diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/chat/ComposerActivityStatus.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/chat/ComposerActivityStatus.tsx
index 49d4bece350d..3d6f5b763b95 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/chat/ComposerActivityStatus.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/chat/ComposerActivityStatus.tsx
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ export function ComposerActivityRow({ phase }: { readonly phase: ThreadSyncPhase
   return (
     <ComposerBanner.Row>
       <ComposerBanner.Icon>
-        <LoaderCircleIcon className="motion-safe:animate-spin" />
+        <LoaderCircleIcon />
       </ComposerBanner.Icon>
       <ComposerBanner.Content>
         <span
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/chat/ComposerServerUpdateStatus.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/chat/ComposerServerUpdateStatus.tsx
index 4c337c3b3704..e647f6cff678 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/chat/ComposerServerUpdateStatus.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/chat/ComposerServerUpdateStatus.tsx
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ export function ComposerServerUpdateIcon({
   readonly status: ServerUpdateState["status"];
 }) {
   if (status === "running") {
-    return <LoaderCircleIcon aria-hidden className="motion-safe:animate-spin" />;
+    return <LoaderCircleIcon aria-hidden />;
   }
   if (status === "failed") {
     return <CircleAlertIcon aria-hidden className="text-error" />;
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/chat/MessagesTimeline.test.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/chat/MessagesTimeline.test.tsx
index 83a6719a6c10..7cb64023d0e4 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/chat/MessagesTimeline.test.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/chat/MessagesTimeline.test.tsx
@@ -1203,7 +1203,7 @@ describe("MessagesTimeline", () => {
     expect(markup).not.toContain('aria-label="Hidden work includes a failure"');
   });
 
-  it("shows the animated one-line label for a live tool group", () => {
+  it("shows the one-line label for a live tool group", () => {
     const turnId = TurnId.make("turn-live");
     const markup = renderToStaticMarkup(
       <MessagesTimeline
@@ -1240,7 +1240,6 @@ describe("MessagesTimeline", () => {
 
     expect(markup).toContain("Working for");
     expect(markup).toContain("Running pnpm");
-    expect(markup).toContain("live-activity-focus");
   });
 
   it("scopes a live row failure to the tool named by the row", () => {
@@ -1358,7 +1357,6 @@ describe("MessagesTimeline", () => {
 
     expect(markup).toContain("Running pnpm");
     expect(markup).toContain("lucide-terminal");
-    expect(markup).toContain("live-activity-focus");
     expect(markup).not.toContain("Ran pnpm");
     expect(markup).not.toContain("Thinking");
     expect(markup).not.toContain('data-timeline-row-kind="thinking"');
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/chat/MessagesTimeline.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/chat/MessagesTimeline.tsx
index 50dd76e99af2..035a37689873 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/chat/MessagesTimeline.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/chat/MessagesTimeline.tsx
@@ -1614,17 +1614,9 @@ function WorkingTimelineRow({ row }: { row: Extract<TimelineRow, { kind: "workin
           className="relative shrink-0 overflow-hidden whitespace-nowrap transition-opacity duration-150 starting:opacity-0 motion-reduce:transition-none"
         >
           {isPreparingWorktree ? (
-            <>
-              Setting up worktree…
-              <ActivityShimmerOverlay>Setting up worktree…</ActivityShimmerOverlay>
-            </>
+            "Setting up worktree…"
           ) : isCompacting ? (
-            <>
-              <CompactingLabel />
-              <ActivityShimmerOverlay>
-                <CompactingLabel />
-              </ActivityShimmerOverlay>
-            </>
+            <CompactingLabel />
           ) : row.createdAt ? (
             <>
               Working for <WorkingTimer createdAt={row.createdAt} />
@@ -1878,19 +1870,6 @@ function ExpandedWorkGroupEntries({
 
 const workEntryKey = (entry: TimelineWorkEntry) => entry.id;
 
-function ActivityShimmerOverlay({ children }: { children: ReactNode }) {
-  return (
-    <span
-      aria-hidden
-      className="live-activity-focus pointer-events-none absolute inset-y-0 select-none"
-    >
-      <span className="live-activity-focus-counter block">
-        <span className="live-activity-focus-aligned block text-foreground">{children}</span>
-      </span>
-    </span>
-  );
-}
-
 const failedToolIconClassName = "text-tool-error-icon/40";
 
