diff --git a/src/PowderCoating.Web/Controllers/CatalogItemsController.cs b/src/PowderCoating.Web/Controllers/CatalogItemsController.cs
index b9e92b3..e4a6aa4 100644
--- a/src/PowderCoating.Web/Controllers/CatalogItemsController.cs
+++ b/src/PowderCoating.Web/Controllers/CatalogItemsController.cs
@@ -938,6 +938,9 @@ namespace PowderCoating.Web.Controllers
                 r => r.CompanyId == currentUser.CompanyId);
             var report = existing.OrderByDescending(r => r.RunAt).FirstOrDefault();
 
+            var activeItems = await _unitOfWork.CatalogItems.FindAsync(ci => ci.IsActive);
+            ViewBag.ActiveItemCount = activeItems.Count();
+
             CatalogPriceCheckReportDto? dto = null;
             if (report != null)
             {
diff --git a/src/PowderCoating.Web/Views/CatalogItems/AiPriceCheck.cshtml b/src/PowderCoating.Web/Views/CatalogItems/AiPriceCheck.cshtml
index 3d12332..6857157 100644
--- a/src/PowderCoating.Web/Views/CatalogItems/AiPriceCheck.cshtml
+++ b/src/PowderCoating.Web/Views/CatalogItems/AiPriceCheck.cshtml
@@ -35,16 +35,69 @@
         .summary-stat .num { font-size: 2rem; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1; }
         .summary-stat .lbl { font-size: 0.75rem; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.05em; opacity: 0.7; }
         .run-btn-wrap { min-height: 3rem; }
+
+        /* Progress overlay */
+        #price-check-overlay {
+            display: none;
+            position: fixed;
+            inset: 0;
+            background: rgba(15, 23, 42, 0.55);
+            z-index: 1050;
+            align-items: center;
+            justify-content: center;
+        }
+        #price-check-overlay.active { display: flex; }
+        .progress-card {
+            background: #fff;
+            border-radius: 1rem;
+            padding: 2.5rem 2rem;
+            width: 100%;
+            max-width: 440px;
+            text-align: center;
+            box-shadow: 0 20px 60px rgba(0,0,0,0.25);
+        }
+        .progress-card .icon { font-size: 3rem; color: #4f46e5; margin-bottom: 1rem; }
+        .progress-card h5 { font-weight: 700; margin-bottom: 0.25rem; }
+        .progress-card .status-msg { font-size: 0.9rem; color: #64748b; min-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 1.25rem; }
+        .progress-bar-track {
+            height: 8px;
+            background: #e2e8f0;
+            border-radius: 99px;
+            overflow: hidden;
+            margin-bottom: 0.75rem;
+        }
+        .progress-bar-fill {
+            height: 100%;
+            background: linear-gradient(90deg, #4f46e5, #7c3aed);
+            border-radius: 99px;
+            width: 0%;
+            transition: width 0.6s ease;
+        }
+        .progress-card .pct-label { font-size: 0.8rem; color: #94a3b8; }
     </style>
 }
 
+<!-- Progress overlay (shown while AI is running) -->
+<div id="price-check-overlay">
+    <div class="progress-card">
+        <div class="icon"><i class="bi bi-robot"></i></div>
+        <h5>Analyzing your catalog</h5>
+        <p class="status-msg" id="overlay-status">Preparing items…</p>
+        <div class="progress-bar-track">
+            <div class="progress-bar-fill" id="overlay-bar"></div>
+        </div>
+        <div class="pct-label"><span id="overlay-pct">0</span>% complete</div>
+    </div>
+</div>
+
 <div class="d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center mb-4">
     <a asp-action="Index" class="btn btn-outline-secondary btn-sm">
         <i class="bi bi-arrow-left me-1"></i> Back to Catalog
     </a>
     <form asp-action="RunAiPriceCheck" method="post" id="runForm" class="run-btn-wrap">
         @Html.AntiForgeryToken()
-        <button type="submit" class="btn btn-primary" id="runBtn">
+        <button type="submit" class="btn btn-primary" id="runBtn"
+                data-item-count="@(ViewBag.ActiveItemCount ?? 0)">
             <i class="bi bi-robot me-2"></i>
             @(Model == null ? "Run Price Check" : "Re-run Price Check")
         </button>
diff --git a/wwwroot/js/catalog-price-check.js b/wwwroot/js/catalog-price-check.js
index 22441b7..de62a8b 100644
--- a/wwwroot/js/catalog-price-check.js
+++ b/wwwroot/js/catalog-price-check.js
@@ -3,10 +3,83 @@
 
