diff --git a/frontend/packages/dashboard/src/common.js b/frontend/packages/dashboard/src/common.js
index cd60f399..8a05f6ee 100644
--- a/frontend/packages/dashboard/src/common.js
+++ b/frontend/packages/dashboard/src/common.js
@@ -46,10 +46,11 @@ export const form = (action, btnClass, btnLabel, confirmMsg, extra = {}, opts =
   return f;
 };
 
-// `truncate`, `fmtAgo`, `fmtElapsed`, `fmtDuration` stay in tabs.js
-// for now — each has display-specific phrasing ("X running", "X ago")
-// tied to its caller, so they don't generalise cleanly. We can lift
-// them when a second consumer needs the same shape.
+// `truncate`, `fmtAgo`, `fmtElapsed`, `fmtDuration` + the `paintAtomic`
+// render helper live in the dashboard-internal `./util.js`, not here —
+// their phrasing ("X running", "X ago") is dashboard-specific, so they
+// stay out of the cross-page `common.js` but are shared across the
+// dashboard's own tab modules.
 
 // ─── shared-worker SSE pipe ─────────────────────────────────────────────
 // Returns an EventSource-shaped facade backed by a SharedWorker that
diff --git a/frontend/packages/dashboard/src/tabs.js b/frontend/packages/dashboard/src/tabs.js
index e896184e..7345755b 100644
--- a/frontend/packages/dashboard/src/tabs.js
+++ b/frontend/packages/dashboard/src/tabs.js
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import {
 } from './common.js';
 import { createTabStrip } from '@hive/shared/tabs.js';
 import { containersState, syncContainersFromSnapshot } from './state.js';
+import { paintAtomic, fmtAgo, truncate, fmtElapsed, fmtDuration } from './util.js';
 import {
   applyCapabilitiesChanged, applyToolGroupsChanged,
   fetchAndRenderCapabilities, fetchAndRenderToolGroups,
@@ -43,16 +44,6 @@ window.marked = marked;
   const CTX_WARN_TOKENS    = 150_000; // fallback red threshold    (≈ 75% of 200k)
   const CTX_CAUTION_TOKENS = 100_000; // fallback yellow threshold (≈ 50% of 200k)
 
-  // Atomic-swap render helper: build into a DocumentFragment off-DOM,
-  // commit with one `replaceChildren`. See docs/web-ui.md::Atomic
-  // section repaint for why (no intermediate empty-state flash on
-  // poll cycles even when the builder allocates a lot of `el()`).
-  function paintAtomic(liveRoot, build) {
-    const buf = document.createDocumentFragment();
-    build(buf);
-    liveRoot.replaceChildren(buf);
-  }
-
   // Track which items we've already notified about so a re-render
   // doesn't re-fire for the same row. Keyed by stable ids; reset only
   // when the page reloads.
@@ -2110,17 +2101,6 @@ window.marked = marked;
     root.append(ul);
   }
 
-  // Relative time, anchored to now. resolved_at is unix seconds (server-
-  // authored), so we don't have to worry about client/server clock skew
-  // for sub-minute precision.
-  function fmtAgo(unixSecs) {
-    const ageSec = Math.max(0, Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000 - unixSecs));
-    if (ageSec < 60) return ageSec + 's ago';
-    if (ageSec < 3600) return Math.floor(ageSec / 60) + 'm ago';
-    if (ageSec < 86400) return Math.floor(ageSec / 3600) + 'h ago';
-    return Math.floor(ageSec / 86400) + 'd ago';
-  }
-
   function renderMetaInputs(s) {
     const root = $('meta-inputs-section');
     if (!root) return;
@@ -2230,10 +2210,6 @@ window.marked = marked;
     root.append(form);
   }
 
-  function truncate(s, n) {
-    return s.length <= n ? s : s.slice(0, n - 1) + '…';
-  }
-
   // ─── rebuild queue ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
   // Keyed row cache for the rebuild-queue list. Maps entry.id → { el, fingerprint }.
   // Same pattern as containerRowCache: reuse <li> nodes whose state hasn't
@@ -2461,12 +2437,6 @@ window.marked = marked;
     return li;
   }
 
