diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index a2bf0f5..420f199 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ data/                           chats/ · graph/ (six ledgers + positions/source
 
 **The knowledge graph (two channels, one writer).** The write channel: the extraction pipeline — extractor (LLM: sees only the session, rendered as readable markdown by the shared `core/session-markdown.ts` engine — propositions as true statements, `follows`/`supports` edges with verbatim evidence; fully trusted, graph-blind) → auditor (LLM, an agentic loop that never sees the source: explores the existing graph through `find` / `list_sessions` / `list_propositions` tools, stamps each proposition with an identity verdict — link to an existing node (equivalence bias: paraphrases merge) or create — and may draw bridging edges between existing nodes and the new batch) → merger (`mergeFindings`, deterministic: applies the verdicts, link-appends phrasings/provenance, resolves and dedupes edges, checkpoints coverage) → layout settle. No quiz outcomes or understanding assessments live in the graph (2026-09-27 cleanup); practice (`/practice`) consumes the graph as feedback-only problem sets and writes nothing back. Triggered when a chat's **uncovered tokens** (message-view fingerprints, `coverage.jsonl`) cross `graph.extractionChunkTokens` (a settings knob, default 4096, floor 500 — read fresh per turn); failure checkpoints nothing, the next trigger re-runs. The same pipeline serves the **notes front door** (`POST /api/graph/import`: any `*.md`/`*.txt` becomes a source; re-imports are idempotent by path hash). The read channel: `GET /api/graph` derives the snapshot from the ledgers — a pure read; the home view is a hand-rolled Canvas 2D renderer (one rAF loop, dirty-flag idle, d3-zoom camera, zoom-gated labels, cluster hulls) over a d3-force layout, with server-persisted render settings and drag-committed positions. Clusters are **birth-session groupings**: a node joins the cluster of the session that birthed it (a chat, or an imported notes file as a file-kind session), derived at read — no embedding pass, no naming pass. The teacher reaches the graph on its own terms through the gated prober tools (`list_sessions` / `list_propositions`, the `agent.graphTools` setting) — there is no automatic context injection.
 
-**Practice (problem sets).** The graph's `follows`-edges become reasoning chains; a creation flow (sidebar → a session, or `/practice`) freezes the selection's propositions + chains into a self-contained `ProblemSet`. A partitioner agent covers every chain exactly once, one generator per partition writes problems against the owner's problem-engineering framework (commit-before-pose: statement + solution + rubric together), and grading is **strengthening, not assessment** — one grader per answer, verdict (`solid`/`partial`/`missed`) + feedback, post-grade reveal, nothing ever written back to the graph. Runs are registry-backed background jobs on the activity dock (no steer, never wakes the teacher); sets live in `data/practice`, crash-swept on boot.
+**Practice (problem sets).** The graph's `follows`-edges become reasoning chains; the `/practice` creation dialog picks a birth-session cluster (the graph view's own groups) and freezes its propositions + chains into a self-contained `ProblemSet`. A partitioner agent covers every chain exactly once, one generator per partition writes problems against the owner's problem-engineering framework (commit-before-pose: statement + solution + rubric together), and grading is **strengthening, not assessment** — one grader per answer, verdict (`solid`/`partial`/`missed`) + feedback, post-grade reveal, nothing ever written back to the graph. Runs are registry-backed background jobs on the activity dock (no steer, never wakes the teacher); sets live in `data/practice`, crash-swept on boot.
 
 **Dictation.** Optional speech-to-text: the server mints short-lived Deepgram tokens; audio streams browser→Deepgram over WebSocket, never through the server.
 
diff --git a/app/api/graph/clusters/route.ts b/app/api/graph/clusters/route.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8669b13
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/api/graph/clusters/route.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+/**
+ * GET /api/graph/clusters — the birth-session groups for the practice
+ * creation picker (owner ruling 2026-09-29: sets are created from graph
+ * clusters, node ids only). Thin transport; the grouping is the graph
+ * view's own (server/graph.ts → graphSnapshot's clusters).
+ */
+import { graphClusters } from "@/src/server";
+
+export async function GET() {
+	return Response.json({ clusters: graphClusters() }, { headers: { "cache-control": "no-store" } });
+}
diff --git a/components/practice-dialog.tsx b/components/practice-dialog.tsx
index e5ea544..e54718d 100644
--- a/components/practice-dialog.tsx
+++ b/components/practice-dialog.tsx
@@ -1,28 +1,31 @@
 "use client";
 
 /**
- * The problem-set creation dialog (practice slice 5, 2026-09-29): the
- * three parameter dials + the session picker → POST /api/practice/sets
- * → router.push to the new exam page. In the delete-session dialog's
- * shape (portaled z-50, pure body exported for SSR pins).
+ * The problem-set creation dialog (practice slice 5, 2026-09-29;
+ * cluster-picker fix same evening): the three parameter dials + the
+ * CLUSTER picker → POST /api/practice/sets → router.push to the new
+ * exam page. In the delete-session dialog's shape (portaled z-50, pure
+ * body exported for SSR pins).
  *
- * TWO OPEN MODES:
- *   - generic (the list page's "New problem set"): a session picker —
- *     the selection is "everything this session touched";
- *   - preselected (the sidebar's "Practice this session's
- *     propositions"): picker hidden, the session shown locked.
+ * GRAPH-DOMAIN, NOT CHAT-DOMAIN (owner ruling 2026-09-29): problem sets
+ * take NODES. The picker lists the birth-session clusters the graph
+ * view renders (GET /api/graph/clusters); picking one resolves to its
+ * member node ids, and the cluster's label rides along as the set's
+ * title. This dialog is the ONLY creation entry for now — the graph-view
+ * cluster entry comes later with the free-form selection UI.
  *
- * Honest failures inline: 400 empty_selection → "This session has no
- * propositions yet" (verbatim per brief); 503 (models/key refusal) →
- * the server's line + an "Open settings" deep link (the zero-keys
- * precedent — setup owns the fix, the dialog owns the pointer).
+ * Honest failures inline: 400 empty_selection (the vanished-nodes edge
+ * — the cluster's propositions are gone) renders the honest line;
+ * 503 (models/key refusal) renders the server's line + an "Open
+ * settings" deep link (the zero-keys precedent — setup owns the fix,
+ * the dialog owns the pointer).
  */
 
 import { useCallback, useEffect, useState } from "react";
 import { createPortal } from "react-dom";
 import { useRouter } from "next/navigation";
 import { useSettingsDialog } from "@/components/settings/settings-dialog";
-import type { ChatListItem } from "@/src/core";
+import type { GraphClusterGroup } from "@/src/core";
 
