diff --git a/ui-gpui/src/components/mod.rs b/ui-gpui/src/components/mod.rs
index be44a43..84afbca 100644
--- a/ui-gpui/src/components/mod.rs
+++ b/ui-gpui/src/components/mod.rs
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ pub mod agent_pane;
 pub mod blink_state;
 pub mod command_palette;
 pub mod project_box;
+pub mod project_box_element;
 pub mod project_grid;
 pub mod pulsing_dot;
 pub mod settings;
diff --git a/ui-gpui/src/components/project_box.rs b/ui-gpui/src/components/project_box.rs
index a8f6fe4..dff179d 100644
--- a/ui-gpui/src/components/project_box.rs
+++ b/ui-gpui/src/components/project_box.rs
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 use gpui::*;
 use crate::CachedView;
 
+use crate::components::project_box_element::ProjectBoxHeaderElement;
 use crate::state::{AgentStatus, Project, ProjectTab};
 use crate::theme;
 // blink_state used via fully-qualified path in init_subviews + render
@@ -227,27 +228,15 @@ impl Render for ProjectBox {
             .border_1()
             .border_color(theme::SURFACE0)
             .overflow_hidden()
-            // ── Header (minimal divs: 1 row + accent stripe + dot entity) ──
-            .child(
-                div()
-                    .w_full()
-                    .h(px(36.0))
-                    .flex()
-                    .items_center()
-                    .px(px(12.0))
-                    .gap(px(8.0))
-                    .bg(theme::MANTLE)
-                    .border_b_1()
-                    .border_color(theme::SURFACE0)
-                    .child(div().w(px(3.0)).h(px(20.0)).rounded(px(2.0)).bg(accent))
-                    .child(crate::components::blink_state::render_status_dot(
-                        self.project.agent.status,
-                        self.shared_blink.as_ref(),
-                    ))
-                    .child(self.cached_name.clone())
-                    .child(div().flex_1())
-                    .child(self.cached_cwd.clone()),
-            )
+            // ── Header — custom Element: 5 paint_quad + 2 text runs, zero Taffy nodes ──
+            .child(ProjectBoxHeaderElement {
+                id: self.id_project.clone().into(),
+                name: self.cached_name.clone(),
+                cwd: self.cached_cwd.clone(),
+                accent,
+                status: self.project.agent.status,
+                blink_visible: self.shared_blink.as_ref().map(|b| b.visible.clone()),
+            })
             // ── Tab Bar (1 div + 3 inline tab labels) ──
             .child(
                 div()
diff --git a/ui-gpui/src/components/project_box_element.rs b/ui-gpui/src/components/project_box_element.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7b1ca79
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ui-gpui/src/components/project_box_element.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,130 @@
+//! ProjectBoxHeaderElement — paints the project card header via paint_quad / ShapedLine,
+//! bypassing Taffy entirely. 5 paint_quad + 2 text runs per frame.
+
+use gpui::*;
+use std::sync::atomic::Ordering;
+
+use crate::state::AgentStatus;
+use crate::theme;
+
+pub const HEADER_HEIGHT: f32 = 36.0;
+
+pub struct ProjectBoxHeaderElement {
+    pub id: ElementId,
+    pub name: SharedString,
+    pub cwd: SharedString,
+    pub accent: Rgba,
+    pub status: AgentStatus,
+    /// Atomic blink toggle. None when agent is not Running.
