diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 4821f3c3..0ee42d02 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@
 
 ### Fixed
 
+- **The Hermes Dashboard now has a show/hide chip in Settings → Appearance.** The Appearance → "Sidebar tabs" grid (where you toggle which tabs appear in the sidebar/rail) gains a "Hermes Dashboard" chip alongside the others, bidirectionally synced with the existing dashboard-mode dropdown (never/always/auto): toggling the chip off sets the dropdown to "never," toggling it on restores the last non-never mode, and changing the dropdown updates the chip. The chip is a proxy for the dashboard config — it never mutates the sidebar `hidden_tabs`/`tab_order` state — and the sync is guarded against a stale config GET clobbering a newer save, with a clean rollback if the save fails. Thanks @rodboev. (#4936, fixes #2724)
+
 - **Settings now exposes a "Max output tokens" field.** The streaming path already honored a `max_tokens` cap from the active profile's `config.yaml`, but there was no way to manage it from the UI. Settings → Preferences now has a "Max output tokens" field that writes a root-level `max_tokens` override through the profile config (not `settings.json`, which the streaming worker never reads for this), preserving unrelated YAML keys. Blank clears the override so the existing `agent.max_tokens` fallback resumes; the field surfaces the effective fallback so you can see what a new turn would currently use. Thanks @rodboev. (#5010, fixes #2929)
 
 - **Cross-container Docker setups report gateway health correctly again.** When WebUI and the Hermes agent run in separate containers, the agent-health check resolves the gateway's runtime status from a shared `gateway_state.json`. After the keyword-form `read_runtime_status(pid_path=…)` call fails against an older agent signature, the positional fallback was handed the sibling `gateway.pid` path instead of the runtime-status file — so the reader parsed PID metadata as runtime metadata and `gateway_state`/`updated_at` never resolved, breaking the freshness check. The fallback now passes the correct `gateway_state.json` sibling path (`pid_path.with_name(_RUNTIME_STATUS_FILE)`), with `gateway_state.json` as the default when the agent doesn't expose the filename. The keyword happy-path and normal PID-based health are unchanged. Thanks @rodboev. (#5065, fixes #5030)
diff --git a/static/panels.js b/static/panels.js
index c6b619f2..182dfccb 100644
--- a/static/panels.js
+++ b/static/panels.js
@@ -6616,6 +6616,34 @@ function _orderedSidebarPanels(order){
   return out;
 }
 
+function _dashboardPanelMode(){
+  var modeEl=$('settingsDashboardMode');
+  var mode=modeEl&&modeEl.value;
+  return mode==='never'||mode==='always'||mode==='auto'?mode:'auto';
+}
+
+function _isDashboardChipOn(){
+  return _dashboardPanelMode()!=='never';
+}
+
+function _renderDashboardVisibilityChip(container){
+  if(!container)return null;
+  var chip=document.createElement('button');
+  chip.type='button';
+  chip.className='tab-visibility-chip';
+  chip.setAttribute('data-tab-panel','__hermes_dashboard__');
+  chip.setAttribute('role','switch');
+  var isOn=_isDashboardChipOn();
+  chip.setAttribute('aria-checked',isOn?'true':'false');
+  if(!isOn) chip.classList.add('chip-off');
+  chip.textContent=typeof t==='function'?t('tab_dashboard'):'Dashboard';
+  chip.onclick=function(){
+    if(Date.now()<_tabVisibilityDragSuppressUntil)return;
+    _toggleDashboardVisibilityChip();
+  };
+  return chip;
+}
+
 function _applyTabOrder(order){
   var ordered=_orderedSidebarPanels(order);
   ['.rail','.sidebar-nav'].forEach(function(selector){
@@ -6688,6 +6716,8 @@ function _renderTabVisibilityChips(){
     _wireTabChipDrag(chip,panel);
     container.appendChild(chip);
   });
+  var dashboardChip=_renderDashboardVisibilityChip(container);
+  if(dashboardChip) container.appendChild(dashboardChip);
 }
 
 function _wireTabChipDrag(chip,panel){
@@ -6742,6 +6772,21 @@ function _toggleTabVisibilityChip(panel){
   _scheduleAppearanceAutosave();
 }
 
+function _toggleDashboardVisibilityChip(){
+  var modeEl=$('settingsDashboardMode');
+  if(!modeEl||typeof saveDashboardSettings!=='function') return;
+  var currentMode=_dashboardPanelMode();
+  var nextMode=currentMode==='never'
+    ? (typeof _getDashboardChipRestoreMode==='function' ? _getDashboardChipRestoreMode() : 'auto')
+    : 'never';
+  var previousMode=currentMode;
+  modeEl.value=nextMode;
+  Promise.resolve(saveDashboardSettings({raiseOnError:true})).catch(function(){
+    modeEl.value=previousMode;
+    if(typeof _renderTabVisibilityChips==='function') _renderTabVisibilityChips();
+  });
+}
+
 function _ensureComposerControlVisibilityState(settings){
   const fromSettings=(typeof _composerControlVisibilityFromSettings==='function')
     ? _composerControlVisibilityFromSettings(settings||{})
diff --git a/static/ui.js b/static/ui.js
index 8daea7ac..e8c344d5 100644
--- a/static/ui.js
+++ b/static/ui.js
@@ -1174,11 +1174,28 @@ async function jumpToTurnQuestion(questionRawIdx, assistantRawIdx){
 const DASHBOARD_STATUS_TTL_MS=60000;
 let _dashboardStatusCache=null;
 let _dashboardStatusFetchedAt=0;
+let _dashboardLastNonNeverMode='auto'; // Server-scoped dashboard config keeps this restore target session-global on purpose.
