diff --git a/booth/app.py b/booth/app.py
index 85b176f..e6903a8 100644
--- a/booth/app.py
+++ b/booth/app.py
@@ -269,13 +269,31 @@ def build_gallery(child: Path) -> list[dict]:
         if rel in sidecars:
             continue
         p = by_rel[rel]
+        dkind = doc_kind(p.name)
+        rendered = None
+        rendered_html = False
+        # Pre-render docs so the gallery can show them INLINE (collapsible)
+        # instead of linking out to a separate page. Bounded by DOC_MAX_BYTES:
+        # a giant log stays a download link rather than being inlined into every
+        # index render. Markdown → HTML (marked safe in the template); plain text
+        # is returned RAW and the template escapes it inside <pre> — pre-escaping
+        # here would double-encode under Jinja autoescape.
+        if dkind is not None:
+            try:
+                if p.stat().st_size <= DOC_MAX_BYTES:
+                    text = p.read_text(errors="replace")
+                    rendered, rendered_html = render_doc(text, dkind)
+            except OSError:
+                rendered = None
         items.append(
             {
                 "name": rel,
                 "kind": classify(p.name),
-                "doc": doc_kind(p.name),
+                "doc": dkind,
                 "url": quote(rel, safe="/"),
                 "caption": caption.get(rel),
+                "rendered": rendered,
+                "rendered_html": rendered_html,
             }
         )
     return items
diff --git a/booth/templates/base.html b/booth/templates/base.html
index c2e099a..9824cae 100644
--- a/booth/templates/base.html
+++ b/booth/templates/base.html
@@ -212,6 +212,50 @@
   .item figcaption{padding:.6rem .85rem .75rem;color:var(--fg-2);font-size:.78rem;
     font-family:var(--font-mono);letter-spacing:.02em;border-top:1px solid var(--border-subtle);word-break:break-word}
   .item-audio figcaption,.item-other figcaption{border-top:none}
+
+  /* Inline doc rendering — a .md/.txt/.log shows in place, collapsible and
+     closable, instead of a link to a separate page. The item spans the full
+     grid width so prose has a readable measure. */
+  .item-doc{grid-column:1 / -1}
+  .item-doc.is-closed{display:none}
+  .doc-inline{display:block}
+  .doc-inline > .doc-bar{list-style:none;cursor:pointer;display:flex;align-items:center;gap:.55rem;
+    padding:.6rem .85rem;font-family:var(--font-mono);font-size:.8rem;color:var(--fg-2);
+    background:var(--rk-well);border-bottom:1px solid var(--border-subtle);user-select:none}
+  .doc-inline > .doc-bar::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}
+  .doc-chevron{color:var(--fg-3);transition:transform .12s ease;font-size:.7rem}
+  .doc-inline[open] > .doc-bar .doc-chevron{transform:rotate(90deg)}
+  .doc-name{color:var(--fg-1);word-break:break-all}
+  .doc-spacer{flex:1}
+  .doc-act{color:var(--fg-3);text-decoration:none;padding:.1rem .35rem;border-radius:5px;
+    font-size:.9rem;line-height:1;background:none;border:0;cursor:pointer;font-family:inherit}
+  .doc-act:hover{color:var(--aus-bright-cyan,#42dcd1);background:var(--rk-deep)}
+  .doc-close:hover{color:var(--aus-red,#ff6b6b)}
+  .doc-body{margin:0;border:0;border-radius:0;max-height:32rem;overflow:auto;padding:1rem 1.15rem}
+  .doc-body.textview{background:var(--rk-panel)}
+
+  /* Shared doc typography — used by the inline body above AND the full-page
+     doc view (doc.html). Kept here so both surfaces render identically. */
+  .textview{white-space:pre-wrap;word-break:break-word;font-family:var(--font-mono);
