diff --git a/packages/kilo-ui/src/components/basic-tool.css b/packages/kilo-ui/src/components/basic-tool.css
index c4495f862ff..3c67c36e2ad 100644
--- a/packages/kilo-ui/src/components/basic-tool.css
+++ b/packages/kilo-ui/src/components/basic-tool.css
@@ -516,3 +516,10 @@ html[data-theme="kilo-vscode"] [data-component="tool-part-wrapper"][data-part-ty
     font-family: var(--font-family-mono);
   }
 }
+
+/* Subagent card: the line renders inside the trigger's info row (an align-baseline flex),
+   so force it onto its own full-width line directly under the title/description. */
+[data-slot="basic-tool-tool-info-main"] > [data-slot="tool-approval-line"] {
+  flex-basis: 100%;
+  padding: 2px 0 0;
+}
diff --git a/packages/kilo-ui/src/components/basic-tool.test.ts b/packages/kilo-ui/src/components/basic-tool.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..c4009ba55f7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/kilo-ui/src/components/basic-tool.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+import { describe, expect, test } from "bun:test"
+import { shouldRenderApprovalInBody } from "./basic-tool"
+
+describe("shouldRenderApprovalInBody", () => {
+  test("renders in the body by default when an approval exists", () => {
+    expect(shouldRenderApprovalInBody(undefined, true)).toBe(true)
+    expect(shouldRenderApprovalInBody("body", true)).toBe(true)
+  })
+
+  test("does not render when there is no approval", () => {
+    expect(shouldRenderApprovalInBody("body", false)).toBe(false)
+    expect(shouldRenderApprovalInBody(undefined, false)).toBe(false)
+  })
+
+  test("never renders in the body for hidden placement, even with an approval", () => {
+    expect(shouldRenderApprovalInBody("hidden", true)).toBe(false)
+    expect(shouldRenderApprovalInBody("hidden", false)).toBe(false)
+  })
+})
diff --git a/packages/kilo-ui/src/components/basic-tool.tsx b/packages/kilo-ui/src/components/basic-tool.tsx
index ce545b832ee..7dbaeee9395 100644
--- a/packages/kilo-ui/src/components/basic-tool.tsx
+++ b/packages/kilo-ui/src/components/basic-tool.tsx
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ export interface BasicToolProps extends BaseProps {
   tool?: string
   callID?: string
   partID?: string
+  approvalPlacement?: "body" | "hidden"
 }
 
 type OpenProps = Pick<BasicToolProps, "tool" | "callID" | "partID" | "forceOpen" | "defaultOpen">
@@ -19,26 +20,41 @@ export function initialOpen(props: OpenProps) {
   return props.forceOpen ? true : readToolOpen(toolOpenKey(props), props.defaultOpen)
 }
 
