diff --git a/src/components/AvaLive.tsx b/src/components/AvaLive.tsx
index 9f46055..a1005e8 100644
--- a/src/components/AvaLive.tsx
+++ b/src/components/AvaLive.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { useState } from 'react';
+import { useEffect, useRef, useState } from 'react';
 import {
   AlertTriangle,
   Brain,
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ export function AvaLive({
   steps,
   decisions,
   working,
+  fill = false,
 }: {
   steps: AvaTraceStep[];
   decisions: AvaDecision[];
@@ -77,8 +78,27 @@ export function AvaLive({
    *  the "still working" footer, so an empty trace reads as "starting" rather
    *  than "nothing happened". */
   working: boolean;
+  /** While the review runs the trace is the page: let the list take the
+   *  viewport instead of a fixed 32rem box. */
+  fill?: boolean;
 }) {
   const [open, setOpen] = useState<number | null>(null);
+  // Follow the run: when a new step lands while she is working, keep the
+  // newest step in view — unless the viewer has scrolled up to read.
+  const listRef = useRef<HTMLOListElement | null>(null);
+  const stuck = useRef(true);
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const el = listRef.current;
+    if (!el || !working || !stuck.current) return;
+    el.scrollTo({ top: el.scrollHeight, behavior: 'smooth' });
+  }, [steps.length, working]);
+  function onScroll() {
+    const el = listRef.current;
+    if (!el) return;
+    stuck.current = el.scrollHeight - el.scrollTop - el.clientHeight < 48;
+  }
+  const last = steps[steps.length - 1];
+  const sinceLast = last ? Math.max(0, (Date.now() - new Date(last.ended_at ?? last.started_at).getTime()) / 1000) : 0;
 
   const queries = steps.filter((s) => s.type === 'api');
   const failed = queries.filter((s) => s.query_state === 'FAILED').length;
@@ -112,6 +132,7 @@ export function AvaLive({
           {spend > 0 && <Badge tone="slate">{money(spend.toFixed(2))}</Badge>}
         </div>
       </header>
+      {working && <div className="progress-strip" aria-hidden="true" />}
 
       {steps.length === 0 ? (
         <p className="flex items-center gap-2 px-4 py-8 text-sm text-faint">
@@ -121,7 +142,11 @@ export function AvaLive({
             : 'No steps recorded for this case.'}
         </p>
       ) : (
-        <ol className="max-h-[32rem] overflow-y-auto px-4">
+        <ol
+          ref={listRef}
+          onScroll={onScroll}
+          className={`overflow-y-auto px-4 ${fill ? 'max-h-[calc(100vh-21rem)] min-h-[24rem]' : 'max-h-[32rem]'}`}
+        >
           {steps.map((s, i) => {
             const m = meta(s.type);
             const Icon = m.icon;
@@ -196,6 +221,24 @@ export function AvaLive({
               </li>
             );
           })}
+          {working && (
+            <li className="flex items-center gap-3 py-3">
+              <span className="flex shrink-0 flex-col items-center gap-1 pt-0.5">
+                <span className="rounded-full bg-ai-soft p-1.5 text-ai ring-1 ring-ai-edge ring-inset">
+                  <Loader2 className="h-3.5 w-3.5 animate-spin" />
+                </span>
+                <span className="tnum text-[10px] text-faint">{steps.length + 1}</span>
+              </span>
+              <span className="min-w-0 flex-1">
+                <span className="text-[13px] font-semibold text-ai">Working on the next step</span>
+                <span className="mt-1 block text-xs text-muted">
+                  {last?.type === 'api' ? 'Reading the result and deciding what to query next' : 'Running'}
+                  {sinceLast >= 5 ? ` · ${Math.round(sinceLast)}s so far` : ''}
+                </span>
+              </span>
+              <span className="working-dots" aria-hidden="true"><i /><i /><i /></span>
+            </li>
+          )}
         </ol>
       )}
 
