diff --git a/app/globals.css b/app/globals.css
index 266e00b..ac65329 100644
--- a/app/globals.css
+++ b/app/globals.css
@@ -48,6 +48,8 @@
 	   the reskin's hand-tuned 16.5 to the ladder's 16.) */
 	--lh-prose-size: 16px;
 	--lh-prose-leading: 1.5;
+	/* Markdown heading weight (appearance settings; 900 = the Black cut). */
+	--lh-heading-weight: 900;
 }
 
 /* The app is always dark (<html class="dark">); mirror the same values so
@@ -80,6 +82,8 @@
 	   the reskin's hand-tuned 16.5 to the ladder's 16.) */
 	--lh-prose-size: 16px;
 	--lh-prose-leading: 1.5;
+	/* Markdown heading weight (appearance settings; 900 = the Black cut). */
+	--lh-heading-weight: 900;
 }
 
 /* CMU Serif bold (titles) — bundled local file, no CDN dependency. */
@@ -185,7 +189,7 @@ body {
    :where keeps specificity zero. Chrome titles (CMU Serif) don't live
    under .lh-prose and stay untouched. */
 .lh-prose :where(h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6) {
-	font-weight: 900;
+	font-weight: var(--lh-heading-weight, 900);
 }
 
 /* lh-input (owner, typography round 2): lh-prose's 1.5 READING leading
diff --git a/app/layout.tsx b/app/layout.tsx
index 5719f69..d488756 100644
--- a/app/layout.tsx
+++ b/app/layout.tsx
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import "katex/dist/katex.min.css";
 import "./globals.css";
 import { AppShell, SidebarProvider } from "@/components/sidebar";
 import { ActivityProvider } from "@/components/activity-dock";
+import { AppearanceProvider } from "@/components/settings/appearance";
 
 // Chrome = JetBrains Mono, teaching prose = Source Sans 3, titles = CMU
 // Serif (the bundled lh-cmu @font-face in globals.css — no CDN).
@@ -19,11 +20,13 @@ export default function RootLayout({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode })
 	return (
 		<html lang="en" className={`dark ${ui.variable} ${prose.variable}`}>
 			<body className="min-h-dvh antialiased">
-			<SidebarProvider>
-				<ActivityProvider>
-					<AppShell>{children}</AppShell>
-				</ActivityProvider>
-			</SidebarProvider>
+			<AppearanceProvider>
+				<SidebarProvider>
+					<ActivityProvider>
+						<AppShell>{children}</AppShell>
+					</ActivityProvider>
+				</SidebarProvider>
+			</AppearanceProvider>
 		</body>
 		</html>
 	);
diff --git a/app/settings/page.tsx b/app/settings/page.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..35ba7f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/settings/page.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+/** The settings route (thin settings wave): server shell over the client
+ *  page — same shape as the chat routes (AppShell wraps via the root
+ *  layout, so the sidebar + its Settings entry come along). */
+import { SettingsPage } from "@/components/settings/settings-page.tsx";
+
+export default function Page() {
+	return <SettingsPage />;
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/components/keyboard-shortcuts.tsx b/components/keyboard-shortcuts.tsx
index 3dc33bc..5bbce11 100644
--- a/components/keyboard-shortcuts.tsx
+++ b/components/keyboard-shortcuts.tsx
@@ -94,6 +94,9 @@ export function KeyboardShortcuts() {
 				case "new-session":
 					handlersRef.current.router.push("/chat/new");
 					break;
+				case "open-settings":
+					handlersRef.current.router.push("/settings");
+					break;
 				case "jump-graph":
 					handlersRef.current.router.push("/");
 					break;
diff --git a/components/settings/agent-section.tsx b/components/settings/agent-section.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9ed301f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/components/settings/agent-section.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,309 @@
+"use client";
+/**
+ * The Agent section (thin settings wave): background-role model overrides,
+ * the tool toggles, and the prompt override switches — three blocks, ONE
+ * section (PUT /api/settings/agent replaces the whole agent object, so
+ * every change composes models+tools+prompts together from the record).
+ *
+ * Tools — the owner's final list (2026-09-19): research, demo, visual, pdf.
+ * Absent key = enabled in the schema; the UI writes explicit booleans for
+ * all four (simpler to reason about, sanitize-equivalent).
+ *
+ * Models: each of the six background roles gets a Default option (absent
+ * override = config.ts's pin) plus the /api/models catalog. The thinking
+ * select shows the CHOSEN model's supported levels when a model override
+ * exists; without one the factory model is unknown client-side, so the
+ * standard levels list (the server sanitizer accepts any valid level).
+ *
+ * Prompts: GET /api/settings/prompts segments; the switch requires an
+ * override FILE (route-enforced), the text writes through the segment
+ * route. Switch state lives in this section's PUT; text does not.
+ */
+
+import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
+import {
+	BACKGROUND_MODEL_ROLES,
+	type AgentSettings,
+	type BackgroundModelRole,
+} from "@/src/core";
+import type { ThinkingLevel } from "@earendil-works/pi-agent-core";
+import type { ModelCatalogEntry } from "@/src/core";
+import { SettingsRow, ThinSelect, Toggle } from "./controls.tsx";
+
+/** The role's display label — schema ids are camelCase, the label is human. */
+const ROLE_LABEL: Record<BackgroundModelRole, string> = {
+	researcher: "Researcher",
+	demoBuilder: "Demo builder",
+	visualMaker: "Visual maker",
+	extractor: "Extractor",
+	auditor: "Auditor",
+	labeler: "Labeler",
+};
+
+/** The owner's final toggleable-tool list (confirm with the user before
+ *  changing — the Teacher stream settled this 2026-09-19). */
+export const TOGGLE_TOOLS = ["research", "demo", "visual", "pdf"] as const;
+
+const THINKING_LEVELS: readonly ThinkingLevel[] = ["off", "minimal", "low", "medium", "high", "xhigh", "max"];
+
+/** SegmentInfo as GET /api/settings/prompts returns it. */
+interface SegmentInfo {
+	path: string;
+	sourceText: string;
+	overrideText: string | null;
+	enabled: boolean;
+	shared: boolean;
+}
+
+/** Compose: one tool toggled, the rest of the section carried verbatim.
+ *  Pure — exported for tests. */
+export function composeTool(agent: AgentSettings | undefined, id: string, on: boolean): AgentSettings {
+	return { ...agent, tools: { ...agent?.tools, [id]: on } };
+}
+
+/** Compose: one role's model/thinking override. Empty model = absent
+ *  override (Default); empty thinking = thinking falls back. Pure — tests. */
+export function composeRoleModel(
+	agent: AgentSettings | undefined,
+	role: BackgroundModelRole,
+	modelId: string,
+	thinking: string,
+): AgentSettings {
+	const prev = agent?.models?.[role];
+	const models = { ...agent?.models };
+	if (!modelId && !thinking) delete models[role];
+	else {
+		models[role] = {
+			...(modelId ? { model: { provider: "openrouter", id: modelId } } : {}),
+			...(thinking ? { thinkingLevel: thinking as ThinkingLevel } : {}),
+		};
+	}
+	return { ...agent, models };
+}
+
+/** Compose: one prompt switch. on = explicit true; off = key REMOVED
+ *  (absent = off is the schema's resting state; explicit false is the
+ *  same thing but noisier). Pure — tests. */
+export function composePromptSwitch(agent: AgentSettings | undefined, path: string, on: boolean): AgentSettings {
+	const prompts = { ...agent?.prompts };
+	if (on) prompts[path] = true;
+	else delete prompts[path];
+	return { ...agent, prompts };
+}
+
+export function AgentSection({
+	agent,
+	onSectionChange,
+}: {
+	agent: AgentSettings | undefined;
+	/** Writes the composed WHOLE agent section (replace-PUT discipline). */
+	onSectionChange: (next: AgentSettings) => void;
+}) {
+	const [catalog, setCatalog] = useState<ModelCatalogEntry[] | null>(null);
+	const [prompts, setPrompts] = useState<{ prober: SegmentInfo[]; teacher: SegmentInfo[] } | null>(null);
+	const [openSegment, setOpenSegment] = useState<string | null>(null);
+	const [segmentDraft, setSegmentDraft] = useState<Record<string, string>>({});
+	const [segmentStatus, setSegmentStatus] = useState<string | null>(null);
+
+	// The catalog + the prompt segments — one fetch each per page load.
