Merge pull request 'feat(config-settings): replace the ANSI renderer with a curses front-end' (#141) from feat/config-settings-curses-tui into main

Reviewed-on: #141

README.md

@@ -186,6 +186,8 @@ Then open a new Fish shell — Fisher will be installed automatically on first l
 
 A [chezmoi](https://www.chezmoi.io/) dotfile manager is also configured — secrets are kept in a private overlay directory (see [Personalization](#personalization)) and excluded from version control.
 
+**External requirements.** Everything degrades gracefully if a tool is missing, with two exceptions worth calling out. `python3` is required by the documentation pipeline and by `config-settings`, whose TUI is drawn with the stdlib `curses` module. That module ships with CPython on Arch, Fedora and a full Debian/Ubuntu `python3`; `python3-minimal` alone does **not** carry `_curses`, so install the complete `python3` package there. `config-settings` checks for both and tells you which is missing rather than failing inside the renderer.
+
 > [!IMPORTANT]
 > `config.fish` ends with a `return` sentinel guard. Any lines appended **after** it by a tool's setup command will silently have no effect. Many tools (starship, zoxide, mise, etc.) offer a setup command that appends an `init | source` line to your `config.fish` — all integrations are managed through `conf.d/` files instead. If you add a new tool and its shell integration appears to do nothing, check whether its setup command appended an init line to the bottom of `config.fish` and create a `conf.d/<tool>.fish` file for it instead.
 
@@ -288,7 +290,7 @@ To opt out, set `__fish_user_dots_symlink` to a falsy value (or toggle **Dots li
 
 Everything opinionated in this config — command shadows, startup side-effects, key and environment overrides, terminal integrations, and the first-run greeting — is active by default but can be switched off. Logging (C5) is the exception: it is **opt-in**, off until you explicitly enable it.
 
-> **The easy way — `config-settings`:** Run `config-settings` for an interactive TUI that manages settings across four pages — **Universal** and **Session** (the opinionated category toggles below, persistent or per-shell), **Sponge** (history-scrubbing: delay, exit codes, purge-on-exit, and extra sensitive variable names), and **Paths** (scrollback log dir, max files, and the user-dots path) — without typing a single variable name. Navigate with the arrow keys (or `h`/`j`/`k`/`l`); toggle rows step OFF ← DEFAULT → ON, value rows edit inline with `Enter` and clear with `←`. `Tab`/`Shift-Tab` cycle pages and `q` quits. Changes apply instantly. The panel auto-sizes to your terminal width (four tiers from 52- to 78-wide with a 6-column margin), centers itself horizontally, and redraws within ~0.3 s of a resize.
+> **The easy way — `config-settings`:** Run `config-settings` for an interactive TUI that manages settings across four pages — **Universal** and **Session** (the opinionated category toggles below, persistent or per-shell), **Sponge** (history-scrubbing: delay, exit codes, purge-on-exit, and extra sensitive variable names), and **Paths** (scrollback log dir, max files, and the user-dots path) — without typing a single variable name. Navigate with the arrow keys (or `h`/`j`/`k`/`l`); toggle rows step OFF ← DEFAULT → ON, value rows edit inline with `Enter` and reset with `←`. `Enter` on a category opens its sub-categories, `/` filters the page — reaching into sub-categories too, listed as `Category › Sub` — `?` opens a help overlay, `Tab`/`Shift-Tab` cycle pages, and `q` applies your edits and quits. Edits are collected as you make them and written in one batch on exit; the status bar shows the pending count. The panel is drawn with Python's stdlib `curses`, so it resizes with the terminal and never flickers — see [Installation](#installation) for the `python3` requirement.
 
 If you'd rather set them by hand, each category is controlled by a universal variable. Six category toggles and one master switch are available:
 
@@ -329,8 +331,10 @@ Each category further sub-divides into two to six sub-categories with
 their own `__fish_config_op_<category>_<subcategory>` toggles (e.g.
 `__fish_config_op_aliases_filesystem`), following the exact same
 truthy/falsy/unset cascade one level deeper. Run `config-settings` and
-press Enter on a category row to browse and toggle its sub-categories, or
+press Enter on a category row to browse and toggle its sub-categories —
-see the [Components Reference](https://fish.rootiest.fyi/08-components-reference/)
+or press `/` and type, which searches sub-categories across every
+category at once and lists the hits as `Category › Sub`. Or see the
+[Components Reference](https://fish.rootiest.fyi/08-components-reference/)
 for the full sub-category list per category.
 
 ---

functions/__config_settings_diff_redraw.fish

@@ -1,47 +0,0 @@
-# Copyright (C) 2026 Rootiest
-# SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
-
-# SYNOPSIS
-#   __config_settings_diff_redraw <old_joined> <new_joined>
-#
-# DESCRIPTION
-#   Rewrites an on-screen panel frame in place, touching only the lines
-#   that changed. Assumes the cursor is already positioned at the top-left
-#   of the frame (the caller moves it there with a plain \e[<n>A -- no
-#   \e[J -- before calling this). Line count in old_joined and new_joined
-#   must be equal; a caller facing a height or width change should use the
-#   existing full erase+redraw path instead of calling this.
-#
-#   Unchanged lines advance the cursor with a bare newline, leaving
-#   whatever is already on screen untouched. Changed lines clear just that
-#   line (\e[2K), return to its start (\r), print the new content, and
-#   advance (\n). This is what removes the erase-then-redraw flicker: the
-#   screen is never blanked, only the handful of lines that actually
-#   differ are ever touched, and each of those is cleared and rewritten in
-#   the same breath rather than blanked-then-paused-then-filled.
-#
-# ARGUMENTS
-#   old_joined  Previous frame, lines joined with \n
-#   new_joined  New frame, lines joined with \n (same line count as old)
-#
-# EXIT STATUS
-#   0  Always
-#
-# RETURNS
-#   The ANSI sequence needed to turn the old frame into the new one,
-#   printed to stdout
-#
-# EXAMPLE
-#   __config_settings_diff_redraw (string join \n -- $prev_frame) \
-#       (string join \n -- $new_frame)
-function __config_settings_diff_redraw
-    set -l old (string split \n -- $argv[1])
-    set -l new (string split \n -- $argv[2])
-    for i in (seq (count $new))
-        if test "$old[$i]" = "$new[$i]"
-            printf '\n'
-        else
-            printf '\e[2K\r%s\n' $new[$i]
-        end
-    end
-end

functions/__config_settings_draw.fish

@@ -1,155 +0,0 @@
-# Copyright (C) 2026 Rootiest
-# SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
-
-# SYNOPSIS
-#   __config_settings_draw <cur_row> <cur_scope> <var1> ... <var7>
-#
-# DESCRIPTION
-#   Renders the 16-line config-settings TUI panel to stdout. Panel width and
-#   horizontal position are chosen automatically from $COLUMNS each call,
-#   so a terminal resize takes effect on the next keypress without any
-#   extra bookkeeping. Four width tiers with a 6-col buffer per side:
-#
-#     COLUMNS ≥ 90 → 78-wide (IW=76, desc=43 chars)
-#     COLUMNS ≥ 86 → 74-wide (IW=72, desc=39 chars)
-#     COLUMNS ≥ 82 → 70-wide (IW=68, desc=35 chars)
-#     COLUMNS  < 82 → 52-wide (IW=50, desc=17 chars)  ← default
-#
-#   The box is horizontally centered via a left-padding prefix on every
-#   output line. \e[16A\e[J erases by line count so the horizontal offset
-#   does not interfere with the redraw loop.
-#
-# ARGUMENTS
-#   cur_row    0–6, the currently highlighted row
-#   cur_scope  "universal" or "session"
-#   var1–var7  Variable names for rows 0–6 (6 categories + master)
-#
-# EXIT STATUS
-#   0  Always
-#
-# EXAMPLE
-#   __config_settings_draw 0 universal \
-#       __fish_config_op_aliases __fish_config_op_autoexec \
-#       __fish_config_op_overrides __fish_config_op_integrations \
-#       __fish_config_op_logging __fish_config_op_greeting \
-#       __fish_config_opinionated
-function __config_settings_draw
-    set -l cur_row   $argv[1]
-    set -l cur_scope $argv[2]
-    set -l vars      $argv[3..]
-
-    __fish_palette
-
-    set -l labels Aliases Auto-exec Overrides Integrations Logging Greeting Master
-
-    # ── Width tier ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-    # The tier thresholds live in __config_settings_frame; this file only
-    # chooses which hand-authored description set goes with the width.
-    # IW = inner width (chars between │ │); desc field = IW - 33.
-    # All four layouts are exactly 16 lines tall — panel_h in caller stays 16.
-    # Descriptions are authored to fit their field exactly at every tier
-    # (43/43, 39/39, 35/35, 17/17), which is why the rows below pass `pad`
-    # and not `cut` -- see the NOTES in __config_settings_frame.
-    set -l iw (__config_settings_frame width)
-    set -l descs \
-        "cmd shadows" \
-        startup \
-        "keys/env/prompt" \
-        "terminal coupling" \
-        scrollback \
-        fish_greeting \
-        "disable all"
-
-    switch $iw
-        case 76
-            set descs \
-                "shadows: ls→eza, cat→bat, cd→z, rm→trash" \
-                "Fisher bootstrap, themes, py-venv activate" \
-                "vi-mode, bang-bang, PAGER, CDPATH, starship" \
-                "Kitty/WezTerm tab/split fns, notifications" \
-                "scrollback capture & paru/yay AUR wrappers" \
-                "fish_greeting & first-run welcome banner" \
-                "master off-switch: overrides all categories"
-        case 72
-            set descs \
-                "ls→eza, cat→bat, cd→zoxide, rm→trash" \
-                "Fisher bootstrap, themes, py-venv auto" \
-                "vi-mode, bang-bang, PAGER, starship" \
-                "Kitty/WezTerm fns, done notifications" \
-                "scrollback capture & paru/yay wrappers" \
-                "fish_greeting: first-run welcome banner" \
-                "master off-switch for all categories"
-        case 68
-            set descs \
-                "ls→eza, cat→bat, cd→z, rm→trash" \
-                "Fisher, themes, py-venv activate" \
-                "vi-mode, bang-bang, PAGER, starship" \
-                "Kitty/WezTerm, done notifications" \
-                "scrollback & paru/yay log wrappers" \
-                "fish_greeting & first-run banner" \
-                "master disable for all categories"
-    end
-
-    set -l HBR (string repeat -n $iw '─')
-
-    # ── Center padding ────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-    # ponytail: floor division — left margin may be 1 col less than right if gap is odd
-    set -l p (string repeat -n (math --scale=0 "max(0, ($COLUMNS - ($iw + 2)) / 2)") ' ')
-
-    # ── Top border ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-    # ┌─ Opinionated Settings (iw-23)×─ ┐  total = iw+2
-    __config_settings_frame title $iw $p "$c_head Opinionated Settings $c_reset"
-
-    # ── Page-tab header ───────────────────────────────────────────────────
-    set -l active_idx 0
-    if test $cur_scope = session
-        set active_idx 1
-    end
-    printf '%s│%s│\n' $p (__config_settings_pagetab $active_idx $iw)
-
-    # ── Top divider ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-    printf '%s│%s│\n' $p $HBR
-
-    # ── Category rows 0–5 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
-    # Label field 12 wide; the description field falls out of it inside the
-    # frame (field_w = iw - 21 - label_w = iw - 33). `pad`, not `cut`: these
-    # descriptions are authored per tier to fit exactly, so truncating them
-    # would be a silent no-op that discards that property.
-    for i in (seq 0 5)
-        set -l idx (math $i + 1)
-        set -l val (__config_settings_get_val $vars[$idx] $cur_scope)
-        __config_settings_frame row $iw $p \
-            (__config_settings_frame cursor $i $cur_row) \
-            $labels[$idx] 12 \
-            (__config_settings_frame badge $val) \
-            $descs[$idx] pad
-    end
-
-    # ── Separator before Master ───────────────────────────────────────────
-    printf '%s│    %s  │\n' $p (string repeat -n (math $iw - 6) '─')
-
-    # ── Master row (index 6) ──────────────────────────────────────────────
-    set -l val (__config_settings_get_val $vars[7] $cur_scope)
-    __config_settings_frame row $iw $p \
-        (__config_settings_frame cursor 6 $cur_row) \
-        Master 12 \
-        (__config_settings_frame badge $val) \
-        $descs[7] pad
-
-    # ── Filler (Dots Path moved to the Paths page) ────────────────────────
-    printf '%s│  %s%s│\n' $p \
-        "$c_dim→ Tab for Sponge & Path settings$c_reset" \
-        (string repeat -n (math $iw - 34) ' ')
-    printf '%s│%s│\n' $p (string repeat -n $iw ' ')
-
-    # ── Bottom divider ────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-    printf '%s│%s│\n' $p $HBR
-
-    # ── Keybind hint ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-    # string pad is width-aware (arrows count as 1 column)
-    set -l hint " ↑↓/kj move ←→/hl set Enter sub-cats Tab pg q quit"
-    printf '%s│%s%s%s│\n' $p $c_dim (string pad -r -w $iw -- $hint) $c_reset
-
-    # ── Bottom border ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-    printf '%s└%s┘\n' $p $HBR
-end

