diff --git a/agent/BACKLOG.md b/agent/BACKLOG.md
index 80e4462..709802b 100644
--- a/agent/BACKLOG.md
+++ b/agent/BACKLOG.md
@@ -24,7 +24,81 @@ in [`docs/ROADMAP.md`](../docs/ROADMAP.md); map in
 
 ## NOW
 
-*(empty — NEXT's top item is the queue head)*
+### Live ISO hardware findings — Acer Aspire M5-481T (Bernardo, 2026-07-13)
+
+These are separate queue items from one real install/session pass. Preserve
+that separation when fixing them: the installer blocker, unclear installer
+copy, and post-install desktop failures have different verification paths.
+
+### 91. Installer: empty keyboard variant becomes literal `(none)` and blocks installation
+
+The generated system fails at `xkb-console-keymap.drv` with
+`WARNING: Can not find "(none)" in "us"` followed by ckbcomp's `bad include
+list`; every later system derivation is only a cascading dependency failure.
+Normalize the picker's “no variant” value to the empty string before writing
+Nix, and add an installer regression case for `us` + no variant. Pass = the
+generated console/XKB configuration builds and the install proceeds.
+
+### 92. Installer: keyboard selection is confusing
+
+Make the layout/variant relationship and the “no variant” choice explicit;
+show a human-readable preview/current choice before confirmation. Keep the
+simple default path short. Pass = a user can deliberately choose US with no
+variant without knowing XKB terminology, and the generated values are shown
+before installation.
+
+### 93. Installer: swap-size field lacks a clear prompt/explanation
+
+The partition value appears prefilled without a caption explaining that it is
+swap size. Keep the resolved product default (swap exactly equal to RAM), but
+label the field, state its unit/default, and explain the no-swap value. Pass =
+the summary makes the resulting swap allocation unambiguous before disk
+changes begin.
+
+### 94. Live ISO/install: no default browser observed
+
+Chromium is the resolved default-browser decision and is present in the
+downstream template, but this hardware pass found no usable default browser.
+Trace the live-to-installed Home Manager path rather than merely checking the
+template source. Pass = Chromium launches after installation and HTTP/HTTPS
+mime defaults resolve to `chromium-browser.desktop` (and the intended live-ISO
+browser posture is explicit).
+
+### 95. Live ISO/install: Ghostty does not open
+
+Reproduce from the launcher and a terminal, capture its stderr/journal, and
+fix the packaging/session/runtime cause. Pass = the default terminal opens in
+the installed graphical session and the SUPER+Return path works.
+
+### 96. Live ISO/install: battery charge-threshold menu is absent
+
+On this Acer the charge-threshold menu could not be found. Audit the hardware
+capability gate and menu discoverability: unsupported hardware must get a
+clear explanation instead of looking like a missing feature; supported
+hardware must expose the control. Pass = the System/Power route communicates
+the correct state and never silently disappears.
+
+### 97. Live ISO/install: Bluetooth menu reports `Connection to BlueZ failed`
+
+Verify that BlueZ is enabled/running and that the live and installed user
+sessions can reach it before launching the picker. Pass = the Bluetooth menu
+opens normally on supported hardware; when the adapter/service is genuinely
+unavailable it shows a useful Nomarchy message rather than the raw failure.
+
+### 98. Boreal: button text renders black and is difficult to read
+
+Audit GTK button foreground/background contrast under Boreal, including the
+installer surface where it was observed. Follow THEME-DESIGN's two-theme
+visual protocol. Pass = normal, hover, focused, and disabled button labels
+remain legible and palette-consistent.
+
+### 99. Doctor/Waybar reports `theme.json` is not git-tracked
+
+The live-installed checkout shows a doctor/Waybar warning that `theme.json`
+is not tracked. Determine whether the warning targets the generated alias or
+the canonical `theme-state.json`, then align the check with the in-flake state
+contract. Pass = a fresh install has no false warning while a genuinely
+untracked canonical state file is still detected.
 
 ## NEXT
 
diff --git a/agent/JOURNAL.md b/agent/JOURNAL.md
index d225b18..52ec8ad 100644
--- a/agent/JOURNAL.md
+++ b/agent/JOURNAL.md
@@ -19,6 +19,19 @@ Template:
 
 ---
 
+## 2026-07-13 — Live ISO hardware findings queued (#91–#99)
+- **Task:** Transcribe Bernardo's Acer Aspire M5-481T install/session notes
+  and installer failure photo into the executable queue.
+- **Did:** Added nine separate NOW items: literal `(none)` XKB install
+  failure, keyboard/swap installer clarity, missing browser, Ghostty launch,
+  charge-threshold discoverability, BlueZ failure, Boreal button contrast,
+  and the false-looking untracked-theme warning.
+- **Verified:** V0 — exact backlog IDs/content reviewed; Nix failure's first
+  causal error preserved separately from cascading dependency failures;
+  `git diff --check` green.
+- **Pending:** implementation and item-specific V1–V3 verification.
+- **Next suggestion:** #91 — fix the installation-blocking keyboard variant.
+
 ## 2026-07-13 — Docking hardware-QA corrections (interactive feedback)
 - **Task:** Bernardo's real clamshell QA: menu on hidden eDP, no keyboard
   layout route, audio stayed on speakers, laptop-off lost apps, abrupt