diff --git a/cmd/codeaf/telemetry.go b/cmd/codeaf/telemetry.go
index 8b76b0477..7a24618e2 100644
--- a/cmd/codeaf/telemetry.go
+++ b/cmd/codeaf/telemetry.go
@@ -28,6 +28,10 @@ func runTelemetry(args []string) error {
 		return runTelemetryStatus(nil)
 	}
 	switch args[0] {
+	case "-h", "-help", "--help":
+		// ASKING IS NEVER A FAILURE. This door took the flag for a sixth
+		// verb and left with 1, the one door in the binary that did.
+		return commandHelp("telemetry")
 	case "status":
 		return runTelemetryStatus(args[1:])
 	case "info":
@@ -42,11 +46,11 @@ func runTelemetry(args []string) error {
 }
 
 // telemetryFlags holds the one flag every verb accepts so a --help reader and
-// the tests share one parser.
+// the tests share one parser. It is the binary's own seam, named for the whole
+// line a person typed, so `codeaf telemetry status --help` prints the usage and
+// leaves with 0 like every other verb instead of `flag: help requested` and 1.
 func telemetryFlags(name string) *flag.FlagSet {
-	flags := flag.NewFlagSet(name, flag.ContinueOnError)
-	flags.SetOutput(os.Stderr)
-	return flags
+	return commandFlags("telemetry " + name)
 }
 
 // runTelemetryStatus prints the pipe's whole answer: on or off, why it is off,
@@ -55,7 +59,7 @@ func telemetryFlags(name string) *flag.FlagSet {
 // recognise, far too little to be a person.
 func runTelemetryStatus(args []string) error {
 	flags := telemetryFlags("status")
-	if err := flags.Parse(args); err != nil {
+	if err := parseCommandFlags(flags, args); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 	// The config answer goes through the package's single door so the row
@@ -110,7 +114,7 @@ func telemetryInstallPrefix() string {
 // here, each under a line naming where it goes or why it does not.
 func runTelemetryInfo(args []string) error {
 	flags := telemetryFlags("info")
-	if err := flags.Parse(args); err != nil {
+	if err := parseCommandFlags(flags, args); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 	profileDir := config.ProfileDir()
@@ -127,7 +131,7 @@ func runTelemetryInfo(args []string) error {
 // it, not piping it; a pipe reads indented JSON just as well.
 func runTelemetryShow(args []string) error {
 	flags := telemetryFlags("show")
-	if err := flags.Parse(args); err != nil {
+	if err := parseCommandFlags(flags, args); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 	profileDir := config.ProfileDir()
@@ -371,7 +375,7 @@ func poolRowsWaiting(poolDir string) []json.RawMessage {
 // nobody could audit.
 func runTelemetrySet(word string, args []string) error {
 	flags := telemetryFlags(word)
-	if err := flags.Parse(args); err != nil {
+	if err := parseCommandFlags(flags, args); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 	profileDir := config.ProfileDir()
diff --git a/cmd/codeaf/usage_test.go b/cmd/codeaf/usage_test.go
index f61a6f791..2fb1f8a9a 100644
--- a/cmd/codeaf/usage_test.go
+++ b/cmd/codeaf/usage_test.go
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ package main
 import (
 	"bytes"
 	"errors"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
@@ -67,6 +69,15 @@ func TestAskingForHelpIsNotAFailure(t *testing.T) {
 		{"plan run", func(args []string) error { return runGraph("plan run", args) }},
 		{"services", runServices},
 		{"models", runModels},
+		// The telemetry group and each of its verbs. The group took `--help`
+		// for a sixth verb and every verb answered `flag: help requested`,
+		// all with 1, while the manual says help on any verb exits 0.
