource).not.toContain("Clinical dictionary");
 
     // Desktop page composer slot in GlobalSearchShell reserves height to avoid 0.118 CLS layout jump
     expect(shellSource).toContain("data-composer-reserve={modeHomeComposerReservePendingValue}");
diff --git a/tests/ui-dictionary.spec.ts b/tests/ui-dictionary.spec.ts
index 8e6cd85b61..9655c9ff8d 100644
--- a/tests/ui-dictionary.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/ui-dictionary.spec.ts
@@ -123,11 +123,11 @@ test("keeps mixed result filters truthful, URL-owned, and phone-operable", async
 /**
  * The merged catalogue's phone header.
  *
- * Dictionary had two destinations over one catalogue — `/dictionary/search` and
- * `/dictionary/browse` listed the same entries as the same rows from the same
- * data — and the Browse control row was `layout="equal"` and `w-full` below
- * `sm`, so a scope holding 11 of 107 entries took half the phone width. This
- * pins the shape that replaced it, measured rather than asserted by class name.
+ * Filter lives in the original results band on browse and search. Compact Terms
+ * / Abbreviations and A–Z sit under that band. The in-page "Clinical terms"
+ * title is gone. Phones keep the usual compact bottom dock; the in-page
+ * composer slot is desktop-only.
+ * This pins the geometry rather than asserting class names.
  */
 test("merges search and browse into one catalogue with a measured phone header", async ({ page }) => {
   await page.setViewportSize({ width: 390, height: 844 });
@@ -144,28 +144,54 @@ test("merges search and browse into one catalogue with a measured phone header",
   // offset below it is wrong until it settles (#XPY409, docs/testing.md).
   await page.waitForTimeout(1200);
 
-  // Browsing: one row of controls, no summary line, and the scope toggle sized
-  // to its own full labels rather than to the viewport.
+  await expect(page.getByRole("heading", { name: "Clinical terms" })).toHaveCount(0);
+  await expect(page.getByText("Clinical dictionary", { exact: true })).toHaveCount(0);
+  await expect(page.getByRole("heading", { name: "Dictionary catalogue", level: 1 })).toHaveCount(1);
+  const dock = page.locator("form.answer-footer-search-dock");
+  await expect(dock).toBeVisible();
+  await expect(dock.getByTestId("global-search-input")).toBeVisible();
+  await expect(page.getByTestId("dictionary-catalogue-composer")).toBeHidden();
+  await expect(page.locator("#main-content [data-testid='global-search-input']")).toHaveCount(0);
+
+  const ribbon = page.getByTestId("search-query-ribbon");
   const toggle = page.getByTestId("dictionary-scope-toggle");
+  await expect(ribbon).toBeVisible();
   await expect(toggle).toBeVisible();
   await expect(toggle.getByRole("button", { name: /Abbreviations/ })).toBeVisible();
   const toggleBox = await toggle.boundingBox();
+  // The joined toggle remains compact in width but keeps the shared 48px tap target.
   expect(toggleBox?.height ?? 0).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(48);
-  // The complete labels remain intrinsic rather than stretching to fill the row.
+  expect(toggleBox?.height ?? 0).toBeLessThanOrEqual(52);
   expect(toggleBox?.width ?? 0).toBeLessThan(260);
   await expect(page.getByTestId("dictionary-letter-chip")).toBeVisible();
-  await expect(page.getByTestId("dictionary-filter-trigger-phone").getByText("Filter", { exact: true })).toBeVisible();
-  await expect(page.getByTestId("search-query-ribbon")).toHaveCount(0);
-  // Every control on one line: same top edge, no wrap at 390px.
-  const rowTops = await page.evaluate(() => {
-    const ids = ["dictionary-scope-toggle", "dictionary-letter-chip", "dictionary-filter-trigger-phone"];
-    return ids.map((id) => document.querySelector(`[data-testid="${id}"]`)?.getBoundingClientRect().top ?? -1);
+  await expect(
+    ribbon.getByTestId("dictionary-filter-trigger-phone").getByText("Filter", { exact: true }),
+  ).toBeVisible();
+  expect(
+    (await ribbon.getByTestId("dictionary-filter-trigger-phone").boundingBox())?.height ?? 0,
+  ).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(48);
+  // Browse band has no invented "All" query chip.
+  await expect(ribbon.locator(".search-band-subject")).toHaveCount(0);
+  // Toggle and A–Z share the row under the band. The usual phone dock sits
+  // below the results, not above the Filter band.
+  const browseGeometry = await page.evaluate(() => {
+    const box = (selector: string) => document.querySelector(selector)?.getBoundingClientRect() ?? null;
+    return {
+      dockTop: box("form.answer-footer-search-dock")?.top ?? -1,
+      ribbonTop: box('[data-testid="search-query-ribbon"]')?.top ?? -1,
+      ribbonBottom: box('[data-testid="search-query-ribbon"]')?.bottom ?? -1,
+      filterTop: box('[data-testid="dictionary-filter-trigger-phone"]')?.top ?? -1,
+      toggleTop: box('[data-testid="dictionary-scope-toggle"]')?.top ?? -1,
+      letterTop: box('[data-testid="dictionary-letter-chip"]')?.top ?? -1,
+    };
   });
-  expect(rowTops.every((top) => top > 0)).toBe(true);
-  expect(Math.max(...rowTops) - Math.min(...rowTops)).toBeLessThanOrEqual(2);
+  expect(browseGeometry.ribbonTop).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+  expect(browseGeometry.ribbonBottom).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+  expect(browseGeometry.toggleTop).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(browseGeometry.ribbonBottom);
+  expect(Math.abs(browseGeometry.toggleTop - browseGeometry.letterTop)).toBeLessThanOrEqual(2);
+  expect(browseGeometry.filterTop).toBeLessThan(browseGeometry.toggleTop);
+  expect(browseGeometry.dockTop).toBeGreaterThan(browseGeometry.toggleTop);
 
