From 2d646524b5d6b4b7b590f7345c7eb7503e38d718 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Sawyer Cutler <sawyer@dirtroad.dev>
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 2026 22:24:58 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 1/2] Add tests for plugins list heading and always-visible
 status column

---
 .../plugins-ui/test/plugins-gallery.test.tsx  | 29 +++++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 29 insertions(+)

diff --git a/packages/plugins-ui/test/plugins-gallery.test.tsx b/packages/plugins-ui/test/plugins-gallery.test.tsx
index dddafe548..087c80819 100644
--- a/packages/plugins-ui/test/plugins-gallery.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/plugins-ui/test/plugins-gallery.test.tsx
@@ -190,6 +190,35 @@ describe("PluginsGallery", () => {
     expect(container.textContent).toContain("Inherited");
   });
 
+  test("the plugins tab renders the list heading and directory sub copy (CL-6467)", () => {
+    const { container } = renderGallery();
+
+    const heading = container.querySelector("h1");
+    expect(heading?.textContent).toBe("Plugins");
+    expect(container.textContent).toContain(
+      "A directory to scan, not tiles to admire — one dense row per connector, grouped by what it does. Click a row's name for the full page.",
+    );
+  });
+
+  test("a plugin row's status caption is never hidden — it is a core column, not overflow (CL-6467)", () => {
+    const { container } = renderGallery();
+
+    expect(container.textContent).toContain("Connected here");
+    const captions = [...container.querySelectorAll("span")].filter(
+      (span) => span.textContent === "Connected · Connected here",
+    );
+    expect(captions.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+    for (const caption of captions) {
+      expect(caption.className).not.toContain("hidden");
+    }
+  });
+
+  test("an empty plugin directory renders no group rows", () => {
+    const { container } = renderGallery([]);
+
+    expect(container.querySelector(".border.border-border")).toBeNull();
+  });
+
   test("search narrows the plugin grid to matches only", () => {
     const { container } = renderGallery(PLUGINS, "git");
 

From 77057aa035d99688ba928dd92d7b046b7c35b08a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Sawyer Cutler <sawyer@dirtroad.dev>
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 2026 22:24:59 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 2/2] Plugins list: add directory heading, keep status caption
 visible on every row

Grouped rows already existed per-category (CL-6272.1); this closes the gap
against the new mock spec (CL-6467): the list carries its own h1 + verbatim
sub copy, and a row's connection/provenance status is core information, not
something dropped below the xl breakpoint.
---
 packages/plugins-ui/src/plugin-card.tsx     | 6 +++---
 packages/plugins-ui/src/plugins-gallery.tsx | 8 ++++++++
 2 files changed, 11 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/packages/plugins-ui/src/plugin-card.tsx b/packages/plugins-ui/src/plugin-card.tsx
index 111e297bc..8fcfaffbf 100644
--- a/packages/plugins-ui/src/plugin-card.tsx
+++ b/packages/plugins-ui/src/plugin-card.tsx
@@ -52,9 +52,9 @@ export function PluginCard({
           {pluginOutcome(plugin.descriptor.id, plugin.descriptor.displayName)}
         </span>
       </div>
-      <span className="hidden shrink-0 text-xs text-muted-foreground xl:block">
-        {caption}
-      </span>
+      {/* A dense directory row's status column is core information, not
+       * an overflow item to drop on narrow viewports (CL-6467). */}
+      <span className="shrink-0 text-xs text-muted-foreground">{caption}</span>
       {plugin.status === "not_connected" ? (
         // The same single Connect verb the MCP preset rows use — one
         // idiom for "not connected yet" across the whole gallery, never
diff --git a/packages/plugins-ui/src/plugins-gallery.tsx b/packages/plugins-ui/src/plugins-gallery.tsx
index 6d4fa9ee0..cc20a439a 100644
--- a/packages/plugins-ui/src/plugins-gallery.tsx
+++ b/packages/plugins-ui/src/plugins-gallery.tsx
@@ -236,6 +236,14 @@ export function PluginsGallery({
           <div className="flex flex-col gap-4 pt-3">
             {active === "plugins" ? (
               <>
+                <div>
+                  <h1 className="text-xl font-extrabold">Plugins</h1>
+                  <p className="mt-1 max-w-[65ch] text-sm text-muted-foreground">
+                    A directory to scan, not tiles to admire — one dense row
+                    per connector, grouped by what it does. Click a row's
+                    name for the full page.
+                  </p>
+                </div>
                 <McpPresetCardsSection tenantId={tenantId} query={query} />
                 <McpServersSection tenantId={tenantId} />
                 <PluginsTabPanel