fix(nav): admin sub-items don't expand from gravatar dropdown or admin-link click

Mirror the Settings entry pattern verbatim: the global sidebar's Admin
entry is now a single link with no sub-item expansion at any route.
v1.4.15 A1 had gated the expansion behind `onAdminPage`, but Marc
re-flagged it — the in-shell `<AdminShell>` already provides per-section
nav inside the page, so the global sidebar duplicating it on `/admin/*`
was unwanted UX. Removing the entire `{onAdminPage && <ul>...</ul>}`
block also kills the perceived link between the gravatar dropdown and
sidebar state — they're independent concerns now.

Tests updated:
- `sidebar-nav.test.tsx` — every admin-route case now asserts ONLY the
  single `/admin` link is present, never sub-route links.
- New e2e spec `sidebar-admin-no-expand.spec.ts` covers (a) /admin/* shows
  one link, no sub-list; (b) clicking Admin from /dashboard navigates
  without flashing sub-items; (c) opening the gravatar user-menu does
  not expand sidebar admin sub-items.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

src/components/layout/__tests__/sidebar-nav.test.tsx

@@ -84,7 +84,13 @@ describe("<SidebarNav> bug-report toggle", () => {
   });
 });
 
-describe("<SidebarNav> admin sub-items context-awareness", () => {
+describe("<SidebarNav> admin entry mirrors Settings (no sub-item expansion)", () => {
+  // v1.4.16 A1: Marc reported the global sidebar expanding admin
+  // sub-items on `/admin/*` was unwanted UX — the in-shell `<AdminShell>`
+  // already provides per-section nav inside the page. The Admin entry
+  // must behave EXACTLY like the Settings entry: a single link with no
+  // sub-list at any route, regardless of where the gravatar dropdown is.
+
   it("does not render admin entries at all for a regular user", () => {
     const html = render({ role: "USER", pathname: "/admin/system-status" });
     expect(html).not.toContain('href="/admin"');
@@ -102,23 +108,37 @@ describe("<SidebarNav> admin sub-items context-awareness", () => {
     }
   });
 
-  it("for an admin on /admin/* expands the section sub-list", () => {
+  it("for an admin on /admin/* still shows ONLY the single Admin link (no sub-list)", () => {
     const html = render({ role: "ADMIN", pathname: "/admin/system-status" });
     expect(html).toContain('href="/admin"');
-    // All section sub-items must render — the global sidebar mirrors
-    // the in-shell sidebar so users can jump between sections.
+    // Sub-section links must NOT appear in the global sidebar — they
+    // belong to `<AdminShell>`'s in-page nav. Marc reported the
+    // expansion as broken UX in v1.4.16; this guard keeps it gone.
     for (const section of ADMIN_SECTIONS) {
-      expect(html).toContain(`href="/admin/${section.slug}"`);
+      expect(html).not.toContain(`href="/admin/${section.slug}"`);
     }
   });
 
-  it("expands sub-items on the /admin overview page (mirrors in-shell sidebar)", () => {
-    // The in-shell `<AdminShell>` sidebar already lists every section on
-    // `/admin`. The global sidebar must mirror that so the navigation
-    // experience is identical between the two viewports.
+  it("on the /admin overview page also shows ONLY the single Admin link", () => {
     const html = render({ role: "ADMIN", pathname: "/admin" });
+    expect(html).toContain('href="/admin"');
     for (const section of ADMIN_SECTIONS) {
-      expect(html).toContain(`href="/admin/${section.slug}"`);
+      expect(html).not.toContain(`href="/admin/${section.slug}"`);
     }
   });
+
+  it("Admin entry markup mirrors Settings entry markup (same shape, no expansion)", () => {
+    // Both Settings and Admin should render as a single <a> with no
+    // adjacent <ul> sub-list. Counting <ul aria-label="Admin sections"
+    // (or any descendant ul under the Admin link) confirms there's no
+    // disclosure widget. We assert by checking the structural pattern:
+    // the Admin link is followed by the Settings link (or the user
+    // section), never by a <ul>.
+    const html = render({ role: "ADMIN", pathname: "/admin/system-status" });
+    // No sub-list <ul> on /admin/*: previously this was the
+    // `aria-label={t("admin.shell.sectionsNav")}` ul; assert the only
+    // Settings-bearing nav surface is intact (sectionsNav label belongs
+    // to `<AdminShell>`, which the sidebar must NOT echo).
+    expect(html).not.toMatch(/aria-label="Admin sections"/);
+  });
 });

