diff --git a/src/psyc/cockpit/static/cockpit.css b/src/psyc/cockpit/static/cockpit.css
index fdf937d..8cb156b 100644
--- a/src/psyc/cockpit/static/cockpit.css
+++ b/src/psyc/cockpit/static/cockpit.css
@@ -17,7 +17,12 @@
 body {
   margin: 0;
   font-family: ui-monospace, "SF Mono", Menlo, Consolas, monospace;
-  background: var(--bg);
+  background-color: var(--bg);
+  /* faint cyber grid */
+  background-image:
+    linear-gradient(rgba(30, 200, 255, 0.035) 1px, transparent 1px),
+    linear-gradient(90deg, rgba(30, 200, 255, 0.035) 1px, transparent 1px);
+  background-size: 44px 44px;
   color: var(--text);
   font-size: 14px;
   line-height: 1.45;
@@ -31,7 +36,27 @@ h1, h2, h3,
 .brand-sub, .nav a, .family-tag, .family-hub, .bot-name { font-family: var(--font-display); }
 
 /* one-line purpose statement under a page title */
-.page-intro { color: var(--muted); font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.55; margin: 4px 0 18px; max-width: 74ch; }
+.page-intro { color: var(--muted); font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.55; margin: 4px 0 10px; max-width: 74ch; }
+
+/* collapsible per-page help — how to use it, what you're seeing, why it matters */
+.page-help { margin: 0 0 18px; max-width: 80ch; }
+.page-help summary {
+  cursor: pointer; color: var(--accent); font-size: 12px;
+  font-family: var(--font-display); letter-spacing: 0.5px;
+  list-style: none; user-select: none; display: inline-block;
+}
+.page-help summary::-webkit-details-marker { display: none; }
+.page-help summary::before { content: "▸ "; }
+.page-help[open] summary::before { content: "▾ "; }
+.page-help summary:hover { text-shadow: 0 0 10px var(--accent-glow); }
+.help-body {
+  margin-top: 10px; padding: 12px 14px;
+  background: var(--panel-2); border: 1px solid var(--border);
+  border-left: 2px solid var(--accent); border-radius: 4px;
+}
+.help-body p { margin: 0 0 8px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.6; color: var(--muted); }
+.help-body p:last-child { margin-bottom: 0; }
+.help-body b { color: var(--accent); font-family: var(--font-display); font-weight: 600; }
 
 .topbar {
   display: flex; justify-content: space-between; align-items: center;
@@ -72,13 +97,21 @@ h1, h2, h3,
 .footer { text-align: center; color: var(--muted); padding: 24px; font-size: 12px; }
 
 .panel {
+  position: relative;
   background: var(--panel);
   border: 1px solid var(--border);
   border-radius: 6px;
   padding: 20px 24px;
 }
+/* HUD corner brackets — targeting-frame cyber look */
+.panel::before, .panel::after {
+  content: ""; position: absolute; width: 15px; height: 15px;
+  border: 2px solid var(--accent); pointer-events: none;
+}
+.panel::before { top: -1px; left: -1px; border-width: 2px 0 0 2px; border-radius: 6px 0 0 0; }
+.panel::after { bottom: -1px; right: -1px; border-width: 0 2px 2px 0; border-radius: 0 0 6px 0; }
 .panel-head { display: flex; justify-content: space-between; align-items: baseline; margin-bottom: 16px; }
-.panel-head h1 { margin: 0; font-size: 18px; }
+.panel-head h1 { margin: 0; font-size: 18px; text-shadow: 0 0 18px var(--accent-glow); }
 .count { color: var(--muted); font-size: 12px; }
 .empty { color: var(--muted); }
 .back { color: var(--muted); font-size: 12px; }
diff --git a/src/psyc/cockpit/templates/case_detail.html b/src/psyc/cockpit/templates/case_detail.html
index 46ae14e..f597b9a 100644
--- a/src/psyc/cockpit/templates/case_detail.html
+++ b/src/psyc/cockpit/templates/case_detail.html
@@ -9,6 +9,14 @@
   </div>
   <p class="summary-lead">{{ case.summary }}</p>
   <p class="page-intro">The full record for one case — how Classifyline rated it, what Scoutline observed, the evidence Sealine encrypted, where Routeline may send it, and every ledger entry it produced.</p>
+  <details class="page-help">
+    <summary>how to use this view</summary>
+    <div class="help-body">
+      <p><b>How to use.</b> Read the cards top-to-bottom — classification, observables, sealed package, routes, ledger. Hit <b>▶ case journey</b> for the animated walk-through.</p>
+      <p><b>What you're seeing.</b> Every worker line's output for this one case: how it was rated, what was observed, what was encrypted and to whom, where it would route, and the audit rows it produced.</p>
+      <p><b>Why it matters.</b> Nothing sensitive leaves psyc without a human seeing the full reasoning chain — this page is that chain, for one case.</p>
+    </div>
+  </details>
 
