diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..58c28f9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+# pmacs agent instructions
+
+**Start here: read `docs/agent-handoff.md`, then
+`docs/active-work.md`, before taking on any work.** The handoff carries
+durable project state, working method, substrate invariants, and the
+standing backlog. The active-work ledger carries volatile branches,
+checkpoints, verification, and exact cross-machine recovery commands.
+Keep both updated according to their own update protocols.
+
+Always true, independent of the handoff:
+
+- Rust core + Lua runtime (`builtin/runtime/*.lua`), TUI + GPU
+  (`pmacs-gpu`) frontends over a versioned semantic protocol
+  (`pmacs-protocol`). `#![forbid(unsafe_code)]`.
+- Workflow: framing doc in `docs/` -> user approval -> branch -> implement
+  -> full gate suite -> PR -> user review rounds -> user says when to
+  merge. Never merge unprompted. One feature, one branch, one PR.
+- Gates before any PR: `cargo fmt --check`; `cargo clippy --workspace
+  --all-targets -- -D warnings` (as its own step); `cargo test --lib`;
+  `cargo test --lib --features crdt`; the touched acceptance suites;
+  `cargo test --test m4_acceptance -- --skip basedpyright`;
+  `PMACS_REQUIRE_GPU=1 cargo test -p pmacs-gpu`; `git diff --check`.
+- The checkout may be shared with the user: check `git status` for
+  foreign uncommitted work before stash, checkout, or branch operations,
+  and never delete untracked files you did not create.
+- The canonical development URL is
+  `https://github.com/levineuwirth/pmacs.git`; recovery docs normalize
+  it to the local alias `githubsucks`. Remote names such as `origin` are
+  machine-local and carry no authority by themselves. Bootstrap/verify
+  the alias via `docs/active-work.md` before basing new work.
+- Work is portable only after it is committed and pushed. Uncommitted
+  worktree changes, untracked files, and `/tmp` dependencies do not
+  travel to another machine.
+- Write commit messages with `git commit -F <file>`. Never use
+  `git add .`.
diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index 1ede25a..58c28f9 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -1,18 +1,19 @@
-# pmacs — agent instructions
+# pmacs agent instructions
 
-**Start here: read `docs/agent-handoff.md` before taking on any work.**
-It carries current project state, the working method, substrate
-invariants, and the standing backlog — it is the continuity bridge
-between development machines. Keep it updated as part of your work
-(update protocol is in the file itself).
+**Start here: read `docs/agent-handoff.md`, then
+`docs/active-work.md`, before taking on any work.** The handoff carries
+durable project state, working method, substrate invariants, and the
+standing backlog. The active-work ledger carries volatile branches,
+checkpoints, verification, and exact cross-machine recovery commands.
+Keep both updated according to their own update protocols.
 
 Always true, independent of the handoff:
 
 - Rust core + Lua runtime (`builtin/runtime/*.lua`), TUI + GPU
   (`pmacs-gpu`) frontends over a versioned semantic protocol
   (`pmacs-protocol`). `#![forbid(unsafe_code)]`.
-- Workflow: framing doc in `docs/` → user approval → branch → implement
-  → full gate suite → PR → user's review rounds → user says when to
+- Workflow: framing doc in `docs/` -> user approval -> branch -> implement
+  -> full gate suite -> PR -> user review rounds -> user says when to
   merge. Never merge unprompted. One feature, one branch, one PR.
 - Gates before any PR: `cargo fmt --check`; `cargo clippy --workspace
   --all-targets -- -D warnings` (as its own step); `cargo test --lib`;
@@ -20,7 +21,15 @@ Always true, independent of the handoff:
   `cargo test --test m4_acceptance -- --skip basedpyright`;
   `PMACS_REQUIRE_GPU=1 cargo test -p pmacs-gpu`; `git diff --check`.
 - The checkout may be shared with the user: check `git status` for
-  foreign uncommitted work before stash/checkout/branch operations, and
-  never delete untracked files you didn't create.
-- Commit messages via `git commit -F <file>`, ending with the Claude
-  co-author line; PR bodies end with the Claude Code attribution.
+  foreign uncommitted work before stash, checkout, or branch operations,
+  and never delete untracked files you did not create.
+- The canonical development URL is
+  `https://github.com/levineuwirth/pmacs.git`; recovery docs normalize
+  it to the local alias `githubsucks`. Remote names such as `origin` are
+  machine-local and carry no authority by themselves. Bootstrap/verify
+  the alias via `docs/active-work.md` before basing new work.
+- Work is portable only after it is committed and pushed. Uncommitted
+  worktree changes, untracked files, and `/tmp` dependencies do not
+  travel to another machine.
+- Write commit messages with `git commit -F <file>`. Never use
+  `git add .`.
diff --git a/docs/active-work.md b/docs/active-work.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c30e04e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/active-work.md
@@ -0,0 +1,137 @@
+# Active work — cross-machine resume ledger
+
+**Snapshot: 2026-07-21.** This file records volatile work that has not
+landed on `main`. Read it after `docs/agent-handoff.md`. Remove completed
+entries when their PR merges; do not let this become a second permanent
+backlog.
+
+## Repository authority
+
+- Canonical development URL:
+  `https://github.com/levineuwirth/pmacs.git`. This ledger uses the
+  normalized local alias `githubsucks` so its refs and recovery commands
+  are identical on every machine. Remote names are otherwise
+  machine-local: `origin` may name this canonical URL, a release mirror,
+  or something else, and therefore has no authority by name alone.
+- Canonical base at this snapshot:
+  `githubsucks/main` @ `2e37c04` (#127 merged; protocol v18).
+- On the transfer source, `origin/main` named a release mirror at
+  `d3fa632` and lagged badly. On the current destination, `origin` names
+  the canonical URL. This difference is why all recovery begins by
+  verifying URLs and normalizing `githubsucks` rather than trusting
+  `origin/main`.
+- The shared desktop checkout contained unrelated uncommitted work. The
+  branches below were prepared in isolated worktrees; never clean or
+  overwrite the shared checkout to recover them.
+
+Start on another machine by inspecting its remotes:
+
+```sh
+git remote -v
+git remote get-url githubsucks
+```
+
+If the second command says the alias is absent, add it; if it prints a
+different URL, stop and resolve that collision rather than overwriting an
+unknown remote:
+
+```sh
+git remote add githubsucks https://github.com/levineuwirth/pmacs.git
+```
+
+Then recover current refs:
+
+```sh
+git fetch githubsucks --prune
+git log -1 --oneline githubsucks/main
+git worktree list
+git status --short --branch
+```
+
+The first command must expose `2e37c04` or a newer intentional main.
+If it does not, stop and repair the remote/fetch configuration.
+
+
+## Vterm Stage 2 framing lane
+
+- Portable branch: `githubsucks/vterm-framing`
+- Approved framing head: `fb4f8f0`
+- Base: canonical `main` @ `643d1e1` (Vterm Stage 1 / PR #126 merged).
+  `main` has since advanced to `2e37c04` (config registry #127, no
+  runtime overlap with vterm); cut the Stage 2 lane from current `main`,
+  not from `643d1e1`.
+- State: `docs/vterm-framing.md` Revision 7 is framing-only, reviewed, and
+  approved for implementation. It closes the final `at_bottom`, terminal
+  `C-c` binding-reachability, and context-implicit Lua failure-mode findings.
+  There is no Stage 2 runtime implementation or PR yet.
+- Next lane: create `pmacs-vterm-tui` / `vterm-tui` from current canonical
+  `main`, carry the approved framing as its first commit, then implement and
+  gate Stage 2. Do not implement on `vterm-framing`.
+
+Recovery worktree on a machine that does not already own the branch:
+
+```sh
+git worktree add --track \
+  -b vterm-framing \
+  ../pmacs-vterm-framing \
+  githubsucks/vterm-framing
+```
+
+## Parked lane: kill-ring browser + persistence
+
+- Portable branch: `githubsucks/kill-ring-browser`
+- Parked framing head: `503c489`
+- State: framing only, revision 2; no implementation and no PR.
+- Status: explicitly parked by the user on 2026-07-20.
+- Its original scout was based on `0efb5cd`. The preserved framing marks
+  this ground truth stale and requires a complete re-scout against the
+  then-current `githubsucks/main` before implementation.
+- Compile-mode has merged since the original scout, so old
+  “compile-mode in flight” keybinding/touch-set assumptions are not
+  authoritative.
+
+Recovery worktree, only when the user un-parks it:
+
+```sh
+git worktree add --track \
+  -b kill-ring-browser \
+  ../pmacs-kill-ring-browser \
+  githubsucks/kill-ring-browser
+```
+
+## Documentation lane
+
+- Portable branch: `githubsucks/handoff-2026-07-20`
+- Carries synchronized `AGENTS.md` / `CLAUDE.md`, this ledger, the
+  durable handoff refresh, and the keybinding reference correction.
+- It changes no runtime code.
+- Review and merge this documentation branch separately; it must not be
+  folded into a feature framing branch.
+- Now also absorbs both landed arcs: Vterm Stage 1 (#126) and the config
+  registry (#127). Canonical `main` is merged into it up to `2e37c04`,
+  so its diff against `main` is documentation only.
+
+## Closed since the last snapshot
+
+- **Config registry — MERGED as #127** (`main` @ `2e37c04`). Its lane
+  (`config-registry`, worktree `../pmacs-config-registry`) is done; the
+  branch is kept but carries nothing unmerged. Durable substrate facts
+  moved to `docs/agent-handoff.md` §1 per rule 3 below.
+- Both this and Vterm Stage 1 ran as **concurrent lanes in sibling
+  worktrees off `main`**, with the shared files (`src/editor.rs`,
+  `src/lua_bindings/mod.rs`, `src/lib.rs`) assigned to one lane each in
+  advance. The rebase of the second lane onto the first had **zero
+  conflicts** — worth repeating for future parallel work, along with its
+  precondition: agree the file split before either lane starts, and keep
+  each lane's footprint in the other's files to a single line.
+
+## Update protocol
+
+Whenever a listed lane changes materially:
+
+1. update its public branch and head/state here;
+2. record new verification and remove superseded caveats;
+3. keep durable architecture in `docs/agent-handoff.md`, not here;
+4. remove the lane after merge or abandonment;
+5. verify every recovery command from a clean worktree before calling
+   the transfer complete.
diff --git a/docs/agent-handoff.md b/docs/agent-handoff.md
index d811f1d..bb2fb8d 100644
--- a/docs/agent-handoff.md
+++ b/docs/agent-handoff.md
@@ -1,18 +1,66 @@
 # Agent handoff — cross-machine continuity
 