+    font-size:.86rem;line-height:1.5;color:var(--fg-1);background:var(--rk-well);
+    border:1px solid var(--rk-line,#252a35);border-radius:10px;padding:1rem 1.15rem;overflow-x:auto}
+  .markdown-body{color:var(--fg-1);line-height:1.62;font-size:.98rem;overflow-wrap:break-word}
+  .markdown-body h1,.markdown-body h2,.markdown-body h3{line-height:1.25;margin:1.6em 0 .5em}
+  .markdown-body h1{font-size:1.7em}.markdown-body h2{font-size:1.35em}.markdown-body h3{font-size:1.12em}
+  .markdown-body h1,.markdown-body h2{border-bottom:1px solid var(--rk-line,#252a35);padding-bottom:.3em}
+  .markdown-body :first-child{margin-top:0}
+  .markdown-body p,.markdown-body ul,.markdown-body ol,.markdown-body blockquote{margin:.7em 0}
+  .markdown-body a{color:var(--aus-bright-cyan,#42dcd1)}
+  .markdown-body code{font-family:var(--font-mono);font-size:.86em;background:var(--rk-well);
+    padding:.12em .38em;border-radius:5px}
+  .markdown-body pre{background:var(--rk-well);border:1px solid var(--rk-line,#252a35);
+    border-radius:10px;padding:.9rem 1.05rem;overflow-x:auto}
+  .markdown-body pre code{background:none;padding:0}
+  .markdown-body blockquote{border-left:3px solid var(--aus-bright-cyan,#42dcd1);
+    padding-left:1em;color:var(--fg-2);margin-left:0}
+  .markdown-body table{border-collapse:collapse;display:block;overflow-x:auto}
+  .markdown-body th,.markdown-body td{border:1px solid var(--rk-line,#252a35);padding:.4em .7em}
+  .markdown-body img{max-width:100%}
 </style>
 </head>
 <body>
diff --git a/booth/templates/booth.html b/booth/templates/booth.html
index 52b8fcf..ebfb242 100644
--- a/booth/templates/booth.html
+++ b/booth/templates/booth.html
@@ -25,6 +25,29 @@
 {% else %}
   <div class="gallery">
     {% for it in items %}
+    {% if it.doc and it.rendered is not none %}
+      {# Docs render INLINE, collapsible, and closable — not a link to a
+         separate page. <details open> is native collapse (works with JS off);
+         the ✕ hides the item for the session (JS, progressive enhancement).
+         The item spans the full grid width so prose has room to read. #}
+      <figure class="item item-doc" data-name="{{ it.name }}">
+        <details class="doc-inline" open>
+          <summary class="doc-bar">
+            <span class="doc-chevron" aria-hidden="true">▸</span>
+            <span class="doc-name">{{ it.name }}</span>
+            <span class="doc-spacer"></span>
+            <a class="doc-act" href="view?f={{ it.url }}" title="open full page">⤢</a>
+            <a class="doc-act" href="{{ it.url }}" download title="download {{ it.name }}">⬇</a>
+            <button type="button" class="doc-act doc-close" title="close (hide for now)" aria-label="close">✕</button>
+          </summary>
+          {% if it.rendered_html %}
+            <article class="markdown-body doc-body">{{ it.rendered|safe }}</article>
+          {% else %}
+            <pre class="textview doc-body">{{ it.rendered }}</pre>
+          {% endif %}
+        </details>
+      </figure>
+    {% else %}
     <figure class="item item-{{ it.kind }}">
       {% if it.kind == 'image' %}
         <a href="view?f={{ it.url }}"><img loading="lazy" src="{{ it.url }}" alt="{{ it.name }}"></a>
@@ -36,6 +59,7 @@
       {% elif it.kind == 'audio' %}
         <audio controls preload="none" src="{{ it.url }}"></audio>
       {% elif it.doc %}
+        {# a doc too large to inline (over DOC_MAX_BYTES) still links out #}
         <a class="dl doc" href="view?f={{ it.url }}" title="view {{ it.name }}">📄 {{ it.name }}</a>
       {% else %}
         <a class="dl" href="{{ it.url }}" download>⬇ {{ it.name }}</a>