+let _dashboardSettingsLoadSeq=0;
+let _dashboardSettingsWriteSeq=0;
 
 function _dashboardIsBrowserLoopback(){
   const host=(window.location.hostname||'').replace(/^\[|\]$/g,'').toLowerCase();
   return host==='127.0.0.1'||host==='localhost'||host==='::1';
 }
+
+function _normalizeDashboardEnabledMode(mode){
+  return mode==='auto'||mode==='always'||mode==='never'?mode:'auto';
+}
+
+function _setDashboardModeForChip(mode){
+  mode=_normalizeDashboardEnabledMode(mode);
+  if(mode==='auto'||mode==='always') _dashboardLastNonNeverMode=mode;
+}
+
+function _getDashboardChipRestoreMode(){
+  return _dashboardLastNonNeverMode||'auto';
+}
+
 function _dashboardBrowserUrl(status){
   if(!status||!status.running) return '';
   if(status.browser_url||status.url){
@@ -1234,26 +1251,39 @@ async function loadDashboardSettings(){
   const modeEl=$('settingsDashboardMode');
   const urlEl=$('settingsDashboardUrl');
   if(!modeEl&&!urlEl) return;
+  const loadSeq=++_dashboardSettingsLoadSeq;
+  const writeSeq=_dashboardSettingsWriteSeq;
   try{
     const cfg=await api('/api/dashboard/config');
-    if(modeEl) modeEl.value=cfg.enabled||'auto';
+    if(loadSeq!==_dashboardSettingsLoadSeq||writeSeq!==_dashboardSettingsWriteSeq) return;
+    const mode=_normalizeDashboardEnabledMode(cfg&&cfg.enabled);
+    if(modeEl) modeEl.value=mode;
+    _setDashboardModeForChip(mode);
     if(urlEl) urlEl.value=cfg.url||'';
+    if(typeof _renderTabVisibilityChips==='function') _renderTabVisibilityChips();
   }catch(_){/* leave defaults visible */}
 }
-async function saveDashboardSettings(){
+async function saveDashboardSettings(opts){
+  opts=opts||{};
   const modeEl=$('settingsDashboardMode');
   const urlEl=$('settingsDashboardUrl');
   const statusEl=$('settingsDashboardStatus');
   const payload={enabled:(modeEl&&modeEl.value)||'auto',url:(urlEl&&urlEl.value||'').trim()};
+  _dashboardSettingsWriteSeq+=1;
   try{
     const saved=await api('/api/dashboard/config',{method:'POST',body:JSON.stringify(payload)});
-    if(modeEl) modeEl.value=saved.enabled||'auto';
+    const mode=_normalizeDashboardEnabledMode(saved&&saved.enabled);
+    if(modeEl) modeEl.value=mode;
+    _setDashboardModeForChip(mode);
     if(urlEl) urlEl.value=saved.url||'';
     if(statusEl) statusEl.textContent='Dashboard link settings saved.';
     await refreshDashboardStatus(true);
+    if(typeof _renderTabVisibilityChips==='function') _renderTabVisibilityChips();
   }catch(err){
     if(statusEl) statusEl.textContent='Dashboard link settings failed to save.';
     else if(typeof showToast==='function') showToast('Dashboard link settings failed to save.');
+    try{await loadDashboardSettings();}catch(_){}
+    if(opts.raiseOnError) throw err;
   }
 }
 function openHermesDashboard(event){
diff --git a/tests/test_dashboard_link_ui.py b/tests/test_dashboard_link_ui.py
index 3bbf8cb2..9c9dcfbc 100644
--- a/tests/test_dashboard_link_ui.py
+++ b/tests/test_dashboard_link_ui.py
@@ -1,10 +1,333 @@
+import json
 import pathlib
+import shutil
+import subprocess
+import tempfile
+import textwrap
 import re
+import pytest
 
 REPO = pathlib.Path(__file__).parent.parent
 INDEX_HTML = (REPO / "static" / "index.html").read_text(encoding="utf-8")
 UI_JS = (REPO / "static" / "ui.js").read_text(encoding="utf-8")
 STYLE_CSS = (REPO / "static" / "style.css").read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+UI_PATH = REPO / "static" / "ui.js"
+PANELS_PATH = REPO / "static" / "panels.js"
+NODE = shutil.which("node")
+requires_node = pytest.mark.skipif(NODE is None, reason="node not on PATH")
+
+_DASHBOARD_LINK_DRIVER = textwrap.dedent(
+    """\
+    const fs = require('fs');
+
+    function extractFn(src, name) {
+      const markers = [`async function ${name}(`, `function ${name}(`];
+      let start = -1;
+      for (const marker of markers) {
+        start = src.indexOf(marker);
+        if (start >= 0) break;
+      }
+      if (start < 0) throw new Error(`${name}() not found`);
+      let i = src.indexOf('{', start);
+      let depth = 0;
+      let inString = null;
+      let escaped = false;
+      let inLineComment = false;
+      let inBlockComment = false;
+      for (; i < src.length; i++) {
+        const ch = src[i];
+        const nxt = src[i + 1] || '';
+        if (inLineComment) {
+          if (ch === '\\n') inLineComment = false;
+          continue;
+        }
+        if (inBlockComment) {
+          if (ch === '*' && nxt === '/') inBlockComment = false;
+          continue;
+        }
+        if (inString) {
+          if (escaped) {
+            escaped = false;
+          } else if (ch === '\\\\') {
+            escaped = true;
