diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index afa2a2c5..2a2d3bdc 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -2863,6 +2863,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "pipewire",
  "punktfunk-core",
  "pyrowave-sys",
+ "rand 0.9.4",
  "rustls",
  "sdl3",
  "serde",
diff --git a/clients/linux/src/cli.rs b/clients/linux/src/cli.rs
index d14e9ade..3156a3a1 100644
--- a/clients/linux/src/cli.rs
+++ b/clients/linux/src/cli.rs
@@ -336,11 +336,7 @@ pub fn headless_add_host(target: &str) -> glib::ExitCode {
             name,
             addr: addr.clone(),
             port,
-            fp_hex: String::new(),
-            paired: false,
-            last_used: None,
-            mac: Vec::new(),
-            clipboard_sync: false,
+            ..Default::default()
         });
     }
     match known.save() {
diff --git a/clients/session/src/console.rs b/clients/session/src/console.rs
index e4894761..3fb04089 100644
--- a/clients/session/src/console.rs
+++ b/clients/session/src/console.rs
@@ -201,11 +201,16 @@ pub fn run(target: Option<&str>) -> u8 {
                     tracing::info!(%addr, %title, request_access,
                         launch = launch.as_deref().unwrap_or("desktop"),
                         "launching from the console");
-                    // Settings re-load per launch: the console's own settings screen
-                    // may have changed them since the last stream.
-                    let settings = trust::Settings::load();
+                    // Settings re-resolve per launch: the console's own settings screen may
+                    // have changed the defaults since the last stream, and the host may carry
+                    // a profile binding. Console (and therefore Decky, which spawns this
+                    // binary) honors bindings with no console-side work — the resolver is the
+                    // same one `--connect` goes through. No one-off here: picking a profile is
+                    // a desktop-shell affordance in v1, pinned cards are the console's.
+                    let (settings, profile) = trust::effective_settings(&addr, port, None);
                     let mut params = session_params(
                         &settings,
+                        profile.map(|p| p.name),
                         addr.clone(),
                         port,
                         pin,
@@ -434,11 +439,7 @@ impl ServiceState {
                         name: if name.is_empty() { addr.clone() } else { name },
                         addr,
                         port,
-                        fp_hex: String::new(),
-                        paired: false,
-                        last_used: None,
-                        mac: Vec::new(),
-                        clipboard_sync: false,
+                        ..Default::default()
                     });
                 }
                 if let Err(e) = known.save() {
diff --git a/clients/session/src/main.rs b/clients/session/src/main.rs
index 5fc2d1b9..715129be 100644
--- a/clients/session/src/main.rs
+++ b/clients/session/src/main.rs
@@ -124,6 +124,15 @@ mod session_main {
         }
     }
 
+    /// `--profile <id|name>` — the settings profile this one session runs with, overriding the
+    /// host's own binding for this launch only (never rebinding it): the shells' "Connect
+    /// with ▸ X" and a `punktfunk://…&profile=` link both land here. Absent = honor the host's
+    /// binding; `--profile ""` (or a bare `--profile`) forces the global defaults, which is
+    /// how "Connect with ▸ Default settings" reaches a bound host.
+    fn profile_arg() -> Option<String> {
+        arg_flag("--profile").then(|| arg_value("--profile").unwrap_or_default())
+    }
+
     /// The connect budget: 15 s normally; `--connect-timeout SECS` overrides — the
     /// shell's request-access flow passes ~185 s because the host PARKS the connection
     /// until the operator clicks Approve.
@@ -135,13 +144,20 @@ mod session_main {
         )
     }
 
-    /// One session's pump parameters from the Settings store — shared by `--connect`
+    /// One session's pump parameters from the EFFECTIVE settings — shared by `--connect`
     /// and every `--browse` launch. Explicit settings, `0` fields resolved to the
     /// window's display (the GTK client reads the monitor under its window — same
     /// contract).
+    ///
+    /// `settings` is what [`trust::effective_settings`] returned, never a raw
+    /// `Settings::load()`: both callers resolve the host's profile first, so the two
+    /// construction sites cannot drift (they historically did — touching one and not the
+    /// other is a Windows-only build break). `profile` is that profile's name, for the
+    /// stats overlay's first line.
     #[allow(clippy::too_many_arguments)]
     pub(crate) fn session_params(
         settings: &trust::Settings,
+        profile: Option<String>,
         addr: String,
         port: u16,
         pin: [u8; 32],
@@ -246,6 +262,7 @@ mod session_main {
             identity,
             connect_timeout: connect_timeout(),
             force_software,
+            profile,
         }
     }
 
@@ -431,14 +448,16 @@ mod session_main {
         }
         let Some(target) = arg_value("--connect") else {
             eprintln!(
-                "usage: punktfunk-session --connect host[:port] [--fp HEX] [--launch id] [--fullscreen]\n\
+                "usage: punktfunk-session --connect host[:port] [--fp HEX] [--launch id] [--profile REF] [--fullscreen]\n\
                  \x20      punktfunk-session --browse [host[:port]] [--mgmt PORT] [--fullscreen] [--json-status]\n\
                  \x20      punktfunk-session --pair <PIN> --connect host[:port] [--name LABEL]\n\
                  \n\
                  Streams from a paired punktfunk host in a Vulkan window. --browse opens the\n\
                  gamepad console instead: bare --browse is the host list (discovery, PIN\n\
                  pairing, settings, wake-on-LAN); with a target it opens that host's game\n\
-                 library. --connect never dials a host it has no pinned fingerprint for —\n\
+                 library. --profile picks a settings profile by id or name for this session\n\
+                 only (\"\" = the global defaults); without it the host's own profile applies.\n\
+                 --connect never dials a host it has no pinned fingerprint for —\n\
                  enrol with --pair (no display needed), in the console, or from the desktop\n\
                  client."
             );
@@ -453,7 +472,13 @@ mod session_main {
                 return EXIT_CONNECT_FAILED;
             }
         };
-        let settings = trust::Settings::load();
+        // Global defaults with this host's settings profile overlaid — the binding on the
+        // host record, or `--profile <id|name>` for a one-off (`--profile ""` forces the
+        // defaults). Resolved through the shared helper, exactly like the console's launches.
+        let (settings, profile) = trust::effective_settings(&addr, port, profile_arg().as_deref());
+        if let Some(p) = &profile {
+            tracing::info!(profile = %p.name, id = %p.id, "streaming with a settings profile");
+        }
 
