diff --git a/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/citation/_adapter.tsx b/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/citation/_adapter.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..06ee62f6f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/citation/_adapter.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+"use client";
+
+export { cn } from "@/lib/utils";
+export {
+  Popover,
+  PopoverContent,
+  PopoverTrigger,
+} from "@/components/ui/popover";
diff --git a/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/citation/citation-list.tsx b/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/citation/citation-list.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..34b995aae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/citation/citation-list.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,463 @@
+"use client";
+
+import * as React from "react";
+import type { LucideIcon } from "lucide-react";
+import {
+  FileText,
+  Globe,
+  Code2,
+  Newspaper,
+  Database,
+  File,
+  ExternalLink,
+} from "lucide-react";
+import { cn, Popover, PopoverContent, PopoverTrigger } from "./_adapter";
+import { Citation } from "./citation";
+import type {
+  SerializableCitation,
+  CitationType,
+  CitationVariant,
+} from "./schema";
+import {
+  openSafeNavigationHref,
+  resolveSafeNavigationHref,
+} from "../shared/media";
+
+const TYPE_ICONS: Record<CitationType, LucideIcon> = {
+  webpage: Globe,
+  document: FileText,
+  article: Newspaper,
+  api: Database,
+  code: Code2,
+  other: File,
+};
+
+function useHoverPopover(delay = 100) {
+  const [open, setOpen] = React.useState(false);
+  const timeoutRef = React.useRef<ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null>(null);
+  const containerRef = React.useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
+
+  const handleMouseEnter = React.useCallback(() => {
+    if (timeoutRef.current) clearTimeout(timeoutRef.current);
+    timeoutRef.current = setTimeout(() => setOpen(true), delay);
+  }, [delay]);
+
+  const handleMouseLeave = React.useCallback(() => {
+    if (timeoutRef.current) clearTimeout(timeoutRef.current);
+    timeoutRef.current = setTimeout(() => setOpen(false), delay);
+  }, [delay]);
+
+  const handleFocus = React.useCallback(() => {
+    if (timeoutRef.current) clearTimeout(timeoutRef.current);
+    setOpen(true);
+  }, []);
+
+  const handleBlur = React.useCallback(
+    (e: React.FocusEvent) => {
+      const relatedTarget = e.relatedTarget as HTMLElement | null;
+      if (containerRef.current?.contains(relatedTarget)) {
+        return;
+      }
+      if (relatedTarget?.closest("[data-radix-popper-content-wrapper]")) {
+        return;
+      }
+      if (timeoutRef.current) clearTimeout(timeoutRef.current);
+      timeoutRef.current = setTimeout(() => setOpen(false), delay);
+    },
+    [delay],
+  );
+
+  React.useEffect(() => {
+    return () => {
+      if (timeoutRef.current) clearTimeout(timeoutRef.current);
+    };
+  }, []);
+
+  return {
+    open,
+    setOpen,
+    containerRef,
+    handleMouseEnter,
+    handleMouseLeave,
+    handleFocus,
+    handleBlur,
+  };
+}
+
+export interface CitationListProps {
+  id: string;
+  citations: SerializableCitation[];
+  variant?: CitationVariant;
+  maxVisible?: number;
+  className?: string;
+  onNavigate?: (href: string, citation: SerializableCitation) => void;
+}
+
+export function CitationList(props: CitationListProps) {
+  const {
+    id,
+    citations,
+    variant = "default",
+    maxVisible,
+    className,
+    onNavigate,
+  } = props;
+
+  const shouldTruncate =
+    maxVisible !== undefined && citations.length > maxVisible;
+  const visibleCitations = shouldTruncate
+    ? citations.slice(0, maxVisible)
+    : citations;
+  const overflowCitations = shouldTruncate ? citations.slice(maxVisible) : [];
+  const overflowCount = overflowCitations.length;
+
+  const wrapperClass =
+    variant === "inline"
+      ? "flex flex-wrap items-center gap-1.5"
+      : "flex flex-col gap-2";
+
+  // Stacked variant: overlapping favicons with popover
+  if (variant === "stacked") {
+    return (
+      <StackedCitations
+        id={id}
+        citations={citations}
+        className={className}
+        onNavigate={onNavigate}
+      />
+    );
+  }
+
+  if (variant === "default") {
+    return (
+      <div
+        className={cn("isolate flex flex-col gap-4", className)}
+        data-tool-ui-id={id}
+        data-slot="citation-list"
+      >
+        {visibleCitations.map((citation) => (
+          <Citation
+            key={citation.id}
+            {...citation}
+            variant="default"
+            onNavigate={onNavigate}
+          />
+        ))}
+        {shouldTruncate && (
+          <OverflowIndicator
+            citations={overflowCitations}
+            count={overflowCount}
+            variant="default"
+            onNavigate={onNavigate}
+          />
+        )}
+      </div>
+    );
+  }
+
+  return (
+    <div
+      className={cn("isolate", wrapperClass, className)}
+      data-tool-ui-id={id}
+      data-slot="citation-list"
+    >
+      {visibleCitations.map((citation) => (
