diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/messages/DenseToolMessage.tsx b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/messages/DenseToolMessage.tsx
index d127b75e91..272b1f34fc 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/messages/DenseToolMessage.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/messages/DenseToolMessage.tsx
@@ -17,6 +17,10 @@ import {
   isGrepResult,
   isListResult,
   isReadManyFilesResult,
+  UPDATE_TOPIC_DISPLAY_NAME,
+  UPDATE_TOPIC_TOOL_NAME,
+  TOPIC_PARAM_TITLE,
+  TOPIC_PARAM_STRATEGIC_INTENT,
 } from '@google/gemini-cli-core';
 import { type IndividualToolCallDisplay, isTodoList } from '../../types.js';
 import { useAlternateBuffer } from '../../hooks/useAlternateBuffer.js';
@@ -306,10 +310,33 @@ function getGenericSuccessData(
   return { description, summary, payload };
 }
 
+function getUpdateTopicData(args?: Record<string, unknown>): ViewParts {
+  const rawTitle = args?.[TOPIC_PARAM_TITLE];
+  const title = typeof rawTitle === 'string' ? rawTitle : undefined;
+  const rawIntent = args?.[TOPIC_PARAM_STRATEGIC_INTENT];
+  const intent = typeof rawIntent === 'string' ? rawIntent : undefined;
+
+  const description = (
+    <Text color={theme.text.primary} bold wrap="truncate-end">
+      {title || 'Topic'}
+    </Text>
+  );
+
+  const summary = intent ? (
+    <Text color={theme.text.secondary} wrap="truncate-end">
+      {' '}
+      -- {intent}
+    </Text>
+  ) : undefined;
+
+  return { description, summary };
+}
+
 export const DenseToolMessage: React.FC<DenseToolMessageProps> = (props) => {
   const {
     callId,
     name,
+    args,
     status,
     resultDisplay,
     confirmationDetails,
@@ -323,6 +350,8 @@ export const DenseToolMessage: React.FC<DenseToolMessageProps> = (props) => {
   const isAlternateBuffer = useAlternateBuffer();
   const { isExpanded: isExpandedInContext, toggleExpansion } = useToolActions();
 
+  // ... (rest of component)
+
   // Handle optional context members
   const [localIsExpanded, setLocalIsExpanded] = useState(false);
   const isExpanded = isExpandedInContext
@@ -370,6 +399,9 @@ export const DenseToolMessage: React.FC<DenseToolMessageProps> = (props) => {
 
   // State-to-View Coordination
   const viewParts = useMemo((): ViewParts => {
+    if (name === UPDATE_TOPIC_DISPLAY_NAME || name === UPDATE_TOPIC_TOOL_NAME) {
+      return getUpdateTopicData(args);
+    }
     if (diff) {
       return getFileOpData(
         diff,
@@ -431,6 +463,8 @@ export const DenseToolMessage: React.FC<DenseToolMessageProps> = (props) => {
     availableTerminalHeight,
     originalDescription,
     isAlternateBuffer,
+    name,
+    args,
   ]);
 
   const { description, summary } = viewParts;
@@ -497,25 +531,42 @@ export const DenseToolMessage: React.FC<DenseToolMessageProps> = (props) => {
 
