From 51da3e9d83b426c98a9c784baec9bb2b557edb1a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rootiest <chris@rootiest.com>
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 2026 14:57:07 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 01/10] test: add byte-identity harness for the shared palette

Compares rendered stdout and stderr of 29 colour-bearing cases between a
pristine baseline ref and the working tree, in isolated XDG_CONFIG_HOMEs
that carry the gitignored fish_variables so the opinionated guards resolve.

Two traps this harness exists to avoid, both of which silently produce a
meaningless comparison rather than an error:

  - `git archive main` omits fish_variables because it is untracked. Without
    it __fish_config_op_enabled is unresolvable and every guarded function
    short-circuits, so all cases render empty and trivially "match".
  - `qc --help` shells out to aichat and never reaches its colour path
    unless aichat is on PATH; the harness stubs it.
---
 tests/palette-bytes.fish | 157 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 157 insertions(+)
 create mode 100644 tests/palette-bytes.fish

diff --git a/tests/palette-bytes.fish b/tests/palette-bytes.fish
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b94a289
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/palette-bytes.fish
@@ -0,0 +1,157 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env fish
+# Copyright (C) 2026 Rootiest
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
+#
+# Byte-identity harness for the shared output palette (__fish_palette).
+#
+# Compares rendered output of every colour-bearing function between a
+# pristine checkout of a baseline git ref and the current working tree.
+# This is a one-time acceptance harness, not part of run-tests.fish's
+# permanent suite -- the permanent check lives in tests/functional.fish.
+#
+# Usage:
+#   fish tests/palette-bytes.fish [--baseline REF]   byte-diff stdout+stderr
+#   fish tests/palette-bytes.fish --structural       diff-shape assertion
+#   fish tests/palette-bytes.fish --startup          startup medians
+#
+# Both sandboxes get an isolated XDG_CONFIG_HOME carrying a copy of the
+# working tree's fish_variables. That file is gitignored, so `git archive`
+# omits it; without it __fish_config_op_enabled is unresolvable and every
+# opinionated-guarded function silently short-circuits.
+
+set -l repo (realpath (dirname (status filename))/..)
+set -l mode bytes
+set -l baseline main
+for i in (seq (count $argv))
+    switch $argv[$i]
+        case --structural; set mode structural
+        case --startup; set mode startup
+        case --baseline; set baseline $argv[(math $i + 1)]
+    end
+end
+
+set -l tmp (mktemp -d)
+function __pb_cleanup --on-event fish_exit --inherit-variable tmp
+    test -n "$tmp"; and rm -rf $tmp
+end
+
+# ── Build the two sandboxes ────────────────────────────────────────────
+set -l A $tmp/base/fish   # pristine baseline ref
+set -l B $tmp/work/fish   # current working tree
+mkdir -p $A $B
+git -C $repo archive $baseline | tar -x -C $A
+or begin
+    echo "palette-bytes: cannot archive baseline ref '$baseline'" >&2
+    exit 2
+end
+for d in functions conf.d completions integrations themes data
+    test -d $repo/$d; and cp -r $repo/$d $B/
+end
+cp $repo/config.fish $B/ 2>/dev/null
+# fish_variables is gitignored -- copy it into BOTH sandboxes by hand.
+for d in $A $B
+    cp $repo/fish_variables $d/ 2>/dev/null
+end
+# qc --help shells out to aichat; stub it so its colour path is reachable.
+set -l stub $tmp/stub
+mkdir -p $stub
+printf '#!/bin/sh\necho "aichat stub"\n' >$stub/aichat
+chmod +x $stub/aichat
+
+# ── The cases ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+# 25 --help paths (every converted function that has one) plus 4 error
+# paths, two of which write to stderr. Side-effect-free by construction:
+# --help returns before doing work, and each error path fails on argument
+# validation. Do NOT add a case that mutates the filesystem.
+set -l cases \
+    "agents-init --help" "agents-vault --help" "auto-pull --help" \
+    "config-settings --help" "config-update --help" "detach --help" \
+    "dng2avif --help" "dockup --help" "edit --help" "jobrunner --help" \
+    "kitty-logging --help" "logs --help" "mkcd --help" "open-url --help" \
+    "p --help" "pkg --help" "play-media --help" "qc --help" \
+    "rand_string --help" "replay --help" "repo-open --help" "scrub --help" \
+    "smart_exit --help" "spark --help" "y --help" \
+    "mkcd" "auto-pull remove __no_such_repo__" \
+    "agents-init --no-such-flag" "pkg __no_such_subcommand__"
+
+function __pb_run --argument-names cfg stub cmd out
+    env XDG_CONFIG_HOME=(dirname $cfg) PATH="$stub:$PATH" TERM=xterm-256color \
+        HOME=$HOME fish -c "$cmd" >$out.out 2>$out.err
+end
+
+# ── Mode: bytes ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+if test $mode = bytes
+    echo "== palette byte-identity vs $baseline =="
+    set -l failed 0
+    set -l n 0
+    for cmd in $cases
+        set n (math $n + 1)
+        __pb_run $A $stub "$cmd" $tmp/a$n
+        __pb_run $B $stub "$cmd" $tmp/b$n
+        set -l so ok
+        set -l se ok
+        cmp -s $tmp/a$n.out $tmp/b$n.out; or set so DIFF
+        cmp -s $tmp/a$n.err $tmp/b$n.err; or set se DIFF
+        if test $so = DIFF -o $se = DIFF
+            set failed (math $failed + 1)
+            printf '  FAIL  %-34s stdout=%s stderr=%s\n' "$cmd" $so $se
+            test $so = DIFF; and diff -u (xxd $tmp/a$n.out | psub) (xxd $tmp/b$n.out | psub) | head -12
+            test $se = DIFF; and diff -u (xxd $tmp/a$n.err | psub) (xxd $tmp/b$n.err | psub) | head -12
+        else
+            printf '  ok    %-34s (%s B out, %s B err)\n' "$cmd" (wc -c <$tmp/a$n.out | string trim) (wc -c <$tmp/a$n.err | string trim)
+        end
+    end
+    echo (math $n - $failed)"/$n cases byte-identical"
+    test $failed -eq 0
+    exit $status
+end
+
+# ── Mode: structural ───────────────────────────────────────────────────
+# For files converted WITHOUT drift renames, the whole diff must be
+# declaration removals plus inserted __fish_palette calls. If that holds,
+# the file's output strings are provably untouched.
+if test $mode = structural
+    echo "== structural diff shape vs $baseline =="
+    set -l bad 0
+    for f in (git -C $repo diff --name-only $baseline -- functions/)
+        # fish_prompt.fish keeps its own hex palette -- see Task 10.
+        string match -q '*fish_prompt.fish' $f; and continue
+        set -l offenders
+        for line in (git -C $repo diff -U0 $baseline -- $f | string match -r '^[+-][^+-].*')
+            set -l body (string sub -s 2 -- $line)
+            string match -qr '^\s*set -l c_[a-z]+\s+\(set_color[^)]*\)\s*$' -- $body; and continue
+            string match -qr '^\s*__fish_palette\s*$' -- $body; and continue
+            set -a offenders $line
+        end
+        if test (count $offenders) -gt 0
+            set bad (math $bad + 1)
+            echo "  NOT PURELY STRUCTURAL  $f"
+            printf '      %s\n' $offenders[1..3]
+        end
+    end
+    if test $bad -eq 0
+        echo "  all changed files are purely structural"
+    else
+        echo "  $bad file(s) changed rendering text -- expected only for the drift-rename batch"
+    end
+    test $bad -eq 0
+    exit $status
+end
+
+# ── Mode: startup ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+echo "== fish -c true, 31 interleaved pairs, median =="
+set -l ta
+set -l tb
+for i in (seq 31)
+    set -l s (date +%s%N)
+    env XDG_CONFIG_HOME=$tmp/base fish -c true >/dev/null 2>&1
+    set -a ta (math "("(date +%s%N)" - $s) / 1000")
+    set s (date +%s%N)
+    env XDG_CONFIG_HOME=$tmp/work fish -c true >/dev/null 2>&1
+    set -a tb (math "("(date +%s%N)" - $s) / 1000")
+end
+set -l sa (printf '%s\n' $ta | sort -n)
+set -l sb (printf '%s\n' $tb | sort -n)
+printf '  baseline  median=%.2f ms  p10=%.2f  p90=%.2f\n' (math $sa[16]/1000) (math $sa[4]/1000) (math $sa[28]/1000)
+printf '  working   median=%.2f ms  p10=%.2f  p90=%.2f\n' (math $sb[16]/1000) (math $sb[4]/1000) (math $sb[28]/1000)
+echo "  (p10-p90 spread is ~15 ms; treat any delta inside it as noise)"
-- 
2.54.0


