Bumping minor version.

A lot of bugfixes went out.

.junie/guidelines.md

@@ -1,58 +1,2 @@
-# Project Guidelines
+Read AGENTS.md at the repository root before anything else. It is the only
-
+project guide; this file exists because Junie cannot import it.
-kte is Kyle's Text Editor — a simple, fast text editor written in C++20.
-It
-replaces the earlier C implementation, ke (see the ke manual in
-`docs/ke.md`). The
-design draws inspiration from Antirez' kilo, with keybindings rooted in
-the
-WordStar/VDE family and emacs. The spiritual parent is `mg(1)`.
-
-These guidelines summarize the goals, interfaces, key operations, and
-current
-development practices for kte.
-
-## Goals
-
-- Keep the core small, fast, and understandable.
-- Provide an ncurses-based terminal-first editing experience, with an
-  additional ImGui GUI.
-- Preserve familiar keybindings from ke while modernizing the internals.
-- Favor simple data structures (e.g., piece table) and incremental
-  evolution.
-
-Project entry point: `main.cpp`
-
-## Core Components (current codebase)
-
-- Buffer: editing model and file I/O (`Buffer.h/.cpp`).
-- PieceTable: editable in-memory text representation (
-  `PieceTable.h/.cpp`).
-- InputHandler: interface for handling text input (`InputHandler.h/`),
-  along
-  with `TerminalInputHandler` (ncurses-based) and `GUIInputHandler`.
-- Renderer: interface for rendering text (`Renderer.h`), along with
-  `TerminalRenderer` (ncurses-based) and `GUIRenderer`.
-- Editor: top-level editor state (`Editor.h/.cpp`).
-- Command: command model (`Command.h/.cpp`).
-- General purpose editor functionality (`Editing.h/.cpp`)
-
-## Keybindings (inherited from ke)
-
-The file `docs/ke.md` contains the canonical reference for keybindings.
-
-## Contributing/Development Notes
-
-- C++ standard: C++20.
-- Keep dependencies minimal.
-- Prefer small, focused changes that preserve ke’s UX unless explicitly
-  changing
-  behavior.
-
-## References
-
-- Previous editor manual: `ke.md` (canonical keybinding/spec reference
-  for now).
-- Inspiration: kilo, WordStar/VDE, emacs, `mg(1)`.
-
-

AGENTS.md

@@ -0,0 +1,106 @@
+# kte
+
+kte (Kyle's Text Editor) is a C++20 text editor with a terminal-first design (ncurses) and an optional ImGui GUI frontend (SDL2/OpenGL/Freetype); it uses a WordStar/VDE-style command model. Standards: none. The Metacircular service standards do not apply here.
+
+## Bootstrap (run once per checkout, idempotent)
+nix develop (default shell; also provides a `terminal` devshell) or system SDL2/Freetype/ncurses if not using nix.
+
+## Gate (run before saying "done"; must exit 0)
+make gate            # what it runs: configure (cmake -S . -B build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug -DBUILD_GUI=ON -DBUILD_TESTS=ON) -> build (cmake --build build) -> test (./build/kte_tests)
+Fast check while editing: cmake --build build --target kte_tests && ./build/kte_tests
+Also run clang-tidy on changed files via build/compile_commands.json (not part of `make gate`; clang-tidy is not on this Mac's PATH).
+
+## Run
+Terminal editor: `./build/kte <file>` (always built).
+GUI editor: `./build/kge <file>` (built when `-DBUILD_GUI=ON`; requires SDL2/OpenGL/Freetype).
+Docker (cross-platform Linux testing): `docker build -t kte-linux . && docker run --rm -v "$(pwd):/kte" kte-linux`.
+
+## Sensors the harness watches
+- `make gate` exit status and last 40 lines; `kte_tests` runs via ctest too (`ctest --test-dir build`)
+- clang-tidy warning count on the diff (when clang-tidy is available)
+- for GUI bugs: launch `./build/kge` and report what was seen; a green test suite is not proof
+
+## Rules (do not re-litigate)
+- Release: bump CMakeLists version, checkpoint, `./make-release.sh`, report the SHA256 it prints; a GitHub push failure at the same commit is fine; then update `/opt/homebrew/Library/Taps/kisom/homebrew-tap`.
+- All text mutations must go through the PieceTable API (`insert_text`, `delete_text`) so undo and swap recording work.
+- Read lines with `Nrows()` and `GetLineString()` (a copy, cheap on any buffer) or `GetLineView()` (zero-copy when the line lies within one piece; a line straddling an edit materializes the whole buffer); `GetLineView()` and `ContentView()` are valid only until the next buffer modification.
+- C++20, compiled with `-Wall -Wextra -Werror -pedantic`; Clang uses `-stdlib=libc++`.
+- Naming: PascalCase for classes/methods, snake_case for variables, trailing underscore for private members (e.g. `pieces_`); indentation is tabs.
+- Fallible ops use `bool func(args..., std::string &err)`: clear `err` at start, capture `errno` immediately after syscall failure, use EINTR-safe wrappers from `SyscallWrappers.h` instead of raw syscalls.
+- After editing ops, call `ensure_cursor_visible()` to update the viewport.
+
+## Docs that govern
+- `docs/ke.md` — canonical keybinding/spec reference, inherited from the predecessor editor `ke`
+- `REWRITE.md`, `ROADMAP.md`, `CONFIG.md` — design rationale, roadmap, and config reference
+- `README.md` — project overview
+
+## Remote target
+None: kte builds and runs locally (or in the Docker/CI Linux image); it has no remote deployment target.
+
+## Architecture
+
+Three-layer design with strict frontend independence:
+
+```
+Frontend Layer (Terminal / ImGui / Test)
+  InputHandler.h, Renderer.h, Frontend.h interfaces
+        ↓
+Command Layer
+  CommandId enum → CommandRegistry → handler functions in Command.cc
+        ↓
+Core Model Layer
+  Editor → Buffer → PieceTable
+  UndoSystem (tree-based, records at PieceTable level)
+  SwapManager (crash recovery journal per buffer)
+```
+
+### Core Components
+
+- **PieceTable** (`PieceTable.h/.cc`) - Text storage. Lazy materialization; most ops work on the piece list directly. Line index and materialization caches must be invalidated on content changes.
+- **Buffer** (`Buffer.h/.cc`) - Wraps PieceTable.
+- **Editor** (`Editor.h/.cc`) - Top-level state container. Primarily getters/setters; editing logic lives in commands.
+- **Command** (`Command.h/.cc`) - 120+ editing commands. This is the main place to add new editing operations. Register via `CommandRegistry::Register()` in `InstallDefaultCommands()`.
+- **UndoSystem/UndoTree/UndoNode** - Tree-based undo with branching. Group related ops with `buf.Undo()->BeginGroup()` / `EndGroup()`.
+- **Swap** (`Swap.h/.cc`) - Append-only crash recovery journal. Uses circuit breaker pattern for resilience. Files in `~/.local/state/kte/`.
+- **Syntax highlighting** (`syntax/`) - Pluggable per-language highlighters registered in `HighlighterRegistry`. Per-line caching with buffer version tracking.
+
+### Frontend Implementations
+
+Each frontend implements three interfaces (`Frontend.h`, `InputHandler.h`, `Renderer.h`):
+- **Terminal**: ncurses-based (always built)
+- **ImGui**: SDL2+OpenGL+Freetype (built with `-DBUILD_GUI=ON`)
+- **Test**: Programmatic frontend for testing (always built, no UI deps)
+
+### Key CMake Options
+
+| Flag | Default | Purpose |
+|------|---------|---------|
+| `BUILD_GUI` | ON | Build `kge` (ImGui GUI) |
+| `BUILD_TESTS` | ON | Build test suite |
+| `ENABLE_ASAN` | OFF | AddressSanitizer |
+| `KTE_STATIC_LINK` | OFF | Static linking (Linux only) |
+| `KTE_ENABLE_TREESITTER` | OFF | Tree-sitter syntax highlighting |
+| `KTE_USE_PCRE2` | ON | Regex search/replace via PCRE2 when `libpcre2-8` is found (std::regex otherwise; see `RegexEngine.h`) |
+
+## Testing
+
+Tests live in `tests/test_*.cc`, run by the single `kte_tests` binary (also registered with ctest as `add_test(NAME kte_tests COMMAND kte_tests)`); `./build/kte_tests Swap_ Undo_` runs only the tests whose names contain one of the arguments. Tests use a minimal custom framework in `tests/Test.h` with `TEST()`, `ASSERT_EQ()`, `ASSERT_TRUE()`, `EXPECT_TRUE()` macros. Use `TestFrontend`/`TestInputHandler`/`TestRenderer` for integration tests that exercise the full Editor+Buffer+Command stack without UI dependencies.
+
+Key test files by area:
+- PieceTable: `test_piece_table.cc`
+- Buffer I/O: `test_buffer_io.cc`
+- Commands: `test_command_semantics.cc`
+- Search/replace: `test_search_replace_flow.cc`
+- Undo: `test_undo.cc`
+- Swap (crash recovery): `test_swap_*.cc` (7 files)
+- Reflow: `test_reflow_paragraph.cc`, `test_reflow_indented_bullets.cc`
+- Integration: `test_daily_workflows.cc`
+
+## Important Caveats
+
+- `GetLineView()` and `ContentView()` return a `string_view` valid only until the next buffer modification; views of different lines need not be contiguous.
+- Buffers, PieceTable and HighlighterEngine are used from the main thread only (the swap writer thread receives copies of the bytes).
+- All source files are in the project root (no `src/` directory); tests are in `tests/`; syntax highlighters in `syntax/`; themes in `themes/`; embedded fonts in `fonts/`.
+- External deps: `ext/imgui/` (Dear ImGui), `ext/tomlplusplus/` (TOML parser).
+- GUI config: `~/.config/kte/kge.toml` (TOML preferred over legacy INI).
+- ErrorHandler: centralized logging to `~/.local/state/kte/error.log` with severity levels (Info/Warning/Error/Critical).

Buffer.cc

@@ -18,6 +18,9 @@
 #include "SwapRecorder.h"
 #include "UndoSystem.h"
 #include "UndoTree.h"
+#include "ErrorHandler.h"
+#include "SyscallWrappers.h"
+#include "ErrorRecovery.h"
 // For reconstructing highlighter state on copies
 #include "syntax/HighlighterRegistry.h"
 #include "syntax/NullHighlighter.h"
@@ -96,12 +99,18 @@ Buffer::RefreshOnDiskIdentity()
 }
 
 
+// The bytes to save, as views of the piece table's storage in order (saving
+// never makes a contiguous copy of the buffer).
+using ByteChunks = std::vector<std::string_view>;
+
+
 static bool
-write_all_fd(int fd, const char *data, std::size_t len, std::string &err)
+write_all_fd(int fd, const ByteChunks &chunks, std::string &err)
 {
+	for (const std::string_view chunk: chunks) {
 		std::size_t off = 0;
-	while (off < len) {
+		while (off < chunk.size()) {
-		ssize_t n = ::write(fd, data + off, len - off);
+			ssize_t n = ::write(fd, chunk.data() + off, chunk.size() - off);
 			if (n < 0) {
 				if (errno == EINTR)
 					continue;
@@ -110,6 +119,7 @@ write_all_fd(int fd, const char *data, std::size_t len, std::string &err)
 			}
 			off += static_cast<std::size_t>(n);
 		}
+	}
 	return true;
 }
 
@@ -122,20 +132,144 @@ best_effort_fsync_dir(const std::string &path)
 		std::filesystem::path dir = p.parent_path();
 		if (dir.empty())
 			return;
-		int dfd = ::open(dir.c_str(), O_RDONLY);
+		int dfd = kte::syscall::Open(dir.c_str(), O_RDONLY);
 		if (dfd < 0)
 			return;
-		(void) ::fsync(dfd);
+		(void) kte::syscall::Fsync(dfd);
-		(void) ::close(dfd);
+		(void) kte::syscall::Close(dfd);
 	} catch (...) {
 		// best-effort
 	}
 }
 