+        <Citation
+          key={citation.id}
+          {...citation}
+          variant={variant}
+          onNavigate={onNavigate}
+        />
+      ))}
+      {shouldTruncate && (
+        <OverflowIndicator
+          citations={overflowCitations}
+          count={overflowCount}
+          variant={variant}
+          onNavigate={onNavigate}
+        />
+      )}
+    </div>
+  );
+}
+
+interface OverflowIndicatorProps {
+  citations: SerializableCitation[];
+  count: number;
+  variant: CitationVariant;
+  onNavigate?: (href: string, citation: SerializableCitation) => void;
+}
+
+function OverflowIndicator({
+  citations,
+  count,
+  variant,
+  onNavigate,
+}: OverflowIndicatorProps) {
+  const { open, handleMouseEnter, handleMouseLeave } = useHoverPopover();
+
+  const handleClick = (citation: SerializableCitation) => {
+    const href = resolveSafeNavigationHref(citation.href);
+    if (!href) return;
+    if (onNavigate) {
+      onNavigate(href, citation);
+    } else {
+      openSafeNavigationHref(href);
+    }
+  };
+
+  const popoverContent = (
+    <div className="flex max-h-72 flex-col overflow-y-auto">
+      {citations.map((citation) => (
+        <OverflowItem
+          key={citation.id}
+          citation={citation}
+          onClick={() => handleClick(citation)}
+        />
+      ))}
+    </div>
+  );
+
+  if (variant === "inline") {
+    return (
+      <Popover open={open}>
+        <PopoverTrigger asChild>
+          <button
+            type="button"
+            onMouseEnter={handleMouseEnter}
+            onMouseLeave={handleMouseLeave}
+            className={cn(
+              "inline-flex items-center gap-1 rounded-md px-2 py-1",
+              "bg-muted/60 text-sm tabular-nums",
+              "transition-colors duration-150",
+              "hover:bg-muted",
+              "focus-visible:ring-ring focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:outline-none",
+            )}
+          >
+            <span className="text-muted-foreground">+{count} more</span>
+          </button>
+        </PopoverTrigger>
+        <PopoverContent
+          side="top"
+          align="start"
+          className="w-80 p-1"
+          onMouseEnter={handleMouseEnter}
+          onMouseLeave={handleMouseLeave}
+          onOpenAutoFocus={(e) => e.preventDefault()}
+        >
+          {popoverContent}
+        </PopoverContent>
+      </Popover>
+    );
+  }
+
+  // Default variant
+  return (
+    <Popover open={open}>
+      <PopoverTrigger asChild>
+        <button
+          type="button"
+          onMouseEnter={handleMouseEnter}
+          onMouseLeave={handleMouseLeave}
+          className={cn(
+            "flex items-center justify-center rounded-xl px-4 py-3",
+            "border-border bg-card border border-dashed",
+            "transition-colors duration-150",
+            "hover:border-foreground/25 hover:bg-muted/50",
+            "focus-visible:ring-ring focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:ring-offset-2 focus-visible:outline-none",
+          )}
+        >
+          <span className="text-muted-foreground text-sm tabular-nums">
+            +{count} more sources
+          </span>
+        </button>
+      </PopoverTrigger>
+      <PopoverContent
+        side="bottom"
+        align="start"
+        className="w-80 p-1"
+        onMouseEnter={handleMouseEnter}
+        onMouseLeave={handleMouseLeave}
+        onOpenAutoFocus={(e) => e.preventDefault()}
+      >
+        {popoverContent}
+      </PopoverContent>
+    </Popover>
+  );
+}
+
+interface OverflowItemProps {
+  citation: SerializableCitation;
+  onClick: () => void;
+}
+
+function OverflowItem({ citation, onClick }: OverflowItemProps) {
+  const TypeIcon = TYPE_ICONS[citation.type ?? "webpage"] ?? Globe;
+
+  return (
+    <button
+      type="button"
+      onClick={onClick}
+      className="group hover:bg-muted focus-visible:bg-muted flex w-full cursor-pointer items-center gap-2.5 rounded-md px-2 py-2 text-left transition-colors focus-visible:outline-none"
+    >
+      {citation.favicon ? (
+        // biome-ignore lint/performance/noImgElement: external favicon from arbitrary domain — next/image requires remotePatterns config
+        <img
+          src={citation.favicon}
+          alt=""
+          aria-hidden="true"
+          width={16}
+          height={16}
+          className="bg-muted size-4 shrink-0 rounded object-cover"
+        />
+      ) : (
+        <TypeIcon
+          className="text-muted-foreground size-4 shrink-0"
+          aria-hidden="true"
+        />
+      )}
+      <div className="min-w-0 flex-1">
+        <p className="group-hover:decoration-foreground/30 truncate text-sm font-medium group-hover:underline group-hover:underline-offset-2">
+          {citation.title}
+        </p>
+        <p className="text-muted-foreground truncate text-xs">
+          {citation.domain}
+        </p>
+      </div>
+      <ExternalLink className="text-muted-foreground mt-0.5 size-3.5 shrink-0 self-start opacity-0 transition-opacity group-hover:opacity-100" />
+    </button>
+  );
+}
+
+interface StackedCitationsProps {
+  id: string;
