diff --git a/src/vs/sessions/LAYOUT.md b/src/vs/sessions/LAYOUT.md
index 1164fe3aab122..2473717c9a53d 100644
--- a/src/vs/sessions/LAYOUT.md
+++ b/src/vs/sessions/LAYOUT.md
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ Which view is shown is owned by `ICustomViewService` ([services/customView/brows
 
 **Dismissal.** Opening a session (`SessionsService._startOpenSession`, which every explicit open gesture funnels through) hides the custom view. On phone layouts showing one pushes a `MobileNavigationStack` layer, so the Android back button dismisses it. Actions that operate on the hidden parts — Toggle Side Panel, Open Terminal, and the secondary side bar toggle — are disabled while it is shown (`CustomViewVisibleContext`).
 
-**Chrome.** Each grid leaf is a `CustomViewNode` ([browser/parts/customViewNode.ts](src/vs/sessions/browser/parts/customViewNode.ts)) that owns the shared header — title, optional description and the contributed actions rendered either as an icon toolbar or a button bar — above a scroll container that grows a bottom border on the header as soon as the content is scrolled. The header band and the content are centred and capped to `AGENTS_CENTERED_CONTENT_MAX_WIDTH` (the same measure the session views use); a view may override it with `AbstractCustomView.maxWidth`. Views only fill the content container and are disposed when hidden. On phone-class viewports `CustomViewGridParts` selects `MobileCustomViewGridPart` instead, mirroring `SessionsParts`/`MobileSessionsPart`.
+**Chrome.** Each grid leaf is a `CustomViewNode` ([browser/parts/customViewNode.ts](src/vs/sessions/browser/parts/customViewNode.ts)) that owns the shared header — title, optional description and the contributed actions rendered either as an icon toolbar or a button bar — above a scroll container. The header always has a bottom divider, independent of the content's scroll position. The header band and the content are centred and capped to `AGENTS_CENTERED_CONTENT_MAX_WIDTH` (the same measure the session views use); a view may override it with `AbstractCustomView.maxWidth`. Views only fill the content container and are disposed when hidden. On phone-class viewports `CustomViewGridParts` selects `MobileCustomViewGridPart` instead, mirroring `SessionsParts`/`MobileSessionsPart`.
 
 **Card chrome is shared.** The Sessions Part and the Custom View Grid both carry the `agents-part-card` class (`AGENTS_PART_CARD_CLASS`) and use `agentsPartCard.ts` for their metrics, themed colors and content-box math, so their padding, margins, background, border and corner radius are defined once and are identical.
 
diff --git a/src/vs/sessions/browser/parts/customViewNode.ts b/src/vs/sessions/browser/parts/customViewNode.ts
index 918c10cf301b1..91c58b4739c41 100644
--- a/src/vs/sessions/browser/parts/customViewNode.ts
+++ b/src/vs/sessions/browser/parts/customViewNode.ts
@@ -21,9 +21,7 @@ import { SessionHeaderMetaActionViewItem } from './sessionHeaderMetaActionViewIt
 /**
  * A leaf of the custom view grid. Owns the shared chrome — a header with the
  * title, an optional description and the contributed actions, above a scroll
- * container — and hosts one {@link AbstractCustomView} inside it. The header
- * stays put while the content scrolls beneath it and grows a bottom border as
- * soon as the content is scrolled.
+ * container — and hosts one {@link AbstractCustomView} inside it.
  */
 export class CustomViewNode extends Disposable {
 
@@ -54,6 +52,7 @@ export class CustomViewNode extends Disposable {
 		this.element.style.setProperty('--session-view-background', asCssVariable(activeSessionViewBackground));
 		this.element.style.setProperty('--session-view-foreground', asCssVariable(activeSessionViewForeground));
 		this.element.setAttribute('role', 'region');
+		this.element.setAttribute('data-view-id', descriptor.id);
 
 		this._headerEl = $('.custom-view-header');
 		this.element.appendChild(this._headerEl);
@@ -101,9 +100,6 @@ export class CustomViewNode extends Disposable {
 		}));
 		this._scrollable.getDomNode().classList.add('custom-view-body');
 		this.element.appendChild(this._scrollable.getDomNode());
-		this._register(this._scrollable.onScroll(e => {
-			this._headerEl.classList.toggle('scrolled', e.scrollTop > 0);
-		}));
 
 		this._view.render(this._contentEl);
 
diff --git a/src/vs/sessions/browser/parts/media/customViewGridPart.css b/src/vs/sessions/browser/parts/media/customViewGridPart.css
index 556516e140a02..33f336971b4e1 100644
--- a/src/vs/sessions/browser/parts/media/customViewGridPart.css
+++ b/src/vs/sessions/browser/parts/media/customViewGridPart.css
@@ -41,11 +41,7 @@
 	box-sizing: border-box;
 	margin: 0 auto;
 	padding: 6px 10px;
-	border-bottom: 1px solid transparent;
-}
-
-.custom-view-header.scrolled .custom-view-header-band {
-	border-bottom-color: color-mix(in srgb, var(--session-view-foreground) 12%, transparent);
+	border-bottom: var(--vscode-strokeThickness) solid color-mix(in srgb, var(--session-view-foreground) 12%, transparent);
 }
 
 .custom-view-header-title-row {
diff --git a/src/vs/sessions/common/contextkeys.ts b/src/vs/sessions/common/contextkeys.ts
index b9a666dfb75e7..f39217b64182a 100644
--- a/src/vs/sessions/common/contextkeys.ts
+++ b/src/vs/sessions/common/contextkeys.ts
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ export const MultipleSessionsVisibleContext = new RawContextKey<boolean>('multip
 
 export const CustomViewVisibleContext = new RawContextKey<boolean>('customViewVisible', false, localize('customViewVisible', "Whether a custom view is shown in place of the sessions grid. The side panel and the panel are hidden while it is."));
 export const AutomationsCustomViewFocusContext = new RawContextKey<boolean>('automationsCustomViewFocus', false, localize('automationsCustomViewFocus', "Whether the Automations custom view has keyboard focus"));
+export const AutomationsHasItemsContext = new RawContextKey<boolean>('automationsHasItems', false, localize('automationsHasItems', "Whether there is at least one automation"));
 
 //#endregion
 
diff --git a/src/vs/sessions/contrib/automations/browser/automationDialog.ts b/src/vs/sessions/contrib/automations/browser/automationDialog.ts
index be6e3246c5491..401a8d304bfb1 100644
--- a/src/vs/sessions/contrib/automations/browser/automationDialog.ts
+++ b/src/vs/sessions/contrib/automations/browser/automationDialog.ts
@@ -709,7 +709,7 @@ export function renderForm(
 	const useCustomDrawn = !hasNativeContextMenu(configurationService);
 
 	const intervalGroup = DOM.append(scheduleRow, $('.automation-form-schedule-group'));
-	DOM.append(intervalGroup, $('label.automation-form-label', undefined, localize('automation.form.interval', "Schedule")));
+	DOM.append(intervalGroup, $('span.automation-form-label', undefined, localize('automation.form.interval', "Schedule")));
 	const intervalOptions: ISelectOptionItem[] = INTERVALS.map(item => ({ text: item.label }));
 	const intervalIndex = Math.max(0, INTERVALS.findIndex(item => item.value === state.interval));
 	const intervalSelect = disposables.add(new SelectBox(
@@ -723,7 +723,7 @@ export function renderForm(
 	intervalSelect.render(intervalSelectContainer);
 
 	const timeGroup = DOM.append(scheduleRow, $('.automation-form-schedule-group.automation-form-time-group'));
-	DOM.append(timeGroup, $('label.automation-form-label', undefined, localize('automation.form.time', "Time")));
+	DOM.append(timeGroup, $('span.automation-form-label', undefined, localize('automation.form.time', "Time")));
 	const timeOptions = buildTimeOptions();
 	const initialTimeIndex = nearestTimeOptionIndex(state.hour, state.minute);
 	state.hour = timeOptions[initialTimeIndex].hour;
@@ -744,7 +744,7 @@ export function renderForm(
 	}));
 
 	const dayGroup = DOM.append(scheduleRow, $('.automation-form-schedule-group.automation-form-day-group'));
-	DOM.append(dayGroup, $('label.automation-form-label', undefined, localize('automation.form.day', "Day of week")));
+	DOM.append(dayGroup, $('span.automation-form-label', undefined, localize('automation.form.day', "Day of week")));
 	const dayOptions: ISelectOptionItem[] = DAYS_OF_WEEK.map(d => ({ text: d }));
 	const daySelect = disposables.add(new SelectBox(
 		dayOptions,
@@ -838,7 +838,7 @@ export function renderForm(
 	}));
 
 	const promptRow = DOM.append(form, $('.automation-form-row'));
-	DOM.append(promptRow, $('label.automation-form-label', undefined, localize('automation.form.prompt', "Prompt")));
+	DOM.append(promptRow, $('span.automation-form-label', undefined, localize('automation.form.prompt', "Prompt")));
 	const promptHost = DOM.append(promptRow, $('.automation-form-prompt-host.interactive-session'));
 
 	const chatInputStyles: IChatInputStyles = {
diff --git a/src/vs/sessions/contrib/automations/browser/automationDialogService.ts b/src/vs/sessions/contrib/automations/browser/automationDialogService.ts
index fb1623d0b284a..4c6e30e733a16 100644
--- a/src/vs/sessions/contrib/automations/browser/automationDialogService.ts
+++ b/src/vs/sessions/contrib/automations/browser/automationDialogService.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
  *  Licensed under the MIT License. See License.txt in the project root for license information.
  *--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
 