functions/__config_settings_draw_subcat.fish

@@ -1,120 +0,0 @@
-# Copyright (C) 2026 Rootiest
-# SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
-
-# SYNOPSIS
-#   __config_settings_draw_subcat <cur_row> <cur_scope> <category_var>
-#
-# DESCRIPTION
-#   Renders the sub-category drill-down page for one C1-C6 category:
-#   the category's own toggle at the top (still meaningful as the cascade
-#   default for its sub-categories), then one row per sub-category from
-#   __config_settings_subcats, sized dynamically instead of the fixed
-#   6-row layout __config_settings_draw uses for the category list.
-#   Follows the same width-tier and center-padding conventions as
-#   __config_settings_draw so the panel doesn't visibly jump between the
-#   two pages.
-#
-#   Label and description fields are defensively truncated to their field
-#   width before padding (string pad only ever grows a string, never
-#   shrinks it) -- sub-category labels/descriptions are static data from
-#   __config_settings_subcats, not authored per width-tier the way
-#   __config_settings_draw's own category descriptions are, so a couple of
-#   them are longer than the narrower tiers' fields (e.g. "Notifications"
-#   is 13 chars against a 12-char label field; several descriptions run
-#   well past the 17-char field at the narrowest tier). Truncating keeps
-#   the box perfectly rectangular in every case instead of only in the
-#   cases the static text happens to fit.
-#
-# ARGUMENTS
-#   cur_row       0-based highlighted row (0 = the category's own toggle;
-#                 1..N = sub-category rows)
-#   cur_scope     "universal" or "session"
-#   category_var  One of the six __fish_config_op_<category> names
-#
-# EXIT STATUS
-#   0  Always
-#
-# EXAMPLE
-#   __config_settings_draw_subcat 1 universal __fish_config_op_aliases
-function __config_settings_draw_subcat
-    set -l cur_row      $argv[1]
-    set -l cur_scope    $argv[2]
-    set -l category_var $argv[3]
-
-    __fish_palette
-
-    set -l rows (__config_settings_subcats $category_var)
-    set -l n (count $rows)
-
-    # ── Width tier: matches __config_settings_draw's 6-col-per-side steps ──
-    set -l iw (__config_settings_frame width)
-    set -l HBR (string repeat -n $iw '─')
-    set -l p (string repeat -n (math --scale=0 "max(0, ($COLUMNS - ($iw + 2)) / 2)") ' ')
-
-    # Label field is 13 wide (one wider than __config_settings_draw's 12) --
-    # the longest real sub-category label ("Notifications") is 13 chars. The
-    # description field absorbs the difference inside the frame
-    # (field_w = iw - 21 - label_w = iw - 34), so every row still totals iw+2.
-
-    set -l cat_label (string replace -r '^__fish_config_op_' '' -- $category_var)
-    # Scope indicator: toggling a row on this page writes -U (Universal,
-    # persistent) or -g (Session, this-shell-only) -- the title must say
-    # which, since it isn't otherwise visible anywhere on the page.
-    set -l scope_label Universal
-    test "$cur_scope" = session; and set scope_label Session
-    # Title layout is "┌─ Sub-categories: <label> (<scope>) ───┐"; the
-    # dash count absorbs every visible char added around cat_label so the
-    # line still totals iw+2, matching the surrounding box exactly. The
-    # frame derives it from the segment's visible width, so it no longer
-    # has to be hand-verified here.
-    __config_settings_frame title $iw $p \
-        "$c_head Sub-categories: $cat_label ($scope_label)$c_reset "
-
-    printf '%s│%s│\n' $p $HBR
-
-    # Row 0: the category's own toggle, still meaningful as the cascade
-    # default any DEFAULT-valued sub-category below falls back to.
-    set -l cat_val (__config_settings_get_val $category_var $cur_scope)
-    set -l cat_desc "cascade default"
-    if test $iw -ge 68
-        set cat_desc "default for all sub-cats below"
-    end
-    if test $iw -ge 72
-        set cat_desc "default for all sub-categories below"
-    end
-    # `cut` for the same reason as the sub-category rows below. It also
-    # truncates the label, which the old code did not -- provably inert here,
-    # since "(category)" is a 10-char literal against a 13-wide field.
-    __config_settings_frame row $iw $p \
-        (__config_settings_frame cursor 0 $cur_row) \
-        "(category)" 13 \
-        (__config_settings_frame badge $cat_val) \
-        $cat_desc cut
-
-    printf '%s│    %s  │\n' $p (string repeat -n (math $iw - 6) '─')
-
-    for i in (seq 1 $n)
-        set -l fields (string split -- \t $rows[$i])
-        set -l label $fields[2]
-        set -l desc $fields[3]
-        set -l subcat_var "$category_var"_(string replace -a -- '-' '_' $fields[1])
-        set -l val (__config_settings_get_val $subcat_var $cur_scope)
-        # `cut`: these labels and descriptions are static data from
-        # __config_settings_subcats, not authored per width tier the way
-        # __config_settings_draw's are, and several run well past the
-        # narrower tiers' fields. `string pad` only ever grows a string, so
-        # they must be truncated before padding or the box stops being
-        # rectangular. This is the divergence the DESCRIPTION block above
-        # documents -- do not "simplify" it to `pad`.
-        __config_settings_frame row $iw $p \
-            (__config_settings_frame cursor $i $cur_row) \
-            $label 13 \
-            (__config_settings_frame badge $val) \
-            $desc cut
-    end
-
-    printf '%s│%s│\n' $p $HBR
-    set -l hint " ↑↓/kj move  ←→/hl set  Esc back  q quit"
-    printf '%s│%s%s%s│\n' $p $c_dim (string pad -r -w $iw -- $hint) $c_reset
-    printf '%s└%s┘\n' $p $HBR
-end

functions/__config_settings_draw_value.fish

@@ -1,159 +0,0 @@
-# Copyright (C) 2026 Rootiest
-# SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
-
-# SYNOPSIS
-#   __config_settings_draw_value <cur_row> <page>
-#
-# DESCRIPTION
-#   Renders a config-settings value page (Sponge or Paths) as exactly 16
-#   lines, matching the box geometry of the opinionated toggle page so the
-#   caller's wrap-aware erase (panel_h=16) is unchanged. Each row shows a
-#   label, a badge, and the variable's current value (or its default hint).
-#   Toggle-type rows (the two sponge booleans) reuse the ON/OFF/DEFAULT badge;
-#   value rows (path/int/list/string) show a type badge and the live value.
-#
-#   Page width follows the same $COLUMNS tiers as the toggle page for a
-#   consistent look; exact width is not required for the erase (the erase
-#   over-clears to end of screen using the 78-col worst case).
-#
-# ARGUMENTS
-#   cur_row  0-based highlighted row within the page
-#   page     "sponge" or "paths"
-#
-# EXIT STATUS
-#   0  Always
-#
-# EXAMPLE
-#   __config_settings_draw_value 0 sponge
-function __config_settings_draw_value
-    set -l cur_row $argv[1]
-    set -l page    $argv[2]
-    # Inline-edit state: when argv[3] is "edit", the cur_row field renders the
-    # live input buffer (argv[4]) with a caret instead of its stored value.
-    set -l edit_mode $argv[3]
-    set -l edit_buf  $argv[4]
-
-    __fish_palette
-
-    # ── Page row metadata (parallel lists) ────────────────────────────────
-    set -l title
-    set -l vars
-    set -l labels
-    set -l types
-    set -l hints     # default hint shown when unset
-    set -l active_idx
-    if test $page = sponge
-        set title "Sponge Settings"
-        set active_idx 2
-        set vars  sponge_delay sponge_purge_only_on_exit sponge_allow_previously_successful sponge_successful_exit_codes __fish_sponge_extra_sensitive
-        set labels Delay "Purge@exit" "Allow prev" "OK codes" "Extra secret"
-        set types  int bool bool list list
-        set hints  2 false true 0 "(none)"
-    else
-        set title "Path Settings"
-        set active_idx 3
-        set vars  __fish_scrollback_history_dir __fish_scrollback_history_max_files __fish_user_dots_path __fish_user_dots_symlink
-        set labels "Log dir" "Log max" "Dots path" "Dots link"
-        set types  path int path bool
-        set hints  "~/.terminal_history" 100 "(default)" on
-    end
-    set -l nrows (count $vars)
-
-    # ── Width tier (same thresholds as the toggle page) ───────────────────
-    set -l iw (__config_settings_frame width)
-    set -l HBR (string repeat -n $iw '─')
-    set -l p (string repeat -n (math --scale=0 "max(0, ($COLUMNS - ($iw + 2)) / 2)") ' ')
-
-    # ── Line 1: top border with title ─────────────────────────────────────
-    __config_settings_frame title $iw $p "$c_head $title$c_reset "
-
-    # ── Line 2: page-tab header ───────────────────────────────────────────
-    printf '%s│%s│\n' $p (__config_settings_pagetab $active_idx $iw)
-
-    # ── Line 3: divider ───────────────────────────────────────────────────
-    printf '%s│%s│\n' $p $HBR
-
-    # ── Value rows ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-    for i in (seq 0 (math $nrows - 1))
-        set -l idx   (math $i + 1)
-        set -l var   $vars[$idx]
-        set -l label $labels[$idx]
-        set -l type  $types[$idx]
-        set -l hint  $hints[$idx]
-
-        # Badge (7 visible cols) + value field
-        set -l badge
-        set -l field
-        if test $type = bool
-            # Booleans store true/false (sponge convention); unset = DEFAULT.
-            # The frame is told this page's vocabulary rather than merging
-            # true/on: a hand-set "on" here must keep rendering DEFAULT.
-            set badge (__config_settings_frame badge (__config_settings_get_raw $var) true false)
-            set field "default: $hint"
-        else
-            set -l raw (__config_settings_get_raw $var)
-            if test "$raw" = DEFAULT
-                set badge "$c_dim""DEFAULT$c_reset"
-                set field "$hint"
-            else
-                switch $type
-                    case path
-                        set badge "$c_ok"" PATH  $c_reset"
-                    case int
-                        set badge "$c_ok""  INT  $c_reset"
-                    case list
-                        set badge "$c_ok""  LIST $c_reset"
-                    case '*'
-                        set badge "$c_ok""  STR  $c_reset"
-                end
-                set field "$raw"
-            end
-        end
-
-        # Inline edit: render the active row's field as the live buffer with a
-        # block caret, tail-anchored so the caret stays visible as text grows.
-        if test "$edit_mode" = edit -a $i -eq $cur_row
-            set -l fw (math $iw - 33)
-            set -l avail (math $fw - 1)
-            set -l shown "$edit_buf"
-            set -l blen (string length -- "$edit_buf")
-            if test $blen -gt $avail
-                set shown (string sub -s (math $blen - $avail + 1) -- "$edit_buf")
-            end
-            set badge "$c_head"" EDIT  $c_reset"
-            set field "$shown"(set_color --reverse)" "(set_color normal)
-        end
-
-        # `shorten` ellipsises the value: unlike the toggle page's per-tier
-        # descriptions, these fields hold arbitrary user values. The edit row
-        # is the exception -- its field is already length-constrained above
-        # and carries a reverse-video caret whose escapes `string shorten`
-        # miscounts, so it pads directly.
-        set -l fit shorten
-        if test "$edit_mode" = edit -a $i -eq $cur_row
-            set fit pad
-        end
-        __config_settings_frame row $iw $p \
-            (__config_settings_frame cursor $i $cur_row) \
-            $label 12 $badge $field $fit
-    end
-
-    # ── Pad blank rows so chrome(6) + nrows + blanks = 16 ─────────────────
-    set -l blanks (math 10 - $nrows)
-    for i in (seq 1 $blanks)
-        printf '%s│%s│\n' $p (string repeat -n $iw ' ')
-    end
-
-    # ── Bottom divider ────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-    printf '%s│%s│\n' $p $HBR
-
-    # ── Hint line (changes while editing) ─────────────────────────────────
-    set -l hint_line " ↑↓ move  Enter edit  ←/h clear  Tab page  q quit"
-    if test "$edit_mode" = edit
-        set hint_line " type value   Enter save   Esc cancel   ⌫ delete"
-    end
-    printf '%s│%s%s%s│\n' $p $c_dim (string pad -r -w $iw -- $hint_line) $c_reset
-
-    # ── Bottom border ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-    printf '%s└%s┘\n' $p $HBR
-end

functions/__config_settings_frame.fish

@@ -1,155 +0,0 @@
-# Copyright (C) 2026 Rootiest
-# SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
-
-# SYNOPSIS
-#   __config_settings_frame width
-#   __config_settings_frame title  <iw> <p> <segment>
-#   __config_settings_frame badge  <value> [<on_word> <off_word>]
-#   __config_settings_frame cursor <row> <cur_row>
-#   __config_settings_frame row    <iw> <p> <curs> <label> <label_w> <badge> <field> <fit>
-#
-# DESCRIPTION
-#   The pieces of the config-settings panel that every page draws identically:
-#   the width tier, the title border, the ON/OFF/DEFAULT badge, the cursor cell
-#   and one table row. __config_settings_draw, __config_settings_draw_subcat
-#   and __config_settings_draw_value each keep their own sequence of lines and
-#   their own per-tier text; only these shared computations live here.
-#
-#   Deliberately owns no page height. Every verb prints exactly one line or one
-#   fragment, so how tall a page is remains a property of its caller's line
-#   sequence: __config_settings_draw and __config_settings_draw_value are a
-#   fixed 16 lines, __config_settings_draw_subcat is 7 + <sub-category count>,
-#   and config-settings.fish's wrap-aware erase (\e[<N>A\e[J, sized from
-#   panel_h) depends on that difference surviving exactly as it is.
-#
-#   Row geometry. A row is
-#     │ + 2 spaces + cursor(2) + label(label_w) + " [ " + badge(7) + " ]  "
-#       + field(field_w) + 3 spaces + │
-#   which totals 23 + label_w + field_w and must equal iw + 2. So
-#     field_w = iw - 21 - label_w
-#   and that single sum reproduces both hand-maintained constants: label_w 12
-#   gives iw-33 (the toggle and value pages), label_w 13 gives iw-34 (the
-#   sub-category page, whose description field absorbs its wider label).
-#
-#   Title geometry. "┌─" + segment + dashes + "┐" totals iw + 2, so
-#     dashes = iw - visible(segment) - 1
-#   The segment arrives already coloured because the three pages place their
-#   set_color reset at different byte offsets around the same visible text
-#   (__config_settings_draw resets after the trailing space, the other two
-#   before it). That difference is invisible on screen and visible to cmp, so
-#   each page keeps its own bytes while sharing the arithmetic; --visible
-#   discounts the escapes.
-#
-# ARGUMENTS
-#   width   No arguments. Prints the inner width for the current $COLUMNS:
-#           >= 90 -> 76, >= 86 -> 72, >= 82 -> 68, otherwise 50.
-#   title   iw, the centering prefix, and the pre-coloured title segment.
-#   badge   The stored value, then optionally the words this page uses for true
-#           and false (default on/off; the value pages store true/false).
-#           Anything else renders DEFAULT.
-#   cursor  This row's index and the highlighted row's index.
-#   row     iw, centering prefix, cursor cell, label, label field width,
-#           rendered badge, field text, and the fit policy:
-#             pad      pad label and field, never shrink either
-#             cut      truncate both to their field width, then pad
-#             shorten  pad the label, ellipsise the field with string shorten
-#
-# EXIT STATUS
-#   0  Verb recognised
-#   1  Unknown verb
-#
-# RETURNS
-#   The requested panel line or fragment, printed to stdout
-#
-# NOTES
-#   `string pad` only ever grows a string, never shrinks it. That is the whole
-#   reason `cut` and `shorten` exist: a caller whose text can exceed its field
-#   must shrink it first, or the box stops being rectangular.
-#
-#   `pad` is not "the default when you don't care". __config_settings_draw's
-#   descriptions are authored per width tier to fit their field exactly -- at
-#   every tier the longest is precisely the field width -- so applying `cut`
-#   there would be a byte-for-byte no-op that silently discards that property
-#   and passes the render golden. Which policy a page uses is a real decision,
-#   named at each call site. See tests/config-settings-render.fish.
-#
-# EXAMPLE
-#   set -l iw (__config_settings_frame width)
-#   __config_settings_frame row $iw $p (__config_settings_frame cursor 0 0) \
-#       Aliases 12 (__config_settings_frame badge on) "cmd shadows" pad
-function __config_settings_frame
-    switch $argv[1]
-        # ── Width tier: 6-col buffer per side before stepping up ──────────
-        case width
-            if test "$COLUMNS" -ge 90
-                echo 76
-            else if test "$COLUMNS" -ge 86
-                echo 72
-            else if test "$COLUMNS" -ge 82
-                echo 68
-            else
-                echo 50
-            end
-
-            # ── Title border: ┌─<segment><dashes>┐ ────────────────────────────
-        case title
-            set -l iw $argv[2]
-            set -l vis (string length --visible -- "$argv[4]")
-            set -l dashes (math "max(0, $iw - $vis - 1)")
-            printf '%s┌─%s%s┐\n' $argv[3] "$argv[4]" (string repeat -n $dashes '─')
-
-            # ── Badge: 7 visible columns, coloured ────────────────────────────
-            # The truthy/falsy words are arguments rather than one merged
-            # vocabulary: merging would make a hand-set "on" in a true/false
-            # variable render as ON where it renders DEFAULT today.
-        case badge
-            set -l on_word on
-            set -l off_word off
-            if test (count $argv) -ge 4
-                set on_word $argv[3]
-                set off_word $argv[4]
-            end
-            switch "$argv[2]"
-                case $on_word
-                    printf '%s     ON%s' (set_color green) (set_color normal)
-                case $off_word
-                    printf '%sOFF    %s' (set_color red) (set_color normal)
-                case '*'
-                    printf '%sDEFAULT%s' (set_color brblack) (set_color normal)
-            end
-
-            # ── Cursor cell: 2 visible columns ────────────────────────────────
-        case cursor
-            if test $argv[2] -eq $argv[3]
-                printf '%s▶%s ' (set_color --bold magenta) (set_color normal)
-            else
-                printf '  '
-            end
-
-            # ── One table row ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
-        case row
-            set -l iw $argv[2]
-            set -l p $argv[3]
-            set -l curs $argv[4]
-            set -l label "$argv[5]"
-            set -l label_w $argv[6]
-            set -l badge $argv[7]
-            set -l field "$argv[8]"
-            set -l fit $argv[9]
-            set -l field_w (math $iw - 21 - $label_w)
-            switch $fit
-                case cut
-                    set label (string sub -l $label_w -- "$label")
-                    set field (string sub -l $field_w -- "$field")
-                case shorten
-                    set field (string shorten -m $field_w -- "$field")
-            end
-            printf '%s│  %s%s [ %s ]  %s   │\n' $p $curs \
-                (string pad -r -w $label_w -- "$label") $badge \
-                (string pad -r -w $field_w -- "$field")
-
-        case '*'
-            echo "__config_settings_frame: unknown verb '$argv[1]'" >&2
-            return 1
-    end
-end

