Merge PR114 dictation foundation for approved provider-row finishing

Preserve original contributor commit 3bb28e5f29. Resolve only the settings-dialog conflict by retaining current General/update behavior: the donor General-only language placement is explicitly superseded by the human-approved row BELOW the full-width Deepgram key. The assigned implementation worker will implement that placement and approved shared dropdown finishing. Foundation only, not a checked candidate.

app/api/settings/[section]/route.ts

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
  * discipline, same as the per-chat and defaults routes); sections are
  * independent, so partial writes can never clobber each other.
  *
- *   section ∈ general | chat | agent | appearance | graph | compaction
+ *   section ∈ general | chat | agent | appearance | graph | compaction | models | dictation
  *   Body: the complete desired section object. Parse + validate strictly
  *   (server/settings-body.ts): a bad shape/type is a 400 carrying the
  *   supported list where one exists. The chat and models sections

components/dictation-language.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,143 @@
+"use client";
+
+import { useEffect, useRef, useState, type KeyboardEvent as ReactKeyboardEvent } from "react";
+import { Command } from "cmdk";
+import { CheckIcon, ChevronDownIcon } from "lucide-react";
+import {
+	DICTATION_LANGUAGES, fuzzyScore, type DictationLanguage,
+} from "@/src/core";
+import { MenuShell } from "@/components/menu-shell";
+import { Button } from "@/components/ui/button";
+import { Input } from "@/components/ui/input";
+import { Hint } from "@/components/ui/hint";
+import { SettingsRow } from "@/components/settings/controls";
+import { useDictationActive } from "@/components/dictation-state";
+import { useDictationLanguage } from "@/components/dictation-preference";
+
+type LanguagePreference = ReturnType<typeof useDictationLanguage>;
+
+export function DictationLanguageSetting() {
+	const preference = useDictationLanguage();
+	const active = useDictationActive();
+	return <SettingsRow label="Language" testid="row-dictation-language" dimmed={active}>
+		<DictationLanguagePicker preference={preference} disabled={active} />
+	</SettingsRow>;
+}
+
+function DictationLanguagePicker({ preference, disabled }: {
+	preference: LanguagePreference;
+	disabled: boolean;
+}) {
+	const { language, saving, error, load, save } = preference;
+	const [open, setOpen] = useState(false);
+	const [query, setQuery] = useState("");
+	const triggerRef = useRef<HTMLButtonElement>(null);
+	const label = DICTATION_LANGUAGES.find((item) => item.code === language)?.label ?? "—";
+	// Own ordering so clearing a search restores the catalog's order.
+	// cmdk handles keyboard/ARIA, but its DOM sorting retains old ranks.
+	const results = query.trim() ? DICTATION_LANGUAGES
+		.map((item) => ({ item, score: fuzzyScore(query, item.code, item.label) }))
+		.filter((item) => item.score !== null)
+		.sort((a, b) => b.score! - a.score!)
+		.map(({ item }) => item) : DICTATION_LANGUAGES;
+
+	useEffect(() => { if (disabled) setOpen(false); }, [disabled]);
+	useEffect(() => {
+		if (!open) return;
+		const onPointerDown = (event: PointerEvent) => {
+			const target = event.target as Element;
+			if (target instanceof Element && target.closest('[data-testid="dictation-language-menu"]')) return;
+			if (!triggerRef.current?.contains(target)) setOpen(false);
+		};
+		document.addEventListener("pointerdown", onPointerDown);
+		return () => {
+			document.removeEventListener("pointerdown", onPointerDown);
+		};
+	}, [open]);
+	const closeOnEscape = (event: ReactKeyboardEvent) => {
+		if (event.key !== "Escape") return;
+		event.preventDefault();
+		event.stopPropagation();
+		setOpen(false);
+		triggerRef.current?.focus();
+	};
+	const pick = async (code: DictationLanguage) => {
+		if (disabled || saving || language === undefined) return;
+		if (await save(code)) {
+			setOpen(false);
+			triggerRef.current?.focus();
+		}
+	};
+
+	return <>
+		<Hint label={error ?? `Dictation language: ${label}`} side="top">
+			<Button
+				ref={triggerRef}
+				type="button"
+				variant="outline"
+				size="xs"
+				data-testid="dictation-language"
+				aria-label={`Dictation language: ${label}`}
+				aria-expanded={open && !disabled}
+				aria-haspopup="listbox"
+				disabled={disabled || saving}
+				onKeyDown={(event) => { if (open) closeOnEscape(event); }}
+				onClick={() => {
+					setQuery("");
+					setOpen((value) => !value);
+					if (language === undefined || error) void load().catch(() => {});
+				}}
+				className="h-8 min-w-0 max-w-[65%] px-2.5 font-normal"
+			>
+				<span className="truncate">{label}</span>
+				<ChevronDownIcon aria-hidden className="size-3" />
+			</Button>
+		</Hint>
+		{open && !disabled && <MenuShell
+			anchorRef={triggerRef}
+			testid="dictation-language-menu"
+			preferredSide="down"
+			menuClass="flex w-72 max-w-[calc(100vw-1rem)] flex-col rounded-xl border bg-card p-2 text-xs shadow-xl"
+		>
+			{error && <div role="alert" className="mb-1.5 text-destructive">{error}</div>}
+			<Command
+				label="Dictation languages"
+				vimBindings={false}
+				shouldFilter={false}
+				onKeyDown={(event) => {
+					closeOnEscape(event);
+					// Keep menu navigation out of the composer's submit/shortcut
+					// handlers. cmdk owns selection, scrolling and ARIA state.
+					if (["ArrowDown", "ArrowUp", "Enter", "Home", "End"].includes(event.key)) event.stopPropagation();
+				}}
+			>
+				<Command.Input asChild disabled={saving} value={query} onValueChange={setQuery}>
+					<Input aria-label="Search dictation languages" placeholder="Search languages…" className="mb-1.5 h-8 bg-background px-2 text-xs md:text-xs" />
+				</Command.Input>
+				<Command.List className="max-h-72 overflow-y-auto px-1">
+					<Command.Empty className="px-2 py-3 text-center text-muted-foreground">No languages match.</Command.Empty>
+					{results.map((item) => <Command.Item
+						key={item.code}
+						value={item.code}
+						disabled={saving || language === undefined}
+						onSelect={() => { void pick(item.code); }}
+						asChild
+					>
+						<Button
+							type="button"
+							variant="ghost"
+							size="sm"
+							tabIndex={-1}
+							disabled={saving || language === undefined}
+							data-testid={`dictation-language-${item.code}`}
+							className="h-auto w-full justify-between whitespace-normal rounded-lg px-2 py-1.5 text-left text-xs font-normal text-card-foreground data-[selected=true]:bg-accent/40"
+						>
+							{item.label}
+							{language === item.code && <CheckIcon aria-hidden className="size-3.5" />}
+						</Button>
+					</Command.Item>)}
+				</Command.List>
+			</Command>
+		</MenuShell>}
+	</>;
+}