+          } else if (ch === inString) {
+            inString = null;
+          }
+          continue;
+        }
+        if (ch === '/' && nxt === '/') { inLineComment = true; continue; }
+        if (ch === '/' && nxt === '*') { inBlockComment = true; continue; }
+        if (ch === '\\'' || ch === '\"' || ch === '`') { inString = ch; continue; }
+        if (ch === '{') depth += 1;
+        if (ch === '}') {
+          depth -= 1;
+          if (depth === 0) return src.slice(start, i + 1);
+        }
+      }
+      throw new Error(`could not extract ${name}`);
+    }
+
+    function makeEl() {
+      return {
+        children: [],
+        style: {},
+        classList: {
+          _set: new Set(),
+          add(c){this._set.add(c);},
+          remove(c){this._set.delete(c);},
+          toggle(c, on){const want = on === undefined ? !this._set.has(c) : Boolean(on); if (want) this._set.add(c); else this._set.delete(c);},
+          contains(c){return this._set.has(c);},
+        },
+        dataset: {},
+        _attrs: {},
+        textContent: '',
+        datasetUrl: '',
+        setAttribute(name, value) {
+          this._attrs[name] = String(value);
+          if (name === 'data-dashboard-url') this.datasetUrl = String(value);
+        },
+        getAttribute(name) { return Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(this._attrs, name) ? this._attrs[name] : null; },
+        hasAttribute(name) { return Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(this._attrs, name); },
+        appendChild(child) { this.children.push(child); return child; },
+      };
+    }
+
+    function makeButton(id) {
+      const btn = makeEl();
+      btn.id = id;
+      btn._classes = btn.classList._set;
+      if (id === 'dashboardRailBtn' || id === 'dashboardMobileBtn') {
+        btn.setAttribute('data-dashboard-link', '');
+        btn.setAttribute('aria-label', 'Dashboard');
+      }
+      return btn;
+    }
+
+    const action = process.argv[2] || 'load';
+    const mode = process.argv[3] || 'auto';
+    const url = process.argv[4] || '';
+    const uiSrc = fs.readFileSync(process.argv[5], 'utf8');
+    const panelsSrc = fs.readFileSync(process.argv[6], 'utf8');
+
+    const modeEl = makeButton('settingsDashboardMode');
+    const urlEl = makeButton('settingsDashboardUrl');
+    const statusEl = makeButton('settingsDashboardStatus');
+    modeEl.value = mode;
+    urlEl.value = url;
+    const railBtn = makeButton('dashboardRailBtn');
+    const mobileBtn = makeButton('dashboardMobileBtn');
+    const buttons = [railBtn, mobileBtn];
+    const result = { calls: [], renderCalls: 0, statusCalls: 0, buttonStates: [] };
+    let delayedConfigResolve = null;
+    const delayedConfigValue = { enabled: 'never', url: 'http://stale.local:1234' };
+    let delayedConfigUsed = false;
+
+    global._dashboardLastNonNeverMode = 'auto';
+    global._dashboardStatusCache = null;
+    global._dashboardStatusFetchedAt = 0;
+    global._dashboardSettingsLoadSeq = 0;
+    global._dashboardSettingsWriteSeq = 0;
+    global.window = { location: { hostname: '127.0.0.1' } };
+    global.document = {
+      createElement: () => makeEl(),
+      querySelectorAll: (sel) => {
+        if (sel === '[data-dashboard-link]') return buttons;
+        return [];
+      },
+      querySelector: () => null,
+      addEventListener: () => {},
+    };
+    global.$ = (id) => {
+      if (id === 'settingsDashboardMode') return modeEl;
+      if (id === 'settingsDashboardUrl') return urlEl;
+      if (id === 'settingsDashboardStatus') return statusEl;
+      return null;
+    };
+
+    global.t = (key) => {
+      if (key === 'tab_dashboard') return 'Dashboard';
+      if (key === 'dashboard_loopback_warning') return 'Loopback';
+      return key;
+    };
+    global._dashboardIsBrowserLoopback = () => false;
+
+    global.api = (url, opts = {}) => {
+      result.calls.push({ url: String(url), method: (opts.method || 'GET').toUpperCase(), body: opts.body || '', timeoutToast: !!(opts.timeoutToast) });
+      if (String(url) === '/api/dashboard/config') {
+        if (
+          (opts.method || 'GET').toUpperCase() === 'GET' &&
+          (action === 'stale-load' || action === 'failed-save-stale-load') &&
+          !delayedConfigUsed
+        ) {
+          delayedConfigUsed = true;
+          return new Promise((resolve) => {
+            delayedConfigResolve = () => resolve(delayedConfigValue);
+          });
+        }
+        if ((opts.method || 'GET').toUpperCase() === 'GET' && action === 'failed-save-stale-load') {
+          return Promise.resolve(delayedConfigValue);
+        }
+        const payload = opts.body ? JSON.parse(opts.body) : {};
