diff --git a/GEMINI.md b/GEMINI.md
deleted file mode 100644
index dbaa564..0000000
--- a/GEMINI.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,49 +0,0 @@
-The Nomarchy UI/UX Audit Mega-Prompt
-System Role: You are a Lead Linux UI/UX Architect and Wayland Desktop Environment QA Engineer. Your task is to perform a rigorous, line-by-line syntax and logic audit of the provided configuration files (dotfiles) for the Nomarchy OS desktop environment.
-
-The Goal: Ensure zero syntax errors, zero deprecated variables, and perfect path resolution across all Wayland compositors, bars, terminals, and launchers.
-
-Execution Directives (STRICT COMPLIANCE REQUIRED):
-Your mindset is highly skeptical. Assume these config files contain deprecated syntax, trailing commas, broken script paths, and hardcoded variables. You are forbidden from providing a generic summary until you have completed the Forced UI Audit Protocol for every single file.
-
-The Forced UI Audit Protocol:
-For every file provided, you MUST output a block formatted exactly like this:
-
-[UI-AUDIT: filename.extension]
-
-Parser Check: (Identify the language: JSON, TOML, CSS, Hyprland-conf. Explicitly state if you checked for language-specific strictness, like trailing commas in JSON).
-
-Deprecation Check: (Are any variables or syntax structures outdated based on the latest stable releases of the software?)
-
-Path & Dependency Check: (List any shell scripts, fonts, or external commands referenced in this file. Are they valid?)
-
-Status: (Pass / Fail / Warning)
-
-Specific Application Directives (Hunt for these common failures):
-
-Hyprland (hyprland.conf):
-
-Scrutinize shadow and blur variables. (Hyprland recently changed drop_shadow = true to the decoration:shadow { enabled = true } syntax). Check for valid color variable injection (e.g., $base00).
-
-Verify exec-once paths. Do not allow relative paths for critical startup scripts.
-
-Waybar (config & style.css):
-
-JSON Strictness: Waybar uses strict JSON. You MUST check for and flag any trailing commas, missing quotes, or unescaped characters.
-
-CSS Scope: Verify that standard GTK CSS properties are used. Ensure font families have valid fallbacks.
-
-Alacritty (alacritty.toml):
-
-Format Check: Ensure the file is using TOML syntax, NOT the deprecated YAML syntax. Check that font definitions match the correct TOML schema.
-
-Launchers (Walker / Rofi):
-
-Verify that the theme variables match the overarching system color palette. Check that terminal execution commands match the default terminal (Alacritty).
-
-Final Deliverable:
-After completing the audit blocks for all files, provide a "UI/UX Incident Report".
-
-For any file that failed, quote the broken line, explain why the target program will reject it (e.g., "Waybar will crash on launch due to a trailing comma on line 42"), and provide the exact corrected code block.
-
-Begin the Forced UI Audit Protocol now.
diff --git a/PLAN.md b/PLAN.md
deleted file mode 100644
index bd1cfe3..0000000
--- a/PLAN.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,32 +0,0 @@
-# UI/UX Audit Progress
-
-## Core Desktop
-- [x] Hyprland Template: `themes/templates/hyprland.conf.tpl`
-- [x] Hyprlock Template: `themes/templates/hyprlock.conf.tpl`
-- [x] Theme-specific Hyprland configs:
-  - [x] `features/desktop/hyprland/themes/kanagawa/hyprland.conf`
-  - [x] `features/desktop/hyprland/themes/lumon/hyprland.conf`
-  - [x] `features/desktop/hyprland/themes/nord/hyprland.conf`
-  - [x] `features/desktop/hyprland/themes/retro-82/hyprland.conf`
-  - [x] `features/desktop/hyprland/themes/summer-night/hyprland.conf`
-- [x] Waybar: `features/desktop/waybar/default.nix`
-
-## Launchers & Terminals
-- [x] Walker Config: `core/home/config/nomarchy/default/hypr/apps/walker.conf`
-- [x] Walker Desktop: `core/home/config/nomarchy/default/walker/walker.desktop`
-- [x] Alacritty Template: `themes/templates/alacritty.toml.tpl`
-- [x] Alacritty Screensaver: `core/home/config/nomarchy/default/alacritty/screensaver.toml`
-- [x] Kitty Template: `themes/templates/kitty.conf.tpl`
-- [x] Ghostty Template: `themes/templates/ghostty.conf.tpl`
-
-## Applications & Templates
-- [x] Btop Theme: `themes/templates/btop.theme.tpl`
-- [x] SwayOSD Style: `themes/templates/swayosd.css.tpl`
-- [x] Mako Template: `themes/templates/mako.ini.tpl`
-- [x] Chromium Theme: `themes/templates/chromium.theme.tpl`
-- [x] Chromium Flags: `core/home/config/chromium-flags.conf`
-- [x] Brave Flags: `core/home/config/brave-flags.conf`
-- [x] Starship: `core/home/config/starship.toml`
-- [x] Obsidian Style: `themes/templates/obsidian.css.tpl`
-- [x] Ghostty Config: `themes/templates/ghostty.conf.tpl`
-- [x] Keyboard RGB: `themes/templates/keyboard.rgb.tpl`
diff --git a/core/home/config/nomarchy/default/hypr/autostart.conf b/core/home/config/nomarchy/default/hypr/autostart.conf
index ce857ec..c49c01c 100644
--- a/core/home/config/nomarchy/default/hypr/autostart.conf
+++ b/core/home/config/nomarchy/default/hypr/autostart.conf
@@ -2,7 +2,8 @@ exec-once = uwsm-app -- hypridle
 exec-once = uwsm-app -- mako
 # exec-once = uwsm-app -- waybar
 exec-once = uwsm-app -- fcitx5 --disable notificationitem
-exec-once = uwsm-app -- swaybg -i ~/.config/nomarchy/current/background -m fill
+# swaybg is started as a systemd user service (nomarchy-wallpaper.service)
+# so failures surface in logs and the wallpaper survives Hyprland restarts.
 exec-once = uwsm-app -- swayosd-server
 exec-once = nomarchy-on-boot
 
