diff --git a/src/dashboard/routes/chat_api.py b/src/dashboard/routes/chat_api.py
index 604394f..c3f5c21 100644
--- a/src/dashboard/routes/chat_api.py
+++ b/src/dashboard/routes/chat_api.py
@@ -31,6 +31,93 @@ _UPLOAD_DIR = str(Path(settings.repo_root) / "data" / "chat-uploads")
 _MAX_UPLOAD_SIZE = 50 * 1024 * 1024  # 50 MB
 
 
+# ── POST /api/chat — helpers ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+
+async def _parse_chat_body(request: Request) -> tuple[dict | None, JSONResponse | None]:
+    """Parse and validate the JSON request body.
+
+    Returns (body, None) on success or (None, error_response) on failure.
+    """
+    content_length = request.headers.get("content-length")
+    if content_length and int(content_length) > settings.chat_api_max_body_bytes:
+        return None, JSONResponse(status_code=413, content={"error": "Request body too large"})
+
+    try:
+        body = await request.json()
+    except Exception as exc:
+        logger.warning("Chat API JSON parse error: %s", exc)
+        return None, JSONResponse(status_code=400, content={"error": "Invalid JSON"})
+
+    messages = body.get("messages")
+    if not messages or not isinstance(messages, list):
+        return None, JSONResponse(status_code=400, content={"error": "messages array is required"})
+
+    return body, None
+
+
+def _extract_user_message(messages: list[dict]) -> str | None:
+    """Return the text of the last user message, or *None* if absent."""
+    for msg in reversed(messages):
+        if msg.get("role") == "user":
+            content = msg.get("content", "")
+            if isinstance(content, list):
+                text_parts = [
+                    p.get("text", "")
+                    for p in content
+                    if isinstance(p, dict) and p.get("type") == "text"
+                ]
+                return " ".join(text_parts).strip() or None
+            text = str(content).strip()
+            return text or None
+    return None
+
+
+def _build_context_prefix() -> str:
+    """Build the system-context preamble injected before the user message."""
+    now = datetime.now()
+    return (
+        f"[System: Current date/time is "
+        f"{now.strftime('%A, %B %d, %Y at %I:%M %p')}]\n"
+        f"[System: Mobile client]\n\n"
+    )
+
+
+def _notify_thinking_engine() -> None:
+    """Record user activity so the thinking engine knows we're not idle."""
+    try:
+        from timmy.thinking import thinking_engine
+
+        thinking_engine.record_user_input()
+    except Exception:
+        logger.debug("Failed to record user input for thinking engine")
+
+
+async def _process_chat(user_msg: str) -> dict | JSONResponse:
+    """Send *user_msg* to the agent, log the exchange, and return a response."""
+    _notify_thinking_engine()
+    timestamp = datetime.now().strftime("%H:%M:%S")
+
+    try:
+        response_text = await agent_chat(
+            _build_context_prefix() + user_msg,
+            session_id="mobile",
+        )
+        message_log.append(role="user", content=user_msg, timestamp=timestamp, source="api")
+        message_log.append(role="agent", content=response_text, timestamp=timestamp, source="api")
+        return {"reply": response_text, "timestamp": timestamp}
+
+    except Exception as exc:
+        error_msg = f"Agent is offline: {exc}"
+        logger.error("api_chat error: %s", exc)
+        message_log.append(role="user", content=user_msg, timestamp=timestamp, source="api")
+        message_log.append(role="error", content=error_msg, timestamp=timestamp, source="api")
+        return JSONResponse(
+            status_code=503,
+            content={"error": error_msg, "timestamp": timestamp},
+        )
+
+
 # ── POST /api/chat ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 
@@ -44,78 +131,15 @@ async def api_chat(request: Request):
     Response:
         {"reply": "...", "timestamp": "HH:MM:SS"}
     """
-    # Enforce request body size limit
-    content_length = request.headers.get("content-length")
-    if content_length and int(content_length) > settings.chat_api_max_body_bytes:
-        return JSONResponse(status_code=413, content={"error": "Request body too large"})
+    body, err = await _parse_chat_body(request)
+    if err:
+        return err
 
-    try:
-        body = await request.json()
-    except Exception as exc:
-        logger.warning("Chat API JSON parse error: %s", exc)
-        return JSONResponse(status_code=400, content={"error": "Invalid JSON"})
-
-    messages = body.get("messages")
-    if not messages or not isinstance(messages, list):
-        return JSONResponse(status_code=400, content={"error": "messages array is required"})
-
-    # Extract the latest user message text
-    last_user_msg = None
-    for msg in reversed(messages):
-        if msg.get("role") == "user":
-            content = msg.get("content", "")
-            # Handle multimodal content arrays — extract text parts
-            if isinstance(content, list):
-                text_parts = [
-                    p.get("text", "")
-                    for p in content
-                    if isinstance(p, dict) and p.get("type") == "text"
-                ]
-                last_user_msg = " ".join(text_parts).strip()
-            else:
-                last_user_msg = str(content).strip()
-            break
-
-    if not last_user_msg:
+    user_msg = _extract_user_message(body["messages"])
+    if not user_msg:
         return JSONResponse(status_code=400, content={"error": "No user message found"})
 
-    # Record user activity so the thinking engine knows we're not idle
-    try:
-        from timmy.thinking import thinking_engine
-
-        thinking_engine.record_user_input()
-    except Exception:
-        logger.debug("Failed to record user input for thinking engine")
-
-    timestamp = datetime.now().strftime("%H:%M:%S")
-
-    try:
-        # Inject context (same pattern as the HTMX chat handler in agents.py)
-        now = datetime.now()
-        context_prefix = (
-            f"[System: Current date/time is "
-            f"{now.strftime('%A, %B %d, %Y at %I:%M %p')}]\n"
-            f"[System: Mobile client]\n\n"
-        )
-        response_text = await agent_chat(
-            context_prefix + last_user_msg,
-            session_id="mobile",
-        )
-
-        message_log.append(role="user", content=last_user_msg, timestamp=timestamp, source="api")
-        message_log.append(role="agent", content=response_text, timestamp=timestamp, source="api")
-
-        return {"reply": response_text, "timestamp": timestamp}
-
-    except Exception as exc:
-        error_msg = f"Agent is offline: {exc}"
-        logger.error("api_chat error: %s", exc)
-        message_log.append(role="user", content=last_user_msg, timestamp=timestamp, source="api")
-        message_log.append(role="error", content=error_msg, timestamp=timestamp, source="api")
-        return JSONResponse(
-            status_code=503,
-            content={"error": error_msg, "timestamp": timestamp},
-        )
+    return await _process_chat(user_msg)
 
 
 # ── POST /api/upload ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────