+		{"telemetry", runTelemetry},
+		{"telemetry status", telemetryVerb("status")},
+		{"telemetry info", telemetryVerb("info")},
+		{"telemetry show", telemetryVerb("show")},
+		{"telemetry on", telemetryVerb("on")},
+		{"telemetry off", telemetryVerb("off")},
 		// The two old top-level spellings. They still open, and asking one for
 		// help says NOTHING on stderr: `--help` runs nothing, so there is no run
 		// for the rename notice to be about, and a Makefile that probes the
@@ -112,6 +123,29 @@ func TestAskingForHelpIsNotAFailure(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// telemetryVerb is `codeaf telemetry <verb>` as the dispatch reaches it.
+func telemetryVerb(verb string) func([]string) error {
+	return func(args []string) error { return runTelemetry(append([]string{verb}, args...)) }
+}
+
+// ASKING `off` FOR HELP TURNS NOTHING OFF. `--help` runs nothing, so a person
+// reading what `codeaf telemetry off` does has not yet chosen to do it.
+func TestAskingTelemetryOffForHelpChangesNothing(t *testing.T) {
+	home := t.TempDir()
+	t.Setenv("CODEAF_HOME", home)
+	before, _ := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(config.ProfileDir(), "config.json"))
+	captureUsage(t)
+	for _, verb := range []string{"off", "on"} {
+		if code := exitCodeOf(runTelemetry([]string{verb, "--help"})); code != 0 {
+			t.Fatalf("`codeaf telemetry %s --help` left with %d, want 0", verb, code)
+		}
+	}
+	after, _ := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(config.ProfileDir(), "config.json"))
+	if string(before) != string(after) {
+		t.Fatalf("asking for help rewrote the setting:\nbefore %q\nafter  %q", before, after)
+	}
+}
+
 // A REAL FLAG ERROR IS STILL AN ERROR, and it is one fact said once.
 //
 // It used to be said twice: the flag package printed `flag provided but not
diff --git a/docs/changes/unreleased/1533-happy-path-fixes.md b/docs/changes/unreleased/1533-happy-path-fixes.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..798227907
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/changes/unreleased/1533-happy-path-fixes.md
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+---
+kind: fixed
+title: telemetry --help exits 0, the manual names six --help groups, a wall tile shows its first age
+pr: 1533
+surface: [chat, docs]
+invalidates:
+  - "On c34a3a76d, `codeaf telemetry --help` answered `telemetry takes one of: status, info, show, on, off` and exited 1, and each telemetry verb's `--help` printed `flag: help requested` and exited 1. The group and every verb now print their usage and exit 0, and `off --help` changes nothing."
+  - "The manual said `codeaf --help` prints five groups. Since senior-dev (#1488) it prints six: Talk to it, Hand it work, Hand it a whole task, Look at what happened, Housekeeping, Plan work by hand. A build that carries no program prints five."
+  - "On c34a3a76d, the wall drew an idle conversation's tile with a blank activity line on its first read after launch. The tile now says `updated … ago` from the transcript's last write."
+---
diff --git a/internal/manual/chat/running-from-the-terminal.md b/internal/manual/chat/running-from-the-terminal.md
index 6cfa44988..d4964a96b 100644
--- a/internal/manual/chat/running-from-the-terminal.md
+++ b/internal/manual/chat/running-from-the-terminal.md
@@ -253,10 +253,13 @@ through the same code path the tool on the belt runs, so the two cannot drift:
 fetch on a keyed provider, and every `image` call the model and are billed like any
 other call.
 
