diff --git a/Controls/TopBar.xaml b/Controls/TopBar.xaml
index 2233f4f..471360c 100644
--- a/Controls/TopBar.xaml
+++ b/Controls/TopBar.xaml
@@ -135,11 +135,27 @@
                                     Command="{Binding SelectLocalMp4Command}"
                                     Visibility="{Binding LocalMp4ChipVisible, Converter={StaticResource BoolToVis}}"
                                     ToolTip="Record to a local MP4">
-                                <StackPanel Orientation="Horizontal">
-                                    <Path Style="{StaticResource OutputChipIcon}" Tag="{Binding RecordPillOn}" Data="M12,2a10,10 0 1,0 0,20a10,10 0 1,0 0,-20zM12,4a8,8 0 1,1 0,16a8,8 0 1,1 0,-16zM12,7.5a4.5,4.5 0 1,1 0,9a4.5,4.5 0 1,1 0,-9z"/>
-                                    <TextBlock Text="Local MP4" FontSize="12" Margin="6,0,0,0" VerticalAlignment="Center"
-                                               Foreground="{Binding Foreground, RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType=Button}}"/>
-                                </StackPanel>
+                                <Grid>
+                                    <!-- Idle face: the record glyph and the output's name. -->
+                                    <StackPanel Orientation="Horizontal"
+                                                Visibility="{Binding IsRecording, Converter={StaticResource InverseBoolToVis}}">
+                                        <Path Style="{StaticResource OutputChipIcon}" Tag="{Binding RecordPillOn}" Data="M12,2a10,10 0 1,0 0,20a10,10 0 1,0 0,-20zM12,4a8,8 0 1,1 0,16a8,8 0 1,1 0,-16zM12,7.5a4.5,4.5 0 1,1 0,9a4.5,4.5 0 1,1 0,-9z"/>
+                                        <TextBlock Text="Local MP4" FontSize="12" Margin="6,0,0,0" VerticalAlignment="Center"
+                                                   Foreground="{Binding Foreground, RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType=Button}}"/>
+                                    </StackPanel>
+                                    <!-- Recording face: solid green dot pulsing once a second, and a tabular
+                                         clock so the pill does not jitter as the digits change. -->
+                                    <StackPanel Orientation="Horizontal"
+                                                Visibility="{Binding IsRecording, Converter={StaticResource BoolToVis}}">
+                                        <Ellipse Width="10" Height="10" VerticalAlignment="Center"
+                                                 Fill="{StaticResource Brush.RecordLive}"
+                                                 Opacity="{Binding RecDotOpacity, Mode=OneWay}"/>
+                                        <TextBlock Text="{Binding RecordChipText}" FontSize="12" FontWeight="Bold"
+                                                   Margin="6,0,0,0" VerticalAlignment="Center"
+                                                   FontFamily="Consolas"
+                                                   Foreground="{Binding Foreground, RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType=Button}}"/>
+                                    </StackPanel>
+                                </Grid>
                             </Button>
                             <!-- YouTube's two actions: the real stream and the private (test) one. -->
                             <Button Style="{StaticResource OutputChip}" Command="{Binding GoLiveCommand}"
@@ -173,7 +189,7 @@
                                     Visibility="{Binding ShowEndRecordingAction, Converter={StaticResource BoolToVis}}">
                                 <StackPanel Orientation="Horizontal">
                                     <Path Style="{StaticResource OutputChipIcon}" Data="M6,6h12v12H6z"/>
-                                    <TextBlock Text="End Recording" FontSize="12" Margin="6,0,0,0" VerticalAlignment="Center"
+                                    <TextBlock Text="Stop Recording" FontSize="12" Margin="6,0,0,0" VerticalAlignment="Center"
                                                Foreground="{StaticResource Brush.SegmentTextInactive}"/>
                                 </StackPanel>
                             </Button>
diff --git a/Themes/Tokens.xaml b/Themes/Tokens.xaml
index 84b3240..c21e2f7 100644
--- a/Themes/Tokens.xaml
+++ b/Themes/Tokens.xaml
@@ -44,6 +44,8 @@
     <SolidColorBrush x:Key="Brush.SegmentIconActive" Color="#F26D6D"/>
     <!-- One-alpha black: transparent to the eye, opaque to hit-testing, so the whole segment is clickable. -->
     <SolidColorBrush x:Key="Brush.SegmentHitArea" Color="#01000000"/>
+    <!-- The recording dot on the output pill (creator, build 730). -->
+    <SolidColorBrush x:Key="Brush.RecordLive" Color="#2ECC71"/>
 