 /** The three dials — key order matches PracticeParams; anchors are the
  *  honest display (a raw 0..1 number tells the learner nothing). */
@@ -43,10 +46,9 @@ export interface PracticeFailure {
 export function PracticeDialogBody({
 	values,
 	onDial,
-	chats,
-	selectedId,
+	clusters,
+	selectedKey,
 	onSelect,
-	lockedTitle,
 	busy,
 	failure,
 	onOpenSettings,
@@ -55,18 +57,16 @@ export function PracticeDialogBody({
 }: {
 	values: Record<(typeof PRACTICE_DIALS)[number]["key"], number>;
 	onDial: (key: (typeof PRACTICE_DIALS)[number]["key"], v: number) => void;
-	/** Null = preselected mode (picker hidden, `lockedTitle` shown). */
-	chats: ChatListItem[] | null;
-	selectedId: string | null;
-	onSelect: (id: string) => void;
-	lockedTitle: string | null;
+	clusters: GraphClusterGroup[];
+	selectedKey: string | null;
+	onSelect: (key: string) => void;
 	busy: boolean;
 	failure: PracticeFailure | null;
 	onOpenSettings: () => void;
 	onClose: () => void;
 	onRun: () => void;
 }) {
-	const canRun = !busy && (lockedTitle !== null || selectedId !== null);
+	const canRun = !busy && selectedKey !== null;
 	return (
 		<div
 			role="dialog"
@@ -78,37 +78,36 @@ export function PracticeDialogBody({
 		>
 			<h2 className="font-title text-2xl tracking-tight">New problem set</h2>
 
-			{/* The session: everything it touched (any provenance point). */}
+			{/* The cluster: a birth-session group of the graph, resolved to
+			    node ids on create (graph-domain, owner 2026-09-29). */}
 			<div className="mt-4 flex flex-col gap-1">
-				{lockedTitle !== null ? (
-					<div data-testid="practice-dialog-locked" className="rounded-lg border bg-muted/40 px-3 py-2 text-sm">
-						<span className="text-muted-foreground">From session — </span>
-						<span className="font-medium">{lockedTitle}</span>
-					</div>
-				) : (
-					<>
-						<span className="text-xs uppercase tracking-widest text-muted-foreground/70">Session</span>
-						<div className="max-h-40 overflow-y-auto rounded-lg border" data-testid="practice-dialog-sessions">
-							{(chats ?? []).map((chat) => (
-								<button
-									type="button"
-									key={chat.id}
-									data-testid={`practice-session-${chat.id}`}
-									onClick={() => onSelect(chat.id)}
-									className={`flex w-full items-center justify-between px-3 py-2 text-left text-sm transition-colors hover:bg-accent ${
-										selectedId === chat.id ? "bg-accent" : ""
-									}`}
-								>
-									<span className="truncate">{chat.title}</span>
-									{selectedId === chat.id && <span className="ml-2 text-xs text-muted-foreground">selected</span>}
-								</button>
-							))}
-							{(chats ?? []).length === 0 && (
-								<div className="px-3 py-2 text-sm text-muted-foreground">No sessions yet.</div>
-							)}
+				<span className="text-xs uppercase tracking-widest text-muted-foreground/70">Cluster</span>
+				<div className="max-h-40 overflow-y-auto rounded-lg border" data-testid="practice-dialog-clusters">
+					{clusters.map((cluster) => (
+						<button
+							type="button"
+							key={cluster.key}
+							data-testid={`practice-cluster-${cluster.key}`}
+							onClick={() => onSelect(cluster.key)}
+							className={`flex w-full items-center justify-between gap-3 px-3 py-2 text-left text-sm transition-colors hover:bg-accent ${
+								selectedKey === cluster.key ? "bg-accent" : ""
+							}`}
+						>
+							<span className="min-w-0 truncate">
+								{cluster.label ?? <span className="text-muted-foreground/60">unlabeled cluster</span>}
+							</span>
+							<span className="shrink-0 text-xs tabular-nums text-muted-foreground">
+								{cluster.kind === "notes" ? "notes · " : ""}
+								{cluster.nodeCount} propositions
+							</span>
+						</button>
+					))}
+					{clusters.length === 0 && (
+						<div className="px-3 py-2 text-sm text-muted-foreground">
+							No clusters yet — a cluster appears once a session births 3+ propositions.
 						</div>
-					</>
-				)}
+					)}
+				</div>
 			</div>
 
 			{/* The three dials (SettingSlider's markup, anchors as display). */}
@@ -135,7 +134,7 @@ export function PracticeDialogBody({
 
 			{failure && (
 				<div data-testid="practice-dialog-error" className="mt-3 rounded-lg border border-destructive/40 bg-destructive/10 px-3 py-2 text-sm text-destructive">
-					{failure.code === "empty_selection" ? "This session has no propositions yet" : failure.error}
+					{failure.code === "empty_selection" ? "Nothing practicable is left in that cluster — the graph changed." : failure.error}
 					{failure.status === 503 && (
 						<button
 							type="button"
@@ -172,15 +171,9 @@ export function PracticeDialogBody({
 	);
 }
 
-/** The stateful wrapper: fetches the session list (generic mode), runs
- *  the create POST, navigates on 202. Null `preselected` = generic. */
-export function PracticeDialog({
-	preselected,
-	onClose,
-}: {
-	preselected: { chatId: string; title: string } | null;
-	onClose: () => void;
-}) {
+/** The stateful wrapper: fetches the cluster list, runs the create POST
+ *  (nodeIds + the cluster's label as title + params), navigates on 202. */
+export function PracticeDialog({ onClose }: { onClose: () => void }) {
 	const router = useRouter();
 	const { open: openSettings } = useSettingsDialog();
 	const [values, setValues] = useState<Record<(typeof PRACTICE_DIALS)[number]["key"], number>>({
@@ -188,27 +181,26 @@ export function PracticeDialog({
 		cueDistance: 0.5,
 		presentation: 0.5,
 	});
-	const [chats, setChats] = useState<ChatListItem[] | null>(null);
-	const [selectedId, setSelectedId] = useState<string | null>(null);
+	const [clusters, setClusters] = useState<GraphClusterGroup[] | null>(null);
+	const [selectedKey, setSelectedKey] = useState<string | null>(null);
 	const [busy, setBusy] = useState(false);
 	const [failure, setFailure] = useState<PracticeFailure | null>(null);
 