+  citations: SerializableCitation[];
+  className?: string;
+  onNavigate?: (href: string, citation: SerializableCitation) => void;
+}
+
+function StackedCitations({
+  id,
+  citations,
+  className,
+  onNavigate,
+}: StackedCitationsProps) {
+  const {
+    open,
+    setOpen,
+    containerRef,
+    handleMouseEnter,
+    handleMouseLeave,
+    handleBlur,
+  } = useHoverPopover();
+  const maxIcons = 4;
+  const visibleCitations = citations.slice(0, maxIcons);
+  const remainingCount = Math.max(0, citations.length - maxIcons);
+
+  const handleClick = (citation: SerializableCitation) => {
+    const href = resolveSafeNavigationHref(citation.href);
+    if (!href) return;
+    if (onNavigate) {
+      onNavigate(href, citation);
+    } else {
+      openSafeNavigationHref(href);
+    }
+  };
+
+  return (
+    // biome-ignore lint/a11y/noStaticElementInteractions: blur boundary for popover focus management
+    <div ref={containerRef} onBlur={handleBlur} className="inline-flex">
+      <Popover open={open}>
+        <PopoverTrigger asChild>
+          <button
+            type="button"
+            data-tool-ui-id={id}
+            data-slot="citation-list"
+            onMouseEnter={handleMouseEnter}
+            onMouseLeave={handleMouseLeave}
+            onKeyDown={(e) => {
+              if (e.key === "Enter" || e.key === " ") {
+                e.preventDefault();
+                setOpen(true);
+              }
+            }}
+            className={cn(
+              "isolate inline-flex cursor-pointer items-center gap-2 rounded-lg px-3 py-2",
+              "bg-muted/40 outline-none",
+              "transition-colors duration-150",
+              "hover:bg-muted/70",
+              "focus-visible:ring-ring focus-visible:ring-2",
+              className,
+            )}
+          >
+            <div className="flex items-center">
+              {visibleCitations.map((citation, index) => {
+                const TypeIcon =
+                  TYPE_ICONS[citation.type ?? "webpage"] ?? Globe;
+                return (
+                  <div
+                    key={citation.id}
+                    className={cn(
+                      "border-border bg-background dark:border-foreground/20 relative flex size-6 items-center justify-center rounded-full border shadow-xs",
+                      index > 0 && "-ml-2",
+                    )}
+                    style={{ zIndex: maxIcons - index }}
+                  >
+                    {citation.favicon ? (
+                      // biome-ignore lint/performance/noImgElement: external favicon from arbitrary domain — next/image requires remotePatterns config
+                      <img
+                        src={citation.favicon}
+                        alt=""
+                        aria-hidden="true"
+                        width={18}
+                        height={18}
+                        className="size-4.5 rounded-full object-cover"
+                      />
+                    ) : (
+                      <TypeIcon
+                        className="text-muted-foreground size-3"
+                        aria-hidden="true"
+                      />
+                    )}
+                  </div>
+                );
+              })}
+              {remainingCount > 0 && (
+                <div
+                  className="border-border bg-background dark:border-foreground/20 relative -ml-2 flex size-6 items-center justify-center rounded-full border shadow-xs"
+                  style={{ zIndex: 0 }}
+                >
+                  <span className="text-muted-foreground text-[10px] font-medium tracking-tight">
+                    •••
+                  </span>
+                </div>
+              )}
+            </div>
+            <span className="text-muted-foreground text-sm tabular-nums">
+              {citations.length} source{citations.length !== 1 && "s"}
+            </span>
+          </button>
+        </PopoverTrigger>
+        <PopoverContent
+          side="bottom"
+          align="start"
+          className="w-80 p-1"
+          onMouseEnter={handleMouseEnter}
+          onMouseLeave={handleMouseLeave}
+          onBlur={handleBlur}
+          onEscapeKeyDown={() => setOpen(false)}
+        >
+          <div className="flex max-h-72 flex-col overflow-y-auto">
+            {citations.map((citation) => (
+              <OverflowItem
+                key={citation.id}
+                citation={citation}
+                onClick={() => handleClick(citation)}
+              />
+            ))}
+          </div>
+        </PopoverContent>
+      </Popover>
+    </div>
+  );
+}
diff --git a/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/citation/citation.tsx b/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/citation/citation.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..dcecb7fa3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/citation/citation.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,261 @@
+"use client";
+
+import * as React from "react";
+import type { LucideIcon } from "lucide-react";
+import {
+  FileText,
+  Globe,
+  Code2,
+  Newspaper,
+  Database,
+  File,