   <div class="grid">
     <div class="card">
diff --git a/src/psyc/cockpit/templates/cases.html b/src/psyc/cockpit/templates/cases.html
index df8d1eb..7e4152e 100644
--- a/src/psyc/cockpit/templates/cases.html
+++ b/src/psyc/cockpit/templates/cases.html
@@ -7,6 +7,14 @@
     <span class="count">{{ total }} case{{ '' if total == 1 else 's' }}</span>
   </div>
   <p class="page-intro">Every threat case psyc is tracking — ingested from URLhaus, CISA KEV, and Feodo Tracker, then classified by severity and TLP. The live queue of what the platform currently knows about; click any case to follow it through the pipeline.</p>
+  <details class="page-help">
+    <summary>how to use this view</summary>
+    <div class="help-body">
+      <p><b>How to use.</b> Scan the severity and TLP badges to triage; click any case ID to open its full record and Worker Mesh journey. Run <code>psyc fetch-all</code> to pull fresh cases from the feeds.</p>
+      <p><b>What you're seeing.</b> Each row is one normalized Case object — ingested by Scoutline from URLhaus, CISA KEV, or Feodo Tracker, then rated by Classifyline.</p>
+      <p><b>Why it matters.</b> A defender needs one place that answers "what is happening right now" before deciding what to act on — this queue is that place.</p>
+    </div>
+  </details>
   {% if not cases %}
     <p class="empty">No cases yet. Run <code>psyc fetch urlhaus</code> to ingest.</p>
   {% else %}
diff --git a/src/psyc/cockpit/templates/journey.html b/src/psyc/cockpit/templates/journey.html
index 75910af..2ccc3bd 100644
--- a/src/psyc/cockpit/templates/journey.html
+++ b/src/psyc/cockpit/templates/journey.html
@@ -40,6 +40,14 @@
   </div>
   <p class="summary-lead">{{ case.summary }}</p>
   <p class="page-intro">Watch the case move through psyc's worker mesh — seven bots, each performing one pipeline stage and reporting its real result. The Classifier bot's severity verdict comes from the live fine-tuned model; hit ▶ replay to run it again.</p>
+  <details class="page-help">
+    <summary>how to use this view</summary>
+    <div class="help-body">
+      <p><b>How to use.</b> Let the case token travel the mesh — each bot wakes, performs its stage, and reports. Press <b>▶ replay</b> to run it again.</p>
+      <p><b>What you're seeing.</b> Seven worker bots, one per pipeline stage. Awake bots ran for this case; asleep bots are stages that didn't apply. The Classifier bot's verdict is generated live by the fine-tuned model.</p>
+      <p><b>Why it matters.</b> It makes the chain of reasoning legible — you can watch what the platform did and why, not just trust a final answer.</p>
+    </div>
+  </details>
 
   <ol class="mesh playing" id="mesh">
     <span class="case-token" aria-hidden="true"></span>
diff --git a/src/psyc/cockpit/templates/ledger.html b/src/psyc/cockpit/templates/ledger.html
index 88923d5..0054c12 100644
--- a/src/psyc/cockpit/templates/ledger.html
+++ b/src/psyc/cockpit/templates/ledger.html
@@ -7,6 +7,14 @@
     <span class="count">{{ total }} entr{{ 'y' if total == 1 else 'ies' }}</span>
   </div>
   <p class="page-intro">The append-only audit trail. Every external submission and every policy-blocked route is recorded here — nothing leaves psyc without a row. This is the platform's proof of exactly what happened, when, and to whom.</p>
+  <details class="page-help">
+    <summary>how to use this view</summary>
+    <div class="help-body">
+      <p><b>How to use.</b> Read top-down, newest first. Each row is one external submission or one policy-blocked route. Open a case to see only its entries.</p>
+      <p><b>What you're seeing.</b> timestamp · case · destination · payload hash · submitter · TLP · outcome — written by Ledgerline the moment Courier acts.</p>
+      <p><b>Why it matters.</b> Defensive operations must be provable. The ledger is append-only — psyc can show exactly what it sent, where, and what came back.</p>
+    </div>
+  </details>
   {% if not entries %}
     <p class="empty">No ledger entries yet. Run <code>psyc submit &lt;case_id&gt;</code> or <code>psyc demo</code>.</p>
   {% else %}
diff --git a/src/psyc/cockpit/templates/train.html b/src/psyc/cockpit/templates/train.html
index 1ab13f3..de12b99 100644
--- a/src/psyc/cockpit/templates/train.html
+++ b/src/psyc/cockpit/templates/train.html
@@ -7,6 +7,14 @@
     <span class="count">{{ datasets|length }} dataset{{ '' if datasets|length == 1 else 's' }}</span>
   </div>
   <p class="page-intro">Trainline turns reviewed cases into LoRA training data and tracks the fine-tuned adapters built from it — the JSONL datasets below, and the trained adapters with their loss curves further down. The adapter behind the Classifier bot is trained here.</p>
+  <details class="page-help">
+    <summary>how to use this view</summary>
+    <div class="help-body">
+      <p><b>How to use.</b> <code>psyc train-build-all</code> builds the datasets below; the <code>Dockerfile.train</code> workflow fine-tunes an adapter; both then appear here.</p>
+      <p><b>What you're seeing.</b> JSONL datasets with example counts, and trained QLoRA adapters with their base model, hyperparameters, and per-step loss curve.</p>
+      <p><b>Why it matters.</b> The adapter behind the Classifier bot is built here — this page is the provenance of the model that's actually in operation.</p>
+    </div>
+  </details>
   {% if not datasets %}
     <p class="empty">No datasets yet. Run <code>psyc train-build-all</code>.</p>
   {% else %}