 
+// The process umask, read once during static initialisation (before any
+// thread exists): reading it later needs umask(0) + umask(old), which briefly
+// changes it for the swap writer thread creating files concurrently.
+static const mode_t g_process_umask = [] {
+	const mode_t m = ::umask(0);
+	(void) ::umask(m);
+	return m;
+}();
+
+
+// Rewrite `path` in place (truncate, write, fsync). Used for files with
+// several hard links, which a temp-file-and-rename save would split.
 static bool
-atomic_write_file(const std::string &path, const char *data, std::size_t len, std::string &err)
+write_in_place(const std::string &path, const ByteChunks &data, std::string &err)
 {
+	int flags = O_WRONLY | O_TRUNC;
+#ifdef O_CLOEXEC
+	flags |= O_CLOEXEC;
+#endif
+	const int fd = kte::syscall::Open(path.c_str(), flags);
+	if (fd < 0) {
+		err = std::string("Failed to open file for writing: ") + std::strerror(errno);
+		return false;
+	}
+	struct stat before{};
+	const bool have_mode = ::fstat(fd, &before) == 0;
+	bool ok              = write_all_fd(fd, data, err);
+	// Without privilege, writing clears setuid/setgid; put them back.
+	if (ok && have_mode)
+		(void) kte::syscall::Fchmod(fd, before.st_mode & 07777);
+	if (ok && kte::syscall::Fsync(fd) != 0) {
+		err = std::string("fsync failed: ") + std::strerror(errno);
+		ok  = false;
+	}
+	(void) kte::syscall::Close(fd);
+	return ok;
+}
+
+
+// Create a new file named from `tmpl` (a mkstemp template, which receives
+// the chosen name) holding the content, fsynced.
+static bool
+write_new_file(std::string &tmpl, const ByteChunks &data, std::string &err, int &create_errno)
+{
+	create_errno = 0;
+	std::vector<char> name(tmpl.begin(), tmpl.end());
+	name.push_back('\0');
+	const int fd = kte::syscall::Mkstemp(name.data());
+	if (fd < 0) {
+		create_errno = errno;
+		err = "Failed to create " + tmpl + ": " + std::strerror(create_errno);
+		return false;
+	}
+	tmpl.assign(name.data());
+	const std::string &path = tmpl;
+	bool ok = write_all_fd(fd, data, err);
+	if (ok && kte::syscall::Fsync(fd) != 0) {
+		err = std::string("fsync failed: ") + std::strerror(errno);
+		ok  = false;
+	}
+	(void) kte::syscall::Close(fd);
+	if (!ok)
+		(void) ::unlink(path.c_str());
+	return ok;
+}
+
+
+// Whether a failure to create a file beside the target means only that the
+// directory will not take a new name (not writable, name too long), so the
+// target itself may still be rewritten in place. Anything else (ENOSPC,
+// EDQUOT, EIO, ...) would most likely hit the in-place write too, after it
+// had already truncated the file.
+static bool
+may_write_in_place_after(int create_errno)
+{
+	return create_errno == EACCES || create_errno == EPERM || create_errno == ENAMETOOLONG;
+}
+
+
+static bool
+atomic_write_file(const std::string &path_in, const ByteChunks &data, std::string &err)
+{
+	// Write through a symlink to its target: renaming over the link itself
+	// would replace the link with a regular file.
+	std::string path = path_in;
+	try {
+		if (std::filesystem::is_symlink(path_in))
+			path = std::filesystem::weakly_canonical(path_in).string();
+	} catch (...) {
+		// Fall back to the given path.
+	}
+
+	struct stat dst_st{};
+	const bool dst_exists = ::stat(path.c_str(), &dst_st) == 0;
+	// Never replace a directory, device node, FIFO or socket with a file.
+	if (dst_exists && !S_ISREG(dst_st.st_mode)) {
+		err = "Refusing to overwrite a non-regular file: " + path;
+		return false;
+	}
+
+	// A file with other hard links must be rewritten in place, or those
+	// names would keep the old content.
+	if (dst_exists && S_ISREG(dst_st.st_mode) && dst_st.st_nlink > 1) {
+		// Truncating in place risks the only copy if the write then fails
+		// (ENOSPC, EIO, crash), so first write and sync a copy beside it. If
+		// the directory will not take a new file (not writable, name too
+		// long), write in place anyway rather than refuse to save; any
+		// other failure (out of space, I/O error) refuses the save.
+		std::string copy = path + ".kte-save.XXXXXX";
+		std::string copy_err;
+		int copy_errno       = 0;
+		const bool have_copy = write_new_file(copy, data, copy_err, copy_errno);
+		if (!have_copy && !may_write_in_place_after(copy_errno)) {
+			err = "Save failed, file left unchanged: " + copy_err;
+			return false;
+		}
+		if (!write_in_place(path, data, err)) {
+			if (have_copy)
+				err += " (the new content is in " + copy + ")";
+			return false;
+		}
+		if (have_copy)
+			(void) ::unlink(copy.c_str());
+		best_effort_fsync_dir(path);
+		return true;
+	}
+
 	// Create a temp file in the same directory so rename() is atomic.
 	std::filesystem::path p(path);
 	std::filesystem::path dir  = p.parent_path();
@@ -146,27 +280,54 @@ atomic_write_file(const std::string &path, const char *data, std::size_t len, st
 	// mkstemp requires a mutable buffer.
 	std::vector<char> buf(tmpl_s.begin(), tmpl_s.end());
 	buf.push_back('\0');
-	int fd = ::mkstemp(buf.data());
+
+	// Retry on transient errors for temp file creation
+	int fd          = -1;
+	auto mkstemp_fn = [&]() -> bool {
+		// Reset buffer for each retry attempt
+		buf.assign(tmpl_s.begin(), tmpl_s.end());
+		buf.push_back('\0');
+		fd = kte::syscall::Mkstemp(buf.data());
+		return fd >= 0;
+	};
+
+	if (!kte::RetryOnTransientError(mkstemp_fn, kte::RetryPolicy::Aggressive(), err)) {
+		const int saved_errno = errno;
+		// No temp file in the directory because the directory is not
+		// writable (the file is): an existing regular file can still be
+		// written in place, as editors traditionally do. Not on ENOSPC and
+		// the like: the in-place write would truncate the file and then fail.
+		if (fd < 0 && dst_exists && S_ISREG(dst_st.st_mode) && may_write_in_place_after(saved_errno)) {
+			err.clear();
+			return write_in_place(path, data, err);
+		}
 		if (fd < 0) {
-		err = std::string("Failed to create temp file for save: ") + std::strerror(errno);
+			err = std::string("Failed to create temp file for save: ") + std::strerror(saved_errno) + err;
+		}
 		return false;
 	}
 	std::string tmp_path(buf.data());
 
-	// If the destination exists, carry over its permissions.
+	bool ok = write_all_fd(fd, data, err);
-	struct stat dst_st{};
+	// Ownership and mode go on after the data: without privilege, both
-	if (::stat(path.c_str(), &dst_st) == 0) {
+	// chown and write clear setuid/setgid, so the mode is applied last.
-		(void) ::fchmod(fd, dst_st.st_mode);
+	if (ok && dst_exists) {
+		if (::fchown(fd, dst_st.st_uid, dst_st.st_gid) != 0) {
+			// Expected without privilege when the owner differs; keep ours.
 		}
-
+		(void) kte::syscall::Fchmod(fd, dst_st.st_mode & 07777);
-	bool ok = write_all_fd(fd, data, len, err);
+	} else if (ok) {
-	if (ok) {
+		// mkstemp creates 0600; a new file gets the usual 0666 & ~umask.
-		if (::fsync(fd) != 0) {
+		(void) kte::syscall::Fchmod(fd, 0666 & ~g_process_umask);
+	}
+	// Never retry fsync: after a writeback error Linux may mark the pages
+	// clean, so a second fsync can succeed although the data was lost, and
+	// the rename below would then replace a good file with a bad one.
+	if (ok && kte::syscall::Fsync(fd) != 0) {
 		err = std::string("fsync failed: ") + std::strerror(errno);
 		ok  = false;
 	}
-	}
+	(void) kte::syscall::Close(fd);
-	(void) ::close(fd);
 
 	if (ok) {
 		if (::rename(tmp_path.c_str(), path.c_str()) != 0) {
@@ -196,46 +357,31 @@ Buffer::Buffer(const Buffer &other)
 {
 	curx_             = other.curx_;
 	cury_             = other.cury_;
-	rx_               = other.rx_;
-	nrows_            = other.nrows_;
 	rowoffs_          = other.rowoffs_;
 	coloffs_          = other.coloffs_;
-	rows_             = other.rows_;
 	content_          = other.content_;
-	rows_cache_dirty_ = other.rows_cache_dirty_;
 	filename_         = other.filename_;
 	is_file_backed_   = other.is_file_backed_;
+	is_virtual_       = other.is_virtual_;
 	dirty_            = other.dirty_;
 	read_only_        = other.read_only_;
 	mark_set_         = other.mark_set_;
 	mark_curx_        = other.mark_curx_;
 	mark_cury_        = other.mark_cury_;
-	// Copy syntax/highlighting flags
+	// Copy edit mode + syntax/highlighting flags
+	edit_mode_          = other.edit_mode_;
+	edit_mode_detected_ = other.edit_mode_detected_;
 	version_            = other.version_;
 	syntax_enabled_        = other.syntax_enabled_;
+	syntax_user_override_  = other.syntax_user_override_;
 	filetype_           = other.filetype_;
 	// Fresh undo system for the copy
 	undo_tree_ = std::make_unique<UndoTree>();
 	undo_sys_  = std::make_unique<UndoSystem>(*this, *undo_tree_);
 
 	// Recreate a highlighter engine for this copy based on filetype/syntax state
-	if (syntax_enabled_) {
+	if (syntax_enabled_)
-		// Allocate engine and install an appropriate highlighter
+		InstallFiletypeHighlighter();
-		highlighter_ = std::make_unique<kte::HighlighterEngine>();
-		if (!filetype_.empty()) {
-			auto hl = kte::HighlighterRegistry::CreateFor(filetype_);
-			if (hl) {
-				highlighter_->SetHighlighter(std::move(hl));
-			} else {
-				// Unsupported filetype -> NullHighlighter keeps syntax pipeline active
-				highlighter_->SetHighlighter(std::make_unique<kte::NullHighlighter>());
-			}
-		} else {
-			// No filetype -> keep syntax enabled but use NullHighlighter
-			highlighter_->SetHighlighter(std::make_unique<kte::NullHighlighter>());
-		}
-		// Fresh engine has empty caches; nothing to invalidate
-	}
 }
 
 
@@ -246,22 +392,23 @@ Buffer::operator=(const Buffer &other)
 		return *this;
 	curx_             = other.curx_;
 	cury_             = other.cury_;
-	rx_               = other.rx_;
-	nrows_            = other.nrows_;
 	rowoffs_          = other.rowoffs_;
 	coloffs_          = other.coloffs_;
-	rows_             = other.rows_;
 	content_          = other.content_;
-	rows_cache_dirty_ = other.rows_cache_dirty_;
 	filename_         = other.filename_;
 	is_file_backed_   = other.is_file_backed_;
+	is_virtual_       = other.is_virtual_;
+	id_               = NextBufferId(); // a copy is a different document
 	dirty_            = other.dirty_;
 	read_only_        = other.read_only_;
 	mark_set_         = other.mark_set_;
 	mark_curx_          = other.mark_curx_;
 	mark_cury_          = other.mark_cury_;
+	edit_mode_          = other.edit_mode_;
+	edit_mode_detected_ = other.edit_mode_detected_;
 	version_            = other.version_;
 	syntax_enabled_        = other.syntax_enabled_;
+	syntax_user_override_  = other.syntax_user_override_;
 	filetype_           = other.filetype_;
 	// Recreate undo system for this instance
 	undo_tree_ = std::make_unique<UndoTree>();
@@ -269,19 +416,8 @@ Buffer::operator=(const Buffer &other)
 
 	// Recreate highlighter engine consistent with syntax settings
 	highlighter_.reset();
-	if (syntax_enabled_) {
+	if (syntax_enabled_)
-		highlighter_ = std::make_unique<kte::HighlighterEngine>();
+		InstallFiletypeHighlighter();
-		if (!filetype_.empty()) {
-			auto hl = kte::HighlighterRegistry::CreateFor(filetype_);
-			if (hl) {
-				highlighter_->SetHighlighter(std::move(hl));
-			} else {
-				highlighter_->SetHighlighter(std::make_unique<kte::NullHighlighter>());
-			}
-		} else {
-			highlighter_->SetHighlighter(std::make_unique<kte::NullHighlighter>());
-		}
-	}
 	return *this;
 }
 
@@ -290,28 +426,38 @@ Buffer::operator=(const Buffer &other)
 Buffer::Buffer(Buffer &&other) noexcept
 	: curx_(other.curx_),
 	  cury_(other.cury_),
-	  rx_(other.rx_),
-	  nrows_(other.nrows_),
 	  rowoffs_(other.rowoffs_),
 	  coloffs_(other.coloffs_),
-	  rows_(std::move(other.rows_)),
 	  filename_(std::move(other.filename_)),
 	  is_file_backed_(other.is_file_backed_),
+	  is_virtual_(other.is_virtual_),
+	  id_(other.id_),
 	  dirty_(other.dirty_),
 	  read_only_(other.read_only_),
 	  mark_set_(other.mark_set_),
 	  mark_curx_(other.mark_curx_),
 	  mark_cury_(other.mark_cury_),
+	  visual_line_active_(other.visual_line_active_),
+	  visual_line_anchor_y_(other.visual_line_anchor_y_),
+	  visual_line_active_y_(other.visual_line_active_y_),
 	  undo_tree_(std::move(other.undo_tree_)),
 	  undo_sys_(std::move(other.undo_sys_))
 {
-	// Move syntax/highlighting state
+	// Move edit mode + syntax/highlighting state
+	edit_mode_          = other.edit_mode_;
+	edit_mode_detected_ = other.edit_mode_detected_;
 	version_            = other.version_;
 	syntax_enabled_        = other.syntax_enabled_;
+	syntax_user_override_  = other.syntax_user_override_;
 	filetype_           = std::move(other.filetype_);
 	highlighter_        = std::move(other.highlighter_);
 	content_            = std::move(other.content_);
-	rows_cache_dirty_ = other.rows_cache_dirty_;
+	on_disk_identity_   = other.on_disk_identity_;
+	// Non-owning: the recorder object itself is owned by SwapManager and outlives
+	// this move. The caller (Editor) is responsible for calling SwapManager::Rehome()
+	// so the journal's Buffer* key follows this object to its new address.
+	swap_rec_       = other.swap_rec_;
+	other.swap_rec_ = nullptr;
 	// Update UndoSystem's buffer reference to point to this object
 	if (undo_sys_) {
 		undo_sys_->UpdateBufferReference(*this);
@@ -328,28 +474,38 @@ Buffer::operator=(Buffer &&other) noexcept
 
 	curx_                 = other.curx_;
 	cury_                 = other.cury_;
-	rx_             = other.rx_;
-	nrows_          = other.nrows_;
 	rowoffs_              = other.rowoffs_;
 	coloffs_              = other.coloffs_;
-	rows_           = std::move(other.rows_);
 	filename_             = std::move(other.filename_);
 	is_file_backed_       = other.is_file_backed_;
+	is_virtual_           = other.is_virtual_;
+	id_                   = other.id_;
 	dirty_                = other.dirty_;
 	read_only_            = other.read_only_;
 	mark_set_             = other.mark_set_;
 	mark_curx_            = other.mark_curx_;
 	mark_cury_            = other.mark_cury_;
+	visual_line_active_   = other.visual_line_active_;
+	visual_line_anchor_y_ = other.visual_line_anchor_y_;
+	visual_line_active_y_ = other.visual_line_active_y_;
 	undo_tree_            = std::move(other.undo_tree_);
 	undo_sys_             = std::move(other.undo_sys_);
 
