Fix voice camera tilt from a top-down view

A voice fly-to frames a city top-down, at pitch -90. The tilt clamp
rejected any step that left the pitch below -89, so the first frame of
"tilt up" stopped the motion and "tilt down" was refused: from the view
voice lands on, no tilt ever moved the camera. A bare "tilt the camera"
also failed because tilt required a direction.

- Clamp tilt only in the direction of travel, so -90 can tilt up.
- Swing the camera about the ground under the crosshair, so the place
  stays centred and the heading is kept. A tracked view still tilts in
  place, and a pivot tilt yields when tracking takes the camera.
- Add an optional move_camera pitchDeg for "tilt 45 degrees"; a tilt
  with neither angle nor direction settles at -45 (oblique view).
- Re-derive the voice tool schema pins for the new argument and wording,
  and keep the Realtime prompt under its 52,000-character budget.

docs/CURRENT-STATE.md

@@ -5364,7 +5364,7 @@ and unreachable upstream (502/504) separately from road geometry.
 > branch: **2,281 on Node 25.6.1** (allocation suites skipped) = 2,255 on
 > `main` + 26 route pins; the same tree on Node 24 reports 2,295.
 
-- **Camera verbs** (`src/cameraVerbs.js`) — one motion slot, driven per clock tick. `move_camera` orbits/pans/tilts/rotates; `fly_route` is a cinematic dolly along an existing route annotation. `rotate_globe` rotates the world-space camera rigidly around Earth's center using its screen-up axis, preserving geocentric range and framing. Left/right describe visible globe motion, while `rotate` turns the camera in place. Omitted globe direction/mode default to right/continuous; explicit values prevail. Other camera motions keep their once default. Admission requires 3D, no Cockpit/tracking owner and the whole globe inside the existing keyhole circle, using the shared keyhole/projection geometry and vertical camera FOV with a rotation-local bounding-sphere cone for off-axis containment. Canvas-edge clipping alone does not block a rigid rotation or its unchanged Globe View preset. There is no altitude cutoff. An already smaller, fully framed globe rotates directly; repeated nudges, direction and speed changes recheck current framing without demanding a reset merely because ellipsoid altitude varied. A close-up or overlap refuses without moving the camera. When the unchanged Globe View preset fits, voice says “Globe rotation isn’t available from this view. You can say ‘Reset to Globe View and rotate the globe.’” without asking a permission question or automatically resetting. Explicit Reset/Show Globe View commands remain direct; an explicit reset-and-rotate request waits for reset success before requesting rotation. If OpenAI dispatches both tools together, rotation waits for earlier same-response resets and is skipped if any fails or is cancelled. OpenAI rejects later tool calls in the same response after a globe refusal, including calls arriving while globe admission is pending, and preserves response-scoped `tool_choice: none` for the refusal follow-up; Gemini rejects further tool execution, including queued sibling calls, until fresh typed input or admitted speech. Model interruption, advisory captions and microphone toggles do not release that guard. There is no pending Yes/No offer. Outside the refused response, explicit-command interpretation and avoiding repeated resets remain model-guided; a distinct model-issued reset call is not an app-enforced proof of user intent. A failed standalone reset can still be retried by the model, and a reset result does not guarantee the camera has fully settled. Before suggesting a reset, a cloned camera checks the unchanged Globe View destination against the same keyhole/depth rules without moving the live camera. If that preset cannot fit, `globe-reset-unavailable` asks for further zoom and the refusal instructs further zoom instead of a reset; this also covers ultrawide views. Unsupported view geometry or non-WGS84 projection assumptions fail closed without the closer-zoom instruction. Supported camera inputs/navigation intents cancel rotation before their action. Finite radius greater than the ellipsoid's maximum radius proves whole-arc clearance at constant centre-distance; no low-altitude swept solver is needed. The unchanged Globe View reset preset remains 18,000,000 m. Terrain and buildings remain outside the guarantee.
+- **Camera verbs** (`src/cameraVerbs.js`) — one motion slot, driven per clock tick. `move_camera` orbits/pans/tilts/rotates; `fly_route` is a cinematic dolly along an existing route annotation. `rotate_globe` rotates the world-space camera rigidly around Earth's center using its screen-up axis, preserving geocentric range and framing. Left/right describe visible globe motion, while `rotate` turns the camera in place. `tilt` swings the camera about the ground under the crosshair (the tracked view excepted, which tilts in place), so the place stays centred and the heading is kept; pitch stays within -89° to -5°, clamped only in the direction of travel so a top-down (-90°) view can tilt up out of it. A tilt with `pitchDeg` (or with neither angle nor direction, which means -45°) eases to that angle; a positive angle means the same angle below the horizon. Omitted globe direction/mode default to right/continuous; explicit values prevail. Other camera motions keep their once default. Admission requires 3D, no Cockpit/tracking owner and the whole globe inside the existing keyhole circle, using the shared keyhole/projection geometry and vertical camera FOV with a rotation-local bounding-sphere cone for off-axis containment. Canvas-edge