diff --git a/tests/e2e/conference-room-typing-intro.spec.ts b/tests/e2e/conference-room-typing-intro.spec.ts
index 81db129601..b69f9a6a16 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/conference-room-typing-intro.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/e2e/conference-room-typing-intro.spec.ts
@@ -73,16 +73,15 @@ async function runOnboardingWizard(page: Page, companyName: string) {
   if (await frontDoor.count()) await frontDoor.first().click();
 
   // Step 1: company name.
-  await page.getByPlaceholder("Acme Corp").fill(companyName);
-  await page.getByRole("button", { name: /^Next/ }).click();
+  await page.getByPlaceholder("e.g. Northwind Labs").fill(companyName);
+  await page.getByRole("button", { name: /^Continue/ }).click();
 
   // Step 1's "Next" creates the company; the mission step no longer runs.
 
-  // Step 3: the lead's role, then its name. The role gates "Next", and
-  // choosing one fills the name — so the walk only types here to override it.
-  await page.waitForSelector("#onboarding-agent-role", { timeout: 15_000 });
-  await page.locator("#onboarding-agent-role").click();
-  await page.getByRole("option", { name: "CEO", exact: true }).click();
+  // Step 3: name the agent. The role picker is gone — the arc asks for a
+  // name and hires under the neutral `general` role.
+  await page.waitForSelector("#onboarding-agent-name", { timeout: 30_000 });
+  await page.locator("#onboarding-agent-name").fill("Ada");
   await page.getByRole("button", { name: /^Next/ }).click();
 
   // Step 4: adapter (claude_local default); heartbeat is intercepted.
diff --git a/tests/e2e/nux-phase4-screenshots.spec.ts b/tests/e2e/nux-phase4-screenshots.spec.ts
index c1bd87b419..cf3da3e3a6 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/nux-phase4-screenshots.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/e2e/nux-phase4-screenshots.spec.ts
@@ -66,15 +66,15 @@ test.describe("NUX Phase 4 visual QA", () => {
       await createCard.first().click();
     }
     await expect(
-      page.getByRole("heading", { name: "Name your organization" }),
+      page.getByRole("heading", { name: "What is the name of your organization?" }),
     ).toBeVisible({ timeout: 15_000 });
-    await page.getByPlaceholder("Acme Corp").fill("QA Robotics");
+    await page.getByPlaceholder("e.g. Northwind Labs").fill("QA Robotics");
     await page.screenshot({ path: shot("02-create-name.png") });
 
-    await page.getByRole("button", { name: /^Next/ }).click();
+    await page.getByRole("button", { name: /^Continue/ }).click();
     // Step 1's "Next" creates the company and goes straight to the team lead.
     // The mission screenshot that sat here is gone with the step it captured.
-    await page.waitForSelector("#onboarding-agent-role", {
+    await page.waitForSelector("#onboarding-agent-name", {
       timeout: 30_000,
     });
     await page.screenshot({ path: shot("04-hire-team-lead.png") });
@@ -111,10 +111,10 @@ test.describe("NUX Phase 4 visual QA", () => {
     await page.getByRole("button", { name: /Add agents to your org/ }).click();
     // The grow path shares step 1 (company name) before its step-2 intake.
     await expect(
-      page.getByRole("heading", { name: "Name your organization" }),
+      page.getByRole("heading", { name: "What is the name of your organization?" }),
     ).toBeVisible({ timeout: 10_000 });
-    await page.getByPlaceholder("Acme Corp").fill("QA Robotics Grow");
-    await page.getByRole("button", { name: /^Next/ }).click();
+    await page.getByPlaceholder("e.g. Northwind Labs").fill("QA Robotics Grow");
+    await page.getByRole("button", { name: /^Continue/ }).click();
     await expect(
       page.getByRole("heading", { name: /Tell us about your team/ }),
     ).toBeVisible({ timeout: 10_000 });
diff --git a/tests/e2e/onboarding.spec.ts b/tests/e2e/onboarding.spec.ts
index 87acc8ca6b..d7819493fd 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/onboarding.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/e2e/onboarding.spec.ts
@@ -53,15 +53,15 @@ test.describe("Onboarding wizard", () => {
 
     // Step 1 — Name your organization.
     await expect(
-      page.getByRole("heading", { name: "Name your organization" }),
+      page.getByRole("heading", { name: "What is the name of your organization?" }),
     ).toBeVisible({ timeout: 15_000 });
-    await page.getByPlaceholder("Acme Corp").fill(COMPANY_NAME);
-    await page.getByRole("button", { name: /^Next/ }).click();
+    await page.getByPlaceholder("e.g. Northwind Labs").fill(COMPANY_NAME);
+    await page.getByRole("button", { name: /^Continue/ }).click();
 
     // Step 1's "Next" now creates the company and goes straight to the agent.
     // The mission step used to sit between them and do the creating; onboarding
     // no longer asks for the mission, which is collected later in the app.
-    await page.waitForSelector("#onboarding-agent-role", {
+    await page.waitForSelector("#onboarding-agent-name", {
       timeout: 30_000,
     });
 
diff --git a/tests/e2e/planning-mode-visual-verification.spec.ts b/tests/e2e/planning-mode-visual-verification.spec.ts
index 2bcefc9139..1c8978c2e8 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/planning-mode-visual-verification.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/e2e/planning-mode-visual-verification.spec.ts
@@ -54,24 +54,25 @@ test("captures planning mode UI for desktop and mobile", async ({ page }) => {
   const createCard = page.getByRole("button", { name: /Build a new company/ });
   if (await createCard.count()) await createCard.first().click();
 
-  await expect(page.getByRole("heading", { name: "Name your organization" })).toBeVisible({ timeout: 15_000 });
+  await expect(page.getByRole("heading", { name: "What is the name of your organization?" })).toBeVisible({ timeout: 15_000 });
 
-  await page.locator('input[placeholder="Acme Corp"]').fill(companyName);
-  await page.getByRole("button", { name: /^Next/ }).click();
+  await page.locator('input[placeholder="e.g. Northwind Labs"]').fill(companyName);
+  await page.getByRole("button", { name: /^Continue/ }).click();
 
   // Naming the company creates it and goes straight to the agent step.
 
-  // The lead is no longer pre-named. Choosing a role fills the name from the
-  // role's label, which is also what gates "Next".
-  await page.waitForSelector("#onboarding-agent-role", { timeout: 30_000 });
-  await page.locator("#onboarding-agent-role").click();
-  await page.getByRole("option", { name: "CEO", exact: true }).click();
-  await expect(page.locator("#onboarding-agent-name")).toHaveValue(AGENT_NAME);
+  // The agent step asks for a name and nothing else; the name is what gates
+  // "Next", and the hire is filed under the neutral `general` role.
+  await page.waitForSelector("#onboarding-agent-name", { timeout: 30_000 });
+  await page.locator("#onboarding-agent-name").fill(AGENT_NAME);
 
   await page.getByRole("button", { name: /^Next/ }).click();
   await page.getByRole("button", { name: /^Connect$/ }).click();
 