+  ExternalLink,
+} from "lucide-react";
+import { cn, Popover, PopoverContent, PopoverTrigger } from "./_adapter";
+
+import { openSafeNavigationHref, sanitizeHref } from "../shared/media";
+import type {
+  SerializableCitation,
+  CitationType,
+  CitationVariant,
+} from "./schema";
+
+const FALLBACK_LOCALE = "en-US";
+
+const TYPE_ICONS: Record<CitationType, LucideIcon> = {
+  webpage: Globe,
+  document: FileText,
+  article: Newspaper,
+  api: Database,
+  code: Code2,
+  other: File,
+};
+
+function extractDomain(url: string): string | undefined {
+  try {
+    const urlObj = new URL(url);
+    return urlObj.hostname.replace(/^www\./, "");
+  } catch {
+    return undefined;
+  }
+}
+
+function formatDate(isoString: string, locale: string): string {
+  try {
+    const date = new Date(isoString);
+    return date.toLocaleDateString(locale, {
+      year: "numeric",
+      month: "short",
+    });
+  } catch {
+    return isoString;
+  }
+}
+
+function useHoverPopover(delay = 100) {
+  const [open, setOpen] = React.useState(false);
+  const timeoutRef = React.useRef<ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null>(null);
+
+  const handleMouseEnter = React.useCallback(() => {
+    if (timeoutRef.current) clearTimeout(timeoutRef.current);
+    timeoutRef.current = setTimeout(() => setOpen(true), delay);
+  }, [delay]);
+
+  const handleMouseLeave = React.useCallback(() => {
+    if (timeoutRef.current) clearTimeout(timeoutRef.current);
+    timeoutRef.current = setTimeout(() => setOpen(false), delay);
+  }, [delay]);
+
+  React.useEffect(() => {
+    return () => {
+      if (timeoutRef.current) clearTimeout(timeoutRef.current);
+    };
+  }, []);
+
+  return { open, setOpen, handleMouseEnter, handleMouseLeave };
+}
+
+export interface CitationProps extends SerializableCitation {
+  variant?: CitationVariant;
+  className?: string;
+  onNavigate?: (href: string, citation: SerializableCitation) => void;
+}
+
+export function Citation(props: CitationProps) {
+  const { variant = "default", className, onNavigate, ...serializable } = props;
+
+  const {
+    id,
+    href: rawHref,
+    title,
+    snippet,
+    domain: providedDomain,
+    favicon,
+    author,
+    publishedAt,
+    type = "webpage",
+    locale: providedLocale,
+  } = serializable;
+
+  const locale = providedLocale ?? FALLBACK_LOCALE;
+  const sanitizedHref = sanitizeHref(rawHref);
+  const domain = providedDomain ?? extractDomain(rawHref);
+
+  const citationData: SerializableCitation = {
+    ...serializable,
+    href: sanitizedHref ?? rawHref,
+    domain,
+    locale,
+  };
+
+  const TypeIcon = TYPE_ICONS[type] ?? Globe;
+
+  const handleClick = () => {
+    if (!sanitizedHref) return;
+    if (onNavigate) {
+      onNavigate(sanitizedHref, citationData);
+    } else {
+      openSafeNavigationHref(sanitizedHref);
+    }
+  };
+
+  const handleKeyDown = (e: React.KeyboardEvent) => {
+    if (sanitizedHref && (e.key === "Enter" || e.key === " ")) {
+      e.preventDefault();
+      handleClick();
+    }
+  };
+
+  const iconElement = favicon ? (
+    // biome-ignore lint/performance/noImgElement: external favicon from arbitrary domain — next/image requires remotePatterns config
+    <img
+      src={favicon}
+      alt=""
+      aria-hidden="true"
+      width={14}
+      height={14}
+      className="bg-muted size-3.5 shrink-0 rounded object-cover"
+    />
+  ) : (
+    <TypeIcon className="size-3.5 shrink-0 opacity-60" aria-hidden="true" />
+  );
+
+  const { open, handleMouseEnter, handleMouseLeave } = useHoverPopover();
+
+  // Inline variant: compact chip with hover popover
+  if (variant === "inline") {
+    return (
+      <Popover open={open}>
+        <PopoverTrigger asChild>
+          <button
+            type="button"
+            aria-label={title}
+            data-tool-ui-id={id}
+            data-slot="citation"
+            onClick={handleClick}
+            onMouseEnter={handleMouseEnter}
+            onMouseLeave={handleMouseLeave}
+            className={cn(
+              "inline-flex cursor-pointer items-center gap-1.5 rounded-md px-2 py-1",
+              "bg-muted/60 text-sm outline-none",
+              "transition-colors duration-150",
+              "hover:bg-muted",
+              "focus-visible:ring-ring focus-visible:ring-2",
+              className,
+            )}
+          >
+            {iconElement}
+            <span className="text-muted-foreground">{domain}</span>
+          </button>
+        </PopoverTrigger>
+        <PopoverContent
+          side="top"
+          align="start"
+          className="w-72 cursor-pointer p-0"
+          onMouseEnter={handleMouseEnter}
+          onMouseLeave={handleMouseLeave}
+          onOpenAutoFocus={(e) => e.preventDefault()}
+          onCloseAutoFocus={(e) => e.preventDefault()}
+          onClick={handleClick}
+        >
+          <div className="hover:bg-muted/50 flex flex-col gap-2 p-3 transition-colors">
+            <div className="flex items-start gap-2">
+              {iconElement}
+              <span className="text-muted-foreground text-xs">{domain}</span>
+            </div>
+            <p className="text-sm leading-snug font-medium">{title}</p>