diff --git a/src/components/Findings.tsx b/src/components/Findings.tsx
index 3a7d862..f88a6d6 100644
--- a/src/components/Findings.tsx
+++ b/src/components/Findings.tsx
@@ -3,7 +3,8 @@ import { Link } from 'react-router-dom';
 import { AlertTriangle, CheckCircle2, ChevronDown, ExternalLink, FileSearch } from 'lucide-react';
 import type { Slice } from '../api/charts';
 import type { ReviewedFacts } from '../format';
-import { affectedClaimsHref, recoverableClaimsHref } from '../lib/claimsLink';
+import { affectedClaimsHref, filtersFromHref, recoverableClaimsHref } from '../lib/claimsLink';
+import { useQuery, useZino } from '../api/provider';
 import type { LinkDates } from '../lib/claimsLink';
 import { Badge, Card, Facts } from './core';
 import type { AvaDecision, AvaTraceStep, Row } from '../api/types';
@@ -39,14 +40,27 @@ export function Verdict({
   dataSpan?: { from: string; to: string } | null;
 }) {
   const summary = str(row.summary);
+  const affectedHref = affectedClaimsHref(kind, slice, dates);
+  const recoverableHref = recoverableClaimsHref(kind, slice, dates);
+  // THE COUNT COMES FROM THE DATA, NOT FROM AVA. She writes affected_claims
+  // into her decision; the lakehouse is asked for the exact rows the "See the
+  // claims" link opens, and that total is the number on the tile. Her figure
+  // is shown underneath only when it disagrees, so a discrepancy is visible
+  // rather than silently replaced.
+  const live = useLiveCount(affectedHref);
   if (!summary) return null;
   const line = prose(headline(summary));
   const scanned = str(row.scanned_summary);
-  const affectedHref = affectedClaimsHref(kind, slice, dates);
-  const recoverableHref = recoverableClaimsHref(kind, slice, dates);
   const atRisk = num(row.amount_at_risk);
   const recoverable = num(row.recoverable_amount);
-  const affected = num(row.affected_claims);
+  const reported = num(row.affected_claims);
+  const affected = live.count ?? reported;
+  const countNote =
+    live.count != null && reported != null && live.count !== reported
+      ? `AI analysis reported ${reported.toLocaleString('en-US')}; the lakehouse count is shown`
+      : live.count != null
+        ? 'counted from the lakehouse'
+        : undefined;
   const deadline = firstDeadline(row.recommendations, dates.anchor);
   const confidence = num(row.confidence);
   const reconciled = row.data_reconciled === true || str(row.data_reconciled) === 'true';
@@ -74,8 +88,9 @@ export function Verdict({
       <div className="grid gap-px bg-line sm:grid-cols-3">
         <Big
           label={kind === 'slow_payer' ? 'Claims unanswered' : kind === 'underpayment' ? 'Claims short-paid' : 'Claims denied'}
-          value={affected == null ? '—' : affected.toLocaleString('en-US')}
+          value={affected == null ? '—' : `${affected.toLocaleString('en-US')}${live.capped ? '+' : ''}`}
           href={affectedHref}
+          note={countNote}
         />
         <Big label="Money at stake" value={money(atRisk)} tone="bad" />
         <Big
@@ -399,6 +414,21 @@ export function Recheck({ row }: { row: Row }) {
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+/** The lakehouse's own count of the rows behind a claims link: one record-view
+ *  call with the link's filters and limit 1, reading pagination.total_count.
+ *  No link → nothing asked. */
+function useLiveCount(href: string | null): { count: number | null; capped: boolean } {
+  const { client } = useZino();
+  const q = useQuery(
+    () => client.recordView('dni-rv-claims', { page: 1, limit: 1, filters: filtersFromHref(href ?? '') }),
+    [href],
+    !!href,
+  );
+  const pg = q.data?.pagination;
+  const count = pg?.total_count ?? (q.data?.total as number | undefined) ?? null;
+  return { count: typeof count === 'number' ? count : null, capped: !!pg?.total_is_capped };
+}
+
 function Big({ label, value, tone, note, href }: { label: string; value: string; tone?: 'good' | 'bad'; note?: string; href?: string | null }) {
   const text = tone === 'good' ? 'text-good' : tone === 'bad' ? 'text-bad' : 'text-ink';
   const body = (
diff --git a/src/lib/claimsLink.ts b/src/lib/claimsLink.ts
index 6344518..cc3da3e 100644
--- a/src/lib/claimsLink.ts
+++ b/src/lib/claimsLink.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import type { Slice } from '../api/charts';
+import type { RecordFilter } from '../api/types';
 import { addDays, isDenialKind } from '../api/charts';
 
 /**
@@ -30,6 +31,47 @@ export type ClaimsQuery = Partial<Record<
   string
 >>;
 