-  await expect(page.getByRole("heading", { name: "Review" })).toBeVisible({ timeout: 30_000 });
+  // The review step names the agent rather than the step.
+  await expect(
+    page.getByRole("heading", { name: "Let's get started..." }),
+  ).toBeVisible({ timeout: 30_000 });
   await page.getByRole("button", { name: /Get started/ }).click();
   // The wizard now drops the user straight onto the first task's detail page,
   // and must not bounce through the dashboard (PAP-404).
diff --git a/ui/src/App.tsx b/ui/src/App.tsx
index bf877bfa34..4e9d9fcee9 100644
--- a/ui/src/App.tsx
+++ b/ui/src/App.tsx
@@ -99,6 +99,9 @@ import {
   shouldRedirectCompanylessRouteToOnboarding,
 } from "./lib/onboarding-route";
 import { filterHiddenInstanceSettingsPath, normalizeRememberedInstanceSettingsPath } from "./lib/instance-settings";
+import { useCloudInstance } from "./hooks/useCloudInstance";
+import { cloudStackCreateUrl } from "./lib/cloudLinks";
+import { navigateTopLevel } from "@/lib/browserNavigation";
 
 const CompanyExport = lazy(() =>
   import("./pages/CompanyExport").then((module) => ({ default: module.CompanyExport })),
@@ -440,6 +443,9 @@ function legacyToolsRedirectTarget(tab?: string) {
 export function OnboardingRoutePage() {
   const { companies } = useCompany();
   const { openOnboarding } = useDialogActions();
+  const { t } = useTranslation();
+  const cloudInstance = useCloudInstance();
+  const createStackUrl = cloudStackCreateUrl(cloudInstance?.cloudBaseUrl ?? null);
   const { onboardingOpen, onboardingRouteDismissed } = useDialogState();
   const { companyPrefix } = useParams<{ companyPrefix?: string }>();
   const matchedCompany = companyPrefix
@@ -471,24 +477,39 @@ export function OnboardingRoutePage() {
         <h1 className="text-xl font-semibold">{title}</h1>
         <p className="mt-2 text-sm text-muted-foreground">{description}</p>
         <div className="mt-4">
-          <Button
-            onClick={() =>
-              matchedCompany
-                ? openOnboarding({
-                    // "Add another agent" to a company that already has its
-                    // mission must not stop to ask for the mission again. An
-                    // unsettled or failed lookup reads as "no mission" and
-                    // costs the step, which the customer can pass - and the
-                    // mission step now updates the existing goal rather than
-                    // adding a second one.
-                    initialStep: onboardingStepForCompany(),
-                    companyId: matchedCompany.id,
-                  })
-                : openOnboarding()
-            }
-          >
-            {matchedCompany ? "Add Agent" : "Start Onboarding"}
-          </Button>
+          {/* On a managed stack whose Cloud origin is unknown there is nowhere
+              to send this click: creation lives on Cloud, and in-app creation
+              is a 403 floor. A button that does nothing is worse than none, so
+              say why instead of rendering an inert control. */}
+          {!matchedCompany && cloudInstance && !createStackUrl ? (
+            <p className="text-sm text-muted-foreground">
+              {t("app.cloudCreateUnavailable", {
+                defaultValue:
+                  "Organizations are created in Paperclip Cloud. This instance can't reach it right now — try again from your Cloud portfolio.",
+              })}
+            </p>
+          ) : (
+            <Button
+              onClick={() =>
+                matchedCompany
+                  ? openOnboarding({
+                      // "Add another agent" to a company that already has its
+                      // mission must not stop to ask for the mission again. An
+                      // unsettled or failed lookup reads as "no mission" and
+                      // costs the step, which the customer can pass - and the
+                      // mission step now updates the existing goal rather than
+                      // adding a second one.
+                      initialStep: onboardingStepForCompany(),
+                      companyId: matchedCompany.id,
+                    })
+                  : cloudInstance && createStackUrl
+                    ? navigateTopLevel(createStackUrl)
+                    : openOnboarding()
+              }
+            >
+              {matchedCompany ? "Add Agent" : "Start Onboarding"}
+            </Button>
+          )}
         </div>
       </div>
     </div>
@@ -558,6 +579,10 @@ function UnprefixedBoardRedirect() {
 function NoCompaniesStartPage() {
   const { openOnboarding } = useDialogActions();
   const { t } = useTranslation();
+  // A managed stack with no visible companies is a loading or error state, not
+  // an invitation to create one in-app — creation lives on Cloud (403 floor).
+  const cloudInstance = useCloudInstance();
+  const createStackUrl = cloudStackCreateUrl(cloudInstance?.cloudBaseUrl ?? null);
 
   return (
     <div className="mx-auto max-w-xl py-10">
@@ -569,9 +594,26 @@ function NoCompaniesStartPage() {
           {t("app.noCompanies.description", { defaultValue: "Get started by creating a company." })}
         </p>
         <div className="mt-4">
-          <Button onClick={() => openOnboarding()}>
-            {t("app.noCompanies.newCompany", { defaultValue: "New Company" })}
-          </Button>
+          {/* Same as the onboarding route: no Cloud origin means nowhere to
+              send the click, and in-app creation is a 403 floor here. */}
+          {cloudInstance && !createStackUrl ? (
+            <p className="text-sm text-muted-foreground">
+              {t("app.cloudCreateUnavailable", {
+                defaultValue:
+                  "Organizations are created in Paperclip Cloud. This instance can't reach it right now — try again from your Cloud portfolio.",
+              })}
+            </p>
+          ) : (
+            <Button
+              onClick={() =>
+                cloudInstance && createStackUrl
+                  ? navigateTopLevel(createStackUrl)
+                  : openOnboarding()
+              }
+            >
+              {t("app.noCompanies.newCompany", { defaultValue: "New Company" })}
+            </Button>
+          )}
         </div>
       </div>
     </div>
diff --git a/ui/src/components/OnboardingWizard.step.test.tsx b/ui/src/components/OnboardingWizard.step.test.tsx
index f344f1171b..66304ba1a6 100644
--- a/ui/src/components/OnboardingWizard.step.test.tsx
+++ b/ui/src/components/OnboardingWizard.step.test.tsx
@@ -105,9 +105,9 @@ function currentStep(): "mission" | "agent" | "closed" | "other" {
   if (!body.querySelector("[role='dialog'], .fixed.inset-0")) return "closed";
   const headings = [...body.querySelectorAll("h3")].map((h) => h.textContent);
   if (headings.includes("Define your mission")) return "mission";
-  // Keyed on the role control rather than the name field: the name is optional
-  // and starts empty, so its placeholder is the generic "Name".
-  if (body.querySelector("#onboarding-agent-role")) return "agent";
+  // Keyed on the name field, which is the agent step's only control now that
+  // the role picker is gone.
+  if (body.querySelector("#onboarding-agent-name")) return "agent";
   return "other";
 }
 
@@ -634,7 +634,7 @@ describe("OnboardingWizard — which step it lands on", () => {
       await settle();
       await click(
         [...document.body.querySelectorAll("button")].find(
-          (b) => b.textContent?.trim() === "Next",
+          (b) => b.textContent?.trim() === "Continue",
         )!,
       );
       await settle();
@@ -704,7 +704,7 @@ describe("OnboardingWizard — which step it lands on", () => {
     setControlledValue(nameInput, "Initech");
     await settle();
     const next = [...document.body.querySelectorAll("button")].find(
-      (b) => b.textContent?.trim() === "Next",
+      (b) => b.textContent?.trim() === "Continue",
     )!;
     await act(async () => {
       next.dispatchEvent(new MouseEvent("click", { bubbles: true }));
@@ -776,26 +776,18 @@ describe("OnboardingWizard — which step it lands on", () => {
     }
 