+	useEffect(() => {
+		fetch("/api/models")
+			.then((r) => r.json())
+			.then((body: { models: ModelCatalogEntry[] }) => setCatalog(body.models))
+			.catch(() => setCatalog(null));
+		fetch("/api/settings/prompts")
+			.then((r) => r.json())
+			.then((body: { prober: SegmentInfo[]; teacher: SegmentInfo[] }) => setPrompts(body))
+			.catch(() => setPrompts(null));
+	}, []);
+
+	async function saveSegment(path: string, text: string) {
+		setSegmentStatus(null);
+		const res = await fetch(`/api/settings/prompts/${path}`, {
+			method: "PUT",
+			headers: { "content-type": "application/json" },
+			body: JSON.stringify({ text }),
+		});
+		if (!res.ok) {
+			setSegmentStatus(`Save failed: ${(await res.json().catch(() => ({}))).error ?? res.status}`);
+			return;
+		}
+		// Refetch: file presence gates the switch, so the view must track it.
+		fetch("/api/settings/prompts")
+			.then((r) => r.json())
+			.then((body: { prober: SegmentInfo[]; teacher: SegmentInfo[] }) => setPrompts(body));
+		setSegmentStatus(`Saved ${path}`);
+	}
+
+	async function deleteSegment(path: string) {
+		setSegmentStatus(null);
+		const res = await fetch(`/api/settings/prompts/${path}`, { method: "DELETE" });
+		if (!res.ok) {
+			setSegmentStatus(`Delete failed: ${res.status}`);
+			return;
+		}
+		fetch("/api/settings/prompts")
+			.then((r) => r.json())
+			.then((body: { prober: SegmentInfo[]; teacher: SegmentInfo[] }) => setPrompts(body));
+	}
+
+	const segmentRow = (info: SegmentInfo) => {
+		const fileExists = info.overrideText !== null;
+		const open = openSegment === info.path;
+		return (
+			<div key={info.path} data-testid={`prompt-segment-${info.path}`}>
+				<SettingsRow
+					label={info.path}
+					hint={fileExists ? undefined : "no override file — write one below to enable the switch"}
+					testid={`prompt-row-${info.path}`}
+				>
+					<Toggle
+						checked={info.enabled && fileExists}
+						disabled={!fileExists}
+						label={`prompt ${info.path}`}
+						onChange={(on) => onSectionChange(composePromptSwitch(agent, info.path, on))}
+					/>
+				</SettingsRow>
+				<button
+					type="button"
+					onClick={() => {
+						setOpenSegment(open ? null : info.path);
+						setSegmentStatus(null);
+					}}
+					className="text-xs text-muted-foreground/70 underline-offset-2 hover:text-foreground hover:underline"
+				>
+					{open ? "Hide text" : "Show text"}
+				</button>
+				{open && (
+					<div className="mt-1 flex flex-col gap-2">
+						{info.shared && (
+							<p className="text-xs text-muted-foreground/70">Shared base — appears in both agents.</p>
+						)}
+						<div>
+							<p className="mb-1 text-xs uppercase tracking-widest text-muted-foreground/70">Source</p>
+							<textarea
+								readOnly
+								value={info.sourceText}
+								aria-label={`source ${info.path}`}
+								className="h-24 w-full resize-y rounded-sm border border-border bg-muted p-2 font-ui text-xs text-muted-foreground"
+							/>
+						</div>
+						<div>
+							<p className="mb-1 text-xs uppercase tracking-widest text-muted-foreground/70">Override</p>
+							<textarea
+								value={segmentDraft[info.path] ?? info.overrideText ?? ""}
+								onChange={(e) => setSegmentDraft({ ...segmentDraft, [info.path]: e.target.value })}
+								aria-label={`override ${info.path}`}
+								placeholder="Write the override text…"
+								className="h-24 w-full resize-y rounded-sm border border-border bg-background p-2 font-ui text-xs text-foreground outline-none"
+							/>
+						</div>
+						<div className="flex items-center gap-3">
+							<button
+								type="button"
+								onClick={() => void saveSegment(info.path, segmentDraft[info.path] ?? "")}
+								className="text-xs text-foreground underline-offset-2 hover:underline"
+							>
+								Save override
+							</button>
+							{fileExists && (
+								<button
+									type="button"
+									onClick={() => void deleteSegment(info.path)}
+									className="text-xs text-muted-foreground/70 underline-offset-2 hover:text-red-500 hover:underline"
+								>
+									Delete override
+								</button>
+							)}
+						</div>
+					</div>
+				)}
+			</div>
+		);
+	};
+
+	return (
+		<>
+			{/* ── Models ── */}
+			{BACKGROUND_MODEL_ROLES.map((role) => {
+				const override = agent?.models?.[role];
+				const modelId = override?.model?.id ?? "";
+				const thinking = override?.thinkingLevel ?? "";
+				const chosen = catalog?.find((m) => m.id === modelId);
+				const levels = chosen ? chosen.supportedLevels : THINKING_LEVELS;
+				return (
+					<SettingsRow
+						key={role}
+						label={ROLE_LABEL[role]}
+						hint={modelId ? undefined : "Default — the config pin applies"}
+						testid={`role-row-${role}`}
+					>
+						<span className="flex items-center gap-2">
+							<ThinSelect
+								value={modelId}
+								ariaLabel={`${ROLE_LABEL[role]} model`}
+								testid={`role-model-${role}`}
+								onChange={(id) => onSectionChange(composeRoleModel(agent, role, id, thinking))}
+							>
+								<option value="">Default</option>
+								{/* The stored id stays VISIBLE even when the catalog
+								    hasn't loaded (SSR) or no longer contains it —
+								    a select that silently shows "Default" over a
+								    live override would lie about the record. */}
+								{modelId && !catalog?.some((m) => m.id === modelId) && (
+									<option value={modelId}>{modelId}</option>
+								)}
+								{catalog?.map((m) => (
+									<option key={m.id} value={m.id}>
+										{m.name}
+									</option>
+								))}
+							</ThinSelect>
+							<ThinSelect
+								value={thinking}
+								ariaLabel={`${ROLE_LABEL[role]} thinking`}
+								testid={`role-thinking-${role}`}
+								onChange={(level) => onSectionChange(composeRoleModel(agent, role, modelId, level))}
+							>
+								<option value="">Default</option>
+								{levels.map((l) => (
+									<option key={l} value={l}>
+										{l}
+									</option>
+								))}
+							</ThinSelect>
+						</span>
+					</SettingsRow>
+				);
+			})}
+
+			{/* ── Tools ── */}
+			{TOGGLE_TOOLS.map((id) => (
+				<SettingsRow key={id} label={`Tool · ${id}`} testid={`tool-row-${id}`}>
+					<Toggle
+						checked={agent?.tools?.[id] ?? true}
+						label={`tool ${id}`}
+						onChange={(on) => onSectionChange(composeTool(agent, id, on))}
+					/>
+				</SettingsRow>
+			))}
+
+			{/* ── Prompts ── */}
+			{prompts === null ? (
+				<p className="text-xs text-muted-foreground/70">Loading prompt segments…</p>
+			) : (
+				<div className="flex flex-col gap-4">
+					{(["prober", "teacher"] as const).map((who) => (
+						<div key={who}>
+							<p className="mb-1 text-xs uppercase tracking-widest text-muted-foreground/70">{who}</p>
+							<div className="flex flex-col gap-2">
+								{prompts[who].map((info) => segmentRow(info))}
+							</div>
+						</div>
+					))}
+					{segmentStatus && <p className="text-xs text-muted-foreground/70">{segmentStatus}</p>}
+				</div>
+			)}
+		</>
+	);
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/components/settings/appearance-section.tsx b/components/settings/appearance-section.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5ba73f2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/components/settings/appearance-section.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,178 @@
+"use client";
+/**
+ * The Appearance + Graph sections (thin settings wave).
+ *
+ * Appearance controls resolve against the factory in the provider; writes
+ * PUT the whole appearance section and hand the delta back so the CSS
+ * variables move IMMEDIATELY (the section's whole point — it must DO
+ * something). Hex inputs commit on blur/Enter; the background derives the
+ * raised/accent/edge palette in code (components/settings/appearance.tsx).
+ * Mode is dark-only this wave: control rendered DISABLED with a note — the
+ * light palette is the design wave's work, and a lying control is worse
+ * than an honest disabled one.
+ *
+ * Graph is the dependency ladder (owner decision, 2026-09-19): a disabled
+ * parent grays its dependents — stored values persist but resolve inert.