@@ -49,6 +73,7 @@
         </figcaption>
       {% endif %}
     </figure>
+    {% endif %}
     {% endfor %}
   </div>
 {% endif %}
@@ -85,5 +110,21 @@
       });
     });
   })();
+
+  /* Inline-doc ✕ closes (hides) a rendered doc for the session. The button sits
+     inside <summary>, so without this its click would just toggle the <details>
+     open/closed — stopPropagation + preventDefault make ✕ mean "close", not
+     "collapse". Collapse stays available via the rest of the summary bar. With
+     JS off the button is inert and collapse via <details> still works. */
+  (function () {
+    document.querySelectorAll('.doc-close').forEach(function (btn) {
+      btn.addEventListener('click', function (ev) {
+        ev.preventDefault();
+        ev.stopPropagation();
+        var item = btn.closest('.item-doc');
+        if (item) item.classList.add('is-closed');
+      });
+    });
+  })();
 </script>
 {% endblock %}
diff --git a/booth/templates/doc.html b/booth/templates/doc.html
index 66f19ce..265a0c5 100644
--- a/booth/templates/doc.html
+++ b/booth/templates/doc.html
@@ -15,26 +15,10 @@
   {% endif %}
 </div>
 <style>
+  /* .markdown-body and .textview now live in base.html (shared with the inline
+     gallery view). Only the full-page layout wrapper is page-specific. */
   .docview{max-width:52rem;margin:0 auto;padding:0 clamp(12px,3vw,20px) 4rem}
-  .textview{white-space:pre-wrap;word-break:break-word;font-family:var(--font-mono);
-    font-size:.86rem;line-height:1.5;color:var(--fg-1);background:var(--rk-well);
-    border:1px solid var(--rk-line,#252a35);border-radius:10px;padding:1rem 1.15rem;overflow-x:auto}
-  .markdown-body{color:var(--fg-1);line-height:1.62;font-size:.98rem;overflow-wrap:break-word}
-  .markdown-body h1,.markdown-body h2,.markdown-body h3{line-height:1.25;margin:1.6em 0 .5em}
-  .markdown-body h1{font-size:1.7em}.markdown-body h2{font-size:1.35em}.markdown-body h3{font-size:1.12em}
-  .markdown-body h1,.markdown-body h2{border-bottom:1px solid var(--rk-line,#252a35);padding-bottom:.3em}
-  .markdown-body p,.markdown-body ul,.markdown-body ol,.markdown-body blockquote{margin:.7em 0}
-  .markdown-body a{color:var(--aus-bright-cyan,#42dcd1)}
-  .markdown-body code{font-family:var(--font-mono);font-size:.86em;background:var(--rk-well);
-    padding:.12em .38em;border-radius:5px}
-  .markdown-body pre{background:var(--rk-well);border:1px solid var(--rk-line,#252a35);
-    border-radius:10px;padding:.9rem 1.05rem;overflow-x:auto}
-  .markdown-body pre code{background:none;padding:0}
-  .markdown-body blockquote{border-left:3px solid var(--aus-bright-cyan,#42dcd1);
-    padding-left:1em;color:var(--fg-2);margin-left:0}
-  .markdown-body table{border-collapse:collapse;display:block;overflow-x:auto}
-  .markdown-body th,.markdown-body td{border:1px solid var(--rk-line,#252a35);padding:.4em .7em}
-  .markdown-body img{max-width:100%}
+  .docview .textview{overflow-x:auto}
 </style>
 <script>
   document.addEventListener('keydown', function (e) {
diff --git a/tests/test_booth.py b/tests/test_booth.py
index c613986..ecf74c2 100644
--- a/tests/test_booth.py
+++ b/tests/test_booth.py
@@ -105,6 +105,89 @@ def test_build_gallery_folds_caption_sidecars(tmp_path):
     assert "loose.txt" in by_name  # a caption with nothing to caption stays visible
 
 
+# ---- inline doc rendering ---------------------------------------------------
+#
+# .md / .txt / .log docs render INLINE in the gallery (collapsible), not as a
+# clumsy link to a separate page. build_gallery pre-renders the content so the
+# template stays logicless.
