diff --git a/src/app/features/join-before-navigate/JoinBeforeNavigate.css.ts b/src/app/features/join-before-navigate/JoinBeforeNavigate.css.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..55ce1eed
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/app/features/join-before-navigate/JoinBeforeNavigate.css.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+import { style } from '@vanilla-extract/css';
+import { color, config, toRem } from 'folds';
+
+// A calm centred invite hero: full-width on mobile, a narrow reading column on
+// desktop. Replaces the cramped 364px RoomCard that floated in an empty page.
+export const Hero = style({
+  width: '100%',
+  maxWidth: toRem(440),
+  margin: 'auto',
+  padding: `${config.space.S700} ${config.space.S400}`,
+  display: 'flex',
+  flexDirection: 'column',
+  alignItems: 'center',
+  textAlign: 'center',
+  gap: config.space.S400,
+});
+
+export const Eyebrow = style({
+  display: 'block',
+  textTransform: 'uppercase',
+  letterSpacing: '0.1em',
+  fontSize: toRem(11),
+  fontWeight: config.fontWeight.W600,
+  color: color.Surface.OnContainer,
+  opacity: 0.5,
+});
+
+export const Topic = style({
+  color: color.SurfaceVariant.OnContainer,
+  opacity: 0.8,
+  maxWidth: toRem(380),
+  display: '-webkit-box',
+  WebkitLineClamp: 5,
+  WebkitBoxOrient: 'vertical',
+  overflow: 'hidden',
+  whiteSpace: 'pre-wrap',
+});
+
+export const MemberCount = style({
+  fontFamily: 'var(--font-mono)',
+  fontVariantNumeric: 'tabular-nums',
+  color: color.SurfaceVariant.OnContainer,
+  opacity: 0.7,
+});
+
+// Full-width action stack — comfortable touch targets on native.
+export const Actions = style({
+  width: '100%',
+  display: 'flex',
+  flexDirection: 'column',
+  gap: config.space.S200,
+  marginTop: config.space.S300,
+});
diff --git a/src/app/features/join-before-navigate/JoinBeforeNavigate.tsx b/src/app/features/join-before-navigate/JoinBeforeNavigate.tsx
index 028cd560..e539f3da 100644
--- a/src/app/features/join-before-navigate/JoinBeforeNavigate.tsx
+++ b/src/app/features/join-before-navigate/JoinBeforeNavigate.tsx
@@ -1,15 +1,38 @@
-import React from 'react';
-import { Box, Icon, IconButton, Icons, Scroll, Text, toRem } from 'folds';
+import React, { useCallback } from 'react';
+import {
+  Avatar,
+  Badge,
+  Box,
+  Button,
+  Icon,
+  IconButton,
+  Icons,
+  Scroll,
+  Spinner,
+  Text,
+  color,
+  toRem,
+} from 'folds';
 import { useAtomValue } from 'jotai';
-import { RoomCard } from '../../components/room-card';
-import { RoomTopicViewer } from '../../components/room-topic-viewer';
+import { MatrixError, Room } from 'matrix-js-sdk';
+import { useNavigate } from 'react-router-dom';
+import { useTranslation } from 'react-i18next';
+import * as css from './JoinBeforeNavigate.css';
+import { RoomAvatar, RoomIcon } from '../../components/room-avatar';
 import { Page, PageHeader } from '../../components/page';
 import { RoomSummaryLoader } from '../../components/RoomSummaryLoader';
 import { useRoomNavigate } from '../../hooks/useRoomNavigate';
 import { useMatrixClient } from '../../hooks/useMatrixClient';
+import { useMediaAuthentication } from '../../hooks/useMediaAuthentication';
+import { useJoinedRoomId } from '../../hooks/useJoinedRoomId';
 import { allRoomsAtom } from '../../state/room-list/roomList';
 import { ScreenSize, useScreenSizeContext } from '../../hooks/useScreenSize';
 import { BackRouteHandler } from '../../components/BackRouteHandler';
+import { AsyncStatus, useAsyncCallback } from '../../hooks/useAsyncCallback';
+import { getMxIdLocalPart, mxcUrlToHttp } from '../../utils/matrix';
+import { getRoomAvatarUrl } from '../../utils/room';
+import { RoomType } from '../../../types/matrix/room';
+import { millify } from '../../plugins/millify';
 
 type JoinBeforeNavigateProps = { roomIdOrAlias: string; eventId?: string; viaServers?: string[] };
 export function JoinBeforeNavigate({