From a31a46bdc2933c866ae5e898528ac350857190b2 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rootiest <chris@rootiest.com>
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 2026 15:00:32 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 02/10] feat: add __fish_palette shared output palette helper

Declared --no-scope-shadowing with a bare set, so the 12 colour roles land
in the caller's scope under the same short names the consuming functions
already interpolate. Keeping the names means the conversion never edits an
output string in 33 of the 38 consumers.

No consumer is converted yet; byte-identity harness still reports 29/29.
---
 functions/__fish_palette.fish | 63 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 tests/functional.fish         | 27 +++++++++++++++
 2 files changed, 90 insertions(+)
 create mode 100644 functions/__fish_palette.fish

diff --git a/functions/__fish_palette.fish b/functions/__fish_palette.fish
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7097f39
--- /dev/null
+++ b/functions/__fish_palette.fish
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+# Copyright (C) 2026 Rootiest
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
+
+# SYNOPSIS
+#   __fish_palette
+#
+# DESCRIPTION
+#   Defines the shared terminal-output colour roles used by the
+#   user-facing functions in this configuration. Declared
+#   --no-scope-shadowing and using a bare `set`, so the variables are
+#   created in the CALLER's scope -- a consumer just calls it and then
+#   interpolates $c_head, $c_err and friends exactly as it did when the
+#   declarations were inline.
+#
+#   Call it where the local declarations used to sit, once per contiguous
+#   block that needs the palette. set_color runs at call time, so the
+#   values track $TERM exactly as inline declarations did. (Measured:
+#   set_color output is identical across every TERM tested except
+#   TERM=dumb, which yields empty strings, and is unaffected by whether
+#   stdout is a tty or a pipe.)
+#
+#   A role is a semantic slot, not a colour. c_flag and c_warn are both
+#   yellow but stay separate, as do c_ok and c_accent (both green) --
+#   merging either pair would foreclose ever restyling one without the
+#   other. c_accent is the command name in logs and smart_exit, which
+#   style it green where the rest of the config styles it bold.
+#
+# ARGUMENTS
+#   none
+#
+# EXIT STATUS
+#   0  always
+#
+# EXAMPLE
+#   function mytool
+#       __fish_palette
+#       echo "$c_head""Usage:$c_reset $c_cmd""mytool$c_reset"
+#   end
+#
+# NOTES
+#   Calling this at top level (outside any function) creates GLOBAL
+#   variables. Every consumer calls it from inside a function, where the
+#   variables stay function-local and do not leak.
+#
+#   functions/fish_prompt.fish deliberately does NOT use this palette. Its
+#   c_* values are Catppuccin hex strings passed as ARGUMENTS to set_color
+#   (`set_color --bold $c_green`), not captured escape sequences -- colour
+#   inputs rather than rendered output, a different concern.
+
+function __fish_palette --no-scope-shadowing --description 'Define the shared output colour palette in the caller scope'
+    set c_reset (set_color normal)
+    set c_head (set_color --bold cyan)
+    set c_cmd (set_color --bold)
+    set c_arg (set_color cyan)
+    set c_flag (set_color yellow)
+    set c_warn (set_color yellow)
+    set c_err (set_color red)
+    set c_ok (set_color green)
+    set c_accent (set_color green)
+    set c_dim (set_color brblack)
+    set c_sel (set_color --bold magenta)
+    set c_hi (set_color --bold white)
+end
diff --git a/tests/functional.fish b/tests/functional.fish
index e4d1651..68c64e8 100644
--- a/tests/functional.fish
+++ b/tests/functional.fish
@@ -97,6 +97,33 @@ function test_vault_dir_honors_override
     test "$got" = /tmp/vault-override-check
 end
 
+function test_palette_roles_defined
+    functions -q __fish_palette
+    or begin
+        echo "    __fish_palette is not defined"
+        return 1
+    end
+    # Called from inside a function, the palette must land in THIS scope.
+    __fish_palette
+    set -l missing
+    for role in c_reset c_head c_cmd c_arg c_flag c_warn c_err c_ok \
+        c_accent c_dim c_sel c_hi
+        if not set -q $role; or test -z "$$role"
+            set -a missing $role
+        end
+    end
+    if test (count $missing) -gt 0
+        echo "    palette roles empty or unset: $missing"
+        return 1
+    end
+    # Nothing may leak to global scope.
+    if set -q -g c_reset
+        echo "    __fish_palette leaked c_reset into global scope"
+        return 1
+    end
+    return 0
+end
+
 function functional_test_main
     set -l names (functions -a | string match 'test_*' | sort)
     set -l failed 0
-- 
2.54.0


From bca79d3c5a2077f8bd2640e44e57e1019eec0d46 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rootiest <chris@rootiest.com>
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 2026 20:02:09 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 03/10] fix(test): exclude __fish_palette.fish from the
 structural diff check

The helper is a new file, so its diff is entirely additions and can never
be "purely structural". It declares colours rather than rendering any, and
tests/functional.fish asserts its 12 roles directly.
---
 tests/palette-bytes.fish | 5 +++++
 1 file changed, 5 insertions(+)

diff --git a/tests/palette-bytes.fish b/tests/palette-bytes.fish
index b94a289..9eb3a55 100644
--- a/tests/palette-bytes.fish
+++ b/tests/palette-bytes.fish
@@ -116,6 +116,11 @@ if test $mode = structural
     for f in (git -C $repo diff --name-only $baseline -- functions/)
         # fish_prompt.fish keeps its own hex palette -- see Task 10.
         string match -q '*fish_prompt.fish' $f; and continue
+        # __fish_palette.fish is the palette itself: a new file, so its diff
+        # is 100% additions and can never be "purely structural". Skipping it
+        # is not a loosening -- it declares the colours rather than rendering
+        # any, and tests/functional.fish asserts its 12 roles directly.
+        string match -q '*__fish_palette.fish' $f; and continue
         set -l offenders
         for line in (git -C $repo diff -U0 $baseline -- $f | string match -r '^[+-][^+-].*')
             set -l body (string sub -s 2 -- $line)
-- 
2.54.0


From e64e964666f6c209877f9660ca137cde6999397e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rootiest <chris@rootiest.com>
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 2026 20:02:15 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 04/10] refactor: use __fish_palette in agents and auto-pull
 functions

