fix(clients/settings): a controller setting you can't use no longer looks like one you can

Turn "Forward controllers" off and four rows below it stop meaning anything — nothing is
forwarded, so there is no pad type to pick and no guide button to route. GTK desensitised
them, the touch settings on both mobile clients dimmed them and the console UI refused the
step; the Windows client and BOTH controller-navigable screens left them fully live, so you
could sit there changing settings that did nothing.

Windows: `.enabled(s.gamepad_forwarding)` on the forwarded-controller picker, pad type,
guide button and hold-Select rows — the same builder the echo-cancellation row already used
to follow the mic switch.

Apple's gamepad settings had no way to say it: `Row` carried `adjustable` (which only hides
the chevrons) and nothing else. Added `Row.enabled`, dimmed the row CONTENTS only so the
glass still reads as a focusable row, and enforced the inertness centrally in `adjust(id:)`
/ `activate(id:)` rather than in each builder's closure. The hint bar drops "Adjust"/"Change"
on a dimmed row, because advertising them was the same lie the live row told.

Android's gamepad settings already had `GpRow.enabled` — documented as "dimmed + inert" —
but it only faded the label: every dimmed row still stepped and still wrote its setting. The
"No profiles yet" placeholder looked inert only because its own closures were empty. Made it
real in one named place (`liveRow`), covering all three input paths (left/right, A, and a tap
on the already-focused row), then gated the pad rows on it.

Also on that screen: the DualSense / DualShock passthrough toggle, which the touch settings
have carried beside its SC2 twin all along. It was missing exactly where it matters most —
a TV box has no touch interface to fall back to, so there was no way to reach it at all.

Apple capture, separately: with forwarding off, opening a slot still claimed EVERY element's
system gesture and powered the controller's IMU. Neither reaches the host, so the first only
took the user's screenshot/Home gestures away for nothing and the second drained the pad's
battery streaming gyro over Bluetooth. Narrowed rather than skipped — the escape chord is
read off the same slot and on tvOS is the ONLY controller way out of a stream, so the chord's
own four buttons keep their claim. A test pins the alias list against the chord mask; if they
drift the symptom is a session nobody can leave, with nothing logged.

Closes R17, R18, R19 (design/haptics-sweep-2026-08-03.md M11). R17 as filed named Windows and
"Apple"; Apple's TOUCH settings were already correct and Android's controller-navigable screen
was not — both corrected here.

Verified: Windows clippy -D warnings exit 0 on a real Windows box; Apple swift build clean +
full suite 192 tests / 0 failures (3 new); Android :app: + :kit: green (5 new); cargo fmt
--all --check clean. Each fix probed by reverting it — every probe failed the tests it should.

clients/android/app/src/main/kotlin/io/unom/punktfunk/GamepadDialogs.kt

@@ -50,10 +50,12 @@ import androidx.compose.ui.platform.LocalConfiguration
 import androidx.compose.ui.text.font.FontFamily
 import androidx.compose.ui.text.font.FontWeight
 import androidx.compose.ui.text.style.TextAlign
+import androidx.compose.ui.text.style.TextOverflow
 import androidx.compose.ui.unit.dp
 import androidx.compose.ui.unit.sp
 import io.unom.punktfunk.kit.NativeBridge
 import io.unom.punktfunk.kit.security.ClientIdentity
+import io.unom.punktfunk.kit.security.KnownHost
 import io.unom.punktfunk.models.PendingTrust
 import kotlinx.coroutines.Dispatchers
 import kotlinx.coroutines.launch
@@ -250,6 +252,139 @@ fun GamepadHostOptionsDialog(
     }
 }
 
+/**
+ * The pin-to-hosts picker the settings screen's Profiles section opens — the Android mirror of the
+ * desktop console's PinHostsScreen (design §5.2a): one toggle row per SAVED host, D-pad up/down
+ * moves, A flips the focused pin, left/right unpins/pins (the settings-toggle semantics), B closes.
+ * A toggle is presentation only: it edits the host's pinned cards through the same store write the
+ * carousel's unpin uses, never the profile itself and never the host's default binding.
+ *
+ * Pin state is read live from [pinned] (backed by the host records), so what a switch shows is
+ * always what the store holds — the row can't disagree with the carousel it feeds.
+ */
+@OptIn(ExperimentalFoundationApi::class)
+@Composable
+fun GamepadPinHostsDialog(
+    profileName: String,
+    hosts: List<KnownHost>,
+    pinned: (KnownHost) -> Boolean,
+    onToggle: (KnownHost) -> Unit,
+    onDismiss: () -> Unit,
+) {
+    // 0..hosts.lastIndex = host rows, hosts.size = the Done button (with no hosts, index 0 IS
+    // Done, so it starts focused).
+    var focus by remember { mutableIntStateOf(0) }
+    BackHandler(onBack = onDismiss)
+    GamepadNavEffect2D(
+        active = true,
+        onDirection = { dir ->
+            when (dir) {
+                NavDir.UP -> if (focus > 0) focus--
+                NavDir.DOWN -> if (focus < hosts.size) focus++
+                // Directional = state-targeted (left → unpinned, right → pinned), so holding a
+                // direction can't oscillate; asking for the state it's already in is a no-op.
+                NavDir.LEFT -> hosts.getOrNull(focus)?.let { if (pinned(it)) onToggle(it) }
+                NavDir.RIGHT -> hosts.getOrNull(focus)?.let { if (!pinned(it)) onToggle(it) }
+            }
+        },
+        onActivate = {
+            val kh = hosts.getOrNull(focus)
+            if (kh != null) onToggle(kh) else onDismiss()
+        },
+    )
+    val maxCardHeight = (LocalConfiguration.current.screenHeightDp * 0.92f).dp
+    Box(
+        Modifier.fillMaxSize().background(Color.Black.copy(alpha = 0.62f)),
+        contentAlignment = Alignment.Center,
+    ) {
+        Column(
+            Modifier
+                .padding(24.dp)
+                .widthIn(max = 520.dp)
+                .heightIn(max = maxCardHeight)
+                .clip(RoundedCornerShape(24.dp))
+                .background(Color(0xF01A1730))
+                .border(1.dp, Color.White.copy(alpha = 0.12f), RoundedCornerShape(24.dp))
+                .padding(28.dp),
+            verticalArrangement = Arrangement.spacedBy(14.dp),
+        ) {
+            Text(
+                "Pin “$profileName”",
+                style = MaterialTheme.typography.headlineSmall,
+                fontWeight = FontWeight.Bold,
+                color = Color.White,
+                maxLines = 1,
+                overflow = TextOverflow.Ellipsis,
+            )
+            Column(
+                Modifier.weight(1f, fill = false).verticalScroll(rememberScrollState()),
+                verticalArrangement = Arrangement.spacedBy(10.dp),
+            ) {
+                if (hosts.isEmpty()) {
+                    DialogText("No saved hosts yet — pair with a host first, then pin this profile to it.")
+                } else {
+                    DialogText("A pinned profile appears as its own card on the host — one press connects with it.")
+                    hosts.forEachIndexed { i, kh ->
+                        PinHostRow(
+                            label = kh.name,
+                            on = pinned(kh),
+                            focused = i == focus,
+                            onClick = { onToggle(kh) },
+                        )
+                    }
+                }
+                Spacer(Modifier.size(4.dp))
+                DialogButton(
+                    "Done",
+                    focused = focus == hosts.size,
+                    primary = true,
+                    enabled = true,
+                    onClick = onDismiss,
+                )
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+/** One host's pin toggle: name + a [ConsoleSwitch], with the shared console focus visuals. */
+@OptIn(ExperimentalFoundationApi::class)
+@Composable
+private fun PinHostRow(label: String, on: Boolean, focused: Boolean, onClick: () -> Unit) {
+    val visuals = animateConsoleFocus(active = focused)
+    // Inside the dialog's scroll region, like DialogButton: a focused row scrolled out of a short
+    // landscape window pulls itself into view.
+    val intoView = remember { BringIntoViewRequester() }
+    LaunchedEffect(focused) { if (focused) intoView.bringIntoView() }
+    val shape = RoundedCornerShape(14.dp)
+    Row(
+        Modifier
+            .fillMaxWidth()
+            .bringIntoViewRequester(intoView)
+            .graphicsLayer { scaleX = visuals.scale; scaleY = visuals.scale }
+            .clip(shape)
+            .background(visuals.background)
+            .border(1.dp, visuals.border, shape)
+            .clickable(
+                interactionSource = remember { MutableInteractionSource() },
+                indication = null,
+                onClick = onClick,
+            )
+            .padding(horizontal = 16.dp, vertical = 13.dp),
+        verticalAlignment = Alignment.CenterVertically,
+    ) {
+        Text(
+            label,
+            style = MaterialTheme.typography.bodyLarge,
+            fontWeight = FontWeight.SemiBold,
+            color = Color.White,
+            maxLines = 1,
+            overflow = TextOverflow.Ellipsis,
+        )
+        Spacer(Modifier.weight(1f))
+        ConsoleSwitch(on = on, focused = focused)
+    }
+}
+
 /**
  * Console counterpart of [SpeedTestDialog]. Same measurement, same targeting rule — a TV box on a
  * powerline adapter is exactly the machine whose link is worth measuring, so this belongs on the

clients/android/app/src/main/kotlin/io/unom/punktfunk/GamepadSettingsScreen.kt

@@ -57,13 +57,15 @@ import androidx.compose.ui.unit.sp
 import dev.chrisbanes.haze.HazeState
 import dev.chrisbanes.haze.hazeSource
 import io.unom.punktfunk.kit.deviceBodyVibrator
+import io.unom.punktfunk.kit.security.KnownHost
+import io.unom.punktfunk.kit.security.KnownHostStore
 
 // The gamepad-driven settings screen — the Android mirror of the Apple client's GamepadSettingsView:
 // the couch-relevant subset of the touch settings restyled as a console page and fully navigable with
 // a controller: up/down moves the focus bar, left/right steps the focused value, A cycles/toggles it,
 // B closes. Both write the same SharedPreferences, so values round-trip with the touch settings.
 
-private class GpRow(
+internal class GpRow(
     val id: String,
     val header: String?,
     val label: String,
@@ -72,8 +74,19 @@ private class GpRow(
     val adjust: (Int) -> Boolean, // left/right; returns whether the value actually changed
     val activate: () -> Unit,     // A → cycle forward (wrapping) / flip
     val toggled: Boolean? = null, // non-null = a toggle row, drawn as a ConsoleSwitch (not text)
+    val adjustable: Boolean = true, // false = the row navigates/acts instead of stepping — no chevrons
+    val enabled: Boolean = true,    // dimmed + inert when false (still focusable, for its detail)
 )
 
+/**
+ * The row at [index], or null when it is dimmed. The single place the "disabled ⇒ inert" half of
+ * [GpRow.enabled] is enforced, so the three input paths (pad left/right, A, and a tap on the
+ * already-focused row) cannot drift apart — before this, `enabled` dimmed the label and nothing
+ * else, and every dimmed row still stepped its setting.
+ */
+internal fun liveRow(rows: List<GpRow>, index: Int): GpRow? =
+    rows.getOrNull(index)?.takeIf { it.enabled }
+
 @Composable
 fun GamepadSettingsScreen(
     initial: Settings,
@@ -89,7 +102,39 @@ fun GamepadSettingsScreen(
     val hasBodyVibrator = remember { deviceBodyVibrator(context) != null }
     // Gates the AV1 codec row the same way the touch settings do (see `codecOptionsFor`).
     val av1Capable = remember { io.unom.punktfunk.kit.VideoDecoders.pickDecoder("video/av01") != null }
-    val rows = buildSettingsRows(s, hasBodyVibrator, av1Capable, ::update)
+
+    // The Profiles section's stores, constructed here the way ConnectScreen constructs its own.
+    // The catalog is read once per screen entry: this screen can't create or edit profiles
+    // (design §5.4 — the touch interface does), so the list is stable for its lifetime. The saved
+    // hosts DO change under it — every pin toggle writes one — so they live in state and refresh
+    // on each toggle, keeping the "Pinned to N hosts" counts honest.
+    val knownHostStore = remember { KnownHostStore(context) }
+    val profileStore = remember { ProfileStore(context) }
+    val profiles = remember { profileStore.all() }
+    var savedHosts by remember { mutableStateOf(knownHostStore.all()) }
+    // The profile whose pin-to-hosts picker is up, or null. While it's showing, it owns the pad
+    // (this screen's nav gates on it, the ConnectScreen-dialog pattern).
+    var pinProfile by remember { mutableStateOf<StreamProfile?>(null) }
+
+    // Toggle a host+profile pin — the same store write ConnectScreen's togglePin does. Presentation
+    // only: pin appends at the end (card order), unpin removes, and the host's default binding
+    // (profileId) is never touched.
+    fun togglePin(kh: KnownHost, profile: StreamProfile) {
+        val pins = if (profile.id in kh.pinnedProfileIds) {
+            kh.pinnedProfileIds - profile.id
+        } else {
+            kh.pinnedProfileIds + profile.id
+        }
+        knownHostStore.save(kh.copy(pinnedProfileIds = pins))
+        savedHosts = knownHostStore.all()
+    }
+
+    // On a TV "the touch interface" is confusing advice (no touch to reach it with) — the honest
+    // path there is this screen's own Controller-optimized UI toggle, which swaps in the standard
+    // interface remote-navigably. The strings branch on it.
+    val tv = remember { isTvDevice(context) }
+    val rows = buildSettingsRows(s, hasBodyVibrator, av1Capable, ::update) +
+        buildProfileRows(profiles, savedHosts, tv) { pinProfile = it }
     var focus by remember { mutableIntStateOf(0) }
     if (focus > rows.lastIndex) focus = rows.lastIndex
     // The direction the focused value last stepped (+1 forward / -1 back) — drives which way the
@@ -101,16 +146,20 @@ fun GamepadSettingsScreen(
 
     BackHandler(onBack = onBack)
     GamepadNavEffect2D(
-        active = navActive,
+        // The pin picker owns the pad while it's up (its own nav + BackHandler), so this screen
+        // drops its probes — the pattern ConnectScreen's dialogs use.
+        active = navActive && pinProfile == null,
         onDirection = { dir ->
             when (dir) {
                 NavDir.UP -> if (focus > 0) focus--
                 NavDir.DOWN -> if (focus < rows.lastIndex) focus++
-                NavDir.LEFT -> { adjustDir = -1; rows.getOrNull(focus)?.adjust(-1) }
-                NavDir.RIGHT -> { adjustDir = 1; rows.getOrNull(focus)?.adjust(1) }
+                // A disabled row is INERT, not just dim — the step is refused instead of writing a
+                // setting that has nothing to act on (see `liveRow`).
+                NavDir.LEFT -> { adjustDir = -1; liveRow(rows, focus)?.adjust(-1) }
+                NavDir.RIGHT -> { adjustDir = 1; liveRow(rows, focus)?.adjust(1) }
             }
         },
-        onActivate = { adjustDir = 1; rows.getOrNull(focus)?.activate() },
+        onActivate = { adjustDir = 1; liveRow(rows, focus)?.activate() },
     )
     // Keep the focused row on screen, but only SCROLL when it's actually off-screen — so entering the
     // screen (focus on the first row) leaves the "Settings" heading visible instead of jumping past it.
@@ -148,7 +197,10 @@ fun GamepadSettingsScreen(
             }
             itemsIndexed(rows, key = { _, r -> r.id }) { index, row ->
                 SettingRowView(row, focused = index == focus, adjustDir = adjustDir, onClick = {
-                    if (focus == index) { adjustDir = 1; row.activate() } else focus = index
+                    // Same inertness as the pad path above — tapping a dimmed row focuses it (so
+                    // its detail explains itself) but never flips it.
+                    if (focus != index) focus = index
+                    else if (row.enabled) { adjustDir = 1; row.activate() }
                 })
             }
             }
@@ -162,16 +214,41 @@ fun GamepadSettingsScreen(
                 .then(if (landscape) Modifier else Modifier.systemBarsPadding())
                 .padding(ConsoleLegendInset),
         ) {
+            // The legend follows the focused row (the desktop console's hints() does the same):
+            // a profile row doesn't adjust, it opens the pin picker, and the "No profiles yet"
+            // placeholder does nothing at all — advertising ↔/A on those would be a lie.
+            val focused = rows.getOrNull(focus)
             GamepadHintBar(
-                listOf(
-                    GamepadHint('↔', Color(0xFF9A93C7), "Adjust"),
-                    // Tappable too (touch escape hatch): Change cycles the focused row, Done leaves.
-                    PadGlyph.hint('A', "Change") { rows.getOrNull(focus)?.activate() },
-                    PadGlyph.hint('B', "Done", onClick = onBack),
-                ),
+                when {
+                    focused != null && !focused.enabled -> listOf(
+                        PadGlyph.hint('B', "Done", onClick = onBack),
+                    )
+                    focused != null && !focused.adjustable -> listOf(
+                        PadGlyph.hint('A', "Pin to hosts") { focused.activate() },
+                        PadGlyph.hint('B', "Done", onClick = onBack),
+                    )
+                    else -> listOf(
+                        GamepadHint('↔', Color(0xFF9A93C7), "Adjust"),
+                        // Tappable too (touch escape hatch): Change cycles the focused row, Done leaves.
+                        PadGlyph.hint('A', "Change") { rows.getOrNull(focus)?.activate() },
+                        PadGlyph.hint('B', "Done", onClick = onBack),
+                    )
+                },
                 hazeState = hazeState,
             )
         }
+
+        // The pin-to-hosts picker for the activated profile row — the console counterpart of the
+        // touch UI's per-profile pin toggles in the host edit sheet.
+        pinProfile?.let { p ->
+            GamepadPinHostsDialog(
+                profileName = p.name,
+                hosts = savedHosts,
+                pinned = { kh -> p.id in kh.pinnedProfileIds },
+                onToggle = { kh -> togglePin(kh, p) },
+                onDismiss = { pinProfile = null },
+            )
+        }
     }
 }
 
@@ -180,8 +257,13 @@ private fun SettingRowView(row: GpRow, focused: Boolean, adjustDir: Int, onClick
     val visuals = animateConsoleFocus(active = focused)
     val shape = RoundedCornerShape(14.dp)
     // The chevrons keep their layout slot and only fade, so the value never jumps sideways when
-    // focus arrives; the value colour cross-fades with them.
-    val chevronAlpha by animateFloatAsState(if (focused) 0.6f else 0f, tween(160), label = "chevrons")
+    // focus arrives; the value colour cross-fades with them. A non-adjustable row (a profile row
+    // navigates, the empty-catalog placeholder does nothing) never shows them at all.
+    val chevronAlpha by animateFloatAsState(
+        if (focused && row.adjustable) 0.6f else 0f,
+        tween(160),
+        label = "chevrons",
+    )
     val valueColor by animateColorAsState(
         Color.White.copy(alpha = if (focused) 1f else 0.6f),
         tween(160),
@@ -216,7 +298,9 @@ private fun SettingRowView(row: GpRow, focused: Boolean, adjustDir: Int, onClick
                     row.label,
                     style = MaterialTheme.typography.bodyLarge,
                     fontWeight = FontWeight.SemiBold,
-                    color = Color.White,
+                    // A disabled row (the "No profiles yet" placeholder) dims but stays focusable,
+                    // so its detail line can still explain what would go here.
+                    color = Color.White.copy(alpha = if (row.enabled) 1f else 0.45f),
                     maxLines = 1,
                 )
                 Spacer(Modifier.weight(1f))
@@ -270,7 +354,7 @@ private fun SettingRowView(row: GpRow, focused: Boolean, adjustDir: Int, onClick
 /** Build the console settings rows from the current [Settings], writing through [update].
  * [hasBodyVibrator] gates the "Rumble on this phone" row (absent on TVs); [av1Capable] gates the
  * AV1 codec entry (see `codecOptionsFor`). */
-private fun buildSettingsRows(
+internal fun buildSettingsRows(
     s: Settings,
     hasBodyVibrator: Boolean,
     av1Capable: Boolean,
@@ -278,13 +362,14 @@ private fun buildSettingsRows(
 ): List<GpRow> {
     fun <T> choice(
         id: String, header: String?, label: String, detail: String,
-        options: List<Pair<T, String>>, current: T, write: (T) -> Unit,
+        options: List<Pair<T, String>>, current: T, enabled: Boolean = true, write: (T) -> Unit,
     ): GpRow {
         val idx = options.indexOfFirst { it.first == current }
         return GpRow(
             id, header, label,
             value = options.getOrNull(idx)?.second ?: "—",
             detail = detail,
+            enabled = enabled,
             adjust = { delta ->
                 if (idx < 0) {
                     options.firstOrNull()?.let { write(it.first) } != null
@@ -301,11 +386,12 @@ private fun buildSettingsRows(
     }
     fun toggle(
         id: String, header: String?, label: String, detail: String,
-        value: Boolean, write: (Boolean) -> Unit,
+        value: Boolean, enabled: Boolean = true, write: (Boolean) -> Unit,
     ): GpRow = GpRow(
         id, header, label,
         value = if (value) "On" else "Off",
         detail = detail,
+        enabled = enabled,
         adjust = { delta -> val target = delta > 0; if (value != target) { write(target); true } else false },
         activate = { write(!value) },
         toggled = value,
@@ -408,11 +494,27 @@ private fun buildSettingsRows(
                 "so games don't see two of them.",
             s.gamepadForwarding,
         ) { update(s.copy(gamepadForwarding = it)) },
+        // Everything below the master switch follows it — dim and inert while nothing is being
+        // forwarded, the same relationship the touch settings draw with `enabled =`. This screen
+        // had the capability (`GpRow.enabled`) and used it only for the profiles placeholder, so
+        // the pad rows kept stepping settings that had nothing to act on.
         choice(
             "padType", null, "Controller type",
             "The virtual pad the host creates — Automatic matches this controller.",
-            GAMEPAD_OPTIONS, s.gamepad,
+            GAMEPAD_OPTIONS, s.gamepad, enabled = s.gamepadForwarding,
         ) { update(s.copy(gamepad = it)) },
+        choice(
+            "systemButtons", null, "Guide button",
+            "Where the guide (Xbox/PS) and share presses go while streaming — Automatic " +
+                "sends them to the host whenever this device delivers them.",
+            SYSTEM_BUTTON_OPTIONS, s.systemButtons, enabled = s.gamepadForwarding,
+        ) { update(s.copy(systemButtons = it)) },
+        choice(
+            "guideGesture", null, "Hold Select for guide",
+            "Hold Select alone to press the host's guide button — keep holding for a " +
+                "Gaming-Mode host's quick-access menu. A Select tap still goes through.",
+            GUIDE_GESTURE_OPTIONS, s.guideGesture, enabled = s.gamepadForwarding,
+        ) { update(s.copy(guideGesture = it)) },
     ) + listOfNotNull(
         if (hasBodyVibrator) {
             toggle(
@@ -431,7 +533,76 @@ private fun buildSettingsRows(
             "sc2", null, "Steam Controller 2 passthrough",
             "Capture a Steam Controller 2 (wired, Puck dongle, or paired Bluetooth) and stream " +
                 "it as-is — Steam on the host drives it like the physical pad.",
-            s.sc2Capture,
+            s.sc2Capture, enabled = s.gamepadForwarding,
         ) { update(s.copy(sc2Capture = it)) },
+        // The SC2 row's twin, and missing here until now: the touch settings have carried both
+        // side by side, so a couch user on a TV box — where there IS no touch interface to fall
+        // back to — could turn on SC2 passthrough but not the Sony one. Same no-vibrator-gate
+        // reasoning: this capture renders feedback on the CONTROLLER's motors, not this device's.
+        toggle(
+            "dsCapture", null, "DualSense / DualShock passthrough (USB)",
+            "Drive a USB-connected Sony pad directly — rumble on any phone, plus adaptive " +
+                "triggers, lightbar and gyro.",
+            s.dsCapture, enabled = s.gamepadForwarding,
+        ) { update(s.copy(dsCapture = it)) },
     )
 }
+
+/**
+ * The trailing Profiles section — the Android mirror of the desktop console's (design §5.2a, §5.4):
+ * one row per catalog profile, valued with how many saved hosts pin it, activating into the
+ * pin-to-hosts picker. Read-only beyond pinning: profiles are created and edited in the standard
+ * interface, so an empty catalog shows one dimmed placeholder explaining where they come from
+ * instead of a dead-looking empty header. On a TV that phrasing changes: "touch interface" points
+ * nowhere useful on a touchless device, so the strings name the actual route — the
+ * Controller-optimized UI toggle a few rows up, which swaps the standard interface in
+ * (d-pad-navigable; the profile editor lives there on every device, unlike tvOS where none exists).
+ */
+private fun buildProfileRows(
+    profiles: List<StreamProfile>,
+    savedHosts: List<KnownHost>,
+    tv: Boolean,
+    openPinPicker: (StreamProfile) -> Unit,
+): List<GpRow> {
+    val createHint = if (tv) {
+        "To create or edit profiles on this device, turn off Controller-optimized UI above " +
+            "and use the standard interface."
+    } else {
+        "Profiles are created and edited in the touch interface."
+    }
+    if (profiles.isEmpty()) {
+        return listOf(
+            GpRow(
+                id = "noProfiles",
+                header = "Profiles",
+                label = "No profiles yet",
+                value = "",
+                detail = "Profiles bundle stream settings for different uses — pinned ones become " +
+                    "one-press connect cards here. " + createHint,
+                adjust = { false },
+                activate = {},
+                adjustable = false,
+                enabled = false,
+            ),
+        )
+    }
+    return profiles.mapIndexed { i, p ->
+        // Counted straight off the host records, so it agrees with what the carousel renders.
+        val pins = savedHosts.count { p.id in it.pinnedProfileIds }
+        GpRow(
+            id = "profile:${p.id}",
+            header = if (i == 0) "Profiles" else null,
+            label = p.name,
+            value = when (pins) {
+                0 -> "Not pinned"
+                1 -> "Pinned to 1 host"
+                else -> "Pinned to $pins hosts"
+            },
+            detail = "Pin this profile to a host and it appears as its own card — one press " +
+                "connects with it. " + createHint,
+            adjust = { false },
+            activate = { openPinPicker(p) },
+            adjustable = false,
+        )
+    }
+}

clients/android/app/src/main/kotlin/io/unom/punktfunk/Profiles.kt

@@ -44,6 +44,8 @@ data class SettingsOverlay(
     val invertScroll: Boolean? = null,
     val gamepad: Int? = null,
     val gamepadForwarding: Boolean? = null,
+    val systemButtons: String? = null,
+    val guideGesture: String? = null,
     val statsVerbosity: StatsVerbosity? = null,
     /**
      * Android-only tier-P addition (design §3): the decode pipeline is a device fact everywhere
@@ -78,6 +80,8 @@ data class SettingsOverlay(
         invertScroll = invertScroll ?: base.invertScroll,
         gamepad = gamepad ?: base.gamepad,
         gamepadForwarding = gamepadForwarding ?: base.gamepadForwarding,
+        systemButtons = systemButtons ?: base.systemButtons,
+        guideGesture = guideGesture ?: base.guideGesture,
         statsVerbosity = statsVerbosity ?: base.statsVerbosity,
         lowLatencyMode = lowLatencyMode ?: base.lowLatencyMode,
         presentPriority = presentPriority ?: base.presentPriority,
@@ -115,6 +119,8 @@ data class SettingsOverlay(
         gamepadForwarding =
             if (after.gamepadForwarding != before.gamepadForwarding) after.gamepadForwarding
             else gamepadForwarding,
+        systemButtons = if (after.systemButtons != before.systemButtons) after.systemButtons else systemButtons,
+        guideGesture = if (after.guideGesture != before.guideGesture) after.guideGesture else guideGesture,
         statsVerbosity = if (after.statsVerbosity != before.statsVerbosity) after.statsVerbosity else statsVerbosity,
         lowLatencyMode = if (after.lowLatencyMode != before.lowLatencyMode) after.lowLatencyMode else lowLatencyMode,
         presentPriority = if (after.presentPriority != before.presentPriority) after.presentPriority else presentPriority,
@@ -142,6 +148,8 @@ data class SettingsOverlay(
         "invert_scroll" -> copy(invertScroll = null)
         "gamepad" -> copy(gamepad = null)
         "gamepad_forwarding" -> copy(gamepadForwarding = null)
+        "system_buttons" -> copy(systemButtons = null)
+        "guide_gesture" -> copy(guideGesture = null)
         "stats_verbosity" -> copy(statsVerbosity = null)
         "low_latency_mode" -> copy(lowLatencyMode = null)
         "present_priority" -> copy(presentPriority = null)
@@ -166,6 +174,8 @@ data class SettingsOverlay(
         if (invertScroll != null) add("invert_scroll")
         if (gamepad != null) add("gamepad")
         if (gamepadForwarding != null) add("gamepad_forwarding")
+        if (systemButtons != null) add("system_buttons")
+        if (guideGesture != null) add("guide_gesture")
         if (statsVerbosity != null) add("stats_verbosity")
         if (lowLatencyMode != null) add("low_latency_mode")
         if (presentPriority != null) add("present_priority")
@@ -198,6 +208,8 @@ data class SettingsOverlay(
         invertScroll?.let { j.put("invert_scroll", it) }
         gamepad?.let { j.put("gamepad", it) }
         gamepadForwarding?.let { j.put("gamepad_forwarding", it) }
+        systemButtons?.let { j.put("system_buttons", it) }
+        guideGesture?.let { j.put("guide_gesture", it) }
         statsVerbosity?.let { j.put("stats_verbosity", it.name) }
         lowLatencyMode?.let { j.put("low_latency_mode", it) }
         presentPriority?.let { j.put("present_priority", it) }
@@ -214,6 +226,7 @@ data class SettingsOverlay(
             "width", "height", "refresh_hz", "bitrate_kbps", "render_scale", "codec",
             "hdr_enabled", "compositor", "audio_channels", "mic_enabled", "echo_cancel",
             "touch_mode", "mouse_mode", "invert_scroll", "gamepad", "gamepad_forwarding",
+            "system_buttons", "guide_gesture",
             "stats_verbosity",
             "low_latency_mode", "present_priority", "smooth_buffer",
         )
@@ -237,6 +250,8 @@ data class SettingsOverlay(
             invertScroll = j.optBooleanOrNull("invert_scroll"),
             gamepad = j.optIntOrNull("gamepad"),
             gamepadForwarding = j.optBooleanOrNull("gamepad_forwarding"),
+            systemButtons = j.optStringOrNull("system_buttons"),
+            guideGesture = j.optStringOrNull("guide_gesture"),
             statsVerbosity = j.optStringOrNull("stats_verbosity")
                 ?.let { n -> StatsVerbosity.entries.firstOrNull { it.name == n } },
             lowLatencyMode = j.optBooleanOrNull("low_latency_mode"),

clients/android/app/src/main/kotlin/io/unom/punktfunk/Settings.kt

@@ -45,6 +45,20 @@ data class Settings(
      * bind — which is why it gates the USB capture paths, not just the wire sends.
      */
     val gamepadForwarding: Boolean = true,
+    /**
+     * Where the guide (Xbox/PS) and misc/share presses land while streaming — the
+     * cross-client `system_buttons` key: `"auto"` (forward on Android — the press reaches
+     * the app on most devices) | `"forward"` | `"local"`.
+     */
+    val systemButtons: String = "auto",
+    /**
+     * The hold-Select guide gesture — the cross-client `guide_gesture` key: `"auto"` (off
+     * on Android) | `"on"` | `"off"`. On: holding Select alone ≥350 ms sends the HOST's
+     * guide, down until release (long hold = the host's long-press → a Gaming-Mode host's
+     * QAM); a Select tap is delivered on release, slightly delayed. For devices whose
+     * shell intercepts the physical guide button.
+     */
+    val guideGesture: String = "auto",
     /** Requested audio channel count: 2 (stereo), 6 (5.1) or 8 (7.1). The host clamps to what it
      * can capture; the resolved count drives the decoder + AAudio layout. */
     val audioChannels: Int = 2,
@@ -228,6 +242,8 @@ class SettingsStore(context: Context) {
         compositor = prefs.getInt(K_COMPOSITOR, 0),
         gamepad = prefs.getInt(K_GAMEPAD, 0),
         gamepadForwarding = prefs.getBoolean(K_GAMEPAD_FORWARDING, true),
+        systemButtons = prefs.getString(K_SYSTEM_BUTTONS, "auto") ?: "auto",
+        guideGesture = prefs.getString(K_GUIDE_GESTURE, "auto") ?: "auto",
         audioChannels = prefs.getInt(K_AUDIO_CH, 2),
         codec = prefs.getString(K_CODEC, "auto") ?: "auto",
         micEnabled = prefs.getBoolean(K_MIC, false),
@@ -275,6 +291,8 @@ class SettingsStore(context: Context) {
             .putInt(K_COMPOSITOR, s.compositor)
             .putInt(K_GAMEPAD, s.gamepad)
             .putBoolean(K_GAMEPAD_FORWARDING, s.gamepadForwarding)
+            .putString(K_SYSTEM_BUTTONS, s.systemButtons)
+            .putString(K_GUIDE_GESTURE, s.guideGesture)
             .putInt(K_AUDIO_CH, s.audioChannels)
             .putString(K_CODEC, s.codec)
             .putBoolean(K_MIC, s.micEnabled)
@@ -305,6 +323,8 @@ class SettingsStore(context: Context) {
         const val K_COMPOSITOR = "compositor"
         const val K_GAMEPAD = "gamepad"
         const val K_GAMEPAD_FORWARDING = "gamepad_forwarding"
+        const val K_SYSTEM_BUTTONS = "system_buttons"
+        const val K_GUIDE_GESTURE = "guide_gesture"
         const val K_AUDIO_CH = "audio_channels"
         const val K_CODEC = "codec"
         const val K_MIC = "mic_enabled"
@@ -539,6 +559,15 @@ fun codecOptionsFor(stored: String, av1Capable: Boolean): List<Pair<String, Stri
         }
     }
 
+/** Resolved [Settings.systemButtons]: forward the raw guide/misc presses? Auto = forward on
+ * Android — the press reaches the app on most devices, and where the shell shows its own UI
+ * for it that's the shell's business. */
+fun Settings.systemButtonsForward(): Boolean = systemButtons != "local"
+
+/** Resolved [Settings.guideGesture]: auto = OFF on Android (the raw press already reaches the
+ * host); "on" is for devices whose shell intercepts the physical guide button. */
+fun Settings.guideGestureEnabled(): Boolean = guideGesture == "on"
+
 /** The [Settings.codec] string as a `quic::CODEC_*` preference byte (`0` = auto). H264=1, HEVC=2,
  * AV1=4, PyroWave=8 (never decodable here, but the byte is the shared contract). */
 fun Settings.preferredCodec(): Int = when (codec) {
@@ -621,3 +650,17 @@ val GAMEPAD_OPTIONS = listOf(
     io.unom.punktfunk.kit.Gamepad.PREF_DUALSHOCK4 to "DualShock 4",
     io.unom.punktfunk.kit.Gamepad.PREF_STEAMDECK to "Steam Deck",
 )
+
+/** (stored `system_buttons` value, label) — where the guide/share presses land while streaming. */
+val SYSTEM_BUTTON_OPTIONS = listOf(
+    "auto" to "Automatic",
+    "forward" to "Send to host",
+    "local" to "This device",
+)
+
+/** (stored `guide_gesture` value, label) — the hold-Select guide gesture. */
+val GUIDE_GESTURE_OPTIONS = listOf(
+    "auto" to "Automatic",
+    "on" to "On",
+    "off" to "Off",
+)

clients/android/app/src/main/kotlin/io/unom/punktfunk/SettingsScreen.kt

@@ -838,6 +838,25 @@ private fun ControllerSettings(s: Settings, update: (Settings) -> Unit, onOpenCo
             caption = "The virtual pad the host creates. Automatic matches your controller; " +
                 "every connected one is forwarded as its own player.",
         ) { g -> update(s.copy(gamepad = g)) }
+        SettingDropdown(
+            label = "Guide button",
+            options = SYSTEM_BUTTON_OPTIONS,
+            selected = s.systemButtons,
+            field = "system_buttons",
+            enabled = s.gamepadForwarding,
+            caption = "Where the guide (Xbox/PS) and share presses go while streaming. " +
+                "Automatic sends them to the host whenever this device delivers them.",
+        ) { v -> update(s.copy(systemButtons = v)) }
+        SettingDropdown(
+            label = "Hold Select for guide",
+            options = GUIDE_GESTURE_OPTIONS,
+            selected = s.guideGesture,
+            field = "guide_gesture",
+            enabled = s.gamepadForwarding,
+            caption = "Hold Select alone to press the host's guide button — keep holding for a " +
+                "Gaming-Mode host's quick-access menu. A Select tap still goes through, " +
+                "slightly delayed. For devices that intercept the real guide button.",
+        ) { v -> update(s.copy(guideGesture = v)) }
         DeviceScopeOnly {
             ClickableRow(
                 title = "Connected controllers",

clients/android/app/src/main/kotlin/io/unom/punktfunk/StreamScreen.kt

@@ -323,6 +323,7 @@ fun StreamScreen(session: ActiveSession, onDisconnect: () -> Unit) {
         // controller (Automatic). Built here, released on dispose.
         val router = GamepadRouter(
             context, handle, initialSettings.gamepad, initialSettings.gamepadForwarding,
+            initialSettings.systemButtonsForward(), initialSettings.guideGestureEnabled(),
         )
         activity?.gamepadRouter = router
         // Select+Start+L1+R1 chord leaves the stream — a deliberate quit (signal it so the host skips

clients/android/app/src/test/kotlin/io/unom/punktfunk/GamepadSettingsRowsTest.kt

@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+package io.unom.punktfunk
+
+import org.junit.Assert.assertEquals
+import org.junit.Assert.assertFalse
+import org.junit.Assert.assertNotNull
+import org.junit.Assert.assertNull
+import org.junit.Assert.assertTrue
+import org.junit.Test
+
+/**
+ * The controller-navigable settings rows: what the master forwarding switch governs, and that a
+ * governed row is inert rather than merely dim.
+ *
+ * The touch settings and the desktop console have carried this relationship for a while (`enabled =
+ * s.gamepadForwarding` / `RowSpec.enabled`); this screen dimmed nothing and stepped everything, so
+ * these tests pin both halves — the flag AND the refusal to write.
+ */
+class GamepadSettingsRowsTest {
+
+    /** Rows for a given forwarding state, capturing whatever a row writes back. */
+    private fun rows(
+        forwarding: Boolean,
+        sink: MutableList<Settings> = mutableListOf(),
+    ): List<GpRow> = buildSettingsRows(
+        Settings(gamepadForwarding = forwarding),
+        hasBodyVibrator = true,
+        av1Capable = true,
+    ) { sink += it }
+
+    private fun row(rows: List<GpRow>, id: String): GpRow =
+        rows.first { it.id == id }
+
+    /** Every row that only means something while a controller is actually being forwarded. */
+    private val governed = listOf("padType", "systemButtons", "guideGesture", "sc2", "dsCapture")
+
+    @Test
+    fun `forwarding off dims every row that depends on it`() {
+        val off = rows(forwarding = false)
+        for (id in governed) {
+            assertFalse("$id should be dimmed with forwarding off", row(off, id).enabled)
+        }
+        // The master switch itself stays live — otherwise it could never be turned back on.
+        assertTrue(row(off, "padForward").enabled)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `forwarding on leaves them all live`() {
+        val on = rows(forwarding = true)
+        for (id in governed) {
+            assertTrue("$id should be live with forwarding on", row(on, id).enabled)
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `a dimmed row is inert - liveRow withholds it and nothing is written`() {
+        val writes = mutableListOf<Settings>()
+        val off = rows(forwarding = false, sink = writes)
+        for (id in governed) {
+            val i = off.indexOfFirst { it.id == id }
+            assertNull("$id must not be reachable while dimmed", liveRow(off, i))
+            // What the screen actually does on left/right/A — the whole point is that it no-ops.
+            liveRow(off, i)?.adjust(1)
+            liveRow(off, i)?.adjust(-1)
+            liveRow(off, i)?.activate()
+        }
+        assertEquals("a dimmed row wrote a setting", emptyList<Settings>(), writes)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `the same rows do write once forwarding is on`() {
+        val writes = mutableListOf<Settings>()
+        val on = rows(forwarding = true, sink = writes)
+        val i = on.indexOfFirst { it.id == "sc2" }
+        assertNotNull(liveRow(on, i))
+        liveRow(on, i)?.activate()
+        assertEquals(1, writes.size)
+        assertFalse("activate flips the toggle", writes[0].sc2Capture)
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * R18: the Sony passthrough toggle the touch settings have always had. It matters most exactly
+     * where this screen is the only one reachable — a TV box has no touch interface to fall back to.
+     */
+    @Test
+    fun `the DualSense passthrough toggle is present, next to its SC2 twin`() {
+        val on = rows(forwarding = true)
+        val ids = on.map { it.id }
+        assertTrue("dsCapture row is missing", "dsCapture" in ids)
+        assertEquals(
+            "the two passthrough rows belong side by side",
+            ids.indexOf("sc2") + 1,
+            ids.indexOf("dsCapture"),
+        )
+        // Drawn as a switch, and reading the persisted default.
+        assertEquals(true, row(on, "dsCapture").toggled)
+    }
+}

clients/android/kit/src/main/kotlin/io/unom/punktfunk/kit/GamepadRouter.kt

@@ -50,12 +50,35 @@ class GamepadRouter(
      * capture links, which `StreamScreen` does not start at all while this is off.
      */
     private val forwarding: Boolean = true,
+    /**
+     * Forward raw guide/QAM presses (`Settings.systemButtons` resolved — auto = forward on
+     * Android, where the press reaches the app on most devices; `local` exists for
+     * cross-client profile parity with the Gaming-Mode clients). Off keeps them entirely
+     * with this device.
+     */
+    private val systemForward: Boolean = true,
+    /**
+     * The hold-Select guide gesture (`Settings.guideGesture` resolved — auto = off on
+     * Android): holding Select ALONE ≥ [GUIDE_HOLD_MS] sends the HOST's guide button, down
+     * until release — so a long hold is the host's long-press, a Gaming-Mode host's QAM. A
+     * Select tap is delivered on release (delayed by up to the threshold); a Select pressed
+     * while other buttons are down passes through untouched, so the exit/mic chords keep
+     * working. pf-client-core's `SelectGesture`, on the main-thread handler.
+     */
+    private val guideGesture: Boolean = false,
 ) {
 
     /** One forwarded controller: its stable wire pad index, per-device axis state, and held buttons. */
     private class Slot(val index: Int, val mapper: Gamepad.AxisMapper) {
         /** Forwarded button bits currently held (Gamepad.BTN_*) — for release-on-close + chord detection. */
         var held = 0
+
+        // Hold-Select→guide gesture state ([guideGesture]): the pending Select's hold
+        // timer / a delivered tap's owed release (both on the main handler), and whether
+        // the held Select was transformed into a synthetic guide.
+        var pendingGuide: Runnable? = null
+        var pendingTapUp: Runnable? = null
+        var selectAsGuide = false
     }
 
     /** deviceId → slot. Concurrent: the feedback poll threads read it via [deviceForPad]. */
@@ -139,7 +162,24 @@ class GamepadRouter(
      * the mic-mute chord ([MIC_CHORD]).
      */
     private fun slotButton(slot: Slot, bit: Int, down: Boolean, send: Boolean) {
+        // Raw system buttons stay local under the "local" policy — no wire send and no held
+        // tracking, symmetric on both edges so nothing leaks into the chords either.
+        if (!systemForward && (bit == Gamepad.BTN_GUIDE || bit == Gamepad.BTN_MISC1)) return
         if (down) {
+            if (guideGesture && send) {
+                // A Select pressed ALONE is held back until it resolves: a tap (delivered
+                // on release), a combo member (the next button flushes it as a real
+                // press), or — past GUIDE_HOLD_MS — a synthetic guide. Held state records
+                // it either way, so the exit/mic chords read as if the gesture didn't
+                // exist (Select+Y still fires the mic toggle: the flush sends Select's
+                // down before Y's).
+                if (bit == Gamepad.BTN_BACK && slot.held == 0) {
+                    slot.held = slot.held or bit
+                    armGuide(slot)
+                    return
+                }
+                flushPendingSelect(slot)
+            }
             if (send && forwarding) {
                 NativeBridge.nativeSendGamepadButton(handle, bit, true, slot.index)
             }
@@ -155,7 +195,8 @@ class GamepadRouter(
                 onMicChord?.invoke()
             }
         } else {
-            if (send && forwarding) {
+            val owned = guideGesture && bit == Gamepad.BTN_BACK && consumeSelectRelease(slot)
+            if (!owned && send && forwarding) {
                 NativeBridge.nativeSendGamepadButton(handle, bit, false, slot.index)
             }
             slot.held = slot.held and bit.inv()
@@ -167,6 +208,61 @@ class GamepadRouter(
         }
     }
 
+    /** Start a pending Select's hold countdown ([GUIDE_HOLD_MS] → a synthetic guide, down until release). */
+    private fun armGuide(slot: Slot) {
+        val r = Runnable {
+            slot.pendingGuide = null
+            slot.selectAsGuide = true
+            if (forwarding) {
+                NativeBridge.nativeSendGamepadButton(handle, Gamepad.BTN_GUIDE, true, slot.index)
+            }
+        }
+        slot.pendingGuide = r
+        mainHandler.postDelayed(r, GUIDE_HOLD_MS)
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * A second button joined while Select was pending — it was a real Select after all; its
+     * deferred down goes out before the caller sends the new button's, preserving chronology.
+     */
+    private fun flushPendingSelect(slot: Slot) {
+        val r = slot.pendingGuide ?: return
+        mainHandler.removeCallbacks(r)
+        slot.pendingGuide = null
+        if (forwarding) {
+            NativeBridge.nativeSendGamepadButton(handle, Gamepad.BTN_BACK, true, slot.index)
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Select released with gesture state outstanding — true when the gesture owned the
+     * release. A transformed hold lifts the synthetic guide; a pending tap delivers its
+     * held-back press now, with the release [TAP_PRESS_MS] behind it (a back-to-back pair
+     * can fold into nothing in the host's per-pad input fold).
+     */
+    private fun consumeSelectRelease(slot: Slot): Boolean {
+        if (slot.selectAsGuide) {
+            slot.selectAsGuide = false
+            if (forwarding) {
+                NativeBridge.nativeSendGamepadButton(handle, Gamepad.BTN_GUIDE, false, slot.index)
+            }
+            return true
+        }
+        val r = slot.pendingGuide ?: return false
+        mainHandler.removeCallbacks(r)
+        slot.pendingGuide = null
+        if (forwarding) {
+            NativeBridge.nativeSendGamepadButton(handle, Gamepad.BTN_BACK, true, slot.index)
+            val up = Runnable {
+                slot.pendingTapUp = null
+                NativeBridge.nativeSendGamepadButton(handle, Gamepad.BTN_BACK, false, slot.index)
+            }
+            slot.pendingTapUp = up
+            mainHandler.postDelayed(up, TAP_PRESS_MS)
+        }
+        return true
+    }
+
     /** Arm the exit-chord hold timer (once); on expiry, if the chord is still held, flush + leave. */
     private fun armExit() {
         if (pendingExit != null) return // already counting down
@@ -362,6 +458,24 @@ class GamepadRouter(
 
     /** Lift every held button + zero the axes/HAT dpad for [slot] (wire events only, all on its index). */
     private fun releaseHeld(slot: Slot) {
+        // Gesture first: a pending (never-sent) Select just drops its timer; an owed tap
+        // release goes out NOW (its down is already on the wire and the handle may not
+        // outlive this slot); a transformed guide — which is not in `held` — is lifted.
+        slot.pendingGuide?.let { mainHandler.removeCallbacks(it) }
+        slot.pendingGuide = null
+        slot.pendingTapUp?.let {
+            mainHandler.removeCallbacks(it)
+            slot.pendingTapUp = null
+            if (forwarding) {
+                NativeBridge.nativeSendGamepadButton(handle, Gamepad.BTN_BACK, false, slot.index)
+            }
+        }
+        if (slot.selectAsGuide) {
+            slot.selectAsGuide = false
+            if (forwarding) {
+                NativeBridge.nativeSendGamepadButton(handle, Gamepad.BTN_GUIDE, false, slot.index)
+            }
+        }
         var bits = slot.held
         while (bits != 0) {
             val bit = bits and -bits // lowest set bit
@@ -403,5 +517,14 @@ class GamepadRouter(
 
         /** Synthetic slot-key base for [ExternalPad]s — below every real (positive) InputDevice id. */
         const val EXTERNAL_ID_BASE = -1000
+
+        /** pf-client-core's `GUIDE_HOLD`: hold Select alone this long → the host's guide goes down. */
+        const val GUIDE_HOLD_MS = 350L
+
+        /**
+         * pf-client-core's `TAP_PRESS`: a held-back Select tap's release trails its press by
+         * this much, so the pair can't coalesce into no press at all.
+         */
+        const val TAP_PRESS_MS = 50L
     }
 }

clients/android/native/src/audio.rs

@@ -12,10 +12,14 @@
 //! realtime callback and makes us own the buffer. So this client diverges deliberately to stop the
 //! Android-only crackle: (1) the callback is allocation/free-free — decoded buffers are recycled to
 //! the producer via a free-list instead of being freed on the audio thread (Android's Scudo `free`
-//! has unbounded tail latency); (2) the jitter ring is deeper (~40 ms prime / ~150 ms hard cap) and
-//! decoupled from the tiny LowLatency burst size, with de-prime hysteresis so a transient drain
-//! doesn't manufacture a silence; (3) the AAudio HW buffer is primed above its 2-burst default and
-//! grown on XRuns (Google's anti-glitch technique).
+//! has unbounded tail latency); (2) the jitter ring is deeper than the other clients' and decoupled
+//! from the tiny LowLatency burst size, with de-prime hysteresis so a transient drain doesn't
+//! manufacture a silence; (3) the AAudio HW buffer is primed above its 2-burst default and grown on
+//! XRuns (Google's anti-glitch technique).
+//!
+//! (2) is now the SHARED `punktfunk_core::audio::JitterPolicy` at `JitterTuning::AAUDIO`, which also
+//! fixed what this ring was missing: it had a hard cap but nothing that walked the depth back down,
+//! so drift and arrival bursts raised latency permanently and Android settled on its ceiling.
 
 use ndk::audio::{
     AudioCallbackResult, AudioContentType, AudioDirection, AudioFormat, AudioPerformanceMode,
@@ -34,26 +38,18 @@ const SAMPLE_RATE: i32 = 48_000;
 /// Decoded-chunk hand-off depth: 64 × 5 ms = 320 ms slack (matches the core's AUDIO_QUEUE).
 const RING_CHUNKS: usize = 64;
 
-// --- Jitter-ring depths, in MILLISECONDS (scaled to interleaved-f32 samples at runtime). --------
-// The channel count is negotiated, not a compile-time const, so these are kept in ms and multiplied
-// by `ms` (interleaved-f32 samples per millisecond at the resolved layout) inside `start`.
-// Unlike the Linux client (PipeWire adaptively rate-matches the stream to the graph clock, masking
-// host↔DAC drift + a shallow ring), AAudio hands us a raw callback and we own the buffer: drift and
-// WiFi power-save bunching land as underruns/overflows = crackle. So Android runs a deliberately
-// deeper, smoothly-managed ring than Linux — keep the two clients' depths intentionally divergent.
-/// Prime/target floor: fill to ~40 ms before playing (and after a sustained drain). Deep enough to
-/// ride out WiFi arrival jitter + clock drift; the dominant Android-only anti-crackle lever.
-const PRIME_FLOOR_MS: usize = 40;
-/// Ceiling for the burst-scaled target (so a large quantum can't push the prime depth too high).
-const PRIME_CEIL_MS: usize = 80;
-/// Drop-oldest headroom above the target before trimming — a ~80 ms band swallows an arrival burst
-/// without overflowing.
-const JITTER_HEADROOM_MS: usize = 80;
-/// Hard latency bound: never let the ring exceed ~150 ms (the only thing that caps added latency).
-const HARD_CAP_MS: usize = 150;
-/// Re-prime (go silent to refill) only after this many CONSECUTIVE empty callbacks, so one transient
-/// drain doesn't manufacture a fresh 40 ms silence (the old `if ring.is_empty()` re-primed instantly).
-const DEPRIME_AFTER_CALLBACKS: u32 = 5;
+// --- Jitter-ring depths now come from the SHARED policy (`punktfunk_core::audio::JitterTuning`). --
+// They used to be four Android-only constants here. The rationale for Android being DEEPER than the
+// other clients still holds and is preserved in `JitterTuning::AAUDIO`: unlike PipeWire, which
+// adaptively rate-matches the stream to the graph clock and masks host↔DAC drift, AAudio hands us a
+// raw callback and we own the buffer, so drift and Wi-Fi power-save bunching land as
+// underruns/overflows = crackle.
+//
+// Two things changed with the move. The prime floor drops 40 ms → 25 ms, because the policy GROWS
+// the target on the devices that actually underrun instead of every device pre-paying for the worst
+// one. And the ring finally sheds: it had a hard cap but nothing that walked the depth back down, so
+// any drift or burst raised latency permanently and Android converged on its 120 ms ceiling and
+// stayed there — the "audio latency is too high" report.
 /// Throttle the AAudio XRun-driven HW-buffer grow check (cheap, but no need to poll every quantum).
 const XRUN_CHECK_EVERY: u32 = 128;
 
@@ -104,6 +100,7 @@ struct Counters {
     pcm_written: AtomicU64,  // PCM frames copied out to AAudio (device clock is pulling)
     underruns: AtomicU64,    // callbacks that emitted silence (ring not primed / drained)
     ring_depth: AtomicU64,   // ring sample count at the last callback
+    target_ms: AtomicU64,    // the policy's LIVE target depth (it grows on this device's underruns)
 }
 
 /// Owned by [`crate::session::SessionHandle`]: the live AAudio stream + the decode thread.
@@ -126,10 +123,9 @@ impl AudioPlayback {
         // Interleaved f32 samples per millisecond at this layout (48 kHz × channels); the ms-
         // denominated jitter-ring depths scale by it.
         let ms = (SAMPLE_RATE as usize / 1000) * channels;
-        let prime_floor = PRIME_FLOOR_MS * ms;
-        let prime_ceil = PRIME_CEIL_MS * ms;
-        let jitter_headroom = JITTER_HEADROOM_MS * ms;
-        let hard_cap_max = HARD_CAP_MS * ms;
+        let tuning = punktfunk_core::audio::JitterTuning::AAUDIO;
+        // Worst transient the ring can hold before the policy trims it.
+        let hard_cap_max = tuning.hard_cap_ms as usize * ms;
         let counters = Arc::new(Counters::default());
 
         // One open attempt at a given sharing mode. Everything the realtime callback captures
@@ -157,8 +153,10 @@ impl AudioPlayback {
             // `decode_loop`.
             let mut ring: VecDeque<f32> =
                 VecDeque::with_capacity(hard_cap_max + RING_CHUNKS * 5 * ms);
-            let mut primed = false;
-            let mut empties: u32 = 0; // consecutive empty callbacks (de-prime hysteresis)
+            // Shared de-jitter policy — prime depth, drift correction, de-prime hysteresis. The
+            // hysteresis this replaces was Android-only; Linux and Windows carried the instant
+            // `if ring.is_empty()` re-prime until now.
+            let mut policy = punktfunk_core::audio::JitterPolicy::new(tuning, channels as u8);
             let mut cb_count: u32 = 0; // callbacks since open (throttles the XRun grow check)
             let mut last_xrun: i32 = 0; // last AAudio XRun count we grew the buffer for
             let callback = move |s: &AudioStream, data: *mut c_void, num_frames: i32| {
@@ -173,21 +171,25 @@ impl AudioPlayback {
                     ring.extend(chunk.drain(..));
                     let _ = free_tx.try_send(chunk);
                 }
-                // Jitter buffer: prime to ~40 ms (prime_floor) before playing and after a sustained
-                // drain; drop-oldest only above a wide ~120 ms band. Decoupled from the AAudio burst
-                // `want` (tiny on the LowLatency MMAP path) so the depth doesn't collapse to a single
-                // quantum.
-                let target = (3 * want).clamp(prime_floor, prime_ceil);
-                let hard_cap = (target + jitter_headroom).min(hard_cap_max);
-                while ring.len() > hard_cap {
-                    ring.pop_front();
+                // Jitter buffer: the shared policy decides prime/silence, trims a burst, and —
+                // new here — sheds ONE crossfaded 5 ms frame when the depth average has sat above
+                // target long enough to be drift rather than jitter. Without that shed this ring
+                // had no way back down: it clamped at 120 ms and stayed pinned there.
+                let step = policy.step(ring.len(), want);
+                if step.drop_front > 0 {
+                    punktfunk_core::audio::crossfade_drop(
+                        &mut ring,
+                        step.drop_front,
+                        step.crossfade,
+                    );
                 }
-                if !primed && ring.len() >= target {
-                    primed = true;
-                }
-                if primed {
+                let mut ran_short = false;
+                if !step.silence {
                     for slot in out.iter_mut() {
-                        *slot = ring.pop_front().unwrap_or(0.0);
+                        *slot = ring.pop_front().unwrap_or_else(|| {
+                            ran_short = true;
+                            0.0
+                        });
                     }
                     cb_counters
                         .pcm_written
@@ -196,20 +198,15 @@ impl AudioPlayback {
                     out.fill(0.0);
                     cb_counters.underruns.fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed);
                 }
-                // Re-prime only after a RUN of empty callbacks, not a single transient one —
-                // otherwise every momentary drain costs a fresh 40 ms silence (the old behaviour,
-                // self-inflicted crackle on any jitter spike).
-                if ring.is_empty() {
-                    empties += 1;
-                    if empties >= DEPRIME_AFTER_CALLBACKS {
-                        primed = false;
-                    }
-                } else {
-                    empties = 0;
-                }
+                // No-op while un-primed, so a deliberate priming silence is never counted as an
+                // underrun (which would otherwise drive the adaptive floor up for no reason).
+                policy.note_read(ran_short);
                 cb_counters
                     .ring_depth
                     .store(ring.len() as u64, Ordering::Relaxed);
+                cb_counters
+                    .target_ms
+                    .store(policy.target_ms() as u64, Ordering::Relaxed);
                 // Google's AAudio anti-glitch technique: when the device reports new XRuns, grow the
                 // HW buffer by one burst (up to capacity). getXRunCount + setBufferSizeInFrames are
                 // both callback-safe / non-blocking, and set clamps to capacity so it self-limits.
@@ -408,10 +405,11 @@ fn decode_loop(
                         }
                         if count % 600 == 0 {
                             log::info!(
-                                "audio: opus={count} pcm_frames={} underruns={} ring={} peak={window_peak:.3}",
+                                "audio: opus={count} pcm_frames={} underruns={} buffer_ms={} target_ms={} peak={window_peak:.3}",
                                 counters.pcm_written.load(Ordering::Relaxed),
                                 counters.underruns.load(Ordering::Relaxed),
-                                counters.ring_depth.load(Ordering::Relaxed),
+                                counters.ring_depth.load(Ordering::Relaxed) / ms.max(1) as u64,
+                                counters.target_ms.load(Ordering::Relaxed),
                             );
                             window_peak = 0.0;
                         }

clients/apple/README.md

@@ -121,7 +121,11 @@ PUNKTFUNK_AUTOCONNECT=<box-ip> PUNKTFUNK_MODE=1280x720x60 swift run PunktfunkCli
   host's virtual pad.
 - **App Store screenshots** are automated — `tools/screenshots.sh all` renders the real UI at the
   required pixel sizes via a DEBUG-only shot mode; the `apple` CI workflow captures the iOS sizes on
-  every main push. See the script header for details.
+  every main push. See the script header for details. The script's `SCENES` array is the listing
+  set, in listing order; override it (`SCENES="06-gamepad-home 10-edithost" tools/screenshots.sh ios`)
+  to capture any of the other scenes in `ShotScenes.all`. Mock data — hosts, adverts, profiles — is
+  seeded in `ShotMock` so a capture is byte-for-byte deterministic and never browses the real LAN
+  (a stranger's hostname reached the live listing that way once).
 - Deeper design notes live in the internal planning repo (punktfunk-planning:
   `apple-stage2-presenter.md`).
 

clients/apple/Sources/PunktfunkClient/Home/GamepadHomeView.swift

@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ struct GamepadHomeView: View {
         // fullScreenCover, so they become generously sized sheets over the dimmed launcher.
         #if os(macOS)
         .sheet(isPresented: $showSettings) {
-            GamepadSettingsView()
+            GamepadSettingsView(store: store)
                 .frame(width: 720, height: 640)
         }
         .sheet(isPresented: $showAddHost) {
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ struct GamepadHomeView: View {
         }
         .frame(minWidth: 640, minHeight: 420)
         #else
-        .fullScreenCover(isPresented: $showSettings) { GamepadSettingsView() }
+        .fullScreenCover(isPresented: $showSettings) { GamepadSettingsView(store: store) }
         .fullScreenCover(isPresented: $showAddHost) {
             GamepadAddHostView { store.add($0) }
         }
@@ -176,18 +176,33 @@ struct GamepadHomeView: View {
     // MARK: - Chrome
 
     private var titleBar: some View {
-        Text("Select a Host")
-            .font(.geist(gamepadTitleSize(compact: compact), .bold, relativeTo: .title))
-            .foregroundStyle(.white)
-            .frame(maxWidth: .infinity)
-            .overlay(alignment: .trailing) {
-                // Which pad is driving this UI (name + battery) — quiet, and only where there's
-                // room; a compact-height phone gives the pixels to the carousel instead.
-                if !compact, let active = gamepads.active {
-                    ControllerStatusChip(controller: active)
-                        .padding(.trailing, 20)
-                }
-            }
+        // The chip used to be a trailing `.overlay`, which reserves no width: on a portrait phone
+        // it sat directly on top of the centred title ("Select a Host" ran straight into the pad
+        // name). Laying it out as a row with a hidden mirror on the leading side keeps the title
+        // optically centred AND clear of the chip at every width; the title shrinks a little
+        // before it would ever truncate.
+        HStack(spacing: 12) {
+            statusChip(hidden: true)
+            Text("Select a Host")
+                .font(.geist(gamepadTitleSize(compact: compact), .bold, relativeTo: .title))
+                .foregroundStyle(.white)
+                .lineLimit(1)
+                .minimumScaleFactor(0.75)
+                .frame(maxWidth: .infinity)
+            statusChip(hidden: false)
+        }
+        .padding(.horizontal, 20)
+    }
+
+    /// Which pad is driving this UI (name + battery) — quiet, and only where there's room; a
+    /// compact-height phone gives the pixels to the carousel instead. `hidden` renders the same
+    /// chip purely as a width reserve.
+    @ViewBuilder private func statusChip(hidden: Bool) -> some View {
+        if !compact, let active = gamepads.active {
+            ControllerStatusChip(controller: active)
+                .opacity(hidden ? 0 : 1)
+                .accessibilityHidden(hidden)
+        }
     }
 
     private var cardSpacing: CGFloat {

clients/apple/Sources/PunktfunkClient/Screenshots/ScreenshotHost.swift

@@ -24,6 +24,13 @@ import ImageIO
 
 @MainActor
 enum ScreenshotMode {
+    /// This process was launched to capture a screenshot. Cheap enough to consult from the
+    /// stores' persistence paths (`HostStore` / `ProfileStore`), which must NOT write their
+    /// mock contents back into a real user's App Group when the harness runs on a dev Mac.
+    static var isActive: Bool {
+        !(ProcessInfo.processInfo.environment["PUNKTFUNK_SHOT_SCENE"] ?? "").isEmpty
+    }
+
     /// The scene requested via PUNKTFUNK_SHOT_SCENE, or nil for a normal launch.
     static var requestedScene: ShotScene? {
         let name = ProcessInfo.processInfo.environment["PUNKTFUNK_SHOT_SCENE"] ?? ""
@@ -41,8 +48,11 @@ struct ScreenshotHostView: View {
         scene.make()
             .environment(\.colorScheme, scene.colorScheme)
             .frame(maxWidth: .infinity, maxHeight: .infinity)
-            .background(Color.black)
-            .ignoresSafeArea()
+            // Black fills the display, but the SCENE keeps its safe area. Ignoring it wholesale
+            // here pushed the stream hero's HUD under the Dynamic Island (the resolution/bitrate
+            // line was unreadable in every 6.9" capture); scenes that genuinely want full bleed —
+            // the streamed frame itself — ignore it themselves.
+            .background(Color.black.ignoresSafeArea())
             #if os(macOS)
             .background(MacShotWindowConfigurator(scene: scene))
             #elseif os(iOS)
@@ -129,18 +139,64 @@ enum MacSelfCapture {
 #endif
 
 #if os(iOS)
-/// Best-effort orientation lock for the requested scene (landscape for the stream hero, portrait
-/// for chrome). Requires the app to allow those orientations in Info.plist.
+/// Orientation lock for the requested scene (landscape for the stream hero, portrait for chrome).
+/// Requires the app to allow those orientations in Info.plist — it does, for both.
 private struct IOSOrientationConfigurator: UIViewControllerRepresentable {
     let orientation: ShotOrientation
 
-    func makeUIViewController(context: Context) -> UIViewController { UIViewController() }
+    func makeUIViewController(context: Context) -> ShotOrientationController {
+        ShotOrientationController(mask: mask)
+    }
 
-    func updateUIViewController(_ vc: UIViewController, context: Context) {
-        guard let scene = vc.view.window?.windowScene else { return }
-        let mask: UIInterfaceOrientationMask = orientation == .landscape ? .landscapeRight : .portrait
-        scene.requestGeometryUpdate(.iOS(interfaceOrientations: mask))
-        vc.setNeedsUpdateOfSupportedInterfaceOrientations()
+    func updateUIViewController(_ vc: ShotOrientationController, context: Context) {
+        vc.mask = mask
+        vc.applyGeometry()
+    }
+
+    private var mask: UIInterfaceOrientationMask {
+        orientation == .landscape ? .landscapeRight : .portrait
+    }
+}
+
+/// Asks the window scene to rotate, from a place where there IS a window.
+///
+/// The previous version made the request inside `updateUIViewController`, where `view.window` is
+/// still nil: SwiftUI makes exactly one update pass for a representable mounted as a `.background`,
+/// before the hierarchy is in a window, so the `guard` fell through and nothing ever asked again.
+/// Every scene declared `.landscape` — the stream hero and the trust card — was therefore captured
+/// in PORTRAIT at the portrait App Store size. Overriding `supportedInterfaceOrientations` as well
+/// keeps the scene from rotating back if the simulator reports a device orientation change.
+final class ShotOrientationController: UIViewController {
+    var mask: UIInterfaceOrientationMask
+
+    init(mask: UIInterfaceOrientationMask) {
+        self.mask = mask
+        super.init(nibName: nil, bundle: nil)
+    }
+
+    @available(*, unavailable)
+    required init?(coder: NSCoder) { fatalError("not from a nib") }
+
+    override var supportedInterfaceOrientations: UIInterfaceOrientationMask { mask }
+
+    override func viewDidAppear(_ animated: Bool) {
+        super.viewDidAppear(animated)
+        applyGeometry()
+    }
+
+    func applyGeometry() {
+        // `view.window` once mounted; the connected-scene lookup covers the first update pass,
+        // which still runs before this controller is in a window.
+        let scene = view.window?.windowScene
+            ?? UIApplication.shared.connectedScenes.compactMap { $0 as? UIWindowScene }.first
+        guard let scene else { return }
+        // Report a refusal instead of silently shipping the wrong orientation — that is exactly
+        // how every landscape scene went out as a portrait PNG for as long as it did.
+        scene.requestGeometryUpdate(.iOS(interfaceOrientations: mask)) { error in
+            print("PF_SHOT_ORIENTATION_REFUSED \(error.localizedDescription)")
+            fflush(stdout)
+        }
+        setNeedsUpdateOfSupportedInterfaceOrientations()
     }
 }
 #endif

clients/apple/Sources/PunktfunkClient/Screenshots/ScreenshotScenes.swift

@@ -81,24 +81,126 @@ enum ShotScenes {
 
 @MainActor
 enum ShotMock {
-    /// A populated saved-host grid: a pinned recent host, a couple more, mixed online state.
+    // Stable ids so the store, the adverts and the profile bindings all point at the same things
+    // across every scene and every run.
+    static let battlestationID = UUID(uuidString: "5B0D1E00-0000-4000-8000-000000000001")!
+    static let livingRoomID = UUID(uuidString: "5B0D1E00-0000-4000-8000-000000000002")!
+    static let workshopID = UUID(uuidString: "5B0D1E00-0000-4000-8000-000000000003")!
+    static let officeID = UUID(uuidString: "5B0D1E00-0000-4000-8000-000000000004")!
+    static let editingID = UUID(uuidString: "5B0D1E00-0000-4000-8000-000000000005")!
+    static let bedroomID = UUID(uuidString: "5B0D1E00-0000-4000-8000-000000000006")!
+
+    static let hdrProfileID = "a71c4e0d9f22"
+    static let couchProfileID = "3e88b107c4da"
+
+    /// The catalog the host cards read their chips and pinned cards from. Seeded once, on the
+    /// first store build — `ProfileStore` is a singleton, and in shot mode its write-back is
+    /// suppressed, so this never reaches a real user's catalog.
+    static func installProfiles() {
+        guard !profilesInstalled else { return }
+        profilesInstalled = true
+        ProfileStore.shared.debugSet([
+            StreamProfile(name: "4K HDR", id: hdrProfileID, accent: "#8B7BF7"),
+            StreamProfile(name: "Couch 1080p", id: couchProfileID, accent: "#4FD1A5"),
+        ])
+    }
+
+    private static var profilesInstalled = false
+
+    /// A populated saved-host grid: the most-recent host bound to a profile (its chip), a second
+    /// paired machine, and one asleep box we hold a MAC for (so its card offers Wake-on-LAN). OS
+    /// chains give every tile its real vendor mark instead of a letter monogram.
+    ///
+    /// No PINNED host+profile card: it renders a second tile for the SAME host, which is the
+    /// feature working as designed but reads as a duplicate to anyone meeting the app in a store
+    /// listing. The binding chip carries the profile story on its own.
     static func hostStore() -> HostStore {
+        installProfiles()
         let store = HostStore()
         store.hosts = [
-            StoredHost(name: "Battlestation", address: "192.168.1.20", port: 9777,
-                       pinnedSHA256: fingerprint, lastConnected: Date().addingTimeInterval(-420)),
-            StoredHost(name: "Living Room PC", address: "192.168.1.41", port: 9777,
-                       pinnedSHA256: fingerprint),
-            StoredHost(name: "Workshop", address: "10.0.0.7", port: 9777),
+            StoredHost(
+                id: battlestationID, name: "Battlestation", address: "192.168.1.20", port: 9777,
+                pinnedSHA256: fingerprint, lastConnected: Date().addingTimeInterval(-420),
+                macAddresses: ["a4:b1:c2:d3:e4:f5"], profileID: hdrProfileID,
+                osChain: "windows/11"),
+            StoredHost(
+                id: livingRoomID, name: "Living Room PC", address: "192.168.1.41", port: 9777,
+                pinnedSHA256: hostFingerprint(1), lastConnected: Date().addingTimeInterval(-86_400),
+                macAddresses: ["b8:27:eb:11:22:33"], osChain: "linux/fedora/bazzite"),
+            StoredHost(
+                id: officeID, name: "Office NUC", address: "192.168.1.33", port: 9777,
+                pinnedSHA256: hostFingerprint(4), lastConnected: Date().addingTimeInterval(-259_200),
+                profileID: couchProfileID, osChain: "linux/ubuntu"),
+            StoredHost(
+                id: workshopID, name: "Workshop", address: "10.0.0.7", port: 9777,
+                pinnedSHA256: hostFingerprint(2), macAddresses: ["de:ad:be:ef:00:07"],
+                osChain: "linux/arch"),
+            StoredHost(
+                id: editingID, name: "Editing Rig", address: "192.168.1.62", port: 9777,
+                pinnedSHA256: hostFingerprint(5), lastConnected: Date().addingTimeInterval(-604_800),
+                osChain: "linux/nobara"),
+            StoredHost(
+                id: bedroomID, name: "Bedroom Mini", address: "192.168.1.77", port: 9777,
+                pinnedSHA256: hostFingerprint(6), macAddresses: ["00:1a:2b:3c:4d:5e"],
+                osChain: "windows/11"),
         ]
         return store
     }
 
-    static let host = StoredHost(name: "Battlestation", address: "192.168.1.20", port: 9777,
-                                 pinnedSHA256: fingerprint)
+    /// Discovery, seeded rather than live. Two saved hosts advertise (so their cards read ONLINE
+    /// through the real `advertises` path, and the reachability probe skips them — no network from
+    /// a capture), "Workshop" stays quiet so the grid shows an asleep machine, and one genuinely
+    /// new host populates the "On this network" section.
+    ///
+    /// A live browse made the shot non-deterministic AND leaked whatever was on the capturing
+    /// machine's LAN into the App Store listing.
+    static func discovery() -> HostDiscovery {
+        let discovery = HostDiscovery()
+        discovery.debugSet([
+            HostDiscovery.debugAdvert(
+                id: "battlestation", name: "Battlestation", host: "192.168.1.20",
+                fingerprintHex: fingerprint.hexLower, macAddresses: ["a4:b1:c2:d3:e4:f5"],
+                osChain: "windows/11"),
+            HostDiscovery.debugAdvert(
+                id: "living-room", name: "Living Room PC", host: "192.168.1.41",
+                fingerprintHex: hostFingerprint(1).hexLower, macAddresses: ["b8:27:eb:11:22:33"],
+                osChain: "linux/fedora/bazzite"),
+            HostDiscovery.debugAdvert(
+                id: "office-nuc", name: "Office NUC", host: "192.168.1.33",
+                fingerprintHex: hostFingerprint(4).hexLower, osChain: "linux/ubuntu"),
+            HostDiscovery.debugAdvert(
+                id: "studio", name: "Studio PC", host: "192.168.1.58",
+                fingerprintHex: hostFingerprint(3).hexLower, requiresPairing: true, allowsTofu: false,
+                osChain: "windows/11"),
+        ])
+        return discovery
+    }
+
+    static let host = StoredHost(
+        id: battlestationID, name: "Battlestation", address: "192.168.1.20", port: 9777,
+        pinnedSHA256: fingerprint, osChain: "windows/11")
+
+    /// What the pairing sheet calls THIS device. Taken from the platform, not from
+    /// `UIDevice.current.name` — on a capture simulator that is the harness's own throwaway name
+    /// (`pf-shot-iphone-6.9` went out on the store listing that way).
+    static var clientDeviceName: String {
+        #if os(tvOS)
+        "Apple TV"
+        #elseif os(macOS)
+        "MacBook Pro"
+        #else
+        UIDevice.current.userInterfaceIdiom == .pad ? "iPad Pro" : "iPhone"
+        #endif
+    }
 
     /// A plausible-looking 32-byte SHA-256 for the trust card / pin lock glyphs.
-    static let fingerprint = Data((0..<32).map { UInt8(($0 &* 37 &+ 0x1d) & 0xff) })
+    static let fingerprint = hostFingerprint(0)
+
+    /// Distinct per host — `StoredHost.matches` prefers a fingerprint comparison, so sharing one
+    /// across the mock grid made a single advert light up every card.
+    static func hostFingerprint(_ seed: Int) -> Data {
+        Data((0..<32).map { UInt8((($0 &* 37) &+ 0x1d &+ (seed &* 91)) & 0xff) })
+    }
 }
 
 // MARK: - Home
@@ -106,7 +208,7 @@ enum ShotMock {
 private struct ShotHome: View {
     @StateObject private var store = ShotMock.hostStore()
     @StateObject private var model = SessionModel()
-    @StateObject private var discovery = HostDiscovery()
+    @StateObject private var discovery = ShotMock.discovery()
 
     var body: some View {
         #if os(macOS)
@@ -134,7 +236,7 @@ private struct ShotHome: View {
 private struct ShotGamepadHome: View {
     @StateObject private var store = ShotMock.hostStore()
     @StateObject private var model = SessionModel()
-    @StateObject private var discovery = HostDiscovery()
+    @StateObject private var discovery = ShotMock.discovery()
     @StateObject private var waker = HostWaker()
 
     var body: some View {
@@ -146,7 +248,9 @@ private struct ShotGamepadHome: View {
 }
 
 private struct ShotGamepadSettings: View {
-    var body: some View { GamepadSettingsView() }
+    @StateObject private var store = ShotMock.hostStore()
+
+    var body: some View { GamepadSettingsView(store: store) }
 }
 
 private struct ShotGamepadAddHost: View {
@@ -164,7 +268,7 @@ private struct ShotConnect: View {
 
     @StateObject private var store = ShotMock.hostStore()
     @StateObject private var model = SessionModel()
-    @StateObject private var discovery = HostDiscovery()
+    @StateObject private var discovery = ShotMock.discovery()
     @StateObject private var waker = HostWaker()
 
     var body: some View {
@@ -241,9 +345,9 @@ private struct ShotSettings: View {
         #elseif os(iOS)
         // SettingsView owns its NavigationSplitView (sidebar + detail) and Done button, so it is
         // rendered directly — a wrapping NavigationStack would nest a split view in a stack. Open
-        // on General so the shot lands on real controls (iPad: sidebar + General detail; iPhone:
-        // the General page) instead of the bare category list.
-        SettingsView(initialCategory: .general)
+        // on Display rather than the bare category list: resolution, frame rate, bitrate, HDR and
+        // codec are what someone reads a streaming app's settings shot to find out.
+        SettingsView(initialCategory: .display)
         #else
         NavigationStack { SettingsView() }
         #endif
@@ -253,16 +357,44 @@ private struct ShotSettings: View {
 // MARK: - Pair (PIN ceremony)
 
 private struct ShotPair: View {
+    /// The PIN as the host's web console shows it, and a device name that doesn't depend on what
+    /// the capture simulator happens to be called.
+    private var sheet: some View {
+        PairSheet(
+            host: ShotMock.host, shotPIN: "418 306",
+            shotClientName: ShotMock.clientDeviceName, onPaired: { _ in })
+    }
+
     var body: some View {
+        #if os(iOS)
+        // PRESENT it, don't rebuild it. `PairSheet` is a bottom sheet on iOS — it carries its own
+        // `.presentationDetents([.medium, .large])` and the system's Liquid Glass background, both
+        // of which only exist inside a real `.sheet`. Composed into a ZStack instead (what this
+        // scene used to do), the detents were inert, the grouped Form stretched to the full height
+        // of the screen, and the capture was a thin strip of content over a huge black void.
+        ShotHome()
+            .sheet(isPresented: .constant(true)) {
+                // Pinned to one detent. The sheet ships `[.medium, .large]` so it can grow over
+                // the keyboard, and the resting height leaves a wide empty band between the form
+                // and the button row; a capture wants the snug version.
+                sheet.presentationDetents([.fraction(0.52)])
+            }
+        #elseif os(tvOS)
+        // tvOS pushes the ceremony as a full screen (HomeView's `navigationDestination`).
+        NavigationStack { sheet }
+        #else
+        // macOS: a fixed-width panel (`.frame(width: 400).fixedSize()`) that hugs its content, so
+        // floating it over the dimmed grid matches how the window-modal sheet reads. `screencapture
+        // -l<windowID>` grabs one window, and an AppKit sheet is a child window — a real `.sheet`
+        // would fall outside the capture.
         ZStack {
             ShotHome().blur(radius: 28).overlay(Color.black.opacity(0.5))
-            PairSheet(host: ShotMock.host, onPaired: { _ in })
-                .frame(maxWidth: 460)
+            sheet
                 .background(.regularMaterial, in: RoundedRectangle(cornerRadius: 18))
                 .clipShape(RoundedRectangle(cornerRadius: 18))
                 .shadow(radius: 40, y: 16)
-                .padding(40)
         }
+        #endif
     }
 }
 

clients/apple/Sources/PunktfunkClient/Session/SessionModel.swift

@@ -675,8 +675,13 @@ final class SessionModel: ObservableObject {
         // `gamepadForwarding` off means the host gets this device's pads from somewhere else
         // (USB passthrough, or a pad plugged into the host) — capture still runs, and still
         // watches for the escape chord, but puts nothing on the wire.
+        // System-button routing: whether raw guide/share presses ride the wire, and whether
+        // hold-Select arms as the alternate guide route (auto = on everywhere but macOS —
+        // iOS reserves the physical Home press, tvOS never delivers it).
         let capture = GamepadCapture(
-            connection: conn, manager: .shared, forwarding: settings.gamepadForwarding)
+            connection: conn, manager: .shared, forwarding: settings.gamepadForwarding,
+            systemForward: settings.systemButtonsForward,
+            guideGesture: settings.guideGestureEnabled)
         // The cross-client escape chord (hold L1+R1+Start+Select 1.5 s) — on tvOS the only
         // controller way out of a stream (B/Menu is swallowed during sessions; see ContentView).
         capture.onDisconnectRequest = { [weak self] in self?.disconnect() }

clients/apple/Sources/PunktfunkClient/Settings/GamepadSettingsView.swift

@@ -10,6 +10,14 @@
 // on stale captured state. Left/right CLAMPS at a choice list's ends (the dull boundary thud tells
 // the thumb it's the last option); A always cycles forward, wrapping, so every option is reachable
 // with one button. Toggles read left = off, right = on — refusing a no-op with the same thud.
+//
+// The trailing Profiles section (design/client-settings-profiles.md §5.2a/§5.4) is the pin manager
+// for this controller-first surface: a row per catalog profile opens the pin-to-hosts picker — an
+// in-place swap of the row list (B peels back, the "one layer" rule GamepadAddHostView set) with
+// one toggle row per saved host, writing `StoredHost.pinnedProfileIDs` via HostStore.setPinned.
+// Pins are presentation only: never the host's default binding, never the profile itself —
+// profiles are created and edited in the standard interface (and can't be on tvOS, whose
+// per-device catalog the detail strings are honest about).
 
