diff --git a/graph-ui/src/components/FilterPanel.tsx b/graph-ui/src/components/FilterPanel.tsx
index b2e221531..045b17ede 100644
--- a/graph-ui/src/components/FilterPanel.tsx
+++ b/graph-ui/src/components/FilterPanel.tsx
@@ -43,18 +43,18 @@ function CheckRow({
   return (
     <button
       onClick={onToggle}
-      className={`flex items-center gap-1.5 text-[11px] font-medium transition-all ${
+      className={`flex items-start gap-1.5 w-full min-w-0 text-left text-[11px] font-medium leading-snug transition-all ${
         checked ? "text-primary" : "text-foreground/40"
       }`}
     >
       <span
-        className={`w-3.5 h-3.5 rounded border flex items-center justify-center transition-all ${
+        className={`w-3.5 h-3.5 mt-[1px] shrink-0 rounded border flex items-center justify-center transition-all ${
           checked ? "border-primary bg-primary/20" : "border-foreground/15"
         }`}
       >
         {checked && <span className="text-primary text-[9px]">✓</span>}
       </span>
-      {label}
+      <span className="min-w-0 whitespace-normal break-words">{label}</span>
       {count !== undefined && (
         <span className="text-foreground/25 tabular-nums">{count.toLocaleString()}</span>
       )}
@@ -196,14 +196,14 @@ export function FilterPanel({
         </p>
       </div>
 
-      {/* Dead-code view */}
+      {/* Reference coverage (backend status key remains "dead") */}
       <div className="px-4 pt-2 border-t border-border/30 space-y-2 shrink-0">
-        <div className="flex items-center justify-between">
+        <div className="flex flex-wrap items-baseline justify-between gap-x-2 gap-y-0.5">
           <span className="text-[10px] text-foreground/30 uppercase tracking-widest">
-            Dead code
+            Reference coverage
           </span>
-          <span className="text-[10px] text-red-400/80 tabular-nums">
-            {deadCount.toLocaleString()} dead
+          <span className="text-[10px] text-red-400/80 tabular-nums leading-snug whitespace-normal break-words text-right">
+            {deadCount.toLocaleString()} with no known inbound references
           </span>
         </div>
 
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@ export function FilterPanel({
         <CheckRow
           checked={showOnlyDead}
           onToggle={onToggleShowOnlyDead}
-          label="Show only dead code"
+          label="Show only nodes with no known inbound references"
         />
         <CheckRow
           checked={hideEntryPoints}
@@ -224,6 +224,11 @@ export function FilterPanel({
         />
         <CheckRow checked={hideTests} onToggle={onToggleHideTests} label="Hide tests" />
 
+        <p className="text-[9px] leading-snug text-foreground/30 whitespace-normal break-words">
+          No known inbound references does not prove code is unused. Static analysis
+          may miss constructors, implicit or framework calls, and callbacks.
+        </p>
+
         {/* Legend (only meaningful while colored by status) */}
         {deadCodeView && (
           <div className="flex flex-wrap gap-x-2 gap-y-1 pt-1">
diff --git a/graph-ui/src/components/GraphTab.deadcode.test.tsx b/graph-ui/src/components/GraphTab.deadcode.test.tsx
index 43f880f30..d9dac29d6 100644
--- a/graph-ui/src/components/GraphTab.deadcode.test.tsx
+++ b/graph-ui/src/components/GraphTab.deadcode.test.tsx
@@ -11,15 +11,69 @@ vi.mock("./GraphScene", () => ({
   computeCameraTarget: () => null,
 }));
 