diff --git a/core/system/vm-guest.nix b/core/system/vm-guest.nix
index e20aadf..5d95487 100644
--- a/core/system/vm-guest.nix
+++ b/core/system/vm-guest.nix
@@ -1,19 +1,10 @@
-{ inputs, lib, pkgs, homeActivationPackage ? null, ... }:
+{ inputs, lib, pkgs, ... }:
 
 {
-  # Pre-activate standalone home-manager if provided
-  system.activationScripts.home-manager-activate = lib.mkIf (homeActivationPackage != null) {
-    text = ''
-      USER_HOME="/home/nomarchy"
-      if [ ! -d "$USER_HOME" ]; then
-        mkdir -p "$USER_HOME"
-        chown nomarchy:users "$USER_HOME"
-      fi
-      # Run activation as the nomarchy user
-      ${pkgs.sudo}/bin/sudo -u nomarchy ${homeActivationPackage}/activate
-    '';
-    deps = [ "users" ];
-  };
+  # Home Manager activation is provided by the home-manager.nixosModules.home-manager
+  # module wired up in flake.nix. It runs as a systemd user service per user and
+  # deploys ~/.config/hypr, ~/.config/nomarchy, ~/.config/waybar, etc. before the
+  # graphical session starts.
 
   # Shared VM configuration
   virtualisation.vmVariant = {
diff --git a/features/default.nix b/features/default.nix
index bf7f645..af79156 100644
--- a/features/default.nix
+++ b/features/default.nix
@@ -45,8 +45,6 @@ in
 
   colorScheme = lib.mkDefault (nomarchyLib.getColorScheme config.nomarchy.theme);
 
-  nixpkgs.config.allowUnfree = true;
-
   # Enable neovim program module (required for stylix integration)
   programs.neovim.enable = lib.mkDefault true;
 