+
+
+def test_build_gallery_prerenders_markdown_inline(tmp_path):
+    booth = tmp_path / "b"
+    booth.mkdir()
+    (booth / "report.md").write_text("# Title\n\nsome **bold** text\n")
+
+    it = next(i for i in build_gallery(booth) if i["name"] == "report.md")
+
+    assert it["doc"] == "markdown"
+    assert it["rendered_html"] is True
+    assert "<h1>Title</h1>" in it["rendered"]
+    assert "<strong>bold</strong>" in it["rendered"]
+
+
+def test_build_gallery_prerenders_text_as_raw(tmp_path):
+    booth = tmp_path / "b"
+    booth.mkdir()
+    (booth / "notes.txt").write_text("plain <not html> line")
+
+    it = next(i for i in build_gallery(booth) if i["name"] == "notes.txt")
+
+    assert it["doc"] == "text"
+    assert it["rendered_html"] is False
+    # Raw text is NOT pre-escaped here — the template escapes it inside <pre>.
+    # Pre-escaping plus template autoescape would double-encode the angle brackets.
+    assert it["rendered"] == "plain <not html> line"
+
+
+def test_build_gallery_oversize_doc_is_not_inlined(tmp_path):
+    booth = tmp_path / "b"
+    booth.mkdir()
+    big = "x" * (2 * 1024 * 1024 + 10)  # over DOC_MAX_BYTES
+    (booth / "huge.log").write_text(big)
+
+    it = next(i for i in build_gallery(booth) if i["name"] == "huge.log")
+
+    assert it["doc"] == "text"
+    assert it["rendered"] is None  # too big to inline; template falls back to a link
+
+
+def test_non_doc_item_has_no_rendered_field(tmp_path):
+    booth = tmp_path / "b"
+    _touch(booth / "shot.png")
+
+    it = next(i for i in build_gallery(booth) if i["name"] == "shot.png")
+
+    assert it["doc"] is None
+    assert it["rendered"] is None
+
+
+def test_booth_page_renders_markdown_inline_collapsible(client):
+    c, data = client
+    (data / "run1").mkdir()
+    (data / "run1" / "brief.md").write_text("# Heading\n\nbody line\n")
+
+    html = c.get("/b/run1/").text
+
+    # rendered inline, inside a native <details> disclosure — no navigation
+    assert "<details" in html
+    assert "<h1>Heading</h1>" in html
+    # and the raw-file link is still available for download / full view
+    assert "brief.md" in html
+
+
+def test_booth_page_inlines_txt_without_double_escaping(client):
+    c, data = client
+    (data / "run1").mkdir()
+    (data / "run1" / "log.txt").write_text("value <x> & <y>")
+
+    html = c.get("/b/run1/").text
+
+    # exactly one level of HTML-escaping (template autoescape inside <pre>),
+    # not the double-encoding that pre-escaping in Python would produce
+    assert "value &lt;x&gt; &amp; &lt;y&gt;" in html
+    assert "&amp;lt;" not in html
+
+
 # ---- HTTP surface -----------------------------------------------------------
 
 
@@ -487,15 +570,20 @@ def test_view_text_shows_preformatted(client):
     assert "attachment" not in r.headers.get("content-disposition", "")
 
 
-def test_gallery_links_docs_to_view(client):
+def test_gallery_inlines_docs_with_fullpage_and_download_affordances(client):
+    # Docs now render INLINE in the gallery (see the inline-doc tests above),
+    # not as a link. The full-page viewer stays reachable via the ⤢ affordance,
+    # and the raw file via a download link — but the doc content itself is on
+    # the page, not behind a click.
     c, data = client
     d = data / "run1"; d.mkdir()
     (d / "readme.md").write_text("# hi")
     (d / "notes.txt").write_text("hello")   # loose txt (no media partner) -> own item
-    page = c.get("/b/run1/")
-    assert "view?f=readme.md" in page.text   # md -> viewer
-    assert "view?f=notes.txt" in page.text   # txt -> viewer
-    assert 'href="readme.md" download' not in page.text   # not a forced download
+    page = c.get("/b/run1/").text
+    assert "<h1>hi</h1>" in page              # md rendered inline
+    assert "hello" in page                    # txt shown inline
+    assert "view?f=readme.md" in page         # full-page viewer still linked (⤢)
+    assert 'href="readme.md" download' in page  # download affordance present
 
 
 # ---- image viewer prev/next nav ---------------------------------------------