+        if ((opts.method || 'GET').toUpperCase() === 'POST' && action === 'failed-save-stale-load') {
+          return Promise.reject(new Error('save failed'));
+        }
+        const enabled = payload.enabled || modeEl.value || 'auto';
+        const configuredUrl = payload.url || urlEl.value || '';
+        return Promise.resolve({ enabled, url: configuredUrl });
+      }
+      if (String(url) === '/api/dashboard/status') {
+        result.statusCalls += 1;
+        return Promise.resolve({
+          running: modeEl.value !== 'never',
+          browser_url: modeEl.value === 'never' ? '' : 'http://127.0.0.1:1234',
+        });
+      }
+      return Promise.resolve({ running: false });
+    };
+    global._renderTabVisibilityChips = () => {
+      result.renderCalls += 1;
+      result.lastRenderMode = modeEl.value;
+    };
+
+    for (const name of ['_normalizeDashboardEnabledMode','_setDashboardModeForChip','_getDashboardChipRestoreMode']) {
+      eval(extractFn(uiSrc, name));
+    }
+    for (const name of ['_dashboardBrowserUrl', '_applyDashboardStatus', 'refreshDashboardStatus', 'loadDashboardSettings', 'saveDashboardSettings']) {
+      let src = extractFn(uiSrc, name);
+      if(name === 'saveDashboardSettings'){
+        src = src.replace(
+          "if(typeof _renderTabVisibilityChips==='function') _renderTabVisibilityChips();",
+          "if(typeof globalThis._renderTabVisibilityChips==='function') globalThis._renderTabVisibilityChips();"
+        );
+      }
+      eval(src);
+    }
+    for (const name of ['_dashboardPanelMode', '_toggleDashboardVisibilityChip']) {
+      eval(extractFn(panelsSrc, name));
+    }
+
+    function recordButtons() {
+      result.buttonStates = buttons.map((btn) => ({
+        id: btn.id,
+        classes: Array.from(btn.classList._set || []),
+        display: btn.style.display || '',
+        dashboardUrl: btn._attrs['data-dashboard-url'] || '',
+        tooltip: btn._attrs['data-tooltip'] || '',
+      }));
+    }
+
+    (async () => {
+      if (action === 'load') {
+        await loadDashboardSettings();
+        recordButtons();
+        console.log(JSON.stringify({
+          mode: modeEl.value,
+          url: urlEl.value,
+          renderCalls: result.renderCalls,
+          lastRenderMode: result.lastRenderMode || '',
+          calls: result.calls,
+          buttonStates: result.buttonStates,
+        }));
+        return;
+      }
+
+      if (action === 'failed-save-stale-load') {
+        const loadPromise = loadDashboardSettings();
+        modeEl.value = 'always';
+        urlEl.value = 'http://fresh.local:4321';
+        await saveDashboardSettings();
+        if (!delayedConfigResolve) throw new Error('delayed config read was not started');
+        delayedConfigResolve();
+        await loadPromise;
+        await Promise.resolve();
+        await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 0));
+        recordButtons();
+        console.log(JSON.stringify({
+          mode: modeEl.value,
+          url: urlEl.value,
+          renderCalls: result.renderCalls,
+          lastRenderMode: result.lastRenderMode || '',
+          calls: result.calls,
+          statusCalls: result.statusCalls,
+          buttonStates: result.buttonStates,
+        }));
+        return;
+      }
+
+      if (action === 'stale-load') {
+        const loadPromise = loadDashboardSettings();
+        modeEl.value = 'always';
+        urlEl.value = 'http://fresh.local:4321';
+        await saveDashboardSettings();
+        if (!delayedConfigResolve) throw new Error('delayed config read was not started');
+        delayedConfigResolve();
+        await loadPromise;
+        await Promise.resolve();
+        await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 0));
+        recordButtons();
+        console.log(JSON.stringify({
+          mode: modeEl.value,
+          url: urlEl.value,
+          renderCalls: result.renderCalls,
+          lastRenderMode: result.lastRenderMode || '',
+          calls: result.calls,
+          statusCalls: result.statusCalls,
+          buttonStates: result.buttonStates,
+        }));
+        return;
+      }
+
+      if (action === 'chip-toggle') {
+        _toggleDashboardVisibilityChip();
+      } else {
+        await saveDashboardSettings();
+      }
+      await Promise.resolve();
+      await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 0));
+      recordButtons();
+      console.log(JSON.stringify({
+        mode: modeEl.value,
+        url: urlEl.value,
+        renderCalls: result.renderCalls,
+        lastRenderMode: result.lastRenderMode || '',
+        calls: result.calls,
