diff --git a/web/src/lib/components/knowledge/WikiCleanup.svelte b/web/src/lib/components/knowledge/WikiCleanup.svelte
index 90287f9..04909e5 100644
--- a/web/src/lib/components/knowledge/WikiCleanup.svelte
+++ b/web/src/lib/components/knowledge/WikiCleanup.svelte
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
   import { Button } from '$lib/components/ui/button'
   import { Input } from '$lib/components/ui/input'
   import { Badge } from '$lib/components/ui/badge'
-  import Spinner from '$lib/components/Spinner.svelte'
+  import { Skeleton } from '$lib/components/ui/skeleton'
   import { toast } from 'svelte-sonner'
   import { kindMeta } from './kinds'
   import { relativeTime } from '$lib/utils'
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@
       mergeSources = sources
     } catch (e) {
       duplicatesError = errMsg(e)
-      clusters = [] // stop the spinner — the error message above explains the empty state
+      clusters = [] // clear the loading skeleton — the error message above explains the empty state
     }
   }
 
@@ -289,7 +289,23 @@
         </p>
       {/if}
       {#if clusters === null}
-        <div class="flex justify-center py-8"><Spinner /></div>
+        <div class="flex flex-col gap-3">
+          {#each Array(2) as _, ci (ci)}
+            <div class="overflow-hidden rounded-lg border">
+              <div
+                class="flex items-center justify-between gap-2 border-b bg-muted/30 px-2.5 py-1.5"
+              >
+                <Skeleton class="h-3 w-28" />
+                <Skeleton class="h-6 w-28" />
+              </div>
+              <div class="flex flex-col gap-2 p-2.5">
+                {#each Array(ci === 0 ? 3 : 2) as _, ri (ri)}
+                  <Skeleton class="h-3.5" style="width: {70 - ri * 10}%" />
+                {/each}
+              </div>
+            </div>
+          {/each}
+        </div>
       {:else if clusters.length === 0}
         <p class="py-8 text-center text-xs text-muted-foreground">No likely duplicates found.</p>
       {:else}
@@ -412,7 +428,31 @@
         </p>
       {/if}
       {#if tags === null}
-        <div class="flex justify-center py-8"><Spinner /></div>
+        <table class="w-full text-xs">
+          <thead>
+            <tr class="border-b text-left text-muted-foreground">
+              <th class="py-1 font-normal">Tag</th>
+              <th class="py-1 font-normal" colspan="2">Uses</th>
+              <th class="py-1 font-normal">Variants</th>
+              <th class="py-1"></th>
+            </tr>
+          </thead>
+          <tbody>
+            {#each Array(10) as _, i (i)}
+              <tr class="border-b border-border/50">
+                <td class="w-32 py-1.5 pr-2"
+                  ><Skeleton class="h-3" style="width: {60 - i * 3}%" /></td
+                >
+                <td class="w-8 py-1.5 pr-1"><Skeleton class="ml-auto h-3 w-4" /></td>
+                <td class="w-24 py-1.5 pr-3">
+                  <Skeleton class="h-1 rounded-full" style="width: {90 - i * 8}%" />
+                </td>
+                <td class="py-1.5 pr-2"><Skeleton class="h-3 w-6" /></td>
+                <td class="py-1.5"></td>
+              </tr>
+            {/each}
+          </tbody>
+        </table>
       {:else}
         {@const maxUses = Math.max(1, ...tags.map((t) => t.uses))}
         <table class="w-full text-xs">
@@ -509,7 +549,15 @@
         </p>
       {/if}
       {#if orphans === null}
-        <div class="flex justify-center py-8"><Spinner /></div>