         // Trust follows the GTK client's `--connect` rules: a stored (or `--fp`) pin
         // connects silently; an unknown host is REFUSED — there is no dialog here, and a
@@ -523,6 +548,7 @@ mod session_main {
             pf_presenter::run_session(opts, move |gamepad, native, force_software, vulkan| {
                 session_params(
                     &settings,
+                    profile.map(|p| p.name),
                     addr,
                     port,
                     pin,
diff --git a/clients/windows/src/app/connect.rs b/clients/windows/src/app/connect.rs
index d9df2e9f..c83ded56 100644
--- a/clients/windows/src/app/connect.rs
+++ b/clients/windows/src/app/connect.rs
@@ -272,9 +272,8 @@ fn connect_spawn(
                             port: target.port,
                             fp_hex: fp_hex.clone(),
                             paired: persist_paired,
-                            last_used: None,
                             mac: target.mac.clone(),
-                            clipboard_sync: false,
+                            ..Default::default()
                         });
                         let _ = k.save();
                     }
@@ -481,10 +480,8 @@ fn wake_and_connect(
                             addr: target.addr.clone(),
                             port: target.port,
                             fp_hex: fp,
-                            paired: false,
-                            last_used: None,
                             mac: target.mac.clone(),
-                            clipboard_sync: false,
+                            ..Default::default()
                         });
                         let _ = k.save();
                     }
diff --git a/clients/windows/src/app/pair.rs b/clients/windows/src/app/pair.rs
index 6852e40c..2a47d320 100644
--- a/clients/windows/src/app/pair.rs
+++ b/clients/windows/src/app/pair.rs
@@ -57,9 +57,8 @@ pub(crate) fn pair_page(props: &Svc, cx: &mut RenderCx) -> Element {
                                 port: target3.port,
                                 fp_hex: trust::hex(&fp),
                                 paired: true,
-                                last_used: None,
                                 mac: target3.mac.clone(),
-                                clipboard_sync: false,
+                                ..Default::default()
                             });
                             let _ = k.save();
                             connect(&ctx3, &target3, Some(fp), &ss, &st);
diff --git a/crates/pf-client-core/Cargo.toml b/crates/pf-client-core/Cargo.toml
index 0cb973f7..f8750dec 100644
--- a/crates/pf-client-core/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/pf-client-core/Cargo.toml
@@ -41,6 +41,9 @@ serde = { version = "1", features = ["derive"] }
 serde_json = "1"
 anyhow = "1"
 tracing = "0.1"
+# Stable ids for profiles and host records (profiles.rs) — the OS RNG only, same version the
+# workspace already resolves for punktfunk-core. No uuid crate: the v4 layout is four lines.
+rand = "0.9"
 
