diff --git a/src/features/chat/panel/surface/composer-projection.tsx b/src/features/chat/panel/surface/composer-projection.tsx
index 0b427a5d..e8bed7f4 100644
--- a/src/features/chat/panel/surface/composer-projection.tsx
+++ b/src/features/chat/panel/surface/composer-projection.tsx
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ interface RuntimeComposerChoicesInput {
 }
 
 function composerPlaceholder(threadName: string | null): string {
-  return threadName ? `Ask Codex to work on “${threadName}”...` : "Ask Codex to work on this task...";
+  return threadName ? `Ask Codex in “${threadName}”...` : "Ask Codex...";
 }
 
 export function ChatPanelComposer({
diff --git a/src/features/chat/ui/composer.tsx b/src/features/chat/ui/composer.tsx
index f66a2119..7c956a6c 100644
--- a/src/features/chat/ui/composer.tsx
+++ b/src/features/chat/ui/composer.tsx
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ export function ComposerShell({
         <textarea
           ref={composerRef}
           className="codex-panel-ui__text-input codex-panel__composer-input"
-          placeholder={sendMode.canInterrupt ? "Add steering message..." : normalPlaceholder}
+          placeholder={sendMode.canInterrupt ? "Steer the current turn..." : normalPlaceholder}
           role="combobox"
           aria-autocomplete="list"
           aria-expanded={suggestions.length > 0 ? "true" : "false"}
diff --git a/tests/features/chat/host/view-connection.test.ts b/tests/features/chat/host/view-connection.test.ts
index 1778abca..5bb3f421 100644
--- a/tests/features/chat/host/view-connection.test.ts
+++ b/tests/features/chat/host/view-connection.test.ts
@@ -597,17 +597,17 @@ describe("CodexChatView connection lifecycle", () => {
     await view.setState({ threadId: "thread-1", threadTitle: "Restored title" }, {} as never);
     await view.onOpen();
 
-    expect(composerPlaceholder(view)).toBe("Ask Codex to work on this task...");
+    expect(composerPlaceholder(view)).toBe("Ask Codex...");
 
     host.threadCatalog.apply({ type: "active-list-snapshot-received", threads: [panelThread({ id: "thread-1", name: "Explicit name" })] });
     await waitForAsyncWork(() => {
-      expect(composerPlaceholder(view)).toBe("Ask Codex to work on this task...");
+      expect(composerPlaceholder(view)).toBe("Ask Codex...");
     });
 
     view.surface.applyThreadRenamed("thread-1", "Explicit name");
 
     await waitForAsyncWork(() => {
-      expect(composerPlaceholder(view)).toBe("Ask Codex to work on this task...");
+      expect(composerPlaceholder(view)).toBe("Ask Codex...");
     });
   });
 
@@ -633,7 +633,7 @@ describe("CodexChatView connection lifecycle", () => {
       expect(composer.value).toBe("keep this draft");
       expect(composer.selectionStart).toBe(5);
       expect(composer.selectionEnd).toBe(9);
-      expect(composer.getAttribute("placeholder")).toBe("Ask Codex to work on “Renamed thread”...");
+      expect(composer.getAttribute("placeholder")).toBe("Ask Codex in “Renamed thread”...");
     });
   });
 
diff --git a/tests/features/chat/panel/composer-controller.test.ts b/tests/features/chat/panel/composer-controller.test.ts
index db058257..fcad0425 100644
--- a/tests/features/chat/panel/composer-controller.test.ts
+++ b/tests/features/chat/panel/composer-controller.test.ts
@@ -896,7 +896,7 @@ function skill(name: string): SkillMetadata {
 
 function defaultComposerProjection(_model: ChatPanelComposerReadModel) {
   return {
-    placeholder: "Ask Codex to work on this task...",
+    placeholder: "Ask Codex...",
     meta: {
       fatal: null,
       context: {
diff --git a/tests/features/chat/panel/shell.test.tsx b/tests/features/chat/panel/shell.test.tsx
index 03c68784..1fa139b0 100644
--- a/tests/features/chat/panel/shell.test.tsx
+++ b/tests/features/chat/panel/shell.test.tsx
@@ -443,7 +443,7 @@ function shellParts(
             draft: model.draft.value,
             busy: false,
             canInterrupt: false,
-            normalPlaceholder: "Ask Codex to work on this task...",
+            normalPlaceholder: "Ask Codex...",
             suggestions: [],
             selectedSuggestionIndex: 0,
             callbacks: {
@@ -519,7 +519,7 @@ function contextProvider(
 
