docs(test): comment says qualifying-bar ranking, matching the assertion

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
feat(career): practice invitations — closest stamps + bring-these-up
2026-09-11 13:34:30 +00:00 · 2026-07-14 01:07:22 +02:00 · 2026-07-14 01:02:56 +02:00 · 2026-07-13 20:05:05 +02:00 · 2026-07-13 12:22:42 -04:00 · 2026-07-13 17:13:08 +02:00
123 changed files with 16807 additions and 5911 deletions
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+## What
+
+<!-- What does this PR do, and why? Link the issue it addresses. -->
+
+## feedpak surface
+
+<!-- The feedpak spec is sacrosanct: the spec defines the format, this app implements it.
+     Delete this section ONLY if your change doesn't touch how the app reads or writes packs. -->
+
+- [ ] This PR does **not** change how the app reads/writes feedpaks (manifest keys, pack files, folder layout)
+- [ ] …or it does, and the spec change landed first via the [FEP process](https://github.com/got-feedback/feedpak-spec/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md) — FEP / spec PR: `got-feedback/feedpak-spec#___` (once it merges, re-run this PR's checks and the gate goes green)
+
+## Checklist
+
+- [ ] `CHANGELOG.md` `[Unreleased]` updated (user-visible changes)
+- [ ] Tests added/updated for new behaviour
+- [ ] Commits are DCO signed off (`git commit -s`)
@@ -124,6 +124,94 @@ jobs:
          print(f"Validated {len(manifests)} manifest(s) — OK")
          EOF

+  feedpak-spec:
+    # Guard that core stays faithful to the feedpak format spec, which lives in
+    # its own repo (got-feedback/feedpak-spec) and is the contract third-party
+    # packers and players build against. Four surface checks: core reads/writes
+    # only manifest keys the spec declares (and the scanned-module list can't
+    # fall behind); the exception allowlist never grows, so the FEP process is
+    # the only way a new key lands; core ingests the spec's example packs; packs
+    # committed here pass the spec's reference validator. Motivated by
+    # #933, where a manifest key (`original_audio`) shipped in core without ever
+    # reaching the spec.
+    #
+    # The gate checks against the spec repo's HEAD, deliberately: the app must
+    # conform to the LIVING spec, always. The dev flow is self-serve — a gated
+    # PR opens a FEP, the spec PR merges, re-running this job goes green; no
+    # pin file to bump, nothing to maintain. Accepted trade-off: a BREAKING
+    # spec change (rare, deliberate, MAJOR per the spec's compatibility policy)
+    # reddens every PR here until core conforms — which is the correct
+    # org-wide signal that the app is out of conformance. The normal FEP is
+    # additive and can never redden this job.
+    name: feedpak-spec
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        # This job runs repository code (tools/check_spec_conformance.py) and
+        # never pushes; don't leave the token in git config for it.
+        # fetch-depth: 0 so the base branch is available — the gate must prove
+        # the exception allowlist didn't grow in this PR.
+        with:
+          persist-credentials: false
+          fetch-depth: 0
+
+      - uses: actions/setup-python@v5
+        with:
+          python-version: '3.12'
+          cache: 'pip'
+
+      - name: Check out feedpak-spec at HEAD
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          repository: got-feedback/feedpak-spec
+          ref: main
+          path: .feedpak-spec
+          persist-credentials: false
+
+      - name: Record the spec commit this run verified against
+        # HEAD-tracking means CI results can differ across time on the same
+        # commit. Log the exact spec SHA so a red run is reproducible.
+        run: git -C .feedpak-spec rev-parse HEAD
+
+      - name: Install dependencies
+        run: |
+          python -m pip install --upgrade pip
+          pip install -r requirements.txt
+          # CI-only: the spec's reference validator needs jsonschema. Not a
+          # runtime dependency — this gate never runs on the serve/Docker path
+          # (constitution Principle I). Pinned for the same reason the spec SHA
+          # is: an upstream release must not turn this job red on a PR that
+          # changed neither this repo nor the spec.
+          pip install 'jsonschema==4.26.0'
+
+      - name: Fetch the base branch's exception allowlist
+        id: baseline
+        run: |
+          # The allowlist is closed: it grandfathers keys that predate this gate
+          # and may only shrink. Prove that by diffing against the base branch —
+          # without this, anyone could append an entry and route around the FEP
+          # process from inside this repo.
+          #
+          # Resolve the base rather than hardcoding `main`: ship-ci.yml also runs
+          # this workflow for PRs into release/** and for pushes to release/**,
+          # where a main baseline would diff against the wrong branch.
+          #   PR   -> the branch it merges into
+          #   push -> the branch itself (its tip already contains the change, so
+          #           this is a no-op; enforcement happens at PR time)
+          BASE="${{ github.event.pull_request.base.ref || github.ref_name }}"
+          echo "diffing the allowlist against origin/$BASE"
+          git fetch --no-tags --depth=1 origin "$BASE"
+          if git cat-file -e FETCH_HEAD:feedpak-spec-exceptions.yml 2>/dev/null; then
+            git show FETCH_HEAD:feedpak-spec-exceptions.yml > "$RUNNER_TEMP/baseline-exceptions.yml"
+            echo "args=--baseline-exceptions $RUNNER_TEMP/baseline-exceptions.yml" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          else
+            # Only true until the PR that introduces this gate lands.
+            echo "args=--bootstrap-allowlist" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          fi
+
+      - name: Check feedpak spec conformance
+        run: python tools/check_spec_conformance.py --spec .feedpak-spec ${{ steps.baseline.outputs.args }}
+
  lint:
    # Maintainer/CI-only size + module-hygiene gate (constitution Principle I:
    # dev tooling, never on the serve/Docker path — same category as
@@ -24,6 +24,9 @@ plugins/*/
 !plugins/achievements/
 !plugins/achievements/**
 plugins/achievements/__pycache__/
+!plugins/career/
+!plugins/career/**
+plugins/career/__pycache__/
 !plugins/highway_3d/
 !plugins/highway_3d/**
 plugins/highway_3d/__pycache__/
@@ -7,6 +7,135 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0

 ## [Unreleased]

+### Changed
+- **The full mix is a stem** (#933) — core no longer depends on `original_audio:`, a
+  top-level manifest key this repo invented (#583) that the feedpak spec never had.
+  The format already carried the pre-separation mixdown as a stem; feedpak 1.15.0
+  (feedpak-spec#53) reserves the id **`full`** for it, so that is where core reads it
+  from now.
+
+  `full` is a mixdown, not a layer — it already contains every instrument — so
+  `load_song()` lifts it OUT of `LoadedSloppak.stems` onto `LoadedSloppak.full_mix`.
+  Nothing that sums stems or renders one fader per stem can see it, which is what
+  makes retaining it safe; leaving it in the list would double the whole song and
+  leave "guitar" audible with the guitar fader muted. That trap is exactly why the
+  packer invented the key instead of putting the mixdown where the format says it
+  goes — the bug was in the reader, and this fixes the reader.
+
+  Consequences worth knowing:
+  - The highway WS `song_info` frame gains `full_mix_url` / `has_full_mix`.
+    `original_audio_url` / `has_original_audio` remain as **deprecated aliases**
+    (same values) for one release so a client built against the old frame keeps
+    working; they go with the fallback below (#945).
+  - `stems` on `song_info`, and `stem_ids` / `stem_count` in the library index, now
+    describe *instrument* stems only — a separated pack that retains its mixdown no
+    longer advertises a bogus "full" stem chip or an inflated stem count.
+  - Audio fingerprinting (`lib/enrichment.py`) now resolves the mixdown the same
+    way, which **widens** its coverage: it previously returned `None` for any pack
+    without the invented key, so fingerprinting silently did nothing for the
+    overwhelming majority of packs.
+  - Core still **reads** `original_audio:` as a deprecated fallback, because every
+    pack written before the spec caught up carries it and would otherwise lose its
+    pristine mix. `tools/migrate_full_mix_stem.py` rewrites those packs into the
+    spec shape (moves `original/full.ogg` → `stems/full.ogg`, adds the `full` stem
+    at `default: off`, drops the key); the fallback and the aliases are removed once
+    they are migrated (#945).
+
+### Added
+- **Genres fall back to MusicBrainz enrichment** — the effective genre now
+  resolves override → pack genre → the enrichment match's primary genre
+  (matched or user-pinned manual rows only). Converted packs rarely carry a `genres` manifest key,
+  which starved the library genre facet and career passports on real
+  libraries; with the fallback, every enriched song's genre is browsable and
+  passport-able immediately, and coverage grows as enrichment runs.
+- **Badge ceremony in the venue** — earning a genre badge now stages a moment:
+  the crowd layer erupts (new public `v3VenueCrowd.celebrate()` — instant
+  ecstatic loop bypassing the stability/dwell hysteresis, plus a cheer stinger;
+  a no-op without a venue pack) and a full-screen overlay drops the bronze
+  stamp with a shine sweep and a confetti burst over whatever screen is active
+  (badges land right after `stats:recorded`, while the player is still up).
+  Click or wait ~4s to dismiss; `prefers-reduced-motion` gets the existing
+  chime + notification only. The stamp still slams into the passport book on
+  next open, unchanged.
+- **Hours-per-genre odometer (career passports)** — the app now measures real
+  play time: the stats recorder accrues **wall-clock** seconds across
+  play/resume ↔ pause/stop/end spans (wall time, not song position — position
+  deltas double-count A-B loops and mis-read seeks; single spans clamp at 2h
+  against suspend/sleep inflation) and piggybacks them as `seconds` on the
+  `POST /api/stats` calls it already makes. New additive
+  `song_stats.seconds_total` column; a seconds-only POST banks time for
+  unscored plays that run to the song's natural end without touching the
+  resume position (and still counts as playing today for the streak).
+  Passports surface it honestly: "14.2 h in Blues" under the badge and on the
+  shelf cover — a true fact that only grows, never a target or a meter.
+- **Career passport drills, curated** — Bronze in blues/rock/metal/funk/jazz
+  now also asks for that genre's signature Virtuoso drill (Blues Shuffle,
+  Power Chords & Backbeat, Gallop Picking, 16th Pocket, Shell Voicings — one
+  per genre, data-driven in `passports.json` with display labels). Drill
+  lists are per-instrument (`virtuoso_nodes: {instrument: [nodes]}`; a flat
+  list still means guitar), so a keys passport never demands a guitar drill.
+  A drill counts as cleared on the first real completion artifact — a
+  top-tier clean pass in one key (`keysCleared`), any depth rung, or
+  mastery — rather than only the maxed-speed depth flips. Genres without a
+  curated drill stay songs-only.
+- **Career passport visuals pack** — earned covers and badge stamps become
+  trading cards (pointer-tracked tilt + light glint, hover-capable devices
+  only); the ghost stamp visibly "carves in" as qualifying songs land (a
+  conic ink fill, no numbers added); the Gold rung preview is a small foil
+  chip with a shimmer sweep, still honestly labeled coming. All theatrics
+  disabled under `prefers-reduced-motion`.
+- **Career passports (backend)** — the badge-journey layer on top of career stars.
+  New career-plugin endpoints: `GET /api/plugins/career/passports` (per-instrument
+  passport walls: genre badges computed on read from `song_stats` × the library's
+  effective genre — Bronze = N genre songs at K★, data-driven in
+  `plugins/career/passports.json`, default 5 songs at 2★ — plus qualifying-song
+  "ticket stubs", the library genre list, and drill status), `POST /passports/commit`
+  (instrument commitment), `POST /passports/open` (open a genre
+  passport), and `POST /drill-state` (intake for the relayed Virtuoso
+  `virtuoso.progress` snapshot, so drill requirements can gate badges
+  server-side). Badges are never stored; the only persisted state (commitments,
+  opened passports, drill snapshot) lives under `CONFIG_DIR/career/` and rides the
+  settings export/import bundle via `settings.server_files`. Instruments are
+  attributed via the existing progression arrangement→instrument mapping;
+  non-graded instruments (bass, drums) render shown-not-judged — repertoire
+  without a pass bar, never a false badge denial.
+- **Career passports (UI)** — the Career screen gains a Passports tab beside
+  Venues: a physical per-instrument passport book (embossed leather cover, 3D
+  page-turn) with a wax-seal commitment ceremony (Stage 0), rubber-stamp badge
+  slam with ink bleed and deterministic per-genre jitter, qualifying songs as
+  collected ticket stubs, and unopened genres as an "Explore next"
+  travel-brochure rack (invitations, never greyed-out slots or completion
+  meters). Badge earns chime + notify immediately; the stamp slam plays when
+  the passport is next opened. Four small synthesized sound effects ship as
+  plugin assets. The career screen also relays the Virtuoso `virtuoso.progress`
+  localStorage snapshot to the drill-state intake on `virtuoso:progress` bus
+  events (debounced, plus a one-time bootstrap), closing the
+  fires-into-a-void seam without touching the virtuoso plugin.
+- **CI gate: core must stay faithful to the feedpak spec (`feedpak-spec` job).** feedpak is published as
+  an open format with its own repo, normative spec, JSON Schemas, and reference validator — but nothing
+  stopped core from reading a manifest key the spec never defined, which is exactly what happened with
+  `original_audio` (#583 → #933). `tools/check_spec_conformance.py` now enforces four surface properties
+  in CI: (1) **key-coverage** — every manifest key core reads *or writes* is declared in the spec's
+  `manifest.schema.json`, found by walking the AST of `lib/sloppak.py`, `lib/enrichment.py`, and
+  `lib/songmeta.py`, `lib/gp2notation.py`, and `lib/routers/ws_highway.py` (writes are gated too — including
+  `setdefault()` — and reported separately: a key core writes lands in every pack we emit, so an undeclared
+  one seeds the ecosystem with non-spec data; a **readers-complete** guard fails the build if that module
+  list falls behind the codebase); (2) **allowlist-closed** — `feedpak-spec-exceptions.yml` never grows;
+  (3) **forward** — core's `load_song()` ingests every example pack the spec ships;
+  (4) **reverse** — every pack committed here passes the spec's own `tools/validate.py` (7/7 pass today).
+  The gate verifies against the spec repo's **HEAD** — the app must conform to the living spec, and the
+  flow is self-serve: a gated PR opens a FEP, the spec PR merges, re-running checks goes green. Nothing to
+  pin, nothing to bump. Each run logs the spec SHA it verified against so results are reproducible.
+  **There is no in-repo escape hatch, by design.** A blocked PR has exactly one route: land the key in the
+  spec via the [FEP process](https://github.com/got-feedback/feedpak-spec/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md), then
+  re-run the PR's checks — the gate verifies against the spec's HEAD, so it goes green once the key is real. `feedpak-spec-exceptions.yml` is a **closed
+  grandfather list** for keys that predate the gate, not a bypass: a fourth check (**allowlist-closed**)
+  diffs it against the base branch and fails any PR that *adds* an entry, so it may only shrink.
+  `original_audio` is grandfathered there against #933 so the gate lands green and starts blocking the
+  *next* instance immediately; the gate takes no position on how #933 resolves (the expected outcome is
+  removing the key, since the spec already carries the mixdown as a stem — not adopting it). Docs:
+  [docs/feedpak-spec-gate.md](docs/feedpak-spec-gate.md).
+
 ### Removed
 - **The classic v2 UI shell is gone — v3 is the only UI (R3a).** `static/index.html`, the
  `/v2` route, and the `FEEDBACK_UI` v2/legacy opt-out are deleted; `/` and `/v3` both serve
@@ -27,6 +156,11 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
  engine (`app.js`, `highway.js`, `playSong`, `showScreen`, the capability registry).

 ### Fixed
+- **Career passports review polish** — the passport tabs and book overlay carry
+  proper ARIA semantics (`aria-selected`/`aria-controls`/`tabpanel`;
+  `role="dialog"` + `aria-modal` with focus moved to the close button on open
+  and restored on close), and a corrupt stored seen-badges value (e.g. a stray
+  `"null"`) can no longer throw on every passport refresh.
 - **The packaged desktop app could not start (`ModuleNotFoundError: No module named
  'appstate'`).** feedback-desktop's `scripts/bundle-slopsmith.sh` copies a *hardcoded
  list* of core files into the app bundle — `server.py`, `VERSION`, `lib/`, `data/`,
@@ -465,6 +465,40 @@ window.feedBack.diagnostics.contribute('my_plugin', {

 Loaded from `static/diagnostics.js` ASAP in `<head>` so the console-wrap is in place before any other script runs. Available on the `window.feedBack.diagnostics` namespace alongside `snapshotConsole()`, `snapshotHardware()`, `snapshotUa()`, `snapshotLocalStorage()`, `snapshotContributions()`. Keep your payload small (< 100 KB) and don't include secrets — bundles are shared with maintainers.

+### Detachable panes — pop your panel out into its own window
+
+If your plugin has a floating panel that sits over the player — a mixer, a camera rig, a settings board — you can let the user pop it out into its own OS window and leave it there: while they play, across song switches, on a second monitor, minimized to the tray. Two calls:
+
+```js
+feedBack.panes.register({
+    id: 'camera_director',
+    title: 'Camera Director',
+    icon: '🎥',
+    element: () => panelEl,          // your existing panel, exactly as it is
+});
+feedBack.panes.attachChip(panelEl, 'camera_director');
+```
+
+**The host moves your real element.** Not a copy, not a re-render — the actual DOM node, adopted into the pop-out window, keeping its listeners and its closures. Your panel goes on running *your* code against *your* state. It looks and behaves like what was popped out because it **is** what was popped out. Nothing to mirror, nothing to keep in sync.
+
+The rules below are all things that have already gone wrong. Full contract: **[docs/plugin-panes.md](docs/plugin-panes.md)**.
+
+- **Your code still runs in the main window.** The element is *displayed* elsewhere; its closures, timers and `document` references still belong to the main realm. That is exactly why everything keeps working — and exactly why `document.body.appendChild(myPopover)` lands in the **main window, not the pane**. Anchor tooltips, popovers and menus to your panel, not to `document.body`. Measure with `el.ownerDocument.defaultView`, never a cached `window`.
+
+- **Don't hide your panel yourself when it pops out.** Core hides it and leaves a "bring it back" stub. If you also hide it, you will hide the node that just moved — and blank the pane window.
+
+- **Prefer `hidden` or a class over inline `display` for show/hide.** While popped out, core neutralises *placement* with `.fb-paned` (`position`, `inset`, `width`, `z-index`, `box-shadow`). An inline `display:none` on your panel reasserts itself the moment the pane docks back and the class is removed, so your panel returns invisible.
+
+- **`element` is a function so it can be resolved late.** Return the *live* node. If you rebuild your panel (Camera Director rebuilds on every mode change), re-run `attachChip` — it returns a `detach()`; call it before re-attaching, and again in your teardown.
+
+- **`isConnected` does not mean "docked".** A panel sitting in a pane window is very much connected — just not to *this* document. Test `el.ownerDocument === document`, or take the `onHost(hostId, el)` callback.
+
+- **rAF is throttled while the main window is backgrounded** — and it will be, whenever the user is looking at your pane. Event-driven panels (sliders, buttons) are unaffected. A panel that *animates continuously* may run slowly while it is the only thing on screen.
+
+- **Don't reach for BroadcastChannel, `postMessage`, or a second copy of your state.** There is one realm and one panel. If you find yourself synchronising, you have misunderstood the model.
+
+- **Nothing is required.** No panes API on the host → skip both calls, and your panel behaves exactly as it does today.
+
 ### Keyboard Shortcuts

 Plugins can register keyboard shortcuts via the global `window.registerShortcut()` function. Shortcuts appear in the `?` help panel.
@@ -554,6 +588,21 @@ tab, key/scale annotations, etc.). Published as **feedpak**; this codebase still
 **sloppak** name internally — same on-disk format. [docs/sloppak-spec.md](docs/sloppak-spec.md) is
 a local pointer + code map.

+**The spec is sacrosanct — read it BEFORE changing how this app reads or writes packs.** The
+spec repo defines the format; this app merely implements it ("a change is not part of the format
+until it lands here" — feedpak-spec/GOVERNANCE.md). Any new manifest key, file, or directory the
+app touches must land in the spec **first**, via the
+[FEP process](https://github.com/got-feedback/feedpak-spec/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md) (proposal
+issue → one spec PR updating spec + schemas + example + changelog → then re-run your PR's checks
+here; the gate verifies against the spec's HEAD, so it goes green the moment your key is real).
+CI enforces this: the `feedpak-spec` job
+([docs/feedpak-spec-gate.md](docs/feedpak-spec-gate.md)) fails any PR whose code touches a
+manifest key the spec doesn't declare, and there is **no in-repo bypass** — the exceptions
+file is a closed grandfather list that only shrinks. If the format seems to be missing something
+you need, that's a FEP conversation, not a workaround. (Cautionary tale: `original_audio`, #933 —
+shipped without a spec entry, and third-party packers reverse-engineered a folder convention out
+of a code comment.)
+
 **Key code:**
 - `lib/sloppak.py` — format detection, zip/directory resolution, metadata extraction, song loading
 - `lib/sloppak_convert.py` — sloppak assembly pipeline, Demucs stem splitting
@@ -0,0 +1,132 @@
+# The feedpak spec-conformance gate
+
+`tools/check_spec_conformance.py`, run in CI as the `feedpak-spec` job.
+
+## Why
+
+feedpak is published as an **open format**: its own repo
+([got-feedback/feedpak-spec](https://github.com/got-feedback/feedpak-spec)), a normative spec, JSON
+Schemas, and a reference validator. That is a promise to everyone outside this codebase — third-party
+packers, converters, and players build against the spec, and the spec is meant to be the complete and
+authoritative description of a pack.
+
+The moment core reads a manifest key the spec doesn't define, that promise breaks silently:
+
+- A spec-compliant pack is no longer guaranteed to be a fully-working pack.
+- The reference validator can't warn authors about a key it has never heard of — it will happily green-light
+  the key, and every misspelling of it.
+- The format's real definition drifts into our source tree. In the case that motivated this gate
+  ([#933](https://github.com/got-feedback/feedback/issues/933)), third-party tooling started emitting an
+  `original/` directory that no code anywhere requires — the convention was reverse-engineered from an
+  example in a *code comment*.
+
+The rule this gate enforces: **any manifest key core reads _or writes_ must be in the spec before core
+ships code that depends on it.** Spec first, implementation second. Writes are not exempt — a key core
+writes lands in every pack we emit, so an undeclared one seeds the ecosystem with non-spec data.
+
+Note that "get it into the spec" is not automatically the right fix for an existing violation — for
+`original_audio` it isn't. The spec already carries the pre-separation mixdown as a stem
+(`{id: full, file: stems/full.ogg}`), so that key added a *second, redundant* location for audio to a format
+that already had one, and the resolution is to remove it rather than bless it. The gate takes no position on
+which way a violation resolves; it only insists that one of the two happens deliberately, in the open,
+before the code merges.
+
+## What it checks
+
+We can't mechanically prove core *interprets* a key the way the spec means. We can prove four surface
+properties, and they cover the drift that actually occurs.
+
+| Layer | Check | Catches |
+|---|---|---|
+| 1. key-coverage | Every manifest key core reads **or writes** is declared in the spec's `manifest.schema.json`. | Core growing a key the spec never defined — the #933 class. |
+| 2. allowlist-closed | `feedpak-spec-exceptions.yml` has not **grown** relative to the base branch. | Someone routing around the FEP process by allowlisting their own new key. |
+| 3. forward | Core's `load_song()` ingests every example pack the spec ships. | The spec adding or tightening something core ignores or breaks on. |
+| 4. reverse | Every pack committed to this repo passes the spec's `tools/validate.py`. | Core (or a contributor) committing a pack the spec would reject. |
+
+Layer 1 works by walking the AST of the modules listed in `READERS` and collecting every literal key touched
+on a manifest dict (`manifest.get("x")`, `manifest["x"]`, and the wrapped
+`(load_manifest(p) or {}).get("x")` form used in `lib/enrichment.py`).
+
+**Reads and writes are both checked, and reported differently.** A key core *writes*
+(`manifest["x"] = v`, as `lib/songmeta.py` does) is spec surface pointed outward: it puts a key into every
+pack we emit, so an undeclared one seeds the ecosystem with non-spec data. Subscripts are classified by AST
+context — `Store` is a write, `Load` is a read — so `manifest["year"] = ...` is not miscounted as a read.
+
+## When it fails
+
+You added a manifest key the spec doesn't define. **There is exactly one way forward, and it is not in this
+repo.**
+
+Land the key in the spec through the **feedpak Enhancement Proposal (FEP)** process
+([feedpak-spec/CONTRIBUTING.md](https://github.com/got-feedback/feedpak-spec/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md)):
+
+1. **Open a FEP issue** on `got-feedback/feedpak-spec` — the problem, the proposed on-disk shape (manifest
+   key and/or side-file), backward compatibility, and the version bump it implies.
+2. **Discuss**, until it has a clear shape and rough consensus.
+3. **Land one PR there** that updates the normative spec (`spec/feedpak-v1.md`), the relevant JSON
+   Schema(s), an example in `examples/` that exercises it, and the changelog — *together*. A PR touching
+   only one of those is incomplete.
+4. **Back here**, just re-run your PR's checks. The gate verifies against the spec's HEAD, so the moment
+   your key is genuinely part of the format, your PR goes green — nothing to bump, nothing to maintain.
+
+That's deliberately the only route — no experimental prefix, no self-serve allowlist — and it's usually a
+quick one for additive keys. The reason it's worth the round-trip: the gate checks the whole repo against
+the living spec, so if non-conformance ever lands, it shows up as red CI on *every* teammate's open PR, and
+only the person who introduced it can clear it. Going through the FEP keeps your change clean and keeps
+everyone else unblocked.
+
+The spec's own governance says the same thing:
+
+> This repository defines the format only. Applications that read or write feedpak ... track this spec as a
+> dependency; they do not drive it. **A change is not part of the format until it lands here.**
+> — [feedpak-spec/GOVERNANCE.md](https://github.com/got-feedback/feedpak-spec/blob/main/GOVERNANCE.md)
+
+### `feedpak-spec-exceptions.yml` is a closed grandfather list, not a hatch
+
+It exists solely because `original_audio` predates the gate. **CI fails any PR that adds an entry** (layer 2
+diffs it against the base branch), so the list can only ever shrink. Entries are debt, each carries a
+tracking issue, and each disappears when the underlying key is removed from core. The gate also fails on a
+*stale* entry — the spec caught up, or core stopped touching the key — so the file cannot quietly become
+somewhere drift accumulates.
+
+Deleting an entry does not, by itself, get you past the gate: layer 1 still fails while core reads the key.
+The entry goes when the **code** goes.
+
+## Tracking the spec's HEAD
+
+The gate checks out `feedpak-spec` at **HEAD**, on purpose: the app must conform to the *living* spec, and
+nobody should have to maintain a pin. The dev flow is fully self-serve — gated PR → FEP → spec merge →
+re-run checks → green.
+
+Two properties to know about:
+
+- **The normal FEP is additive** (a new optional key), which only ever makes the gate *looser* — it cannot
+  redden anyone's PR. Only a **breaking** spec change (removing/renaming a key the app uses, tightening the
+  validator against committed packs) turns PRs red repo-wide — and per the spec's compatibility policy that
+  is a rare, deliberate MAJOR event, exactly when an org-wide "the app is out of conformance" signal is the
+  right outcome. The CI job logs the exact spec SHA each run verified against, so a red run is reproducible.
+- **CI results can change over time on the same commit** — that is inherent to tracking a living contract,
+  and it is the point: green means "conformant *now*", not "conformant when written".
+
+## Limitations
+
+Known, and worth fixing in follow-ups rather than blocking on:
+
+- **Layer 1's receiver detection is heuristic.** Locals *assigned from* `load_manifest(...)` are discovered
+  flow-aware whatever they're called (chart.py's `m` taught us that), and the inline
+  `(load_manifest(p) or {}).get(...)` form is recognised — but a manifest that arrives as a **function
+  parameter** is only recognised by name (`MANIFEST_VARS`: `manifest`, `mf`). A parameter called something
+  else would slip. The hardening step is to route all manifest access through a single declared
+  `KNOWN_MANIFEST_KEYS` registry in `lib/sloppak.py`; the gate then compares registry against schema exactly
+  instead of inferring.
+- **Layer 1 covers top-level keys only.** Nested structure (`arrangements[].file`, `.id`, `.notation`) isn't
+  checked. Extending to it means walking the schema's `$ref` subschemas.
+- **Layer 1 recognises `get`, `setdefault`, subscripts, and the known gap-fill helper** as key access.
+  `update()` and `pop()` aren't used against a feedpak manifest anywhere in the tree, so they're deliberately
+  not special-cased rather than speculatively handled. `readers-complete` reuses the same scanner
+  (`keys_touched()`), so this blind spot is shared, not doubled: a module using only unrecognised access forms
+  would evade both.
+- **Layer 4 can't catch unknown keys**, because `manifest.schema.json` sets `additionalProperties: true` and
+  the reference validator deliberately "treats unknown keys/files as forward-compatible". Fixing this
+  properly belongs in the spec (tighten the schema, or give the validator a `--strict` mode). Until then,
+  layer 1 is the only thing standing between us and the next `original_audio`.
@@ -0,0 +1,354 @@
+# Detachable panes (`window.feedBack.panes`)
+
+Pop a panel out of the app into its own OS window, and leave it there: while you
+play, across song switches, on a second monitor, minimized to the system tray.
+
+Panes exist because the player's rail popovers are **exclusive** — opening one
+closes the last. You cannot watch the mixer while riding the camera, and both
+vanish the moment you want to look at the highway.
+
+---
+
+## The whole idea, in one sentence
+
+**We move the real element.**
+
+Not a copy of your panel. Not a re-implementation of it in the pop-out window.
+The actual DOM node. Same-origin windows can adopt each other's nodes, and an
+adopted node keeps its event listeners and its closures — so your panel goes on
+running *your* code, against *your* state, in *your* realm. The app's stylesheets
+are copied into the pane window, so it looks identical too.
+
+What you popped out is what you get. That is the promise, and it is the reason
+there is no `ctx`, no state mirroring, no cross-window RPC and no second copy of
+your UI to keep in step with the first. Those are all solutions to a problem we
+simply do not have.
+
+---
+
+## Adding a pane to your plugin
+
+Two lines.
+
+```js
+// Guard: the panes API is optional. On a host without it, skip both calls and
+// your panel behaves exactly as it does today.
+const panes = window.feedBack && window.feedBack.panes;
+if (panes && typeof panes.register === 'function') {
+    panes.register({
+        id: 'camera_director',
+        title: 'Camera Director',
+        icon: '🎥',
+        element: () => panelEl,      // your existing panel, as it is
+    });
+    panes.attachChip(panelEl, 'camera_director');
+}
+```
+
+`attachChip()` injects **the** standard pop-out chip (`⇱`) — same glyph, same
+place, same behaviour in every plugin. Clicking it moves your panel to whichever
+**host** the router picks — usually a pop-out window, but the dock when a window
+can't be had (a blocked pop-up, or `defaultHost: 'dock'`) — and leaves a
+"⇲ … is popped out" stub in its place. Clicking the stub brings the panel back, to
+exactly the spot it left. Core owns the chip, the hiding and the stub, so you write
+no show/hide logic.
+
+That's it. Your sliders, your presets, your tabs, your CSS, your event handlers,
+your state — all of it comes along, because none of it moved anywhere except into
+a different window's document.
+
+### `element` is a function for a reason
+
+It is resolved at open time, not at registration. Plugins commonly build their
+panel lazily on first use, or rebuild it wholesale when something changes (Camera
+Director rebuilds its panel on every mode change). Asking for it when we need it
+means we always move the live one.
+
+**If you rebuild your panel, re-attach the chip.** Rebuilding takes the chip with
+it. `attachChip()` returns a `detach()`; call it before re-attaching, and again in
+your teardown — otherwise you leave a stub pointing at DOM that no longer exists.
+
+```js
+if (chipDetach) chipDetach();
+chipDetach = panes.attachChip(panel, PANE_ID, { header: toolsEl });
+```
+
+Re-attaching is safe while the pane is popped out: the chip reconciles against the
+pane's real state, so a panel rebuilt mid-pop-out stays correctly stubbed.
+
+### The two things core changes about your element
+
+**1. Placement.** `.fb-paned` is added while the pane is out:
+
+```css
+position: static; inset: auto; margin: 0; width: 100%;
+max-width: none; max-height: none; z-index: auto; box-shadow: none;
+```
+
+Your panel was almost certainly a fixed overlay pinned to a corner of the app
+(`position:fixed; top:72px; right:18px; width:288px`). Alone in its own window,
+every one of those is wrong — it would float 72px down from the top of a 380px
+window, still 288px wide, still casting a shadow over nothing.
+
+Note there is deliberately **no `display` override**: a panel that is
+`display:flex` or `grid` stays that way. Colours, borders, radius, padding, fonts
+and your panel's own internal layout are untouched.
+
+**2. Visibility.** A panel is usually hidden until its launcher is clicked, and a
+pane can be opened from the tray or the rail without that ever happening — so core
+un-hides it, in the two ways a panel is actually hidden:
+
+```js
+el.hidden = false;
+if (el.style.display === 'none') el.style.display = '';
+```
+
+**Both are restored exactly as they were when the pane docks**, along with the
+`.fb-paned` class. A panel that was closed when you opened its pane from the tray
+goes back to being closed; one that was open stays open.
+
+---
+
+## Spec
+
+```js
+feedBack.panes.register({
+    id,                    // required, unique
+    element,               // required — an Element, or a function returning one
+    title,                 // shown in the pane window's title bar, the dock card, the tray
+    icon,                  // one glyph, for the dock/tray/launcher lists
+    width, height,         // the pane window's initial size (it remembers yours after that)
+    defaultHost,           // 'window' (default) or 'dock'
+    onHost,                // optional (hostId | null, el) => void — re-measure/re-anchor
+});
+```
+
+```js
+feedBack.panes.attachChip(el, paneId, { header })   // → detach()
+feedBack.panes.open(id, { host }) / close(id) / detach(id) / dock(id) / focus(id)
+feedBack.panes.isOpen(id) / hostOf(id) / get(id) / list()
+```
+
+`attachChip` puts the chip in the `header` element you pass, else in
+`el.querySelector('[data-pane-header]')` if it finds one, else at the top of `el`.
+An explicit `header` always wins.
+
+---
+
+## Hosts
+
+`detach(id)` puts a pane in the best host available:
+
+| host | | |
+|---|---|---|
+| `window` | 10 | A real OS window. In the desktop app: remembered bounds, always-on-top, system tray. |
+| `dock` | 0 | A card in the in-window stack. **The floor** — always available, so opening a pane can never fail. |
+
+You don't pick; you declare `defaultHost` and the router does the rest.
+
+In the **desktop app** a pane you left popped out comes back popped out on next
+launch. In a **browser** it comes back **docked** — a browser blocks
+`window.open()` without a user gesture, so restoring it would only ever produce a
+"pop-up blocked" toast. The chip pops it out again on your next click.
+
+---
+
+## Best practices
+
+Every item below is something that has already gone wrong, in this codebase, on
+this feature. They are cheap to get right up front and confusing to diagnose later
+— a broken pane usually *looks* perfect.
+
+### 1. Your code still runs in the main window
+
+The element is *displayed* in the pane window, but its closures, its timers and its
+`document` references all still belong to the main realm. **That is precisely why
+everything keeps working** — and it has one sharp consequence:
+
+```js
+// WRONG — lands in the MAIN window, not the pane the user is looking at.
+document.body.appendChild(myTooltip);
+
+// RIGHT — anchored to the panel, so it travels with it.
+panelEl.appendChild(myTooltip);
+```
+
+**And every lookup for something inside your panel.** Once the panel has moved,
+`document.getElementById('my-panel-thing')` returns `null` — so every update it
+guards silently stops happening, precisely while the user is looking at the panel.
+No error. Just a UI that quietly goes dead.
+
+```js
+// WRONG — null once the panel is popped out.
+document.getElementById('my-panel-hint').textContent = msg;
+
+// RIGHT — search FROM the panel; works in either document.
+panelEl.querySelector('#my-panel-hint').textContent = msg;
+```
+
+Elements that live outside your panel (your plugin's *screen*, host chrome) never
+move, and should keep using `document.getElementById`. Audit which is which — in
+the stem mixer, four ids were inside the panel and a dozen were not.
+
+Same for measuring and popovers. `window.innerWidth` is the *main* window's, and a
+dismiss listener on `window` watches a window the user isn't clicking in. Use
+`el.ownerDocument` / `el.ownerDocument.defaultView` when you need the window your
+panel is actually in.
+
+### 2. Don't hide your panel yourself
+
+Core hides it and leaves a "bring it back" stub. If your plugin *also* hides it,
+you are hiding the node that just moved — and the pane window renders nothing.
+(This is not hypothetical: core's own chip did exactly this, and the first
+pop-out shipped blank because of it.)
+
+### 3. Prefer `hidden` or a class for show/hide
+
+Core makes your panel visible while it's hosted — it clears `hidden`, and clears an
+inline `display: none` if that's how you hide — and **restores both on dock**. So
+either style works.
+
+`hidden` is still the better choice: it composes with everything, and it leaves
+your panel's `display` mode (`flex`, `grid`, whatever it is) entirely alone. Core
+deliberately does not override `display` for exactly that reason.
+
+```js
+panel.hidden = true;                  // best
+panel.style.display = 'none';         // works — core saves and restores it
+```
+
+### 4. `element` is a function — return the *live* node
+
+It is resolved when the pane opens, not when you register. Plugins build panels
+lazily, and rebuild them wholesale (Camera Director rebuilds on every mode
+change). If you rebuild yours, **re-attach the chip**:
+
+```js
+if (chipDetach) chipDetach();            // attachChip returns a detach()
+chipDetach = feedBack.panes.attachChip(panel, PANE_ID, { header: toolsEl });
+```
+
+Call `chipDetach()` in your teardown too, or you leave a stub pointing at DOM that
+no longer exists.
+
+### 5. `isConnected` lies about a panel that is a pane
+
+This one has cost more debugging than everything else on this page combined, and
+it lies in **both directions**.
+
+**It says `true` when your panel is not here.** A panel sitting in a pane window is
+`isConnected` — just not to *this* document. Code asking "am I still mounted?" gets
+`true` and then acts on a panel that is somewhere else entirely.
+
+**It says `false` when your panel is perfectly fine.** The host *detaches* the
+element the moment a pop-out starts, before the new window has even loaded. In that
+gap `isConnected` is `false` — and any code that rebuilds on that basis builds a
+**second panel**, while the host is still holding the first.
+
+That second panel is the one your module variables now point at. The one the user
+can *see* is the original, owned by nobody. So:
+
+- its close button closes the *other*, invisible panel — "the X doesn't work"
+- your chip gets re-attached to the impostor — "the pop-out icon vanished"
+
+Two baffling symptoms, one duplicate, and nothing in the stack trace to suggest it.
+
+**Ask the pane system, not the DOM.** It knows where your element is:
+
+```js
+function paneOwnsPanel() {
+    const panes = window.feedBack && window.feedBack.panes;
+    return !!(panes && panes.isOpen && panes.isOpen(MY_PANE_ID));
+}
+
+// "Is my panel gone?" — not "is it in this document?"
+if (panel && (panel.isConnected || paneOwnsPanel())) return panel;   // alive; possibly elsewhere
+```
+
+Every `isConnected` check on a panel that can be a pane needs this. In the stem
+mixer that was `ensureMixerPanel()` (which rebuilt) *and* the MutationObserver's
+fast path (which decided the UI was unmounted and swept on every mutation).
+
+For "which document is it in right now", use `el.ownerDocument === document`, or
+take the optional `onHost(hostId, el)` callback, which fires on both moves.
+
+### 6. If your plugin can be re-injected, it must be able to remove itself
+
+The host may run your script more than once — a screen re-entry, a version change.
+Without a teardown, the second run builds a second panel while the first one is
+still on screen, and every module variable in the new instance points at the new,
+invisible one. The user clicks the panel they can see; nothing happens.
+
+Everything stateful duplicates: observers, timers, listeners. And one thing is
+worse than duplicated — **your pane registration**:
+
+```js
+panes.register({ id, element: () => panel });   // resolved LAZILY, at open time
+```
+
+First registration wins, so a stale one hands the host `panel` from a **dead
+instance**. Popping out then moves a panel nobody owns.
+
+So publish a teardown handle and call it at the top of your script:
+
+```js
+if (window.__myPluginInstance?.destroy) {
+    try { window.__myPluginInstance.destroy(); } catch (e) { /* tear down what we can */ }
+}
+
+window.__myPluginInstance = {
+    destroy() {
+        observer?.disconnect();
+        clearTimeout(myTimer);
+        chipDetach?.();                       // attachChip() returned this
+        panes?.unregister?.(MY_PANE_ID);      // ← the one people forget
+        document.querySelectorAll('#my-panel').forEach((n) => n.remove());
+    },
+};
+```
+
+Belt and braces: when you build your panel, remove any node carrying its id that
+isn't yours. A zombie panel is worse than no panel — it looks alive and does
+nothing.
+
+### 7. Expect rAF to be throttled while your pane has focus
+
+Chromium throttles a **backgrounded** window's `requestAnimationFrame` — and the
+main window is exactly what's backgrounded while the user is looking at your pane.
+Your rAF lives in the main window.
+
+Event-driven panels (sliders, buttons, presets) don't care. A panel that
+*animates continuously* may run slowly precisely when it's the only thing on
+screen. Drive such animation from data you already have, or accept the stutter.
+
+### 8. Don't synchronise anything
+
+No `BroadcastChannel`, no `postMessage`, no second copy of your state, no mirrored
+UI. There is **one** realm and **one** panel. If you find yourself writing sync
+code, you have misunderstood the model — the whole point is that there is nothing
+to sync.
+
+### 9. Nothing here is required
+
+On a host without the panes API, `feedBack.panes` is `undefined`. Skip both calls
+and your panel behaves exactly as it does today. Guard, don't depend:
+
+```js
+const panes = window.feedBack && window.feedBack.panes;
+if (!panes || typeof panes.register !== 'function') return;
+```
+
+---
+
+## Things core guarantees
+
+- **The element goes home exactly where it came from** — same parent, same position
+  among its siblings. Don't move it yourself while it's popped out.
+- **It comes home alive.** Core evacuates the element *before* the pane window's
+  document is destroyed. (Get this wrong — dock after the window dies — and the
+  node returns looking perfect with every listener in its subtree silently gone.
+  That bug is why this section exists.)
+- **A pane window the user closes, or that crashes, is reaped** and the element
+  docked back. Your panel is never stranded in a dead document.
+- **The app's stylesheets are copied into the pane window**, so your panel looks
+  identical — including your plugin's own `styles` sheet.
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ module.exports = [
    // module graph, which is what makes no-cycle meaningful here — a carved
    // module that imports app.js back would close a cycle and fail this gate.
    {
-        files: ['**/src/**/*.js', '**/*.mjs', 'static/app.js', 'static/js/**/*.js'],
+        files: ['**/src/**/*.js', '**/*.mjs', 'static/app.js', 'static/js/**/*.js', 'static/highway.js'],
        languageOptions: { ecmaVersion: 'latest', sourceType: 'module' },
        plugins: { 'import-x': importX },
        // v4 flat-config resolver (resolver-next + createNodeResolver). Without
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+# CLOSED grandfather list — manifest keys core reads or writes that predate the
+# spec-conformance gate and that the feedpak spec does not define.
+#
+# Please don't add entries here — CI will flag any PR that grows this list, so
+# it can only shrink over time. That's by design, not distrust: the moment the
+# app touches a key the spec doesn't define, every teammate's PR starts failing
+# the conformance gate too, and whoever added the key is the only person who
+# can fix it. The FEP process below avoids putting anyone in that spot. The
+# feedpak spec's own governance is explicit:
+#
+#   "This repository defines the format only. Applications that read or write
+#    feedpak ... track this spec as a dependency; they do not drive it.
+#    A change is not part of the format until it lands here."
+#     — got-feedback/feedpak-spec, GOVERNANCE.md
+#
+# So a new manifest key goes through the feedpak Enhancement Proposal (FEP)
+# process — see feedpak-spec/CONTRIBUTING.md:
+#
+#   1. Open a FEP issue on got-feedback/feedpak-spec describing the problem, the
+#      on-disk shape, backward compatibility, and the version bump implied.
+#   2. Land one PR there updating the normative spec, the JSON Schemas, an
+#      example that exercises it, and the changelog — together.
+#   3. Back here, re-run this PR's checks. The gate verifies against the spec's
+#      HEAD, so once your key is in the spec, the gate goes green.
+#
+# That's the supported route — and usually a quick one for additive keys. If
+# your PR is blocked by this gate, a FEP will get you unblocked properly; an
+# entry here won't (CI rejects it).
+#
+# Entries below exist ONLY because they predate the gate. Each is debt with a
+# tracking issue, and each disappears when its issue is fixed. The gate also
+# fails if an entry goes stale — the spec caught up, or core no longer reads or
+# writes the key — so this file cannot quietly become a place drift hides.
+
+exceptions:
+  - key: original_audio
+    issue: https://github.com/got-feedback/feedback/issues/945
+    reason: >-
+      Added by #583 (the full mix played while every stem fader sits at unity,
+      since demucs recombination is lossy). It never went through a FEP and the
+      spec does not define it — the drift this gate exists to prevent.
+
+      #933 fixed the drift: feedpak 1.15.0 RESERVES the stem id `full` for the
+      complete mixdown (feedpak-spec#53), and core now reads the full mix from
+      that stem. Nothing depends on this key any more — not the loader, not
+      lib/enrichment.py, not the stems plugin, and the packer no longer writes it.
+
+      What remains is a READ-ONLY deprecated fallback in lib/sloppak.py
+      (_legacy_full_mix), kept for one release because every pack produced before
+      the spec caught up carries `original_audio: original/full.ogg` and would
+      otherwise silently lose its pristine mix. tools/migrate_full_mix_stem.py
+      rewrites those packs into the spec shape.
+
+      This entry disappears with that fallback — tracked by #945, which cannot be
+      forgotten: the gate fails if the entry goes stale, and deleting the read is
+      what makes it stale.
@@ -288,17 +288,55 @@ def demo_mode_enabled() -> bool:


 def start_janitor() -> None:
-    """Start the hourly session janitor. Called from server.py's startup hook.
+    """Start the hourly session janitor, at most one at a time. server.py's startup hook.

-    NB the caller's guard is the buggy one described in this module's header (issue #902).
-    Behaviour is preserved verbatim: this starts a thread every time it is called.
+    ━━━ THE GUARD ASKS "IS A HEALTHY JANITOR RUNNING?", AND NOTHING ELSE ━━━
+
+    Three ways to get this wrong, and #902 plus two Codex passes found all three:
+
+    1. NO GUARD (the original #902 bug). The re-entry check lived at the call site as
+       `A or (B and C)`, so it never ran, and a second startup started a SECOND thread,
+       overwrote the handle, and left the first to fire hooks forever, unjoinable.
+
+    2. GUARD ON THE FLAG (`if _DEMO_JANITOR_STARTED: return`). stop_janitor() deliberately
+       leaves that flag True when a hook outruns its join timeout — so once that hook
+       finishes and the thread exits, the flag is stale and a later startup would refuse to
+       start a replacement. Demo cleanup silently dead for the rest of the process.
+
+    3. GUARD ON LIVENESS ALONE (`if thread.is_alive(): return`). A timed-out stop leaves the
+       old thread ALIVE BUT DOOMED — its stop event is set, and it exits the moment its
+       current hook returns. Treating it as a running janitor means the replacement is never
+       started, and we are back at (2) a second later.
+
+    So a janitor counts as running only if its thread is alive AND it has not been told to
+    stop.
+
+    ━━━ AND WHY EACH JANITOR OWNS ITS STOP EVENT ━━━
+
+    This used to `_DEMO_JANITOR_STOP.clear()` a single shared Event. If a replacement were
+    started while a doomed thread was still finishing a hook, clearing the shared event would
+    RESURRECT it — it loops back to `stop.wait()`, sees the flag cleared, and carries on.
+    Two janitors, which is the exact bug we started from.
+
+    A fresh Event per janitor makes that impossible: the old thread waits on its OWN event,
+    which stays set forever, so it can only exit.
    """
-    global _DEMO_JANITOR_STARTED, _DEMO_JANITOR_THREAD
+    global _DEMO_JANITOR_STARTED, _DEMO_JANITOR_THREAD, _DEMO_JANITOR_STOP
+
+    thread = _DEMO_JANITOR_THREAD
+    if thread is not None and thread.is_alive() and not _DEMO_JANITOR_STOP.is_set():
+        return   # a healthy janitor is already running
+
+    # Either there is no janitor, or the previous one is dead / dying. Give the new one its
+    # OWN stop event so the old one stays stopped no matter what we do to ours.
+    stop = threading.Event()
+    _DEMO_JANITOR_STOP = stop
    _DEMO_JANITOR_STARTED = True
-    _DEMO_JANITOR_STOP.clear()

    def _janitor():
-        while not _DEMO_JANITOR_STOP.wait(timeout=3600):
+        # Closes over `stop`, NOT the module global — a later start_janitor() rebinds
+        # _DEMO_JANITOR_STOP, and this thread must keep watching the event it was born with.
+        while not stop.wait(timeout=3600):
            with _DEMO_JANITOR_HOOKS_LOCK:
                hooks = list(_DEMO_JANITOR_HOOKS)
            for hook in hooks:
@@ -368,10 +368,12 @@ def _acoustid_gate() -> "JSONResponse | None":

 def _song_audio_file(filename: str) -> "str | None":
    """Resolve a LIBRARY song (by filename/id) to a local master-audio file for
-    fingerprinting: the full-mix `original_audio` extracted from a sloppak, or a
-    loose folder's audio. None when the song can't be found or ships no full-mix
-    audio (some packs carry only stems). Mirrors serve_sloppak_file's containment
-    guards so a crafted filename can't read outside DLC_DIR / the pack."""
+    fingerprinting: a sloppak's complete mixdown, or a loose folder's audio. None
+    when the song can't be found or carries no mixdown (a pack that kept only its
+    separated stems — an acoustic fingerprint of one re-summed from them would not
+    match the recording, so we decline rather than submit a lossy reconstruction).
+    Mirrors serve_sloppak_file's containment guards so a crafted filename can't
+    read outside DLC_DIR / the pack."""
    dlc = _get_dlc_dir()
    if not dlc:
        return None
@@ -383,7 +385,20 @@ def _song_audio_file(filename: str) -> "str | None":
            canon = resolved.relative_to(dlc.resolve()).as_posix()
        except ValueError:
            return None
-        rel = (sloppak_mod.load_manifest(resolved) or {}).get("original_audio")
+        manifest = sloppak_mod.load_manifest(resolved) or {}
+        # The mixdown is the RESERVED `full` stem (spec §5.3). Unlike playback,
+        # fingerprinting wants it even when it is the pack's ONLY stem — a
+        # single-mix pack is exactly the master audio we want to fingerprint —
+        # so this asks find_full_mix() rather than partition_stems().
+        stems = manifest.get("stems") or []
+        full = sloppak_mod.find_full_mix(
+            [s for s in stems if isinstance(s, dict)]
+        )
+        rel = full.get("file") if full else None
+        # DEPRECATED fallback: packs written before the spec reserved `full` put
+        # the mixdown behind a top-level `original_audio:` key instead (#933).
+        if not isinstance(rel, str) or not rel.strip():
+            rel = manifest.get("original_audio")
        if not isinstance(rel, str) or not rel.strip():
            return None
        src = sloppak_mod.get_cached_source_dir(canon)
@@ -614,6 +614,14 @@ class MetadataDB:
            )
        """)
        self.conn.execute("CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_song_stats_recent ON song_stats(last_played_at DESC)")
+        # Cumulative wall-clock play time (career "hours in genre" odometer).
+        # Fed by the same POST /api/stats the recorder already sends; additive
+        # + idempotent like every other song_stats change.
+        try:
+            self.conn.execute(
+                "ALTER TABLE song_stats ADD COLUMN seconds_total REAL NOT NULL DEFAULT 0")
+        except sqlite3.OperationalError:
+            pass
        # Playlists + the reserved "Saved for Later" system playlist. Additive.
        self.conn.execute("""
            CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS playlists (
@@ -901,6 +909,9 @@ class MetadataDB:
                    "best_accuracy": max(cur["best_accuracy"] or 0.0, r["best_accuracy"] or 0.0),
                    "last_score": newer["last_score"], "last_accuracy": newer["last_accuracy"],
                    "last_position": newer["last_position"],
+                    # Play time is additive: both encodings' hours belong to
+                    # the one canonical song.
+                    "seconds_total": (cur.get("seconds_total") or 0.0) + (r.get("seconds_total") or 0.0),
                    "last_played_at": newer["last_played_at"], "updated_at": newer["updated_at"],
                }
            # Atomic swap: clear and reinsert the canonicalized set in one txn.
@@ -1074,26 +1085,57 @@ class MetadataDB:
        vals["artist"], vals["title"] = self._romaji_display(filename, vals["artist"], vals["title"])
        return vals

-    # Effective genre = a per-song genre OVERRIDE (Fix-metadata popup) else the
-    # scanned pack genre. Applied at FILTER/FACET time (like the P4 artist alias)
-    # so a corrected genre is browsable — the correlated subquery is used ONLY
-    # when genre overrides actually exist; the common case stays on the plain
-    # indexed `genre` column. Genre stays a library-only overlay (it isn't a
-    # write-to-file field), so it never touches the pack.
-    _EFFECTIVE_GENRE_SQL = (
+    # Effective genre precedence: per-song OVERRIDE (Fix-metadata popup) →
+    # scanned pack genre → MusicBrainz enrichment primary genre (matched/manual rows
+    # only — a 'review'/'failed' candidate's genres could belong to the wrong
+    # recording). Applied at FILTER/FACET time (like the P4 artist alias) so a
+    # corrected or enriched genre is browsable. The vast majority of converted
+    # packs carry no `genres` manifest key, so without the enrichment leg the
+    # genre facet (and career passports) starve on real libraries. The
+    # correlated subqueries are used ONLY when overrides/enrichment genres
+    # actually exist; the common case stays on the plain indexed `genre`
+    # column. Genre stays a library-only overlay (it isn't a write-to-file
+    # field), so it never touches the pack.
+    _EFFECTIVE_GENRE_OVERRIDE_SQL = (
        "COALESCE((SELECT o.value FROM song_field_override o "
        "WHERE o.filename = songs.filename AND o.field = 'genre' "
        "AND o.value IS NOT NULL AND o.value != ''), genre)"
    )
+    _EFFECTIVE_GENRE_SQL = (
+        "COALESCE((SELECT o.value FROM song_field_override o "
+        "WHERE o.filename = songs.filename AND o.field = 'genre' "
+        "AND o.value IS NOT NULL AND o.value != ''), "
+        "NULLIF(genre, ''), "
+        "(SELECT json_extract(e.genres, '$[0]') FROM song_enrichment e "
+        "WHERE e.filename = songs.filename AND e.match_state IN ('matched', 'manual') "
+        "AND e.genres IS NOT NULL AND e.genres NOT IN ('', '[]')), "
+        "'')"
+    )

    def _has_genre_overrides(self) -> bool:
        return self.conn.execute(
            "SELECT 1 FROM song_field_override WHERE field = 'genre' "
            "AND value IS NOT NULL AND value != '' LIMIT 1").fetchone() is not None

+    def _has_enrichment_genres(self) -> bool:
+        try:
+            return self.conn.execute(
+                "SELECT 1 FROM song_enrichment WHERE match_state IN ('matched', 'manual') "
+                "AND genres IS NOT NULL AND genres NOT IN ('', '[]') "
+                "LIMIT 1").fetchone() is not None
+        except sqlite3.OperationalError:
+            return False  # stand-ins / DBs without the enrichment table
+
    def _effective_genre_expr(self) -> str:
-        """`genre` normally; the override-aware COALESCE only when overrides exist."""
-        return self._EFFECTIVE_GENRE_SQL if self._has_genre_overrides() else "genre"
+        """`genre` normally; the enrichment-aware COALESCE only when trusted
+        enrichment genres exist (which also proves the table exists — a
+        stand-in DB without song_enrichment must never receive SQL that
+        references it); the override-only form when just overrides exist."""
+        if self._has_enrichment_genres():
+            return self._EFFECTIVE_GENRE_SQL
+        if self._has_genre_overrides():
+            return self._EFFECTIVE_GENRE_OVERRIDE_SQL
+        return "genre"

    def set_song_tags(self, filename: str, tags) -> list:
        """Replace ALL of a song's tags with the given set (each normalized;
@@ -1693,7 +1735,8 @@ class MetadataDB:
    # ── Per-song practice stats ───────────────────────────────────────────---
    _STATS_COLS = (
        "filename", "arrangement", "plays", "best_score", "best_accuracy",
-        "last_score", "last_accuracy", "last_position", "last_played_at", "updated_at",
+        "last_score", "last_accuracy", "last_position", "seconds_total",
+        "last_played_at", "updated_at",
    )

    def _stats_row(self, filename: str, arrangement: int) -> dict | None:
@@ -2060,8 +2103,9 @@ class MetadataDB:
            self.conn.commit()

    def record_session(self, filename: str, arrangement: int, *, score: int,
-                       accuracy: float, last_position=None) -> dict:
-        """Record a scored play: plays += 1, best_* = max, last_* = new."""
+                       accuracy: float, last_position=None, seconds: float = 0) -> dict:
+        """Record a scored play: plays += 1, best_* = max, last_* = new.
+        `seconds` (wall-clock play time from the recorder) accrues."""
        from song_score import merge_stats
        with self._lock:
            existing = self._stats_row(filename, int(arrangement))
@@ -2071,8 +2115,9 @@ class MetadataDB:
            self.conn.execute(
                """INSERT INTO song_stats
                       (filename, arrangement, plays, best_score, best_accuracy,
-                        last_score, last_accuracy, last_position, last_played_at, updated_at)
-                   VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?,
+                        last_score, last_accuracy, last_position, seconds_total,
+                        last_played_at, updated_at)
+                   VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?,
                           strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%f','now'), strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%f','now'))
                   ON CONFLICT(filename, arrangement) DO UPDATE SET
                       plays = excluded.plays,
@@ -2081,32 +2126,62 @@ class MetadataDB:
                       last_score = excluded.last_score,
                       last_accuracy = excluded.last_accuracy,
                       last_position = excluded.last_position,
+                       seconds_total = song_stats.seconds_total + excluded.seconds_total,
                       last_played_at = excluded.last_played_at,
                       updated_at = excluded.updated_at""",
                (filename, int(arrangement), merged["plays"], merged["best_score"],
                 merged["best_accuracy"], merged["last_score"], merged["last_accuracy"],
-                 merged["last_position"]),
+                 merged["last_position"], float(seconds or 0)),
            )
            self.conn.commit()
        return self._stats_row(filename, int(arrangement))

-    def touch_position(self, filename: str, arrangement: int, last_position: float) -> dict:
+    def touch_position(self, filename: str, arrangement: int, last_position: float,
+                       seconds: float = 0) -> dict:
        """Persist just the resume position (no plays/score change), so
        Continue-Playing works for non-scored plays. Also stamps
        last_played_at — both /api/stats/recent and /api/session/continue
        filter/order on it, so a position-only touch must set it or the song
-        never surfaces as 'recent' / 'continue playing'."""
+        never surfaces as 'recent' / 'continue playing'. `seconds` accrues
+        wall-clock play time (career hours odometer)."""
        with self._lock:
            self.conn.execute(
                """INSERT INTO song_stats (filename, arrangement, last_position,
+                                           seconds_total, last_played_at, updated_at)
+                   VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%f','now'),
+                           strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%f','now'))
+                   ON CONFLICT(filename, arrangement) DO UPDATE SET
+                       last_position = excluded.last_position,
+                       seconds_total = song_stats.seconds_total + excluded.seconds_total,
+                       last_played_at = excluded.last_played_at,
+                       updated_at = excluded.updated_at""",
+                (filename, int(arrangement), float(last_position), float(seconds or 0)),
+            )
+            self.conn.commit()
+        return self._stats_row(filename, int(arrangement))
+
+    def add_play_seconds(self, filename: str, arrangement: int, seconds: float) -> dict:
+        """Accrue wall-clock play time (no plays/score/position change) —
+        the recorder's seconds-only flush for unscored plays that ran to the
+        song's natural end (no resume position to touch there: `song:ended`
+        must not overwrite Continue with the end-of-song offset). Stamps
+        last_played_at like touch_position does: the song WAS played, so
+        /api/stats/recent and Continue ordering must see it. Accepted skew:
+        the recorder retries FAILED flushes later, which stamps recency at
+        retry time — rare (offline corner), self-healing on the next play,
+        and preferable to the alternative (keep-existing would leave repeat
+        plays looking stale, the common case)."""
+        with self._lock:
+            self.conn.execute(
+                """INSERT INTO song_stats (filename, arrangement, seconds_total,
                                           last_played_at, updated_at)
                   VALUES (?, ?, ?, strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%f','now'),
                           strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%f','now'))
                   ON CONFLICT(filename, arrangement) DO UPDATE SET
-                       last_position = excluded.last_position,
+                       seconds_total = song_stats.seconds_total + excluded.seconds_total,
                       last_played_at = excluded.last_played_at,
                       updated_at = excluded.updated_at""",
-                (filename, int(arrangement), float(last_position)),
+                (filename, int(arrangement), float(seconds)),
            )
            self.conn.commit()
        return self._stats_row(filename, int(arrangement))
@@ -76,6 +76,22 @@ def api_record_stats(data: dict):
    last_pos = data.get("lastPlayPosition", data.get("last_position"))
    if isinstance(last_pos, bool):   # float(False)=0.0 would otherwise store a bogus position
        return JSONResponse({"error": "lastPlayPosition must be a finite number"}, status_code=400)
+    # Optional wall-clock play time (career hours odometer). Bounded per POST:
+    # the recorder flushes on pause/stop/end, so a single delta beyond 6h is a
+    # clock artifact (suspend/sleep), not practice.
+    seconds = data.get("seconds")
+    if seconds is not None:
+        if isinstance(seconds, bool):
+            return JSONResponse({"error": "seconds must be a positive number"}, status_code=400)
+        try:
+            seconds = float(seconds)
+            if not math.isfinite(seconds):
+                raise ValueError("non-finite")
+        except (TypeError, ValueError, OverflowError):
+            return JSONResponse({"error": "seconds must be a positive number"}, status_code=400)
+        if not (0 < seconds <= 6 * 3600):
+            return JSONResponse({"error": "seconds must be between 0 and 21600"}, status_code=400)
+    seconds = seconds or 0.0

    # A scored session needs BOTH score and accuracy. Exactly one provided is
    # ambiguous — don't silently fall through to the position-only branch.
@@ -115,7 +131,8 @@ def api_record_stats(data: dict):
            except (TypeError, ValueError, OverflowError):
                return JSONResponse({"error": "lastPlayPosition must be a finite number"}, status_code=400)
        row = appstate.meta_db.record_session(filename, arrangement, score=score,
-                                     accuracy=accuracy, last_position=last_pos)
+                                     accuracy=accuracy, last_position=last_pos,
+                                     seconds=seconds)
        # Unified XP + streak side-effects — never let these drop the stat write.
        progress = None
        try:
@@ -152,6 +169,21 @@ def api_record_stats(data: dict):
            log.warning("stats side-effects (progression) failed", exc_info=True)
        return {"stats": row, "progress": progress, "progression": progression_summary}

