diff --git a/ui/src/components/IssueChatComposerHandoffPreview.test.ts b/ui/src/components/IssueChatComposerHandoffPreview.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d18383a6fa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ui/src/components/IssueChatComposerHandoffPreview.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { computeComposerHandoffPreview } from "../lib/interrupt-handoff";
+import { shouldRenderComposerHandoffPreview } from "./IssueChatThread";
+
+describe("shouldRenderComposerHandoffPreview", () => {
+  it("skips the spacer wrapper when the preview is empty", () => {
+    const preview = computeComposerHandoffPreview({
+      reassignTarget: "agent:agent-claude",
+      currentAssigneeValue: "agent:agent-claude",
+      hasActiveRun: true,
+      bodyHasAgentMention: false,
+      plainNameCandidate: null,
+    });
+
+    expect(preview.kind).toBe("none");
+    expect(shouldRenderComposerHandoffPreview("Wake Claude", preview)).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("renders the spacer wrapper only when body text and a visible preview are present", () => {
+    const preview = computeComposerHandoffPreview({
+      reassignTarget: "agent:agent-qa",
+      currentAssigneeValue: "agent:agent-claude",
+      hasActiveRun: true,
+      bodyHasAgentMention: false,
+      plainNameCandidate: null,
+    });
+
+    expect(preview.kind).not.toBe("none");
+    expect(shouldRenderComposerHandoffPreview("Wake QA", preview)).toBe(true);
+    expect(shouldRenderComposerHandoffPreview("   ", preview)).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/ui/src/components/IssueChatThread.tsx b/ui/src/components/IssueChatThread.tsx
index 263c99be46..5ddf41d185 100644
--- a/ui/src/components/IssueChatThread.tsx
+++ b/ui/src/components/IssueChatThread.tsx
@@ -120,6 +120,7 @@ import {
   computeComposerHandoffPreview,
   extractAgentMentionIds,
   findPlainAgentNameCandidate,
+  type ComposerHandoffPreview,
   type HandoffAgentMention,
 } from "../lib/interrupt-handoff";
 import { restoreSubmittedCommentDraft } from "../lib/comment-submit-draft";
@@ -316,6 +317,10 @@ interface CommentReassignment {
   assigneeUserId: string | null;
 }
 
+export function shouldRenderComposerHandoffPreview(body: string, preview: ComposerHandoffPreview): boolean {
+  return Boolean(body.trim()) && preview.kind !== "none";
+}
+
 export interface IssueChatComposerHandle {
   focus: () => void;
   restoreDraft: (submittedBody: string) => void;
@@ -3840,8 +3845,10 @@ const IssueChatComposer = forwardRef<IssueChatComposerHandle, IssueChatComposerP
         </div>
       ) : null}
 
-      {body.trim() ? (
-        <ComposerHandoffPreviewRow preview={handoffPreview} resolvers={handoffResolvers} />
+      {shouldRenderComposerHandoffPreview(body, handoffPreview) ? (
+        <div className="my-2">
+          <ComposerHandoffPreviewRow preview={handoffPreview} resolvers={handoffResolvers} />
+        </div>
       ) : null}
 
       <div className="flex flex-wrap items-center justify-end gap-3">