Fix wave chunk 1: cross-surface settings signal, dialog scroll-lock, noneRow retired

- lh:settings-saved CustomEvent (the lh:chat-renamed pattern, owner
  ruling): every writer (composer save, SetupDialog save, the settings
  write seam — one dispatch point carrying the section) notifies after a
  successful PUT; every reader re-reads its own seam: ModelControl's
  record read, the Agent section's slots/catalog, and chat.tsx's
  configured state (clearing slots mid-session now surfaces the setup
  CTA without a reload). Self-notifications re-read idempotently.
- MenuShell now announces lh:menu-open/lh:menu-close (still placement-
  only); the settings dialog's content column locks (overflow-hidden,
  count-based) while any menu is open — wheel-scrolling with a dropdown
  down is dead; the re-place-on-scroll fallback stays for un-lockable
  surfaces.
- The settings thinking menus' 'Default' noneRow is retired (owner:
  the unset state can't re-enter once chunk 2's auto-populate lands; no
  unpin is needed).
- Live-caught regression from the MenuShell migration fixed: the
  composer's outside-click handler never learned the portaled menu body
  isn't a container descendant — menu-row pointerdowns counted as
  outside and ATE THE PICK (composer picks have been dead for pointer
  users since 221c99d); rows now carve out via [data-lh-menu], the
  settings sections' discipline.
- Item 4 (resolved-level display for legacy records) deferred to chunk 2
  per owner ruling — the payload omits the level for legacy no-level
  records and DEFAULT_THINKING_ORDER was server-only (now in the core
  barrel via bd68486, exactly the seam chunk 2 needs).

components/chat.tsx

@@ -37,6 +37,8 @@ import { SidebarToggle } from "@/components/sidebar";
 import type { ArtifactPartProps, JobRecord, Phase3, QuestionAnswerData, TeacherUIMessage, TurnUsage } from "@/src/core";
 import { PhaseChip, PhaseDivider, planNodeCount } from "@/components/phase-divider";
 import { findPendingToolCall, phaseAt3, phaseTimeline, streamingToolActivity } from "@/src/core";
+import { slotsConfigured, type ModelsSettings } from "@/src/core";
+import { useSettingsSaved } from "@/components/settings-signal";
 
 /** One width for everything: transcript, cards, and the bottom blob share this column. */
 /**
@@ -300,6 +302,16 @@ export function Chat({
 	// refusal interception share one SetupDialog mount. `configured` is
 	// seeded server-side (slotsConfigured on the record) and flips on Save.
 	const [configured, setConfigured] = useState(initialConfigured);
+	// Cross-surface freshness (fix wave): another surface's models write —
+	// setup save, composer pick, a settings write — re-reads the record so
+	// the setup CTA appears/disappears live (it used to lag until reload).
+	useSettingsSaved((section) => {
+		if (section !== "models") return;
+		fetch("/api/settings")
+			.then((r) => r.json() as Promise<{ settings?: { models?: ModelsSettings } | null } | null>)
+			.then((body) => setConfigured(slotsConfigured(body?.settings?.models)))
+			.catch(() => {});
+	});
 	const [setupOpen, setSetupOpen] = useState(false);
 	const { open: openSettings } = useSettingsDialog();
 	/** The last explicitly-sent draft (composer send, verdict note): the

components/menu-shell.tsx

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 "use client";
 
-import { useLayoutEffect, useRef, useState, type ReactNode, type RefObject } from "react";
+import { useEffect, useLayoutEffect, useRef, useState, type ReactNode, type RefObject } from "react";
 import { createPortal } from "react-dom";
 
 /**
@@ -43,6 +43,16 @@ const CAP_VH = 0.6; // 60vh — the graph pattern's cap
 const MIN_USABLE = 96; // floor: a shorter cap is an unusable sliver; the
 // cap then overflows the edge instead of crushing the menu
 
