diff --git a/packages/api/src/index.ts b/packages/api/src/index.ts
index 66f86dc..abbe8bb 100644
--- a/packages/api/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/api/src/index.ts
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ app.get("/", (_req, res) => {
 app.get("/api", (_req, res) => {
   res.json({
     name: "Transceiver Intelligence Platform",
-    version: "0.2.3",
+    version: "0.2.4",
     endpoints: [
       "GET /api/transceivers?q=&form_factor=&speed=&category=&fiber_type=&wdm_type=&coherent=",
       "GET /api/transceivers/:id",
diff --git a/packages/api/src/routes/health.ts b/packages/api/src/routes/health.ts
index 797c6d2..0e56a0c 100644
--- a/packages/api/src/routes/health.ts
+++ b/packages/api/src/routes/health.ts
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ healthRouter.get("/", async (_req: Request, res: Response) => {
     res.json({
       success: true,
       status: "healthy",
-      version: "0.2.3",
+      version: "0.2.4",
       uptime: process.uptime(),
       database: {
         connected: true,
diff --git a/packages/dashboard/index.html b/packages/dashboard/index.html
index d2a2a92..c420862 100644
--- a/packages/dashboard/index.html
+++ b/packages/dashboard/index.html
@@ -2287,7 +2287,16 @@ function copyBlogContent(id) {
 
 // BLOG
 function generateBlog(topic, speed) {
-  el('blog-list').innerHTML = '<div class="loading pulse" id="blog-gen-status">Generating template... LLM 10-step pipeline starts in background (~10 min)</div>';
+  // Show prominent progress overlay instead of just adding to list
+  el('blog-list').innerHTML = '<div style="background:linear-gradient(135deg,#1a1a1a,#2a2a2a);color:white;padding:2rem;border-radius:12px;text-align:center">' +
+    '<div style="font-size:1.5rem;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:1rem">🔄 Generating Blog with AI...</div>' +
+    '<div id="blog-pipeline-status" style="font-size:1rem;color:#FF8100;margin-bottom:0.5rem">Starting 10-step Flexoptix Style pipeline...</div>' +
+    '<div id="blog-pipeline-step" style="font-size:0.85rem;color:#888">Connecting to LLM (qwen2.5:14b on Mac Studio)</div>' +
+    '<div style="margin-top:1.5rem;background:#333;border-radius:8px;height:8px;overflow:hidden">' +
+    '<div id="blog-pipeline-bar" style="width:0%;height:100%;background:#FF8100;transition:width 0.5s ease"></div></div>' +
+    '<div id="blog-pipeline-pct" style="font-size:0.8rem;color:#666;margin-top:0.5rem">0%</div>' +
+    '</div>';
+
   var body = { topic: topic };
   if (speed) body.speed = speed;
   fetch(API + '/api/blog/generate', {
@@ -2296,29 +2305,73 @@ function generateBlog(topic, speed) {
     body: JSON.stringify(body)
   }).then(function(r) { return r.json(); }).then(function(data) {
     if (data.success) {
-      var msg = data.draft.title + ' — ' + data.draft.word_count + ' words';
-      if (data.draft.llm_enhancing) msg += ' (LLM enhancing in background...)';
-      showToast('Draft generated', msg);
-      if (data.draft.llm_enhancing) {
-        pollBlogLlm(data.draft.id, 0);
-      }
-    } else showToast('Failed', data.error || 'Unknown error', true);
-    loadBlogDrafts();
-  }).catch(function(err) { showToast('Network error', err.message, true); });
+      var statusEl = document.getElementById('blog-pipeline-status');
+      if (statusEl) statusEl.textContent = 'Template created. LLM pipeline running...';
+      var stepEl = document.getElementById('blog-pipeline-step');
+      if (stepEl) stepEl.textContent = 'Step 1/10: Topic Expansion — analyzing real-world scenarios...';
+      var barEl = document.getElementById('blog-pipeline-bar');
+      if (barEl) barEl.style.width = '5%';
+      pollBlogLlm(data.draft.id, 0);
+    } else {
+      showToast('Failed', data.error || 'Unknown error', true);
+      loadBlogDrafts();
+    }
+  }).catch(function(err) { showToast('Network error', err.message, true); loadBlogDrafts(); });
 }
 