34 duplicated declarations replaced by 5 calls. Output strings untouched;
byte-identical across 29 harness cases.
---
 functions/_agents_init_ensure_gitignore.fish | 3 +--
 functions/agents-init.fish                   | 9 +--------
 functions/agents-vault.fish                  | 9 +--------
 functions/auto-pull.fish                     | 9 +--------
 functions/config-update.fish                 | 9 +--------
 5 files changed, 5 insertions(+), 34 deletions(-)

diff --git a/functions/_agents_init_ensure_gitignore.fish b/functions/_agents_init_ensure_gitignore.fish
index 45d4c9f..f8b9ee3 100644
--- a/functions/_agents_init_ensure_gitignore.fish
+++ b/functions/_agents_init_ensure_gitignore.fish
@@ -31,8 +31,7 @@
 # EXAMPLE
 #   _agents_init_ensure_gitignore /home/user/myproject "agents-init" "AGENTS/" "/AGENTS.md"
 function _agents_init_ensure_gitignore
-    set -l c_ok    (set_color green)
-    set -l c_reset (set_color normal)
+    __fish_palette
 
     if test (count $argv) -lt 3
         echo (set_color red)"_agents_init_ensure_gitignore: requires <root> <label> <pattern>..."(set_color normal) >&2
diff --git a/functions/agents-init.fish b/functions/agents-init.fish
index 8c5ef93..ca36e19 100644
--- a/functions/agents-init.fish
+++ b/functions/agents-init.fish
@@ -85,14 +85,7 @@
 #   agents-init --plugins
 #   agents-init --quiet
 function agents-init --description 'scaffold AGENTS/ sub-repo with agent spec files and plugin dirs'
-    set -l c_head (set_color --bold cyan)
-    set -l c_cmd (set_color --bold)
-    set -l c_flag (set_color yellow)
-    set -l c_ok (set_color green)
-    set -l c_warn (set_color yellow)
-    set -l c_dim (set_color brblack)
-    set -l c_err (set_color red)
-    set -l c_reset (set_color normal)
+    __fish_palette
 
     argparse h/help a/agents p/plugins v/verbose q/quiet s/silent -- $argv
     or return 1
diff --git a/functions/agents-vault.fish b/functions/agents-vault.fish
index 02330f1..fdc2aaf 100644
--- a/functions/agents-vault.fish
+++ b/functions/agents-vault.fish
@@ -186,14 +186,7 @@
 #   throwaway directory and leave a dangling symlink behind, which is
 #   strictly worse than having had no backup at all.
 function agents-vault --description 'track curated agent memory in a host-scoped vault repo'
-    set -l c_head (set_color --bold cyan)
-    set -l c_cmd (set_color --bold)
-    set -l c_flag (set_color yellow)
-    set -l c_ok (set_color green)
-    set -l c_warn (set_color yellow)
-    set -l c_err (set_color red)
-    set -l c_dim (set_color brblack)
-    set -l c_reset (set_color normal)
+    __fish_palette
 
     argparse h/help link push restore status 'adopt=' 'remote=' \
         v/verbose q/quiet s/silent -- $argv
diff --git a/functions/auto-pull.fish b/functions/auto-pull.fish
index a012092..2a4a532 100644
--- a/functions/auto-pull.fish
+++ b/functions/auto-pull.fish
@@ -42,14 +42,7 @@
 #   auto-pull list
 #   auto-pull remove qmk_firmware
 function auto-pull --description 'Manage the auto-pull repository registry'
-    set -l c_head (set_color --bold cyan)
-    set -l c_cmd (set_color --bold)
-    set -l c_flag (set_color yellow)
-    set -l c_ok (set_color green)
-    set -l c_warn (set_color yellow)
-    set -l c_err (set_color red)
-    set -l c_dim (set_color brblack)
-    set -l c_reset (set_color normal)
+    __fish_palette
 
     set -q __fish_config_dir; or set -l __fish_config_dir $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/fish
     set -q __fish_user_dots_path; or set -l __fish_user_dots_path "$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/.user-dots/fish"
diff --git a/functions/config-update.fish b/functions/config-update.fish
index 1d3fc8a..c756166 100644
--- a/functions/config-update.fish
+++ b/functions/config-update.fish
@@ -27,14 +27,7 @@
 #   config-update --dry-run
 #   config-update --force
 function config-update --description 'Pull latest fish config from upstream'
-    set -l c_head  (set_color --bold cyan)
-    set -l c_cmd   (set_color --bold)
-    set -l c_flag  (set_color yellow)
-    set -l c_ok    (set_color green)
-    set -l c_warn  (set_color yellow)
-    set -l c_err   (set_color red)
-    set -l c_dim   (set_color brblack)
-    set -l c_reset (set_color normal)
+    __fish_palette
 
     set -l REMOTE_URL https://git.rootiest.dev/rootiest/fish-config.git
     set -l CONFIG_DIR ~/.config/fish
-- 
2.54.0


From 29afe5c89f9a2df777c2782ee933b73e83cd2f8d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rootiest <chris@rootiest.com>
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 2026 20:04:26 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 05/10] refactor: use __fish_palette in the config-settings TUI

27 duplicated declarations replaced by 5 calls. Output strings untouched.

Four of these five files have no --help path, so the byte-identity harness
cannot reach them. Covered instead by driving the real TUI under a pty on
both the baseline and converted trees with an identical paced keystroke
feed (down x3, Tab, Enter, Esc, Tab, down, q):

  9 redraws, 15068 bytes, byte-identical on both sides
  c_sel (ESC[35;1m) x9, c_hi (ESC[37;1m) x8, c_head (ESC[36;1m) x9
  all four draw helpers reached -- draw, pagetab, draw_subcat
  ("cascade default", "(category)"), draw_value ("Allow prev")
---
 functions/__config_settings_draw.fish        | 8 +-------
 functions/__config_settings_draw_subcat.fish | 7 +------
 functions/__config_settings_draw_value.fish  | 7 +------
 functions/__config_settings_pagetab.fish     | 3 +--
 functions/config-settings.fish               | 7 +------
 5 files changed, 5 insertions(+), 27 deletions(-)

diff --git a/functions/__config_settings_draw.fish b/functions/__config_settings_draw.fish
index 1d28444..6518ddd 100644
--- a/functions/__config_settings_draw.fish
+++ b/functions/__config_settings_draw.fish
@@ -38,13 +38,7 @@ function __config_settings_draw
     set -l cur_scope $argv[2]
     set -l vars      $argv[3..]
 
-    set -l c_ok    (set_color green)
-    set -l c_err   (set_color red)
-    set -l c_dim   (set_color brblack)
-    set -l c_sel   (set_color --bold magenta)
-    set -l c_hi    (set_color --bold white)
-    set -l c_head  (set_color --bold cyan)
-    set -l c_reset (set_color normal)
+    __fish_palette
 
     set -l labels Aliases Auto-exec Overrides Integrations Logging Greeting Master
 
diff --git a/functions/__config_settings_draw_subcat.fish b/functions/__config_settings_draw_subcat.fish
index c7dccd3..e9ef166 100644
--- a/functions/__config_settings_draw_subcat.fish
+++ b/functions/__config_settings_draw_subcat.fish
@@ -41,12 +41,7 @@ function __config_settings_draw_subcat
     set -l cur_scope    $argv[2]
     set -l category_var $argv[3]
 
-    set -l c_ok    (set_color green)
-    set -l c_err   (set_color red)
-    set -l c_dim   (set_color brblack)
-    set -l c_sel   (set_color --bold magenta)
-    set -l c_head  (set_color --bold cyan)
-    set -l c_reset (set_color normal)
+    __fish_palette
 
     set -l rows (__config_settings_subcats $category_var)
     set -l n (count $rows)
diff --git a/functions/__config_settings_draw_value.fish b/functions/__config_settings_draw_value.fish
index f315056..98237e4 100644
--- a/functions/__config_settings_draw_value.fish
+++ b/functions/__config_settings_draw_value.fish
@@ -33,12 +33,7 @@ function __config_settings_draw_value
     set -l edit_mode $argv[3]
     set -l edit_buf  $argv[4]
 
-    set -l c_ok    (set_color green)
-    set -l c_err   (set_color red)
-    set -l c_dim   (set_color brblack)
-    set -l c_sel   (set_color --bold magenta)
-    set -l c_head  (set_color --bold cyan)
-    set -l c_reset (set_color normal)
+    __fish_palette
 
     # ── Page row metadata (parallel lists) ────────────────────────────────
     set -l title
diff --git a/functions/__config_settings_pagetab.fish b/functions/__config_settings_pagetab.fish
index 024ce01..b9d5a49 100644
--- a/functions/__config_settings_pagetab.fish
+++ b/functions/__config_settings_pagetab.fish
@@ -27,8 +27,7 @@ function __config_settings_pagetab
     set -l active $argv[1]
     set -l iw     $argv[2]
 
