diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 0bcf701..f4eb9a2 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ Then `/reload` (or restart pi) and run `/cursor` to open the settings panel.
 
 ## Features
 
+- **Native working rule** (v0.2.4): while the agent streams, the editor's top border renders as pi's native `── ⠸ Working ──…` label-in-rule (braille spinner, accent/muted themed) — restoring the default-editor chrome that custom editors lose, with pi's separate bare loader hidden to avoid duplication.
 - **Focused styles:** `block` (pi native, default), `bar` (▎), `underline`.
 - **Unfocused styles:** `hollow` (□ sharp hollow block, default), `outline` (▢ rounded), `dim` (faint block), `underline`, `hide`, **`highlight`** (char-preserving colored undercurl).
 - **Cursor color** (v0.2.0): `accent` (follows the pi theme, truecolor) or an explicit `#RRGGBB`.
diff --git a/extensions/cursor.ts b/extensions/cursor.ts
index 5e8357e..d270cb2 100644
--- a/extensions/cursor.ts
+++ b/extensions/cursor.ts
@@ -125,6 +125,10 @@ export default function (pi: ExtensionAPI): void {
     prevEditorFactory = ctx.ui.getEditorComponent?.() ?? null;
     const blinkController = new BlinkController();
     blink = blinkController;
+    // #6: cursor's custom editor replaces the default editor, which loses pi's native
+    // `── ⠸ Working ──…` border rule — so cursor draws it (editor.setStreaming) and hides
+    // pi's separate bare loader line to avoid duplication.
+    ctx.ui.setWorkingVisible(false);
     ctx.ui.setEditorComponent((tui: any, theme: any, keybindings: any) => {
       const wrapped = prevEditorFactory ? prevEditorFactory(tui, theme, keybindings) : null;
       const ed = new CursorEditor(tui, theme, keybindings, { wrapped, blink: blinkController, getTheme: () => ctx.ui.theme });
@@ -141,9 +145,20 @@ export default function (pi: ExtensionAPI): void {
     });
   });
 
+  pi.on("agent_start", async () => {
+    editor?.setStreaming(true);
+  });
+  pi.on("agent_end", async () => {
+    editor?.setStreaming(false);
+  });
+  pi.on("agent_settled", async () => {
+    editor?.setStreaming(false);
+  });
+
   pi.on("session_shutdown", async () => {
     configWatcher?.close();
     configWatcher = undefined;
+    editor?.setStreaming(false);
     editor?.restoreCursor?.();
     await provider?.stop();
     provider = null;
diff --git a/lib/editor.ts b/lib/editor.ts
index 962d37d..6f97143 100644
--- a/lib/editor.ts
+++ b/lib/editor.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import { CustomEditor } from "@earendil-works/pi-coding-agent";
 import { transformFocused, transformUnfocused, decscusr, osc12, themeAccentHex } from "./render.ts";
 import type { CursorConfig, CursorMode } from "./defaults.ts";
 import { BlinkController } from "./state.ts";
+import { WORKING_INTERVAL_MS, workingBorderLine, stripAnsi } from "./working-line.ts";
 
 type Theme = { getFgAnsi(color: string): string; getColorMode(): "truecolor" | "256color" };
 
@@ -13,6 +14,8 @@ export interface CursorEditorDeps {
    *  The real Theme exposes `getFgAnsi`/`getColorMode` for truecolor cursor
    *  colors and must be read live so theme switches are reflected. */
   getTheme: () => Theme;
+  /** Injectable timer scheduler (tests). Default: global setInterval/clearInterval. */
+  scheduler?: { setInterval(callback: () => void, ms: number): unknown; clearInterval(id: unknown): void };
 }
 
 export function composeRender(
@@ -33,6 +36,10 @@ export class CursorEditor extends CustomEditor {
   private cfg: CursorConfig;
   private paneFocused = true;
   private deps: CursorEditorDeps;
+  // #6: native working-rule state — replaces the top border with `── ⠸ Working ──…` while streaming.
+  private streaming = false;
+  private frame = 0;
+  private spinnerTimer: unknown = null;
 
   constructor(tui: any, theme: any, keybindings: any, deps: CursorEditorDeps) {
     super(tui, theme, keybindings, {});
@@ -108,6 +115,31 @@ export class CursorEditor extends CustomEditor {
     this.tui?.requestRender?.();
   }
 
