diff --git a/Source/Chat/ChatSidebar.tsx b/Source/Chat/ChatSidebar.tsx
index cf169d2a..129fdafd 100644
--- a/Source/Chat/ChatSidebar.tsx
+++ b/Source/Chat/ChatSidebar.tsx
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 
 import { useState } from 'react';
 import type { ButtonHTMLAttributes, HTMLAttributes } from 'react';
+import { createPortal } from 'react-dom';
 import { Modal, ModalOverlay } from 'react-aria-components';
 import type { ChatConversationLabels, ChatConversationProps } from './ChatConversation';
 import { ChatConversation } from './ChatConversation';
@@ -384,7 +385,7 @@ export const ChatSidebar = <
         </>
     );
 
-    return (
+    return modal ? (
         <ModalOverlay
             {...pt?.backdrop}
             isOpen={open}
@@ -418,5 +419,41 @@ export const ChatSidebar = <
                 {panel}
             </Modal>
         </ModalOverlay>
+    ) : (
+        // Non-modal: a chat lives *next to* the work, so the background must stay visible and
+        // interactive. React Aria's Modal blocks its backdrop by design (its dismissal props only
+        // gate how it closes, never whether it intercepts), so the default is a plain portaled
+        // layer with no dismissal behavior at all — only the close/back affordances dismiss it.
+        open &&
+        createPortal(
+            <div
+                {...pt?.backdrop}
+                className={classNames(
+                    'cratis-chat-sidebar__backdrop',
+                    pt?.backdrop?.className,
+                )}
+                data-cratis-part='backdrop'
+                data-modal={false}
+                data-open
+                data-selected={openTopicId !== undefined || undefined}
+            >
+                <div
+                    {...pt?.root}
+                    className={classNames(
+                        'cratis-chat-sidebar',
+                        pt?.root?.className,
+                        className,
+                    )}
+                    style={{ width, ...pt?.root?.style }}
+                    data-cratis-part='root'
+                    data-position={position}
+                    data-open
+                    data-selected={openTopicId !== undefined || undefined}
+                >
+                    {panel}
+                </div>
+            </div>,
+            document.body,
+        )
     );
 };
diff --git a/Source/Chat/for_ChatSidebar/when_the_sidebar_is_open.ts b/Source/Chat/for_ChatSidebar/when_the_sidebar_is_open.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1eb0969e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Source/Chat/for_ChatSidebar/when_the_sidebar_is_open.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
+// Copyright (c) Cratis. All rights reserved.
+// Licensed under the MIT license. See LICENSE file in the project root for full license information.
+
+// @vitest-environment jsdom
+
+import { createElement } from 'react';
+import { ChatAuthorKind } from '../Kit/ChatAuthorKind';
+import { ChatSidebar } from '../ChatSidebar';
+import type { ChatTopic } from '../ChatTopic';
+import {
+    click,
+    render,
+    unmount,
+    type ChatSidebarInTheDom,
+} from './given/a_chat_sidebar_in_the_dom';
+
+const planning: ChatTopic = {
+    id: 'topic-1',
+    name: 'Sprint planning',
+    lastActivity: new Date('2026-08-27T10:00:00Z'),
+};
+
+const backgroundButton = () =>
+    document.querySelector<HTMLButtonElement>('[data-test="background"]')!;
+
+describe('when the sidebar is open', () => {
+    let backgroundClicks = 0;
+    let sidebar: ChatSidebarInTheDom;
+
+    const renderWith = async (props: Record<string, unknown>) => {
+        backgroundClicks = 0;
+        return render(
+            createElement(
+                'div',
+                null,
+                createElement(
+                    'button',
+                    {
+                        'data-test': 'background',
+                        onClick: () => {
+                            backgroundClicks += 1;
+                        },
+                    },
+                    'Background control',
+                ),
+                createElement(ChatSidebar, {
+                    open: true,
+                    onClose: () => {},
+                    topics: [planning],
+                    messages: [],
+                    onSendMessage: () => {},
+                    authorOf: () => ({
+                        name: 'Sample User',
+                        kind: ChatAuthorKind.User,
+                    }),
+                    ...props,
+                }),
+            ),
+        );
+    };
+
+    afterEach(async () => {
+        await unmount(sidebar);
+    });
+
+    describe('and it is not modal', () => {
+        beforeEach(async () => {
+            sidebar = await renderWith({});
+        });
+
+        it('should leave the background in the accessibility tree', () => {
+            backgroundButton().hasAttribute('aria-hidden').should.be.false;
+        });
+
+        it('should not present itself as a dialog', () => {
+            (document.querySelector('[role="dialog"]') === null).should.be.true;
+            (document.querySelector('[aria-modal]') === null).should.be.true;
+        });
+
+        it('should still expose the open state on the sidebar frame', () => {
+            document
+                .querySelector('[data-cratis-part="backdrop"]')!
+                .getAttribute('data-modal')!
+                .should.equal('false');
+            document
+                .querySelector('[data-cratis-part="backdrop"]')!
+                .getAttribute('data-open')!
+                .should.equal('true');
+            document
+                .querySelector('[data-cratis-part="root"]')!
+                .getAttribute('data-open')!
+                .should.equal('true');
+        });
+
+        it('should let the background stay interactive', async () => {
+            await click(backgroundButton());
+            backgroundClicks.should.equal(1);
+        });
+    });
+
+    describe('and it is modal', () => {
+        beforeEach(async () => {
+            sidebar = await renderWith({ modal: true });
+        });
+
+        it('should hide the background from the accessibility tree', () => {
+            (
+                backgroundButton().closest('[aria-hidden="true"]') !== null
+            ).should.be.true;
+        });
+
+        it('should mount the modal overlay frame', () => {
+            (
+                document.querySelector('[data-cratis-part="backdrop"]')!
+                    .hasAttribute('data-rac')
+            ).should.be.true;
+        });
+    });
+});