     /**
-     * Choose a role, which the step now requires before it will advance — it
-     * asks rather than assuming one. Driven by keyboard because the control is
-     * a Radix listbox: its pointer path needs `hasPointerCapture`, which jsdom
-     * does not implement, while its keyboard path does not.
+     * Name the agent. The role picker is gone — the arc asks for a name and
+     * hires with the neutral `general` role — so advancing from step 3 means
+     * putting something in the one field it has.
      */
-    async function pickRole(label = "CEO") {
-      const trigger = document.getElementById("onboarding-agent-role")!;
-      await act(async () => {
-        trigger.dispatchEvent(
-          new KeyboardEvent("keydown", { key: "Enter", bubbles: true }),
-        );
-      });
+    async function nameAgent(name = "Ada") {
+      const field = document.getElementById("onboarding-agent-name") as HTMLInputElement;
+      expect(field, "the agent step should render its name field").toBeTruthy();
+      setControlledValue(field, name);
+      // Settle twice: the hire is guarded on the company's goal lookup
+      // (`missionUnresolvedForHire`), and a Connect that fires before that
+      // query resolves is swallowed by the guard rather than failing loudly.
       await settle();
-      const option = [...document.body.querySelectorAll('[role="option"]')].find(
-        (o) => o.textContent?.trim() === label,
-      ) as HTMLElement | undefined;
-      expect(option).toBeDefined();
-      await act(async () => {
-        option!.dispatchEvent(new KeyboardEvent("keydown", { key: "Enter", bubbles: true }));
-      });
       await settle();
     }
 
@@ -805,7 +797,7 @@ describe("OnboardingWizard — which step it lands on", () => {
       // here never types one — so the agent was hired knowing nothing of the
       // mission the customer gave at signup, and nothing reported it.
       await openOnAgentStep();
-      await pickRole();
+      await nameAgent();
 
       const next = [...document.body.querySelectorAll("button")].find((b) =>
         b.textContent?.includes("Next"),
@@ -837,7 +829,7 @@ describe("OnboardingWizard — which step it lands on", () => {
       // nothing — the same "retained data is not an answer" rule the draft
       // ownership gate follows.
       await openOnAgentStep();
-      await pickRole();
+      await nameAgent();
 
       const next = [...document.body.querySelectorAll("button")].find((b) =>
         b.textContent?.includes("Next"),
@@ -895,7 +887,7 @@ describe("OnboardingWizard — which step it lands on", () => {
       await rerender();
       await settle();
       expect(currentStep()).toBe("agent");
-      await pickRole();
+      await nameAgent();
 
       const next = [...document.body.querySelectorAll("button")].find((b) =>
         b.textContent?.includes("Next"),
@@ -917,15 +909,13 @@ describe("OnboardingWizard — which step it lands on", () => {
       expect(file.content).toContain("Scale the marketplace");
     });
 
-    it("hires the agent with the role the customer picked", async () => {
-      // The role was hardcoded to "ceo" before the role select existed. A
-      // dropdown that renders but does not reach the hire call would look
-      // entirely correct on screen and silently mis-file every agent.
+    it("hires under the neutral role, with the name the customer typed", async () => {
+      // The arc stopped asking for a role, so every onboarding hire is filed
+      // as `general` — and the hire guard returns *silently* when the role is
+      // missing, which is exactly how removing the picker could have shipped a
+      // Connect button that hires nobody. This is the test that catches that.
       await openOnAgentStep();
-      // Deliberately not the first option: "ceo" is what the hardcoded value
-      // was, so a test that picked it could not tell a wired dropdown from an
-      // ignored one.
-      await pickRole("Engineer");
+      await nameAgent("Ada");
 
       const next = [...document.body.querySelectorAll("button")].find((b) =>
         b.textContent?.includes("Next"),
@@ -944,10 +934,8 @@ describe("OnboardingWizard — which step it lands on", () => {
 
       expect(mockAgentsApi.hire).toHaveBeenCalled();
       const [, payload] = mockAgentsApi.hire.mock.calls.at(-1)!;
-      expect(payload.role).toBe("engineer");
-      // Picking a role also renamed the agent, since the field still held the
-      // name the wizard supplied.
-      expect(payload.name).toBe("Engineer");
+      expect(payload.role).toBe("general");
+      expect(payload.name).toBe("Ada");
     });
 
     it("does not offer a way back behind the step it entered on", async () => {
diff --git a/ui/src/components/OnboardingWizard.test.tsx b/ui/src/components/OnboardingWizard.test.tsx
index 67b1a72ffe..d20e21cbfd 100644
--- a/ui/src/components/OnboardingWizard.test.tsx
+++ b/ui/src/components/OnboardingWizard.test.tsx
@@ -147,6 +147,16 @@ import { ONBOARDING_STORAGE_KEY, OnboardingWizard } from "./OnboardingWizard";
 // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
 (globalThis as any).IS_REACT_ACT_ENVIRONMENT = true;
 
+/** React tracks input value on the DOM node; set it the way React will see. */
+function setControlledValue(el: HTMLInputElement, value: string) {
+  const setter = Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(
+    window.HTMLInputElement.prototype,
+    "value",
+  )!.set!;
+  setter.call(el, value);
+  el.dispatchEvent(new Event("input", { bubbles: true }));
+}
+
 async function flushReact() {
   await act(async () => {
     await Promise.resolve();
@@ -249,7 +259,7 @@ describe("OnboardingWizard restore-gate (stale localStorage across accounts)", (
 
     it("keeps the grow path's questionnaire", async () => {
       const { root } = await openStepOne("grow");
-      await clickByText((t) => t.startsWith("Next"));
+      await clickByText((t) => t.startsWith("Continue"));
 
       expect(document.body.textContent).toContain("Tell us about your team");
       expect(mockCompaniesApi.create).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
@@ -260,7 +270,7 @@ describe("OnboardingWizard restore-gate (stale localStorage across accounts)", (
     it("skips it on the create path, creating the company on the way", async () => {
       mockCompaniesApi.create.mockResolvedValue({ id: "company-new", issuePrefix: "INI" });
       const { root } = await openStepOne("create");
-      await clickByText((t) => t.startsWith("Next"));
+      await clickByText((t) => t.startsWith("Continue"));
 
       expect(mockCompaniesApi.create).toHaveBeenCalledWith({ name: "Initech" });
       expect(document.body.textContent).toContain("Create your first agent");
@@ -278,20 +288,15 @@ describe("OnboardingWizard restore-gate (stale localStorage across accounts)", (
       // unrendered step cannot pass as an absence.
       mockCompaniesApi.create.mockResolvedValue({ id: "company-new", issuePrefix: "INI" });
       const { root } = await openStepOne("create");
-      await clickByText((t) => t.startsWith("Next"));
+      await clickByText((t) => t.startsWith("Continue"));
       expect(document.body.textContent).toContain("Create your first agent");
 
-      // Step 3 → 4 needs an agent name; choosing a role fills it.
-      const roleTrigger = document.body.querySelector("#onboarding-agent-role") as HTMLElement;
+      // Step 3 → 4 needs an agent name — the one field the step has now.
+      const agentField = document.body.querySelector(
+        "#onboarding-agent-name",
+      ) as HTMLInputElement;
       await act(async () => {
-        roleTrigger.dispatchEvent(new MouseEvent("click", { bubbles: true }));
-      });
-      await flushReact();
-      const ceo = [...document.body.querySelectorAll('[role="option"]')].find(
-        (o) => o.textContent?.trim() === "CEO",
-      ) as HTMLElement;
-      await act(async () => {
-        ceo.dispatchEvent(new MouseEvent("click", { bubbles: true }));
+        setControlledValue(agentField, "Ada");
       });
       await flushReact();
       await clickByText((t) => t.startsWith("Next"));
@@ -304,15 +309,76 @@ describe("OnboardingWizard restore-gate (stale localStorage across accounts)", (
       // the checklist that actually renders it — stopping at the model step
       // would let a Mission regression pass unseen.
       await clickByText((t) => t.startsWith("Connect"));
-      expect(document.body.textContent).toContain("Review");
-      expect(document.body.textContent).toContain("Organization name");
-      expect(document.body.textContent).toContain("Agent created");
-      expect(document.body.textContent).toContain("Model connected");
+      // The review step is the heading and the woken agent, nothing else: the
+      // checklist that restated the walk in three rows is gone, and with it
+      // the Mission row that could only render unchecked.
+      expect(document.body.textContent).toContain("Let's get started...");
+      expect(document.body.textContent).toContain("Ada is ready to work!");
+      expect(document.body.textContent).not.toContain("Organization name");
+      expect(document.body.textContent).not.toContain("Model connected");
       expect(document.body.textContent).not.toContain("Mission");
 
       await act(async () => root.unmount());
     });
 
