Add direct messages (#52)

A DM is a Room with a new is_dm flag, not a separate model -- reuses
all the membership/message/WS plumbing Room already has instead of
duplicating it. The room's `name` (still required + globally unique)
is an internal, never-displayed token derived deterministically from
the two participants' sorted user IDs (dm_room_name), which makes
find-or-create a single indexed lookup and gets free race-condition
safety from the existing unique constraint -- a concurrent double-
start from both people just hits the same IntegrityError->retry-as-
lookup path create_room already established.

Both participants get the plain 'member' role (no owner/admin
distinction makes sense for a 1:1 DM), which incidentally reuses
every existing role gate to block add-member, room-settings edits,
and join-via-browse on a DM for free. update_room also gets an
explicit is_dm guard independent of that, since renaming a DM isn't
just a privacy concern -- it would silently corrupt the find-or-create
invariant. DMs are excluded from both Browse Rooms and the admin
portal's room listing (fully private, per scope).

GET /api/rooms/mine precomputes each DM's other participant (name,
avatar, presence) as dm_partner in one batched query, so the sidebar
can render a DM row without a fetch per row. Frontend: a new "Direct
Messages" sidebar section (searchable by partner name, not the
internal room name), clicking someone in the People list starts or
resumes a DM, and the chat header/composer/RoomInfoPanel all render
the partner's identity instead of a room name where it's a DM.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

backend/alembic/versions/9ca717f837c2_room_is_dm_flag_for_direct_messages.py

@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+"""room is_dm flag for direct messages
+
+Revision ID: 9ca717f837c2
+Revises: 9484fbd1cb3a
+Create Date: 2026-08-19 15:50:25.781735
+
+"""
+from typing import Sequence, Union
+
+from alembic import op
+import sqlalchemy as sa
+
+
+# revision identifiers, used by Alembic.
+revision: str = '9ca717f837c2'
+down_revision: Union[str, Sequence[str], None] = '9484fbd1cb3a'
+branch_labels: Union[str, Sequence[str], None] = None
+depends_on: Union[str, Sequence[str], None] = None
+
+
+def upgrade() -> None:
+    """Upgrade schema."""
+    # server_default backfills existing rows; dropped right after since the
+    # model itself only sets a Python-side default (see is_archived above).
+    op.add_column(
+        'rooms', sa.Column('is_dm', sa.Boolean(), nullable=False, server_default=sa.false())
+    )
+    op.alter_column('rooms', 'is_dm', server_default=None)
+
+
+def downgrade() -> None:
+    """Downgrade schema."""
+    # ### commands auto generated by Alembic - please adjust! ###
+    op.drop_column('rooms', 'is_dm')
+    # ### end Alembic commands ###

backend/app/models/room.py

@@ -15,6 +15,10 @@ class Room(Base):
     description: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(Text)
     is_private: Mapped[bool] = mapped_column(Boolean, default=False, nullable=False)
     is_archived: Mapped[bool] = mapped_column(Boolean, default=False, nullable=False)
+    # #52: a DM is a Room whose `name` is an internal, never-displayed
+    # deterministic token (see room_service.dm_room_name) rather than a
+    # user-chosen name -- see that function's docstring for the scheme.
+    is_dm: Mapped[bool] = mapped_column(Boolean, default=False, nullable=False)
     owner_id: Mapped[uuid.UUID] = mapped_column(ForeignKey("users.id"), nullable=False)
     created_at: Mapped[datetime] = mapped_column(
         DateTime(timezone=True), server_default=func.now(), nullable=False

backend/app/routers/rooms.py

@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ from app.schemas.message import LinkPreviewInfo, MessageFileInfo, MessageRead
 from app.schemas.message_file import MessageFileCreated
 from app.schemas.message_image import MessageImageCreated
 from app.schemas.room import (
+    DmPartnerInfo,
     MyRoomItem,
     RoomAttachmentRead,
     RoomCreate,
@@ -26,6 +27,7 @@ from app.schemas.room import (
     RoomMemberRoleUpdate,
     RoomRead,
     RoomUpdate,
+    StartDmRequest,
     TransferOwnershipRequest,
 )
 from app.schemas.webhook import (
@@ -45,6 +47,8 @@ from app.services.message_service import (
 from app.services.upload_settings_service import format_mb, get_upload_settings
 from app.services.room_service import (
     AlreadyMemberError,
+    CannotDmSelfError,
+    CannotModifyDmError,
     CannotRemoveOwnerError,
     DuplicateRoomError,
     InsufficientRoleError,
@@ -57,6 +61,7 @@ from app.services.room_service import (
     change_member_role,
     create_room,
     delete_room,
+    find_or_create_dm,
     get_room,
     join_room,
     leave_room,
@@ -105,6 +110,20 @@ async def create_room_endpoint(
         raise HTTPException(status_code=409, detail="A room with this name already exists")
 