-	// Generic mode: the picker's truth is the chat list (fresh on open).
+	// The picker's truth is the graph's clustering (fresh on open).
 	useEffect(() => {
-		if (preselected) return;
 		let alive = true;
-		fetch("/api/chats", { cache: "no-store" })
-			.then((res) => res.json() as Promise<{ chats: ChatListItem[] }>)
+		fetch("/api/graph/clusters", { cache: "no-store" })
+			.then((res) => res.json() as Promise<{ clusters: GraphClusterGroup[] }>)
 			.then((d) => {
-				if (alive) setChats(d.chats);
+				if (alive) setClusters(d.clusters);
 			})
 			.catch(() => {
-				if (alive) setChats([]);
+				if (alive) setClusters([]);
 			});
 		return () => {
 			alive = false;
 		};
-	}, [preselected]);
+	}, []);
 
 	// Esc closes (claimed, the delete-session discipline).
 	useEffect(() => {
@@ -223,15 +215,19 @@ export function PracticeDialog({
 	}, [onClose]);
 
 	const run = useCallback(async () => {
-		const chatId = preselected?.chatId ?? selectedId;
-		if (!chatId || busy) return;
+		const picked = (clusters ?? []).find((c) => c.key === selectedKey);
+		if (!picked || busy) return;
 		setBusy(true);
 		setFailure(null);
 		try {
 			const res = await fetch("/api/practice/sets", {
 				method: "POST",
 				headers: { "content-type": "application/json" },
-				body: JSON.stringify({ chatId, params: values }),
+				body: JSON.stringify({
+					nodeIds: picked.nodeIds,
+					params: values,
+					title: picked.label ?? undefined,
+				}),
 			});
 			const body = (await res.json()) as { id?: string; error?: string; code?: string };
 			if (!res.ok || !body.id) {
@@ -244,7 +240,7 @@ export function PracticeDialog({
 			setFailure({ status: 0, error: "Create failed — network error. Try again." });
 			setBusy(false);
 		}
-	}, [preselected, selectedId, busy, values, router]);
+	}, [clusters, selectedKey, busy, values, router]);
 
 	return createPortal(
 		<div
@@ -256,10 +252,9 @@ export function PracticeDialog({
 			<PracticeDialogBody
 				values={values}
 				onDial={(key, v) => setValues((prev) => ({ ...prev, [key]: v }))}
-				chats={preselected ? null : (chats ?? [])}
-				selectedId={selectedId}
-				onSelect={setSelectedId}
-				lockedTitle={preselected?.title ?? null}
+				clusters={clusters ?? []}
+				selectedKey={selectedKey}
+				onSelect={setSelectedKey}
 				busy={busy}
 				failure={failure}
 				onOpenSettings={() => openSettings()}
diff --git a/components/practice-list.tsx b/components/practice-list.tsx
index aafcff4..338b2c3 100644
--- a/components/practice-list.tsx
+++ b/components/practice-list.tsx
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@ export function PracticeListPage({ initialSets }: { initialSets: ProblemSet[] })
 				onDelete={(set) => setDeleting(set)}
 				onNew={() => setCreating(true)}
 			/>
-			{creating && <PracticeDialog preselected={null} onClose={() => setCreating(false)} />}
+			{creating && <PracticeDialog onClose={() => setCreating(false)} />}
 			{deleting &&
 				createPortal(
 					<div
diff --git a/components/sidebar.tsx b/components/sidebar.tsx
index a536084..59af882 100644
--- a/components/sidebar.tsx
+++ b/components/sidebar.tsx
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ import type { ChatDeleteMode } from "@/src/core";
 import { GraduationCapIcon, PanelLeftCloseIcon, PanelLeftOpenIcon, PlusIcon, SearchIcon, SettingsIcon } from "lucide-react";
 import { ActivitySection } from "@/components/activity-dock";
 import { CoverageMenuBlock } from "@/components/extraction-coverage";
-import { PracticeDialog } from "@/components/practice-dialog";
 import { LhMark } from "@/components/lh-mark";
 import { BrailleSpinner } from "@/components/braille-spinner";
 import { KeyboardShortcuts } from "@/components/keyboard-shortcuts";
@@ -398,9 +397,6 @@ function SessionsSidebar() {
 	const ctxAnchorRef = useRef<HTMLElement | null>(null);
 	const [renamingId, setRenamingId] = useState<string | null>(null);
 	const [deleting, setDeleting] = useState<ChatListItem | null>(null);
-	// Practice slice 5 (2026-09-29): the right-click "Practice this session's
-	// propositions" opens the creation dialog PRESELECTED on that session.
-	const [practiceChat, setPracticeChat] = useState<{ chatId: string; title: string } | null>(null);
 
 	const openContext = (e: React.MouseEvent<HTMLButtonElement>, chat: ChatListItem) => {
 		e.preventDefault(); // suppress the native menu
@@ -736,21 +732,6 @@ function SessionsSidebar() {
 							Delete…
 						</button>
 						<div className="my-0.5 border-t border-border/60" aria-hidden="true" />
-						{/* Practice (slice 5): the session's propositions → a problem set.
-						    Sits ABOVE the coverage block — an action like Extract, not
-						    management like Rename/Delete. */}
-						<button
-							type="button"
-							data-testid="ctx-practice"
-							onClick={() => {
-								const target = chats?.find((c) => c.id === ctxChatId);
-								if (target) setPracticeChat({ chatId: target.id, title: target.title });
-								setCtxChatId(null);
-							}}
-							className="flex items-center rounded-lg px-2.5 py-1.5 text-left text-foreground transition-colors hover:bg-accent"
-						>
-							Practice this session&apos;s propositions
-						</button>
 						<CoverageMenuBlock chatId={ctxChatId} />
 					</MenuShell>
 				)}
@@ -762,11 +743,6 @@ function SessionsSidebar() {
 					onClose={() => setDeleting(null)}
 					onDeleted={onDeleted}
 				/>
-				{/* The preselected practice dialog (slice 5) — portaled by the
-				    component itself, here for state locality like the delete dialog. */}
-				{practiceChat && (
-					<PracticeDialog preselected={practiceChat} onClose={() => setPracticeChat(null)} />
-				)}
 			</aside>
 	);
 }
diff --git a/docs/architecture.md b/docs/architecture.md
index f41823c..5fec190 100644
--- a/docs/architecture.md
+++ b/docs/architecture.md
@@ -380,7 +380,7 @@ Practice turns the graph into problem sets the learner reasons through out loud.
 