 function composerProjectionFixture(_model: ChatPanelComposerReadModel) {
   return {
-    placeholder: "Ask Codex to work on this task...",
+    placeholder: "Ask Codex...",
     meta: {
       fatal: null,
       context: {
diff --git a/tests/features/chat/panel/surface/projections.test.ts b/tests/features/chat/panel/surface/projections.test.ts
index bb7f6b41..ad289179 100644
--- a/tests/features/chat/panel/surface/projections.test.ts
+++ b/tests/features/chat/panel/surface/projections.test.ts
@@ -385,7 +385,7 @@ describe("chat panel surface projections", () => {
     const projection = composerProjectionFromState(composerProjectionActionsFixture(), state);
 
     expect(projection).toMatchObject({
-      placeholder: "Ask Codex to work on this task...",
+      placeholder: "Ask Codex...",
       meta: {
         model: "gpt-5.5",
         effort: "high",
@@ -400,12 +400,8 @@ describe("chat panel surface projections", () => {
     activeState = chatStateWith(activeState, { activeThread: { id: "thread-1" } });
     activeState = chatStateWith(activeState, { threadList: { listedThreads: [threadFixture("thread-1", "Active")] } });
 
-    expect(composerProjectionFromState(composerProjectionActionsFixture(), activeState).placeholder).toBe(
-      "Ask Codex to work on “Active”...",
-    );
-    expect(composerProjectionFromState(composerProjectionActionsFixture(), chatStateFixture()).placeholder).toBe(
-      "Ask Codex to work on this task...",
-    );
+    expect(composerProjectionFromState(composerProjectionActionsFixture(), activeState).placeholder).toBe("Ask Codex in “Active”...");
+    expect(composerProjectionFromState(composerProjectionActionsFixture(), chatStateFixture()).placeholder).toBe("Ask Codex...");
   });
 
   it("projects goal editor and disclosure state before action wiring", () => {
diff --git a/tests/features/chat/panel/toolbar-archive-state.test.tsx b/tests/features/chat/panel/toolbar-archive-state.test.tsx
index 2048ffb7..780ff29e 100644
--- a/tests/features/chat/panel/toolbar-archive-state.test.tsx
+++ b/tests/features/chat/panel/toolbar-archive-state.test.tsx
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ function shellParts(store: ReturnType<typeof createChatStateStore>, toolbarPanel
           draft: "",
           busy: false,
           canInterrupt: false,
-          normalPlaceholder: "Ask Codex to work on this task...",
+          normalPlaceholder: "Ask Codex...",
           suggestions: [],
           selectedSuggestionIndex: 0,
           callbacks: {
diff --git a/tests/features/chat/ui/composer.test.ts b/tests/features/chat/ui/composer.test.ts
index 6053963e..c31eac45 100644
--- a/tests/features/chat/ui/composer.test.ts
+++ b/tests/features/chat/ui/composer.test.ts
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ describe("ComposerShell decisions", () => {
   it("renders composer meta as interactive context and runtime text without changing normal text", () => {
     const parent = document.createElement("div");
 
-    mountComposerShell(parent, "view", "", false, false, "Ask Codex to work on this task...", [], 0, composerCallbacks(), {
+    mountComposerShell(parent, "view", "", false, false, "Ask Codex...", [], 0, composerCallbacks(), {
       fatal: null,
       context: {
         cells: [
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ describe("ComposerShell decisions", () => {
     const selectModel = vi.fn();
     const selectEffort = vi.fn();
 
-    mountComposerShell(parent, "view", "", false, false, "Ask Codex to work on this task...", [], 0, callbacks, {
+    mountComposerShell(parent, "view", "", false, false, "Ask Codex...", [], 0, callbacks, {
       fatal: null,
       context: {
         cells: [
@@ -234,7 +234,7 @@ describe("ComposerShell decisions", () => {
   it("hides composer meta fields only after measured overflow", async () => {
     const parent = document.createElement("div");
 
-    mountComposerShell(parent, "view", "", false, false, "Ask Codex to work on this task...", [], 0, composerCallbacks(), {
+    mountComposerShell(parent, "view", "", false, false, "Ask Codex...", [], 0, composerCallbacks(), {
       fatal: null,
       context: {
         cells: [
@@ -277,7 +277,7 @@ describe("ComposerShell decisions", () => {
   it("replaces composer meta with fatal status text", () => {
     const parent = document.createElement("div");
 