components/dictation-preference.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,129 @@
+"use client";
+
+import { useSyncExternalStore } from "react";
+import {
+	FACTORY_SETTINGS, isDictationLanguage, sanitizeUserSettings,
+	type DictationLanguage, type UserSettings,
+} from "@/src/core";
+import { notifySettingsSaved, onSettingsSaved } from "@/components/settings-signal";
+
+const INITIAL = { language: undefined as DictationLanguage | undefined, saving: false, error: null as string | null };
+
+/** One confirmed preference and one write in flight, shared by every surface.
+ * The factory keeps transport tests isolated without a second persistence path.
+ */
+export function createDictationLanguageStore(request: typeof fetch, saved: () => void = () => {}) {
+	let snapshot = INITIAL;
+	let reading: Promise<DictationLanguage> | null = null;
+	let writing: Promise<boolean> | null = null;
+	let revision = 0;
+	let needsRead = true;
+	const listeners = new Set<() => void>();
+	const publish = (patch: Partial<typeof INITIAL>) => {
+		snapshot = { ...snapshot, ...patch };
+		for (const listener of listeners) listener();
+	};
+
+	function load(refresh = false): Promise<DictationLanguage> {
+		if (writing) return getLanguage();
+		if (reading && !refresh) return reading;
+		const version = ++revision;
+		needsRead = true;
+		reading = Promise.resolve().then(async () => {
+			try {
+				const res = await request("/api/settings");
+				if (!res.ok) throw new Error();
+				const body = await res.json() as { settings: UserSettings | null };
+				if (!("settings" in body)) throw new Error();
+				const record = sanitizeUserSettings(body.settings);
+				if (body.settings !== null && record === null) throw new Error();
+				if (version !== revision) return getLanguage();
+				const language = record?.dictation?.language ?? FACTORY_SETTINGS.dictation.language;
+				needsRead = false;
+				publish({ language, error: null });
+				return language;
+			} catch {
+				if (version !== revision) return getLanguage();
+				const message = "Could not load dictation language. Try again.";
+				publish({ error: message });
+				throw new Error(message);
+			} finally {
+				if (version === revision) reading = null;
+			}
+		});
+		return reading;
+	}
+
+	function save(language: DictationLanguage): Promise<boolean> {
+		// A different selection must never inherit the previous write's success.
+		if (writing || snapshot.language === undefined) return Promise.resolve(false);
+		revision++;
+		reading = null;
+		writing = Promise.resolve().then(async () => {
+			try {
+				const res = await request("/api/settings/dictation", {
+					method: "PUT", headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
+					body: JSON.stringify({ language }),
+				});
+				if (!res.ok) throw new Error();
+				const body = await res.json() as { settings: UserSettings };
+				const confirmed = body.settings?.dictation?.language;
+				if (!isDictationLanguage(confirmed)) throw new Error();
+				needsRead = false;
+				publish({ language: confirmed, error: null });
+				saved();
+				return true;
+			} catch {
+				publish({ error: "Could not save dictation language. Try again." });
+				return false;
+			} finally {
+				writing = null;
+				publish({ saving: false });
+			}
+		});
+		publish({ saving: true, error: null });
+		return writing;
+	}
+
+	async function getLanguage(): Promise<DictationLanguage> {
+		for (;;) {
+			if (writing) await writing;
+			else if (reading) await reading;
+			else if (needsRead || snapshot.language === undefined) await load();
+			else return snapshot.language;
+		}
+	}
+
+	return {
+		load, save, getLanguage,
+		getSnapshot: () => snapshot,
+		getServerSnapshot: () => INITIAL,
+		subscribe(listener: () => void) { listeners.add(listener); return () => { listeners.delete(listener); }; },
+	};
+}
+
+let announcingSave = false;
+const store = createDictationLanguageStore((...args) => fetch(...args), () => {
+	// All our readers already received the confirmed PUT response. Keep the
+	// repo's notification contract without depending on a redundant GET.
+	announcingSave = true;
+	try { notifySettingsSaved("dictation"); } finally { announcingSave = false; }
+});
+let readers = 0;
+let stopSignals: (() => void) | undefined;
+
+function subscribe(listener: () => void) {
+	const off = store.subscribe(listener);
+	if (readers++ === 0) {
+		stopSignals = onSettingsSaved((section) => {
+			if (section === "dictation" && !announcingSave) void store.load(true).catch(() => {});
+		});
+		if (!store.getSnapshot().saving) void store.load(true).catch(() => {});
+	}
+	return () => { off(); if (--readers === 0) { stopSignals?.(); stopSignals = undefined; } };
+}
+
+export function useDictationLanguage() {
+	const snapshot = useSyncExternalStore(subscribe, store.getSnapshot, store.getServerSnapshot);
+	return { ...snapshot, load: store.load, save: store.save, getLanguage: store.getLanguage };
+}

components/dictation-state.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+"use client";
+
+import { useSyncExternalStore } from "react";
+
+// The keyboard chain needs a synchronous answer; settings also subscribe
+// so the language control locks from connecting until cleanup completes.
+let active = false;
+const listeners = new Set<() => void>();
+
+export function isDictationActive(): boolean { return active; }
+
+export function setDictationActive(next: boolean): void {
+	if (active === next) return;
+	active = next;
+	for (const listener of listeners) listener();
+}
+
+function subscribe(listener: () => void): () => void {
+	listeners.add(listener);
+	return () => { listeners.delete(listener); };
+}
+
+export function useDictationActive(): boolean {
+	return useSyncExternalStore(subscribe, isDictationActive, () => false);
+}

components/dictation.tsx

@@ -4,6 +4,11 @@ import { useCallback, useEffect, useRef, useState } from "react";
 import { Loader2Icon, MicIcon } from "lucide-react";
 import { useSettingsDialog } from "@/components/settings/settings-dialog";
 import { Hint } from "@/components/ui/hint";
+import { Button } from "@/components/ui/button";
+import { deepgramListenUrl, type DictationLanguage } from "@/src/core";
+import { useDictationLanguage } from "@/components/dictation-preference";
+import { setDictationActive } from "@/components/dictation-state";
+export { isDictationActive } from "@/components/dictation-state";
 
 /**
  * Voice dictation — the cloud engine (STT wave 1, 2026-09-17).
@@ -86,15 +91,7 @@ import { Hint } from "@/components/ui/hint";
  * endpointing=300, no interims. Silence streams too (the worklet never
  * pauses), so the socket never idles — no KeepAlive needed.
  */
-const DG_URL =
-	"wss://api.deepgram.com/v1/listen" +
-	"?model=nova-3" +
-	"&encoding=linear16" +
-	"&sample_rate=16000" +
-	"&channels=1" +
-	"&smart_format=true" +
-	"&punctuate=true" +
-	"&endpointing=300";
+// URL construction lives in the browser-safe core; only language varies.
 
 /** Meter tuning — the owner's tested values, see the file header. */
 const METER_FLOOR_DB = -50;
@@ -204,16 +201,6 @@ export function rmsToMeter(rms: number): number {
  */
 let questionTarget: ((text: string) => void) | null = null;
 
-/* Is a dictation run live on this page? The Esc chain (keyboard wave A,
- * components/keyboard-shortcuts.tsx) needs a SYNCHRONOUS answer — the
- * stop handler can't report back through a CustomEvent. Set at start(),
- * cleared in cleanup() (every terminal path runs through cleanup). */
-let dictationActiveFlag = false;
-
-export function isDictationActive(): boolean {
-	return dictationActiveFlag;
-}
-
 /* The finisher registry: submit paths FAR from the hook's owner (the
  * pending question's dock) need finish() without a prop bridge. Same
  * module-level pattern as questionTarget — one window, one instance,
@@ -285,6 +272,7 @@ export type Dictation = {
  * question waits.
  */
 export function useDictation({ append }: { append: (text: string) => void }): Dictation {
+	const { getLanguage } = useDictationLanguage();
 	const [phase, setPhase] = useState<DictationPhase>("idle");
 	const [error, setError] = useState<string | null>(null);
 	/** Latest RMS from the worklet — the meter samples this (dictate pattern). */
@@ -327,9 +315,9 @@ export function useDictation({ append }: { append: (text: string) => void }): Di
 	}, []);
 
 	/** Full teardown of one run's machinery. Idempotent; generation-guarded by callers. */
-	const cleanup = useCallback(() => {
+	const cleanup = useCallback((warmNext = true) => {
 		genRef.current++;
-		dictationActiveFlag = false;
+		setDictationActive(false);
 		flush(); // the deferred transcript appears when the run ends (owner round 2)
 		if (safetyRef.current) {
 			clearTimeout(safetyRef.current);
@@ -357,16 +345,16 @@ export function useDictation({ append }: { append: (text: string) => void }): Di
 		for (const w of waitersRef.current.splice(0)) w();
 		// Pre-mint for the next run (mitigation D) — best-effort; a keyless
 		// page just doesn't warm.
-		warmTokens.refresh();
+		if (warmNext) warmTokens.refresh();
 	}, []);
 
 	/** Open the Deepgram socket and wire its messages. `gen` guards staleness. */
 	const openSocket = useCallback(
-		(gen: number, token: string) => {
+		(gen: number, token: string, language: DictationLanguage) => {
 			// Minted JWTs authenticate via the "bearer" subprotocol — ["token",
 			// jwt] is rejected at the handshake (verified live; "token" is for
 			// raw API keys only, as in the owner's pi dictate extension).
-			const ws = new WebSocket(DG_URL, ["bearer", token]);
+			const ws = new WebSocket(deepgramListenUrl(language), ["bearer", token]);
 			wsRef.current = ws;
 
 			ws.addEventListener("open", () => {
@@ -408,7 +396,7 @@ export function useDictation({ append }: { append: (text: string) => void }): Di
 					reconnectsRef.current++;
 					mintFreshToken() // always FRESH — a stale warm token is the likely culprit
 						.then((t) => {
-							if (gen === genRef.current) openSocket(gen, t);
+							if (gen === genRef.current) openSocket(gen, t, language);
 						})
 						.catch(() => {
 							if (gen === genRef.current) {
@@ -426,13 +414,23 @@ export function useDictation({ append }: { append: (text: string) => void }): Di
 	);
 
 	const start = useCallback(async () => {
-		dictationActiveFlag = true;
+		setDictationActive(true);
 		setError(null);
 		setPhase("connecting");
 		reconnectsRef.current = 0;
 		bufferRef.current = []; // fresh run, fresh buffer (round 2)
 		pendingRef.current = []; // fresh run, fresh queue (mitigation A)
 		const gen = ++genRef.current;
+		let language: DictationLanguage;
+		try {
+			language = await getLanguage();
+		} catch (e) {
+			if (gen !== genRef.current) return;
+			setError(e instanceof Error ? e.message : "Dictation language unavailable");
+			cleanup();
+			return;
+		}
+		if (gen !== genRef.current) return;
 