+ */
+
+import type { AppearanceSettings, GraphSettings } from "@/src/core";
+import { useAppearance } from "./appearance.tsx";
+import { CommitInput, SettingsRow, ThinSelect, Toggle } from "./controls.tsx";
+
+export function AppearanceSection({
+	appearance,
+	onSectionChange,
+}: {
+	/** The record's appearance delta (absent = factory). */
+	appearance: AppearanceSettings | undefined;
+	/** PUT the whole appearance section; the page re-applies on success. */
+	onSectionChange: (next: AppearanceSettings) => void;
+}) {
+	const { appearance: resolved } = useAppearance();
+	const md = appearance?.mdRendering;
+
+	return (
+		<>
+			<SettingsRow label="Mode" hint="Light mode ships with the design wave" testid="row-mode">
+				<ThinSelect value="dark" ariaLabel="mode" onChange={() => {}} testid="select-mode" disabled>
+					<option value="dark">Dark</option>
+				</ThinSelect>
+			</SettingsRow>
+			<SettingsRow
+				label="Background"
+				hint={`One color; raised/accent/edges derive from it. Empty = the dark default (${resolved.background ?? "#141414"})`}
+				testid="row-background"
+			>
+				<CommitInput
+					value={appearance?.background ?? ""}
+					placeholder="#141414"
+					ariaLabel="background hex"
+					testid="input-background"
+					onCommit={(v) => onSectionChange({ ...appearance, background: v === "" ? null : v })}
+				/>
+			</SettingsRow>
+			<SettingsRow
+				label="Reading font"
+				hint="Font family name, by name — everything that reads today's Source Sans 3. Empty = Source Sans 3"
+				testid="row-font"
+			>
+				<CommitInput
+					value={appearance?.fontFamily ?? ""}
+					placeholder="Source Sans 3"
+					ariaLabel="font family"
+					testid="input-font"
+					onCommit={(v) => onSectionChange({ ...appearance, fontFamily: v === "" ? null : v })}
+				/>
+			</SettingsRow>
+			<SettingsRow label="Reading font size" hint={`${resolved.proseFontSize}px — prose, inputs, session titles scale together`} testid="row-prose-size">
+				<CommitInput
+					type="number"
+					value={String(appearance?.proseFontSize ?? "")}
+					placeholder="16"
+					ariaLabel="prose font size"
+					testid="input-prose-size"
+					onCommit={(v) => {
+						const n = Number(v);
+						if (!Number.isFinite(n)) return; // bad input: no write, factory stays
+						onSectionChange({ ...appearance, proseFontSize: Math.min(24, Math.max(12, Math.round(n))) });
+					}}
+				/>
+			</SettingsRow>
+			<SettingsRow label="Session names in serif" hint="CMU Serif titles on/off" testid="row-session-serif">
+				<Toggle
+					checked={appearance?.sessionNameSerif ?? true}
+					label="session names serif"
+					onChange={(on) => onSectionChange({ ...appearance, sessionNameSerif: on })}
+				/>
+			</SettingsRow>
+			<SettingsRow label="Heading weight" hint={`${resolved.mdRendering.headingWeight} — CSS resolves the nearest cut`} testid="row-heading-weight">
+				<CommitInput
+					type="number"
+					value={String(md?.headingWeight ?? "")}
+					placeholder="900"
+					ariaLabel="heading weight"
+					testid="input-heading-weight"
+					onCommit={(v) => {
+						const n = Number(v);
+						if (!Number.isFinite(n)) return;
+						onSectionChange({
+							...appearance,
+							mdRendering: { ...md, headingWeight: Math.min(900, Math.max(100, Math.round(n))) },
+						});
+					}}
+				/>
+			</SettingsRow>
+			<SettingsRow label="Bold color" hint="**Bold** spans in teaching prose. Empty = the default ink" testid="row-bold-color">
+				<CommitInput
+					value={md?.boldColor ?? ""}
+					placeholder="#c96b4a"
+					ariaLabel="bold color"
+					testid="input-bold-color"
+					onCommit={(v) => onSectionChange({ ...appearance, mdRendering: { ...md, boldColor: v === "" ? null : v } })}
+				/>
+			</SettingsRow>
+			<SettingsRow label="Italic color" hint="*Italic* spans. Empty = the default ink" testid="row-italic-color">
+				<CommitInput
+					value={md?.italicColor ?? ""}
+					placeholder="#6fa9d6"
+					ariaLabel="italic color"
+					testid="input-italic-color"
+					onCommit={(v) => onSectionChange({ ...appearance, mdRendering: { ...md, italicColor: v === "" ? null : v } })}
+				/>
+			</SettingsRow>
+		</>
+	);
+}
+
+const LADDER: readonly {
+	key: keyof GraphSettings;
+	label: string;
+	needs: keyof GraphSettings | null;
+	hint: string;
+}[] = [
+	{ key: "enabled", label: "Graph", needs: null, hint: "Master: off = no extraction, embedding, or injection" },
+	{ key: "embedding", label: "Embedding", needs: "enabled", hint: "Vectors + graph-context injection" },
+	{ key: "clustering", label: "Clustering", needs: "embedding", hint: "Cluster computation + settle" },
+	{ key: "labeling", label: "Labeling", needs: "clustering", hint: "The LLM cluster-namer" },
+];
+
+export function GraphSection({
+	graph,
+	onSectionChange,
+}: {
+	graph: GraphSettings | undefined;
+	onSectionChange: (next: GraphSettings) => void;
+}) {
+	// Stored values (the switches show these) vs EFFECTIVE values (a
+	// stored-on rung under a broken chain is inert — the schema's ladder).
+	const stored = {
+		enabled: graph?.enabled ?? true,
+		embedding: graph?.embedding ?? true,
+		clustering: graph?.clustering ?? true,
+		labeling: graph?.labeling ?? true,
+	};
+	const effective = {
+		enabled: stored.enabled,
+		embedding: stored.enabled && stored.embedding,
+		clustering: stored.enabled && stored.embedding && stored.clustering,
+		labeling: stored.enabled && stored.embedding && stored.clustering && stored.labeling,
+	};
+	return (
+		<>
+			{LADDER.map(({ key, label, needs, hint }) => {
+				// Touchable only when every ancestor is EFFECTIVELY on.
+				const parentOn = needs === null ? true : effective[needs];
+				return (
+					<SettingsRow key={key} label={label} hint={!parentOn ? `${hint} — needs ${needs} on` : hint} testid={`graph-row-${key}`}>
+						<Toggle
+							checked={stored[key]}
+							disabled={!parentOn}
+							label={`graph ${key}`}
+							onChange={(on) => onSectionChange({ ...graph, [key]: on })}
+						/>
+					</SettingsRow>
+				);
+			})}
+		</>
+	);
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/components/settings/appearance.tsx b/components/settings/appearance.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fa1252c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/components/settings/appearance.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,159 @@
+"use client";
+/**
+ * THE APPEARANCE APPLICATION (thin settings wave, 2026-09-19): the settings
+ * record's appearance section actually DOES something — resolved against
+ * the factory defaults and applied as RUNTIME CSS variables on <html>.
+ *
+ * Why variables and not className swaps: every seam the settings touch was
+ * built token-first (--font-prose, --lh-prose-size, --lh-ink-strong, …),
+ * so application is setProperty and nothing re-renders. The ONE thing the
+ * variables can't reach — the mode — is dark-only this wave (the light
+ * palette is designed in the later design wave; <html class="dark"> is
+ * static in app/layout.tsx).
+ *
+ * The provider is mounted at the ROOT LAYOUT level (like ActivityProvider):
+ * every page picks appearance up on load. The settings page writes a
+ * section, hands the new appearance here, and the vars move immediately.
+ *
+ * (The open-settings keyboard chord lives in components/keyboard-shortcuts.tsx
+ * with the other navigations — mod+, pushes /settings from anywhere.)
