diff --git a/docs/operator-guide.md b/docs/operator-guide.md
index 856096c..10c246d 100644
--- a/docs/operator-guide.md
+++ b/docs/operator-guide.md
@@ -132,11 +132,15 @@ Without a metrics-server these degrade gracefully (columns show `-`, the table t
 - `s`: tail toggle
 - `p`: pause/resume stream
 - `P`: toggle previous container instance (`kubectl logs -p`) — a one-shot fetch for crashloops
+- `m`: message-only — hide the `[source]` prefix and timestamp, keeping just the log message
+  (great for multi-pod streams where the pod name eats half the width)
 - `S`: source selector
 - `c`: container selector
 
-The logs status line shows `instance:current` or `instance:previous`. Previous-instance logs don't
-follow or auto-reconnect (the container is gone); press `P` again to return to the live stream.
+The logs status line shows `instance:current`/`previous` and `view: full`/`message-only`.
+Previous-instance logs don't follow or auto-reconnect (the container is gone); press `P` again to
+return to the live stream. `m` toggles message-only when source prefixes/timestamps crowd out the
+message (still searchable by source/time — only the display is trimmed).
 
 Pod behavior:
 - multi-container pods can stream from all containers
diff --git a/src/ui/app.rs b/src/ui/app.rs
index a43b771..ee3f917 100644
--- a/src/ui/app.rs
+++ b/src/ui/app.rs
@@ -566,6 +566,8 @@ struct LogViewState {
     /// Stream the previous (terminated) container instance's logs (`kubectl logs -p`) — a one-shot
     /// fetch (no follow/reconnect), used for crashloop debugging.
     previous: bool,
+    /// Show only the log message, hiding the `[source]` prefix and the timestamp (toggle `m`).
+    messages_only: bool,
     paused_skipped_lines: u64,
     container_override_pod: Option<ResourceKey>,
     container_override: Option<String>,
@@ -606,6 +608,7 @@ impl Default for LogViewState {
             reconnect_blocked: false,
             paused: false,
             previous: false,
+            messages_only: false,
             paused_skipped_lines: 0,
             container_override_pod: None,
             container_override: None,
@@ -1243,6 +1246,14 @@ impl App {
             self.ensure_active_watch().await;
             return Ok(false);
         }
+        if self.current_tab().pane == Pane::Logs
+            && key.modifiers.is_empty()
+            && key.code == KeyCode::Char('m')
+        {
+            self.toggle_log_messages_only();
+            self.ensure_active_watch().await;
+            return Ok(false);
+        }
         if self.current_tab().pane == Pane::Logs
             && ((key.code == KeyCode::Char('L'))
                 || (key.code == KeyCode::Char('l') && key.modifiers.contains(KeyModifiers::SHIFT)))
@@ -4023,6 +4034,41 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(snap.contains("instance: current"), "instance: {snap}");
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn logs_message_only_hides_source_and_timestamp() {
+        let mut app = test_app();
+        app.current_tab_mut().pane = Pane::Logs;
+        app.current_tab_mut().detail_wrap = false;
+        app.logs.selection = Some(super::LogSelection {
+            scope: "pod default/pod-a".to_string(),
+            targets: vec![super::LogTarget {
+                context: "ctx-dev".to_string(),
+                namespace: "default".to_string(),
+                pod: "pod-a".to_string(),
+                container: Some("main".to_string()),
+            }],
+        });
+        app.push_log_line(
+            "[default/pod-a/main] 2026-05-26T22:41:01.812Z hello from the app".to_string(),
+        );
+
+        // Full view shows the source prefix and timestamp.
+        let snap = render_snapshot(&mut app, 120, 16);
+        assert!(snap.contains("[default/pod-a/main]"), "full prefix: {snap}");
+        assert!(snap.contains("2026-05-26T22:41:01"), "full ts: {snap}");
+
+        // Message-only hides both, keeps the message; title notes the mode.
+        app.toggle_log_messages_only();
+        let snap = render_snapshot(&mut app, 120, 16);
+        assert!(snap.contains("hello from the app"), "message kept: {snap}");
+        assert!(
+            !snap.contains("[default/pod-a/main]"),
+            "prefix hidden: {snap}"
+        );
+        assert!(!snap.contains("2026-05-26T22:41:01"), "ts hidden: {snap}");
+        assert!(snap.contains("view: message-only"), "title flag: {snap}");
+    }
+
     #[tokio::test]
     async fn toggle_previous_logs_flips_instance_and_resets() {
         let mut app = test_app();
diff --git a/src/ui/app/logs.rs b/src/ui/app/logs.rs
index dbcfeec..7330551 100644
--- a/src/ui/app/logs.rs
+++ b/src/ui/app/logs.rs
@@ -514,12 +514,17 @@ impl App {
         };
 
