diff --git a/graph-ui/src/components/FilterPanel.tsx b/graph-ui/src/components/FilterPanel.tsx
index db2d0a513..b2e221531 100644
--- a/graph-ui/src/components/FilterPanel.tsx
+++ b/graph-ui/src/components/FilterPanel.tsx
@@ -22,8 +22,9 @@ interface FilterPanelProps {
   onToggleShowOnlyDead: () => void;
   onToggleHideEntryPoints: () => void;
   onToggleHideTests: () => void;
-  /* Missed graph (#963): file structure of not-fully-indexed files */
+  /* Missed skeleton (#963): white satellite of not-fully-indexed files */
   missedView: boolean;
+  missedCount: number;
   onToggleMissedView: () => void;
 }
 
@@ -80,6 +81,7 @@ export function FilterPanel({
   onToggleHideEntryPoints,
   onToggleHideTests,
   missedView,
+  missedCount,
   onToggleMissedView,
 }: FilterPanelProps) {
   const { labelCounts, edgeTypeCounts, statusCounts } = useMemo(() => {
@@ -168,25 +170,30 @@ export function FilterPanel({
         </div>
       </ScrollArea>
 
-      {/* Missed graph (#963): swaps the layout to the file structure of files
-          the indexer could not fully cover (best-effort signal). */}
+      {/* Missed skeleton (#963): white satellite cluster of files the indexer
+          could not fully cover, shown beside the code galaxy. Click it to
+          focus; click the code galaxy to come back. */}
       <div className="px-4 pt-2 border-t border-border/30 space-y-2 shrink-0">
         <div className="flex items-center justify-between">
           <span className="text-[10px] text-foreground/30 uppercase tracking-widest">
-            Graph
+            Missed files
           </span>
+          {missedCount > 0 && (
+            <span className="text-[10px] text-foreground/50 tabular-nums">
+              {missedCount.toLocaleString()} files
+            </span>
+          )}
         </div>
         <CheckRow
           checked={missedView}
           onToggle={onToggleMissedView}
-          label="Missed files (not fully indexed)"
+          label="Show missed skeleton"
         />
-        {missedView && (
-          <p className="text-[9px] leading-snug text-foreground/30">
-            Best-effort: files with unparseable regions or skips. Empty = no
-            known misses (not a completeness guarantee).
-          </p>
-        )}
+        <p className="text-[9px] leading-snug text-foreground/30">
+          {missedCount > 0
+            ? "White satellite = files not fully indexed (best-effort). Click it to focus, click the galaxy to return."
+            : "No known misses (best-effort — not a completeness guarantee)."}
+        </p>
       </div>
 
       {/* Dead-code view */}
diff --git a/graph-ui/src/components/GraphScene.tsx b/graph-ui/src/components/GraphScene.tsx
index 663c2ad32..cad93d926 100644
--- a/graph-ui/src/components/GraphScene.tsx
+++ b/graph-ui/src/components/GraphScene.tsx
@@ -112,22 +112,31 @@ function IdleAutoRotate({
 
 interface GraphSceneProps {
   data: GraphData;
+  /* Missed skeleton (#963): pre-offset, pre-painted white nodes + edges of
+   * the not-fully-indexed files, rendered as a ghost cluster beside the
+   * galaxy. null hides it. */
+  missed?: { nodes: GraphNode[]; edges: GraphData["edges"] } | null;
   highlightedIds: Set<number> | null;
   cameraTarget: CameraTarget | null;
   showLabels: boolean;
   display?: DisplaySettings;
   onNodeClick: (node: GraphNode) => void;
+  /* Fired when a click hits empty space (no node). Used to fly back to the
+   * overview after focusing the missed skeleton. */
+  onBackgroundClick?: () => void;
 }
 
 export type { CameraTarget };
 
 export function GraphScene({
   data,
+  missed = null,
   highlightedIds,
   cameraTarget,
   showLabels,
   display = DEFAULT_DISPLAY_SETTINGS,
   onNodeClick,
+  onBackgroundClick,
 }: GraphSceneProps) {
   const [hovered, setHovered] = useState<GraphNode | null>(null);
   const controlsRef = useRef<OrbitControlsImpl | null>(null);
@@ -151,6 +160,7 @@ export function GraphScene({
         alpha: false,
         powerPreference: "high-performance",
       }}
+      onPointerMissed={onBackgroundClick}
     >
       <color attach="background" args={["#06090f"]} />
       <ambientLight intensity={0.5} />
@@ -176,6 +186,30 @@ export function GraphScene({
       />
       {showLabels && <NodeLabels nodes={data.nodes} highlightedIds={highlightedIds} />}
 
