diff --git a/browse/js/app.js b/browse/js/app.js
index e26ecd8..59cac74 100644
--- a/browse/js/app.js
+++ b/browse/js/app.js
@@ -55,6 +55,8 @@
                 if (previewBody) previewBody.innerHTML = '';
                 var previewTitle = document.getElementById('previewTitle');
                 if (previewTitle) previewTitle.textContent = 'No file selected';
+                // Reapply view mode for the new URL (incoming/ → grid, etc).
+                if (events.applyResolvedViewMode) events.applyResolvedViewMode();
             } catch (_e) { /* swallow — leave the tree as-is */ }
         });
     }
diff --git a/browse/js/events.js b/browse/js/events.js
index 0a53b8a..af93d20 100644
--- a/browse/js/events.js
+++ b/browse/js/events.js
@@ -136,11 +136,10 @@
             });
         }
 
-        // View-mode toggle (Browse vs Grid)
-        var btnBrowse = document.getElementById('viewModeBrowse');
-        var btnGrid = document.getElementById('viewModeGrid');
-        if (btnBrowse) btnBrowse.addEventListener('click', function () { setViewMode('browse'); });
-        if (btnGrid) btnGrid.addEventListener('click', function () { setViewMode('grid'); });
+        // No view-mode buttons; mode is derived from the URL on every
+        // scope change (resolveViewMode below). Pass-through for the
+        // initial path.
+        applyResolvedViewMode();
 
         // Pop-out preview button — opens the current preview in a separate window.
         var popout = document.getElementById('previewPopout');
@@ -287,25 +286,43 @@
         }
     }
 
-    function setViewMode(mode) {
+    // View mode is URL-driven, not UI-driven.
+    //
+    //   ?view=grid    → grid mode (only honored where classifier is
+    //                   available; otherwise falls back to browse)
+    //   ?view=browse  → browse mode (always)
+    //   default       → path-based: grid when inside an incoming/
+    //                   subtree, browse everywhere else
+    //
+    // resolveViewMode reads the current location and returns the mode
+    // to render; applyResolvedViewMode toggles the panes accordingly.
+    // Called on initial load and on every client-side rescope.
+    function resolveViewMode() {
+        var qs = new URLSearchParams(window.location.search);
+        var explicit = (qs.get('view') || '').toLowerCase();
+        var grid = window.app.modules.grid;
+        var classifierHere = !!(grid && grid.availableHere && grid.availableHere());
+        if (explicit === 'grid') return classifierHere ? 'grid' : 'browse';
+        if (explicit === 'browse') return 'browse';
+        return classifierHere ? 'grid' : 'browse';
+    }
+
+    function applyResolvedViewMode() {
+        var mode = resolveViewMode();
         state.viewMode = mode;
         var browseView = document.getElementById('browseView');
         var gridView = document.getElementById('gridView');
-        var btnBrowse = document.getElementById('viewModeBrowse');
-        var btnGrid = document.getElementById('viewModeGrid');
         if (mode === 'grid') {
             if (browseView) browseView.classList.add('hidden');
             if (gridView) gridView.classList.remove('hidden');
-            if (btnBrowse) btnBrowse.setAttribute('aria-selected', 'false');
-            if (btnGrid) btnGrid.setAttribute('aria-selected', 'true');
-            // Lazily mount classifier on first activation.
             var grid = window.app.modules.grid;
-            if (grid && grid.activate) grid.activate();
+            if (grid) {
+                if (grid.reset) grid.reset();
+                if (grid.activate) grid.activate();
+            }
         } else {
             if (browseView) browseView.classList.remove('hidden');
             if (gridView) gridView.classList.add('hidden');
-            if (btnBrowse) btnBrowse.setAttribute('aria-selected', 'true');
-            if (btnGrid) btnGrid.setAttribute('aria-selected', 'false');
         }
     }
 
@@ -376,6 +393,10 @@
             history.pushState({ zddcBrowse: true, path: url }, '', url);
         } catch (_e) { /* private browsing edge cases */ }
         statusInfo('Entered ' + displayName);
+        // The new scope may have a different default view (grid inside
+        // incoming/, browse elsewhere). Re-resolve from the URL now
+        // that pushState has updated it.
+        applyResolvedViewMode();
     }
 
     // Public API
@@ -384,6 +405,7 @@
         statusError: statusError,
         statusInfo: statusInfo,
         statusClear: statusClear,
-        showBrowseRoot: showBrowseRoot
+        showBrowseRoot: showBrowseRoot,
+        applyResolvedViewMode: applyResolvedViewMode
     };
 })();
diff --git a/browse/js/grid.js b/browse/js/grid.js
index 20dfed9..b5c9763 100644
--- a/browse/js/grid.js
+++ b/browse/js/grid.js
@@ -1,81 +1,38 @@
-// grid.js — "Grid mode" plugin for browse. Activated by the
-// view-mode toggle in the toolbar. Loads the standalone classifier
-// tool as an iframe scoped to the current directory; the user gets
-// classifier's full bulk-rename workflow without leaving browse.
+// grid.js — "Grid mode" plugin for browse. Loads the classifier tool
+// as an iframe scoped to the current directory so users get classifier's
+// full bulk-rename workflow without leaving browse.
 //
-// This is a v1 — a future iteration could bundle classifier's
-// modules directly into browse for tighter integration (shared
-// state, no iframe chrome). For now the iframe is a clean separation
-// that preserves classifier's full feature set.
+// Availability: only inside an `incoming/` subtree (case-insensitive).
+// Working/staging support the classifier tool at the URL level, but
+// they're file-staging contexts in normal use, not rename surfaces —
+// the Grid toggle is for the inbound side. Outside an incoming/ path,
+// the Grid button is hidden entirely (no explanatory empty state).
 //
-// Iframe src resolution:
-//   - server mode: <currentDirURL>/classifier.html. classifier is
-//     auto-served at any working/staging/incoming subtree per
-//     zddc-server's apps/availability.go. Outside those locations the
-//     iframe will 404 — we surface a friendly message instead of an
-//     opaque blank page.
-//   - file:// or unknown: show a "switch to server mode for grid"
-//     hint. classifier needs FS-API access; embedding it via file://
-//     iframe is blocked by browser security.
+// Iframe src resolution: <currentDirURL>/classifier.html. Iframe
+// embedding only works in server mode; file:// pages don't get the
+// Grid toggle.
 (function () {
     'use strict';
 
