diff --git a/desktop/assets/octo-idle-sprite.png b/desktop/assets/octo-idle-sprite.png
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b49210ed
Binary files /dev/null and b/desktop/assets/octo-idle-sprite.png differ
diff --git a/desktop/assets/octo-thinking-sprite.png b/desktop/assets/octo-thinking-sprite.png
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..61966803
Binary files /dev/null and b/desktop/assets/octo-thinking-sprite.png differ
diff --git a/desktop/src/renderer/src/components/DashboardScreen.tsx b/desktop/src/renderer/src/components/DashboardScreen.tsx
index 33d0a9bc..4bf5093d 100644
--- a/desktop/src/renderer/src/components/DashboardScreen.tsx
+++ b/desktop/src/renderer/src/components/DashboardScreen.tsx
@@ -1,7 +1,10 @@
 import { AlertTriangle, Clock, Download, ExternalLink, Eye, FileJson, GitBranch, ListChecks, Pencil, Play, Plus, RotateCw, Square, Trash2, Wrench, X } from "lucide-react";
 import { motion } from "framer-motion";
 import { useCallback, useEffect, useMemo, useState } from "react";
+import type { ReactNode } from "react";
 
+import octoIdleSprite from "../../../../assets/octo-idle-sprite.png";
+import octoThinkingSprite from "../../../../assets/octo-thinking-sprite.png";
 import octoImage from "../../../../assets/octo.png";
 import type { CopyFn } from "../lib/appTypes";
 import { Button } from "./Button";
@@ -128,6 +131,24 @@ function statusTextClass(status?: string): string {
   return "worker-detail-status";
 }
 
+function isIdleOctoState(status?: string): boolean {
+  return String(status ?? "").toLowerCase() === "idle";
+}
+
+function isThinkingOctoState(status?: string): boolean {
+  return String(status ?? "").toLowerCase() === "thinking";
+}
+
+function animatedOctoForState(status?: string): { className: string; sprite: string } | null {
+  if (isIdleOctoState(status)) {
+    return { className: "dashboard-octo-idle", sprite: octoIdleSprite };
+  }
+  if (isThinkingOctoState(status)) {
+    return { className: "dashboard-octo-thinking", sprite: octoThinkingSprite };
+  }
+  return null;
+}
+
 function formatTime(value?: string | number): string {
   if (!value) {
     return "-";
@@ -467,6 +488,7 @@ export function DashboardScreen({
   const selectedWorkerTemplate = selectedWorker?.template_id
     ? templates.find((template) => template.id === selectedWorker.template_id) ?? null
     : null;
+  const animatedOcto = animatedOctoForState(displayOctoState);
 
   function startCreateTemplate(): void {
     setEditingTemplateId("");
@@ -545,29 +567,68 @@ export function DashboardScreen({
     void window.octopalDesktop.openOctopalLogs(installDir);
   }
 
-  function renderControl() {
+  function renderDashboardHeader({
+    title,
+    titleRaw = title,
+    detail,
+    detailRaw = detail,
+    latest,
+    latestRaw = latest,
+    actions,
+  }: {
+    title: string;
+    titleRaw?: string;
+    detail: string;
+    detailRaw?: string;
+    latest?: string;
+    latestRaw?: string;
+    actions?: ReactNode;
+  }) {
     return (
-      <section className="dashboard-control">
-        <div className="dashboard-assistant-head">
-          <div className="dashboard-octo-stack">
+      <div className="dashboard-assistant-head">
+        <div className="dashboard-octo-stack">
+          {animatedOcto ? (
+            <span
+              className={`octo dashboard-octo ${animatedOcto.className}`}
+              role="img"
+              aria-label="Octopal mascot"
+              style={{ backgroundImage: `url(${animatedOcto.sprite})` }}
+            />
+          ) : (
             <img className="octo dashboard-octo" src={octoImage} alt="Octopal mascot" />
-            <span className={statusClass(displayOctoState)}>{displayOctoState}</span>
-          </div>
-          <div className="dashboard-bubble">
-            <h1 title={octoHeadlineRaw}>{octoHeadline}</h1>
-            <p className="dashboard-octo-detail" title={octoDetailRaw}>{octoDetail}</p>
-            <p className="dashboard-latest" title={latestActionRaw}>
-              <strong>{copy("latestAction")}:</strong> {latestAction}
+          )}
+          <span className={statusClass(displayOctoState)}>{displayOctoState}</span>
+        </div>
+        <div className="dashboard-bubble">
+          <h1 title={titleRaw}>{title}</h1>
+          <p className="dashboard-octo-detail" title={detailRaw}>{detail}</p>
+          {latest ? (
+            <p className="dashboard-latest" title={latestRaw}>
+              <strong>{copy("latestAction")}:</strong> {latest}
             </p>
-          </div>
-          {updateAvailable || desktopUpdateAvailable ? (
-            <div className="dashboard-actions">
-              <Button type="button" variant="ghost" onClick={() => setView("system")}>
-                {copy("updateReady")}
-              </Button>
-            </div>
           ) : null}
         </div>
+        {actions ? <div className="dashboard-actions">{actions}</div> : null}
+      </div>
+    );
+  }
+
+  function renderControl() {
+    return (
+      <section className="dashboard-control">
+        {renderDashboardHeader({
+          title: octoHeadline,
+          titleRaw: octoHeadlineRaw,
+          detail: octoDetail,
+          detailRaw: octoDetailRaw,
+          latest: latestAction,
+          latestRaw: latestActionRaw,
+          actions: updateAvailable || desktopUpdateAvailable ? (
+            <Button type="button" variant="ghost" onClick={() => setView("system")}>
+              {copy("updateReady")}
+            </Button>
+          ) : null,
+        })}
 
