diff --git a/apps/local-mail/src/up.ts b/apps/local-mail/src/up.ts
index 3be2c38474..4b16ddd775 100644
--- a/apps/local-mail/src/up.ts
+++ b/apps/local-mail/src/up.ts
@@ -158,13 +158,11 @@ export async function runUp(): Promise<number> {
 		return 1;
 	}
 
-	// Re-bind the non-null values: TS drops the post-guard narrowing of the
-	// destructured `runtime`/`session` bindings inside the fetch/loop/SIGINT
-	// closures below, so capture them here where the narrowing holds.
-	const rt = runtime;
-	const sess = session;
-	const { db } = sess.deps;
-	const readOnly = rt.config.readOnly;
+	// `runtime`/`session` are `const`, so their post-guard non-null narrowing
+	// flows into the closures below (`handleApi` is an arrow, not a hoisted
+	// declaration, so it inherits the narrowing rather than the widened type).
+	const { db } = session.deps;
+	const readOnly = runtime.config.readOnly;
 
 	// The valid-bearer set. Dev pre-seeds the fixed proxy token; prod fills it
 	// only through the bootstrap exchange.
@@ -174,7 +172,7 @@ export async function runUp(): Promise<number> {
 		const devToken = process.env.LOCAL_MAIL_TOKEN;
 		if (!devToken) {
 			lock.release();
-			sess.close();
+			session.close();
 			console.error(
 				'LOCAL_MAIL_DEV=1 requires LOCAL_MAIL_TOKEN so the Vite proxy can authenticate.',
 			);
@@ -196,7 +194,7 @@ export async function runUp(): Promise<number> {
 		return header.slice('Bearer '.length);
 	}
 
-	async function handleApi(req: Request, url: URL): Promise<Response> {
+	const handleApi = async (req: Request, url: URL): Promise<Response> => {
 		const { pathname } = url;
 
 		// The one unauthenticated mutation: exchange the bootstrap for a bearer.
@@ -226,7 +224,7 @@ export async function runUp(): Promise<number> {
 		}
 
 		if (pathname === '/api/status' && req.method === 'GET') {
-			const status = await readMailStatus(rt);
+			const status = await readMailStatus(runtime);
 			return json({
 				accountEmail: status.accountEmail,
 				connected: status.connected,
@@ -264,7 +262,7 @@ export async function runUp(): Promise<number> {
 
 		if (pathname === '/api/sync' && req.method === 'POST') {
 			const outcome = await gate(() =>
-				syncMailbox(sess.deps, { forceFull: false }),
+				syncMailbox(session.deps, { forceFull: false }),
 			);
 			return json(outcome);
 		}
@@ -282,7 +280,7 @@ export async function runUp(): Promise<number> {
 				);
 			}
 			const { data, error } = await resolveAndModifyMessageLabels({
-				deps: sess.deps,
+				deps: session.deps,
 				ids: body.ids,
 				addLabels: body.addLabels ?? [],
 				removeLabels: body.removeLabels ?? [],
@@ -293,7 +291,7 @@ export async function runUp(): Promise<number> {
 		}
 
 		return json({ error: 'Not found.' }, 404);
-	}
+	};
 
 	const server = Bun.serve({
 		hostname: '127.0.0.1',
@@ -317,7 +315,7 @@ export async function runUp(): Promise<number> {
 	// The background sync loop, serialized through the same gate as POST /api/sync.
 	(async () => {
 		while (!controller.signal.aborted) {
-			await gate(() => syncMailbox(sess.deps, { forceFull: false })).catch(
+			await gate(() => syncMailbox(session.deps, { forceFull: false })).catch(
 				(cause) => console.error(`[sync] loop pass failed: ${cause}`),
 			);
 			if (controller.signal.aborted) break;
@@ -348,7 +346,7 @@ export async function runUp(): Promise<number> {
 		process.on('SIGINT', () => {
 			controller.abort();
 			server.stop();
-			sess.close();
+			session.close();
 			lock.release();
 			resolve();
 		});
diff --git a/apps/local-mail/ui/src/lib/components/MessageDetail.svelte b/apps/local-mail/ui/src/lib/components/MessageDetail.svelte
index 283fe603d1..8496911bca 100644
--- a/apps/local-mail/ui/src/lib/components/MessageDetail.svelte
+++ b/apps/local-mail/ui/src/lib/components/MessageDetail.svelte
@@ -4,10 +4,8 @@
 	import * as DropdownMenu from '@epicenter/ui/dropdown-menu';
 	import * as Empty from '@epicenter/ui/empty';
 	import { Loading } from '@epicenter/ui/loading';
-	import { Separator } from '@epicenter/ui/separator';
 	import ArchiveIcon from '@lucide/svelte/icons/archive';
 	import ArchiveRestoreIcon from '@lucide/svelte/icons/archive-restore';
-	import CheckIcon from '@lucide/svelte/icons/check';
 	import MailOpenIcon from '@lucide/svelte/icons/mail-open';
 	import MailIcon from '@lucide/svelte/icons/mail';
 	import MousePointerClickIcon from '@lucide/svelte/icons/mouse-pointer-click';
@@ -18,7 +16,7 @@
 	import { toast } from 'svelte-sonner';
 	import { api } from '$lib/api';
 	import { fullDate, labelDisplayName } from '$lib/format';
-	import type { MailLabel, ModifyMessageLabelsOutcome } from '$lib/types';
+	import type { MailLabel } from '$lib/types';
 
 	let {
 		id,
@@ -38,13 +36,11 @@
 	}));
 
