diff --git a/components/Layout.js b/components/Layout.js
index 0deab86..5562e22 100644
--- a/components/Layout.js
+++ b/components/Layout.js
@@ -664,7 +664,18 @@ export default function Layout({ children, user = null, showSearch = false }) {
   }, []);
 
   return (
-    <div className="flex h-screen">
+    // Outer shell — `md:p-4 md:gap-4` pulls both the sidebar and the
+    // main column in from the viewport edges so the sidebar and the
+    // top header read as floating chrome chips (operator feedback
+    // 2026-06-04: "pull out the left nav to make it look like it is
+    // its own floating section versus attached to the top-left"). The
+    // `md:gap-4` on this row also creates the visible page-body
+    // background between the sidebar's right edge and the main
+    // column, which replaces the previous hard divider — "all feels
+    // like one large page" is achieved by the hearth gradient
+    // showing through the gap. Mobile (< 768px) keeps the current
+    // flush layout because the sidebar is `hidden md:flex` anyway.
+    <div className="flex h-screen md:p-4 md:gap-4">
       {/* Mobile Navigation - Bottom bar for mobile */}
       <MobileNavigation 
         onMenuOpen={() => setIsMobileMenuOpen(true)} 
@@ -815,14 +826,21 @@ export default function Layout({ children, user = null, showSearch = false }) {
 
       {/* Desktop Sidebar - Hidden on mobile. Liquid Glass mid-tint, ambient
           elevation + rim-light edges; the page background visibly cools
-          through the rail. */}
+          through the rail. 2026-06-04 floating-chrome pass: rounded-3xl
+          + overflow-hidden so the rail reads as its own floating chip;
+          `var(--rim-light-outer)` dropped from the box-shadow stack
+          because that 1px outer ring was the "vertical divider between
+          the sidebar and the right side" the operator wanted gone. The
+          chip's edge is now defined solely by `var(--elevation-ambient)`
+          (drop shadow) + the glass-surface-mid tint against the body
+          gradient that shows through `md:gap-4` on the outer flex. */}
       <div
-        className="hidden md:flex md:static inset-y-0 left-0 w-64"
+        className="hidden md:flex md:static inset-y-0 left-0 w-64 md:rounded-3xl md:overflow-hidden"
         style={{
           background: 'var(--glass-surface-mid)',
           backdropFilter: 'blur(var(--glass-blur-mid)) saturate(var(--glass-saturate))',
           WebkitBackdropFilter: 'blur(var(--glass-blur-mid)) saturate(var(--glass-saturate))',
-          boxShadow: 'var(--rim-light-inner), var(--rim-light-outer), var(--elevation-ambient)',
+          boxShadow: 'var(--rim-light-inner), var(--elevation-ambient)',
         }}
       >
         <div className="p-4 h-full flex flex-col w-full">
@@ -933,8 +951,14 @@ export default function Layout({ children, user = null, showSearch = false }) {
         </div>
       </div>
 
-      {/* Main Content */}
-      <div className="flex-1 flex flex-col pb-16 md:pb-0">
+      {/* Main Content. `md:gap-4` adds vertical breathing room between
+          the floating TopSearchBar header and the page content so they
+          read as two distinct floating chrome elements over the body
+          gradient (rather than the header sitting flush against the
+          content). `min-w-0` prevents flex children from blowing past
+          the column width when long card titles or table cells refuse
+          to wrap. */}
+      <div className="flex-1 flex flex-col pb-16 md:pb-0 md:gap-4 min-w-0">
         {/* Global top bar — redesign-v2 sub-convoy #3 (2026-06-04).
             Rendered for ALL authenticated pages so the search +
             notifications + user-menu chrome is consistent everywhere
diff --git a/components/ui/TopSearchBar.js b/components/ui/TopSearchBar.js
index e6e14ac..b19190c 100644
--- a/components/ui/TopSearchBar.js
+++ b/components/ui/TopSearchBar.js
@@ -62,17 +62,24 @@ export default function TopSearchBar({
 
   return (
     <header
-      className="px-4 sm:px-6 py-3 flex items-center gap-3 sm:gap-4"
+      // Floating-chrome pass 2026-06-04: `md:rounded-2xl` so the bar
+      // reads as its own floating chip on desktop (Layout's
+      // `md:p-4 md:gap-4` puts visible body gradient on all four sides
+      // of it). Mobile keeps square corners since the header runs
+      // edge-to-edge there. The shadow stack pairs `rim-light-inner`
+      // (subtle top inset highlight kept from the prior pass) with
+      // `elevation-ambient` (drop shadow) so it floats over the body
+      // gradient. We deliberately did NOT add `rim-light-outer` here:
+      // the operator's "remove the divider" feedback from the prior
+      // pass applies to any visible 1px edge, and a hairline outer
+      // ring would re-introduce one on mobile where the bar abuts
+      // content directly.
+      className="px-4 sm:px-6 py-3 flex items-center gap-3 sm:gap-4 md:rounded-2xl"
       style={{
         background: 'var(--glass-surface-mid)',
         backdropFilter: 'blur(12px) saturate(180%)',
         WebkitBackdropFilter: 'blur(12px) saturate(180%)',
-        // The hairline border-bottom (`0 1px 0 var(--border)`) was
-        // removed 2026-06-04 per operator feedback ("almost looks
-        // seamless between that header and the rest of that page
-        // content"). The rim-light-inner highlight stays so the bar
-        // still reads as elevated chrome against the gradient body.
-        boxShadow: 'var(--rim-light-inner)',
+        boxShadow: 'var(--rim-light-inner), var(--elevation-ambient)',
       }}
     >
       {/* Search affordance — read-only-ish input that opens the