+    # Seconds-only accrual: an unscored play that ran to the song's natural
+    # end has play time to bank but no resume position to touch (song:ended
+    # must not overwrite Continue with the end-of-song offset). Still counts
+    # as playing today for the streak below.
+    if last_pos is None and seconds:
+        row = appstate.meta_db.add_play_seconds(filename, arrangement, seconds)
+        progress = None
+        try:
+            from datetime import date
+            appstate.meta_db.record_active_day(date.today().isoformat())
+            progress = appstate.meta_db.get_progress()
+        except Exception:
+            log.warning("stats side-effects (streak) failed", exc_info=True)
+        return {"stats": row, "progress": progress}
+
    # Position-only touch.
    if last_pos is None:
        return JSONResponse(
@@ -162,7 +194,7 @@ def api_record_stats(data: dict):
        pos = float(last_pos)
        if not math.isfinite(pos):
            raise ValueError("non-finite")
-        row = appstate.meta_db.touch_position(filename, arrangement, pos)
+        row = appstate.meta_db.touch_position(filename, arrangement, pos, seconds=seconds)
    except (TypeError, ValueError, OverflowError):
        return JSONResponse({"error": "lastPlayPosition must be a finite number"}, status_code=400)
    # A resume session still counts as playing today: advance the streak (no XP —
@@ -321,11 +321,16 @@ async def highway_ws(websocket: WebSocket, filename: str, arrangement: int = -1,
        audio_url = None
        audio_error: str | None = None  # Surfaced in song_info when audio_url is None
        stems_payload: list[dict] = []
-        # URL of the single full-mix audio (sloppak `original_audio:`), when the
-        # pack ships one. The stems plugin uses this to play the untouched mix
-        # while every stem slider is at unity; None otherwise (separate stems
-        # only, loose folder, or archive).
-        original_audio_url: str | None = None
+        # URL of the pack's complete mixdown — the RESERVED `full` stem (spec
+        # §5.3), which sloppak.load_song() lifts out of `stems` because it is a
+        # mixdown, not a layer. The stems plugin plays it while every stem slider
+        # is at unity (separation is lossy, so it beats re-summing the stems) and
+        # crosses to the separated stems as soon as one is attenuated.
+        #
+        # None when the pack has no mixdown to offer separately from its stems:
+        # a single-mix pack (its one stem IS the mixdown), a loose folder, or an
+        # archive.
+        full_mix_url: str | None = None
        if is_loose:
            # Loose folder filenames are relative paths (artist/album/song).
            # Hash the *canonical* dlc-relative path (so two URL spellings
@@ -365,21 +370,25 @@ async def highway_ws(websocket: WebSocket, filename: str, arrangement: int = -1,
                url = f"/api/sloppak/{q_fn}/file/{quote(s['file'])}"
                stems_payload.append({"id": s["id"], "url": url, "default": s["default"]})
            # Full-mix URL (served by the same /api/sloppak/.../file/ endpoint).
-            if loaded_slop is not None and loaded_slop.original_audio:
-                original_audio_url = (
-                    f"/api/sloppak/{q_fn}/file/{quote(loaded_slop.original_audio)}"
+            if loaded_slop is not None and loaded_slop.full_mix:
+                full_mix_url = (
+                    f"/api/sloppak/{q_fn}/file/{quote(loaded_slop.full_mix)}"
                )
            if stems_payload:
                # Stems present: keep the core <audio> pointed at stem[0]. This
                # URL is only ever heard in the degraded path (stems plugin
                # refuses takeover / decode fails); the full-mix↔stems switch is
-                # driven client-side by `original_audio_url`, not `audio_url`.
+                # driven client-side by `full_mix_url`, not `audio_url`.
                audio_url = stems_payload[0]["url"]
-            elif original_audio_url:
+            elif full_mix_url:
                # Stem-less full-mix pack: nothing to separate, so play the full
                # mix natively through the core <audio>. The stems plugin's
                # onSongReady returns early on an empty stems list (no graph).
-                audio_url = original_audio_url
+                # Reachable only via the deprecated `original_audio:` key, whose
+                # packs put the mixdown outside `stems` — a pack that carries its
+                # mixdown as the `full` stem has it IN `stems`, so it lands in the
+                # branch above with stems_payload == [full].
+                audio_url = full_mix_url
            else:
                audio_error = "This sloppak has no playable stems."
        else:
@@ -521,16 +530,31 @@ async def highway_ws(websocket: WebSocket, filename: str, arrangement: int = -1,
            # for the credits overlay, so minigames / synthetic highway uses
            # (no manifest) never trigger it.
            "authors": _sanitize_authors(loaded_slop.manifest) if (is_slop and loaded_slop is not None) else [],
+            # Instrument stems ONLY. The pack's complete mixdown (the RESERVED
+            # `full` stem, spec §5.3) is deliberately NOT in this list: consumers
+            # sum `stems` into one mix and render one fader per entry, and the
+            # mixdown is neither a layer nor an instrument — summing it would
+            # double the whole song. It is surfaced separately, below.
            "stems": stems_payload,
-            # Full-mix audio (sloppak `original_audio:`) served alongside the
-            # separate `stems`. The stems plugin plays this single file while
-            # every stem slider is at unity and switches to the separate stems
-            # the moment one drops below 100%. None when the pack ships stems
-            # only. `has_*` flags mirror the has_drum_tab/has_keys convention so
-            # a client can branch without re-deriving from the URLs.
-            "original_audio_url": original_audio_url,
-            "has_original_audio": bool(original_audio_url),
+            # The complete mixdown, served by the same /api/sloppak/.../file/
+            # endpoint as the stems. The stems plugin plays this single file
+            # while every stem slider is at unity and crosses to the separated
+            # stems the moment one drops below 100% — separation is lossy, so the
+            # mixdown is strictly better audio when nothing is muted. None when
+            # the pack has no mixdown apart from its stems. The `has_*` flags
+            # mirror the has_drum_tab/has_keys convention so a client can branch
+            # without re-deriving from the URLs.
+            "full_mix_url": full_mix_url,
+            "has_full_mix": bool(full_mix_url),
            "has_stems": bool(stems_payload),
+            # DEPRECATED aliases of the two keys above, kept so a client built
+            # against the old frame keeps working across one release. They were
+            # named after `original_audio:` — a manifest key this repo invented
+            # and the feedpak spec never had (#933). The key is gone; the mixdown
+            # is a stem. Remove these once the shipped stems plugin reads
+            # `full_mix_url` (#945).
+            "original_audio_url": full_mix_url,
+            "has_original_audio": bool(full_mix_url),
            # Surface a drum_tab presence flag so the visualization picker
            # can auto-activate the drums plugin even when the chosen
            # arrangement isn't named "Drums" (drum_tab.json lives next
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ from __future__ import annotations

 import logging
 import math
+import os
 import shutil
 import threading
 import zipfile
@@ -34,6 +35,21 @@ FEEDPAK_EXT = ".feedpak"
 SLOPPAK_EXT = ".sloppak"
 SONG_EXTS = (FEEDPAK_EXT, SLOPPAK_EXT)  # accepted on read/discovery

+# ── The full mix ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+#
+# Spec §5.3 RESERVES the stem id `full` for the song's complete mixdown: the
+# whole song in one file, as heard before source separation. It is a stem — it
+# lives in `stems` like every other audio file in a pack — but it is a *mixdown,
+# not a layer*. A reader that sums stems must never include it in the sum: it
+# already contains every instrument, so summing it doubles the whole song and
+# muting `guitar` still leaves guitar audible inside it.
+#
+# Keeping it matters because separation is lossy: re-summing guitar+bass+drums+
+# vocals does NOT reproduce the file they came from. The mixdown is the only
+# faithful rendering of the song a pack can carry, so we play it whenever every
+# stem sits at unity and nothing is muted.
+FULL_MIX_STEM_ID = "full"
+
 import yaml

 from jsonc import load_json
@@ -51,6 +67,97 @@ import drums as drums_mod
 import notation as notation_mod


+def find_full_mix(stems: list[dict]) -> dict | None:
+    """The RESERVED `full` stem (spec §5.3) — the pack's complete mixdown — or None.
+
+    Answers "what is this pack's master audio", which is what fingerprinting
+    wants. For playback use partition_stems() instead: a pack whose *only* stem
+    is `full` has no mixdown to play *separately from* its stems, and this
+    function still returns it.
+    """
+    return next(
+        (s for s in stems if str(s.get("id", "")) == FULL_MIX_STEM_ID), None
+    )
+
+
+def partition_stems(stems: list[dict]) -> tuple[dict | None, list[dict]]:
+    """Split stem descriptors into (mixdown, instrument_stems) for PLAYBACK.
+
+    The mixdown is lifted OUT of the stem list because every consumer of `stems`
+    treats that list as layers to sum or to show as mixer channels, and `full` is
+    neither (spec §5.3). Leaving it in is precisely the bug that made the packer
+    invent `original_audio` in the first place: a listed full mix plays on top of
+    the stems.
+
+    A pack whose only stem is `full` is a single-mix pack, not a separated one:
+    there are no instruments to be pristine *against*, so `full` stays the sole
+    playable stem and no mixdown is surfaced. That keeps the freshly-converted
+    single-stem pack — much the most common shape — behaving exactly as before.
+
+    EVERY entry with the reserved id is removed, not just the one we surface. A
+    malformed pack that lists `full` twice would otherwise leave a copy of the
+    whole song behind in the stem list, to be summed with the instruments — the
+    precise failure this function exists to prevent, reintroduced by a duplicate.
+    """
+    if len(stems) < 2:
+        return None, stems
+    full = find_full_mix(stems)
+    if full is None:
+        return None, stems
+    return full, [s for s in stems if str(s.get("id", "")) != FULL_MIX_STEM_ID]
+
+
+def _legacy_full_mix(manifest: dict, source_dir: Path) -> str | None:
+    """Full mix from the DEPRECATED `original_audio:` manifest key, or None.
+
+    Before feedpak 1.15.0 reserved `full`, §5.3 said the mixdown was "commonly
+    replaced" by the per-instrument stems on splitting — so it had nowhere to
+    live, and this repo invented a top-level key pointing at a parallel
+    `original/` directory (#583) to hold it. That key was never in the spec, and
+    #933 removed our dependence on it: the mixdown is a stem.
+
+    We still READ it, because every pack written before the spec caught up
+    carries `original_audio: original/full.ogg` and would otherwise lose its full
+    mix. We never write it. Delete this once those packs are migrated (#945);
+    `tools/migrate_full_mix_stem.py` is the migration.
+
+    NOTE the string literal below. tools/check_spec_conformance.py AST-scans for
+    `manifest.get("<literal>")` to prove every manifest key core reads is one the
+    spec declares. Hoisting "original_audio" into a named constant would hide
+    this read from that scan — the gate would conclude core no longer touches the
+    key, and the grandfather entry that documents this debt would go stale. The
+    literal is what keeps the deprecation honest and visible to CI. Leave it.
+
+    Same permissive, path-traversal-guarded posture as the optional side-files: a
+    missing / escaping / unreadable file leaves the pack without a full mix (the
+    player falls back to the separated stems) rather than aborting the load.
+    Returns the manifest-relative string, so callers build its URL exactly as
+    they build a stem's.
+    """
+    rel_raw = manifest.get("original_audio")
+    if not isinstance(rel_raw, str) or not rel_raw.strip():
+        return None
+    rel = rel_raw.strip()
+    try:
+        target = (source_dir / rel).resolve()
+        target.relative_to(source_dir.resolve())
+    except ValueError:
+        log.warning("sloppak: original_audio path %r escapes source_dir — skipped", rel)
+        return None
+    except OSError as e:
+        log.warning("sloppak: original_audio path resolution failed (%s) — skipped", e)
+        return None
+    if not target.is_file():
+        return None
+    log.info(
+        "sloppak: pack uses the deprecated `original_audio:` key (%r) — the full mix "
+        "is a stem (id `full`, feedpak spec §5.3). Re-pack with "
+        "tools/migrate_full_mix_stem.py; support for this key will be removed.",
+        rel,
+    )
+    return rel
+
+
 # ── Format detection ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

 def is_sloppak(path: Path) -> bool:
@@ -81,6 +188,116 @@ _unpack_semaphore = threading.BoundedSemaphore(_UNPACK_MAX_CONCURRENCY)
 _unpack_locks: dict[str, threading.Lock] = {}
 _unpack_locks_guard = threading.Lock()

+# Destinations with an unpack in flight right now. Eviction MUST skip these: two
+# unpacks run concurrently, so one finishing could otherwise rmtree the other's
+# half-written directory and leave that resolver caching an incomplete song.
+_unpacking: set[Path] = set()
+_unpacking_guard = threading.Lock()
+
+# Cap the unpack cache. Stems are already-compressed audio, so an unpacked song
+# is ~1.1x its zip — the cache is effectively a second, DECOMPRESSED copy of
+# every song it holds, and it used to grow without any bound at all. A tester
+# reached 60 GB from a 1800-song library: their whole library, unpacked, because
+# one caller looped the library calling load_song(). Nothing ever deleted any of
+# it — not even when the song itself was deleted.
+#
+# Default 4 GB ≈ 130 average songs of recency, which is far more than the "the
+# song I'm playing, and the last few I played" that this cache actually exists
+# to serve. Override with FEEDBACK_SLOPPAK_CACHE_MAX_MB (0 disables eviction).
+def _unpack_cache_cap_bytes() -> int:
+    raw = os.environ.get("FEEDBACK_SLOPPAK_CACHE_MAX_MB", "").strip()
+    try:
+        mb = int(raw) if raw else 4096
+    except ValueError:
+        mb = 4096
+    return max(0, mb) * 1024 * 1024
+
+
+def _dir_size(path: Path) -> int:
+    total = 0
+    for f in path.rglob("*"):
+        try:
+            if f.is_file():
+                total += f.stat().st_size
+        except OSError:
+            continue
+    return total
+
+
+def _touch(path: Path) -> None:
+    """Bump mtime so the LRU sweep below treats this song as recently used.
+
+    Reading files out of an unpacked dir doesn't change the DIRECTORY's mtime,
+    so without this the song you are actively playing looks as stale as one you
+    unpacked days ago — and a burst of unpacks could evict it mid-song.
+    """
+    try:
+        os.utime(path, None)
+    except OSError:
+        pass
+
+
+def _evict_unpack_cache(root: Path, keep: Path | None = None) -> None:
+    """Bound the unpack cache: drop least-recently-used songs until under the cap.
+
+    `keep` is never evicted — it's the song the caller just resolved, i.e. almost
+    certainly the one about to be played.
+
+    Evicting a directory MUST also drop its `_source_cache` entry. Otherwise
+    get_cached_source_dir() keeps handing out a path that no longer exists and
+    the media route 404s on every stem instead of re-unpacking (it only falls
+    back to resolve_source_dir when the cache returns None).
+    """
+    cap = _unpack_cache_cap_bytes()
+    if cap <= 0:
+        return
+    try:
+        entries = []
+        total = 0
+        for d in root.iterdir():
+            if not d.is_dir():
+                continue
+            try:
+                size = _dir_size(d)
+                mtime = d.stat().st_mtime
+            except OSError:
+                continue
+            entries.append((mtime, size, d))
+            total += size
+        if total <= cap:
+            return
+
+        keep_resolved = keep.resolve() if keep else None
+        entries.sort(key=lambda e: e[0])          # oldest first
+        for _mtime, size, d in entries:
+            if total <= cap:
+                break
+            try:
+                if keep_resolved and d.resolve() == keep_resolved:
+                    continue
+            except OSError:
+                continue
+            # Check-and-delete under ONE hold of the guard. Releasing between the
+            # two would let a resolver mark this dest in-flight and start writing
+            # into it in the gap, and we'd rmtree a song mid-unpack. A resolver
+            # that blocks here simply proceeds afterwards — _unpack_zip recreates
+            # the directory anyway.
+            with _unpacking_guard:
+                if d in _unpacking:
+                    continue                      # another thread is writing this
+                shutil.rmtree(d, ignore_errors=True)
+            if d.exists():
+                continue                          # couldn't remove — don't claim the bytes back
+            total -= size
+            with _source_lock:
+                for fn, (cached_dir, _m, _s) in list(_source_cache.items()):
+                    if cached_dir == d:
+                        _source_cache.pop(fn, None)
+            log.info("sloppak: evicted %s from the unpack cache (%.0f MB)",
+                     d.name, size / 1e6)
+    except OSError:
+        log.warning("sloppak: unpack-cache eviction failed", exc_info=True)
+

 def _unpack_lock_for(filename: str) -> threading.Lock:
    """Return a stable per-file lock so concurrent unpacks of the same sloppak
@@ -145,10 +362,17 @@ def resolve_source_dir(
                      re-unpacks if mtime/size changed, then returns that dir.

    Caches the resolution so subsequent calls are ~free.
+
+    NOTE: this writes the WHOLE pack — every stem — to disk. Only call it for a
+    song you are about to play. To read a *part* of a song (an arrangement, the
+    lyrics, a tone blob), use read_member_bytes(): unpacking a pack to read a few
+    KB of JSON is ~45x write amplification, and doing it in a loop over the
+    library fills the disk with a decompressed copy of every song.
    """
    path = dlc_root / filename
    stat = path.stat()
    mtime, size = stat.st_mtime, stat.st_size
+    guarded: Path | None = None   # a dir WE unpacked, shielded from eviction

    with _source_lock:
        cached = _source_cache.get(filename)
@@ -159,42 +383,76 @@ def resolve_source_dir(
                and cached_size == size
                and cached_dir.exists()
            ):
+                # Mark it recently-used before returning — see _touch().
+                if cached_dir != path:
+                    _touch(cached_dir)
                return cached_dir

-    if path.is_dir():
-        resolved = path
-    else:
-        # Zip form — unpack to the cache. Serialize per-file (so concurrent
-        # callers don't rmtree + re-extract the same dest at once) and cap
-        # global unpack concurrency (so a burst can't saturate disk/CPU).
-        dest = unpack_cache_root / _safe_id(filename)
-        with _unpack_lock_for(filename):
-            # Re-check the cache inside the per-file lock — a prior holder may
-            # have just finished unpacking this exact (mtime, size).
-            with _source_lock:
-                cached = _source_cache.get(filename)
-            if (
-                cached
-                and cached[1] == mtime
-                and cached[2] == size
-                and cached[0].exists()
-            ):
-                resolved = cached[0]
-            else:
-                with _unpack_semaphore:
-                    _unpack_zip(path, dest)
-                resolved = dest
+    try:
+        if path.is_dir():
+            resolved = path
+        else:
+            # Zip form — unpack to the cache. Serialize per-file (so concurrent
+            # callers don't rmtree + re-extract the same dest at once) and cap
+            # global unpack concurrency (so a burst can't saturate disk/CPU).
+            dest = unpack_cache_root / _safe_id(filename)
+            with _unpack_lock_for(filename):
+                # Re-check the cache inside the per-file lock — a prior holder may
+                # have just finished unpacking this exact (mtime, size).
+                with _source_lock:
+                    cached = _source_cache.get(filename)
+                if (
+                    cached
+                    and cached[1] == mtime
+                    and cached[2] == size
+                    and cached[0].exists()
+                ):
+                    resolved = cached[0]
+                else:
+                    # Shield `dest` from eviction from the moment we start writing
+                    # until it is safely in _source_cache. `keep` only shields it
+                    # from OUR OWN sweep — a concurrent resolver sweeping with a
+                    # different `keep` would delete it, and we would then cache and
+                    # return a path that no longer exists. The `finally` below
+                    # releases it on EVERY exit, including a failed unpack: leaving
+                    # a dest marked in-flight would make it un-evictable forever.
+                    with _unpacking_guard:
+                        _unpacking.add(dest)
+                    guarded = dest
+                    with _unpack_semaphore:
+                        _unpack_zip(path, dest)
+                    resolved = dest
+                    # The only moment this cache grows. Sweep here rather than on a
+                    # timer so it can never drift far past the cap.
+                    _evict_unpack_cache(unpack_cache_root, keep=dest)

-    with _source_lock:
-        _source_cache[filename] = (resolved, mtime, size)
-    return resolved
+        with _source_lock:
+            _source_cache[filename] = (resolved, mtime, size)
+        return resolved
+    finally:
+        if guarded is not None:
+            with _unpacking_guard:
+                _unpacking.discard(guarded)


 def get_cached_source_dir(filename: str) -> Path | None:
-    """Return the cached source dir for a sloppak if one is known."""
+    """Return the cached source dir for a sloppak if one is known AND still there.
+
+    The existence check is load-bearing: callers (media.py) only fall back to
+    resolve_source_dir() when this returns None, so handing back a path that has
+    been evicted — or that the user deleted by hand to reclaim disk — would 404
+    every stem for the rest of the process instead of re-unpacking.
+    """
    with _source_lock:
        cached = _source_cache.get(filename)
-        return cached[0] if cached else None
+        if not cached:
+            return None
+        src = cached[0]
+        if not src.is_dir():
+            _source_cache.pop(filename, None)
+            return None
+        _touch(src)
+        return src


 # ── Manifest + song loading ───────────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -233,6 +491,82 @@ def load_manifest(path: Path) -> dict:
    return _read_manifest_from_zip(path)


+_ZIP_ROOT = Path("/_root").resolve()
+
+
+def _zip_member_key(name: str) -> str | None:
+    """Canonical lookup key for a zip member name, or None if it escapes the root.
+
+    Collapses './', 'a/../b' and backslash separators — the same normalization
+    _unpack_zip()/safe_join() apply when extracting. Both the name the caller asks
+    for AND the names the archive actually stores must go through this, or a pack
+    that stores './arrangements/lead.json' unpacks fine but reads back as missing.
+    """
+    safe = safe_join(_ZIP_ROOT, name or "")
+    # None → escapes the root; == root → a degenerate name like "." or "a/..".
+    if safe is None or safe == _ZIP_ROOT:
+        return None
+    return safe.relative_to(_ZIP_ROOT).as_posix()
+
+
+def read_member_bytes(path: Path, rel: str) -> bytes | None:
+    """Return the bytes of ONE file inside a sloppak, or None if it isn't there.
+
+    For a zipped sloppak this opens that single member instead of unpacking the
+    archive — the same trick read_cover_bytes() uses to keep the library grid
+    from exploding every pack just to show a cover.
+
+    Reach for this whenever you want a *part* of a song (an arrangement's JSON,
+    the lyrics, a tone blob) rather than a song you're about to play. The
+    alternative, load_song(), calls resolve_source_dir() and writes the WHOLE
+    pack — every stem — into the unpack cache. That is a ~45x write amplification
+    when all you wanted was a few KB of JSON, and looping the library on it
+    unpacks the entire library (got-feedBack/feedBack: a tester hit 60 GB that
+    way). Stems are already-compressed audio, so an unpacked song is ~1.1x its
+    zip: the cache becomes a second, decompressed copy of everything it touches.
+    """
+    rel = (rel or "").strip()
+    if not rel:
+        return None
+
+    if path.is_dir():
+        target = safe_join(path.resolve(), rel)
+        if target is None or not target.is_file():
+            return None
+        try:
+            return target.read_bytes()
+        except OSError:
+            return None
+
+    # Zip form — read just that member, no unpack. Zip-slip is rejected before we
+    # open anything, and both sides of the comparison are normalized, so a
+    # non-canonical-but-valid name ('./arrangements/lead.json') resolves the same
+    # way it did when we unpacked first.
+    member = _zip_member_key(rel)
+    if member is None:
+        log.warning("sloppak: rejected unsafe member name %r in %r", rel, path)
+        return None
+    try:
+        with zipfile.ZipFile(str(path), "r") as zf:
+            # Match on the NORMALIZED stored name, and take the LAST match — the
+            # archive may store './x' or a backslash path (Windows tooling), and
+            # if it stores two names that normalize to the same file, _unpack_zip
+            # writes them in order so the last one wins. Reading the raw member by
+            # exact name would miss the first case and return the wrong bytes in
+            # the second. A pack has a handful of members; the scan is free.
+            info = None
+            for cand in zf.infolist():
+                if _zip_member_key(cand.filename) == member:
+                    info = cand
+            if info is None or info.is_dir():
+                return None
+            with zf.open(info) as f:
+                return f.read()
+    except (zipfile.BadZipFile, OSError, RuntimeError) as e:
+        log.warning("sloppak: failed to read %r from %s: %s", rel, path.name, e)
+        return None
+
+
 _COVER_MEDIA_TYPES = {
    ".jpg": "image/jpeg", ".jpeg": "image/jpeg",
    ".png": "image/png", ".webp": "image/webp",
@@ -367,14 +701,21 @@ class LoadedSloppak:
    # song.arrangements (not to manifest["arrangements"]) — skipped entries are
    # absent so indexing by song.arrangements index is safe.
    arrangement_ids: list[str | None] = field(default_factory=list)
-    # Manifest-relative path to the single full-mix audio file, taken from the
-    # manifest `original_audio:` key (e.g. "original/full.ogg"). This is the
-    # pre-separation mixdown that exists alongside the per-instrument `stems`.
-    # None when the key is absent, points outside source_dir, or the file is
-    # missing on disk. Served to the front-end via the highway WS as
-    # `original_audio_url`; the stems plugin uses it to play the untouched mix
-    # when every stem slider is at unity (and the separate stems otherwise).
-    original_audio: str | None = None
+    # Manifest-relative path to the pack's complete mixdown — the whole song in
+    # one file, as heard before source separation. This is the RESERVED `full`
+    # stem (spec §5.3), lifted out of `stems` above precisely because it is NOT
+    # an instrument layer: summing it with the per-instrument stems it was split
+    # into would double the entire song. See partition_stems().
+    #
+    # None when the pack has no mixdown to offer *separately* from its stems —
+    # which includes the common single-mix pack, whose only stem IS the mixdown
+    # (there is nothing to be pristine against, so it stays in `stems`).
+    #
+    # Served to the front-end via the highway WS as `full_mix_url`; the stems
+    # plugin plays it while every stem slider sits at unity and crosses to the
+    # separated stems the moment one drops below 100% — demucs recombination is
+    # lossy, so the mixdown is strictly the better audio when nothing is muted.
+    full_mix: str | None = None


 def load_song(
@@ -766,6 +1107,13 @@ def load_song(
            default_on = bool(default_val)
        stems.append({"id": sid, "file": sfile, "default": default_on})

+    # The complete mixdown is a stem (spec §5.3), but it is not a *layer*: lift
+    # it out so that no consumer of `stems` — the mixer, the library's stem
+    # chips, the WS payload — sums it with, or lists it beside, the instruments
+    # it was separated into. `full_mix_stem` is None for a single-mix pack,
+    # whose only stem IS the mixdown and stays in the list.
+    full_mix_stem, stems = partition_stems(stems)
+
    # Optional keys.json — song-level, instrument-independent key/scale track
    # (manifest `keys:` key, spec §7.7). Permissive like the other side-files:
    # missing / unreadable / malformed -> None, never fatal. Stored as a
@@ -828,28 +1176,22 @@ def load_song(
                    }

    _fpv = manifest.get("feedpak_version")
-    # Optional full-mix audio — manifest `original_audio:` key. The single
-    # pre-separation mixdown that ships alongside the per-instrument stems.
-    # Same permissive, path-traversal-guarded posture as drum_tab above: a
-    # missing/escaping/absent file simply leaves the full mix unavailable (the
-    # player falls back to the separate stems) rather than aborting the load.
-    # We store the manifest-relative string so server.py can build its URL the
-    # same way it builds stem URLs (via the /api/sloppak/.../file/ endpoint).
-    original_audio_data: str | None = None
-    original_audio_rel = manifest.get("original_audio")
-    if isinstance(original_audio_rel, str) and original_audio_rel.strip():
-        rel = original_audio_rel.strip()
-        try:
-            oa_path = (source_dir / rel).resolve()
-            oa_path.relative_to(source_dir.resolve())
-        except ValueError:
-            log.warning("sloppak: original_audio path %r escapes source_dir — skipped", rel)
-            oa_path = None
-        except OSError as e:
-            log.warning("sloppak: original_audio path resolution failed (%s) — skipped", e)
-            oa_path = None
-        if oa_path is not None and oa_path.is_file():
-            original_audio_data = rel
+    # The pack's full mix. Normally the RESERVED `full` stem partitioned out
+    # above (spec §5.3) — no path work needed, it was validated with the other
+    # stems and its URL is built the same way. Only when the pack has no `full`
+    # stem do we fall back to the DEPRECATED `original_audio:` key, which is the
+    # shape every pack written before feedpak 1.15.0 uses.
+    if full_mix_stem is not None:
+        full_mix_data: str | None = full_mix_stem["file"]
+    elif find_full_mix(stems) is not None:
+        # Single-mix pack: its ONE stem is the mixdown, so there is no mixdown to
+        # offer *apart from* the stems. Never fall through to the legacy key here
+        # — a pack that both carries a `full` stem and names the old key would
+        # otherwise surface the mixdown twice (once as the stem the player is
+        # already playing, once as a "pristine" track to cross to).
+        full_mix_data = None
+    else:
+        full_mix_data = _legacy_full_mix(manifest, source_dir)

    return LoadedSloppak(
        song=song,
@@ -864,7 +1206,7 @@ def load_song(
        keys=keys_data,
        notation_by_id=notation_by_id_data,
        arrangement_ids=arrangement_ids_acc,
-        original_audio=original_audio_data,
+        full_mix=full_mix_data,
    )


@@ -909,7 +1251,7 @@ def extract_meta(path: Path) -> dict:
    tuning_offsets = _tuning_for_meta(arr_list)

    stems_list = manifest.get("stems", []) or []
-    stem_ids: list[str] = []
+    valid_stems: list[dict] = []
    for s in stems_list:
        if not isinstance(s, dict):
            continue
@@ -923,7 +1265,13 @@ def extract_meta(path: Path) -> dict:
            isinstance(sid, str) and sid
            and isinstance(sfile, str) and sfile
        ):
-            stem_ids.append(sid)
+            valid_stems.append({"id": sid, "file": sfile})
+    # Partition exactly as load_song() does, for the same reason the library
+    # filter must not lie: `full` is the mixdown, not an instrument (spec §5.3).
+    # A separated pack that retains it would otherwise offer the user a "full"
+    # stem chip alongside guitar/bass/drums and count it as a seventh stem.
+    _full, instrument_stems = partition_stems(valid_stems)
+    stem_ids = [s["id"] for s in instrument_stems]
    stem_count = len(stem_ids)

    return {
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-"""Regenerate ``static/tailwind.min.css`` over the full installed-plugin set.
+"""Regenerate the runtime stylesheet over the full installed-plugin set.

 Core's committed (and image-baked) stylesheet is built scanning only the
 in-tree plugins. A plugin installed at runtime — into ``FEEDBACK_PLUGINS_DIR``
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ on a missing optional engine.

 from __future__ import annotations

+import hashlib
 import json
 import logging
 import os
@@ -40,12 +41,84 @@ _lock = threading.Lock()
 # in-flight build re-runs once more to pick up the newer plugin set instead of
 # every concurrent trigger stacking its own redundant build.
 _rerun = threading.Event()
+_fingerprint_cache: dict = {}

 # lib/ lives at ``<app>/lib``; the app root (static/, tailwind.config.js) is its
 # grandparent.
 APP_DIR = Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent


+def _committed_css_fingerprint() -> str:
+    """Content hash of the SHIPPED stylesheet, cached on (mtime, size).
+
+    This is the marker that says WHICH CORE the runtime sheet was built against. Any change to
+    core's CSS regenerates static/tailwind.min.css, which changes this hash.
+    """
+    committed = APP_DIR / "static" / "tailwind.min.css"
+    try:
+        st = committed.stat()
+    except OSError:
+        return ""
+    key = (st.st_mtime_ns, st.st_size)
+    cached = _fingerprint_cache.get("k")
+    if cached == key:
+        return _fingerprint_cache["v"]
+    h = hashlib.sha256(committed.read_bytes()).hexdigest()
+    _fingerprint_cache["k"] = key
+    _fingerprint_cache["v"] = h
+    return h
+
+
+def runtime_meta_path() -> Path:
+    """Sidecar recording which core the runtime sheet was built against."""
+    return runtime_css_path().with_suffix(".meta.json")
+
+
+def runtime_css_is_current() -> bool:
+    """True when the runtime sheet was built against the core we are running NOW.
+
+    WHY NOT mtime. Codex [P2] on the second cut of #911, and it was right: filesystem
+    timestamps are not a freshness signal across install methods. Archives and container images
+    routinely PRESERVE SOURCE MTIMES, so a just-shipped stylesheet can carry an OLDER mtime than
+    a runtime sheet a user built days ago. The mtime comparison then reports the stale sheet as
+    fresh and it masks the new core CSS indefinitely — permanently, if no Tailwind toolchain is
+    present to trigger a rebuild.
+
+    Content answers the question timestamps only gesture at: the sidecar records the hash of the
+    committed sheet this runtime build was made from. Core ships new CSS -> that file changes ->
+    the hash changes -> the runtime sheet is correctly judged stale.
+    """
+    try:
+        meta = json.loads(runtime_meta_path().read_text())
+    except (OSError, ValueError):
+        return False
+    return bool(meta.get("committed_sha256")) and meta["committed_sha256"] == _committed_css_fingerprint()
+
+
+def runtime_css_path() -> Path:
+    """Where the RUNTIME-augmented stylesheet is written.
+
+    NOT ``static/tailwind.min.css``. That file is a BUILD ARTEFACT: committed, image-baked,
+    and generated by scanning only the in-tree plugins. This one is PER-INSTALL STATE — it
+    additionally scans whatever the user has installed into FEEDBACK_PLUGINS_DIR, so it differs
+    from machine to machine. They are different things and must not share a path.
+
+    Writing the runtime sheet over the committed one had two costs:
+
+      * IN A GIT CHECKOUT it silently modifies a TRACKED file. `git add -A` then sweeps a
+        100KB reshuffle of minified CSS into the commit and `ci/tailwind-fresh` goes red with a
+        diff that explains nothing. That is issue #911, and it cost a red run on a PR whose
+        real diff touched no Tailwind classes at all.
+      * IN A DEPLOY the app directory may be read-only. Writing app state into it is wrong on
+        principle and fatal in practice.
+
+    CONFIG_DIR is where per-install state already lives.
+    """
+    cfg = (getenv_compat("CONFIG_DIR", "") or "").strip()
+    base = Path(cfg) if cfg else (Path.home() / ".local" / "share" / "feedback")
+    return base / "tailwind.min.css"
+
+
 def _user_plugins_dir() -> Path | None:
    raw = (getenv_compat("FEEDBACK_PLUGINS_DIR", "") or "").strip()
    if not raw:
@@ -136,6 +209,14 @@ def _run_build(cmd_prefix: list[str], out: Path, src: Path) -> bool:
                cwd=str(APP_DIR), timeout=120,
            )
            os.replace(staged, out)
+            # Stamp WHICH CORE this was built against. Without it, an upgraded app cannot tell a
+            # current runtime sheet from one that predates its new CSS.
+            try:
+                runtime_meta_path().write_text(json.dumps({
+                    "committed_sha256": _committed_css_fingerprint(),
+                }))
+            except OSError:
+                log.warning("tailwind: could not write the runtime sheet's meta sidecar")
            return True
        except (subprocess.CalledProcessError, subprocess.TimeoutExpired) as e:
            stderr = (getattr(e, "stderr", "") or "")[-500:]
@@ -153,7 +234,7 @@ def _run_build(cmd_prefix: list[str], out: Path, src: Path) -> bool:


 def rebuild(reason: str = "") -> bool:
-    """Regenerate ``static/tailwind.min.css`` over baked-in + user plugins.
+    """Regenerate the RUNTIME stylesheet (see runtime_css_path) over baked-in + user plugins.

    Returns ``True`` on a successful rebuild, ``False`` on any skip/failure.
    Never raises — callers treat CSS freshness as best-effort. Concurrent
@@ -166,8 +247,13 @@ def rebuild(reason: str = "") -> bool:
        log.info("tailwind rebuild skipped — engine/inputs unavailable%s", tag)
        return False

-    out = APP_DIR / "static" / "tailwind.min.css"
+    out = runtime_css_path()
    src = APP_DIR / "static" / "_tailwind.src.css"
+    try:
+        out.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+    except OSError:
+        log.warning("tailwind rebuild skipped — cannot create %s%s", out.parent, tag)
+        return False

