diff --git a/internal/picker/styles.go b/internal/picker/styles.go
index c9a7e7c..bdefa85 100644
--- a/internal/picker/styles.go
+++ b/internal/picker/styles.go
@@ -92,8 +92,11 @@ func (t theme) statusClusterOn(base lipgloss.Style, st git.Status, loaded bool)
 	if !loaded {
 		return f(t.muted, glyphLoading)
 	}
-	// A Project's .git can still fail to read, or vanish after the Picker
-	// opened; git's answer is then as unknown as a timeout.
+	// A directory with no .git is not a failure: its row shows no marker.
+	if st.Kind == git.NotRepo {
+		return ""
+	}
+	// A repository whose git call failed or timed out is unknown.
 	if st.Kind != git.Found {
 		return f(t.red, glyphUnknown)
 	}
@@ -123,6 +126,9 @@ func (t theme) statusClusterOn(base lipgloss.Style, st git.Status, loaded bool)
 // statusClusterWidth is the plain (uncoloured) width of statusCluster's
 // output, for column alignment.
 func statusClusterWidth(st git.Status, loaded bool) int {
+	if loaded && st.Kind == git.NotRepo {
+		return 0
+	}
 	if !loaded || st.Kind != git.Found {
 		return 1
 	}
@@ -176,9 +182,9 @@ func previewStatusWords(t theme, st git.Status, loaded bool) string {
 	}
 	switch st.Kind {
 	case git.NotRepo:
-		return t.fg(t.red).Render(glyphUnknown + " git could not read it")
+		return t.muted_().Render("not a git repo")
 	case git.Unknown:
-		return t.fg(t.red).Render(glyphUnknown + " git timed out")
+		return t.fg(t.red).Render(glyphUnknown + " git could not read it")
 	}
 
 	var parts []string
diff --git a/internal/picker/update_test.go b/internal/picker/update_test.go
index 9a7a768..6347baf 100644
--- a/internal/picker/update_test.go
+++ b/internal/picker/update_test.go
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ func keyedStatus(statuses map[string]git.Status) picker.StatusFunc {
 func TestModel_Update_StatusResult(t *testing.T) {
 	statuses := map[string]git.Status{
 		"/root/work/alpha": {Kind: git.Found, State: git.Dirty},
-		"/root/work/beta":  {Kind: git.NotRepo},
+		"/root/work/beta":  {Kind: git.Unknown},
 	}
 	m := picker.NewModel(
 		[]picker.Row{
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ func TestModel_Update_StatusResult(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// Feed the results through Update in reverse order: if results were
 	// keyed by arrival index rather than by Project path, the last row's
-	// status (beta, NotRepo) would land on the first row instead.
+	// status (beta, Unknown) would land on the first row instead.
 	for i := len(results) - 1; i >= 0; i-- {
 		next, _ = final.Update(results[i])
 		final = next.(picker.Model)
diff --git a/internal/picker/view_status_test.go b/internal/picker/view_status_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2fb5d0d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/picker/view_status_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+package picker_test
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+
+	tea "charm.land/bubbletea/v2"
+
+	"github.com/kryft-dev/cdd/internal/git"
+	"github.com/kryft-dev/cdd/internal/picker"
+)
+
+// statusView renders a one-row Picker whose status has landed as st, wide
+// enough for the preview and short enough to drop the legend, so any "!" in
+// the output comes from the row or the preview.
+func statusView(t *testing.T, st git.Status) string {
+	t.Helper()
+	rows := []picker.Row{{Project: picker.Project{Dir: "~/work/", Name: "alpha", Path: "/root/work/alpha"}}}
+	m := picker.NewModel(rows, keyedStatus(map[string]git.Status{"/root/work/alpha": st}), picker.Options{})
+	next, _ := m.Update(tea.WindowSizeMsg{Width: 120, Height: 10})
+	m = next.(picker.Model)
+	for _, c := range m.Init()().(tea.BatchMsg) {
+		next, _ = m.Update(c())
+		m = next.(picker.Model)
+	}
+	return plain(m.View().Content)
+}
+
+// TestView_NotRepoIsNeutral verifies that a Project with no .git shows no
+// "!" and a plain "not a git repo" in the preview, with no branch or sync.
+func TestView_NotRepoIsNeutral(t *testing.T) {
+	out := statusView(t, git.Status{Kind: git.NotRepo})
+	if strings.Contains(out, "!") {
+		t.Errorf("view has a !, want none for a non-git Project:\n%s", out)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(out, "not a git repo") {
+		t.Errorf("view lacks %q:\n%s", "not a git repo", out)
+	}
+	for _, word := range []string{"branch", "sync"} {
+		if strings.Contains(out, word) {
+			t.Errorf("view has %q, want it omitted for a non-git Project:\n%s", word, out)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// TestView_UnknownStaysRed verifies that a real git failure keeps the "!"
+// in the row and its words in the preview.
+func TestView_UnknownStaysRed(t *testing.T) {
+	out := statusView(t, git.Status{Kind: git.Unknown})
+	if !strings.Contains(out, "!") || !strings.Contains(out, "git could not read it") {
+		t.Errorf("view lacks the ! and %q for an Unknown status:\n%s", "git could not read it", out)
+	}
+}