diff --git a/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/SessionDetailView.swift b/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/SessionDetailView.swift
index 9232d28..1a04309 100644
--- a/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/SessionDetailView.swift
+++ b/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/SessionDetailView.swift
@@ -429,6 +429,10 @@ struct SessionDetailView: View {
                         approval: approval, questions: questions, availableHeight: availableHeight)
                 } else {
                     ApprovalCardView(approval: approval, availableHeight: availableHeight)
+                        // So a host_exec approval's working-directory line abbreviates the "cd"
+                        // target the same way the settled transcript card does.
+                        .environment(\.transcriptWorktreeRoot,
+                                     TranscriptProjection.worktreeRoot(in: store.openEvents[...]))
                 }
             } else if store.openApprovalLoading {
                 // Opened from a Live Activity / notification for a session blocked on approval, but
@@ -665,6 +669,13 @@ struct TranscriptList: View {
         projectionCache.items(for: events, showRaw: showRaw, showLockEvents: showLockEvents)
     }
 
+    /// The session's worktree root — its `sessionStarted` cwd — read straight from the events (an
+    /// early-returning scan) and injected into the transcript so a host card's working-directory
+    /// line can abbreviate an absolute "cd" path to a short "<worktree name>/…" anchor.
+    private var worktreeRoot: String? {
+        TranscriptProjection.worktreeRoot(in: events[...])
+    }
+
     /// Kick off (or restart) the off-main Markdown pre-warm for the visible messages. `MarkdownText`
     /// parses every prose line with `AttributedString(markdown:)` during the eager first layout — a
     /// cost that lands on the main thread right as the session is pushed and the tab bar slides
@@ -757,6 +768,7 @@ struct TranscriptList: View {
                     // changes as its streaming deltas coalesce — nudging the viewport mid-stream.
                     Color.clear.frame(height: 1).id(Self.bottomAnchorID)
                 }
+                .environment(\.transcriptWorktreeRoot, worktreeRoot)
                 .padding()
                 // Cap the transcript to a readable measure on a wide iPad so lines don't run
                 // edge-to-edge on a 13-inch screen; a no-op at phone width.
diff --git a/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/Transcript/HostCommandSummary.swift b/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/Transcript/HostCommandSummary.swift
index a4f51a1..49596b9 100644
--- a/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/Transcript/HostCommandSummary.swift
+++ b/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/Transcript/HostCommandSummary.swift
@@ -454,6 +454,72 @@ enum HostCommandSummary {
         if raw.contains("git rev-parse --show-toplevel") { return "the repository root" }
         return raw
     }
+
+    // MARK: - Path abbreviation
+
+    /// Abbreviates an absolute filesystem *directory* path for display in a host card, anchoring it
+    /// at the nearest meaningful directory so a "cd /Users/me/…" reads with context but sheds the
+    /// noisy base above it. The mobile mirror of the desktop's `HeuristicSummary.abbreviatePath`
+    /// (NucleicCore) — the remote app links only `NucleicProtocol`, so it's duplicated here:
+    ///  - a path inside a **worktree** (a sibling under the same base as `worktree`, the session's
+    ///    own worktree root) trims to "<worktree name>/<rest>", dropping the ".nucleic/worktrees/"
+    ///    plumbing above it;
+    ///  - otherwise a path inside the **project** (`project`, the repo root) trims to
+    ///    "<project dir>/<rest>", so "/Users/me/projects/proj1/subdir" → "proj1/subdir";
+    ///  - otherwise a path under the user's home shortens to "~/<rest>";
+    ///  - anything else (or an already-relative path) is returned unchanged.
+    ///
+    /// Unlike the desktop, no symlink-canonicalization is done: the remote only ever sees *host*
+    /// paths over the wire, with no local filesystem to resolve them against.
+    static func abbreviatePath(_ path: String, worktree: String?, project: String?) -> String {
+        guard path.hasPrefix("/") else { return path }
+
+        // A worktree lives at "<base>/<name>"; anchoring at that parent base catches the session's
+        // own worktree *and* any sibling one, keeping "<name>/<rest>".
+        if let worktree, !worktree.isEmpty,
+           let rel = pathComponent(path, under: (worktree as NSString).deletingLastPathComponent) {
+            return rel
+        }
+        // A path inside the repo keeps the project's own folder name as its anchor.
+        if let project, !project.isEmpty,
+           let rel = pathComponent(path, under: (project as NSString).deletingLastPathComponent) {
+            return rel
+        }
+        // Anything else under the user's home shortens to "~".
+        if let home = homePrefix(worktree ?? project), let rel = pathComponent(path, under: home) {
+            return "~/" + rel
+        }
+        return path
+    }
+
+    /// The repo root inferred from a worktree path — the segment before "/.nucleic/worktrees/…", so
+    /// ".../proj1/.nucleic/worktrees/amber" → ".../proj1" — used to feed `abbreviatePath` a project
+    /// anchor the remote doesn't otherwise carry. Nil for a non-default-layout path (a custom
+    /// `worktreeBase` won't match; the worktree anchor itself still does).
+    static func repoRoot(forWorktree worktree: String?) -> String? {
+        guard let worktree, let range = worktree.range(of: "/.nucleic/worktrees/") else { return nil }
+        return String(worktree[worktree.startIndex..<range.lowerBound])
+    }
+
+    /// The portion of `path` strictly inside directory `base` ("/base/a/b" under "/base" → "a/b"),
+    /// or nil when `path` isn't within `base`. The root "/" and an empty base are rejected so they
+    /// can't swallow every path into a bare component.
+    private static func pathComponent(_ path: String, under base: String) -> String? {
+        guard base.hasPrefix("/"), base != "/", !base.isEmpty else { return nil }
+        let prefix = base.hasSuffix("/") ? base : base + "/"
+        guard path.hasPrefix(prefix) else { return nil }
+        let rel = String(path.dropFirst(prefix.count))
+        return rel.isEmpty ? nil : rel
+    }
+
+    /// The user's home as "/Users/<name>" (or "/home/<name>"), read from `anchor`'s first two
+    /// components. Nil when `anchor` (or nil) doesn't look like a per-user home path.
+    private static func homePrefix(_ anchor: String?) -> String? {
+        guard let anchor else { return nil }
+        let comps = anchor.split(separator: "/", omittingEmptySubsequences: true)
+        guard comps.count >= 2, comps[0] == "Users" || comps[0] == "home" else { return nil }
+        return "/\(comps[0])/\(comps[1])"
+    }
 }
 
