diff --git a/HANDOFF.md b/HANDOFF.md
index 11e15f9..ab13105 100644
--- a/HANDOFF.md
+++ b/HANDOFF.md
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
-# Handoff: UI polish — feed, login, and shell
+# Handoff: threaded reply views
 
 ## What this project is
 
 Dudesky is a Bluesky client built with TanStack Start (React, SSR, file-based routing). It uses ATProto OAuth to authenticate users via their Bluesky handle. Stack: TanStack Start + Vite, Tailwind CSS v4, `@atproto/oauth-client-node` for OAuth, `better-sqlite3` for persistence.
 
-## What was built last session
+## What was built in previous sessions
 
 ### Database-backed OAuth stores (`src/lib/db.ts`, `src/lib/oauth-client.ts`)
 
@@ -25,13 +25,18 @@ Uses `createServerFn` (not a raw loader) for all server-only work — `getCookie
 
 The server function returns a mapped subset of the feed data (not raw ATProto types) to avoid a type incompatibility with `createServerFn`'s serialization constraints (`{ [x: string]: unknown }` vs `{ [x: string]: {} }`).
 
+### Feed UI polish (`src/routes/feed.tsx`)
+
+- Cards now use `.island-shell` (frosted glass style) instead of bare `border rounded-lg`
+- Outer wrapper uses `bg-[--bg-base]` for the page background color token
+
 ## Current state of key files
 
 ```
 src/lib/db.ts             ← SQLite setup, creates oauth_state + oauth_session tables
 src/lib/oauth-client.ts   ← NodeOAuthClient with DB-backed stateStore + sessionStore
 src/routes/callback.tsx   ← sets DID cookie, redirects to /feed
-src/routes/feed.tsx       ← createServerFn fetches timeline; basic card UI (needs polish)
+src/routes/feed.tsx       ← createServerFn fetches timeline; island-shell card UI
 src/routes/login.tsx      ← plain unstyled form; working, needs polish
 src/routes/__root.tsx     ← shell with Header + Footer components, devtools, theme init script
 src/components/Header.tsx ← sticky nav with "Feed" link chip; uses design tokens
@@ -39,13 +44,9 @@ src/components/Footer.tsx ← copyright + "Built with TanStack Start" line
 src/styles.css            ← Tailwind v4 + custom design system (see below)
 ```
 
-## What needs to be done: UI cleanup
-
-The auth flow and data loading all work end-to-end. The feed renders but looks rough. The next session is purely visual polish — no logic changes needed.
+## Design system
 
-### Design system already in place
-
-`src/styles.css` has a full set of CSS custom properties and utility classes to use:
+`src/styles.css` has a full set of CSS custom properties and utility classes:
 
 **Color tokens** (light + dark + `prefers-color-scheme` variants):
 - `--sea-ink` / `--sea-ink-soft` — primary text colors
@@ -66,24 +67,56 @@ The auth flow and data loading all work end-to-end. The feed renders but looks r
 - `.rise-in` — entrance animation (opacity + translateY, 700ms)
 - `.feature-card` — card with hover lift
 
+To use design tokens as Tailwind values: `text-[--sea-ink-soft]`, `bg-[--surface]`, `border-[--line]` etc. Tailwind v4 wraps `--` prefixed values in `var()` automatically.
+
 **Fonts**: Manrope (sans body), Fraunces (serif display)
 
-### Specific things to polish
+## Remaining UI polish (carry-over)
+
+These were not finished last session:
+
+**`src/routes/feed.tsx`:**
+- `text-gray-500` on the handle should be `text-[--sea-ink-soft]` (hardcoded color, won't respect dark mode)
+- No timestamp — add `createdAt: (item.post.record as { createdAt?: string }).createdAt ?? null` to the mapped return in `getTimeline`, then render it
+- No avatar fallback for posts where `author.avatar` is null
+- No `pendingComponent` or `errorComponent` on the route
+
+**`src/routes/login.tsx`:**
+- Form has zero styling — needs centered card layout, `.island-shell`, lagoon accent on the button
+
+**`src/routes/__root.tsx`:**
+- Page title is still "TanStack Start Starter" — should be "Dudesky"
 
-**`src/routes/feed.tsx` — the main job:**
-- Post cards are bare `border rounded-lg` — should use `.island-shell` and the design token colors
-- Avatar images have no fallback for missing avatars
-- No timestamp on posts (it's available: `(item.post.record as { createdAt?: string }).createdAt`)
-- The feed data shape currently mapped in `getTimeline` only extracts `uri`, `text`, `author.{handle,displayName,avatar}` — if you need `createdAt` or other fields, add them to the mapped return object in the server function
-- No loading/pending state (`pendingComponent` on the route)
-- No error state (`errorComponent` on the route)
+## Next: threaded reply views
 
-**`src/routes/login.tsx` — unstyled:**
-- The form (`<input>`, `<button>`) has zero styling
-- Should match the app's aesthetic — centered card layout, `.island-shell`, lagoon accent on the button
+Goal: clicking a post opens a thread view showing the post, its ancestors (parent chain), and its replies.
+
+### ATProto API
+
+`agent.getPostThread({ uri })` returns a `ThreadViewPost` which has:
+- `post` — the post itself
+- `parent` — `ThreadViewPost | NotFoundPost | BlockedPost | undefined` (walk up for ancestors)
+- `replies` — `ThreadViewPost[] | ...` (direct replies)
+
+The `uri` for each post is already in the mapped feed data as `item.uri`.
+
+### Suggested route
+
+`src/routes/post.$uri.tsx` — file-based dynamic route. The `uri` param will be the AT URI, but since it contains `/` characters (`at://did:plc:.../app.bsky.feed.post/...`) it needs to be encoded when used as a URL segment (use `encodeURIComponent` / `decodeURIComponent`).
+
+### Data shape to map in the server fn
+
+Same `createServerFn` pattern as `feed.tsx`. Map to a plain serializable object — don't pass raw ATProto types through. Suggested shape:
+
+```ts
+{
+  post: { uri, text, author, createdAt },
+  ancestors: Array<{ uri, text, author, createdAt }>,  // ordered root-first
+  replies: Array<{ uri, text, author, createdAt }>,
+}
+```
 
-**`src/routes/__root.tsx` — minor:**
-- Page title is still "TanStack Start Starter" — should be "Dudesky" or similar
+Walk `parent` recursively to build `ancestors`, collect `replies` array directly.
 
 ## Conventions
 
@@ -93,3 +126,5 @@ The auth flow and data loading all work end-to-end. The feed renders but looks r
 - `createServerFn` for any server-only code called from loaders (DB, cookies, secrets)
 - Env vars: `VITE_APP_URL`, `PRIVATE_KEY_0/1/2`, optionally `DB_PATH`
 - Read AGENTS.md and load the relevant SKILL.md files before working on TanStack-related tasks
+- Playwright is configured for WSL2 with `--no-sandbox` in `~/.claude/plugins/cache/claude-plugins-official/playwright/unknown/.mcp.json`
+- To inject auth into the headless browser: set cookie `did=<url-encoded-did>` on `localhost:3001` via `browser_evaluate`, then navigate to `/feed`
diff --git a/src/routes/__root.tsx b/src/routes/__root.tsx
index 6528ca3..a087034 100644
--- a/src/routes/__root.tsx
+++ b/src/routes/__root.tsx
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ export const Route = createRootRoute({
         content: 'width=device-width, initial-scale=1',
       },
       {
-        title: 'TanStack Start Starter',
+        title: 'Dudesky',
       },
     ],
     links: [