+import './media/automationDialog.css';
 import * as DOM from '../../../../base/browser/dom.js';
 import { IButton } from '../../../../base/browser/ui/button/button.js';
 import { Dialog } from '../../../../base/browser/ui/dialog/dialog.js';
diff --git a/src/vs/sessions/contrib/automations/browser/media/automationDialog.css b/src/vs/sessions/contrib/automations/browser/media/automationDialog.css
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..4fe57c08e5ab0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/vs/sessions/contrib/automations/browser/media/automationDialog.css
@@ -0,0 +1,722 @@
+/*---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ *  Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
+ *  Licensed under the MIT License. See License.txt in the project root for license information.
+ *--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
+
+/* Dialog */
+.monaco-dialog-box.automation-dialog .dialog-message-container > .dialog-message-detail {
+	display: none;
+}
+
+/*
+ * The dialog's built-in title (rendered into `.dialog-message-text`)
+ * stays in the DOM so `aria-labelledby="monaco-dialog-message-text"`
+ * still binds for screen readers, but is visually hidden. Our own
+ * `.automation-titlebar` provides the visible chrome. Visually-hidden
+ * pattern (not `display: none`) because some AT/screen-reader combos
+ * skip aria-labelledby targets when `display: none` is in effect.
+ * Same treatment for the unused dialog icon slot.
+ */
+.monaco-dialog-box.automation-dialog .dialog-message-container > .dialog-message {
+	margin: 0;
+	padding: 0;
+}
+
+.monaco-dialog-box.automation-dialog .dialog-message-container > .dialog-message .dialog-message-text {
+	position: absolute;
+	width: 1px;
+	height: 1px;
+	padding: 0;
+	margin: -1px;
+	overflow: hidden;
+	clip: rect(0, 0, 0, 0);
+	white-space: nowrap;
+	border: 0;
+}
+
+.monaco-dialog-box.automation-dialog .dialog-message-row > .dialog-icon.codicon {
+	display: none;
+}
+
+/*
+ * Lock the dialog box to a stable width. Without this rule the dialog
+ * inherits `width: min-content` from `dialog.css` and re-flows as the
+ * embedded chat input's chips change size (e.g. when the model picker
+ * resolves a shorter label). Use min(640px, 92vw) so the dialog still
+ * shrinks gracefully on narrow viewports.
+ *
+ * Padding is stripped (vs. the base 8px) so our `.automation-titlebar`
+ * stripe can paint edge-to-edge inside the dialog body. The form pane
+ * re-adds its own padding.
+ *
+ * Note: `extraClasses` on Dialog adds the class to `.monaco-dialog-box`
+ * itself (not an ancestor), so we attach the rule directly here.
+ */
+.monaco-dialog-box.automation-dialog {
+	width: min(640px, 92vw);
+	min-width: min(520px, 92vw);
+	max-width: 92vw;
+	padding: 0;
+	background-color: var(--vscode-editorWidget-background);
+	color: var(--vscode-editorWidget-foreground);
+	/* Anchor for the absolutely-positioned close-X (see below). */
+	position: relative;
+}
+
+.monaco-workbench .monaco-dialog-box.automation-dialog:focus:not(:focus-visible) {
+	outline: none;
+}
+
+/*
+ * Float the close-X over the titlebar so the title text sits flush
+ * with the top edge of the modal (QuickInput-style). Without this,
+ * `.dialog-toolbar-row` reserves ~24px of dead space above the title.
+ * `z-index` keeps the X above the sticky titlebar.
+ */
+.monaco-dialog-box.automation-dialog .dialog-toolbar-row {
+	position: absolute;
+	top: 0;
+	right: 0;
+	height: auto;
+	padding: 8px 10px 0 0;
+	z-index: 2;
+}
+
+.automation-dialog-body {
+	display: flex;
+	flex-direction: column;
+	min-height: 0;
+}
+
+.monaco-dialog-box.automation-dialog > .dialog-buttons-row {
+	padding: 8px 10px 10px;
+}
+
+/*
+ * Strip the base dialog padding on the message row and container so
+ * our titlebar can full-bleed. The form pane below re-adds horizontal
+ * padding so the form fields don't crash into the dialog edge.
+ *
+ * Container still owns the scrolling (per base/.../dialog.css), so
+ * the titlebar uses `position: sticky; top: 0` to stay visible as the
+ * form scrolls underneath it.
+ */
+.monaco-dialog-box.automation-dialog .dialog-message-row {
+	padding: 0;
+}
+
+.monaco-dialog-box.automation-dialog .dialog-message-row .dialog-message-container {
+	padding: 0;
+	/*
+	 * The base dialog leaves the message container at content size
+	 * (`align-self: stretch` only stretches height in a horizontal flex
+	 * row). Our form fields are `width: 100%` of this container, so they
+	 * track the container's intrinsic min-content width. It shrinks
+	 * over the first second as the embedded chat input's chip labels
+	 * (model name, mode name, etc.) resolve and the toolbar's
+	 * min-content drops. Forcing the container to fill the row width
+	 * keeps every field at the dialog's locked width from first paint
+	 * onwards. `min-width: 0` lets the container shrink inside the row
+	 * (which has `overflow: hidden`) instead of being pushed by long
+	 * chip labels.
+	 */
+	flex: 1 1 auto;
+	min-width: 0;
+}
+
+/*
+ * Titlebar background matches the dialog body so the header reads as
+ * part of the modal, with no contrasting stripe. Both are anchored to
+ * `editorWidget.background`, the dialog widget's own native background
+ * (see defaultDialogStyles), so the header and body are always the same
+ * color in every theme. Set explicitly (not transparent) because the
+ * titlebar is sticky. A transparent background would let scrolled form
+ * content show through. No `border-bottom`. Sticky so the title stays
+ * in view as the form scrolls (the dialog's message-container is the
+ * scroll host).
+ */
+.automation-titlebar {
+	position: sticky;
+	top: 0;
+	z-index: 1;
+	/* Right padding reserves room for the floating close-X chip. */
+	padding: 8px 36px 8px 14px;
+	text-align: left;
+	font-weight: var(--vscode-agents-fontWeight-semiBold);
+	font-size: var(--vscode-agents-fontSize-heading2);
+	color: var(--vscode-editorWidget-foreground);
+	background-color: var(--vscode-editorWidget-background);
+}
+
+.automation-description {
+	padding: 8px 14px;
+	font-size: var(--vscode-agents-fontSize-body2, 12px);
+	color: var(--vscode-descriptionForeground);
+	line-height: 1.4;
+}
+
+.automation-form-pane {
+	flex: 1 1 auto;
+	min-width: 0;
+	min-height: 0;
+	padding: 4px 14px 6px;
+}
+
+/*
+ * Theme the native overflow scrollbar on the dialog body so it matches
+ * the rest of VS Code. .dialog-message-container is the scroll host
+ * (see base/browser/ui/dialog/dialog.css). Without this the dialog
+ * shows the platform's default scrollbar which clashes visually with
+ * the chat input embedded above.
+ */
+.monaco-dialog-box.automation-dialog .dialog-message-row .dialog-message-container::-webkit-scrollbar {
+	width: 10px;
+}
+
+.monaco-dialog-box.automation-dialog .dialog-message-row .dialog-message-container::-webkit-scrollbar-track {
+	background-color: transparent;
+}
+
+.monaco-dialog-box.automation-dialog .dialog-message-row .dialog-message-container::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb {
+	min-height: 20px;
+	background-color: var(--vscode-scrollbarSlider-background);
+}
+
+.monaco-dialog-box.automation-dialog .dialog-message-row .dialog-message-container::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb:hover {
+	background-color: var(--vscode-scrollbarSlider-hoverBackground);
+}
+
+.monaco-dialog-box.automation-dialog .dialog-message-row .dialog-message-container::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb:active {
+	background-color: var(--vscode-scrollbarSlider-activeBackground);
+}
+
+.monaco-dialog-box.automation-dialog .dialog-message-row .dialog-message-container::-webkit-scrollbar-corner {
+	display: none;
+}
+
+/*
+ * Z-index bridge for popups while the automation dialog is open.
+ * The dialog modal block is z-index 2575 (see base/.../dialog.css)
+ * and shares that value with .context-view (set inline in
+ * contextview.ts as `2575 + layer`). DOM order means the dialog
+ * shows on top, hiding any popup the chat input chips, the quick
+ * input, or a context menu try to open. We can't change the inline
+ * z-index from outside, so use `!important` while the dialog service
+ * marks the active container as automation-dialog-open.
+ */
+.automation-dialog-open .context-view.monaco-component {
+	z-index: 2600 !important;
+}
+
+.automation-dialog-open .quick-input-widget {
+	z-index: 2600 !important;
+}
+
+.automation-dialog-open .monaco-menu-container {
+	z-index: 2600 !important;
+}
+
+.automation-form {
+	display: flex;
+	flex-direction: column;
+	gap: 10px;
+	padding: 2px 2px 4px;
+}
+
+/*
+ * Host for the embedded ChatInputPart. The composer brings its own
+ * background, border, and rounded corners (see chat.css
+ * `.interactive-input-part`), so we just give it room to breathe and let
+ * it fill the dialog's column width. `min-height` is sized for ~5 lines
+ * of body text + the toolbar row so the editor doesn't feel cramped on
+ * first open; the editor itself grows as the user types.
+ */
+.automation-form-prompt-host {
+	display: flex;
+	flex-direction: column;
+	min-height: 140px;
+	/*
+	 * The host carries the `.interactive-session` class so the shared
+	 * chat input CSS (chip colors, focus borders, etc.) matches what
+	 * users see in a real chat session. That class also sets
+	 * `max-width: 950px; margin: auto; height: 100%` (chat.css), which
+	 * is meant for the full chat panel. In our flex column it makes
+	 * the host take its content's min-content width and center,
+	 * collapsing the chat input to ~chip-bar width. Re-assert
+	 * full-width sizing so the host fills the dialog's form column.
+	 */
+	width: auto;
+	max-width: 100%;
+	margin: 0;
+	height: auto;
+	align-self: stretch;
+}
+
+.automation-form-prompt-host .interactive-input-part {
+	/*
+	 * `.interactive-input-part` in chat.css has `margin: 0 12px`, which
+	 * (combined with the default `width: auto`) is designed to inset the
+	 * composer inside a wider chat panel. In our dialog the prompt host
+	 * is already the form column, so the margin pushes the composer 12px
+	 * past the host on each side. Its right border ends up sitting
+	 * outside the dialog. Zero out the margin so the composer aligns
+	 * with the other form fields.
+	 */
+	margin: 0;
+	/* chat.css sets `padding: 4px 0` — zero both ends so the container
+	 * sits flush with the label above and the Enabled separator below. */
+	padding-top: 0;
+	padding-bottom: 0;
+	/* Don't let long custom-mode names or model identifiers push the
+	 * modal wider than its declared max-width. */
+	max-width: 100%;
+	min-width: 0;
+}
+
+.automation-form-prompt-host .chat-input-container {
+	/* chat.css sets `padding: 0 6px 6px` — the 6px bottom gap between the
+	 * picker chips and the container border looks excessive in the compact
+	 * dialog. Tighten it to 2px. */
+	padding-bottom: 2px;
+}
+
+.automation-form-prompt-host .interactive-input-editor,
+.automation-form-prompt-host .monaco-editor,
+.automation-form-prompt-host .monaco-editor-background,
+.automation-form-prompt-host .monaco-editor .margin {
+	background-color: var(--vscode-settings-textInputBackground, var(--vscode-input-background));
+}
+
+.automation-form-prompt-host .interactive-input-and-side-toolbar {
+	/* Allow the input column to shrink below its content's preferred
+	 * width so flex children (chips, custom-mode names) don't push the
+	 * modal wider than its declared max-width. */
+	min-width: 0;
+}
+
+/*
+ * Hide chips from the embedded chat input's primary toolbar that don't fit
+ * the automation dialog's reduced surface:
+ *  - "Configure Tools" (`workbench.action.chat.configureTools`,
+ *    `.codicon-settings-compact`) — tool selection is not relevant for a
+ *    scheduled prompt.
+ *  - "Add Context" (`workbench.action.chat.attachContext`,
+ *    `.codicon-add-compact`, the `+`) — the dialog doesn't support
+ *    attachments; the prompt is the only payload sent at run time.
+ *  - "List MCP Servers" (`workbench.mcp.listServer`, `.codicon-server`) —
+ *    MCP server management belongs in the live chat surface, not a one-off
+ *    prompt definition.
+ *
+ * We hide the `.action-label` (which carries the codicon class) rather than
+ * the parent `.action-item`. Targeting the `.action-item` would require a
+ * `:has()` selector, whose invalidation bookkeeping is paid across every
+ * `.action-item` in the workbench (see microsoft/vscode#324985). Since
+ * `.action-item` has no intrinsic padding/margin (actionbar.css), hiding the
+ * label collapses the slot to zero width, so there is no visual gap.
+ *
+ * Known limitation: the hidden chips remain in the toolbar's arrow-key focus
+ * rotation (the action bar skips only disabled/separator items, not
+ * `display:none` ones). This is an accepted temporary trade-off — the dialog
+ * will migrate to `newChatInput.ts`, which builds its own toolbars and never
+ * renders these `MenuId.ChatInput` chips at all.
+ */
+.automation-form-prompt-host .chat-input-toolbar .action-label.codicon-settings-compact,
+.automation-form-prompt-host .chat-input-toolbar .action-label.codicon-add-compact,
+.automation-form-prompt-host .chat-input-toolbar .action-item.chat-mcp {
+	display: none;
+}
+
+/*
+ * Suppress every inter-chip divider drawn by chat.css inside the dialog,
+ * in both the primary (`.chat-input-toolbar`) and secondary
+ * (`.chat-secondary-input-toolbar`) toolbars. CSS `+` matches by DOM
+ * order regardless of `display:none`, so the divider would otherwise
+ * appear as an orphan vertical line on whichever visible chip follows
+ * our hidden `+`/settings items. For example the bar drawn to the left
+ * of the Folder/Worktree isolation chip because it follows the Copilot
+ * CLI chip in the secondary toolbar (microsoft/vscode-internalbacklog#8304). The remaining visible
+ * chips (Agent, model, mode, isolation) already have enough intrinsic
+ * padding to read as separate without the divider. Dropping dividers
+ * entirely is simpler and more resilient than per-pair suppression rules
+ * that depend on DOM order.
+ */
+.automation-form-prompt-host .chat-input-toolbar .monaco-action-bar .actions-container > .action-item + .action-item::before,
+.automation-form-prompt-host .chat-secondary-input-toolbar .monaco-action-bar .actions-container > .action-item + .action-item::before {
+	display: none;