+/** URL param → record-view column. The claims table and the finding tiles
+ *  both read this, so "the rows the link opens" and "the number on the tile"
+ *  are the same query by construction. */
+export const CLAIM_DIMS: Array<{ key: string; col: string; label: string }> = [
+  { key: 'payer', col: 'payer', label: 'Insurer' },
+  { key: 'department', col: 'department', label: 'Department' },
+  { key: 'status', col: 'status', label: 'Status' },
+  { key: 'code', col: 'denial_reason_code', label: 'Reason code' },
+  { key: 'appeal', col: 'appeal_status', label: 'Appeal' },
+  { key: 'site', col: 'site', label: 'Site' },
+  { key: 'desk', col: 'registration_desk', label: 'Desk' },
+  { key: 'provider', col: 'provider', label: 'Provider' },
+  { key: 'cpt', col: 'procedure_code', label: 'CPT' },
+  { key: 'category', col: 'denial_category', label: 'Denial category' },
+];
+export const CLAIM_RANGES: Array<{ from: string; to: string; col: string; label: string }> = [
+  { from: 'from', to: 'to', col: 'service_date', label: 'Service date' },
+  { from: 'sub_from', to: 'sub_to', col: 'submitted_date', label: 'Submitted' },
+  { from: 'dl_from', to: 'dl_to', col: 'appeal_deadline', label: 'Appeal deadline' },
+];
+
+/** The record-view filters a /claims URL (or its query string) stands for. */
+export function filtersFromParams(params: URLSearchParams): RecordFilter[] {
+  const f: RecordFilter[] = [];
+  for (const d of CLAIM_DIMS) {
+    const v = params.get(d.key);
+    if (v) f.push({ field_key: d.col, value: v, data_type: 'string' });
+  }
+  for (const r of CLAIM_RANGES) {
+    const a = params.get(r.from) ?? undefined;
+    const b = params.get(r.to) ?? undefined;
+    if (a || b) f.push({ field_key: r.col, data_type: 'date', range: { from: a, to: b } });
+  }
+  return f;
+}
+
+export function filtersFromHref(href: string): RecordFilter[] {
+  const qs = href.includes('?') ? href.slice(href.indexOf('?') + 1) : '';
+  return filtersFromParams(new URLSearchParams(qs));
+}
+
 export function claimsHref(q: ClaimsQuery): string {
   const p = new URLSearchParams();
   for (const [k, v] of Object.entries(q)) if (v) p.set(k, v);
diff --git a/src/screens/CaseScreen.tsx b/src/screens/CaseScreen.tsx
index 068bd5f..64e7318 100644
--- a/src/screens/CaseScreen.tsx
+++ b/src/screens/CaseScreen.tsx
@@ -116,10 +116,14 @@ export function CaseScreen() {
   if (cases.error) return <ErrorNote>{cases.error}</ErrorNote>;
   if (!row) return <ErrorNote>Case {id} not found.</ErrorNote>;
 
-  const work = <AvaLive steps={trace.data ?? []} decisions={decisions.data ?? []} working={aiOwned} />;
+  const running = aiOwned && !hasFindings;
+  const work = <AvaLive steps={trace.data ?? []} decisions={decisions.data ?? []} working={aiOwned} fill={running} />;
 
+  // While the review runs there is nothing else on the page, so the trace is
+  // given the width and height of the screen; once findings exist the page
+  // narrows back to reading width.
   return (
-    <div className="mx-auto max-w-5xl space-y-4">
+    <div className={`mx-auto space-y-4 ${running ? 'max-w-7xl' : 'max-w-5xl'}`}>
       <div className="flex flex-wrap items-center gap-3">
         <Link to="/q/review" className="inline-flex items-center gap-1.5 text-sm text-muted hover:text-ink">
           <ArrowLeft className="h-4 w-4" /> Back
diff --git a/src/screens/ClaimsScreen.tsx b/src/screens/ClaimsScreen.tsx
index 2af93f2..e363769 100644
--- a/src/screens/ClaimsScreen.tsx
+++ b/src/screens/ClaimsScreen.tsx
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import type { Tone } from '../api/config';
 import type { RecordFilter, Row } from '../api/types';
 import { Badge, ErrorNote, Input, Select, Spinner } from '../components/core';
 import { CARC, money, num, shortDate, str } from '../format';
+import { CLAIM_DIMS, CLAIM_RANGES, filtersFromParams } from '../lib/claimsLink';
 
