diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/AgentStateDot.test.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/AgentStateDot.test.ts
index 40c2bea60..72fbc6223 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/AgentStateDot.test.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/AgentStateDot.test.ts
@@ -47,12 +47,14 @@ describe('AgentStateDot', () => {
   })
 
   it.each(['permission', 'waiting'] satisfies AgentDotState[])(
-    'renders %s as an amber attention dot',
+    'renders %s as an amber question glyph',
     (state) => {
-      const classNames = renderDotClassNames(state)
+      const markup = renderMarkup(state)
 
-      expect(classNames).toContain('bg-amber-500')
-      expect(classNames).not.toContain('bg-red-500')
+      expect(markup).toContain('lucide-message-circle-question-mark')
+      expect(markup).toContain('text-amber-500')
+      expect(markup).not.toContain('bg-amber-500')
+      expect(markup).not.toContain('data-agent-spinner')
     }
   )
 
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/AgentStateDot.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/AgentStateDot.tsx
index a5c50dad1..97d919dca 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/AgentStateDot.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/AgentStateDot.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import React from 'react'
-import { CircleCheck } from 'lucide-react'
+import { CircleCheck, MessageCircleQuestion } from 'lucide-react'
 import { cn } from '@/lib/utils'
 import { AgentWorkingSpinner } from '@/components/AgentWorkingSpinner'
 
@@ -95,6 +95,17 @@ export const AgentStateDot = React.memo(function AgentStateDot({
     )
   }
 
+  if (state === 'permission' || state === 'waiting') {
+    return (
+      <span
+        className={cn('inline-flex shrink-0 items-center justify-center', box, className)}
+        aria-label={agentStateLabel(state)}
+      >
+        <MessageCircleQuestion className={cn('text-amber-500', icon)} aria-hidden="true" />
+      </span>
+    )
+  }
+
   return (
     <span
       className={cn('inline-flex shrink-0 items-center justify-center', box, className)}
@@ -104,11 +115,9 @@ export const AgentStateDot = React.memo(function AgentStateDot({
         className={cn(
           'block rounded-full',
           inner,
-          state === 'permission' || state === 'waiting'
-            ? 'bg-amber-500'
-            : state === 'blocked' || state === 'interrupted' || state === 'failed'
-              ? 'bg-red-500'
-              : 'bg-neutral-500/40'
+          state === 'blocked' || state === 'interrupted' || state === 'failed'
+            ? 'bg-red-500'
+            : 'bg-neutral-500/40'
         )}
       />
     </span>
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/dashboard-popout/AgentKanbanCard.test.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/dashboard-popout/AgentKanbanCard.test.tsx
index d338a21d3..ebcfee3d2 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/dashboard-popout/AgentKanbanCard.test.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/dashboard-popout/AgentKanbanCard.test.tsx
@@ -60,6 +60,30 @@ describe('AgentKanbanCard', () => {
     expect(screen.queryByText(/\d+d/)).not.toBeInTheDocument()
   })
 
+  it('shows the question glyph once when a summary is available', () => {
+    const attentionCard = card({
+      bucket: 'attention',
+      dotState: 'waiting',
+      askSummary: 'Approve deploy?'
+    })
+    const { container, rerender } = render(
+      <AgentKanbanCard card={attentionCard} now={2_000} onOpenTerminal={vi.fn()} />
+    )
+
+    expect(screen.queryByTestId('state-dot')).not.toBeInTheDocument()
+    expect(container.querySelectorAll('.lucide-message-circle-question-mark')).toHaveLength(1)
+
+    rerender(
+      <AgentKanbanCard
+        card={{ ...attentionCard, askSummary: undefined }}
+        now={2_000}
+        onOpenTerminal={vi.fn()}
+      />
+    )
+    expect(screen.getByTestId('state-dot')).toBeInTheDocument()
+    expect(container.querySelector('.lucide-message-circle-question-mark')).toBeNull()
+  })
+
   it('skips structured-clone rerenders until visible card data or its age changes', () => {
     const onOpenTerminal = vi.fn()
     const initial = card({ startedAt: 1_000 })
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/dashboard-popout/AgentKanbanCard.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/dashboard-popout/AgentKanbanCard.tsx
index 2ae818b5d..e92dbcb06 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/dashboard-popout/AgentKanbanCard.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/dashboard-popout/AgentKanbanCard.tsx
@@ -98,7 +98,8 @@ export const AgentKanbanCard = memo(
           >
             {card.worktreeName}
           </span>
-          <AgentStateDot state={card.dotState} className="ml-auto" />
+          {/* The summary pill already carries the attention glyph. */}
+          {card.askSummary ? null : <AgentStateDot state={card.dotState} className="ml-auto" />}
         </div>
 
