diff --git a/src/app/shared/nodes/container-node/container-node.css b/src/app/shared/nodes/container-node/container-node.css
index 542d443..36db373 100644
--- a/src/app/shared/nodes/container-node/container-node.css
+++ b/src/app/shared/nodes/container-node/container-node.css
@@ -219,7 +219,8 @@
 }
 
 .container-node__delete,
-.container-node__focus {
+.container-node__focus,
+.container-node__settings {
   border: 0;
   width: 30px;
   height: 30px;
@@ -228,6 +229,11 @@
   color: #f8fafc;
 }
 
+.container-node__settings--active {
+  background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.34);
+  color: #ffffff;
+}
+
 .container-node__clone {
   border: 0;
   width: 30px;
diff --git a/src/app/shared/nodes/container-node/container-node.html b/src/app/shared/nodes/container-node/container-node.html
index 1862dc9..125adbc 100644
--- a/src/app/shared/nodes/container-node/container-node.html
+++ b/src/app/shared/nodes/container-node/container-node.html
@@ -72,6 +72,18 @@
       </div>
       }
       @if (!isReadonly) {
+      @if (!focusOpen && (hasParameterFields() || hasMainContent())) {
+      <button
+        type="button"
+        class="container-node__settings"
+        [class.container-node__settings--active]="nodeSettingsOpen"
+        [attr.aria-expanded]="nodeSettingsOpen"
+        [matTooltip]="nodeSettingsOpen ? 'Hide settings' : 'Show settings'"
+        (pointerdown)="$event.stopPropagation()"
+        (click)="toggleNodeSettings($event)">
+        <i class="bi bi-gear"></i>
+      </button>
+      }
       <button type="button" class="container-node__focus" [matTooltip]="focusOpen ? 'Close expanded node' : 'Expand node'" (pointerdown)="$event.stopPropagation()" (click)="toggleFocus($event)">
         <i class="bi" [class.bi-arrows-angle-expand]="!focusOpen" [class.bi-x-lg]="focusOpen"></i>
       </button>
@@ -219,7 +231,7 @@
   </div>
   }
 
-  @if (hasParameterFields() || hasMainContent()) {
+  @if ((hasParameterFields() || hasMainContent()) && (nodeSettingsOpen || focusOpen)) {
   <div class="container-node__params container-node__params-shell">
     @if (!schemaReady) {
     <div class="container-node__skeleton-overlay" aria-hidden="true">
diff --git a/src/app/shared/nodes/container-node/container-node.ts b/src/app/shared/nodes/container-node/container-node.ts
index cac9a14..baa3d3c 100644
--- a/src/app/shared/nodes/container-node/container-node.ts
+++ b/src/app/shared/nodes/container-node/container-node.ts
@@ -137,6 +137,8 @@ export class ContainerNodeComponent implements OnDestroy {
   optionalGroupFieldDefinitions: SchemaOptionalGroupFieldDefinition[] = [];
   parameterDisplaySections: ContainerDisplaySection[] = [];
   schemaReady = false;
+  /** Settings stay out of the way on the canvas until the gear button opens them. */
+  nodeSettingsOpen = false;
   focusOpen = false;
   private schemaLoading = false;
   nameEditorOpen = false;
@@ -219,6 +221,13 @@ export class ContainerNodeComponent implements OnDestroy {
     return this.data?.data?.['__readonly'] === true;
   }
 
+  toggleNodeSettings(event?: Event) {
+    event?.preventDefault();
+    event?.stopPropagation();
+    this.nodeSettingsOpen = !this.nodeSettingsOpen;
+    this.cdr.markForCheck();
+  }
+
   toggleFocus(event?: Event) {
     event?.preventDefault();
     event?.stopPropagation();
diff --git a/src/app/shared/nodes/generic-node/generic-node.css b/src/app/shared/nodes/generic-node/generic-node.css
index 9add75f..267feb7 100644
--- a/src/app/shared/nodes/generic-node/generic-node.css
+++ b/src/app/shared/nodes/generic-node/generic-node.css
@@ -443,6 +443,11 @@
   color: #1d4ed8;
 }
 