clipping alone does not block a rigid rotation or its unchanged Globe View preset. There is no altitude cutoff. An already smaller, fully framed globe rotates directly; repeated nudges, direction and speed changes recheck current framing without demanding a reset merely because ellipsoid altitude varied. A close-up or overlap refuses without moving the camera. When the unchanged Globe View preset fits, voice says “Globe rotation isn’t available from this view. You can say ‘Reset to Globe View and rotate the globe.’” without asking a permission question or automatically resetting. Explicit Reset/Show Globe View commands remain direct; an explicit reset-and-rotate request waits for reset success before requesting rotation. If OpenAI dispatches both tools together, rotation waits for earlier same-response resets and is skipped if any fails or is cancelled. OpenAI rejects later tool calls in the same response after a globe refusal, including calls arriving while globe admission is pending, and preserves response-scoped `tool_choice: none` for the refusal follow-up; Gemini rejects further tool execution, including queued sibling calls, until fresh typed input or admitted speech. Model interruption, advisory captions and microphone toggles do not release that guard. There is no pending Yes/No offer. Outside the refused response, explicit-command interpretation and avoiding repeated resets remain model-guided; a distinct model-issued reset call is not an app-enforced proof of user intent. A failed standalone reset can still be retried by the model, and a reset result does not guarantee the camera has fully settled. Before suggesting a reset, a cloned camera checks the unchanged Globe View destination against the same keyhole/depth rules without moving the live camera. If that preset cannot fit, `globe-reset-unavailable` asks for further zoom and the refusal instructs further zoom instead of a reset; this also covers ultrawide views. Unsupported view geometry or non-WGS84 projection assumptions fail closed without the closer-zoom instruction. Supported camera inputs/navigation intents cancel rotation before their action. Finite radius greater than the ellipsoid's maximum radius proves whole-arc clearance at constant centre-distance; no low-altitude swept solver is needed. The unchanged Globe View reset preset remains 18,000,000 m. Terrain and buildings remain outside the guarantee.
   - **The route dolly is shaped, not linear** (2026-08-20). A trapezoid speed profile (smoothstep up, cruise, smoothstep down, distance taken as the closed-form integral) eases both ends without changing the pace — duration is still `totalM / ROUTE_M_S[speed]`, with one exception: a 0.5 s minimum keeps a degenerate route from being an instant teleport, so routes under 10 m (slow) / 20 m (normal) / 45 m (fast) fly SLOWER than the speed word, never faster. Turns bank up to **10°** (a 90° street corner settles near 7.5°), measured as a triangular pulse over a 4 s window centred on the camera so the roll leads in and unwinds after. Altitude breathes ±20 m around the 260 m mean and lifts up to 26 m into turns. Pitch is LOCKED at −32°; heading comes from a gaze that leads the path by 6.5 s of travel. `prefers-reduced-motion` zeroes the roll and the altitude shaping and keeps the easing.
   - **Invariants — do not "fix" these.** (1) **Every** release levels the roll: completion unwinds it through the ease-out envelope, and `interruptCameraMotion` zeroes it synchronously (heading/pitch/position preserved). Cesium keeps the last up vector it was handed, so skipping this leaves the user holding a tilted horizon. (2) Heading is interpolated as an ANGLE about the local up, never as a Cartesian lerp — a lerp cannot cross an antipodal pair, so an out-and-back route looked backwards for the entire return leg; `signedTurnRad` branches the exact-180° case deterministically because the cross product's sign there is a floating-point coin toss. (3) A COLD floor cell is missing data, not flat ground: route vertices carry height 0, so trusting them flew a mountain corridor at 260 m above the ELLIPSOID. The corridor warm is fire-and-forget, so the dolly ARMS — camera untouched, no teleport onto the route — for up to 1.2 s waiting for real floor data, falls back to a rendered-mesh probe (`scene.sampleHeight`) when the DEM stays cold — latched to ONE firing per flight, for exactly the cells the cache could not answer, so a route costs at most 8 `sampleHeight` calls however long it arms — and otherwise holds the launch altitude for the whole route. A corridor is only RESOLVED when every cell is accounted for: one warm cell says nothing about the ground under the other seven, and treating it as an answer let the dolly descend to 460 m over a 1,600 m rendered surface. The probe reads the rendered surface at the current LOD (rooftops and primitives included) — a better estimate than nothing, not a guaranteed upper bound. Never descend blind. The floor is SMOOTHED in both directions for the ride while the hard clearance clamp reads the RAW sample, so a cell boundary cannot pop the eye but a cliff is still cleared on the frame it is seen. A pre-departure floor is adopted whole; one arriving mid-flight is eased onto, and the eye's descent rate is capped.
   - Pins: `src/routeCinematics.test.mjs` (26 tests), with `scripts/qa-flyroute-mutations.mjs` reverting each fix individually to prove they are load-bearing (19 named defects); rendered proof `scripts/qa-flyroute-cinema.mjs` (drives the real voice runner, measures the real Cesium camera every frame, writes a labelled contact sheet).