 **The jobs pattern — registry, not JobRecords.** Practice runs are NOT Workbench jobs: no `JobStore` records, no steer messages, nothing ever wakes the teacher — a practice run isn't chat-scoped (a set outlives its birth session and has no lesson to re-enter; its result is itself, persisted in its own store and read by its own page). What it shares with the Workbench is the observability surface: a `globalThis` run registry (the module-instance idiom — `__lhPracticeRuns`), one row per set-phase (`setId:generation`, `setId:grading`), feeding the activity dock (GraduationCap rows; abort is set-scoped and idempotent; a boot sweep marks orphaned `partitioning`/`generating` sets as `error "Interrupted (server restarted)"` — the job runner's crash-honesty at set grain). Store writes serialize behind a per-set mutex; the pipeline is the sole writer of `data/practice`.
 
-**API + UI.** `POST /api/practice/sets` (create — `{chatId, params}` or `{nodeIds, params}`; 202 `{id}`, generation fire-and-forget; 400 empty selection/bad params, 404 unknown chat, 503 model/key refusal) · `GET /api/practice/sets` · `GET/DELETE /api/practice/sets/[id]` (delete aborts live runs first) · `POST /api/practice/sets/[id]/answers` (202; 409 when not ready). Surfaces: `/practice` (the list — status/counts rows, delete confirm, the new-set dialog with the three dials and a session picker) and `/practice/[id]` (the exam page — numbered problems, markdown statements with math healing at the display seam, a textarea + focus-gated dictation bar per problem, one Submit per set, the post-grade reveal). Entries: the sidebar's Practice nav row and the session right-click "Practice this session's propositions".
+**API + UI.** Creation is GRAPH-DOMAIN, not chat-domain (owner ruling 2026-09-29: "problem sets always take in nodes — graph objects"): `POST /api/practice/sets` takes `{nodeIds, params, title?}` ONLY — no chatId, no clusterId; the UI resolves a picked cluster to its member node ids and passes the cluster's label as the title. `GET /api/graph/clusters` serves the picker: the birth-session clusters the graph view renders (`graphSnapshot`'s clusters verbatim — same ordering, same MIN_CLUSTER_SIZE presentation filter), each as `{key, kind: "chat"|"notes", label, nodeIds, nodeCount}`; a cluster whose naming record is gone keeps `label: null` — honest, never guessed. 202 `{id}` with generation fire-and-forget; 400 empty selection (empty intersection with live nodes — the vanished-nodes edge) / bad params; 503 model/key refusal. `GET /api/practice/sets` · `GET/DELETE /api/practice/sets/[id]` (delete aborts live runs first) · `POST /api/practice/sets/[id]/answers` (202; 409 when not ready). Surfaces: `/practice` (the list — status/counts rows, delete confirm, the new-set dialog with the three dials and the cluster picker — the ONLY creation entry for now; the graph-view cluster entry comes later with the free-form selection UI) and `/practice/[id]` (the exam page — numbered problems, markdown statements with math healing at the display seam, a textarea + focus-gated dictation bar per problem, one Submit per set, the post-grade reveal). Entry: the sidebar's Practice nav row.
 
 **Model wiring.** Three roles — `partitioner`, `problemGenerator`, `grader` — all pinned to the **strong** slot (quality-critical, one settings edit from cheap) and in `BACKGROUND_MODEL_ROLES` (per-role overrides). The stage agents are single-submit loops on the shared `runSubmitAgent` seam (`submit-agent.ts`, extracted from extraction for exactly this): a `validate` hook turns a bad submit into a tool-input error the model retries against, within `maxTurns 4`; exhaustion fails the stage honestly (the set says so, the chains re-run cleanly on a new set).
 
diff --git a/src/agent/subagents/practice-pipeline.ts b/src/agent/subagents/practice-pipeline.ts
index f0b1d96..a77660d 100644
--- a/src/agent/subagents/practice-pipeline.ts
+++ b/src/agent/subagents/practice-pipeline.ts
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@
  * flight is rejected (single live grading run per set).
  */
 
-import type { ChatStore, GraphStore, PracticeStore } from "../../core/ports.ts";
+import type { GraphStore, PracticeStore } from "../../core/ports.ts";
 import type { Problem, ProblemSet, ReasoningChain } from "../../core/contracts.ts";
 import { chainsForSelection } from "../../core/practice.ts";
 import {
@@ -55,14 +55,6 @@ export class EmptySelectionError extends Error {
 	}
 }
 
-/** chatId path: the chat record is gone (404). */
-export class UnknownChatError extends Error {
-	constructor(chatId: string) {
-		super(`no chat ${chatId}`);
-		this.name = "UnknownChatError";
-	}
-}
-
 /** Set id unknown (404). */
 export class PracticeSetNotFound extends Error {
 	constructor(setId: string) {
@@ -267,8 +259,6 @@ function dedupInput(practiceStore: PracticeStore, selected: ReadonlySet<string>)
 export interface PracticePipelineDeps extends PracticeModels {
 	graphStore: GraphStore;
 	practiceStore: PracticeStore;
-	/** Titles for the chat-born path (and existence: unknown chat → 404). */
-	chatStore: Pick<ChatStore, "getChat" | "listChats">;
 }
 
 export function createPracticePipeline(deps: PracticePipelineDeps) {
@@ -428,27 +418,17 @@ export function createPracticePipeline(deps: PracticePipelineDeps) {
 	 * (models/key) fire BEFORE anything is created.
 	 */
 	async function createProblemSet(
-		selector: { chatId: string } | { nodeIds: string[] },
+		nodeIds: string[],
 		params: ProblemSet["params"],
 		titleHint?: string,
 	): Promise<{ set: ProblemSet; done: Promise<void> }> {
 		agents.refuseIfStagesUnready();
 