    # If a rebuild is already running, flag a rerun and return instead of
    # queueing a redundant build behind it.
@@ -101,14 +101,16 @@ def open_midis_to_freqs(midis: list[int], reference_pitch: float = DEFAULT_REFER
 def freqs_to_midis(freqs: list[float], reference_pitch: float = DEFAULT_REFERENCE_PITCH) -> list[int] | None:
    """Return absolute open-string MIDI notes for frequencies at the supplied
    A4 reference — the inverse of open_midis_to_freqs. None if any entry is
-    non-numeric or non-positive (a provider could hand us anything)."""
+    non-numeric, non-finite, or non-positive (a provider could hand us
+    anything; NaN/Infinity would otherwise raise inside int(round(...)) and
+    500 the /api/tunings endpoint)."""
    out: list[int] = []
    for f in freqs:
        try:
            f = float(f)
        except (TypeError, ValueError):
            return None
-        if f <= 0:
+        if not math.isfinite(f) or f <= 0:
            return None
        out.append(int(round(69 + 12 * math.log2(f / reference_pitch))))
    return out
@@ -0,0 +1,602 @@
+/* Career plugin — only what the prebuilt core Tailwind doesn't ship
+   (plugin files are outside the core content glob, so responsive grid
+   variants and cyan button shades live here under plugin-prefixed names). */
+
+.career-venues {
+    display: grid;
+    gap: 1rem;
+    grid-template-columns: 1fr;
+}
+@media (min-width: 768px) {
+    .career-venues { grid-template-columns: repeat(3, minmax(0, 1fr)); }
+}
+
+.career-btn {
+    font-size: 0.75rem;
+    line-height: 1rem;
+    padding: 0.25rem 0.5rem;
+    border-radius: 0.375rem;
+    transition: background-color 0.15s ease;
+}
+.career-btn-primary { background-color: #0891b2; color: #fff; }
+.career-btn-primary:hover { background-color: #06b6d4; }
+.career-btn-ghost { background-color: rgba(31, 41, 55, 0.7); color: #d1d5db; }
+.career-btn-ghost:hover { background-color: rgba(55, 65, 81, 0.9); }
+
+.career-bar-track {
+    height: 0.5rem;
+    border-radius: 0.25rem;
+    background-color: rgba(31, 41, 55, 0.9);
+    overflow: hidden;
+}
+.career-bar-fill {
+    height: 100%;
+    background-color: #06b6d4;
+    transition: width 0.3s ease;
+}
+
+.career-star-list {
+    display: grid;
+    gap: 0.375rem;
+}
+.career-star-row {
+    display: flex;
+    align-items: baseline;
+    gap: 0.75rem;
+    padding: 0.375rem 0.625rem;
+    border-radius: 0.5rem;
+    background-color: rgba(31, 41, 55, 0.4);
+    font-size: 0.8rem;
+}
+.career-star-row .stars {
+    color: #facc15;
+    letter-spacing: 0.1em;
+    min-width: 3.2em;
+}
+.career-star-row .stars .off { color: rgba(250, 204, 21, 0.25); }
+.career-star-row .song {
+    color: #e5e7eb;
+    flex: 1;
+    overflow: hidden;
+    text-overflow: ellipsis;
+    white-space: nowrap;
+}
+.career-star-row .song .artist { color: #9ca3af; }
+.career-star-row .hint { color: #6b7280; white-space: nowrap; }
+.career-star-row .hint.close { color: #22d3ee; }
+
+/* ── Passports (badge journey) ─────────────────────────────────────────── */
+
+.career-tabs {
+    display: flex;
+    gap: 0.25rem;
+    margin-bottom: 1rem;
+    border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(55, 65, 81, 0.6);
+}
+.career-tab {
+    padding: 0.375rem 0.875rem;
+    font-size: 0.85rem;
+    color: #9ca3af;
+    border-bottom: 2px solid transparent;
+    margin-bottom: -1px;
+}
+.career-tab:hover { color: #e5e7eb; }
+.career-tab.active { color: #fff; border-bottom-color: #06b6d4; }
+
+.pp-instruments { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 0.5rem; }
+.pp-inst {
+    padding: 0.3rem 0.8rem;
+    border-radius: 999px;
+    font-size: 0.8rem;
+    color: #d1d5db;
+    background-color: rgba(31, 41, 55, 0.7);
+    border: 1px solid transparent;
+}
+.pp-inst:hover { background-color: rgba(55, 65, 81, 0.9); }
+.pp-inst.active { border-color: #06b6d4; color: #fff; }
+.pp-inst.uncommitted { color: #6b7280; border-style: dashed; border-color: rgba(107, 114, 128, 0.5); }
+.pp-inst-badges { color: #fbbf24; font-size: 0.7rem; }
+.pp-inst-plus { color: #6b7280; }
+
+/* Leather covers — per-instrument hue, embossed with layered shadows and a
+   subtle grain gradient (no image assets). */
+.pp-leather-guitar { background: linear-gradient(160deg, #5c2321, #401412); }
+.pp-leather-bass { background: linear-gradient(160deg, #1f3252, #131f36); }
+.pp-leather-keys { background: linear-gradient(160deg, #1e4034, #122a21); }
+.pp-leather-drums { background: linear-gradient(160deg, #3f3f46, #26262b); }
+
+.pp-shelf { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 1rem; align-items: flex-end; }
+.pp-cover, .pp-commit-cover {
+    position: relative;
+    width: 9.5rem;
+    height: 13rem;
+    border-radius: 0.5rem 0.75rem 0.75rem 0.5rem;
+    box-shadow:
+        inset 0 0 0 1px rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.06),
+        inset 0.5rem 0 0.75rem -0.5rem rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8),
+        0 6px 16px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.45);
+    display: flex;
+    flex-direction: column;
+    align-items: center;
+    justify-content: center;
+    gap: 0.35rem;
+    padding: 0.75rem;
+    text-align: center;
+}
+.pp-cover { transition: transform 0.15s ease, box-shadow 0.15s ease; }
+.pp-cover:not(.pp-tilt):hover { transform: translateY(-4px) !important; box-shadow: 0 10px 22px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.55); }
+.pp-cover-title {
+    font-weight: 700;
+    font-size: 0.85rem;
+    letter-spacing: 0.14em;
+    color: rgba(240, 226, 195, 0.92);
+    text-shadow: 0 1px 0 rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7), 0 -1px 0 rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.12);
+    overflow-wrap: anywhere;
+}
+.pp-cover-inst {
+    font-size: 0.6rem;
+    letter-spacing: 0.2em;
+    text-transform: uppercase;
+    color: rgba(240, 226, 195, 0.55);
+}
+.pp-cover-sub {
+    position: absolute;
+    bottom: 0.6rem;
+    font-size: 0.6rem;
+    color: rgba(240, 226, 195, 0.5);
+}
+
+.pp-commit-card {
+    display: flex;
+    gap: 1.25rem;
+    align-items: center;
+    padding: 1rem;
+    border-radius: 0.75rem;
+    border: 1px solid rgba(55, 65, 81, 0.6);
+    background-color: rgba(31, 41, 55, 0.35);
+}
+.pp-commit-card .pp-commit-cover { width: 7rem; height: 9.5rem; flex: none; }
+
+.pp-rack { display: grid; gap: 0.75rem; grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fill, minmax(10.5rem, 1fr)); }
+.pp-brochure {
+    display: flex;
+    flex-direction: column;
+    align-items: flex-start;
+    gap: 0.15rem;
+    padding: 0.75rem 0.875rem;
+    border-radius: 0.5rem;
+    text-align: left;
+    background: linear-gradient(165deg, rgba(45, 55, 72, 0.55), rgba(31, 41, 55, 0.55));
+    border: 1px solid rgba(75, 85, 99, 0.5);
+    transition: transform 0.15s ease, border-color 0.15s ease;
+}
+.pp-brochure:hover { transform: translateY(-2px); border-color: #06b6d4; }
+.pp-brochure-art { font-size: 1.4rem; }
+.pp-brochure-name { color: #e5e7eb; font-size: 0.85rem; font-weight: 600; }
+.pp-brochure-sub { color: #6b7280; font-size: 0.65rem; }
+
+/* The open book */
+.pp-overlay { position: fixed; inset: 0; z-index: 60; }
+.pp-book-wrap {
+    position: absolute;
+    inset: 0;
+    display: flex;
+    align-items: center;
+    justify-content: center;
+    background: rgba(3, 7, 18, 0.72);
+    backdrop-filter: blur(2px);
+}
+.pp-book {
+    position: relative;
+    width: min(92vw, 720px);
+    height: min(72vh, 470px);
+    perspective: 1800px;
+}
+.pp-page {
+    position: absolute;
+    top: 0;
+    bottom: 0;
+    width: 50%;
+    background:
+        linear-gradient(105deg, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.08), transparent 12%),
+        #efe6d0;
+    color: #3f3428;
+    padding: 1.1rem 1.2rem;
+    overflow: hidden;
+    display: flex;
+    flex-direction: column;
+    gap: 0.75rem;
+}
+.pp-page-left { left: 0; border-radius: 0.6rem 0 0 0.6rem; opacity: 0; transition: opacity 0.35s ease 0.3s; align-items: center; }
+.pp-page-right { right: 0; border-radius: 0 0.6rem 0.6rem 0; box-shadow: inset 0.4rem 0 0.6rem -0.4rem rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.35); }
+.pp-book.open .pp-page-left { opacity: 1; }
+.pp-book-cover {
+    position: absolute;
+    top: 0;
+    bottom: 0;
+    left: 50%;
+    width: 50%;
+    border-radius: 0 0.6rem 0.6rem 0;
+    transform-origin: left center;
+    transform: rotateY(0deg);
+    backface-visibility: hidden;
+    transition: transform 0.8s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.1, 0.2, 1);
+    z-index: 5;
+    display: flex;
+    flex-direction: column;
+    align-items: center;
+    justify-content: center;
+    gap: 0.35rem;
+    box-shadow: inset 0 0 0 1px rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.06), 0 6px 20px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5);
+}
+.pp-book.open .pp-book-cover { transform: rotateY(-180deg); }
+.pp-book-close {
+    position: absolute;
+    top: -0.75rem;
+    right: -0.75rem;
+    z-index: 8;
+    width: 2rem;
+    height: 2rem;
+    border-radius: 999px;
+    background: rgba(17, 24, 39, 0.95);
+    color: #d1d5db;
+    border: 1px solid rgba(107, 114, 128, 0.5);
+}
+.pp-book-close:hover { color: #fff; border-color: #06b6d4; }
+.pp-page-head {
+    font-size: 0.7rem;
+    letter-spacing: 0.18em;
+    text-transform: uppercase;
+    color: #8a7a5e;
+    border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(138, 122, 94, 0.35);
+    padding-bottom: 0.4rem;
+    width: 100%;
+    text-align: center;
+}
+
+/* The rubber stamp */
+.pp-stamp {
+    --pp-rot: 0deg;
+
+    position: relative;
+    display: flex;
+    flex-direction: column;
+    align-items: center;
+    justify-content: center;
+    gap: 0.1rem;
+    width: 9rem;
+    height: 9rem;
+    border-radius: 999px;
+    border: 3px solid #9a5b16;
+    box-shadow: inset 0 0 0 3px #efe6d0, inset 0 0 0 4px #9a5b16;
+    color: #9a5b16;
+    transform: rotate(var(--pp-rot));
+    margin-top: 1.25rem;
+    text-align: center;
+    padding: 0.75rem;
+    opacity: 0.92;
+}
+.pp-stamp-genre { font-size: 0.72rem; font-weight: 800; letter-spacing: 0.16em; overflow-wrap: anywhere; }
+.pp-stamp-tier { font-size: 0.58rem; letter-spacing: 0.3em; }
+.pp-stamp-ghost {
+    border-style: dashed;
+    box-shadow: none;
+    border-color: #b3a68b;
+    color: #b3a68b;
+    opacity: 0.8;
+}
+.pp-stamp-hidden { opacity: 0; }
+.pp-stamp-mini {
+    position: absolute;
+    top: 0.5rem;
+    right: 0.5rem;
+    width: auto;
+    height: auto;
+    border-width: 2px;
+    box-shadow: none;
+    border-radius: 999px;
+    font-size: 0.5rem;
+    font-weight: 800;
+    letter-spacing: 0.2em;
+    color: #d9a253;
+    border-color: #d9a253;
+    padding: 0.2rem 0.4rem;
+    margin: 0;
+    display: inline-block;
+    transform: rotate(var(--pp-rot));
+    opacity: 0.95;
+}
+.pp-stamp-page::after {
+    content: '';
+    position: absolute;
+    inset: -10%;
+    border-radius: 999px;
+    background: radial-gradient(closest-side, rgba(154, 91, 22, 0.25), transparent 72%);
+    filter: blur(5px);
+    opacity: 0;
+    pointer-events: none;
+}
+.pp-slam { animation: pp-slam 0.5s cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.8, 0.3, 1) forwards; }
+.pp-slam::after { animation: pp-ink 0.45s ease-out 0.12s forwards; }
+@keyframes pp-slam {
+    0% { transform: rotate(calc(var(--pp-rot) - 15deg)) scale(2.5); opacity: 0; }
+    55% { transform: rotate(var(--pp-rot)) scale(0.92); opacity: 1; }
+    75% { transform: rotate(var(--pp-rot)) scale(1.05); }
+    100% { transform: rotate(var(--pp-rot)) scale(1); opacity: 0.92; }
+}
+@keyframes pp-ink {
+    from { opacity: 0; transform: scale(0.6); }
+    to { opacity: 1; transform: scale(1); }
+}
+.pp-shake { animation: pp-shake 0.4s ease-out 0.28s; }
+@keyframes pp-shake {
+    0%, 100% { transform: translate(0, 0) rotate(0); }
+    25% { transform: translate(2px, 1px) rotate(0.3deg); }
+    50% { transform: translate(-2px, 2px) rotate(-0.25deg); }
+    75% { transform: translate(1px, -1px) rotate(0.15deg); }
+}
+
+.pp-invite, .pp-snj, .pp-gold-note { font-size: 0.75rem; text-align: center; }
+.pp-invite { color: #6d5d40; }
+.pp-snj { color: #6d5d40; margin-top: 2rem; font-style: italic; max-width: 15rem; }
+.pp-gold-note { color: #a8946d; font-size: 0.62rem; margin-top: 0.5rem; }
+.pp-drills { display: flex; flex-direction: column; gap: 0.25rem; font-size: 0.7rem; color: #6d5d40; }
+.pp-drill.cleared { color: #4d7c0f; }
+
+/* Ticket stubs */
+.pp-stubs { flex: 1; overflow-y: auto; display: flex; flex-direction: column; gap: 0.5rem; padding-right: 0.25rem; }
+.pp-stub {
+    background: #f7f1e3;
+    border: 1px solid #d8cbaa;
+    border-left: 2px dashed #b6a98c;
+    border-radius: 0.25rem 0.4rem 0.4rem 0.25rem;
+    padding: 0.4rem 0.6rem 0.4rem 0.75rem;
+    display: grid;
+    grid-template-columns: auto 1fr;
+    column-gap: 0.6rem;
+    align-items: baseline;
+    box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(63, 52, 40, 0.15);
+}
+.pp-stub-stars { color: #b8860b; font-size: 0.7rem; letter-spacing: 0.08em; grid-row: span 2; }
+.pp-stub-title { font-size: 0.78rem; font-weight: 600; color: #3f3428; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; }
+.pp-stub-artist { grid-column: 2; font-size: 0.65rem; color: #6d5d40; }
+.pp-stub-meta { grid-column: 2; font-size: 0.6rem; color: #8a7a5e; }
+.pp-stub-empty { font-size: 0.72rem; color: #8a7a5e; font-style: italic; padding: 0.75rem 0.25rem; }
+
+/* Wax-seal commitment ceremony */
+.pp-ceremony { width: 11rem; height: 15rem; }
+.pp-wax {
+    position: absolute;
+    bottom: 1.4rem;
+    display: flex;
+    align-items: center;
+    justify-content: center;
+    width: 3.4rem;
+    height: 3.4rem;
+    border-radius: 999px;
+    background:
+        radial-gradient(circle at 32% 30%, #d24545 0%, #a41f1f 42%, #7c1414 100%);
+    box-shadow:
+        inset 0 0 0 4px rgba(124, 20, 20, 0.9),
+        inset 0 2px 4px rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.25),
+        0 3px 8px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.55);
+    color: rgba(255, 235, 235, 0.9);
+    font-weight: 700;
+    font-size: 1.15rem;
+    animation: pp-seal-drop 0.9s cubic-bezier(0.25, 0.9, 0.3, 1.15) 0.35s backwards;
+}
+@keyframes pp-seal-drop {
+    0% { transform: translateY(-120px) scale(2.1); opacity: 0; }
+    60% { transform: translateY(0) scale(0.9); opacity: 1; }
+    80% { transform: translateY(0) scale(1.05); }
+    100% { transform: translateY(0) scale(1); }
+}
+
+/* Small screens: the spread stacks; the flip cover would straddle both
+   pages, so the book simply opens. */
+@media (max-width: 640px) {
+    .pp-book { height: min(80vh, 620px); }
+    .pp-page { position: static; width: 100%; height: 50%; border-radius: 0; }
+    .pp-page-left { border-radius: 0.6rem 0.6rem 0 0; opacity: 1; }
+    .pp-page-right { border-radius: 0 0 0.6rem 0.6rem; }
+    .pp-book-cover { display: none; }
+    .pp-book { display: flex; flex-direction: column; }
+}
+
+@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
+    .pp-book-cover, .pp-page-left, .pp-cover { transition: none; }
+    .pp-slam, .pp-slam::after, .pp-shake, .pp-wax { animation: none; }
+    .pp-slam, .pp-stamp-page::after { opacity: 1; }
+    .pp-stamp-hidden { opacity: 0.92; }
+}
+
+/* Badge ceremony (body-level overlay — shows over the player) */
+.pp-ceremony-overlay {
+    position: fixed;
+    inset: 0;
+    z-index: 220;
+    display: flex;
+    align-items: center;
+    justify-content: center;
+    background: rgba(3, 7, 18, 0.55);
+    backdrop-filter: blur(1.5px);
+    animation: pp-ceremony-in 0.3s ease-out;
+    cursor: pointer;
+}
+.pp-ceremony-out { opacity: 0; transition: opacity 0.3s ease-out; }
+.pp-confetti { position: absolute; inset: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; pointer-events: none; }
+.pp-ceremony-card {
+    display: flex;
+    flex-direction: column;
+    align-items: center;
+    gap: 0.5rem;
+    text-align: center;
+}
+.pp-ceremony-stamp {
+    position: relative;
+    overflow: hidden;
+    background: rgba(239, 230, 208, 0.97);
+    transform: rotate(var(--pp-rot)) scale(1.25);
+    animation: pp-slam 0.55s cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.8, 0.3, 1) 0.15s backwards;
+    margin-top: 0;
+}
+.pp-ceremony-stamp::before {
+    content: '';
+    position: absolute;
+    inset: -40%;
+    background: linear-gradient(115deg, transparent 42%, rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.55) 50%, transparent 58%);
+    transform: translateX(-120%);
+    animation: pp-shine 1.1s ease-out 0.75s forwards;
+    pointer-events: none;
+}
+@keyframes pp-shine {
+    to { transform: translateX(120%); }
+}
+@keyframes pp-ceremony-in {
+    from { opacity: 0; }
+    to { opacity: 1; }
+}
+.pp-ceremony-title {
+    margin-top: 1rem;
+    font-size: 1.15rem;
+    font-weight: 700;
+    letter-spacing: 0.18em;
+    text-transform: uppercase;
+    color: #f0e2c3;
+    text-shadow: 0 2px 8px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8);
+}
+.pp-ceremony-sub { font-size: 0.8rem; color: #d1d5db; text-shadow: 0 1px 4px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); }
+
+/* Hours odometer (Stage 5 post-cap — a true fact, never a meter) */
+.pp-hours {
+    font-size: 0.72rem;
+    letter-spacing: 0.08em;
+    color: #8a7a5e;
+    margin-top: 0.75rem;
+    font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums;
+}
+
+/* ── Visuals pack: trading-card tilt, emerging ink, gold foil ──────────── */
+
+/* Trading-card tilt (earned artifacts; JS feeds --pp-tilt-* on hover-capable
+   pointers only). */
+.pp-tilt {
+    position: relative;
+    overflow: hidden;
+    will-change: transform;
+}
+.pp-cover.pp-tilt {
+    transform: perspective(700px)
+        rotateX(var(--pp-tilt-x, 0deg)) rotateY(var(--pp-tilt-y, 0deg))
+        rotate(var(--pp-cover-rot, 0deg));
+    transition: transform 0.12s ease, box-shadow 0.15s ease;
+}
+.pp-cover.pp-tilt:hover { box-shadow: 0 12px 26px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6); }
+.pp-stamp-page.pp-tilt {
+    overflow: visible;
+    transform: perspective(600px)
+        rotateX(var(--pp-tilt-x, 0deg)) rotateY(var(--pp-tilt-y, 0deg))
+        rotate(var(--pp-rot));
+    transition: transform 0.12s ease;
+}
+.pp-tilt::after {
+    content: '';
+    position: absolute;
+    inset: 0;
+    border-radius: inherit;
+    background: linear-gradient(105deg,
+        transparent calc(var(--pp-glint-x, 50%) - 14%),
+        rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.16) var(--pp-glint-x, 50%),
+        transparent calc(var(--pp-glint-x, 50%) + 14%));
+    opacity: 0;
+    transition: opacity 0.2s ease;
+    pointer-events: none;
+}
+.pp-tilt:hover::after { opacity: 1; }
+
+/* Emerging-stamp ink: the ghost fills as qualifying songs land. */
+.pp-stamp-ghost::before {
+    content: '';
+    position: absolute;
+    inset: 7%;
+    border-radius: 999px;
+    background: conic-gradient(rgba(154, 91, 22, 0.16) var(--pp-fill, 0%), transparent 0);
+    pointer-events: none;
+}
+
+/* Gold foil preview — honest "coming", never earnable-looking. */
+.pp-gold-foil {
+    position: relative;
+    overflow: hidden;
+    display: inline-flex;
+    align-items: center;
+    justify-content: center;
+    margin-top: 0.9rem;
+    padding: 0.28rem 0.85rem;
+    border-radius: 999px;
+    border: 2px dashed #c8b273;
+    color: #a8946d;
+    font-size: 0.58rem;
+    font-weight: 700;
+    letter-spacing: 0.32em;
+}
+.pp-gold-foil::after {
+    content: '';
+    position: absolute;
+    inset: 0;
+    background: linear-gradient(100deg, transparent 40%, rgba(255, 223, 128, 0.35) 50%, transparent 60%);
+    transform: translateX(-120%);
+    animation: pp-foil 3.4s ease-in-out infinite;
+}
+@keyframes pp-foil {
+    0%, 55% { transform: translateX(-120%); }
+    100% { transform: translateX(120%); }
+}
+
+@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
+    .pp-gold-foil::after { animation: none; }
+    .pp-cover.pp-tilt, .pp-stamp-page.pp-tilt { transition: none; }
+    /* The hover glint is motion theatrics too — not just the JS tilt. */
+    .pp-tilt::after { display: none; }
+}
+
+/* Practice invitations — closest stamps + bring-these-up */
+.pp-closest {
+    border: 1px solid rgba(75, 85, 99, 0.45);
+    border-radius: 0.6rem;
+    background: linear-gradient(165deg, rgba(45, 55, 72, 0.4), rgba(31, 41, 55, 0.4));
+    padding: 0.6rem 0.75rem;
+    display: flex;
+    flex-direction: column;
+    gap: 0.3rem;
+}
+.pp-closest-head {
+    font-size: 0.62rem;
+    letter-spacing: 0.22em;
+    text-transform: uppercase;
+    color: #9ca3af;
+}
+.pp-closest-row {
+    display: flex;
+    align-items: baseline;
+    gap: 0.75rem;
+    text-align: left;
+    font-size: 0.8rem;
+    padding: 0.15rem 0.25rem;
+    border-radius: 0.35rem;
+}
+.pp-closest-row:hover { background: rgba(55, 65, 81, 0.5); }
+.pp-closest-genre { color: #e5e7eb; font-weight: 600; white-space: nowrap; }
+.pp-closest-ask { color: #9ca3af; font-size: 0.72rem; }
+.pp-closest-ask em { color: #cbd5e1; font-style: italic; }
+
+.pp-nearest { margin-top: 0.6rem; border-top: 1px dashed rgba(138, 122, 94, 0.4); padding-top: 0.5rem; }
+.pp-nearest-head {
+    font-size: 0.58rem;
+    letter-spacing: 0.22em;
+    text-transform: uppercase;
+    color: #8a7a5e;
+    margin-bottom: 0.25rem;
+}
+.pp-nearest-row { font-size: 0.7rem; color: #6d5d40; padding: 0.1rem 0; }
+.pp-nearest-row em { color: #3f3428; }
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+{
+    "badge_requirement": {
+        "songs": 5,
+        "min_stars": 2
+    },
+    "families": [
+        { "key": "metal", "match": ["metal", "djent", "grindcore", "thrash", "doom"] },
+        { "key": "blues", "match": ["blues"] },
+        { "key": "jazz", "match": ["jazz", "bebop", "swing", "bossa"] },
+        { "key": "funk", "match": ["funk", "disco"] },
+        { "key": "rock", "match": ["rock", "punk", "grunge", "shoegaze"] }
+    ],
+    "genres": {
+        "blues": { "virtuoso_nodes": { "guitar": ["blues_shuffle"] } },
+        "rock": { "virtuoso_nodes": { "guitar": ["rock_power_backbeat"] } },
+        "metal": { "virtuoso_nodes": { "guitar": ["melodic_metal_gallop"] } },
+        "funk": { "virtuoso_nodes": { "guitar": ["sixteenth_pocket"] } },
+        "jazz": { "virtuoso_nodes": { "guitar": ["vl_shells"] } }
+    },
+    "drill_labels": {
+        "blues_shuffle": "Blues Shuffle",
+        "rock_power_backbeat": "Power Chords & Backbeat",
+        "melodic_metal_gallop": "Gallop Picking",
+        "sixteenth_pocket": "16th Pocket",
+        "vl_shells": "Shell Voicings"
+    },
+    "graded_instruments": [
+        "guitar",
+        "keys"
+    ],
+    "instruments": [
+        "guitar",
+        "bass",
+        "keys",
+        "drums"
+    ]
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+{
+    "id": "career",
+    "name": "Career",
+    "version": "0.2.0",
+    "bundled": true,
+    "private": false,
+    "description": "Career mode — gig your way from a local bar to the arena, and build a passport wall of genre badges per instrument. Earn stars per song; the crowd reacts to how you play.",
+    "screen": "screen.html",
+    "script": "screen.js",
+    "styles": "assets/career.css",
+    "settings": {
+        "html": "settings.html",
+        "server_files": [
+            "career/"
+        ]
+    },
+    "routes": "routes.py"
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,697 @@
+"""Career mode — venue progression driven by per-song stars.
+
+Stars come straight from ``song_stats`` (meta.db): per song, the best
+accuracy across arrangements crosses 0/1/2/3 of the thresholds in
+``venues.json`` (data-driven so tuning never touches code). Cumulative
+stars unlock venue tiers (bar → club → arena).
+
+Venue packs (crowd-loop videos rendered offline in UE) may be bundled with
+the plugin under ``venue-packs/<id>/`` or downloaded on demand into
+``CONFIG_DIR/plugin_uploads/career/venues/<id>/``. Downloaded packs override
+bundled packs so release assets can replace a built-in starter venue.
+
+Passports (badge journey per instrument × genre — the identity layer on top
+of the same stars): badges are COMPUTED on read from ``song_stats`` × the
+library's effective genre, never stored. The only persisted career state is
+what cannot be derived — instrument commitment, opened passports, and the
+relayed virtuoso drill snapshot — as JSON under ``CONFIG_DIR/career/``
+(exported via ``settings.server_files``).
+
+Endpoints (all under /api/plugins/career/):
+  GET    /state                       stars + per-venue unlock/install/download status
+  POST   /packs/{venue_id}/download   start background pack download (409 if running)
+  DELETE /packs/{venue_id}            remove an installed pack
+  GET    /venues/{venue_id}/{filename} serve pack files (manifest.json, loops, stingers)
+  GET    /passports                   passport walls: badges, stubs, genres, drill status
+  POST   /passports/commit            commit to an instrument (the wax seal, Stage 0)
+  POST   /passports/open              open a genre passport for an instrument
+  POST   /drill-state                 relayed virtuoso.progress snapshot (drill intake)
+"""
+
+import hashlib
+import json
+import logging
+import re
+import shutil
+import tempfile
+import threading
+import urllib.request
+import zipfile
+from datetime import datetime, timezone
+from pathlib import Path
+
+from fastapi import Body, HTTPException
+from fastapi.responses import FileResponse
+
+from progression import instrument_for_arrangement
+
+PLUGIN_ID = "career"
+VENUE_ID_RE = re.compile(r"^[a-z0-9_-]{1,40}$")
+PACK_FILENAME_RE = re.compile(r"^[a-z0-9_-]{1,64}\.(mp4|webm|mp3|json)$")
+REQUIRED_LOOPS = ("bored", "neutral", "engaged", "ecstatic")
+DOWNLOAD_CHUNK = 1024 * 256
+
+_lock = threading.Lock()
+_state = {
+    "content": None,        # parsed venues.json
+    "plugin_dir": None,     # plugin root; bundled packs live below it
+    "venues_dir": None,     # CONFIG_DIR/plugin_uploads/career/venues
+    "meta_db": None,        # MetadataDB (song_stats reads are lock-free / WAL)
+    "log": logging.getLogger("feedBack.plugin.career"),
+    "downloads": {},        # venue_id -> {status, bytes_done, bytes_total, error}
+}
+
+
+def _venue(venue_id):
+    for v in _state["content"]["venues"]:
+        if v["id"] == venue_id:
+            return v
+    return None
+
+
+def _venue_dir(venue_id) -> Path:
+    return _state["venues_dir"] / venue_id
+
+
+def _bundled_venue_dir(venue_id) -> Path:
+    return _state["plugin_dir"] / "venue-packs" / venue_id
+
+
+def _pack_dir(venue_id):
+    """Runtime pack location: downloaded override first, bundled fallback."""
+    local = _venue_dir(venue_id)
+    if (local / "manifest.json").is_file():
+        return local
+    bundled = _bundled_venue_dir(venue_id)
+    if (bundled / "manifest.json").is_file():
+        return bundled
+    return local
+
+
+def _installed(venue_id):
+    return (_pack_dir(venue_id) / "manifest.json").is_file()
+
+
+def _bundled(venue_id):
+    return (_bundled_venue_dir(venue_id) / "manifest.json").is_file()
+
+
+def _stars():
+    """(total, per-song dict, detail rows). Accuracy is a 0..1 fraction."""
+    db = _state["meta_db"]
+    if db is None:
+        return 0, {}, []
+    thresholds = _state["content"]["star_accuracy_thresholds"]
+    # Existing-song filter: a scan hides (not deletes) stats of songs removed
+    # from the library, so orphaned rows must not keep counting toward stars.
+    rows = db.conn.execute(
+        "SELECT s.filename, MAX(s.best_accuracy), "
+        "       COALESCE(MAX(sg.title), ''), COALESCE(MAX(sg.artist), '') "
+        "FROM song_stats s JOIN songs sg ON sg.filename = s.filename "
+        "GROUP BY s.filename"
+    ).fetchall()
+    per_song = {}
+    detail = []
+    for filename, acc, title, artist in rows:
+        acc = acc or 0.0
+        stars, next_at = _star_progress(acc, thresholds)
+        if stars:
+            per_song[filename] = stars
+        detail.append({
+            "filename": filename,
+            "title": title or filename,
+            "artist": artist,
+            "stars": stars,
+            "best_accuracy": round(acc, 4),
+            "next_star_at": next_at,
+        })
+    # closest-to-next-star first (a practice worklist), maxed songs last
+    detail.sort(key=lambda r: (r["next_star_at"] is None,
+                               (r["next_star_at"] or 1.0) - r["best_accuracy"]))
+    return sum(per_song.values()), per_song, detail
+
+
+# ── Passports ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+GENRE_MAX_LEN = 64
+DRILL_SNAPSHOT_MAX_BYTES = 256 * 1024
+
+
+def _now_iso():
+    return datetime.now(timezone.utc).isoformat(timespec="seconds")
+
+
+def _genre_display(genre):
+    return " ".join(str(genre or "").strip().split())
+
+
+def _genre_key(genre):
+    return _genre_display(genre).lower()
+
+
+def _state_file() -> Path:
+    return _state["state_dir"] / "passports-state.json"
+
+
+def _drill_file() -> Path:
+    return _state["state_dir"] / "drill-state.json"
+
+
+def _load_json(path: Path, default):
+    try:
+        return json.loads(path.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+    except (OSError, ValueError):
+        return default
+
+
+def _save_json(path: Path, obj):
+    tmp = path.with_name(path.name + ".tmp")
+    tmp.write_text(json.dumps(obj, indent=2), encoding="utf-8")
+    tmp.replace(path)
+
+
+def _career_state():
+    st = _load_json(_state_file(), {})
+    if not isinstance(st, dict):
+        st = {}
+    if not isinstance(st.get("instruments"), dict):
+        st["instruments"] = {}
+    if not isinstance(st.get("passports"), dict):
+        st["passports"] = {}
+    return st
+
+
+def _genre_expr(db):
+    # Reuse the host's override-aware effective-genre SQL (Fix-metadata popup
+    # overrides); plain `genre` on stand-ins that don't implement it.
+    fn = getattr(db, "_effective_genre_expr", None)
+    return fn() if callable(fn) else "genre"
+
+
+def _instrument_of(arrangements, arrangement):
+    """Progression's arrangement→instrument mapping, via the song_stats
+    arrangement index into the song's arrangements JSON."""
+    entry = None
+    try:
+        idx = int(arrangement)
+        if isinstance(arrangements, list) and 0 <= idx < len(arrangements):
+            entry = arrangements[idx]
+    except (TypeError, ValueError):
+        entry = None
+    return instrument_for_arrangement(entry)
+
+
+def _played_by_instrument_genre():
+    """((instrument, genre_key) → {filename: stub dict},
+        (instrument, genre_key) → total played seconds).
+    Best accuracy per (instrument, song); seconds sum across every
+    arrangement row; the JOIN keeps the same dead-song filter as _stars()."""
+    db = _state["meta_db"]
+    if db is None:
+        return {}, {}
+    thresholds = _state["content"]["star_accuracy_thresholds"]
+    rows = db.conn.execute(
+        "SELECT s.filename, s.arrangement, s.best_accuracy, s.last_played_at, "
+        "       s.seconds_total, songs.title, songs.artist, songs.arrangements, "
+        f"      {_genre_expr(db)} "
+        "FROM song_stats s JOIN songs ON songs.filename = s.filename"
+    ).fetchall()
+    arrs_cache = {}
+    out = {}
+    seconds = {}
+    for filename, arrangement, acc, played_at, secs, title, artist, arrs_json, genre in rows:
+        gkey = _genre_key(genre)
+        if not gkey:
+            continue
+        if filename not in arrs_cache:
+            try:
+                arrs_cache[filename] = json.loads(arrs_json) if arrs_json else None
+            except (TypeError, ValueError):
+                arrs_cache[filename] = None
+        instrument = _instrument_of(arrs_cache[filename], arrangement)
+        key = (instrument, gkey)
+        seconds[key] = seconds.get(key, 0.0) + (secs or 0.0)
+        acc = acc or 0.0
+        stub = out.setdefault(key, {}).get(filename)
+        if stub is None:
+            out[key][filename] = {
+                "filename": filename,
+                "title": title or filename,
+                "artist": artist or "",
+                "best_accuracy": acc,
+                "last_played_at": played_at,
+            }
+        else:
+            stub["best_accuracy"] = max(stub["best_accuracy"], acc)
+            stub["last_played_at"] = max(stub["last_played_at"] or "", played_at or "") or None
+    for stubs in out.values():
+        for stub in stubs.values():
+            acc = stub["best_accuracy"]
+            stub["best_accuracy"] = round(acc, 4)
+            stub["stars"], stub["next_star_at"] = _star_progress(acc, thresholds)
+    return out, seconds
+
+
+def _star_progress(acc, thresholds):
+    """(stars, next_star_at) — the one place the ascending-thresholds
+    assumption lives; _stars() and the passport stubs both use it."""
+    stars = sum(1 for t in thresholds if acc >= t)
+    next_at = next((t for t in thresholds if acc < t), None)
+    return stars, next_at
+
+
+def _library_genres():
+    """Distinct effective genres across the live library (the brochure rack)."""
+    db = _state["meta_db"]
+    if db is None:
+        return []
+    rows = db.conn.execute(
+        f"SELECT {_genre_expr(db)} AS g, COUNT(*) FROM songs GROUP BY g").fetchall()
+    by_key = {}
+    for genre, count in rows:
+        display = _genre_display(genre)
+        key = display.lower()
+        if not key:
+            continue
+        cur = by_key.get(key)
+        if cur:  # case-variant duplicates collapse onto the first-seen casing
+            cur["songs_in_library"] += count
+        else:
+            by_key[key] = {"genre_key": key, "genre": display,
+                           "songs_in_library": count}
+    return sorted(by_key.values(),
+                  key=lambda r: (-r["songs_in_library"], r["genre_key"]))
+
+
+def _genre_family(gkey):
+    """First family whose keyword appears in the genre key (substring — MB's
+    vocabulary is open: 'metalcore' must hit the 'metal' family without an
+    exact alias). List order decides ambiguity: families are checked top to
+    bottom, so 'blues rock' lands on whichever of blues/rock is listed first."""
+    for fam in _state["passports_content"].get("families") or []:
+        if not isinstance(fam, dict):
+            continue
+        for kw in fam.get("match") or []:
+            if isinstance(kw, str) and kw and kw in gkey:
+                return fam.get("key")
+    return None
+
+
+def _badge_requirement(gkey, instrument="guitar"):
+    cfg = _state["passports_content"]
+    req = dict(cfg.get("badge_requirement") or {})
+    req.setdefault("songs", 5)
+    req.setdefault("min_stars", 2)
+    # Exact per-genre override wins; otherwise the genre inherits its FAMILY's
+    # requirement — so 'death metal' / 'metalcore' passports carry the metal
+    # drill without curating every MB sub-genre by hand.
+    genres_cfg = cfg.get("genres") or {}
+    override = genres_cfg.get(gkey)
+    if not isinstance(override, dict):
+        family = _genre_family(gkey)
+        override = genres_cfg.get(family) if family else None
+    if isinstance(override, dict):
+        req.update(override)
+    # virtuoso_nodes: {instrument: [node_ids]} — a passport only carries its
+    # own instrument's drills. A flat list keeps meaning guitar (back-compat;
+    # virtuoso's drill content is guitar-first).
+    nodes = req.get("virtuoso_nodes") or []
+    if isinstance(nodes, dict):
+        nodes = nodes.get(instrument) or []
+    elif instrument != "guitar":
+        nodes = []
+    req["virtuoso_nodes"] = [n for n in nodes if isinstance(n, str)]
+    return req
+
+
+def _drill_by_node():
+    doc = _load_json(_drill_file(), {})
+    if not isinstance(doc, dict):
+        return None, {}
+    snapshot = doc.get("snapshot") if isinstance(doc.get("snapshot"), dict) else {}
+    by_node = snapshot.get("byNode") if isinstance(snapshot.get("byNode"), dict) else {}
+    return doc.get("received_at"), by_node
+
+
+def _merge_drill_nodes(old, new):
+    """Gained-only merge of virtuoso byNode snapshots: a completion artifact
+    once relayed never un-earns via a stale snapshot (multi-browser races,
+    settings import, the once-per-session boot relay). Incoming wins the
+    descriptive fields; masteredAt / depth flips / keysCleared only grow."""
+    out = dict(old)
+    for node_id, incoming in new.items():
+        if not isinstance(incoming, dict):
+            continue
+        cur = out.get(node_id)
+        if not isinstance(cur, dict):
+            out[node_id] = incoming
+            continue
+        merged = dict(cur)
+        merged.update(incoming)
+        merged["masteredAt"] = cur.get("masteredAt") or incoming.get("masteredAt")
+        d_old = cur.get("depth") if isinstance(cur.get("depth"), dict) else {}
+        d_new = incoming.get("depth") if isinstance(incoming.get("depth"), dict) else {}
+        depth = dict(d_new)
+        for axis, val in d_old.items():
+            if val and not depth.get(axis):
+                depth[axis] = val
+        if depth:
+            merged["depth"] = depth
+        keys_old = cur.get("keysCleared") if isinstance(cur.get("keysCleared"), list) else []
+        keys_new = incoming.get("keysCleared") if isinstance(incoming.get("keysCleared"), list) else []
+        merged["keysCleared"] = keys_old + [k for k in keys_new if k not in keys_old]
+        out[node_id] = merged
+    return out
+
+
+def _node_cleared(by_node, node_id):
+    """A drill counts as cleared on real completion evidence: mastered, any
+    depth rung flipped true, or a key cleared (a top-tier clean pass in one
+    key — virtuoso's first gained-only artifact, and an achievable Bronze
+    bar; the depth rungs additionally require a maxed speed tier)."""
+    entry = by_node.get(node_id)
+    if not isinstance(entry, dict):
+        return False
+    depth = entry.get("depth") if isinstance(entry.get("depth"), dict) else {}
+    keys = entry.get("keysCleared")
+    return (bool(entry.get("masteredAt"))
+            or any(bool(v) for v in depth.values())
+            or bool(isinstance(keys, list) and keys))
+
+
+def _passports_view():
+    cfg = _state["passports_content"]
+    graded = set(cfg.get("graded_instruments") or [])
+    st = _career_state()
+    played, played_seconds = _played_by_instrument_genre()
+    received_at, by_node = _drill_by_node()
+    instruments = {}
+    for inst in cfg.get("instruments") or []:
+        committed_at = (st["instruments"].get(inst) or {}).get("committed_at")
+        opened = st["passports"].get(inst)
+        opened = opened if isinstance(opened, dict) else {}
+        passports = []
+        for gkey, meta in sorted(opened.items(),
+                                 key=lambda kv: ((kv[1] or {}).get("opened_at") or "", kv[0])):
+            meta = meta if isinstance(meta, dict) else {}
+            req = _badge_requirement(gkey, inst)
+            songs = list(played.get((inst, gkey), {}).values())
+            for s in songs:
+                s["qualifies"] = s["stars"] >= req["min_stars"]
+            songs.sort(key=lambda s: (not s["qualifies"], -s["stars"],
+                                      s["title"].lower()))
+            qualifying = sum(1 for s in songs if s["qualifies"])
+            required = req["virtuoso_nodes"]
+            cleared = [n for n in required if _node_cleared(by_node, n)]
+            is_graded = inst in graded
+            if not is_graded:
+                # Where the engine can't fairly grade the instrument's job
+                # (bass pocket, feel) the passport shows repertoire, never a
+                # false badge denial — the doc's shown-not-judged rule.
+                badge = "shown_not_judged"
+            elif qualifying >= req["songs"] and len(cleared) == len(required):
+                badge = "earned"
+            else:
+                badge = "in_progress"
+            # Practice invitation: the non-qualifying songs closest to the
+            # QUALIFYING bar (the badge ask), nearest first — invitation
+            # data, the UI voices it without meters.
+            thresholds = _state["content"]["star_accuracy_thresholds"]
+            bar = (thresholds[req["min_stars"] - 1]
+                   if 0 < req["min_stars"] <= len(thresholds) else None)
+            nearest = [] if bar is None else sorted(
+                (s for s in songs if not s["qualifies"]),
+                key=lambda s: bar - s["best_accuracy"])[:3]
+            for s in nearest:
+                s["bar_at"] = bar
+            passports.append({
+                "genre_key": gkey,
+                "genre": meta.get("genre") or gkey,
+                "opened_at": meta.get("opened_at"),
+                "requirement": req,
+                "graded": is_graded,
+                "songs": songs,
+                "qualifying_count": qualifying,
+                "nearest": nearest,
+                # Honest hours odometer (Stage 5 post-cap): a true fact that
+                # only grows — never a target, never a meter.
+                "seconds_total": round(played_seconds.get((inst, gkey), 0.0), 1),
+                "drills": {"required": required, "cleared": cleared},
+                "badge": badge,
+            })
+        instruments[inst] = {"committed_at": committed_at, "passports": passports}
+    return {
+        "config": {
+            "badge_requirement": cfg.get("badge_requirement") or {},
+            "graded_instruments": sorted(graded),
+            "instruments": list(cfg.get("instruments") or []),
+            # Career-side display names for virtuoso drill node ids.
+            "drill_labels": dict(cfg.get("drill_labels") or {}),
+        },
+        "instruments": instruments,
+        "genres": _library_genres(),
+        "drill_state": {"received_at": received_at},
+    }
+
+
+def _validate_pack_dir(pack_dir: Path):
+    """Raise ValueError unless pack_dir holds a complete venue pack."""
+    manifest_path = pack_dir / "manifest.json"
+    if not manifest_path.is_file():
+        raise ValueError("pack has no manifest.json")
+    manifest = json.loads(manifest_path.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+    loops = manifest.get("loops") or {}
+    for state in REQUIRED_LOOPS:
+        name = loops.get(state)
+        if not name or not PACK_FILENAME_RE.fullmatch(name):
+            raise ValueError(f"manifest is missing the '{state}' loop")
+        if not (pack_dir / name).is_file():
+            raise ValueError(f"loop file '{name}' missing from pack")
+    for name in (manifest.get("stingers") or {}).values():
+        if name and (not PACK_FILENAME_RE.fullmatch(name) or not (pack_dir / name).is_file()):
+            raise ValueError(f"stinger file '{name}' invalid or missing")
+    for name in (manifest.get("intro") or {}).values():
+        if name and (not PACK_FILENAME_RE.fullmatch(name) or not (pack_dir / name).is_file()):
+            raise ValueError(f"intro file '{name}' invalid or missing")
+
+
+def _download_pack(venue_id, pack, progress):
+    """Worker thread: stream → sha256 verify → extract → validate → swap in."""
+    log = _state["log"]
+    final_dir = _venue_dir(venue_id)
+    staging = Path(tempfile.mkdtemp(prefix=f"career-{venue_id}-",
+                                    dir=str(_state["venues_dir"])))
+    zip_path = staging / "pack.zip"
+    try:
+        digest = hashlib.sha256()
+        req = urllib.request.Request(pack["url"], headers={"User-Agent": "feedBack-career"})
+        with urllib.request.urlopen(req, timeout=60) as resp, open(zip_path, "wb") as out:
+            total = int(resp.headers.get("Content-Length") or pack.get("bytes") or 0)
+            progress["bytes_total"] = total
+            while True:
+                chunk = resp.read(DOWNLOAD_CHUNK)
+                if not chunk:
+                    break
+                digest.update(chunk)
+                out.write(chunk)
+                progress["bytes_done"] += len(chunk)
+        if digest.hexdigest() != pack["sha256"]:
+            raise ValueError("sha256 mismatch — corrupt or tampered download")
+
+        extract_dir = staging / "pack"
+        extract_dir.mkdir()
+        with zipfile.ZipFile(zip_path) as zf:
+            for info in zf.infolist():
+                # Zip-slip guard: only flat, whitelisted names get extracted.
+                if info.is_dir():
+                    continue
+                name = Path(info.filename).name
+                if name != info.filename or not PACK_FILENAME_RE.fullmatch(name):
+                    raise ValueError(f"unexpected file in pack: {info.filename!r}")
+                with zf.open(info) as src, open(extract_dir / name, "wb") as dst:
+                    shutil.copyfileobj(src, dst)
+        zip_path.unlink()
+        _validate_pack_dir(extract_dir)
+
+        if final_dir.exists():
+            shutil.rmtree(final_dir)
+        extract_dir.rename(final_dir)
+        progress["status"] = "done"
+        log.info("career: venue pack '%s' installed", venue_id)
+    except Exception as exc:  # noqa: BLE001 — surface any failure to the UI
+        progress["status"] = "error"
+        progress["error"] = str(exc)
+        log.warning("career: venue pack '%s' download failed: %s", venue_id, exc)
+    finally:
+        shutil.rmtree(staging, ignore_errors=True)
+
+
+def setup(app, context):
+    plugin_dir = Path(__file__).resolve().parent
+    _state["plugin_dir"] = plugin_dir
+    _state["content"] = json.loads((plugin_dir / "venues.json").read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+    _state["venues_dir"] = (
+        Path(context["config_dir"]) / "plugin_uploads" / PLUGIN_ID / "venues")
+    _state["venues_dir"].mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+    _state["passports_content"] = json.loads(
+        (plugin_dir / "passports.json").read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+    # Persisted career state (commitment / opened passports / drill snapshot)
+    # lives under CONFIG_DIR/career/ — declared in settings.server_files so it
+    # rides the settings export/import bundle. Packs stay out (they're media).
+    _state["state_dir"] = Path(context["config_dir"]) / PLUGIN_ID
+    _state["state_dir"].mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+    _state["meta_db"] = context.get("meta_db")
+    _state["log"] = context.get("log") or _state["log"]
+    for v in _state["content"]["venues"]:
+        if _bundled(v["id"]):
+            _validate_pack_dir(_bundled_venue_dir(v["id"]))
+
+    @app.get(f"/api/plugins/{PLUGIN_ID}/state")
+    def get_state():
+        stars_total, per_song, star_detail = _stars()
+        venues = []
+        for v in _state["content"]["venues"]:
+            with _lock:
+                dl = dict(_state["downloads"].get(v["id"]) or {"status": "idle"})
+            venues.append({
+                "id": v["id"],
+                "name": v["name"],
+                "description": v.get("description", ""),
+                "star_threshold": v["star_threshold"],
+                "unlocked": stars_total >= v["star_threshold"],
+                "installed": _installed(v["id"]),
+                "bundled": _bundled(v["id"]),
+                "has_pack": _bundled(v["id"]) or bool(v.get("pack")),
+                "download": dl,
+            })
+        return {
+            "stars_total": stars_total,
+            "stars_per_song": per_song,
+            "star_detail": star_detail,
+            "star_accuracy_thresholds": _state["content"]["star_accuracy_thresholds"],
+            "venues": venues,
+        }
+
+    @app.get(f"/api/plugins/{PLUGIN_ID}/passports")
+    def get_passports():
+        with _lock:
+            return _passports_view()
+
+    @app.post(f"/api/plugins/{PLUGIN_ID}/passports/commit")
+    def commit_instrument(body: dict = Body(...)):
+        inst = str((body or {}).get("instrument") or "")
+        if inst not in (_state["passports_content"].get("instruments") or []):
+            raise HTTPException(400, "Unknown instrument.")
+        with _lock:
+            st = _career_state()
+            entry = st["instruments"].setdefault(inst, {})
+            # Idempotent: the wax seal is pressed once; re-commits keep the
+            # original date (only-gained-never-lost).
+            if not entry.get("committed_at"):
+                entry["committed_at"] = _now_iso()
+                _save_json(_state_file(), st)
+        return {"ok": True, "instrument": inst,
+                "committed_at": entry["committed_at"]}
+
+    @app.post(f"/api/plugins/{PLUGIN_ID}/passports/open")
+    def open_passport(body: dict = Body(...)):
+        inst = str((body or {}).get("instrument") or "")
+        genre = _genre_display((body or {}).get("genre"))
+        gkey = genre.lower()
+        if inst not in (_state["passports_content"].get("instruments") or []):
+            raise HTTPException(400, "Unknown instrument.")
+        if not gkey or len(genre) > GENRE_MAX_LEN:
+            raise HTTPException(400, "Provide a genre.")
+        with _lock:
+            st = _career_state()
+            # Opening a passport implies the instrument commitment (permissive
+            # server, ceremony ordering is the UI's job).
+            st["instruments"].setdefault(inst, {}).setdefault(
+                "committed_at", _now_iso())
+            genres = st["passports"].setdefault(inst, {})
+            if gkey not in genres:
+                genres[gkey] = {"genre": genre, "opened_at": _now_iso()}
+                _save_json(_state_file(), st)
+        return {"ok": True, "instrument": inst, "passport": genres[gkey]}
+
+    @app.post(f"/api/plugins/{PLUGIN_ID}/drill-state")
+    def post_drill_state(body: dict = Body(...)):
+        # The relayed virtuoso.progress snapshot (career's screen.js listens to
+        # the virtuoso:progress bus event and forwards the localStorage doc).
+        # Only the fields the badge check reads are kept.
+        if not isinstance(body, dict) or not isinstance(body.get("byNode"), dict):
+            raise HTTPException(400, "Expected a progress snapshot with byNode.")
+        # Bound the INCOMING snapshot before the merge — the gained-only merge
+        # drops junk entries, which must not become a size-guard bypass.
+        if len(json.dumps(body["byNode"])) > DRILL_SNAPSHOT_MAX_BYTES:
+            raise HTTPException(413, "Snapshot too large.")
+        with _lock:
+            _, existing = _drill_by_node()
+            snapshot = {"mode": body.get("mode"), "xp": body.get("xp"),
+                        "byNode": _merge_drill_nodes(existing, body["byNode"])}
+            if len(json.dumps(snapshot)) > DRILL_SNAPSHOT_MAX_BYTES:
+                raise HTTPException(413, "Snapshot too large.")
+            _save_json(_drill_file(), {"received_at": _now_iso(),
+                                       "snapshot": snapshot})
+        return {"ok": True}
+
+    @app.post(f"/api/plugins/{PLUGIN_ID}/packs/{{venue_id}}/download")
+    def start_download(venue_id: str):
+        venue = _venue(venue_id) if VENUE_ID_RE.fullmatch(venue_id) else None
+        if venue is None:
+            raise HTTPException(404, "Unknown venue.")
+        pack = venue.get("pack")
+        if not pack:
+            raise HTTPException(404, "No pack published for this venue yet.")
+        stars_total, _, _ = _stars()
+        if stars_total < venue["star_threshold"]:
+            raise HTTPException(403, "Venue not unlocked yet.")
+        with _lock:
+            running = _state["downloads"].get(venue_id)
+            if running and running["status"] == "running":
+                raise HTTPException(409, "Download already running.")
+            progress = {"status": "running", "bytes_done": 0,
+                        "bytes_total": pack.get("bytes") or 0, "error": None}
+            _state["downloads"][venue_id] = progress
+        threading.Thread(target=_download_pack, args=(venue_id, pack, progress),
+                         name=f"career-pack-{venue_id}", daemon=True).start()
+        return {"ok": True}
+
+    @app.delete(f"/api/plugins/{PLUGIN_ID}/packs/{{venue_id}}")
+    def delete_pack(venue_id: str):
+        if not VENUE_ID_RE.fullmatch(venue_id) or _venue(venue_id) is None:
+            raise HTTPException(404, "Unknown venue.")
+        with _lock:
+            running = _state["downloads"].get(venue_id)
+            if running and running["status"] == "running":
+                raise HTTPException(409, "Download in progress.")
+            _state["downloads"].pop(venue_id, None)
+        shutil.rmtree(_venue_dir(venue_id), ignore_errors=True)
+        return {"ok": True}
+
+    @app.get(f"/api/plugins/{PLUGIN_ID}/venues/{{venue_id}}/{{filename}}")
+    async def get_pack_file(venue_id: str, filename: str):
+        if not VENUE_ID_RE.fullmatch(venue_id) or not PACK_FILENAME_RE.fullmatch(filename):
+            raise HTTPException(404, "Not found.")
+        pack_dir = _pack_dir(venue_id)
+        path = pack_dir / filename
+        # Defense-in-depth beyond the regexes (same recipe as highway_3d):
+        # the resolved path must stay inside the selected pack dir.
+        try:
+            resolved = path.resolve()
+            resolved.relative_to(pack_dir.resolve())
+        except (OSError, ValueError):
+            raise HTTPException(404, "Not found.")
+        if not resolved.is_file():
+            raise HTTPException(404, "Not found.")
+        media = {"mp4": "video/mp4", "webm": "video/webm", "mp3": "audio/mpeg",
+                 "json": "application/json"}[resolved.suffix.lstrip(".").lower()]
+        return FileResponse(
+            resolved,
+            media_type=media,
+            # Pack files are immutable per version, but a re-download after a
+            # pack update overwrites in place — no-cache + ETag revalidation
+            # keeps browsers honest for the price of a 304.
+            headers={"Cache-Control": "no-cache",
+                     "X-Content-Type-Options": "nosniff"},
+        )
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+<div class="max-w-5xl mx-auto px-4 py-6">
+    <div class="flex items-end justify-between flex-wrap gap-3 mb-1">
+        <h1 class="text-2xl font-bold text-white">Career</h1>
+        <div id="career-stars-summary" class="text-sm text-gray-400"></div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="career-tabs" role="tablist">
+        <button class="career-tab" data-career-tab="venues" role="tab" id="career-tab-btn-venues" aria-controls="career-tab-venues">Venues</button>
+        <button class="career-tab" data-career-tab="passports" role="tab" id="career-tab-btn-passports" aria-controls="career-tab-passports">Passports</button>
+    </div>
+
+    <div id="career-tab-venues" role="tabpanel" aria-labelledby="career-tab-btn-venues">
+        <p class="text-sm text-gray-400 mb-4">Earn stars by playing songs well — 60% accuracy is a star, 75% two, 85% three. Stars unlock bigger stages, and the crowd plays along with you.</p>
+        <div id="career-progress-wrap" class="mb-6">
+            <div class="career-bar-track">
+                <div id="career-progress-bar" class="career-bar-fill" style="width:0%"></div>
+            </div>
+            <div id="career-progress-label" class="text-xs text-gray-500 mt-1"></div>
+        </div>
+        <div id="career-venues" class="career-venues"></div>
+        <div class="mt-8">
+            <div class="flex items-end justify-between flex-wrap gap-2 mb-2">
+                <h2 class="text-lg font-semibold text-white">Your star collection</h2>
+                <div id="career-star-summary" class="text-xs text-gray-400"></div>
+            </div>
+            <div id="career-star-list" class="career-star-list"></div>
+        </div>
+    </div>
+
+    <div id="career-tab-passports" class="hidden" role="tabpanel" aria-labelledby="career-tab-btn-passports">
+        <p class="text-sm text-gray-400 mb-4">Commit to an instrument, pick a genre, and stamp your way to its badge — five ★★ songs mint a Bronze. Your passport wall is who you are as a musician.</p>
+        <div id="pp-instruments" class="pp-instruments"></div>
+        <div id="pp-closest" class="mt-4"></div>
+        <div id="pp-shelf-wrap" class="mt-5">
+            <div id="pp-shelf" class="pp-shelf"></div>
+        </div>
+        <div id="pp-rack-wrap" class="mt-8">
+            <h2 class="text-lg font-semibold text-white mb-1">Explore next</h2>
+            <p class="text-xs text-gray-500 mb-3">More genres, whenever you want them — your wall is complete as it is.</p>
+            <div id="pp-rack" class="pp-rack"></div>
+        </div>
+    </div>
+</div>
+<div id="pp-overlay" class="pp-overlay hidden"></div>
@@ -0,0 +1,949 @@
+/*
+ * Career plugin — venue progression UI + crowd-manifest push.
+ *
+ * Reads /api/plugins/career/state (stars from song_stats, per-venue
+ * unlock/install/download status), renders the career screen, and pushes the
+ * active venue's pack manifest into the crowd video layer
+ * (window.v3VenueCrowd, shipped with the venue crowd PR) whenever it changes.
+ * Everything degrades: no crowd layer → screen still works; no packs → the
+ * venue scene keeps its static plate.
+ */
+(function () {
+    'use strict';
+
+    const API = '/api/plugins/career';
+    const VENUE_OVERRIDE_KEY = 'feedBack-career-venue';
+    const NO_VENUE = '__none__';
+    const PREV_VIZ_KEY = 'feedBack-career-prev-viz';
+    const POLL_MS = 2000;
+
+    // Passports (the badge-journey layer; see routes.py — badges are computed
+    // server-side, this file only renders and relays).
+    const PP_SEEN_KEY = 'feedBack-career-badges-seen';
+    const PP_INST_KEY = 'feedBack-career-instrument';
+    const PP_TAB_KEY = 'feedBack-career-tab';
+    const PP_LABELS = { guitar: 'Guitar', bass: 'Bass', keys: 'Keys', drums: 'Drums' };
+    const PP_BROCHURE_ART = ['🎸', '🎷', '🎹', '🥁', '🎺', '🎻', '🎤', '🪕'];
+
+    let _state = null;
+    let _pollTimer = 0;
+    let _appliedManifestVenue = null;
+    let _manifestReqGen = 0; // invalidates in-flight manifest fetches
+    let _prevUnlockedIds = null;
+    let _pp = null;              // last /passports view
+    let _ppRelayTimer = 0;
+    let _ppBook = null;          // {inst, gkey} of the open spread
+    let _ppReturnFocus = null;   // element to refocus when the book closes
+    let _ppCeremonyQueue = [];   // badges awaiting their ceremony overlay
+    let _ppCeremonyActive = false;
+    let _ppBootstrapped = false;
+    let _ppNotified = {};        // badges chimed this session (slam still pending)
+
+    function $(id) { return document.getElementById(id); }
+
+    function esc(s) {
+        return String(s == null ? '' : s).replace(/[&<>"']/g,
+            (c) => ({ '&': '&amp;', '<': '&lt;', '>': '&gt;', '"': '&quot;', "'": '&#39;' }[c]));
+    }
+
+    async function fetchState() {
+        const res = await fetch(API + '/state');
+        if (!res.ok) throw new Error('career state ' + res.status);
+        return res.json();
+    }
+
+    function lastOf(arr) { return arr.length ? arr[arr.length - 1] : null; }
+
+    // Active pack = localStorage override when unlocked+installed, else the
+    // highest unlocked+installed tier; none → clear the crowd manifest.
+    async function pushCrowdManifest(state) {
+        const crowd = window.v3VenueCrowd;
+        if (!crowd || typeof crowd.setManifest !== 'function') return;
+        // Any newer invocation (delete, venue switch, fresher state) must win
+        // over a manifest fetch still in flight from this one.
+        const gen = ++_manifestReqGen;
+        const unlocked = state.venues.filter((v) => v.unlocked);
+        let venue = null;
+        let override = null;
+        try { override = localStorage.getItem(VENUE_OVERRIDE_KEY); } catch (_) { /* ok */ }
+        if (override !== NO_VENUE) {
+            venue = unlocked.find((v) => v.id === override && v.installed) || null;
+            if (!venue) venue = lastOf(unlocked.filter((v) => v.installed));
+        }
+        if (!venue) {
+            if (_appliedManifestVenue !== null) {
+                _appliedManifestVenue = null;
+                crowd.setManifest(null);
+            }
+            return;
+        }
+        if (venue.id === _appliedManifestVenue) return;
+        try {
+            const res = await fetch(`${API}/venues/${venue.id}/manifest.json`);
+            if (gen !== _manifestReqGen || !res.ok) return;
+            const manifest = await res.json();
+            if (gen !== _manifestReqGen) return;
+            manifest.base = `${API}/venues/${venue.id}/`;
+            _appliedManifestVenue = venue.id;
+            crowd.setManifest(manifest);
+        } catch (_) { /* pack half-installed; next refresh retries */ }
+    }
+
+    function venueCardHTML(v, state) {
+        const locked = !v.unlocked;
+        const dl = v.download || { status: 'idle' };
+        const pct = dl.bytes_total > 0
+            ? Math.round((dl.bytes_done / dl.bytes_total) * 100) : 0;
+        let action = '';
+        if (locked) {
+            action = `<div class="text-xs text-gray-500">Unlocks at ${v.star_threshold} ★ — ${Math.max(0, v.star_threshold - state.stars_total)} to go</div>`;
+        } else if (dl.status === 'running') {
+            action = `<div class="career-bar-track mb-1" style="height:0.375rem"><div class="career-bar-fill" style="width:${pct}%"></div></div>
+                <div class="text-xs text-gray-400">Downloading… ${pct}%</div>`;
+        } else if (v.installed) {
+            const active = localStorage.getItem(VENUE_OVERRIDE_KEY) === v.id;
+            const main = active
+                ? `<button data-career-unselect="1" class="career-btn career-btn-ghost">Leave venue</button>`
+                : `<button data-career-play="${esc(v.id)}" class="career-btn career-btn-primary">Play here</button>`;
+            const remove = v.bundled
+                ? ''
+                : `<button data-career-delete="${esc(v.id)}" class="career-btn career-btn-ghost">Remove pack</button>`;
+            action = `<div class="flex items-center gap-2">
+                ${main}
+                ${remove}
+            </div>`;
+        } else if (v.has_pack) {
+            const err = dl.status === 'error'
+                ? `<div class="text-xs text-amber-400 mb-1">${esc(dl.error || 'Download failed')} — try again</div>` : '';
+            action = `${err}<button data-career-download="${esc(v.id)}" class="career-btn career-btn-primary">Download venue pack</button>`;
+        } else {
+            action = '<div class="text-xs text-gray-500">Venue pack coming soon — plays with the standard stage for now</div>';
+        }
+        // Mirror pushCrowdManifest(): an override only counts while the pack
+        // is installed — after a removal the badge must not claim a venue the
+        // crowd layer can't use.
+        const isActive = !locked && v.installed &&
+            localStorage.getItem(VENUE_OVERRIDE_KEY) === v.id;
+        return `<div class="rounded-xl border ${locked ? 'border-gray-800 opacity-60' : 'border-gray-700'} bg-dark-700/40 p-4 flex flex-col gap-2">
+            <div class="flex items-center justify-between">
+                <div class="font-semibold text-white">${esc(v.name)}${isActive ? ' <span class="text-cyan-400 text-xs">● playing here</span>' : ''}</div>
+                <div class="text-xs text-gray-400">${v.star_threshold} ★</div>
+            </div>
+            <div class="text-xs text-gray-400 flex-1">${esc(v.description)}</div>
+            ${action}
+        </div>`;
+    }
+
+    function starGlyphs(n) {
+        let out = '';
+        for (let i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
+            out += `<span class="${i < n ? 'on' : 'off'}">★</span>`;
+        }
+        return out;
+    }
+
+    function renderStars(state) {
+        const list = $('career-star-list');
+        const summary = $('career-star-summary');
+        if (!list || !summary) return;
+        const detail = state.star_detail || [];
+        const tiers = [0, 0, 0, 0];
+        for (const r of detail) tiers[r.stars]++;
+        summary.textContent =
+            `${tiers[3]}× 3★ · ${tiers[2]}× 2★ · ${tiers[1]}× 1★ · ${tiers[0]} unstarred`;
+        if (!detail.length) {
+            list.innerHTML = '<div class="text-xs text-gray-500">Play songs to start collecting stars — 60% accuracy earns the first one.</div>';
+            return;
+        }
+        list.innerHTML = detail.map((r) => {
+            let hint = 'maxed';
+            let close = '';
+            if (r.next_star_at != null) {
+                const gap = Math.max(0, r.next_star_at - r.best_accuracy) * 100;
+                hint = `${gap.toFixed(0)}% to next ★`;
+                if (gap <= 5) close = ' close';
+            }
+            return `<div class="career-star-row">
+                <span class="stars">${starGlyphs(r.stars)}</span>
+                <span class="song">${esc(r.title)}${r.artist ? ` <span class="artist">— ${esc(r.artist)}</span>` : ''}</span>
+                <span class="hint${close}">best ${(r.best_accuracy * 100).toFixed(0)}% · ${hint}</span>
+            </div>`;
+        }).join('');
+    }
+
+    function render(state) {
+        const host = $('career-venues');
+        if (!host) return;
+        $('career-stars-summary').textContent = `★ ${state.stars_total} total`;
+        const next = state.venues.find((v) => !v.unlocked);
+        const bar = $('career-progress-bar');
+        const label = $('career-progress-label');
+        if (next) {
+            const prevThreshold = state.venues
+                .filter((v) => v.unlocked)
+                .reduce((m, v) => Math.max(m, v.star_threshold), 0);
+            const span = Math.max(1, next.star_threshold - prevThreshold);
+            const into = Math.max(0, state.stars_total - prevThreshold);
+            bar.style.width = Math.min(100, Math.round((into / span) * 100)) + '%';
+            label.textContent = `${state.stars_total} / ${next.star_threshold} ★ to unlock ${next.name}`;
+        } else {
+            bar.style.width = '100%';
+            label.textContent = 'All venues unlocked — enjoy the arena.';
+        }
+        host.innerHTML = state.venues.map((v) => venueCardHTML(v, state)).join('');
+        renderStars(state);
+    }
+
+    function schedulePoll(state) {
+        clearTimeout(_pollTimer);
+        if (state.venues.some((v) => (v.download || {}).status === 'running')) {
+            _pollTimer = setTimeout(refresh, POLL_MS);
+        }
+    }
+
+    function announceUnlocks(state) {
+        const unlocked = state.venues.filter((v) => v.unlocked).map((v) => v.id);
+        if (_prevUnlockedIds) {
+            for (const v of state.venues) {
+                if (v.unlocked && !_prevUnlockedIds.includes(v.id)) {
+                    const sm = window.feedBack;
+                    if (sm && typeof sm.emit === 'function') {
+                        sm.emit('career:venue-unlocked', { id: v.id, name: v.name });
+                    }
+                    if (window.fbNotify && typeof window.fbNotify.show === 'function') {
+                        window.fbNotify.show({
+                            big: true, icon: '🎤', accent: '#06B6D4',
+                            title: 'New venue unlocked!',
+                            message: `${v.name} — your crowd just got bigger.`,
+                        });
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        _prevUnlockedIds = unlocked;
+    }
+
+    async function refresh() {
+        let state;
+        try {
+            state = await fetchState();
+        } catch (_) {
+            return; // server restarting; next trigger retries
+        }
+        _state = state;
+        announceUnlocks(state);
+        render(state);
+        schedulePoll(state);
+        pushCrowdManifest(state);
+        refreshPassports(); // independent fetch; failures don't touch venues
+    }
+
+    // ── Passports ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+    function lsGet(k) { try { return localStorage.getItem(k); } catch (_) { return null; } }
+    function lsSet(k, v) { try { localStorage.setItem(k, v); } catch (_) { /* ok */ } }
+
+    function ppLabel(inst) {
+        return PP_LABELS[inst] || (inst.charAt(0).toUpperCase() + inst.slice(1));
+    }
+
+    function ppKey(genre) {
+        return String(genre || '').trim().replace(/\s+/g, ' ').toLowerCase();
+    }
+
+    function ppHash(seed) {
+        let h = 0;
+        for (let i = 0; i < seed.length; i++) h = (h * 31 + seed.charCodeAt(i)) | 0;
+        return h;
+    }
+
+    // Deterministic per-key jitter (sin-hash): stamps and stubs land slightly
+    // askew, the same way on every visit.
+    function ppJitter(seed, range) {
+        return (Math.abs(Math.sin(ppHash(seed))) * 2 - 1) * range;
+    }
+
+    function sfx(name) {
+        try {
+            const a = new Audio(`${API}/assets/sfx/${name}.mp3`);
+            a.volume = 0.45;
+            a.play().catch(() => { /* autoplay policy — silent is fine */ });
+        } catch (_) { /* no Audio — fine */ }
+    }
+
+    function showCareerTab(tab) {
+        lsSet(PP_TAB_KEY, tab);
+        const venues = $('career-tab-venues');
+        const pp = $('career-tab-passports');
+        if (!venues || !pp) return;
+        venues.classList.toggle('hidden', tab !== 'venues');
+        pp.classList.toggle('hidden', tab !== 'passports');
+        document.querySelectorAll('#plugin-career .career-tab').forEach((b) => {
+            const active = b.dataset.careerTab === tab;
+            b.classList.toggle('active', active);
+            b.setAttribute('aria-selected', active ? 'true' : 'false');
+        });
+    }
+
+    function activeInstrument() {
+        const list = (_pp && _pp.config && _pp.config.instruments) || [];
+        const saved = lsGet(PP_INST_KEY);
+        if (saved && list.includes(saved)) return saved;
+        const committed = list.find((i) => ((_pp.instruments || {})[i] || {}).committed_at);
+        return committed || list[0] || 'guitar';
+    }
+
+    function seenBadges() {
+        try {
+            const seen = JSON.parse(lsGet(PP_SEEN_KEY) || '{}');
+            // Guard non-object JSON (a stray "null" or array) — a broken
+            // stored value must not throw on every passport refresh.
+            return seen && typeof seen === 'object' && !Array.isArray(seen) ? seen : {};
+        } catch (_) { return {}; }
+    }
+
+    function badgeId(inst, gkey) { return inst + '/' + gkey; }
+
+    function markBadgeSeen(inst, gkey) {
+        const seen = seenBadges();
+        seen[badgeId(inst, gkey)] = 1;
+        lsSet(PP_SEEN_KEY, JSON.stringify(seen));
+    }
+
+    // New badge → chime + notification + the venue ceremony, once per
+    // session; the stamp SLAM plays when the passport is next opened (and
+    // only then is the badge marked seen, so a pending slam survives a
+    // reload).
+    function detectNewBadges(view) {
+        const seen = seenBadges();
+        for (const inst of Object.keys(view.instruments || {})) {
+            for (const p of (view.instruments[inst].passports || [])) {
+                const id = badgeId(inst, p.genre_key);
+                if (p.badge !== 'earned' || seen[id] || _ppNotified[id]) continue;
+                _ppNotified[id] = true;
+                sfx('chime');
+                if (window.fbNotify && typeof window.fbNotify.show === 'function') {
+                    window.fbNotify.show({
+                        big: true, icon: '🛂', accent: '#b45309',
+                        title: 'Badge earned!',
+                        message: `${p.genre} — Bronze, ready to stamp into your ${ppLabel(inst)} passport.`,
+                    });
+                }
+                badgeCeremony(inst, p);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    function reducedMotion() {
+        try { return window.matchMedia('(prefers-reduced-motion: reduce)').matches; } catch (_) { return false; }
+    }
+
+    // The badge moment: the crowd erupts first (if a venue pack is live —
+    // badges land post-stats:recorded while the player is still on screen),
+    // then a body-level overlay. It CANNOT live in #pp-overlay: #plugin-career
+    // is display:none during playback.
+    function badgeCeremony(inst, p) {
+        // Reduced motion: the chime + fbNotify already delivered the news —
+        // no overlay, and no app-initiated crowd eruption either.
+        if (reducedMotion()) return;
+        const crowd = window.v3VenueCrowd;
+        if (crowd && typeof crowd.celebrate === 'function') {
+            try { crowd.celebrate(); } catch (_) { /* crowd layer optional */ }
+        }
+        if (!document.body || typeof document.createElement !== 'function') return;
+        // Several badges can land in one refresh (first load, drill-snapshot
+        // bootstrap): queue the ceremonies and play them back to back.
+        _ppCeremonyQueue.push({ inst, p });
+        if (!_ppCeremonyActive) setTimeout(drainCeremonies, 300);
+    }
+
+    function drainCeremonies() {
+        if (_ppCeremonyActive) return;
+        const queued = _ppCeremonyQueue.shift();
+        if (!queued) return;
+        _ppCeremonyActive = true;
+        showCeremonyOverlay(queued.inst, queued.p, () => {
+            _ppCeremonyActive = false;
+            setTimeout(drainCeremonies, 250);
+        });
+    }
+
+    function showCeremonyOverlay(inst, p, done) {
+        const el = document.createElement('div');
+        el.id = 'pp-ceremony';
+        el.className = 'pp-ceremony-overlay';
+        el.innerHTML = `
+            <canvas class="pp-confetti"></canvas>
+            <div class="pp-ceremony-card">
+                <div class="pp-stamp pp-stamp-page pp-ceremony-stamp" style="--pp-rot:${ppJitter(p.genre_key, 7).toFixed(1)}deg">
+                    <span class="pp-stamp-genre">${esc(p.genre.toUpperCase())}</span>
+                    <span class="pp-stamp-tier">BRONZE</span>
+                </div>
+                <div class="pp-ceremony-title">Badge earned</div>
+                <div class="pp-ceremony-sub">${esc(p.genre)} — ${esc(ppLabel(inst))} passport</div>
+            </div>`;
+        let timer = 0;
+        let closed = false;
+        const dismiss = () => {
+            if (closed) return;
+            closed = true;
+            clearTimeout(timer);
+            el.classList.add('pp-ceremony-out');
+            setTimeout(() => { el.remove(); done(); }, 350);
+        };
+        el.addEventListener('click', dismiss);
+        document.body.appendChild(el);
+        timer = setTimeout(dismiss, 4200);
+        confettiBurst(el.querySelector('.pp-confetti'));
+    }
+
+    function confettiBurst(canvas) {
+        if (!canvas || typeof canvas.getContext !== 'function') return;
+        const ctx = canvas.getContext('2d');
+        if (!ctx) return;
+        canvas.width = canvas.clientWidth;
+        canvas.height = canvas.clientHeight;
+        const colors = ['#d9a253', '#b45309', '#facc15', '#06b6d4', '#e5e7eb'];
+        const parts = Array.from({ length: 42 }, () => ({
+            x: canvas.width / 2 + (Math.random() - 0.5) * 90,
+            y: canvas.height * 0.42,
+            vx: (Math.random() - 0.5) * 9,
+            vy: -(4 + Math.random() * 7),
+            rot: Math.random() * Math.PI,
+            vr: (Math.random() - 0.5) * 0.3,
+            w: 5 + Math.random() * 5,
+            h: 3 + Math.random() * 4,
+            c: colors[(Math.random() * colors.length) | 0],
+        }));
+        let frames = 0;
+        (function tick() {
+            if (!canvas.isConnected || frames++ > 240) return;
+            ctx.clearRect(0, 0, canvas.width, canvas.height);
+            for (const q of parts) {
+                q.x += q.vx; q.y += q.vy; q.vy += 0.18; q.rot += q.vr;
+                ctx.save();
+                ctx.translate(q.x, q.y);
+                ctx.rotate(q.rot);
+                ctx.fillStyle = q.c;
+                ctx.fillRect(-q.w / 2, -q.h / 2, q.w, q.h);
+                ctx.restore();
+            }
+            requestAnimationFrame(tick);
+        }());
+    }
+
+    // Relay the Virtuoso drill snapshot (localStorage doc, not the thin bus
+    // payload) to the server intake, debounced across event bursts.
+    function relayDrillState() {
+        clearTimeout(_ppRelayTimer);
+        _ppRelayTimer = setTimeout(() => {
+            let snap = null;
+            try { snap = JSON.parse(lsGet('virtuoso.progress') || 'null'); } catch (_) { /* corrupt */ }
+            if (!snap || typeof snap !== 'object' || !snap.byNode || typeof snap.byNode !== 'object') return;
+            fetch(`${API}/drill-state`, {
+                method: 'POST',
+                headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
+                body: JSON.stringify({ mode: snap.mode, xp: snap.xp, byNode: snap.byNode }),
+            }).then(() => refreshPassports()).catch(() => { /* next event retries */ });
+        }, 1500);
+    }
+
+    async function refreshPassports() {
+        let view;
+        try {
+            const res = await fetch(`${API}/passports`);
+            if (!res.ok) return;
+            view = await res.json();
+        } catch (_) { return; }
+        _pp = view;
+        detectNewBadges(view);
+        renderPassports();
+        if (!_ppBootstrapped) {
+            _ppBootstrapped = true;
+            // Sync the local drill snapshot once per session — drill progress
+            // made before the career plugin existed (or a relay POST that
+            // failed) must not deny a gated badge until the next virtuoso
+            // event happens to fire. Tiny payload, single-user app.
+            relayDrillState();
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Honest hours odometer (Stage 5 post-cap). Below a minute of history
+    // there is nothing meaningful to show.
+    function fmtHours(seconds) {
+        const s = Number(seconds) || 0;
+        if (s < 60) return '';
+        if (s < 3600) return `${Math.round(s / 60)} min`;
+        return `${(s / 3600).toFixed(1).replace(/\.0$/, '')} h`;
+    }
+
+    function ppCoverHTML(inst, p) {
+        const rot = ppJitter(inst + p.genre_key, 1.6).toFixed(2);
+        const earned = p.badge === 'earned';
+        const stamp = earned
+            ? `<span class="pp-stamp pp-stamp-mini" style="--pp-rot:${ppJitter(p.genre_key, 8).toFixed(1)}deg">BRONZE</span>`
+            : '';
+        const stubs = p.qualifying_count === 1 ? '1 stub' : `${p.qualifying_count} stubs`;
+        const hours = fmtHours(p.seconds_total);
+        // Earned covers are trading cards: rotation moves into a CSS var so
+        // the pointer-tracked tilt transform can compose with it.
+        const style = earned
+            ? `--pp-cover-rot:${rot}deg` : `transform:rotate(${rot}deg)`;
+        return `<button class="pp-cover${earned ? ' pp-tilt' : ''} pp-leather-${esc(inst)}" data-pp-open="${esc(p.genre_key)}" style="${style}">
+            <span class="pp-cover-title">${esc(p.genre.toUpperCase())}</span>
+            <span class="pp-cover-inst">${esc(ppLabel(inst))} passport</span>
+            ${stamp}
+            <span class="pp-cover-sub">${stubs}${hours ? ` · ${hours}` : ''}</span>
+        </button>`;
+    }
+
+    // Practice invitations: which stamps are closest, and what would bring
+    // them home. Invitations only — no meters, no obligations.
+
+    // Floor, never round: 74.9% must not display as the already-met "75%".
+    function pct(frac) { return Math.floor((Number(frac) || 0) * 100); }
+
+    function ppNeed(p) {
+        return Math.max(0, ((p.requirement || {}).songs || 0) - (p.qualifying_count || 0));
+    }
+
+    // The one blocker phrase — shared by the Closest-stamps strip and the
+    // passport book's invite line so they can never contradict each other.
+    function ppAskHTML(p, withHint) {
+        const req = p.requirement || {};
+        const need = ppNeed(p);
+        const starGl = '★'.repeat(req.min_stars || 0);
+        if (need > 0) {
+            const near = withHint ? (p.nearest || [])[0] : null;
+            const hint = near
+                ? ` · nearest: <em>${esc(near.title)}</em> at ${pct(near.best_accuracy)}%`
+                : '';
+            return `${need === 1 ? `one more ${starGl} song` : `${need} more ${starGl} songs`}${hint}`;
+        }
+        const labels = ((_pp && _pp.config) || {}).drill_labels || {};
+        const drills = p.drills || {};
+        const pending = (drills.required || []).filter((n) => !(drills.cleared || []).includes(n));
+        return `clear ${pending.map((n) => esc(labels[n] || n)).join(', ') || 'the genre drill'} in Virtuoso`;
+    }
+
+    function closestLineHTML(p) {
+        return `<button class="pp-closest-row" data-pp-open="${esc(p.genre_key)}">
+            <span class="pp-closest-genre">${esc(p.genre)}</span>
+            <span class="pp-closest-ask">${ppAskHTML(p, true)}</span>
+        </button>`;
+    }
+
+    function renderClosest(inst, data) {
+        const host = $('pp-closest');
+        if (!host) return;
+        const candidates = (data.passports || [])
+            .filter((p) => p.badge === 'in_progress')
+            .sort((a, b) => ppNeed(a) - ppNeed(b))
+            .slice(0, 3);
+        if (!candidates.length) { host.innerHTML = ''; return; }
+        host.innerHTML = `<div class="pp-closest">
+            <div class="pp-closest-head">Closest stamps</div>
+            ${candidates.map(closestLineHTML).join('')}
+        </div>`;
+    }
+
+    function renderShelf(inst, data) {
+        const shelf = $('pp-shelf');
+        if (!shelf) return;
+        if (!data.committed_at) {
+            shelf.innerHTML = `<div class="pp-commit-card">
+                <div class="pp-commit-cover pp-leather-${esc(inst)}">
+                    <span class="pp-cover-title">${esc(ppLabel(inst).toUpperCase())}</span>
+                    <span class="pp-cover-inst">passport</span>
+                </div>
+                <div>
+                    <div class="text-sm text-gray-200 font-medium mb-1">Pick up the ${esc(ppLabel(inst).toLowerCase())}.</div>
+                    <div class="text-xs text-gray-400 mb-2">Press your seal to commit — then choose a genre below and go deep.</div>
+                    <button class="career-btn career-btn-primary" data-pp-commit="${esc(inst)}">Press the seal</button>
+                </div>
+            </div>`;
+            return;
+        }
+        const books = (data.passports || []).map((p) => ppCoverHTML(inst, p)).join('');
+        shelf.innerHTML = books ||
+            '<div class="text-xs text-gray-500">Your shelf is ready — open your first genre passport below.</div>';
+    }
+
+    function renderRack(inst, data) {
+        const rack = $('pp-rack');
+        if (!rack || !_pp) return;
+        const openedKeys = new Set((data.passports || []).map((p) => p.genre_key));
+        const genres = (_pp.genres || []).filter((g) => !openedKeys.has(g.genre_key));
+        if (!genres.length) {
+            rack.innerHTML = '<div class="text-xs text-gray-500">No further genres in your library yet — new songs bring new brochures.</div>';
+            return;
+        }
+        rack.innerHTML = genres.map((g) => {
+            const art = PP_BROCHURE_ART[Math.abs(ppHash(g.genre_key)) % PP_BROCHURE_ART.length];
+            return `<button class="pp-brochure" data-pp-genre="${esc(g.genre)}">
+                <span class="pp-brochure-art" aria-hidden="true">${art}</span>
+                <span class="pp-brochure-name">${esc(g.genre)}</span>
+                <span class="pp-brochure-sub">${g.songs_in_library === 1 ? '1 song' : `${g.songs_in_library} songs`} in your library</span>
+            </button>`;
+        }).join('');
+    }
+
+    function renderPassports() {
+        const host = $('pp-instruments');
+        if (!host || !_pp) return;
+        const inst = activeInstrument();
+        const data = (_pp.instruments || {})[inst] || { passports: [] };
+        host.innerHTML = ((_pp.config || {}).instruments || []).map((i) => {
+            const d = (_pp.instruments || {})[i] || {};
+            const earned = (d.passports || []).filter((p) => p.badge === 'earned').length;
+            const committed = !!d.committed_at;
+            return `<button class="pp-inst${i === inst ? ' active' : ''}${committed ? '' : ' uncommitted'}" data-pp-inst="${esc(i)}">
+                ${esc(ppLabel(i))}${earned ? ` <span class="pp-inst-badges">⚡${earned}</span>` : ''}${committed ? '' : ' <span class="pp-inst-plus">+</span>'}
+            </button>`;
+        }).join('');
+        renderClosest(inst, data);
+        renderShelf(inst, data);
+        renderRack(inst, data);
+    }
+
+    function ppStubHTML(s) {
+        const date = (s.last_played_at || '').slice(0, 10);
+        return `<div class="pp-stub" style="transform:rotate(${ppJitter(s.filename, 1.2).toFixed(2)}deg)">
+            <span class="pp-stub-stars">${'★'.repeat(s.stars)}</span>
+            <span class="pp-stub-title">${esc(s.title)}</span>
+            ${s.artist ? `<span class="pp-stub-artist">${esc(s.artist)}</span>` : ''}
+            <span class="pp-stub-meta">${date ? `${esc(date)} · ` : ''}best ${(s.best_accuracy * 100).toFixed(0)}%</span>
+        </div>`;
+    }
+
+    // Emerging-stamp ink: how much of the ghost stamp has "carved in".
+    // Song progress toward the bar only — the invite line stays the words.
+    function ppFillFraction(p) {
+        if (!p || p.badge !== 'in_progress') return 0;
+        const need = Number((p.requirement || {}).songs) || 0;
+        if (need <= 0) return 0;
+        return Math.max(0, Math.min(1, (p.qualifying_count || 0) / need));
+    }
+
+    function ppBookHTML(inst, p, pendingSlam) {
+        const req = p.requirement || {};
+        const starGl = '★'.repeat(req.min_stars || 0);
+        const reqNodes = (p.drills || {}).required || [];
+        const clearedNodes = new Set((p.drills || {}).cleared || []);
+        const labels = ((_pp && _pp.config) || {}).drill_labels || {};
+        // The invite names what actually blocks the stamp — same shared
+        // phrase as the Closest-stamps strip, so they can't contradict.
+        const invite = `${ppAskHTML(p, false)} mints this stamp.`;
+        let badgeArea = '';
+        if (p.badge === 'shown_not_judged') {
+            badgeArea = `<div class="pp-snj">Shown, not judged — your ${esc(ppLabel(inst).toLowerCase())} repertoire speaks for itself.</div>`;
+        } else if (p.badge === 'earned') {
+            badgeArea = `<div class="pp-stamp pp-stamp-page${pendingSlam ? ' pp-stamp-hidden' : ' pp-tilt'}" style="--pp-rot:${ppJitter(p.genre_key, 7).toFixed(1)}deg">
+                <span class="pp-stamp-genre">${esc(p.genre.toUpperCase())}</span>
+                <span class="pp-stamp-tier">BRONZE</span>
+            </div>
+            <div class="pp-gold-foil" aria-hidden="true">GOLD</div>
+            <div class="pp-gold-note">Gold rung coming — improvise it, verified.</div>`;
+        } else {
+            const fill = (ppFillFraction(p) * 100).toFixed(0);
+            badgeArea = `<div class="pp-stamp pp-stamp-page pp-stamp-ghost" style="--pp-rot:${ppJitter(p.genre_key, 7).toFixed(1)}deg; --pp-fill:${fill}%">
+                <span class="pp-stamp-genre">${esc(p.genre.toUpperCase())}</span>
+                <span class="pp-stamp-tier">BRONZE</span>
+            </div>
+            <div class="pp-invite">${invite.charAt(0).toUpperCase()}${invite.slice(1)}</div>`;
+        }
+        const hours = fmtHours(p.seconds_total);
+        const odometer = hours
+            ? `<div class="pp-hours">${hours} in ${esc(p.genre)}</div>` : '';
+        let drills = '';
+        if (reqNodes.length) {
+            drills = `<div class="pp-drills">${reqNodes.map((n) =>
+                `<div class="pp-drill${clearedNodes.has(n) ? ' cleared' : ''}">${clearedNodes.has(n) ? '✓' : '○'} ${esc(labels[n] || n)}</div>`).join('')}</div>`;
+        }
+        // Graded instruments collect stubs at the badge bar; shown-not-judged
+        // instruments have no bar — every played genre song is repertoire.
+        const stubs = p.badge === 'shown_not_judged'
+            ? (p.songs || [])
+            : (p.songs || []).filter((s) => s.qualifies);
+        const emptyLine = p.badge === 'shown_not_judged'
+            ? `Play ${esc(p.genre)} songs to fill this page.`
+            : `Play ${esc(p.genre)} songs at ${starGl} to collect ticket stubs.`;
+        const stubsHTML = stubs.length ? stubs.map(ppStubHTML).join('')
+            : `<div class="pp-stub-empty">${emptyLine}</div>`;
+        // Bring-these-up: nearest-to-the-bar songs (graded, unearned only —
+        // an earned page is memorabilia, not homework).
+        let nearest = '';
+        if (p.badge === 'in_progress' && (p.nearest || []).length) {
+            nearest = `<div class="pp-nearest">
+                <div class="pp-nearest-head">Bring these up</div>
+                ${p.nearest.map((s) =>
+                    `<div class="pp-nearest-row"><em>${esc(s.title)}</em> — best ${pct(s.best_accuracy)}%, ${starGl} at ${pct(s.bar_at)}%</div>`).join('')}
+            </div>`;
+        }
+        return `<div class="pp-book-wrap" data-pp-close-bg="1" role="dialog" aria-modal="true" aria-label="${esc(p.genre)} ${esc(ppLabel(inst))} passport">
+            <div class="pp-book">
+                <div class="pp-page pp-page-left">
+                    <div class="pp-page-head">${esc(p.genre)} — ${esc(ppLabel(inst))}</div>
+                    ${badgeArea}${odometer}${drills}
+                </div>
+                <div class="pp-page pp-page-right">
+                    <div class="pp-page-head">Ticket stubs</div>
+                    <div class="pp-stubs">${stubsHTML}${nearest}</div>
+                </div>
+                <div class="pp-book-cover pp-leather-${esc(inst)}">
+                    <span class="pp-cover-title">${esc(p.genre.toUpperCase())}</span>
+                    <span class="pp-cover-inst">${esc(ppLabel(inst))} passport</span>
+                </div>
+                <button class="pp-book-close" data-pp-close="1" aria-label="Close">✕</button>
+            </div>
+        </div>`;
+    }
+
+    function openBook(inst, gkey) {
+        if (!_pp) return;
+        const p = (((_pp.instruments || {})[inst] || {}).passports || [])
+            .find((x) => x.genre_key === gkey);
+        const overlay = $('pp-overlay');
+        if (!p || !overlay) return;
+        _ppBook = { inst, gkey };
+        _ppReturnFocus = document.activeElement;
+        const pending = p.badge === 'earned' && !seenBadges()[badgeId(inst, gkey)];
+        overlay.innerHTML = ppBookHTML(inst, p, pending);
+        overlay.classList.remove('hidden');
+        const close = overlay.querySelector('.pp-book-close');
+        if (close) close.focus();
+        sfx('page');
+        // Double rAF so the cover's closed state paints before the transition.
+        requestAnimationFrame(() => requestAnimationFrame(() => {
+            const book = overlay.querySelector('.pp-book');
+            if (book) book.classList.add('open');
+        }));
+        if (pending) {
+            setTimeout(() => {
+                if (!_ppBook || _ppBook.gkey !== gkey || _ppBook.inst !== inst) return;
+                const stamp = overlay.querySelector('.pp-stamp-page');
+                const book = overlay.querySelector('.pp-book');
+                if (!stamp) return;
+                stamp.classList.remove('pp-stamp-hidden');
+                stamp.classList.add('pp-slam');
+                stamp.classList.add('pp-tilt'); // freshly slammed = trading card too
+                if (book) book.classList.add('pp-shake');
+                sfx('stamp');
+                markBadgeSeen(inst, gkey);
+                renderPassports(); // the shelf cover gains its mini-stamp
+            }, 950);
+        }
+    }
+
+    function closeBook() {
+        _ppBook = null;
+        const overlay = $('pp-overlay');
+        if (overlay) { overlay.classList.add('hidden'); overlay.innerHTML = ''; }
+        if (_ppReturnFocus && typeof _ppReturnFocus.focus === 'function' &&
+            document.contains(_ppReturnFocus)) {
+            _ppReturnFocus.focus();
+        }
+        _ppReturnFocus = null;
+    }
+
+    function commitInstrument(inst, after) {
+        fetch(`${API}/passports/commit`, {
+            method: 'POST',
+            headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
+            body: JSON.stringify({ instrument: inst }),
+        }).then(() => refreshPassports())
+            .then(() => { if (after) after(); })
+            .catch(() => { /* server restarting; user retries */ });
+    }
+
+    // Stage 0 — the wax seal. Purely theatrical: the overlay plays the press,
+    // the POST commits, the shelf re-renders committed.
+    function sealCeremony(inst, after) {
+        const overlay = $('pp-overlay');
+        if (!overlay) { commitInstrument(inst, after); return; }
+        overlay.innerHTML = `<div class="pp-book-wrap">
+            <div class="pp-commit-cover pp-ceremony pp-leather-${esc(inst)}">
+                <span class="pp-cover-title">${esc(ppLabel(inst).toUpperCase())}</span>
+                <span class="pp-cover-inst">passport</span>
+                <span class="pp-wax"><span>${esc(ppLabel(inst).charAt(0))}</span></span>
+            </div>
+        </div>`;
+        overlay.classList.remove('hidden');
+        setTimeout(() => sfx('seal'), 450);
+        setTimeout(() => {
+            overlay.classList.add('hidden');
+            overlay.innerHTML = '';
+            commitInstrument(inst, after);
+        }, 1500);
+    }
+
+    // ── Trading-card tilt (earned artifacts only) ─────────────────────────
+    let _tiltRaf = 0;
+    let _tiltEl = null;
+
+    function tiltAllowed() {
+        try {
+            return window.matchMedia('(hover: hover)').matches &&
+                !window.matchMedia('(prefers-reduced-motion: reduce)').matches;
+        } catch (_) { return false; }
+    }
+
+    function resetTilt(el) {
+        if (!el) return;
+        el.style.removeProperty('--pp-tilt-x');
+        el.style.removeProperty('--pp-tilt-y');
+        el.style.removeProperty('--pp-glint-x');
+    }
+
+    function onTiltMove(e) {
+        if (!tiltAllowed()) return;
+        const card = e.target && e.target.closest ? e.target.closest('.pp-tilt') : null;
+        if (_tiltEl && _tiltEl !== card) { resetTilt(_tiltEl); _tiltEl = null; }
+        if (!card) return;
+        _tiltEl = card;
+        if (_tiltRaf) return;
+        const x = e.clientX;
+        const y = e.clientY;
+        _tiltRaf = requestAnimationFrame(() => {
+            _tiltRaf = 0;
+            const r = card.getBoundingClientRect();
+            if (!r.width || !r.height) return;
+            const px = (x - r.left) / r.width;
+            const py = (y - r.top) / r.height;
+            card.style.setProperty('--pp-tilt-x', `${((0.5 - py) * 10).toFixed(2)}deg`);
+            card.style.setProperty('--pp-tilt-y', `${((px - 0.5) * 12).toFixed(2)}deg`);
+            card.style.setProperty('--pp-glint-x', `${(px * 100).toFixed(1)}%`);
+        });
+    }
+
+    function onTiltLeave() {
+        // Cancel any queued frame: it closes over the departed card and would
+        // re-apply tilt vars after the pointer has left.
+        if (_tiltRaf) { cancelAnimationFrame(_tiltRaf); _tiltRaf = 0; }
+        if (_tiltEl) { resetTilt(_tiltEl); _tiltEl = null; }
+    }
+
+    function openGenre(inst, genre) {
+        fetch(`${API}/passports/open`, {
+            method: 'POST',
+            headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
+            body: JSON.stringify({ instrument: inst, genre }),
+        }).then((res) => { if (!res.ok) throw new Error('open ' + res.status); })
+            .then(() => refreshPassports())
+            .then(() => openBook(inst, ppKey(genre)))
+            .catch(() => { /* validation/restart; rack stays */ });
+    }
+
+    function onClick(e) {
+        const tabBtn = e.target.closest('[data-career-tab]');
+        const instBtn = e.target.closest('[data-pp-inst]');
+        const commitBtn = e.target.closest('[data-pp-commit]');
+        const coverBtn = e.target.closest('[data-pp-open]');
+        const brochureBtn = e.target.closest('[data-pp-genre]');
+        if (tabBtn) {
+            showCareerTab(tabBtn.dataset.careerTab);
+            return;
+        }
+        if (instBtn) {
+            lsSet(PP_INST_KEY, instBtn.dataset.ppInst);
+            renderPassports();
+            return;
+        }
+        if (commitBtn) {
+            sealCeremony(commitBtn.dataset.ppCommit);
+            return;
+        }
+        if (coverBtn) {
+            openBook(activeInstrument(), coverBtn.dataset.ppOpen);
+            return;
+        }
+        if (brochureBtn) {
+            const inst = activeInstrument();
+            const genre = brochureBtn.dataset.ppGenre;
+            const committed = _pp && ((_pp.instruments || {})[inst] || {}).committed_at;
+            // Opening your first passport on an instrument IS the commitment —
+            // the seal ceremony runs first, then the passport opens.
+            if (committed) openGenre(inst, genre);
+            else sealCeremony(inst, () => openGenre(inst, genre));
+            return;
+        }
+        if (e.target.closest('[data-pp-close]') ||
+            (e.target.dataset && e.target.dataset.ppCloseBg)) {
+            closeBook();
+            return;
+        }
+        const dlBtn = e.target.closest('[data-career-download]');
+        const delBtn = e.target.closest('[data-career-delete]');
+        const playBtn = e.target.closest('[data-career-play]');
+        if (dlBtn) {
+            fetch(`${API}/packs/${dlBtn.dataset.careerDownload}/download`, { method: 'POST' })
+                .then(refresh);
+        } else if (delBtn) {
+            // Do NOT null _appliedManifestVenue here: pushCrowdManifest()
+            // clears/replaces the crowd manifest precisely by seeing that the
+            // applied venue is no longer among the installed ones.
+            fetch(`${API}/packs/${delBtn.dataset.careerDelete}`, { method: 'DELETE' })
+                .then(refresh);
+        } else if (playBtn) {
+            try {
+                localStorage.setItem(VENUE_OVERRIDE_KEY, playBtn.dataset.careerPlay);
+                // Selecting a venue makes the Venue visualization the default;
+                // remember what the user had so Leave venue can restore it.
+                const cur = localStorage.getItem('vizSelection');
+                if (cur && cur !== 'venue') localStorage.setItem(PREV_VIZ_KEY, cur);
+                localStorage.setItem('vizSelection', 'venue');
+                if (typeof window.setViz === 'function') window.setViz('venue');
+            } catch (_) { /* ok */ }
+            _appliedManifestVenue = null; // force manifest re-push
+            refresh();
+        } else if (e.target.closest('[data-career-unselect]')) {
+            try {
+                localStorage.setItem(VENUE_OVERRIDE_KEY, NO_VENUE);
+                const prev = localStorage.getItem(PREV_VIZ_KEY);
+                if (prev) {
+                    localStorage.setItem('vizSelection', prev);
+                    if (typeof window.setViz === 'function') window.setViz(prev);
+                }
+            } catch (_) { /* ok */ }
+            // keep _appliedManifestVenue: pushCrowdManifest clears the crowd
+            // manifest precisely by seeing it is still set with no venue left
+            refresh();
+        }
+    }
+
+    function boot() {
+        const screen = document.getElementById('plugin-career');
+        if (screen) {
+            screen.addEventListener('click', onClick);
+            screen.addEventListener('pointermove', onTiltMove);
+            screen.addEventListener('pointerleave', onTiltLeave);
+        }
+        const sm = window.feedBack;
+        if (sm && typeof sm.on === 'function') {
+            // New song stats can add stars → thresholds may cross mid-session.
+            sm.on('stats:recorded', () => refresh());
+            // Virtuoso's progress emits are the drill-state relay trigger; the
+            // payload is a thin delta, so the relay reads the full localStorage
+            // snapshot instead (see relayDrillState).
+            sm.on('virtuoso:progress', relayDrillState);
+        }
+        showCareerTab(lsGet(PP_TAB_KEY) === 'passports' ? 'passports' : 'venues');
+        document.addEventListener('keydown', (e) => {
+            if (e.key === 'Escape' && _ppBook) closeBook();
+        });
+        refresh();
+    }
+
+    // Test seam (bare-vm harness, see plugins/career/tests/): pure helpers +
+    // the badge-diff logic; nothing here touches the DOM.
+    window.__careerPassportTest = {
+        ppKey, ppJitter, ppLabel, detectNewBadges, seenBadges, markBadgeSeen,
+        fmtHours, ppFillFraction,
+    };
+
+    if (document.readyState === 'loading') {
+        document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', boot);
+    } else {
+        boot();
+    }
+}());
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+<!-- Career plugin — data panel. Exists so the passport/drill state declared in
+     settings.server_files has a visible home in Settings; nothing to configure. -->
+<div class="text-sm text-gray-300 space-y-2">
+  <p><strong>Career</strong> computes stars and genre badges from your play
+     stats — they are never stored, so there is nothing to back up or reset.</p>
+  <p class="text-gray-400">What <em>is</em> saved server-side: your instrument
+     commitments, opened genre passports, and the practice-drill snapshot the
+     Virtuoso plugin reports. These ride along in
+     <em>Settings → Export</em> automatically.</p>
+</div>
+<hr class="border-gray-800 my-3">
+<div class="space-y-3 text-sm">
+    <label class="flex items-center justify-between gap-4">
+        <span>
+            <span class="text-gray-200 font-medium">Crowd sound reactions</span>
+            <span class="block text-xs text-gray-500">Cheers when the crowd's mood rises, boos when it drops. Uses each venue's own recordings.</span>
+        </span>
+        <input type="checkbox" id="career-sfx-toggle" class="accent-cyan-500 w-4 h-4">
+    </label>
+</div>
+<script>
+(function () {
+    'use strict';
+    var KEY = 'feedBack-venue-crowd-sfx';
+    var box = document.getElementById('career-sfx-toggle');
+    if (!box) return;
+    try { box.checked = localStorage.getItem(KEY) === 'on'; } catch (e) { /* ok */ }
+    box.addEventListener('change', function () {
+        try { localStorage.setItem(KEY, box.checked ? 'on' : 'off'); } catch (e) { /* ok */ }
+    });
+}());
+</script>
@@ -0,0 +1,152 @@
+// Passport UI pure-logic tests: load screen.js in a bare vm window and
+// exercise the __careerPassportTest seam (no DOM beyond stubs, no network).
+const { test } = require('node:test');
+const assert = require('node:assert/strict');
+const fs = require('node:fs');
+const path = require('node:path');
+const vm = require('node:vm');
+
+function load(seed) {
+    const store = Object.assign({}, seed);
+    const window = {
+        console,
+        localStorage: {
+            getItem: (k) => (k in store ? store[k] : null),
+            setItem: (k, v) => { store[k] = String(v); },
+        },
+        document: {
+            readyState: 'complete',
+            getElementById: () => null,
+            querySelectorAll: () => [],
+            addEventListener: () => {},
+        },
+        notifications: [],
+    };
+    window.window = window;
+    window.globalThis = window;
+    window.fbNotify = { show: (n) => window.notifications.push(n) };
+    const context = vm.createContext(window);
+    // `document` and `localStorage` resolve as bare names inside the IIFE.
+    context.document = window.document;
+    context.localStorage = window.localStorage;
+    const src = fs.readFileSync(path.join(__dirname, '..', 'screen.js'), 'utf8');
+    vm.runInContext(src, context, { filename: 'career/screen.js' });
+    return window;
+}
+
+test('module loads (and boots) in a bare vm window', () => {
+    const w = load();
+    assert.equal(typeof w.__careerPassportTest.ppKey, 'function');
+});
+
+test('ppKey normalizes case and whitespace', () => {
+    const { ppKey } = load().__careerPassportTest;
+    assert.equal(ppKey('  Blues  Rock '), 'blues rock');
+    assert.equal(ppKey('FUNK'), 'funk');
+    assert.equal(ppKey(''), '');
+    assert.equal(ppKey(null), '');
+});
+
+test('ppJitter is deterministic and bounded', () => {
+    const { ppJitter } = load().__careerPassportTest;
+    assert.equal(ppJitter('blues', 8), ppJitter('blues', 8));
+    for (const seed of ['blues', 'funk', 'jazz', 'metal']) {
+        const j = ppJitter(seed, 8);
+        assert.ok(j >= -8 && j <= 8, `${seed} → ${j}`);
+    }
+    assert.notEqual(ppJitter('blues', 8), ppJitter('funk', 8));
+});
+
+test('detectNewBadges notifies once per badge, never after it is seen', () => {
+    const w = load();
+    const t = w.__careerPassportTest;
+    const view = {
+        instruments: {
+            guitar: {
+                passports: [
+                    { genre_key: 'blues', genre: 'Blues', badge: 'earned' },
+                    { genre_key: 'funk', genre: 'Funk', badge: 'in_progress' },
+                ],
+            },
+        },
+    };
+    t.detectNewBadges(view);
+    assert.equal(w.notifications.length, 1);
+    assert.match(w.notifications[0].message, /Blues/);
+    // Same view again in the same session: no duplicate notification.
+    t.detectNewBadges(view);
+    assert.equal(w.notifications.length, 1);
+    // Seen (slam played) → a fresh session stays quiet too.
+    t.markBadgeSeen('guitar', 'blues');
+    // JSON-compare: vm objects carry a foreign Object prototype.
+    assert.equal(JSON.stringify(t.seenBadges()), '{"guitar/blues":1}');
+
+    // Fresh session (new vm, empty notify cache) with the badge already seen:
+    // detection must stay silent.
+    const w2 = load({ 'feedBack-career-badges-seen': '{"guitar/blues":1}' });
+    w2.__careerPassportTest.detectNewBadges(view);
+    assert.equal(w2.notifications.length, 0);
+});
+
+test('a new badge triggers the crowd celebrate() exactly once', () => {
+    const w = load();
+    let calls = 0;
+    w.v3VenueCrowd = { celebrate: () => { calls += 1; } };
+    const view = { instruments: { guitar: { passports: [
+        { genre_key: 'blues', genre: 'Blues', badge: 'earned' }] } } };
+    w.__careerPassportTest.detectNewBadges(view);
+    assert.equal(calls, 1);
+    // Same session, same view: no re-celebration.
+    w.__careerPassportTest.detectNewBadges(view);
+    assert.equal(calls, 1);
+});
+
+test('ceremony degrades when the crowd layer is absent or throws', () => {
+    const w = load();
+    const view = { instruments: { guitar: { passports: [
+        { genre_key: 'blues', genre: 'Blues', badge: 'earned' }] } } };
+    // No v3VenueCrowd at all (already exercised elsewhere, explicit here).
+    w.__careerPassportTest.detectNewBadges(view);
+    assert.equal(w.notifications.length, 1);
+    // celebrate() throwing must not break detection.
+    const w2 = load();
+    w2.v3VenueCrowd = { celebrate: () => { throw new Error('no pack'); } };
+    w2.__careerPassportTest.detectNewBadges(view);
+    assert.equal(w2.notifications.length, 1);
+});
+
+test('seenBadges tolerates corrupt stored values', () => {
+    for (const bad of ['null', '[1,2]', '"x"', '{{{']) {
+        const w = load({ 'feedBack-career-badges-seen': bad });
+        const t = w.__careerPassportTest;
+        assert.equal(JSON.stringify(t.seenBadges()), '{}', `stored ${bad}`);
+        // And detection still works on top of the recovered empty state.
+        t.detectNewBadges({ instruments: { guitar: { passports: [
+            { genre_key: 'blues', genre: 'Blues', badge: 'earned' }] } } });
+        assert.equal(w.notifications.length, 1, `stored ${bad}`);
+    }
+});
+
+test('fmtHours: silent under a minute, minutes under an hour, tenths after', () => {
+    const { fmtHours } = load().__careerPassportTest;
+    assert.equal(fmtHours(0), '');
+    assert.equal(fmtHours(59), '');
+    assert.equal(fmtHours(60), '1 min');
+    assert.equal(fmtHours(1800), '30 min');
+    assert.equal(fmtHours(3600), '1 h');
+    assert.equal(fmtHours(51120), '14.2 h');
+    assert.equal(fmtHours(null), '');
+    assert.equal(fmtHours('junk'), '');
+});
+
+test('ppFillFraction: song progress toward the bar, in-progress only', () => {
+    const { ppFillFraction } = load().__careerPassportTest;
+    const p = (badge, q, songs) => ({ badge, qualifying_count: q, requirement: { songs } });
+    assert.equal(ppFillFraction(p('in_progress', 3, 5)), 0.6);
+    assert.equal(ppFillFraction(p('in_progress', 0, 5)), 0);
+    assert.equal(ppFillFraction(p('in_progress', 7, 5)), 1);   // clamped
+    assert.equal(ppFillFraction(p('earned', 5, 5)), 0);        // no fill once earned
+    assert.equal(ppFillFraction(p('shown_not_judged', 3, 5)), 0);
+    assert.equal(ppFillFraction(p('in_progress', 3, 0)), 0);   // no bar → no fill
+    assert.equal(ppFillFraction(null), 0);
+});
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+{
+    "venue": "bar",
+    "version": 1,
+    "loops": {
+        "bored": "bored.mp4",
+        "neutral": "neutral.mp4",
+        "engaged": "engaged.mp4",
+        "ecstatic": "ecstatic.mp4"
+    },
+    "stingers": {
+        "clap": "clap.mp4",
+        "cheer": "cheer.mp4"
+    },
+    "intro": {
+        "video": "intro.mp4",
+        "audio": "bar-ambience.mp3"
+    },
+    "sfx": {
+        "up": "sfx-up.mp3",
+        "down": "sfx-down.mp3"
+    }
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+{
+    "star_accuracy_thresholds": [
+        0.6,
+        0.75,
+        0.85
+    ],
+    "venues": [
+        {
+            "id": "bar",
+            "name": "The Dive Bar",
+            "description": "Sticky floors, a dozen regulars, and a PA that has seen better decades.",
+            "star_threshold": 0,
+            "pack": null
+        },
+        {
+            "id": "club",
+            "name": "Velvet Room",
+            "description": "A proper club stage. People actually came to hear you.",
+            "star_threshold": 50,
+            "pack": null
+        },
+        {
+            "id": "arena",
+            "name": "Feedback Arena",
+            "description": "Ten thousand seats. Try not to think about it.",
+            "star_threshold": 150,
+            "pack": null
+        }
+    ]
+}
@@ -2418,6 +2418,13 @@
    let _venueSceneAssetsLoaded = false;
    let _venueSceneLoadFailed = false;
    const _venueTextureCache = new Map();
+    // Crowd video layers (career mode). venue-crowd.js owns the <video>
+    // elements and the crossfade timing; the renderer only maps them onto
+    // two planes in front of the static plate. _venueCrowdRev bumps on any
+    // element (re)assignment so update() knows to rebind textures.
+    const _venueCrowdVideos = [null, null];
+    let _venueCrowdMix = 0;
+    let _venueCrowdRev = 0;

