diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/GenerationPreviewStage.module.css b/apps/web/src/components/GenerationPreviewStage.module.css
index 258d24549..33213a3f1 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/GenerationPreviewStage.module.css
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/GenerationPreviewStage.module.css
@@ -153,6 +153,20 @@
   background: var(--bg-panel);
   color: var(--text-muted);
   font-size: 12px;
+  /* Steps are revealed one at a time as the agent reaches them, so each
+     pill slides + fades in on mount to make the progression visible. */
+  animation: stepReveal 280ms cubic-bezier(0.23, 1, 0.32, 1);
+}
+
+@keyframes stepReveal {
+  from {
+    opacity: 0;
+    transform: translateY(4px) scale(0.96);
+  }
+  to {
+    opacity: 1;
+    transform: translateY(0) scale(1);
+  }
 }
 
 .step[data-status='running'] {
@@ -207,7 +221,8 @@
   .mark[data-active='true'],
   .progress[data-active='true']::after,
   .stepDot[data-running='true'],
-  .lead[data-live='true'] {
+  .lead[data-live='true'],
+  .step {
     animation: none;
   }
 }
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/GenerationPreviewStage.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/GenerationPreviewStage.tsx
index 3aa6136e2..8649917c6 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/GenerationPreviewStage.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/GenerationPreviewStage.tsx
@@ -79,7 +79,9 @@ export function GenerationPreviewStage({ model, onRetry }: Props) {
         <span style={{ width: `${model.progressPercent}%` }} />
       </div>
       <ol className={styles.steps}>
-        {model.steps.map((step) => (
+        {model.steps
+          .filter((step) => step.status !== 'pending')
+          .map((step) => (
           <li key={step.id} className={styles.step} data-status={step.status}>
             <span className={styles.stepIcon} aria-hidden>
               {step.status === 'succeeded' ? (
diff --git a/apps/web/src/runtime/generation-preview.ts b/apps/web/src/runtime/generation-preview.ts
index a55a5a01f..21b3fad03 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/runtime/generation-preview.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/runtime/generation-preview.ts
@@ -172,7 +172,12 @@ export function derivePrototypeGenerationSteps(input: {
   let understand: GenerationStepStatus = 'running';
   if (input.failed && !hasText && !hasToolUse) {
     understand = 'failed';
-  } else if (hasText || hasStatus(['thinking', 'streaming', 'requesting', 'starting']) || hasToolUse) {
+  } else if (hasText || hasStatus(['thinking', 'streaming']) || hasToolUse) {
+    // `requesting`/`starting` only mean the request left the client — the
+    // model hasn't produced anything yet, so we keep "understand" in
+    // progress until real thinking/output/tool activity arrives. This lets
+    // the UI reveal the steps one at a time instead of jumping straight to
+    // a fully populated row.
     understand = 'succeeded';
   }
 
@@ -241,9 +246,9 @@ function latestActivityLabel(events: AgentEvent[]): string | null {
     if (event.kind === 'text' && event.text.trim() && !QUESTION_FORM_RE.test(event.text)) {
       return truncateActivity(event.text);
     }
-    if (event.kind === 'status' && event.detail?.trim()) {
-      return truncateActivity(event.detail);
-    }
+    // Intentionally skip `status` details: their payload is often an
+    // internal identifier (e.g. the model slug from a `requesting` event)
+    // rather than human-readable progress, so surfacing it reads as noise.
   }
   return null;
 }
diff --git a/apps/web/tests/runtime/generation-preview.test.ts b/apps/web/tests/runtime/generation-preview.test.ts
index 53fc9c700..a8c047247 100644
--- a/apps/web/tests/runtime/generation-preview.test.ts
+++ b/apps/web/tests/runtime/generation-preview.test.ts
@@ -46,6 +46,24 @@ describe('generation preview helpers', () => {
     ]);
   });
 
+  it('keeps the understand step in progress while the request is still pending', () => {
+    // `requesting` only means the request left the client; nothing should
+    // advance past the first step until real model activity arrives, so the
+    // UI can reveal steps one at a time.
+    expect(
+      derivePrototypeGenerationSteps({
+        events: [{ kind: 'status', label: 'requesting', detail: 'claude-opus-4-7' }],
+        hasArtifactHtml: false,
+        hasPreviewSurface: false,
+        failed: false,
+      }),
+    ).toEqual([
+      { id: 'understand', status: 'running' },
+      { id: 'generate', status: 'pending' },
+      { id: 'prepare', status: 'pending' },
+    ]);
+  });
+
   it('builds preview state for an active assistant run without an open preview tab', () => {
     const assistant: ChatMessage = {
       id: 'a1',