 
+@router.post("/dm", response_model=RoomRead, status_code=201)
+async def start_dm_endpoint(
+    data: StartDmRequest,
+    current_user: User = Depends(get_current_user),
+    db: AsyncSession = Depends(get_db),
+):
+    try:
+        return await find_or_create_dm(db, current_user.id, data.other_user_id)
+    except CannotDmSelfError:
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=400, detail="Cannot start a DM with yourself")
+    except TargetUserNotFoundError:
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail="No user with that ID")
+
+
 @router.get("", response_model=list[RoomListItem])
 async def list_rooms_endpoint(
     current_user: User = Depends(get_current_user),
@@ -117,6 +136,7 @@ async def list_rooms_endpoint(
             name=room.name,
             description=room.description,
             is_private=room.is_private,
+            is_dm=room.is_dm,
             owner_id=room.owner_id,
             created_at=room.created_at,
             is_member=is_member,
@@ -127,23 +147,38 @@ async def list_rooms_endpoint(
 
 @router.get("/mine", response_model=list[MyRoomItem])
 async def list_my_rooms_endpoint(
+    request: Request,
     current_user: User = Depends(get_current_user),
     db: AsyncSession = Depends(get_db),
 ):
     rooms = await list_member_rooms(db, current_user.id)
+    partner_ids = [partner.id for *_, partner in rooms if partner is not None]
+    online_ids = await request.app.state.global_presence.online_user_ids(partner_ids)
     return [
         MyRoomItem(
             id=room.id,
             name=room.name,
             description=room.description,
             is_private=room.is_private,
+            is_dm=room.is_dm,
             owner_id=room.owner_id,
             created_at=room.created_at,
             role=role,
             has_unread=has_unread,
             has_mention=has_mention,
+            dm_partner=(
+                DmPartnerInfo(
+                    user_id=partner.id,
+                    username=partner.username,
+                    display_name=partner.display_name,
+                    avatar_filename=partner.avatar_filename,
+                    status=_member_status(partner, online_ids),
+                )
+                if partner is not None
+                else None
+            ),
         )
-        for room, role, has_unread, has_mention in rooms
+        for room, role, has_unread, has_mention, partner in rooms
     ]
 
 
@@ -167,6 +202,8 @@ async def update_room_endpoint(
         raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail="Room not found")
     except DuplicateRoomError:
         raise HTTPException(status_code=409, detail="A room with this name already exists")
+    except CannotModifyDmError:
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=400, detail="DMs can't be edited")
 
 
 @router.delete("/{room_id}", status_code=204)

backend/app/schemas/room.py

@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ class RoomRead(BaseModel):
     name: str
     description: str | None
     is_private: bool
+    is_dm: bool
     owner_id: uuid.UUID
     created_at: datetime
 
@@ -34,6 +35,14 @@ class RoomListItem(RoomRead):
     is_member: bool
 
 
+class DmPartnerInfo(BaseModel):
+    user_id: uuid.UUID
+    username: str
+    display_name: str | None
+    avatar_filename: str | None
+    status: Literal["online", "offline"]
+
+
 class MyRoomItem(RoomRead):
     role: RoomRole
     # Whether this room has a message newer than the caller's last_read_at --
@@ -44,6 +53,15 @@ class MyRoomItem(RoomRead):
     # over has_unread in the sidebar (see RoomRow.tsx), not shown alongside
     # it.
     has_mention: bool
+    # #52: populated only when is_dm is true -- the *other* participant,
+    # precomputed here so the sidebar can render a DM row (their name +
+    # avatar, not this room's internal `name`) without a second fetch per
+    # row. None for a regular room.
+    dm_partner: DmPartnerInfo | None = None
+
+
+class StartDmRequest(BaseModel):
+    other_user_id: uuid.UUID
 
 
 class RoomMemberRead(BaseModel):

backend/app/services/admin_service.py

@@ -93,9 +93,14 @@ async def set_user_site_admin(
 
 
 async def list_rooms_admin(db: AsyncSession) -> list[tuple[Room, int]]:
+    # #52: DMs are fully private, not just unlisted -- excluded here rather
+    # than merely omitted from the response, so there's no admin-portal
+    # surface (this list, or the audit log via anything that touches this
+    # query) that reveals a DM even exists between two users.
     result = await db.execute(
         select(Room, func.count(RoomMembership.user_id))
         .outerjoin(RoomMembership, RoomMembership.room_id == Room.id)
+        .where(Room.is_dm.is_(False))
         .group_by(Room.id)
         .order_by(Room.created_at)
     )