 /**
  * The claims table — the lakehouse rows themselves, read-only.
@@ -22,24 +23,8 @@ import { CARC, money, num, shortDate, str } from '../format';
 
 const PAGE = 50;
 
-/** URL param → record-view column. */
-const DIMS: Array<{ key: string; col: string; label: string }> = [
-  { key: 'payer', col: 'payer', label: 'Insurer' },
-  { key: 'department', col: 'department', label: 'Department' },
-  { key: 'status', col: 'status', label: 'Status' },
-  { key: 'code', col: 'denial_reason_code', label: 'Reason code' },
-  { key: 'appeal', col: 'appeal_status', label: 'Appeal' },
-  { key: 'site', col: 'site', label: 'Site' },
-  { key: 'desk', col: 'registration_desk', label: 'Desk' },
-  { key: 'provider', col: 'provider', label: 'Provider' },
-  { key: 'cpt', col: 'procedure_code', label: 'CPT' },
-  { key: 'category', col: 'denial_category', label: 'Denial category' },
-];
-const RANGES: Array<{ from: string; to: string; col: string; label: string }> = [
-  { from: 'from', to: 'to', col: 'service_date', label: 'Service date' },
-  { from: 'sub_from', to: 'sub_to', col: 'submitted_date', label: 'Submitted' },
-  { from: 'dl_from', to: 'dl_to', col: 'appeal_deadline', label: 'Appeal deadline' },
-];
+const DIMS = CLAIM_DIMS;
+const RANGES = CLAIM_RANGES;
 
 const STATUS_TONE: Record<string, Tone> = { paid: 'emerald', partial: 'amber', denied: 'rose', pending: 'slate' };
 const APPEAL_LABEL: Record<string, string> = { not_filed: 'not filed', filed: 'filed', overturned: 'overturned', upheld: 'upheld' };
@@ -53,19 +38,7 @@ export function ClaimsScreen() {
   const [draft, setDraft] = useState(search);
   useEffect(() => setDraft(search), [search]);
 
-  const filters = useMemo<RecordFilter[]>(() => {
-    const f: RecordFilter[] = [];
-    for (const d of DIMS) {
-      const v = params.get(d.key);
-      if (v) f.push({ field_key: d.col, value: v, data_type: 'string' });
-    }
-    for (const r of RANGES) {
-      const a = params.get(r.from) ?? undefined;
-      const b = params.get(r.to) ?? undefined;
-      if (a || b) f.push({ field_key: r.col, data_type: 'date', range: { from: a, to: b } });
-    }
-    return f;
-  }, [params]);
+  const filters = useMemo<RecordFilter[]>(() => filtersFromParams(params), [params]);
   const filtered = filters.length > 0 || !!search;
 
   const key = params.toString();
diff --git a/src/styles.css b/src/styles.css
index dae38c6..6c461c8 100644
--- a/src/styles.css
+++ b/src/styles.css
@@ -241,3 +241,35 @@ body {
   white-space: pre-wrap;
   word-break: break-word;
 }
+
+/* Review in progress: an indeterminate strip under the trace header, and
+   three breathing dots on the "working" row. Both honour reduced motion. */
+@keyframes nl-slide {
+  0% { transform: translateX(-100%); }
+  100% { transform: translateX(300%); }
+}
+.progress-strip {
+  position: relative;
+  height: 3px;
+  overflow: hidden;
+  background: color-mix(in srgb, var(--color-ai) 18%, transparent);
+}
+.progress-strip::after {
+  content: '';
+  position: absolute;
+  inset: 0 auto 0 0;
+  width: 33%;
+  background: var(--color-ai);
+  animation: nl-slide 1.8s ease-in-out infinite;
+}
+.working-dots { display: inline-flex; gap: 4px; align-items: center; }
+.working-dots i {
+  width: 6px; height: 6px; border-radius: 9999px;
+  background: var(--color-ai);
+  animation: nl-pulse 1.2s ease-in-out infinite;
+}
+.working-dots i:nth-child(2) { animation-delay: 0.2s; }
+.working-dots i:nth-child(3) { animation-delay: 0.4s; }
+@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
+  .progress-strip::after, .working-dots i { animation: none; }
+}