+    it("hires from a legacy draft that saved an empty role", async () => {
+      // `agentRole: ""` was this field's default before the arc stopped asking
+      // for a role, so every draft saved by an earlier build carries it. `??`
+      // would pass the empty string straight through to the hire's silent
+      // return — the same no-op the default exists to prevent, arriving
+      // through a restored draft instead of a fresh one.
+      window.localStorage.setItem(
+        ONBOARDING_STORAGE_KEY,
+        JSON.stringify({ step: 1, onboardingPath: "create", companyName: "Initech", agentRole: "" }),
+      );
+      mockDialog.onboardingOptions = {};
+      mockCompany.companies = [];
+      mockCompany.loading = false;
+      mockCompaniesApi.list.mockResolvedValue([]);
+      mockCompaniesApi.create.mockResolvedValue({ id: "company-new", issuePrefix: "INI" });
+
+      const { root, queryClient } = render();
+      const renderTree = () =>
+        act(async () => {
+          root.render(
+            <QueryClientProvider client={queryClient}>
+              <OnboardingWizard />
+            </QueryClientProvider>,
+          );
+        });
+      await renderTree();
+      await flushReact();
+
+      const clickText = async (match: (t: string) => boolean) => {
+        const el = [...document.body.querySelectorAll("button")].find((b) =>
+          match(b.textContent?.trim() ?? ""),
+        )!;
+        await act(async () => {
+          el.dispatchEvent(new MouseEvent("click", { bubbles: true }));
+        });
+        await flushReact();
+      };
+
+      await clickText((t) => t.startsWith("Continue"));
+      const agentField = document.body.querySelector(
+        "#onboarding-agent-name",
+      ) as HTMLInputElement;
+      await act(async () => {
+        setControlledValue(agentField, "Ada");
+      });
+      await flushReact();
+      await clickText((t) => t.startsWith("Next"));
+      await clickText((t) => t.startsWith("Connect"));
+
+      expect(mockAgentsApi.hire).toHaveBeenCalled();
+      // The mock is declared with no parameters, so index the call rather than
+      // destructuring a zero-length tuple type.
+      const hireArgs = mockAgentsApi.hire.mock.calls.at(-1) as unknown[];
+      expect((hireArgs[1] as { role: string }).role).toBe("general");
+
+      await act(async () => root.unmount());
+    });
+
     it("hires one agent when Connect fires twice in one breath", async () => {
       // The Connect handler re-runs a cached failed probe now that "Test now"
       // is gone — so two overlapping submissions could both pass the fresh
@@ -327,17 +393,12 @@ describe("OnboardingWizard restore-gate (stale localStorage across accounts)", (
       );
       mockCompaniesApi.create.mockResolvedValue({ id: "company-new", issuePrefix: "INI" });
       const { root } = await openStepOne("create");
-      await clickByText((t) => t.startsWith("Next"));
-      const roleTrigger = document.body.querySelector("#onboarding-agent-role") as HTMLElement;
+      await clickByText((t) => t.startsWith("Continue"));
+      const agentField = document.body.querySelector(
+        "#onboarding-agent-name",
+      ) as HTMLInputElement;
       await act(async () => {
-        roleTrigger.dispatchEvent(new MouseEvent("click", { bubbles: true }));
-      });
-      await flushReact();
-      const ceo = [...document.body.querySelectorAll('[role="option"]')].find(
-        (o) => o.textContent?.trim() === "CEO",
-      ) as HTMLElement;
-      await act(async () => {
-        ceo.dispatchEvent(new MouseEvent("click", { bubbles: true }));
+        setControlledValue(agentField, "Ada");
       });
       await flushReact();
       await clickByText((t) => t.startsWith("Next"));
@@ -370,7 +431,7 @@ describe("OnboardingWizard restore-gate (stale localStorage across accounts)", (
       const { root } = await openStepOne("create");
 
       const nameInput = document.body.querySelector(
-        'input[placeholder="Acme Corp"]',
+        'input[placeholder="e.g. Northwind Labs"]',
       ) as HTMLInputElement;
       await act(async () => {
         nameInput.dispatchEvent(
@@ -401,7 +462,7 @@ describe("OnboardingWizard restore-gate (stale localStorage across accounts)", (
       const { root } = await openStepOne("create");
 
       const nameInput = document.body.querySelector(
-        'input[placeholder="Acme Corp"]',
+        'input[placeholder="e.g. Northwind Labs"]',
       ) as HTMLInputElement;
       await act(async () => {
         for (let i = 0; i < 4; i++) {
@@ -425,12 +486,12 @@ describe("OnboardingWizard restore-gate (stale localStorage across accounts)", (
       // not the mission screen it never saw.
       mockCompaniesApi.create.mockResolvedValue({ id: "company-new", issuePrefix: "INI" });
       const { root } = await openStepOne("create");
-      await clickByText((t) => t.startsWith("Next"));
+      await clickByText((t) => t.startsWith("Continue"));
       expect(document.body.textContent).toContain("Create your first agent");
 
       await clickByText((t) => t.includes("Back"));
 
-      expect(document.body.textContent).toContain("Name your organization");
+      expect(document.body.textContent).toContain("What is the name of your organization?");
       expect(document.body.textContent).not.toContain("Define your mission");
 
       await act(async () => root.unmount());
diff --git a/ui/src/components/OnboardingWizard.tsx b/ui/src/components/OnboardingWizard.tsx
index 1f06aec913..55a6880b69 100644
--- a/ui/src/components/OnboardingWizard.tsx
+++ b/ui/src/components/OnboardingWizard.tsx
@@ -71,18 +71,19 @@ import {
   resolveRouteOnboardingOptions,
 } from "../lib/onboarding-route";
 import { useCompanyMission } from "../hooks/useCompanyMission";
+import { useCloudInstance } from "../hooks/useCloudInstance";
 import {
   isExistingCompanyMissionUnresolved,
   planMissionPersistence,
 } from "../lib/onboarding-mission";
 import { AsciiArtAnimation } from "./AsciiArtAnimation";
 import { FrontDoor } from "./FrontDoor";
-import { AgentCapsule } from "./AgentCapsule";
+import { PillGuy } from "./onboarding/PillGuy";
 import { AGENT_ARC_WIZARD_STEPS, Stepper, agentArcStepFor } from "./onboarding/Stepper";
 import { AgentPreview } from "./onboarding/AgentPreview";
 import { FooterNav } from "./onboarding/FooterNav";
 import { OnboardingHeading } from "./onboarding/OnboardingPrimitives";
-import { DEFAULT_AGENT_NAME, nextAgentNameForRole } from "../lib/onboarding-agent-role";
+import { DEFAULT_AGENT_ROLE } from "../lib/onboarding-agent-role";
 import { capsuleHeroMotion } from "./onboarding/onboarding-motion";
 import { Badge } from "@/components/ui/badge";
 import {
@@ -339,6 +340,9 @@ function OnboardingWizardInner({
   // kept first so a future move inside the route tree needs no change here.
   const companyPrefix =
     matchedCompanyPrefix ?? companyPrefixFromOnboardingPath(location.pathname);
+  // Managed stacks create organizations on Cloud, so the route below never
+  // resolves into the create wizard there — see resolveRouteOnboardingOptions.
+  const cloudInstance = useCloudInstance();
 
   // Support opening the wizard from a route (e.g. /onboarding or an existing
   // company's "add agent" entry point) in addition to the dialog context.
@@ -362,6 +366,7 @@ function OnboardingWizardInner({
           pathname: location.pathname,
           companyPrefix,
           companies,
+          cloudManaged: Boolean(cloudInstance),
         });
   const effectiveOnboardingOpen =
     onboardingOpen || (routeOnboardingOptions !== null && !routeDismissed);
@@ -408,12 +413,24 @@ function OnboardingWizardInner({
   const [q4, setQ4] = useState((saved?.q4 as string) ?? ""); // What would success look like?
 