     <SolidColorBrush x:Key="Brush.Primary" Color="#ff5451"/>
     <SolidColorBrush x:Key="Brush.PrimaryContainer" Color="#b91a24"/>
diff --git a/ViewModels/MainViewModel.Streaming.Operations.cs b/ViewModels/MainViewModel.Streaming.Operations.cs
index e823742..e33b5df 100644
--- a/ViewModels/MainViewModel.Streaming.Operations.cs
+++ b/ViewModels/MainViewModel.Streaming.Operations.cs
@@ -404,12 +404,15 @@ public partial class MainViewModel : ViewModelBase
         HealthIssueBanner = report.Text;
     }
 
-    private async void StopStream()
+    /// <param name="afterFailure">True when the session is being torn down because something broke,
+    /// not because the creator pressed Stop. A failure clears both outputs (there is no session and no
+    /// choice worth keeping); a creator's Stop of a recording restores the Local MP4 pair.</param>
+    private async void StopStream(bool afterFailure = false)
     {
         var dispatcher = Application.Current?.Dispatcher;
         if (dispatcher != null && !dispatcher.CheckAccess())
         {
-            _ = dispatcher.BeginInvoke(new Action(StopStream));
+            _ = dispatcher.BeginInvoke(new Action(() => StopStream()));
             return;
         }
 
@@ -419,6 +422,7 @@ public partial class MainViewModel : ViewModelBase
         RemoveAttentionAlert("stream-recovery");
         var wasLive = IsLive;
         var wasRecording = IsRecording;
+        var wasRecordingOnly = IsRecording && !IsLive && !afterFailure;
 
         StreamStatus = StreamStatus.Offline;
         _sessionStartedAtUtc = null;
@@ -429,11 +433,20 @@ public partial class MainViewModel : ViewModelBase
         // and drops the TEST face — a test never outlives its run.
         TestSession.EndTestSilently();
         IsTestStream = false;
-        // Stop ends EVERYTHING (creator ruling 2026-09-01): a lit pill with no session
-        // behind it is a lie — the stuck REC pill after the failed 2026-09-01 recording
-        // attempt was the report. Intent resets with reality; re-arming is one click.
-        RecordPillOn = false;
-        OnAirPillOn = false;
+        // Stop ends the session (creator ruling 2026-09-01): a lit pill with no session behind it is a
+        // lie. Since build 730 the pills are the chosen OUTPUT, not an armed intent, so a finished
+        // local recording returns to its idle pair — Local MP4 chosen, Start Recording beside it
+        // (creator's words) — while a finished stream clears both and asks again.
+        if (wasRecordingOnly)
+        {
+            RecordPillOn = true;
+            OnAirPillOn = false;
+        }
+        else
+        {
+            RecordPillOn = false;
+            OnAirPillOn = false;
+        }
         WindowTitle = "LlamaCasty";
         // Deactivate zoom when stopping
         if (_zoomState.IsActive || _zoomState.IsMoving)
@@ -544,7 +557,7 @@ public partial class MainViewModel : ViewModelBase
         {
             var live = IsLive;
             _notifications.Error(live ? "The stream pipeline stopped" : "Recording stopped", message);
-            StopStream();
+            StopStream(afterFailure: true);
         }
         var dispatcher = System.Windows.Application.Current?.Dispatcher;
         if (dispatcher != null && !dispatcher.CheckAccess())
@@ -643,6 +656,7 @@ public partial class MainViewModel : ViewModelBase
         }
         OnPropertyChanged(nameof(RecDotOpacity));
         OnPropertyChanged(nameof(LiveElapsedText));
+        OnPropertyChanged(nameof(RecordChipText));
     }
 
     private void OnLiveTimerTick(object? sender, EventArgs e)
@@ -650,8 +664,9 @@ public partial class MainViewModel : ViewModelBase
         _liveElapsed = _liveElapsed.Add(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(1));
         LiveElapsedText = _liveElapsed.ToString(@"hh\:mm\:ss");
         _recordLength = _liveElapsed;
-        _recDotPulse = _recDotPulse > 0.5 ? 0.35 : 1.0;
+        _recDotPulse = _recDotPulse > 0.5 ? 0.2 : 1.0;
         OnPropertyChanged(nameof(RecDotOpacity));
+        OnPropertyChanged(nameof(RecordChipText));
 
