diff --git a/src/components/journal/JournalPanel.tsx b/src/components/journal/JournalPanel.tsx
index 8bb55c5..524fae4 100644
--- a/src/components/journal/JournalPanel.tsx
+++ b/src/components/journal/JournalPanel.tsx
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ export interface JournalPanelProps {
 
 export const JournalPanel: Component<JournalPanelProps> = (props) => {
   const stream = useJournalStream();
+  const [showInvite, setShowInvite] = createSignal(false);
 
   // Player list (exclude gm and observer)
   const playerEntries = () =>
@@ -55,7 +56,7 @@ export const JournalPanel: Component<JournalPanelProps> = (props) => {
         <JournalHeader onClose={props.onClose} />
 
         {/* Player list tabs */}
-        <Show when={stream.connected && playerEntries().length > 0}>
+        <Show when={stream.connected}>
           <div class="flex items-center gap-1 px-3 py-1.5 border-b border-gray-100 bg-gray-50 overflow-x-auto shrink-0">
             <For each={playerEntries()}>
               {([name]) => (
@@ -64,6 +65,13 @@ export const JournalPanel: Component<JournalPanelProps> = (props) => {
                 </span>
               )}
             </For>
+            <button
+              onClick={() => setShowInvite(true)}
+              class="text-xs text-gray-400 hover:text-blue-600 px-1.5 py-0.5 rounded border border-dashed border-gray-300 hover:border-blue-400 whitespace-nowrap shrink-0"
+              title="Invite a player"
+            >
+              + invite
+            </button>
           </div>
         </Show>
 
@@ -80,6 +88,11 @@ export const JournalPanel: Component<JournalPanelProps> = (props) => {
           </div>
           <JournalInput />
         </Show>
+
+        {/* Invite modal */}
+        <Show when={showInvite()}>
+          <InviteDialog onClose={() => setShowInvite(false)} />
+        </Show>
       </aside>
     </>
   );
@@ -273,6 +286,22 @@ const ConnectDialog: Component = () => {
   );
   const [connecting, setConnecting] = createSignal(false);
   const [error, setError] = createSignal<string | null>(null);
+  const [autoJoined, setAutoJoined] = createSignal(false);
+
+  // Auto-join when URL has both session and player params
+  onMount(() => {
+    const params = new URL(window.location.href).searchParams;
+    if (
+      params.has("session") &&
+      params.has("player") &&
+      params.has("autojoin")
+    ) {
+      setPlayerName(params.get("player") || "");
+      setRole("player");
+      setAutoJoined(true);
+      handleConnect();
+    }
+  });
 
   const handleConnect = async () => {
     const name = playerName().trim() || stream.myName;
@@ -299,49 +328,141 @@ const ConnectDialog: Component = () => {
   };
 
