diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/status-bar/ResourceUsageStatusSegment.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/status-bar/ResourceUsageStatusSegment.tsx
index 853ba4ae8..36308d163 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/status-bar/ResourceUsageStatusSegment.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/status-bar/ResourceUsageStatusSegment.tsx
@@ -1388,7 +1388,7 @@ export function ResourceUsageStatusSegment({
                 className="relative inline-flex w-full items-center justify-center rounded-md border border-border/70 px-2.5 py-1.5 text-xs font-medium text-foreground transition-colors hover:bg-accent/60"
               >
                 <span className="min-w-0 truncate px-4 text-center">
-                  Delete inactive workspaces ({oldWorkspaceCount})
+                  Review inactive workspaces ({oldWorkspaceCount})
                 </span>
                 <ChevronRight
                   className="absolute right-2.5 size-3.5 text-muted-foreground"
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/workspace-cleanup/WorkspaceCleanupDialog.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/workspace-cleanup/WorkspaceCleanupDialog.tsx
index bf6fac318..7032f6bba 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/workspace-cleanup/WorkspaceCleanupDialog.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/workspace-cleanup/WorkspaceCleanupDialog.tsx
@@ -44,6 +44,21 @@ const TIER_LABELS: Record<WorkspaceCleanupTier, string> = {
 
 type CleanupView = WorkspaceCleanupTier | 'hidden'
 
+const SCAN_LOADING_STEPS = [
+  {
+    title: 'Finding inactive workspaces',
+    detail: 'Listing old worktrees before any cleanup decision is made.'
+  },
+  {
+    title: 'Checking git safety',
+    detail: 'Looking for changed files and commits that only exist locally.'
+  },
+  {
+    title: 'Protecting active work',
+    detail: 'Skipping workspaces with open tabs, terminals, live agents, or unavailable remotes.'
+  }
+] as const
+
 const BLOCKER_LABELS: Record<WorkspaceCleanupBlocker, string> = {
   'main-worktree': 'Main workspace',
   'folder-repo': 'Folder project',
@@ -187,6 +202,7 @@ export default function WorkspaceCleanupDialog(): React.JSX.Element {
   const [removing, setRemoving] = useState(false)
   const [rowFailures, setRowFailures] = useState<Record<string, string>>({})
   const [repoSelection, setRepoSelection] = useState<ReadonlySet<string>>(() => new Set())
+  const [loadingStepIndex, setLoadingStepIndex] = useState(0)
   const eligibleRepos = useMemo(() => repos.filter((repo) => isGitRepoKind(repo)), [repos])
   const eligibleRepoIds = useMemo(() => eligibleRepos.map((repo) => repo.id), [eligibleRepos])
 
@@ -209,6 +225,19 @@ export default function WorkspaceCleanupDialog(): React.JSX.Element {
     setRepoSelection(new Set(eligibleRepoIds))
   }, [eligibleRepoIds, open])
 
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (!open || !loading) {
+      setLoadingStepIndex(0)
+      return
+    }
+
+    const timer = window.setInterval(() => {
+      setLoadingStepIndex((index) => (index + 1) % SCAN_LOADING_STEPS.length)
+    }, 2600)
+
+    return () => window.clearInterval(timer)
+  }, [loading, open])
+
   const candidates = useMemo(() => scan?.candidates ?? [], [scan?.candidates])
   const effectiveRepoSelection = useMemo<ReadonlySet<string>>(() => {
     if (repoSelection.size > 0 || eligibleRepoIds.length === 0) {
@@ -285,8 +314,11 @@ export default function WorkspaceCleanupDialog(): React.JSX.Element {
     [repoNameById, selectedScanErrors]
   )
   const readyCount = groups.ready.length
+  const protectedCount = groups.protected.length
+  const inactiveCount = filteredCandidates.length
   const hasAnyCandidates = candidates.length > 0
   const initialLoading = loading && !scan
+  const loadingStep = SCAN_LOADING_STEPS[loadingStepIndex]
   const activeRows = activeView === 'hidden' ? hiddenCandidates : groups[activeView]
   const activeQueueableRows = useMemo(
     () => activeRows.filter(canQueueWorkspaceCleanupCandidate),
@@ -476,9 +508,12 @@ export default function WorkspaceCleanupDialog(): React.JSX.Element {
             </DialogHeader>
 
             {initialLoading ? (
-              <div className="flex items-center gap-2 border-b border-border bg-muted/25 px-5 py-3 text-xs text-muted-foreground">
-                <Loader2 className="size-3.5 animate-spin" />
-                Checking inactive workspaces
+              <div className="flex items-start gap-2 border-b border-border bg-muted/25 px-5 py-3">
+                <Loader2 className="mt-0.5 size-3.5 shrink-0 animate-spin text-muted-foreground" />
+                <div className="min-w-0">
+                  <div className="text-xs font-medium text-foreground">{loadingStep.title}</div>
+                  <div className="mt-0.5 text-xs text-muted-foreground">{loadingStep.detail}</div>
+                </div>
               </div>
             ) : hasAnyCandidates ? (
               <div className="flex flex-wrap items-center justify-between gap-3 border-b border-border bg-muted/25 px-4 py-2.5">
@@ -486,12 +521,16 @@ export default function WorkspaceCleanupDialog(): React.JSX.Element {
                   <div className="min-w-0 text-sm font-medium text-foreground">
                     {selectedCount} selected
                   </div>
+                  <StatusPill>{inactiveCount} inactive</StatusPill>
                   {readyCount > 0 ? (
                     <StatusPill tone="ready">{readyCount} safe to remove</StatusPill>
                   ) : null}
                   {groups.review.length > 0 ? (
                     <StatusPill tone="review">{groups.review.length} need review</StatusPill>
                   ) : null}
+                  {protectedCount > 0 ? (
+                    <StatusPill>{protectedCount} not suggested</StatusPill>
+                  ) : null}
                 </div>
                 <div className="flex min-w-0 flex-wrap items-center gap-2">
                   {eligibleRepos.length > 1 ? (