+}
+
+/*
+ * Cancel the dialog's `<ul>` indent for the chat input toolbars.
+ *
+ * `dialog.css:120` applies `padding-inline-start: 20px` to every `<ul>`
+ * inside `.dialog-message-container` (meant to reduce the excessive
+ * default indent on bulleted lists in dialog body text). The
+ * `monaco-action-bar`'s `.actions-container` is rendered as a `<ul>`, so
+ * the chat input's primary and secondary toolbars inherit that 20px
+ * left indent. This pushes the Agent / Copilot CLI chips ~20px right of
+ * the chat input's bottom-left corner.
+ *
+ * `actionbar.css` sets `.actions-container { padding: 0 }`, but the
+ * dialog rule uses a logical property (`padding-inline-start`), which
+ * cascades-after the physical shorthand and wins regardless of selector
+ * specificity. Override the logical property explicitly here.
+ *
+ * Scoped to `.automation-form-prompt-host` so the regular chat panel
+ * (which isn't inside a dialog) is unaffected. Any `<ul>`
+ * elements in the dialog's actual message body text retain the
+ * intended 20px indent.
+ */
+.automation-form-prompt-host .chat-input-toolbar .monaco-action-bar .actions-container,
+.automation-form-prompt-host .chat-secondary-toolbar .monaco-action-bar .actions-container {
+	padding-inline-start: 0;
+	margin-left: 0;
+}
+
+/*
+ * Sessions-layer workspace picker visual override.
+ *
+ * Two cascading sources need to be defeated to match Mode/Model:
+ *
+ * 1. `.sessions-chat-picker-slot.sessions-chat-workspace-picker
+ *    .action-label` (sessions-layer `chatWidget.css:244-269`) sets a
+ *    welcome-flow visual: label 18px, inner span 18px, icons 16px,
+ *    chevron, generous padding, `color: var(--vscode-foreground)`.
+ *
+ * 2. `.monaco-action-bar .action-label` (actionbar.css:48) sets the
+ *    base toolbar font-size to **11px**. This is what Mode/Model
+ *    inherit. They don't set font-size themselves. The action bar
+ *    base rule wins for their `.action-label`. The workspace picker's
+ *    own sessions-layer rule (source 1) overrides that base, so we
+ *    need to put the 11px back explicitly. `font-size: inherit`
+ *    does NOT work because none of `.sessions-chat-picker-slot`'s
+ *    ancestors carry an 11px font-size. The 11px lives on sibling
+ *    `.action-label` elements via `.monaco-action-bar .action-label`,
+ *    not on an ancestor we can inherit from.
+ *
+ * Result: match the 11px base, neutralize the welcome-flow oversizing,
+ * keep the Mode/Model color (`var(--vscode-icon-foreground)`), match
+ * the chip metrics from `.chat-secondary-toolbar .chat-input-picker-item
+ * .action-label` (chat.css:1728), and hide the chevron (the neighboring
+ * secondary-toolbar pickers don't render one).
+ *
+ * Scoped to `.automation-form-prompt-host` so the welcome view's
+ * standalone workspace picker keeps its larger sizing.
+ */
+.automation-form-prompt-host .chat-secondary-toolbar .sessions-chat-picker-slot.sessions-chat-workspace-picker .action-label {
+	height: 16px;
+	padding: 3px 6px;
+	font-size: 11px;
+	line-height: normal;
+	color: var(--vscode-icon-foreground);
+}
+
+.automation-form-prompt-host .chat-secondary-toolbar .sessions-chat-picker-slot.sessions-chat-workspace-picker .action-label .sessions-chat-dropdown-label {
+	font-size: inherit;
+	line-height: inherit;
+}
+
+.automation-form-prompt-host .chat-secondary-toolbar .sessions-chat-picker-slot.sessions-chat-workspace-picker .action-label > .codicon:not(.sessions-chat-dropdown-chevron) {
+	font-size: 12px;
+}
+
+/*
+ * The neighboring secondary-toolbar pickers don't render a dropdown
+ * chevron. They are recognized as chips by their padding + hover. Hide
+ * the chevron that `_renderTriggerLabel` always appends so the
+ * workspace chip reads the same way.
+ */
+.automation-form-prompt-host .chat-secondary-toolbar .sessions-chat-picker-slot.sessions-chat-workspace-picker .action-label .sessions-chat-dropdown-chevron {
+	display: none;
+}
+
+.automation-form-row {
+	display: flex;
+	flex-direction: column;
+	gap: 4px;
+}
+
+.automation-form-row.automation-form-checkbox-row {
+	flex-direction: row;
+	align-items: center;
+	gap: 8px;
+	margin-top: 2px;
+	padding-top: 10px;
+	border-top: 1px solid var(--vscode-widget-border, transparent);
+}
+
+.automation-form-row.automation-form-checkbox-row > .monaco-checkbox {
+	margin-right: 0;
+}
+
+/*
+ * Lay the Schedule / Time / Day controls along a single horizontal axis.
+ * Each control lives in its own `.automation-form-schedule-group`
+ * (label-above-control flex column). Time and Day join the row only
+ * when the interval is daily or weekly; flex-wrap keeps the layout
+ * stable if a translation pushes the row past the dialog width.
+ */
+.automation-form-row.automation-form-schedule-row {
+	flex-direction: row;
+	align-items: flex-end;
+	flex-wrap: wrap;
+	gap: 12px;
+}
+
+.automation-form-schedule-group {
+	display: flex;
+	flex-direction: column;
+	gap: 4px;
+	/*
+	 * Each visible group splits the schedule row equally. Hidden
+	 * groups (`display: none` from `applyIntervalVisibility`) drop out
+	 * of flex distribution, so:
+	 *   - manual / hourly → Schedule fills 100% of the row
+	 *   - daily          → Schedule + Time split 50/50
+	 *   - weekly         → Schedule + Time + Day split 33/33/33
+	 * `min-width: 0` lets the contained SelectBox shrink past its
+	 * intrinsic content width when the row is narrow, before the
+	 * row's `flex-wrap: wrap` kicks in as a final safety net.
+	 */
+	flex: 1 1 0;
+	min-width: 0;
+}
+
+/* SelectBox container sizing. Give Schedule / Time / Day the full
+ * width of their parent group (which itself flex-shares the row).
+ *
+ * `.monaco-select-box` ships with no intrinsic padding or height (the
+ * only baked-in metrics live in the `.monaco-action-bar .action-item`
+ * selector, which we're not inside of). Mirror the standalone-form
+ * pattern used by the settings editor (`settingsEditor2.css:689-694`).
+ * It uses `height: 26px` and `padding: 2px 6px`. This makes the dropdowns match the
+ * Name InputBox above them instead of reading as toolbar widgets
+ * crammed into a form. */
+.automation-form-schedule-select-container {
+	display: flex;
+	min-width: 0;
+	width: 100%;
+}
+
+.automation-form-schedule-select-container .monaco-select-box {
+	height: 26px;
+	padding: 2px 8px;
+}
+
+/*
+ * Form-row labels read as section titles ("Name", "Schedule", "Time",
+ * "Day of week", "Prompt"). Mirror the established agents
+ * design-system section-label pattern (see `.overview-section
+ * .section-label` at line ~734: label1 / fontWeight-medium /
+ * foreground) so the labels carry visual weight as section headings
+ * and clearly out-rank their controls.
+ *
+ * `margin-bottom` adds breathing room between the title text and
+ * its control so each form row reads as a discrete section.
+ */
+.automation-form-label {
+	font-size: var(--vscode-agents-fontSize-label1);
+	font-weight: var(--vscode-agents-fontWeight-semiBold);
+	color: var(--vscode-foreground);
+	line-height: 1.4;
+	margin-bottom: 2px;
+	cursor: default;
+}
+
+.automation-form-hint {
+	font-size: var(--vscode-agents-fontSize-body2, 11px);
+	color: var(--vscode-descriptionForeground);
+	line-height: 1.4;
+	min-height: 1em;
+}
+
+.automation-form-checkbox-label {
+	font-size: var(--vscode-agents-fontSize-body1, 13px);
+	color: var(--vscode-foreground);
+	cursor: pointer;
+}
+
+/*
+ * Host for the native `InputBox` widget. The widget owns its own
+ * `<input>` and styling (border, padding, focus ring); the host just
+ * lets it grow to the row width.
+ */
+.automation-form-input-host {
+	display: flex;
+	width: 100%;
+}
+
+.automation-form-input-host > .monaco-inputbox {
+	flex: 1 1 auto;
+	min-width: 0;
+}
+
+.automation-form-input,
+.automation-form-select,
+.automation-form-textarea {
+	font-family: inherit;
+	font-size: var(--vscode-agents-fontSize-body1, 13px);
+	color: var(--vscode-settings-textInputForeground, var(--vscode-input-foreground));
+	background-color: var(--vscode-settings-textInputBackground, var(--vscode-input-background));
+	border: 1px solid var(--vscode-settings-textInputBorder, var(--vscode-input-border, var(--vscode-contrastBorder, transparent)));
+	border-radius: 2px;
+	padding: 4px 6px;
+	box-sizing: border-box;
+	width: 100%;
+	min-height: 26px;
+}
+
+.automation-form-select {
+	color: var(--vscode-settings-dropdownForeground, var(--vscode-dropdown-foreground));
+	background-color: var(--vscode-settings-dropdownBackground, var(--vscode-dropdown-background));
+	border-color: var(--vscode-settings-dropdownBorder, var(--vscode-dropdown-border, var(--vscode-contrastBorder, transparent)));
+}
+
+.automation-form-textarea {
+	resize: vertical;
+	min-height: 60px;
+	line-height: 1.4;
+}
+
+.automation-form-input:focus,
+.automation-form-select:focus,
+.automation-form-textarea:focus {
+	outline: 1px solid var(--vscode-focusBorder);
+	outline-offset: -1px;
+	border-color: var(--vscode-focusBorder);
+}
+
+.automation-form-empty {
+	font-size: 12px;
+	color: var(--vscode-errorForeground);
+	padding: 6px 0;
+}
+
+/*
+ * Folder picker. This uses the shared `WorkspacePicker` from the sessions
+ * layer (see `sessionWorkspacePicker.ts`). The picker renders an
+ * `<a.action-label>` chip trigger inside
+ * `.sessions-chat-picker-slot.sessions-chat-workspace-picker`. We restyle
+ * it to fit the dialog's compact, 13px form scale. The upstream styling
+ * lives in `sessions/contrib/chat/browser/media/chatWidget.css` and is
+ * sized for the new-session "hero" UI (18px font, larger chip) which is
+ * too large for our modal.
+ *
+ * The dropdown content itself renders through `IActionWidgetService`,
+ * which has its own global CSS. No overrides needed here.
+ */
+/*
+ * Isolation + branch group: parented into the chat input's
+ * `.chat-secondary-toolbar` so it sits at the bottom-right of the chat
+ * input, sharing a row with `Copilot CLI | Default Permissions`.
+ * `margin-left: auto` pushes the group to the right edge within that
+ * flex row.
+ *
+ * Visual styling mirrors the new-session view's
+ * `.new-chat-bottom-container` chip vocabulary (see
+ * `sessions/contrib/chat/browser/media/chatWidget.css` lines 178-209):
+ * compact label text and codicons, icon-foreground color, no border.
+ */
+.automation-form-prompt-host .chat-secondary-toolbar .automation-form-isolation-group {
+	display: inline-flex;
+	align-items: center;
+	margin-left: auto;
+	min-width: 0;
+	gap: var(--vscode-spacing-size60);
+}
+
+.automation-form-prompt-host .automation-form-branch-picker-slot {
+	display: inline-flex;
+	min-width: 0;
+}
+
+.automation-form-prompt-host .automation-form-branch-slot {
+	display: inline-flex;
+	align-items: center;
+	gap: var(--vscode-spacing-size40);
+	height: 16px;
+	padding: var(--vscode-spacing-size20) var(--vscode-spacing-size60);
+	font-size: var(--vscode-agents-fontSize-label2);
+	color: var(--vscode-icon-foreground);
+	background: transparent;
+	border: none;
+	min-width: 0;
+	border-radius: var(--vscode-cornerRadius-small);
+	touch-action: manipulation;
+}
+
+.automation-form-prompt-host .automation-form-branch-slot > .codicon {
+	font-size: var(--vscode-codiconFontSize-compact);
+	color: var(--vscode-icon-foreground);
+	flex-shrink: 0;
+}
+
+.automation-form-prompt-host .automation-form-branch-slot:not(.branch-picker-disabled) {
+	cursor: pointer;
+}
+
+.automation-form-prompt-host .automation-form-branch-slot:not(.branch-picker-disabled):hover {
+	background-color: var(--vscode-toolbar-hoverBackground);
+	color: var(--vscode-foreground);
+}
+
+.automation-form-prompt-host .automation-form-branch-slot:focus-visible {
+	outline: var(--vscode-strokeThickness) solid var(--vscode-focusBorder);
+	outline-offset: calc(-1 * var(--vscode-strokeThickness));
+}
+
+.automation-form-prompt-host .automation-form-branch-slot.branch-picker-disabled,
+.automation-form-prompt-host .automation-form-branch-slot.branch-picker-disabled > .codicon {
+	cursor: default;
+	color: var(--vscode-descriptionForeground);
+}
+
+.automation-form-prompt-host .automation-form-branch-name {
+	font-size: var(--vscode-agents-fontSize-label2);
+}
+
+.automation-form-prompt-host .automation-form-branch-name {
+	min-width: 0;
+	overflow: hidden;
+	text-overflow: ellipsis;
+	white-space: nowrap;
+}
+
+.automation-form-prompt-host .chat-secondary-toolbar .automation-form-harness-chip {
+	display: inline-flex;
+	align-items: center;
+	gap: 4px;
+	height: 16px;
+	padding: 3px 6px;
+	font-size: 11px;
+	color: var(--vscode-icon-foreground);
+	background: transparent;
+	border: none;
+	opacity: 0.6;
+	cursor: default;
+}
+
+.automation-form-prompt-host .automation-form-harness-chip > .codicon {
+	font-size: 12px;
+	flex-shrink: 0;
+}
+
+.automation-form-prompt-host .automation-form-harness-label {
+	font-size: 11px;
+}
+
+/* Missing-branch state (no folder / no git repo / detached / empty): use
+ * description-foreground + italic so it visually reads as "informational
+ * placeholder, not a real ref name". */
+.automation-form-prompt-host .automation-form-branch-slot.branch-picker-missing,
+.automation-form-prompt-host .automation-form-branch-slot.branch-picker-missing > .codicon {
+	color: var(--vscode-descriptionForeground);
+}
+
+.automation-form-prompt-host .automation-form-branch-slot.branch-picker-missing .automation-form-branch-name {
+	font-style: italic;
+}
+
+.hc-black .automation-form-prompt-host .automation-form-branch-slot:focus-visible,
+.hc-light .automation-form-prompt-host .automation-form-branch-slot:focus-visible {
+	outline-color: var(--vscode-contrastActiveBorder);
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/vs/sessions/contrib/sessions/browser/media/automationsCards.css b/src/vs/sessions/contrib/sessions/browser/media/automationsCards.css
index b6ffd28e768cc..df7aa720e42ad 100644
--- a/src/vs/sessions/contrib/sessions/browser/media/automationsCards.css
+++ b/src/vs/sessions/contrib/sessions/browser/media/automationsCards.css
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@
 	align-items: flex-start;
 	gap: 12px;
 	padding: 12px 16px;
-	border: 1px solid var(--vscode-widget-border);
+	border: 1px solid var(--vscode-editorWidget-border);
 	border-radius: 6px;
 	height: 100%;
 	cursor: pointer;
@@ -140,13 +140,17 @@
 	flex-direction: row;
 	align-items: center;
 	gap: 8px;
-	word-break: break-word;
 }
 
