diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/Composer.tsx b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/Composer.tsx
index ee074c1c77..3e443e2e6b 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/Composer.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/Composer.tsx
@@ -63,14 +63,17 @@ export const Composer = ({ isFocused = true }: { isFocused?: boolean }) => {
     Boolean(uiState.proQuotaRequest) ||
     Boolean(uiState.validationRequest) ||
     Boolean(uiState.customDialog);
+  const isActivelyStreaming =
+    uiState.streamingState === StreamingState.Responding;
   const showLoadingIndicator =
     (!uiState.embeddedShellFocused || uiState.isBackgroundShellVisible) &&
-    uiState.streamingState === StreamingState.Responding &&
     !hasPendingActionRequired;
   const showApprovalIndicator = !uiState.shellModeActive;
   const showRawMarkdownIndicator = !uiState.renderMarkdown;
   const showEscToCancelHint =
-    showLoadingIndicator &&
+    isActivelyStreaming &&
+    !uiState.embeddedShellFocused &&
+    !hasPendingActionRequired &&
     uiState.streamingState !== StreamingState.WaitingForConfirmation;
 
   return (
@@ -158,7 +161,7 @@ export const Composer = ({ isFocused = true }: { isFocused?: boolean }) => {
             alignItems="center"
             flexGrow={1}
           >
-            {!showLoadingIndicator && (
+            {!isActivelyStreaming && (
               <Box
                 flexDirection={isNarrow ? 'column' : 'row'}
                 alignItems={isNarrow ? 'flex-start' : 'center'}
@@ -204,7 +207,7 @@ export const Composer = ({ isFocused = true }: { isFocused?: boolean }) => {
             flexDirection="column"
             alignItems={isNarrow ? 'flex-start' : 'flex-end'}
           >
-            {!showLoadingIndicator && (
+            {!isActivelyStreaming && (
               <StatusDisplay hideContextSummary={hideContextSummary} />
             )}
           </Box>
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/ContextUsageDisplay.tsx b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/ContextUsageDisplay.tsx
index 25dad9c7e3..09cd4c3922 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/ContextUsageDisplay.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/ContextUsageDisplay.tsx
@@ -24,8 +24,8 @@ export const ContextUsageDisplay = ({
 
   return (
     <Text color={theme.text.secondary}>
-      ({percentageLeft}
-      {label})
+      {percentageLeft}
+      {label}
     </Text>
   );
 };
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/Footer.tsx b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/Footer.tsx
index 64ee355f56..6b50a57909 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/Footer.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/Footer.tsx
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@ import {
 } from '@google/gemini-cli-core';
 import { ConsoleSummaryDisplay } from './ConsoleSummaryDisplay.js';
 import process from 'node:process';
-import { ThemedGradient } from './ThemedGradient.js';
 import { MemoryUsageDisplay } from './MemoryUsageDisplay.js';
 import { ContextUsageDisplay } from './ContextUsageDisplay.js';
 import { DebugProfiler } from './DebugProfiler.js';
@@ -40,7 +39,6 @@ export const Footer: React.FC = () => {
     errorCount,
     showErrorDetails,
     promptTokenCount,
-    nightly,
     isTrustedFolder,
     terminalWidth,
   } = {
@@ -53,7 +51,6 @@ export const Footer: React.FC = () => {
     errorCount: uiState.errorCount,
     showErrorDetails: uiState.showErrorDetails,
     promptTokenCount: uiState.sessionStats.lastPromptTokenCount,
-    nightly: uiState.nightly,
     isTrustedFolder: uiState.isTrustedFolder,
     terminalWidth: uiState.terminalWidth,
   };
@@ -87,20 +84,14 @@ export const Footer: React.FC = () => {
           {displayVimMode && (
             <Text color={theme.text.secondary}>[{displayVimMode}] </Text>
           )}
-          {!hideCWD &&
-            (nightly ? (
-              <ThemedGradient>
-                {displayPath}
-                {branchName && <Text> ({branchName}*)</Text>}
-              </ThemedGradient>
-            ) : (
-              <Text color={theme.text.link}>
-                {displayPath}
-                {branchName && (
-                  <Text color={theme.text.secondary}> ({branchName}*)</Text>
-                )}
-              </Text>
-            ))}
+          {!hideCWD && (
+            <Text color={theme.text.primary}>
+              {displayPath}
+              {branchName && (
+                <Text color={theme.text.secondary}> ({branchName}*)</Text>
+              )}
+            </Text>
+          )}
           {debugMode && (
             <Text color={theme.status.error}>
               {' ' + (debugMessage || '--debug')}
@@ -146,9 +137,9 @@ export const Footer: React.FC = () => {
       {!hideModelInfo && (
         <Box alignItems="center" justifyContent="flex-end">
           <Box alignItems="center">
-            <Text color={theme.text.accent}>
+            <Text color={theme.text.primary}>
+              <Text color={theme.text.secondary}>/model </Text>
               {getDisplayString(model)}
-              <Text color={theme.text.secondary}> /model</Text>
               {!hideContextPercentage && (
                 <>
                   {' '}
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/GeminiRespondingSpinner.tsx b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/GeminiRespondingSpinner.tsx
index 8565ae5d3d..da2fef686a 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/GeminiRespondingSpinner.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/GeminiRespondingSpinner.tsx
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
  */
 