scripts/format-scope.json

@@ -1108,6 +1108,7 @@
   "scripts/qa-status-badges.mjs",
   "src/dockerTrustedPeers.test.mjs",
   "src/cameraGlobeRotation.test.mjs",
+  "src/cameraTilt.test.mjs",
   "src/voice/globeResetConfirmation.test.mjs",
   "src/hudDms.test.mjs",
   "src/hudSummaryGate.test.mjs",

server/providers/openai/toolDescriptions.js

@@ -523,7 +523,7 @@ export const ACTION_DESCRIPTIONS = {
       properties: {
         direction: {
           description:
-            'Required for pan/tilt/rotate; orbit/rotate_globe default right.',
+            'Required for pan/rotate and a tilt nudge; orbit/rotate_globe default right.',
           $position: 2,
         },
         mode: {
@@ -531,6 +531,11 @@ export const ACTION_DESCRIPTIONS = {
             'once = bounded eased nudge; continuous = until stop/manual input. rotate_globe defaults continuous; other motions default once.',
           $position: 2,
         },
+        pitchDeg: {
+          description:
+            'Tilt to this angle below the horizon (-45 oblique, -89 top-down). Bare tilt: -45.',
+          $position: 2,
+        },
       },
     },
   },

src/cameraTilt.test.mjs

@@ -0,0 +1,224 @@
+import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
+import test from 'node:test';
+import * as Cesium from 'cesium';
+import {
+  getActiveCameraMotion,
+  initCameraVerbs,
+  interruptCameraMotion,
+  moveCamera,
+} from './cameraVerbs.js';
+
+const radians = Cesium.Math.toRadians;
+const degrees = Cesium.Math.toDegrees;
+
+/** Real Cesium camera over London with no renderer: the voice fly-to frame. */
+function harness(
+  t,
+  { height = 4000, heading = 0, pitch = -90, pivot = true } = {},
+) {
+  const realPerformance = globalThis.performance;
+  let nowMs = 0;
+  globalThis.performance = { now: () => nowMs };
+  const canvas = Object.assign(new EventTarget(), {
+    clientWidth: 1280,
+    clientHeight: 800,
+    width: 1280,
+    height: 800,
+  });
+  const ellipsoid = Cesium.Ellipsoid.WGS84;
+  const scene = {
+    canvas,
+    drawingBufferWidth: 1280,
+    drawingBufferHeight: 800,
+    frameState: { mode: Cesium.SceneMode.SCENE3D },
+    mapProjection: new Cesium.GeographicProjection(ellipsoid),
+    globe: { ellipsoid },
+    mapMode2D: Cesium.MapMode2D.INFINITE_SCROLL,
+    mode: Cesium.SceneMode.SCENE3D,
+    pixelRatio: 1,
+    tweens: [],
+    requestRender() {},
+  };
+  const camera = new Cesium.Camera(scene);
+  scene.camera = camera;
+  camera.setView({
+    destination: Cesium.Cartesian3.fromDegrees(-0.1276, 51.5072, height),
+    orientation: { heading: radians(heading), pitch: radians(pitch), roll: 0 },
+  });
+  const viewer = {
+    camera,
+    scene,
+    trackedEntity: undefined,
+    trackedEntityChanged: new Cesium.Event(),
+    clock: { onTick: new Cesium.Event() },
+  };
+  // The app's view target: the ground point under the screen centre.
+  const viewTarget = () => {
+    const ray = new Cesium.Ray(camera.positionWC, camera.directionWC);
+    const hit = Cesium.IntersectionTests.rayEllipsoid(ray, ellipsoid);
+    return hit ? Cesium.Ray.getPoint(ray, hit.start) : undefined;
+  };
+  const target = viewTarget();
+  initCameraVerbs(viewer, pivot ? viewTarget : () => undefined);
+  t.after(() => {
+    interruptCameraMotion('test-cleanup');
+    globalThis.performance = realPerformance;
+  });
+  const tick = (seconds = 1 / 30) => {
+    nowMs += seconds * 1000;
+    viewer.clock.onTick.raiseEvent(viewer.clock);
+  };
+  const finish = () => {
+    for (let i = 0; i < 600 && getActiveCameraMotion(); i += 1) tick();
+    assert.equal(getActiveCameraMotion(), null, 'tilt must finish');
+  };
+  return { viewer, camera, target, tick, finish, viewTarget };
+}
+
+const pitchDeg = (camera) => degrees(camera.pitch);
+const headingDeg = (camera) =>
+  degrees(Cesium.Math.negativePiToPi(camera.heading));
+
+/** Metres between the original centre and the ground now under the crosshair. */
+function centreDrift(h) {
+  return Cesium.Cartesian3.distance(h.viewTarget(), h.target);
+}
+
+test('tilt up leaves a top-down view and keeps the place centred', (t) => {
+  const h = harness(t);
+  const result = moveCamera({ motion: 'tilt', direction: 'up' });
+  assert.equal(result.ok, true);
+  h.finish();
+  assert.ok(
+    Math.abs(pitchDeg(h.camera) - -75) < 0.5,
+    `pitch ${pitchDeg(h.camera)}`,
+  );
+  assert.ok(centreDrift(h) < 5, `centre drifted ${centreDrift(h)} m`);
+  assert.ok(Cesium.Matrix4.equals(h.camera.transform, Cesium.Matrix4.IDENTITY));
+});
+
+test('continuous tilt up from top-down keeps moving', (t) => {
+  const h = harness(t);