    function _bgVenueMoodCoeffs(state) {
        const s = String(state || 'idle').toLowerCase();
@@ -2909,6 +2916,20 @@
    window.h3dVenueSceneSetMood = (state) => {
        _venueMoodState = String(state || 'idle').toLowerCase();
    };
+    // Crowd video layers (career mode) — see venue-crowd.js. Layer 0/1 are
+    // two coplanar backdrop planes; mix selects between them (0 → layer 0,
+    // 1 → layer 1) so the caller can crossfade loop videos.
+    window.h3dVenueBackdropSetVideo = (layer, videoEl) => {
+        const i = layer ? 1 : 0;
+        const el = videoEl || null;
+        if (_venueCrowdVideos[i] === el) return;
+        _venueCrowdVideos[i] = el;
+        _venueCrowdRev++;
+    };
+    window.h3dVenueBackdropSetMix = (mix) => {
+        const v = Number(mix);
+        _venueCrowdMix = Number.isFinite(v) ? Math.max(0, Math.min(1, v)) : 0;
+    };
    window.h3dVenueSceneSetInstrumentPov = (input) => {
        const next = _venueResolvePovFromInput(input);
        if (_venueInstrumentPov === next) return;
@@ -3371,6 +3392,40 @@
                    () => _venueMarkFailed('failed to load small-club bg plate'),
                );

+                // Crowd video planes (career mode): two crossfading layers
+                // just in front of the static plate (which stays mounted as
+                // the no-pack / load-failure fallback). Textures bind lazily
+                // in update() when venue-crowd.js assigns video elements.
+                state.crowd = { layers: [], rev: -1 };
+                for (let i = 0; i < 2; i++) {
+                    const geo = new T.PlaneGeometry(1, 1);
+                    const mat = new T.MeshBasicMaterial({
+                        color: 0xffffff, transparent: true, opacity: 0,
+                        depthWrite: false, fog: false,
+                    });
+                    const mesh = new T.Mesh(geo, mat);
+                    mesh.visible = false;
+                    // Layer 1 sits nearest so three.js's back-to-front
+                    // transparent sort draws it after layer 0.
+                    const layer = {
+                        mesh, geo, mat, tex: null, videoEl: null,
+                        cam: settings.cam,
+                        distance: BG_BACKDROP_DISTANCE * (i === 0 ? 1.04 : 1.03),
+                        lastAspect: 0, lastVisibleHeight: 0,
+                    };
+                    layer.applyCoverCrop = function () {
+                        if (!layer.videoEl || !layer.tex) return;
+                        _bgCoverCrop(
+                            layer.tex,
+                            layer.videoEl.videoWidth || 0,
+                            layer.videoEl.videoHeight || 0,
+                            layer.cam.aspect,
+                        );
+                    };
+                    scene.add(mesh);
+                    state.crowd.layers.push(layer);
+                }
+
                const hazeGeo = new T.PlaneGeometry(280 * K, 40 * K);
                const hazeMat = new T.MeshBasicMaterial({
                    color: 0x101820, transparent: true, opacity: coeffs.haze,
@@ -3402,6 +3457,64 @@
                    s.haze.mat.opacity = (s.haze.baseOp || VENUE_HAZE_STEADY)
                        * (coeffs.haze / VENUE_HAZE_STEADY);
                }
+                if (s.crowd) {
+                    // Rebind VideoTextures when venue-crowd.js (re)assigns
+                    // elements. VideoTexture samples the element every frame,
+                    // so a src change on the same element needs no rebind.
+                    if (s.crowd.rev !== _venueCrowdRev) {
+                        s.crowd.rev = _venueCrowdRev;
+                        s.crowd.layers.forEach((layer, i) => {
+                            const el = _venueCrowdVideos[i];
+                            if (layer.videoEl === el) return;
+                            if (layer.tex) { layer.mat.map = null; layer.tex.dispose(); layer.tex = null; }
+                            layer.videoEl = el;
+                            layer.lastAspect = 0; // force refit + recrop
+                            if (el) {
+                                const tex = new T.VideoTexture(el);
+                                tex.colorSpace = T.SRGBColorSpace;
+                                tex.wrapS = T.ClampToEdgeWrapping;
+                                tex.wrapT = T.ClampToEdgeWrapping;
+                                tex.minFilter = T.LinearFilter;
+                                tex.magFilter = T.LinearFilter;
+                                tex.generateMipmaps = false;
+                                layer.tex = tex;
+                                layer.mat.map = tex;
+                            }
+                            layer.mat.needsUpdate = true;
+                        });
+                    }
+                    const warm = coeffs.warmth;
+                    s.crowd.layers.forEach((layer, i) => {
+                        const el = layer.videoEl;
+                        // videoWidth === 0 until metadata lands — showing the
+                        // plane before that paints a black flash over the plate.
+                        const ready = !!el && el.videoWidth > 0;
+                        // venue-crowd.js swaps src on the same element (loop ↔
+                        // stinger); a new intrinsic size needs a fresh
+                        // cover-crop, which _bgFitBackdropPlane only reapplies
+                        // on camera aspect changes.
+                        if (ready && (layer.lastVidW !== el.videoWidth ||
+                                      layer.lastVidH !== el.videoHeight)) {
+                            layer.lastVidW = el.videoWidth;
+                            layer.lastVidH = el.videoHeight;
+                            layer.applyCoverCrop();
+                        }
+                        // Layer 0 (rear) stays fully opaque whenever any of the
+                        // fade involves it: two half-transparent layers would
+                        // let the static plate behind bleed through (~25% at
+                        // mid-fade). The crossfade is therefore layer 1 (front)
+                        // fading over an opaque layer 0 — in both directions.
+                        const opacity = i === 0
+                            ? (_venueCrowdMix < 0.999 ? 1 : 0)
+                            : _venueCrowdMix;
+                        layer.mat.opacity = opacity;
+                        layer.mesh.visible = ready && opacity > 0.01;
+                        if (layer.mesh.visible) {
+                            layer.mat.color.setRGB(warm, warm * 0.98, warm * 0.95);
+                            _bgFitBackdropPlane(layer);
+                        }
+                    });
+                }
            },
            teardown(s) {
                if (!s) return;
@@ -3416,6 +3529,19 @@
                        p.mat.dispose?.();
                    }
                }
+                // Crowd planes: this style owns the VideoTextures; the
+                // <video> elements belong to venue-crowd.js and survive.
+                if (s.crowd) {
+                    for (const layer of s.crowd.layers) {
+                        layer.mesh?.parent?.remove(layer.mesh);
+                        layer.geo?.dispose?.();
+                        if (layer.mat) {
+                            layer.mat.map = null;
+                            layer.mat.dispose?.();
+                        }
+                        layer.tex?.dispose?.();
+                    }
+                }
                // Dispose the cached plate textures too — the module-level cache
                // otherwise keeps every loaded POV plate GPU-resident for the
                // page lifetime (steady VRAM growth across POV/arrangement swaps).
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ const _CREDITS_HOLD_MS = 3000;
 // Backstop: the overlay's primary dismiss is song:play, but playback can fail
 // to start without emitting it (HTML5 autoplay rejection, JUCE start failure,
 // a count-in handoff that never plays). This hard cap guarantees the credits
-// never linger over the highway. Generous enough to outlast a normal count-in.
+// never linger over the window.highway. Generous enough to outlast a normal count-in.
 const _CREDITS_MAX_MS = 12000;
 export function _cancelCountIn() {
    _countInGen++;
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ function _creditLineLabel(role) {
    return key.charAt(0).toUpperCase() + key.slice(1) + ' by';
 }

-// Show the feedpak contributor credits over the highway. `authors` is the
+// Show the feedpak contributor credits over the window.highway. `authors` is the
 // sanitized [{name, role}] list from window.feedBack.currentSong.authors.
 // Anchored to the lower third (bottom-center) so it never collides with the
 // vertically-centered count-in number, and pointer-events-none so it never
@@ -196,7 +196,7 @@ export async function startCountIn(opts = {}) {
            return;
        }
        S.lastAudioTime = loopA;
-        highway.setTime(loopA);
+        window.highway.setTime(loopA);
        if (window.feedBack) {
            window.feedBack.emit('loop:restart', { loopA, loopB, time: loopA });
        }
@@ -217,7 +217,7 @@ export async function startCountIn(opts = {}) {
        // Ease out quad
        const eased = 1 - (1 - t) * (1 - t);
        const currentT = fromTime + (toTime - fromTime) * eased;
-        highway.setTime(currentT);
+        window.highway.setTime(currentT);
        if (t < 1) {
            _countInRaf = requestAnimationFrame(rewindStep);
        } else {
@@ -262,7 +262,7 @@ export async function startCountIn(opts = {}) {
                // marker for "new iteration starts at A", not the actual
                // audio position.
                S.lastAudioTime = r.to;
-                highway.setTime(r.to);
+                window.highway.setTime(r.to);
                window.feedBack.emit('loop:restart', { loopA, loopB, time: loopA });
                beginCount();
            });
@@ -271,7 +271,7 @@ export async function startCountIn(opts = {}) {
    _countInRaf = requestAnimationFrame(rewindStep);

    function beginCount() {
-        const bpm = highway.getBPM(loopA);
+        const bpm = window.highway.getBPM(loopA);
        const beatInterval = 60 / bpm;
        let count = 0;

@@ -339,7 +339,7 @@ export async function startSongCountIn() {
    }
    if (gen !== _countInGen) return; // teardown during pause
    const startT = S.lastAudioTime || 0;
-    let bpm = highway.getBPM(startT);
+    let bpm = window.highway.getBPM(startT);
    // Pre-chart / malformed-tempo fallback: 4 beats at 120 BPM (500 ms each).
    if (!Number.isFinite(bpm) || bpm <= 0) bpm = 120;
    const beatInterval = 60 / bpm;
@@ -0,0 +1,258 @@
+// The library's edit-song modal: open, validate, save, delete.
+//
+// Interface width ZERO — nothing in app.js calls into this cluster; app.js only needs the four
+// names on the window contract so the markup's onclick= handlers resolve. That is what makes it
+// the cleanest slice left, and it only became clean because the LIBRARY came out first (#896):
+// every dependency this modal has is now a module.
+//
+// It reads six bindings out of ./library.js (loadLibrary, loadFavorites, loadTreeView,
+// _removeLibCardsForFilename, libView, _lastLibSelected) and never writes one — checked, which
+// matters: an imported binding is READ-ONLY, so a single write would have forced a setter or a
+// container. Every use is a read, so plain imports suffice.
+//
+// Acyclic: edit-modal -> { dom, library-state, library }, and library imports none of them back.
+import { _confirmDialog, _escAttr, _trapFocusInModal } from './dom.js';
+import { L } from './library-state.js';
+import {
+    _lastLibSelected, _removeLibCardsForFilename, libView, loadFavorites, loadLibrary, loadTreeView,
+} from './library.js';
+
+// ── Edit metadata modal ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
+export function openEditModal(songData, openerEl) {
+    const artUrl = `/api/song/${encodeURIComponent(songData.f)}/art?t=${Date.now()}`;
+    const modal = document.createElement('div');
+    modal.id = 'edit-modal';
+    modal.className = 'feedBack-modal fixed inset-0 z-[200] flex items-center justify-center bg-black/70 backdrop-blur-sm';
+    // role=dialog: assistive tech announces it as a modal; also lets
+    // the global keyboard listener's `_isInsideInteractiveControl`
+    // bail when typing inside the modal so Library shortcuts don't
+    // hijack keys from the edit form.
+    modal.setAttribute('role', 'dialog');
+    modal.setAttribute('aria-modal', 'true');
+    modal.setAttribute('aria-label', 'Edit song metadata');
+    // Record the element that triggered the modal so Esc / Cancel can
+    // return focus to the exact entry the user was on, even if
+    // _lastLibSelected changes before the modal closes.
+    // Prefer the explicitly-passed openerEl (from the edit-btn click
+    // handler, which has the exact [data-play] parent) over
+    // _lastLibSelected, which may not have been updated when the
+    // click's stopPropagation() prevented the card-click handler.
+    const _emActive = document.querySelector('.screen.active');
+    const _emLast = (_lastLibSelected && document.body.contains(_lastLibSelected)
+        && _emActive && _emActive.contains(_lastLibSelected)) ? _lastLibSelected : null;
+    modal._opener = (openerEl && document.body.contains(openerEl)) ? openerEl : _emLast;
+    modal.innerHTML = `
+        <div class="bg-dark-700 border border-gray-700 rounded-2xl p-6 w-full max-w-md mx-4 shadow-2xl">
+            <h3 class="text-lg font-bold text-white mb-4">Edit Song</h3>
+            <div class="space-y-3">
+                <div class="flex items-center gap-4 mb-2">
+                    <div class="relative group cursor-pointer" id="edit-art-wrapper">
+                        <img src="${artUrl}" alt="" class="w-20 h-20 rounded-lg object-cover bg-dark-600" id="edit-art-preview">
+                        <div class="absolute inset-0 bg-black/50 rounded-lg flex items-center justify-center opacity-0 group-hover:opacity-100 transition">
+                            <span class="text-white text-xs">Change</span>
+                        </div>
+                        <input type="file" accept="image/*" id="edit-art-file" class="hidden" onchange="previewEditArt(this)">
+                    </div>
+                    <p class="text-xs text-gray-500 flex-1">Click image to change album art</p>
+                </div>
+                <div>
+                    <label class="text-xs text-gray-400 mb-1 block">Title</label>
+                    <input type="text" id="edit-title" value="${_escAttr(songData.t)}"
+                        class="w-full bg-dark-600 border border-gray-700 rounded-lg px-3 py-2 text-sm text-gray-200 outline-none focus:border-accent/50">
+                </div>
+                <div>
+                    <label class="text-xs text-gray-400 mb-1 block">Artist</label>
+                    <input type="text" id="edit-artist" value="${_escAttr(songData.a)}"
+                        class="w-full bg-dark-600 border border-gray-700 rounded-lg px-3 py-2 text-sm text-gray-200 outline-none focus:border-accent/50">
+                </div>
+                <div>
+                    <label class="text-xs text-gray-400 mb-1 block">Album</label>
+                    <input type="text" id="edit-album" value="${_escAttr(songData.al)}"
+                        class="w-full bg-dark-600 border border-gray-700 rounded-lg px-3 py-2 text-sm text-gray-200 outline-none focus:border-accent/50">
+                </div>
+                <div>
+                    <label class="text-xs text-gray-400 mb-1 block">Year</label>
+                    <input type="text" inputmode="numeric" id="edit-year" value="${_escAttr(songData.y)}" placeholder="e.g. 2024"
+                        class="w-full bg-dark-600 border border-gray-700 rounded-lg px-3 py-2 text-sm text-gray-200 outline-none focus:border-accent/50">
+                </div>
+            </div>
+            <div class="flex gap-3 mt-5">
+                <button data-edit-save
+                    class="flex-1 bg-accent hover:bg-accent-light px-4 py-2 rounded-xl text-sm font-semibold text-white transition">Save</button>
+                <button data-edit-close
+                    class="px-4 py-2 bg-dark-600 hover:bg-dark-500 rounded-xl text-sm text-gray-300 transition">Cancel</button>
+            </div>
+            <div class="mt-4 pt-4 border-t border-gray-800">
+                <button data-delete-filename="${_escAttr(songData.f)}"
+                    class="w-full px-4 py-2 bg-red-900/30 hover:bg-red-900/60 border border-red-900/50 hover:border-red-700 rounded-xl text-sm text-red-300 hover:text-red-100 transition">Remove from library</button>
+            </div>
+        </div>`;
+    document.body.appendChild(modal);
+
+    // Move focus into the dialog's first text input so background
+    // shortcuts (and arrow nav) can't fire on the underlying library
+    // entry while the edit form is open. Title is the natural primary
+    // field — most edits are correcting spelling there. Caret-end
+    // selection so the user can keep typing rather than overtype the
+    // current value.
+    const titleInput = document.getElementById('edit-title');
+    if (titleInput) {
+        titleInput.focus({ preventScroll: true });
+        try {
+            const len = titleInput.value.length;
+            titleInput.setSelectionRange(len, len);
+        } catch { /* some browsers reject selection on certain input types */ }
+    }
+
+    // Trap Tab / Shift+Tab inside the modal so focus can't escape to
+    // the library content underneath while the edit form is open.
+    _trapFocusInModal(modal);
+
+    // Click on art triggers file input
+    document.getElementById('edit-art-wrapper').addEventListener('click', () => {
+        document.getElementById('edit-art-file').click();
+    });
+
+    // Save — wired in JS (not an inline onclick) so the filename never has to
+    // survive embedding in a single-quoted attribute string. encodeURIComponent
+    // does NOT escape `'`, so a filename like `Bob's Song.sloppak` used to break
+    // the inline `saveEditModal('…')` handler and silently fail the save. The
+    // raw filename lives in the closure; encode it here for saveEditModal.
+    const saveBtn = modal.querySelector('[data-edit-save]');
+    if (saveBtn) {
+        saveBtn.addEventListener('click', () => saveEditModal(encodeURIComponent(songData.f)));
+    }
+
+    const deleteBtn = modal.querySelector('[data-delete-filename]');
+    if (deleteBtn) {
+        deleteBtn.addEventListener('click', () => {
+            deleteSongFromModal(deleteBtn.dataset.deleteFilename);
+        });
+    }
+
+    // Close on backdrop click or Cancel button; restore focus to opener.
+    // Backdrop dismissal requires the gesture's mousedown to have STARTED on
+    // the backdrop — not just the click/mouseup to land there. Otherwise a
+    // click-drag that begins inside a field (e.g. selecting text) and is
+    // released past the modal edge resolves its `click` target to the backdrop
+    // and silently discards the edit. Cancel / ✕ (data-edit-close) always close.
+    let _downOnBackdrop = false;
+    modal.addEventListener('mousedown', (e) => { _downOnBackdrop = (e.target === modal); });
+    modal.addEventListener('click', (e) => {
+        if (!_editModalShouldClose(e.target, modal, _downOnBackdrop)) return;
+        const opener = modal._opener;
+        modal.remove();
+        const focusTarget = (opener && document.body.contains(opener)) ? opener
+            : (_lastLibSelected && document.body.contains(_lastLibSelected) ? _lastLibSelected : null);
+        if (focusTarget) focusTarget.focus({ preventScroll: true });
+    });
+}
+
+// Whether a click on the edit-metadata modal should dismiss it. The Cancel / ✕
+// control (data-edit-close) always dismisses. A backdrop dismissal needs BOTH
+// the click target to be the backdrop element itself AND the gesture to have
+// started there (downOnBackdrop) — so a click-drag begun inside a field and
+// released on the backdrop does not discard the form. Pure + top-level so it's
+// unit-testable in isolation.
+export function _editModalShouldClose(clickTarget, modalEl, downOnBackdrop) {
+    if (clickTarget && clickTarget.closest && clickTarget.closest('[data-edit-close]')) return true;
+    return clickTarget === modalEl && downOnBackdrop === true;
+}
+
+export async function saveEditModal(encodedFilename) {
+    const filename = decodeURIComponent(encodedFilename);
+
+    // Save metadata
+    await fetch(`/api/song/${encodeURIComponent(filename)}/meta`, {
+        method: 'POST',
+        headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
+        body: JSON.stringify({
+            title: document.getElementById('edit-title').value.trim(),
+            artist: document.getElementById('edit-artist').value.trim(),
+            album: document.getElementById('edit-album').value.trim(),
+            // Year is normalised server-side (non-numeric/empty → ""), so a
+            // blank or cleared field round-trips safely.
+            year: document.getElementById('edit-year').value.trim(),
+        }),
+    });
+
+    // Upload art if changed
+    const fileInput = document.getElementById('edit-art-file');
+    if (fileInput.files && fileInput.files[0]) {
+        const reader = new FileReader();
+        reader.onload = async (e) => {
+            await fetch(`/api/song/${encodeURIComponent(filename)}/art/upload`, {
+                method: 'POST',
+                headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
+                body: JSON.stringify({ image: e.target.result }),
+            });
+        };
+        reader.readAsDataURL(fileInput.files[0]);
+    }
+
+    const modal = document.getElementById('edit-modal');
+    const opener = modal ? modal._opener : null;
+    if (modal) modal.remove();
+    // Restore focus to the entry the modal was opened from so subsequent
+    // keyboard navigation resumes correctly (same as Esc / Cancel paths).
+    const focusTarget = (opener && document.body.contains(opener)) ? opener
+        : (_lastLibSelected && document.body.contains(_lastLibSelected) ? _lastLibSelected : null);
+    if (focusTarget) focusTarget.focus({ preventScroll: true });
+    // Refresh current view
+    const activeScreen = document.querySelector('.screen.active');
+    if (activeScreen?.id === 'favorites') loadFavorites();
+    else loadLibrary();
+}
+
+export async function deleteSongFromModal(filename) {
+    const title = (document.getElementById('edit-title')?.value || filename).trim();
+    const ok = await _confirmDialog({
+        title: 'Remove from library?',
+        body: `<p class="text-sm text-gray-300">Remove <span class="font-semibold text-white">${_escAttr(title)}</span> from your library?</p>
+               <p class="text-xs text-red-400/90 mt-2">This permanently deletes the file from disk. This cannot be undone.</p>`,
+        confirmText: 'Remove',
+        cancelText: 'Cancel',
+        danger: true,
+    });
+    if (!ok) return;
+    let resp;
+    try {
+        resp = await fetch(`/api/song/${encodeURIComponent(filename)}`, { method: 'DELETE' });
+    } catch (e) {
+        alert(`Delete failed: ${e.message}`);
+        return;
+    }
+    if (!resp.ok) {
+        let msg = resp.statusText;
+        try { msg = (await resp.json()).error || msg; } catch (_) {}
+        alert(`Delete failed: ${msg}`);
+        return;
+    }
+    const modal = document.getElementById('edit-modal');
+    if (modal) modal.remove();
+    L.treeStats = null;
+    L.favTreeStats = null;
+    L.tuningNames = null;
+
+    // Remove the deleted song's card from any currently-rendered grid/tree
+    // so the user sees it disappear without waiting for a refetch. A full
+    // loadLibrary() here would re-call loadGridPage(currentPage), which
+    // uses 'append' mode when currentPage > 0 and re-appends the same
+    // (now-shortened) page on top of what's already rendered — leaving
+    // the deleted card visible. Direct DOM removal also preserves scroll
+    // position, which a refetch from page 0 would lose.
+    _removeLibCardsForFilename(filename);
+
+    // Tree views group by artist with song counts; a single card removal
+    // leaves stale counts, so refresh the tree for whichever screen we're
+    // looking at (each tree-view renderer replaces innerHTML cleanly).
+    const activeScreen = document.querySelector('.screen.active');
+    if (activeScreen?.id === 'favorites') {
+        // loadFavorites() routes to either loadFavGridPage (always
+        // 'replace') or loadFavTreeView — both safe for a single delete.
+        loadFavorites();
+    } else if (libView === 'tree') {
+        loadTreeView();
+    }
+    // Main library grid view: DOM removal above is sufficient.
+}
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ function _hwcSlotKeysForChart(sc, isBass) {
    return ['low8', 'low7', 'lowE', 'A', 'D', 'G', 'B', 'highE'];
 }

-// Current arrangement shape (string count + bass-vs-guitar) from the 2D highway.
+// Current arrangement shape (string count + bass-vs-guitar) from the 2D window.highway.
 function _hwcChartShape() {
    let sc = 6, arr = '';
    try { sc = window.highway?.getStringCount?.() || 6; } catch (_) {}
@@ -0,0 +1,190 @@
+// highway.js's immutable constants: geometry, colour tables, timing budgets, and the
+// load-adaptive render-scale thresholds.
+//
+// WHY THESE — AND ONLY THESE — MAY LIVE AT MODULE SCOPE
+//
+// createHighway() is a FACTORY, not a singleton. The constitution publishes
+// window.createHighway precisely so a plugin can build a SECOND highway for its own panel,
+// and highway.js says so at the top of the closure:
+//
+//     // R3c: per-instance mutable state in one object, so extracted renderer/ws
+//     // modules can close over it as a factory arg without cross-panel sharing.
+//
+// So MUTABLE state (hwState) must never become a module-level singleton — two highways would
+// silently share it. That is the opposite of the app.js carve, where a single state container
+// was right because there is exactly one app.
+//
+// These 29 are pure literals: frozen numbers, strings and colour tables, never reassigned and
+// never mutated. Sharing them across instances is not just safe, it is what you want — one
+// copy of the shimmer LUT bounds and the string palettes rather than one per panel.
+//
+// Anything with a runtime dependency (document, window, performance, localStorage) stays in
+// the factory. Checked: none of these has one.
+
+// Cap the interpolation so a stalled main thread (long task, GC,
+// dropped tick) can't make getTime drift far past reality. Also the
+// threshold for "audio looks paused" — if setTime hasn't advanced t
+// in this long, treat as paused.
+export const _CHART_MAX_INTERP_MS = 100;
+
+// Throttled DOM visibility sampling. Reading canvas.offsetParent
+// every rAF frame forces a style/layout recalc — profiled at ~0.5 s
+// main-thread self-time over a 63 s session. The displayed state
+// changes rarely (navigate / splitscreen panel toggle), so the DOM
+// is only re-sampled every _DOM_VIS_CHECK_FRAMES frames; the cached
+// value serves the frames in between (worst-case transition latency
+// ~10 frames ≈ 166 ms at 60 Hz — fine for a hide/show pause signal).
+// Set _domVisSampledFrame to NaN to force a fresh sample on the next
+// check (done on init, canvas replace, resize, and override-clear so
+// deliberate transitions don't wait out the throttle window).
+// NOTE those manual resets are LATENCY optimizations, not correctness
+// requirements: the periodic re-sample runs every _DOM_VIS_CHECK_FRAMES
+// frames regardless, so a visibility-affecting path that forgets to
+// reset self-heals within ~10 frames — stale visibility can never be
+// served indefinitely.
+export const _DOM_VIS_CHECK_FRAMES = 10;
+
+// Paused-render throttle (feedBack#654). The rAF loop runs
+// unconditionally and only gates on visibility + ready, never on
+// playback — so an expensive renderer (3D Highway's Three.js WebGL
+// scene) does a full render every frame even while paused. That is
+// pure waste, and the dominant cost on high-refresh / ANGLE setups
+// (Chromium on Windows paces rAF to the fastest attached monitor,
+// so the loop can run at 144 Hz even on a 60 Hz panel). While the
+// audio clock is stalled, cap draws to one per
+// _PAUSED_FRAME_INTERVAL_MS. Note position is clock-derived
+// (n.t - currentTime), so this changes smoothness only — never
+// audio/visual sync. A low non-zero rate (not a hard skip) keeps
+// resize / seek-scrub / renderer-swap repaints correct without
+// having to hook each of those paths.
+export const _PAUSED_FRAME_INTERVAL_MS = 100;
+
+export const _DRAW_BUDGET_HI_MS = 12;
+
+export const _DRAW_BUDGET_LO_MS = 7;
+
+export const _AUTO_SCALE_MIN = 0.25;
+
+export const _AUTO_ADJUST_COOLDOWN_MS = 600;
+
+// Upscaling is deliberately LAZY (longer cooldown than the downscale path) so
+// the resolution doesn't visibly hunt up/down on passages that hover near the
+// budget — testers saw "quality going up and down" as parts got busier (#618
+// charrette). Downscale stays prompt to protect the frame rate.
+export const _AUTO_UPSCALE_COOLDOWN_MS = 2500;
+
+// 64-entry precomputed jitter LUT replacing Math.random() in the
+// lit-sustain shimmer hot path (drawSustains). Visually
+// indistinguishable from per-frame Math.random at rAF cadence,
+// allocation-free, and removes 4 RNG calls per visible lit sustain
+// per frame on dense charts. Seeded deterministically (xorshift32)
+// so the LUT itself is identical across `createHighway()` instances
+// — shimmer is therefore reload-stable and test-reproducible PER
+// instance for a given (frameIdx, n.s, n.t) seed. The seed includes
+// closure-scope `_frameIdx` which is per-instance, so two
+// splitscreen highways with different rAF cadence will shimmer
+// differently at any given wall-clock moment; what's stable is the
+// LUT contents.
+//
+// _SHIMMER_LUT_SIZE MUST stay a power of two — `_shimmerNoise`
+// indexes with `& (_SHIMMER_LUT_SIZE - 1)` for the cheap modulo.
+export const _SHIMMER_LUT_SIZE = 64;
+
+// Memoize ctx.measureText() for the lyric overlay. Per-syllable
+// measurement was the dominant cost in dense karaoke charts; text
+// and fontSize are the only inputs (font face string is constant
+// `bold ${fontSize}px sans-serif`). Two-level Map (outer: fontSize,
+// inner: text) so a cache hit avoids the `fontSize + '|' + text`
+// concat that previously allocated on every lookup.
+//
+// Bounded on BOTH levels: window resizes change `fontSize`, so each
+// resize creates a fresh inner Map; without an outer cap, the cache
+// would retain every fontSize ever rendered for the page lifetime.
+// Cap outer at 16 distinct fontSize buckets (more than enough — a
+// session typically sees one or two), inner at 4096 entries per
+// bucket. Clear-on-overflow on both — a karaoke cold start re-warms
+// in one frame.
+export const _LYRIC_MEASURE_OUTER_MAX = 16;
+
+export const _LYRIC_MEASURE_INNER_MAX = 4096;
+
+// Rendering config
+export const VISIBLE_SECONDS = 3.0;
+
+export const Z_CAM = 2.2;
+
+export const Z_MAX = 10.0;
+
+export const BG = '#080810';
+
+// String color palettes. Indices 0–5 cover guitar / bass; 6–7
+// are added for extended-range GP imports (7-string, 8-string).
+// Lookups still use `|| '#888'` as a safety fallback for any
+// out-of-range index.
+//
+// These are `let`, not `const`: setStringColors() (used by the core
+// "Highway String Colors" theming UI) overrides per-index entries at
+// runtime, deriving the dim/bright variants from the chosen base color.
+// DEFAULT_* keep the originals so a reset restores them byte-for-byte.
+export const DEFAULT_STRING_COLORS = [
+    '#cc0000', '#cca800', '#0066cc',
+    '#cc6600', '#00cc66', '#9900cc',
+    '#cc00aa', '#00cccc',  // 7th = magenta, 8th = teal
+];
+
+export const DEFAULT_STRING_DIM = [
+    '#520000', '#524200', '#002952',
+    '#522900', '#005229', '#3d0052',
+    '#520042', '#005252',
+];
+
+export const DEFAULT_STRING_BRIGHT = [
+    '#ff3c3c', '#ffe040', '#3c9cff',
+    '#ff9c3c', '#3cff9c', '#cc3cff',
+    '#ff3ce0', '#3ce0e0',
+];
+
+export const MAX_RENDERER_DRAW_FAILURES = 3;
+
+// ── Chord rendering — chains, frames, fretline preview (feedBack#88) ──
+//
+// Charts often repeat the same chord shape several times in a
+// row (e.g. a G strummed 4 times). We call a contiguous run of same-id
+// chords with gaps < CHAIN_GAP_THRESHOLD a "chain". Chains drive two
+// visual choices:
+//   • The first chord in a chain renders in full; subsequent chords in
+//     a chain of CHAIN_RENDER_FULL_MAX or longer render as a "repeat
+//     box" — a translucent boxed frame so the eye can see the rhythm
+//     pattern without re-scanning identical fret numbers.
+//   • Each chord anchors a CHORD_FRAME_FRETS-wide frame; muted and
+//     open-only chords inherit the frame from their predecessor so
+//     they don't snap to fret 0.
+//
+// We compute chain stats and frame anchors once per `src` array via
+// _ensureChordRenderCache (lazy, invalidates when the array reference
+// changes — which happens on chord ingest, mastery rebuild, or song
+// reset). The render path is then pure read.
+export const CHAIN_GAP_THRESHOLD = 0.5;
+
+export const CHAIN_RENDER_FULL_MAX = 4;
+
+export const CHORD_FRAME_FRETS = 4;
+
+// Fretline preview: the static fret line at the bottom shows the chord
+// closest to the strum line (currentTime + FRETLINE_TARGET_OFFSET) within
+// the [target - FRETLINE_WINDOW_BEFORE, target + FRETLINE_WINDOW_AFTER]
+// window, as a teaching aid.
+export const FRETLINE_TARGET_OFFSET = -0.25;
+
+export const FRETLINE_WINDOW_BEFORE = 0.1;
+
+export const FRETLINE_WINDOW_AFTER = 0.3;
+
+// Repeat / mute box colors.
+export const REPEAT_BOX_FILL = 'rgba(48, 80, 128, 0.06)';
+
+export const REPEAT_BOX_BAR = '#50a0dc';
+
+export const MUTE_BOX_STROKE = '#6060809b';
+
+export const MUTE_BOX_BAR = '#606080d1';
@@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+// highway.js's PURE geometry + label primitives.
+//
+// Every function here is a pure function of its arguments. None of them touches hwState, and
+// none closes over the canvas context — roundRect() already took `ctx` explicitly, and the
+// rest need nothing but numbers. project() reads only the module-level constants from
+// ./highway-constants.js.
+//
+// THAT PURITY IS WHY THIS SLICE IS SAFE, and why it is the one to do first. createHighway() is
+// a FACTORY — a plugin can build a second highway for its own panel — so anything holding
+// per-instance state (hwState) must be passed it as an argument rather than importing it, or
+// two panels silently share one clock and palette. These six hold no state at all, so they
+// move VERBATIM: not one call site changes.
+//
+// The primitives that DO need hwState (fretX, fillTextReadable, _noteState, _paintGemGlow)
+// are deliberately left behind. They need an explicit hwState parameter threaded through 53
+// call sites, which is a real change and belongs in its own commit, not smuggled in beside a
+// provably-identical move.
+import { VISIBLE_SECONDS, Z_CAM, Z_MAX, _SHIMMER_LUT_SIZE } from './highway-constants.js';
+
+// ── Projection ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+export function project(tOffset) {
+    if (tOffset > VISIBLE_SECONDS || tOffset < -0.05) return null;
+    if (tOffset < 0) return { y: 0.82 + Math.abs(tOffset) * 0.3, scale: 1.0 };
+
+    const z = tOffset * (Z_MAX / VISIBLE_SECONDS);
+    const denom = z + Z_CAM;
+    if (denom < 0.01) return null;
+    const scale = Z_CAM / denom;
+    const y = 0.82 + (0.08 - 0.82) * (1.0 - scale);
+    return { y, scale };
+}
+
+export function bnvNormalizedPoints(bnv, sus) {
+    if (!Array.isArray(bnv) || bnv.length === 0) return [];
+    // Map each point's time over the NOTE's span [0, sus] so it sits at its
+    // real fraction of the note (a bend that completes before the note ends
+    // draws short of the glyph's right edge). Fall back to the curve's own
+    // t-range only when the note has no usable sustain.
+    if (Number.isFinite(sus) && sus > 0) {
+        return bnv.map(p => ({ x: Math.min(Math.max(p.t / sus, 0), 1), v: p.v }));
+    }
+    const t0 = bnv[0].t;
+    const span = bnv[bnv.length - 1].t - t0;
+    return bnv.map(p => ({ x: span > 0 ? (p.t - t0) / span : 0, v: p.v }));
+}
+
+export function teachingFingerLabel(fg) {
+    if (!Number.isInteger(fg) || fg < 0 || fg > 4) return '';
+    return fg === 0 ? 'T' : String(fg);
+}
+
+export function teachingDegreeLabel(sd) {
+    if (!Number.isInteger(sd) || sd < 0 || sd > 11) return '';
+    return String(sd);
+}
+
+export function chordHarmonyLabels(fn, voicing, caged, guideTones) {
+    const rn = (fn && typeof fn.rn === 'string') ? fn.rn.trim() : '';
+    const vc = (typeof voicing === 'string') ? voicing.trim() : '';
+    const cg = (typeof caged === 'string' && /^[CAGED]$/.test(caged.trim()))
+        ? 'CAGED: ' + caged.trim() : '';
+    const gt = Array.isArray(guideTones)
+        ? guideTones.filter(n => Number.isInteger(n) && n >= 0 && n <= 11) : [];
+    return { rn, voicing: vc, caged: cg, guideTones: gt.length ? 'gt ' + gt.join(',') : '' };
+}
+
+export function roundRect(ctx, x, y, w, h, r) {
+    ctx.beginPath();
+    ctx.moveTo(x + r, y);
+    ctx.lineTo(x + w - r, y);
+    ctx.quadraticCurveTo(x + w, y, x + w, y + r);
+    ctx.lineTo(x + w, y + h - r);
+    ctx.quadraticCurveTo(x + w, y + h, x + w - r, y + h);
+    ctx.lineTo(x + r, y + h);
+    ctx.quadraticCurveTo(x, y + h, x, y + h - r);
+    ctx.lineTo(x, y + r);
+    ctx.quadraticCurveTo(x, y, x + r, y);
+    ctx.closePath();
+}
+
+
+// ── The shimmer noise LUT ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+//
+// A DETERMINISTIC xorshift table: no randomness, no state, byte-for-byte identical for every
+// highway instance. Unlike the three per-instance caches that came out of the drawing layer (a
+// warn-once Set, a chord WeakMap, a lyric-width Map — all MUTATED, all lifted onto hwState so
+// two panels cannot stomp each other), this one is not merely SAFE to share but BETTER shared:
+// built once for the page instead of once per panel.
+//
+// MUTABILITY, NOT LOCATION, IS WHAT DECIDES WHERE A THING BELONGS.
+const _shimmerLut = new Float32Array(_SHIMMER_LUT_SIZE);
+for (let i = 0; i < _SHIMMER_LUT_SIZE; i++) {
+    let x = (i + 1) | 0;       // +1 dodges the all-zero xorshift trap
+    x ^= x << 13;
+    x ^= x >>> 17;
+    x ^= x << 5;
+    _shimmerLut[i] = (x >>> 0) / 4294967296;
+}
+
+export function _shimmerNoise(seed) {
+    // Mask works only because _SHIMMER_LUT_SIZE is a power of two.
+    return _shimmerLut[(seed >>> 0) & (_SHIMMER_LUT_SIZE - 1)];
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,170 @@
+// highway.js's STATEFUL primitives: the four shared helpers that need per-instance state.
+//
+// ━━━ hwState IS A PARAMETER, NOT AN IMPORT. THIS IS THE WHOLE DESIGN. ━━━
+//
+// createHighway() is a FACTORY. The constitution publishes window.createHighway so a plugin can
+// build a SECOND highway for its own panel, and highway.js says so itself:
+//
+//     // R3c: per-instance mutable state in one object, so extracted renderer/ws
+//     // modules can close over it as a factory arg without cross-panel sharing.
+//
+// Import hwState as a module singleton and the two panels silently share one clock, one render
+// scale, one string palette — each driving the other. Nothing would throw. The picture would
+// just be wrong, in a way no test would catch.
+//
+// So every function here takes hwState as its FIRST ARGUMENT. It reads a little worse at the
+// call site and it is the only correct shape.
+//
+// (This is the exact opposite of the app.js carve, where player-state.js and library-state.js
+// ARE module singletons — correctly, because there is exactly one app. Same epic, same
+// language, opposite answer, decided entirely by whether the thing is a factory.)
+//
+// The PURE primitives — project, roundRect, and the label helpers — need none of this and live
+// in ./highway-geometry.js.
+// No imports. These four need nothing but the hwState they are handed and their arguments.
+
+export function fretX(hwState, fret, scale, w) {
+    const hw = w * 0.52 * scale;
+    const margin = hw * 0.06;
+    const usable = hw * 2 - 2 * margin;
+    const t = fret / Math.max(1, hwState.displayMaxFret);
+    return w / 2 - hw + margin + t * usable;
+}
+
+export function fillTextReadable(hwState, text, x, y) {
+    // ctx may be null when the 2D context was never acquired
+    // (canvas already locked to WebGL). No-op in that case —
+    // alternatives would be throwing, which breaks plugin hooks
+    // that call this after a context-type mismatch.
+    if (!hwState.canvas || !hwState.ctx) return;
+    const W = hwState.canvas.width;
+    if (!hwState._lefty) {
+        hwState.ctx.fillText(text, x, y);
+        return;
+    }
+    hwState.ctx.save();
+    hwState.ctx.setTransform(1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0);
+    hwState.ctx.fillText(text, W - x, y);
+    hwState.ctx.restore();
+}
+
+// ── Per-note judgment state (feedBack#254) ──────────────────────────
+// Resolves the registered provider for one chart note. Returns null
+// when no provider is set, the provider throws, it reports nothing,
+// or the reported alpha is non-positive. Otherwise a normalized
+// { state: 'hit'|'active'|'miss', alpha: 0..1, color: string|null }.
+// 'hit' and 'active' are both "lit" — renderers may treat them the
+// same; the distinction (struck note vs currently-held sustain) is
+// there for renderers that want it. The provider owns all timing /
+// fade — `alpha` is whatever intensity it wants right now.
+export function _noteState(hwState, note, chartTime) {
+    if (!hwState._noteStateProvider) return null;
+    let raw;
+    try { raw = hwState._noteStateProvider(note, chartTime); } catch (e) { return null; }
+    if (!raw) return null;
+    const state = typeof raw === 'string' ? raw : raw.state;
+    if (state !== 'hit' && state !== 'active' && state !== 'miss') return null;
+    const alpha = (raw && typeof raw === 'object' && Number.isFinite(raw.alpha))
+        ? Math.max(0, Math.min(1, raw.alpha))
+        : 1;
+    if (alpha <= 0) return null;
+    const color = (raw && typeof raw === 'object' && typeof raw.color === 'string') ? raw.color : null;
+    // Pass through the provider's `live` flag: note_detect tags its
+    // ring-tracking 'active' responses with live:true so a renderer can
+    // treat them as authoritative (extinguish on mute, relight on
+    // re-strike) instead of latching them for the whole chart sustain.
+    // Renderers that don't care simply ignore it.
+    const live = (raw && typeof raw === 'object' && raw.live === true);
+    return { state, alpha, color, live };
+}
+
+// Paints the judgment effect on top of an already-drawn gem at
+// (cx,cy) with half-extent `r`. `ns` is the normalized state from
+// _noteState (or null → no-op). A miss → faint red wash. A correct
+// hit / held sustain → a "sizzle": throbbing additive halo + a
+// flickering white-hot core + crackling spark lines re-randomised
+// each frame + (for a fresh struck note that's fading) an expanding
+// shockwave ring. Intensity scales with `ns.alpha`, so a struck
+// note flares and dies while a held sustain crackles continuously.
+// Caller draws the gem normally first, then calls this BEFORE any
+// glyph so a readable fret number can land on top.
+export function _paintGemGlow(hwState, cx, cy, r, stringIdx, ns) {
+    if (!ns || !hwState.ctx) return;
+    hwState.ctx.save();
+    if (ns.state === 'miss') {
+        hwState.ctx.globalAlpha = 0.4 * ns.alpha;
+        hwState.ctx.fillStyle = '#ff2828';
+        hwState.ctx.beginPath();
+        hwState.ctx.arc(cx, cy, r * 1.05, 0, Math.PI * 2);
+        hwState.ctx.fill();
+        hwState.ctx.restore();
+        return;
+    }
+    const col = ns.color || hwState.STRING_BRIGHT[stringIdx] || '#ffffff';
+    const a = ns.alpha;
+    const nowMs = (typeof performance !== 'undefined' && performance.now) ? performance.now() : Date.now();
+    hwState.ctx.lineCap = 'round';
+
+    // Expanding shockwave — only on a fresh struck-and-fading hit
+    // (alpha decays 1→0). 'active' (held sustain, alpha pinned 1) skips it.
+    if (ns.state === 'hit' && a < 1) {
+        const prog = 1 - a;                       // 0 at strike → 1 at fade-out
+        hwState.ctx.globalCompositeOperation = 'lighter';
+        hwState.ctx.globalAlpha = a * 0.85;
+        hwState.ctx.strokeStyle = col;
+        hwState.ctx.lineWidth = Math.max(1.5, r * 0.26 * a);
+        hwState.ctx.beginPath();
+        hwState.ctx.arc(cx, cy, r * (1.0 + prog * 2.7), 0, Math.PI * 2);
+        hwState.ctx.stroke();
+    }
+
+    // Throbbing halo (≈9 Hz wobble).
+    const pulse = 0.8 + 0.2 * Math.sin(nowMs / 18);
+    const haloR = r * 2.0 * pulse;
+    hwState.ctx.globalCompositeOperation = 'lighter';
+    hwState.ctx.globalAlpha = a;
+    const g = hwState.ctx.createRadialGradient(cx, cy, 0, cx, cy, haloR);
+    g.addColorStop(0, '#ffffff');
+    g.addColorStop(0.30, col);
+    g.addColorStop(1, 'rgba(0,0,0,0)');
+    hwState.ctx.fillStyle = g;
+    hwState.ctx.beginPath();
+    hwState.ctx.arc(cx, cy, haloR, 0, Math.PI * 2);
+    hwState.ctx.fill();
+
+    // Crackle — short bright spark lines flicking out from the gem,
+    // re-randomised every frame so it shimmers.
+    const sparkCount = 6;
+    for (let i = 0; i < sparkCount; i++) {
+        if (Math.random() > 0.55 * a + 0.2) continue;     // intermittent
+        const ang = Math.random() * Math.PI * 2;
+        const inR = r * 0.45;
+        const len = r * (0.7 + Math.random() * 1.6) * (0.5 + 0.5 * a);
+        hwState.ctx.globalAlpha = a * (0.45 + Math.random() * 0.55);
+        hwState.ctx.strokeStyle = Math.random() < 0.5 ? '#ffffff' : col;
+        hwState.ctx.lineWidth = Math.max(1, r * (0.08 + Math.random() * 0.08));
+        hwState.ctx.beginPath();
+        hwState.ctx.moveTo(cx + Math.cos(ang) * inR, cy + Math.sin(ang) * inR);
+        hwState.ctx.lineTo(cx + Math.cos(ang) * (inR + len), cy + Math.sin(ang) * (inR + len));
+        hwState.ctx.stroke();
+    }
+
+    // Flickering white-hot core.
+    hwState.ctx.globalCompositeOperation = 'lighter';
+    hwState.ctx.globalAlpha = a * (0.55 + Math.random() * 0.45);
+    hwState.ctx.fillStyle = '#ffffff';
+    hwState.ctx.beginPath();
+    hwState.ctx.arc(cx, cy, r * (0.30 + Math.random() * 0.14), 0, Math.PI * 2);
+    hwState.ctx.fill();
+
+    // Crisp bright rim.
+    hwState.ctx.globalCompositeOperation = 'source-over';
+    hwState.ctx.globalAlpha = a;
+    hwState.ctx.strokeStyle = col;
+    hwState.ctx.lineWidth = Math.max(2, r * 0.2);
+    hwState.ctx.beginPath();
+    hwState.ctx.arc(cx, cy, r * 0.95, 0, Math.PI * 2);
+    hwState.ctx.stroke();
+
+    hwState.ctx.restore();
+}
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ import { S } from './player-state.js';
            return false;
        }
    }
-    // highway.js's initial song-load routing consults this for the same
+    // window.highway.js's initial song-load routing consults this for the same
    // feedpak-under-exclusive decision the watcher makes below.
    window._juceOutputIsExclusive = _outputIsExclusive;
    // Returns true when window._currentSongAudio no longer references the exact
@@ -383,7 +383,7 @@ import { S } from './player-state.js';
        // the stem mixer / WebAudio path keeps working. Sloppak stem URLs
        // are never routable (per-stem mix can't ride a single transport).
        if (!songAudio || (!songAudio.juceEligible && !songAudio.feedpakFullMix)) return;
-        // Don't race highway.js's own initial song-load routing: it owns
+        // Don't race window.highway.js's own initial song-load routing: it owns
        // _juceMode until _juceRoutingPromise settles. Re-running our switch
        // concurrently would double-call loadBackingTrack for the same URL.
        if (window._highwayJuceRoutingPending) return;
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ export function _resetPlaybackSpeedForNewSong() {
 //
 // Debounced trailing-edge (300ms) so dragging the slider — which fires
 // oninput per pixel — doesn't flood the server with concurrent writes
-// to config.json. highway.setMastery() still fires every oninput so
+// to config.json. window.highway.setMastery() still fires every oninput so
 // the chart re-filters in real time; only disk persistence waits.
 let _masteryPersistTimer = null;
 function _persistMastery(pct) {
@@ -209,7 +209,7 @@ export function _applyMastery(v, opts = {}) {
    // unlike #mastery-label above, whose markup carries no trailing unit.
    const setLabel = document.getElementById('setting-highway-speed-val');
    if (setLabel) setLabel.textContent = pct;
-    highway.setMastery(pct / 100);
+    window.highway.setMastery(pct / 100);
    if (!opts.skipPersist) _persistMastery(pct);
 }
 // Reflect phrase-data availability on the slider after every `ready`.
@@ -31,12 +31,12 @@ const _RESUME_END_GUARD_S = 5;                      // ignore basically-finished
 let _resumePillDismissed = false;                   // per-session: user waved off the current snapshot

 // Snapshot the live session. Called from showScreen()'s teardown before
-// highway.stop()/audio unload, while getSongInfo() + position are still valid.
+// window.highway.stop()/audio unload, while getSongInfo() + position are still valid.
 export function _snapshotResumeSession(position) {
    try {
        if (!host.currentFilename()) return;
-        const si = (window.highway && typeof highway.getSongInfo === 'function')
-            ? (highway.getSongInfo() || {}) : {};
+        const si = (window.highway && typeof window.highway.getSongInfo === 'function')
+            ? (window.highway.getSongInfo() || {}) : {};
        const dur = Number(si.duration) || 0;
        const pos = Number(position) || 0;
        // Only worth resuming a song you were genuinely mid-way through — not a
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ export function _sectionPracticeBarContains(el) {
 }

