diff --git a/apps/app/src/components-v2/layout/WorkspaceSwitcher.vue b/apps/app/src/components-v2/layout/WorkspaceSwitcher.vue
index e371917c..c4e9125d 100644
--- a/apps/app/src/components-v2/layout/WorkspaceSwitcher.vue
+++ b/apps/app/src/components-v2/layout/WorkspaceSwitcher.vue
@@ -120,6 +120,16 @@ const allOrgs = computed<WorkspaceDisplay[]>(() => {
 
 const popoverRef = ref<InstanceType<typeof Popover> | null>(null)
 
+/**
+ * Tracks the popover open state so the trigger keeps the grey "active"
+ * background + visible border while the workspace dropdown is open
+ * (crewli-starter `.ws-switcher.is-open .trigger`). Synced from the
+ * PrimeVue Popover's @show/@hide events rather than mirroring the manual
+ * toggle, so programmatic hides (selectOrg) and outside-click dismissal
+ * both keep it accurate.
+ */
+const isOpen = ref(false)
+
 function toggle(event: MouseEvent): void {
   popoverRef.value?.toggle(event)
 }
@@ -151,65 +161,46 @@ function inviteUser(): void {
 
 <template>
   <!--
-    Wrapper horizontal padding is `px-4` (16px) in BOTH states — same
-    rhythm as the SidebarHeader brand row above (`h-[56px] px-4`).
+    Crewli-starter-faithful structure (P6-styling-switcher-sub follow-up).
+    ONE `.trigger` button renders in BOTH states — collapsing only hides
+    `.meta` + `.chev` (v-if) and recentres the lone avatar. This is the
+    key fix for the vertical "avatar jump": the prior version swapped
+    between two separate <button> elements (a bare collapsed button vs a
+    padded expanded trigger) with different box models, so the avatar's
+    distance from the rail bottom differed by ~6px and visibly jumped on
+    collapse. With a single trigger and constant vertical padding
+    (`py-2` always), the avatar stays put.
 
-    Collapsed: wrapper is `h-[56px] flex items-center px-4`. The bare
-    32px rounded-lg avatar sits at the px-4 offset, centred in the
-    64px rail by the equation (rail = square + 2 × px-4). True bottom
-    mirror of the brand square (see Option B in the brief).
+    Wrapper: `border-t` separator + `p-[10px]` ALWAYS (constant vertical
+    padding → no jump; matches crewli-starter `.ws-switcher { padding:
+    10px }`). No border around the wrapper itself.
 