+      {/* Missed skeleton (#963): white ghost of the not-fully-indexed files.
+       * Clicks route through the same handler — GraphTab re-centers the
+       * camera on the whole skeleton cluster. */}
+      {missed && missed.nodes.length > 0 && (
+        <group>
+          <EdgeLines
+            nodes={missed.nodes}
+            edges={missed.edges}
+            highlightedIds={null}
+            opacity={0.28}
+            brightness={display.edgeBrightness}
+          />
+          <NodeCloud
+            nodes={missed.nodes}
+            highlightedIds={null}
+            onHover={setHovered}
+            onClick={onNodeClick}
+            opacity={0.6}
+            boost={nodeBoost * 0.75}
+          />
+          {showLabels && <NodeLabels nodes={missed.nodes} highlightedIds={null} />}
+        </group>
+      )}
+
       {/* Satellite galaxies for cross-repo linked projects */}
       {data.linked_projects?.map((lp: LinkedProject) => {
         const offsetNodes = lp.nodes.map((n) => ({
diff --git a/graph-ui/src/components/GraphTab.tsx b/graph-ui/src/components/GraphTab.tsx
index 56f549cd2..1144b9f64 100644
--- a/graph-ui/src/components/GraphTab.tsx
+++ b/graph-ui/src/components/GraphTab.tsx
@@ -102,10 +102,11 @@ export function GraphTab({ project }: GraphTabProps) {
   const [enabledLabels, setEnabledLabels] = useState<Set<string>>(new Set());
   const [enabledEdgeTypes, setEnabledEdgeTypes] = useState<Set<string>>(new Set());
 
-  /* Missed graph (#963): render the file structure of files the indexer
-   * could not fully cover instead of the code graph. Server-side option
-   * (`graph=missed` on /api/layout) — toggling refetches. */
-  const [missedView, setMissedView] = useState(false);
+  /* Missed skeleton (#963): the file structure of files the indexer could
+   * not fully cover, shown as a white satellite cluster beside the code
+   * galaxy. Toggle only hides/shows it — the data rides along with every
+   * code-graph layout. */
+  const [showMissedSkeleton, setShowMissedSkeleton] = useState(true);
 
   /* Dead-code view: recolor by status + status-based filters */
   const [deadCodeView, setDeadCodeView] = useState(false);
@@ -189,11 +190,53 @@ export function GraphTab({ project }: GraphTabProps) {
   /* …and fetch only once budget and project agree (one fetch per change). */
   useEffect(() => {
     if (project && budget.project === project) {
-      fetchOverview(project, budget.value, missedView ? "missed" : "code");
+      fetchOverview(project, budget.value);
       setHighlightedIds(null);
       setSelectedPath(null);
     }
-  }, [project, budget, missedView, fetchOverview]);
+  }, [project, budget, fetchOverview]);
+
+  /* Missed skeleton: offset into place and paint white — a ghost of the
+   * files the graph could not fully cover, sitting beside the galaxy. */
+  const missedSkeleton = useMemo(() => {
+    const mg = data?.missed_graph;
+    if (!mg || mg.nodes.length === 0) return null;
+    const nodes = mg.nodes.map((n) => ({
+      ...n,
+      x: n.x + mg.offset.x,
+      y: n.y + mg.offset.y,
+      z: n.z + mg.offset.z,
+      color: "#e9eef5",
+    }));
+    return { nodes, edges: mg.edges, ids: new Set(nodes.map((n) => n.id)) };
+  }, [data]);
+
+  /* Overview framing: both clusters (galaxy + skeleton) in one shot. */
+  const overviewTarget = useMemo(() => {
+    if (!data) return null;
+    const all = missedSkeleton ? [...data.nodes, ...missedSkeleton.nodes] : data.nodes;
+    return computeCameraTarget(all, new Set(all.map((n) => n.id)));
+  }, [data, missedSkeleton]);
+
+  /* With a skeleton beside the galaxy, auto-frame BOTH clusters on load so
+   * the side-by-side composition is visible without manual zooming. */
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (missedSkeleton && overviewTarget) {
+      setCameraTarget(overviewTarget);
+    }
+  }, [missedSkeleton, overviewTarget]);
+
+  /* Clicking empty space while the skeleton has focus flies back to the
+   * overview (the galaxy may be entirely off-screen at that point, so there
+   * is no code node to click). No-op during normal galaxy exploration. */
+  const handleBackgroundClick = useCallback(() => {
+    if (selectedNode && missedSkeleton?.ids.has(selectedNode.id) && overviewTarget) {
+      setSelectedNode(null);
+      setHighlightedIds(null);
+      setSelectedPath(null);
+      setCameraTarget(overviewTarget);
+    }
+  }, [selectedNode, missedSkeleton, overviewTarget]);
 