   // Step 2
-  // Neither is defaulted. The prototype asks for a role before it will create
-  // anything, and leaves the name optional — a pre-filled "Chief of staff" is a
-  // choice made on the customer's behalf that they then have to notice and
-  // undo. Picking a role fills the name; see nextAgentNameForRole.
+  // The name is not defaulted: a pre-filled "Chief of staff" is a choice made
+  // on the customer's behalf that they then have to notice and undo. It is the
+  // step's only question, and its CTA gates on it.
   const [agentName, setAgentName] = useState((saved?.agentName as string) ?? "");
-  const [agentRole, setAgentRole] = useState<AgentRole | "">((saved?.agentRole as AgentRole) ?? "");
+  // Defaults to `general` rather than empty. The arc stopped asking for a role
+  // — a customer naming their first agent is describing what it does, not
+  // filing it — but the hire still needs one, and the guard below returns
+  // silently when it is missing. An unset role there would mean Connect
+  // appearing to work and hiring nobody.
+  const [agentRole, setAgentRole] = useState<AgentRole>(
+    // `||`, not `??`: the empty string was this field's default before the arc
+    // stopped asking for a role, so every draft saved by an earlier build holds
+    // `agentRole: ""`. `??` passes that straight through, and an empty role
+    // reaches the silent return in the hire — the exact failure the default
+    // exists to prevent, arriving through a restored draft instead of a fresh
+    // one.
+    (saved?.agentRole as AgentRole) || DEFAULT_AGENT_ROLE,
+  );
   const [adapterType, setAdapterType] = useState<AdapterType>((saved?.adapterType as AdapterType) ?? "claude_local");
   const [cwd, setCwd] = useState((saved?.cwd as string) ?? "");
   const [model, setModel] = useState((saved?.model as string) ?? "");
@@ -837,11 +854,10 @@ function OnboardingWizardInner({
     setQ2("");
     setQ3("");
     setQ4("");
-    // Both cleared, matching the mount defaults: a reset that left a name
-    // behind without its role would put the walker back on a step whose CTA
-    // is disabled, next to a name nobody chose.
+    // Back to the mount defaults: an empty name (the step's only question, and
+    // what its CTA gates on) and the neutral role every onboarding hire uses.
     setAgentName("");
-    setAgentRole("");
+    setAgentRole(DEFAULT_AGENT_ROLE);
     setAdapterType("claude_local");
     setModel("");
     setCommand("");
@@ -1318,6 +1334,9 @@ function OnboardingWizardInner({
         }
       }
 
+      // `agentRole` always holds a value now (see its default), so this is a
+      // type narrowing rather than a gate — but it stays, because a future
+      // path that clears the role must not reach a hire that silently no-ops.
       if (!agentRole) return;
       const hire = await agentsApi.hire(createdCompanyId, {
         // The name is optional; an agent that reaches here without one is
@@ -1530,7 +1549,7 @@ function OnboardingWizardInner({
           <div
             className={cn(
               "w-full flex flex-col overflow-y-auto transition-(--tp-width) duration-500 ease-in-out",
-              step === 1 || step === 2 ? "md:w-1/2" : "md:w-full"
+              step === 2 ? "md:w-1/2" : "md:w-full"
             )}
           >
             <div
@@ -1600,11 +1619,10 @@ function OnboardingWizardInner({
                 />
               )}
 
-              {/* The hero, above the heading, as the prototype has it: one
-                  AgentCapsule held in the same tree slot across steps 3–5, so
-                  React reuses the DOM node and the morph reads as a single
-                  capsule coming to life — dashed slot → traced outline →
-                  liquid fill. Moving between steps never replays the entrance. */}
+              {/* The hero, above the heading: one PillGuy held in the same tree
+                  slot across steps 3–5, so React reuses the DOM node and moving
+                  between steps never replays the entrance. It is dormant while
+                  the agent is being specified and wakes on Review. */}
               {step >= 3 && step <= 5 && (
                 // reducedMotion="user" defers to the OS setting, so the hero
                 // arrives in place for anyone who asked for less movement. The
@@ -1620,19 +1638,14 @@ function OnboardingWizardInner({
                       transition={capsuleHeroMotion.transition}
                       className="flex flex-col items-center gap-2"
                     >
-                      <AgentCapsule
-                        state={step === 3 ? "slot" : step === 4 ? "configured" : "online"}
-                        gradient={5}
-                        glow="blue"
-                        size="md"
-                        // The arc is where the agent is born, so the
-                        // slot→configured morph traces the outline on.
-                        strokeDraw
-                      />
-                      <AgentPreview
-                        agentName={agentName}
-                        agentRole={agentRole ? AGENT_ROLE_LABELS[agentRole] : ""}
+                      {/* Dormant until the agent is actually hired. Review is
+                          the first step where one exists, so that is where it
+                          wakes — the arc's payoff, not a flourish along it. */}
+                      <PillGuy
+                        state={step === 5 ? "alive" : "dormant"}
+                        className="size-(--sz-72px)"
                       />
+                      <AgentPreview agentName={agentName} agentRole="" />
                     </motion.div>
 
                     <OnboardingHeading
@@ -1642,19 +1655,16 @@ function OnboardingWizardInner({
                           ? "Create your first agent"
                           : step === 4
                             ? "Connect a model"
-                            : "Review"
+                            : "Let's get started..."
                       }
                       // The agent step carries no lede, as the prototype has it:
                       // the capsule and the heading say what this is, and a
                       // sentence restating it only pushes the fields down.
                       lede={
                         step === 3 ? undefined : step === 4 ? (
-                          <>
-                            What model would you like your first agent to use? You can
-                            choose different models when creating additional agents.
-                          </>
+                          <>Paperclip works with your existing subscription or API keys.</>
                         ) : (
-                          <>Your first agent is online and ready to work.</>
+                          <>{agentName.trim() || "Your first agent"} is ready to work!</>
                         )
                       }
                     />
@@ -1749,21 +1759,18 @@ function OnboardingWizardInner({
                 </div>
               )}
 
-              {/* Step 1: Name your company (both paths) */}
+              {/* Step 1: name the organization (both paths). One question, one
+                  design: this mirrors the funnel's naming screen — same
+                  question, same sub, same left-aligned heading in a centered
+                  column — so a customer creating their second organization
+                  in-app is asked exactly what their first one asked them. */}
               {step === 1 && (
-                <div className="space-y-5">
-                  <div className="flex items-center gap-3 mb-1">
-                    <div className="bg-muted/50 p-2">
-                      <Building2 className="h-5 w-5 text-muted-foreground" />
-                    </div>
-                    <div>
-                      <h3 className="font-medium">Name your organization</h3>
-                      <p className="text-xs text-muted-foreground">
-                        What should we call your team or company?
-                      </p>
-                    </div>
-                  </div>
-                  <div className="mt-3 group">
+                <div className="mx-auto w-full max-w-md space-y-6">
+                  <OnboardingHeading
+                    title="What is the name of your organization?"
+                    lede="This will be the name of your Paperclip organization — choose something your team will recognize."
+                  />
+                  <div className="group">
                     <label
                       className={cn(
                         "text-xs mb-1 block transition-colors",
@@ -1776,7 +1783,7 @@ function OnboardingWizardInner({
                     </label>
                     <input
                       className="w-full rounded-md border border-border bg-transparent px-3 py-2 text-sm outline-none focus:ring-1 focus:ring-ring placeholder:text-muted-foreground/50"
-                      placeholder="Acme Corp"
+                      placeholder="e.g. Northwind Labs"
                       value={companyName}
                       onChange={(e) => setCompanyName(e.target.value)}
                       onKeyDown={(e) => {
@@ -1989,47 +1996,22 @@ function OnboardingWizardInner({
                 </div>
               )}
 
