diff --git a/assets/css/dashboard.css b/assets/css/dashboard.css
index 1255031..d3d7947 100644
--- a/assets/css/dashboard.css
+++ b/assets/css/dashboard.css
@@ -361,3 +361,39 @@ kbd {
   letter-spacing: 0.08em;
   color: var(--text-muted);
 }
+
+/* ── Flatpickr TDS theme overrides ──────────────────────────────── */
+.flatpickr-calendar {
+  background: var(--bg-secondary, #0a0e14) !important;
+  border: 1px solid var(--border-color, rgba(0,255,65,0.25)) !important;
+  box-shadow: 0 8px 24px rgba(0,0,0,0.6) !important;
+  border-radius: 0 !important;
+  font-family: var(--font-mono, monospace) !important;
+}
+.flatpickr-day {
+  color: var(--text-secondary, #8fa3b1) !important;
+  border-radius: 0 !important;
+}
+.flatpickr-day.today {
+  border-color: var(--accent-cyan, #00d4ff) !important;
+  color: var(--accent-cyan, #00d4ff) !important;
+}
+.flatpickr-day.selected, .flatpickr-day.selected:hover {
+  background: var(--accent-orange, #ff8c00) !important;
+  border-color: var(--accent-orange, #ff8c00) !important;
+  color: #000 !important;
+}
+.flatpickr-day:hover {
+  background: rgba(0,212,255,0.1) !important;
+  color: var(--text-primary, #e8f4f8) !important;
+}
+.flatpickr-months, .flatpickr-weekdays {
+  background: var(--bg-tertiary, #1a1f2e) !important;
+}
+.flatpickr-current-month, .flatpickr-weekday {
+  color: var(--text-muted, #5a7a8a) !important;
+  font-family: var(--font-mono, monospace) !important;
+}
+.flatpickr-prev-month svg path, .flatpickr-next-month svg path {
+  fill: var(--text-muted) !important;
+}
diff --git a/assets/js/dashboard.js b/assets/js/dashboard.js
index cab45e6..f7dcfff 100644
--- a/assets/js/dashboard.js
+++ b/assets/js/dashboard.js
@@ -535,7 +535,7 @@ function performBulkCloseAction(ticketIds) {
             } else {
                 lt.toast.success(`Successfully closed ${data.processed} ticket(s)`, 4000);
             }
-            setTimeout(() => window.location.reload(), 1500);
+            showTableSkeleton(5); setTimeout(() => window.location.reload(), 1500);
         } else {
             lt.toast.error('Error: ' + (data.error || 'Unknown error'), 5000);
         }
@@ -631,7 +631,7 @@ function performBulkAssign() {
             } else {
                 lt.toast.success(`Successfully assigned ${data.processed} ticket(s)`, 4000);
             }
-            setTimeout(() => window.location.reload(), 1500);
+            showTableSkeleton(5); setTimeout(() => window.location.reload(), 1500);
         } else {
             lt.toast.error('Error: ' + (data.error || 'Unknown error'), 5000);
         }
@@ -707,7 +707,7 @@ function performBulkPriority() {
             } else {
                 lt.toast.success(`Successfully updated priority for ${data.processed} ticket(s)`, 4000);
             }
-            setTimeout(() => window.location.reload(), 1500);
+            showTableSkeleton(5); setTimeout(() => window.location.reload(), 1500);
         } else {
             lt.toast.error('Error: ' + (data.error || 'Unknown error'), 5000);
         }
@@ -810,7 +810,7 @@ function performBulkStatusChange() {
             } else {
                 lt.toast.success(`Successfully updated status for ${data.processed} ticket(s)`, 4000);
             }
-            setTimeout(() => window.location.reload(), 1500);
+            showTableSkeleton(5); setTimeout(() => window.location.reload(), 1500);
         } else {
             lt.toast.error('Error: ' + (data.error || 'Unknown error'), 5000);
         }
@@ -869,7 +869,7 @@ function performBulkDelete() {
         closeBulkDeleteModal();
         if (data.success) {
             lt.toast.success(`Successfully deleted ${ticketIds.length} ticket(s)`, 4000);
-            setTimeout(() => window.location.reload(), 1500);