+        statusCalls: result.statusCalls,
+        buttonStates: result.buttonStates,
+      }));
+    })().catch((err) => { console.error(err); process.exit(1); });
+    """
+)
+
+
+def _run_dashboard_link_driver(action: str, mode: str = 'auto', url: str = '') -> dict:
+    with tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile("w", suffix=".js", encoding="utf-8", delete=False) as f:
+        f.write(_DASHBOARD_LINK_DRIVER)
+        driver = f.name
+    try:
+        result = subprocess.run(
+            [
+                NODE,
+                driver,
+                action,
+                mode,
+                url,
+                str(UI_PATH),
+                str(PANELS_PATH),
+            ],
+            cwd=REPO,
+            text=True,
+            capture_output=True,
+            timeout=2.0,
+            check=False,
+        )
+        if result.returncode != 0:
+            raise RuntimeError(f"node harness failed: {result.stderr or result.stdout}")
+        return json.loads(result.stdout.strip())
+    finally:
+        try:
+            pathlib.Path(driver).unlink()
+        except OSError:
+            pass
 
 
 def test_dashboard_nav_buttons_are_hidden_by_default_and_subpath_safe():
@@ -95,3 +418,77 @@ def test_desktop_dashboard_link_button_stays_in_desktop_nav():
     assert mobile_nav_match is not None
     mobile_nav = mobile_nav_match.group(0)
     assert 'id="dashboardMobileBtn"' in mobile_nav
+
+@requires_node
+def test_dashboard_dropdown_save_resyncs_chip_state():
+    out = _run_dashboard_link_driver("save", mode="never", url="http://example.local:1234")
+    assert out["mode"] == "never"
+    assert out["url"] == "http://example.local:1234"
+    assert out["lastRenderMode"] == "never"
+    assert out["renderCalls"] == 1
+    assert any(call["url"] == "/api/dashboard/config" and call["method"] == "POST" for call in out["calls"])
+    assert any(call["url"] == "/api/dashboard/status" for call in out["calls"])
+    assert out["statusCalls"] >= 1
+    assert all(
+        "dashboard-link-visible" not in state["classes"]
+        and state["display"] == "none"
+        for state in out["buttonStates"]
+    )
+
+
+@requires_node
+def test_dashboard_chip_save_keeps_buttons_refreshed():
+    out = _run_dashboard_link_driver("chip-toggle", mode="never", url="http://example.local:1234")
+    assert out["mode"] == "auto"
+    assert out["url"] == "http://example.local:1234"
+    assert out["renderCalls"] == 1
+    assert out["lastRenderMode"] == "auto"
+    assert any(call["url"] == "/api/dashboard/config" and call["method"] == "POST" for call in out["calls"])
+    assert any(call["url"] == "/api/dashboard/status" for call in out["calls"])
+    assert out["statusCalls"] >= 1
+    assert all(
+        "dashboard-link-visible" in state["classes"]
+        and state["display"] != "none"
+        for state in out["buttonStates"]
+    )
+
+
+@requires_node
+def test_stale_dashboard_load_does_not_overwrite_newer_save():
+    out = _run_dashboard_link_driver("stale-load", mode="never", url="http://stale.local:1234")
+    assert out["mode"] == "always"
+    assert out["url"] == "http://fresh.local:4321"
+    assert out["renderCalls"] == 1
+    assert out["lastRenderMode"] == "always"
+    assert [
+        (call["url"], call["method"])
+        for call in out["calls"]
+    ] == [
+        ("/api/dashboard/config", "GET"),
+        ("/api/dashboard/config", "POST"),
+        ("/api/dashboard/status", "GET"),
+    ]
+    assert out["statusCalls"] == 1
+    assert all(
+        "dashboard-link-visible" in state["classes"]
+        and state["display"] != "none"
+        for state in out["buttonStates"]
+    )
+
+
+@requires_node
+def test_failed_dashboard_save_reloads_backend_after_stale_load_is_dropped():
+    out = _run_dashboard_link_driver("failed-save-stale-load", mode="never", url="http://stale.local:1234")
+    assert out["mode"] == "never"
+    assert out["url"] == "http://stale.local:1234"
+    assert out["renderCalls"] == 1
+    assert out["lastRenderMode"] == "never"
+    assert [
+        (call["url"], call["method"])
+        for call in out["calls"]
+    ] == [
+        ("/api/dashboard/config", "GET"),
+        ("/api/dashboard/config", "POST"),
+        ("/api/dashboard/config", "GET"),
+    ]
+    assert out["statusCalls"] == 0
diff --git a/tests/test_sidebar_tab_visibility.py b/tests/test_sidebar_tab_visibility.py
index d334d199..724c84d6 100644
--- a/tests/test_sidebar_tab_visibility.py
+++ b/tests/test_sidebar_tab_visibility.py
@@ -4,16 +4,302 @@ Covers backend validation round-trip, frontend static contracts,
 i18n coverage, and the key integration points that have broken before.