         {attention || octoNeedsAttention || dashboardError ? (
           <div className="dashboard-attention-panel" role="alert">
@@ -672,13 +733,12 @@ export function DashboardScreen({
   function renderWorkers() {
     return (
       <section className="dashboard-workers-view">
-        <div className="dashboard-assistant-head dashboard-assistant-head-compact">
-          <img className="octo dashboard-octo-small" src={octoImage} alt="Octopal mascot" />
-          <div className="dashboard-bubble">
-            <h1>{copy("workerTemplates")}</h1>
-            <p>{copy("workerTemplatesBody")}</p>
-          </div>
-        </div>
+        {renderDashboardHeader({
+          title: copy("workerTemplates"),
+          detail: copy("workerTemplatesBody"),
+          latest: latestAction,
+          latestRaw: latestActionRaw,
+        })}
         {templateError ? <p className="dashboard-inline-error">{templateError}</p> : null}
         {templateNotice ? <p className="dashboard-inline-notice">{templateNotice}</p> : null}
         <div className="worker-studio-grid">
@@ -723,13 +783,12 @@ export function DashboardScreen({
   function renderSystem() {
     return (
       <section className="dashboard-system-view">
-        <div className="dashboard-assistant-head dashboard-assistant-head-compact">
-          <img className="octo dashboard-octo-small" src={octoImage} alt="Octopal mascot" />
-          <div className="dashboard-bubble">
-            <h1 title={systemTitle}>{systemTitle}</h1>
-            <p className="dashboard-octo-detail" title={systemDetail}>{systemDetail}</p>
-          </div>
-        </div>
+        {renderDashboardHeader({
+          title: systemTitle,
+          detail: systemDetail,
+          latest: latestAction,
+          latestRaw: latestActionRaw,
+        })}
         {attention || dashboardError ? (
           <div className="dashboard-attention-panel" role="alert">
             <AlertTriangle />
diff --git a/desktop/src/renderer/src/styles.css b/desktop/src/renderer/src/styles.css
index 27fcae48..c668aa09 100644
--- a/desktop/src/renderer/src/styles.css
+++ b/desktop/src/renderer/src/styles.css
@@ -2093,29 +2093,31 @@ p {
   padding-right: 210px;
 }
 
-.dashboard-assistant-head-compact {
-  grid-template-columns: 76px minmax(0, 1fr);
-  padding-right: 220px;
-}
-
 .dashboard-octo {
   width: 92px;
   height: 92px;
   object-fit: contain;
 }
 
+.dashboard-octo-idle,
+.dashboard-octo-thinking {
+  display: block;
+  background-repeat: no-repeat;
+  background-position: 0 0;
+  background-size: 1500% 100%;
+  animation: octo-sprite-frames 4.8s steps(15) infinite;
+}
+
+.dashboard-octo-thinking {
+  animation-duration: 9.6s;
+}
+
 .dashboard-octo-stack {
   display: grid;
   justify-items: center;
   gap: 6px;
 }
 
-.dashboard-octo-small {
-  width: 68px;
-  height: 68px;
-  object-fit: contain;
-}
-
 .dashboard-bubble {
   position: relative;
   width: fit-content;
@@ -3263,6 +3265,12 @@ p {
   }
 }
 
+@keyframes octo-sprite-frames {
+  to {
+    background-position-x: 107.142857%;
+  }
+}
+
 @media (max-width: 860px) {
   .titlebar {
     height: 52px;
@@ -3470,15 +3478,13 @@ p {
     flex: 1 0 auto;
   }
 
-  .dashboard-assistant-head,
-  .dashboard-assistant-head-compact {
+  .dashboard-assistant-head {
     grid-template-columns: 76px minmax(0, 1fr);
     gap: 14px;
     padding-right: 0;
   }
 
-  .dashboard-octo,
-  .dashboard-octo-small {
+  .dashboard-octo {
     width: 68px;
     height: 68px;
   }
@@ -3563,4 +3569,9 @@ p {
     scroll-behavior: auto !important;
     transition-duration: 1ms !important;
   }
+
+  .dashboard-octo-idle,
+  .dashboard-octo-thinking {
+    animation: none !important;
+  }
 }