-**Last updated: 2026-07-21, after Vterm Stage 1 review round 2 was addressed
-and fully gated on `vterm-core` (awaiting merge authorization; not merged).
-Vterm Stages 2 and 3 are not implemented.** This file is the bridge between development
-machines. If you are an agent reading on a fresh clone: this document
-plus the `docs/*-framing.md` files ARE your memory. Read this fully
-before taking on work, seed persistent memory from it, and **update this
-file (and commit it) whenever project state changes materially** — the
-next machine reads it the way you just did.
+**Last updated: 2026-07-21, after the config registry (#127) and Vterm
+Stage 1 terminal core (#126) both landed on `main`, atop completed
+Themes Arc 4 (#120/#124/#125). Vterm Stages 2 and 3 are not
+implemented.**
+This file is the
+bridge between development machines. If you are an agent reading
+this on a fresh clone: this document plus the `docs/*-framing.md`
+files ARE your memory. Read this fully before taking on work, seed
+your persistent memory from it, and **update this file (and commit
+it) whenever project state changes materially** — the next machine
+reads it the way you just did.
+
+For volatile branches, checkpoints, verification, and recovery
+commands, read `docs/active-work.md` immediately after this file.
 
 ## 1. Where the project stands (2026-07-21)
 
-- Canonical `main` @ `7bc0c61` (#125 merged), protocol
-  **v18** (`SUPPORTED=[6..18]`).
+- `main` @ `2e37c04` (config registry #127), protocol **v18**
+  (`SUPPORTED=[6..18]`; v16 = `ThemeFacts`, v17 = `FontFacts`, v18 =
+  `StatuslineSegments`).
+- **Config registry LANDED — #127** (`docs/config-registry-framing.md`
+  rev 3; merge `2e37c04`; two review rounds). `pmacs.config` is the
+  typed, introspectable options registry the backlog ranked first, and
+  it closes the "config-registry-blocked" deferrals below. It was built
+  as a PARALLEL LANE alongside vterm in a sibling worktree; the files
+  were assigned per-lane up front and the rebase had zero conflicts.
+  - **Third registry** beside `CommandRegistry`/`HookRegistry`
+    (`src/config_registry.rs`), same R42/R50/duplicate-rejection/
+    `SourceLocation` vocabulary; Lua surface in
+    `src/lua_bindings/config.rs`. **No protocol change (still v18) and
+    ZERO changes to `src/editor.rs`.**
+  - **An override is ALWAYS stored**, even when equal to the value it
+    shadows; only `value_epoch` and listener dispatch key on effective
+    change. The "equal-value set is a no-op" reading silently voids a
+    buffer-local pin: nothing is stored, and a later global `set` flips
+    the very buffer the user pinned.
+  - **Two scopes: global and buffer-local.** `get(name, buf)` resolves
+    local → global → default; **`get(name)` resolves the GLOBAL CHAIN
+    ONLY** and never consults an ambient buffer. Per-language and
+    per-project are *patterns* (a hook calling `set_local`), not scopes
+    the registry knows about. Mode scope is impossible until the mode
+    system is wired — every editor `KeymapStack::resolve` passes `&[]`.
+  - Buffer-locals live in a registry side table purged at
+    `after_buffer_removed`, beside the keymap purge.
+  - Listeners: commit → snapshot → **drop the borrow** → re-enter Lua;
+    a raising listener is logged without blocking the rest or rolling
+    back; a depth bound turns a cycle into a pointed error. **Explicit
+    dispose only** — there is no `MetaMethod::Gc` anywhere in the
+    codebase, and GC timing differs between the two Lua backends.
+  - `StartupOnly` freezes off the existing `InitCompleteFlag` at write
+    time (which is why no `editor.rs` call was needed). In `--lib`
+    builds `set_init_complete` never runs, so a post-freeze test must
+    flip the flag explicitly or it passes vacuously.
+  - Adopters own their own `define`, so `SourceLocation` names the
+    owning module: `editing.auto-pair` (pair.lua, read against the
+    typed edit's SOURCE buffer), `editing.trim-on-save` (editops.lua,
+    read against the buffer being saved), `autosave.interval-ms`
+    (autosave.lua, re-read per tick). **The migration wrappers keep
+    their legacy coercion** — the registry is strict, the legacy setters
+    stay lenient (`trim_on_save("yes")`, `interval_ms(1500.7)`).
+  - `M-x describe-setting` renders into `*help*`.
 - **Syntax-highlight / language-detection side-quest (#114–#118)
   LANDED** — a one-shot arc built in sibling worktrees off main while
   the user's themes lane (`theme-faces`) ran concurrently in the shared
@@ -69,6 +117,16 @@ next machine reads it the way you just did.
   `inline` node; matches tree-sitter-md's own splitter), and the wire
   flattener runs over the WHOLE buffer via the file-style summary, so it
   must be an event sweep, not O(spans²).
+- **JSON + YAML grammars and language servers (#123) LANDED** — bundled
+  ABI-current `tree-sitter-json` / `tree-sitter-yaml` cover `.json`,
+  `.yaml`, and `.yml`; the existing injection engine now highlights YAML
+  frontmatter and JSON/YAML fences. Default external LSP configs are the
+  pinned `vscode-json-language-server` provider and
+  `yaml-language-server`; configured settings are pushed after
+  `initialized`, which also supports push-model servers. The fake-server
+  delivery proof and PATH-gated live JSON/YAML provider smokes cover the
+  configuration contract. `.jsonc` / `.json5` remain a deliberate
+  follow-up because the JSON grammar is strict.