 		// Mitigation D: the warm token (pre-minted at mount / after the last
 		// run) resolves ~instantly; a cold/keyless mint surfaces below. The
@@ -509,8 +507,8 @@ export function useDictation({ append }: { append: (text: string) => void }): Di
 		if (gen !== genRef.current) return;
 		// Mitigation B: the handshake fires the moment the graph is live,
 		// overlapping any remaining token wait — mic-gated, never before it.
-		openSocket(gen, token);
-	}, [openSocket, cleanup]);
+		openSocket(gen, token, language);
+	}, [openSocket, cleanup, getLanguage]);
 
 	const stop = useCallback(() => {
 		const gen = genRef.current;
@@ -586,7 +584,13 @@ export function useDictation({ append }: { append: (text: string) => void }): Di
 	// attached.
 	useEffect(() => {
 		warmTokens.refresh(); // pre-mint at mount (mitigation D) — silent if keyless
-	}, []);
+		return () => {
+			// Navigation cancels capture: invalidate every pending await before
+			// releasing resources, and never append into a different page's input.
+			bufferRef.current = [];
+			cleanup(false);
+		};
+	}, [cleanup]);
 	useEffect(() => {
 		window.addEventListener("lh:kbd-toggle-dictation", toggle);
 		return () => window.removeEventListener("lh:kbd-toggle-dictation", toggle);
@@ -630,7 +634,6 @@ export function DictationBar({ dictation }: { dictation: Dictation }) {
 	 *  error keeps the old behavior (click = retry, which clears). */
 	const keyless = error === DICTATION_KEYLESS;
 	const [levels, setLevels] = useState<number[]>(() => new Array(METER_CELLS).fill(0));
-	const recording = phase === "recording" || phase === "stopping";
 	/** Adaptive cell count (owner round 2): derived from the meter's
 	 *  measured width — narrow rows show fewer bars instead of
 	 *  overflowing under neighbors. */
@@ -673,17 +676,11 @@ export function DictationBar({ dictation }: { dictation: Dictation }) {
 
 	if (!active) {
 		return (
-			<Hint
-				// Errored: the button span truncates the line — the tooltip is its
-				// full reveal (the keyless line KEEPS "Deepgram" — owner overrule:
-				// it's the Keys row label, the truth the user needs). Otherwise the
-				// quiet label + the live ⌘D binding.
-				label={error ?? "Dictate"}
-				action={error ? undefined : "toggle-dictation"}
-				side="top"
-			>
-				<button
+			<Hint label={error ?? "Dictate"} action={error ? undefined : "toggle-dictation"} side="top">
+				<Button
 					type="button"
+					variant="outline"
+					size="xs"
 					onClick={() => {
 						if (keyless) {
 							clearError();
@@ -694,45 +691,33 @@ export function DictationBar({ dictation }: { dictation: Dictation }) {
 					}}
 					aria-label={error ? `Dictation failed: ${error}` : "Start dictation"}
 					data-testid="dictation-toggle"
-				// Same blurring as the floating chrome (owner, fix wave round 3),
-			// but lower opacity — the mic stays quieter than the model pills.
-			className="flex h-7 w-full items-center justify-center gap-1.5 rounded-md border border-border/50 bg-card/50 text-xs text-muted-foreground/70 shadow-lg backdrop-blur transition-colors hover:border-border hover:text-muted-foreground"
-			>
+					className="h-7 w-full min-w-0 gap-1.5 overflow-hidden border-border/50 bg-card/50 font-normal text-muted-foreground/70 shadow-lg backdrop-blur hover:border-border hover:bg-card/50 hover:text-muted-foreground dark:bg-card/50 dark:hover:bg-card/50"
+				>
 					<MicIcon className="size-3.5" />
 					<span className="max-w-full truncate">{error ?? "Dictate"}</span>
-				</button>
+				</Button>
 			</Hint>
 		);
 	}
 
 	return (
 		<div className="flex w-full min-w-0 items-center gap-2" data-testid="dictation-bar">
-			<Hint
-				// The owner flagged this copy good ("Stop dictation (Esc)") —
-				// kept verbatim; only the machinery moved to the styled tooltip.
-				label="Stop dictation (Esc)"
-				side="top"
-			>
-				<button
+			<Hint label="Stop dictation (Esc)" side="top">
+				<Button
 					type="button"
+					variant="ghost"
+					size="xs"
 					onClick={toggle}
 					disabled={phase === "stopping"}
 					aria-label="Stop dictation"
-				data-testid="dictation-toggle"
-				className="flex h-7 shrink-0 items-center gap-1.5 rounded-md bg-destructive/10 px-2 text-xs font-medium text-destructive transition-colors hover:bg-destructive/20"
-			>
-				{phase === "stopping" ? (
-					<Loader2Icon className="size-3.5 animate-spin" />
-				) : (
-					<MicIcon className="size-3.5" />
-				)}
+					data-testid="dictation-toggle"
+					className="h-7 gap-1.5 bg-destructive/10 text-destructive hover:bg-destructive/20"
+				>
+					{phase === "stopping" ? <Loader2Icon className="size-3.5 animate-spin" /> : <MicIcon className="size-3.5" />}
 					Stop
-				</button>
+				</Button>
 			</Hint>
 			<span className="size-1.5 shrink-0 animate-pulse rounded-full bg-destructive" aria-hidden />
-			{/* Fixed width while recording — nothing ever appends text beside it
-			    (no interims, owner round 1). Cells carry no minimum width; the
-			    COUNT adapts to the measured row space (owner round 2). */}
 			<div ref={meterRef} className="flex h-4 min-w-0 flex-1 items-center gap-[2px]" data-testid="dictation-meter">
 				{levels.slice(-cellCount).map((v, i) => (
 					<span

components/settings-signal.ts

@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ export const SETTINGS_SAVED_EVENT = "lh:settings-saved";
 // "keys" joined the roster (zero-keys wave, 2026-09-25): keys-section
 // dispatches it after save AND delete — deletions used to be invisible to
 // the zero-keys pill and the setup dialog's auto-advance.
-export type SettingsSection = "general" | "keys" | "agent" | "models" | "appearance" | "graph" | "compaction";
+export type SettingsSection = "general" | "keys" | "agent" | "models" | "appearance" | "graph" | "compaction" | "dictation";
 
 /** Writers call this after the PUT resolves ok — never before (a failed
  *  write notifies nothing; the record is unchanged). */
@@ -47,4 +47,4 @@ export function useSettingsSaved(handler: (section: SettingsSection) => void): v
 	const saved = useRef(handler);
 	saved.current = handler;
 	useEffect(() => onSettingsSaved((section) => saved.current(section)), []);
-}
+}

docs/development.md

@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ pricing-generation step: Pi AI's catalog and public calculator are the authority
 
 **Practice (problem sets).** A node selection resolves to the STORED reasoning chains it fully contains (a chain rides iff every member is selected; unchained nodes ride as singletons); the `/practice` creation dialog picks a birth-session cluster (the graph view's own groups) and freezes its propositions + chains into a self-contained `ProblemSet`. Three named-level axes steer generation (ladder rung 0–4, cue distance 0–2, Theory|Application — never a number to interpolate; defaults Direct exercise · Adjacent context · Theory), plus an optional free-form note the agents weigh but need not follow. Creation has two entries: the cluster picker on `/practice`, or the graph view's chain table — a full-bleed sortable table of every reasoning chain, grouped by birth cluster under the shared top bar, selecting chips, chains, or whole clusters, whose floating selection bar shows the exact `N nodes → M chains` the agents will receive — handing a free-form node selection to the same dialog — and carries the fenced Delete action, making it the graph's management view (whole-cluster cleanup through the same full-death confirm dialog). A partitioner agent covers every chain exactly once, one generator per partition writes problems against the owner's problem-engineering framework (commit-before-pose: statement + solution + rubric together), and grading is **strengthening, not assessment** — one attempt per problem with its own submit button, instant solution/rubric reveal, then a score 0–10 with brief reasoning landing live; nothing ever written back to the graph. Runs are registry-backed background jobs on the activity dock (no steer, never wakes the teacher); sets live in `data/practice`, crash-swept on boot.
 
-**Dictation.** Optional speech-to-text: the server mints short-lived Deepgram tokens; audio streams browser→Deepgram over WebSocket, never through the server.
+**Dictation.** Optional speech-to-text: the server mints short-lived Deepgram tokens; audio streams browser→Deepgram over WebSocket, never through the server. Settings → General → Dictation → Language offers Nova-3's documented monolingual languages/locales or `language=multi` for automatic multilingual transcription. The app-wide `dictation.language` preference persists through the existing settings record and `PUT /api/settings/dictation`; absent preferences resolve to English (`en`). The settings control locks from connecting through stopping, and reconnects keep the run's original language. A shared preference controller publishes confirmed PUT responses to every reader immediately; subsequent read failures cannot revert a confirmed choice. External settings notifications invalidate the cache, and capture waits for a successful refresh. Navigating away cancels the run, invalidates pending startup/reconnect work and releases its microphone/socket without appending into another page's input. All other streaming parameters remain unchanged. The picker composes the shared Button, Input, Hint and MenuShell with the existing `cmdk` dependency for accessible list navigation, using the app's fuzzy-search scoring.
 