+ */
+
+import { createContext, useCallback, useContext, useEffect, useMemo, useRef, useState } from "react";
+import { FACTORY_SETTINGS, type AppearanceSettings } from "@/src/core";
+
+/** The resolved, fully-concrete appearance view (delta + factory merged). */
+export function resolveAppearance(delta: AppearanceSettings | undefined) {
+	const f = FACTORY_SETTINGS.appearance;
+	return {
+		mode: delta?.mode ?? f.mode,
+		background: delta?.background ?? f.background,
+		fontFamily: delta?.fontFamily ?? f.fontFamily,
+		proseFontSize: delta?.proseFontSize ?? f.proseFontSize,
+		sessionNameSerif: delta?.sessionNameSerif ?? f.sessionNameSerif,
+		mdRendering: {
+			headingWeight: delta?.mdRendering?.headingWeight ?? f.mdRendering.headingWeight,
+			boldColor: delta?.mdRendering?.boldColor ?? f.mdRendering.boldColor,
+			italicColor: delta?.mdRendering?.italicColor ?? f.mdRendering.italicColor,
+		},
+	};
+}
+
+/** One channel clamped on the dark curve: additive offsets matching today's
+ *  hand-picked palette (#141414 → card #1c1c1c (+8) → accent #2a2a2a (+22)
+ *  → border #434343 (+47)) — the "per-mode derivation in code" the schema
+ *  promises, as the thinnest curve that keeps the palette's relationships. */
+function raise(hex: string, add: number): string {
+	const n = hex.length === 4
+		? hex.slice(1).split("").map((c) => parseInt(c + c, 16))
+		: [parseInt(hex.slice(1, 3), 16), parseInt(hex.slice(3, 5), 16), parseInt(hex.slice(5, 7), 16)];
+	return `#${n.map((c) => Math.min(255, c + add).toString(16).padStart(2, "0")).join("")}`;
+}
+
+/** The derived palette a chosen background implies (dark curve): background
+ *  itself, the raised surfaces (card/popover/secondary/muted, +8), the
+ *  accent (+22), the edges (border/input, +47), and primary-foreground
+ *  (the inverted text on primary = the background's own color, as today). */
+export function derivedPalette(background: string): Record<string, string> {
+	const card = raise(background, 8);
+	const accent = raise(background, 22);
+	const border = raise(background, 47);
+	return {
+		"--background": background,
+		"--card": card,
+		"--popover": card,
+		"--secondary": card,
+		"--muted": card,
+		"--accent": accent,
+		"--border": border,
+		"--input": border,
+		"--primary-foreground": background,
+	};
+}
+
+/** THE mapping: resolved appearance → the CSS variables to set on <html>.
+ *  Absent entries = leave the factory stylesheet value in place. Pure —
+ *  exported for tests. */
+export function appearanceVars(a: ReturnType<typeof resolveAppearance>): Record<string, string> {
+	const vars: Record<string, string> = {};
+	if (a.background !== null) Object.assign(vars, derivedPalette(a.background));
+	if (a.fontFamily !== null) {
+		vars["--font-prose"] = `"${a.fontFamily}", var(--font-sans3), ui-sans-serif, system-ui, sans-serif`;
+	}
+	// The ONE documented reading-size variable (typography round 4): prose,
+	// inputs, and session titles all read it, so one setProperty moves them.
+	vars["--lh-prose-size"] = `${a.proseFontSize}px`;
+	// Session names: CMU Serif by default; the toggle swaps the title font
+	// to the prose family — covers chat.tsx + new-session.tsx titles with
+	// zero component edits (they use the .font-title utility).
+	if (!a.sessionNameSerif) vars["--font-title"] = "var(--font-prose)";
+	// Markdown rendering: heading weight + the emphasis inks (the vars
+	// were built "ready for the settings UI").
+	vars["--lh-heading-weight"] = String(a.mdRendering.headingWeight);
+	if (a.mdRendering.boldColor !== null) vars["--lh-ink-strong"] = a.mdRendering.boldColor;
+	if (a.mdRendering.italicColor !== null) vars["--lh-ink-italic"] = a.mdRendering.italicColor;
+	return vars;
+}
+
+interface AppearanceContextValue {
+	/** Resolved appearance; factory until the record arrives. */
+	appearance: ReturnType<typeof resolveAppearance>;
+	/** Called by the settings page after a successful section PUT. */
+	onAppearanceChange: (delta: AppearanceSettings | undefined) => void;
+}
+
+const AppearanceContext = createContext<AppearanceContextValue>({
+	appearance: resolveAppearance(undefined),
+	onAppearanceChange: () => {},
+});
+
+export function useAppearance() {
+	return useContext(AppearanceContext);
+}
+
+export function AppearanceProvider({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
+	const [delta, setDelta] = useState<AppearanceSettings | undefined>(undefined);
+	const appliedRef = useRef<string>("");
+
+	// The vars apply on every change — stringified as the change signal.
+	const vars = useMemo(() => appearanceVars(resolveAppearance(delta)), [delta]);
+	const key = useMemo(() => JSON.stringify(vars), [vars]);
+	useEffect(() => {
+		if (appliedRef.current === key) return;
+		appliedRef.current = key;
+		const root = document.documentElement;
+		for (const [name, value] of Object.entries(vars)) root.style.setProperty(name, value);
+	}, [key, vars]);
+
+	// One fetch per app load: the record (sanitized server-side) carries the
+	// delta; resolution happens here against the compiled factory.
+	useEffect(() => {
+		let alive = true;
+		fetch("/api/settings")
+			.then((r) => r.json())
+			.then((body: { settings?: Record<string, unknown> }) => {
+				if (!alive) return;
+				// The record arrives sanitized server-side; the appearance
+				// slice is unknown-shaped here, so it goes through the same
+				// resolve (absent/invalid fields = factory anyway).
+				const appearance = body.settings?.appearance;
+				setDelta(
+					appearance && typeof appearance === "object" ? (appearance as AppearanceSettings) : undefined,
+				);
+			})
+			.catch(() => {/* settings stay factory — not worth a crash */});
+		return () => {
+			alive = false;
+		};
+	}, []);
+
+	const onAppearanceChange = useCallback((next: AppearanceSettings | undefined) => {
+		setDelta(next);
+	}, []);
+
+	const value = useMemo(
+		() => ({ appearance: resolveAppearance(delta), onAppearanceChange }),
+		[delta, onAppearanceChange],
+	);
+	return <AppearanceContext.Provider value={value}>{children}</AppearanceContext.Provider>;
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/components/settings/controls.tsx b/components/settings/controls.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..660f4d2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/components/settings/controls.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,169 @@
+"use client";
+/**
+ * Thin settings primitives (thin settings wave): the minimal control kit
+ * the settings page needs — deliberately plain. No design system, no
+ * animation polish: this wave is a WORKING validation surface over the
+ * settings record, not the designed settings app (that's a later wave).
+ *
+ * Everything SSRs clean (render tests pin the sections' markup).