+var STEP_NAMES = [
+  'Topic Expansion — analyzing real-world scenarios',
+  'Angle Selection — picking the strongest angle',
+  'Outline Generation — decision-driven structure',
+  'Master Draft — writing 2500+ word article',
+  'Reality Injection — adding production failures',
+  'Technical Deepening — specific optics + numbers',
+  'Opinion Layer — removing neutrality',
+  'Kill AI Tone — making it sound human',
+  'QA Check — fixing weak sections',
+  'Quality Score — rating 1-10'
+];
+
 function pollBlogLlm(id, attempt) {
-  if (attempt > 60) { showToast("Timeout", "LLM pipeline took too long. Check logs."); return; }
+  if (attempt > 60) {
+    showToast('Timeout', 'LLM pipeline took too long. Refresh to check.');
+    loadBlogDrafts();
+    return;
+  }
   setTimeout(function() {
     api('/api/blog/' + id).then(function(data) {
-      if (data.draft && data.draft.generated_by && data.draft.generated_by && data.draft.generated_by !== 'tip-blog-engine-template' && data.draft.generated_by !== null) {
-        showToast('LLM Enhanced', data.draft.title + ' — ' + data.draft.word_count + ' words');
-        loadBlogDrafts();
+      var d = data.draft || data;
+      var done = d.generated_by && d.generated_by !== 'tip-blog-engine-template' && d.generated_by !== null;
+      var steps = d.pipeline_steps_completed || 0;
+
+      if (done) {
+        // Pipeline finished! Show the result
+        var pct = document.getElementById('blog-pipeline-pct');
+        var bar = document.getElementById('blog-pipeline-bar');
+        var status = document.getElementById('blog-pipeline-status');
+        if (bar) bar.style.width = '100%';
+        if (pct) pct.textContent = '100%';
+        if (status) {
+          status.textContent = '✅ Blog generated! ' + (d.word_count || '?') + ' words, QA Score: ' + (d.auto_qa_score ? JSON.parse(typeof d.auto_qa_score === 'string' ? d.auto_qa_score : JSON.stringify(d.auto_qa_score)).overall || '?' : '?') + '/10';
+          status.style.color = '#2d6a4f';
+        }
+        showToast('Blog Ready!', d.title + ' — ' + d.word_count + ' words (LLM-generated)');
+        setTimeout(function() { loadBlogDrafts(); viewBlogDraft(id); }, 2000);
       } else {
-        var steps = data.draft.pipeline_steps_completed || 0; showToast("LLM Step " + steps + "/10", "Pipeline running..."); pollBlogLlm(id, attempt + 1);
+        // Still processing — update progress
+        var pctVal = Math.min(95, steps * 10 + 5);
+        var bar = document.getElementById('blog-pipeline-bar');
+        var pct = document.getElementById('blog-pipeline-pct');
+        var stepEl = document.getElementById('blog-pipeline-step');
+        var status = document.getElementById('blog-pipeline-status');
+        if (bar) bar.style.width = pctVal + '%';
+        if (pct) pct.textContent = pctVal + '%';
+        if (stepEl && steps > 0 && steps <= 10) stepEl.textContent = 'Step ' + steps + '/10: ' + (STEP_NAMES[steps-1] || 'Processing...');
+        if (status) status.textContent = 'LLM Pipeline: Step ' + steps + '/10';
+        pollBlogLlm(id, attempt + 1);
       }
-    }).catch(function() {});
-  }, 20000);
+    }).catch(function() { pollBlogLlm(id, attempt + 1); });
+  }, 15000);
 }
 
 el('gen-hype').addEventListener('click', function() { generateBlog('hype_cycle', '800G'); });