diff --git a/apps/web/src/features/panes/ActivityPane.tsx b/apps/web/src/features/panes/ActivityPane.tsx
index 7832777c..0a8b1b7e 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/features/panes/ActivityPane.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/features/panes/ActivityPane.tsx
@@ -206,7 +206,14 @@ export function ActivityPane({ api, trailing }: { readonly api: InspectorStoreAp
   const expandedEntry =
     expandedSeq === null ? undefined : entries.find((entry) => entry.seq === expandedSeq);
 
-  if (entries.length === 0) return <FamilyEmpty family="activity" />;
+  if (entries.length === 0) {
+    return (
+      <div className="flex h-full min-h-0 flex-col">
+        <PaneHeading family="activity" summary="0 recorded" trailing={trailing} />
+        <FamilyEmpty className="min-h-0 flex-1" family="activity" />
+      </div>
+    );
+  }
 
   const exportText = () => exportActivity(visible);
   const copyAll = () => {
diff --git a/apps/web/src/features/panes/AgentsPane.tsx b/apps/web/src/features/panes/AgentsPane.tsx
index 4bb246be..e224601c 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/features/panes/AgentsPane.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/features/panes/AgentsPane.tsx
@@ -459,7 +459,14 @@ export function AgentsPane({
     [api, rows],
   );
 
-  if (rows.length === 0) return <FamilyEmpty family="agents" />;
+  if (rows.length === 0) {
+    return (
+      <div className="flex h-full min-h-0 flex-col">
+        <PaneHeading family="agents" summary={summary} trailing={trailing} />
+        <FamilyEmpty className="min-h-0 flex-1" family="agents" />
+      </div>
+    );
+  }
 
   const moveFocus = (nextIndex: number) => {
     const clamped = Math.min(Math.max(nextIndex, 0), rows.length - 1);
diff --git a/apps/web/src/features/panes/FamilyEmpty.tsx b/apps/web/src/features/panes/FamilyEmpty.tsx
index e4869b7f..7ebc695b 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/features/panes/FamilyEmpty.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/features/panes/FamilyEmpty.tsx
@@ -1,15 +1,21 @@
 // Honest per-family empty state, reusing the shell's fixed copy so the
 // closed-pane promise and the open-pane reality never drift apart.
-import { Empty, EmptyDescription, EmptyHeader, EmptyTitle } from "@t4-code/ui";
+import { cn, Empty, EmptyDescription, EmptyHeader, EmptyTitle } from "@t4-code/ui";
 
 import { PANE_FAMILY_META } from "../../components/pane-families.tsx";
 import type { PaneFamily } from "../../state/workspace-store.ts";
 
-export function FamilyEmpty({ family }: { readonly family: PaneFamily }) {
+export function FamilyEmpty({
+  family,
+  className,
+}: {
+  readonly family: PaneFamily;
+  readonly className?: string | undefined;
+}) {
   const meta = PANE_FAMILY_META.find((entry) => entry.id === family);
   if (meta === undefined) return null;
   return (
-    <Empty className="h-full border-0">
+    <Empty className={cn("border-0", className ?? "h-full")}>
       <EmptyHeader>
         <EmptyTitle className="text-base">{meta.emptyTitle}</EmptyTitle>
         <EmptyDescription>{meta.emptyDescription}</EmptyDescription>
diff --git a/apps/web/src/features/panes/PaneContent.tsx b/apps/web/src/features/panes/PaneContent.tsx
index 97f0024e..57c6c46b 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/features/panes/PaneContent.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/features/panes/PaneContent.tsx
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 // owns everything inside it.
 import type * as React from "react";
 import { FamilyEmpty } from "./FamilyEmpty.tsx";
+import { PaneHeading } from "./PaneHeading.tsx";
 import { desktopRuntime } from "../../platform/desktop-runtime.ts";
 import { rendererPlatform, useWorkspace } from "../../state/store-instance.ts";
 import type { PaneFamily } from "../../state/workspace-store.ts";
@@ -79,7 +80,14 @@ export interface PaneContentProps {
 export function PaneContent({ family, trailing }: PaneContentProps) {
   const sessionId = useWorkspace((state) => state.activeSessionId);
   const store = sessionId === null ? null : getInspectorStore(sessionId);
-  if (sessionId === null || store === null) return <FamilyEmpty family={family} />;
+  if (sessionId === null || store === null) {
+    return (
+      <div className="flex h-full min-h-0 flex-col">
+        <PaneHeading family={family} trailing={trailing} />
+        <FamilyEmpty className="min-h-0 flex-1" family={family} />
+      </div>
+    );
+  }
   switch (family) {
     case "agents": {
       const controller = rendererPlatform.mode === "browser" ? null : desktopRuntime();
diff --git a/apps/web/src/features/panes/ReviewPane.tsx b/apps/web/src/features/panes/ReviewPane.tsx
index 0d5ed4b6..fd15d688 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/features/panes/ReviewPane.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/features/panes/ReviewPane.tsx
@@ -396,7 +396,14 @@ export function ReviewPane({ api, trailing }: { readonly api: InspectorStoreApi;
     null,
   );
 