   /* Fetch git remote metadata for GitHub deep-links */
   useEffect(() => {
@@ -231,6 +274,19 @@ export function GraphTab({ project }: GraphTabProps) {
   const handleNodeClick = useCallback(
     (node: GraphNode) => {
       if (!filteredData) return;
+
+      /* Clicking the missed skeleton re-centers the camera on that whole
+       * cluster (it's small — the natural focus unit is the skeleton, not a
+       * single node); clicking any code node flies back to the code galaxy
+       * via the normal per-node focus below. */
+      if (missedSkeleton?.ids.has(node.id)) {
+        setSelectedNode(node);
+        setHighlightedIds(null);
+        setSelectedPath(node.file_path ?? null);
+        setCameraTarget(computeCameraTarget(missedSkeleton.nodes, missedSkeleton.ids));
+        return;
+      }
+
       setSelectedNode(node);
 
       /* Highlight the node and its direct connections */
@@ -243,7 +299,7 @@ export function GraphTab({ project }: GraphTabProps) {
       setSelectedPath(node.file_path ?? null);
       setCameraTarget(computeCameraTarget(filteredData.nodes, connectedIds));
     },
-    [filteredData],
+    [filteredData, missedSkeleton],
   );
 
   const handleNavigateToNode = useCallback(
@@ -356,8 +412,9 @@ export function GraphTab({ project }: GraphTabProps) {
           onToggleShowOnlyDead={() => setShowOnlyDead((v) => !v)}
           onToggleHideEntryPoints={() => setHideEntryPoints((v) => !v)}
           onToggleHideTests={() => setHideTests((v) => !v)}
-          missedView={missedView}
-          onToggleMissedView={() => setMissedView((v) => !v)}
+          missedView={showMissedSkeleton}
+          missedCount={data?.missed_graph?.nodes.filter((n) => n.label === "File").length ?? 0}
+          onToggleMissedView={() => setShowMissedSkeleton((v) => !v)}
         />
         <Sidebar
           nodes={filteredData.nodes}
@@ -392,11 +449,13 @@ export function GraphTab({ project }: GraphTabProps) {
             <ErrorBoundary>
               <GraphScene
                 data={filteredData}
+                missed={showMissedSkeleton ? missedSkeleton : null}
                 highlightedIds={highlightedIds}
                 cameraTarget={cameraTarget}
                 showLabels={showLabels}
                 display={display}
                 onNodeClick={handleNodeClick}
+                onBackgroundClick={handleBackgroundClick}
               />
             </ErrorBoundary>
 
diff --git a/graph-ui/src/lib/types.ts b/graph-ui/src/lib/types.ts
index a10b53d95..4d8ffa638 100644
--- a/graph-ui/src/lib/types.ts
+++ b/graph-ui/src/lib/types.ts
@@ -50,11 +50,21 @@ export interface LinkedProject {
   cross_edges: GraphEdge[];
 }
 
+/* Missed-graph skeleton (#963): the file structure of files the indexer
+ * could not fully cover, laid out as a satellite cluster beside the code
+ * galaxy (server-computed offset, same shape as LinkedProject's). */
+export interface MissedGraph {
+  nodes: GraphNode[];
+  edges: GraphEdge[];
+  offset: { x: number; y: number; z: number };
+}
+
 export interface GraphData {
   nodes: GraphNode[];
   edges: GraphEdge[];
   total_nodes: number;
   linked_projects?: LinkedProject[];
+  missed_graph?: MissedGraph;
 }
 
 export interface Project {
diff --git a/src/ui/http_server.c b/src/ui/http_server.c
index 939c1d76e..4d26f0561 100644
--- a/src/ui/http_server.c
+++ b/src/ui/http_server.c
@@ -1366,6 +1366,63 @@ static double layout_radius(const cbm_layout_result_t *r) {
     return sqrt(max_r2);
 }
 