-	// Move syntax/highlighting state
+	// Move edit mode + syntax/highlighting state
+	edit_mode_          = other.edit_mode_;
+	edit_mode_detected_ = other.edit_mode_detected_;
 	version_            = other.version_;
 	syntax_enabled_        = other.syntax_enabled_;
+	syntax_user_override_  = other.syntax_user_override_;
 	filetype_           = std::move(other.filetype_);
 	highlighter_        = std::move(other.highlighter_);
 	content_            = std::move(other.content_);
-	rows_cache_dirty_ = other.rows_cache_dirty_;
+	on_disk_identity_   = other.on_disk_identity_;
+	// Non-owning: the recorder object itself is owned by SwapManager and outlives
+	// this move. The caller (Editor) is responsible for calling SwapManager::Rehome()
+	// so the journal's Buffer* key follows this object to its new address.
+	swap_rec_       = other.swap_rec_;
+	other.swap_rec_ = nullptr;
 	// Update UndoSystem's buffer reference to point to this object
 	if (undo_sys_) {
 		undo_sys_->UpdateBufferReference(*this);
@@ -388,48 +544,95 @@ Buffer::OpenFromFile(const std::string &path, std::string &err)
 	const std::string norm = normalize_path(path);
 	// If the file doesn't exist, initialize an empty, non-file-backed buffer
 	// with the provided filename. Do not touch the filesystem until Save/SaveAs.
-	if (!std::filesystem::exists(norm)) {
+	std::error_code exists_ec;
-		rows_.clear();
+	const bool exists = std::filesystem::exists(norm, exists_ec);
-		nrows_          = 0;
+	if (exists_ec) {
+		// e.g. name too long, or a parent directory we may not search
+		err = "Cannot open " + norm + ": " + exists_ec.message();
+		kte::ErrorHandler::Instance().Error("Buffer", err, norm);
+		return false;
+	}
+	if (!exists) {
 		filename_       = norm;
 		is_file_backed_ = false;
+		is_virtual_     = false;
 		dirty_          = false;
 
 		// Reset cursor/viewport state
-		curx_      = cury_    = rx_ = 0;
+		curx_      = cury_    = 0;
 		rowoffs_   = coloffs_ = 0;
 		mark_set_  = false;
 		mark_curx_ = mark_cury_ = 0;
 
 		// Empty PieceTable
 		content_.Clear();
-		rows_cache_dirty_ = true;
+		// History recorded against the previous content no longer applies.
+		if (undo_sys_)
+			undo_sys_->clear();
+		MarkContentChanged();
 
 		return true;
 	}
 
-	std::ifstream in(norm, std::ios::in | std::ios::binary);
+	// Open non-blocking so a named pipe cannot hang the editor, then accept
-	if (!in) {
+	// regular files only: a directory reads as garbage (or throws), a FIFO
-		err = "Failed to open file: " + norm;
+	// blocks, and saving over a device node would replace it with a file.
+	int oflags = O_RDONLY | O_NONBLOCK;
+#ifdef O_CLOEXEC
+	oflags |= O_CLOEXEC;
+#endif
+	const int fd = kte::syscall::Open(norm.c_str(), oflags);
+	if (fd < 0) {
+		err = "Failed to open file: " + norm + ": " + std::strerror(errno);
+		kte::ErrorHandler::Instance().Error("Buffer", err, norm);
+		return false;
+	}
+	struct stat st{};
+	if (kte::syscall::Fstat(fd, &st) != 0 || !S_ISREG(st.st_mode)) {
+		err = S_ISDIR(st.st_mode) ? ("Is a directory: " + norm) : ("Not a regular file: " + norm);
+		(void) kte::syscall::Close(fd);
+		kte::ErrorHandler::Instance().Error("Buffer", err, norm);
 		return false;
 	}
 
-	// Read entire file into PieceTable as-is
+	// Read to EOF in chunks (the file may change size while we read).
 	std::string data;
-	in.seekg(0, std::ios::end);
+	try {
-	auto sz = in.tellg();
+		data.reserve(static_cast<std::size_t>(st.st_size));
-	if (sz > 0) {
+		char chunk[1 << 16];
-		data.resize(static_cast<std::size_t>(sz));
+		for (;;) {
-		in.seekg(0, std::ios::beg);
+			const ssize_t n = ::read(fd, chunk, sizeof(chunk));
-		in.read(data.data(), static_cast<std::streamsize>(data.size()));
+			if (n > 0) {
+				data.append(chunk, static_cast<std::size_t>(n));
+			} else if (n == 0) {
+				break;
+			} else if (errno != EINTR) {
+				err = "Failed to read file: " + norm + ": " + std::strerror(errno);
+				(void) kte::syscall::Close(fd);
+				kte::ErrorHandler::Instance().Error("Buffer", err, norm);
+				return false;
+			}
+		}
+	} catch (const std::bad_alloc &) {
+		(void) kte::syscall::Close(fd);
+		err = "File too large to load: " + norm;
+		kte::ErrorHandler::Instance().Error("Buffer", err, norm);
+		return false;
+	}
+	(void) kte::syscall::Close(fd);
+	// The bytes become the piece table's original storage, uncopied. If that
+	// runs out of memory the buffer keeps its old text (clearing first left
+	// an empty buffer that a later save wrote over the file).
+	try {
+		content_.AdoptOriginal(std::move(data));
+	} catch (const std::bad_alloc &) {
+		err = "File too large to load: " + norm;
+		kte::ErrorHandler::Instance().Error("Buffer", err, norm);
+		return false;
 	}
-	content_.Clear();
-	if (!data.empty())
-		content_.Append(data.data(), data.size());
-	rows_cache_dirty_ = true;
-	nrows_            = 0; // not used under PieceTable
 	filename_         = norm;
 	is_file_backed_   = true;
+	is_virtual_       = false;
 	dirty_            = false;
 	RefreshOnDiskIdentity();
 
@@ -440,9 +643,10 @@ Buffer::OpenFromFile(const std::string &path, std::string &err)
 		undo_sys_ = std::make_unique<UndoSystem>(*this, *undo_tree_);
 	// Clear any existing history for a fresh load
 	undo_sys_->clear();
+	MarkContentChanged();
 
 	// Reset cursor/viewport state
-	curx_      = cury_    = rx_ = 0;
+	curx_      = cury_    = 0;
 	rowoffs_   = coloffs_ = 0;
 	mark_set_  = false;
 	mark_curx_ = mark_cury_ = 0;
@@ -458,14 +662,14 @@ Buffer::Save(std::string &err) const
 		err = "Buffer is not file-backed; use SaveAs()";
 		return false;
 	}
-	const std::size_t sz = content_.Size();
+	ByteChunks chunks;
-	const char *data     = sz ? content_.Data() : nullptr;
+	content_.ForEachChunk([&](const char *d, std::size_t n) {
-	if (sz && !data) {
+		chunks.emplace_back(d, n);
-		err = "Internal error: buffer materialization failed";
+	});
+	if (!atomic_write_file(filename_, chunks, err)) {
+		kte::ErrorHandler::Instance().Error("Buffer", err, filename_);
 		return false;
 	}
-	if (!atomic_write_file(filename_, data ? data : "", sz, err))
-		return false;
 	// Update observed on-disk identity after a successful save.
 	const_cast<Buffer *>(this)->RefreshOnDiskIdentity();
 	// Note: const method cannot change dirty_. Intentionally const to allow UI code
@@ -496,17 +700,18 @@ Buffer::SaveAs(const std::string &path, std::string &err)
 		out_path = path;
 	}
 
-	const std::size_t sz = content_.Size();
+	ByteChunks chunks;
-	const char *data     = sz ? content_.Data() : nullptr;
+	content_.ForEachChunk([&](const char *d, std::size_t n) {
-	if (sz && !data) {
+		chunks.emplace_back(d, n);
-		err = "Internal error: buffer materialization failed";
+	});
+	if (!atomic_write_file(out_path, chunks, err)) {
+		kte::ErrorHandler::Instance().Error("Buffer", err, out_path);
 		return false;
 	}
-	if (!atomic_write_file(out_path, data ? data : "", sz, err))
-		return false;
 
 	filename_       = out_path;
 	is_file_backed_ = true;
+	is_virtual_     = false;
 	dirty_          = false;
 	RefreshOnDiskIdentity();
 	return true;
@@ -538,43 +743,54 @@ Buffer::insert_text(int row, int col, std::string_view text)
 	                                                     static_cast<std::size_t>(col));
 	if (!text.empty()) {
 		content_.Insert(off, text.data(), text.size());
-		rows_cache_dirty_ = true;
+		edited_at_(row);
 		if (swap_rec_)
 			swap_rec_->OnInsert(row, col, text);
 	}
 }
 
 
-// ===== Adapter helpers for PieceTable-backed Buffer =====
+void
-std::string_view
+Buffer::ApplyDetectedFiletype()
-Buffer::GetLineView(std::size_t row) const
 {
-	// Get byte range for the logical line and return a view into materialized data
+	EnsureHighlighter();
-	auto range       = content_.GetLineRange(row); // [start,end) in bytes
+	const std::string first = Nrows() > 0 ? GetLineString(0) : std::string();
-	const char *base = content_.Data(); // materializes if needed
+	const std::string ft    = kte::HighlighterRegistry::DetectForPath(filename_, first);
-	if (!base)
+	SetFiletype(ft);
-		return std::string_view();
+	SetSyntaxEnabled(true);
-	const std::size_t start = range.first;
+	InstallFiletypeHighlighter();
-	const std::size_t len   = (range.second > range.first) ? (range.second - range.first) : 0;
-	return std::string_view(base + start, len);
 }
 
 
 void
-Buffer::ensure_rows_cache() const
+Buffer::InstallFiletypeHighlighter()
 {
-	std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(buffer_mutex_);
+	EnsureHighlighter();
-	if (!rows_cache_dirty_)
+	auto hl = filetype_.empty() ? nullptr : kte::HighlighterRegistry::CreateFor(filetype_);
-		return;
+	if (!hl)
-	rows_.clear();
+		hl = std::make_unique<kte::NullHighlighter>();
-	const std::size_t lc = content_.LineCount();
+	highlighter_->SetHighlighter(std::move(hl));
-	rows_.reserve(lc);
+}
-	for (std::size_t i = 0; i < lc; ++i) {
+
-		rows_.emplace_back(content_.GetLine(i));
+
-	}
+// ===== Adapter helpers for PieceTable-backed Buffer =====
-	// Keep nrows_ in sync for any legacy code that still reads it
+std::string
-	const_cast<Buffer *>(this)->nrows_ = rows_.size();
+Buffer::Bytes() const
-	rows_cache_dirty_                  = false;
+{
+	std::string out;
+	out.reserve(content_.Size());
+	content_.ForEachChunk([&](const char *d, std::size_t n) {
+		out.append(d, n);
+	});
+	return out;
+}
+
+
+std::string_view
+Buffer::GetLineView(std::size_t row) const
+{
+	const auto [start, end] = content_.GetLineRange(row); // [start,end) in bytes
+	return end > start ? content_.View(start, end - start) : std::string_view();
 }
 
 
@@ -589,13 +805,17 @@ Buffer::content_LineCount_() const
 std::string
 Buffer::BytesForTests() const
 {
-	const std::size_t sz = content_.Size();
+	return Bytes();
-	if (sz == 0)
+}
-		return std::string();
+
-	const char *data = content_.Data();
+
-	if (!data)
+std::vector<std::string>
-		return std::string();
+Buffer::LinesForTests() const
-	return std::string(data, data + sz);
+{
+	std::vector<std::string> out;
+	for (std::size_t i = 0; i < Nrows(); ++i)
+		out.push_back(GetLineString(i));
+	return out;
 }
 #endif
 