   return (
     <Box flexDirection="column">
-      <Box marginLeft={2} flexDirection="row" flexWrap="wrap">
-        <ToolStatusIndicator status={status} name={name} />
-        <Box maxWidth={25} flexShrink={1} flexGrow={0}>
-          <Text color={theme.text.primary} bold wrap="truncate-end">
-            {name}{' '}
-          </Text>
-        </Box>
-        <Box marginLeft={1} flexShrink={1} flexGrow={0}>
-          {description}
-        </Box>
-        {summary && (
-          <Box
-            key="tool-summary"
-            ref={isAlternateBuffer && diff ? toggleRef : undefined}
-            marginLeft={1}
-            flexGrow={0}
-          >
-            {summary}
-          </Box>
+      <Box marginLeft={2} flexDirection="row">
+        {name === UPDATE_TOPIC_DISPLAY_NAME ||
+        name === UPDATE_TOPIC_TOOL_NAME ? (
+          <>
+            <Box flexShrink={1} flexGrow={0}>
+              {description}
+            </Box>
+            {summary && (
+              <Box marginLeft={1} flexGrow={0} flexShrink={1}>
+                {summary}
+              </Box>
+            )}
+          </>
+        ) : (
+          <>
+            <ToolStatusIndicator status={status} name={name} />
+            <Box maxWidth={25} flexShrink={1} flexGrow={0}>
+              <Text color={theme.text.primary} bold wrap="truncate-end">
+                {name}{' '}
+              </Text>
+            </Box>
+            <Box marginLeft={1} flexShrink={1} flexGrow={0}>
+              {description}
+            </Box>
+            {summary && (
+              <Box
+                key="tool-summary"
+                ref={isAlternateBuffer && diff ? toggleRef : undefined}
+                marginLeft={1}
+                flexGrow={0}
+                flexShrink={1}
+              >
+                {summary}
+              </Box>
+            )}
+          </>
         )}
       </Box>
 
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/messages/ToolGroupMessage.test.tsx b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/messages/ToolGroupMessage.test.tsx
index df0b9e4e4b..5240e993f2 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/messages/ToolGroupMessage.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/messages/ToolGroupMessage.test.tsx
@@ -22,6 +22,9 @@ import {
   EDIT_DISPLAY_NAME,
   READ_FILE_DISPLAY_NAME,
   GLOB_DISPLAY_NAME,
+  UPDATE_TOPIC_DISPLAY_NAME,
+  TOPIC_PARAM_TITLE,
+  TOPIC_PARAM_STRATEGIC_INTENT,
 } from '@google/gemini-cli-core';
 import os from 'node:os';
 import { createMockSettings } from '../../../test-utils/settings.js';
@@ -464,6 +467,60 @@ describe('<ToolGroupMessage />', () => {
       unmount();
     });
 
+    describe('UpdateTopicTool', () => {
+      it('renders update_topic with Title -- Description format even when compact mode is disabled', async () => {
+        const toolCalls = [
+          createToolCall({
+            name: UPDATE_TOPIC_DISPLAY_NAME,
+            args: {
+              [TOPIC_PARAM_TITLE]: 'Research',
+              [TOPIC_PARAM_STRATEGIC_INTENT]: 'Researching Agent Skills',
+            },
+          }),
+        ];
+        const item = createItem(toolCalls);
+        const { lastFrame, unmount } = await renderWithProviders(
+          <ToolGroupMessage {...baseProps} item={item} toolCalls={toolCalls} />,
+          {
+            config: baseMockConfig,
+            settings: createMockSettings({
+              ui: { compactToolOutput: false },
+            }),
+          },
+        );
+
+        const output = lastFrame();
+        expect(output).toContain('Research');
+        expect(output).toContain('-- Researching Agent Skills');
+        expect(output).not.toContain('update_topic');
+        unmount();
+      });
+
+      it('renders update_topic with Topic -- Description format when title is missing', async () => {
+        const toolCalls = [
+          createToolCall({
+            name: UPDATE_TOPIC_DISPLAY_NAME,
+            args: {
+              [TOPIC_PARAM_STRATEGIC_INTENT]: 'Tactical update',
+            },
+          }),
+        ];
+        const item = createItem(toolCalls);
+        const { lastFrame, unmount } = await renderWithProviders(
+          <ToolGroupMessage {...baseProps} item={item} toolCalls={toolCalls} />,
+          {
+            config: baseMockConfig,
+            settings: fullVerbositySettings,
+          },
+        );
+
+        const output = lastFrame();
+        expect(output).toContain('Topic');
+        expect(output).toContain('-- Tactical update');
+        unmount();
+      });
+    });
+
     it('renders two tool groups where only the last line of the previous group is visible', async () => {
       const toolCalls1 = [
         createToolCall({
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/messages/ToolGroupMessage.tsx b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/messages/ToolGroupMessage.tsx
index b0c8ae4ea7..e23328c965 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/messages/ToolGroupMessage.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/messages/ToolGroupMessage.tsx
@@ -33,6 +33,8 @@ import {
   WEB_FETCH_DISPLAY_NAME,
   WRITE_FILE_DISPLAY_NAME,
   READ_MANY_FILES_DISPLAY_NAME,
+  UPDATE_TOPIC_DISPLAY_NAME,
+  UPDATE_TOPIC_TOOL_NAME,
   isFileDiff,
   isGrepResult,
   isListResult,
@@ -51,6 +53,8 @@ const COMPACT_OUTPUT_ALLOWLIST = new Set([
   WEB_FETCH_DISPLAY_NAME,
   WRITE_FILE_DISPLAY_NAME,
   READ_MANY_FILES_DISPLAY_NAME,
+  UPDATE_TOPIC_DISPLAY_NAME,
+  UPDATE_TOPIC_TOOL_NAME,
 ]);
 