 .automations-card-name-text {
+	flex: 1 1 0;
+	min-width: 0;
 	font-size: 13px;
 	font-weight: 600;
 	color: var(--vscode-foreground);
+	overflow: hidden;
+	white-space: nowrap;
+	text-overflow: ellipsis;
 }
 
 .automations-card-disabled-badge {
@@ -423,3 +427,8 @@
 	text-overflow: ellipsis;
 	white-space: nowrap;
 }
+
+.hc-black .automations-card,
+.hc-light .automations-card {
+	border-color: var(--vscode-contrastBorder);
+}
diff --git a/src/vs/sessions/contrib/sessions/browser/views/automationsView.ts b/src/vs/sessions/contrib/sessions/browser/views/automationsView.ts
index 66387a53f8428..7a12d496aea7e 100644
--- a/src/vs/sessions/contrib/sessions/browser/views/automationsView.ts
+++ b/src/vs/sessions/contrib/sessions/browser/views/automationsView.ts
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ import { CancellationToken } from '../../../../../base/common/cancellation.js';
 import { ILogService } from '../../../../../platform/log/common/log.js';
 import { IDialogService } from '../../../../../platform/dialogs/common/dialogs.js';
 import { IConfigurationService } from '../../../../../platform/configuration/common/configuration.js';
-import { IContextKeyService } from '../../../../../platform/contextkey/common/contextkey.js';
+import { ContextKeyExpr, IContextKeyService } from '../../../../../platform/contextkey/common/contextkey.js';
 import { status } from '../../../../../base/browser/ui/aria/aria.js';
 import { createPixelSpinner } from '../../../../../base/browser/ui/pixelSpinner/pixelSpinner.js';
 import { Gesture, GestureEvent, EventType as TouchEventType } from '../../../../../base/browser/touch.js';
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ import { Action2, MenuItemAction, registerAction2 } from '../../../../../platfor
 import { IActionViewItemService } from '../../../../../platform/actions/browser/actionViewItemService.js';
 import { BaseActionViewItem, IActionViewItemOptions } from '../../../../../base/browser/ui/actionbar/actionViewItems.js';
 import { IAction } from '../../../../../base/common/actions.js';
-import { AutomationsCustomViewFocusContext } from '../../../../common/contextkeys.js';
+import { AutomationsCustomViewFocusContext, AutomationsHasItemsContext } from '../../../../common/contextkeys.js';
 
 const $ = DOM.$;
 
@@ -278,9 +278,9 @@ class AutomationCardsSection extends Disposable {
 
 		const createButton = this.disposables.add(new Button(this.emptyContainer, {
 			...defaultButtonStyles,
-			title: localize('createAutomation', "Create automation"),
+			title: localize('createAutomation', "Create Automation"),
 		}));
-		createButton.label = localize('createAutomation', "Create automation");
+		createButton.label = localize('createAutomation', "Create Automation");
 		createButton.element.classList.add('automations-cards-create-button');
 		this.disposables.add(createButton.onDidClick(() => this.openCreateDialog()));
 	}
@@ -742,7 +742,7 @@ export class AutomationsCustomView extends AbstractCustomView {
 /**
  * Registers the Automations custom view with the custom view service.
  */
-class AutomationsCustomViewContribution extends Disposable {
+export class AutomationsCustomViewContribution extends Disposable {
 
 	static readonly ID = 'sessions.contrib.automationsCustomView';
 
@@ -750,9 +750,15 @@ class AutomationsCustomViewContribution extends Disposable {
 		@ICustomViewService customViewService: ICustomViewService,
 		@IActionViewItemService actionViewItemService: IActionViewItemService,
 		@IContextKeyService contextKeyService: IContextKeyService,
+		@IAutomationService automationService: IAutomationService,
 	) {
 		super();
 