+        <div class="flex flex-col gap-0.5">
+          {#each Array(7) as _, i (i)}
+            <div class="flex items-center gap-2 px-1.5 py-1.5">
+              <Skeleton class="h-3.5 flex-1" style="max-width: {60 - (i % 4) * 8}%" />
+              <Skeleton class="h-4 w-14 shrink-0 rounded-full" />
+              <Skeleton class="h-3 w-10 shrink-0" />
+            </div>
+          {/each}
+        </div>
       {:else if orphans.length === 0}
         <p class="py-8 text-center text-xs text-muted-foreground">Nothing orphaned.</p>
       {:else}
@@ -541,7 +589,15 @@
         </p>
       {/if}
       {#if trash === null}
-        <div class="flex justify-center py-8"><Spinner /></div>
+        <div class="flex flex-col gap-0.5">
+          {#each Array(4) as _, i (i)}
+            <div class="flex items-center gap-2 px-1.5 py-1.5">
+              <Skeleton class="h-3.5 flex-1" style="max-width: {55 - i * 6}%" />
+              <Skeleton class="h-3 w-32 shrink-0" />
+              <Skeleton class="h-6 w-16 shrink-0" />
+            </div>
+          {/each}
+        </div>
       {:else if trash.length === 0}
         <p class="py-8 text-center text-xs text-muted-foreground">Trash is empty.</p>
       {:else}
diff --git a/web/src/lib/components/knowledge/WikiReader.svelte b/web/src/lib/components/knowledge/WikiReader.svelte
index 0130046..c395f96 100644
--- a/web/src/lib/components/knowledge/WikiReader.svelte
+++ b/web/src/lib/components/knowledge/WikiReader.svelte
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
   import { Button } from '$lib/components/ui/button'
   import { Input } from '$lib/components/ui/input'
   import { Textarea } from '$lib/components/ui/textarea'
-  import Spinner from '$lib/components/Spinner.svelte'
+  import { Skeleton } from '$lib/components/ui/skeleton'
   import PencilIcon from '@lucide/svelte/icons/pencil'
   import TrashIcon from '@lucide/svelte/icons/trash-2'
   import HistoryIcon from '@lucide/svelte/icons/history'
@@ -224,7 +224,33 @@
   {#if !item}
     <WikiOverview items={allItems} onSelect={onNavigate} {onNew} />
   {:else if loading}
-    <div class="flex h-full items-center justify-center"><Spinner /></div>
+    <!-- Shaped like the loaded header/tags/body below rather than a
+         centered spinner, so the switch from "loading" to "loaded" is a
+         content swap, not a layout jump — the title, meta line, tag row,
+         and first few lines of body all keep their real position. -->
+    <div class="flex items-start justify-between gap-2 border-b pb-2.5">
+      <div class="min-w-0 flex-1">
+        <div class="flex items-center gap-2">
+          <Skeleton class="size-4 shrink-0 rounded" />
+          <Skeleton class="h-5 w-56" />
+        </div>
+        <div class="mt-2 flex items-center gap-2">
+          <Skeleton class="h-3 w-16" />
+          <Skeleton class="h-3 w-20" />
+          <Skeleton class="h-3 w-24" />
+        </div>
+      </div>
+      <Skeleton class="h-7 w-16 shrink-0" />
+    </div>
+    <div class="flex flex-wrap gap-1.5 pt-3">
+      <Skeleton class="h-5 w-14 rounded-full" />
+      <Skeleton class="h-5 w-16 rounded-full" />
+    </div>
+    <div class="flex flex-col gap-2.5 pt-2">
+      {#each Array(6) as _, i (i)}
+        <Skeleton class="h-4" style="width: {i === 5 ? 45 : 96 - i * 4}%" />
+      {/each}
+    </div>
   {:else if !content}
     <div class="flex h-full items-center justify-center text-sm text-muted-foreground">
       Couldn't load this note.