+/* Attach the missed-graph skeleton (#963) to the primary layout doc as
+ *   "missed_graph": {"nodes":[...], "edges":[...], "offset":{x,y,z}}
+ * — the file structure of files the indexer could not fully cover, laid out
+ * as a satellite cluster beside the code galaxy (the UI renders it as a white
+ * skeleton; clicking it re-centers the camera there). The offset sits on the
+ * -Y side: linked-project satellites spread counter-clockwise from +X, so
+ * this slot collides last. Returns true when a non-empty skeleton was
+ * attached; no-op when the project has no missed files. */
+static bool attach_missed_graph(yyjson_mut_doc *mdoc, yyjson_mut_val *mroot, cbm_store_t *store,
+                                const char *project, double primary_radius) {
+    char covproj[512];
+    cbm_store_coverage_shadow_project(covproj, sizeof(covproj), project);
+    cbm_layout_result_t *ml = cbm_layout_compute(store, covproj, CBM_LAYOUT_OVERVIEW, NULL, 0, 0);
+    if (!ml) {
+        return false;
+    }
+    if (ml->node_count == 0) {
+        cbm_layout_free(ml);
+        return false;
+    }
+    double miss_radius = layout_radius(ml);
+    char *mjson = cbm_layout_to_json(ml);
+    cbm_layout_free(ml);
+    if (!mjson) {
+        return false;
+    }
+    yyjson_doc *mldoc = yyjson_read(mjson, strlen(mjson), 0);
+    free(mjson);
+    if (!mldoc) {
+        return false;
+    }
+    yyjson_mut_val *entry = yyjson_mut_obj(mdoc);
+    yyjson_val *mlroot = yyjson_doc_get_root(mldoc);
+    yyjson_val *mn = yyjson_obj_get(mlroot, "nodes");
+    yyjson_val *me = yyjson_obj_get(mlroot, "edges");
+    if (mn) {
+        yyjson_mut_obj_add_val(mdoc, entry, "nodes", yyjson_val_mut_copy(mdoc, mn));
+    }
+    if (me) {
+        yyjson_mut_obj_add_val(mdoc, entry, "edges", yyjson_val_mut_copy(mdoc, me));
+    }
+    yyjson_doc_free(mldoc);
+
+    double dist = primary_radius + miss_radius + LAYOUT_GALAXY_PAD;
+    if (dist < LAYOUT_GALAXY_SPACING) {
+        dist = LAYOUT_GALAXY_SPACING;
+    }
+    yyjson_mut_val *offset = yyjson_mut_obj(mdoc);
+    yyjson_mut_obj_add_real(mdoc, offset, "x", 0.0);
+    yyjson_mut_obj_add_real(mdoc, offset, "y", -dist);
+    yyjson_mut_obj_add_real(mdoc, offset, "z", 0.0);
+    yyjson_mut_obj_add_val(mdoc, entry, "offset", offset);
+
+    yyjson_mut_obj_add_val(mdoc, mroot, "missed_graph", entry);
+    return true;
+}
+
 static void handle_layout(cbm_http_conn_t *c, const cbm_http_req_t *req) {
     char project[256] = {0};
     char max_str[32] = {0};
@@ -1440,14 +1497,16 @@ static void handle_layout(cbm_http_conn_t *c, const cbm_http_req_t *req) {
         return;
     }
 
-    if (linked_count == 0) {
+    /* Fast path: no satellites to attach. The missed skeleton only decorates
+     * the CODE graph — a graph=missed request already IS the miss graph. */
+    if (linked_count == 0 && missed_graph) {
         cbm_store_close(store);
         cbm_http_replyf(c, 200, g_cors_json, "%s", primary_json);
         free(primary_json);
         return;
     }
 
-    /* Parse primary JSON and append linked_projects array */
+    /* Parse primary JSON and append missed_graph + linked_projects */
     yyjson_doc *pdoc = yyjson_read(primary_json, strlen(primary_json), 0);
     free(primary_json);
     if (!pdoc) {
@@ -1460,6 +1519,10 @@ static void handle_layout(cbm_http_conn_t *c, const cbm_http_req_t *req) {
     yyjson_doc_free(pdoc);
     yyjson_mut_val *mroot = yyjson_mut_doc_get_root(mdoc);
 
+    if (!missed_graph) {
+        (void)attach_missed_graph(mdoc, mroot, store, project, primary_radius);
+    }
+
     yyjson_mut_val *lp_arr = yyjson_mut_arr(mdoc);
 
     for (int li = 0; li < linked_count; li++) {