-		// Resolve the selection: chatId = any-provenance membership (owner:
-		// a node belongs to a session when ANY provenance point names it —
-		// birth-session clustering deliberately NOT used here); nodeIds =
-		// the raw list, unknown ids simply drop.
-		let sourceTitle: string | undefined;
-		let selected;
-		if ("chatId" in selector) {
-			const chat = deps.chatStore.getChat(selector.chatId);
-			if (!chat) throw new UnknownChatError(selector.chatId);
-			sourceTitle = chat.title;
-			selected = deps.graphStore.readNodes().filter((n) => n.provenance.some((pt) => pt.chatId === selector.chatId));
-		} else {
-			const wanted = new Set(selector.nodeIds);
-			selected = deps.graphStore.readNodes().filter((n) => wanted.has(n.id));
-		}
+		// Graph-domain selection (owner ruling 2026-09-29: problem sets
+		// take NODES — the UI resolves a picked cluster to its member ids;
+		// unknown ids simply drop, an empty live intersection refuses).
+		const wanted = new Set(nodeIds);
+		const selected = deps.graphStore.readNodes().filter((n) => wanted.has(n.id));
 		const selectedIds = new Set(selected.map((n) => n.id));
 		const edges = deps
 			.graphStore.readEdges()
@@ -457,7 +437,7 @@ export function createPracticePipeline(deps: PracticePipelineDeps) {
 		if (chains.length === 0) throw new EmptySelectionError();
 		const propositions: PropositionSnapshot = {};
 		for (const n of selected) propositions[n.id] = { name: n.name, statement: n.statement };
-		const title = titleHint ?? sourceTitle ?? `Practice — ${new Date().toISOString().slice(0, 10)}`;
+		const title = titleHint ?? `Practice — ${new Date().toISOString().slice(0, 10)}`;
 
 		const set = deps.practiceStore.createSet({
 			title,
diff --git a/src/core/contracts/graph.ts b/src/core/contracts/graph.ts
index cec3260..f9412f8 100644
--- a/src/core/contracts/graph.ts
+++ b/src/core/contracts/graph.ts
@@ -258,6 +258,25 @@ export interface Cluster {
 	members: string[];
 }
 
+/** One birth-session cluster as the practice picker consumes it (owner
+ *  ruling 2026-09-29: problem sets take NODES — the UI resolves a picked
+ *  cluster to its member ids). Same grouping the graph view renders
+ *  (birthSessionPartition semantics, MIN_CLUSTER_SIZE presentation
+ *  filter included); `label` is null when the naming record is gone —
+ *  honest, never guessed (the graph view renders those unlabeled). */
+export interface GraphClusterGroup {
+	/** The birth session's id — a chatId or a notes source id. */
+	key: string;
+	/** What kind of record names the group. */
+	kind: "chat" | "notes";
+	/** Session title / source file path; null when the record is gone. */
+	label: string | null;
+	/** Member node ids, sorted (the partition's members). */
+	nodeIds: string[];
+	/** === nodeIds.length, denormalized for the picker row. */
+	nodeCount: number;
+}
+
 export interface GraphSnapshot {
 	nodes: GraphNode[];
 	edges: GraphEdge[];
diff --git a/src/server/chat-handler.ts b/src/server/chat-handler.ts
index 7b0e041..7c20b0e 100644
--- a/src/server/chat-handler.ts
+++ b/src/server/chat-handler.ts
@@ -103,7 +103,6 @@ export const extraction = createExtractionPipeline({
 export const practice = createPracticePipeline({
 	graphStore: stores.graphStore,
 	practiceStore: stores.practiceStore,
-	chatStore: stores.chatStore,
 	// BYOK (owner, 2026-09-22): the practice stages resolve the chain —
 	// role override → slot → NOTHING — read FRESH per stage call; an empty
 	// chain flows through as undefined and the pipeline refuses the run
diff --git a/src/server/graph.ts b/src/server/graph.ts
index 35bc277..1815339 100644
--- a/src/server/graph.ts
+++ b/src/server/graph.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import * as fs from "node:fs";
 import { LEDGER_FILES, POSITIONS_FILE } from "../../config.ts";
-import type { GraphSnapshot } from "../core/contracts.ts";
+import type { GraphClusterGroup, GraphSnapshot } from "../core/contracts.ts";
 import type { GraphCostSummary } from "../core/cost-summary.ts";
 import { graphCostSummary } from "../core/cost-summary.ts";
 import { graphSnapshot } from "../core/graph.ts";
@@ -23,6 +23,24 @@ export function graphView(): GraphSnapshot {
 	return graphSnapshot(stores);
 }
 
+/** GET /api/graph/clusters — the birth-session groups the graph view
+ *  renders, resolved to node ids for the practice picker (owner ruling
+ *  2026-09-29: cluster→nodeIds resolves in the UI; the API stays
+ *  graph-domain). Reuses the snapshot's clustering verbatim — same
+ *  ordering (size desc, ties by id) and the same MIN_CLUSTER_SIZE
+ *  presentation filter the canvas honors. A corrupt/empty graph is an
+ *  empty list. */
+export function graphClusters(): GraphClusterGroup[] {
+	const snap = graphSnapshot(stores);
+	return snap.clusters.map((cluster) => ({
+		key: cluster.id,
+		kind: cluster.id in snap.sessions ? "chat" : "notes",
+		label: cluster.label,
+		nodeIds: cluster.members,
+		nodeCount: cluster.members.length,
+	}));
+}
+
 /** The graph view's cost surface (GET /api/graph/costs — the 2026-09 cost
  *  pill): fold every usage channel into stage totals + recent runs. A pure
  *  read over the chat records (chat-front-door runs), the notes sources
diff --git a/src/server/practice.ts b/src/server/practice.ts
index 6dd85d9..373b957 100644
--- a/src/server/practice.ts
+++ b/src/server/practice.ts
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@ import {
 	EmptySelectionError,
 	PracticeSetNotFound,
 	PracticeSetNotReady,
-	UnknownChatError,
 } from "../agent/subagents/practice-pipeline.ts";
 import {
 	ModelsNotConfiguredError,
@@ -72,7 +71,6 @@ export function practiceErrorResponse(err: unknown): Response {
 		);
 	}
 	if (err instanceof EmptySelectionError) return Response.json({ error: err.message, code: "empty_selection" }, { status: 400 });
-	if (err instanceof UnknownChatError) return Response.json({ error: err.message, code: "unknown_chat" }, { status: 404 });
 	if (err instanceof BadAnswersError) return Response.json({ error: err.message, code: "bad_answers" }, { status: 400 });
 	if (err instanceof PracticeSetNotFound) return Response.json({ error: err.message, code: "not_found" }, { status: 404 });
 	if (err instanceof PracticeSetNotReady) return Response.json({ error: err.message, code: "not_ready" }, { status: 409 });
@@ -81,7 +79,10 @@ export function practiceErrorResponse(err: unknown): Response {
 }
 