+    pub blink_visible: Option<std::sync::Arc<std::sync::atomic::AtomicBool>>,
+}
+
+impl IntoElement for ProjectBoxHeaderElement {
+    type Element = Self;
+    fn into_element(self) -> Self { self }
+}
+
+impl Element for ProjectBoxHeaderElement {
+    type RequestLayoutState = ();
+    type PrepaintState = ();
+
+    fn id(&self) -> Option<ElementId> { Some(self.id.clone()) }
+    fn source_location(&self) -> Option<&'static std::panic::Location<'static>> { None }
+
+    fn request_layout(
+        &mut self,
+        _id: Option<&GlobalElementId>,
+        _inspector_id: Option<&InspectorElementId>,
+        window: &mut Window,
+        cx: &mut App,
+    ) -> (LayoutId, ()) {
+        let style = Style {
+            size: Size {
+                width: Length::Definite(relative(1.0)),
+                height: Length::Definite(DefiniteLength::Absolute(
+                    AbsoluteLength::Pixels(px(HEADER_HEIGHT)),
+                )),
+            },
+            flex_shrink: 0.0,
+            ..Style::default()
+        };
+        (window.request_layout(style, [], cx), ())
+    }
+
+    fn prepaint(
+        &mut self, _id: Option<&GlobalElementId>, _inspector_id: Option<&InspectorElementId>,
+        _bounds: Bounds<Pixels>, _rl: &mut (), _window: &mut Window, _cx: &mut App,
+    ) {}
+
+    fn paint(
+        &mut self, _id: Option<&GlobalElementId>, _inspector_id: Option<&InspectorElementId>,
+        bounds: Bounds<Pixels>, _rl: &mut (), _pp: &mut (),
+        window: &mut Window, cx: &mut App,
+    ) {
+        let o = bounds.origin;
+        let w = bounds.size.width;
+        let h = px(HEADER_HEIGHT);
+
+        // 1. Background — MANTLE, rounded top corners.
+        window.paint_quad(PaintQuad {
+            bounds,
+            corner_radii: Corners { top_left: px(6.0), top_right: px(6.0),
+                                    bottom_left: px(0.0), bottom_right: px(0.0) },
+            background: theme::MANTLE.into(),
+            border_widths: Edges::default(),
+            border_color: transparent_black(),
+            border_style: BorderStyle::default(),
+        });
+
+        // 2. Bottom border — 1px SURFACE0.
+        window.paint_quad(fill(
+            Bounds { origin: point(o.x, o.y + h - px(1.0)), size: size(w, px(1.0)) },
+            theme::SURFACE0,
+        ));
+
+        // 3. Accent stripe — 3×20px, vertically centred, 12px from left.
+        let stripe_x = o.x + px(12.0);
+        window.paint_quad(
+            fill(Bounds { origin: point(stripe_x, o.y + (h - px(20.0)) * 0.5),
+                          size: size(px(3.0), px(20.0)) }, self.accent)
+            .corner_radii(px(2.0)),
+        );
+
+        // 4. Status dot — 8×8px circle.
+        let dot_color = match self.status {
+            AgentStatus::Running => if self.blink_visible.as_ref()
+                .map(|b| b.load(Ordering::Relaxed)).unwrap_or(true)
+                { theme::GREEN } else { theme::SURFACE1 },
+            AgentStatus::Idle  => theme::OVERLAY0,
+            AgentStatus::Done  => theme::BLUE,
+            AgentStatus::Error => theme::RED,
+        };
+        let dot_x = stripe_x + px(11.0);   // 3px stripe + 8px gap
+        let dot_y = o.y + (h - px(8.0)) * 0.5;
+        window.paint_quad(
+            fill(Bounds { origin: point(dot_x, dot_y), size: size(px(8.0), px(8.0)) }, dot_color)
+            .corner_radii(px(4.0)),
+        );
+
+        // 5. Name text — 13px TEXT, left-anchored after the dot.
+        let ts = window.text_system().clone();
+        let lh = h;
+        if !self.name.contains('\n') {
+            let run = TextRun { len: self.name.len(), font: font(".SystemUIFont"),
+                                color: theme::TEXT.into(), background_color: None,
+                                underline: None, strikethrough: None };
+            let shaped = ts.shape_line(self.name.clone(), px(13.0), &[run], None);
+            let _ = shaped.paint(point(dot_x + px(12.0), o.y + (h - px(13.0)) * 0.5), lh, window, cx);
+        }
+
+        // 6. CWD text — 10px OVERLAY0, right-aligned with 12px margin.
+        if !self.cwd.contains('\n') {
+            let run = TextRun { len: self.cwd.len(), font: font(".SystemUIFont"),
+                                color: theme::OVERLAY0.into(), background_color: None,
+                                underline: None, strikethrough: None };
+            let shaped = ts.shape_line(self.cwd.clone(), px(10.0), &[run], None);
+            let cwd_x = o.x + w - shaped.width - px(12.0);
+            let _ = shaped.paint(point(cwd_x, o.y + (h - px(10.0)) * 0.5), lh, window, cx);
+        }
+    }
+}