-  function fmtElapsed(secs) {
-    if (secs < 60) return secs + 's running';
-    if (secs < 3600) return Math.floor(secs / 60) + 'm ' + (secs % 60) + 's running';
-    return Math.floor(secs / 3600) + 'h ' + Math.floor((secs % 3600) / 60) + 'm running';
-  }
-
   // Tick once per second to refresh "running Xs" badges in place
   // (mirrors the question-TTL ticker pattern above).
   // Tick rebuild-queue elapsed-time badges once per second.
@@ -2605,13 +2575,6 @@ window.marked = marked;
       root.append(ul);
     });
   }
-  function fmtDuration(secs) {
-    if (secs < 60) return secs + 's';
-    if (secs < 3600) return Math.floor(secs / 60) + 'm ' + (secs % 60) + 's';
-    if (secs < 86400) return Math.floor(secs / 3600) + 'h ' + Math.floor((secs % 3600) / 60) + 'm';
-    return Math.floor(secs / 86400) + 'd ' + Math.floor((secs % 86400) / 3600) + 'h';
-  }
-
   // ─── scheduled prompts ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
   // Backend exposes `/api/schedules` (snapshot), `/api/schedules`
   // (POST, operator-direct submit), `/api/schedules/{id}/cancel`
diff --git a/frontend/packages/dashboard/src/util.js b/frontend/packages/dashboard/src/util.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5ebb1e57
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/packages/dashboard/src/util.js
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+// Shared dashboard render + format helpers.
+//
+// Small pure utilities used across most dashboard tabs (the container
+// tree, the rebuild queue, questions / approvals, schedules + reminders):
+// an atomic-swap render helper and a handful of relative-time / duration
+// formatters. They live here — a dashboard-internal module — rather than
+// in the cross-page `common.js`, because they're specific to the
+// dashboard's render style and not needed by the stand-alone pages.
+//
+// All pure: no DOM/module state captured, so any tab module can import
+// them freely without ordering concerns.
+
+// Atomic-swap render: build into an off-DOM DocumentFragment, then commit
+// with a single `replaceChildren`. Avoids an intermediate empty-state
+// flash on poll cycles even when the builder allocates a lot of nodes.
+export function paintAtomic(liveRoot, build) {
+  const buf = document.createDocumentFragment();
+  build(buf);
+  liveRoot.replaceChildren(buf);
+}
+
+// Relative age of a unix timestamp, coarsened to one unit ("5m ago").
+export function fmtAgo(unixSecs) {
+  const ageSec = Math.max(0, Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000 - unixSecs));
+  if (ageSec < 60) return ageSec + 's ago';
+  if (ageSec < 3600) return Math.floor(ageSec / 60) + 'm ago';
+  if (ageSec < 86400) return Math.floor(ageSec / 3600) + 'h ago';
+  return Math.floor(ageSec / 86400) + 'd ago';
+}
+
+// Truncate a string to `n` chars, appending an ellipsis when clipped.
+export function truncate(s, n) {
+  return s.length <= n ? s : s.slice(0, n - 1) + '…';
+}
+
+// Running-duration label for in-flight items ("3m 12s running").
+export function fmtElapsed(secs) {
+  if (secs < 60) return secs + 's running';
+  if (secs < 3600) return Math.floor(secs / 60) + 'm ' + (secs % 60) + 's running';
+  return Math.floor(secs / 3600) + 'h ' + Math.floor((secs % 3600) / 60) + 'm running';
+}
+
+// Compact duration label, two units deep ("1h 5m", "2d 3h").
+export function fmtDuration(secs) {
+  if (secs < 60) return secs + 's';
+  if (secs < 3600) return Math.floor(secs / 60) + 'm ' + (secs % 60) + 's';
+  if (secs < 86400) return Math.floor(secs / 3600) + 'h ' + Math.floor((secs % 3600) / 60) + 'm';
+  return Math.floor(secs / 86400) + 'd ' + Math.floor((secs % 86400) / 3600) + 'h';
+}