@@ -610,51 +830,18 @@ Buffer::delete_text(int row, int col, std::size_t len)
 	if (col < 0)
 		col = 0;
 
+	// `len` counts each newline as one character, so the deletion is simply
+	// the next `len` bytes from the (clamped) start, capped at end of buffer.
 	const std::size_t start = content_.LineColToByteOffset(static_cast<std::size_t>(row),
 	                                                       static_cast<std::size_t>(col));
-	std::size_t r         = static_cast<std::size_t>(row);
-	std::size_t c         = static_cast<std::size_t>(col);
-	std::size_t remaining = len;
-	const std::size_t lc  = content_.LineCount();
-
-	while (remaining > 0 && r < lc) {
-		const std::string line = content_.GetLine(r); // logical line (without trailing '\n')
-		const std::size_t L    = line.size();
-		if (c < L) {
-			const std::size_t take = std::min(remaining, L - c);
-			c                      += take;
-			remaining              -= take;
-		}
-		if (remaining == 0)
-			break;
-		// Consume newline between lines as one char, if there is a next line
-		if (r + 1 < lc) {
-			remaining -= 1; // the newline
-			r         += 1;
-			c         = 0;
-		} else {
-			// At last line and still remaining: delete to EOF
 	const std::size_t total  = content_.Size();
-			const std::size_t actual = (total > start) ? (total - start) : 0;
+	const std::size_t actual = (total > start) ? std::min(len, total - start) : 0;
 	if (actual == 0)
 		return;
 	content_.Delete(start, actual);
-			rows_cache_dirty_ = true;
+	edited_at_(row);
 	if (swap_rec_)
 		swap_rec_->OnDelete(row, col, actual);
-			return;
-		}
-	}
-
-	// Compute end offset at (r,c)
-	std::size_t end = content_.LineColToByteOffset(r, c);
-	if (end > start) {
-		const std::size_t actual = end - start;
-		content_.Delete(start, actual);
-		rows_cache_dirty_ = true;
-		if (swap_rec_)
-			swap_rec_->OnDelete(row, col, actual);
-	}
 }
 
 
@@ -670,7 +857,7 @@ Buffer::split_line(int row, const int col)
 	                                                     static_cast<std::size_t>(c));
 	const char nl = '\n';
 	content_.Insert(off, &nl, 1);
-	rows_cache_dirty_ = true;
+	edited_at_(row);
 	if (swap_rec_)
 		swap_rec_->OnInsert(row, c, std::string_view("\n", 1));
 }
@@ -689,7 +876,7 @@ Buffer::join_lines(int row)
 	std::size_t end_of_line = content_.LineColToByteOffset(r, std::numeric_limits<std::size_t>::max());
 	// end_of_line now equals line end (clamped before newline). The newline should be exactly at this position.
 	content_.Delete(end_of_line, 1);
-	rows_cache_dirty_ = true;
+	edited_at_(row);
 	if (swap_rec_)
 		swap_rec_->OnDelete(row, col, 1);
 }
@@ -705,12 +892,16 @@ Buffer::insert_row(int row, const std::string_view text)
 		content_.Insert(off, text.data(), text.size());
 	const char nl = '\n';
 	content_.Insert(off + text.size(), &nl, 1);
-	rows_cache_dirty_ = true;
+	edited_at_(row);
 	if (swap_rec_) {
-		// Avoid allocation: emit the row text insertion (if any) and the newline insertion.
+		// One record: the first of two could trigger a journal checkpoint,
-		if (!text.empty())
+		// whose snapshot already holds the newline the second then added
-			swap_rec_->OnInsert(row, 0, text);
+		// again on replay.
-		swap_rec_->OnInsert(row, static_cast<int>(text.size()), std::string_view("\n", 1));
+		std::string line;
+		line.reserve(text.size() + 1);
+		line.append(text);
+		line.push_back('\n');
+		swap_rec_->OnInsert(row, 0, line);
 	}
 }
 
@@ -732,7 +923,7 @@ Buffer::delete_row(int row)
 	if (actual == 0)
 		return;
 	content_.Delete(start, actual);
-	rows_cache_dirty_ = true;
+	edited_at_(row);
 	if (swap_rec_)
 		swap_rec_->OnDelete(row, 0, actual);
 }
@@ -744,7 +935,50 @@ Buffer::replace_all_bytes(const std::string_view bytes)
 	content_.Clear();
 	if (!bytes.empty())
 		content_.Append(bytes.data(), bytes.size());
-	rows_cache_dirty_ = true;
+	if (undo_sys_)
+		undo_sys_->clear();
+	MarkContentChanged();
+}
+
+
+void
+Buffer::insert_spans(int row, int col, const std::vector<TextSpan> &spans)
+{
+	if (row < 0)
+		row = 0;
+	if (col < 0)
+		col = 0;
+	const std::size_t off = content_.LineColToByteOffset(static_cast<std::size_t>(row),
+	                                                     static_cast<std::size_t>(col));
+	content_.InsertSpans(off, spans);
+	edited_at_(row);
+	if (swap_rec_) {
+		// The journal needs the bytes as one record (see insert_row).
+		std::string text;
+		content_.VisitSpans(spans, [&](const char *d, std::size_t n) {
+			text.append(d, n);
+		});
+		if (!text.empty())
+			swap_rec_->OnInsert(row, col, text);
+	}
+}
+
+
+std::vector<TextSpan>
+Buffer::SpansAt(int row, int col, std::size_t len) const
+{
+	const std::size_t off = content_.LineColToByteOffset(static_cast<std::size_t>(std::max(row, 0)),
+	                                                     static_cast<std::size_t>(std::max(col, 0)));
+	return content_.SpansInRange(off, len);
+}
+
+
+std::vector<TextSpan>
+Buffer::TakeDeletedSpans(int row, int col, std::size_t len)
+{
+	const std::size_t off = content_.LineColToByteOffset(static_cast<std::size_t>(std::max(row, 0)),
+	                                                     static_cast<std::size_t>(std::max(col, 0)));
+	return content_.TakeDeletedSpans(off, len);
 }
 
 

Buffer.h

@@ -1,11 +1,41 @@
 /*
  * Buffer.h - editor buffer representing an open document
+ *
+ * Buffer is the central document model in kte. Each Buffer represents one open file
+ * or scratch document and manages:
+ *
+ * - Content storage: Uses PieceTable for efficient text operations
+ * - Cursor state: Current position (curx_, cury_)
+ * - Viewport: Scroll offsets (rowoffs_, coloffs_) for display
+ * - File backing: Optional association with a file on disk
+ * - Undo/Redo: Integrated UndoSystem for operation history
+ * - Syntax highlighting: Optional HighlighterEngine for language-aware coloring
+ * - Swap/crash recovery: Integration with SwapRecorder for journaling
+ * - Dirty tracking: Modification state for save prompts
+ *
+ * Key concepts:
+ *
+ * 1. Cursor coordinates:
+ *    - (curx_, cury_): Logical character position in the document
+ *
+ * 2. File backing:
+ *    - Buffers can be file-backed (associated with a path) or scratch (unnamed)
+ *    - File identity tracking detects external modifications
+ *
+ * 3. Content access:
+ *    - Nrows(), GetLineString(): per-line access
+ *    - GetLineView(): line access via string_view (zero-copy within a piece)
+ *    - Direct PieceTable access for new editing operations
  */
 #pragma once
+#include <atomic>
 
+#include <algorithm>
 #include <cstddef>
+#include <filesystem>
 #include <memory>
 #include <string>
+#include <unordered_set>
 #include <vector>
 #include <string_view>
 
@@ -14,7 +44,26 @@
 #include <cstdint>
 #include "syntax/HighlighterEngine.h"
 #include "Highlight.h"
-#include <mutex>
+
+// Edit mode determines which font class is used for a buffer.
+enum class EditMode { Code, Writing };
+
+// Detect edit mode from a filename's extension.
+inline EditMode
+DetectEditMode(const std::string &filename)
+{
+	std::string ext = std::filesystem::path(filename).extension().string();
+	std::transform(ext.begin(), ext.end(), ext.begin(), [](unsigned char c) {
+		return static_cast<char>(std::tolower(c));
+	});
+	static const std::unordered_set<std::string> writing_exts = {
+		".txt", ".md", ".markdown", ".rst", ".org",
+		".tex", ".adoc", ".asciidoc",
+	};
+	if (writing_exts.count(ext))
+		return EditMode::Writing;
+	return EditMode::Code;
+}
 
 // Forward declaration for swap journal integration
 namespace kte {
@@ -63,12 +112,6 @@ public:
 	}
 
 
-	[[nodiscard]] std::size_t Rx() const
-	{
-		return rx_;
-	}
-
-
 	[[nodiscard]] std::size_t Nrows() const
 	{
 		return content_LineCount_();
@@ -87,169 +130,7 @@ public:
 	}
 
 
-	// Line wrapper used by legacy command paths.
+	// A line's text without its trailing newline.
-	// Keep this lightweight: store materialized bytes only for that line.
-	class Line {
-	public:
-		Line() = default;
-
-
-		explicit Line(const char *s)
-		{
-			assign_from(s ? std::string(s) : std::string());
-		}
-
-
-		explicit Line(const std::string &s)
-		{
-			assign_from(s);
-		}
-
-
-		Line(const Line &other) = default;
-
-		Line &operator=(const Line &other) = default;
-
-		Line(Line &&other) noexcept = default;
-
-		Line &operator=(Line &&other) noexcept = default;
-
-		// capacity helpers
-		void Clear()
-		{
-			s_.clear();
-		}
-
-
-		// size/access
-		[[nodiscard]] std::size_t size() const
-		{
-			return s_.size();
-		}
-
-
-		[[nodiscard]] bool empty() const
-		{
-			return s_.empty();
-		}
-
-
-		// read-only raw view
-		[[nodiscard]] const char *Data() const
-		{
-			return s_.data();
-		}
-
-
-		[[nodiscard]] std::size_t Size() const
-		{
-			return s_.size();
-		}
-
-
-		// element access (read-only)
-		[[nodiscard]] char operator[](std::size_t i) const
-		{
-			return (i < s_.size()) ? s_[i] : '\0';
-		}
-
-
-		// conversions
-		explicit operator std::string() const
-		{
-			return s_;
-		}
-
-
-		// string-like API used by command/renderer layers (implemented via materialization for now)
-		[[nodiscard]] std::string substr(std::size_t pos) const
-		{
-			return pos < s_.size() ? s_.substr(pos) : std::string();
-		}
-
-
-		[[nodiscard]] std::string substr(std::size_t pos, std::size_t len) const
-		{
-			return pos < s_.size() ? s_.substr(pos, len) : std::string();
-		}
-
-
-		// minimal find() to support search within a line
-		[[nodiscard]] std::size_t find(const std::string &needle, const std::size_t pos = 0) const
-		{
-			return s_.find(needle, pos);
-		}
-
-
-		void erase(std::size_t pos)
-		{
-			if (pos < s_.size())
-				s_.erase(pos);
-		}
-
-
-		void erase(std::size_t pos, std::size_t len)
-		{
-			if (pos < s_.size())
-				s_.erase(pos, len);
-		}
-
-
-		void insert(std::size_t pos, const std::string &seg)
-		{
-			if (pos > s_.size())
-				pos = s_.size();
-			s_.insert(pos, seg);
-		}
-
-
-		Line &operator+=(const Line &other)
-		{
-			s_ += other.s_;
-			return *this;
-		}
-
-
-		Line &operator+=(const std::string &s)
-		{
-			s_ += s;
-			return *this;
-		}
-
-
-		Line &operator=(const std::string &s)
-		{
-			assign_from(s);
-			return *this;
-		}
-
-	private:
-		void assign_from(const std::string &s)
-		{
-			s_ = s;
-		}
-
-
-		std::string s_;
-	};
-
-
-	[[nodiscard]] const std::vector<Line> &Rows() const
-	{
-		ensure_rows_cache();
-		return rows_;
-	}
-
-
-	[[nodiscard]] std::vector<Line> &Rows()
-	{
-		ensure_rows_cache();
-		return rows_;
-	}
-
-
-	// Lightweight, lazy per-line accessors that avoid materializing all rows.
-	// Prefer these over Rows() in hot paths to reduce memory overhead on large files.
 	[[nodiscard]] std::string GetLineString(std::size_t row) const
 	{
 		return content_.GetLine(row);
@@ -262,10 +143,25 @@ public:
 	}
 
 
-	// Zero-copy view of a line. Points into the materialized backing store; becomes
+	// View of a line's raw bytes, including its trailing '\n' if any. No copy
-	// invalid after subsequent edits. Use immediately.
+	// when the line lies within one piece (an unedited stretch); a line that
+	// straddles an edit materializes the whole buffer, so per-row loops over
+	// an edited buffer should prefer GetLineString(). Invalid after the next
+	// edit; views of different lines need not be contiguous.
 	[[nodiscard]] std::string_view GetLineView(std::size_t row) const;
 
+	// The whole text as one contiguous view (materializes an edited buffer).
+	// Invalid after the next edit.
+	[[nodiscard]] std::string_view ContentView() const
+	{
+		return content_.ContentView();
+	}
+
+
+	// A copy of the whole text, assembled from the pieces (no materialized
+	// copy is kept).
+	[[nodiscard]] std::string Bytes() const;
+
 