src/components/layout/sidebar-nav.tsx

@@ -29,7 +29,6 @@ import { useAuth, useLogout } from "@/hooks/use-auth";
 import { useTheme } from "@/components/providers";
 import { useAppSettings } from "@/components/app-settings-provider";
 import { useTranslations } from "@/lib/i18n/context";
-import { ADMIN_SECTIONS } from "@/components/admin/admin-shell";
 import { Avatar, AvatarFallback, AvatarImage } from "@/components/ui/avatar";
 import {
   Tooltip,
@@ -246,9 +245,12 @@ export function SidebarNav() {
   const { user } = useAuth();
   const { bugReportEnabled } = useAppSettings();
   const isAdmin = user?.role === "ADMIN";
-  // Match `/admin` exactly or any `/admin/...` sub-route. Plain
-  // `startsWith("/admin")` would also flip for a hypothetical future
-  // `/administrative` page, which is not the same semantic surface.
+  // Match `/admin` exactly or any `/admin/...` sub-route for active-link
+  // styling. Plain `startsWith("/admin")` would also flip for a
+  // hypothetical future `/administrative` page, which is not the same
+  // semantic surface. The Admin entry mirrors Settings: a single link
+  // with no sub-item expansion in the global sidebar — `<AdminShell>`
+  // renders its own per-section nav inside the page itself.
   const onAdminPage = pathname === "/admin" || pathname.startsWith("/admin/");
   const [collapsed, setCollapsed] = useState(() => {
     if (typeof window === "undefined") return false;
@@ -491,54 +493,19 @@ export function SidebarNav() {
                 </Link>
               )}
               {isAdmin && (
-                <>
-                  <Link
-                    href="/admin"
-                    aria-current={onAdminPage ? "page" : undefined}
-                    className={cn(
-                      "flex items-center gap-3 rounded-lg px-3 py-2.5 text-sm font-medium transition-colors",
-                      onAdminPage
-                        ? "bg-primary/10 text-primary"
-                        : "text-foreground hover:bg-accent",
-                    )}
-                  >
-                    <Shield className="h-4 w-4" />
-                    {t("nav.admin")}
-                  </Link>
-                  {/* Expandable section list — only visible while
-                      navigating inside `/admin/*`. Mirrors the in-shell
-                      sidebar so the user can jump between sections from
-                      the global nav too. */}
-                  {onAdminPage && (
-                    <ul
-                      className="space-y-1 pl-3"
-                      aria-label={t("admin.shell.sectionsNav")}
-                    >
-                      {ADMIN_SECTIONS.map((section) => {
-                        const sectionPath = `/admin/${section.slug}`;
-                        const isActive = pathname.startsWith(sectionPath);
-                        const Icon = section.icon;
-                        return (
-                          <li key={section.slug}>
-                            <Link
-                              href={sectionPath}
-                              aria-current={isActive ? "page" : undefined}
-                              className={cn(
-                                "flex items-center gap-2 rounded-md px-2.5 py-1.5 text-xs font-medium transition-colors",
-                                isActive
-                                  ? "bg-primary/10 text-primary"
-                                  : "text-muted-foreground hover:bg-accent hover:text-foreground",
-                              )}
-                            >
-                              <Icon className="h-3.5 w-3.5" />
-                              {t(section.titleKey)}
-                            </Link>
-                          </li>
-                        );
-                      })}
-                    </ul>
+                <Link
+                  href="/admin"
+                  aria-current={onAdminPage ? "page" : undefined}
+                  className={cn(
+                    "flex items-center gap-3 rounded-lg px-3 py-2.5 text-sm font-medium transition-colors",
+                    onAdminPage
+                      ? "bg-primary/10 text-primary"
+                      : "text-foreground hover:bg-accent",
                   )}
-                </>
+                >
+                  <Shield className="h-4 w-4" />
+                  {t("nav.admin")}
+                </Link>
               )}
               <Link
                 href="/settings/account"