+ */
+
+import { cn } from "@/lib/utils";
+
+/** A section block: header + rows, separated by the app's border color. */
+export function SettingsSection({
+	title,
+	hint,
+	children,
+	testid,
+}: {
+	title: string;
+	/** One-line quiet note under the header (what the section controls). */
+	hint?: string;
+	children: React.ReactNode;
+	testid?: string;
+}) {
+	return (
+		<section data-testid={testid} className="border-t border-border px-6 py-5 first:border-t-0">
+			<h2 className="text-xs uppercase tracking-widest text-muted-foreground/70">{title}</h2>
+			{hint && <p className="mt-1 text-xs text-muted-foreground/70">{hint}</p>}
+			<div className="mt-3 flex flex-col gap-3">{children}</div>
+		</section>
+	);
+}
+
+/** One label + one control. Label left (with optional muted hint), control
+ *  right — the settings row shape. */
+export function SettingsRow({
+	label,
+	hint,
+	children,
+	testid,
+}: {
+	label: string;
+	hint?: string;
+	children: React.ReactNode;
+	testid?: string;
+}) {
+	return (
+		<div data-testid={testid} className="flex items-center justify-between gap-4 py-1">
+			<span className="min-w-0">
+				<span className="block font-prose text-(length:--lh-prose-size)">{label}</span>
+				{hint && <span className="block text-xs text-muted-foreground/70">{hint}</span>}
+			</span>
+			{children}
+		</div>
+	);
+}
+
+/** The on/off switch — a plain button in the switch role. */
+export function Toggle({
+	checked,
+	disabled,
+	onChange,
+	label,
+}: {
+	checked: boolean;
+	disabled?: boolean;
+	onChange: (next: boolean) => void;
+	/** Accessible name for the switch role. */
+	label: string;
+}) {
+	return (
+		<button
+			type="button"
+			role="switch"
+			aria-checked={checked}
+			aria-label={label}
+			disabled={disabled}
+			data-testid={`toggle-${label.toLowerCase().replace(/[^a-z0-9]+/g, "-")}`}
+			onClick={() => onChange(!checked)}
+			className={cn(
+				"relative h-4.5 w-8 shrink-0 rounded-full border border-border transition-colors",
+				checked ? "bg-foreground" : "bg-muted",
+				disabled && "cursor-not-allowed opacity-40",
+			)}
+		>
+			<span
+				className={cn(
+					"absolute top-0.5 size-3 rounded-full transition-transform",
+					checked ? "translate-x-4.5 bg-background" : "translate-x-0.5 bg-muted-foreground",
+				)}
+			/>
+		</button>
+	);
+}
+
+/** A thin select — native element, options as given. */
+export function ThinSelect({
+	value,
+	onChange,
+	children,
+	ariaLabel,
+	testid,
+	disabled,
+}: {
+	value: string;
+	onChange: (next: string) => void;
+	children: React.ReactNode;
+	ariaLabel: string;
+	testid?: string;
+	disabled?: boolean;
+}) {
+	return (
+		<select
+			value={value}
+			aria-label={ariaLabel}
+			data-testid={testid}
+			disabled={disabled}
+			onChange={(e) => onChange(e.target.value)}
+			className={cn(
+				"h-7 rounded-sm border border-border bg-background px-1.5 font-ui text-xs text-foreground outline-none",
+				disabled && "cursor-not-allowed opacity-40",
+			)}
+		>
+			{children}
+		</select>
+	);
+}
+
+/** A thin hex/text input committing on blur + Enter (settings pace, not
+ *  typing pace — every commit is a section PUT). */
+export function CommitInput({
+	value,
+	placeholder,
+	onCommit,
+	ariaLabel,
+	testid,
+	type = "text",
+}: {
+	/** "" = unset (the factory default). */
+	value: string;
+	placeholder?: string;
+	onCommit: (next: string) => void;
+	ariaLabel: string;
+	testid?: string;
+	type?: "text" | "number";
+}) {
+	return (
+		<input
+			type={type}
+			defaultValue={value}
+			placeholder={placeholder}
+			aria-label={ariaLabel}
+			data-testid={testid}
+			onBlur={(e) => {
+				const next = e.target.value.trim();
+				if (next !== value) onCommit(next);
+			}}
+			onKeyDown={(e) => {
+				if (e.key === "Enter") e.currentTarget.blur();
+				if (e.key === "Escape") {
+					e.currentTarget.value = value;
+					e.currentTarget.blur();
+				}
+			}}
+			className="h-7 w-40 rounded-sm border border-border bg-background px-2 font-ui text-xs text-foreground outline-none placeholder:text-muted-foreground/60"
+		/>
+	);
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/components/settings/keyboard-section.tsx b/components/settings/keyboard-section.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..aae1ef5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/components/settings/keyboard-section.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,170 @@
+"use client";
+/**
+ * The Keyboard section (thin settings wave): view / rebind / reset over
+ * core/keyboard.ts's registry. The overrides persist in localStorage
+ * (lh:keymap, overrides-only, merged over DEFAULT_BINDINGS), so rebinding
+ * is INSTANT — the dispatcher reads the map per keydown, no reload.
+ *
+ * Rebind flow: click Rebind → the row listens for the next keydown
+ * (capture phase, preventDefault — nothing types anywhere), eventBinding
+ * normalizes it, saveOverrides persists. Escape cancels. displayOnly
+ * actions (a surface owns those keys — the question dock's row machine)
+ * are listed for reading but never rebindable.
+ *
+ * Thin: no conflict detection — if a new binding collides with another
+ * action's, the first match in registry order wins; the cheat sheet shows
+ * both. Detection belongs to the designed wave.
+ */
+
+import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
+import {
+	KEYBOARD_ACTIONS,
+	eventBinding,
+	formatBinding,
+	loadOverrides,
+	saveOverrides,
+	type KeyAction,
+	type KeyScope,
+} from "@/src/core";
+import { SettingsRow } from "./controls.tsx";
+
+const SCOPES: { scope: KeyScope; label: string }[] = [
+	{ scope: "global", label: "Global" },
+	{ scope: "chat", label: "Chat" },
+	{ scope: "graph", label: "Graph" },
+];
+
+/** The overrides map after ONE change (pure — exported for tests):
+ *  binding null = reset the action to its default (key removed). */
+export function nextOverrides(
+	current: Partial<Record<KeyAction, string>>,
+	id: KeyAction,
+	binding: string | null,
+): Partial<Record<KeyAction, string>> {
+	const next = { ...current };
+	if (binding === null) delete next[id];
+	else next[id] = binding;
+	return next;
+}
+
+export function KeyboardSection() {
+	const [overrides, setOverrides] = useState<Partial<Record<KeyAction, string>>>({});
+	const [rebinding, setRebinding] = useState<KeyAction | null>(null);
+	const [nonce, setNonce] = useState(0);
+
+	// localStorage is read post-mount (SSR-safe); `nonce` re-reads after writes.
+	useEffect(() => {
+		setOverrides(loadOverrides());
+	}, [nonce]);
+
+	// The capture listener — only while a rebind is armed.
+	useEffect(() => {
+		if (!rebinding) return;
+		const onKey = (e: KeyboardEvent) => {
+			e.preventDefault();
+			e.stopPropagation();
+			if (e.key === "Escape") {
+				setRebinding(null);
+				return;
+			}
+			// Modifier keydowns arrive one by one (⌘ down, then ⇧, then the
+			// key) — each is a keydown this capture listener sees. They are
+			// not bindings; keep listening for the real key.
+			if (e.key === "Control" || e.key === "Meta" || e.key === "Alt" || e.key === "Shift") return;
+			const binding = eventBinding(e);
+			if (!binding) return;
+			const next = nextOverrides(loadOverrides(), rebinding, binding);
+			saveOverrides(next);
+			setRebinding(null);
+			setNonce((n) => n + 1);
+		};
+		window.addEventListener("keydown", onKey, true);
+		return () => window.removeEventListener("keydown", onKey, true);
+	}, [rebinding]);
+
+	function resetOne(id: KeyAction) {
+		saveOverrides(nextOverrides(loadOverrides(), id, null));
+		setNonce((n) => n + 1);
+	}
+
+	function resetAll() {
+		saveOverrides({});
+		setNonce((n) => n + 1);
+	}
+
+	const overridden = (id: KeyAction) => overrides[id] !== undefined;
+
+	return (
+		<>
+			{SCOPES.map(({ scope, label }) => {
+				const actions = KEYBOARD_ACTIONS.filter((a) => a.scope === scope);
+				if (!actions.length) return null;
+				return (
+					<div key={scope} data-testid={`kbd-scope-${scope}`}>
+						<p className="mb-1 text-xs uppercase tracking-widest text-muted-foreground/70">{label}</p>
+						<div className="flex flex-col gap-2">
+							{actions.map((def) => {
+								const effective = overrides[def.id] ?? def.binding;
+								return (
+									<SettingsRow
+										key={def.id}
+										label={def.label}
+										hint={def.displayOnly ? "Owned by a surface — not rebindable" : undefined}
+										testid={`kbd-row-${def.id}`}
+									>
+										<span className="flex items-center gap-2">
+											<kbd className="rounded-sm border border-border bg-muted px-1.5 py-0.5 font-ui text-xs">
+												{rebinding === def.id ? "Press keys…" : formatBinding(effective)}
+											</kbd>
+											{def.displayOnly ? null : rebinding === def.id ? (
+												<button
+													type="button"
+													onClick={() => setRebinding(null)}
+													className="text-xs text-muted-foreground/70 underline-offset-2 hover:text-foreground hover:underline"
+												>
+													Cancel
+												</button>
+											) : (
+												<>
+													<button
+														type="button"
+														onClick={() => setRebinding(def.id)}
+														data-testid={`kbd-rebind-${def.id}`}
+														className="text-xs text-muted-foreground underline-offset-2 hover:text-foreground hover:underline"
+													>
+														Rebind
+													</button>
+													{overridden(def.id) && (
+														<button
+															type="button"
+															onClick={() => resetOne(def.id)}
+															data-testid={`kbd-reset-${def.id}`}
+															className="text-xs text-muted-foreground/70 underline-offset-2 hover:text-foreground hover:underline"
+														>
+															Reset
+														</button>
+													)}
+												</>
+											)}
+										</span>
+									</SettingsRow>
+								);
+							})}
+						</div>
+					</div>
+				);
+			})}
+			<div className="mt-1 flex items-center justify-between">
+				<span className="text-xs text-muted-foreground/70">Stored in this browser (lh:keymap) — overrides only.</span>
+				<button
+					type="button"
+					onClick={resetAll}
+					data-testid="kbd-reset-all"
+					className="text-xs text-muted-foreground underline-offset-2 hover:text-foreground hover:underline"
+				>
+					Reset all to defaults
+				</button>
+			</div>
+		</>
+	);
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/components/settings/settings-page.tsx b/components/settings/settings-page.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..edcae8a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/components/settings/settings-page.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,135 @@
+"use client";
+/**
+ * THE SETTINGS PAGE (thin settings wave, 2026-09-19): one column, section
+ * blocks in fixed order — General, Agent, Appearance, Graph, Keyboard —
+ * over the versioned delta record at GET /api/settings, written per
+ * section through PUT /api/settings/[section] (replace-whole).
