diff --git a/src/main/services/team/fileLock.ts b/src/main/services/team/fileLock.ts
index 9af59297..9152bbda 100644
--- a/src/main/services/team/fileLock.ts
+++ b/src/main/services/team/fileLock.ts
@@ -99,16 +99,50 @@ function releaseLock(lockPath: string): void {
   }
 }
 
+function sleepSync(ms: number): void {
+  const deadline = Date.now() + ms;
+  while (Date.now() < deadline) {
+    // Synchronous callers need the same cross-process lock as controller writes.
+  }
+}
+
+function resolveLockOptions(options: FileLockOptions): Required<FileLockOptions> {
+  return {
+    acquireTimeoutMs: options.acquireTimeoutMs ?? ACQUIRE_TIMEOUT_MS,
+    staleTimeoutMs: options.staleTimeoutMs ?? STALE_TIMEOUT_MS,
+    retryIntervalMs: options.retryIntervalMs ?? RETRY_INTERVAL_MS,
+  };
+}
+
+export function withFileLockSync<T>(
+  filePath: string,
+  fn: () => T,
+  options: FileLockOptions = {}
+): T {
+  const resolvedOptions = resolveLockOptions(options);
+  const lockPath = `${filePath}.lock`;
+  const deadline = Date.now() + resolvedOptions.acquireTimeoutMs;
+
+  while (!tryAcquire(lockPath, resolvedOptions)) {
+    if (Date.now() >= deadline) {
+      throw new Error(`File lock timeout: ${filePath}`);
+    }
+    sleepSync(Math.min(resolvedOptions.retryIntervalMs, Math.max(0, deadline - Date.now())));
+  }
+
+  try {
+    return fn();
+  } finally {
+    releaseLock(lockPath);
+  }
+}
+
 export async function withFileLock<T>(
   filePath: string,
   fn: () => Promise<T>,
   options: FileLockOptions = {}
 ): Promise<T> {
-  const resolvedOptions = {
-    acquireTimeoutMs: options.acquireTimeoutMs ?? ACQUIRE_TIMEOUT_MS,
-    staleTimeoutMs: options.staleTimeoutMs ?? STALE_TIMEOUT_MS,
-    retryIntervalMs: options.retryIntervalMs ?? RETRY_INTERVAL_MS,
-  };
+  const resolvedOptions = resolveLockOptions(options);
   const lockPath = `${filePath}.lock`;
   const deadline = Date.now() + resolvedOptions.acquireTimeoutMs;
 
diff --git a/src/renderer/index.html b/src/renderer/index.html
index 33d141f0..6006ef3c 100644
--- a/src/renderer/index.html
+++ b/src/renderer/index.html
@@ -237,10 +237,17 @@
         animation: splash-tagline-type 1.05s steps(28, end) 0.22s forwards;
         will-change: clip-path;
       }
-      #splash-status-row {
+      #splash-loading {
         display: flex;
         width: min(320px, 78vw);
-        margin-top: 14px;
+        margin-top: 24px;
+        flex-direction: column;
+        align-items: center;
+        gap: 8px;
+      }
+      #splash-status-row {
+        display: flex;
+        width: 100%;
         align-items: baseline;
         justify-content: center;
         gap: 6px;
@@ -274,9 +281,8 @@
         white-space: nowrap;
       }
       #splash-hint {
-        width: min(320px, 78vw);
+        width: 100%;
         min-height: 15px;
-        margin-top: 6px;
         font-family:
           ui-sans-serif,
           system-ui,
@@ -347,7 +353,6 @@
         position: relative;
         width: min(240px, 64vw);
         height: 3px;
-        margin-top: 10px;
         overflow: hidden;
         border-radius: 999px;
         background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.1);
@@ -611,12 +616,14 @@
       <div id="splash-copy">
         <div id="splash-text">Agent Teams AI</div>
         <div id="splash-tagline"><span>Get more done by doing less.</span></div>
-        <div id="splash-status-row">
-          <div id="splash-status" aria-live="polite">Preparing workspace...</div>
-          <div id="splash-elapsed">0s</div>
+        <div id="splash-loading">
+          <div id="splash-progress" aria-hidden="true"><div id="splash-progress-bar"></div></div>
+          <div id="splash-status-row">
+            <div id="splash-status" aria-live="polite">Preparing workspace...</div>
+            <div id="splash-elapsed">0s</div>
+          </div>
+          <div id="splash-hint" aria-live="polite"></div>
         </div>
-        <div id="splash-hint" aria-live="polite"></div>
-        <div id="splash-progress" aria-hidden="true"><div id="splash-progress-bar"></div></div>
         <div id="splash-timeline" aria-label="Startup steps"></div>
       </div>
     </div>