@@ -83,9 +81,9 @@ in
     swaybg
     rofi-wayland
 
-    # Theming
-    yaru-theme
-    everforest-gtk-variant
+    # Theming — cursor package stays here; icon theme packages are pulled in
+    # dynamically by themes/engine/stylix.nix via nomarchyLib.iconThemePackage
+    # so switching to e.g. summer-night auto-installs everforest-gtk-theme.
     bibata-cursors
   ]);
 }
diff --git a/features/desktop/hyprland/default.nix b/features/desktop/hyprland/default.nix
index 42d4899..edd661e 100644
--- a/features/desktop/hyprland/default.nix
+++ b/features/desktop/hyprland/default.nix
@@ -50,4 +50,24 @@ in
   xdg.configFile."hypr/bindings.conf".source = lib.mkDefault ./config/bindings.conf;
   xdg.configFile."hypr/looknfeel.conf".source = lib.mkDefault ./config/looknfeel.conf;
   xdg.configFile."hypr/autostart.conf".source = lib.mkDefault ./config/autostart.conf;
+
+  # Run swaybg as a proper systemd user service rather than a Hyprland exec-once.
+  # exec-once fails silently (black screen with no visible error) when timing
+  # against uwsm's graphical-session target is off; a service surfaces failures
+  # via `systemctl --user status nomarchy-wallpaper` and auto-restarts.
+  systemd.user.services.nomarchy-wallpaper = {
+    Unit = {
+      Description = "Nomarchy desktop wallpaper (swaybg)";
+      PartOf = [ "graphical-session.target" ];
+      After = [ "graphical-session.target" ];
+    };
+    Service = {
+      ExecStart = "${pkgs.swaybg}/bin/swaybg -i %h/.config/nomarchy/current/background -m fill";
+      Restart = "on-failure";
+      RestartSec = "2";
+    };
+    Install = {
+      WantedBy = [ "graphical-session.target" ];
+    };
+  };
 }
diff --git a/features/desktop/scripts/nomarchy-restart-walker b/features/desktop/scripts/nomarchy-restart-walker
index fb1a9ea..3357eee 100755
--- a/features/desktop/scripts/nomarchy-restart-walker
+++ b/features/desktop/scripts/nomarchy-restart-walker
@@ -1,11 +1,18 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
+# Walker (with runAsService = true) and elephant are Home Manager user
+# services. Restart via systemd so the new process inherits the full graphical
+# session environment — the pkill/uwsm-app dance left a window where the
+# launcher would come back up with stale theming.
+
 restart_services() {
-  if systemctl --user is-enabled elephant.service &>/dev/null; then
+  if systemctl --user list-unit-files elephant.service >/dev/null 2>&1; then
     systemctl --user restart elephant.service
   fi
 
-  if systemctl --user is-enabled app-walker@autostart.service &>/dev/null; then
+  if systemctl --user list-unit-files walker.service >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    systemctl --user restart walker.service
+  elif systemctl --user is-enabled app-walker@autostart.service &>/dev/null; then
     systemctl --user restart app-walker@autostart.service
   else
     echo -e "\e[31mUnable to restart Walker -- RESTART MANUALLY\e[0m"
diff --git a/features/desktop/scripts/nomarchy-restart-waybar b/features/desktop/scripts/nomarchy-restart-waybar
index 832775c..041c848 100755
--- a/features/desktop/scripts/nomarchy-restart-waybar
+++ b/features/desktop/scripts/nomarchy-restart-waybar
@@ -1,3 +1,14 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
+# Waybar is provided as a Home Manager user service
+# (programs.waybar.systemd.enable = true), so the right way to restart it is
+# via systemd. `pkill + uwsm-app` races with HM's sd-switch on theme changes
+# and sometimes lands the new waybar without a full environment, producing
+# the "wrong colors after theme switch" symptom.
+
+if systemctl --user list-unit-files waybar.service >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  exec systemctl --user restart waybar.service
+fi
+
+# Fallback for systems where waybar isn't managed by systemd.
 nomarchy-restart-app waybar
diff --git a/features/desktop/waybar/config/config.jsonc b/features/desktop/waybar/config/config.jsonc
index 4fad304..d7329ff 100644
--- a/features/desktop/waybar/config/config.jsonc
+++ b/features/desktop/waybar/config/config.jsonc
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@
     }
   },
   "custom/nomarchy": {
-    "format": "<span font='nomarchy'>a</span>",
+    "format": "",
     "on-click": "nomarchy-menu",
     "on-click-right": "xdg-terminal-exec",
     "tooltip-format": "Nomarchy Menu\n\nSuper + Alt + Space"
diff --git a/features/desktop/waybar/config/style.css b/features/desktop/waybar/config/style.css
index 2638ca5..3ae29db 100644
--- a/features/desktop/waybar/config/style.css
+++ b/features/desktop/waybar/config/style.css
@@ -39,6 +39,14 @@
   margin: 0 7.5px;
 }
 
+/* The Nomarchy glyph lives at U+F000 in the dedicated "Nomarchy" font.
+   Nerd Fonts (used by default) also have U+F000 but render it as a glass
+   icon, so we have to pin the family for this module. */
+#custom-nomarchy {
+  font-family: Nomarchy;
+  font-size: 20px;
+}
+
 #tray {
   margin-right: 16px;
 }
diff --git a/features/scripts/battery-monitor.nix b/features/scripts/battery-monitor.nix
index d646887..9b5aa66 100644
--- a/features/scripts/battery-monitor.nix
+++ b/features/scripts/battery-monitor.nix
@@ -5,6 +5,9 @@
     Unit = {
       Description = "Nomarchy Battery Monitor Check";
       After = [ "graphical-session.target" ];
+      # Skip on hosts with no battery (VMs, desktops) — otherwise the
+      # monitor script fails and degrades the user session.
+      ConditionPathExistsGlob = "/sys/class/power_supply/BAT*";
     };
 