backend/app/services/room_service.py

@@ -60,6 +60,25 @@ class AlreadyMemberError(Exception):
     pass
 
 
+class CannotDmSelfError(Exception):
+    pass
+
+
+class CannotModifyDmError(Exception):
+    pass
+
+
+def dm_room_name(user_a_id: uuid.UUID, user_b_id: uuid.UUID) -> str:
+    """Deterministic, internal-only name for the DM room between these two
+    users -- same canonical string regardless of argument order, so
+    find_or_create_dm can look up an existing DM with a single indexed
+    query (Room.name is already unique+indexed) instead of a membership-set
+    join. Never shown to a user -- the frontend renders a DM's dm_partner
+    info instead of its `name` (see MyRoomItem)."""
+    ids = sorted((str(user_a_id), str(user_b_id)))
+    return f"dm:{ids[0]}:{ids[1]}"
+
+
 async def create_room(db: AsyncSession, owner_id: uuid.UUID, data: RoomCreate) -> Room:
     room = Room(
         name=data.name,
@@ -80,10 +99,50 @@ async def create_room(db: AsyncSession, owner_id: uuid.UUID, data: RoomCreate) -
     return room
 
 
+async def find_or_create_dm(db: AsyncSession, user_id: uuid.UUID, other_user_id: uuid.UUID) -> Room:
+    if user_id == other_user_id:
+        raise CannotDmSelfError()
+    other = await db.get(User, other_user_id)
+    if other is None:
+        raise TargetUserNotFoundError()
+
+    name = dm_room_name(user_id, other_user_id)
+    result = await db.execute(select(Room).where(Room.name == name))
+    room = result.scalar_one_or_none()
+    if room is not None:
+        return room
+
+    # is_private=True is belt-and-suspenders here -- list_open_rooms also
+    # excludes is_dm directly -- but it's also just semantically correct: a
+    # DM genuinely is a private room. Both participants get the plain
+    # `member` role (there's no meaningful owner/admin distinction for a
+    # 1:1 DM); `owner_id` still has to be someone to satisfy the column,
+    # but nothing reads it as meaningful for a DM.
+    room = Room(name=name, is_private=True, is_dm=True, owner_id=user_id)
+    db.add(room)
+    try:
+        await db.flush()
+    except IntegrityError:
+        # Lost a race with a concurrent find_or_create_dm for the same pair
+        # (e.g. both people click "message" on each other at once) -- the
+        # unique constraint on `name` is exactly what caught it, same
+        # pattern as create_room's DuplicateRoomError. The row that won the
+        # race is the room we actually want.
+        await db.rollback()
+        result = await db.execute(select(Room).where(Room.name == name))
+        return result.scalar_one()
+
+    db.add(RoomMembership(room_id=room.id, user_id=user_id, role=RoomRole.member))
+    db.add(RoomMembership(room_id=room.id, user_id=other_user_id, role=RoomRole.member))
+    await db.commit()
+    await db.refresh(room)
+    return room
+
+
 async def list_open_rooms(db: AsyncSession, user_id: uuid.UUID) -> list[tuple[Room, bool]]:
     result = await db.execute(
         select(Room)
-        .where(Room.is_private.is_(False), Room.is_archived.is_(False))
+        .where(Room.is_private.is_(False), Room.is_archived.is_(False), Room.is_dm.is_(False))
         .options(selectinload(Room.memberships))
         .order_by(Room.created_at, Room.id)
     )
@@ -95,7 +154,7 @@ async def list_open_rooms(db: AsyncSession, user_id: uuid.UUID) -> list[tuple[Ro
 
 async def list_member_rooms(
     db: AsyncSession, user_id: uuid.UUID
-) -> list[tuple[Room, RoomRole, bool, bool]]:
+) -> list[tuple[Room, RoomRole, bool, bool, User | None]]:
     last_message_at = (
         select(func.max(Message.created_at))
         .where(Message.room_id == Room.id)
@@ -130,9 +189,30 @@ async def list_member_rooms(
         # device's fetch and another's.
         .order_by(Room.created_at, Room.id)
     )
+    rows = result.all()
+
+    # #52: one batched follow-up query for every DM room's *other*
+    # participant, rather than a fetch per row -- a DM only ever has
+    # exactly two members, so "the other one" is unambiguous.
+    dm_room_ids = [room.id for room, *_ in rows if room.is_dm]
+    partners_by_room: dict[uuid.UUID, User] = {}
+    if dm_room_ids:
+        partner_result = await db.execute(
+            select(RoomMembership.room_id, User)
+            .join(User, User.id == RoomMembership.user_id)
+            .where(RoomMembership.room_id.in_(dm_room_ids), RoomMembership.user_id != user_id)
+        )
+        partners_by_room = {room_id: user for room_id, user in partner_result.all()}
+
     return [
-        (room, role, last_message_at is not None and last_message_at > last_read_at, has_mention)
-        for room, role, last_read_at, last_message_at, has_mention in result.all()
+        (
+            room,
+            role,
+            last_message_at is not None and last_message_at > last_read_at,
+            has_mention,
+            partners_by_room.get(room.id),
+        )
+        for room, role, last_read_at, last_message_at, has_mention in rows
     ]
 