-              {/* Step 3: role, then an optional name — the prototype's field
-                  pair, in its order and its widths. */}
+              {/* Step 3: the name, and only the name. The role picker went with
+                  the question it was asking — a customer naming their first
+                  agent is describing what it does, and the placeholder carries
+                  the range of answers that fit. Hiring uses the neutral
+                  `general` role; a specific one can be set later, where there
+                  is context to choose it in. */}
               {step === 3 && (
                 <div className="mx-auto flex w-full max-w-(--sz-320px) flex-col gap-6">
                   <div className="flex flex-col gap-2">
-                    <Label htmlFor="onboarding-agent-role">Role</Label>
-                    {/* Options come from the AgentRole enum, not the prototype's
-                        mock list: four of that list's seven entries have no
-                        equivalent here, and one ("Coder") would fail validation
-                        at hire time. */}
-                    <Select
-                      value={agentRole || undefined}
-                      onValueChange={(value) => {
-                        const nextRole = value as AgentRole;
-                        setAgentRole(nextRole);
-                        setAgentName((current) =>
-                          nextAgentNameForRole({ currentName: current, nextRole }),
-                        );
-                      }}
-                    >
-                      <SelectTrigger id="onboarding-agent-role" className="w-full">
-                        <SelectValue placeholder="Select a role…" />
-                      </SelectTrigger>
-                      <SelectContent>
-                        {AGENT_ROLES.map((role) => (
-                          <SelectItem key={role} value={role}>
-                            {AGENT_ROLE_LABELS[role]}
-                          </SelectItem>
-                        ))}
-                      </SelectContent>
-                    </Select>
-                  </div>
-                  <div className="flex flex-col gap-2">
-                    <Label htmlFor="onboarding-agent-name">
-                      Name <span className="font-normal text-muted-foreground">(optional)</span>
-                    </Label>
+                    <Label htmlFor="onboarding-agent-name">Name</Label>
                     <Input
                       id="onboarding-agent-name"
-                      placeholder="Name"
+                      placeholder="e.g. Chief of staff, Designer, Ron, Clippy..."
                       value={agentName}
                       onChange={(e) => setAgentName(e.target.value)}
+                      autoFocus
                     />
                   </div>
                 </div>
@@ -2038,11 +2020,10 @@ function OnboardingWizardInner({
               {/* Step 4: Connect a model — adapter + model + env check (capsule above) */}
               {step === 4 && (
                 <div className="space-y-5">
-                  {/* Adapter type radio cards */}
+                  {/* The two cards are self-describing; an "Adapter type"
+                      eyebrow above them named the mechanism rather than the
+                      choice. */}
                   <div>
-                    <label className="text-xs text-muted-foreground mb-2 block">
-                      Adapter type
-                    </label>
                     <div className="grid grid-cols-2 gap-2">
                       {recommendedAdapters.map((opt) => (
                         <button
@@ -2066,11 +2047,9 @@ function OnboardingWizardInner({
                             setModel("");
                           }}
                         >
-                          {opt.recommended && (
-                            <Badge variant="ghost" className="absolute -top-1.5 right-1.5 bg-green-500 text-white text-(length:--text-nano) font-semibold px-1.5 leading-none">
-                              Recommended
-                            </Badge>
-                          )}
+                          {/* No "Recommended" badge: it sat on both options,
+                              so it recommended nothing and only added the one
+                              saturated colour on the screen. */}
                           <opt.icon className="h-4 w-4" />
                           <span className="font-medium">{opt.label}</span>
                           <span className="text-muted-foreground text-(length:--text-nano)">
@@ -2090,7 +2069,7 @@ function OnboardingWizardInner({
                           showMoreAdapters ? "rotate-0" : "-rotate-90"
                         )}
                       />
-                      More Agent Adapter Types
+                      Advanced settings
                     </button>
 
                     {showMoreAdapters && (
@@ -2144,107 +2123,11 @@ function OnboardingWizardInner({
                   </div>
 
                   {/* Conditional adapter fields */}
-                  {isLocalAdapter && (
-                    <div className="space-y-3">
-                      <div>
-                        <label className="text-xs text-muted-foreground mb-1 block">
-                          Model
-                        </label>
-                        <Popover
-                          open={modelOpen}
-                          onOpenChange={(next) => {
-                            setModelOpen(next);
-                            if (!next) setModelSearch("");
-                          }}
-                        >
-                          <PopoverTrigger asChild>
-                            <button className="inline-flex items-center gap-1.5 rounded-md border border-border px-2.5 py-1.5 text-sm hover:bg-accent/50 transition-colors w-full justify-between">
-                              <span
-                                className={cn(
-                                  !model && "text-muted-foreground"
-                                )}
-                              >
-                                {selectedModel
-                                  ? selectedModel.label
-                                  : model ||
-                                    (adapterType === "opencode_local"
-                                      ? "Select model (required)"
-                                      : "Default")}
-                              </span>
-                              <ChevronDown className="h-3 w-3 text-muted-foreground" />
-                            </button>
-                          </PopoverTrigger>
-                          <PopoverContent
-                            className="w-(--radix-popover-trigger-width) p-1"
-                            align="start"
-                          >
-                            <input
-                              className="w-full px-2 py-1.5 text-xs bg-transparent outline-none border-b border-border mb-1 placeholder:text-muted-foreground/50"
-                              placeholder="Search models..."
-                              value={modelSearch}
-                              onChange={(e) => setModelSearch(e.target.value)}
-                              autoFocus
-                            />
-                            {adapterType !== "opencode_local" && (
-                              <button
-                                className={cn(
-                                  "flex items-center gap-2 w-full px-2 py-1.5 text-sm rounded hover:bg-accent/50",
-                                  !model && "bg-accent"
-                                )}
-                                onClick={() => {
-                                  setModel("");
-                                  setModelOpen(false);
-                                }}
-                              >
-                                Default
-                              </button>
-                            )}
-                            <div className="max-h-(--sz-240px) overflow-y-auto">
-                              {groupedModels.map((group) => (
-                                <div
-                                  key={group.provider}
-                                  className="mb-1 last:mb-0"
-                                >
-                                  {adapterType === "opencode_local" && (
-                                    <div className="px-2 py-1 text-(length:--text-nano) uppercase tracking-wide text-muted-foreground">
-                                      {group.provider} ({group.entries.length})
-                                    </div>
-                                  )}
-                                  {group.entries.map((m) => (
-                                    <button
-                                      key={m.id}
-                                      className={cn(
-                                        "flex items-center w-full px-2 py-1.5 text-sm rounded hover:bg-accent/50",
-                                        m.id === model && "bg-accent"
-                                      )}
-                                      onClick={() => {
-                                        setModel(m.id);
-                                        setModelOpen(false);
-                                      }}
-                                    >
-                                      <span
-                                        className="block w-full text-left truncate"
-                                        title={m.id}
-                                      >
-                                        {adapterType === "opencode_local"
-                                          ? extractModelName(m.id)
-                                          : m.label}
-                                      </span>
-                                    </button>
-                                  ))}
-                                </div>
-                              ))}
-                            </div>
-                            {filteredModels.length === 0 && (
-                              <p className="px-2 py-1.5 text-xs text-muted-foreground">
-                                No models discovered.
-                              </p>
-                            )}
-                          </PopoverContent>
-                        </Popover>
-                      </div>
-                    </div>
-                  )}
+                  {/* No model picker. Every adapter this step offers resolves
+                      its own default (see buildAdapterConfig), so the picker
+                      asked the customer to choose a model before they had any
+                      way to judge one — and the agent's model is changeable
+                      later, where its work gives the choice meaning. */}
 