functions/__config_settings_pagetab.fish

@@ -1,45 +0,0 @@
-# Copyright (C) 2026 Rootiest
-# SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
-
-# SYNOPSIS
-#   __config_settings_pagetab <active_idx> <iw>
-#
-# DESCRIPTION
-#   Renders the four-page tab strip used as the header line of every
-#   config-settings page. Pages: 0 Universal, 1 Session, 2 Sponge, 3 Paths.
-#   The active page is marked with a filled bullet and bold text; the others
-#   with a hollow bullet. The returned string is padded to exactly <iw>
-#   printable columns (the caller adds the │ │ border and center offset).
-#
-# ARGUMENTS
-#   active_idx  0–3, the active page index
-#   iw          inner width in columns to pad the strip to
-#
-# EXIT STATUS
-#   0  Always
-#
-# RETURNS
-#   The rendered tab strip, printed to stdout (no trailing newline beyond printf's)
-#
-# EXAMPLE
-#   set strip (__config_settings_pagetab 2 76)
-function __config_settings_pagetab
-    set -l active $argv[1]
-    set -l iw     $argv[2]
-
-    __fish_palette
-    set -l names Universal Session Sponge Paths
-
-    set -l strip ' '
-    for i in (seq 0 3)
-        set -l idx (math $i + 1)
-        if test $i -eq $active
-            set strip "$strip$c_hi●$names[$idx]$c_reset  "
-        else
-            set strip "$strip○$names[$idx]  "
-        end
-    end
-    # string pad is width-aware: color escapes count as 0 columns, the bullets
-    # and letters as their printable width.
-    string pad -r -w $iw -- $strip
-end

functions/__config_settings_read_key.fish

@@ -1,97 +0,0 @@
-# Copyright (C) 2026 Rootiest
-# SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
-
-# SYNOPSIS
-#   __config_settings_read_key
-#
-# DESCRIPTION
-#   Reads a single keypress directly from the controlling terminal in raw
-#   mode and echoes a normalized token naming the key. Bypasses fish's
-#   read builtin, whose interactive line editor swallows Tab and arrow
-#   keys (and prints a "read> " prompt) — none of which is usable for a TUI.
-#
-#   The terminal is put into raw, no-echo mode with a 0.1s inter-byte timer
-#   (stty raw -echo min 1 time 1) so a multi-byte escape sequence (e.g.
-#   an arrow key, ESC [ A) is captured in one read while a lone key returns
-#   promptly. Original terminal settings are always restored before return.
-#
-#   In raw mode Ctrl-C does not raise SIGINT; it arrives as byte 3 (ETX),
-#   which is reported as the token "quit".
-#
-# ARGUMENTS
-#   (none)
-#
-# EXIT STATUS
-#   0  A key was read
-#   1  The terminal could not be put into raw mode (stdin is not a TTY)
-#
-# RETURNS
-#   One token, printed to stdout:
-#     up down left right   arrow keys
-#     space tab backtab enter escape backspace
-#     quit                 Ctrl-C (byte 3) in raw mode
-#     <char>               any other single printable character
-#     ""                   nothing decodable was read
-#
-# EXAMPLE
-#   set -l key (__config_settings_read_key)
-#   or return                       # not a TTY — bail
-#   switch $key
-#       case up;    echo "moved up"
-#       case space; echo "toggled"
-#   end
-function __config_settings_read_key
-    # Snapshot current terminal settings; failure means stdin is not a TTY.
-    set -l saved (stty -g </dev/tty 2>/dev/null)
-    or return 1
-
-    # Raw, no-echo. min 0 / time 3: return after 0.3s even with no bytes (poll
-    # interval for resize detection), or immediately when any bytes arrive.
-    # Escape sequences (e.g. arrow keys) arrive fast enough to land in one read.
-    stty raw -echo min 0 time 3 </dev/tty 2>/dev/null
-
-    # One read() of up to 3 bytes — covers ESC [ A style sequences. od emits
-    # the bytes as space-separated decimal codes.
-    set -l codes (dd if=/dev/tty bs=3 count=1 2>/dev/null \
-        | od -An -tu1 2>/dev/null | string trim | string split -n ' ')
-
-    # Restore the terminal before doing anything else.
-    stty $saved </dev/tty 2>/dev/null
-
-    switch (string join ' ' $codes)
-        case '27 91 65'
-            echo up
-        case '27 91 66'
-            echo down
-        case '27 91 67'
-            echo right
-        case '27 91 68'
-            echo left
-        case '27 91 90'
-            echo backtab
-        case 27
-            echo escape
-        case 9
-            echo tab
-        case 32
-            echo space
-        case 10 13
-            echo enter
-        case 8 127
-            echo backspace
-        case 3
-            echo quit
-        case ''
-            echo ''
-        case '*'
-            # Single printable byte → emit its character; ignore stray
-            # multi-byte sequences we do not recognise. The two-step octal
-            # form avoids fish mangling a one-shot '\\%03o' format string.
-            if test (count $codes) -eq 1
-                set -l oct (printf '%03o' $codes[1])
-                printf '%b\n' "\\$oct"
-            else
-                echo ''
-            end
-    end
-end

functions/__config_settings_state.fish

@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+# Copyright (C) 2026 Rootiest
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
+
+# DEPENDENCIES
+#   __config_settings_get_val, __config_settings_get_raw,
+#   __config_settings_subcats
+#
+# SYNOPSIS
+#   __config_settings_state
+#
+# DESCRIPTION
+#   Dumps everything scripts/config-settings-tui.py needs to render the
+#   settings TUI: the current value of every opinionated-component,
+#   sponge, scrollback and user-dots variable, plus the sub-category
+#   taxonomy from __config_settings_subcats.
+#
+#   Two record types, separated by RS (0x1e), fields separated by US
+#   (0x1f). Both are ASCII control characters, so no value these variables
+#   can hold needs escaping on the way through:
+#
+#     var<US><scope><US><name><US><value>
+#     sub<US><category_var><US><slug><US><label><US><description>
+#
+#   Only variables that are actually set are emitted; the TUI renders an
+#   absent variable as DEFAULT. That is what keeps the variable list out of
+#   this function -- names are discovered with `set --names` and filtered by
+#   prefix, so a new sub-category needs no edit here, only in
+#   __config_settings_subcats.
+#
+#   Toggle variables are dumped once per scope (universal and session), since
+#   the TUI edits those scopes independently. Sponge and Paths variables are
+#   universal-only and dumped as the value the running shell resolves,
+#   space-joined for list variables.
+#
+# EXIT STATUS
+#   0  Always
+#
+# RETURNS
+#   The RS/US-separated state dump, printed to stdout
+#
+# EXAMPLE
+#   __config_settings_state | string split \x1e
+function __config_settings_state --description 'Dump config-settings state for the curses TUI'
+    # ── Variable values ───────────────────────────────────────────────────
+    for name in (set --names)
+        switch $name
+            case '__fish_config_op_registry_*'
+                # conf.d data table, not a setting -- shares the op_ prefix.
+                continue
+            case '__fish_config_op_*' __fish_config_opinionated
+                # Toggles: both scopes, independently editable.
+                for scope in universal session
+                    set -l val (__config_settings_get_val $name $scope)
+                    test "$val" = DEFAULT; and continue
+                    printf '%s\x1f%s\x1f%s\x1f%s\x1e' var $scope $name $val
+                end
+            case 'sponge_*' __fish_sponge_extra_sensitive \
+                '__fish_scrollback_history_*' __fish_user_dots_path \
+                __fish_user_dots_symlink
+                # Value rows: universal-only, list variables space-joined.
+                set -l val (__config_settings_get_raw $name)
+                test "$val" = DEFAULT; and continue
+                printf '%s\x1f%s\x1f%s\x1f%s\x1e' var universal $name $val
+        end
+    end
+
+    # ── Sub-category taxonomy ─────────────────────────────────────────────
+    for cvar in __fish_config_op_aliases __fish_config_op_autoexec \
+        __fish_config_op_overrides __fish_config_op_integrations \
+        __fish_config_op_logging __fish_config_op_greeting
+        for row in (__config_settings_subcats $cvar)
+            set -l f (string split -- \t $row)
+            printf '%s\x1f%s\x1f%s\x1f%s\x1f%s\x1e' sub $cvar $f[1] $f[2] $f[3]
+        end
+    end
+end

functions/config-settings.fish

@@ -4,6 +4,10 @@
 # CATEGORY
 #   14-miscellaneous
 #
+# DEPENDENCIES
+#   __fish_palette, __config_settings_state, __config_settings_apply,
+#   __config_settings_set_value, python3
+#
 # SYNOPSIS
 #   config-settings [-h | --help]
 #
@@ -22,49 +26,55 @@
 #   Toggle rows use ← / → (or h / l) to step OFF ← DEFAULT → ON; DEFAULT erases
 #   the variable so the master switch / built-in default applies. On the
 #   Universal/Session pages, Enter on a category row (C1–C6) opens that
-#   category's sub-category drill-down page for finer-grained toggles;
+#   category's sub-category drill-down page, which leads with the category's
-#   Escape backs out to the category list. Value rows
+#   own toggle; Escape backs out. Value rows (Sponge, Paths) use Enter to edit
-#   (Sponge, Paths) use Enter to edit inline; ← / h clears to default. List rows
+#   inline and ← / h to reset to the row default; committing a blank edit does
-#   (e.g. Extra secret, OK codes) accept values separated by commas and/or
+#   the same. List rows (e.g. Extra secret, OK codes) accept values separated
-#   whitespace — "A, B", "A,B" and "A B" all yield the same two entries.
+#   by commas and/or whitespace — "A, B", "A,B" and "A B" all yield the same
-#   Tab / Shift-Tab cycle forward / backward through pages.
+#   two entries. Tab / Shift-Tab cycle through pages.
-#   Changes apply immediately — no confirm step. Always available regardless of
+#
-#   __fish_config_opinionated state.
+#   / filters the current page on label and description. On the Universal and
+#   Session pages the filter also reaches into every category's sub-categories,
+#   listing hits as "Category › Sub", so a sub-category can be toggled without
+#   drilling into its parent first.
+#
+#   Edits are collected while the TUI runs and applied in one batch when it
+#   exits, via __config_settings_apply and __config_settings_set_value. The
+#   status bar shows a pending count. This is a deliberate consequence of the
+#   renderer being a child process: a child cannot reach into its parent shell
+#   to set a global, so the Session page's edits come back as a fish script the
+#   function sources on exit, and the Universal page rides the same path for
+#   consistency. Always available regardless of __fish_config_opinionated state.
 #
 #   The Sponge and Paths pages always write universal variables — these are
 #   persistent, set-and-forget settings with no per-session scope. Editing a
 #   scrollback row updates both the __fish_scrollback_history_* source-of-truth
 #   variables and the exported SCROLLBACK_HISTORY_* mirrors, so the AUR/tmux/
 #   zellij log wrappers (which read the exported names) see the change in the
-#   running session.
+#   running session. Editing Dots link re-runs __fish_user_dots_link.
 #
-#   The panel adapts to the terminal width automatically, selecting from four
+#   The panel is drawn by scripts/config-settings-tui.py using Python's stdlib
-#   layout tiers (with a 6-column buffer on each side before stepping up to the
+#   curses module, which owns the cell arithmetic, the alternate screen and the
-#   next tier) and horizontally centering the box. The panel redraws within
+#   redraw diffing. It resizes with the terminal and needs no width tiers.
-#   ~0.3 s of a terminal resize with no keypress required.
-#
-#     COLUMNS >= 90  →  78-wide panel (most detail)
-#     COLUMNS >= 86  →  74-wide panel
-#     COLUMNS >= 82  →  70-wide panel
-#     COLUMNS  < 82  →  52-wide panel (default)
 #
 #   Navigation:
 #     ↑ ↓ / k j     Move cursor
 #     ← → / h l     Toggle rows: OFF ← DEFAULT → ON
-#     ←  / h        Value rows: clear to default
+#     ←  / h        Value rows: reset to default
-#     Enter         Category rows (Universal/Session): open sub-category
+#     Enter         Category rows: open the sub-category page.
-#                   drill-down page. Value rows: edit inline (Sponge /
+#                   Value rows: edit inline
-#                   Paths pages)
+#     /             Filter, sub-categories included
-#     Escape        Sub-category page: back out to the category list
+#     Escape        Back out of a sub-category page, or clear the filter
 #     Tab / S-Tab   Next / previous page
-#     q / Escape    Exit
+#     ?             Help overlay
+#     q             Apply pending edits and exit
 #
 # ARGUMENTS
 #   -h, --help  Print usage and exit
 #
 # EXIT STATUS
-#   0  Exited normally (q or Escape pressed)
+#   0  Exited normally
-#   1  Unknown flag passed
+#   1  Unknown flag, no TTY, or python3/curses unavailable
 #
 # EXAMPLE
 #   config-settings
@@ -78,16 +88,19 @@ function config-settings --description 'Interactive TUI for managing fish config
                 echo "$c_head""Usage:$c_reset $c_cmd""config-settings$c_reset $c_flag""[-h]$c_reset"
                 echo
                 echo "  Interactive TUI for managing fish config settings."
-                echo "  Changes apply immediately — no confirm step required."
+                echo "  Edits are applied in one batch when the TUI exits."
                 echo
                 echo "$c_head""Navigation:$c_reset"
                 echo "  $c_flag↑ ↓$c_reset or $c_flag""k j$c_reset    Move cursor up / down"
-                echo "  $c_flag← →$c_reset or $c_flag""h l$c_reset    Toggle pages: OFF ← DEFAULT → ON"
+                echo "  $c_flag← →$c_reset or $c_flag""h l$c_reset    Toggle rows: OFF ← DEFAULT → ON"
                 echo "  $c_flag""Enter$c_reset         Open sub-category page (Universal / Session);"
                 echo "                edit value (Sponge / Paths pages)"
-                echo "  $c_flag← / h$c_reset         Clear value to default (value rows)"
+                echo "  $c_flag← / h$c_reset         Reset value to default (value rows)"
+                echo "  $c_flag/$c_reset             Filter rows, sub-categories included"
                 echo "  $c_flag""Tab / S-Tab$c_reset   Next / previous page"
-                echo "  $c_flag""q$c_reset / $c_flag""Esc$c_reset       Exit"
+                echo "  $c_flag""Esc$c_reset           Leave sub-category page / clear filter"
+                echo "  $c_flag?$c_reset             Help overlay"
+                echo "  $c_flag""q$c_reset             Apply pending edits and exit"
                 echo
                 echo "$c_head""Pages:$c_reset"
                 echo "  $c_flag""Universal$c_reset   Toggles, persistent ($c_dim""set -U$c_reset)"
@@ -102,354 +115,60 @@ function config-settings --description 'Interactive TUI for managing fish config
         end
     end
 