-    mountComposerShell(parent, "view", "", false, false, "Ask Codex to work on this task...", [], 0, composerCallbacks(), {
+    mountComposerShell(parent, "view", "", false, false, "Ask Codex...", [], 0, composerCallbacks(), {
       fatal: "Codex app-server disconnected",
       context: {
         cells: [
@@ -310,7 +310,7 @@ describe("ComposerShell decisions", () => {
       "",
       false,
       false,
-      "Ask Codex to work on this task...",
+      "Ask Codex...",
       [{ display: "/help", detail: "Show help", replacement: "/help", start: 0 }],
       0,
       {
@@ -344,13 +344,13 @@ describe("ComposerShell decisions", () => {
       "",
       false,
       false,
-      "Ask Codex to work on this task...",
+      "Ask Codex...",
       [{ display: "/help", detail: "Show help", replacement: "/help", start: 0 }],
       0,
       callbacks,
     );
 
-    mountComposerShell(parent, "view", "", false, false, "Ask Codex to work on this task...", [], 0, callbacks);
+    mountComposerShell(parent, "view", "", false, false, "Ask Codex...", [], 0, callbacks);
 
     const suggestions = parent.querySelector<HTMLElement>(".codex-panel__composer-suggestions");
     expect(composer.getAttribute("aria-expanded")).toBe("false");
@@ -361,7 +361,7 @@ describe("ComposerShell decisions", () => {
   it("reports composer draft changes from the controlled input", () => {
     const parent = document.createElement("div");
     const callbacks = composerCallbacks();
-    const { composer } = mountComposerShell(parent, "view", "", false, false, "Ask Codex to work on this task...", [], 0, callbacks);
+    const { composer } = mountComposerShell(parent, "view", "", false, false, "Ask Codex...", [], 0, callbacks);
 
     changeInputValue(composer, "Draft text");
 
@@ -378,7 +378,7 @@ describe("ComposerShell decisions", () => {
       configurable: true,
     });
     try {
-      const { composer } = mountComposerShell(parent, "view", "", false, false, "Ask Codex to work on this task...", [], 0, callbacks);
+      const { composer } = mountComposerShell(parent, "view", "", false, false, "Ask Codex...", [], 0, callbacks);
 
       scrollHeight = 120;
       changeInputValue(composer, "line one\nline two");
@@ -413,7 +413,7 @@ describe("ComposerShell decisions", () => {
           draft: "line one\nline two",
           busy: false,
           canInterrupt: false,
-          normalPlaceholder: "Ask Codex to work on this task...",
+          normalPlaceholder: "Ask Codex...",
           suggestions: [],
           selectedSuggestionIndex: 0,
           callbacks,
@@ -450,7 +450,7 @@ describe("ComposerShell decisions", () => {
           draft: "",
           busy: false,
           canInterrupt: false,
-          normalPlaceholder: "Ask Codex to work on this task...",
+          normalPlaceholder: "Ask Codex...",
           suggestions: [],
           selectedSuggestionIndex: 0,
           callbacks,
@@ -530,20 +530,20 @@ describe("ComposerShell decisions", () => {
   it("uses the composer action for interrupt only when a running turn has no steering text", () => {
     const parent = document.createElement("div");
     const callbacks = composerCallbacks();
-    const { composer } = mountComposerShell(parent, "view", "", true, true, "Ask Codex to work on this task...", [], 0, callbacks);
+    const { composer } = mountComposerShell(parent, "view", "", true, true, "Ask Codex...", [], 0, callbacks);
     let sendButton = parent.querySelector<HTMLButtonElement>(".codex-panel__send");
 
     expect(sendButton?.getAttribute("aria-label")).toBe("Interrupt");
-    expect(composer.getAttribute("placeholder")).toBe("Add steering message...");
+    expect(composer.getAttribute("placeholder")).toBe("Steer the current turn...");
     expect(composer.getAttribute("aria-label")).toBeNull();
     expect(sendButton?.classList.contains("is-interrupt")).toBe(true);
     expect(sendButton?.classList.contains("is-steer")).toBe(false);
     expect(sendButton?.dataset["icon"]).toBe("square");
 
-    mountComposerShell(parent, "view", "adjust course", true, true, "Ask Codex to work on this task...", [], 0, callbacks);
+    mountComposerShell(parent, "view", "adjust course", true, true, "Ask Codex...", [], 0, callbacks);
     sendButton = parent.querySelector<HTMLButtonElement>(".codex-panel__send");
     expect(sendButton?.getAttribute("aria-label")).toBe("Steer");
-    expect(composer.getAttribute("placeholder")).toBe("Add steering message...");
+    expect(composer.getAttribute("placeholder")).toBe("Steer the current turn...");
     expect(sendButton?.classList.contains("is-interrupt")).toBe(false);
     expect(sendButton?.classList.contains("is-steer")).toBe(true);
     expect(sendButton?.dataset["icon"]).toBe("corner-down-right");