 /** POST /api/practice/sets — 202 {id}; the set generates in the
- *  background (fire-and-forget pipeline). */
+ *  background (fire-and-forget pipeline). Body is {nodeIds, params,
+ *  title?} ONLY (owner ruling 2026-09-29: problem sets take NODES —
+ *  graph objects; the UI resolves a picked cluster to its member ids,
+ *  and may pass the cluster label as the title). */
 export async function createPracticeSetResponse(body: unknown): Promise<Response> {
 	const b = (body ?? {}) as Record<string, unknown>;
 	const params = parseParams(b.params);
@@ -91,23 +92,23 @@ export async function createPracticeSetResponse(body: unknown): Promise<Response
 			{ status: 400 },
 		);
 	}
+	const titleHint =
+		typeof b.title === "string" && b.title.trim() !== "" ? b.title.trim() : undefined;
+	if (
+		!Array.isArray(b.nodeIds) ||
+		!b.nodeIds.every((id): id is string => typeof id === "string" && ID_OK.test(id))
+	) {
+		return Response.json({ error: "Body must be {nodeIds, params, title?}" }, { status: 400 });
+	}
+	if (b.nodeIds.length === 0) {
+		return Response.json({ error: "nodeIds is empty", code: "empty_selection" }, { status: 400 });
+	}
 	try {
-		if (typeof b.chatId === "string" && b.chatId !== "") {
-			if (!ID_OK.test(b.chatId)) return Response.json({ error: "Invalid chatId" }, { status: 400 });
-			const { set } = await practice.createProblemSet({ chatId: b.chatId }, params);
-			return Response.json({ id: set.id }, { status: 202 });
-		}
-		if (Array.isArray(b.nodeIds) && b.nodeIds.every((id): id is string => typeof id === "string" && ID_OK.test(id))) {
-			if (b.nodeIds.length === 0) {
-				return Response.json({ error: "nodeIds is empty", code: "empty_selection" }, { status: 400 });
-			}
-			const { set } = await practice.createProblemSet({ nodeIds: b.nodeIds }, params);
-			return Response.json({ id: set.id }, { status: 202 });
-		}
+		const { set } = await practice.createProblemSet(b.nodeIds, params, titleHint);
+		return Response.json({ id: set.id }, { status: 202 });
 	} catch (err) {
 		return practiceErrorResponse(err);
 	}
-	return Response.json({ error: 'Body must be {chatId, params} or {nodeIds, params}' }, { status: 400 });
 }
 
 /** POST /api/practice/sets/[id]/answers — 202; grades land in the
diff --git a/tests/practice-pipeline.test.ts b/tests/practice-pipeline.test.ts
index ad611d4..6a92d25 100644
--- a/tests/practice-pipeline.test.ts
+++ b/tests/practice-pipeline.test.ts
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ import {
 	createPracticePipeline,
 	practiceStatuses,
 	EmptySelectionError,
-	UnknownChatError,
 	PracticeSetNotFound,
 	PracticeSetNotReady,
 	BadAnswersError,
@@ -230,7 +229,6 @@ function fixture(partial: Partial<Parameters<typeof createPracticePipeline>[0]>
 	const deps = {
 		graphStore: diamondGraph(),
 		practiceStore: practice.store,
-		chatStore: memoryChats(),
 		...partial,
 	};
 	return { practice, deps, make: () => createPracticePipeline(deps) };
@@ -273,7 +271,7 @@ describe("createProblemSet (generation)", () => {
 			grader: echoGrader(1),
 		});
 		const pipeline = f.make();
-		const { set, done } = await pipeline.createProblemSet({ nodeIds: ["a", "b", "c", "d", "e"] }, PARAMS);
+		const { set, done } = await pipeline.createProblemSet(["a", "b", "c", "d", "e"], PARAMS);
 
 		assert.match(set.id, /^ps_/);
 		assert.equal(set.status, "partitioning");
@@ -307,7 +305,7 @@ describe("createProblemSet (generation)", () => {
 	it("per-problem failure isolation: one generator fails, the set still completes", async () => {
 		const f = fixture({ partitioner: partitionModel([{ chains: ["b"] }, { chains: ["e"] }]), problemGenerator: echoGenerator(8, ["e"]), grader: echoGrader(1) });
 		const pipeline = f.make();
-		const { set, done } = await pipeline.createProblemSet({ nodeIds: ["a", "b", "e"] }, PARAMS); // chains b + e
+		const { set, done } = await pipeline.createProblemSet(["a", "b", "e"], PARAMS); // chains b + e
 		await done;
 		const final = f.practice.store.getSet(set.id)!;
 		assert.equal(final.status, "ready");
@@ -347,7 +345,7 @@ describe("createProblemSet (generation)", () => {
 		const deps = { ...f.deps, problemGenerator: fauxEngine(Array.from({ length: 5 }, () => factory)), grader: echoGrader(1) };
 		const pipeline = createPracticePipeline(deps);
 
-		const { done } = await pipeline.createProblemSet({ nodeIds: nodes.map((n) => n.id) }, PARAMS);
+		const { done } = await pipeline.createProblemSet(nodes.map((n) => n.id), PARAMS);
 		await until(() => active === 3);
 		assert.equal(max, 3, "exactly three generators in flight");
 		release();
@@ -358,7 +356,7 @@ describe("createProblemSet (generation)", () => {
 	it("abort mid-generation: controllers die, everything generating is 'Aborted'", async () => {
 		const f = fixture({ partitioner: partitionModel([{ chains: ["b"] }, { chains: ["c"] }, { chains: ["d"] }, { chains: ["e"] }]), problemGenerator: hangingModel(4), grader: echoGrader(1) });
 		const pipeline = f.make();
-		const { set, done } = await pipeline.createProblemSet({ nodeIds: ["a", "b", "c", "d", "e"] }, PARAMS);
+		const { set, done } = await pipeline.createProblemSet(["a", "b", "c", "d", "e"], PARAMS);
 		await until(() => f.practice.store.getSet(set.id)?.status === "generating");
 
