setup flow: the dead dropdowns, save-never-sends, the pill hover

- The setup pickers opened invisible: React attaches a host element's ref
  AFTER descendants' layout effects, so MenuShell's mount-time place()
  measured a null anchor and gave up — the menu stayed hidden until a
  window resize re-ran place(). The stage-2 slot and thinking menus now
  anchor by anchorTestid (querySelector at place time, the settings-menu
  pattern) instead of the conditionally-attached triggerRef.
- Saving models NEVER auto-sends the queued message (owner ruling,
  2026-10-09): the draft waits in the composer and the learner sends it.
  The replay/draft-send calls removed from onDone in new-session, home,
  and chat; the dead force machinery removed from send/start/begin.
- The setup CTA pills get the app-wide hover language (hover:bg-accent +
  cursor-pointer) — hover:bg-muted was invisible because --muted and
  --card are the same #1c1c1c.

components/chat.tsx

@@ -561,7 +561,8 @@ export function Chat({
 	});
 	const [setupOpen, setSetupOpen] = useState(false);
 	/** The last explicitly-sent draft (composer send): the
-	 *  refusal flow restores it into the composer and Save replays it.
+	 *  refusal flow restores it into the composer, where it waits for the
+	 *  learner to re-send (Save never auto-sends, owner 2026-10-09).
 	 *  Auto-continuations (probe answers) never set it — their refusal
 	 *  opens the dialog with no replay. */
 	const draftRef = useRef<string | null>(null);
@@ -573,7 +574,8 @@ export function Chat({
 	// optimistic message is an orphan that goes HOME: refetch the record,
 	// drop the orphan, put the draft back in the composer, open the
 	// dialog (the prefilled tiers carry their picks, the unpinned ones the
-	// "needed" marks). Esc keeps the draft; Save replays it.
+	// "needed" marks). The draft stays in the composer until the learner
+	// re-sends it (owner ruling 2026-10-09).
 	useEffect(() => {
 		if (!error) return;
 		const missing = parseModelsRefusal(error.message);
@@ -1589,7 +1591,7 @@ export function Chat({
 										type="button"
 										data-testid="setup-cta"
 										onClick={() => setSetupOpen(true)}
-										className="rounded-sm border border-border bg-card px-3 py-1.5 font-ui text-xs text-foreground transition-colors hover:border-muted-foreground/50"
+										className="rounded-sm border border-border bg-card px-3 py-1.5 font-ui text-xs text-foreground transition-colors hover:border-muted-foreground/50 hover:bg-accent cursor-pointer"
 									>
 										Set up your models
 									</button>
@@ -1659,23 +1661,18 @@ export function Chat({
 		</SessionMermaidContext.Provider>
 		{/* The BYOK setup flow (owner, 2026-09-22): one mount serves the
 		    persistent CTA, the refused-send interception, and the job cards'
-		    deep-link. Save replays the preserved draft automatically; Esc
+		    deep-link. Save keeps the draft in the composer — it never sends
-		    keeps it in the composer (the dialog is closable by design — the
+		    (owner ruling 2026-10-09); Esc also keeps it (the dialog is
-		    gate is the server, not this modal). */}
+		    closable by design — the gate is the server, not this modal). */}
 		<SetupDialog
 			open={setupOpen}
 			onClose={() => setSetupOpen(false)}
 			onDone={() => {
 				setSetupOpen(false);
 				setConfigured(true);
-				// Draft-preserving replay (owner ruling): the draft went home
+				// Save only saves (owner ruling 2026-10-09): the draft went
-				// into the composer at refusal time; Save sends it onward.
+				// home into the composer at refusal time and STAYS there —
-				const t = text.trim();
+				// the learner sends it themselves.
-				if (t) {
-					applyText("");
-					draftRef.current = t;
-					void send({ type: "text", text: t });
-				}
 			}}
 		/>
 		</ChatActionsContext.Provider>