 import PunktfunkKit
 import SwiftUI
@@ -21,12 +29,18 @@ import CoreHaptics
 
 struct GamepadSettingsView: View {
     @Environment(\.dismiss) private var dismiss
+    /// The saved-host store — the pin picker writes `setPinned` through it and the profile rows
+    /// count pins from its live hosts. Threaded in from GamepadHomeView like the home screen
+    /// itself (ContentView owns the instance).
+    @ObservedObject var store: HostStore
     @AppStorage(DefaultsKey.streamWidth) private var width = 1920
     @AppStorage(DefaultsKey.streamHeight) private var height = 1080
     @AppStorage(DefaultsKey.streamHz) private var hz = 60
     @AppStorage(DefaultsKey.compositor) private var compositor = 0
     @AppStorage(DefaultsKey.gamepadType) private var gamepadType = 0
     @AppStorage(DefaultsKey.gamepadForwarding) private var gamepadForwarding = true
+    @AppStorage(DefaultsKey.systemButtons) private var systemButtons = "auto"
+    @AppStorage(DefaultsKey.guideGesture) private var guideGesture = "auto"
     @AppStorage(DefaultsKey.bitrateKbps) private var bitrateKbps = 0
     @AppStorage(DefaultsKey.audioChannels) private var audioChannels = 2
     @AppStorage(DefaultsKey.hdrEnabled) private var hdrEnabled = true
@@ -52,6 +66,10 @@ struct GamepadSettingsView: View {
     @AppStorage(DefaultsKey.rumbleOnDevice) private var rumbleOnDevice = false
     #endif
     @ObservedObject private var gamepads = GamepadManager.shared
+    /// The profile catalog (ProfileStore.shared, like every other surface that reads it) — the
+    /// Profiles rows re-derive from it each render, so a rename/delete made in the standard
+    /// interface shows up live.
+    @ObservedObject private var profiles = ProfileStore.shared
 
     #if os(iOS)
     /// `.compact` in a landscape phone window — tighter chrome so more rows fit.
@@ -62,6 +80,9 @@ struct GamepadSettingsView: View {
     private let compact = false // no size classes on macOS; the sheet is sized generously
     #endif
     @State private var focusID: String?
+    /// The pin-to-hosts picker's profile — non-nil swaps the row list for one toggle row per
+    /// saved host (§5.2a); B (Menu on tvOS) peels back to the settings rows.
+    @State private var pinTarget: StreamProfile?
     /// The direction of the last value step (+1 right/forward, -1 left) — picks which edge the
     /// changed value slides in from, so the animation follows the user's motion.
     @State private var lastAdjustDelta = 1
@@ -72,7 +93,7 @@ struct GamepadSettingsView: View {
             focusID: $focusID,
             onAdjust: { row, delta in adjust(id: row.id, by: delta) },
             onActivate: { activate(id: $0.id) },
-            onBack: { dismiss() }
+            onBack: { back() }
         ) { row, focused in
             rowView(row, focused: focused)
                 .frame(maxWidth: GamepadFormMetrics.rowMaxWidth)
@@ -80,7 +101,7 @@ struct GamepadSettingsView: View {
         }
         .frame(maxWidth: .infinity)
         .safeAreaInset(edge: .top, spacing: 0) {
-            Text("Settings")
+            Text(title)
                 .font(.geist(gamepadTitleSize(compact: compact), .bold, relativeTo: .title))
                 .foregroundStyle(.white)
                 .padding(.top, gamepadTitleTopPadding(compact: compact))
@@ -96,11 +117,7 @@ struct GamepadSettingsView: View {
                     .foregroundStyle(.white.opacity(0.55))
                     .lineLimit(2, reservesSpace: true)
                     .animation(.smooth(duration: 0.2), value: focusID)
-                GamepadHintBar(hints: [
-                    .init(glyph: "arrow.left.and.right", text: "Adjust"),
-                    .init(glyph: buttonGlyph(\.buttonA, fallback: "a.circle"), text: "Change"),
-                    .init(glyph: buttonGlyph(\.buttonB, fallback: "b.circle"), text: "Done"),
-                ])
+                GamepadHintBar(hints: hints)
             }
             // Equal distance from the left and bottom edges for the legend pill (see GamepadHomeView).
             .padding(.leading, compact ? 12 : 18)
@@ -138,6 +155,48 @@ struct GamepadSettingsView: View {
         .accessibilityLabel("Close settings")
     }
 
+    /// "Settings", or "Pin “Work”" while the pin picker is up — the title is what says which
+    /// layer the row list currently is.
+    private var title: String {
+        pinTarget.map { "Pin “\($0.name)”" } ?? "Settings"
+    }
+
+    /// The legend follows the layer: value-editing hints on the settings rows, pin/unpin on the
+    /// picker — where B reads "Back" (it peels to the settings rows, GamepadAddHostView's "one
+    /// layer" rule), and a hostless picker has nothing to pin, so only Back remains.
+    private var hints: [GamepadHint] {
+        guard pinTarget != nil else {
+            // A dimmed row takes neither, so offering them would be the same lie the row itself
+            // used to tell — only Done remains, and the detail line says what to turn on first.
+            guard rows.first(where: { $0.id == focusID })?.enabled ?? true else {
+                return [.init(glyph: buttonGlyph(\.buttonB, fallback: "b.circle"), text: "Done")]
+            }
+            return [
+                .init(glyph: "arrow.left.and.right", text: "Adjust"),
+                .init(glyph: buttonGlyph(\.buttonA, fallback: "a.circle"), text: "Change"),
+                .init(glyph: buttonGlyph(\.buttonB, fallback: "b.circle"), text: "Done"),
+            ]
+        }
+        guard !store.hosts.isEmpty else {
+            return [.init(glyph: buttonGlyph(\.buttonB, fallback: "b.circle"), text: "Back")]
+        }
+        return [
+            .init(glyph: buttonGlyph(\.buttonA, fallback: "a.circle"), text: "Pin / Unpin"),
+            .init(glyph: buttonGlyph(\.buttonB, fallback: "b.circle"), text: "Back"),
+        ]
+    }
+
+    /// B peels one layer: the pin picker back to the settings rows — focus returning to the
+    /// profile row it came from — then the screen itself.
+    private func back() {
+        if let profile = pinTarget {
+            pinTarget = nil
+            focusID = "profile-\(profile.id)"
+        } else {
+            dismiss()
+        }
+    }
+
     // MARK: - Row rendering
 
     private func rowView(_ row: Row, focused: Bool) -> some View {
@@ -164,7 +223,8 @@ struct GamepadSettingsView: View {
                 HStack(spacing: 9) {
                     Image(systemName: "chevron.left")
                         .font(.system(size: m.chevronFont, weight: .semibold))
-                        .foregroundStyle(.white.opacity(focused ? 0.6 : 0))
+                        .foregroundStyle(
+                            .white.opacity(focused && row.adjustable && row.enabled ? 0.6 : 0))
                     // Keyed by the value so a change slides the new option in instead of
                     // hard-swapping the string — a QUIET horizontal slip following the user's
                     // motion (a right-step enters from the right), crossfading over ~14 pt.
@@ -185,9 +245,13 @@ struct GamepadSettingsView: View {
                     .animation(.smooth(duration: 0.22), value: row.value)
                     Image(systemName: "chevron.right")
                         .font(.system(size: m.chevronFont, weight: .semibold))
-                        .foregroundStyle(.white.opacity(focused ? 0.6 : 0))
+                        .foregroundStyle(
+                            .white.opacity(focused && row.adjustable && row.enabled ? 0.6 : 0))
                 }
             }
+            // Contents only — the glass and border below stay at full strength, so a dimmed row
+            // still reads as a row you can sit on (which you can: its detail is the point).
+            .opacity(row.enabled ? 1 : 0.45)
             .padding(.horizontal, m.rowHPad)
             .padding(.vertical, m.rowVPad)
             // Every row is Liquid Glass; the focused one takes a brand wash and reacts to press.
@@ -219,6 +283,16 @@ struct GamepadSettingsView: View {
         let value: String
         /// One-line explanation shown near the hint bar while this row is focused.
         let detail: String
+        /// Whether left/right means anything here — false hides the value's chevrons (the
+        /// Profiles rows navigate, and the placeholder rows do nothing at all).
+        var adjustable = true
+        /// Dimmed and inert when false: a row whose meaning depends on another setting that is
+        /// currently off. It stays in the list and stays FOCUSABLE — its `detail` is how the
+        /// user learns which switch to flip first, and a row that vanished mid-list would
+        /// shift everything under the cursor. Enforced centrally in `adjust(id:by:)` /
+        /// `activate(id:)`, not per closure, so no row builder can forget it.
+        /// (Android's `GpRow.enabled` and `pf-console-ui`'s `RowSpec.enabled` are the twins.)
+        var enabled = true
         /// Left/right step; returns whether the value actually changed (false ⇒ boundary thud).
         let adjust: (Int) -> Bool
         /// A — cycle forward (wrapping) / flip.
@@ -229,15 +303,20 @@ struct GamepadSettingsView: View {
     /// (never on state captured at wire time).
     private func adjust(id: String, by delta: Int) -> Bool {
         lastAdjustDelta = delta
-        return rows.first { $0.id == id }?.adjust(delta) ?? false
+        guard let row = rows.first(where: { $0.id == id }), row.enabled else { return false }
+        return row.adjust(delta)
     }
 
     private func activate(id: String) {
         lastAdjustDelta = 1 // A always cycles forward
-        rows.first { $0.id == id }?.activate()
+        guard let row = rows.first(where: { $0.id == id }), row.enabled else { return }
+        row.activate()
     }
 
     private var rows: [Row] {
+        // The pin picker replaces the whole list while it's up — same screen, one layer deeper,
+        // so the focus list's controller wiring (and the tvOS focus engine) carries over as is.
+        if let profile = pinTarget { return pinRows(for: profile) }
         let resolution = resolutionOptions
         let refresh = SettingsOptions.refreshRates(including: hz)
             .map { (label: "\($0) Hz", tag: $0) }
@@ -331,16 +410,36 @@ struct GamepadSettingsView: View {
                     + "controller already reaches the host another way — USB passthrough such "
                     + "as VirtualHere — so games don't see two of them.",
                 value: $gamepadForwarding),
+            // The four rows below only mean something while something is being forwarded, so
+            // they follow the switch above — the same relationship the touch settings draw with
+            // `.disabled(!effective.gamepadForwarding)`. This screen could not express it until
+            // `Row.enabled` existed, so it alone left them live and steppable.
             choiceRow(
                 id: "pad", icon: "gamecontroller", label: "Use controller",
                 detail: "Which pad is forwarded to the host, as player 1.",
-                options: controllers, current: gamepads.preferredID
+                options: controllers, current: gamepads.preferredID,
+                enabled: gamepadForwarding
             ) { gamepads.preferredID = $0 },
             choiceRow(
                 id: "padType", icon: "dpad", label: "Controller type",
                 detail: "The virtual pad the host creates — Automatic matches this controller.",
-                options: SettingsOptions.padTypes, current: gamepadType
+                options: SettingsOptions.padTypes, current: gamepadType,
+                enabled: gamepadForwarding
             ) { gamepadType = $0 },
+            choiceRow(
+                id: "systemButtons", icon: "house.circle", label: "Guide button",
+                detail: "Where the guide (Xbox/PS) and share presses go while streaming — "
+                    + "Automatic sends them to the host whenever this device delivers them.",
+                options: SettingsOptions.systemButtons, current: systemButtons,
+                enabled: gamepadForwarding
+            ) { systemButtons = $0 },
+            choiceRow(
+                id: "guideGesture", icon: "hand.point.up.left", label: "Hold Select for guide",
+                detail: "Hold Select alone to press the host's guide button — keep holding "
+                    + "for a Gaming-Mode host's quick-access menu. A tap still goes through.",
+                options: SettingsOptions.guideGestures, current: guideGesture,
+                enabled: gamepadForwarding
+            ) { guideGesture = $0 },
 
             choiceRow(
                 id: "hud", header: "Interface", icon: "chart.bar", label: "Statistics overlay",
@@ -394,7 +493,98 @@ struct GamepadSettingsView: View {
                 at: at + 1)
         }
         #endif
-        return list
+        return list + profileRows
+    }
+
+    // MARK: - Profiles (§5.2a)
+
+    /// The trailing Profiles section: one row per catalog profile, its value how many saved
+    /// hosts pin it, A opening the pin-to-hosts picker. Read-only beyond that — this surface
+    /// pins and unpins, but profiles are created and edited elsewhere (design §5.4), so
+    /// left/right is a boundary thud, not an editor.
+    private var profileRows: [Row] {
+        guard !profiles.profiles.isEmpty else {
+            return [Row(
+                id: "noProfiles", header: "Profiles", icon: "slider.horizontal.3",
+                label: "No profiles yet", value: "",
+                detail: emptyCatalogDetail,
+                adjustable: false,
+                adjust: { _ in false }, activate: {})]
+        }
+        return profiles.profiles.enumerated().map { i, profile in
+            let pins = store.hosts
+                .filter { ($0.pinnedProfileIDs ?? []).contains(profile.id) }.count
+            return Row(
+                id: "profile-\(profile.id)", header: i == 0 ? "Profiles" : nil,
+                icon: "slider.horizontal.3", label: profile.name,
+                value: pins == 0 ? "Not pinned" : "Pinned to \(pins) host\(pins == 1 ? "" : "s")",
+                detail: profileDetail,
+                adjustable: false,
+                adjust: { _ in false },
+                activate: {
+                    // Focus lands on the picker's first row — the focus list's reconcile
+                    // follows this id when the row set swaps underneath it.
+                    focusID = store.hosts.first.map { "pinHost-\($0.id.uuidString)" } ?? "noHosts"
+                    pinTarget = profile
+                })
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// The pin-to-hosts picker: one toggle row per SAVED host, sharing the settings rows'
+    /// toggle semantics (left = unpin, right = pin, A flips; asking for the state it's in is a
+    /// boundary thud). Writes ride `HostStore.setPinned` — pin appends, unpin removes — and
+    /// NEVER the host's default binding (`profileID`): a pin is presentation only (§5.2a).
+    private func pinRows(for profile: StreamProfile) -> [Row] {
+        guard !store.hosts.isEmpty else {
+            return [Row(
+                id: "noHosts", icon: "desktopcomputer", label: "No saved hosts yet",
+                value: "",
+                detail: "Pair with a host first, then pin this profile to it.",
+                adjustable: false,
+                adjust: { _ in false }, activate: {})]
+        }
+        return store.hosts.map { host in
+            let hostID = host.id
+            let pinned = (host.pinnedProfileIDs ?? []).contains(profile.id)
+            return Row(
+                id: "pinHost-\(hostID.uuidString)", icon: "desktopcomputer",
+                label: host.displayName,
+                value: pinned ? "Pinned" : "Off",
+                detail: "A pinned profile appears as its own card on the host — one press "
+                    + "connects with it.",
+                adjust: { delta in
+                    let target = delta > 0
+                    guard pinned != target else { return false }
+                    store.setPinned(hostID, profileID: profile.id, pinned: target)
+                    return true
+                },
+                activate: { store.setPinned(hostID, profileID: profile.id, pinned: !pinned) })
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// The profile rows' explainer. tvOS gets its own: the catalog is per-device (the App Group
+    /// suite — nothing syncs it) and tvOS has no profile editor at all (§5.4), so pointing a TV
+    /// user at a "standard interface" would promise profiles that can never arrive there.
+    private var profileDetail: String {
+        #if os(tvOS)
+        return "Pin this profile to a host and it appears as its own card on the home screen — "
+            + "one press connects with it."
+        #else
+        return "Pin this profile to a host and it appears as its own card — one press connects "
+            + "with it. Profiles are created and edited in Punktfunk's standard interface."
+        #endif
+    }
+
+    /// What the empty catalog's placeholder explains — again honest on tvOS, where profiles
+    /// cannot be created (on the device or anywhere that would reach its per-device catalog).
+    private var emptyCatalogDetail: String {
+        #if os(tvOS)
+        return "Profiles bundle stream settings for different uses. Creating them isn't "
+            + "available on Apple TV yet."
+        #else
+        return "Profiles bundle stream settings for different uses. Create them in Punktfunk's "
+            + "standard interface, then pin them here as one-press connect cards."
+        #endif
     }
 
     /// Resolution choices as "WxH" tags — the current size is inserted when it's a custom mode
@@ -420,13 +610,15 @@ struct GamepadSettingsView: View {
 
     private func choiceRow<T: Equatable>(
         id: String, header: String? = nil, icon: String, label: String, detail: String,
-        options: [(label: String, tag: T)], current: T, write: @escaping (T) -> Void
+        options: [(label: String, tag: T)], current: T, enabled: Bool = true,
+        write: @escaping (T) -> Void
     ) -> Row {
         let index = options.firstIndex { $0.tag == current }
         return Row(
             id: id, header: header, icon: icon, label: label,
             value: index.map { options[$0].label } ?? "—",
             detail: detail,
+            enabled: enabled,
             adjust: { delta in
                 // Unknown current value: snap to the first option on any step.
                 guard let index else {
@@ -447,12 +639,13 @@ struct GamepadSettingsView: View {
 
     private func toggleRow(
         id: String, header: String? = nil, icon: String, label: String, detail: String,
-        value: Binding<Bool>
+        value: Binding<Bool>, enabled: Bool = true
     ) -> Row {
         Row(
             id: id, header: header, icon: icon, label: label,
             value: value.wrappedValue ? "On" : "Off",
             detail: detail,
+            enabled: enabled,
             adjust: { delta in
                 // Directional semantics: left = off, right = on; a no-op reads as a boundary.
                 let target = delta > 0

clients/apple/Sources/PunktfunkClient/Settings/SettingsOptions.swift

@@ -34,6 +34,22 @@ enum SettingsOptions {
         ("DualShock 4", 4),
     ]
 
+    /// System-button routing (the cross-client `system_buttons` key): where the guide
+    /// (Xbox/PS) and share presses land while streaming. Auto = forward on Apple.
+    static let systemButtons: [(label: String, tag: String)] = [
+        ("Automatic", "auto"),
+        ("Send to host", "forward"),
+        ("This device", "local"),
+    ]
+
+    /// The hold-Select guide gesture (the cross-client `guide_gesture` key). Auto = on
+    /// everywhere but macOS.
+    static let guideGestures: [(label: String, tag: String)] = [
+        ("Automatic", "auto"),
+        ("On", "on"),
+        ("Off", "off"),
+    ]
+
     static let hudPlacements: [(label: String, tag: String)] =
         HUDPlacement.allCases.map { ($0.label, $0.rawValue) }
 

clients/apple/Sources/PunktfunkClient/Settings/SettingsView+Scope.swift

@@ -126,6 +126,14 @@ enum SettingsFields {
         .init(name: "gamepad_forwarding", key: DefaultsKey.gamepadForwarding,
               overlay: \.gamepadForwarding, effective: \.gamepadForwarding)
     }
+    static var systemButtons: SettingsField<String> {
+        .init(name: "system_buttons", key: DefaultsKey.systemButtons,
+              overlay: \.systemButtons, effective: \.systemButtons)
+    }
+    static var guideGesture: SettingsField<String> {
+        .init(name: "guide_gesture", key: DefaultsKey.guideGesture,
+              overlay: \.guideGesture, effective: \.guideGesture)
+    }
     static var statsVerbosity: SettingsField<String> {
         .init(name: "stats_verbosity", key: DefaultsKey.statsVerbosity,
               overlay: \.statsVerbosity, effective: \.statsVerbosity)

clients/apple/Sources/PunktfunkClient/Settings/SettingsView+Sections.swift

@@ -681,6 +681,29 @@ extension SettingsView {
                 }
                 .disabled(!effective.gamepadForwarding)
             }
+            described("Where the guide (Xbox/PS) and share presses go while streaming. "
+                + "Automatic sends them to the host whenever this device delivers them "
+                + "— the hold-Select gesture below reaches the host regardless.",
+                field: "system_buttons") {
+                Picker("Guide button", selection: scoped(SettingsFields.systemButtons)) {
+                    Text("Automatic").tag("auto")
+                    Text("Send to host").tag("forward")
+                    Text("This device").tag("local")
+                }
+                .disabled(!effective.gamepadForwarding)
+            }
+            described("Hold Select on its own to press the host's guide button — keep "
+                + "holding for a Gaming-Mode host's quick-access menu. A Select tap still "
+                + "goes through, slightly delayed. Automatic arms it wherever the real "
+                + "button can't reach the host (this device reserves it).",
+                field: "guide_gesture") {
+                Picker("Hold Select for guide", selection: scoped(SettingsFields.guideGesture)) {
+                    Text("Automatic").tag("auto")
+                    Text("On").tag("on")
+                    Text("Off").tag("off")
+                }
+                .disabled(!effective.gamepadForwarding)
+            }
             #if os(iOS)
             // iPhone only in practice: hidden where the device itself can't play haptics (iPad).
             if !inProfileScope, CHHapticEngine.capabilitiesForHardware().supportsHaptics {

clients/apple/Sources/PunktfunkClient/Stores/HostStore.swift

@@ -191,6 +191,12 @@ final class HostStore: ObservableObject {
 
 
     private func persist() {
+        #if DEBUG
+        // The screenshot harness fills a store with mock hosts (ShotMock) purely to render a
+        // scene. On a dev Mac that store is the SAME App-Group suite the real app reads, so
+        // persisting would replace the tester's saved hosts with "Battlestation" & co.
+        if ScreenshotMode.isActive { return }
+        #endif
         if let data = try? JSONEncoder().encode(hosts) {
             defaults.set(data, forKey: Self.key)
         }

clients/apple/Sources/PunktfunkClient/Stores/ProfileStore.swift

@@ -20,7 +20,14 @@ final class ProfileStore: ObservableObject {
     static let shared = ProfileStore()
 
     @Published private(set) var catalog: ProfileCatalog {
-        didSet { catalog.save() }
+        didSet {
+            #if DEBUG
+            // Shot mode seeds this SINGLETON with mock profiles to populate the host cards.
+            // Saving would write them into the tester's real catalog — see HostStore.persist().
+            if ScreenshotMode.isActive { return }
+            #endif
+            catalog.save()
+        }
     }
 
     var profiles: [StreamProfile] { catalog.profiles }
@@ -33,6 +40,14 @@ final class ProfileStore: ObservableObject {
         id.flatMap { catalog.profile(id: $0) }
     }
 
+    #if DEBUG
+    /// Shot-mode seed: replace the catalog outright so a capture shows a known set of profiles
+    /// rather than the tester's. Safe because `didSet` suppresses the write-back in shot mode.
+    func debugSet(_ profiles: [StreamProfile]) {
+        catalog = ProfileCatalog(profiles: profiles)
+    }
+    #endif
+
     /// This host's default profile, dangling ids dropped — a deleted profile resolves as "Default
     /// settings", never an error (§4.4).
     func binding(for host: StoredHost) -> StreamProfile? { catalog.binding(for: host) }

clients/apple/Sources/PunktfunkClient/Trust/PairSheet.swift

@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ struct PairSheet: View {
                         #endif
                     TextField(
                         "Client name", text: $clientName,
-                        prompt: Text("How the host lists this Mac"))
+                        prompt: Text(Self.clientNamePrompt))
                         #if os(tvOS)
                         .labelsHidden() // prefilled → tvOS floats the label off-center
                         #endif
@@ -184,6 +184,16 @@ struct PairSheet: View {
         #endif
     }
 
+    /// The field prompt names the device you are actually on — it said "this Mac" on every
+    /// platform, which on an iPhone is simply wrong.
+    private static var clientNamePrompt: String {
+        #if os(macOS)
+        "How the host lists this Mac"
+        #else
+        "How the host lists this device"
+        #endif
+    }
+
     private func runCeremony() {
         busy = true
         errorText = nil
@@ -229,3 +239,24 @@ struct PairSheet: View {
         }
     }
 }
+
+#if DEBUG
+extension PairSheet {
+    /// Screenshot-harness seed (`ShotScenes`). A capture of the untouched sheet shows an empty PIN
+    /// field, a DISABLED "Pair & Connect", and — because the client name defaults to the device's
+    /// own — whatever the capture simulator happens to be called (`pf-shot-iphone-6.9` reached App
+    /// Store Connect that way). Seeding both fields captures the ceremony as a user meets it,
+    /// mid-entry, with a live primary button.
+    ///
+    /// An extension so `PairSheet` keeps its memberwise initialiser, and THIS file so it can reach
+    /// the private state.
+    init(
+        host: StoredHost, shotPIN: String, shotClientName: String,
+        onPaired: @escaping (Data) -> Void
+    ) {
+        self.init(host: host, onPaired: onPaired)
+        _pin = State(initialValue: shotPIN)
+        _clientName = State(initialValue: shotClientName)
+    }
+}
+#endif

clients/apple/Sources/PunktfunkKit/Audio/AudioRing.swift

@@ -3,28 +3,66 @@ import os
 
 /// SPSC-ish jitter ring (interleaved float, `channels` per frame), drain thread → render
 /// callback. The unfair lock is held for microseconds; fine at render-callback rates. Priming:
-/// reads return silence until enough is buffered (at least `prefill`, and at least one
+/// reads return silence until enough is buffered (at least the target, and at least one
 /// packet more than the device's render quantum — large-buffer devices would otherwise
-/// chronically out-demand the prefill and oscillate prime → dropout → re-prime), and an
-/// underrun re-primes, concealing jitter as one short dip instead of sustained crackle.
+/// chronically out-demand the prefill and oscillate prime → dropout → re-prime).
 /// All counts stay whole frames (multiples of `channels`), so the interleave can never slip.
+///
+/// **Drift correction.** Both ends run at 48 kHz but on different crystals, so backlog from a
+/// network stall or plain host-vs-DAC skew never drains on its own: without correction one 300 ms
+/// hiccup leaves audio 300 ms behind video for the rest of the session. This used to be handled by
+/// a `highWater` shed that dropped a whole `2 × prefill` at once — its own comment called that "one
+/// audible blip". It is now the same two-stage scheme the Rust clients share
+/// (`punktfunk_core::audio::JitterPolicy`): a slow depth average that sits above target for a
+/// sustained window sheds ONE 5 ms frame with a crossfade, and the hard cap is only a backstop.
+/// Keep the constants here in step with `JitterTuning.COREAUDIO`.
 final class AudioRing: @unchecked Sendable {
+    /// Mirrors `JitterTuning::COREAUDIO` — see that type for the rationale.
+    private static let targetMS = 20
+    private static let headroomMS = 30
+    private static let hardCapMS = 90
+    private static let deprimeAfter = 4
+    /// The protocol's frame: the shed unit, and the slack added over a large device quantum.
+    private static let frameMS = 5
+    /// Depth average must exceed target by this before drift correction fires — the middle of the
+    /// headroom band, so the smooth shed always gets its chance BEFORE the hard cap trims.
+    private static let shedExcessMS = 15
+    /// …and must stay there for this much consumed audio. Long, because a shed is the only thing
+    /// here a listener could notice; it must never fire on a transient.
+    private static let shedSustainMS = 2_000
+    private static let crossfadeMS = 2
+    /// Time constant of the depth average.
+    private static let ewmaTauMS = 1_000
+
     private var buf: [Float]
     private var readIdx = 0
     private var writeIdx = 0
     private var primed = false
     private var renderQuantum = 0
-    private let prefill: Int
-    private let highWater: Int
+    private var emptyReads = 0
+    private var depthAvg: Double = 0
+    private var overRun = 0
+    /// Reported, not acted on: short reads that actually starved the callback, and smooth drift
+    /// corrections. A rising underrun count means the ring is being starved (network or CPU),
+    /// which is a different problem from the depth being wrong.
+    private var underrunCount = 0
+    private var shedCount = 0
     private let channels: Int
+    private let perMS: Int
     private let lock = OSAllocatedUnfairLock()
 
-    /// `capacity`/`prefill` in samples (interleaved — `channels` per frame, both whole frames).
-    init(capacity: Int, prefill: Int, channels: Int) {
+    /// `capacity` in samples (interleaved — `channels` per frame, a whole number of frames).
+    /// The de-jitter depth is the ring's own business (`targetMS`), not a caller's prefill.
+    init(capacity: Int, channels: Int) {
         buf = [Float](repeating: 0, count: capacity)
-        self.prefill = prefill
         self.channels = channels
-        highWater = prefill * 4
+        perMS = 48 * channels
+    }
+
+    /// Live target depth in interleaved samples, lifted so it can always serve one device quantum
+    /// plus a packet (a large-buffer device cannot sustain a target below its own quantum).
+    private var target: Int {
+        max(Self.targetMS * perMS, renderQuantum + Self.frameMS * perMS)
     }
 
     func write(_ samples: UnsafePointer<Float>, count: Int) {
@@ -42,12 +80,12 @@ final class AudioRing: @unchecked Sendable {
             buf[(writeIdx + i) % capacity] = samples[i]
         }
         writeIdx += count
-        // Latency clamp: both ends run at 48 kHz, so backlog from a network stall (or
-        // creeping host-vs-DAC clock skew) never drains on its own — without this, one
-        // 300 ms hiccup leaves audio 300 ms behind video for the rest of the session.
-        // Shedding down to 2× prefill costs one audible blip instead.
-        if writeIdx - readIdx > highWater {
-            readIdx = writeIdx - prefill * 2
+        // Backstop only: the smooth shed in `read` is what normally holds the depth down.
+        let cap = min(target + Self.headroomMS * perMS, Self.hardCapMS * perMS)
+        if writeIdx - readIdx > cap {
+            readIdx = writeIdx - cap
+            depthAvg = Double(cap)
+            overRun = 0
         }
     }
 
@@ -57,16 +95,37 @@ final class AudioRing: @unchecked Sendable {
         defer { lock.unlock() }
         renderQuantum = max(renderQuantum, count)
         let available = writeIdx - readIdx
+
+        // Depth average, weighted by the callback size so its time constant is independent of the
+        // device quantum.
+        let alpha = min(1.0, Double(count) / Double(Self.ewmaTauMS * perMS))
+        depthAvg += (Double(available) - depthAvg) * alpha
+
         if !primed {
-            // One 5 ms host packet (240 frames × channels) of slack beyond the device's demand.
-            if available >= max(prefill, renderQuantum + 240 * channels) {
+            if available >= target {
                 primed = true
+                emptyReads = 0
             } else {
                 for i in 0..<count { out[i] = 0 }
                 return
             }
         }
-        let n = min(available, count)
+
+        // Drift correction: shed exactly one frame, crossfaded, once the AVERAGE has sat above
+        // the threshold for the sustain window. Anything shorter is jitter and must be left alone.
+        if depthAvg > Double(target + Self.shedExcessMS * perMS) {
+            overRun += count
+            if overRun >= Self.shedSustainMS * perMS {
+                overRun = 0
+                shedOneFrame()
+                shedCount += 1
+                depthAvg = Double(writeIdx - readIdx)
+            }
+        } else {
+            overRun = 0
+        }
+
+        let n = min(writeIdx - readIdx, count)
         let capacity = buf.count
         for i in 0..<n {
             out[i] = buf[(readIdx + i) % capacity]
@@ -74,9 +133,63 @@ final class AudioRing: @unchecked Sendable {
         readIdx += n
         if n < count {
             for i in n..<count { out[i] = 0 }
-            primed = false // underrun — re-prime before resuming
+            // De-prime only after a RUN of short reads: a single transient drain must not
+            // manufacture a whole target's worth of fresh silence.
+            emptyReads += 1
+            underrunCount += 1
+            if emptyReads >= Self.deprimeAfter { primed = false }
+        } else {
+            emptyReads = 0
         }
     }
+
+    /// Drop one protocol frame from the front, linearly crossfading the seam so the correction is
+    /// inaudible rather than a click. Mirrors `punktfunk_core::audio::crossfade_drop`; caller holds
+    /// the lock.
+    private func shedOneFrame() {
+        let drop = Self.frameMS * perMS
+        let available = writeIdx - readIdx
+        guard available > drop else { return }
+        let fade = min(Self.crossfadeMS * perMS, min(drop, available - drop))
+        let capacity = buf.count
+        if fade > 0 {
+            // The tail of what we discard fades out into the head of what survives.
+            for i in 0..<fade {
+                let old = buf[(readIdx + drop - fade + i) % capacity]
+                let new = buf[(readIdx + drop + i) % capacity]
+                let t = Float(i + 1) / Float(fade + 1)
+                buf[(readIdx + drop + i) % capacity] = old * (1 - t) + new * t
+            }
+        }
+        readIdx += drop
+    }
+
+    /// Current buffered depth in milliseconds — for the stats overlay and the drain thread's
+    /// periodic log.
+    var bufferedMS: Int {
+        lock.lock()
+        defer { lock.unlock() }
+        return (writeIdx - readIdx) / max(perMS, 1)
+    }
+
+    /// One consistent snapshot of the ring's vitals, taken under a single lock so the numbers in
+    /// a log line describe the same instant. Mirrors what the three Rust clients report.
+    struct Stats {
+        let bufferedMS: Int
+        let targetMS: Int
+        let underruns: Int
+        let sheds: Int
+    }
+
+    var stats: Stats {
+        lock.lock()
+        defer { lock.unlock() }
+        return Stats(
+            bufferedMS: (writeIdx - readIdx) / max(perMS, 1),
+            targetMS: target / max(perMS, 1),
+            underruns: underrunCount,
+            sheds: shedCount)
+    }
 }
 
 /// CoreAudio channel layout for the canonical wire order FL FR FC LFE RL RR [SL SR]. nil for

clients/apple/Sources/PunktfunkKit/Audio/SessionAudio.swift

@@ -317,10 +317,10 @@ public final class SessionAudio {
         // Build the playback layout from the host-RESOLVED channel count (never the request):
         // 2 = stereo / 6 = 5.1 / 8 = 7.1, canonical wire order FL FR FC LFE RL RR SL SR.
         let channels = Int(connection.resolvedAudioChannels)
-        // 1 s interleaved capacity, ~20 ms prefill (four 5 ms host packets of jitter absorption
-        // before the first sample plays), both scaled by the channel count.
-        let ring = self.ring ?? AudioRing(
-            capacity: 48_000 * channels, prefill: 960 * channels, channels: channels)
+        // 1 s interleaved capacity, scaled by the channel count. The de-jitter depth itself is
+        // the ring's own business now (`AudioRing.targetMS`, mirroring `JitterTuning::COREAUDIO`)
+        // rather than a prefill passed in here.
+        let ring = self.ring ?? AudioRing(capacity: 48_000 * channels, channels: channels)
         self.ring = ring
 
         // Engine-native deinterleaved float; the render block deinterleaves from the ring. Surround
@@ -403,6 +403,7 @@ public final class SessionAudio {
         stateLock.unlock()
         let thread = Thread { [connection, flag, drainDone] in
             defer { drainDone.signal() }
+            var drained = 0
             // Decode happens IN-CORE (libopus multistream) — AudioToolbox's Opus path is
             // stereo-only — and is handed back as interleaved f32 PCM in wire channel order.
             // Per-iteration autorelease pool: no runloop on this thread (see Stage2Pipeline).
@@ -421,6 +422,17 @@ public final class SessionAudio {
                         ring.write(base, count: pcm.frameCount * pcm.channels)
                     }
                 }
+                // Periodic vitals (~10 s at the protocol's 5 ms frames). The other three clients
+                // log buffer depth and underruns; without this an Apple audio report — latency or
+                // dropout — arrives with no numbers at all, which is the position every platform
+                // was in before the 2026-08 audio work.
+                drained += 1
+                if drained % 2_000 == 0 {
+                    let s = ring.stats
+                    log.info(
+                        "audio: buffer_ms=\(s.bufferedMS) target_ms=\(s.targetMS) underruns=\(s.underruns) drift_sheds=\(s.sheds)"
+                    )
+                }
                 return true
                 }
             }

clients/apple/Sources/PunktfunkKit/Connection/HostDiscovery.swift

@@ -59,6 +59,9 @@ public final class HostDiscovery: ObservableObject {
 
     /// Start browsing `_punktfunk._udp`. Idempotent — a second call while live is a no-op.
     public func start() {
+        #if DEBUG
+        guard !debugPinned else { return } // a seeded advert set outranks the live LAN
+        #endif
         guard browser == nil else { return }
         let browser = NWBrowser(
             for: .bonjourWithTXTRecord(type: "_punktfunk._udp", domain: nil),
@@ -92,6 +95,35 @@ public final class HostDiscovery: ObservableObject {
         for conn in connections.values { conn.cancel() }
     }
 
+    #if DEBUG
+    /// A seeded advert set is in force — `start()` must not replace it with the live browse.
+    private var debugPinned = false
+
+    /// Screenshot/preview seam, the discovery counterpart to `HostWaker.debugSet`: publish a FIXED
+    /// set of adverts and keep browsing off. Without it a capture shows whatever happens to be on
+    /// the machine's LAN — the App Store screenshots shipped a stranger's hostname more than once —
+    /// and every mock host reads Offline because nothing advertises it.
+    public func debugSet(_ adverts: [DiscoveredHost]) {
+        stop()
+        debugPinned = true
+        hosts = adverts
+    }
+
+    /// Builds one advert. `DiscoveredHost`'s memberwise init is internal (a public struct's is), and
+    /// making it public would expose a wire-shaped model's construction to every consumer just to
+    /// serve the harness.
+    public static func debugAdvert(
+        id: String, name: String, host: String, port: UInt16 = 9777,
+        fingerprintHex: String? = nil, requiresPairing: Bool = false, allowsTofu: Bool = true,
+        macAddresses: [String] = [], osChain: String = ""
+    ) -> DiscoveredHost {
+        DiscoveredHost(
+            id: id, name: name, host: host, port: port, fingerprintHex: fingerprintHex,
+            requiresPairing: requiresPairing, allowsTofu: allowsTofu,
+            macAddresses: macAddresses, osChain: osChain)
+    }
+    #endif
+
     private func restart() {
         stop()
         start()

clients/apple/Sources/PunktfunkKit/Gamepad/GamepadCapture.swift

@@ -67,6 +67,17 @@ public final class GamepadCapture {
         var axes: [Int32] = [0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0]
         var fingerActive: [Bool] = [false, false]
         var lastMotionNs: UInt64 = 0
+        // Hold-Select→guide gesture state (pf-client-core's `SelectGesture`, adapted to
+        // this class's mask-diff model): a Select pressed ALONE is held out of the mask
+        // until it resolves into a tap (delivered on release) or — past `guideHold` — a
+        // synthetic guide, down until release.
+        var selectPending = false
+        var selectAsGuide = false
+        /// A delivered tap's release is owed (`tapTimer` scheduled) — its down went out
+        /// outside `buttons`, so `flush` must know to lift it.
+        var tapReleaseOwed = false
+        var gestureTimer: Timer?
+        var tapTimer: Timer?
         init(controller: GCController, pad: UInt32, pref: PunktfunkConnection.GamepadType) {
             self.controller = controller
             self.pad = pad
@@ -87,10 +98,29 @@ public final class GamepadCapture {
     /// `onDisconnectRequest`; the chord keeps forwarding to the host meanwhile (the user is
     /// leaving anyway). The desktop clients' quick-press step (leave fullscreen / release
     /// capture) has no Apple equivalent worth wiring — macOS has ⌃⌥⇧Q/D, touch has the HUD.
-    private static let escapeChord: UInt32 =
+    /// Internal rather than private only so `GamepadEscapeChordTests` can pin it against
+    /// `escapeChordElements` below — the two must not drift.
+    static let escapeChord: UInt32 =
         GamepadWire.leftShoulder | GamepadWire.rightShoulder | GamepadWire.start | GamepadWire.back
+    /// `escapeChord`'s four elements by GameController alias — the ONLY system gestures claimed
+    /// while forwarding is off (see `openSlot`). Kept beside the mask it mirrors: change one and
+    /// change the other, or the chord silently stops reaching us on tvOS. A test asserts the two
+    /// agree, because the failure is invisible until someone is stuck in a stream on an Apple TV.
+    static let escapeChordElements = [
+        GCInputLeftShoulder, GCInputRightShoulder, GCInputButtonMenu, GCInputButtonOptions,
+    ]
     /// pf-client-core's `DISCONNECT_HOLD` — the same 1.5 s on every client.
     private static let disconnectHold: TimeInterval = 1.5
+    /// pf-client-core's `GUIDE_HOLD`: hold Select alone this long → the HOST's guide goes
+    /// down (until release, so a long hold is the host's long-press — a Gaming-Mode
+    /// host's QAM). The gesture exists because iOS reserves the physical Home press (the
+    /// Game Overlay; sanctioned opt-out only via the user's iOS 27+ Home-button setting)
+    /// and tvOS never delivers it at all.
+    private static let guideHold: TimeInterval = 0.35
+    /// pf-client-core's `TAP_PRESS`: a held-back Select tap is delivered as a press with
+    /// its release this far behind — back-to-back transitions can fold into nothing in
+    /// the host's per-pad input fold.
+    private static let tapPress: TimeInterval = 0.05
     private var chordTimer: Timer?
     /// Fired ON MAIN once the escape chord has been held `disconnectHold` — the session owner
     /// disconnects. On tvOS this (plus the Siri Remote's hold-Back) is the ONLY way out of a
@@ -115,10 +145,23 @@ public final class GamepadCapture {
     /// "don't forward" is one fact in one place rather than a condition at twelve call sites.
     private var wire: PunktfunkConnection? { forwarding ? connection : nil }
 
-    public init(connection: PunktfunkConnection, manager: GamepadManager, forwarding: Bool = true) {
+    /// Forward the raw guide + share/QAM presses (`EffectiveSettings.systemButtonsForward`,
+    /// default true on Apple — where the OS shows its own overlay for them, that's the OS's
+    /// business; local mode exists for profile parity with the Gaming-Mode clients).
+    public let systemForward: Bool
+    /// The hold-Select guide gesture (`EffectiveSettings.guideGestureEnabled` — auto = on
+    /// everywhere but macOS). See `guideHold`.
+    public let guideGesture: Bool
+
+    public init(
+        connection: PunktfunkConnection, manager: GamepadManager, forwarding: Bool = true,
+        systemForward: Bool = true, guideGesture: Bool = false
+    ) {
         self.connection = connection
         self.manager = manager
         self.forwarding = forwarding
+        self.systemForward = systemForward
+        self.guideGesture = guideGesture
     }
 
     public func start() {
@@ -202,11 +245,28 @@ public final class GamepadCapture {
         // gesture attached the press is the system's, not the game's. During capture the remote
         // session IS the game: the share button must reach the host (e.g. Steam screenshots),
         // the PS button must open the host's Steam overlay. Restored to .enabled on close.
-        for element in c.physicalInputProfile.elements.values {
+        //
+        // With forwarding OFF none of that applies — no press reaches the host, so taking the
+        // user's screenshot gesture away buys nothing. NARROWED, not skipped: the escape chord
+        // is still read off this slot, and on tvOS it is the only controller way out of a
+        // stream, so the chord's own four elements keep their claim. (Menu especially: leave
+        // its gesture attached on tvOS and the press is the system's — the chord would never
+        // complete and the session would have no controller exit at all.)
+        let claimed = forwarding
+            ? Array(c.physicalInputProfile.elements.values)
+            : Self.escapeChordElements.compactMap { c.physicalInputProfile.elements[$0] }
+        for element in claimed {
             element.preferredSystemGestureState = .disabled
         }
         // The Home/PS button (→ guide; the host maps it to the DualSense PS / Xbox guide bit,
-        // BTN_MODE on the virtual xpad — the Steam-overlay button). Driven DIRECTLY from this
+        // BTN_MODE on the virtual xpad — the Steam-overlay button). On iOS 26 the OS opens its
+        // Game Overlay for this press regardless of the gesture claim below (the app is
+        // LSApplicationCategoryType=games, which enrolls it); the sanctioned per-controller
+        // opt-out is the USER's iOS 27+ Home-button setting. TODO(iOS 27 SDK): read
+        // `GCControllerHomeButtonSettingsManager` and surface a one-time
+        // `openControllerHomeButtonSettings(for:)` deep-link so users can hand the button to
+        // the stream — the class is Swift-only and 27.0+, so it needs the Xcode 27 SDK to
+        // even compile. Until then hold-Select is the reliable route. Driven DIRECTLY from this
         // handler's pressed value (not via buttonMask), because the legacy
         // `extendedGamepad.buttonHome` is unreliable/often nil even when the physical element
         // exists. On tvOS the element is absent (reserved) → nil, the whole block no-ops.
@@ -235,7 +295,11 @@ public final class GamepadCapture {
                 MainActor.assumeIsolated { if let self, let slot { self.touch(slot, finger: 1, x: x, y: y) } }
             }
         }
-        if let motion = c.motion {
+        // Motion is wire-only — `forwardMotion` has nothing to do with forwarding off, and no
+        // local feature reads it. Powering the IMU anyway costs the pad real battery (it streams
+        // gyro + accel continuously over Bluetooth, which is why `closeSlot` is careful to power
+        // it back down), so with nothing to forward we simply never turn it on.
+        if forwarding, let motion = c.motion {
             if motion.sensorsRequireManualActivation { motion.sensorsActive = true }
             motion.valueChangedHandler = { [weak self, weak slot] m in
                 MainActor.assumeIsolated { if let self, let slot { self.forwardMotion(slot, m) } }
@@ -289,7 +353,14 @@ public final class GamepadCapture {
         // as "changed" — otherwise the first stick/button move after a guide press would emit a
         // spurious guide-UP while the button is still physically held (and drop the bit from
         // `slot.buttons`, swallowing the real release too). `flush`/`allButtons` still release it.
-        let newButtons = Self.buttonMask(g) | (slot.buttons & GamepadWire.guide)
+        var raw = Self.buttonMask(g)
+        // Raw system buttons stay local when passthrough is off: misc1 (share/QAM) is
+        // masked here, guide is gated at its own handler.
+        if !systemForward { raw &= ~GamepadWire.misc1 }
+        // The hold-Select gesture rewrites the mask: a Select pressed alone is held out
+        // until it resolves (tap on release / synthetic guide past the threshold).
+        if guideGesture { raw = gestureFiltered(slot, raw) }
+        let newButtons = raw | (slot.buttons & GamepadWire.guide)
         let changed = newButtons ^ slot.buttons
         if changed != 0 {
             for bit in GamepadWire.allButtons where changed & bit != 0 {
@@ -312,10 +383,106 @@ public final class GamepadCapture {
         updateEscapeChord()
     }
 
+    /// The hold-Select→guide state machine over one sync's raw mask (pf-client-core's
+    /// `SelectGesture` rules): Select pressed ALONE is suppressed while pending; another
+    /// button joining makes it real (unsuppressed — the diff sends its down); released
+    /// inside `guideHold` it's a tap, delivered out-of-band on release with the release
+    /// `tapPress` behind; past the threshold `gestureHoldFired` turned it into a synthetic
+    /// guide, lifted here when Select physically releases.
+    ///
+    /// One deliberate divergence from the Rust worker: while transformed into a guide the
+    /// Select stays OUT of `slot.buttons`, so the escape chord doesn't complete on top of
+    /// an in-flight guide-hold — release Select and press the chord plainly instead (the
+    /// chord's four-at-once press never lingers in pending long enough to be affected).
+    private func gestureFiltered(_ slot: Slot, _ raw: UInt32) -> UInt32 {
+        let back = GamepadWire.back
+        let backDown = raw & back != 0
+        let othersDown = raw & ~back != 0
+        if slot.selectAsGuide {
+            if backDown { return raw & ~back }
+            slot.selectAsGuide = false
+            sendGuide(slot, down: false, raw: false)
+            return raw
+        }
+        if slot.selectPending {
+            if !backDown {
+                endPending(slot)
+                deliverTap(slot)
+                return raw
+            }
+            if othersDown {
+                // A combo after all — Select unsuppresses and the diff sends its down.
+                endPending(slot)
+                return raw
+            }
+            return raw & ~back
+        }
+        if backDown, !othersDown, slot.buttons & back == 0 {
+            // Newly pressed, alone: hold it back. An owed tap release goes out first so
+            // the host never sees two downs in a row.
+            if slot.tapReleaseOwed { finishTap(slot) }
+            slot.selectPending = true
+            let timer = Timer(timeInterval: Self.guideHold, repeats: false) { [weak self, weak slot] _ in
+                Task { @MainActor in
+                    if let self, let slot { self.gestureHoldFired(slot) }
+                }
+            }
+            RunLoop.main.add(timer, forMode: .common)
+            slot.gestureTimer?.invalidate()
+            slot.gestureTimer = timer
+            return raw & ~back
+        }
+        return raw
+    }
+
+    /// The hold threshold passed with Select still pending → it IS the guide now, down
+    /// until the physical release (`gestureFiltered`'s `selectAsGuide` branch lifts it).
+    private func gestureHoldFired(_ slot: Slot) {
+        guard slot.selectPending else { return }
+        slot.selectPending = false
+        slot.gestureTimer = nil
+        slot.selectAsGuide = true
+        sendGuide(slot, down: true, raw: false)
+    }
+
+    private func endPending(_ slot: Slot) {
+        slot.selectPending = false
+        slot.gestureTimer?.invalidate()
+        slot.gestureTimer = nil
+    }
+
+    /// Deliver a held-back Select tap: the press now, its release `tapPress` behind. Both
+    /// sends bypass `slot.buttons` (the raw mask no longer carries Select, so the diff
+    /// stays consistent); `tapReleaseOwed` is what `flush` checks so the press can't
+    /// outlive the slot.
+    private func deliverTap(_ slot: Slot) {
+        wire?.send(.gamepadButton(GamepadWire.back, down: true, pad: slot.pad))
+        slot.tapReleaseOwed = true
+        let timer = Timer(timeInterval: Self.tapPress, repeats: false) { [weak self, weak slot] _ in
+            Task { @MainActor in
+                if let self, let slot { self.finishTap(slot) }
+            }
+        }
+        RunLoop.main.add(timer, forMode: .common)
+        slot.tapTimer?.invalidate()
+        slot.tapTimer = timer
+    }
+
+    private func finishTap(_ slot: Slot) {
+        guard slot.tapReleaseOwed else { return }
+        slot.tapReleaseOwed = false
+        slot.tapTimer?.invalidate()
+        slot.tapTimer = nil
+        wire?.send(.gamepadButton(GamepadWire.back, down: false, pad: slot.pad))
+    }
+
     /// Forward the guide (Home/PS) transition directly — it's kept out of `buttonMask` (the legacy
     /// `buttonHome` element is unreliable). Folds into the slot's `buttons` so a held PS button is
-    /// released by `flush` on focus loss / close just like the others.
-    private func sendGuide(_ slot: Slot, down: Bool) {
+    /// released by `flush` on focus loss / close just like the others. `raw: true` marks the
+    /// physical Home handler's calls, which the system-buttons policy can keep local; the
+    /// gesture's synthetic transitions pass `raw: false` and always go out.
+    private func sendGuide(_ slot: Slot, down: Bool, raw: Bool = true) {
+        if raw, !systemForward { return }
         guard !suspended else { return }
         let bit = GamepadWire.guide
         let now = down ? (slot.buttons | bit) : (slot.buttons & ~bit)
@@ -449,6 +616,12 @@ public final class GamepadCapture {
     /// (no GC calls) — safe against an already-removed device. Does NOT close the slot or send
     /// GamepadRemove (that's `closeSlot`).
     private func flush(_ slot: Slot) {
+        // Gesture first: a pending (never-sent) Select just drops, an owed tap release
+        // goes out, and a transformed guide's bit — folded into `buttons` by `sendGuide`
+        // — is lifted by the loop below like any held button.
+        endPending(slot)
+        slot.selectAsGuide = false
+        if slot.tapReleaseOwed { finishTap(slot) }
         for bit in GamepadWire.allButtons where slot.buttons & bit != 0 {
             wire?.send(.gamepadButton(bit, down: false, pad: slot.pad))
         }

clients/apple/Sources/PunktfunkKit/Views/StreamViewIOS.swift

@@ -186,6 +186,16 @@ public final class StreamViewController: StreamViewControllerBase {
     // pointer back to iPadOS, so an unwanted drop is re-requested below. The DELIBERATE releases
     // (⌘⎋, ⌃⌥⇧Q, the Stream menu, backgrounding) all clear `captured` first, so `wantsPointerLock`
     // is already false when their drop is observed and none of them are fought here.
+    //
+    // Recovery is TWO-STAGE, because either stage alone leaves a hole:
+    //   1. the burst below, fired the instant the drop is observed — wins back a lock the system
+    //      is willing to return immediately (a transient drop that wasn't Escape at all);
+    //   2. a CLICK into the video while still captured (`onPointerButton`) — the fallback for the
+    //      Escape case proper, where the platform declines during the moment right after its own
+    //      release gesture and the burst therefore expires having achieved nothing.
+    // Stage 2 is what keeps a lost burst from being permanent: `captured` is still true, so no
+    // other path would ever ask again, and the capture would spend the rest of its life on the
+    // absolute pointer — clicking correctly, aiming not at all.
     /// Whether this capture ever actually held the lock. Only a lock we HELD is worth winning back
     /// — never having been granted one means the scene doesn't qualify, not that Esc took it.
     /// Cleared when capture ends, so each capture starts from a clean slate.
@@ -446,6 +456,31 @@ public final class StreamViewController: StreamViewControllerBase {
             }
             guard self.inputCapture?.gcMouseForwarding == false else { return }
             self.inputCapture?.sendMouseButton(button, pressed: down)
+            // …and if we're captured but NOT locked, this click is also the recovery gesture for an
+            // Escape-drop the burst lost. iPadOS refuses to re-lock in the moment right after its
+            // own "let me out" gesture, so the burst fired at the drop can spend its whole budget
+            // and give up while the capture is still wanted. Nothing else would ever re-ask —
+            // setCaptured is the only other requester and a bare Esc never clears `captured` — so
+            // without this the session stays on the absolute path for the rest of the capture:
+            // clicks still land where you aim (absolute positions keep forwarding) but the game
+            // gets no relative deltas, so camera look is dead. A click is a real user gesture,
+            // which is exactly what the platform wants before it will hand the lock back.
+            //
+            // On the button UP, so the click has fully forwarded on ONE transport first: asking on
+            // the DOWN can flip `gcMouseForwarding` mid-click and strand the release on the GCMouse
+            // path. Gated on `pointerLockWasEngaged` exactly as the drop path is, so a scene that
+            // never qualifies (Stage Manager, Split View) is never bursted at, and on a burst not
+            // already being in flight — a pending burst mutes absolute motion, so re-arming one on
+            // every click of a menu the user is still aiming around would freeze the cursor between
+            // clicks. Only once it has settled does a further click buy a fresh budget (clearing the
+            // attempt counter, so a gesture isn't refused inside the 2 s window the drop's own burst
+            // may have just spent).
+            if !down, self.wantsPointerLock, self.pointerLockWasEngaged,
+                !self.pointerRelockPending, self.pointerLockEngaged() != true {
+                self.pointerRelockAttempt = 0
+                self.updatePointerLockChain() // a reparent since the drop would break the walk to us
+                self.requestPointerRelock()
+            }
         }
         // Scroll is the ONE indirect channel that is NOT gated on the lock. The scroll pan keeps
         // firing while the scene is pointer-locked (it is the only way trackpad two-finger scrolling

clients/apple/Sources/PunktfunkShared/DefaultsKeys.swift

@@ -38,6 +38,17 @@ public enum DefaultsKey {
     /// host two pads for one pair of hands. Read at connect: `SessionModel` then never starts
     /// `GamepadCapture`, so no slot opens, no arrival is sent and no virtual pad is built.
     public static let gamepadForwarding = "punktfunk.gamepadForwarding"
+    /// Where a controller's SYSTEM buttons (guide + the share/QAM misc) land while streaming:
+    /// `"auto"` | `"forward"` | `"local"` — the cross-client `system_buttons` key. Auto
+    /// forwards on every Apple platform: the local Game Overlay is the OS's business (and on
+    /// iOS 27+ the user can hand the Home button to the app in Settings), so suppressing our
+    /// send would gain nothing.
+    public static let systemButtons = "punktfunk.systemButtons"
+    /// The hold-Select guide gesture: `"auto"` | `"on"` | `"off"` — the cross-client
+    /// `guide_gesture` key. Auto arms it everywhere but macOS: iOS reserves the physical Home
+    /// press for the Game Overlay (uncapturable pre-27) and tvOS never delivers it at all, so
+    /// holding Select is the controller route to the host's guide there.
+    public static let guideGesture = "punktfunk.guideGesture"
     public static let bitrateKbps = "punktfunk.bitrateKbps"
     /// Requested audio channel count: 2 (stereo), 6 (5.1) or 8 (7.1). The host clamps to what it
     /// can capture; the resolved count drives the in-core decode + AVAudioEngine layout.

clients/apple/Sources/PunktfunkShared/EffectiveSettings.swift

@@ -35,6 +35,10 @@ public struct EffectiveSettings: Equatable, Sendable {
     public var invertScroll = false
     public var gamepadType = 0
     public var gamepadForwarding = true
+    /// Cross-client `system_buttons`: "auto" | "forward" | "local".
+    public var systemButtons = "auto"
+    /// Cross-client `guide_gesture`: "auto" | "on" | "off".
+    public var guideGesture = "auto"
     /// A `StatsVerbosity` raw value; the enum lives in PunktfunkKit, which this module can't see.
     public var statsVerbosity = "normal"
     public var fullscreenWhileStreaming = true
@@ -95,6 +99,8 @@ public struct EffectiveSettings: Equatable, Sendable {
         invertScroll = bool(DefaultsKey.invertScroll, invertScroll)
         gamepadType = int(DefaultsKey.gamepadType, gamepadType)
         gamepadForwarding = bool(DefaultsKey.gamepadForwarding, gamepadForwarding)
+        systemButtons = str(DefaultsKey.systemButtons, systemButtons)
+        guideGesture = str(DefaultsKey.guideGesture, guideGesture)
         statsVerbosity = Self.storedStatsVerbosity(defaults)
         fullscreenWhileStreaming = bool(
             DefaultsKey.fullscreenWhileStreaming, fullscreenWhileStreaming)
@@ -121,6 +127,36 @@ public struct EffectiveSettings: Equatable, Sendable {
         return "normal"
     }
 
+    /// The `system_buttons` policy resolved for this platform: forward the raw guide (and
+    /// share/QAM misc) presses? Auto = forward on every Apple platform — where the OS shows
+    /// its own overlay for the press that is the OS's business, and suppressing our send
+    /// would only break users who handed the button to the app (iOS 27's Home-button
+    /// setting; macOS with the gestures claimed).
+    public var systemButtonsForward: Bool {
+        switch systemButtons {
+        case "local": return false
+        default: return true
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// The hold-Select guide gesture resolved for this platform ([`guideGesture`]). Auto =
+    /// on everywhere but macOS: iOS reserves the physical Home press (the Game Overlay,
+    /// uncapturable pre-27) and tvOS never delivers it, so holding Select is the controller
+    /// route to the host's guide — and, held on, to a Gaming-Mode host's QAM. On macOS the
+    /// raw press reaches the host, so auto stays off and Select keeps its exact timing.
+    public var guideGestureEnabled: Bool {
+        switch guideGesture {
+        case "on": return true
+        case "off": return false
+        default:
+            #if os(macOS)
+            return false
+            #else
+            return true
+            #endif
+        }
+    }
+
     /// The one resolution seam: this overlay on top of these settings. Pure — no store reads, no
     /// clock — so it is testable field by field. A `.some` that happens to equal the base is a
     /// legitimate PIN: it keeps its value when the global later moves.
@@ -143,6 +179,8 @@ public struct EffectiveSettings: Equatable, Sendable {
         if let v = overlay.invertScroll { s.invertScroll = v }
         if let v = overlay.gamepadType { s.gamepadType = v }
         if let v = overlay.gamepadForwarding { s.gamepadForwarding = v }
+        if let v = overlay.systemButtons { s.systemButtons = v }
+        if let v = overlay.guideGesture { s.guideGesture = v }
         if let v = overlay.statsVerbosity { s.statsVerbosity = v }
         if let v = overlay.fullscreenWhileStreaming { s.fullscreenWhileStreaming = v }
         if let v = overlay.enable444 { s.enable444 = v }

clients/apple/Sources/PunktfunkShared/StreamProfile.swift

@@ -111,6 +111,8 @@ public struct SettingsOverlay: Codable, Equatable, Sendable {
     public var invertScroll: Bool?
     public var gamepadType: Int?
     public var gamepadForwarding: Bool?
+    public var systemButtons: String?
+    public var guideGesture: String?
     /// A `StatsVerbosity` raw value ("off"/"compact"/"normal"/"detailed") — the enum lives in
     /// PunktfunkKit, which this module must not depend on.
     public var statsVerbosity: String?
@@ -153,6 +155,8 @@ public struct SettingsOverlay: Codable, Equatable, Sendable {
         case invertScroll = "invert_scroll"
         case gamepadType = "gamepad"
         case gamepadForwarding = "gamepad_forwarding"
+        case systemButtons = "system_buttons"
+        case guideGesture = "guide_gesture"
         case statsVerbosity = "stats_verbosity"
         case fullscreenWhileStreaming = "fullscreen_on_stream"
         case enable444 = "enable_444"
@@ -187,6 +191,8 @@ public struct SettingsOverlay: Codable, Equatable, Sendable {
         invertScroll = bool(.invertScroll)
         gamepadType = int(.gamepadType)
         gamepadForwarding = bool(.gamepadForwarding)
+        systemButtons = str(.systemButtons)
+        guideGesture = str(.guideGesture)
         statsVerbosity = str(.statsVerbosity)
         fullscreenWhileStreaming = bool(.fullscreenWhileStreaming)
         enable444 = bool(.enable444)
@@ -224,6 +230,8 @@ public struct SettingsOverlay: Codable, Equatable, Sendable {
         try c.encodeIfPresent(gamepadType, forKey: AnyKey(Key.gamepadType.rawValue))
         try c.encodeIfPresent(
             gamepadForwarding, forKey: AnyKey(Key.gamepadForwarding.rawValue))
+        try c.encodeIfPresent(systemButtons, forKey: AnyKey(Key.systemButtons.rawValue))
+        try c.encodeIfPresent(guideGesture, forKey: AnyKey(Key.guideGesture.rawValue))
         try c.encodeIfPresent(statsVerbosity, forKey: AnyKey(Key.statsVerbosity.rawValue))
         try c.encodeIfPresent(
             fullscreenWhileStreaming, forKey: AnyKey(Key.fullscreenWhileStreaming.rawValue))
@@ -277,6 +285,8 @@ public enum OverlayField {
         case "invert_scroll": overlay.invertScroll = nil
         case "gamepad": overlay.gamepadType = nil
         case "gamepad_forwarding": overlay.gamepadForwarding = nil
+        case "system_buttons": overlay.systemButtons = nil
+        case "guide_gesture": overlay.guideGesture = nil
         case "stats_verbosity": overlay.statsVerbosity = nil
         case "fullscreen_on_stream": overlay.fullscreenWhileStreaming = nil
         case "enable_444": overlay.enable444 = nil
@@ -313,6 +323,8 @@ public enum OverlayField {
         case "invert_scroll": return o.invertScroll != nil
         case "gamepad": return o.gamepadType != nil
         case "gamepad_forwarding": return o.gamepadForwarding != nil
+        case "system_buttons": return o.systemButtons != nil
+        case "guide_gesture": return o.guideGesture != nil
         case "stats_verbosity": return o.statsVerbosity != nil
         case "fullscreen_on_stream": return o.fullscreenWhileStreaming != nil
         case "enable_444": return o.enable444 != nil

clients/apple/Tests/PunktfunkKitTests/AudioRingDriftTests.swift

@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+// The Apple half of the shared de-jitter policy (`punktfunk_core::audio::JitterPolicy`, whose
+// constants `AudioRing` mirrors). These pin the two behaviours a listener actually notices, in the
+// one client where the policy is hand-written in a second language rather than shared as code — so
+// a divergence from the Rust side shows up here rather than as a field report.
+//
+// The defect being pinned: the ring primed *up* to a target and clamped at a ceiling, with nothing
+// walking the depth back *down*. Host-vs-DAC clock skew of a few dozen ppm therefore added latency
+// permanently, and the only correction was a `highWater` shed that dropped `2 x prefill` at once —
+// its own comment called that "one audible blip".
+
+#if !os(tvOS)
+import XCTest
+
+@testable import PunktfunkKit
+
+final class AudioRingDriftTests: XCTestCase {
+    private let channels = 2
+    private var perMS: Int { 48 * channels }
+
+    /// Run `ms` of audio through the ring at a `quantumMS` device where the producer delivers
+    /// `driftPPM` more than the consumer takes. Returns `(final ms, peak ms, silent callbacks)`.
+    private func simulate(ms: Int, quantumMS: Int, driftPPM: Int) -> (Int, Int, Int) {
+        let ring = AudioRing(capacity: 48_000 * channels, channels: channels)
+        let want = quantumMS * perMS
+        var scratch = [Float](repeating: 0, count: want)
+        // Non-zero so a silent callback is distinguishable from real audio.
+        let producer = [Float](repeating: 0.25, count: want + 8)
+        var carry = 0, peak = 0, final = 0, silent = 0
+
+        for i in 0..<(ms / quantumMS) {
+            carry += want * driftPPM
+            let extra = carry / 1_000_000
+            carry -= extra * 1_000_000
+            producer.withUnsafeBufferPointer { ring.write($0.baseAddress!, count: want + extra) }
+
+            scratch.withUnsafeMutableBufferPointer { ring.read(into: $0.baseAddress!, count: want) }
+            // Skip the priming window at the very start.
+            if i > 20, scratch.allSatisfy({ $0 == 0 }) { silent += 1 }
+            peak = max(peak, ring.bufferedMS)
+            final = ring.bufferedMS
+        }
+        return (final, peak, silent)
+    }
+
+    /// THE regression: with the host clock running fast, buffered latency must return to target
+    /// instead of climbing to the hard cap and staying pinned there. +200 ppm is deliberately
+    /// harsher than real hardware (tens of ppm).
+    func testDriftDoesNotRatchetLatencyToTheCeiling() {
+        let (final, peak, silent) = simulate(ms: 5 * 60 * 1_000, quantumMS: 5, driftPPM: 200)
+        // Must settle inside the headroom band (target 20 + headroom 30), never near the 90 ms cap.
+        XCTAssertLessThanOrEqual(final, 50, "settled at \(final) ms — that is the ratchet")
+        XCTAssertLessThanOrEqual(peak, 50, "peaked at \(peak) ms")
+        XCTAssertEqual(silent, 0, "drift correction must never starve the callback")
+    }
+
+    /// The mirror case: a host clock running SLOW must keep audio flowing rather than being
+    /// "corrected" into a stutter.
+    func testNegativeDriftKeepsPlaying() {
+        let (_, _, silent) = simulate(ms: 2 * 60 * 1_000, quantumMS: 5, driftPPM: -200)
+        XCTAssertEqual(silent, 0, "a draining ring must re-prime, not chatter")
+    }
+
+    /// A device that pulls a large quantum cannot sustain a target below it — the ring must lift
+    /// its target rather than oscillating prime → dropout → re-prime forever.
+    func testLargeDeviceQuantumStillPlays() {
+        let (_, _, silent) = simulate(ms: 60 * 1_000, quantumMS: 40, driftPPM: 0)
+        XCTAssertEqual(silent, 0, "a 40 ms quantum must not starve a 20 ms target")
+    }
+
+    /// One transient drain must not manufacture a whole target's worth of fresh silence: the ring
+    /// de-primes only after a RUN of short reads.
+    func testSingleShortReadDoesNotDeprime() {
+        let ring = AudioRing(capacity: 48_000 * channels, channels: channels)
+        let want = 5 * perMS
+        var scratch = [Float](repeating: 0, count: want)
+        // Prime well past target.
+        let big = [Float](repeating: 0.5, count: 60 * perMS)
+        big.withUnsafeBufferPointer { ring.write($0.baseAddress!, count: big.count) }
+        scratch.withUnsafeMutableBufferPointer { ring.read(into: $0.baseAddress!, count: want) }
+        XCTAssertTrue(scratch.contains { $0 != 0 }, "should be playing after priming")
+
+        // Drain it dry with one oversized read, then feed a normal quantum again. The length comes
+        // off the buffer pointer, not off `huge`: touching the array inside the closure that is
+        // already holding it exclusively is an exclusivity violation.
+        var huge = [Float](repeating: 0, count: 200 * perMS)
+        huge.withUnsafeMutableBufferPointer { ring.read(into: $0.baseAddress!, count: $0.count) }
+        let feed = [Float](repeating: 0.5, count: want)
+        feed.withUnsafeBufferPointer { ring.write($0.baseAddress!, count: want) }
+        scratch.withUnsafeMutableBufferPointer { ring.read(into: $0.baseAddress!, count: want) }
+        XCTAssertTrue(
+            scratch.contains { $0 != 0 },
+            "a single short read must not force a full re-prime")
+    }
+}
+#endif

clients/apple/Tests/PunktfunkKitTests/GamepadEscapeChordTests.swift

@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+import GameController
+import XCTest
+
+@testable import PunktfunkKit
+
+/// The escape chord's mask and its GameController alias list have to describe the same four
+/// buttons. `GamepadCapture.openSlot` claims the system gesture of every element while forwarding
+/// is on, but only of `escapeChordElements` while it is off — so if the alias list ever stops
+/// covering the mask, the missing button's press stays the system's and the chord never completes.
+///
+/// That matters most on tvOS, where this chord is the only controller way out of a stream: the
+/// symptom is a session nobody can leave with the pad in their hands, and nothing logs or crashes.
+/// Hence a test on the invariant rather than trusting the comment beside it.
+@MainActor
+final class GamepadEscapeChordTests: XCTestCase {
+
+    /// The intended alias↔bit pairing, spelled out independently of the implementation.
+    private let pairing: [(alias: String, bit: UInt32)] = [
+        (GCInputLeftShoulder, GamepadWire.leftShoulder),
+        (GCInputRightShoulder, GamepadWire.rightShoulder),
+        (GCInputButtonMenu, GamepadWire.start),
+        (GCInputButtonOptions, GamepadWire.back),
+    ]
+
+    func testChordMaskIsExactlyTheFourPairedButtons() {
+        XCTAssertEqual(
+            pairing.reduce(UInt32(0)) { $0 | $1.bit },
+            GamepadCapture.escapeChord,
+            "the chord mask and the alias pairing describe different buttons")
+    }
+
+    func testEveryChordBitHasAnElementToClaim() {
+        // One alias per bit — a mask that grew a fifth button without a matching alias would
+        // leave that button's gesture with the OS while forwarding is off.
+        XCTAssertEqual(
+            GamepadCapture.escapeChordElements.count,
+            GamepadCapture.escapeChord.nonzeroBitCount,
+            "alias list and chord mask differ in size")
+        XCTAssertEqual(GamepadCapture.escapeChordElements, pairing.map(\.alias))
+    }
+
+    /// The claim list is a strict subset of what a forwarding slot takes — it is a NARROWING of
+    /// the full sweep, never an extra grab, and it must not be empty (that would be "skip", which
+    /// is the behaviour this deliberately avoids).
+    func testClaimListIsNonEmptyAndAllDistinct() {
+        XCTAssertFalse(GamepadCapture.escapeChordElements.isEmpty)
+        XCTAssertEqual(
+            Set(GamepadCapture.escapeChordElements).count,
+            GamepadCapture.escapeChordElements.count,
+            "a repeated alias would mean a chord bit has no element")
+    }
+}

clients/apple/store/README.md

@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+# App Store copy
+
+Source of truth for what goes into App Store Connect. Every character-limited field in here has
+been counted with `check-limits.py`; run it after any edit.
+
+```sh
+python3 clients/apple/store/check-limits.py
+```
+
+| File | Covers |
+|------|--------|
+| [`ios.md`](ios.md) | iOS/iPadOS Promotional Text (DE + EN), with alternates |
+| [`macos.md`](macos.md) | macOS Promotional Text, Description, Keywords (DE + EN) |
+| [`tvos.md`](tvos.md) | tvOS Promotional Text, Description, Keywords (DE + EN) |
+| [`review-notes.md`](review-notes.md) | App Review notes template + pre-submission checklist |
+| [`privacy-app-addendum.md`](privacy-app-addendum.md) | App-specific privacy text to add to the existing policy page |
+
+German is primary throughout and uses the same informal "du" voice as the website
+(`punktfunk-website/messages/de.json`). English is a localisation, not a translation exercise — a
+few lines diverge where the German idiom does not carry.
+
+## Three things that contradicted the original brief
+
+1. **A Mac cannot be a host.** The brief suggested Mac copy could cover "running as a host/server
+   or client on Mac". There is no macOS host — `punktfunk-host` has no macOS capture, virtual
+   display, or encode backend. The macOS copy is client-only and says so explicitly.
+2. **The existing privacy policy is website-only.** It covers server logs, Plausible, and a
+   language cookie, and never mentions the apps. Linking it unchanged from App Store Connect is
+   the kind of thing that draws a reviewer's attention to analytics that have nothing to do with
+   the app. See `privacy-app-addendum.md` for the text to append.
+3. **App Review notes cap at 4000 characters**, not the unlimited field the brief implied. The
+   template is 3919 and fits.
+
+## Claims used, and where they come from
+
+Everything asserted in the copy was checked against the source rather than the marketing site:
+
+- Hardware decode, HDR/4:4:4, controller and input support — `clients/apple/README.md`
+- Entitlements and their justifications — `Config/Punktfunk.entitlements`,
+  `Config/Punktfunk-macOS.entitlements` (both carry detailed rationale comments)
+- Background audio mode and its 2.5.4 constraints — `Config/Info.plist`
+- "Collects no data" — verified by absence: no analytics SDK in `Package.swift`, no telemetry
+  symbols in `Sources/`, `URLSession` used only against the paired host
+- Host platforms and protocol details — root `README.md`, `docs/releases/v0.24.0.md`
+- Feature ship dates — `git tag --contains` on the relevant commits
+
+## Not done here
+
+`clients/apple` has no `PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy`. The app uses `UserDefaults`, which is a
+required-reason API, so a manifest is expected. Flagged at the end of `review-notes.md`; left
+alone because it is a code change, not copy.

clients/apple/store/check-limits.py

@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""Check every App Store copy block in this directory against its field limit.
+
+App Store Connect silently truncates or hard-rejects over-long fields, and the German copy is the
+easy one to get wrong because umlauts read as one character but two bytes. Apple counts characters,
+so `len()` on a `str` is the right measure — do not switch this to a byte count.
+
+Each fenced code block in the .md files here is one field. Which limit applies is inferred from the
+nearest heading above it. Exit status is non-zero if anything is over, so CI can gate on it.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import pathlib
+import re
+import sys
+
+LIMITS = {"PROMO": 170, "DESC": 4000, "KW": 100, "NOTES": 4000}
+
+
+def blocks(text: str):
+    """Yield (heading, body) for every fenced block, tagged with the heading above it."""
+    heading = None
+    buf: list[str] | None = None
+    for line in text.split("\n"):
+        if line.startswith("#") and buf is None:
+            heading = line.lstrip("#").strip()
+        if line.strip() == "```":
+            if buf is None:
+                buf = []
+            else:
+                yield heading or "", "\n".join(buf)
+                buf = None
+            continue
+        if buf is not None:
+            buf.append(line)
+
+
+def kind_of(heading: str, body: str) -> str:
+    low = heading.lower()
+    if "keyword" in low or re.fullmatch(r"(de|en) \(\d+\)", low):
+        return "KW"
+    if "template" in low:
+        return "NOTES"
+    return "DESC" if len(body) > 400 else "PROMO"
+
+
+def main() -> int:
+    here = pathlib.Path(__file__).parent
+    failures = 0
+    stale = 0
+    for path in sorted(here.glob("*.md")):
+        found = list(blocks(path.read_text(encoding="utf-8")))
+        if not found:
+            continue
+        print(f"\n=== {path.name} ===")
+        for heading, body in found:
+            kind = kind_of(heading, body)
+            limit = LIMITS[kind]
+            n = len(body)
+            over = n > limit
+            failures += over
+            # Headings carry the count in parentheses; flag any that drifted from the real length.
+            claimed = re.search(r"\((\d+)\)\s*$", heading)
+            drift = ""
+            if claimed and int(claimed.group(1)) != n:
+                drift = f"   [heading claims {claimed.group(1)}]"
+                stale += 1
+            status = "OVER" if over else "ok"
+            print(f"  [{kind:5}] {status:>4} {n:>4}/{limit}  {heading[:48]}{drift}")
+
+    if failures:
+        print(f"\n{failures} block(s) OVER the limit")
+    elif stale:
+        print(f"\nAll within limits, but {stale} heading count(s) are stale")
+    else:
+        print("\nAll blocks within limits, all heading counts accurate")
+    return 1 if failures or stale else 0
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    sys.exit(main())

clients/apple/store/ios.md

@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+# iOS / iPadOS — App Store metadata
+
+Existing, unchanged:
+
+- **Name:** Punktfunk
+- **Subtitle (DE):** Schnell, lokal & offen.
+
+Only the Promotional Text is new here. It is the one field that can be changed **without** a new
+build or a review, so it is the right place for "what landed most recently".
+
+---
+
+## Promotional Text (DE) — max 170 characters
+
+### Primary (160)
+
+```
+Neu: Profile pro Host – Auflösung, Bitrate und Ton einmal einstellen, dann mit einem Tipp verbinden. Dazu Live Activity, Sperrbildschirm-Widget und Wake-on-LAN.
+```
+
+### Alternate A — evergreen hook, no "new" claim (156)
+
+```
+Dein Gaming-PC auf dem iPhone, in dessen exakter Auflösung – ohne Konto, ohne Cloud, nur dein Netzwerk. Hardware-Decoding, HDR und dein DualSense mit allem.
+```
+
+### Alternate B — leads on the DualSense (161)
+
+```
+Dein DualSense, vollständig: Rumble, adaptive Trigger, Lightbar, Touchpad und Gyro gehen bis ins Spiel durch. Dazu Profile pro Host und Wake-on-LAN vom Sofa aus.
+```
+
+### Alternate C — leads on latency (153)
+
+```
+Kein Konto, keine Cloud, kein Umweg: punktfunk/1 fährt über QUIC direkt zu deinem PC. Auflösungswechsel mitten im Stream, ohne die Verbindung zu trennen.
+```
+
+---
+
+## Promotional Text (EN) — max 170 characters
+
+### Primary (152)
+
+```
+New: per-host profiles — set resolution, bitrate and audio once, then connect with one tap. Plus Live Activities, a Lock Screen widget, and Wake-on-LAN.
+```
+
+### Alternate A — evergreen hook (159)
+
+```
+Your gaming PC on your iPhone, at your iPhone's exact resolution — no account, no cloud, just your network. Hardware decoding, HDR, and your DualSense in full.
+```
+
+### Alternate B — leads on the DualSense (160)
+
+```
+Your DualSense, in full: rumble, adaptive triggers, lightbar, touchpad and gyro all reach the game. Plus per-host profiles and Wake-on-LAN from across the room.
+```
+
+---
+
+## Notes on the claims
+
+- "Profile pro Host" shipped in **v0.22.0** (`25b12780`, `80c0ca69`) and is in every tag since. It is
+  the strongest recent user-facing Apple feature, so "Neu" is defensible for one release cycle — but
+  drop the word once 0.25 ships something newer.
+- Live Activities and the Hosts widget shipped long ago (`ba1caf02`, in v0.15.0+). They are safe to
+  *mention* but should not be called "neu".
+- The only Apple-visible feature unique to **v0.24.0** is the "Forward controllers" off switch
+  (`b297542c`), which is too niche to headline.