-    set -l c_hi    (set_color --bold white)
-    set -l c_reset (set_color normal)
+    __fish_palette
     set -l names Universal Session Sponge Paths
 
     set -l strip ' '
diff --git a/functions/config-settings.fish b/functions/config-settings.fish
index 4ac0260..18ec183 100644
--- a/functions/config-settings.fish
+++ b/functions/config-settings.fish
@@ -69,12 +69,7 @@
 # EXAMPLE
 #   config-settings
 function config-settings --description 'Interactive TUI for managing fish config settings'
-    set -l c_head  (set_color --bold cyan)
-    set -l c_cmd   (set_color --bold)
-    set -l c_flag  (set_color yellow)
-    set -l c_dim   (set_color brblack)
-    set -l c_err   (set_color red)
-    set -l c_reset (set_color normal)
+    __fish_palette
 
     # ── Argument parsing ──────────────────────────────────
     for arg in $argv
-- 
2.54.0


From b0c6d7f7f5b65071da948a0b09e4e7d5768c5382 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rootiest <chris@rootiest.com>
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 2026 20:05:23 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 06/10] refactor: use __fish_palette in system and package
 functions

44 duplicated declarations replaced by 8 calls. Output strings untouched.

fish-deps, upgrade and wake-lock have no --help path and are deliberately
NOT added to the harness case list -- upgrade and wake-lock have side
effects, and runtime coverage is not worth mutating state during tests.
They are covered by --structural, which proves mechanically that no
rendering line changed.
---
 functions/dockup.fish        | 6 +-----
 functions/fish-deps.fish     | 6 +-----
 functions/jobrunner.fish     | 9 +--------
 functions/kitty-logging.fish | 9 +--------
 functions/pkg.fish           | 9 +--------
 functions/scrub.fish         | 5 +----
 functions/upgrade.fish       | 3 +--
 functions/wake-lock.fish     | 5 +----
 8 files changed, 8 insertions(+), 44 deletions(-)

diff --git a/functions/dockup.fish b/functions/dockup.fish
index 2f2fbf8..97c78fe 100644
--- a/functions/dockup.fish
+++ b/functions/dockup.fish
@@ -30,11 +30,7 @@ function dockup --description 'Pull and restart docker compose containers'
 
     # Handle help flags
     if contains -- -h $argv; or contains -- --help $argv
-        set -l c_head (set_color --bold cyan)
-        set -l c_cmd (set_color --bold)
-        set -l c_flag (set_color yellow)
-        set -l c_dim (set_color brblack)
-        set -l c_reset (set_color normal)
+        __fish_palette
         echo "$c_head""Usage:$c_reset $c_cmd""dockup$c_reset $c_dim""[DIRECTORY]$c_reset"
         echo ""
         echo "$c_head""Options:$c_reset"
diff --git a/functions/fish-deps.fish b/functions/fish-deps.fish
index bf9839e..acf9aba 100644
--- a/functions/fish-deps.fish
+++ b/functions/fish-deps.fish
@@ -93,11 +93,7 @@ end
 # EXAMPLE
 #   __fish_deps_help
 function __fish_deps_help
-    set -l c_head (set_color --bold cyan)
-    set -l c_cmd (set_color --bold)
-    set -l c_flag (set_color yellow)
-    set -l c_dim (set_color brblack)
-    set -l c_reset (set_color normal)
+    __fish_palette
 
     echo "$c_head""fish-deps$c_reset — manage fish shell dependencies"
     echo ""
diff --git a/functions/jobrunner.fish b/functions/jobrunner.fish
index 1fffdf6..9c5a24c 100644
--- a/functions/jobrunner.fish
+++ b/functions/jobrunner.fish
@@ -51,14 +51,7 @@
 #   redirections must be wrapped explicitly, e.g.
 #   jobrunner run sync fish -c 'a | b'.
 function jobrunner --description 'Manage detached background jobs with tmux or GNU screen'
-    set -l c_head (set_color --bold cyan)
-    set -l c_cmd (set_color --bold)
-    set -l c_arg (set_color cyan)
-    set -l c_flag (set_color yellow)
-    set -l c_ok (set_color green)
-    set -l c_err (set_color red)
-    set -l c_dim (set_color brblack)
-    set -l c_reset (set_color normal)
+    __fish_palette
 
     set -l subcmds run list attach kill logs help \
         -r --run -l --list -a --attach -k --kill -o --output -h --help
diff --git a/functions/kitty-logging.fish b/functions/kitty-logging.fish
index dbff8d9..82eb2bc 100644
--- a/functions/kitty-logging.fish
+++ b/functions/kitty-logging.fish
@@ -38,14 +38,7 @@
 #   kitty-logging install
 #   kitty-logging status
 function kitty-logging --description 'Install/manage the fish-config Kitty scrollback watcher'
-    set -l c_head (set_color --bold cyan)
-    set -l c_cmd (set_color --bold)
-    set -l c_flag (set_color yellow)
-    set -l c_ok (set_color green)
-    set -l c_warn (set_color yellow)
-    set -l c_err (set_color red)
-    set -l c_dim (set_color brblack)
-    set -l c_reset (set_color normal)
+    __fish_palette
 
     set -l cmd $argv[1]
 
diff --git a/functions/pkg.fish b/functions/pkg.fish
index d7ba4c3..15f968d 100644
--- a/functions/pkg.fish
+++ b/functions/pkg.fish
@@ -46,14 +46,7 @@ function pkg --description 'Install or remove packages via the system package ma
     end
 
     # ── Colour palette ───────────────────────────────────────────
-    set -l c_head (set_color --bold cyan)
-    set -l c_cmd (set_color --bold)
-    set -l c_flag (set_color yellow)
-    set -l c_ok (set_color green)
-    set -l c_warn (set_color yellow)
-    set -l c_err (set_color red)
-    set -l c_dim (set_color brblack)
-    set -l c_reset (set_color normal)
+    __fish_palette
 
     # ── Installed-check helper ───────────────────────────────────
     # Uses only its own arguments — safe to define as an inner function.
diff --git a/functions/scrub.fish b/functions/scrub.fish
index 02a60cd..8670780 100644
--- a/functions/scrub.fish
+++ b/functions/scrub.fish
@@ -63,10 +63,7 @@ function scrub --description 'Recursively purge OS, editor, and compiler garbage
 
     # Helper function for help menu text
     function _scrub_help
-        set -l c_head (set_color --bold cyan)
-        set -l c_cmd (set_color --bold)
-        set -l c_flag (set_color yellow)
-        set -l c_reset (set_color normal)
+        __fish_palette
 
         echo "$c_head""Usage:$c_reset $c_cmd""scrub$c_reset $c_flag""[options]$c_reset"
         echo
diff --git a/functions/upgrade.fish b/functions/upgrade.fish
index 68702bb..38443de 100644
--- a/functions/upgrade.fish
+++ b/functions/upgrade.fish
@@ -23,8 +23,7 @@
 function upgrade --description 'Full system upgrade via paru or yay'
     # Opinionated guard (C4): integrations disabled
     if not __fish_config_op_enabled (status current-function)
-        set -l c_err (set_color red)
-        set -l c_reset (set_color normal)
+        __fish_palette
         echo "$c_err"'upgrade: disabled by __fish_config_op_integrations'"$c_reset" >&2
         return 1
     end
diff --git a/functions/wake-lock.fish b/functions/wake-lock.fish
index 053556e..c71e44f 100644
--- a/functions/wake-lock.fish
+++ b/functions/wake-lock.fish
@@ -23,10 +23,7 @@
 #   wake-lock rsync -avz src/ dest/
 function wake-lock --description 'Run a command while inhibiting system sleep'
     if test (count $argv) -eq 0
-        set -l c_head (set_color --bold cyan)
-        set -l c_cmd (set_color --bold)
-        set -l c_arg (set_color cyan)
-        set -l c_reset (set_color normal)
+        __fish_palette
         echo "$c_head""Usage:$c_reset $c_cmd""wake-lock$c_reset $c_arg""[command] [args...]$c_reset"
         return 1
     end
-- 
2.54.0


