feat(frontend): skeleton loading states, empty-state glow, light-mode polish

- Add shared skeleton building blocks (SkeletonHero, SkeletonMetricRow,
  SkeletonPanel, SkeletonRows) and wire them into every view's initial
  loading branch, replacing bare spinners for a cohesive shimmering shell.
- Polish EmptyState with a glow-ring icon chip instead of a flat icon.
- Harden .light theme: color-scheme, tuned scrollbar + selection for pale
  canvas. Dark/light theme toggle (next-themes) already persisted in TopBar.

services/frontend/src/app/(dashboard)/analysis/view.tsx

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import { Hash, Search, Sparkles, TrendingUp } from "lucide-react";
 import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
 import { useAmbient } from "@/components/ambient/ambient-context";
 import { Avatar, Badge, GlassPanel, Input } from "@/components/primitives";
-import { EmptyState, LoadingState, SectionHeader } from "@/components/shared";
+import { EmptyState, SectionHeader, SkeletonRows } from "@/components/shared";
 import { useChannels, useMessageSearch, useTopReactors } from "@/hooks";
 import { aiTone } from "@/lib/ai-status";
 import {
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ export function AnalysisView() {
             }
           />
           {query.trim().length >= 2 && search.isLoading && (
-            <LoadingState label="Scanning" />
+            <SkeletonRows rows={6} />
           )}
           {(search.data ?? []).length === 0 ? (
             <EmptyState

services/frontend/src/app/(dashboard)/dashboard/view.tsx

@@ -13,7 +13,13 @@ import { useEffect } from "react";
 import { useAmbient } from "@/components/ambient/ambient-context";
 import { AreaActivity, RadialGauge } from "@/components/charts";
 import { GlassPanel } from "@/components/primitives";
-import { ErrorState, LoadingState } from "@/components/shared";
+import {
+  ErrorState,
+  LoadingState,
+  SkeletonHero,
+  SkeletonMetricRow,
+  SkeletonPanel,
+} from "@/components/shared";
 import { MetricTile, SectionHeader } from "@/components/shared/section";
 import {
   useActivity,
@@ -59,7 +65,18 @@ export function DashboardView({
   }, [stats, ambient]);
 
   if (error && !stats) return <ErrorState error={error} />;
-  if (!stats && isLoading) return <LoadingState label="Reading grid" />;
+  if (!stats && isLoading)
+    return (
+      <div className="space-y-5">
+        <SkeletonHero />
+        <SkeletonMetricRow cols={4} />
+        <SkeletonPanel rows={5} />
+        <div className="grid gap-5 lg:grid-cols-5">
+          <SkeletonPanel className="lg:col-span-3" rows={4} />
+          <SkeletonPanel className="lg:col-span-2" rows={4} />
+        </div>
+      </div>
+    );
   if (!stats) return <ErrorState error={error ?? new Error("No data")} />;
 
   const s = stats;

services/frontend/src/app/(dashboard)/media/view.tsx

@@ -12,7 +12,12 @@ import {
 import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
 import { useAmbient } from "@/components/ambient/ambient-context";
 import { Button, GlassPanel, Input, toast } from "@/components/primitives";
-import { ErrorState, LoadingState, SectionHeader } from "@/components/shared";
+import {
+  ErrorState,
+  SectionHeader,
+  SkeletonHero,
+  SkeletonPanel,
+} from "@/components/shared";
 import {
   useMediaLoop,
   useMediaQueue,
@@ -74,7 +79,13 @@ export function MediaView({ initialStatus }: { initialStatus?: MediaState }) {
   };
 
   if (error && !media) return <ErrorState error={error} />;
-  if (!media && isLoading) return <LoadingState label="Reading deck" />;
+  if (!media && isLoading)
+    return (
+      <div className="space-y-5">
+        <SkeletonHero />
+        <SkeletonPanel rows={4} />
+      </div>
+    );
 
   return (
     <div className="space-y-5">

services/frontend/src/app/(dashboard)/messages/view.tsx

@@ -22,8 +22,8 @@ import {
 import {
   EmptyState,
   ErrorState,
-  LoadingState,
   SectionHeader,
+  SkeletonRows,
 } from "@/components/shared";
 import { GuildChannelPicker } from "@/components/shared/guild-picker";
 import {
@@ -185,7 +185,7 @@ export function MessagesView({
           {error && !messages ? (
             <ErrorState error={error} />
           ) : isLoading && !messages ? (
-            <LoadingState label="Capturing" />
+            <SkeletonRows rows={8} />
           ) : list.length === 0 ? (
             <EmptyState
               icon={<MessageSquare className="size-7" />}