clients/apple/store/macos.md

@@ -0,0 +1,159 @@
+# macOS — App Store metadata
+
+> **Scope correction.** The Mac app is a **client only**. There is no macOS host: `punktfunk-host`
+> has no macOS capture, virtual-display, or encode backend (the two `cfg!(target_os = "macos")` hits
+> in the host crate are OS *detection* for the host tile and a path helper; the loopback-test host
+> is a synthetic frame source for `test-loopback.sh`, not a shippable host). A macOS host is a
+> feasibility study — it needs four new backends and the private `CGVirtualDisplay` API.
+> None of the copy below claims a Mac can host, and it should not until that ships.
+
+- **Name:** Punktfunk
+- **Subtitle (DE):** Schnell, lokal & offen.
+- **Subtitle (EN):** Fast, local & open.
+
+---
+
+## Promotional Text (DE) — max 170 characters
+
+### Primary (164)
+
+```
+Neu: Profile pro Host – ein Mac, mehrere Gaming-PCs, jeder mit eigenen Einstellungen. Dazu AV1-Hardware-Decoding auf M3 und neuer, HDR und volles 4:4:4 für Schrift.
+```
+
+### Alternate (156)
+
+```
+Dein Gaming-PC im Fenster oder im Vollbild, in der exakten Auflösung deines Displays. Maus und Tastatur gehen durch, Auflösungswechsel ohne neue Verbindung.
+```
+
+## Promotional Text (EN) — max 170 characters
+
+### Primary (161)
+
+```
+New: per-host profiles — one Mac, several gaming PCs, each with its own settings. Plus AV1 hardware decoding on M3 and later, HDR, and full 4:4:4 for crisp text.
+```
+
+### Alternate (156)
+
+```
+Your gaming PC in a window or full screen, at your display's exact resolution. Mouse and keyboard pass straight through; resize without dropping the stream.
+```
+
+---
+
+## Description (DE) — max 4000 characters
+
+```
+Punktfunk streamt deinen Gaming-PC auf den Mac – in der exakten Auflösung und Bildwiederholrate deines Displays, über dein eigenes Netzwerk, ohne Konto und ohne Cloud.
+
+Punktfunk besteht aus zwei Hälften: einem Host auf dem PC, von dem du streamst, und dieser App auf dem Gerät, auf dem du spielst. Der Host ist quelloffen und kostenlos, läuft auf Linux und auf Windows 11 – auf dem Gaming-Rig unterm Schreibtisch, auf einem Laptop oder headless auf einem Server, an dem gar kein Monitor hängt.
+
+DEIN MAC BEKOMMT SEIN EIGENES DISPLAY
+
+Für jede Verbindung legt der Host ein echtes virtuelles Display an – in genau der Auflösung und Bildrate, die dein Mac meldet. Kein Skalieren, keine schwarzen Balken, kein Umsortieren deiner echten Monitore. Änderst du mitten im Stream die Fenstergröße oder gehst auf Vollbild, wird die Auflösung neu ausgehandelt, ohne die Verbindung zu trennen. Mehrere Geräte können gleichzeitig streamen, jedes auf seinem eigenen Display.
+
+SCHNELL, WEIL UNS DER GANZE WEG GEHÖRT
+
+Die nativen Apps sprechen punktfunk/1: eine QUIC-Steuerebene und eine verschlüsselte Datenebene mit Vorwärtsfehlerkorrektur, die Auflösung und Bildrate mitten im Stream wechselt, ohne neu zu verbinden. Dekodiert wird in Hardware über VideoToolbox – H.264, HEVC und AV1 auf Macs, die AV1 in Hardware können (M3 und neuer).
+
+FÜR DEN MAC GEMACHT
+
+• Im Fenster oder im Vollbild, auf jedem angeschlossenen Display
+• Maus und Tastatur gehen vollständig durch – Klick zum Fangen, Cmd+Esc oder Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Q zum Freigeben
+• Ein Stream-Menü in der Menüleiste: Maus freigeben, Trennen, Statistik einblenden
+• Mikrofon-Uplink mit Echounterdrückung – dein Mac wird zum Headset am PC
+• HDR mit PQ-Passthrough und ein optionaler Vollchroma-Modus (4:4:4), damit kleine Schrift und feine Linien scharf bleiben
+
+CONTROLLER, VOLLSTÄNDIG
+
+DualSense, Xbox- und weitere MFi-kompatible Controller. Beim DualSense gehen Rumble, Lightbar, Player-LEDs, adaptive Trigger, Touchpad und Gyro bis ins Spiel durch. Welchen Typ das virtuelle Gamepad am Host annimmt, richtet sich nach dem, was bei dir wirklich in der Hand liegt.
+
+DEINE BIBLIOTHEK, DEIN NETZWERK
+
+Installierte Steam-Titel und selbst hinzugefügte Spiele erscheinen als Raster mit Artwork und starten direkt. Hosts findet die App im Netzwerk von allein. Beim ersten Mal koppelst du einmalig mit einer PIN, danach verbindet sich der Mac über eine gepinnte Identität aus deinem Schlüsselbund – kein Konto, kein Login. Einen schlafenden PC weckt Punktfunk per Wake-on-LAN.
+
+MESSEN STATT GLAUBEN
+
+Ein gestuftes Overlay zeigt Bildrate, Bitrate und Latenz – über zwei Maschinen hinweg um den Uhrenversatz korrigiert, also eine Messung und kein Versprechen. Ein Geschwindigkeitstest pro Host schlägt eine passende Bitrate vor. Profile halten pro Host fest, wie gestreamt werden soll.
+
+WAS DU BRAUCHST
+
+Einen Punktfunk-Host auf einem Linux-PC oder auf Windows 11 (22H2 oder neuer) im selben Netzwerk. Der Host ist quelloffen (MIT/Apache-2.0) und kostenlos – Anleitungen und Quellcode findest du auf punktfunk.unom.io. Diese App ist der Client: ein Mac kann derzeit nicht selbst Host sein.
+
+Kein Konto. Keine Cloud. Keine Telemetrie. Die App erfasst keine Daten über dich.
+```
+
+---
+
+## Description (EN) — max 4000 characters
+
+```
+Punktfunk streams your gaming PC to your Mac — at your display's exact resolution and refresh rate, over your own network, with no account and no cloud.
+
+Punktfunk comes in two halves: a host on the PC you stream from, and this app on the device you play on. The host is open source and free, and runs on Linux and on Windows 11 — on the gaming rig under your desk, on a laptop, or headless on a server with no monitor attached at all.
+
+YOUR MAC GETS A DISPLAY OF ITS OWN
+
+For every connection, the host creates a real virtual display at exactly the resolution and refresh rate your Mac reports. No scaling, no black bars, no rearranging your actual monitors. Resize the window mid-stream or go full screen and the resolution is renegotiated without dropping the connection. Several devices can stream at once, each on its own display.
+
+FAST, BECAUSE WE OWN THE WHOLE PATH
+
+The native apps speak punktfunk/1: a QUIC control plane and an encrypted data plane with forward error correction, able to change resolution and frame rate mid-stream without reconnecting. Decoding is done in hardware through VideoToolbox — H.264, HEVC, and AV1 on Macs with an AV1 hardware decoder (M3 and later).
+
+BUILT FOR THE MAC
+
+• In a window or full screen, on any attached display
+• Mouse and keyboard pass straight through — click to capture, Cmd+Esc or Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Q to release
+• A Stream menu in the menu bar: release the mouse, disconnect, toggle the stats overlay
+• Microphone uplink with echo cancellation — your Mac becomes the headset on your PC
+• HDR with PQ passthrough, plus an optional full-chroma (4:4:4) mode that keeps small text and fine UI lines sharp
+
+CONTROLLERS, IN FULL
+
+DualSense, Xbox, and other MFi-compatible controllers. On a DualSense, rumble, lightbar, player LEDs, adaptive triggers, touchpad, and gyro all reach the game. The virtual gamepad the host presents takes its type from the controller actually in your hands.
+
+YOUR LIBRARY, YOUR NETWORK
+
+Installed Steam titles and games you add yourself appear as a grid with artwork, ready to launch. The app finds hosts on your network by itself. The first time, you pair once with a PIN; after that your Mac reconnects on a pinned identity stored in your keychain — no account, no login. Punktfunk can wake a sleeping PC over Wake-on-LAN.
+
+MEASURED, NOT PROMISED
+
+A tiered overlay shows frame rate, bitrate, and latency — corrected for clock skew across the two machines, so it is a measurement rather than a claim. A per-host speed test suggests a bitrate that matches your link. Profiles remember how each host should be streamed.
+
+WHAT YOU NEED
+
+A Punktfunk host on a Linux PC or on Windows 11 (22H2 or later) on the same network. The host is open source (MIT/Apache-2.0) and free — guides and source at punktfunk.unom.io. This app is the client: a Mac cannot currently act as a host.
+
+No account. No cloud. No telemetry. This app collects no data about you.
+```
+
+---
+
+## Keywords — max 100 characters
+
+Comma-separated, **no spaces after the commas** (spaces count against the limit). The app name and
+the subtitle are already indexed, so `punktfunk`, `schnell`, `lokal`, and `offen` are deliberately
+absent — repeating them would waste characters.
+
+### DE (97)
+
+```
+streaming,spiele,remote,desktop,fernzugriff,pc,linux,windows,controller,gamepad,latenz,quelloffen
+```
+
+### EN (95)
+
+```
+streaming,remote,desktop,pc,linux,windows,gaming,controller,gamepad,latency,selfhosted,lan,play
+```
+
+**Deliberately excluded:** `Moonlight`, `GameStream`, `NVIDIA`, `Steam`. Punktfunk genuinely is
+GameStream-compatible and does read your Steam library, but App Store Review Guideline 4.1 and the
+metadata rules disallow third-party app, product, and company names in the **keyword** field — it is
+a routine rejection. Saying it in the description is fine; the current descriptions avoid naming
+Moonlight and mention Steam only as a factual statement about your own library.
+
+The previous keyword set (`Game-Streaming, Lokal, Open-Source, Gaming`) spent characters on spaces,
+on `Lokal` (already in the subtitle), and on both `Game-Streaming` and `Gaming`, which share a stem.

clients/apple/store/privacy-app-addendum.md

@@ -0,0 +1,146 @@
+# Privacy — what to link from App Store Connect
+
+## The situation
+
+You already have a privacy policy at **punktfunk.unom.io/legal/privacy**. It is good, current
+(Stand: 28. Juni 2026), and localised DE/EN. But it is a **website** privacy policy: it covers
+server log files, Plausible Analytics on `analytics.unom.io`, the `PARAGLIDE_LOCALE` cookie, and
+self-hosted fonts. It does not mention the apps at all.
+
+That is a problem for App Store Connect in two directions:
+
+1. Apple requires the linked policy to describe **the app's** data practices. A reviewer following
+   the link finds a page about a website.
+2. It reads as *contradicting* a "Data Not Collected" declaration. The page prominently describes
+   analytics and a cookie. A reviewer who skims it sees "Reichweitenmessung mit Plausible
+   Analytics" and has every reason to question the App Privacy answers.
+
+**Recommendation:** keep the existing page and append an app-specific section to it (the text
+below), so one URL covers both. The alternative — a separate `/legal/privacy-apps` route — also
+works, but one URL is less to keep in sync.
+
+The page is CMS-driven (`src/routes/legal/privacy.tsx` renders Payload `RichText` blocks from the
+`pages` collection, slug `legal/privacy`, tenant `punktfunk`), so this is a CMS edit rather than a
+code change.
+
+## Confirming the "collects no data" framing
+
+Checked against the source rather than taken on trust, and it holds:
+
+- **No analytics, telemetry, or crash-reporting SDK.** `Package.swift` declares no such dependency.
+  A case-insensitive sweep of `Sources/` for `sentry|firebase|analytics|telemetry|amplitude|
+  mixpanel|crashlytics|posthog|plausible` returns 43 hits — 43 of them the word "amplitude" in
+  haptics code (rumble amplitude), and one the English word "plausible" in a comment.
+- **No outbound calls to us.** The only `URLSession` use is `LibraryClient`, fetching cover art
+  **from the paired host**, over a TLS session that pins the host's own certificate. The only
+  external URLs anywhere in the Swift sources are three UI links the user can tap: the docs site,
+  the source on `git.unom.io`, and the Discord invite.
+- **No account system.** Identity is a client keypair in the device keychain
+  (`keychain-access-groups`, `ClientIdentityStore`); pairing is SPAKE2 with a PIN, host-to-device.
+- **Data stays on device.** Saved hosts and settings live in a shared `UserDefaults` suite
+  (`group.io.unom.punktfunk`) so the widget can read them. Nothing syncs; there is no CloudKit
+  entitlement.
+- **No ATT.** No `NSUserTrackingUsageDescription` anywhere, consistent with no tracking.
+
+So **App Privacy → "Data Not Collected"** is accurate for all four platforms. Two caveats worth
+stating in the policy text anyway, because they are true and pre-empt questions:
+
+- The microphone uplink **is** audio leaving the device — but only to the host the user paired with,
+  encrypted, and never to us. Apple's questionnaire asks about data collected *by you or your
+  third-party partners*; streaming to the user's own machine is not collection. Saying so plainly
+  is better than staying silent about a microphone permission.
+- The apps are distributed through the App Store, so **Apple** collects its own analytics. That is
+  Apple's processing, not yours, but naming it avoids looking like an omission.
+
+---
+
+## Text to append — Deutsch
+
+> ## Die Punktfunk-Apps
+>
+> Dieser Abschnitt betrifft die Punktfunk-Apps für iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, Windows, Linux und
+> Android – im Unterschied zu den vorstehenden Abschnitten, die sich auf diese Website beziehen.
+>
+> **Die Apps erheben keine personenbezogenen Daten.** Es gibt keine Benutzerkonten, keine
+> Registrierung und keine Anmeldung. Die Apps enthalten keine Analyse-, Tracking-, Werbe- oder
+> Absturzbericht-Bibliotheken von Drittanbietern. Es findet kein Tracking im Sinne des App
+> Tracking Transparency Frameworks statt, und es werden keine Daten an uns oder an Dritte
+> übermittelt.
+>
+> **Wohin die Daten fließen.** Punktfunk verbindet Ihr Gerät direkt mit einem Host-Rechner, den Sie
+> selbst betreiben – in der Regel in Ihrem eigenen Netzwerk. Video, Ton, Maus-, Tastatur- und
+> Controller-Eingaben sowie – sofern Sie ihn einschalten – Ihr Mikrofon werden ausschließlich
+> zwischen Ihrem Gerät und diesem Host übertragen, verschlüsselt und ohne Umweg über einen Server
+> von uns. Wir betreiben für den Streaming-Betrieb keine Vermittlungs-, Relay- oder Cloud-Dienste
+> und haben zu keinem Zeitpunkt Zugriff auf die Inhalte einer Sitzung.
+>
+> **Was auf dem Gerät bleibt.** Die App speichert lokal auf Ihrem Gerät: die von Ihnen
+> hinzugefügten oder im Netzwerk gefundenen Hosts, Ihre Einstellungen und Profile sowie einen
+> kryptografischen Schlüssel, mit dem sich Ihr Gerät gegenüber einem gekoppelten Host ausweist
+> (auf Apple-Geräten im Schlüsselbund). Diese Daten verlassen Ihr Gerät nicht und werden gelöscht,
+> wenn Sie die App entfernen.
+>
+> **Berechtigungen.** Die App fragt nur Berechtigungen ab, die für den Betrieb nötig sind: den
+> Zugriff auf das lokale Netzwerk, um Hosts zu finden und sich mit ihnen zu verbinden, und – nur
+> wenn Sie die Mikrofonübertragung nutzen – das Mikrofon. Das Mikrofonsignal wird an den von Ihnen
+> gekoppelten Host übertragen, wo es als virtuelles Mikrofon erscheint; es wird nicht
+> aufgezeichnet und nicht an uns gesendet.
+>
+> **Verteilung über App-Stores.** Wenn Sie die App über den App Store oder Google Play beziehen,
+> verarbeiten Apple bzw. Google im Rahmen der Auslieferung eigene Daten (etwa Kauf-, Installations-
+> und Absturzstatistiken). Darauf haben wir keinen Einfluss; es gelten die
+> Datenschutzbestimmungen des jeweiligen Anbieters. Aggregierte Statistiken, die uns Apple oder
+> Google in ihren Entwicklerkonsolen anzeigen, lassen keinen Rückschluss auf einzelne Personen zu.
+>
+> **Der Host.** Der Punktfunk-Host ist quelloffene Software, die Sie selbst auf Ihrem eigenen
+> Rechner betreiben. Welche Daten dabei anfallen – etwa lokale Protokolldateien –, bleibt
+> vollständig unter Ihrer Kontrolle; wir erhalten davon nichts. Der Quellcode ist unter
+> git.unom.io/unom/punktfunk einsehbar.
+
+---
+
+## Text to append — English
+
+> ## The Punktfunk apps
+>
+> This section concerns the Punktfunk apps for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, Windows, Linux, and
+> Android — as distinct from the sections above, which concern this website.
+>
+> **The apps collect no personal data.** There are no user accounts, no registration, and no sign-in.
+> The apps contain no third-party analytics, tracking, advertising, or crash-reporting libraries.
+> No tracking within the meaning of Apple's App Tracking Transparency framework takes place, and no
+> data is transmitted to us or to any third party.
+>
+> **Where your data goes.** Punktfunk connects your device directly to a host machine that you run
+> yourself, normally on your own network. Video, audio, mouse, keyboard, and controller input — and
+> your microphone, if you switch it on — travel only between your device and that host, encrypted,
+> without passing through any server of ours. We operate no brokering, relay, or cloud service for
+> streaming, and we have no access to the contents of a session at any point.
+>
+> **What stays on your device.** The app stores locally on your device: the hosts you have added or
+> discovered on your network, your settings and profiles, and a cryptographic key your device uses
+> to identify itself to a paired host (in the keychain, on Apple devices). This data does not leave
+> your device and is removed when you delete the app.
+>
+> **Permissions.** The app requests only the permissions it needs to work: access to the local
+> network, in order to find hosts and connect to them, and — only if you use microphone streaming —
+> the microphone. The microphone signal is sent to the host you paired with, where it appears as a
+> virtual microphone; it is not recorded and is not sent to us.
+>
+> **Distribution through app stores.** If you obtain the app from the App Store or Google Play,
+> Apple or Google process their own data as part of distributing it (such as purchase, installation,
+> and crash statistics). We have no influence over this, and the respective provider's privacy
+> policy applies. The aggregated statistics Apple and Google show us in their developer consoles do
+> not allow any individual to be identified.
+>
+> **The host.** The Punktfunk host is open source software that you run on your own machine. Any
+> data it produces — local log files, for instance — remains entirely under your control, and none
+> of it reaches us. The source is available at git.unom.io/unom/punktfunk.
+
+---
+
+## Also update
+
+- Bump **Stand: / Effective date:** on the page when you add this.
+- App Store Connect → App Privacy → **Data Not Collected** for all four platforms.
+- The same URL works for Google Play's Data safety declaration; the wording above already covers it.

clients/apple/store/review-notes.md

@@ -0,0 +1,132 @@
+# App Review notes
+
+## The core problem, stated plainly
+
+Punktfunk is the client half of a two-part system. Without a reachable host it shows a host list, a
+pairing sheet, and settings — and nothing else. There is **no demo or offline mode in a release
+build**: the mock-data screens in `Sources/PunktfunkClient/Screenshots/` are wrapped in `#if DEBUG`
+and are compiled out of anything you ship. A reviewer who launches the App Store build with no host
+on their network sees an empty "On this network" list.
+
+Guideline 2.1 requires you to supply whatever is needed to fully exercise the app. So you must
+attach **one** of:
+
+- **(a) A reachable demo host.** Best outcome — the reviewer sees the real thing. Requires a host
+  exposed to the internet with its UDP ports forwarded, plus a pairing PIN in the notes. The client
+  can add a host by IP or hostname, so mDNS discovery is not required for this path.
+- **(b) A demo video.** Apple accepts this for hardware- or setup-dependent apps. Less good: a
+  reviewer who cannot reproduce is a reviewer who can reject on something unrelated.
+
+**Attach (a) if you can keep a host up for the review window; (b) is the fallback.** Whichever you
+pick, fill in the placeholders before submitting — the template assumes (a) and marks the spots.
+
+> **⚠ Decide before submitting:** if you go with (b), replace the "CONNECTING TO OUR DEMO HOST"
+> section with the video URL and say explicitly that no host can be provided.
+
+---
+
+## Notes template — paste into App Store Connect
+
+The App Review Information "Notes" field caps at **4000 characters**. The block below is **3919**,
+and filling the five placeholders in shortens it further (the literal `[[FILL IN: …]]` text is
+longer than the values that replace it). If you add to it, re-check the count — an over-long note
+is silently truncated, and what gets cut is the end, where the privacy and entitlement answers
+live.
+
+```
+WHAT THIS APP IS
+
+Punktfunk is a low-latency game- and desktop-streaming client. It streams from a "host" the user
+installs on their own gaming PC (Linux, or Windows 11 22H2+), over their own network. The host is
+separate open-source software we publish at https://git.unom.io/unom/punktfunk; it is not sold,
+and this app has no purchases.
+
+This app is the client half only: it renders video and audio from the user's own machine and
+sends input back. There is no content library and no server of ours in a session.
+
+IMPORTANT: THIS APP NEEDS A HOST
+
+With no reachable host, the app can only show its host list, the pairing screen and settings --
+inherent to what it is, not an incomplete build. We have provided a live host for review.
+
+CONNECTING TO OUR DEMO HOST
+
+1. Launch Punktfunk. The main screen lists hosts on the local network. Ours is not on yours, so
+   add it by hand: "+" (top right) then "Add host"; on Apple TV, "Add host" on the main screen.
+2. Enter:  Host: [[FILL IN: hostname or IP]]   Port: [[FILL IN: port, default 47998]]
+   Name it anything, then confirm.
+3. The app connects and asks for a pairing PIN. Enter:  [[FILL IN: PIN]]
+   A one-time SPAKE2 pairing; afterwards the device is remembered and needs no PIN.
+4. The host's game library appears as a grid. Select any title to stream; video and audio start
+   within a few seconds.
+5. While streaming: stats overlay = Ctrl+Alt+Shift+S (or three-finger tap on iOS/iPadOS); release
+   mouse = Cmd+Esc or Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Q; disconnect = Ctrl+Alt+Shift+D.
+6. Settings (gear) covers decoder, bitrate, HDR, audio, controllers and profiles; the per-host
+   "Speed test" suggests a bitrate for the link.
+
+The host stays reachable throughout review. If you cannot reach it, please contact
+[[FILL IN: contact email]] and we will restore it promptly.
+
+WHY THE APP ASKS FOR WHAT IT ASKS FOR
+
+- Local Network: finds hosts via Bonjour (_punktfunk._udp) and connects to them -- the app's
+  entire purpose.
+- Microphone (optional, off by default): audio goes to the user's own paired host, appearing
+  there as a virtual microphone for voice chat. Never recorded, never sent to us.
+- networking.multicast: sends the Wake-on-LAN magic packet, which must go to a broadcast address:
+  a sleeping PC has no ARP entry, so unicast cannot reach it. Used for nothing else.
+- device.usb / device.bluetooth (macOS): the GameController framework reaches wired controllers
+  through IOHIDLibUserClient and wireless ones through startWirelessControllerDiscovery. USB also
+  drives DualSense rumble, which CoreHaptics will not. Without these, no controller input.
+- network.server (macOS): the app is outbound-only, but the App Sandbox gates bind() itself. Our
+  QUIC endpoint and UDP socket each bind a local port to receive host-to-client datagrams;
+  without this, no video, audio or rumble arrives.
+- UIBackgroundModes "audio" (iPhone/iPad): a session carries real, audible audio from the host,
+  and this keeps it alive if the user steps away briefly. Backgrounded, video decoding stops, only
+  the real audio keeps rendering, and a bounded timer disconnects automatically. We never play
+  silence to stay alive, nor use the mode outside an audible session.
+
+REGARDING BUILD 0.4.2 (3384)
+
+That build was rejected under 2.4.5(i) for a temporary-exception entitlement
+(mach-lookup.global-name, com.apple.audioanalyticsd), added on a mistaken belief about CoreHaptics
+rumble under the App Sandbox. We have since verified rumble works without it; this build carries
+no temporary exception.
+
+ACCOUNTS, PURCHASES, DATA
+
+No account, no sign-in, no in-app purchase. The app collects no personal data: no analytics,
+tracking, advertising or crash-reporting SDKs, and no connection to any server of ours during a
+session. Device identity is a keychain keypair used only to authenticate to the user's own host.
+
+Privacy policy: [[FILL IN: https://punktfunk.unom.io/legal/privacy]]
+```
+
+---
+
+## Before you submit — checklist
+
+- [ ] Fill every `[[FILL IN: …]]` placeholder. There are five.
+- [ ] Confirm the demo host is reachable **from outside your own network** — test it on cellular,
+      not on the LAN it lives on. This is the failure mode that wastes a review cycle.
+- [ ] Confirm the pairing PIN in the notes is the one the host will actually accept during the
+      review window, and that pairing is left open (it is on-demand in the web console).
+- [ ] Put at least one launchable title in the demo host's library. An empty grid after a
+      successful pairing looks like a broken app.
+- [ ] If submitting tvOS, verify the whole flow is reachable with the **Siri Remote alone**. A
+      reviewer will not have a controller paired, and "requires an accessory to navigate" is a
+      tvOS rejection.
+- [ ] Attach the demo video as a URL in the notes if you are going the (b) route.
+
+## Separately worth checking: the privacy manifest
+
+There is **no `PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy`** anywhere in `clients/apple`. The app does use
+`UserDefaults` (`HostStore` reads the `group.io.unom.punktfunk` suite), and `UserDefaults` is one of
+Apple's "required reason" APIs, which are expected to be declared in a privacy manifest. Apps
+missing a declaration typically get an automated **ITMS-91053** notice on upload.
+
+This is adjacent to the copy work rather than part of it, so nothing has been changed here — but it
+is worth adding a manifest declaring `NSPrivacyAccessedAPICategoryUserDefaults` with reason code
+`CA92.1` (access to an app group container) and `NSPrivacyTracking` set to `false`, before the next
+submission. Confirm the current reason codes against Apple's documentation rather than taking the
+code above on trust; the list has changed since it was introduced.

clients/apple/store/tvos.md

@@ -0,0 +1,145 @@
+# tvOS — App Store metadata
+
+Client only, living-room framing. Things the other platforms have that the **Apple TV does not**,
+and which the copy therefore avoids claiming:
+
+- **No microphone uplink.** There is no usable audio input on tvOS, so the "your Mac becomes the
+  headset" line does not transfer.
+- **No gamepad console shell.** `ShotScenes` builds the gamepad home/settings screens for iOS and
+  macOS only — tvOS uses the native focus engine instead.
+- **No AV1.** Apple TV 4K has no AV1 hardware decoder; HEVC and H.264 only.
+- Mouse/keyboard capture exists on tvOS but is not a living-room story, so it stays out.
+
+Kept, and genuinely tvOS-shaped: Siri Remote pointer navigation (`SiriRemotePointer`), controllers
+including the full DualSense feedback set, HDR passthrough, and Wake-on-LAN — which is the single
+best Apple TV feature, because it is what removes the trip to the other room.
+
+- **Name:** Punktfunk
+- **Subtitle (DE):** Schnell, lokal & offen.
+- **Subtitle (EN):** Fast, local & open.
+
+---
+
+## Promotional Text (DE) — max 170 characters
+
+### Primary (161)
+
+```
+Anschalten, Host wählen, spielen: Punktfunk weckt deinen Gaming-PC per Wake-on-LAN und verbindet sich, sobald er wach ist. In 4K, mit HDR, mit deinem Controller.
+```
+
+### Alternate A — leads on the picture (157)
+
+```
+Dein Gaming-PC am großen Bildschirm – in genau der Auflösung und Bildrate deines Fernsehers, mit HDR. Ohne Konto, ohne Cloud, nur über dein eigenes Netzwerk.
+```
+
+### Alternate B — leads on the DualSense (160)
+
+```
+Dein DualSense am Apple TV, vollständig: Rumble, adaptive Trigger, Lightbar, Touchpad und Gyro gehen bis ins Spiel durch. Dazu Profile pro Host und Wake-on-LAN.
+```
+
+## Promotional Text (EN) — max 170 characters
+
+### Primary (160)
+
+```
+Turn on, pick a host, play: Punktfunk wakes your gaming PC over Wake-on-LAN and connects as soon as it's up. In 4K, with HDR, with the controller in your hands.
+```
+
+### Alternate A — leads on the picture (148)
+
+```
+Your gaming PC on the big screen — at your TV's exact resolution and refresh rate, with HDR. No account, no cloud, nothing leaving your own network.
+```
+
+---
+
+## Description (DE) — max 4000 characters
+
+```
+Punktfunk macht aus deinem Apple TV die Konsole für den Gaming-PC, der ohnehin schon im Haus steht – in 4K, mit HDR, über dein eigenes Netzwerk, ohne Konto und ohne Cloud.
+
+Punktfunk besteht aus zwei Hälften: einem Host auf dem PC, von dem du streamst, und dieser App auf dem Gerät, auf dem du spielst. Der Host ist quelloffen und kostenlos, läuft auf Linux und auf Windows 11 – auch headless auf einem Rechner, an dem gar kein Monitor hängt.
+
+VOM SOFA AUS, VON ANFANG BIS ENDE
+
+Anschalten, Host auswählen, spielen. Die App findet Hosts im Netzwerk von allein. Beim ersten Mal koppelst du einmalig mit einer PIN, danach verbindet sich der Apple TV über eine gepinnte Identität – kein Konto, kein Login, kein Abtippen von IP-Adressen. Steht dein Gaming-PC im Standby, weckt ihn Punktfunk per Wake-on-LAN und verbindet sich, sobald er wach ist. Niemand muss dafür aufstehen.
+
+DAS BILD, DAS DEIN FERNSEHER WIRKLICH KANN
+
+Für den Apple TV legt der Host ein echtes virtuelles Display an – in genau der Auflösung und Bildrate, die dein Fernseher meldet, bis 4K. Kein Skalieren, keine schwarzen Balken, und die Monitore am PC werden nicht umsortiert. Dekodiert wird in Hardware über VideoToolbox (HEVC und H.264), HDR wird als PQ durchgereicht, statt es flach zu rechnen.
+
+CONTROLLER, VOLLSTÄNDIG
+
+DualSense, Xbox- und weitere MFi-kompatible Controller. Beim DualSense gehen Rumble, Lightbar, Player-LEDs, adaptive Trigger, Touchpad und Gyro bis ins Spiel durch. Welchen Typ das virtuelle Gamepad am Host annimmt, richtet sich nach dem, was bei dir wirklich in der Hand liegt. Bedienen lässt sich alles mit der Siri Remote oder komplett mit dem Controller – die Oberfläche ist für die Fernbedienung gebaut, nicht für eine Maus.
+
+DEINE BIBLIOTHEK AUF DEM FERNSEHER
+
+Installierte Steam-Titel und selbst hinzugefügte Spiele erscheinen als Raster mit Artwork und starten direkt vom Sofa aus. Mehrere Geräte können gleichzeitig streamen, jedes auf seinem eigenen Display – der Apple TV im Wohnzimmer stört also niemanden, der am Schreibtisch weiterarbeitet.
+
+SCHNELL, WEIL UNS DER GANZE WEG GEHÖRT
+
+Die nativen Apps sprechen punktfunk/1: eine QUIC-Steuerebene und eine verschlüsselte Datenebene mit Vorwärtsfehlerkorrektur. Ein gestuftes Overlay zeigt Bildrate, Bitrate und Latenz – über zwei Maschinen hinweg um den Uhrenversatz korrigiert, also eine Messung und kein Versprechen. Ein Geschwindigkeitstest pro Host schlägt eine passende Bitrate für dein Netzwerk vor.
+
+WAS DU BRAUCHST
+
+Einen Punktfunk-Host auf einem Linux-PC oder auf Windows 11 (22H2 oder neuer) im selben Netzwerk. Für die beste Erfahrung hängt der Apple TV am Kabel oder an einem guten 5-GHz-WLAN. Der Host ist quelloffen (MIT/Apache-2.0) und kostenlos – Anleitungen und Quellcode findest du auf punktfunk.unom.io.
+
+Kein Konto. Keine Cloud. Keine Telemetrie. Die App erfasst keine Daten über dich.
+```
+
+---
+
+## Description (EN) — max 4000 characters
+
+```
+Punktfunk turns your Apple TV into a console for the gaming PC you already own — in 4K, with HDR, over your own network, with no account and no cloud.
+
+Punktfunk comes in two halves: a host on the PC you stream from, and this app on the device you play on. The host is open source and free, and runs on Linux and on Windows 11 — including headless, on a machine with no monitor attached at all.
+
+FROM THE COUCH, START TO FINISH
+
+Turn on, pick a host, play. The app finds hosts on your network by itself. The first time, you pair once with a PIN; after that your Apple TV reconnects on a pinned identity — no account, no login, no typing IP addresses with a remote. If your gaming PC is asleep, Punktfunk wakes it over Wake-on-LAN and connects as soon as it is up. Nobody has to get up to make that happen.
+
+THE PICTURE YOUR TV CAN ACTUALLY SHOW
+
+For your Apple TV, the host creates a real virtual display at exactly the resolution and refresh rate your TV reports, up to 4K. No scaling, no black bars, and the monitors on your PC are left where they are. Decoding is done in hardware through VideoToolbox (HEVC and H.264), and HDR is passed through as PQ rather than flattened.
+
+CONTROLLERS, IN FULL
+
+DualSense, Xbox, and other MFi-compatible controllers. On a DualSense, rumble, lightbar, player LEDs, adaptive triggers, touchpad, and gyro all reach the game. The virtual gamepad the host presents takes its type from the controller actually in your hands. Everything is navigable with the Siri Remote or entirely with a controller — the interface is built for a remote, not for a mouse.
+
+YOUR LIBRARY ON THE BIG SCREEN
+
+Installed Steam titles and games you add yourself appear as a grid with artwork, ready to launch from the couch. Several devices can stream at once, each on its own display — so the Apple TV in the living room does not disturb anyone still working at the desk.
+
+FAST, BECAUSE WE OWN THE WHOLE PATH
+
+The native apps speak punktfunk/1: a QUIC control plane and an encrypted data plane with forward error correction. A tiered overlay shows frame rate, bitrate, and latency — corrected for clock skew across the two machines, so it is a measurement rather than a claim. A per-host speed test suggests a bitrate that matches your network.
+
+WHAT YOU NEED
+
+A Punktfunk host on a Linux PC or on Windows 11 (22H2 or later) on the same network. For the best experience, put your Apple TV on Ethernet or on good 5 GHz Wi-Fi. The host is open source (MIT/Apache-2.0) and free — guides and source at punktfunk.unom.io.
+
+No account. No cloud. No telemetry. This app collects no data about you.
+```
+
+---
+
+## Keywords — max 100 characters
+
+### DE (93)
+
+```
+streaming,spiele,gaming,controller,gamepad,wohnzimmer,fernseher,pc,linux,windows,4k,hdr,couch
+```
+
+### EN (91)
+
+```
+streaming,gaming,controller,gamepad,livingroom,tv,pc,linux,windows,4k,hdr,couch,remote,play
+```
+
+Same exclusions as macOS: no `Moonlight`, `GameStream`, `NVIDIA`, or `Steam` in the keyword field.

clients/apple/tools/screenshots.sh

@@ -11,9 +11,15 @@
 # The captured pixels are exactly App Store Connect's required sizes:
 #   mac        2880×1800   (a 1× display yields 1440×900 — also accepted)
 #   iphone-6.9 1320×2868   (portrait)  /  2868×1320 (the landscape hero)
-#   ipad-13    2064×2752   (portrait)  /  2752×2064 (the landscape hero)
+#   ipad-13    2064×2752   (portrait)
 #   appletv    1920×1080
 #
+# A `.landscape` scene rotates on iPhone but NOT on iPad: an iPad app that supports multitasking
+# is resizable, and iPadOS ignores `requestGeometryUpdate` orientation requests for it — the app
+# follows the device, and simctl cannot rotate a simulated device. The iPad set is therefore
+# portrait throughout (a valid App Store size, and uniform, which the gallery prefers). To get a
+# landscape iPad hero, rotate the Simulator by hand (⌘←) and re-run just that scene.
+#
 # Requirements:
 #   • macOS target: just the Swift toolchain (`swift build`) + a one-time Screen Recording grant
 #     for your terminal (System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording).
@@ -35,7 +41,11 @@ cd "$APPLE_DIR"
 
 OUT="${OUT:-$APPLE_DIR/screenshots}"
 BUNDLE_ID="io.unom.punktfunk"
-SCENES=(01-stream 02-hosts 03-pair 04-trust 05-settings)
+
+# The App Store set, in listing order — the first three are what most people ever see, so they are
+# the stream itself, the machines it found, and the couch/controller mode. Everything else in
+# ShotScenes.all is a dev scene; capture those with `SCENES="06-gamepad-home 10-edithost" ...`.
+SCENES=(${SCENES:-01-stream 02-hosts 06-gamepad-home 09e-waking-modal 05-settings 03-pair})
 SETTLE="${SETTLE:-4}" # seconds to let a scene lay out before capturing
 
 mkdir -p "$OUT"
@@ -89,13 +99,20 @@ shoot_macos() {
 
 # $1 device-type regex (matches both existing device names and the device-type catalog)
 # $2 scheme  $3 sdk  $4 file prefix  $5 runtime platform (iOS|tvOS — for the create fallback)
+# $6 name for a device we have to create — MUST satisfy $1 (see below)
 shoot_sim() {
   require_xcode
-  local match="$1" scheme="$2" sdk="$3" prefix="$4" platform="$5"
+  local match="$1" scheme="$2" sdk="$3" prefix="$4" platform="$5" createname="$6"
 
-  # Reuse an existing device of this type; else create a throwaway one against the newest
-  # available runtime for the platform. CI runners commonly ship a runtime but not every device
-  # (the iPhone 16 Pro Max is absent on ours), so create-on-demand is what makes it reproducible.
+  # Reuse an existing device of this type; else create one against the newest available runtime
+  # for the platform. CI runners commonly ship a runtime but not every device (the iPhone 16 Pro
+  # Max is absent on ours), so create-on-demand is what makes it reproducible.
+  #
+  # The created device is named after the DEVICE, not after this script, for two reasons. It used
+  # to be "pf-shot-<prefix>", which `$match` never matches — so every run created another
+  # simulator and none was ever reused (they piled up on the runner). And the name is user-visible:
+  # `UIDevice.current.name` is what the pairing sheet prefills as this device's name, so
+  # "pf-shot-iphone-6.9" was rendered into an App Store screenshot.
   local udid
   udid="$(xcrun simctl list devices available | grep -E "$match" | grep -oE '[0-9A-F-]{36}' | head -1 || true)"
   if [ -z "$udid" ]; then
@@ -105,8 +122,8 @@ shoot_sim() {
     rt="$(xcrun simctl list runtimes available | grep -E "^$platform " \
       | grep -oE 'com\.apple\.CoreSimulator\.SimRuntime\.[A-Za-z0-9.-]+' | tail -1 || true)"
     if [ -n "$devtype" ] && [ -n "$rt" ]; then
-      udid="$(xcrun simctl create "pf-shot-$prefix" "$devtype" "$rt" 2>/dev/null || true)"
-      [ -n "$udid" ] && log "$prefix — created Simulator $udid ($devtype)"
+      udid="$(xcrun simctl create "$createname" "$devtype" "$rt" 2>/dev/null || true)"
+      [ -n "$udid" ] && log "$prefix — created Simulator \"$createname\" $udid ($devtype)"
     fi
   fi
   [ -n "$udid" ] || die "$prefix: no Simulator matching /$match/, and none could be created
@@ -114,6 +131,11 @@ shoot_sim() {
   log "$prefix — Simulator $udid"
   xcrun simctl boot "$udid" 2>/dev/null || true
   xcrun simctl bootstatus "$udid" -b >/dev/null 2>&1 || true
+  # Every scene is a dark-mode scene. The in-app `.environment(\.colorScheme, .dark)` override
+  # does NOT cross a presentation boundary — a `.sheet` gets its own environment and follows the
+  # DEVICE appearance — so the pairing sheet came out light grey over the dark app. Set the
+  # simulator itself to dark and the whole hierarchy, presentations included, agrees.
+  xcrun simctl ui "$udid" appearance dark >/dev/null 2>&1 || true
 
   log "$prefix — building ($scheme)…"
   # PF_SHOT_DERIVED_DATA (optional): a STABLE DerivedData root, so repeat runs reuse the
@@ -150,15 +172,15 @@ pixels() { sips -g pixelWidth -g pixelHeight "$1" 2>/dev/null | awk '/pixel/{pri
 for target in "$@"; do
   case "$target" in
     macos) shoot_macos ;;
-    ios)   shoot_sim 'iPhone 16 Pro Max'   Punktfunk-iOS  iphonesimulator  iphone-6.9 iOS ;;
-    ipad)  shoot_sim 'iPad Pro 13|iPad Pro .*M4|iPad Pro \(13' Punktfunk-iOS iphonesimulator ipad-13 iOS ;;
-    tvos)  shoot_sim 'Apple TV'            Punktfunk-tvOS appletvsimulator appletv    tvOS ;;
+    ios)   shoot_sim 'iPhone 16 Pro Max'   Punktfunk-iOS  iphonesimulator  iphone-6.9 iOS 'iPhone 16 Pro Max' ;;
+    ipad)  shoot_sim 'iPad Pro 13|iPad Pro .*M4|iPad Pro \(13' Punktfunk-iOS iphonesimulator ipad-13 iOS 'iPad Pro 13-inch (M4)' ;;
+    tvos)  shoot_sim 'Apple TV'            Punktfunk-tvOS appletvsimulator appletv    tvOS 'Apple TV 4K' ;;
     all)
       shoot_macos
       if xcrun --find simctl >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-        shoot_sim 'iPhone 16 Pro Max' Punktfunk-iOS iphonesimulator iphone-6.9 iOS
-        shoot_sim 'iPad Pro 13|iPad Pro .*M4|iPad Pro \(13' Punktfunk-iOS iphonesimulator ipad-13 iOS
-        shoot_sim 'Apple TV' Punktfunk-tvOS appletvsimulator appletv tvOS
+        shoot_sim 'iPhone 16 Pro Max' Punktfunk-iOS iphonesimulator iphone-6.9 iOS 'iPhone 16 Pro Max'
+        shoot_sim 'iPad Pro 13|iPad Pro .*M4|iPad Pro \(13' Punktfunk-iOS iphonesimulator ipad-13 iOS 'iPad Pro 13-inch (M4)'
+        shoot_sim 'Apple TV' Punktfunk-tvOS appletvsimulator appletv tvOS 'Apple TV 4K'
       else
         warn "Skipping iOS/iPadOS/tvOS — full Xcode not found (Command Line Tools only)."
       fi

clients/cli/src/main.rs

@@ -41,16 +41,23 @@ mod cli {
 
     const PROBE_TIMEOUT: Duration = Duration::from_millis(2500);
 
+    /// The handshake budget `--request-access` runs on. Matches the host's `PENDING_APPROVAL_WAIT`
+    /// — the connect is PARKED for that long while an operator decides, so anything shorter would
+    /// give up while the approval prompt is still on their screen.
+    const REQUEST_ACCESS_TIMEOUT_SECS: u64 = 185;
+
     const USAGE: &str = "\
 punktfunk — the Punktfunk client, headless
 
+  punktfunk discover [--json] [--timeout SECS]
   punktfunk pair <host[:port]> [--pin N] [--name LABEL]
   punktfunk hosts list [--probe] [--json]
   punktfunk hosts add <host[:port]> [--name LABEL] [--fp HEX]
   punktfunk hosts forget <host-ref>
   punktfunk wake <host-ref> [--wait]
   punktfunk library <host-ref> [--json]
-  punktfunk launch <host-ref> [--game ID] [--profile REF] [--exec] [--fullscreen]
+  punktfunk launch <host-ref> [--game ID] [--profile REF] [--request-access]
+                              [--exec] [--fullscreen]
   punktfunk open <punktfunk://…>
   punktfunk reachable <host-ref>
   punktfunk speed-test <host-ref>
@@ -68,6 +75,24 @@ punktfunk:// link takes. Exit codes: 0 ok, 2 connect, 3 trust, 4 renderer, 5 not
     /// (what goes to stdout vs stderr, and which exit codes mean what).
     fn verb_help(verb: &str) -> Option<&'static str> {
         Some(match verb {
+            "discover" => {
+                "\
+punktfunk discover [--json] [--timeout SECS] — browse the LAN for hosts
+
+Listens for Punktfunk hosts advertising over mDNS and prints what answered:
+name TAB addr:port TAB saved|new TAB paired|unpaired. `saved` means this
+device already has a record for it, matched by fingerprint first and address
+second — the same rule every other surface joins the two lists by.
+
+  --timeout SECS  how long to browse (default 3, capped at 30) — a bounded
+                  call, so a panel can wait for it
+  --json          {\"hosts\":[{\"name\",\"addr\",\"port\",\"fp\",\"pair\",\"id\",\"mgmt\",
+                  \"os\",\"saved\",\"paired\"}]}
+
+Nothing answering is an answer, not a failure: an empty list exits 0. A host
+mDNS never sees (Tailscale, another subnet) will not appear here — save it by
+address with `punktfunk hosts add` and it shows in `hosts list --probe`."
+            }
             "pair" => {
                 "\
 punktfunk pair <host[:port]> — enrol this device with a host (PIN ceremony)
@@ -96,6 +121,13 @@ punktfunk hosts — the saved-hosts store (shared with the desktop client)
       another subnet). Without --fp it is a placeholder to pair later; with a
       64-hex fingerprint it is pinned immediately (still unpaired).
 
+      Idempotent, and keyed on the FINGERPRINT once there is one: re-running it
+      for a host already saved is a no-op, and giving a known fingerprint a new
+      address MOVES that host's record there rather than filing a second one
+      (which is how a host that changed DHCP lease stays reachable by its id).
+      A different fingerprint for an address already saved is refused, exit 3 —
+      a changed identity is a decision for a person.
+
   punktfunk hosts forget <host-ref>
       Remove a saved host, its pinned fingerprint included. A later connect
       must pair or trust it again."
@@ -119,7 +151,8 @@ this. Needs a paired host (exit 6 otherwise)."
             }
             "launch" => {
                 "\
-punktfunk launch <host-ref> [--game ID] [--profile REF] [--exec] [--fullscreen]
+punktfunk launch <host-ref> [--game ID] [--profile REF] [--request-access]
+                            [--exec] [--fullscreen]
 
 Start a stream — waking the host first if it is asleep and its MAC is known.
 The stream runs in the punktfunk-session renderer; this command supervises it
@@ -132,6 +165,16 @@ and relays its lifecycle to stderr.
   --exec         become the session process instead of supervising it — the
                  gamescope-wrapper mode, where the launched process must BE
                  the streaming one for focus and lifecycle to work
+  --request-access
+                 ask the host's operator to let this device in instead of
+                 typing a PIN. The host PARKS the connect until somebody
+                 approves it in its console or web UI (up to ~185 s), then
+                 admits it and the stream starts by itself; the host is
+                 recorded as paired once that happens, so later streams are
+                 silent. Needs the host's fingerprint pinned already
+                 (`punktfunk hosts add <addr> --fp <hex>`), and cannot be
+                 combined with --exec — under --exec there is no process
+                 left to record the approval.
 
 Exit 0 when the stream ends cleanly, 2 connect failed, 3 the host no longer
 trusts this device (re-pair), 4 the renderer could not start."
@@ -222,7 +265,7 @@ from the config directory for a true factory reset."
     fn flag_takes_value(flag: &str) -> bool {
         matches!(
             flag,
-            "--pin" | "--name" | "--fp" | "--game" | "--profile" | "--port"
+            "--pin" | "--name" | "--fp" | "--game" | "--profile" | "--port" | "--timeout"
         )
     }
 
@@ -269,6 +312,7 @@ from the config directory for a true factory reset."
             return OK;
         }
         match verb.as_str() {
+            "discover" => discover(&rest),
             "pair" => pair(&rest),
             "hosts" => hosts(&rest),
             "wake" => wake(&rest),
@@ -306,6 +350,104 @@ from the config directory for a true factory reset."
         }
     }
 
+    /// How long `discover` browses when nobody says, and the ceiling on what they can ask for.
+    /// The cap is not politeness: this verb is called from a Quick Access panel, and a typo'd
+    /// `--timeout 3000` would hang that panel with no way to cancel it.
+    const DISCOVER_DEFAULT_SECS: f64 = 3.0;
+    const DISCOVER_MAX_SECS: f64 = 30.0;
+
+    /// `discover [--json] [--timeout SECS]` — browse the LAN over mDNS and print what answered,
+    /// annotated against the saved-hosts store.
+    ///
+    /// The annotation is the point: a caller wants "can I stream this", which is a question
+    /// about BOTH lists, and joining them itself is how two surfaces end up disagreeing about
+    /// the same host. So the match rule lives here, once, and is the same one every other
+    /// surface uses — fingerprint first (survives a DHCP move), address second.
+    fn discover(args: &[String]) -> u8 {
+        let secs = value(args, "--timeout")
+            .and_then(|v| v.parse::<f64>().ok())
+            .filter(|s| *s > 0.0)
+            .unwrap_or(DISCOVER_DEFAULT_SECS)
+            .min(DISCOVER_MAX_SECS);
+        let found = pf_client_core::discovery::discover_for(Duration::from_secs_f64(secs));
+        // `read`, not `load`: this verb only LOOKS at the records to annotate what it found, and
+        // never hands their ids back. `load` would mint ids for a pre-mint store and save them —
+        // a write from a read-only verb, and one that races the `hosts list` a caller is very
+        // likely running at the same moment (the Decky panel issues both together).
+        let known = KnownHosts::read();
+        let rows: Vec<(
+            &pf_client_core::discovery::DiscoveredHost,
+            Option<&KnownHost>,
+        )> = found.iter().map(|d| (d, match_saved(&known, d))).collect();
+        if has(args, "--json") {
+            let hosts: Vec<serde_json::Value> = rows
+                .iter()
+                .map(|(d, saved)| {
+                    serde_json::json!({
+                        "name": d.name,
+                        "addr": d.addr,
+                        "port": d.port,
+                        "fp": d.fp_hex,
+                        "pair": d.pair,
+                        "id": d.advertised_id(),
+                        // 0 = not advertised, which is what a consumer's own "no mgmt port"
+                        // already means — an older host simply omits the TXT.
+                        "mgmt": d.mgmt_port.unwrap_or(0),
+                        "os": d.os,
+                        "saved": saved.is_some(),
+                        "paired": saved.is_some_and(|h| h.paired),
+                    })
+                })
+                .collect();
+            println!("{}", serde_json::json!({ "hosts": hosts }));
+        } else {
+            for (d, saved) in &rows {
+                println!(
+                    "{}\t{}:{}\t{}\t{}",
+                    d.name,
+                    d.addr,
+                    d.port,
+                    if saved.is_some() { "saved" } else { "new" },
+                    if saved.is_some_and(|h| h.paired) {
+                        "paired"
+                    } else {
+                        "unpaired"
+                    },
+                );
+            }
+        }
+        // An empty LAN is an answer, not a failure — a caller branching on the exit code is
+        // asking "did the browse run", and it did.
+        OK
+    }
+
+    /// The saved record an advert belongs to, if any: fingerprint first, address second.
+    ///
+    /// Fingerprint FIRST is deliberate and load-bearing — a host that moved to a new DHCP lease
+    /// still matches its record, and a *different* host that inherited the old address does not
+    /// inherit its pairing. This is the rule the plugin's `mergeHosts` and the shells' hosts
+    /// pages already use; keeping one copy is what stops two surfaces disagreeing about whether
+    /// the box in front of you is paired.
+    fn match_saved<'a>(
+        known: &'a KnownHosts,
+        advert: &pf_client_core::discovery::DiscoveredHost,
+    ) -> Option<&'a KnownHost> {
+        known
+            .hosts
+            .iter()
+            .find(|h| {
+                !h.fp_hex.is_empty()
+                    && !advert.fp_hex.is_empty()
+                    && h.fp_hex.eq_ignore_ascii_case(&advert.fp_hex)
+            })
+            .or_else(|| {
+                known
+                    .hosts
+                    .iter()
+                    .find(|h| h.addr == advert.addr && h.port == advert.port)
+            })
+    }
+
     /// `pair <host[:port]> [--pin N]` — the SPAKE2 ceremony. Without `--pin` it prompts, which
     /// is the interactive shape; with one it is scriptable. Refuses rather than prompting when
     /// stdin isn't a terminal and no PIN was given: a pairing that silently blocks a CI job
@@ -424,16 +566,69 @@ from the config directory for a true factory reset."
                     return UNRESOLVED;
                 };
                 let (addr, port) = split_host_port(&target);
+                let fp = value(args, "--fp").unwrap_or_default();
+                let name = value(args, "--name");
                 let mut known = KnownHosts::load();
-                if known.hosts.iter().any(|h| h.addr == addr && h.port == port) {
-                    eprintln!("{addr}:{port} is already saved");
-                    return OK;
+                if let Some(i) = known
+                    .hosts
+                    .iter()
+                    .position(|h| h.addr == addr && h.port == port)
+                {
+                    return match merge_saved_host(&mut known, i, &fp, name.as_deref()) {
+                        AddOutcome::Unchanged => {
+                            eprintln!("{addr}:{port} is already saved");
+                            OK
+                        }
+                        AddOutcome::Conflict => {
+                            eprintln!(
+                                "{addr}:{port} is already saved with a different fingerprint — \
+                                 forget it first if you really mean to replace it \
+                                 (punktfunk hosts forget {addr}:{port})"
+                            );
+                            TRUST_REJECTED
+                        }
+                        AddOutcome::Pinned => match known.save() {
+                            Ok(()) => {
+                                println!("updated {addr}:{port}");
+                                OK
+                            }
+                            Err(e) => {
+                                eprintln!("saving: {e:#}");
+                                CONNECT_FAILED
+                            }
+                        },
+                    };
+                }
+                // No record at this address — but a record carrying this exact FINGERPRINT is
+                // this same host at a new one. Re-point it rather than filing a second record:
+                // the fingerprint is the identity, and a host that changed DHCP lease is the
+                // whole reason `hosts add --fp` is idempotent in the first place. Without this a
+                // moved host accumulates one record per address it has ever held, and the one a
+                // stable id resolves to keeps the address it can no longer be reached at.
+                if let Some(i) = known
+                    .hosts
+                    .iter()
+                    .position(|h| !fp.is_empty() && h.fp_hex.eq_ignore_ascii_case(&fp))
+                {
+                    let was = format!("{}:{}", known.hosts[i].addr, known.hosts[i].port);
+                    known.hosts[i].addr = addr.clone();
+                    known.hosts[i].port = port;
+                    return match known.save() {
+                        Ok(()) => {
+                            println!("moved {was} to {addr}:{port}");
+                            OK
+                        }
+                        Err(e) => {
+                            eprintln!("saving: {e:#}");
+                            CONNECT_FAILED
+                        }
+                    };
                 }
                 known.hosts.push(KnownHost {
-                    name: value(args, "--name").unwrap_or_else(|| addr.clone()),
+                    name: name.unwrap_or_else(|| addr.clone()),
                     addr: addr.clone(),
                     port,
-                    fp_hex: value(args, "--fp").unwrap_or_default(),
+                    fp_hex: fp,
                     ..Default::default()
                 });
                 match known.save() {
@@ -475,6 +670,55 @@ from the config directory for a true factory reset."
         }
     }
 
+    /// What `hosts add` did to a record that was ALREADY saved for this address.
+    #[derive(Debug, PartialEq, Eq)]
+    enum AddOutcome {
+        /// Nothing to do — no fingerprint was offered, or the record already carries this one.
+        /// Exits 0 on purpose: a panel retrying step 1 of request access must not have to
+        /// invent an error to show for a state that is already correct.
+        Unchanged,
+        /// The record had no fingerprint and now has this one.
+        Pinned,
+        /// The record carries a DIFFERENT fingerprint. Refused, never overwritten.
+        Conflict,
+    }
+
+    /// `hosts add --fp` against an address that is already saved. The difference between these
+    /// three is a trust decision, not bookkeeping.
+    ///
+    /// Filling in an empty fingerprint is step 1 of request access (design §5): a host found by
+    /// advert is saved by address first and pinned second. Without it the `--fp` is dropped on
+    /// the floor and the launch that follows refuses for want of a pin — which is what this did
+    /// before, silently and with exit 0.
+    ///
+    /// A *different* fingerprint is refused because a changed identity is a decision for a
+    /// person, at a surface that can show them both. That is what `upsert_trusted` exists to
+    /// enforce; quietly overwriting it here would be a back door through the pinning the rest
+    /// of the client is built on.
+    fn merge_saved_host(
+        known: &mut KnownHosts,
+        i: usize,
+        fp: &str,
+        name: Option<&str>,
+    ) -> AddOutcome {
+        let existing = known.hosts[i].fp_hex.clone();
+        if fp.is_empty() || existing.eq_ignore_ascii_case(fp) {
+            return AddOutcome::Unchanged;
+        }
+        if !existing.is_empty() {
+            return AddOutcome::Conflict;
+        }
+        known.hosts[i].fp_hex = fp.to_string();
+        // Only a record still named after its own address is renamed: a label the user chose is
+        // theirs, and an advert's name must not quietly overwrite it.
+        if let Some(label) = name {
+            if known.hosts[i].name == known.hosts[i].addr {
+                known.hosts[i].name = label.to_string();
+            }
+        }
+        AddOutcome::Pinned
+    }
+
     /// `wake <host-ref> [--wait]` — a magic packet, and with `--wait` the same bounded
     /// wake-and-wait the shells run (`WakeWait`: a packet every 6 s, presence polled every
     /// second, 90 s budget).
@@ -585,6 +829,19 @@ from the config directory for a true factory reset."
             eprintln!("usage: punktfunk launch <host-ref> [--game ID] [--profile REF] [--exec]");
             return UNRESOLVED;
         };
+        let exec = has(args, "--exec");
+        let request_access = has(args, "--request-access");
+        // Refused rather than silently downgraded: under `--exec` this process BECOMES the
+        // session, so nothing survives to see `Ready` and record the approval. A launch that
+        // quietly dropped the persistence would leave hosts reading "trusted" forever with
+        // nobody able to say why.
+        if request_access && exec {
+            eprintln!(
+                "--request-access can't be combined with --exec: under --exec there is no \
+                 process left to record the host's approval"
+            );
+            return UNRESOLVED;
+        }
         let (known, i) = match resolve(&reference) {
             Ok(v) => v,
             Err(code) => return code,
@@ -597,7 +854,10 @@ from the config directory for a true factory reset."
         if has(args, "--fullscreen") {
             plan.settings.fullscreen_on_stream = true;
         }
-        run_plan(plan, has(args, "--exec"))
+        if request_access {
+            plan.connect_timeout_secs = Some(REQUEST_ACCESS_TIMEOUT_SECS);
+        }
+        run_plan(plan, exec, request_access)
     }
 
     /// `open <url>` — the `punktfunk://` grammar, headless. Same parser, same refusal rules and
@@ -622,7 +882,7 @@ from the config directory for a true factory reset."
             &trust::Settings::load(),
         );
         match outcome {
-            Ok(PlanOutcome::Connect(plan)) => run_plan(*plan, has(args, "--exec")),
+            Ok(PlanOutcome::Connect(plan)) => run_plan(*plan, has(args, "--exec"), false),
             // A URL may never pair or trust on its own — that is a decision for a person, at a
             // surface that can show them the fingerprint.
             Ok(PlanOutcome::ConfirmUnknown(u)) => {
@@ -646,7 +906,13 @@ from the config directory for a true factory reset."
     }
 
     /// Wake if needed, then run the session — supervising it, or becoming it under `--exec`.
-    fn run_plan(plan: ConnectPlan, exec: bool) -> u8 {
+    ///
+    /// `persist_paired` records the host as *paired* when the child reports ready. Only
+    /// `launch --request-access` passes true: there, the host parked the connect until an
+    /// operator approved this device, so `Ready` IS the approval arriving — the same thing
+    /// `SpawnOpts::persist_paired` means in the GTK shell. Every other launch records nothing,
+    /// which is correct: a plain connect proves reachability, not a new trust decision.
+    fn run_plan(plan: ConnectPlan, exec: bool, persist_paired: bool) -> u8 {
         if plan.host.fp_hex.is_none() {
             eprintln!(
                 "{} has no pinned fingerprint — punktfunk pair {}",
@@ -708,7 +974,24 @@ from the config directory for a true factory reset."
         let mut failure: Option<(String, bool)> = None;
         while let Ok(ev) = rx.recv() {
             match ev {
-                SessionEvent::Ready => eprintln!("streaming"),
+                SessionEvent::Ready => {
+                    eprintln!("streaming");
+                    // The pin we connected WITH, not one re-derived from the store: the record
+                    // is what we are about to rewrite, and the session proved the host holds
+                    // exactly this identity by completing a pinned handshake against it.
+                    if persist_paired {
+                        if let Some(fp_hex) = &plan.host.fp_hex {
+                            trust::persist_host(
+                                &plan.host.name,
+                                &plan.host.addr,
+                                plan.host.port,
+                                fp_hex,
+                                true,
+                            );
+                            trust::forget_placeholder(&plan.host.addr, plan.host.port);
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
                 SessionEvent::Error {
                     msg,
                     trust_rejected,
@@ -967,6 +1250,7 @@ from the config directory for a true factory reset."
         #[test]
         fn every_usage_verb_has_help() {
             for verb in [
+                "discover",
                 "pair",
                 "hosts",
                 "wake",
@@ -988,6 +1272,109 @@ from the config directory for a true factory reset."
             assert!(verb_help("bogus").is_none());
         }
 
+        fn saved(name: &str, addr: &str, fp: &str) -> KnownHost {
+            KnownHost {
+                name: name.into(),
+                addr: addr.into(),
+                port: 9777,
+                fp_hex: fp.into(),
+                ..Default::default()
+            }
+        }
+
+        /// Step 1 of request access: a host saved by address gains the fingerprint its advert
+        /// carried. Before this, `hosts add --fp` on an existing record exited 0 having done
+        /// NOTHING — the launch that followed then refused for want of a pin, and the panel had
+        /// no way to tell why.
+        #[test]
+        fn adding_a_fingerprint_to_a_placeholder_fills_it_in() {
+            let mut known = KnownHosts {
+                hosts: vec![saved("192.168.1.9", "192.168.1.9", "")],
+            };
+            assert_eq!(
+                merge_saved_host(&mut known, 0, "abc123", Some("living-room")),
+                AddOutcome::Pinned
+            );
+            assert_eq!(known.hosts[0].fp_hex, "abc123");
+            assert_eq!(
+                known.hosts[0].name, "living-room",
+                "a record still named after its address takes the offered label"
+            );
+        }
+
+        /// A label the user chose is theirs — an advert's name must not overwrite it.
+        #[test]
+        fn filling_in_a_fingerprint_keeps_a_user_chosen_name() {
+            let mut known = KnownHosts {
+                hosts: vec![saved("Basement rig", "192.168.1.9", "")],
+            };
+            merge_saved_host(&mut known, 0, "abc123", Some("living-room"));
+            assert_eq!(known.hosts[0].name, "Basement rig");
+        }
+
+        /// Idempotent: the panel may retry step 1, and re-offering the fingerprint a record
+        /// already carries is a state that is already correct, not an error to render.
+        #[test]
+        fn re_adding_the_same_fingerprint_changes_nothing() {
+            let mut known = KnownHosts {
+                hosts: vec![saved("desk", "192.168.1.9", "ABC123")],
+            };
+            assert_eq!(
+                merge_saved_host(&mut known, 0, "abc123", None),
+                AddOutcome::Unchanged,
+                "fingerprints compare case-insensitively"
+            );
+            // And a bare `hosts add` with no --fp at all leaves the pin alone.
+            assert_eq!(
+                merge_saved_host(&mut known, 0, "", None),
+                AddOutcome::Unchanged
+            );
+            assert_eq!(known.hosts[0].fp_hex, "ABC123");
+        }
+
+        /// A changed identity is a decision for a person. Never a silent overwrite — this is the
+        /// same rule `upsert_trusted` enforces, and a back door here would defeat it everywhere.
+        #[test]
+        fn a_different_fingerprint_is_refused_not_overwritten() {
+            let mut known = KnownHosts {
+                hosts: vec![saved("desk", "192.168.1.9", "abc123")],
+            };
+            assert_eq!(
+                merge_saved_host(&mut known, 0, "deadbeef", None),
+                AddOutcome::Conflict
+            );
+            assert_eq!(
+                known.hosts[0].fp_hex, "abc123",
+                "the pin must survive intact"
+            );
+        }
+
+        /// A host that changed DHCP lease is re-pointed, not filed a second time. Without this
+        /// the record a stable id resolves to keeps an address the host has left, so a launch
+        /// dials into the void while the panel shows the live one.
+        #[test]
+        fn a_known_fingerprint_at_a_new_address_moves_the_record() {
+            let mut known = KnownHosts {
+                hosts: vec![saved("desk", "192.168.1.9", "abc123")],
+            };
+            // Simulates `hosts add 192.168.1.50 --fp abc123` finding no record at that address.
+            let by_addr = known
+                .hosts
+                .iter()
+                .position(|h| h.addr == "192.168.1.50" && h.port == 9777);
+            assert!(
+                by_addr.is_none(),
+                "the new address is not yet on any record"
+            );
+            let by_fp = known
+                .hosts
+                .iter()
+                .position(|h| h.fp_hex.eq_ignore_ascii_case("abc123"));
+            assert_eq!(by_fp, Some(0), "the fingerprint still identifies the host");
+            known.hosts[0].addr = "192.168.1.50".into();
+            assert_eq!(known.hosts.len(), 1, "one host, one record");
+        }
+
         #[test]
         fn value_reads_the_argument_after_its_flag() {
             let a = argv(&["--game", "steam:570", "--exec"]);

clients/cli/tests/cli_smoke.rs

@@ -67,3 +67,21 @@ fn unknown_verbs_refuse_with_the_not_found_code() {
     let out = punktfunk(&["help", "frobnicate"]);
     assert_eq!(out.status.code(), Some(5), "unknown help topic exits 5");
 }
+
+/// `discover` and `launch --request-access` document themselves. Help only — the verbs
+/// themselves browse the LAN and dial a host, which no runner may be asked to do.
+///
+/// The Decky panel detects a too-old client by exactly the signature the test above pins
+/// (exit 5 + `unknown command`), so this is the other half of that contract: on a client new
+/// enough, `discover` is a verb with help rather than an unknown word.
+#[test]
+fn the_request_access_surfaces_document_themselves() {
+    let out = punktfunk(&["help", "discover"]);
+    assert!(out.status.success(), "discover has its own help topic");
+    let stdout = String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stdout);
+    assert!(stdout.contains("--timeout"), "discover documents --timeout");
+    assert!(stdout.contains("--json"), "discover documents --json");
+
+    let out = punktfunk(&["launch", "--help"]);
+    assert!(String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stdout).contains("--request-access"));
+}

clients/decky/README.md

@@ -2,49 +2,61 @@
 
 Stream to your **Steam Deck** without ever leaving Gaming Mode. This
 **[Decky Loader](https://decky.xyz/)** plugin adds a **Punktfunk** panel to the Quick Access Menu
-(the `…` button): discover hosts on your network, pair with a PIN, tweak stream settings, and launch
-a fullscreen, gamescope-focused stream — all from the couch, gamepad-navigable.
+(the `…` button): the hosts you can stream, the pinned cards you set up, and one tap into each.
 
-The video itself is the native GTK4 Linux client (the `io.unom.Punktfunk` flatpak); the plugin
-discovers, pairs, configures, and *launches it the right way* so gamescope fullscreens it — the same
-Steam-shortcut trick MoonDeck uses. Because it's built from real Steam UI primitives (`@decky/ui`),
-the panel looks and feels native to Gaming Mode.
+The plugin is a **launcher**, not a client. It doesn't decode video, browse your library, or hold
+any settings of its own — the Rust client does all of that, and the plugin's job is to start it
+*the right way* so gamescope fullscreens and focuses it (the same Steam-shortcut trick MoonDeck
+uses). Everything the panel doesn't do is one tap away in the client's own gamepad UI.
 
 ## What it does
 
-1. **Discover** — browses the LAN over mDNS for Punktfunk hosts, in both the QAM panel and a
-   fullscreen page; each host row opens a details view (address, pairing policy, certificate
-   fingerprint to cross-check against the host's log).
-2. **Pair** — for a host that requires it, a gamepad-navigable PIN keypad runs the SPAKE2 pairing
-   ceremony headlessly, then remembers the host so future streams connect silently.
-3. **Stream** — launches fullscreen via a branded "Punktfunk" Steam shortcut so gamescope focuses it.
-4. **Games** — each host row has a games button that opens its **library picker**: pin titles as
-   one-tap "Stream <Game>" rows in the QAM (jump straight into e.g. Playnite on the host), or
-   **"Open library on screen"** to launch the client's controller-driven, console-style library
-   browser (aurora backdrop + poster coverflow; A plays, B returns to Gaming Mode). Pins survive
-   plugin reinstalls (stored next to the client's config) and follow a host across IP changes
-   (matched by certificate fingerprint).
-5. **Settings** — the client's whole settings store, written to its config. Laid out like SteamOS's
-   own Settings: a left rail of categories (`SidebarNavigation`), one page each, so no page needs
-   scrolling. The categories and their order are the console settings screen's — Stream (resolution
-   / refresh / render scale / bitrate / compositor), Video (codec / decoder / GPU / HDR / 4:4:4),
-   Presentation (prioritize / smoothness buffer / V-Sync / VRR), Audio (channels / output + mic
-   device / echo cancellation), Controllers, Touch & mouse, Interface (stats overlay / auto-wake /
-   library / fullscreen). The device pickers are populated
-   from the session binary (`--list-adapters` / `--list-audio`); the GPU row appears only where
-   there is more than one adapter.
-6. **About** — plugin version, an explicit "Check for updates" button, the setup-guide link, and
-   a force-stop for a wedged stream client.
+1. **Hosts** — the hosts on your network plus the ones you've saved, in one list. Discovery is
+   mDNS; saved hosts are also probed directly, so a box reached over Tailscale or a VPN shows as
+   online even though it never advertises. Rows sort online-first, then most recently used.
+2. **Trust** — an unpaired host opens a small sheet with two ways in:
+   - **Request access** (the default) — no PIN. The host's operator approves this Deck in its
+     console or web UI and the stream starts by itself. See [Request access](#request-access).
+   - **Use a PIN instead** — the gamepad-navigable keypad, running the same SPAKE2 ceremony.
+3. **Stream** — launches fullscreen via a branded "Punktfunk" Steam shortcut so gamescope focuses
+   it. A sleeping host is woken first (the client runs the real wake-and-wait loop, then dials).
+4. **Pinned cards** — a *(host, profile)* pair renders nested under its host as `▸ <Profile name>`
+   and streams with that settings profile applied. Cards are the **shared** pinning model every
+   other client speaks, stored on the host's record — so one you make in the desktop client shows
+   up here, and vice versa. The plugin renders them; it doesn't create or edit them.
+5. **Open Punktfunk** — launches the client's **console home**: the host picker, add-host by
+   address, PIN pairing, the game library browser, and the **full settings screen**. This is where
+   everything the panel no longer does now lives.
+6. **About** — plugin version, "Check for updates", "Recreate library shortcut", and a force-stop
+   for a wedged stream.
 
 To leave a stream: the in-client controller chord (**L1 + R1 + Start + Select**), or close the
 "game" from the Steam overlay — either returns you to Gaming Mode.
 
+### Request access
+
+Request access is not a second pairing ceremony — it is a **launch**. The plugin saves the host
+with the fingerprint it **advertised**, then starts an ordinary identified connect with the
+handshake budget stretched to 185 s. The host *parks* that connection until its operator approves
+the device, then admits the same connection; the stream starts on its own, and the record flips
+to **paired** so every later stream is silent.
+
+**No advertised fingerprint, no request access.** That pinned fingerprint is the only thing
+standing between a 185-second wait and an impostor answering for the host, so a host you typed in
+by address gets the PIN path only — and the sheet says why. The plugin never trusts-on-first-use
+past a missing fingerprint.
+
 ## Install on the Deck
 
-You need **[Decky Loader](https://decky.xyz/)** and the **`io.unom.Punktfunk` flatpak**
-([`packaging/flatpak`](../../packaging/flatpak/README.md)) installed on the Deck — SteamOS `/usr` is
-read-only, so the flatpak (which bundles libadwaita/SDL3) is the canonical client. Discovery uses
-`avahi-browse`, which ships on SteamOS/Bazzite.
+You need **[Decky Loader](https://decky.xyz/)** and a **Punktfunk client** on the Deck. On a normal
+Deck that's the `io.unom.Punktfunk` flatpak ([`packaging/flatpak`](../../packaging/flatpak/README.md)) —
+SteamOS `/usr` is read-only, so the flatpak (which bundles libadwaita/SDL3) is the canonical client.
+A native install (sysext, distro package, nix profile, your own build) works too.
+
+**The client must be v0.22.0 or newer** — that is when the headless `punktfunk` CLI shipped, and
+the panel drives everything through it. An older client says so in the panel, with the update
+button that fixes it right there. (Discovery no longer needs `avahi-browse` on the Deck; the
+client's own mDNS does it.)
 
 **Recommended — install from URL** (published by CI): in Decky → Settings → **Developer Mode** →
 **Install Plugin from URL**, paste:
@@ -55,17 +67,15 @@ https://unom.io/pf-decky
 
 (short link for `https://git.unom.io/api/packages/unom/generic/punktfunk-decky/latest/punktfunk.zip`;
 for a pinned version use `https://git.unom.io/api/packages/unom/generic/punktfunk-decky/<version>/punktfunk.zip`
-directly). The plugin then **self-updates** without
-the Decky store — when a newer build exists, an **Update** button appears and drives Decky
-Loader's own (SHA-256-verified) install. Installs and updates can take a couple of minutes on some
-networks: Decky's installer also contacts its plugin store first, which may be slow or blackholed
-before the actual download proceeds.
+directly). The plugin then **self-updates** without the Decky store — when a newer build exists, an
+**Update** button appears and drives Decky Loader's own (SHA-256-verified) install. Installs and
+updates can take a couple of minutes on some networks: Decky's installer also contacts its plugin
+store first, which may be slow or blackholed before the actual download proceeds.
 