+  /** #6: while streaming, render the top border as the native `── ⠸ Working ──…` rule
+   *  (pi's default editor embeds the label in the border; custom editors lose that).
+   *  Owns a spinner interval — always pair with setStreaming(false) (timer hygiene). */
+  setStreaming(active: boolean): void {
+    if (this.streaming === active) return;
+    this.streaming = active;
+    const sched = this.deps.scheduler ?? {
+      setInterval: (cb: () => void, ms: number) => setInterval(cb, ms),
+      clearInterval: (id: unknown) => clearInterval(id as ReturnType<typeof setInterval>),
+    };
+    if (active) {
+      this.frame = 0;
+      this.spinnerTimer = sched.setInterval(() => {
+        this.frame++;
+        this.invalidate?.();
+        this.tui?.requestRender?.();
+      }, WORKING_INTERVAL_MS);
+    } else {
+      sched.clearInterval(this.spinnerTimer);
+      this.spinnerTimer = null;
+    }
+    this.invalidate?.();
+    this.tui?.requestRender?.();
+  }
+
   handleInput(data: string): void {
     if (this.deps.wrapped) this.deps.wrapped.handleInput(data);
     else super.handleInput(data);
@@ -115,6 +147,20 @@ export class CursorEditor extends CustomEditor {
 
