Messages pins the founder's CEO conversation at the top

buildConversations learns the org's CEO (c_suite, the runtime predicate)
and ranks the viewer's own direct conversation with them above recency —
counterpart resolution already works from the viewer's seat, so agent-to-
agent CEO chats never match. The row carries a CEO badge and, before the
first exchange, invites asking about progress, goals, or direction.
Being first, it is also the default conversation the page opens on.

src/renderer/src/i18n/zh.ts

@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ export const zh: Record<string, string> = {
   "Approve all low risk": "批准全部低风险",
   "Approved": "已批准",
   "Approved (7d)": "已批准（7 天）",
+  "Ask about progress, goals, or direction": "问进度、聊方向、随时调整目标",
   "Assignee": "负责人",
   "Attach file": "附加文件",
   "Auto-approve hires": "自动批准招聘",
@@ -70,6 +71,7 @@ export const zh: Record<string, string> = {
   "Budget utilization": "预算使用率",
   "Busy": "忙碌",
   "By agent": "按智能体",
+  "CEO": "CEO",
   "CEO OFFICE": "CEO 办公室",
   "Cancel": "取消",
   "Catalog": "目录",

src/renderer/src/pages/ChatPage.tsx

@@ -40,6 +40,12 @@ export function ChatPage({ snapshot, actions }: PageProps) {
     () => snapshot.approvals.filter((a) => a.orgId === orgId && a.state === "pending"),
     [snapshot.approvals, orgId],
   );
+  // The CEO is the c_suite agent — the same predicate the runtime enforces.
+  // Snapshot agents arrive oldest-first, so .find is the founding CEO.
+  const ceoAgentId = useMemo(
+    () => agents.find((agent) => agent.roleLevel === "c_suite" && agent.lifecycle === "active")?.id ?? null,
+    [agents],
+  );
   const conversations = useMemo(
     () => buildConversations({
       spaces,
@@ -49,8 +55,9 @@ export function ChatPage({ snapshot, actions }: PageProps) {
       employees,
       agents,
       currentEmployeeId: employee.id,
+      ceoAgentId,
     }),
-    [spaces, snapshot.chatMemberships, messagesAll, snapshot.chatReadStates, employees, agents, employee.id],
+    [spaces, snapshot.chatMemberships, messagesAll, snapshot.chatReadStates, employees, agents, employee.id, ceoAgentId],
   );
   const [selectedSpaceId, setSelectedSpaceId] = useState<string | null>(null);
   const [createOpen, setCreateOpen] = useState(false);

src/renderer/src/pages/chat/ChatSidebar.tsx

@@ -156,6 +156,7 @@ function ConversationRow({
           >
             {conversation.title}
           </span>
+          {conversation.isCeo && <span className="convo-ceo-badge">{t("CEO")}</span>}
           <span style={{ fontSize: 11, color: "var(--text-3)", flexShrink: 0 }}>
             {conversation.preview ? formatRelative(conversation.lastActivityAt) : ""}
           </span>
@@ -172,7 +173,7 @@ function ConversationRow({
               minWidth: 0,
             }}
           >
-            {conversation.preview ?? conversation.space.topic}
+            {conversation.preview ?? (conversation.isCeo ? t("Ask about progress, goals, or direction") : conversation.space.topic)}
           </span>
           {conversation.unread > 0 && (
             <span className="nav-badge" style={{ flexShrink: 0 }}>{conversation.unread > 99 ? "99+" : conversation.unread}</span>

