diff --git a/test-frontend/index.html b/test-frontend/index.html
index fa2a504..00929d2 100644
--- a/test-frontend/index.html
+++ b/test-frontend/index.html
@@ -2,86 +2,147 @@
 <html>
   <head>
     <meta charset="utf-8">
-    <title>poc</title>
+    <title>Blah testing frontend</title>
     <script src="./main.js" defer></script>
     <style>
+      @media screen and (max-width: 50em) {
+        body {
+          flex-direction: column;
+        }
+        #sidebar {
+          width: auto !important;
+          border-bottom: 1px solid grey;
+          border-right: none !important;
+          flex: .5;
+        }
+      }
+
+      input, select {
+        min-width: 0;
+      }
+
       body {
         display: flex;
-        flex-direction: column;
         height: 100vh;
         margin: 0;
         font-family: monospace;
       }
-      #msg-flow {
+
+      input {
+        text-overflow: ellipsis;
+      }
+
+      #sidebar {
+        padding: .5em;
+        width: 25em;
+        display: flex;
+        flex-direction: column;
+        border-right: 1px solid grey;
+        & label {
+          margin-left: 0;
+        }
+        & > #rooms {
+          flex: 1;
+        }
+      }
+
+      .label-input {
+        display: flex;
+        flex-direction: row;
+        & > label {
+          margin: auto .5em;
+        }
+        & > input, & > select {
+          flex: 1;
+        }
+      }
+
+      #mainbar {
         flex: 1;
-        overflow: scroll;
+        display: flex;
+        flex-direction: column;
+
+        & > .flow {
+          padding: .5em;
+          overflow: scroll;
+          border-bottom: 1px solid grey;
+          & > * {
+            display: block;
+          }
+        }
       }
-      #msg-flow > * {
-        display: block;
+      #log-flow {
+        flex: 1;
       }
+      #msg-flow {
+        flex: 2;
+      }
+
       .log {
         margin: auto;
         font-style: italic;
         &::before {
-            content: "«";
+          content: "«";
         }
         &::after {
-            content: "»";
-        }
-      }
-
-      #input-area > * {
-        display: flex;
-        flex-direction: row;
-        & > label {
-            margin: auto;
-        }
-        & > input,
-        & > select {
-            flex: 1;
+          content: "»";
         }
       }
     </style>
   </head>
 
   <body>
-    <div id="msg-flow">
-      <span class="log">please enter room url below and press ENTER</span>
-    </div>
-    <div id="input-area">
-      <div>
-        <label for="id-pubkey">id_pubkey:</label>
+    <div id="sidebar">
+      <div class="label-input">
+        <label for="id-url">id_url:</label>
+        <input type="url" id="id-url" placeholder="https://example.com" />
+        <button id="register">register</button>
+      </div>
+      <div class="label-input">
+        <label for="id-pubkey">id_pubkey :</label>
         <input type="text" id="id-pubkey" placeholder="-" />
+      </div>
+      <div class="label-input">
         <label for="act-pubkey">act_pubkey:</label>
-        <input type="text" id="act-pubkey" placeholder="-" readonly />
+        <input type="text" id="act-pubkey" placeholder="-" readonly disabled />
         <button id="regen-key">regenerate</button>
       </div>
-      <div>
+
+      <div class="label-input">
         <label for="server-url">server url:</label>
         <input
             type="url"
             id="server-url"
             placeholder="https://example.com"
-            pattern="https://.*"
+            pattern="https:\/\/[^\/]*\/?"
             required
             />
-        <button id="register">register</button>
       </div>
-      <div>
-        <label for="rooms">joined rooms:</label>
-        <select id="rooms"></select>
 
-        <label for="join-new-room">join public room:</label>
+      <div>
+        <label for="rooms">rooms:</label>
+        <button id="refresh-rooms">refresh room list</button>
+      </div>
+      <select id="rooms" size="2"></select>
+      <div class="label-input">
+        <label for="join-new-room">join new room:</label>
         <select id="join-new-room"></select>
-
-        <button id="leave-room">leave room</select>
-        <button id="refresh-rooms">refresh room list</select>
       </div>
-      <div>
-        <label for="chat">chat:</label>
-        <input type="text" id="chat" placeholder="message" />
+    </div>
 
+    <div id="mainbar">
+      <div id="log-flow" class="flow">
+        <noscript>
+          <span class="log">javascript is required</span>
+        </noscript>
+      </div>
+      <div id="msg-flow" class="flow">
+      </div>
+      <div class="label-input">
+        <label for="chat">chat:</label>
+        <input type="text" id="chat" placeholder="message or raw JSON" />
         <button id="mark-seen">mark history seen</button>
+        <button id="leave-room">leave room</button>
       </div>
     </div>
   </body>
diff --git a/test-frontend/main.js b/test-frontend/main.js
index 5506b21..c05a66e 100644
--- a/test-frontend/main.js
+++ b/test-frontend/main.js
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+const idUrlInput = document.querySelector('#id-url');
+const logFlow = document.querySelector('#log-flow');
 const msgFlow = document.querySelector('#msg-flow');
 const idPubkeyInput = document.querySelector('#id-pubkey');
 const actPubkeyDisplay = document.querySelector('#act-pubkey');
@@ -36,10 +38,10 @@ async function getActPubkey() {
     return bufToHex(await crypto.subtle.exportKey('raw', keypair.publicKey));
 }
 