 ### Updating the client
 
 The plugin also reports — and where it can, installs — updates for the **client** it launches.
-What is possible depends on how that client was installed, and the About tab names the install
-kind so the answer is never a mystery:
+What is possible depends on how that client was installed:
 
 | Install | Update |
 | --- | --- |
@@ -88,6 +98,8 @@ pnpm install
 pnpm build                             # rollup → dist/index.js
 pnpm run package                       # → out/punktfunk/ + out/punktfunk-v<ver>.zip
 DECK=deck@<deck-ip> pnpm run deploy    # rsync → /tmp, sudo-install into the root-owned plugins dir, restart loader
+
+python3.13 scripts/test-backend.py     # backend unit checks (needs Python ≥3.10)
 ```
 
 `~/homebrew/plugins/` is root-owned (the loader runs as root), so `deploy.sh` stages to a temp dir
@@ -96,28 +108,46 @@ restart is required for an out-of-band install to appear.
 
 ## Architecture
 
+Everything below the panel is the CLI. `main.py` builds argv and maps exit codes; it parses none of
+the client's data files and re-implements none of its rules.
+
 | File | Role |
 | --- | --- |
-| `src/index.tsx` | Plugin entry: the QAM panel + route registration. |
-| `src/page.tsx` | The `/punktfunk` fullscreen page — Hosts (with per-host details) / Settings / About tabs. |
-| `src/settings.tsx` · `src/pair.tsx` | The settings screen (a `SidebarNavigation` of seven category pages over one shared settings object); the gamepad-navigable PIN-pairing modal. |
-| `src/library.tsx` | The per-host game picker (pin/unpin, "Open library on screen") + the pinned-game launch helper. |
-| `src/hostmgmt.tsx` | Add / edit host dialogs — mutate the shared known-hosts store (`client-known-hosts.json`) via the flatpak client's headless modes, so a host saved here shows up in the desktop client too. |
-| `src/ui.tsx` | Shared UI primitives for the fullscreen page + modals (right-aligned row actions, consistent Field layout). |
-| `src/hooks.ts` · `src/boundary.tsx` | Shared discovery/update/pins hooks + actions; the render error boundary. |
-| `src/steam.ts` | Steam-shortcut launch (`AddShortcut` / `SetAppLaunchOptions` / `RunGame`) — the focus-correct stream start. The shortcut's exe is `/bin/sh` with the wrapper passed as an argument, so the script never needs an exec bit (Decky's zip extraction drops it and the root-owned plugins dir can't be chmodded by the unprivileged backend). Launch extras ride env-prefix tokens: `PF_LAUNCH=<id>` (pinned game) / `PF_BROWSE=1` + `PF_MGMT=<port>` (on-screen library); ids are validated space/quote-free at pin AND launch time. |
-| `src/backend.ts` | Typed `callable` bridges to `main.py`. |
-| `bin/punktfunkrun.sh` | The launch wrapper the Steam shortcut runs (so the window is focusable); maps `PF_LAUNCH`/`PF_BROWSE`/`PF_MGMT` to `--launch`/`--browse`/`--mgmt`. An older flatpak ignores the flags harmlessly (plain stream / hosts page). |
-| `main.py` | Backend: `discover` (via `avahi-browse`) / `pair` / `library` (headless flatpak `--library`, TSV) / pins store (`decky-pinned.json`) / settings / `kill_stream` / `check_update` (with an explicit CA-bundle search — Decky's embedded Python has no usable default TLS roots on SteamOS). |
-| `scripts/test-backend.py` | Stdlib-only checks for the backend's pure parsers (TSV, error classes, avahi TXT) + the pins round trip. |
+| `src/index.tsx` | Plugin entry + the QAM panel: update banner, hosts (with nested pinned cards), the console-home door, about. |
+| `src/hooks.ts` | `useHosts` (one call merging discovery and the saved store), the update hooks, and the launch action. Also the trust-state model the rows render. |
+| `src/trust.tsx` · `src/pair.tsx` | The trust sheet (Request access / Use a PIN instead / Cancel) and the gamepad-navigable PIN keypad. |
+| `src/steam.ts` | Steam-shortcut launch (`AddShortcut` / `SetAppLaunchOptions` / `RunGame`) — the focus-correct stream start. The shortcut's exe is `/bin/sh` with the wrapper passed as an argument, so the script never needs an exec bit (Decky's zip extraction drops it and the root-owned plugins dir can't be chmodded by the unprivileged backend). |
+| `src/backend.ts` · `src/boundary.tsx` · `src/os-icon.tsx` | Typed `callable` bridges to `main.py`; the render error boundary; the host row's OS mark. |
+| `bin/punktfunkrun.sh` | The launch wrapper the Steam shortcut runs (so the window is focusable). Reads `PF_REF` / `PF_PROFILE` / `PF_REQUEST_ACCESS` / `PF_BROWSE` and runs `punktfunk launch` — or the session's `--browse` for console home. |
+| `main.py` | Backend: four thin CLI shells (`discover` / `hosts` / `pair` / `trust_host`) plus the Steam-side work only a plugin can do — `runner_info`, `shortcut_art`, `apply_controller_config`, `kill_stream`, `check_update` / `update_client` (with an explicit CA-bundle search — Decky's embedded Python has no usable default TLS roots on SteamOS). |
+| `scripts/test-backend.py` | Stdlib-only checks: argv shape, the CLI exit-code mapping, and the Steam configset editor. |
 | `plugin.json` · `update.json` | Decky manifest; CI-baked update channel. |
 
+### Why the launch goes through Steam
+
+gamescope only gives focus and fullscreen to the window tree Steam launched via `reaper` (it
+detects the "current app" by AppID — gamescope#484). A client spawned from the plugin's own
+backend comes up invisible and unfocused. So the plugin registers non-Steam shortcuts whose exe is
+`/bin/sh` running `bin/punktfunkrun.sh`, and starts them with `RunGame`.
+
+There are **two** shortcuts, both named `Punktfunk` so Steam keys them to one Steam Input
+configset (the key is the lowercase name): a hidden, stateful one that carries the stream, and the
+visible, stateless library entry that opens console home.
+
 ## Limitations / next steps
 
-- No manual "add host by IP" entry yet (discovery is mDNS-only).
-- No in-stream overlay inside the plugin — the client owns the session once launched.
-- Pairing needs the operator to **arm pairing on the host** so it shows the PIN; the plugin can't arm
-  it remotely.
+- **Profiles and pinned cards can't be created here** — the panel renders them; making one needs
+  the desktop client, or the client's own gamepad UI once that work lands. A Deck with no profiles
+  simply sees host rows, and nothing is broken.
+- **Per-game pins are on hold.** The shared model pins *host+profile*; nothing in the shared store
+  persists a pinned *game* yet. The old `decky-pinned.json` is left on disk untouched so a later
+  migration can read it.
+- Pairing with a PIN needs the operator to **arm pairing on the host** so it shows the PIN; the
+  plugin can't arm it remotely. Request access needs no arming — just an approval.
+- **A parked connect looks like a hanging one.** The plugin toasts before launching a request-access
+  stream to set expectations, which is a patch rather than a fix; teaching the session's connect
+  screen the same "waiting for approval" copy the console shell already has would pay off for every
+  shell.
 
 ## Related
 

clients/decky/bin/punktfunkrun.sh

@@ -1,33 +1,32 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
-# punktfunk stream runner — the target of the hidden non-Steam shortcut the plugin creates.
+# punktfunk stream runner — the target of the non-Steam shortcuts the plugin creates.
 #
 # WHY A WRAPPER SCRIPT (load-bearing, from MoonDeck's hard-won knowledge): the stream client
 # must be a descendant of the process Steam launches via `reaper`, or gamescope never gives
 # its window focus/fullscreen in Gaming Mode (gamescope detects the "current app" by AppID,
 # which only attaches to reaper's descendants — see gamescope#484). So the Decky plugin
-# launches THIS script through SteamClient.Apps.RunGame; the script then execs the flatpak
-# client, which inherits the shortcut's AppID and is focused. Launching the flatpak directly
-# from the (root) Decky backend produces an unfocused, invisible window.
+# launches THIS script through SteamClient.Apps.RunGame; the script then runs the client,
+# which inherits the shortcut's AppID and is focused. Launching the client directly from the
+# (root) Decky backend produces an unfocused, invisible window.
 #
 # Per-session parameters arrive as environment variables, set as the shortcut's Steam launch
 # options by the plugin (SteamClient.Apps.SetAppLaunchOptions), so ONE generic shortcut serves
-# every host (and every pinned game):
-#   PF_HOST   host[:port] to connect to            (required for streaming; optional for browse)
-#   PF_LAUNCH library id to launch on connect       (optional, e.g. steam:570 — pinned games)
-#   PF_BROWSE non-empty = open the gamepad library  (optional; --browse instead of --connect)
-#   PF_MGMT   management-API port for --browse       (optional; client defaults to 47990)
-#   PF_CONNECT_TIMEOUT  connect budget in seconds    (optional; the plugin stretches it after
-#                        firing Wake-on-LAN so the connect survives the host's resume)
-#   PF_APPID  flatpak app id                        (default io.unom.Punktfunk)
-#   PF_FLATPAK  override the flatpak binary path     (default: `flatpak` on PATH)
+# every host:
+#   PF_REF     host reference — a saved host's stable id, or addr[:port]  (required to stream)
+#   PF_PROFILE settings-profile id for a pinned card                      (optional)
+#   PF_REQUEST_ACCESS  non-empty = ask the host's operator to admit this device instead of
+#                      pairing with a PIN. The connect PARKS until somebody approves it.
+#   PF_BROWSE  non-empty = open the client's console home instead of streaming
+#   PF_APPID   flatpak app id                        (default io.unom.Punktfunk)
+#   PF_FLATPAK override the flatpak binary path      (default: `flatpak` on PATH)
 #   PF_CLIENT_BIN  absolute path of a NATIVE client  (optional; set by the plugin when it
-#                  resolved a non-flatpak install — then the client is exec'd directly and
+#                  resolved a non-flatpak install — then the client is run directly and
 #                  PF_APPID/PF_FLATPAK are unused)
 #
-# Values are plain tokens (the plugin validates launch ids to space/quote-free ASCII before
-# they ever reach Steam launch options). An older flatpak without --launch/--browse ignores
-# the unknown flags harmlessly (hand-scanned argv): PF_LAUNCH degrades to the plain desktop
-# session, PF_BROWSE to the client's hosts page.
+# A REFERENCE, NEVER A VALUE. Host refs and profile ids are the only things that ride this
+# channel; no resolution, bitrate or codec ever does. The client resolves both against its own
+# stores, which is what keeps a Steam launch option from becoming a second settings surface.
+# The plugin validates them to space/quote-free ASCII before they reach Steam's tokenizer.
 #
 # Runs as the `deck` user (Steam launched it), so the --user flatpak install is visible and
 # WAYLAND_DISPLAY / XDG_RUNTIME_DIR are already correct for gamescope.
@@ -42,13 +41,22 @@ APPID="${PF_APPID:-io.unom.Punktfunk}"
 FLATPAK="${PF_FLATPAK:-flatpak}"
 
 # The client is not always the flatpak: a sysext, a .deb/.rpm, an AUR build or a nix profile
-# installs a native `punktfunk-client`, and the plugin passes its absolute path here when that
-# is what it resolved. Both kinds take the same argv and share ~/.config/punktfunk, so the only
-# difference is the prefix in front of it.
+# installs a native `punktfunk-client` with the CLI as its sibling, and the plugin passes the
+# client's absolute path here when that is what it resolved.
 #
-# exec so the client IS the game process — when it exits, Steam ends the "game" and Gaming Mode
-# reclaims focus automatically (no manual refocus needed).
-run_client() {
+# run_cli execs the HEADLESS CLI (`punktfunk`); run_session execs the GTK/console shell
+# (`punktfunk-client`). Both live in the same place in both install kinds — /app/bin inside the
+# flatpak, reachable with `--command=`, and one bindir natively.
+run_cli() {
+    if [ -n "${PF_CLIENT_BIN:-}" ]; then
+        # `${VAR%/*}` rather than `dirname`: pure parameter expansion, so this works with no
+        # PATH at all — which is the environment a Steam launch option can leave us in.
+        exec "${PF_CLIENT_BIN%/*}/punktfunk" "$@"
+    fi
+    exec "$FLATPAK" run --arch=x86_64 --command=punktfunk "$APPID" "$@"
+}
+
+run_session() {
     if [ -n "${PF_CLIENT_BIN:-}" ]; then
         exec "$PF_CLIENT_BIN" "$@"
     fi
@@ -58,40 +66,35 @@ run_client() {
 # What we are about to run, for the log line each branch prints.
 CLIENT_LABEL="${PF_CLIENT_BIN:-$APPID}"
 
-# --fullscreen: present the stream chrome-less and fullscreen (the client also auto-detects the
-# Deck/gamescope env, and ignores the flag harmlessly on older builds that predate it).
+# The console home: the client's own gamepad UI (host picker, pairing, add-host by address, the
+# library browser and the full settings screen). UNCHANGED from before this rework — the shell
+# binary already execs the session for `--browse`, so there is nothing to repoint here.
 if [ -n "${PF_BROWSE:-}" ]; then
-    # The gamepad UI. BARE `--browse` (no PF_HOST) opens the console home — the self-contained
-    # host picker + pairing + settings, gamepad-navigable — which is what the stateless, visible
-    # library shortcut launches. `--browse <host>` opens straight into that host's library (the
-    # per-host "open on screen" action). A streams a game, session end returns here, B quits.
-    if [ -z "${PF_HOST:-}" ]; then
-        echo "punktfunkrun: gamepad UI $CLIENT_LABEL --browse (console home)" >&2
-        run_client --browse --fullscreen
-    fi
-    echo "punktfunkrun: library $CLIENT_LABEL --browse $PF_HOST" >&2
-    if [ -n "${PF_MGMT:-}" ]; then
-        run_client --browse "$PF_HOST" --mgmt "$PF_MGMT" --fullscreen
-    fi
-    run_client --browse "$PF_HOST" --fullscreen
+    echo "punktfunkrun: gamepad UI $CLIENT_LABEL --browse (console home)" >&2
+    run_session --browse --fullscreen
 fi
 
-# Streaming modes need a host (browse above is the only host-less path).
-if [ -z "${PF_HOST:-}" ]; then
-    echo "punktfunkrun: PF_HOST is not set (the plugin sets it as a launch option)" >&2
+if [ -z "${PF_REF:-}" ]; then
+    echo "punktfunkrun: PF_REF is not set (the plugin sets it as a launch option)" >&2
     exit 2
 fi
-# Trailing args shared by both streaming execs. A stretched connect budget rides along when the
-# plugin set one (it just fired Wake-on-LAN, so the host may still be resuming); an older flatpak
-# without --connect-timeout ignores the flag harmlessly (hand-scanned argv).
+
 set -- --fullscreen
-if [ -n "${PF_CONNECT_TIMEOUT:-}" ]; then
-    set -- --connect-timeout "$PF_CONNECT_TIMEOUT" "$@"
+if [ -n "${PF_PROFILE:-}" ]; then
+    set -- --profile "$PF_PROFILE" "$@"
 fi
-if [ -n "${PF_LAUNCH:-}" ]; then
-    # A pinned game: the id rides the session Hello and the host launches that title.
-    echo "punktfunkrun: streaming $CLIENT_LABEL --connect $PF_HOST --launch $PF_LAUNCH" >&2
-    run_client --connect "$PF_HOST" --launch "$PF_LAUNCH" "$@"
+
+# REQUEST ACCESS RUNS SUPERVISED — no `--exec`. Under --exec the CLI BECOMES the session, so no
+# process survives to see the stream come up and record the host as paired; the CLI refuses the
+# combination outright rather than downgrading silently. This is safe for gamescope because
+# focus follows reaper's DESCENDANT TREE, not a single process, and `flatpak run`/`bwrap`
+# already sit between reaper and the client on every other path.
+if [ -n "${PF_REQUEST_ACCESS:-}" ]; then
+    echo "punktfunkrun: request access $CLIENT_LABEL launch $PF_REF (waiting for approval)" >&2
+    run_cli launch "$PF_REF" --request-access "$@"
 fi
-echo "punktfunkrun: streaming $CLIENT_LABEL --connect $PF_HOST" >&2
-run_client --connect "$PF_HOST" "$@"
+
+# The ordinary stream. `--exec` is the documented gamescope-wrapper mode: the CLI becomes the
+# session, so the process tree stays flat and Steam's "game" ends exactly when the stream does.
+echo "punktfunkrun: streaming $CLIENT_LABEL launch $PF_REF" >&2
+run_cli launch "$PF_REF" --exec "$@"

clients/decky/scripts/test-backend.py

@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python3
 """Unit checks for main.py's pure helpers — stdlib only, no Decky runtime needed.
 
-Stubs the ``decky`` module (main.py imports it at module level), then asserts the
-avahi/TSV/error parsers against fixture strings. The LibraryError fixtures are pinned to
-the REAL Display strings in clients/linux/src/library.rs — if those are reworded, the
-classifier degrades to ``client-error`` and the matching assertion here fails on purpose.
+Stubs the ``decky`` module (main.py imports it at module level), then asserts the argv
+shapes, the exit-code mapping and the Steam VDF editor against fixtures.
 
-    python3 clients/decky/scripts/test-backend.py
+Needs Python >= 3.10 for `X | None` annotations — macOS ships 3.9, so run it explicitly:
+
+    python3.13 clients/decky/scripts/test-backend.py
 """
 
 import sys
@@ -40,136 +40,135 @@ def check(name: str, cond: bool):
         failures += 1
 
 
-# ---- _parse_library_tsv -----------------------------------------------------------------
-tsv = (
-    "steam:570\tsteam\tDota 2\n"
-    "custom:abc\tcustom\tTabs\tin\ttitle\n"  # tabs inside the title survive (split max 2)
-    "2 game(s)\n"  # the count trailer has no tabs — self-skips
+# ---- _cli_argv: the flatpak app id must stay LAST ---------------------------------------
+#
+# `flatpak run --command=X <app-id> ARGS` — everything after the app id is the APP's argv, so
+# an app id that drifts left silently turns our flags into the client's. This is the shape the
+# deleted _session_argv used and the one thing about it that is easy to get wrong.
+main._client_argv = lambda: ["/usr/bin/flatpak", "run", "--arch=x86_64", "io.unom.Punktfunk"]
+main._flatpak = lambda: "/usr/bin/flatpak"
+check(
+    "cli argv: flatpak form, app id last",
+    main._cli_argv()
+    == [
+        "/usr/bin/flatpak",
+        "run",
+        "--arch=x86_64",
+        "--command=punktfunk",
+        "io.unom.Punktfunk",
+    ],
 )
-games = main._parse_library_tsv(tsv)
-check("tsv: two games parsed", len(games) == 2)
-check("tsv: fields", games[0] == {"id": "steam:570", "store": "steam", "title": "Dota 2"})
-check("tsv: tabs in title preserved", games[1]["title"] == "Tabs\tin\ttitle")
-check("tsv: empty input", main._parse_library_tsv("0 game(s)\n") == [])
 
-# ---- _classify_library_error (fixtures = library.rs Display strings) --------------------
-check(
-    "err: not-paired",
-    main._classify_library_error(
-        "library: The host didn't recognize this device. Pair with the host first — the "
-        "library is authorized by this device's certificate (no token needed)."
-    )
-    == "not-paired",
-)
-check(
-    "err: pin-mismatch",
-    main._classify_library_error(
-        "library: The host's certificate doesn't match the pinned fingerprint. "
-        "Re-pair with a PIN to re-establish trust."
-    )
-    == "pin-mismatch",
-)
-check(
-    "err: unreachable",
-    main._classify_library_error(
-        "library: Couldn't reach the host's management API: connection refused. Check the "
-        "host is updated and reachable."
-    )
-    == "unreachable",
-)
-check(
-    "err: http",
-    main._classify_library_error("library: The management API returned HTTP 500.") == "http",
-)
-check(
-    "err: outdated client (GTK init noise)",
-    main._classify_library_error("cannot open display: \nGtk-WARNING: init failed")
-    == "client-outdated",
-)
-check("err: generic fallback", main._classify_library_error("boom") == "client-error")
-
-# ---- _parse_avahi_browse (incl. the new id/mgmt TXT keys) --------------------------------
-avahi = (
-    "+;eth0;IPv4;living-room;_punktfunk._udp;local\n"
-    "=;eth0;IPv4;living-room;_punktfunk._udp;local;lr.local;192.168.1.42;9777;"
-    '"proto=punktfunk/1" "fp=aabbcc" "pair=required" "id=abc123" "mgmt=47990"\n'
-    "=;eth0;IPv6;living-room;_punktfunk._udp;local;lr.local;fe80::1;9777;"
-    '"proto=punktfunk/1" "fp=aabbcc" "pair=required" "id=abc123" "mgmt=47990"\n'
-    "=;eth0;IPv4;bare-host;_punktfunk._udp;local;bh.local;192.168.1.77;9777;"
-    '"proto=punktfunk/1" "fp=ddeeff" "pair=optional"\n'
-)
-hosts = main._parse_avahi_browse(avahi)
-check("avahi: two hosts (id-dedup, IPv4 preferred)", len(hosts) == 2)
-lr = next(h for h in hosts if h["name"] == "living-room")
-check("avahi: ipv4 wins", lr["host"] == "192.168.1.42")
-check("avahi: mgmt parsed", lr["mgmt"] == 47990)
-check("avahi: id parsed", lr["id"] == "abc123")
-bare = next(h for h in hosts if h["name"] == "bare-host")
-check("avahi: mgmt absent -> 0", bare["mgmt"] == 0)
-check("avahi: id absent -> empty", bare["id"] == "")
-
-# ---- pins store (round-trip through the real methods, isolated HOME) --------------------
-import asyncio  # noqa: E402
+# A native install: the CLI is the client binary's sibling. Absent => no CLI at all, which the
+# caller must see as "unavailable" rather than as an empty result.
+#
+# The fixture dir is torn down FIRST, not just created: leaving the sibling behind made the
+# "absent" assertion below pass only on the first run of the day and fail on every rerun.
 import shutil  # noqa: E402
 
-shutil.rmtree(decky.DECKY_USER_HOME, ignore_errors=True)
-plugin = main.Plugin()
-pin = {
-    "game_id": "steam:570",
-    "title": "Dota 2",
-    "store": "steam",
-    "host_fp": "AABBCC",
-    "host_id": "abc123",
-    "host_name": "living-room",
-    "host": "192.168.1.42",
-    "port": 9777,
-    "mgmt": 47990,
-    "added_at": 1780000000,
-}
-dupe = dict(pin, title="Dota 2 again")
-junk = {"title": "no game id"}
-res = asyncio.run(plugin.set_pins([pin, dupe, junk]))
-check("pins: write ok", res.get("ok") is True)
-got = asyncio.run(plugin.get_pins())["pins"]
-check("pins: dedup + junk dropped", len(got) == 1)
-check("pins: unpaired without known-hosts", got[0]["paired"] is False)
-# Mark the host paired in the client's known-hosts store — get_pins must pick it up.
-cfg = main._client_config_dir()
-cfg.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
-(cfg / "client-known-hosts.json").write_text(
-    '{"hosts": [{"name": "living-room", "addr": "192.168.1.42", "port": 9777, '
-    '"fp_hex": "aabbcc", "paired": true}]}'
-)
-got = asyncio.run(plugin.get_pins())["pins"]
-check("pins: paired via known-hosts fp (case-insensitive)", got[0]["paired"] is True)
-shutil.rmtree(decky.DECKY_USER_HOME, ignore_errors=True)
+shutil.rmtree("/tmp/pf-test-native", ignore_errors=True)
+tmp = Path("/tmp/pf-test-native/bin")
+tmp.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+(tmp / "punktfunk-client").write_text("")
+main._client_argv = lambda: [str(tmp / "punktfunk-client")]
+check("cli argv: native without a sibling CLI is None", main._cli_argv() is None)
+(tmp / "punktfunk").write_text("")
+check("cli argv: native sibling found", main._cli_argv() == [str(tmp / "punktfunk")])
 
-# ---- `--list-audio` parsing (the settings tab's device pickers) --------------------------
-sinks, sources = main._parse_audio_endpoints(
-    "sink\talsa_output.pci-0000_04_00.6.analog-stereo\tSteam Deck Speakers\n"
-    "sink\tbluez_output.AC_12_2F.1\tWH-1000XM4\n"
-    "source\talsa_input.pci-0000_04_00.6.analog-stereo\tSteam Deck Microphone\n"
+# ---- _cli_error: the CLI's exit-code contract -------------------------------------------
+#
+# Exit 5 + `unknown command` is how a client too old for a verb announces itself — the ONE
+# signature the panel turns into "update the client" plus the button that fixes it. Getting it
+# wrong makes an out-of-date client look like a broken plugin.
+check(
+    "err: unknown verb => client-outdated",
+    main._cli_error(5, 'unknown command "discover"\n\npunktfunk — the Punktfunk client')
+    == "client-outdated",
 )
-check("audio: sinks parsed", [d["name"] for d in sinks] == [
-    "alsa_output.pci-0000_04_00.6.analog-stereo", "bluez_output.AC_12_2F.1"
-])
-check("audio: sources parsed", len(sources) == 1)
-check("audio: description kept", sinks[1]["description"] == "WH-1000XM4")
+check(
+    "err: exit 5 without that phrase is NOT outdated",
+    main._cli_error(5, 'no saved host matches "desk"') == "unresolved",
+)
+check("err: connect failed", main._cli_error(2, "unreachable 10.0.0.1:9777") == "unreachable")
+check("err: trust rejected", main._cli_error(3, "wrong PIN") == "refused")
+check("err: needs a person", main._cli_error(6, "pair it first") == "needs-pairing")
+check("err: nothing ran", main._cli_error(-1, "") == "client-unavailable")
+check("err: unmapped code falls back", main._cli_error(4, "renderer") == "client-error")
 
-# Junk the picker must not offer: no node.name is unusable (it is the id that gets stored), a
-# short line is malformed, and an unknown kind belongs to neither list. A blank description
-# falls back to the name so no entry renders unlabelled.
-sinks, sources = main._parse_audio_endpoints(
-    "sink\t\tNo node name\n"
-    "sink\tonly-two-columns\n"
-    "monitor\tsome.monitor\tNot a sink or source\n"
-    "source\tbare.node\t\n"
-    "\n"
+# ---- _cli_json: a zero exit with junk on stdout is a FAILURE, not an empty result --------
+import asyncio  # noqa: E402
+
+
+def _fake_cli(rc: int, out: str, err: str = ""):
+    async def run(_args, timeout=20.0):
+        return rc, out, err
+
+    return run
+
+
+main._run_cli = _fake_cli(0, '{"hosts": [{"name": "desk"}]}')
+got = asyncio.run(main._cli_json(["discover", "--json"]))
+check("json: payload merged under ok", got == {"ok": True, "hosts": [{"name": "desk"}]})
+
+main._run_cli = _fake_cli(0, "not json at all")
+got = asyncio.run(main._cli_json(["discover", "--json"]))
+check("json: unparseable stdout is an error, not an empty list", got["ok"] is False)
+check("json: ...and says so specifically", got["error"] == "client-error")
+
+main._run_cli = _fake_cli(5, "", 'unknown command "discover"')
+got = asyncio.run(main._cli_json(["discover", "--json"]))
+check("json: old client surfaces as client-outdated", got["error"] == "client-outdated")
+check("json: detail carries the CLI's own last line", "unknown command" in got["detail"])
+
+# ---- _field_from (flatpak info parsing, drives the client update check) ------------------
+info = "        ID: io.unom.Punktfunk\n    Origin: punktfunk-origin\n    Commit: abc123def\n"
+check("field: commit", main._field_from(info, "Commit") == "abc123def")
+check("field: origin", main._field_from(info, "Origin") == "punktfunk-origin")
+check("field: absent", main._field_from(info, "Nope") == "")
+
+# ---- _looks_outdated (the GTK-init signature of a client predating a headless flag) ------
+check("outdated: gtk init noise", main._looks_outdated("cannot open display: \nGtk-WARNING") is True)
+check("outdated: an ordinary error is not", main._looks_outdated("connection refused") is False)
+
+# ---- _semver_tuple (plugin update comparison) --------------------------------------------
+check("semver: plain", main._semver_tuple("1.2.3") == (1, 2, 3))
+check("semver: pre-release suffix dropped", main._semver_tuple("1.2.3-rc1") == (1, 2, 3))
+check("semver: short forms pad", main._semver_tuple("2") == (2, 0, 0))
+check("semver: ordering", main._semver_tuple("0.10.0") > main._semver_tuple("0.9.9"))
+
+# ---- _upsert_configset_entry (Steam Input layout binding) --------------------------------
+#
+# Untested until now, and the riskiest thing that survived the cut: it edits a file holding
+# HUNDREDS of other games' controller bindings, in place. Every assertion below is about not
+# touching them.
+empty = main._upsert_configset_entry("", "punktfunk", "template", "punktfunk.vdf")
+check("vdf: builds the skeleton when the file is new", '"controller_config"' in empty)
+check("vdf: the entry lands", '"punktfunk"' in empty and '"punktfunk.vdf"' in empty)
+
+existing = (
+    '"controller_config"\n'
+    "{\n"
+    '\t"halflife2"\n'
+    "\t{\n"
+    '\t\t"template"\t\t"other.vdf"\n'
+    "\t}\n"
+    "}\n"
 )
-check("audio: junk lines dropped", sinks == [])
-check("audio: blank description falls back to the node name", sources == [
-    {"name": "bare.node", "description": "bare.node"}
-])
+added = main._upsert_configset_entry(existing, "punktfunk", "template", "punktfunk.vdf")
+check("vdf: an existing game's entry survives insertion", '"halflife2"' in added)
+check("vdf: ours is inserted", '"punktfunk"' in added)
+
+# Re-running must REPLACE our block, not accumulate a second one (this runs on every plugin
+# session gated only by a localStorage marker, so idempotence is the whole contract).
+twice = main._upsert_configset_entry(added, "punktfunk", "template", "punktfunk.vdf")
+check("vdf: idempotent", twice.count('"punktfunk"\n') == 1)
+check("vdf: neighbour still intact after the rewrite", '"halflife2"' in twice)
+
+# Steam keys non-Steam games by their LOWERCASE name, and files on disk may carry either case —
+# a case-sensitive match would append a duplicate the game never reads.
+mixed = existing.replace('"halflife2"', '"Punktfunk"')
+replaced = main._upsert_configset_entry(mixed, "punktfunk", "template", "punktfunk.vdf")
+check("vdf: matches an existing key case-insensitively", replaced.count("unktfunk\"\n") == 1)
 
 print()
 if failures:

clients/decky/src/backend.ts

@@ -1,95 +1,94 @@
 // Bridge to the Python backend (main.py) + shared types.
+//
+// Every call here is a thin shell over the headless `punktfunk` CLI, so these types are the
+// CLI's JSON shapes rather than anything this plugin invents. That is deliberate: the plugin
+// used to model the client's stores itself and drifted from them with every field the client
+// added.
+
 import { callable } from "@decky/api";
 
-export interface Host {
-  name: string;
-  host: string;
-  port: number;
-  pair: string; // "required" | "optional" — the HOST's policy
-  fp: string; // host cert SHA-256 fingerprint (lowercase hex) from the mDNS advert
-  proto: string; // advertised protocol, e.g. "punktfunk/1"
-  paired: boolean; // whether THIS device has already PIN-paired this host (by fingerprint)
-  id: string; // the host's stable instance id (mDNS TXT `id`; "" when not advertised)
-  mgmt: number; // management-API port (mDNS TXT `mgmt`; 0 = not advertised → default 47990)
-  os: string; // OS-identity chain (mDNS TXT `os`, e.g. "linux/fedora/bazzite"); "" on older hosts
-}
-
-// One title from a host's game library (the flatpak client's --library TSV, parsed by the
-// backend). `id` is store-qualified (steam:<appid> / custom:<id>) and doubles as the
-// launch handle (PF_LAUNCH → the session Hello).
-export interface GameEntry {
+/** A settings profile as the CLI resolves it — ids are dangling-checked and names attached. */
+export interface Profile {
   id: string;
-  store: string; // "steam" | "custom" | "heroic" | "lutris" | …
-  title: string;
+  name: string;
 }
 
-export interface LibraryResult {
-  ok: boolean;
-  games?: GameEntry[];
-  // "flatpak-not-found" | "timeout" | "not-paired" | "pin-mismatch" | "unreachable" |
-  // "http" | "client-outdated" | "client-error"
-  error?: string;
-  detail?: string; // the client's own one-line reason, for the generic error copy
-}
-
-// A pinned game — a one-tap stream row in the QAM. The host is identified primarily by
-// cert fingerprint (survives IP changes; pairing is fp-keyed too), with the stored
-// address as the launch fallback when the host isn't currently advertising.
-export interface PinnedGame {
-  game_id: string;
-  title: string;
-  store: string;
-  host_fp: string;
-  host_id: string;
-  host_name: string;
-  host: string;
-  port: number;
-  mgmt: number;
-  added_at: number; // unix seconds
-  paired?: boolean; // annotated by get_pins from the client's known-hosts store
-}
-
-export interface PairResult {
-  ok: boolean;
-  fp?: string;
-  error?: string;
-}
-
-// A host in the SHARED saved-hosts store (client-known-hosts.json) — the same file the desktop
-// client reads/writes, so add/rename/pair in either surface shows up in both. `online` comes
-// from a mDNS-INDEPENDENT reachability probe (a Tailscale/VPN host isn't shown offline just
-// because it doesn't advertise); `null` means reachability is unknown (probe skipped or a client
-// too old for `--list-hosts`, which then also can't probe).
-export interface SavedHost {
+/**
+ * A host answering on mDNS right now (`punktfunk discover --json`).
+ *
+ * `saved`/`paired` are annotated BY THE CLI against the saved-hosts store — fingerprint first,
+ * address second. The plugin does not join the two lists itself; that rule living in one place
+ * is what stops this surface disagreeing with the desktop client about the same box.
+ */
+export interface DiscoveredHost {
   name: string;
   addr: string;
   port: number;
-  fp_hex: string; // host cert fingerprint (lowercase hex); "" for a not-yet-paired manual entry
+  fp: string; // advertised cert fingerprint (lowercase hex); "" when not advertised
+  pair: string; // the HOST's policy: "required" | "optional"
+  id: string; // the host's advertised stable id; "" when not advertised
+  mgmt: number; // management-API port; 0 = not advertised
+  os: string; // OS-identity chain, e.g. "linux/fedora/bazzite"; "" on older hosts
+  saved: boolean;
+  paired: boolean;
+}
+
+/**
+ * A host in the shared saved-hosts store (`punktfunk hosts list --probe --json`) — the same
+ * `client-known-hosts.json` the desktop client owns.
+ *
+ * `online` comes from a mDNS-INDEPENDENT probe, so a host reached over Tailscale/VPN is not
+ * shown offline merely because it never advertises; `null` means the probe was skipped.
+ *
+ * `profile` is the host's DEFAULT binding, which a plain connect applies silently. It is not
+ * the same thing as `pinned_profiles`, which are the cards a user chose to surface. Both come
+ * back already resolved against the profile catalog, so this plugin never opens it.
+ */
+export interface SavedHost {
+  id: string | null; // the record's stable id — the reference a launch should use
+  name: string;
+  addr: string;
+  port: number;
+  fp_hex: string; // "" for a placeholder saved by address with no pin yet
   paired: boolean;
   mac: string[];
-  // OS-identity chain learned by the desktop client; optional because the installed
-  // flatpak client may predate the field.
-  os?: string;
+  os: string;
   last_used: number | null;
+  clipboard_sync: boolean;
+  profile: Profile | null;
+  pinned_profiles: Profile[];
   online: boolean | null;
 }
 
-export interface HostsResult {
-  ok: boolean;
-  hosts: SavedHost[];
-  probed: boolean;
-  fallback?: boolean; // true when read straight off disk (client too old for --list-hosts)
-}
-
-// The result of a host-store mutation (add/edit/forget). `error` is a stable code:
-// "client-unavailable" (flatpak missing) | "client-outdated" (client predates the mode) |
-// "unreachable"/"http"/… (from the client) | "client-error" (generic; see `detail`).
-export interface MutationResult {
+/**
+ * Every backend call answers in this shape. `error` is a stable code, never prose:
+ *
+ * - `client-unavailable` — no client is installed, or the call never ran
+ * - `client-outdated`    — the installed client predates the verb (exit 5 + `unknown command`)
+ * - `unreachable`        — the host did not answer
+ * - `refused`            — trust rejected: a wrong PIN, or a fingerprint that already differs
+ * - `needs-pairing`      — the CLI refused because it needs a person
+ * - `unresolved`         — nothing matched what was named
+ * - `client-error`       — anything else; `detail` carries the CLI's own last line
+ */
+export interface CliResult {
   ok: boolean;
   error?: string;
   detail?: string;
 }
 
+export interface DiscoverResult extends CliResult {
+  hosts?: DiscoveredHost[];
+}
+
+export interface HostsResult extends CliResult {
+  hosts?: SavedHost[];
+}
+
+export interface PairResult extends CliResult {
+  fp?: string;
+}
+
 export interface RunnerInfo {
   runner: string; // absolute path to bin/punktfunkrun.sh
   app_id: string; // flatpak app id
@@ -101,99 +100,6 @@ export interface RunnerInfo {
   client_bin?: string;
 }
 
-// The flatpak client's settings JSON — the SAME `client-gtk-settings.json` the desktop client
-// and the console's settings screen own, so a value changed in any of them shows in the others.
-//
-// Every field the client's `Settings` struct persists is modelled here EXCEPT the ones that
-// cannot be answered from a plugin backend or aren't settings at all:
-//   • `forward_pad`   — which physical pad is player 1. Needs SDL's live device list, which only
-//                       the client process has; there is no CLI that enumerates pads.
-//   • `last_window_w/h` — the session's remembered window size, written BY the client, not a
-//                       preference anyone sets.
-// Both round-trip untouched: get_settings returns the whole parsed file, patches are object
-// spreads, and set_settings merges onto what's on disk.
-//
-// Optional (`?`) marks a key the client writes with a serde `default`, so a store written before
-// that key existed simply lacks it. Read those through the same fallback the client uses —
-// `?? true` for the default-on ones, never `!!` — or a pre-existing file reads as "off" here
-// while the stream runs with it on.
-export interface StreamSettings {
-  // ---- Stream mode ----
-  width: number; // 0 = native
-  height: number; // 0 = native
-  refresh_hz: number; // 0 = native
-  render_scale?: number; // render-resolution multiplier; 1.0 = native (absent in pre-scale files)
-  bitrate_kbps: number; // 0 = host default
-  compositor: string; // "auto" | "kwin" | "wlroots" | "mutter" | "gamescope"
-  // Stream mode follows the session window instead of width/height, renegotiating on resize.
-  // Overrides width/height while on; degenerates to the display's native mode on fullscreen.
-  match_window?: boolean;
-
-  // ---- Video ----
-  codec?: string; // "auto" | "hevc" | "h264" | "av1" | "pyrowave" (absent in pre-codec files)
-  decoder?: string; // "auto" | "vulkan" | "vaapi" | "software"
-  hdr_enabled?: boolean; // default ON — advertise 10-bit/HDR10
-  enable_444?: boolean; // default off — ask for full chroma
-  adapter?: string; // decode/present GPU by marketing name; "" = automatic
-
-  // ---- Presentation ----
-  // What the client optimises for when a decoded frame is ready: "latency" | "smooth". Shared
-  // with the Apple and Android clients under this name, so one profile reads the same everywhere.
-  present_priority?: string;
-  smooth_buffer?: number; // frames held back under "smooth"; 0 = Automatic (resolves to 2), else 1–3
-  vsync?: boolean; // default ON — tear-free; off asks for a tearing present mode (best-effort)
-  allow_vrr?: boolean; // default ON — let a VRR panel refresh in step with the stream
-
-  // ---- Audio ----
-  audio_channels?: number; // 2 (stereo) | 6 (5.1) | 8 (7.1)
-  speaker_device?: string; // PipeWire node.name for playback; "" = system default
-  mic_enabled: boolean;
-  mic_device?: string; // PipeWire node.name for capture; "" = system default
-  echo_cancel?: boolean; // default ON; only meaningful while mic_enabled
-
-  // ---- Controllers ----
-  gamepad: string; // "auto" | "xbox360" | "xboxone" | "dualsense" | "dualshock4" | "steamdeck"
-  // Forward this device's controllers at all. Absent in pre-forwarding files, where the
-  // client's own serde default (true) applies — so `?? true` at every read, never `!!`.
-  gamepad_forwarding?: boolean;
-
-  // ---- Touchscreen, mouse & keyboard ----
-  touch_mode?: string; // "trackpad" | "pointer" | "touch"
-  mouse_mode?: string; // "capture" | "desktop"
-  invert_scroll?: boolean;
-  // Whether the session grabs the keyboard so Alt+Tab/Super reach the host.
-  inhibit_shortcuts: boolean;
-
-  // ---- Interface & behaviour ----
-  // Stats-overlay tier: "off" | "compact" | "normal" | "detailed". Absent in a pre-tier file,
-  // which resolves through `show_stats` — read both the way the client's
-  // `Settings::stats_verbosity` does, and write both the way `set_stats_verbosity` does.
-  stats_verbosity?: string;
-  // The legacy on/off the tier supersedes; kept written in sync so a client that predates the
-  // tiers still honours an Off chosen here.
-  show_stats?: boolean;
-  fullscreen_on_stream?: boolean;
-  auto_wake?: boolean; // default ON — Wake-on-LAN a sleeping host before connecting
-  library_enabled?: boolean; // the CLIENT's own library browser (this plugin has its own)
-}
-
-// One audio endpoint from the client's enumeration: the stable id that gets stored, plus the
-// human name to show.
-export interface AudioDevice {
-  name: string; // PipeWire node.name — what `speaker_device` / `mic_device` store
-  description: string; // human label ("Steam Deck Speakers")
-}
-
-// What the device pickers need, read from the session binary (`--list-adapters` / `--list-audio`).
-// `ok: false` = the session binary couldn't be run or failed; every list is then empty and the
-// pickers stay on their stored value rather than pretending the device is gone.
-export interface DeviceLists {
-  ok: boolean;
-  adapters: string[]; // Vulkan physical devices, discrete first
-  sinks: AudioDevice[]; // playback endpoints
-  sources: AudioDevice[]; // capture endpoints
-}
-
 export interface UpdateInfo {
   current: string; // installed PLUGIN version (package.json)
   latest: string; // newest plugin version in our registry for this channel
@@ -229,21 +135,30 @@ export interface ShortcutArt {
   icon_path: string;
 }
 
-export const discover = callable<[], Host[]>("discover");
+// ---- The four CLI shells --------------------------------------------------------------
+
+/** Browse the LAN over mDNS. Bounded by the CLI (3 s) plus a cold-start allowance. */
+export const discover = callable<[], DiscoverResult>("discover");
+/** The saved hosts, probed for reachability, with profiles and pinned cards resolved. */
+export const hosts = callable<[], HostsResult>("hosts");
+/** The PIN ceremony. `refused` = wrong PIN or a host that isn't armed. */
 export const pair = callable<
-  [host: string, port: number, pin: string, name: string],
+  [addr: string, port: number, pin: string, name: string],
   PairResult
 >("pair");
-// Fetch a paired host's game library (headless flatpak --library; can take seconds on a
-// cold client start — show a spinner). Pass fp whenever known so the pin can't degrade.
-export const library = callable<
-  [host: string, mgmt_port: number, fp: string],
-  LibraryResult
->("library");
-export const getPins = callable<[], { pins: PinnedGame[] }>("get_pins");
-export const setPins = callable<[pins: PinnedGame[]], { ok: boolean; error?: string }>(
-  "set_pins",
-);
+/**
+ * Step 1 of request access: save the host with its ADVERTISED fingerprint, pinned but unpaired.
+ * The launch that follows pins the same fingerprint, which is the only thing standing between a
+ * 185 s wait for approval and an impostor answering for the host. Idempotent; a host already
+ * saved under a DIFFERENT fingerprint comes back `refused` rather than being overwritten.
+ */
+export const trustHost = callable<
+  [addr: string, port: number, fp: string, name: string],
+  CliResult
+>("trust_host");
+
+// ---- Steam / plugin business (only a Decky plugin can do these) ------------------------
+
 export const runnerInfo = callable<[], RunnerInfo>("runner_info");
 export const shortcutArt = callable<[], ShortcutArt>("shortcut_art");
 // Install the Steam Input layout (native touchscreen `ts_n` + gamepad passthrough) and point our
@@ -254,48 +169,16 @@ export const applyControllerConfig = callable<
   [name: string],
   { ok: boolean; applied?: string[]; errors?: string[]; accounts?: number; error?: string; detail?: string }
 >("apply_controller_config");
-export const getSettings = callable<[], StreamSettings>("get_settings");
-export const setSettings = callable<[settings: StreamSettings], { ok: boolean }>(
-  "set_settings",
-);
-// GPUs + audio endpoints for the device pickers. Costs a subprocess that initialises Vulkan and
-// PipeWire, so it is called ONCE when the settings tab mounts and never on the launch path.
-export const listDevices = callable<[], DeviceLists>("list_devices");
-// The same, bypassing the backend's cache — for the user who just plugged in a headset.
-export const refreshDevices = callable<[], DeviceLists>("refresh_devices");
 export const killStream = callable<[], { ok: boolean }>("kill_stream");
-// Send a Wake-on-LAN magic packet to a saved host (headless flatpak --wake) so a sleeping host is
-// up by the time the stream connects. The MAC is looked up from the flatpak client's own
-// known-hosts store; `ok: false` (no-op) when none has been learned yet. Fire before launching.
-export const wake = callable<[host: string, port: number], { ok: boolean; error?: string }>(
-  "wake",
+// Whether the streaming client's control socket exists (a stream/console client is up) —
+// gates the QAM panel's host-button section.
+export const streamRunning = callable<[], { running: boolean }>("stream_running");
+// Press a HOST system button on the running stream: "guide" | "qam". The raw Steam/QAM
+// presses stay on the Deck by default (the client's Controllers settings), so this — and
+// holding Select — is how the host's own menus are reached.
+export const hostAction = callable<[action: string], { ok: boolean; error?: string }>(
+  "host_action",
 );
-// ---- Shared saved-hosts store (the SAME client-known-hosts.json the desktop client owns) ----
-// The saved hosts, each annotated with a live (mDNS-independent) `online` probe when `probe` is
-// true. Falls back to a direct JSON read (no reachability) on a client too old for --list-hosts.
-export const listHosts = callable<[probe: boolean], HostsResult>("list_hosts");
-// Save a host by address (survives mDNS-blind networks). `fp` empty = unpaired placeholder to
-// pair next; a later pair replaces it with the fingerprinted entry.
-export const addHost = callable<[target: string, name: string, fp: string], MutationResult>(
-  "add_host",
-);
-// Rename and/or re-point a saved host. `selector` = its fingerprint (survives IP change) or
-// current addr[:port]; empty fields are left untouched.
-export const editHost = callable<
-  [selector: string, name: string, addr: string, port: number],
-  MutationResult
->("edit_host");
-// Remove a saved host by fingerprint or addr[:port] (idempotent).
-export const forgetHost = callable<[selector: string], MutationResult>("forget_host");
-// Reset this device's Punktfunk state (saved hosts + stream settings + pins); KEEPS the client
-// identity so the box isn't seen as new everywhere (re-pairing re-adds hosts).
-export const resetConfig = callable<[], { ok: boolean; error?: string }>("reset_config");
-// Reachability of one host[:port] via the client's mDNS-independent QUIC probe (a "test address"
-// check). `{ ok: true, online }` when determined, else `{ ok: false, error }`.
-export const probeHost = callable<
-  [target: string],
-  { ok: boolean; online?: boolean; error?: string }
->("probe_host");
 export const checkUpdate = callable<[force: boolean], UpdateInfo>("check_update");
 // Update the client by whichever route its install supports: `flatpak update --user` for the
 // flatpak, `punktfunk-client --apply-update` (the packaged root helper) for a one-tap-capable

clients/decky/src/hooks.ts

@@ -1,18 +1,14 @@
-// Shared state hooks + user actions for the QAM panel and the fullscreen page.
+// Shared state hooks + user actions for the QAM panel.
 import { toaster } from "@decky/api";
 import { Navigation } from "@decky/ui";
-import { useCallback, useEffect, useRef, useState } from "react";
+import { useCallback, useEffect, useState } from "react";
 import {
   checkUpdate,
   discover,
-  GameEntry,
-  getPins,
-  Host,
-  listHosts,
-  PinnedGame,
-  resetConfig,
+  DiscoveredHost,
+  hosts as listHosts,
+  Profile,
   SavedHost,
-  setPins as setPinsBackend,
   updateClient,
   UpdateInfo,
 } from "./backend";
@@ -37,19 +33,191 @@ declare global {
 // PluginInstallType.UPDATE in decky-loader's browser.py (INSTALL=0/REINSTALL=1/UPDATE=2/…).
 const INSTALL_TYPE_UPDATE = 2;
 
+/**
+ * How far this device has got with a host. The three states are what the row says under the
+ * name, and which of them a host is in decides whether pressing it streams or opens the trust
+ * sheet.
+ *
+ * - `paired`       — the host approved this device (a PIN ceremony, or request access).
+ * - `trusted`      — its fingerprint is pinned but nobody has approved us yet. Streams work if
+ *                    the host's policy is `optional`; under `required` the connect parks.
+ * - `needs-access` — no pinned fingerprint. Not streamable until the trust sheet runs.
+ */
+export type TrustState = "paired" | "trusted" | "needs-access";
+
+/**
+ * One host as the panel shows it — the union of the saved store and the live mDNS browse.
+ *
+ * A saved host is ONLINE when it either advertises or answers the reachability probe, so a box
+ * reached over Tailscale/VPN stops reading as offline. Discovered hosts that aren't saved are
+ * appended as extra rows.
+ */
+export interface HostView {
+  name: string;
+  addr: string;
+  port: number;
+  /**
+   * The fingerprint PINNED ON THE RECORD. "" means nothing is pinned, which is exactly what
+   * makes a host unstreamable — the session binary refuses a pinless connect.
+   *
+   * Deliberately NOT filled in from a live advert. A host saved by address that happens to be
+   * advertising right now still has an empty pin on disk, and borrowing the advert's here would
+   * draw it as ready to stream while every launch refused for want of a fingerprint. What the
+   * advert offers is [`advertisedFp`], and moving it onto the record is a trust decision the
+   * user makes in the sheet.
+   */
+  fp: string;
+  /** What the host is advertising right now, if anything — what request access would pin. */
+  advertisedFp: string;
+  /**
+   * The host is answering at an address its record does not carry — it changed DHCP lease.
+   *
+   * This matters because a launch names the host by [`ref`], and the CLI dials whatever address
+   * the RECORD holds. So the row would show the live address and dial the dead one. The record
+   * has to be re-pointed before such a host can stream; `startStream` does it.
+   */
+  moved: boolean;
+  paired: boolean;
+  online: boolean;
+  saved: boolean;
+  /** The advert's policy ("required"|"optional"); "" when the host isn't advertising. */
+  pairPolicy: string;
+  /** OS-identity chain (live advert preferred, else the stored one); "" unknown. */
+  os: string;
+  /**
+   * What a launch should NAME this host by: the record's stable id, which survives renames and
+   * DHCP moves, falling back to `addr:port` for a row that has no record yet (a discovered host
+   * the trust sheet is about to save, or a client too old to have minted ids).
+   */
+  ref: string;
+  /** The host's default profile binding — applied silently by a plain connect, not a card. */
+  profile: Profile | null;
+  /** The cards to render nested under this host; already resolved against the catalog. */
+  pinnedProfiles: Profile[];
+  lastUsed: number | null;
+}
+
+export function trustState(v: HostView): TrustState {
+  if (v.paired) return "paired";
+  return v.fp ? "trusted" : "needs-access";
+}
+
+/**
+ * Must this host go through the trust sheet before it can stream?
+ *
+ * A pinned fingerprint is the ONLY rule. The session binary refuses a pinless connect, so a row
+ * without one can offer nothing but a button that fails; with one, the connect is verified and
+ * the host either admits it or parks it for an operator. The old rule also consulted the
+ * advertised policy for unsaved hosts, which made the answer depend on which of two lists a row
+ * came from — the same box could read differently before and after being saved.
+ */
+export function needsPair(v: HostView): boolean {
+  return v.fp === "";
+}
+
+function advertMatchesSaved(a: DiscoveredHost, s: SavedHost): boolean {
+  return (
+    (!!s.fp_hex && !!a.fp && s.fp_hex.toLowerCase() === a.fp.toLowerCase()) ||
+    (s.addr === a.addr && s.port === a.port)
+  );
+}
+
+/**
+ * Join the saved store and the live browse into the rows the panel draws.
+ *
+ * Fingerprint first, address second — a host that moved DHCP lease still matches its record,
+ * and a different box that inherited the old address does not inherit its pairing. The CLI's
+ * `discover` annotates `saved`/`paired` by exactly this rule too, so the two can't disagree.
+ */
+export function mergeHosts(saved: SavedHost[], discovered: DiscoveredHost[]): HostView[] {
+  const views: HostView[] = saved.map((s) => {
+    // Prefer a live advert's address: the host may have moved since it was last saved.
+    const advert = discovered.find((a) => advertMatchesSaved(a, s));
+    return {
+      name: s.name || s.addr,
+      addr: advert?.addr ?? s.addr,
+      port: advert?.port ?? s.port,
+      fp: s.fp_hex,
+      advertisedFp: advert?.fp ?? "",
+      moved: !!advert && (advert.addr !== s.addr || advert.port !== s.port),
+      paired: s.paired,
+      online: !!advert || s.online === true,
+      saved: true,
+      pairPolicy: advert?.pair ?? "",
+      os: advert?.os || s.os || "",
+      ref: s.id || `${advert?.addr ?? s.addr}:${advert?.port ?? s.port}`,
+      profile: s.profile,
+      pinnedProfiles: s.pinned_profiles ?? [],
+      lastUsed: s.last_used,
+    };
+  });
+  for (const a of discovered) {
+    if (saved.some((s) => advertMatchesSaved(a, s))) {
+      continue; // already rendered as its saved row, with a live pip
+    }
+    views.push({
+      name: a.name,
+      addr: a.addr,
+      port: a.port,
+      // No record, so nothing is pinned — whatever it advertises is an OFFER, not a pin.
+      fp: "",
+      advertisedFp: a.fp,
+      moved: false, // no record, so nothing to be stale
+      paired: a.paired,
+      online: true,
+      saved: false,
+      pairPolicy: a.pair,
+      os: a.os,
+      ref: `${a.addr}:${a.port}`,
+      profile: null,
+      pinnedProfiles: [],
+      lastUsed: null,
+    });
+  }
+  return views.sort(sortRows);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Online first, then most recently used, then by name. The host you streamed last night should
+ * be the first thing under your thumb; a host that is off right now should never be.
+ */
+function sortRows(a: HostView, b: HostView): number {
+  if (a.online !== b.online) return a.online ? -1 : 1;
+  if ((a.lastUsed ?? 0) !== (b.lastUsed ?? 0)) return (b.lastUsed ?? 0) - (a.lastUsed ?? 0);
+  return a.name.localeCompare(b.name);
+}
+
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// Discovery — mDNS scan state shared by the QAM panel and the full page.
+// Hosts — ONE call site for both lists. They were separate hooks when the plugin had two
+// views mounting them independently; the panel is the only view now, and merging them means
+// the "scanning" state covers the whole row set rather than half of it flickering in first.
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 export function useHosts() {
-  const [hosts, setHosts] = useState<Host[]>([]);
+  const [views, setViews] = useState<HostView[]>([]);
   const [scanning, setScanning] = useState(false);
+  // Why the list is empty, when it is empty for a reason other than an empty LAN. Rendering
+  // either of these as "No hosts yet" would blame the user's network for the plugin's problem:
+  //   "client-outdated"    — the installed client predates `punktfunk discover`
+  //   "client-unavailable" — there is no client installed at all
+  const [problem, setProblem] = useState<string | null>(null);
 
   const refresh = useCallback(async () => {
     setScanning(true);
     try {
-      setHosts(await discover());
+      // Both in flight at once: the browse is time-bounded and the probe is network-bound, so
+      // running them in sequence would cost the sum of two waits for no benefit.
+      const [d, s] = await Promise.all([discover(), listHosts()]);
+      // Both calls run the same binary, so they fail the same way; take whichever answered.
+      setProblem(
+        d.error === "client-unavailable" || s.error === "client-unavailable"
+          ? "client-unavailable"
+          : d.error === "client-outdated" || s.error === "client-outdated"
+            ? "client-outdated"
+            : null,
+      );
+      setViews(mergeHosts(s.hosts ?? [], d.hosts ?? []));
     } catch (e) {
-      toaster.toast({ title: "Punktfunk", body: `Discovery failed: ${e}` });
+      toaster.toast({ title: "Punktfunk", body: `Couldn't list hosts: ${e}` });
     } finally {
       setScanning(false);
     }
@@ -59,157 +227,7 @@ export function useHosts() {
     void refresh();
   }, [refresh]);
 
-  return { hosts, scanning, refresh };
-}
-
-// ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// Saved hosts — the SHARED known-hosts store (client-known-hosts.json), the same file the
-// desktop client reads/writes. Fetched WITH a reachability probe so a host reached over a
-// routed network (Tailscale/VPN) reports online without ever appearing on mDNS.
-// ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-export function useSavedHosts() {
-  const [saved, setSaved] = useState<SavedHost[]>([]);
-  const [loading, setLoading] = useState(false);
-
-  const refresh = useCallback(async () => {
-    setLoading(true);
-    try {
-      const r = await listHosts(true);
-      setSaved(r.hosts ?? []);
-    } catch {
-      /* backend unavailable — keep the current view */
-    } finally {
-      setLoading(false);
-    }
-  }, []);
-
-  useEffect(() => {
-    void refresh();
-  }, [refresh]);
-
-  return { saved, loading, refresh };
-}
-
-/**
- * One host as the UI shows it — the union of the saved store and the live mDNS scan. A saved
- * host is ONLINE when it either advertises on mDNS OR answers the reachability probe (so
- * mDNS-blind-but-reachable hosts stop reading as offline). Discovered hosts not in the store
- * are appended as unsaved rows.
- */
-export interface HostView {
-  name: string;
-  addr: string;
-  port: number;
-  fp: string; // "" for a saved-but-unpaired placeholder
-  paired: boolean; // PIN-paired specifically (a TOFU host has fp but paired=false)
-  online: boolean;
-  saved: boolean; // present in the known-hosts store
-  pairPolicy: string; // the advert's policy ("required"|"optional"), "" when not advertising
-  mgmt: number; // advertised mgmt-API port (0 = not advertised → default)
-  id: string; // advertised stable host id ("" when not advertising)
-  os: string; // OS-identity chain (live advert preferred, else the stored one); "" unknown
-}
-
-function advertMatchesSaved(a: Host, s: SavedHost): boolean {
-  return (
-    (!!s.fp_hex && !!a.fp && s.fp_hex.toLowerCase() === a.fp.toLowerCase()) ||
-    (s.addr === a.host && s.port === a.port)
-  );
-}
-
-export function mergeHosts(saved: SavedHost[], discovered: Host[]): HostView[] {
-  const views: HostView[] = saved.map((s) => {
-    // Prefer a live advert's address (a host may have moved DHCP leases since it was saved).
-    const advert = discovered.find((a) => advertMatchesSaved(a, s));
-    return {
-      name: s.name || s.addr,
-      addr: advert?.host ?? s.addr,
-      port: advert?.port ?? s.port,
-      fp: s.fp_hex || advert?.fp || "",
-      paired: s.paired,
-      online: !!advert || s.online === true,
-      saved: true,
-      pairPolicy: advert?.pair ?? "",
-      mgmt: advert?.mgmt ?? 0,
-      id: advert?.id ?? "",
-      os: advert?.os || s.os || "",
-    };
-  });
-  for (const a of discovered) {
-    if (saved.some((s) => advertMatchesSaved(a, s))) {
-      continue; // already rendered as its saved card (with a live pip)
-    }
-    views.push({
-      name: a.name,
-      addr: a.host,
-      port: a.port,
-      fp: a.fp,
-      paired: a.paired,
-      online: true,
-      saved: false,
-      pairPolicy: a.pair,
-      mgmt: a.mgmt,
-      id: a.id,
-      os: a.os,
-    });
-  }
-  return views;
-}
-
-/**
- * True when this host must be paired before it can stream. A saved host is streamable once it
- * has a pinned fingerprint (PIN-paired OR TOFU-trusted); a saved placeholder (no fp yet) must be
- * paired. For an unsaved discovered host we keep the advertised-policy rule the UI always used.
- */
-export function needsPair(v: HostView): boolean {
-  return v.saved ? v.fp === "" : v.pairPolicy === "required" && !v.paired;
-}
-
-/** Adapt a merged view back into the `Host` shape the pair/library/stream helpers consume. */
-export function toHost(v: HostView): Host {
-  return {
-    name: v.name,
-    host: v.addr,
-    port: v.port,
-    pair: v.pairPolicy || (needsPair(v) ? "required" : "optional"),
-    fp: v.fp,
-    proto: "",
-    paired: v.paired,
-    id: v.id,
-    mgmt: v.mgmt,
-    os: v.os,
-  };
-}
-
-/** Is a pinned game's host currently online, considering BOTH the live scan and saved probe? */
-export function pinIsOnline(pin: PinnedGame, views: HostView[]): boolean {
-  const fp = pin.host_fp.toLowerCase();
-  return views.some(
-    (v) =>
-      v.online &&
-      ((!!fp && v.fp.toLowerCase() === fp) ||
-        (!!pin.host_id && v.id === pin.host_id) ||
-        (v.addr === pin.host && v.port === pin.port)),
-  );
-}
-
-/**
- * Reset all Punktfunk state (saved hosts + stream settings + pins), keeping the client identity.
- * Refreshes whatever views are passed so the UI clears immediately. Ends in a toast.
- */
-export async function resetAll(refreshers: Array<() => void | Promise<void>>): Promise<void> {
-  try {
-    const r = await resetConfig();
-    for (const fn of refreshers) void fn();
-    toaster.toast({
-      title: "Punktfunk",
-      body: r.ok
-        ? "Reset — saved hosts, settings, and pins cleared."
-        : `Reset failed${r.error ? ` (${r.error})` : ""}.`,
-    });
-  } catch {
-    toaster.toast({ title: "Punktfunk", body: "Reset failed." });
-  }
+  return { views, scanning, problem, refresh };
 }
 
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -260,36 +278,6 @@ export function clientUpdateIsOneTap(info: UpdateInfo | null | undefined): boole
   );
 }
 
-/**
- * How the client got onto this box, in words a Deck user recognises. The raw kind comes from
- * the client's own detector (`pf_update_check::detect`); anything unmapped falls through as
- * itself rather than as "unknown", because the raw word is still more useful than a shrug.
- */
-export function clientInstallLabel(kind: string): string {
-  switch (kind) {
-    case "flatpak":
-      return "Flatpak (per-user)";
-    case "apt":
-      return "System package (apt)";
-    case "dnf":
-      return "System package (dnf)";
-    case "rpm-ostree":
-      return "Layered package (rpm-ostree)";
-    case "pacman":
-      return "System package (pacman)";
-    case "sysext":
-      return "System extension (sysext)";
-    case "nix":
-      return "Nix profile";
-    case "steamos-source":
-      return "On-device build";
-    case "source":
-      return "Built from source";
-    default:
-      return kind;
-  }
-}
-
 /** True when the only pending update is one this Deck can't apply itself. */
 export function clientUpdateIsManualOnly(info: UpdateInfo | null | undefined): boolean {
   return !!info && info.client_update_available && !clientUpdateIsOneTap(info);
@@ -427,167 +415,26 @@ export async function applyUpdate(
 }
 
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// Stream launch — via the hidden Steam shortcut (see steam.ts for why).
+// Stream launch — via the hidden Steam shortcut (see steam.ts for why it can't be direct).
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+/**
+ * Stream this host. `opts.profileId` streams one of its pinned cards; `opts.requestAccess`
+ * runs the supervised launch that waits for the host's operator to approve this Deck.
+ *
+ * The host is named by REFERENCE (`v.ref`), never by value — no resolution, bitrate or codec
+ * ever rides the launch path, which is the same rule the deep-link grammar enforces.
+ */
 export async function startStream(
-  h: Host,
+  v: HostView,
   opts: LaunchOpts = {},
   label?: string,
 ): Promise<void> {
   try {
-    await launchStream(h.host, h.port, opts);
+    await launchStream(v.ref, opts);
     Navigation.CloseSideMenus();
-    toaster.toast({ title: "Punktfunk", body: `Starting ${label ?? "stream"} — ${h.name}` });
+    toaster.toast({ title: "Punktfunk", body: `Starting ${label ?? "stream"} — ${v.name}` });
   } catch (e) {
     toaster.toast({ title: "Punktfunk", body: `Launch failed: ${e}` });
   }
 }
-
-/** Open the GTK client's gamepad library launcher for a host (`--browse` via PF_BROWSE). */
-export async function startBrowse(h: Host): Promise<void> {
-  try {
-    await launchStream(h.host, h.port, { browse: true, mgmt: h.mgmt });
-    Navigation.CloseSideMenus();
-    toaster.toast({ title: "Punktfunk", body: `Opening library — ${h.name}` });
-  } catch (e) {
-    toaster.toast({ title: "Punktfunk", body: `Launch failed: ${e}` });
-  }
-}
-
-// ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// Pinned games — the QAM's one-tap game rows, persisted by the backend next to the
-// client's config (survives plugin reinstalls).
-// ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-export interface PinsApi {
-  pins: PinnedGame[];
-  addPin: (h: Host, g: GameEntry) => void;
-  removePin: (hostFp: string, gameId: string) => void;
-  isPinned: (hostFp: string, gameId: string) => boolean;
-  /** Refresh a pin's stored address from a live advert (hosts change IPs). */
-  updatePinHost: (pin: PinnedGame, h: Host) => void;
-  refresh: () => Promise<void>;
-}
-
-export function usePins(): PinsApi {
-  const [pins, setPins] = useState<PinnedGame[]>([]);
-  // A live mirror of `pins`. The Games picker is mounted by Decky's `showModal` into a
-  // detached portal that captures this hook's callbacks ONCE and never re-renders with fresh
-  // props, so a mutator closing over the `pins` array reads a frozen base — pinning a second
-  // game in the same session would compute from the stale `[]` and clobber the first (silent
-  // data loss). Reading the ref keeps every mutation based on the current set, and lets the
-  // callbacks keep a stable identity (deps free of `pins`).
-  const pinsRef = useRef<PinnedGame[]>([]);
-  pinsRef.current = pins;
-
-  const refresh = useCallback(async () => {
-    try {
-      setPins((await getPins()).pins);
-    } catch {
-      /* backend unavailable — keep the current view */
-    }
-  }, []);
-
-  useEffect(() => {
-    void refresh();
-  }, [refresh]);
-
-  // Optimistic local state; the backend validates/dedups and is re-read on failure.
-  const save = useCallback(
-    (next: PinnedGame[]) => {
-      pinsRef.current = next;
-      setPins(next);
-      setPinsBackend(next).catch(() => void refresh());
-    },
-    [refresh],
-  );
-
-  const addPin = useCallback(
-    (h: Host, g: GameEntry) => {
-      const pin: PinnedGame = {
-        game_id: g.id,
-        title: g.title,
-        store: g.store,
-        host_fp: h.fp,
-        host_id: h.id,
-        host_name: h.name,
-        host: h.host,
-        port: h.port,
-        mgmt: h.mgmt,
-        added_at: Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000),
-        paired: h.paired,
-      };
-      save([
-        ...pinsRef.current.filter(
-          (p) => !(p.host_fp === pin.host_fp && p.game_id === pin.game_id),
-        ),
-        pin,
-      ]);
-    },
-    [save],
-  );
-
-  const removePin = useCallback(
-    (hostFp: string, gameId: string) => {
-      save(pinsRef.current.filter((p) => !(p.host_fp === hostFp && p.game_id === gameId)));
-    },
-    [save],
-  );
-
-  const isPinned = useCallback(
-    (hostFp: string, gameId: string) =>
-      pins.some((p) => p.host_fp === hostFp && p.game_id === gameId),
-    [pins],
-  );
-
-  const updatePinHost = useCallback(
-    (pin: PinnedGame, h: Host) => {
-      if (pin.host === h.host && pin.port === h.port && pin.mgmt === h.mgmt) {
-        return;
-      }
-      save(
-        pinsRef.current.map((p) =>
-          p.host_fp === pin.host_fp && p.game_id === pin.game_id
-            ? { ...p, host: h.host, port: h.port, mgmt: h.mgmt, host_name: h.name }
-            : p,
-        ),
-      );
-    },
-    [save],
-  );
-
-  return { pins, addPin, removePin, isPinned, updatePinHost, refresh };
-}
-
-/**
- * The host a pin should launch against right now: match the live mDNS scan by cert
- * fingerprint first (pairing is fp-keyed, survives IP changes), then by the host's stable
- * id, else fall back to the stored address (host offline or scan flaky — still launch).
- */
-export function resolvePinHost(
-  pin: PinnedGame,
-  live: Host[],
-): { host: Host; online: boolean } {
-  const fp = pin.host_fp.toLowerCase();
-  const match =
-    (fp && live.find((h) => h.fp && h.fp.toLowerCase() === fp)) ||
-    (pin.host_id && live.find((h) => h.id && h.id === pin.host_id)) ||
-    undefined;
-  if (match) {
-    return { host: match, online: true };
-  }
-  return {
-    host: {
-      name: pin.host_name || pin.host,
-      host: pin.host,
-      port: pin.port,
-      pair: pin.paired ? "optional" : "required",
-      fp: pin.host_fp,
-      proto: "",
-      paired: !!pin.paired,
-      id: pin.host_id,
-      mgmt: pin.mgmt,
-      os: "", // pins don't store the chain; the icon is a hosts-tab affordance
-    },
-    online: false,
-  };
-}

clients/decky/src/hostmgmt.tsx

@@ -1,164 +0,0 @@
-// Add / edit host dialogs for the fullscreen page. These mutate the SHARED known-hosts store
-// (client-known-hosts.json) through the flatpak client's headless modes, so a host saved or
-// renamed here shows up in the desktop client too. Text entry uses @decky/ui's TextField, which
-// brings up Steam's on-screen keyboard on focus (the digit-grid trick in pair.tsx is only needed
-// for the numeric PIN).
-import { DialogButton, Focusable, ModalRoot, Spinner, TextField } from "@decky/ui";
-import { toaster } from "@decky/api";
-import { ChangeEvent, FC, useState } from "react";
-import { addHost, editHost, MutationResult } from "./backend";
-import { HostView } from "./hooks";
-import { actionButton } from "./ui";
-
-/** Stable copy for a failed host-store mutation. */
-export function mutationError(r: MutationResult): string {
-  switch (r.error) {
-    case "client-unavailable":
-      return "The Punktfunk client isn't installed (flatpak io.unom.Punktfunk).";
-    case "client-outdated":
-      return "The installed client is too old for host management — update it from the About tab.";
-    default:
-      return r.detail || "Couldn't save the host.";
-  }
-}
-
-// Split a typed address: a pasted `host:port` wins over the separate port field. IPv6 literals
-// aren't supported by the host advert/known-hosts format, so a bare colon is treated as host:port.
-function targetFrom(addr: string, port: string): string {
-  const a = addr.trim();
-  if (a.includes(":")) {
-    return a;
-  }
-  const p = port.trim() || "9777";
-  return `${a}:${p}`;
-}
-
-const field: React.CSSProperties = { marginBottom: "0.8em" };
-
-const HostForm: FC<{
-  title: string;
-  submitLabel: string;
-  initial: { addr: string; port: string; name: string };
-  addrDisabled?: boolean;
-  onSubmit: (addr: string, port: string, name: string) => Promise<MutationResult>;
-  onDone: () => void;
-  closeModal?: () => void;
-}> = ({ title, submitLabel, initial, addrDisabled, onSubmit, onDone, closeModal }) => {
-  const [addr, setAddr] = useState(initial.addr);
-  const [port, setPort] = useState(initial.port);
-  const [name, setName] = useState(initial.name);
-  const [busy, setBusy] = useState(false);
-  const [error, setError] = useState<string | null>(null);
-
-  const submit = async () => {
-    if (!addr.trim()) {
-      setError("Enter an address.");
-      return;
-    }
-    setBusy(true);
-    setError(null);
-    try {
-      const r = await onSubmit(addr.trim(), port.trim(), name.trim());
-      if (r.ok) {
-        onDone();
-        closeModal?.();
-      } else {
-        setError(mutationError(r));
-      }
-    } catch (e) {
-      setError(String(e));
-    } finally {
-      setBusy(false);
-    }
-  };
-
-  return (
-    <ModalRoot closeModal={closeModal}>
-      <div style={{ fontWeight: "bold", fontSize: "1.3em", marginBottom: "0.6em" }}>{title}</div>
-      <div style={field}>
-        <TextField
-          label="Address"
-          description="IP or hostname (a Tailscale/VPN name works too). Add :port to override."
-          value={addr}
-          disabled={addrDisabled || busy}
-          onChange={(e: ChangeEvent<HTMLInputElement>) => setAddr(e.target.value)}
-        />
-      </div>
-      <div style={field}>
-        <TextField
-          label="Port"
-          value={port}
-          mustBeNumeric
-          disabled={busy}
-          onChange={(e: ChangeEvent<HTMLInputElement>) => setPort(e.target.value)}
-        />
-      </div>
-      <div style={field}>
-        <TextField
-          label="Name (optional)"
-          value={name}
-          disabled={busy}
-          onChange={(e: ChangeEvent<HTMLInputElement>) => setName(e.target.value)}
-        />
-      </div>
-      {error && (
-        <div style={{ color: "#ff6b6b", marginBottom: "0.6em" }}>{error}</div>
-      )}
-      <Focusable style={{ display: "flex", gap: "0.5em", justifyContent: "flex-end" }}>
-        <DialogButton style={actionButton} disabled={busy} onClick={() => closeModal?.()}>
-          Cancel
-        </DialogButton>
-        <DialogButton style={actionButton} disabled={busy} onClick={submit}>
-          {busy ? <Spinner style={{ height: "1em" }} /> : submitLabel}
-        </DialogButton>
-      </Focusable>
-    </ModalRoot>
-  );
-};
-
-/** "+" — save a new host by address (unpaired placeholder; the user pairs it next). */
-export const AddHostModal: FC<{ onDone: () => void; closeModal?: () => void }> = ({
-  onDone,
-  closeModal,
-}) => (
-  <HostForm
-    title="Add host"
-    submitLabel="Add"
-    initial={{ addr: "", port: "9777", name: "" }}
-    onSubmit={async (addr, port, name) => {
-      const r = await addHost(targetFrom(addr, port), name, "");
-      if (r.ok) {
-        toaster.toast({ title: "Punktfunk", body: `Added ${name || addr}` });
-      }
-      return r;
-    }}
-    onDone={onDone}
-    closeModal={closeModal}
-  />
-);
-
-/** Rename / re-point a saved host. Identified by fingerprint when it has one (survives IP
- *  changes), else by its current address. */
-export const EditHostModal: FC<{
-  host: HostView;
-  onDone: () => void;
-  closeModal?: () => void;
-}> = ({ host, onDone, closeModal }) => {
-  const selector = host.fp || `${host.addr}:${host.port}`;
-  return (
-    <HostForm
-      title={`Edit ${host.name}`}
-      submitLabel="Save"
-      initial={{ addr: host.addr, port: String(host.port), name: host.name }}
-      onSubmit={async (addr, port, name) => {
-        const r = await editHost(selector, name, addr, parseInt(port, 10) || 0);
-        if (r.ok) {
-          toaster.toast({ title: "Punktfunk", body: `Updated ${name || addr}` });
-        }
-        return r;
-      }}
-      onDone={onDone}
-      closeModal={closeModal}
-    />
-  );
-};

clients/decky/src/index.tsx

@@ -1,5 +1,10 @@
-// Plugin entry: the Quick Access Menu panel + route registration. The fullscreen page lives
-// in page.tsx; shared hooks/actions in hooks.ts; the Steam-shortcut launch in steam.ts.
+// Plugin entry: the Quick Access Menu panel. That is the whole plugin now — the fullscreen
+// route, the settings screen, the host editor and the games picker are gone, because the
+// client's own console home does all four one shortcut away (and is gamepad-navigable, which
+// a QAM panel re-implementing them never quite was).
+//
+// What is left is what only a Decky plugin can do: start a stream through Steam so gamescope
+// focuses it (see steam.ts), and stand in front of the trust decision that gates it.
 import {
   ButtonItem,
   Field,
@@ -10,37 +15,35 @@ import {
   showModal,
   staticClasses,
 } from "@decky/ui";
-import { definePlugin, routerHook, toaster } from "@decky/api";
-import { FC } from "react";
+import { definePlugin, toaster } from "@decky/api";
+import { FC, useEffect, useState } from "react";
 import {
   FaDownload,
+  FaGamepad,
   FaLock,
-  FaLockOpen,
   FaPlay,
   FaPlus,
+  FaStopCircle,
   FaSyncAlt,
   FaTv,
 } from "react-icons/fa";
+import { hostAction, killStream, streamRunning } from "./backend";
 import { PluginErrorBoundary } from "./boundary";
 import {
   applyUpdate,
   checkForUpdatesNow,
   clientUpdateIsManualOnly,
   hasUpdate,
-  mergeHosts,
+  HostView,
   needsPair,
-  pinIsOnline,
   startStream,
-  toHost,
+  trustState,
   useHosts,
-  usePins,
-  useSavedHosts,
   useUpdate,
 } from "./hooks";
-import { streamPin } from "./library";
-import { PunktfunkRoute, ROUTE } from "./page";
-import { PairModal } from "./pair";
-import { ensureGamepadUiShortcut, recreateShortcuts } from "./steam";
+import { OsMark } from "./os-icon";
+import { ensureGamepadUiShortcut, launchGamepadUi, recreateShortcuts, stopStream } from "./steam";
+import { TrustSheet } from "./trust";
 
 // Recovery action for "the Punktfunk library entry vanished" — recreates the visible shortcut.
 // Deleting the shortcut (optionally + reinstalling the plugin) leaves a stale appId in Steam's
@@ -54,22 +57,106 @@ async function recreatePunktfunkShortcut(): Promise<void> {
   });
 }
 
-// ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// QAM panel — quick status + entry into the full page + one-tap stream for known hosts
-// and pinned games.
-// ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-const QamPanel: FC = () => {
-  const { hosts: discovered, scanning, refresh: refreshDiscovered } = useHosts();
-  const { saved, loading: loadingSaved, refresh: refreshSaved } = useSavedHosts();
-  const { info: update, checking, check } = useUpdate();
-  const pins = usePins();
+/** Force-stop a wedged stream: end Steam's "game", then make sure the client itself is gone. */
+async function forceStop(): Promise<void> {
+  stopStream();
+  try {
+    await killStream();
+  } catch {
+    /* best-effort — the TerminateApp above is usually enough */
+  }
+  toaster.toast({ title: "Punktfunk", body: "Stopped the stream" });
+}
 
-  const hosts = mergeHosts(saved, discovered);
-  const busy = scanning || loadingSaved;
-  const refresh = () => {
-    void refreshDiscovered();
-    void refreshSaved();
-  };
+// Press a host system button (guide/QAM) on the running stream, then hand the screen back
+// to it — closing the local menus is what lets the HOST's overlay show through. The raw
+// Steam/··· presses stay on the Deck by default (both overlays would open at once), so this
+// is the panel route to the host's menus; holding Select is the controller route.
+async function pressHost(action: "guide" | "qam"): Promise<void> {
+  const r = await hostAction(action).catch(() => ({ ok: false as const, error: "backend" }));
+  if (r.ok) {
+    Navigation.CloseSideMenus();
+  } else {
+    toaster.toast({
+      title: "Punktfunk",
+      body: r.error === "no-stream" ? "No stream is running" : "Couldn't reach the stream",
+    });
+  }
+}
+
+/** The line under a host's name: where it is, whether it's up, and how far trust has got. */
+function hostDescription(v: HostView): string {
+  const trust = {
+    paired: "paired",
+    trusted: "trusted",
+    "needs-access": "needs access",
+  }[trustState(v)];
+  return `${v.addr}:${v.port} · ${v.online ? "online" : "offline"} · ${trust}`;
+}
+
+const HostRow: FC<{ host: HostView; refresh: () => void }> = ({ host, refresh }) => {
+  const gated = needsPair(host);
+  const stream = (opts: { requestAccess?: boolean } = {}) => void startStream(host, opts);
+  return (
+    <>
+      <PanelSectionRow>
+        <ButtonItem
+          layout="below"
+          onClick={() =>
+            gated
+              ? showModal(
+                  <TrustSheet host={host} onStream={stream} onChanged={refresh} />,
+                )
+              : stream()
+          }
+          label={
+            <span style={{ display: "inline-flex", alignItems: "center", gap: "0.4em" }}>
+              {gated ? <FaLock /> : <OsMark os={host.os} />}
+              {host.name}
+            </span>
+          }
+          description={hostDescription(host)}
+        >
+          {gated ? "Connect…" : "Stream"}
+        </ButtonItem>
+      </PanelSectionRow>
+      {/* Pinned cards, nested under their host rather than in a section of their own: a card
+          IS a (host, profile) pair, and a row that floats free of its host is the "a pinned
+          tile reads as a duplicate host" problem the desktop shells still have. The host's
+          own BOUND profile is deliberately not a card — it applies silently on the plain row
+          above, and showing it twice would suggest they do different things. */}
+      {!gated &&
+        host.pinnedProfiles.map((p) => (
+          <PanelSectionRow key={`${host.ref}:${p.id}`}>
+            <ButtonItem
+              layout="below"
+              onClick={() => void startStream(host, { profileId: p.id }, `“${p.name}”`)}
+              label={`▸ ${p.name}`}
+            >
+              <FaPlay style={{ marginRight: "0.5em" }} />
+              Stream
+            </ButtonItem>
+          </PanelSectionRow>
+        ))}
+    </>
+  );
+};
+
+const QamPanel: FC = () => {
+  const { views, scanning, problem, refresh } = useHosts();
+  const { info: update, checking, check } = useUpdate();
+  // The host-buttons section shows only while the streaming client is up (checked per
+  // panel open — the QAM panel mounts fresh each time).
+  const [streaming, setStreaming] = useState(false);
+  useEffect(() => {
+    let live = true;
+    void streamRunning()
+      .then((r) => live && setStreaming(r.running))
+      .catch(() => {});
+    return () => {
+      live = false;
+    };
+  }, []);
 
   return (
     <>
@@ -110,15 +197,62 @@ const QamPanel: FC = () => {
           </PanelSection>
         ))}
 
+      <PanelSection title="Hosts">
+        <PanelSectionRow>
+          <ButtonItem layout="below" onClick={() => void refresh()} disabled={scanning}>
+            {scanning ? (
+              <Spinner style={{ height: "1em", marginRight: "0.5em" }} />
+            ) : (
+              <FaSyncAlt style={{ marginRight: "0.5em" }} />
+            )}
+            {scanning ? "Scanning…" : "Refresh"}
+          </ButtonItem>
+        </PanelSectionRow>
+        {/* A client that is missing or too old explains itself rather than rendering an empty
+            list — "no hosts on your LAN" would blame the network for the plugin's problem, and
+            for the outdated case the button that fixes it is in this same panel. */}
+        {problem && (
+          <PanelSectionRow>
+            <Field
+              focusable={false}
+              label={
+                problem === "client-unavailable"
+                  ? "Punktfunk isn’t installed"
+                  : "Update the Punktfunk client"
+              }
+              description={
+                problem === "client-unavailable"
+                  ? "This panel launches the Punktfunk app, which isn’t on this Deck yet. Install it in Desktop Mode."
+                  : "This client is too old to find hosts on your network. Saved hosts still work."
+              }
+            />
+          </PanelSectionRow>
+        )}
+        {views.length === 0 && scanning && (
+          <PanelSectionRow>
+            <Field focusable={false} description="Scanning your network…" />
+          </PanelSectionRow>
+        )}
+        {views.length === 0 && !scanning && !problem && (
+          <PanelSectionRow>
+            <Field
+              focusable={false}
+              label="No hosts yet"
+              description="Open Punktfunk to find and pair one."
+            />
+          </PanelSectionRow>
+        )}
+        {views.map((v) => (
+          <HostRow key={v.ref} host={v} refresh={refresh} />
+        ))}
+      </PanelSection>
+
       <PanelSection title="Punktfunk">
         <PanelSectionRow>
           <ButtonItem
             layout="below"
-            description="Host details, stream settings, and help"
-            onClick={() => {
-              Navigation.Navigate(ROUTE);
-              Navigation.CloseSideMenus();
-            }}
+            description="Settings, adding a host by address, and browsing a host's games all live here."
+            onClick={() => void launchGamepadUi()}
           >
             <FaTv style={{ marginRight: "0.5em" }} />
             Open Punktfunk
@@ -126,85 +260,31 @@ const QamPanel: FC = () => {
         </PanelSectionRow>
       </PanelSection>
 
-      {/* Pinned games — the "jump straight into Playnite" rows. Pin games from a host's
-          picker (fullscreen page → host row → games button). */}
-      {pins.pins.length > 0 && (
-        <PanelSection title="Pinned Games">
-          {pins.pins.map((pin) => {
-            const online = pinIsOnline(pin, hosts);
-            return (
-              <PanelSectionRow key={`${pin.host_fp}:${pin.game_id}`}>
-                <ButtonItem
-                  layout="below"
-                  onClick={() => streamPin(pin, hosts.map(toHost), pins)}
-                  label={pin.title}
-                  description={`${pin.host_name}${online ? "" : " · offline?"}${
-                    pin.paired ? "" : " · pairing required"
-                  }`}
-                >
-                  <FaPlay style={{ marginRight: "0.5em" }} />
-                  Stream
-                </ButtonItem>
-              </PanelSectionRow>
-            );
-          })}
+      {streaming && (
+        <PanelSection title="Host menus">
+          <PanelSectionRow>
+            <ButtonItem
+              layout="below"
+              description="Press the Steam/guide button on the host"
