fix(chat): no placeholder shapes behind the group-ready card

Flipcash/Core/Screens/Conversation/ConversationScreen.swift

@@ -534,8 +534,14 @@ struct ConversationScreen: View {
             // which is why this reads `withholdsTranscript` and not `obscuresTranscript`: a chat
             // whose rules haven't landed yet is blurred without yet refusing anything.
             // Also stands in while an empty transcript's first load is out, so a chat with nothing
-            // cached opens on the placeholder and paints once with its history.
-            showsGatePlaceholder: (gate.withholdsTranscript || !didInitialRead) && (coordinator?.items.isEmpty ?? true),
+            // cached opens on the placeholder and paints once with its history, except under the
+            // group-ready card.
+            showsGatePlaceholder: GroupReadyCard.showsGatePlaceholder(
+                withholdsTranscript: gate.withholdsTranscript,
+                didInitialRead: didInitialRead,
+                transcriptIsEmpty: coordinator?.items.isEmpty ?? true,
+                cardShown: showsInviteCard
+            ),
             gateMintName: gateMintName,
             gateShortfall: gateShortfall,
             gateDisplayCurrency: ratesController.displayCurrency,

Flipcash/Core/Screens/Conversation/GroupReadyCard.swift

@@ -33,6 +33,20 @@ enum GroupReadyCard {
         )
     }
 
+    /// Whether the transcript draws the gate's placeholder shapes behind an empty chat.
+    ///
+    /// A gated chat the viewer is refused always gets them. Otherwise they only bridge an empty
+    /// transcript's first load, and not while the group-ready card shows: that chat is new and has
+    /// nothing to wait for, so the shapes would sit behind the card.
+    static func showsGatePlaceholder(
+        withholdsTranscript: Bool,
+        didInitialRead: Bool,
+        transcriptIsEmpty: Bool,
+        cardShown: Bool
+    ) -> Bool {
+        (withholdsTranscript || (!didInitialRead && !cardShown)) && transcriptIsEmpty
+    }
+
     /// The chat-list line for a conversation that has no message at all: an invitation while the
     /// group-ready card would show, "Nothing yet" otherwise. Client-only, so it follows the card
     /// leaving once someone joins.

FlipcashTests/Chat/GroupReadyCardTests.swift

@@ -89,4 +89,21 @@ struct GroupReadyCardTests {
         // A DM never gets the invitation.
         #expect(GroupReadyCard.emptyPreview(for: chat(type: .contactDm, count: 1, canInvite: true, isPrivate: false)) == nothing)
     }
+
+    @Test("Placeholder shapes: none under the card, kept for a gated chat and a plain first load")
+    func gatePlaceholder() {
+        func shows(withholds: Bool = false, read: Bool, empty: Bool = true, card: Bool) -> Bool {
+            GroupReadyCard.showsGatePlaceholder(withholdsTranscript: withholds, didInitialRead: read, transcriptIsEmpty: empty, cardShown: card)
+        }
+        // A new group before its first read: the card, no shapes.
+        #expect(!shows(read: false, card: true))
+        // An empty chat with no card still bridges its first load.
+        #expect(shows(read: false, card: false))
+        // A gated chat keeps them, card or not.
+        #expect(shows(withholds: true, read: true, card: false))
+        #expect(shows(withholds: true, read: false, card: true))
+        // Rows loaded, or read finished: none.
+        #expect(!shows(read: false, empty: false, card: false))
+        #expect(!shows(read: true, card: false))
+    }
 }