 # Gamepads: capture + feedback (full DualSense fidelity — touchpad/motion/triggers/LEDs
 # need the hidapi driver). Linux links the system SDL3; Windows builds it from source
diff --git a/crates/pf-client-core/src/lib.rs b/crates/pf-client-core/src/lib.rs
index 5266331b..82375cb4 100644
--- a/crates/pf-client-core/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/pf-client-core/src/lib.rs
@@ -27,6 +27,11 @@ pub mod gamepad;
 pub mod keymap;
 #[cfg(any(target_os = "linux", windows))]
 pub mod library;
+// Client settings profiles: the override catalog + the one connect-time resolver
+// (design/client-settings-profiles.md §4). Sits beside `trust`, which owns the host records
+// the bindings live on.
+#[cfg(any(target_os = "linux", windows))]
+pub mod profiles;
 #[cfg(any(target_os = "linux", windows))]
 pub mod session;
 #[cfg(any(target_os = "linux", windows))]
diff --git a/crates/pf-client-core/src/profiles.rs b/crates/pf-client-core/src/profiles.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..328aa8fc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/pf-client-core/src/profiles.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,507 @@
+//! Client settings profiles — named bundles of setting overrides applied on top of the
+//! global [`Settings`] (design/client-settings-profiles.md §4).
+//!
+//! A profile overrides only the fields the user touched; everything else keeps following the
+//! global defaults *live*, so fixing a global once fixes it everywhere. That is why an overlay
+//! is sparse `Option`s rather than a snapshot copy, and why `Some(x)` is written on touch and
+//! `None` on an explicit "reset to default" — never by diffing against the current global (a
+//! `Some` equal to today's global is a legitimate *pin*: the profile keeps `x` when the global
+//! later moves).
+//!
+//! The catalog lives in its own `client-profiles.json` beside the settings file, deliberately
+//! NOT inside it: the settings file has five whole-file load-modify-save writers (two shells,
+//! the console settings screen, the session's resize callback, Decky) with no merge, so a
+//! profile written by one would be dropped by the next. This file is touched only by
+//! profile-aware code, and written temp+rename.
+//!
+//! Which host uses which profile is a field on the host record ([`crate::trust::KnownHost`]),
+//! not a map keyed here — see §4.1 of the design for why the catalog owns no host keys.
+
+use crate::trust::{config_dir, write_atomic, Settings, StatsVerbosity};
+use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
+use std::collections::BTreeMap;
+use std::path::PathBuf;
+
+/// The catalog file's schema version. Bumped only for a breaking shape change — additive
+/// fields ride the unknown-key preservation below.
+pub const PROFILES_VERSION: u32 = 1;
+
+/// Every profileable ("tier P") setting, as `Option<T>`: `None` = inherit the global value,
+/// live. Tier-H fields (host properties like `clipboard_sync`) and tier-G ones (this
+/// device's hardware/endpoints) are deliberately absent — see the design's §3 curation.
+///
+/// `extra` preserves keys this build doesn't know (a newer client's tier-P field): the
+/// don't-clobber rule that already governs the GTK `ChoiceRow` pickers extends to the whole
+/// overlay — opening and saving a profile on an older client must not erase what a newer one
+/// stored.
+#[derive(Default, Clone, Debug, PartialEq, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+#[serde(default)]
+pub struct SettingsOverlay {
+    #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+    pub width: Option<u32>,
+    #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+    pub height: Option<u32>,
+    #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+    pub refresh_hz: Option<u32>,
+    #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+    pub match_window: Option<bool>,
+    #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+    pub bitrate_kbps: Option<u32>,
+    #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+    pub render_scale: Option<f64>,
+    #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+    pub codec: Option<String>,
+    #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+    pub hdr_enabled: Option<bool>,
+    #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+    pub compositor: Option<String>,
+    #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+    pub audio_channels: Option<u8>,
+    #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+    pub mic_enabled: Option<bool>,
+    #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+    pub touch_mode: Option<String>,
+    #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+    pub mouse_mode: Option<String>,
+    #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+    pub invert_scroll: Option<bool>,
+    #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+    pub inhibit_shortcuts: Option<bool>,
+    #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+    pub gamepad: Option<String>,
+    #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+    pub stats_verbosity: Option<StatsVerbosity>,
+    #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+    pub fullscreen_on_stream: Option<bool>,
+    /// Overlay keys a newer client wrote and this one doesn't model — carried through a
+    /// load→save round-trip untouched.
+    #[serde(flatten)]
+    pub extra: BTreeMap<String, serde_json::Value>,
+}
+
+impl SettingsOverlay {
+    /// The one resolution seam: this overlay on top of `base`. Pure — no store reads, no
+    /// clock, no environment — so it is fully testable field by field.
+    pub fn apply(&self, base: &Settings) -> Settings {
+        let mut s = base.clone();
+        if let Some(v) = self.width {
+            s.width = v;
+        }
+        if let Some(v) = self.height {
+            s.height = v;
+        }
+        if let Some(v) = self.refresh_hz {
+            s.refresh_hz = v;
+        }
+        if let Some(v) = self.match_window {
+            s.match_window = v;
+        }
+        if let Some(v) = self.bitrate_kbps {
+            s.bitrate_kbps = v;
+        }
+        if let Some(v) = self.render_scale {
+            s.render_scale = v;
+        }
+        if let Some(v) = &self.codec {
+            s.codec = v.clone();
+        }
+        if let Some(v) = self.hdr_enabled {
+            s.hdr_enabled = v;
+        }
+        if let Some(v) = &self.compositor {
+            s.compositor = v.clone();
+        }
+        if let Some(v) = self.audio_channels {
+            s.audio_channels = v;
+        }
+        if let Some(v) = self.mic_enabled {
+            s.mic_enabled = v;
+        }
+        if let Some(v) = &self.touch_mode {
+            s.touch_mode = v.clone();
+        }
+        if let Some(v) = &self.mouse_mode {
+            s.mouse_mode = v.clone();
+        }
+        if let Some(v) = self.invert_scroll {
+            s.invert_scroll = v;
+        }
+        if let Some(v) = self.inhibit_shortcuts {
+            s.inhibit_shortcuts = v;
+        }
+        if let Some(v) = &self.gamepad {
+            s.gamepad = v.clone();
+        }
+        if let Some(v) = self.stats_verbosity {
+            // Through the setter so the legacy `show_stats` bool stays coherent for
+            // pre-tier binaries reading the same settings file.
+            s.set_stats_verbosity(v);
+        }
+        if let Some(v) = self.fullscreen_on_stream {
+            s.fullscreen_on_stream = v;
+        }
+        s
+    }
+
+    /// True when the profile overrides nothing — "inherits everything", the state a freshly
+    /// created profile starts in. Unknown-key carry-through counts: a profile that only holds
+    /// a newer client's field is not empty.
+    pub fn is_empty(&self) -> bool {
+        *self == SettingsOverlay::default()
+    }
+}
+
+/// One named bundle of overrides. `id` is stable across renames — bindings, pins and deep
+/// links all point at it, never at the name.
+#[derive(Clone, Debug, PartialEq, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct StreamProfile {
+    pub id: String,
+    /// User-facing and editable; unique case-insensitively (menus are ambiguous otherwise —
+    /// enforced by the editing UIs via [`ProfilesFile::name_taken`]).
+    pub name: String,
+    /// `#RRGGBB` chip color. The UI may ignore it; the schema reserves it (pinned cards use
+    /// it to tint their subtitle).
+    #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+    pub accent: Option<String>,
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub overrides: SettingsOverlay,
+    /// Profile keys a newer client wrote — preserved across a load→save round-trip.
+    #[serde(flatten)]
+    pub extra: BTreeMap<String, serde_json::Value>,
+}
+
+impl StreamProfile {
+    /// A new, empty profile: inherits everything (the right creation default under
+    /// inherit-by-exception — "Duplicate" covers starting from another profile).
+    pub fn new(name: impl Into<String>) -> StreamProfile {
+        StreamProfile {
+            id: new_profile_id(),
+            name: name.into(),
+            accent: None,
+            overrides: SettingsOverlay::default(),
+            extra: BTreeMap::new(),
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+/// What a `profile=` / `--profile` reference resolved to. Ambiguity is reported rather than
+/// guessed: a link or flag naming two profiles must refuse, not pick one (design
+/// client-deep-links.md §8).
+#[derive(Clone, Copy, Debug, PartialEq, Eq)]
+pub enum Resolution {
+    Found,
+    NotFound,
+    /// More than one profile carries this name (case-insensitively).
+    Ambiguous,
+}
+
+/// The profile catalog — client-wide, not per host: "Work" applied to three hosts is one
+/// profile, and the per-host part is only the binding on the host record.
+#[derive(Default, Clone, Debug, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct ProfilesFile {
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub version: u32,
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub profiles: Vec<StreamProfile>,
+}
+
+impl ProfilesFile {
+    pub fn path() -> anyhow::Result<PathBuf> {
+        Ok(config_dir()?.join("client-profiles.json"))
+    }
+
+    /// The stored catalog, or an empty one — a missing or unreadable file is "no profiles",
+    /// never an error: nothing about streaming may hinge on this file existing.
+    pub fn load() -> ProfilesFile {
+        Self::path()
+            .and_then(|p| Ok(std::fs::read_to_string(p)?))
+            .ok()
+            .and_then(|s| serde_json::from_str(&s).ok())
+            .unwrap_or_default()
+    }
+
+    /// Persist temp+rename, so a crash or a full disk mid-write leaves the previous catalog
+    /// intact instead of a truncated one.
+    pub fn save(&mut self) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
+        self.version = PROFILES_VERSION;
+        let p = Self::path()?;
+        std::fs::create_dir_all(p.parent().unwrap())?;
+        write_atomic(&p, &serde_json::to_vec_pretty(self)?)?;
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
+    pub fn find_by_id(&self, id: &str) -> Option<&StreamProfile> {
+        self.profiles.iter().find(|p| p.id == id)
+    }
+
+    /// Resolve a reference the way every surface must: exact id first, then a unique
+    /// case-insensitive name. Ambiguous names resolve to [`Resolution::Ambiguous`], never to
+    /// the first match.
+    pub fn resolve(&self, reference: &str) -> (Option<&StreamProfile>, Resolution) {
+        if let Some(p) = self.find_by_id(reference) {
+            return (Some(p), Resolution::Found);
+        }
+        let mut hits = self
+            .profiles
+            .iter()
