diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/components/workstation/FolderStudioView.svelte b/frontend/src/lib/components/workstation/FolderStudioView.svelte
index e754ba3..81990d6 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/components/workstation/FolderStudioView.svelte
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/components/workstation/FolderStudioView.svelte
@@ -344,7 +344,7 @@
 						<span>Projected output</span>
 						<strong>{formatBytes(predictedFolderSizeBytes(studioFolder))}</strong>
 					</div>
-					<div>
+					<div class="folder-header__metric">
 						<span>Metric</span>
 						<strong>{resolvedMetricCopy(studioFolder)}</strong>
 					</div>
@@ -389,7 +389,7 @@
 							onclick={focusBenchComposer}
 							data-mf-action={workflow.primaryAction}>{workflow.primary}</button
 						>
-					{:else if workflow.primaryAction === 'open-ops'}
+					{:else if workflow.primaryAction === 'open-ops' || workflow.primaryAction.startsWith('monitor-')}
 						<a
 							class="control control--primary"
 							href={resolve('/ops')}
@@ -458,6 +458,10 @@
 						<a class="control" href={resolve('/ops')} data-mf-action={workflow.secondaryAction}
 							>{workflow.secondary}</a
 						>
+					{:else if workflow.secondaryAction.startsWith('monitor-')}
+						<a class="control" href={resolve('/ops')} data-mf-action={workflow.secondaryAction}
+							>{workflow.secondary}</a
+						>
 					{:else if workflow.secondaryAction === 'download-review-pack' && !workflowActionState(workflow.secondaryAction).disabled}
 						<form
 							class="action-form"
@@ -914,6 +918,17 @@
 		min-width: 88px;
 	}
 
+	.folder-header__metric {
+		color: var(--mf-fg-tertiary);
+		font-size: var(--mf-text-xs);
+		justify-content: end;
+	}
+
+	.folder-header__metric strong {
+		color: var(--mf-fg-secondary);
+		font-size: var(--mf-text-xs);
+	}
+
 	.folder-header__facts span,
 	.folder-header__path span,
 	.decision-fact span,
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/components/workstation/folder-studio-view.test.ts b/frontend/src/lib/components/workstation/folder-studio-view.test.ts
index ef8aabf..750c31e 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/components/workstation/folder-studio-view.test.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/components/workstation/folder-studio-view.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
-import type { FolderPayload, FolderStatusPayload } from '$lib/api/types';
+import type { EncodeQueueJob, FolderPayload, FolderStatusPayload } from '$lib/api/types';
 import type { FolderCalibrationJob } from '$lib/folders/studio';
 import {
 	buildBenchHostOptions,
@@ -484,7 +484,7 @@ describe('Folder Studio review request mapping', () => {
 			)
 		).toMatchObject({
 			label: 'Review pending',
-			primary: 'Open Ops',
+			primary: 'Wait for review media',
 			secondary: 'Revise smaller'
 		});
 		expect(
@@ -531,8 +531,8 @@ describe('Folder Studio review request mapping', () => {
 			resolveWorkflow(folder, folderStatusPayload(), calibration, null, null, null, null, true)
 		).toMatchObject({
 			label: 'Review pending',
-			primary: 'Open Ops',
-			primaryAction: 'open-ops',
+			primary: 'Wait for review media',
+			primaryAction: 'monitor-review',
 			secondary: 'Revise smaller'
 		});
 		expect(
@@ -549,7 +549,7 @@ describe('Folder Studio review request mapping', () => {
 			)
 		).toMatchObject({
 			label: 'Review pending',
-			primaryAction: 'open-ops'
+			primaryAction: 'monitor-review'
 		});
 		expect(
 			resolveWorkflowActionState('approve-size-tradeoff', {
@@ -590,6 +590,80 @@ describe('Folder Studio review request mapping', () => {
 		expect(resolveQueueSubmissionMode('open-ops', null)).toBeNull();
 	});
 
+	it('makes approved folders queue-first and keeps review media secondary', () => {
+		const workflow = resolveWorkflow(
+			folderPayload(),
+			folderStatusPayload(),
+			null,
+			null,
+			{ status: 'accepted', message: 'Sample accepted.' },
+			null,
+			null,
+			true,
+			false
+		);
+
+		expect(workflow).toMatchObject({
+			label: 'Approved',
+			title: 'Queue the approved folder',
+			primary: 'Queue encode',
+			primaryAction: 'queue-encode',
+			secondary: 'Download pack',
+			secondaryAction: 'download-review-pack'
+		});
+	});
+
+	it('makes processing folders monitor-first and keeps review media secondary', () => {
+		const workflow = resolveWorkflow(
+			folderPayload({ encode_queue_summary: '1 folder is running.' }),
+			folderStatusPayload(),
+			null,
+			null,
+			null,
+			null,
+			{
+				job_id: 'encode-1',
+				prefix: 'tv/Example/Season 1',
+				status: 'running',
+				telemetry_summary: '2 workers active.'