   return (
-    <div class="w-full max-w-sm space-y-3">
-      <p class="text-sm text-gray-600 text-center">
-        Enter your name and role to join the session.
-        <br />
-        <span class="text-xs text-gray-400">
-          Connecting to {window.location.host}
-        </span>
-      </p>
-      <input
-        type="text"
-        value={playerName()}
-        onInput={(e) => setPlayerName(e.currentTarget.value)}
-        onKeyDown={(e) => e.key === "Enter" && handleConnect()}
-        placeholder="Your name"
-        class="w-full border border-gray-300 rounded px-3 py-1.5 text-sm"
-        autofocus
-      />
-      {/* Role selector */}
-      <div class="flex gap-1">
-        {(["gm", "player", "observer"] as const).map((r) => (
+    <Show
+      when={!autoJoined() || error()}
+      fallback={
+        <p class="text-sm text-gray-500 text-center">
+          {connecting() ? "Joining session…" : "Joined!"}
+        </p>
+      }
+    >
+      <div class="w-full max-w-sm space-y-3">
+        <p class="text-sm text-gray-600 text-center">
+          Enter your name and role to join the session.
+          <br />
+          <span class="text-xs text-gray-400">
+            Connecting to {window.location.host}
+          </span>
+        </p>
+        <input
+          type="text"
+          value={playerName()}
+          onInput={(e) => setPlayerName(e.currentTarget.value)}
+          onKeyDown={(e) => e.key === "Enter" && handleConnect()}
+          placeholder="Your name"
+          class="w-full border border-gray-300 rounded px-3 py-1.5 text-sm"
+          autofocus
+        />
+        {/* Role selector */}
+        <div class="flex gap-1">
+          {(["gm", "player", "observer"] as const).map((r) => (
+            <button
+              onClick={() => setRole(r)}
+              class={`flex-1 rounded px-2 py-1.5 text-xs font-medium border transition-colors ${
+                role() === r
+                  ? "bg-blue-600 text-white border-blue-600"
+                  : "bg-white text-gray-600 border-gray-300 hover:border-gray-400"
+              }`}
+            >
+              {r === "gm" ? "GM" : r === "player" ? "Player" : "Observer"}
+            </button>
+          ))}
+        </div>
+        <button
+          onClick={handleConnect}
+          disabled={connecting() || !playerName().trim()}
+          class="w-full bg-blue-600 text-white rounded px-3 py-2 text-sm font-medium
+               hover:bg-blue-700 disabled:opacity-50"
+        >
+          {connecting() ? "Connecting..." : "Join"}
+        </button>
+        <Show when={error()}>
+          <p class="text-red-500 text-sm text-center">{error()}</p>
+        </Show>
+      </div>
+    </Show>
+  );
+};
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Invite dialog — input player name, copy invite link
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+interface InviteDialogProps {
+  onClose: () => void;
+}
+
+const InviteDialog: Component<InviteDialogProps> = (props) => {
+  const stream = useJournalStream();
+  const [playerName, setPlayerName] = createSignal("");
+  const [copied, setCopied] = createSignal(false);
+
+  const inviteLink = () => {
+    const url = new URL(window.location.href);
+    url.searchParams.set("session", stream.sessionId || "default");
+    if (playerName().trim()) {
+      url.searchParams.set("player", playerName().trim());
+    }
+    url.searchParams.set("autojoin", "1");
+    return url.toString();
+  };
+
+  const handleCopy = async () => {
+    try {
+      await navigator.clipboard.writeText(inviteLink());
+      setCopied(true);
+      setTimeout(() => setCopied(false), 2000);
+    } catch {
+      const input = document.getElementById(
+        "invite-link-input",
+      ) as HTMLInputElement;
+      if (input) input.select();
+    }
+  };
+
+  return (
+    <div class="absolute inset-0 z-50 flex items-center justify-center bg-black/20">
+      <div class="bg-white rounded-lg border border-gray-200 shadow-xl w-[280px] p-4 space-y-3">
+        <div class="flex items-center justify-between">
+          <h3 class="text-sm font-semibold text-gray-800">Invite Player</h3>
           <button
-            onClick={() => setRole(r)}
-            class={`flex-1 rounded px-2 py-1.5 text-xs font-medium border transition-colors ${
-              role() === r
-                ? "bg-blue-600 text-white border-blue-600"
-                : "bg-white text-gray-600 border-gray-300 hover:border-gray-400"
+            onClick={props.onClose}
+            class="text-gray-400 hover:text-gray-600 text-sm"
+          >
+            ✕
+          </button>
+        </div>
+        <p class="text-xs text-gray-500">
+          Enter a player name and share the link. They will join as a player.
+        </p>
+        <input
+          type="text"
+          value={playerName()}
+          onInput={(e) => setPlayerName(e.currentTarget.value)}
+          placeholder="Player name"
+          class="w-full border border-gray-300 rounded px-2 py-1 text-xs"
+          autofocus
+        />
+        <div class="flex gap-1">
+          <input
+            id="invite-link-input"
+            type="text"
+            value={inviteLink()}
+            readonly
+            class="flex-1 border border-gray-200 rounded px-2 py-1 text-xs bg-gray-50 text-gray-600 font-mono truncate"
+          />
+          <button
+            onClick={handleCopy}
+            class={`shrink-0 rounded px-2 py-1 text-xs font-medium transition-colors ${
+              copied()
+                ? "bg-green-100 text-green-700"
+                : "bg-blue-600 text-white hover:bg-blue-700"
             }`}
           >
-            {r === "gm" ? "GM" : r === "player" ? "Player" : "Observer"}
+            {copied() ? "Copied!" : "Copy"}
           </button>
-        ))}
+        </div>
       </div>
-      <button
-        onClick={handleConnect}
-        disabled={connecting() || !playerName().trim()}
-        class="w-full bg-blue-600 text-white rounded px-3 py-2 text-sm font-medium
-               hover:bg-blue-700 disabled:opacity-50"
-      >
-        {connecting() ? "Connecting..." : "Join"}
-      </button>
-      <Show when={error()}>
-        <p class="text-red-500 text-sm text-center">{error()}</p>
-      </Show>
     </div>
   );
 };
diff --git a/src/components/stores/journalStream.ts b/src/components/stores/journalStream.ts
index eedd319..4152dd8 100644
--- a/src/components/stores/journalStream.ts
+++ b/src/components/stores/journalStream.ts
@@ -583,6 +583,9 @@ export function disconnectStream(): void {
   setState("connected", false);
   setState("connectionStatus", "disconnected");
   setState("players", {});
+
+  // Strip autojoin param so the dialog shows normally on next connect
+  removeUrlParam("autojoin");
 }
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------