     Service = {
@@ -19,6 +22,7 @@
   systemd.user.timers.nomarchy-battery-monitor = {
     Unit = {
       Description = "Nomarchy Battery Monitor Timer";
+      ConditionPathExistsGlob = "/sys/class/power_supply/BAT*";
     };
 
     Timer = {
diff --git a/features/scripts/utils/nomarchy-launch-walker b/features/scripts/utils/nomarchy-launch-walker
index be63abd..411bdc5 100644
--- a/features/scripts/utils/nomarchy-launch-walker
+++ b/features/scripts/utils/nomarchy-launch-walker
@@ -3,14 +3,27 @@
 # Wrapper to launch walker with elephant provider, or fallback to rofi if walker is missing.
 
 if command -v walker >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-    # Ensure elephant is running before launching walker
+    # The setsid backgrounded commands below MUST redirect all std fds to
+    # /dev/null. If they inherit stdout from a $(...) caller (e.g. nomarchy-menu
+    # doing `$(menu ...)`), bash waits for those fds to close on every return,
+    # which hangs the terminal after each menu selection.
     if ! pgrep -x elephant > /dev/null; then
-        setsid uwsm-app -- elephant &
+        setsid uwsm-app -- elephant </dev/null >/dev/null 2>&1 &
+        disown
     fi
 
-    # Ensure walker service is running
     if ! pgrep -f "walker --gapplication-service" > /dev/null; then
-        setsid uwsm-app -- walker --gapplication-service &
+        setsid uwsm-app -- walker --gapplication-service </dev/null >/dev/null 2>&1 &
+        disown
+    fi
+
+    # dmenu mode reads stdin and is invoked many times in quick succession
+    # by nomarchy-menu. Wrapping each call in uwsm-app (systemd-run --scope)
+    # creates a fresh transient scope per invocation, which breaks chained
+    # submenus — subsequent walker calls don't see a usable stdin and exit
+    # without showing anything. Invoke walker directly for dmenu.
+    if [[ "$*" == *"--dmenu"* ]]; then
+        exec walker "$@"
     fi
 
     exec uwsm-app -- walker --width 644 --maxheight 300 --minheight 300 "$@"
diff --git a/features/scripts/utils/nomarchy-test-live-iso b/features/scripts/utils/nomarchy-test-live-iso
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..4406e33
--- /dev/null
+++ b/features/scripts/utils/nomarchy-test-live-iso
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+# Build the Nomarchy graphical live ISO and boot it in QEMU for a
+# try-before-install experience. The ISO is the `installerIsoGraphical`
+# NixOS configuration — same Nomarchy system + Home Manager stack as
+# `nomarchy-test-vm`, just wrapped in an installable live medium.
+
+set -e
+
+echo "Building Nomarchy Live ISO..."
+nix build .#nixosConfigurations.installerIsoGraphical.config.system.build.isoImage
+
+ISO=$(ls -1 result/iso/*.iso 2>/dev/null | head -n 1)
+if [ -z "$ISO" ]; then
+    echo "Error: ISO build succeeded but no .iso file found in result/iso/"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# Prefer UEFI with OVMF so the ISO boots the same way a modern install does.
+# Fall back to BIOS if OVMF isn't available on this host.
+OVMF_CANDIDATES=(
+    "/run/current-system/sw/share/OVMF/OVMF_CODE.fd"
+    "/run/current-system/sw/share/qemu/edk2-x86_64-code.fd"
+    "/nix/var/nix/profiles/system/sw/share/OVMF/OVMF_CODE.fd"
+)
+BIOS_ARG=()
+for c in "${OVMF_CANDIDATES[@]}"; do
+    if [ -f "$c" ]; then
+        BIOS_ARG=(-bios "$c")
+        break
+    fi
+done
+
+# KVM if the host supports it; software emulation otherwise.
+ACCEL_ARG=()
+if [ -r /dev/kvm ]; then
+    ACCEL_ARG=(-enable-kvm -cpu host)
+fi
+
+echo "Launching ISO: $ISO"
+exec qemu-system-x86_64 \
+    "${ACCEL_ARG[@]}" \
+    -m 4096 -smp 2 \
+    "${BIOS_ARG[@]}" \
+    -device virtio-vga-gl -display gtk,gl=on \
+    -device virtio-net-pci,netdev=n0 -netdev user,id=n0 \
+    -cdrom "$ISO" -boot d
diff --git a/features/scripts/utils/nomarchy-test-vm b/features/scripts/utils/nomarchy-test-vm
index 32aa46b..f8efa50 100755
--- a/features/scripts/utils/nomarchy-test-vm
+++ b/features/scripts/utils/nomarchy-test-vm
@@ -7,6 +7,10 @@ echo "Note: To test the INSTALLER, run 'nomarchy-test-installer' instead."
 nix build .#nixosConfigurations.default.config.system.build.vm
 
