diff --git a/backend/extension-src/content-script.js b/backend/extension-src/content-script.js
index c13cfb0..f437cad 100644
--- a/backend/extension-src/content-script.js
+++ b/backend/extension-src/content-script.js
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ function makeSendButton(bookingId, guestName, variant = 'block') {
   btn.id = `tcp-btn-${bookingId}-${variant}`;
   btn.type = 'button';
   btn.className = variant === 'block' ? 'button most_width' : 'button';
-  btn.innerHTML = '<i class="far fa-tablet-alt fa-fw" aria-hidden="true"></i> <span>Tablet Push</span>';
+  btn.innerHTML = '<i class="tcp-icon far fa-tablet-alt fa-fw" aria-hidden="true"></i> <span>Tablet Push</span>';
   btn.style.cssText = `
     ${variant === 'block' ? 'margin-top: 6px;' : 'margin-right: 8px;'}
     background: #be123c; border-color: #be123c; color: #fff;
@@ -103,121 +103,193 @@ function makeSendButton(bookingId, guestName, variant = 'block') {
   btn.addEventListener('click', e => {
     e.preventDefault();
     e.stopPropagation();
-    handleSendClick(btn, bookingId, guestName, variant);
+    handleSendClick(btn, bookingId, guestName);
   });
   return btn;
 }
 
+function escapeHtml(s) {
+  const div = document.createElement('div');
+  div.textContent = s;
+  return div.innerHTML;
+}
+
+// Visual feedback is split two ways: a per-button icon swap for the simple
+// pass/fail cases (no page real estate taken, self-explanatory at a glance),
+// and the picker overlay below for anything that actually needs a human
+// decision (no default configured, default busy, default offline). Detail
+// text lives in the title attribute (hover tooltip) rather than a persistent
+// inline block — keeps every variant (table-cell row, banner, nav-bar menu
+// item) visually identical instead of needing per-container layout math.
+const STATE_ICON = {
+  idle: 'fa-tablet-alt',
+  loading: 'fa-spinner fa-spin',
+  success: 'fa-check',
+  warning: 'fa-exclamation-triangle',
+  error: 'fa-exclamation-triangle',
+};
+const STATE_BG = {
+  idle: '#be123c',
+  loading: '#be123c',
+  success: '#166534',
+  warning: '#b45309',
+  error: '#dc2626',
+};
+const STATE_ICON_COLOR = {
+  success: '#86efac',
+  warning: '#fde68a',
+  error: '#fecaca',
+};
+
+// <button> variants (row/banner) get their whole background tinted; the
+// context-menu variant is an <a> with no background box of its own — tinting
+// that would look out of place in NewBook's own nav bar, so only its icon
+// recolours.
+function setButtonState(anchorBtn, state, title = '') {
+  const icon = anchorBtn.querySelector('.tcp-icon');
+  if (icon) {
+    icon.className = `tcp-icon far ${STATE_ICON[state] || STATE_ICON.idle} fa-fw`;
+    icon.style.color = STATE_ICON_COLOR[state] || '';
+  }
+  if (anchorBtn.tagName === 'BUTTON') {
+    const bg = STATE_BG[state] || STATE_BG.idle;
+    anchorBtn.style.background = bg;
+    anchorBtn.style.borderColor = bg;
+  }
+  if (title) anchorBtn.title = title; else anchorBtn.removeAttribute('title');
+}
+
+function scheduleRevert(anchorBtn) {
+  setTimeout(() => {
+    // Button may already be gone (NewBook rebuilt its container) — touching
+    // a detached node is harmless, but skip the state reset if so, nothing
+    // to show it on anymore.
+    if (document.body.contains(anchorBtn)) setButtonState(anchorBtn, 'idle');
+  }, 4000);
+}
+
 // Injected buttons skip asking which tablet entirely when a default is
 // configured for this machine (see options.js) — push straight to it. Only
-// falls back to the full device-picker panel if that specific push comes
-// back busy (409), or if no default is configured at all — see
-// project_checkin memory's extension notes, this was an explicit UX request
-// ("injected buttons don't need to ask which tablet, just use/send to
-// default unless busy"). The popup is deliberately different — it always
-// shows the picker, just pre-selected to the default (see popup.js) — since
-// opening the popup is already a more deliberate action than a one-click
-// inline button.
-async function handleSendClick(anchorBtn, bookingId, guestName, variant) {
-  const { defaultDeviceId } = await chrome.storage.local.get('defaultDeviceId');
+// opens the picker overlay if that specific push comes back busy (409), the
+// default is configured but not actually connected (delivered: false — see
+// device-stream.js), or no default is configured at all. The popup is
+// deliberately different — it always shows the picker, just pre-selected to
+// the default (see popup.js) — since opening the popup is already a more
+// deliberate action than a one-click inline button.
+async function handleSendClick(anchorBtn, bookingId, guestName) {
+  if (anchorBtn.dataset.tcpBusy === '1') return; // already mid-send, ignore a double-click
 