 		pipeline.abortPractice(set.id);
@@ -390,7 +388,7 @@ describe("createProblemSet (generation)", () => {
 		]);
 		const f = fixture({ partitioner: partitionModel([{ chains: ["b"] }]), problemGenerator: gen, grader: echoGrader(1) });
 		const pipeline = f.make();
-		const { set, done } = await pipeline.createProblemSet({ nodeIds: ["b"] }, PARAMS);
+		const { set, done } = await pipeline.createProblemSet(["b"], PARAMS);
 		await until(() => practiceStatuses().length === 1 && practiceStatuses()[0]!.phase === "generating");
 		seen = practiceStatuses()[0]!;
 		assert.equal(seen.setId, set.id);
@@ -406,7 +404,7 @@ describe("createProblemSet (generation)", () => {
 	it("refusal gate fires BEFORE anything is created", async () => {
 		const f = fixture({}); // no engines, no engineFor
 		const pipeline = f.make();
-		await assert.rejects(pipeline.createProblemSet({ chatId: "chat_1" }, PARAMS), ModelsNotConfiguredError);
+		await assert.rejects(pipeline.createProblemSet(["a", "b"], PARAMS), ModelsNotConfiguredError);
 		assert.equal(f.practice.sets.size, 0, "no set persisted on refusal");
 	});
 });
@@ -414,22 +412,25 @@ describe("createProblemSet (generation)", () => {
 // ─── selection + typed errors ────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 describe("selection resolution + typed errors", () => {
-	it("chatId: every node with ANY provenance point in the chat", async () => {
+	it("nodeIds: the raw list filtered to live nodes (unknown ids drop)", async () => {
 		const f = fixture({ partitioner: partitionModel([{ chains: ["b", "c", "d", "e"] }]), problemGenerator: echoGenerator(1), grader: echoGrader(1) });
 		const pipeline = f.make();
-		const { set, done } = await pipeline.createProblemSet({ chatId: "chat_1" }, PARAMS);
+		const { set, done } = await pipeline.createProblemSet(["a", "b", "c", "d", "e", "n_ghost"], PARAMS);
 		await done;
 		const final = f.practice.store.getSet(set.id)!;
-		assert.deepEqual(final.nodeIds.sort(), ["a", "b", "c", "d", "e"]);
+		assert.deepEqual(final.nodeIds.sort(), ["a", "b", "c", "d", "e"], "unknown ids silently drop");
 		assert.deepEqual(final.chains.map((c) => c.id).sort(), ["b", "c", "d", "e"]);
+		assert.ok(final.title.startsWith("Practice — "), "no title hint → the dated default");
 	});
 
-	it("unknown chat → UnknownChatError; empty selection → EmptySelectionError", async () => {
+	it("empty selection / vanished nodes → EmptySelectionError; title hint rides", async () => {
 		const f = fixture({ partitioner: partitionModel([{ chains: ["b"] }]), problemGenerator: echoGenerator(1), grader: echoGrader(1) });
 		const pipeline = f.make();
-		await assert.rejects(pipeline.createProblemSet({ chatId: "chat_x" }, PARAMS), UnknownChatError);
-		await assert.rejects(pipeline.createProblemSet({ nodeIds: [] }, PARAMS), EmptySelectionError);
-		await assert.rejects(pipeline.createProblemSet({ nodeIds: ["n_ghost"] }, PARAMS), EmptySelectionError);
+		await assert.rejects(pipeline.createProblemSet([], PARAMS), EmptySelectionError);
+		await assert.rejects(pipeline.createProblemSet(["n_ghost"], PARAMS), EmptySelectionError);
+		const { set, done } = await pipeline.createProblemSet(["a", "b"], PARAMS, "Ethics cluster");
+		await done;
+		assert.equal(f.practice.store.getSet(set.id)!.title, "Ethics cluster");
 	});
 });
 
@@ -439,7 +440,7 @@ describe("submitAnswers (grading)", () => {
 	async function readySet() {
 		const f = fixture({ partitioner: partitionModel([{ chains: ["b"] }, { chains: ["e"] }]), problemGenerator: echoGenerator(2), grader: echoGrader(2) });
 		const pipeline = f.make();
-		const { set, done } = await pipeline.createProblemSet({ nodeIds: ["a", "b", "e"] }, PARAMS);
+		const { set, done } = await pipeline.createProblemSet(["a", "b", "e"], PARAMS);
 		await done;
 		return { f, pipeline, set: f.practice.store.getSet(set.id)! };
 	}
@@ -472,13 +473,13 @@ describe("submitAnswers (grading)", () => {
 
 		const f2 = fixture({ partitioner: hangingModel(), problemGenerator: echoGenerator(1), grader: echoGrader(1) });
 		const p2 = f2.make();
-		const { set: s2 } = await p2.createProblemSet({ nodeIds: ["b"] }, PARAMS); // stuck partitioning
+		const { set: s2 } = await p2.createProblemSet(["b"], PARAMS); // stuck partitioning
 		await assert.rejects(p2.submitAnswers(s2.id, [{ problemId: "pp_x", text: "t" }]), PracticeSetNotReady);
 		p2.abortPractice(s2.id);
 
 		const f = fixture({ partitioner: partitionModel([{ chains: ["b"] }]), problemGenerator: echoGenerator(1), grader: echoGrader(1) });
 		const pl = f.make();
-		const { set: s3, done } = await pl.createProblemSet({ nodeIds: ["b"] }, PARAMS);
+		const { set: s3, done } = await pl.createProblemSet(["b"], PARAMS);
 		await done;
 		await assert.rejects(pl.submitAnswers(s3.id, [{ problemId: "pp_ghost", text: "t" }]), BadAnswersError);
 		const settled = f.practice.store.getSet(s3.id)!; // the post-done record (s3 itself is the creation stub)
@@ -510,7 +511,7 @@ describe("boot sweep + delete", () => {
 	it("a LIVE generating set (registry row) is NOT swept by a second instance", async () => {
 		const f = fixture({ partitioner: hangingModel(), problemGenerator: echoGenerator(1), grader: echoGrader(1) });
 		const a = f.make();
-		const { set, done } = await a.createProblemSet({ nodeIds: ["b"] }, PARAMS); // hangs partitioning
+		const { set, done } = await a.createProblemSet(["b"], PARAMS); // hangs partitioning
 		f.make(); // second pipeline instance, same process → same registry
 		assert.equal(f.practice.store.getSet(set.id)!.status, "partitioning");
 		a.abortPractice(set.id);
@@ -520,7 +521,7 @@ describe("boot sweep + delete", () => {
 	it("delete: aborts live jobs first, drops the record; unknown → false", async () => {
 		const f = fixture({ partitioner: partitionModel([{ chains: ["b"] }]), problemGenerator: echoGenerator(1), grader: echoGrader(1) });
 		const pipeline = f.make();
-		const { set, done } = await pipeline.createProblemSet({ nodeIds: ["b"] }, PARAMS);
+		const { set, done } = await pipeline.createProblemSet(["b"], PARAMS);
 		await done;
 		assert.equal(await pipeline.deleteProblemSet(set.id), true);
 		assert.equal(f.practice.store.getSet(set.id), null);
diff --git a/tests/render-practice.test.tsx b/tests/render-practice.test.tsx
index 9faa32e..ea8ea09 100644
--- a/tests/render-practice.test.tsx
+++ b/tests/render-practice.test.tsx
@@ -14,12 +14,14 @@ import {
 	PracticeDialogBody,
 	type PracticeFailure,
 } from "../components/practice-dialog.tsx";
+import type { GraphClusterGroup } from "../src/core";
 import { PracticeExamBody } from "../components/practice-exam.tsx";
-import type { ChatListItem, Problem, ProblemSet } from "../src/core";
+import type { Problem, ProblemSet } from "../src/core";
 