-  if (files.length === 0) return <FamilyEmpty family="review" />;
+  if (files.length === 0) {
+    return (
+      <div className="flex h-full min-h-0 flex-col">
+        <PaneHeading family="review" summary="0 files" trailing={trailing} />
+        <FamilyEmpty className="min-h-0 flex-1" family="review" />
+      </div>
+    );
+  }
 
   const selected = files.find((file) => file.path === selectedPath);
   const additions = files.reduce((sum, file) => sum + file.additions, 0);
diff --git a/apps/web/test/pane-empty-states.test.tsx b/apps/web/test/pane-empty-states.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0b3513a1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/web/test/pane-empty-states.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+import { renderToStaticMarkup } from "react-dom/server";
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vite-plus/test";
+import * as React from "react";
+
+import { PaneContent } from "../src/features/panes/PaneContent.tsx";
+import { AgentsPane } from "../src/features/panes/AgentsPane.tsx";
+import { ActivityPane } from "../src/features/panes/ActivityPane.tsx";
+import { ReviewPane } from "../src/features/panes/ReviewPane.tsx";
+import { createInspectorStore, type InspectorStoreApi } from "../src/features/panes/inspector-store.ts";
+
+function createEmptyMockStore(): InspectorStoreApi {
+  return createInspectorStore({
+    sampleMode: true,
+    controller: () => ({
+      kind: "fixture",
+      performControl() {},
+      performReview() {},
+      loadDir() {},
+      loadPreview() {},
+    }),
+    seed: {
+      activity: [],
+      agentMap: { order: [], agents: {} },
+      review: {
+        files: [],
+        selectedPath: null,
+        view: "unified",
+        comments: [],
+        wrap: false,
+        viewedByPath: {},
+        draftAnchor: null,
+      },
+      terminals: [],
+    },
+  });
+}
+
+describe("Pane empty state headers and close controls", () => {
+  const mockTrailing = <button aria-label="Close pane">X</button>;
+
+  it("renders PaneContent no-store fallback with header and close trailing element", () => {
+    const html = renderToStaticMarkup(
+      <PaneContent family="agents" trailing={mockTrailing} />
+    );
+    expect(html).toContain("Agents");
+    expect(html).toContain("aria-label=\"Close pane\"");
+    expect(html).toContain("No agents running");
+  });
+
+  it("renders empty AgentsPane with header and close trailing element", () => {
+    const store = createEmptyMockStore();
+    const html = renderToStaticMarkup(
+      <AgentsPane api={store} sessionId="test" trailing={mockTrailing} />
+    );
+    expect(html).toContain("Agents");
+    expect(html).toContain("aria-label=\"Close pane\"");
+    expect(html).toContain("No agents running");
+  });
+
+  it("renders empty ActivityPane with header and close trailing element", () => {
+    const store = createEmptyMockStore();
+    const html = renderToStaticMarkup(
+      <ActivityPane api={store} trailing={mockTrailing} />
+    );
+    expect(html).toContain("Activity");
+    expect(html).toContain("aria-label=\"Close pane\"");
+    expect(html).toContain("Nothing recorded yet");
+  });
+
+  it("renders empty ReviewPane with header and close trailing element", () => {
+    const store = createEmptyMockStore();
+    const html = renderToStaticMarkup(
+      <ReviewPane api={store} trailing={mockTrailing} />
+    );
+    expect(html).toContain("Review");
+    expect(html).toContain("aria-label=\"Close pane\"");
+    expect(html).toContain("Nothing to review");
+  });
+});