-  if (defaultDeviceId) {
-    const status = showInlineStatus(anchorBtn, variant, 'Sending…');
-    let result;
-    try {
-      result = await chrome.runtime.sendMessage({ action: 'tcpPush', bookingId, deviceId: defaultDeviceId });
-    } catch {
-      status.textContent = 'Extension was reloaded — refresh this NewBook page and try again.';
-      return;
-    }
-    if (result?.ok) {
-      if (result.delivered === false) {
-        status.textContent = 'Sent, but that tablet isn’t connected right now — it’ll pick this up if it reconnects.';
-        status.style.color = '#b45309';
-      } else {
-        status.textContent = 'Sent — the tablet should navigate now.';
-        status.style.color = '#166534';
-      }
-      return;
-    }
-    if (result?.status === 409) {
-      status.remove();
-      // fall through to the picker below, with a note explaining why it's
-      // asking despite a default being configured
-      await togglePanel(anchorBtn, bookingId, guestName, variant, 'Default tablet is busy — choose another:');
-      return;
-    }
-    status.textContent = `Failed: ${result?.error || 'unknown error'}`;
-    status.style.color = '#dc2626';
+  const { defaultDeviceId } = await chrome.storage.local.get('defaultDeviceId');
+  if (!defaultDeviceId) {
+    showPickerOverlay(anchorBtn, bookingId, guestName);
     return;
   }
 
-  await togglePanel(anchorBtn, bookingId, guestName, variant);
-}
+  anchorBtn.dataset.tcpBusy = '1';
+  setButtonState(anchorBtn, 'loading');
 
-// The context-menu buttons (variant 'menu') live inside a horizontal nav
-// bar <li> — inserting a block-level status/panel 'afterend' there (like the
-// row/banner variants do) would stretch that menu item's row height instead
-// of floating over the page. Anchoring to the viewport via the button's own
-// bounding rect sidesteps needing the menu bar to be a positioned ancestor.
-function positionFloating(el, anchorBtn) {
-  const rect = anchorBtn.getBoundingClientRect();
-  el.style.position = 'fixed';
-  el.style.top = `${rect.bottom + 4}px`;
-  el.style.left = `${rect.left}px`;
-  el.style.zIndex = '99999';
-}
-
-// Small text-only status line for the default-tablet fast path — no
-// dropdown, nothing to pick, just feedback on what happened.
-function showInlineStatus(anchorBtn, variant, text) {
-  if (openPanel) { openPanel.remove(); openPanel = null; }
-  const el = document.createElement('div');
-  const width = variant === 'block' ? 'width: 100%;' : '';
-  const floating = variant === 'menu';
-  el.style.cssText = `
-    display: block; ${floating ? '' : 'margin-top: 6px;'} ${width} font-size: 12px; color: #64748b;
-    font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif;
-    ${floating ? 'background: #fff; padding: 6px 10px; border-radius: 6px; box-shadow: 0 2px 8px rgba(0,0,0,0.15);' : ''}
-  `;
-  el.textContent = text;
-  if (floating) {
-    document.body.appendChild(el);
-    positionFloating(el, anchorBtn);
-  } else {
-    anchorBtn.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', el);
+  let result;
+  try {
+    result = await chrome.runtime.sendMessage({ action: 'tcpPush', bookingId, deviceId: defaultDeviceId });
+  } catch {
+    delete anchorBtn.dataset.tcpBusy;
+    setButtonState(anchorBtn, 'error', 'Extension was reloaded — refresh this NewBook page and try again.');
+    scheduleRevert(anchorBtn);
+    return;
   }
-  openPanel = el;
-  return el;
+  delete anchorBtn.dataset.tcpBusy;
+
+  if (result?.ok && result.delivered !== false) {
+    setButtonState(anchorBtn, 'success', 'Sent — the tablet should navigate now.');
+    scheduleRevert(anchorBtn);
+    return;
+  }
+  if (result?.ok) {
+    // delivered === false — session created server-side but nothing's
+    // actually listening on that device right now.
+    setButtonState(anchorBtn, 'warning', 'That tablet isn’t connected right now.');
+    showPickerOverlay(anchorBtn, bookingId, guestName, 'Default tablet isn’t connected — choose another:');
+    return;
+  }
+  if (result?.status === 409) {
+    setButtonState(anchorBtn, 'warning', result.error || 'That tablet is busy.');
+    showPickerOverlay(anchorBtn, bookingId, guestName, 'Default tablet is busy — choose another:');
+    return;
+  }
+  setButtonState(anchorBtn, 'error', `Failed: ${result?.error || 'unknown error'}`);
+  scheduleRevert(anchorBtn);
 }
 