 import type React from 'react';
+import { useState, useEffect, useMemo } from 'react';
 import { Text, useIsScreenReaderEnabled } from 'ink';
 import { CliSpinner } from './CliSpinner.js';
 import type { SpinnerName } from 'cli-spinners';
@@ -15,6 +16,10 @@ import {
   SCREEN_READER_RESPONDING,
 } from '../textConstants.js';
 import { theme } from '../semantic-colors.js';
+import { Colors } from '../colors.js';
+import tinygradient from 'tinygradient';
+
+const COLOR_CYCLE_DURATION_MS = 4000;
 
 interface GeminiRespondingSpinnerProps {
   /**
@@ -37,13 +42,16 @@ export const GeminiRespondingSpinner: React.FC<
         altText={SCREEN_READER_RESPONDING}
       />
     );
-  } else if (nonRespondingDisplay) {
+  }
+
+  if (nonRespondingDisplay) {
     return isScreenReaderEnabled ? (
       <Text>{SCREEN_READER_LOADING}</Text>
     ) : (
       <Text color={theme.text.primary}>{nonRespondingDisplay}</Text>
     );
   }
+
   return null;
 };
 
@@ -57,10 +65,39 @@ export const GeminiSpinner: React.FC<GeminiSpinnerProps> = ({
   altText,
 }) => {
   const isScreenReaderEnabled = useIsScreenReaderEnabled();
+  const [time, setTime] = useState(0);
+
+  const googleGradient = useMemo(() => {
+    const brandColors = [
+      Colors.AccentPurple,
+      Colors.AccentBlue,
+      Colors.AccentCyan,
+      Colors.AccentGreen,
+      Colors.AccentYellow,
+      Colors.AccentRed,
+    ];
+    return tinygradient([...brandColors, brandColors[0]]);
+  }, []);
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (isScreenReaderEnabled) {
+      return;
+    }
+
+    const interval = setInterval(() => {
+      setTime((prevTime) => prevTime + 30);
+    }, 30); // ~33fps for smooth color transitions
+
+    return () => clearInterval(interval);
+  }, [isScreenReaderEnabled]);
+
+  const progress = (time % COLOR_CYCLE_DURATION_MS) / COLOR_CYCLE_DURATION_MS;
+  const currentColor = googleGradient.rgbAt(progress).toHexString();
+
   return isScreenReaderEnabled ? (
     <Text>{altText}</Text>
   ) : (
-    <Text color={theme.text.primary}>
+    <Text color={currentColor}>
       <CliSpinner type={spinnerType} />
     </Text>
   );
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/LoadingIndicator.tsx b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/LoadingIndicator.tsx
index 18e71b7a4b..4425bc3a5c 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/LoadingIndicator.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/LoadingIndicator.tsx
@@ -37,41 +37,43 @@ export const LoadingIndicator: React.FC<LoadingIndicatorProps> = ({
   const { columns: terminalWidth } = useTerminalSize();
   const isNarrow = isNarrowWidth(terminalWidth);
 