+.llm-clone-btn--active {
+  background: #dbeafe;
+  color: #1d4ed8;
+}
+
 .llm-node--human .llm-clone-btn:hover {
   background: #fff7ed;
   color: #c2410c;
diff --git a/src/app/shared/nodes/generic-node/generic-node.html b/src/app/shared/nodes/generic-node/generic-node.html
index 5ec73b6..5225744 100644
--- a/src/app/shared/nodes/generic-node/generic-node.html
+++ b/src/app/shared/nodes/generic-node/generic-node.html
@@ -108,6 +108,18 @@
       </div>
       }
       @if (!isReadonly) {
+      @if (!focusOpen && hasOrderedParameterItems()) {
+      <button
+        type="button"
+        class="llm-clone-btn"
+        [class.llm-clone-btn--active]="nodeSettingsOpen"
+        [attr.aria-expanded]="nodeSettingsOpen"
+        [matTooltip]="nodeSettingsOpen ? 'Hide settings' : 'Show settings'"
+        (pointerdown)="$event.stopPropagation()"
+        (click)="toggleNodeSettings($event)">
+        <i class="bi bi-gear"></i>
+      </button>
+      }
       <button
         type="button"
         class="llm-clone-btn"
@@ -291,7 +303,7 @@
   </div>
   }
 
-  <app-node-parameters [host]="this" />
+  <app-node-parameters [host]="this" [showParameters]="nodeSettingsOpen || focusOpen" />
 
   @if (biasAnnotationsAllowed) {
   <app-bias-annotations
diff --git a/src/app/shared/nodes/generic-node/generic-node.spec.ts b/src/app/shared/nodes/generic-node/generic-node.spec.ts
index 724ebcb..22a1966 100644
--- a/src/app/shared/nodes/generic-node/generic-node.spec.ts
+++ b/src/app/shared/nodes/generic-node/generic-node.spec.ts
@@ -99,6 +99,16 @@ describe('GenericNodeComponent', () => {
     await fixture.whenStable();
   });
 
+  it('keeps the name editor available while settings are collapsed', () => {
+    expect(component.nodeSettingsOpen).toBe(false);
+
+    component.openNameEditor();
+    fixture.detectChanges();
+
+    expect(component.localEditorOpen).toBe(true);
+    expect(fixture.nativeElement.querySelector('.llm-modal-backdrop')).not.toBeNull();
+  });
+
   describe('clearing an optional number', () => {
     /** Opens the modal editor on a numeric path, as clicking the pen does. */
     function openNumericEditor(path: string, current: unknown) {
@@ -518,6 +528,7 @@ describe('GenericNodeComponent', () => {
           item: { path: 'skills', field: null, richContentField: null, arrayField, optionalGroupField: null }
         }
       ];
+      component.nodeSettingsOpen = true;
       component.cdr.detectChanges();
       // A list starts closed, showing only its count; opened, its rows offer the button.
       for (const toggle of fixture.nativeElement.querySelectorAll('.llm-array-toggle')) {
diff --git a/src/app/shared/nodes/generic-node/generic-node.ts b/src/app/shared/nodes/generic-node/generic-node.ts
index e252f31..3028877 100644
--- a/src/app/shared/nodes/generic-node/generic-node.ts
+++ b/src/app/shared/nodes/generic-node/generic-node.ts
@@ -235,6 +235,8 @@ export class GenericNodeComponent implements OnDestroy {
   localEditorFreeText = false;
   localEditorBindableInputName: string | null = null;
   deleteConfirmOpen = false;
+  /** Keeps the canvas compact until the person explicitly needs to inspect or edit the fields. */
+  nodeSettingsOpen = false;
   focusOpen = false;
   schemaReady = false;
   private schemaLoading = false;
@@ -368,6 +370,13 @@ export class GenericNodeComponent implements OnDestroy {
     return this.blockId ?? 'unknown-id';
   }
 