 	[[nodiscard]] const std::string &Filename() const
 	{
@@ -279,6 +175,7 @@ public:
 	{
 		filename_       = name;
 		is_file_backed_ = false;
+		is_virtual_     = true;
 	}
 
 
@@ -288,6 +185,23 @@ public:
 	}
 
 
+	// A virtual buffer (e.g. "+HELP+") has a display name that is not a path:
+	// it is never journaled, and saving it asks for a file name.
+	[[nodiscard]] bool IsVirtual() const
+	{
+		return is_virtual_;
+	}
+
+
+	// Identity of this document, stable for its lifetime, including when the
+	// Buffer object is moved (e.g. by the editor's buffer vector). Copies get
+	// a new id. Use it, not the object's address, to key per-buffer caches.
+	[[nodiscard]] std::uint64_t Id() const
+	{
+		return id_;
+	}
+
+
 	[[nodiscard]] bool Dirty() const
 	{
 		return dirty_;
@@ -320,12 +234,6 @@ public:
 	}
 
 
-	void SetRenderX(const std::size_t rx)
-	{
-		rx_ = rx;
-	}
-
-
 	void SetOffsets(const std::size_t row, const std::size_t col)
 	{
 		rowoffs_ = row;
@@ -335,13 +243,17 @@ public:
 
 	void SetDirty(bool d)
 	{
+		// The version tracks content, not the dirty flag: every text mutation
+		// bumps it (see edited_at_), including undo/redo back to the saved state.
 		dirty_ = d;
-		if (d) {
-			++version_;
-			if (highlighter_) {
-				highlighter_->InvalidateFrom(0);
-			}
 	}
+
+
+	// Whole-buffer content change (load, reload, replace): bump the version
+	// and drop all cached highlighting.
+	void MarkContentChanged()
+	{
+		edited_at_(0);
 	}
 
 
@@ -414,15 +326,22 @@ public:
 	}
 
 
+	// The selected rows, clamped to the buffer: they are stored as row numbers
+	// and go stale when lines are removed, and commands must never act on rows
+	// past the end (edits there were misplaced and could not be undone).
 	[[nodiscard]] std::size_t VisualLineStartY() const
 	{
-		return visual_line_anchor_y_ < visual_line_active_y_ ? visual_line_anchor_y_ : visual_line_active_y_;
+		const std::size_t y = visual_line_anchor_y_ < visual_line_active_y_ ? visual_line_anchor_y_
+		                                                                      : visual_line_active_y_;
+		return clamp_row_(y);
 	}
 
 
 	[[nodiscard]] std::size_t VisualLineEndY() const
 	{
-		return visual_line_anchor_y_ < visual_line_active_y_ ? visual_line_active_y_ : visual_line_anchor_y_;
+		const std::size_t y = visual_line_anchor_y_ < visual_line_active_y_ ? visual_line_active_y_
+		                                                                      : visual_line_anchor_y_;
+		return clamp_row_(y);
 	}
 
 
@@ -445,6 +364,15 @@ public:
 
 	[[nodiscard]] std::string AsString() const;
 
+private:
+	[[nodiscard]] std::size_t clamp_row_(std::size_t y) const
+	{
+		const std::size_t n = Nrows();
+		return (n == 0) ? 0 : (y < n ? y : n - 1);
+	}
+
+public:
+
 	// Syntax highlighting integration (per-buffer)
 	[[nodiscard]] std::uint64_t Version() const
 	{
@@ -452,6 +380,35 @@ public:
 	}
 
 
+	// Edit mode (code vs writing)
+	[[nodiscard]] EditMode GetEditMode() const
+	{
+		return edit_mode_;
+	}
+
+
+	void SetEditMode(EditMode m)
+	{
+		edit_mode_ = m;
+		edit_mode_detected_ = true;
+	}
+
+
+	void ToggleEditMode()
+	{
+		edit_mode_ = (edit_mode_ == EditMode::Code)
+			             ? EditMode::Writing
+			             : EditMode::Code;
+		edit_mode_detected_ = true;
+	}
+
+
+	[[nodiscard]] bool EditModeDetected() const
+	{
+		return edit_mode_detected_;
+	}
+
+
 	void SetSyntaxEnabled(bool on)
 	{
 		syntax_enabled_ = on;
@@ -464,6 +421,25 @@ public:
 	}
 
 
+	// Marks that the user explicitly set syntax state via a command (:syntax
+	// on/off, :set filetype=...), as opposed to it being auto-applied from
+	// GUIConfig. Frontends that re-apply the config-driven default every
+	// frame (e.g. ImGuiFrontend::apply_syntax_to_buffer) must check this
+	// first, mirroring EditModeDetected()'s "don't stomp a manual toggle"
+	// pattern - otherwise a manual :syntax off is silently undone on the very
+	// next frame.
+	void SetSyntaxUserOverride(bool on)
+	{
+		syntax_user_override_ = on;
+	}
+
+
+	[[nodiscard]] bool SyntaxUserOverride() const
+	{
+		return syntax_user_override_;
+	}
+
+
 	void SetFiletype(const std::string &ft)
 	{
 		filetype_ = ft;
@@ -495,6 +471,15 @@ public:
 	}
 
 
+	// Enable syntax with the highlighter the filename (or a shebang on the
+	// first line) calls for, or none for an unknown type.
+	void ApplyDetectedFiletype();
+
+	// Install the highlighter for Filetype() (the null highlighter for an
+	// empty or unsupported one), creating the engine if needed.
+	void InstallFiletypeHighlighter();
+
+
 	// Swap journal integration (set by Editor)
 	void SetSwapRecorder(kte::SwapRecorder *rec)
 	{
@@ -522,11 +507,55 @@ public:
 
 	void delete_row(int row);
 
+	// Insert the bytes of storage spans (see TextSpan.h) at (row, col)
+	// without copying them into storage again. Used by undo for large texts.
+	void insert_spans(int row, int col, const std::vector<TextSpan> &spans);
+
 	// Replace the entire buffer content with raw bytes.
 	// Intended for crash recovery (swap replay) and test harnesses.
-	// This does not trigger swap or undo recording.
+	// This does not trigger swap or undo recording, and clears undo history
+	// (recorded against the previous content, which it also references).
 	void replace_all_bytes(std::string_view bytes);
 
+	// ===== Span access for undo (see TextSpan.h) =====
+	[[nodiscard]] std::vector<TextSpan> SpansAt(int row, int col, std::size_t len) const;
+
+	// Spans removed by the most recent deletion, if it was exactly `len`
+	// bytes at (row, col) (see PieceTable::TakeDeletedSpans).
+	[[nodiscard]] std::vector<TextSpan> TakeDeletedSpans(int row, int col, std::size_t len);
+
+	[[nodiscard]] bool SpansEqual(const std::vector<TextSpan> &spans, std::string_view text) const
+	{
+		return content_.SpansEqual(spans, text);
+	}
+
+
+	template<typename Fn>
+	void VisitSpans(const std::vector<TextSpan> &spans, Fn &&fn) const
+	{
+		content_.VisitSpans(spans, std::forward<Fn>(fn));
+	}
+
+
+	// Total size of the content in bytes.
+	[[nodiscard]] std::size_t ContentBytes() const
+	{
+		return content_.Size();
+	}
+
+
+	// Byte offset of (row, col) in the content (clamped), and back.
+	[[nodiscard]] std::size_t RowColToOffset(std::size_t row, std::size_t col) const
+	{
+		return content_.LineColToByteOffset(row, col);
+	}
+
+
+	[[nodiscard]] std::pair<std::size_t, std::size_t> OffsetToRowCol(std::size_t off) const
+	{
+		return content_.ByteOffsetToLineCol(off);
+	}
+
 	// Undo system accessors (created per-buffer)
 	[[nodiscard]] UndoSystem *Undo();
 
@@ -534,6 +563,10 @@ public:
 
 #if defined(KTE_TESTS)
 	// Test-only: return the raw buffer bytes (including newlines) as a string.
+
+	// Every line without its newline (tests only).
+	[[nodiscard]] std::vector<std::string> LinesForTests() const;
+
 	[[nodiscard]] std::string BytesForTests() const;
 #endif
 
@@ -554,22 +587,23 @@ private:
 
 	// State mirroring original C struct (without undo_tree)
 	std::size_t curx_    = 0, cury_ = 0; // cursor position in characters
-	std::size_t rx_      = 0; // render x (tabs expanded)
-	std::size_t nrows_   = 0; // number of rows
 	std::size_t rowoffs_ = 0, coloffs_ = 0; // viewport offsets
-	mutable std::vector<Line> rows_; // materialized cache of rows (without trailing newlines)
 	// PieceTable is the source of truth.
 	PieceTable content_{};
-	mutable bool rows_cache_dirty_ = true; // invalidate on edits / I/O
-
-	// Helper to rebuild rows_ from content_
-	void ensure_rows_cache() const;
 
 	// Helper to query content_.LineCount() while keeping header minimal
 	std::size_t content_LineCount_() const;
 
 	std::string filename_;
 	bool is_file_backed_              = false;
+	bool is_virtual_                  = false;
+	std::uint64_t id_                 = NextBufferId();
+
+	static std::uint64_t NextBufferId()
+	{
+		static std::atomic<std::uint64_t> next{1};
+		return next.fetch_add(1);
+	}
 	bool dirty_                       = false;
 	bool read_only_                   = false;
 	bool mark_set_                    = false;
@@ -582,13 +616,25 @@ private:
 	std::unique_ptr<struct UndoTree> undo_tree_;
 	std::unique_ptr<UndoSystem> undo_sys_;
 
+	// Edit mode (code vs writing)
+	EditMode edit_mode_ = EditMode::Code;
+	bool edit_mode_detected_ = false; // true after initial auto-detection
+
 	// Syntax/highlighting state
 	std::uint64_t version_ = 0; // increment on edits
+
+	// Record a content change starting at `row`: bump the version and let the
+	// highlighter drop cached rows from `row` down (rows above are unaffected).
+	void edited_at_(int row)
+	{
+		++version_;
+		if (highlighter_)
+			highlighter_->OnEdit(row < 0 ? 0 : row, version_);
+	}
 	bool syntax_enabled_   = true;
+	bool syntax_user_override_ = false; // true once user explicitly set syntax state via a command
 	std::string filetype_;
 	std::unique_ptr<kte::HighlighterEngine> highlighter_;
 	// Non-owning pointer to swap recorder managed by Editor/SwapManager
 	kte::SwapRecorder *swap_rec_ = nullptr;
-
-	mutable std::mutex buffer_mutex_;
 };

CLAUDE.md

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+@AGENTS.md

CMakeLists.txt

@@ -4,16 +4,17 @@ project(kte)
 include(GNUInstallDirs)
 
 set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD 20)
-set(KTE_VERSION "1.6.4")
+set(KTE_VERSION "1.13.0")
 
 # Default to terminal-only build to avoid SDL/OpenGL dependency by default.
 # Enable with -DBUILD_GUI=ON when SDL2/OpenGL/Freetype are available.
 set(BUILD_GUI ON CACHE BOOL "Enable building the graphical version.")
-set(KTE_USE_QT OFF CACHE BOOL "Build the QT frontend instead of ImGui.")
 set(BUILD_TESTS ON CACHE BOOL "Enable building test programs.")
 set(KTE_FONT_SIZE "18.0" CACHE STRING "Default font size for GUI")
 option(KTE_UNDO_DEBUG "Enable undo instrumentation logs" OFF)
 option(KTE_ENABLE_TREESITTER "Enable optional Tree-sitter highlighter adapter" OFF)
+option(KTE_STATIC_LINK "Enable static linking on Linux" OFF)
+option(KTE_USE_PCRE2 "Use PCRE2 (libpcre2-8) for regex search when found; std::regex otherwise" ON)
 
 # Optionally enable AddressSanitizer (ASan)
 option(ENABLE_ASAN "Enable AddressSanitizer for builds" OFF)
@@ -21,6 +22,8 @@ option(ENABLE_ASAN "Enable AddressSanitizer for builds" OFF)
 if (ENABLE_ASAN)
     message(STATUS "ASan enabled")
     set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS} -fsanitize=address -fno-omit-frame-pointer")
+    # The project is C++; without this only C sources were instrumented.
+    set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS} -fsanitize=address -fno-omit-frame-pointer")
     # Ensure the sanitizer is linked too (especially important on some platforms)
     set(CMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS "${CMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS} -fsanitize=address")
 endif ()
@@ -39,7 +42,6 @@ if (MSVC)
     add_compile_options("/W4" "$<$<CONFIG:RELEASE>:/O2>")
 else ()
     add_compile_options(
-            "-static"
             "-Wall"
             "-Wextra"
             "-Werror"
@@ -51,6 +53,7 @@ else ()
     )
     if ("${CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER_ID}" STREQUAL "Clang")
         add_compile_options("-stdlib=libc++")
+        add_link_options("-stdlib=libc++")
     else ()
         # nothing special for gcc at the moment
     endif ()
@@ -63,15 +66,69 @@ endif ()
 
 message(STATUS "Build system: ${CMAKE_HOST_SYSTEM_NAME}")
 