services/frontend/src/app/(dashboard)/moderation/view.tsx

@@ -24,9 +24,11 @@ import {
 } from "@/components/primitives";
 import {
   ErrorState,
-  LoadingState,
   MetricTile,
   SectionHeader,
+  SkeletonMetricRow,
+  SkeletonPanel,
+  SkeletonRows,
 } from "@/components/shared";
 import { useModerationActions, useModerationStats } from "@/hooks";
 import { formatNumber, formatRelativeTime } from "@/lib/format";
@@ -92,7 +94,14 @@ export function ModerationView({
   }, [failedRate, ambient]);
 
   if (error && !stats) return <ErrorState error={error} />;
-  if (!stats && isLoading) return <LoadingState label="Reading log" />;
+  if (!stats && isLoading)
+    return (
+      <div className="space-y-5">
+        <SkeletonMetricRow cols={4} />
+        <SkeletonPanel rows={5} />
+        <SkeletonRows rows={6} />
+      </div>
+    );
   if (!stats) return <ErrorState error={error ?? new Error("No data")} />;
 
   const statusOpts: SelectOption[] = [

services/frontend/src/app/(dashboard)/recordings/view.tsx

@@ -9,14 +9,10 @@ import {
   Button,
   GlassCard,
   GlassPanel,
+  Skeleton,
   toast,
 } from "@/components/primitives";
-import {
-  EmptyState,
-  ErrorState,
-  LoadingState,
-  SectionHeader,
-} from "@/components/shared";
+import { EmptyState, ErrorState, SectionHeader } from "@/components/shared";
 import {
   useDeleteRecording,
   useRecordings,
@@ -55,7 +51,29 @@ export function RecordingsView({
   };
 
   if (error && !items) return <ErrorState error={error} />;
-  if (!items && isLoading) return <LoadingState label="Loading clips" />;
+  if (!items && isLoading)
+    return (
+      <GlassPanel>
+        <div className="mb-3 flex items-center justify-between">
+          <Skeleton className="h-4 w-28" />
+          <Skeleton className="h-3 w-12" />
+        </div>
+        <div className="grid gap-3 sm:grid-cols-2 xl:grid-cols-3">
+          {Array.from({ length: 6 }).map((_, i) => (
+            <GlassCard key={i} className="flex flex-col gap-3">
+              <div className="flex items-center gap-3">
+                <Skeleton className="size-9 rounded-full" />
+                <div className="flex-1 space-y-2">
+                  <Skeleton className="h-3 w-24" />
+                  <Skeleton className="h-2.5 w-32" />
+                </div>
+              </div>
+              <Skeleton className="h-9 w-full" />
+            </GlassCard>
+          ))}
+        </div>
+      </GlassPanel>
+    );
 
   return (
     <GlassPanel>

services/frontend/src/app/(dashboard)/voice/view.tsx

@@ -16,8 +16,8 @@ import { Button, GlassPanel, toast } from "@/components/primitives";
 import {
   EmptyState,
   ErrorState,
-  LoadingState,
   SectionHeader,
+  SkeletonPanel,
 } from "@/components/shared";
 import { GuildChannelPicker } from "@/components/shared/guild-picker";
 import { VoiceStage } from "@/components/voice/voice-stage";
@@ -67,7 +67,16 @@ export function VoiceView({
   }, [status?.connected, ambient]);
 
   if (error && !status) return <ErrorState error={error} />;
-  if (!status && isLoading) return <LoadingState label="Linking voice" />;
+  if (!status && isLoading)
+    return (
+      <div className="space-y-5">
+        <SkeletonPanel rows={2} />
+        <div className="grid gap-5 lg:grid-cols-3">
+          <SkeletonPanel className="lg:col-span-2" rows={4} />
+          <SkeletonPanel rows={4} />
+        </div>
+      </div>
+    );
 
   const connected = status?.connected ?? false;
   const listenBars = Array.from(listen.levels.values()).slice(0, 32);

services/frontend/src/app/globals.css

@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@
 
 /* ── Light theme overrides ── */
 .light {
+  color-scheme: light;
   --color-canvas: oklch(0.96 0.012 80);
   --color-canvas-2: oklch(0.92 0.014 80);
   --color-surface: oklch(1 0 0 / 0.7);
@@ -65,6 +66,18 @@
   --color-hairline: oklch(0.22 0.02 70 / 0.12);
 }
 