-## What codeaf --help prints — the five groups, and where the environment table went
+## What codeaf --help prints — the six groups, and where the environment table went
 
-`codeaf help`, `--help` and `-h` all print the same thing: every command under those five
-headings, in that order, then five worked examples.
+`codeaf help`, `--help` and `-h` all print the same thing: every command under six
+headings, in this order — **Talk to it**, **Hand it work**, **Hand it a whole task**,
+**Look at what happened**, **Housekeeping** and **Plan work by hand** — then five worked
+examples. **Hand it a whole task** lists the programs this build carries, such as
+`codeaf senior-dev`; a build that carries none prints the other five.
 
 **The environment table is not on that page**: it is `codeaf help env`, because it is a
 reference somebody consults and it used to be more than half of what `--help` printed.
diff --git a/internal/tui3/wall.go b/internal/tui3/wall.go
index b61151c44..053aabd51 100644
--- a/internal/tui3/wall.go
+++ b/internal/tui3/wall.go
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ func (a *app) wallFrame(width, height int) []string {
 		tiles[i].rows = a.wallMiniRows(tail, wallInnerW(tileW))
 		if tail != nil {
 			tiles[i].doing = wallDoing(tail.recent, tiles[i].signal)
-			tiles[i].moved = tail.freshAt
+			tiles[i].moved = tail.moved
 		} else {
 			tiles[i].doing = wallDoing(nil, tiles[i].signal)
 		}
diff --git a/internal/tui3/wallactivity_test.go b/internal/tui3/wallactivity_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..53a223d0c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/tui3/wallactivity_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+package tui3
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/Agent-Field/codeaf/internal/session"
+)
+
+// A finished conversation's first wall reading uses the conversation's own
+// last write, so opening the wall does not claim that old work happened now.
+func TestWallFirstReadShowsConversationFileActivity(t *testing.T) {
+	now := time.Date(2026, 9, 25, 12, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC)
+	file := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "transcript.jsonl")
+	if err := os.WriteFile(file, []byte("saved conversation\n"), 0600); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	last := now.Add(-5 * time.Minute)
+	if err := os.Chtimes(file, last, last); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	agent := &fakeAgent{model: "m", past: []session.DisplayEntry{{Role: "user", Text: "hello"}, {Role: "assistant", Text: "done"}}}
+	a := newTestApp(agent)
+	a.file, a.workspace, a.title = file, filepath.Dir(file), "A finished conversation"
+	a.width, a.height = 120, 40
+	a.clock = func() time.Time { return now }
+	_ = a.openWall()
+	drive(t, a, runCmd(a.wallReadCmd(a.frontTabKey()))...)
+	if got := wallTileRowsFor(t, a, a.frontTabKey()); !strings.Contains(got, "updated 5m ago") {
+		t.Fatalf("the first idle tile did not show its last activity:\n%s", got)
+	}
+	now = now.Add(2 * time.Minute)
+	if got := wallTileRowsFor(t, a, a.frontTabKey()); !strings.Contains(got, "updated 7m ago") {
+		t.Fatalf("the idle tile did not age with the wall clock:\n%s", got)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/tui3/wallcontract.go b/internal/tui3/wallcontract.go
index d58116536..aea387bba 100644
--- a/internal/tui3/wallcontract.go
+++ b/internal/tui3/wallcontract.go
@@ -448,6 +448,9 @@ type wallTail struct {
 	seen        time.Time
 	fresh       int
 	freshAt     time.Time
+	// moved is the conversation's own last activity, including its file time
+	// when the first reading has no new lines to measure.
+	moved time.Time
 	// spark is a ring of per-second activity, newest at sparkAt.
 	spark   [wallSparkLen]uint8
 	sparkAt time.Time
diff --git a/internal/tui3/walltail.go b/internal/tui3/walltail.go
index 8c13604ac..6d33f95f4 100644
--- a/internal/tui3/walltail.go
+++ b/internal/tui3/walltail.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package tui3
 
 import (
+	"os"
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
@@ -60,6 +61,9 @@ type wallReadMsg struct {
 	// books is what the conversation's books said on the same trip
 	// ([Agent.Usage]), which takes the same lock the transcript does.
 	books float64
+	// modified is the transcript file's last write, read beside its contents
+	// off the loop so the first idle tile has a real activity time.
+	modified time.Time
 }
 
 // wallTickMsg is the wall's clock.
@@ -351,7 +355,12 @@ func (a *app) wallReadCmd(keys ...string) tea.Cmd {
 		key := key
 		cmds = append(cmds, func() tea.Msg {
 			at := time.Now()
-			return wallReadMsg{key: key, entries: agent.Transcript(), at: at, live: live, books: agent.Usage().CostUSD}
+			entries := agent.Transcript()
+			var modified time.Time
+			if info, err := os.Stat(key); err == nil {
+				modified = info.ModTime()
+			}
+			return wallReadMsg{key: key, entries: entries, at: at, live: live, books: agent.Usage().CostUSD, modified: modified}
 		})
 	}
 	switch len(cmds) {
@@ -390,6 +399,11 @@ func (a *app) wallTakeRead(msg wallReadMsg) {
 	}
 	tail.books = max(tail.books, msg.books)
 	tail.take(msg.entries, msg.at, msg.live)
+	if !tail.freshAt.IsZero() {
+		tail.moved = tail.freshAt
+	} else if tail.moved.IsZero() {
+		tail.moved = msg.modified
+	}
 }
 
 // wallStir is a held conversation's stir, as the wall hears it: a read of that
@@ -504,8 +518,8 @@ func (a *app) wallTiles(now time.Time) []wallTile {
 			tile.lines = tail.lines
 			tile.fresh = tail.fresh
 			tile.freshAt = tail.freshAt
-			if !tail.freshAt.IsZero() {
-				tile.age = wallAge(now.Sub(tail.freshAt))
+			if !tail.moved.IsZero() {
+				tile.age = wallAge(now.Sub(tail.moved))
 			}
 			if live {
 				tile.spark = tail.sparkline(now)