diff --git a/docs/editor.md b/docs/editor.md
index f10e1d0bf..0f2177e20 100644
--- a/docs/editor.md
+++ b/docs/editor.md
@@ -439,7 +439,7 @@ Full details: [`docs/features/canvas-iframe-per-frame.md`](features/canvas-ifram
 
 `CanvasRoot` (`src/admin/pages/site/canvas/CanvasRoot.module.css`) sets `position: relative; z-index: 0`. This establishes an **isolating stacking context** for the entire canvas subtree. Every canvas-internal z-index value is confined inside that context and cannot compete with sibling layout elements.
 
-Why this matters: selection rings and the floating selection toolbar are portaled into the canvas root and painted at z-index 51 (above the `PluginCanvasOverlayLayer` at 50). Without the `z-index: 0` stacking context on the canvas, those z-index 51 values escape into the shared layout context and paint over the floating `PropertiesPanel` (also z-index 50), which is a sibling of the canvas. With the isolation in place, the canvas as a whole occupies z-index 0 in the shared layout context — well below the panel's 50.
+Why this matters: selection rings and the floating selection toolbar are portaled into the canvas root and painted at z-index 51 (above the `PluginCanvasOverlayLayer` at 50). Without the `z-index: 0` stacking context on the canvas, those values escape into the shared layout context instead of remaining a single isolated canvas layer. With the isolation in place, the canvas as a whole occupies z-index 0 in the shared layout context — well below the floating-panel tier at 90.
 
 **Editor layout z-index table** (shared context, outside the canvas):
 
@@ -447,11 +447,9 @@ Why this matters: selection rings and the floating selection toolbar are portale
 |---------------------------------------|---------|------|
 | Canvas (CanvasRoot, isolation root)   | 0       | `canvas/CanvasRoot.module.css` |
 | Toolbar (main bar)                    | 30      | `toolbar/Toolbar.module.css` |
-| PropertiesPanel (floating)            | 50      | `panels/PropertiesPanel/PropertiesPanel.module.css` |
-| AgentPanel (floating)                 | 50      | `panels/AgentPanel/AgentPanel.module.css` |
 | PanelRail                             | 55      | `sidebars/PanelRail/PanelRail.module.css` |
-| LeftSidebar, RightSidebar             | 85      | `sidebars/{Left,Right}Sidebar/` |
-| Undocked left-panel host              | 90      | `sidebars/LeftSidebar/LeftSidebar.module.css` |
+| Docked left-panel host, RightSidebar  | 85      | `sidebars/{Left,Right}Sidebar/` |
+| PropertiesPanel, AgentPanel, undocked left-panel host, shared floating windows | 90 | `panels/`, `sidebars/LeftSidebar/`, `shared/FloatingWindow/` |
 | CodeEditorPanel (floats over sidebars)| 95      | `code-editor/CodeEditorPanel.module.css` |
 | Toolbar popovers / dropdowns          | 201     | `toolbar/Toolbar.module.css` |
 | PreviewOverlay                        | 400–401 | `preview/PreviewOverlay.module.css` |
@@ -544,6 +542,11 @@ floating window in both axes (arrow keys resize by 10px; Shift+arrow by 40px).
 height are persisted through `siteEditorLayoutPersistence` /
 `workspaceLayoutStorage`.
 
+The outer left-sidebar layout shell intentionally has no `z-index`, so it does
+not trap floating descendants in a sidebar stacking context. Its docked panel
+slot owns layer 85; the undocked slot and independent Agent panel participate
+directly in the shared floating tier at 90.
+
 The AI Assistant is an independent draggable and resizable floating window, so
 it can stay open beside Explorer/Layers or any other hosted panel. Its position,
 dimensions, and open state persist separately across reloads. Properties
diff --git a/docs/reference/design-tokens.md b/docs/reference/design-tokens.md
index 856b98e5a..a87948ed4 100644
--- a/docs/reference/design-tokens.md
+++ b/docs/reference/design-tokens.md
@@ -416,10 +416,10 @@ The visual editor uses additional raw z-index values that are **not** tokenised.
 |-------|-----------------|
 | 0     | `CanvasRoot` — an isolation root; all canvas-internal values are confined here |
 | 30    | Main toolbar |
-| 50    | Floating panels: PropertiesPanel, AgentPanel, DomPanel |
-| 55    | LeftSidebar, RightSidebar, PanelRail |
-| 90    | Shared admin floating windows (`FloatingWindow`, `MediaViewerWindow`, agent image preview) |
-| 80    | CodeEditorPanel |
+| 55    | PanelRail |
+| 85    | Docked left-panel host, RightSidebar |
+| 90    | PropertiesPanel, AgentPanel, undocked left-panel host, shared admin floating windows |
+| 95    | CodeEditorPanel |
 | 201   | Toolbar popovers / dropdowns |
 | 400–401 | PreviewOverlay |
 