+# Regex engine (see RegexEngine.h). Linked by name (-lpcre2-8) so that a
+# static build picks up the static library.
+if (KTE_USE_PCRE2)
+    find_package(PkgConfig QUIET)
+    if (PKG_CONFIG_FOUND)
+        pkg_check_modules(PCRE2 QUIET libpcre2-8)
+    endif ()
+    if (PCRE2_FOUND)
+        message(STATUS "Regex engine: PCRE2 ${PCRE2_VERSION}")
+        add_compile_definitions(KTE_USE_PCRE2)
+        include_directories(${PCRE2_INCLUDE_DIRS})
+        link_directories(${PCRE2_LIBRARY_DIRS})
+        link_libraries(${PCRE2_LIBRARIES})
+    else ()
+        message(STATUS "Regex engine: std::regex (libpcre2-8 not found)")
+    endif ()
+else ()
+    message(STATUS "Regex engine: std::regex")
+endif ()
+
 if (BUILD_GUI)
     include(cmake/imgui.cmake)
 endif ()
 
 # NCurses for terminal mode
-set(CURSES_NEED_NCURSES)
+set(CURSES_NEED_NCURSES TRUE)
-set(CURSES_NEED_WIDE)
+set(CURSES_NEED_WIDE TRUE)
+
+# macOS ships only a narrow-char ncurses in the SDK, and Homebrew's wide-char
+# build is keg-only, so FindCurses can't see it without a hint.
+if (APPLE)
+    find_program(BREW_EXECUTABLE brew)
+    if (BREW_EXECUTABLE)
+        execute_process(COMMAND "${BREW_EXECUTABLE}" --prefix ncurses
+                OUTPUT_VARIABLE HOMEBREW_NCURSES_PREFIX
+                OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE
+                ERROR_QUIET)
+        if (HOMEBREW_NCURSES_PREFIX AND IS_DIRECTORY "${HOMEBREW_NCURSES_PREFIX}")
+            message(STATUS "Using Homebrew ncursesw: ${HOMEBREW_NCURSES_PREFIX}")
+            list(PREPEND CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH "${HOMEBREW_NCURSES_PREFIX}")
+        endif ()
+    endif ()
+endif ()
+
 find_package(Curses REQUIRED)
-include_directories(${CURSES_INCLUDE_DIR})
+
+# FindCurses exports CURSES_INCLUDE_DIRS; the singular CURSES_INCLUDE_DIR was
+# never set, so this silently expanded to nothing and the compiler fell back
+# to whatever curses header happened to be on the default include path.
+include_directories(${CURSES_INCLUDE_DIRS})
+
+# The wide-char entry points we rely on (get_wch, etc.) are declared only when
+# NCURSES_WIDECHAR is set; the header defaults it to 0 unless a feature-test
+# macro says otherwise. We always link the wide library, so ask for them.
+add_compile_definitions(NCURSES_WIDECHAR=1)
+
+# On Alpine Linux, CMake's FindCurses looks in wrong paths
+# Manually find the correct ncurses library
+if (EXISTS "/etc/alpine-release")
+    find_library(NCURSESW_LIB NAMES ncursesw PATHS /usr/lib /lib REQUIRED)
+    set(CURSES_LIBRARIES ${NCURSESW_LIB})
+    message(STATUS "Alpine Linux detected, using ncurses at: ${NCURSESW_LIB}")
+endif ()
 
 set(SYNTAX_SOURCES
         syntax/GoHighlighter.cc
@@ -105,17 +162,6 @@ if (BUILD_GUI)
     set(GUI_SOURCES
             GUIConfig.cc
     )
-    if (KTE_USE_QT)
-        find_package(Qt6 COMPONENTS Widgets REQUIRED)
-        set(GUI_SOURCES
-                ${GUI_SOURCES}
-                QtFrontend.cc
-                QtInputHandler.cc
-                QtRenderer.cc
-        )
-        # Expose preprocessor switch so sources can exclude ImGui-specific code
-        add_compile_definitions(KTE_USE_QT)
-    else ()
     set(GUI_SOURCES
             ${GUI_SOURCES}
             ${FONT_SOURCES}
@@ -123,7 +169,6 @@ if (BUILD_GUI)
             ImGuiInputHandler.cc
             ImGuiRenderer.cc
     )
-    endif ()
 endif ()
 
 set(COMMON_SOURCES
@@ -134,6 +179,12 @@ set(COMMON_SOURCES
         HelpText.cc
         KKeymap.cc
         Swap.cc
+        ErrorHandler.cc
+        SyscallWrappers.cc
+        ErrorRecovery.cc
+        RegexGuard.cc
+        RegexEngine.cc
+        SearchHighlight.cc
         TerminalInputHandler.cc
         TerminalRenderer.cc
         TerminalFrontend.cc
@@ -194,6 +245,8 @@ set(FONT_HEADERS
         fonts/FontList.h
         fonts/B612Mono.h
         fonts/BrassMono.h
+        fonts/CrimsonPro.h
+        fonts/ETBook.h
         fonts/BrassMonoCode.h
         fonts/FiraCode.h
         fonts/Go.h
@@ -205,6 +258,7 @@ set(FONT_HEADERS
         fonts/IosevkaExtended.h
         fonts/ShareTech.h
         fonts/SpaceMono.h
+        fonts/Spectral.h
         fonts/Syne.h
         fonts/Triplicate.h
         fonts/Unispace.h
@@ -228,6 +282,9 @@ set(COMMON_HEADERS
         TestInputHandler.h
         TestRenderer.h
         TestFrontend.h
+        TextSpan.h
+        RegexEngine.h
+        SearchHighlight.h
         UndoNode.h
         UndoTree.h
         UndoSystem.h
@@ -241,14 +298,6 @@ if (BUILD_GUI)
             GUIConfig.h
     )
 
-    if (KTE_USE_QT)
-        set(GUI_HEADERS
-                ${GUI_HEADERS}
-                QtFrontend.h
-                QtInputHandler.h
-                QtRenderer.h
-        )
-    else ()
     set(GUI_HEADERS
             ${GUI_HEADERS}
             ${THEME_HEADERS}
@@ -258,7 +307,6 @@ if (BUILD_GUI)
             ImGuiRenderer.h
             fonts/BerkeleyMono.h
     )
-    endif ()
 endif ()
 
 # kte (terminal-first) executable
@@ -274,6 +322,11 @@ endif ()
 
 target_link_libraries(kte ${CURSES_LIBRARIES})
 
+# Static linking on Linux only (macOS does not support static linking of system libraries)
+if (NOT APPLE AND KTE_STATIC_LINK)
+    target_link_options(kte PRIVATE -static)
+endif ()
+
 if (KTE_ENABLE_TREESITTER)
     # Users can provide their own tree-sitter include/lib via cache variables
     set(TREESITTER_INCLUDE_DIR "" CACHE PATH "Path to tree-sitter include directory")
@@ -308,15 +361,24 @@ if (BUILD_TESTS)
             tests/test_swap_recorder.cc
             tests/test_swap_writer.cc
             tests/test_swap_replay.cc
+            tests/test_swap_edge_cases.cc
             tests/test_swap_recovery_prompt.cc
             tests/test_swap_cleanup.cc
+            tests/test_swap_cleanup2.cc
+            tests/test_swap_git_editor.cc
             tests/test_piece_table.cc
-            tests/test_search.cc
             tests/test_search_replace_flow.cc
             tests/test_reflow_paragraph.cc
             tests/test_reflow_indented_bullets.cc
             tests/test_undo.cc
             tests/test_visual_line_mode.cc
+            tests/test_benchmarks.cc
+            tests/test_migration_coverage.cc
+            tests/test_smart_newline.cc
+            tests/test_reflow_undo.cc
+            tests/test_syntax_highlighting.cc
+            tests/test_paste_split.cc
+            tests/test_audit_regressions.cc
 
             # minimal engine sources required by Buffer
             PieceTable.cc
@@ -325,9 +387,14 @@ if (BUILD_TESTS)
             Command.cc
             HelpText.cc
             Swap.cc
+            ErrorHandler.cc
+            SyscallWrappers.cc
+            ErrorRecovery.cc
+            RegexGuard.cc
+            RegexEngine.cc
+            SearchHighlight.cc
             KKeymap.cc
             SwapRecorder.h
-            OptimizedSearch.cc
             UndoNode.cc
             UndoTree.cc
             UndoSystem.cc
@@ -349,6 +416,14 @@ if (BUILD_TESTS)
             target_link_libraries(kte_tests ${TREESITTER_LIBRARY})
         endif ()
     endif ()
+
+    # Static linking on Linux only (macOS does not support static linking of system libraries)
+    if (NOT APPLE AND KTE_STATIC_LINK)
+        target_link_options(kte_tests PRIVATE -static)
+    endif ()
+
+    enable_testing()
+    add_test(NAME kte_tests COMMAND kte_tests)
 endif ()
 
 if (BUILD_GUI)
@@ -376,16 +451,14 @@ if (BUILD_GUI)
 
     )
     target_compile_definitions(kge PRIVATE KTE_BUILD_GUI=1 KTE_DEFAULT_GUI=1 KTE_FONT_SIZE=${KTE_FONT_SIZE})
-    if (KTE_USE_QT)
-        target_compile_definitions(kge PRIVATE KTE_USE_QT=1)
-    endif ()
     if (KTE_UNDO_DEBUG)
         target_compile_definitions(kge PRIVATE KTE_UNDO_DEBUG=1)
     endif ()
-    if (KTE_USE_QT)
-        target_link_libraries(kge ${CURSES_LIBRARIES} Qt6::Widgets)
-    else ()
     target_link_libraries(kge ${CURSES_LIBRARIES} imgui)
+
+    # Static linking on Linux only (macOS does not support static linking of system libraries)
+    if (NOT APPLE AND KTE_STATIC_LINK)
+        target_link_options(kge PRIVATE -static)
     endif ()
 
     # On macOS, build kge as a proper .app bundle
@@ -441,10 +514,30 @@ if (BUILD_GUI)
     # Install kge man page only when GUI is built
     install(FILES docs/kge.1 DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_MANDIR}/man1)
     install(FILES kge.png DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}/share/icons)
+    if (UNIX AND NOT APPLE)
+        install(FILES kge.desktop DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_DATAROOTDIR}/applications)
+        install(FILES kge.png DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_DATAROOTDIR}/pixmaps)
+        install(FILES kge.iconset/icon_16x16.png
+                DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_DATAROOTDIR}/icons/hicolor/16x16/apps
+                RENAME kge.png)
+        install(FILES kge.iconset/icon_32x32.png
+                DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_DATAROOTDIR}/icons/hicolor/32x32/apps
+                RENAME kge.png)
+        install(FILES kge.iconset/icon_128x128.png
+                DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_DATAROOTDIR}/icons/hicolor/128x128/apps
+                RENAME kge.png)
+        install(FILES kge.iconset/icon_256x256.png
+                DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_DATAROOTDIR}/icons/hicolor/256x256/apps
+                RENAME kge.png)
+        install(FILES kge.iconset/icon_512x512.png
+                DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_DATAROOTDIR}/icons/hicolor/512x512/apps
+                RENAME kge.png)
+    endif ()
 
     # Optional post-build bundle fixup (can also be run from scripts).
     # This provides a CMake target to run BundleUtilities' fixup_bundle on the
-    # built app, useful after macdeployqt to ensure non-Qt dylibs are internalized.
+    # built app, copying non-system dylibs (e.g. Homebrew SDL2/SDL3, freetype,
+    # pcre2) into the bundle so it runs on machines without them installed.
     if (APPLE AND TARGET kge)
         get_target_property(IS_BUNDLE kge MACOSX_BUNDLE)
         if (IS_BUNDLE)
@@ -452,7 +545,7 @@ if (BUILD_GUI)
                     COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND}
                     -DAPP_BUNDLE=${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/$<TARGET_PROPERTY:kge,MACOSX_BUNDLE_BUNDLE_NAME>.app
                     -P ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/cmake/fix_bundle.cmake
-                    COMMENT "Running fixup_bundle on kge.app to internalize non-Qt dylibs"
+                    COMMENT "Running fixup_bundle on kge.app to internalize non-system dylibs"
                     VERBATIM)
             add_dependencies(kge_fixup_bundle kge)
         endif ()