+            .filter(|p| p.name.eq_ignore_ascii_case(reference));
+        match (hits.next(), hits.next()) {
+            (Some(p), None) => (Some(p), Resolution::Found),
+            (Some(_), Some(_)) => (None, Resolution::Ambiguous),
+            _ => (None, Resolution::NotFound),
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Is this name already used (case-insensitively) by a *different* profile? The
+    /// create/rename guard — `except` is the profile being renamed, so renaming "Work" to
+    /// "work" is allowed.
+    pub fn name_taken(&self, name: &str, except: Option<&str>) -> bool {
+        self.profiles
+            .iter()
+            .any(|p| p.name.eq_ignore_ascii_case(name) && Some(p.id.as_str()) != except)
+    }
+}
+
+/// 12 lowercase hex chars — the `library::new_id` shape, minted from the OS RNG (no uuid
+/// dependency, no collision in any realistic catalog).
+pub fn new_profile_id() -> String {
+    let b: [u8; 6] = rand::random();
+    hex_lower(&b)
+}
+
+/// A random UUID-v4 in the canonical 8-4-4-4-12 form — the stable host-record identity
+/// (design §4.5). Matches the shape Apple's `StoredHost.id` already has, so a deep link's
+/// host-ref grammar is one format on every platform.
+pub fn new_record_uuid() -> String {
+    let mut b: [u8; 16] = rand::random();
+    b[6] = (b[6] & 0x0f) | 0x40; // version 4
+    b[8] = (b[8] & 0x3f) | 0x80; // RFC 4122 variant
+    let h = hex_lower(&b);
+    format!(
+        "{}-{}-{}-{}-{}",
+        &h[0..8],
+        &h[8..12],
+        &h[12..16],
+        &h[16..20],
+        &h[20..32]
+    )
+}
+
+fn hex_lower(bytes: &[u8]) -> String {
+    bytes.iter().map(|b| format!("{b:02x}")).collect()
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    /// The overlay applies field by field: a `Some` wins, a `None` keeps the base's live
+    /// value — including values that happen to equal the base (an explicit pin).
+    #[test]
+    fn overlay_applies_only_what_it_overrides() {
+        let mut base = Settings::default();
+        base.width = 1920;
+        base.height = 1080;
+        base.bitrate_kbps = 20000;
+        base.codec = "hevc".into();
+
+        let empty = SettingsOverlay::default();
+        let out = empty.apply(&base);
+        assert_eq!((out.width, out.height), (1920, 1080));
+        assert_eq!(out.bitrate_kbps, 20000);
+        assert_eq!(out.codec, "hevc");
+        assert!(empty.is_empty());
+
+        let overlay = SettingsOverlay {
+            width: Some(3840),
+            height: Some(2160),
+            refresh_hz: Some(120),
+            bitrate_kbps: Some(80000),
+            render_scale: Some(1.5),
+            codec: Some("av1".into()),
+            hdr_enabled: Some(false),
+            compositor: Some("gamescope".into()),
+            audio_channels: Some(6),
+            mic_enabled: Some(true),
+            touch_mode: Some("pointer".into()),
+            mouse_mode: Some("desktop".into()),
+            invert_scroll: Some(true),
+            inhibit_shortcuts: Some(false),
+            gamepad: Some("dualsense".into()),
+            match_window: Some(true),
+            fullscreen_on_stream: Some(false),
+            stats_verbosity: Some(StatsVerbosity::Detailed),
+            ..Default::default()
+        };
+        assert!(!overlay.is_empty());
+        let out = overlay.apply(&base);
+        assert_eq!((out.width, out.height, out.refresh_hz), (3840, 2160, 120));
+        assert_eq!(out.bitrate_kbps, 80000);
+        assert_eq!(out.render_scale, 1.5);
+        assert_eq!(out.codec, "av1");
+        assert!(!out.hdr_enabled);
+        assert_eq!(out.compositor, "gamescope");
+        assert_eq!(out.audio_channels, 6);
+        assert!(out.mic_enabled);
+        assert_eq!(out.touch_mode, "pointer");
+        assert_eq!(out.mouse_mode, "desktop");
+        assert!(out.invert_scroll);
+        assert!(!out.inhibit_shortcuts);
+        assert_eq!(out.gamepad, "dualsense");
+        assert!(out.match_window);
+        assert!(!out.fullscreen_on_stream);
+        assert_eq!(out.stats_verbosity(), StatsVerbosity::Detailed);
+        // The tier goes through the setter, so the legacy bool a pre-tier binary reads
+        // stays coherent with it.
+        assert!(out.show_stats);
+        // Tier-G/H fields are not in the overlay at all — the device's decoder pick, its
+        // audio endpoints and the per-host clipboard decision survive any profile.
+        assert_eq!(out.decoder, base.decoder);
+        assert_eq!(out.speaker_device, base.speaker_device);
+
+        // An overlay that only carries a value equal to the base is still an override: the
+        // profile pins it, so a later global change doesn't move it.
+        let pin = SettingsOverlay {
+            bitrate_kbps: Some(20000),
+            ..Default::default()
+        };
+        assert!(!pin.is_empty());
+        let mut moved = base.clone();
+        moved.bitrate_kbps = 50000;
+        assert_eq!(pin.apply(&moved).bitrate_kbps, 20000);
+    }
+
+    /// Stats verbosity Off must survive `apply` — it is a legitimate override, and going
+    /// through `set_stats_verbosity` keeps `show_stats` in sync in that direction too.
+    #[test]
+    fn overlay_can_turn_the_stats_overlay_off() {
+        let mut base = Settings::default();
+        base.set_stats_verbosity(StatsVerbosity::Detailed);
+        let overlay = SettingsOverlay {
+            stats_verbosity: Some(StatsVerbosity::Off),
+            ..Default::default()
+        };
+        let out = overlay.apply(&base);
+        assert_eq!(out.stats_verbosity(), StatsVerbosity::Off);
+        assert!(!out.show_stats);
+    }
+
+    /// A catalog round-trips, and values this build can't represent survive it: an unknown
+    /// codec string (a newer client's option) stays as written, and an unknown overlay KEY
+    /// is carried through untouched rather than erased — the don't-clobber rule.
+    #[test]
+    fn catalog_round_trips_and_preserves_what_it_cannot_represent() {
+        // `r##` — the accent value below contains a `"#` pair that would close an `r#` literal.
+        let stored = r##"{
+            "version": 1,
+            "profiles": [
+                {
+                    "id": "a1b2c3d4e5f6",
+                    "name": "Game",
+                    "accent": "#ff8800",
+                    "overrides": {
+                        "width": 3840, "height": 2160, "refresh_hz": 120,
+                        "codec": "vvc-from-the-future",
+                        "some_new_axis": {"nested": true},
+                        "stats_verbosity": "compact"
+                    },
+                    "future_profile_key": 7
+                },
+                { "id": "0f0f0f0f0f0f", "name": "Work" }
+            ]
+        }"##;
+        let file: ProfilesFile = serde_json::from_str(stored).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(file.profiles.len(), 2);
+        let game = file.find_by_id("a1b2c3d4e5f6").unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(game.accent.as_deref(), Some("#ff8800"));
+        assert_eq!(game.overrides.codec.as_deref(), Some("vvc-from-the-future"));
+        assert_eq!(
+            game.overrides.stats_verbosity,
+            Some(StatsVerbosity::Compact)
+        );
+        // A profile with no `overrides` key at all is the empty (inherit-everything) one.
+        assert!(file
+            .find_by_id("0f0f0f0f0f0f")
+            .unwrap()
+            .overrides
+            .is_empty());
+
+        let text = serde_json::to_string(&file).unwrap();
+        assert!(text.contains("vvc-from-the-future"));
+        assert!(text.contains("some_new_axis"));
+        assert!(text.contains("future_profile_key"));
+        // Absent overrides serialize away entirely — the file stays readable.
+        assert!(!text.contains("null"));
+        let round: ProfilesFile = serde_json::from_str(&text).unwrap();
+        let game = round.find_by_id("a1b2c3d4e5f6").unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(game.overrides.width, Some(3840));
+        assert_eq!(game.overrides.extra.len(), 1);
+        assert_eq!(game.extra.len(), 1);
+
+        // The unknown value still applies: the session hands the string to the host, which
+        // is the component that decides what it can encode.
+        let applied = game.overrides.apply(&Settings::default());
+        assert_eq!(applied.codec, "vvc-from-the-future");
+    }
+
+    /// Resolution order: id first, then a unique case-insensitive name; two profiles sharing
+    /// a name resolve to Ambiguous (the caller refuses) rather than to whichever came first.
+    #[test]
+    fn resolve_prefers_ids_and_refuses_ambiguity() {
+        let file = ProfilesFile {
+            version: 1,
+            profiles: vec![
+                StreamProfile {
+                    id: "111111111111".into(),
+                    name: "Work".into(),
+                    ..StreamProfile::new("")
+                },
+                StreamProfile {
+                    id: "222222222222".into(),
+                    name: "work".into(),
+                    ..StreamProfile::new("")
+                },
+                StreamProfile {
+                    id: "333333333333".into(),
+                    name: "Game".into(),
+                    ..StreamProfile::new("")
+                },
+            ],
+        };
+        assert_eq!(file.resolve("111111111111").1, Resolution::Found);
+        assert_eq!(file.resolve("Work").1, Resolution::Ambiguous);
+        assert_eq!(file.resolve("game").1, Resolution::Found);
+        assert_eq!(file.resolve("GAME").0.unwrap().id, "333333333333");
+        assert_eq!(file.resolve("nope").1, Resolution::NotFound);
+        assert_eq!(file.resolve("").1, Resolution::NotFound);
+
+        // Duplicate-name guard, and the rename-in-place exemption.
+        assert!(file.name_taken("GAME", None));
+        assert!(!file.name_taken("GAME", Some("333333333333")));
+        assert!(file.name_taken("GAME", Some("111111111111")));
+        assert!(!file.name_taken("Travel", None));
+    }
+
+    /// Minted ids have the documented shapes and don't repeat.
+    #[test]
+    fn minted_ids_are_well_formed() {
+        let a = new_profile_id();
+        assert_eq!(a.len(), 12);
+        assert!(a
+            .chars()
+            .all(|c| c.is_ascii_hexdigit() && !c.is_uppercase()));
+        assert_ne!(a, new_profile_id());
+
+        let u = new_record_uuid();
+        assert_eq!(u.len(), 36);
+        let parts: Vec<&str> = u.split('-').collect();
+        assert_eq!(
+            parts.iter().map(|p| p.len()).collect::<Vec<_>>(),
+            vec![8, 4, 4, 4, 12]
+        );
+        assert!(u.chars().all(|c| c == '-' || c.is_ascii_hexdigit()));
+        assert_eq!(parts[2].as_bytes()[0], b'4'); // version nibble
+        assert!(matches!(parts[3].as_bytes()[0], b'8' | b'9' | b'a' | b'b'));
+        assert_ne!(u, new_record_uuid());
+    }
+}
diff --git a/crates/pf-client-core/src/session.rs b/crates/pf-client-core/src/session.rs
index 48d3e684..ee9414dc 100644
--- a/crates/pf-client-core/src/session.rs
+++ b/crates/pf-client-core/src/session.rs
@@ -73,6 +73,11 @@ pub struct SessionParams {
     /// re-requests a keyframe. Decode itself succeeds in that state, so nothing else
     /// would recover — without this the stream stays black.
     pub force_software: Arc<AtomicBool>,
+    /// Name of the settings profile these params were resolved with (`None` = the global
+    /// defaults). Display only — every value it influenced is already baked into the fields
+    /// above; it rides along so the stats overlay can answer "which profile am I on?" without
+    /// re-reading any store (design/client-settings-profiles.md §5.2).
+    pub profile: Option<String>,
 }
 