 if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
+    # Drop any persisted VM disk so activation runs against fresh state.
+    # Without this, broken symlinks from a prior activation survive rebuilds
+    # and mask fixes on the next launch.
+    rm -f ./nomarchy.qcow2
     echo "Success! Launching VM..."
     ./result/bin/run-nomarchy-vm
 else
diff --git a/flake.nix b/flake.nix
index 0cfb855..7e1433c 100644
--- a/flake.nix
+++ b/flake.nix
@@ -35,6 +35,9 @@
   };
 
   outputs = { self, nixpkgs, nixos-hardware, disko, impermanence, home-manager, nix-colors, stylix, walker, ... } @ inputs: let
+    system = "x86_64-linux";
+    lib = nixpkgs.lib;
+
     # Overlays
     overlays = [
       (final: prev: {
@@ -43,13 +46,14 @@
       })
     ];
 
+    pkgs = import nixpkgs {
+      inherit system overlays;
+      config.allowUnfree = true;
+    };
+
     # Helper to create standalone home configurations
     mkHome = { username, modules ? [] }: home-manager.lib.homeManagerConfiguration {
-      pkgs = import nixpkgs {
-        inherit (nixpkgs.legacyPackages.x86_64-linux) system;
-        inherit overlays;
-        config.allowUnfree = true;
-      };
+      inherit pkgs;
       extraSpecialArgs = { inherit inputs; };
       modules = [
         ./features
@@ -65,6 +69,23 @@
       "nixos" = mkHome { username = "nixos"; };
       "nomarchy" = mkHome { username = "nomarchy"; };
     };
+
+    # Realise the full HM generation for every palette so theme switches hit
+    # the Nix cache instead of rebuilding Stylix outputs per swap. Each entry
+    # pins `nomarchy.theme` (and clears the wallpaper override so the theme's
+    # own default background is used) and exposes the generation's activation
+    # package under its theme name.
+    palettes = import ./themes/palettes;
+    themeNames = builtins.attrNames palettes;
+    themeVariantFor = themeName: (mkHome {
+      username = "nomarchy";
+      modules = [{
+        nomarchy.theme = lib.mkForce themeName;
+        nomarchy.wallpaper = lib.mkForce "";
+      }];
+    }).activationPackage;
+    allThemeVariants = pkgs.linkFarm "nomarchy-all-theme-variants"
+      (map (name: { inherit name; path = themeVariantFor name; }) themeNames);
   in {
     # Expose inputs for downstream use
     inherit inputs;
@@ -94,43 +115,48 @@
 
       # Graphical installer ISO (legacy, for users who prefer GUI)
       installerIsoGraphical = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem {
-        specialArgs = { 
-          inherit inputs; 
-          homeActivationPackage = homeConfigs."nixos".activationPackage;
-        };
+        specialArgs = { inherit inputs; };
         modules = [
-          { 
+          {
             nixpkgs.hostPlatform = "x86_64-linux";
             nixpkgs.overlays = overlays;
           }
           "${nixpkgs}/nixos/modules/installer/cd-dvd/installation-cd-graphical-base.nix"
+          home-manager.nixosModules.home-manager
           ./hosts/live-iso.nix
           ./core
           {
             system.stateVersion = "25.11";
             services.displayManager.autoLogin.enable = true;
             services.displayManager.autoLogin.user = "nixos";
+
+            home-manager.useGlobalPkgs = true;
+            home-manager.useUserPackages = true;
+            home-manager.backupFileExtension = "hm-bak";
+            home-manager.extraSpecialArgs = { inherit inputs; };
+            home-manager.users.nixos = {
+              imports = [ ./features ];
+              home.stateVersion = "25.11";
+            };
           }
         ];
       };
 