+export function useToolApprovalLine() {
+  const approval = useToolApproval()
+  return () => {
+    const value = approval()
+    return value ? <ToolApprovalLine display={value} /> : null
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Whether BasicTool should inject the approval line into its body.
+ */
+export function shouldRenderApprovalInBody(placement: BasicToolProps["approvalPlacement"], hasApproval: boolean) {
+  return placement !== "hidden" && hasApproval
+}
+
 export function BasicTool(props: BasicToolProps) {
   const key = () => toolOpenKey(props)
   const initial = () => initialOpen(props)
   const approval = useToolApproval()
+  const inBody = () => shouldRenderApprovalInBody(props.approvalPlacement, approval() !== undefined)
   const change = (open: boolean) => {
     writeToolOpen(key(), open)
     props.onOpenChange?.(open)
   }
-  // The "why was this allowed" line lives in the expanded body, above any tool-specific details.
   const details = () => (
     <div data-slot="basic-tool-details">
-      <Show when={approval()}>{(value) => <ToolApprovalLine display={value()} />}</Show>
+      <Show when={inBody() && approval()}>{(value) => <ToolApprovalLine display={value()} />}</Show>
       {props.children}
     </div>
   )
-  if (!("children" in props) && !approval()) {
+  if (!("children" in props) && !inBody()) {
     return <Base {...props} defaultOpen={initial()} retainDetails={props.defer} onOpenChange={change} />
   }
   return (
-    <Base {...props} defaultOpen={initial()} retainDetails={props.defer} onOpenChange={change} hasDetails>
+    <Base {...props} defaultOpen={initial()} retainDetails={props.defer} onOpenChange={change} hasDetails={inBody()}>
       {details()}
     </Base>
   )
diff --git a/packages/kilo-ui/src/components/message-part.tsx b/packages/kilo-ui/src/components/message-part.tsx
index 73e917d3c55..26f678681e3 100644
--- a/packages/kilo-ui/src/components/message-part.tsx
+++ b/packages/kilo-ui/src/components/message-part.tsx
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ import { useData } from "../context"
 import { useFileComponent } from "../context/file"
 import { useDialog } from "../context/dialog"
 import { type UiI18n, useI18n } from "../context/i18n"
-import { GenericTool, BasicTool } from "./basic-tool"
+import { BasicTool, useToolApprovalLine } from "./basic-tool"
 import { Accordion } from "./accordion"
 import { StickyAccordionHeader } from "./sticky-accordion-header"
 import { Card } from "./card"
@@ -1311,7 +1311,14 @@ PART_MAPPING["tool"] = function ToolPartDisplay(props) {
             }}
           </Match>
           <Match when={true}>
-            <ToolApprovalProvider value={() => resolveToolApproval(meta(), i18n.t as (k: string, p?: Record<string, string | number | boolean>) => string)}>
+            <ToolApprovalProvider
+              value={() =>
+                resolveToolApproval(
+                  meta(),
+                  i18n.t as (k: string, p?: Record<string, string | number | boolean>) => string,
+                )
+              }
+            >
               <Dynamic
                 component={render()}
                 input={input()}
@@ -1497,9 +1504,7 @@ PART_MAPPING["text"] = function TextPartDisplay(props) {
                 />
               </Tooltip>
             </Show>
-            <Show when={props.throughput}>
-              {(el) => <span data-slot="assistant-throughput-inline">{el()}</span>}
-            </Show>
+            <Show when={props.throughput}>{(el) => <span data-slot="assistant-throughput-inline">{el()}</span>}</Show>
           </div>
         </Show>
         <Show when={summary()}>
@@ -2172,6 +2177,8 @@ ToolRegistry.register({
       }, 50)
     }
 
+    const approvalLine = useToolApprovalLine()
+
     const trigger = () => (
       <div data-slot="basic-tool-tool-info-structured">
         <div data-slot="basic-tool-tool-info-main">
@@ -2190,11 +2197,22 @@ ToolRegistry.register({
               </Match>
             </Switch>
           </Show>
+          {/* Keep the auto-approve line attached to the subagent card instead of forcing a collapsible body. */}
+          {approvalLine()}
         </div>
       </div>
     )
 
-    return <BasicTool hideDetails icon="task" status={props.status} trigger={trigger()} animated />
+    return (
+      <BasicTool
+        hideDetails
+        approvalPlacement="hidden"
+        icon="task"
+        status={props.status}
+        trigger={trigger()}
+        animated
+      />
+    )
   },
 })
 