From f3f6e6356b331d230f0bb6037813c9568f9894f4 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rootiest <chris@rootiest.com>
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 2026 20:06:20 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 07/10] refactor: use __fish_palette in small utility functions
 (1/2)

37 duplicated declarations replaced by 8 calls. Output strings untouched;
byte-identical across 29 harness cases.
---
 functions/bkg.fish        | 5 +----
 functions/detach.fish     | 6 +-----
 functions/dng2avif.fish   | 6 +-----
 functions/edit.fish       | 7 +------
 functions/hist.fish       | 3 +--
 functions/open-url.fish   | 6 +-----
 functions/p.fish          | 6 +-----
 functions/play-media.fish | 6 +-----
 8 files changed, 8 insertions(+), 37 deletions(-)

diff --git a/functions/bkg.fish b/functions/bkg.fish
index 4cd5f03..2fc9927 100644
--- a/functions/bkg.fish
+++ b/functions/bkg.fish
@@ -25,10 +25,7 @@
 function bkg --description 'Execute bkg'
     # Check if a command was provided as an argument.
     if test -z "$argv[1]"
-        set -l c_head (set_color --bold cyan)
-        set -l c_cmd (set_color --bold)
-        set -l c_arg (set_color cyan)
-        set -l c_reset (set_color normal)
+        __fish_palette
         echo "$c_head""Usage:$c_reset $c_cmd""bkg$c_reset $c_arg""<command> [arguments...]$c_reset"
         return 1
     end
diff --git a/functions/detach.fish b/functions/detach.fish
index 9c3af35..997e511 100644
--- a/functions/detach.fish
+++ b/functions/detach.fish
@@ -25,11 +25,7 @@
 # EXAMPLE
 #   detach rsync -a ./data remote:/backup/
 function detach --description 'Execute detach'
-    set -l c_head (set_color --bold cyan)
-    set -l c_cmd (set_color --bold)
-    set -l c_flag (set_color yellow)
-    set -l c_arg (set_color cyan)
-    set -l c_reset (set_color normal)
+    __fish_palette
 
     set -l show_help 0
     set -l args
diff --git a/functions/dng2avif.fish b/functions/dng2avif.fish
index 5f27505..782c949 100644
--- a/functions/dng2avif.fish
+++ b/functions/dng2avif.fish
@@ -38,11 +38,7 @@ function dng2avif --description 'Convert DNG raw to 10-bit HDR AVIF'
 
     # Help Screen
     if set -q _flag_help; or test (count $argv) -eq 0 -a -z "$_flag_input"
-        set -l c_head (set_color --bold cyan)
-        set -l c_cmd (set_color --bold)
-        set -l c_flag (set_color yellow)
-        set -l c_dim (set_color brblack)
-        set -l c_reset (set_color normal)
+        __fish_palette
         echo "$c_head""Usage:$c_reset $c_cmd""dng2avif$c_reset $c_flag""[options]$c_reset $c_dim""[input.dng]$c_reset"
         echo ""
         echo "$c_head""Options:$c_reset"
diff --git a/functions/edit.fish b/functions/edit.fish
index 8bb34b1..b312b83 100644
--- a/functions/edit.fish
+++ b/functions/edit.fish
@@ -45,12 +45,7 @@
 #   edit --editor=code --clipboard
 #   edit --text="hello world"
 function edit --description 'Open files in a terminal or GUI editor with fallbacks'
-    set -l c_head (set_color --bold cyan)
-    set -l c_cmd (set_color --bold)
-    set -l c_flag (set_color yellow)
-    set -l c_err (set_color red)
-    set -l c_dim (set_color brblack)
-    set -l c_reset (set_color normal)
+    __fish_palette
 
     # Opinionated guard (C1): fall back to the legacy bare-editor behavior.
     if not __fish_config_op_enabled (status current-function)
diff --git a/functions/hist.fish b/functions/hist.fish
index b21c97c..66ecc11 100644
--- a/functions/hist.fish
+++ b/functions/hist.fish
@@ -19,8 +19,7 @@
 function hist --description 'Search fish history and put it in the prompt'
     # Opinionated guard (C4): integrations disabled
     if not __fish_config_op_enabled (status current-function)
-        set -l c_err (set_color red)
-        set -l c_reset (set_color normal)
+        __fish_palette
         echo "$c_err"'hist: disabled by __fish_config_op_integrations'"$c_reset" >&2
         return 1
     end
diff --git a/functions/open-url.fish b/functions/open-url.fish
index 609e515..7c6b2bc 100644
--- a/functions/open-url.fish
+++ b/functions/open-url.fish
@@ -41,11 +41,7 @@
 # NOTES
 #   Typo abbreviation: url-open (expands to open-url on space/enter).
 function open-url --description 'Open a URL in the best available web browser'
-    set -l c_head (set_color --bold cyan)
-    set -l c_cmd (set_color --bold)
-    set -l c_flag (set_color yellow)
-    set -l c_arg (set_color cyan)
-    set -l c_reset (set_color normal)
+    __fish_palette
 
     argparse h/help s/silent v/verbose -- $argv
     or return 1
diff --git a/functions/p.fish b/functions/p.fish
index 7a85cab..2c5562a 100644
--- a/functions/p.fish
+++ b/functions/p.fish
@@ -28,11 +28,7 @@
 function p --description 'Put from clipboard'
     # Check for help flag
     if contains -- -h $argv; or contains -- --help $argv
-        set -l c_head (set_color --bold cyan)
-        set -l c_cmd (set_color --bold)
-        set -l c_flag (set_color yellow)
-        set -l c_dim (set_color brblack)
-        set -l c_reset (set_color normal)
+        __fish_palette
         echo "$c_head""Usage:$c_reset $c_cmd""p$c_reset $c_flag""[OPTIONS]$c_reset"
         echo ""
         echo "  Pastes content from the system clipboard to stdout."
diff --git a/functions/play-media.fish b/functions/play-media.fish
index 1a81041..63cc34c 100644
--- a/functions/play-media.fish
+++ b/functions/play-media.fish
@@ -36,11 +36,7 @@
 #   play-media
 #   play-media --player mpv
 function play-media --description 'Pick audio/video files with fzf and play them'
-    set -l c_head (set_color --bold cyan)
-    set -l c_cmd (set_color --bold)
-    set -l c_flag (set_color yellow)
-    set -l c_dim (set_color brblack)
-    set -l c_reset (set_color normal)
+    __fish_palette
 
     argparse h/help p/player= -- $argv
     or return 1
-- 
2.54.0


From d75bf4f1b40737b5cdedb644710b6f4a9e3211d7 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rootiest <chris@rootiest.com>
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 2026 20:08:45 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 08/10] refactor: use __fish_palette in small utility functions
 (2/2)

25 duplicated declarations replaced by 7 calls. Completes the 33 structural
conversions: 167 declarations removed, 33 calls added, and --structural
confirms every one of the 33 diffs is declaration removals plus inserted
calls only -- no rendering text touched.