-    # ── Toggle-page variables (rows 0–6: 6 categories + master) ───────────
+    # ── Dependencies ──────────────────────────────────────
-    set -l toggle_vars \
+    # python3 with the curses module. That is stdlib on Arch, Fedora and a
-        __fish_config_op_aliases \
+    # full Debian/Ubuntu python3; python3-minimal alone does not carry
-        __fish_config_op_autoexec \
+    # _curses, so both are checked rather than assumed from `type -q`.
-        __fish_config_op_overrides \
+    if not type -q python3
-        __fish_config_op_integrations \
+        echo "$c_err""config-settings requires python3.$c_reset" >&2
-        __fish_config_op_logging \
+        return 1
-        __fish_config_op_greeting \
-        __fish_config_opinionated
-
-    # ── Drill-down navigation state (Universal/Session pages only) ────────
-    # in_subcat: 1 while viewing a category's sub-category page (Enter to
-    # open, Escape to back out). subcat_row: cursor row within that page.
-    set -l in_subcat 0
-    set -l subcat_row 0
-
-    # ── Value-page row metadata (parallel: var / type) ────────────────────
-    set -l sponge_vars sponge_delay sponge_purge_only_on_exit sponge_allow_previously_successful sponge_successful_exit_codes __fish_sponge_extra_sensitive
-    set -l sponge_types int bool bool list list
-    set -l sponge_labels Delay "Purge@exit" "Allow prev" "OK codes" "Extra secret"
-    set -l paths_vars __fish_scrollback_history_dir __fish_scrollback_history_max_files __fish_user_dots_path __fish_user_dots_symlink
-    set -l paths_types path int path bool
-    set -l paths_labels "Log dir" "Log max" "Dots path" "Dots link"
-
-    # Reset/blank-edit target for each value row. A non-empty entry is written
-    # verbatim (sponge reads sponge_delay / sponge_successful_exit_codes with no
-    # fallback, so they must never be left unset); an empty entry erases the var
-    # so its own built-in default applies (scrollback/dots paths and the
-    # extra-sensitive list all tolerate being unset). Bool rows are not reset
-    # through this path — they are a 2-state true/false with no unset state.
-    set -l sponge_defaults 2 '' '' 0 ''
-    set -l paths_defaults '' '' '' ''
-
-    # Rows per page index 0..3
-    set -l page_rows 7 7 5 4
-
-    set -l cur_page  0           # 0=Universal 1=Session 2=Sponge 3=Paths
-    set -l cur_row   0
-    set -l panel_h   0            # real value set by the first dispatch call below
-    set -l new_frame              # captured by __cs_dispatch_draw
-    set -l last_cols $COLUMNS
-
-    # ── Terminal setup ────────────────────────────────────
-    printf '\e[?25l'             # hide cursor
-    trap 'printf "\e[?25h"; set -g __config_settings_exit 1' INT
-
-    # ── Draw dispatch (page 0/1 = toggle table; 2/3 = value page) ─────────
-    # Captures the page's rendered lines into new_frame and derives panel_h
-    # from their count. panel_h is never hand-set again: the sub-category
-    # page is n+7 lines (2-6 sub-categories: 9-13 lines), never the
-    # category list's fixed 16, and deriving it from the real output means
-    # that fact can no longer drift out of sync with what got drawn.
-    function __cs_dispatch_draw --no-scope-shadowing
-        switch $cur_page
-            case 0
-                if test $in_subcat -eq 1
-                    set new_frame (__config_settings_draw_subcat $subcat_row universal $toggle_vars[(math $cur_row + 1)])
-                else
-                    set new_frame (__config_settings_draw $cur_row universal $toggle_vars)
     end
-            case 1
+    if not python3 -c 'import curses' 2>/dev/null
-                if test $in_subcat -eq 1
+        echo "$c_err""config-settings requires python3 with the curses module.$c_reset" >&2
-                    set new_frame (__config_settings_draw_subcat $subcat_row session $toggle_vars[(math $cur_row + 1)])
+        echo "  Debian/Ubuntu: install the full $c_cmd""python3$c_reset package." >&2
-                else
+        return 1
-                    set new_frame (__config_settings_draw $cur_row session $toggle_vars)
     end
-            case 2
+    if not isatty stdout
-                set new_frame (__config_settings_draw_value $cur_row sponge)
+        echo "$c_err""config-settings needs a terminal.$c_reset" >&2
-            case 3
+        return 1
-                set new_frame (__config_settings_draw_value $cur_row paths)
-        end
-        set panel_h (count $new_frame)
-    end
-    __cs_dispatch_draw
-    printf '%s\n' $new_frame
-
-    # ── Event loop ────────────────────────────────────────
-    # __config_settings_read_key reads a single keypress from /dev/tty in raw
-    # mode and returns a normalized token (up/down/tab/space/escape/quit or a
-    # literal char). It bypasses fish's `read`, whose line editor swallows Tab
-    # and arrow keys and prints a `read> ` prompt — unusable for a TUI.
-    while true
-        # Check for Ctrl-C signal (trap sets this flag during redraw, when the
-        # terminal is briefly back in cooked mode and SIGINT can fire).
-        if set -q __config_settings_exit
-            set -eg __config_settings_exit
-            break
     end
 
-        set -l key (__config_settings_read_key)
+    set -l tui (dirname (status filename))/../scripts/config-settings-tui.py
-        or break   # not a TTY — exit instead of spinning
+    if not test -f $tui
-
+        echo "$c_err""config-settings: missing $tui$c_reset" >&2
-        set -l did_redraw 0
+        return 1
-
-        switch $key
-            case up k
-                if test $in_subcat -eq 1
-                    set subcat_row (math "max(0, $subcat_row - 1)")
-                else
-                    set cur_row (math "max(0, $cur_row - 1)")
-                end
-            case down j
-                if test $in_subcat -eq 1
-                    set -l n (count (__config_settings_subcats $toggle_vars[(math $cur_row + 1)]))
-                    set subcat_row (math "min($n, $subcat_row + 1)")
-                else
-                    # Hoist the page index: fish cannot expand a command-substitution
-                    # index inside a quoted math string.
-                    set -l pidx (math $cur_page + 1)
-                    set cur_row (math "min($page_rows[$pidx] - 1, $cur_row + 1)")
-                end
-            case tab
-                set cur_page (math "($cur_page + 1) % 4")
-                set cur_row 0
-                set in_subcat 0
-            case backtab
-                set cur_page (math "($cur_page + 3) % 4")
-                set cur_row 0
-                set in_subcat 0
-            case right l
-                if test $cur_page -le 1
-                    # Toggle page: step toward ON
-                    set -l scope universal
-                    test $cur_page -eq 1; and set scope session
-                    # Default: the category variable itself -- correct both
-                    # when not in a sub-category page at all, and when in
-                    # one but sitting on its row 0 (the category's own
-                    # toggle). Only row >= 1 of a sub-category page
-                    # resolves to a different, sub-category variable.
-                    # Hoist the category variable into a plain local first --
-                    # fish cannot expand a command-substitution index
-                    # ("$toggle_vars[(math ...)]") inside a quoted string
-                    # (same reason the down/j case above hoists $pidx).
-                    set -l cvar $toggle_vars[(math $cur_row + 1)]
-                    set -l varname $cvar
-                    if test $in_subcat -eq 1 -a $subcat_row -ne 0
-                        set -l rows (__config_settings_subcats $cvar)
-                        set -l fields (string split -- \t $rows[$subcat_row])
-                        set varname "$cvar"_(string replace -a -- '-' '_' $fields[1])
-                    end
-                    set -l cur_val (__config_settings_get_val $varname $scope)
-                    set -l next_val on
-                    test "$cur_val" = off; and set next_val DEFAULT
-                    __config_settings_apply $varname $scope $next_val
-                else
-                    # Value pages: bool rows are 2-state (true/false). → sets
-                    # true. Sponge reads its bools with no fallback; the Paths
-                    # "Dots link" bool drives __fish_user_dots_link on change.
-                    set -l v_vars $sponge_vars
-                    set -l v_types $sponge_types
-                    if test $cur_page -eq 3
-                        set v_vars $paths_vars
-                        set v_types $paths_types
-                    end
-                    set -l ridx (math $cur_row + 1)
-                    if test "$v_types[$ridx]" = bool
-                        set -U $v_vars[$ridx] true 2>/dev/null
-                        test "$v_vars[$ridx]" = __fish_user_dots_symlink
-                            and __fish_user_dots_link
-                    end
-                end
-            case left h
-                if test $cur_page -le 1
-                    set -l scope universal
-                    test $cur_page -eq 1; and set scope session
-                    # Same varname resolution as the right/l case above
-                    # (hoisted local -- see the comment there for why the
-                    # command-substitution index can't be inlined into the
-                    # quoted string directly).
-                    set -l cvar $toggle_vars[(math $cur_row + 1)]
-                    set -l varname $cvar
-                    if test $in_subcat -eq 1 -a $subcat_row -ne 0
-                        set -l rows (__config_settings_subcats $cvar)
-                        set -l fields (string split -- \t $rows[$subcat_row])
-                        set varname "$cvar"_(string replace -a -- '-' '_' $fields[1])
-                    end
-                    set -l cur_val (__config_settings_get_val $varname $scope)
-                    set -l next_val off
-                    test "$cur_val" = on; and set next_val DEFAULT
-                    __config_settings_apply $varname $scope $next_val
-                else
-                    # Value pages: bool rows set false; other value rows reset to
-                    # their default (a literal value, or erase when the var
-                    # tolerates being unset — see sponge_defaults/paths_defaults).
-                    set -l v_vars $sponge_vars
-                    set -l v_types $sponge_types
-                    set -l v_defaults $sponge_defaults
-                    if test $cur_page -eq 3
-                        set v_vars $paths_vars
-                        set v_types $paths_types
-                        set v_defaults $paths_defaults
-                    end
-                    set -l ridx (math $cur_row + 1)
-                    set -l varname $v_vars[$ridx]
-                    set -l vtype $v_types[$ridx]
-                    if test "$vtype" = bool
-                        set -U $varname false 2>/dev/null
-                        test "$varname" = __fish_user_dots_symlink
-                            and __fish_user_dots_link
-                    else
-                        __config_settings_set_value $varname $vtype "$v_defaults[$ridx]"
-                    end
-                end
-            case enter
-                if test $cur_page -le 1
-                    if test $in_subcat -eq 0 -a $cur_row -le 5
-                        set in_subcat 1
-                        set subcat_row 0
-                    end
-                else if test $cur_page -ge 2
-                    set -l v_vars $sponge_vars
-                    set -l v_types $sponge_types
-                    set -l v_defaults $sponge_defaults
-                    if test $cur_page -eq 3
-                        set v_vars $paths_vars
-                        set v_types $paths_types
-                        set v_defaults $paths_defaults
-                    end
-                    set -l ridx (math $cur_row + 1)
-                    set -l varname $v_vars[$ridx]
-                    set -l vtype $v_types[$ridx]
-                    # Only path/int/list rows are editable; bool rows toggle with ←/→.
-                    if test "$vtype" != toggle -a "$vtype" != bool
-                        # Inline editor: edit in-place in the row's value field
-                        # using the raw key reader — no fish `read` / `read>`
-                        # prompt, and the panel cleans itself up on exit. The
-                        # buffer is pre-filled with the current value; clearing it
-                        # and pressing Enter reverts to the row's default.
-                        set -l page sponge
-                        test $cur_page -eq 3; and set page paths
-                        set -l buf (__config_settings_get_raw $varname)
-                        test "$buf" = DEFAULT; and set buf ""
-                        set -l committed 0
-                        # Full erase once to enter edit mode; per-keystroke
-                        # redraws below diff against the previous edit frame.
-                        set -l edit_frame (__config_settings_draw_value $cur_row $page edit "$buf")
-                        set -l prev_edit_frame
-                        set -l pml (math --scale=0 "($last_cols + 78) / 2")
-                        set -l eh (math --scale=0 "$panel_h * max(1, ceil($pml / $COLUMNS))")
-                        printf '\e[%dA\e[J' $eh
-                        printf '%s\n' $edit_frame
-                        set last_cols $COLUMNS
-                        while true
-                            set -l ek (__config_settings_read_key)
-                            or break
-                            switch $ek
-                                case enter
-                                    set committed 1
-                                    break
-                                case escape
-                                    break
-                                case backspace
-                                    set buf (string sub -s 1 -e -1 -- "$buf")
-                                case space
-                                    set buf "$buf "
-                                case up down left right tab backtab quit ''
-                                    # ignored while editing
-                                case '*'
-                                    set buf "$buf$ek"
     end
 
-                            set prev_edit_frame $edit_frame
+    # ── Run the TUI ───────────────────────────────────────
-                            set edit_frame (__config_settings_draw_value $cur_row $page edit "$buf")
+    # The TUI is a child process, so it can neither read the session's global
-                            if test (count $edit_frame) -eq (count $prev_edit_frame) -a "$COLUMNS" = "$last_cols" -a $COLUMNS -ge 52
+    # variables nor write them. State goes in as a dump; the edits come back
-                                # `| string collect` is required on each join --
+    # as a fish script this function sources, which is what lets the Session
-                                # see the identical note in the main loop's
+    # page's `set -g` land in the caller's shell instead of in a child that is
-                                # diff-path call.
+    # about to exit. `command` throughout: this repo's own aliases shadow rm.
-                                printf '\e[%dA' (count $edit_frame)
+    set -l work (command mktemp -d)
-                                __config_settings_diff_redraw (string join \n -- $prev_edit_frame | string collect) (string join \n -- $edit_frame | string collect)
+    if test -z "$work" -o ! -d "$work"
-                            else
+        echo "$c_err""config-settings: could not create a temporary directory.$c_reset" >&2
-                                set -l ph (count $prev_edit_frame)
+        return 1
-                                set -l pml (math --scale=0 "($last_cols + 78) / 2")
-                                set -l eh (math --scale=0 "$ph * max(1, ceil($pml / $COLUMNS))")
-                                printf '\e[%dA\e[J' $eh
-                                printf '%s\n' $edit_frame
-                            end
-                            set last_cols $COLUMNS
-                        end
-                        if test $committed -eq 1
-                            # Empty buffer reverts to the row default (a value, or
-                            # erase when the var tolerates being unset).
-                            if test -n "$buf"
-                                __config_settings_set_value $varname $vtype "$buf"
-                            else
-                                __config_settings_set_value $varname $vtype "$v_defaults[$ridx]"
-                            end
-                        end
-                        # Redraw the normal panel in place of the editor.
-                        set -l pml (math --scale=0 "($last_cols + 78) / 2")
-                        set -l eh (math --scale=0 "$panel_h * max(1, ceil($pml / $COLUMNS))")
-                        printf '\e[%dA\e[J' $eh
-                        set last_cols $COLUMNS
-                        __cs_dispatch_draw
-                        printf '%s\n' $new_frame
-                        set did_redraw 1
-                    end
-                end
-            case q Q quit
-                break
-            case escape
-                if test $in_subcat -eq 1
-                    set in_subcat 0
-                else
-                    break
-                end
     end
 