         format!(
-            "[LOGS] {} · instance: {} · streams: {} · state: {} · src: {} · lines: {} · dropped: {} · paused-drop: {}{} · wrap: {}",
+            "[LOGS] {} · instance: {} · streams: {} · state: {} · src: {} · view: {} · lines: {} · dropped: {} · paused-drop: {}{} · wrap: {}",
             target,
             instance,
             streams,
             state,
             source_filters,
+            if self.logs.messages_only {
+                "message-only"
+            } else {
+                "full"
+            },
             self.logs.lines.len(),
             self.logs.dropped_lines,
             self.logs.paused_skipped_lines,
@@ -532,6 +537,17 @@ impl App {
         )
     }
 
+    pub(super) fn toggle_log_messages_only(&mut self) {
+        self.logs.messages_only = !self.logs.messages_only;
+        // Width changes, so reset horizontal scroll to avoid a stranded offset.
+        self.current_tab_mut().detail_hscroll = 0;
+        self.status_line = if self.logs.messages_only {
+            "Logs: message-only (source + timestamp hidden)".to_string()
+        } else {
+            "Logs: full lines (source + timestamp shown)".to_string()
+        };
+    }
+
     pub(super) fn set_log_paused(&mut self, paused: bool) {
         self.logs.paused = paused;
         if paused {
@@ -592,7 +608,8 @@ impl App {
     }
 
     pub(super) fn filtered_log_line_count_and_width(&self) -> (usize, usize) {
-        if self.logs.hidden_sources.is_empty() {
+        // Fast path: no source filter and full lines → use the cached width.
+        if self.logs.hidden_sources.is_empty() && !self.logs.messages_only {
             return (self.logs.lines.len(), self.logs.max_line_width);
         }
         let mut count = 0usize;
@@ -600,25 +617,32 @@ impl App {
         for line in &self.logs.lines {
             if is_visible_log_line(line, &self.logs.hidden_sources) {
                 count = count.saturating_add(1);
-                max_width = max_width.max(line.chars().count());
+                max_width = max_width.max(self.display_log_line(line).chars().count());
             }
         }
         (count, max_width)
     }
 
     pub(super) fn filtered_log_body_text(&mut self) -> String {
-        if self.logs.hidden_sources.is_empty() {
+        // Fast path only when nothing transforms the lines.
+        if self.logs.hidden_sources.is_empty() && !self.logs.messages_only {
             return self.log_joined_text().to_string();
         }
+        let messages_only = self.logs.messages_only;
         self.logs
             .lines
             .iter()
             .filter(|line| is_visible_log_line(line, &self.logs.hidden_sources))
-            .cloned()
+            .map(|line| display_log_line(line, messages_only))
             .collect::<Vec<_>>()
             .join("\n")
     }
 
+    /// The line as displayed: full, or message-only (source prefix + timestamp stripped).
+    pub(super) fn display_log_line<'a>(&self, line: &'a str) -> &'a str {
+        display_log_line(line, self.logs.messages_only)
+    }
+
     pub(super) fn log_search_match_lines(&mut self, query: &str) -> Vec<usize> {
         let needle = query.trim().to_ascii_lowercase();
         if needle.is_empty() {
@@ -652,6 +676,38 @@ impl App {
     }
 }
 