 ## Testing
 
@@ -196,4 +196,4 @@ The teaching methodology comes from an Obsidian-based POC (its `knowledge graph
 
 Nothing under `data/` is ever tracked by git. Chats, graph ledgers, jobs, positions, and the settings records are plain files (JSON/JSONL) — inspect them freely; they are the canonical records. The desktop app relocates the whole directory via `LH_DATA_DIR`.
 
-**Schema stamps (2026-10-10):** chat records carry `version` (stamped at the store's write choke point; absence reads as v1 — lazy migration, no mass rewrite), and the graph family (ledgers, sources, render-settings) shares one sidecar `graph/format.json`, created on the family's first write. `positions.json` is deliberately unstamped (rebuildable). A record stamped NEWER than the running build is refused on read — honest refusal for the downgrade scenario: a read-modify-write store never rewrites what it doesn't understand.
+**Schema stamps (2026-10-10):** chat records carry `version` (stamped at the store's write choke point; absence reads as v1 — lazy migration, no mass rewrite), and the graph family (ledgers, sources, render-settings) shares one sidecar `graph/format.json`, created on the family's first write. `positions.json` is deliberately unstamped (rebuildable). A record stamped NEWER than the running build is refused on read — honest refusal for the downgrade scenario: a read-modify-write store never rewrites what it doesn't understand.

src/core/dictation.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+/** Nova-3 monolingual language codes, including documented locale aliases.
+ * Source: https://developers.deepgram.com/docs/models-languages-overview
+ * Multilingual is a separate mode; its supported language set differs.
+ */
+const NOVA_3_LANGUAGES = [
+	["Afrikaans", ["af", "af-ZA"]],
+	["Arabic", ["ar", "ar-AE", "ar-SA", "ar-QA", "ar-KW", "ar-SY", "ar-LB", "ar-PS", "ar-JO", "ar-EG", "ar-SD", "ar-TD", "ar-MA", "ar-DZ", "ar-TN", "ar-IQ", "ar-IR"]],
+	["Armenian", ["hy"]],
+	["Assamese", ["as", "as-IN"]],
+	["Belarusian", ["be"]],
+	["Bengali", ["bn"]],
+	["Bosnian", ["bs"]],
+	["Bulgarian", ["bg"]],
+	["Catalan", ["ca"]],
+	["Chinese (Cantonese, Traditional)", ["zh-HK"]],
+	["Chinese (Mandarin, Simplified)", ["zh", "zh-CN", "zh-Hans"]],
+	["Chinese (Mandarin, Traditional)", ["zh-TW", "zh-Hant"]],
+	["Croatian", ["hr"]],
+	["Czech", ["cs", "cs-CZ"]],
+	["Danish", ["da", "da-DK"]],
+	["Dutch", ["nl"]],
+	["English", ["en", "en-US", "en-AU", "en-GB", "en-IN", "en-NZ"]],
+	["Estonian", ["et"]],
+	["Finnish", ["fi"]],
+	["Flemish", ["nl-BE"]],
+	["French", ["fr", "fr-CA"]],
+	["Georgian", ["ka", "ka-GE"]],
+	["German", ["de"]],
+	["German (Switzerland)", ["de-CH"]],
+	["Greek", ["el"]],
+	["Gujarati", ["gu", "gu-IN"]],
+	["Hebrew", ["he"]],
+	["Hindi", ["hi"]],
+	["Hungarian", ["hu"]],
+	["Indonesian", ["id"]],
+	["Italian", ["it"]],
+	["Japanese", ["ja"]],
+	["Kannada", ["kn"]],
+	["Kazakh", ["kk", "kk-KZ"]],
+	["Korean", ["ko", "ko-KR"]],
+	["Latvian", ["lv"]],
+	["Lithuanian", ["lt"]],
+	["Macedonian", ["mk"]],
+	["Malay", ["ms"]],
+	["Marathi", ["mr"]],
+	["Mongolian", ["mn"]],
+	["Nepali", ["ne"]],
+	["Norwegian", ["no"]],
+	["Pashto", ["ps", "ps-AF"]],
+	["Persian", ["fa"]],
+	["Polish", ["pl"]],
+	["Portuguese", ["pt", "pt-BR", "pt-PT"]],
+	["Punjabi", ["pa", "pa-IN"]],
+	["Romanian", ["ro"]],
+	["Russian", ["ru"]],
+	["Serbian", ["sr"]],
+	["Slovak", ["sk"]],
+	["Slovenian", ["sl"]],
+	["Spanish", ["es", "es-419"]],
+	["Swedish", ["sv", "sv-SE"]],
+	["Tagalog", ["tl"]],
+	["Tamil", ["ta"]],
+	["Telugu", ["te"]],
+	["Thai", ["th", "th-TH"]],
+	["Turkish", ["tr", "tr-TR"]],
+	["Ukrainian", ["uk"]],
+	["Urdu", ["ur"]],
+	["Vietnamese", ["vi"]],
+] as const;
+
+export type DictationLanguage = "multi" | (typeof NOVA_3_LANGUAGES)[number][1][number];
+
+export const DICTATION_LANGUAGES: readonly { code: DictationLanguage; label: string }[] = [
+	{ code: "multi", label: "Multilingual" },
+	...NOVA_3_LANGUAGES.flatMap(([name, codes]) =>
+		codes.map((code, i) => ({ code, label: i === 0 ? name : `${name} (${code})` })),
+	).sort((a, b) => a.label.localeCompare(b.label, "en")),
+];
+
+export function isDictationLanguage(value: unknown): value is DictationLanguage {
+	return DICTATION_LANGUAGES.some(({ code }) => code === value);
+}
+
+/** Only language varies. Keep the owner's tuned streaming parameters. */
+export function deepgramListenUrl(language: DictationLanguage): string {
+	return "wss://api.deepgram.com/v1/listen" +
+		"?model=nova-3&encoding=linear16&sample_rate=16000&channels=1" +
+		"&smart_format=true&punctuate=true&endpointing=300" +
+		`&language=${encodeURIComponent(language)}`;
+}

src/core/index.ts

@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ export * from "./fuzzy.ts";
 // the user-settings record's shape/sanitizer (pure) and its fully-resolved
 // view. Browser-safe — the Wave-4 panel imports these directly.
 export * from "./settings.ts";
+export * from "./dictation.ts";
 // graph-deletion.ts (wave 6): the whole module is PURE but storage-port
 // driven — the deletion RUNS server-side only. The shell needs exactly one
 // two type-only things from it: the ChatDeleteMode union (the delete

src/core/settings-resolution.ts

@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ import {
 	type BackgroundModelRole,
 	type FactorySettings,
 	type GeneralSettings,
+	type DictationSettings,
 	type CompactionSettings,
 	type GraphSettings,
 	type ModelSlot,
@@ -69,6 +70,7 @@ export type EffectiveAppearance = FactorySettings["appearance"];
 /** The concrete view: every knob resolved, no absent fields. */
 export interface EffectiveSettings {
 	general: Required<GeneralSettings>;
+	dictation: Required<DictationSettings>;
 	agent: {
 		models: Record<BackgroundModelRole, EffectiveModelSpec | undefined>;
 		/** Delta map as stored — consumers resolve absent key → enabled. */
@@ -176,6 +178,9 @@ export function resolveSettings(record: UserSettings | null): EffectiveSettings
 		general: {
 			autoUpdate: record?.general?.autoUpdate ?? FACTORY_SETTINGS.general.autoUpdate,
 		},
+		dictation: {
+			language: record?.dictation?.language ?? FACTORY_SETTINGS.dictation.language,
+		},
 		agent: {
 			models,
 			tools: agent.tools ?? {},

src/core/settings.ts

@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ import { AUTH_PROVIDER_KEYS } from "./auth-keys.ts";
 import type { ModelRole } from "../../config.ts";
 import type { ChatSettings } from "./contracts/chat.ts";
 import type { SearchEngineId } from "./search.ts";
+import { isDictationLanguage, type DictationLanguage } from "./dictation.ts";
 
 /** The schema version this code understands. Bump ONLY for breaking shape
  *  changes (a field renamed/meaning changed); pure additions never bump. */
@@ -235,6 +236,11 @@ export interface GeneralSettings {
 	autoUpdate?: boolean;
 }
 