+            {snippet && (
+              <p className="text-muted-foreground line-clamp-2 text-xs leading-relaxed">
+                {snippet}
+              </p>
+            )}
+          </div>
+        </PopoverContent>
+      </Popover>
+    );
+  }
+
+  // Default variant: full card
+  return (
+    <article
+      className={cn("relative w-full max-w-md min-w-72", className)}
+      lang={locale}
+      data-tool-ui-id={id}
+      data-slot="citation"
+    >
+      {/* biome-ignore lint/a11y/noStaticElementInteractions: div receives role="link" conditionally when href is present */}
+      <div
+        className={cn(
+          "group @container relative isolate flex w-full min-w-0 flex-col overflow-hidden rounded-xl",
+          "border-border bg-card border text-sm shadow-xs",
+          "transition-colors duration-150",
+          sanitizedHref && [
+            "cursor-pointer",
+            "hover:border-foreground/25",
+            "focus-visible:ring-ring focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:ring-offset-2 focus-visible:outline-none",
+          ],
+        )}
+        onClick={sanitizedHref ? handleClick : undefined}
+        role={sanitizedHref ? "link" : undefined}
+        tabIndex={sanitizedHref ? 0 : undefined}
+        onKeyDown={sanitizedHref ? handleKeyDown : undefined}
+      >
+        <div className="flex flex-col gap-2 p-4">
+          <div className="text-muted-foreground flex min-w-0 items-center justify-between gap-1.5 text-xs">
+            <div className="flex min-w-0 items-center gap-1.5">
+              {iconElement}
+              <span className="truncate font-medium">{domain}</span>
+              {(author || publishedAt) && (
+                <span className="opacity-70">
+                  <span className="opacity-60"> — </span>
+                  {author}
+                  {author && publishedAt && ", "}
+                  {publishedAt && (
+                    <time dateTime={publishedAt} className="tabular-nums">
+                      {formatDate(publishedAt, locale)}
+                    </time>
+                  )}
+                </span>
+              )}
+            </div>
+            {sanitizedHref && (
+              <ExternalLink className="size-3.5 shrink-0 opacity-0 transition-opacity group-hover:opacity-100" />
+            )}
+          </div>
+
+          <h3 className="text-foreground text-[15px] leading-snug font-medium text-pretty">
+            <span className="group-hover:decoration-foreground/30 line-clamp-2 group-hover:underline group-hover:underline-offset-2">
+              {title}
+            </span>
+          </h3>
+
+          {snippet && (
+            <p className="text-muted-foreground text-[13px] leading-relaxed text-pretty">
+              <span className="line-clamp-3">{snippet}</span>
+            </p>
+          )}
+        </div>
+      </div>
+    </article>
+  );
+}
diff --git a/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/citation/index.ts b/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/citation/index.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..11df62e89
--- /dev/null
+++ b/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/citation/index.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+export { Citation } from "./citation";
+export type { CitationProps } from "./citation";
+export { CitationList } from "./citation-list";
+export type { CitationListProps } from "./citation-list";
+export type {
+  SerializableCitation,
+  CitationType,
+  CitationVariant,
+} from "./schema";
diff --git a/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/citation/schema.ts b/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/citation/schema.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ffe8c9ce5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/citation/schema.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+import { z } from "zod";
+import { defineToolUiContract } from "../shared/contract";
+import {
+  ToolUIIdSchema,
+  ToolUIReceiptSchema,
+  ToolUIRoleSchema,
+} from "../shared/schema";
+
+export const CitationTypeSchema = z.enum([
+  "webpage",
+  "document",
+  "article",
+  "api",
+  "code",
+  "other",
+]);
+
+export type CitationType = z.infer<typeof CitationTypeSchema>;
+
+export const CitationVariantSchema = z.enum(["default", "inline", "stacked"]);
+
+export type CitationVariant = z.infer<typeof CitationVariantSchema>;
+
+export const SerializableCitationSchema = z.object({
+  id: ToolUIIdSchema,
+  role: ToolUIRoleSchema.optional(),
+  receipt: ToolUIReceiptSchema.optional(),
+  href: z.string().url(),
+  title: z.string(),
+  snippet: z.string().optional(),
+  domain: z.string().optional(),
+  favicon: z.string().url().optional(),
+  author: z.string().optional(),
+  publishedAt: z.string().datetime().optional(),
+  type: CitationTypeSchema.optional(),
+  locale: z.string().optional(),
+});
+
+export type SerializableCitation = z.infer<typeof SerializableCitationSchema>;
+
+const SerializableCitationSchemaContract = defineToolUiContract(
+  "Citation",
+  SerializableCitationSchema,
+);
+
+export const parseSerializableCitation: (