 // ── Section Practice Bar ────────────────────────────────────────────────
-// One-click looping over song section markers (highway.getSections —
+// One-click looping over song section markers (window.highway.getSections —
 // same array as 3D highway bundle.sections / "Now / Up Next").
 // Reuses setLoop() so manual A/B controls and saved loops stay canonical.
 let _sectionPracticeRanges = [];
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ export function _resetSectionPracticeLog() {
 }

 function _sectionPracticeHighway() {
-    return window.highway || (typeof highway !== 'undefined' ? highway : null);
+    return window.highway || null;
 }

 function _sectionPracticeDuration() {
@@ -0,0 +1,748 @@
+//
+// ━━━ THIS WAS THE UNCUTTABLE HEART, AND IT IS 359 LINES ━━━
+//
+// At the start of the app.js carve, seeding a dependency closure from count-in, from loops, from
+// section-practice or from the JUCE seek shim all returned the SAME 178-function, 3,360-line
+// set. playSong and showScreen called each other; everything called them; nothing could be cut
+// anywhere. The conclusion — correct at the time — was that no closure-based carve could touch
+// it at any seed, and the answer was a HOST SEAM.
+//
+// That was true THEN. It is not true now. Every slice taken out since (transport, loops,
+// count-in, section-practice, the library, the edit modal, settings) removed edges, and the
+// strongly-connected component DISSOLVED. This closure is 36 declarations with an interface
+// width of FOUR.
+//
+// The lesson is not that the seam was wrong. The seam is what MADE this possible: it let the
+// carves proceed against a cyclic core instead of stalling on it. The lesson is to RE-MEASURE.
+// An SCC is a fact about a graph at a moment, not a property of the code.
+//
+// ━━━ THE GATE STATEMENTS AT THE BOTTOM, AND WHY NO SCAN FOUND THEM ━━━
+//
+// window.feedBack.holdAutoplay / holdAutoExit and their two event handlers are TOP-LEVEL
+// STATEMENTS, not declarations. They WRITE this module's state (_autoplayHeld, _autoExitTimer,
+// …), and an imported binding is READ-ONLY — so left behind in app.js, every one of them threw
+// "Assignment to constant variable" the instant this module existed.
+//
+// A dependency scan that walks DECLARATIONS cannot see them. Only the browser A/B did. It is the
+// same blind spot that nearly shipped a dead library A-Z rail (#896): app.js keeps its public
+// API in top-level statements, and those are invisible to a call-graph.
+//
+// ━━━ ZERO OUTSIDE WRITES, BY MOVING THE BOUNDARY RATHER THAN BUILDING MACHINERY ━━━
+//
+// Autoplay scalars and the wake-lock state were written from outside — which would have forced a
+// setter or a container. But the writers (_releaseAutoplay, _acquireWakeLock) plainly belong
+// here. Pulling them in left ZERO outside writes, so every export is a plain import. Same move as
+// settings (#920): measure the writers before you reach for a container.
+
+import {
+    loadSettings,
+} from './settings.js';
+import {
+    clearLoop,
+    loadSavedLoops,
+} from './loops.js';
+import {
+    audio,
+} from './audio-el.js';
+import {
+    _snapshotResumeSession,
+} from './resume-session.js';
+import {
+    _resetJuceAudioShimChain,
+} from './juce-audio.js';
+import {
+    _hideSectionPracticeBar,
+    _resetSectionPracticeLog,
+    _scheduleSectionPracticeRetries,
+} from './section-practice.js';
+import {
+    _cancelCountIn,
+    armCreditsHideOnPlay,
+    hideSongCreditsOverlay,
+    holdCreditsThen,
+    scheduleCreditsHide,
+    showSongCreditsOverlay,
+    startSongCountIn,
+} from './count-in.js';
+import {
+    _autoplayExitEnabled,
+    _countdownBeforeSongEnabled,
+    _resetPlaybackSpeedForNewSong,
+} from './player-controls.js';
+import {
+    _audioTime,
+    _resetAudioSeekState,
+    _songEventPayload,
+    jucePlayer,
+    setPlayButtonState,
+    togglePlay,
+} from './transport.js';
+import {
+    _activeLibraryProviderId,
+    _bumpLibNavGeneration,
+    _getArrangementNamingMode,
+    _libScrollOnNextRender,
+    _resetLibraryProviderViewState,
+    loadFavorites,
+    loadLibrary,
+    loadLibraryProviders,
+    stopInfiniteScroll,
+} from './library.js';
+import {
+    S,
+} from './player-state.js';
+import {
+    L,
+} from './library-state.js';
+// Tracks which list screen launched the player so Esc-from-player
+// returns the user to that screen instead of always defaulting to
+// the Library (feedBack#126). Reset on every `playSong` call so a
+// song launched from a deep-link / plugin screen still gets a sane
+// fallback ('home').
+export let _playerOriginScreen = 'home';
+
+export let _settingsOriginScreen = 'home';
+
+// ── Screen Navigation ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+export async function showScreen(id) {
+    // ── 'home' is the LEGACY library screen. Always route it to the v3 Songs list. ──
+    //
+    // The v3 shell replaced #home with #v3-songs. That mapping DID exist — but only inside
+    // wrappers on `window.showScreen`, and only for callers that go through `window`:
+    //
+    //     app.js publishes the raw fn  ->  shell.js wraps it (adding the mapping)
+    //                                  ->  the stems plugin wraps it AGAIN, capturing whatever
+    //                                      happened to be there at the time
+    //
+    // Two ways that fails, and testers hit both:
+    //
+    //   1. ORDER. Three independent parties monkey-patch window.showScreen, each capturing the
+    //      current value. Plugins load ASYNCHRONOUSLY, so the chain links up in whatever order
+    //      the race settles — and any capture taken before shell.js installs, or any
+    //      re-assignment after it, silently drops the mapping.
+    //
+    //   2. THE INTERNAL CALLERS NEVER TOUCHED window.showScreen AT ALL. closeCurrentSong and the
+    //      Esc-from-settings shortcut call the IMPORTED showScreen directly, so no wrapper ever
+    //      sees them. Verified in a browser: the unwrapped function with 'home' lands on the dead
+    //      legacy screen every single time.
+    //
+    // Hence "randomly, when moving to the library from another menu option" — and "never when a
+    // song ends", because closeCurrentSong resolves its target through _resolvePlayerOrigin(),
+    // which already applies this mapping.
+    //
+    // So it lives HERE now: ONE guard in the function every caller routes through, rather than a
+    // chain of monkey-patches that must each remember.
+    //
+    // ONLY 'home'. NOT 'v3-home'. _resolvePlayerOrigin() maps BOTH — correctly, because it
+    // computes where to RETURN TO after a song, and coming back to the Songs list from the
+    // dashboard is the right behaviour. Copying that condition here was a [P1] (Codex caught it):
+    // #v3-home is the v3 DASHBOARD, a real screen the shell's Home nav, the onboarding tour and
+    // the dashboard re-render listener all target. Redirecting it would make Home unreachable.
+    //
+    // A legacy alias is not the same thing as a return target.
+    if (id === 'home' && document.getElementById('v3-songs')) {
+        id = 'v3-songs';
+    }
+
+    // Capture the previous screen before changing active classes
+    const prevScreenId = document.querySelector('.screen.active')?.id;
+
+    // ── screen:changing — emitted BEFORE any of the work below ──────────────────
+    //
+    // Timing matters here, and Codex caught me getting it wrong. The stems plugin used to
+    // monkey-patch window.showScreen so it could tear down its audio graph BEFORE navigation
+    // began. screen:changed fires at the very END of this function — after awaiting library and
+    // provider loads — so moving that plugin onto it would have delayed teardown behind a slow
+    // fetch, or skipped it entirely if the fetch threw. Stems would keep playing on a non-player
+    // screen.
+    //
+    // So there are two events, and the distinction is the whole point:
+    //     screen:changing  — before anything happens. "I am leaving `from`." Cancel/teardown here.
+    //     screen:changed   — after the DOM and data are settled. "I am on `id`."
+    if (window.feedBack) window.feedBack.emit('screen:changing', { id, from: prevScreenId || null });
+    document.querySelectorAll('.screen').forEach(s => s.classList.remove('active'));
+    document.getElementById(id).classList.add('active');
+    // Mark the next render as a screen-entry so it scrolls the
+    // restored selection into view exactly once. Routine renders
+    // (search / sort / filter typing) won't have this flag set and
+    // so won't yank the viewport. Also bump the nav-items
+    // generation so the next keypress doesn't reuse a cache built
+    // against a now-hidden screen's container.
+    _bumpLibNavGeneration();
+    if (id === 'home') {
+        _libScrollOnNextRender.home = true;
+        const beforeProviderId = _activeLibraryProviderId();
+        await loadLibraryProviders({ restoreSaved: true });
+        if (_activeLibraryProviderId() !== beforeProviderId) {
+            _resetLibraryProviderViewState();
+        } else {
+            L.libEpoch++;
+            L.currentPage = 0;
+            L.treeStats = null;
+            stopInfiniteScroll();
+        }
+        loadLibrary(0);
+    }
+    if (id === 'favorites') { _libScrollOnNextRender.favorites = true; loadFavorites(); }
+    if (id === 'settings') {
+        // Record where we came from so Esc can go back. The player screen
+        // is torn down by the `id !== 'player'` branch below, so
+        // re-entering it via showScreen() would land on a dead screen —
+        // fall back to the player's own origin (or 'home') instead.
+        if (prevScreenId && prevScreenId !== 'settings') {
+            _settingsOriginScreen = prevScreenId === 'player'
+                ? (_playerOriginScreen || 'home')
+                : prevScreenId;
+        }
+        loadSettings();
+    }
+    if (id !== 'player') {
+        const audio = document.getElementById('audio');
+        const stopTime = _audioTime();
+        const hadPlayableSong = !!audio.src || !!window._juceAudioUrl || S.isPlaying;
+        // Snapshot where we were so leaving the player — especially by accident
+        // — is recoverable instead of dumping the user back at bar 1 next time.
+        // Must run BEFORE window.highway.stop()/audio unload, while getSongInfo() and
+        // the position (stopTime) are still live.
+        if (hadPlayableSong) _snapshotResumeSession(stopTime);
+        window.highway.stop();
+        // Cancel any queued seeks, in-flight shim closures, AND active
+        // count-in timers before stopping playback so none of these paths
+        // can mutate the torn-down session (mirrors the same triple reset
+        // in playSong()).
+        _cancelCountIn();
+        _resetJuceAudioShimChain();
+        _resetAudioSeekState();
+        if (window._juceMode) {
+            // HTML5 emits 'pause' via the media-element listener below;
+            // JUCE doesn't, so plugins would stay stuck in "playing".
+            // Snapshot the canonical payload BEFORE stop() resets _pos
+            // to 0, then emit AFTER stop completes. Mirrors the HTML5
+            // pause contract via _songEventPayload (audioT/chartT/perfNow).
+            const payload = _songEventPayload();
+            const wasPlaying = S.isPlaying;
+            await jucePlayer.stop().catch(() => {});
+            if (wasPlaying && window.feedBack) {
+                window.feedBack.isPlaying = false;
+                window.feedBack.emit('song:pause', payload);
+            }
+            window._juceMode = false;
+            window._juceAudioUrl = null;
+        }
+        if (hadPlayableSong) window.feedBack.emit('song:stop', { time: stopTime || 0, screen: id });
+        audio.pause();
+        audio.src = '';
+        window._currentSongAudio = null;
+        // Reloading any song later should get a fresh JUCE routing attempt.
+        window._clearJuceRerouteMemo?.();
+        S.isPlaying = false;
+        setPlayButtonState(false);
+    }
+    window.scrollTo(0, 0);
+    // `from` is the screen we just LEFT. Without it, "I am leaving the player" is not
+    // expressible from an event, and the only way to express it was to WRAP window.showScreen —
+    // which is what shell.js and the stems plugin both did, and why the library intermittently
+    // showed the legacy screen (#923, #924): three parties patching one global, each capturing
+    // whatever was there at the time, in whatever order the plugin loads settled.
+    //
+    // Additive: every existing listener (app.js, audio-mixer.js, tour-engine.js) reads `id` and
+    // is unaffected.
+    if (window.feedBack) window.feedBack.emit('screen:changed', { id, from: prevScreenId || null });
+}
+
+export let currentFilename = '';
+
+export function _playbackApi() {
+    return window.feedBack && window.feedBack.playback && window.feedBack.playback.version === 1
+        ? window.feedBack.playback
+        : null;
+}
+
+// Bridge hits are a "this legacy surface is still in use" signal, not a call
+// counter — but recordBridgeHit is not cheap (compat-shim bookkeeping, a
+// playback:bridge-hit event, and a diagnostics snapshot rebuild per call).
+// Plugins legitimately poll read surfaces like window.feedBack.getLoop() from
+// HUD ticks (note_detect polled at ~30 Hz), which turned every tick into a
+// snapshot serialization on the main thread and saturated the inspector's
+// hitCount. Throttle per surface: the first call records immediately, repeats
+// within the window are dropped.
+export const _bridgeRecordLast = new Map();
+
+export const _BRIDGE_RECORD_MIN_MS = 5000;
+
+export function _recordPlaybackBridge(bridgeId, legacySurface, reason) {
+    const playback = _playbackApi();
+    if (!playback || typeof playback.recordBridgeHit !== 'function') return;
+    const key = `${bridgeId}|${legacySurface}`;
+    const now = Date.now();
+    const last = _bridgeRecordLast.get(key);
+    if (last != null && now - last < _BRIDGE_RECORD_MIN_MS) return;
+    _bridgeRecordLast.set(key, now);
+    playback.recordBridgeHit({
+        bridgeId,
+        legacySurface,
+        source: 'core.app',
+        reason: reason || 'legacy playback surface used',
+    });
+}
+
+// Screen Wake Lock — keep the display awake while a song is playing so the
+// OS screensaver doesn't kick in during windowed-mode playback (only audio +
+// the highway animation are active, so the input-idle timer otherwise fires).
+// Engaged only while playing (acquire on play/resume, release on
+// pause/ended/stop) per issue #686. In a plain browser this uses the W3C
+// Screen Wake Lock API; inside feedBack-desktop (Electron) navigator.wakeLock
+// is unreliable, so we also drive the native powerSaveBlocker bridge when it
+// is exposed — both calls are best-effort and degrade silently elsewhere.
+export let _screenWakeLock = null;
+
+export let _wakeLockPending = false;
+
+// Desired state: true while a song should be keeping the screen awake. This is
+// the source of truth that survives the async gap of navigator.wakeLock.request
+// — set synchronously by acquire/release so an in-flight request that resolves
+// after playback already stopped can release itself instead of leaking a lock.
+export let _wakeLockWanted = false;
+
+// Set when an acquire is requested while one is already in flight (e.g. a quick
+// hide→show during the first request); the in-flight request retries once on
+// settle so a transient NotAllowedError doesn't leave the song unprotected.
+export let _wakeLockRetry = false;
+
+// Last value handed to the desktop bridge. This is the value we *requested*,
+// not one confirmed by the IPC round trip: the Electron main-process side
+// effect (powerSaveBlocker start/stop) happens when the message is received,
+// before its promise resolves, so deduping on the requested value lets opposite
+// transitions (true↔false) always go through promptly while still suppressing
+// redundant repeats (e.g. the synchronous song:play + song:resume pair). A
+// rejected/throwing call invalidates the marker (the side effect never landed)
+// so the next song:* / visibilitychange retries — without an inline re-sync,
+// which would tight-loop on a persistently failing bridge.
+// Last value handed to the bridge: false (off) / true (on) / null (unknown —
+// a call failed, so the real blocker state can't be assumed). null never equals
+// a boolean `want`, so the next sync always re-sends and recovers.
+export let _desktopAwakeReq = false;
+
+// Monotonic id of the most recent bridge call, so a stale (out-of-order)
+// rejection from a superseded call can be ignored rather than corrupting the
+// marker — a boolean alone can't tell "my request failed" from "an older
+// same-valued request failed after a newer one already succeeded".
+export let _desktopAwakeGen = 0;
+
+// Drive the native feedBack-desktop blocker to exactly (wanted && visible),
+// mirroring the browser wake lock which is only held while the page is visible.
+// Gating on visibility stops a minimized Electron window from keeping the whole
+// display awake. No-op in a plain browser; isolated from the wakeLock path so a
+// flaky bridge can't abort it.
+export function _syncDesktopBridge() {
+    const want = _wakeLockWanted && document.visibilityState === 'visible';
+    if (want === _desktopAwakeReq) return; // already requested this value
+    const bridge = window.feedBackDesktop?.power?.setScreenAwake;
+    if (typeof bridge !== 'function') return; // plain browser — nothing to sync
+    _desktopAwakeReq = want;
+    const gen = ++_desktopAwakeGen;
+    let r;
+    try {
+        r = bridge(want);
+    } catch (e) {
+        console.debug('desktop wake bridge failed:', e?.name || e);
+        if (gen === _desktopAwakeGen) _desktopAwakeReq = null; // unknown — force a re-send next event
+        return;
+    }
+    if (r && typeof r.then === 'function') {
+        r.catch((e) => {
+            console.debug('desktop wake bridge rejected:', e);
+            // The IPC didn't take effect; we can't assume which state the blocker
+            // is in (a prior call may also have failed), so mark it unknown and
+            // let the next song:* / visibilitychange re-send. Only if this is
+            // still the latest request — a stale rejection from a superseded call
+            // must not clobber a newer request's marker.
+            if (gen === _desktopAwakeGen) _desktopAwakeReq = null;
+        });
+    }
+}
+
+export async function _acquireWakeLock() {
+    _wakeLockWanted = true;
+    _syncDesktopBridge();
+    if (_screenWakeLock) return; // already held — nothing to do
+    // A request is already in flight (song:play and song:resume fire
+    // synchronously from the audio 'play' listener, and visibilitychange can
+    // re-enter): don't issue a duplicate, but remember to retry on settle so a
+    // visibility bounce during the request can't strand us without a lock.
+    if (_wakeLockPending) { _wakeLockRetry = true; return; }
+    if (!navigator.wakeLock?.request) return;
+    _wakeLockPending = true;
+    _wakeLockRetry = false;
+    try {
+        const sentinel = await navigator.wakeLock.request('screen');
+        if (!_wakeLockWanted) {
+            // Playback stopped while the request was in flight — release the
+            // just-granted lock immediately rather than holding it stale.
+            try { await sentinel.release(); } catch (e) { /* already released */ }
+            return;
+        }
+        _screenWakeLock = sentinel;
+        sentinel.addEventListener('release', () => {
+            _screenWakeLock = null;
+            // The UA auto-releases on tab hide, but may also release for its own
+            // reasons (power policy) while the page stays visible. Re-acquire if
+            // a song is still playing and we're visible — the visibilitychange
+            // handler covers the hidden→visible case.
+            if (_wakeLockWanted && document.visibilityState === 'visible') {
+                _acquireWakeLock();
+            }
+        });
+    } catch (e) {
+        // NotAllowedError (page hidden / no user activation) or unsupported.
+        console.debug('wakeLock request failed:', e?.name || e);
+    } finally {
+        _wakeLockPending = false;
+        // A re-acquire arrived while the request was in flight (typically a
+        // hide→show bounce). If we still want the lock, are visible, and didn't
+        // get one (the request raced a hidden window and rejected), try once
+        // more now that the page state has settled. Bounded: only fires when a
+        // bounce actually occurred, so a permanently-denied request can't loop.
+        if (_wakeLockRetry && _wakeLockWanted && !_screenWakeLock
+            && document.visibilityState === 'visible') {
+            _wakeLockRetry = false;
+            _acquireWakeLock();
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+export async function _releaseWakeLock() {
+    _wakeLockWanted = false;
+    _syncDesktopBridge();
+    if (!_screenWakeLock) return;
+    try { await _screenWakeLock.release(); } catch (e) { /* already released */ }
+    _screenWakeLock = null;
+}
+
+// Resolve where the player should return on Esc / close / auto-exit.
+// A one-shot setReturnScreen() override wins (consumed here) — used by the
+// lessons catalog so a lesson returns to the lessons screen rather than the
+// library, even though the external tutorials plugin owns the playSong call.
+// Otherwise remember the actual launch screen; the element-exists guard
+// keeps the classic v2 UI (no #v3-* ids) from being stranded on a missing
+// screen, and unknown launches fall back to 'home'. The dashboard — classic
+// 'home' and the v3 shell's 'v3-home' — returns to the Songs list when it
+// exists (dashboard actions call playSong() directly, so its id is the
+// active screen at launch).
+export function _resolvePlayerOrigin() {
+    const override = window.feedBack && window.feedBack._nextReturnScreen;
+    if (window.feedBack) window.feedBack._nextReturnScreen = null;
+    if (override && document.getElementById(override)) return override;
+    const launchFrom = document.querySelector('.screen.active');
+    const launchId = launchFrom && launchFrom.id;
+    if (launchId && launchId !== 'player' && document.getElementById(launchId)) {
+        return ((launchId === 'home' || launchId === 'v3-home') && document.getElementById('v3-songs'))
+            ? 'v3-songs' : launchId;
+    }
+    return 'home';
+}
+
+// Autoplay: one-shot flag armed by each fresh playSong(), consumed by the
+// next song:ready. song:ready also fires on arrangement switches / seeks,
+// which never arm the flag, so those don't auto-restart.
+export let _pendingAutostart = false;
+
+// Autoplay gate (window.feedBack.holdAutoplay): a plugin (the tuner) can defer the
+// auto-start of a freshly-loaded song until it's cleared — "tune before you play".
+// The hold is claimed synchronously on song:loading (so it beats this song:ready
+// autostart); release() — or a fail-open backstop — runs the deferred start.
+// Generation-guarded so a newer song invalidates a stale hold. Manual Play never
+// flows through here, so Play always wins.
+export let _autoplayHeld = false;
+
+export let _autoplayStart = null;
+
+export let _autoplayGen = 0;
+
+export let _autoplayBackstop = null;
+
+export const AUTOPLAY_HOLD_BACKSTOP_MS = 12000;
+
+export function _clearAutoplayHold() {
+    if (_autoplayBackstop) { clearTimeout(_autoplayBackstop); _autoplayBackstop = null; }
+    _autoplayHeld = false;
+    _autoplayStart = null;
+    _autoplayGen++;
+}
+
+export function _releaseAutoplay(gen) {
+    if (gen !== _autoplayGen) return;            // a newer song superseded this hold
+    if (_autoplayBackstop) { clearTimeout(_autoplayBackstop); _autoplayBackstop = null; }
+    _autoplayHeld = false;
+    const start = _autoplayStart;
+    _autoplayStart = null;
+    if (typeof start === 'function') start();
+}
+
+export let _autoplayHoldToken = 0;
+
+window.feedBack.holdAutoplay = function () {
+    const gen = _autoplayGen;
+    const token = ++_autoplayHoldToken;   // this hold's identity — a stale release from an earlier hold is a no-op
+    _autoplayHeld = true;
+    if (_autoplayBackstop) clearTimeout(_autoplayBackstop);
+    // Fail-open: a hold that's never released (a plugin that claimed but wedged before
+    // it could decide) must never permanently block the song. Once the holder commits
+    // to an intentional, user-dismissable hold it calls release.settle() to cancel this
+    // — so the backstop can't cut off e.g. a user still tuning past the timeout.
+    _autoplayBackstop = setTimeout(() => _releaseAutoplay(gen), AUTOPLAY_HOLD_BACKSTOP_MS);
+    let released = false;
+    function release() {
+        if (released || gen !== _autoplayGen || token !== _autoplayHoldToken) return;
+        released = true;
+        _releaseAutoplay(gen);
+    }
+    // Cancel the fail-open backstop WITHOUT releasing: the holder has taken explicit
+    // responsibility for releasing (on dismiss), and a song switch clears the hold anyway.
+    release.settle = function () {
+        if (gen !== _autoplayGen || token !== _autoplayHoldToken) return;
+        if (_autoplayBackstop) { clearTimeout(_autoplayBackstop); _autoplayBackstop = null; }
+    };
+    return release;
+};
+
+window.feedBack.on('song:ready', () => {
+    if (!_pendingAutostart) return;
+    _pendingAutostart = false;
+    if (S.isPlaying) return;
+    // Feedpak contributor credits: only real feedpak plays carry authors
+    // (loose/archive and minigames get []), so a non-empty list is the gate.
+    // Shown over the highway and dismissed the moment real playback begins
+    // (song:play). This fresh-load path is the only place it fires —
+    // arrangement switches / seeks / manual replays never arm _pendingAutostart,
+    // and minigames never get here. Decoupled from autoplay below so credits
+    // show on load even when autoplay-exit is disabled.
+    const authors = (window.feedBack.currentSong && window.feedBack.currentSong.authors) || [];
+    if (authors.length) {
+        showSongCreditsOverlay(authors);
+        armCreditsHideOnPlay();
+    }
+    // Autoplay-exit disabled: don't auto-start. Still let the credits dwell a
+    // couple seconds on the freshly-loaded song, then clear them (they also
+    // clear early if the user manually presses Play, via _creditsHideOnPlay).
+    if (!_autoplayExitEnabled()) {
+        if (authors.length) scheduleCreditsHide();
+        return;
+    }
+    // The actual auto-start: a count-in (which handles HTML5 + _juceMode) or the
+    // Play path directly. Guarded so a manual Play during a gate / credits hold
+    // can't double-toggle, and so a stale (released-after-leaving) start never
+    // begins playback off the player.
+    const start = () => {
+        if (S.isPlaying) return;
+        if (!document.getElementById('player')?.classList.contains('active')) { hideSongCreditsOverlay(); return; }
+        if (_countdownBeforeSongEnabled()) {
+            Promise.resolve(startSongCountIn()).catch((err) => console.warn('[app] song count-in failed:', err));
+        } else {
+            Promise.resolve(togglePlay())
+                .then(() => { if (!S.isPlaying) hideSongCreditsOverlay(); })
+                .catch((err) => { console.warn('[app] autoplay failed:', err); hideSongCreditsOverlay(); });
+        }
+    };
+    // A plugin (the tuner) may gate playback until it's cleared. The hold was
+    // claimed on song:loading; stash the start and let release()/the backstop run
+    // it. _cancelCountIn()/changeArrangement() clear _creditsTimer below, so a
+    // teardown during the credits dwell still cancels a non-gated play.
+    if (_autoplayHeld) { _autoplayStart = start; return; }
+    // Not gated: a count-in starts now (it owns its on-screen dwell); otherwise
+    // let the credits dwell a couple seconds first, then start.
+    if (_countdownBeforeSongEnabled() || !authors.length) start();
+    else holdCreditsThen(start);
+});
+
+// Auto-exit: when the song ends, return to the launching menu. A scoring
+// plugin that shows an end-of-song results screen calls holdAutoExit() to
+// defer this; the user closing that screen (its Close button calls
+// window.closeCurrentSong()) performs the exit. With no results screen the
+// grace timer returns to the menu on its own.
+export const AUTO_EXIT_GRACE_MS = 1500;
+
+export let _autoExitTimer = null;
+
+export let _autoExitHeld = false;
+
+// Bumped every time the auto-exit state is reset (new song via playSong, and
+// each song:ended). A hold's release() captures the generation at hold time
+// and no-ops once it changes, so a plugin that drops or fires its release
+// handle after the player has moved on can never navigate a fresh session —
+// callers don't need to balance the handle.
+export let _autoExitGen = 0;
+
+export function _clearAutoExit() {
+    if (_autoExitTimer) { clearTimeout(_autoExitTimer); _autoExitTimer = null; }
+    _autoExitHeld = false;
+    _autoExitGen++;
+}
+
+// Heuristic safety net for score-screen plugins that don't (yet) call
+// holdAutoExit(): if a visible full-screen results/dialog overlay is on top
+// when the grace timer fires, defer the auto-return and let that screen's
+// own close button drive the exit (its Close should call closeCurrentSong).
+// getClientRects() is used for the visibility test because it reports
+// position:fixed overlays correctly, unlike offsetParent.
+export function _resultsOverlayVisible() {
+    let nodes;
+    try {
+        nodes = document.querySelectorAll('[role="dialog"][aria-modal="true"], .fixed.inset-0');
+    } catch (_) { return false; }
+    for (const el of nodes) {
+        if (!el || el.id === 'player') continue;            // never the player itself
+        if (el.classList && el.classList.contains('hidden')) continue;
+        if (el.getClientRects && el.getClientRects().length > 0) return true;
+    }
+    return false;
+}
+
+// Plugins call this synchronously from their own song:ended handler (core
+// runs first, so the timer is already pending) to claim the exit.
+window.feedBack.holdAutoExit = function () {
+    if (_autoExitTimer) { clearTimeout(_autoExitTimer); _autoExitTimer = null; }
+    _autoExitHeld = true;
+    const gen = _autoExitGen;
+    let released = false;
+    return function release() {
+        // No-op once released, or once the session has moved on (a newer
+        // playSong / song:ended bumped the generation) — so a stale handle
+        // never navigates away from a fresh song.
+        if (released || gen !== _autoExitGen) return;
+        released = true;
+        if (typeof window.closeCurrentSong === 'function') window.closeCurrentSong();
+    };
+};
+
+window.feedBack.on('song:ended', () => {
+    _clearAutoExit();
+    if (!_autoplayExitEnabled()) return;
+    // Only auto-exit from the player screen (ignore stale/duplicate ends).
+    const active = document.querySelector('.screen.active');
+    if (!active || active.id !== 'player') return;
+    _autoExitTimer = setTimeout(() => {
+        _autoExitTimer = null;
+        if (_autoExitHeld) return;            // a plugin explicitly claimed the exit
+        if (_resultsOverlayVisible()) return; // a score/results overlay is up; let it drive the exit
+        const cur = document.querySelector('.screen.active');
+        if (cur && cur.id === 'player' && typeof window.closeCurrentSong === 'function') {
+            window.closeCurrentSong();
+        }
+    }, AUTO_EXIT_GRACE_MS);
+});
+
+// Abort controller for cancelling pending requests when entering player
+export let artAbortController = null;
+
+export async function playSong(filename, arrangement, options) {
+    console.log('playSong called:', filename);
+    // A manual (non-queue) play abandons any active play-queue, so a stale queue
+    // can't hijack the next song's end. The queue passes fromQueue to keep itself.
+    if ((!options || !options.fromQueue) && window.feedBack && window.feedBack.playQueue) {
+        window.feedBack.playQueue.clear();
+    }
+    if (!options || options.bridge !== false) {
+        _recordPlaybackBridge('playback.window-play-song', 'window.playSong', 'legacy playSong entry point used');
+    }
+    // Invalidate any prior song's autoplay gate before plugins re-claim it on the
+    // song:loading emit below.
+    _clearAutoplayHold();
+    window.feedBack.emit('song:loading', { filename, arrangement: arrangement ?? null });
+
+    // Cancel any pending art/metadata requests
+    if (artAbortController) artAbortController.abort();
+    artAbortController = null;
+
+    window.highway.stop();
+    // Cancel any active count-in: clear timers/RAF and bump the gen so
+    // delayed callbacks (rewind frames, post-seek then, count-in ticks,
+    // post-count play) bail before mutating the new session.
+    _cancelCountIn();
+    // Reset the JUCE shim BEFORE awaiting jucePlayer.stop() so any in-flight
+    // shim closures see a stale generation after their await and bail out
+    // before mutating isPlaying / button label / song:* events for the
+    // outgoing song.
+    _resetJuceAudioShimChain();
+    // Cancel queued _audioSeek calls from the previous song: bumping the
+    // generation makes their chained callbacks bail out.
+    _resetAudioSeekState();
+    if (window._juceMode) {
+        // Mirror the showScreen teardown: emit song:pause for the JUCE
+        // path so plugins don't see a stale "playing" state on song
+        // change. (HTML5 fires it via the audio element 'pause' event.)
+        // Snapshot payload BEFORE stop() resets _pos so audioT/chartT
+        // capture the actual paused position.
+        const payload = _songEventPayload();
+        const wasPlaying = S.isPlaying;
+        await jucePlayer.stop().catch(() => {});
+        if (wasPlaying && window.feedBack) {
+            window.feedBack.isPlaying = false;
+            window.feedBack.emit('song:pause', payload);
+        }
+        window._juceMode = false;
+        window._juceAudioUrl = null;
+    }
+    audio.pause();
+    audio.src = '';
+    // Stale until the incoming song's WS handler (window.highway.js) sets it again.
+    window._currentSongAudio = null;
+    // Fresh JUCE routing attempt for whatever song loads next.
+    window._clearJuceRerouteMemo?.();
+    S.isPlaying = false;
+    setPlayButtonState(false);
+    _resetPlaybackSpeedForNewSong();
+    clearLoop();
+    _resetSectionPracticeLog();
+    _hideSectionPracticeBar();
+    // Reset so the jump-fix (setInterval, ~line 8979) doesn't mistake the new
+    // song starting at t=0 for an unexpected seek from the previous song's
+    // position. audio.currentTime may not reset synchronously when src is cleared.
+    S.lastAudioTime = 0;
+
+    currentFilename = filename;
+    // A fresh load arms autoplay; a pending auto-exit from the previous
+    // song is no longer relevant. A *resume* load (options.resume) instead
+    // arms _pendingResume — consumed at song:ready to restore speed + seek to
+    // the saved position, then start — so autostart and resume don't both try
+    // to begin playback from different positions.
+    if (options && options.resume && Number(options.resume.position) > 0) {
+        S.pendingResume = options.resume;
+        _pendingAutostart = false;
+    } else {
+        S.pendingResume = null;
+        _pendingAutostart = true;
+    }
+    _clearAutoExit();
+    // Remember which screen the player was launched from so Esc /
+    // navigation back from the player (and auto-exit) returns the user
+    // there (feedBack#126).
+    _playerOriginScreen = _resolvePlayerOrigin();
+    showScreen('player');
+
+    // Wait for previous WebSocket to fully close before opening new one
+    await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, 500));
+    window.highway.init(document.getElementById('highway'));
+
+    const wsParams = new URLSearchParams();
+    if (arrangement !== undefined) wsParams.set('arrangement', arrangement);
+    wsParams.set('naming_mode', _getArrangementNamingMode());
+    const wsUrl = `${location.protocol === 'https:' ? 'wss:' : 'ws:'}//${location.host}/ws/highway/${decodeURIComponent(filename)}?${wsParams.toString()}`;
+    window.highway.connect(wsUrl);
+    _resetSectionPracticeLog();
+    _scheduleSectionPracticeRetries();
+    loadSavedLoops();
+    document.getElementById('quality-select').value = window.highway.getRenderScale();
+    const _minScaleSel = document.getElementById('min-scale-select');
+    if (_minScaleSel && window.highway.getMinRenderScale) _minScaleSel.value = String(window.highway.getMinRenderScale());
+}
+
+// Leave the player and return to the screen the song was launched from
+// (Esc shortcut uses the same origin-aware target). showScreen() owns the
+// full teardown: song:stop, audio unload, window.highway.stop(), count-in cancel.
+export function closeCurrentSong() {
+    // A real close (user Escape/✕, or the queue-aware wrapper once the queue is
+    // exhausted) abandons any play-queue so a stale one can't advance later.
+    if (window.feedBack && window.feedBack.playQueue) window.feedBack.playQueue.clear();
+    return showScreen(_playerOriginScreen || 'home');
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,539 @@
+// Settings: load/save, the AV-offset nudge, the default-arrangement pin, the instrument
+// pathway, and the app-update channel.
+//
+// INTERFACE WIDTH 1 — app.js calls loadSettings() and nothing else. It got that clean by
+// PULLING THE WRITERS IN: _defaultArrangement was the one binding written from outside the
+// cluster, by saveSettings and pinCurrentArrangementDefault — which are themselves settings
+// functions. Widening the slice to include them left ZERO outside writes, so every export is a
+// plain read-only import and no state container is needed.
+//
+// (An imported binding is read-only. One write from outside would have forced a setter or a
+// container, as it did for the player and the library. Here the fix was to draw the boundary in
+// the right place instead.)
+//
+// ─── handleSliderInput STAYS A HOST HOOK, DELIBERATELY ───────────────────────
+//
+// It lives here (it is a settings control), but player-controls.js must NOT import it: this
+// module already imports player-controls (_applyMastery, _autoplayExitEnabled, …), so a direct
+// back-import would close a cycle. player-controls keeps reading it through the host seam, and
+// app.js — the root, which imports both — wires it. That is exactly what the seam is for.
+import { hwcInitSettingsUI } from './highway-colors.js';
+import { _getArrangementNamingMode } from './library.js';
+import {
+    _applyMastery, _autoplayExitEnabled, _exitConfirmEnabled, _showUpNextEnabled,
+} from './player-controls.js';
+
+// ── Settings ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+export let _defaultArrangement = '';
+
+export const INSTRUMENT_PATHWAYS = ['songs', 'practice', 'learn', 'studio'];
+
+export function _normalizeInstrumentPathway(value) {
+    return INSTRUMENT_PATHWAYS.includes(value) ? value : 'songs';
+}
+
+export function _syncDefaultArrangementSelect(value) {
+    const sel = document.getElementById('default-arrangement');
+    if (!sel) return;
+    const wanted = value || '';
+    const existing = Array.from(sel.options).find(opt => opt.value === wanted);
+    const dynamic = sel.querySelector('option[data-dynamic-default-arrangement]');
+    if (dynamic && dynamic.value !== wanted) dynamic.remove();
+    if (wanted && !existing) {
+        const opt = document.createElement('option');
+        opt.value = wanted;
+        opt.textContent = `${wanted} (saved default)`;
+        opt.dataset.dynamicDefaultArrangement = 'true';
+        sel.appendChild(opt);
+    }
+    sel.value = wanted;
+}
+
+export function _currentArrangementName() {
+    const song = window.feedBack?.currentSong;
+    const sel = document.getElementById('arr-select');
+    if (song?.arrangements && sel) {
+        const match = song.arrangements.find(a => String(a.index) === String(sel.value));
+        if (match?.name) return String(match.name);
+    }
+    if (song?.arrangement) return String(song.arrangement);
+    const selectedText = sel?.selectedOptions?.[0]?.textContent || '';
+    return selectedText.replace(/\s*\([^)]*\)\s*$/, '').trim();
+}
+
+export function syncDefaultArrangementPin() {
+    const btn = document.getElementById('arr-default-pin');
+    if (!btn) return;
+    const name = _currentArrangementName();
+    const isDefault = !!name && name === _defaultArrangement;
+    const label = name
+        ? (isDefault ? `${name} is the default arrangement` : `Make ${name} the default for new songs`)
+        : 'Select an arrangement to make it the default';
+    btn.textContent = isDefault ? '★' : '☆';
+    btn.setAttribute('aria-pressed', isDefault ? 'true' : 'false');
+    btn.setAttribute('aria-label', label);
+    btn.disabled = !name;
+    btn.classList.toggle('text-yellow-300', isDefault);
+    btn.classList.toggle('text-gray-400', !isDefault);
+    btn.title = label;
+}
+
+export async function pinCurrentArrangementDefault() {
+    const name = _currentArrangementName();
+    if (!name || name === _defaultArrangement) {
+        syncDefaultArrangementPin();
+        return;
+    }
+    const resp = await fetch('/api/settings', {
+        method: 'POST',
+        headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
+        body: JSON.stringify({ default_arrangement: name }),
+    });
+    if (!resp.ok) return;
+    _defaultArrangement = name;
+    _syncDefaultArrangementSelect(name);
+    syncDefaultArrangementPin();
+}
+
+export async function loadSettings() {
+    // App Updates UI does not depend on /api/settings — run it first so a
+    // failed fetch below still leaves the desktop updater wired up.
+    // setupAppUpdates() is idempotent via _appUpdatesWired.
+    setupAppUpdates();
+    setupWindowOptions();
+    const resp = await fetch('/api/settings');
+    const data = await resp.json();
+    // Null-guard the form fields: on the v3 tabbed settings page the markup is
+    // rendered by settings.js, so a control may be absent if that render hasn't
+    // run yet (or on a follower window). The optional-chaining keeps loadSettings
+    // from throwing and aborting the rest of the hydration.
+    const dlcEl = document.getElementById('dlc-path');
+    if (dlcEl) dlcEl.value = data.dlc_dir || '';
+    _defaultArrangement = data.default_arrangement || '';
+    _syncDefaultArrangementSelect(_defaultArrangement);
+    const pathwayEl = document.getElementById('setting-instrument-pathway');
+    if (pathwayEl) pathwayEl.value = _normalizeInstrumentPathway(data.pathway);
+    const demucsEl = document.getElementById('demucs-server-url');
+    if (demucsEl) demucsEl.value = data.demucs_server_url || '';
+    const leftyEl = document.getElementById('setting-lefty');
+    if (leftyEl) leftyEl.checked = window.highway.getLefty();
+    const autoplayExitEl = document.getElementById('setting-autoplay-exit');
+    if (autoplayExitEl) autoplayExitEl.checked = _autoplayExitEnabled();
+    const showUpNextEl = document.getElementById('setting-show-upnext');
+    if (showUpNextEl) showUpNextEl.checked = _showUpNextEnabled();
+    const confirmExitEl = document.getElementById('setting-confirm-exit');
+    if (confirmExitEl) confirmExitEl.checked = _exitConfirmEnabled();
+    // Restore master-difficulty slider from persisted value (defaults
+    // to 100 when the key is absent — no behaviour change for users
+    // who've never touched the slider).
+    const masteryPct = typeof data.master_difficulty === 'number'
+        ? Math.max(0, Math.min(100, data.master_difficulty))
+        : 100;
+    // Drives both the player-popover slider (#mastery-slider) and the
+    // Gameplay-tab "Note highway speed" slider (#setting-highway-speed), which
+    // share the master_difficulty key. skipPersist so loading the value doesn't
+    // echo it back to the server.
+    _applyMastery(masteryPct, { skipPersist: true });
+    // Route the loaded value through setAvOffsetMs so the highway's
+    // render clock, the Settings slider, the HUD readout, and the
+    // module variable all pick it up consistently. Pass skipPersist
+    // so we don't echo the loaded value back to the server.
+    setAvOffsetMs(Number(data.av_offset_ms) || 0, /* skipPersist */ true);
+    // Arrangement naming mode is localStorage-only (client preference).
+    const namingModeEl = document.getElementById('arrangement-naming-mode');
+    if (namingModeEl) namingModeEl.value = _getArrangementNamingMode();
+    // Gameplay-tab settings (tabbed settings page). Countdown is mirrored to
+    // localStorage so the song-start path reads it synchronously without an
+    // async /api/settings fetch on the play hot path. Miss penalty / fail
+    // behavior are persist-only stubs (not yet consumed by scoring).
+    const countdownOn = data.countdown_before_song === true;
+    try { localStorage.setItem('countdownBeforeSong', countdownOn ? '1' : '0'); } catch (_) { /* private mode */ }
+    const countdownEl = document.getElementById('setting-countdown-before-song');
+    if (countdownEl) countdownEl.checked = countdownOn;
+    // Achievements epic: mirror the opt-in flag to localStorage so the
+    // onboarding card + the bundled achievements plugin can read the current
+    // state app-wide (the plugin's own settings panel still owns the toggle).
+    try { localStorage.setItem('achievementsEnabled', data.achievements_enabled === true ? '1' : '0'); } catch (_) { /* private mode */ }
+    const missEl = document.getElementById('setting-miss-penalty');
+    if (missEl) missEl.value = typeof data.miss_penalty === 'string' ? data.miss_penalty : 'none';
+    const failEl = document.getElementById('setting-fail-behavior');
+    if (failEl) failEl.value = typeof data.fail_behavior === 'string' ? data.fail_behavior : 'continue';
+    // Native folder picker — only present when running inside feedBack-desktop.
+    if (window.feedBackDesktop && typeof window.feedBackDesktop.pickDirectory === 'function') {
+        document.getElementById('btn-pick-dlc')?.classList.remove('hidden');
+    }
+    syncDefaultArrangementPin();
+    // Hydrate the highway-color settings UI (theme select + per-string pickers)
+    // — the runtime apply path (initHighwayColors) doesn't render these controls.
+    hwcInitSettingsUI();
+}
+
+// ── Window options (desktop-only) ────────────────────────────────────────
+// Desktop-only window preferences (start-in-fullscreen, …). The whole block
+// stays hidden in the plain web / Docker app; unhide + wire only when the
+// feedBack-desktop bridge (window.feedBackDesktop.window) exposes the getter
+// and setter. Persistence lives desktop-side because only the Electron main
+// process can read the pref at window-creation time — core just proxies.
+export let _windowOptionsWired = false;
+
+export function setupWindowOptions() {
+    const block = document.getElementById('window-options-block');
+    if (!block) return;
+    const winApi = window.feedBackDesktop?.window;
+    // Per-method capability check: a partial/older bridge may expose `window`
+    // without this shape. Leave the block hidden rather than half-wiring it.
+    if (!winApi
+        || typeof winApi.getStartFullscreen !== 'function'
+        || typeof winApi.setStartFullscreen !== 'function') {
+        return;
+    }
+
+    block.classList.remove('hidden');
+
+    const cb = document.getElementById('setting-start-fullscreen');
+    if (!cb) return;
+
+    // Hydrate from the desktop-persisted value. The getter may be sync or
+    // async (IPC round-trip); Promise.resolve normalises both.
+    Promise.resolve(winApi.getStartFullscreen()).then(function (on) {
+        cb.checked = !!on;
+    }).catch(function () { /* leave unchecked on error */ });
+
+    // Guard only the listener against double-binding; unhide + re-hydrate
+    // stay idempotent so re-entering Settings refreshes the checkbox.
+    if (!_windowOptionsWired) {
+        _windowOptionsWired = true;
+        cb.addEventListener('change', function () {
+            try { winApi.setStartFullscreen(cb.checked); } catch (_) { /* best-effort */ }
+        });
+    }
+}
+
+export const APP_UPDATE_CHANNELS = ['stable', 'rc', 'beta', 'alpha'];
+
+export let _appUpdatesWired = false;
+
+export function setupAppUpdates() {
+    const block = document.getElementById('app-updates-block');
+    if (!block) return;
+    const updateApi = window.feedBackDesktop?.update;
+    // Per-method capability check: an older or partial feedBack-desktop
+    // bridge may expose `update` without the full shape. Skip wiring (and
+    // leave the block hidden) rather than throwing on first interaction.
+    if (!updateApi
+        || typeof updateApi.getStatus !== 'function'
+        || typeof updateApi.setChannel !== 'function'
+        || typeof updateApi.checkNow !== 'function') {
+        return;
+    }
+
+    block.classList.remove('hidden');
+
+    const channelSelect = document.getElementById('app-update-channel');
+    const checkBtn = document.getElementById('app-update-check-now');
+    const statusEl = document.getElementById('app-update-status');
+    const linuxNote = document.getElementById('app-update-linux-note');
+    if (!channelSelect || !checkBtn || !statusEl) return;
+
+    // localStorage access can throw in storage-restricted contexts (sandbox
+    // iframes, privacy modes, etc.); fall back to the default channel so the
+    // panel still renders rather than aborting wiring entirely.
+    let storedRaw = null;
+    // Read the canonical key, falling back to the pre-rename
+    // 'slopsmith-update-channel' so an existing channel preference survives.
+    try { storedRaw = localStorage.getItem('feedBack-update-channel') || localStorage.getItem('slopsmith-update-channel'); } catch (_) { /* fall through */ }
+    const stored = APP_UPDATE_CHANNELS.includes(storedRaw) ? storedRaw : 'stable';
+    channelSelect.value = stored;
+
+    const isLinux = window.feedBackDesktop?.platform === 'linux';
+
+    function showLinuxFallback(message) {
+        if (linuxNote) linuxNote.classList.remove('hidden');
+        channelSelect.disabled = true;
+        checkBtn.disabled = true;
+        statusEl.textContent = message || 'Auto-update is not available on this platform.';
+    }
+
+    function fmtTimestamp(ts) {
+        if (!ts) return 'never';
+        try {
+            const d = new Date(ts);
+            return Number.isNaN(d.getTime()) ? 'never' : d.toLocaleString();
+        } catch (_) { return 'never'; }
+    }
+
+    function renderStatus(extra) {
+        try {
+            // Wrap in Promise.resolve so a future getStatus() that returns
+            // synchronously won't blow up on .then().
+            void Promise.resolve(updateApi.getStatus()).then((s) => {
+                if (!s) { statusEl.textContent = extra || 'Updater status unavailable.'; return; }
+                if (s.status === 'unsupported' || s.platform === 'linux') {
+                    showLinuxFallback('Auto-update is not available on Linux.');
+                    return;
+                }
+                if (s.status === 'error') {
+                    const errMsg = s.message ? `Update error: ${s.message}` : 'Update check failed.';
+                    statusEl.textContent = extra ? `${extra} · ${errMsg}` : errMsg;
+                    return;
+                }
+                const parts = [
+                    `Version ${s.currentVersion || '?'}`,
+                    `channel ${s.channel || channelSelect.value}`,
+                    `last checked ${fmtTimestamp(s.lastChecked)}`,
+                ];
+                statusEl.textContent = extra ? `${extra} · ${parts.join(' · ')}` : parts.join(' · ');
+            }).catch((e) => {
+                console.warn('[updater] getStatus failed:', e);
+                statusEl.textContent = extra || 'Failed to read updater status.';
+            });
+        } catch (e) {
+            console.warn('[updater] getStatus threw:', e);
+            statusEl.textContent = extra || 'Failed to read updater status.';
+        }
+    }
+
+    if (isLinux) {
+        showLinuxFallback('Auto-update is not available on Linux.');
+        // Keep main informed of the persisted channel even on Linux so
+        // cross-platform reasoning about the channel stays consistent.
+        // setChannel() may return a Promise — chain .catch() so a rejected
+        // promise doesn't surface as an unhandled rejection.
+        try {
+            void Promise.resolve(updateApi.setChannel(stored)).catch((e) => {
+                console.warn('[updater] setChannel(linux) failed:', e);
+            });
+        } catch (e) {
+            console.warn('[updater] setChannel(linux) threw:', e);
+        }
+        return;
+    }
+
+    // Inform main of the persisted channel on each load. setChannel() on
+    // main is idempotent when the channel already matches.
+    try {
+        void Promise.resolve(updateApi.setChannel(stored)).catch((e) => {
+            console.warn('[updater] setChannel(initial) failed:', e);
+        });
+    } catch (e) {
+        console.warn('[updater] setChannel(initial) threw:', e);
+    }
+
+    if (!_appUpdatesWired) {
+        // Wire DOM listeners once. The elements live in static index.html
+        // and are not recreated, so re-wiring on every loadSettings() call
+        // would just stack duplicate handlers.
+        channelSelect.addEventListener('change', async () => {
+            const val = channelSelect.value;
+            if (!APP_UPDATE_CHANNELS.includes(val)) return;
+            try { localStorage.setItem('feedBack-update-channel', val); localStorage.removeItem('slopsmith-update-channel'); } catch (_) {}
+            try {
+                // Await setChannel so the status line reflects what actually
+                // happened — rendering "Channel set" unconditionally would
+                // mislead users when the IPC rejects.
+                await Promise.resolve(updateApi.setChannel(val));
+                renderStatus(`Channel set to ${val}.`);
+            } catch (e) {
+                console.warn('[updater] setChannel failed:', e);
+                renderStatus(`Failed to set channel to ${val}: ${e?.message || e}`);
+            }
+        });
+
+        checkBtn.addEventListener('click', async () => {
+            checkBtn.disabled = true;
+            statusEl.textContent = 'Checking for updates…';
+            let reEnableBtn = true;
+            try {
+                const result = await updateApi.checkNow();
+                const status = result?.status || 'unknown';
+                let msg;
+                switch (status) {
+                    case 'idle':
+                        msg = "You're on the newest version in this channel.";
+                        break;
+                    case 'downloading':
+                        msg = 'Update available — downloading…';
+                        break;
+                    case 'downloaded':
+                        msg = 'Update downloaded — restart to apply.';
+                        break;
+                    case 'unsupported':
+                        reEnableBtn = false;
+                        showLinuxFallback('Auto-update is not available on Linux.');
+                        return;
+                    case 'error':
+                        msg = `Update check failed${result?.message ? `: ${result.message}` : '.'}`;
+                        break;
+                    default:
+                        msg = `Update check returned: ${status}`;
+                }
+                renderStatus(msg);
+            } catch (e) {
+                console.warn('[updater] checkNow failed:', e);
+                statusEl.textContent = `Update check failed: ${e?.message || e}`;
+            } finally {
+                if (reEnableBtn) checkBtn.disabled = false;
+            }
+        });
+
+        _appUpdatesWired = true;
+    }
+
+    renderStatus();
+}
+
+// Updates the fill on slider elements. Expects a CSS variable --range-pct used
+// in the track fill styling. Declared as a function (not a const) so it is
+// hoisted onto window — audio-mixer.js calls it as window.handleSliderInput,
+// matching the window.playSong / window.showScreen cross-script convention.
+export function handleSliderInput(el) {
+    if (!el) return;
+    const min = el.min || 0;
+    const max = el.max || 100;
+    const pct = (el.value - min) / (max - min) * 100;
+    el.style.setProperty('--range-pct', pct + '%');
+}
+
+// A/V sync calibration. Positive = audio runs ahead of visuals; we
+// add this to audio.currentTime when driving the highway so the
+// visuals catch up. Persisted via /api/settings as av_offset_ms.
+// Live-tunable from the player screen via [ / ] keys (Shift for
+// ±50 ms) and from the Settings slider; both auto-save with the
+// same debounced POST. loadSettings() seeds the value via
+// setAvOffsetMs without saving (skipPersist=true) to avoid an
+// echo-back round-trip.
+export let _avOffsetMs = 0;
+
+export let _avSaveDebounce = null;
+
+export function setAvOffsetMs(ms, skipPersist) {
+    // Clamp to the same bounds the Settings/player-bar sliders enforce
+    // (-1000..1000 ms). Defends against bad values from /api/settings
+    // landing as `value` on <input type=range>.
+    const n = Number(ms);
+    _avOffsetMs = Math.max(-1000, Math.min(1000, Number.isFinite(n) ? n : 0));
+    // Drive the highway's render-time shift. getTime() still returns
+    // the audio-aligned chart time so plugins (note detection, etc.)
+    // keep scoring against the real chart clock regardless of visual
+    // calibration.
+    if (window.highway?.setAvOffset) window.highway.setAvOffset(_avOffsetMs);
+    // Sync any visible Settings slider
+    const avSlider = document.getElementById('setting-av-offset');
+    if (avSlider) {
+        avSlider.value = _avOffsetMs;
+        handleSliderInput(avSlider);
+    }
+    const avVal = document.getElementById('setting-av-offset-val');
+    if (avVal) avVal.textContent = Math.round(_avOffsetMs);
+    // Sync the inline player-bar slider (live-tunable while playing)
+    const playerAvSlider = document.getElementById('player-av-offset-slider');
+    if (playerAvSlider) {
+        playerAvSlider.value = _avOffsetMs;
+        handleSliderInput(playerAvSlider);
+    }
+    const playerAvLabel = document.getElementById('player-av-offset-label');
+    if (playerAvLabel) {
+        const rounded = Math.round(_avOffsetMs);
+        playerAvLabel.textContent = `${rounded >= 0 ? '+' : ''}${rounded}ms`;
+    }
+    // Update the player HUD readout (hidden when offset = 0 to
+    // avoid clutter; the keyboard shortcut is documented in the
+    // Settings help text so it stays discoverable).
+    const hud = document.getElementById('hud-avoffset');
+    if (hud) {
+        hud.textContent = `A/V ${_avOffsetMs >= 0 ? '+' : ''}${Math.round(_avOffsetMs)} ms`;
+        hud.classList.toggle('hidden', _avOffsetMs === 0);
+    }
+    if (!skipPersist) _persistAvOffset();
+}
+
+export function _persistAvOffset() {
+    // Debounced persist — POST only the one field; the server merges.
+    if (_avSaveDebounce) clearTimeout(_avSaveDebounce);
+    _avSaveDebounce = setTimeout(async () => {
+        _avSaveDebounce = null;
+        try {
+            await fetch('/api/settings', {
+                method: 'POST',
+                headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
+                body: JSON.stringify({ av_offset_ms: _avOffsetMs }),
+            });
+        } catch (e) {
+            console.warn('A/V offset save failed:', e);
+        }
+    }, 400);
+}
+
+export function nudgeAvOffsetMs(delta) {
+    setAvOffsetMs(Math.max(-1000, Math.min(1000, _avOffsetMs + delta)));
+}
+
+export async function saveSettings() {
+    const defaultArrangement = document.getElementById('default-arrangement').value;
+    const resp = await fetch('/api/settings', {
+        method: 'POST',
+        headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
+        body: JSON.stringify({
+            dlc_dir: document.getElementById('dlc-path').value.trim(),
+            default_arrangement: defaultArrangement,
+            demucs_server_url: document.getElementById('demucs-server-url').value.trim(),
+            av_offset_ms: _avOffsetMs,
+        }),
+    });
+    const data = await resp.json();
+    if (resp.ok) {
+        _defaultArrangement = defaultArrangement;
+        _syncDefaultArrangementSelect(_defaultArrangement);
+        syncDefaultArrangementPin();
+    }
+    document.getElementById('settings-status').textContent = data.message || data.error;
+}
+
+// Persist a single settings field the instant a control changes (used by
+// the Settings dropdowns). The /api/settings POST handler merges only the
+// keys present in the body, so this one-field write won't clobber dlc_dir
+// or any other setting. No debounce: a <select> change event fires once
+// per selection, unlike the A/V / mastery sliders' per-pixel oninput.
+//
+// The Settings-dropdown autosaves run through one chain so their POSTs are
+// sent one at a time, in the order the user made the changes — the last
+// selection is always the last write, for both rapid changes to one
+// dropdown and back-to-back changes across different dropdowns. The A/V
+// and mastery slider autosaves POST directly (not through this chain);
+// the server-side config.json lock is what keeps those from racing the
+// dropdown writes (see save_settings() in server.py).
+export let _settingSaveChain = Promise.resolve();
+
+export function persistSetting(key, value) {
+    const next = _settingSaveChain.then(() => _postSetting(key, value));
+    // Swallow failures so one failed write doesn't poison the chain and
+    // block every later save.
+    _settingSaveChain = next.catch(() => {});
+    return next;
+}
+
+export function setInstrumentPathway(value) {
+    const pathway = _normalizeInstrumentPathway(value);
+    const el = document.getElementById('setting-instrument-pathway');
+    if (el) el.value = pathway;
+    persistSetting('pathway', pathway).then(() => {
+        if (window.v3Badges && typeof window.v3Badges.reload === 'function') {
+            try { window.v3Badges.reload(); } catch (_) { /* noop */ }
+        }
+    });
+}
+
+export async function _postSetting(key, value) {
+    const status = document.getElementById('settings-status');
+    try {
+        const resp = await fetch('/api/settings', {
+            method: 'POST',
+            headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
+            body: JSON.stringify({ [key]: value }),
+        });
+        const data = await resp.json();
+        if (status) status.textContent = data.message || data.error || '';
+    } catch (e) {
+        if (status) status.textContent = 'Save failed: ' + e.message;
+    }
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,983 @@
+// KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS: the panel registry, the global dispatchers, and the plugin-facing API.
+//
+// ━━━ MOST OF THIS SUBSYSTEM IS TOP-LEVEL STATEMENTS, NOT DECLARATIONS ━━━
+//
+// 10 declarations — and 18 top-level statements. window.registerShortcut,
+// window.createShortcutPanel, getAllShortcuts, unregisterShortcut, clearWindowShortcuts, the
+// panel registry, and BOTH global keydown dispatchers are all bare statements at app.js's top
+// level. A dependency scan that walks declarations sees NONE of them, and would have reported
+// this cluster as 246 lines. It is more than double that.
+//
+// That blind spot has now cost twice: it nearly shipped a dead library A-Z rail (#896), and it
+// threw "Assignment to constant variable" in the session carve (#921), where the autoplay gate's
+// top-level statements wrote state that had become a read-only import. The extractor takes them
+// by construction now — any top-level statement that TOUCHES a moved binding comes along.
+//
+// window.registerShortcut and friends are a PLUGIN-FACING API. They keep working because app.js
+// still publishes them; the definitions simply live here, next to the dispatcher they feed.
+
+import {
+    _lastLibSelected,
+    _libNavItems,
+    _moveSelectionInItems,
+    _providerSupports,
+    _setLibSelection,
+    _toggleHeader,
+} from './library.js';
+import {
+    _sectionPracticeBarContains,
+    _sectionPracticePopoverOpen,
+} from './section-practice.js';
+import {
+    _trapFocusInModal,
+    esc,
+} from './dom.js';
+import {
+    playSong,
+} from './session.js';
+import { host } from './host.js';
+// ── Global keyboard shortcuts ─────────────────────────────────────────────
+//
+// `/` focuses the active screen's search input (Library / Favorites);
+// `Esc` while focused blurs and clears it. Mirrors the GitHub / Gmail
+// convention. The listener bails when the user is already typing in
+// any text-accepting element so it can't intercept normal typing —
+// including inputs inside the filters drawer, plugin settings, or
+// modal dialogs.
+export function _isTextInput(el) {
+    if (!el) return false;
+    const tag = el.tagName;
+    if (tag === 'INPUT') {
+        // Some <input> types (button, checkbox, radio, range, ...) don't
+        // accept text; only intercept the ones that do.
+        const t = (el.type || 'text').toLowerCase();
+        return ['text', 'search', 'email', 'url', 'tel', 'password', 'number'].includes(t);
+    }
+    if (tag === 'TEXTAREA') return true;
+    if (tag === 'SELECT') return true;
+    if (el.isContentEditable) return true;
+    return false;
+}
+
+export function _isShortcutHelpKey(e) {
+    return e.key === '?' || (e.shiftKey && (e.code === 'Slash' || e.key === '/'));
+}
+
+export function _isShortcutHelpSuppressedTarget(el) {
+    if (!el) return false;
+    const tag = el.tagName;
+    if (tag === 'INPUT') {
+        const t = (el.type || 'text').toLowerCase();
+        return ['text', 'search', 'email', 'url', 'tel', 'password', 'number'].includes(t);
+    }
+    if (tag === 'TEXTAREA') return true;
+    if (el.isContentEditable) return true;
+    if (el.closest && el.closest('#lib-filter-drawer, [role="dialog"], #edit-modal, .feedBack-modal')) return true;
+    return false;
+}
+
+export function _activeSearchInput() {
+    // Pick the search field for whichever screen is currently active.
+    // No match (e.g. on the player or settings screen) means `/` does
+    // nothing — the shortcut only fires where a search box exists.
+    const active = document.querySelector('.screen.active');
+    if (!active) return null;
+    if (active.id === 'home') return document.getElementById('lib-filter');
+    if (active.id === 'favorites') return document.getElementById('fav-filter');
+    return null;
+}
+
+export function _gridColumns(container) {
+    // Count columns by grouping the first row of children by their
+    // top coordinate. Robust against any grid-template-columns syntax
+    // (`repeat(...)`, `auto-fit`, named lines, etc.) where naively
+    // splitting `getComputedStyle().gridTemplateColumns` on whitespace
+    // would miscount because of spaces inside `repeat(...)` /
+    // `minmax(...)`. Falls back to 1 when the container is empty
+    // so callers' max(1, ...) clamps stay valid.
+    if (!container) return 1;
+    const children = Array.from(container.children).filter(
+        c => c && c.offsetParent !== null
+    );
+    if (!children.length) return 1;
+    const firstTop = children[0].getBoundingClientRect().top;
+    let cols = 0;
+    for (const c of children) {
+        // Allow ~1px slop for sub-pixel rounding so two children that
+        // would visually align still group together.
+        if (Math.abs(c.getBoundingClientRect().top - firstTop) < 1.5) cols++;
+        else break;
+    }
+    return Math.max(1, cols);
+}
+
+export function _isInsideInteractiveControl(el) {
+    // Bail when the user is interacting with anything that has its
+    // own keyboard semantics — form controls (checkbox / select /
+    // button) consume arrow keys for their own behavior, and the
+    // filters drawer is a focus trap of those. Without this guard the
+    // library's arrow nav would steal arrow presses from a focused
+    // tuning checkbox or sort dropdown.
+    if (!el) return false;
+    const tag = el.tagName;
+    if (['INPUT', 'SELECT', 'TEXTAREA', 'BUTTON'].includes(tag)) return true;
+    if (el.isContentEditable) return true;
+    if (el.closest && el.closest('#lib-filter-drawer, [role="dialog"], #edit-modal')) return true;
+    return false;
+}
+
+export function _isSpaceKey(e) {
+    return e.key === ' ' || e.key === 'Spacebar';
+}
+
+export function _shortcutDispatchBlocked(e) {
+    if (_isTextInput(e.target)) return true;
+    // Space in Section Practice bar should pause/resume, not toggle checkboxes/buttons.
+    if (_isSpaceKey(e) && _sectionPracticeBarContains(e.target)) return false;
+    // While the Section Practice popover is open, Esc just closes it (handled by
+    // the popover's own keydown listener) — suppress the player-scope
+    // "back to library" Esc so the user doesn't get bounced out of the player.
+    if (e.key === 'Escape' && _sectionPracticePopoverOpen()) return true;
+    // Space on the player screen should always play/pause, even if focus is on a
+    // sidebar nav link, player rail button, popover control, or any other
+    // interactive element — the shortcut dispatcher calls preventDefault so the
+    // focused element won't also activate. Two exceptions keep native Space:
+    // text inputs (already exempted above), and focus inside a true modal
+    // dialog (role="dialog" aria-modal="true", or a .feedBack-modal overlay)
+    // layered over the player — a modal traps interaction, so Space must reach
+    // its focused control (e.g. the Close button) rather than toggle playback
+    // behind it. Non-modal player popovers/toasts (loop A/B, arrangement pin,
+    // role="dialog" aria-modal="false") are not modals and stay covered.
+    if (_isSpaceKey(e) && _getCurrentContext().isPlayer &&
+        !(e.target && e.target.closest &&
+          e.target.closest('[role="dialog"][aria-modal="true"], .feedBack-modal'))) {
+        return false;
+    }
+    // Escape is the universal "back" action and must fire like Space above even
+    // when a transport/rail control <button> holds keyboard focus after a click
+    // — otherwise a focused control swallows Esc and the user can't leave the
+    // song until they click empty canvas (feedBack — "Escape in song not
+    // consistent"). It applies on the player (exit the song) AND settings
+    // (return to the previous screen), both of which register an Escape=Back
+    // shortcut. The earlier guards still win: text inputs are exempted at the
+    // top (Esc there clears/blurs the field), and the Section Practice popover
+    // already claimed Esc above. A true modal layered over the screen still
+    // traps Esc — the modal-overlay check keeps Esc closing the modal rather
+    // than ejecting past it to the screen behind.
+    if (e.key === 'Escape') {
+        const ctx = _getCurrentContext();
+        if ((ctx.isPlayer || ctx.isSettings) &&
+            !(e.target && e.target.closest &&
+              e.target.closest('[role="dialog"][aria-modal="true"], .feedBack-modal'))) {
+            return false;
+        }
+    }
+    return _isInsideInteractiveControl(e.target);
+}
+
+export function _handleLibArrowNav(e) {
+    // Space (' ') is the standard activation key for focusable
+    // elements alongside Enter — without it, a screen-reader user
+    // hitting Space on a focused card would just scroll the page
+    // instead of activating it. We treat Space identically to Enter
+    // inside this handler.
+    const isActivate = e.key === 'Enter' || e.key === ' ' || e.key === 'Spacebar';
+    if (!isActivate &&
+        !['ArrowLeft', 'ArrowRight', 'ArrowUp', 'ArrowDown', 'Home', 'End'].includes(e.key)) {
+        return false;
+    }
+    if (_isInsideInteractiveControl(document.activeElement)) return false;
+    const { items, container, mode } = _libNavItems();
+    if (!items.length) return false;
+
+    const currentTarget = (document.activeElement && items.includes(document.activeElement))
+        ? document.activeElement
+        : (_lastLibSelected && items.includes(_lastLibSelected) ? _lastLibSelected : null);
+
+    if (isActivate) {
+        if (!currentTarget) return false;
+        e.preventDefault();
+        // Sync persistent selection before activating so Tab-then-Enter
+        // (no prior arrow nav or mouse click) still lights up the `.selected`
+        // ring and updates `_lastLibSelected`/localStorage — consistent with
+        // the click delegate at the bottom of this file.
+        _setLibSelection(currentTarget, { focus: false });
+        if (currentTarget.classList.contains('song-row') ||
+            currentTarget.classList.contains('song-card')) {
+            if (currentTarget.dataset.librarySong && !currentTarget.dataset.play) {
+                const providerId = decodeURIComponent(currentTarget.dataset.libraryProvider || '');
+                if (!_providerSupports(providerId, 'song.sync')) return true;
+                host.syncLibrarySong(
+                    providerId,
+                    decodeURIComponent(currentTarget.dataset.librarySong || ''),
+                    { playWhenReady: true },
+                );
+                return true;
+            }
+            // Song row OR card → play it. Pass `dataset.play` raw to
+            // match the click delegate; `playSong` handles decoding
+            // internally so decoding here would double-decode and
+            // throw `URIError` on filenames containing `%`.
+            playSong(currentTarget.dataset.play, undefined, { bridge: false });
+        } else if (currentTarget.classList.contains('artist-header') ||
+                   currentTarget.classList.contains('album-header')) {
+            // Header row → toggle the parent open/closed and re-derive
+            // visible items so the next arrow press lands correctly.
+            // `_toggleHeader` keeps `aria-expanded` in sync for
+            // assistive tech.
+            _toggleHeader(currentTarget);
+            // Keep keyboard focus on the header we just toggled —
+            // browsers sometimes drop focus to body when the
+            // surrounding subtree changes display.
+            currentTarget.focus({ preventScroll: true });
+        }
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    if (e.key === 'Home') { e.preventDefault(); _setLibSelection(items[0]); return true; }
+    if (e.key === 'End')  { e.preventDefault(); _setLibSelection(items[items.length - 1]); return true; }
+
+    if (mode === 'list') {
+        if (e.key === 'ArrowDown') { e.preventDefault(); _moveSelectionInItems(items, 1); return true; }
+        if (e.key === 'ArrowUp')   { e.preventDefault(); _moveSelectionInItems(items, -1); return true; }
+        // Right/Left expand and collapse the artist/album under focus,
+        // file-manager style. With nothing selected yet, both keys
+        // initialize selection on the first visible item (matches
+        // Up/Down behavior in `_moveSelectionInItems`) so the first
+        // press doesn't fall through to native scroll.
+        if (!currentTarget && (e.key === 'ArrowRight' || e.key === 'ArrowLeft')) {
+            e.preventDefault();
+            _setLibSelection(items[0]);
+            return true;
+        }
+        if (e.key === 'ArrowRight' && currentTarget) {
+            const parent = (currentTarget.classList.contains('artist-header') ||
+                            currentTarget.classList.contains('album-header'))
+                ? currentTarget.parentElement : null;
+            if (parent && !parent.classList.contains('open')) {
+                e.preventDefault();
+                // Use the shared toggle path so aria-expanded stays
+                // synced with the visual state for screen readers.
+                _toggleHeader(currentTarget);
+                currentTarget.focus({ preventScroll: true });
+                return true;
+            }
+            // Already open — step to the next visible item (which is
+            // the first child of this header).
+            e.preventDefault();
+            _moveSelectionInItems(items, 1);
+            return true;
+        }
+        if (e.key === 'ArrowLeft' && currentTarget) {
+            // If on an open header, collapse it. If on a song row or
+            // closed header, jump to the nearest enclosing header.
+            const isHeader = currentTarget.classList.contains('artist-header') ||
+                             currentTarget.classList.contains('album-header');
+            const headerParent = isHeader ? currentTarget.parentElement : null;
+            if (headerParent && headerParent.classList.contains('open')) {
+                e.preventDefault();
+                _toggleHeader(currentTarget);
+                currentTarget.focus({ preventScroll: true });
+                return true;
+            }
+            // Walk up to the nearest .album-header / .artist-header
+            // ancestor's sibling header. Closest album-group → its
+            // header; otherwise closest artist-row → its header.
+            const albumGroup = currentTarget.closest('.album-group');
+            if (albumGroup && albumGroup.contains(currentTarget) &&
+                !currentTarget.classList.contains('album-header')) {
+                e.preventDefault();
+                _setLibSelection(albumGroup.querySelector('.album-header'));
+                return true;
+            }
+            const artistRow = currentTarget.closest('.artist-row');
+            if (artistRow && !currentTarget.classList.contains('artist-header')) {
+                e.preventDefault();
+                _setLibSelection(artistRow.querySelector('.artist-header'));
+                return true;
+            }
+            return false;
+        }
+        return false;
+    }
+    // Grid mode: 2D nav. Columns are read from the live CSS grid so
+    // we follow the responsive breakpoints automatically.
+    const cols = _gridColumns(container);
+    if (e.key === 'ArrowRight') { e.preventDefault(); _moveSelectionInItems(items, 1); return true; }
+    if (e.key === 'ArrowLeft')  { e.preventDefault(); _moveSelectionInItems(items, -1); return true; }
+    if (e.key === 'ArrowDown')  { e.preventDefault(); _moveSelectionInItems(items, cols); return true; }
+    if (e.key === 'ArrowUp')    { e.preventDefault(); _moveSelectionInItems(items, -cols); return true; }
+    return false;
+}
+
+// Shortcut cheat-sheet overlay. Opens on `?` (Shift+/), closes on
+// Esc (handled by the generic modal close path) or on backdrop /
+// close-button click. The list mirrors the canonical shortcut table
+// in this file's keydown handler — when a shortcut changes here, the
+// table below should change too. We keep it inline rather than
+// fetching a separate file so the cheat sheet can never disagree
+// with the version of app.js the user actually loaded.
+export function _openShortcutsModal() {
+    if (document.getElementById('shortcuts-modal')) return;
+
+    function _isTreeMode() {
+        // Check if we're in tree view (not grid) on the active library screen
+        const screen = document.querySelector('.screen.active');
+        if (!screen) return false;
+        const tree = screen.querySelector('#lib-tree,#fav-tree');
+        return tree && !tree.classList.contains('hidden');
+    }
+
+    const ctx = _getCurrentContext();
+
+    // Library shortcuts that are handled by the navigation system (not in registry)
+    const navShortcuts = [
+        { keys: '↑ ↓', desc: 'Move selection' },
+        { keys: '→', desc: 'Step in', condition: _isTreeMode },
+        { keys: '←', desc: 'Step out', condition: _isTreeMode },
+        { keys: 'Home / End', desc: 'Jump to first / last item' },
+        { keys: 'Enter / Space', desc: 'Activate selection (play song / toggle header)' },
+    ];
+
+    // Filter out items whose condition returns false
+    const filterNavItems = (items) => items.filter(item => !item.condition || item.condition());
+
+    // Format a shortcut entry for display, including modifier prefixes
+    const formatShortcut = (s) => {
+        const mods = s.modifiers || {};
+        let label = '';
+        if (mods.ctrl) label += 'Ctrl+';
+        if (mods.alt) label += 'Alt+';
+        if (mods.shift) label += 'Shift+';
+        if (mods.meta) label += 'Meta+';
+        return label + s.key;
+    };
+
+    // Get shortcuts from active panel by scope
+    const getPanelShortcuts = (panel, scope) => {
+        const shortcuts = [];
+        for (const [key, s] of panel.shortcuts) {
+            if (s.scope === scope) {
+                shortcuts.push({ keys: formatShortcut(s), desc: s.description });
+            }
+        }
+        return shortcuts;
+    };
+
+    const activePanel = _panels.get(_activePanel);
+    const defaultPanel = _panels.get('default');
+
+    // Merge shortcuts from both active and default panel for display
+    const mergeShortcuts = (scope) => {
+        const result = [];
+        if (activePanel) result.push(...getPanelShortcuts(activePanel, scope));
+        if (defaultPanel && defaultPanel !== activePanel) result.push(...getPanelShortcuts(defaultPanel, scope));
+        return result;
+    };
+
+    const playerShortcuts = mergeShortcuts('player');
+    const globalShortcuts = mergeShortcuts('global');
+    const libraryShortcuts = mergeShortcuts('library');
+
+    // Get plugin shortcuts for current plugin screen
+    const pluginShortcuts = [];
+    if (ctx.isPlugin && activePanel) {
+        for (const [key, s] of activePanel.shortcuts) {
+            if (s.scope.startsWith('plugin-') && s.scope === ctx.screen) {
+                pluginShortcuts.push({ keys: formatShortcut(s), desc: s.description });
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Get shortcuts from other panels (if multiple panels exist)
+    const otherPanelShortcuts = [];
+    if (_panels.size > 1) {
+        for (const [panelId, panel] of _panels) {
+            if (panelId === _activePanel) continue;
+            for (const [key, s] of panel.shortcuts) {
+                otherPanelShortcuts.push({ keys: formatShortcut(s), desc: s.description, panel: panelId });
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Build sections based on current context
+    const sections = [];
+    if (ctx.isSettings) {
+        sections.push({ heading: 'Settings', items: mergeShortcuts('settings') });
+    } else if (ctx.isLibrary) {
+        sections.push({ heading: 'Library', items: [
+            ...filterNavItems(navShortcuts),
+            ...libraryShortcuts,
+            { keys: 'Esc', desc: 'Clear search' }
+        ]});
+    }
+    if (ctx.isPlayer) {
+        sections.push({ heading: 'Player', items: playerShortcuts });
+    }
+    if (!ctx.isSettings && globalShortcuts.length > 0) {
+        sections.push({ heading: 'Global', items: globalShortcuts });
+    }
+    if (pluginShortcuts.length > 0) {
+        sections.push({ heading: 'Current Plugin', items: pluginShortcuts });
+    }
+    if (otherPanelShortcuts.length > 0) {
+        // Group other panel shortcuts by panel
+        const byPanel = new Map();
+        for (const item of otherPanelShortcuts) {
+            if (!byPanel.has(item.panel)) {
+                byPanel.set(item.panel, []);
+            }
+            byPanel.get(item.panel).push(item);
+        }
+        for (const [panelId, items] of byPanel) {
+            sections.push({ heading: `Panel ${panelId}`, items });
+        }
+    }
+
+    const modal = document.createElement('div');
+    modal.id = 'shortcuts-modal';
+    modal.className = 'feedBack-modal fixed inset-0 z-[200] flex items-center justify-center bg-black/70 backdrop-blur-sm';
+    modal.setAttribute('role', 'dialog');
+    modal.setAttribute('aria-modal', 'true');
+    modal.setAttribute('aria-label', 'Keyboard shortcuts');
+    // Record the element that triggered the modal so Esc / close can
+    // return focus to the correct entry even if _lastLibSelected drifts.
+    // Scope to the active screen so a stale _lastLibSelected from a
+    // different screen (e.g. Library vs Favorites) doesn't receive focus.
+    const _scModal = document.querySelector('.screen.active');
+    modal._opener = (_lastLibSelected && document.body.contains(_lastLibSelected)
+        && _scModal && _scModal.contains(_lastLibSelected))
+        ? _lastLibSelected : null;
+
+    const sectionsHtml = sections.map(section => {
+        const itemsHtml = section.items.map(({ keys, desc }) => `
+            <div class="flex items-baseline justify-between gap-4 py-1.5">
+                <span class="text-sm text-gray-300">${esc(desc)}</span>
+                <kbd class="text-xs font-mono px-2 py-0.5 rounded bg-dark-600 border border-gray-700 text-gray-200 whitespace-nowrap">${esc(keys)}</kbd>
+            </div>
+        `).join('');
+        return `
+            <section class="mb-4 last:mb-0">
+                <h4 class="text-xs font-semibold uppercase tracking-wider text-gray-500 mb-2">${esc(section.heading)}</h4>
+                ${itemsHtml}
+            </section>
+        `;
+    }).join('');
+
+    modal.innerHTML = `
+        <div class="bg-dark-700 border border-gray-700 rounded-2xl p-6 w-full max-w-md mx-4 shadow-2xl">
+            <div class="flex items-center justify-between mb-4">
+                <h3 class="text-lg font-bold text-white">Keyboard shortcuts</h3>
+                <button type="button" data-shortcuts-close
+                        class="text-gray-500 hover:text-white transition flex items-center gap-1.5" aria-label="Close shortcuts">
+                    <span class="text-xs text-gray-600">Esc</span>
+                    <svg class="w-5 h-5" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" viewBox="0 0 24 24"><path stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="2" d="M6 18L18 6M6 6l12 12"/></svg>
+                </button>
+            </div>
+            ${sectionsHtml}
+        </div>
+    `;
+
+    // Click outside the inner panel (i.e. on the backdrop) closes the
+    // modal — matches the conventional dialog UX.
+    modal.addEventListener('click', (ev) => {
+        if (ev.target === modal || ev.target.closest('[data-shortcuts-close]')) {
+            const opener = modal._opener;
+            modal.remove();
+            const focusTarget = (opener && document.body.contains(opener)) ? opener
+                : (_lastLibSelected && document.body.contains(_lastLibSelected) ? _lastLibSelected : null);
+            if (focusTarget) focusTarget.focus({ preventScroll: true });
+        }
+    });
+
+    document.body.appendChild(modal);
+    // Move focus into the dialog so background shortcuts (and arrow
+    // nav) can't fire on the underlying library entry while the
+    // overlay is open. Close button is the safe default — there's no
+    // primary input to focus on a read-only cheat sheet.
+    const closeBtn = modal.querySelector('[data-shortcuts-close]');
+    if (closeBtn) closeBtn.focus({ preventScroll: true });
+    // Trap Tab / Shift+Tab inside the modal so focus can't escape to
+    // the library content underneath while the overlay is open.
+    _trapFocusInModal(modal);
+}
+
+document.addEventListener('keydown', (e) => {
+    // Modifier-key combos belong to the browser / OS shortcuts; never
+    // intercept those.
+    if (e.ctrlKey || e.metaKey || e.altKey) return;
+
+    if (_handleLibArrowNav(e)) return;
+
+    // `?` (Shift+/) opens the keyboard-shortcuts cheat sheet. Some
+    // Linux/Electron stacks report Shift+/ as key='/' with code='Slash',
+    // so check the help shape before treating plain '/' as search.
+    if (_isShortcutHelpKey(e)) {
+        if (_isShortcutHelpSuppressedTarget(e.target || document.activeElement)) return;
+        e.preventDefault();
+        // Stop other keydown listeners on document (notably the shortcut
+        // registry below) from also consuming this event — otherwise a
+        // Linux/Electron Shift+Slash reported as key='/' opens help here and
+        // then the registry's plain `/` library-search shortcut focuses
+        // #lib-filter behind the modal. (Copilot review on #602.)
+        e.stopImmediatePropagation();
+        _openShortcutsModal();
+        return;
+    }
+
+    if (e.key === '/') {
+        if (_isTextInput(document.activeElement)) return;
+        // Also bail when focus is inside the filter drawer, a dialog, or
+        // any other interactive region — those contexts have their own
+        // keyboard semantics and shouldn't be hijacked by the search
+        // shortcut (e.g. a focused checkbox inside the filters drawer).
+        if (_isInsideInteractiveControl(document.activeElement)) return;
+        const search = _activeSearchInput();
+        if (!search) return;
+        e.preventDefault();  // suppress the literal '/' the input would receive
+        search.focus();
+        // Move caret to end without mutating .value — round-tripping
+        // the value resets the browser's undo stack and can fire
+        // unexpected input events on some engines. setSelectionRange
+        // is the no-side-effects path.
+        try {
+            const len = search.value.length;
+            search.setSelectionRange(len, len);
+        } catch {
+            // Some input types (search/email/tel) don't support
+            // selection APIs in older browsers; the focus alone is
+            // still useful, just no caret-end guarantee.
+        }
+        return;
+    }
+
+    // Single-letter shortcuts that act on the focused / selected
+    // library entry — works on both grid cards and tree rows. Each
+    // dispatches to a button class that the entry markup already
+    // exposes, so plugins can keep owning the actual behavior:
+    //   f → .fav-btn              (favorite heart toggle)
+    //   e → .edit-btn             (edit metadata modal)
+    // No-op when no entry is currently focused / selected, when the
+    // entry doesn't expose the requested button, or when the button is disabled.
+    // Bails on text input / drawer focus so single-letter typing in
+    // inputs still works.
+    const entryShortcut = { f: 'button.fav-btn', e: 'button.edit-btn' }[e.key.toLowerCase()];
+    if (entryShortcut) {
+        if (_isInsideInteractiveControl(document.activeElement)) return;
+        const ae = document.activeElement;
+        const activeScreen = document.querySelector('.screen.active');
+        const isEntry = el => el && el.classList && (el.classList.contains('song-card') || el.classList.contains('song-row'));
+        // Scope both candidates to the active screen so that a stale
+        // _lastLibSelected from Library doesn't fire when the user is
+        // on Favorites (or vice-versa), and so pressing f/e/c on a
+        // hidden screen can't accidentally persist that filename into
+        // the current screen's localStorage key.
+        const inActiveScreen = el => activeScreen && activeScreen.contains(el);
+        const target = (isEntry(ae) && inActiveScreen(ae)) ? ae
+            : (isEntry(_lastLibSelected) && inActiveScreen(_lastLibSelected) ? _lastLibSelected : null);
+        if (!target) return;
+        const btn = target.querySelector(entryShortcut);
+        if (!btn || btn.disabled) return;
+        e.preventDefault();
+        // Sync the persistent selection to the acted-on entry so that
+        // Esc-to-close-modal returns focus to the correct element and
+        // the `.selected` highlight stays consistent with the action.
+        _setLibSelection(target, { focus: false });
+        btn.click();
+        return;
+    }
+
+    if (e.key === 'Escape') {
+        // Modal-first: close the topmost open modal (edit-metadata,
+        // shortcuts cheat sheet, future modals) so Esc dismisses
+        // from anywhere — including when keyboard focus is inside
+        // a form field within the modal. Restores focus to the
+        // element that opened the modal (tracked in modal._opener)
+        // so arrow nav resumes without an extra Tab; falls back to
+        // _lastLibSelected when the opener is no longer in the DOM.
+        const modals = document.querySelectorAll('[role="dialog"][aria-modal="true"].feedBack-modal');
+        if (modals.length) {
+            e.preventDefault();
+            e.stopImmediatePropagation();
+            const modal = modals[modals.length - 1];
+            const opener = modal._opener;
+            modal.remove();
+            const focusTarget = (opener && document.body.contains(opener)) ? opener
+                : (_lastLibSelected && document.body.contains(_lastLibSelected) ? _lastLibSelected : null);
+            if (focusTarget) focusTarget.focus({ preventScroll: true });
+            return;
+        }
+        // Esc while typing in either search box clears + blurs. Other Esc
+        // semantics (drawer close, screen back) are handled elsewhere; we
+        // only act when a search box is the focused element.
+        const ae = document.activeElement;
+        if (ae && (ae.id === 'lib-filter' || ae.id === 'fav-filter')) {
+            if (ae.value) {
+                ae.value = '';
+                ae.dispatchEvent(new Event('input', { bubbles: true }));
+            }
+            ae.blur();
+        }
+    }
+});
+
+export class ShortcutPanel {
+    constructor(id) {
+        this.id = id;
+        this.shortcuts = new Map();
+    }
+    
+    _compositeKey(key, scope) {
+        return `${scope}::${key}`;
+    }
+    
+    registerShortcut(options) {
+        const { key, description, scope = 'global', condition = null, handler, modifiers = null } = options;
+        
+        if (!key || !handler) {
+            console.error(`registerShortcut: key and handler are required`);
+            return;
+        }
+        
+        // Validate scope
+        const validScopes = ['global', 'player', 'library', 'settings'];
+        const isValidScope = validScopes.includes(scope) || 
+                             scope.startsWith('plugin-');
+        if (!isValidScope) {
+            console.warn(`registerShortcut: invalid scope '${scope}'. Valid scopes are: global, player, library, settings, or plugin-{id}`);
+        }
+        
+        // Conflict detection: warn if key+scope is already registered
+        const compositeKey = this._compositeKey(key, scope);
+        if (this.shortcuts.has(compositeKey)) {
+            console.warn(`registerShortcut [${this.id}]: '${key}' in scope '${scope}' is already registered; overwriting. Previous:`, this.shortcuts.get(compositeKey));
+        }
+        
+        this.shortcuts.set(compositeKey, { key, description, scope, condition, handler, modifiers });
+    }
+    
+    unregisterShortcut(key, scope) {
+        return this.shortcuts.delete(this._compositeKey(key, scope));
+    }
+    
+    clearShortcuts() {
+        this.shortcuts.clear();
+    }
+    
+    listShortcuts() {
+        return Array.from(this.shortcuts.entries()).map(([ck, s]) => [s.key, s]);
+    }
+}
+
+// Global panel management
+export const _panels = new Map();
+
+export let _activePanel = null;
+
+export let _defaultPanel = null;
+
+// Create default panel on init
+export const defaultPanel = new ShortcutPanel('default');
+
+_panels.set('default', defaultPanel);
+
+_defaultPanel = 'default';
+
+_activePanel = 'default';
+
+window.createShortcutPanel = (id) => {
+    if (_panels.has(id)) {
+        console.warn(`createShortcutPanel: panel '${id}' already exists`);
+        return _panels.get(id);
+    }
+    const panel = new ShortcutPanel(id);
+    _panels.set(id, panel);
+    return panel;
+};
+
+window.setActiveShortcutPanel = (id) => {
+    if (!_panels.has(id)) {
+        console.error(`setActiveShortcutPanel: panel '${id}' does not exist`);
+        return;
+    }
+    _activePanel = id;
+};
+
+window.getActiveShortcutPanel = () => _activePanel;
+
+window.isInShortcutPanel = () => {
+    return _activePanel !== 'default';
+};
+
+window.getGlobalShortcutContext = () => {
+    console.warn('getGlobalShortcutContext: Global shortcuts are exceptional. Consider using panel-scoped shortcuts instead.');
+    return _panels.get('default');
+};
+
+window.registerShortcut = (options) => {
+    const panelId = _activePanel || _defaultPanel || 'default';
+    const panel = _panels.get(panelId);
+    
+    if (!panel) {
+        console.error(`registerShortcut: No panel found for registration: ${panelId}`);
+        return;
+    }
+    
+    panel.registerShortcut(options);
+};
+
+// Flat, read-only snapshot of every registered shortcut across all panels,
+// for the Settings → Keybinds reference tab. Dedupes by combo+scope (the same
+// shortcut can live in both the active panel and the default panel) and uses
+// the same modifier-prefix formatting as the shortcuts modal. Returns
+// [{ combo, description, scope }]; remapping is not supported, so this is
+// purely informational.
+window.getAllShortcuts = () => {
+    const fmt = (s) => {
+        const m = s.modifiers || {};
+        return (m.ctrl ? 'Ctrl+' : '') + (m.alt ? 'Alt+' : '')
+            + (m.shift ? 'Shift+' : '') + (m.meta ? 'Meta+' : '') + s.key;
+    };
+    const seen = new Set();
+    const out = [];
+    for (const [, panel] of _panels) {
+        if (!panel || !panel.shortcuts) continue;
+        for (const [, s] of panel.shortcuts) {
+            const combo = fmt(s);
+            const dedupe = combo + '|' + (s.scope || '');
+            if (seen.has(dedupe)) continue;
+            seen.add(dedupe);
+            out.push({ combo, description: s.description || '', scope: s.scope || 'global' });
+        }
+    }
+    return out;
+};
+
+window.unregisterShortcut = (key, scope) => {
+    // Try the active panel first to preserve panel isolation; fall back to
+    // other panels so a shortcut registered before a panel switch is still
+    // removable.
+    const resolvedScope = scope || 'global';
+    const activePanelId = _activePanel || _defaultPanel || 'default';
+    const activePanel = _panels.get(activePanelId);
+    if (activePanel && activePanel.unregisterShortcut(key, resolvedScope)) {
+        return true;
+    }
+    for (const [panelId, panel] of _panels) {
+        if (panelId === activePanelId) continue;
+        if (panel.unregisterShortcut(key, resolvedScope)) {
+            return true;
+        }
+    }
+    return false;
+};
+
+window.clearWindowShortcuts = (windowId) => {
+    // Remove all shortcuts registered for a specific window
+    // This is for backward compatibility with window-specific shortcuts
+    let removed = 0;
+    for (const [panelId, panel] of _panels) {
+        if (panelId.startsWith(`window-${windowId}`)) {
+            panel.clearShortcuts();
+            _panels.delete(panelId);
+            removed++;
+        }
+    }
+    return removed;
+};
+
+export function _getCurrentContext() {
+    const currentScreen = document.querySelector('.screen.active')?.id;
+    return {
+        screen: currentScreen,
+        windowId: window.getShortcutWindowId(),
+        activePanel: _activePanel,
+        isPlayer: currentScreen === 'player',
+        isLibrary: ['home', 'favorites'].includes(currentScreen),
+        isSettings: currentScreen === 'settings',
+        isPlugin: currentScreen?.startsWith('plugin-')
+    };
+}
+
+export function _isShortcutActive(shortcut, ctx) {
+    if (shortcut.scope === 'global') return true;
+    if (shortcut.scope === 'player' && ctx.isPlayer) return true;
+    if (shortcut.scope === 'library' && ctx.isLibrary) return true;
+    if (shortcut.scope === 'settings' && ctx.isSettings) return true;
+    if (shortcut.scope.startsWith('plugin-')) {
+        const pluginId = shortcut.scope.replace('plugin-', '');
+        return ctx.screen === `plugin-${pluginId}`;
+    }
+    return false;
+}
+
+export function _modifiersMatch(e, modifiers) {
+    if (!modifiers) return true;
+    if (modifiers.ctrl !== undefined && modifiers.ctrl !== e.ctrlKey) return false;
+    if (modifiers.alt !== undefined && modifiers.alt !== e.altKey) return false;
+    if (modifiers.shift !== undefined && modifiers.shift !== e.shiftKey) return false;
+    if (modifiers.meta !== undefined && modifiers.meta !== e.metaKey) return false;
+    return true;
+}
+
+// Debug mode for keyboard shortcuts
+export let _DEBUG_SHORTCUTS = false;
+
+window._setDebugShortcuts = (enabled) => {
+    _DEBUG_SHORTCUTS = enabled;
+    console.log(`[Shortcuts] Debug mode ${enabled ? 'ENABLED' : 'DISABLED'}`);
+};
+
+window._listShortcuts = () => {
+    console.log('=== Registered Shortcuts ===');
+    for (const [panelId, panel] of _panels) {
+        console.log(`Panel: ${panelId}`);
+        for (const [, s] of panel.shortcuts) {
+            console.log(`  ${s.key.padEnd(15)} | ${s.scope.padEnd(10)} | ${s.description}`);
+        }
+    }
+    console.log('=== End ===');
+};
+
+window._testShortcut = (key, scope) => {
+    // Mirror the dispatcher: try the active panel first, then default.
+    const resolvedScope = scope || 'global';
+    const tried = new Set();
+    const panelOrder = [_activePanel, _defaultPanel, 'default'].filter(id => {
+        if (!id || tried.has(id)) return false;
+        tried.add(id);
+        return true;
+    });
+
+    for (const panelId of panelOrder) {
+        const panel = _panels.get(panelId);
+        if (!panel) continue;
+        const shortcut = panel.shortcuts.get(panel._compositeKey(key, resolvedScope));
+        if (!shortcut) continue;
+
+        const ctx = _getCurrentContext();
+        const active = _isShortcutActive(shortcut, ctx);
+        let conditionMet = true;
+        if (shortcut.condition) {
+            try { conditionMet = !!shortcut.condition(); }
+            catch (err) { conditionMet = `threw: ${err.message}`; }
+        }
+        console.log(`Shortcut '${key}' [${resolvedScope}] [${panelId}]:`, {
+            description: shortcut.description,
+            scope: shortcut.scope,
+            currentContext: ctx,
+            isActive: active,
+            conditionMet
+        });
+        return;
+    }
+
+    console.log(`Shortcut '${key}' (scope: ${resolvedScope}) not registered in any panel`);
+};
+
+// Expose internals for debugging (prefixed with _ to indicate private)
+// These are for development/debugging only and should not be used by plugins.
+window._panels = _panels;
+
+window._getCurrentContext = _getCurrentContext;
+
+window._isShortcutActive = _isShortcutActive;
+
+document.addEventListener('keydown', e => {
+    if (_shortcutDispatchBlocked(e)) return;
+
+    const ctx = _getCurrentContext();
+    const activePanel = _panels.get(_activePanel);
+    const defaultPanel = _panels.get('default');
+    
+    if (!activePanel && !defaultPanel) return;
+
+    if (_DEBUG_SHORTCUTS) {
+        console.log('[Shortcuts] Key pressed:', { key: e.key, code: e.code, ctx, activePanel: _activePanel });
+    }
+
+    // Try active panel first, then fall back to default
+    const panelsToDispatch = [];
+    if (activePanel && activePanel !== defaultPanel) panelsToDispatch.push(activePanel);
+    if (defaultPanel) panelsToDispatch.push(defaultPanel);
+
+    for (const panel of panelsToDispatch) {
+        for (const [, shortcut] of panel.shortcuts) {
+        // Match on both e.key (character produced) and e.code (physical key)
+        if (e.key !== shortcut.key && e.code !== shortcut.key) continue;
+
+        // Check modifier keys if specified
+        if (!_modifiersMatch(e, shortcut.modifiers)) continue;
+
+        if (_DEBUG_SHORTCUTS) {
+            console.log('[Shortcuts] Matched shortcut:', shortcut.key, shortcut);
+        }
+
+        // Check scope
+        if (!_isShortcutActive(shortcut, ctx)) {
+            if (_DEBUG_SHORTCUTS) {
+                console.log('[Shortcuts] Not active - scope mismatch:', shortcut.scope, ctx);
+            }
+            continue;
+        }
+
+        // Check condition callback — guard against plugin errors
+        if (shortcut.condition) {
+            try {
+                if (!shortcut.condition()) {
+                    if (_DEBUG_SHORTCUTS) {
+                        console.log('[Shortcuts] Not active - condition failed');
+                    }
+                    continue;
+                }
+            } catch (err) {
+                console.error('[Shortcuts] condition() threw for key:', shortcut.key, err);
+                continue;
+            }
+        }
+
+        e.preventDefault();
+        if (_DEBUG_SHORTCUTS) {
+            console.log('[Shortcuts] Executing handler for:', shortcut.key);
+        }
+        // Guard handler against plugin errors
+        try {
+            shortcut.handler(e);
+        } catch (err) {
+            console.error('[Shortcuts] handler() threw for key:', shortcut.key, err);
+        }
+        return;
+    }
+}
+
+    if (_DEBUG_SHORTCUTS) {
+        console.log('[Shortcuts] No shortcut matched for:', e.key, e.code);
+    }
+});
+
+window.addEventListener('beforeunload', () => {
+    const windowId = window.getShortcutWindowId();
+    const removed = window.clearWindowShortcuts(windowId);
+    if (removed > 0 && _DEBUG_SHORTCUTS) {
+        console.log(`[Shortcuts] Cleaned up ${removed} shortcuts for window ${windowId}`);
+    }
+});
+
+// Global shortcuts
+registerShortcut({
+    key: '?',
+    description: 'Show keyboard shortcuts',
+    scope: 'global',
+    handler: () => _openShortcutsModal()
+});
+
+// Library shortcuts
+registerShortcut({
+    key: '/',
+    description: 'Focus search',
+    scope: 'library',
+    handler: () => {
+        const input = _activeSearchInput();
+        if (input) input.focus();
+    }
+});
@@ -172,7 +172,7 @@ export function _songEventPayload() {
    return {
        time: audioT,
        audioT,
-        chartT: highway.getTime(),
+        chartT: window.highway.getTime(),
        perfNow: performance.now(),
    };
 }
@@ -289,8 +289,8 @@ export async function _audioSeek(s, reason) {
        // _audioSeek resolves (e.g. the auto-resume song:play in
        // changeArrangement) sees an in-sync chartT via _songEventPayload.
        // Without this, chartT lags by one 60Hz tick after a seek.
-        if (typeof highway !== 'undefined' && highway && typeof highway.setTime === 'function') {
-            highway.setTime(to);
+        if (window.highway && typeof window.highway.setTime === 'function') {
+            window.highway.setTime(to);
        }
        window.feedBack.emit('song:seek', { from, to, reason: reason || null });
        return { completed: true, from, to };
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ function _hasPromotedFlag() {
 // Pending nag: queued during _populateVizPicker, fired on the first
 // `song:ready` (so the toast lands when the user actually opens the
 // player, not at page load when they're still in the library).
-// `song:ready` is emitted by highway.js via window.feedBack.emit(), so
+// `song:ready` is emitted by window.highway.js via window.feedBack.emit(), so
 // subscribe through the same EventTarget. window.feedBack is created in
 // this same file before _populateVizPicker is reachable, so the global
 // is guaranteed to exist by the time this listener registers — but guard
@@ -326,7 +326,7 @@ export async function _populateVizPicker(plugins) {
    // plugin options — _autoMatchViz saw no candidates and left the
    // default active. Now that plugins are registered, re-evaluate
    // against whatever song is currently loaded (a no-op when no song
-    // has been loaded yet, since highway.getSongInfo() returns {}).
+    // has been loaded yet, since window.highway.getSongInfo() returns {}).
    if (sel.value === 'auto') _autoMatchViz();
 }