-function appendMsg(el) {
-    msgFlow.append(el);
-    msgFlow.scrollTo({
-        top: msgFlow.scrollTopMax,
+function appendMsg(parent, el) {
+    parent.append(el);
+    parent.scrollTo({
+        top: parent.scrollTopMax,
         behavior: 'instant',
     })
 }
@@ -52,7 +54,7 @@ function log(msg, isHtml) {
     } else {
         el.innerText = msg;
     }
-    appendMsg(el)
+    appendMsg(logFlow, el)
 }
 
 async function loadKeypair() {
@@ -114,8 +116,18 @@ async function register() {
     }
 
     try {
-        const idUrl = prompt('id_url:', defaultConfig.id_url || '');
-        if (idUrl === null) return;
+        const idUrl = idUrlInput.value.trim();
+        if (idUrl === '') return;
+
+        const wellKnownUrl = (new URL(idUrl)) + '.well-known/blah/identity.json';
+        log(`fetching ${wellKnownUrl}`);
+        const idDescResp = await fetch(wellKnownUrl, { redirect: 'error' });
+        if (idDescResp.status !== 200) throw new Error(`status ${idDescResp.status}`);
+        const idDescJson = await idDescResp.json()
+        if (typeof idDescJson.id_key !== 'string' || idDescJson.id_key.length !== 64) {
+            throw new Error('invalid id_key from identity description response');
+        }
+        idPubkeyInput.value = idDescJson.id_key;
 
         const getResp = await fetch(`${apiUrl}/user/me`, {
             cache: 'no-store'
@@ -124,6 +136,7 @@ async function register() {
         const difficulty = parseInt(getResp.headers.get('x-blah-difficulty'));
         if (challenge === null) throw new Error('cannot get challenge nonce');
 
+        log('solving challenge')
         const postResp = await signAndPost(`${apiUrl}/user/me`, {
             // sorted fields.
             challenge_nonce: challenge,
@@ -170,7 +183,7 @@ async function showChatMsg(chat) {
     elContent.innerHTML = richTextToHtml(chat.signee.payload.rich_text);
     el.appendChild(elHeader);
     el.appendChild(elContent);
-    appendMsg(el)
+    appendMsg(msgFlow, el)
 }
 
 function richTextToHtml(richText) {
@@ -218,33 +231,36 @@ async function enterRoom(rid) {
     curRoom = rid;
     roomsInput.value = rid;
 
-    genAuthHeader()
-    .then(opts => fetch(`${apiUrl}/room/${rid}`, opts))
-    .then(async (resp) => [resp.status, await resp.json()])
-    .then(async ([status, json]) => {
-        if (status !== 200) throw new Error(`status ${status}: ${json.error.message}`);
-        document.title = `room: ${json.title}`
-    })
-    .catch((e) => {
-        log(`failed to get room metadata: ${e}`);
-    });
+    msgFlow.replaceChildren();
 
-    genAuthHeader()
-    .then(opts => fetch(`${apiUrl}/room/${rid}/msg`, opts))
-    .then(async (resp) => { return [resp.status, await resp.json()]; })
-    .then(async ([status, json]) => {
-        if (status !== 200) throw new Error(`status ${status}: ${json.error.message}`);
+    let roomMetadata;
+    try {
+        const resp = await fetch(`${apiUrl}/room/${rid}`, await genAuthHeader());
+        roomMetadata = await resp.json();
+        if (resp.status !== 200) throw new Error(`status ${resp.status}: ${roomMetadata.error.message}`);
+        document.title = `Blah: ${roomMetadata.title}`;
+    } catch (err) {
+        log(`failed to get room metadata: ${err}`);
+    }
+
+    try {
+        const resp = await fetch(`${apiUrl}/room/${rid}/msg`, await genAuthHeader());
+        const json = await resp.json();
+        if (resp.status !== 200) throw new Error(`status ${resp.status}: ${json.error.message}`);
         const { msgs } = json
         msgs.reverse();
         for (const msg of msgs) {
             lastCid = msg.cid;
             await showChatMsg(msg);
+            if (msg.cid === roomMetadata.last_seen_cid) {
+                const el = document.createElement('span');
+                el.innerText = '---last seen---';
+                appendMsg(msgFlow, el)
+            }
         }
-        log('---history---');
-    })
-    .catch((e) => {
-        log(`failed to fetch history: ${e}`);
-    });
+    } catch (err) {
+        log(`failed to fetch history: ${err}`);
+    }
 }
 
 async function connectServer(newServerUrl) {
@@ -366,7 +382,7 @@ async function leaveRoom() {
         await signAndPost(`${apiUrl}/room/${curRoom}/admin`, {
             room: curRoom,
             typ: 'remove_member',
-            user: await getActPubkey(),
+            user: await getIdPubkey(),
         });
         log('left room');
         await loadRoomList(true);
@@ -486,6 +502,9 @@ window.onload = async (_) => {
     if (keypair !== null) {
         actPubkeyDisplay.value = await getActPubkey();
     }
+    if (idUrlInput.value === '' && defaultConfig.id_url) {
+        idUrlInput.value = defaultConfig.id_url;
+    }
     if (idPubkeyInput.value === '' && defaultConfig.id_key) {
         idPubkeyInput.value = defaultConfig.id_key;
     }
@@ -520,6 +539,7 @@ serverUrlInput.onchange = async (e) => {
 chatInput.onkeypress = async (e) => {
     if (e.key === 'Enter') {
         await postChat(chatInput.value);
+        chatInput.focus();
     }
 };
 roomsInput.onchange = async (_) => {