+/* Light-theme scrollbar + selection tuned for pale canvas */
+.light ::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb {
+  background: oklch(0.22 0.02 70 / 0.2);
+}
+.light ::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb:hover {
+  background: oklch(0.22 0.02 70 / 0.34);
+}
+.light ::selection {
+  background: var(--color-signal-glow);
+  color: var(--color-ink);
+}
+
 @layer base {
   * {
     @apply border-transparent;

services/frontend/src/components/shared/index.ts

@@ -1,4 +1,12 @@
 export { GuildChannelPicker } from "./guild-picker";
 export { MarkdownLite } from "./markdown";
 export { MetricTile, SectionHeader } from "./section";
-export { EmptyState, ErrorState, LoadingState } from "./states";
+export {
+  EmptyState,
+  ErrorState,
+  LoadingState,
+  SkeletonHero,
+  SkeletonMetricRow,
+  SkeletonPanel,
+  SkeletonRows,
+} from "./states";

services/frontend/src/components/shared/states.tsx

@@ -1,7 +1,97 @@
-import { AlertTriangle, Inbox, Loader2 } from "lucide-react";
-import { Spinner } from "@/components/primitives";
+import { AlertTriangle, Loader2 } from "lucide-react";
+import { GlassPanel, Skeleton, Spinner } from "@/components/primitives";
 import { cn } from "@/lib/utils";
 
+/** A panel-shaped loading placeholder. */
+export function SkeletonPanel({
+  rows = 3,
+  className,
+}: {
+  rows?: number;
+  className?: string;
+}) {
+  return (
+    <GlassPanel className={className}>
+      <div className="mb-3 flex items-center justify-between">
+        <Skeleton className="h-4 w-28" />
+        <Skeleton className="h-3 w-12" />
+      </div>
+      <div className="space-y-2.5">
+        {Array.from({ length: rows }).map((_, i) => (
+          <div key={i} className="flex items-center gap-3">
+            <Skeleton className="size-8 shrink-0 rounded-full" />
+            <Skeleton className="h-3.5 flex-1" />
+            <Skeleton className="h-3 w-10" />
+          </div>
+        ))}
+      </div>
+    </GlassPanel>
+  );
+}
+
+/** A 2×2 (or 4-col) grid of metric-tile placeholders. */
+export function SkeletonMetricRow({ cols = 4 }: { cols?: number }) {
+  return (
+    <div
+      className={cn(
+        "grid grid-cols-2 gap-3",
+        cols === 4 && "md:grid-cols-4",
+        cols === 3 && "md:grid-cols-3",
+      )}
+    >
+      {Array.from({ length: cols }).map((_, i) => (
+        <div key={i} className="glass flex flex-col gap-2 p-4">
+          <Skeleton className="h-3 w-16" />
+          <Skeleton className="h-7 w-20" />
+        </div>
+      ))}
+    </div>
+  );
+}
+
+/** A stacked list of row placeholders (message/moderation/queue style). */
+export function SkeletonRows({
+  rows = 6,
+  className,
+}: {
+  rows?: number;
+  className?: string;
+}) {
+  return (
+    <div className={cn("space-y-1.5", className)}>
+      {Array.from({ length: rows }).map((_, i) => (
+        <div
+          key={i}
+          className="flex items-start gap-3 rounded-[12px] border border-hairline bg-white/[0.03] p-3"
+        >
+          <Skeleton className="size-8 shrink-0 rounded-full" />
+          <div className="flex-1 space-y-2 py-0.5">
+            <Skeleton className="h-3 w-32" />
+            <Skeleton className="h-2.5 w-full max-w-[90%]" />
+          </div>
+        </div>
+      ))}
+    </div>
+  );
+}
+
+/** Hero block placeholder (dashboard / media "now playing"). */
+export function SkeletonHero({ className }: { className?: string }) {
+  return (
+    <GlassPanel glow className={cn("relative overflow-hidden", className)}>
+      <div className="scan-line absolute inset-x-0 top-0" />
+      <div className="flex items-center justify-between gap-4">
+        <div className="flex-1 space-y-3">
+          <Skeleton className="h-3 w-40" />
+          <Skeleton className="h-9 w-56" />
+          <Skeleton className="h-3 w-72 max-w-full" />
+        </div>
+        <Skeleton className="size-28 shrink-0 rounded-full" />
+      </div>
+    </GlassPanel>
+  );
+}
+
 export function EmptyState({
   title = "Nothing here yet",
   description,
@@ -16,13 +106,15 @@ export function EmptyState({
   return (
     <div
       className={cn(
-        "flex flex-col items-center justify-center gap-2 py-12 text-center",
+        "relative flex flex-col items-center justify-center gap-2 py-12 text-center",
         className,
       )}
     >
-      <div className="text-ink-faint">
-        {icon ?? <Inbox className="size-7" />}
-      </div>
+      {icon && (
+        <span className="mb-1 flex size-14 items-center justify-center rounded-full border border-hairline bg-white/[0.04] text-ink-soft shadow-[0_0_30px_-12px_var(--color-signal-glow)]">
+          {icon}
+        </span>
+      )}
       <div className="text-sm font-medium text-ink-soft">{title}</div>
       {description && (
         <div className="max-w-xs text-xs text-ink-faint">{description}</div>