+  assert.equal(
+    moveCamera({ motion: 'tilt', direction: 'up', mode: 'continuous' }).ok,
+    true,
+  );
+  for (let i = 0; i < 30; i += 1) h.tick();
+  assert.equal(getActiveCameraMotion()?.kind, 'tilt');
+  assert.ok(pitchDeg(h.camera) > -82, `pitch ${pitchDeg(h.camera)}`);
+});
+
+test('a requested angle tilts to that pitch', (t) => {
+  const h = harness(t);
+  const result = moveCamera({ motion: 'tilt', pitchDeg: -45 });
+  assert.equal(result.ok, true);
+  assert.equal(result.direction, 'up');
+  assert.equal(result.pitchDeg, -45);
+  h.finish();
+  assert.ok(
+    Math.abs(pitchDeg(h.camera) - -45) < 0.5,
+    `pitch ${pitchDeg(h.camera)}`,
+  );
+  assert.ok(centreDrift(h) < 5, `centre drifted ${centreDrift(h)} m`);
+});
+
+test('a bare tilt settles on the default oblique angle', (t) => {
+  const h = harness(t);
+  const result = moveCamera({ motion: 'tilt' });
+  assert.equal(result.ok, true);
+  assert.equal(result.pitchDeg, -45);
+  h.finish();
+  assert.ok(Math.abs(pitchDeg(h.camera) - -45) < 0.5);
+});
+
+test('a requested angle can tilt back down toward top-down', (t) => {
+  const h = harness(t, { pitch: -30 });
+  const result = moveCamera({ motion: 'tilt', pitchDeg: -80 });
+  assert.equal(result.direction, 'down');
+  h.finish();
+  assert.ok(Math.abs(pitchDeg(h.camera) - -80) < 0.5);
+});
+
+test('requested angles clamp to the tilt limits', (t) => {
+  const h = harness(t);
+  assert.equal(moveCamera({ motion: 'tilt', pitchDeg: -2 }).pitchDeg, -5);
+  h.finish();
+  assert.ok(Math.abs(pitchDeg(h.camera) - -5) < 0.5);
+});
+
+test('a positive angle is read as the same angle below the horizon', (t) => {
+  const h = harness(t);
+  assert.equal(moveCamera({ motion: 'tilt', pitchDeg: 45 }).pitchDeg, -45);
+  h.finish();
+  assert.ok(Math.abs(pitchDeg(h.camera) - -45) < 0.5);
+});
+
+for (const pitch of ['', null, false, ' ', 'steep'])
+  test(`a blank or non-numeric angle ${JSON.stringify(pitch)} is ignored`, (t) => {
+    harness(t);
+    const result = moveCamera({ motion: 'tilt', pitchDeg: pitch });
+    // No angle and no direction: the default oblique view, never the horizon.
+    assert.equal(result.pitchDeg, -45);
+  });
+
+test('a requested angle the camera already holds is a no-op', (t) => {
+  harness(t, { pitch: -45 });
+  const result = moveCamera({ motion: 'tilt', pitchDeg: -45 });
+  assert.equal(result.ok, true);
+  assert.equal(result.unchanged, true);
+  assert.equal(getActiveCameraMotion(), null);
+});
+
+test('tilt down from top-down still refuses honestly', (t) => {
+  harness(t);
+  const result = moveCamera({ motion: 'tilt', direction: 'down' });
+  assert.equal(result.ok, false);
+  assert.match(result.error, /straight down/);
+});
+
+test('a tilt up nudge stops at the horizon limit', (t) => {
+  const h = harness(t, { pitch: -12 });
+  assert.equal(moveCamera({ motion: 'tilt', direction: 'up' }).ok, true);
+  h.finish();
+  assert.ok(Math.abs(pitchDeg(h.camera) - -5) < 0.5);
+});
+
+test('without a ground pivot a tilt still leaves top-down in place', (t) => {
+  const h = harness(t, { pivot: false });
+  const before = Cesium.Cartesian3.clone(h.camera.positionWC);
+  assert.equal(moveCamera({ motion: 'tilt', direction: 'up' }).ok, true);
+  h.finish();
+  assert.ok(Math.abs(pitchDeg(h.camera) - -75) < 0.5);
+  assert.ok(Cesium.Cartesian3.distance(h.camera.positionWC, before) < 1e-6);
+});
+
+for (const heading of [0, 30, -120])
+  test(`tilt from top-down keeps the ${heading}° heading`, (t) => {
+    const h = harness(t, { heading, height: 67000 });
+    // Top-down float noise must not pick a new heading for the pivot.
+    assert.equal(moveCamera({ motion: 'tilt', pitchDeg: -45 }).ok, true);
+    h.finish();
+    assert.ok(
+      Math.abs(headingDeg(h.camera) - heading) < 1,
+      `heading ${headingDeg(h.camera)}`,
+    );
+    assert.ok(centreDrift(h) < 50, `centre drifted ${centreDrift(h)} m`);
+  });
+
+test('an oblique tilt keeps its heading toward the pivot', (t) => {
+  const h = harness(t, { heading: 75, pitch: -60 });
+  assert.equal(moveCamera({ motion: 'tilt', pitchDeg: -30 }).ok, true);
+  h.finish();
+  assert.ok(Math.abs(headingDeg(h.camera) - 75) < 0.5);
+  assert.ok(centreDrift(h) < 5, `centre drifted ${centreDrift(h)} m`);
+});
+
+test('a pivoting tilt yields when tracking takes the camera', (t) => {
+  const h = harness(t);
+  assert.equal(moveCamera({ motion: 'tilt', pitchDeg: -45 }).ok, true);
+  h.tick();
+  const entity = { id: 'tracked' };
+  h.viewer.trackedEntity = entity;
+  h.viewer.trackedEntityChanged.raiseEvent(entity);
+  assert.equal(getActiveCameraMotion(), null);
+});