 - **Compile-mode (Arc 5 stage 1, #113) LANDED** (2026-07-14, 7 rounds;
   framing `docs/compile-mode-framing.md` rev 13). `compile.run` streams
   `/bin/sh -c "exec 2>&1; <cmd>"` into an intercept-read-only
@@ -120,13 +178,12 @@ next machine reads it the way you just did.
     workspace sweep 2,718 passed across 78 suites (19 ignored,
     `basedpyright` filtered); `git diff --check` clean. Stage 3 landed
     as #125 and completed Arc 4 on `main`.
-- **Vterm Stage 1 terminal core IMPLEMENTED ON `vterm-core`, FULLY GATED,
-  AWAITING MERGE AUTHORIZATION, NOT MERGED** (`docs/vterm-framing.md` rev 5).
+- **Vterm Stage 1 terminal core LANDED ON `main` — #126**
+  (`docs/vterm-framing.md` rev 5; merge `643d1e1`).
   - Implementation commits: `bbc1f33` (Stage 1), `962944b` (Darwin signal
     normalization), first-review fixes `f0a235f`, `28f2e6c`, `bf972a7`, and
-    second-review hardening `9797ada`; pull request: #126,
-    <https://github.com/levineuwirth/pmacs/pull/126> (open, non-draft,
-    targeting `main`).
+    second-review hardening `9797ada`; reviewed feature head `fc4e0ce` merged
+    through PR #126, <https://github.com/levineuwirth/pmacs/pull/126>.
   - `AnsiParserProfile::{LineOriented, FullScreen}` preserves compile/REPL
     behavior while terminal PTYs emit the full cursor/mode/device operation
     set. `src/terminal/{screen,input,session}.rs` owns the state machine,
@@ -174,6 +231,10 @@ next machine reads it the way you just did.
     authenticated source routing, protocol-owned wire types/limits, and a
     deliberate complete-frame limit decision: 16 MiB is insufficient; use a
     measured legal-worst cap or aggregate bound, never silent chunking.
+- **PARKED: kill-ring browser + persistence.** Revision 2 framing is
+  preserved on branch `kill-ring-browser`, but its `0efb5cd` scout is stale
+  and must be repeated before implementation. No PR or implementation is
+  active.
 - Roadmap: `docs/roadmap-2026-07.md` (ranked arcs). Position:
   - **Arc 1 (LSP utility surface) COMPLETE** — completion popup
     (#92/#93), panels/references/outline/hover (#94–#96), plus
@@ -184,6 +245,16 @@ next machine reads it the way you just did.
   - **Arc 3 (persistence) COMPLETE** — saveplace/recentf (#98),
     desktop-save (#99), autosave/crash-recovery (#100), save-clobber
     fix (#101).
+  - **Arc 4 (themes + extensibility) COMPLETE** — named UI faces (#120),
+    live GPU font preferences (#124), statusline providers (#125).
+  - **Arc 5 terminal stage ACTIVE** — compile mode (#113) and Vterm terminal
+    core (#126) landed; Vterm TUI is the next formal stage.
+  - **Config registry COMPLETE (#127)** — not a numbered arc; it was the
+    cross-cutting substrate ranked first on
+    `docs/side-quest-backlog.md`'s north star, and it unblocks the
+    editing/indent/comment items that were config-blocked.
+  - Remaining ranked arcs: 6 folding, 7 DAP, 8 GPU splits, plus the
+    `.ipynb` arc (its JSON-grammar prerequisite shipped in #123).
 
 ## 2. How we work (the part that must not drift)
 
@@ -292,8 +363,10 @@ buffer owns a path's recovery slot; only recover/discard release
 unclaimed crash data; adopt clears the old owner's skip cache.
 
 **Protocol** — encoding-breaking bumps are deliberate and versioned
-(`SUPPORTED=[6..15]`). v15 = `CompletionPopup` + `StatusFacts.message`.
-New wire surface ⇒ bump + both-frontends support + acceptance.
+(`SUPPORTED=[6..18]`). v15 = `CompletionPopup` +
+`StatusFacts.message`; v16 = `ThemeFacts`; v17 = `FontFacts`; v18 =
+`StatuslineSegments`. New wire surface ⇒ bump + both-frontends support +
+acceptance.
 
 **Fake LSP** (`src/bin/pmacs_fake_lsp.rs`) modes: `fullonly`,
 `rangeonly`, `rangeonly16` (UTF-16 + fail-closed bounds validation),
@@ -337,6 +410,28 @@ New wire surface ⇒ bump + both-frontends support + acceptance.
   in per-session baselines; and any daemon-side reset needs its
   frontend mirror audited in the same round (the GPU snapshot arm
   missed search/menu/status the first time).
+- **Tab width is a rendering-parity bug, NOT a config gap** (scouted at
+  `7bc0c61` while framing #127; still true). There are FIVE tab-width
+  sites across TWO crates with TWO different values: `TAB_WIDTH = 8` in
+  `src/text_view.rs`, `src/highlight.rs`, `src/diag.rs` and
+  `src/completion.rs`, versus `advance_minimap_col` in
+  `pmacs-gpu/src/main.rs` expanding to **4** — and the GPU's main text
+  path expands tabs *not at all* (buffer bytes reach the frontend raw,
+  so a literal `\t` is shaped by the font). `editor.tab-width` is
+  therefore the obvious-looking first config adopter and is not one:
+  defining the setting cannot make the GPU honor it. Doing it properly
+  needs frontend tab expansion plus a wire-or-frontend-local decision.
+  Deferred from #127 on exactly these grounds; don't re-plan it as a
+  config task.
+- **A test that never runs passes.** Two #127 review-round tests passed
+  vacuously at first: `pmacs.editor.save()` is the RAW save, while
+  `buffer.before-save` fires inside the `buffer.save` COMMAND
+  (`builtin/commands/default.lua`), and `save()` no-ops on an
+  unmodified buffer — so a fixture that opens a file and saves it
+  asserts on bytes nothing rewrote. Dirty the buffer with a real edit
+  and go through `pmacs.command.invoke("buffer.save")`. Caught only
+  because the *other* case failed and the cause was chased instead of
+  the assertion adjusted.
 