+            showTableSkeleton(5); setTimeout(() => window.location.reload(), 1500);
         } else {
             lt.toast.error('Error: ' + (data.error || 'Unknown error'), 5000);
         }
@@ -993,7 +993,7 @@ function performQuickStatusChange(ticketId) {
         closeQuickStatusModal();
         if (data.success) {
             lt.toast.success(`Status updated to ${newStatus}`, 3000);
-            setTimeout(() => window.location.reload(), 1000);
+            showTableSkeleton(5); setTimeout(() => window.location.reload(), 1000);
         } else {
             lt.toast.error('Error: ' + (data.error || 'Unknown error'), 4000);
         }
@@ -1079,7 +1079,7 @@ function performQuickAssign(ticketId) {
         closeQuickAssignModal();
         if (data.success) {
             lt.toast.success('Assignment updated', 3000);
-            setTimeout(() => window.location.reload(), 1000);
+            showTableSkeleton(5); setTimeout(() => window.location.reload(), 1000);
         } else {
             lt.toast.error('Error: ' + (data.error || 'Unknown error'), 4000);
         }
@@ -1455,12 +1455,30 @@ function hideLoadingOverlay(element) {
  * Reload the dashboard, but skip if a modal is open or user is typing.
  * Registered with lt.autoRefresh so it runs every 5 minutes automatically.
  */
+/**
+ * Replace table body rows with skeleton placeholders before a page reload.
+ * Gives visual feedback that a reload is in progress.
+ */
+function showTableSkeleton(rowCount) {
+    rowCount = rowCount || 5;
+    const tbody = document.querySelector('#tickets-table tbody');
+    if (!tbody) return;
+    let html = '';
+    for (let i = 0; i < rowCount; i++) {
+        html += '<tr class="lt-skeleton-row" aria-hidden="true">' +
+            '<td><div class="lt-skeleton" style="height:0.8rem;width:100%"></div></td>'.repeat(6) +
+            '</tr>';
+    }
+    tbody.innerHTML = html;
+}
+
 function dashboardAutoRefresh() {
     // Don't interrupt the user if a modal is open
     if (document.querySelector('.lt-modal-overlay[aria-hidden="false"]')) return;
     // Don't interrupt if focus is in a text input
     const tag = document.activeElement?.tagName;
     if (tag === 'INPUT' || tag === 'TEXTAREA' || tag === 'SELECT') return;
+    showTableSkeleton(6);
     window.location.reload();
 }
 
diff --git a/middleware/SecurityHeadersMiddleware.php b/middleware/SecurityHeadersMiddleware.php
index e2b51f2..b8567ee 100644
--- a/middleware/SecurityHeadersMiddleware.php
+++ b/middleware/SecurityHeadersMiddleware.php
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ class SecurityHeadersMiddleware {
         // Content Security Policy - restricts where resources can be loaded from
         // Using nonces for scripts to prevent XSS attacks while allowing inline scripts with valid nonces
         // All inline event handlers have been refactored to use addEventListener with data-action attributes
-        header("Content-Security-Policy: default-src 'self'; script-src 'self' 'nonce-{$nonce}'; style-src 'self' 'unsafe-inline' https://fonts.googleapis.com; img-src 'self' data:; font-src 'self' https://fonts.gstatic.com; connect-src 'self';");
+        header("Content-Security-Policy: default-src 'self'; script-src 'self' 'nonce-{$nonce}' https://cdn.jsdelivr.net; style-src 'self' 'unsafe-inline' https://fonts.googleapis.com https://cdn.jsdelivr.net; img-src 'self' data:; font-src 'self' https://fonts.gstatic.com; connect-src 'self';");
 
         // Prevent clickjacking by disallowing framing
         header("X-Frame-Options: DENY");
diff --git a/views/DashboardView.php b/views/DashboardView.php
index 3140587..7cdc52a 100644
--- a/views/DashboardView.php
+++ b/views/DashboardView.php
@@ -15,13 +15,18 @@ $nonce      = SecurityHeadersMiddleware::getNonce();