+              onClick={() => void pressHost("guide")}
+            >
+              <FaGamepad style={{ marginRight: "0.5em" }} />
+              Steam menu on host
+            </ButtonItem>
+          </PanelSectionRow>
+          <PanelSectionRow>
+            <ButtonItem
+              layout="below"
+              description="Open the host's Quick Access Menu"
+              onClick={() => void pressHost("qam")}
+            >
+              <FaGamepad style={{ marginRight: "0.5em" }} />
+              Quick access on host
+            </ButtonItem>
+          </PanelSectionRow>
         </PanelSection>
       )}
 
-      <PanelSection title="Hosts">
-        <PanelSectionRow>
-          <ButtonItem layout="below" onClick={refresh} disabled={busy}>
-            {busy ? (
-              <Spinner style={{ height: "1em", marginRight: "0.5em" }} />
-            ) : (
-              <FaSyncAlt style={{ marginRight: "0.5em" }} />
-            )}
-            {busy ? "Scanning…" : "Refresh"}
-          </ButtonItem>
-        </PanelSectionRow>
-        {hosts.length === 0 && busy && (
-          <PanelSectionRow>
-            <Field focusable={false} description="Scanning your network…" />
-          </PanelSectionRow>
-        )}
-        {hosts.length === 0 && !busy && (
-          <PanelSectionRow>
-            <Field
-              focusable={false}
-              label="No hosts found"
-              description="Open Punktfunk to add a host by address, or start a host on this network and refresh."
-            />
-          </PanelSectionRow>
-        )}
-        {hosts.map((v) => {
-          const pair = needsPair(v);
-          const h = toHost(v);
-          return (
-            <PanelSectionRow key={v.fp || `${v.addr}:${v.port}`}>
-              <ButtonItem
-                layout="below"
-                onClick={() =>
-                  pair
-                    ? showModal(<PairModal host={h} onPaired={() => startStream(h)} />)
-                    : startStream(h)
-                }
-                label={
-                  <span style={{ display: "inline-flex", alignItems: "center", gap: "0.4em" }}>
-                    {pair ? <FaLock /> : <FaLockOpen />}
-                    {v.name}
-                  </span>
-                }
-                description={`${v.addr}:${v.port} · ${v.online ? "online" : "offline"}${
-                  pair ? " · pairing required" : v.paired ? " · paired" : ""
-                }`}
-              >
-                {pair ? "Pair & Stream" : "Stream"}
-              </ButtonItem>
-            </PanelSectionRow>
-          );
-        })}
-      </PanelSection>
-
       <PanelSection title="About">
         <PanelSectionRow>
           <Field
@@ -236,13 +316,22 @@ const QamPanel: FC = () => {
             Recreate library shortcut
           </ButtonItem>
         </PanelSectionRow>
+        <PanelSectionRow>
+          <ButtonItem
+            layout="below"
+            description="Ends a stream that stopped responding."
+            onClick={() => void forceStop()}
+          >
+            <FaStopCircle style={{ marginRight: "0.5em" }} />
+            Force-stop
+          </ButtonItem>
+        </PanelSectionRow>
       </PanelSection>
     </>
   );
 };
 
 export default definePlugin(() => {
-  routerHook.addRoute(ROUTE, PunktfunkRoute, { exact: true });
   // Ensure the visible, stateless "Punktfunk" library entry (opens the gamepad UI / console
   // home) exists and is repointed to the current plugin dir — also installs the native-touch
   // controller config. Fire-and-forget: cosmetic library upkeep must never block plugin load.
@@ -260,8 +349,5 @@ export default definePlugin(() => {
       </PluginErrorBoundary>
     ),
     icon: <FaTv />,
-    onDismount() {
-      routerHook.removeRoute(ROUTE);
-    },
   };
 });

clients/decky/src/library.tsx

@@ -1,230 +0,0 @@
-// The per-host game picker + pinned-game launch helper. The picker fetches a paired
-// host's library through the backend (headless flatpak --library — a cold client start
-// can take seconds, hence the explicit spinner copy) and pins titles as one-tap rows in
-// the QAM's Games section; its header also launches the GTK client's on-screen gamepad
-// library (`--browse`).
-import { DialogButton, Field, ModalRoot, Spinner, showModal } from "@decky/ui";
-import { FC, useEffect, useState } from "react";
-import { FaThLarge, FaTv } from "react-icons/fa";
-import { GameEntry, Host, library, LibraryResult, PinnedGame } from "./backend";
-import { PinsApi, resolvePinHost, startBrowse, startStream } from "./hooks";
-import { isSafeLaunchId } from "./steam";
-import { PairModal } from "./pair";
-import { RowActions, actionButton } from "./ui";
-
-/** Human store tag (mirrors the GTK client's `store_label`). */
-export function storeLabel(store: string): string {
-  switch (store) {
-    case "steam":
-      return "Steam";
-    case "custom":
-      return "Custom";
-    case "heroic":
-      return "Heroic";
-    case "lutris":
-      return "Lutris";
-    case "epic":
-      return "Epic";
-    case "gog":
-      return "GOG";
-    case "xbox":
-      return "Xbox";
-    default:
-      return "Game";
-  }
-}
-
-/**
- * Stream a pinned game: resolve the host from the live scan (fp → id → stored address),
- * opportunistically refresh a drifted stored address, and route through pairing first if
- * this device is no longer paired with the host.
- */
-export function streamPin(pin: PinnedGame, live: Host[], pins: PinsApi): void {
-  const { host, online } = resolvePinHost(pin, live);
-  if (online) {
-    pins.updatePinHost(pin, host); // no-op unless the address actually drifted
-  }
-  if (!pin.paired) {
-    showModal(
-      <PairModal
-        host={host}
-        onPaired={() => {
-          void pins.refresh(); // pick up the now-paired annotation
-          void startStream(host, { launchId: pin.game_id }, pin.title);
-        }}
-      />,
-    );
-    return;
-  }
-  void startStream(host, { launchId: pin.game_id }, pin.title);
-}
-
-// Copy per backend error code (LibraryResult.error); `detail` covers the generic case.
-function errorCopy(res: LibraryResult): string {
-  switch (res.error) {
-    case "not-paired":
-      return "This Deck isn't paired with the host — pair first, then browse its library.";
-    case "pin-mismatch":
-      return "The host's identity changed — re-pair to re-establish trust.";
-    case "unreachable":
-      return "Couldn't reach the host's management API. Is the host online and up to date?";
-    case "timeout":
-      return "Timed out talking to the host — try again.";
-    case "flatpak-not-found":
-      return "The Punktfunk client isn't installed (flatpak io.unom.Punktfunk).";
-    case "client-outdated":
-      return "The installed client is too old for library browsing — update it from the About tab.";
-    default:
-      return res.detail || "Couldn't fetch the library.";
-  }
-}
-
-// ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// The picker modal: "open on screen" + a pin-toggle list of the host's games.
-// ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-export const GamePickerModal: FC<{
-  host: Host;
-  pins: PinsApi;
-  clientUpdatePending?: boolean;
-  closeModal?: () => void;
-}> = ({ host, pins, clientUpdatePending, closeModal }) => {
-  const [result, setResult] = useState<LibraryResult | null>(null);
-  const [attempt, setAttempt] = useState(0); // bump to refetch (retry / after pairing)
-  // The modal is a detached `showModal` portal that never re-renders from the page's pin
-  // state, so `pins.isPinned` would read a frozen snapshot and the Pin/Unpin label would
-  // never flip within a session. Track this host's pinned ids locally, seeded once from the
-  // snapshot at open; persistence still goes through the (stale-closure-safe) pins API.
-  const [pinnedIds, setPinnedIds] = useState<Set<string>>(
-    () => new Set(pins.pins.filter((p) => p.host_fp === host.fp).map((p) => p.game_id)),
-  );
-  const togglePin = (g: GameEntry) => {
-    const wasPinned = pinnedIds.has(g.id);
-    setPinnedIds((prev) => {
-      const next = new Set(prev);
-      if (wasPinned) next.delete(g.id);
-      else next.add(g.id);
-      return next;
-    });
-    if (wasPinned) pins.removePin(host.fp, g.id);
-    else pins.addPin(host, g);
-  };
-
-  useEffect(() => {
-    let stale = false;
-    setResult(null);
-    library(host.host, host.mgmt, host.fp)
-      .then((res) => {
-        if (!stale) setResult(res);
-      })
-      .catch((e) => {
-        if (!stale) setResult({ ok: false, error: "client-error", detail: String(e) });
-      });
-    return () => {
-      stale = true;
-    };
-  }, [host.host, host.mgmt, host.fp, attempt]);
-
-  const games = (result?.ok && result.games) || [];
-  const sorted = [...games].sort((a, b) => a.title.localeCompare(b.title));
-
-  return (
-    <ModalRoot closeModal={closeModal}>
-      <div style={{ fontWeight: "bold", fontSize: "1.3em", marginBottom: "0.4em" }}>
-        {host.name} — Games
-      </div>
-
-      <Field
-        label="Open library on screen"
-        description="Browse this host's games with the controller, full screen"
-        childrenContainerWidth="max"
-      >
-        <RowActions>
-          <DialogButton
-            style={actionButton}
-            onClick={() => {
-              closeModal?.();
-              void startBrowse(host);
-            }}
-          >
-            <FaTv style={{ marginRight: "0.4em" }} />
-            Open
-          </DialogButton>
-        </RowActions>
-      </Field>
-
-      {clientUpdatePending && (
-        <Field
-          focusable={false}
-          description="A client update is available — direct game launch and on-screen browsing need the latest client."
-        />
-      )}
-
-      {result === null && (
-        <Field
-          focusable={false}
-          label={
-            <span style={{ display: "inline-flex", alignItems: "center", gap: "0.6em" }}>
-              <Spinner style={{ height: "1em" }} />
-              Fetching the library…
-            </span>
-          }
-          description="This starts the client headlessly — a cold start can take a few seconds."
-        />
-      )}
-
-      {result !== null && !result.ok && (
-        <Field label="Couldn't fetch the library" description={errorCopy(result)} childrenContainerWidth="max">
-          <RowActions>
-            {result.error === "not-paired" && (
-              <DialogButton
-                style={actionButton}
-                onClick={() =>
-                  showModal(<PairModal host={host} onPaired={() => setAttempt((n) => n + 1)} />)
-                }
-              >
-                Pair
-              </DialogButton>
-            )}
-            <DialogButton style={actionButton} onClick={() => setAttempt((n) => n + 1)}>
-              Retry
-            </DialogButton>
-          </RowActions>
-        </Field>
-      )}
-
-      {result?.ok && sorted.length === 0 && (
-        <Field
-          focusable={false}
-          label="No games found"
-          description="Install Steam titles or add custom entries in the host's web console."
-        />
-      )}
-
-      {sorted.length > 0 && (
-        <div style={{ maxHeight: "55vh", overflowY: "auto" }}>
-          {sorted.map((g: GameEntry) => {
-            const pinned = pinnedIds.has(g.id);
-            const safe = isSafeLaunchId(g.id);
-            return (
-              <Field
-                key={g.id}
-                label={g.title}
-                description={
-                  storeLabel(g.store) + (safe ? "" : " · unsupported id — can't be pinned")
-                }
-                childrenContainerWidth="max"
-              >
-                <RowActions>
-                  <DialogButton style={actionButton} disabled={!safe} onClick={() => togglePin(g)}>
-                    <FaThLarge style={{ marginRight: "0.4em" }} />
-                    {pinned ? "Unpin" : "Pin"}
-                  </DialogButton>
-                </RowActions>
-              </Field>
-            );
-          })}
-        </div>
-      )}
-    </ModalRoot>
-  );
-};

clients/decky/src/page.tsx

@@ -1,596 +0,0 @@
-// The fullscreen page (registered as the /punktfunk route) — Hosts / Settings / About tabs.
-import {
-  ConfirmModal,
-  DialogButton,
-  Field,
-  Focusable,
-  ModalRoot,
-  Navigation,
-  Spinner,
-  Tabs,
-  showModal,
-  staticClasses,
-} from "@decky/ui";
-import { RowActions, actionButton, iconButton } from "./ui";
-import { toaster } from "@decky/api";
-import { CSSProperties, FC, useState } from "react";
-import {
-  FaArrowLeft,
-  FaDownload,
-  FaExternalLinkAlt,
-  FaInfoCircle,
-  FaLock,
-  FaLockOpen,
-  FaPen,
-  FaPlay,
-  FaPlus,
-  FaSyncAlt,
-  FaThLarge,
-  FaTrashAlt,
-} from "react-icons/fa";
-import { UpdateInfo, forgetHost, killStream } from "./backend";
-import { PluginErrorBoundary } from "./boundary";
-import { OsMark } from "./os-icon";
-import {
-  DOCS_URL,
-  HostView,
-  PinsApi,
-  applyUpdate,
-  checkForUpdatesNow,
-  clientInstallLabel,
-  clientUpdateIsManualOnly,
-  hasUpdate,
-  mergeHosts,
-  needsPair,
-  pinIsOnline,
-  resetAll,
-  startStream,
-  toHost,
-  useHosts,
-  usePins,
-  useSavedHosts,
-  useUpdate,
-} from "./hooks";
-import { AddHostModal, EditHostModal, mutationError } from "./hostmgmt";
-import { GamePickerModal, storeLabel, streamPin } from "./library";
-import { PairModal } from "./pair";
-import { SettingsSection } from "./settings";
-import { stopStream } from "./steam";
-
-export const ROUTE = "/punktfunk";
-
-// Bottom inset so the last control clears Gaming Mode's footer hint bar. Routed pages render
-// *under* that bar otherwise — that's why the last Stream-settings row was getting hidden. The
-// value is generous on purpose (and harmless where the tab area already insets); tune to taste.
-const SAFE_BOTTOM = "80px";
-
-// Each tab is its own scroll area so long content is always reachable above the footer.
-const tabScroll: CSSProperties = {
-  height: "100%",
-  overflowY: "auto",
-  padding: "0.5em 2.5em",
-  paddingBottom: SAFE_BOTTOM,
-  boxSizing: "border-box",
-};
-
-// The one-line status under a host name: address, live presence, and trust state.
-function hostSubtitle(v: HostView): string {
-  const parts = [`${v.addr}:${v.port}`, v.online ? "online" : "offline"];
-  if (needsPair(v)) {
-    parts.push("pairing required");
-  } else if (v.paired) {
-    parts.push("paired");
-  } else if (v.saved) {
-    parts.push("trusted");
-  }
-  return parts.join(" · ");
-}
-
-/** Confirm + forget a saved host, then refresh the list. */
-function confirmForget(v: HostView, refresh: () => void): void {
-  const selector = v.fp || `${v.addr}:${v.port}`;
-  showModal(
-    <ConfirmModal
-      strTitle={`Forget ${v.name}?`}
-      strDescription="You'll need to pair or trust it again to reconnect."
-      strOKButtonText="Forget"
-      bDestructiveWarning
-      onOK={async () => {
-        const r = await forgetHost(selector);
-        toaster.toast({
-          title: "Punktfunk",
-          body: r.ok ? `Forgot ${v.name}` : mutationError(r),
-        });
-        refresh();
-      }}
-    />,
-  );
-}
-
-// ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// Host details — everything we know, plus (for a saved host) rename / edit / forget.
-// ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-const HostDetailsModal: FC<{
-  host: HostView;
-  onChanged: () => void;
-  closeModal?: () => void;
-}> = ({ host, onChanged, closeModal }) => {
-  const fp = host.fp ? (host.fp.match(/.{1,4}/g) ?? [host.fp]).join(" ") : "not known yet";
-  return (
-    <ModalRoot closeModal={closeModal}>
-      <div style={{ fontWeight: "bold", fontSize: "1.3em", marginBottom: "0.4em" }}>
-        {host.name}
-      </div>
-      <Field focusable={false} label="Address">
-        {host.addr}:{host.port}
-      </Field>
-      <Field focusable={false} label="Presence">
-        {host.online ? "Online" : "Offline"}
-      </Field>
-      <Field focusable={false} label="This Deck">
-        {host.paired ? "Paired" : host.fp ? "Trusted" : "Not paired yet"}
-      </Field>
-      <Field
-        focusable={false}
-        label="Certificate fingerprint (SHA-256)"
-        description={
-          <span
-            style={{ fontFamily: "monospace", fontSize: "0.85em", wordBreak: "break-word" }}
-          >
-            {fp}
-          </span>
-        }
-      />
-      {host.saved && (
-        <Field label="Manage" childrenContainerWidth="max">
-          <RowActions>
-            <DialogButton
-              style={actionButton}
-              onClick={() => {
-                closeModal?.();
-                showModal(<EditHostModal host={host} onDone={onChanged} />);
-              }}
-            >
-              <FaPen style={{ marginRight: "0.4em" }} />
-              Edit
-            </DialogButton>
-            <DialogButton
-              style={actionButton}
-              onClick={() => {
-                closeModal?.();
-                confirmForget(host, onChanged);
-              }}
-            >
-              <FaTrashAlt style={{ marginRight: "0.4em" }} />
-              Forget
-            </DialogButton>
-          </RowActions>
-        </Field>
-      )}
-    </ModalRoot>
-  );
-};
-
-// ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// One host row: status icon + address, details / pair / stream actions.
-// ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-const HostRow: FC<{
-  host: HostView;
-  onChanged: () => void;
-  onGames: () => void;
-}> = ({ host, onChanged, onGames }) => {
-  const pair = needsPair(host);
-  const h = toHost(host);
-  return (
-    <Field
-      label={
-        <span style={{ display: "inline-flex", alignItems: "center", gap: "0.4em" }}>
-          <OsMark os={host.os} />
-          {pair ? <FaLock /> : <FaLockOpen />}
-          {host.name}
-        </span>
-      }
-      description={hostSubtitle(host)}
-      childrenContainerWidth="max"
-    >
-      <RowActions>
-        <DialogButton
-          style={iconButton}
-          onClick={() => showModal(<HostDetailsModal host={host} onChanged={onChanged} />)}
-        >
-          <FaInfoCircle />
-        </DialogButton>
-        {/* Labeled, not icon-only: this is the entry to the game picker AND the on-screen
-            library browser, and controller nav has no hover tooltip to explain a bare icon. */}
-        <DialogButton style={actionButton} onClick={onGames}>
-          <FaThLarge style={{ marginRight: "0.4em" }} />
-          Games
-        </DialogButton>
-        {pair && (
-          <DialogButton
-            style={actionButton}
-            onClick={() => showModal(<PairModal host={h} onPaired={onChanged} />)}
-          >
-            Pair
-          </DialogButton>
-        )}
-        <DialogButton
-          style={actionButton}
-          onClick={() =>
-            pair
-              ? showModal(<PairModal host={h} onPaired={() => startStream(h)} />)
-              : startStream(h)
-          }
-        >
-          <FaPlay style={{ marginRight: "0.4em" }} />
-          Stream
-        </DialogButton>
-      </RowActions>
-    </Field>
-  );
-};
-
-const HostsTab: FC<{
-  hosts: HostView[];
-  scanning: boolean;
-  refresh: () => void;
-  pins: PinsApi;
-  clientUpdatePending: boolean;
-}> = ({ hosts, scanning, refresh, pins, clientUpdatePending }) => (
-  <div style={tabScroll}>
-    <Field
-      label="Hosts"
-      description={
-        scanning
-          ? "Scanning the LAN…"
-          : `${hosts.length} host${hosts.length === 1 ? "" : "s"} — saved and on your network`
-      }
-      childrenContainerWidth="max"
-      bottomSeparator={hosts.length ? "standard" : "none"}
-    >
-      <RowActions>
-        <DialogButton
-          style={actionButton}
-          onClick={() => showModal(<AddHostModal onDone={refresh} />)}
-        >
-          <FaPlus style={{ marginRight: "0.5em" }} />
-          Add
-        </DialogButton>
-        <DialogButton style={actionButton} disabled={scanning} onClick={refresh}>
-          {scanning ? (
-            <Spinner style={{ height: "1em", marginRight: "0.5em" }} />
-          ) : (
-            <FaSyncAlt style={{ marginRight: "0.5em" }} />
-          )}
-          {scanning ? "Scanning…" : "Refresh"}
-        </DialogButton>
-      </RowActions>
-    </Field>
-
-    {hosts.length === 0 && !scanning && (
-      <Field
-        focusable={false}
-        label="No hosts yet"
-        description="Add one by address with +, or start a Punktfunk host on this network and refresh. The setup guide (About tab) covers installing a host."
-      />
-    )}
-    {hosts.map((h) => (
-      <HostRow
-        key={h.fp || `${h.addr}:${h.port}`}
-        host={h}
-        onChanged={refresh}
-        onGames={() =>
-          showModal(
-            <GamePickerModal
-              host={toHost(h)}
-              pins={pins}
-              clientUpdatePending={clientUpdatePending}
-            />,
-          )
-        }
-      />
-    ))}
-
-    {/* Pinned games — also the cleanup surface for pins whose host is gone from the scan. */}
-    {pins.pins.length > 0 && (
-      <>
-        <Field
-          focusable={false}
-          label="Pinned games"
-          description="One-tap streams — they also live in the quick-access menu"
-          bottomSeparator="standard"
-        />
-        {pins.pins.map((pin) => {
-          const online = pinIsOnline(pin, hosts);
-          return (
-            <Field
-              key={`${pin.host_fp}:${pin.game_id}`}
-              label={pin.title}
-              description={`${storeLabel(pin.store)} · ${pin.host_name}${
-                online ? "" : " · offline?"
-              }${pin.paired ? "" : " · pairing required"}`}
-              childrenContainerWidth="max"
-            >
-              <RowActions>
-                <DialogButton
-                  style={actionButton}
-                  onClick={() => streamPin(pin, hosts.map(toHost), pins)}
-                >
-                  <FaPlay style={{ marginRight: "0.4em" }} />
-                  Play
-                </DialogButton>
-                <DialogButton
-                  style={actionButton}
-                  onClick={() => pins.removePin(pin.host_fp, pin.game_id)}
-                >
-                  Remove
-                </DialogButton>
-              </RowActions>
-            </Field>
-          );
-        })}
-      </>
-    )}
-  </div>
-);
-
-// NOT `tabScroll`: the settings screen is a SidebarNavigation, which lays out its own rail +
-// content pane and scrolls the pane itself. Wrapping it in an outer scroll area would give it an
-// indefinite height to fill, collapsing the rail — so this pane only hands it the full height and
-// keeps its hands off the overflow. The footer inset lives inside the pages instead.
-const settingsPane: CSSProperties = { height: "100%", overflow: "hidden" };
-
-const SettingsTab: FC = () => (
-  <div style={settingsPane}>
-    <SettingsSection />
-  </div>
-);
-
-// ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// About — plugin version + explicit update check, docs link, stream-exit help, force-stop,
-// and the destructive "reset everything" action.
-// ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-async function forceStopStream(): Promise<void> {
-  stopStream(); // ask Steam to end the "game" first (clean path)
-  const res = await killStream(); // then the flatpak-level hammer for a wedged client
-  toaster.toast({
-    title: "Punktfunk",
-    body: res.ok ? "Stream client stopped." : "Couldn’t stop the stream client.",
-  });
-}
-
-function confirmReset(refreshers: Array<() => void | Promise<void>>): void {
-  showModal(
-    <ConfirmModal
-      strTitle="Reset Punktfunk?"
-      strDescription="Clears every saved host, your stream settings, and all pinned games on this Deck. Your client identity is kept, so you'll re-pair hosts to reconnect. This can't be undone."
-      strOKButtonText="Reset"
-      bDestructiveWarning
-      onOK={() => void resetAll(refreshers)}
-    />,
-  );
-}
-
-const AboutTab: FC<{
-  update: UpdateInfo | null;
-  checking: boolean;
-  check: (force: boolean) => Promise<UpdateInfo | null>;
-  onReset: () => void;
-}> = ({ update, checking, check, onReset }) => (
-  <div style={tabScroll}>
-    <Field
-      label="Version"
-      description={
-        update
-          ? `v${update.current}${
-              update.channel ? ` · ${update.channel} channel` : " · development build"
-            }`
-          : "…"
-      }
-      childrenContainerWidth="max"
-    >
-      <RowActions>
-        <DialogButton
-          style={actionButton}
-          disabled={checking}
-          onClick={() => void checkForUpdatesNow(check)}
-        >
-          {checking ? <Spinner style={{ height: "1em" }} /> : "Check for updates"}
-        </DialogButton>
-      </RowActions>
-    </Field>
-    {/* What the client IS, so "why is there no Update button?" has a visible answer. The
-        install kind decides everything below it. */}
-    {!!update?.client_install && (
-      <Field
-        label="Client"
-        description={`${clientInstallLabel(update.client_install)}${
-          update.client_current ? ` · ${update.client_current}` : ""
-        }`}
-      />
-    )}
-    {hasUpdate(update) && (
-      <Field
-        label={
-          update!.update_available
-            ? `Plugin update — v${update!.latest}${
-                update!.client_update_available ? " + client" : ""
-              }`
-            : `Client update — ${update!.client_latest || "available"}`
-        }
-        description={
-          // Only promise a one-tap install when there is one. On a notify-only install the
-          // row becomes the command itself, which is the whole answer for that box.
-          clientUpdateIsManualOnly(update) && !update!.update_available
-            ? update!.client_opt_in || update!.client_command
-            : "Installing can take a couple of minutes; Decky reloads the plugin when done"
-        }
-        childrenContainerWidth="max"
-      >
-        {clientUpdateIsManualOnly(update) && !update!.update_available ? null : (
-          <RowActions>
-            <DialogButton style={actionButton} onClick={() => applyUpdate(update!, check)}>
-              <FaDownload style={{ marginRight: "0.4em" }} />
-              Update
-            </DialogButton>
-          </RowActions>
-        )}
-      </Field>
-    )}
-    {!!update?.client_error && (
-      <Field
-        label="Client update check"
-        description={
-          update.client_error === "client-outdated"
-            ? "This client predates update checks — update it once by hand and the check starts working."
-            : "Couldn’t check the client for updates."
-        }
-      />
-    )}
-    <Field
-      label="Setup guide"
-      description="Hosts, pairing, controllers, and troubleshooting — docs.punktfunk.unom.io"
-      childrenContainerWidth="max"
-    >
-      <RowActions>
-        <DialogButton
-          style={actionButton}
-          onClick={() => Navigation.NavigateToExternalWeb(DOCS_URL)}
-        >
-          <FaExternalLinkAlt style={{ marginRight: "0.4em" }} />
-          Open
-        </DialogButton>
-      </RowActions>
-    </Field>
-    <Field
-      focusable={false}
-      label="Leaving a stream"
-      description="Hold L1 + R1 + Start + Select inside the stream, or close the “game” from the Steam overlay — either returns you to Gaming Mode."
-    />
-    <Field
-      label="Stream stuck?"
-      description="Force-stop the stream client if a session wedges"
-      childrenContainerWidth="max"
-    >
-      <RowActions>
-        <DialogButton style={actionButton} onClick={() => void forceStopStream()}>
-          Force-stop
-        </DialogButton>
-      </RowActions>
-    </Field>
-    <Field
-      label="Reset Punktfunk"
-      description="Clear saved hosts, stream settings, and pinned games on this Deck (keeps your client identity)"
-      childrenContainerWidth="max"
-    >
-      <RowActions>
-        <DialogButton style={actionButton} onClick={onReset}>
-          <FaTrashAlt style={{ marginRight: "0.4em" }} />
-          Reset
-        </DialogButton>
-      </RowActions>
-    </Field>
-  </div>
-);
-
-const PunktfunkPage: FC = () => {
-  const { hosts: discovered, scanning, refresh: refreshDiscovered } = useHosts();
-  const { saved, loading: loadingSaved, refresh: refreshSaved } = useSavedHosts();
-  const { info: update, checking, check } = useUpdate();
-  const pins = usePins();
-  const [tab, setTab] = useState("hosts");
-
-  const hosts = mergeHosts(saved, discovered);
-  // A host action (pair/add/edit/forget) can change either store, so refresh both.
-  const refreshHosts = () => {
-    void refreshDiscovered();
-    void refreshSaved();
-  };
-
-  return (
-    <div
-      style={{
-        marginTop: "40px",
-        height: "calc(100% - 40px)",
-        display: "flex",
-        flexDirection: "column",
-      }}
-    >
-      {/* Header is title + back only — updates live on the About tab (and the QAM banner). */}
-      <Focusable
-        style={{
-          display: "flex",
-          alignItems: "center",
-          gap: "1em",
-          padding: "0 2.5em",
-          marginBottom: "0.4em",
-          flexShrink: 0,
-        }}
-      >
-        <DialogButton style={iconButton} onClick={() => Navigation.NavigateBack()}>
-          <FaArrowLeft />
-        </DialogButton>
-        <div className={staticClasses?.Title} style={{ flex: 1, margin: 0 }}>
-          Punktfunk
-        </div>
-      </Focusable>
-
-      {/* Two things fight each other on an L1/R1 tab switch:
-          1. Valve's Tabs slides the incoming panel in from the right with a CSS transform.
-          2. `autoFocusContents` then focuses a control inside that still-offscreen panel, which
-             fires scrollIntoView. Because the panel is offset by a *transform* (not by scroll
-             position), scrollIntoView can't satisfy it by scrolling any one ancestor, so it walks
-             up and pans the whole page — the "screen jumps right, then animates back" glitch.
-          Dropping autoFocusContents removes the scrollIntoView entirely, so nothing fights the
-          slide. L1/R1 still cycles tabs (that handler lives on the Tabs focus scope, active while
-          focus is anywhere inside — including the tab strip); after a switch, focus stays on the
-          strip and Down enters the content, which is how Steam's own tabbed pages behave.
-          The overflow:hidden clip stays as defense-in-depth against any stray horizontal pan. */}
-      <div style={{ flex: 1, minHeight: 0, overflow: "hidden" }}>
-        <Tabs
-          activeTab={tab}
-          onShowTab={(id: string) => setTab(id)}
-          tabs={[
-            {
-              id: "hosts",
-              title: "Hosts",
-              content: (
-                <HostsTab
-                  hosts={hosts}
-                  scanning={scanning || loadingSaved}
-                  refresh={refreshHosts}
-                  pins={pins}
-                  clientUpdatePending={!!update?.client_update_available}
-                />
-              ),
-            },
-            {
-              id: "settings",
-              title: "Settings",
-              content: <SettingsTab />,
-            },
-            {
-              id: "about",
-              title: "About",
-              content: (
-                <AboutTab
-                  update={update}
-                  checking={checking}
-                  check={check}
-                  onReset={() => confirmReset([refreshHosts, pins.refresh])}
-                />
-              ),
-            },
-          ]}
-        />
-      </div>
-    </div>
-  );
-};
-
-// Full page behind the boundary — registered as the /punktfunk route.
-export const PunktfunkRoute: FC = () => (
-  <PluginErrorBoundary>
-    <PunktfunkPage />
-  </PluginErrorBoundary>
-);

clients/decky/src/pair.tsx

@@ -3,10 +3,32 @@
 import { DialogButton, Focusable, ModalRoot, Spinner } from "@decky/ui";
 import { toaster } from "@decky/api";
 import { FC, useState } from "react";
-import { Host, pair } from "./backend";
+import { pair } from "./backend";
+import { HostView } from "./hooks";
+
+/**
+ * User-facing copy for a failed ceremony. The CLI's stable exit codes say WHICH failure it was,
+ * so the keypad can name the fix instead of echoing a log line: `refused` is overwhelmingly a
+ * mistyped PIN or a host nobody armed, and telling someone to check their network for that
+ * would send them the wrong way entirely.
+ */
+function pairErrorBody(error: string | undefined, name: string): string {
+  switch (error) {
+    case "refused":
+      return "Wrong PIN, or the host isn’t showing one. Arm pairing again and retry.";
+    case "unreachable":
+      return `Couldn’t reach ${name}.`;
+    case "client-outdated":
+      return "Update the Punktfunk client to pair from here.";
+    case "client-unavailable":
+      return "Couldn’t reach the Punktfunk client — is it still installed?";
+    default:
+      return "Pairing failed.";
+  }
+}
 
 export const PairModal: FC<{
-  host: Host;
+  host: HostView;
   closeModal?: () => void;
   onPaired: () => void;
 }> = ({ host, closeModal, onPaired }) => {
@@ -21,13 +43,13 @@ export const PairModal: FC<{
     setBusy(true);
     setError(null);
     try {
-      const res = await pair(host.host, host.port, pin, "Steam Deck");
+      const res = await pair(host.addr, host.port, pin, "Steam Deck");
       if (res.ok) {
         toaster.toast({ title: "Punktfunk", body: `Paired with ${host.name}` });
         onPaired();
         closeModal?.();
       } else {
-        setError(res.error ?? "pairing failed");
+        setError(pairErrorBody(res.error, host.name));
         setPin("");
       }
     } catch (e) {

clients/decky/src/settings.tsx

@@ -1,657 +0,0 @@
-// Stream settings — the client's WHOLE settings store, written to the JSON the client reads on
-// launch (main.py set_settings, merged onto what's on disk). This is the same
-// `client-gtk-settings.json` the desktop client and the console's settings screen own, so a value
-// changed in any of the three shows in the other two.
-//
-// SHAPE OF THIS SCREEN. Thirty rows is too many to scroll past on a thumbstick, so they are split
-// across a `SidebarNavigation` — the same left-rail-of-categories layout SteamOS's own Settings
-// uses, and the one Deck users already know. Every page fits on screen without scrolling, which is
-// the whole point of the split: the rail is the index, so nothing is more than one hop away.
-//
-// The categories, their order, and the wording of the rows are the console's settings screen
-// (pf-console-ui/src/screens/settings.rs) — that screen is the other settings editor a user
-// reaches without leaving Gaming Mode, and two different orders for one store is how people stop
-// trusting either. It shows them as one steppable list because it has no pointer and no room for
-// a rail; here they become the rail's pages, same groups, same sequence. Three more rules:
-//
-//   • A setting that depends on another is INDENTED under it and DISABLED, never hidden — the
-//     console dims those rows rather than dropping them, and a row that vanishes as you toggle
-//     the one above it is a moving target for a thumbstick.
-//   • A picker whose options this device doesn't have doesn't appear at all (the GPU row on a
-//     one-GPU Deck). A dead control is worse than an absent one.
-//   • Anything that behaves differently *here* than it does on a desktop says so in its own
-//     description, rather than being silently dropped from the screen.
-//
-// The accepted gamepad/compositor/codec/decoder names mirror punktfunk-core's `*Pref::from_name`
-// and the console's tables; the tier/mode names mirror the `StatsVerbosity` / `TouchMode` /
-// `MouseMode` enums, which serialize lowercase.
-import {
-  DialogButton,
-  Dropdown,
-  Field,
-  SidebarNavigation,
-  SliderField,
-  Spinner,
-  ToggleField,
-} from "@decky/ui";
-import { CSSProperties, FC, ReactElement, ReactNode, useEffect, useState } from "react";
-import {
-  FaDesktop,
-  FaGamepad,
-  FaHandPointer,
-  FaSlidersH,
-  FaTv,
-  FaVideo,
-  FaVolumeUp,
-} from "react-icons/fa";
-import {
-  AudioDevice,
-  DeviceLists,
-  getSettings,
-  listDevices,
-  refreshDevices,
-  setSettings,
-  StreamSettings,
-} from "./backend";
-import { actionButton, RowActions } from "./ui";
-
-// Decky's Dropdown has no width prop — it fills whatever container it's in, and a
-// `childrenContainerWidth="max"` Field is the whole row. Wrapping it in this fit-content shell
-// (inside the right-aligned RowActions) shrinks the control to its selected label, with a floor
-// so short values like "60 Hz" don't collapse to a nub and a ceiling so nothing runs edge to
-// edge. Matches the right-aligned, content-sized buttons everywhere else.
-const selectShell: CSSProperties = {
-  width: "fit-content",
-  minWidth: "10em",
-  maxWidth: "24em",
-};
-
-// ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// Option tables — the console's, so the two Gaming-Mode editors offer the same choices.
-// ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-// "native" and "match" are virtual: they store `width`/`height` of 0 with `match_window` off/on.
-// Match window is offered even though this plugin's launches are always fullscreen (where it
-// degenerates to the display's native mode) — leaving it out would make the row lie about a
-// store the desktop client can set it in.
-const MATCH_WINDOW = "match";
-const RESOLUTIONS: [number, number, string][] = [
-  [0, 0, "Native display"],
-  [1280, 720, "1280 × 720"],
-  [1280, 800, "1280 × 800 (Deck)"],
-  [1920, 1080, "1920 × 1080"],
-  [2560, 1440, "2560 × 1440"],
-  [3840, 2160, "3840 × 2160"],
-];
-const resolutionKey = (w: number, h: number): string => (w === 0 && h === 0 ? "native" : `${w}x${h}`);
-
-const REFRESH = [0, 30, 60, 90, 120];
-// Render-resolution multipliers (mirrors punktfunk_core::render_scale::PRESETS). 1.0 = native.
-const RENDER_SCALES = [0.5, 0.67, 0.75, 1.0, 1.25, 1.5, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0];
-const renderScaleLabel = (x: number): string =>
-  x === 1 ? "Native (1×)" : x > 1 ? `${x}× · supersample` : `${x}×`;
-
-const COMPOSITORS: [string, string][] = [
-  ["auto", "Automatic"],
-  ["kwin", "KDE Plasma (KWin)"],
-  ["wlroots", "Sway (wlroots)"],
-  ["mutter", "GNOME (Mutter)"],
-  ["gamescope", "gamescope"],
-];
-const CODECS: [string, string][] = [
-  ["auto", "Automatic"],
-  ["hevc", "HEVC (H.265)"],
-  ["h264", "H.264 (AVC)"],
-  ["av1", "AV1"],
-  // Opt-in wired-LAN low-latency codec (100–400 Mbit/s class, 8-bit SDR). Only ever selected
-  // when the host advertises it too; anything else falls back to HEVC.
-  ["pyrowave", "PyroWave (wired LAN)"],
-];
-const DECODERS: [string, string][] = [
-  ["auto", "Automatic"],
-  ["vulkan", "Vulkan Video"],
-  ["vaapi", "VAAPI"],
-  ["software", "Software"],
-];
-// Presentation intent — the `present_priority` key shared with the Apple and Android clients, so
-// one profile reads the same on every device.
-const PRESENT_PRIORITIES: [string, string][] = [
-  ["latency", "Lowest latency"],
-  ["smooth", "Smoothness"],
-];
-// Smoothness buffer depth in frames; 0 = Automatic (resolves to 2).
-const SMOOTH_BUFFERS: [number, string][] = [
-  [0, "Automatic"],
-  [1, "1 frame"],
-  [2, "2 frames"],
-  [3, "3 frames"],
-];
-const AUDIO_CHANNELS: [number, string][] = [
-  [2, "Stereo"],
-  [6, "5.1 surround"],
-  [8, "7.1 surround"],
-];
-const GAMEPADS: [string, string][] = [
-  ["auto", "Automatic"],
-  ["xbox360", "Xbox 360"],
-  ["xboxone", "Xbox One"],
-  ["dualsense", "DualSense"],
-  ["dualshock4", "DualShock 4"],
-  ["steamdeck", "Steam Deck"],
-];
-const TOUCH_MODES: [string, string][] = [
-  ["trackpad", "Trackpad"],
-  ["pointer", "Direct pointer"],
-  ["touch", "Touch passthrough"],
-];
-const MOUSE_MODES: [string, string][] = [
-  ["capture", "Capture (games)"],
-  ["desktop", "Desktop (absolute)"],
-];
-const STATS_TIERS: [string, string][] = [
-  ["off", "Off"],
-  ["compact", "Compact"],
-  ["normal", "Normal"],
-  ["detailed", "Detailed"],
-];
-
-// ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// Row primitives — every picker row is Field + right-aligned, content-sized Dropdown, so the
-// twelve of them below stay one line each and can't drift apart.
-// ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-const SelectRow = <T extends string | number>({
-  label,
-  description,
-  options,
-  value,
-  onChange,
-  formatUnknown,
-  disabled,
-  indent,
-}: {
-  label: string;
-  description?: ReactNode;
-  options: [T, string][];
-  value: T;
-  onChange: (v: T) => void;
-  // How to name a stored value this table doesn't list (see below); defaults to the raw value.
-  formatUnknown?: (v: T) => string;
-  disabled?: boolean;
-  indent?: boolean;
-}): ReactElement => {
-  // A Dropdown can only display a value that is one of its options, and this store has four other
-  // writers — the desktop client, the console, a settings profile, a newer client with presets
-  // this build doesn't know. Rather than render a blank control (or, worse, silently show a
-  // different value than the stream will actually use), carry the stored one as its own entry.
-  const shown: [T, string][] = options.some(([v]) => v === value)
-    ? options
-    : [...options, [value, formatUnknown ? formatUnknown(value) : String(value)]];
-  return (
-    <Field
-      label={label}
-      description={description}
-      disabled={disabled}
-      indentLevel={indent ? 1 : undefined}
-      childrenContainerWidth="max"
-    >
-      <RowActions>
-        <div style={selectShell}>
-          <Dropdown
-            disabled={disabled}
-            rgOptions={shown.map(([data, l]) => ({ data, label: l }))}
-            selectedOption={value}
-            onChange={(o) => onChange(o.data as T)}
-          />
-        </div>
-      </RowActions>
-    </Field>
-  );
-};
-
-// An audio-endpoint picker. The stored value is a PipeWire `node.name`; "" means "whatever the OS
-// is using". A stored endpoint that isn't in the current enumeration still gets an entry — it is
-// a real preference that simply isn't plugged in right now, and dropping it would silently
-// re-point the next stream at the default without ever showing the user why.
-const DeviceRow: FC<{
-  label: string;
-  description: string;
-  devices: AudioDevice[] | null;
-  value: string;
-  onChange: (v: string) => void;
-  disabled?: boolean;
-  indent?: boolean;
-}> = ({ label, description, devices, value, onChange, disabled, indent }) => {
-  const options: [string, string][] = [["", "System default"]];
-  for (const d of devices ?? []) options.push([d.name, d.description]);
-  if (value && !options.some(([name]) => name === value)) {
-    options.push([value, `${value} (not connected)`]);
-  }
-  return (
-    <SelectRow
-      label={label}
-      description={devices === null ? "Reading this device's audio endpoints…" : description}
-      options={options}
-      value={value}
-      onChange={onChange}
-      disabled={disabled || devices === null}
-      indent={indent}
-    />
-  );
-};
-
-// ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// The pages. One settings object, seven views on it — every page takes the same context rather
-// than fetching or holding state of its own, so a change on one page is visible on the others
-// the moment you switch.
-// ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-interface PageCtx {
-  s: StreamSettings;
-  patch: (p: Partial<StreamSettings>) => void;
-  devices: DeviceLists | null;
-  reading: boolean;
-  readDevices: (again: boolean) => void;
-}
-
-// SidebarNavigation gives each page Steam's own padding, but the routed page still renders
-// UNDER Gaming Mode's footer hint bar, so the last row of a page needs to clear it (the same
-// inset the tabs use).
-const pageBody: CSSProperties = { paddingBottom: "80px" };
-
-const StreamPage: FC<PageCtx> = ({ s, patch }) => {
-  const renderScale = s.render_scale ?? 1;
-  const resolution = s.match_window ? MATCH_WINDOW : resolutionKey(s.width, s.height);
-  return (
-    <div style={pageBody}>
-      <SelectRow
-        label="Resolution"
-        description="The host creates a virtual display at exactly this size — no scaling. Match window follows the stream window instead, which in Gaming Mode means the Deck's native size."
-        options={[
-          ...RESOLUTIONS.map(([w, h, label]) => [resolutionKey(w, h), label] as [string, string]),
-          [MATCH_WINDOW, "Match window"] as [string, string],
-        ]}
-        value={resolution}
-        // A size set from a desktop profile that isn't one of these presets, spelled the way the
-        // presets are rather than left as the raw "1600x900" key.
-        formatUnknown={(v) => v.replace("x", " × ")}
-        onChange={(v) => {
-          if (v === MATCH_WINDOW) {
-            // The tri-state the console stores: the flag on, the explicit size cleared.
-            patch({ match_window: true, width: 0, height: 0 });
-            return;
-          }
-          const found = RESOLUTIONS.find(([w, h]) => resolutionKey(w, h) === v);
-          patch({ match_window: false, width: found?.[0] ?? 0, height: found?.[1] ?? 0 });
-        }}
-      />
-      <SelectRow
-        label="Refresh rate"
-        description="Native follows the display the stream is on."
-        options={REFRESH.map((r) => [r, r === 0 ? "Native" : `${r} Hz`] as [number, string])}
-        value={s.refresh_hz}
-        formatUnknown={(v) => `${v} Hz`}
-        onChange={(v) => patch({ refresh_hz: v })}
-      />
-      <SelectRow
-        label="Render scale"
-        description="The host renders larger or smaller than the stream mode and the Deck resamples — above 1× supersamples for sharpness, below 1× saves bandwidth."
-        options={RENDER_SCALES.map((x) => [x, renderScaleLabel(x)] as [number, string])}
-        // Snap the stored value to the nearest preset so the dropdown always shows a match.
-        value={RENDER_SCALES.reduce((best, x) =>
-          Math.abs(x - renderScale) < Math.abs(best - renderScale) ? x : best,
-        )}
-        onChange={(v) => patch({ render_scale: v })}
-      />
-      <SliderField
-        label="Bitrate"
-        description="0 = the host's own default (20 Mbit/s)."
-        value={Math.round(s.bitrate_kbps / 1000)}
-        min={0}
-        max={150}
-        step={5}
-        showValue
-        valueSuffix=" Mbit/s"
-        onChange={(v) => patch({ bitrate_kbps: v * 1000 })}
-      />
-      <SelectRow
-        label="Host compositor"
-        description="Which compositor drives the virtual display — honoured only if it's available on the host. Automatic suits almost every host."
-        options={COMPOSITORS}
-        value={s.compositor}
-        onChange={(v) => patch({ compositor: v })}
-      />
-    </div>
-  );
-};
-
-const VideoPage: FC<PageCtx> = ({ s, patch, devices }) => {
-  // Only worth a row on a box that actually has a choice to make. A Deck has one adapter, and a
-  // picker with a single option is a control that can't do anything.
-  const showGpuRow = (devices?.adapters.length ?? 0) > 1;
-  return (
-    <div style={pageBody}>
-      <SelectRow
-        label="Video codec"
-        description="A preference — the host falls back when its GPU can't encode this one."
-        options={CODECS}
-        value={s.codec ?? "auto"}
-        onChange={(v) => patch({ codec: v })}
-      />
-      <SelectRow
-        label="Video decoder"
-        description="How the Deck decodes the stream. Automatic prefers Vulkan Video, then VAAPI, then software."
-        options={DECODERS}
-        value={s.decoder ?? "auto"}
-        onChange={(v) => patch({ decoder: v })}
-      />
-      {showGpuRow && (
-        <SelectRow
-          label="Decode GPU"
-          description="Which adapter decodes and presents the stream. Automatic picks the discrete GPU where there is one."
-          options={[
-            ["", "Automatic"],
-            ...(devices?.adapters ?? []).map((a) => [a, a] as [string, string]),
-          ]}
-          value={s.adapter ?? ""}
-          onChange={(v) => patch({ adapter: v })}
-        />
-      )}
-      <ToggleField
-        label="10-bit HDR"
-        description="Advertise HDR10 so the host sends 10-bit when the content is HDR. Off means never ask for 10-bit."
-        checked={s.hdr_enabled ?? true}
-        onChange={(v) => patch({ hdr_enabled: v })}
-      />
-      <ToggleField
-        label="Full chroma (4:4:4)"
-        description="Full-colour video: crisp small text and thin lines, at more bandwidth. Needs an NVIDIA host (NVENC) or the PyroWave codec — other encoders stream 4:2:0 and the session falls back silently."
-        checked={s.enable_444 ?? false}
-        onChange={(v) => patch({ enable_444: v })}
-      />
-    </div>
-  );
-};
-
-const PresentationPage: FC<PageCtx> = ({ s, patch }) => {
-  const smooth = (s.present_priority ?? "latency") === "smooth";
-  return (
-    <div style={pageBody}>
-      <SelectRow
-        label="Prioritize"
-        description="What to optimise for when a decoded frame is ready. Lowest latency shows each frame the moment the display can take it — a network hiccup becomes an occasional repeated or skipped frame. Smoothness buffers a little to even those out."
-        options={PRESENT_PRIORITIES}
-        value={s.present_priority ?? "latency"}
-        onChange={(v) => patch({ present_priority: v })}
-      />
-      <SelectRow
-        label="Smoothness buffer"
-        description="Frames held back before showing. Each one absorbs about a refresh of network hiccup and adds a refresh of delay. Automatic holds two."
-        options={SMOOTH_BUFFERS}
-        value={s.smooth_buffer ?? 0}
-        formatUnknown={(v) => `${v} frames`}
-        onChange={(v) => patch({ smooth_buffer: v })}
-        disabled={!smooth}
-        indent
-      />
-      <ToggleField
-        label="V-Sync"
-        description="Tear-free. Off removes the wait for the screen's refresh — the lowest possible delay, at the cost of visible tearing. Best-effort: not every driver offers it, and the Detailed stats overlay names the mode actually in use."
-        checked={s.vsync ?? true}
-        onChange={(v) => patch({ vsync: v })}
-      />
-      <ToggleField
-        label="Follow variable refresh"
-        description="On a VRR screen, let the panel refresh in step with the stream instead of on a fixed cadence. Applies to fullscreen sessions — which a Gaming-Mode stream always is — and is harmless on a fixed-refresh screen."
-        checked={s.allow_vrr ?? true}
-        onChange={(v) => patch({ allow_vrr: v })}
-      />
-    </div>
-  );
-};
-
-const AudioPage: FC<PageCtx> = ({ s, patch, devices, reading, readDevices }) => {
-  const micOn = s.mic_enabled;
-  // What the pickers get: null while the enumeration is in flight (they show a loading state),
-  // [] when it answered but couldn't read the endpoints (System default plus whatever is
-  // stored), and the real list otherwise.
-  const endpoints = (list: AudioDevice[] | undefined): AudioDevice[] | null =>
-    reading || !devices ? null : devices.ok ? (list ?? []) : [];
-  return (
-    <div style={pageBody}>
-      <SelectRow
-        label="Audio channels"
-        description="The speaker layout requested from the host, which clamps it to what it can capture."
-        options={AUDIO_CHANNELS}
-        value={s.audio_channels ?? 2}
-        formatUnknown={(v) => `${v} channels`}
-        onChange={(v) => patch({ audio_channels: v })}
-      />
-      <DeviceRow
-        label="Output device"
-        description="Where stream audio plays. System default follows whatever the Deck is using, including a headset you plug in mid-stream."
-        devices={endpoints(devices?.sinks)}
-        value={s.speaker_device ?? ""}
-        onChange={(v) => patch({ speaker_device: v })}
-      />
-      <ToggleField
-        label="Stream microphone"
-        description="Send the Deck's microphone to the host's virtual mic. Ctrl+Alt+Shift+V mutes and unmutes it mid-stream."
-        checked={micOn}
-        onChange={(v) => patch({ mic_enabled: v })}
-      />
-      <DeviceRow
-        label="Microphone device"
-        description="Which input the mic uplink captures from."
-        devices={endpoints(devices?.sources)}
-        value={s.mic_device ?? ""}
-        onChange={(v) => patch({ mic_device: v })}
-        disabled={!micOn}
-        indent
-      />
-      <ToggleField
-        label="Echo cancellation"
-        description="Stops the host's audio, playing from the Deck's speakers, being picked up and sent back. Turn it off if your microphone already runs its own processing."
-        checked={s.echo_cancel ?? true}
-        onChange={(v) => patch({ echo_cancel: v })}
-        disabled={!micOn}
-        indentLevel={1}
-      />
-      {/* The escape hatch for a headset plugged in after this page was opened, and the honest
-          answer when the enumeration failed outright (a client too old to ship the session
-          binary). Rendered unconditionally, including while it is reading: a row that comes and
-          goes under a thumbstick is a moving target, so only its wording changes. */}
-      <Field
-        label={
-          !reading && devices && !devices.ok ? "Couldn't read this device's hardware" : "Devices"
-        }
-        description={
-          reading
-            ? "Reading this device's audio endpoints and GPUs…"
-            : devices && !devices.ok
-              ? "The output, microphone and GPU pickers fall back to Automatic. Reading them needs the client's session binary, which a client older than the two-binary split doesn't ship — update it from the About tab."
-              : "Plugged something in just now? Read the audio endpoints and GPUs again."
-        }
-        childrenContainerWidth="max"
-      >
-        <RowActions>
-          <DialogButton style={actionButton} disabled={reading} onClick={() => readDevices(true)}>
-            {reading ? <Spinner style={{ height: "1em" }} /> : "Refresh"}
-          </DialogButton>
-        </RowActions>
-      </Field>
-    </div>
-  );
-};
-
-const ControllersPage: FC<PageCtx> = ({ s, patch }) => {
-  const forwarding = s.gamepad_forwarding ?? true;
-  return (
-    <div style={pageBody}>
-      <ToggleField
-        label="Forward controllers"
-        description="Send controllers connected to the Deck to the host. Turn it off when your controller already reaches the host another way — USB passthrough such as VirtualHere, or a pad plugged into the host — so games don't see two of them."
-        checked={forwarding}
-        onChange={(v) => patch({ gamepad_forwarding: v })}
-      />
-      <SelectRow
-        label="Controller type"
-        description="The virtual pad the host creates. Automatic matches the controller you're holding."
-        options={GAMEPADS}
-        value={s.gamepad}
-        onChange={(v) => patch({ gamepad: v })}
-        disabled={!forwarding}
-        indent
-      />
-      {forwarding && (s.gamepad === "steamdeck" || s.gamepad === "auto") && (
-        <Field
-          label="⚠ Disable Steam Input"
-          description="On a Deck, Automatic forwards the built-in controller as a Steam Deck pad — paddles, both trackpads, and gyro included. For that, Steam Input must be OFF for Punktfunk: on the game page tap ⚙ → Controller Settings → set Steam Input to Off. Otherwise Steam keeps the Deck's controls and only the sticks + buttons reach the host."
-          indentLevel={1}
-        />
-      )}
-    </div>
-  );
-};
-
-const PointerPage: FC<PageCtx> = ({ s, patch }) => (
-  <div style={pageBody}>
-    <SelectRow
-      label="Touch mode"
-      description="How the touchscreen drives the host: Trackpad (relative cursor, tap to click), Direct pointer (the cursor jumps to your finger), or Touch passthrough (every finger is a host contact — only helps apps that understand touch)."
-      options={TOUCH_MODES}
-      value={s.touch_mode ?? "trackpad"}
-      onChange={(v) => patch({ touch_mode: v })}
-    />
-    <SelectRow
-      label="Mouse mode"
-      description="How a physical mouse drives the host: Capture locks the pointer for games, Desktop leaves it free and sends absolute positions. Ctrl+Alt+Shift+M switches it live mid-stream."
-      options={MOUSE_MODES}
-      value={s.mouse_mode ?? "capture"}
-      onChange={(v) => patch({ mouse_mode: v })}
-    />
-    <ToggleField
-      label="Invert scroll direction"
-      description="Reverses the wheel and trackpad scroll direction sent to the host."
-      checked={s.invert_scroll ?? false}
-      onChange={(v) => patch({ invert_scroll: v })}
-    />
-    <ToggleField
-      label="Capture system shortcuts"
-      description="Sends Alt+Tab, Super and friends to the host while input is captured, instead of leaving them to the local desktop. Gaming Mode is gamescope, which has no shortcuts to hold back — this is for a keyboard attached to the Deck in Desktop Mode, and for the desktop client sharing these settings."
-      checked={s.inhibit_shortcuts}
-      onChange={(v) => patch({ inhibit_shortcuts: v })}
-    />
-  </div>
-);
-
-const InterfacePage: FC<PageCtx> = ({ s, patch }) => {
-  // `Settings::stats_verbosity`: no tier = a pre-tier store, resolved through the legacy bool,
-  // which itself defaults to true.
-  const statsTier = s.stats_verbosity ?? ((s.show_stats ?? true) ? "normal" : "off");
-  return (
-    <div style={pageBody}>
-      <SelectRow
-        label="Statistics overlay"
-        description="How much the in-stream overlay shows: Compact (fps · latency · bitrate on one line) → Normal → Detailed. A three-finger tap on the touchscreen cycles it mid-stream."
-        options={STATS_TIERS}
-        value={statsTier}
-        // Both keys, in sync — the same pairing `Settings::set_stats_verbosity` keeps, so a
-        // client too old for the tiers still honours an Off chosen here.
-        onChange={(v) => patch({ stats_verbosity: v, show_stats: v !== "off" })}
-      />
-      <ToggleField
-        label="Wake hosts automatically"
-        description="Send Wake-on-LAN to a sleeping host before connecting and wait for it to boot. Turn it off for hosts reached over a VPN, where an offline-looking host is really just unreachable by broadcast and the wait only adds delay."
-        checked={s.auto_wake ?? true}
-        onChange={(v) => patch({ auto_wake: v })}
-      />
-      <ToggleField
-        label="Show game library in the client"
-        description="Lets the client's own host cards browse a paired host's games. This plugin's library browser works either way — this is for the client's screens."
-        checked={s.library_enabled ?? false}
-        onChange={(v) => patch({ library_enabled: v })}
-      />
-      <ToggleField
-        label="Start streams fullscreen"
-        description="Streams open fullscreen instead of windowed. Launches from this plugin are always fullscreen whatever this says — it's here because the desktop client reads the same settings."
-        checked={s.fullscreen_on_stream ?? true}
-        onChange={(v) => patch({ fullscreen_on_stream: v })}
-      />
-    </div>
-  );
-};
-
-// ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-export const SettingsSection: FC = () => {
-  const [s, setS] = useState<StreamSettings | null>(null);
-  // null until the enumeration answers — the pickers show a loading state rather than briefly
-  // claiming this device has no endpoints.
-  const [devices, setDevices] = useState<DeviceLists | null>(null);
-  const [reading, setReading] = useState(true);
-
-  const readDevices = (again: boolean) => {
-    setReading(true);
-    void (again ? refreshDevices() : listDevices())
-      .then(setDevices)
-      .finally(() => setReading(false));
-  };
-
-  useEffect(() => {
-    void getSettings().then(setS);
-    // Deliberately not awaited together with the settings: a cold flatpak initialising Vulkan
-    // takes seconds, and the rest of the screen must not wait for it.
-    readDevices(false);
-  }, []);
-
-  const patch = (p: Partial<StreamSettings>) => {
-    setS((cur) => {
-      if (!cur) return cur;
-      const next = { ...cur, ...p };
-      void setSettings(next);
-      return next;
-    });
-  };
-
-  if (!s) return <Spinner style={{ height: "1.5em" }} />;
-
-  const ctx: PageCtx = { s, patch, devices, reading, readDevices };
-  return (
-    <SidebarNavigation
-      // We are already inside the plugin's own `/punktfunk` route, rendered in a tab. Route
-      // reporting would have this nav push entries of its own onto the router and fight the
-      // page for the back gesture; the pages are addressed by `identifier` instead.
-      disableRouteReporting
-      pages={[
-        { title: "Stream", identifier: "stream", icon: <FaDesktop />, content: <StreamPage {...ctx} /> },
-        { title: "Video", identifier: "video", icon: <FaVideo />, content: <VideoPage {...ctx} /> },
-        {
-          title: "Presentation",
-          identifier: "presentation",
-          icon: <FaTv />,
-          content: <PresentationPage {...ctx} />,
-        },
-        { title: "Audio", identifier: "audio", icon: <FaVolumeUp />, content: <AudioPage {...ctx} /> },
-        {
-          title: "Controllers",
-          identifier: "controllers",
-          icon: <FaGamepad />,
-          content: <ControllersPage {...ctx} />,
-        },
-        {
-          title: "Touch & mouse",
-          identifier: "pointer",
-          icon: <FaHandPointer />,
-          content: <PointerPage {...ctx} />,
-        },
-        {
-          title: "Interface",
-          identifier: "interface",
-          icon: <FaSlidersH />,
-          content: <InterfacePage {...ctx} />,
-        },
-      ]}
-    />
-  );
-};

clients/decky/src/steam.ts

@@ -8,16 +8,16 @@
 //
 // TWO shortcuts, both named "Punktfunk" (so they share ONE Steam Input controller-config key —
 // see applyControllerConfig):
-//   • STREAM  — hidden, stateful: the per-session launcher. Its launch options carry the host /
-//     pinned game (PF_HOST/PF_LAUNCH/PF_BROWSE), rewritten per launch, so one shortcut serves
-//     every host. Driven by the QAM/pins/host-library actions. Hidden — an implementation detail.
+//   • STREAM  — hidden, stateful: the per-session launcher. Its launch options carry the host
+//     reference and the card's profile (PF_REF/PF_PROFILE/PF_REQUEST_ACCESS), rewritten per
+//     launch, so one shortcut serves every host. Hidden — an implementation detail.
 //   • GAMEPAD UI — visible, stateless: fixed launch options = bare `--browse` (PF_BROWSE, no
 //     host) → the client's console home (host picker + pairing + settings, gamepad-navigable).
 //     This is the library-visible "Punktfunk" app the user opens directly.
 //
 // Both get the shipped artwork and the native-touch controller config.
 
-import { applyControllerConfig, runnerInfo, shortcutArt, wake } from "./backend";
+import { applyControllerConfig, runnerInfo, shortcutArt } from "./backend";
 
 // SteamClient is a Steam-internal global injected into the CEF context; it is not fully typed
 // by @decky/ui, so declare the surface we use. Signatures verified against MoonDeck + the
@@ -257,11 +257,12 @@ export async function ensureGamepadUiShortcut(): Promise<number | null> {
     }
     const startDir = info.runner.replace(/\/[^/]*$/, "");
     void ensureControllerConfig();
-    // Bare browse: PF_BROWSE with no PF_HOST → the wrapper runs `--browse --fullscreen` (console
-    // home). %command% expands to the shortcut exe (/bin/sh); the wrapper rides behind as an arg.
-    // PF_CLIENT_BIN only when the backend resolved a NATIVE client — else the wrapper's flatpak
-    // default stands and this shortcut is exactly what it always was.
-    const clientBin = info.client_bin ? `PF_CLIENT_BIN=${info.client_bin} ` : "";
+    // PF_BROWSE → the wrapper runs the SESSION's `--browse --fullscreen` (console home), which is
+    // the one branch this rework deliberately left alone. %command% expands to the shortcut exe
+    // (/bin/sh); the wrapper rides behind as an arg. PF_CLIENT_BIN only when the backend resolved
+    // a NATIVE client — else the wrapper's flatpak default stands and this shortcut is exactly
+    // what it always was.
+    const clientBin = safeClientBin(info.client_bin) ? `PF_CLIENT_BIN=${info.client_bin} ` : "";
     const launchOpts = `${clientBin}PF_BROWSE=1 %command% "${info.runner}"`;
 
     // Reuse the remembered entry only if it still exists; a stale appId (deleted shortcut whose
@@ -319,77 +320,81 @@ export async function launchGamepadUi(): Promise<void> {
   }
 }
 
-/** Per-launch extras beyond the host target (all optional — {} is the plain stream). */
+/** Per-launch extras beyond the host reference (all optional — {} is the plain stream). */
 export interface LaunchOpts {
-  /** Library id to launch on connect (a pinned game) — rides PF_LAUNCH → `--launch`. */
-  launchId?: string;
-  /** Open the gamepad library launcher instead of streaming (PF_BROWSE → `--browse`). */
-  browse?: boolean;
-  /** Management-API port for the launcher's library fetch (PF_MGMT; 0/absent = default). */
-  mgmt?: number;
+  /** A pinned card: stream with this settings profile, one-off (PF_PROFILE → `--profile`). */
+  profileId?: string;
+  /**
+   * Ask the host's operator to admit this Deck rather than typing a PIN (PF_REQUEST_ACCESS).
+   * The connect PARKS until somebody approves it, and the launch runs SUPERVISED — see the
+   * wrapper for why `--exec` is dropped on this path alone.
+   */
+  requestAccess?: boolean;
 }
 
-// Launch ids ride Steam launch options as an env-prefix token (`PF_LAUNCH=<id>`), so they
-// must be space/quote-free — Steam's tokenizer and the wrapper's env both break otherwise.
-// Real ids are `steam:<digits>` / `custom:<slug>`, so this rejects nothing in practice;
-// it's VALIDATION, never encoding (the host must match the opaque token verbatim).
-const UNSAFE_LAUNCH_ID = /["'\\$`\s]/;
+// Host refs and profile ids ride Steam launch options as env-prefix tokens (`PF_REF=<ref>`),
+// so they must be space/quote-free — Steam's tokenizer and the wrapper's env both break
+// otherwise. Real values are UUIDs or `addr:port`, so this rejects nothing in practice; it is
+// VALIDATION, never encoding (the client must receive the opaque token verbatim).
+const UNSAFE_TOKEN = /["'\\$`\s]/;
 export function isSafeLaunchId(id: string): boolean {
   return (
     id.length > 0 &&
     id.length <= 128 &&
-    UNSAFE_LAUNCH_ID.exec(id) === null &&
+    UNSAFE_TOKEN.exec(id) === null &&
     /^[\x21-\x7e]+$/.test(id)
   );
 }
 
 /**
- * Launch a stream to `host:port` fullscreen in Gaming Mode (optionally straight into a
- * library title, or into a host's gamepad library). Encodes the target into the STREAM
- * shortcut's launch options (so one hidden shortcut serves every host and every pinned game),
- * then RunGame.
+ * Is a resolved native-client path safe to put in Steam's launch options? Same rule, separate
+ * name because the failure is different: an unsafe id is a bug in our own data, an unsafe path
+ * is just where the user installed the client — so the browse shortcut degrades to its flatpak
+ * default rather than refusing to exist.
  */
-export async function launchStream(
-  host: string,
-  port: number,
-  opts: LaunchOpts = {},
-): Promise<void> {
-  // Wake-on-LAN: if this host is asleep, nudge it awake before the stream connects. Kicked off now
-  // so it races with the shortcut setup (near-zero added latency); its outcome is needed below
-  // (the connect budget), and RunGame follows the await either way, so nothing is slower for it.
-  // Best-effort — the flatpak client's --wake looks up the host's learned MAC (a no-op if none is
-  // known), and the connect that follows has its own retry window, so a failure never blocks launch.
-  const waking = wake(host, port).catch(() => ({ ok: false }));
-  const [{ appId, runner, clientBin }, woke] = await Promise.all([ensureStreamShortcut(), waking]);
-  const target = port && port !== 9777 ? `${host}:${port}` : host;
-  const env = [`PF_HOST=${target}`];
+function safeClientBin(bin: string | undefined): bin is string {
+  return !!bin && isSafeLaunchId(bin);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Stream `ref` fullscreen in Gaming Mode, optionally with a pinned card's profile. Encodes the
+ * target into the STREAM shortcut's launch options — one hidden shortcut serves every host —
+ * then RunGame.
+ *
+ * No Wake-on-LAN here any more. The plugin used to fire a magic packet itself and then stretch
+ * the connect budget to 75 s to cover the host's resume, which was a workaround for the era
+ * before the CLI existed. `punktfunk launch` now runs the real wake-and-wait loop (packet at
+ * t=0, re-sent every 6 s, presence polled every second) and only dials once the host answers —
+ * strictly better, and it deletes a backend method, a frontend call and a shell branch.
+ */
+export async function launchStream(ref: string, opts: LaunchOpts = {}): Promise<void> {
+  if (!isSafeLaunchId(ref)) {
+    throw new Error(`unsupported host reference: ${ref}`);
+  }
+  if (opts.profileId && !isSafeLaunchId(opts.profileId)) {
+    throw new Error(`unsupported profile id: ${opts.profileId}`);
+  }
+  const { appId, runner, clientBin } = await ensureStreamShortcut();
+  const env = [`PF_REF=${ref}`];
   // Set only for a NATIVE client install; absent, the wrapper takes its flatpak default, so every
   // existing Deck install produces byte-identical launch options to before.
   if (clientBin) {
+    // The one launch-option value that comes from the backend rather than a store id, and so
+    // the one that could carry a space: a path like `/home/deck/my apps/punktfunk-client` would
+    // split Steam's tokenizer and land its tail in front of %command% as a bogus env token.
+    if (!isSafeLaunchId(clientBin)) {
+      throw new Error(`client path can't ride Steam's launch options: ${clientBin}`);
+    }
     env.push(`PF_CLIENT_BIN=${clientBin}`);
   }
-  // A magic packet actually went out (a MAC was known), so the host may be mid-resume from
-  // suspend — that takes far longer than the client's default 15 s connect budget. Stretch the
-  // budget so the client's wake-tolerant dial keeps retrying across the resume; against an
-  // already-awake host the connect still lands in under a second, so this costs nothing.
-  if (woke.ok) {
-    env.push("PF_CONNECT_TIMEOUT=75");
+  if (opts.profileId) {
+    env.push(`PF_PROFILE=${opts.profileId}`);
   }
-  if (opts.browse) {
-    env.push("PF_BROWSE=1");
-    if (opts.mgmt) {
-      env.push(`PF_MGMT=${Math.floor(opts.mgmt)}`);
-    }
-  } else if (opts.launchId) {
-    if (!isSafeLaunchId(opts.launchId)) {
-      // Enforced at pin time too (the picker disables Pin) — this is the backstop.
-      throw new Error(`unsupported launch id: ${opts.launchId}`);
-    }
-    env.push(`PF_LAUNCH=${opts.launchId}`);
+  if (opts.requestAccess) {
+    env.push("PF_REQUEST_ACCESS=1");
   }
   // KEY=value ... %command% args — %command% expands to the shortcut exe (/bin/sh); the wrapper
-  // script rides behind it as an argument and reads PF_* from the environment. The wake was
-  // awaited above, so the magic packet is out before the connect attempt.
+  // script rides behind it as an argument and reads PF_* from the environment.
   SteamClient.Apps.SetAppLaunchOptions(appId, `${env.join(" ")} %command% "${runner}"`);
   SteamClient.Apps.RunGame(gameIdFromAppId(appId), "", -1, 100);
 }

clients/decky/src/trust.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,164 @@
+// The trust sheet — the step between "I can see a host" and "I can stream it".
+//
+// Two ways in, in the order the GTK dialog and the console's pair screen offer them:
+//
+//   • REQUEST ACCESS (default) — no PIN. Save the host with the fingerprint it ADVERTISED,
+//     then launch. The host parks that connect until its operator approves this Deck in the
+//     console or web UI, admits it, and the stream starts by itself. It is not a second
+//     pairing ceremony; it is an ordinary identified connect with a stretched budget, which
+//     is why it costs no ceremony surface here at all.
+//   • USE A PIN INSTEAD — the existing gamepad-navigable keypad (pair.tsx).
+//
+// NO FINGERPRINT, NO REQUEST ACCESS. The parked connect pins the advertised fingerprint, and
+// that pin is the only thing standing between a 185 s wait and an impostor answering for the
+// host. A host typed in by address advertises nothing, so it gets the PIN path only — and is
+// told why, rather than being shown a button that could only fail. Under no circumstances does
+// this sheet trust-on-first-use its way past a missing fingerprint.
+import { DialogButton, Focusable, ModalRoot, Spinner, showModal } from "@decky/ui";
+import { toaster } from "@decky/api";
+import { FC, useRef, useState } from "react";
+import { trustHost } from "./backend";
+import { HostView } from "./hooks";
+import { PairModal } from "./pair";
+
+/** User-facing copy for a `trustHost` failure code. */
+function trustErrorBody(error: string | undefined, name: string): string {
+  switch (error) {
+    case "refused":
+      return `${name} is already saved under a different identity. Forget it in the Punktfunk app before trusting it again.`;
+    case "client-outdated":
+      return "Update the Punktfunk client to use request access.";
+    case "client-unavailable":
+      return "Couldn’t reach the Punktfunk client — is it still installed?";
+    default:
+      return `Couldn’t save ${name}.`;
+  }
+}
+
+export const TrustSheet: FC<{
+  host: HostView;
+  closeModal?: () => void;
+  /** Stream this host, having just been let in. */
+  onStream: (opts: { requestAccess?: boolean }) => void;
+  /** Re-read the host list — the record changed underneath the panel. */
+  onChanged: () => void;
+}> = ({ host, closeModal, onStream, onChanged }) => {
+  const [busy, setBusy] = useState(false);
+  const [error, setError] = useState<string | null>(null);
+
+  // ⚠ This sheet is a `showModal` PORTAL: it captures its callbacks ONCE and never re-renders
+  // from panel state. Anything it needs to act on later must be read through a ref, not out of
+  // a captured value — reading a captured array is exactly what made pinning a second game
+  // compute from a stale base and clobber the first.
+  const props = useRef({ host, onStream, onChanged });
+  props.current = { host, onStream, onChanged };
+
+  // Request access pins what the host ADVERTISES. The record's own pin is a different thing:
+  // a host that already has one streams without ever opening this sheet.
+  const hasIdentity = host.advertisedFp !== "";
+  // A host advertising `pair=optional` admits anyone who pins its identity — there is no
+  // operator decision to wait for, and asking for one would be a wait that never ends and a
+  // record claiming somebody approved this Deck when nobody did. `paired` means the PIN
+  // ceremony or a real approval; the desktop client records exactly this case as *trusted*.
+  const needsApproval = host.pairPolicy !== "optional";
+  const canRequestAccess = hasIdentity && needsApproval;
+  const canTrustDirectly = hasIdentity && !needsApproval;
+
+  /**
+   * Pin the advertised identity, then stream.
+   *
+   * `approval` is what differs between the two doors, and it is not cosmetic: it decides whether
+   * the launch waits ~185 s for an operator AND whether the record ends up marked paired.
+   */
+  const letIn = async (approval: boolean) => {
+    setBusy(true);
+    setError(null);
+    const { host: h, onStream: stream, onChanged: changed } = props.current;
+    try {
+      // Step 1: save it with the ADVERTISED fingerprint, pinned but unpaired ("trusted").
+      // Idempotent, so a retry after a declined approval is free.
+      const r = await trustHost(h.addr, h.port, h.advertisedFp, h.name);
+      if (!r.ok) {
+        setError(trustErrorBody(r.error, h.name));
+        setBusy(false);
+        return;
+      }
+      changed();
+      // Step 2: the launch. Under approval it PARKS — and the session's plain connecting screen
+      // looks identical whether it is parked or hanging, so say what is about to happen BEFORE
+      // it starts. That toast is a patch over that, and the real fix belongs in the session.
+      if (approval) {
+        toaster.toast({
+          title: "Punktfunk",
+          body: `Approve this Deck in ${h.name}’s console — the stream starts by itself`,
+          duration: 10_000,
+        });
+      }
+      stream({ requestAccess: approval });
+      closeModal?.();
+    } catch (e) {
+      setError(String(e));
+      setBusy(false);
+    }
+  };
+
+  const usePin = () => {
+    // Hand off to the keypad. Closing first keeps one modal on screen at a time, which is what
+    // the gamepad focus model expects.
+    const { host: h, onStream: stream, onChanged: changed } = props.current;
+    closeModal?.();
+    showModal(
+      <PairModal
+        host={h}
+        onPaired={() => {
+          changed();
+          stream({});
+        }}
+      />,
+    );
+  };
+
+  return (
+    <ModalRoot closeModal={closeModal}>
+      <div style={{ fontWeight: "bold", fontSize: "1.3em", marginBottom: "0.3em" }}>
+        Connect to {host.name}
+      </div>
+      <div style={{ opacity: 0.8, marginBottom: "1em" }}>
+        {!hasIdentity
+          ? "No advertised identity for this host — pair with a PIN instead."
+          : canTrustDirectly
+            ? `${host.name} accepts new devices. Connecting pins its identity so later streams are silent.`
+            : `${host.name} needs to let this device in before it can stream.`}
+      </div>
+      {error && (
+        <div style={{ color: "#ff6b6b", marginBottom: "0.6em" }}>{error}</div>
+      )}
+
+      <Focusable style={{ display: "flex", flexDirection: "column", gap: "0.5em" }}>
+        {canRequestAccess && (
+          <DialogButton disabled={busy} onClick={() => void letIn(true)}>
+            {busy ? <Spinner style={{ height: "1em" }} /> : "Request access"}
+          </DialogButton>
+        )}
+        {canTrustDirectly && (
+          <DialogButton disabled={busy} onClick={() => void letIn(false)}>
+            {busy ? <Spinner style={{ height: "1em" }} /> : "Connect"}
+          </DialogButton>
+        )}
+        <DialogButton disabled={busy} onClick={usePin}>
+          Use a PIN instead…
+        </DialogButton>
+        <DialogButton disabled={busy} onClick={() => closeModal?.()}>
+          Cancel
+        </DialogButton>
+      </Focusable>
+
+      {canRequestAccess && (
+        <div style={{ opacity: 0.6, fontSize: "0.85em", marginTop: "0.8em" }}>
+          Request access asks {host.name}’s operator to approve this Deck in its console or web
+          UI. No PIN to type — the stream starts as soon as they do.
+        </div>
+      )}
+    </ModalRoot>
+  );
+};

clients/decky/src/ui.tsx

@@ -1,46 +0,0 @@
-// Shared UI primitives for the fullscreen page + modals. The one rule that keeps every row
-// looking consistent: a Field's action(s) always sit right-aligned, with real space between
-// them and the label text — never hugging it.
-//
-// Decky lays a Field out as `[ label .......... children ]`. When the children container is
-// grown (`childrenContainerWidth="max"`, which we want so multi-button clusters have room), a
-// bare `fit-content` button LEFT-aligns inside that grown container and ends up pressed against
-// the label with the space wasted to its right. Wrapping the action(s) in `RowActions` pushes
-// them to the right edge and evenly spaces multiples — the same treatment every row now gets.
-import { Focusable } from "@decky/ui";
-import { CSSProperties, FC, ReactNode } from "react";
-
-export const RowActions: FC<{ children: ReactNode }> = ({ children }) => (
-  <Focusable
-    style={{
-      display: "flex",
-      gap: "0.5em",
-      justifyContent: "flex-end",
-      alignItems: "center",
-    }}
-  >
-    {children}
-  </Focusable>
-);
-
-// A single action button sized to its content (not the gamepad-UI default of 100% width), with
-// a floor so short labels ("Pair", "Remove") don't render as tiny nubs and every row's button
-// reads at the same weight.
-export const actionButton: CSSProperties = {
-  width: "fit-content",
-  minWidth: "7em",
-  flexShrink: 0,
-};
-
-// Square icon-only button (details ⓘ, header back arrow). Needs an explicit height or the zero
-// padding collapses it to the icon's line height.
-export const iconButton: CSSProperties = {
-  width: "40px",
-  minWidth: "40px",
-  height: "40px",
-  padding: 0,
-  flexShrink: 0,
-  display: "flex",
-  alignItems: "center",
-  justifyContent: "center",
-};

clients/linux/src/ui_settings.rs

@@ -157,6 +157,20 @@ mod index {
         GAMEPADS.iter().position(|&g| g == s.gamepad).unwrap_or(0) as u32
     }
 
+    pub fn system_buttons(s: &Settings) -> u32 {
+        SYSTEM_BUTTONS
+            .iter()
+            .position(|&v| v == s.system_buttons)
+            .unwrap_or(0) as u32
+    }
+
+    pub fn guide_gesture(s: &Settings) -> u32 {
+        GUIDE_GESTURES
+            .iter()
+            .position(|&v| v == s.guide_gesture)
+            .unwrap_or(0) as u32
+    }
+
     pub fn present_priority(s: &Settings) -> u32 {
         // Unknown values (a newer client's intent) read as the default, exactly as
         // `PresentPriority::resolve` treats them.
@@ -642,6 +656,12 @@ fn commit_profile(active: &StreamProfile, touched: &Touched, values: &Settings)
     if touched.has("gamepad_forwarding") {
         o.gamepad_forwarding = Some(values.gamepad_forwarding);
     }
+    if touched.has("system_buttons") {
+        o.system_buttons = Some(values.system_buttons.clone());
+    }
+    if touched.has("guide_gesture") {
+        o.guide_gesture = Some(values.guide_gesture.clone());
+    }
     if touched.has("stats_verbosity") {
         o.stats_verbosity = Some(values.stats_verbosity());
     }
@@ -687,6 +707,15 @@ const GAMEPADS: &[&str] = &[
     "dualshock4",
     "steamdeck",
 ];
+/// System-button routing values (persisted under the cross-client `system_buttons` key):
+/// where the guide (Xbox/PS/Steam) and quick-access presses land while streaming. Auto =
+/// the host, except under Gaming Mode where the local Steam UI reacts to the same press.
+const SYSTEM_BUTTONS: &[&str] = &["auto", "forward", "local"];
+const SYSTEM_BUTTON_LABELS: &[&str] = &["Automatic", "Send to host", "This device"];
+/// Hold-Select guide gesture values (the cross-client `guide_gesture` key). Auto arms it
+/// only where the raw guide press can't reach the host (Gaming Mode here).
+const GUIDE_GESTURES: &[&str] = &["auto", "on", "off"];
+const GUIDE_GESTURE_LABELS: &[&str] = &["Automatic", "On", "Off"];
 const COMPOSITORS: &[&str] = &["auto", "kwin", "wlroots", "mutter", "gamescope"];
 /// Codec setting values (persisted) paired with their display labels below. PyroWave is
 /// preference-only by design (`Settings::preferred_codec`) — the ladder falls back to
@@ -1542,16 +1571,39 @@ pub fn show_scoped(
             "Steam Deck",
         ],
     );
-    // Both pad rows only mean something while something is being forwarded (the same
+    // Where the guide (Xbox/PS/Steam) + quick-access presses land, and the hold-Select
+    // gesture that keeps the host's guide reachable when they stay local. Desktop rarely
+    // needs either off Automatic — they exist here because profiles are authored on the
+    // desktop and applied everywhere, Gaming Mode included.
+    let sysbtn_row = ChoiceRow::new(
+        &dialog,
+        inline,
+        "Steam / guide button",
+        "Automatic sends it to the host, except where this device reacts to it too",
+        SYSTEM_BUTTON_LABELS,
+    );
+    let gesture_row = ChoiceRow::new(
+        &dialog,
+        inline,
+        "Hold Select for guide",
+        "Hold Select alone for the host's guide button — a tap still goes through",
+        GUIDE_GESTURE_LABELS,
+    );
+    // The pad rows only mean something while something is being forwarded (the same
     // relationship mic → echo cancellation draws just above, initial state included: the
     // seed's `set_active` fires this only when it CHANGES the switch).
     {
         let (f, t) = (forward_row.widget().clone(), pad_row.widget().clone());
+        let (sb, gg) = (sysbtn_row.widget().clone(), gesture_row.widget().clone());
         f.set_sensitive(seed.gamepad_forwarding);
         t.set_sensitive(seed.gamepad_forwarding);
+        sb.set_sensitive(seed.gamepad_forwarding);
+        gg.set_sensitive(seed.gamepad_forwarding);
         pad_forward_row.connect_active_notify(move |r| {
             f.set_sensitive(r.is_active());
             t.set_sensitive(r.is_active());
+            sb.set_sensitive(r.is_active());
+            gg.set_sensitive(r.is_active());
         });
     }
 
@@ -1566,6 +1618,8 @@ pub fn show_scoped(
         bitrate_row.set_value(f64::from(s.bitrate_kbps) / 1000.0);
         pad_forward_row.set_active(s.gamepad_forwarding);
         pad_row.set_selected(index::gamepad(s));
+        sysbtn_row.set_selected(index::system_buttons(s));
+        gesture_row.set_selected(index::guide_gesture(s));
         let touch_i = index::touch(s);
         touch_row.set_selected(touch_i);
         // set_selected never fires the changed hook, so seed the dynamic caption directly.
@@ -1795,6 +1849,18 @@ pub fn show_scoped(
             index::surround
         );
         choice!(pad_row, "gamepad", o.gamepad.is_some(), index::gamepad);
+        choice!(
+            sysbtn_row,
+            "system_buttons",