 ## 6. Named deferrals (the standing backlog, consolidated)
 
@@ -347,8 +442,9 @@ mid-line comment spans, comment-dwim append-at-EOL, per-language
 comment padding. Pairing (framing "Deferred"): wrap-region on opener,
 pair-aware backspace, RET-inside-pair closer-on-own-line,
 in-string/in-comment inhibit (needs node-at-byte `pmacs.parse`),
-undo amalgamation (pair = one step), balance-aware quotes,
-per-buffer toggle (config-registry-blocked). Editops deferrals (full
+undo amalgamation (pair = one step), balance-aware quotes
+(the per-buffer toggle SHIPPED in #127 as `editing.auto-pair`).
+Editops deferrals (full
 list in its framing): recenter (blocked on viewport facts — the GPU
 never consumes daemon `view_top`), Unicode case/word classes,
 region-spanning move/duplicate, locale collation for sort-lines,
@@ -364,7 +460,20 @@ origin-pinned `buffer.after-edit` fan-out (a context-switching
 intercept changes what later callbacks — LSP, completion — observe).
 LSP/persistence: hidden-buffer LSP attach, daemon desktop-restore, the
 *warning* half of external-change detection (verify-visited-file-
-modtime), config registry (no unified config surface yet).
+modtime).
+Config registry (SHIPPED #127; these are its own named deferrals):
+persistence of settings and the `custom-file` split-brain question,
+`M-x list-settings` as a listview panel, a settings completion source
+for the minibuffer (`minibuffer.read`'s `source` is a fixed Rust-side
+vocabulary), table-valued settings (so `pmacs.lsp.config`,
+`pmacs.pair.sets`, `pmacs.comment.strings` and the `pmacs.parse.*`
+write-through proxies stay raw Lua), migrating the remaining scalar
+setters (`async_config` ×2, `killring.max`, the `enable` booleans) and
+`pmacs.gpu.set_font`, pending-set staging for names defined after
+`init.lua` runs, and a `scope = "global"` define flag — `set_local` is
+currently accepted for `autosave.interval-ms`, where a per-buffer
+value is meaningless.
+**Tab width is NOT a config gap** — see §5.
 Highlight/detection (from the #114–#118 side-quest + injections #122):
 locals-query processing (run each grammar's LOCALS_QUERY so
 `#is?`/`#is-not? local` is honored instead of the current fail-closed
@@ -377,18 +486,11 @@ runtime/Lua-registered languages (v1 resolves only against
 `BUILTIN_LANGUAGES`), and the next injection *consumers* gated on new
 grammars — HTML/CSS/GraphQL/SQL (`<script>`/`<style>`, JS/TS template
 literals, doc-comment code); modeline detection as a 5th layer
-(`-*- mode: … -*-` / `# vim: ft=…`);
+  (`-*- mode: … -*-` / `# vim: ft=…`);
 byte-accurate multibyte cursor placement in `move_active_cursor_to`
-(still steps one codepoint per LSP byte column). **JSON + YAML PR #123
-OPEN** (grammar-gap style, `tree-sitter-json`/`-yaml`; LSP configs
-`vscode-json-language-server` with provider pin
-`@t1ckbase/vscode-langservers-extracted@2.0.2`, plus
-`yaml-language-server`). The public and checkpoint branches are both at
-fully gated `5c202c5`, rebased onto `f8096ff`; the JSON and YAML
-PATH-gated pmacs smokes both passed, and the PR awaits user review.
-Once merged, YAML `---` and TOML `+++` markdown frontmatter highlight via
-the #122 engine and the Jupyter reader → editable → kernel arc has both
-grammar prerequisites.
+(still steps one codepoint per LSP byte column). A full Jupyter `.ipynb`
+setup (reader → editable → kernel execution) now has its JSON grammar
+prerequisite, but remains a real arc, not a one-shot.
 GPU: auto-reconnect after daemon restart, splits/multi-buffer, gutter
 riders (whitespace guides, folding, git markers).
 Themes (full list in theme-faces framing rev 9 "Deferred (named)"):
@@ -397,7 +499,8 @@ popup/menu/dropdown bg + selected-row faces, `ui.background` /
 palette (+`ui.selection` for peer rects), `ui.inlay_hint` (needs the
 epoch treatment on its producer), wire alpha, `Indexed` palette
 unification, named-theme registry / light theme / persistence
-(config-registry-blocked), grid-vs-wire `default_style` asymmetry,
+(the registry exists now, #127; theme persistence still waits on
+settings persistence), grid-vs-wire `default_style` asymmetry,
 mask widening (gutter bg, wash glyph recolor, statusline bg echo
 surface, chrome bold/italic/underline re-shaping).
 Housekeeping: F-016 `lua_bindings/mod.rs` split paused mid-way
@@ -419,5 +522,7 @@ Don't expect them in a clone; on the desktop, never delete them.
 When a PR merges, an arc opens/closes, or a decision lands: edit the
 snapshot (§1), append lessons (§5) and deferrals (§6) as they arise,
 bump the date line at the top, and commit — usually riding the same PR
-as the work. Keep it under ~250 lines: this is a briefing, not a log;
-prune sections that stop being true.
+as the work. Keep durable architecture here; put branch hashes,
+machine-local tools, incomplete verification, and recovery commands in
+`docs/active-work.md`. This is a briefing, not a log: prune sections
+that stop being true.
diff --git a/docs/keybindings.md b/docs/keybindings.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b94bd63
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/keybindings.md
@@ -0,0 +1,379 @@
+# pmacs keybindings — reference
+
+**Last verified against `main` @ `f8096ff` (2026-07-20).** This is a
+snapshot, not generated output — when a PR adds, removes, or rebinds a
+key, update this file in the same PR (see §6). If you're an agent and
+this file looks stale against the code it cites, trust the code.
+
+pmacs keys come from two independent places:
+
+- **The Lua keymap** (§1–2) — `pmacs.keymap.bind{...}` calls, resolved
+  by the Rust dispatcher against whatever `init.lua` has bound at
+  runtime. Fully user-rebindable: unbind or rebind any of these from
+  init.lua (§5).
+- **Rust-hardcoded modal shadows** (§3) — isearch, query-replace,
+  the minibuffer/prompt, the completion popup, and the context menu
+  each shadow the Lua keymap while active: `EditorInstance::dispatch_key`
+  (`src/editor.rs:658-733`) checks these modes, highest-priority first,
+  before a key ever reaches the Lua dispatcher. **Not user-configurable**
+  — there is no `pmacs.keymap` surface for them; changing one means
+  editing the mode's `from_chord` decoder in Rust.
+
+Notation matches what `pmacs.keymap.bind` accepts: `C-` = Ctrl, `M-` =
+Alt/Meta, `S-` = Shift, bare letters/punctuation self-insert when
+unmodified. Named keys are angle-bracketed (`<left>`, `<up>`, `<home>`)
+or all-caps (`RET`, `BS`/Backspace, `DEL`/Delete, `TAB`, `SPC`).
+Sequences separated by spaces (`C-x C-s`) are chords typed in order.
+
+## 1. Global keymap
+
+Source: `builtin/keymaps/default.lua` unless noted. All bound at
+`scope = "global"`.
+
+### Cursor motion
+
+| Key | Command |
+|---|---|
+| `C-a` / `<home>` | `cursor.line-start` |
+| `C-e` / `<end>` | `cursor.line-end` |
+| `C-f` / `<right>` | `cursor.right` |
+| `C-b` / `<left>` | `cursor.left` |
+| `C-n` / `<down>` | `cursor.down` |
+| `C-p` / `<up>` | `cursor.up` |
