diff --git a/ios/Apps/Sybil/Resources/Character/character-busy.gif b/ios/Apps/Sybil/Resources/Character/character-busy.gif
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..75888bb
Binary files /dev/null and b/ios/Apps/Sybil/Resources/Character/character-busy.gif differ
diff --git a/ios/Apps/Sybil/Resources/Character/character-idle.gif b/ios/Apps/Sybil/Resources/Character/character-idle.gif
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7d4d544
Binary files /dev/null and b/ios/Apps/Sybil/Resources/Character/character-idle.gif differ
diff --git a/ios/Packages/Sybil/Sources/Sybil/SybilWorkspaceView.swift b/ios/Packages/Sybil/Sources/Sybil/SybilWorkspaceView.swift
index bd1f96b..e970448 100644
--- a/ios/Packages/Sybil/Sources/Sybil/SybilWorkspaceView.swift
+++ b/ios/Packages/Sybil/Sources/Sybil/SybilWorkspaceView.swift
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import ImageIO
 import Observation
 import PhotosUI
 import SwiftUI
@@ -25,7 +26,7 @@ struct SybilWorkspaceView: View {
     @State private var newChatSwipeDidTriggerHaptic = false
     @State private var newChatSwipeFeedbackGenerator: UIImpactFeedbackGenerator?
 
-    private let customChatNavigationContentInset: CGFloat = 88
+    private let customChatNavigationContentInset: CGFloat = 96
 
     private var isSettingsSelected: Bool {
         if case .settings = viewModel.selectedItem {
@@ -124,6 +125,8 @@ struct SybilWorkspaceView: View {
             workspaceContentStack
 
             if showsCustomChatNavigation {
+                SybilChatCharacterBackdrop(isBusy: viewModel.isSending)
+                    .allowsHitTesting(false)
                 customChatNavigationBar
             }
         }
@@ -980,6 +983,173 @@ private struct SybilNavigationFadeBackground: View {
     }
 }
 
+private struct SybilChatCharacterBackdrop: View {
+    var isBusy: Bool
+
+    var body: some View {
+        ZStack(alignment: .topTrailing) {
+            RadialGradient(
+                colors: [
+                    SybilTheme.primary.opacity(0.36),
+                    SybilTheme.primary.opacity(0.13),
+                    Color.clear
+                ],
+                center: .center,
+                startRadius: 10,
+                endRadius: 150
+            )
+            .frame(width: 136, height: 118)
+            .blur(radius: 7)
+            .offset(x: 28, y: -24)
+
+            SybilAnimatedGIFView(resourceName: isBusy ? "character-busy" : "character-idle")
+                .frame(width: 172, height: 172)
+                .opacity(0.92)
+                .mask {
+                    LinearGradient(
+                        colors: [
+                            Color.black,
+                            Color.black,
+                            Color.black.opacity(0)
+                        ],
+                        startPoint: .top,
+                        endPoint: .bottom
+                    )
+                }
+                .mask {
+                    LinearGradient(
+                        colors: [
+                            Color.clear,
+                            Color.black.opacity(0.74),
+                            Color.black
+                        ],
+                        startPoint: .leading,
+                        endPoint: .trailing
+                    )
+                }
+                .offset(x: 8, y: 4)
+        }
+        .frame(maxWidth: .infinity, minHeight: 156, maxHeight: 156, alignment: .topTrailing)
+        .clipped()
+        .ignoresSafeArea(edges: .top)
+        .accessibilityHidden(true)
+    }
+}
+
+private struct SybilAnimatedGIFView: UIViewRepresentable {
+    var resourceName: String
+
+    func makeCoordinator() -> Coordinator {
+        Coordinator()
+    }
+
+    func makeUIView(context: Context) -> UIImageView {
+        let imageView = SybilAnimatedUIImageView()
+        imageView.backgroundColor = .clear
+        imageView.contentMode = .scaleAspectFill
+        imageView.clipsToBounds = false
+        imageView.isOpaque = false
+        imageView.setContentHuggingPriority(.defaultLow, for: .horizontal)
+        imageView.setContentHuggingPriority(.defaultLow, for: .vertical)
+        imageView.setContentCompressionResistancePriority(.defaultLow, for: .horizontal)
+        imageView.setContentCompressionResistancePriority(.defaultLow, for: .vertical)
+        return imageView
+    }
+
+    func updateUIView(_ imageView: UIImageView, context: Context) {
+        guard context.coordinator.resourceName != resourceName else {
+            if !imageView.isAnimating {
+                imageView.startAnimating()
+            }
+            return
+        }
+
+        context.coordinator.resourceName = resourceName
+        imageView.image = SybilAnimatedGIFCache.image(named: resourceName)
+        imageView.startAnimating()
+    }
+
+    final class Coordinator {
+        var resourceName: String?
+    }
+}
+
+private final class SybilAnimatedUIImageView: UIImageView {
+    override var intrinsicContentSize: CGSize {
+        CGSize(width: UIView.noIntrinsicMetric, height: UIView.noIntrinsicMetric)
+    }
+}
+
+@MainActor
+private enum SybilAnimatedGIFCache {
+    private static var images: [String: UIImage] = [:]
+
+    static func image(named name: String) -> UIImage? {
+        if let cached = images[name] {
+            return cached
+        }
+
+        guard let image = loadImage(named: name) else {
+            return nil
+        }
+
+        images[name] = image
+
+        return image
+    }
+
+    private static func loadImage(named name: String) -> UIImage? {
+        let url = Bundle.main.url(forResource: name, withExtension: "gif", subdirectory: "Character") ??
+            Bundle.main.url(forResource: name, withExtension: "gif")
+
+        guard let url,
+              let data = try? Data(contentsOf: url),
+              let source = CGImageSourceCreateWithData(data as CFData, nil)
+        else {
+            return nil
+        }
+
+        let frameCount = CGImageSourceGetCount(source)
+        guard frameCount > 0 else {
+            return nil
+        }
+
+        var frames: [UIImage] = []
+        frames.reserveCapacity(frameCount)
+        var duration: TimeInterval = 0
+
+        for index in 0 ..< frameCount {
+            guard let cgImage = CGImageSourceCreateImageAtIndex(source, index, nil) else {
+                continue
+            }
+            frames.append(UIImage(cgImage: cgImage))
+            duration += frameDuration(at: index, source: source)
+        }
+
+        guard !frames.isEmpty else {
+            return nil
+        }
+
+        if frames.count == 1 {
+            return frames[0]
+        }
+
+        return UIImage.animatedImage(with: frames, duration: max(duration, 0.1))
+    }
+
+    private static func frameDuration(at index: Int, source: CGImageSource) -> TimeInterval {
+        guard let properties = CGImageSourceCopyPropertiesAtIndex(source, index, nil) as? [CFString: Any],
+              let gifProperties = properties[kCGImagePropertyGIFDictionary] as? [CFString: Any]
+        else {
+            return 0.08
+        }
+
+        let unclampedDelay = gifProperties[kCGImagePropertyGIFUnclampedDelayTime] as? TimeInterval
+        let delay = unclampedDelay ?? gifProperties[kCGImagePropertyGIFDelayTime] as? TimeInterval ?? 0.08
+        return max(delay, 0.03)
+    }
+}
+
 private struct NewChatSwipeBackdrop: View {
     var progress: CGFloat
     var hasLatched: Bool