 
@@ -200,6 +280,14 @@ async def add_member(
 
 
 async def update_room(db: AsyncSession, room: Room, data: RoomUpdate) -> Room:
+    # A DM's `name` is an internal token find_or_create_dm's lookup depends
+    # on being stable -- renaming it (even via the #48 site-admin bypass in
+    # the router) would silently orphan that invariant, not just leak a
+    # detail that's supposed to stay private. Blocked here, not just in the
+    # UI, since it's a correctness issue for every caller, not a permission
+    # one.
+    if room.is_dm:
+        raise CannotModifyDmError()
     if data.name is not None:
         room.name = data.name
     if data.description is not None:

backend/tests/test_direct_messages.py

@@ -0,0 +1,178 @@
+import uuid
+
+from sqlalchemy import select
+
+from app.models import Room, RoomMembership
+from app.services.room_service import dm_room_name
+from tests.conftest import login_as, register_and_login
+
+
+async def test_start_dm_creates_private_room_with_both_members(client, db_session):
+    alice = await register_and_login(client, db_session, username="alice")
+    await client.post("/api/auth/logout")
+    bob = await register_and_login(client, db_session, username="bob")
+    await client.post("/api/auth/logout")
+    await login_as(client, "alice")
+
+    resp = await client.post("/api/rooms/dm", json={"other_user_id": bob["id"]})
+    assert resp.status_code == 201, resp.text
+    room = resp.json()
+    assert room["is_dm"] is True
+    assert room["is_private"] is True
+    # The internal name is never meant to be shown, but its scheme is part
+    # of the contract find_or_create_dm relies on -- pin it here so a
+    # future refactor can't silently change it without this test noticing.
+    assert room["name"] == dm_room_name(uuid.UUID(alice["id"]), uuid.UUID(bob["id"]))
+
+    result = await db_session.execute(
+        select(RoomMembership.user_id).where(RoomMembership.room_id == uuid.UUID(room["id"]))
+    )
+    member_ids = {str(row[0]) for row in result.all()}
+    assert member_ids == {alice["id"], bob["id"]}
+
+
+async def test_start_dm_is_idempotent_regardless_of_who_initiates(client, db_session):
+    alice = await register_and_login(client, db_session, username="alice")
+    await client.post("/api/auth/logout")
+    bob = await register_and_login(client, db_session, username="bob")
+
+    resp1 = await client.post("/api/rooms/dm", json={"other_user_id": alice["id"]})
+    assert resp1.status_code == 201
+    room_id = resp1.json()["id"]
+
+    # bob -> alice again should return the same room, not create a second one.
+    resp2 = await client.post("/api/rooms/dm", json={"other_user_id": alice["id"]})
+    assert resp2.status_code == 201
+    assert resp2.json()["id"] == room_id
+
+    await client.post("/api/auth/logout")
+    await login_as(client, "alice")
+    # alice -> bob (reversed direction) should also find the same room.
+    resp3 = await client.post("/api/rooms/dm", json={"other_user_id": bob["id"]})
+    assert resp3.status_code == 201
+    assert resp3.json()["id"] == room_id
+
+
+async def test_start_dm_rejects_self(client, db_session):
+    alice = await register_and_login(client, db_session, username="alice")
+    resp = await client.post("/api/rooms/dm", json={"other_user_id": alice["id"]})
+    assert resp.status_code == 400
+
+
+async def test_start_dm_404s_for_unknown_user(client, db_session):
+    await register_and_login(client, db_session, username="alice")
+    resp = await client.post("/api/rooms/dm", json={"other_user_id": str(uuid.uuid4())})
+    assert resp.status_code == 404
+
+
+async def test_dm_excluded_from_browse_rooms(client, db_session):
+    alice = await register_and_login(client, db_session, username="alice")
+    await client.post("/api/auth/logout")
+    bob = await register_and_login(client, db_session, username="bob")
+    await client.post("/api/rooms/dm", json={"other_user_id": alice["id"]})
+
+    # A third user should never see the DM in the open-rooms listing, even
+    # though find_or_create_dm sets is_private=True (which alone would
+    # already exclude it) -- confirms the belt-and-suspenders is_dm filter
+    # in list_open_rooms is doing something, not just is_private.
+    await client.post("/api/auth/logout")
+    await register_and_login(client, db_session, username="carol")
+    resp = await client.get("/api/rooms")
+    assert resp.status_code == 200
+    assert all(not r["is_dm"] for r in resp.json())