 """
 import json
+import shutil
+import subprocess
+import tempfile
+import textwrap
 from pathlib import Path
 
+import pytest
+
 ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[1]
 CONFIG_PY = (ROOT / "api" / "config.py").read_text(encoding="utf-8")
 PANELS_JS = (ROOT / "static" / "panels.js").read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+UI_JS = (ROOT / "static" / "ui.js").read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+PANELS_PATH = ROOT / "static" / "panels.js"
+UI_PATH = ROOT / "static" / "ui.js"
 BOOT_JS = (ROOT / "static" / "boot.js").read_text(encoding="utf-8")
 INDEX_HTML = (ROOT / "static" / "index.html").read_text(encoding="utf-8")
 STYLE_CSS = (ROOT / "static" / "style.css").read_text(encoding="utf-8")
 I18N_JS = (ROOT / "static" / "i18n.js").read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+NODE = shutil.which("node")
+requires_node = pytest.mark.skipif(NODE is None, reason="node not on PATH")
 
+_PANELS_DASHBOARD_DRIVER = textwrap.dedent(
+    """\
+    const fs = require('fs');
+    const path = require('path');
+
+    function extractFn(src, name) {
+      const markers = [`async function ${name}(`, `function ${name}(`];
+      let start = -1;
+      for (const marker of markers) {
+        start = src.indexOf(marker);
+        if (start >= 0) break;
+      }
+      if (start < 0) throw new Error(`${name}() not found`);
+      let i = src.indexOf('{', start);
+      let depth = 0;
+      let inString = null;
+      let escaped = false;
+      let inLineComment = false;
+      let inBlockComment = false;
+      for (; i < src.length; i++) {
+        const ch = src[i];
+        const nxt = src[i + 1] || '';
+        if (inLineComment) {
+          if (ch === '\\n') inLineComment = false;
+          continue;
+        }
+        if (inBlockComment) {
+          if (ch === '*' && nxt === '/') inBlockComment = false;
+          continue;
+        }
+        if (inString) {
+          if (escaped) {
+            escaped = false;
+          } else if (ch === '\\\\') {
+            escaped = true;
+          } else if (ch === inString) {
+            inString = null;
+          }
+          continue;
+        }
+        if (ch === '/' && nxt === '/') { inLineComment = true; continue; }
+        if (ch === '/' && nxt === '*') { inBlockComment = true; continue; }
+        if (ch === '\\'' || ch === '\"' || ch === '`') { inString = ch; continue; }
+        if (ch === '{') depth += 1;
+        if (ch === '}') {
+          depth -= 1;
+          if (depth === 0) return src.slice(start, i + 1);
+        }
+      }
+      throw new Error(`could not extract ${name}`);
+    }
+
+    function makeEl() {
+      return {
+        children: [],
+        style: {},
+        classList: {
+          _set: new Set(),
+          add(c) { this._set.add(c); },
+          remove(c) { this._set.delete(c); },
+          toggle(c, on) {
+            const want = on === undefined ? !this._set.has(c) : Boolean(on);
+            if (want) this._set.add(c); else this._set.delete(c);
+          },
+          contains(c) { return this._set.has(c); },
+        },
+        dataset: {},
+        _attrs: {},
+        textContent: '',
+        setAttribute(name, value) {
+          this._attrs[name] = String(value);
+          if (name === 'data-tab-panel') this.dataset.tabPanel = String(value);
+        },
+        getAttribute(name) {
+          return Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(this._attrs, name)
+            ? this._attrs[name]
+            : null;
+        },
+        hasAttribute(name) {
+          return Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(this._attrs, name);
+        },
+        appendChild(child) {
+          this.children.push(child);
+          return child;
+        },
+        querySelector: () => null,
+        querySelectorAll: () => [],
+      };
+    }
+
+    const action = process.argv[2] || 'render';
+    const mode = process.argv[3] || 'auto';
+    const priorMode = process.argv[4] || '';
+    const forceNoRestore = process.argv[5] === '1';
+    const failSave = process.argv[6] === '1';
+    const panelsSrc = fs.readFileSync(process.argv[7], 'utf8');
+    const uiSrc = fs.readFileSync(process.argv[8], 'utf8');
+
+    const container = makeEl();
+    const modeEl = makeEl();
+    modeEl.id = 'settingsDashboardMode';
+    modeEl.value = mode;
+    const urlEl = makeEl();
+    urlEl.id = 'settingsDashboardUrl';
+    urlEl.value = '';
+
+    const registry = Object.create(null);
+    registry.tabVisibilityChips = container;
+    registry.settingsDashboardMode = modeEl;
+    registry.settingsDashboardUrl = urlEl;
+
+    let apiCalls = [];
+    let renderCalls = 0;
+    let hiddenCalls = 0;