src/cameraVerbs.js

@@ -48,6 +48,10 @@ const ONCE = {
 };
 const PITCH_MIN = Cesium.Math.toRadians(-89);
 const PITCH_MAX = Cesium.Math.toRadians(-5);
+/** A bare "tilt the camera" / "oblique view" settles here. */
+const TILT_DEFAULT_PITCH_DEG = -45;
+/** °/s for a tilt to a requested angle; short ones keep the once duration. */
+const TILT_TO_DEG_S = 30;
 
 /* ── Route dolly: cinematic tuning ──────────────────────────────────────────
  * Every knob an owner may want to retune lives in this block. The shaping is
@@ -1052,7 +1056,9 @@ export function interruptCameraMotion(reason = 'interrupt') {
   if (
     wasActive &&
     !tracking &&
-    (_active.kind === 'orbit' || _active.kind === 'route')
+    (_active.kind === 'orbit' ||
+      _active.kind === 'route' ||
+      (_active.kind === 'tilt' && _active.hpr))
   )
     clearLookAt();
   // Instant, not eased: the user grabbed the camera, or the flight is over.
@@ -1104,7 +1110,7 @@ function onTick() {
   let scale = 1;
   if (m.mode === 'once') {
     m.elapsed = (m.elapsed || 0) + dt;
-    const t = Math.min(1, m.elapsed / ONCE.durationS);
+    const t = Math.min(1, m.elapsed / (m.durationS || ONCE.durationS));
     scale = 1 - (1 - t) * (1 - t); // ease-out progress share
     if (t >= 1) {
       interruptCameraMotion('once-complete');
@@ -1173,18 +1179,13 @@ function onTick() {
       else if (m.direction === 'right') cam.moveRight(step);
       else if (m.direction === 'up') cam.moveUp(step);
       else cam.moveDown(step);
-    } else if (
-      m.kind === 'tilt' ||
-      m.kind === 'rotate' ||
-      m.kind === 'rotate_globe'
-    ) {
+    } else if (m.kind === 'tilt') {
+      tickTilt(cam, m, scale, dt);
+    } else if (m.kind === 'rotate' || m.kind === 'rotate_globe') {
       const degS = TILT_DEG_S[m.speed];
       const stepRad =
         m.mode === 'once'
-          ? Cesium.Math.toRadians(
-              m.kind === 'tilt' ? ONCE.tiltDeg : ONCE.rotateDeg,
-            ) *
-            (scale - (m.lastScale || 0))
+          ? Cesium.Math.toRadians(ONCE.rotateDeg) * (scale - (m.lastScale || 0))
           : Cesium.Math.toRadians(degS) * dt;
       m.lastScale = scale;
       if (m.kind === 'rotate_globe') {
@@ -1218,16 +1219,6 @@ function onTick() {
           return;
         }
         cam.rotate(m.rotationAxis, angle);
-      } else if (m.kind === 'tilt') {
-        const up = m.direction === 'up';
-        // Clamp pitch to [-89°, -5°]: never through the ground, never at the sky.
-        const next = cam.pitch + (up ? stepRad : -stepRad);
-        if (next > PITCH_MAX || next < PITCH_MIN) {
-          interruptCameraMotion('tilt-clamp');
-          return;
-        }
-        if (up) cam.lookUp(stepRad);
-        else cam.lookDown(stepRad);
       } else if (m.direction === 'left') cam.lookLeft(stepRad);
       else cam.lookRight(stepRad);
     } else if (m.kind === 'route') {
@@ -1252,6 +1243,67 @@ function onTick() {
   }
 }
 