+/** A MenuShell mounted = a dropdown open (fix wave, owner ruling:
+ *  the settings dialog's content column locks while any menu is down —
+ *  no scrolling under a dropdown). The shell stays placement-only: it
+ *  just ANNOUNCES, surfaces decide what to do with the fact (the
+ *  settings dialog locks; anything un-lockable keeps the re-place-on-
+ *  scroll fallback below). Count-based: overlapping menus open/close in
+ *  any order and the accounting stays balanced. */
+export const MENU_OPEN_EVENT = "lh:menu-open";
+export const MENU_CLOSE_EVENT = "lh:menu-close";
+
 export type MenuSide = "up" | "down";
 export type MenuAlign = "left" | "right";
 
@@ -116,6 +126,14 @@ export function MenuShell({
 	const menuRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
 	const [placed, setPlaced] = useState<MenuPlacement | null>(null);
 
+	// Announce open↔close for lockable surfaces (see MENU_OPEN_EVENT).
+	useEffect(() => {
+		window.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent(MENU_OPEN_EVENT));
+		return () => {
+			window.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent(MENU_CLOSE_EVENT));
+		};
+	}, []);
+
 	const anchor = () => {
 		if (anchorRef) return anchorRef.current;
 		if (anchorTestid !== undefined) return document.querySelector(`[data-testid="${anchorTestid}"]`);

components/model-picker.tsx

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import { prettyModel } from "@/components/usage-format";
 import { ModelMenuList, ThinkingMenuList } from "@/components/settings/model-menu";
 import { composeSlotModel } from "@/components/settings/agent-section";
 import { MenuShell } from "@/components/menu-shell";
+import { notifySettingsSaved, useSettingsSaved } from "@/components/settings-signal";
 
 /** GET /api/models is cached per page load for instant menu opens, but
  *  the federation is LIVE per call — keys saved mid-session widen the
@@ -94,21 +95,28 @@ export function ModelControl() {
 	const [error, setError] = useState<string | null>(null);
 	const containerRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
 
-	useEffect(() => {
-		let alive = true;
+	// The record read — BOTH mount and the cross-surface signal land
+	// here (fix wave: another surface's models write re-reads into the
+	// pill live; own writes also notify, and the refetch is idempotent).
+	const readRecord = useCallback(() => {
 		fetch("/api/settings")
 			.then((r) => r.json() as Promise<{ settings: { models?: ModelsSettings } | null }>)
-			.then((body) => alive && setModels(body.settings?.models ?? undefined))
+			.then((body) => setModels(body.settings?.models ?? undefined))
 			.catch(() => {
 				/* the record fetch failing leaves the control read-only
 				   ("—" triggers, closed menus) — same posture as a
 				   catalog failure */
 			});
-		return () => {
-			alive = false;
-		};
 	}, []);
 
+	useEffect(() => {
+		readRecord();
+	}, [readRecord]);
+
+	useSettingsSaved((section) => {
+		if (section === "models") readRecord();
+	});
+
 	const override = models?.strong;
 	const effectiveId = override?.model?.id;
 	const effectiveProvider = override?.model?.provider;
@@ -119,13 +127,19 @@ export function ModelControl() {
 	const levels = entry?.supportedLevels ?? [];
 
 	// The intuitive dropdown contract (owner, stats-control round 1): any
-	// click outside the open menu — or an Esc keypress — closes it. Only the
-	// menu's own surface keeps it open (the toggle buttons live inside the
-	// same container and handle their own toggling in onClick).
+	// click outside the open menu — or an Esc keypress — closes it. The
+	// menu's own surface keeps it open: the toggle buttons live inside the
+	// container, and the menu BODY lives in a portal on document.body
+	// (MenuShell) — never a container descendant, so its rows are carved
+	// out via [data-lh-menu] (the settings sections' discipline; without
+	// it a row's pointerdown counts as outside and eats the pick —
+	// live-caught in the fix wave, broken since the MenuShell migration).
 	useEffect(() => {
 		if (open === null) return;
 		const onPointerDown = (e: PointerEvent) => {
-			if (containerRef.current && !containerRef.current.contains(e.target as Node)) {
+			const t = e.target as Element;
+			if (t instanceof Element && t.closest("[data-lh-menu]")) return;
+			if (containerRef.current && !containerRef.current.contains(t)) {
 				setOpen(null);
 			}
 		};
@@ -164,6 +178,7 @@ export function ModelControl() {
 				}
 				setModels(next);
 				setOpen(null);
+				notifySettingsSaved("models");
 			} catch {
 				setError("Could not reach the server — try again.");
 			}