-        # Skip redraw entirely when the key reader timed out with no resize
+    # An empty dump would not fail loudly -- the TUI would simply render every
-        if test -z "$key" -a "$COLUMNS" = "$last_cols"
+    # row as DEFAULT, which is indistinguishable from a config where nothing is
-            continue
+    # set. That is a wrong answer, not a missing one, so refuse instead. The
+    # taxonomy alone guarantees a non-empty dump on any working checkout.
+    __config_settings_state >$work/state
+    if not test -s $work/state
+        echo "$c_err""config-settings: __config_settings_state produced no output.$c_reset" >&2
+        command rm -rf $work
+        return 1
     end
 
-        # Skip redraw if the Enter handler already redrew (e.g. after path edit)
+    python3 $tui --state $work/state --emit $work/edits
-        if test $did_redraw -eq 1
+    set -l rc $status
-            continue
+
+    if test $rc -eq 0 -a -s $work/edits
+        source $work/edits
     end
 
-        set -l old_h $panel_h
+    command rm -rf $work
-        set -l prev_frame $new_frame
+    return $rc
-        __cs_dispatch_draw
-
-        if test $panel_h -eq $old_h -a "$COLUMNS" = "$last_cols" -a $COLUMNS -ge 52
-            # Diff path: geometry and width unchanged since the last frame --
-            # move up without erasing, rewrite only the lines that changed.
-            # `| string collect` is required on each join: command
-            # substitution always re-splits on newlines, so without it
-            # __config_settings_diff_redraw would receive many positional
-            # arguments instead of the two joined strings it expects.
-            printf '\e[%dA' $panel_h
-            __config_settings_diff_redraw (string join \n -- $prev_frame | string collect) (string join \n -- $new_frame | string collect)
-        else
-            # Full-redraw path: resize, page switch, or subcat enter/exit --
-            # same wrap-aware erase math as before, unchanged. 78 = widest
-            # box (IW=76+2); the formula gives the worst-case old line width
-            # for any tier drawn at last_cols.
-            set -l prev_max_lw (math --scale=0 "($last_cols + 78) / 2")
-            set -l erase_h (math --scale=0 "$old_h * max(1, ceil($prev_max_lw / $COLUMNS))")
-            printf '\e[%dA\e[J' $erase_h
-            printf '%s\n' $new_frame
-        end
-        set last_cols $COLUMNS
-    end
-
-    # ── Cleanup ───────────────────────────────────────────
-    trap - INT              # remove the signal handler
-    set -l prev_max_lw (math --scale=0 "($last_cols + 78) / 2")
-    set -l erase_h (math --scale=0 "$panel_h * max(1, ceil($prev_max_lw / $COLUMNS))")
-    printf '\e[%dA\e[J' $erase_h   # erase the panel (wrap-aware)
-    printf '\e[?25h'        # restore cursor
-    functions --erase __cs_dispatch_draw
 end