+ *
+ * Thin by owner decision: simple controls, real read/write, the point is
+ * a WORKING validation surface that exercises the whole settings schema —
+ * not the designed settings app. Polish lives in a later wave.
+ *
+ * The chat section (new-session defaults) is deliberately NOT here
+ * (owner decision): its controls live on the /chat/new surface; two
+ * editors for one value is a drift bug. The auth/provider-keys page is
+ * deliberately absent (needs auth.json plumbing that doesn't exist).
+ */
+
+import { useCallback, useEffect, useState } from "react";
+import { CURRENT_SETTINGS_VERSION, type AgentSettings, type AppearanceSettings, type GraphSettings, type UserSettings } from "@/src/core";
+import { SidebarToggle } from "@/components/sidebar.tsx";
+import { useAppearance } from "./appearance.tsx";
+import { SettingsSection, SettingsRow, Toggle } from "./controls.tsx";
+import { AgentSection } from "./agent-section.tsx";
+import { AppearanceSection, GraphSection } from "./appearance-section.tsx";
+import { KeyboardSection } from "./keyboard-section.tsx";
+
+export function SettingsPage() {
+	const { onAppearanceChange } = useAppearance();
+	const [record, setRecord] = useState<UserSettings | null | undefined>(undefined);
+	const [error, setError] = useState<string | null>(null);
+
+	useEffect(() => {
+		// 200 {settings: null} is FIRST BOOT (no record = factory everything),
+		// not a failure — the error state is a non-200 or a network throw only.
+		fetch("/api/settings")
+			.then((r) => (r.ok ? r.json() : Promise.reject(new Error(`status ${r.status}`))))
+			.then((body: { settings: UserSettings | null }) =>
+				setRecord(body.settings ?? { version: CURRENT_SETTINGS_VERSION }),
+			)
+			.catch(() => setRecord(null));
+	}, []);
+
+	/** ONE writer per page: PUT the whole section, keep the record mirror
+	 *  in sync, surface route errors inline (a 400 is this wave's point —
+	 *  the validation surface catching schema mistakes). */
+	const write = useCallback(
+		async (section: "general" | "agent" | "appearance" | "graph", body: object) => {
+			setError(null);
+			const res = await fetch(`/api/settings/${section}`, {
+				method: "PUT",
+				headers: { "content-type": "application/json" },
+				body: JSON.stringify(body),
+			});
+			if (!res.ok) {
+				const detail = (await res.json().catch(() => ({}))) as { error?: string };
+				setError(`${section}: ${detail.error ?? res.status}`);
+				return;
+			}
+			setRecord((prev) => ({ ...(prev ?? {}), [section]: body }) as UserSettings);
+			if (section === "appearance") onAppearanceChange(body as AppearanceSettings);
+		},
+		[onAppearanceChange],
+	);
+
+	return (
+		<div className="flex h-dvh">
+			<div className="flex min-w-0 flex-1 flex-col">
+				{/* The app header — same 60px band, same border, same CMU title
+				    (the alignment constant from header round 6). */}
+				<header className="flex h-15 items-center gap-3 border-b border-border px-3">
+					<SidebarToggle />
+					<div className="min-w-0 flex-1 truncate font-title text-2xl tracking-tight">Settings</div>
+				</header>
+
+				<div className="min-h-0 flex-1 overflow-y-auto">
+					<div className="mx-auto w-full max-w-2xl pb-16">
+						{error && (
+							<p role="alert" className="m-3 rounded-sm border border-red-500/40 px-3 py-2 text-xs text-red-500">
+								{error}
+							</p>
+						)}
+						{record === undefined ? (
+							<p className="px-6 py-5 text-xs text-muted-foreground/70">Loading settings…</p>
+						) : record === null ? (
+							<p className="px-6 py-5 text-xs text-muted-foreground/70">
+								Settings could not be loaded — refresh to retry.
+							</p>
+						) : (
+							<>
+								<SettingsSection title="General" hint="App-level behavior" testid="section-general">
+									<SettingsRow label="Auto-update" hint="The update mechanism ships in a later wave" testid="row-auto-update">
+										<Toggle
+											checked={record.general?.autoUpdate ?? true}
+											label="auto update"
+											onChange={(on) => void write("general", { autoUpdate: on })}
+										/>
+									</SettingsRow>
+								</SettingsSection>
+
+								<SettingsSection
+									title="Agent"
+									hint="Background-role models, tools, and prompt overrides"
+									testid="section-agent"
+								>
+									<AgentSection
+										agent={record.agent}
+										onSectionChange={(next: AgentSettings) => void write("agent", next)}
+									/>
+								</SettingsSection>
+
+								<SettingsSection title="Appearance" hint="Applied live as CSS variables" testid="section-appearance">
+									<AppearanceSection
+										appearance={record.appearance}
+										onSectionChange={(next: AppearanceSettings) => void write("appearance", next)}
+									/>
+								</SettingsSection>
+
+								<SettingsSection title="Graph" hint="Dependency ladder — a disabled rung grays everything below it" testid="section-graph">
+									<GraphSection
+										graph={record.graph}
+										onSectionChange={(next: GraphSettings) => void write("graph", next)}
+									/>
+								</SettingsSection>
+
+								<SettingsSection title="Keyboard" hint="Rebinds apply instantly — stored in this browser" testid="section-keyboard">
+									<KeyboardSection />
+								</SettingsSection>
+							</>
+						)}
+					</div>
+				</div>
+			</div>
+		</div>
+	);
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/components/sidebar.tsx b/components/sidebar.tsx
index 91f170c..89d05f6 100644
--- a/components/sidebar.tsx
+++ b/components/sidebar.tsx
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 import { createContext, useCallback, useContext, useEffect, useMemo, useRef, useState } from "react";
 import Link from "next/link";
 import { usePathname, useRouter } from "next/navigation";
-import { PanelLeftCloseIcon, PanelLeftOpenIcon, PlusIcon, SearchIcon } from "lucide-react";
+import { PanelLeftCloseIcon, PanelLeftOpenIcon, PlusIcon, SearchIcon, SettingsIcon } from "lucide-react";
 import { ActivitySection } from "@/components/activity-dock";
 import { LhMark } from "@/components/lh-mark";
 import { BrailleSpinner } from "@/components/braille-spinner";
@@ -482,6 +482,20 @@ function SessionsSidebar() {
 					    flex-1, so this pins to the bottom. Sidebar closed = the
 					    learner opted out (no ambient signal, user decision). */}
 					<ActivitySection />
+
+					{/* Settings entry (thin settings wave): the same row language
+					    as New session — quiet, bottom-pinned, one chord away is
+					    mod+, (the keyboard registry's open-settings action). */}
+					<div className="px-3 pb-3 pt-1">
+						<Link
+							href="/settings"
+							data-testid="settings-entry"
+							className="flex items-center gap-1.5 rounded-md px-2 py-1.5 text-xs uppercase tracking-wider text-muted-foreground transition-colors hover:bg-accent hover:text-foreground"
+						>
+							<SettingsIcon className="size-3" />
+							Settings
+						</Link>
+					</div>
 				</div>
 			</aside>
 	);
diff --git a/src/core/keyboard.ts b/src/core/keyboard.ts
index 9f911df..c188882 100644
--- a/src/core/keyboard.ts
+++ b/src/core/keyboard.ts
@@ -39,7 +39,8 @@ export type KeyAction =
 	| "question-next-row"
 	| "question-prev-row"
 	| "question-pick-row"
-	| "question-submit";
+	| "question-submit"
+	| "open-settings";
 
 /** Where the cheat sheet groups an action (display only — dispatch is
  *  global; a seam that isn't mounted simply no-ops). */
@@ -59,6 +60,7 @@ export interface KeyActionDef {
 
 export const KEYBOARD_ACTIONS: readonly KeyActionDef[] = [
 	{ id: "toggle-dictation", label: "Toggle dictation", scope: "global", binding: "mod+d" },
+	{ id: "open-settings", label: "Open settings", scope: "global", binding: "mod+," },
 	{ id: "open-model-picker", label: "Model selector", scope: "global", binding: "mod+k" },
 	{ id: "cycle-thinking", label: "Cycle thinking level", scope: "global", binding: "shift+tab" },
 	{ id: "toggle-sidebar", label: "Toggle sessions sidebar", scope: "global", binding: "mod+b" },
@@ -91,7 +93,7 @@ const STORAGE_KEY = "lh:keymap";
 /** localStorage overrides ({actionId: binding}) — read once per module
  *  instance; the settings editor will write this key. Guarded: SSR and a
  *  corrupt/absent store both fall back to defaults. */
-function loadOverrides(): Partial<Record<KeyAction, string>> {
+export function loadOverrides(): Partial<Record<KeyAction, string>> {
 	if (typeof window === "undefined") return {};
 	try {
 		const raw = window.localStorage.getItem(STORAGE_KEY);
@@ -104,6 +106,19 @@ function loadOverrides(): Partial<Record<KeyAction, string>> {
 	return {};
 }
 
+/** Write the full overrides map ({actionId: binding}) — the settings
+ *  editor's rebind/reset persistence. Guarded: SSR no-ops. An empty
+ *  map clears the store entirely (all-defaults). */
+export function saveOverrides(overrides: Partial<Record<KeyAction, string>>): void {
+	if (typeof window === "undefined") return;
+	try {
+		if (Object.keys(overrides).length) window.localStorage.setItem(STORAGE_KEY, JSON.stringify(overrides));
+		else window.localStorage.removeItem(STORAGE_KEY);
+	} catch {
+		/* storage unavailable = overrides don't persist, defaults keep working */
+	}
+}
+
 /** The live key map: defaults with user overrides applied. */
 export function effectiveKeymap(): Map<string, KeyAction> {
 	const overrides = loadOverrides();
diff --git a/tests/render-settings.test.tsx b/tests/render-settings.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e44f3f3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/render-settings.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,150 @@
+/**
+ * Settings-surface render tests (thin settings wave): SSR of the section
+ * components pins the THIN markup — toggle rows, the graph ladder's
+ * graying, the mode control's honest disabled state, the role rows and
+ * tool rows. Fetches don't run under renderToStaticMarkup (effects never
+ * fire), so the SSR state IS the loading state — asserted as such.
