diff --git a/docs/ROADMAP.md b/docs/ROADMAP.md
index 094ae77..954003b 100644
--- a/docs/ROADMAP.md
+++ b/docs/ROADMAP.md
@@ -178,6 +178,8 @@ Pillar is **done** when every component has had a live VM pass and the roadmap c
 
 (Move items here when they land — keep them brief, link the commit/PR.)
 
+- _2026-05-31_ — **Pillar 9: chasing a D-Bus error uncovered the whole app list being dropped.** A `DBus.Error … name is not activatable` seen during the menu run traced back to `notify-send` failing because mako wasn't running. Reproduced exactly via `uwsm-app -- mako` → "Command not found: mako". Root cause was far bigger than the notification daemon: `home.packages` in `features/default.nix` was wrapped in `lib.mkDefault`. `home.packages` is a list, and `filterOverrides` keeps only the highest-priority definitions — so the moment any other module set `home.packages` at normal priority (`features/scripts/default.nix`'s `[ nomarchy-scripts ]`, the installer's profile packages), the **entire curated mkDefault list was silently discarded**. Every install was missing firefox, thunar, imv, mpv, swww, **mako** (→ broken notifications), **hyprlock** (→ broken lock screen, the "hyprlock not found" flagged in the earlier script sweep), and rofi — and the drop also hid a stale `rofi-wayland` reference (merged into `rofi` upstream) that only errored once the list went live. Removed the `mkDefault` so the list merges (`home.packages` 31 → 52 pkgs) and fixed `rofi-wayland` → `rofi` (`1117dcf`). Verified on a rebuilt VM: mako installs + runs + owns `org.freedesktop.Notifications`, hyprlock/firefox present, and `nomarchy-toggle-waybar` (the command that errored) runs clean with no D-Bus error. Lesson for `docs/AGENT.md`-style guardrails: never wrap a *list/attrset* option in `lib.mkDefault` expecting downstream override — it makes the whole definition vanish when anything else contributes; `mkDefault` only makes sense on scalar leaves.
+
 - _2026-05-31_ — **Pillar 9 / Component 5: walker menus verified, two real bugs fixed.** Drove every walker menu in a VM (theme picker, background selector, app launcher). Found two bugs, both invisible to eval/CI: **(1)** the elephant lua menu providers (`nomarchy_themes.lua` → `menus:nomarchythemes`, `nomarchy_background_selector.lua` → `menus:nomarchyBackgroundSelector`) were deployed via the bulk nomarchy config to `~/.config/nomarchy/default/elephant/` — outside elephant's provider search path — so elephant never registered them and the theme picker / background selector returned "No Results" (used by `nomarchy-theme`, `nomarchy-wallpaper`, and the `nomarchy-menu` Style submenu). Moved them into `features/apps/elephant/config/menus/` → `~/.config/elephant/menus/` (`c831b01`); verified on a fresh boot via `elephant listproviders` and the rendered theme picker showing all 21 palettes **with per-theme preview images**. **(2)** Even once registered, the background selector still returned "No Results" because its `GetEntries` ran `find <dir> -type f`, but home-manager deploys the per-theme backgrounds as nix-store symlinks and `-type f` doesn't follow symlinks — added `-L` to match `nomarchy_themes.lua` (`c5fe0e0`); proven in the VM (`find -type f` → 0, `find -L` → the backgrounds). App launcher (desktopapplications provider) confirmed working — lists apps with icons. Note on method: walker renders reliably when launched from a terminal in-session; the `sendkey` keybinding/`esc` path is flaky headless.
 
 - _2026-05-31_ — **Pillar 9 / Component 8 + 1: full installer end-to-end on a real VM install.** Built the installer ISO, booted it in a UEFI QEMU VM with a blank 30 GB target disk, and drove `install.sh` to a complete install — then rebooted from the installed disk and verified the running system. Method: a hand-crafted `--resume` state file (env-preseed doesn't stick because `install.sh` re-inits its vars, but `load_state` sources whatever the state file contains, including the `USER_PASSWORD_HASH`/`LUKS_PASSWORD` that `save_state` omits), reducing 34 `gum` prompts to a single `expect`-driven review confirmation (a test ISO variant added SSH + `expect`; `TERM` must be overridden off `xterm-kitty`). The installer ran clean: env checks, disko (LUKS2 + BTRFS), `nixos-install` of the full desktop (~16 min, pinned to the install commit so it built this session's fixes), and its own preflight `nixos-rebuild dry-build` passed ("Configuration evaluates cleanly"). The installed system then **booted end-to-end**: UEFI → systemd-boot → themed Plymouth LUKS passphrase prompt (per-palette splash, confirming the Plymouth templating shipped earlier) → autologin → Hyprland desktop with the correct identity (`test@nomarchy-test`), form factor (desktop), timezone (UTC), CLI-Utils profile, and `FDE (LUKS): Yes`. Interactivity verified via `sendkey`: SUPER+Return opened a themed terminal, and the welcome wizard advanced into the walker theme picker (all 21 palettes listed). **No Hyprland config-error overlay** — the geforce/pip/idleinhibit + compgen fixes from this session are confirmed correct on a real install. Validates the installer, generated config, FDE boot, Plymouth theming, desktop, walker, keybindings, and first-boot UX in one pass.