       # Default configuration (VM and testing)
       default = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem {
-        specialArgs = { 
-          inherit inputs; 
-          homeActivationPackage = homeConfigs."nomarchy".activationPackage;
-        };
+        specialArgs = { inherit inputs; };
         modules = [
-          { 
+          {
             nixpkgs.hostPlatform = "x86_64-linux";
             nixpkgs.overlays = overlays;
           }
+          home-manager.nixosModules.home-manager
           ./core/default.nix
           ./core/system/vm-guest.nix
           {
             system.stateVersion = "25.11";
             networking.hostName = "nomarchy";
-            
+
             virtualisation.vmVariant.virtualisation.memorySize = 4096;
             virtualisation.vmVariant.virtualisation.cores = 2;
 
@@ -143,11 +169,29 @@
 
             services.displayManager.autoLogin.enable = true;
             services.displayManager.autoLogin.user = "nomarchy";
+
+            home-manager.useGlobalPkgs = true;
+            home-manager.useUserPackages = true;
+            home-manager.backupFileExtension = "hm-bak";
+            home-manager.extraSpecialArgs = { inherit inputs; };
+            home-manager.users.nomarchy = {
+              imports = [ ./features ];
+              home.stateVersion = "25.11";
+            };
           }
         ];
       };
     };
 
     homeConfigurations = homeConfigs;
+
+    packages.${system} = {
+      # Pre-cache every theme's Home Manager generation so subsequent
+      # `nomarchy-theme-set` swaps are cache hits (no Stylix rebuild, no
+      # downloads). Run once after install:
+      #     nix build /etc/nomarchy#allThemeVariants --no-link
+      inherit allThemeVariants;
+      default = allThemeVariants;
+    };
   };
 }
diff --git a/hosts/live-iso.nix b/hosts/live-iso.nix
index 64f8fbd..07fac09 100644
--- a/hosts/live-iso.nix
+++ b/hosts/live-iso.nix
@@ -1,19 +1,8 @@
-{ config, pkgs, inputs, lib, homeActivationPackage, ... }:
+{ config, pkgs, inputs, lib, ... }:
 
 {
-  # Pre-activate standalone home-manager for the live environment
-  system.activationScripts.home-manager-activate = {
-    text = ''
-      USER_HOME="/home/nixos"
-      if [ ! -d "$USER_HOME" ]; then
-        mkdir -p "$USER_HOME"
-        chown nixos:users "$USER_HOME"
-      fi
-      # Run activation as the nixos user
-      ${pkgs.sudo}/bin/sudo -u nixos ${homeActivationPackage}/activate
-    '';
-    deps = [ "users" ];
-  };
+  # Home Manager activation for the nixos live user is provided by the
+  # home-manager.nixosModules.home-manager module wired up in flake.nix.
 
   environment.systemPackages = with pkgs; [
     git
@@ -35,9 +24,11 @@
   # Ensure the live environment user has the necessary groups for graphical acceleration and audio
   users.users.nixos.extraGroups = [ "wheel" "video" "render" "audio" "networkmanager" ];
 
-  # Graphics support for live environment
-  boot.initrd.kernelModules = [ "amdgpu" "radeon" "nouveau" "i915" ];
-  services.xserver.videoDrivers = [ "amdgpu" "radeon" "nouveau" "modesetting" "fbdev" ];
+  # Graphics support for live environment.
+  # `virtio` is a no-op on real hardware (no virtio-gpu PCI device) but lets
+  # the ISO render correctly when booted in QEMU via nomarchy-test-live-iso.
+  boot.initrd.kernelModules = [ "amdgpu" "radeon" "nouveau" "i915" "virtio_gpu" ];
+  services.xserver.videoDrivers = [ "amdgpu" "radeon" "nouveau" "modesetting" "fbdev" "virtio" ];
 
   environment.etc."install.sh" = {
     source = ../installer/install.sh;
diff --git a/installer/install.sh b/installer/install.sh
index c1cd952..d0fe29b 100755
--- a/installer/install.sh
+++ b/installer/install.sh
@@ -454,7 +454,8 @@ FLAKE_EOF
 }
 EOF
 
-    # system.nix
+    # system.nix — curated system-level options. Uncomment what you want and
+    # run \`sudo nixos-rebuild switch --flake /etc/nixos#default\` to apply.
     cat > /mnt/etc/nixos/system.nix << EOF
 { pkgs, ... }:
 {
@@ -462,8 +463,18 @@ EOF
 
