diff --git a/widget/README.md b/widget/README.md
index 2e3c3b4580..2a5c640191 100644
--- a/widget/README.md
+++ b/widget/README.md
@@ -123,6 +123,7 @@ That's it! The widget will appear as a floating button in the bottom-right corne
 | `text-color`       | string  | `#000000bf`   | Text color (75% opacity black)           |
 | `mode`             | string  | `"launcher"`  | Display mode: `"launcher"` or `"inline"` |
 | `include-citations`| boolean | `false`       | Include citation markers in responses    |
+| `start-expanded`   | boolean | `false`       | Inline mode: show the full chat panel before the first message, instead of the compact input bar |
 
 **Note**: These attributes must be provided as HTML attributes. Only `backend-url` and `api-key` can optionally be set via environment variables for self-hosted builds.
 
@@ -232,7 +233,21 @@ The widget is embedded directly in your page layout. Perfect for dedicated suppo
 </div>
 ```
 
-**CSS Tip**: The widget will fill its container's dimensions in inline mode.
+**CSS Tip**: The widget will fill its container's dimensions in inline mode. Give the container an explicit height; otherwise the panel grows with the conversation.
+
+Before the first message, inline mode shows a compact input bar. Add `start-expanded` to show the full chat panel at the container's size from the start:
+
+```html
+<div style="height: 600px;">
+  <onyx-chat-widget mode="inline" start-expanded></onyx-chat-widget>
+</div>
+```
+
+## Keyboard Events
+
+Key presses typed into the widget do not propagate to the host page (except Escape). The widget uses Shadow DOM, so a page-level handler sees `event.target` as `<onyx-chat-widget>`, not the text field. Without this, handlers that block Backspace outside text fields would also block it in the widget.
+
+Handlers registered in the capture phase still run first. If such a handler blocks keys outside text fields, check `event.composedPath()[0]` instead of `event.target`.
 
 ## Development
 
diff --git a/widget/src/config/config.ts b/widget/src/config/config.ts
index ee2fa5278e..c098afa0b3 100644
--- a/widget/src/config/config.ts
+++ b/widget/src/config/config.ts
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ export function resolveConfig(attributes: Partial<WidgetConfig>): WidgetConfig {
     logo: attributes.logo,
     mode: attributes.mode || "launcher",
     includeCitations: attributes.includeCitations ?? false,
+    startExpanded: attributes.startExpanded ?? false,
   };
 
   if (!config.backendUrl) {
diff --git a/widget/src/styles/widget-styles.ts b/widget/src/styles/widget-styles.ts
index 6f94118c25..c6483b1272 100644
--- a/widget/src/styles/widget-styles.ts
+++ b/widget/src/styles/widget-styles.ts
@@ -10,6 +10,12 @@ export const widgetStyles = css`
     font-family: var(--onyx-font-family);
   }
 
+  /* Without a host height, the inline container's height: 100% resolves to
+     auto and the panel grows with its content instead of filling the parent. */
+  :host([mode="inline"]) {
+    height: 100%;
+  }
+
   .launcher {
     position: fixed;
     background: var(--background-neutral-00);
diff --git a/widget/src/types/widget-types.ts b/widget/src/types/widget-types.ts
index 1ee62b2b70..615973bde5 100644
--- a/widget/src/types/widget-types.ts
+++ b/widget/src/types/widget-types.ts
@@ -29,6 +29,8 @@ export interface WidgetConfig {
 
   // Optional - Display
   mode?: "launcher" | "inline";
+  // Inline mode: show the full chat panel before the first message.
+  startExpanded?: boolean;
 
   // Optional - Citations
   includeCitations?: boolean;
diff --git a/widget/src/widget.ts b/widget/src/widget.ts
index d0ace958a5..d5dfd619b8 100644
--- a/widget/src/widget.ts
+++ b/widget/src/widget.ts
@@ -35,9 +35,12 @@ export class OnyxChatWidget extends LitElement {
   @property({ attribute: "text-color" }) textColor?: string;
   @property({ attribute: "agent-name" }) agentName?: string;
   @property({ attribute: "logo" }) logo?: string;
-  @property() mode?: "launcher" | "inline";
+  // Reflected so `:host([mode="inline"])` also matches when set as a property.
+  @property({ reflect: true }) mode?: "launcher" | "inline";
   @property({ attribute: "include-citations", type: Boolean })
   includeCitations?: boolean;
+  @property({ attribute: "start-expanded", type: Boolean })
+  startExpanded?: boolean;
 
   // Assigned as a JS property, since a function cannot ride an HTML attribute.
   // Takes precedence over `api-key` and keeps the credential out of the markup.
@@ -113,6 +116,7 @@ export class OnyxChatWidget extends LitElement {
       logo: this.logo,
       mode: this.mode,
       includeCitations: this.includeCitations,
+      startExpanded: this.startExpanded,
     });
 
     // Apply custom colors
@@ -358,6 +362,13 @@ export class OnyxChatWidget extends LitElement {
   }
 
   private handleKeyDown(e: KeyboardEvent) {
+    // Shadow DOM retargets `e.target` to the host element, so page-level
+    // handlers that let keys through only for text fields (e.g. ones that
+    // block Backspace navigation) would cancel typing here. Escape still
+    // propagates so the host page can close its overlays.
+    if (e.key !== "Escape") {
+      e.stopPropagation();
+    }
     if (e.key === "Enter" && !e.shiftKey) {
       e.preventDefault();
       this.sendMessage();
@@ -538,7 +549,10 @@ export class OnyxChatWidget extends LitElement {
   render() {
     const showContainer = this.config.mode === "inline" || this.isOpen;
     const hasMessages = this.messages.length > 0 || this.isStreaming;
-    const isCompactInline = this.config.mode === "inline" && !hasMessages;
+    const isCompactInline =
+      this.config.mode === "inline" &&
+      !this.config.startExpanded &&
+      !hasMessages;
 
     return html`
       ${this.config.mode === "launcher"