+  input: unknown,
+) => SerializableCitation = SerializableCitationSchemaContract.parse;
+
+export const safeParseSerializableCitation: (
+  input: unknown,
+) => SerializableCitation | null = SerializableCitationSchemaContract.safeParse;
diff --git a/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/shared/contract.ts b/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/shared/contract.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..82bc05f18
--- /dev/null
+++ b/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/shared/contract.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+import { z } from "zod";
+import { parseWithSchema, safeParseWithSchema } from "./parse";
+
+export interface ToolUiContract<T> {
+  schema: z.ZodType<T>;
+  parse: (input: unknown) => T;
+  safeParse: (input: unknown) => T | null;
+}
+
+export function defineToolUiContract<T>(
+  componentName: string,
+  schema: z.ZodType<T>,
+): ToolUiContract<T> {
+  return {
+    schema,
+    parse: (input: unknown) => parseWithSchema(schema, input, componentName),
+    safeParse: (input: unknown) => safeParseWithSchema(schema, input),
+  };
+}
diff --git a/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/shared/media/aspect-ratio.ts b/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/shared/media/aspect-ratio.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..21352fd04
--- /dev/null
+++ b/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/shared/media/aspect-ratio.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+import { z } from "zod";
+
+export const AspectRatioSchema = z
+  .enum(["auto", "1:1", "4:3", "16:9", "9:16"])
+  .default("auto");
+
+export type AspectRatio = z.infer<typeof AspectRatioSchema>;
+
+export const MediaFitSchema = z.enum(["cover", "contain"]).default("cover");
+
+export type MediaFit = z.infer<typeof MediaFitSchema>;
+
+export const RATIO_CLASS_MAP: Record<AspectRatio, string> = {
+  auto: "",
+  "1:1": "aspect-square",
+  "4:3": "aspect-[4/3]",
+  "16:9": "aspect-video",
+  "9:16": "aspect-[9/16]",
+};
+
+export function getRatioClass(ratio: AspectRatio): string {
+  return RATIO_CLASS_MAP[ratio];
+}
+
+export function getFitClass(fit: MediaFit): string {
+  return fit === "cover" ? "object-cover" : "object-contain";
+}
diff --git a/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/shared/media/format-utils.ts b/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/shared/media/format-utils.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b00757cb7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/shared/media/format-utils.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+export function formatDuration(durationMs: number): string {
+  const totalSeconds = Math.round(durationMs / 1000);
+  const hours = Math.floor(totalSeconds / 3600);
+  const minutes = Math.floor((totalSeconds % 3600) / 60);
+  const seconds = totalSeconds % 60;
+
+  if (hours > 0) {
+    return `${hours}:${minutes.toString().padStart(2, "0")}:${seconds
+      .toString()
+      .padStart(2, "0")}`;
+  }
+  return `${minutes}:${seconds.toString().padStart(2, "0")}`;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Format file size in bytes to human-readable string.
+ * @example formatFileSize(1024) => "1 KB"
+ * @example formatFileSize(1536000) => "1.5 MB"
+ */
+export function formatFileSize(bytes: number): string {
+  if (bytes < 1024) return `${bytes} B`;
+  const units = ["KB", "MB", "GB"];
+  let size = bytes / 1024;
+  let unit = 0;
+  while (size >= 1024 && unit < units.length - 1) {
+    size /= 1024;
+    unit += 1;
+  }
+  return `${size.toFixed(size >= 10 ? 0 : 1)} ${units[unit]}`;
+}
diff --git a/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/shared/media/index.ts b/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/shared/media/index.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5b655c708
--- /dev/null
+++ b/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/shared/media/index.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+export {
+  AspectRatioSchema,
+  MediaFitSchema,
+  RATIO_CLASS_MAP,
+  getRatioClass,
+  getFitClass,
+  type AspectRatio,
+  type MediaFit,
+} from "./aspect-ratio";
+
+export { OVERLAY_GRADIENT } from "./overlay-gradient";
+
+export { formatDuration, formatFileSize } from "./format-utils";
+
+export { sanitizeHref } from "./sanitize-href";
+export {
+  resolveSafeNavigationHref,
+  openSafeNavigationHref,
+} from "./safe-navigation";
diff --git a/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/shared/media/overlay-gradient.ts b/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/shared/media/overlay-gradient.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f59aa44f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/shared/media/overlay-gradient.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+export const OVERLAY_GRADIENT = `linear-gradient(
+  to bottom,
+  hsl(0, 0%, 0%) 0%,
+  hsla(0, 0%, 0%, 0.987) 8.3%,
+  hsla(0, 0%, 0%, 0.951) 16.6%,
+  hsla(0, 0%, 0%, 0.896) 24.6%,
+  hsla(0, 0%, 0%, 0.825) 32.5%,
+  hsla(0, 0%, 0%, 0.741) 40.1%,
+  hsla(0, 0%, 0%, 0.648) 47.6%,