functions/y.fish is the one file in the repo with no trailing newline on
main; its original file ending is preserved rather than normalised.
---
 functions/replay.fish    | 6 +-----
 functions/repo-open.fish | 5 +----
 functions/spark.fish     | 6 +-----
 functions/split.fish     | 3 +--
 functions/spwin.fish     | 3 +--
 functions/tab.fish       | 3 +--
 functions/y.fish         | 6 +-----
 7 files changed, 7 insertions(+), 25 deletions(-)

diff --git a/functions/replay.fish b/functions/replay.fish
index 6f29f12..7a7ce22 100644
--- a/functions/replay.fish
+++ b/functions/replay.fish
@@ -27,11 +27,7 @@ function replay --description 'Run Bash commands replaying changes in Fish'
         case -v --version
             echo "replay, version 1.2.1"
         case "" -h --help
-            set -l c_head (set_color --bold cyan)
-            set -l c_cmd (set_color --bold)
-            set -l c_flag (set_color yellow)
-            set -l c_arg (set_color cyan)
-            set -l c_reset (set_color normal)
+            __fish_palette
             echo "$c_head""Usage:$c_reset $c_cmd""replay$c_reset $c_arg""<commands>$c_reset  Run Bash commands replaying changes in Fish"
             echo "$c_head""Options:$c_reset"
             echo "       $c_flag-v$c_reset or $c_flag--version$c_reset  Print version"
diff --git a/functions/repo-open.fish b/functions/repo-open.fish
index 60eee02..8cc0c91 100644
--- a/functions/repo-open.fish
+++ b/functions/repo-open.fish
@@ -52,10 +52,7 @@
 # NOTES
 #   Typo abbreviation: open-repo (expands to repo-open on space/enter).
 function repo-open --description 'Open the origin remote of the current repo in a browser'
-    set -l c_head (set_color --bold cyan)
-    set -l c_cmd (set_color --bold)
-    set -l c_flag (set_color yellow)
-    set -l c_reset (set_color normal)
+    __fish_palette
 
     argparse -X 0 h/help p/print r/root -- $argv
     or return 1
diff --git a/functions/spark.fish b/functions/spark.fish
index 19ddfad..2420de1 100644
--- a/functions/spark.fish
+++ b/functions/spark.fish
@@ -29,11 +29,7 @@ function spark --description 'Sparklines'
     if set --query _flag_version[1]
         echo "spark, version 1.1.0"
     else if set --query _flag_help[1]
-        set -l c_head (set_color --bold cyan)
-        set -l c_cmd (set_color --bold)
-        set -l c_flag (set_color yellow)
-        set -l c_arg (set_color cyan)
-        set -l c_reset (set_color normal)
+        __fish_palette
         echo "$c_head""Usage:$c_reset $c_cmd""spark$c_reset $c_arg""<numbers ...>$c_reset"
         echo "       stdin | $c_cmd""spark$c_reset"
         echo "$c_head""Options:$c_reset"
diff --git a/functions/split.fish b/functions/split.fish
index 618b42a..539cd67 100644
--- a/functions/split.fish
+++ b/functions/split.fish
@@ -31,8 +31,7 @@
 function split --description 'Run a command in a new terminal split'
     # Opinionated guard (C4): integrations disabled
     if not __fish_config_op_enabled (status current-function)
-        set -l c_err (set_color red)
-        set -l c_reset (set_color normal)
+        __fish_palette
         echo "$c_err"'split: disabled by __fish_config_op_integrations'"$c_reset" >&2
         return 1
     end
diff --git a/functions/spwin.fish b/functions/spwin.fish
index 18fb036..954d3d1 100644
--- a/functions/spwin.fish
+++ b/functions/spwin.fish
@@ -26,8 +26,7 @@
 function spwin --wraps='~/.config/kitty/spawn-window.sh' --description 'spawn window in kitty or wezterm'
     # Opinionated guard (C4): integrations disabled
     if not __fish_config_op_enabled (status current-function)
-        set -l c_err (set_color red)
-        set -l c_reset (set_color normal)
+        __fish_palette
         echo "$c_err"'spwin: disabled by __fish_config_op_integrations'"$c_reset" >&2
         return 1
     end
diff --git a/functions/tab.fish b/functions/tab.fish
index 6cb9c21..092acd0 100644
--- a/functions/tab.fish
+++ b/functions/tab.fish
@@ -27,8 +27,7 @@
 function tab --description 'Spawn a new tab in the current terminal'
     # Opinionated guard (C4): integrations disabled
     if not __fish_config_op_enabled (status current-function)
-        set -l c_err (set_color red)
-        set -l c_reset (set_color normal)
+        __fish_palette
         echo "$c_err"'tab: disabled by __fish_config_op_integrations'"$c_reset" >&2
         return 1
     end
diff --git a/functions/y.fish b/functions/y.fish
index 5bac53d..26e5361 100644
--- a/functions/y.fish
+++ b/functions/y.fish
@@ -25,11 +25,7 @@
 function y --description 'Yank to clipboard'
     # Check for help flag
     if contains -- -h $argv; or contains -- --help $argv
-        set -l c_head (set_color --bold cyan)
-        set -l c_cmd (set_color --bold)
-        set -l c_arg (set_color cyan)
-        set -l c_dim (set_color brblack)
-        set -l c_reset (set_color normal)
+        __fish_palette
         echo "$c_head""Usage:$c_reset $c_cmd""y$c_reset $c_arg""[TEXT]$c_reset or $c_arg""[COMMAND]$c_reset | $c_cmd""y$c_reset"
         echo ""
         echo "$c_head""Examples:$c_reset"
-- 
2.54.0


From 7d815b17e83c94d33092e74222d323bbcc0fc45b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rootiest <chris@rootiest.com>
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 2026 20:10:43 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 09/10] refactor: retire drifted palette names in the last five
 functions

c_rst/c_txt -> c_reset, c_ttl -> c_head, c_bold -> c_cmd, c_primary -> c_arg
across 67 interpolation sites (c_rst 53, c_primary 10, c_bold 2, c_ttl 1,
c_txt 1). Each maps to a variable holding identical bytes, so output is
unchanged. Unlike the 33 structural conversions this edits text that
renders, so it is gated on its own per-file byte-diff against main:

  ok  logs --help         (431 B out, 0 B err)
  ok  mkcd --help         (437 B out, 0 B err)
  ok  qc --help           (936 B out, 0 B err)
  ok  rand_string --help  (883 B out, 0 B err)
  ok  smart_exit --help   (265 B out, 0 B err)
  ok  mkcd                (437 B out, 0 B err)   <- no-args error path

c_accent is deliberately NOT merged into c_ok -- both are (set_color green)
but a role is a semantic slot, not a colour. See JOB-BRIEF-FINDINGS.md.

logs.fish needed two calls (the C4 guard block and the --help block, both at
8-space indentation); it is the only multi-run file in the repository and the
exact trap a depth-deduplicating converter falls into. logs.fish also declared
c_bold without ever interpolating it -- that declaration is simply deleted.
---
 functions/logs.fish        | 22 +++++++++-------------
 functions/mkcd.fish        | 34 +++++++++++++---------------------
 functions/qc.fish          | 23 +++++++++--------------
 functions/rand_string.fish | 32 ++++++++++++++------------------
 functions/smart_exit.fish  | 14 +++++---------
 5 files changed, 50 insertions(+), 75 deletions(-)

diff --git a/functions/logs.fish b/functions/logs.fish
index fe64d17..12efbf9 100644
--- a/functions/logs.fish
+++ b/functions/logs.fish
@@ -39,8 +39,7 @@
 function logs --description 'Browse terminal log files interactively with fzf'
     # Opinionated guard (C4): integrations disabled
     if not __fish_config_op_enabled (status current-function)
-        set -l c_err (set_color red)
-        set -l c_reset (set_color normal)
+        __fish_palette
         echo "$c_err"'logs: disabled by __fish_config_op_integrations'"$c_reset" >&2
         return 1
     end
@@ -50,24 +49,21 @@ function logs --description 'Browse terminal log files interactively with fzf'
     or return 1
 
