diff --git a/public/js/ui-input-handler-module.js b/public/js/ui-input-handler-module.js
index ffa700d..112ee45 100644
--- a/public/js/ui-input-handler-module.js
+++ b/public/js/ui-input-handler-module.js
@@ -308,6 +308,18 @@ class UIInputHandlerModule extends BaseModule {
     normalizeProcessState(state) {
         const playbackCoordinator = this.getModule('playback-coordinator');
         const isPlaying = Boolean(playbackCoordinator?.isPlaying);
+        // The player is in control when an input prompt is open AND the book is not actively
+        // playing a sentence (the timeline owns webglBookPlaybackActive). Then the cursor must
+        // show the input/server state, never the playback feather — even if a stale playing-*
+        // state lingers — so strip the playback overlay. While a sentence is actually playing
+        // the feather wins, even if an input mode is still set from the previous turn.
+        const playbackActive = document.documentElement.dataset.webglBookPlaybackActive === 'true';
+        const awaitingPlayer = !playbackActive && ['choice', 'text', 'end'].includes(this.inputMode);
+        if (awaitingPlayer) {
+            if (state === 'playing-ready') return 'ready';
+            if (state === 'playing-generating') return 'waiting-generating';
+            return state;
+        }
 
         if (isPlaying && state === 'ready') {
             return 'playing-ready';
@@ -345,6 +357,12 @@ class UIInputHandlerModule extends BaseModule {
         this.setInputModeDataset();
         const state = document.documentElement.dataset.processState || 'loading';
         this.setInputAvailability(this.inputMode === 'text' && state === 'ready');
+        // Opening an input-awaiting prompt hands control to the player; reflect that in the
+        // cursor immediately instead of leaving the prior playback state showing (the live
+        // flow does not always dispatch a fresh process-state when the prompt appears).
+        if (this.inputMode !== 'none') {
+            this.setProcessState('ready', { reason: `input-mode:${this.inputMode}` });
+        }
     }
 
     setInputModeDataset() {
diff --git a/public/js/webgl-book-lab.js b/public/js/webgl-book-lab.js
index 8d06795..0541247 100644
--- a/public/js/webgl-book-lab.js
+++ b/public/js/webgl-book-lab.js
@@ -7,7 +7,9 @@ import { OutputPass } from 'https://esm.sh/three@0.165.0/examples/jsm/postproces
 import { PROCEDURAL_BOOK, createProceduralBookModel, snapProceduralPageCount } from './procedural-book-model.js?v=20260610-book-timeline-l';
 
 const canvas = document.getElementById('scene');
-canvas.style.cursor = 'grab';
+// The canvas inherits the document-level process-state cursor (awaiting input / server /
+// background / animation) so the 3D scene communicates game state like the overlay does.
+// A grab cursor is shown only transiently while actively right-drag-rotating the camera.
 const tableDebugModes = {
     none: 0,
     shadow: 1,
@@ -4432,7 +4434,7 @@ function installCameraControls() {
         cameraRig.dragging = false;
         cameraRig.navigationActive = false;
         cameraRig.keys.clear();
-        canvas.style.cursor = 'grab';
+        canvas.style.cursor = '';
         canvas.releasePointerCapture(event.pointerId);
     });
 
@@ -4440,7 +4442,7 @@ function installCameraControls() {
         cameraRig.dragging = false;
         cameraRig.navigationActive = false;
         cameraRig.keys.clear();
-        canvas.style.cursor = 'grab';
+        canvas.style.cursor = '';
     });
 
     canvas.addEventListener('wheel', (event) => {