+| `C-<left>` / `M-b` | `cursor.word-left` |
+| `C-<right>` / `M-f` | `cursor.word-right` |
+| `C-<up>` / `M-{` | `cursor.paragraph-up` |
+| `C-<down>` / `M-}` | `cursor.paragraph-down` |
+| `<pageup>` / `M-v` | `cursor.page-up` |
+| `<pagedown>` / `C-v` | `cursor.page-down` |
+| `M-g g` / `M-g M-g` | `cursor.goto-line` (`builtin/runtime/editops.lua`) |
+
+### Selection (CUA shift-select)
+
+Plain motion preserves an existing selection instead of dropping it
+(Emacs-flavored default, not strict CUA).
+
+| Key | Command |
+|---|---|
+| `S-<left>` / `S-<right>` | `cursor.select-left` / `cursor.select-right` |
+| `S-<up>` / `S-<down>` | `cursor.select-up` / `cursor.select-down` |
+| `S-<home>` / `S-<end>` | `cursor.select-line-start` / `cursor.select-line-end` |
+| `C-S-<left>` / `C-S-<right>` | `cursor.select-word-left` / `cursor.select-word-right` |
+| `C-S-<up>` / `C-S-<down>` | `cursor.select-paragraph-up` / `cursor.select-paragraph-down` |
+
+### Editing
+
+| Key | Command |
+|---|---|
+| `BS` | `buffer.delete-backward` |
+| `DEL` / `C-d` | `buffer.delete-forward` |
+| `RET` | `edit.newline-and-indent` |
+| `TAB` | `buffer.tab` |
+| `C-BS` / `C-h` | `buffer.delete-word-backward` (see §4 for the `C-h` rationale) |
+| `M-BS` | `buffer.delete-word-backward` |
+| `C-DEL` | `buffer.delete-word-forward` |
+| `M-d` | `buffer.delete-word-forward` |
+| `M-u` | `edit.upcase` (`editops.lua`) |
+| `M-l` | `edit.downcase` (`editops.lua`) |
+| `M-c` | `edit.capitalize` (`editops.lua`) |
+| `C-t` | `edit.transpose-chars` (`editops.lua`) |
+| `M-t` | `edit.transpose-words` (`editops.lua`) |
+| `M-z` | `edit.zap-to-char` (`editops.lua`) |
+| `M-<up>` / `M-<down>` | `edit.move-line-up` / `edit.move-line-down` (`editops.lua`) |
+| `M-^` | `edit.join-line` (`editops.lua`) |
+| `M-;` | `edit.toggle-comment` (`builtin/runtime/comment.lua`) |
+
+> `M-d` / `M-BS` currently plain-delete the word — they are **not**
+> kill-ring members yet (a named deferral; see `docs/agent-handoff.md`
+> §6, "word kills"). `edit.kill-line` (below) is the only word/line
+> kill wired into the ring so far.
+
+### Clipboard & kill ring
+
+| Key | Command |
+|---|---|
+| `M-w` | `edit.copy` |
+| `C-w` | `edit.cut` |
+| `C-y` | `edit.paste` |
+| `C-x h` | `edit.select-all` (Emacs `mark-whole-buffer`) |
+| `C-k` | `edit.kill-line` (`builtin/runtime/killring.lua`) |
+| `M-y` | `edit.yank-pop` — replace the just-yanked text with the previous kill, immediately after `C-y` (`killring.lua`) |
+
+### Undo / redo
+
+Multiple bindings exist because terminals disagree on how `Ctrl+/`
+encodes; see §4.
+
+| Key | Command |
+|---|---|
+| `C-/` / `C-_` / `C-4` / `C-x u` | `buffer.undo` |
+| `C-?` / `C-S-_` / `C-x r` | `buffer.redo` |
+
+### Search & replace
+
+Once a search is running, `C-s`/`C-r` step to the next/previous match
+and `M-r` toggles literal↔regex — those are Rust-hardcoded isearch
+keys, not Lua bindings (§3).
+
+| Key | Command |
+|---|---|
+| `C-s` | `search.forward` (starts isearch) |
+| `C-r` | `search.backward` (starts isearch) |
+| `C-M-s` | `search.forward-regex` |
+| `C-M-r` | `search.backward-regex` |
+| `M-%` | `query-replace` (starts an interactive replace session, §3) |
+| `C-M-%` | `query-replace-regexp` |
+
+### Multi-key (`C-x`) chords
+
+| Key | Command |
+|---|---|
+| `C-x C-s` | `buffer.save` |
+| `C-x C-c` | `editor.quit` |
+| `C-x 2` | `window.split-horizontal` |
+| `C-x 3` | `window.split-vertical` |
+| `C-x o` / `C-x O` | `window.focus-next` / `window.focus-prev` |
+| `C-x 0` | `window.close` |
+| `C-x 1` | `window.close-others` |
+| `C-x b` | `editor.switch-buffer` |
+| `C-x C-b` | `editor.list-buffers` (opens the `*buffer-list*` panel, §2) |
+| `C-x <right>` / `C-x <left>` | `editor.next-buffer` / `editor.previous-buffer` |
+| `C-x C-r` | `recent-files` (`builtin/runtime/recentf.lua`) |
+
+### Command palette & cancellation
+
+| Key | Command |
+|---|---|
+| `M-x` | `editor.execute-command` — prompts (via the minibuffer, §3) for any command by name |
+| `C-g` | `editor.cancel` — resets the dispatcher / clears an unfinished prefix |
+
+### Completion
+
+| Key | Command |
+|---|---|
+| `C-M-i` | `completion.at-point` (`builtin/runtime/completion.lua`) — opens the popup; popup navigation is Rust-hardcoded (§3) |
+
+### LSP
+
+Source: `builtin/runtime/lsp.lua`. `M-.` follows the cross-editor
+go-to-definition convention; the rest sit on the `C-c` prefix to keep
+printable letters free for self-insert.
+
+| Key | Command |
+|---|---|
+| `M-.` | `lsp.go-to-definition` |
+| `M-?` | `lsp.find-references` (opens `*references*` panel, §2) |
+| `M-,` | `lsp.jump-back` (unwind the cross-file jump ring) |
+| `C-c o` | `lsp.document-symbols` (opens `*outline*` panel, §2) |
+| `C-c r` | `lsp.rename` |
+| `C-c a` | `lsp.code-actions` |
+| `C-c i` | `lsp.inlay-hints` |
+| `C-c y` | `lsp.semantic-tokens` |
+| `C-c h` | `lsp.hover` |
+| `C-c H` | `lsp.hover-doc` (opens `*lsp-help*` panel, §2) |
+| `C-c s` | `lsp.signature-help` |
+| `C-c f` | `lsp.format-buffer` |
+
+`builtin/runtime/lsp.lua` initially binds `M-g n` / `M-g p` to
+diagnostic navigation. `compile.lua` loads afterward and deliberately
+replaces them with the unified error dispatcher below.
+
+### Compile, shell command, and unified errors
+
+Source: `builtin/runtime/compile.lua`.
+
+| Key | Command |
+|---|---|
+| `M-g n` / `M-g p` | `error.next` / `error.previous` — compile/grep errors when that source has claimed navigation, otherwise LSP diagnostics |
+| `` C-x ` `` | `error.next` |
+| `M-!` | `shell.command` — asynchronous output in `*shell-command*` |
+
+`compile.run` and `compile.recompile` are available through `M-x`; no
+global key is assigned to them.
+
+## 2. Buffer-local panel keymaps
+
+Read-only panel buffers built on `pmacs.listview.open` (buffer scope
+`{ scope = "buffer", buffer = <id> }`; see `builtin/runtime/listview.lua`)
+all share one keymap:
+
+| Key | Action |
+|---|---|
+| `RET` / `SPC` | `listview.visit` — act on the item under the cursor |
+| `n` / `<down>` | `cursor.down` |
+| `p` / `<up>` | `cursor.up` |
+| `g` | `listview.refresh` — re-run the data source and re-render |
+| `q` | `listview.quit` — restore the buffer that was active before the panel opened |
+
+Panels currently built on this: `*references*`, `*outline*`,
+`*lsp-help*` (hover docs). Header text always spells out the same
+`RET`/`n`/`p`/`g`/`q` legend inline.
+
+`*buffer-list*` (`editor.list-buffers`, `C-x C-b`) uses its own
+keymap, layered on the same idiom, in `builtin/commands/default.lua`:
+
+| Key | Command |
+|---|---|
+| `RET` / `SPC` | `editor.buffer-list-visit` |
+| `n` / `<down>` | `cursor.down` |
+| `p` / `<up>` | `cursor.up` |
+| `d` | `editor.buffer-list-mark-delete` |
+| `u` | `editor.buffer-list-unmark` |
+| `x` | `editor.buffer-list-execute` — kill every marked buffer |
+| `k` | `editor.buffer-list-kill-now` |
+| `g` | `editor.buffer-list-refresh` |
+| `q` | `editor.buffer-list-quit` |
+