+
+
+async def test_dm_excluded_from_admin_room_list(client, db_session):
+    alice = await register_and_login(client, db_session, username="alice")
+    await client.post("/api/auth/logout")
+    bob = await register_and_login(client, db_session, username="bob")
+    await client.post("/api/rooms/dm", json={"other_user_id": alice["id"]})
+
+    await client.post("/api/auth/logout")
+    admin = await register_and_login(client, db_session, username="dave")
+    from app.models import User
+
+    user = await db_session.get(User, uuid.UUID(admin["id"]))
+    user.is_site_admin = True
+    await db_session.commit()
+
+    resp = await client.get("/api/admin/rooms")
+    assert resp.status_code == 200
+    names = [r["name"] for r in resp.json()]
+    assert dm_room_name(uuid.UUID(alice["id"]), uuid.UUID(bob["id"])) not in names
+
+
+async def test_dm_appears_in_mine_with_partner_info(client, db_session):
+    alice = await register_and_login(client, db_session, username="alice")
+    await client.post("/api/auth/logout")
+    bob = await register_and_login(client, db_session, username="bob", password="password123")
+    # Give bob a display name so the partner payload's precedence is checked
+    # for something other than the fallback username.
+    await client.patch("/api/auth/me", json={"display_name": "Bobby"})
+
+    dm = (await client.post("/api/rooms/dm", json={"other_user_id": alice["id"]})).json()
+
+    await client.post("/api/auth/logout")
+    await login_as(client, "alice")
+    mine = (await client.get("/api/rooms/mine")).json()
+    dm_entry = next(r for r in mine if r["id"] == dm["id"])
+    assert dm_entry["is_dm"] is True
+    assert dm_entry["dm_partner"]["user_id"] == bob["id"]
+    assert dm_entry["dm_partner"]["username"] == "bob"
+    assert dm_entry["dm_partner"]["display_name"] == "Bobby"
+
+    # A regular room's dm_partner is always null.
+    room = (await client.post("/api/rooms", json={"name": "general"})).json()
+    mine = (await client.get("/api/rooms/mine")).json()
+    room_entry = next(r for r in mine if r["id"] == room["id"])
+    assert room_entry["is_dm"] is False
+    assert room_entry["dm_partner"] is None
+
+
+async def test_dm_cannot_be_updated(client, db_session):
+    alice = await register_and_login(client, db_session, username="alice")
+    await client.post("/api/auth/logout")
+    bob = await register_and_login(client, db_session, username="bob")
+    dm = (await client.post("/api/rooms/dm", json={"other_user_id": alice["id"]})).json()
+
+    # bob is a plain 'member' of the DM (no admin/owner role exists for a
+    # DM), so this 403s on the ordinary role gate before ever reaching
+    # update_room's own is_dm guard.
+    resp = await client.patch(f"/api/rooms/{dm['id']}", json={"name": "renamed"})
+    assert resp.status_code == 403
+
+    # A site admin bypasses that role gate (see #48) -- confirms the
+    # explicit is_dm guard inside update_room itself is what stops this,
+    # not just incidental role-based protection.
+    await client.post("/api/auth/logout")
+    admin = await register_and_login(client, db_session, username="carol")
+    from app.models import User
+
+    user = await db_session.get(User, uuid.UUID(admin["id"]))
+    user.is_site_admin = True
+    await db_session.commit()
+    resp = await client.patch(f"/api/rooms/{dm['id']}", json={"name": "renamed"})
+    assert resp.status_code == 400
+
+
+async def test_dm_rejects_add_member_and_join(client, db_session):
+    alice = await register_and_login(client, db_session, username="alice")
+    await client.post("/api/auth/logout")
+    bob = await register_and_login(client, db_session, username="bob")
+    dm = (await client.post("/api/rooms/dm", json={"other_user_id": alice["id"]})).json()
+
+    await client.post("/api/auth/logout")
+    carol = await register_and_login(client, db_session, username="carol")
+
+    # Neither participant has admin/owner role in a DM, so adding a third
+    # person 403s on the existing role gate.
+    await client.post("/api/auth/logout")
+    await login_as(client, "bob")
+    resp = await client.post(f"/api/rooms/{dm['id']}/members", json={"user_id": carol["id"]})
+    assert resp.status_code == 403
+
+    # is_private=True on the DM already blocks the plain join endpoint too.
+    await client.post("/api/auth/logout")
+    await login_as(client, "carol")
+    resp = await client.post(f"/api/rooms/{dm['id']}/join")
+    assert resp.status_code == 400