components/home.tsx

@@ -102,21 +102,19 @@ export function Home({
 	 * the run, let the last finals land, THEN read the REF mirror (not the
 	 * state closure) and run. Applies before the setup/key guards too, so
 	 * an intercepted draft is the complete one. */
-	const start = (force = false) => {
+	const start = () => {
 		if (!dictation.active) {
-			void begin(force);
+			void begin();
 			return;
 		}
-		void dictation.finish().then(() => begin(force));
+		void dictation.finish().then(() => begin());
 	};
-	const begin = async (force = false) => {
+	const begin = async () => {
 		const t = topicRef.current.trim();
 		if (!t || busy) return;
 		// Unconfigured: the send INTERCEPTS into the setup flow (the draft
-		// stays in the textarea; Save completes and this re-runs). `force`
+		// stays in the textarea; the learner sends it after Save).
-		// is the onDone path — the state this closure captured is still
+		if (!configured) {
-		// the pre-save `configured`, the state update hasn't landed yet.
-		if (!configured && !force) {
 			setSetupOpen(true);
 			return;
 		}
@@ -125,9 +123,9 @@ export function Home({
 		// refused first send would otherwise leave an orphan error-shell
 		// chat in the sidebar (the 503 lands only after POST /api/chats
 		// already created the record). Same skip-everything-and-open-setup
-		// treatment; `force` (setup's onDone replay) bypasses, and the
+		// treatment; the server's 503 gate remains the belt for /chat/[id]
-		// server's 503 gate remains the belt for /chat/[id] sessions.
+		// sessions.
-		if (!force && (zeroKeys || strongKeyless)) {
+		if (zeroKeys || strongKeyless) {
 			setSetupOpen(true);
 			return;
 		}
@@ -260,7 +258,7 @@ export function Home({
 									type="button"
 									data-testid="setup-cta"
 									onClick={() => setSetupOpen(true)}
-									className="rounded-sm border border-border bg-card px-3 py-1.5 font-ui text-xs text-foreground transition-colors hover:border-muted-foreground/50"
+									className="rounded-sm border border-border bg-card px-3 py-1.5 font-ui text-xs text-foreground transition-colors hover:border-muted-foreground/50 hover:bg-accent cursor-pointer"
 								>
 									Set up your models — chats start after the three picks
 								</button>
@@ -346,15 +344,15 @@ export function Home({
 
 			{/* First-run setup (unconfigured): the CTA's target and the send
 			    interception's landing surface — stage 1 is the self-contained
-			    first-key screen (zero-keys wave); onDone replays the
+			    first-key screen (zero-keys wave); Save never sends — the
-			    intercepted draft. */}
+			    draft stays for the learner to send (owner 2026-10-09). */}
 			<SetupDialog
 				open={setupOpen}
 				onClose={() => setSetupOpen(false)}
 				onDone={() => {
 					setConfigured(true);
 					setSetupOpen(false);
-					void start(true); // the queued draft sends
+					// Save only saves: the draft waits in the composer.
 				}}
 				/>
 		</div>

components/new-session.tsx

@@ -301,7 +301,8 @@ export function NewSession({ initialConfigured, mode = "teach" }: { initialConfi
 	// First-run gate (model-slots wave, owner 2026-09-20): the send
 	// INTERCEPTS into the setup flow while unconfigured — no defaults for
 	// 33 providers, chats cannot start. The draft stays in the textarea;
-	// Save completes and the send replays.
+	// Save stores the slots and never sends (owner ruling 2026-10-09) —
+	// the learner sends the draft themselves.
 	const [configured, setConfigured] = useState(initialConfigured);
 	// The zero-keys truth (zero-keys wave): no provider key = the pill
 	// takes precedence over the models CTA (keys come first in the chain).
@@ -312,22 +313,19 @@ export function NewSession({ initialConfigured, mode = "teach" }: { initialConfi
 	const strongKeyless = useStrongKeyless();
 	const [setupOpen, setSetupOpen] = useState(false);
 
-	const send = useCallback((force = false) => {
+	const send = useCallback(() => {
 		const draft = textRef.current.trim();
 		if (!draft || busy) return;
-		// `force` is the onDone path — the captured `configured` is still
+		if (!configured) {
-		// the pre-save value; the state update hasn't landed yet.
-		if (!configured && !force) {
 			setSetupOpen(true);
 			return;
 		}
 		// The pre-send KEY guards (owner interlude, no-orphan-chats): guard
 		// BEFORE startDraftSession creates the record — a refused first
 		// send would otherwise leave an orphan error-shell chat in the
-		// sidebar. Same skip-everything-and-open-setup treatment; `force`
+		// sidebar. Same skip-everything-and-open-setup treatment; the
-		// (setup's onDone replay) bypasses, and the server's 503 gate
+		// server's 503 gate remains the belt for /chat/[id] sessions.
-		// remains the belt for /chat/[id] sessions.
+		if (zeroKeys || strongKeyless) {
-		if (!force && (zeroKeys || strongKeyless)) {
 			setSetupOpen(true);
 			return;
 		}
@@ -386,7 +384,7 @@ export function NewSession({ initialConfigured, mode = "teach" }: { initialConfi
 								type="button"
 								data-testid="setup-cta"
 								onClick={() => setSetupOpen(true)}
-								className="rounded-sm border border-border bg-card px-3 py-1.5 font-ui text-xs text-foreground transition-colors hover:border-muted-foreground/50"
+								className="rounded-sm border border-border bg-card px-3 py-1.5 font-ui text-xs text-foreground transition-colors hover:border-muted-foreground/50 hover:bg-accent cursor-pointer"
 							>
 								Set up your models — chats start after the three picks
 							</button>
@@ -403,7 +401,8 @@ export function NewSession({ initialConfigured, mode = "teach" }: { initialConfi
 				onDone={() => {
 					setConfigured(true);
 					setSetupOpen(false);
-					send(true); // the queued draft sends
+					// Save only saves (owner ruling 2026-10-09): the draft
+					// waits in the composer; the learner sends it.
 				}}
 				/>
 		</>