 // Helper to identify if a tool should use the compact view
@@ -60,6 +64,15 @@ export const isCompactTool = (
 ): boolean => {
   const hasCompactOutputSupport = COMPACT_OUTPUT_ALLOWLIST.has(tool.name);
   const displayStatus = mapCoreStatusToDisplayStatus(tool.status);
+
+  // update_topic always uses the dense/compact representation
+  if (
+    tool.name === UPDATE_TOPIC_DISPLAY_NAME ||
+    tool.name === UPDATE_TOPIC_TOOL_NAME
+  ) {
+    return displayStatus !== ToolCallStatus.Confirming;
+  }
+
   return (
     isCompactModeEnabled &&
     hasCompactOutputSupport &&
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/hooks/toolMapping.ts b/packages/cli/src/ui/hooks/toolMapping.ts
index e06ebf5bb5..01fef7f95a 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/hooks/toolMapping.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/hooks/toolMapping.ts
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ export function mapToDisplay(
       parentCallId: call.request.parentCallId,
       name: displayName,
       description,
+      args: call.request.args,
       renderOutputAsMarkdown,
     };
 
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/types.ts b/packages/cli/src/ui/types.ts
index f973295cd8..e781342b22 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/types.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/types.ts
@@ -119,6 +119,7 @@ export interface IndividualToolCallDisplay {
   parentCallId?: string;
   name: string;
   description: string;
+  args?: Record<string, unknown>;
   resultDisplay: ToolResultDisplay | undefined;
   status: CoreToolCallStatus;
   // True when the tool was initiated directly by the user (slash/@/shell flows).
diff --git a/packages/core/src/tools/tool-names.ts b/packages/core/src/tools/tool-names.ts
index f18680cea0..6c2b492382 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/tools/tool-names.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/tools/tool-names.ts
@@ -193,6 +193,7 @@ export const GREP_DISPLAY_NAME = 'SearchText';
 export const WEB_SEARCH_DISPLAY_NAME = 'GoogleSearch';
 export const WEB_FETCH_DISPLAY_NAME = 'WebFetch';
 export const READ_MANY_FILES_DISPLAY_NAME = 'ReadManyFiles';
+export const UPDATE_TOPIC_DISPLAY_NAME = 'Update Topic Context';
 
 /**
  * Mapping of legacy tool names to their current names.
diff --git a/packages/core/src/tools/topicTool.ts b/packages/core/src/tools/topicTool.ts
index 51c7999fba..980d1cf712 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/tools/topicTool.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/tools/topicTool.ts
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import {
   TOPIC_PARAM_SUMMARY,
   TOPIC_PARAM_STRATEGIC_INTENT,
 } from './definitions/coreTools.js';
+import { UPDATE_TOPIC_DISPLAY_NAME } from './tool-names.js';
 import {
   BaseDeclarativeTool,
   BaseToolInvocation,
@@ -153,7 +154,7 @@ export class UpdateTopicTool extends BaseDeclarativeTool<
     const declaration = getUpdateTopicDeclaration();
     super(
       UPDATE_TOPIC_TOOL_NAME,
-      'Update Topic Context',
+      UPDATE_TOPIC_DISPLAY_NAME,
       declaration.description ?? '',
       Kind.Think,
       declaration.parametersJsonSchema,