+/// A stored log line is `[source] <rfc3339-timestamp> <message>`. In message-only mode, strip the
+/// `[source]` prefix and the leading timestamp so only the message shows. Returns a borrowed slice
+/// (the message is a contiguous tail), so this stays allocation-free on the render hot path.
+fn display_log_line(line: &str, messages_only: bool) -> &str {
+    if !messages_only {
+        return line;
+    }
+    let mut rest = line;
+    // Strip a leading "[...] " source prefix.
+    if rest.starts_with('[')
+        && let Some(idx) = rest.find("] ")
+    {
+        rest = &rest[idx + 2..];
+    }
+    // Strip a leading RFC3339 timestamp token followed by a space.
+    if let Some(sp) = rest.find(' ')
+        && looks_like_timestamp(&rest[..sp])
+    {
+        rest = &rest[sp + 1..];
+    }
+    rest
+}
+
+/// Heuristic RFC3339 check (e.g. `2026-05-26T22:41:01.812Z`) — enough to recognize the kubelet
+/// timestamp prefix without a full parse.
+fn looks_like_timestamp(token: &str) -> bool {
+    token.len() >= 20
+        && token.as_bytes()[0].is_ascii_digit()
+        && token.contains('T')
+        && (token.ends_with('Z') || token.contains('+') || token.contains(':'))
+}
+
 /// Build a multi-pod log selection, capping the number of concurrent streams to LOG_MAX_STREAMS.
 /// Beyond the cap the scope label notes "N of M streams, capped" so the operator knows it's partial.
 fn capped_multi_pod_selection(
@@ -715,4 +771,24 @@ mod tests {
     fn empty_targets_yield_no_selection() {
         assert!(capped_multi_pod_selection("rs", "ns", "app", Vec::new()).is_none());
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn message_only_strips_source_prefix_and_timestamp() {
+        let line = "[orbit-production/backend-65495400b-4n3q/backend] 2026-05-26T22:41:01.812Z Resolved spring controller";
+        // full mode returns the line untouched
+        assert_eq!(display_log_line(line, false), line);
+        // message-only drops the [source] prefix and the RFC3339 timestamp
+        assert_eq!(display_log_line(line, true), "Resolved spring controller");
+
+        // No source prefix, just a timestamp
+        assert_eq!(
+            display_log_line("2026-05-26T22:41:01Z hello world", true),
+            "hello world"
+        );
+        // A message that merely starts with a non-timestamp token is left intact
+        assert_eq!(
+            display_log_line("[ns/pod/c] INFO starting up", true),
+            "INFO starting up"
+        );
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/ui/app/render_loop.rs b/src/ui/app/render_loop.rs
index e14a2de..f34c268 100644
--- a/src/ui/app/render_loop.rs
+++ b/src/ui/app/render_loop.rs
@@ -1065,7 +1065,7 @@ impl App {
                     let detail_wrap = active.detail_wrap;
                     let (max_v, max_h) = if detail_wrap {
                         let body = if logs_line_count > 0 {
-                            if self.logs.hidden_sources.is_empty() {
+                            if self.logs.hidden_sources.is_empty() && !self.logs.messages_only {
                                 self.log_joined_text().to_string()
                             } else {
                                 self.filtered_log_body_text()
@@ -1136,7 +1136,7 @@ impl App {
                     );
                     if detail_wrap {
                         let body = if logs_line_count > 0 {
-                            if self.logs.hidden_sources.is_empty() {
+                            if self.logs.hidden_sources.is_empty() && !self.logs.messages_only {
                                 self.log_joined_text().to_string()
                             } else {
                                 self.filtered_log_body_text()
@@ -1175,7 +1175,11 @@ impl App {
                             if visible.len() >= viewport_h {
                                 break;
                             }
-                            visible.push(slice_chars(line, detail_hscroll as usize, viewport_w));
+                            visible.push(slice_chars(
+                                self.display_log_line(line),
+                                detail_hscroll as usize,
+                                viewport_w,
+                            ));
                             visible_idx = visible_idx.saturating_add(1);
                         }
                         if visible.is_empty() {