     var form = document.getElementById('runForm');
     var btn = document.getElementById('runBtn');
-    if (!form || !btn) return;
+    var overlay = document.getElementById('price-check-overlay');
+    var bar = document.getElementById('overlay-bar');
+    var pctLabel = document.getElementById('overlay-pct');
+    var statusMsg = document.getElementById('overlay-status');
+
+    if (!form || !btn || !overlay) return;
+
+    // Estimate total seconds based on item count (roughly 12s per batch of 25, min 15s).
+    function estimateDuration(itemCount) {
+        var batches = Math.max(1, Math.ceil(itemCount / 25));
+        return Math.max(15, batches * 12);
+    }
+
+    // Messages keyed to approximate progress milestones (0–100).
+    function messageAt(pct, batchCount) {
+        if (pct < 10) return 'Loading catalog items…';
+        if (pct < 20) return 'Sending items to Claude…';
+        if (batchCount <= 1) {
+            if (pct < 75) return 'Analyzing your catalog with AI…';
+            if (pct < 92) return 'Reviewing pricing data…';
+        } else {
+            var batchDone = Math.floor((pct / 100) * batchCount);
+            if (batchDone < batchCount) {
+                return 'Analyzing batch ' + (batchDone + 1) + ' of ' + batchCount + '…';
+            }
+        }
+        if (pct < 97) return 'Compiling results…';
+        return 'Almost done…';
+    }
+
+    function setProgress(pct, batchCount) {
+        var clamped = Math.min(99, Math.max(0, pct));
+        bar.style.width = clamped + '%';
+        pctLabel.textContent = Math.round(clamped);
+        statusMsg.textContent = messageAt(clamped, batchCount);
+    }
 
     form.addEventListener('submit', function () {
         btn.disabled = true;
-        btn.innerHTML = '<span class="spinner-border spinner-border-sm me-2"></span>Analyzing with AI…';
+
+        var itemCount = parseInt(btn.getAttribute('data-item-count') || '0', 10);
+        var batchCount = Math.max(1, Math.ceil(itemCount / 25));
+        var totalSecs = estimateDuration(itemCount);
+
+        overlay.classList.add('active');
+        setProgress(0, batchCount);
+
+        // Animate progress: fast to ~85%, then slow crawl toward 99%.
+        // Uses two easing phases so it never "finishes" before the server responds.
+        var start = Date.now();
+        var phase1End = totalSecs * 0.80 * 1000; // 80% of time → 85% progress
+        var raf;
+
+        function tick() {
+            var elapsed = Date.now() - start;
+            var pct;
+
+            if (elapsed < phase1End) {
+                // Phase 1: ease-out from 0 → 85
+                var t = elapsed / phase1End;
+                pct = 85 * (1 - Math.pow(1 - t, 2));
+            } else {
+                // Phase 2: slow crawl 85 → 99 (never quite reaches 99)
+                var t2 = (elapsed - phase1End) / (totalSecs * 1000);
+                pct = 85 + 14 * (1 - Math.exp(-t2 * 1.5));
+            }
+
+            setProgress(pct, batchCount);
+            raf = requestAnimationFrame(tick);
+        }
+
+        raf = requestAnimationFrame(tick);
+
+        // Safety: if the server takes much longer than estimated, keep the overlay up.
+        // The page navigation itself will tear it down.
+        window.addEventListener('pagehide', function () {
+            cancelAnimationFrame(raf);
+        });
     });
 }());