README.md

@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ abbreviation system for keyboard-driven workflows.
 This config layers on top of the CachyOS base Fish configuration and adds:
 
 - **Catppuccin Mocha** theming throughout (prompt, FZF, syntax highlighting)
-- **Starship** prompt with VI key bindings
+- **Starship** prompt with VI key bindings; Catppuccin Mocha nim-style fallback prompt when Starship is absent or C3 overrides are disabled
 - **Fisher** plugin manager bootstrapped automatically; manages `sponge` (failed-command history filter); FZF bindings, Catppuccin theme, done, autopair, and puffer-fish are bundled directly with the config as customized versions
 - **Smart CLI wrappers** that prefer modern tools (`eza`, `bat`, `btop`, `dust`, `prettyping`) with graceful fallbacks
 - **Auto Python venv** activation on directory change (direnv-aware)

docs/fish-config.index

@@ -191,6 +191,15 @@ logging-sentinel=#### C5 — Logging and Capture
 c6=#### C6 — Greeting and First-Run UI
 greeting=#### C6 — Greeting and First-Run UI
 
+# ── Prompt and Theme ──────────────────────────────────────────
+prompt-theme=## Prompt and Theme
+starship=### Starship
+fallback-prompt=### Catppuccin Fallback Prompt
+catppuccin-prompt=### Catppuccin Fallback Prompt
+nim-prompt=### Catppuccin Fallback Prompt
+fzf-theme=### FZF
+catppuccin-theme=### Catppuccin Mocha Syntax Highlighting
+
 # ── Section 8: Fisher Plugins ─────────────────────────────────
 plugins=# 8. FISHER PLUGINS
 fisher=# 8. FISHER PLUGINS

docs/fish-config.md

@@ -1362,7 +1362,7 @@ fish-deps manages these tools. Run `fish-deps` to check status, or
                 Rust-based tools and to build fish from source. All paths
                 are gated on type -q cargo and degrade gracefully.
     starship    Cross-shell prompt; loaded via type -q starship guard.
-                Without it fish falls back to its built-in default prompt.
+                Without it the Catppuccin nim-style fallback prompt activates.
     uv          Python package and project manager (Astral); used by the
                 fish-from-source build path in fish-deps. All consumers
                 degrade gracefully without it.
@@ -1593,7 +1593,7 @@ all of them.
     Starship prompt           fish_prompt replaced by Starship + OSC 133 markers
     Catppuccin colors         30+ fish_color_* variables set to Mocha palette
     FZF_DEFAULT_OPTS          FZF themed to Catppuccin Mocha colors
-    Right prompt              fish_right_prompt: Docker context + timestamp
+    Right prompt              fish_right_prompt: exit code (on failure) + dim timestamp; always rendered; Docker context added when starship+C3 active
 
 The bang-bang system spans key_bindings.fish, abbr.fish, puffer.fish, and
 six expand_bang_*.fish functions. All are gated together — disabling C3
@@ -1694,6 +1694,36 @@ markers on the prompt line itself. This allows ov to use them as sticky
 section headers when browsing scrollback logs. Without Starship, fish's
 built-in prompt handles these markers automatically.
 
+### Catppuccin Fallback Prompt
+
+When Starship is absent or C3 overrides are disabled, a built-in nim-style
+two-line prompt activates from functions/fish_prompt.fish. No external
+dependencies — fish builtins only.
+
+Layout:
+
+    ┬─[user@host:~/path] (main)
+    ╰─>$
+
+Elements:
+
+    user        Yellow (Catppuccin Yellow); red if root
+    @host       Blue (local) or Teal (SSH)
+    ~/path      prompt_pwd abbreviation (Catppuccin Text)
+    (main)      Current git branch in Catppuccin Pink; omitted outside repos
+    ─[V:name]   Active Python venv basename; omitted when none
+    ─[N/I/R/V]  Vi-mode indicator when vi bindings are active
+    ┬─ / ╰─>    Connector lines: Catppuccin Green on success, Red on failure
+
+The right prompt (fish_right_prompt.fish) always renders, regardless of C3
+state. On failure it shows a red ✘ and the exit code; on success it shows
+only the dim timestamp. When starship is installed and C3 is enabled, the
+active Docker context is also shown (if non-default):
+
+    ✘ 1   󰡨 myctx   Fri Jun 12 00:51:21 2026     ← failed, starship+C3 active
+    ✘ 1   Fri Jun 12 00:51:21 2026               ← failed, fallback prompt
+    Fri Jun 12 00:51:21 2026                     ← success (no ✘)
+
 ### FZF
 
