diff --git a/Plugin/unraid/include/ai_chat.php b/Plugin/unraid/include/ai_chat.php
index 34a5d55..82af21d 100644
--- a/Plugin/unraid/include/ai_chat.php
+++ b/Plugin/unraid/include/ai_chat.php
@@ -2585,7 +2585,7 @@ function vv_ai_chat_markup(string $prefix, array $o = []): void {
     </div>
   </div>
   </div><?php /* close -pane-ai */ ?>
-<?php if (!empty($o['mesh']) && function_exists('vv_nc_pane_markup')) vv_nc_pane_markup($p, !empty($o['meshDefault']), $height); ?>
+<?php if (!empty($o['mesh']) && function_exists('vv_nc_pane_markup')) vv_nc_pane_markup($p, !empty($o['meshDefault']), $height, $tall); ?>
 </div>
     <?php
 }
diff --git a/Plugin/unraid/include/node_chat.php b/Plugin/unraid/include/node_chat.php
index 2117be1..51a52b9 100644
--- a/Plugin/unraid/include/node_chat.php
+++ b/Plugin/unraid/include/node_chat.php
@@ -236,12 +236,15 @@ function vv_nc_flush_spool(): int {
 // conversation surface and a switch, not two boxes competing for the same corner of the screen.
 // Emitted once per page: there is one mesh store, so a second instance would be two views of the
 // same thing fighting over the same element ids.
-function vv_nc_pane_markup(string $prefix, bool $meshDefault = false, string $height = '300px'): void {
+function vv_nc_pane_markup(string $prefix, bool $meshDefault = false,
+                           string $height = '300px', string $tall = ''): void {
     static $done = false;
     if ($done) return;
     $done = true;
     ?>
 <div id="<?= htmlspecialchars($prefix, ENT_QUOTES) ?>-pane-mesh" hidden
+     data-h="<?= htmlspecialchars($height, ENT_QUOTES) ?>"
+     data-h-tall="<?= htmlspecialchars($tall !== '' ? $tall : $height, ENT_QUOTES) ?>"
      style="--vv-nc-h:<?= htmlspecialchars($height, ENT_QUOTES) ?>;">
     <div style="display:flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;flex-wrap:wrap;margin-bottom:8px;">
       <select id="vv-nc-ch" class="vv-cf-sel" style="max-width:200px;font-size:11px;padding:3px 8px;"
@@ -295,7 +298,13 @@ function vv_nc_pane_markup(string $prefix, bool $meshDefault = false, string $he
         </select>
         <button class="vv-pt-action-btn run" style="font-size:11px;" onclick="vvNcSend()">Send</button>
       </span>
-      <span class="vv-ai-side vv-ai-tail"></span>
+      <!-- Same control, same corner as the assistant's. A card that expands one way when you are
+           reading the model and another way when you are reading your partners is two cards
+           wearing one frame. -->
+      <span class="vv-ai-side vv-ai-tail">
+        <button class="vv-ai-btn ghost vv-ai-grow" id="vv-nc-grow" type="button"
+                title="Give the conversation more room" onclick="vvNcGrow()">⤢</button>
+      </span>
     </div>
 
     <!-- Formatting row, hidden until asked for. Choices persist per browser so a house style
@@ -503,6 +512,28 @@ function vvNcRender() {
   }
 }
 
+// Expand/collapse, mirroring the assistant's control down to the glyph swap and the lit state.
+// Both heights are carried on the pane as data attributes, so the card's own mount options decide
+// how big "more room" is rather than this file inventing a number.
+let _vvNcBig = false;
+function vvNcGrow() {
+  const pane = document.getElementById(_vvNcPrefix + '-pane-mesh');
+  const btn  = document.getElementById('vv-nc-grow');
+  if (!pane) return;
+  _vvNcBig = !_vvNcBig;
+  const h = _vvNcBig ? (pane.dataset.hTall || pane.dataset.h) : pane.dataset.h;
+  pane.style.setProperty('--vv-nc-h', h);
+  if (btn) {
+    btn.textContent = _vvNcBig ? '⤡' : '⤢';
+    btn.title = _vvNcBig ? 'Back to the smaller view' : 'Give the conversation more room';
+    btn.classList.toggle('vv-ai-grow-on', _vvNcBig);
+  }
+  try { localStorage.setItem('vvNcBig:' + _vvNcPrefix, _vvNcBig ? '1' : '0'); } catch (_) {}
+  // Growing reveals rows that were scrolled out of view; land where the reader expects.
+  const box = document.getElementById('vv-nc-log');
+  if (box && document.getElementById('vv-nc-follow')?.checked) box.scrollTop = box.scrollHeight;
+}
+
 function vvNcEmoji(sel) {
   const t = document.getElementById('vv-nc-text');
   if (t && sel.value) { t.value += sel.value; t.focus(); }
@@ -591,6 +622,8 @@ function vvNcInit(prefix, meshDefault) {
     } catch (_) {}
   }
   _vvNcLoadPrefs();
+  // Restore the expanded state before the first paint, so the card does not visibly resize.
+  try { if (localStorage.getItem('vvNcBig:' + prefix) === '1') vvNcGrow(); } catch (_) {}
   vvNcMode(want);
   vvNcChans();
   _vvNcSchedule();