+    let tabOrderCalls = 0;
+
+    global._dashboardLastNonNeverMode = 'auto';
+    global.window = {};
+    global.localStorage = {
+      _store: Object.create(null),
+      getItem(k) {
+        return Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(this._store, k) ? this._store[k] : null;
+      },
+      setItem(k, v) {
+        this._store[k] = String(v);
+      },
+    };
+    global.document = {
+      createElement: () => makeEl(),
+      querySelector: () => null,
+      querySelectorAll: () => [],
+      addEventListener: () => {},
+    };
+    global.$ = (id) => registry[id] || null;
+    global._orderedSidebarPanels = () => [];
+    global._getHiddenTabs = () => [];
+    global._wireTabChipDrag = () => {};
+    global._tabVisibilityDragSuppressUntil = 0;
+    global._ALWAYS_VISIBLE_TABS = new Set(['chat', 'settings']);
+    global.t = (key) => key === 'tab_dashboard' ? 'Hermes Dashboard' : String(key);
+
+    let failNextSave = failSave;
+    global.api = (url, opts = {}) => {
+      apiCalls.push({ url: String(url), method: (opts.method || 'GET').toUpperCase(), body: opts.body || '' });
+      if (String(url) === '/api/dashboard/config' && failNextSave) {
+        failNextSave = false;
+        return Promise.reject(new Error('save failed'));
+      }
+      const payload = opts.body ? JSON.parse(opts.body) : {};
+      return Promise.resolve({ enabled: payload.enabled || 'auto', url: payload.url || '' });
+    };
+    global.saveDashboardSettings = async function (opts = {}) {
+      const payload = { enabled: modeEl.value || 'auto', url: (urlEl.value || '').trim() };
+      try {
+        const saved = await api('/api/dashboard/config', { method: 'POST', body: JSON.stringify(payload) });
+        const normalized = _normalizeDashboardEnabledMode(saved && saved.enabled);
+        modeEl.value = normalized;
+        _setDashboardModeForChip(normalized);
+        return saved;
+      } catch (err) {
+        if (opts.raiseOnError) throw err;
+      }
+    };
+    global._setHiddenTabs = () => { hiddenCalls += 1; };
+    global._setTabOrder = () => { tabOrderCalls += 1; };
+    global._renderTabVisibilityChips = () => { renderCalls += 1; };
+
+    for (const name of ['_normalizeDashboardEnabledMode', '_setDashboardModeForChip', '_getDashboardChipRestoreMode']) {
+      eval(extractFn(uiSrc, name));
+    }
+    for (const name of [
+      '_dashboardPanelMode',
+      '_isDashboardChipOn',
+      '_renderDashboardVisibilityChip',
+      '_renderTabVisibilityChips',
+      '_toggleDashboardVisibilityChip'
+    ]) {
+      eval(extractFn(panelsSrc, name));
+    }
+    const realRenderTabVisibilityChips = _renderTabVisibilityChips;
+    _renderTabVisibilityChips = function () {
+      renderCalls += 1;
+      return realRenderTabVisibilityChips();
+    };
+
+    (async () => {
+      if (forceNoRestore) global._dashboardLastNonNeverMode = null;
+      if (priorMode) _setDashboardModeForChip(priorMode);
+
+      if (action === 'render') {
+        _renderTabVisibilityChips();
+        const chip = container.children.find((node) => node.getAttribute('data-tab-panel') === '__hermes_dashboard__');
+        console.log(JSON.stringify({
+          chipCount: container.children.length,
+          hasChip: !!chip,
+          chipText: chip && chip.textContent,
+          chipAriaChecked: chip && chip.getAttribute('aria-checked'),
+          chipIsOff: chip && chip.classList.contains('chip-off'),
+        }));
+        return;
+      }
+
+      _toggleDashboardVisibilityChip();
+      await Promise.resolve();
+      await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 0));
+      const firstMode = modeEl.value;
+
+      if (action === 'toggle-fail') {
+        console.log(JSON.stringify({
+          firstMode,
+          dashboardLastNonNeverMode: global._dashboardLastNonNeverMode,
+          apiCalls,
+          hiddenCalls,
+          tabOrderCalls,
+          renderCalls,
+        }));
+        return;
+      }
+
+      _toggleDashboardVisibilityChip();
+      await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 0));
+      const secondMode = modeEl.value;
+
+      console.log(JSON.stringify({
+        firstMode,
+        secondMode,
+        dashboardLastNonNeverMode: global._dashboardLastNonNeverMode,
+        apiCalls,
+        hiddenCalls,
+        tabOrderCalls,
+        renderCalls,
+      }));
+    })().catch((err) => { console.error(err); process.exit(1); });
+    """
+)
+
+
+def _run_panels_driver(
+    action: str,
+    mode: str = 'auto',
+    prior_mode: str = '',
+    force_no_restore: bool = False,
+    fail_save: bool = False,
+) -> dict:
+    """Run the dashboard-visibility chip helpers with a DOM shim."""