                   {/* The environment check runs without being shown: Connect
                       probes the adapter before hiring (see handleGiveHeartbeat)
@@ -2393,37 +2276,10 @@ function OnboardingWizardInner({
               )}
 
               {/* Step 5: Review — lead is online (shared capsule above) */}
-              {step === 5 && (
-                <div className="space-y-5 py-1">
-                  {/* Review checklist — everything that's now set up */}
-                  <div className="space-y-1.5">
-                    {/* No "Mission" row: onboarding stopped asking for one, so a
-                        checklist item for it could only ever render unchecked —
-                        a permanent red mark for a question nobody was asked. */}
-                    {[
-                      { label: "Organization name", done: Boolean(companyName.trim()) },
-                      { label: "Agent created", done: Boolean(createdAgentId) },
-                      { label: "Model connected", done: Boolean(createdAgentId) },
-                    ].map(({ label, done }) => (
-                      <div key={label} className="flex items-center gap-2 text-sm">
-                        <span
-                          className={cn(
-                            "flex h-4 w-4 items-center justify-center rounded-full shrink-0",
-                            done
-                              ? "bg-green-500/15 text-green-600 dark:text-green-400"
-                              : "bg-muted text-muted-foreground"
-                          )}
-                        >
-                          <Check className="h-2.5 w-2.5" />
-                        </span>
-                        <span className={done ? "text-foreground" : "text-muted-foreground"}>
-                          {label}
-                        </span>
-                      </div>
-                    ))}
-                  </div>
-                </div>
-              )}
+              {/* Step 5: nothing. The heading names the agent and says it is
+                  ready, and the pill above has just woken to show it — a
+                  checklist restating those in three rows only asked the
+                  customer to audit work they watched happen. */}
 
               {/* Error */}
               {visibleError && (
@@ -2448,7 +2304,7 @@ function OnboardingWizardInner({
                   loading={step === 3 ? false : loading}
                   primaryDisabled={
                     step === 3
-                      ? !agentRole
+                      ? !agentName.trim()
                       : step === 4
                         ? loading || adapterEnvLoading || missionUnresolvedForHire
                         : loading || launchStateIncomplete
@@ -2490,7 +2346,7 @@ function OnboardingWizardInner({
                       {loading ? (
                         <Loader2 className="h-3.5 w-3.5 mr-1 animate-spin" />
                       ) : null}
-                      Next
+                      Continue
                       <ArrowRight className="h-3.5 w-3.5 ml-1" />
                     </Button>
                   )}
@@ -2563,7 +2419,7 @@ function OnboardingWizardInner({
           <div
             className={cn(
               "hidden md:block overflow-hidden bg-muted text-muted-foreground transition-(--tp-width-opacity) duration-500 ease-in-out",
-              step === 1 || step === 2 ? "w-1/2 opacity-100" : "w-0 opacity-0"
+              step === 2 ? "w-1/2 opacity-100" : "w-0 opacity-0"
             )}
           >
             <AsciiArtAnimation />
diff --git a/ui/src/components/onboarding/PillGuy.tsx b/ui/src/components/onboarding/PillGuy.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..588cfac87f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ui/src/components/onboarding/PillGuy.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
+import { AnimatePresence, motion } from "motion/react";
+
+import { cn } from "../../lib/utils";
+
+/**
+ * The agent, drawn as itself.
+ *
+ * Two states from one silhouette: `dormant` is grey and closed-eyed, waiting to
+ * be configured; `alive` is the gradient-lit version with open eyes and a tuft,
+ * shown once the agent is hired and ready. The arc's job is to get from one to
+ * the other, so the transition between them is the arc's payoff — not
+ * decoration on top of it.
+ *
+ * Both are the brand assets verbatim (`pill-1-dormant.svg`, `pill-1-alive.svg`)
+ * rather than a redrawn approximation, so what ships is what was designed. They
+ * carry their own fills — the gradients are the point — so they do not follow
+ * the theme, which is correct here: the agent looks like itself on either
+ * ground.
+ */
+
+const DORMANT_GRADIENT_ID = "pillguy-dormant-body";
+const ALIVE_GRADIENT_ID = "pillguy-alive-body";
+
+/** The shared silhouette. Identical in both states, which is what lets them cross-fade cleanly. */
+const BODY_PATH =
+  "M54.7022 14.3438C29.7981 14.3438 9.60938 34.5085 9.60938 59.3831V87.5272C9.60938 90.385 11.9261 92.7018 14.784 92.7018H94.6204C97.4782 92.7018 99.795 90.385 99.795 87.5272V59.3831C99.795 34.5085 79.6063 14.3438 54.7022 14.3438Z";
+
+/** The tuft, alive only — the one shape that has no dormant counterpart. */
+const TUFT_PATH =
+  "M22.5464 10.6842C15.1541 21.0252 20.3287 39.5225 0 45.762C17.2549 61.9384 64.3127 49.1324 74.6619 21.781C79.4668 33.6086 90.5552 41.0009 96.469 42.8447C112.362 5.51809 69.8569 -5.24463 62.8342 3.25648C48.7889 -3.39656 29.7044 0.670936 22.5464 10.6842Z";
+
+function DormantPill() {
+  return (
+    <svg viewBox="0 0 100 93" fill="none" aria-hidden className="size-full">
+      <path d={BODY_PATH} fill={`url(#${DORMANT_GRADIENT_ID})`} />
+      {/* Closed eyes: the same rounded rects as the open pair, flattened. */}
+      <rect x="75.9199" y="66.3047" width="9" height="4" rx="2" fill="#060606" />
+      <rect x="28.9199" y="66.3047" width="9" height="4" rx="2" fill="#060606" />
+      <defs>
+        <linearGradient
+          id={DORMANT_GRADIENT_ID}
+          x1="54.7022"
+          y1="14.3437"
+          x2="54.7022"
+          y2="107.486"
+          gradientUnits="userSpaceOnUse"
+        >
+          <stop stopColor="#626262" />
+          <stop offset="1" stopColor="#101010" />
+        </linearGradient>
+      </defs>
+    </svg>
+  );
+}
+
+function AlivePill() {
+  return (
+    <svg viewBox="0 0 100 93" fill="none" aria-hidden className="size-full">
+      <path d={BODY_PATH} fill={`url(#${ALIVE_GRADIENT_ID})`} />
+      <rect x="76.1406" y="63.1328" width="8.87072" height="10.3492" rx="4.43536" fill="#060606" />
+      <rect x="28.8301" y="63.1328" width="8.87072" height="10.3492" rx="4.43536" fill="#060606" />
+      <path d={TUFT_PATH} fill="#2D200D" />
+      <defs>
+        <linearGradient
+          id={ALIVE_GRADIENT_ID}
+          x1="54.7022"
+          y1="14.3437"
+          x2="54.7022"
+          y2="107.486"
+          gradientUnits="userSpaceOnUse"
+        >
+          <stop stopColor="#3028AA" />
+          <stop offset="1" stopColor="#FF0000" />
+        </linearGradient>
+      </defs>
+    </svg>
+  );
+}
+
+/**
+ * Cross-faded rather than path-morphed. The two states share a silhouette but
+ * differ in fill, eye shape, and a tuft the dormant state does not have at all
+ * — there is no honest path interpolation between them, and a faked one would
+ * warp the eyes through shapes the design never draws. Fading one over the
+ * other in place, with a small settle on the arriving state, reads as the
+ * agent waking rather than as two pictures swapping.
+ *
+ * `MotionConfig reducedMotion="user"` upstream neutralises the movement for
+ * anyone who asks; the state still changes, it simply arrives without travel.
+ */
+export function PillGuy({
+  state,
+  className,
+}: {
+  state: "dormant" | "alive";
+  className?: string;
+}) {
+  return (
+    <div className={cn("relative", className)}>
+      <AnimatePresence initial={false} mode="sync">
+        <motion.div
+          key={state}
+          className="absolute inset-0"
+          initial={{ opacity: 0, scale: state === "alive" ? 0.92 : 1 }}
+          animate={{ opacity: 1, scale: 1 }}
+          exit={{ opacity: 0 }}
+          transition={{
+            opacity: { duration: 0.45, ease: [0.22, 1, 0.36, 1] },
+            scale: { duration: 0.55, ease: [0.22, 1, 0.36, 1] },
+          }}
+        >
+          {state === "alive" ? <AlivePill /> : <DormantPill />}
+        </motion.div>
+      </AnimatePresence>
+    </div>
+  );
+}
diff --git a/ui/src/components/onboarding/Stepper.tsx b/ui/src/components/onboarding/Stepper.tsx
index 1db18c62d5..335b9e960f 100644
--- a/ui/src/components/onboarding/Stepper.tsx
+++ b/ui/src/components/onboarding/Stepper.tsx
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ export function Stepper({
   onJumpToStep?: (target: number) => void;
 }) {
   return (
-    <div className="mb-7 flex flex-col gap-3.5">
+    <div className="mb-7 flex flex-col items-start gap-3.5">
       <div className="flex items-center gap-2">
         {Array.from({ length: total }, (_, index) => index + 1).map((segment) => {
           const jumpable = Boolean(canJumpToStep?.(segment) && onJumpToStep);
@@ -74,7 +74,11 @@ export function Stepper({
               disabled={!jumpable}
               onClick={() => jumpable && onJumpToStep?.(segment)}
               className={cn(
-                "h-(--sz-3px) flex-1 rounded-full transition-colors",
+                // Dots, not bars: three of them, left-aligned, keeping the bar
+                // strip's gap so the rhythm is unchanged. A full-width bar implied
+                // a continuous quantity — how much of the arc is done — which three
+                // discrete steps do not have.
+                "size-(--sz-3px) shrink-0 rounded-full transition-colors",
                 segment <= step ? "bg-foreground" : "bg-border",
                 jumpable ? "cursor-pointer" : "cursor-default",
               )}
diff --git a/ui/src/lib/onboarding-agent-role.ts b/ui/src/lib/onboarding-agent-role.ts
index 7dfaea7a2d..635e734963 100644
--- a/ui/src/lib/onboarding-agent-role.ts
+++ b/ui/src/lib/onboarding-agent-role.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,17 @@ import { AGENT_ROLE_LABELS, type AgentRole } from "@paperclipai/shared";
  * title rather than a role label because it reads as a person on the very
  * first screen where the agent appears.
  */
+/**
+ * The role every onboarding hire is filed under.
+ *
+ * The arc asks for a name, not a role: someone naming their first agent is
+ * describing what it should do, and the placeholder carries the range of
+ * answers that fit. `general` is the honest filing for that — it claims
+ * nothing the customer did not say — and the role can be set later, in the
+ * app, where the agent's work gives the choice meaning.
+ */
+export const DEFAULT_AGENT_ROLE = "general" as const;
+
 export const DEFAULT_AGENT_NAME = "Chief of staff";
 
