diff --git a/packages/lib/utils/recipient-groups.test.ts b/packages/lib/utils/recipient-groups.test.ts
index dc3580761..01e8870e3 100644
--- a/packages/lib/utils/recipient-groups.test.ts
+++ b/packages/lib/utils/recipient-groups.test.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,12 @@
-import { RecipientRole } from '@prisma/client';
+import { RecipientRole, SigningStatus } from '@prisma/client';
 import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
 
 import {
   extractRecipientToNewStep,
+  filterRecipientsInFirstSigningGroup,
+  getDictatableNextRecipient,
   groupRecipientsBySigningOrder,
+  isRecipientTurnBySigningOrder,
   mergeSteps,
   moveRecipientToStep,
   normalizeGroupedSigningOrders,
@@ -327,3 +330,137 @@ describe('ungroupStep', () => {
     expect(ordersOf(ungroupStep(signers, 0))).toEqual(ordersOf(signers));
   });
 });
+
+describe('isRecipientTurnBySigningOrder', () => {
+  const recipient = (
+    id: number,
+    signingOrder: number | null,
+    signingStatus: SigningStatus,
+    role: RecipientRole = RecipientRole.SIGNER,
+  ) => ({ id, signingOrder, signingStatus, role });
+
+  it('allows both members of the active group regardless of member order', () => {
+    const recipients = [
+      recipient(1, 1, SigningStatus.SIGNED),
+      recipient(2, 2, SigningStatus.NOT_SIGNED),
+      recipient(3, 2, SigningStatus.NOT_SIGNED),
+      recipient(4, 3, SigningStatus.NOT_SIGNED),
+    ];
+
+    expect(isRecipientTurnBySigningOrder(recipients, recipients[1])).toBe(true);
+    expect(isRecipientTurnBySigningOrder(recipients, recipients[2])).toBe(true);
+    expect(isRecipientTurnBySigningOrder(recipients, recipients[3])).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('blocks later steps until every group member has signed', () => {
+    const recipients = [
+      recipient(1, 1, SigningStatus.SIGNED),
+      recipient(2, 2, SigningStatus.SIGNED),
+      recipient(3, 2, SigningStatus.NOT_SIGNED),
+      recipient(4, 3, SigningStatus.NOT_SIGNED),
+    ];
+
+    expect(isRecipientTurnBySigningOrder(recipients, recipients[3])).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('treats a rejected recipient in an earlier step as blocking', () => {
+    const recipients = [recipient(1, 1, SigningStatus.REJECTED), recipient(2, 2, SigningStatus.NOT_SIGNED)];
+
+    expect(isRecipientTurnBySigningOrder(recipients, recipients[1])).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('ignores CC recipients entirely', () => {
+    const recipients = [
+      recipient(1, 1, SigningStatus.NOT_SIGNED, RecipientRole.CC),
+      recipient(2, 2, SigningStatus.NOT_SIGNED),
+    ];
+
+    expect(isRecipientTurnBySigningOrder(recipients, recipients[1])).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it('treats recipients without a signing order as a parallel tail group', () => {
+    const recipients = [
+      recipient(1, 1, SigningStatus.SIGNED),
+      recipient(2, null, SigningStatus.NOT_SIGNED),
+      recipient(3, null, SigningStatus.NOT_SIGNED),
+    ];
+
+    expect(isRecipientTurnBySigningOrder(recipients, recipients[1])).toBe(true);
+    expect(isRecipientTurnBySigningOrder(recipients, recipients[2])).toBe(true);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('filterRecipientsInFirstSigningGroup', () => {
+  it('returns every pending recipient sharing the lowest order', () => {
+    const pending = [
+      { id: 3, signingOrder: 2 },
+      { id: 4, signingOrder: 2 },
+      { id: 5, signingOrder: 3 },
+    ];
+
+    expect(filterRecipientsInFirstSigningGroup(pending).map((r) => r.id)).toEqual([3, 4]);
+  });
+
+  it('returns an empty array for no pending recipients', () => {
+    expect(filterRecipientsInFirstSigningGroup([])).toEqual([]);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('getDictatableNextRecipient', () => {
+  const recipient = (
+    id: number,
+    signingOrder: number | null,
+    signingStatus: SigningStatus,
+    role: RecipientRole = RecipientRole.SIGNER,
+  ) => ({ id, signingOrder, signingStatus, role });
+
+  it('returns the next recipient when current is last of their step and next step is a single recipient', () => {
+    const recipients = [
+      recipient(1, 1, SigningStatus.SIGNED),
+      recipient(2, 2, SigningStatus.NOT_SIGNED),
+      recipient(3, 3, SigningStatus.NOT_SIGNED),
+    ];
+
+    expect(getDictatableNextRecipient({ recipients, currentRecipientId: 2 })?.id).toBe(3);
+  });
+
+  it('returns null while a group peer is still unsigned', () => {
+    const recipients = [
+      recipient(1, 1, SigningStatus.NOT_SIGNED),
+      recipient(2, 1, SigningStatus.NOT_SIGNED),
+      recipient(3, 2, SigningStatus.NOT_SIGNED),
+    ];
+
+    expect(getDictatableNextRecipient({ recipients, currentRecipientId: 1 })).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it('returns the next single recipient once all group peers signed', () => {
+    const recipients = [
+      recipient(1, 1, SigningStatus.SIGNED),
+      recipient(2, 1, SigningStatus.NOT_SIGNED),
+      recipient(3, 2, SigningStatus.NOT_SIGNED),
+    ];
+
+    expect(getDictatableNextRecipient({ recipients, currentRecipientId: 2 })?.id).toBe(3);
+  });
+
+  it('returns null when the next step is a group', () => {
+    const recipients = [
+      recipient(1, 1, SigningStatus.NOT_SIGNED),
+      recipient(2, 2, SigningStatus.NOT_SIGNED),
+      recipient(3, 2, SigningStatus.NOT_SIGNED),
+    ];
+
+    expect(getDictatableNextRecipient({ recipients, currentRecipientId: 1 })).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it('returns null when there is no later step, for CC targets, or unknown recipients', () => {
+    const recipients = [
+      recipient(1, 1, SigningStatus.NOT_SIGNED),
+      recipient(2, null, SigningStatus.NOT_SIGNED, RecipientRole.CC),
+    ];
+
+    expect(getDictatableNextRecipient({ recipients, currentRecipientId: 1 })).toBeNull();
+    expect(getDictatableNextRecipient({ recipients, currentRecipientId: 999 })).toBeNull();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/lib/utils/recipient-groups.ts b/packages/lib/utils/recipient-groups.ts
index ea9526657..16d45a4dd 100644
--- a/packages/lib/utils/recipient-groups.ts
+++ b/packages/lib/utils/recipient-groups.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import type { Recipient } from '@prisma/client';
+import { SigningStatus } from '@prisma/client';
 
