feat: give opening scenes a clear visual focal point

web/apps/console/src/presentation/SceneBody.test.tsx

@@ -69,7 +69,10 @@ describe("SceneBody", () => {
       />,
     );
 
-    expect(screen.getByLabelText("AI agent decomposition")).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.getByRole("region", { name: "thesis opening" })).toHaveAttribute(
+      "data-opening-focus",
+      "substrate",
+    );
     expect(screen.getByText("submitted substrate")).toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(screen.getByText("Typed · Durable · Inspectable")).toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /where is the ai agent/i })).toBeInTheDocument();

web/apps/console/src/presentation/opening/OpeningThesisScene.test.tsx

@@ -8,9 +8,12 @@ const thesisScene = findScene("thesis")!;
 afterEach(() => cleanup());
 
 describe("OpeningThesisScene", () => {
-  it("renders the title reveal with latent component icons", () => {
+  it("makes the title boundary the opening focal artifact", () => {
     render(<OpeningThesisScene scene={thesisScene} beat={findBeat("thesis", "title")!} />);
 
+    const opening = screen.getByRole("region", { name: /thesis opening/i });
+    expect(opening).toHaveAttribute("data-opening-focus", "title");
+    expect(opening).toHaveAttribute("data-support-state", "receded");
     expect(screen.getByRole("heading", { name: /Design and Implementation of lda\.chat/i })).toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(screen.getByText("Planner")).toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(screen.getByText("Tool Surface")).toBeInTheDocument();
@@ -23,6 +26,9 @@ describe("OpeningThesisScene", () => {
   it("renders contribution focus without relying on lda.chat as category label", () => {
     render(<OpeningThesisScene scene={thesisScene} beat={findBeat("thesis", "substrate")!} />);
 
+    const opening = screen.getByRole("region", { name: /thesis opening/i });
+    expect(opening).toHaveAttribute("data-opening-focus", "substrate");
+    expect(opening).toHaveAttribute("data-support-state", "revealed");
     expect(screen.getByText("Codex / Claude / OpenCode")).toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(screen.getByText("CLI / MCP / APIs")).toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(screen.getByText("submitted substrate")).toBeInTheDocument();

web/apps/console/src/presentation/opening/OpeningThesisScene.tsx

@@ -18,35 +18,39 @@ export const OpeningThesisScene = ({ scene, beat }: OpeningThesisSceneProps) =>
       </StageCaption>
       <section
         className="opening-thesis"
-        aria-label="AI agent decomposition"
+        aria-label="thesis opening"
         data-opening-beat={beat.id}
+        data-opening-focus={contributionBeat ? "substrate" : "title"}
+        data-support-state={contributionBeat ? "revealed" : "receded"}
       >
-        <div className="opening-thesis__title-card">
+        <div className="opening-thesis__title-card" data-opening-role="title">
           <span>AI agent for workspace workflows</span>
           <strong>{contributionBeat ? "Decomposed" : scene.title}</strong>
         </div>
-        <ConceptRail label="AI agent components">
-          <ConceptNode
-            title="Planner"
-            subtitle="Codex / Claude / OpenCode"
-            icon="planner"
-            emphasis={contributionBeat ? "muted" : "normal"}
-          />
-          <ConceptNode
-            title="Tool Surface"
-            subtitle="CLI / MCP / APIs"
-            icon="tool"
-            emphasis={contributionBeat ? "muted" : "normal"}
-          />
-          <ConceptNode
-            title="Workflow Platform"
-            subtitle="submitted substrate"
-            icon="platform"
-            emphasis="primary"
-          >
-            <span>Typed · Durable · Inspectable</span>
-          </ConceptNode>
-        </ConceptRail>
+        <div className="opening-thesis__decomposition">
+          <ConceptRail label="AI agent components">
+            <ConceptNode
+              title="Planner"
+              subtitle="Codex / Claude / OpenCode"
+              icon="planner"
+              emphasis={contributionBeat ? "muted" : "normal"}
+            />
+            <ConceptNode
+              title="Tool Surface"
+              subtitle="CLI / MCP / APIs"
+              icon="tool"
+              emphasis={contributionBeat ? "muted" : "normal"}
+            />
+            <ConceptNode
+              title="Workflow Platform"
+              subtitle="submitted substrate"
+              icon="platform"
+              emphasis="primary"
+            >
+              <span>Typed · Durable · Inspectable</span>
+            </ConceptNode>
+          </ConceptRail>
+        </div>
       </section>
       <p className="scene-body__evidence">{scene.evidencePointer}</p>
     </>