 /// The session pump's share of the unified stats window (design/stats-unification.md):
diff --git a/crates/pf-client-core/src/trust.rs b/crates/pf-client-core/src/trust.rs
index 0476a424..4f2eb434 100644
--- a/crates/pf-client-core/src/trust.rs
+++ b/crates/pf-client-core/src/trust.rs
@@ -9,11 +9,12 @@
 //! shell stays the settings file's only writer (the session only reads). Pre-unification
 //! shell files (≤ 0.8.4: `show_hud`, `engine`) still load — see the migration test below.
 
+use crate::profiles::{ProfilesFile, Resolution, StreamProfile};
 use anyhow::{anyhow, Context, Result};
 use punktfunk_core::client::NativeClient;
 use punktfunk_core::quic::endpoint;
 use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
-use std::path::PathBuf;
+use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 
 pub fn config_dir() -> Result<PathBuf> {
     #[cfg(windows)]
@@ -89,6 +90,25 @@ fn lock_identity_perms(dir: &std::path::Path, key: &std::path::Path) {
     let _ = std::fs::set_permissions(key, std::fs::Permissions::from_mode(0o600));
 }
 
+/// Write a config file the safe way: a sibling temp file, then a rename over the target. A
+/// plain `fs::write` truncates first, so a crash, a full disk or a power cut between truncate
+/// and the last byte leaves an empty/half file — and these stores are what a client needs to
+/// find its hosts at all. Rename is atomic within a directory on both Unix and Windows
+/// (`MoveFileEx` with replace), so a reader ever sees the old file or the new one, never a
+/// torn one. Same discipline as the host's `session_settings.rs`.
+pub(crate) fn write_atomic(path: &Path, bytes: &[u8]) -> std::io::Result<()> {
+    let tmp = path.with_extension("json.tmp");
+    std::fs::write(&tmp, bytes)?;
+    match std::fs::rename(&tmp, path) {
+        Ok(()) => Ok(()),
+        Err(e) => {
+            // Don't leave the temp behind to confuse the next writer (or a backup tool).
+            let _ = std::fs::remove_file(&tmp);
+            Err(e)
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 pub fn hex(fp: &[u8; 32]) -> String {
     fp.iter().map(|b| format!("{b:02x}")).collect()
 }
@@ -130,6 +150,63 @@ pub struct KnownHost {
     /// also advertise `HOST_CAP_CLIPBOARD` and have its own policy enabled.
     #[serde(default)]
     pub clipboard_sync: bool,
+    /// This host's default settings profile (design/client-settings-profiles.md §4.1) — the
+    /// one a plain click uses. `None`, or an id whose profile was deleted, means the global
+    /// defaults, i.e. exactly today's behavior; a dangling binding never errors and never
+    /// blocks a connect.
+    #[serde(default, skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+    pub profile_id: Option<String>,
+    /// Profiles pinned as extra cards for this host (design §5.2a); order = card order.
+    /// Presentation only — NOT the default (that's `profile_id`) — and duplicates/dangling
+    /// ids are dropped when the list is resolved against the catalog.
+    #[serde(default, skip_serializing_if = "Vec::is_empty")]
+    pub pinned_profiles: Vec<String>,
+    /// Stable record identity (design §4.5): minted lazily for records that predate it, never
+    /// changed afterwards, so a deep link or a future cross-reference has something to point
+    /// at that survives a rename or a new DHCP lease. **No lookup in this crate is keyed by
+    /// it** — `fp_hex`/`addr:port` stay the lookup keys; this is groundwork.
+    #[serde(default, skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+    pub id: Option<String>,
+}
+
+impl Default for KnownHost {
+    /// A blank record with a fresh stable id — the base every construction site builds on
+    /// (`KnownHost { name, addr, port, ..Default::default() }`), so adding a field here can't
+    /// silently produce records that lack it. That is not hypothetical: `clipboard_sync`
+    /// survives today only because [`KnownHosts::upsert`] happens to skip it.
+    fn default() -> KnownHost {
+        KnownHost {
+            name: String::new(),
+            addr: String::new(),
+            port: 9777,
+            fp_hex: String::new(),
+            paired: false,
+            last_used: None,
+            mac: Vec::new(),
+            clipboard_sync: false,
+            profile_id: None,
+            pinned_profiles: Vec::new(),
+            id: Some(crate::profiles::new_record_uuid()),
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl KnownHost {
+    /// This host's pinned profiles that still exist, in card order, without duplicates — what
+    /// a grid renders. Dangling pins (the profile was deleted) simply disappear, per design
+    /// §5.2a: a pin is presentation state, never a reason to show an error.
+    pub fn resolved_pins<'a>(&self, catalog: &'a ProfilesFile) -> Vec<&'a StreamProfile> {
+        let mut out: Vec<&StreamProfile> = Vec::new();
+        for id in &self.pinned_profiles {
+            if out.iter().any(|p| p.id == *id) {
+                continue;
+            }
+            if let Some(p) = catalog.find_by_id(id) {
+                out.push(p);
+            }
+        }
+        out
+    }
 }
 
 #[derive(Default, Serialize, Deserialize)]
@@ -142,18 +219,42 @@ impl KnownHosts {
         Ok(config_dir()?.join("client-known-hosts.json"))
     }
 