scripts/config-settings-tui.py

@@ -0,0 +1,838 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+# Copyright (C) 2026 Rootiest
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
+#
+# SYNOPSIS
+#   config-settings-tui.py [--state <file>] [--emit <file>] [--self-test]
+#
+# DESCRIPTION
+#   Front-end for `config-settings`, rendered with Python's stdlib `curses`.
+#   This process never touches fish state directly. It reads a state dump on
+#   the way in and writes a fish script of the edits on the way out; the
+#   `config-settings` function sources that script, so `set -g` lands in the
+#   caller's shell rather than in a child that is about to exit.
+#
+#     fish  --(__config_settings_state)-->  --state file  -->  this TUI
+#     fish  <--(source)-------------------  --emit  file  <--  this TUI
+#
+#   Every edit is emitted as a call to an existing helper --
+#   __config_settings_apply for scope toggles, __config_settings_set_value for
+#   the Sponge and Paths rows -- so list splitting, the SCROLLBACK_HISTORY_*
+#   export mirror and the shadow-warning suppression all stay in the fish
+#   layer that already owns them. Nothing is applied until the TUI exits.
+#
+#   The sub-category taxonomy is NOT duplicated here: it arrives in the state
+#   dump, sourced from __config_settings_subcats. The category, Sponge and
+#   Paths row tables do live here, consolidated from the three fish renderers
+#   this replaces.
+#
+# ARGUMENTS
+#   --state <file>  State dump to read. Without it, the dump is obtained by
+#                   running `fish -c __config_settings_state`.
+#   --emit <file>   Write the resulting fish script here. Without it, the
+#                   script is printed to stdout after the TUI exits, applying
+#                   nothing -- useful for inspecting a session by hand.
+#   --self-test     Exercise the pure logic with no terminal and exit non-zero
+#                   on failure. Needs no TTY and no fish.
+#
+# EXIT STATUS
+#   0  Clean exit, or --self-test passed
+#   1  --self-test failed, or the state dump could not be obtained
+#
+# EXAMPLE
+#   config-settings                                  # the normal entry point
+#   ./scripts/config-settings-tui.py                 # standalone, dry run
+#   ./scripts/config-settings-tui.py --self-test
+
+import os
+import subprocess
+import sys
+from typing import NamedTuple
+
+# ncurses reads ESCDELAY at init; 25ms makes bare Esc feel instant instead of
+# the 1s default. Must be set before curses is imported and initialised.
+os.environ.setdefault("ESCDELAY", "25")
+
+import curses  # noqa: E402
+
+RS, US = "\x1e", "\x1f"   # record / unit separators used by the state dump
+
+
+# ╭──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╮
+# │ Row model                                                                │
+# ╰──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╯
+
+class Row(NamedTuple):
+    label: str      # display label
+    kind: str       # tri | bool | int | list | path
+    hint: str       # shown in the value cell while the variable is unset
+    desc: str       # one-line description under the label
+    var: str        # fish variable name this row edits
+    parent: str     # owning category label, "" for a top-level row
+    default: str    # what ← / a blank inline edit resets the row to
+
+
+TRI = ("", "on", "off")            # DEFAULT → ON → OFF
+BOOLS = ("", "true", "false")      # Sponge/Paths convention
+
+# Category rows for the Universal and Session pages. Consolidated from
+# __config_settings_draw.fish (descriptions) and config-settings.fish
+# (variable names), which this file replaces.
+CATEGORIES = [
+    Row("Aliases", "tri", "", "shadows: ls→eza, cat→bat, cd→z, rm→trash",
+        "__fish_config_op_aliases", "", ""),
+    Row("Auto-exec", "tri", "", "Fisher bootstrap, themes, py-venv activate",
+        "__fish_config_op_autoexec", "", ""),
+    Row("Overrides", "tri", "", "vi-mode, bang-bang, PAGER, CDPATH, starship",
+        "__fish_config_op_overrides", "", ""),
+    Row("Integrations", "tri", "", "Kitty/WezTerm tab/split fns, notifications",
+        "__fish_config_op_integrations", "", ""),
+    Row("Logging", "tri", "", "scrollback capture & paru/yay AUR wrappers",
+        "__fish_config_op_logging", "", ""),
+    Row("Greeting", "tri", "", "fish_greeting & first-run welcome banner",
+        "__fish_config_op_greeting", "", ""),
+    Row("Master", "tri", "", "master off-switch: overrides all categories",
+        "__fish_config_opinionated", "", ""),
+]
+
+# Value rows. Variables, types and reset targets mirror the sponge_/paths_
+# tables that config-settings.fish carried; the reset targets are load-bearing
+# (sponge reads sponge_delay and sponge_successful_exit_codes with no fallback,
+# so those must never be left unset, while the path rows tolerate being unset).
+SPONGE = [
+    Row("Delay", "int", "2", "entries kept before a failed command is purged",
+        "sponge_delay", "", "2"),
+    Row("Purge@exit", "bool", "false", "only purge history on shell exit",
+        "sponge_purge_only_on_exit", "", ""),
+    Row("Allow prev", "bool", "true", "keep commands that previously succeeded",
+        "sponge_allow_previously_successful", "", ""),
+    Row("OK codes", "list", "0", "exit codes treated as success",
+        "sponge_successful_exit_codes", "", "0"),
+    Row("Extra secret", "list", "(none)", "extra patterns scrubbed from history",
+        "__fish_sponge_extra_sensitive", "", ""),
+]
+
+PATHS = [
+    Row("Log dir", "path", "~/.terminal_history", "scrollback capture directory",
+        "__fish_scrollback_history_dir", "", ""),
+    Row("Log max", "int", "100", "max scrollback files retained",
+        "__fish_scrollback_history_max_files", "", ""),
+    Row("Dots path", "path", "(default)", "user-dots source directory",
+        "__fish_user_dots_path", "", ""),
+    Row("Dots link", "bool", "on", "symlink ~/.config/.user-dots/fish",
+        "__fish_user_dots_symlink", "", ""),
+]
+
+PAGES = ["Universal", "Session", "Sponge", "Paths"]
+SCOPES = {"Universal": "universal", "Session": "session",
+          "Sponge": "universal", "Paths": "universal"}
+
+# Changing this variable has to re-run the linker, exactly as the fish
+# implementation did on every ←/→ over the Dots link row.
+DOTS_SYMLINK = "__fish_user_dots_symlink"
+
+
+def subcat_var(category_var, slug):
+    """Sub-category variable name, matching config-settings.fish's derivation."""
+    return category_var + "_" + slug.replace("-", "_")
+
+
+# ╭──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╮
+# │ State dump                                                               │
+# ╰──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╯
+
+class State:
+    """Parsed __config_settings_state output plus the pending edit set.
+
+    Two record types, RS-separated, fields US-separated:
+
+        var <scope> <name> <value>          a variable that is set
+        sub <category_var> <slug> <label> <description>
+
+    Absent means unset, which is what DEFAULT renders as. The separators are
+    ASCII control characters, so no value these variables can hold needs
+    escaping on the way through.
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, text=""):
+        self.vals = {}        # (scope, varname) -> value
+        self.subs = {}        # category_var -> [(slug, label, desc), ...]
+        for rec in text.split(RS):
+            if not rec.strip():
+                continue
+            f = rec.split(US)
+            if f[0] == "var" and len(f) >= 4:
+                self.vals[(f[1], f[2])] = f[3]
+            elif f[0] == "sub" and len(f) >= 5:
+                self.subs.setdefault(f[1], []).append((f[2], f[3], f[4]))
+        self.orig = dict(self.vals)
+
+    def get(self, scope, var):
+        return self.vals.get((scope, var), "")
+
+    def set(self, scope, var, value):
+        if value == "":
+            self.vals.pop((scope, var), None)
+        else:
+            self.vals[(scope, var)] = value
+
+    def changed(self):
+        keys = set(self.vals) | set(self.orig)
+        return sorted(k for k in keys
+                      if self.vals.get(k, "") != self.orig.get(k, ""))
+
+
+def load_state(path):
+    """Read a dump from `path`, or ask fish for one when path is None."""
+    if path:
+        with open(path, encoding="utf-8") as fh:
+            return State(fh.read())
+    try:
+        out = subprocess.run(["fish", "-c", "__config_settings_state"],
+                             capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=30)
+    except (OSError, subprocess.SubprocessError) as exc:
+        raise SystemExit(f"cannot run fish to read config state: {exc}")
+    if out.returncode != 0:
+        raise SystemExit("fish -c __config_settings_state failed: "
+                         + (out.stderr.strip() or f"exit {out.returncode}"))
+    return State(out.stdout)
+
+
+# ╭──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╮
+# │ Command emission                                                         │
+# ╰──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╯
+
+def fq(s):
+    """Single-quote a string for fish. Inside '', only \\' and \\\\ escape."""
+    return "'" + s.replace("\\", "\\\\").replace("'", "\\'") + "'"
+
+
+def emit(state, rows_by_var):
+    """Render the pending edits as fish commands, one per changed variable."""
+    lines = []
+    relink = False
+    for scope, var in state.changed():
+        value = state.get(scope, var)
+        row = rows_by_var.get(var)
+        if row is not None and row.kind in ("int", "list", "path", "bool"):
+            lines.append(f"__config_settings_set_value {var} {row.kind} {fq(value)}")
+            relink = relink or var == DOTS_SYMLINK
+        else:
+            # Toggle rows, including every sub-category row. An empty value
+            # means DEFAULT, which erases the variable in that scope.
+            lines.append(
+                f"__config_settings_apply {var} {scope} {value or 'DEFAULT'}")
+    if relink:
+        lines.append("__fish_user_dots_link")
+    return "\n".join(lines) + ("\n" if lines else "")
+
+
+# ╭──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╮
+# │ Pure view helpers                                                        │
+# ╰──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╯
+
+def matches(row, needle):
+    return needle in row.label.lower() or needle in row.desc.lower()
+
+
+def sub_rows(state, cat):
+    """Sub-category rows for one category, from the taxonomy in the dump."""
+    return [Row(label, "tri", "", desc, subcat_var(cat.var, slug), cat.label, "")
+            for slug, label, desc in state.subs.get(cat.var, [])]
+
+
+def build_rows(state, page, drill, needle):
+    """The rows a page shows, given the drill-down and filter in effect.
+
+    An unfiltered category page lists categories only. Filtering flattens the
+    tree: a matching category is listed, and so is any matching sub-category of
+    any category, labelled "Category › Sub" so the row still says where it
+    lives. That is the only way to reach a sub-category without drilling.
+    """
+    if page in ("Sponge", "Paths"):
+        rows = SPONGE if page == "Sponge" else PATHS
+        return [r for r in rows if matches(r, needle)] if needle else list(rows)
+
+    if drill:
+        cat = next((c for c in CATEGORIES if c.label == drill), None)
+        if cat is None:
+            return []
+        return [cat] + sub_rows(state, cat)
+
+    if not needle:
+        return list(CATEGORIES)
+
+    out = []
+    for cat in CATEGORIES:
+        if matches(cat, needle):
+            out.append(cat)
+        for sub in sub_rows(state, cat):
+            if matches(sub, needle):
+                out.append(sub._replace(label=f"{cat.label} › {sub.label}"))
+    return out
+
+
+def cycle(value, kind, forward):
+    """Advance a toggle one step. Non-toggle kinds are edited, not cycled."""
+    ring = TRI if kind == "tri" else BOOLS
+    i = ring.index(value) if value in ring else 0
+    return ring[(i + (1 if forward else -1)) % len(ring)]
+
+
+def ell(text, room):
+    """Truncate with an ellipsis so a clipped description reads as clipped."""
+    if room <= 0:
+        return ""
+    return text if len(text) <= room else text[: room - 1] + "…"
+
+
+# ╭──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╮
+# │ Rendering                                                                │
+# ╰──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╯
+
+SIDEBAR_W = 16
+MIN_W, MIN_H = 60, 14
+
+C_FRAME, C_TITLE, C_SEL, C_ON, C_OFF, C_DEF, C_DIM, C_HINT, C_BAR = range(1, 10)
+
+
+def init_colors():
+    curses.start_color()
+    try:
+        curses.use_default_colors()
+        bg = -1
+    except curses.error:
+        bg = curses.COLOR_BLACK
+    for pair, fg in {
+        C_FRAME: curses.COLOR_BLUE,
+        C_TITLE: curses.COLOR_MAGENTA,
+        C_SEL: curses.COLOR_CYAN,
+        C_ON: curses.COLOR_GREEN,
+        C_OFF: curses.COLOR_RED,
+        C_DEF: curses.COLOR_YELLOW,
+        C_DIM: curses.COLOR_BLACK,
+        C_HINT: curses.COLOR_CYAN,
+        C_BAR: curses.COLOR_WHITE,
+    }.items():
+        curses.init_pair(pair, fg, bg)
+
+
+def put(win, y, x, text, attr=0, limit=None):
+    """Clipped addstr.
+
+    curses cannot addstr() the bottom-right cell -- writing it would advance
+    the cursor off the window. Fill that one cell with insstr(), which does
+    not move the cursor, so the frame closes instead of losing its corner.
+    """
+    h, w = win.getmaxyx()
+    if y < 0 or y >= h or x >= w:
+        return
+    room = (w - x) if limit is None else min(limit, w - x)
+    if room <= 0:
+        return
+    text = text[:room]
+    if not text:
+        return
+    try:
+        if y == h - 1 and x + len(text) >= w:
+            if len(text) > 1:
+                win.addstr(y, x, text[:-1], attr)
+            win.insstr(y, w - 1, text[-1], attr)
+        else:
+            win.addstr(y, x, text, attr)
+    except curses.error:
+        pass
+
+
+def badge(value, kind, hint):
+    """The right-hand value cell and its colour pair."""
+    if kind in ("tri", "bool"):
+        on = "on" if kind == "tri" else "true"
+        off = "off" if kind == "tri" else "false"
+        if value == on:
+            return "[      ON ]", C_ON
+        if value == off:
+            return "[ OFF     ]", C_OFF
+        return "[ DEFAULT ]", C_DEF
+    return (value, C_ON) if value else (hint, C_DIM)
+
+
+class App:
+    def __init__(self, stdscr, state):
+        self.scr = stdscr
+        self.state = state
+        self.page = 0
+        self.row = 0
+        self.filter = ""
+        self.mode = "nav"          # nav | filter | edit | help
+        self.buf = ""              # filter / inline-edit scratch buffer
+        self.drill = None          # category label while drilled in
+        self.msg = ""
+        self.row_hits = []         # screen row -> row index, for mouse clicks
+
+    # ── data helpers ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+    @property
+    def page_name(self):
+        return PAGES[self.page]
+
+    @property
+    def scope(self):
+        return SCOPES[self.page_name]
+
+    def visible_rows(self):
+        return build_rows(self.state, self.page_name, self.drill,
+                          self.filter.lower())
+
+    def current(self):
+        rows = self.visible_rows()
+        return rows[self.row] if rows else None
+
+    def value_of(self, row):
+        return self.state.get(self.scope, row.var)
+
+    # ── drawing ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+    def draw(self):
+        scr = self.scr
+        scr.erase()
+        h, w = scr.getmaxyx()
+        if h < MIN_H or w < MIN_W:
+            put(scr, 0, 0, f"terminal too small ({w}x{h}); need {MIN_W}x{MIN_H}")
+            scr.noutrefresh()
+            curses.doupdate()
+            return
+
+        frame = curses.color_pair(C_FRAME)
+        put(scr, 0, 0, "┌" + "─" * (w - 2) + "┐", frame)
+        put(scr, 0, 2, " Opinionated Settings ",
+            curses.color_pair(C_TITLE) | curses.A_BOLD)
+        top, bot = 1, h - 3
+        for y in range(top, bot + 1):
+            put(scr, y, 0, "│", frame)
+            put(scr, y, SIDEBAR_W + 1, "│", frame)
+            put(scr, y, w - 1, "│", frame)
+        put(scr, h - 2, 0,
+            "├" + "─" * SIDEBAR_W + "┴" + "─" * (w - SIDEBAR_W - 3) + "┤", frame)
+        put(scr, h - 1, 0, "│", frame)
+        put(scr, h - 1, w - 1, "│", frame)
+
+        self.draw_sidebar(top, bot)
+        self.draw_detail(top, bot, w)
+        self.draw_status(h, w)
+
+        scr.noutrefresh()
+        if self.mode == "help":
+            self.draw_help(h, w)
+        curses.doupdate()
+
+    def draw_sidebar(self, top, bot):
+        scr = self.scr
+        put(scr, top, 2, "PAGES", curses.color_pair(C_DIM) | curses.A_BOLD)
+        for i, name in enumerate(PAGES):
+            y = top + 1 + i
+            if y > bot:
+                break
+            sel = i == self.page and self.drill is None
+            attr = curses.color_pair(C_SEL) | curses.A_BOLD if sel else 0
+            put(scr, y, 2, ("▸ " if sel else "  ") + name, attr, SIDEBAR_W - 2)
+        y = top + len(PAGES) + 2
+        if y <= bot:
+            put(scr, y, 2, "FILTER", curses.color_pair(C_DIM) | curses.A_BOLD)
+            if self.mode == "filter":
+                shown, attr = "/" + self.buf + "_", curses.color_pair(C_HINT) | curses.A_BOLD
+            elif self.filter:
+                shown, attr = "/" + self.filter, curses.color_pair(C_HINT)
+            else:
+                shown, attr = "(none)", curses.color_pair(C_DIM)
+            put(scr, y + 1, 2, ell(shown, SIDEBAR_W - 2), attr, SIDEBAR_W - 2)
+
+    def draw_detail(self, top, bot, w):
+        scr = self.scr
+        left = SIDEBAR_W + 3
+        width = w - left - 1
+        rows = self.visible_rows()
+        self.row_hits = []
+
+        if self.drill is not None:
+            put(scr, top, left, ell(f"{self.drill} ▸ sub-categories", width),
+                curses.color_pair(C_TITLE) | curses.A_BOLD, width)
+            top += 1
+
+        if not rows:
+            put(scr, top, left, "no rows match", curses.color_pair(C_DIM), width)
+            return
+
+        per = 3                     # value line, description line, separator
+        capacity = max(1, (bot - top + 1) // per)
+        first = max(0, min(self.row - capacity + 1, len(rows) - capacity))
+
+        for i in range(first, min(len(rows), first + capacity)):
+            row = rows[i]
+            y = top + (i - first) * per
+            sel = i == self.row
+            self.row_hits.append((y, i))
+            self.row_hits.append((y + 1, i))
+
+            if self.mode == "edit" and sel:
+                cell, cattr = ell(self.buf + "_", width - 4), C_HINT
+            else:
+                cell, cattr = badge(self.value_of(row), row.kind, row.hint)
+                cell = ell(cell, width - 4)
+
+            lattr = curses.color_pair(C_SEL) | curses.A_BOLD if sel else curses.A_BOLD
+            put(scr, y, left, ("▸ " if sel else "  ") + row.label, lattr,
+                max(0, width - len(cell) - 2))
+            put(scr, y, left + width - len(cell), cell,
+                curses.color_pair(cattr) | (curses.A_BOLD if sel else 0))
+            put(scr, y + 1, left + 4, ell(row.desc, width - 4),
+                curses.color_pair(C_DIM), width - 4)
+            if y + 2 <= bot and i + 1 < min(len(rows), first + capacity):
+                put(scr, y + 2, left, "─" * width,
+                    curses.color_pair(C_FRAME) | curses.A_DIM)
+
+    def draw_status(self, h, w):
+        if self.mode == "edit":
+            keys = "⏎ commit   Esc cancel   (blank resets to default)"
+        elif self.mode == "filter":
+            keys = "⏎ apply   Esc clear"
+        elif self.drill is not None:
+            keys = "↑↓ move  ←→ set  Esc back  ? help  q apply & quit"
+        elif w >= 96:
+            keys = "↑↓ move  ←→ set  ⏎ drill/edit  Tab page  / filter  ? help  q apply & quit"
+        else:
+            keys = "↑↓ ←→ ⏎  Tab pg  / filter  ? help  q quit"
+        avail = w - 4
+        put(self.scr, h - 1, 2, keys, curses.color_pair(C_BAR) | curses.A_BOLD, avail)
+
+        n = len(self.state.changed())
+        note = self.msg or (f"{n} pending" if n else "")
+        room = avail - len(keys) - 3
+        if note and room > 8:
+            attr = C_DEF if not self.msg and n else C_DIM
+            put(self.scr, h - 1, 2 + len(keys) + 3, ell(note, room),
+                curses.color_pair(attr), room)
+
+    def draw_help(self, h, w):
+        lines = [
+            "",
+            "  Navigation",
+            "    ↑ ↓ / k j      move between rows",
+            "    Tab / ⇧Tab     next / previous page",
+            "    ⏎              drill into sub-categories, or edit a value",
+            "    Esc            leave sub-categories / clear filter",
+            "",
+            "  Values",
+            "    ← → / h l      cycle DEFAULT → ON → OFF",
+            "    ⏎              inline edit (int, list and path rows)",
+            "    blank + ⏎      reset the row to its default",
+            "",
+            "  Filter",
+            "    /              match label and description",
+            "    on a category page the filter also reaches sub-categories,",
+            "    listed as \"Category › Sub\" -- toggle them without drilling",
+            "",
+            "  Other",
+            "    mouse          click a row to select, click its value to cycle",
+            "    ?              toggle this overlay",
+            "    q              apply pending edits and quit",
+            "",
+            "  Edits are written when the TUI exits, not as you make them.",
+            "",
+        ]
+        bw = min(w - 4, max(len(x) for x in lines) + 4)
+        bh = min(h - 2, len(lines) + 2)
+        win = curses.newwin(bh, bw, (h - bh) // 2, (w - bw) // 2)
+        win.bkgd(" ", curses.color_pair(C_BAR))
+        win.attrset(curses.color_pair(C_FRAME))
+        win.box()
+        put(win, 0, 3, " Help ", curses.color_pair(C_TITLE) | curses.A_BOLD)
+        for i, line in enumerate(lines[: bh - 2], start=1):
+            attr = curses.A_BOLD if line.strip() and not line.startswith("    ") else 0
+            put(win, i, 1, line, attr, bw - 2)
+        win.noutrefresh()
+
+    # ── input ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+    def clamp(self):
+        n = len(self.visible_rows())
+        self.row = 0 if n == 0 else max(0, min(self.row, n - 1))
+
+    def handle(self, ch):
+        """Return False to quit."""
+        if ch == curses.KEY_RESIZE:
+            return True
+        if self.mode == "help":
+            self.mode = "nav"
+            return True
+        if self.mode in ("filter", "edit"):
+            return self.handle_text(ch)
+        return self.handle_nav(ch)
+
+    def handle_text(self, ch):
+        if ch in (curses.KEY_ENTER, 10, 13):
+            if self.mode == "filter":
+                self.filter = self.buf
+            else:
+                self.commit_edit()
+            self.mode, self.buf = "nav", ""
+            self.clamp()
+        elif ch == 27:  # Esc
+            if self.mode == "filter":
+                self.filter = ""
+            self.mode, self.buf = "nav", ""
+            self.clamp()
+        elif ch in (curses.KEY_BACKSPACE, 127, 8):
+            self.buf = self.buf[:-1]
+            if self.mode == "filter":
+                self.filter = self.buf
+                self.clamp()
+        elif 32 <= ch < 127:
+            self.buf += chr(ch)
+            if self.mode == "filter":
+                self.filter = self.buf
+                self.clamp()
+        return True
+
+    def handle_nav(self, ch):
+        rows = self.visible_rows()
+        key = chr(ch) if 32 <= ch < 127 else ""
+        self.msg = ""
+
+        if key == "q":
+            return False
+        if key == "?":
+            self.mode = "help"
+        elif ch == curses.KEY_DOWN or key == "j":
+            self.row = (self.row + 1) % max(1, len(rows))
+        elif ch == curses.KEY_UP or key == "k":
+            self.row = (self.row - 1) % max(1, len(rows))
+        elif ch == curses.KEY_RIGHT or key == "l":
+            self.bump(True)
+        elif ch == curses.KEY_LEFT or key == "h":
+            self.bump(False)
+        elif ch == 9 and self.drill is None:            # Tab
+            self.page, self.row = (self.page + 1) % len(PAGES), 0
+        elif ch == curses.KEY_BTAB and self.drill is None:
+            self.page, self.row = (self.page - 1) % len(PAGES), 0
+        elif key == "/" and self.drill is None:
+            self.mode, self.buf = "filter", self.filter
+        elif ch in (curses.KEY_ENTER, 10, 13):
+            self.enter()
+        elif ch == 27:
+            if self.drill is not None:
+                self.drill, self.row = None, 0
+            elif self.filter:
+                self.filter, self.row = "", 0
+        elif ch == curses.KEY_MOUSE:
+            self.mouse()
+        self.clamp()
+        return True
+
+    def enter(self):
+        row = self.current()
+        if not row:
+            return
+        # A category row drills in, but only from the unfiltered category list.
+        # A filtered hit is already the row it names, sub-categories included,
+        # so Enter there would be a surprise navigation.
+        drillable = (row.kind == "tri" and self.drill is None and not self.filter
+                     and self.state.subs.get(row.var))
+        if drillable:
+            self.drill, self.row = row.label, 0
+        elif row.kind in ("int", "list", "path"):
+            self.mode, self.buf = "edit", self.value_of(row)
+        else:
+            self.bump(True)
+
+    def commit_edit(self):
+        row = self.current()
+        if not row:
+            return
+        value = self.buf.strip() or row.default
+        self.state.set(self.scope, row.var, value)
+        self.msg = f"{row.label} = {value or 'default'}"
+
+    def bump(self, forward):
+        row = self.current()
+        if not row:
+            return
+        if row.kind in ("tri", "bool"):
+            new = cycle(self.value_of(row), row.kind, forward)
+            self.state.set(self.scope, row.var, new)
+            self.msg = f"{row.label} = {new or 'DEFAULT'}"
+        elif not forward:
+            self.state.set(self.scope, row.var, row.default)
+            self.msg = f"{row.label} reset to default"
+
+    def mouse(self):
+        try:
+            mouse = curses.getmouse()
+        except curses.error:
+            return
+        mx, my = mouse[1], mouse[2]
+        for y, idx in self.row_hits:
+            if y == my:
+                if idx == self.row and mx > self.scr.getmaxyx()[1] - 16:
+                    self.bump(True)
+                else:
+                    self.row = idx
+                return
+
+    def run(self):
+        curses.curs_set(0)
+        self.scr.keypad(True)
+        curses.mousemask(curses.BUTTON1_CLICKED)
+        while True:
+            self.draw()
+            try:
+                ch = self.scr.getch()
+            except KeyboardInterrupt:
+                return          # Ctrl-C keeps the edits made so far, like q
+            if not self.handle(ch):
+                return
+
+
+# ╭──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╮
+# │ Entry points                                                             │
+# ╰──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╯
+
+def rows_by_var():
+    """Every value row, keyed by variable, for emit()'s type lookup."""
+    return {r.var: r for r in SPONGE + PATHS}
+
+
+def self_test():
+    """Exercise the pure logic. No terminal, no fish."""
+    dump = RS.join([
+        US.join(["var", "universal", "__fish_config_op_aliases", "on"]),
+        US.join(["var", "session", "__fish_config_op_aliases", "off"]),
+        US.join(["var", "universal", "sponge_delay", "5"]),
+        US.join(["sub", "__fish_config_op_aliases", "filesystem",
+                 "Filesystem", "ls, cat, cd, du, mkdir, rm, mv, zoxide"]),
+        US.join(["sub", "__fish_config_op_aliases", "shell-tools",
+                 "Shell-tools", "bash, less, help"]),
+        US.join(["sub", "__fish_config_op_logging", "pkg-logs",
+                 "Pkg-logs", "paru/yay AUR log wrappers"]),
+    ])
+    st = State(dump)
+
+    # -- dump parsing ---------------------------------------------------
+    assert st.get("universal", "__fish_config_op_aliases") == "on"
+    assert st.get("session", "__fish_config_op_aliases") == "off"
+    assert st.get("universal", "__fish_config_op_greeting") == ""
+    assert len(st.subs["__fish_config_op_aliases"]) == 2
+    assert st.changed() == []
+
+    # -- variable naming matches config-settings.fish --------------------
+    assert subcat_var("__fish_config_op_aliases", "shell-tools") \
+        == "__fish_config_op_aliases_shell_tools"
+
+    # -- toggle cycling --------------------------------------------------
+    assert cycle("", "tri", True) == "on"
+    assert cycle("on", "tri", True) == "off"
+    assert cycle("off", "tri", True) == ""
+    assert cycle("", "tri", False) == "off"
+    assert cycle("", "bool", True) == "true"
+
+    # -- unfiltered pages ------------------------------------------------
+    assert build_rows(st, "Universal", None, "") == CATEGORIES
+    assert build_rows(st, "Sponge", None, "") == SPONGE
+
+    # -- drill-down leads with the category's own toggle ------------------
+    drilled = build_rows(st, "Universal", "Aliases", "")
+    assert [r.label for r in drilled] == ["Aliases", "Filesystem", "Shell-tools"]
+    assert drilled[1].var == "__fish_config_op_aliases_filesystem"
+    assert build_rows(st, "Universal", "Nonexistent", "") == []
+
+    # -- the filter reaches sub-categories -------------------------------
+    hits = build_rows(st, "Universal", None, "log")
+    assert [r.label for r in hits] == ["Logging", "Logging › Pkg-logs"], hits
+    assert hits[1].var == "__fish_config_op_logging_pkg_logs"
+    # A sub-category match with no matching parent still surfaces.
+    hits = build_rows(st, "Universal", None, "zoxide")
+    assert [r.label for r in hits] == ["Aliases › Filesystem"], hits
+    # Matching on description, not just label.
+    assert [r.label for r in build_rows(st, "Universal", None, "starship")] \
+        == ["Overrides"]
+    assert build_rows(st, "Universal", None, "zzz") == []
+    assert [r.label for r in build_rows(st, "Sponge", None, "exit")] \
+        == ["Purge@exit", "OK codes"]
+
+    # -- fish quoting ----------------------------------------------------
+    assert fq("plain") == "'plain'"
+    assert fq("it's") == "'it\\'s'"
+    assert fq("a\\b") == "'a\\\\b'"
+
+    # -- emission --------------------------------------------------------
+    by_var = rows_by_var()
+    st.set("universal", "__fish_config_op_aliases", "off")
+    st.set("session", "__fish_config_op_aliases", "")          # -> DEFAULT
+    st.set("universal", "__fish_config_op_logging_pkg_logs", "on")
+    st.set("universal", "sponge_delay", "9")
+    st.set("universal", "__fish_sponge_extra_sensitive", "TOKEN, KEY")
+    out = emit(st, by_var).splitlines()
+    assert "__config_settings_apply __fish_config_op_aliases universal off" in out
+    assert "__config_settings_apply __fish_config_op_aliases session DEFAULT" in out
+    assert ("__config_settings_apply __fish_config_op_logging_pkg_logs "
+            "universal on") in out
+    assert "__config_settings_set_value sponge_delay int '9'" in out
+    assert ("__config_settings_set_value __fish_sponge_extra_sensitive list "
+            "'TOKEN, KEY'") in out
+    assert "__fish_user_dots_link" not in out
+    assert len(out) == 5, out
+
+    # -- the dots symlink re-runs the linker, and only then ---------------
+    st2 = State(dump)
+    st2.set("universal", DOTS_SYMLINK, "false")
+    out2 = emit(st2, by_var).splitlines()
+    assert out2 == [f"__config_settings_set_value {DOTS_SYMLINK} bool 'false'",
+                    "__fish_user_dots_link"], out2
+
+    # -- nothing changed emits nothing -----------------------------------
+    assert emit(State(dump), by_var) == ""
+
+    # -- badges and clipping ---------------------------------------------
+    assert badge("on", "tri", "")[1] == C_ON
+    assert badge("true", "bool", "")[1] == C_ON
+    assert badge("false", "bool", "")[1] == C_OFF
+    assert badge("", "bool", "x")[1] == C_DEF
+    assert badge("", "path", "~/x")[0] == "~/x"
+    assert badge("/tmp", "path", "~/x")[0] == "/tmp"
+    assert ell("abcdef", 10) == "abcdef"
+    assert ell("abcdef", 4) == "abc…"
+    assert ell("abcdef", 0) == ""
+
+    print("self-test OK")
+    return 0
+
+
+def main(argv):
+    if "--self-test" in argv:
+        return self_test()
+    if "-h" in argv or "--help" in argv:
+        print("usage: config-settings-tui.py [--state <file>] [--emit <file>] "
+              "[--self-test]\n\nNormally launched by the `config-settings` "
+              "fish function.")
+        return 0
+
+    def opt(name):
+        return argv[argv.index(name) + 1] if name in argv else None
+
+    state = load_state(opt("--state"))
+
+    def boot(stdscr):
+        init_colors()
+        App(stdscr, state).run()
+
+    curses.wrapper(boot)
+
+    script = emit(state, rows_by_var())
+    out = opt("--emit")
+    if out:
+        with open(out, "w", encoding="utf-8") as fh:
+            fh.write(script)
+    elif script:
+        sys.stdout.write(script)
+    return 0
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    sys.exit(main(sys.argv[1:]))