 FZF is themed to Catppuccin Mocha via FZF_DEFAULT_OPTS set in

functions/fish_mode_prompt.fish

@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+# Copyright (C) 2026 Rootiest
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
+#
+# SYNOPSIS
+#   fish_mode_prompt
+#
+# DESCRIPTION
+#   Empty override. Suppresses fish's built-in vi-mode prefix ([N]/[I]/etc.)
+#   that would prepend to the prompt line and break the two-line nim layout.
+#   Vi-mode display is handled inside fish_prompt itself.
+#
+# RETURNS
+#   0  Always (function body is empty)
+#
+# EXAMPLE
+#   # Rendered automatically by fish; not called directly.
+function fish_mode_prompt
+end

functions/fish_prompt.fish

@@ -0,0 +1,143 @@
+# Copyright (C) 2026 Rootiest
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
+#
+# SYNOPSIS
+#   fish_prompt
+#
+# DESCRIPTION
+#   Catppuccin Mocha fallback prompt (nim-style, two-line). Active whenever
+#   the starship prompt is not available — either starship is not installed or
+#   C3 overrides are disabled. Has no external dependencies; uses only fish-provided functions
+#   (set_color, fish_git_prompt, prompt_pwd, prompt_hostname).
+#
+# RETURNS
+#   0  Always; outputs the prompt to stdout
+#
+# EXAMPLE
+#   # Rendered automatically by fish; not called directly.
+function fish_prompt
+    set -l last_status $status
+
+    # Catppuccin Mocha hex palette
+    set -l c_green  '#a6e3a1'
+    set -l c_red    '#f38ba8'
+    set -l c_yellow '#f9e2af'
+    set -l c_text   '#cdd6f4'
+    set -l c_blue   '#89b4fa'
+    set -l c_teal   '#94e2d5'
+    set -l c_pink   '#f5c2e7'
+    set -l c_dim    '#6c7086'
+    set -l c_mauve  '#cba6f7'
+
+    # Line/connector color tracks last exit status; brackets stay bold green
+    set -l retc $c_green
+    test $last_status -ne 0; and set retc $c_red
+
+    # Enable upstream arrows in git prompt (↑/↓)
+    set -q __fish_git_prompt_showupstream
+    or set -g __fish_git_prompt_showupstream auto
+
+    # ─── First line ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+    set_color $retc
+    echo -n '┬─'
+    set_color --bold $c_green
+    echo -n '['
+
+    # Username: red if root, yellow otherwise
+    if functions -q fish_is_root_user; and fish_is_root_user
+        set_color --bold $c_red
+    else
+        set_color --bold $c_yellow
+    end
+    echo -n $USER
+
+    set_color --bold $c_text
+    echo -n '@'
+
+    # Hostname: teal if SSH, blue if local
+    if test -n "$SSH_CLIENT"
+        set_color --bold $c_teal
+    else
+        set_color --bold $c_blue
+    end
+    echo -n (prompt_hostname)
+
+    set_color --bold $c_text
+    echo -n ':'
+    set_color $c_text
+    echo -n (prompt_pwd)
+    set_color --bold $c_green
+    echo -n ']'
+    set_color normal
+
+    # Vi-mode segment ─[N/I/R/V]
+    if test "$fish_key_bindings" = fish_vi_key_bindings
+        or test "$fish_key_bindings" = fish_hybrid_key_bindings
+        set -l mode_str
+        switch $fish_bind_mode
+            case default
+                set mode_str (set_color --bold $c_red)'N'(set_color normal)
+            case insert
+                set mode_str (set_color --bold $c_green)'I'(set_color normal)
+            case replace_one replace
+                set mode_str (set_color --bold $c_teal)'R'(set_color normal)
+            case visual
+                set mode_str (set_color --bold $c_mauve)'V'(set_color normal)
+            case operator
+                set mode_str (set_color --bold $c_teal)'O'(set_color normal)
+            case '*'
+                set mode_str (set_color --bold $c_dim)'?'(set_color normal)
+        end
+        set_color $retc
+        echo -n '─'
+        set_color --bold $c_green
+        echo -n '['
+        echo -n $mode_str
+        set_color --bold $c_green
+        echo -n ']'
+        set_color normal
+    end
+
+    # Virtual environment segment ─[V:name]
+    set -q VIRTUAL_ENV_DISABLE_PROMPT
+    or set -g VIRTUAL_ENV_DISABLE_PROMPT true
+    if set -q VIRTUAL_ENV
+        set_color $retc
+        echo -n '─'
+        set_color --bold $c_green
+        echo -n '['
+        set_color normal
+        set_color $retc
+        echo -n 'V:'(path basename "$VIRTUAL_ENV")
+        set_color --bold $c_green
+        echo -n ']'
+        set_color normal
+    end
+
+    # Git branch in Catppuccin Pink, wrapped in parens: (main)
+    set -l git_info (fish_git_prompt '%s')
+    if test -n "$git_info"
+        echo -n ' '
+        set_color $c_pink
+        echo -n "($git_info)"
+        set_color normal
+    end
+
+    echo  # newline
+
+    # Background jobs (one per line, dim)
+    for job in (jobs -c)
+        set_color $retc
+        echo -n '│ '
+        set_color $c_dim
+        echo $job
+    end
+    set_color normal
+
+    # ─── Second line ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+    set_color $retc
+    echo -n '╰─>'
+    set_color --bold $c_red
+    echo -n '$ '
+    set_color normal
+end