CONFIG.md

@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+# kge Configuration
+
+kge loads configuration from `~/.config/kte/kge.toml`. If no TOML file is
+found, it falls back to the legacy `kge.ini` format.
+
+## TOML Format
+
+```toml
+[window]
+fullscreen = false
+columns = 80
+rows = 42
+
+[font]
+# Default font and size
+name = "default"
+size = 18.0
+# Font used in code mode (monospace)
+code = "default"
+# Font used in writing mode (proportional)
+writing = "crimsonpro"
+
+[appearance]
+theme = "nord"
+# "dark" or "light" for themes with variants
+background = "dark"
+
+[editor]
+syntax = true
+```
+
+## Sections
+
+### `[window]`
+
+| Key          | Type | Default | Description                     |
+|--------------|------|---------|---------------------------------|
+| `fullscreen` | bool | false   | Start in fullscreen mode        |
+| `columns`    | int  | 80      | Initial window width in columns |
+| `rows`       | int  | 42      | Initial window height in rows   |
+
+### `[font]`
+
+| Key       | Type   | Default      | Description                              |
+|-----------|--------|--------------|------------------------------------------|
+| `name`    | string | "default"    | Default font loaded at startup           |
+| `size`    | float  | 18.0         | Font size in pixels                      |
+| `code`    | string | "default"    | Font for code mode (monospace)           |
+| `writing` | string | "crimsonpro" | Font for writing mode (proportional)     |
+
+### `[appearance]`
+
+| Key          | Type   | Default | Description                             |
+|--------------|--------|---------|-----------------------------------------|
+| `theme`      | string | "nord"  | Color theme                             |
+| `background` | string | "dark"  | Background mode: "dark" or "light"      |
+
+### `[editor]`
+
+| Key      | Type | Default | Description                  |
+|----------|------|---------|------------------------------|
+| `syntax` | bool | true    | Enable syntax highlighting   |
+
+## Edit Modes
+
+kge has two edit modes that control which font is used:
+
+- **code** — Uses the monospace font (`font.code`). Default for source files.
+- **writing** — Uses the proportional font (`font.writing`). Auto-detected
+  for `.txt`, `.md`, `.markdown`, `.rst`, `.org`, `.tex`, `.adoc`, and
+  `.asciidoc` files.
+
+Toggle with `C-k m` or `: mode [code|writing]`.
+
+## Available Fonts
+
+### Monospace
+
+b612, berkeley, berkeley-bold, brassmono, brassmono-bold, brassmonocode,
+brassmonocode-bold, fira, go, ibm, idealist, inconsolata, inconsolataex,
+iosevka, iosevkaex, sharetech, space, syne, triplicate, unispace
+
+### Proportional (Serif)
+
+crimsonpro, etbook, spectral
+
+## Available Themes
+
+amber, eink, everforest, gruvbox, kanagawa-paper, lcars, leuchtturm, nord,
+old-book, orbital, plan9, solarized, tufte, weyland-yutani, zenburn
+
+Themes with light/dark variants: eink, gruvbox, leuchtturm, old-book,
+solarized. Set `background = "light"` or use `: background light`.
+
+## Migrating from kge.ini
+
+If you have an existing `kge.ini`, kge will still read it but prints a
+notice to stderr suggesting migration. To migrate, create `kge.toml` in the
+same directory (`~/.config/kte/`) using the format above. The TOML file
+takes priority when both exist.
+
+The INI keys map to TOML as follows:
+
+| INI key       | TOML equivalent          |
+|---------------|--------------------------|
+| `fullscreen`  | `window.fullscreen`      |
+| `columns`     | `window.columns`         |
+| `rows`        | `window.rows`            |
+| `font`        | `font.name`              |
+| `font_size`   | `font.size`              |
+| `theme`       | `appearance.theme`       |
+| `background`  | `appearance.background`  |
+| `syntax`      | `editor.syntax`          |
+
+New keys `font.code` and `font.writing` have no INI equivalent (the INI
+parser accepts `code_font` and `writing_font` if needed).

Command.h

@@ -28,7 +28,6 @@ enum class CommandId {
 	OpenFileStart, // begin open-file prompt
 	VisualFilePickerToggle,
 	// GUI-only: toggle/show a visual font selector dialog
-	VisualFontPickerToggle,
 	// Buffers
 	BufferSwitchStart, // begin buffer switch prompt
 	BufferNew, // create a new empty, unnamed buffer (C-k i)
@@ -38,6 +37,7 @@ enum class CommandId {
 	// Editing
 	InsertText, // arg: text to insert at cursor (UTF-8, no newlines)
 	Newline, // insert a newline at cursor
+	SmartNewline, // insert a newline with auto-indent (Shift-Enter)
 	Backspace, // delete char before cursor (may join lines)
 	DeleteChar, // delete char at cursor (may join lines)
 	KillToEOL, // delete from cursor to end of line; if at EOL, delete newline
@@ -110,6 +110,14 @@ enum class CommandId {
 	SetOption, // generic ":set key=value" (v1: filetype=<lang>)
 	// Viewport control
 	CenterOnCursor, // center the viewport on the current cursor line (C-k k)
+	// GUI: open a new editor window sharing the same buffer list
+	NewWindow,
+	// GUI: font size controls
+	FontZoomIn,
+	FontZoomOut,
+	FontZoomReset,
+	// Edit mode (code/writing)
+	ToggleEditMode,
 };
 
 

Dockerfile

@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+# Minimal Dockerfile for building and testing kte on Linux
+# This container provides a build environment with all dependencies.
+# Mount the source tree at /kte when running the container.
+FROM alpine:3.19
+
+# Install build dependencies
+RUN apk add --no-cache \
+    g++ \
+    cmake \
+    make \
+    ncurses-dev \
+    pcre2-dev \
+    pkgconf \
+    sdl2-dev \
+    mesa-dev \
+    freetype-dev \
+    libx11-dev \
+    libxext-dev
+
+# Set working directory where source will be mounted
+WORKDIR /kte
+
+# Default command: build and run tests
+# Add DirectFB include path for SDL2 compatibility on Alpine
+CMD ["sh", "-c", "cmake -B build -DBUILD_GUI=ON -DBUILD_TESTS=ON -DCMAKE_CXX_FLAGS='-I/usr/include/directfb' && cmake --build build --target kte && cmake --build build --target kge && cmake --build build --target kte_tests && ./build/kte_tests"]

Editor.cc

@@ -1,28 +1,21 @@
 #include <algorithm>
 #include <cstdio>
+#include <cstdlib>
 #include <filesystem>
 #include <utility>
 
 #include "Editor.h"
-#include "syntax/HighlighterRegistry.h"
+#include "ErrorHandler.h"
 #include "syntax/CppHighlighter.h"
-#include "syntax/NullHighlighter.h"
 
 
 namespace {
-static std::string
+// Universal-argument repeat counts are capped here (well below INT_MAX).
-buffer_bytes_via_views(const Buffer &b)
+constexpr int kMaxUArgCount = 1000000;
-{
+} // namespace
-	const auto &rows = b.Rows();
-	std::string out;
-	for (std::size_t i = 0; i < rows.size(); i++) {
-		auto v = b.GetLineView(i);
-		out.append(v.data(), v.size());
-	}
-	return out;
-}
 
 
+namespace {
 static void
 apply_pending_line(Editor &ed, const std::size_t line1)
 {
@@ -44,6 +37,46 @@ apply_pending_line(Editor &ed, const std::size_t line1)
 } // namespace
 
 
+namespace {
+// Same normalization as Buffer::OpenFromFile (expand "~", canonical path if
+// the file exists, else absolute), so a path can be compared with the
+// Filename() of open buffers.
+std::string
+normalize_open_path(const std::string &in)
+{
+	std::string expanded = in;
+	if (!expanded.empty() && expanded[0] == '~') {
+		const char *home = std::getenv("HOME");
+		if (home && expanded.size() >= 2 && (expanded[1] == '/' || expanded[1] == '\\'))
+			expanded = std::string(home) + expanded.substr(1);
+		else if (home && expanded.size() == 1)
+			expanded = std::string(home);
+	}
+	try {
+		std::filesystem::path p(expanded);
+		if (std::filesystem::exists(p))
+			return std::filesystem::canonical(p).string();
+		return std::filesystem::absolute(p).string();
+	} catch (...) {
+		return expanded;
+	}
+}
+} // namespace
+
+
+std::size_t
+Editor::FindOpenBuffer(const std::string &path) const
+{
+	const std::string norm = normalize_open_path(path);
+	const auto &bufs       = Buffers();
+	for (std::size_t i = 0; i < bufs.size(); ++i) {
+		if (!bufs[i].Filename().empty() && bufs[i].Filename() == norm)
+			return i;
+	}
+	return static_cast<std::size_t>(-1);
+}
+
+
 Editor::Editor()
 {
 	swap_ = std::make_unique<kte::SwapManager>();
@@ -69,20 +102,22 @@ Editor::SetStatus(const std::string &message)
 Buffer *
 Editor::CurrentBuffer()
 {
-	if (buffers_.empty() || curbuf_ >= buffers_.size()) {
+	auto &bufs = Buffers();
+	if (bufs.empty() || curbuf_ >= bufs.size()) {
 		return nullptr;
 	}
-	return &buffers_[curbuf_];
+	return &bufs[curbuf_];
 }
 
 
 const Buffer *
 Editor::CurrentBuffer() const
 {
-	if (buffers_.empty() || curbuf_ >= buffers_.size()) {
+	const auto &bufs = Buffers();
+	if (bufs.empty() || curbuf_ >= bufs.size()) {
 		return nullptr;
 	}
-	return &buffers_[curbuf_];
+	return &bufs[curbuf_];
 }
 
 
@@ -117,8 +152,9 @@ Editor::DisplayNameFor(const Buffer &buf) const
 
 	// Prepare list of other buffer paths
 	std::vector<std::vector<std::filesystem::path> > others;
-	others.reserve(buffers_.size());
+	const auto &bufs = Buffers();
-	for (const auto &b: buffers_) {
+	others.reserve(bufs.size());
+	for (const auto &b: bufs) {
 		if (&b == &buf)
 			continue;
 		if (b.Filename().empty())
@@ -161,78 +197,94 @@ Editor::DisplayNameFor(const Buffer &buf) const
 std::size_t
 Editor::AddBuffer(const Buffer &buf)
 {
-	buffers_.push_back(buf);
+	auto &bufs = Buffers();
-	// Attach swap recorder
+	// push_back may reallocate the vector's storage, moving every existing
-	if (swap_) {
+	// Buffer to a new address. Drain any in-flight swap records first so the
-		swap_->Attach(&buffers_.back());
+	// writer thread never dereferences an address that's about to move, then
-		buffers_.back().SetSwapRecorder(swap_->RecorderFor(&buffers_.back()));
+	// rehome each attached buffer that actually moved.
+	if (Swap() && !bufs.empty())
+		Swap()->Flush();
+	std::vector<Buffer *> old_addrs;
+	old_addrs.reserve(bufs.size());
+	for (auto &b: bufs)
+		old_addrs.push_back(&b);
+	bufs.push_back(buf);
+	if (Swap()) {
+		for (std::size_t i = 0; i < old_addrs.size(); ++i) {
+			Buffer *new_addr = &bufs[i];
+			if (new_addr != old_addrs[i])
+				bufs[i].SetSwapRecorder(Swap()->Rehome(old_addrs[i], new_addr));
 		}
-	if (buffers_.size() == 1) {
+		Swap()->Attach(&bufs.back());
+		bufs.back().SetSwapRecorder(Swap()->RecorderFor(&bufs.back()));
+	}
+	if (bufs.size() == 1) {
 		curbuf_ = 0;
 	}
-	return buffers_.size() - 1;
+	return bufs.size() - 1;
 }
 
 
 std::size_t
 Editor::AddBuffer(Buffer &&buf)
 {
-	buffers_.push_back(std::move(buf));
+	auto &bufs = Buffers();
-	if (swap_) {
+	if (Swap() && !bufs.empty())
-		swap_->Attach(&buffers_.back());
+		Swap()->Flush();
-		buffers_.back().SetSwapRecorder(swap_->RecorderFor(&buffers_.back()));
+	std::vector<Buffer *> old_addrs;
+	old_addrs.reserve(bufs.size());
+	for (auto &b: bufs)
+		old_addrs.push_back(&b);
+	bufs.push_back(std::move(buf));
+	if (Swap()) {
+		for (std::size_t i = 0; i < old_addrs.size(); ++i) {
+			Buffer *new_addr = &bufs[i];
+			if (new_addr != old_addrs[i])
+				bufs[i].SetSwapRecorder(Swap()->Rehome(old_addrs[i], new_addr));
 		}
-	if (buffers_.size() == 1) {
+		Swap()->Attach(&bufs.back());
+		bufs.back().SetSwapRecorder(Swap()->RecorderFor(&bufs.back()));
+	}
+	if (bufs.size() == 1) {
 		curbuf_ = 0;
 	}
-	return buffers_.size() - 1;
+	return bufs.size() - 1;
 }
 