 /** Image icons and the gradient computer-use mark cannot take a currentColor
@@ -1914,7 +1893,7 @@ function LiveActivityRow({
   failed?: boolean;
 }) {
   return (
-    <div className="relative min-h-6 w-fit max-w-full min-w-0 overflow-hidden rounded-md text-sm leading-relaxed">
+    <div className="min-h-6 w-fit max-w-full min-w-0 overflow-hidden rounded-md text-sm leading-relaxed">
       <LiveActivityContent
         label={label}
         iconName={iconName}
@@ -1922,15 +1901,6 @@ function LiveActivityRow({
         failed={failed}
         announceFailure={failed}
       />
-      <ActivityShimmerOverlay>
-        <LiveActivityContent
-          label={label}
-          iconName={iconName}
-          toolIcon={toolIcon}
-          failed={failed}
-          highlighted
-        />
-      </ActivityShimmerOverlay>
     </div>
   );
 }
@@ -1941,14 +1911,12 @@ function LiveActivityContent({
   toolIcon,
   failed = false,
   announceFailure = false,
-  highlighted = false,
 }: {
   label: string;
   iconName: WorkEntryIconName | undefined;
   toolIcon?: ToolActivityIcon | undefined;
   failed?: boolean;
   announceFailure?: boolean;
-  highlighted?: boolean;
 }) {
   const showTrailingFailureMark =
     failed && iconName !== undefined && !toolIconAcceptsTint(iconName, toolIcon);
@@ -1958,14 +1926,14 @@ function LiveActivityContent({
       className={cn(
         "flex min-h-6 min-w-0 items-center gap-1.5 py-0.5",
         iconName ? "px-0.5" : "px-1",
-        highlighted ? "text-foreground" : "text-secondary-label",
+        "text-secondary-label",
       )}
     >
       {iconName ? (
         <span
           className={cn(
             "flex size-6 shrink-0 items-center justify-center",
-            highlighted ? "text-foreground" : failed ? failedToolIconClassName : "text-icon-muted",
+            failed ? failedToolIconClassName : "text-icon-muted",
           )}
           role={announceFailure ? "img" : undefined}
           aria-label={announceFailure ? "Tool call failed" : undefined}
@@ -1974,16 +1942,13 @@ function LiveActivityContent({
             icon={toolIcon}
             fallbackName={iconName}
             className="block size-4 shrink-0 stroke-[1.8]"
-            muted={!highlighted}
+            muted
           />
         </span>
       ) : null}
       <span className="min-w-0 flex-1 truncate">{label}</span>
       {showTrailingFailureMark ? (
-        <XIcon
-          aria-hidden
-          className={cn("size-3 shrink-0", !highlighted && failedToolIconClassName)}
-        />
+        <XIcon aria-hidden className={cn("size-3 shrink-0", failedToolIconClassName)} />
       ) : null}
     </span>
   );
@@ -2002,24 +1967,12 @@ function LiveWorkEntryTimelineRow({ row }: { row: Extract<TimelineRow, { kind: "
       aria-expanded={row.expanded}
       onClick={() => ctx.onToggleWorkGroup(row.groupId, row.id)}
     >
-      {row.active ? (
-        <LiveActivityRow
-          label={label}
-          iconName={workEntryIconName(row.entry)}
-          toolIcon={row.entry.toolIcon ?? row.entry.toolSource?.icon}
-          failed={failed}
-        />
-      ) : (
-        <div className="min-h-6 w-fit max-w-full min-w-0 overflow-hidden rounded-md text-sm leading-relaxed">
-          <LiveActivityContent
-            label={label}
-            iconName={workEntryIconName(row.entry)}
-            toolIcon={row.entry.toolIcon ?? row.entry.toolSource?.icon}
-            failed={failed}
-            announceFailure={failed}
-          />
-        </div>
-      )}
+      <LiveActivityRow
+        label={label}
+        iconName={workEntryIconName(row.entry)}
+        toolIcon={row.entry.toolIcon ?? row.entry.toolSource?.icon}
+        failed={failed}
+      />
     </button>
   );
 }
diff --git a/apps/web/src/index.css b/apps/web/src/index.css
index 63dc9e21c094..54bb5b70d5fa 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/index.css
+++ b/apps/web/src/index.css
@@ -425,80 +425,6 @@ html[data-mobile-composer-route-transition="true"]::view-transition-old(t3-mobil
   }
 }
 