+    with tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile("w", suffix=".js", encoding="utf-8", delete=False) as f:
+        f.write(_PANELS_DASHBOARD_DRIVER)
+        driver = f.name
+    try:
+        result = subprocess.run(
+            [
+                NODE,
+                driver,
+                action,
+                mode,
+                prior_mode,
+                "1" if force_no_restore else "0",
+                "1" if fail_save else "0",
+                str(PANELS_PATH),
+                str(UI_PATH),
+            ],
+            cwd=ROOT,
+            text=True,
+            capture_output=True,
+            timeout=2.0,
+            check=False,
+        )
+        if result.returncode != 0:
+            raise RuntimeError(f"node harness failed: {result.stderr or result.stdout}")
+        return json.loads(result.stdout.strip())
+    finally:
+        try:
+            Path(driver).unlink()
+        except OSError:
+            pass
 
 def test_backend_round_trip_and_validation(monkeypatch, tmp_path):
     """hidden_tabs defaults to [], saves/reloads, rejects non-list, filters empty strings."""
@@ -180,6 +466,66 @@ def test_chip_a11y_uses_switch_role_with_aria_checked():
         "chip needs drag-over style for mouse reorder target feedback"
 
 
+@requires_node
+def test_dashboard_chip_renders_in_tab_visibility_grid():
+    """Behavioral verification for render state and placement in the chip grid."""
+    for mode in ("auto", "always", "never"):
+        out = _run_panels_driver("render", mode=mode)
+        assert out["hasChip"] is True, out
+        if mode == "never":
+            assert out["chipIsOff"] is True, out
+            assert out["chipAriaChecked"] == "false", out
+        else:
+            assert out["chipIsOff"] is False, out
+            assert out["chipAriaChecked"] == "true", out
+        assert out["chipText"] == "Hermes Dashboard", out
+        assert out["chipCount"] >= 1, out
+
+
+@requires_node
+def test_dashboard_chip_off_sets_never_and_chip_on_restores_prior_mode():
+    """Chip toggling must save 'never' and restore non-never mode on the next toggle."""
+    out = _run_panels_driver("toggle", mode="always", prior_mode="always")
+    assert out["firstMode"] == "never", out
+    assert out["secondMode"] == "always", out
+    assert len([call for call in out["apiCalls"] if call["url"] == "/api/dashboard/config"]) == 2, out
+    assert out["hiddenCalls"] == 0, out
+    assert out["tabOrderCalls"] == 0, out
+    assert out["dashboardLastNonNeverMode"] == "always", out
+
+
+@requires_node
+def test_dashboard_chip_toggle_does_not_mutate_hidden_tabs_or_tab_order():
+    """Dashboard chip toggles stay on the dashboard config path, never the sidebar-tab payload."""
+    out = _run_panels_driver("toggle", mode="auto", prior_mode="auto")
+    assert out["firstMode"] == "never", out
+    assert len([call for call in out["apiCalls"] if call["url"] == "/api/dashboard/config"]) == 2, out
+    assert out["hiddenCalls"] == 0, out
+    assert out["tabOrderCalls"] == 0, out
+
+
+@requires_node
+def test_dashboard_chip_on_defaults_to_auto_without_prior_mode():
+    """Missing restore state should fall back to 'auto' before returning chip-on."""
+    out = _run_panels_driver("toggle", mode="never", force_no_restore=True)
+    assert out["firstMode"] == "auto", out
+    assert out["secondMode"] == "never", out
+    assert out["hiddenCalls"] == 0, out
+    assert out["tabOrderCalls"] == 0, out
+
+
+@requires_node
+def test_dashboard_chip_failed_save_restores_previous_mode():
+    """A failed chip save must roll the dropdown and chip state back to the prior mode."""
+    out = _run_panels_driver("toggle-fail", mode="auto", prior_mode="auto", fail_save=True)
+    assert out["firstMode"] == "auto", out
+    assert len([call for call in out["apiCalls"] if call["url"] == "/api/dashboard/config"]) == 1, out
+    assert out["hiddenCalls"] == 0, out
+    assert out["tabOrderCalls"] == 0, out
+    assert out["renderCalls"] == 1, out
+    assert out["dashboardLastNonNeverMode"] == "auto", out
+
+
 def test_tab_order_excludes_always_visible_tabs(monkeypatch, tmp_path):
     """Server-side tab_order validation mirrors hidden_tabs: chat and settings
     remain fixed, so a tampered payload must not persist them in custom order."""