frontend/src/api/rooms.ts

@@ -29,6 +29,15 @@ export function createRoom(
   })
 }
 
+// #52: find-or-create -- returns the existing DM with this person if one
+// already exists, rather than always creating a new room.
+export function startDm(otherUserId: string): Promise<Room> {
+  return apiFetch<Room>('/api/rooms/dm', {
+    method: 'POST',
+    body: JSON.stringify({ other_user_id: otherUserId }),
+  })
+}
+
 export function updateRoom(
   roomId: string,
   data: { name?: string; description?: string; is_private?: boolean },

frontend/src/components/ChatPane.tsx

@@ -224,8 +224,16 @@ export function ChatPane({
           </button>
         )}
         <div className="chat-pane-title-block">
-          <div className="chat-pane-title">#{room.name}</div>
-          <div className="chat-pane-subtitle">{members.length} member{members.length === 1 ? '' : 's'}</div>
+          <div className="chat-pane-title">
+            {room.dm_partner ? room.dm_partner.display_name || room.dm_partner.username : `#${room.name}`}
+          </div>
+          <div className="chat-pane-subtitle">
+            {room.dm_partner
+              ? room.dm_partner.status === 'online'
+                ? 'Online'
+                : 'Offline'
+              : `${members.length} member${members.length === 1 ? '' : 's'}`}
+          </div>
         </div>
         <button
           type="button"
@@ -259,7 +267,8 @@ export function ChatPane({
       />
       <Composer
         roomId={room.id}
-        roomName={room.name}
+        roomName={room.dm_partner ? room.dm_partner.display_name || room.dm_partner.username : room.name}
+        isDm={room.is_dm}
         members={members}
         rooms={rooms}
         disabled={!connected}

frontend/src/components/Composer.tsx

@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import './Composer.css'
 interface ComposerProps {
   roomId: string
   roomName: string
+  isDm?: boolean
   members: RoomMember[]
   // #47: rooms this user belongs to, for the #roomname autocomplete --
   // deliberately the same list ChatPane already resolves message-display
@@ -89,7 +90,7 @@ function AttachMenu({ onPickPhoto, onPickFile, onClose }: AttachMenuProps) {
   )
 }
 
-export function Composer({ roomId, roomName, members, rooms, disabled, onSend }: ComposerProps) {
+export function Composer({ roomId, roomName, isDm, members, rooms, disabled, onSend }: ComposerProps) {
   const [value, setValue] = useState('')
   const [pendingImage, setPendingImage] = useState<{ id: string; previewUrl: string } | null>(null)
   const [pendingFile, setPendingFile] = useState<{ id: string; filename: string; size: number } | null>(
@@ -488,7 +489,13 @@ export function Composer({ roomId, roomName, members, rooms, disabled, onSend }:
             }}
             onSelect={handleSelectionChange}
             onKeyDown={handleKeyDown}
-            placeholder={disabled ? (online ? 'Connecting…' : "You're offline") : `Message #${roomName}`}
+            placeholder={
+              disabled
+                ? online
+                  ? 'Connecting…'
+                  : "You're offline"
+                : `Message ${isDm ? roomName : `#${roomName}`}`
+            }
             spellCheck
           />
           {mentionQuery && mentionMatches.length > 0 && (

frontend/src/components/Modal.css

@@ -389,6 +389,28 @@
   border-bottom: none;
 }
 
+.modal-list-row-button {
+  width: 100%;
+  background: transparent;
+  border-left: none;
+  border-right: none;
+  border-top: none;
+  text-align: left;
+  font: inherit;
+  color: inherit;
+  cursor: pointer;
+  border-radius: var(--radius);
+}
+
+.modal-list-row-button:hover:not(:disabled) {
+  background: var(--ds-surface-2);
+}
+
+.modal-list-row-button:disabled {
+  cursor: not-allowed;
+  opacity: 0.7;
+}
+
 .modal-list-row-body {
   flex: 1;
   min-width: 0;

frontend/src/components/PeopleModal.tsx

@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 import { useEffect, useMemo, useState } from 'react'
 import { ApiError } from '../api/client'
+import { startDm } from '../api/rooms'
 import { getUserAvatarUrl, listOnlineUserIds, listUserDirectory } from '../api/users'
+import { useAuth } from '../context/AuthContext'
 import { hashIndex } from '../lib/avatar'
 import type { UserDirectoryEntry } from '../types'
 import { UserAvatar } from './UserAvatar'
@@ -8,17 +10,20 @@ import './Modal.css'
 
 interface PeopleModalProps {
   onClose: () => void
+  onOpenRoom: (roomId: string) => 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) {
+export function PeopleModal({ onClose, onOpenRoom }: PeopleModalProps) {
+  const { user } = useAuth()
   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)
+  const [startingId, setStartingId] = useState<string | null>(null)
 
   useEffect(() => {
     Promise.all([listUserDirectory(), listOnlineUserIds()])
@@ -33,18 +38,34 @@ export function PeopleModal({ onClose }: PeopleModalProps) {
   // 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.
+  // entire site's user base. Excludes the viewer themselves -- there's no
+  // "DM yourself" affordance.
   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],
+      [...users]
+        .filter((u) => u.id !== user?.id)
+        .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, user?.id],
   )
 