     if set -q _flag_help
-        set -l c_accent (set_color green)
-        set -l c_primary (set_color cyan)
-        set -l c_bold (set_color --bold)
-        set -l c_reset (set_color normal)
-        echo "Usage: "$c_accent"logs"$c_reset" ["$c_primary"OPTIONS"$c_reset"]"
+        __fish_palette
+        echo "Usage: "$c_accent"logs"$c_reset" ["$c_arg"OPTIONS"$c_reset"]"
         echo ""
         echo "Browse and open terminal log files interactively."
         echo "Logs sorted newest-first. Type to fuzzy-filter by date or category."
         echo ""
         echo "Options:"
-        echo "  "$c_primary"-h, --help"$c_reset"       Show this help"
-        echo "  "$c_primary"-c, --category"$c_reset"   Limit to one category: scrollback, paru, yay"
+        echo "  "$c_arg"-h, --help"$c_reset"       Show this help"
+        echo "  "$c_arg"-c, --category"$c_reset"   Limit to one category: scrollback, paru, yay"
         echo ""
         echo "Keys in fzf:"
-        echo "  "$c_primary"Enter"$c_reset"     Open in \$PAGER"
-        echo "  "$c_primary"Ctrl-E"$c_reset"    Open in \$EDITOR"
-        echo "  "$c_primary"Ctrl-D"$c_reset"    Delete selected log"
-        echo "  "$c_primary"Ctrl-C"$c_reset"    Quit"
+        echo "  "$c_arg"Enter"$c_reset"     Open in \$PAGER"
+        echo "  "$c_arg"Ctrl-E"$c_reset"    Open in \$EDITOR"
+        echo "  "$c_arg"Ctrl-D"$c_reset"    Delete selected log"
+        echo "  "$c_arg"Ctrl-C"$c_reset"    Quit"
         return 0
     end
 
diff --git a/functions/mkcd.fish b/functions/mkcd.fish
index 3a2eac9..5cf8c30 100644
--- a/functions/mkcd.fish
+++ b/functions/mkcd.fish
@@ -26,31 +26,23 @@
 #   mkcd ~/projects/myapp
 #   mkcd ~/projects/newapp/src
 function mkcd --description 'Create a directory (with parents) and cd into it'
-    set -l c_head (set_color --bold cyan)
-    set -l c_cmd  (set_color --bold)
-    set -l c_arg  (set_color cyan)
-    set -l c_flag (set_color yellow)
-    set -l c_ok   (set_color green)
-    set -l c_warn (set_color yellow)
-    set -l c_err  (set_color red)
-    set -l c_dim  (set_color brblack)
-    set -l c_rst  (set_color normal)
+    __fish_palette
 
     if contains -- -h $argv; or contains -- --help $argv; or test (count $argv) -eq 0
-        echo "$c_head""Usage:$c_rst $c_cmd""mkcd$c_rst $c_arg""<dir>$c_rst"
+        echo "$c_head""Usage:$c_reset $c_cmd""mkcd$c_reset $c_arg""<dir>$c_reset"
         echo
-        echo "  Create $c_arg""<dir>$c_rst (including missing parents) and cd into it."
+        echo "  Create $c_arg""<dir>$c_reset (including missing parents) and cd into it."
         echo
-        echo "$c_head""Arguments:$c_rst"
-        echo "  $c_arg""<dir>$c_rst   Directory to create and enter"
+        echo "$c_head""Arguments:$c_reset"
+        echo "  $c_arg""<dir>$c_reset   Directory to create and enter"
         echo
-        echo "$c_head""Flags:$c_rst"
-        echo "  $c_flag-h$c_rst, $c_flag--help$c_rst   Show this help message"
-        echo "  $c_flag-s$c_rst, $c_flag--silent$c_rst  Suppress directory creation output"
+        echo "$c_head""Flags:$c_reset"
+        echo "  $c_flag-h$c_reset, $c_flag--help$c_reset   Show this help message"
+        echo "  $c_flag-s$c_reset, $c_flag--silent$c_reset  Suppress directory creation output"
         echo
-        echo "$c_head""Examples:$c_rst"
-        echo "  $c_cmd""mkcd$c_rst $c_arg~/projects/myapp$c_rst"
-        echo "  $c_cmd""mkcd$c_rst $c_arg~/projects/myapp$c_rst""$c_dim""; git init$c_rst"
+        echo "$c_head""Examples:$c_reset"
+        echo "  $c_cmd""mkcd$c_reset $c_arg~/projects/myapp$c_reset"
+        echo "  $c_cmd""mkcd$c_reset $c_arg~/projects/myapp$c_reset""$c_dim""; git init$c_reset"
         return 0
     end
 
@@ -77,8 +69,8 @@ function mkcd --description 'Create a directory (with parents) and cd into it'
     or return $status
 
     if test $is_new -eq 1
-        echo "$c_ok""✔$c_rst  Created and entered $c_arg$dir$c_rst"
+        echo "$c_ok""✔$c_reset  Created and entered $c_arg$dir$c_reset"
     else
-        echo "$c_warn""→$c_rst  $c_arg$dir$c_rst already exists — entered"
+        echo "$c_warn""→$c_reset  $c_arg$dir$c_reset already exists — entered"
     end
 end
diff --git a/functions/qc.fish b/functions/qc.fish
index f598ec0..87a1acf 100644
--- a/functions/qc.fish
+++ b/functions/qc.fish
@@ -32,26 +32,21 @@
 if type -q aichat
     function qc --wraps aichat --description 'Quick-chat wrapper around aichat (cli role)'
         if contains -- -h $argv; or contains -- --help $argv
-            set -l c_ttl (set_color --bold cyan)
-            set -l c_cmd (set_color --bold)
-            set -l c_flag (set_color yellow)
-            set -l c_txt (set_color normal)
-            set -l c_dim (set_color brblack)
-            set -l c_rst (set_color normal)
+            __fish_palette
             set -l w 59
             set -l bar (string repeat -n $w ─)
             # Title line, padded to the box width (plain form drives the math).
             set -l title "  qc — quick-chat: a thin aichat wrapper"
             set -l pad (string repeat -n (math $w - (string length -- $title)) ' ')
-            echo "$c_dim╭$bar╮$c_rst"
-            echo "$c_dim│$c_rst  $c_ttl""qc$c_rst $c_dim—$c_rst quick-chat: a thin $c_cmd""aichat$c_rst wrapper$pad$c_dim│$c_rst"
-            echo "$c_dim╰$bar╯$c_rst"
-            echo "  Defaults to the $c_flag'cli'$c_rst role — an AI system prompt tuned"
-            echo "  for concise, $c_txt""terminal-friendly$c_rst output."
+            echo "$c_dim╭$bar╮$c_reset"
+            echo "$c_dim│$c_reset  $c_head""qc$c_reset $c_dim—$c_reset quick-chat: a thin $c_cmd""aichat$c_reset wrapper$pad$c_dim│$c_reset"
+            echo "$c_dim╰$bar╯$c_reset"
+            echo "  Defaults to the $c_flag'cli'$c_reset role — an AI system prompt tuned"
+            echo "  for concise, $c_reset""terminal-friendly$c_reset output."
             echo
-            echo "  Accepts every $c_cmd""aichat$c_rst flag; passing $c_flag--role$c_rst/$c_flag-r$c_rst overrides"
-            echo "  the default role. $c_cmd""aichat$c_rst's own help follows:"
-            echo "$c_dim$bar$c_rst"
+            echo "  Accepts every $c_cmd""aichat$c_reset flag; passing $c_flag--role$c_reset/$c_flag-r$c_reset overrides"
+            echo "  the default role. $c_cmd""aichat$c_reset's own help follows:"
+            echo "$c_dim$bar$c_reset"
             aichat --help | string replace -a aichat qc
             return 0
         end
diff --git a/functions/rand_string.fish b/functions/rand_string.fish
index c5b0312..1fcd6db 100644
--- a/functions/rand_string.fish
+++ b/functions/rand_string.fish
@@ -38,31 +38,27 @@
 #   Falls back to random choice if GNU shuf is missing, but shuf is
 #   much faster for files with >1000 lines.
 function rand_string --description 'Generate random, memorable strings from curated word databases'
-    set -l c_head (set_color --bold cyan)
-    set -l c_cmd (set_color --bold)
-    set -l c_arg (set_color cyan)
-    set -l c_flag (set_color yellow)
-    set -l c_rst (set_color normal)
+    __fish_palette
 