-@keyframes live-activity-focus {
-  0% {
-    transform: translateX(0);
-  }
-  100% {
-    transform: translateX(100%);
-  }
-}
-
-@keyframes live-activity-focus-counter {
-  0% {
-    transform: translateX(0);
-  }
-  100% {
-    transform: translateX(-100%);
-  }
-}
-
-@utility live-activity-focus {
-  --live-activity-focus-width: 4.5rem;
-
-  right: auto;
-  left: calc(-1 * var(--live-activity-focus-width));
-  width: calc(100% + var(--live-activity-focus-width) + var(--live-activity-focus-width));
-  -webkit-mask-image: linear-gradient(
-    to right,
-    transparent 0,
-    rgb(0 0 0 / 12%) 0.675rem,
-    rgb(0 0 0 / 55%) 1.575rem,
-    black 2.25rem,
-    rgb(0 0 0 / 55%) 2.925rem,
-    rgb(0 0 0 / 12%) 3.825rem,
-    transparent var(--live-activity-focus-width),
-    transparent 100%
-  );
-  -webkit-mask-repeat: no-repeat;
-  mask-image: linear-gradient(
-    to right,
-    transparent 0,
-    rgb(0 0 0 / 12%) 0.675rem,
-    rgb(0 0 0 / 55%) 1.575rem,
-    black 2.25rem,
-    rgb(0 0 0 / 55%) 2.925rem,
-    rgb(0 0 0 / 12%) 3.825rem,
-    transparent var(--live-activity-focus-width),
-    transparent 100%
-  );
-  mask-repeat: no-repeat;
-  animation: live-activity-focus 2.2s linear infinite;
-  will-change: transform;
-
-  @media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
-    animation: none;
-    opacity: 0;
-    will-change: auto;
-  }
-}
-
-@utility live-activity-focus-counter {
-  width: 100%;
-  animation: live-activity-focus-counter 2.2s linear infinite;
-  will-change: transform;
-
-  @media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
-    animation: none;
-    will-change: auto;
-  }
-}
-
-@utility live-activity-focus-aligned {
-  width: calc(100% - var(--live-activity-focus-width) - var(--live-activity-focus-width));
-  margin-left: var(--live-activity-focus-width);
-}
-
 @property --assistant-citation-highlight-opacity {
   syntax: "<number>";
   inherits: true;
@@ -1906,24 +1832,6 @@ code {
   color: var(--code-foreground) !important;
 }
 
-@keyframes ultrathink-rainbow {
-  0% {
-    background-position: 0% 50%;
-  }
-  100% {
-    background-position: 200% 50%;
-  }
-}
-
-@keyframes ultrathink-chroma-shift {
-  0% {
-    filter: hue-rotate(0deg) saturate(1.2);
-  }
-  100% {
-    filter: hue-rotate(360deg) saturate(1.2);
-  }
-}
-
 .ultrathink-frame {
   --ultrathink-spectrum: linear-gradient(
     120deg,
@@ -1946,6 +1854,7 @@ code {
   padding: 2px;
   background-image: var(--ultrathink-spectrum);
   background-size: 220% 220%;
+  background-position: 0% 50%;
   pointer-events: none;
   filter: saturate(0.82) brightness(0.92);
   -webkit-mask:
@@ -1956,7 +1865,6 @@ code {
     linear-gradient(#000 0 0) content-box,
     linear-gradient(#000 0 0);
   mask-composite: exclude;
-  animation: ultrathink-rainbow 10s linear infinite;
 }
 
 .ultrathink-frame > * {
@@ -1964,7 +1872,7 @@ code {
 }
 
 .ultrathink-chroma {
-  animation: ultrathink-chroma-shift 10s linear infinite;
+  filter: saturate(1.2);
 }
 
 @keyframes preview-loading-progress {
diff --git a/docs/user/composer.md b/docs/user/composer.md
index 2e98a21f7198..f158eb8f185e 100644
--- a/docs/user/composer.md
+++ b/docs/user/composer.md
@@ -174,6 +174,8 @@ On web and desktop, loading and syncing statuses fill the available banner width
 stash tab. Task progress appears above the composer, while the timeline's working timer shows
 only elapsed time.
 
+Loading, syncing, and server-update icons are static. Live tool labels do not shimmer.
+
 On web and desktop, additional notices peek out above the attached banner. Hover over the peek
 to reveal them, or focus **Show other notices** with `Tab` and press `Enter` or `Space`. Press
 `Escape` to close the stack and return focus to that control. On a touchscreen, tap the peek to