@@ -356,7 +356,7 @@ function _noteVizAutoMatch(id, matched) {
 }

 function _installVizRenderer(renderer, id, source = 'user-select') {
-    highway.setRenderer(_tagVizRenderer(renderer, id));
+    window.highway.setRenderer(_tagVizRenderer(renderer, id));
    // Drop any stale notation-view hint now that we have a resolved renderer id.
    // This is also the path used by _autoMatchViz() after it resolves 'auto' to
    // a real plugin id, so the null passed at evaluation start is corrected here.
@@ -377,7 +377,7 @@ export function setViz(id) {
        try { localStorage.setItem('vizSelection', 'default'); } catch (_) {}
        const sel = document.getElementById('viz-picker');
        if (sel) sel.value = 'default';
-        highway.setRenderer(null);
+        window.highway.setRenderer(null);
        _syncVenueVizPlayerClass('default');
        if (window.v3VenueScene3d && typeof window.v3VenueScene3d.syncViz === 'function') {
            window.v3VenueScene3d.syncViz('default');
@@ -399,7 +399,7 @@ export function setViz(id) {
        try { localStorage.setItem('vizSelection', id || 'default'); } catch (_) {}
        const _sel = document.getElementById('viz-picker');
        if (_sel) _sel.value = 'default';
-        highway.setRenderer(null);
+        window.highway.setRenderer(null);
        _syncVenueVizPlayerClass('default');
        if (window.v3VenueScene3d && typeof window.v3VenueScene3d.syncViz === 'function') {
            window.v3VenueScene3d.syncViz('default');
@@ -483,7 +483,7 @@ export function setViz(id) {
        fallbackToDefault();
        return;
    }
-    // Validate shape — highway.setRenderer will itself fall back to
+    // Validate shape — window.highway.setRenderer will itself fall back to
    // default on a bad renderer, but without this check the UI and
    // localStorage would still advertise the broken selection.
    if (!renderer || typeof renderer.draw !== 'function') {
@@ -503,7 +503,7 @@ export function setViz(id) {

 // Auto mode: evaluate each registered viz factory's static
 // `matchesArrangement(songInfo)` predicate and install the first
-// matching renderer. No match → fall back to the built-in 2D highway.
+// matching renderer. No match → fall back to the built-in 2D window.highway.
 //
 // vizSelection stays 'auto' across invocations so the next song:ready
 // re-evaluates. An explicit picker choice overrides Auto by persisting
@@ -530,10 +530,10 @@ function _setAutoVizLabel(resolvedText) {
 let _cancelPendingAutoLabel = null;

 // One-shot (per song) hint shown when a notation-only arrangement falls back
-// to the built-in 2D highway. Such arrangements carry no wire notes
+// to the built-in 2D window.highway. Such arrangements carry no wire notes
 // (sloppak-spec §5.3: `file:` may be omitted when `notation:` is present), so
 // the default renderer draws an empty board — without this the user is left
-// staring at a silently blank highway. Core ships no notation view; point at
+// staring at a silently blank window.highway. Core ships no notation view; point at
 // the viz picker instead.
 let _notationHintShownFor = null;
 function _showNotationViewHint(arrangementIndex, activeVizId) {
@@ -579,8 +579,8 @@ function _dropStaleNotationHint(activeVizId) {
    const curFilename = (window.feedBack && window.feedBack.currentSong
        && window.feedBack.currentSong.filename) || '';
    if (stale.dataset.filename !== curFilename) { stale.remove(); return; }
-    const songInfo = (typeof highway !== 'undefined' && typeof highway.getSongInfo === 'function')
-        ? (highway.getSongInfo() || {}) : {};
+    const songInfo = (typeof window.highway?.getSongInfo === 'function')
+        ? (window.highway.getSongInfo() || {}) : {};
    const curArrIdx = songInfo.arrangement_index != null ? String(songInfo.arrangement_index) : null;
    if (curArrIdx !== null && stale.dataset.arrangementIndex !== undefined
            && stale.dataset.arrangementIndex !== curArrIdx) {
@@ -593,8 +593,8 @@ function _dropStaleNotationHint(activeVizId) {