web/apps/console/src/presentation/opening/ProblemLoopScene.test.tsx

@@ -12,6 +12,9 @@ describe("ProblemLoopScene", () => {
   it("uses the assistant transcript surface for the direct-action side", async () => {
     render(<ProblemLoopScene scene={problemScene} beat={findBeat("problem", "direct-actions")!} />);
 
+    const scene = screen.getByRole("region", { name: /chat tool loop versus reusable automation/i });
+    expect(scene).toHaveAttribute("data-problem-focus", "tool-loop");
+    expect(scene).toHaveAttribute("data-support-state", "quiet");
     const transcript = screen.getByRole("log", { name: /one-off assistant transcript/i });
     expect(transcript).toHaveClass("assistant-operator-thread");
     expect(within(transcript).getByText("Can you finish this workspace task?")).toBeInTheDocument();
@@ -23,6 +26,9 @@ describe("ProblemLoopScene", () => {
   it("renders reusable automation as a durable workflow blueprint", () => {
     render(<ProblemLoopScene scene={problemScene} beat={findBeat("problem", "missing-contracts")!} />);
 
+    const scene = screen.getByRole("region", { name: /chat tool loop versus reusable automation/i });
+    expect(scene).toHaveAttribute("data-problem-focus", "workflow-blueprint");
+    expect(scene).toHaveAttribute("data-support-state", "receded");
     const blueprint = screen.getByRole("group", { name: /durable workflow blueprint/i });
     expect(blueprint).toHaveAttribute("data-blueprint-active", "true");
 

web/apps/console/src/presentation/opening/ProblemLoopScene.tsx

@@ -58,10 +58,16 @@ export const ProblemLoopScene = ({ scene, beat }: ProblemLoopSceneProps) => {
       <StageCaption eyebrow="Problem shape" title={scene.title}>
         <p>{beat.caption}</p>
       </StageCaption>
-      <section className="problem-loop-scene" aria-label="chat tool loop versus reusable automation">
+      <section
+        className="problem-loop-scene"
+        aria-label="chat tool loop versus reusable automation"
+        data-problem-focus={automationBeat ? "workflow-blueprint" : "tool-loop"}
+        data-support-state={automationBeat ? "receded" : "quiet"}
+      >
         <article
           className="problem-chat-card"
           data-problem-active={automationBeat ? "false" : "true"}
+          data-problem-role="tool-loop"
           aria-label="one-off chat and tool loop"
         >
           <header className="problem-artifact-header">
@@ -75,13 +81,14 @@ export const ProblemLoopScene = ({ scene, beat }: ProblemLoopSceneProps) => {
           <p className="problem-artifact-note">The useful work lives in the conversation history.</p>
         </article>
 
-        <div className="problem-loop-scene__bridge" aria-hidden="true">→</div>
+        <div className="problem-loop-scene__bridge" aria-hidden="true">one request → durable definition</div>
 
