diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/ChatView.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/ChatView.tsx
index 079c7d97b5bb36f1cc001b4ad9f175080a79c5cd..cd36675860df046cdca6b384ffd322172ddd28ee 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/ChatView.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/ChatView.tsx
@@ -6299,6 +6299,9 @@ export default function ChatView(props: ChatViewProps) {
     }
     const working = activeBackgroundLiveness === "working";
     const liveCount = agentPanelModel.liveCount;
+    // Hidden once the Agents surface is on screen; the link would point at nothing.
+    const showViewAgents =
+      liveCount > 0 && !(rightPanelOpen && activeRightPanelSurface?.kind === "agents");
     return {
       id: `background-liveness:${activeThread.id}`,
       variant: "default",
@@ -6315,22 +6318,32 @@ export default function ChatView(props: ChatViewProps) {
           : "Background work"
         : "Monitoring",
       actions: (
-        <Button
-          size="xs"
-          variant="ghost"
-          disabled={isStoppingBackgroundWork}
-          onClick={() => void handleStopBackgroundWork()}
-        >
-          {isStoppingBackgroundWork ? "Stopping..." : "Stop"}
-        </Button>
+        <>
+          {showViewAgents ? (
+            <Button size="xs" variant="ghost" aria-label="View agents" onClick={addAgentsSurface}>
+              View
+            </Button>
+          ) : null}
+          <Button
+            size="xs"
+            variant="ghost"
+            disabled={isStoppingBackgroundWork}
+            onClick={() => void handleStopBackgroundWork()}
+          >
+            {isStoppingBackgroundWork ? "Stopping..." : "Stop"}
+          </Button>
+        </>
       ),
     };
   }, [
     activeBackgroundLiveness,
+    activeRightPanelSurface?.kind,
     activeThread,
+    addAgentsSurface,
     agentPanelModel.liveCount,
     handleStopBackgroundWork,
     isStoppingBackgroundWork,
+    rightPanelOpen,
   ]);
   // A woken thread announces itself in the open view, not just the sidebar
   // pill. Dismissing marks the wake as seen (same acknowledgment as the