-  // At 320px the same controls want more than the track has, and the contract
-  // is that the row WRAPS rather than clipping a count out of view.
   await page.setViewportSize({ width: 320, height: 760 });
   await page.waitForTimeout(400);
   const narrowRow = await page.evaluate(() => {
@@ -173,26 +199,31 @@ test("merges search and browse into one catalogue with a measured phone header",
     return {
       toggleWidth: box("dictionary-scope-toggle")?.width ?? 0,
       toggleTop: box("dictionary-scope-toggle")?.top ?? 0,
-      filterTop: box("dictionary-filter-trigger-phone")?.top ?? 0,
+      ribbonBottom: box("search-query-ribbon")?.bottom ?? 0,
       overflow: Math.max(document.documentElement.scrollWidth, document.body?.scrollWidth ?? 0) - window.innerWidth,
     };
   });
-  expect(narrowRow.filterTop).toBeGreaterThan(narrowRow.toggleTop);
-  // Same intrinsic width as at 390px — it wrapped, it did not shrink.
-  expect(narrowRow.toggleWidth).toBeGreaterThan(160);
+  expect(narrowRow.toggleTop).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(narrowRow.ribbonBottom);
+  expect(narrowRow.toggleWidth).toBeGreaterThan(120);
   expect(narrowRow.overflow).toBeLessThanOrEqual(2);
   await page.setViewportSize({ width: 390, height: 844 });
 
-  // Searching: the query gets a line of its own and the alphabet stands down.
   await gotoDictionary(page, "/dictionary/search?q=tardive+dyskinesia", "dictionary-catalogue-main");
   await page.waitForTimeout(1200);
-  const ribbon = page.getByTestId("search-query-ribbon");
+  await expect(dock).toBeVisible();
+  await expect(dock.getByTestId("global-search-input")).toBeVisible();
+  await expect(page.getByTestId("dictionary-catalogue-composer")).toBeHidden();
   await expect(ribbon).toBeVisible();
   await expect(ribbon.getByTestId("dictionary-clear-query")).toBeVisible();
   await expect(
     ribbon.getByTestId("dictionary-filter-trigger-phone").getByText("Filter", { exact: true }),
   ).toBeVisible();
-  await expect(page.getByTestId("dictionary-letter-chip")).toHaveCount(0);
+  await expect(page.getByTestId("dictionary-letter-chip")).toBeVisible();
+
+  for (const scopeButton of await page.getByTestId("dictionary-scope-toggle").getByRole("button").all()) {
+    expect((await scopeButton.boundingBox())?.height ?? 0).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(48);
+  }
+  expect((await page.getByTestId("dictionary-letter-chip").boundingBox())?.height ?? 0).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(48);
 
   const resultControls = await page.evaluate(() => {
     const ribbon = document.querySelector('[data-testid="search-query-ribbon"]');
@@ -204,32 +235,29 @@ test("merges search and browse into one catalogue with a measured phone header",
   });
   expect(Math.abs(resultControls.clearTop - resultControls.filterTop)).toBeLessThanOrEqual(2);
 
-  // Its own line: the band sits entirely above the control row.
   const geometry = await page.evaluate(() => {
     const box = (selector: string) => document.querySelector(selector)?.getBoundingClientRect() ?? null;
     const subject = document.querySelector<HTMLElement>('[data-testid="search-query-ribbon"] .search-band-subject');
     return {
       ribbonBottom: box('[data-testid="search-query-ribbon"]')?.bottom ?? -1,
       toggleTop: box('[data-testid="dictionary-scope-toggle"]')?.top ?? -1,
+      letterTop: box('[data-testid="dictionary-letter-chip"]')?.top ?? -1,
       subjectText: subject?.textContent ?? "",
-      // Truncation is `scrollWidth > clientWidth`, not a guess from the string.
       subjectClipped: subject ? subject.scrollWidth - subject.clientWidth > 1 : true,
     };
   });
   expect(geometry.ribbonBottom).toBeGreaterThan(0);
   expect(geometry.toggleTop).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(geometry.ribbonBottom);
-  // The whole two-word term, not "tardive dyski…".
+  expect(Math.abs(geometry.toggleTop - geometry.letterTop)).toBeLessThanOrEqual(2);
   expect(geometry.subjectText).toBe("tardive dyskinesia");
   expect(geometry.subjectClipped).toBe(false);
 
-  // Singular at one, and the noun names the scope the reader chose rather than
-  // the mode's generic "dictionary results".
   await gotoDictionary(page, "/dictionary/search?q=MMSE&view=abbreviations", "dictionary-catalogue-main");
   await expect(ribbon.getByRole("status")).toHaveText(/^1 abbreviation$/);
 
-  // Clearing returns the whole catalogue.
   await clickUntil(page.getByTestId("dictionary-clear-query"), page.getByTestId("dictionary-letter-chip"));
   await expect(page).not.toHaveURL(/[?&]q=/);
+  await expect(page.getByTestId("search-query-ribbon")).toBeVisible();
   await expectNoHorizontalOverflow(page);
 });