tests/test-config-settings-render.fish

@@ -1,285 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env fish
-# Copyright (C) 2026 Rootiest
-# SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
-#
-# Golden-output harness for the config-settings TUI renderer.
-#
-#   fish tests/config-settings-render.fish             compare against the golden
-#   fish tests/config-settings-render.fish --update    rewrite the golden
-#
-# __config_settings_draw, __config_settings_draw_subcat and
-# __config_settings_draw_value are hand-tuned layout code: field widths, dash
-# counts and pad targets are arithmetic on the width tier, verified by eye once
-# and never since. Any refactor of them has to be byte-identical, so this
-# renders every page at every width tier, in both scopes, with the cursor on
-# every row, and byte-compares the result against a committed baseline.
-#
-# The golden holds RAW output: the set_color escapes and box drawing exactly as
-# the draw functions emit them, plus the \e[<N>A\e[J erase config-settings.fish
-# would emit for that panel. Nothing is normalized, folded or pretty-printed --
-# the gate is cmp(1) over the bytes, and a one-space change anywhere fails it.
-# `diff` is only used to *display* a failure, through cat -v.
-#
-# Everything runs inside a throwaway HOME/XDG_CONFIG_HOME sandbox. The fixtures
-# have to be real universal variables (the Universal page reads universal scope
-# through `set --show`), and this repo doubles as a live ~/.config/fish whose
-# fish_variables must never be touched by a test run. `fish --no-config` is not
-# an option here: under -N, `set -U` silently degrades to global scope, which
-# would render the Universal page as all-DEFAULT and prove nothing.
-#
-# Every external utility below is called through `command`. The outer pass runs
-# under the user's real config, which shadows rm (-> trash), cat (-> bat) and
-# mkdir, and aliases cp to `cp -i` -- a bare `cp` over an existing golden would
-# sit waiting for a confirmation that never comes.
-
-set -l self (command realpath (status filename))
-set -l repo (command realpath (command dirname $self)/..)
-set -l golden $repo/tests/golden/config-settings-render.txt
-
-# ╭──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╮
-# │ Outer pass: sandbox, run the render, compare or update                   │
-# ╰──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╯
-if not set -q CS_RENDER_OUT
-    set -l sandbox (command mktemp -d)
-    command mkdir -p $sandbox/home $sandbox/xdg/fish
-    set -l out (command mktemp)
-    set -l errf (command mktemp)
-
-    # TERM is pinned so set_color emits a fixed sequence set regardless of the
-    # terminal this runs from; COLUMNS is set per case inside the render pass.
-    command env -i \
-        HOME=$sandbox/home \
-        XDG_CONFIG_HOME=$sandbox/xdg \
-        PATH="$PATH" \
-        TERM=xterm-256color \
-        CS_RENDER_OUT=$out \
-        fish $self >/dev/null 2>$errf
-    set -l render_status $status
-    command rm -rf $sandbox
-
-    if test $render_status -ne 0
-        echo "  FAIL  render pass exited $render_status"
-        command cat $errf >&2
-        command rm -f $out $errf
-        exit 1
-    end
-
-    set -l cases (command grep -c '^### ' $out)
-    if contains -- --update $argv
-        command mkdir -p (command dirname $golden)
-        command cp $out $golden
-        echo "golden updated: $cases cases, "(command wc -l <$golden | string trim)" lines, "(command wc -c <$golden | string trim)" bytes"
-        command rm -f $out $errf
-        exit 0
-    end
-
-    if not test -f $golden
-        echo "  FAIL  no golden at $golden -- run with --update to create it"
-        command rm -f $out $errf
-        exit 1
-    end
-
-    if command cmp -s $out $golden
-        echo "$cases/$cases config-settings render cases byte-identical"
-        command rm -f $out $errf
-        exit 0
-    end
-
-    echo "  FAIL  rendering differs from $golden"
-    # cat -v only to make the escapes readable in the report; the gate above is
-    # a raw byte compare, never this.
-    command diff (command cat -v $golden | psub) (command cat -v $out | psub) | command head -40
-    command rm -f $out $errf
-    exit 1
-end
-
-# ╭──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╮
-# │ Render pass (inside the sandbox)                                         │
-# ╰──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╯
-# Sourced, not autoloaded: XDG_CONFIG_HOME points at the empty sandbox. Only
-# the draw path is ever called -- __config_settings_apply and
-# __config_settings_set_value are defined here and never invoked.
-# __fish_palette is sourced too: the draw functions call it (instead of
-# declaring $c_head/$c_dim/etc. inline) and it doesn't match the
-# __config_settings_* glob, so without this line every draw function's
-# colors silently unset and the golden loses all its escape sequences.
-source $repo/functions/__fish_palette.fish
-for f in $repo/functions/__config_settings_*.fish
-    source $f
-end
-
-set -l toggle_vars \
-    __fish_config_op_aliases \
-    __fish_config_op_autoexec \
-    __fish_config_op_overrides \
-    __fish_config_op_integrations \
-    __fish_config_op_logging \
-    __fish_config_op_greeting \
-    __fish_config_opinionated
-
-set -l categories $toggle_vars[1..6]
-
-# ── Fixtures ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-# Chosen so every badge branch is live somewhere in the golden: an explicit
-# truthy (ON), an explicit falsy (OFF), and an unset variable (DEFAULT). The
-# session values deliberately differ from the universal ones so the two pages
-# cannot render identically by accident.
-set -U __fish_config_op_aliases on
-set -U __fish_config_op_autoexec off
-set -U __fish_config_op_integrations on
-set -U __fish_config_op_logging off
-set -U __fish_config_opinionated off
-# __fish_config_op_overrides, __fish_config_op_greeting: unset -> DEFAULT
-
-set -g __fish_config_op_aliases off
-set -g __fish_config_op_overrides on
-set -g __fish_config_op_greeting off
-
-# Sub-category fixtures. "Notifications" is the 13-char label the subcat page's
-# label field was widened for; multiplexer-capture exercises the slug's '-'->'_'
-# rewrite into a variable name.
-set -U __fish_config_op_aliases_filesystem on
-set -U __fish_config_op_aliases_search off
-set -U __fish_config_op_integrations_notifications on
-set -U __fish_config_op_logging_multiplexer_capture off
-set -g __fish_config_op_aliases_search on
-
-# Value-page fixtures: one per type badge (INT / LIST / PATH) plus unset rows
-# for DEFAULT, plus a value long enough to force `string shorten`'s ellipsis at
-# every tier.
-set -U sponge_delay 5
-set -U sponge_purge_only_on_exit true
-set -U sponge_allow_previously_successful false
-set -U __fish_sponge_extra_sensitive KOPIA_PASSWORD MY_CORP_AUTH
-# sponge_successful_exit_codes: unset -> DEFAULT
-set -U __fish_scrollback_history_dir /home/tester/very/long/scrollback/history/directory
-set -U __fish_user_dots_path /home/tester/.config/.user-dots/fish
-set -U __fish_user_dots_symlink false
-# __fish_scrollback_history_max_files: unset -> DEFAULT
-
-# ── Case emitter ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-# panel_h is passed in by the caller, independently declaring the expected
-# height for each page so it can be cross-checked against the draw functions'
-# real output: the category list and both value pages are a fixed 16 lines, a
-# sub-category page is 7 + <sub-category count>. The golden records the
-# declared height, the measured line count, and the erase sequence derived
-# from the declared height -- so flattening the fixed/dynamic divergence, or
-# changing a page's height at all, breaks the compare three ways.
-function _cs_render_case --argument-names label panel_h
-    set -l cmd $argv[3..]
-    set -l t (command mktemp)
-    $cmd >$t
-    set -l lines (command wc -l <$t | string trim)
-
-    # Wrap-aware erase, byte-for-byte what config-settings.fish emits for a
-    # panel of this height at this width in the steady state (last_cols ==
-    # COLUMNS). 78 is the widest box (IW=76 + 2 borders).
-    set -l pml (math --scale=0 "($COLUMNS + 78) / 2")
-    set -l eh (math --scale=0 "$panel_h * max(1, ceil($pml / $COLUMNS))")
-
-    printf '### %s COLUMNS=%d PANEL_H=%d LINES=%d ERASE=' $label $COLUMNS $panel_h $lines
-    printf '\e[%dA\e[J' $eh
-    printf '\n'
-    command cat $t
-    command rm -f $t
-end
-
-# ── Frame-verb fragments ──────────────────────────────────────────────────
-# The shared computations pinned directly, not only through the pages that use
-# them. <END> marks the end of each fragment so trailing padding -- which is
-# the entire point of a 7-column badge or a 2-column cursor cell -- shows up in
-# a diff instead of being invisible whitespace.
-function _cs_frame_case --argument-names label
-    printf '### frame %s\n' $label
-    $argv[2..]
-    printf '<END>\n'
-end
-
-# ── Cases ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-# 100 -> IW 76, 88 -> IW 72, 84 -> IW 68, 70 -> IW 50: one COLUMNS value per
-# width tier, each a few columns above its threshold.
-begin
-    for cols in 100 88 84 70
-        set -g COLUMNS $cols
-
-        for scope in universal session
-            for row in (seq 0 6)
-                _cs_render_case "toggle scope=$scope row=$row" 16 \
-                    __config_settings_draw $row $scope $toggle_vars
-            end
-        end
-
-        for category in $categories
-            set -l n (count (__config_settings_subcats $category))
-            for scope in universal session
-                for row in (seq 0 $n)
-                    _cs_render_case "subcat cat=$category scope=$scope row=$row" (math 7 + $n) \
-                        __config_settings_draw_subcat $row $scope $category
-                end
-            end
-        end
-
-        for row in (seq 0 4)
-            _cs_render_case "value page=sponge row=$row" 16 \
-                __config_settings_draw_value $row sponge
-        end
-        for row in (seq 0 3)
-            _cs_render_case "value page=paths row=$row" 16 \
-                __config_settings_draw_value $row paths
-        end
-
-        # Inline editor: only reachable on non-bool rows. Short buffer, a
-        # buffer long enough to tail-anchor against the caret, and an empty one.
-        _cs_render_case "edit page=sponge row=0 buf=short" 16 \
-            __config_settings_draw_value 0 sponge edit 12
-        _cs_render_case "edit page=sponge row=4 buf=long" 16 \
-            __config_settings_draw_value 4 sponge edit "KOPIA_PASSWORD MY_CORP_AUTH ANOTHER_SECRET_NAME"
-        _cs_render_case "edit page=paths row=0 buf=long" 16 \
-            __config_settings_draw_value 0 paths edit /home/tester/very/long/scrollback/history/directory
-        _cs_render_case "edit page=paths row=2 buf=empty" 16 \
-            __config_settings_draw_value 2 paths edit ""
-    end
-
-    # Emitted last on purpose: everything above is page output, so the page
-    # section's byte offsets never move when this section grows.
-    for cols in 100 88 84 70
-        set -g COLUMNS $cols
-        _cs_frame_case "width cols=$cols" __config_settings_frame width
-    end
-    set -g COLUMNS 100
-
-    set -l head (set_color --bold cyan)
-    set -l rst (set_color normal)
-    set -l p_test (string repeat -n 11 ' ')
-
-    for v in on off DEFAULT ''
-        _cs_frame_case "badge onoff val=$v" __config_settings_frame badge $v
-    end
-    for v in true false DEFAULT
-        _cs_frame_case "badge boolean val=$v" __config_settings_frame badge $v true false
-    end
-
-    _cs_frame_case "cursor hit" __config_settings_frame cursor 3 3
-    _cs_frame_case "cursor miss" __config_settings_frame cursor 3 4
-
-    _cs_frame_case "title toggle-page" __config_settings_frame title 76 $p_test \
-        "$head Opinionated Settings $rst"
-    _cs_frame_case "title subcat-page" __config_settings_frame title 76 $p_test \
-        "$head Sub-categories: aliases (Universal)$rst "
-    _cs_frame_case "title value-page" __config_settings_frame title 76 $p_test \
-        "$head Sponge Settings$rst "
-
-    set -l badge_on (__config_settings_frame badge on)
-    _cs_frame_case "row pad lw=12" __config_settings_frame row 76 $p_test \
-        (__config_settings_frame cursor 0 0) Aliases 12 $badge_on "cmd shadows" pad
-    _cs_frame_case "row cut lw=13" __config_settings_frame row 76 $p_test \
-        (__config_settings_frame cursor 0 1) Notifications 13 $badge_on "done, WakaTime hook" cut
-    _cs_frame_case "row cut lw=13 overlong" __config_settings_frame row 50 $p_test \
-        (__config_settings_frame cursor 0 0) Notifications 13 $badge_on \
-        "ls, cat, cd, du, mkdir, rm, mv, zoxide" cut
-    _cs_frame_case "row shorten lw=12" __config_settings_frame row 76 $p_test \
-        (__config_settings_frame cursor 0 0) "Log dir" 12 $badge_on \
-        /home/tester/very/long/scrollback/history/directory shorten
-    _cs_frame_case "row shorten lw=12 empty" __config_settings_frame row 50 $p_test \
-        (__config_settings_frame cursor 1 0) "Log max" 12 $badge_on "" shorten
-end >$CS_RENDER_OUT