+            o.system_buttons.is_some(),
+            index::system_buttons
+        );
+        choice!(
+            gesture_row,
+            "guide_gesture",
+            o.guide_gesture.is_some(),
+            index::guide_gesture
+        );
         toggle!(
             pad_forward_row,
             "gamepad_forwarding",
@@ -2001,6 +2067,8 @@ pub fn show_scoped(
         controllers_group.add(forward_row.widget());
     }
     controllers_group.add(pad_row.widget());
+    controllers_group.add(sysbtn_row.widget());
+    controllers_group.add(gesture_row.widget());
     controllers.add(&controllers_group);
 
     // Cap every caption in one pass, after the rows exist: a per-row call would be sixteen
@@ -2040,6 +2108,12 @@ pub fn show_scoped(
             if pad_sel != 0 || GAMEPADS.contains(&s.gamepad.as_str()) {
                 s.gamepad = GAMEPADS[pad_sel].to_string();
             }
+            s.system_buttons = SYSTEM_BUTTONS
+                [(sysbtn_row.selected() as usize).min(SYSTEM_BUTTONS.len() - 1)]
+            .to_string();
+            s.guide_gesture = GUIDE_GESTURES
+                [(gesture_row.selected() as usize).min(GUIDE_GESTURES.len() - 1)]
+            .to_string();
             s.touch_mode =
                 TOUCH_MODES[(touch_row.selected() as usize).min(TOUCH_MODES.len() - 1)].to_string();
             s.mouse_mode =

clients/probe/src/main.rs

@@ -558,6 +558,10 @@ async fn session(args: Args) -> Result<()> {
             } else {
                 0
             },
+            // Like STREAMED_AU above: the shared-core reassembler pins geometry per-frame, so
+            // the probe accepts a mid-session shard change (and jumbo growth) up to the
+            // receive ceiling — and it's exactly the tool to measure both.
+            max_shard_payload: punktfunk_core::config::max_shard_payload() as u16,
         }
         .encode(),
     )

clients/session/src/console.rs

@@ -79,20 +79,22 @@ pub fn run(target: Option<&str>) -> u8 {
                 can_wake: false,
                 last_used: k.and_then(|h| h.last_used),
                 os: k.map(|h| h.os.clone()).unwrap_or_default(),
+                pin: None,
+                bound_profile: None,
             };
             let label = row.name.clone();
             if k.is_none() {
                 seed = Some(row.clone());
             }
             if row.paired {
-                (ConsoleEntry::Library(row), Some(label))
+                (ConsoleEntry::Library(Box::new(row)), Some(label))
             } else {
                 (ConsoleEntry::Home, Some(label))
             }
         }
         None if fake => {
             let row = fake_host_row();
-            (ConsoleEntry::Library(row), None)
+            (ConsoleEntry::Library(Box::new(row)), None)
         }
         None => (ConsoleEntry::Home, None),
     };
@@ -207,6 +209,7 @@ pub fn run(target: Option<&str>) -> u8 {
                     launch,
                     title,
                     request_access,
+                    profile,
                 } => {
                     let Some(pin) = trust::parse_hex32(&fp_hex) else {
                         // Connect (and request-access) pin the host's advertised fingerprint;
@@ -221,9 +224,11 @@ pub fn run(target: Option<&str>) -> u8 {
                     // 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);
+                    // same one `--connect` goes through. A pinned card's connect arrives as a
+                    // one-off profile id; the resolver prefers it over the binding, and a
+                    // dangling id falls back to the defaults without blocking the connect.
+                    let (settings, profile) =
+                        trust::effective_settings(&addr, port, profile.as_deref());
                     let mut params = session_params(
                         &settings,
                         profile.map(|p| p.name),
@@ -303,6 +308,8 @@ fn fake_host_row() -> HostRow {
         can_wake: false,
         last_used: None,
         os: "linux/arch/steamos".into(),
+        pin: None,
+        bound_profile: None,
     }
 }
 
@@ -506,6 +513,38 @@ impl ServiceState {
             ConsoleCmd::Probe => {
                 self.last_probe = Instant::now() - Duration::from_secs(60);
             }
+            ConsoleCmd::SetPin {
+                key,
+                profile_id,
+                pin,
+            } => {
+                // Presentation only (design §5.2a): order = card order, appended at the
+                // end; never touches `profile_id` (the default binding). Idempotent, so
+                // a repeated press inside one refresh window can't double-pin.
+                let mut known = trust::KnownHosts::load();
+                let idx = known
+                    .hosts
+                    .iter()
+                    .position(|h| !h.fp_hex.is_empty() && h.fp_hex == key)
+                    .or_else(|| {
+                        let (addr, port) = key.rsplit_once(':')?;
+                        known.index_by_addr(addr, port.parse().ok()?)
+                    });
+                let Some(h) = idx.and_then(|i| known.hosts.get_mut(i)) else {
+                    tracing::warn!(%key, "pin toggle for an unknown host — ignoring");
+                    return;
+                };
+                if pin && !h.pinned_profiles.contains(&profile_id) {
+                    h.pinned_profiles.push(profile_id);
+                } else if !pin {
+                    h.pinned_profiles.retain(|id| *id != profile_id);
+                }
+                if let Err(e) = known.save() {
+                    tracing::warn!(error = %format!("{e:#}"), "saving known hosts");
+                }
+                // `run` refreshes the rows right after this drain, so the carousel and
+                // the pin screen reflect the new card within the same service pass.
+            }
         }
     }
 
@@ -544,12 +583,21 @@ impl ServiceState {
         })
     }
 
-    /// The console home's rows: saved hosts (most recent first), then
-    /// discovered-but-unsaved ones, then a still-uncovered `--browse` seed.
+    /// The console home's rows: saved hosts (most recent first) — each followed by its
+    /// pinned profile cards (design §5.2a) — then discovered-but-unsaved ones, then a
+    /// still-uncovered `--browse` seed.
     fn rows(&self) -> Vec<HostRow> {
         let known = trust::KnownHosts::load();
+        let catalog = pf_client_core::profiles::ProfilesFile::load();
         let probed = self.probed.lock().unwrap();
-        let mut rows: Vec<HostRow> = known
+        let chip = |p: &pf_client_core::profiles::StreamProfile| pf_console_ui::ProfileChip {
+            id: p.id.clone(),
+            name: p.name.clone(),
+            accent: p.accent.clone(),
+        };
+        // Primary rows paired with their pinned cards, so the sort below can order hosts
+        // while every host's cards stay glued behind its primary tile.
+        let mut saved: Vec<(HostRow, Vec<HostRow>)> = known
             .hosts
             .iter()
             .map(|h| {
@@ -563,8 +611,8 @@ impl ServiceState {
                         || (d.addr == h.addr && d.port == h.port)
                 });
                 let online = advert.is_some() || probed.get(&key).copied().unwrap_or(false);
-                HostRow {
-                    key,
+                let row = HostRow {
+                    key: key.clone(),
                     name: host_display_name(&h.name, &h.addr),
                     addr: h.addr.clone(),
                     port: h.port,
@@ -581,10 +629,34 @@ impl ServiceState {
                         .filter(|d| !d.os.is_empty())
                         .map(|d| d.os.clone())
                         .unwrap_or_else(|| h.os.clone()),
-                }
+                    pin: None,
+                    bound_profile: h
+                        .profile_id
+                        .as_deref()
+                        .and_then(|id| catalog.find_by_id(id))
+                        .map(chip),
+                };
+                // A pinned card shares the primary tile's live state; its key rides the
+                // profile id behind a NUL (impossible in a fingerprint or `addr:port`),
+                // so cursor-follow and the wake path address the card itself.
+                let pins = h
+                    .resolved_pins(&catalog)
+                    .into_iter()
+                    .map(|p| HostRow {
+                        key: format!("{key}\0{}", p.id),
+                        pin: Some(chip(p)),
+                        bound_profile: None,
+                        ..row.clone()
+                    })
+                    .collect();
+                (row, pins)
             })
             .collect();
-        rows.sort_by(|a, b| b.last_used.cmp(&a.last_used).then(a.name.cmp(&b.name)));
+        saved.sort_by(|(a, _), (b, _)| b.last_used.cmp(&a.last_used).then(a.name.cmp(&b.name)));
+        let mut rows: Vec<HostRow> = saved
+            .into_iter()
+            .flat_map(|(row, pins)| std::iter::once(row).chain(pins))
+            .collect();
 
         let mut extra: Vec<HostRow> = self
             .discovered
@@ -612,6 +684,8 @@ impl ServiceState {
                 can_wake: false,
                 last_used: None,
                 os: d.os.clone(),
+                pin: None,
+                bound_profile: None,
             })
             .collect();
         extra.sort_by(|a, b| a.name.cmp(&b.name));

clients/session/src/main.rs

@@ -18,6 +18,78 @@
 #[cfg(all(any(target_os = "linux", windows), feature = "ui"))]
 mod console;
 
+/// The session control socket: a line-per-connection unix socket other same-user
+/// processes use to poke the RUNNING stream — today two verbs, `guide` and `qam`, which
+/// press the HOST's system buttons (the Decky panel's "Steam menu / Quick access on the
+/// host" buttons; see `GamepadService::tap_guide`). Plain text, no JSON: `<verb>\n` in,
+/// `ok\n` / `err\n` back.
+///
+/// The path is `$XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/punktfunk-session-ctl.sock` — inside the flatpak app
+/// runtime dir (`…/app/$FLATPAK_ID/`) when sandboxed, the ONE runtime path a flatpak and
+/// the host see identically, which is what lets the Decky backend (outside the sandbox)
+/// reach a flatpak-run session.
+#[cfg(all(unix, any(target_os = "linux", windows)))]
+mod ctl_socket {
+    use pf_client_core::gamepad::GamepadService;
+    use std::io::{BufRead, BufReader, Write};
+    use std::os::unix::net::UnixListener;
+    use std::path::PathBuf;
+
+    fn path() -> Option<PathBuf> {
+        let mut p = PathBuf::from(std::env::var_os("XDG_RUNTIME_DIR")?);
+        if let Ok(id) = std::env::var("FLATPAK_ID") {
+            p.push("app");
+            p.push(id);
+        }
+        Some(p.join("punktfunk-session-ctl.sock"))
+    }
+
+    /// Bind + serve on a background thread, once per process (later calls no-op). Any
+    /// failure just logs at debug — the socket is a convenience surface, never worth
+    /// failing a stream over.
+    pub(crate) fn spawn(gamepad: GamepadService) {
+        static ONCE: std::sync::Once = std::sync::Once::new();
+        ONCE.call_once(move || {
+            let Some(path) = path() else { return };
+            // A previous session's socket file refuses the bind — it's ours to replace.
+            let _ = std::fs::remove_file(&path);
+            let listener = match UnixListener::bind(&path) {
+                Ok(l) => l,
+                Err(e) => {
+                    tracing::debug!(error = %e, path = %path.display(), "session ctl socket unavailable");
+                    return;
+                }
+            };
+            let spawned = std::thread::Builder::new()
+                .name("pf-session-ctl".into())
+                .spawn(move || {
+                    for stream in listener.incoming() {
+                        let Ok(mut s) = stream else { continue };
+                        let mut line = String::new();
+                        if BufReader::new(&s).read_line(&mut line).is_err() {
+                            continue;
+                        }
+                        let ok = match line.trim() {
+                            "guide" => {
+                                gamepad.tap_guide();
+                                true
+                            }
+                            "qam" => {
+                                gamepad.tap_qam();
+                                true
+                            }
+                            _ => false,
+                        };
+                        let _ = s.write_all(if ok { b"ok\n" } else { b"err\n" });
+                    }
+                });
+            if let Err(e) = spawned {
+                tracing::debug!(error = %e, "session ctl thread failed to start");
+            }
+        });
+    }
+}
+
 #[cfg(any(target_os = "linux", windows))]
 mod session_main {
     use pf_client_core::gamepad::GamepadService;
@@ -44,14 +116,20 @@ mod session_main {
         std::env::args().any(|a| a == flag)
     }
 
+    /// Running under Gaming Mode (a Deck, or any gamescope session): the environment
+    /// where the local Steam UI owns the physical Steam/QAM buttons — the system-button
+    /// "auto" policy keys off this.
+    pub(crate) fn gaming_mode() -> bool {
+        std::env::var_os("SteamDeck").is_some()
+            || std::env::var_os("GAMESCOPE_WAYLAND_DISPLAY").is_some()
+    }
+
     /// Run fullscreen: `--fullscreen`, or the Deck/gamescope env as a fallback so a
     /// manual launch under Gaming Mode does the right thing too. (Browse-mode only —
     /// gated with `mod browse`, its one caller.)
     #[cfg(feature = "ui")]
     pub(crate) fn fullscreen_mode() -> bool {
-        arg_flag("--fullscreen")
-            || std::env::var_os("SteamDeck").is_some()
-            || std::env::var_os("GAMESCOPE_WAYLAND_DISPLAY").is_some()
+        arg_flag("--fullscreen") || gaming_mode()
     }
 
     /// `--window-pos X,Y` → the window's top-left in desktop coordinates (a spawning
@@ -194,6 +272,20 @@ mod session_main {
         // it back. It goes on before the attach below, so a non-forwarding session never opens
         // — never grabs — the device.
         gamepad.set_forwarding(settings.gamepad_forwarding);
+        // System-button routing: whether raw guide/QAM presses ride the wire, and whether
+        // hold-Select arms as the alternate guide route. Auto keys off Gaming Mode — the
+        // local Steam UI reacts to the same physical buttons there no matter what, so
+        // forwarding raw opens BOTH overlays, the local one on top of the stream. Set
+        // unconditionally for the same browse-mode-reuse reason as the line above.
+        let game_mode = gaming_mode();
+        gamepad.set_system_buttons(
+            settings.system_buttons_forward(game_mode),
+            settings.guide_gesture_enabled(game_mode),
+        );
+        // The control socket (guide/QAM injection — the Decky panel's host buttons).
+        // Spawned at first params-build so it exists for --connect AND console launches.
+        #[cfg(unix)]
+        crate::ctl_socket::spawn(gamepad.clone());
         let mode = Mode {
             width: if settings.width == 0 {
                 native.width

clients/windows/src/app/settings.rs

@@ -79,6 +79,17 @@ const GAMEPADS: &[(&str, &str)] = &[
     // user could not ask the host for the Deck-shaped pad (trackpads, back grips).
     ("steamdeck", "Steam Deck"),
 ];
+/// System-button routing: `(stored value, display label)` — where the guide (Xbox/PS)
+/// and quick-access presses land while streaming. The cross-client `system_buttons` key;
+/// Automatic forwards on desktop and stays local under Gaming Mode.
+const SYSTEM_BUTTONS: &[(&str, &str)] = &[
+    ("auto", "Automatic"),
+    ("forward", "Send to host"),
+    ("local", "This device"),
+];
+/// The hold-Select guide gesture: `(stored value, display label)` — the cross-client
+/// `guide_gesture` key. Automatic arms it only where the raw press can't reach the host.
+const GUIDE_GESTURES: &[(&str, &str)] = &[("auto", "Automatic"), ("on", "On"), ("off", "Off")];
 /// Stats-overlay tiers: `(stored value, display label)` — the cross-client verbosity ladder
 /// (Compact ⊂ Normal ⊂ Detailed); Ctrl+Alt+Shift+S cycles it live in the session window.
 const STATS_TIERS: &[(StatsVerbosity, &str)] = &[
@@ -479,6 +490,8 @@ struct OverrideFlags {
     inhibit_shortcuts: bool,
     gamepad: bool,
     gamepad_forwarding: bool,
+    system_buttons: bool,
+    guide_gesture: bool,
     stats_verbosity: bool,
     fullscreen_on_stream: bool,
     present_priority: bool,
@@ -512,6 +525,8 @@ impl OverrideFlags {
             inhibit_shortcuts: o.inhibit_shortcuts.is_some(),
             gamepad: o.gamepad.is_some(),
             gamepad_forwarding: o.gamepad_forwarding.is_some(),
+            system_buttons: o.system_buttons.is_some(),
+            guide_gesture: o.guide_gesture.is_some(),
             stats_verbosity: o.stats_verbosity.is_some(),
             fullscreen_on_stream: o.fullscreen_on_stream.is_some(),
             present_priority: o.present_priority.is_some(),
@@ -966,6 +981,13 @@ pub(crate) fn settings_page(
                 s.forward_pad = key.unwrap_or_default();
                 s.save();
             })
+            // Dimmed with the master switch above it, like echo cancellation under the mic
+            // (see that row) — this and the three below have nothing to act on while no
+            // controller is forwarded at all. Every commit bumps `rev` and re-renders this
+            // screen, so they follow the toggle live. Brings this client in line with how GTK
+            // (`set_sensitive`), the touch settings on both mobile clients (`enabled`) and the
+            // console UI (dim + refuse the step) have always drawn the same relationship.
+            .enabled(s.gamepad_forwarding)
     };
     let pad_forward_toggle =
         setting_toggle(ctx, scope, (rev, set_rev), s.gamepad_forwarding, |s, on| {
@@ -976,7 +998,32 @@ pub(crate) fn settings_page(
     });
     let pad_combo = setting_combo(ctx, scope, (rev, set_rev), pad_names, pad_i, |s, i| {
         s.gamepad = GAMEPADS[i].0.to_string();
-    });
+    })
+    .enabled(s.gamepad_forwarding);
+    let (sysbtn_names, sysbtn_i) = presets(SYSTEM_BUTTONS, |v| *v == s.system_buttons);
+    let sysbtn_combo = setting_combo(
+        ctx,
+        scope,
+        (rev, set_rev),
+        sysbtn_names,
+        sysbtn_i,
+        |s, i| {
+            s.system_buttons = SYSTEM_BUTTONS[i].0.to_string();
+        },
+    )
+    .enabled(s.gamepad_forwarding);
+    let (gesture_names, gesture_i) = presets(GUIDE_GESTURES, |v| *v == s.guide_gesture);
+    let gesture_combo = setting_combo(
+        ctx,
+        scope,
+        (rev, set_rev),
+        gesture_names,
+        gesture_i,
+        |s, i| {
+            s.guide_gesture = GUIDE_GESTURES[i].0.to_string();
+        },
+    )
+    .enabled(s.gamepad_forwarding);
     let (touch_names, touch_i) = presets(TOUCH_MODES, |v| *v == s.touch_mode);
     let touch_combo = setting_combo(ctx, scope, (rev, set_rev), touch_names, touch_i, |s, i| {
         s.touch_mode = TOUCH_MODES[i].0.to_string();
@@ -1045,13 +1092,18 @@ pub(crate) fn settings_page(
         let ss = set_screen.clone();
         button("Third-party licenses").on_click(move || ss.call(Screen::Licenses))
     };
-    // The client log's home (%LOCALAPPDATA%\punktfunk\logs) — the file every "check the
-    // client log" message means, which until this row had no way in from the UI at all.
-    // The folder rather than the file so the rotated `.old` generation is in reach too.
-    // Best-effort, like the log itself: a missing dir or a failed spawn stays silent.
+    // The client log's home — the file every "check the client log" message means, which until
+    // this row had no way in from the UI at all. The folder rather than the file so the rotated
+    // `.old` generation is in reach too.
+    //
+    // `real_dir` (not the literal %LOCALAPPDATA% path) because Explorer lives outside our MSIX
+    // container: handed a path the package redirection keeps from ever existing, it silently
+    // opens the user's Documents folder instead of failing, which is precisely what this button
+    // shipped doing. The `is_dir` guard keeps that fallback unreachable — if the resolve ever
+    // comes back wrong, the click does nothing rather than landing somewhere misleading.
+    // Best-effort otherwise, like the log itself: a failed spawn stays silent.
     let logs_button = button("Open log folder").on_click(|| {
-        if let Some(dir) = crate::logfile::log_dir() {
-            let _ = std::fs::create_dir_all(&dir);
+        if let Some(dir) = crate::logfile::real_dir().filter(|d| d.is_dir()) {
             let _ = std::process::Command::new("explorer.exe").arg(&dir).spawn();
         }
     });
@@ -1402,6 +1454,30 @@ pub(crate) fn settings_page(
                          \u{2014} a DualSense keeps adaptive triggers, lightbar, touchpad and \
                          motion.",
                     )),
+                    Some(described_overridable(
+                        (rev, set_rev),
+                        scope,
+                        "system_buttons",
+                        "Steam / guide button",
+                        over.system_buttons,
+                        sysbtn_combo,
+                        "Where the guide (Xbox/PS) and quick-access presses go while \
+                         streaming. Automatic sends them to the host \u{2014} except on \
+                         devices whose own overlay reacts to the same press (Gaming Mode), \
+                         where they stay local and the gesture below reaches the host.",
+                    )),
+                    Some(described_overridable(
+                        (rev, set_rev),
+                        scope,
+                        "guide_gesture",
+                        "Hold Select for guide",
+                        over.guide_gesture,
+                        gesture_combo,
+                        "Hold Select on its own to press the host's guide button \u{2014} keep \
+                         holding for a Gaming-Mode host's quick-access menu. A Select tap \
+                         still goes through, slightly delayed. Automatic arms it only where \
+                         the real button can't reach the host.",
+                    )),
                 ]
                 .into_iter()
                 .flatten()

clients/windows/src/logfile.rs

@@ -10,6 +10,10 @@
 //! Mirrors the host's convention (`%ProgramData%\punktfunk\logs`, size-capped): a file over
 //! 10 MB is rotated to `.old` at the next client start, one generation kept. Everything is
 //! best-effort — a missing/locked directory degrades to plain stderr, never a startup failure.
+//!
+//! Two paths, deliberately: [`log_dir`] is what we open files through, [`real_dir`] is where
+//! they actually land. Under MSIX those differ, and only the second one is fit to show a user
+//! or hand to Explorer.
 
 use std::fs::{File, OpenOptions};
 use std::io::{self, BufRead, Write};
@@ -21,14 +25,74 @@ const ROTATE_BYTES: u64 = 10 * 1024 * 1024;
 
 static SINK: OnceLock<Option<Arc<Mutex<File>>>> = OnceLock::new();
 
-/// The log directory — Settings ▸ About's "Open log folder" opens it in Explorer.
-pub(crate) fn log_dir() -> Option<PathBuf> {
+/// The log directory we WRITE through: `%LOCALAPPDATA%\punktfunk\logs`.
+///
+/// Correct to open files under, but NOT necessarily where the bytes land — see [`real_dir`].
+/// Anything shown to a user or handed to another process wants that one instead.
+fn log_dir() -> Option<PathBuf> {
     Some(PathBuf::from(std::env::var_os("LOCALAPPDATA")?).join(r"punktfunk\logs"))
 }
 
+/// The log directory as it exists ON DISK — Settings ▸ About's "Open log folder" opens this in
+/// Explorer, and [`path`] names it in the startup line and the failed-spawn banner.
+///
+/// The shipping client is a full-trust MSIX package, and Windows redirects a packaged app's
+/// `%LOCALAPPDATA%` writes into its private `…\Packages\<family>\LocalCache\Local\…`. We create
+/// and append through that redirection without ever seeing it, so [`log_dir`] is the right path
+/// to WRITE to yet names a directory that never exists on disk. Explorer runs OUTSIDE the
+/// container: it resolves the literal path, finds nothing, and silently falls back to the user's
+/// Documents folder — which is exactly what "Open log folder" did in every packaged install, and
+/// what the two "check <path>" messages pointed at. An unpackaged dev run creates the literal
+/// directory for real, which is why this only ever showed up in the field.
+///
+/// Canonicalizing the directory we just created resolves through the redirection on a packaged
+/// run and changes nothing on an unpackaged one, so there is no package identity to detect.
+pub(crate) fn real_dir() -> Option<PathBuf> {
+    let dir = log_dir()?;
+    std::fs::create_dir_all(&dir).ok()?;
+    Some(std::fs::canonicalize(&dir).map_or(dir, strip_verbatim))
+}
+
+/// Undo the `\\?\` that [`std::fs::canonicalize`] always prefixes. Explorer refuses a verbatim
+/// path — it would take the very same silent Documents fallback [`real_dir`] exists to avoid —
+/// and it is noise in a line a user is meant to read and act on.
+fn strip_verbatim(p: PathBuf) -> PathBuf {
+    use std::path::{Component, Prefix};
+
+    // Scoped so the borrow ends before the `return p` below can move it.
+    let head = match p.components().next() {
+        Some(Component::Prefix(pre)) => match pre.kind() {
+            // `\\?\C:\…` → `C:\…`
+            Prefix::VerbatimDisk(drive) => Some(PathBuf::from(format!(r"{}:\", drive as char))),
+            // `\\?\UNC\server\share\…` → `\\server\share\…` (a roaming profile on a share).
+            // Built through `OsString`, which appends verbatim — `PathBuf::push` would apply
+            // separator logic to the bare `\\` and mangle it.
+            Prefix::VerbatimUNC(server, share) => {
+                let mut unc = std::ffi::OsString::from(r"\\");
+                unc.push(server);
+                unc.push(r"\");
+                unc.push(share);
+                Some(PathBuf::from(unc))
+            }
+            // Already a plain path — nothing to undo.
+            _ => None,
+        },
+        _ => None,
+    };
+    let Some(mut out) = head else { return p };
+    // `skip(1)` drops the prefix; the `RootDir` that follows it is already in `head`.
+    out.extend(
+        p.components()
+            .skip(1)
+            .filter(|c| !matches!(c, Component::RootDir)),
+    );
+    out
+}
+
 /// The log file's path, for the "logs land here" startup line and the failed-spawn banner.
+/// Resolved like [`real_dir`] — a path a user is told to check has to be the one on disk.
 pub(crate) fn path() -> Option<PathBuf> {
-    Some(log_dir()?.join("client.log"))
+    Some(real_dir()?.join("client.log"))
 }
 
 /// Open (rotating first) and cache the sink. Called once at startup, before the tracing
@@ -97,3 +161,67 @@ pub(crate) fn forward_child_stderr(stderr: impl io::Read + Send + 'static) {
             }
         });
 }
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    /// The shape `canonicalize` actually returns for a local profile. Explorer treats a `\\?\`
+    /// path as unresolvable and opens Documents instead, so the prefix has to come off.
+    #[test]
+    fn verbatim_disk_prefix_comes_off() {
+        let p = PathBuf::from(r"\\?\C:\Users\ada\AppData\Local\punktfunk\logs");
+        assert_eq!(
+            strip_verbatim(p),
+            PathBuf::from(r"C:\Users\ada\AppData\Local\punktfunk\logs")
+        );
+    }
+
+    /// The MSIX-redirected form is what the fix is for: same treatment, longer path.
+    #[test]
+    fn verbatim_disk_prefix_comes_off_for_the_package_local_cache() {
+        let p = PathBuf::from(
+            r"\\?\C:\Users\ada\AppData\Local\Packages\unom.Punktfunk_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\Local\punktfunk\logs",
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            strip_verbatim(p),
+            PathBuf::from(
+                r"C:\Users\ada\AppData\Local\Packages\unom.Punktfunk_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\Local\punktfunk\logs"
+            )
+        );
+    }
+
+    /// A roaming profile on a share canonicalizes to `\\?\UNC\…`; the plain UNC form is what
+    /// Explorer takes. `\\server\share` must survive intact — dropping either half, or letting
+    /// `PathBuf::push`'s separator logic at the bare `\\`, yields a path that opens nothing.
+    #[test]
+    fn verbatim_unc_prefix_becomes_a_plain_unc_path() {
+        let p = PathBuf::from(r"\\?\UNC\fileserv\profiles\ada\AppData\Local\punktfunk\logs");
+        assert_eq!(
+            strip_verbatim(p),
+            PathBuf::from(r"\\fileserv\profiles\ada\AppData\Local\punktfunk\logs")
+        );
+    }
+
+    /// An unpackaged dev run resolves to a path that was never verbatim — leave it alone.
+    #[test]
+    fn plain_path_is_untouched() {
+        let p = PathBuf::from(r"C:\Users\ada\AppData\Local\punktfunk\logs");
+        assert_eq!(strip_verbatim(p.clone()), p);
+    }
+
+    /// Whatever the run, the resolved directory is one Explorer can open: it exists, and it
+    /// carries no verbatim prefix. This is the button's actual precondition.
+    #[test]
+    fn real_dir_is_an_openable_directory() {
+        let Some(dir) = real_dir() else {
+            return; // no LOCALAPPDATA (not a normal user session) — nothing to assert
+        };
+        assert!(dir.is_dir(), "{} is not a directory", dir.display());
+        assert!(
+            !dir.to_string_lossy().starts_with(r"\\?\"),
+            "{} kept its verbatim prefix",
+            dir.display()
+        );
+    }
+}

crates/pf-client-core/src/audio.rs

@@ -168,9 +168,18 @@ struct PlayerData {
     /// Drained chunk Vecs go back here for the decode side to refill (allocation pool).
     recycle: SyncSender<Vec<f32>>,
     ring: VecDeque<f32>,
-    primed: bool,
+    /// Shared ms-denominated de-jitter policy: prime depth, drift correction, de-prime
+    /// hysteresis. Replaces the old `3 × quantum` target, which meant 15 ms at a 5 ms graph
+    /// quantum and a silent 64 ms at a 20 ms one, and the `if ring.is_empty()` re-prime, where
+    /// one transient drain manufactured a whole target's worth of fresh silence.
+    policy: punktfunk_core::audio::JitterPolicy,
     /// Interleaved channel count this stream was opened with (2/6/8).
     channels: usize,
+    /// Diagnostics (WP0.3), logged ~every 10 s: the audio plane used to be entirely silent in a
+    /// client log, so a latency or dropout report had nothing to go on.
+    underruns: u64,
+    sheds: u64,
+    callbacks: u64,
 }
 
 fn pw_thread(
@@ -223,8 +232,14 @@ fn pw_thread(
         rx: pcm_rx,
         recycle: recycle_tx,
         ring: VecDeque::new(),
-        primed: false,
+        policy: punktfunk_core::audio::JitterPolicy::new(
+            punktfunk_core::audio::JitterTuning::PIPEWIRE,
+            channels as u8,
+        ),
         channels,
+        underruns: 0,
+        sheds: 0,
+        callbacks: 0,
     };
 
     let _listener = stream
@@ -252,23 +267,29 @@ fn pw_thread(
                 let want_frames = data.data().map(|s| s.len() / stride).unwrap_or(0);
                 let want = want_frames * ud.channels;
 
-                // Adaptive jitter buffer (same shape as the host's virtual mic): prime to
-                // ~3 quanta, cap at ~1 quantum of slack beyond that, re-prime after a
-                // genuine drain.
-                let target = (3 * want).clamp(720 * ud.channels, 9600 * ud.channels);
-                while ud.ring.len() > target.max(want) + want {
-                    ud.ring.pop_front();
-                }
-                if !ud.primed && ud.ring.len() >= target {
-                    ud.primed = true;
+                // Shared de-jitter policy: prime depth in MILLISECONDS, smooth drift correction
+                // (a crossfaded 5 ms shed) so latency returns to target instead of ratcheting,
+                // and a hard cap as the backstop.
+                let step = ud.policy.step(ud.ring.len(), want);
+                if step.drop_front > 0 {
+                    ud.sheds += 1;
+                    punktfunk_core::audio::crossfade_drop(
+                        &mut ud.ring,
+                        step.drop_front,
+                        step.crossfade,
+                    );
                 }
 
+                let mut ran_short = false;
                 let n_frames = if let Some(slice) = data.data() {
                     for k in 0..want {
-                        let s = if ud.primed {
-                            ud.ring.pop_front().unwrap_or(0.0)
-                        } else {
+                        let s = if step.silence {
                             0.0
+                        } else {
+                            ud.ring.pop_front().unwrap_or_else(|| {
+                                ran_short = true;
+                                0.0
+                            })
                         };
                         let off = k * 4;
                         slice[off..off + 4].copy_from_slice(&s.to_le_bytes());
@@ -277,8 +298,21 @@ fn pw_thread(
                 } else {
                     0
                 };
-                if ud.ring.is_empty() {
-                    ud.primed = false;
+                // No-op while un-primed (the policy ignores it), so a deliberate priming silence
+                // is never miscounted as an underrun.
+                ud.policy.note_read(ran_short);
+                ud.underruns += u64::from(ran_short);
+                ud.callbacks += 1;
+                // ~10 s at a 5 ms quantum; the exact cadence does not matter, only that the
+                // plane stops being invisible.
+                if ud.callbacks % 2_000 == 0 {
+                    tracing::debug!(
+                        buffer_ms = ud.policy.avg_depth_ms(),
+                        target_ms = ud.policy.target_ms(),
+                        underruns = ud.underruns,
+                        drift_sheds = ud.sheds,
+                        "audio playback"
+                    );
                 }
                 let chunk = data.chunk_mut();
                 *chunk.offset_mut() = 0;

crates/pf-client-core/src/audio_wasapi.rs

@@ -3,14 +3,15 @@
 //!
 //! The WASAPI twin of `audio.rs` (PipeWire) — same public surface (`AudioPlayer::spawn`/
 //! `take_buffer`/`push`, `MicStreamer::spawn`), swapped in by lib.rs's `#[path]` so the
-//! session pump compiles against one `crate::audio` on both OSes. Adapted from
-//! `clients/windows/src/audio.rs` (which remains the WinUI shell's own copy until its
-//! built-in streaming path is deleted).
+//! session pump compiles against one `crate::audio` on both OSes. It began as a copy of the
+//! WinUI shell's own audio path; that shell's built-in streaming path has since been deleted,
+//! so this is now the only WASAPI client ring.
 //!
-//! Playback mirrors the host's virtual-mic producer's adaptive jitter buffer: the session
-//! pump pushes 5 ms Opus-decoded chunks on the network clock; the WASAPI render thread
-//! pulls whole event-driven quanta on the device clock. Prime to ~3 quanta before
-//! producing, cap the ring so latency stays bounded, re-prime after a real drain.
+//! Playback: the session pump pushes 5 ms Opus-decoded chunks on the network clock; the WASAPI
+//! render thread pulls whole event-driven quanta on the device clock. The depth policy between
+//! them is the SHARED `punktfunk_core::audio::JitterPolicy` (`JitterTuning::WASAPI`) — target in
+//! milliseconds, crossfaded drift correction, de-prime hysteresis — so all four clients behave
+//! the same way and none of them can ratchet latency upward.
 //!
 //! WASAPI objects are COM-apartment-bound and not `Send`, so they live on a dedicated
 //! thread (the same discipline as the host's `wasapi_cap`); only the channels + stop flag
@@ -250,10 +251,20 @@ fn render_thread(
         audio_client.start_stream().context("start render stream")?;
         let _ = ready.send(Ok(()));
 
-        // Adaptive jitter buffer, in f32-byte units (same shape as the host's virtual mic).
-        let mut ring: VecDeque<u8> = VecDeque::new();
-        let mut primed = false;
+        // De-jitter ring, in interleaved f32 SAMPLES (it used to be raw bytes, which made the
+        // depth arithmetic byte-vs-sample and kept it from sharing the policy and the crossfade
+        // helper with the other three clients).
+        let mut ring: VecDeque<f32> = VecDeque::new();
+        // Shared ms-denominated policy: prime depth, crossfaded drift correction so latency
+        // returns to target instead of ratcheting, and de-prime hysteresis — the last replacing
+        // the old `if ring.is_empty()`, where a single transient drain manufactured a whole
+        // target's worth of fresh silence.
+        let mut policy = punktfunk_core::audio::JitterPolicy::new(
+            punktfunk_core::audio::JitterTuning::WASAPI,
+            channels,
+        );
         let mut out = Vec::new(); // per-quantum scratch, reused across iterations
+        let (mut underruns, mut sheds, mut callbacks) = (0u64, 0u64, 0u64);
 
         while !stop.load(Ordering::Relaxed) {
             if h_event.wait_for_event(100).is_err() {
@@ -262,9 +273,7 @@ fn render_thread(
             // Drain everything the pump has queued into the ring, returning each drained
             // Vec to the pool (a full/closed pool drops it).
             while let Ok(mut chunk) = pcm_rx.try_recv() {
-                for s in chunk.iter() {
-                    ring.extend(s.to_le_bytes());
-                }
+                ring.extend(chunk.iter().copied());
                 chunk.clear();
                 let _ = recycle_tx.try_send(chunk);
             }
@@ -274,28 +283,40 @@ fn render_thread(
             if avail_frames == 0 {
                 continue;
             }
-            let want_bytes = avail_frames * block_align;
+            let want = avail_frames * channels as usize;
 
-            // Prime to ~3 quanta; cap at ~1 quantum of slack beyond that; re-prime on drain.
-            let target = (3 * want_bytes).clamp(720 * block_align, 9600 * block_align);
-            let cap = target.max(want_bytes) + want_bytes;
-            if ring.len() > cap {
-                ring.drain(..ring.len() - cap);
-            }
-            if !primed && ring.len() >= target {
-                primed = true;
+            let step = policy.step(ring.len(), want);
+            if step.drop_front > 0 {
+                sheds += 1;
+                punktfunk_core::audio::crossfade_drop(&mut ring, step.drop_front, step.crossfade);
             }
 
             out.clear();
-            out.resize(want_bytes, 0);
-            if primed {
-                let n = ring.len().min(want_bytes);
-                for (dst, b) in out.iter_mut().zip(ring.drain(..n)) {
-                    *dst = b;
+            out.resize(avail_frames * block_align, 0);
+            let mut ran_short = false;
+            if !step.silence {
+                // `out` is exactly `want` f32s wide (avail_frames × channels × 4 bytes).
+                for dst in out.chunks_exact_mut(4) {
+                    let s = ring.pop_front().unwrap_or_else(|| {
+                        ran_short = true;
+                        0.0
+                    });
+                    dst.copy_from_slice(&s.to_le_bytes());
                 }
             }
-            if ring.is_empty() {
-                primed = false;
+            // No-op while un-primed (the policy ignores it), so a deliberate priming silence is
+            // never miscounted as an underrun.
+            policy.note_read(ran_short);
+            underruns += u64::from(ran_short);
+            callbacks += 1;
+            if callbacks % 1_000 == 0 {
+                tracing::debug!(
+                    buffer_ms = policy.avg_depth_ms(),
+                    target_ms = policy.target_ms(),
+                    underruns,
+                    drift_sheds = sheds,
+                    "audio playback"
+                );
             }
             render_client
                 .write_to_device(avail_frames, &out, None)

crates/pf-client-core/src/discovery.rs

@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@
 //! cards and flip a saved host's online pip when its advert disappears.
 
 use mdns_sd::{ServiceDaemon, ServiceEvent};
+use std::collections::BTreeMap;
+use std::time::{Duration, Instant};
 
 #[derive(Clone, Debug)]
 pub struct DiscoveredHost {
@@ -31,6 +33,19 @@ pub struct DiscoveredHost {
     pub os: String,
 }
 
+impl DiscoveredHost {
+    /// The host's advertised stable id (mDNS TXT `id`), or `""` when it doesn't advertise one.
+    /// [`DiscoveredHost::key`] falls back to the mDNS fullname in that case, so the two being
+    /// equal is exactly the "no id" signal — read it through here rather than re-deriving it.
+    pub fn advertised_id(&self) -> &str {
+        if self.key == self.fullname {
+            ""
+        } else {
+            &self.key
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 /// One discovery update for the UI's advert map.
 pub enum DiscoveryEvent {
     /// A host advert appeared or refreshed (new address, pairing flipped, …).
@@ -39,8 +54,8 @@ pub enum DiscoveryEvent {
     Removed { fullname: String },
 }
 
-/// Browse continuously for the app's lifetime. The thread exits when the receiver is
-/// dropped (the send fails) or the daemon dies.
+/// Browse continuously. The worker exits when the returned receiver is dropped, or when the
+/// daemon dies — checked on a tick, so it stops even on a LAN where no advert ever arrives.
 pub fn browse() -> async_channel::Receiver<DiscoveryEvent> {
     let (tx, rx) = async_channel::unbounded();
     std::thread::Builder::new()
@@ -60,7 +75,24 @@ pub fn browse() -> async_channel::Receiver<DiscoveryEvent> {
                     return;
                 }
             };
-            while let Ok(event) = receiver.recv() {
+            // Polled rather than blocked on: the worker has to notice that its consumer went
+            // away even when NOTHING is arriving, which is the normal state of a LAN with no
+            // hosts on it. A plain `recv()` parks forever there, and the ignored-event arm below
+            // never touches `tx` — so a bounded consumer like `discover_for` would leak this
+            // thread and its daemon (another thread, and a socket bound to :5353) on every call.
+            loop {
+                // Checked at the TOP so it also covers the arms below that `continue` without
+                // ever touching `tx` — the ignored event kinds, and an advert with no IPv4
+                // address. Those are the paths that would otherwise keep this thread alive with
+                // nobody to send to.
+                if tx.is_closed() {
+                    break;
+                }
+                let event = match receiver.recv_timeout(Duration::from_millis(250)) {
+                    Ok(event) => event,
+                    Err(_) if receiver.is_disconnected() => break,
+                    Err(_) => continue,
+                };
                 let update = match event {
                     ServiceEvent::ServiceResolved(info) => {
                         let props = info.get_properties();
@@ -117,3 +149,154 @@ pub fn browse() -> async_channel::Receiver<DiscoveryEvent> {
         .expect("spawn mdns thread");
     rx
 }
+
+/// The advert map one browse window folded down to. Kept separate from [`discover_for`] so the
+/// fold — which is where dedupe and removal actually live — is testable without a network.
+type Adverts = BTreeMap<String, DiscoveredHost>;
+
+/// Apply one event to the map. A refreshed advert WINS over the one already there (it carries
+/// the newer address — a host that changed DHCP lease re-announces), and a removal drops
+/// whichever entry that mDNS fullname produced, whatever it was keyed under.
+fn fold(adverts: &mut Adverts, event: DiscoveryEvent) {
+    match event {
+        DiscoveryEvent::Resolved(host) => {
+            adverts.insert(host.key.clone(), host);
+        }
+        DiscoveryEvent::Removed { fullname } => {
+            adverts.retain(|_, h| h.fullname != fullname);
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+/// Browse for `timeout`, then return what answered — deduped by `key`, address-sorted.
+///
+/// Blocking; intended for one-shot consumers (the CLI's `discover` verb, a plugin backend that
+/// wants one bounded call rather than a stream). The streaming [`browse`] stays the UI's door:
+/// a live hosts page wants adverts as they land, not a snapshot taken `timeout` after it opened.
+pub fn discover_for(timeout: Duration) -> Vec<DiscoveredHost> {
+    let rx = browse();
+    let deadline = Instant::now() + timeout;
+    let mut adverts = Adverts::new();
+    while Instant::now() < deadline {
+        while let Ok(event) = rx.try_recv() {
+            fold(&mut adverts, event);
+        }
+        // A short tick rather than a blocking recv with a deadline: `async_channel`'s blocking
+        // receive has no timeout, and the whole point of this call is that it is bounded.
+        std::thread::sleep(Duration::from_millis(50).min(timeout));
+    }
+    while let Ok(event) = rx.try_recv() {
+        fold(&mut adverts, event);
+    }
+    // Dropping the receiver is what stops the worker — it polls for that, so this holds even
+    // when nothing is advertising. Without it a one-shot consumer would leak a browse per call.
+    drop(rx);
+    sorted(adverts)
+}
+
+/// The map as the list a caller gets: sorted by address, then port. IPv4 is compared
+/// NUMERICALLY (a lexical sort puts `.10` before `.9`, which reads as scrambled in a host list).
+fn sorted(adverts: Adverts) -> Vec<DiscoveredHost> {
+    let mut hosts: Vec<DiscoveredHost> = adverts.into_values().collect();
+    hosts.sort_by_key(|h| {
+        (
+            h.addr.parse::<std::net::Ipv4Addr>().ok().map(u32::from),
+            h.addr.clone(),
+            h.port,
+        )
+    });
+    hosts
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    fn host(key: &str, fullname: &str, addr: &str) -> DiscoveredHost {
+        DiscoveredHost {
+            key: key.into(),
+            fullname: fullname.into(),
+            name: fullname.split('.').next().unwrap_or("?").into(),
+            addr: addr.into(),
+            port: 9777,
+            fp_hex: "aa".into(),
+            pair: "required".into(),
+            mgmt_port: Some(47990),
+            mac: vec![],
+            os: String::new(),
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Two adverts for the same host collapse to one row, and the LATER one wins — that is how
+    /// a host that moved to a new address stops being listed at the stale one.
+    #[test]
+    fn refreshed_advert_supersedes_the_earlier_one() {
+        let mut adverts = Adverts::new();
+        fold(
+            &mut adverts,
+            DiscoveryEvent::Resolved(host("id-1", "desk._punktfunk._udp.local.", "192.168.1.9")),
+        );
+        fold(
+            &mut adverts,
+            DiscoveryEvent::Resolved(host("id-1", "desk._punktfunk._udp.local.", "192.168.1.20")),
+        );
+        let out = sorted(adverts);
+        assert_eq!(out.len(), 1, "same key must not render twice");
+        assert_eq!(out[0].addr, "192.168.1.20", "the newer address wins");
+    }
+
+    /// A host that goes away during the browse window is not in the answer.
+    #[test]
+    fn removal_drops_the_advert_it_names() {
+        let mut adverts = Adverts::new();
+        fold(
+            &mut adverts,
+            DiscoveryEvent::Resolved(host("id-1", "desk._punktfunk._udp.local.", "192.168.1.9")),
+        );
+        fold(
+            &mut adverts,
+            DiscoveryEvent::Resolved(host("id-2", "tv._punktfunk._udp.local.", "192.168.1.10")),
+        );
+        fold(
+            &mut adverts,
+            DiscoveryEvent::Removed {
+                fullname: "desk._punktfunk._udp.local.".into(),
+            },
+        );
+        let out = sorted(adverts);
+        assert_eq!(out.len(), 1);
+        assert_eq!(out[0].key, "id-2");
+    }
+
+    /// A host with no `id` TXT is keyed by its fullname — and must not then report that
+    /// fullname as an id, which would send a caller launching against a nonexistent reference.
+    #[test]
+    fn advertised_id_is_empty_without_the_txt() {
+        let named = host("id-1", "desk._punktfunk._udp.local.", "10.0.0.1");
+        assert_eq!(named.advertised_id(), "id-1");
+        let anonymous = host(
+            "desk._punktfunk._udp.local.",
+            "desk._punktfunk._udp.local.",
+            "10.0.0.1",
+        );
+        assert_eq!(anonymous.advertised_id(), "");
+    }
+
+    /// Addresses sort the way a person reads them, not the way strings compare.
+    #[test]
+    fn addresses_sort_numerically() {
+        let mut adverts = Adverts::new();
+        for (i, addr) in ["192.168.1.20", "192.168.1.9", "192.168.1.100"]
+            .into_iter()
+            .enumerate()
+        {
+            fold(
+                &mut adverts,
+                DiscoveryEvent::Resolved(host(&format!("id-{i}"), &format!("h{i}."), addr)),
+            );
+        }
+        let out = sorted(adverts);
+        let addrs: Vec<&str> = out.iter().map(|h| h.addr.as_str()).collect();
+        assert_eq!(addrs, ["192.168.1.9", "192.168.1.20", "192.168.1.100"]);
+    }
+}

crates/pf-client-core/src/gamepad.rs

@@ -61,6 +61,23 @@ const ESCAPE_CHORD: [u32; 4] = [wire::BTN_LB, wire::BTN_RB, wire::BTN_START, wir
 /// Hold the [`ESCAPE_CHORD`] at least this long to disconnect (escalates the leave-fullscreen press).
 const DISCONNECT_HOLD: Duration = Duration::from_millis(1500);
 
+/// Hold Select/Back ALONE at least this long to send the HOST the guide button — the
+/// [`SelectGesture`], armed by [`Settings::guide_gesture`]. The synthetic guide stays down
+/// for as long as Select is held, so a long hold IS the host's long-press (the QAM on a
+/// Gaming-Mode host). Exists because on some platforms the physical guide press can never
+/// reach the host cleanly: the local shell reserves it (iOS's Game Overlay, tvOS) or
+/// reacts to it in parallel (Gaming Mode's Steam UI — see [`Settings::system_buttons`]).
+///
+/// [`Settings::guide_gesture`]: crate::trust::Settings::guide_gesture
+/// [`Settings::system_buttons`]: crate::trust::Settings::system_buttons
+const GUIDE_HOLD: Duration = Duration::from_millis(350);
+
+/// A held-back Select TAP is delivered as a press with its release scheduled this far
+/// behind — never back-to-back: per-transition sends are folded into seq'd `GamepadState`
+/// snapshots by the core input task, and a down+up inside one fold window can coalesce
+/// into no press at all.
+const TAP_PRESS: Duration = Duration::from_millis(50);
+
 /// Steam Deck actuator-decay keepalive cadence, declared to the core's rumble policy engine as an
 /// [`ActuatorQuirks`] at slot open. The Deck's built-in actuator decays inside SDL's ~2 s internal
 /// rumble resend (`SDL_RUMBLE_RESEND_MS`) and SDL short-circuits an identical `set_rumble` value
@@ -337,6 +354,8 @@ enum Ctl {
     Pin(Option<String>),
     KindOverride(GamepadPref),
     Forwarding(bool),
+    SystemButtons { forward_raw: bool, gesture: bool },
+    TapButton(u32),
     MenuMode(bool),
     MenuRumble(MenuPulse),
 }
@@ -503,6 +522,39 @@ impl GamepadService {
         let _ = self.ctl.send(Ctl::Forwarding(on));
     }
 
+    /// The session's system-button policy, resolved from
+    /// [`Settings::system_buttons_forward`] × [`Settings::guide_gesture_enabled`]:
+    /// `forward_raw` gates the physical guide/QAM presses onto the wire (off = they stay
+    /// with the local shell — the Gaming-Mode default, where Steam reacts to them no
+    /// matter what and forwarding opens BOTH overlays); `gesture` arms the hold-Select
+    /// guide gesture ([`GUIDE_HOLD`]), the alternate route that keeps the host's guide —
+    /// and, held longer, a Gaming-Mode host's QAM — reachable from a controller.
+    ///
+    /// [`Settings::system_buttons_forward`]: crate::trust::Settings::system_buttons_forward
+    /// [`Settings::guide_gesture_enabled`]: crate::trust::Settings::guide_gesture_enabled
+    pub fn set_system_buttons(&self, forward_raw: bool, gesture: bool) {
+        let _ = self.ctl.send(Ctl::SystemButtons {
+            forward_raw,
+            gesture,
+        });
+    }
+
+    /// One-shot synthetic tap of the HOST's guide button ([`Ctl::TapButton`]): down now,
+    /// up [`TAP_PRESS`] later, on the first forwarded slot's wire index (pad 0 when none
+    /// is open). The session control socket's "press the host's Steam/guide button" verb
+    /// — the Decky panel's UI route to the host overlay. No-op while no session is
+    /// attached.
+    pub fn tap_guide(&self) {
+        let _ = self.ctl.send(Ctl::TapButton(wire::BTN_GUIDE));
+    }
+
+    /// Like [`Self::tap_guide`] for the quick-access button (`MISC1` — the Deck `…`).
+    /// Opens the QAM on a Gaming-Mode host whose virtual pad is Deck-shaped; other
+    /// virtual pads map it to their own misc button (or drop it) — harmless.
+    pub fn tap_qam(&self) {
+        let _ = self.ctl.send(Ctl::TapButton(wire::BTN_MISC1));
+    }
+
     pub fn attach(&self, connector: Arc<NativeClient>) {
         let _ = self.ctl.send(Ctl::Attach(connector));
     }
@@ -552,6 +604,7 @@ impl GamepadPump {
     /// chord-hold and haptics inside the threaded worker's tolerances).
     pub fn tick(&mut self) {
         let _ = self.worker.drain_ctl(&self.ctl_rx);
+        self.worker.gesture_poll();
         self.worker.maybe_fire_disconnect();
         self.worker.menu_poll();
         self.worker.render_feedback();
@@ -698,6 +751,9 @@ struct Slot {
     /// close lift a click held across detach/unplug.
     held_clicks: [bool; 2],
     last_accel: [i16; 3],
+    /// Hold-Select→guide state ([`SelectGesture`]) — only fed while the worker's
+    /// `guide_gesture` policy is on.
+    gesture: SelectGesture,
 }
 
 impl Slot {
@@ -713,6 +769,7 @@ impl Slot {
             surface_last: [(0, 0, false); 2],
             held_clicks: [false; 2],
             last_accel: [0; 3],
+            gesture: SelectGesture::default(),
         }
     }
 
@@ -723,6 +780,98 @@ impl Slot {
     }
 }
 
+/// Per-slot hold-Select→guide state machine (see [`GUIDE_HOLD`]). Pure — fed transitions
+/// and polled with a clock, it emits the wire sends due as `(button bit, down)` pairs —
+/// so the timing rules are testable without SDL or a live session.
+///
+/// The rules:
+/// - Select pressed ALONE is held back (pending). Any other button already down means
+///   Select is part of a combo — the escape chord ends in it — and passes through.
+/// - A button pressed WHILE Select is pending makes it a real Select after all; its
+///   deferred down goes out first, preserving chronology.
+/// - Pending past [`GUIDE_HOLD`] becomes a synthetic guide, down until Select releases.
+/// - Released before the threshold, it's a TAP: press delivered on release, the release
+///   itself [`TAP_PRESS`] behind it (back-to-back transitions can fold into nothing).
+#[derive(Default)]
+struct SelectGesture {
+    /// Select is down and held back — tap-or-guide undecided.
+    pending_since: Option<Instant>,
+    /// The held-back Select became a synthetic guide; its release lifts the guide.
+    as_guide: bool,
+    /// A delivered tap's release is owed at this time.
+    release_due: Option<Instant>,
+}
+
+impl SelectGesture {
+    /// Select went down (`alone` = no other button held on this slot). Returns true when
+    /// the press is held back; false lets the caller forward it as a normal button.
+    fn on_select_down(&mut self, now: Instant, alone: bool, out: &mut Vec<(u32, bool)>) -> bool {
+        // A previous tap's scheduled release still owed: lift it before the new press.
+        if self.release_due.take().is_some() {
+            out.push((wire::BTN_BACK, false));
+        }
+        if alone {
+            self.pending_since = Some(now);
+            return true;
+        }
+        false
+    }
+
+    /// Another button went down on this slot: a pending Select is a real Select after
+    /// all — its deferred down goes out before the caller sends the new button's.
+    fn on_other_down(&mut self, out: &mut Vec<(u32, bool)>) {
+        if self.pending_since.take().is_some() {
+            out.push((wire::BTN_BACK, true));
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Select released. Returns true when the gesture owned this release (the caller
+    /// skips the normal button-up send).
+    fn on_select_up(&mut self, now: Instant, out: &mut Vec<(u32, bool)>) -> bool {
+        if self.as_guide {
+            self.as_guide = false;
+            out.push((wire::BTN_GUIDE, false));
+            return true;
+        }
+        if self.pending_since.take().is_some() {
+            // A tap: deliver the held-back press now, its release TAP_PRESS behind.
+            out.push((wire::BTN_BACK, true));
+            self.release_due = Some(now + TAP_PRESS);
+            return true;
+        }
+        false
+    }
+
+    /// Clock-driven work: the hold threshold and the owed tap release.
+    fn poll(&mut self, now: Instant, out: &mut Vec<(u32, bool)>) {
+        if let Some(since) = self.pending_since {
+            if now.duration_since(since) >= GUIDE_HOLD {
+                self.pending_since = None;
+                self.as_guide = true;
+                out.push((wire::BTN_GUIDE, true));
+            }
+        }
+        if let Some(due) = self.release_due {
+            if now >= due {
+                self.release_due = None;
+                out.push((wire::BTN_BACK, false));
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Slot close / gesture disarm: nothing may stay down (or owed) on the wire.
+    fn flush(&mut self, out: &mut Vec<(u32, bool)>) {
+        self.pending_since = None;
+        if self.as_guide {
+            self.as_guide = false;
+            out.push((wire::BTN_GUIDE, false));
+        }
+        if self.release_due.take().is_some() {
+            out.push((wire::BTN_BACK, false));
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 struct Worker {
     subsystem: sdl3::GamepadSubsystem,
     /// UI-facing state (the `GamepadService` accessors): pad list, active pad, pin.
@@ -750,6 +899,14 @@ struct Worker {
     /// `Auto` = per-pad detection. Applied at slot open to the kind DECLARED to the host, never
     /// to [`Slot::pref`] — the local feedback paths must keep reading the physical pad.
     kind_override: GamepadPref,
+    /// Forward raw guide/QAM presses ([`GamepadService::set_system_buttons`]); off keeps
+    /// them with the local shell.
+    system_forward: bool,
+    /// The hold-Select guide gesture is armed ([`GamepadService::set_system_buttons`]).
+    guide_gesture: bool,
+    /// Releases owed for synthetic taps ([`Ctl::TapButton`]): `(pad, bit, due)` — the
+    /// down went out on receipt, the up goes out from the poll once `due` passes.
+    synthetic_ups: Vec<(u8, u32, Instant)>,
     attached: Option<Arc<NativeClient>>,
     /// Raises the UI escape signal; the escape chord fires it once per press.
     escape_tx: async_channel::Sender<()>,
@@ -1051,6 +1208,14 @@ impl Worker {
     /// Emits wire events only (no SDL device calls), so it is safe against an already-removed pad.
     fn flush_slot(c: &NativeClient, slot: &mut Slot) {
         let pad = slot.index;
+        // Gesture first: a synthetic guide is NOT in `held_buttons`, so the drain below
+        // would never lift it — and a still-pending Select was never sent, so dropping
+        // it beats delivering a ghost press into the close.
+        let mut due = Vec::new();
+        slot.gesture.flush(&mut due);
+        for (b, down) in due {
+            send(c, InputKind::GamepadButton, b, down as i32, pad);
+        }
         for b in slot.held_buttons.drain(..) {
             send(c, InputKind::GamepadButton, b, 0, pad);
         }
@@ -1128,6 +1293,36 @@ impl Worker {
         }
     }
 
+    /// Clock-driven [`SelectGesture`] work — the hold threshold and owed tap releases —
+    /// polled like the chord hold, so timings carry at most one wakeup (~10 ms attached)
+    /// of jitter.
+    fn gesture_poll(&mut self) {
+        let Some(c) = self.attached.clone() else {
+            self.synthetic_ups.clear();
+            return;
+        };
+        let now = Instant::now();
+        // Owed releases of synthetic taps (the control socket's guide/QAM verbs).
+        self.synthetic_ups.retain(|&(pad, bit, due)| {
+            if now >= due {
+                send(&c, InputKind::GamepadButton, bit, 0, pad);
+                false
+            } else {
+                true
+            }
+        });
+        if !self.guide_gesture {
+            return;
+        }
+        for slot in &mut self.slots {
+            let mut due = Vec::new();
+            slot.gesture.poll(now, &mut due);
+            for (b, down) in due {
+                send(&c, InputKind::GamepadButton, b, down as i32, slot.index);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
     /// Fire the disconnect signal once the escape chord has been continuously held past
     /// [`DISCONNECT_HOLD`]. Polled from the main loop so the hold completes without new events.
     fn maybe_fire_disconnect(&mut self) {
@@ -1305,6 +1500,41 @@ impl Worker {
                     self.refresh_active();
                 }
                 Ok(Ctl::KindOverride(pref)) => self.kind_override = pref,
+                Ok(Ctl::SystemButtons {
+                    forward_raw,
+                    gesture,
+                }) => {
+                    self.system_forward = forward_raw;
+                    if self.guide_gesture == gesture {
+                        continue;
+                    }
+                    self.guide_gesture = gesture;
+                    // A mid-session flip may strand gesture state — a synthetic guide
+                    // still down, an owed tap release — lift it now (no-op on the way on:
+                    // an unarmed gesture was never fed).
+                    if let Some(c) = self.attached.clone() {
+                        for slot in &mut self.slots {
+                            let mut due = Vec::new();
+                            slot.gesture.flush(&mut due);
+                            for (b, down) in due {
+                                send(&c, InputKind::GamepadButton, b, down as i32, slot.index);
+                            }
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+                Ok(Ctl::TapButton(bit)) => {
+                    // Synthetic system-button tap (the session control socket): down on
+                    // the first forwarded slot's index — pad 0 when none is open (a
+                    // forwarding-off session; best-effort there, the wire pad may not
+                    // exist host-side). The up is owed via `synthetic_ups`, TAP_PRESS
+                    // later, so the pair can't fold into nothing.
+                    if let Some(c) = self.attached.clone() {
+                        let pad = self.slots.first().map_or(0, |s| s.index);
+                        send(&c, InputKind::GamepadButton, bit, 1, pad);
+                        self.synthetic_ups
+                            .push((pad, bit, Instant::now() + TAP_PRESS));
+                    }
+                }
                 Ok(Ctl::Forwarding(on)) => {
                     if self.forwarding == on {
                         continue;
@@ -1405,8 +1635,32 @@ impl Worker {
                     return;
                 }
                 if let Some(bit) = button_bit(button) {
+                    // Raw system buttons stay with the local shell when passthrough is
+                    // off (the Gaming-Mode default): Steam already opened ITS overlay
+                    // for this press; the host's is reached via the hold-Select gesture
+                    // (and the Decky panel) instead.
+                    if !self.system_forward && matches!(bit, wire::BTN_GUIDE | wire::BTN_MISC1) {
+                        return;
+                    }
+                    let mut due = Vec::new();
+                    let held_back = if !self.guide_gesture {
+                        false
+                    } else if bit == wire::BTN_BACK {
+                        let alone = slot.held_buttons.is_empty();
+                        slot.gesture.on_select_down(Instant::now(), alone, &mut due)
+                    } else {
+                        slot.gesture.on_other_down(&mut due);
+                        false
+                    };
+                    for (b, down) in due {
+                        send(&c, InputKind::GamepadButton, b, down as i32, slot.index);
+                    }
+                    // Held-back or not, the chord bookkeeping sees the physical press —
+                    // the escape chord must not care that the gesture exists.
                     slot.held_buttons.push(bit);
-                    send(&c, InputKind::GamepadButton, bit, 1, slot.index);
+                    if !held_back {
+                        send(&c, InputKind::GamepadButton, bit, 1, slot.index);
+                    }
                     self.maybe_fire_escape();
                 }
             }
@@ -1422,8 +1676,20 @@ impl Worker {
                     return;
                 }
                 if let Some(bit) = button_bit(button) {
+                    if !self.system_forward && matches!(bit, wire::BTN_GUIDE | wire::BTN_MISC1) {
+                        return;
+                    }
                     slot.held_buttons.retain(|&b| b != bit);
-                    send(&c, InputKind::GamepadButton, bit, 0, slot.index);
+                    let mut due = Vec::new();
+                    let owned = self.guide_gesture
+                        && bit == wire::BTN_BACK
+                        && slot.gesture.on_select_up(Instant::now(), &mut due);
+                    for (b, down) in due {
+                        send(&c, InputKind::GamepadButton, b, down as i32, slot.index);
+                    }
+                    if !owned {
+                        send(&c, InputKind::GamepadButton, bit, 0, slot.index);
+                    }
                     self.rearm_escape();
                 }
             }
@@ -1671,6 +1937,9 @@ impl Worker {
             pinned: None,
             forwarding: true,
             kind_override: GamepadPref::Auto,
+            system_forward: true,
+            guide_gesture: false,
+            synthetic_ups: Vec::new(),
             attached: None,
             escape_tx,
             disconnect_tx,
@@ -1742,6 +2011,7 @@ fn run(
 
         // Escalate a held escape chord to a disconnect (polled — the hold completes with no
         // new button events; the chord itself is only detected while a session is attached).
+        w.gesture_poll();
         w.maybe_fire_disconnect();
 
         w.menu_poll();
@@ -1749,6 +2019,115 @@ fn run(
     }
 }
 
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod select_gesture_tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn tap_delivers_press_then_scheduled_release() {
+        let mut g = SelectGesture::default();
+        let t = Instant::now();
+        let mut out = Vec::new();
+        assert!(g.on_select_down(t, true, &mut out), "not held back");
+        assert!(out.is_empty(), "a held-back press sends nothing yet");
+        // Released inside the threshold: the press goes out on release…
+        let up = t + Duration::from_millis(120);
+        assert!(g.on_select_up(up, &mut out));
+        assert_eq!(out, vec![(wire::BTN_BACK, true)]);
+        out.clear();
+        // …and the release only TAP_PRESS behind it, so the pair can't fold away.
+        g.poll(up + TAP_PRESS - Duration::from_millis(1), &mut out);
+        assert!(out.is_empty(), "release went out early");
+        g.poll(up + TAP_PRESS, &mut out);
+        assert_eq!(out, vec![(wire::BTN_BACK, false)]);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn hold_becomes_guide_down_until_release() {
+        let mut g = SelectGesture::default();
+        let t = Instant::now();
+        let mut out = Vec::new();
+        assert!(g.on_select_down(t, true, &mut out));
+        g.poll(t + GUIDE_HOLD - Duration::from_millis(1), &mut out);
+        assert!(out.is_empty(), "guide fired inside the threshold");
+        g.poll(t + GUIDE_HOLD, &mut out);
+        assert_eq!(out, vec![(wire::BTN_GUIDE, true)]);
+        out.clear();
+        // Held on: nothing more (the host times its own long-press = QAM).
+        g.poll(t + GUIDE_HOLD * 4, &mut out);
+        assert!(out.is_empty());
+        // Release lifts the guide, never a Select.
+        assert!(g.on_select_up(t + GUIDE_HOLD * 5, &mut out));
+        assert_eq!(out, vec![(wire::BTN_GUIDE, false)]);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn second_button_makes_pending_select_real() {
+        let mut g = SelectGesture::default();
+        let t = Instant::now();
+        let mut out = Vec::new();
+        assert!(g.on_select_down(t, true, &mut out));
+        // A joins inside the window: the deferred Select down goes out first (the
+        // caller then sends A's own down — chronology preserved).
+        g.on_other_down(&mut out);
+        assert_eq!(out, vec![(wire::BTN_BACK, true)]);
+        out.clear();
+        // The release is a normal button-up now — the gesture doesn't own it.
+        assert!(!g.on_select_up(t + Duration::from_millis(200), &mut out));
+        assert!(out.is_empty());
+        // And no stale guide fires later.
+        g.poll(t + GUIDE_HOLD * 2, &mut out);
+        assert!(out.is_empty());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn select_inside_a_combo_passes_through() {
+        let mut g = SelectGesture::default();
+        let mut out = Vec::new();
+        // L1+R1+Start already down (the escape chord ends in Select): not held back.
+        assert!(!g.on_select_down(Instant::now(), false, &mut out));
+        assert!(out.is_empty());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn quick_repress_lifts_owed_release_first() {
+        let mut g = SelectGesture::default();
+        let t = Instant::now();
+        let mut out = Vec::new();
+        assert!(g.on_select_down(t, true, &mut out));
+        assert!(g.on_select_up(t + Duration::from_millis(80), &mut out));
+        out.clear();
+        // Re-pressed before the owed release fired: the up goes out before the new
+        // press is held back — the host never sees two downs in a row.
+        assert!(g.on_select_down(t + Duration::from_millis(100), true, &mut out));
+        assert_eq!(out, vec![(wire::BTN_BACK, false)]);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn flush_lifts_synthetic_guide_and_owed_release() {
+        let mut g = SelectGesture::default();
+        let t = Instant::now();
+        let mut out = Vec::new();
+        // Transformed hold: flush lifts the guide.
+        assert!(g.on_select_down(t, true, &mut out));
+        g.poll(t + GUIDE_HOLD, &mut out);
+        out.clear();
+        g.flush(&mut out);
+        assert_eq!(out, vec![(wire::BTN_GUIDE, false)]);
+        out.clear();
+        // Owed tap release: flush emits it. A pending (never-sent) Select just drops.
+        assert!(g.on_select_down(t, true, &mut out));
+        assert!(g.on_select_up(t + Duration::from_millis(80), &mut out));
+        out.clear();
+        g.flush(&mut out);
+        assert_eq!(out, vec![(wire::BTN_BACK, false)]);
+        out.clear();
+        assert!(g.on_select_down(t, true, &mut out));
+        g.flush(&mut out);
+        assert!(out.is_empty(), "a never-sent pending Select ghosted a send");
+    }
+}
+
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod menu_nav_tests {
     use super::*;

crates/pf-client-core/src/profiles.rs

@@ -76,6 +76,10 @@ pub struct SettingsOverlay {
     #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
     pub gamepad_forwarding: Option<bool>,
     #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+    pub system_buttons: Option<String>,
+    #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+    pub guide_gesture: 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>,
@@ -159,6 +163,12 @@ impl SettingsOverlay {
         if let Some(v) = self.gamepad_forwarding {
             s.gamepad_forwarding = v;
         }
+        if let Some(v) = &self.system_buttons {
+            s.system_buttons = v.clone();
+        }
+        if let Some(v) = &self.guide_gesture {
+            s.guide_gesture = 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.
@@ -252,6 +262,12 @@ impl SettingsOverlay {
         if after.gamepad_forwarding != before.gamepad_forwarding {
             self.gamepad_forwarding = Some(after.gamepad_forwarding);
         }
+        if after.system_buttons != before.system_buttons {
+            self.system_buttons = Some(after.system_buttons.clone());
+        }
+        if after.guide_gesture != before.guide_gesture {
+            self.guide_gesture = Some(after.guide_gesture.clone());
+        }
         if after.stats_verbosity() != before.stats_verbosity() {
             self.stats_verbosity = Some(after.stats_verbosity());
         }
@@ -302,6 +318,8 @@ impl SettingsOverlay {
             "inhibit_shortcuts" => self.inhibit_shortcuts = None,
             "gamepad" => self.gamepad = None,
             "gamepad_forwarding" => self.gamepad_forwarding = None,
+            "system_buttons" => self.system_buttons = None,
+            "guide_gesture" => self.guide_gesture = None,
             "stats_verbosity" => self.stats_verbosity = None,
             "fullscreen_on_stream" => self.fullscreen_on_stream = None,
             "present_priority" => self.present_priority = None,
@@ -506,6 +524,8 @@ mod tests {
             inhibit_shortcuts: Some(false),
             gamepad: Some("dualsense".into()),
             gamepad_forwarding: Some(false),
+            system_buttons: Some("local".into()),
+            guide_gesture: Some("on".into()),
             match_window: Some(true),
             fullscreen_on_stream: Some(false),
             stats_verbosity: Some(StatsVerbosity::Detailed),
@@ -532,6 +552,8 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(!out.inhibit_shortcuts);
         assert_eq!(out.gamepad, "dualsense");
         assert!(!out.gamepad_forwarding);
+        assert_eq!(out.system_buttons, "local");
+        assert_eq!(out.guide_gesture, "on");
         assert!(out.match_window);
         assert!(!out.fullscreen_on_stream);
         assert_eq!(out.stats_verbosity(), StatsVerbosity::Detailed);

crates/pf-client-core/src/trust.rs

@@ -232,17 +232,29 @@ impl KnownHosts {
     /// 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 {
-        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();
+        let mut k = Self::read();
         if k.mint_missing_ids() {
             let _ = k.save();
         }
         k
     }
 
+    /// The store exactly as it is on disk — no mint, and so no write.
+    ///
+    /// For a consumer that only needs to LOOK at the records (annotating a discovery result
+    /// against them, say) and never dials one by id. [`KnownHosts::load`]'s mint is a write, and
+    /// two processes started together against a pre-mint store will each mint a *different* id
+    /// for the same record and race to save it — after which whichever one already handed its
+    /// ids to a caller has handed out references that no longer resolve. A read that stays a
+    /// read cannot take part in that.
+    pub fn read() -> 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()
+    }
+
     /// 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.
@@ -867,6 +879,25 @@ pub struct Settings {
     /// forwarded as pad 0; empty = automatic (most recently connected). Applied to the
     /// gamepad service at startup so the choice survives restarts.
     pub forward_pad: String,
+    /// What a controller's SYSTEM buttons — guide (Xbox/PS/Steam) and the Deck's QAM `…` —
+    /// do while streaming: `"auto"` (default), `"forward"` (raw presses go to the host,
+    /// the pre-setting behaviour), or `"local"` (they stay with this device; the host's
+    /// are reached via the hold-Select gesture instead). Auto resolves per platform in
+    /// [`Settings::system_buttons_forward`]: forward everywhere EXCEPT under Gaming Mode,
+    /// where the local Steam UI always reacts to the same physical press — forwarding
+    /// there opens BOTH overlays, the local one on top of the stream.
+    #[serde(default = "default_auto")]
+    pub system_buttons: String,
+    /// The hold-Select guide gesture: holding Select/Back alone ≥ ~350 ms sends the HOST
+    /// the guide button (down for as long as it's held, so a long hold is the host's
+    /// long-press — the QAM on a Gaming-Mode host). `"auto"` (default) / `"on"` / `"off"`,
+    /// resolved in [`Settings::guide_gesture_enabled`]: auto = on only where the raw
+    /// guide press can't reach the host cleanly (Gaming Mode; iOS/tvOS resolve their own
+    /// auto in the Apple client). While armed, a Select TAP is delivered on release —
+    /// costing it up to the hold threshold in latency — and a Select held as part of a
+    /// combo (any other button already down) passes through untouched.
+    #[serde(default = "default_auto")]
+    pub guide_gesture: String,
     /// Which host compositor backend to request (advisory; the host falls back to
     /// auto-detect when unavailable).
     pub compositor: String,
@@ -1020,6 +1051,10 @@ fn default_codec() -> String {
     "auto".into()
 }
 
+fn default_auto() -> String {
+    "auto".into()
+}
+
 fn default_touch_mode() -> String {
     "trackpad".into()
 }
@@ -1069,6 +1104,29 @@ impl Settings {
         PresentPriority::resolve(&self.present_priority, self.smooth_buffer)
     }
 
+    /// Whether raw system-button presses (guide + QAM) are forwarded to the host.
+    /// `game_mode` = this client runs as the embedded Gaming-Mode stream (gamescope),
+    /// where the local Steam UI reacts to the same physical buttons no matter what we
+    /// do — auto keeps them local there and forwards everywhere else.
+    pub fn system_buttons_forward(&self, game_mode: bool) -> bool {
+        match self.system_buttons.as_str() {
+            "forward" => true,
+            "local" => false,
+            _ => !game_mode,
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Whether the hold-Select guide gesture is armed ([`Settings::guide_gesture`]).
+    /// Auto = on only under Gaming Mode, where it is the sole controller route to the
+    /// host's guide once raw presses stay local.
+    pub fn guide_gesture_enabled(&self, game_mode: bool) -> bool {
+        match self.guide_gesture.as_str() {
+            "on" => true,
+            "off" => false,
+            _ => game_mode,
+        }
+    }
+
     /// The `codec` setting as a `quic::CODEC_*` preference bit (`0` = auto).
     pub fn preferred_codec(&self) -> u8 {
         match self.codec.as_str() {
@@ -1095,6 +1153,8 @@ impl Default for Settings {
             gamepad: "auto".into(),
             gamepad_forwarding: true,
             forward_pad: String::new(),
+            system_buttons: "auto".into(),
+            guide_gesture: "auto".into(),
             compositor: "auto".into(),
             touch_mode: "trackpad".into(),
             mouse_mode: "capture".into(),

crates/pf-console-ui/src/lib.rs

@@ -35,7 +35,9 @@ mod widgets;
 #[cfg(any(target_os = "linux", windows))]
 pub use library::{LibraryGame, LibraryPhase, LibraryShared};
 #[cfg(any(target_os = "linux", windows))]
-pub use model::{ConsoleBus, ConsoleCmd, ConsoleShared, HostRow, PairPhase, WakeStatus};
+pub use model::{
+    ConsoleBus, ConsoleCmd, ConsoleShared, HostRow, PairPhase, ProfileChip, WakeStatus,
+};
 #[cfg(any(target_os = "linux", windows))]
 pub use shell::ConsoleOptions;
 #[cfg(any(target_os = "linux", windows))]

crates/pf-console-ui/src/model.rs

@@ -7,9 +7,20 @@
 use std::collections::VecDeque;
 use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex};
 
+/// A settings profile as the console shows it (design client-settings-profiles.md §5.2a):
+/// the resolved name and accent of a catalog entry, keyed by its stable id. The service
+/// thread resolves these against the catalog; the shell never opens the profiles file.
+#[derive(Clone, Debug, PartialEq)]
+pub struct ProfileChip {
+    pub id: String,
+    pub name: String,
+    /// `#RRGGBB`, the catalog's optional tint for pinned cards.
+    pub accent: Option<String>,
+}
+
 /// One row on the console home carousel — a saved host, a discovered-but-unsaved one,
-/// or (client-side) the trailing Add Host tile. Fully resolved by the service thread;
-/// the shell renders it verbatim.
+/// a pinned profile card, or (client-side) the trailing Add Host tile. Fully resolved by
+/// the service thread; the shell renders it verbatim.
 #[derive(Clone, Debug, PartialEq)]
 pub struct HostRow {
     /// Stable identity across refreshes: the pinned fingerprint when known, else
@@ -35,6 +46,14 @@ pub struct HostRow {
     /// future tile OS glyph. Empty = unknown (older host). Plumbed now; drawing is a
     /// follow-up — the Skia glyph set doesn't exist yet.
     pub os: String,
+    /// `Some` = this row is a pinned profile card (§5.2a): a shortcut tile rendered right
+    /// after its host's primary tile, sharing its live state, that connects with THIS
+    /// profile. `None` = the host's primary tile.
+    pub pin: Option<ProfileChip>,
+    /// The primary tile's default-profile chip: the profile bound as this host's default
+    /// (`KnownHost::profile_id`), resolved, so the tile can say what a plain A-press uses.
+    /// Always `None` on pinned rows — there the profile IS `pin`.
+    pub bound_profile: Option<ProfileChip>,
 }
 
 /// The pairing ceremony's observable state (one at a time — the ceremony is modal).
@@ -143,6 +162,16 @@ pub enum ConsoleCmd {
     CancelWake,
     /// Sweep reachability now (the home screen refreshes its presence pips).
     Probe,
+    /// Pin (or unpin) a profile as an extra connect card on a saved host
+    /// (`KnownHost::pinned_profiles`, design §5.2a). `key` is the HOST row's key
+    /// (fingerprint or `addr:port`); presentation only — never touches the host's
+    /// default binding or the profile itself. Idempotent: re-pinning a pinned profile
+    /// (or unpinning an absent one) is a no-op.
+    SetPin {
+        key: String,
+        profile_id: String,
+        pin: bool,
+    },
 }
 
 /// The overlay→binary command queue. A plain deque under the same locking discipline as
@@ -184,6 +213,8 @@ mod tests {
             can_wake: false,
             last_used: None,
             os: String::new(),
+            pin: None,
+            bound_profile: None,
         };
         shared.set_hosts(vec![row.clone()]);
         let g1 = shared.hosts_gen();

crates/pf-console-ui/src/screens.rs

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ pub(crate) mod add_host;
 pub(crate) mod home;
 pub(crate) mod library;
 pub(crate) mod pair;
+pub(crate) mod pin_hosts;
 pub(crate) mod settings;
 
 use crate::glyphs::Hint;
@@ -57,6 +58,9 @@ pub(crate) struct ConnectIntent {
     /// shell shows a "waiting for approval" takeover instead of "connecting", and the
     /// binary parks on a long budget and persists the host as paired once let in.
     pub request_access: bool,
+    /// One-off settings-profile id for this launch (a pinned card's connect); `None`
+    /// keeps the host's default binding.
+    pub profile: Option<String>,
 }
 
 pub(crate) enum Nav {
@@ -91,6 +95,7 @@ pub(crate) enum Screen {
     Settings(settings::SettingsScreen),
     AddHost(add_host::AddHostScreen),
     Pair(pair::PairScreen),
+    PinHosts(pin_hosts::PinHostsScreen),
 }
 
 impl Screen {
@@ -106,6 +111,7 @@ impl Screen {
             Screen::Settings(s) => s.menu(ev, ctx, fx),
             Screen::AddHost(s) => s.menu(ev, ctx, fx),
             Screen::Pair(s) => s.menu(ev, ctx, fx),
+            Screen::PinHosts(s) => s.menu(ev, ctx, fx),
         }
     }
 
@@ -152,6 +158,7 @@ impl Screen {
             Screen::Settings(_) => "Settings".into(),
             Screen::AddHost(_) => "Add Host".into(),
             Screen::Pair(s) => format!("Pair with {}", s.host_name()),
+            Screen::PinHosts(s) => format!("Pin \u{201c}{}\u{201d}", s.profile_name()),
         }
     }
 
@@ -162,6 +169,7 @@ impl Screen {
             Screen::Settings(s) => s.hints(ctx),
             Screen::AddHost(s) => s.hints(ctx),
             Screen::Pair(s) => s.hints(ctx),
+            Screen::PinHosts(s) => s.hints(ctx),
         }
     }
 
@@ -183,6 +191,7 @@ impl Screen {
             Screen::Settings(s) => s.render(canvas, rect, k, dt, fonts, ctx),
             Screen::AddHost(s) => s.render(canvas, rect, k, dt, fonts, ctx),
             Screen::Pair(s) => s.render(canvas, rect, k, dt, fonts, ctx),
+            Screen::PinHosts(s) => s.render(canvas, rect, k, dt, fonts, ctx),
         }
     }
 }

crates/pf-console-ui/src/screens/home.rs

@@ -94,13 +94,19 @@ impl HomeScreen {
                     Some(h) => {
                         // Dial-first even when the presence pips say offline — a
                         // routed/VPN host is mDNS-blind and probe-shy but dials fine.
+                        // A pinned card connects with ITS profile (one-off, §5.2a);
+                        // the primary tile keeps the host's default binding.
                         fx.connect = Some(ConnectIntent {
