diff --git a/src/components/admin/__tests__/coach-feedback-section.test.tsx b/src/components/admin/__tests__/coach-feedback-section.test.tsx
index 47b9d88e8..3d21af81b 100644
--- a/src/components/admin/__tests__/coach-feedback-section.test.tsx
+++ b/src/components/admin/__tests__/coach-feedback-section.test.tsx
@@ -107,4 +107,34 @@ describe("CoachFeedbackSection", () => {
     expect(html).toContain("Failed to load Coach feedback summary");
     expect(html).toContain('role="alert"');
   });
+
+  // v1.4.25 W8 regression — Marc reported a layout shift on
+  // /admin/coach-feedback. Root cause was the title only rendering in the
+  // empty + data branches, so the section grew taller (loading → data)
+  // and snapped down. Lock the heading + outer-card structure across
+  // every render state so the section maintains a constant top-of-card
+  // baseline.
+  it("keeps the section heading rendered across loading / error / empty states", () => {
+    for (const queryState of [
+      { isLoading: true, isError: false, data: null },
+      { isLoading: false, isError: true, data: null },
+      {
+        isLoading: false,
+        isError: false,
+        data: {
+          generatedAt: "2026-05-10T04:00:00Z",
+          windowDays: 30,
+          coachBuckets: [],
+        },
+      },
+    ]) {
+      useQueryMock.mockReturnValue(queryState);
+      const html = render();
+      // Sparkles icon + h2 title rendered in every state ⇒ constant
+      // header height ⇒ no layout shift when the query resolves.
+      expect(html).toContain("Coach Feedback");
+      expect(html).toContain("bg-card");
+      expect(html).toContain("rounded-xl");
+    }
+  });
 });
diff --git a/src/components/admin/coach-feedback-section.tsx b/src/components/admin/coach-feedback-section.tsx
index 3bf76b386..4121c4fd6 100644
--- a/src/components/admin/coach-feedback-section.tsx
+++ b/src/components/admin/coach-feedback-section.tsx
@@ -64,125 +64,118 @@ export function CoachFeedbackSection() {
     },
   });
 
-  if (query.isLoading) {
-    return (
-      <div className="bg-card border-border flex items-center gap-2 rounded-xl border p-6">
-        <Loader2 className="h-4 w-4 animate-spin" />
-        <span className="text-muted-foreground text-sm">
-          {t("admin.coachFeedback.loading")}
-        </span>
-      </div>
-    );
-  }
-
-  if (query.isError) {
-    return (
-      <div
-        role="alert"
-        className="text-destructive bg-destructive/10 border-destructive/30 rounded-xl border p-4 text-sm"
-      >
-        {t("admin.coachFeedback.loadError")}
-      </div>
-    );
-  }
-
-  const summary = query.data;
+  const summary = query.data ?? null;
   const buckets = summary?.coachBuckets ?? [];
+  const hasData = !!summary && buckets.length > 0;
 
-  if (!summary || buckets.length === 0) {
-    return (
-      <div className="bg-card border-border rounded-xl border p-6">
-        <div className="flex items-center gap-2">
-          <Sparkles className="text-dracula-purple h-5 w-5" />
-          <div className="text-lg font-semibold">
-            {t("admin.coachFeedback.title")}
-          </div>
-        </div>
-        <p className="text-muted-foreground mt-3 text-sm">
-          {t("admin.coachFeedback.empty")}
-        </p>
-      </div>
-    );
-  }
-
+  // v1.4.25 W8 — keep the section's outer card + header rendered across
+  // every query state (loading / error / empty / data) so the heading
+  // baseline stays at a constant Y-offset. Previously the loading branch
+  // returned a thin flex-row stub and the error branch a p-4 alert with
+  // NO heading, which made the entire section snap downward when the
+  // fetched data resolved — Marc reported the visible layout shift on
+  // /admin/coach-feedback. Mirrors the canonical structure used by
+  // <SystemStatusSection> (header outside the fetch-state branch).
   return (
     <div className="bg-card border-border space-y-4 rounded-xl border p-6">
-      <div className="flex items-center justify-between gap-2">
+      <div className="flex flex-wrap items-center justify-between gap-2">
         <div className="flex items-center gap-2">
           <Sparkles className="text-dracula-purple h-5 w-5" />
           <div className="text-lg font-semibold">
             {t("admin.coachFeedback.title")}
           </div>
         </div>
-        <p className="text-muted-foreground text-xs">
-          {t("admin.coachFeedback.windowLabel", {
-            days: String(summary.windowDays),
-          })}
-          {" · "}
-          {t("admin.coachFeedback.generatedAtLabel")}{" "}
-          {fmt.dateTime(summary.generatedAt)}
-        </p>
+        {hasData && summary && (
+          <p className="text-muted-foreground text-xs">
+            {t("admin.coachFeedback.windowLabel", {
+              days: String(summary.windowDays),
+            })}
+            {" · "}
+            {t("admin.coachFeedback.generatedAtLabel")}{" "}
+            {fmt.dateTime(summary.generatedAt)}
+          </p>
+        )}
       </div>
 