 export function _maybeShowNotationViewHint(activeVizId) {
    _dropStaleNotationHint(activeVizId);
-    const songInfo = (typeof highway !== 'undefined' && typeof highway.getSongInfo === 'function')
-        ? (highway.getSongInfo() || {}) : {};
+    const songInfo = (typeof window.highway?.getSongInfo === 'function')
+        ? (window.highway.getSongInfo() || {}) : {};
    const activeArr = Array.isArray(songInfo.arrangements)
        ? songInfo.arrangements.find(a => a.index === songInfo.arrangement_index)
        : null;
@@ -641,8 +641,8 @@ export function _autoMatchViz() {
    // Reset label at evaluation start so a stale resolved label never persists
    // if the song changes or the picker re-evaluates with a different outcome.
    _setAutoVizLabel(null);
-    const songInfo = (typeof highway !== 'undefined' && typeof highway.getSongInfo === 'function')
-        ? (highway.getSongInfo() || {}) : {};
+    const songInfo = (typeof window.highway?.getSongInfo === 'function')
+        ? (window.highway.getSongInfo() || {}) : {};
    // Only update the label when a real song is loaded. Before the first
    // song_info frame, getSongInfo() returns {} — leaving the reset state
    // ("Auto (match arrangement)") is correct; we haven't evaluated yet.
@@ -714,17 +714,17 @@ export function _autoMatchViz() {
        _noteVizAutoMatch(id, true);
        return;
    }
-    // No match — restore the built-in 2D highway. setRenderer(null) is
+    // No match — restore the built-in 2D window.highway. setRenderer(null) is
    // a no-op when the default is already active. If the previous Auto
-    // pick was a WebGL renderer, highway.setRenderer() handles the
+    // pick was a WebGL renderer, window.highway.setRenderer() handles the
    // context-type change by replacing the canvas element (cloneNode +
    // replaceWith) so the default 2D renderer's getContext('2d') always
    // succeeds — no canvas-lock limitation here.
-    highway.setRenderer(null);
+    window.highway.setRenderer(null);
    _notifyVizDomain('default', 'auto-match');
    _noteVizAutoMatch('default', false);
    // Update the label so the user can see Auto resolved to the built-in
-    // highway. Read from the DOM rather than hard-coding the name so a
+    // window.highway. Read from the DOM rather than hard-coding the name so a
    // future rename of the default entry is automatically reflected.
    if (hasSong) {
        const defaultOpt = Array.from(sel.options).find(o => o.value === 'default');
@@ -0,0 +1,190 @@
+/*
+ * fee[dB]ack — the pop-out chip.
+ *
+ * One affordance, core-owned, identical everywhere: the small ⇱ button a plugin
+ * drops into the panel it already has.
+ *
+ *     feedBack.panes.register({ id: 'camera_director', title: 'Camera', element: () => panelEl });
+ *     feedBack.panes.attachChip(panelEl, 'camera_director');
+ *
+ * That is the entire adoption cost. Clicking the chip pops the panel out; a stub
+ * takes its place so the user can find it again; closing the pane brings the panel
+ * home and restores the chip. The plugin writes no show/hide logic — if it did,
+ * every plugin would invent a slightly different one, which is exactly the
+ * inconsistency this exists to prevent.
+ *
+ * The panel a chip is attached to is USUALLY the very element the pane moves into
+ * the pop-out window — so most of the time there is nothing here left to hide, and
+ * the job is simply to mark the hole it left. Hiding it would in fact be actively
+ * harmful: `.fb-pane-detached` is `display:none !important`, and it would travel
+ * with the node straight into the pane window and blank it.
+ *
+ * When the chip IS attached to something the pane didn't take (a wrapper, a
+ * launcher row), that element stays put and is hidden with `.fb-pane-detached` —
+ * a dedicated class, not `.hidden`/[hidden], because the panels we attach to
+ * already toggle those themselves.
+ */
+(function () {
+    'use strict';
+
+    const panes = window.feedBack && window.feedBack.panes;
+    if (!panes || typeof panes.register !== 'function') {
+        console.error('[panes] pane-manager.js must load before pane-chip.js');
+        return;
+    }
+
+    // paneId -> { el, chip, stub, spec }
+    const attached = new Map();
+
+    function _makeChip(spec) {
+        const b = document.createElement('button');
+        b.type = 'button';
+        b.className = 'fb-pane-chip';
+        b.title = 'Pop out';
+        b.setAttribute('aria-label', 'Pop out ' + spec.title);
+        b.textContent = '⇱';
+        b.addEventListener('click', (e) => {
+            // Rail popovers close on any document click that lands outside them
+            // (player-chrome.js). Without this the popover would close under the
+            // chip mid-click, which reads as the button not working.
+            e.stopPropagation();
+            e.preventDefault();
+            panes.detach(spec.id);
+        });
+        return b;
+    }
+
+    function _makeStub(spec) {
+        const s = document.createElement('button');
+        s.type = 'button';
+        s.className = 'fb-pane-stub';
+        s.setAttribute('aria-label', 'Bring ' + spec.title + ' back');
+        s.title = 'Bring it back';
+        const glyph = document.createElement('span');
+        glyph.className = 'fb-pane-stub-glyph';
+        glyph.textContent = '⇲';
+        const label = document.createElement('span');
+        label.textContent = spec.title + ' is popped out';
+        s.appendChild(glyph);
+        s.appendChild(label);
+        s.addEventListener('click', (e) => {
+            e.stopPropagation();
+            e.preventDefault();
+            panes.close(spec.id);
+        });
+        return s;
+    }
+
+    // The pane is out. Leave a stub where its panel used to be.
+    //
+    // The subtlety: the panel a chip is attached to is USUALLY the very element the
+    // pane moved into the pop-out window. It is no longer in this document at all —
+    // so hiding it would be worse than pointless (the `display:none` travels with
+    // the node and blanks the pane window, which is exactly the bug this fixes), and
+    // the stub cannot be inserted "before it", because it is not here to be before.
+    //
+    // Hence `home`: the manager tells us where the element used to live, and the
+    // stub goes there. If the chip is attached to something the pane did NOT take —
+    // a wrapper, a launcher row — that element is still here, and we hide it as
+    // before.
+    function _onOpened(rec, detail) {
+        // Did the pane take MY element?
+        //
+        // Ask the manager, which knows exactly what it handed to the host. Do not
+        // try to infer it from the element:
+        //
+        //   - `isConnected` says "still here" for a panel sitting in a pane window.
+        //     It IS connected — to that window.
+        //   - `ownerDocument` says "still here" for a panel moved into the DOCK,
+        //     which is in this very document. Hiding it there would blank a pane the
+        //     user is looking at.
+        //
+        // Both were live bugs. The manager's answer is the only one that holds for
+        // every host, and it works when reconciling after the fact (detail == null),
+        // which is what a plugin rebuilding its panel mid-pop-out triggers.
+        const takenEl = (detail && detail.el) || panes.elementOf(rec.spec.id);
+        const moved = takenEl === rec.el;
+
+        if (!moved && rec.el.isConnected) {
+            rec.el.classList.add('fb-pane-detached');
+            if (!rec.stub.isConnected && rec.el.parentNode) rec.el.parentNode.insertBefore(rec.stub, rec.el);
+            return;
+        }
+
+        // Mark the hole the element left. `home` comes with the event, or from the
+        // manager when we are reconciling after the fact.
+        const home = (detail && detail.home) || panes.homeOf(rec.spec.id);
+        if (!rec.stub.isConnected && home && home.parent && home.parent.isConnected) {
+            const next = (home.next && home.next.parentNode === home.parent) ? home.next : null;
+            home.parent.insertBefore(rec.stub, next);
+        }
+    }
+
+    function _onClosed(rec) {
+        // The element is back. Whatever we did to hide it, undo — including a class
+        // it might have carried out of the document and back.
+        rec.el.classList.remove('fb-pane-detached');
+        rec.stub.remove();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * attachChip(el, paneId, opts)
+     *
+     * `el`   — the dialog to hide when the pane pops out. The chip is injected
+     *          into `el.querySelector('[data-pane-header]')` when present, else
+     *          prepended to `el` itself.
+     * `opts` — { header: Element } to place the chip somewhere specific.
+     *
+     * Returns a detach function that removes the chip and stub and restores the
+     * dialog — call it if your plugin tears its dialog down.
+     */
+    function attachChip(el, paneId, opts) {
+        opts = opts || {};
+        if (!(el instanceof Element)) throw new TypeError('panes.attachChip: el must be an Element');
+        // Validate here, not at the insertBefore below. This is a public plugin API,
+        // and a truthy non-Element `header` (a selector string, a jQuery-ish wrapper,
+        // a ref object) is an easy mistake to make — one that would otherwise surface
+        // as a confusing DOM exception from deep inside core.
+        if (opts.header != null && !(opts.header instanceof Element)) {
+            throw new TypeError('panes.attachChip(' + paneId + '): opts.header must be an Element');
+        }
+        const spec = panes.get(paneId);
+        if (!spec) { console.warn('[panes] attachChip: register the pane first:', paneId); return () => {}; }
+        if (attached.has(paneId)) { console.warn('[panes] attachChip: already attached:', paneId); return () => {}; }
+
+        const chip = _makeChip(spec);
+        const stub = _makeStub(spec);
+        const host = opts.header || el.querySelector('[data-pane-header]') || el;
+        if (host === el) host.insertBefore(chip, host.firstChild);
+        else host.appendChild(chip);
+
+        const rec = { el, chip, stub, spec };
+        attached.set(paneId, rec);
+
+        // Reconcile immediately: register() reopens a pane the user left open at
+        // last unload, and that can land before (or after) attachChip runs.
+        if (panes.isOpen(paneId)) _onOpened(rec, null);
+
+        return () => {
+            if (attached.get(paneId) !== rec) return;
+            attached.delete(paneId);
+            chip.remove();
+            _onClosed(rec);
+        };
+    }
+
+    // One pair of bus listeners for every chip, rather than one pair per chip.
+    const bus = window.feedBack;
+    if (bus && typeof bus.on === 'function') {
+        bus.on('panes:opened', (e) => {
+            const rec = attached.get(e.detail && e.detail.id);
+            if (rec) _onOpened(rec, e.detail);
+        });
+        bus.on('panes:closed', (e) => {
+            const rec = attached.get(e.detail && e.detail.id);
+            if (rec) _onClosed(rec);
+        });
+    }
+
+    window.feedBack.panes.attachChip = attachChip;
+})();
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+/*
+ * fee[dB]ack — desktop upgrades for pane windows.
+ *
+ * In the desktop app a pane window is a real BrowserWindow: it remembers where you
+ * put it, it stays off the taskbar, it minimizes to the system tray, and the tray
+ * lists every pane you have.
+ *
+ * Note what this file does NOT do: it does not open the window, and it does not
+ * close it. That stays in pane-window-host.js, and it stays `window.open()` —
+ * because the pane's element is MOVED into that window's document, and a window
+ * the main process created for us would give this realm no handle to adopt into.
+ *
+ * Electron turns our same-origin `window.open()` into a real BrowserWindow anyway,
+ * and the main process recognises it by its frame name (`fbpane-<id>`) and takes
+ * over the OS-level behaviour from there. So the only thing left to say across IPC
+ * is "here are the panes that exist" — for the tray — and to listen for the tray
+ * saying "open that one".
+ *
+ * In a browser, or on an older desktop build, this file does nothing and pop-out
+ * works anyway. Everything here is an upgrade, not a dependency.
+ */
+(function () {
+    'use strict';
+
+    const panes = window.feedBack && window.feedBack.panes;
+    const bus = window.feedBack;
+    const desktop = window.feedBackDesktop && window.feedBackDesktop.panes;
+    if (!panes || !bus || !desktop) return;
+
+    // The tray asked to toggle a pane. Only this realm knows what that means — the
+    // pane might belong in the dock, and its element lives here.
+    desktop.onToggle((paneId) => {
+        if (panes.isOpen(paneId)) panes.close(paneId);
+        else panes.detach(paneId);
+    });
+
+    // Keep the tray's menu in step with the registry. Cheap and rare — panes are
+    // registered at load and toggled by hand, never on a playback path.
+    function sync() {
+        desktop.sync(panes.list().map((p) => ({ id: p.id, title: p.title, icon: p.icon, open: p.open })));
+    }
+    bus.on('panes:registered', sync);
+    bus.on('panes:unregistered', sync);
+    bus.on('panes:opened', sync);
+    bus.on('panes:closed', sync);
+    sync();
+})();
@@ -0,0 +1,121 @@
+/*
+ * fee[dB]ack — pane dock (the in-window pane host).
+ *
+ * A right-edge stack of cards, one per open pane. Deliberately NOT a rail popover:
+ * the rail is exclusive (player-chrome.js's openPopFor closes the last one before
+ * opening the next), which is exactly why you cannot watch the mixer while riding
+ * the camera. Cards here coexist.
+ *
+ * As everywhere in this system, the card holds the plugin's REAL element — moved,
+ * not copied. The dock is a frame; the panel inside it is the panel.
+ *
+ * Song-switch survival is structural, not defended: #fb-pane-dock is a <body>
+ * child outside every .screen, so the per-song teardown never sees it.
+ *
+ * Registers as the `dock` host at priority 0 — the floor. Whatever else exists
+ * (an OS window), a pane can always land here, so opening one can never fail.
+ */
+(function () {
+    'use strict';
+
+    const panes = window.feedBack && window.feedBack.panes;
+    if (!panes || typeof panes.registerHost !== 'function') {
+        console.error('[panes] pane-manager.js must load before pane-dock.js');
+        return;
+    }
+
+    let dockEl = null;
+    const cards = new Map();   // paneId -> card element
+
+    function dock() {
+        if (dockEl && dockEl.isConnected) return dockEl;
+        dockEl = document.getElementById('fb-pane-dock');
+        if (!dockEl) {
+            dockEl = document.createElement('div');
+            dockEl.id = 'fb-pane-dock';
+            // `is-empty` from the start: panes.css hides an empty dock, and a dock
+            // born without the class is a visible-to-CSS, announced-to-screen-readers
+            // `role="region"` landmark with nothing in it until the first card
+            // arrives. Born empty, because it is.
+            dockEl.className = 'fb-pane-dock is-empty';
+            dockEl.setAttribute('role', 'region');
+            dockEl.setAttribute('aria-label', 'Panes');
+            document.body.appendChild(dockEl);
+        }
+        return dockEl;
+    }
+
+    function _syncEmpty() {
+        dock().classList.toggle('is-empty', cards.size === 0);
+    }
+
+    function place(spec, el) {
+        const card = document.createElement('section');
+        card.className = 'fb-pane-card';
+        card.dataset.paneId = spec.id;
+        card.setAttribute('aria-label', spec.title);
+
+        const head = document.createElement('header');
+        head.className = 'fb-pane-card-head';
+
+        const title = document.createElement('span');
+        title.className = 'fb-pane-card-title';
+        // textContent, not innerHTML — a pane title comes from a plugin.
+        title.textContent = spec.icon + ' ' + spec.title;
+
+        const close = document.createElement('button');
+        close.type = 'button';
+        close.className = 'fb-pane-card-btn';
+        close.setAttribute('aria-label', 'Close ' + spec.title);
+        close.title = 'Close';
+        close.textContent = '✕';
+        close.addEventListener('click', () => panes.close(spec.id));
+
+        head.appendChild(title);
+        head.appendChild(close);
+
+        const body = document.createElement('div');
+        body.className = 'fb-pane-card-body';
+
+        // Same neutralisation as the window host: the panel was a fixed overlay
+        // pinned to a corner of the app, and inside a card that positioning is
+        // nonsense. .fb-paned unpins it and nothing else.
+        el.classList.add('fb-paned');
+        body.appendChild(el);
+
+        card.appendChild(head);
+        card.appendChild(body);
+        dock().appendChild(card);
+        cards.set(spec.id, card);
+        _syncEmpty();
+    }
+
+    function unplace(id, el) {
+        // Hand the element back unmarked. The manager returns it to its home right
+        // after this, and it must arrive as the plugin left it — a panel that
+        // stayed .fb-paned would come back with its own positioning stripped.
+        if (el) el.classList.remove('fb-paned');
+        const card = cards.get(id);
+        if (card) card.remove();
+        cards.delete(id);
+        _syncEmpty();
+    }
+
+    function focus(id) {
+        const card = cards.get(id);
+        if (!card) return;
+        // Honour prefers-reduced-motion, as the flash animation below already does
+        // in panes.css. A smooth scroll is motion too, and a user who asked for less
+        // of it meant this as well.
+        const calm = window.matchMedia && window.matchMedia('(prefers-reduced-motion: reduce)').matches;
+        card.scrollIntoView({ block: 'nearest', behavior: calm ? 'auto' : 'smooth' });
+        // Re-trigger the flash even if the class is still there — repeat focus of
+        // the same card would otherwise be a no-op animation.
+        card.classList.remove('is-flash');
+        void card.offsetWidth;
+        card.classList.add('is-flash');
+        setTimeout(() => card.classList.remove('is-flash'), 700);
+    }
+
+    panes.registerHost({ id: 'dock', priority: 0, available: () => !!document.body, place, unplace, focus });
+})();
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+/*
+ * fee[dB]ack — pane launcher (the "Panes" rail popover).
+ *
+ * A chip only works for a pane that already has a dialog to hide. Panes with no
+ * dialog — a readout, a plugin's optional extra — need somewhere to be opened
+ * from, so every registered pane gets one: a checkbox list in the rail.
+ *
+ * The rail popover is the right home for this precisely because it IS exclusive
+ * and transient. It's a menu, not a workspace; the panes it opens are the
+ * workspace, and they persist.
+ *
+ * Populated from the registry, so a plugin that calls panes.register() appears
+ * here with no further work. (The system tray will mirror this list.)
+ */
+(function () {
+    'use strict';
+
+    const panes = window.feedBack && window.feedBack.panes;
+    const bus = window.feedBack;
+    if (!panes || !bus || typeof bus.on !== 'function') return;
+
+    let listEl = null;
+
+    function render() {
+        if (!listEl || !listEl.isConnected) listEl = document.getElementById('v3-rail-panes-list');
+        if (!listEl) return;
+        const all = panes.list();
+
+        // Toggling a pane from this list fires panes:opened/closed, which re-renders
+        // the list — destroying the very button the user just pressed and dropping
+        // focus to <body>. Remember which one had it and give it back, so keyboard
+        // and screen-reader users can toggle several panes without losing their place.
+        const focusedId = (listEl.contains(document.activeElement) && document.activeElement.dataset)
+            ? document.activeElement.dataset.paneId : null;
+
+        listEl.replaceChildren();
+
+        if (!all.length) {
+            const empty = document.createElement('div');
+            empty.className = 'v3-pop-empty';
+            empty.textContent = 'No panes available.';
+            listEl.appendChild(empty);
+            return;
+        }
+
+        all.forEach((p) => {
+            const b = document.createElement('button');
+            b.type = 'button';
+            b.className = 'v3-pop-btn';
+            b.dataset.paneId = p.id;
+            b.setAttribute('aria-pressed', p.open ? 'true' : 'false');
+            b.textContent = (p.open ? '● ' : '○ ') + p.icon + ' ' + p.title;
+            b.addEventListener('click', (e) => {
+                e.stopPropagation();
+                if (panes.isOpen(p.id)) panes.close(p.id); else panes.detach(p.id);
+            });
+            listEl.appendChild(b);
+            if (p.id === focusedId) b.focus();
+        });
+    }
+
+    // The registry changes when plugins load and when panes open/close. Render is
+    // cheap and rare (never on a playback path), so just re-run it.
+    bus.on('panes:registered', render);
+    bus.on('panes:unregistered', render);
+    bus.on('panes:opened', render);
+    bus.on('panes:closed', render);
+
+    if (document.readyState !== 'complete') document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', render);
+    else render();
+})();
@@ -0,0 +1,381 @@
+/*
+ * fee[dB]ack — pane manager.
+ *
+ * The registry and host router behind `window.feedBack.panes`.
+ *
+ * A "pane" is a piece of UI a plugin already has — a mixer panel, a camera rig,
+ * a settings board — that the user can pop out into its own OS window and leave
+ * open: while they play, across song switches, on a second monitor, minimized to
+ * the tray.
+ *
+ * The whole design is one sentence: WE MOVE THE REAL ELEMENT.
+ *
+ * Not a copy of it, not a re-implementation of it in the pop-out window — the
+ * actual DOM node. Same-origin windows can adopt each other's nodes, and an
+ * adopted node keeps its event listeners and its closures. So the panel goes on
+ * running the plugin's own code, against the plugin's own state, in the plugin's
+ * own realm. It looks and behaves exactly like the thing that was popped out,
+ * because it IS the thing that was popped out.
+ *
+ * That is what makes the plugin's side of this two lines:
+ *
+ *     feedBack.panes.register({ id: 'camera_director', title: 'Camera', element: () => panelEl });
+ *     feedBack.panes.attachChip(panelEl, 'camera_director');
+ *
+ * No state mirroring, no cross-window RPC, no second copy of the UI to keep in
+ * step with the first. Those were all workarounds for a problem we simply do not
+ * have once the node itself moves.
+ *
+ * The manager owns which pane is open and where, and — crucially — where each
+ * pane's element CAME FROM, so docking it puts it back exactly where it was.
+ */
+(function () {
+    'use strict';
+
+    const HOSTS_KEY = 'fbPaneHosts';       // { paneId: hostId } — panes open at last unload
+
+    // id -> normalized spec
+    const specs = new Map();
+    // id -> { spec, hostId, el, home: { parent, next } }
+    const open = new Map();
+    // hostId -> host provider
+    const hosts = new Map();
+
+    // ── Persistence ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+    // Only which pane was open, and where. A pane's CONTENTS are the plugin's own
+    // DOM and the plugin's own state — none of our business.
+
+    // A pane id is plugin-controlled and is used as a key in the persisted
+    // host map. `__proto__` and friends are not ids, they are booby traps: writing
+    // `map['__proto__'] = 'window'` on a plain object corrupts the map (and can
+    // reach Object.prototype), and reading `map[id]` can pick a value straight off
+    // the prototype chain for a pane that was never remembered at all.
+    //
+    // Rejected at registration, so the id never reaches storage — and the reads
+    // below are own-property checks anyway, because defence in depth is cheap here.
+    const UNSAFE_KEYS = ['__proto__', 'constructor', 'prototype'];
+    function _isUnsafeId(id) { return UNSAFE_KEYS.indexOf(id) >= 0; }
+
+    function _readJSON(key, fallback) {
+        try {
+            const raw = localStorage.getItem(key);
+            if (!raw) return fallback;
+            const parsed = JSON.parse(raw);
+            if (!parsed || typeof parsed !== 'object' || Array.isArray(parsed)) return fallback;
+            // Re-key onto a null-prototype object: whatever was in storage (hand
+            // edited, corrupt, polluted) can no longer smuggle in a prototype.
+            const safe = Object.create(null);
+            Object.keys(parsed).forEach((k) => { if (!_isUnsafeId(k)) safe[k] = parsed[k]; });
+            return safe;
+        } catch (e) { return fallback; }   // private mode / corrupt value
+    }
+    function _writeJSON(key, value) {
+        try { localStorage.setItem(key, JSON.stringify(value)); } catch (e) { /* quota / private mode: non-fatal */ }
+    }
+    function _rememberHost(id, hostId) {
+        if (_isUnsafeId(id)) return;
+        const map = _readJSON(HOSTS_KEY, Object.create(null));
+        if (hostId) map[id] = hostId; else delete map[id];
+        _writeJSON(HOSTS_KEY, map);
+    }
+    function _rememberedHost(id) {
+        const map = _readJSON(HOSTS_KEY, Object.create(null));
+        return Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(map, id) ? map[id] : undefined;
+    }
+
+    // ── Spec ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+    // A pane window's initial size. Plugin-controlled, and the window host builds
+    // window.open()'s feature string by concatenation — so this has to come out the
+    // other side as a number, not merely as something number-ish.
+    const MIN_PANE_PX = 120;
+    const MAX_PANE_PX = 4000;   // wider than any real display; a guard, not a policy
+    function _size(v, fallback) {
+        const n = Math.round(Number(v));
+        if (!Number.isFinite(n) || n <= 0) return fallback;
+        return Math.min(MAX_PANE_PX, Math.max(MIN_PANE_PX, n));
+    }
+
+    function _normalize(spec) {
+        if (!spec || typeof spec !== 'object') throw new TypeError('panes.register: spec must be an object');
+        if (!spec.id || typeof spec.id !== 'string') throw new TypeError('panes.register: spec.id is required');
+        // See UNSAFE_KEYS: a pane id becomes a key in the persisted host map.
+        if (_isUnsafeId(spec.id)) throw new TypeError('panes.register: unsafe pane id: ' + spec.id);
+        if (typeof spec.element !== 'function' && !(spec.element instanceof Element)) {
+            throw new TypeError('panes.register(' + spec.id + '): spec.element must be an Element, or a function returning one');
+        }
+        return {
+            id: spec.id,
+            title: spec.title || spec.id,
+            icon: spec.icon || '▣',
+            // Resolved lazily: a plugin often builds its panel on first use, so the
+            // element may not exist at registration time — and it may be rebuilt
+            // later (Camera Director rebuilds its panel on every mode change).
+            // Asking for it at open time means we always move the live one.
+            element: typeof spec.element === 'function' ? spec.element : () => spec.element,
+            // Coerced to real numbers, because these are plugin-controlled and the
+            // window host concatenates them into window.open()'s feature string. A
+            // `width` of '300,menubar=1' would not merely be an invalid size — it
+            // would inject window features. Anything that isn't a finite positive
+            // number falls back to the default, and absurd sizes are clamped rather
+            // than honoured.
+            width: _size(spec.width, 380),
+            height: _size(spec.height, 560),
+            defaultHost: spec.defaultHost || 'window',
+            // Called after the element lands in (or returns from) a pane window,
+            // for a plugin that needs to re-measure or re-anchor something.
+            onHost: typeof spec.onHost === 'function' ? spec.onHost : null,
+        };
+    }
+
+    // ── Host routing ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+    function _resolveHost(preferred) {
+        const wanted = hosts.get(preferred);
+        if (wanted && wanted.available()) return wanted;
+        // Fall back to the best available host. The dock registers at priority 0
+        // and is always available, so a pane can never fail to open.
+        let best = null;
+        hosts.forEach((h) => {
+            if (!h.available()) return;
+            if (!best || h.priority > best.priority) best = h;
+        });
+        return best;
+    }
+
+    function _emit(name, detail) {
+        const bus = window.feedBack;
+        if (bus && typeof bus.emit === 'function') bus.emit(name, detail);
+    }
+
+    // ── Open / close ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+    function openPane(id, opts) {
+        opts = opts || {};
+        const spec = specs.get(id);
+        if (!spec) { console.warn('[panes] open: no such pane:', id); return false; }
+        if (open.has(id)) { focusPane(id); return true; }
+
+        let el;
+        try { el = spec.element(); } catch (e) { el = null; }
+        if (!(el instanceof Element)) {
+            console.warn('[panes] open: pane has no element yet:', id);
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        const host = _resolveHost(opts.host || spec.defaultHost);
+        if (!host) { console.error('[panes] open: no host available for', id); return false; }
+
+        // Where the element lives right now, so docking can put it back EXACTLY
+        // there — same parent, same position among its siblings. Anything less and
+        // a docked panel reappears at the bottom of its container, or not at all.
+        const home = { parent: el.parentNode, next: el.nextSibling };
+
+        // An element on its way OUT of this document must not carry a class whose
+        // whole job is to hide it IN this document. `.fb-pane-detached` is
+        // `display:none !important`, and it travels with the node — straight into
+        // the pane window, which then renders nothing at all.
+        el.classList.remove('fb-pane-detached');
+
+        // Make it visible, and remember exactly how it wasn't.
+        //
+        // A plugin's panel is usually hidden until its launcher is clicked, and a
+        // pane can be opened from the tray or the rail without that ever happening.
+        // So we un-hide it — but only in the two ways a panel is actually hidden
+        // (`hidden`, or an inline `display:none`), and we put both back on dock.
+        //
+        // Note what we do NOT do: force a `display`. A panel that is `display:flex`
+        // must stay flex. Neutralising placement is one thing; silently re-laying
+        // out someone's panel is another.
+        const vis = { hidden: el.hidden, display: el.style.display };
+        el.hidden = false;
+        if (el.style.display === 'none') el.style.display = '';
+
+        try {
+            host.place(spec, el);
+        } catch (e) {
+            console.error('[panes] host', host.id, 'failed to take', id, e);
+            el.hidden = vis.hidden;
+            el.style.display = vis.display;
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        open.set(id, { spec, hostId: host.id, el, home, vis });
+        if (opts.remember !== false) _rememberHost(id, host.id);
+        if (spec.onHost) { try { spec.onHost(host.id, el); } catch (e) { console.error('[panes]', id, 'onHost threw', e); } }
+        // `home` rides along because the element has LEFT this document — anything
+        // that wants to mark the hole it left (the chip's stub) needs to know where
+        // the hole is, and can no longer ask the element itself.
+        _emit('panes:opened', { id: id, host: host.id, el: el, home: home });
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    function closePane(id, opts) {
+        opts = opts || {};
+        const entry = open.get(id);
+        if (!entry) return false;
+        open.delete(id);
+
+        // ORDER IS LOAD-BEARING: bring the element home BEFORE the host lets go of
+        // it. The host's unplace() closes the pane window, and closing a window
+        // tears down its document — with the element still inside it. The node
+        // survives (we hold a reference) but comes back stripped of its event
+        // listeners, so the panel returns looking perfect and completely dead: no
+        // buttons, no sliders, nothing.
+        //
+        // Adopt first, while the pane window is still alive, and the node moves out
+        // of a living document into a living document, which is the only case the
+        // DOM actually guarantees.
+        // ADOPT UNCONDITIONALLY, INSERT CONDITIONALLY. The rescue and the
+        // re-homing are two different jobs, and only one of them is allowed to
+        // fail.
+        //
+        // Adopting is what saves the element: it transfers ownership away from the
+        // pane window's document, so that document can be destroyed without taking
+        // the listeners with it. Do that FIRST, and always — even when there is
+        // nowhere to put the element afterwards.
+        //
+        // Re-homing can legitimately be impossible: the panel may never have had a
+        // parent (a plugin that builds it lazily and hands it straight to us), or
+        // its container may have been torn down while the pane was out (a screen
+        // change). Gating the adopt on a reachable home would mean that in exactly
+        // those cases we leave the element inside a window we are about to close —
+        // which is the "comes home dead" failure this whole ordering exists to
+        // prevent. It just moves it from the common path to the rare one, where it
+        // is far harder to spot.
+        //
+        // With no home, the element ends up owned by this document but not in it:
+        // detached, intact, listeners alive, and ready for the plugin to re-insert
+        // whenever it rebuilds its UI.
+        try {
+            // adoptNode, not appendChild: the node's owner is currently the pane
+            // window's document, and adopting is what transfers ownership back.
+            const node = document.adoptNode(entry.el);
+            const home = entry.home;
+            if (home && home.parent && home.parent.isConnected) {
+                if (home.next && home.next.parentNode === home.parent) home.parent.insertBefore(node, home.next);
+                else home.parent.appendChild(node);
+            } else {
+                console.warn('[panes]', id, 'has no home to return to — the element is detached but intact');
+            }
+        } catch (e) {
+            console.error('[panes] could not bring', id, 'back out of its pane window', e);
+        }
+
+        const host = hosts.get(entry.hostId);
+        try { if (host) host.unplace(id, entry.el); } catch (e) { console.error('[panes] host', entry.hostId, 'threw releasing', id, e); }
+
+        // Put its visibility back exactly as we found it. A panel that was closed
+        // when the pane was opened from the tray goes back to being closed; one that
+        // was open stays open. We forced it visible; we un-force it.
+        if (entry.vis) {
+            entry.el.hidden = entry.vis.hidden;
+            entry.el.style.display = entry.vis.display;
+        }
+
+        if (opts.remember !== false) _rememberHost(id, null);
+        if (entry.spec.onHost) { try { entry.spec.onHost(null, entry.el); } catch (e) { /* non-fatal */ } }
+        _emit('panes:closed', { id: id, host: entry.hostId });
+
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    function focusPane(id) {
+        const entry = open.get(id);
+        if (!entry) return false;
+        const host = hosts.get(entry.hostId);
+        if (host && typeof host.focus === 'function') host.focus(id);
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    // What the pop-out chip calls: put this pane wherever a pane most wants to
+    // live. That is a window if one can be had, and the dock otherwise.
+    function detach(id) {
+        const spec = specs.get(id);
+        return openPane(id, { host: (spec && spec.defaultHost) || 'window' });
+    }
+
+    function dock(id) {
+        if (open.has(id)) closePane(id, { remember: false });
+        return openPane(id, { host: 'dock' });
+    }
+
+    // ── Registry ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+    function register(spec) {
+        const s = _normalize(spec);
+        if (specs.has(s.id)) {
+            // First registration wins, matching libraryCardActions.register. A
+            // silent overwrite would swap the element out from under an open pane.
+            console.warn('[panes] pane already registered, ignoring:', s.id);
+            return () => {};
+        }
+        specs.set(s.id, s);
+        _emit('panes:registered', { id: s.id, title: s.title });
+
+        // Reopen where the user left it. Deferred a tick so a plugin can call
+        // register() and attachChip() back to back — the chip must exist before
+        // the pane opens, or it has nothing to hide.
+        //
+        // A host may refuse to be auto-restored: a browser blocks window.open()
+        // without a user gesture, so restoring a popped-out pane on page load
+        // would only ever produce a "pop-up blocked" toast. Such a pane comes back
+        // in the dock, and the chip pops it out again on the user's next click.
+        let remembered = _rememberedHost(s.id);
+        if (remembered) {
+            const h = hosts.get(remembered);
+            if (h && h.autoRestore === false) remembered = 'dock';
+            setTimeout(() => { if (specs.has(s.id) && !open.has(s.id)) openPane(s.id, { host: remembered, remember: false }); }, 0);
+        }
+
+        return () => unregister(s.id);
+    }
+
+    function unregister(id) {
+        if (open.has(id)) closePane(id, { remember: false });
+        specs.delete(id);
+        _emit('panes:unregistered', { id: id });
+    }
+
+    function registerHost(host) {
+        if (!host || !host.id) throw new TypeError('panes: host needs an id');
+        hosts.set(host.id, {
+            id: host.id,
+            priority: host.priority || 0,
+            autoRestore: host.autoRestore !== false,
+            available: typeof host.available === 'function' ? host.available : () => true,
+            place: host.place,
+            unplace: host.unplace,
+            focus: host.focus,
+        });
+    }
+
+    const api = {
+        version: 2,
+        register,
+        unregister,
+        open: openPane,
+        close: closePane,
+        detach,
+        dock,
+        focus: focusPane,
+        isOpen: (id) => open.has(id),
+        hostOf: (id) => { const e = open.get(id); return e ? e.hostId : null; },
+        // Where an open pane's element came from. The chip needs this to mark the
+        // hole the element left, since it can no longer ask the element itself.
+        homeOf: (id) => { const e = open.get(id); return e ? e.home : null; },
+        // The element a host actually took. The chip needs this to tell "the pane
+        // took MY element" from "the pane took something else" — and it cannot ask
+        // the element, which may now be in a dock card or another window entirely.
+        elementOf: (id) => { const e = open.get(id); return e ? e.el : null; },
+        get: (id) => specs.get(id) || null,
+        list: () => Array.from(specs.values()).map((s) => ({
+            id: s.id, title: s.title, icon: s.icon,
+            open: open.has(s.id), host: (open.get(s.id) || {}).hostId || null,
+        })),
+        registerHost,
+    };
+
+    window.feedBack = window.feedBack || {};
+    window.feedBack.panes = Object.assign(window.feedBack.panes || {}, api);
+})();
@@ -0,0 +1,355 @@
+/*
+ * fee[dB]ack — the pop-out window host.
+ *
+ * Opens a real OS window and MOVES THE PANE'S ELEMENT INTO IT.
+ *
+ * The move is the whole trick, and it works because the pane window is same-origin
+ * and opener-linked: `document.adoptNode()` re-parents a live node into another
+ * window's document, and an adopted node keeps its event listeners, its closures,
+ * and every reference anything else holds to it. So the plugin's panel goes on
+ * running the plugin's own code in the plugin's own realm — it is just being
+ * *displayed* somewhere else. It looks and behaves exactly like what was popped
+ * out, because it is exactly what was popped out.
+ *
+ * That is why this file must use `window.open()` and not ask the desktop's main
+ * process to make a BrowserWindow: a window we didn't open gives us no handle to
+ * its document, and without the handle there is nothing to adopt into.
+ *
+ * Electron turns this same-origin `window.open()` into a real BrowserWindow anyway
+ * — its setWindowOpenHandler answers same-origin URLs with `action: 'allow'` — and
+ * the main process then recognises the window by its frame name and gives it
+ * remembered bounds, skip-taskbar and a system-tray entry. So we get the OS window
+ * AND the DOM link. (That code lives in the separate desktop repo,
+ * got-feedback/feedBack-desktop: src/main/main.ts and src/main/pane-hosts.ts. It is
+ * not in this repo, and nothing here depends on it — in a plain browser this is
+ * simply a pop-up.)
+ *
+ * Styles come across too — the pane document starts empty, so we copy the app's
+ * stylesheets into it. Without that the panel would land unstyled, which is the
+ * one thing a "pop out exactly this" feature cannot do.
+ */
+(function () {
+    'use strict';
+
+    const panes = window.feedBack && window.feedBack.panes;
+    if (!panes || typeof panes.registerHost !== 'function') {
+        console.error('[panes] pane-manager.js must load before pane-window-host.js');
+        return;
+    }
+
+    // The frame name every pane window is opened with. In the desktop app the main
+    // process matches on this prefix to recognise a pane window and give it its
+    // remembered bounds, skip-taskbar and tray entry — so changing it here without
+    // changing it there silently downgrades every pane to a plain pop-up.
+    //
+    // The other half lives in a DIFFERENT REPO (got-feedback/feedBack-desktop,
+    // src/main/pane-hosts.ts). There is no build-time link between them; this comment
+    // is the link.
+    const FRAME_PREFIX = 'fbpane-';
+
+    const wins = new Map();   // paneId -> Window
+    let reaper = null;
+
+    // A pane window the user closed with the OS X button gets no reliable
+    // beforeunload (a crashed renderer certainly gets none). Poll `closed` and
+    // reap — otherwise the pane stays "open" forever, its chip stays stubbed out,
+    // and the element it holds is stranded in a dead document with no way back.
+    function _startReaper() {
+        if (reaper != null) return;
+        reaper = setInterval(() => {
+            wins.forEach((w, id) => { if (w.closed) panes.close(id); });
+            if (!wins.size) { clearInterval(reaper); reaper = null; }
+        }, 400);
+    }
+
+    // Give the pane document the app's styles, so the panel looks identical.
+    // Cloned rather than shared: a <link> node can only live in one document, and
+    // we are not about to steal the app's own stylesheet out of its head.
+    function _copyStyles(doc) {
+        // pane.html already links panes.css, so don't clone a second copy of it —
+        // duplicate sheets cost a redundant fetch and an extra style recalc for no
+        // change in appearance.
+        const own = Array.from(doc.querySelectorAll('link[rel="stylesheet"]'));
+        const have = new Set(own.map((l) => l.href));
+
+        // Insert the app's sheets BEFORE pane.html's own, not after.
+        //
+        // Cascade order is the whole game here. In the app document panes.css loads
+        // LAST, after tailwind/style/v3 — so its rules win ties. Appending the app's
+        // sheets into the pane document would put them after panes.css and silently
+        // invert that, letting core styles override the pane chrome and the .fb-paned
+        // placement rules. "Looks identical" has to include the order things are
+        // said in.
+        const anchor = own[0] || null;
+        document.querySelectorAll('link[rel="stylesheet"], style').forEach((node) => {
+            if (node.tagName === 'LINK' && have.has(node.href)) return;
+            try { doc.head.insertBefore(node.cloneNode(true), anchor); } catch (e) { /* skip a node we can't clone */ }
+        });
+        _syncChrome(doc);
+    }
+
+    // The theme/scale hooks the app hangs on <html> and <body>. v3 keys off these
+    // for its colour tokens and its interface scale, and a panel that lands without
+    // them renders in the wrong palette at the wrong size.
+    //
+    // MERGE, don't assign: pane.html sets `class="fb-pane-window"` on <html>, and
+    // panes.css hangs the pane window's own chrome off it. Overwriting the class
+    // list would take that with it and the window would lose its own layout — the
+    // app's classes and the pane document's are both wanted.
+    //
+    // Re-run on every theme/scale change for as long as the pane is open (see
+    // _followChrome). A one-time snapshot would leave an already-open pane rendering
+    // at the old scale the moment the user touched Interface size — "looks identical"
+    // has to keep being true, not merely start out true.
+    function _syncChrome(doc) {
+        try {
+            document.documentElement.classList.forEach((c) => doc.documentElement.classList.add(c));
+            document.body.classList.forEach((c) => doc.body.classList.add(c));
+            // The inline style on <html> carries the interface-scale custom property
+            // (--fb-scale). Assign it wholesale: unlike the class lists, pane.html
+            // sets no inline style of its own, so there is nothing here to preserve —
+            // and merging by concatenation would grow the attribute without bound as
+            // the user dragged the scale slider.
+            doc.documentElement.style.cssText = document.documentElement.style.cssText;
+        } catch (e) { /* the window may be closing under us */ }
+    }
+
+    // paneId -> stop following the app's theme/scale
+    const chromeFollowers = new Map();
+
+    function _followChrome(paneId, doc) {
+        const bus = window.feedBack;
+        if (!bus || typeof bus.on !== 'function') return;
+        const sync = () => _syncChrome(doc);
+        bus.on('scale:changed', sync);
+        bus.on('theme:changed', sync);
+        bus.on('v3:cosmetics-applied', sync);
+        chromeFollowers.set(paneId, () => {
+            bus.off('scale:changed', sync);
+            bus.off('theme:changed', sync);
+            bus.off('v3:cosmetics-applied', sync);
+        });
+    }
+
+    function _unfollowChrome(paneId) {
+        const off = chromeFollowers.get(paneId);
+        if (off) { off(); chromeFollowers.delete(paneId); }
+    }
+
+    // How long a "we cannot even see the pop-out's document" condition has to persist
+    // before we call it fatal. A SecurityError means the window is not reachable from
+    // this realm at all, and waiting cannot fix that — but we give it a moment anyway
+    // rather than bailing on the first tick, because a throw *during* the navigation
+    // from about:blank to /pane would otherwise take down a pop-out that was about to
+    // work perfectly. A second is far more than that transition needs, and far less
+    // than the 10s a user would otherwise stare at a detached panel for.
+    const UNREACHABLE_GRACE_MS = 1000;
+
+    // Wait for the REAL pane document.
+    //
+    // window.open() returns immediately, with an `about:blank` document that is
+    // already readyState 'complete'. Adopt into that and it works for a few
+    // milliseconds — and then /pane finishes loading, replaces the document, and
+    // takes the panel with it. The window is left blank and the element is gone.
+    //
+    // So we do not trust readyState, and we do not trust 'load' (which may have
+    // fired for about:blank before we could listen). We wait for the one thing that
+    // only exists in the document we actually want: pane.html's #fb-pane-root.
+
+    function _whenReady(w, onReady, onFail) {
+        const deadline = performance.now() + 10000;
+        let reachFailure = null;      // why we could never see the pop-out's document
+        let reachFailureAt = 0;       // when we first couldn't
+        const tick = () => {
+            if (w.closed) return;
+
+            let doc = null;
+            try { doc = w.document; }
+            catch (e) {
+                // A SecurityError here is the one that matters: it means the pop-out
+                // is not reachable from this realm at all (a separate process /
+                // browsing-context group), and no amount of waiting will fix it —
+                // adoptNode can never work.
+                doc = null;
+                if (!reachFailure) reachFailureAt = performance.now();
+                reachFailure = e;
+            }
+
+            // Unreachable, and it has stayed that way. Fail now rather than leaving
+            // the panel detached and the UI mid-pop-out for the full 10s deadline,
+            // when we already know this can never succeed.
+            if (reachFailure && !doc && performance.now() - reachFailureAt > UNREACHABLE_GRACE_MS) {
+                onFail(new Error('the pane window\'s document is NOT reachable from this window ('
+                    + reachFailure.name + ': ' + reachFailure.message
+                    + ') — it is in a separate process, so the element cannot be moved into it'));
+                return;
+            }
+
+            if (doc && doc.readyState !== 'loading') {
+                // Only ever adopt into the document we actually navigated TO.
+                // about:blank reports readyState 'complete' from the moment
+                // window.open() returns, and adopting into it means the panel is
+                // destroyed when /pane replaces it a moment later.
+                const href = (doc.location && doc.location.href) || '';
+                const isPaneDoc = href.indexOf('/pane') >= 0;
+                if (isPaneDoc) {
+                    // Prefer pane.html's own root, but never fail for want of it —
+                    // a stale cached copy of the page (or a future rename) must not
+                    // leave the user with a blank window and no panel.
+                    const root = doc.getElementById('fb-pane-root') || doc.body;
+                    if (root) { onReady(root); return; }
+                }
+            }
+
+            if (performance.now() > deadline) {
+                let why;
+                if (reachFailure) {
+                    why = 'the pane window\'s document is NOT reachable from this window ('
+                        + reachFailure.name + ': ' + reachFailure.message
+                        + ') — it is in a separate process, so the element cannot be moved into it';
+                } else if (!doc) {
+                    why = 'the pane window exposed no document at all';
+                } else {
+                    why = 'the pane window never loaded /pane (it is showing '
+                        + ((doc.location && doc.location.href) || 'an unknown URL')
+                        + ', readyState ' + doc.readyState + ')';
+                }
+                onFail(new Error(why));
+                return;
+            }
+            setTimeout(tick, 25);
+        };
+        tick();
+    }
+
+    function _adopt(w, root, spec, el) {
+        const doc = w.document;
+        _copyStyles(doc);
+        // The panel was almost certainly a fixed/absolute overlay pinned to a
+        // corner of the app. In a window of its own that positioning is nonsense —
+        // it would sit 72px from the top of a 380px window, still 288px wide, still
+        // casting a drop shadow over nothing. Neutralise the *placement* while
+        // touching nothing else about how it looks.
+        el.classList.add('fb-paned');
+        root.appendChild(doc.adoptNode(el));
+        doc.title = spec.title + ' — fee[dB]ack';
+
+        // Keep the pane window's theme and interface scale in step with the app for
+        // as long as it is open. Stopped in unplace().
+        _followChrome(spec.id, doc);
+
+        // THE ELEMENT MUST LEAVE BEFORE THE DOCUMENT DIES.
+        //
+        // When the user closes a pane window, its document is torn down — and the
+        // panel is inside it. The node itself survives (we hold a reference) and
+        // comes home looking perfect: right markup, right classes, right size. But
+        // it comes home DEAD: every event listener in the subtree is gone with the
+        // document that hosted them. A panel that renders and does nothing.
+        //
+        // The `closed` poll cannot save us: by the time `w.closed` is true, the
+        // document is already gone. `beforeunload` fires while it is still alive, so
+        // this is the last moment we can get the element out — and panes.close()
+        // adopts it back into the main document synchronously.
+        //
+        // We attach it HERE, not when the window was opened: back then the window
+        // still held its throwaway about:blank document, and a listener registered
+        // on that is discarded when /pane replaces it.
+        w.addEventListener('beforeunload', () => {
+            if (panes.isOpen(spec.id)) panes.close(spec.id);
+        });
+    }
+
+    function place(spec, el) {
+        const w = window.open(
+            window.location.origin + '/pane',
+            FRAME_PREFIX + spec.id,
+            'popup,width=' + spec.width + ',height=' + spec.height,
+        );
+
+        if (!w) {
+            // Popup blocked. Throw BEFORE the manager records anything, so the
+            // caller's panel stays exactly where it is — and say so out loud rather
+            // than appearing to do nothing.
+            if (window.fbNotify) {
+                window.fbNotify.show({
+                    title: 'Pop-out blocked',
+                    message: 'Allow pop-ups for this site to detach ' + spec.title + '.',
+                    icon: '⚠️', accent: '#f59e0b',
+                });
+            }
+            throw new Error('pop-up blocked');
+        }
+
+        wins.set(spec.id, w);
+        _startReaper();
+
+        // Take the element out of the document NOW, not when the window is ready.
+        //
+        // Everything below this line is async: the window has to load /pane before
+        // there is anything to adopt into. But the manager emits `panes:opened` as
+        // soon as we return, and the chip reacts by putting its "popped out" stub
+        // where the element used to be — so for that whole gap the user would see
+        // BOTH the real panel and a stub claiming it had left. On a window that
+        // never loads, that lasts the full 10s timeout.
+        //
+        // Detaching is not destructive: the node keeps its owner document (this
+        // one), its listeners and its closures. It is simply out of the tree,
+        // waiting — and if the window never loads, closePane() puts it straight
+        // back at its home.
+        el.remove();
+
+        _whenReady(w, (root) => {
+            try { _adopt(w, root, spec, el); }
+            catch (e) {
+                console.error('[panes] failed to move', spec.id, 'into its window', e);
+                panes.close(spec.id);   // brings the element home
+            }
+        }, (err) => {
+            console.error('[panes]', spec.id, err);
+            panes.close(spec.id);       // never strand the element in a dead window
+        });
+
+        // The pane window's 'beforeunload' listener is registered in _adopt(), NOT
+        // here: a listener added now would attach to the window's throwaway
+        // about:blank document and be discarded when /pane replaces it.
+    }
+
+    function unplace(id, el) {
+        _unfollowChrome(id);
+        // Hand the element back unmarked. The manager returns it to its home right
+        // after this, and it must arrive as the plugin left it — a panel that
+        // stayed .fb-paned would come back with its own positioning stripped.
+        if (el) el.classList.remove('fb-paned');
+        const w = wins.get(id);
+        wins.delete(id);
+        // The manager adopts the element back into this document immediately after
+        // this returns, so the window is empty by the time it closes.
+        if (w && !w.closed) { try { w.close(); } catch (e) { /* already gone */ } }
+    }
+
+    function focus(id) {
+        const w = wins.get(id);
+        if (w && !w.closed) { try { w.focus(); } catch (e) { /* the OS may refuse */ } }
+    }
+
+    // A BROWSER blocks window.open() outside a user gesture, so a pane remembered
+    // here cannot be restored on page load — it would only ever produce a "blocked"
+    // toast. Such a pane comes back in the dock, and the chip pops it out again on
+    // the user's next click. The DESKTOP app has no such restriction, so there a
+    // pane left popped out comes back popped out, where you left it.
+    const isDesktop = !!(window.feedBackDesktop && window.feedBackDesktop.panes);
+
+    panes.registerHost({
+        id: 'window',
+        priority: 10,
+        autoRestore: isDesktop,
+        place, unplace, focus,
+    });
+
+    // Our windows; they must not outlive us. A pane window whose opener is gone
+    // holds an element belonging to a dead document — there is nothing left to
+    // dock it back into.
+    window.addEventListener('beforeunload', () => {
+        wins.forEach((w) => { if (!w.closed) { try { w.close(); } catch (e) { /* ignore */ } } });
+    });
+})();
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+<!DOCTYPE html>
+<html lang="en" class="fb-pane-window">
+<head>
+    <meta charset="UTF-8">
+    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
+    <title>fee[dB]ack</title>
+    <link rel="icon" href="/static/assets/favicon.png">
+    <!-- Deliberately almost empty.
+
+         This document does not build a pane; it RECEIVES one. The opener moves the
+         real element in here with document.adoptNode() and copies the app's
+         stylesheets across, so the panel arrives complete — its own markup, its own
+         CSS, its own listeners, its own closures, still running the plugin's code
+         back in the main window.
+
+         So there is nothing to load, nothing to boot, and nothing to keep in step
+         with the app. Only panes.css, for the window chrome and the layout reset the
+         adopted element needs. -->
+    <link rel="stylesheet" href="/static/panes/panes.css">
+</head>
+<body>
+    <main id="fb-pane-root"></main>
+</body>
+</html>
@@ -0,0 +1,193 @@
+/* fee[dB]ack — detachable panes.
+ *
+ * Hand-authored (not Tailwind-scanned) so a runtime-installed plugin gets the chip
+ * and the dock without shipping its own stylesheet — the same reason .fb-selectable
+ * is hand-authored in core CSS.
+ *
+ * Z-index: the dock is a child of <body>, so it is NOT on the ladder from
+ * docs/plugin-v3-ui.md (transport 20, rail 30, popovers 40) — those numbers live
+ * *inside* #player's stacking context, and #player itself is `position:fixed;
+ * z-index:100` covering the viewport. A dock below 100 is invisible on the one
+ * screen panes exist for. Body-level ladder: #player 100 < dock 110 < toasts 120
+ * < modals 200.
+ */
+
+/* ── The popped-out element ──────────────────────────────────────────────────
+ *
+ * The single most important rule in this file.
+ *
+ * A plugin's panel is almost always a fixed overlay pinned to a corner of the app:
+ * `position:fixed; top:72px; right:18px; width:288px; z-index:99999`, with a drop
+ * shadow and a max-height sized against the viewport. Inside a dock card, or alone
+ * in a 320px window, every one of those is wrong — it would float 72px down from
+ * the top of its own window, still 288px wide, still casting a shadow over nothing.
+ *
+ * So we neutralise PLACEMENT and nothing else. Colours, borders, radius, padding,
+ * fonts, the panel's own internal layout: all untouched, because the whole promise
+ * of this feature is that what you popped out is what you get. */
+.fb-paned {
+    position: static !important;
+    inset: auto !important;
+    margin: 0 !important;
+    width: 100% !important;
+    max-width: none !important;
+    max-height: none !important;
+    z-index: auto !important;
+    box-shadow: none !important;
+    /* Deliberately NO `display` override. Forcing `display:block` would silently
+       re-lay-out a panel that is `display:flex` or `grid` — which is the opposite
+       of "placement only", and exactly the kind of surprise this feature exists to
+       avoid. Making a hidden panel visible is the manager's job (it clears the
+       element's `hidden`/inline `display:none` on open and restores them on dock),
+       and it does it without touching the panel's own display mode. */
+}
+
+/* ── The pop-out chip ────────────────────────────────────────────────────── */
+
+.fb-pane-chip {
+    flex: 0 0 auto;
+    display: inline-flex;
+    align-items: center;
+    justify-content: center;
+    width: 1.5rem;
+    height: 1.5rem;
+    border: 1px solid rgba(51, 65, 85, .7);
+    border-radius: .4rem;
+    background: rgba(30, 41, 59, .8);
+    color: #94a3b8;
+    font-size: .8rem;
+    line-height: 1;
+    cursor: pointer;
+    transition: color .15s, border-color .15s, background .15s;
+}
+.fb-pane-chip:hover {
+    color: #e2e8f0;
+    border-color: #4080e0;
+    background: rgba(64, 128, 224, .18);
+}
+.fb-pane-chip:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #4080e0; outline-offset: 1px; }
+
+/* The panel, while its pane is popped out. A dedicated class rather than
+   .hidden/[hidden]: the panels we attach to toggle those themselves, and two owners
+   of one class is a bug waiting for a bad day. */
+.fb-pane-detached { display: none !important; }
+
+/* What the user sees in the panel's place. */
+.fb-pane-stub {
+    display: inline-flex;
+    align-items: center;
+    gap: .4rem;
+    padding: .35rem .6rem;
+    border: 1px dashed rgba(64, 128, 224, .55);
+    border-radius: .5rem;
+    background: rgba(64, 128, 224, .08);
+    color: #93b4e8;
+    font-size: .72rem;
+    cursor: pointer;
+    transition: background .15s, border-color .15s;
+}
+.fb-pane-stub:hover { background: rgba(64, 128, 224, .18); border-color: #4080e0; }
+.fb-pane-stub:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #4080e0; outline-offset: 1px; }
+.fb-pane-stub-glyph { font-size: .85rem; }
+
+/* ── The dock ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── */
+
+.fb-pane-dock {
+    position: fixed;
+    top: 4.5rem;
+    right: 1rem;
+    bottom: 1rem;
+    z-index: 110;                       /* above #player (100), below toasts (120) */
+    width: 22rem;
+    max-width: calc(100vw - 2rem);
+    display: flex;
+    flex-direction: column;
+    gap: .6rem;
+    overflow-y: auto;
+    overflow-x: hidden;
+    /* A frame around cards, not a surface — the empty space below them must never
+       eat a click meant for the highway. */
+    pointer-events: none;
+    scrollbar-width: thin;
+}
+.fb-pane-dock.is-empty { display: none; }
+
+.fb-pane-card {
+    pointer-events: auto;
+    flex: 0 0 auto;
+    display: flex;
+    flex-direction: column;
+    background: rgba(15, 23, 42, .96);
+    border: 1px solid rgba(51, 65, 85, .6);
+    border-radius: .9rem;
+    box-shadow: 0 12px 40px rgba(0, 0, 0, .5);
+    overflow: hidden;
+}
+
+.fb-pane-card-head {
+    display: flex;
+    align-items: center;
+    gap: .5rem;
+    padding: .5rem .7rem;
+    border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(51, 65, 85, .5);
+    background: rgba(30, 41, 59, .6);
+}
+.fb-pane-card-title {
+    flex: 1 1 auto;
+    min-width: 0;
+    overflow: hidden;
+    text-overflow: ellipsis;
+    white-space: nowrap;
+    font-size: .78rem;
+    font-weight: 600;
+    color: #cbd5e1;
+}
+.fb-pane-card-btn {
+    flex: 0 0 auto;
+    width: 1.4rem;
+    height: 1.4rem;
+    display: inline-flex;
+    align-items: center;
+    justify-content: center;
+    border: 0;
+    border-radius: .35rem;
+    background: transparent;
+    color: #94a3b8;
+    font-size: .75rem;
+    line-height: 1;
+    cursor: pointer;
+}
+.fb-pane-card-btn:hover { background: rgba(51, 65, 85, .7); color: #e2e8f0; }
+.fb-pane-card-btn:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #4080e0; outline-offset: 1px; }
+
+.fb-pane-card-body { overflow: auto; }
+
+/* focus(id) — a brief highlight, so re-opening an already-open pane says so
+   instead of appearing to do nothing. */
+.fb-pane-card.is-flash { animation: fb-pane-flash .7s ease-out; }
+@keyframes fb-pane-flash {
+    0%   { border-color: #4080e0; box-shadow: 0 0 0 3px rgba(64, 128, 224, .35), 0 12px 40px rgba(0, 0, 0, .5); }
+    100% { border-color: rgba(51, 65, 85, .6); box-shadow: 0 12px 40px rgba(0, 0, 0, .5); }
+}
+@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
+    .fb-pane-card.is-flash { animation: none; }
+}
+
+/* ── The pop-out window (static/panes/pane.html) ─────────────────────────────
+ *
+ * The window's own chrome — everything INSIDE it is the adopted element, styled by
+ * the app's stylesheets, which the host copies into this document. */
+
+html.fb-pane-window,
+html.fb-pane-window body {
+    margin: 0;
+    padding: 0;
+    height: 100%;
+    background: #0f172a;
+}
+html.fb-pane-window body { display: flex; flex-direction: column; overflow: hidden; }
+#fb-pane-root {
+    flex: 1 1 auto;
+    overflow: auto;
+    padding: .6rem;
+}
@@ -120,11 +120,20 @@
            if (!r.ok) return;
            const data = await r.json();
            _tuningsByKey = data.tunings || {};
-            // Build TUNING_NOTE from the first (lowest) string frequency of each tuning.
+            // Build TUNING_NOTE from the lowest string of each tuning. Prefer the
+            // exact integer midis the server now sends (tuningMidis, #829) — the
+            // frequency path reconstructs the note via log2 against a hardcoded
+            // 440 and can land a semitone off at non-440 reference pitches.
+            // Frequencies remain the fallback for older cached responses.
+            const midisByKey = data.tuningMidis || {};
            TUNING_NOTE = {};
            for (const key of Object.keys(_tuningsByKey)) {
                for (const [name, freqs] of Object.entries(_tuningsByKey[key])) {
-                    if (!(name in TUNING_NOTE) && Array.isArray(freqs) && freqs.length > 0) {
+                    if (name in TUNING_NOTE) continue;
+                    const midis = midisByKey[key] && midisByKey[key][name];
+                    if (Array.isArray(midis) && midis.length > 0 && Number.isFinite(midis[0])) {
+                        TUNING_NOTE[name] = NOTE_NAMES[((midis[0] % 12) + 12) % 12];
+                    } else if (Array.isArray(freqs) && freqs.length > 0) {
                        TUNING_NOTE[name] = _freqToNote(freqs[0]);
                    }
                }
@@ -33,7 +33,8 @@
    // Accuracy badge ramp (design/04-badges.md §C): ≥90% good, 50–89% mid, <50% low.
    function accuracyBadge(acc) {
        if (acc == null) return '';
-        const pct = Math.round(acc * 100);
+        // Floor, never round: 100% must mean every note hit.
+        const pct = Math.floor(acc * 100);
        const color = acc >= 0.9 ? 'bg-fb-good' : (acc >= 0.5 ? 'bg-fb-mid' : 'bg-fb-low');
        const text = acc >= 0.5 && acc < 0.9 ? 'text-black' : 'text-white';
        return '<span class="absolute bottom-0 right-0 ' + color + '/90 ' + text +
@@ -99,6 +99,10 @@
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="/static/tour-engine.css">
    <!-- v0.3.0 shell styles (radial-gradient bg, custom scrollbars). -->
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="/static/v3/v3.css">
+    <!-- Detachable panes: the pop-out chip, the dock, and the widgets built-in
+         panes render with. Hand-authored (not Tailwind-scanned) so a
+         runtime-installed plugin can use the chip without shipping its own CSS. -->
+    <link rel="stylesheet" href="/static/panes/panes.css">
    <!-- EVERY external script below is `defer`. Do not add a plain one.
         `defer` and `type="module"` scripts share a single "execute after
         parsing" list and run in DOCUMENT ORDER; a plain classic script runs
@@ -749,6 +753,21 @@
                            <a href="https://github.com/got-feedback/feedback-desktop/releases" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="text-accent hover:text-accent-light underline">download new versions from GitHub Releases</a>.
                        </p>
                    </div>
+                    <!-- Window options — desktop-only; setupWindowOptions() unhides. -->
+                    <div id="window-options-block" class="hidden">
+                        <div class="fb-srow">
+                            <div class="fb-srow-main">
+                                <div class="fb-srow-title">Fullscreen</div>
+                                <div class="fb-srow-desc">Run fee[dB]ack in fullscreen mode. On macOS, changes take effect on the next launch.</div>
+                            </div>
+                            <div class="fb-srow-control">
+                                <label class="fb-switch">
+                                    <input type="checkbox" id="setting-start-fullscreen">
+                                    <span class="fb-switch-track"></span>
+                                </label>
+                            </div>
+                        </div>
+                    </div>
                    <!-- Library folder path -->
                    <div class="fb-srow fb-srow-stack">
                        <div class="fb-srow-main">
@@ -1048,6 +1067,10 @@
                    <span class="v3-rail-border"></span>
                    <svg class="v3-rail-svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24" aria-hidden="true"><path d="M12,2A3,3 0 0,1 15,5V11A3,3 0 0,1 12,14A3,3 0 0,1 9,11V5A3,3 0 0,1 12,2M19,11C19,14.53 16.39,17.44 13,17.93V21H11V17.93C7.61,17.44 5,14.53 5,11H7A5,5 0 0,0 12,16A5,5 0 0,0 17,11H19Z"/></svg>
                </button>
+                <button class="v3-rail-icon" type="button" data-rail="panes" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="v3-rail-pop-panes" title="Panes" aria-label="Panes">
+                    <span class="v3-rail-border"></span>
+                    <svg class="v3-rail-svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24" aria-hidden="true"><path d="M19,4H5A2,2 0 0,0 3,6V18A2,2 0 0,0 5,20H19A2,2 0 0,0 21,18V6A2,2 0 0,0 19,4M13,18H5V6H13V18M19,18H15V6H19V18Z"/></svg>
+                </button>
                <button class="v3-rail-icon" type="button" data-rail="plugins" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="v3-rail-pop-plugins" title="Plugin controls" aria-label="Plugin controls">
                    <span class="v3-rail-border"></span>
                    <span class="v3-rail-badge" id="v3-plugin-count" hidden></span>
@@ -1064,6 +1087,15 @@
                 injects into #player-controls (the auto-hiding transport) into
                 this stable, always-reachable popover. See player-chrome.js
                 (rehoming MutationObserver). -->
+            <!-- Panes: open/close any registered detachable pane. Populated from
+                 the pane registry by static/panes/pane-launcher.js — a plugin
+                 that calls feedBack.panes.register() shows up here for free. -->
+            <div id="v3-rail-pop-panes" class="v3-rail-pop hidden" role="group" aria-label="Panes">
+                <div class="v3-pop-label">Panes</div>
+                <div id="v3-rail-panes-list" class="flex flex-col gap-1"></div>
+                <p class="text-xs text-gray-500 px-1 pb-1 leading-snug">Panes stay open while you play, and across song switches.</p>
+            </div>
+
            <div id="v3-rail-pop-plugins" class="v3-rail-pop hidden" role="group" aria-label="Plugin controls">
                <div class="v3-pop-label">Plugin controls</div>
                <div id="v3-plugin-controls-slot" class="v3-plugin-slot"></div>
@@ -1241,7 +1273,7 @@
    </main>
    <!-- /#v3-main -->

-    <script defer src="/static/highway.js"></script>
+    <script type="module" src="/static/highway.js"></script>
    <script defer src="/static/vendor/lottie.min.js"></script>
    <script defer src="/static/lottie-api.js"></script>
    <script type="module" src="/static/app.js"></script>
@@ -1275,6 +1307,7 @@
         saved 'off'/'full' motion preference on first paint. -->
    <script defer src="/static/v3/venue-mood-fx.js"></script>
    <script defer src="/static/v3/venue-scene-3d.js"></script>
+    <script defer src="/static/v3/venue-crowd.js"></script>
    <script defer src="/static/v3/playlists.js"></script>
    <script defer src="/static/v3/audio-routing.js"></script>
    <script defer src="/static/v3/live-guitar-tone-source.js"></script>
@@ -1299,6 +1332,15 @@
    <script defer src="/static/v3/interface-size-nudge.js"></script>
    <script defer src="/static/v3/feedbarcade.js"></script>
    <script defer src="/static/v3/player-chrome.js"></script>
+    <!-- Detachable panes. The manager first; then the hosts, which register
+         themselves with it; then the chip and the launcher, which drive it.
+         pane-desktop only does anything inside the desktop app. -->
+    <script defer src="/static/panes/pane-manager.js"></script>
+    <script defer src="/static/panes/pane-dock.js"></script>
+    <script defer src="/static/panes/pane-window-host.js"></script>
+    <script defer src="/static/panes/pane-desktop.js"></script>
+    <script defer src="/static/panes/pane-chip.js"></script>
+    <script defer src="/static/panes/pane-launcher.js"></script>
    <script>
        // Navbar scroll effect
        window.addEventListener('scroll', () => {
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@
        if (st && st.passed) return '<span class="text-fb-good text-xs font-bold flex items-center gap-1">✓ Passed</span>';
        if (st && st.best_accuracy != null && st.best_accuracy > 0) {
            const acc = st.best_accuracy;
-            const pct = Math.round(acc * 100);
+            const pct = Math.floor(acc * 100);
            const color = acc >= 0.9 ? 'text-fb-good' : (acc >= 0.5 ? 'text-fb-mid' : 'text-fb-low');
            return '<span class="' + color + ' text-xs font-bold">' + pct + '%</span>';
        }
@@ -21,7 +21,8 @@
    function accuracyPct(hits, misses) {
        const judged = hits + misses;
        if (judged <= 0) return null;
-        return Math.round((hits / Math.max(1, judged)) * 100);
+        // Floor, never round: 100% must mean every judged note was hit.
+        return Math.floor((hits / Math.max(1, judged)) * 100);
    }

    function calculateLivePerformanceState({ hits = 0, misses = 0, streak = 0, bestStreak = 0 } = {}) {
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 * auto-hiding bottom transport, and the speed-level visual (bars + chevrons).
 *
 * Design contract: the actual controls are the SAME legacy elements/handlers
- * (ids unchanged), just relocated into rail popovers — so app.js/highway.js
+ * (ids unchanged), just relocated into rail popovers — so app.js/window.highway.js
 * keep populating and reacting to them unmodified. This module only adds
 * presentation behavior (open/close, reveal/hide, mirror state). It runs only
 * while #player is the active screen.
@@ -146,8 +146,8 @@
        const rail = $('v3-player-rail');
        const lyr = rail && rail.querySelector('[data-rail-action="lyrics"]');
        if (!lyr) return;
-        const on = (window.highway && typeof highway.getLyricsVisible === 'function')
-            ? highway.getLyricsVisible()
+        const on = (window.highway && typeof window.highway.getLyricsVisible === 'function')
+            ? window.highway.getLyricsVisible()
            : lyr.classList.contains('is-active');
        lyr.classList.toggle('is-active', !!on);
        lyr.setAttribute('aria-pressed', on ? 'true' : 'false');
@@ -159,13 +159,13 @@
        rail.querySelectorAll('[data-rail]').forEach((b) =>
            b.addEventListener('click', (e) => { e.stopPropagation(); openPopFor(b); }));
        // Mic icon: a direct lyrics toggle (clicks the hidden canonical button so
-        // highway.toggleLyrics() + any label logic runs), mirroring on/off state.
+        // window.highway.toggleLyrics() + any label logic runs), mirroring on/off state.
        const lyr = rail.querySelector('[data-rail-action="lyrics"]');
        if (lyr) lyr.addEventListener('click', (e) => {
            e.stopPropagation();
            const real = $('btn-lyrics');
-            if (real) real.click();   // runs highway.toggleLyrics() via its onclick
-            else if (window.highway && typeof highway.toggleLyrics === 'function') highway.toggleLyrics();
+            if (real) real.click();   // runs window.highway.toggleLyrics() via its onclick
+            else if (window.highway && typeof window.highway.toggleLyrics === 'function') window.highway.toggleLyrics();
            syncLyricsIcon();          // reflect the ACTUAL toggled state, not click parity
        });
        // Click-outside + Esc close (bound once; harmless when no popover open).
@@ -288,7 +288,7 @@
        if (t - lastUpNext >= UPNEXT_MS) {
            lastUpNext = t;
            updateUpNext();
-            // Re-sync the lyrics icon so programmatic highway.setLyricsVisible()
+            // Re-sync the lyrics icon so programmatic window.highway.setLyricsVisible()
            // (e.g. from lyrics_karaoke) isn't left stale; cheap + idempotent.
            syncLyricsIcon();
            // Reconcile the edge-driven hover flag against ground truth at
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@
            ? ' data-play-fn="' + esc(playFn) + '"' + (arrIdx != null ? ' data-play-arr="' + arrIdx + '"' : '')
            : '';
        const acc = (isAlbum && typeof opts.acc === 'number')
-            ? '<span class="text-xs font-bold shrink-0 ' + (opts.acc >= 0.9 ? 'text-fb-good' : opts.acc >= 0.5 ? 'text-fb-mid' : 'text-fb-low') + '">' + Math.round(opts.acc * 100) + '%</span>'
+            ? '<span class="text-xs font-bold shrink-0 ' + (opts.acc >= 0.9 ? 'text-fb-good' : opts.acc >= 0.5 ? 'text-fb-mid' : 'text-fb-low') + '">' + Math.floor(opts.acc * 100) + '%</span>'
            : '';
        const pin = (isAlbum && s.arrangement)
            ? '<span class="ml-2 text-[0.625rem] bg-fb-primary/20 text-fb-primary font-bold px-1.5 py-0.5 rounded-sm" title="Pinned arrangement">' + esc(s.arrangement) + '</span>' : '';
@@ -232,7 +232,7 @@
        host.innerHTML =
            '<ol class="space-y-2">' + rows.map((s, i) => {
                const acc = Number(s.best_accuracy) || 0;
-                const pct = Math.round(acc * 100);
+                const pct = Math.floor(acc * 100);
                const score = Number(s.best_score) || 0;
                return '<li data-fn="' + esc(s.filename) + '" class="flex items-center gap-3 cursor-pointer rounded-md px-2 py-1.5 hover:bg-fb-card transition">' +
                    '<span class="w-5 text-center text-fb-textDim font-semibold shrink-0">' + (i + 1) + '</span>' +
@@ -265,7 +265,7 @@
        const onboarding = st.onboarding || {};
        if (onboarding.calibration_status === 'completed') return; // raced a 100% run
        const pending = onboarding.calibration_status === 'pending';
-        const pct = Math.max(0, Math.min(100, Math.round((detail.accuracy || 0) * 100)));
+        const pct = Math.max(0, Math.min(100, Math.floor((detail.accuracy || 0) * 100)));

        const overlay = document.createElement('div');
        overlay.id = 'v3-calibration-retry';
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@
        // above. Screens are injected async by the plugin loader, so go()'s
        // plugin- guard applies.
        { key: 'virtuoso',    screen: 'plugin-virtuoso',    label: 'Virtuoso - Practice', group: null, icon: 'target' },
+        { key: 'career',      screen: 'plugin-career',      label: 'Career',      group: null,      icon: 'trophy' },
        { key: 'rig_builder', screen: 'plugin-rig_builder', label: 'Rig Builder', group: null,      icon: 'amp' },
        { key: 'editor',      screen: 'plugin-editor',      label: 'Song Editor', group: null,      icon: 'edit' },
        { key: 'audio_engine', screen: 'plugin-audio_engine', label: 'Audio', group: null,        icon: 'amp' },
@@ -60,6 +61,7 @@
    // that group. Each is gated on the plugin actually being installed.
    const PROMOTED_PLUGINS = [
        { navKey: 'virtuoso',    pluginId: 'virtuoso',    slotId: 'v3-nav-virtuoso',    anchorAfter: 'feedbarcade' },
+        { navKey: 'career',      pluginId: 'career',      slotId: 'v3-nav-career',      anchorAfter: 'feedbarcade' },
        { navKey: 'rig_builder', pluginId: 'rig_builder', slotId: 'v3-nav-rig-builder', anchorAfter: 'saved' },
        { navKey: 'editor',      pluginId: 'editor',      slotId: 'v3-nav-editor',     anchorAfter: 'songs' },
        { navKey: 'audio_engine', pluginId: 'audio_engine', slotId: 'v3-nav-audio-engine', anchorAfter: 'settings' },
@@ -318,22 +320,49 @@
        }
    }

-    // ── showScreen wrapper (idempotent rehydration — design/05 §Rehydration) ─
+    // ── Stay in sync with the active screen (idempotent rehydration — design/05) ─
+    //
+    // This USED to monkey-patch window.showScreen. It doesn't any more, and that is the point.
+    //
+    // Three parties were wrapping that one global — app.js publishes it, this wrapped it, and the
+    // stems plugin wrapped it again — each capturing whatever happened to be there at the time.
+    // Plugins load ASYNCHRONOUSLY, so the chain linked up in whatever order the race settled, and
+    // a capture taken before this installed silently dropped the home -> v3-songs mapping this
+    // wrapper carried. That is why the library intermittently showed the legacy screen (#923).
+    //
+    // The mapping lives inside showScreen() now, where no wrapper can lose it. And everything
+    // left here is just "the screen changed" — which showScreen already EMITS, and which app.js,
+    // audio-mixer.js and tour-engine.js have always listened for rather than patching.
+    //
+    // So: be a listener, like everyone else. window.showScreen is a plain function again.
    function installShowScreenHook() {
        const hooks = window.__feedBackV3ShellHooks || (window.__feedBackV3ShellHooks = {});
-        hooks.syncActive = syncActive; // always point at the latest impl
+        hooks.syncActive = syncActive;   // always point at the latest impl
        if (hooks.installed) return;
        hooks.installed = true;
-        hooks.baseShowScreen = window.showScreen;
-        window.showScreen = function (id) {
-            // Route every "go to the library" navigation to the v3 native Songs
-            // screen instead of the legacy #home library, so player-close,
-            // settings-back, the hidden legacy navbar, etc. all stay in v3.
-            const target = (id === 'home') ? 'v3-songs' : id;
-            const r = hooks.baseShowScreen ? hooks.baseShowScreen.call(this, target) : undefined;
-            try { hooks.syncActive && hooks.syncActive(target); } catch (e) { /* non-fatal */ }
-            return r;
+
+        // RETRY IF THE BUS IS LATE. The old wrapper didn't need window.feedBack to exist; a
+        // listener does. Bailing out when it isn't ready yet would silently leave the sidebar
+        // highlight and topbar title frozen forever — a dead nav, with nothing thrown. (Codex
+        // caught the identical hole in the stems plugin's version of this.)
+        const wire = () => {
+            const bus = window.feedBack;
+            if (!bus || typeof bus.on !== 'function') {
+                // `feedBack:capabilities:ready` — capabilities.js:1536. NOT the slopsmith: name:
+                // that was the pre-DMCA event and NOTHING dispatches it any more, so a fallback
+                // keyed on it can never fire. Codex caught exactly that here. (The old alias is
+                // kept too, in case an older capabilities build is in play.)
+                window.addEventListener('feedBack:capabilities:ready', wire, { once: true });
+                window.addEventListener('slopsmith:capabilities:ready', wire, { once: true });
+                return;
+            }
+            bus.on('screen:changed', (ev) => {
+                const id = ev && ev.detail && ev.detail.id;
+                if (!id) return;
+                try { hooks.syncActive && hooks.syncActive(id); } catch (e) { /* non-fatal */ }
+            });
        };
+        wire();
    }

    // ── Boot ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -482,7 +482,8 @@
    function accuracyBadge(filename, variant) {
        const acc = state.accuracy[filename];
        if (acc == null) return '';
-        const pct = Math.round(acc * 100);
+        // Floor, never round: 100% must mean every note hit.
+        const pct = Math.floor(acc * 100);
        if (variant === 'tree') {
            const color = acc >= MASTERY_ACCURACY ? 'text-fb-good' : acc >= 0.5 ? 'text-fb-mid' : 'text-fb-low';
            return '<span class="fb-acc-badge text-xs font-bold ' + color + '">' + pct + '%</span>';
@@ -1312,7 +1313,7 @@
            c.year ? String(c.year) : '']
            .filter(Boolean).join(' · ');
        const acc = (typeof c.best_accuracy === 'number')
-            ? '<span class="font-bold ' + (c.best_accuracy >= MASTERY_ACCURACY ? 'text-fb-good' : c.best_accuracy >= 0.5 ? 'text-fb-mid' : 'text-fb-low') + '">' + Math.round(c.best_accuracy * 100) + '%</span>'
+            ? '<span class="font-bold ' + (c.best_accuracy >= MASTERY_ACCURACY ? 'text-fb-good' : c.best_accuracy >= 0.5 ? 'text-fb-mid' : 'text-fb-low') + '">' + Math.floor(c.best_accuracy * 100) + '%</span>'
            : '<span class="text-fb-textDim/60">not played</span>';
        return '<div role="radio" aria-checked="' + (checked ? 'true' : 'false') + '" tabindex="0" data-ch="' + esc(c.filename) + '"' +
            ' title="' + (checked ? esc(prefLabel) : 'Make this the preferred chart') + '"' +
@@ -27,7 +27,60 @@
    let cur = null;             // active session
    let recordedThisSession = false;

+    // Wall-clock play time (career hours odometer). Accrued across
+    // play/resume ↔ pause/stop/ended spans — wall time, NOT song position:
+    // position deltas double-count A-B loops and mis-read seeks.
+    let playingSince = 0;       // performance.now() at span start, 0 while not playing
+    let accruedSeconds = 0;     // played time not yet sent
+    // Failed seconds keep their song identity — restoring them into the
+    // global accumulator would let the NEXT song claim them after a session
+    // switch. Bounded; oldest dropped beyond the cap (honest loss beats
+    // misattribution).
+    let pendingSeconds = [];    // [{filename, arrangement, seconds}] awaiting retry
+
+    function queuePendingSeconds(filename, arrangement, seconds) {
+        pendingSeconds.push({ filename, arrangement, seconds });
+        if (pendingSeconds.length > 20) pendingSeconds.shift();
+    }
+
+    function retryPendingSeconds() {
+        if (!pendingSeconds.length) return;
+        const batch = pendingSeconds;
+        pendingSeconds = [];
+        for (const body of batch) {
+            post(body).then((r) => { if (r == null) queuePendingSeconds(body.filename, body.arrangement, body.seconds); });
+        }
+    }
+
+    function clockStart() { if (!playingSince) playingSince = performance.now(); }
+    function clockStop() {
+        if (!playingSince) return;
+        const delta = (performance.now() - playingSince) / 1000;
+        playingSince = 0;
+        // A single unbroken span beyond 2h of wall clock is a suspend/sleep
+        // artifact, not practice — clamp it.
+        if (Number.isFinite(delta) && delta > 0) accruedSeconds += Math.min(delta, 7200);
+    }
+    // Take whatever has accrued (closing any open span) for sending; the
+    // caller restores it if the POST fails so the time isn't lost.
+    function takeSeconds() {
+        clockStop();
+        const s = Math.round(accruedSeconds);
+        accruedSeconds = 0;
+        return s > 0 ? s : 0;
+    }
+    // Unsent seconds belong to the outgoing song/arrangement — flush before
+    // a session reset would re-attribute them.
+    function flushSeconds() {
+        const s = takeSeconds();
+        if (!s) return;
+        if (!cur || !cur.filename) return; // no session to attribute to — drop
+        const body = { filename: cur.filename, arrangement: cur.arrangement, seconds: s };
+        post(body).then((r) => { if (r == null) queuePendingSeconds(body.filename, body.arrangement, s); });
+    }
+
    function reset(filename, arrangement) {
+        flushSeconds();
        cur = {
            filename: filename || null,
            arrangement: Number.isFinite(arrangement) ? arrangement : 0,
@@ -48,6 +101,10 @@
                headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
                body: JSON.stringify(body),
            });
+            // A 4xx/5xx JSON error body must read as FAILURE — callers
+            // re-queue accrued seconds on null, and a parsed error object
+            // would silently drop them.
+            if (!r.ok) return null;
            try { return await r.json(); } catch (e) { return null; }
        } catch (e) { return null; /* offline / endpoint absent — non-fatal */ }
    }
@@ -84,6 +141,7 @@
        if (!cur || !cur.filename || recordedThisSession) return;
        if (!cur.scored || (cur.hits + cur.misses) <= 0) return;  // no real scoring this session
        recordedThisSession = true;
+        const seconds = takeSeconds();
        const body = {
            filename: cur.filename,
            arrangement: cur.arrangement,
@@ -94,7 +152,9 @@
            bestStreak: cur.bestStreak,
            lastPlayPosition: Number.isFinite(position) ? position : cur.lastTime,
        };
+        if (seconds) body.seconds = seconds;
        post(body).then(async (response) => {
+            if (response == null && seconds) queuePendingSeconds(body.filename, body.arrangement, seconds);
            await notifyProgression(response, body, !!natural);
            // Refresh the profile badge AFTER the progression state moved so
            // the rank/dB it renders are post-award values.
@@ -112,7 +172,10 @@
        // Allow 0: restarting a song and stopping at the very beginning must be
        // able to clear a stale Continue offset. Only negatives are invalid.
        if (!Number.isFinite(position) || position < 0) return;
-        post({ filename: cur.filename, arrangement: cur.arrangement, lastPlayPosition: position });
+        const seconds = takeSeconds();
+        const body = { filename: cur.filename, arrangement: cur.arrangement, lastPlayPosition: position };
+        if (seconds) body.seconds = seconds;
+        post(body).then((r) => { if (r == null && seconds) queuePendingSeconds(body.filename, body.arrangement, seconds); });
    }

    // ── Session lifecycle ─────────────────────────────────────────────────--
@@ -164,13 +227,28 @@
        });
    });