   render(width: number): string[] {
     const lines = this.deps.wrapped ? this.deps.wrapped.render(width) : super.render(width);
-    return composeRender(lines, this.paneFocused, this.cfg, this.deps.getTheme(), this.deps.blink.visible, this.cfg.cursorMode);
+    const out = composeRender(lines, this.paneFocused, this.cfg, this.deps.getTheme(), this.deps.blink.visible, this.cfg.cursorMode);
+    // #6: streaming rule — replace the plain top border with `── ⠸ Working ──…`.
+    // Only when cursor owns the full render (no wrapped foreign editor) and line 0 is a pure rule.
+    if (!this.streaming || this.deps.wrapped || out.length === 0) return out;
+    const stripped = stripAnsi(out[0]!);
+    if (!/^─+$/.test(stripped)) return out;
+    const theme = this.deps.getTheme();
+    const self = this as unknown as { borderColor?: (s: string) => string };
+    const borderColor = typeof self.borderColor === "function" ? self.borderColor : (s: string) => s;
+    out[0] = workingBorderLine(width, this.frame, {
+      spinner: (s) => theme.getFgAnsi("accent") + s + "\x1b[0m",
+      message: (s) => theme.getFgAnsi("muted") + s + "\x1b[0m",
+      border: borderColor,
+    });
+    return out;
   }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/lib/working-line.ts b/lib/working-line.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0ff6bab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/working-line.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+import { visibleWidth } from "@earendil-works/pi-tui";
+
+/** pi Loader default braille frames (pi-tui components/loader.js) — same animation as the native indicator. */
+export const WORKING_FRAMES = ["⠋", "⠙", "⠹", "⠸", "⠼", "⠴", "⠦", "⠧", "⠇", "⠏"];
+export const WORKING_MESSAGE = "Working";
+export const WORKING_INTERVAL_MS = 80;
+
+/** Strip ANSI SGR sequences — local copy so we don't depend on newer pi-tui exports. */
+export function stripAnsi(s: string): string {
+  // eslint-disable-next-line no-control-regex
+  return s.replace(/\x1b\[[0-9;]*[A-Za-z]/g, "");
+}
+
+export interface WorkingLineColors {
+  spinner: (s: string) => string;
+  message: (s: string) => string;
+  border: (s: string) => string;
+}
+
+/** Native streaming rule (pi default-editor style): `── ⠋ Working ────────`.
+ *  Cursor's custom editor replaces the default editor, which loses this label-in-border
+ *  composition (cursor#6) — this rebuilds it. Pure: caller supplies the color functions;
+ *  the rendered line's visible width === `width` (ANSI-aware via pi-tui visibleWidth). */
+export function workingBorderLine(
+  width: number,
+  frame: number,
+  colors: WorkingLineColors,
+): string {
+  const w = Math.max(0, width);
+  const frames = WORKING_FRAMES;
+  const spin = frames[((frame % frames.length) + frames.length) % frames.length]!;
+  const label = `${colors.border("── ")}${colors.spinner(spin)} ${colors.message(WORKING_MESSAGE)}${colors.border(" ")}`;
+  const remaining = w - visibleWidth(label);
+  return remaining >= 0 ? label + colors.border("─".repeat(remaining)) : label;
+}
diff --git a/tests/_probe.ts b/tests/_probe.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7fc8dad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/_probe.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+import { CursorEditor } from "../lib/editor.ts";
+import { DEFAULT_CONFIG } from "../lib/defaults.ts";
+console.log("imports done");
+const THEME: any = { getFgAnsi: (c: string) => (c === "accent" ? "\x1b[38;5;7m" : c === "muted" ? "\x1b[38;5;8m" : ""), getColorMode: () => "256color" as const, borderColor: (s: string) => `\x1b[38;5;8m${s}\x1b[0m`, fg: (c: string, s: string) => s };
+console.log("constructing…");
+const ed = new CursorEditor({ requestRender: () => {}, terminal: { rows: 40 } } as any, THEME, {} as any, { wrapped: null, blink: { setActive: () => {}, visible: true, stop: () => {}, start: () => {} } as any, getTheme: () => THEME });
+console.log("constructed");
+ed.updateConfig(DEFAULT_CONFIG);
+console.log("config applied, rendering…");
+const out = ed.render(80);
+console.log("rendered:", JSON.stringify(out.slice(0, 1)));
+process.exit(0);
diff --git a/tests/working-line.test.ts b/tests/working-line.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..371dbb6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/working-line.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+import { test } from "node:test";
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import { visibleWidth } from "@earendil-works/pi-tui";
+import { WORKING_FRAMES, WORKING_MESSAGE, workingBorderLine } from "../lib/working-line.ts";
+
+// No-op colors: assertions stay on visible composition.
+const plain = (s: string) => s;
+const colors = { spinner: plain, message: plain, border: plain };
+
+test("workingBorderLine: native rule — '── ⠋ Working ' + dashes filling to width", () => {
+  const line = workingBorderLine(80, 0, colors);
+  assert.equal(line, `── ${WORKING_FRAMES[0]} ${WORKING_MESSAGE} ${"─".repeat(80 - 3 - 1 - 1 - WORKING_MESSAGE.length - 1)}`);
+});
+
+test("workingBorderLine: visible width === width for every frame (ANSI-safe)", () => {
+  const accent = (s: string) => `\x1b[38;5;7m${s}\x1b[0m`;