@@ -2932,6 +2950,7 @@ ToolRegistry.register({
       <BasicTool
         {...props}
         defaultOpen
+        approvalPlacement="hidden"
         icon="checklist"
         trigger={
           <ToolTriggerRow
diff --git a/packages/kilo-ui/src/components/tool-approval.test.ts b/packages/kilo-ui/src/components/tool-approval.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..746e1f58d48
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/kilo-ui/src/components/tool-approval.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+import { describe, expect, test } from "bun:test"
+import { resolveToolApproval } from "./tool-approval"
+
+// Echo the key + params so assertions can see which string was chosen without a real dictionary.
+const t = (key: string, params?: Record<string, string | number | boolean>) =>
+  params
+    ? `${key}(${Object.entries(params)
+        .map(([k, v]) => `${k}=${v}`)
+        .join(",")})`
+    : key
+
+describe("resolveToolApproval", () => {
+  test("returns undefined when there is no approval on the metadata", () => {
+    expect(resolveToolApproval(undefined, t)).toBeUndefined()
+    expect(resolveToolApproval({ other: 1 }, t)).toBeUndefined()
+  })
+
+  test("manual approvals show only the decision, no source or rule", () => {
+    const out = resolveToolApproval({ approval: { source: "manual" } }, t)
+    expect(out).toEqual({
+      approval: { source: "manual" },
+      decision: "ui.approval.manual",
+      source: undefined,
+      rule: undefined,
+    })
+  })
+
+  test("a specific rule is shown with permission + pattern", () => {
+    const approval = { source: "project" as const, rule: { permission: "bash", pattern: "git *", action: "allow" } }
+    const out = resolveToolApproval({ approval }, t)
+    expect(out?.decision).toBe("ui.approval.auto")
+    expect(out?.source).toBe("ui.approval.source.project")
+    expect(out?.rule).toBe("ui.approval.rule(permission=bash,pattern=git *)")
+  })
+
+  test("a per-tool rule with a wildcard pattern still shows the tool name", () => {
+    const approval = {
+      source: "agent" as const,
+      agent: "explore",
+      rule: { permission: "task", pattern: "*", action: "allow" },
+    }
+    const out = resolveToolApproval({ approval }, t)
+    expect(out?.rule).toBe("ui.approval.rule(permission=task,pattern=*)")
+  })
+
+  test("the catch-all */* rule is dropped so the line is not noisy for blanket agent defaults", () => {
+    // e.g. the code agent auto-approving `task`/`todowrite` via its "*": "allow" default.
+    const approval = {
+      source: "agent" as const,
+      agent: "code",
+      rule: { permission: "*", pattern: "*", action: "allow" },
+    }
+    const out = resolveToolApproval({ approval }, t)
+    expect(out?.source).toBe("ui.approval.source.agent(agent=code)")
+    expect(out?.rule).toBeUndefined()
+  })
+})
diff --git a/packages/kilo-ui/src/components/tool-approval.tsx b/packages/kilo-ui/src/components/tool-approval.tsx
index af07af86ddf..d555e105df3 100644
--- a/packages/kilo-ui/src/components/tool-approval.tsx
+++ b/packages/kilo-ui/src/components/tool-approval.tsx
@@ -59,13 +59,18 @@ export function resolveToolApproval(
     if (approval.source === "manual") return undefined
     return t(`ui.approval.source.${approval.source}`)
   }
+  const rule = approval.rule
+  // The catch-all "*"/"*" rule carries no useful detail (it's the blanket allow-everything default),
+  // so drop the "matched `*` rule `*`" fragment and let the source alone explain the approval.
+  const ruleText =
+    rule && !(rule.permission === "*" && rule.pattern === "*")
+      ? t("ui.approval.rule", { permission: rule.permission, pattern: rule.pattern })
+      : undefined
   return {
     approval,
     decision: approval.source === "manual" ? t("ui.approval.manual") : t("ui.approval.auto"),
     source: sourceText(),
-    rule: approval.rule
-      ? t("ui.approval.rule", { permission: approval.rule.permission, pattern: approval.rule.pattern })
-      : undefined,
+    rule: ruleText,
   }
 }
 
@@ -76,9 +81,7 @@ export function ToolApprovalLine(props: { display: ToolApprovalDisplay }) {
     <div data-slot="tool-approval-line" data-source={props.display.approval.source}>
       <span data-slot="tool-approval-decision">{props.display.decision}</span>
       <Show when={!manual()}>
-        <Show when={props.display.source}>
-          {(text) => <span data-slot="tool-approval-source">{text()}</span>}
-        </Show>
+        <Show when={props.display.source}>{(text) => <span data-slot="tool-approval-source">{text()}</span>}</Show>
         <Show when={props.display.rule}>{(text) => <span data-slot="tool-approval-rule">{text()}</span>}</Show>
       </Show>
     </div>