+ * Same tsx classic-JSX shim as render-sidebar.test.tsx.
+ */
+import React from "react";
+(globalThis as Record<string, unknown>).React = React;
+
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import { describe, it } from "node:test";
+import { renderToStaticMarkup } from "react-dom/server";
+import { TOGGLE_TOOLS, AgentSection } from "../components/settings/agent-section.tsx";
+import { AppearanceSection, GraphSection } from "../components/settings/appearance-section.tsx";
+import { KeyboardSection } from "../components/settings/keyboard-section.tsx";
+import { KEYBOARD_ACTIONS } from "../src/core/index.ts";
+
+/** The full opening tag of the element carrying a testid — attribute
+ *  order in React output is not contractual, so assertions run on the
+ *  whole tag instead of ordered regex chains. */
+function tagOf(html: string, testid: string): string {
+	const i = html.indexOf(`data-testid="${testid}"`);
+	assert.ok(i >= 0, `missing ${testid}`);
+	return html.slice(html.lastIndexOf("<", i), html.indexOf(">", i) + 1);
+}
+
+describe("AgentSection (thin SSR)", () => {
+	it("renders all six background-role rows, Default-first selects", () => {
+		const html = renderToStaticMarkup(<AgentSection agent={undefined} onSectionChange={() => {}} />);
+		for (const role of ["researcher", "demoBuilder", "visualMaker", "extractor", "auditor", "labeler"]) {
+			assert.ok(html.includes(`data-testid="role-row-${role}"`), role);
+			assert.ok(html.includes(`data-testid="role-model-${role}"`), `${role} model select`);
+		}
+		assert.equal((html.match(/>Default<\/option>/g) ?? []).length, 12, "six roles × two selects");
+	});
+
+	it("renders the owner's FINAL tool list — research, demo, visual, pdf", () => {
+		assert.deepEqual([...TOGGLE_TOOLS], ["research", "demo", "visual", "pdf"]);
+		const html = renderToStaticMarkup(<AgentSection agent={undefined} onSectionChange={() => {}} />);
+		for (const id of TOGGLE_TOOLS) assert.ok(html.includes(`data-testid="tool-row-${id}"`), id);
+	});
+
+	it("tools default ON (absent key = enabled)", () => {
+		const html = renderToStaticMarkup(<AgentSection agent={undefined} onSectionChange={() => {}} />);
+		for (const id of TOGGLE_TOOLS) {
+			assert.ok(tagOf(html, `toggle-tool-${id}`).includes('aria-checked="true"'), `${id} defaults on`);
+		}
+	});
+
+	it("an overridden role shows its model in the select, tools carry the delta", () => {
+		const html = renderToStaticMarkup(
+			<AgentSection
+				agent={{
+					models: { researcher: { model: { provider: "openrouter", id: "z-ai/glm-4.7-flash" } } },
+					tools: { demo: false },
+				}}
+				onSectionChange={() => {}}
+			/>,
+		);
+		// SSR has no catalog: the stored id renders as its own option (a select
+		// that showed "Default" over a live override would lie about the record).
+		assert.ok(html.includes(`value="z-ai/glm-4.7-flash" selected=""`), "the override id is selected, visible");
+		assert.ok(tagOf(html, "toggle-tool-demo").includes('aria-checked="false"'), "demo off");
+		assert.ok(tagOf(html, "toggle-tool-visual").includes('aria-checked="true"'), "visual still on");
+	});
+
+	it("prompts show the loading state under SSR (effects never fire)", () => {
+		const html = renderToStaticMarkup(<AgentSection agent={undefined} onSectionChange={() => {}} />);
+		assert.ok(html.includes("Loading prompt segments"));
+	});
+});
+
+describe("GraphSection — the dependency ladder", () => {
+	it("defaults: all four rungs on, none disabled", () => {
+		const html = renderToStaticMarkup(<GraphSection graph={undefined} onSectionChange={() => {}} />);
+		for (const key of ["enabled", "embedding", "clustering", "labeling"]) {
+			assert.ok(html.includes(`data-testid="graph-row-${key}"`), key);
+			assert.ok(!tagOf(html, `toggle-graph-${key}`).includes("disabled"), `${key} touchable`);
+		}
+	});
+
+	it("master off grays EVERY dependent (stored values persist, resolve inert)", () => {
+		const html = renderToStaticMarkup(
+			<GraphSection graph={{ enabled: false, embedding: true, clustering: true, labeling: true }} onSectionChange={() => {}} />,
+		);
+		for (const key of ["embedding", "clustering", "labeling"]) {
+			assert.ok(tagOf(html, `toggle-graph-${key}`).includes("disabled"), `${key} disabled`);
+		}
+		assert.ok(!tagOf(html, "toggle-graph-enabled").includes("disabled"), "master itself stays touchable");
+	});
+
+	it("a mid-ladder break grays only what's below it", () => {
+		const html = renderToStaticMarkup(
+			<GraphSection graph={{ enabled: true, embedding: true, clustering: false }} onSectionChange={() => {}} />,
+		);
+		assert.ok(!tagOf(html, "toggle-graph-embedding").includes("disabled"), "embedding touchable");
+		assert.ok(!tagOf(html, "toggle-graph-clustering").includes("disabled"), "clustering touchable");
+		assert.ok(tagOf(html, "toggle-graph-labeling").includes("disabled"), "labeling grayed");
+	});
+});
+
+describe("AppearanceSection (thin SSR)", () => {
+	it("mode is rendered DISABLED — dark-only this wave, no lying control", () => {
+		const html = renderToStaticMarkup(<AppearanceSection appearance={undefined} onSectionChange={() => {}} />);
+		assert.ok(tagOf(html, "select-mode").includes("disabled"), "mode select disabled");
+		assert.ok(html.includes("Light mode ships with the design wave"));
+	});
+
+	it("hex inputs carry the factory placeholders; prose size resolves against the factory", () => {
+		const html = renderToStaticMarkup(<AppearanceSection appearance={undefined} onSectionChange={() => {}} />);
+		assert.ok(html.includes(`placeholder="#141414"`));
+		assert.ok(html.includes(`placeholder="Source Sans 3"`));
+		assert.ok(html.includes(`placeholder="#c96b4a"`));
+		assert.ok(html.includes("16px — prose, inputs, session titles scale together"));
+	});
+
+	it("a set background shows in the input, not the placeholder", () => {
+		const html = renderToStaticMarkup(
+			<AppearanceSection appearance={{ background: "#1a1a2e" }} onSectionChange={() => {}} />,
+		);
+		assert.ok(html.includes(`value="#1a1a2e"`));
+	});
+});
+
+describe("KeyboardSection (thin SSR)", () => {
+	it("renders every registry action in its scope group", () => {
+		const html = renderToStaticMarkup(<KeyboardSection />);
+		for (const def of KEYBOARD_ACTIONS) {
+			assert.ok(html.includes(`data-testid="kbd-row-${def.id}"`), def.id);
+		}
+		assert.ok(html.includes("kbd-scope-global"));
+		assert.ok(html.includes("kbd-scope-chat"));
+	});
+
+	it("open-settings is in the registry with the settings chord", () => {
+		const def = KEYBOARD_ACTIONS.find((a) => a.id === "open-settings");
+		assert.ok(def, "the action exists");
+		assert.equal(def?.scope, "global");
+		assert.equal(def?.binding, "mod+,");
+	});
+
+	it("displayOnly actions list but never offer Rebind", () => {
+		const html = renderToStaticMarkup(<KeyboardSection />);
+		assert.ok(html.includes("Owned by a surface — not rebindable"));
+		assert.ok(!html.includes(`data-testid="kbd-rebind-question-next-row"`), "surface keys stay put");
+		assert.ok(!html.includes(`data-testid="kbd-rebind-model-menu-pick"`));
+	});
+});
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/settings-pure.test.ts b/tests/settings-pure.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1e8d6f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/settings-pure.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,139 @@
+/**
+ * The settings wave's pure layers (thin settings wave): the appearance →
+ * CSS-variable mapping (the section must actually DO something), the
+ * dark-curve background derivation, the agent section's compose helpers
+ * (the replace-whole PUT discipline), and the keyboard overrides map.