 $pageTitle  = 'Dashboard';
 $activeNav  = 'dashboard';
 $_v = $GLOBALS['config']['ASSET_VERSION'] ?? '1';
-$pageStyles = ["/assets/css/dashboard.css?v={$_v}"];
+$pageStyles = [
+    "https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/flatpickr/dist/flatpickr.min.css",
+    "/assets/css/dashboard.css?v={$_v}",
+];
 $pageScripts = [
     "/assets/js/markdown.js?v={$_v}",
     "/assets/js/dashboard.js?v={$_v}",
     "/assets/js/advanced-search.js?v={$_v}",
     "/assets/js/keyboard-shortcuts.js?v={$_v}",
     "/assets/js/settings.js?v={$_v}",
+    "https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/flatpickr",
+    "https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/chart.js@4/dist/chart.umd.min.js",
 ];
 
 // ── Pagination helpers ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -168,6 +173,135 @@ include __DIR__ . '/layout_header.php';
 </div>
 <?php endif ?>
 
+<!-- ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+     CHARTS ROW (Chart.js — loaded from CDN on this page only)
+     ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ -->
+<div class="lt-grid-3" style="margin-bottom:0.75rem" id="chartsRow">
+  <div class="lt-frame has-lt-overlay" id="chartPriorityWrap">
+    <span class="lt-frame-bl">╚</span><span class="lt-frame-br">╝</span>
+    <div class="lt-section-header">Priority Distribution</div>
+    <div class="lt-section-body" style="height:180px;display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center">
+      <canvas id="chartPriority" aria-label="Priority distribution donut chart" role="img"></canvas>
+    </div>
+  </div>
+  <div class="lt-frame has-lt-overlay" id="chartStatusWrap">
+    <span class="lt-frame-bl">╚</span><span class="lt-frame-br">╝</span>
+    <div class="lt-section-header">Status Breakdown</div>
+    <div class="lt-section-body" style="height:180px;display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center">
+      <canvas id="chartStatus" aria-label="Status breakdown donut chart" role="img"></canvas>
+    </div>
+  </div>
+  <div class="lt-frame has-lt-overlay" id="chartCategoryWrap">
+    <span class="lt-frame-bl">╚</span><span class="lt-frame-br">╝</span>
+    <div class="lt-section-header">Category Breakdown</div>
+    <div class="lt-section-body" style="height:180px;display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center">
+      <canvas id="chartCategory" aria-label="Category breakdown bar chart" role="img"></canvas>
+    </div>
+  </div>
+</div>
+<script>
+// ── Dashboard charts (Chart.js, loaded from CDN) ─────────────────
+(function() {
+  function waitForChart(cb, tries) {
+    tries = tries || 0;
+    if (window.Chart) { cb(); }
+    else if (tries < 30) { setTimeout(function() { waitForChart(cb, tries+1); }, 200); }
+  }
+
+  var COLORS = {
+    green:  '#00ff41', cyan:   '#00d4ff', amber:  '#ffb000',
+    red:    '#ff4d4d', purple: '#b48eff', orange: '#ff8c00',
+    muted:  'rgba(0,255,65,0.25)'
+  };
+
+  var priorityData = <?= json_encode(array_values(array_map(
+      fn($k, $v) => ['label' => $k, 'count' => $v],
+      array_keys($stats['by_priority'] ?? []),
+      array_values($stats['by_priority'] ?? [])
+  ))) ?>;
+  var statusData = <?= json_encode(array_values(array_map(
+      fn($k, $v) => ['label' => $k, 'count' => $v],
+      array_keys($stats['by_status'] ?? []),
+      array_values($stats['by_status'] ?? [])
+  ))) ?>;
+  var categoryData = <?= json_encode(array_values(array_map(
+      fn($k, $v) => ['label' => $k, 'count' => $v],
+      array_keys($stats['by_category'] ?? []),
+      array_values($stats['by_category'] ?? [])
+  ))) ?>;
+
+  function makeDonut(canvasId, data, colorMap) {
+    var ctx = document.getElementById(canvasId);