components/settings-signal.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+"use client";
+
+/**
+ * THE cross-surface settings signal (fix wave, owner ruling 2026-09-22):
+ * every WRITER dispatches after a successful PUT, every READER re-reads —
+ * the composer reflects the strong slot the instant setup saves, the
+ * settings section reflects the composer's pick on its next mount... and
+ * so on, by construction. CustomEvent on the window, the lh:chat-renamed
+ * pattern: writers and readers live in different component subtrees
+ * (portaled dialogs included), and the app already speaks this dialect.
+ *
+ * The event carries the section name so ONE event serves all sections —
+ * readers filter on what they actually read.
+ */
+import { useEffect, useRef } from "react";
+
+export const SETTINGS_SAVED_EVENT = "lh:settings-saved";
+
+/** The settings sections a writer can land (the write seam's union). */
+export type SettingsSection = "general" | "agent" | "models" | "appearance" | "graph";
+
+/** Writers call this after the PUT resolves ok — never before (a failed
+ *  write notifies nothing; the record is unchanged). */
+export function notifySettingsSaved(section: SettingsSection): void {
+	window.dispatchEvent(
+		new CustomEvent(SETTINGS_SAVED_EVENT, { detail: { section } }),
+	);
+}
+
+/** Non-hook listener (imperative seams, tests). Returns an unsubscribe. */
+export function onSettingsSaved(handler: (section: SettingsSection) => void): () => void {
+	const listener = (e: Event) => {
+		const section = (e as CustomEvent<{ section?: SettingsSection }>).detail?.section;
+		if (section !== undefined) handler(section);
+	};
+	window.addEventListener(SETTINGS_SAVED_EVENT, listener);
+	return () => window.removeEventListener(SETTINGS_SAVED_EVENT, listener);
+}
+
+/** Reader subscription: re-invokes whenever a writer lands, with the
+ *  handler captured through a ref so callers never churn the
+ *  subscription (and never stale-close over it either). */
+export function useSettingsSaved(handler: (section: SettingsSection) => void): void {
+	const saved = useRef(handler);
+	saved.current = handler;
+	useEffect(() => onSettingsSaved((section) => saved.current(section)), []);
+}

components/settings/agent-section.tsx

@@ -41,8 +41,9 @@
  * section's PUT; text writes through the segment route.
  */
 
-import { useEffect, useRef, useState } from "react";
+import { useCallback, useEffect, useRef, useState } from "react";
 import { MenuShell } from "@/components/menu-shell";
+import { useSettingsSaved } from "@/components/settings-signal";
 import type React from "react";
 import {
 	MODEL_SLOTS,
@@ -253,8 +254,10 @@ export function AgentSection({
 
 	// The catalog (federated: keyed providers only), the resolved slots,
 	// the prompt segments, and the search engines' key presence — one
-	// fetch each per section mount.
-	useEffect(() => {
+	// fetch each per section mount. The models read ALSO re-runs on the
+	// cross-surface signal (fix wave: another surface's write re-reads
+	// into the slot rows live).
+	const readModels = useCallback(() => {
 		fetch("/api/models")
 			.then((r) => r.json())
 			.then((body: ModelsBody) => {
@@ -262,6 +265,14 @@ export function AgentSection({
 				setSlots(body.slots);
 			})
 			.catch(() => setCatalog(null));
+	}, []);
+
+	useSettingsSaved((section) => {
+		if (section === "models") readModels();
+	});
+
+	useEffect(() => {
+		readModels();
 		fetch("/api/settings/prompts")
 			.then((r) => r.json())
 			.then((body: { prober: SegmentInfo[]; teacher: SegmentInfo[] }) => setPrompts(body))
@@ -346,26 +357,6 @@ export function AgentSection({
 			.then((body: { prober: SegmentInfo[]; teacher: SegmentInfo[] }) => setPrompts(body));
 	}
 
