diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/chat/AgentsPanel.browser.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/chat/AgentsPanel.browser.tsx
index 344669c13..373f029e6 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/chat/AgentsPanel.browser.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/chat/AgentsPanel.browser.tsx
@@ -1540,6 +1540,41 @@ describe("AgentsPanel", () => {
     }
   });
 
+  it("gives an inactive tab distinct resting and hover surfaces", async () => {
+    const mounted = await render(
+      <main style={{ boxSizing: "border-box", height: 640, width: 330 }}>
+        <ChatRightPanel
+          openTabs={["sourceControl", "agents"]}
+          availableTabs={["sourceControl", "diff", "agents"]}
+          activeTab="sourceControl"
+          onSelectTab={vi.fn()}
+          onCloseTab={vi.fn()}
+        >
+          <div />
+        </ChatRightPanel>
+      </main>,
+    );
+
+    try {
+      await expect.element(page.getByRole("tab", { name: "Agents" })).toBeVisible();
+      const panel = document.querySelector("[data-chat-right-panel='true']") as HTMLElement;
+      const inactiveTab = document.querySelector("[data-right-panel-tab='agents']") as HTMLElement;
+      const panelBackground = getComputedStyle(panel).backgroundColor;
+      const restingBackground = getComputedStyle(inactiveTab).backgroundColor;
+
+      expect(restingBackground).not.toBe(panelBackground);
+
+      await page.getByRole("tab", { name: "Agents" }).hover();
+      await vi.waitFor(() => {
+        if (getComputedStyle(inactiveTab).backgroundColor === restingBackground) {
+          throw new Error("The inactive tab never gained its separate hover surface.");
+        }
+      });
+    } finally {
+      await mounted.unmount();
+    }
+  });
+
   it("parks the + at the strip's left edge while the launcher is showing", async () => {
     const mounted = await render(
       <main style={{ boxSizing: "border-box", height: 640, width: 330 }}>
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/chat/RightPanelTabStrip.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/chat/RightPanelTabStrip.tsx
index e0652ed1d..ec4d07e52 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/chat/RightPanelTabStrip.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/chat/RightPanelTabStrip.tsx
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ function TabStripItem({
             "pr-3.5 pl-1.5",
         active
           ? "bg-background text-foreground"
-          : "text-muted-foreground/80 hover:bg-accent hover:text-foreground",
+          : "bg-muted/50 text-muted-foreground/80 hover:bg-accent hover:text-foreground",
       )}
       {...(measuring
         ? {}
diff --git a/scripts/generate-release-notes.test.ts b/scripts/generate-release-notes.test.ts
index c36658df7..5d559567d 100644
--- a/scripts/generate-release-notes.test.ts
+++ b/scripts/generate-release-notes.test.ts
@@ -119,14 +119,14 @@ it("uses GitHub PR attribution, filters release-preparation noise, and keeps dir
     [
       "## What's Changed",
       "",
-      "- Add prompt stashing by @will in https://github.com/Threadlines/threadlines/pull/93",
+      "- Add prompt stashing by [@will](https://github.com/will) in https://github.com/Threadlines/threadlines/pull/93",
       "",
       "### Direct changes",
       "",
       "- [`cccccccc`](https://github.com/Threadlines/threadlines/commit/cccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc) Keep updater diagnostics visible",
       "",
       "## New Contributors",
-      "* @will made their first contribution in https://github.com/Threadlines/threadlines/pull/93",
+      "* [@will](https://github.com/will) made their first contribution in https://github.com/Threadlines/threadlines/pull/93",
       "",
       "**Full Changelog**: https://github.com/Threadlines/threadlines/compare/v0.3.1-nightly.20260731.204...v0.3.1-nightly.20260731.205",
       "",
diff --git a/scripts/generate-release-notes.ts b/scripts/generate-release-notes.ts
index d525a864d..2f87b573a 100644
--- a/scripts/generate-release-notes.ts
+++ b/scripts/generate-release-notes.ts
@@ -249,6 +249,26 @@ interface ParsedGitHubGeneratedNotes {
   readonly fullChangelogLine: string | undefined;
 }
 
+function githubProfileLink(login: string): string {
+  return `[@${login}](https://github.com/${login})`;
+}
+
+/** GitHub gives bare @mentions a viewer-specific highlight. Keep attribution
+ * clickable without that highlight by rendering the generated author patterns
+ * as ordinary profile links. Limit this to GitHub's own templates so an @ in a
+ * pull request title or email-like text is not rewritten. */
+function linkGitHubGeneratedAttribution(line: string): string {
+  return line
+    .replace(
+      /\bby @([a-z\d](?:[a-z\d-]{0,37}[a-z\d])?)(?=\s+in\s+)/gi,
+      (_match, login: string) => `by ${githubProfileLink(login)}`,
+    )
+    .replace(
+      /^([-*]\s+)@([a-z\d](?:[a-z\d-]{0,37}[a-z\d])?)(?=\s+made their first contribution\b)/i,
+      (_match, bullet: string, login: string) => `${bullet}${githubProfileLink(login)}`,
+    );
+}
+
 function parseGitHubGeneratedNotes(body: string): ParsedGitHubGeneratedNotes {
   const lines = body.replaceAll("\r\n", "\n").split("\n");
   const newContributorsStart = lines.findIndex((line) => /^##\s+New Contributors\s*$/i.test(line));
@@ -272,7 +292,7 @@ function parseGitHubGeneratedNotes(body: string): ParsedGitHubGeneratedNotes {
       if (pullRequestNumber) filteredPullRequestNumbers.add(pullRequestNumber);
       return false;
     })
-    .map((line) => line.trim().replace(/^\*\s+/, "- "));
+    .map((line) => linkGitHubGeneratedAttribution(line.trim().replace(/^\*\s+/, "- ")));
 
   const newContributorSection =
     newContributorsStart === -1
@@ -286,7 +306,7 @@ function parseGitHubGeneratedNotes(body: string): ParsedGitHubGeneratedNotes {
             const pullRequestNumber = /\/pull\/(\d+)/i.exec(line)?.[1];
             return !pullRequestNumber || !filteredPullRequestNumbers.has(pullRequestNumber);
           })
-          .map((line) => line.trimEnd())
+          .map((line) => linkGitHubGeneratedAttribution(line.trimEnd()))
           .filter((line, index, section) => {
             if (line.length > 0) return true;
             return index > 0 && index < section.length - 1;