@@ -433,7 +433,11 @@ The visual editor uses additional raw z-index values that are **not** tokenised.
 | 60          | CanvasContextSelector |
 | 2147483647  | Drop-indicator layer inside iframe (must beat arbitrary module stacking contexts) |
 
-`CanvasRoot` declares `z-index: 0; position: relative` to establish the isolation. Without it, the canvas-internal z-index 51 would escape into the layout context and paint over floating panels at z-index 50. See [`docs/editor.md`](../editor.md) → "Canvas stacking context isolation" for the full explanation.
+`CanvasRoot` declares `z-index: 0; position: relative` to establish the isolation. Without it, canvas-internal values would escape into the shared layout context instead of remaining one canvas layer beneath the floating-panel tier at 90. See [`docs/editor.md`](../editor.md) → "Canvas stacking context isolation" for the full explanation.
+
+The left-sidebar layout shell deliberately does not create a stacking context.
+Its docked panel slot owns layer 85, which lets the Agent panel and the shared
+undocked panel host participate directly in the editor-wide layer 90.
 
 Raw canvas-internal values are intentional exceptions — they cannot be tokens because they are relative to an isolated stacking context, not the global one. Do not add new raw z-index values outside this established ladder.
 
diff --git a/src/__tests__/site-explorer/siteExplorerPanel.test.tsx b/src/__tests__/site-explorer/siteExplorerPanel.test.tsx
index 5a25d89fa..237c0cdef 100644
--- a/src/__tests__/site-explorer/siteExplorerPanel.test.tsx
+++ b/src/__tests__/site-explorer/siteExplorerPanel.test.tsx
@@ -878,6 +878,40 @@ describe('SiteExplorerPanel', () => {
     expect(panelZIndex).toBeGreaterThan(Math.max(...sidebarZIndexes))
   })
 