+  toggleNodeSettings(event?: Event) {
+    event?.preventDefault();
+    event?.stopPropagation();
+    this.nodeSettingsOpen = !this.nodeSettingsOpen;
+    this.cdr.markForCheck();
+  }
+
   toggleFocus(event?: Event) {
     event?.preventDefault();
     event?.stopPropagation();
@@ -431,6 +440,7 @@ export class GenericNodeComponent implements OnDestroy {
     this.localEditorGlobalInputs = [];
     this.localEditorFreeText = false;
     this.localEditorBindableInputName = null;
+    this.cdr.markForCheck();
   }
 
   async openParameterEditor(path: string, event?: Event) {
diff --git a/src/app/shared/nodes/node-parameters/node-parameters.html b/src/app/shared/nodes/node-parameters/node-parameters.html
index a554636..aedfc67 100644
--- a/src/app/shared/nodes/node-parameters/node-parameters.html
+++ b/src/app/shared/nodes/node-parameters/node-parameters.html
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
   Attribution term under AGPL-3.0 section 7(b): see LICENSE-ADDENDUM.
 -->
 
+@if (showParameters) {
 <div class="llm-params llm-params-shell">
   @if (!host.schemaReady) {
   <div class="llm-skeleton-overlay" aria-hidden="true">
@@ -245,6 +246,7 @@
     }
   }
 </div>
+}
 
 @if (host.localEditorOpen) {
 <dialog #simpleEditorDialog class="llm-modal-backdrop" (pointerdown)="$event.stopPropagation()" (click)="onSimpleEditorDialogClick($event)" (cancel)="host.closeSimpleParamEditor($event)">
diff --git a/src/app/shared/nodes/node-parameters/node-parameters.ts b/src/app/shared/nodes/node-parameters/node-parameters.ts
index 1e4ce68..0563d47 100644
--- a/src/app/shared/nodes/node-parameters/node-parameters.ts
+++ b/src/app/shared/nodes/node-parameters/node-parameters.ts
@@ -79,6 +79,8 @@ export type NodeParametersHost = {
 })
 export class NodeParametersComponent {
   @Input({ required: true }) host!: NodeParametersHost;
+  /** The editor dialog must stay mounted even while the card's fields are collapsed. */
+  @Input() showParameters = true;
 
   /**
    * This renders inside a node card, which rete.js positions with a CSS `transform` for pan and
diff --git a/src/app/shared/nodes/resource-node/resource-node.css b/src/app/shared/nodes/resource-node/resource-node.css
index 147ebbd..b06452b 100644
--- a/src/app/shared/nodes/resource-node/resource-node.css
+++ b/src/app/shared/nodes/resource-node/resource-node.css
@@ -225,10 +225,13 @@
 }
 
 .resource-card__settings {
-  margin-top: 10px;
   cursor: default;
 }
 
+.resource-card__settings--open {
+  margin-top: 10px;
+}
+
 .resource-card__confirm {
   display: flex;
   align-items: center;
diff --git a/src/app/shared/nodes/resource-node/resource-node.html b/src/app/shared/nodes/resource-node/resource-node.html
index f26e422..5bfdf67 100644
--- a/src/app/shared/nodes/resource-node/resource-node.html
+++ b/src/app/shared/nodes/resource-node/resource-node.html
@@ -90,11 +90,10 @@
   </div>
   }
   }
-  } @else {
-  <div class="resource-card__settings" (pointerdown)="$event.stopPropagation()">
-    <app-node-parameters [host]="this" />
-  </div>
   }
+  <div class="resource-card__settings" [class.resource-card__settings--open]="settingsOpen() || focusOpen" (pointerdown)="$event.stopPropagation()">
+    <app-node-parameters [host]="this" [showParameters]="settingsOpen() || focusOpen" />
+  </div>
 
   @if (resourceLinkOutput; as resourceLinkOutput) {
   <div class="resource-card__link" title="Drag to a storage operation to link it here">