                             addr: h.addr.clone(),
                             port: h.port,
                             fp_hex: h.fp_hex.clone(),
                             launch: None,
-                            title: h.name.clone(),
+                            title: match &h.pin {
+                                Some(p) => format!("{} · {}", h.name, p.name),
+                                None => h.name.clone(),
+                            },
                             request_access: false,
+                            profile: h.pin.as_ref().map(|p| p.id.clone()),
                         });
                     }
                 }
@@ -295,16 +301,62 @@ fn draw_host_tile(canvas: &Canvas, fonts: &Fonts, h: &HostRow, rect: Rect, k: f6
 
     let max_w = f64::from(rect.width()) - 2.0 * pad;
     let sub_base = f64::from(rect.bottom) - pad;
-    fonts.draw_clipped(
-        canvas,
-        &format!("{}:{}", h.addr, h.port),
-        l,
-        sub_base,
-        W::Regular,
-        13.0 * k,
-        white(0.55),
-        max_w,
-    );
+    match (&h.pin, &h.bound_profile) {
+        // A pinned card: the profile name IS the subtitle, tinted with its accent —
+        // the card's whole point is "this host, with these settings" (§5.2a).
+        (Some(p), _) => {
+            fonts.draw_clipped(
+                canvas,
+                &p.name,
+                l,
+                sub_base,
+                W::SemiBold,
+                13.0 * k,
+                accent_color(p.accent.as_deref()),
+                max_w,
+            );
+        }
+        // The primary tile says which profile a plain press uses, after the address.
+        (None, Some(b)) => {
+            let addr = format!("{}:{}", h.addr, h.port);
+            let addr_w = f64::from(fonts.measure(&addr, W::Regular, 13.0 * k));
+            fonts.draw_clipped(
+                canvas,
+                &addr,
+                l,
+                sub_base,
+                W::Regular,
+                13.0 * k,
+                white(0.55),
+                max_w,
+            );
+            let x = l + addr_w + 8.0 * k;
+            if x < l + max_w {
+                fonts.draw_clipped(
+                    canvas,
+                    &format!("· {}", b.name),
+                    x,
+                    sub_base,
+                    W::SemiBold,
+                    13.0 * k,
+                    accent_color(b.accent.as_deref()),
+                    l + max_w - x,
+                );
+            }
+        }
+        (None, None) => {
+            fonts.draw_clipped(
+                canvas,
+                &format!("{}:{}", h.addr, h.port),
+                l,
+                sub_base,
+                W::Regular,
+                13.0 * k,
+                white(0.55),
+                max_w,
+            );
+        }
+    }
     fonts.draw_clipped(
         canvas,
         &h.name,
@@ -317,6 +369,26 @@ fn draw_host_tile(canvas: &Canvas, fonts: &Fonts, h: &HostRow, rect: Rect, k: f6
     );
 }
 
+/// A profile's `#RRGGBB` accent as a color, defaulting to the brand tint. Parsed
+/// leniently — a malformed accent (hand-edited catalog) falls back rather than erroring.
+fn accent_color(accent: Option<&str>) -> skia_safe::Color4f {
+    let Some(hex) = accent
+        .and_then(|a| a.strip_prefix('#'))
+        .filter(|h| h.len() == 6)
+    else {
+        return BRAND;
+    };
+    let Ok(v) = u32::from_str_radix(hex, 16) else {
+        return BRAND;
+    };
+    skia_safe::Color4f::new(
+        ((v >> 16) & 0xff) as f32 / 255.0,
+        ((v >> 8) & 0xff) as f32 / 255.0,
+        (v & 0xff) as f32 / 255.0,
+        1.0,
+    )
+}
+
 fn draw_add_tile(canvas: &Canvas, fonts: &Fonts, rect: Rect, k: f64) {
     crate::theme::panel(
         canvas,
@@ -484,6 +556,8 @@ mod tests {
             can_wake,
             last_used: None,
             os: String::new(),
+            pin: None,
+            bound_profile: None,
         }
     }
 
@@ -551,6 +625,38 @@ mod tests {
         ));
     }
 
+    /// A pinned card's A-press is a connect WITH its profile (one-off), titled so the
+    /// connecting takeover says which settings are coming (§5.2a).
+    #[test]
+    fn pinned_card_connects_with_its_profile() {
+        let mut settings = ctx_settings();
+        let mut pinned = host("ab\0p1", true, true, false);
+        pinned.name = "Tower".into();
+        pinned.pin = Some(crate::model::ProfileChip {
+            id: "p1".into(),
+            name: "Work".into(),
+            accent: None,
+        });
+        let hosts = [pinned];
+        let pads: Vec<pf_client_core::gamepad::PadInfo> = Vec::new();
+        let library = crate::library::LibraryShared::default();
+        let mut ctx = Ctx {
+            hosts: &hosts,
+            library: &library,
+            settings: &mut settings,
+            pads: &pads,
+            deck: false,
+            device_name: "test",
+            t: 0.0,
+        };
+        let mut s = HomeScreen::new();
+        let mut fx = Outbox::default();
+        s.menu(MenuEvent::Confirm, &mut ctx, &mut fx);
+        let intent = fx.connect.expect("a pinned card connects");
+        assert_eq!(intent.profile.as_deref(), Some("p1"));
+        assert_eq!(intent.title, "Tower · Work");
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn add_tile_is_always_last() {
         let mut settings = ctx_settings();

crates/pf-console-ui/src/screens/library.rs

@@ -120,6 +120,8 @@ impl LibraryScreen {
                         launch: Some(g.id.clone()),
                         title: g.title.clone(),
                         request_access: false,
+                        // Game launches follow the host's default binding.
+                        profile: None,
                     });
                     Some(MenuPulse::Confirm)
                 }

crates/pf-console-ui/src/screens/pair.rs

@@ -221,6 +221,7 @@ impl PairScreen {
                             launch: None,
                             title: self.host_name.clone(),
                             request_access: true,
+                            profile: None,
                         });
                         fx.pop();
                     }
@@ -430,6 +431,8 @@ mod tests {
             can_wake: false,
             last_used: None,
             os: String::new(),
+            pin: None,
+            bound_profile: None,
         }
     }
 

crates/pf-console-ui/src/screens/pin_hosts.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,266 @@
+//! "Pin “Work”" — choose which saved hosts show a profile as an extra connect card
+//! (design/client-settings-profiles.md §5.2a), reached from the settings screen's
+//! Profiles section. One toggle row per saved host; a toggle rides
+//! [`ConsoleCmd::SetPin`] to the binary, which persists `KnownHost::pinned_profiles`
+//! and refreshes the rows — the row's shown state follows the model, so what the list
+//! says is always what the store holds (and what Decky's host list will render).
+
+use crate::glyphs::{Hint, HintKey};
+use crate::model::ConsoleCmd;
+use crate::screens::{Ctx, Outbox};
+use crate::theme::{Fonts, DIM, W};
+use crate::widgets::{ListMsg, MenuList, RowSpec};
+use pf_client_core::gamepad::{MenuEvent, MenuPulse};
+use skia_safe::{Canvas, Rect};
+
+pub(crate) struct PinHostsScreen {
+    profile_id: String,
+    profile_name: String,
+    list: MenuList,
+}
+
+/// The toggle rows' domain: every SAVED host, primary tiles only (a pinned card is the
+/// OUTPUT of this screen, not a row in it), in the model's carousel order.
+fn host_indices(ctx: &Ctx) -> Vec<usize> {
+    ctx.hosts
+        .iter()
+        .enumerate()
+        .filter(|(_, h)| h.saved && h.pin.is_none())
+        .map(|(i, _)| i)
+        .collect()
+}
+
+impl PinHostsScreen {
+    pub(crate) fn new(profile_id: String, profile_name: String) -> PinHostsScreen {
+        PinHostsScreen {
+            profile_id,
+            profile_name,
+            list: MenuList::new(),
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub(crate) fn profile_name(&self) -> &str {
+        &self.profile_name
+    }
+
+    /// Is this profile currently pinned on the host at `ctx.hosts[host_idx]`? Read from
+    /// the model — the pinned card's row IS the state, so the toggle can never disagree
+    /// with what the carousel shows.
+    fn pinned(&self, ctx: &Ctx, host_idx: usize) -> bool {
+        let host = &ctx.hosts[host_idx];
+        ctx.hosts.iter().any(|r| {
+            r.addr == host.addr
+                && r.port == host.port
+                && r.pin.as_ref().is_some_and(|p| p.id == self.profile_id)
+        })
+    }
+
+    pub(crate) fn menu(
+        &mut self,
+        ev: MenuEvent,
+        ctx: &mut Ctx,
+        fx: &mut Outbox,
+    ) -> Option<MenuPulse> {
+        if ev == MenuEvent::Back {
+            fx.pop();
+            return None;
+        }
+        let indices = host_indices(ctx);
+        let (msg, pulse) = self.list.menu(ev, indices.len());
+        let Some(&host_idx) = indices.get(self.list.cursor) else {
+            return pulse;
+        };
+        // Toggle semantics shared with the settings rows: left = unpin, right = pin,
+        // A flips; asking for the state it's already in is a boundary thud.
+        let target = match msg {
+            ListMsg::Adjust(delta) => delta > 0,
+            ListMsg::Activate => !self.pinned(ctx, host_idx),
+            ListMsg::None => return pulse,
+        };
+        if self.pinned(ctx, host_idx) == target {
+            return Some(MenuPulse::Boundary);
+        }
+        fx.cmds.push(ConsoleCmd::SetPin {
+            key: ctx.hosts[host_idx].key.clone(),
+            profile_id: self.profile_id.clone(),
+            pin: target,
+        });
+        Some(MenuPulse::Move)
+    }
+
+    pub(crate) fn hints(&self, ctx: &Ctx) -> Vec<Hint> {
+        if host_indices(ctx).is_empty() {
+            return vec![Hint::new(HintKey::Back, "Done")];
+        }
+        vec![
+            Hint::new(HintKey::Confirm, "Pin / Unpin"),
+            Hint::new(HintKey::Back, "Done"),
+        ]
+    }
+
+    pub(crate) fn render(
+        &mut self,
+        canvas: &Canvas,
+        rect: Rect,
+        k: f64,
+        dt: f64,
+        fonts: &Fonts,
+        ctx: &mut Ctx,
+    ) {
+        let indices = host_indices(ctx);
+        let cx = f64::from(rect.left) + f64::from(rect.width()) / 2.0;
+        if indices.is_empty() {
+            fonts.centered(
+                canvas,
+                "No saved hosts yet — pair with a host first, then pin this profile to it.",
+                W::Regular,
+                14.0 * k,
+                DIM,
+                cx,
+                f64::from(rect.top) + f64::from(rect.height()) / 2.0,
+                f64::from(rect.width()) * 0.7,
+            );
+            return;
+        }
+        // The explainer band under the list, like the settings screen's detail text.
+        let detail_h = 34.0 * k;
+        let list_rect = Rect::from_ltrb(
+            rect.left,
+            rect.top,
+            rect.right,
+            rect.bottom - detail_h as f32,
+        );
+        let rows: Vec<RowSpec> = indices
+            .iter()
+            .map(|&i| {
+                let h = &ctx.hosts[i];
+                let pinned = self.pinned(ctx, i);
+                RowSpec {
+                    header: None,
+                    label: h.name.clone(),
+                    value: Some(if pinned {
+                        "Pinned".into()
+                    } else {
+                        "Off".into()
+                    }),
+                    value_dim: !pinned,
+                    caret: false,
+                    adjustable: true,
+                    enabled: true,
+                }
+            })
+            .collect();
+        self.list
+            .render(canvas, list_rect, &rows, fonts, k, dt, true);
+        fonts.centered(
+            canvas,
+            "A pinned profile appears as its own card on the host — one press connects with it.",
+            W::Regular,
+            13.0 * k,
+            DIM,
+            cx,
+            f64::from(rect.bottom) - detail_h + 6.0 * k,
+            f64::from(rect.width()) * 0.8,
+        );
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+    use crate::model::{HostRow, ProfileChip};
+    use crate::screens::Outbox;
+    use pf_client_core::trust::Settings;
+
+    fn host(key: &str, saved: bool, pin: Option<&str>) -> HostRow {
+        HostRow {
+            key: key.into(),
+            name: key.into(),
+            addr: "10.0.0.9".into(),
+            port: 9777,
+            fp_hex: key.into(),
+            paired: true,
+            saved,
+            online: true,
+            mgmt_port: 47990,
+            can_wake: false,
+            last_used: None,
+            os: String::new(),
+            pin: pin.map(|id| ProfileChip {
+                id: id.into(),
+                name: "Work".into(),
+                accent: None,
+            }),
+            bound_profile: None,
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn toggling_sends_set_pin_for_the_focused_host() {
+        let mut settings = Settings::default();
+        let pads = Vec::new();
+        let library = crate::library::LibraryShared::default();
+        let hosts = [host("aa", true, None), host("bb", true, None)];
+        let mut ctx = Ctx {
+            hosts: &hosts,
+            library: &library,
+            settings: &mut settings,
+            pads: &pads,
+            deck: false,
+            device_name: "t",
+            t: 0.0,
+        };
+        let mut s = PinHostsScreen::new("p1".into(), "Work".into());
+        let mut fx = Outbox::default();
+        s.menu(MenuEvent::Confirm, &mut ctx, &mut fx);
+        assert_eq!(
+            fx.cmds,
+            vec![ConsoleCmd::SetPin {
+                key: "aa".into(),
+                profile_id: "p1".into(),
+                pin: true,
+            }]
+        );
+
+        // Left on an unpinned host = already off = boundary, no command.
+        let mut fx = Outbox::default();
+        let pulse = s.menu(
+            MenuEvent::Move(pf_client_core::gamepad::MenuDir::Left),
+            &mut ctx,
+            &mut fx,
+        );
+        assert!(fx.cmds.is_empty());
+        assert!(matches!(pulse, Some(MenuPulse::Boundary)));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn state_reads_from_the_models_pinned_rows() {
+        let mut settings = Settings::default();
+        let pads = Vec::new();
+        let library = crate::library::LibraryShared::default();
+        // Host "aa" already carries a pinned card for p1; its primary row toggles OFF.
+        let hosts = [host("aa", true, None), host("aa\0p1", true, Some("p1"))];
+        let mut ctx = Ctx {
+            hosts: &hosts,
+            library: &library,
+            settings: &mut settings,
+            pads: &pads,
+            deck: false,
+            device_name: "t",
+            t: 0.0,
+        };
+        let mut s = PinHostsScreen::new("p1".into(), "Work".into());
+        // Only the primary row is a toggle row.
+        assert_eq!(host_indices(&ctx).len(), 1);
+        let mut fx = Outbox::default();
+        s.menu(MenuEvent::Confirm, &mut ctx, &mut fx);
+        assert_eq!(
+            fx.cmds,
+            vec![ConsoleCmd::SetPin {
+                key: "aa".into(),
+                profile_id: "p1".into(),
+                pin: false,
+            }]
+        );
+    }
+}

crates/pf-console-ui/src/screens/settings.rs

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 //! read the same file, so values round-trip freely.
 
 use crate::glyphs::{Hint, HintKey};
-use crate::screens::{Ctx, Outbox};
+use crate::screens::{Ctx, Outbox, Screen};
 use crate::theme::{Fonts, DIM, W};
 use crate::widgets::{ListMsg, MenuList, RowSpec};
 use pf_client_core::gamepad::{MenuEvent, MenuPulse};
@@ -15,8 +15,13 @@ use skia_safe::{Canvas, Rect};
 
 /// Stable row identity — adjust/activate dispatch by id so nothing acts on a stale
 /// index when the pad list under the "Use controller" row churns.
-#[derive(Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq)]
+#[derive(Clone, Copy, Debug, PartialEq, Eq)]
 enum RowId {
+    /// A catalog profile (index into [`SettingsScreen::profiles`]) — activating opens
+    /// the pin-to-hosts screen. The console never edits profiles (design §5.4).
+    Profile(usize),
+    /// The Profiles section's placeholder while the catalog is empty.
+    NoProfiles,
     Resolution,
     Refresh,
     RenderScale,
@@ -36,6 +41,8 @@ enum RowId {
     PadForward,
     Pad,
     PadType,
+    SystemButtons,
+    GuideGesture,
     Touch,
     Mouse,
     InvertScroll,
@@ -50,8 +57,9 @@ enum RowId {
 // Gaming Mode, so a field it omits is simply unreachable there (render scale, 4:4:4,
 // scroll/shortcut behavior, fullscreen-on-stream, auto-wake, the library toggle and echo
 // cancellation all were). Still deliberately smaller than the desktop dialogs — device
-// pickers (GPU/speaker/mic) and the profile catalog stay desktop-only.
-const ROWS: [RowId; 27] = [
+// pickers (GPU/speaker/mic) stay desktop-only, and profiles are pinnable here (the
+// trailing Profiles section) but created and edited only in the desktop app (design §5.4).
+const ROWS: [RowId; 29] = [
     RowId::Resolution,
     RowId::Refresh,
     RowId::RenderScale,
@@ -71,6 +79,8 @@ const ROWS: [RowId; 27] = [
     RowId::PadForward,
     RowId::Pad,
     RowId::PadType,
+    RowId::SystemButtons,
+    RowId::GuideGesture,
     RowId::Touch,
     RowId::Mouse,
     RowId::InvertScroll,
@@ -146,18 +156,55 @@ const PAD_TYPES: [(&str, &str); 6] = [
     ("dualshock4", "DualShock 4"),
     ("steamdeck", "Steam Deck"),
 ];
+/// Where the guide (Xbox/PS/Steam) and quick-access presses land while streaming — the
+/// shared `system_buttons` key. Auto = host everywhere except Gaming Mode, where the
+/// local Steam UI reacts to the same press and both overlays would open at once.
+const SYSTEM_BUTTONS: [(&str, &str); 3] = [
+    ("auto", "Automatic"),
+    ("forward", "Send to host"),
+    ("local", "This device"),
+];
+/// The hold-Select guide gesture — the shared `guide_gesture` key.
+const GUIDE_GESTURE: [(&str, &str); 3] = [("auto", "Automatic"), ("on", "On"), ("off", "Off")];
 
 pub(crate) struct SettingsScreen {
     list: MenuList,
+    /// The profile catalog's `(id, name)` pairs, loaded once at construction — the console
+    /// can't create profiles (design §5.4: the desktop app does), so the list is stable
+    /// for the screen's lifetime.
+    profiles: Vec<(String, String)>,
 }
 
 impl SettingsScreen {
     pub(crate) fn new() -> SettingsScreen {
+        Self::with_profiles(
+            pf_client_core::profiles::ProfilesFile::load()
+                .profiles
+                .into_iter()
+                .map(|p| (p.id, p.name))
+                .collect(),
+        )
+    }
+
+    fn with_profiles(profiles: Vec<(String, String)>) -> SettingsScreen {
         SettingsScreen {
             list: MenuList::new(),
+            profiles,
         }
     }
 
+    /// The full row list: the fixed settings rows, then the Profiles section — one row
+    /// per catalog profile, or the explainer placeholder while there are none.
+    fn row_ids(&self) -> Vec<RowId> {
+        let mut ids = ROWS.to_vec();
+        if self.profiles.is_empty() {
+            ids.push(RowId::NoProfiles);
+        } else {
+            ids.extend((0..self.profiles.len()).map(RowId::Profile));
+        }
+        ids
+    }
+
     pub(crate) fn menu(
         &mut self,
         ev: MenuEvent,
@@ -168,7 +215,31 @@ impl SettingsScreen {
             fx.pop();
             return None;
         }
-        let (msg, pulse) = self.list.menu(ev, ROWS.len());
+        let ids = self.row_ids();
+        let (msg, pulse) = self.list.menu(ev, ids.len());
+        // The Profiles rows navigate instead of editing the settings file.
+        match ids[self.list.cursor] {
+            RowId::Profile(i) => {
+                return match msg {
+                    ListMsg::Activate => {
+                        let (id, name) = self.profiles[i].clone();
+                        fx.push(Screen::PinHosts(super::pin_hosts::PinHostsScreen::new(
+                            id, name,
+                        )));
+                        pulse
+                    }
+                    ListMsg::Adjust(_) => Some(MenuPulse::Boundary),
+                    ListMsg::None => pulse,
+                }
+            }
+            RowId::NoProfiles => {
+                return match msg {
+                    ListMsg::Adjust(_) | ListMsg::Activate => Some(MenuPulse::Boundary),
+                    ListMsg::None => pulse,
+                }
+            }
+            _ => {}
+        }
         // Rebase the shell-lifetime snapshot on the file before an adjust-then-save: this
         // screen is one of the settings file's several whole-file writers (profiles.rs
         // documents the no-merge debt), and adjusting a stale snapshot would silently
@@ -180,7 +251,7 @@ impl SettingsScreen {
         }
         match msg {
             ListMsg::Adjust(delta) => {
-                let changed = adjust(ROWS[self.list.cursor], delta, false, ctx);
+                let changed = adjust(ids[self.list.cursor], delta, false, ctx);
                 if changed {
                     ctx.settings.save();
                     Some(MenuPulse::Move)
@@ -190,7 +261,7 @@ impl SettingsScreen {
             }
             ListMsg::Activate => {
                 // A cycles forward WRAPPING, so every option is reachable one-handed.
-                if adjust(ROWS[self.list.cursor], 1, true, ctx) {
+                if adjust(ids[self.list.cursor], 1, true, ctx) {
                     ctx.settings.save();
                 }
                 pulse
@@ -200,11 +271,18 @@ impl SettingsScreen {
     }
 
     pub(crate) fn hints(&self, _ctx: &Ctx) -> Vec<Hint> {
-        vec![
-            Hint::new(HintKey::Adjust, "Adjust"),
-            Hint::new(HintKey::Confirm, "Change"),
-            Hint::new(HintKey::Back, "Done"),
-        ]
+        match self.row_ids()[self.list.cursor] {
+            RowId::Profile(_) => vec![
+                Hint::new(HintKey::Confirm, "Pin to hosts…"),
+                Hint::new(HintKey::Back, "Done"),
+            ],
+            RowId::NoProfiles => vec![Hint::new(HintKey::Back, "Done")],
+            _ => vec![
+                Hint::new(HintKey::Adjust, "Adjust"),
+                Hint::new(HintKey::Confirm, "Change"),
+                Hint::new(HintKey::Back, "Done"),
+            ],
+        }
     }
 
     pub(crate) fn render(
@@ -224,10 +302,14 @@ impl SettingsScreen {
             rect.right,
             rect.bottom - detail_h as f32,
         );
-        let rows: Vec<RowSpec> = ROWS.iter().map(|id| row_spec(*id, ctx)).collect();
+        let ids = self.row_ids();
+        let rows: Vec<RowSpec> = ids
+            .iter()
+            .map(|id| row_spec(*id, ctx, &self.profiles))
+            .collect();
         self.list
             .render(canvas, list_rect, &rows, fonts, k, dt, true);
-        let detail = detail(ROWS[self.list.cursor]);
+        let detail = detail(ids[self.list.cursor]);
         fonts.centered(
             canvas,
             detail,
@@ -241,7 +323,38 @@ impl SettingsScreen {
     }
 }
 
-fn row_spec(id: RowId, ctx: &Ctx) -> RowSpec {
+fn row_spec(id: RowId, ctx: &Ctx, profiles: &[(String, String)]) -> RowSpec {
+    // The Profiles section: name + how many hosts pin it (counted from the live rows, so
+    // it reflects what the carousel shows). Read-only here beyond opening the pin screen.
+    match id {
+        RowId::Profile(i) => {
+            let (pid, name) = &profiles[i];
+            let pins = ctx
+                .hosts
+                .iter()
+                .filter(|h| h.pin.as_ref().is_some_and(|p| &p.id == pid))
+                .count();
+            return RowSpec {
+                header: (i == 0).then_some("Profiles"),
+                label: name.clone(),
+                value: Some(match pins {
+                    0 => "Not pinned".into(),
+                    1 => "Pinned to 1 host".into(),
+                    n => format!("Pinned to {n} hosts"),
+                }),
+                value_dim: pins == 0,
+                caret: false,
+                adjustable: false,
+                enabled: true,
+            };
+        }
+        RowId::NoProfiles => {
+            let mut row = RowSpec::action("No profiles yet", false);
+            row.header = Some("Profiles");
+            return row;
+        }
+        _ => {}
+    }
     let s = &ctx.settings;
     // Several rows follow another: echo cancellation only means anything while the mic
     // streams, the pad rows only while any controller is forwarded at all, and the
@@ -251,7 +364,9 @@ fn row_spec(id: RowId, ctx: &Ctx) -> RowSpec {
     // move everything under the cursor).
     let enabled = match id {
         RowId::EchoCancel => s.mic_enabled,
-        RowId::Pad | RowId::PadType => s.gamepad_forwarding,
+        RowId::Pad | RowId::PadType | RowId::SystemButtons | RowId::GuideGesture => {
+            s.gamepad_forwarding
+        }
         RowId::SmoothBuffer => s.present_priority == "smooth",
         _ => true,
     };
@@ -358,6 +473,16 @@ fn row_spec(id: RowId, ctx: &Ctx) -> RowSpec {
             "Controller type",
             label_for(&PAD_TYPES, &s.gamepad).into(),
         ),
+        RowId::SystemButtons => (
+            None,
+            "Steam / guide button",
+            label_for(&SYSTEM_BUTTONS, &s.system_buttons).into(),
+        ),
+        RowId::GuideGesture => (
+            None,
+            "Hold Select for guide",
+            label_for(&GUIDE_GESTURE, &s.guide_gesture).into(),
+        ),
         RowId::Touch => (
             Some("Touchscreen"),
             "Touch mode",
@@ -382,6 +507,7 @@ fn row_spec(id: RowId, ctx: &Ctx) -> RowSpec {
         ),
         RowId::AutoWake => (None, "Wake hosts automatically", on_off(s.auto_wake).into()),
         RowId::Library => (None, "Game library", on_off(s.library_enabled).into()),
+        RowId::Profile(_) | RowId::NoProfiles => unreachable!("returned above"),
     };
     RowSpec {
         header,
@@ -453,6 +579,16 @@ fn detail(id: RowId) -> &'static str {
         }
         RowId::Pad => "Which pad is forwarded to the host, as player 1.",
         RowId::PadType => "The virtual pad the host creates — Automatic matches this controller.",
+        RowId::SystemButtons => {
+            "Where the guide (Xbox/PS/Steam) and quick-access presses go. Automatic \
+             sends them to the host except in Gaming Mode, where Steam on this device \
+             reacts to the same press and both overlays would open at once."
+        }
+        RowId::GuideGesture => {
+            "Hold Select on its own to press the host's guide button — keep holding for \
+             the host's quick-access menu. Automatic arms it only where the real button \
+             can't reach the host. A Select tap still goes through, slightly delayed."
+        }
         RowId::Touch => {
             "How the touchscreen drives the host: Trackpad (relative cursor), \
              Direct pointer (cursor jumps to your finger), or Touch passthrough (raw contacts)."
@@ -477,6 +613,16 @@ fn detail(id: RowId) -> &'static str {
              reached over a VPN, where the wake wait only adds delay."
         }
         RowId::Library => "Show paired hosts' game libraries (tap a title to stream it).",
+        RowId::Profile(_) => {
+            "Pin this profile to a host and it appears as its own card — one press \
+             connects with these settings. Profiles are created and edited in the \
+             Punktfunk desktop app."
+        }
+        RowId::NoProfiles => {
+            "Profiles bundle stream settings for different uses (a low-latency one, a \
+             quality one…). Create them in the Punktfunk desktop app, then pin them \
+             here as one-press connect cards."
+        }
     }
 }
 
@@ -589,6 +735,18 @@ fn adjust(id: RowId, delta: i32, wrap: bool, ctx: &mut Ctx) -> bool {
             }
             step_str(&PAD_TYPES, &mut s.gamepad, delta, wrap)
         }
+        RowId::SystemButtons => {
+            if !s.gamepad_forwarding {
+                return false;
+            }
+            step_str(&SYSTEM_BUTTONS, &mut s.system_buttons, delta, wrap)
+        }
+        RowId::GuideGesture => {
+            if !s.gamepad_forwarding {
+                return false;
+            }
+            step_str(&GUIDE_GESTURE, &mut s.guide_gesture, delta, wrap)
+        }
         RowId::Touch => {
             let cur = TouchMode::ALL.iter().position(|m| *m == s.touch_mode());
             step_option(cur, TouchMode::ALL.len(), delta, wrap)
@@ -611,6 +769,8 @@ fn adjust(id: RowId, delta: i32, wrap: bool, ctx: &mut Ctx) -> bool {
         RowId::Fullscreen => toggle(&mut s.fullscreen_on_stream, delta, wrap),
         RowId::AutoWake => toggle(&mut s.auto_wake, delta, wrap),
         RowId::Library => toggle(&mut s.library_enabled, delta, wrap),
+        // Navigation rows, handled before the settings path in `menu` — never a value edit.
+        RowId::Profile(_) | RowId::NoProfiles => None,
     }
     .is_some()
 }
@@ -736,7 +896,7 @@ mod tests {
             device_name: "t",
             t: 0.0,
         };
-        assert!(!row_spec(RowId::EchoCancel, &ctx).enabled);
+        assert!(!row_spec(RowId::EchoCancel, &ctx, &[]).enabled);
         assert!(
             !adjust(RowId::EchoCancel, -1, false, &mut ctx),
             "mic off = thud"
@@ -745,7 +905,7 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(ctx.settings.echo_cancel, "and nothing was written");
 
         ctx.settings.mic_enabled = true;
-        assert!(row_spec(RowId::EchoCancel, &ctx).enabled);
+        assert!(row_spec(RowId::EchoCancel, &ctx, &[]).enabled);
         assert!(adjust(RowId::EchoCancel, -1, false, &mut ctx));
         assert!(!ctx.settings.echo_cancel);
         assert!(adjust(RowId::EchoCancel, 1, true, &mut ctx));
@@ -771,7 +931,7 @@ mod tests {
             device_name: "t",
             t: 0.0,
         };
-        assert!(!row_spec(RowId::SmoothBuffer, &ctx).enabled);
+        assert!(!row_spec(RowId::SmoothBuffer, &ctx, &[]).enabled);
         assert!(
             !adjust(RowId::SmoothBuffer, 1, false, &mut ctx),
             "latency intent = thud"
@@ -781,14 +941,14 @@ mod tests {
         // Stepping the intent to Smoothness brings the buffer row to life.
         assert!(adjust(RowId::PresentPriority, 1, false, &mut ctx));
         assert_eq!(ctx.settings.present_priority, "smooth");
-        assert!(row_spec(RowId::SmoothBuffer, &ctx).enabled);
+        assert!(row_spec(RowId::SmoothBuffer, &ctx, &[]).enabled);
         assert!(adjust(RowId::SmoothBuffer, 1, false, &mut ctx));
         assert_eq!(ctx.settings.smooth_buffer, 1);
 
         // The intent wraps back and the row goes inert again.
         assert!(adjust(RowId::PresentPriority, -1, false, &mut ctx));
         assert_eq!(ctx.settings.present_priority, "latency");
-        assert!(!row_spec(RowId::SmoothBuffer, &ctx).enabled);
+        assert!(!row_spec(RowId::SmoothBuffer, &ctx, &[]).enabled);
     }
 
     #[test]
@@ -864,4 +1024,110 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(adjust(RowId::Bitrate, 1, false, &mut ctx));
         assert_eq!(ctx.settings.bitrate_kbps, 0, "snapped to Automatic");
     }
+
+    /// The Profiles section trails the settings rows: one row per catalog profile whose
+    /// value counts the pinned cards in the live model, activating opens the pin screen,
+    /// and left/right (which edits every other row) is a boundary — a profile row
+    /// navigates, it must never fall into the settings save path.
+    #[test]
+    fn profile_rows_navigate_instead_of_editing() {
+        let (mut settings, pads) = ctx_parts();
+        let library = crate::library::LibraryShared::default();
+        let mut pinned = crate::model::HostRow {
+            key: "aa\0p1".into(),
+            name: "Tower".into(),
+            addr: "10.0.0.9".into(),
+            port: 9777,
+            fp_hex: "aa".into(),
+            paired: true,
+            saved: true,
+            online: true,
+            mgmt_port: 47990,
+            can_wake: false,
+            last_used: None,
+            os: String::new(),
+            pin: Some(crate::model::ProfileChip {
+                id: "p1".into(),
+                name: "Work".into(),
+                accent: None,
+            }),
+            bound_profile: None,
+        };
+        let hosts = [pinned.clone(), {
+            pinned.key = "aa".into();
+            pinned.pin = None;
+            pinned
+        }];
+        let mut ctx = Ctx {
+            hosts: &hosts,
+            library: &library,
+            settings: &mut settings,
+            pads: &pads,
+            deck: false,
+            device_name: "t",
+            t: 0.0,
+        };
+        let mut s = SettingsScreen::with_profiles(vec![
+            ("p1".into(), "Work".into()),
+            ("p2".into(), "Game".into()),
+        ]);
+        let ids = s.row_ids();
+        assert_eq!(ids.len(), ROWS.len() + 2);
+        assert_eq!(ids[ROWS.len()], RowId::Profile(0));
+
+        let spec = row_spec(RowId::Profile(0), &ctx, &s.profiles);
+        assert_eq!(spec.header, Some("Profiles"));
+        assert_eq!(spec.label, "Work");
+        assert_eq!(spec.value.as_deref(), Some("Pinned to 1 host"));
+        let spec = row_spec(RowId::Profile(1), &ctx, &s.profiles);
+        assert_eq!(spec.header, None, "only the first row carries the header");
+        assert_eq!(spec.value.as_deref(), Some("Not pinned"));
+
+        s.list.cursor = ROWS.len(); // onto "Work"
+        let mut fx = Outbox::default();
+        s.menu(MenuEvent::Confirm, &mut ctx, &mut fx);
+        assert!(
+            matches!(fx.nav, Some(crate::screens::Nav::Push(b))
+                if matches!(*b, Screen::PinHosts(ref p) if p.profile_name() == "Work")),
+            "A on a profile row opens its pin screen"
+        );
+
+        let mut fx = Outbox::default();
+        let pulse = s.menu(
+            MenuEvent::Move(pf_client_core::gamepad::MenuDir::Right),
+            &mut ctx,
+            &mut fx,
+        );
+        assert!(matches!(pulse, Some(MenuPulse::Boundary)));
+        assert!(fx.nav.is_none() && fx.cmds.is_empty());
+    }
+
+    /// An empty catalog shows the explainer placeholder — present, inert, and dimmed —
+    /// so the section still tells the user where profiles come from.
+    #[test]
+    fn empty_catalog_shows_the_placeholder() {
+        let (mut settings, pads) = ctx_parts();
+        let library = crate::library::LibraryShared::default();
+        let mut ctx = Ctx {
+            hosts: &[],
+            library: &library,
+            settings: &mut settings,
+            pads: &pads,
+            deck: false,
+            device_name: "t",
+            t: 0.0,
+        };
+        let mut s = SettingsScreen::with_profiles(Vec::new());
+        let ids = s.row_ids();
+        assert_eq!(*ids.last().unwrap(), RowId::NoProfiles);
+        let spec = row_spec(RowId::NoProfiles, &ctx, &s.profiles);
+        assert_eq!(spec.header, Some("Profiles"));
+        assert!(!spec.enabled);
+
+        s.list.cursor = ids.len() - 1;
+        let mut fx = Outbox::default();
+        let pulse = s.menu(MenuEvent::Confirm, &mut ctx, &mut fx);
+        assert!(matches!(pulse, Some(MenuPulse::Boundary)));
+        assert!(fx.nav.is_none());
+    }
 }

crates/pf-console-ui/src/shell.rs

@@ -239,8 +239,14 @@ impl Shell {
                             port: h.port,
                             fp_hex: h.fp_hex.clone(),
                             launch: None,
-                            title: h.name.clone(),
+                            // A wake started from a pinned card carries its profile
+                            // through to the connect (the row's key found it again).
+                            title: match &h.pin {
+                                Some(p) => format!("{} · {}", h.name, p.name),
+                                None => h.name.clone(),
+                            },
                             request_access: false,
+                            profile: h.pin.as_ref().map(|p| p.id.clone()),
                         })
                 });
                 self.bus.send(ConsoleCmd::CancelWake);
@@ -269,6 +275,7 @@ impl Shell {
             launch: intent.launch,
             title: intent.title,
             request_access: intent.request_access,
+            profile: intent.profile,
         });
     }
 

crates/pf-console-ui/src/shell/tests.rs

@@ -32,6 +32,8 @@ fn hosts() -> Vec<HostRow> {
         can_wake: false,
         last_used: None,
         os: String::new(),
+        pin: None,
+        bound_profile: None,
     };
     vec![
         HostRow {

crates/pf-console-ui/src/skia_overlay.rs

@@ -88,8 +88,9 @@ pub enum ConsoleEntry {
     /// The host list (bare `--browse`).
     Home,
     /// Home with this host's library already pushed (`--browse host` — the Decky
-    /// per-host launch; B backs out to Home).
-    Library(HostRow),
+    /// per-host launch; B backs out to Home). Boxed: `HostRow` outgrew the dataless
+    /// `Home` variant when it learned its profile chips.
+    Library(Box<HostRow>),
 }
 
 /// The binary's ends of the console: models to write, commands to serve.

crates/pf-host-config/src/lib.rs

@@ -57,6 +57,82 @@ pub fn env_on(name: &str) -> Option<bool> {
     })
 }
 
+/// Where desktop audio should be audible — which decides the render endpoint the loopback captures.
+///
+/// Supersedes the two env-only knobs that used to encode this (`PUNKTFUNK_HOST_AUDIO`,
+/// `PUNKTFUNK_KEEP_DEFAULT`), which stay honoured as back-compat spellings so nobody's `host.env`
+/// breaks. Named modes exist because "which endpoint do we capture" is a routing decision an
+/// operator has to be able to make deliberately — the 2026-08-03 field report is what happens when
+/// the only way to express it is an undocumented environment variable.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq, Default)]
+pub enum AudioOutputMode {
+    /// Default. Prefer a render endpoint that is silent on the host, so streamed audio does not
+    /// also play out of the host's speakers. Since 2026-08 a silent sink has to be able to carry
+    /// the mix without narrowing it — otherwise real hardware wins anyway.
+    #[default]
+    ClientOnly,
+    /// Prefer real hardware: audio plays on the host as well as the client. The old
+    /// `PUNKTFUNK_HOST_AUDIO=1`.
+    HostAndClient,
+    /// Touch nothing — capture whatever the operator's own default playback device is, and never
+    /// write the default-device policy. The old `PUNKTFUNK_KEEP_DEFAULT=1`.
+    FollowDefault,
+}
+
+impl AudioOutputMode {
+    /// `PUNKTFUNK_AUDIO_OUTPUT_MODE` wins; otherwise fall back to the legacy flags, `follow_default`
+    /// first (it is the more restrictive promise — "do not touch my devices" must not be overridden
+    /// by a stale `PUNKTFUNK_HOST_AUDIO` in the same `host.env`).
+    fn from_env() -> AudioOutputMode {
+        if let Ok(raw) = std::env::var("PUNKTFUNK_AUDIO_OUTPUT_MODE") {
+            if !raw.trim().is_empty() {
+                if let Some(m) = AudioOutputMode::parse(&raw) {
+                    return m;
+                }
+                // Never silently fall through to a different routing than the operator asked for.
+                eprintln!(
+                    "punktfunk: PUNKTFUNK_AUDIO_OUTPUT_MODE={raw:?} is not one of \
+                     client_only/host_and_client/follow_default — using client_only"
+                );
+            }
+        }
+        if std::env::var_os("PUNKTFUNK_KEEP_DEFAULT").is_some() {
+            return AudioOutputMode::FollowDefault;
+        }
+        if std::env::var_os("PUNKTFUNK_HOST_AUDIO").is_some() {
+            return AudioOutputMode::HostAndClient;
+        }
+        AudioOutputMode::ClientOnly
+    }
+
+    pub fn parse(s: &str) -> Option<AudioOutputMode> {
+        match s.trim().to_ascii_lowercase().replace('-', "_").as_str() {
+            "client_only" | "client" => Some(AudioOutputMode::ClientOnly),
+            "host_and_client" | "both" | "host" => Some(AudioOutputMode::HostAndClient),
+            "follow_default" | "follow" => Some(AudioOutputMode::FollowDefault),
+            _ => None,
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub fn as_str(self) -> &'static str {
+        match self {
+            AudioOutputMode::ClientOnly => "client_only",
+            AudioOutputMode::HostAndClient => "host_and_client",
+            AudioOutputMode::FollowDefault => "follow_default",
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// The loopback plan should prefer real hardware over a silent sink.
+    pub fn prefers_host_hardware(self) -> bool {
+        matches!(self, AudioOutputMode::HostAndClient)
+    }
+
+    /// Leave the operator's default playback/recording devices completely alone.
+    pub fn keeps_default(self) -> bool {
+        matches!(self, AudioOutputMode::FollowDefault)
+    }
+}
+
 /// Resolved host configuration. Holds the genuinely-constant operator/dispatch knobs (see module docs for
 /// what is deliberately excluded). Fields read on only one platform are kept alive cross-platform by the
 /// derived `Debug` impl, so the parser can stay a single platform-neutral function.
@@ -99,6 +175,24 @@ pub struct HostConfig {
     /// e.g. webOS TVs, whose GCM decrypt caps at ~100 Mbps); everyone else stays AES-128-GCM.
     /// `PUNKTFUNK_CHACHA20=0`/`false`/`off`/`no` disables.
     pub chacha20: bool,
+    /// `PUNKTFUNK_AUDIO_OUTPUT_MODE` — where desktop audio should be audible, and therefore which
+    /// render endpoint the loopback captures (`client_only` / `host_and_client` / `follow_default`).
+    ///
+    /// A first-class setting because the 2026-08-03 field report needed one: the default
+    /// client-only routing sent that box's whole desktop mix through Steam's voice-carrier virtual
+    /// endpoint for 25 sessions, and the only way to change it was an undocumented environment
+    /// variable. See [`AudioOutputMode`].
+    pub audio_output_mode: AudioOutputMode,
+    /// `PUNKTFUNK_AUDIO_QUALITY` — desktop-audio encode tier (`low` / `standard` / `high`; default
+    /// `high`). Kept as the raw string here because the tier table lives in `punktfunk-core`, and
+    /// this crate is deliberately dependency-free (see the crate doc). The audio thread resolves it
+    /// via `punktfunk_core::audio::AudioTier::parse` and warns on an unknown spelling rather than
+    /// silently downgrading someone's audio.
+    pub audio_quality: Option<String>,
+    /// `PUNKTFUNK_AUDIO_REDUNDANCY` — force the redundant `0xD2` audio plane on or off. `None`
+    /// (the default) = automatic: sent only to a client that asked for it, and only while the link
+    /// is actually losing packets.
+    pub audio_redundancy: Option<bool>,
     /// `PUNKTFUNK_PERF` — per-stage timing instrumentation.
     pub perf: bool,
     /// `PUNKTFUNK_VIDEO_SOURCE` — GameStream video source select. `virtual` (the default — a
@@ -246,6 +340,9 @@ impl HostConfig {
             // Default ON, explicit-off grammar (the client's VIDEO_CAP_CHACHA20 bit is the real
             // per-session switch; see the field doc).
             chacha20: env_on("PUNKTFUNK_CHACHA20").unwrap_or(true),
+            audio_output_mode: AudioOutputMode::from_env(),
+            audio_quality: val("PUNKTFUNK_AUDIO_QUALITY").map(|s| s.trim().to_lowercase()),
+            audio_redundancy: env_on("PUNKTFUNK_AUDIO_REDUNDANCY"),
             perf: flag("PUNKTFUNK_PERF"),
             // Default ON while the interval-stutter field program runs (see the field doc).
             stall_probes: env_on("PUNKTFUNK_STALL_PROBES").unwrap_or(true),
@@ -348,4 +445,50 @@ mod tests {
         // An invalid rate stays invalid rather than being laundered into a real one.
         assert_eq!(c.game_fps(0), 0);
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn audio_output_mode_parses_its_spellings() {
+        for (s, want) in [
+            ("client_only", AudioOutputMode::ClientOnly),
+            ("client-only", AudioOutputMode::ClientOnly),
+            ("  CLIENT  ", AudioOutputMode::ClientOnly),
+            ("host_and_client", AudioOutputMode::HostAndClient),
+            ("both", AudioOutputMode::HostAndClient),
+            ("follow_default", AudioOutputMode::FollowDefault),
+            ("follow", AudioOutputMode::FollowDefault),
+        ] {
+            assert_eq!(AudioOutputMode::parse(s), Some(want), "{s:?}");
+        }
+        // Unknown spellings are rejected so the caller can say so, not silently re-routed.
+        for s in ["", "silent", "off", "true"] {
+            assert_eq!(AudioOutputMode::parse(s), None, "{s:?}");
+        }
+        // Round-trip through the canonical spelling.
+        for m in [
+            AudioOutputMode::ClientOnly,
+            AudioOutputMode::HostAndClient,
+            AudioOutputMode::FollowDefault,
+        ] {
+            assert_eq!(AudioOutputMode::parse(m.as_str()), Some(m));
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// The two predicates are what the wiring plan and the capture loop actually branch on, and
+    /// they must stay mutually exclusive: "prefer host hardware" and "touch nothing" are different
+    /// promises, and conflating them would either silence the host or stomp the operator's devices.
+    #[test]
+    fn audio_output_mode_predicates_are_disjoint() {
+        assert_eq!(AudioOutputMode::default(), AudioOutputMode::ClientOnly);
+        for m in [
+            AudioOutputMode::ClientOnly,
+            AudioOutputMode::HostAndClient,
+            AudioOutputMode::FollowDefault,
+        ] {
+            assert!(!(m.prefers_host_hardware() && m.keeps_default()), "{m:?}");
+        }
+        assert!(AudioOutputMode::HostAndClient.prefers_host_hardware());
+        assert!(AudioOutputMode::FollowDefault.keeps_default());
+        assert!(!AudioOutputMode::ClientOnly.prefers_host_hardware());
+        assert!(!AudioOutputMode::ClientOnly.keeps_default());
+    }
 }

crates/pf-presenter/src/overlay.rs

@@ -84,6 +84,11 @@ pub enum OverlayAction {
         fp_hex: String,
         launch: Option<String>,
         title: String,
+        /// One-off settings-profile override for THIS launch (a profile id — a pinned
+        /// card's connect). `None` resolves the host's default binding as before; the
+        /// binary feeds it to `trust::effective_settings`, so a dangling id quietly
+        /// falls back to the defaults and never blocks the connect.
+        profile: Option<String>,
         /// The no-PIN delegated-approval path: pin the host's advertised fingerprint and
         /// open a connect the host PARKS until the operator approves this device in its
         /// console (a long connect budget), then persist it as paired. `false` = an

crates/punktfunk-core/cbindgen.toml

@@ -48,6 +48,13 @@ exclude = ["MsghdrX", "recvmsg_x", "mmsghdr", "sendmmsg", "recvmmsg"]
 "AXIS_RT" = "PUNKTFUNK_AXIS_RT"
 "AUDIO_MAGIC" = "PUNKTFUNK_AUDIO_MAGIC"
 "RUMBLE_MAGIC" = "PUNKTFUNK_RUMBLE_MAGIC"
+"AUDIO_RED_MAGIC" = "PUNKTFUNK_AUDIO_RED_MAGIC"
+"AUDIO_RED_HEADER" = "PUNKTFUNK_AUDIO_RED_HEADER"
+# Same hazard as the BTN_* block above, one step worse: `FRAME_MS` and `SAMPLE_RATE_HZ` are
+# generic enough that an embedder is likely to have its own, and a clashing #define silently
+# takes the last definition rather than failing to compile.
+"FRAME_MS" = "PUNKTFUNK_AUDIO_FRAME_MS"
+"SAMPLE_RATE_HZ" = "PUNKTFUNK_AUDIO_SAMPLE_RATE_HZ"
 
 # QualifiedScreamingSnakeCase already qualifies each variant with the enum name
 # (PunktfunkStatus::Ok -> PUNKTFUNK_STATUS_OK); do NOT also set prefix_with_name or it doubles.

crates/punktfunk-core/src/abr.rs

@@ -150,11 +150,14 @@ const ENCODE_SEVERE_US: i64 = 12_000;
 /// the same reason: the decoder's knee moves with content and thermals.
 const CAP_REPROBE_WINDOWS_MIN: u32 = 16;
 const CAP_REPROBE_WINDOWS_MAX: u32 = 128;
-/// Two consecutive decode-driven backoffs latch the
+/// Two decode-driven backoffs latch the
 /// [`decode cap`](BitrateController::decode_cap_kbps) only when their pre-backoff rates agree
 /// within ±1/8: the decoder's knee is a RATE, so repeated chokes at the same rate are its
 /// signature — two unrelated events (a Wi-Fi flush at 300 Mbps, a decode spike at 500) share
-/// no knee and must not teach one.
+/// no knee and must not teach one. Each sample must come from a rate the controller CLIMBED
+/// back to (`climb_since_backoff`) — the knee's real signature is choke, recover, re-climb,
+/// choke again at the same place, and only backoffs at a climbed-to rate can agree within the
+/// band (a cascade's second backoff sits at ×0.7 of the first: outside it by construction).
 const DECODE_CAP_SIMILAR_DIV: u32 = 8;
 /// Rolling window (in 750 ms report windows, ~30 s) whose minimum mean is the OWD baseline.
 /// Long enough to remember the uncongested floor, short enough to follow genuine path changes.
@@ -286,6 +289,20 @@ pub(crate) struct BitrateController {
     /// decode-driven): the reference the next one must land near ([`DECODE_CAP_SIMILAR_DIV`])
     /// to latch the cap — one spurious flush teaches nothing.
     decode_backoff_kbps: u32,
+    /// Decode-flagged windows in the CURRENT bad-window streak. The ordinary two-window backoff
+    /// path is the decoder knee's most common presentation (a standing 15–45 ms decode rise —
+    /// deep enough to hurt, not deep enough for the severe tier), and judging decode evidence
+    /// from the FINAL window alone threw that attribution away: the backoff the decode signal
+    /// itself caused then RESET the knee streak. Counted per bad window, cleared with the streak.
+    streak_decode_windows: u32,
+    /// Whether `current_kbps` has RISEN (via an ack — ours or a host-initiated re-target) since
+    /// the last backoff. A knee sample is only meaningful for a rate the controller climbed to
+    /// or held; a backoff that fires while the previous backoff's damage is still draining
+    /// samples a rate the decoder never choked at (the host acks a ×0.7 request in ~100 ms, so
+    /// a cascade's second backoff ALWAYS sits at the already-reduced rate — dissimilar to the
+    /// knee by construction, 0.7 < 7/8). Such a backoff neither samples nor erases the
+    /// reference.
+    climb_since_backoff: bool,
     /// Clean windows spent parked at the learned decode cap (its re-probe clock), and that
     /// clock's own backoff interval — same schedule as the host cap's.
     decode_cap_probe_windows: u32,
@@ -341,6 +358,10 @@ impl BitrateController {
             cap_reprobe_after: CAP_REPROBE_WINDOWS_MIN,
             decode_cap_kbps: None,
             decode_backoff_kbps: 0,
+            streak_decode_windows: 0,
+            // The negotiated start rate was held, not drained to — the first backoff ever is a
+            // legitimate knee sample.
+            climb_since_backoff: true,
             decode_cap_probe_windows: 0,
             decode_cap_reprobe_after: CAP_REPROBE_WINDOWS_MIN,
             proven_kbps: 0,
@@ -433,6 +454,13 @@ impl BitrateController {
                     }
                 }
             }
+            if kbps > self.current_kbps {
+                // The rate ROSE — whatever the pipeline chokes on next, it will choke at a rate
+                // it was driven up to: a fresh knee sample (see `climb_since_backoff`). An ack'd
+                // decrease deliberately does not arm this — the drain after a backoff is not a
+                // knee encounter.
+                self.climb_since_backoff = true;
+            }
             self.current_kbps = kbps;
             // The host may run ABOVE our climb ceiling, and be right to: it sends an unsolicited
             // `BitrateChanged` when a rebuild re-resolves an Automatic rate for what it actually
@@ -472,6 +500,8 @@ impl BitrateController {
         self.cap_reprobe_after = CAP_REPROBE_WINDOWS_MIN;
         self.decode_cap_kbps = None;
         self.decode_backoff_kbps = 0;
+        self.streak_decode_windows = 0;
+        self.climb_since_backoff = true;
         self.decode_cap_probe_windows = 0;
         self.owd_means.clear();
         self.decode_means.clear();
@@ -571,12 +601,20 @@ impl BitrateController {
         }
         if bad {
             self.bad_windows += 1;
+            if decode_bad {
+                // Per-window decode attribution for the streak (see `streak_decode_windows`) —
+                // scored HERE because at backoff time only the final window's signals are in
+                // scope, and on the two-window path the first bad window never even reaches a
+                // decision (the cooldown eats it).
+                self.streak_decode_windows += 1;
+            }
             self.clean_windows = 0;
             // Any congestion signal ends slow start for good — from here on, climbs are additive.
             self.probing = false;
         } else {
             self.clean_windows += 1;
             self.bad_windows = 0;
+            self.streak_decode_windows = 0;
         }
         // The learned host cap re-probe (see [`CAP_REPROBE_WINDOWS_MIN`]): after a clean run
         // parked at the cap, lift it one step (+12.5 %, ceiling-bounded) so a scene-dependent
@@ -635,21 +673,42 @@ impl BitrateController {
             && self.current_kbps > self.floor_kbps
         {
             // Decode-cap learning (see [`decode_cap_kbps`](Self::decode_cap_kbps)): a backoff
-            // with decode-severe evidence — the deep decode excursion, or the flush that
-            // drained the queue behind a stalled decoder — remembers its pre-backoff rate; the
-            // SECOND consecutive one at a similar rate latches that rate as the decoder's
-            // knee. One event never latches (a spurious flush must stay a one-off), and a
-            // backoff without decode evidence in between breaks the streak — whatever it saw,
-            // it wasn't the same knee.
-            // A bare flush counts as decode evidence only where the decode signal can't speak
-            // for itself. On an embedder that reports decode latency, a flush with FLAT decode
-            // is a network event (a stall, a clock step) that drained a queue the decoder was
-            // keeping up with — teaching a "decoder knee" from it caps the session on the wrong
-            // end of the pipe. Where the signal is absent the old reading stands: the flush is
-            // the only decoder-saturation evidence there is.
-            let decode_evidence =
-                decode_severe || (flushed && (decode_bad || decode_mean_us.is_none()));
-            if decode_evidence {
+            // with decode evidence remembers its pre-backoff rate; the next one at a similar
+            // rate latches that rate as the decoder's knee. One event never latches (a spurious
+            // flush must stay a one-off), and a decode-free backoff in between breaks the
+            // streak — whatever it saw, it wasn't the same knee.
+            //
+            // Decode evidence, in order:
+            // - a decode-SEVERE excursion in the deciding window;
+            // - the ordinary two-window path where EVERY bad window was decode-flagged
+            //   (`streak_decode_windows`) — the knee's most common presentation is a standing
+            //   15–45 ms rise, below the severe tier, and the deciding window alone can't see
+            //   that the streak it ends was decode's doing;
+            // - a keyframe-ask storm without meaningful loss: a decoder begging for fresh
+            //   pictures on a clean link is being overdriven, whatever its latency figure says
+            //   (some decoders wedge rather than queue — the Steam Deck presentation). With
+            //   real loss present the asks are network-attributed and teach nothing here;
+            // - a flush, where the decode signal can't speak against it: on an embedder that
+            //   reports decode latency, a flush with FLAT decode is a network event (a stall, a
+            //   clock step) that drained a queue the decoder was keeping up with — teaching a
+            //   "decoder knee" from it caps the session on the wrong end of the pipe. Where the
+            //   signal is absent the flush is the only decoder-saturation evidence there is.
+            let decode_evidence = decode_severe
+                || self.streak_decode_windows >= BAD_WINDOWS_TO_DECREASE
+                || (recovery_kf >= RECOVERY_KF_BAD && loss_ppm < HEAVY_LOSS_PPM)
+                || (flushed && (decode_bad || decode_mean_us.is_none()));
+            if !self.climb_since_backoff {
+                // Still draining the previous backoff: the host acks a ×0.7 request in ~100 ms,
+                // so this window's rate is one the decoder never choked at while keeping up —
+                // its distress is residue of the choke above. Not a knee sample either way:
+                // neither latch against it nor let it erase the reference the real knee set.
+                tracing::debug!(
+                    at_kbps = self.current_kbps,
+                    reference_kbps = self.decode_backoff_kbps,
+                    "adaptive bitrate: backoff without an intervening climb — draining the \
+                     previous choke, not a knee sample"
+                );
+            } else if decode_evidence {
                 let rate = self.current_kbps;
                 let similar = self.decode_backoff_kbps > 0
                     && rate.abs_diff(self.decode_backoff_kbps)
@@ -683,8 +742,10 @@ impl BitrateController {
             } else {
                 self.decode_backoff_kbps = 0;
             }
+            self.climb_since_backoff = false;
             let next = ((self.current_kbps as u64 * 7 / 10) as u32).max(self.floor_kbps);
             self.bad_windows = 0;
+            self.streak_decode_windows = 0;
             return self.request(next, now);
         }
         // Climbs only fire off a UTILIZED clean window (actual delivered ≥ ¾ of the target — the
@@ -1945,71 +2006,100 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(run_clean(&mut c, start, 24, 20), None);
     }
 
+    fn calm_window(c: &mut BitrateController, at: Instant) {
+        // One calm, unutilized window (2 Mb/s actual): seeds the latency baselines without
+        // authorizing climbs, and must decide nothing.
+        assert_eq!(
+            c.on_window(at, 0, 0, Some(10_000), Some(8_000), None, 2_000, false, 0),
+            None
+        );
+    }
+
+    /// Drive clean, fully-utilized windows (1 Gb/s actual), acking every climb the controller
+    /// asks for — a live host answers in ~100 ms — until `current_kbps` reaches `target`.
+    /// Bounded so a climb-path regression fails loudly instead of spinning.
+    fn climb_to(c: &mut BitrateController, start: Instant, tick: &mut u32, target: u32) {
+        for _ in 0..600 {
+            if c.current_kbps >= target {
+                return;
+            }
+            if let Some(k) = c.on_window(
+                ticks(start, *tick),
+                0,
+                0,
+                Some(10_000),
+                Some(8_000),
+                None,
+                1_000_000,
+                false,
+                0,
+            ) {
+                c.on_ack(k);
+            }
+            *tick += 1;
+        }
+        panic!(
+            "no climb to {target} within 600 windows (stuck at {})",
+            c.current_kbps
+        );
+    }
+
+    /// One decode-SEVERE window (60 ms against the ~8 ms baseline) at the current rate — a
+    /// knee choke. Steps past the change cooldown first so the decision can fire.
+    fn choke(c: &mut BitrateController, start: Instant, tick: &mut u32) -> Option<u32> {
+        *tick += 2;
+        let r = c.on_window(
+            ticks(start, *tick),
+            0,
+            0,
+            Some(10_000),
+            Some(60_000),
+            None,
+            c.current_kbps,
+            false,
+            0,
+        );
+        *tick += 1;
+        r
+    }
+
+    /// The latch's only production-reachable shape: choke at the knee, the host ACKS the ×0.7
+    /// (a live host answers in ~100 ms, so a cascade's second backoff always sits at the
+    /// already-reduced rate — dissimilar by construction), the controller climbs back, and the
+    /// re-climb chokes inside the ±1/8 band. Latches, acks the backoff, returns the cap.
+    fn latch_knee(c: &mut BitrateController, start: Instant, tick: &mut u32) -> u32 {
+        for _ in 0..4 {
+            calm_window(c, ticks(start, *tick));
+            *tick += 1;
+        }
+        let knee = c.current_kbps;
+        let r1 = choke(c, start, tick).expect("first choke must back off");
+        assert!(c.decode_cap_kbps.is_none(), "one event must not latch");
+        c.on_ack(r1);
+        climb_to(c, start, tick, knee - knee / DECODE_CAP_SIMILAR_DIV);
+        let rate = c.current_kbps;
+        let r2 = choke(c, start, tick).expect("re-climb choke must back off");
+        assert_eq!(c.decode_cap_kbps, Some(rate - rate / 16));
+        c.on_ack(r2);
+        rate - rate / 16
+    }
+
     #[test]
-    fn decode_cap_latches_after_two_consecutive_decode_severe_backoffs() {
+    fn decode_cap_latches_when_the_reclimb_chokes_at_the_same_knee() {
         // The 1440p120 field sawtooth: a decoder knee (~500 Mbps) well under the (inflated)
         // link ceiling — nothing ever LEARNED the knee, so every re-climb ended in a flush +
-        // dropped-frame burst. Establish a decode baseline on calm windows, choke twice at the
-        // same rate, and the second decode-severe backoff must latch the knee.
+        // dropped-frame burst. Choke, recover, climb back, choke again inside the band: latch.
         let mut c = BitrateController::new(500_000);
         c.set_ceiling(900_000);
         let start = Instant::now();
-        // Calm baseline windows (2 Mb/s actual: unutilized, so no climb interferes).
-        for i in 0..4 {
-            assert_eq!(
-                c.on_window(
-                    ticks(start, i),
-                    0,
-                    0,
-                    Some(10_000),
-                    Some(8_000),
-                    None,
-                    2_000,
-                    false,
-                    0
-                ),
-                None
-            );
-        }
-        // First deep decode excursion → immediate ×0.7, but ONE event must not latch.
-        assert_eq!(
-            c.on_window(
-                ticks(start, 4),
-                0,
-                0,
-                Some(10_000),
-                Some(60_000),
-                None,
-                490_000,
-                false,
-                0
-            ),
-            Some(350_000)
-        );
-        assert!(c.decode_cap_kbps.is_none());
-        // Second consecutive decode-severe backoff at the same pre-backoff rate: latch.
-        assert_eq!(
-            c.on_window(
-                ticks(start, 6),
-                0,
-                0,
-                Some(10_000),
-                Some(60_000),
-                None,
-                490_000,
-                false,
-                0
-            ),
-            Some(350_000)
-        );
-        assert_eq!(c.decode_cap_kbps, Some(500_000 - 500_000 / 16));
-        // The backoff applies; from here every climb must stop AT the knee — not the 900 Mbps
+        let mut t = 0;
+        latch_knee(&mut c, start, &mut t);
+        // The latch applies; from here every climb must stop AT the knee — not the 900 Mbps
         // link ceiling the old sawtooth kept re-poking.
-        c.on_ack(350_000);
         let mut max_req = 0;
-        for i in 8..70 {
+        for _ in 0..62 {
             if let Some(k) = c.on_window(
-                ticks(start, i),
+                ticks(start, t),
                 0,
                 0,
                 Some(10_000),
@@ -2030,6 +2120,7 @@ mod tests {
                 max_req = max_req.max(k);
                 c.on_ack(k);
             }
+            t += 1;
         }
         assert!(
             max_req < 600_000,
@@ -2039,37 +2130,82 @@ mod tests {
 
     #[test]
     fn a_single_flush_or_dissimilar_backoffs_never_latch_a_decode_cap() {
-        // The latch's false-positive guards. A lone jump-to-live flush (a Wi-Fi clump can
-        // flush once at ANY rate) backs off but teaches nothing…
+        // The latch's false-positive guards, every event at a rate the controller climbed to
+        // or held (drain-time backoffs are no sample at all —
+        // `cascade_backoffs_neither_sample_nor_erase_the_knee_reference` owns those). A lone
+        // jump-to-live flush (a Wi-Fi clump can flush once at ANY rate) backs off but teaches
+        // nothing…
         let mut c = BitrateController::new(500_000);
         c.set_ceiling(900_000);
         let start = Instant::now();
-        assert_eq!(
-            c.on_window(ticks(start, 0), 0, 0, None, None, None, 490_000, true, 0),
-            Some(350_000)
-        );
+        let mut t = 0;
+        let r1 = c
+            .on_window(ticks(start, t), 0, 0, None, None, None, 490_000, true, 0)
+            .expect("flush must back off");
+        assert_eq!(r1, 350_000);
         assert!(c.decode_cap_kbps.is_none());
-        c.on_ack(350_000);
-        // …a LOSS-driven backoff in between breaks the streak…
-        assert_eq!(
-            c.on_window(ticks(start, 2), 1, 0, None, None, None, 340_000, false, 0),
-            Some(245_000)
-        );
+        c.on_ack(r1);
+        // …a LOSS-driven backoff at the re-climbed rate breaks the streak (whatever choked
+        // there, it wasn't the decoder — even inside the similarity band)…
+        climb_to(&mut c, start, &mut t, 460_000);
+        t += 2;
+        let r2 = c
+            .on_window(
+                ticks(start, t),
+                1,
+                0,
+                None,
+                None,
+                None,
+                c.current_kbps,
+                false,
+                0,
+            )
+            .expect("loss must back off");
+        t += 1;
         assert!(c.decode_cap_kbps.is_none());
-        c.on_ack(245_000);
+        assert_eq!(
+            c.decode_backoff_kbps, 0,
+            "a climbed-to non-decode backoff must reset the knee reference"
+        );
+        c.on_ack(r2);
         // …so the next flush counts as a FIRST decode event again — still no latch…
-        assert_eq!(
-            c.on_window(ticks(start, 4), 0, 0, None, None, None, 240_000, true, 0),
-            Some(171_500)
-        );
+        climb_to(&mut c, start, &mut t, 460_000);
+        t += 2;
+        let r3 = c
+            .on_window(
+                ticks(start, t),
+                0,
+                0,
+                None,
+                None,
+                None,
+                c.current_kbps,
+                true,
+                0,
+            )
+            .expect("flush must back off");
+        t += 1;
         assert!(c.decode_cap_kbps.is_none());
-        c.on_ack(171_500);
-        // …and two consecutive decode events at DISSIMILAR rates (245 vs 171.5 Mbps — no
+        c.on_ack(r3);
+        // …and two decode events at DISSIMILAR climbed-to rates (~460 vs ~350 Mbps — no
         // common knee) must not latch either.
-        assert_eq!(
-            c.on_window(ticks(start, 6), 0, 0, None, None, None, 170_000, true, 0),
-            Some(120_050)
-        );
+        let dissimilar_target = c.current_kbps + 20_000;
+        climb_to(&mut c, start, &mut t, dissimilar_target);
+        t += 2;
+        let _ = c
+            .on_window(
+                ticks(start, t),
+                0,
+                0,
+                None,
+                None,
+                None,
+                c.current_kbps,
+                true,
+                0,
+            )
+            .expect("flush must back off");
         assert!(c.decode_cap_kbps.is_none());
     }
 
@@ -2082,38 +2218,14 @@ mod tests {
         let mut c = BitrateController::new(500_000);
         c.set_ceiling(900_000);
         let start = Instant::now();
-        for i in 0..4 {
+        let mut t = 0;
+        let knee = latch_knee(&mut c, start, &mut t);
+        // The host parks the session at the knee (an unsolicited re-target up to it — its
+        // clamp is authoritative).
+        c.on_ack(knee);
+        for _ in 0..CAP_REPROBE_WINDOWS_MIN {
             let _ = c.on_window(
-                ticks(start, i),
-                0,
-                0,
-                Some(10_000),
-                Some(8_000),
-                None,
-                2_000,
-                false,
-                0,
-            );
-        }
-        for i in [4, 6] {
-            let _ = c.on_window(
-                ticks(start, i),
-                0,
-                0,
-                Some(10_000),
-                Some(60_000),
-                None,
-                490_000,
-                false,
-                0,
-            );
-        }
-        assert_eq!(c.decode_cap_kbps, Some(500_000 - 500_000 / 16));
-        // The host's ack parks the session at the knee (its clamp is authoritative).
-        c.on_ack(500_000 - 500_000 / 16);
-        for i in 0..CAP_REPROBE_WINDOWS_MIN {
-            let _ = c.on_window(
-                ticks(start, 8 + i),
+                ticks(start, t),
                 0,
                 0,
                 Some(10_000),
@@ -2123,8 +2235,8 @@ mod tests {
                 false,
                 0,
             );
+            t += 1;
         }
-        let knee = 500_000 - 500_000 / 16;
         assert_eq!(c.decode_cap_kbps, Some(knee + knee / 8));
     }
 
@@ -2135,38 +2247,307 @@ mod tests {
         let mut c = BitrateController::new(500_000);
         c.set_ceiling(900_000);
         let start = Instant::now();
-        for i in 0..4 {
-            let _ = c.on_window(
-                ticks(start, i),
-                0,
-                0,
-                Some(10_000),
-                Some(8_000),
-                None,
-                2_000,
-                false,
-                0,
-            );
-        }
-        for i in [4, 6] {
-            let _ = c.on_window(
-                ticks(start, i),
-                0,
-                0,
-                Some(10_000),
-                Some(60_000),
-                None,
-                490_000,
-                false,
-                0,
-            );
-        }
-        assert_eq!(c.decode_cap_kbps, Some(500_000 - 500_000 / 16));
+        let mut t = 0;
+        let _ = latch_knee(&mut c, start, &mut t);
         c.on_mode_switch();
         assert!(c.decode_cap_kbps.is_none());
         assert_eq!(c.ceiling_kbps, 900_000);
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn ordinary_decode_bad_window_pairs_latch_the_knee_field_trace() {
+        // The 2026-08-03 780M field trace, numbers from the log. The knee's most common
+        // presentation is a standing ~26 ms decode rise — deep enough for the ordinary
+        // two-window backoff, below the 45 ms severe tier. Judging evidence from the deciding
+        // window alone read those backoffs as decode-free and RESET the knee streak each
+        // time; the session sawtoothed 220↔450 Mbps for its remaining minutes.
+        let mut c = BitrateController::new(20_000);
+        c.set_ceiling(657_788); // the log's probe ceiling
+        let start = Instant::now();
+        let mut t = 0;
+        for _ in 0..4 {
+            calm_window(&mut c, ticks(start, t));
+            t += 1;
+        }
+        // A single heavy-loss window ends slow start (as the field session's startup hitch
+        // did) so the climb below is the additive one the trace shows.
+        let _ = c.on_window(
+            ticks(start, t),
+            0,
+            HEAVY_LOSS_PPM,
+            Some(10_000),
+            Some(8_000),
+            None,
+            15_000,
+            false,
+            0,
+        );
+        t += 1;
+        // Choke #1 (00:35:56Z): flush + 40 ms decode at ~417 Mbps — evidence, first sample.
+        climb_to(&mut c, start, &mut t, 417_277);
+        let first = c.current_kbps;
+        t += 2;
+        let r1 = c
+            .on_window(
+                ticks(start, t),
+                0,
+                0,
+                Some(8_313),
+                Some(40_087),
+                None,
+                first,
+                true,
+                1,
+            )
+            .expect("flush choke must back off");
+        t += 1;
+        assert!(c.decode_cap_kbps.is_none());
+        assert_eq!(c.decode_backoff_kbps, first);
+        c.on_ack(r1);
+        // Choke #2 (00:36:32Z): TWO consecutive ~26 ms decode-bad windows at ~446 Mbps — the
+        // ordinary two-window path, no flush, nothing severe. This is the backoff the old
+        // evidence gate threw away.
+        climb_to(&mut c, start, &mut t, 440_000);
+        let second = c.current_kbps;
+        t += 2;
+        assert_eq!(
+            c.on_window(
+                ticks(start, t),
+                0,
+                0,
+                Some(6_877),
+                Some(26_474),
+                None,
+                second,
+                false,
+                0
+            ),
+            None,
+            "the first bad window must not decide"
+        );
+        t += 1;
+        assert_eq!(
+            c.on_window(
+                ticks(start, t),
+                0,
+                0,
+                Some(6_877),
+                Some(26_474),
+                None,
+                second,
+                false,
+                0
+            ),
+            Some(((second as u64 * 7 / 10) as u32).max(FLOOR_KBPS))
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            c.decode_cap_kbps,
+            Some(second - second / 16),
+            "two decode-bad windows are knee evidence"
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn cascade_backoffs_neither_sample_nor_erase_the_knee_reference() {
+        // Choke at the knee (reference set), the host acks the ×0.7 within ~100 ms, and the
+        // drain flushes → a second backoff fires at the REDUCED rate. That rate is one the
+        // decoder never choked at while keeping up — the old code overwrote the reference
+        // with it (and could never latch from a cascade at all: ×0.7 sits outside the ±1/8
+        // band by construction). A drain backoff must neither latch nor erase; the eventual
+        // re-climb's choke latches against the ORIGINAL sample.
+        let mut c = BitrateController::new(500_000);
+        c.set_ceiling(900_000);
+        let start = Instant::now();
+        let mut t = 0;
+        for _ in 0..4 {
+            calm_window(&mut c, ticks(start, t));
+            t += 1;
+        }
+        let r1 = choke(&mut c, start, &mut t).expect("knee choke must back off");
+        assert_eq!(c.decode_backoff_kbps, 500_000);
+        c.on_ack(r1);
+        t += 2;
+        let r2 = c
+            .on_window(
+                ticks(start, t),
+                0,
+                0,
+                Some(10_000),
+                Some(43_305),
+                None,
+                r1,
+                true,
+                1,
+            )
+            .expect("drain flush must back off");
+        t += 1;
+        assert!(
+            c.decode_cap_kbps.is_none(),
+            "a drain backoff must not latch"
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            c.decode_backoff_kbps, 500_000,
+            "…nor erase the knee reference"
+        );
+        c.on_ack(r2);
+        climb_to(&mut c, start, &mut t, 460_000);
+        let rate = c.current_kbps;
+        choke(&mut c, start, &mut t).expect("re-climb choke must back off");
+        assert_eq!(c.decode_cap_kbps, Some(rate - rate / 16));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn keyframe_storms_on_a_clean_link_latch_the_knee() {
+        // The Steam Deck presentation of the knee: an overdriven decoder that WEDGES instead
+        // of queueing — decode latency reads absent-to-flat while the client begs for
+        // keyframes with zero loss (the field traces: 14–19 asks at ~300 Mbps, loss_ppm=0).
+        // The asks are the decode evidence.
+        let mut c = BitrateController::new(300_000);
+        c.set_ceiling(900_000);
+        let start = Instant::now();
+        let mut t = 0;
+        for _ in 0..4 {
+            calm_window(&mut c, ticks(start, t));
+            t += 1;
+        }
+        t += 2;
+        let r1 = c
+            .on_window(
+                ticks(start, t),
+                0,
+                0,
+                Some(10_000),
+                None,
+                None,
+                300_000,
+                false,
+                RECOVERY_KF_SEVERE,
+            )
+            .expect("keyframe storm must back off");
+        t += 1;
+        assert!(c.decode_cap_kbps.is_none());
+        c.on_ack(r1);
+        climb_to(&mut c, start, &mut t, 280_000);
+        let rate = c.current_kbps;
+        t += 2;
+        let _ = c
+            .on_window(
+                ticks(start, t),
+                0,
+                0,
+                Some(10_000),
+                None,
+                None,
+                rate,
+                false,
+                RECOVERY_KF_SEVERE,
+            )
+            .expect("second storm must back off");
+        assert_eq!(c.decode_cap_kbps, Some(rate - rate / 16));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn keyframe_storms_with_real_loss_teach_no_knee() {
+        // The same storm WITH heavy loss is network-attributed (a lost reference forces
+        // recovery asks; loss_ppm already prices that path): it must not latch, and it must
+        // break the streak like any other non-decode backoff.
+        let mut c = BitrateController::new(300_000);
+        c.set_ceiling(900_000);
+        let start = Instant::now();
+        let mut t = 0;
+        for _ in 0..4 {
+            calm_window(&mut c, ticks(start, t));
+            t += 1;
+        }
+        t += 2;
+        let r1 = c
+            .on_window(
+                ticks(start, t),
+                0,
+                0,
+                Some(10_000),
+                None,
+                None,
+                300_000,
+                false,
+                RECOVERY_KF_SEVERE,
+            )
+            .expect("clean storm must back off");
+        t += 1;
+        assert_eq!(c.decode_backoff_kbps, 300_000);
+        c.on_ack(r1);
+        climb_to(&mut c, start, &mut t, 280_000);
+        t += 2;
+        let _ = c
+            .on_window(
+                ticks(start, t),
+                0,
+                SEVERE_LOSS_PPM,
+                Some(10_000),
+                None,
+                None,
+                c.current_kbps,
+                false,
+                RECOVERY_KF_SEVERE,
+            )
+            .expect("lossy storm must back off");
+        assert!(c.decode_cap_kbps.is_none());
+        assert_eq!(
+            c.decode_backoff_kbps, 0,
+            "a loss-attributed storm must reset the knee reference"
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn a_mixed_streak_without_decode_attribution_is_no_knee_evidence() {
+        // Two bad windows, only ONE decode-flagged (OWD carried the other): the backoff is
+        // not decode-attributed — the reference must reset, not sample.
+        let mut c = BitrateController::new(500_000);
+        c.set_ceiling(900_000);
+        let start = Instant::now();
+        let mut t = 0;
+        for _ in 0..4 {
+            calm_window(&mut c, ticks(start, t));
+            t += 1;
+        }
+        t += 2;
+        assert_eq!(
+            c.on_window(
+                ticks(start, t),
+                0,
+                0,
+                Some(40_000),
+                Some(8_000),
+                None,
+                490_000,
+                false,
+                0
+            ),
+            None,
+            "one OWD-bad window must not decide"
+        );
+        t += 1;
+        assert_eq!(
+            c.on_window(
+                ticks(start, t),
+                0,
+                0,
+                Some(10_000),
+                Some(26_000),
+                None,
+                490_000,
+                false,
+                0
+            ),
+            Some(350_000)
+        );
+        assert!(c.decode_cap_kbps.is_none());
+        assert_eq!(
+            c.decode_backoff_kbps, 0,
+            "a mixed-attribution backoff must reset the knee reference"
+        );
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn ack_silence_disables_the_controller() {
         let mut c = BitrateController::new(20_000);

crates/punktfunk-core/src/client/mod.rs

@@ -490,7 +490,13 @@ impl NativeClient {
                     video_codecs,
                     preferred_codec,
                     display_hdr,
-                    client_caps,
+                    // Redundant audio (`0xD2`) is advertised by CORE, not by the embedder: the
+                    // recovery happens on the demux side (`AudioRedRecovery` in the datagram
+                    // task) and re-inserts the rebuilt frame into the same queue, so every
+                    // embedder benefits without knowing the plane exists — and none of them can
+                    // forget to opt in. The bit is a pure "I can decode it"; the host still
+                    // decides whether to spend the extra ~1 %.
+                    client_caps: client_caps | crate::quic::CLIENT_CAP_AUDIO_RED,
                     frame_parts,
                     launch,
                     name,

crates/punktfunk-core/src/client/pump/control_task.rs

@@ -243,6 +243,38 @@ impl ControlTask {
                             seq: offer.seq,
                             kinds: offer.kinds,
                         });
+                    } else if let Ok(chg) = crate::quic::ShardPayloadChanged::decode(&msg) {
+                        // Mid-session shard renegotiation (design/shard-payload-reneg.md): the
+                        // host re-keys the sealed video geometry. Per-frame pinning means there
+                        // is nothing to re-key on the receive path — the reassembler follows
+                        // each frame's own header and every buffer is statically sized for the
+                        // ceiling — so the dispatch is validate + ack. The ack is telemetry for
+                        // a shrink and the GATE for a grow (the host emits nothing above the
+                        // old size until it lands). Validate against our own receive bounds —
+                        // the same ceiling we advertised in `Hello::max_shard_payload` — and
+                        // answer an out-of-bounds request with SILENCE, not an ack: a buggy
+                        // host must never read a granted grow out of garbage.
+                        let n = chg.shard_payload as usize;
+                        if (crate::config::MIN_SHARD_PAYLOAD..=crate::config::max_shard_payload())
+                            .contains(&n)
+                            && n % 2 == 0
+                        {
+                            tracing::info!(
+                                shard_payload = n,
+                                "host re-keyed the wire shard payload — acking"
+                            );
+                            let ack = crate::quic::ShardPayloadAck {
+                                shard_payload: chg.shard_payload,
+                            };
+                            if io::write_msg(&mut ctrl_send, &ack.encode()).await.is_err() {
+                                break;
+                            }
+                        } else {
+                            tracing::warn!(
+                                shard_payload = n,
+                                "out-of-bounds shard-payload change — ignoring (no ack)"
+                            );
+                        }
                     } else if let Ok(shape) = crate::quic::CursorShape::decode(&msg) {
                         // Pointer bitmap changed (cursor channel, only when negotiated). try_send:
                         // an overflowing ring drops the newest shape — the next change resends.

crates/punktfunk-core/src/client/pump/datagram_task.rs

@@ -23,6 +23,10 @@ pub(super) async fn run(
     // gate): a datagram the network reordered must not roll a stopped motor back on. Legacy v1
     // datagrams carry no seq and bypass it (an old host's own periodic re-send is the only heal).
     let mut rumble_last_seq: [Option<u8>; crate::input::MAX_PADS] = [None; crate::input::MAX_PADS];
+    // Redundant-audio-plane rebuild (`0xD2`). Recovery happens HERE rather than in the four
+    // client decoders: the recovered frame is re-inserted into this queue in order, so every
+    // embedder gets a complete stream without knowing the plane exists.
+    let mut audio_red = crate::audio::AudioRedRecovery::new();
     while let Ok(d) = conn.read_datagram().await {
         match d.first() {
             Some(&crate::quic::AUDIO_MAGIC) => {
@@ -34,6 +38,26 @@ pub(super) async fn run(
                     });
                 }
             }
+            Some(&crate::quic::AUDIO_RED_MAGIC) => {
+                if let Some((seq, pts_ns, opus, prev)) = crate::quic::decode_audio_red_datagram(&d)
+                {
+                    if audio_red.recover_before(seq, prev.is_some()) {