+  async function handleStartDm(otherUserId: string) {
+    setStartingId(otherUserId)
+    setError(null)
+    try {
+      const room = await startDm(otherUserId)
+      onOpenRoom(room.id)
+      onClose()
+    } catch (err) {
+      setError(err instanceof ApiError ? err.message : String(err))
+      setStartingId(null)
+    }
+  }
+
   return (
     <div className="modal-scrim" onClick={onClose}>
       <div className="modal" onClick={(e) => e.stopPropagation()}>
@@ -65,7 +86,13 @@ export function PeopleModal({ onClose }: PeopleModalProps) {
           sorted.map((u) => {
             const online = onlineIds.has(u.id)
             return (
-              <div key={u.id} className="modal-list-row">
+              <button
+                key={u.id}
+                type="button"
+                className="modal-list-row modal-list-row-button"
+                onClick={() => handleStartDm(u.id)}
+                disabled={startingId !== null}
+              >
                 <UserAvatar
                   username={u.username}
                   colorIndex={hashIndex(u.username)}
@@ -75,9 +102,11 @@ export function PeopleModal({ onClose }: PeopleModalProps) {
                 />
                 <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 className="modal-list-row-sub">
+                    {startingId === u.id ? 'Opening…' : online ? 'Online' : 'Offline'}
+                  </div>
                 </div>
-              </div>
+              </button>
             )
           })
         )}

frontend/src/components/RoomInfoPanel.tsx

@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import {
 } from '../api/webhooks'
 import { useAuth } from '../context/AuthContext'
 import { useResizableWidth } from '../hooks/useResizableWidth'
+import { hashIndex } from '../lib/avatar'
 import { MOBILE_BREAKPOINT, useWindowWidth } from '../hooks/useWindowWidth'
 import { formatFileSize } from '../lib/fileSize'
 import type {
@@ -117,8 +118,11 @@ export function RoomInfoPanel({
   const canManage = myRole === 'admin' || myRole === 'owner'
   // #48: room owner, room admin, or site admin (regardless of their role in
   // *this* room) can edit room settings, including privacy -- matches the
-  // backend PATCH /api/rooms/{id} gate exactly (see rooms.py).
-  const canEditSettings = canManage || !!user?.is_site_admin
+  // backend PATCH /api/rooms/{id} gate exactly (see rooms.py). #52: never
+  // for a DM regardless of role -- mirrors update_room's own
+  // CannotModifyDmError guard, since a DM's `name` is an internal token,
+  // not something editable.
+  const canEditSettings = !room.is_dm && (canManage || !!user?.is_site_admin)
 
   useEffect(() => {
     setNameDraft(room.name)
@@ -295,12 +299,32 @@ export function RoomInfoPanel({
       </div>
 
       <div className="room-info-summary">
-        <RoomAvatar colorIndex={0} size={56} />
-        <div className="room-info-name">#{room.name}</div>
-        <div className="room-info-sub">
-          {members.length} member{members.length === 1 ? '' : 's'}
-          {room.is_private && ' · Private'}
-        </div>
+        {room.dm_partner ? (
+          <>
+            <UserAvatar
+              username={room.dm_partner.username}
+              colorIndex={hashIndex(room.dm_partner.username)}
+              size={56}
+              avatarUrl={
+                room.dm_partner.avatar_filename
+                  ? getUserAvatarUrl(room.dm_partner.user_id, room.dm_partner.avatar_filename)
+                  : null
+              }
+              status={room.dm_partner.status}
+            />
+            <div className="room-info-name">{room.dm_partner.display_name || room.dm_partner.username}</div>
+            <div className="room-info-sub">{room.dm_partner.status === 'online' ? 'Online' : 'Offline'}</div>
+          </>
+        ) : (
+          <>
+            <RoomAvatar colorIndex={0} size={56} />
+            <div className="room-info-name">#{room.name}</div>
+            <div className="room-info-sub">
+              {members.length} member{members.length === 1 ? '' : 's'}
+              {room.is_private && ' · Private'}
+            </div>
+          </>
+        )}
       </div>
 
       <div className="room-info-section">
@@ -572,15 +596,17 @@ export function RoomInfoPanel({
         </div>
       )}
 
-      <button
-        type="button"
-        className="room-info-leave"
-        onClick={handleLeave}
-        disabled={myRole === 'owner'}
-        title={myRole === 'owner' ? 'Transfer ownership before leaving' : undefined}
-      >
-        Leave room
-      </button>
+      {!room.is_dm && (
+        <button
+          type="button"
+          className="room-info-leave"
+          onClick={handleLeave}
+          disabled={myRole === 'owner'}
+          title={myRole === 'owner' ? 'Transfer ownership before leaving' : undefined}
+        >
+          Leave room
+        </button>
+      )}
 