+    /// The store, with any pre-[`KnownHost::id`] records given one. The mint is written back
+    /// best-effort right here rather than "on the next save" so the id a caller sees is the
+    /// id that is on disk — an identity that changed every load would be worse than none.
+    /// A read-only config dir just keeps re-minting in memory, which harms nothing: no lookup
+    /// is keyed by the id yet (design §4.5).
     pub fn load() -> KnownHosts {
-        Self::path()
+        let mut k: KnownHosts = Self::path()
             .and_then(|p| Ok(std::fs::read_to_string(p)?))
             .ok()
             .and_then(|s| serde_json::from_str(&s).ok())
-            .unwrap_or_default()
+            .unwrap_or_default();
+        if k.mint_missing_ids() {
+            let _ = k.save();
+        }
+        k
+    }
+
+    /// Give every record still missing one a stable id; returns true if anything changed
+    /// (i.e. whether this needs persisting). Idempotent — a store that has been through it
+    /// once is left byte-identical.
+    pub fn mint_missing_ids(&mut self) -> bool {
+        let mut minted = false;
+        for h in &mut self.hosts {
+            if h.id.as_deref().is_none_or(str::is_empty) {
+                h.id = Some(crate::profiles::new_record_uuid());
+                minted = true;
+            }
+        }
+        minted
     }
 
     pub fn save(&self) -> Result<()> {
         let p = Self::path()?;
         std::fs::create_dir_all(p.parent().unwrap())?;
-        std::fs::write(&p, serde_json::to_string_pretty(self)?)?;
+        // Temp+rename: losing this file to a torn write costs the user every pairing.
+        write_atomic(&p, serde_json::to_string_pretty(self)?.as_bytes())?;
         Ok(())
     }
 
@@ -189,6 +290,24 @@ impl KnownHosts {
             if !entry.mac.is_empty() {
                 h.mac = entry.mac;
             }
+            // Everything below is state the user set ON this record, which a refresh (a
+            // reconnect, a re-pair, a rediscovery) never carries and therefore must never
+            // clear: the per-host clipboard decision — which survives today only because this
+            // function happens not to mention it — plus the profile binding, its pinned
+            // cards, and the stable id. Only an upsert that actually carries a value moves
+            // one of them.
+            if entry.clipboard_sync {
+                h.clipboard_sync = true;
+            }
+            if entry.profile_id.is_some() {
+                h.profile_id = entry.profile_id;
+            }
+            if !entry.pinned_profiles.is_empty() {
+                h.pinned_profiles = entry.pinned_profiles;
+            }
+            if h.id.as_deref().is_none_or(str::is_empty) {
+                h.id = entry.id;
+            }
         } else {
             self.hosts.push(entry);
         }
@@ -199,15 +318,17 @@ impl KnownHosts {
 /// ceremony, delegated approval, headless pairing) ends in.
 pub fn persist_host(name: &str, addr: &str, port: u16, fp_hex: &str, paired: bool) {
     let mut known = KnownHosts::load();
+    // `..Default::default()` deliberately: this builds a record from a trust decision only,
+    // so every user-set field (clipboard, profile binding, pins) must arrive as "not carried"
+    // — `upsert` then leaves an existing host's own settings alone. A hand-written literal
+    // here is how those fields would get silently reset on the next re-pair.
     known.upsert(KnownHost {
         name: name.to_string(),
         addr: addr.to_string(),
         port,
         fp_hex: fp_hex.to_string(),
         paired,
-        last_used: None,
-        mac: Vec::new(),
-        clipboard_sync: false,
+        ..Default::default()
     });
     let _ = known.save();
 }
@@ -769,15 +890,82 @@ impl Settings {
             .unwrap_or_default()
     }
 
+    /// Fire-and-forget by design (a failed settings write must never take a stream down),
+    /// but temp+rename: this file has five whole-file writers, and a torn one loads as
+    /// `Default` — i.e. silently resets every setting the user has.
     pub fn save(&self) {
         let Ok(p) = Self::path() else { return };
         let _ = std::fs::create_dir_all(p.parent().unwrap());
         if let Ok(s) = serde_json::to_string_pretty(self) {
-            let _ = std::fs::write(&p, s);
+            let _ = write_atomic(&p, s.as_bytes());
         }
     }
 }
 