-  if (
-    streamingState === StreamingState.Idle &&
-    !currentLoadingPhrase &&
-    !thought
-  ) {
-    return null;
-  }
-
   // Prioritize the interactive shell waiting phrase over the thought subject
   // because it conveys an actionable state for the user (waiting for input).
   const primaryText =
     currentLoadingPhrase === INTERACTIVE_SHELL_WAITING_PHRASE
       ? currentLoadingPhrase
-      : thought?.subject || currentLoadingPhrase;
+      : thought?.subject || currentLoadingPhrase || undefined;
+
+  const textColor =
+    streamingState === StreamingState.Idle
+      ? theme.text.secondary
+      : theme.text.primary;
+
+  const italic = streamingState === StreamingState.Responding;
 
   const cancelAndTimerContent =
     showCancelAndTimer &&
-    streamingState !== StreamingState.WaitingForConfirmation
+    streamingState !== StreamingState.WaitingForConfirmation &&
+    streamingState !== StreamingState.Idle
       ? `(esc to cancel, ${elapsedTime < 60 ? `${elapsedTime}s` : formatDuration(elapsedTime * 1000)})`
       : null;
 
   if (inline) {
     return (
       <Box>
-        <Box marginRight={1}>
-          <GeminiRespondingSpinner
-            nonRespondingDisplay={
-              streamingState === StreamingState.WaitingForConfirmation
-                ? '⠏'
-                : ''
-            }
-          />
-        </Box>
+        {streamingState !== StreamingState.Idle && (
+          <Box marginRight={1}>
+            <GeminiRespondingSpinner
+              nonRespondingDisplay={
+                streamingState === StreamingState.WaitingForConfirmation
+                  ? '⠏'
+                  : ''
+              }
+            />
+          </Box>
+        )}
         {primaryText && (
-          <Text color={theme.text.accent} wrap="truncate-end">
+          <Text color={textColor} italic={italic} wrap="truncate-end">
             {primaryText}
           </Text>
         )}
@@ -94,17 +96,19 @@ export const LoadingIndicator: React.FC<LoadingIndicatorProps> = ({
         alignItems={isNarrow ? 'flex-start' : 'center'}
       >
         <Box>
-          <Box marginRight={1}>
-            <GeminiRespondingSpinner
-              nonRespondingDisplay={
-                streamingState === StreamingState.WaitingForConfirmation
-                  ? '⠏'
-                  : ''
-              }
-            />
-          </Box>
+          {streamingState !== StreamingState.Idle && (
+            <Box marginRight={1}>
+              <GeminiRespondingSpinner
+                nonRespondingDisplay={
+                  streamingState === StreamingState.WaitingForConfirmation
+                    ? '⠏'
+                    : ''
+                }
+              />
+            </Box>
+          )}
           {primaryText && (
-            <Text color={theme.text.accent} wrap="truncate-end">
+            <Text color={textColor} italic={italic} wrap="truncate-end">
               {primaryText}
             </Text>
           )}
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/contexts/UIStateContext.tsx b/packages/cli/src/ui/contexts/UIStateContext.tsx
index 45111a29cc..063b9aad01 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/contexts/UIStateContext.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/contexts/UIStateContext.tsx
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ export interface UIState {
   showEscapePrompt: boolean;
   shortcutsHelpVisible: boolean;
   elapsedTime: number;
-  currentLoadingPhrase: string;
+  currentLoadingPhrase: string | undefined;
   historyRemountKey: number;
   activeHooks: ActiveHook[];
   messageQueue: string[];
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/hooks/usePhraseCycler.ts b/packages/cli/src/ui/hooks/usePhraseCycler.ts
index 4c6e9e706d..ffc469f02a 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/hooks/usePhraseCycler.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/hooks/usePhraseCycler.ts
@@ -31,9 +31,9 @@ export const usePhraseCycler = (
       ? customPhrases
       : WITTY_LOADING_PHRASES;
 
-  const [currentLoadingPhrase, setCurrentLoadingPhrase] = useState(
-    loadingPhrases[0],
-  );
+  const [currentLoadingPhrase, setCurrentLoadingPhrase] = useState<
+    string | undefined
+  >(isActive ? loadingPhrases[0] : undefined);
 
   const phraseIntervalRef = useRef<NodeJS.Timeout | null>(null);
   const hasShownFirstRequestTipRef = useRef(false);
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ export const usePhraseCycler = (
     }
 
     if (!isActive) {
-      setCurrentLoadingPhrase(loadingPhrases[0]);
+      setCurrentLoadingPhrase(undefined);
       return;
     }