+		const hasItemsContext = AutomationsHasItemsContext.bindTo(contextKeyService);
+		this._register(autorun(reader => {
+			hasItemsContext.set(automationService.automations.read(reader).length > 0);
+		}));
+
 		this._register(customViewService.registerCustomView({
 			id: AUTOMATIONS_CUSTOM_VIEW_ID,
 			ctor: new SyncDescriptor(AutomationsCustomView),
@@ -822,7 +828,7 @@ registerAction2(class NewAutomationAction extends Action2 {
 			id: 'sessionsView.newAutomation',
 			title: localize2('newAutomation', "New Automation"),
 			precondition: ChatAutomationsEnabledContext,
-			menu: [{ id: Menus.CustomViewAutomations, group: 'navigation', order: 1, when: ChatAutomationsEnabledContext }],
+			menu: [{ id: Menus.CustomViewAutomations, group: 'navigation', order: 1, when: ContextKeyExpr.and(ChatAutomationsEnabledContext, AutomationsHasItemsContext) }],
 		});
 	}
 	override async run(accessor: ServicesAccessor): Promise<void> {
diff --git a/src/vs/sessions/contrib/sessions/test/browser/automationsView.fixture.ts b/src/vs/sessions/contrib/sessions/test/browser/automationsView.fixture.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..91e2188d6bc78
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/vs/sessions/contrib/sessions/test/browser/automationsView.fixture.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,246 @@
+/*---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ *  Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
+ *  Licensed under the MIT License. See License.txt in the project root for license information.
+ *--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
+
+import { Emitter, Event } from '../../../../../base/common/event.js';
+import { Disposable, IDisposable, toDisposable } from '../../../../../base/common/lifecycle.js';
+import { constObservable, IObservable } from '../../../../../base/common/observable.js';
+import { URI } from '../../../../../base/common/uri.js';
+import { mock, upcastPartial } from '../../../../../base/test/common/mock.js';
+import { IActionViewItemFactory, IActionViewItemService } from '../../../../../platform/actions/browser/actionViewItemService.js';
+import { IMenuService, MenuId } from '../../../../../platform/actions/common/actions.js';
+import { MenuService } from '../../../../../platform/actions/common/menuService.js';
+import { IConfigurationService } from '../../../../../platform/configuration/common/configuration.js';
+import { ContextKeyService } from '../../../../../platform/contextkey/browser/contextKeyService.js';
+import { IContextKeyService } from '../../../../../platform/contextkey/common/contextkey.js';
+import { TestConfigurationService } from '../../../../../platform/configuration/test/common/testConfigurationService.js';
+import { NullLogService } from '../../../../../platform/log/common/log.js';
+import { IAutomation, IAutomationRun } from '../../../../../workbench/contrib/chat/common/automations/automation.js';
+import { IAutomationDialogService } from '../../../../../workbench/contrib/chat/common/automations/automationDialogService.js';
+import { ChatAutomationsEnabledContext } from '../../../../../workbench/contrib/chat/common/automations/automationsEnabled.js';
+import { IAutomationRunner } from '../../../../../workbench/contrib/chat/common/automations/automationRunner.js';
+import { IAutomationService } from '../../../../../workbench/contrib/chat/common/automations/automationService.js';
+import { ComponentFixtureContext, createEditorServices, defineComponentFixture, defineThemedFixtureGroup, registerWorkbenchServices } from '../../../../../workbench/test/browser/componentFixtures/fixtureUtils.js';
+import { CustomViewNode } from '../../../../browser/parts/customViewNode.js';
+import { CustomViewService, ICustomViewService } from '../../../../services/customView/browser/customViewService.js';
+import { ISessionsService } from '../../../../services/sessions/browser/sessionsService.js';
+import { ISession } from '../../../../services/sessions/common/session.js';
+import { ISessionsManagementService } from '../../../../services/sessions/common/sessionsManagement.js';
+import { AUTOMATIONS_CUSTOM_VIEW_ID, AutomationsCustomViewContribution } from '../../browser/views/automationsView.js';
+
+const WORKSPACE = URI.parse('file:///workspaces/vscode');
+
+class FixtureActionViewItemService extends Disposable implements IActionViewItemService {
+
+	declare _serviceBrand: undefined;
+
+	private readonly providers = new Map<string, IActionViewItemFactory>();
+	private readonly changeEmitter = this._register(new Emitter<MenuId>());
+	readonly onDidChange = this.changeEmitter.event;
+
+	register(menu: MenuId, commandId: string | MenuId, provider: IActionViewItemFactory, event?: Event<unknown>): IDisposable {
+		const key = this.getKey(menu, commandId);
+		if (this.providers.has(key)) {
+			throw new Error(`Duplicate action view item provider for ${key}`);
+		}
+		this.providers.set(key, provider);
+		const listener = event?.(() => this.changeEmitter.fire(menu));
+		return toDisposable(() => {
+			listener?.dispose();
+			this.providers.delete(key);
+		});
+	}
+
+	lookUp(menu: MenuId, commandId: string | MenuId): IActionViewItemFactory | undefined {
+		return this.providers.get(this.getKey(menu, commandId));
+	}
+
+	private getKey(menu: MenuId, commandId: string | MenuId): string {
+		return `${menu.id}/${commandId instanceof MenuId ? commandId.id : commandId}`;
+	}
+}
+
+class FixtureAutomationService extends mock<IAutomationService>() {
+
+	override readonly automations: IObservable<readonly IAutomation[]>;
+	override readonly runs: IObservable<readonly IAutomationRun[]>;
+
+	constructor(automations: readonly IAutomation[], runs: readonly IAutomationRun[]) {
+		super();
+		this.automations = constObservable(automations);
+		this.runs = constObservable(runs);
+	}
+}
+
+class FixtureSessionsManagementService extends mock<ISessionsManagementService>() {
+
+	private readonly sessions = new Map<string, ISession>();
+
+	constructor(runs: readonly IAutomationRun[]) {
+		super();
+		for (const [index, run] of runs.entries()) {
+			if (!run.sessionResource) {
+				continue;
+			}
+			const resource = URI.parse(run.sessionResource);
+			this.sessions.set(run.sessionResource, upcastPartial<ISession>({
+				resource,
+				sessionId: `fixture-session-${index + 1}`,
+				isRead: constObservable(index !== 0),
+			}));
+		}
+	}
+
+	override getSession(resource: URI): ISession | undefined {
+		return this.sessions.get(resource.toString());
+	}
+
+	override async markAllRead(): Promise<void> { }
+}
+
+interface IAutomationsFixtureData {
+	readonly automations: readonly IAutomation[];
+	readonly runs: readonly IAutomationRun[];
+}
+
+interface IAutomationsFixtureOptions {
+	readonly width: number;
+	readonly height: number;
+	readonly populated: boolean;
+}
+
+export default defineThemedFixtureGroup({ path: 'sessions/automations/' }, {
+	Populated: defineComponentFixture({
+		labels: { kind: 'screenshot' },
+		render: ctx => renderAutomations(ctx, { width: 1000, height: 720, populated: true }),
+	}),
+	Empty: defineComponentFixture({
+		labels: { kind: 'screenshot' },
+		render: ctx => renderAutomations(ctx, { width: 1000, height: 520, populated: false }),
+	}),
+	Narrow: defineComponentFixture({
+		labels: { kind: 'screenshot' },
+		render: ctx => renderAutomations(ctx, { width: 520, height: 720, populated: true }),
+	}),
+});
+
+function renderAutomations(ctx: ComponentFixtureContext, options: IAutomationsFixtureOptions): void {
+	const data = options.populated ? createPopulatedData() : { automations: [], runs: [] };
+	const configurationService = new TestConfigurationService({
+		chat: { automations: { enabled: true } },
+	});
+	const contextKeyService = new ContextKeyService(configurationService);
+	const actionViewItemService = new FixtureActionViewItemService();
+	const customViewService = new CustomViewService(new NullLogService());
+	const automationService = new FixtureAutomationService(data.automations, data.runs);
+	const sessionsManagementService = new FixtureSessionsManagementService(data.runs);
+	ChatAutomationsEnabledContext.bindTo(contextKeyService).set(true);
+	ChatAutomationsEnabledContext.bindTo(contextKeyService).set(true);
+
+	const instantiationService = createEditorServices(ctx.disposableStore, {
+		colorTheme: ctx.theme,
+		additionalServices: reg => {
+			registerWorkbenchServices(reg);
+			reg.defineInstance(IActionViewItemService, actionViewItemService);
+			reg.define(IMenuService, MenuService);
+			reg.defineInstance(IConfigurationService, configurationService);
+			reg.defineInstance(IContextKeyService, contextKeyService);
+			reg.defineInstance(IAutomationService, automationService);
+			reg.defineInstance(IAutomationRunner, new class extends mock<IAutomationRunner>() { }());
+			reg.defineInstance(IAutomationDialogService, new class extends mock<IAutomationDialogService>() { }());
+			reg.defineInstance(ICustomViewService, customViewService);
+			reg.defineInstance(ISessionsManagementService, sessionsManagementService);
+			reg.defineInstance(ISessionsService, new class extends mock<ISessionsService>() {
+				override async openSession(): Promise<void> { }
+			}());
+		},
+	});
+
+	ctx.disposableStore.add(instantiationService.createInstance(AutomationsCustomViewContribution));
+	customViewService.showCustomView(AUTOMATIONS_CUSTOM_VIEW_ID);
+	const descriptor = customViewService.activeCustomView.get();
+	if (!descriptor) {
+		throw new Error('Automations custom view was not registered');
+	}
+
+	ctx.container.classList.add('monaco-workbench');
+	ctx.container.style.width = `${options.width}px`;
+	ctx.container.style.height = `${options.height}px`;
+	ctx.container.style.setProperty('--session-view-background', 'var(--vscode-agentsPanel-background, var(--vscode-sideBar-background))');
+	ctx.container.style.setProperty('--session-view-foreground', 'var(--vscode-agentsPanel-foreground, var(--vscode-sideBar-foreground))');
+	ctx.container.style.backgroundColor = 'var(--session-view-background)';
+
+	const node = ctx.disposableStore.add(instantiationService.createInstance(CustomViewNode, descriptor));
+	node.element.style.height = '100%';
+	ctx.container.appendChild(node.element);
+	node.layout(options.width, options.height);
+}
+
+function createPopulatedData(): IAutomationsFixtureData {
+	const today = new Date();
+	today.setHours(9, 15, 0, 0);
+	const yesterday = new Date(today);
+	yesterday.setDate(today.getDate() - 1);
+	yesterday.setHours(15, 30, 0, 0);
+
+	const automations: readonly IAutomation[] = [
+		createAutomation({
+			id: 'daily-review',
+			name: 'Daily code review',
+			prompt: 'Review recent changes for correctness, missing tests, and regressions.',
+			schedule: { interval: 'daily', scheduleHour: 9, scheduleMinute: 0, scheduleDay: 0 },
+		}),
+		createAutomation({
+			id: 'dependency-audit',
+			name: 'Dependency audit',
+			prompt: 'Check dependencies for available security updates and summarize recommended changes.',
+			schedule: { interval: 'weekly', scheduleHour: 10, scheduleMinute: 30, scheduleDay: 1 },
+			enabled: false,
+		}),
+		createAutomation({
+			id: 'issue-triage',
+			name: 'Issue triage',
+			prompt: 'Review new issues, group duplicates, and suggest labels for the maintainers.',
+			schedule: { interval: 'hourly', scheduleHour: 0, scheduleMinute: 0, scheduleDay: 0 },
+			target: { kind: 'quickChat', providerId: 'fixture', sessionTypeId: 'fixture' },
+		}),
+	];
+
+	const runs: readonly IAutomationRun[] = [
+		createRun('daily-review-run', 'daily-review', 'completed', today),
+		createRun('dependency-audit-run', 'dependency-audit', 'running', today),
+		createRun('issue-triage-run', 'issue-triage', 'failed', yesterday, 'The repository could not be reached.'),
+	];
+
+	return { automations, runs };
+}
+
+function createAutomation(overrides: Partial<IAutomation>): IAutomation {
+	const now = new Date().toISOString();
+	return {
+		id: 'automation',
+		name: 'Automation',
+		prompt: 'Run the automation.',
+		schedule: { interval: 'manual', scheduleHour: 0, scheduleMinute: 0, scheduleDay: 0 },
+		target: { kind: 'workspace', folderUri: WORKSPACE, isolation: { kind: 'default' } },
+		enabled: true,
+		createdAt: now,
+		updatedAt: now,
+		...overrides,
+	};
+}
+
+function createRun(id: string, automationId: string, status: IAutomationRun['status'], startedAt: Date, errorMessage?: string): IAutomationRun {
+	return {
+		id,
+		automationId,
+		status,
+		trigger: 'schedule',
+		sessionResource: URI.parse(`vscode-chat-session://fixture/${id}`).toString(),
+		startedAt: startedAt.toISOString(),
+		completedAt: status === 'completed' || status === 'failed' ? startedAt.toISOString() : undefined,
+		errorMessage,
+		leaderWindowId: 1,
+	};
+}
diff --git a/src/vs/sessions/contrib/sessions/test/browser/automationsView.test.ts b/src/vs/sessions/contrib/sessions/test/browser/automationsView.test.ts
index a5af330e058ea..5d02c5353dcc1 100644
--- a/src/vs/sessions/contrib/sessions/test/browser/automationsView.test.ts
+++ b/src/vs/sessions/contrib/sessions/test/browser/automationsView.test.ts
@@ -28,8 +28,12 @@ import { AutomationMutationGuard, IAutomationRunClaim, IAutomationService, ICrea
 import { ISessionsService } from '../../../../services/sessions/browser/sessionsService.js';
 import { ISession } from '../../../../services/sessions/common/session.js';
 import { ISessionsManagementService } from '../../../../services/sessions/common/sessionsManagement.js';
+import { IActionViewItemService } from '../../../../../platform/actions/browser/actionViewItemService.js';
+import { ICustomViewService } from '../../../../services/customView/browser/customViewService.js';
+import { AutomationsHasItemsContext } from '../../../../common/contextkeys.js';
 import { buildAutomationsAccessibleContent } from '../../browser/views/automationsAccessibility.js';
-import { AutomationsCardsWidget } from '../../browser/views/automationsView.js';
+import { AutomationsCardsWidget, AutomationsCustomViewContribution } from '../../browser/views/automationsView.js';
+
 