functions/fish_right_prompt.fish

@@ -1,34 +1,43 @@
 # Copyright (C) 2026 Rootiest
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
-
+#
 # SYNOPSIS
 #   fish_right_prompt
 #
 # DESCRIPTION
-#   Renders the right-side prompt showing the active Docker context (in blue,
-#   when non-default) and the current timestamp.
+#   Renders the right-side prompt. Always shows a dim timestamp. When the last
+#   command failed, prefixes it with a red ✘ and the exit code. When starship
+#   is installed and C3 overrides are enabled, also shows the active Docker
+#   context (if non-default) — that block is paired with the starship prompt
+#   which already guards on both conditions.
+#
+# RETURNS
+#   0  Always
 #
 # EXAMPLE
-#   # Rendered automatically by Fish shell; not called directly.
-function fish_right_prompt --description 'Execute fish_right_prompt'
-    # Opinionated guard (C3): no right prompt when overrides are disabled.
-    __fish_config_op_enabled __fish_config_op_overrides; or return
+#   # Rendered automatically by fish; not called directly.
+function fish_right_prompt
+    set -l last_status $status
 
-    # 1. Docker Context in Blue
-    set -l docker_ctx (docker context show 2>/dev/null)
-    if test -n "$docker_ctx"; and test "$docker_ctx" != default
-        set_color blue
-        echo -n "󰡨 $docker_ctx "
+    # Failed command: red ✘ + exit code; hidden when 0
+    if test $last_status -ne 0
+        set_color '#f38ba8'
+        echo -n "✘ $last_status  "
         set_color normal
     end
 
-    # 2. Timestamp Logic with Fallback
-    set_color brblack
-    if type -q __bobthefish_timestamp
-        __bobthefish_timestamp
-    else
-        # Manual fallback format: Wed Feb 11 15:04:28 2026
-        date "+%a %b %d %H:%M:%S %Y"
+    # Docker context — only relevant alongside the starship prompt
+    if type -q starship; and __fish_config_op_enabled __fish_config_op_overrides
+        set -l docker_ctx (docker context show 2>/dev/null)
+        if test -n "$docker_ctx"; and test "$docker_ctx" != default
+            set_color blue
+            echo -n "󰡨 $docker_ctx "
+            set_color normal
+        end
     end
+
+    # Timestamp — Catppuccin Overlay0 (dim)
+    set_color '#6c7086'
+    date "+%a %b %d %H:%M:%S %Y"
     set_color normal
 end