+                        // The copy is the frame BEFORE this one, so it carries the previous
+                        // sequence and presentation time — one protocol frame earlier.
+                        let _ = audio_tx.try_send(AudioPacket {
+                            seq: seq.wrapping_sub(1),
+                            pts_ns: pts_ns
+                                .saturating_sub(crate::audio::FRAME_MS as u64 * 1_000_000),
+                            data: prev.unwrap_or_default().to_vec(),
+                        });
+                    }
+                    let _ = audio_tx.try_send(AudioPacket {
+                        seq,
+                        pts_ns,
+                        data: opus.to_vec(),
+                    });
+                }
+            }
             Some(&crate::quic::RUMBLE_MAGIC) => {
                 if let Some(u) = crate::quic::decode_rumble_envelope(&d) {
                     // Gate v2 envelopes on their per-pad seq; forward v1 (envelope: None) as-is.

crates/punktfunk-core/src/client/pump/handshake.rs

@@ -156,6 +156,12 @@ pub(super) async fn connect_and_handshake(args: &WorkerArgs) -> Result<Handshake
                 // stop compositing the pointer, so only an embedder that actually renders the
                 // cursor locally may set it (the embedder decides, we pass through).
                 client_caps: args.client_caps,
+                // Unconditional like STREAMED_AU: the shared reassembler pins geometry
+                // per-frame and every receive buffer is sized from MAX_DATAGRAM_BYTES, so
+                // every embedder accepts a mid-session shard change up to this ceiling
+                // (design/shard-payload-reneg.md W0.3 — the host only renegotiates, and only
+                // grows to jumbo, when this advertises it).
+                max_shard_payload: crate::config::max_shard_payload() as u16,
             }
             .encode(),
         )

crates/punktfunk-core/src/config.rs

@@ -341,6 +341,88 @@ pub fn mtu1500_shard_payload_for(peer: core::net::IpAddr) -> usize {
     }
 }
 
+/// Floor for a negotiated `shard_payload` (even, well under every real path). A path whose UDP
+/// budget lands below this can't carry the QUIC control plane either (QUIC's own minimum is a
+/// 1200-byte UDP payload), so shrinking video shards further buys nothing — the clamp helpers
+/// bottom out here instead of producing degenerate confetti-sized shards.
+pub const MIN_SHARD_PAYLOAD: usize = 512;
+
+/// The sealed wire size of a video datagram carrying `shard_payload` bytes of shard — what
+/// actually leaves the socket as UDP payload (punktfunk header + shard + crypto overhead).
+pub const fn sealed_datagram_bytes(shard_payload: usize) -> usize {
+    HEADER_LEN + shard_payload + CRYPTO_OVERHEAD
+}
+
+/// The UDP-payload size a path must carry for full-size IPv4 video datagrams: the sealed size
+/// of the [`mtu1500_shard_payload`] default (= 1472, the exact 1500-MTU IPv4 ceiling). Doubles
+/// as the QUIC MTU-discovery probe ceiling (`quic/endpoint.rs`): with the ceiling set to
+/// exactly this value, a control connection whose discovery settles AT the ceiling has proven
+/// the path carries full-size video datagrams, and one that settles BELOW it has proven the
+/// path cannot — a discrimination quinn's stock 1452 ceiling can't make in either direction.
+pub const fn video_datagram_udp_ceiling() -> usize {
+    sealed_datagram_bytes(mtu1500_shard_payload())
+}
+
+/// Largest even shard payload whose sealed datagram fits in `udp_budget` bytes of UDP payload
+/// (the quantity QUIC MTU discovery measures — [`video_datagram_udp_ceiling`] is its probe
+/// ceiling). Clamped to the peer's family default ([`mtu1500_shard_payload_for`]) so a generous
+/// budget never grows packets past today's wire, and floored at [`MIN_SHARD_PAYLOAD`].
+pub fn shard_payload_for_udp_budget(udp_budget: usize, peer: core::net::IpAddr) -> usize {
+    let p = udp_budget.saturating_sub(HEADER_LEN + CRYPTO_OVERHEAD);
+    let p = p - p % 2; // FEC requires even shards
+    p.clamp(MIN_SHARD_PAYLOAD, mtu1500_shard_payload_for(peer))
+}
+
+/// The family's IP+UDP header bytes between an on-wire IP MTU and its UDP payload budget —
+/// 28 for IPv4 (and IPv4-mapped), 48 for IPv6.
+fn ip_udp_overhead(peer: core::net::IpAddr) -> usize {
+    match peer {
+        core::net::IpAddr::V4(_) => 28,
+        core::net::IpAddr::V6(v6) if v6.to_ipv4_mapped().is_some() => 28,
+        core::net::IpAddr::V6(_) => 48,
+    }
+}
+
+/// [`shard_payload_for_udp_budget`] for an operator-supplied ON-WIRE IP MTU (the number
+/// `netsh interface ipv4 show subinterfaces` / `ip link` shows): subtracts the family's IP+UDP
+/// headers first — 28 for IPv4 (and IPv4-mapped), 48 for IPv6.
+pub fn shard_payload_for_wire_mtu(wire_mtu: usize, peer: core::net::IpAddr) -> usize {
+    shard_payload_for_udp_budget(wire_mtu.saturating_sub(ip_udp_overhead(peer)), peer)
+}
+
+/// The operator's jumbo-frames opt-in (design/shard-payload-reneg.md Phase 2): the target
+/// on-wire IP MTU, or `None` = no opt-in (nothing above the 1500-default wire is ever probed
+/// or grown to). One knob, one code path: a `PUNKTFUNK_WIRE_MTU` above the standard 1500
+/// derives the target from the operator's number; `PUNKTFUNK_JUMBO=1` is the fixed 9000
+/// profile for operators who don't want to think in MTUs. Raising the wire above 1500 is
+/// only ever an ACK-GATED mid-session grow toward a client that advertised
+/// [`max_shard_payload`] headroom — sessions still START at the family default.
+pub fn jumbo_wire_mtu() -> Option<usize> {
+    if let Ok(v) = std::env::var("PUNKTFUNK_WIRE_MTU") {
+        if let Ok(mtu) = v.trim().parse::<usize>() {
+            if mtu > 1500 {
+                return Some(mtu);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    match std::env::var("PUNKTFUNK_JUMBO") {
+        Ok(v) if v.trim() == "1" => Some(9000),
+        _ => None,
+    }
+}
+
+/// The jumbo sibling of [`shard_payload_for_wire_mtu`]: the largest even shard payload whose
+/// sealed datagram fits `wire_mtu`, clamped to the RECEIVE ceiling ([`max_shard_payload`])
+/// instead of the family 1500-default — the up-leg's grow target. Still floored at
+/// [`MIN_SHARD_PAYLOAD`].
+pub fn jumbo_shard_payload_for(wire_mtu: usize, peer: core::net::IpAddr) -> usize {
+    let p = wire_mtu
+        .saturating_sub(ip_udp_overhead(peer))
+        .saturating_sub(HEADER_LEN + CRYPTO_OVERHEAD);
+    let p = p - p % 2; // FEC requires even shards
+    p.clamp(MIN_SHARD_PAYLOAD, max_shard_payload())
+}
+
 /// Everything needed to construct a [`Session`](crate::session::Session).
 ///
 /// `Debug` is implemented by hand to redact `key`/`salt`, and `key`/`salt` are zeroized
@@ -514,6 +596,97 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(HEADER_LEN + (p + 2) + CRYPTO_OVERHEAD > 1452, "not maximal");
     }
 
+    /// The video-datagram ceiling IS the exact v4 sealed size — the QUIC MTU-discovery probe
+    /// ceiling (endpoint.rs) relies on this equality for its settled-at-vs-below verdict.
+    #[test]
+    fn video_datagram_ceiling_is_the_sealed_default() {
+        assert_eq!(
+            video_datagram_udp_ceiling(),
+            HEADER_LEN + mtu1500_shard_payload() + CRYPTO_OVERHEAD
+        );
+        assert_eq!(video_datagram_udp_ceiling(), 1472);
+    }
+
+    /// Budget-derived sizing: even, sealed-fits-the-budget, clamped to the family default
+    /// above and [`MIN_SHARD_PAYLOAD`] below.
+    #[test]
+    fn shard_payload_for_udp_budget_math() {
+        use core::net::IpAddr;
+        let v4: IpAddr = "192.168.1.50".parse().unwrap();
+        let v6: IpAddr = "fd00::50".parse().unwrap();
+        // The full ceiling reproduces the default exactly.
+        assert_eq!(
+            shard_payload_for_udp_budget(video_datagram_udp_ceiling(), v4),
+            mtu1500_shard_payload()
+        );
+        // A WARP/Tailscale-shaped 1280 budget: sealed result must fit the budget, stay even.
+        let p = shard_payload_for_udp_budget(1280, v4);
+        assert_eq!(p % 2, 0);
+        assert!(sealed_datagram_bytes(p) <= 1280);
+        assert!(sealed_datagram_bytes(p + 2) > 1280, "not maximal");
+        // Odd budgets round down to even shards.
+        assert_eq!(shard_payload_for_udp_budget(1281, v4) % 2, 0);
+        // A generous budget never grows past the family default (either family).
+        assert_eq!(
+            shard_payload_for_udp_budget(9000, v4),
+            mtu1500_shard_payload()
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            shard_payload_for_udp_budget(9000, v6),
+            mtu1500_shard_payload_v6()
+        );
+        // Degenerate budgets bottom out at the floor instead of confetti.
+        assert_eq!(shard_payload_for_udp_budget(100, v4), MIN_SHARD_PAYLOAD);
+    }
+
+    /// Operator-facing wire-MTU sizing subtracts the right IP+UDP header per family, and 1500
+    /// reproduces today's defaults exactly.
+    #[test]
+    fn shard_payload_for_wire_mtu_math() {
+        use core::net::IpAddr;
+        let v4: IpAddr = "192.168.1.50".parse().unwrap();
+        let v6: IpAddr = "fd00::50".parse().unwrap();
+        let mapped: IpAddr = "::ffff:192.168.1.50".parse().unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(
+            shard_payload_for_wire_mtu(1500, v4),
+            mtu1500_shard_payload()
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            shard_payload_for_wire_mtu(1500, mapped),
+            mtu1500_shard_payload()
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            shard_payload_for_wire_mtu(1500, v6),
+            mtu1500_shard_payload_v6()
+        );
+        // 1280 wire − 28 − 64 = 1188 (v4); − 48 − 64 = 1168 (v6).
+        assert_eq!(shard_payload_for_wire_mtu(1280, v4), 1188);
+        assert_eq!(shard_payload_for_wire_mtu(1280, v6), 1168);
+    }
+
+    /// Jumbo grow-target sizing (the up-leg, design/shard-payload-reneg.md): even, sealed
+    /// fits the wire, clamped to the RECEIVE ceiling instead of the family 1500-default —
+    /// and the standard 9000 profile lands on the exact documented value.
+    #[test]
+    fn jumbo_shard_payload_math() {
+        use core::net::IpAddr;
+        let v4: IpAddr = "192.168.1.50".parse().unwrap();
+        let v6: IpAddr = "fd00::50".parse().unwrap();
+        // 9000 − 28 (IPv4+UDP) − 64 (header+crypto) = 8908 even; sealed 8972 ≤ the 9216
+        // datagram ceiling. The v6 sibling: 9000 − 48 − 64 = 8888.
+        assert_eq!(jumbo_shard_payload_for(9000, v4), 8908);
+        assert_eq!(sealed_datagram_bytes(8908), 8972);
+        assert!(sealed_datagram_bytes(8908) <= MAX_DATAGRAM_BYTES);
+        assert_eq!(jumbo_shard_payload_for(9000, v6), 8888);
+        // An operator MTU larger than the receive path clamps to the ceiling, smaller ones
+        // track the wire, and degenerate ones floor at MIN_SHARD_PAYLOAD.
+        assert_eq!(jumbo_shard_payload_for(64_000, v4), max_shard_payload());
+        let p = jumbo_shard_payload_for(4000, v4);
+        assert_eq!(p % 2, 0);
+        assert!(sealed_datagram_bytes(p) <= 4000 - 28);
+        assert_eq!(jumbo_shard_payload_for(100, v4), MIN_SHARD_PAYLOAD);
+    }
+
     /// Family selection: genuine v6 remotes get the v6 size; v4 — including the IPv4-mapped v6
     /// form a dual-stack `[::]` socket reports for a v4 client — keeps the v4 size.
     #[test]

crates/punktfunk-core/src/packet/header.rs

@@ -70,7 +70,17 @@ pub const CRYPTO_OVERHEAD: usize = 8 + crate::crypto::TAG_LEN;
 
 /// Largest UDP datagram the core will send or accept. `Config::validate` bounds
 /// `shard_payload` so `HEADER_LEN + shard_payload + CRYPTO_OVERHEAD ≤ MAX_DATAGRAM_BYTES`.
-pub const MAX_DATAGRAM_BYTES: usize = 2048;
+///
+/// Sized for **jumbo frames** (design/shard-payload-reneg.md W0.2): a 9000-MTU LAN carries
+/// ~8908-byte shards (sealed 8972-byte UDP payloads), and every receive path — the transport
+/// `RECV_BUF`, the session's `recvmmsg` ring — is sized from this constant, so a deployed
+/// client can accept a jumbo geometry the moment its host negotiates one. The ring cost is
+/// 128 × ~9 KiB ≈ 1.1 MiB per **client** session (lazily allocated on first poll; hosts never
+/// allocate it) — measured against the ~256 KiB it was at 2048, an acceptable static price
+/// for never having to resize buffers on a mid-session grow. Senders still derive their
+/// shard payload from the path MTU (`config::mtu1500_shard_payload*`, the wire-MTU clamps);
+/// this is the acceptance ceiling, not a transmit size.
+pub const MAX_DATAGRAM_BYTES: usize = 9216;
 
 /// Fixed per-packet header. `#[repr(C)]`, no padding, zero-copy (de)serializable.
 #[repr(C)]

crates/punktfunk-core/src/packet/packetize.rs

@@ -25,6 +25,10 @@ pub struct Packetizer {
     next_probe_index: u32,
     next_seq: u32,
     shard_payload: usize,
+    /// The negotiated frame-size cap — kept so a live shard-payload swap
+    /// ([`set_shard_payload`](Self::set_shard_payload)) can re-derive the per-frame block
+    /// ceilings from the same formulas construction used.
+    max_frame_bytes: usize,
     fec: crate::config::FecConfig,
     version: u8,
     /// Reusable zero-padded scratch for the frame's final data shard when the frame isn't an
@@ -47,10 +51,12 @@ pub struct Packetizer {
     /// where every packet of the block is dropped wholesale, the frame never completes, and the
     /// resulting loss pushes adaptive FEC *higher*. See the `recovery_for` clamp in `packetize_each`.
     max_total_shards: usize,
-    /// The peer's per-frame block ceiling, mirroring [`ReassemblerLimits::from_config`]'s
-    /// `max_blocks` — the streamed path's bound on how many sentinel blocks it may emit (a
-    /// streamed AU's size isn't known up front, so this is the only pre-emission guard against
-    /// producing a frame the receiver must reject).
+    /// The peer's per-frame block ceiling — the streamed path's bound on how many sentinel
+    /// blocks it may emit (a streamed AU's size isn't known up front, so this is the only
+    /// pre-emission guard against producing a frame the receiver must reject). The receiver
+    /// derives the same ceiling per packet from the packet's own `shard_bytes`
+    /// (`Reassembler::push` — geometry is per-frame), so this stays in step as long as it is
+    /// computed from the shard size this packetizer actually stamps.
     max_blocks: usize,
     /// The streamed path's block-count ceiling in SLICE mode ([`USER_FLAG_SLICE_STREAM`]) —
     /// variable-K blocks, floored at `min(MIN_STREAM_BLOCK_SHARDS, max_data_per_block)` shards.
@@ -105,15 +111,12 @@ impl StreamedAu {
 impl Packetizer {
     pub fn new(config: &Config) -> Self {
         let max_data = config.fec.max_data_per_block as usize;
-        let total_data_max = config
-            .max_frame_bytes
-            .div_ceil(config.shard_payload.max(1))
-            .max(1);
-        Packetizer {
+        let mut p = Packetizer {
             next_frame_index: 0,
             next_probe_index: 0,
             next_seq: 0,
             shard_payload: config.shard_payload,
+            max_frame_bytes: config.max_frame_bytes,
             fec: config.fec,
             version: config.phase as u8,
             tail: Vec::new(),
@@ -121,12 +124,37 @@ impl Packetizer {
             // Mirrors `ReassemblerLimits::from_config` — keep the two in step.
             max_total_shards: (max_data + config.fec.recovery_for(max_data))
                 .min(config.fec.scheme.max_total_shards()),
-            max_blocks: total_data_max.div_ceil(max_data).max(1),
-            // Every non-final SLICE block carries at least `min(MIN_STREAM_BLOCK_SHARDS, K)`
-            // data shards (the flush floor, clamped by the block size), so a max-size frame
-            // bounds the block count. Mirrors the receiver's slice firewall — keep in step.
-            slice_block_cap: total_data_max / MIN_STREAM_BLOCK_SHARDS.min(max_data.max(1)) + 2,
-        }
+            // Derived from the shard size below (single source of truth for the formulas).
+            max_blocks: 0,
+            slice_block_cap: 0,
+        };
+        p.set_shard_payload(config.shard_payload);
+        p
+    }
+
+    /// Live-swap the wire shard payload (mid-session shard renegotiation,
+    /// design/shard-payload-reneg.md Phase 1). Takes effect on the next packetized AU — call
+    /// ONLY between AUs, never with a [`StreamedAu`] in flight: an open streamed AU's
+    /// shard-aligned tiling derives from the size it began with, and re-keying under it would
+    /// corrupt the frame's layout. The per-frame block ceilings follow the new size here; the
+    /// receiver re-derives its side per packet from the header's own `shard_bytes` (geometry
+    /// is per-frame there), so the two stay in step by construction. Bounds are the caller's
+    /// contract — go through [`Session::set_shard_payload`](crate::session::Session::set_shard_payload),
+    /// which enforces the `Config::validate` rules.
+    pub fn set_shard_payload(&mut self, shard_payload: usize) {
+        let max_data = self.fec.max_data_per_block as usize;
+        let total_data_max = self.max_frame_bytes.div_ceil(shard_payload.max(1)).max(1);
+        self.shard_payload = shard_payload;
+        self.max_blocks = total_data_max.div_ceil(max_data).max(1);
+        // Every non-final SLICE block carries at least `min(MIN_STREAM_BLOCK_SHARDS, K)`
+        // data shards (the flush floor, clamped by the block size), so a max-size frame
+        // bounds the block count. Mirrors the receiver's slice firewall — keep in step.
+        self.slice_block_cap = total_data_max / MIN_STREAM_BLOCK_SHARDS.min(max_data.max(1)) + 2;
+    }
+
+    /// The wire shard payload AUs are currently packetized at.
+    pub fn shard_payload(&self) -> usize {
+        self.shard_payload
     }
 
     /// Allocate the next **probe-space** frame index (speed-test filler). A separate counter from

crates/punktfunk-core/src/packet/reassemble.rs

@@ -76,6 +76,12 @@ struct BlockState {
 }
 
 struct FrameBuf {
+    /// The frame's PINNED shard payload — set by its first-arriving packet (bounds-checked by
+    /// the firewall), matched by every later packet of the frame. Geometry is per-frame so a
+    /// mid-session `shard_payload` change (design/shard-payload-reneg.md) is safe on an
+    /// unordered wire: frames in flight complete under their own pin while new frames arrive
+    /// under the new one, and no cross-geometry splice can land in one buffer.
+    shard_bytes: usize,
     /// Exact AU size. 0 = unknown: the frame was opened by a streamed-AU SENTINEL packet
     /// ([`crate::quic::VIDEO_CAP_STREAMED_AU`]) and the final block's real totals haven't
     /// arrived yet — the frame can't complete before they do (and retro-validate).
@@ -105,16 +111,28 @@ struct FrameBuf {
 /// Per-session bounds the reassembler enforces on every packet header *before*
 /// allocating, so a hostile or corrupt header cannot drive unbounded memory use. All
 /// derived from the negotiated [`Config`].
+///
+/// Shard geometry is PER-FRAME, not per-session (mid-session shard-payload renegotiation,
+/// design/shard-payload-reneg.md W0.1): a frame's first-arriving packet pins the frame's
+/// `shard_bytes` within `[min_shard_bytes, max_shard_bytes]`, later packets must match the
+/// pin, and the per-frame block ceiling derives from the pinned size (a shrunk shard needs
+/// more blocks for the same bytes). The reorder race between an ordered control-stream
+/// geometry change and the unordered video datagrams is thereby killed structurally — every
+/// frame is wholly one geometry, whichever order its packets and the change arrive in.
 #[derive(Clone, Copy, Debug)]
 pub struct ReassemblerLimits {
-    /// Expected shard payload length; every shard in the stream must match exactly.
-    pub shard_bytes: usize,
+    /// Floor for a frame's pinned shard payload — [`crate::config::MIN_SHARD_PAYLOAD`] in
+    /// production (or the negotiated value when a session legitimately starts below it).
+    pub min_shard_bytes: usize,
+    /// Ceiling for a frame's pinned shard payload — what this receive path accepts and what
+    /// the client advertises in `Hello::max_shard_payload`
+    /// ([`crate::config::max_shard_payload`]): the transport recv buffers are sized for a
+    /// sealed datagram of exactly this shard size.
+    pub max_shard_bytes: usize,
     /// Max data shards per block (the negotiated `max_data_per_block`).
     pub max_data_shards: usize,
     /// Max total shards per block (data + recovery), capped by the FEC scheme ceiling.
     pub max_total_shards: usize,
-    /// Max FEC blocks per frame.
-    pub max_blocks: usize,
     /// Max accepted access-unit size.
     pub max_frame_bytes: usize,
 }
@@ -135,12 +153,13 @@ impl ReassemblerLimits {
         // snapshot of it.
         let max_total =
             (max_data + (max_data * 90).div_ceil(100)).min(c.fec.scheme.max_total_shards());
-        let total_data = c.max_frame_bytes.div_ceil(c.shard_payload.max(1)).max(1);
         ReassemblerLimits {
-            shard_bytes: c.shard_payload,
+            // `.min(c.shard_payload)`: never reject the session's own negotiated value — a
+            // hand-configured session below the production floor still reassembles itself.
+            min_shard_bytes: crate::config::MIN_SHARD_PAYLOAD.min(c.shard_payload),
+            max_shard_bytes: crate::config::max_shard_payload(),
             max_data_shards: max_data,
             max_total_shards: max_total,
-            max_blocks: total_data.div_ceil(max_data).max(1),
             max_frame_bytes: c.max_frame_bytes,
         }
     }
@@ -179,6 +198,9 @@ const IN_FLIGHT_BUF_FACTOR: usize = 4;
 
 /// Recovery-shard buffer pool ceiling (shard-sized buffers): enough for several max-recovery
 /// blocks in flight, small enough (~720 KB at a 1408-byte shard) to keep after a loss burst.
+/// Entries size themselves to the largest shard they ever held, so a jumbo session (opt-in,
+/// desktop-LAN — shards up to [`ReassemblerLimits::max_shard_bytes`]) retains proportionally
+/// more; it also needs ~6× fewer buffers per block, so the pool rarely fills there.
 const RECOVERY_POOL_MAX: usize = 512;
 
 /// Buffers incoming shards, recovers lost ones via FEC, and emits whole access units.
@@ -295,11 +317,16 @@ impl Reassembler {
         // Bound every attacker-controllable header field against the negotiated limits
         // BEFORE allocating anything keyed on it — this is the firewall against a tiny
         // datagram triggering a huge `vec![None; total]` / `Vec::with_capacity`.
+        // `shard_bytes` is bounds-checked (not equality-checked) because geometry is
+        // per-frame — the frame-pin check below is what rejects a size CHANGE mid-frame;
+        // the even requirement mirrors `Config::validate` (FEC requires even shards).
         let drop = |stats: &StatsCounters| {
             StatsCounters::add(&stats.packets_dropped, 1);
         };
         if hdr.magic != PUNKTFUNK_MAGIC
-            || shard_bytes != lim.shard_bytes
+            || shard_bytes < lim.min_shard_bytes
+            || shard_bytes > lim.max_shard_bytes
+            || shard_bytes % 2 != 0
             || pkt.len() < HEADER_LEN + shard_bytes
             || data_shards == 0
             || data_shards > lim.max_data_shards
@@ -330,6 +357,11 @@ impl Reassembler {
         // later pin — the maximum the negotiated limits allow (the design's "allocate at
         // max_frame_bytes"; the existing in-flight budget bounds the amplification).
         let total_data_max = lim.max_frame_bytes.div_ceil(shard_bytes).max(1);
+        // The per-frame FEC-block ceiling under THIS packet's shard size (geometry is
+        // per-frame: a shrunk shard needs more blocks for the same bytes, so a session-level
+        // cap from the negotiated size would reject legitimate post-shrink frames). Mirrors
+        // the sender's `Packetizer::new` for whatever size it currently packetizes at.
+        let max_blocks = total_data_max.div_ceil(lim.max_data_shards).max(1);
         // The slice pipeline's per-frame block ceiling: every non-final slice block carries at
         // least `min(MIN_STREAM_BLOCK_SHARDS, max_data_per_block)` data shards (the sender's
         // flush floor, clamped by the block size), so a max-size frame bounds the block count
@@ -350,9 +382,7 @@ impl Reassembler {
                 return Ok(None);
             }
         } else if sentinel {
-            if frame_bytes != 0
-                || data_shards != lim.max_data_shards
-                || block_idx + 1 >= lim.max_blocks
+            if frame_bytes != 0 || data_shards != lim.max_data_shards || block_idx + 1 >= max_blocks
             {
                 drop(stats);
                 return Ok(None);
@@ -361,7 +391,7 @@ impl Reassembler {
             let block_cap = if slice_stream {
                 slice_block_cap
             } else {
-                lim.max_blocks
+                max_blocks
             };
             if block_count > block_cap || block_idx >= block_count {
                 drop(stats);
@@ -513,6 +543,7 @@ impl Reassembler {
                 }
                 *in_flight_bytes += buf_len;
                 e.insert(FrameBuf {
+                    shard_bytes,
                     // A slice-stream sentinel's `frame_bytes` is its block's BASE offset, not a
                     // frame size — the unpinned marker stays 0 until the final block's totals.
                     frame_bytes: if sentinel { 0 } else { frame_bytes },
@@ -527,6 +558,15 @@ impl Reassembler {
                 })
             }
         };
+        // Per-frame geometry pin: the frame's first packet pinned its shard size; a later
+        // packet claiming a different (even in-bounds) size is dropped — otherwise two
+        // geometries would compute different offsets into one buffer (a splice). This is
+        // also what makes a mid-session `shard_payload` change safe against reorder: a
+        // straggler of the old geometry can only ever land in ITS OWN frame's buffer.
+        if frame.shard_bytes != shard_bytes {
+            drop(stats);
+            return Ok(None);
+        }
         // The slice marker must be frame-consistent: a mixed frame would firewall under one
         // placement rule and place under the other. The per-packet checks above and the
         // placement bounds guard below stay memory-safe without this — it's the tighter drop.
@@ -883,6 +923,16 @@ impl Reassembler {
         // jump-to-live, exactly the stale content the flush existed to discard.
         self.pending_partial = None;
     }
+
+    /// Test-only: the current in-flight frame-buffer byte commitment (see
+    /// [`IN_FLIGHT_BUF_FACTOR`]). The mixed-geometry budget tests assert it returns to
+    /// exactly zero once every frame has terminated — the 0.23.0 lesson: geometry changes
+    /// breed sizing bugs, and accounting drift here surfaces in the field as a permanent
+    /// loss storm once the budget wedges.
+    #[cfg(test)]
+    pub(crate) fn in_flight(&self) -> usize {
+        self.in_flight_bytes
+    }
 }
 
 /// The data shards of a terminating frame that only exist because parity restored them
@@ -1024,10 +1074,10 @@ mod reset_tests {
     #[test]
     fn reset_drops_a_parked_partial() {
         let mut r = Reassembler::new(ReassemblerLimits {
-            shard_bytes: 64,
+            min_shard_bytes: 64,
+            max_shard_bytes: 64,
             max_data_shards: 8,
             max_total_shards: 16,
-            max_blocks: 4,
             max_frame_bytes: 4096,
         });
         r.pending_partial = Some(Frame {

crates/punktfunk-core/src/packet/tests.rs

@@ -7,11 +7,14 @@ use crate::stats::StatsCounters;
 use zerocopy::{FromBytes, IntoBytes};
 
 fn limits() -> ReassemblerLimits {
+    // `min == max` pins the whole stream to 16-byte shards — the strictest geometry, so the
+    // firewall tests below exercise the bounds checks; per-frame-pinning tests build their own
+    // limits with a real range. Derived per-frame block ceiling: 4096/16 = 256 shards → 32.
     ReassemblerLimits {
-        shard_bytes: 16,
+        min_shard_bytes: 16,
+        max_shard_bytes: 16,
         max_data_shards: 8,
         max_total_shards: 12,
-        max_blocks: 4,
         max_frame_bytes: 4096,
     }
 }
@@ -840,7 +843,7 @@ fn streamed_sentinel_firewall_bounds() {
         .unwrap()
         .is_none());
     // Sits on the last block the limits allow (no room for the final block after it).
-    let h = sentinel(|h| h.block_index = 3); // limits().max_blocks == 4
+    let h = sentinel(|h| h.block_index = 31); // derived max_blocks == 32 (see `limits()`)
     assert!(r
         .push(&packet(h), coder.as_ref(), &stats)
         .unwrap()
@@ -1769,3 +1772,408 @@ fn slice_streamed_in_flight_budget_matches_legacy() {
         );
     }
 }
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Per-frame shard geometry (mid-session shard-payload renegotiation — W0.1,
+// design/shard-payload-reneg.md). The 0.23.0 lesson applies in full: geometry
+// changes breed sizing bugs, so the slice/sentinel suite re-runs at every
+// production shard size and mixed-geometry streams are tortured under reorder.
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+/// The shard sizes the renegotiation actually moves between: the clamp floor (512), a
+/// WARP/Tailscale-shaped 1280-MTU path (1216), the 1500-MTU default (1408), and 9000-MTU
+/// jumbo (8908 — sealed 8972, inside [`MAX_DATAGRAM_BYTES`]).
+const PRODUCTION_SHARDS: [usize; 4] = [512, 1216, 1408, 8908];
+
+/// [`prod_slice_config`] at an arbitrary shard payload.
+fn geo_config(shard_payload: usize) -> Config {
+    let mut c = prod_slice_config();
+    c.shard_payload = shard_payload;
+    c.validate().expect("geometry config must be valid");
+    c
+}
+
+/// Packetize one legacy AU at the packetizer's CURRENT shard payload with an explicit
+/// frame index, returning wire packets + source bytes.
+fn legacy_packets_with(
+    pk: &mut Packetizer,
+    frame_index: u32,
+    pts_ns: u64,
+    len: usize,
+    coder: &dyn crate::fec::ErasureCoder,
+) -> (Vec<Vec<u8>>, Vec<u8>) {
+    let src: Vec<u8> = (0..len)
+        .map(|i| (i * 131 + frame_index as usize * 7 + 3) as u8)
+        .collect();
+    let mut pkts: Vec<Vec<u8>> = Vec::new();
+    pk.packetize_each(&src, pts_ns, 0, Some(frame_index), coder, |h, b| {
+        let mut p = Vec::with_capacity(HEADER_LEN + b.len());
+        p.extend_from_slice(h.as_bytes());
+        p.extend_from_slice(b);
+        pkts.push(p);
+        Ok(())
+    })
+    .unwrap();
+    (pkts, src)
+}
+
+/// The slice-wire regression suite re-run at every production shard size (the design's
+/// non-negotiable verification): the exact-multiple sweep (the 0.23.0 filler-shard bug
+/// shape), lossy + reversed slice roundtrips, the legacy-streamed sentinel path, and the
+/// in-flight budget — each asserting DELIVERED byte-identical frames, never just an
+/// absence of errors.
+#[test]
+fn slice_wire_suite_at_production_shard_sizes() {
+    let coder = coder_for(FecScheme::Gf16);
+    for &shard in &PRODUCTION_SHARDS {
+        let cfg = geo_config(shard);
+
+        // Exact-shard-multiple AUs + the off-by-one sweep around one of them.
+        for shards in [16usize, 30, 64] {
+            for extra in 0..3usize {
+                let n = shards * shard + extra;
+                let (pkts, src) = streamed_packets_with(&cfg, 1, 1000, true, &[n]);
+                let mut r = Reassembler::new(ReassemblerLimits::from_config(&cfg));
+                let stats = StatsCounters::default();
+                let f = push_all(&mut r, coder.as_ref(), &stats, &pkts)
+                    .unwrap_or_else(|| panic!("shard {shard}: {n}-byte slice AU must complete"));
+                assert_eq!(
+                    f.data, src,
+                    "shard {shard}: {n}-byte AU must be byte-identical"
+                );
+                assert_eq!(
+                    r.in_flight(),
+                    0,
+                    "shard {shard}: budget must return to zero"
+                );
+            }
+        }
+
+        // A multi-slice AU under loss (one data shard of the first flushed block — within
+        // its ≥ 20% parity) in both delivery orders. Reversed is the critical order: the
+        // final block's totals arrive first and every sentinel validates against the pin.
+        for reverse in [false, true] {
+            let chunks = [20 * shard + 13, 7 * shard + 1, 17 * shard];
+            let (pkts, src) = streamed_packets_with(&cfg, 2, 2000, true, &chunks);
+            let killed = pkts
+                .iter()
+                .position(|p| {
+                    let h = PacketHeader::read_from_bytes(&p[..HEADER_LEN]).unwrap();
+                    h.shard_index < h.data_shards && h.recovery_shards >= 1
+                })
+                .expect("suite frame must have a recoverable data shard");
+            let mut delivery: Vec<Vec<u8>> = pkts
+                .iter()
+                .enumerate()
+                .filter(|(i, _)| *i != killed)
+                .map(|(_, p)| p.clone())
+                .collect();
+            if reverse {
+                delivery.reverse();
+            }
+            let mut r = Reassembler::new(ReassemblerLimits::from_config(&cfg));
+            let stats = StatsCounters::default();
+            let f = push_all(&mut r, coder.as_ref(), &stats, &delivery).unwrap_or_else(|| {
+                panic!("shard {shard} reverse={reverse}: lossy slice AU must complete")
+            });
+            assert_eq!(f.data, src, "shard {shard} reverse={reverse}");
+            assert_eq!(r.in_flight(), 0);
+        }
+
+        // Legacy-streamed (uniform full-K sentinel) path: one AU spanning a sentinel block
+        // (K = 200) plus a final block.
+        {
+            let (pkts, src) = streamed_packets_with(&cfg, 3, 3000, false, &[230 * shard]);
+            let mut r = Reassembler::new(ReassemblerLimits::from_config(&cfg));
+            let stats = StatsCounters::default();
+            let f = push_all(&mut r, coder.as_ref(), &stats, &pkts)
+                .unwrap_or_else(|| panic!("shard {shard}: legacy-streamed AU must complete"));
+            assert_eq!(f.data, src);
+            assert_eq!(r.in_flight(), 0);
+        }
+
+        // The budget regression at this size: 12 ordinary AUs opened concurrently, no drops.
+        for slice in [false, true] {
+            let mut r = Reassembler::new(ReassemblerLimits::from_config(&cfg));
+            let stats = StatsCounters::default();
+            for i in 0..12u32 {
+                let (pkts, _) =
+                    streamed_packets_with(&cfg, i, 1_000_000 * i as u64, slice, &[40_000]);
+                r.push(&pkts[0], coder.as_ref(), &stats).unwrap();
+            }
+            assert_eq!(
+                stats
+                    .packets_dropped
+                    .load(std::sync::atomic::Ordering::Relaxed),
+                0,
+                "shard {shard} slice={slice}: 12 AUs in flight must fit the budget"
+            );
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+/// One packetizer, one reassembler, one continuous stream — the shard payload swapped
+/// live between AUs ([`Packetizer::set_shard_payload`], the Phase 1 host seam): every
+/// frame across shrink → grow-to-jumbo → shrink-again delivers byte-identically under its
+/// own per-frame pin, and the budget returns to zero.
+#[test]
+fn mid_stream_shard_swap_delivers_every_frame() {
+    let cfg = geo_config(1408);
+    let coder = coder_for(FecScheme::Gf16);
+    let mut pk = Packetizer::new(&cfg);
+    let mut r = Reassembler::new(ReassemblerLimits::from_config(&cfg));
+    let stats = StatsCounters::default();
+
+    // (shard size to swap to, AU length) — swaps happen between AUs, as Phase 1 will.
+    let schedule = [
+        (1408usize, 3 * 1408 + 100),
+        (1408, 9 * 1408),
+        (512, 5 * 512 + 17), // shrink (the VPN heal)
+        (512, 512),
+        (8908, 12 * 8908 + 1), // grow (jumbo)
+        (1216, 4 * 1216 + 9),  // revert (a mis-proven jumbo hop self-corrects)
+    ];
+    for (i, &(shard, len)) in schedule.iter().enumerate() {
+        pk.set_shard_payload(shard);
+        let pts = 1_000_000 * (i as u64 + 1);
+        let (pkts, src) = legacy_packets_with(&mut pk, i as u32, pts, len, coder.as_ref());
+        for p in &pkts {
+            let h = PacketHeader::read_from_bytes(&p[..HEADER_LEN]).unwrap();
+            assert_eq!(
+                h.shard_bytes as usize, shard,
+                "sender must stamp the live size"
+            );
+        }
+        let f = push_all(&mut r, coder.as_ref(), &stats, &pkts)
+            .unwrap_or_else(|| panic!("frame {i} at shard {shard} must complete"));
+        assert_eq!(
+            f.data, src,
+            "frame {i} at shard {shard} must be byte-identical"
+        );
+        assert!(f.complete);
+    }
+    assert_eq!(
+        r.in_flight(),
+        0,
+        "budget must be exact across geometry swaps"
+    );
+    assert_eq!(stats.snapshot().frames_dropped, 0);
+}
+
+/// The reorder race the design kills structurally: an old-geometry frame still in flight
+/// when new-geometry frames start arriving completes under its OWN pin — its straggler
+/// lands in its own buffer, not the new geometry's.
+#[test]
+fn old_geometry_frame_completes_after_new_geometry_arrived() {
+    let cfg = geo_config(1408);
+    let coder = coder_for(FecScheme::Gf16);
+    let mut pk = Packetizer::new(&cfg);
+    let mut r = Reassembler::new(ReassemblerLimits::from_config(&cfg));
+    let stats = StatsCounters::default();
+
+    // Frame 0 at 1408: 7 data shards + 2 parity (20% FEC), data-first wire order. Withhold
+    // THREE data shards — more than parity can bridge — so the frame genuinely stays
+    // incomplete until a straggler returns (fewer, and FEC would complete it early).
+    let (pkts0, src0) = legacy_packets_with(&mut pk, 0, 1_000_000, 6 * 1408 + 50, coder.as_ref());
+    assert_eq!(
+        pkts0.len(),
+        9,
+        "expected geometry changed — update the split"
+    );
+    let head: Vec<Vec<u8>> = pkts0[..4].iter().chain(&pkts0[7..]).cloned().collect();
+    let straggler = &pkts0[4];
+    assert!(
+        push_all(&mut r, coder.as_ref(), &stats, &head).is_none(),
+        "frame 0 must still be incomplete"
+    );
+
+    // The stream re-keys to 512: frames 1..=2 arrive whole and deliver.
+    pk.set_shard_payload(512);
+    for i in 1..=2u32 {
+        let pts = 1_000_000 + 1_000_000 * i as u64;
+        let (pkts, src) = legacy_packets_with(&mut pk, i, pts, 3 * 512 + 7, coder.as_ref());
+        let f = push_all(&mut r, coder.as_ref(), &stats, &pkts).expect("new-geometry frame");
+        assert_eq!(f.data, src);
+    }
+
+    // Frame 0's old-geometry straggler arrives last — the frame completes byte-identically.
+    let f = r
+        .push(straggler, coder.as_ref(), &stats)
+        .unwrap()
+        .expect("old-geometry frame must complete under its own pin");
+    assert_eq!(f.data, src0);
+    assert_eq!(f.frame_index, 0);
+    assert_eq!(r.in_flight(), 0);
+    assert_eq!(stats.snapshot().frames_dropped, 0);
+}
+
+/// The anti-splice pin: a packet claiming a DIFFERENT (but in-bounds) shard size for an
+/// already-pinned frame is dropped — and the frame still completes from its real packets.
+#[test]
+fn cross_geometry_packet_for_a_pinned_frame_is_dropped() {
+    let cfg = geo_config(1408);
+    let coder = coder_for(FecScheme::Gf16);
+    let mut r = Reassembler::new(ReassemblerLimits::from_config(&cfg));
+    let stats = StatsCounters::default();
+
+    let mut pk_a = Packetizer::new(&geo_config(1408));
+    let mut pk_b = Packetizer::new(&geo_config(1216));
+    let (pkts, src) = legacy_packets_with(&mut pk_a, 0, 1_000_000, 5 * 1408 + 9, coder.as_ref());
+    // The impostor: the same frame index packetized at 1216 — self-consistent (it passes
+    // the firewall standalone), wrong for THIS frame's pin.
+    let (impostor, _) = legacy_packets_with(&mut pk_b, 0, 1_000_000, 5 * 1216, coder.as_ref());
+
+    assert!(r.push(&pkts[0], coder.as_ref(), &stats).unwrap().is_none());
+    let before = stats.snapshot().packets_dropped;
+    assert!(r
+        .push(&impostor[1], coder.as_ref(), &stats)
+        .unwrap()
+        .is_none());
+    assert_eq!(
+        stats.snapshot().packets_dropped,
+        before + 1,
+        "cross-geometry packet must be dropped by the frame pin"
+    );
+    let f = push_all(&mut r, coder.as_ref(), &stats, &pkts[1..])
+        .expect("the pinned frame must still complete from its real packets");
+    assert_eq!(f.data, src, "no impostor bytes may reach the frame");
+}
+
+/// The firewall bounds on a frame's pinned size: below the floor, above the receive
+/// ceiling, or odd ⇒ dropped before any allocation; the exact floor and ceiling are
+/// accepted AND deliver (proving the rejections aren't vacuous).
+#[test]
+fn shard_size_firewall_bounds() {
+    let cfg = geo_config(1408);
+    let lim = ReassemblerLimits::from_config(&cfg);
+    assert_eq!(lim.min_shard_bytes, crate::config::MIN_SHARD_PAYLOAD);
+    assert_eq!(lim.max_shard_bytes, crate::config::max_shard_payload());
+    let coder = coder_for(FecScheme::Gf16);
+    let mut r = Reassembler::new(lim);
+    let stats = StatsCounters::default();
+
+    let single = |shard: usize, frame_index: u32| {
+        let mut h = base_header();
+        h.frame_index = frame_index;
+        h.shard_bytes = shard as u16;
+        h.frame_bytes = shard as u32;
+        h
+    };
+    // Below the floor (even), above the ceiling (even), odd within bounds: all dropped.
+    for (i, shard) in [510usize, 9154, 1409].into_iter().enumerate() {
+        let before = stats.snapshot().packets_dropped;
+        assert!(r
+            .push(&packet(single(shard, i as u32)), coder.as_ref(), &stats)
+            .unwrap()
+            .is_none());
+        assert_eq!(
+            stats.snapshot().packets_dropped,
+            before + 1,
+            "shard {shard} must be firewalled"
+        );
+    }
+    // The exact bounds deliver whole single-shard frames.
+    for (i, shard) in [
+        crate::config::MIN_SHARD_PAYLOAD,
+        crate::config::max_shard_payload(),
+    ]
+    .into_iter()
+    .enumerate()
+    {
+        let f = r
+            .push(
+                &packet(single(shard, 10 + i as u32)),
+                coder.as_ref(),
+                &stats,
+            )
+            .unwrap()
+            .unwrap_or_else(|| panic!("boundary shard {shard} must deliver"));
+        assert_eq!(f.data.len(), shard);
+    }
+}
+
+mod geometry_proptests {
+    use super::*;
+    use proptest::prelude::*;
+
+    /// One generated frame: shard size, slice-vs-legacy wire, size factor, and whether to
+    /// kill one recoverable data shard.
+    type GenFrame = (usize, bool, usize, bool);
+
+    fn frame_strategy() -> impl Strategy<Value = GenFrame> {
+        (
+            proptest::sample::select(&PRODUCTION_SHARDS[..]),
+            any::<bool>(),
+            1usize..30,
+            any::<bool>(),
+        )
+    }
+
+    proptest! {
+        #![proptest_config(ProptestConfig::with_cases(48))]
+
+        /// Mixed-geometry reorder torture: frames of DIFFERENT shard sizes and wire shapes
+        /// interleaved into one shuffled delivery, with per-frame recoverable loss — every
+        /// frame must deliver byte-identically and the in-flight budget must return to
+        /// exactly zero (the 0.23.0 budget-drift shape, now across geometries).
+        #[test]
+        fn mixed_geometry_reorder_torture(
+            frames in proptest::collection::vec(frame_strategy(), 2..6),
+            seed in any::<u64>(),
+        ) {
+            let coder = coder_for(FecScheme::Gf16);
+            let mut r = Reassembler::new(ReassemblerLimits::from_config(&geo_config(1408)));
+            let stats = StatsCounters::default();
+
+            let mut all: Vec<(u64, u32, Vec<u8>)> = Vec::new(); // (shuffle key, frame, pkt)
+            let mut sources: Vec<(u32, Vec<u8>)> = Vec::new();
+            for (i, &(shard, slice, factor, kill)) in frames.iter().enumerate() {
+                let cfg = geo_config(shard);
+                let pts = 1_000_000 * (i as u64 + 1);
+                let len = factor * shard + (factor % shard.min(7));
+                let (mut pkts, src) = if slice {
+                    streamed_packets_with(&cfg, i as u32, pts, true, &[len.max(1)])
+                } else {
+                    let mut pk = Packetizer::new(&cfg);
+                    legacy_packets_with(&mut pk, i as u32, pts, len.max(1), coder.as_ref())
+                };
+                if kill {
+                    if let Some(k) = pkts.iter().position(|p| {
+                        let h = PacketHeader::read_from_bytes(&p[..HEADER_LEN]).unwrap();
+                        h.shard_index < h.data_shards && h.recovery_shards >= 1
+                    }) {
+                        pkts.remove(k);
+                    }
+                }
+                for (j, p) in pkts.into_iter().enumerate() {
+                    // Deterministic pseudo-shuffle key: interleaves frames and reorders
+                    // within a frame, differently per proptest case.
+                    let key = (seed | 1)
+                        .wrapping_mul(j as u64 + 1)
+                        .wrapping_add((i as u64) << 17)
+                        .rotate_left((j % 61) as u32);
+                    all.push((key, i as u32, p));
+                }
+                sources.push((i as u32, src));
+            }
+            all.sort_by_key(|(k, _, _)| *k);
+
+            let mut delivered: std::collections::HashMap<u32, Vec<u8>> =
+                std::collections::HashMap::new();
+            for (_, _, p) in &all {
+                if let Some(f) = r.push(p, coder.as_ref(), &stats).unwrap() {
+                    prop_assert!(f.complete);
+                    prop_assert!(delivered.insert(f.frame_index, f.data).is_none(),
+                        "a frame must deliver exactly once");
+                }
+            }
+            for (i, src) in &sources {
+                let got = delivered.get(i);
+                prop_assert!(got.is_some(), "frame {i} must be DELIVERED, not merely error-free");
+                prop_assert_eq!(got.unwrap(), src, "frame {} must be byte-identical", i);
+            }
+            prop_assert_eq!(r.in_flight(), 0, "budget must be exact after all frames terminate");
+            prop_assert_eq!(stats.snapshot().frames_dropped, 0u64);
+        }
+    }
+}

crates/punktfunk-core/src/quic/caps.rs

@@ -111,6 +111,17 @@ pub const CLIENT_CAP_CURSOR: u8 = 0x01;
 /// simply ignored — no behavior change in either direction.
 pub const CLIENT_CAP_PHASE_LOCK: u8 = 0x02;
 
+/// `Hello.client_caps` bit: this client can decode the redundant desktop-audio plane
+/// ([`AUDIO_RED_MAGIC`](super::datagram::AUDIO_RED_MAGIC), `0xD2`), where every datagram also
+/// carries a copy of the previous frame so a single lost packet is reconstructed instead of
+/// papered over with packet-loss concealment.
+///
+/// Active only when the host answers with [`HOST_CAP_AUDIO_RED`] (capable-and-agreed, the
+/// cursor/clipboard precedent). Toward an older host, or a host that declines because the link is
+/// clean, the client keeps receiving the plain `0xC9` plane — so a client may always set this bit.
+/// `0x04` — `0x01`/`0x02` are cursor / phase-lock.
+pub const CLIENT_CAP_AUDIO_RED: u8 = 0x04;
+
 /// [`Welcome::host_caps`] bit: the host CAN forward the cursor out-of-band (it captures cursor
 /// metadata separately from the frame — the Linux portal `SPA_META_Cursor` path; NOT gamescope,
 /// whose capture carries no cursor, and NOT Windows yet, where DWM composites into the IDD
@@ -132,6 +143,18 @@ pub const HOST_CAP_CURSOR: u8 = 0x08;
 /// [`HOST_CAP_TEXT_INPUT`], `0x01`/`0x02` are gamepad-state / clipboard.
 pub const HOST_CAP_PEN: u8 = 0x10;
 
+/// [`Welcome::host_caps`] bit: the host is sending the REDUNDANT desktop-audio plane
+/// ([`AUDIO_RED_MAGIC`](super::datagram::AUDIO_RED_MAGIC), `0xD2`) instead of plain `0xC9` — each
+/// datagram carries its own frame plus a copy of the previous one.
+///
+/// Set only when the client asked via [`CLIENT_CAP_AUDIO_RED`]. It is a statement about the WIRE,
+/// not a negotiation the client can decline: with the bit set the client must decode `0xD2`, and
+/// without it `0xC9`. The host may also drop back to `0xC9` mid-session (the redundancy is
+/// loss-gated — a clean LAN shouldn't pay for it), which is why clients decode BOTH tags
+/// unconditionally and treat this bit as "expect redundancy", not "only redundancy".
+/// `0x20` — `0x10` is [`HOST_CAP_PEN`], `0x08` is [`HOST_CAP_CURSOR`].
+pub const HOST_CAP_AUDIO_RED: u8 = 0x20;
+
 /// [`Hello::video_codecs`] bit: the client can decode H.264 / AVC. The GPU-less **software**
 /// encode path (openh264) emits H.264, so a client that wants to stream from a software host MUST
 /// advertise this.

crates/punktfunk-core/src/quic/control.rs

@@ -55,6 +55,36 @@ pub struct RfiRequest {
     pub last_frame: u32,
 }
 
+/// `host → client`, any time after [`Start`]: the video data plane's sealed shard payload
+/// changes mid-session (design/shard-payload-reneg.md Phase 1). Sent ONLY to a client whose
+/// [`Hello::max_shard_payload`] advertised per-frame geometry (0/absent = legacy — the host
+/// must never send this), and never above that advertised ceiling. Asymmetric semantics:
+///
+/// - **Shrink** (the mid-session MTU heal): the host may re-key its packetizer at the next
+///   AU boundary immediately after sending — per-frame pinning on the client makes the
+///   control-vs-datagram reorder race irrelevant and a smaller shard always fits existing
+///   buffers. The [`ShardPayloadAck`] is telemetry.
+/// - **Grow** (jumbo): the host must not emit a single sealed datagram above the OLD size
+///   until the ack arrives — the ack IS the gate, even when the client's buffers would
+///   happen to fit (the rule must not erode if the buffer strategy changes later).
+///
+/// No `effective_frame_index`: per-frame pinning makes it redundant — every video packet
+/// carries its own `shard_bytes` and the receiver follows each frame's pin.
+#[derive(Clone, Copy, Debug, PartialEq, Eq)]
+pub struct ShardPayloadChanged {
+    /// The new sealed shard payload in bytes (even, within the client's advertised bounds).
+    pub shard_payload: u16,
+}
+
+/// `client → host`: answer to [`ShardPayloadChanged`] — echoes the value the client applied.
+/// Only sent for an in-bounds request; an out-of-bounds one is dropped WITHOUT an ack (a
+/// buggy host must not read silence-then-garbage as a granted grow). The host treats the
+/// echoed value as the grant for a pending grow.
+#[derive(Clone, Copy, Debug, PartialEq, Eq)]
+pub struct ShardPayloadAck {
+    pub shard_payload: u16,
+}
+
 /// `client → host`, periodic: the client's observed data-plane loss, so the host can size FEC to
 /// the link instead of a flat percentage (adaptive FEC). `loss_ppm` is parts-per-million of shards
 /// that arrived missing-but-recovered (plus a bump when frames went unrecoverable) over the report
@@ -200,6 +230,10 @@ pub const MSG_SET_BITRATE: u8 = 0x05;
 pub const MSG_BITRATE_CHANGED: u8 = 0x06;
 /// Type byte of [`RfiRequest`].
 pub const MSG_RFI_REQUEST: u8 = 0x07;
+/// Type byte of [`ShardPayloadChanged`].
+pub const MSG_SHARD_PAYLOAD_CHANGED: u8 = 0x08;
+/// Type byte of [`ShardPayloadAck`].
+pub const MSG_SHARD_PAYLOAD_ACK: u8 = 0x09;
 /// Type byte of [`ProbeRequest`].
 pub const MSG_PROBE_REQUEST: u8 = 0x20;
 /// Type byte of [`ProbeResult`].
@@ -306,6 +340,46 @@ impl RfiRequest {
     }
 }
 
+impl ShardPayloadChanged {
+    pub fn encode(&self) -> Vec<u8> {
+        // magic[0..4] type[4] shard_payload[5..7]
+        let mut b = Vec::with_capacity(7);
+        b.extend_from_slice(CTL_MAGIC);
+        b.push(MSG_SHARD_PAYLOAD_CHANGED);
+        b.extend_from_slice(&self.shard_payload.to_le_bytes());
+        b
+    }
+
+    pub fn decode(b: &[u8]) -> Result<ShardPayloadChanged> {
+        if b.len() != 7 || &b[0..4] != CTL_MAGIC || b[4] != MSG_SHARD_PAYLOAD_CHANGED {
+            return Err(PunktfunkError::InvalidArg("bad ShardPayloadChanged"));
+        }
+        Ok(ShardPayloadChanged {
+            shard_payload: u16::from_le_bytes(b[5..7].try_into().unwrap()),
+        })
+    }
+}
+
+impl ShardPayloadAck {
+    pub fn encode(&self) -> Vec<u8> {
+        // magic[0..4] type[4] shard_payload[5..7]
+        let mut b = Vec::with_capacity(7);
+        b.extend_from_slice(CTL_MAGIC);
+        b.push(MSG_SHARD_PAYLOAD_ACK);
+        b.extend_from_slice(&self.shard_payload.to_le_bytes());
+        b
+    }
+
+    pub fn decode(b: &[u8]) -> Result<ShardPayloadAck> {
+        if b.len() != 7 || &b[0..4] != CTL_MAGIC || b[4] != MSG_SHARD_PAYLOAD_ACK {
+            return Err(PunktfunkError::InvalidArg("bad ShardPayloadAck"));
+        }
+        Ok(ShardPayloadAck {
+            shard_payload: u16::from_le_bytes(b[5..7].try_into().unwrap()),
+        })
+    }
+}
+
 impl LossReport {
     pub fn encode(&self) -> Vec<u8> {
         // magic[0..4] type[4] loss_ppm[5..9]
@@ -1146,6 +1220,33 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(SetBitrate::decode(&LossReport { loss_ppm: 7 }.encode()).is_err());
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn shard_payload_messages_roundtrip() {
+        for shard_payload in [512u16, 1216, 1408, 8908] {
+            let chg = ShardPayloadChanged { shard_payload };
+            assert_eq!(ShardPayloadChanged::decode(&chg.encode()).unwrap(), chg);
+            let ack = ShardPayloadAck { shard_payload };
+            assert_eq!(ShardPayloadAck::decode(&ack.encode()).unwrap(), ack);
+            // Identical payload shape — the type byte alone must keep the pair disjoint (a
+            // change echoed back must never re-decode as a change).
+            assert!(ShardPayloadChanged::decode(&ack.encode()).is_err());
+            assert!(ShardPayloadAck::decode(&chg.encode()).is_err());
+        }
+        // Exact length — no trailing bytes, no truncation.
+        let bytes = ShardPayloadChanged { shard_payload: 512 }.encode();
+        assert!(ShardPayloadChanged::decode(&[bytes.as_slice(), &[0]].concat()).is_err());
+        assert!(ShardPayloadChanged::decode(&bytes[..bytes.len() - 1]).is_err());
+        // Disjoint from the neighboring ids either side (0x07 RfiRequest / 0x20 ProbeRequest).
+        assert!(ShardPayloadChanged::decode(
+            &RfiRequest {
+                first_frame: 1,
+                last_frame: 2
+            }
+            .encode()
+        )
+        .is_err());
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn probe_messages_roundtrip() {
         let req = ProbeRequest {

crates/punktfunk-core/src/quic/datagram.rs

@@ -42,6 +42,80 @@ pub fn decode_audio_datagram(b: &[u8]) -> Option<(u32, u64, &[u8])> {
     Some((seq, pts_ns, &b[13..]))
 }
 
+/// Redundant audio datagram, host → client: the [`AUDIO_MAGIC`] plane plus a copy of the PREVIOUS
+/// frame, so a single lost datagram is *reconstructed* rather than concealed.
+///
+/// `[0xD2][u32 seq LE][u64 pts_ns LE][u16 primary_len LE][primary opus][previous opus]`
+///
+/// **Why this and not Opus in-band FEC.** LBRR is a SILK-layer feature: the desktop-audio encoder
+/// runs `RESTRICTED_LOWDELAY` (CELT-only) at 5 ms frames, which is below SILK's 10 ms minimum, so
+/// `set_inband_fec(true)` on that encoder is a no-op. Nothing in libopus can protect this plane —
+/// the redundancy has to be at the application layer. (The mic uplink is a different encoder, VoIP
+/// mode at 10 ms, and *does* use real in-band FEC.)
+///
+/// **Why it costs no latency.** The copy rides the SUCCESSOR of the frame it protects, and the
+/// client is already holding 15–90 ms of de-jitter buffer — far more than the 5 ms the successor
+/// takes to arrive. So the recovery happens inside slack that already exists.
+///
+/// The previous frame's sequence is implicitly `seq - 1`; a host with nothing to duplicate yet
+/// (the first frame of a session, or straight after a capture reopen) simply sends an empty tail,
+/// which decodes to `None`.
+///
+/// Sent ONLY when the client advertised [`CLIENT_CAP_AUDIO_RED`](super::caps::CLIENT_CAP_AUDIO_RED)
+/// and the host answered [`HOST_CAP_AUDIO_RED`](super::caps::HOST_CAP_AUDIO_RED) — the
+/// capable-and-agreed handshake the cursor and 4:4:4 planes already use. Every other session keeps
+/// the plain [`AUDIO_MAGIC`] wire byte-for-byte.
+///
+/// NB `0xD1` is deliberately skipped: the DualSense pad-audio program has reserved it for the
+/// per-pad audio plane.
+pub const AUDIO_RED_MAGIC: u8 = 0xD2;
+
+/// Fixed header length of an [`AUDIO_RED_MAGIC`] datagram (tag + seq + pts + primary length).
+pub const AUDIO_RED_HEADER: usize = 1 + 4 + 8 + 2;
+
+/// Encode a redundant audio datagram. `prev` is the immediately-preceding frame's Opus payload
+/// (empty when there is none yet).
+pub fn encode_audio_red_datagram(seq: u32, pts_ns: u64, opus: &[u8], prev: &[u8]) -> Vec<u8> {
+    let mut b = Vec::with_capacity(AUDIO_RED_HEADER + opus.len() + prev.len());
+    b.push(AUDIO_RED_MAGIC);
+    b.extend_from_slice(&seq.to_le_bytes());
+    b.extend_from_slice(&pts_ns.to_le_bytes());
+    // A frame longer than u16::MAX cannot occur (5 ms of Opus is tens of bytes; the buffer the
+    // encoder writes into is 4 KiB) — but truncating silently would desync the split, so clamp
+    // the redundancy off instead of the primary.
+    let primary_len = u16::try_from(opus.len()).unwrap_or(u16::MAX);
+    b.extend_from_slice(&primary_len.to_le_bytes());
+    b.extend_from_slice(opus);
+    if opus.len() == primary_len as usize {
+        b.extend_from_slice(prev);
+    }
+    b
+}
+
+/// Parse a redundant audio datagram → `(seq, pts_ns, primary, previous)`. `previous` is `None`
+/// when the host had nothing to duplicate. `None` overall on bad tag/length, including a
+/// `primary_len` that overruns the datagram (a truncated or hostile packet must not panic).
+///
+/// The tuple shape deliberately mirrors [`decode_audio_datagram`] (one extra slot for the
+/// redundant copy) so the two planes read the same at every call site; a named struct here would
+/// be the odd one out on this module's decode surface, and cbindgen would then have to be taught
+/// to skip it.
+#[allow(clippy::type_complexity)]
+pub fn decode_audio_red_datagram(b: &[u8]) -> Option<(u32, u64, &[u8], Option<&[u8]>)> {
+    if b.len() < AUDIO_RED_HEADER || b[0] != AUDIO_RED_MAGIC {
+        return None;
+    }
+    let seq = u32::from_le_bytes(b[1..5].try_into().unwrap());
+    let pts_ns = u64::from_le_bytes(b[5..13].try_into().unwrap());
+    let primary_len = u16::from_le_bytes(b[13..15].try_into().unwrap()) as usize;
+    let rest = &b[AUDIO_RED_HEADER..];
+    if primary_len > rest.len() {
+        return None; // truncated: the split point is outside the datagram
+    }
+    let (primary, prev) = rest.split_at(primary_len);
+    Some((seq, pts_ns, primary, (!prev.is_empty()).then_some(prev)))
+}
+
 /// Legacy rumble datagram (v1), host → client: `[0xCA][u16 pad LE][u16 low LE][u16 high LE]`.
 /// Force-feedback state for pad `pad` (0xFFFF amplitudes, 0/0 = stop) as *level-triggered* state
 /// — it persists until superseded, which is why the host re-sends it periodically as its loss
@@ -806,6 +880,8 @@ mod tests {
     #[test]
     fn audio_datagram_roundtrip() {
         let opus = [0x42u8; 97];
+        let d = encode_audio_red_datagram(7, 42, &opus, &[]);
+        assert_eq!(d[0], AUDIO_RED_MAGIC);
         let d = encode_audio_datagram(7, 1_000_000_123, &opus);
         assert_eq!(d[0], AUDIO_MAGIC);
         let (seq, pts, payload) = decode_audio_datagram(&d).unwrap();
@@ -820,6 +896,83 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(empty.is_empty());
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn audio_red_datagram_roundtrip() {
+        let cur = [0x42u8; 97];
+        let prev = [0x37u8; 88];
+        let d = encode_audio_red_datagram(7, 1_000_000_123, &cur, &prev);
+        assert_eq!(d[0], AUDIO_RED_MAGIC);
+        let (seq, pts, primary, previous) = decode_audio_red_datagram(&d).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!((seq, pts), (7, 1_000_000_123));
+        assert_eq!(primary, cur);
+        assert_eq!(previous, Some(&prev[..]));
+
+        // No predecessor yet (first frame of a session / after a capture reopen).
+        let d = encode_audio_red_datagram(0, 5, &cur, &[]);
+        let (_, _, primary, previous) = decode_audio_red_datagram(&d).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(primary, cur);
+        assert_eq!(
+            previous, None,
+            "an empty tail must decode as absent, not as a zero-length frame"
+        );
+
+        // Frames of equal length must still split at the right place — the length prefix is the
+        // only thing that can tell them apart.
+        let a = [1u8; 64];
+        let b = [2u8; 64];
+        let d = encode_audio_red_datagram(9, 0, &a, &b);
+        let (_, _, primary, previous) = decode_audio_red_datagram(&d).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(primary, a);
+        assert_eq!(previous, Some(&b[..]));
+    }
+
+    /// A truncated or hostile `0xD2` must be rejected, never panic — the split point comes off
+    /// the wire, so an over-long `primary_len` is the obvious attack on `split_at`.
+    #[test]
+    fn audio_red_datagram_rejects_bad_input() {
+        let d = encode_audio_red_datagram(1, 2, &[0xAAu8; 30], &[0xBBu8; 20]);
+        for n in 0..AUDIO_RED_HEADER {
+            assert!(decode_audio_red_datagram(&d[..n]).is_none(), "len {n}");
+        }
+        // primary_len larger than the datagram: must be refused, not sliced.
+        let mut bad = d.clone();
+        bad[13..15].copy_from_slice(&u16::MAX.to_le_bytes());
+        assert!(decode_audio_red_datagram(&bad).is_none());
+        // Wrong tag.
+        let mut wrong = d.clone();
+        wrong[0] = AUDIO_MAGIC;
+        assert!(decode_audio_red_datagram(&wrong).is_none());
+    }
+
+    /// The two audio planes must not alias each other or any neighbouring plane: a client
+    /// demultiplexes purely on the first byte.
+    #[test]
+    fn audio_red_tag_is_disjoint() {
+        for other in [
+            AUDIO_MAGIC,
+            RUMBLE_MAGIC,
+            MIC_MAGIC,
+            RICH_INPUT_MAGIC,
+            HIDOUT_MAGIC,
+            HDR_META_MAGIC,
+            HOST_TIMING_MAGIC,
+            CURSOR_STATE_MAGIC,
+            crate::input::INPUT_MAGIC,
+        ] {
+            assert_ne!(AUDIO_RED_MAGIC, other);
+        }
+        let red = encode_audio_red_datagram(1, 2, &[9u8; 40], &[8u8; 40]);
+        assert!(
+            decode_audio_datagram(&red).is_none(),
+            "0xC9 must not accept a 0xD2"
+        );
+        let plain = encode_audio_datagram(1, 2, &[9u8; 40]);
+        assert!(
+            decode_audio_red_datagram(&plain).is_none(),
+            "0xD2 must not accept a 0xC9"
+        );
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn rumble_datagram_roundtrip() {
         let d = encode_rumble_datagram(1, 0x1234, 0xFFFF);

crates/punktfunk-core/src/quic/endpoint.rs

@@ -47,6 +47,38 @@ fn stream_transport_idle(idle: std::time::Duration) -> Arc<quinn::TransportConfi
     // plane latest-wins at the source — ~200 ms of stereo Opus (proportionally less at
     // surround bitrates), so sustained congestion costs concealable drops, never lag.
     t.datagram_send_buffer_size(4 * 1024);
+    // MTU discovery probes up to EXACTLY the sealed size of a full IPv4 video datagram (1472)
+    // instead of quinn's stock 1452. Two reasons: (a) on a clean 1500-MTU path QUIC gets the
+    // last 20 bytes per packet; (b) the ceiling turns discovery into a video-path verdict the
+    // host's wire-MTU watcher reads (`punktfunk-host` `native/wire_mtu.rs`) — settled == ceiling
+    // proves the path carries full-size video datagrams, settled BELOW it proves it cannot (a
+    // VPN/overlay adapter at MTU ~1280 blackholes every video packet while all the small flows
+    // pass: the "connects fine, black screen forever" field shape). With the stock 1452 ceiling
+    // a healthy path and a constrained one are indistinguishable at the top. This is the ONLY
+    // behavioral change on healthy paths, and it's confined to discovery: probes are padded
+    // PINGs quinn already expects to lose above a constrained hop — a lost probe settles the
+    // search lower, exactly as it did before.
+    let mut mtud = quinn::MtuDiscoveryConfig::default();
+    // Jumbo opt-in (design/shard-payload-reneg.md Phase 2): with `PUNKTFUNK_JUMBO=1` /
+    // `PUNKTFUNK_WIRE_MTU` > 1500 set, discovery probes up to the sealed JUMBO datagram
+    // size so a settled connection can PROVE a jumbo path — the actual grow stays
+    // client-ack-gated (`native/wire_mtu.rs`). The ceiling is per-ENDPOINT, not
+    // per-connection: with the opt-in set, connections to non-jumbo peers spend a few extra
+    // failed probes (one PTO each) settling lower; zero cost for anyone who doesn't opt in.
+    // Derived with the IPv4 overhead — a v6 peer's sealed jumbo target is smaller, so the
+    // ceiling covers it and discovery settles at the v6 path's own budget.
+    let probe_ceiling = match crate::config::jumbo_wire_mtu() {
+        Some(mtu) => {
+            let shard = crate::config::jumbo_shard_payload_for(
+                mtu,
+                std::net::IpAddr::V4(std::net::Ipv4Addr::UNSPECIFIED),
+            );
+            crate::config::sealed_datagram_bytes(shard) as u16
+        }
+        None => crate::config::video_datagram_udp_ceiling() as u16,
+    };
+    mtud.upper_bound(probe_ceiling);
+    t.mtu_discovery_config(Some(mtud));
     Arc::new(t)
 }
 

crates/punktfunk-core/src/quic/handshake.rs

@@ -90,8 +90,19 @@ pub struct Hello {
     /// disambiguated by REMAINING LENGTH at decode: fewer than `HDR_META_BODY_LEN` bytes after
     /// `preferred_codec` ⇒ no HDR block, the tail bytes are the post-HDR fields directly. This
     /// caps everything after `display_hdr` at `HDR_META_BODY_LEN − 1` bytes total — document any
-    /// future field here and mind the budget. Omitted when zero and by older clients (→ `0`).
+    /// future field here and mind the budget (`client_caps` 1 + `max_shard_payload` 2 = 3 of the
+    /// 27 spent). Omitted when zero and by older clients (→ `0`).
     pub client_caps: u8,
+    /// The largest video shard payload this client's receive path accepts — sealed datagrams for
+    /// shards up to this size fit its transport buffers ([`crate::config::max_shard_payload`]).
+    /// One field carries BOTH facts the host needs for mid-session shard renegotiation
+    /// (design/shard-payload-reneg.md W0.3): non-zero ⇒ the client reassembles per-frame
+    /// geometry (a mid-session `shard_payload` change is safe to send), and the value is the
+    /// hard ceiling a jumbo grow may never exceed. Appended after `client_caps` as 2 trailing
+    /// LE bytes (forcing the earlier placeholders). Omitted by older clients (decodes to `0`
+    /// = legacy: the host must not change the sealed geometry mid-session, and never above
+    /// the `Welcome` value).
+    pub max_shard_payload: u16,
 }
 
 /// QUIC application error code a punktfunk/1 client closes the control connection with on a
@@ -254,12 +265,14 @@ impl Hello {
         let pref_present = self.preferred_codec != 0;
         let hdr_present = self.display_hdr.is_some();
         let ccaps_present = self.client_caps != 0;
+        let msp_present = self.max_shard_payload != 0;
         let need_placeholders = self.video_caps != 0
             || ac_present
             || vcodecs_present
             || pref_present
             || hdr_present
-            || ccaps_present;
+            || ccaps_present
+            || msp_present;
         match (&self.name, &self.launch) {
             (None, None) if !need_placeholders => {}
             (name, _) => {
@@ -280,15 +293,21 @@ impl Hello {
             b.push(self.video_caps);
         }
         // audio_channels: emitted when non-stereo OR a later field follows.
-        if ac_present || vcodecs_present || pref_present || hdr_present || ccaps_present {
+        if ac_present
+            || vcodecs_present
+            || pref_present
+            || hdr_present
+            || ccaps_present
+            || msp_present
+        {
             b.push(self.audio_channels);
         }
         // video_codecs: emitted when non-zero OR a later field follows.
-        if vcodecs_present || pref_present || hdr_present || ccaps_present {
+        if vcodecs_present || pref_present || hdr_present || ccaps_present || msp_present {
             b.push(self.video_codecs);
         }
         // preferred_codec: emitted when non-zero OR a later field follows.
-        if pref_present || hdr_present || ccaps_present {
+        if pref_present || hdr_present || ccaps_present || msp_present {
             b.push(self.preferred_codec);
         }
         // display_hdr: fixed HDR_META_BODY_LEN-byte HdrMeta body; omitted when `None` even if
@@ -297,10 +316,15 @@ impl Hello {
         if let Some(m) = &self.display_hdr {
             super::datagram::write_hdr_meta_body(m, &mut b);
         }
-        // client_caps: single byte after the (optional) HDR block. Emitted when non-zero.
-        if ccaps_present {
+        // client_caps: single byte after the (optional) HDR block. Emitted when non-zero OR a
+        // later field follows.
+        if ccaps_present || msp_present {
             b.push(self.client_caps);
         }
+        // max_shard_payload: 2 trailing LE bytes after client_caps. Emitted when non-zero.
+        if msp_present {
+            b.extend_from_slice(&self.max_shard_payload.to_le_bytes());
+        }
         b
     }
 
@@ -386,6 +410,19 @@ impl Hello {
                 };
                 b.get(off).copied().unwrap_or(0)
             },
+            // max_shard_payload: 2 LE bytes after client_caps (same post-HDR offset rule).
+            // Absent on an older client → 0 = no mid-session renegotiation, no jumbo.
+            max_shard_payload: {
+                let off = if b.len().saturating_sub(tail + 4) >= super::datagram::HDR_META_BODY_LEN
+                {
+                    tail + 4 + super::datagram::HDR_META_BODY_LEN
+                } else {
+                    tail + 4
+                };
+                b.get(off + 1..off + 3)
+                    .map(|s| u16::from_le_bytes(s.try_into().unwrap()))
+                    .unwrap_or(0)
+            },
         })
     }
 }
@@ -867,6 +904,7 @@ mod tests {
             preferred_codec: CODEC_H264,
             display_hdr: None,
             client_caps: 0,
+            max_shard_payload: 0,
         };
         let enc = h.encode();
         let dec = Hello::decode(&enc).unwrap();
@@ -944,6 +982,7 @@ mod tests {
             preferred_codec: CODEC_HEVC,
             display_hdr: None,
             client_caps: 0,
+            max_shard_payload: 0,
         };
         assert_eq!(Hello::decode(&h.encode()).unwrap(), h);
         let s = Start {
@@ -975,6 +1014,7 @@ mod tests {
             preferred_codec: 0,
             display_hdr: None,
             client_caps: 0,
+            max_shard_payload: 0,
         };
         let enc = h.encode();
         assert_eq!(enc.len(), 26);
@@ -1093,6 +1133,7 @@ mod tests {
             preferred_codec: 0,
             display_hdr: None,
             client_caps: 0,
+            max_shard_payload: 0,
         };
         let enc = base.encode();
         assert_eq!(
@@ -1145,6 +1186,7 @@ mod tests {
             preferred_codec: 0,
             display_hdr: None,
             client_caps: 0,
+            max_shard_payload: 0,
         };
         // launch alone (no name): a zero-length name placeholder keeps the offset deterministic.
         let with_launch = Hello {
@@ -1205,6 +1247,7 @@ mod tests {
             preferred_codec: 0,
             display_hdr: None,
             client_caps: 0,
+            max_shard_payload: 0,
         };
         // A real client-panel volume (P3 primaries, 800-nit peak, 0.05-nit floor, 400-nit FALL).
         let vol = HdrMeta {
@@ -1273,6 +1316,7 @@ mod tests {
                 preferred_codec: 0,
                 display_hdr: None,
                 client_caps: 0,
+                max_shard_payload: 0,
             }
             .encode();
             assert!(PairRequest::decode(&h).is_err(), "abi {abi} parsed as pair");
@@ -1306,6 +1350,7 @@ mod tests {
             preferred_codec: 0,
             display_hdr: None,
             client_caps: 0,
+            max_shard_payload: 0,
         };
         let vol = HdrMeta {
             display_primaries: [[13250, 34500], [7500, 3000], [34000, 16000]],
@@ -1319,6 +1364,7 @@ mod tests {
         // fixed block length, so the decoder must NOT read it as a truncated HdrMeta).
         let caps_only = Hello {
             client_caps: CLIENT_CAP_CURSOR,
+            max_shard_payload: 0,
             ..base.clone()
         };
         assert_eq!(Hello::decode(&caps_only.encode()).unwrap(), caps_only);
@@ -1326,6 +1372,7 @@ mod tests {
         let both = Hello {
             display_hdr: Some(vol),
             client_caps: CLIENT_CAP_CURSOR,
+            max_shard_payload: 0,
             ..base.clone()
         };
         assert_eq!(Hello::decode(&both.encode()).unwrap(), both);
@@ -1344,8 +1391,73 @@ mod tests {
             Hello::decode(&enc[..enc.len() - 1]).unwrap(),
             Hello {
                 client_caps: 0,
+                max_shard_payload: 0,
                 ..both.clone()
             }
         );
     }
+
+    /// `max_shard_payload` (mid-session shard renegotiation, design/shard-payload-reneg.md
+    /// W0.3): roundtrips, forces the earlier placeholders (deterministic offset), composes
+    /// with the optional HDR block, and degrades to 0 = legacy in BOTH directions.
+    #[test]
+    fn hello_max_shard_payload_roundtrip_and_back_compat() {
+        let base = Hello {
+            abi_version: 2,
+            mode: Mode {
+                width: 1920,
+                height: 1080,
+                refresh_hz: 60,
+            },
+            compositor: CompositorPref::Auto,
+            gamepad: GamepadPref::Auto,
+            bitrate_kbps: 0,
+            name: None,
+            launch: None,
+            video_caps: 0,
+            audio_channels: 2,
+            video_codecs: 0,
+            preferred_codec: 0,
+            display_hdr: None,
+            client_caps: 0,
+            max_shard_payload: 0,
+        };
+        // The advertisement alone: every earlier trailing field is emitted as a placeholder
+        // so the 2 LE bytes land at a deterministic offset — and the whole thing roundtrips.
+        let adv = Hello {
+            max_shard_payload: crate::config::max_shard_payload() as u16,
+            ..base.clone()
+        };
+        assert_eq!(Hello::decode(&adv.encode()).unwrap(), adv);
+        // Composes with client_caps AND the fixed HDR block (the remaining-length
+        // disambiguation must still find both fields after it).
+        let vol = HdrMeta {
+            display_primaries: [[13250, 34500], [7500, 3000], [34000, 16000]],
+            white_point: [15635, 16450],
+            max_display_mastering_luminance: 8_000_000,
+            min_display_mastering_luminance: 500,
+            max_cll: 0,
+            max_fall: 400,
+        };
+        let full = Hello {
+            display_hdr: Some(vol),
+            client_caps: CLIENT_CAP_CURSOR,
+            max_shard_payload: 8908,
+            ..base.clone()
+        };
+        assert_eq!(Hello::decode(&full.encode()).unwrap(), full);
+        // An older client (no trailing bytes at all) decodes to 0 = legacy: the host must
+        // not change the sealed geometry mid-session.
+        assert_eq!(Hello::decode(&base.encode()).unwrap().max_shard_payload, 0);
+        // An older HOST reading an advertising Hello never looks past the fields it knows —
+        // truncating the 2 trailing bytes yields the same Hello minus the advertisement.
+        let enc = full.encode();
+        assert_eq!(
+            Hello::decode(&enc[..enc.len() - 2]).unwrap(),
+            Hello {
+                max_shard_payload: 0,
+                ..full.clone()
+            }
+        );
+    }
 }

crates/punktfunk-core/src/session.rs

@@ -603,6 +603,31 @@ impl Session {
         self.packetizer.set_fec_percent(pct);
     }
 
+    /// Host: live-swap the wire shard payload between AUs (mid-session shard renegotiation,
+    /// design/shard-payload-reneg.md). Affects the next sealed AU; call only between AUs
+    /// (never with a `StreamedAu` in flight — see [`Packetizer::set_shard_payload`]). The new
+    /// value must satisfy the exact bounds `Config::validate` imposed on the negotiated one
+    /// (even, > 0, fits a datagram, block count fits the wire) — validated here against a
+    /// probe of the session config. The PROTOCOL side is the caller's contract: a current
+    /// client reassembles any in-bounds size per-frame, but a shrink may be sent immediately
+    /// while a grow must be client-acked and never exceed the client's advertised
+    /// `Hello::max_shard_payload` ceiling.
+    pub fn set_shard_payload(&mut self, shard_payload: usize) -> Result<()> {
+        if self.config.role != Role::Host {
+            return Err(PunktfunkError::InvalidArg(
+                "set_shard_payload called on a client session",
+            ));
+        }
+        // Full `Config::validate` parity, zero drift: probe a copy (its key/salt copies are
+        // zeroized on drop) rather than re-spelling the shard clauses here.
+        let mut probe = self.config.clone();
+        probe.shard_payload = shard_payload;
+        probe.validate()?;
+        self.config.shard_payload = shard_payload;
+        self.packetizer.set_shard_payload(shard_payload);
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
     /// The current FEC recovery percentage (host side).
     pub fn fec_percent(&self) -> u8 {
         self.packetizer.fec_percent()
@@ -1060,4 +1085,147 @@ mod wire_equivalence_tests {
             "unflagged AUs must never be delivered partial"
         );
     }
+
+    /// The low-MTU PyroWave guarantee (design/shard-payload-reneg.md): mid-session
+    /// renegotiation is gated OFF for chunk-aligned sessions, so a constrained path serves
+    /// them through the leg-1 SESSION-START clamp instead — the learned budget (or
+    /// `PUNKTFUNK_WIRE_MTU`) sizes `Welcome::shard_payload`, and everything chunk-aligned
+    /// derives from that ONE number fixed at the handshake: the host packetizes at it, the
+    /// client's parse window reads it back ([`Session::shard_payload`] → the C-ABI
+    /// `punktfunk_connection_shard_payload` every embedder walks windows with), and partial
+    /// delivery zero-fills exact windows of it. Pin that consistency at the clamp shapes a
+    /// constrained path actually produces: the WARP/Tailscale budget (1216) and the floor
+    /// (512) — chunk-aligned frames deliver, lose whole windows (never splice), and the
+    /// window arithmetic matches the session value end to end.
+    #[test]
+    fn chunk_aligned_sessions_work_at_clamped_shard_sizes() {
+        use crate::packet::USER_FLAG_CHUNK_ALIGNED;
+        for shard in [1216usize, crate::config::MIN_SHARD_PAYLOAD] {
+            let mk = |role| Config {
+                role,
+                phase: ProtocolPhase::P2Punktfunk,
+                fec: FecConfig {
+                    scheme: FecScheme::Gf16,
+                    fec_percent: 0, // no parity — any drop leaves a hole
+                    max_data_per_block: 64,
+                },
+                shard_payload: shard,
+                max_frame_bytes: 8 * 1024 * 1024,
+                encrypt: true,
+                key: SessionKey::Aes128Gcm([7u8; 16]),
+                salt: [3, 1, 4, 1],
+                loopback_drop_period: 0,
+            };
+            let (h, c) = crate::transport::loopback_pair(3, 1);
+            let mut host = Session::new(mk(Role::Host), Box::new(h)).unwrap();
+            let mut client = Session::new(mk(Role::Client), Box::new(c)).unwrap();
+            client.set_deliver_partial_frames(true);
+            // The window every embedder parses with IS the clamped session value.
+            assert_eq!(client.shard_payload(), shard);
+            assert_eq!(host.shard_payload(), shard);
+
+            let frame = pattern(8 * shard);
+            host.submit_frame(&frame, 1_000, USER_FLAG_CHUNK_ALIGNED)
+                .unwrap();
+            let mut got_partial = None;
+            let mut completes = 0;
+            for i in 0..80u64 {
+                host.submit_frame(&pattern(shard), 2_000 + i, USER_FLAG_CHUNK_ALIGNED)
+                    .unwrap();
+                loop {
+                    match client.poll_frame() {
+                        Ok(f) if !f.complete => got_partial = Some(f),
+                        Ok(_) => completes += 1,
+                        Err(PunktfunkError::NoFrame) => break,
+                        Err(e) => panic!("shard {shard}: unexpected: {e}"),
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+            let p = got_partial.expect("the lossy frame must be delivered partial");
+            assert_eq!(p.data.len(), frame.len(), "shard {shard}");
+            // Loss lands on exact `shard`-sized window boundaries: zeroed windows for the
+            // dropped datagrams, byte-identical survivors — nothing spliced across windows.
+            let mut zero_windows = 0;
+            for w in 0..8 {
+                let win = &p.data[w * shard..(w + 1) * shard];
+                if win.iter().all(|&b| b == 0) {
+                    zero_windows += 1;
+                } else {
+                    assert_eq!(
+                        win,
+                        &frame[w * shard..(w + 1) * shard],
+                        "shard {shard}: window {w} corrupt"
+                    );
+                }
+            }
+            assert!(
+                (1..8).contains(&zero_windows),
+                "shard {shard}: dropped shards zero-filled (got {zero_windows})"
+            );
+            assert!(
+                completes > 40,
+                "shard {shard}: surviving filler frames flow normally"
+            );
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Mid-session shard renegotiation end to end over the SEALED loopback wire
+    /// (design/shard-payload-reneg.md): one host session re-keys its packetizer between AUs
+    /// — shrink, jumbo grow, revert — through one continuous crypto/replay stream, and one
+    /// client session must DELIVER every frame byte-identically (the vacuous-green lesson:
+    /// assert delivered frames, never the absence of errors).
+    #[test]
+    fn mid_session_shard_swap_delivers_frames_over_the_sealed_wire() {
+        let mk = |role: Role| {
+            let mut c = host_cfg(FecScheme::Gf16, 20, true);
+            c.role = role;
+            c.shard_payload = 1408;
+            c.fec.max_data_per_block = 64;
+            c
+        };
+        let (ht, ct) = loopback_pair(0, 0);
+        let mut host = Session::new(mk(Role::Host), Box::new(ht)).unwrap();
+        let mut client = Session::new(mk(Role::Client), Box::new(ct)).unwrap();
+
+        let phases: [(usize, &[usize]); 4] = [
+            (1408, &[3000, 3 * 1408]), // the negotiated default (incl. exact multiple)
+            (512, &[2000, 5 * 512 + 17]), // shrink — the mid-session VPN heal
+            (8908, &[100_000]),        // grow — jumbo on a 9000-MTU LAN
+            (1216, &[2 * 1216 + 9]),   // revert — a mis-proven jumbo hop self-corrects
+        ];
+        let mut pts = 0u64;
+        let mut delivered = 0usize;
+        for (shard, lens) in phases {
+            host.set_shard_payload(shard).unwrap();
+            assert_eq!(host.shard_payload(), shard);
+            for &len in lens {
+                pts += 1_000_000;
+                let src = pattern(len);
+                host.submit_frame(&src, pts, 0).unwrap();
+                let f = client
+                    .poll_frame()
+                    .unwrap_or_else(|e| panic!("shard {shard}: frame must be DELIVERED ({e})"));
+                assert_eq!(
+                    f.data, src,
+                    "shard {shard}: {len} B frame must be byte-identical"
+                );
+                assert!(f.complete);
+                delivered += 1;
+            }
+        }
+        assert_eq!(delivered, 6, "every submitted frame must be delivered");
+        // The setter is host-side machinery: a client session must refuse it, and an
+        // invalid size (odd / oversized) must be rejected without touching the live config.
+        assert!(client.set_shard_payload(1408).is_err());
+        assert!(
+            host.set_shard_payload(1407).is_err(),
+            "odd must be rejected"
+        );
+        assert!(
+            host.set_shard_payload(crate::config::max_shard_payload() + 2)
+                .is_err(),
+            "oversized must be rejected"
+        );
+        assert_eq!(host.shard_payload(), 1216, "failed swaps must not stick");
+    }
 }

crates/punktfunk-host/src/audio.rs

@@ -192,6 +192,11 @@ mod wasapi_mic;
 #[cfg_attr(not(target_os = "windows"), allow(dead_code))]
 #[path = "audio/wiring_plan.rs"]
 pub(crate) mod wiring_plan;
+// Pure capture-loop policy, split out for the same reason `wiring_plan` is: it encodes field
+// behaviour, so its tests must run on every platform's CI, not only Windows.
+#[cfg_attr(not(target_os = "windows"), allow(dead_code))]
+#[path = "audio/capture_policy.rs"]
+pub(crate) mod capture_policy;
 
 mod mic_jitter;
 mod mic_pump;