         // TASK 55·3: the last useful warning before the encoder fails for a reason it won't explain.
         if (IsRecording && !_lowDiskWarned && _recordFolder is { } folder
diff --git a/ViewModels/MainViewModel.Streaming.cs b/ViewModels/MainViewModel.Streaming.cs
index e094bcc..25104b4 100644
--- a/ViewModels/MainViewModel.Streaming.cs
+++ b/ViewModels/MainViewModel.Streaming.cs
@@ -253,7 +253,9 @@ public partial class MainViewModel : ViewModelBase
     public bool ShowIdleWorld => IsOffline && !IsRecording;
 
     /// <summary>Running — the reality line (dot + word + elapsed) + End replace the switch.</summary>
-    public bool RunningVisible => IsLive || IsRecording;
+    // Live only: a local recording's status lives in the output pill now (creator, build 730), so its
+    // separate dot/elapsed/stop cluster would be a second, redundant set of the same facts.
+    public bool RunningVisible => IsLive;
 
     /// <summary>Record world: the switch sits on REC and Go says "Start Recording".
     /// No Test — YouTube's stream actions don't exist here. The account zone IS
diff --git a/ViewModels/MainViewModel.TopBar.cs b/ViewModels/MainViewModel.TopBar.cs
index e4235fa..c729eae 100644
--- a/ViewModels/MainViewModel.TopBar.cs
+++ b/ViewModels/MainViewModel.TopBar.cs
@@ -33,7 +33,9 @@ public partial class MainViewModel
 
     /// <summary>The output stage belongs to the Record / Go Live world, and only while nothing is
     /// running — a live session cannot change its output, so its switch is not offered.</summary>
-    public bool ShowOutputStage => IsOutputWorld && IsOffline && !IsRecording;
+    // A recording KEEPS the stage visible: the pill carries REC, the elapsed time and the stop. A live
+    // stream does not — its reality line takes over (see RunningVisible).
+    public bool ShowOutputStage => IsOutputWorld && !IsLive;
 
     // ─── The output stage's three states (creator, builds 728/729) ───
     // 1. nothing chosen:      [YouTube] [Local MP4]
@@ -47,6 +49,10 @@ public partial class MainViewModel
     public bool YouTubeChipVisible => ShowOutputChoice || ShowYouTubeSelected;
     public bool LocalMp4ChipVisible => ShowOutputChoice || ShowLocalMp4Selected;
 
+    /// <summary>The left chip reads "Local MP4" while idle and "REC: hh:mm:ss" while recording, so the
+    /// tabular figure cannot jitter the pill's width.</summary>
+    public string RecordChipText => IsRecording ? $"REC: {LiveElapsedText}" : "Local MP4";
+
     public bool ShowStartRecordingAction => ShowLocalMp4Selected && !IsRecording;
     public bool ShowEndRecordingAction => ShowLocalMp4Selected && IsRecording;
 
@@ -92,6 +98,7 @@ public partial class MainViewModel
         OnPropertyChanged(nameof(ShowLocalMp4Selected));
         OnPropertyChanged(nameof(ShowStartRecordingAction));
         OnPropertyChanged(nameof(ShowEndRecordingAction));
+        OnPropertyChanged(nameof(RecordChipText));
     }
 
     /// <summary>Switches worlds. Re-entering the current one still re-asserts its edit state, which is
diff --git a/ViewModels/MainViewModel.Ypp.cs b/ViewModels/MainViewModel.Ypp.cs
index 0aa2320..7e7e701 100644
--- a/ViewModels/MainViewModel.Ypp.cs
+++ b/ViewModels/MainViewModel.Ypp.cs
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ public partial class MainViewModel
         TestSession = new TestSessionViewModel(
             _youtubeStream,
             _youtubeChat,
-            onEndStream: StopStream);
+            onEndStream: () => StopStream());
 