         {card.lastUserMessage || card.lastAgentMessage ? (
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/dashboard/DashboardAgentRow.test.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/dashboard/DashboardAgentRow.test.tsx
index 931409f13..93238b8fc 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/dashboard/DashboardAgentRow.test.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/dashboard/DashboardAgentRow.test.tsx
@@ -247,12 +247,13 @@ describe('DashboardAgentRow', () => {
     expect(classes.every((className) => !/\bgroup-hover:/.test(className))).toBe(true)
   })
 
-  it('renders waiting rows with the amber permission color', () => {
+  it('renders waiting rows with the amber question glyph', () => {
     const markup = renderRow(makeAgent({}, { state: 'waiting' }))
     const tokens = classTokens(markup)
 
     expect(markup).toContain('aria-label="Waiting for input"')
-    expect(tokens).toContain('bg-amber-500')
+    expect(markup).toContain('lucide-message-circle-question-mark')
+    expect(tokens).toContain('text-amber-500')
     expect(tokens).not.toContain('bg-red-500')
   })
 
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/sidebar/SidebarNav.test.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/sidebar/SidebarNav.test.tsx
index a436942bd..42e7ee20f 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/sidebar/SidebarNav.test.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/sidebar/SidebarNav.test.tsx
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ const mocks = vi.hoisted(() => ({
   refreshPreflightStatus: vi.fn(),
   checkLinearConnection: vi.fn(),
   hasPairedMobileDevice: false,
+  agentBucketCounts: { attention: 0, working: 0, idle: 0 },
   dismissMobileOnboardingBadge: vi.fn(),
   setSetupGuideSidebarDismissed: vi.fn()
 }))
@@ -39,6 +40,10 @@ vi.mock('@/components/activity/useActivityUnreadCount', () => ({
   useActivityUnreadCount: () => 0
 }))
 
+vi.mock('@/components/dashboard/useAgentBucketCounts', () => ({
+  useAgentBucketCounts: () => mocks.agentBucketCounts
+}))
+
 vi.mock('@/hooks/useShortcutLabel', () => ({
   useShortcutKeyComboDetails: () => [{ keys: ['⌘', 'J'], doubleTap: false }]
 }))
@@ -203,6 +208,7 @@ describe('SidebarNav', () => {
     vi.clearAllMocks()
     await i18n.changeLanguage('en')
     mocks.hasPairedMobileDevice = false
+    mocks.agentBucketCounts = { attention: 0, working: 0, idle: 0 }
     setSidebarState()
   })
 
@@ -252,6 +258,26 @@ describe('SidebarNav', () => {
     expect(queryButtonByText(container, 'Agent Dashboard')).not.toBeNull()
   })
 