+/** One app-wide dictation preference, shared by every composer. */
+export interface DictationSettings {
+	language?: DictationLanguage;
+}
+
 /** Agent settings — everything about the non-conversation machinery. */
 export interface AgentSettings {
 	/** Background-role model/thinking overrides (absent role = config pin). */
@@ -361,6 +367,7 @@ export interface CompactionSettings {
 export interface UserSettings {
 	version: number;
 	general?: GeneralSettings;
+	dictation?: DictationSettings;
 	agent?: AgentSettings;
 	/** The strong/cheap/vision model slots (model slots wave, 2026-09-20). */
 	models?: ModelsSettings;
@@ -378,6 +385,7 @@ export interface UserSettings {
 export interface FactorySettings {
 	version: number;
 	general: Required<GeneralSettings>;
+	dictation: Required<DictationSettings>;
 	appearance: {
 		mode: "dark" | "light";
 		background: string | null;
@@ -397,6 +405,7 @@ export interface FactorySettings {
 export const FACTORY_SETTINGS: FactorySettings = {
 	version: CURRENT_SETTINGS_VERSION,
 	general: { autoUpdate: true },
+	dictation: { language: "en" },
 	appearance: {
 		mode: "dark",
 		background: null, // the dark default (#141414) lives in the mode's derivation curve
@@ -615,6 +624,13 @@ export function sanitizeUserSettings(raw: unknown): UserSettings | null {
 	if (r.general !== null && typeof r.general === "object" && !Array.isArray(r.general)) {
 		out.general = sanitizeGeneral(r.general as Record<string, unknown>);
 	}
+	if (r.dictation !== undefined) {
+		const raw = r.dictation;
+		out.dictation = raw !== null && typeof raw === "object" && !Array.isArray(raw) &&
+			isDictationLanguage((raw as Record<string, unknown>).language)
+			? { language: (raw as DictationSettings).language }
+			: {};
+	}
 	if (r.agent !== null && typeof r.agent === "object" && !Array.isArray(r.agent)) {
 		out.agent = sanitizeAgent(r.agent as Record<string, unknown>);
 	}

src/server/settings-body.ts

@@ -19,12 +19,14 @@ import type {
 	BackgroundModelRole,
 	CompactionSettings,
 	GeneralSettings,
+	DictationSettings,
 	GraphSettings,
 	ModelsSettings,
 	RoleModelOverride,
 } from "../core/settings.ts";
 import { BACKGROUND_MODEL_ROLES, COMPACTION_THRESHOLD_FLOOR, EXTRACTION_CHUNK_TOKENS_FLOOR, MODEL_SLOTS } from "../core/settings.ts";
 import { WRITABLE_TOOL_KEYS } from "../core/pending.ts";
+import { isDictationLanguage } from "../core/dictation.ts";
 
 /** Parsed-or-rejected — `ok: false` carries the 400's error message. */
 export type SettingsBodyResult<T> =
@@ -375,6 +377,15 @@ export function parseCompactionSettingsBody(body: unknown): SettingsBodyResult<C
 	return { ok: true, settings };
 }
 
+/** dictation: { language?: one of Nova-3's supported language codes } */
+export function parseDictationSettingsBody(body: unknown): SettingsBodyResult<DictationSettings> {
+	const raw = asRecord(body);
+	if (!raw) return { ok: false, error: "Invalid JSON body" };
+	if (raw.language === undefined) return { ok: true, settings: {} };
+	if (!isDictationLanguage(raw.language)) return { ok: false, error: "Unsupported dictation language" };
+	return { ok: true, settings: { language: raw.language } };
+}
+
 /** The section→parser map for PUT /api/settings/[section] (the route also
  *  carries the special prompts sub-resource). */
 export const SETTINGS_SECTIONS = {
@@ -385,6 +396,7 @@ export const SETTINGS_SECTIONS = {
 	graph: parseGraphSettingsBody,
 	compaction: parseCompactionSettingsBody,
 	models: parseModelsSettingsBody,
+	dictation: parseDictationSettingsBody,
 } as const;
 
 export type SettingsSectionName = keyof typeof SETTINGS_SECTIONS;