+One-off buffer-local bindings, each scoped to a single generated
+buffer:
+
+| Buffer | Key | Command |
+|---|---|---|
+| `*workers*` (`editor.list-workers`) | `C-c C-k` | `workers.cancel-at-point` (`builtin/runtime/async.lua`) |
+| `*pmacs-instance*` (`editor.describe-instance-buffer`) | `q` | `buffer.kill-this` (`commands/default.lua`) |
+| `*help*` (`editor.describe-command`) | `q` | `buffer.kill-this` |
+| REPL buffers (`builtin/packages/repl/init.lua`) | `RET` | `pmacs.repl.submit-current` |
+| REPL buffers | `C-c` | `pmacs.repl.send-sigint-current` |
+| REPL buffers | `C-d` | `pmacs.repl.send-eof-current` — closes stdin on an empty line, else deletes forward |
+
+Compile-mode generated buffers (`*compilation*` and
+`*shell-command*`) have their own buffer-local map:
+
+| Key | Command |
+|---|---|
+| `RET` | `compile.visit-error` |
+| `n` / `p` | `compile.next-error-line` / `compile.previous-error-line` |
+| `q` | `compile.quit` |
+| `C-c C-k` | `compile.kill` |
+| `g` | `compile.recompile` (`*compilation*` only) |
+| every shipped undo/redo chord | `compile.undo-noop` — generated output is intercept-read-only |
+
+The REPL package (`builtin/packages/repl/`) is shipped but opt-in —
+loaded via `require`, not part of the always-on `builtin/runtime`
+lane. Its bindings only exist in a buffer created by a REPL session.
+
+## 3. Rust-hardcoded modal keys
+
+These live in `src/editor.rs` (and `src/minibuffer.rs` for the
+prompt) as small `from_chord(chord) -> Action` decoders, one per mode,
+checked in priority order by `EditorInstance::dispatch_key`
+(`src/editor.rs:658-733`, highest first): **context menu → isearch →
+query-replace → minibuffer → completion popup → normal Lua dispatch.**
+Each decoder's rustdoc names its own key list; this table mirrors
+those. They are not reachable through `pmacs.keymap` — there is
+deliberately no Lua surface for them (keeps the set curated; see the
+`R51` rationale cited in `lib.rs`/`lua_bindings/mod.rs`).
+
+**Isearch** (`SearchKey`, `editor.rs:1858-1919`) — active after
+`C-s`/`C-r`/`C-M-s`/`C-M-r`:
+
+| Key | Action |
+|---|---|
+| `C-s` / `<down>` | next match |
+| `C-r` / `<up>` | previous match |
+| `RET` / `C-m` | accept — keep cursor + highlights |
+| `C-g` / `Esc` | cancel — restore the origin cursor |
+| `BS` / `C-h` | shorten the query by one character |
+| `M-r` | toggle literal ↔ regex |
+| any printable char | extend the query |
+
+**Query-replace** (`QueryReplaceKey`, `editor.rs:1926-1961`) — active
+after `M-%`/`C-M-%`:
+
+| Key | Action |
+|---|---|
+| `y` / `SPC` | replace this match, advance |
+| `n` / `BS` / `Delete` | skip this match, advance |
+| `!` | replace this and every remaining match, no more prompts |
+| `.` | replace this match, then quit |
+| `q` / `RET` / `Esc` / `C-g` | quit (replacements already made are kept) |
+
+**Minibuffer / prompt** (`MinibufferAction`, `minibuffer.rs:418-527`)
+— backs every `pmacs.minibuffer.read` call: `M-x`, query-replace's
+from/to prompts, `find-file`, etc.:
+
+| Key | Action |
+|---|---|
+| `RET` / `C-m` | accept |
+| `C-g` | cancel |
+| `TAB` / `C-i` | complete to the selected candidate |
+| `<up>` / `<down>` | prev/next candidate if a dropdown is showing, else history navigation |
+| `C-p` / `C-n` | history prev/next, unconditionally |
+| `<left>` / `C-b`, `<right>` / `C-f` | cursor move |
+| `<home>` / `C-a`, `<end>` / `C-e` | line start/end |
+| `BS` | delete backward |
+| `Delete` / `C-d` | delete forward |
+| `M-n` / `M-p` | scroll the selected candidate forward/back |
+| any other printable char | self-insert |
+
+**In-buffer completion popup** (`CompletionPopupKey`,
+`editor.rs:2019-2059`) — active after `C-M-i` or an LSP-triggered
+popup. Unlike the others this is a **partial** shadow: only the keys
+below are intercepted; everything else (typing, motion) falls through
+to normal dispatch, so typing keeps self-inserting while the popup is
+open.
+
+| Key | Action |
+|---|---|
+| `<down>` / `C-n` | next candidate |
+| `<up>` / `C-p` | previous candidate |
+| `TAB` / `RET` | accept the highlighted candidate |
+| `Esc` / `C-g` | dismiss |
+
+**Context menu** (`MenuKey`, `editor.rs:1966-2009`) — opened by
+right-click, not a keybinding itself, but shadows the keymap while
+open:
+
+| Key | Action |
+|---|---|
+| `<down>` / `C-n` | next item |
+| `<up>` / `C-p` | previous item |
+| `RET` | invoke the highlighted item |
+| `Esc` / `C-g` | cancel |
+| any other key | dismiss (click-away semantics) |
+
+**Frontend detach** — `F12` (any modifiers) detaches an attached
+frontend from the daemon (`src/attach.rs:997-1006`, checked at
+`attach.rs:818`). Not a UI mode inside the editor core, but another
+literal-`KeyCode` interception outside the Lua keymap; tentative for
+v0.1 per the comment there (chosen because F12 is rarely bound to
+anything else).
+
+## 4. Terminal-compatibility caveats
+
+- **`C-h` doubles as `C-BS`.** Most terminals without the kitty
+  keyboard protocol can't disambiguate `Ctrl+Backspace` from
+  `Ctrl+H` — both legacy paths send byte `0x08`. `C-h` is bound to
+  `buffer.delete-word-backward` alongside `C-BS` so the shortcut works
+  on legacy terminals. pmacs does not use `C-h` as an Emacs-style help
+  prefix; a user who wants that can rebind it.
+- **Undo/redo have redundant bindings** (`C-/`, `C-_`, `C-4` for undo;
+  `C-?`, `C-S-_` for redo) because terminals encode `Ctrl+/` several
+  different ways. Kitty's keyboard protocol routes most cleanly
+  through `C-/`; the alternates keep legacy/remote terminals working.
+- Kitty-protocol-only chords (e.g. distinguishing `C-i` from `TAB`)
+  degrade gracefully where noted above — check the frontend's terminal
+  capability negotiation if a chord seems to not fire.
+
+## 5. Changing bindings
+
+`pmacs.keymap.bind` / `pmacs.keymap.unbind` are ordinary Lua API,
+callable from `init.lua`:
+
+```lua
+pmacs.keymap.bind { scope = "global", sequence = "C-c g", command = "cursor.goto-line" }
+pmacs.keymap.unbind { scope = "global", sequence = "M-z" }
+```
+
+`scope = "buffer"` additionally takes `buffer = <id>`; buffer-local
+bindings are pruned automatically when that buffer is removed. This
+covers §1 and §2 only — §3's Rust-hardcoded modal keys have no Lua
+surface (see §3's intro).
+
+## 6. Keeping this file honest
+
+Update this file in the same PR whenever a binding is added, removed,
+or moved — same discipline as `docs/agent-handoff.md`. To re-derive it
+from scratch instead of trusting the table: grep `builtin/` for
+`pmacs.keymap.bind`/`.bind(` and `pmacs.listview.open`, and grep
+`src/editor.rs` / `src/minibuffer.rs` for `from_chord`.
diff --git a/docs/roadmap-2026-07.md b/docs/roadmap-2026-07.md
index 72f5e12..a6f5d11 100644
--- a/docs/roadmap-2026-07.md
+++ b/docs/roadmap-2026-07.md
@@ -4,6 +4,10 @@ Date: 2026-07-07. Produced from a five-way codebase/docs/memory sweep
 (core editing + persistence, LSP surface, GPU parity, extensibility +
 terminal, deferred-work inventory across all framing docs).
 