-	/** The "—" row — THINKING menus only: clears the thinking pin (the
-	 *  slot keeps its model; the tier's resolved budget takes over). Model
-	 *  menus carry no such row — unpicking a model would re-arm the
-	 *  first-run gate, and a "default" model is not a thing in this app
-	 *  (owner, fix wave: no factory fallback is ever presented as a
-	 *  choice; an unpicked slot just reads "—"). */
-	const noneRow = (active: boolean, onPick: () => void) => (
-		<button
-			type="button"
-			data-testid="menu-none"
-			onClick={onPick}
-			className={`flex w-full items-center justify-between rounded-lg px-2 py-1.5 text-left transition-colors hover:bg-muted ${
-				active ? "bg-muted/60 text-card-foreground" : "text-card-foreground"
-			}`}
-		>
-			<span>Default</span>
-			{active && <span aria-hidden>✓</span>}
-		</button>
-	);
-
 		/** The search-engine menu row — label + the quiet live-key mark. */
 	const engineOption = (
 		id: (typeof SEARCH_ENGINES)[number] | "auto",
@@ -553,13 +544,6 @@ export function AgentSection({
 										testid={`slot-thinking-menu-${slot}`}
 										menuClass="flex w-44 flex-col gap-0.5 rounded-xl border border-border bg-card p-2 text-xs shadow-xl"
 									>
-										{noneRow(
-											thinking === "",
-											() => {
-												onModelsChange(composeSlotModel(models, slot, provider, modelId, ""));
-												setOpenMenu(null);
-											},
-										)}
 										<ThinkingMenuList
 											levels={levels.map(String)}
 											effectiveLevel={thinking || undefined}

components/settings/settings-dialog.tsx

@@ -40,6 +40,8 @@ import { useAppearance } from "./appearance.tsx";
 import { SettingsSection, SettingsRow, Toggle } from "./controls.tsx";
 import { AgentSection } from "./agent-section.tsx";
 import type { ModelsSettings } from "@/src/core";
+import { MENU_CLOSE_EVENT, MENU_OPEN_EVENT } from "@/components/menu-shell";
+import { notifySettingsSaved } from "@/components/settings-signal";
 import { KeysSection } from "./keys-section.tsx";
 import { AppearanceSection, GraphSection } from "./appearance-section.tsx";
 import { KeyboardSection } from "./keyboard-section.tsx";
@@ -114,6 +116,18 @@ export function SettingsDialogBody({
 		undefined,
 	);
 	const [error, setError] = useState<string | null>(null);
+	// MenuShell open-count — drives the content column's scroll lock.
+	const [openMenus, setOpenMenus] = useState(0);
+	useEffect(() => {
+		const onOpen = () => setOpenMenus((n) => n + 1);
+		const onClose = () => setOpenMenus((n) => Math.max(0, n - 1));
+		window.addEventListener(MENU_OPEN_EVENT, onOpen);
+		window.addEventListener(MENU_CLOSE_EVENT, onClose);
+		return () => {
+			window.removeEventListener(MENU_OPEN_EVENT, onOpen);
+			window.removeEventListener(MENU_CLOSE_EVENT, onClose);
+		};
+	}, []);
 	const [active, setActive] = useState<SectionId>(initialSection);
 
 	// Fetch once per dialog mount. 200 {settings: null} is FIRST BOOT
@@ -165,6 +179,7 @@ export function SettingsDialogBody({
 			setRecord(
 				(prev) => ({ ...(prev ?? {}), [section]: body }) as UserSettings,
 			);
+			notifySettingsSaved(section);
 			if (section === "appearance")
 				onAppearanceChange(body as AppearanceSettings);
 		},
@@ -228,9 +243,12 @@ export function SettingsDialogBody({
 					))}
 				</nav>
 