+/**
+ * One frame of tilt. With a ground pivot the camera swings about it (lookAt),
+ * so the place under the crosshair stays centred; without one it looks up or
+ * down in place. Pitch is clamped to [-89°, -5°] only in the direction of
+ * travel: a top-down view sits at -90°, below the limit, and must still be
+ * able to tilt up out of it.
+ */
+function tickTilt(cam, m, scale, dt) {
+  let step;
+  if (m.mode === 'once') {
+    step = m.tiltRad * (scale - (m.lastScale || 0));
+    m.lastScale = scale;
+  } else {
+    step =
+      Cesium.Math.toRadians(TILT_DEG_S[m.speed]) *
+      dt *
+      (m.direction === 'up' ? 1 : -1);
+  }
+  const from = m.hpr ? m.hpr.pitch : cam.pitch;
+  const next = from + step;
+  const limited =
+    step > 0
+      ? Math.min(next, Math.max(from, PITCH_MAX))
+      : Math.max(next, Math.min(from, PITCH_MIN));
+  if (m.hpr) {
+    m.hpr.pitch = limited;
+    cam.lookAt(m.target, m.hpr);
+    // A once motion that just completed released the lookAt frame before
+    // this last step re-took it.
+    if (_active !== m) clearLookAt();
+  } else {
+    cam.lookUp(limited - from);
+  }
+  if (limited !== next) interruptCameraMotion('tilt-clamp');
+}
+
+/** Ground pivot for a tilt: heading, pitch and range in the target's own frame. */
+function tiltPivot(cam, target) {
+  const local = Cesium.Matrix4.multiplyByPoint(
+    Cesium.Matrix4.inverseTransformation(
+      Cesium.Transforms.eastNorthUpToFixedFrame(target),
+      new Cesium.Matrix4(),
+    ),
+    cam.positionWC,
+    new Cesium.Cartesian3(),
+  );
+  const range = Cesium.Cartesian3.magnitude(local);
+  if (!(range > 1) || local.z <= 0) return null;
+  // Near straight overhead the offset's heading is float noise (it flipped a
+  // north-up London view to south); keep the camera's own.
+  const heading =
+    Math.hypot(local.x, local.y) > range * 0.01
+      ? Math.atan2(-local.x, -local.y)
+      : cam.heading;
+  return new Cesium.HeadingPitchRange(
+    heading,
+    -Math.asin(Math.min(1, local.z / range)),
+    range,
+  );
+}
+
 /** Rigid origin-centred rotation stays outside the actual ellipsoid's bounding sphere. */
 function globeRotationHasClearance(position) {
   const ellipsoid = _viewer.scene.globe?.ellipsoid ?? Cesium.Ellipsoid.WGS84;
@@ -1421,6 +1473,9 @@ export function initCameraVerbs(
   _trackingRemover = viewer.trackedEntityChanged?.addEventListener((entity) => {
     if (entity && _active?.kind === 'rotate_globe')
       interruptCameraMotion('globe-camera-owner-changed');
+    // A pivoting tilt's lookAt would fight the follow camera every frame.
+    else if (entity && _active?.kind === 'tilt' && _active.hpr)
+      interruptCameraMotion('tilt-camera-owner-changed');
   });
   for (const rm of _inputRemovers) rm();
   _inputRemovers = [];
@@ -1472,9 +1527,32 @@ export function moveCamera(args = {}, runNavigation = null) {
       error: `Unknown motion "${args.motion}" — use orbit, pan, tilt, rotate, rotate_globe, or stop.`,
     };
   }
+  // Tilt to an angle: the one asked for, or a default oblique view when a
+  // bare "tilt the camera" names neither angle nor direction.
+  let tiltToPitch = null;
+  if (motion === 'tilt') {
