diff --git a/docs/superpowers/specs/2026-04-14-gif-category-pills-design.md b/docs/superpowers/specs/2026-04-14-gif-category-pills-design.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..69e207ea15
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/superpowers/specs/2026-04-14-gif-category-pills-design.md
@@ -0,0 +1,125 @@
+# GIF Category Pills Design
+
+Horizontal scrollable row of category pills on the GIF picker's idle screen,
+letting users browse GIFs by emotion/reaction category.
+
+## Context
+
+The GIF picker currently shows featured/trending GIFs on the idle screen with a
+search input above. Users can type to search, but there's no way to browse by
+category. Threads shows a row of category pills (Trending, Love, Happy, Sad,
+etc.) that give quick access to common GIF reactions without typing.
+
+## Decisions
+
+| Question | Decision | Rationale |
+|----------|----------|-----------|
+| Layout | Horizontal scrollable pill row + featured grid below | Matches Threads pattern. Pills provide quick access, grid fills remaining space. |
+| Categories | Hardcoded curated list of 8 | Predictable, no extra API call, intentional selection of popular emotions. |
+| "Trending" pill | Uses existing featured endpoint | No search query needed — it's the default idle view. |
+| Category tap behavior | Sets search query to category's searchterm | Reuses existing `useGifPickerData` search path, no new data fetching logic. |
+| Pills while typing | Hide when input has text, reappear when cleared | Clean separation between browse and search modes. |
+
+## Curated Categories
+
+| Pill | Search term | Emoji |
+|------|------------|-------|
+| Trending | *(featured endpoint, no search)* | 🔥 |
+| Love | `love` | ❤️ |
+| Happy | `happy` | 😄 |
+| Sad | `cry` | 😢 |
+| Party | `congratulations` | 🎉 |
+| Yes | `yes` | 👍 |
+| LOL | `lol` | 😂 |
+| Excited | `excited` | 🤩 |
+
+"Trending" is the default active pill when the dialog opens.
+
+## Architecture
+
+### Component Tree
+
+```
+GifPickerBody
+├─ GifPickerHeader
+│  └─ TextField.Input
+├─ GifCategoryPills          ← NEW (hidden when typing)
+├─ GifPickerPlaceholder
+└─ GifPickerGrid
+```
+
+### Data Flow
+
+1. Dialog opens → "Trending" pill active → featured endpoint fires (existing)
+2. User taps a category pill → active pill updates → search query set to
+   pill's `searchterm` → `useGifPickerData` fires the search endpoint
+3. User starts typing → pills hide → search query comes from text input
+4. User clears input → pills reappear → active pill resets to "Trending" →
+   featured GIFs reload
+
+### File Changes
+
+**New files:**
+
+- `src/features/gifPicker/components/GifCategoryPills.tsx` — horizontal
+  scrollable row of pill buttons. Accepts `activeCategory`, `onSelectCategory`,
+  and `visible` props. Each pill is a `Pressable` with emoji + label. The
+  active pill gets a highlighted background. The component renders `null` when
+  `visible` is false.
+
+**Modified files:**
+
+- `src/features/gifPicker/GifPickerDialog.tsx` — add `activeCategory` state to
+  `GifPickerBody`. When a category is selected (and it's not "trending"), pass
+  its searchterm as the search query to `useGifPickerData`. Render
+  `GifCategoryPills` in the header area. Hide pills when `rawSearch.length > 0`.
+  Reset `activeCategory` to "trending" when input is cleared.
+
+## Interaction States
+
+### 1. Idle — "Trending" active
+
+Dialog just opened. "Trending" pill is highlighted. Featured GIFs show in the
+grid. Search input is empty.
+
+### 2. Category selected
+
+User tapped a category pill (e.g., "Happy"). That pill highlights, "Trending"
+unhighlights. Grid shows search results for "happy". Search input stays empty
+— the query comes from the pill, not the text field.
+
+### 3. Typing — pills hidden
+
+User started typing in the search input. The pill row hides entirely. Grid
+shows search results for whatever the user typed. The `activeCategory` state
+stays as-is (not reset) — it's just not visible or used while typing. This
+avoids unnecessary state churn; it only resets when the input is fully cleared.
+
+### 4. Input cleared — pills return
+
+User cleared the search input (backspace or clear button). Pills reappear with
+"Trending" active. Featured GIFs reload in the grid.
+
+## Pill Styling
+
+- Horizontal `ScrollView` with `horizontal` and `showsHorizontalScrollIndicator={false}`
+- Each pill: `Pressable` with `rounded_full`, emoji + text, theme-aware colors
+- Active pill: stronger background (`t.atoms.bg_contrast_100` or similar)
+- Inactive pill: subtle border (`t.atoms.border_contrast_low`)
+- Row has horizontal padding matching the GIF grid
+
+## Scope Boundaries
+
+**In scope:**
+- `GifCategoryPills` component with horizontal scroll
+- 8 curated category pills with emoji + label
+- Tap pill → search GIFs for that category
+- Pills hide when typing, reappear when cleared
+- Active pill highlight styling
+- "Trending" as default active pill (uses featured endpoint)
+
+**Out of scope:**
+- Recent / Favorited pills (needs client-side persistence)
+- Dynamic categories from the `/v2/categories` API
+- Category GIF thumbnails on the pills
+- Animation for pills show/hide transition