     var state = window.app.state;
     var mounted = false;
 
-    function escapeHtml(s) {
-        return String(s).replace(/&/g, '&amp;').replace(/</g, '&lt;')
-            .replace(/>/g, '&gt;').replace(/"/g, '&quot;');
-    }
-
     function classifierAvailableHere() {
-        // classifier auto-serves under any path containing a segment
-        // named working / staging / incoming (case-insensitive).
-        // browse mode-toggle should reflect that.
+        // Grid is the classifier-embedded view. Only meaningful in
+        // incoming/ — that's where bulk-rename actually happens.
         var path = (window.location && window.location.pathname) || '';
-        return /\/(working|staging|incoming)(\/|$)/i.test(path);
+        return /\/incoming(\/|$)/i.test(path);
     }
 
     function activate() {
         var host = document.getElementById('gridView');
         if (!host) return;
-
         if (mounted) return;
-
-        host.innerHTML = '';
-
-        if (state.source !== 'server') {
-            host.innerHTML =
-                '<div class="grid-empty">'
-                + '<h3 style="margin-bottom:0.5rem">Grid mode</h3>'
-                + '<p>The classifier (bulk ZDDC rename) workflow runs as an embedded'
-                + ' iframe and requires the page be served by zddc-server.</p>'
-                + '<p>If you opened this file directly (file://), open the standalone'
-                + ' <code>classifier.html</code> tool instead — it provides the same'
-                + ' workflow against a local folder you pick from the file system.</p>'
-                + '</div>';
-            return;
-        }
-
-        if (!classifierAvailableHere()) {
-            host.innerHTML =
-                '<div class="grid-empty">'
-                + '<h3 style="margin-bottom:0.5rem">Grid mode</h3>'
-                + '<p>The classifier (bulk ZDDC rename) workflow auto-serves at'
-                + ' <code>working/</code>, <code>staging/</code>, and'
-                + ' <code>incoming/</code> URLs. The current page'
-                + ' (<code>' + escapeHtml(window.location.pathname) + '</code>) isn\'t'
-                + ' inside any of those, so classifier isn\'t available here.</p>'
-                + '<p>Navigate browse into a working/ or staging/ folder, then'
-                + ' switch to Grid.</p>'
-                + '</div>';
-            return;
-        }
+        if (state.source !== 'server' || !classifierAvailableHere()) return;
 
         // Compute the iframe src: current page's directory + classifier.html.
         var pathname = window.location.pathname || '/';
         if (!pathname.endsWith('/')) {
-            // Strip trailing /<file>.html or similar — keep up to the last "/".
             var lastSlash = pathname.lastIndexOf('/');
             pathname = lastSlash >= 0 ? pathname.substring(0, lastSlash + 1) : '/';
         }
@@ -91,12 +48,19 @@
         mounted = true;
     }
 
+    // When the user navigates between scopes (client-side rescope on
+    // dblclick), the iframe needs to be reloaded for the new path.
+    // Callers reset before re-activating.
+    function reset() {
+        mounted = false;
+        var host = document.getElementById('gridView');
+        if (host) host.innerHTML = '';
+    }
+
     window.app.modules.grid = {
         activate: activate,
-        // Hook the toggle button visibility / hint to the activation
-        // predicate so users at non-classifier paths see the button
-        // in a disabled state with explanation. Callers run this
-        // after the initial directory is loaded.
+        reset: reset,
+        // Hook for events.js to show/hide the Grid toggle button.
         availableHere: function () {
             return state.source === 'server' && classifierAvailableHere();
         }
diff --git a/browse/template.html b/browse/template.html
index fb6804b..27f49a3 100644
--- a/browse/template.html
+++ b/browse/template.html
@@ -53,10 +53,6 @@
 
         <div id="browseRoot" class="browse-root hidden">
             <div class="browse-toolbar">
-                <div class="view-mode-toggle" role="tablist" aria-label="View mode">
-                    <button id="viewModeBrowse" class="btn btn-sm" role="tab" aria-selected="true">Browse</button>
-                    <button id="viewModeGrid" class="btn btn-sm" role="tab" aria-selected="false">Grid</button>
-                </div>
                 <nav class="breadcrumbs" id="breadcrumbs" aria-label="Path"></nav>
                 <span class="toolbar__count" id="entryCount"></span>
                 <label class="sort-control" for="sortBy" title="Sort tree entries">