@@ -374,7 +400,21 @@
 
         <Tabs.Content value="history" class="min-h-0 flex-1 overflow-y-auto pt-2">
           {#if revisionsLoading}
-            <div class="flex justify-center py-8"><Spinner /></div>
+            <div class="flex gap-3">
+              <div class="flex w-40 shrink-0 flex-col gap-2 px-2 py-1">
+                {#each Array(4) as _, i (i)}
+                  <div class="flex flex-col gap-1">
+                    <Skeleton class="h-3 w-16" />
+                    <Skeleton class="h-2.5 w-20" />
+                  </div>
+                {/each}
+              </div>
+              <div class="flex min-w-0 flex-1 flex-col gap-1.5 rounded border p-2">
+                {#each Array(8) as _, i (i)}
+                  <Skeleton class="h-3" style="width: {90 - (i % 4) * 15}%" />
+                {/each}
+              </div>
+            </div>
           {:else if !revisions || revisions.length === 0}
             <p class="py-8 text-center text-xs text-muted-foreground">
               No prior revisions — this is the first version.
diff --git a/web/src/pages/Knowledge.svelte b/web/src/pages/Knowledge.svelte
index 53205d7..2ec1199 100644
--- a/web/src/pages/Knowledge.svelte
+++ b/web/src/pages/Knowledge.svelte
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
   import WikiQuickOpen from '$lib/components/knowledge/WikiQuickOpen.svelte'
   import * as Dialog from '$lib/components/ui/dialog'
   import { Button } from '$lib/components/ui/button'
+  import { Skeleton } from '$lib/components/ui/skeleton'
   import WrenchIcon from '@lucide/svelte/icons/wrench'
   import BookOpenIcon from '@lucide/svelte/icons/book-open'
 
@@ -149,9 +150,51 @@
 
   <div class="min-h-0 flex-1">
     {#if itemsLoading}
-      <div class="flex h-full items-center justify-center text-sm text-muted-foreground">
-        Loading…
-      </div>
+      <!-- Shaped like the real three-pane layout below (same Splitpanes
+           proportions) rather than a centered spinner: a spinner tells the
+           operator nothing about what's about to render and costs a full
+           reflow the instant real content lands. This costs none — the
+           panes are already the right size. -->
+      <Splitpanes theme="oikos-theme" dblClickSplitter={false} class="h-full">
+        <Pane size={22} minSize={15} maxSize={40}>
+          <div class="flex h-full flex-col gap-3 overflow-hidden p-1.5">
+            <Skeleton class="h-7 w-full" />
+            <Skeleton class="h-3 w-16" />
+            <div class="flex flex-col gap-3">
+              {#each Array(4) as _, gi (gi)}
+                <div class="flex flex-col gap-1.5">
+                  <Skeleton class="h-3 w-20" />
+                  <div class="ml-3 flex flex-col gap-2 border-l pl-2">
+                    {#each Array(3) as _, ri (ri)}
+                      <Skeleton class="h-3.5" style="width: {75 - ri * 15}%" />
+                    {/each}
+                  </div>
+                </div>
+              {/each}
+            </div>
+          </div>
+        </Pane>
+        <Pane size={56} minSize={30}>
+          <div class="flex h-full flex-col gap-3 overflow-hidden p-2">
+            <Skeleton class="h-4 w-32" />
+            <Skeleton class="h-9 w-40" />
+            <div class="mt-1 grid grid-cols-4 gap-px overflow-hidden rounded-lg bg-border/60">
+              {#each Array(4) as _, i (i)}
+                <div class="flex flex-col gap-1.5 bg-card px-3 py-2.5">
+                  <Skeleton class="h-3 w-14" />
+                  <Skeleton class="h-5 w-8" />
+                </div>
+              {/each}
+            </div>
+            <Skeleton class="mt-2 h-3 w-full" />
+            <div class="mt-2 flex flex-col gap-2.5">
+              {#each Array(5) as _, i (i)}
+                <Skeleton class="h-4" style="width: {85 - i * 8}%" />
+              {/each}
+            </div>
+          </div>
+        </Pane>
+      </Splitpanes>
     {:else if loadError}
       <div class="flex h-full flex-col items-center justify-center gap-2 text-sm">
         <p class="text-destructive">{loadError}</p>