 	let lastVerb = $state<string | null>(null);
-	let lastOutcome = $state<ModifyMessageLabelsOutcome | null>(null);
 
 	const modify = createMutation(() => ({
 		mutationFn: (input: { addLabels?: string[]; removeLabels?: string[] }) =>
 			api.modify({ ids: id ? [id] : [], ...input }),
 		onSuccess: (outcome) => {
-			lastOutcome = outcome;
 			const failed = outcome.results.filter((r) => r.error).length;
 			const ok = outcome.results.length - failed;
 			if (outcome.aborted) {
@@ -92,13 +88,6 @@
 		if (present) run(`Removed ${name}`, { removeLabels: [labelId] });
 		else run(`Added ${name}`, { addLabels: [labelId] });
 	}
-
-	// Reset the inline outcome strip when a different message opens.
-	$effect(() => {
-		id;
-		lastOutcome = null;
-		lastVerb = null;
-	});
 </script>
 
 {#snippet actionButton(
@@ -234,33 +223,6 @@
 			</DropdownMenu.Root>
 		</div>
 
-		<!-- Last-action outcome strip -->
-		{#if lastOutcome}
-			{@const result = lastOutcome.results[0]}
-			<div
-				class="flex shrink-0 items-center gap-2 border-b px-5 py-1.5 text-xs
-				{lastOutcome.aborted || result?.error
-					? 'border-destructive/30 bg-destructive/10 text-destructive'
-					: result && !result.folded
-						? 'border-amber-500/30 bg-amber-500/10 text-amber-600 dark:text-amber-400'
-						: 'border-emerald-500/30 bg-emerald-500/10 text-emerald-600 dark:text-emerald-400'}"
-			>
-				{#if lastOutcome.aborted}
-					<TriangleAlertIcon class="size-3.5" />
-					<span>Aborted: {lastOutcome.aborted.message}</span>
-				{:else if result?.error}
-					<TriangleAlertIcon class="size-3.5" />
-					<span>{lastVerb} failed: {result.error.message}</span>
-				{:else if result && !result.folded}
-					<CheckIcon class="size-3.5" />
-					<span>{lastVerb}. Gmail accepted it; the mirror catches up on the next sync (folded: false).</span>
-				{:else}
-					<CheckIcon class="size-3.5" />
-					<span>{lastVerb}. Mirror updated from Gmail's response.</span>
-				{/if}
-			</div>
-		{/if}
-
 		<!-- Body: the pre-extracted plain text; raw HTML is never rendered. -->
 		<div class="flex-1 min-h-0 overflow-y-auto px-5 py-4">
 			{#if detail.bodyText}
diff --git a/apps/local-mail/ui/src/lib/components/MessageList.svelte b/apps/local-mail/ui/src/lib/components/MessageList.svelte
index a27593244e..28ab64457b 100644
--- a/apps/local-mail/ui/src/lib/components/MessageList.svelte
+++ b/apps/local-mail/ui/src/lib/components/MessageList.svelte
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
 		selectedId,
 		loading,
 		error,
-		isFiltered,
+		mirrorEmpty,
 		onSelect,
 	}: {
 		messages: MessageSummary[];
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@
 		selectedId: string | null;
 		loading: boolean;
 		error: string | null;
-		isFiltered: boolean;
+		mirrorEmpty: boolean;
 		onSelect: (id: string) => void;
 	} = $props();
 
@@ -63,19 +63,19 @@
 	{:else if messages.length === 0}
 		<Empty.Root class="flex-1 border-0">
 			<Empty.Media variant="icon">
-				{#if isFiltered}
-					<SearchXIcon class="size-5" />
-				{:else}
+				{#if mirrorEmpty}
 					<InboxIcon class="size-5" />
+				{:else}
+					<SearchXIcon class="size-5" />
 				{/if}
 			</Empty.Media>
 			<Empty.Title>
-				{isFiltered ? 'No messages match' : 'No messages mirrored'}
+				{mirrorEmpty ? 'No messages mirrored' : 'No messages match'}
 			</Empty.Title>
 			<Empty.Description>
-				{isFiltered
-					? 'Try a different label or search term.'
-					: 'Run local-mail sync --full to populate the mirror.'}
+				{mirrorEmpty
+					? 'Run local-mail sync --full to populate the mirror.'
+					: 'Try a different label or search term.'}
 			</Empty.Description>
 		</Empty.Root>
 	{:else}
diff --git a/apps/local-mail/ui/src/routes/+page.svelte b/apps/local-mail/ui/src/routes/+page.svelte
index 8ecc6caece..df4e74aa91 100644
--- a/apps/local-mail/ui/src/routes/+page.svelte
+++ b/apps/local-mail/ui/src/routes/+page.svelte
@@ -49,7 +49,10 @@
 
 	const labelList = $derived(labels.data?.labels ?? []);
 	const messageList = $derived(messages.data?.messages ?? []);
-	const isFiltered = $derived(search.trim().length > 0 || selectedLabel !== null);
+	// True when the mirror holds no messages at all (nothing synced yet), as
+	// opposed to this label/search view simply matching none. Drives which empty
+	// state the list shows: "run sync" vs "no match".
+	const mirrorEmpty = $derived((status.data?.rows.messages ?? 0) === 0);
 	const syncError = $derived(
 		sync.error?.message ?? sync.data?.failure?.message ?? null,
 	);
@@ -90,7 +93,7 @@
 			{selectedId}
 			loading={messages.isPending}
 			error={messages.error?.message ?? null}
-			{isFiltered}
+			{mirrorEmpty}
 			onSelect={(id) => (selectedId = id)}
 		/>