diff --git a/apps/host-selfhost/web/auth-layout.tsx b/apps/host-selfhost/web/auth-layout.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ea784f05c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/host-selfhost/web/auth-layout.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+import type { ReactNode } from "react";
+
+import { Wordmark } from "@executor-js/react/components/wordmark";
+
+// Split auth layout for the chromeless pages (setup, login, join): a promo
+// panel on the left, the form on the right. The panel follows design.md's
+// registry-minimal rules — graph-paper texture, mono eyebrow + index numerals,
+// grayscale only — so the first screen a person ever sees speaks the same
+// language as the app behind it. Collapses to form-only below lg.
+const PANEL_POINTS: ReadonlyArray<{ index: string; title: string; body: string }> = [
+  {
+    index: "01",
+    title: "Connect",
+    body: "OpenAPI, GraphQL, and MCP sources become tools your agent can call.",
+  },
+  {
+    index: "02",
+    title: "Control",
+    body: "Policies decide which tools run, which ask first, and which are blocked.",
+  },
+  {
+    index: "03",
+    title: "Audit",
+    body: "Every invocation is recorded, with approvals where they matter.",
+  },
+];
+
+export function AuthLayout(props: { readonly children: ReactNode }) {
+  return (
+    <div className="grid min-h-screen bg-background lg:grid-cols-[1.1fr_1fr]">
+      <aside className="relative hidden flex-col justify-between overflow-hidden border-r border-border bg-sidebar p-12 lg:flex">
+        {/* Graph-paper texture, faded toward the bottom (design.md signature). */}
+        <div
+          aria-hidden
+          className="pointer-events-none absolute inset-0 text-foreground opacity-[0.05]"
+          style={{
+            backgroundImage:
+              "linear-gradient(currentColor 1px, transparent 1px), linear-gradient(90deg, currentColor 1px, transparent 1px)",
+            backgroundSize: "32px 32px",
+            maskImage: "linear-gradient(to bottom, black 30%, transparent 85%)",
+          }}
+        />
+
+        <div className="relative">
+          <Wordmark />
+        </div>
+
+        <div className="relative max-w-md space-y-10">
+          <div className="space-y-4">
+            <p className="font-mono text-[11px] font-medium uppercase tracking-[0.18em] text-muted-foreground">
+              The integration layer for AI agents
+            </p>
+            <h2 className="text-4xl font-semibold tracking-[-0.04em] text-foreground">
+              Every tool your agent needs, behind one endpoint.
+            </h2>
+            <p className="text-sm leading-6 text-muted-foreground">
+              Connect your APIs once. Any MCP-compatible agent gets the whole catalog, governed by
+              your policies.
+            </p>
+          </div>
+
+          <ul className="space-y-5">
+            {PANEL_POINTS.map((point) => (
+              <li key={point.index} className="flex gap-4">
+                <span className="font-mono text-[11px] font-medium tracking-[0.08em] text-muted-foreground/70 pt-0.5">
+                  {point.index}
+                </span>
+                <div>
+                  <p className="text-sm font-medium text-foreground">{point.title}</p>
+                  <p className="text-sm leading-6 text-muted-foreground">{point.body}</p>
+                </div>
+              </li>
+            ))}
+          </ul>
+        </div>
+
+        <p className="relative font-mono text-[11px] tracking-[0.08em] text-muted-foreground">
+          self-hosted
+        </p>
+      </aside>
+
+      <main className="flex flex-col items-center justify-center gap-6 p-6">
+        <div className="lg:hidden">
+          <Wordmark />
+        </div>
+        {props.children}
+      </main>
+    </div>
+  );
+}
diff --git a/apps/host-selfhost/web/login.tsx b/apps/host-selfhost/web/login.tsx
index 4d78b9703..4c56287a4 100644
--- a/apps/host-selfhost/web/login.tsx
+++ b/apps/host-selfhost/web/login.tsx
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import { Input } from "@executor-js/react/components/input";
 import { Label } from "@executor-js/react/components/label";
 
 import { authClient } from "./auth-client";
+import { AuthLayout } from "./auth-layout";
 import { mcpAuthorizeResumeTarget, safeReturnTo } from "../src/auth/return-to";
 