-let openPanel = null;
+// Centred modal overlay — replaces the old in-page dropdown panel entirely
+// (both its block-flow insertion for row/banner buttons and the fixed-
+// position floating variant the nav-bar menu items needed). A real overlay
+// doesn't care where its anchor lives on the page, so one implementation now
+// covers all three injection shapes.
+let overlayBackdrop = null;
 
-async function togglePanel(anchorBtn, bookingId, guestName, variant = 'block', note = '') {
-  if (openPanel) { openPanel.remove(); openPanel = null; }
+function closeOverlay() {
+  if (!overlayBackdrop) return;
+  overlayBackdrop.remove();
+  overlayBackdrop = null;
+  document.removeEventListener('keydown', handleOverlayKeydown);
+}
+
+function handleOverlayKeydown(e) {
+  if (e.key === 'Escape') closeOverlay();
+}
+
+function buildOverlay() {
+  closeOverlay();
+  const backdrop = document.createElement('div');
+  backdrop.style.cssText = `
+    position: fixed; inset: 0; background: rgba(15, 23, 42, 0.45);
+    z-index: 999998; display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center;
+  `;
+  backdrop.addEventListener('mousedown', e => { if (e.target === backdrop) closeOverlay(); });
 
   const panel = document.createElement('div');
-  // Always its own block below the anchor regardless of variant — an inline
-  // anchor (the banner button) has no full-width block context to size
-  // against naturally, so give it an explicit min-width instead of relying
-  // on parent width like the row-cell variant can.
-  const floating = variant === 'menu';
-  const width = variant === 'block' ? 'width: 100%;' : 'min-width: 200px; max-width: 280px;';
   panel.style.cssText = `
-    display: block; ${floating ? '' : 'margin-top: 6px;'} ${width} padding: 8px; background: #f4f5f7;
-    border: 1px solid #e4e8ee; border-radius: 8px;
-    ${floating ? 'box-shadow: 0 2px 10px rgba(0,0,0,0.2);' : ''}
-    font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif;
-    font-size: 12px; color: #1e293b;
+    position: relative; background: #fff; border-radius: 12px; padding: 20px;
+    min-width: 260px; max-width: 320px; box-shadow: 0 10px 40px rgba(0,0,0,0.3);
+    font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: #1e293b;
   `;
-  panel.textContent = note ? `${note} loading…` : 'Loading tablets…';
-  if (floating) {
-    document.body.appendChild(panel);
-    positionFloating(panel, anchorBtn);
-  } else {
-    anchorBtn.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', panel);
+
+  const closeBtn = document.createElement('button');
+  closeBtn.type = 'button';
+  closeBtn.textContent = '×';
+  closeBtn.setAttribute('aria-label', 'Close');
+  closeBtn.style.cssText = `
+    position: absolute; top: 6px; right: 10px; border: none; background: none;
+    font-size: 20px; line-height: 1; cursor: pointer; color: #94a3b8; padding: 4px;
+  `;
+  closeBtn.addEventListener('click', closeOverlay);
+  panel.appendChild(closeBtn);
+
+  backdrop.appendChild(panel);
+  document.body.appendChild(backdrop);
+  overlayBackdrop = backdrop;
+  document.addEventListener('keydown', handleOverlayKeydown);
+  return panel;
+}
+
+async function showPickerOverlay(anchorBtn, bookingId, guestName, note = '') {
+  const panel = buildOverlay();
+
+  const title = document.createElement('div');
+  title.style.cssText = 'font-weight: 700; margin: 0 20px 10px 0; color: #1a1a2e;';
+  title.textContent = guestName ? `Send ${guestName} to a tablet` : 'Send to a tablet';
+  panel.appendChild(title);
+
+  if (note) {
+    const noteEl = document.createElement('div');
+    noteEl.textContent = note;
+    noteEl.style.cssText = 'margin-bottom: 10px; color: #b45309; font-weight: 600;';
+    panel.appendChild(noteEl);
   }
-  openPanel = panel;
+
+  const body = document.createElement('div');
+  body.textContent = 'Loading tablets…';
+  panel.appendChild(body);
 