+    // Only a real number or numeric text: Number('') and Number(null) are 0,
+    // which would swing the camera to the horizon.
+    const raw = args.pitchDeg;
+    const requested =
+      typeof raw === 'number' || (typeof raw === 'string' && raw.trim() !== '')
+        ? Number(raw)
+        : NaN;
+    // The camera never looks above the horizon, so a positive angle can only
+    // mean the same angle below it ("tilt 45 degrees" sent as 45).
+    if (Number.isFinite(requested))
+      tiltToPitch = Cesium.Math.clamp(
+        Cesium.Math.toRadians(-Math.abs(requested)),
+        PITCH_MIN,
+        PITCH_MAX,
+      );
+    else if (direction === null)
+      tiltToPitch = Cesium.Math.toRadians(TILT_DEFAULT_PITCH_DEG);
+  }
   if (
     motion !== 'orbit' &&
     motion !== 'rotate_globe' &&
+    tiltToPitch === null &&
     !['left', 'right', 'up', 'down'].includes(direction)
   ) {
     return {
@@ -1501,7 +1579,19 @@ export function moveCamera(args = {}, runNavigation = null) {
       error: 'rotate_globe needs left or right.',
     };
   }
-  if (motion === 'tilt') {
+  if (motion === 'tilt' && tiltToPitch !== null) {
+    if (
+      Math.abs(tiltToPitch - _viewer.camera.pitch) < Cesium.Math.toRadians(0.5)
+    ) {
+      return {
+        ok: true,
+        action: 'move_camera',
+        motion,
+        pitchDeg: Math.round(Cesium.Math.toDegrees(tiltToPitch)),
+        unchanged: true,
+      };
+    }
+  } else if (motion === 'tilt') {
     // Honest limits: at the clamp a tilt is a no-op — say so instead of
     // reporting success and letting the model gaslight itself (field test).
     const pitch = _viewer.camera.pitch;
@@ -1615,6 +1705,30 @@ export function moveCamera(args = {}, runNavigation = null) {
       speed,
       mode,
     };
+    if (motion === 'tilt') {
+      const cam = _viewer.camera;
+      // Swing about the ground under the crosshair so the place stays
+      // centred. The follow camera owns a tracked view's frame.
+      const target = _viewer.trackedEntity ? null : _getTarget?.(_viewer);
+      const pivot = target ? tiltPivot(cam, target) : null;
+      if (pivot) {
+        state.target = target;
+        state.hpr = pivot;
+      }
+      const from = pivot ? pivot.pitch : cam.pitch;
+      if (tiltToPitch !== null) {
+        state.mode = 'once';
+        state.direction = tiltToPitch > from ? 'up' : 'down';
+        state.tiltRad = tiltToPitch - from;
+        state.durationS = Math.max(
+          ONCE.durationS,
+          Math.abs(Cesium.Math.toDegrees(state.tiltRad)) / TILT_TO_DEG_S,
+        );
+      } else {
+        state.tiltRad =
+          Cesium.Math.toRadians(ONCE.tiltDeg) * (direction === 'up' ? 1 : -1);
+      }
+    }
     if (motion === 'rotate_globe') {
       // Convert an inherited ground-target frame without changing the world
       // pose. Rotation must pivot about Earth, never the previous local target.
@@ -1699,7 +1813,10 @@ export function moveCamera(args = {}, runNavigation = null) {
       motion,
       direction: state.direction,
       speed,
-      mode,
+      mode: state.mode,
+      ...(tiltToPitch !== null && {
+        pitchDeg: Math.round(Cesium.Math.toDegrees(tiltToPitch)),
+      }),
     };
   };
   const preserveCameraFlight =