       {lightboxSrc && <ImageLightbox src={lightboxSrc} onClose={() => setLightboxSrc(null)} />}
       {previewFile && (

frontend/src/components/RoomRow.tsx

@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 import { Link } from 'react-router-dom'
+import { getUserAvatarUrl } from '../api/users'
+import { hashIndex } from '../lib/avatar'
 import type { MyRoomItem } from '../types'
 import { RoomAvatar } from './RoomAvatar'
+import { UserAvatar } from './UserAvatar'
 import './RoomRow.css'
 
 interface RoomRowProps {
@@ -10,13 +13,25 @@ interface RoomRowProps {
 }
 
 export function RoomRow({ room, colorIndex, active }: RoomRowProps) {
+  const partner = room.dm_partner
+
   return (
     <Link to={`/rooms/${room.id}`} className={`room-row${active ? ' room-row-active' : ''}`}>
-      <RoomAvatar colorIndex={colorIndex} />
+      {partner ? (
+        <UserAvatar
+          username={partner.username}
+          colorIndex={hashIndex(partner.username)}
+          size={34}
+          avatarUrl={partner.avatar_filename ? getUserAvatarUrl(partner.user_id, partner.avatar_filename) : null}
+          status={partner.status}
+        />
+      ) : (
+        <RoomAvatar colorIndex={colorIndex} />
+      )}
       <div className="room-row-body">
         <div className="room-row-name">
-          {room.name}
-          {room.is_private && (
+          {partner ? partner.display_name || partner.username : room.name}
+          {!partner && room.is_private && (
             <svg
               className="room-row-lock"
               width="12"
@@ -30,7 +45,7 @@ export function RoomRow({ room, colorIndex, active }: RoomRowProps) {
             </svg>
           )}
         </div>
-        {room.description && <div className="room-row-subtitle">{room.description}</div>}
+        {!partner && room.description && <div className="room-row-subtitle">{room.description}</div>}
       </div>
       {!active && room.has_mention && (
         <span className="room-row-mention-dot" aria-label="You were mentioned" />

frontend/src/components/Sidebar.tsx

@@ -25,7 +25,21 @@ export function Sidebar({
   unavailableOffline,
 }: SidebarProps) {
   const query = searchQuery.trim().toLowerCase()
-  const filtered = query ? rooms.filter((r) => r.name.toLowerCase().includes(query)) : rooms
+  // A DM's `name` is an internal token, never what a user would search for
+  // -- matched against the partner's display name/username instead.
+  function matchesQuery(room: MyRoomItem): boolean {
+    if (!query) return true
+    if (room.is_dm && room.dm_partner) {
+      return (
+        (room.dm_partner.display_name ?? '').toLowerCase().includes(query) ||
+        room.dm_partner.username.toLowerCase().includes(query)
+      )
+    }
+    return room.name.toLowerCase().includes(query)
+  }
+  const filtered = rooms.filter(matchesQuery)
+  const directMessages = filtered.filter((r) => r.is_dm)
+  const regularRooms = filtered.filter((r) => !r.is_dm)
 
   const { width, startResize } = useResizableWidth({
     storageKey: 'sidebar-width',
@@ -83,9 +97,24 @@ export function Sidebar({
           </p>
         ) : (
           <>
-            {filtered.length > 0 && <div className="sidebar-section-label">Rooms</div>}
+            {directMessages.length > 0 && (
+              <>
+                <div className="sidebar-section-label">Direct Messages</div>
+                <nav>
+                  {directMessages.map((room, i) => (
+                    <RoomRow
+                      key={room.id}
+                      room={room}
+                      colorIndex={i}
+                      active={room.id === activeRoomId}
+                    />
+                  ))}
+                </nav>
+              </>
+            )}
+            {regularRooms.length > 0 && <div className="sidebar-section-label">Rooms</div>}
             <nav>
-              {filtered.map((room, i) => (
+              {regularRooms.map((room, i) => (
                 <RoomRow
                   key={room.id}
                   room={room}

frontend/src/pages/ChatShellPage.tsx

@@ -175,7 +175,15 @@ export function ChatShellPage() {
           }}
         />
       )}
-      {modal === 'people' && <PeopleModal onClose={() => setModal(null)} />}
+      {modal === 'people' && (
+        <PeopleModal
+          onClose={() => setModal(null)}
+          onOpenRoom={(id) => {
+            setModal(null)
+            refreshRooms().then(() => goToRoom(id))
+          }}
+        />
+      )}
     </div>
   )
 }

frontend/src/types.ts

@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ export interface Room {
   name: string
   description: string | null
   is_private: boolean
+  is_dm: boolean
   owner_id: string
   created_at: string
 }
@@ -64,12 +65,23 @@ export interface RoomListItem extends Room {
   is_member: boolean
 }
 
+export interface DmPartnerInfo {
+  user_id: string
+  username: string
+  display_name: string | null
+  avatar_filename: string | null
+  status: 'online' | 'offline'
+}
+
 export interface MyRoomItem extends Room {
   role: RoomRole
   has_unread: boolean
   // Unread and mentions the current user -- takes visual priority over
   // has_unread in the sidebar (see RoomRow.tsx), not shown alongside it.
   has_mention: boolean
+  // #52: the other participant, only for is_dm rooms -- see backend
+  // schemas/room.py's MyRoomItem for why this is precomputed server-side.
+  dm_partner: DmPartnerInfo | null
 }
 
 export interface RoomMember {