diff --git a/frontend/src/components/PeopleModal.tsx b/frontend/src/components/PeopleModal.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1cb1207
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/components/PeopleModal.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,93 @@
+import { useEffect, useMemo, useState } from 'react'
+import { ApiError } from '../api/client'
+import { getUserAvatarUrl, listOnlineUserIds, listUserDirectory } from '../api/users'
+import { hashIndex } from '../lib/avatar'
+import type { UserDirectoryEntry } from '../types'
+import { UserAvatar } from './UserAvatar'
+import './Modal.css'
+
+interface PeopleModalProps {
+  onClose: () => void
+}
+
+// #25: a snapshot on open, not a live feed -- matches listOnlineUserIds'
+// own documented contract (also used as-is by the admin user list and the
+// room-invite search), rather than inventing a new live-updating design
+// for this first pass.
+export function PeopleModal({ onClose }: PeopleModalProps) {
+  const [users, setUsers] = useState<UserDirectoryEntry[]>([])
+  const [onlineIds, setOnlineIds] = useState<Set<string>>(new Set())
+  const [loading, setLoading] = useState(true)
+  const [error, setError] = useState<string | null>(null)
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    Promise.all([listUserDirectory(), listOnlineUserIds()])
+      .then(([directory, online]) => {
+        setUsers(directory)
+        setOnlineIds(new Set(online))
+      })
+      .catch((err) => setError(err instanceof ApiError ? err.message : String(err)))
+      .finally(() => setLoading(false))
+  }, [])
+
+  // Online first (each group alphabetical, matching listUserDirectory's own
+  // username ordering) -- who's actually around right now is the more
+  // useful thing to see first in a list that can otherwise run to the
+  // entire site's user base.
+  const sorted = useMemo(
+    () =>
+      [...users].sort((a, b) => {
+        const aOnline = onlineIds.has(a.id)
+        const bOnline = onlineIds.has(b.id)
+        if (aOnline !== bOnline) return aOnline ? -1 : 1
+        return a.username.localeCompare(b.username)
+      }),
+    [users, onlineIds],
+  )
+
+  return (
+    <div className="modal-scrim" onClick={onClose}>
+      <div className="modal" onClick={(e) => e.stopPropagation()}>
+        <div className="modal-header">
+          <h2>People</h2>
+          <button type="button" className="modal-close" onClick={onClose} aria-label="Close">
+            &times;
+          </button>
+        </div>
+
+        {error && <p className="modal-error">{error}</p>}
+
+        {loading ? (
+          <p className="modal-empty">Loading...</p>
+        ) : sorted.length === 0 ? (
+          <p className="modal-empty">No users found.</p>
+        ) : (
+          sorted.map((u) => {
+            const online = onlineIds.has(u.id)
+            return (
+              <div key={u.id} className="modal-list-row">
+                <UserAvatar
+                  username={u.username}
+                  colorIndex={hashIndex(u.username)}
+                  size={30}
+                  avatarUrl={u.avatar_filename ? getUserAvatarUrl(u.id, u.avatar_filename) : null}
+                  status={online ? 'online' : 'offline'}
+                />
+                <div className="modal-list-row-body">
+                  <div className="modal-list-row-title">{u.display_name || u.username}</div>
+                  <div className="modal-list-row-sub">{online ? 'Online' : 'Offline'}</div>
+                </div>
+              </div>
+            )
+          })
+        )}
+
+        <div className="modal-actions" style={{ marginTop: '1rem' }}>
+          <button type="button" className="btn-secondary" onClick={onClose}>
+            Close
+          </button>
+        </div>
+      </div>
+    </div>
+  )
+}
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/Sidebar.tsx b/frontend/src/components/Sidebar.tsx
index bf9b219..82bad81 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/Sidebar.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/Sidebar.tsx
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ interface SidebarProps {
   onSearchChange: (value: string) => void
   onOpenNewRoom: () => void
   onOpenBrowse: () => void
+  onOpenPeople: () => void
   unavailableOffline?: boolean
 }
 
@@ -20,6 +21,7 @@ export function Sidebar({
   onSearchChange,
   onOpenNewRoom,
   onOpenBrowse,
+  onOpenPeople,
   unavailableOffline,
 }: SidebarProps) {
   const query = searchQuery.trim().toLowerCase()
@@ -65,6 +67,15 @@ export function Sidebar({
           </svg>
           Browse rooms
         </button>
+        <button type="button" className="sidebar-entry" onClick={onOpenPeople}>
+          <svg width="15" height="15" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" strokeWidth="1.6" aria-hidden="true">
+            <circle cx="7" cy="6.5" r="3" />
+            <path d="M2 17c0-3 2.5-5 5-5s5 2 5 5" strokeLinecap="round" />
+            <circle cx="14.5" cy="7.5" r="2.3" />
+            <path d="M12.7 12.3c2-.3 4 1.2 4.8 3.7" strokeLinecap="round" />
+          </svg>
+          People
+        </button>
 
         {unavailableOffline ? (
           <p className="sidebar-offline-note">
diff --git a/frontend/src/pages/ChatShellPage.tsx b/frontend/src/pages/ChatShellPage.tsx
index 6717719..464257a 100644
--- a/frontend/src/pages/ChatShellPage.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/pages/ChatShellPage.tsx
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import { BrowseRoomsModal } from '../components/BrowseRoomsModal'
 import { ChatPane } from '../components/ChatPane'
 import { NewRoomModal } from '../components/NewRoomModal'
 import { OfflineBanner } from '../components/OfflineBanner'
+import { PeopleModal } from '../components/PeopleModal'
 import { RoomInfoPanel } from '../components/RoomInfoPanel'
 import { Sidebar } from '../components/Sidebar'
 import { TopBar } from '../components/TopBar'
@@ -15,7 +16,7 @@ import { MOBILE_BREAKPOINT, useWindowWidth } from '../hooks/useWindowWidth'
 import type { MyRoomItem, RoomMember } from '../types'
 import './ChatShellPage.css'
 
-type ModalKind = 'new' | 'browse' | null
+type ModalKind = 'new' | 'browse' | 'people' | null
 
 export function ChatShellPage() {
   const { roomId } = useParams<{ roomId?: string }>()
@@ -108,6 +109,7 @@ export function ChatShellPage() {
             onSearchChange={setSearch}
             onOpenNewRoom={() => setModal('new')}
             onOpenBrowse={() => setModal('browse')}
+            onOpenPeople={() => setModal('people')}
             unavailableOffline={roomsUnavailableOffline && rooms.length === 0}
           />
         )}
@@ -173,6 +175,7 @@ export function ChatShellPage() {
           }}
         />
       )}
+      {modal === 'people' && <PeopleModal onClose={() => setModal(null)} />}
     </div>
   )
 }