src/firstRunExperience.test.mjs

@@ -1014,6 +1014,13 @@ test('the voice TOOL SCHEMA matches the pinned contract — the mission mapping
     'noir',
   ]);
   visualStyle.enum = [...visualStyle.enum, 'snow'];
+  // Tilt to an angle adds pitchDeg and rewords direction; restore
+  // the legacy camera fields to keep the pin.
+  const camera = legacyTools.find((tool) => tool.name === 'move_camera')
+    .parameters.properties;
+  delete camera.pitchDeg;
+  camera.direction.description =
+    'Required for pan/tilt/rotate; orbit/rotate_globe default right.';
   const block = JSON.stringify(legacyTools);
   // Re-derived for the voice layer manifest (generated layer enums, alias and
   // field hints), point-and-ask's pointer/referent arguments and the prompt

src/radioMarkup.test.mjs

@@ -225,10 +225,15 @@ test('no unchanged Realtime tool definition drifts silently', () => {
     camera.description,
     'Direct the camera like a drone operator: orbit the current view target, pan, tilt, or rotate — one bounded nudge (mode=once) or continuous motion until stopped (mode=continuous). Continuous motion also stops on any manual camera input or when a navigation tool runs. Say the RESULTING state when confirming ("Orbiting slowly"). Globe rotation (rotate_globe) spins Earth right continuously by default; explicit direction, mode and speed take precedence. It checks fit and may refuse.',
   );
+  // Tilt to an angle adds pitchDeg and says a tilt nudge needs a
+  // direction; check them, then restore the legacy fields for the pin.
   assert.equal(
     camera.parameters.properties.direction.description,
-    'Required for pan/tilt/rotate; orbit/rotate_globe default right.',
+    'Required for pan/rotate and a tilt nudge; orbit/rotate_globe default right.',
   );
+  assert.equal(camera.parameters.properties.pitchDeg.type, 'number');
+  assert.match(camera.parameters.properties.pitchDeg.description, /-45 oblique/);
+  delete camera.parameters.properties.pitchDeg;
   assert.equal(camera.parameters.properties.mode.description, 'once = bounded eased nudge; continuous = until stop/manual input. rotate_globe defaults continuous; other motions default once.');
   camera.parameters.properties.mode.description = 'once = bounded eased nudge (default); continuous = until stop/manual input.';
   camera.parameters.properties.motion.enum =

src/voice/actionSchemas.js

@@ -749,6 +749,11 @@ const schemas = [
           type: 'string',
           enum: ['once', 'continuous'],
         },
+        pitchDeg: {
+          type: 'number',
+          minimum: -90,
+          maximum: 90,
+        },
       },
       required: ['motion'],
     },

src/voice/actionSchemas.test.mjs

@@ -49,7 +49,8 @@ test('the complete Realtime tool payload pins the manifest-generated layer relea
     // Snow leaves the set_visual_style enum.
     // The Operator HUD layout leaves set_hud's layout enum.
     // The layer alias hint leaves out aliases the layer id already spells.
-    'dc2bac1be93a503dc88d637beea2f1bc457e1f9167422bd91548b44756a8aca5',
+    // move_camera tilt takes an optional pitchDeg angle.
+    '35261624ef8596608b80e2876f83760723ecf6592acc43fd77691cdb0a972608',
   );
 });
 
@@ -134,6 +135,8 @@ test('all legacy action arguments are byte-identical after removing the delibera
     'stop',
   ]);
   motion.enum = motion.enum.filter((value) => value !== 'rotate_globe');
+  // Tilt to an angle is additive.
+  delete property('move_camera').pitchDeg;
   const panels = property('set_panel_open').panelId;
   panels.enum = panels.enum.filter(
     (id) =>
@@ -272,3 +275,12 @@ test('direct voice timeout schema accepts None and exact integers, rejects malfo
   for (const minutes of [-1, 61, 1.5, '5'])
     assert.ok(validateArgs(tool.parameters, { minutes }).length > 0);
 });
+
+test('tilt accepts an angle with no direction', () => {
+  const schema = GEV_ACTION_SCHEMAS.find(
+    (tool) => tool.name === 'move_camera',
+  ).parameters;
+  assert.deepEqual(validateArgs(schema, { motion: 'tilt', pitchDeg: -45 }), []);
+  assert.deepEqual(validateArgs(schema, { motion: 'tilt' }), []);
+  assert.ok(validateArgs(schema, { motion: 'tilt', pitchDeg: 120 }).length > 0);
+});