@@ -17,11 +40,20 @@ export function JoinBeforeNavigate({
   eventId,
   viaServers,
 }: JoinBeforeNavigateProps) {
+  const { t } = useTranslation();
   const mx = useMatrixClient();
+  const useAuthentication = useMediaAuthentication();
   const allRooms = useAtomValue(allRoomsAtom);
   const { navigateRoom, navigateSpace } = useRoomNavigate();
+  const navigate = useNavigate();
   const screenSize = useScreenSizeContext();
 
+  const joinedRoomId = useJoinedRoomId(allRooms, roomIdOrAlias);
+  // For a pending invite the room already exists locally (membership "invite"),
+  // so resolve it for the richer avatar / member count / membership signal.
+  const room = mx.getRoom(joinedRoomId ?? roomIdOrAlias) ?? undefined;
+  const invited = room?.getMyMembership() === 'invite';
+
   const handleView = (roomId: string) => {
     if (mx.getRoom(roomId)?.isSpaceRoom()) {
       navigateSpace(roomId);
@@ -30,6 +62,21 @@ export function JoinBeforeNavigate({
     navigateRoom(roomId, eventId);
   };
 
+  const [joinState, join] = useAsyncCallback<Room, MatrixError, []>(
+    useCallback(() => mx.joinRoom(roomIdOrAlias, { viaServers }), [mx, roomIdOrAlias, viaServers])
+  );
+  const joining =
+    joinState.status === AsyncStatus.Loading || joinState.status === AsyncStatus.Success;
+
+  const [declineState, decline] = useAsyncCallback<void, MatrixError, []>(
+    useCallback(async () => {
+      if (room) await mx.leave(room.roomId);
+      navigate('/');
+    }, [mx, room, navigate])
+  );
+  const declining =
+    declineState.status === AsyncStatus.Loading || declineState.status === AsyncStatus.Success;
+
   return (
     <Page>
       <PageHeader balance>
@@ -46,35 +93,119 @@ export function JoinBeforeNavigate({
             )}
           </Box>
           <Box grow="Yes" justifyContent="Center" alignItems="Center" gap="200">
-            <Text size="H3" truncate>
-              {roomIdOrAlias}
+            <Text size="H4" truncate>
+              {room?.name ?? t('Explore.join')}
             </Text>
           </Box>
         </Box>
       </PageHeader>
       <Box grow="Yes">
         <Scroll hideTrack visibility="Hover" size="0">
-          <Box style={{ height: '100%' }} grow="Yes" alignItems="Center" justifyContent="Center">
-            <RoomSummaryLoader roomIdOrAlias={roomIdOrAlias}>
-              {(summary) => (
-                <RoomCard
-                  style={{ maxWidth: toRem(364), width: '100%' }}
-                  roomIdOrAlias={roomIdOrAlias}
-                  allRooms={allRooms}
-                  avatarUrl={summary?.avatar_url}
-                  name={summary?.name}
-                  topic={summary?.topic}
-                  memberCount={summary?.num_joined_members}
-                  roomType={summary?.room_type}
-                  viaServers={viaServers}
-                  renderTopicViewer={(name, topic, requestClose) => (
-                    <RoomTopicViewer name={name} topic={topic} requestClose={requestClose} />
+          <RoomSummaryLoader roomIdOrAlias={roomIdOrAlias}>
+            {(summary) => {
+              const avatarUrl = room
+                ? getRoomAvatarUrl(mx, room, 96, useAuthentication)
+                : (summary?.avatar_url &&
+                    mxcUrlToHttp(mx, summary.avatar_url, useAuthentication, 96, 96, 'crop')) ||
+                  undefined;
+              const name =
+                room?.name ?? summary?.name ?? getMxIdLocalPart(roomIdOrAlias) ?? roomIdOrAlias;
+              const topic = summary?.topic;
+              const memberCount = room?.getJoinedMemberCount() ?? summary?.num_joined_members;
+              const isSpace = room?.isSpaceRoom() || summary?.room_type === RoomType.Space;
+              const errored = joinState.status === AsyncStatus.Error;
+
+              let primaryLabel = t('Explore.join');
+              if (joining) primaryLabel = t('Explore.joining');