+/// The one settings resolver every front-end and the session binary go through
+/// (design/client-settings-profiles.md §4.4/§4.6): global defaults, with the profile this
+/// connect uses overlaid.
+///
+/// ```text
+/// effective = overlay(profile).apply(global)
+/// profile   = one-off override  ??  host binding  ??  none
+/// ```
+///
+/// `one_off` is the "Connect with ▸ X" / `--profile` / `profile=` pick, by id or unique name;
+/// `Some("")` forces the global defaults on a bound host. It never rebinds anything — the
+/// host's default is changed only by an explicit act in the UI.
+///
+/// Nothing here fails: an unknown one-off falls back to the *defaults* (not to the host's
+/// binding — a connect that was explicitly asked for "Work" must not silently run "Game"),
+/// and a dangling binding resolves as none, exactly today's behavior. The host is looked up
+/// by `addr:port`, the same match the per-host clipboard decision has always used —
+/// consistency with the shipped precedent beats purity here (§4.6).
+pub fn effective_settings(
+    addr: &str,
+    port: u16,
+    one_off: Option<&str>,
+) -> (Settings, Option<StreamProfile>) {
+    let base = Settings::load();
+    let catalog = ProfilesFile::load();
+    let bound = KnownHosts::load()
+        .hosts
+        .iter()
+        .find(|h| h.addr == addr && h.port == port)
+        .and_then(|h| h.profile_id.clone());
+
+    match resolve_profile(&catalog, bound.as_deref(), one_off) {
+        Some(p) => (p.overrides.apply(&base), Some(p)),
+        None => (base, None),
+    }
+}
+
+/// The profile half of [`effective_settings`], split out so the precedence rules are testable
+/// without touching the config directory: one-off pick ?? host binding ?? none.
+fn resolve_profile(
+    catalog: &ProfilesFile,
+    bound: Option<&str>,
+    one_off: Option<&str>,
+) -> Option<StreamProfile> {
+    match one_off {
+        // `--profile ""` — "Connect with ▸ Default settings" on a bound host.
+        Some("") => None,
+        Some(reference) => match catalog.resolve(reference) {
+            (Some(p), _) => Some(p.clone()),
+            (_, res) => {
+                tracing::warn!(
+                    profile = %reference,
+                    ambiguous = res == Resolution::Ambiguous,
+                    "no such settings profile — streaming with the default settings"
+                );
+                None
+            }
+        },
+        // A binding is an id, never a name: it was written by a picker, and resolving it by
+        // name would let renaming another profile hijack it. Dangling → the defaults.
+        None => bound.and_then(|id| catalog.find_by_id(id).cloned()),
+    }
+}
+
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
     use super::*;
@@ -882,4 +1070,223 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(h.mac, vec!["aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff".to_string()]);
         assert!(parse_hex32(&h.fp_hex).is_some());
     }
+
+    /// A pre-profiles known-hosts file loads unchanged — no binding, no pins — and its
+    /// records serialize back without the new keys, so an older client reading the same file
+    /// sees exactly what it wrote. The id is minted only when `load()` runs (the migration
+    /// step), not by deserialization.
+    #[test]
+    fn known_hosts_migration_is_a_no_op_on_a_pre_profiles_store() {
+        let old = r#"{"hosts":[{
+            "name": "Gaming PC", "addr": "192.168.1.50", "port": 9777,
+            "fp_hex": "0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef",
+            "paired": true, "clipboard_sync": true
+        }]}"#;
+        let mut k: KnownHosts = serde_json::from_str(old).unwrap();
+        let h = &k.hosts[0];
+        assert_eq!(h.profile_id, None);
+        assert!(h.pinned_profiles.is_empty());
+        assert_eq!(h.id, None);
+        assert!(h.clipboard_sync);
+        let text = serde_json::to_string(&k).unwrap();
+        assert!(!text.contains("profile_id"));
+        assert!(!text.contains("pinned_profiles"));
+        assert!(!text.contains("\"id\""));
+
+        // Minting is idempotent: the second pass reports nothing to persist and leaves the
+        // id it handed out alone.
+        assert!(k.mint_missing_ids());
+        let minted = k.hosts[0].id.clone().unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(minted.len(), 36);
+        assert!(!k.mint_missing_ids());
+        assert_eq!(k.hosts[0].id.as_deref(), Some(minted.as_str()));
+        // An empty-string id (a hand-edited store) counts as missing, not as an identity.
+        k.hosts[0].id = Some(String::new());
+        assert!(k.mint_missing_ids());
+        assert_ne!(k.hosts[0].id.as_deref(), Some(""));
+    }
+
+    /// `upsert` refreshes what a reconnect actually knows and preserves what the user set:
+    /// the profile binding, the pinned cards, the clipboard decision and the stable id all
+    /// survive a trust-decision upsert that carries none of them (the bug `clipboard_sync`
+    /// only ever avoided by accident).
+    #[test]
+    fn upsert_preserves_user_set_host_state() {
+        let fp = "0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef";
+        let mut k = KnownHosts {
+            hosts: vec![KnownHost {
+                name: "Desk".into(),
+                addr: "192.168.1.50".into(),
+                port: 9777,
+                fp_hex: fp.into(),
+                paired: true,
+                last_used: Some(1000),
+                mac: vec!["aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff".into()],
+                clipboard_sync: true,
+                profile_id: Some("aaaaaaaaaaaa".into()),
+                pinned_profiles: vec!["bbbbbbbbbbbb".into()],
+                id: Some("11111111-2222-4333-8444-555555555555".into()),
+            }],
+        };
+        // What `persist_host` builds: a trust decision, nothing else.
+        k.upsert(KnownHost {
+            name: "Desk".into(),
+            addr: "192.168.1.51".into(), // new lease
+            port: 9777,
+            fp_hex: fp.into(),
+            paired: false, // must not demote
+            ..Default::default()
+        });
+        let h = &k.hosts[0];
+        assert_eq!(k.hosts.len(), 1);
+        assert_eq!(h.addr, "192.168.1.51");
+        assert!(h.paired);
+        assert_eq!(h.last_used, Some(1000));
+        assert_eq!(h.mac, vec!["aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff".to_string()]);
+        assert!(h.clipboard_sync);
+        assert_eq!(h.profile_id.as_deref(), Some("aaaaaaaaaaaa"));
+        assert_eq!(h.pinned_profiles, vec!["bbbbbbbbbbbb".to_string()]);
+        assert_eq!(
+            h.id.as_deref(),
+            Some("11111111-2222-4333-8444-555555555555")
+        );
+
+        // A carried value does move the binding (that is how the UI rebinds through upsert).
+        k.upsert(KnownHost {
+            fp_hex: fp.into(),
+            profile_id: Some("cccccccccccc".into()),
+            pinned_profiles: vec!["dddddddddddd".into()],
+            ..Default::default()
+        });
+        assert_eq!(k.hosts[0].profile_id.as_deref(), Some("cccccccccccc"));
+        assert_eq!(k.hosts[0].pinned_profiles, vec!["dddddddddddd".to_string()]);
+    }
+
+    /// Pins render in card order, deduplicated, with deleted profiles simply gone — a pin is
+    /// presentation state, so a dangling one is never an error surface.
+    #[test]
+    fn resolved_pins_drop_duplicates_and_dangling_ids() {
+        use crate::profiles::{ProfilesFile, StreamProfile};
+        let catalog = ProfilesFile {
+            version: 1,
+            profiles: vec![
+                StreamProfile {
+                    id: "aaaaaaaaaaaa".into(),
+                    name: "Work".into(),
+                    ..StreamProfile::new("")
+                },
+                StreamProfile {
+                    id: "bbbbbbbbbbbb".into(),
+                    name: "Game".into(),
+                    ..StreamProfile::new("")
+                },
+            ],
+        };
+        let h = KnownHost {
+            pinned_profiles: vec![
+                "bbbbbbbbbbbb".into(),
+                "deleted00000".into(),
+                "bbbbbbbbbbbb".into(),
+                "aaaaaaaaaaaa".into(),
+            ],
+            ..Default::default()
+        };
+        let names: Vec<&str> = h
+            .resolved_pins(&catalog)
+            .iter()
+            .map(|p| p.name.as_str())
+            .collect();
+        assert_eq!(names, vec!["Game", "Work"]);
+        assert!(KnownHost::default().resolved_pins(&catalog).is_empty());
+    }
+
+    /// The connect-time precedence: a one-off pick beats the host's binding, `""` forces the
+    /// defaults, a dangling binding resolves as none, and a one-off that can't be honored
+    /// falls back to the DEFAULTS rather than to the host's own profile — "connect with Work"
+    /// must never quietly run "Game".
+    #[test]
+    fn profile_resolution_precedence() {
+        use crate::profiles::{ProfilesFile, StreamProfile};
+        let catalog = ProfilesFile {
+            version: 1,
+            profiles: vec![
+                StreamProfile {
+                    id: "aaaaaaaaaaaa".into(),
+                    name: "Game".into(),
+                    ..StreamProfile::new("")
+                },
+                StreamProfile {
+                    id: "bbbbbbbbbbbb".into(),
+                    name: "Work".into(),
+                    ..StreamProfile::new("")
+                },
+                StreamProfile {
+                    id: "cccccccccccc".into(),
+                    name: "work".into(),
+                    ..StreamProfile::new("")
+                },
+            ],
+        };
+        let name_of = |p: Option<StreamProfile>| p.map(|p| p.name);
+
+        // No binding, no pick: today's behavior.
+        assert_eq!(resolve_profile(&catalog, None, None), None);
+        // The binding drives a plain connect…
+        assert_eq!(
+            name_of(resolve_profile(&catalog, Some("aaaaaaaaaaaa"), None)),
+            Some("Game".into())
+        );
+        // …a one-off overrides it, by id or by unique name…
+        assert_eq!(
+            name_of(resolve_profile(
+                &catalog,
+                Some("aaaaaaaaaaaa"),
+                Some("bbbbbbbbbbbb")
+            )),
+            Some("Work".into())
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            name_of(resolve_profile(&catalog, None, Some("GAME"))),
+            Some("Game".into())
+        );
+        // …and `""` forces the defaults on a bound host.
+        assert_eq!(
+            resolve_profile(&catalog, Some("aaaaaaaaaaaa"), Some("")),
+            None
+        );
+        // A deleted binding is not an error, it is "no profile".
+        assert_eq!(resolve_profile(&catalog, Some("deleted00000"), None), None);
+        // Unknown and ambiguous one-offs fall back to the defaults, NOT to the binding.
+        assert_eq!(
+            resolve_profile(&catalog, Some("aaaaaaaaaaaa"), Some("nope")),
+            None
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            resolve_profile(&catalog, Some("aaaaaaaaaaaa"), Some("work")),
+            None
+        );
+        // A binding resolves by id only — a profile NAMED like the bound id doesn't hijack it.
+        assert_eq!(resolve_profile(&catalog, Some("Game"), None), None);
+    }
+
+    /// The atomic write replaces the target in one step and leaves no temp behind — the
+    /// discipline all three client stores now share.
+    #[test]
+    fn write_atomic_replaces_and_cleans_up() {
+        let dir = std::env::temp_dir().join(format!(
+            "pf-client-core-test-{}",
+            std::time::SystemTime::now()
+                .duration_since(std::time::UNIX_EPOCH)
+                .map(|d| d.as_nanos())
+                .unwrap_or(0)
+        ));
+        std::fs::create_dir_all(&dir).unwrap();
+        let p = dir.join("store.json");
+        write_atomic(&p, b"{\"a\":1}").unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(std::fs::read_to_string(&p).unwrap(), "{\"a\":1}");
+        write_atomic(&p, b"{\"a\":2}").unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(std::fs::read_to_string(&p).unwrap(), "{\"a\":2}");
+        assert!(!p.with_extension("json.tmp").exists());
+        let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(&dir);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/crates/pf-presenter/src/run.rs b/crates/pf-presenter/src/run.rs
index 35d28295..a71b7e2a 100644
--- a/crates/pf-presenter/src/run.rs
+++ b/crates/pf-presenter/src/run.rs
@@ -185,6 +185,9 @@ struct StreamState {
     canceled: bool,
     ready_announced: bool,
     mode_line: String,
+    /// The settings profile this session resolved with, for the stats overlay's first line
+    /// ("which profile am I on?"). `None` = the global defaults, and nothing is shown.
+    profile: Option<String>,
     /// Live host↔client clock offset handle (None until Connected): loaded per present so
     /// mid-stream re-syncs keep the end-to-end number honest after an NTP step / drift.
     clock_offset: Option<Arc<std::sync::atomic::AtomicI64>>,
@@ -260,6 +263,7 @@ impl StreamState {
         force_software: Arc<AtomicBool>,
         wake: sdl3::event::EventSender,
     ) -> StreamState {
+        let profile = params.profile.clone();
         let handle = session::start(params);
         let (wake_tx, wake_rx) = async_channel::bounded(2);
         let pump_rx = handle.frames.clone();
@@ -284,6 +288,7 @@ impl StreamState {
             canceled: false,
             ready_announced: false,
             mode_line: String::new(),
+            profile,
             clock_offset: None,
             hdr: false,
             win_e2e_us: Vec::with_capacity(256),
@@ -1031,6 +1036,7 @@ fn run_inner(mut opts: SessionOpts, mut mode: ModeCtl) -> Result<Option<Outcome>
                         &st.presented,
                         st.hdr,
                         presenter.hdr_active(),
+                        st.profile.as_deref(),
                     );
                     if stats_verbosity != StatsVerbosity::Off {
                         // The stdout line is the machine interface (shell status card,
@@ -1042,6 +1048,7 @@ fn run_inner(mut opts: SessionOpts, mut mode: ModeCtl) -> Result<Option<Outcome>
                             &st.presented,
                             st.hdr,
                             presenter.hdr_active(),
+                            st.profile.as_deref(),
                         );
                         println!("stats: {}", full.replace('\n', " | "));
                     }
@@ -1770,6 +1777,7 @@ fn bump_stats_tier(
                 &st.presented,
                 st.hdr,
                 presenter.hdr_active(),
+                st.profile.as_deref(),
             ),
             None => String::new(),
         };
@@ -1867,6 +1875,10 @@ const HINT_WITH_PAD: &str = "Click the stream to capture input · Ctrl+Alt+Shift
 /// The HDR tag is honest about the display path: `HDR` only when the swapchain actually
 /// runs HDR10 (`hdr_display`); a PQ stream tone-mapped onto an SDR surface (no HDR10
 /// format offered, HDR off in the compositor) shows `HDR→SDR` instead.
+///
+/// `profile` (the session's settings profile, `None` for the global defaults) closes the
+/// first line at every tier — the cheapest possible answer to "which profile am I on?"
+/// (design/client-settings-profiles.md §5.2).
 fn stats_text(
     verbosity: StatsVerbosity,
     mode_line: &str,
@@ -1874,7 +1886,9 @@ fn stats_text(
     p: &PresentedWindow,
     hdr_stream: bool,
     hdr_display: bool,
+    profile: Option<&str>,
 ) -> String {
+    let profile_tag = profile.map(|n| format!(" · {n}")).unwrap_or_default();
     match verbosity {
         StatsVerbosity::Off => return String::new(),
         StatsVerbosity::Compact => {
@@ -1888,6 +1902,7 @@ fn stats_text(
             if s.lost > 0 {
                 text.push_str(&format!(" · lost {}", s.lost));
             }
+            text.push_str(&profile_tag);
             return text;
         }
         StatsVerbosity::Normal | StatsVerbosity::Detailed => {}
@@ -1908,6 +1923,7 @@ fn stats_text(
     } else {
         format!("{mode_line} · {:.0} fps · {:.1} Mb/s", s.fps, s.mbps)
     };
+    text.push_str(&profile_tag);
     text.push_str(&format!(
         "\ne2e {:.1}/{:.1} ms (p50/p95)",
         p.e2e_p50_ms, p.e2e_p95_ms
@@ -2194,7 +2210,7 @@ mod tests {
     #[test]
     fn stats_text_tiers() {
         let (s, p) = sample();
-        let text = |v| stats_text(v, "1920×1080@120", &s, &p, true, false);
+        let text = |v| stats_text(v, "1920×1080@120", &s, &p, true, false, None);
 