+  it('keeps every floating editor panel above the docked panel hosts', () => {
+    const leftSidebarCss = readFileSync(
+      new URL('../../admin/pages/site/sidebars/LeftSidebar/LeftSidebar.module.css', import.meta.url),
+      'utf-8',
+    )
+    const rightSidebarCss = readFileSync(
+      new URL('../../admin/pages/site/sidebars/RightSidebar/RightSidebar.module.css', import.meta.url),
+      'utf-8',
+    )
+    const agentPanelCss = readFileSync(
+      new URL('../../admin/pages/site/panels/AgentPanel/AgentPanel.module.css', import.meta.url),
+      'utf-8',
+    )
+    const propertiesPanelCss = readFileSync(
+      new URL('../../admin/pages/site/panels/PropertiesPanel/PropertiesPanel.module.css', import.meta.url),
+      'utf-8',
+    )
+
+    const sidebarRule = leftSidebarCss.match(/\.sidebar\s*\{[\s\S]*?\}/)?.[0] ?? ''
+    const dockedSlotRule = leftSidebarCss.match(/\.panelSlot\s*\{[\s\S]*?\}/)?.[0] ?? ''
+    const rightSidebarRule = rightSidebarCss.match(/\.sidebar\s*\{[\s\S]*?\}/)?.[0] ?? ''
+    const floatingSlotRule = leftSidebarCss.match(/\.panelSlotFloating\s*\{[\s\S]*?\}/)?.[0] ?? ''
+    const agentRule = agentPanelCss.match(/\.floatPanel\s*\{[\s\S]*?\}/)?.[0] ?? ''
+    const propertiesRule = propertiesPanelCss.match(/\.panel\s*\{[\s\S]*?\}/)?.[0] ?? ''
+    const dockedZIndexes = [dockedSlotRule, rightSidebarRule]
+      .map((rule) => Number(rule.match(/z-index:\s*(\d+)/)?.[1]))
+    const floatingZIndexes = [floatingSlotRule, agentRule, propertiesRule]
+      .map((rule) => Number(rule.match(/z-index:\s*(\d+)/)?.[1]))
+
+    expect(sidebarRule).not.toContain('z-index:')
+    expect(dockedZIndexes).toEqual([85, 85])
+    expect(floatingZIndexes.every((zIndex) => zIndex > Math.max(...dockedZIndexes))).toBe(true)
+  })
+
   it('opens pages and components on the canvas from concept rows', () => {
     loadSite()
     render(<SiteExplorerPanel sectionGroup="site" />)
diff --git a/src/admin/pages/site/canvas/CanvasRoot.module.css b/src/admin/pages/site/canvas/CanvasRoot.module.css
index d0d19c5d2..565c278de 100644
--- a/src/admin/pages/site/canvas/CanvasRoot.module.css
+++ b/src/admin/pages/site/canvas/CanvasRoot.module.css
@@ -6,14 +6,10 @@
 .canvas {
     flex: 1;
     position: relative;
-    /* Establish a stacking context for the whole canvas subtree. The selection /
-       hover rings and toolbar are portaled into this element at z-index 51 (so
-       they paint above the in-canvas PluginCanvasOverlayLayer at 50). Without an
-       isolating context here, that 51 escapes into the shared layout stacking
-       context and paints over the floating PropertiesPanel (z-index 50), which
-       is a sibling of the canvas. Pinning the canvas to z-index 0 keeps the
-       rings' internal ordering intact while ensuring the entire canvas — rings
-       included — sits below floating overlay panels and sidebars. */
+    /* Establish a stacking context for the whole canvas subtree. Canvas chrome
+       owns an internal z-index ladder for selection rings, mode controls, and
+       plugin overlays. Pinning the canvas to z-index 0 keeps that ordering
+       internal while ensuring the entire canvas sits below editor panels. */
     z-index: 0;
     overflow: hidden;
     background: var(--bg-surface-2);
diff --git a/src/admin/pages/site/panels/AgentPanel/AgentPanel.module.css b/src/admin/pages/site/panels/AgentPanel/AgentPanel.module.css
index 318423d45..8bc45f60b 100644
--- a/src/admin/pages/site/panels/AgentPanel/AgentPanel.module.css
+++ b/src/admin/pages/site/panels/AgentPanel/AgentPanel.module.css
@@ -10,7 +10,10 @@
   --panel-h: 480px;
   left: var(--panel-x);
   top: var(--panel-y);
-  z-index: 50;
+  /* Shared floating tier above docked panel slots (85). The left sidebar
+     layout shell deliberately does not create a stacking context, so this
+     panel participates in the editor-wide layer. */
+  z-index: 90;
   width: var(--panel-w);
   height: var(--panel-h);
   min-width: 280px;
diff --git a/src/admin/pages/site/panels/PropertiesPanel/PropertiesPanel.module.css b/src/admin/pages/site/panels/PropertiesPanel/PropertiesPanel.module.css
index 5f846ed25..7205a4959 100644
--- a/src/admin/pages/site/panels/PropertiesPanel/PropertiesPanel.module.css
+++ b/src/admin/pages/site/panels/PropertiesPanel/PropertiesPanel.module.css
@@ -12,7 +12,9 @@
     left: var(--panel-x);
     top: var(--panel-y);
     bottom: auto;
-    z-index: 50;
+    /* Shared floating tier above docked panel slots (85). The docked variant
+       resets to auto below. */
+    z-index: 90;
     display: flex;
     flex-direction: column;
     width: var(--panel-w);
diff --git a/src/admin/pages/site/sidebars/LeftSidebar/LeftSidebar.module.css b/src/admin/pages/site/sidebars/LeftSidebar/LeftSidebar.module.css
index dec266937..cb6593266 100644
--- a/src/admin/pages/site/sidebars/LeftSidebar/LeftSidebar.module.css
+++ b/src/admin/pages/site/sidebars/LeftSidebar/LeftSidebar.module.css
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 .sidebar {
     position: relative;
-    z-index: 85;
+    /* Keep the layout shell out of the stacking ladder. Floating descendants
+       (the Agent panel and an undocked panel slot) must participate in the
+       editor's shared z-index context instead of being trapped below the
+       later right sidebar. The docked panel owns layer 85 below. */
     display: flex;
     --left-sidebar-rail-width: 42px;
     --left-sidebar-panel-width: 0px;
@@ -26,6 +29,7 @@
 .panelSlot {
     --panel-fade-bg: var(--bg-body);
     position: absolute;
+    z-index: 85;
     top: 0;
     bottom: 0;
     left: var(--left-sidebar-rail-width);