diff --git a/web/src/ChatPanel.tsx b/web/src/ChatPanel.tsx
index 228a065..a75a447 100644
--- a/web/src/ChatPanel.tsx
+++ b/web/src/ChatPanel.tsx
@@ -33,15 +33,23 @@ function timeShort(ts: number) {
 }
 
 function MessageRow({ msg }: { msg: Message }) {
+  // Show the readable handle (resolved from the bus directory); the raw endpoint id
+  // stays in the title attribute as a debugging tooltip.
+  const name = bus.displayName(msg.sender);
   return (
     <Group align="flex-start" gap="sm" wrap="nowrap">
       <Avatar radius="xl" size={36} color={msg.mine ? "brand" : "gray"}>
-        {initials(msg.sender)}
+        {initials(name)}
       </Avatar>
       <Box style={{ minWidth: 0 }}>
         <Group gap={8} align="baseline">
-          <Text size="sm" fw={600} c={msg.mine ? "brand.4" : undefined}>
-            {msg.sender}
+          <Text
+            size="sm"
+            fw={600}
+            c={msg.mine ? "brand.4" : undefined}
+            title={msg.sender}
+          >
+            {name}
           </Text>
           <Text size="xs" c="dimmed">
             {timeShort(msg.ts)}
diff --git a/web/src/bus/client.ts b/web/src/bus/client.ts
index fd4823a..e7df65a 100644
--- a/web/src/bus/client.ts
+++ b/web/src/bus/client.ts
@@ -176,6 +176,29 @@ interface MemberJSON {
   sign_pub: string; // base64
 }
 
+// DirectoryMemberWire is one row of GET /directory: a cluster-wide member with its
+// human handle and role. sign_pub here is 64-hex (the raw Ed25519 public key), and
+// endpoint matches endpointID(signPub) byte for byte.
+interface DirectoryMemberWire {
+  sign_pub: string; // 64-hex
+  endpoint: string; // base64url-nopad, == endpointID(signPub)
+  handle: string;
+  role: string;
+}
+
+interface DirectoryResp {
+  members: DirectoryMemberWire[];
+}
+
+// DirectoryEntry is the SDK shape of one directory member: the readable handle keyed
+// by the stable endpoint id, so the UI can show a name instead of the raw id.
+export interface DirectoryEntry {
+  signPub: string; // 64-hex
+  endpoint: string;
+  handle: string;
+  role: string;
+}
+
 // MemberRoomWire is one row of GET /members/{endpoint}/rooms.
 interface MemberRoomWire {
   room_id: string;
@@ -285,6 +308,21 @@ export class ControlPlane {
     }));
   }
 
+  // fetchDirectory returns the cluster-wide member directory (GET /api/directory), so
+  // the UI can resolve a message sender's endpoint id to a readable handle. The
+  // request is signed like every other control-plane call. The caller is expected to
+  // tolerate this endpoint being absent on older clusters (404) and fall back to the
+  // short id; this method only maps the wire shape and lets transport errors surface.
+  async fetchDirectory(): Promise<DirectoryEntry[]> {
+    const resp = await this.request<DirectoryResp>("GET", "/directory");
+    return (resp.members ?? []).map((m) => ({
+      signPub: m.sign_pub,
+      endpoint: m.endpoint,
+      handle: m.handle,
+      role: m.role,
+    }));
+  }
+
   // listMembers returns the room's members keyed by endpoint, so a receiver can find
   // a sender's signing public key to verify message signatures.
   async signerKeys(roomID: string): Promise<Map<string, Uint8Array>> {
diff --git a/web/src/busService.ts b/web/src/busService.ts
index ed1d4fd..8f4e28c 100644
--- a/web/src/busService.ts
+++ b/web/src/busService.ts
@@ -72,6 +72,36 @@ interface Session {
 
 let session: Session | null = null;
 
+// directory maps a peer's stable endpoint id to its human handle, so the UI can show
+// a readable name instead of the long base64url id. Populated from the control-plane
+// GET /api/directory once a session opens, and refreshed when membership changes. It
+// is best-effort: a cluster without the directory endpoint leaves it empty and the UI
+// falls back to a short id (see displayName), so the chat keeps working regardless.
+let directory = new Map<string, string>();
+
+// shortId is the display fallback for an endpoint with no known handle: the first 8
+// characters of the id, never the full long string.
+function shortId(endpoint: string): string {
+  return endpoint.slice(0, 8);
+}
+
+// loadDirectory (re)loads the cluster member directory into the endpoint -> handle
+// map. It NEVER throws: if the endpoint is missing (older cluster, 404) or the request
+// fails, the existing map is kept (empty on first load) and callers fall back to the
+// short id. The new map is built locally and only swapped in on success, so a failed
+// refresh never wipes a directory that loaded earlier.
+async function loadDirectory(s: Session): Promise<void> {
+  try {
+    const entries = await s.control.fetchDirectory();
+    const next = new Map<string, string>();
+    for (const e of entries) if (e.handle) next.set(e.endpoint, e.handle);
+    directory = next;
+  } catch {
+    // No directory endpoint yet, or a transient failure: keep what we have (the chat
+    // must work exactly as before without readable names).
+  }
+}
+
 function require_(): Session {
   if (!session) throw new SessionError("no active bus session");
   return session;
@@ -87,6 +117,8 @@ async function connectSession(wallet: WalletIdentity, handle: string): Promise<U
   const transport = await WsNatsTransport.connect([BUS_WS], identity);
   const client = new BusClient(identity, transport, control);
   session = { identity, handle, endpoint, control, transport, client };
+  directory = new Map(); // fresh identity: drop any prior session's handle map
+  await loadDirectory(session); // best-effort; never blocks login on a directory error
   return { id: endpoint, handle: handle || endpoint.slice(0, 8) };
 }
 
@@ -128,6 +160,17 @@ export const bus = {
     return { endpoint: s.endpoint, sign_pub: "", handle: s.handle };
   },
 
+  // displayName resolves a sender endpoint id to a readable name for the UI: the
+  // member's handle when the directory knows it, the session user's own handle for
+  // their own messages, and a short id fallback otherwise — NEVER the full long
+  // endpoint. Pure lookup over the in-memory directory; safe to call from render.
+  displayName(endpoint: string): string {
+    if (session && endpoint === session.endpoint) {
+      return session.handle || directory.get(endpoint) || shortId(endpoint);
+    }
+    return directory.get(endpoint) || shortId(endpoint);
+  },
+
   // logout closes the data-plane connection, drops the in-memory session, and clears
   // the persisted session from both stores so it cannot be restored.
   async logout(): Promise<void> {
@@ -161,6 +204,7 @@ export const bus = {
     const s = require_();
     const { roomID } = await s.control.createRoom(subject, ModeMatrix);
     await s.client.refresh(); // re-evaluate the per-subject ACL with the new room
+    await loadDirectory(s); // a new room may bring new members into the directory
     touchSession();
     return { id: roomID, name: subject, encrypted: true, lastMessage: "", lastTs: 0, unread: 0, messages: [] };
   },
diff --git a/web/src/types.ts b/web/src/types.ts
index 3a5a802..218d299 100644
--- a/web/src/types.ts
+++ b/web/src/types.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ export interface User {
 
 export interface Message {
   id: string;
-  sender: string; // endpoint id del remitente (handle legible es fase 2)
+  sender: string; // endpoint id del remitente; el nombre legible se resuelve con bus.displayName()
   body: string;
   ts: number; // epoch ms
   mine?: boolean;