+ */
+
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import { describe, it } from "node:test";
+import { appearanceVars, derivedPalette, resolveAppearance } from "../components/settings/appearance.tsx";
+import { composePromptSwitch, composeRoleModel, composeTool } from "../components/settings/agent-section.tsx";
+import { nextOverrides } from "../components/settings/keyboard-section.tsx";
+
+describe("resolveAppearance — delta over factory", () => {
+	it("absent everything = the factory view", () => {
+		const a = resolveAppearance(undefined);
+		assert.equal(a.mode, "dark");
+		assert.equal(a.background, null);
+		assert.equal(a.fontFamily, null);
+		assert.equal(a.proseFontSize, 16);
+		assert.equal(a.sessionNameSerif, true);
+		assert.deepEqual(a.mdRendering, { headingWeight: 900, boldColor: null, italicColor: null });
+	});
+
+	it("explicit deltas win field-by-field", () => {
+		const a = resolveAppearance({ proseFontSize: 20, fontFamily: "Iowan Old Style" });
+		assert.equal(a.proseFontSize, 20);
+		assert.equal(a.fontFamily, "Iowan Old Style");
+		assert.equal(a.background, null);
+	});
+});
+
+describe("derivedPalette — the dark curve keeps today's relationships", () => {
+	it("the factory background reproduces today's palette EXACTLY", () => {
+		assert.deepEqual(derivedPalette("#141414"), {
+			"--background": "#141414",
+			"--card": "#1c1c1c",
+			"--popover": "#1c1c1c",
+			"--secondary": "#1c1c1c",
+			"--muted": "#1c1c1c",
+			"--accent": "#2a2a2a",
+			"--border": "#434343",
+			"--input": "#434343",
+			"--primary-foreground": "#141414",
+		});
+	});
+
+	it("an off-factory background shifts every surface with it (clamped at 255)", () => {
+		const p = derivedPalette("#f0f0f0");
+		assert.equal(p["--background"], "#f0f0f0");
+		assert.equal(p["--card"], "#f8f8f8"); // 240 + 8 per channel
+		assert.equal(p["--border"], "#ffffff", "240 + 47 clamps to 255 on every channel");
+	});
+
+	it("3-digit hex expands", () => {
+		assert.equal(derivedPalette("#abc")["--card"], "#b2c3d4"); // aa bb cc each +8
+	});
+});
+
+describe("appearanceVars — the mapping the provider applies", () => {
+	it("factory appearance: only the always-applied tokens move", () => {
+		const vars = appearanceVars(resolveAppearance(undefined));
+		assert.equal(vars["--lh-prose-size"], "16px");
+		assert.equal(vars["--lh-heading-weight"], "900");
+		assert.equal(vars["--font-prose"], undefined, "no font override at factory");
+		assert.equal(vars["--font-title"], undefined, "CMU stays");
+		assert.equal(vars["--background"], undefined, "factory palette untouched");
+		assert.equal(vars["--lh-ink-strong"], undefined, "default ink");
+	});
+
+	it("full delta: every knob lands on its token", () => {
+		const vars = appearanceVars(
+			resolveAppearance({
+				background: "#101820",
+				fontFamily: "Georgia",
+				proseFontSize: 18,
+				sessionNameSerif: false,
+				mdRendering: { headingWeight: 700, boldColor: "#ff0000", italicColor: "#00ff00" },
+			}),
+		);
+		assert.equal(vars["--background"], "#101820");
+		assert.equal(vars["--card"], "#182028", "raised +8 per channel: 10→18, 18→20, 20→28");
+		assert.equal(vars["--font-prose"], `"Georgia", var(--font-sans3), ui-sans-serif, system-ui, sans-serif`);
+		assert.equal(vars["--lh-prose-size"], "18px");
+		assert.equal(vars["--font-title"], "var(--font-prose)", "serif off → titles follow the prose font");
+		assert.equal(vars["--lh-heading-weight"], "700");
+		assert.equal(vars["--lh-ink-strong"], "#ff0000");
+		assert.equal(vars["--lh-ink-italic"], "#00ff00");
+	});
+
+	it("sessionNameSerif false alone: titles move, nothing else does", () => {
+		const vars = appearanceVars(resolveAppearance({ sessionNameSerif: false }));
+		assert.equal(vars["--font-title"], "var(--font-prose)");
+		assert.equal(Object.keys(vars).length, 3, "prose-size, heading-weight, font-title only");
+	});
+});
+
+describe("agent section compose helpers — the replace-whole PUT body", () => {
+	it("composeTool carries the rest of the section verbatim", () => {
+		const before = { tools: { demo: false }, prompts: { "system-prompt.md": true } };
+		const after = composeTool(before, "visual", false);
+		assert.deepEqual(after.tools, { demo: false, visual: false });
+		assert.deepEqual(after.prompts, { "system-prompt.md": true }, "prompts untouched");
+	});
+
+	it("composeRoleModel: empty+empty REMOVES the role (absent = config pin)", () => {
+		const after = composeRoleModel({ models: { researcher: { model: { provider: "openrouter", id: "x" } }, auditor: {} } }, "researcher", "", "");
+		assert.equal(after.models?.researcher, undefined, "role dropped");
+		assert.deepEqual(after.models?.auditor, {}, "sibling untouched");
+	});
+
+	it("composeRoleModel: model alone, thinking alone, and both", () => {
+		assert.deepEqual(composeRoleModel(undefined, "labeler", "z-ai/glm-4.7-flash", "").models?.labeler, {
+			model: { provider: "openrouter", id: "z-ai/glm-4.7-flash" },
+		});
+		assert.deepEqual(composeRoleModel(undefined, "labeler", "", "low").models?.labeler, { thinkingLevel: "low" });
+		assert.deepEqual(composeRoleModel(undefined, "labeler", "m1", "high").models?.labeler, {
+			model: { provider: "openrouter", id: "m1" },
+			thinkingLevel: "high",
+		});
+	});
+
+	it("composePromptSwitch: on = explicit true, off = key REMOVED (absent = off)", () => {
+		assert.deepEqual(composePromptSwitch({ prompts: { a: true } }, "b", true).prompts, { a: true, b: true });
+		assert.deepEqual(composePromptSwitch({ prompts: { a: true, b: true } }, "b", false).prompts, { a: true });
+	});
+});
+
+describe("nextOverrides — the rebind persistence map", () => {
+	it("a rebind sets the action's override, keeping the others", () => {
+		const next = nextOverrides({ "toggle-sidebar": "mod+b" }, "open-settings", "mod+shift+s");
+		assert.deepEqual(next, { "toggle-sidebar": "mod+b", "open-settings": "mod+shift+s" });
+	});
+
+	it("null = reset that action to its default (key removed)", () => {
+		const next = nextOverrides({ "toggle-sidebar": "mod+b", find: "mod+f" }, "toggle-sidebar", null);
+		assert.deepEqual(next, { find: "mod+f" });
+	});
+});
\ No newline at end of file