components/setup-cta.tsx

@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ export function ZeroKeysPill({ onOpen }: { onOpen: () => void }) {
 				type="button"
 				data-testid="setup-cta-keys"
 				onClick={onOpen}
-				className="rounded-sm border border-border bg-card px-3 py-1.5 font-ui text-xs text-foreground transition-colors hover:border-muted-foreground/50"
+				className="rounded-sm border border-border bg-card px-3 py-1.5 font-ui text-xs text-foreground transition-colors hover:border-muted-foreground/50 hover:bg-accent cursor-pointer"
 			>
 				Add a provider key — chats start after one unlocks the models
 			</button>

components/setup-dialog.tsx

@@ -6,8 +6,9 @@
  * providers. The graph view's new-session dock (the app's home, where
  * chats start) shows a "Set up your models" CTA while unconfigured;
  * submitting a topic — or sending on /chat/new — opens THIS dialog with
- * the draft preserved; Save stores the slots and the queued message
+ * the draft preserved; Save stores the slots — the draft WAITS in the
- * sends.
+ * composer, the learner sends it themselves (owner ruling 2026-10-09:
+ * saving models must never send the message).
  *
  * STAGED BY DEPENDENCY (owner, 2026-09-20: "first keys, then models —
  * there's no point presenting the model picker before the user has set a
@@ -216,8 +217,8 @@ export function SetupKeysBody({
 export function SetupDialog({
 	open,
 	onClose,
-	/** Saved: the models section landed; the caller marks configured and
+	/** Saved: the models section landed; the caller marks configured (the
-	 *  replays the intercepted draft. */
+	 *  draft stays put — save never sends). */
 	onDone,
 }: {
 	open: boolean;
@@ -243,14 +244,10 @@ export function SetupDialog({
 	const [keySaving, setKeySaving] = useState(false);
 	const [keyError, setKeyError] = useState<string | null>(null);
 	const [keyMenuOpen, setKeyMenuOpen] = useState(false);
-	/** The open menu's trigger wrapper — the shared shell's anchor (fix
+	// Stage 1's provider-picker trigger wrapper — the shared shell's anchor.
-	 *  wave chunk B): one menu open at a time, so one ref suffices, and
+	// Declared with the other hooks: the early `if (!open) return null` sits
-	 *  the menu PORTALS out of this dialog's overflow-hidden frame — it
+	// below them all. (Stage 2's slot menus anchor by anchorTestid instead —
-	 *  extends beyond the dialog exactly like the settings menus do. */
+	// see the slot MenuShell below for why a ref cannot work there.)
-	const triggerRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
-	// Stage 1's provider-picker trigger wrapper — the shared shell's anchor
-	// (the slot menus use the same single-ref pattern). Declared with the
-	// other hooks: the early `if (!open) return null` sits below them all.
 	const keyTriggerRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
 
 	// The keys signal (zero-keys wave): keys-section saves/deletes AND
@@ -469,7 +466,7 @@ export function SetupDialog({
 									</span>
 									<span className="text-xs text-muted-foreground/70">{SLOT_META[slot].roster}</span>
 									<div className="flex items-center gap-2">
-										<div ref={openMenu?.slot === slot && openMenu.kind === "model" ? triggerRef : undefined} className="relative flex-1">
+										<div className="relative flex-1">
 											<button
 												type="button"
 												aria-label={`${SLOT_META[slot].label} model`}
@@ -483,9 +480,18 @@ export function SetupDialog({
 													▾
 												</span>
 											</button>
+											{/* Anchor by TESTID, not a ref (the settings-section pattern):
+											    React attaches a host element's ref AFTER its descendants'
+											    layout effects run, so a ref freshly attached in this same
+											    commit (menu opening = the ref condition turning true) is
+											    still null when MenuShell measures — place() gives up, the
+											    menu stays invisible, and only a window resize (which re-runs
+											    place()) shows it. querySelector at place time has no such
+											    ordering hazard. Live-caught by the owner 2026-10-09: every
+											    setup picker opened dead until a window resize. */}
 											{openMenu?.slot === slot && openMenu.kind === "model" && (
 												<MenuShell
-													anchorRef={triggerRef}
+													anchorTestid={`setup-trigger-${slot}`}
 													testid={`setup-menu-${slot}`}
 													preferredSide="down"
 													align="left"
@@ -514,10 +520,7 @@ export function SetupDialog({
 										</div>
 										{/* Thinking selector (chunk 2): editable, pre-populated from
 										    the ordering per picked model — no model, no levels. */}
-										<div
+										<div className="relative">
-											ref={openMenu?.slot === slot && openMenu.kind === "thinking" ? triggerRef : undefined}
-											className="relative"
-										>
 											<button
 												type="button"
 												aria-label={`${SLOT_META[slot].label} thinking`}
@@ -536,7 +539,7 @@ export function SetupDialog({
 											</button>
 											{openMenu?.slot === slot && openMenu.kind === "thinking" && (
 												<MenuShell
-													anchorRef={triggerRef}
+													anchorTestid={`setup-thinking-${slot}`}
 													testid={`setup-thinking-menu-${slot}`}
 													preferredSide="down"
 													align="left"