 /**
- * The practice UI surfaces (slice 5, 2026-09-29): creation dialog (dials
- * + session picker + preselected lock), list page (rows, delete flow),
+ * The practice UI surfaces (slice 5, 2026-09-29; cluster-picker fix the
+ * same evening — graph-domain, not chat-domain): creation dialog (dials
+ * + cluster picker), list page (rows, delete flow),
  * exam page states (generating stubs — propositions never surface —
  * ready + answerable, graded reveal + lock). The pure bodies are pinned
  * here (the render-suite discipline); the live fetch chains (polling,
@@ -36,10 +38,11 @@ const dialValues = {
 	presentation: 0.3,
 };
 
-function chats(): ChatListItem[] {
+function clusters(): GraphClusterGroup[] {
 	return [
-		{ id: "chat_1", title: "Ethics lesson", updatedAt: "2026-09-29T10:00:00.000Z", createdAt: "2026-09-29T09:00:00.000Z", busy: false } as ChatListItem,
-		{ id: "chat_2", title: "Physics", updatedAt: "2026-09-28T10:00:00.000Z", createdAt: "2026-09-28T09:00:00.000Z", busy: false } as ChatListItem,
+		{ key: "chat_1", kind: "chat", label: "Ethics lesson", nodeIds: ["n1", "n2", "n3", "n4"], nodeCount: 4 },
+		{ key: "src_ab12", kind: "notes", label: "~/notes/physics.md", nodeIds: ["n5", "n6", "n7"], nodeCount: 3 },
+		{ key: "chat_9", kind: "chat", label: null, nodeIds: ["n8", "n9", "n10"], nodeCount: 3 },
 	];
 }
 
@@ -81,14 +84,13 @@ function set(over: Partial<ProblemSet> = {}): ProblemSet {
 
 // ─── the creation dialog ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
-describe("PracticeDialogBody — creation", () => {
+describe("PracticeDialogBody — creation (cluster picker)", () => {
 	const base = {
 		values: dialValues,
 		onDial: () => {},
-		chats: chats(),
-		selectedId: null,
+		clusters: clusters(),
+		selectedKey: null,
 		onSelect: () => {},
-		lockedTitle: null,
 		busy: false,
 		failure: null as PracticeFailure | null,
 		onOpenSettings: () => {},
@@ -105,37 +107,41 @@ describe("PracticeDialogBody — creation", () => {
 		}
 	});
 
-	it("session picker: titled rows, selection lights up, Create gated until picked", () => {
+	it("cluster picker: label + proposition-count rows, notes kind marked, Create gated until picked", () => {
 		const html = renderToStaticMarkup(<PracticeDialogBody {...base} />);
-		assert.ok(html.includes('data-testid="practice-dialog-sessions"'));
+		assert.ok(html.includes('data-testid="practice-dialog-clusters"'));
+		assert.ok(html.includes('data-testid="practice-cluster-chat_1"'));
 		assert.ok(html.includes("Ethics lesson"));
-		assert.ok(html.includes('disabled=""'), "no session picked — Create disabled");
+		assert.match(html, /notes · <!-- -->3 propositions|notes · 3 propositions/);
+		assert.ok(html.includes("4 propositions"), "chat cluster shows its count");
+		assert.ok(html.includes('disabled=""'), "no cluster picked — Create disabled");
 
-		const picked = renderToStaticMarkup(<PracticeDialogBody {...base} selectedId="chat_2" />);
-		assert.ok(picked.includes('data-testid="practice-session-chat_2"'));
-		assert.match(picked, /Physics<\/span>.*selected/s);
+		const picked = renderToStaticMarkup(<PracticeDialogBody {...base} selectedKey="src_ab12" />);
+		assert.ok(picked.includes("~/notes/physics.md"));
 	});
 
-	it("preselected mode: picker hidden, the session locked", () => {
-		const html = renderToStaticMarkup(
-			<PracticeDialogBody {...base} chats={null} lockedTitle="Ethics lesson" />,
-		);
-		assert.ok(html.includes('data-testid="practice-dialog-locked"'));
-		assert.ok(!html.includes('data-testid="practice-dialog-sessions"'));
-		assert.ok(!html.includes('disabled=""'), "preselected — Create enabled");
+	it("an unlabeled cluster (naming record gone) renders muted, never guessed", () => {
+		const html = renderToStaticMarkup(<PracticeDialogBody {...base} />);
+		assert.ok(html.includes("unlabeled cluster"));
+		assert.ok(html.includes('data-testid="practice-cluster-chat_9"'));
 	});
 
-	it("empty selection renders the honest inline line", () => {
+	it("an empty graph is an honest empty list", () => {
+		const html = renderToStaticMarkup(<PracticeDialogBody {...base} clusters={[]} />);
+		assert.ok(html.includes("No clusters yet"));
+	});
+
+	it("empty selection (vanished nodes) renders the honest inline line", () => {
 		const html = renderToStaticMarkup(
-			<PracticeDialogBody {...base} failure={{ status: 400, error: "selection has no propositions to practice", code: "empty_selection" }} />,
+			<PracticeDialogBody {...base} selectedKey="chat_1" failure={{ status: 400, error: "selection has no propositions to practice", code: "empty_selection" }} />,
 		);
 		assert.ok(html.includes('data-testid="practice-dialog-error"'));
-		assert.ok(html.includes("This session has no propositions yet"));
+		assert.ok(html.includes("Nothing practicable is left in that cluster"));
 	});
 
 	it("503 renders the server's line + the settings deep link", () => {
 		const html = renderToStaticMarkup(
-			<PracticeDialogBody {...base} lockedTitle="Ethics lesson" failure={{ status: 503, error: "No model configured — set up your models first", code: "models_not_configured" }} />,
+			<PracticeDialogBody {...base} selectedKey="chat_1" failure={{ status: 503, error: "No model configured — set up your models first", code: "models_not_configured" }} />,
 		);
 		assert.ok(html.includes("No model configured"));
 		assert.ok(html.includes('data-testid="practice-dialog-open-settings"'));