-    Expanded: wrapper is `px-4 py-2`. The full padded trigger (`w-full`
-    rounded card) is now inset 16px from both rail edges, giving
-    symmetric breathing room that matches the header's horizontal
-    rhythm — prior version used `p-2` (8px) and the card felt stuck
-    to the rail edges. Trade-off: with px-4 wrapper + p-2 internal
-    trigger padding the avatar sits ~24px from the rail edge in
-    expanded, ~8px deeper than the bare header logo at 16px — accepted
-    as deliberate (the expanded trigger reads as a distinct button
-    card; the bare-square mirror with the logo lives in the collapsed
-    state, which is unchanged).
+    Centring equation (collapsed): wrapper p-[10px] gives the trigger a
+    44px content width inside the 64px rail; the trigger's `justify-center
+    px-0` centres the 32px avatar → 16px from the rail's left edge,
+    aligned with the SidebarHeader brand logo above (also 16px).
   -->
-  <div
-    class="relative flex-shrink-0 border-t border-[var(--p-content-border-color)]"
-    :class="collapsed ? 'h-[56px] flex items-center px-4' : 'px-4 py-2'"
-  >
+  <div class="ws-switcher relative flex-shrink-0 border-t border-[var(--p-content-border-color)] p-[10px]">
     <!--
-      Collapsed: a bare click target (transparent, p-0, no box) wrapping
-      the EXACT SAME avatar span markup the expanded trigger uses, so the
-      32px square is byte-identical across states (same classes, same
-      gradient, same `.ws-logo-square` inset-shadow). P6-styling-switcher-sub
-      Fix A: previously the collapsed avatar styling lived directly on the
-      <button>, which let user-agent button rendering diverge subtly from
-      the expanded <span> avatar. Extracting the shared span removes that
-      drift. The wrapping button only adds the click target + focus ring.
+      Trigger — single button for both states (crewli-starter `.trigger`).
+      Resting: transparent border + transparent bg. Hover: grey bg, no
+      border. Open (is-open): grey bg KEPT + visible border, persisting
+      until the popover closes — crewli-starter
+      `.ws-switcher.is-open .trigger { background; border-color }`.
+      `py-2` is constant; only horizontal padding / justify changes on
+      collapse, so the avatar never shifts vertically.
     -->
     <button
-      v-if="collapsed && current"
-      class="flex-shrink-0 border-0 bg-transparent p-0 cursor-pointer rounded-lg inline-flex focus-visible:outline focus-visible:outline-2 focus-visible:outline-[var(--p-primary-color)] focus-visible:outline-offset-2"
-      :aria-label="`Workspace: ${current.name}`"
-      aria-haspopup="true"
-      @click="toggle"
-    >
-      <span
-        class="ws-logo ws-logo-square w-8 h-8 flex-shrink-0 rounded-lg inline-flex items-center justify-center text-white font-bold text-[12px]"
-        :style="{ background: `linear-gradient(135deg, ${current.gradient[0]}, ${current.gradient[1]})` }"
-      >
-        {{ current.initials }}
-      </span>
-    </button>
-
-    <!--
-      Expanded trigger: full-width padded button with rounded hover bg,
-      avatar on the left, then name and chevron. With the wrapper at
-      px-4 and the trigger at internal p-2, the avatar sits ~24px from
-      the rail edge (intentional — see wrapper comment above). The
-      bare-square / logo mirror lives in the collapsed state.
-    -->
-    <button
-      v-else-if="!collapsed"
-      class="trigger flex w-full items-center gap-[10px] rounded-lg border border-transparent bg-transparent p-2 text-[var(--p-text-color)] transition-colors duration-150 hover:bg-[var(--p-content-hover-background)]"
+      class="trigger flex w-full items-center gap-[10px] rounded-lg border bg-transparent py-2 text-[var(--p-text-color)] transition-[background,border-color] duration-150 focus-visible:outline focus-visible:outline-2 focus-visible:outline-[var(--p-primary-color)] focus-visible:outline-offset-2"
+      :class="[
+        collapsed ? 'justify-center px-0' : 'px-[10px]',
+        isOpen
+          ? 'is-open border-[var(--p-content-border-color)] bg-[var(--p-content-hover-background)]'
+          : 'border-transparent hover:bg-[var(--p-content-hover-background)]',
+      ]"
       aria-haspopup="true"
+      :aria-expanded="isOpen"
+      :aria-label="collapsed && current ? `Workspace: ${current.name}` : undefined"
       @click="toggle"
     >
       <!-- Avatar square — shared treatment with SidebarHeader logo (h-8 w-8 rounded-lg). Gradient background is bespoke per organisation (dynamic hex pair, RFC §7.4 inline-style). -->
@@ -221,9 +212,9 @@ function inviteUser(): void {
         {{ current.initials }}
       </span>
 
-      <!-- Meta: name + placeholder sub line (P6-styling-switcher-sub). -->
+      <!-- Meta: name + placeholder sub line (hidden when collapsed). -->
       <span
-        v-if="current"
+        v-if="!collapsed && current"
         class="meta flex flex-1 min-w-0 flex-col text-left leading-[1.2]"
       >
         <span class="name truncate text-[13.5px] font-semibold text-[var(--p-text-color)]">
@@ -234,15 +225,21 @@ function inviteUser(): void {
         </span>
       </span>
 
+      <!-- Chevron: hidden when collapsed. -->
       <Icon
+        v-if="!collapsed"
         name="tabler-chevron-down"
         :size="14"
-        class="flex-shrink-0 text-[var(--p-text-muted-color)]"
+        class="chev flex-shrink-0 text-[var(--p-text-muted-color)]"
       />
     </button>
 
     <!-- PrimeVue Popover — replaces crewli-starter's manual document.mousedown click-outside -->
-    <Popover ref="popoverRef">
+    <Popover
+      ref="popoverRef"
+      @show="isOpen = true"
+      @hide="isOpen = false"
+    >
       <!-- Header -->
       <div class="popover-head flex items-center justify-between border-b border-[var(--p-content-border-color)] px-[16px] py-[14px]">
         <span class="title text-[15px] font-bold tracking-[-0.01em]">Workspaces</span>
diff --git a/apps/app/src/components-v2/layout/__tests__/WorkspaceSwitcher.spec.ts b/apps/app/src/components-v2/layout/__tests__/WorkspaceSwitcher.spec.ts
index 84c7f549..2258c677 100644
--- a/apps/app/src/components-v2/layout/__tests__/WorkspaceSwitcher.spec.ts
+++ b/apps/app/src/components-v2/layout/__tests__/WorkspaceSwitcher.spec.ts
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ const globalStubs = {
   Icon: { template: '<span class="icon-stub" />' },
   Popover: {
     name: 'Popover',
+    emits: ['show', 'hide'],
     template: '<div class="popover-stub"><slot /></div>',
     methods: {
       toggle() {},
@@ -112,46 +113,73 @@ describe('WorkspaceSwitcher', () => {
   })
 