tests/dictation-flow.test.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,309 @@
+import React, { act } from "react";
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import { afterEach, test } from "node:test";
+import { parseHTML } from "linkedom";
+import { useDictation, type Dictation } from "../components/dictation.tsx";
+import { notifySettingsSaved } from "../components/settings-signal.ts";
+import { useDictationLanguage } from "../components/dictation-preference.ts";
+import { isDictationActive, useDictationActive } from "../components/dictation-state.ts";
+import type { UserSettings } from "../src/core/index.ts";
+
+function deferred<T>() {
+	let resolve!: (value: T) => void;
+	const promise = new Promise<T>((done) => { resolve = done; });
+	return { promise, resolve };
+}
+
+class Socket extends EventTarget {
+	static CONNECTING = 0;
+	static OPEN = 1;
+	static all: Socket[] = [];
+	readyState = Socket.CONNECTING;
+	sent: unknown[] = [];
+	constructor(readonly url: string, readonly protocols: string[]) { super(); Socket.all.push(this); }
+	get language() { return new URL(this.url).searchParams.get("language"); }
+	send(data: unknown) { this.sent.push(data); }
+	close() { this.readyState = 3; }
+	open() { this.readyState = Socket.OPEN; this.dispatchEvent(new Event("open")); }
+	end(code = 1000) { this.close(); this.dispatchEvent(Object.assign(new Event("close"), { code })); }
+	final(text: string) {
+		this.dispatchEvent(Object.assign(new Event("message"), {
+			data: JSON.stringify({ type: "Results", is_final: true, channel: { alternatives: [{ transcript: text }] } }),
+		}));
+	}
+}
+
+class AudioGraph {
+	state = "running";
+	destination = {};
+	audioWorklet = { addModule: async () => {} };
+	createMediaStreamSource() { return { connect() {}, disconnect() {} }; }
+}
+class Worklet { port = {}; connect() {} disconnect() {} }
+
+const globals = globalThis as Record<string, unknown>;
+let restore: (() => void) | undefined;
+let dispose: (() => Promise<void>) | undefined;
+
+async function fixture(language: "pl" | "en" = "pl", delayedRead?: Promise<Response>) {
+	const dom = parseHTML("<html><body><div id='root'></div></body></html>");
+	const state = {
+		record: { version: 1, dictation: { language } } as UserSettings,
+		nextRead: delayedRead,
+		nextWrite: undefined as Promise<Response> | undefined,
+		nextMic: undefined as Promise<{ getTracks: () => { stop: () => void }[] }> | undefined,
+		readFails: false,
+		active: false,
+		captures: 0,
+		stops: 0,
+		appends: [] as string[],
+	};
+	Socket.all = [];
+	const previous = new Map<string, PropertyDescriptor | undefined>();
+	for (const [key, value] of Object.entries({
+		React, window: dom.window, document: dom.document, CustomEvent: dom.window.CustomEvent,
+		navigator: { userAgent: "", platform: "", mediaDevices: { getUserMedia: async () => {
+			state.captures++;
+			if (state.nextMic) return state.nextMic;
+			return { getTracks: () => [{ stop() { state.stops++; } }] };
+		} } },
+		WebSocket: Socket, AudioContext: AudioGraph, AudioWorkletNode: Worklet,
+		IS_REACT_ACT_ENVIRONMENT: true,
+		fetch: async (url: string, init?: RequestInit) => {
+			if (url === "/api/stt/token") return Response.json({ token: "test-token" });
+			if (url === "/api/settings") {
+				if (state.nextRead) { const response = state.nextRead; state.nextRead = undefined; return response; }
+				return state.readFails ? Response.json({}, { status: 500 }) : Response.json({ settings: state.record });
+			}
+			assert.equal(url, "/api/settings/dictation");
+			assert.equal(init?.method, "PUT");
+			if (state.nextWrite) { const response = state.nextWrite; state.nextWrite = undefined; return response; }
+			state.record = { ...state.record, dictation: JSON.parse(init.body as string) };
+			return Response.json({ settings: state.record });
+		},
+	})) {
+		previous.set(key, Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(globalThis, key));
+		Object.defineProperty(globalThis, key, { configurable: true, writable: true, value });
+	}
+	restore = () => {
+		for (const [key, descriptor] of previous) {
+			if (descriptor) Object.defineProperty(globalThis, key, descriptor);
+			else delete globals[key];
+		}
+	};
+	const { createRoot } = await import("react-dom/client");
+	let latest!: Dictation;
+	let setting!: ReturnType<typeof useDictationLanguage>;
+	function Harness() {
+		latest = useDictation({ append: (text) => state.appends.push(text) });
+		setting = useDictationLanguage();
+		state.active = useDictationActive();
+		return null;
+	}
+	let root = createRoot(document.getElementById("root")!);
+	const mount = async () => { await act(async () => { root.render(<Harness />); }); };
+	dispose = async () => { await act(async () => { root.unmount(); }); };
+	return {
+		state,
+		get dictation() { return latest; },
+		get setting() { return setting; },
+		mount,
+		unmount: () => dispose!(),
+		remount: async () => {
+			await dispose!();
+			root = createRoot(document.getElementById("root")!);
+			await mount();
+		},
+	};
+}
+
+afterEach(async () => { await dispose?.(); restore?.(); dispose = undefined; restore = undefined; });
+
+test("waits for the saved language; reconnect preserves it and finals still flush exactly once", async () => {
+	const read = deferred<Response>();
+	const f = await fixture("pl", read.promise);
+	await f.mount();
+	await act(async () => { f.dictation.toggle(); });
+	assert.equal(f.dictation.phase, "connecting");
+	assert.equal(f.state.active, true, "the settings row locks while connecting");
+	assert.equal(f.state.captures, 0);
+	assert.equal(Socket.all.length, 0, "must not open a default-English socket before settings arrive");
+	await act(async () => { read.resolve(Response.json({ settings: f.state.record })); });
+	const first = Socket.all[0]!;
+	assert.equal(first.language, "pl");
+	await act(async () => { first.open(); first.final("Cześć"); });
+	assert.deepEqual(f.state.appends, []);
+	// A preference refresh during capture affects the next run only.
+	f.state.record.dictation = { language: "multi" };
+	await act(async () => { notifySettingsSaved("dictation"); });
+	await act(async () => { first.end(1006); });
+	const second = Socket.all[1]!;
+	assert.equal(second.language, "pl");
+	assert.deepEqual(second.protocols, ["bearer", "test-token"]);
+	await act(async () => { second.open(); second.final("świecie"); });
+	await act(async () => { f.dictation.stop(); });
+	assert.equal(f.dictation.phase, "stopping");
+	assert.equal(f.state.active, true, "the settings row remains locked while stopping");
+	assert.equal(second.sent.at(-1), JSON.stringify({ type: "CloseStream" }));
+	await act(async () => { second.end(); });
+	assert.deepEqual(f.state.appends, ["Cześć świecie"]);
+	assert.equal(f.dictation.phase, "idle");
+	assert.equal(f.state.active, false);
+	await act(async () => { f.dictation.toggle(); });
+	assert.equal(Socket.all[2]!.language, "multi");
+});
+
+test("a failed save keeps the previous language, including a shortcut pressed while saving", async () => {
+	const f = await fixture();
+	await f.mount();
+	const write = deferred<Response>();
+	f.state.nextWrite = write.promise;
+	let saved!: Promise<boolean>;
+	await act(async () => { saved = f.setting.save("multi"); });
+	assert.equal(f.setting.saving, true);
+	await act(async () => { f.dictation.toggle(); });
+	assert.equal(f.state.captures, 0);
+	await act(async () => { write.resolve(Response.json({}, { status: 500 })); await saved; });
+	assert.equal(await saved, false);
+	assert.equal(f.setting.language, "pl");
+	assert.match(f.setting.error!, /Could not save/);
+	assert.equal(Socket.all[0]!.language, "pl");
+});
+
+test("successful choices survive unmount/remount and failed reads never start capture", async () => {
+	const f = await fixture();
+	await f.mount();
+	await act(async () => { assert.equal(await f.setting.save("multi"), true); });
+	await f.remount();
+	assert.equal(f.setting.language, "multi");
+	f.state.readFails = true;
+	await f.remount();
+	await act(async () => { f.dictation.toggle(); });
+	assert.match(f.dictation.error!, /Could not load/);
+	assert.equal(f.state.captures, 0);
+	assert.equal(Socket.all.length, 0);
+	f.state.readFails = false;
+	await act(async () => { f.dictation.toggle(); });
+	assert.equal(Socket.all[0]!.language, "multi");
+});
+
+test("a shortcut waits for a language save made by the separate settings control", async () => {
+	const f = await fixture();
+	await f.mount();
+	const write = deferred<Response>();
+	f.state.nextWrite = write.promise;
+	let saved!: Promise<boolean>;
+	await act(async () => { saved = f.setting.save("multi"); });
+	await act(async () => { f.dictation.toggle(); });
+	assert.equal(f.state.captures, 0);
+	f.state.record.dictation = { language: "multi" };
+	await act(async () => { write.resolve(Response.json({ settings: f.state.record })); await saved; });
+	assert.equal(Socket.all[0]!.language, "multi");
+});
+
+test("a saved-language refresh gates capture even when an older choice is cached", async () => {
+	const f = await fixture();
+	await f.mount();
+	const read = deferred<Response>();
+	f.state.nextRead = read.promise;
+	f.state.record.dictation = { language: "multi" };
+	await act(async () => { notifySettingsSaved("dictation"); });
+	await act(async () => { f.dictation.toggle(); });
+	assert.equal(f.state.captures, 0);
+	assert.equal(Socket.all.length, 0);
+	await act(async () => { read.resolve(Response.json({ settings: f.state.record })); });
+	assert.equal(Socket.all[0]!.language, "multi");
+});
+
+test("a stale settings refresh cannot overwrite a newer confirmed choice", async () => {
+	const f = await fixture();
+	await f.mount();
+	const read = deferred<Response>();
+	f.state.nextRead = read.promise;
+	await act(async () => { notifySettingsSaved("dictation"); });
+	await act(async () => { await f.setting.save("multi"); });
+	await act(async () => { read.resolve(Response.json({ settings: { version: 1, dictation: { language: "pl" } } })); });
+	assert.equal(f.setting.language, "multi");
+	await act(async () => { f.dictation.toggle(); });
+	assert.equal(Socket.all[0]!.language, "multi");
+});
+
+test("cancel while settings load does not open a microphone or socket later", async () => {
+	const read = deferred<Response>();
+	const f = await fixture("pl", read.promise);
+	await f.mount();
+	await act(async () => { f.dictation.toggle(); });
+	await act(async () => { f.dictation.cancel(); });
+	await act(async () => { read.resolve(Response.json({ settings: f.state.record })); });
+	assert.equal(f.dictation.phase, "idle");
+	assert.equal(f.state.captures, 0);
+	assert.equal(Socket.all.length, 0);
+});
+
+test("reopening settings during a save shares its busy state and rejects a competing selection", async () => {
+	const f = await fixture();
+	await f.mount();
+	const write = deferred<Response>();
+	f.state.nextWrite = write.promise;
+	let first!: Promise<boolean>;
+	await act(async () => { first = f.setting.save("multi"); });
+	await f.remount();
+	assert.equal(f.setting.saving, true);
+	assert.equal(await f.setting.save("en"), false, "a different selection cannot inherit another write's success");
+	f.state.record.dictation = { language: "multi" };
+	await act(async () => { write.resolve(Response.json({ settings: f.state.record })); await first; });
+	assert.equal(f.setting.saving, false);
+	assert.equal(f.setting.language, "multi");
+});
+
+test("a confirmed save applies to capture even when subsequent settings GET requests would fail", async () => {
+	const f = await fixture();
+	await f.mount();
+	f.state.readFails = true;
+	await act(async () => { assert.equal(await f.setting.save("multi"), true); });
+	assert.equal(f.state.record.dictation?.language, "multi");
+	await act(async () => { f.dictation.toggle(); });
+	assert.equal(Socket.all[0]!.language, "multi");
+});
+
+test("unmount during a pending language read prevents orphaned capture", async () => {
+	const read = deferred<Response>();
+	const f = await fixture("pl", read.promise);
+	await f.mount();
+	await act(async () => { f.dictation.toggle(); });
+	await f.unmount();
+	await act(async () => { read.resolve(Response.json({ settings: f.state.record })); });
+	assert.equal(f.state.captures, 0);
+	assert.equal(Socket.all.length, 0);
+	assert.equal(isDictationActive(), false);
+});
+
+test("unmount during recording stops resources and discards the departing page's buffered text", async () => {
+	const f = await fixture();
+	await f.mount();
+	await act(async () => { f.dictation.toggle(); });
+	const socket = Socket.all[0]!;
+	await act(async () => { socket.open(); socket.final("do not append into another page"); });
+	await f.unmount();
+	assert.equal(f.state.stops, 1);
+	assert.equal(socket.readyState, 3);
+	assert.equal(isDictationActive(), false);
+	assert.deepEqual(f.state.appends, []);
+	await act(async () => { socket.final("late event"); socket.end(1006); });
+	assert.equal(Socket.all.length, 1);
+	assert.deepEqual(f.state.appends, []);
+});
+
+test("microphone permission resolving after unmount immediately stops the late stream", async () => {
+	const f = await fixture();
+	await f.mount();
+	const mic = deferred<{ getTracks: () => { stop: () => void }[] }>();
+	f.state.nextMic = mic.promise;
+	await act(async () => { f.dictation.toggle(); });
+	assert.equal(f.state.captures, 1);
+	await f.unmount();
+	await act(async () => { mic.resolve({ getTracks: () => [{ stop() { f.state.stops++; } }] }); });
+	assert.equal(f.state.stops, 1);
+	assert.equal(Socket.all.length, 0);
+	assert.equal(isDictationActive(), false);
+});