+/* Server-classified layout: three unreferenced-coverage candidates (constructor,
+ * framework method, callback) plus nodes that must not enter that set just
+ * because in_calls is zero or absent. Edges match the reported degrees. */
 const SAMPLE: GraphData = {
   nodes: [
     {
-      id: 1, x: 0, y: 0, z: 0, label: "Function", name: "orphan",
-      file_path: "src/orphan.ts", size: 1, color: "#fff", status: "dead", in_calls: 0,
+      id: 1, x: 0, y: 0, z: 0, label: "Method", name: "constructor",
+      file_path: "src/widget.ts", size: 1, color: "#fff", status: "dead", in_calls: 0,
     },
     {
-      id: 2, x: 1, y: 0, z: 0, label: "Function", name: "used",
-      file_path: "src/used.ts", size: 1, color: "#fff", status: "normal", in_calls: 3,
+      id: 2, x: 1, y: 0, z: 0, label: "Method", name: "onCreate",
+      file_path: "src/activity.ts", size: 1, color: "#fff", status: "dead", in_calls: 0,
+    },
+    {
+      id: 3, x: 2, y: 0, z: 0, label: "Function", name: "handleClick",
+      file_path: "src/ui.ts", size: 1, color: "#fff", status: "dead", in_calls: 0,
+    },
+    {
+      id: 4, x: 3, y: 0, z: 0, label: "Function", name: "processRequest",
+      file_path: "src/used.ts", size: 1, color: "#fff", status: "normal", in_calls: 2,
+    },
+    {
+      id: 5, x: 4, y: 0, z: 0, label: "Function", name: "formatName",
+      file_path: "src/format.ts", size: 1, color: "#fff", status: "normal", in_calls: 0,
+    },
+    {
+      id: 6, x: 5, y: 0, z: 0, label: "Function", name: "main",
+      file_path: "src/main.ts", size: 1, color: "#fff", status: "entry", in_calls: 0,
+    },
+    {
+      id: 7, x: 6, y: 0, z: 0, label: "Function", name: "testProcess",
+      file_path: "src/used.test.ts", size: 1, color: "#fff", status: "test", in_calls: 0,
+    },
+    {
+      id: 8, x: 7, y: 0, z: 0, label: "Function", name: "publicApi",
+      file_path: "src/api.ts", size: 1, color: "#fff", status: "exported", in_calls: 0,
+    },
+    {
+      id: 9, x: 8, y: 0, z: 0, label: "Class", name: "App",
+      file_path: "src/app.ts", size: 1, color: "#fff", status: "structural",
+    },
+    {
+      id: 10, x: 9, y: 0, z: 0, label: "Function", name: "mystery",
+      file_path: "src/mystery.ts", size: 1, color: "#fff", in_calls: 0,
+    },
+  ],
+  edges: [
+    { source: 6, target: 4, type: "CALLS" },
+    { source: 8, target: 4, type: "CALLS" },
+    { source: 4, target: 5, type: "USAGE" },
+  ],
+  total_nodes: 10,
+};
+
+const NO_CANDIDATES: GraphData = {
+  nodes: [
+    {
+      id: 1, x: 0, y: 0, z: 0, label: "Function", name: "used",
+      file_path: "src/used.ts", size: 1, color: "#fff", status: "single", in_calls: 1,
+    },
+    {
+      id: 2, x: 1, y: 0, z: 0, label: "Function", name: "main",
+      file_path: "src/main.ts", size: 1, color: "#fff", status: "entry", in_calls: 0,
     },
   ],
   edges: [{ source: 2, target: 1, type: "CALLS" }],
@@ -46,19 +100,92 @@ describe("GraphTab dead-code filters", () => {
     vi.unstubAllGlobals();
   });
 
-  it("shows the dead count and filters to only dead code on toggle", async () => {
+  it("reports no known inbound references without calling the code dead or live", async () => {
+    mockLayoutFetch(SAMPLE);
+    render(<GraphTab project="demo" />);
+
+    expect(await screen.findByText("Filters")).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.getByText("Reference coverage")).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.getByText("3 with no known inbound references")).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(
+      screen.getByText(
+        "No known inbound references does not prove code is unused. Static analysis may miss constructors, implicit or framework calls, and callbacks.",
+      ),
+    ).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.queryByText("Dead code")).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.queryByText(/^\d+ dead$/)).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.queryByText("Show only dead code")).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.queryByText("Dead (0 callers)")).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+    /* Caveat is visible before status coloring; legend is not. */
+    expect(screen.queryByText("No known inbound references")).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.queryByText(/filtered from/)).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+
+  it("colors the legend as coverage, not as proven dead code", async () => {
+    mockLayoutFetch(SAMPLE);
+    render(<GraphTab project="demo" />);
+
+    expect(await screen.findByText("Filters")).toBeInTheDocument();
+    fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Color by status" }));
+
+    expect(screen.getByText("No known inbound references")).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.getByText("One caller")).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.queryByText("Dead code")).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.queryByText(/^\d+ dead$/)).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.queryByText("Show only dead code")).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.queryByText("Dead (0 callers)")).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+
+  it("filters to the backend dead category and restores the full layout", async () => {
     mockLayoutFetch(SAMPLE);
     render(<GraphTab project="demo" />);
 
