diff --git a/src/components/search/search-trigger.tsx b/src/components/search/search-trigger.tsx
index 02af3dfc..c577f526 100644
--- a/src/components/search/search-trigger.tsx
+++ b/src/components/search/search-trigger.tsx
@@ -1,21 +1,14 @@
 "use client";
 
 import { Search } from "lucide-react";
-import { useSyncExternalStore } from "react";
 import { useSearch } from "@/components/search/search-provider";
 
-const emptySubscribe = () => () => {};
-
-function readIsMac(): boolean {
-  if (typeof navigator === "undefined") return false;
-  const p = navigator.platform || navigator.userAgent;
-  return /Mac|iPhone|iPad|iPod/i.test(p);
-}
-
 type Props = {
   /**
-   * - `desktop`: inline pill-ish button next to "GitHub" / theme toggle
-   *   in the desktop nav. Hidden below md.
+   * - `desktop`: wide input-style pill shown in the desktop nav. Reads
+   *   visually as a real search field (light surface, rounded, full
+   *   width within its container) so users discover the feature without
+   *   needing the keyboard shortcut.
    * - `mobile`: 44×44 icon-only square sized to the same min-tap target
    *   as the hamburger. Hidden at md+.
    */
@@ -24,11 +17,6 @@ type Props = {
 
 export function SearchTrigger({ variant }: Props) {
   const { open } = useSearch();
-  // Read once on the client. SSR snapshot is `false` so we render the
-  // Ctrl variant; the client snapshot replaces it on hydration if the
-  // platform actually is macOS. Avoids the set-state-in-effect lint
-  // and stays consistent with how ThemeToggle reads the DOM.
-  const isMac = useSyncExternalStore(emptySubscribe, readIsMac, () => false);
 
   if (variant === "mobile") {
     return (
@@ -36,26 +24,28 @@ export function SearchTrigger({ variant }: Props) {
         type="button"
         onClick={open}
         aria-label="Open search"
-        className="md:hidden inline-flex items-center justify-center min-h-[44px] min-w-[44px] rounded text-ink-muted hover:text-ink transition-colors"
+        className="md:hidden inline-flex items-center justify-center min-h-[44px] min-w-[44px] rounded-md text-ink-muted hover:text-ink transition-colors"
       >
         <Search size={20} aria-hidden />
       </button>
     );
   }
 
-  const shortcut = isMac ? "⌘K" : "Ctrl K";
+  // Input-look trigger. Soft surface + rule border so the affordance
+  // reads as a text field even though it actually opens the cmdk modal.
+  // No platform-specific shortcut hint: ⌘K is wrong on Windows/Linux,
+  // Ctrl K is wrong on Mac, and a dynamic swap creates hydration
+  // flicker for two-character gain. Shortcut still works, just not
+  // advertised in the chrome.
   return (
     <button
       type="button"
       onClick={open}
       aria-label="Open search"
-      className="inline-flex items-center gap-1.5 text-ink-muted hover:text-ink transition-colors"
+      className="group inline-flex items-center gap-2 w-full max-w-[440px] h-9 px-3 rounded-md border border-rule bg-paper-soft text-left text-sm text-ink-faint hover:border-rule-strong hover:text-ink-muted hover:bg-paper transition-colors"
     >
-      <Search size={15} aria-hidden />
-      <span>Search</span>
-      <span className="ml-1 inline-flex items-center rounded border border-rule px-1 py-[1px] text-[10px] font-medium uppercase tracking-[0.12em] text-ink-faint tabular">
-        {shortcut}
-      </span>
+      <Search size={15} aria-hidden className="shrink-0" />
+      <span className="truncate">Search benchmarks, products…</span>
     </button>
   );
 }
diff --git a/src/components/site-header.tsx b/src/components/site-header.tsx
index 653f9434..8d414265 100644
--- a/src/components/site-header.tsx
+++ b/src/components/site-header.tsx
@@ -59,12 +59,6 @@ export function SiteHeader() {
     return () => mql.removeEventListener("change", onChange);
   }, [open]);
 
-  // Close the mobile menu on route change so a tap on a nav item collapses
-  // the drawer without the consumer having to wire onClick on every link.
-  useEffect(() => {
-    setOpen(false);
-  }, [pathname]);
-
   return (
     <div
       // Sticky everywhere by default. Only iOS in-app WebViews (Telegram,
@@ -77,8 +71,8 @@ export function SiteHeader() {
       className="site-header-root sticky top-0 z-50 flex flex-col font-sans bg-surface/95 backdrop-blur supports-[backdrop-filter]:bg-surface/80"
     >
       <header className="border-b border-rule px-4 sm:px-6 shrink-0 text-sm relative">
-        <div className="max-w-[1400px] mx-auto flex items-center justify-between gap-3 h-14 md:h-16">
-          <div className="flex items-center gap-2">
+        <div className="max-w-[1400px] mx-auto flex items-center gap-4 lg:gap-6 h-14 md:h-16">
+          <div className="flex items-center gap-2 shrink-0">
             <SiteLogoSwitcher size={22} />
             <Link
               href="/"
@@ -91,10 +85,10 @@ export function SiteHeader() {
             </Link>
           </div>
 
-          {/* Center nav - CMC-style: underline under the active section.
+          {/* Nav links - CMC-style: underline under the active section.
               Items keep a constant pb to avoid layout shift between
               active / inactive states. */}
-          <nav className="hidden md:flex items-center h-full gap-7 text-[15px] font-medium">
+          <nav className="hidden md:flex items-center h-full gap-5 lg:gap-7 text-[14px] lg:text-[15px] font-medium shrink-0">
             {NAV.map((item) => {
               const active = item.match(pathname);
               return (
@@ -103,7 +97,7 @@ export function SiteHeader() {
                   href={item.href}
                   aria-current={active ? "page" : undefined}
                   className={[
-                    "relative flex items-center h-full transition-colors",
+                    "relative flex items-center h-full transition-colors whitespace-nowrap",
                     active
                       ? "text-ink"
                       : "text-ink-muted hover:text-ink",
@@ -121,10 +115,14 @@ export function SiteHeader() {
             })}
           </nav>
 
-          {/* Right utilities - search + github + theme. No separator pipe;
-              the gap-based spacing handles visual grouping. */}
-          <div className="hidden md:flex items-center gap-5 text-ink-muted">
+          {/* Search takes the remaining horizontal space (flex-1) so it
+              reads as a real input and discoverable without keyboard. */}
+          <div className="hidden md:flex flex-1 min-w-0 justify-end lg:justify-center">
             <SearchTrigger variant="desktop" />
+          </div>
+
+          {/* Utilities - GitHub + theme, gap-spaced, no pipe. */}
+          <div className="hidden md:flex items-center gap-4 text-ink-muted shrink-0">
             <a
               href="https://github.com/ChainBench/OpenChainBench"
               className="inline-flex items-center hover:text-ink transition-colors"