 // MARK: - Shell lexing
diff --git a/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/Transcript/HostExecCard.swift b/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/Transcript/HostExecCard.swift
index b59726f..9cf96ce 100644
--- a/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/Transcript/HostExecCard.swift
+++ b/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/Transcript/HostExecCard.swift
@@ -1,6 +1,20 @@
 import SwiftUI
 import NucleicProtocol
 
+private struct TranscriptWorktreeRootKey: EnvironmentKey {
+    static let defaultValue: String? = nil
+}
+
+extension EnvironmentValues {
+    /// The session's worktree root (its `sessionStarted` cwd), injected by `SessionDetailView` so a
+    /// host card's working-directory line can abbreviate an absolute "cd" path to a short
+    /// "<worktree name>/…" anchor. Nil (the default) leaves the directory verbatim.
+    var transcriptWorktreeRoot: String? {
+        get { self[TranscriptWorktreeRootKey.self] }
+        set { self[TranscriptWorktreeRootKey.self] = newValue }
+    }
+}
+
 /// A `mcp__nucleic__host_exec` tool call in the transcript, rendered as a structured card — the
 /// mobile echo of the Mac's `HostExecToolCard`. It leads with the deterministic, command-derived
 /// purpose (the easy-to-read headline), shows the literal `$ command` beneath it, and reveals the
@@ -108,6 +122,11 @@ struct HostCommandBreakdown: View {
     /// The chat card heads its row with the purpose already, so it passes `false`.
     var showPurpose: Bool = true
 
+    /// The session's worktree root, so the working-directory line ("cd" target) abbreviates to a
+    /// short "<worktree name>/…" anchor instead of a full absolute path. Injected by
+    /// `SessionDetailView`; nil leaves the directory verbatim.
+    @Environment(\.transcriptWorktreeRoot) private var worktreeRoot
+
     private let accent = Palette.accent
 
     var body: some View {
@@ -117,7 +136,7 @@ struct HostCommandBreakdown: View {
                 if summary.isElevated || summary.isDestructive { riskBanner }
             }
             if let dir = summary.workingDirectory {
-                detailRow(icon: "folder", lines: ["in \(dir)"])
+                detailRow(icon: "folder", lines: ["in \(HostCommandSummary.abbreviatePath(dir, worktree: worktreeRoot, project: HostCommandSummary.repoRoot(forWorktree: worktreeRoot)))"])
             }
             steps
         }