+  const muted = (s: string) => `\x1b[38;5;8m${s}\x1b[0m`;
+  const border = (s: string) => `\x1b[38;5;8m${s}\x1b[0m`;
+  for (let frame = 0; frame < WORKING_FRAMES.length; frame++) {
+    const line = workingBorderLine(140, frame, { spinner: accent, message: muted, border });
+    assert.equal(visibleWidth(line), 140, `frame ${frame}`);
+  }
+});
+
+test("workingBorderLine: frame cycles through pi's braille set (negative-safe)", () => {
+  assert.equal(workingBorderLine(80, 1, colors).slice(3, 4), WORKING_FRAMES[1 % WORKING_FRAMES.length]);
+  assert.equal(workingBorderLine(80, -1, colors).slice(3, 4), WORKING_FRAMES[WORKING_FRAMES.length - 1]);
+});
+
+test("workingBorderLine: narrower than the label → label only, no negative padding", () => {
+  const line = workingBorderLine(8, 0, colors);
+  assert.ok(line.startsWith(`── ${WORKING_FRAMES[0]} ${WORKING_MESSAGE}`), "keeps the label content");
+  assert.ok(!line.trimEnd().endsWith("───"), "no trailing dash run added");
+});
diff --git a/tests/working-rule.test.ts b/tests/working-rule.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..94b1650
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/working-rule.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+import { test } from "node:test";
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import { visibleWidth } from "@earendil-works/pi-tui";
+import { CursorEditor } from "../lib/editor.ts";
+import { WORKING_FRAMES, WORKING_MESSAGE, workingBorderLine, stripAnsi } from "../lib/working-line.ts";
+import { DEFAULT_CONFIG } from "../lib/defaults.ts";
+import { BlinkController, type Scheduler } from "../lib/state.ts";
+
+// Full-ish fake theme: EditorTheme borderColor for the base Editor + real-theme fg for the rule.
+const THEME = {
+  getFgAnsi: (c: string) => (c === "accent" ? "\x1b[38;5;7m" : c === "muted" ? "\x1b[38;5;8m" : ""),
+  getColorMode: () => "256color" as const,
+  borderColor: (s: string) => `\x1b[38;5;8m${s}\x1b[0m`,
+  fg: (c: string, s: string) => (c === "accent" ? `\x1b[38;5;7m${s}\x1b[0m` : c === "muted" ? `\x1b[38;5;8m${s}\x1b[0m` : s),
+};
+
+// Manual scheduler: capture the interval callback so frames advance deterministically.
+function manualScheduler() {
+  let cb: (() => void) | null = null;
+  return {
+    scheduler: {
+      setInterval: (fn: () => void, _ms: number) => { cb = fn; return 1; },
+      clearInterval: () => { cb = null; },
+    } satisfies Scheduler,
+    tick: () => cb?.(),
+    running: () => cb !== null,
+  };
+}
+
+function makeBareEditor() {
+  const blink = new BlinkController(manualScheduler().scheduler);
+  const tui = { requestRender: () => {}, terminal: { rows: 40 } };
+  const ed = new CursorEditor(tui as any, THEME as any, {} as any, {
+    wrapped: null,
+    blink,
+    getTheme: () => THEME as any,
+  });
+  ed.updateConfig(DEFAULT_CONFIG);
+  return ed;
+}
+
+test("setStreaming(true) → top border becomes the native working rule; false restores plain border", () => {
+  const ed = makeBareEditor();
+  const before = ed.render(80);
+  assert.match(stripAnsi(before[0]!), /^─+$/, "idle: plain top border");
+  try {
+    ed.setStreaming(true);
+    const during = ed.render(80);
+    assert.equal(during[0], workingBorderLine(80, 0, {
+      spinner: (s) => THEME.fg("accent", s),
+      message: (s) => THEME.fg("muted", s),
+      border: (s) => THEME.borderColor(s),
+    }), "streaming: label-in-rule on line 0");
+    const rest = during.slice(1).map((l) => stripAnsi(l));
+    assert.ok(rest.some((l) => /^─+$/.test(l)), "bottom border still present");
+  } finally {
+    ed.setStreaming(false); // never leak the real interval — it would hang the test runner
+  }
+  assert.equal(stripAnsi(ed.render(80)[0]!), "─".repeat(80), "idle again after stop");
+});
+
+test("spinner frames advance via the scheduler ticks", () => {
+  const sched = manualScheduler();
+  const blink = new BlinkController(sched.scheduler);
+  const tui = { requestRender: () => {}, terminal: { rows: 40 } };
+  const ed = new CursorEditor(tui as any, THEME as any, {} as any, {
+    wrapped: null, blink, getTheme: () => THEME as any, scheduler: sched.scheduler,
+  });
+  ed.updateConfig(DEFAULT_CONFIG);
+  ed.setStreaming(true);
+  assert.ok(sched.running(), "interval running while streaming");
+  const f0 = ed.render(80)[0]!;
+  sched.tick();
+  sched.tick();
+  const f2 = ed.render(80)[0]!;
+  assert.notEqual(f0, f2, "frame advanced");
+  assert.equal(visibleWidth(f2), 80, "rule still fills width");
+  ed.setStreaming(false);
+  assert.ok(!sched.running(), "interval cleared on stop (timer hygiene)");
+});
+
+test("wrapped editor present → render untouched by streaming (respect foreign composition)", () => {
+  const sched = manualScheduler();
+  const blink = new BlinkController(sched.scheduler);
+  const tui = { requestRender: () => {}, terminal: { rows: 40 } };
+  const ed = new CursorEditor(tui as any, THEME as any, {} as any, {
+    wrapped: { render: () => [`── wrapped ──`], handleInput: () => {} },
+    blink,
+    getTheme: () => THEME as any,
+    scheduler: sched.scheduler,
+  });
+  ed.updateConfig(DEFAULT_CONFIG);
+  ed.setStreaming(true);
+  assert.deepEqual(ed.render(80), [`── wrapped ──`]);
+});