   $impermanence_opt
 
+  # System-wide packages. Most tools belong in home.nix instead — only put
+  # things here that need to be available to all users or to root (e.g. CLI
+  # tools used by sudo, system admin utilities).
   environment.systemPackages = with pkgs; [
     home-manager
+    # --- CLI tools useful as root ---
+    # wget
+    # curl
+    # rsync
+    # htop
+    # tree
+    # tmux
   ];
 
   services.displayManager.autoLogin.enable = true;
@@ -475,20 +486,111 @@ EOF
     extraGroups = [ "networkmanager" "wheel" "video" "audio" "render" ];
   };
 
+  # --- Optional system services ---
+  # Uncomment to enable. Some require extra groups on your user (see below).
+
+  # Containers / virtualization
+  # virtualisation.docker.enable = true;       # adds "docker" group
+  # virtualisation.libvirtd.enable = true;     # adds "libvirtd" group — needed for virt-manager
+
+  # Networking / sync
+  # services.tailscale.enable = true;
+  # services.syncthing = {
+  #   enable = true;
+  #   user = "$USERNAME";
+  #   dataDir = "/home/$USERNAME";
+  # };
+
+  # Printing
+  # services.printing.enable = true;
+
+  # Flatpak (alternative app delivery)
+  # services.flatpak.enable = true;
+  # xdg.portal.enable = true;
+
+  # Gaming (system-level — pairs with home.packages.steam)
+  # programs.steam.enable = true;
+  # programs.gamemode.enable = true;
+
   system.stateVersion = "25.11";
 }
 EOF
 
-    # home.nix (empty for user customization)
+    # home.nix — curated app menu. Uncomment what you want and run
+    # `nomarchy-env-update` to apply.
     cat > /mnt/etc/nixos/home.nix << 'EOF'
 { pkgs, ... }:
 {
-  # Add your personal packages here
+  # User-level packages (Home Manager).
+  #
+  # Nomarchy already ships a minimal desktop (firefox, thunar, mpv, imv, mako,
+  # hyprlock, swww, wl-clipboard, grim, slurp, rofi-wayland, etc.). The list
+  # below is a menu of extras — uncomment what you want and run
+  # `nomarchy-env-update`.
   home.packages = with pkgs; [
-    # example: firefox thunderbird libreoffice
+    # --- Enabled by default ---
+    btop                # Resource monitor (TUI)
+    fastfetch           # System info at login
+    chromium            # Secondary browser
+
+    # --- Editors & dev ---
+    # vscode
+    # jetbrains.idea-community
+    # neovide
+    # zed-editor
+    # lazygit
+    # gh                  # GitHub CLI
+    # docker-compose
+    # postman
+    # dbeaver-bin
+
+    # --- Productivity ---
+    # obsidian
+    # libreoffice
+    # thunderbird
+    # zathura             # PDF viewer
+    # zotero
+    # xournalpp
+
+    # --- Media ---
+    # vlc
+    # obs-studio
+    # gimp
+    # inkscape
+    # kdenlive
+    # spotify
+    # audacity
+    # yt-dlp
+
+    # --- Comms ---
+    # discord
+    # telegram-desktop
+    # signal-desktop
+    # slack
+    # zoom-us
+
+    # --- Security ---
+    # keepassxc
+    # bitwarden-desktop
+    # _1password-gui
+
+    # --- Gaming ---
+    # steam
+    # lutris
+    # heroic
+
+    # --- CLI / utilities ---
+    # ripgrep
+    # fd
+    # bat
+    # eza
+    # zoxide
+    # fzf
+    # httpie
+    # tldr
   ];
 
-  # Add your personal home-manager configuration here
+  # Extra Home Manager modules go here (program configs, services, etc.).
 }
 EOF
 }
@@ -510,6 +612,9 @@ finish() {
     echo "  3. Log in with username: $USERNAME"
     echo "  4. Your configuration is at /etc/nixos/"
     echo ""
+    echo "Tip: run 'nomarchy-themes-prebuild' once to pre-cache every theme"
+    echo "     variant. Theme switches after that are instant (no rebuild)."
+    echo ""
 
     if nrun gum confirm "Reboot now?"; then
         reboot
diff --git a/lib/default.nix b/lib/default.nix
index c83a9e2..18c2feb 100644
--- a/lib/default.nix
+++ b/lib/default.nix
@@ -78,6 +78,20 @@ let
       else
         default;
 
