fix(menu): release Left from kb-move-char-back before binding it to Back

rofi hard-fails on a duplicate keybinding and reports it in a GUI error
dialog, not stderr — so 05bab55's Left=Back killed every menu entry
point on a real session while passing all stubbed tests. Rebind
kb-move-char-back to Control+b in both rofi_menu copies (menu + vpn).

V3 on the migrated T14s: error dialog reproduced with old flags, menu
renders with fixed flags. Journal + two PROPOSED pitches (EasyEffects 8
tray icon, parallel fingerprint/password PAM).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

agent/BACKLOG.md

@@ -118,6 +118,27 @@ high-ROI, etc.) live in the journal + ROADMAP — not here.*
   fixture. Control-center / MOTD already mention these; the gap is the
   silent first *graphical* session for people who never open those.
 
+- **EasyEffects 8 tray icon breaks bar aesthetics** (2026-07-11, T14s
+  V3) — EasyEffects 8 (Qt SNI rewrite) publishes IconName
+  `com.github.wwmm.easyeffects`, which resolves to Papirus's full-color
+  blue icon in Waybar's tray; EE 7 showed a symbolic glyph that matched
+  the monochrome bar. Options: ship a monochrome override SVG shadowing
+  the id in `$XDG_DATA_HOME/icons/<icon-theme>/…` (must follow the
+  theme's icon set per THEME-DESIGN), or upstream a `-symbolic`
+  IconName. Cost: small for a single-icon override, but it's per-icon
+  whack-a-mole — worth deciding a general "tray icon parity" policy
+  (nm-applet/udiskie currently pass only by luck of their icon sets).
+
+- **Fingerprint *or* password, in parallel** (2026-07-11, Bernardo) —
+  `fingerprint.pam` gives pam_fprintd's sequential UX: sudo waits on
+  the reader, password only after failure/timeout. Bernardo wants
+  either factor accepted at the same prompt (type the password *or*
+  touch the sensor, whichever comes first). Stock PAM can't express
+  this; needs a parallel-conversation module (e.g. `pam-any`, not in
+  nixpkgs — would be a new package + `fingerprint.pam = "any"` mode).
+  Cost: medium (package + PAM wiring + careful lockout testing on real
+  hardware). Security note: keep sudo fallback sane if fprintd hangs.
+
 _(#80–#83 + #85–#88 shipped 2026-07-11. Theme A day-2 + neon-glass finish
   shipped — VISION ✓. Dock/hibernate V3 → HARDWARE-QUEUE.)_
 

agent/JOURNAL.md

@@ -19,6 +19,22 @@ Template:
 
 ---
 
+## 2026-07-11 — hotfix: Left=Back bound over rofi default → every menu dead
+- **Task:** Escalation — V3 on the migrated T14s: all `nomarchy-menu`
+  entry points (main, battery, power-profile, VPN) showed rofi's
+  "Binding 'Left' is already bound" error dialog instead of a menu.
+- **Did:** `rofi.nix` — release `kb-move-char-back` to `Control+b` before
+  binding `-kb-custom-1 Left`, in both `rofi_menu` copies (menu + vpn).
+  rofi hard-fails on duplicate bindings, and reports it in a GUI dialog,
+  not stderr — stub tests and `bash -n` can never catch this class.
+  Filed PROPOSED: EasyEffects 8 blue tray icon; parallel finger/password.
+- **Verified:** **V3** — real rofi on the T14s: old flags reproduce the
+  error dialog (screenshot), fixed flags render the menu; after HM
+  switch, `nomarchy-menu` renders end-to-end. V0 flake check green.
+- **Pending:** flatpak apps missing from drun = stale session env
+  (relogin), not a code bug. EasyEffects icon + pam items in PROPOSED.
+- **Next suggestion:** V3 sweep of the remaining 05bab55 session items.
+
 ## 2026-07-11 — post-migration fix batch (05bab55; entry backfilled)
 - **Task:** Escalation — first real-hardware migration (TuringMachine →
   Nomarchy) surfaced a batch of annoyances; session crashed before

modules/home/rofi.nix

@@ -240,6 +240,10 @@ let
     # the whole menu. Free-text prompts should treat "$BACK" as cancel.
     # Pass --grid as the first arg to skip Left=Back (multi-column theme
     # picker needs Left for column motion).
+    # Left is bound to kb-move-char-back by default and rofi hard-fails
+    # on a duplicate binding (error dialog, no menu) — every binding we
+    # steal must be released from its default first (Ctrl+b remains for
+    # cursor motion in text prompts).
     rofi_menu() {
       local out rc left_back=1
       if [ "''${1:-}" = --grid ]; then
@@ -247,7 +251,8 @@ let
         shift
       fi
       if [ "$left_back" -eq 1 ]; then
-        out=$(command rofi -dmenu -i -kb-custom-1 Left "$@" </dev/stdin)
+        out=$(command rofi -dmenu -i -kb-move-char-back Control+b \
+                           -kb-custom-1 Left "$@" </dev/stdin)
       else
         out=$(command rofi -dmenu -i "$@" </dev/stdin)
       fi
@@ -1207,7 +1212,10 @@ ${themeRows}
     # VPN submenu died with "rofi_menu: command not found").
     rofi_menu() {
       local out rc
-      out=$(command rofi -dmenu -i -kb-custom-1 Left "$@" </dev/stdin)
+      # Release Left from kb-move-char-back first — rofi hard-fails on a
+      # duplicate binding (same fix as the menu's rofi_menu above).
+      out=$(command rofi -dmenu -i -kb-move-char-back Control+b \
+                         -kb-custom-1 Left "$@" </dev/stdin)
       rc=$?
       if [ "$rc" -eq 10 ]; then
         printf '%s\n' "$BACK"