-    /* Panel loaded; the dead-code section reports one dead node. */
     expect(await screen.findByText("Filters")).toBeInTheDocument();
-    expect(screen.getByText("1 dead")).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.getByText(/10 nodes/)).toBeInTheDocument();
+
+    fireEvent.click(
+      screen.getByRole("button", {
+        name: /Show only nodes with no known inbound references/,
+      }),
+    );
+    expect(await screen.findByText(/filtered from 10/)).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.getByText(/3 nodes/)).toBeInTheDocument();
+
+    const search = screen.getByPlaceholderText("Search...");
+    for (const name of ["constructor", "onCreate", "handleClick"]) {
+      fireEvent.change(search, { target: { value: name } });
+      expect(screen.getByRole("button", { name: new RegExp(name) })).toBeInTheDocument();
+    }
+    /* Server-provided non-dead statuses stay out, even with in_calls of 0. */
+    for (const name of ["processRequest", "formatName", "main", "testProcess", "publicApi", "App", "mystery"]) {
+      fireEvent.change(search, { target: { value: name } });
+      expect(screen.queryByRole("button", { name: new RegExp(name) })).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+    }
 
-    /* Both nodes visible initially — no "filtered from" notice. */
+    fireEvent.click(
+      screen.getByRole("button", {
+        name: /Show only nodes with no known inbound references/,
+      }),
+    );
     expect(screen.queryByText(/filtered from/)).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.getByText(/10 nodes/)).toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+
+  it("shows a zero count and empty candidate selection when none are classified dead", async () => {
+    mockLayoutFetch(NO_CANDIDATES);
+    render(<GraphTab project="demo" />);
+
+    expect(await screen.findByText("Filters")).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.getByText("0 with no known inbound references")).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.getByText(/2 nodes/)).toBeInTheDocument();
 
-    /* Toggling "Show only dead code" hides the non-dead node. */
-    fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /Show only dead code/ }));
-    expect(await screen.findByText(/filtered from 2/)).toBeInTheDocument();
+    fireEvent.click(
+      screen.getByRole("button", {
+        name: /Show only nodes with no known inbound references/,
+      }),
+    );
+    expect(screen.getByText("All nodes filtered out")).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.getByText("Filters")).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.getByText("0 with no known inbound references")).toBeInTheDocument();
   });
 });
diff --git a/graph-ui/src/lib/colors.ts b/graph-ui/src/lib/colors.ts
index 64ef0e990..7ff58945b 100644
--- a/graph-ui/src/lib/colors.ts
+++ b/graph-ui/src/lib/colors.ts
@@ -20,13 +20,14 @@ export function colorForLabel(label: string): string {
   return LABEL_COLORS[label] ?? DEFAULT_COLOR;
 }
 
-/* Dead-code status → color (matches layout3d.c status strings).
- *   dead     zero callers + zero usages, not entry/test/exported
+/* Status → color (matches layout3d.c status strings).
+ *   dead     no known inbound CALLS/USAGE/CALL_REFERENCE; not proven unused
+ *            (constructors, framework dispatch, and callbacks may be missed)
  *   single   exactly one caller
  *   entry    entry points / routes
  *   test     test code
  *   normal   healthy (>=2 callers)
- *   exported/structural → dimmed grey (not dead-code candidates) */
+ *   exported/structural → dimmed grey (not unreferenced-coverage candidates) */
 const STATUS_COLORS: Record<string, string> = {
   dead: "#ef4444",
   single: "#f97316",
@@ -44,7 +45,7 @@ export function colorForStatus(status?: string): string {
 }
 
 export const STATUS_LEGEND: { status: string; label: string; color: string }[] = [
-  { status: "dead", label: "Dead (0 callers)", color: STATUS_COLORS.dead },
+  { status: "dead", label: "No known inbound references", color: STATUS_COLORS.dead },
   { status: "single", label: "One caller", color: STATUS_COLORS.single },
   { status: "entry", label: "Entry / route", color: STATUS_COLORS.entry },
   { status: "test", label: "Test", color: STATUS_COLORS.test },