tests/dictation-language.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import { mkdtempSync, rmSync } from "node:fs";
+import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
+import path from "node:path";
+import { after, describe, it } from "node:test";
+import { DICTATION_LANGUAGES, deepgramListenUrl, isDictationLanguage } from "../src/core/dictation.ts";
+import { sanitizeUserSettings } from "../src/core/settings.ts";
+import { resolveSettings } from "../src/core/settings-resolution.ts";
+import { parseDictationSettingsBody } from "../src/server/settings-body.ts";
+
+describe("Nova-3 dictation language contract", () => {
+	it("offers monolingual languages/locales and a distinct multilingual mode", () => {
+		assert.equal(DICTATION_LANGUAGES[0]?.code, "multi");
+		assert.equal(new Set(DICTATION_LANGUAGES.map((item) => item.code)).size, DICTATION_LANGUAGES.length);
+		for (const code of ["en", "pl", "en-GB", "pt-BR", "zh-Hant", "ar-EG", "multi"]) {
+			assert.ok(isDictationLanguage(code), code);
+		}
+		// Xhosa and Zulu are documented for multi, not monolingual Nova-3.
+		for (const code of ["xh", "zu", "en-CA", "auto", "xx", "pl&model=other", null, 3]) {
+			assert.equal(isDictationLanguage(code), false, String(code));
+		}
+		const labels = DICTATION_LANGUAGES.slice(1).map((item) => item.label);
+		assert.deepEqual(labels, [...labels].sort((a, b) => a.localeCompare(b, "en")));
+	});
+
+	it("only language varies in the streaming URL; all tuned parameters survive", () => {
+		for (const language of ["en", "pl", "multi", "en-GB"] as const) {
+			const url = new URL(deepgramListenUrl(language));
+			assert.equal(url.origin + url.pathname, "wss://api.deepgram.com/v1/listen");
+			assert.deepEqual(Object.fromEntries(url.searchParams), {
+				model: "nova-3", encoding: "linear16", sample_rate: "16000", channels: "1",
+				smart_format: "true", punctuate: "true", endpointing: "300", language,
+			});
+		}
+	});
+
+	it("old records default to English and explicit preferences resolve without a migration", () => {
+		assert.equal(resolveSettings(null).dictation.language, "en");
+		assert.equal(resolveSettings({ version: 1 }).dictation.language, "en");
+		for (const language of ["pl", "multi", "en-GB"] as const) {
+			const record = sanitizeUserSettings({ version: 1, dictation: { language } });
+			assert.equal(record?.version, 1);
+			assert.equal(resolveSettings(record).dictation.language, language);
+		}
+	});
+
+	it("rejects invalid API values and drops invalid stored preferences", () => {
+		assert.deepEqual(parseDictationSettingsBody({}), { ok: true, settings: {} });
+		assert.deepEqual(parseDictationSettingsBody({ language: "multi" }), { ok: true, settings: { language: "multi" } });
+		for (const value of [null, [], "pl", { language: "xx" }, { language: null }, { language: 3 }]) {
+			assert.equal(parseDictationSettingsBody(value).ok, false);
+		}
+		for (const dictation of [null, [], "pl", { language: "xx" }, { language: 3 }]) {
+			const record = sanitizeUserSettings({ version: 1, dictation, general: { autoUpdate: false } });
+			assert.equal(resolveSettings(record).dictation.language, "en");
+			assert.equal(record?.general?.autoUpdate, false);
+		}
+	});
+});
+
+const testData = mkdtempSync(path.join(tmpdir(), "lh-dictation-settings-"));
+process.env.LH_DATA_DIR = testData;
+after(() => { rmSync(testData, { recursive: true, force: true }); });
+const { readSettings, writeSettings } = await import("../src/store/settings.ts");
+
+it("the section route persists language independently and rejects unsupported values without writing", async () => {
+	const { PUT } = await import("../app/api/settings/[section]/route.ts");
+	writeSettings({ version: 1, general: { autoUpdate: false } });
+	const put = (language: string) => PUT(new Request("http://localhost/api/settings/dictation", {
+		method: "PUT", headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" }, body: JSON.stringify({ language }),
+	}), { params: Promise.resolve({ section: "dictation" }) });
+	assert.equal((await put("pl")).status, 200);
+	const saved = { version: 1, dictation: { language: "pl" }, general: { autoUpdate: false } };
+	assert.deepEqual(readSettings(), saved);
+	assert.equal((await put("unsupported")).status, 400);
+	assert.deepEqual(readSettings(), saved);
+});

tests/dictation-picker.test.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,197 @@
+import React, { act } from "react";
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import { afterEach, test } from "node:test";
+import { parseHTML } from "linkedom";
+import { setDictationActive } from "../components/dictation-state.ts";
+import { DICTATION_LANGUAGES, type UserSettings } from "../src/core/index.ts";
+
+let dispose: (() => Promise<void>) | undefined;
+let restore: (() => void) | undefined;
+const byTest = (id: string) => document.querySelector<HTMLButtonElement>(`[data-testid="${id}"]`)!;
+const trigger = () => byTest("dictation-language");
+const input = () => document.querySelector<HTMLInputElement>('input[aria-label="Search dictation languages"]')!;
+const menu = () => document.querySelector('[data-testid="dictation-language-menu"]');
+const click = async (element: HTMLElement) => { assert(element); await act(async () => { element.click(); }); };
+async function key(element: HTMLElement, value: string) {
+	await act(async () => {
+		const event = new window.Event("keydown", { bubbles: true, cancelable: true });
+		Object.assign(event, { key: value });
+		element.dispatchEvent(event);
+	});
+}
+async function search(value: string) {
+	await act(async () => {
+		const element = input();
+		Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(window.HTMLInputElement.prototype, "value")!.set!.call(element, value);
+		element.dispatchEvent(new window.Event("input", { bubbles: true }));
+	});
+}
+
+async function fixture(failRead = false) {
+	const { window: win, document: doc } = parseHTML("<html><body><div id='root'></div></body></html>");
+	let active: Element = doc.body;
+	Object.defineProperty(doc, "activeElement", { get: () => active });
+	Object.assign(doc, { oninput: null });
+	Object.assign(win, { innerWidth: 1280, innerHeight: 900 });
+	win.HTMLElement.prototype.focus = function () { active = this; };
+	win.HTMLElement.prototype.scrollIntoView = () => {};
+	win.HTMLElement.prototype.getBoundingClientRect = () => ({ top: 200, bottom: 230, left: 400, right: 500, width: 100, height: 30, x: 400, y: 200, toJSON() {} });
+	const state = {
+		record: { version: 1, dictation: { language: "en" } } as UserSettings,
+		writes: [] as string[], failWrite: false, outerEscapes: 0,
+		failRead,
+		nextWrite: undefined as Promise<Response> | undefined,
+	};
+	const previous = new Map<string, PropertyDescriptor | undefined>();
+	for (const [name, value] of Object.entries({
+		React, window: win, document: doc, Element: win.Element, HTMLElement: win.HTMLElement,
+		HTMLInputElement: win.HTMLInputElement, HTMLTextAreaElement: win.HTMLTextAreaElement,
+		Event: win.Event, CustomEvent: win.CustomEvent, IS_REACT_ACT_ENVIRONMENT: true,
+		ResizeObserver: class { observe() {} unobserve() {} disconnect() {} },
+		requestAnimationFrame: (callback: FrameRequestCallback) => setTimeout(() => callback(0), 0),
+		cancelAnimationFrame: clearTimeout,
+		fetch: async (url: string, init?: RequestInit) => {
+			if (url === "/api/settings") return state.failRead ? Response.json({}, { status: 500 }) : Response.json({ settings: state.record });
+			assert.equal(url, "/api/settings/dictation");
+			const body = JSON.parse(init!.body as string);
+			state.writes.push(body.language);
+			if (state.nextWrite) { const next = state.nextWrite; state.nextWrite = undefined; return next; }
+			if (state.failWrite) return Response.json({}, { status: 500 });
+			state.record = { ...state.record, dictation: body };
+			return Response.json({ settings: state.record });
+		},
+	})) {
+		previous.set(name, Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(globalThis, name));
+		Object.defineProperty(globalThis, name, { configurable: true, writable: true, value });
+	}
+	restore = () => {
+		for (const [name, descriptor] of previous) {
+			if (descriptor) Object.defineProperty(globalThis, name, descriptor);
+			else delete (globalThis as Record<string, unknown>)[name];
+		}
+	};
+	// Register the outer dialog listener first: one Escape must close only
+	// the language menu, even when the settings dialog owns another listener.
+	doc.addEventListener("keydown", (event) => { if ((event as KeyboardEvent).key === "Escape") state.outerEscapes++; });
+	const { createRoot } = await import("react-dom/client");
+	const { DictationLanguageSetting } = await import("../components/dictation-language.tsx");
+	let root = createRoot(doc.getElementById("root")!);
+	const mount = async () => { await act(async () => { root.render(<DictationLanguageSetting />); }); };
+	dispose = async () => { await act(async () => { setDictationActive(false); root.unmount(); }); };
+	await mount();
+	return { state, remount: async () => { await dispose!(); root = createRoot(doc.getElementById("root")!); await mount(); } };
+}
+
+afterEach(async () => { await dispose?.(); restore?.(); dispose = undefined; restore = undefined; });
+
+test("an initial load failure is visible and opening the menu again can retry", async () => {
+	const f = await fixture(true);
+	await click(trigger());
+	assert.match(menu()!.querySelector('[role="alert"]')!.textContent!, /Could not load/);
+	f.state.failRead = false;
+	await click(trigger());
+	await click(trigger());
+	assert.equal(menu()!.querySelector('[role="alert"]'), null);
+	await search("Polish");
+	await key(input(), "Enter");
+	assert.match(trigger().textContent!, /Polish/);
+});
+
+test("the real picker searches by language, chooses with Arrow/Enter, and restores focus", async () => {
+	const f = await fixture();
+	assert.match(trigger().textContent!, /English/);
+	assert.equal(trigger().getAttribute("data-variant"), "outline");
+	await click(trigger());
+	assert.equal(input().getAttribute("data-slot"), "input");
+	assert.equal(input().getAttribute("role"), "combobox");
+	assert.equal(document.activeElement, input());
+	assert.equal(document.querySelector("[cmdk-item]")!.textContent, "Multilingual");
+	await search("Polish");
+	assert.equal(document.querySelectorAll("[cmdk-item]").length, 1);
+	await key(input(), "ArrowDown");
+	await key(input(), "Enter");
+	assert.deepEqual(f.state.writes, ["pl"]);
+	assert.match(trigger().textContent!, /Polish/);
+	assert.equal(menu(), null);
+	assert.equal(document.activeElement, trigger());
+	await f.remount();
+	assert.match(trigger().textContent!, /Polish/);
+});
+
+test("empty results cannot save; Escape and outside click close the menu without closing settings", async () => {
+	const f = await fixture();
+	await click(trigger());
+	await search("zzzz-no-language");
+	assert.match(document.querySelector("[cmdk-empty]")!.textContent!, /No languages match/);
+	await key(input(), "Enter");
+	assert.deepEqual(f.state.writes, []);
+	await key(input(), "Escape");
+	assert.equal(menu(), null);
+	assert.equal(f.state.outerEscapes, 0);
+	await click(trigger());
+	await key(trigger(), "Escape");
+	assert.equal(menu(), null);
+	assert.equal(f.state.outerEscapes, 0);
+	await click(trigger());
+	await act(async () => { document.body.dispatchEvent(new window.Event("pointerdown", { bubbles: true })); });
+	assert.equal(menu(), null);
+});
+
+test("failed saves retain the confirmed choice and the same menu can retry", async () => {
+	const f = await fixture();
+	f.state.failWrite = true;
+	await click(trigger());
+	await search("Polish");
+	await key(input(), "Enter");
+	assert.match(trigger().textContent!, /English/);
+	assert.match(menu()!.querySelector('[role="alert"]')!.textContent!, /Could not save/);
+	f.state.failWrite = false;
+	await click(byTest("dictation-language-pl"));
+	assert.equal(menu(), null);
+	assert.match(trigger().textContent!, /Polish/);
+	assert.deepEqual(f.state.writes, ["pl", "pl"]);
+});
+
+test("a remounted picker stays disabled throughout an outstanding save", async () => {
+	const f = await fixture();
+	let complete!: (response: Response) => void;
+	f.state.nextWrite = new Promise((resolve) => { complete = resolve; });
+	await click(trigger());
+	await click(byTest("dictation-language-multi"));
+	assert.equal(trigger().disabled, true);
+	await f.remount();
+	assert.equal(trigger().disabled, true);
+	await click(trigger());
+	assert.equal(menu(), null);
+	f.state.record.dictation = { language: "multi" };
+	await act(async () => { complete(Response.json({ settings: f.state.record })); });
+	assert.equal(trigger().disabled, false);
+	assert.match(trigger().textContent!, /Multilingual/);
+	assert.deepEqual(f.state.writes, ["multi"]);
+});
+
+test("capture locks the row and dismisses an open language menu until capture ends", async () => {
+	await fixture();
+	await click(trigger());
+	await act(async () => { setDictationActive(true); });
+	assert.equal(trigger().disabled, true);
+	assert.match(byTest("row-dictation-language").className, /opacity-40/);
+	assert.equal(menu(), null);
+	await act(async () => { setDictationActive(false); });
+	assert.equal(trigger().disabled, false);
+	await click(trigger());
+	assert(menu());
+});
+
+test("clearing each search restores the complete catalog order with Multilingual first", async () => {
+	await fixture();
+	await click(trigger());
+	const order = () => [...document.querySelectorAll("[cmdk-item]")].map((item) => item.getAttribute("data-value"));
+	const expected = DICTATION_LANGUAGES.map((item) => item.code);
+	assert.deepEqual(order(), expected);
+	for (const query of ["en", "multi", "Polish", "zzzzz"]) {
+		await search(query);
+		await search("");
+		assert.deepEqual(order(), expected, `catalog order after clearing ${query}`);
+	}
+});

