diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 8a2a08f..734e9c8 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -50,8 +50,9 @@ bottom.](docs/images/player-booth.png)
   optional signed name + status polling).
 - **Signal + sleep** — timed `/api/health` probe → latency readout while
   playing; sleep timer (15–90 min) from the tray or the back panel.
-- **Mini player** — a compact secondary window (420×168) toggled from the tray
-  or Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+M. One player surface at a time: opening it minimizes the
+- **Mini player** — a compact secondary window (420×168) toggled from the
+  masthead button, the tray, or Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+M. One player surface at a
+  time: opening it minimizes the
   full player, and EXPAND — or closing the mini window — brings the full
   player back.
 - **Menu-bar extra** — macOS `NSStatusItem` and the Windows tray (the GTK host
diff --git a/src/icons/mini.svg b/src/icons/mini.svg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1e57452
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/icons/mini.svg
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round"><path d="M21 9V6a2 2 0 0 0-2-2H4a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v10a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h4"/><rect x="12" y="13" width="10" height="7" rx="2"/></svg>
diff --git a/src/main.zig b/src/main.zig
index 32c1308..ca0d171 100644
--- a/src/main.zig
+++ b/src/main.zig
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ const disc_icon = canvas.svg_icon.parseComptime(@embedFile("icons/disc.svg"));
 const heart_icon = canvas.svg_icon.parseComptime(@embedFile("icons/heart.svg"));
 const heart_fill_icon = canvas.svg_icon.parseComptime(@embedFile("icons/heart-fill.svg"));
 const logo_icon = canvas.svg_icon.parseComptime(@embedFile("icons/logo.svg"));
+const mini_icon = canvas.svg_icon.parseComptime(@embedFile("icons/mini.svg"));
 const power_icon = canvas.svg_icon.parseComptime(@embedFile("icons/power.svg"));
 const radio_icon = canvas.svg_icon.parseComptime(@embedFile("icons/radio.svg"));
 const spark_icon = canvas.svg_icon.parseComptime(@embedFile("icons/spark.svg"));
@@ -49,6 +50,7 @@ pub const app_icons = [_]canvas.icons.Entry{
     .{ .name = "heart", .icon = &heart_icon },
     .{ .name = "heart-fill", .icon = &heart_fill_icon },
     .{ .name = "logo", .icon = &logo_icon },
+    .{ .name = "mini", .icon = &mini_icon },
     .{ .name = "power", .icon = &power_icon },
     .{ .name = "radio", .icon = &radio_icon },
     .{ .name = "spark", .icon = &spark_icon },
@@ -59,8 +61,9 @@ pub const app_icons = [_]canvas.icons.Entry{
 // (typing in the request/station fields is never stolen). Space = tune toggle,
 // arrows = volume, M = mute, cmd/ctrl+K = stations, cmd/ctrl+shift+M = mini
 // player (plain cmd+M is the macOS system minimize), Esc = back to LIVE,
-// 1–5 = dial stops. The shortcut is also the only way into mini mode on
-// Linux, where the GTK host has no tray to offer the menu item.
+// 1–5 = dial stops. The masthead's mini button and the tray item reach mini
+// mode too; on Linux the button and the shortcut are the only routes, since
+// the GTK host has no tray to offer the menu item.
