diff --git a/dashboard/app.py b/dashboard/app.py
index 7711ea3..5fd32dc 100644
--- a/dashboard/app.py
+++ b/dashboard/app.py
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ def simulator_status():
         try:
             import carla
             client = carla.Client('localhost', 2000)
-            client.set_timeout(10.0)
+            client.set_timeout(5.0)
             client.get_server_version() # Will raise if not ready
             status = "ready"
             world = client.get_world()
diff --git a/dashboard/static/app.js b/dashboard/static/app.js
index b780af7..dc7ec18 100644
--- a/dashboard/static/app.js
+++ b/dashboard/static/app.js
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', () => {
 
     let currentEventSource = null;
     let idleTimer = null;
+    let manualIdleOverride = false;
     let isSimulatorRunning = false;
     let isSimulationActive = false; // user currently running a scenario
 
@@ -43,8 +44,8 @@ document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', () => {
     // Auto Idle Tracker
     function resetIdleTimer() {
         if (idleTimer) clearTimeout(idleTimer);
-        // If simulation is not active and simulator is ready but NOT paused
-        if (!isSimulationActive && isSimulatorRunning && gpuIdleToggle && !gpuIdleToggle.checked) {
+        // If simulation is not active and simulator is ready but NOT paused AND no manual override
+        if (!isSimulationActive && isSimulatorRunning && gpuIdleToggle && !gpuIdleToggle.checked && !manualIdleOverride) {
             idleTimer = setTimeout(() => {
                 console.log("Auto-idling simulator due to 30s inactivity...");
                 gpuIdleToggle.checked = true;
@@ -56,11 +57,23 @@ document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', () => {
     if (gpuIdleToggle) {
         gpuIdleToggle.addEventListener('change', (e) => {
             const isIdle = e.target.checked;
+            
+            // If manual, toggle the override flag based on the NEW state
+            if (e.isTrusted) {
+                // OFF position (isIdle: false) means Manual Wake.
+                // ON position (isIdle: true) means Auto-Idle enabled.
+                manualIdleOverride = !isIdle;
+                console.log(`Auto-Idle system: ${manualIdleOverride ? 'DISABLED (Manual Wake)' : 'ENABLED (Auto mode)'}`);
+            }
+
             const endpoint = isIdle ? '/api/simulator/idle' : '/api/simulator/wake';
             fetch(endpoint, { method: 'POST' });
+            
             if (!isIdle) {
+                // If we woke it up, we only start the timer if override is not active
                 resetIdleTimer(); 
             } else {
+                // If we paused it, clear any existing timers
                 if (idleTimer) clearTimeout(idleTimer);
             }
         });
@@ -132,6 +145,10 @@ document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', () => {
     if (killSimBtn) {
         killSimBtn.addEventListener('click', () => {
             if (confirm("Are you sure you want to FORCE KILL CarlaUE4?\n\nThis will terminate the engine immediately. Any unsaved simulation data or unsynced frames will be lost.")) {
+                // Immediate UI Feedback
+                simStatusText.textContent = 'Terminating...';
+                simStatusDot.className = 'dot yellow';
+                
                 fetch('/api/simulator/kill', { method: 'POST' })
                     .then(res => res.json())
                     .then(data => {
diff --git a/dashboard/static/style.css b/dashboard/static/style.css
index e6888a4..1ef2227 100644
--- a/dashboard/static/style.css
+++ b/dashboard/static/style.css
@@ -711,18 +711,42 @@ input:checked + .slider:before {
 }
 
 .small-switch {
-    width: 34px;
-    height: 18px;
+    width: 46px;
+    height: 20px;
 }
 
 .small-switch .slider:before {
-    height: 12px;
-    width: 12px;
+    height: 14px;
+    width: 14px;
     bottom: 3px;
     left: 3px;
 }
 
+.small-switch input:checked + .slider {
+    background-color: var(--success);
+}
+
 .small-switch input:checked + .slider:before {
-    transform: translateX(16px);
+    transform: translateX(26px);
+}
+
+.small-switch .slider::after {
+    content: "AUTO";
+    position: absolute;
+    right: 22px;
+    top: 50%;
+    transform: translateY(-50%);
+    font-size: 7px;
+    font-weight: 500;
+    font-family: 'JetBrains Mono', monospace;
+    color: white;
+    opacity: 0;
+    transition: opacity 0.2s;
+    letter-spacing: 0.5px;
+    pointer-events: none;
+}
+
+.small-switch input:checked + .slider::after {
+    opacity: 1;
 }
 
diff --git a/dashboard/templates/index.html b/dashboard/templates/index.html
index ff170de..f585658 100644
--- a/dashboard/templates/index.html
+++ b/dashboard/templates/index.html
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@
                     <button id="launch-sim-btn" class="btn btn-secondary btn-small" style="width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; padding: 0.6rem;">Initialize CarlaUE4</button>
                     <!-- Idle Toggle -->
                     <div id="idle-toggle-container" class="idle-toggle-container" style="display: none;">
-                        <span class="idle-label">GPU Idle Mode</span>
+                        <span class="idle-label">Auto-Idle</span>
                         <label class="switch small-switch">
                             <input type="checkbox" id="gpu-idle-toggle">
                             <span class="slider round"></span>
diff --git a/intel/CHRONICLES.md b/intel/CHRONICLES.md
index 22fee47..af734a9 100644
--- a/intel/CHRONICLES.md
+++ b/intel/CHRONICLES.md
@@ -129,6 +129,8 @@ After 30 iterations of parameter tuning, we identified the fundamental reason fo
 - **Calibration**: Finalized the **Antenna Gain LUT Integration** (Separable Az/El patterns) in `Sceneset.py`.
 - **Organization**: Reorganized the `intel/radar` directory into structured subfolders (`core`, `research`, `diagnostics`, `archive`) to maintain documentation scalability.
 - **Physics**: Validated the pure physical $1/R^4$ power law and removed all legacy scaling multipliers.
+- **Dashboard**: Implemented a **Smart Auto-Idle Toggle** with clear visual feedback (Success-Green background and 'AUTO' text overlay). Redefined toggle logic to serve as a master switch that immediately pauses CARLA when enabled and disables the auto-timer when disabled.
+- **UX Optimization**: Resolved a critical 10s UI hang during simulator shutdown by reducing the backend status ping timeout from 10.0s to 5.0s and implementing immediate frontend feedback for the 'Kill' action.
 
 ### **April 14**
 - **Task**: Physics "De-Hacking" & Root Cause Analysis.