+              else if (invited) primaryLabel = t('Direct.invite_accept');
+
+              return (
+                <div className={css.Hero}>
+                  <Avatar size="500" radii="500" style={{ width: toRem(84), height: toRem(84) }}>
+                    <RoomAvatar
+                      roomId={room?.roomId ?? roomIdOrAlias}
+                      src={avatarUrl ?? undefined}
+                      alt={name}
+                      renderFallback={() => (
+                        <RoomIcon
+                          size="600"
+                          roomType={isSpace ? RoomType.Space : undefined}
+                          filled
+                        />
+                      )}
+                    />
+                  </Avatar>
+
+                  {invited && <span className={css.Eyebrow}>{t('Room.invite')}</span>}
+
+                  <Box direction="Column" gap="200" alignItems="Center">
+                    <Text size="H3" align="Center">
+                      {name}
+                    </Text>
+                    {isSpace && (
+                      <Badge variant="Secondary" fill="Soft" outlined>
+                        <Text size="L400">{t('Explore.space_badge')}</Text>
+                      </Badge>
+                    )}
+                    {typeof memberCount === 'number' && (
+                      <Box gap="100" alignItems="Center">
+                        <Icon size="50" src={Icons.User} />
+                        <Text size="T200" as="span" className={css.MemberCount}>
+                          {t('Explore.members_count', {
+                            count: memberCount,
+                            formattedCount: millify(memberCount),
+                          })}
+                        </Text>
+                      </Box>
+                    )}
+                  </Box>
+
+                  {topic && (
+                    <Text size="T300" className={css.Topic} align="Center">
+                      {topic}
+                    </Text>
                   )}
-                  onView={handleView}
-                />
-              )}
-            </RoomSummaryLoader>
-          </Box>
+
+                  <div className={css.Actions}>
+                    {typeof joinedRoomId === 'string' ? (
+                      <Button onClick={() => handleView(joinedRoomId)} variant="Primary" size="500">
+                        <Text size="B500">{t('Explore.view')}</Text>
+                      </Button>
+                    ) : (
+                      <Button
+                        onClick={join}
+                        variant="Primary"
+                        size="500"
+                        disabled={joining}
+                        before={joining && <Spinner size="200" variant="Primary" fill="Solid" />}
+                      >
+                        <Text size="B500">{primaryLabel}</Text>
+                      </Button>
+                    )}
+
+                    {invited && typeof joinedRoomId !== 'string' && (
+                      <Button
+                        onClick={decline}
+                        variant="Secondary"
+                        fill="Soft"
+                        size="500"
+                        disabled={declining}
+                        before={declining && <Spinner size="200" variant="Secondary" />}
+                      >
+                        <Text size="B500">{t('Direct.invite_decline')}</Text>
+                      </Button>
+                    )}
+
+                    {errored && (
+                      <Text size="T200" align="Center" style={{ color: color.Critical.Main }}>
+                        {joinState.error.message || t('Explore.join_error_unknown')}
+                      </Text>
+                    )}
+                  </div>
+                </div>
+              );
+            }}
+          </RoomSummaryLoader>
         </Scroll>
       </Box>
     </Page>