 // Self-host login: email + password sign-in via Better Auth. On success we
@@ -54,12 +55,16 @@ export const LoginPage = () => {
   };
 
   return (
-    <div className="flex min-h-screen items-center justify-center bg-background p-6">
+    <AuthLayout>
       <div className="w-full max-w-sm space-y-4 rounded-xl border border-border bg-card p-6 shadow-sm">
-        <div className="space-y-1 text-center">
-          <h1 className="font-mono text-2xl tracking-tight text-foreground">Executor</h1>
+        <div className="space-y-1">
+          <h1 className="text-xl font-semibold tracking-tight text-foreground">
+            {mode === "signin" ? "Sign in" : "Join this instance"}
+          </h1>
           <p className="text-sm text-muted-foreground">
-            {mode === "signin" ? "Sign in to your instance" : "Join with your invite code"}
+            {mode === "signin"
+              ? "Welcome back. Use your instance account."
+              : "Enter the invite code you were given."}
           </p>
         </div>
 
@@ -127,6 +132,6 @@ export const LoginPage = () => {
           </Button>
         </div>
       </div>
-    </div>
+    </AuthLayout>
   );
 };
diff --git a/apps/host-selfhost/web/setup.tsx b/apps/host-selfhost/web/setup.tsx
index 91418bd21..8bc143d4b 100644
--- a/apps/host-selfhost/web/setup.tsx
+++ b/apps/host-selfhost/web/setup.tsx
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import { Input } from "@executor-js/react/components/input";
 import { Label } from "@executor-js/react/components/label";
 
 import { authClient } from "./auth-client";
+import { AuthLayout } from "./auth-layout";
 
 // First-run setup. A fresh instance has no users, so the first visitor creates
 // the admin account here. The server admits the first signup into the empty org
@@ -32,15 +33,15 @@ export const SetupPage = () => {
   };
 
   return (
-    <div className="flex min-h-screen items-center justify-center bg-background p-6">
+    <AuthLayout>
       <form
         onSubmit={submit}
         className="w-full max-w-sm space-y-4 rounded-xl border border-border bg-card p-6 shadow-sm"
       >
-        <div className="space-y-1 text-center">
-          <h1 className="font-mono text-2xl tracking-tight text-foreground">Set up Executor</h1>
+        <div className="space-y-1">
+          <h1 className="text-xl font-semibold tracking-tight text-foreground">Set up Executor</h1>
           <p className="text-sm text-muted-foreground">
-            Create the admin account for this instance.
+            Create the admin account for this instance. You can invite your team once you're in.
           </p>
         </div>
 
@@ -87,6 +88,6 @@ export const SetupPage = () => {
           {busy ? "Creating…" : "Create admin account"}
         </Button>
       </form>
-    </div>
+    </AuthLayout>
   );
 };
diff --git a/packages/react/src/components/mcp-install-card.tsx b/packages/react/src/components/mcp-install-card.tsx
index 1ef3f9f8b..0292e4a8b 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/components/mcp-install-card.tsx
+++ b/packages/react/src/components/mcp-install-card.tsx
@@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ export function McpInstallCard(props: { className?: string }) {
       ? isDev
         ? "Uses the repo-local dev CLI from any agent working directory."
         : "Requires the executor CLI on your PATH."
-      : "Connect to executor as a remote MCP server over streamable HTTP.";
+      : "Paste this into Claude Code, Cursor, or any MCP client, and your agent gets every tool you connect here.";
 
   const advancedControls = (
     <Collapsible open={advancedOpen} onOpenChange={setAdvancedOpen}>
@@ -224,9 +224,10 @@ export function McpInstallCard(props: { className?: string }) {
             key={key}
             title={label}
             aria-label={label}
+            role="img"
             style={{ zIndex: SUPPORTED_AGENTS.length - index }}
             className={cn(
-              "flex h-6 items-center justify-center rounded-md border border-border/60 bg-background px-1.5 transition-[margin] duration-200 ease-[cubic-bezier(0.23,1,0.32,1)]",
+              "flex h-6 items-center justify-center rounded-md border border-border/60 bg-background px-1.5 text-muted-foreground transition-[margin] duration-200 ease-[cubic-bezier(0.23,1,0.32,1)]",
               index > 0 && "-ml-2 group-hover/agents:ml-1",
             )}
           >