+  # Map an icon-theme name (as declared in a palette's icons.theme file) to
+  # the nixpkgs attribute that ships it. Anything unknown falls back to
+  # yaru-theme so GTK still has a working default.
+  #
+  # When adding a palette that uses a new icon family, extend this mapping
+  # so `nomarchy-theme-set <name>` auto-installs the matching package.
+  iconThemePackage = { iconsTheme, pkgs }:
+    if lib.hasPrefix "Yaru" iconsTheme then pkgs.yaru-theme
+    else if lib.hasPrefix "Everforest" iconsTheme then pkgs.everforest-gtk-theme
+    else if lib.hasPrefix "Papirus" iconsTheme then pkgs.papirus-icon-theme
+    else if lib.hasPrefix "Adwaita" iconsTheme then pkgs.adwaita-icon-theme
+    else if lib.hasPrefix "breeze" iconsTheme || lib.hasPrefix "Breeze" iconsTheme then pkgs.kdePackages.breeze-icons
+    else pkgs.yaru-theme;
+
   # Get list of available theme names
   themeNames = builtins.attrNames palettes;
 
@@ -92,5 +106,6 @@ in {
     getColorScheme
     isThemeLightMode
     getIconsTheme
+    iconThemePackage
     themeNames;
 }
diff --git a/themes/engine/scripts/nomarchy-theme-set b/themes/engine/scripts/nomarchy-theme-set
index 21d94f8..36b22b5 100755
--- a/themes/engine/scripts/nomarchy-theme-set
+++ b/themes/engine/scripts/nomarchy-theme-set
@@ -51,4 +51,15 @@ nomarchy-env-update
 
 nomarchy-theme-set-templates
 
+# Walker reads its CSS via @import of ~/.config/nomarchy/current/theme/apps/walker/style.css,
+# and waybar's shared fallback style does the same with waybar.css. HM's sd-switch
+# only restarts services whose unit *definition* changed, so when only the imported
+# file's contents change, neither gets reloaded. Restart them explicitly.
+command -v nomarchy-restart-walker >/dev/null 2>&1 && nomarchy-restart-walker || true
+command -v nomarchy-restart-waybar >/dev/null 2>&1 && nomarchy-restart-waybar || true
+
+# Reload the wallpaper — its ExecStart path is stable (~/.config/nomarchy/current/background)
+# so sd-switch does not detect a unit change when only the symlink target moves.
+systemctl --user restart nomarchy-wallpaper.service 2>/dev/null || true
+
 nomarchy-hook theme-set "$THEME_NAME"
diff --git a/themes/engine/scripts/nomarchy-themes-prebuild b/themes/engine/scripts/nomarchy-themes-prebuild
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..6ff391b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/themes/engine/scripts/nomarchy-themes-prebuild
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+# Pre-realise every theme's Home Manager generation into the Nix store so
+# future `nomarchy-theme-set` swaps are cache hits — no Stylix rebuild, no
+# downloads. Run once after install (the installer wires this up) and again
+# after adding or updating palettes.
+
+set -e
+
+if [ -f "/etc/nixos/flake.nix" ]; then
+    REPO_DIR="/etc/nixos"
+elif [ -f "/etc/nomarchy/flake.nix" ]; then
+    REPO_DIR="/etc/nomarchy"
+else
+    echo "Error: Nomarchy flake repository not found in /etc/nixos or /etc/nomarchy." >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+echo "Pre-building every theme variant from $REPO_DIR#allThemeVariants..."
+echo "This is a one-time cache warm-up. Subsequent theme switches will be instant."
+nix build --no-link --print-out-paths \
+    --extra-experimental-features "nix-command flakes" \
+    "$REPO_DIR#allThemeVariants"
+
+echo "Theme variants cached. Theme switches now avoid rebuilds."
diff --git a/themes/engine/stylix.nix b/themes/engine/stylix.nix
index b2127d0..84cd213 100644
--- a/themes/engine/stylix.nix
+++ b/themes/engine/stylix.nix
@@ -92,11 +92,17 @@ in
     };
   };
 
-  # GTK Icon Theme configuration
+  # GTK Icon Theme configuration. The package is derived from the theme's
+  # declared icon family (palettes/<theme>/icons.theme), so switching to a
+  # palette that needs e.g. Everforest icons automatically installs
+  # `everforest-gtk-variant` instead of sticking with `yaru-theme`.
   gtk = {
     enable = lib.mkDefault true;
     iconTheme = lib.mkDefault {
-      package = pkgs.yaru-theme;
+      package = nomarchyLib.iconThemePackage {
+        iconsTheme = config.nomarchy.iconsTheme;
+        inherit pkgs;
+      };
       name = config.nomarchy.iconsTheme;
     };
   };