-				{/* Content column — one section at a time, this scrolls. */}
+				{/* Content column — one section at a time, this scrolls — and
+				    LOCKS while any MenuShell is open (owner ruling: no
+				    scrolling with a dropdown down; MenuShell announces
+				    open/close, the count keeps overlap honest). */}
 				<div
-					className="min-w-0 flex-1 overflow-y-auto"
+					className={`min-w-0 flex-1 ${openMenus > 0 ? "overflow-hidden" : "overflow-y-auto"}`}
 					data-testid="settings-content"
 				>
 					{error && (

components/setup-dialog.tsx

@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ import { type ModelCatalogEntry, type ModelSlotName, type ModelsSettings } from
 import { prettyModel } from "@/components/usage-format";
 import { ModelMenuList } from "@/components/settings/model-menu";
 import { MenuShell } from "@/components/menu-shell";
+import { notifySettingsSaved } from "@/components/settings-signal";
 
 /** The pickers' slot identity — same roster language as the Agent
  *  section's slot rows. */
@@ -177,6 +178,7 @@ export function SetupDialog({
 			setError(res ? `Save failed: ${(await res.json().catch(() => ({}))).error ?? res.status}` : "Save failed — network");
 			return;
 		}
+		notifySettingsSaved("models");
 		onDone(models);
 	}
 

tests/settings-signal.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+/**
+ * The cross-surface settings signal (fix wave, owner ruling 2026-09-22):
+ * writers dispatch lh:settings-saved {section} after a successful PUT,
+ * readers re-read. These tests pin the SEAM's contract — delivery,
+ * section detail, unsubscribe, and junk-event tolerance — against a bare
+ * EventTarget standing in for window (Node has no DOM; the reader WIRING
+ * is verified live per dev-verification.md).
+ */
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import { afterEach, describe, it } from "node:test";
+
+// A DOM-less window: EventTarget is all the seam touches. The module
+// imports react (harmless) and reads window at CALL time, not import time.
+const realWindow = (globalThis as { window?: unknown }).window;
+(globalThis as { window: unknown }).window = new EventTarget();
+
+const {
+	SETTINGS_SAVED_EVENT,
+	notifySettingsSaved,
+	onSettingsSaved,
+} = await import("../components/settings-signal.ts");
+
+afterEach(() => {
+	(globalThis as { window: unknown }).window = realWindow ?? new EventTarget();
+});
+
+describe("settings-signal — the seam's contract", () => {
+	it("a writer's notify reaches a reader with the section", () => {
+		const got: string[] = [];
+		const off = onSettingsSaved((section) => got.push(section));
+		notifySettingsSaved("models");
+		assert.deepEqual(got, ["models"]);
+		off();
+	});
+
+	it("unsubscribe stops delivery (a reader unmounting never leaks)", () => {
+		const got: string[] = [];
+		const off = onSettingsSaved((section) => got.push(section));
+		off();
+		notifySettingsSaved("models");
+		assert.deepEqual(got, []);
+	});
+
+	it("readers filter their own section — general doesn't reach a models reader", () => {
+		const got: string[] = [];
+		const off = onSettingsSaved((s) => {
+			if (s === "models") got.push(s);
+		});
+		notifySettingsSaved("general");
+		notifySettingsSaved("appearance");
+		assert.deepEqual(got, []);
+		notifySettingsSaved("models");
+		assert.deepEqual(got, ["models"]);
+		off();
+	});
+
+	it("a foreign CustomEvent on the same name with no section detail is ignored", () => {
+		const got: string[] = [];
+		const off = onSettingsSaved((section) => got.push(section));
+		// e.g. some other dispatch path that forgot the detail payload
+		globalThis.window.dispatchEvent(
+			new CustomEvent(SETTINGS_SAVED_EVENT, { detail: undefined }),
+		);
+		assert.deepEqual(got, []);
+		off();
+	});
+});