+    if (!ctx || !data.length) return;
+    return new Chart(ctx, {
+      type: 'doughnut',
+      data: {
+        labels: data.map(function(d) { return d.label; }),
+        datasets: [{
+          data: data.map(function(d) { return d.count; }),
+          backgroundColor: data.map(function(d, i) {
+            return colorMap[d.label] || Object.values(COLORS)[i % 6];
+          }),
+          borderWidth: 0,
+          hoverOffset: 4
+        }]
+      },
+      options: {
+        responsive: true, maintainAspectRatio: false,
+        plugins: {
+          legend: {
+            position: 'bottom',
+            labels: { color: '#8fa3b1', font: { family: 'monospace', size: 10 }, padding: 8, boxWidth: 10 }
+          },
+          tooltip: { callbacks: { label: function(ctx) { return ' ' + ctx.label + ': ' + ctx.parsed; } } }
+        },
+        cutout: '68%'
+      }
+    });
+  }
+
+  function makeBar(canvasId, data) {
+    var ctx = document.getElementById(canvasId);
+    if (!ctx || !data.length) return;
+    return new Chart(ctx, {
+      type: 'bar',
+      data: {
+        labels: data.map(function(d) { return d.label; }),
+        datasets: [{
+          data: data.map(function(d) { return d.count; }),
+          backgroundColor: 'rgba(0,212,255,0.25)',
+          borderColor: '#00d4ff',
+          borderWidth: 1
+        }]
+      },
+      options: {
+        indexAxis: 'y', responsive: true, maintainAspectRatio: false,
+        plugins: { legend: { display: false } },
+        scales: {
+          x: { ticks: { color: '#8fa3b1', font: { size: 10 } }, grid: { color: 'rgba(0,255,65,0.06)' } },
+          y: { ticks: { color: '#8fa3b1', font: { family: 'monospace', size: 10 } }, grid: { display: false } }
+        }
+      }
+    });
+  }
+
+  waitForChart(function() {
+    var pColors = { 'P1': COLORS.red, 'P2': COLORS.amber, 'P3': COLORS.cyan, 'P4': COLORS.green, 'P5': COLORS.muted };
+    var sColors = { 'Open': COLORS.green, 'Pending': COLORS.amber, 'In Progress': COLORS.cyan, 'Closed': COLORS.muted };
+
+    // Remove loading overlays
+    ['chartPriorityWrap','chartStatusWrap','chartCategoryWrap'].forEach(function(id) {
+      var el = document.getElementById(id);
+      if (el) { el.classList.remove('has-lt-overlay'); var ov = el.querySelector('.lt-loading-overlay'); if (ov) ov.remove(); }
+    });
+
+    makeDonut('chartPriority', priorityData, pColors);
+    makeDonut('chartStatus',   statusData,   sColors);
+    makeBar('chartCategory', categoryData.slice(0, 8));
+  });
+})();
+</script>
+
 <?php if (!empty($stats['by_assignee'])): ?>
 <!-- ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
      TEAM WORKLOAD PANEL
@@ -1027,6 +1161,28 @@ document.addEventListener('change', function (e) {
 // Advanced search form submit
 var advForm = document.getElementById('advancedSearchForm');
 if (advForm) advForm.addEventListener('submit', performAdvancedSearch);
+
+// ── Flatpickr date pickers on advanced search date fields ────────
+(function initFlatpickr() {
+    function tryInit(tries) {
+        tries = tries || 0;
+        if (window.flatpickr) {
+            var fpOpts = {
+                dateFormat: 'Y-m-d',
+                theme: 'dark',
+                disableMobile: false,
+                onChange: function() {}
+            };
+            ['adv-created-from','adv-created-to','adv-updated-from','adv-updated-to'].forEach(function(id) {
+                var el = document.getElementById(id);
+                if (el && !el._flatpickr) flatpickr(el, fpOpts);
+            });
+        } else if (tries < 20) {
+            setTimeout(function() { tryInit(tries + 1); }, 300);
+        }
+    }
+    tryInit();
+})();
 </script>
 
 <!-- ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════