+  it('uses a question glyph only for the Needs You count', async () => {
+    mocks.agentBucketCounts = { attention: 2, working: 3, idle: 4 }
+    setSidebarState({
+      settings: {
+        ...getDefaultSettings('/tmp'),
+        experimentalAgentDashboardPopout: true
+      }
+    })
+    const container = await renderSidebarNav()
+
+    const attention = container.querySelector('[aria-label="Needs You: 2"]')
+    const working = container.querySelector('[aria-label="Working: 3"]')
+    const idle = container.querySelector('[aria-label="Idle: 4"]')
+    expect(attention?.querySelector('.lucide-message-circle-question-mark')).not.toBeNull()
+    expect(working?.querySelector('.rounded-full')).not.toBeNull()
+    expect(idle?.querySelector('.rounded-full')).not.toBeNull()
+    expect(working?.querySelector('svg')).toBeNull()
+    expect(idle?.querySelector('svg')).toBeNull()
+  })
+
   it('shows the Mobile entry by default for older settings', () => {
     expect(shouldShowMobileButton(null)).toBe(true)
     expect(shouldShowMobileButton({})).toBe(true)
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/sidebar/SidebarNav.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/sidebar/SidebarNav.tsx
index 0572150a5..ccd04bf73 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/sidebar/SidebarNav.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/sidebar/SidebarNav.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,13 @@
 import React from 'react'
-import { Bell, CalendarClock, EyeOff, LayoutDashboard, Search, Smartphone } from 'lucide-react'
+import {
+  Bell,
+  CalendarClock,
+  EyeOff,
+  LayoutDashboard,
+  MessageCircleQuestion,
+  Search,
+  Smartphone
+} from 'lucide-react'
 import { useTranslation } from 'react-i18next'
 import { useAppStore } from '@/store'
 import { cn } from '@/lib/utils'
@@ -44,10 +52,7 @@ export function shouldShowAutomationsButton(
   return settings?.showAutomationsButton !== false
 }
 
-// Per-state dot colors mirror AgentStateDot so the sidebar counts read the same
-// as the board (amber = needs you, yellow = working, neutral = idle, emerald = done).
-const DASHBOARD_BUCKET_DOT_CLASS: Record<DashboardBucket, string> = {
-  attention: 'bg-amber-500',
+const DASHBOARD_BUCKET_DOT_CLASS: Record<'working' | 'idle', string> = {
   working: 'bg-yellow-500',
   idle: 'bg-neutral-500/50'
 }
@@ -80,7 +85,11 @@ function DashboardBucketCounts({
           aria-label={`${dashboardBucketLabel(bucket)}: ${counts[bucket]}`}
           className="inline-flex items-center gap-1 text-[10px] tabular-nums text-worktree-sidebar-foreground/55"
         >
-          <span className={cn('size-1.5 rounded-full', DASHBOARD_BUCKET_DOT_CLASS[bucket])} />
+          {bucket === 'attention' ? (
+            <MessageCircleQuestion className="size-2.5 text-amber-500" aria-hidden />
+          ) : (
+            <span className={cn('size-1.5 rounded-full', DASHBOARD_BUCKET_DOT_CLASS[bucket])} />
+          )}
           {counts[bucket]}
         </span>
       ))}
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/sidebar/StatusIndicator.test.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/sidebar/StatusIndicator.test.ts
index 18ae2d1f1..871687ccb 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/sidebar/StatusIndicator.test.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/sidebar/StatusIndicator.test.ts
@@ -32,11 +32,13 @@ describe('StatusIndicator', () => {
     expect(markup).not.toContain('animation:spin')
   })
 
-  it('renders permission as an amber attention dot', () => {
-    const classNames = renderDotClassNames('permission')
+  it('renders permission as an amber question glyph', () => {
+    const markup = renderMarkup('permission')
 
-    expect(classNames).toContain('bg-amber-500')
-    expect(classNames).not.toContain('bg-red-500')
+    expect(markup).toContain('lucide-message-circle-question-mark')
+    expect(markup).toContain('text-amber-500')
+    expect(markup).not.toContain('bg-amber-500')
+    expect(markup).not.toContain('data-agent-spinner')
   })
 
   it('renders active as full emerald dot', () => {
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/sidebar/StatusIndicator.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/sidebar/StatusIndicator.tsx
index ff4c4c25c..7fffc9f97 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/sidebar/StatusIndicator.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/sidebar/StatusIndicator.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import React from 'react'
+import { MessageCircleQuestion } from 'lucide-react'
 import { cn } from '@/lib/utils'
 import { AgentWorkingSpinner } from '@/components/AgentWorkingSpinner'
 import { getWorktreeStatusLabel, type WorktreeStatus } from '@/lib/worktree-status'
@@ -39,6 +40,18 @@ const StatusIndicator = React.memo(function StatusIndicator({
     )
   }
 