 const AUTOMATION_ID = 'automation-1';
 const RUN_ID = 'run-1';
@@ -593,3 +597,37 @@ suite('AutomationsCardsWidget', () => {
 		);
 	});
 });
+
+suite('AutomationsCustomViewContribution — context key', () => {
+	const disposables = ensureNoDisposablesAreLeakedInTestSuite();
+
+	function setup() {
+		const automationService = new FakeAutomationService();
+		const contextKeyService = new MockContextKeyService();
+		const instantiationService = disposables.add(new TestInstantiationService());
+		instantiationService.stub(IAutomationService, automationService);
+		instantiationService.stub(IContextKeyService, contextKeyService);
+		instantiationService.stub(ICustomViewService, new class extends mock<ICustomViewService>() {
+			override readonly activeCustomView = constObservable(undefined);
+			override registerCustomView() { return { dispose() { } }; }
+			override hideCustomView() { }
+		}());
+		instantiationService.stub(IActionViewItemService, new class extends mock<IActionViewItemService>() {
+			override register() { return { dispose() { } }; }
+		}());
+		const contribution = disposables.add(instantiationService.createInstance(AutomationsCustomViewContribution));
+		return { automationService, contextKeyService, contribution };
+	}
+
+	test('AutomationsHasItemsContext follows the automations observable (empty → non-empty → empty)', () => {
+		const { automationService, contextKeyService } = setup();
+
+		assert.strictEqual(contextKeyService.getContextKeyValue(AutomationsHasItemsContext.key), false, 'initially false');
+
+		automationService.setAutomations([automation()]);
+		assert.strictEqual(contextKeyService.getContextKeyValue(AutomationsHasItemsContext.key), true, 'true when non-empty');
+
+		automationService.setAutomations([]);
+		assert.strictEqual(contextKeyService.getContextKeyValue(AutomationsHasItemsContext.key), false, 'false when empty again');
+	});
+});
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/chat/browser/aiCustomization/media/aiCustomizationManagement.css b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/chat/browser/aiCustomization/media/aiCustomizationManagement.css
index e50452d6230ae..99158cfc058e5 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/chat/browser/aiCustomization/media/aiCustomizationManagement.css
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/chat/browser/aiCustomization/media/aiCustomizationManagement.css
@@ -2021,707 +2021,3 @@ pane is first mounted. View switches inside the modal are not animated. */
 }
 