+> **Historical planning snapshot.** Several arcs below have since
+> landed. Use `docs/agent-handoff.md` for durable current state and
+> `docs/active-work.md` for open branches and recovery instructions.
+
 **Decision (2026-07-07): push Arc 1 (LSP utility surface), with Arc 2
 (editing table stakes) items interleaved between sub-arcs.**
 
@@ -50,64 +54,46 @@ modes; DAP debugging; GPU splits / multi-buffer / auto-reconnect.
 
 ## Arcs, ranked by value-per-effort
 
-### Arc 1 — LSP utility surface: "light up the dark matter" ← ACTIVE
+### Arc 1 — LSP utility surface: "light up the dark matter" — COMPLETE
 
-Data layer is done; only UI is missing.
+The completion popup and LSP utility panels shipped across #92–#96,
+followed by hardening in #102, #105, and #106. Completion, hover,
+references, document symbols, and the supporting semantic/signature
+paths are now wired through both frontend contracts.
 
-- **1a. In-buffer completion popup** (first). Trigger on typing,
-  TAB/RET accept, both frontends. GPU needs a wire message — mirror the
-  minibuffer-dropdown pattern (protocol v12). Framework + popup view
-  already exist.
-- **1b. Panels**: hover popup, code-action picker, references list,
-  document-symbol outline. Generalize the buffer-list UI pattern
-  (`*buffer-list*` buffer-local bindings) into a reusable list-buffer
-  idiom.
-- **1c. Semantic-token auto-pull fix** (small): pull on attach + on
-  edit-flush, like inlay hints already do.
-- **1d. Signature-help auto-trigger** on `(`.
+### Arc 2 — Editing table stakes — COMPLETE
 
-### Arc 2 — Editing table stakes (interleave with Arc 1)
+Query-replace (#97), the real kill ring and `M-y` (#103/#105/#106),
+comment toggle (#107), auto-indent (#109), and auto-pairing (#110)
+landed.
 
-Each small, core-only, frontend-agnostic: query-replace (isearch
-exists; `search.rs` has no replace API), real kill ring + `M-y`,
-comment/uncomment, auto-indent on newline, auto-pairing.
+### Arc 3 — Persistence/serialization — COMPLETE
 
-### Arc 3 — Persistence/serialization
+Saveplace/recentf (#98), desktop save/restore (#99),
+autosave/crash-recovery (#100), and the save-clobber fix (#101) landed.
 
-Desktop-save (buffer set + layout + cursors → restore), recentf,
-saveplace, autosave + crash recovery, optional backups. Generalize the
-`$XDG_STATE_HOME/pmacs/` pattern from minibuffer history. Framing
-question: what is a "session" in a daemon world; do CRDT snapshots
-ride along.
+### Arc 4 — Themes + extensibility surface — COMPLETE
 
-### Arc 4 — Themes + extensibility surface — COMPLETE ON `main`
+Stages 1–3 landed as #120, #124, and #125: named `ui.*` faces with
+daemon-resolved `ThemeFacts`; the live global `pmacs.gpu.set_font`
+preference at protocol v17; and composable per-window
+`pmacs.statusline` providers transported to semantic/GPU frontends by
+protocol-v18 `StatuslineSegments`.
 
-All three stages landed: #120 added named `ui.*` faces and daemon-resolved
-`ThemeFacts`; #124 added the live global `pmacs.gpu.set_font` preference at
-protocol v17; and #125 added composable `pmacs.statusline` providers,
-per-window TUI composition, a pure built-in LSP segment, dynamic modeline
-faces, and semantic/GPU transport through protocol v18.
+### Arc 5 — Terminal, staged — VTERM CORE LANDED
 
-### Arc 5 — Terminal, staged — VTERM STAGE 1 ON FEATURE BRANCH
-
-- **Compile-mode landed** in #113: line-oriented PTY/ANSI output,
+- **Compile mode landed in #113**: line-oriented PTY/ANSI output,
   error-regex navigation, and `M-x compile`.
-- **Vterm Stage 1 terminal core** is implemented, two review rounds are
-  addressed, and the branch is fully gated on `vterm-core`; PR #126 awaits
-  merge authorization and is **not merged**. It adds compatibility parser
-  profiles, bounded VT screen/scrollback/reflow state, IND/NEL/RI, input
-  encoders, internal `TerminalManager`, read-only identity buffers, process
-  lifecycle, renderer-safe control-free cells, and headless real-PTY
-  acceptance. It intentionally adds no interactive Lua command or frontend
-  rendering.
-- **Vterm Stage 2 TUI** starts only after Stage 1 merges: terminal-window
-  composition, input/resize, per-context scroll/selection/copy, and the Lua
-  surface.
-- **Vterm Stage 3 protocol/GPU** starts only after Stage 2 merges: additive
-  protocol v19 complete frames, authenticated daemon routing, and native GPU
-  cell rendering. Its framing must resolve the current 16 MiB transport cap's
-  incompatibility with the legal worst complete terminal frame; never silently
-  chunk.
+- **Vterm Stage 1 terminal core landed in #126**: compatibility parser
+  profiles, bounded VT screen/scrollback/reflow state, input encoders,
+  internal `TerminalManager`, read-only identity buffers, process lifecycle,
+  control-free renderer-boundary cells, and headless real-PTY acceptance.
+- **Vterm Stage 2 TUI is next**: terminal-window composition, input/resize,
+  per-context scroll/selection/copy, and the Lua surface.
+- **Vterm Stage 3 protocol/GPU follows Stage 2**: additive protocol v19
+  complete frames, authenticated daemon routing, and native GPU terminal
+  rendering. Its framing must resolve the 16 MiB transport cap's incompatibility
+  with the legal worst complete terminal frame; never silently chunk.
 