-      <div className="overflow-x-auto">
-        <table className="w-full text-sm" data-slot="coach-feedback-table">
-          <thead>
-            <tr className="text-muted-foreground border-border border-b text-left text-xs tracking-wider uppercase">
-              <th className="py-2 pr-3 font-medium">
-                {t("admin.coachFeedback.colPromptVersion")}
-              </th>
-              <th className="py-2 pr-3 font-medium">
-                {t("admin.coachFeedback.colTone")}
-              </th>
-              <th className="py-2 pr-3 font-medium">
-                {t("admin.coachFeedback.colVerbosity")}
-              </th>
-              <th className="py-2 pr-3 font-medium tabular-nums">
-                {t("admin.coachFeedback.colHelpful")}
-              </th>
-              <th className="py-2 pr-3 font-medium tabular-nums">
-                {t("admin.coachFeedback.colNotHelpful")}
-              </th>
-              <th className="py-2 pr-3 font-medium tabular-nums">
-                {t("admin.coachFeedback.colN")}
-              </th>
-              <th className="py-2 font-medium tabular-nums">
-                {t("admin.coachFeedback.colHelpfulRate")}
-              </th>
-            </tr>
-          </thead>
-          <tbody>
-            {buckets.map((bucket, idx) => {
-              const ratePct = Math.round(bucket.helpfulRate * 100);
-              return (
-                <tr
-                  key={`${bucket.promptVersion}-${bucket.tone}-${bucket.verbosity}-${idx}`}
-                  className="border-border/40 border-b last:border-0"
-                  data-slot="coach-feedback-bucket"
-                >
-                  <td className="text-muted-foreground py-2 pr-3 text-xs">
-                    {bucket.promptVersion}
-                  </td>
-                  <td className="py-2 pr-3">{bucket.tone}</td>
-                  <td className="py-2 pr-3">{bucket.verbosity}</td>
-                  <td className="py-2 pr-3 tabular-nums">{bucket.helpful}</td>
-                  <td className="py-2 pr-3 tabular-nums">
-                    {bucket.notHelpful}
-                  </td>
-                  <td className="py-2 pr-3 tabular-nums">{bucket.total}</td>
-                  <td
-                    className={`py-2 font-semibold tabular-nums ${helpfulRateColour(
-                      bucket.helpfulRate,
-                    )}`}
+      {query.isLoading ? (
+        <div className="flex items-center gap-2">
+          <Loader2 className="h-4 w-4 animate-spin" />
+          <span className="text-muted-foreground text-sm">
+            {t("admin.coachFeedback.loading")}
+          </span>
+        </div>
+      ) : query.isError ? (
+        <div
+          role="alert"
+          className="text-destructive bg-destructive/10 border-destructive/30 rounded-md border p-3 text-sm"
+        >
+          {t("admin.coachFeedback.loadError")}
+        </div>
+      ) : !hasData ? (
+        <p className="text-muted-foreground text-sm">
+          {t("admin.coachFeedback.empty")}
+        </p>
+      ) : (
+        <div className="overflow-x-auto">
+          <table className="w-full text-sm" data-slot="coach-feedback-table">
+            <thead>
+              <tr className="text-muted-foreground border-border border-b text-left text-xs tracking-wider uppercase">
+                <th className="py-2 pr-3 font-medium">
+                  {t("admin.coachFeedback.colPromptVersion")}
+                </th>
+                <th className="py-2 pr-3 font-medium">
+                  {t("admin.coachFeedback.colTone")}
+                </th>
+                <th className="py-2 pr-3 font-medium">
+                  {t("admin.coachFeedback.colVerbosity")}
+                </th>
+                <th className="py-2 pr-3 font-medium tabular-nums">
+                  {t("admin.coachFeedback.colHelpful")}
+                </th>
+                <th className="py-2 pr-3 font-medium tabular-nums">
+                  {t("admin.coachFeedback.colNotHelpful")}
+                </th>
+                <th className="py-2 pr-3 font-medium tabular-nums">
+                  {t("admin.coachFeedback.colN")}
+                </th>
+                <th className="py-2 font-medium tabular-nums">
+                  {t("admin.coachFeedback.colHelpfulRate")}
+                </th>
+              </tr>
+            </thead>
+            <tbody>
+              {buckets.map((bucket, idx) => {
+                const ratePct = Math.round(bucket.helpfulRate * 100);
+                return (
+                  <tr
+                    key={`${bucket.promptVersion}-${bucket.tone}-${bucket.verbosity}-${idx}`}
+                    className="border-border/40 border-b last:border-0"
+                    data-slot="coach-feedback-bucket"
                   >
-                    {ratePct}%
-                  </td>
-                </tr>
-              );
-            })}
-          </tbody>
-        </table>
-      </div>
+                    <td className="text-muted-foreground py-2 pr-3 text-xs">
+                      {bucket.promptVersion}
+                    </td>
+                    <td className="py-2 pr-3">{bucket.tone}</td>
+                    <td className="py-2 pr-3">{bucket.verbosity}</td>
+                    <td className="py-2 pr-3 tabular-nums">{bucket.helpful}</td>
+                    <td className="py-2 pr-3 tabular-nums">
+                      {bucket.notHelpful}
+                    </td>
+                    <td className="py-2 pr-3 tabular-nums">{bucket.total}</td>
+                    <td
+                      className={`py-2 font-semibold tabular-nums ${helpfulRateColour(
+                        bucket.helpfulRate,
+                      )}`}
+                    >
+                      {ratePct}%
+                    </td>
+                  </tr>
+                );
+              })}
+            </tbody>
+          </table>
+        </div>
+      )}
     </div>
   );
 }