 /**
diff --git a/ui/src/lib/onboarding-route.test.ts b/ui/src/lib/onboarding-route.test.ts
index 985a53f47e..e8af089fdf 100644
--- a/ui/src/lib/onboarding-route.test.ts
+++ b/ui/src/lib/onboarding-route.test.ts
@@ -272,6 +272,43 @@ describe("resolveRouteOnboardingOptions — the agent step", () => {
     expect(resolved!.initialStep).not.toBe(ONBOARDING_MISSION_STEP);
   });
 
+  it("never resolves into the create wizard on a managed stack", () => {
+    // POST /companies is a 403 floor on Cloud-managed stacks — a create wizard
+    // there is a dead end wearing a form. A managed stack holds exactly one
+    // company, so the useful reading of a bare or unmatched onboarding path is
+    // that company's agent arc.
+    const one = [{ id: "c1", issuePrefix: "PC1" }];
+    expect(
+      resolveRouteOnboardingOptions({
+        pathname: "/onboarding",
+        companies: one,
+        cloudManaged: true,
+      }),
+    ).toEqual({ initialStep: ONBOARDING_AGENT_STEP, companyId: "c1" });
+    expect(
+      resolveRouteOnboardingOptions({
+        pathname: "/NOPE/onboarding",
+        companyPrefix: "NOPE",
+        companies: one,
+        cloudManaged: true,
+      }),
+    ).toEqual({ initialStep: ONBOARDING_AGENT_STEP, companyId: "c1" });
+  });
+
+  it("opens nothing on a managed stack whose companies are not exactly one", () => {
+    // Zero companies means the list is still loading or errored — offering
+    // creation would 403; opening an arc would name nobody. Do neither.
+    for (const companies of [[], [{ id: "c1", issuePrefix: "PC1" }, { id: "c2", issuePrefix: "PC2" }]]) {
+      expect(
+        resolveRouteOnboardingOptions({
+          pathname: "/onboarding",
+          companies,
+          cloudManaged: true,
+        }),
+      ).toBeNull();
+    }
+  });
+
   it("keeps sending an unmatched prefix to company creation", () => {
     expect(
       resolveRouteOnboardingOptions({
diff --git a/ui/src/lib/onboarding-route.ts b/ui/src/lib/onboarding-route.ts
index fe3f5f65e9..cd49b764d5 100644
--- a/ui/src/lib/onboarding-route.ts
+++ b/ui/src/lib/onboarding-route.ts
@@ -79,12 +79,26 @@ export function resolveRouteOnboardingOptions(params: {
   pathname: string;
   companyPrefix?: string;
   companies: OnboardingRouteCompany[];
+  /**
+   * Whether this instance is a Cloud-managed stack. Company creation lives on
+   * Cloud there — POST /companies is a 403 floor — so a route that cannot name
+   * an existing company must never open the create wizard: it would be a dead
+   * end wearing a form. A managed stack holds exactly one company, so the
+   * useful reading of a bare `/onboarding` is that company's agent arc.
+   */
+  cloudManaged?: boolean;
 }): { initialStep: 1 | ExistingCompanyOnboardingStep; companyId?: string } | null {
-  const { pathname, companyPrefix, companies } = params;
+  const { pathname, companyPrefix, companies, cloudManaged } = params;
 
   if (!isOnboardingPath(pathname)) return null;
 
+  const managedFallback = (): { initialStep: ExistingCompanyOnboardingStep; companyId?: string } | null =>
+    companies.length === 1
+      ? { initialStep: onboardingStepForCompany(), companyId: companies[0]!.id }
+      : null;
+
   if (!companyPrefix) {
+    if (cloudManaged) return managedFallback();
     return { initialStep: 1 };
   }
 
@@ -95,6 +109,7 @@ export function resolveRouteOnboardingOptions(params: {
     ) ?? null;
 
   if (!matchedCompany) {
+    if (cloudManaged) return managedFallback();
     return { initialStep: 1 };
   }