         <article
           className="problem-blueprint"
           role="group"
           aria-label="durable workflow blueprint"
           data-blueprint-active={automationBeat ? "true" : "false"}
+          data-problem-role="workflow-blueprint"
         >
           <header className="problem-artifact-header">
             <span>Reusable</span>

web/apps/console/src/presentation/presentation.css

@@ -1754,6 +1754,14 @@
   align-items: center;
 }
 
+.opening-thesis[data-opening-focus="title"] {
+  grid-template-rows: minmax(11rem, 1fr) auto;
+}
+
+.opening-thesis[data-opening-focus="substrate"] {
+  grid-template-rows: auto minmax(11rem, 1fr);
+}
+
 .opening-thesis__title-card {
   display: grid;
   place-items: center;
@@ -1765,6 +1773,16 @@
     radial-gradient(circle at 30% 30%, color-mix(in oklch, var(--accent-cyan) 12%, transparent), transparent 34%),
     var(--stage-inset);
   text-align: center;
+  transition: min-height 220ms ease-out, opacity 180ms ease-out, transform 220ms ease-out;
+}
+
+.opening-thesis[data-opening-focus="title"] .opening-thesis__title-card {
+  min-height: 15rem;
+}
+
+.opening-thesis[data-opening-focus="substrate"] .opening-thesis__title-card {
+  min-height: 5rem;
+  transform: translateY(-0.15rem);
 }
 
 .opening-thesis__title-card span {
@@ -1784,6 +1802,16 @@
 .opening-thesis .concept-rail {
   display: grid;
   grid-template-columns: repeat(3, minmax(0, 1fr));
+  transition: opacity 180ms ease-out, transform 220ms ease-out;
+}
+
+.opening-thesis[data-opening-focus="title"] .opening-thesis__decomposition {
+  opacity: 0.72;
+  transform: translateY(0.3rem);
+}
+
+.opening-thesis[data-opening-focus="substrate"] .opening-thesis__decomposition {
+  transform: translateY(0);
 }
 
 /* Problem loop scene */
@@ -1804,6 +1832,7 @@
   border-radius: 0.95rem;
   padding: 0.75rem;
   overflow: hidden;
+  transition: opacity 220ms ease-out, transform 240ms ease-out, border-color 220ms ease-out;
 }
 
 .problem-chat-card {
@@ -1825,7 +1854,13 @@
 
 .problem-chat-card[data-problem-active="false"],
 .problem-blueprint[data-blueprint-active="false"] {
-  opacity: 0.62;
+  opacity: 0.52;
+  transform: scale(0.97);
+}
+
+.problem-loop-scene[data-problem-focus="tool-loop"] .problem-chat-card,
+.problem-loop-scene[data-problem-focus="workflow-blueprint"] .problem-blueprint {
+  border-color: color-mix(in oklch, var(--accent-cyan) 72%, var(--stage-line));
 }
 
 .problem-artifact-header {
@@ -1900,8 +1935,11 @@
 
 .problem-loop-scene__bridge {
   align-self: center;
-  color: var(--accent-cyan);
-  font: 800 2rem/1 var(--font-interface);
+  max-width: 7rem;
+  color: var(--text-secondary);
+  font: 700 0.64rem/1.25 var(--font-evidence);
+  text-align: center;
+  text-transform: uppercase;
 }
 
 @container presentation-canvas (max-width: 1050px) {
@@ -1914,6 +1952,15 @@
   }
 }
 
+@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
+  .opening-thesis__title-card,
+  .opening-thesis .concept-rail,
+  .problem-chat-card,
+  .problem-blueprint {
+    transition: none;
+  }
+}
+
 /* Demo workflow scene */
 .demo-workflow-scene__graph-area {
   flex: 1;
@@ -2703,6 +2750,14 @@
   overflow: hidden;
 }
 
+.problem-loop-scene[data-problem-focus="tool-loop"] {
+  grid-template-columns: minmax(0, 1.35fr) auto minmax(17rem, 0.65fr);
+}
+
+.problem-loop-scene[data-problem-focus="workflow-blueprint"] {
+  grid-template-columns: minmax(17rem, 0.65fr) auto minmax(0, 1.35fr);
+}
+
 @keyframes authoring-canvas-enter {
   from { opacity: 0; }
   to { opacity: 1; }