tests/test-config-settings-tui.fish

@@ -0,0 +1,127 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env fish
+# Copyright (C) 2026 Rootiest
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
+#
+# Gate for the curses config-settings front-end (scripts/config-settings-tui.py).
+#
+# Runs isolated (no `# MODE:` marker). Three things are checked here:
+#
+#   1. python3 can import `curses`. On Arch, Fedora and a full Debian/Ubuntu
+#      python3 this is stdlib and always true, but python3-minimal alone does
+#      not carry _curses -- the one portability claim config-settings makes,
+#      and the reason the function checks the import rather than just `type -q`.
+#   2. The TUI's own --self-test passes. That covers the state-dump parser,
+#      variable-name derivation, toggle cycling, the sub-category-aware filter,
+#      fish quoting and command emission, with no TTY.
+#   3. config-settings still degrades cleanly with no terminal, rather than
+#      leaving a half-initialised curses screen behind.
+#
+# The drawing code is deliberately NOT golden-tested, and the golden harness
+# the ANSI renderer needed is gone. That is the point of the rewrite: curses
+# owns the cell arithmetic, so there is no hand-tuned width/pad/dash maths left
+# to pin down. The seam that does need pinning -- dump in, fish script out --
+# is covered here and, for session scope, in tests/test-session.fish.
+
+source (dirname (status filename))/lib.fish
+
+# Isolated suites run under `fish --no-config`, which autoloads nothing from
+# this repo. The launcher cases below call config-settings for real, so put the
+# repo's functions on the autoload path -- and only that, so nothing in conf.d
+# runs and the guard variables stay unset.
+set -p fish_function_path $repo_root/functions
+
+set -l tui $repo_root/scripts/config-settings-tui.py
+
+section "config-settings-tui: prerequisites"
+check "scripts/config-settings-tui.py is executable" true (test -x $tui; and echo true; or echo false)
+check "python3 is available" true (type -q python3; and echo true; or echo false)
+check "python3 ships the curses module" 0 (python3 -c 'import curses' >/dev/null 2>&1; echo $status)
+
+section "config-settings-tui: self-test"
+check "--self-test passes" 0 (python3 $tui --self-test >/dev/null 2>&1; echo $status)
+
+section "config-settings: launcher"
+check "--help exits 0" 0 (config-settings --help >/dev/null 2>&1; echo $status)
+check "an unknown flag exits 1" 1 (config-settings --nope >/dev/null 2>&1; echo $status)
+
+# stdout is a pipe here, so the isatty guard fires before curses ever starts.
+# Without it the TUI would fail deep inside setupterm and leave the terminal
+# in whatever state it got to.
+function test_no_tty_is_refused_cleanly
+    set -l out (config-settings 2>&1 >/dev/null | string collect)
+    string match -q '*needs a terminal*' -- $out
+end
+check "no TTY is refused with a message, not a curses crash" true (test_no_tty_is_refused_cleanly; and echo true; or echo false)
+
+# An empty state dump is the dangerous failure, because it is not one: the TUI
+# would render every row as DEFAULT, which is indistinguishable from a config
+# where nothing is set. The user would be looking at ON rows reported as OFF's
+# neighbour and toggling from a false baseline. The launcher must refuse.
+#
+# Reaching that guard needs a real terminal -- the isatty check sits in front
+# of it -- so this runs fish under a pty. python3 is already a hard
+# prerequisite of this suite (see the header), so its stdlib pty module costs
+# no new dependency; `script` would.
+#
+# The deadline is load-bearing, not belt-and-braces. If the guard regresses,
+# config-settings does not fail -- it opens the TUI and blocks on getch(),
+# so an unbounded read here would hang the suite instead of failing it.
+set -l pty_runner '
+import os, pty, select, signal, sys, time
+pid, fd = pty.fork()
+if pid == 0:
+    os.execvp("fish", ["fish", "--no-config", "-c", sys.argv[1]])
+deadline, out = time.monotonic() + 15, b""
+while time.monotonic() < deadline:
+    if not select.select([fd], [], [], deadline - time.monotonic())[0]:
+        break
+    try:
+        chunk = os.read(fd, 65536)
+    except OSError:
+        break
+    if not chunk:
+        break
+    out += chunk
+else:
+    out += b"\nTIMEOUT: the TUI opened and blocked on input\n"
+try:
+    os.kill(pid, signal.SIGKILL)
+except ProcessLookupError:
+    pass
+os.waitpid(pid, 0)
+sys.stdout.write(out.decode("utf-8", "replace"))
+'
+
+function test_empty_state_dump_is_refused --argument-names runner
+    # Shadowing the autoloaded __config_settings_state with an empty function
+    # is what fakes the failure; a real dump always carries the taxonomy.
+    set -l cmd "set -p fish_function_path $repo_root/functions;
+        function __config_settings_state; end;
+        config-settings;
+        echo RC=\$status"
+    set -l out (python3 -c "$runner" "$cmd" | string collect)
+
+    set -l failed 0
+    if not string match -q '*produced no output*' -- $out
+        # A regression here means the TUI drew itself, so $out is a screenful
+        # of escape sequences. Strip them and keep a usable excerpt.
+        set -l seen (string replace -ra '\e\[[0-9;?]*[a-zA-Z]|\e[()][A-Z]' '' -- $out \
+            | string join ' ' | string sub -l 120)
+        echo "    expected the empty-dump refusal, got: $seen"
+        set failed 1
+    end
+    if not string match -q '*RC=1*' -- $out
+        echo "    expected exit status 1 from the refusal"
+        set failed 1
+    end
+    # Guard the guard: if the pty were not a terminal we would be watching the
+    # isatty check fire and would learn nothing about the dump.
+    if string match -q '*needs a terminal*' -- $out
+        echo "    the isatty guard fired -- the pty did not present a terminal"
+        set failed 1
+    end
+    test $failed -eq 0
+end
+check "an empty state dump is refused, not rendered as all-DEFAULT" true (test_empty_state_dump_is_refused "$pty_runner"; and echo true; or echo false)
+
+report

tests/test-session.fish

@@ -164,56 +164,108 @@ function test_functions_keep_their_palette
 end
 check "colored --help output keeps its escape sequences" true (test_functions_keep_their_palette; and echo true; or echo false)
 
-section "session: config-settings diff redraw"
+section "session: config-settings state dump"
 
-# Locks in the invariant the diff-redraw renderer depends on: each draw
+# The curses TUI is a child process: it can neither read the session's global
-# function's real line count must match the height config-settings.fish's
+# variables nor write them, so everything it knows arrives through
-# dispatch derives from it (count $new_frame) -- see
+# __config_settings_state. These cases run here, in a real loaded session,
-# __cs_dispatch_draw in functions/config-settings.fish.
+# because session scope is exactly what an isolated suite cannot produce.
-function test_draw_line_count_matches_panel_h
+
-    set -l toggle_vars \
+# Every sub-category __config_settings_subcats knows must reach the dump --
-        __fish_config_op_aliases __fish_config_op_autoexec \
+# the TUI does not carry a second copy of the taxonomy, so a category missing
+# here is a category the TUI silently cannot show.
+function test_state_dump_carries_the_whole_taxonomy
+    # US/RS have to come from printf: fish does not expand \x escapes inside
+    # double quotes, so a literal "\x1f" in a pattern matches backslash-x-1-f.
+    set -l US (printf '\x1f')
+    set -l dump (__config_settings_state | string split (printf '\x1e'))
+    set -l want 0
+    for cvar in __fish_config_op_aliases __fish_config_op_autoexec \
         __fish_config_op_overrides __fish_config_op_integrations \
-        __fish_config_op_logging __fish_config_op_greeting \
+        __fish_config_op_logging __fish_config_op_greeting
-        __fish_config_opinionated
+        set -l n (count (__config_settings_subcats $cvar))
-
+        set want (math $want + $n)
-    set -l lines (__config_settings_draw 0 universal $toggle_vars)
+        set -l got (count (string match -- "sub$US$cvar$US*" $dump))
-    if test (count $lines) -ne 16
+        if test $got -ne $n
-        echo "    __config_settings_draw: expected 16 lines, got "(count $lines)
+            echo "    $cvar: expected $n sub records, got $got"
             return 1
         end
-
-    set -l vlines (__config_settings_draw_value 0 sponge)
-    if test (count $vlines) -ne 16
-        echo "    __config_settings_draw_value: expected 16 lines, got "(count $vlines)
-        return 1
     end
-
+    set -l subs (count (string match -- "sub$US*" $dump))
-    set -l n (count (__config_settings_subcats __fish_config_op_aliases))
+    if test $subs -ne $want
-    set -l slines (__config_settings_draw_subcat 0 universal __fish_config_op_aliases)
+        echo "    expected $want sub records in total, got $subs"
-    set -l want (math 7 + $n)
-    if test (count $slines) -ne $want
-        echo "    __config_settings_draw_subcat: expected $want lines, got "(count $slines)
         return 1
     end
     return 0
 end
-check "draw functions' line counts match their panel heights" true (test_draw_line_count_matches_panel_h; and echo true; or echo false)
+check "state dump carries every sub-category" true (test_state_dump_carries_the_whole_taxonomy; and echo true; or echo false)
 
-function test_diff_redraw_unchanged_lines_are_bare_newlines
+# Toggles are dumped per scope; value rows are universal-only. A variable that
-    functions -q __config_settings_diff_redraw; or return 1
+# is unset must not appear at all -- absence is how the TUI renders DEFAULT.
-    set -l old (string join \n -- AAA BBB CCC | string collect)
+function test_state_dump_records_both_scopes
-    set -l new (string join \n -- AAA BBB CCC | string collect)
+    set -l US (printf '\x1f')
-    set -l out (__config_settings_diff_redraw "$old" "$new" | string collect -N)
+    set -g __fish_config_op_overrides off
-    test "$out" = \n\n\n
+    set -g sponge_delay 7
-end
+    set -l dump (__config_settings_state | string split (printf '\x1e'))
-check "diff_redraw: unchanged lines are bare newlines" true (test_diff_redraw_unchanged_lines_are_bare_newlines; and echo true; or echo false)
+    set -e __fish_config_op_overrides
+    set -e sponge_delay
 
-function test_diff_redraw_changed_line_is_cleared_and_rewritten
+    set -l failed 0
-    functions -q __config_settings_diff_redraw; or return 1
+    if test (count (string match -- "var$US""session$US""__fish_config_op_overrides$US""off" $dump)) -ne 1
-    set -l old (string join \n -- AAA BBB CCC | string collect)
+        echo "    session toggle missing from the dump"
-    set -l new (string join \n -- AAA XYZ CCC | string collect)
+        set failed 1
-    set -l out (__config_settings_diff_redraw "$old" "$new" | string collect -N)
+    end
-    test "$out" = \n\e\[2K\rXYZ\n\n
+    if test (count (string match -- "var$US""universal$US""sponge_delay$US""7" $dump)) -ne 1
+        echo "    value row missing from the dump"
+        set failed 1
+    end
+    if test (count (string match -- "var$US*$US""__fish_config_op_greeting$US*" $dump)) -ne 0
+        echo "    an unset toggle was emitted; absence is what renders DEFAULT"
+        set failed 1
+    end
+    # The conf.d registry data table shares the op_ prefix and is not a setting.
+    if test (count (string match -- "var$US*$US""__fish_config_op_registry_*" $dump)) -ne 0
+        echo "    the registry data table leaked into the dump"
+        set failed 1
+    end
+    test $failed -eq 0
 end
-check "diff_redraw: a changed line is cleared and rewritten" true (test_diff_redraw_changed_line_is_cleared_and_rewritten; and echo true; or echo false)
+check "state dump records both scopes and omits unset variables" true (test_state_dump_records_both_scopes; and echo true; or echo false)
+
+# The other half of the seam: what the TUI emits has to be runnable fish that
+# actually moves the variable. Emitting is Python's job, applying is fish's.
+function test_emitted_script_applies
+    set -l tui $repo_root/scripts/config-settings-tui.py
+    type -q python3; or return 1
+    set -l script (python3 $tui --self-test >/dev/null 2>&1; and python3 -c '
+import importlib.util, sys
+spec = importlib.util.spec_from_file_location("cst", sys.argv[1])
+m = importlib.util.module_from_spec(spec); spec.loader.exec_module(m)
+st = m.State("")
+st.set("session", "__fish_config_op_greeting", "off")
+st.set("universal", "sponge_delay", "11")
+sys.stdout.write(m.emit(st, m.rows_by_var()))
+' $tui)
+    or return 1
+
+    set -l tmp (command mktemp)
+    printf '%s\n' $script >$tmp
+    source $tmp
+    command rm -f $tmp
+
+    set -l failed 0
+    test "$__fish_config_op_greeting" = off
+    or begin
+        echo "    sourcing the emitted script did not set the session toggle"
+        set failed 1
+    end
+    test "$sponge_delay" = 11
+    or begin
+        echo "    sourcing the emitted script did not set the value row"
+        set failed 1
+    end
+    set -e __fish_config_op_greeting
+    set -Ue sponge_delay 2>/dev/null
+    test $failed -eq 0
+end
+check "an emitted script applies when sourced" true (test_emitted_script_applies; and echo true; or echo false)