   // A stale content script (injected before the extension was last
   // reloaded) throws "Extension context invalidated" the moment it touches
@@ -230,82 +302,87 @@ async function togglePanel(anchorBtn, bookingId, guestName, variant = 'block', n
   try {
     res = await chrome.runtime.sendMessage({ action: 'tcpListDevices' });
   } catch {
-    panel.textContent = 'Extension was reloaded — refresh this NewBook page and try again.';
+    body.textContent = 'Extension was reloaded — refresh this NewBook page and try again.';
     return;
   }
+  if (overlayBackdrop !== panel.parentElement) return; // closed while loading
   if (!res?.ok) {
-    panel.textContent = `Could not load tablets: ${res?.error || 'not configured yet — see extension Settings'}`;
+    body.textContent = `Could not load tablets: ${res?.error || 'not configured yet — see extension Settings'}`;
     return;
   }
   if (!res.devices.length) {
-    panel.textContent = 'No tablets registered yet.';
+    body.textContent = 'No tablets registered yet.';
     return;
   }
 
   const select = document.createElement('select');
-  select.style.cssText = 'width: 100%; margin-bottom: 6px; padding: 4px;';
+  select.style.cssText = 'width: 100%; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 6px; border-radius: 6px; border: 1px solid #e4e8ee;';
   select.innerHTML = res.devices.map(d =>
     `<option value="${d.device_id}" ${d.status === 'busy' ? 'disabled' : ''}>${escapeHtml(d.name)}${d.status === 'busy' ? ' (busy)' : ''}</option>`
   ).join('');
 
   const sendBtn = document.createElement('button');
+  sendBtn.type = 'button';
   sendBtn.textContent = `Send${guestName ? ` — ${guestName}` : ''}`;
   sendBtn.style.cssText = `
-    width: 100%; padding: 4px 8px; background: #c9a84c; color: #1a1a2e;
-    border: none; border-radius: 6px; font-weight: 600; cursor: pointer;
+    width: 100%; padding: 8px; background: #c9a84c; color: #1a1a2e;
+    border: none; border-radius: 6px; font-weight: 700; cursor: pointer;
   `;
+
+  const statusEl = document.createElement('div');
+  statusEl.style.cssText = 'margin-top: 8px; font-size: 12px;';
+
   sendBtn.addEventListener('click', async () => {
     sendBtn.disabled = true;
     sendBtn.textContent = 'Sending…';
-    const result = await chrome.runtime.sendMessage({
-      action: 'tcpPush', bookingId, deviceId: select.value,
-    });
-    if (result?.ok) {
-      panel.textContent = result.delivered === false
-        ? 'Sent, but that tablet isn’t connected right now — it’ll pick this up if it reconnects.'
-        : 'Sent — the tablet should navigate now.';
-      panel.style.color = result.delivered === false ? '#b45309' : '#1e293b';
+    setButtonState(anchorBtn, 'loading');
+
+    const result = await chrome.runtime.sendMessage({ action: 'tcpPush', bookingId, deviceId: select.value });
+
+    sendBtn.disabled = false;
+    sendBtn.textContent = `Send${guestName ? ` — ${guestName}` : ''}`;
+
+    if (result?.ok && result.delivered !== false) {
+      statusEl.textContent = 'Sent — the tablet should navigate now.';
+      statusEl.style.color = '#166534';
+      setButtonState(anchorBtn, 'success', 'Sent — the tablet should navigate now.');
+      scheduleRevert(anchorBtn);
+      setTimeout(closeOverlay, 1000);
+    } else if (result?.ok) {
+      statusEl.textContent = 'Sent, but that tablet isn’t connected right now.';
+      statusEl.style.color = '#b45309';
+      setButtonState(anchorBtn, 'warning', 'That tablet isn’t connected right now.');
     } else {
-      panel.textContent = `Failed: ${result?.error || 'unknown error'}`;
+      statusEl.textContent = `Failed: ${result?.error || 'unknown error'}`;
+      statusEl.style.color = '#dc2626';
+      setButtonState(anchorBtn, 'error', `Failed: ${result?.error || 'unknown error'}`);
     }
   });
 