+  if (status === 'permission') {
+    return (
+      <span
+        className={cn('inline-flex h-3 w-3 shrink-0 items-center justify-center', className)}
+        title={resolvedTitle}
+        {...rest}
+      >
+        <MessageCircleQuestion className="size-3 text-amber-500" aria-hidden="true" />
+      </span>
+    )
+  }
+
   return (
     <span
       className={cn('inline-flex h-3 w-3 shrink-0 items-center justify-center', className)}
@@ -48,14 +61,12 @@ const StatusIndicator = React.memo(function StatusIndicator({
       <span
         className={cn(
           'block size-2 rounded-full',
-          status === 'permission'
-            ? 'bg-amber-500'
-            : status === 'done' || status === 'active'
-              ? // Green dot for both hook-reported 'done' and the heuristic
-                // 'active' (terminal open, quiet). Working uses a yellow
-                // ring above; 'inactive' stays grey.
-                'bg-emerald-500'
-              : 'bg-neutral-500/40'
+          status === 'done' || status === 'active'
+            ? // Green dot for both hook-reported 'done' and the heuristic
+              // 'active' (terminal open, quiet). Working uses a yellow
+              // ring above; 'inactive' stays grey.
+              'bg-emerald-500'
+            : 'bg-neutral-500/40'
         )}
       />
     </span>
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/sidebar/WorktreeCardStatusSlot.test.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/sidebar/WorktreeCardStatusSlot.test.tsx
index d06efb037..8911c1783 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/sidebar/WorktreeCardStatusSlot.test.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/sidebar/WorktreeCardStatusSlot.test.tsx
@@ -126,7 +126,8 @@ describe('WorktreeCardStatusSlot', () => {
     )
 
     expect(markup).toContain('Needs permission · Unread')
-    expect(markup).toContain('bg-amber-500')
+    expect(markup).toContain('lucide-message-circle-question-mark')
+    expect(markup).toContain('text-amber-500')
     expect(markup).not.toContain('data-worktree-status-lane-unread=""')
     expect(markup).not.toContain('data-worktree-unread-alert=""')
     expect(markup).not.toContain('aria-label="Mark as read"')
@@ -378,7 +379,8 @@ describe('WorktreeCardStatusSlot', () => {
     )
 
     expect(markup).toContain('Needs permission')
-    expect(markup).toContain('bg-amber-500')
+    expect(markup).toContain('lucide-message-circle-question-mark')
+    expect(markup).toContain('text-amber-500')
     expect(markup).not.toContain('PR checks: Failed')
   })
 
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/tab-bar/TerminalTabLeadingIcon.test.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/tab-bar/TerminalTabLeadingIcon.test.tsx
index 58d57669f..6c65ba566 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/tab-bar/TerminalTabLeadingIcon.test.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/tab-bar/TerminalTabLeadingIcon.test.tsx
@@ -36,11 +36,12 @@ describe('TerminalTabLeadingIcon', () => {
     expect(markup).toContain('data-agent-icon="codex"')
   })
 
-  it('shows a needs-input (permission) state as an amber dot', () => {
+  it('shows a needs-input (permission) state as an amber question glyph', () => {
     const markup = renderStatus('permission')
 
     expect(markup).toContain('data-agent-activity-status="permission"')
-    expect(markup).toContain('bg-amber-500')
+    expect(markup).toContain('lucide-message-circle-question-mark')
+    expect(markup).toContain('text-amber-500')
     expect(markup).not.toContain('bg-red-500')
   })