 fn onKey(keyboard: canvas.WidgetKeyboardEvent) ?Msg {
     if (keyboard.phase != .key_down) return null;
     const mods = keyboard.modifiers;
diff --git a/src/views/mini.native b/src/views/mini.native
index 42d384f..0699206 100644
--- a/src/views/mini.native
+++ b/src/views/mini.native
@@ -12,15 +12,41 @@
     </if>
     <spacer grow="1"/>
     <button variant="ghost" size="sm" icon="external-link" label="Open full player" on-press="expand_mini">EXPAND</button>
+    <!-- Both edges, same rule as the masthead: the window-control cluster
+         leads on macOS and trails on Windows, so EXPAND needs clearance on the
+         trailing side too. Zero on macOS, so this costs nothing there. -->
+    <spacer width="{chrome_trailing}"/>
   </row>
   <row gap="12" cross="center" padding="10" grow="1">
-    <card padding="6" label="Cover art sleeve">
-      <avatar image="{cover_id}" width="46" height="46" label="Cover art">{initials}</avatar>
-    </card>
-    <column gap="2" grow="1">
-      <text><span weight="bold">{title}</span></text>
-      <text size="sm" foreground="text_muted"><span foreground="text">{artist}</span><span foreground="text_muted">{album_line}</span></text>
-      <text size="sm" foreground="text_muted">{np_head}</text>
+    <!-- `card` stretches to fill the row, which crushed the text column to a
+         single glyph wide; a `panel` hugs its explicitly-sized child the way
+         the LIVE stage's sleeve does. -->
+    <panel padding="3" background="surface" border-color="border" radius="sm" label="Cover art sleeve">
+      <!-- `<image>`, not `<avatar>`: avatar renders a disc, and a record sleeve
+           is square. Same shape as the LIVE stage — `<image>` draws nothing for
+           id 0, so the initials tile is the explicit fallback while the cover
+           loads or after it fails. -->
+      <if test="{has_cover}">
+        <image image="{cover_id}" width="46" height="46" label="Cover art"/>
+      </if>
+      <else>
+        <panel width="46" height="46" background="surface_subtle">
+          <column grow="1" main="center" cross="center">
+            <text size="sm" foreground="text_muted">{initials}</text>
+          </column>
+        </panel>
+      </else>
+    </panel>
+    <!-- min-width 0 lets the metadata elide instead of forcing the row wider
+         than the fixed 420pt window. -->
+    <column gap="2" grow="1" min-width="0" main="center">
+      <!-- No <span> on these two: a span paragraph always word-wraps and
+           reserves the wrapped height, which is what overflowed the row. The
+           window is fixed at 168pt, so single-line elision beats the bold
+           weight and the ink/muted split — size carries the hierarchy. -->
+      <text wrap="false" overflow="ellipsis">{title}</text>
+      <text size="sm" foreground="text_muted" wrap="false" overflow="ellipsis">{artist}{album_line}</text>
+      <text size="sm" foreground="text_muted" wrap="false" overflow="ellipsis">{np_head}</text>
     </column>
     <if test="{like_available}">
       <stack>
diff --git a/src/views/player-stage.native b/src/views/player-stage.native
index 1d16ebe..97acedf 100644
--- a/src/views/player-stage.native
+++ b/src/views/player-stage.native
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
     <!-- Record sleeve: field card around SQUARE art. Pressing it opens the
          timeline. `<image>` draws nothing for id 0, so the initials disc is
          the explicit fallback while the cover loads (or after it fails). -->
-    <panel padding="12" background="surface" border-color="border" radius="lg"
+    <panel padding="5" background="surface" border-color="border" radius="sm"
            on-press="open_timeline" label="Open timeline">
       <!-- Metadata, not flow: right-click on the sleeve. The copy item drops
            out entirely while nothing is playing, which is how a menu declares
diff --git a/src/views/player-top.native b/src/views/player-top.native
index 73fb430..7c778e5 100644
--- a/src/views/player-top.native
+++ b/src/views/player-top.native
@@ -22,7 +22,14 @@
       <icon name="circle-dot" width="10" height="10" foreground="accent"/>
     </if>
     <stack>
-      <button variant="ghost" icon="settings" label="Back panel" on-press="open_panel"/>
+      <button variant="ghost" icon="app:mini" label="Mini player" on-press="toggle_mini"/>
+      <tooltip anchor="below">Mini player · Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+M</tooltip>
+    </stack>
+    <!-- `settings` read as preferences-only; the back panel is SHOWS,
+         TIMELINE, BOOTH and REQUEST as well, and it opens as a right-hand
+         column — which is what panel-right names. -->
+    <stack>
+      <button variant="ghost" icon="panel-right" label="Back panel" on-press="open_panel"/>
       <tooltip anchor="below">Back panel</tooltip>
     </stack>
     <!-- Windows: clears the DWM min/max/close cluster, which overlays this