 /* Welcome page styles live in the welcome page variant stylesheets. */
-
-
-/* Dialog */
-.monaco-dialog-box.automation-dialog .dialog-message-container > .dialog-message-detail {
-	display: none;
-}
-
-/*
- * The dialog's built-in title (rendered into `.dialog-message-text`)
- * stays in the DOM so `aria-labelledby="monaco-dialog-message-text"`
- * still binds for screen readers, but is visually hidden. Our own
- * `.automation-titlebar` provides the visible chrome. Visually-hidden
- * pattern (not `display: none`) because some AT/screen-reader combos
- * skip aria-labelledby targets when `display: none` is in effect.
- * Same treatment for the unused dialog icon slot.
- */
-.monaco-dialog-box.automation-dialog .dialog-message-container > .dialog-message {
-	margin: 0;
-	padding: 0;
-}
-
-.monaco-dialog-box.automation-dialog .dialog-message-container > .dialog-message .dialog-message-text {
-	position: absolute;
-	width: 1px;
-	height: 1px;
-	padding: 0;
-	margin: -1px;
-	overflow: hidden;
-	clip: rect(0, 0, 0, 0);
-	white-space: nowrap;
-	border: 0;
-}
-
-.monaco-dialog-box.automation-dialog .dialog-message-row > .dialog-icon.codicon {
-	display: none;
-}
-
-/*
- * Lock the dialog box to a stable width. Without this rule the dialog
- * inherits `width: min-content` from `dialog.css` and re-flows as the
- * embedded chat input's chips change size (e.g. when the model picker
- * resolves a shorter label). Use min(640px, 92vw) so the dialog still
- * shrinks gracefully on narrow viewports.
- *
- * Padding is stripped (vs. the base 8px) so our `.automation-titlebar`
- * stripe can paint edge-to-edge inside the dialog body. The form pane
- * re-adds its own padding.
- *
- * Note: `extraClasses` on Dialog adds the class to `.monaco-dialog-box`
- * itself (not an ancestor), so we attach the rule directly here.
- */
-.monaco-dialog-box.automation-dialog {
-	width: min(640px, 92vw);
-	min-width: min(520px, 92vw);
-	max-width: 92vw;
-	padding: 0;
-	background-color: var(--vscode-editorWidget-background);
-	color: var(--vscode-editorWidget-foreground);
-	/* Anchor for the absolutely-positioned close-X (see below). */
-	position: relative;
-}
-
-.monaco-workbench .monaco-dialog-box.automation-dialog:focus:not(:focus-visible) {
-	outline: none;
-}
-
-/*
- * Float the close-X over the titlebar so the title text sits flush
- * with the top edge of the modal (QuickInput-style). Without this,
- * `.dialog-toolbar-row` reserves ~24px of dead space above the title.
- * `z-index` keeps the X above the sticky titlebar.
- */
-.monaco-dialog-box.automation-dialog .dialog-toolbar-row {
-	position: absolute;
-	top: 0;
-	right: 0;
-	height: auto;
-	padding: 4px 6px 0 0;
-	z-index: 2;
-}
-
-.automation-dialog-body {
-	display: flex;
-	flex-direction: column;
-	min-height: 0;
-}
-
-/*
- * Strip the base dialog padding on the message row and container so
- * our titlebar can full-bleed. The form pane below re-adds horizontal
- * padding so the form fields don't crash into the dialog edge.
- *
- * Container still owns the scrolling (per base/.../dialog.css), so
- * the titlebar uses `position: sticky; top: 0` to stay visible as the
- * form scrolls underneath it.
- */
-.monaco-dialog-box.automation-dialog .dialog-message-row {
-	padding: 0;
-}
-
-.monaco-dialog-box.automation-dialog .dialog-message-row .dialog-message-container {
-	padding: 0;
-	/*
-	 * The base dialog leaves the message container at content size
-	 * (`align-self: stretch` only stretches height in a horizontal flex
-	 * row). Our form fields are `width: 100%` of this container, so they
-	 * track the container's intrinsic min-content width. It shrinks
-	 * over the first second as the embedded chat input's chip labels
-	 * (model name, mode name, etc.) resolve and the toolbar's
-	 * min-content drops. Forcing the container to fill the row width
-	 * keeps every field at the dialog's locked width from first paint
-	 * onwards. `min-width: 0` lets the container shrink inside the row
-	 * (which has `overflow: hidden`) instead of being pushed by long
-	 * chip labels.
-	 */
-	flex: 1 1 auto;
-	min-width: 0;
-}
-
-/*
- * Titlebar background matches the dialog body so the header reads as
- * part of the modal, with no contrasting stripe. Both are anchored to
- * `editorWidget.background`, the dialog widget's own native background
- * (see defaultDialogStyles), so the header and body are always the same
- * color in every theme. Set explicitly (not transparent) because the
- * titlebar is sticky. A transparent background would let scrolled form
- * content show through. No `border-bottom`. Sticky so the title stays
- * in view as the form scrolls (the dialog's message-container is the
- * scroll host).
- */
-.automation-titlebar {
-	position: sticky;
-	top: 0;
-	z-index: 1;
-	/* Right padding reserves room for the floating close-X chip. */
-	padding: 8px 36px 8px 14px;
-	text-align: left;
-	font-weight: var(--vscode-agents-fontWeight-semiBold);
-	font-size: var(--vscode-agents-fontSize-heading2);
-	color: var(--vscode-editorWidget-foreground);
-	background-color: var(--vscode-editorWidget-background);
-}
-
-.automation-description {
-	padding: 8px 14px;
-	font-size: var(--vscode-agents-fontSize-body2, 12px);
-	color: var(--vscode-descriptionForeground);
-	line-height: 1.4;
-}
-
-.automation-form-pane {
-	flex: 1 1 auto;
-	min-width: 0;
-	min-height: 0;
-	padding: 4px 14px 6px;
-}
-
-/*
- * Theme the native overflow scrollbar on the dialog body so it matches
- * the rest of VS Code. .dialog-message-container is the scroll host
- * (see base/browser/ui/dialog/dialog.css). Without this the dialog
- * shows the platform's default scrollbar which clashes visually with
- * the chat input embedded above.
- */
-.monaco-dialog-box.automation-dialog .dialog-message-row .dialog-message-container::-webkit-scrollbar {
-	width: 10px;
-}
-
-.monaco-dialog-box.automation-dialog .dialog-message-row .dialog-message-container::-webkit-scrollbar-track {
-	background-color: transparent;
-}
-
-.monaco-dialog-box.automation-dialog .dialog-message-row .dialog-message-container::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb {
-	min-height: 20px;
-	background-color: var(--vscode-scrollbarSlider-background);
-}
-
-.monaco-dialog-box.automation-dialog .dialog-message-row .dialog-message-container::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb:hover {
-	background-color: var(--vscode-scrollbarSlider-hoverBackground);
-}
-
-.monaco-dialog-box.automation-dialog .dialog-message-row .dialog-message-container::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb:active {
-	background-color: var(--vscode-scrollbarSlider-activeBackground);
-}
-
-.monaco-dialog-box.automation-dialog .dialog-message-row .dialog-message-container::-webkit-scrollbar-corner {
-	display: none;
-}
-
-/*
- * Z-index bridge for popups while the automation dialog is open.
- * The dialog modal block is z-index 2575 (see base/.../dialog.css)
- * and shares that value with .context-view (set inline in
- * contextview.ts as `2575 + layer`). DOM order means the dialog
- * shows on top, hiding any popup the chat input chips, the quick
- * input, or a context menu try to open. We can't change the inline
- * z-index from outside, so use `!important` while the dialog service
- * marks the active container as automation-dialog-open.
- */
-.automation-dialog-open .context-view.monaco-component {
-	z-index: 2600 !important;
-}
-
-.automation-dialog-open .quick-input-widget {
-	z-index: 2600 !important;
-}
-
-.automation-dialog-open .monaco-menu-container {
-	z-index: 2600 !important;
-}
-
-.automation-form {
-	display: flex;
-	flex-direction: column;
-	gap: 10px;
-	padding: 2px 2px 4px;
-}
-
-/*
- * Host for the embedded ChatInputPart. The composer brings its own
- * background, border, and rounded corners (see chat.css
- * `.interactive-input-part`), so we just give it room to breathe and let
- * it fill the dialog's column width. `min-height` is sized for ~5 lines
- * of body text + the toolbar row so the editor doesn't feel cramped on
- * first open; the editor itself grows as the user types.
- */
-.automation-form-prompt-host {
-	display: flex;
-	flex-direction: column;
-	min-height: 140px;
-	/*
-	 * The host carries the `.interactive-session` class so the shared
-	 * chat input CSS (chip colors, focus borders, etc.) matches what
-	 * users see in a real chat session. That class also sets
-	 * `max-width: 950px; margin: auto; height: 100%` (chat.css), which
-	 * is meant for the full chat panel. In our flex column it makes
-	 * the host take its content's min-content width and center,
-	 * collapsing the chat input to ~chip-bar width. Re-assert
-	 * full-width sizing so the host fills the dialog's form column.
-	 */
-	width: auto;
-	max-width: 100%;
-	margin: 0;
-	height: auto;
-	align-self: stretch;
-}
-
-.automation-form-prompt-host .interactive-input-part {
-	/*
-	 * `.interactive-input-part` in chat.css has `margin: 0 12px`, which
-	 * (combined with the default `width: auto`) is designed to inset the
-	 * composer inside a wider chat panel. In our dialog the prompt host
-	 * is already the form column, so the margin pushes the composer 12px
-	 * past the host on each side. Its right border ends up sitting
-	 * outside the dialog. Zero out the margin so the composer aligns
-	 * with the other form fields.
-	 */
-	margin: 0;
-	/* Don't let long custom-mode names or model identifiers push the
-	 * modal wider than its declared max-width. */
-	max-width: 100%;
-	min-width: 0;
-}
-
-.automation-form-prompt-host .interactive-input-editor,
-.automation-form-prompt-host .monaco-editor,
-.automation-form-prompt-host .monaco-editor-background,
-.automation-form-prompt-host .monaco-editor .margin {
-	background-color: var(--vscode-settings-textInputBackground, var(--vscode-input-background));
-}
-
-.automation-form-prompt-host .interactive-input-and-side-toolbar {
-	/* Allow the input column to shrink below its content's preferred
-	 * width so flex children (chips, custom-mode names) don't push the
-	 * modal wider than its declared max-width. */
-	min-width: 0;
-}
-
-/*
- * Hide chips from the embedded chat input's primary toolbar that don't fit
- * the automation dialog's reduced surface:
- *  - "Configure Tools" (`workbench.action.chat.configureTools`,
- *    `.codicon-settings-compact`) — tool selection is not relevant for a
- *    scheduled prompt.
- *  - "Add Context" (`workbench.action.chat.attachContext`,
- *    `.codicon-add-compact`, the `+`) — the dialog doesn't support
- *    attachments; the prompt is the only payload sent at run time.
- *  - "List MCP Servers" (`workbench.mcp.listServer`, `.codicon-server`) —
- *    MCP server management belongs in the live chat surface, not a one-off
- *    prompt definition.
- *
- * We hide the `.action-label` (which carries the codicon class) rather than
- * the parent `.action-item`. Targeting the `.action-item` would require a
- * `:has()` selector, whose invalidation bookkeeping is paid across every
- * `.action-item` in the workbench (see microsoft/vscode#324985). Since
- * `.action-item` has no intrinsic padding/margin (actionbar.css), hiding the
- * label collapses the slot to zero width, so there is no visual gap.
- *
- * Known limitation: the hidden chips remain in the toolbar's arrow-key focus
- * rotation (the action bar skips only disabled/separator items, not
- * `display:none` ones). This is an accepted temporary trade-off — the dialog
- * will migrate to `newChatInput.ts`, which builds its own toolbars and never
- * renders these `MenuId.ChatInput` chips at all.
- */
-.automation-form-prompt-host .chat-input-toolbar .action-label.codicon-settings-compact,
-.automation-form-prompt-host .chat-input-toolbar .action-label.codicon-add-compact,
-.automation-form-prompt-host .chat-input-toolbar .action-item.chat-mcp {
-	display: none;
-}
-
-/*
- * Suppress every inter-chip divider drawn by chat.css inside the dialog,
- * in both the primary (`.chat-input-toolbar`) and secondary
- * (`.chat-secondary-input-toolbar`) toolbars. CSS `+` matches by DOM
- * order regardless of `display:none`, so the divider would otherwise
- * appear as an orphan vertical line on whichever visible chip follows
- * our hidden `+`/settings items. For example the bar drawn to the left
- * of the Folder/Worktree isolation chip because it follows the Copilot
- * CLI chip in the secondary toolbar (microsoft/vscode-internalbacklog#8304). The remaining visible
- * chips (Agent, model, mode, isolation) already have enough intrinsic
- * padding to read as separate without the divider. Dropping dividers
- * entirely is simpler and more resilient than per-pair suppression rules
- * that depend on DOM order.
- */
-.automation-form-prompt-host .chat-input-toolbar .monaco-action-bar .actions-container > .action-item + .action-item::before,
-.automation-form-prompt-host .chat-secondary-input-toolbar .monaco-action-bar .actions-container > .action-item + .action-item::before {
-	display: none;
-}
-
-/*
- * Cancel the dialog's `<ul>` indent for the chat input toolbars.
- *
- * `dialog.css:120` applies `padding-inline-start: 20px` to every `<ul>`
- * inside `.dialog-message-container` (meant to reduce the excessive
- * default indent on bulleted lists in dialog body text). The