src/renderer/src/pages/chat/chat-helpers.ts

@@ -85,6 +85,8 @@ export interface ConversationItem {
   isDirect: boolean;
   /** The other party of a direct conversation, when there is exactly one. */
   counterpart: ConversationCounterpart | null;
+  /** The viewer's own conversation with the CEO — pinned above everything. */
+  isCeo: boolean;
   preview: string | null;
   lastActivityAt: string;
   unread: number;
@@ -93,7 +95,9 @@ export interface ConversationItem {
 /**
  * Folds spaces, messages, memberships, and per-employee read state into the
  * conversation list: every channel and direct conversation as its own row,
- * newest activity first, with a preview line and an unread count.
+ * newest activity first, with a preview line and an unread count. The
+ * viewer's direct conversation with the CEO outranks recency — it is the
+ * company's front door and stays pinned at the top.
  */
 export function buildConversations(input: {
   spaces: ChatSpaceRecord[];
@@ -103,6 +107,7 @@ export function buildConversations(input: {
   employees: EmployeeRecord[];
   agents: AgentRecord[];
   currentEmployeeId: string;
+  ceoAgentId: string | null;
 }): ConversationItem[] {
   const lastBySpace = new Map<string, ChatMessageRecord>();
   const countsSince = new Map<string, number>();
@@ -140,12 +145,15 @@ export function buildConversations(input: {
       title: isDirect ? directTitle : space.name,
       isDirect,
       counterpart,
+      // The counterpart resolves only from the viewer's own seat, so agent⇄agent
+      // conversations that happen to involve the CEO never match here.
+      isCeo: counterpart !== null && counterpart.type === "agent" && counterpart.id === input.ceoAgentId,
       preview: last ? `${senderName(last, context)}: ${previewText(last)}` : null,
       lastActivityAt: last?.createdAt ?? space.createdAt,
       unread: countsSince.get(space.id) ?? 0,
     };
   });
-  return items.sort((a, b) => b.lastActivityAt.localeCompare(a.lastActivityAt));
+  return items.sort((a, b) => Number(b.isCeo) - Number(a.isCeo) || b.lastActivityAt.localeCompare(a.lastActivityAt));
 }
 
 /** Current display names of a space's members, in membership order. */

src/renderer/src/styles.css

@@ -273,6 +273,15 @@ a { color: inherit; }
 }
 .convo-item:hover { background: var(--hover); color: var(--text-1); }
 .convo-item.active { background: var(--panel-3); color: var(--text-1); }
+.convo-ceo-badge {
+  font-size: var(--fs-caption);
+  font-weight: 560;
+  color: var(--accent);
+  background: var(--accent-soft);
+  padding: 1px 6px;
+  border-radius: 999px;
+  flex-shrink: 0;
+}
 
 /* Controls that appear on intent: hidden until the row is hovered or focused. */
 .reveal-row .reveal { opacity: 0; transition: opacity var(--motion-fast) var(--ease-out); }

