diff --git a/packages/dashboard/app/components/TaskChatTab.tsx b/packages/dashboard/app/components/TaskChatTab.tsx
index 3d8421e85f..cdd039702a 100644
--- a/packages/dashboard/app/components/TaskChatTab.tsx
+++ b/packages/dashboard/app/components/TaskChatTab.tsx
@@ -175,17 +175,20 @@ function isActiveAgentSession(task: Task | TaskDetail, opts: { sessionLive?: boo
   // In the default ephemeral-agents mode the scheduler never writes
   // `assignedAgentId`/`checkedOutBy` — those are only set when
   // `ephemeralAgentsEnabled === false` (scheduler.ts). An actively-executing
-  // in-progress task therefore has no assignment field yet IS being worked, so
-  // requiring `hasAssignedAgent` made the chat always show "no agent is working"
-  // for default-mode tasks. Treat assignment as sufficient-but-not-necessary:
-  // a non-blocked, non-`queued` in-progress task is a live session on its own.
-  // `queued` is the documented waiting/blocked marker (self-healing.ts), so it
-  // stays assignment-gated; in-review keeps requiring an assignment.
-  const inProgressExecuting = task.column === "in-progress"
-    && statusAllowsProgressSteering
-    && task.status !== "queued";
+  // task therefore has no assignment field yet IS being worked, so requiring
+  // `hasAssignedAgent` made the chat always show "no agent is working" for
+  // default-mode tasks. Treat assignment as sufficient-but-not-necessary:
+  // - in-progress with a non-blocked, non-`queued` status is an executing run
+  //   (`queued` is the documented waiting marker, self-healing.ts — it stays
+  //   assignment-gated);
+  // - in-review with an active review/merge status (REVIEW_STEERABLE_STATUSES)
+  //   has a reviewer/merger running. A null-status in-review row is awaiting
+  //   human review, not actively worked, so it stays assignment-gated and idle.
+  const executionImpliesActiveAgent =
+    (task.column === "in-progress" && statusAllowsProgressSteering && task.status !== "queued")
+    || (task.column === "in-review" && task.status != null && REVIEW_STEERABLE_STATUSES.has(task.status));
   return columnAllowsSteering
-    && (hasAssignedAgent || inProgressExecuting);
+    && (hasAssignedAgent || executionImpliesActiveAgent);
 }
 
 function isToolLikeEntry(entry: AgentLogEntry): boolean {
diff --git a/packages/dashboard/app/components/__tests__/TaskChatTab.test.tsx b/packages/dashboard/app/components/__tests__/TaskChatTab.test.tsx
index ea046c0cba..92e246addd 100644
--- a/packages/dashboard/app/components/__tests__/TaskChatTab.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/dashboard/app/components/__tests__/TaskChatTab.test.tsx
@@ -1976,7 +1976,6 @@ describe("TaskChatTab", () => {
     ["in-progress task without an assigned or checked-out agent", makeTask({ column: "in-progress", status: "queued", assignedAgentId: undefined, checkedOutBy: undefined })],
     ["paused in-progress task", makeTask({ column: "in-progress", status: "queued", paused: true })],
     ["user-paused in-progress task", makeTask({ column: "in-progress", status: "queued", userPaused: true })],
-    ["in-review task without an assigned or checked-out agent", makeTask({ column: "in-review", status: "reviewing", assignedAgentId: undefined, checkedOutBy: undefined })],
     ["paused in-review task", makeTask({ column: "in-review", status: "reviewing", paused: true })],
     ["user-paused in-review task", makeTask({ column: "in-review", status: "reviewing", userPaused: true })],
   ])("keeps the composer sendable with idle guidance for %s", (_label, task) => {
@@ -1986,6 +1985,39 @@ describe("TaskChatTab", () => {
     expectComposerSendableAfterDraft();
   });
 
+  it.each(["reviewing", "merging", "merging-fix", "fixing"])(
+    "treats an actively-reviewing in-review task as an active session even without an assignment (ephemeral mode): %s status",
+    (status) => {
+      // A reviewer/merger runs ephemerally with no assignedAgentId/checkedOutBy,
+      // so an in-review task in an active review/merge status must NOT show the
+      // idle "no agent is working" hint.
+      render(
+        <TaskChatTab
+          task={makeTask({ column: "in-review", status, assignedAgentId: undefined, checkedOutBy: undefined })}
+          active
+          addToast={vi.fn()}
+          sessionLive={false}
+        />,
+      );
+
+      expectActiveSessionCopy();
+      expect(screen.getByLabelText("Message active agent session")).not.toBeDisabled();
+    },
+  );
+
+  it("keeps a null-status in-review task (awaiting human review) idle without an assignment", () => {
+    render(
+      <TaskChatTab
+        task={makeTask({ column: "in-review", status: undefined, assignedAgentId: undefined, checkedOutBy: undefined })}
+        active
+        addToast={vi.fn()}
+        sessionLive={false}
+      />,
+    );
+
+    expectIdleSessionHint();
+  });
+
   it.each([
     ["paused in-progress task with a live session", makeTask({ column: "in-progress", status: "queued", paused: true })],
     ["user-paused in-progress task with a live session", makeTask({ column: "in-progress", status: "queued", userPaused: true })],