-  panel.innerHTML = '';
-  if (note) {
-    const noteEl = document.createElement('div');
-    noteEl.textContent = note;
-    noteEl.style.cssText = 'margin-bottom: 6px; color: #b45309; font-weight: 600;';
-    panel.appendChild(noteEl);
-  }
-  panel.appendChild(select);
-  panel.appendChild(sendBtn);
-}
-
-function escapeHtml(s) {
-  const div = document.createElement('div');
-  div.textContent = s;
-  return div.innerHTML;
+  body.innerHTML = '';
+  body.appendChild(select);
+  body.appendChild(sendBtn);
+  body.appendChild(statusEl);
 }
 
 // Context-menu entries use a completely different markup shape than the
 // .button-based row/banner injections above — <li><a><div class="page_icon">
 // <i/></div><span/></a></li> — so this builds that shape directly rather
 // than reusing makeSendButton. Click handling (default-tablet fast path,
-// picker fallback) is identical, via the 'menu' variant plumbed through
-// handleSendClick/showInlineStatus/togglePanel above.
+// picker overlay fallback) is identical via the shared handleSendClick.
 function makeMenuLink(bookingId) {
   const li = document.createElement('li');
   li.className = 'context tcp-menu-item';
   const a = document.createElement('a');
   a.href = '#';
   a.innerHTML = `
-    <div class="page_icon"><i class="far fa-tablet-alt fa-fw" alt="" style="margin-right: 0; margin-left: 0px; vertical-align: middle; font-size: 24px;" aria-hidden="true"></i></div>
+    <div class="page_icon"><i class="tcp-icon far fa-tablet-alt fa-fw" alt="" style="margin-right: 0; margin-left: 0px; vertical-align: middle; font-size: 24px;" aria-hidden="true"></i></div>
     <span>Tablet Push</span>
   `;
   a.addEventListener('click', e => {
     e.preventDefault();
     e.stopPropagation();
-    handleSendClick(a, bookingId, '', 'menu');
+    handleSendClick(a, bookingId, '');
   });
   li.appendChild(a);
   return li;
diff --git a/backend/extension-src/popup/popup.js b/backend/extension-src/popup/popup.js
index 5fd398a..519cf8e 100644
--- a/backend/extension-src/popup/popup.js
+++ b/backend/extension-src/popup/popup.js
@@ -126,12 +126,13 @@ function renderBooking(el, bookingId, devices, defaultDeviceId, baseUrl, apiKey)
       const msgEl = document.getElementById('msg');
       if (!msgEl) return; // "Send to a different tablet" was clicked before this resolved
 
-      if (result.ok) {
-        if (result.delivered === false) {
-          setMsg(msgEl, 'Sent, but that tablet isn’t connected right now — it’ll pick this up if it reconnects.', 'warn');
-        } else {
-          setMsg(msgEl, 'Sent — the tablet should navigate now.', 'ok');
-        }
+      if (result.ok && result.delivered !== false) {
+        setMsg(msgEl, 'Sent — the tablet should navigate now.', 'ok');
+      } else if (result.ok) {
+        // Session created server-side but nothing's actually listening on
+        // that device right now — same "needs a human decision" case as
+        // busy, so offer the picker rather than a dead-end message.
+        renderPicker(el, bookingId, devices, defaultDeviceId, baseUrl, apiKey, 'Default tablet isn’t connected — choose another:');
       } else if (result.status === 409) {
         // Default went busy in the moment between loading the popup and
         // sending — fall back to the manual picker rather than leaving the