diff --git a/components/reasoning-workspace.jsx b/components/reasoning-workspace.jsx
index 713a9f2..4176e7b 100644
--- a/components/reasoning-workspace.jsx
+++ b/components/reasoning-workspace.jsx
@@ -599,86 +599,10 @@ function ThreadContributionsBadge({ nodeId, contributions, findings }) {
   );
   if (!threadContribs.length) return null;
 
-  // Show most recent contribution summary inline
-  const latest = threadContribs[threadContribs.length - 1];
-
-  const nonEmptyGroups = [];
-  for (const key of ["observations", "uncertainties", "assumptions", "relationships"]) {
-    const arr = latest[key];
-    if (Array.isArray(arr) && arr.length > 0) nonEmptyGroups.push(key);
-  }
-
   return (
-    <div className="mt-3">
-      {/* Thread activity cue: visible when this node has focused investigation history */}
-      <span className="mb-1 block text-[9px] uppercase tracking-widest font-semibold text-amber-500/70">
-        INVESTIGATING
-      </span>
-      {/* Thread learning indicator — collapsed by default; user can expand to inspect history */}
-      <details open={false} className="rounded-lg border border-gray-200/80 bg-white/60">
-        <summary className="cursor-pointer px-3 py-1.5 text-xs font-medium text-gray-600 hover:text-gray-800 select-none">
-          📝 {threadContribs.length} learned contribution{threadContribs.length !== 1 ? "s" : ""}
-        </summary>
-        <div className="px-3 pb-3 pt-1 space-y-4">
-          {/* All contributions listed in order */}
-          {threadContribs.map((c, idx) => (
-            <div key={c.id || idx} className="space-y-2">
-              {idx > 0 && <div className="text-[9px] text-gray-400 tracking-wider uppercase mt-3">Contribution #{c.sequence || idx + 1}</div>}
-              {/* What this tells us — via canonical Findings */}
-              {(() => {
-                const propositions = getHistoricalPropositions(c, findings);
-                return propositions.length ? (
-                  <div>
-                    <h4 className="text-[10px] font-semibold tracking-widest uppercase text-gray-500">What this tells us</h4>
-                    <ul className="list-disc pl-5 space-y-0.5">
-                      {propositions.map((o, i) => (
-                        <li key={i} className="text-xs leading-relaxed text-gray-700">{o}</li>
-                      ))}
-                    </ul>
-                  </div>
-                ) : null;
-              })()}
-
-              {/* Still unclear */}
-              {c.uncertainties?.length ? (
-                <div>
-                  <h4 className="text-[10px] font-semibold tracking-widest uppercase text-gray-500">Still unclear</h4>
-                  <ul className="list-disc pl-5 space-y-0.5">
-                    {c.uncertainties.map((u, i) => (
-                      <li key={i} className="text-xs leading-relaxed text-gray-700">{u}</li>
-                    ))}
-                  </ul>
-                </div>
-              ) : null}
-
-              {/* Assumptions */}
-              {c.assumptions?.length ? (
-                <div>
-                  <h4 className="text-[10px] font-semibold tracking-widest uppercase text-gray-500">Assumptions</h4>
-                  <ul className="list-disc pl-5 space-y-0.5">
-                    {c.assumptions.map((a, i) => (
-                      <li key={i} className="text-xs leading-relaxed text-gray-700">{a}</li>
-                    ))}
-                  </ul>
-                </div>
-              ) : null}
-
-              {/* Connections */}
-              {c.relationships?.length ? (
-                <div>
-                  <h4 className="text-[10px] font-semibold tracking-widest uppercase text-gray-500">Connections</h4>
-                  <ul className="list-disc pl-5 space-y-0.5">
-                    {c.relationships.map((r, i) => (
-                      <li key={i} className="text-xs leading-relaxed text-gray-700">{r.from} → {r.to} ({r.type})</li>
-                    ))}
-                  </ul>
-                </div>
-              ) : null}
-            </div>
-          ))}
-        </div>
-      </details>
-    </div>
+    <span className="mt-2 block text-[9px] uppercase tracking-widest font-semibold text-amber-500/70">
+      INVESTIGATING · {threadContribs.length} learned contribution{threadContribs.length !== 1 ? "s" : ""}
+    </span>
   );
 }
 
@@ -1233,7 +1157,7 @@ function OpenQuestionsPanel({
                   onUpdateFindingProposition={onUpdateFindingProposition}
                 />
 
-                {/* Thread contributions for this node */}
+                {/* Thread contributions for this node — compact cue inside card */}
                 <ThreadContributionsBadge nodeId={node.id} contributions={focusedContributions || []} findings={findings} />
               </div>
             </div>
@@ -1832,8 +1756,8 @@ export default function ReasoningWorkspace({
                                     <p className="mt-1.5 text-xs leading-snug text-gray-500">{node.description}</p>
                                   )}
                                   {!isFocused && <span className="mt-2 block text-[10px] uppercase tracking-wider text-gray-400">Unclear</span>}
+                                  <ThreadContributionsBadge nodeId={node.id} contributions={focusedContributions || []} findings={findings} />
                                 </button>
-                                <ThreadContributionsBadge nodeId={node.id} contributions={focusedContributions || []} findings={findings} />
                               </div>
                             );
                           })}
diff --git a/docs/current-handoff.md b/docs/current-handoff.md
index 865c6c5..6395d54 100644
--- a/docs/current-handoff.md
+++ b/docs/current-handoff.md
@@ -1946,3 +1946,28 @@ Target node: `n58lwnx`
 - do not create a fresh scenario unless an experiment explicitly requires one;
 - if this investigation is absent, report TEST-STATE MISSING rather than diagnosing persistence failure;
 - structural/relative assertions only for LLM output — no exact prose dependency.
+
+## v0.49.6 — OPEN QUESTION ACTIVITY VISIBILITY — VERIFIED
+
+- **Status:** CLOSED / CHECKPOINTED
+- `INVESTIGATING` is an activity/history cue independent from epistemic `Unclear`
+- overview presentation is compact and non-expandable: `INVESTIGATING · N learned contribution(s)`
+- cue lives inside the originating Open Question card
+- activity derives from canonical focused Contributions using: `targetNodeId OR originatingTargetNodeId`
+- investigated card was live verified after return from workspace
+- untouched question remained without activity cue
+- cue survived cold reload
+- Open Question card remains the route into detailed investigation history
+- zero LLM calls during verification
+- targeted tests: 89 PASS
+- build: PASS
+
+### Unresolved boundaries (no diagnosis)
+
+- completed-turn vs active-turn reconstruction
+- empty response textarea against an already-completed historical question
+- `Back to open questions` lifecycle
+- top-right `Close investigation` wording / likely `Close workspace`
+- `Done for now` remains a separate semantic action
+
+**Next boundary:** FOCUSED WORKSPACE COMPLETED-TURN / ACTIVE-TURN LIFECYCLE