diff --git a/.claude/skills/pql-board/SKILL.md b/.claude/skills/pql-board/SKILL.md
index ae73d33ba..bf5aff017 100644
--- a/.claude/skills/pql-board/SKILL.md
+++ b/.claude/skills/pql-board/SKILL.md
@@ -1,10 +1,12 @@
 ---
 name: pql-board
 description: >
-  Refresh (or first-create) the pql ticket-board Artifact — the clide-style
-  two-column board snapshot hosted at a stable claude.ai URL. Use when the user
-  says "refresh the board", "update the pql board", "/pql-board", or asks to see
-  the ticket board in the desktop app.
+  Two board surfaces for pql in the Claude desktop app: (1) refresh (or
+  first-create) the ticket-board Artifact — the clide-style two-column snapshot
+  at a stable claude.ai URL; (2) render an interactive in-chat board panel with
+  one-click ticket pick-up (sendPrompt). Use when the user says "refresh the
+  board", "update the pql board", "/pql-board", "board panel", "pick-up panel",
+  or asks to see/act on the ticket board in the desktop app.
 ---
 
 # pql Board Artifact
@@ -54,6 +56,40 @@ so the page is a **snapshot** — this skill regenerates and redeploys it.
   editing. Dep edges cover non-terminal tickets only — if pql grows
   `ticket list --with-blockers`, simplify the script (candidate upstream FR
   per the pql-gaps-go-upstream rule).
-- Companion interaction surface: the visualize widget (`show_widget`) supports
-  `sendPrompt()` — for in-chat quick actions (refresh button, WIP strip); see
-  the session pattern, not this skill.
+## Interactive panel (in-chat, one-click pick-up)
+
+The artifact is reference-only (sandboxed: clipboard-out is its ceiling).
+Real one-click interactivity lives in the in-chat widget — render it when the
+user asks for "the panel", "pick-up panel", or wants to act on tickets rather
+than read them.
+
+1. Pull live data (small, native projections — never embed the whole store):
+
+   ```bash
+   pql ticket list --status in_progress --fields id,type,priority,title
+   pql ticket list --under T-750 --unblocked --leaf --fields id,type,priority,title
+   ```
+
+   Panel contents: WIP + the unblocked ready work of the active phase (cap at
+   ~10 rows; if more, take highest priority first and say so under the panel).
+
+2. Render with `mcp__visualize__show_widget` (load its `read_me` first,
+   `interactive` module). Panel shape — compact bordered rows, CDS tokens:
+   - Each row: mono ticket id (link to the artifact deep-link `#T-NNN`),
+     title, status/priority pill, and two buttons:
+     - **Pick up ↗** → `sendPrompt('pick up the following ticket: T-NNN — <title>')`
+     - **Detail ↗** → `sendPrompt('show me T-NNN in detail')`
+   - Footer buttons: **Refresh board ↗** → `sendPrompt('/pql-board')`,
+     **Next batch ↗** → `sendPrompt('/whats-next')`.
+   - Widget rules: no emoji, sentence case, `↗` suffix on sendPrompt buttons.
+
+3. **On receiving a "pick up the following ticket:" prompt** (from the panel
+   or typed): treat it as single-ticket batch activation — the /whats-next
+   Step-3 flow scoped to one ticket: show the ticket with `--with-context`,
+   set it `in_progress`, create the topic branch/worktree if it is code work,
+   and start the work (or spawn the implementing agent per standing practice).
+   Ticket mutations must land in a commit per the changelog persistence rule.
+
+Widget read-back does NOT work (verified 2026-07-24: `read_widget_context`
+returns empty for these widgets before and after interaction) — the panel
+talks to Claude via `sendPrompt` only; never design around querying it.