+  hsla(0, 0%, 0%, 0.55) 54.8%,
+  hsla(0, 0%, 0%, 0.45) 61.7%,
+  hsla(0, 0%, 0%, 0.352) 68.3%,
+  hsla(0, 0%, 0%, 0.259) 74.5%,
+  hsla(0, 0%, 0%, 0.175) 80.4%,
+  hsla(0, 0%, 0%, 0.104) 86%,
+  hsla(0, 0%, 0%, 0.049) 91.1%,
+  hsla(0, 0%, 0%, 0.013) 95.8%,
+  hsla(0, 0%, 0%, 0) 100%
+)` as const;
diff --git a/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/shared/media/safe-navigation.ts b/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/shared/media/safe-navigation.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b1f38bf48
--- /dev/null
+++ b/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/shared/media/safe-navigation.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+import { sanitizeHref } from "./sanitize-href";
+
+export function resolveSafeNavigationHref(
+  ...candidates: Array<string | null | undefined>
+): string | undefined {
+  for (const candidate of candidates) {
+    const safeHref = sanitizeHref(candidate ?? undefined);
+    if (safeHref) {
+      return safeHref;
+    }
+  }
+
+  return undefined;
+}
+
+export function openSafeNavigationHref(href: string | undefined): boolean {
+  if (!href || typeof window === "undefined") {
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  window.open(href, "_blank", "noopener,noreferrer");
+  return true;
+}
diff --git a/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/shared/media/sanitize-href.ts b/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/shared/media/sanitize-href.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..de7ced700
--- /dev/null
+++ b/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/shared/media/sanitize-href.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+export function sanitizeHref(href?: string): string | undefined {
+  if (!href) return undefined;
+  const candidate = href.trim();
+  if (!candidate) return undefined;
+
+  if (
+    candidate.startsWith("/") ||
+    candidate.startsWith("./") ||
+    candidate.startsWith("../") ||
+    candidate.startsWith("?") ||
+    candidate.startsWith("#")
+  ) {
+    if (candidate.startsWith("//")) return undefined;
+    // eslint-disable-next-line no-control-regex -- intentionally matching control characters
+    if (/[\u0000-\u001F\u007F]/.test(candidate)) return undefined;
+    return candidate;
+  }
+
+  try {
+    const url = new URL(candidate);
+    if (url.protocol === "http:" || url.protocol === "https:") {
+      return url.toString();
+    }
+  } catch {
+    return undefined;
+  }
+  return undefined;
+}
diff --git a/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/shared/parse.ts b/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/shared/parse.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7214241a3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/shared/parse.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+import { z } from "zod";
+
+function formatZodPath(path: Array<string | number | symbol>): string {
+  if (path.length === 0) return "root";
+  return path
+    .map((segment) =>
+      typeof segment === "number" ? `[${segment}]` : String(segment),
+    )
+    .join(".");
+}
+
+/**
+ * Format Zod errors into a compact `path: message` string.
+ */
+export function formatZodError(error: z.ZodError): string {
+  const parts = error.issues.map((issue) => {
+    const path = formatZodPath(issue.path);
+    return `${path}: ${issue.message}`;
+  });
+
+  return Array.from(new Set(parts)).join("; ");
+}
+
+/**
+ * Parse unknown input and throw a readable error.
+ */
+export function parseWithSchema<T>(
+  schema: z.ZodType<T>,
+  input: unknown,
+  name: string,
+): T {
+  const res = schema.safeParse(input);
+  if (!res.success) {
+    throw new Error(`Invalid ${name} payload: ${formatZodError(res.error)}`);
+  }
+  return res.data;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Parse unknown input, returning `null` instead of throwing on failure.
+ *
+ * Use this in assistant-ui `render` functions where `args` stream in
+ * incrementally and may be incomplete until the tool call finishes.
+ */
+export function safeParseWithSchema<T>(
+  schema: z.ZodType<T>,
+  input: unknown,
+): T | null {
+  const res = schema.safeParse(input);
+  return res.success ? res.data : null;
+}
diff --git a/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/shared/schema.ts b/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/shared/schema.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b19f4a3b7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/surfsense_web/components/tool-ui/shared/schema.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,159 @@
+import { z } from "zod";
+import type { ReactNode } from "react";
+
+/**
+ * Tool UI conventions:
+ * - Serializable schemas are JSON-safe (no callbacks/ReactNode/`className`).
+ * - Schema: `SerializableXSchema`
+ * - Parser: `parseSerializableX(input: unknown)` (throws on invalid)
+ * - Safe parser: `safeParseSerializableX(input: unknown)` (returns `null` on invalid)
+ * - Actions: `LocalActions` for non-receipt actions and `DecisionActions` for consequential actions
+ * - Root attrs: `data-tool-ui-id` + `data-slot`
+ */
+
+/**
+ * Schema for tool UI identity.