- * `monaco-action-bar`'s `.actions-container` is rendered as a `<ul>`, so
- * the chat input's primary and secondary toolbars inherit that 20px
- * left indent. This pushes the Agent / Copilot CLI chips ~20px right of
- * the chat input's bottom-left corner.
- *
- * `actionbar.css` sets `.actions-container { padding: 0 }`, but the
- * dialog rule uses a logical property (`padding-inline-start`), which
- * cascades-after the physical shorthand and wins regardless of selector
- * specificity. Override the logical property explicitly here.
- *
- * Scoped to `.automation-form-prompt-host` so the regular chat panel
- * (which isn't inside a dialog) is unaffected. Any `<ul>`
- * elements in the dialog's actual message body text retain the
- * intended 20px indent.
- */
-.automation-form-prompt-host .chat-input-toolbar .monaco-action-bar .actions-container,
-.automation-form-prompt-host .chat-secondary-toolbar .monaco-action-bar .actions-container {
-	padding-inline-start: 0;
-	margin-left: 0;
-}
-
-/*
- * Sessions-layer workspace picker visual override.
- *
- * Two cascading sources need to be defeated to match Mode/Model:
- *
- * 1. `.sessions-chat-picker-slot.sessions-chat-workspace-picker
- *    .action-label` (sessions-layer `chatWidget.css:244-269`) sets a
- *    welcome-flow visual: label 18px, inner span 18px, icons 16px,
- *    chevron, generous padding, `color: var(--vscode-foreground)`.
- *
- * 2. `.monaco-action-bar .action-label` (actionbar.css:48) sets the
- *    base toolbar font-size to **11px**. This is what Mode/Model
- *    inherit. They don't set font-size themselves. The action bar
- *    base rule wins for their `.action-label`. The workspace picker's
- *    own sessions-layer rule (source 1) overrides that base, so we
- *    need to put the 11px back explicitly. `font-size: inherit`
- *    does NOT work because none of `.sessions-chat-picker-slot`'s
- *    ancestors carry an 11px font-size. The 11px lives on sibling
- *    `.action-label` elements via `.monaco-action-bar .action-label`,
- *    not on an ancestor we can inherit from.
- *
- * Result: match the 11px base, neutralize the welcome-flow oversizing,
- * keep the Mode/Model color (`var(--vscode-icon-foreground)`), match
- * the chip metrics from `.chat-secondary-toolbar .chat-input-picker-item
- * .action-label` (chat.css:1728), and hide the chevron (the neighboring
- * secondary-toolbar pickers don't render one).
- *
- * Scoped to `.automation-form-prompt-host` so the welcome view's
- * standalone workspace picker keeps its larger sizing.
- */
-.automation-form-prompt-host .chat-secondary-toolbar .sessions-chat-picker-slot.sessions-chat-workspace-picker .action-label {
-	height: 16px;
-	padding: 3px 6px;
-	font-size: 11px;
-	line-height: normal;
-	color: var(--vscode-icon-foreground);
-}
-
-.automation-form-prompt-host .chat-secondary-toolbar .sessions-chat-picker-slot.sessions-chat-workspace-picker .action-label .sessions-chat-dropdown-label {
-	font-size: inherit;
-	line-height: inherit;
-}
-
-.automation-form-prompt-host .chat-secondary-toolbar .sessions-chat-picker-slot.sessions-chat-workspace-picker .action-label > .codicon:not(.sessions-chat-dropdown-chevron) {
-	font-size: 12px;
-}
-
-/*
- * The neighboring secondary-toolbar pickers don't render a dropdown
- * chevron. They are recognized as chips by their padding + hover. Hide
- * the chevron that `_renderTriggerLabel` always appends so the
- * workspace chip reads the same way.
- */
-.automation-form-prompt-host .chat-secondary-toolbar .sessions-chat-picker-slot.sessions-chat-workspace-picker .action-label .sessions-chat-dropdown-chevron {
-	display: none;
-}
-
-.automation-form-row {
-	display: flex;
-	flex-direction: column;
-	gap: 4px;
-}
-
-.automation-form-row.automation-form-checkbox-row {
-	flex-direction: row;
-	align-items: center;
-	gap: 8px;
-	margin-top: 2px;
-	padding-top: 10px;
-	border-top: 1px solid var(--vscode-widget-border, transparent);
-}
-
-.automation-form-row.automation-form-checkbox-row > .monaco-checkbox {
-	margin-right: 0;
-}
-
-/*
- * Lay the Schedule / Time / Day controls along a single horizontal axis.
- * Each control lives in its own `.automation-form-schedule-group`
- * (label-above-control flex column). Time and Day join the row only
- * when the interval is daily or weekly; flex-wrap keeps the layout
- * stable if a translation pushes the row past the dialog width.
- */
-.automation-form-row.automation-form-schedule-row {
-	flex-direction: row;
-	align-items: flex-end;
-	flex-wrap: wrap;
-	gap: 12px;
-}
-
-.automation-form-schedule-group {
-	display: flex;
-	flex-direction: column;
-	gap: 4px;
-	/*
-	 * Each visible group splits the schedule row equally. Hidden
-	 * groups (`display: none` from `applyIntervalVisibility`) drop out
-	 * of flex distribution, so:
-	 *   - manual / hourly → Schedule fills 100% of the row
-	 *   - daily          → Schedule + Time split 50/50
-	 *   - weekly         → Schedule + Time + Day split 33/33/33
-	 * `min-width: 0` lets the contained SelectBox shrink past its
-	 * intrinsic content width when the row is narrow, before the
-	 * row's `flex-wrap: wrap` kicks in as a final safety net.
-	 */
-	flex: 1 1 0;
-	min-width: 0;
-}
-
-/* SelectBox container sizing. Give Schedule / Time / Day the full
- * width of their parent group (which itself flex-shares the row).
- *
- * `.monaco-select-box` ships with no intrinsic padding or height (the
- * only baked-in metrics live in the `.monaco-action-bar .action-item`
- * selector, which we're not inside of). Mirror the standalone-form
- * pattern used by the settings editor (`settingsEditor2.css:689-694`).
- * It uses `height: 26px` and `padding: 2px 6px`. This makes the dropdowns match the
- * Name InputBox above them instead of reading as toolbar widgets
- * crammed into a form. */
-.automation-form-schedule-select-container {
-	display: flex;
-	min-width: 0;
-	width: 100%;
-}
-
-.automation-form-schedule-select-container .monaco-select-box {
-	height: 26px;
-	padding: 2px 8px;
-}
-
-/*
- * Form-row labels read as section titles ("Name", "Schedule", "Time",
- * "Day of week", "Prompt"). Mirror the established agents
- * design-system section-label pattern (see `.overview-section
- * .section-label` at line ~734: label1 / fontWeight-medium /
- * foreground) so the labels carry visual weight as section headings
- * and clearly out-rank their controls.
- *
- * `margin-bottom` adds breathing room between the title text and
- * its control so each form row reads as a discrete section.
- */
-.automation-form-label {
-	font-size: var(--vscode-agents-fontSize-label1);
-	font-weight: var(--vscode-agents-fontWeight-semiBold);
-	color: var(--vscode-foreground);
-	line-height: 1.4;
-	margin-bottom: 2px;
-	cursor: default;
-}
-
-.automation-form-hint {
-	font-size: var(--vscode-agents-fontSize-body2, 11px);
-	color: var(--vscode-descriptionForeground);
-	line-height: 1.4;
-	min-height: 1em;
-}
-
-.automation-form-checkbox-label {
-	font-size: var(--vscode-agents-fontSize-body1, 13px);
-	color: var(--vscode-foreground);
-	cursor: pointer;
-}
-
-/*
- * Host for the native `InputBox` widget. The widget owns its own
- * `<input>` and styling (border, padding, focus ring); the host just
- * lets it grow to the row width.
- */
-.automation-form-input-host {
-	display: flex;
-	width: 100%;
-}
-
-.automation-form-input-host > .monaco-inputbox {
-	flex: 1 1 auto;
-	min-width: 0;
-}
-
-.automation-form-input,
-.automation-form-select,
-.automation-form-textarea {
-	font-family: inherit;
-	font-size: var(--vscode-agents-fontSize-body1, 13px);
-	color: var(--vscode-settings-textInputForeground, var(--vscode-input-foreground));
-	background-color: var(--vscode-settings-textInputBackground, var(--vscode-input-background));
-	border: 1px solid var(--vscode-settings-textInputBorder, var(--vscode-input-border, var(--vscode-contrastBorder, transparent)));
-	border-radius: 2px;
-	padding: 4px 6px;
-	box-sizing: border-box;
-	width: 100%;
-	min-height: 26px;
-}
-
-.automation-form-select {
-	color: var(--vscode-settings-dropdownForeground, var(--vscode-dropdown-foreground));
-	background-color: var(--vscode-settings-dropdownBackground, var(--vscode-dropdown-background));
-	border-color: var(--vscode-settings-dropdownBorder, var(--vscode-dropdown-border, var(--vscode-contrastBorder, transparent)));
-}
-
-.automation-form-textarea {
-	resize: vertical;
-	min-height: 60px;
-	line-height: 1.4;
-}
-
-.automation-form-input:focus,
-.automation-form-select:focus,
-.automation-form-textarea:focus {
-	outline: 1px solid var(--vscode-focusBorder);
-	outline-offset: -1px;
-	border-color: var(--vscode-focusBorder);
-}
-
-.automation-form-empty {
-	font-size: 12px;
-	color: var(--vscode-errorForeground);
-	padding: 6px 0;
-}
-
-/*
- * Folder picker. This uses the shared `WorkspacePicker` from the sessions
- * layer (see `sessionWorkspacePicker.ts`). The picker renders an
- * `<a.action-label>` chip trigger inside
- * `.sessions-chat-picker-slot.sessions-chat-workspace-picker`. We restyle
- * it to fit the dialog's compact, 13px form scale. The upstream styling
- * lives in `sessions/contrib/chat/browser/media/chatWidget.css` and is
- * sized for the new-session "hero" UI (18px font, larger chip) which is
- * too large for our modal.
- *
- * The dropdown content itself renders through `IActionWidgetService`,
- * which has its own global CSS. No overrides needed here.
- */
-/*
- * Isolation + branch group: parented into the chat input's
- * `.chat-secondary-toolbar` so it sits at the bottom-right of the chat
- * input, sharing a row with `Copilot CLI | Default Permissions`.
- * `margin-left: auto` pushes the group to the right edge within that
- * flex row.
- *
- * Visual styling mirrors the new-session view's
- * `.new-chat-bottom-container` chip vocabulary (see
- * `sessions/contrib/chat/browser/media/chatWidget.css` lines 178-209):
- * compact label text and codicons, icon-foreground color, no border.
- */
-.automation-form-prompt-host .chat-secondary-toolbar .automation-form-isolation-group {
-	display: inline-flex;
-	align-items: center;
-	margin-left: auto;
-	min-width: 0;
-	gap: var(--vscode-spacing-size60);
-}
-
-.automation-form-prompt-host .automation-form-branch-picker-slot {
-	display: inline-flex;
-	min-width: 0;
-}
-
-.automation-form-prompt-host .automation-form-branch-slot {
-	display: inline-flex;
-	align-items: center;
-	gap: var(--vscode-spacing-size40);
-	height: 16px;
-	padding: var(--vscode-spacing-size20) var(--vscode-spacing-size60);
-	font-size: var(--vscode-agents-fontSize-label2);
-	color: var(--vscode-icon-foreground);
-	background: transparent;
-	border: none;
-	min-width: 0;
-	border-radius: var(--vscode-cornerRadius-small);
-	touch-action: manipulation;
-}
-
-.automation-form-prompt-host .automation-form-branch-slot > .codicon {
-	font-size: var(--vscode-codiconFontSize-compact);
-	color: var(--vscode-icon-foreground);
-	flex-shrink: 0;
-}
-
-.automation-form-prompt-host .automation-form-branch-slot:not(.branch-picker-disabled) {
-	cursor: pointer;
-}
-
-.automation-form-prompt-host .automation-form-branch-slot:not(.branch-picker-disabled):hover {
-	background-color: var(--vscode-toolbar-hoverBackground);
-	color: var(--vscode-foreground);
-}
-
-.automation-form-prompt-host .automation-form-branch-slot:focus-visible {
-	outline: var(--vscode-strokeThickness) solid var(--vscode-focusBorder);
-	outline-offset: calc(-1 * var(--vscode-strokeThickness));
-}
-
-.automation-form-prompt-host .automation-form-branch-slot.branch-picker-disabled,
-.automation-form-prompt-host .automation-form-branch-slot.branch-picker-disabled > .codicon {
-	cursor: default;
-	color: var(--vscode-descriptionForeground);
-}
-
-.automation-form-prompt-host .automation-form-branch-name {
-	font-size: var(--vscode-agents-fontSize-label2);
-}
-
-.automation-form-prompt-host .automation-form-branch-name {
-	min-width: 0;
-	overflow: hidden;
-	text-overflow: ellipsis;
-	white-space: nowrap;
-}
-
-.automation-form-prompt-host .chat-secondary-toolbar .automation-form-harness-chip {
-	display: inline-flex;
-	align-items: center;
-	gap: 4px;
-	height: 16px;
-	padding: 3px 6px;
-	font-size: 11px;
-	color: var(--vscode-icon-foreground);
-	background: transparent;
-	border: none;
-	opacity: 0.6;
-	cursor: default;
-}
-
-.automation-form-prompt-host .automation-form-harness-chip > .codicon {
-	font-size: 12px;
-	flex-shrink: 0;
-}
-
-.automation-form-prompt-host .automation-form-harness-label {
-	font-size: 11px;
-}
-
-/* Missing-branch state (no folder / no git repo / detached / empty): use
- * description-foreground + italic so it visually reads as "informational
- * placeholder, not a real ref name". */
-.automation-form-prompt-host .automation-form-branch-slot.branch-picker-missing,
-.automation-form-prompt-host .automation-form-branch-slot.branch-picker-missing > .codicon {
-	color: var(--vscode-descriptionForeground);
-}
-
-.automation-form-prompt-host .automation-form-branch-slot.branch-picker-missing .automation-form-branch-name {
-	font-style: italic;
-}
-
-.hc-black .automation-form-prompt-host .automation-form-branch-slot:focus-visible,
-.hc-light .automation-form-prompt-host .automation-form-branch-slot:focus-visible {
-	outline-color: var(--vscode-contrastActiveBorder);
-}