tests/unit/conversation-pinning.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,105 @@
+import { describe, expect, test } from "vitest";
+import { buildConversations } from "../../src/renderer/src/pages/chat/chat-helpers";
+import type {
+  AgentRecord,
+  ChatMembershipRecord,
+  ChatMessageRecord,
+  ChatSpaceRecord,
+  EmployeeRecord,
+} from "../../src/shared/domain";
+
+const ORG = "org_1";
+const FOUNDER = "emp_founder";
+const CEO = "agt_ceo";
+const ENGINEER = "agt_engineer";
+
+function space(id: string, spaceType: string, name: string, createdAt: string): ChatSpaceRecord {
+  return { id, orgId: ORG, spaceType, name, topic: "t", visibility: "restricted", retentionPolicy: "standard", createdAt };
+}
+
+function member(spaceId: string, principalType: "employee" | "agent", principalId: string): ChatMembershipRecord {
+  return { spaceId, principalType, principalId, role: "member", muteState: "unmuted" };
+}
+
+function message(id: string, spaceId: string, senderId: string, createdAt: string): ChatMessageRecord {
+  return {
+    id, orgId: ORG, spaceId, threadId: `thr_${id}`, senderType: "agent", senderId,
+    bodyMd: "hello", bodyStructuredJson: "{}", deliveryState: "sent", createdAt, editedAt: null, deletedAt: null,
+  };
+}
+
+function agent(id: string, name: string, roleLevel: string): AgentRecord {
+  return {
+    id, orgId: ORG, name, role: name, department: "Executive", modelProviderId: null, modelId: null,
+    budgetCents: 0, managerAgentId: roleLevel === "c_suite" ? null : CEO, title: name, roleLevel,
+    modelStrategy: "explicit", workspaceId: null, heartbeatEnabled: false, heartbeatIntervalSec: 0,
+    lifecycle: "active", avatarEmoji: null, avatarColor: null, avatarImage: null, createdAt: "2026-01-01T00:00:00Z",
+  };
+}
+
+const employees: EmployeeRecord[] = [{
+  id: FOUNDER, orgId: ORG, displayName: "Yang", role: "founder",
+  avatarEmoji: null, avatarColor: null, avatarImage: null, createdAt: "2026-01-01T00:00:00Z",
+}];
+const agents: AgentRecord[] = [agent(CEO, "CEO", "c_suite"), agent(ENGINEER, "Dana", "staff")];
+
+// The founder⇄CEO conversation is the OLDEST and QUIETEST space; the busy
+// channel and the CEO⇄engineer conversation both out-recency it. Pinning
+// must beat recency, and only from the founder's own seat.
+function fixtures() {
+  const spaces = [
+    space("spc_ceo_dm", "direct", "Yang · CEO", "2026-01-01T00:00:00Z"),
+    space("spc_general", "company", "general", "2026-01-02T00:00:00Z"),
+    space("spc_agents_dm", "direct", "CEO · Dana", "2026-01-03T00:00:00Z"),
+  ];
+  const memberships = [
+    member("spc_ceo_dm", "employee", FOUNDER),
+    member("spc_ceo_dm", "agent", CEO),
+    member("spc_general", "employee", FOUNDER),
+    member("spc_general", "agent", CEO),
+    member("spc_general", "agent", ENGINEER),
+    member("spc_agents_dm", "agent", CEO),
+    member("spc_agents_dm", "agent", ENGINEER),
+  ];
+  const messages = [
+    message("m1", "spc_ceo_dm", CEO, "2026-01-04T00:00:00Z"),
+    message("m2", "spc_general", ENGINEER, "2026-01-05T00:00:00Z"),
+    message("m3", "spc_agents_dm", CEO, "2026-01-06T00:00:00Z"),
+  ];
+  return { spaces, memberships, messages };
+}
+
+function build(overrides: Partial<Parameters<typeof buildConversations>[0]> = {}) {
+  const { spaces, memberships, messages } = fixtures();
+  return buildConversations({
+    spaces, memberships, messages, readStates: [], employees, agents,
+    currentEmployeeId: FOUNDER, ceoAgentId: CEO, ...overrides,
+  });
+}
+
+describe("conversation pinning", () => {
+  test("the founder's CEO conversation outranks recency and sits first", () => {
+    const conversations = build();
+    expect(conversations.map((item) => item.space.id)).toEqual(["spc_ceo_dm", "spc_agents_dm", "spc_general"]);
+    expect(conversations[0].isCeo).toBe(true);
+    expect(conversations[0].title).toBe("CEO");
+  });
+
+  test("a CEO⇄agent conversation is not the founder's pinned line", () => {
+    const conversations = build();
+    const agentsDm = conversations.find((item) => item.space.id === "spc_agents_dm");
+    expect(agentsDm?.isCeo).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  test("without a CEO the list is pure recency", () => {
+    const conversations = build({ ceoAgentId: null });
+    expect(conversations.every((item) => !item.isCeo)).toBe(true);
+    expect(conversations.map((item) => item.space.id)).toEqual(["spc_agents_dm", "spc_general", "spc_ceo_dm"]);
+  });
+
+  test("the pinned row still counts unread like any conversation", () => {
+    const conversations = build();
+    expect(conversations[0].unread).toBe(1);
+    expect(conversations[0].preview).toContain("CEO:");
+  });
+});