         // One drawer at a time: the three pull-outs share the preview's right edge,
         // so opening one collapses the other two (all directions).
diff --git a/ytLive.Tests/RealAppCollection.cs b/ytLive.Tests/RealAppCollection.cs
index 0d96f40..e775ed2 100644
--- a/ytLive.Tests/RealAppCollection.cs
+++ b/ytLive.Tests/RealAppCollection.cs
@@ -64,8 +64,10 @@ public sealed class RealAppHost : IDisposable
                 failure = ex;
             }
         });
+        // Rethrow preserving the ORIGINAL stack: `throw failure;` reset it to this line, which hid
+        // which assertion actually failed inside the passed action.
         if (failure != null)
-            throw failure;
+            System.Runtime.ExceptionServices.ExceptionDispatchInfo.Capture(failure).Throw();
     }
 
     /// <summary>Awaits <paramref name="action"/> on the App's STA thread and rethrows
diff --git a/ytLive.Tests/TopBarModeTests.cs b/ytLive.Tests/TopBarModeTests.cs
index 701c6c7..a0e8b5f 100644
--- a/ytLive.Tests/TopBarModeTests.cs
+++ b/ytLive.Tests/TopBarModeTests.cs
@@ -84,16 +84,22 @@ public sealed class TopBarModeTests
             Assert.False(vm.ShowTestButton);
             Assert.Equal("Start Recording", vm.PrimaryStartButtonLabel);
 
-            // Running retires the switch and worlds; the reality line pins the mode.
-            vm.RecordPillOn = false;
-            vm.OnAirPillOn = true;
+            // A local recording STAYS in the output world (build 730): the pill carries REC, the
+            // clock and the stop, so the separate reality line stays away — it would be a second set
+            // of the same facts.
+            vm.EnterOutputWorldCommand.Execute(null);
+            vm.RecordPillOn = true;
+            vm.OnAirPillOn = false;
             vm.IsRecording = true;
-            Assert.False(vm.ShowIdleWorld);
-            Assert.True(vm.RunningVisible);
-            Assert.Equal("REC", vm.RunningText);
-            Assert.Equal("#22c55e", vm.RunningDotBrush);
+            Assert.True(vm.ShowOutputStage);
+            Assert.False(vm.RunningVisible);
+            Assert.StartsWith("REC: ", vm.RecordChipText);
             vm.IsRecording = false;
+
+            // A live stream retires the stage instead; the reality line pins the mode.
             vm.StreamStatus = StreamStatus.Streaming;
+            Assert.True(vm.RunningVisible);
+            Assert.False(vm.ShowOutputStage);
             Assert.Equal("LIVE", vm.RunningText);
             Assert.Equal("#ff5451", vm.RunningDotBrush);
             vm.IsTestStream = true;
diff --git a/ytLive.Tests/TopBarWorldTests.cs b/ytLive.Tests/TopBarWorldTests.cs
index 680f06b..f6b19ba 100644
--- a/ytLive.Tests/TopBarWorldTests.cs
+++ b/ytLive.Tests/TopBarWorldTests.cs
@@ -63,6 +63,19 @@ public class TopBarWorldTests
             Assert.True(vm.LocalMp4ChipVisible);
             Assert.True(vm.ShowStartRecordingAction);
             Assert.False(vm.ShowEndRecordingAction);
+            Assert.Equal("Local MP4", vm.RecordChipText);
+
+            // Recording: the pill carries REC + the clock, the stage stays up, and the live reality
+            // line does not (its dot/elapsed/stop would be a second set of the same facts).
+            vm.IsRecording = true;
+            Assert.True(vm.ShowOutputStage);
+            Assert.False(vm.RunningVisible);
+            Assert.False(vm.ShowStartRecordingAction);
+            Assert.True(vm.ShowEndRecordingAction);
+            Assert.StartsWith("REC: ", vm.RecordChipText);
+
+            vm.IsRecording = false;
+            Assert.Equal("Local MP4", vm.RecordChipText);
 
             // Neither action exists while building scenes.
             vm.EnterBuildWorldCommand.Execute(null);