   // -------------------------------------------------------------------------
-  // P6-styling-switcher-align — expanded trigger uses rounded-lg + has no
-  // justify-center; collapsed renders a BARE avatar button (no .trigger
-  // container) mirroring the SidebarHeader brand square's offset.
+  // Crewli-starter-faithful structure: ONE .trigger button in both states.
+  // Collapsing hides .meta + .chev and centres the lone avatar; it does NOT
+  // swap to a separate bare button (that swap caused the vertical avatar
+  // jump). The avatar square renders inside the same .trigger always.
   // -------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-  it('expanded trigger uses rounded-lg (matches the brand square in SidebarHeader)', () => {
+  it('uses a single .trigger button in both states (no element swap on collapse)', () => {
+    const expanded = mountSwitcher({ collapsed: false })
+    const collapsed = mountSwitcher({ collapsed: true })
+
+    expect(expanded.find('.trigger').exists()).toBe(true)
+    expect(collapsed.find('.trigger').exists()).toBe(true)
+
+    // The avatar square lives inside the same .trigger in both states.
+    expect(expanded.find('.trigger .ws-logo').exists()).toBe(true)
+    expect(collapsed.find('.trigger .ws-logo').exists()).toBe(true)
+  })
+
+  it('trigger uses rounded-lg (matches the brand square in SidebarHeader)', () => {
     const wrapper = mountSwitcher({ collapsed: false })
 
     expect(wrapper.find('.trigger').classes()).toContain('rounded-lg')
   })
 
-  it('expanded trigger has no justify-center (avatar stays anchored on the left)', () => {
+  it('expanded trigger has no justify-center (avatar + meta anchored on the left)', () => {
     const wrapper = mountSwitcher({ collapsed: false })
 
     expect(wrapper.find('.trigger').classes()).not.toContain('justify-center')
   })
 
-  it('collapsed renders a bare avatar button (no .trigger container, no .meta)', () => {
+  it('collapsed trigger centres the lone avatar and hides .meta + .chev', () => {
     const wrapper = mountSwitcher({ collapsed: true })
 
-    // The padded trigger container with name/chevron is gone — no .trigger,
-    // no .meta. P6-styling-switcher-sub Fix A: the avatar square is now an
-    // inner <span class="ws-logo"> wrapped by a bare transparent <button>
-    // (so the square markup is byte-identical to the expanded trigger).
-    expect(wrapper.find('.trigger').exists()).toBe(false)
+    const trigger = wrapper.find('.trigger')
+
+    expect(trigger.classes()).toContain('justify-center')
     expect(wrapper.find('.meta').exists()).toBe(false)
-    expect(wrapper.find('button').exists()).toBe(true)
-    expect(wrapper.find('button .ws-logo').exists()).toBe(true)
+    expect(wrapper.find('.chev').exists()).toBe(false)
+    expect(trigger.find('.ws-logo').exists()).toBe(true)
   })
 
-  it('collapsed wrapper uses px-4 (matches the SidebarHeader brand row offset)', () => {
-    const wrapper = mountSwitcher({ collapsed: true })
+  it('trigger vertical padding (py-2) is constant across states (no avatar jump)', () => {
+    // The vertical-jump fix: py-2 must be present in BOTH states so the
+    // avatar's vertical box is identical. Only horizontal padding/justify
+    // changes on collapse.
+    const expanded = mountSwitcher({ collapsed: false })
+    const collapsed = mountSwitcher({ collapsed: true })
 
-    // The wrapper toggles to `h-[56px] flex items-center px-4` when
-    // collapsed so the avatar's left edge lands at 16px from the rail
-    // — identical to the header logo offset.
-    const root = wrapper.find('button').element.parentElement
+    expect(expanded.find('.trigger').classes()).toContain('py-2')
+    expect(collapsed.find('.trigger').classes()).toContain('py-2')
+  })
 
-    expect(root?.classList.contains('px-4')).toBe(true)
-    expect(root?.classList.contains('h-[56px]')).toBe(true)
+  it('open state keeps the trigger background + border (is-open persists hover bg)', async () => {
+    const wrapper = mountSwitcher({ collapsed: false })
+
+    // Resting: transparent border, no is-open marker.
+    expect(wrapper.find('.trigger').classes()).toContain('border-transparent')
+    expect(wrapper.find('.trigger').classes()).not.toContain('is-open')
+
+    // Simulate the Popover @show -> isOpen=true.
+    await wrapper.findComponent({ name: 'Popover' }).vm.$emit('show')
+
+    const trigger = wrapper.find('.trigger')
+
+    expect(trigger.classes()).toContain('is-open')
+    expect(trigger.classes()).toContain('bg-[var(--p-content-hover-background)]')
+    expect(trigger.classes()).toContain('border-[var(--p-content-border-color)]')
   })
 
   // -------------------------------------------------------------------------