 ### Arc 6 — Folding (keystone gutter rider)
 
diff --git a/docs/side-quest-backlog.md b/docs/side-quest-backlog.md
index 48ce617..ac31f4f 100644
--- a/docs/side-quest-backlog.md
+++ b/docs/side-quest-backlog.md
@@ -42,9 +42,11 @@ The direct continuation of the #114–#118 grammar/detection stack.
   (`<script>`/`<style>`, template literals, doc-comment code).
 - **Modeline detection** — a 5th detection layer (`-*- mode: … -*-`,
   `# vim: ft=…`) after extension → filetype → filename → shebang.
-- **JSON + YAML** grammars + LSP (`tree-sitter-json` +
-  vscode-json-languageserver; yaml-language-server). JSON is also the
-  prerequisite for the notebook path.
+- **JSON + YAML — PR #123 open.** Grammars and LSP configs exist on the
+  feature line; review fixes are preserved on
+  `json-yaml-handoff-2026-07-20`. A real YAML-through-pmacs smoke,
+  rebase, and full gates remain before review resumes. JSON is also the
+  prerequisite for the notebook path; see `docs/active-work.md`.
 - **More grammars for languages with neither grammar nor LSP** — ruby,
   php, html, css, sql, etc.
 - **Grapheme / combining-mark awareness** in the text view
@@ -112,10 +114,20 @@ The direct continuation of the #114–#118 grammar/detection stack.
 
 ## Cross-cutting substrate (unblocks whole clusters — high leverage)
 
-- **Config/settings registry** (`pmacs.config` / defcustom) — blocks
-  language-aware indent, the five hardcoded tab-width sites, per-buffer
-  auto-pair toggle, per-language comment padding, per-project compile
-  commands.
+- ~~**Config/settings registry**~~ — **SHIPPED as #127.** `pmacs.config`
+  exists with global + buffer-local scopes. Unblocked: the per-buffer
+  auto-pair toggle (shipped in the same PR as `editing.auto-pair`),
+  language-aware indent, per-language comment padding, and per-project
+  compile commands — the last three are now ordinary work, expressed as
+  a `buffer.after-load` hook calling `set_local`, not blocked work.
+- **Tab-width rendering parity** — was listed above as a config
+  consequence; it is not. `TAB_WIDTH = 8` appears four times in the
+  daemon (`text_view`, `highlight`, `diag`, `completion`), the GPU
+  minimap's `advance_minimap_col` uses **4**, and the GPU main text path
+  expands tabs *not at all* — raw `\t` reaches glyphon and is shaped by
+  the font. Defining `editor.tab-width` cannot make the GPU honor it;
+  this needs frontend tab expansion plus a wire-or-frontend-local
+  decision. Deferred from #127 on those grounds.
 - **Real `read_only` buffer flag** on both edit paths — true immutability
   for panels / REPL / generated buffers.
 - **Mode system wiring** — dispatch passes an empty mode list (`&[]`);
@@ -211,8 +223,8 @@ domain excluded — see below), `editor.rs` split (7 k lines),
 
 ## Excluded — themes / faces main quest (seen, routed elsewhere)
 
-`pmacs.gpu.set_font` + the statusline-segment API; background/selection
-theming; per-peer stable presence colors; exact quad colors per
+The statusline-segment API (Arc 4 stage 3; framing awaiting review);
+background/selection theming; per-peer stable presence colors; exact quad colors per
 decoration kind; GPU gutter background layer / wash recolor / chrome
 bold-italic-underline; current-line highlight refinements; multi-server
 semantic-token *style* blending; the compile-mode **severity→color**
@@ -225,14 +237,20 @@ guides (visual, not color).
 
 ## North star (highest-leverage first)
 
-**Multi-language injections shipped (#122)** — one of the two original
-north-star items is done, so the highest-leverage board is now:
+**Both original north-star items have now shipped** — multi-language
+injections (#122) and the config registry (#127) — and JSON + YAML
+(#123) merged too. The remaining board:
 
-1. **Config registry** — frees ~5 editing/indent/comment features at once.
-2. **JSON (+ YAML) grammar** — the one remaining gate on the Jupyter
-   `.ipynb` path now that injections exist, and a clean highlight one-shot.
-3. **Locals-query processing** — restores `.builtin` styling for
+1. **Locals-query processing** — restores `.builtin` styling for
    non-shadowed builtins, the last rough edge of the highlight stack.
+2. **Mode-system wiring** — every editor `KeymapStack::resolve` still
+   passes `&[]`, so mode-scoped keybindings and any mode-scoped setting
+   remain unreachable. Promoted here because #127 made it the largest
+   remaining scoping gap.
+3. **Tab-width rendering parity** — five constants across two crates
+   with two different values, and no tab expansion at all on the GPU
+   main text path. Explicitly NOT a config-registry task; see the entry
+   under "Cross-cutting substrate".
 
 Beyond those, the cleanest one-shots in the highlight family are
 **modeline detection** and the HTML/CSS grammars that light up more
diff --git a/docs/vterm-framing.md b/docs/vterm-framing.md
index 995a216..7cd1d8d 100644
--- a/docs/vterm-framing.md
+++ b/docs/vterm-framing.md
@@ -1,8 +1,7 @@
 # Vterm — framing (Arc 5 stage 2, three-PR delivery)
 
-**Revision 5 — 2026-07-21. Status: Stage 1 review round 2 fixes implemented
-and fully gated on `vterm-core`; awaiting merge authorization, not merged.
-Stages 2 and 3 are not implemented.**
+**Revision 5 — 2026-07-21. Status: Stage 1 landed on `main` through PR #126
+at merge `643d1e1`. Stages 2 and 3 are not implemented.**
 
 Revision 5 establishes the renderer-facing cell invariant before Stage 2:
 terminal text discards C0/C1 controls rather than storing host-terminal control
@@ -37,11 +36,10 @@ later stage starts only after the preceding stage lands on `main`.
 
 ## 0. Revision 5 — Stage 1 implementation and review record
 
-The first of the three vterm PRs is implemented, reviewed, and fully gated on
-`vterm-core`, awaiting merge authorization. Initial feature commit `bbc1f33`,
-first-review fixes through `bf972a7`, and second-review hardening `9797ada` are
-published as open, non-draft PR #126,
-<https://github.com/levineuwirth/pmacs/pull/126>, targeting `main`.
+The first of the three vterm PRs is implemented, reviewed, fully gated, and
+landed on `main` as merge `643d1e1`. Initial feature commit `bbc1f33`,
+first-review fixes through `bf972a7`, and second-review hardening `9797ada`
+shipped through PR #126, <https://github.com/levineuwirth/pmacs/pull/126>.
 It is deliberately headless: there is no `pmacs.terminal` Lua module,
 interactive terminal command, TUI paint branch, or GPU/protocol surface yet.
 
@@ -837,16 +835,13 @@ Per-stage utilization:
 
 ## 8. Branch and PR plan
 
-Stage 1 is implemented and fully gated on `vterm-core`; review fixes through
-`bf972a7` are published in open, non-draft PR #126
-(<https://github.com/levineuwirth/pmacs/pull/126>), targeting `main` and not
-merged. Continue the approved plan only after the preceding PR lands:
+Stage 1 landed on `main` through PR #126 at merge `643d1e1`. Continue the
+approved sequential plan:
 
-1. review PR #126; merge only when the user says;
-2. after stage 1 merges, create `pmacs-vterm-tui`, branch `vterm-tui`, from the
-   new `main`; implement/gate/open a second PR;
-3. after stage 2 merges, create `pmacs-vterm-gpu`, branch `vterm-gpu`, from the
-   new `main`; implement/gate/open the third PR.
+1. create `pmacs-vterm-tui`, branch `vterm-tui`, from post-#126 `main`;
+   implement, gate, and open the second PR;
+2. after Stage 2 merges, create `pmacs-vterm-gpu`, branch `vterm-gpu`, from
+   the new `main`; implement, gate, and open the third PR.
 
 The framing branch is `vterm-framing` in worktree `pmacs-vterm-framing`.
 Implementation branches are not stacked across an unmerged parent. This avoids