tests/dictation-preference.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,93 @@
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import { test } from "node:test";
+import { createDictationLanguageStore } from "../components/dictation-preference.ts";
+
+test("all readers immediately receive the confirmed write without another GET", async () => {
+	let reads = 0;
+	let notifications = 0;
+	let failReads = false;
+	const store = createDictationLanguageStore(async (_url, init) => {
+		if (init?.method === "PUT") return Response.json({ settings: { version: 1, dictation: JSON.parse(init.body as string) } });
+		reads++;
+		return failReads ? Response.json({}, { status: 500 }) : Response.json({ settings: null });
+	}, () => { notifications++; });
+	assert.equal(await store.load(), "en");
+	const observed: string[] = [];
+	const off = store.subscribe(() => { observed.push(`${store.getSnapshot().language}:${store.getSnapshot().saving}`); });
+	failReads = true;
+	assert.equal(await store.save("multi"), true);
+	assert.equal(await store.getLanguage(), "multi");
+	assert.equal(reads, 1);
+	assert.equal(notifications, 1);
+	assert(observed.includes("multi:true"));
+	assert.equal(observed.at(-1), "multi:false");
+	off();
+});
+
+test("a failed external refresh invalidates the cache until a successful retry", async () => {
+	let fail = false;
+	const store = createDictationLanguageStore(async () => fail
+		? Response.json({}, { status: 500 })
+		: Response.json({ settings: { version: 1, dictation: { language: "pl" } } }));
+	await store.load();
+	fail = true;
+	await assert.rejects(store.load(true), /Could not load/);
+	await assert.rejects(store.getLanguage(), /Could not load/);
+	fail = false;
+	assert.equal(await store.getLanguage(), "pl");
+	assert.equal(store.getSnapshot().error, null);
+});
+
+test("stale reads cannot overwrite a newer write and subscribers see busy before transport runs", async () => {
+	let stale!: (response: Response) => void;
+	let nextRead: Promise<Response> | undefined;
+	const store = createDictationLanguageStore(async (_url, init) => {
+		if (init?.method === "PUT") return Response.json({ settings: { version: 1, dictation: { language: "multi" } } });
+		if (nextRead) { const response = nextRead; nextRead = undefined; return response; }
+		return Response.json({ settings: { version: 1, dictation: { language: "pl" } } });
+	});
+	await store.load();
+	nextRead = new Promise((resolve) => { stale = resolve; });
+	const oldRead = store.load(true);
+	await Promise.resolve();
+	let startedDuringPublish: Promise<string> | undefined;
+	const off = store.subscribe(() => {
+		if (store.getSnapshot().saving && !startedDuringPublish) startedDuringPublish = store.getLanguage();
+	});
+	assert.equal(await store.save("multi"), true);
+	stale(Response.json({ settings: { version: 1, dictation: { language: "pl" } } }));
+	assert.equal(await oldRead, "multi");
+	assert.equal(await startedDuringPublish, "multi");
+	assert.equal(store.getSnapshot().language, "multi");
+	off();
+});
+
+for (const newestFirst of [false, true]) test(`overlapping reads keep the newest value, newest resolves first: ${newestFirst}`, async () => {
+	const responses: ((response: Response) => void)[] = [];
+	const store = createDictationLanguageStore(() => new Promise((resolve) => { responses.push(resolve); }));
+	const first = store.load();
+	await Promise.resolve();
+	const second = store.load(true);
+	await Promise.resolve();
+	const old = Response.json({ settings: { version: 1, dictation: { language: "pl" } } });
+	const fresh = Response.json({ settings: { version: 1, dictation: { language: "multi" } } });
+	if (newestFirst) { responses[1]!(fresh); responses[0]!(old); }
+	else { responses[0]!(old); responses[1]!(fresh); }
+	assert.deepEqual(await Promise.all([first, second]), ["multi", "multi"]);
+	assert.equal(await store.getLanguage(), "multi");
+});
+
+test("capture also waits for a write initiated as a pending read publishes its result", async () => {
+	const store = createDictationLanguageStore(async (_url, init) => Response.json({ settings: {
+		version: 1, dictation: { language: init?.method === "PUT" ? "multi" : "en" },
+	} }));
+	let started = false;
+	const off = store.subscribe(() => {
+		if (!started && store.getSnapshot().language === "en") {
+			started = true;
+			void store.save("multi");
+		}
+	});
+	assert.equal(await store.getLanguage(), "multi");
+	off();
+});

tests/settings-body.test.ts

@@ -234,12 +234,12 @@ describe("parseCompactionSettingsBody (owner round 14)", () => {
 });
 
 describe("SETTINGS_SECTIONS (the route's section map)", () => {
-	it("maps exactly the seven record sections", () => {
+	it("maps exactly the eight record sections", () => {
 		// compaction joined (owner round 14): its own section PUT — the
 		// threshold is engine behavior, not an agent-section key.
 		assert.deepEqual(
 			Object.keys(SETTINGS_SECTIONS),
-			["general", "chat", "agent", "appearance", "graph", "compaction", "models"],
+			["general", "chat", "agent", "appearance", "graph", "compaction", "models", "dictation"],
 		);
 	});
 });