         assert_eq!(text(StatsVerbosity::Off), "");
 
@@ -2227,11 +2243,57 @@ mod tests {
         s.lost = 0;
         let p = PresentedWindow::default();
         assert_eq!(
-            stats_text(StatsVerbosity::Compact, "m", &s, &p, false, false),
+            stats_text(StatsVerbosity::Compact, "m", &s, &p, false, false, None),
             "120 fps · 24 Mb/s"
         );
     }
 
+    /// The session's settings profile closes the FIRST line at every tier — one line in
+    /// Compact, the mode line in Normal/Detailed — and nothing renders without one.
+    #[test]
+    fn stats_text_names_the_active_profile() {
+        let (s, p) = sample();
+        assert_eq!(
+            stats_text(
+                StatsVerbosity::Compact,
+                "m",
+                &s,
+                &p,
+                false,
+                false,
+                Some("Game")
+            ),
+            "120 fps · 6.4 ms · 24 Mb/s · lost 3 · Game"
+        );
+        let normal = stats_text(
+            StatsVerbosity::Normal,
+            "1920×1080@120",
+            &s,
+            &p,
+            false,
+            false,
+            Some("Work"),
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            normal.lines().next().unwrap(),
+            "1920×1080@120 · 120 fps · 24.3 Mb/s · Work"
+        );
+        let detailed = stats_text(
+            StatsVerbosity::Detailed,
+            "1920×1080@120",
+            &s,
+            &p,
+            true,
+            true,
+            Some("Work"),
+        );
+        assert!(detailed.lines().next().unwrap().ends_with("· HDR · Work"));
+        // No profile → the line is exactly what it always was.
+        assert!(
+            !stats_text(StatsVerbosity::Normal, "m", &s, &p, false, false, None).contains(" ·  ")
+        );
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn finger_maps_across_a_perfectly_filled_surface() {
         // Video exactly fills the window (no letterbox): normalized finger → content