+    // ── Play-time clock ───────────────────────────────────────────────────--
+    sm.on('song:play', () => { clockStart(); retryPendingSeconds(); });
+    sm.on('song:resume', clockStart);
+
    // ── Finalize / resume-position ────────────────────────────────────────--
-    sm.on('song:ended', (e) => finalizeScored(e && e.detail && e.detail.time, true));
-    sm.on('song:pause', (e) => touchPosition(e && e.detail && e.detail.time));
+    sm.on('song:ended', (e) => {
+        clockStop();
+        finalizeScored(e && e.detail && e.detail.time, true);
+        // Unscored natural end: no finalize POST and no position touch
+        // (Continue must not point at the end of the song) — bank the play
+        // time on its own.
+        flushSeconds();
+    });
+    sm.on('song:pause', (e) => {
+        clockStop();
+        touchPosition(e && e.detail && e.detail.time);
+    });
    sm.on('song:stop', (e) => {
        // Record the scored session if it wasn't already (e.g. user closed the
        // player before the track ended), then persist the resume position.
        // Not a natural end — no calibration-retry prompt for deliberate quits.
+        clockStop();
        const t = e && e.detail && e.detail.time;
        finalizeScored(t, false);
        touchPosition(t);
@@ -0,0 +1,667 @@
+/*
+ * fee[dB]ack — Venue crowd video layer (career mode PR1).
+ *
+ * Crossfades pre-rendered crowd-state loop videos behind the highway based on
+ * v3:live-performance-state, plus one-shot reaction stingers. Renders through
+ * two video backdrop planes owned by the highway_3d venue background style
+ * (window.h3dVenueBackdropSetVideo / window.h3dVenueBackdropSetMix).
+ *
+ * Inert unless a venue pack manifest is set — by the career plugin via
+ * v3VenueCrowd.setManifest(), or (dev only) a JSON manifest in localStorage
+ * under feedBack-venue-crowd-dev. With no manifest the static bg plate
+ * behaves exactly as before.
+ */
+(function (root) {
+    'use strict';
+
+    // live-performance-hud state → crowd state.
+    const CROWD_OF_PERF = {
+        smoke: 'bored',
+        recovery: 'bored',
+        idle: 'neutral',
+        steady: 'neutral',
+        strong: 'engaged',
+        fire: 'ecstatic',
+    };
+    const CROWD_STATES = ['bored', 'neutral', 'engaged', 'ecstatic'];
+    const CROWD_RANK = { bored: 0, neutral: 1, engaged: 2, ecstatic: 3 };
+
+    const STABLE_MS = 3000;        // target must hold this long before a switch
+    const DWELL_MS = 8000;         // min time between committed switches
+    const FADE_MS = 1200;          // loop crossfade
+    const STINGER_FADE_MS = 400;   // stinger fade-in/out
+    const STINGER_MIN_GAP_MS = 20000;
+    const STREAK_MILESTONES = [25, 50, 100];
+    const CANPLAY_TIMEOUT_MS = 4000;
+    const DEV_FLAG_KEY = 'feedBack-venue-crowd-dev';
+    const SFX_KEY = 'feedBack-venue-crowd-sfx';   // 'on' | 'off' (default off)
+
+    // ---------------------------------------------------------------------
+    // Pure, clock-injected decision logic (unit-tested in
+    // tests/js/venue_crowd.test.js — keep DOM-free).
+    // ---------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+    function crowdStateOfPerf(perfState) {
+        return CROWD_OF_PERF[String(perfState || '').toLowerCase()] || 'neutral';
+    }
+
+    // Hysteresis: a new target must be observed continuously for STABLE_MS,
+    // and at least DWELL_MS must have passed since the last committed switch.
+    function createCrowdMachine() {
+        let current = 'neutral';
+        let candidate = null;
+        let candidateSince = 0;
+        let lastSwitchAt = -Infinity;
+        return {
+            get current() { return current; },
+            reset() {
+                current = "neutral";
+                candidate = null;
+                lastSwitchAt = -Infinity;
+            },
+            // Commit a state NOW, bypassing stability/dwell (badge ceremony).
+            // Stamping lastSwitchAt makes the dwell window hold the forced
+            // state before the real perf machine can reassert.
+            force(state, nowMs) {
+                if (!CROWD_STATES.includes(state)) return;
+                current = state;
+                candidate = null;
+                lastSwitchAt = nowMs;
+            },
+            // Feed the latest perf state; returns the new crowd state when a
+            // transition commits, else null.
+            update(perfState, nowMs) {
+                const target = crowdStateOfPerf(perfState);
+                if (target === current) {
+                    candidate = null;
+                    return null;
+                }
+                if (target !== candidate) {
+                    candidate = target;
+                    candidateSince = nowMs;
+                    return null;
+                }
+                if (nowMs - candidateSince < STABLE_MS) return null;
+                if (nowMs - lastSwitchAt < DWELL_MS) return null;
+                current = target;
+                candidate = null;
+                lastSwitchAt = nowMs;
+                return current;
+            },
+        };
+    }
+
+    // Cheer when the streak crosses a milestone (rising edge only).
+    function stingerForStreak(prevStreak, streak) {
+        for (const m of STREAK_MILESTONES) {
+            if (prevStreak < m && streak >= m) return 'cheer';
+        }
+        return null;
+    }
+
+    // End-of-song reaction from final accuracy.
+    function stingerForAccuracy(accuracyPct) {
+        const a = Number(accuracyPct);
+        if (!Number.isFinite(a)) return null;
+        if (a >= 90) return 'cheer';
+        if (a >= 75) return 'clap';
+        return null;
+    }
+
+    // ---------------------------------------------------------------------
+    // Video layer controller (browser only).
+    // ---------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+    const machine = createCrowdMachine();
+    let _manifest = null;       // { loops: {state: url}, stingers: {name: url} }
+    let _venueActive = false;
+    let _videos = [null, null];
+    let _activeLayer = 0;       // layer currently showing the loop
+    let _mix = 0;               // 0 → layer0 visible, 1 → layer1 visible
+    let _fadeRaf = 0;
+    let _stopGen = 0;           // bumped by stop(): invalidates ALL in-flight loads
+    let _boundToRenderer = false;
+    let _pendingLoop = null;    // loop switch deferred by an active stinger
+    let _loadingLoop = null;    // loop currently waiting on canplaythrough
+    let _fadingLoop = null;     // loop currently crossfading in (not yet active)
+    let _stingerUntilEnded = false;
+    let _stingerGen = 0;        // identity for ended/timeout handlers
+    let _introActive = false;
+    let _introGen = 0;
+    let _audioEl = null;        // crowd ambience during the intro flyover
+    let _audioFadeTimer = 0;
+    let _lastStingerAt = -Infinity;
+    let _prevStreak = 0;
+    let _lastAccuracyPct = null; // from perf events; stats:recorded carries none
+    let _bound = false;
+
+    function now() { return Date.now(); }
+
+    function h3d(name) {
+        return root && typeof root[name] === 'function' ? root[name] : null;
+    }
+
+    function normalizeManifest(m) {
+        if (!m || typeof m !== 'object' || !m.loops) return null;
+        const base = typeof m.base === 'string' ? m.base : '';
+        const abs = (u) => (typeof u === 'string' && u ? base + u : '');
+        const loops = {};
+        for (const s of CROWD_STATES) loops[s] = abs(m.loops[s]);
+        if (!CROWD_STATES.every((s) => loops[s])) return null;
+        const stingers = {};
+        for (const k of ['clap', 'cheer']) stingers[k] = abs(m.stingers && m.stingers[k]);
+        const intro = {
+            video: abs(m.intro && m.intro.video),
+            audio: abs(m.intro && m.intro.audio),
+        };
+        const sfx = {
+            up: abs(m.sfx && m.sfx.up),
+            down: abs(m.sfx && m.sfx.down),
+        };
+        return { loops, stingers, intro, sfx };
+    }
+
+    function ensureVideos() {
+        if (!_videos[0] && typeof document !== 'undefined') {
+            for (let i = 0; i < 2; i++) {
+                const v = document.createElement('video');
+                // Same autoplay-safe recipe as the highway_3d video bg style:
+                // muted + playsInline bypasses gesture requirements; same-origin
+                // URLs so VideoTexture never taints.
+                v.muted = true;
+                v.playsInline = true;
+                v.preload = 'auto';
+                v.loop = true;
+                v.style.display = 'none';
+                document.body.appendChild(v);
+                _videos[i] = v;
+            }
+        }
+        bindVideosToRenderer();
+    }
+
+    // The highway_3d plugin (and its globals) can register after the venue
+    // pack starts — e.g. Venue selected at page load, renderer ready later.
+    // Idempotent and retried from start() and the perf-event path so a late
+    // renderer still picks the videos up.
+    function bindVideosToRenderer() {
+        if (_boundToRenderer || !_videos[0]) return;
+        const setVideo = h3d('h3dVenueBackdropSetVideo');
+        if (!setVideo) return;
+        setVideo(0, _videos[0]);
+        setVideo(1, _videos[1]);
+        _boundToRenderer = true;
+        setMix(_mix); // re-push mix the renderer missed while unregistered
+    }
+
+    function setMix(v) {
+        _mix = Math.max(0, Math.min(1, v));
+        const fn = h3d('h3dVenueBackdropSetMix');
+        if (fn) fn(_mix);
+    }
+
+    function cancelFade() {
+        if (_fadeRaf && typeof cancelAnimationFrame === 'function') {
+            cancelAnimationFrame(_fadeRaf);
+        }
+        _fadeRaf = 0;
+    }
+
+    function fadeMixTo(target, durationMs, done) {
+        cancelFade();
+        if (typeof requestAnimationFrame !== 'function') {
+            setMix(target);
+            if (done) done();
+            return;
+        }
+        const from = _mix;
+        const t0 = now();
+        const step = () => {
+            const k = Math.min(1, (now() - t0) / durationMs);
+            setMix(from + (target - from) * k);
+            if (k < 1) {
+                _fadeRaf = requestAnimationFrame(step);
+            } else {
+                _fadeRaf = 0;
+                if (done) done();
+            }
+        };
+        _fadeRaf = requestAnimationFrame(step);
+    }
+
+    // Load url into the video, resolve when it can play through (or after a
+    // timeout — a stalled fetch must not wedge the crowd forever). Tokens are
+    // per-element: a later load on the SAME video (a stinger preempting the
+    // idle layer) cancels this one, but loads on the other layer don't.
+    function loadAndPlay(video, url, loop, cb) {
+        const token = (video._fbCrowdToken = (video._fbCrowdToken || 0) + 1);
+        const gen = _stopGen;
+        let settled = false;
+        const settle = (ok) => {
+            if (settled) return;
+            settled = true;
+            // Cleanup must run even for superseded loads or stale listeners
+            // accumulate on the two persistent elements; only the callback
+            // is gated on still being the current load.
+            video.removeEventListener('canplaythrough', onReady);
+            video.removeEventListener('error', onError);
+            if (token !== video._fbCrowdToken || gen !== _stopGen) return;
+            cb(ok);
+        };
+        const onReady = () => settle(true);
+        const onError = () => settle(false);
+        video.addEventListener('canplaythrough', onReady);
+        video.addEventListener('error', onError);
+        video.loop = loop;
+        video.src = url;
+        video.play().catch(() => { /* browser retries on visibility/gesture */ });
+        setTimeout(() => settle(video.readyState >= 3), CANPLAY_TIMEOUT_MS);
+    }
+
+    function idleLayer() { return _activeLayer === 0 ? 1 : 0; }
+
+    // Crossfade the loop for `state` in on the idle layer.
+    function showLoop(state, fadeMs) {
+        if (!_manifest || !_videos[0]) return;
+        const layer = idleLayer();
+        const video = _videos[layer];
+        _loadingLoop = state;
+        loadAndPlay(video, _manifest.loops[state], true, (ok) => {
+            if (_loadingLoop === state) _loadingLoop = null;
+            if (!ok || !_venueActive) return;
+            _fadingLoop = state;
+            fadeMixTo(layer === 1 ? 1 : 0, fadeMs, () => {
+                // Preempted mid-fade (stinger claimed this layer while we
+                // were still ramping): the layer no longer holds this loop —
+                // promoting it would pause the real loop and hand fade-back
+                // the wrong target.
+                if (_fadingLoop !== state) return;
+                _fadingLoop = null;
+                const old = _videos[_activeLayer];
+                _activeLayer = layer;
+                if (old && !old.paused) old.pause();
+            });
+        });
+    }
+
+    function playStinger(name) {
+        if (!_manifest || !_manifest.stingers[name] || !_videos[0]) return;
+        if (_stingerUntilEnded) return;
+        const t = now();
+        if (t - _lastStingerAt < STINGER_MIN_GAP_MS) return;
+        _lastStingerAt = t;
+        _stingerUntilEnded = true;
+        const layer = idleLayer();
+        const video = _videos[layer];
+        // The stinger reuses the idle layer's element, cancelling any loop
+        // load still in flight there — and idleLayer() is still the fading-in
+        // layer while a crossfade runs (_activeLayer flips on completion), so
+        // a mid-fade loop gets overwritten too. Requeue either for when the
+        // stinger ends (the machine already advanced, nothing re-fires it).
+        const interrupted = _loadingLoop || _fadingLoop;
+        if (interrupted) {
+            // Freeze any in-flight crossfade: its ramp would keep pushing the
+            // mix toward this layer while the stinger replaces the src (loop
+            // vanishing / stinger popping in at full opacity).
+            cancelFade();
+            _pendingLoop = interrupted;
+            _loadingLoop = null;
+            _fadingLoop = null;
+        }
+        // A loop switch deferred (or preempted) by this stinger must play
+        // once the stinger is done OR failed — the machine already advanced,
+        // so nothing re-triggers it later.
+        const flushPending = () => {
+            if (!_pendingLoop || !_venueActive) return;
+            const pending = _pendingLoop;
+            _pendingLoop = null;
+            showLoop(pending, FADE_MS);
+        };
+        const myGen = ++_stingerGen;
+        const back = () => {
+            // Always detach: a handler left behind by a stop()/manifest swap
+            // must not fire into a LATER stinger's lifecycle on this reused
+            // element (the gen check below guards that; the boolean alone
+            // would pass once a new stinger is active).
+            video.removeEventListener('ended', back);
+            if (_stingerGen !== myGen || !_stingerUntilEnded) return;
+            _stingerUntilEnded = false;
+            // Fade back to the loop layer (which kept playing underneath).
+            fadeMixTo(_activeLayer === 1 ? 1 : 0, STINGER_FADE_MS);
+            flushPending();
+        };
+        loadAndPlay(video, _manifest.stingers[name], false, (ok) => {
+            if (!ok || !_venueActive) {
+                _stingerUntilEnded = false;
+                flushPending();
+                return;
+            }
+            video.addEventListener('ended', back);
+            fadeMixTo(layer === 1 ? 1 : 0, STINGER_FADE_MS);
+            // Safety: an `ended` that never fires (decode stall) must not
+            // freeze the crowd on a stinger frame.
+            setTimeout(back, 15000);
+        });
+    }
+
+    function ensureAudio() {
+        if (_audioEl || typeof document === 'undefined') return;
+        _audioEl = document.createElement('audio');
+        _audioEl.preload = 'auto';
+        _audioEl.style.display = 'none';
+        document.body.appendChild(_audioEl);
+    }
+
+    function fadeAudioOut(durationMs) {
+        if (!_audioEl || _audioEl.paused) return;
+        if (_audioFadeTimer) return; // already fading
+        const from = _audioEl.volume;
+        const t0 = now();
+        _audioFadeTimer = setInterval(() => {
+            const k = Math.min(1, (now() - t0) / durationMs);
+            _audioEl.volume = from * (1 - k);
+            if (k >= 1) {
+                clearInterval(_audioFadeTimer);
+                _audioFadeTimer = 0;
+                _audioEl.pause();
+            }
+        }, 50);
+    }
+
+    function stopAudio() {
+        if (_audioFadeTimer) { clearInterval(_audioFadeTimer); _audioFadeTimer = 0; }
+        if (_audioEl && !_audioEl.paused) _audioEl.pause();
+    }
+
+    // One-shot flyover intro on song load: video flies from the back of the
+    // room onto the stage, crowd ambience plays and ducks out as the song
+    // starts (song:play) or as the flyover lands, whichever comes first.
+    function playIntro() {
+        if (!_manifest || !_manifest.intro || !_manifest.intro.video || !_videos[0]) {
+            return false;
+        }
+        const myGen = ++_introGen;
+        _introActive = true;
+        const layer = idleLayer();
+        const video = _videos[layer];
+        const land = () => {
+            if (_introGen !== myGen || !_introActive) return;
+            _introActive = false;
+            video.removeEventListener('ended', land);
+            fadeAudioOut(1200);
+            const pending = _pendingLoop;
+            _pendingLoop = null;
+            showLoop(pending || machine.current, 400);
+        };
+        loadAndPlay(video, _manifest.intro.video, false, (ok) => {
+            if (_introGen !== myGen) return;
+            if (!ok || !_venueActive) {
+                // Failed intro must not leave the song loop-less: fall back
+                // to the normal loop exactly like the no-intro path.
+                _introActive = false;
+                if (_venueActive) showLoop(machine.current, FADE_MS);
+                return;
+            }
+            fadeMixTo(layer === 1 ? 1 : 0, 300);
+            video.addEventListener('ended', land);
+            setTimeout(land, 15000); // decode-stall safety
+            if (_manifest.intro.audio) {
+                ensureAudio();
+                _audioEl.src = _manifest.intro.audio;
+                _audioEl.volume = 1;
+                // The user's play gesture precedes song:loaded, so autoplay
+                // with sound is normally allowed; degrade silently if not.
+                _audioEl.play().catch(() => { /* no gesture yet */ });
+                // start ducking shortly before the flyover lands
+                video.addEventListener('timeupdate', function duck() {
+                    if (video.duration && video.duration - video.currentTime < 1.5) {
+                        video.removeEventListener('timeupdate', duck);
+                        fadeAudioOut(1400);
+                    }
+                });
+            }
+        });
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    let _sfxEl = null;
+
+    function sfxEnabled() {
+        try { return localStorage.getItem(SFX_KEY) === 'on'; } catch (_) { return false; }
+    }
+
+    // One-shot crowd reaction on committed mood transitions (toggleable):
+    // up the ladder → cheer, down → boos. Committed transitions are already
+    // hysteresis-limited, so this can't spam.
+    function playMoodSfx(direction) {
+        if (!sfxEnabled() || !_manifest || !_manifest.sfx || _introActive) return;
+        const url = direction > 0 ? _manifest.sfx.up : _manifest.sfx.down;
+        if (!url || typeof document === 'undefined') return;
+        if (!_sfxEl) {
+            _sfxEl = document.createElement('audio');
+            _sfxEl.preload = 'auto';
+            _sfxEl.style.display = 'none';
+            document.body.appendChild(_sfxEl);
+        }
+        _sfxEl.src = url;
+        _sfxEl.volume = 0.6;
+        _sfxEl.play().catch(() => { /* pre-gesture; skip silently */ });
+    }
+
+    function onSongPlay() {
+        // Song audio starting is the hard cue: the ambience must yield.
+        fadeAudioOut(1000);
+    }
+
+    function onPerformanceState(e) {
+        if (!_venueActive || !_manifest) return;
+        bindVideosToRenderer();
+        const d = (e && e.detail) || {};
+        // Number(null) === 0: HUD reset events (accuracyPct: null) must not
+        // wipe the value the end-of-song stinger reads via stats:recorded.
+        if (d.accuracyPct != null && Number.isFinite(Number(d.accuracyPct))) {
+            _lastAccuracyPct = Number(d.accuracyPct);
+        }
+        const streak = Number(d.streak) || 0;
+        const sting = stingerForStreak(_prevStreak, streak);
+        _prevStreak = streak;
+        if (sting && !_introActive && CROWD_RANK[machine.current] >= CROWD_RANK.neutral) {
+            playStinger(sting);
+        }
+        const prevRank = CROWD_RANK[machine.current];
+        const next = machine.update(d.state, now());
+        if (next) {
+            playMoodSfx(CROWD_RANK[next] - prevRank);
+            // A stinger or the intro owns the idle layer; defer the switch.
+            if (_stingerUntilEnded || _introActive) _pendingLoop = next;
+            else showLoop(next, FADE_MS);
+        }
+    }
+
+    function onSongLoaded() {
+        machine.reset();
+        _prevStreak = 0;
+        _lastAccuracyPct = null;
+        // Abort any stinger/pending state from the previous song: its ended
+        // handler must not fade back into the old song's layers.
+        cancelFade();
+        _stingerGen++;
+        _introGen++;
+        _stingerUntilEnded = false;
+        _introActive = false;
+        stopAudio();
+        _pendingLoop = null;
+        _loadingLoop = null;
+        _fadingLoop = null;
+        if (_venueActive && _manifest) {
+            if (!playIntro()) showLoop(machine.current, FADE_MS);
+        }
+    }
+
+    function onStatsRecorded() {
+        if (!_venueActive || !_manifest) return;
+        // stats:recorded carries only {filename, arrangement} — the accuracy
+        // comes from the last v3:live-performance-state of the finished song.
+        const sting = stingerForAccuracy(_lastAccuracyPct);
+        _lastAccuracyPct = null; // one reaction per song
+        if (sting) {
+            _lastStingerAt = -Infinity; // end-of-song reaction always allowed
+            playStinger(sting);
+        }
+    }
+
+    function start() {
+        ensureVideos();
+        if (!_videos[0]) return;
+        _prevStreak = 0;
+        // Boot straight into the current machine state on the active layer.
+        const video = _videos[_activeLayer];
+        loadAndPlay(video, _manifest.loops[machine.current], true, (ok) => {
+            if (!ok || !_venueActive) return;
+            setMix(_activeLayer === 1 ? 1 : 0);
+        });
+    }
+
+    function stop() {
+        cancelFade();
+        _stopGen++;
+        _stingerGen++;
+        _introGen++;
+        _introActive = false;
+        stopAudio();
+        if (_sfxEl && !_sfxEl.paused) _sfxEl.pause();
+        _stingerUntilEnded = false;
+        _pendingLoop = null;
+        _loadingLoop = null;
+        _fadingLoop = null;
+        for (const v of _videos) {
+            if (v && !v.paused) v.pause();
+        }
+        // Unbind from the renderer: a paused video still holds its last
+        // frame, and the venue style keeps a bound plane visible whenever
+        // videoWidth > 0 — without this a removed pack would leave a frozen
+        // crowd frame over the static plate. start() re-binds.
+        const setVideo = h3d('h3dVenueBackdropSetVideo');
+        if (_boundToRenderer && setVideo) {
+            setVideo(0, null);
+            setVideo(1, null);
+        }
+        _boundToRenderer = false;
+        // Mix and active layer must reset together: mix 0 shows layer 0, so a
+        // restart that left _activeLayer at 1 would flash layer 0's stale
+        // frame until the new loop loads.
+        _activeLayer = 0;
+        setMix(0);
+    }
+
+    function setVenueActive(on) {
+        const next = !!on;
+        if (next === _venueActive) {
+            // Re-activation (e.g. viz:renderer:ready after a late plugin
+            // load): don't restart the loop, but do retry renderer binding.
+            if (next && _manifest) bindVideosToRenderer();
+            return;
+        }
+        _venueActive = next;
+        if (_venueActive && _manifest) start();
+        else stop();
+    }
+
+    function setManifest(m) {
+        const norm = normalizeManifest(m);
+        _manifest = norm;
+        if (_venueActive) {
+            // Full stop first even when replacing pack-for-pack: it bumps
+            // _stopGen so an in-flight load from the OLD manifest can't
+            // settle and fade a stale URL in after the new pack starts.
+            stop();
+            if (norm) start();
+        }
+    }
+
+    function readDevManifest() {
+        try {
+            const raw = localStorage.getItem(DEV_FLAG_KEY);
+            if (!raw) return null;
+            return JSON.parse(raw);
+        } catch (_) {
+            return null;
+        }
+    }
+
+    function bindRuntime() {
+        if (_bound) return;
+        _bound = true;
+        const sm = root && root.feedBack;
+        if (sm && typeof sm.on === 'function') {
+            sm.on('v3:live-performance-state', onPerformanceState);
+            sm.on('stats:recorded', onStatsRecorded);
+            // A new song must not inherit the previous song's crowd mood
+            // through the hysteresis/dwell window.
+            sm.on('song:loaded', onSongLoaded);
+            sm.on('song:play', onSongPlay);
+        }
+        const dev = readDevManifest();
+        if (dev && !_manifest) setManifest(dev);
+    }
+
+    // Badge-ceremony hook (career passports): the crowd erupts NOW — ecstatic
+    // loop bypassing stability/dwell (the dwell window then holds it while
+    // the real perf state waits its turn) plus a cheer. Degrades to a no-op
+    // without a pack / outside the player, like every other entry point.
+    function celebrate() {
+        if (!_venueActive || !_manifest || !_videos[0]) return false;
+        machine.force('ecstatic', now());
+        if (_stingerUntilEnded || _introActive) {
+            // A stinger/intro owns the idle layer (likely the end-of-song
+            // accuracy cheer — the crowd is already reacting); queue the
+            // ecstatic loop for when it ends, same as onPerformanceState.
+            _pendingLoop = 'ecstatic';
+        } else {
+            showLoop('ecstatic', FADE_MS);
+            _lastStingerAt = -Infinity; // a badge earn always gets its cheer
+            playStinger('cheer');
+        }
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    function getState() {
+        return {
+            venueActive: _venueActive,
+            hasManifest: !!_manifest,
+            crowdState: machine.current,
+            activeLayer: _activeLayer,
+            mix: _mix,
+            stingerActive: _stingerUntilEnded,
+            introActive: _introActive,
+        };
+    }
+
+    const api = {
+        CROWD_STATES,
+        STABLE_MS,
+        DWELL_MS,
+        crowdStateOfPerf,
+        createCrowdMachine,
+        stingerForStreak,
+        stingerForAccuracy,
+        normalizeManifest,
+        setManifest,
+        setVenueActive,
+        bindRuntime,
+        getState,
+        celebrate,
+    };
+
+    if (root) root.v3VenueCrowd = api;
+    if (typeof module !== 'undefined' && module.exports) module.exports = api;
+
+    if (typeof document !== 'undefined') {
+        // Same defer/DOMContentLoaded dance as venue-scene-3d.js.
+        if (document.readyState !== 'complete') {
+            document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', bindRuntime);
+        } else {
+            bindRuntime();
+        }
+    }
+}(typeof window !== 'undefined' ? window : (typeof globalThis !== 'undefined' ? globalThis : null)));
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@
    function readArrangementSignal() {
        // Intentional karaoke/vocals signal: active arrangement name from the
        // highway WS (user selected Vocals in #arr-select). Do NOT use
-        // highway.getLyricsVisible() — lyrics overlay stays on during normal
+        // window.highway.getLyricsVisible() — lyrics overlay stays on during normal
        // guitar practice and must not force vocals POV.
        try {
            const si = root.highway && typeof root.highway.getSongInfo === 'function'
@@ -96,6 +96,7 @@
        if (_active) {
            syncInstrumentPov();
            syncVenueMotion();
+            syncCrowd(true);
            return;
        }
        _active = true;
@@ -105,6 +106,17 @@
        setH3dMood(_lastMood);
        syncInstrumentPov();
        syncVenueMotion();
+        syncCrowd(true);
+    }
+
+    function syncCrowd(on) {
+        // Reactive crowd video layer (career mode) — inert without a pack.
+        try {
+            if (root && root.v3VenueCrowd &&
+                typeof root.v3VenueCrowd.setVenueActive === 'function') {
+                root.v3VenueCrowd.setVenueActive(!!on);
+            }
+        } catch (_) { /* visual-only */ }
    }

    function syncVenueMotion() {
@@ -128,6 +140,7 @@
        _assetsLoaded = false;
        _loadFailed = false;
        setH3dActive(false);
+        syncCrowd(false);
        syncPlaceholderVisibility();
    }

@@ -0,0 +1,168 @@
+import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test';
+
+/**
+ * The R3c perf gate: highway.js's render loop must not get more expensive.
+ *
+ * ── WHY FRAME RATE IS THE WRONG THING TO MEASURE ──────────────────────────────
+ *
+ * The highway AUTO-SCALES. When the smoothed draw cost climbs past its budget
+ * (_DRAW_BUDGET_HI_MS = 12ms) it LOWERS THE RENDER RESOLUTION to protect the frame rate
+ * (#654). That is exactly right for players. It also means a real performance regression
+ * does not show up as dropped frames — it shows up as a BLURRIER PICTURE at a perfectly
+ * healthy 60fps.
+ *
+ * Benchmark fps and you measure the feedback loop, not the renderer, and cheerfully
+ * conclude that nothing changed while the picture quietly got worse.
+ *
+ * So this pins the scale — setRenderScale(1) + setMinRenderScale(1), which clamps
+ * autoScale to [1, 1] — and measures `drawMs`, the renderer's own cost, straight from
+ * highway.getPerf(). With the adaptive loop held still, drawMs is the signal.
+ *
+ * ── WHAT IT ASSERTS, AND THE TRAP I FELL INTO FIRST ──────────────────────────
+ *
+ * My first cut asserted "the auto-scaler was not forced to intervene" — i.e. effectiveScale
+ * still == 1. That gate is VACUOUS, and the bite test proved it: I injected a 10x
+ * regression (drawMs 2.4 -> 22.4ms, nearly double the 12ms budget) and the test PASSED.
+ *
+ * Of course it did. setMinRenderScale(1) sets the auto-scaler's FLOOR to 1, so
+ * effectiveScale CANNOT drop below 1 — the very pinning that stops the scaler from hiding a
+ * regression also stops it from ever reporting one. A guard that cannot fail.
+ *
+ * So with the scale pinned, drawMs IS the signal, and the threshold is the app's own:
+ * _DRAW_BUDGET_HI_MS (12ms) is the cost at which the highway itself decides it is too
+ * expensive and starts dropping resolution in production. Exceeding it is not an arbitrary
+ * line in a benchmark — it is the renderer failing its own budget.
+ *
+ * That is a real gate and not a flaky one: the current cost is ~2.4ms, so there is ~5x
+ * headroom before it trips, which is far more than headless-CI variance and far less than
+ * any regression worth shipping.
+ */
+test('highway draw cost stays within its own render budget', async ({ page }) => {
+  await page.goto('/');
+  await page.waitForSelector('.screen.active', { timeout: 10000 });
+
+  const perf = await page.evaluate(async () => {
+    const w = window as any;
+    const hw = w.highway;
+    if (!hw || typeof hw.getPerf !== 'function') {
+      return { error: 'highway.getPerf() missing — the perf gate is blind' };
+    }
+
+    // Pin the adaptive loop so it cannot mask a regression by dropping resolution.
+    hw.setRenderScale(1);
+    hw.setMinRenderScale(1);
+
+    // Load a real chart and get the transport ACTUALLY RUNNING.
+    //
+    // Codex [P2] on the first cut of this, and it was right: headless Chromium may block
+    // autoplay, in which case playSong() only LOADS the chart. The audio clock never
+    // advances, the draw loop treats the session as paused, and _drawMsEMA keeps whatever
+    // stale value it had at startup. The gate would then sample an IDLE renderer and
+    // cheerfully report a healthy 2ms — while measuring nothing at all, on exactly the path
+    // it exists to protect.
+    const d = await (await fetch('/api/library?limit=1')).json();
+    const f = d.songs && d.songs[0] && (d.songs[0].filename || d.songs[0].id);
+    if (!f) return { error: 'no song in the library — the perf gate has nothing to render' };
+
+    const audio = document.getElementById('audio') as HTMLAudioElement | null;
+    if (audio) audio.muted = true;             // so autoplay policy cannot refuse us
+    // ENCODE. playSong() decodes its argument before interpolating it into the /ws/highway
+    // path, so every real caller hands it encodeURIComponent(filename) (app.js:2879, 4137).
+    // A raw filename containing #, ?, % or / builds an invalid WebSocket URL and the song
+    // never loads — on which libraries this gate would silently measure an idle renderer
+    // rather than fail. Codex [P2], and correct.
+    await w.playSong(encodeURIComponent(f));
+
+    // WAIT for playback to start; do NOT force it on a fixed timer.
+    //
+    // playSong() autoplays, but it takes ~3-4s to get there — it is fetching and decoding
+    // stems. An earlier version of this test called togglePlay() after a flat 2s "if not
+    // playing yet", which fired BEFORE autoplay, started playback, and then had the app's
+    // own autoplay toggle it straight back to PAUSED. The renderer then idled through the
+    // whole measurement and the gate happily reported 2ms of nothing.
+    const playDeadline = Date.now() + 12000;
+    while (!w.feedBack.isPlaying && Date.now() < playDeadline) {
+      await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 250));
+    }
+    // Only intervene if it truly never started (a stricter autoplay policy than we expect).
+    if (!w.feedBack.isPlaying) await w.togglePlay();
+
+    // Wait for the CHART CLOCK to actually move. That is the proof the render loop is doing
+    // real per-frame work, not sitting paused.
+    const t0 = hw.getTime();
+    const deadline = Date.now() + 8000;
+    while (hw.getTime() - t0 < 0.5 && Date.now() < deadline) {
+      await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 100));
+    }
+    const advanced = hw.getTime() - t0;
+
+    // Let the EMAs settle under load (they are 0.9/0.1, so they need a few dozen frames).
+    await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 2500));
+
+    // Sample — and measure the clock ACROSS the sampling window, not just before it.
+    // "It advanced at some point earlier" is not good enough: if playback stopped before we
+    // started sampling (short song, ended track, autoplay revoked), the EMAs decay toward
+    // idle and we would be reading the cost of drawing nothing.
+    const sampleStart = hw.getTime();
+    const samples: number[] = [];
+    for (let i = 0; i < 30; i++) {
+      await new Promise((r) => requestAnimationFrame(() => r(null)));
+      samples.push(hw.getPerf().drawMs);
+    }
+    const advancedDuringSampling = hw.getTime() - sampleStart;
+
+    return {
+      ...hw.getPerf(),
+      samples,
+      advanced,
+      advancedDuringSampling,
+      isPlaying: !!w.feedBack.isPlaying,
+    };
+  });
+
+  expect(perf.error, String(perf.error)).toBeUndefined();
+
+  console.log(
+    `[highway perf] drawMs=${(perf.drawMs ?? 0).toFixed(2)}  frameMs=${(perf.frameMs ?? 0).toFixed(2)}  ` +
+    `renderScale=${perf.renderScale}  autoScale=${perf.autoScale}  effectiveScale=${perf.effectiveScale}  ` +
+    `budget=${perf.drawBudgetLoMs}..${perf.drawBudgetHiMs}ms  ` +
+    `playing=${perf.isPlaying}  advancedBefore=${(perf.advanced ?? 0).toFixed(2)}s  ` +
+    `advancedDuringSampling=${(perf.advancedDuringSampling ?? 0).toFixed(3)}s`,
+  );
+
+  // 0. THE GATE MUST NOT BE MEASURING AN IDLE RENDERER. If the transport never started, the
+  //    draw loop is paused, _drawMsEMA is a stale startup value, and every assertion below
+  //    passes while testing nothing. Assert the chart clock actually MOVED.
+  expect(
+    perf.advanced,
+    'the chart clock never advanced — playback did not start, so drawMs is a stale idle ' +
+    'value and this gate is measuring nothing',
+  ).toBeGreaterThan(0.5);
+
+  //    …and it must STILL have been advancing while we sampled. "It moved at some point
+  //    earlier" is not good enough: if playback stopped before the sampling window, the EMAs
+  //    decay toward idle and we would be measuring the cost of drawing nothing.
+  expect(
+    perf.advancedDuringSampling,
+    'the chart clock was not advancing DURING the sampling window — playback stopped, so ' +
+    'these drawMs samples are the cost of an idle renderer, not a rendering one',
+  ).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+
+  // 1. the renderer actually ran and reports a sane cost
+  expect(Number.isFinite(perf.drawMs)).toBe(true);
+  expect(perf.drawMs).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+
+  // 2. THE REGRESSION SIGNAL. With the scale pinned, drawMs is the renderer's true cost.
+  //    _DRAW_BUDGET_HI_MS is the app's OWN definition of "too expensive" — the cost at
+  //    which it starts sacrificing resolution for players in production. Blow through it
+  //    and the renderer has failed its own budget.
+  //
+  //    Do NOT be tempted to assert on effectiveScale instead: pinning the scale makes that
+  //    number a constant, so it can never report anything. See the note above.
+  expect(
+    perf.drawMs,
+    `highway draw cost ${perf.drawMs.toFixed(2)}ms exceeds its own budget of ` +
+    `${perf.drawBudgetHiMs}ms — in production this is the point where the highway starts ` +
+    `dropping render resolution to keep up`,
+  ).toBeLessThan(perf.drawBudgetHiMs);
+});
@@ -18,7 +18,14 @@ const APP_JS = path.join(__dirname, '..', '..', 'static', 'app.js');
 // auto-exit machinery around it (_clearAutoExit, holdAutoExit, _resolvePlayerOrigin)
 // stayed in app.js.
 const CONTROLS_JS = path.join(__dirname, '..', '..', 'static', 'js', 'player-controls.js');
-const SRC = fs.readFileSync(APP_JS, 'utf8');
+// R3d: the song session (showScreen / playSong / closeCurrentSong, and the autoplay hold and
+// auto-exit timer they own) was carved out of app.js into static/js/session.js. This file slices
+// functions from BOTH — `_resultsOverlayVisible` is still in app.js; `_releaseAutoplay` and
+// `_resolvePlayerOrigin` moved. Read both and strip `export`, exactly as CONTROLS_SRC already
+// does, rather than re-pinning each extraction at whichever file currently holds it.
+const SESSION_JS = path.join(__dirname, '..', '..', 'static', 'js', 'session.js');
+const SRC = fs.readFileSync(APP_JS, 'utf8')
+    + '\n' + fs.readFileSync(SESSION_JS, 'utf8').replace(/^export /gm, '');
 // the module is ESM; these sandboxes evaluate plain script text
 const CONTROLS_SRC = fs.readFileSync(CONTROLS_JS, 'utf8').replace(/^export /gm, '');

@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+'use strict';
+
+const { test } = require('node:test');
+const assert = require('node:assert/strict');
+const fs = require('node:fs');
+const path = require('node:path');
+
+const ROOT = path.join(__dirname, '..', '..');
+const PLUGIN_DIR = path.join(ROOT, 'plugins', 'career');
+const SHELL_JS = path.join(ROOT, 'static', 'v3', 'shell.js');
+
+test('career plugin manifest is complete and bundled', () => {
+    const manifest = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(PLUGIN_DIR, 'plugin.json'), 'utf8'));
+    assert.equal(manifest.id, 'career');
+    assert.equal(manifest.bundled, true);
+    assert.equal(manifest.screen, 'screen.html');
+    assert.equal(manifest.script, 'screen.js');
+    assert.equal(manifest.routes, 'routes.py');
+    for (const f of ['screen.html', 'screen.js', 'routes.py', 'venues.json', manifest.styles]) {
+        assert.ok(fs.existsSync(path.join(PLUGIN_DIR, f)), `${f} missing`);
+    }
+});
+
+test('venues.json defines the 3 ascending tiers with star thresholds', () => {
+    const content = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(PLUGIN_DIR, 'venues.json'), 'utf8'));
+    assert.deepEqual(content.star_accuracy_thresholds, [0.6, 0.75, 0.85]);
+    const venues = content.venues;
+    assert.deepEqual(venues.map((v) => v.id), ['bar', 'club', 'arena']);
+    assert.equal(venues[0].star_threshold, 0, 'bar must always be unlocked');
+    for (let i = 1; i < venues.length; i++) {
+        assert.ok(venues[i].star_threshold > venues[i - 1].star_threshold,
+            'thresholds must ascend');
+    }
+});
+
+test('bar venue pack ships with intro media in the plugin checkout', () => {
+    const packDir = path.join(PLUGIN_DIR, 'venue-packs', 'bar');
+    const manifest = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(packDir, 'manifest.json'), 'utf8'));
+    assert.deepEqual(Object.keys(manifest.loops).sort(),
+        ['bored', 'ecstatic', 'engaged', 'neutral']);
+    assert.equal(manifest.intro.video, 'intro.mp4');
+    assert.equal(manifest.intro.audio, 'bar-ambience.mp3');
+    for (const f of [
+        ...Object.values(manifest.loops),
+        ...Object.values(manifest.stingers),
+        manifest.intro.video,
+        manifest.intro.audio,
+    ]) {
+        const stat = fs.statSync(path.join(packDir, f));
+        assert.ok(stat.size > 0, `${f} must be present`);
+    }
+});
+
+test('shell promotes the career plugin into the sidebar', () => {
+    const src = fs.readFileSync(SHELL_JS, 'utf8');
+    assert.match(src, /key: 'career',\s*screen: 'plugin-career'/);
+    assert.match(src, /navKey: 'career',\s*pluginId: 'career',\s*slotId: 'v3-nav-career'/);
+});
+
+test('career screen pushes the crowd manifest with a base URL', () => {
+    const src = fs.readFileSync(path.join(PLUGIN_DIR, 'screen.js'), 'utf8');
+    assert.match(src, /v3VenueCrowd/);
+    assert.match(src, /setManifest\(manifest\)/);
+    assert.match(src, /manifest\.base = /);
+    assert.match(src, /feedBack-career-venue/);
+    // Degrades without the crowd layer (PR1 not merged / older desktop).
+    assert.match(src, /typeof crowd\.setManifest !== 'function'\) return/);
+});
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Regression guards for two Edit-Metadata modal fixes (static/app.js):
+// Regression guards for two Edit-Metadata modal fixes (static/js/edit-modal.js):
 //
 //  1. Year is editable — the modal renders an `edit-year` field and
 //     saveEditModal() includes `year` in the POST /api/song/<f>/meta body.
@@ -19,8 +19,11 @@ const path = require('node:path');
 const vm = require('node:vm');
 const { extractFunction } = require('./test_utils');

-const APP_JS = path.join(__dirname, '..', '..', 'static', 'app.js');
-const readApp = () => fs.readFileSync(APP_JS, 'utf8');
+// R3d: the edit modal was carved out of app.js into its own module. Bodies unchanged — only
+// the file moved. (It could go cleanly because the LIBRARY came out first: every dependency the
+// modal has is a module now, and it reads six library bindings without writing any.)
+const EDIT_MODAL_JS = path.join(__dirname, '..', '..', 'static', 'js', 'edit-modal.js');
+const readApp = () => fs.readFileSync(EDIT_MODAL_JS, 'utf8');

 function loadFn(signature, sandbox, exportAs) {
    const fnSrc = extractFunction(readApp(), signature);
@@ -27,16 +27,33 @@ function extractBlock(src, signature) {
    return src.slice(start, i);
 }

+
+// R3c: highway.js is being carved into modules, so its source is no longer ONE file. Read the
+// whole set. Re-pinning these assertions at whichever file currently holds a constant just
+// means they break again on the next carve — and worse, a source-shape assertion that silently
+// stops finding its target is indistinguishable from one that passes.
+function highwaySources() {
+    const root = path.join(__dirname, '..', '..');
+    const jsDir = path.join(root, 'static', 'js');
+    const parts = [fs.readFileSync(path.join(root, 'static', 'highway.js'), 'utf8')];
+    for (const f of fs.readdirSync(jsDir).sort()) {
+        if (f.startsWith('highway-') && f.endsWith('.js')) {
+            parts.push(fs.readFileSync(path.join(jsDir, f), 'utf8'));
+        }
+    }
+    return parts.join('\n');
+}
+
 test('highway declares adaptive-scale state with a floor', () => {
-    const src = fs.readFileSync(highwayJs, 'utf8');
+    const src = highwaySources();
    assert.match(src, /hwState\._autoScale\s*=\s*1/, 'missing _autoScale multiplier');
-    assert.match(src, /const\s+_AUTO_SCALE_MIN\s*=\s*0?\.25/, 'missing _AUTO_SCALE_MIN floor (0.25)');
-    assert.match(src, /const\s+_DRAW_BUDGET_HI_MS\s*=\s*\d+/, 'missing high draw budget');
-    assert.match(src, /const\s+_DRAW_BUDGET_LO_MS\s*=\s*\d+/, 'missing low draw budget');
+    assert.match(src, /(?:export\s+)?const\s+_AUTO_SCALE_MIN\s*=\s*0?\.25/, 'missing _AUTO_SCALE_MIN floor (0.25)');
+    assert.match(src, /(?:export\s+)?const\s+_DRAW_BUDGET_HI_MS\s*=\s*\d+/, 'missing high draw budget');
+    assert.match(src, /(?:export\s+)?const\s+_DRAW_BUDGET_LO_MS\s*=\s*\d+/, 'missing low draw budget');
 });

 test('_effectiveRenderScale clamps user ceiling * auto factor to [MIN, 1]', () => {
-    const src = fs.readFileSync(highwayJs, 'utf8');
+    const src = highwaySources();
    const fn = extractBlock(src, 'function _effectiveRenderScale()');
    // Derives from the (sanitized) user ceiling and auto factor.
    assert.match(fn, /_renderScale/, 'effective scale must derive from the user _renderScale');
@@ -47,7 +64,7 @@ test('_effectiveRenderScale clamps user ceiling * auto factor to [MIN, 1]', () =
 });

 test('min render scale floor is user-configurable + exposed on the api (#654)', () => {
-    const src = fs.readFileSync(highwayJs, 'utf8');
+    const src = highwaySources();
    // Hard floor constant kept; configurable floor read from localStorage.
    assert.match(src, /hwState\._autoScaleMin\s*=/, 'missing configurable _autoScaleMin');
    assert.match(src, /localStorage\.getItem\('highwayMinRenderScale'\)/,
@@ -65,7 +82,7 @@ test('min render scale floor is user-configurable + exposed on the api (#654)',
 });

 test('_adaptRenderScale uses the draw budget + cooldown and re-applies via resize', () => {
-    const src = fs.readFileSync(highwayJs, 'utf8');
+    const src = highwaySources();
    const fn = extractBlock(src, 'function _adaptRenderScale(');
    assert.match(fn, /_DRAW_BUDGET_HI_MS/, 'must scale down past the high budget');
    assert.match(fn, /_DRAW_BUDGET_LO_MS/, 'must scale up below the low budget');
@@ -74,27 +91,27 @@ test('_adaptRenderScale uses the draw budget + cooldown and re-applies via resiz
 });

 test('draw() only adapts during active playback and feeds the HUD', () => {
-    const src = fs.readFileSync(highwayJs, 'utf8');
+    const src = highwaySources();
    const fn = extractBlock(src, 'function draw()');
    assert.match(fn, /if\s*\(\s*!_paused\s*\)\s*_adaptRenderScale/, 'must skip adaptation while paused');
    assert.match(fn, /_updatePerfHud\(\)/, 'must update the perf HUD each drawn frame');
 });

 test('bundle + canvas sizing use the effective scale, not the raw user value', () => {
-    const src = fs.readFileSync(highwayJs, 'utf8');
+    const src = highwaySources();
    assert.match(src, /renderScale\s*[:=]\s*_effectiveRenderScale\(\)/, 'bundle.renderScale must be the effective scale');
    assert.match(src, /canvas\.width\s*=\s*Math\.round\(w\s*\*\s*_effectiveRenderScale\(\)\)/, 'canvas backing store must use effective scale');
 });

 test('api exposes effective scale + perf stats', () => {
-    const src = fs.readFileSync(highwayJs, 'utf8');
+    const src = highwaySources();
    assert.match(src, /getEffectiveRenderScale\(\)\s*\{\s*return\s+_effectiveRenderScale\(\)/, 'api.getEffectiveRenderScale missing');
    assert.match(src, /getPerfStats\(\)\s*\{/, 'api.getPerfStats missing');
 });

 // Robustness fixes from the #655 Copilot review.
 test('render scale is sanitized on load and effective scale guards non-finite', () => {
-    const src = fs.readFileSync(highwayJs, 'utf8');
+    const src = highwaySources();
    assert.match(src, /parseFloat\(localStorage\.getItem\('renderScale'\)[\s\S]{0,160}?Number\.isFinite/,
        'render scale load must validate via Number.isFinite + clamp');
    const eff = extractBlock(src, 'function _effectiveRenderScale()');
@@ -102,7 +119,7 @@ test('render scale is sanitized on load and effective scale guards non-finite',
 });

 test('stop() tears down the perf HUD and resets per-session accumulators', () => {
-    const src = fs.readFileSync(highwayJs, 'utf8');
+    const src = highwaySources();
    assert.match(src, /stop\(\)\s*\{[\s\S]{0,400}?_perfHud\.remove\(\)/,
        'stop() must remove the perf HUD so it cannot strand in the DOM');
    assert.match(src, /stop\(\)\s*\{[\s\S]{0,1200}?_autoScale\s*=\s*1/,
@@ -112,7 +129,7 @@ test('stop() tears down the perf HUD and resets per-session accumulators', () =>
 });

 test('perf HUD throttles its localStorage flag read off the hot path', () => {
-    const src = fs.readFileSync(highwayJs, 'utf8');
+    const src = highwaySources();
    const fn = extractBlock(src, 'function _updatePerfHud()');
    assert.match(fn, /_hudFlagAt/, 'HUD must cache the flag and re-read on an interval, not every frame');
 });
@@ -25,7 +25,9 @@ function loadFn(file, name) {
    return new Function('"use strict";' + extractFn(src, name) + `\nreturn ${name};`)();
 }

-const bnvNormalizedPoints = loadFn('static/highway.js', 'bnvNormalizedPoints');
+// R3c: the PURE geometry/label primitives were carved out of highway.js into
+// static/js/highway-geometry.js. Same bodies, byte-for-byte — only the file moved.
+const bnvNormalizedPoints = loadFn('static/js/highway-geometry.js', 'bnvNormalizedPoints');
 const bnvSampleAt = loadFn('plugins/highway_3d/screen.js', 'bnvSampleAt');

 // ── bnvNormalizedPoints (2D) ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -25,7 +25,9 @@ function loadFn(file, name) {
    return new Function('"use strict";' + extractFn(src, name) + `\nreturn ${name};`)();
 }

-const labels2D = loadFn('static/highway.js', 'chordHarmonyLabels');
+// R3c: the PURE geometry/label primitives were carved out of highway.js into
+// static/js/highway-geometry.js. Same bodies, byte-for-byte — only the file moved.
+const labels2D = loadFn('static/js/highway-geometry.js', 'chordHarmonyLabels');
 const labels3D = loadFn('plugins/highway_3d/screen.js', 'chordHarmonyLabels');

 for (const [name, fn] of [['2D', labels2D], ['3D', labels3D]]) {
@@ -19,8 +19,23 @@ const path = require('node:path');

 const highwayJs = path.join(__dirname, '..', '..', 'static', 'highway.js');

+
+// R3c: highway.js is being carved into modules, so its source is no longer ONE file. Read the
+// whole set rather than re-pinning at whichever file currently holds a function — re-pinning
+// just breaks again next time, and a source-shape assertion that silently stops finding its
+// target is indistinguishable from one that passes.
+function highwaySources() {
+    const root = path.join(__dirname, '..', '..');
+    const jsDir = path.join(root, 'static', 'js');
+    const parts = [fs.readFileSync(path.join(root, 'static', 'highway.js'), 'utf8')];
+    for (const f of fs.readdirSync(jsDir).sort()) {
+        if (f.startsWith('highway-') && f.endsWith('.js')) parts.push(fs.readFileSync(path.join(jsDir, f), 'utf8'));
+    }
+    return parts.join('\n');
+}
+
 test('_ensureChordRenderCache keys off src, _inverted, AND chordTemplates', () => {
-    const src = fs.readFileSync(highwayJs, 'utf8');
+    const src = highwaySources();
    // The cache key triple must include chordTemplates — without it, a
    // late-arriving `chord_templates` WS message leaves cached
    // nonZeroNotes / nonZeroFrets stale until the next chord transition.
@@ -41,7 +56,7 @@ test('_ensureChordRenderCache keys off src, _inverted, AND chordTemplates', () =
 });

 test('chordTemplates change resets fretline preview and frame-mismatch warner', () => {
-    const src = fs.readFileSync(highwayJs, 'utf8');
+    const src = highwaySources();
    // The cache-invalidation block must clear both _chordFretLineNotes
    // (so _updateFretLinePreview re-publishes with corrected isOpen
    // classification) and _frameMismatchWarned (so a chord ID warned
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ function buildClockSandbox(perfNowImpl) {
        performance: { now: perfNowImpl },
    };
    vm.createContext(sandbox);
-    const src = fs.readFileSync(HIGHWAY_JS, 'utf8');
+    const src = highwaySources();
    const setTimeBody = extractBlock(src, 'setTime(t) {');
    const getTimeBody = extractBlock(src, 'getTime() {');
    // Strip trailing comma if present (object-literal method declarations).
@@ -72,8 +72,25 @@ function buildClockSandbox(perfNowImpl) {
    return sandbox;
 }

+
+// R3c: highway.js is being carved into modules, so its source is no longer ONE file. Read the
+// whole set. Re-pinning these assertions at whichever file currently holds a constant just
+// means they break again on the next carve — and worse, a source-shape assertion that silently
+// stops finding its target is indistinguishable from one that passes.
+function highwaySources() {
+    const root = path.join(__dirname, '..', '..');
+    const jsDir = path.join(root, 'static', 'js');
+    const parts = [fs.readFileSync(path.join(root, 'static', 'highway.js'), 'utf8')];
+    for (const f of fs.readdirSync(jsDir).sort()) {
+        if (f.startsWith('highway-') && f.endsWith('.js')) {
+            parts.push(fs.readFileSync(path.join(jsDir, f), 'utf8'));
+        }
+    }
+    return parts.join('\n');
+}
+
 test('highway declares chart anchor + stall-detect + rate state', () => {
-    const src = fs.readFileSync(HIGHWAY_JS, 'utf8');
+    const src = highwaySources();
    // Both anchor fields use NaN sentinels — _chartAnchorAudioT in
    // particular MUST start as NaN, not 0, otherwise setTime(0) on the
    // very first 60 Hz tick fails the `t !== _chartAnchorAudioT` check
@@ -82,11 +99,11 @@ test('highway declares chart anchor + stall-detect + rate state', () => {
    assert.match(src, /hwState\._chartAnchorPerfNow\s*=\s*NaN/, 'missing _chartAnchorPerfNow (NaN sentinel)');
    assert.match(src, /hwState\._chartLastAdvanceAt\s*=\s*0/, 'missing _chartLastAdvanceAt (pause detection)');
    assert.match(src, /hwState\._chartObservedRate\s*=\s*1/, 'missing _chartObservedRate (playback rate awareness)');
-    assert.match(src, /const\s+_CHART_MAX_INTERP_MS\s*=\s*100/, 'missing _CHART_MAX_INTERP_MS cap');
+    assert.match(src, /(?:export\s+)?const\s+_CHART_MAX_INTERP_MS\s*=\s*100/, 'missing _CHART_MAX_INTERP_MS cap');
 });

 test('getTime scales interpolation by _chartObservedRate (speed-slider safe)', () => {
-    const src = fs.readFileSync(HIGHWAY_JS, 'utf8');
+    const src = highwaySources();
    const m = src.match(/getTime\(\)\s*\{[\s\S]+?\n\s*\},/);
    assert.ok(m, 'getTime() body not found');
    const slice = m[0];
@@ -98,7 +115,7 @@ test('getTime scales interpolation by _chartObservedRate (speed-slider safe)', (
 });

 test('setTime re-anchors and updates _chartLastAdvanceAt only when t actually changes', () => {
-    const src = fs.readFileSync(HIGHWAY_JS, 'utf8');
+    const src = highwaySources();
    // Repeated setTime calls with the same value must not refresh the
    // anchor (else interpolation stutters); they also must not refresh
    // _chartLastAdvanceAt (else getTime would never detect a stalled
@@ -115,7 +132,7 @@ test('setTime re-anchors and updates _chartLastAdvanceAt only when t actually ch
 });

 test('getTime falls back to chartTime when audio has stalled (paused)', () => {
-    const src = fs.readFileSync(HIGHWAY_JS, 'utf8');
+    const src = highwaySources();
    // Find the actual getTime body. Match the whole brace-balanced
    // method (using a generous greedy slice to ensure we capture both
    // the stall check and the interpolation expression below it).
@@ -139,7 +156,7 @@ test('getTime falls back to chartTime when audio has stalled (paused)', () => {
 });

 test('api.stop() clears the chart anchor state so re-init starts fresh', () => {
-    const src = fs.readFileSync(HIGHWAY_JS, 'utf8');
+    const src = highwaySources();
    // Use the brace-balanced extractor so the assertions are scoped to
    // the actual stop() body — a fixed-size slice would falsely match
    // resets that landed in an adjacent method.
@@ -12,6 +12,10 @@ const fs = require('node:fs');
 const path = require('node:path');

 const highwayJs = path.join(__dirname, '..', '..', 'static', 'highway.js');
+// R3c: _noteState moved to static/js/highway-state-primitives.js and gained an explicit
+// hwState first parameter — it has to, because createHighway() is a factory and a module
+// cannot import per-instance state without two panels sharing it.
+const primitivesJs = path.join(__dirname, '..', '..', 'static', 'js', 'highway-state-primitives.js');
 const highway3dJs = path.join(__dirname, '..', '..', 'plugins', 'highway_3d', 'screen.js');

 // Brace-balanced extraction (same helper shape as highway_visibility.test.js).
@@ -32,13 +36,28 @@ function extractBlock(src, signature) {
    return src.slice(start, i);
 }

+
+// R3c: highway.js is being carved into modules, so its source is no longer ONE file. Read the
+// whole set rather than re-pinning at whichever file currently holds a function — re-pinning
+// just breaks again next time, and a source-shape assertion that silently stops finding its
+// target is indistinguishable from one that passes.
+function highwaySources() {
+    const root = path.join(__dirname, '..', '..');
+    const jsDir = path.join(root, 'static', 'js');
+    const parts = [fs.readFileSync(path.join(root, 'static', 'highway.js'), 'utf8')];
+    for (const f of fs.readdirSync(jsDir).sort()) {
+        if (f.startsWith('highway-') && f.endsWith('.js')) parts.push(fs.readFileSync(path.join(jsDir, f), 'utf8'));
+    }
+    return parts.join('\n');
+}
+
 test('highway declares the note-state provider slot', () => {
-    const src = fs.readFileSync(highwayJs, 'utf8');
+    const src = highwaySources();
    assert.match(src, /hwState\._noteStateProvider\s*=\s*null/, 'missing _noteStateProvider (provider slot, null = none)');
 });

 test('public API exposes setNoteStateProvider / getNoteStateProvider / getNoteState / isDefaultRenderer', () => {
-    const src = fs.readFileSync(highwayJs, 'utf8');
+    const src = highwaySources();
    assert.match(src, /setNoteStateProvider\s*\(\s*fn\s*\)\s*\{[^}]*hwState\._noteStateProvider\s*=/, 'setNoteStateProvider must assign _noteStateProvider');
    assert.match(src, /setNoteStateProvider\s*\(\s*fn\s*\)\s*\{[^}]*typeof\s+fn\s*===\s*['"]function['"][^}]*:\s*null/, 'setNoteStateProvider must coerce non-functions (incl. null) to null');
    assert.match(src, /getNoteStateProvider\s*\(\s*\)\s*\{\s*return\s+hwState\._noteStateProvider/, 'getNoteStateProvider must return the slot');
@@ -47,15 +66,23 @@ test('public API exposes setNoteStateProvider / getNoteStateProvider / getNoteSt
 });

 test('_makeBundle exposes getNoteState (stable reference, no per-frame alloc)', () => {
-    const src = fs.readFileSync(highwayJs, 'utf8');
+    const src = highwaySources();
    const fn = extractBlock(src, 'function _makeBundle()');
    // The bundle field must point straight at _noteState — not a fresh
    // arrow each frame (the per-frame allocation the review flagged).
-    assert.match(fn, /getNoteState\s*[:=]\s*_noteState\b/, 'bundle.getNoteState must be the stable _noteState reference');
+    // R3c: _noteState now takes hwState first, so the bundle hands out a per-INSTANCE bound
+    // view created ONCE in the factory (boundNoteState) rather than the raw function. The
+    // contract that matters is unchanged and still asserted: ONE stable reference, never a
+    // fresh arrow per frame (feedBack#254). Assert it is a bare identifier, not an inline
+    // function expression.
+    assert.match(fn, /getNoteState\s*[:=]\s*(?:boundNoteState|_noteState)\b/,
+        'bundle.getNoteState must be a stable reference (a name), not a per-frame arrow');
+    assert.doesNotMatch(fn, /getNoteState\s*[:=]\s*(?:\(|function)/,
+        'bundle.getNoteState must NOT be a fresh function per frame');
 });

 test('_makeBundle exposes getNoteStateProvider as a stable reference (feedBack#254)', () => {
-    const src = fs.readFileSync(highwayJs, 'utf8');
+    const src = highwaySources();
    const fn = extractBlock(src, 'function _makeBundle()');
    // Same allocation discipline as getNoteState: highway_3d uses this
    // bundle field to tell "provider attached" from "no provider but
@@ -78,8 +105,8 @@ test('_makeBundle exposes getNoteStateProvider as a stable reference (feedBack#2
 });

 test('_noteState normalizes provider output as documented', () => {
-    const src = fs.readFileSync(highwayJs, 'utf8');
-    const fn = extractBlock(src, 'function _noteState(note, chartTime)');
+    const src = highwaySources();
+    const fn = extractBlock(fs.readFileSync(primitivesJs, 'utf8'), 'function _noteState(hwState, note, chartTime)');
    assert.match(fn, /if\s*\(\s*!hwState\._noteStateProvider\s*\)\s*return\s+null/, 'must short-circuit when no provider is registered');
    assert.match(fn, /try\s*\{[\s\S]*_noteStateProvider\s*\([\s\S]*catch[\s\S]*return\s+null/, 'must call the provider inside try/catch and return null on throw');
    assert.match(fn, /state\s*!==\s*['"]hit['"]\s*&&\s*state\s*!==\s*['"]active['"]\s*&&\s*state\s*!==\s*['"]miss['"]/, 'must reject states other than hit/active/miss');
@@ -90,12 +117,24 @@ test('_noteState normalizes provider output as documented', () => {
 });

 test('default 2D renderer threads note state into drawNote / drawSustains / chord path', () => {
-    const src = fs.readFileSync(highwayJs, 'utf8');
+    const src = highwaySources();
    // drawNote takes the trailing `ns` param.
-    assert.match(src, /function\s+drawNote\(\s*W\s*,\s*H\s*,\s*x\s*,\s*y\s*,\s*scale\s*,\s*string\s*,\s*fret\s*,\s*opts\s*,\s*ns\s*\)/, 'drawNote must accept the trailing ns param');
+    // R3c: drawNote moved to ./static/js/highway-draw.js and gained hwState as its FIRST arg
+    // (createHighway is a factory — a module cannot import per-instance state without two
+    // panels sharing it). The contract asserted here is unchanged: `ns` is still the TRAILING
+    // parameter, which is what the note-state threading depends on.
+    assert.match(src, /function\s+drawNote\(\s*hwState\s*,\s*W\s*,\s*H\s*,\s*x\s*,\s*y\s*,\s*scale\s*,\s*string\s*,\s*fret\s*,\s*opts\s*,\s*ns\s*\)/,
+        'drawNote must take hwState first and keep ns as the trailing param');
    // drawNotes / drawSustains / drawChords gate the lookup on the provider.
-    assert.match(src, /_noteStateProvider\s*\?\s*_noteState\(\s*n\s*,\s*n\.t\s*\)\s*:\s*null/, 'visible-note paths must skip the lookup when no provider is set');
-    assert.match(src, /_noteStateProvider\s*\?\s*_noteState\(\s*cn\s*,\s*ch\.t\s*\)\s*:\s*null/, 'chord-note path must key the lookup by the chord time and gate on the provider');
+    // R3c: _noteState gained an explicit hwState first arg (it lives in a module now, and
+    // createHighway is a factory). The CONTRACT here is unchanged and still the point: skip
+    // the lookup entirely when no provider is set — a per-visible-note call on every frame.
+    assert.match(src, /_noteStateProvider\s*\?\s*_noteState\(\s*hwState\s*,\s*n\s*,\s*n\.t\s*\)\s*:\s*null/,
+        'visible-note paths must skip the lookup when no provider is set');
+    // Same, for the chord path: keyed by the CHORD's time (ch.t), not the note's, and still
+    // gated on the provider. Only the hwState arg is new.
+    assert.match(src, /_noteStateProvider\s*\?\s*_noteState\(\s*hwState\s*,\s*cn\s*,\s*ch\.t\s*\)\s*:\s*null/,
+        'chord-note path must key the lookup by the chord time and gate on the provider');
 });

 test('3D highway captures bundle.getNoteState and overrides legacy hit/miss with the provider verdict', () => {
@@ -29,14 +29,31 @@ function extractBlock(src, signature) {
    return src.slice(start, i);
 }

+
+// R3c: highway.js is being carved into modules, so its source is no longer ONE file. Read the
+// whole set. Re-pinning these assertions at whichever file currently holds a constant just
+// means they break again on the next carve — and worse, a source-shape assertion that silently
+// stops finding its target is indistinguishable from one that passes.
+function highwaySources() {
+    const root = path.join(__dirname, '..', '..');
+    const jsDir = path.join(root, 'static', 'js');
+    const parts = [fs.readFileSync(path.join(root, 'static', 'highway.js'), 'utf8')];
+    for (const f of fs.readdirSync(jsDir).sort()) {
+        if (f.startsWith('highway-') && f.endsWith('.js')) {
+            parts.push(fs.readFileSync(path.join(jsDir, f), 'utf8'));
+        }
+    }
+    return parts.join('\n');
+}
+
 test('highway declares the paused-render throttle state', () => {
-    const src = fs.readFileSync(highwayJs, 'utf8');
-    assert.match(src, /const\s+_PAUSED_FRAME_INTERVAL_MS\s*=\s*\d+/, 'missing _PAUSED_FRAME_INTERVAL_MS cap');
+    const src = highwaySources();
+    assert.match(src, /(?:export\s+)?const\s+_PAUSED_FRAME_INTERVAL_MS\s*=\s*\d+/, 'missing _PAUSED_FRAME_INTERVAL_MS cap');
    assert.match(src, /hwState\._lastPausedDrawAt\s*=\s*0/, 'missing _lastPausedDrawAt accumulator');
 });

 test('draw() throttles full renders while the audio clock is stalled', () => {
-    const src = fs.readFileSync(highwayJs, 'utf8');
+    const src = highwaySources();
    const fn = extractBlock(src, 'function draw()');
    // Reuse getTime()'s pause signal rather than inventing a parallel one.
    assert.match(fn, /_chartLastAdvanceAt/, 'throttle must key off _chartLastAdvanceAt (the advance timestamp)');
@@ -46,7 +63,7 @@ test('draw() throttles full renders while the audio clock is stalled', () => {
 });

 test('throttle runs after the ready gate, before bundle/draw', () => {
-    const src = fs.readFileSync(highwayJs, 'utf8');
+    const src = highwaySources();
    const fn = extractBlock(src, 'function draw()');
    // Regex landmarks (not exact-string indexOf) so harmless spacing /
    // semicolon changes don't break the ordering guard — matches the
@@ -37,18 +37,35 @@ function extractBlock(src, signature) {

 // ── 2D highway (static/highway.js) ────────────────────────────────────────

+
+// R3c: highway.js is being carved into modules, so its source is no longer ONE file. Read the
+// whole set. Re-pinning these assertions at whichever file currently holds a constant just
+// means they break again on the next carve — and worse, a source-shape assertion that silently
+// stops finding its target is indistinguishable from one that passes.
+function highwaySources() {
+    const root = path.join(__dirname, '..', '..');
+    const jsDir = path.join(root, 'static', 'js');
+    const parts = [fs.readFileSync(path.join(root, 'static', 'highway.js'), 'utf8')];
+    for (const f of fs.readdirSync(jsDir).sort()) {
+        if (f.startsWith('highway-') && f.endsWith('.js')) {
+            parts.push(fs.readFileSync(path.join(jsDir, f), 'utf8'));
+        }
+    }
+    return parts.join('\n');
+}
+
 test('2D palette arrays are mutable (let) with frozen DEFAULT_* originals', () => {
-    const src = fs.readFileSync(highwayJs, 'utf8');
-    assert.match(src, /const\s+DEFAULT_STRING_COLORS\s*=/, 'DEFAULT_STRING_COLORS must exist for reset');
-    assert.match(src, /const\s+DEFAULT_STRING_DIM\s*=/, 'DEFAULT_STRING_DIM must exist for reset');
-    assert.match(src, /const\s+DEFAULT_STRING_BRIGHT\s*=/, 'DEFAULT_STRING_BRIGHT must exist for reset');
+    const src = highwaySources();
+    assert.match(src, /(?:export\s+)?const\s+DEFAULT_STRING_COLORS\s*=/, 'DEFAULT_STRING_COLORS must exist for reset');
+    assert.match(src, /(?:export\s+)?const\s+DEFAULT_STRING_DIM\s*=/, 'DEFAULT_STRING_DIM must exist for reset');
+    assert.match(src, /(?:export\s+)?const\s+DEFAULT_STRING_BRIGHT\s*=/, 'DEFAULT_STRING_BRIGHT must exist for reset');
    assert.match(src, /hwState\.STRING_COLORS\s*=\s*DEFAULT_STRING_COLORS\.slice\(\)/, 'STRING_COLORS must be a mutable copy of the defaults');
    assert.match(src, /hwState\.STRING_DIM\s*=\s*DEFAULT_STRING_DIM\.slice\(\)/, 'STRING_DIM must be a mutable copy of the defaults');
    assert.match(src, /hwState\.STRING_BRIGHT\s*=\s*DEFAULT_STRING_BRIGHT\.slice\(\)/, 'STRING_BRIGHT must be a mutable copy of the defaults');
 });

 test('2D public API exposes getStringColors / setStringColors', () => {
-    const src = fs.readFileSync(highwayJs, 'utf8');
+    const src = highwaySources();
    assert.match(src, /getStringColors\s*\(\s*\)\s*\{\s*return\s+hwState\.STRING_COLORS\.slice\(\)/, 'getStringColors must return a copy');
    const fn = extractBlock(src, 'setStringColors(arr)');
    // Each provided index sets base + derived dim/bright; missing → default.
@@ -110,7 +127,7 @@ test('app.js color manager name-maps to both highways, with identity no-op + bui
 // ── Executable: dim/bright derivation math ────────────────────────────────

 function loadColorMath() {
-    const src = fs.readFileSync(highwayJs, 'utf8');
+    const src = highwaySources();
    const snippet = [
        extractBlock(src, 'function _clampByte(n)'),
        extractBlock(src, 'function _parseHex(hex)'),
@@ -26,11 +26,13 @@ function loadFn(file, name) {
    return new Function('"use strict";' + extractFn(src, name) + `\nreturn ${name};`)();
 }

-const fingerLabel2D = loadFn('static/highway.js', 'teachingFingerLabel');
-const degreeLabel2D = loadFn('static/highway.js', 'teachingDegreeLabel');
+// R3c: the PURE geometry/label primitives were carved out of highway.js into
+// static/js/highway-geometry.js. Same bodies, byte-for-byte — only the file moved.
+const fingerLabel2D = loadFn('static/js/highway-geometry.js', 'teachingFingerLabel');
+const degreeLabel2D = loadFn('static/js/highway-geometry.js', 'teachingDegreeLabel');
 const fingerLabel3D = loadFn('plugins/highway_3d/screen.js', 'teachingFingerLabel');
 const degreeLabel3D = loadFn('plugins/highway_3d/screen.js', 'teachingDegreeLabel');
-const strumGroupBuckets = loadFn('static/highway.js', 'strumGroupBuckets');
+const strumGroupBuckets = loadFn('static/js/highway-draw.js', 'strumGroupBuckets');

 // ── teachingFingerLabel (fg) ─────────────────────────────────────────────────

@@ -170,7 +170,8 @@ test('DOM text updates after hit and miss events', () => {
    runtime.onHit();
    runtime.onMiss();

-    assert.equal(els.percent.textContent, '67%');
+    // Floored, not rounded: 100% must mean every judged note was hit.
+    assert.equal(els.percent.textContent, '66%');
    assert.equal(els.hits.textContent, 'Hits 2 / 3');
    assert.equal(els.streak.textContent, 'Streak 0');
    assert.match(els.state.textContent, /Recovering/);
@@ -124,6 +124,11 @@ function buildSandbox() {
        jucePlayer: () => sandbox.jucePlayer,
    };
    vm.createContext(sandbox);
+    // highway.js is loaded as a CLASSIC script today, so its top-level `const highway`
+    // creates a global lexical binding that app.js and the modules could reach as a bare
+    // name. That binding disappears the moment highway.js becomes a module (R3c), so every
+    // consumer now says `window.highway` — the same object, explicitly. Mirror it here.
+    if (sandbox.window && sandbox.highway) sandbox.window.highway = sandbox.highway;
    return sandbox;
 }

@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+// Nobody may monkey-patch window.showScreen. (#924)
+//
+// It used to be wrapped by THREE independent parties, each capturing whatever happened to be
+// there at the time:
+//
+//     app.js publishes the raw function
+//       -> static/v3/shell.js wrapped it (to call syncActive, and to map home -> v3-songs)
+//       -> the stems plugin wrapped it AGAIN (to tear down on leaving the player)
+//
+// Plugins load ASYNCHRONOUSLY, so the chain linked up in whatever order the race settled. A
+// capture taken before shell.js installed silently dropped the mapping it carried — and the
+// library opened on the dead legacy #home screen. Testers saw that as "randomly, the library
+// shows the old interface" (#923).
+//
+// Neither wrapper ever needed to be one. showScreen already EMITS screen:changed, and that is
+// already how app.js, audio-mixer.js and tour-engine.js do it. Both are listeners now, and
+// window.showScreen is a plain function again — so the ordering hazard is structurally
+// impossible rather than merely avoided.
+//
+// This test is the thing that keeps it that way. A wrapper reintroduced anywhere in static/
+// fails CI.
+
+const { test } = require('node:test');
+const assert = require('node:assert/strict');
+const fs = require('node:fs');
+const path = require('node:path');
+
+const ROOT = path.join(__dirname, '..', '..');
+
+function jsFiles(dir) {
+    const out = [];
+    for (const e of fs.readdirSync(dir, { withFileTypes: true })) {
+        const p = path.join(dir, e.name);
+        if (e.isDirectory()) out.push(...jsFiles(p));
+        else if (e.name.endsWith('.js')) out.push(p);
+    }
+    return out;
+}
+
+// strip comments so the prose above (and in shell.js) isn't read as an assignment
+const scrub = (s) => s.replace(/\/\*[\s\S]*?\*\//g, '').replace(/^\s*\/\/[^\n]*$/gm, '');
+
+test('nothing in static/ assigns window.showScreen', () => {
+    const offenders = [];
+    for (const f of jsFiles(path.join(ROOT, 'static'))) {
+        const src = scrub(fs.readFileSync(f, 'utf8'));
+        // `window.showScreen = ...` — an assignment, not a call or a typeof guard
+        if (/window\.showScreen\s*=(?!=)/.test(src)) offenders.push(path.relative(ROOT, f));
+    }
+    assert.deepEqual(
+        offenders, [],
+        'these files monkey-patch window.showScreen. Do not: three wrappers racing over one '
+        + 'global is what made the library open on the legacy screen (#923). Listen to '
+        + 'screen:changed instead — showScreen already emits it, with { id, from }.',
+    );
+});
+
+test('showScreen emits screen:changed with the screen it LEFT', () => {
+    const src = fs.readFileSync(path.join(ROOT, 'static', 'js', 'session.js'), 'utf8');
+    assert.match(
+        src,
+        /emit\('screen:changed',\s*\{\s*id,\s*from:/,
+        "screen:changed must carry `from` — without it, \"I am leaving the player\" is not "
+        + 'expressible from an event, and the only way to say it is to wrap showScreen, which is '
+        + 'the bug this exists to prevent',
+    );
+});
+
+test('screen:changing fires BEFORE the navigation work, screen:changed after', () => {
+    // The distinction is the whole point, and Codex caught me collapsing it.
+    //
+    // The stems plugin's wrapper tore down its audio graph BEFORE showScreen did anything.
+    // screen:changed fires at the very END — after core awaits library and provider loads — so
+    // moving the plugin onto it would delay teardown behind a slow fetch, or skip it if that
+    // fetch threw, and stems would keep playing on a non-player screen.
+    //
+    //     screen:changing  before anything happens. "I am leaving `from`." Cancel/teardown here.
+    //     screen:changed   after the DOM and data settle. "I am on `id`."
+    const src = fs.readFileSync(path.join(ROOT, 'static', 'js', 'session.js'), 'utf8');
+    const changing = src.indexOf("emit('screen:changing'");
+    const changed = src.indexOf("emit('screen:changed'");
+    assert.ok(changing !== -1, 'screen:changing must be emitted');
+    assert.ok(changed !== -1, 'screen:changed must be emitted');
+    assert.ok(changing < changed, 'screen:changing must come first');
+
+    // and `changing` must precede the first await, or it is no earlier than `changed` in practice
+    const firstAwait = src.indexOf('await ', changing);
+    assert.ok(firstAwait === -1 || changing < firstAwait,
+        'screen:changing must fire before showScreen awaits anything — that is its entire purpose');
+});
+
+test('the v3 shell reacts to screen:changed rather than wrapping showScreen', () => {
+    const src = fs.readFileSync(path.join(ROOT, 'static', 'v3', 'shell.js'), 'utf8');
+    assert.match(scrub(src), /on\('screen:changed'/, 'shell.js must listen, not patch');
+});
--- a/Show More
+++ b/Show More