 import { isCcRecipient } from './recipients';
 
@@ -261,6 +262,96 @@ export const reorderStep = <T extends EditorRecipient>(
   return normalizeGroupedSigningOrders(updated, canUpdateRecipient);
 };
 
+type SignableRecipient = Pick<Recipient, 'role' | 'signingStatus'> & {
+  signingOrder?: number | null;
+};
+
+/**
+ * Whether it is the recipient's turn to act under SEQUENTIAL signing.
+ *
+ * A recipient may act iff no non-CC recipient with a strictly lower signing
+ * order is still unsigned (rejected counts as unsigned/blocking). Recipients
+ * sharing a signing order never block each other.
+ *
+ * Callers are responsible for checking the document is in SEQUENTIAL mode.
+ */
+export const isRecipientTurnBySigningOrder = <T extends SignableRecipient>(
+  recipients: T[],
+  currentRecipient: { signingOrder?: number | null },
+): boolean => {
+  const currentOrder = effectiveOrder(currentRecipient);
+
+  return !recipients.some(
+    (recipient) =>
+      !isCcRecipient(recipient) &&
+      recipient.signingStatus !== SigningStatus.SIGNED &&
+      effectiveOrder(recipient) < currentOrder,
+  );
+};
+
+/**
+ * Returns every pending recipient sharing the lowest pending signing order —
+ * the "active group". Callers pass an already-filtered pending list.
+ */
+export const filterRecipientsInFirstSigningGroup = <T extends { signingOrder?: number | null }>(
+  pendingRecipients: T[],
+): T[] => {
+  if (pendingRecipients.length === 0) {
+    return [];
+  }
+
+  const minOrder = Math.min(...pendingRecipients.map((recipient) => effectiveOrder(recipient)));
+
+  return pendingRecipients.filter((recipient) => effectiveOrder(recipient) === minOrder);
+};
+
+/**
+ * The single recipient that the current recipient may dictate (rename) on
+ * completion, or null when dictation does not apply:
+ *
+ * - the current recipient must be the last unsigned member of their step, and
+ * - the next step must contain exactly one recipient.
+ */
+export const getDictatableNextRecipient = <T extends SignableRecipient & Pick<Recipient, 'id'>>({
+  recipients,
+  currentRecipientId,
+}: {
+  recipients: T[];
+  currentRecipientId: number;
+}): T | null => {
+  const currentRecipient = recipients.find((recipient) => recipient.id === currentRecipientId);
+
+  if (!currentRecipient || isCcRecipient(currentRecipient)) {
+    return null;
+  }
+
+  const currentOrder = effectiveOrder(currentRecipient);
+
+  const hasUnsignedPeers = recipients.some(
+    (recipient) =>
+      recipient.id !== currentRecipientId &&
+      !isCcRecipient(recipient) &&
+      effectiveOrder(recipient) === currentOrder &&
+      recipient.signingStatus !== SigningStatus.SIGNED,
+  );
+
+  if (hasUnsignedPeers) {
+    return null;
+  }
+
+  const laterRecipients = recipients.filter(
+    (recipient) => !isCcRecipient(recipient) && effectiveOrder(recipient) > currentOrder,
+  );
+
+  const nextStep = filterRecipientsInFirstSigningGroup(laterRecipients);
+
+  if (nextStep.length !== 1) {
+    return null;
+  }
+
+  return nextStep[0];
+};
+
 /**
  * Dissolves a group into consecutive standalone steps preserving relative order.
  */