+ *
+ * Every tool UI should have a unique identifier that:
+ * - Is stable across re-renders
+ * - Is meaningful (not auto-generated)
+ * - Is unique within the conversation
+ *
+ * Format recommendation: `{component-type}-{semantic-identifier}`
+ * Examples: "data-table-expenses-q3", "option-list-deploy-target"
+ */
+export const ToolUIIdSchema = z.string().min(1);
+
+export type ToolUIId = z.infer<typeof ToolUIIdSchema>;
+
+/**
+ * Primary role of a Tool UI surface in a chat context.
+ */
+export const ToolUIRoleSchema = z.enum([
+  "information",
+  "decision",
+  "control",
+  "state",
+  "composite",
+]);
+
+export type ToolUIRole = z.infer<typeof ToolUIRoleSchema>;
+
+export const ToolUIReceiptOutcomeSchema = z.enum([
+  "success",
+  "partial",
+  "failed",
+  "cancelled",
+]);
+
+export type ToolUIReceiptOutcome = z.infer<typeof ToolUIReceiptOutcomeSchema>;
+
+/**
+ * Optional receipt metadata: a durable summary of an outcome.
+ */
+export const ToolUIReceiptSchema = z.object({
+  outcome: ToolUIReceiptOutcomeSchema,
+  summary: z.string().min(1),
+  identifiers: z.record(z.string(), z.string()).optional(),
+  at: z.string().datetime(),
+});
+
+export type ToolUIReceipt = z.infer<typeof ToolUIReceiptSchema>;
+
+/**
+ * Base schema for Tool UI payloads (id + optional role/receipt).
+ */
+export const ToolUISurfaceSchema = z.object({
+  id: ToolUIIdSchema,
+  role: ToolUIRoleSchema.optional(),
+  receipt: ToolUIReceiptSchema.optional(),
+});
+
+export type ToolUISurface = z.infer<typeof ToolUISurfaceSchema>;
+
+export const ActionSchema = z.object({
+  id: z.string().min(1),
+  label: z.string().min(1),
+  /**
+   * Canonical narration the assistant can use after this action is taken.
+   *
+   * Example: "I exported the table as CSV." / "I opened the link in a new tab."
+   */
+  sentence: z.string().optional(),
+  confirmLabel: z.string().optional(),
+  variant: z
+    .enum(["default", "destructive", "secondary", "ghost", "outline"])
+    .optional(),
+  icon: z.custom<ReactNode>().optional(),
+  loading: z.boolean().optional(),
+  disabled: z.boolean().optional(),
+  shortcut: z.string().optional(),
+});
+
+export type Action = z.infer<typeof ActionSchema>;
+export type LocalAction = Action;
+export type DecisionAction = Action;
+
+export const DecisionResultSchema = z.object({
+  kind: z.literal("decision"),
+  version: z.literal(1),
+  decisionId: z.string().min(1),
+  actionId: z.string().min(1),
+  actionLabel: z.string().min(1),
+  at: z.string().datetime(),
+  payload: z.record(z.string(), z.unknown()).optional(),
+});
+
+export type DecisionResult<
+  TPayload extends Record<string, unknown> = Record<string, unknown>,
+> = Omit<z.infer<typeof DecisionResultSchema>, "payload"> & {
+  payload?: TPayload;
+};
+
+export function createDecisionResult<
+  TPayload extends Record<string, unknown> = Record<string, unknown>,
+>(args: {
+  decisionId: string;
+  action: { id: string; label: string };
+  payload?: TPayload;
+}): DecisionResult<TPayload> {
+  return {
+    kind: "decision",
+    version: 1,
+    decisionId: args.decisionId,
+    actionId: args.action.id,
+    actionLabel: args.action.label,
+    at: new Date().toISOString(),
+    payload: args.payload,
+  };
+}
+
+export const ActionButtonsPropsSchema = z.object({
+  actions: z.array(ActionSchema).min(1),
+  align: z.enum(["left", "center", "right"]).optional(),
+  confirmTimeout: z.number().positive().optional(),
+  className: z.string().optional(),
+});
+
+export const SerializableActionSchema = ActionSchema.omit({ icon: true });
+export const SerializableActionsSchema = ActionButtonsPropsSchema.extend({
+  actions: z.array(SerializableActionSchema),
+}).omit({ className: true });
+
+export interface ActionsConfig {
+  items: Action[];
+  align?: "left" | "center" | "right";
+  confirmTimeout?: number;
+}
+
+export const SerializableActionsConfigSchema = z.object({
+  items: z.array(SerializableActionSchema).min(1),
+  align: z.enum(["left", "center", "right"]).optional(),
+  confirmTimeout: z.number().positive().optional(),
+});
+
+export type SerializableActionsConfig = z.infer<
+  typeof SerializableActionsConfigSchema
+>;
+
+export type SerializableAction = z.infer<typeof SerializableActionSchema>;