+			} as EncodeQueueJob,
+			true
+		);
+
+		expect(workflow).toMatchObject({
+			label: 'Processing',
+			title: 'Approved folder is processing',
+			primary: 'Monitor processing',
+			primaryAction: 'monitor-processing',
+			secondary: 'Download pack',
+			secondaryAction: 'download-review-pack'
+		});
+	});
+
+	it('makes active sampling a sample-state action with an explicit review-media prerequisite', () => {
+		const workflow = resolveWorkflow(
+			folderPayload(),
+			folderStatusPayload({ calibration_status: 'running' }),
+			null,
+			null,
+			null,
+			{ status: 'running' } as FolderCalibrationJob,
+			null
+		);
+
+		expect(workflow).toMatchObject({
+			label: 'Sampling',
+			primary: 'Monitor sample',
+			primaryAction: 'monitor-sample',
+			secondary: 'Stop sample'
+		});
+		expect(workflow.copy).toMatch(/Review media is the missing prerequisite/);
+		expect(buildWorkflowSteps(workflow).find((step) => step.label === 'Sample')).toMatchObject({
+			current: true,
+			detail: 'Representative sample is running'
+		});
+	});
+
 	it('surfaces a draft warning before over-budget review evidence', () => {
 		const calibration = {
 			browser_review_ready: true,
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/components/workstation/folder-studio-view.ts b/frontend/src/lib/components/workstation/folder-studio-view.ts
index b988270..bf5bff9 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/components/workstation/folder-studio-view.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/components/workstation/folder-studio-view.ts
@@ -65,6 +65,9 @@ export type WorkflowAction =
 	| 'approve-size-tradeoff'
 	| 'download-review-pack'
 	| 'focus-bench'
+	| 'monitor-processing'
+	| 'monitor-review'
+	| 'monitor-sample'
 	| 'open-ops'
 	| 'queue-encode'
 	| 'retry-encode'
@@ -298,6 +301,9 @@ export function resolveWorkflowActionState(
 			: { disabled: true, title: 'Review media is not ready yet.' };
 	}
 	if (action === 'revise-proposal') return { disabled: false, title: '' };
+	if (['monitor-processing', 'monitor-review', 'monitor-sample'].includes(action)) {
+		return { disabled: false, title: '' };
+	}
 	if (action === 'open-ops') return { disabled: false, title: '' };
 	if (action === 'retry-encode') return { disabled: false, title: '' };
 	if (action === 'stop-sample') {
@@ -1037,24 +1043,24 @@ export function resolveWorkflow(
 				encodeJob?.telemetry_summary ??
 				folder.encode_queue_summary ??
 				'Folder settings are approved. Monitor progress here or open Ops for deeper worker state.',
-			primary: 'Download review pack',
-			primaryAction: 'download-review-pack',
-			secondary: 'Open Ops',
-			secondaryAction: 'open-ops'
+			primary: 'Monitor processing',
+			primaryAction: 'monitor-processing',
+			secondary: 'Download pack',
+			secondaryAction: 'download-review-pack'
 		};
 	}
 	if (reviewGate?.status === 'accepted') {
 		return {
 			tone: 'ready',
 			label: 'Approved',
-			title: 'Folder proposal is approved',
+			title: 'Queue the approved folder',
 			copy:
 				reviewGate.message ??
-				'The proposal has been accepted. Queue or monitor full-folder work from this context.',
-			primary: 'Download review pack',
-			primaryAction: 'download-review-pack',
-			secondary: 'Queue encode',
-			secondaryAction: 'queue-encode'
+				'The sample was accepted. Queue full-folder processing when you are ready.',
+			primary: 'Queue encode',
+			primaryAction: 'queue-encode',
+			secondary: 'Download pack',
+			secondaryAction: 'download-review-pack'
 		};
 	}
 	if (
@@ -1081,9 +1087,9 @@ export function resolveWorkflow(
 			tone: 'active',
 			label: 'Sampling',
 			title: 'Representative sample is running',
-			copy: 'The operator is waiting for review evidence. Keep worker, elapsed time, and queue state visible until the pack is ready.',
-			primary: 'Open Ops',
-			primaryAction: 'open-ops',
+			copy: 'The sample job is running. Review media is the missing prerequisite; approval appears once the comparison preview is ready.',
+			primary: 'Monitor sample',
+			primaryAction: 'monitor-sample',
 			secondary: 'Stop sample',
 			secondaryAction: 'stop-sample'
 		};
@@ -1171,8 +1177,8 @@ export function resolveWorkflow(
 			label: 'Review pending',
 			title: 'Target missed, waiting for review media',
 			copy: `${verdict.predictedPerItem} per episode against ${verdict.target}. Wait for the comparison preview before approving this larger result.`,
-			primary: 'Open Ops',
-			primaryAction: 'open-ops',
+			primary: 'Wait for review media',
+			primaryAction: 'monitor-review',
 			secondary: 'Revise smaller',
 			secondaryAction: 'focus-bench'
 		};
@@ -1233,15 +1239,16 @@ export function buildWorkflowSteps(workflow: WorkflowState): WorkflowStep[] {
 	const activeAction = workflow.primaryAction;
 	const activeLabel = workflow.label.toLowerCase();
 	const sampleCurrent =
-		['focus-bench', 'start-sample', 'retry-sample', 'stop-sample'].includes(activeAction) ||
-		['not sampled', 'sampling', 'retryable', 'draft ready'].includes(activeLabel);
+		['focus-bench', 'monitor-sample', 'start-sample', 'retry-sample', 'stop-sample'].includes(
+			activeAction
+		) || ['not sampled', 'sampling', 'retryable', 'draft ready'].includes(activeLabel);
 	const reviewCurrent =
-		['download-review-pack', 'revise-proposal'].includes(activeAction) ||
+		['download-review-pack', 'monitor-review', 'revise-proposal'].includes(activeAction) ||
 		['review ready', 'check draft'].includes(activeLabel);
 	const approveCurrent =
 		['queue-encode', 'approve-size-tradeoff'].includes(activeAction) || activeLabel === 'approved';
 	const encodeCurrent =
-		['open-ops', 'retry-encode'].includes(activeAction) ||
+		['monitor-processing', 'open-ops', 'retry-encode'].includes(activeAction) ||
 		['processing', 'processing failed', 'processing stopped'].includes(activeLabel);
 	return [
 		{