diff --git a/libs/chat/src/lib/primitives/chat-message/chat-message.component.ts b/libs/chat/src/lib/primitives/chat-message/chat-message.component.ts
index 3a547e5b7..89b17996a 100644
--- a/libs/chat/src/lib/primitives/chat-message/chat-message.component.ts
+++ b/libs/chat/src/lib/primitives/chat-message/chat-message.component.ts
@@ -16,7 +16,18 @@ export type ChatMessageRole = 'user' | 'assistant' | 'system' | 'tool';
   imports: [ChatCitationsComponent, ChatCheckpointMarkerComponent],
   changeDetection: ChangeDetectionStrategy.OnPush,
   styles: [CHAT_HOST_TOKENS, CHAT_MESSAGE_STYLES, `
-    .chat-message__layout { display: flex; gap: 8px; align-items: flex-start; }
+    /*
+     * Layout MUST be width:100% so user-role __main's max-width:80% (defined
+     * in chat-message.styles.ts) has a concrete containing block to resolve
+     * against. Without this, layout shrinks to __main's content, __main
+     * shrinks to its bubble's content, the bubble's fit-content is then
+     * capped by max-width:80% of layout (a circular dependency the browser
+     * breaks at the bubble's wrap-point intrinsic width — ~166px instead of
+     * the unwrapped ~199px), forcing short user phrases like "Show me the
+     * dashboard" to wrap mid-message. See PRs #313, #325, c0b9e88c — each
+     * shifted which element held the 80% cap but none gave it a stable base.
+     */
+    .chat-message__layout { display: flex; gap: 8px; align-items: flex-start; width: 100%; }
     .chat-message__gutter { flex: 0 0 14px; display: flex; align-items: flex-start; padding-top: 4px; }
     .chat-message__gutter:empty { flex-basis: 0; }
     .chat-message__main { flex: 1; min-width: 0; }
diff --git a/libs/chat/src/lib/styles/chat-message.styles.ts b/libs/chat/src/lib/styles/chat-message.styles.ts
index 66916add1..698c1bcae 100644
--- a/libs/chat/src/lib/styles/chat-message.styles.ts
+++ b/libs/chat/src/lib/styles/chat-message.styles.ts
@@ -3,19 +3,22 @@
 export const CHAT_MESSAGE_STYLES = `
   :host { display: block; }
   :host([data-role="user"]) {
-    display: flex;
-    justify-content: flex-end;
+    /*
+     * Block (not flex) so the layout child gets its width:100% (set in
+     * chat-message.component.ts inline styles). Right-alignment happens
+     * inside layout via justify-content:flex-end below, NOT here. The old
+     * "display:flex; justify-content:flex-end" on the host caused layout
+     * to shrink-wrap its content, which collapsed __main's 80% containing
+     * block — see chat-message.component.ts comment for the full story.
+     */
+    display: block;
     margin-top: 0.5rem;
   }
   :host([data-role="user"][data-prev-role="assistant"]) { margin-top: 1.5rem; }
-  /*
-   * For user-role messages, the bubble's containing column must size to
-   * content rather than collapse via the flex chain. Without this, the
-   * bubble's max-width: 80% (defined below) resolves against a collapsed
-   * parent (~58px instead of the full row), capping the bubble below
-   * intrinsic single-word width and forcing mid-word wraps like
-   * "hello" → "hel" / "lo". See PR #313 follow-up.
-   */
+  :host([data-role="user"]) .chat-message__layout {
+    /* Right-align the bubble column inside the full-width row. */
+    justify-content: flex-end;
+  }
   :host([data-role="user"]) .chat-message__main {
     flex: none;
     width: fit-content;