     if set -q argv[1]; and contains -- $argv[1] -h --help
-        echo "$c_head""Usage:$c_rst $c_cmd""rand_string$c_rst $c_arg""[COMPONENTS/MODIFIERS]...$c_rst"
+        echo "$c_head""Usage:$c_reset $c_cmd""rand_string$c_reset $c_arg""[COMPONENTS/MODIFIERS]...$c_reset"
         echo
         echo "  Generate random, memorable strings from curated word databases."
         echo
-        echo "$c_head""Components:$c_rst"
-        echo "  $c_arg<category>$c_rst    A bundled word list (e.g. adjective, animal, color, name, noun, verb)"
-        echo "  $c_arg""digits=<N>$c_rst    N random digits (e.g. digits=3 -> 842)"
-        echo "  $c_arg""literal=<text>$c_rst A static string component for prefixes/suffixes (e.g. literal=TEST)"
+        echo "$c_head""Components:$c_reset"
+        echo "  $c_arg<category>$c_reset    A bundled word list (e.g. adjective, animal, color, name, noun, verb)"
+        echo "  $c_arg""digits=<N>$c_reset    N random digits (e.g. digits=3 -> 842)"
+        echo "  $c_arg""literal=<text>$c_reset A static string component for prefixes/suffixes (e.g. literal=TEST)"
         echo
-        echo "$c_head""Modifiers:$c_rst"
-        echo "  $c_flag-s$c_rst, $c_flag--separator=<sep>$c_rst   Delimiter for subsequent words (dash, underscore, dot, none)"
-        echo "  $c_flag-c$c_rst, $c_flag--case=<casing>$c_rst     Casing for subsequent words (lower, upper, title)"
-        echo "  $c_flag-h$c_rst, $c_flag--help$c_rst              Show usage help"
+        echo "$c_head""Modifiers:$c_reset"
+        echo "  $c_flag-s$c_reset, $c_flag--separator=<sep>$c_reset   Delimiter for subsequent words (dash, underscore, dot, none)"
+        echo "  $c_flag-c$c_reset, $c_flag--case=<casing>$c_reset     Casing for subsequent words (lower, upper, title)"
+        echo "  $c_flag-h$c_reset, $c_flag--help$c_reset              Show usage help"
         echo
-        echo "$c_head""Examples:$c_rst"
-        echo "  $c_cmd""rand_string$c_rst adjective animal"
-        echo "  $c_cmd""rand_string$c_rst --case=title color animal --separator=dot digits=4"
-        echo "  $c_cmd""rand_string$c_rst literal=TEST --separator=underscore verb noun"
+        echo "$c_head""Examples:$c_reset"
+        echo "  $c_cmd""rand_string$c_reset adjective animal"
+        echo "  $c_cmd""rand_string$c_reset --case=title color animal --separator=dot digits=4"
+        echo "  $c_cmd""rand_string$c_reset literal=TEST --separator=underscore verb noun"
         return 0
     end
 
diff --git a/functions/smart_exit.fish b/functions/smart_exit.fish
index 4d34c61..747b605 100644
--- a/functions/smart_exit.fish
+++ b/functions/smart_exit.fish
@@ -44,20 +44,16 @@ function smart_exit --description 'Capture colorized scrollback before exiting,
     argparse $options -- $argv
     or return 1
 
-    set -l c_primary (set_color cyan)
-    set -l c_accent (set_color green)
-    set -l c_warn (set_color yellow)
-    set -l c_bold (set_color --bold)
-    set -l c_reset (set_color normal)
+    __fish_palette
 
     if set -q _flag_help
-        echo -e "Usage: $c_accent"exit"$c_reset [$c_primary""OPTIONS""$c_reset]"
+        echo -e "Usage: $c_accent"exit"$c_reset [$c_arg""OPTIONS""$c_reset]"
         echo ""
         echo "Closes the current shell session, automatically archiving the window scrollback."
         echo ""
         echo "Options:"
-        echo -e "  $c_primary""-h, --help""$c_reset    Show this help message"
-        echo -e "  $c_primary""-n, --no-log""$c_reset  Exit immediately $c_bold""without""$c_reset saving a scrollback history log"
+        echo -e "  $c_arg""-h, --help""$c_reset    Show this help message"
+        echo -e "  $c_arg""-n, --no-log""$c_reset  Exit immediately $c_cmd""without""$c_reset saving a scrollback history log"
         return 0
     end
 
@@ -112,7 +108,7 @@ function smart_exit --description 'Capture colorized scrollback before exiting,
             end
         end
     else
-        echo -e "$c_warn""➔""$c_reset Exiting discreetly; $c_bold""no history logs saved.""$c_reset"
+        echo -e "$c_warn""➔""$c_reset Exiting discreetly; $c_cmd""no history logs saved.""$c_reset"
         sleep 0.4
     end
 
-- 
2.54.0


From 328e30882e160cd3f75ee578a3f21745748f288b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rootiest <chris@rootiest.com>
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 2026 20:12:59 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 10/10] test: assert converted functions still emit colour in
 --help

Runtime escape-presence check over 24 user-facing functions.

Deliberately not a static grep for __fish_palette: measured on a broken
logs.fish whose --help block lost its declarations without gaining a call,
`fish -n` exited 0 and `grep -c __fish_palette` returned 1 while the help
output went 431 B -> 150 B with every escape stripped. The full suite was
green too. Only running the function and looking for an \e byte catches it;
that demonstration is recorded as a comment above the test.

Verified red as well as green -- deleting the __fish_palette call from
functions/mkcd.fish yields:

  --help lost its colour: mkcd
  FAIL  test_functions_keep_their_palette
  16/17 passed

fish_prompt.fish is excluded by name (its own hex palette); qc is excluded
because its --help shells out to aichat, which CI lacks.
---
 tests/functional.fish | 47 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 47 insertions(+)

diff --git a/tests/functional.fish b/tests/functional.fish
index 68c64e8..590068c 100644
--- a/tests/functional.fish
+++ b/tests/functional.fish
@@ -124,6 +124,53 @@ function test_palette_roles_defined
     return 0
 end
 
+# Every user-facing function that renders a coloured --help must still emit
+# escape sequences.
+#
+# This is deliberately a RUNTIME check, never a static grep for
+# __fish_palette. Measured on a deliberately broken functions/logs.fish --
+# the palette call de-duplicated per indentation depth instead of per
+# contiguous run, so the --help block lost its declarations without gaining
+# a call:
+#
+#     fish tests/palette-bytes.fish
+#       FAIL  logs --help    stdout=DIFF stderr=ok
+#       baseline 431 B -> broken 150 B (every escape stripped)
+#
+#     fish -n functions/logs.fish        -> exit 0   (lint PASSES)
+#     grep -c '__fish_palette' logs.fish -> 1        (grep PASSES)
+#
+# Both cheap checks are green on a file whose help output has lost all of
+# its colour. Only running the function and looking for an \e byte catches
+# it. The full test suite was also green throughout.
+#
+# functions/fish_prompt.fish is excluded BY NAME. It interpolates $c_dim
+# from its own Catppuccin hex palette -- those are colour arguments passed
+# to set_color, not captured escapes -- so it legitimately never calls
+# __fish_palette and would otherwise look unconverted forever.
+#
+# qc is absent from the list on purpose: its --help shells out to aichat,
+# which is not installed in CI, so its colour path is unreachable here.
+# tests/palette-bytes.fish stubs aichat and does cover it.
+function test_functions_keep_their_palette
+    set -l colored agents-init agents-vault auto-pull config-settings \
+        config-update detach dng2avif dockup edit jobrunner kitty-logging \
+        logs mkcd open-url p pkg play-media rand_string replay repo-open \
+        scrub smart_exit spark y
+    set -l uncolored
+    for fn in $colored
+        functions -q $fn; or continue
+        if not $fn --help 2>&1 | string match -qr \e
+            set -a uncolored $fn
+        end
+    end
+    if test (count $uncolored) -gt 0
+        echo "    --help lost its colour: $uncolored"
+        return 1
+    end
+    return 0
+end
+
 function functional_test_main
     set -l names (functions -a | string match 'test_*' | sort)
     set -l failed 0
-- 
2.54.0