 
 bool
 Editor::OpenFile(const std::string &path, std::string &err)
 {
-	// If there is exactly one unnamed, empty, clean buffer, reuse it instead
+	// A file that is already open is switched to, not opened again: two
-	// of creating a new one.
+	// buffers for one file would share (and corrupt) one swap journal, and
-	if (buffers_.size() == 1) {
+	// closing either would delete the other's journal.
-		Buffer &cur                  = buffers_[curbuf_];
+	if (const std::size_t open_idx = FindOpenBuffer(path); open_idx != static_cast<std::size_t>(-1)) {
+		SwitchTo(open_idx);
+		return true;
+	}
+
+	// If the current buffer is an unnamed, empty, clean scratch buffer, reuse
+	// it instead of creating a new one.
+	auto &bufs_ref = Buffers();
+	if (!bufs_ref.empty() && curbuf_ < bufs_ref.size()) {
+		Buffer &cur                  = bufs_ref[curbuf_];
 		const bool unnamed           = cur.Filename().empty() && !cur.IsFileBacked();
 		const bool clean             = !cur.Dirty();
-		const auto &rows             = cur.Rows();
+		const std::size_t nrows      = cur.Nrows();
-		const bool rows_empty        = rows.empty();
+		const bool rows_empty        = (nrows == 0);
-		const bool single_empty_line = (!rows.empty() && rows.size() == 1 && rows[0].size() == 0);
+		const bool single_empty_line = (nrows == 1 && cur.GetLineView(0).size() == 0);
 		if (unnamed && clean && (rows_empty || single_empty_line)) {
 			bool ok = cur.OpenFromFile(path, err);
 			if (!ok)
 				return false;
 			// Ensure swap recorder is attached for this buffer
-			if (swap_) {
+			if (Swap()) {
-				swap_->Attach(&cur);
+				Swap()->Attach(&cur);
-				cur.SetSwapRecorder(swap_->RecorderFor(&cur));
+				cur.SetSwapRecorder(Swap()->RecorderFor(&cur));
-				swap_->NotifyFilenameChanged(cur);
+				Swap()->NotifyFilenameChanged(cur);
-			}
-			// Setup highlighting using registry (extension + shebang)
-			cur.EnsureHighlighter();
-			std::string first    = "";
-			const auto &cur_rows = cur.Rows();
-			if (!cur_rows.empty())
-				first = static_cast<std::string>(cur_rows[0]);
-			std::string ft = kte::HighlighterRegistry::DetectForPath(path, first);
-			if (!ft.empty()) {
-				cur.SetFiletype(ft);
-				cur.SetSyntaxEnabled(true);
-				if (auto *eng = cur.Highlighter()) {
-					eng->SetHighlighter(kte::HighlighterRegistry::CreateFor(ft));
-					eng->InvalidateFrom(0);
-				}
-			} else {
-				cur.SetFiletype("");
-				cur.SetSyntaxEnabled(true);
-				if (auto *eng = cur.Highlighter()) {
-					eng->SetHighlighter(std::make_unique<kte::NullHighlighter>());
-					eng->InvalidateFrom(0);
-				}
 			}
+			// Highlighting by extension or shebang
+			cur.ApplyDetectedFiletype();
 			// Defensive: ensure any active prompt is closed after a successful open
 			CancelPrompt();
 			return true;
@@ -245,34 +297,12 @@ Editor::OpenFile(const std::string &path, std::string &err)
 	}
 	// NOTE: swap recorder/attach must happen after the buffer is stored in its
 	// final location (vector) because swap manager keys off Buffer*.
-	// Initialize syntax highlighting by extension + shebang via registry (v2)
+	// Highlighting by extension or shebang
-	b.EnsureHighlighter();
+	b.ApplyDetectedFiletype();
-	std::string first = "";
-	{
-		const auto &rows = b.Rows();
-		if (!rows.empty())
-			first = static_cast<std::string>(rows[0]);
-	}
-	std::string ft = kte::HighlighterRegistry::DetectForPath(path, first);
-	if (!ft.empty()) {
-		b.SetFiletype(ft);
-		b.SetSyntaxEnabled(true);
-		if (auto *eng = b.Highlighter()) {
-			eng->SetHighlighter(kte::HighlighterRegistry::CreateFor(ft));
-			eng->InvalidateFrom(0);
-		}
-	} else {
-		b.SetFiletype("");
-		b.SetSyntaxEnabled(true);
-		if (auto *eng = b.Highlighter()) {
-			eng->SetHighlighter(std::make_unique<kte::NullHighlighter>());
-			eng->InvalidateFrom(0);
-		}
-	}
 	// Add as a new buffer and switch to it
 	std::size_t idx = AddBuffer(std::move(b));
-	if (swap_) {
+	if (Swap()) {
-		swap_->NotifyFilenameChanged(buffers_[idx]);
+		Swap()->NotifyFilenameChanged(Buffers()[idx]);
 	}
 	SwitchTo(idx);
 	// Defensive: ensure any active prompt is closed after a successful open
@@ -312,6 +342,10 @@ Editor::CancelRecoveryPrompt()
 	pending_recovery_open_   = PendingOpen{};
 	pending_recovery_swap_path_.clear();
 	pending_recovery_replay_err_.clear();
+	std::string().swap(pending_recovery_content_);
+	pending_recovery_valid_bytes_  = 0;
+	pending_recovery_swap_size_    = 0;
+	pending_recovery_have_content_ = false;
 }
 
 
@@ -324,6 +358,10 @@ Editor::ResolveRecoveryPrompt(const bool yes)
 	const PendingOpen req    = pending_recovery_open_;
 	const std::string swp    = pending_recovery_swap_path_;
 	const std::string rerr_s = pending_recovery_replay_err_;
+	std::string content      = std::move(pending_recovery_content_);
+	const bool have_content  = pending_recovery_have_content_;
+	std::uint64_t valid_bytes = pending_recovery_valid_bytes_;
+	const std::uint64_t swap_size_then = pending_recovery_swap_size_;
 	CancelRecoveryPrompt();
 
 	std::string err;
@@ -338,11 +376,35 @@ Editor::ResolveRecoveryPrompt(const bool yes)
 				SetStatus("Recovery failed: no buffer");
 				return false;
 			}
+			std::uint64_t swap_size_now = 0;
+			try {
+				swap_size_now = std::filesystem::file_size(swp);
+			} catch (...) {
+			}
+			if (have_content && swap_size_now == swap_size_then) {
+				// The prompt already replayed the journal (unchanged since); install that.
+				b->replace_all_bytes(content);
+				std::string().swap(content);
+			} else {
 				std::string rerr;
-			if (!kte::SwapManager::ReplayFile(*b, swp, rerr)) {
+				if (!kte::SwapManager::ReplayFile(*b, swp, rerr, &valid_bytes)) {
 					SetStatus("Swap recovery failed: " + rerr);
 					return false;
 				}
+			}
+			// This session keeps appending to the same journal. Drop a torn
+			// final record first, or new records would land behind it and the
+			// journal could not be replayed after another crash.
+			try {
+				if (std::filesystem::file_size(swp) > valid_bytes)
+					std::filesystem::resize_file(swp, valid_bytes);
+			} catch (...) {
+				// Best effort; the replay itself succeeded.
+			}
+			// Nothing in the undo history matches the file on disk now: keep
+			// the buffer dirty even after undoing back to the loaded state.
+			if (auto *u = b->Undo())
+				u->mark_base_unsaved();
 			b->SetDirty(true);
 			apply_pending_line(*this, req.line1);
 			SetStatus("Recovered " + req.path);
@@ -359,8 +421,16 @@ Editor::ResolveRecoveryPrompt(const bool yes)
 		return true;
 	}
 	if (kind == RecoveryPromptKind::DeleteCorruptSwap) {
+		std::string kept_as;
 		if (yes) {
 			(void) std::remove(swp.c_str());
+		} else {
+			// Keep the unreadable journal for inspection, but out of the way:
+			// left in place, the new session's records would be appended
+			// behind the corrupt data and could never be replayed.
+			kept_as = swp + ".corrupt";
+			if (std::rename(swp.c_str(), kept_as.c_str()) != 0)
+				kept_as.clear();
 		}
 		if (!OpenFile(req.path, err)) {
 			SetStatus(err);
@@ -368,7 +438,9 @@ Editor::ResolveRecoveryPrompt(const bool yes)
 		}
 		apply_pending_line(*this, req.line1);
 		// Include a short hint that the swap was corrupt.
-		if (!rerr_s.empty()) {
+		if (!kept_as.empty()) {
+			SetStatus("Opened " + req.path + " (unreadable swap kept as " + kept_as + ")");
+		} else if (!rerr_s.empty()) {
 			SetStatus("Opened " + req.path + " (swap unreadable)");
 		} else {
 			SetStatus("Opened " + req.path);
@@ -381,6 +453,39 @@ Editor::ResolveRecoveryPrompt(const bool yes)
 
 bool
 Editor::ProcessPendingOpens()
+{
+	bool opened = false;
+	// Opening can throw (bad_alloc on a huge file, filesystem errors), and so
+	// can the checkpoint snapshot below. This runs from every frontend's
+	// loop, outside command dispatch: report the failure instead of letting
+	// it end the editor.
+	try {
+		// Also the once-per-frame hook for the journal: retry the
+		// checkpoint of a journal that lost a record.
+		if (kte::SwapManager *sm = Swap())
+			sm->RetryGapCheckpoints();
+		opened = process_pending_opens_();
+	} catch (const std::exception &e) {
+		kte::ErrorHandler::Instance().Error("Editor", std::string("open failed: ") + e.what(), "");
+		SetStatus(std::string("Open failed: ") + e.what());
+	} catch (...) {
+		SetStatus("Open failed");
+	}
+	// Journal problems for the user, after the open's own status so it does
+	// not hide them; all pending ones at once (one per frame flashed by).
+	if (kte::SwapManager *sm = Swap()) {
+		std::string notices;
+		for (std::string n = sm->TakeUserNotice(); !n.empty(); n = sm->TakeUserNotice())
+			notices += (notices.empty() ? "" : "; ") + n;
+		if (!notices.empty())
+			SetStatus(notices);
+	}
+	return opened;
+}
+
+
+bool
+Editor::process_pending_opens_()
 {
 	if (PromptActive())
 		return false;
@@ -393,6 +498,15 @@ Editor::ProcessPendingOpens()
 		pending_open_.pop_front();
 		if (req.path.empty())
 			continue;
+		// Already open: switch to it. Its swap file is this session's live
+		// journal, not something to recover.
+		if (const std::size_t open_idx = FindOpenBuffer(req.path); open_idx != static_cast<std::size_t>(-1)) {
+			SwitchTo(open_idx);
+			apply_pending_line(*this, req.line1);
+			SetStatus("Switched to " + Buffers()[open_idx].Filename());
+			opened_any = true;
+			return opened_any;
+		}
 
 		std::string swp = kte::SwapManager::ComputeSwapPathForFilename(req.path);
 		bool swp_exists = false;
@@ -401,20 +515,59 @@ Editor::ProcessPendingOpens()
 		} catch (...) {
 			swp_exists = false;
 		}
+		if (swp_exists && kte::SwapManager::JournalInUse(swp)) {
+			// Another running kte is editing this file: its journal is live.
+			// Open without recovery and leave the journal alone; this
+			// session will not journal the file.
+			std::string err;
+			if (!OpenFile(req.path, err)) {
+				SetStatus(err);
+				continue;
+			}
+			apply_pending_line(*this, req.line1);
+			SetStatus(req.path + " is open in another kte; this copy has no crash recovery");
+			return true;
+		}
+		if (swp_exists && !kte::SwapManager::JournalMatchesFile(swp, req.path)) {
+			// The file changed (or was removed) after the journal started, so
+			// its position-based edits no longer apply.
+			pending_recovery_prompt_     = RecoveryPromptKind::DeleteCorruptSwap;
+			pending_recovery_open_       = req;
+			pending_recovery_swap_path_  = swp;
+			pending_recovery_replay_err_ = "stale";
+			StartPrompt(PromptKind::Confirm, "Swap", "");
+			SetStatus("Swap file for " + req.path +
+			          " predates changes to the file on disk and cannot be applied. Delete it? (y/N, C-g cancel)");
+			return opened_any;
+		}
 		if (swp_exists) {
 			Buffer tmp;
 			std::string oerr;
 			if (tmp.OpenFromFile(req.path, oerr)) {
-				const std::string orig = buffer_bytes_via_views(tmp);
+				const std::string orig = tmp.Bytes();
 				std::string rerr;
-				if (kte::SwapManager::ReplayFile(tmp, swp, rerr)) {
+				std::uint64_t valid = 0;
-					const std::string rec = buffer_bytes_via_views(tmp);
+				if (kte::SwapManager::ReplayFile(tmp, swp, rerr, &valid)) {
-					if (rec != orig) {
+					std::string rec = tmp.Bytes();
+					if (rec == orig) {
+						// Nothing to recover. Remove the journal rather than
+						// appending this session's records to it (it may end in a
+						// torn record, which would make them unreplayable).
+						(void) std::remove(swp.c_str());
+					} else {
 						pending_recovery_prompt_    = RecoveryPromptKind::RecoverOrDiscard;
 						pending_recovery_open_      = req;
 						pending_recovery_swap_path_ = swp;
+						pending_recovery_content_      = std::move(rec);
+						pending_recovery_valid_bytes_  = valid;
+						pending_recovery_have_content_ = true;
+						try {
+							pending_recovery_swap_size_ = std::filesystem::file_size(swp);
+						} catch (...) {
+							pending_recovery_have_content_ = false; // replay on "y"
+						}
 						StartPrompt(PromptKind::Confirm, "Recover", "");
-						SetStatus("Recover swap edits for " + req.path + "? (y/N, C-g cancel)");
+						SetStatus("Recover swap edits for " + req.path + "? (y/n, C-g cancel)");
 						return opened_any;
 					}
 				} else {
@@ -450,31 +603,15 @@ Editor::ProcessPendingOpens()
 bool
 Editor::SwitchTo(std::size_t index)
 {
-	if (index >= buffers_.size()) {
+	auto &bufs = Buffers();
+	if (index >= bufs.size()) {
 		return false;
 	}
 	curbuf_ = index;
 	// Robustness: ensure a valid highlighter is installed when switching buffers
-	Buffer &b = buffers_[curbuf_];
+	Buffer &b = bufs[curbuf_];
-	if (b.SyntaxEnabled()) {
+	if (b.SyntaxEnabled() && !(b.Highlighter() && b.Highlighter()->HasHighlighter()))
-		b.EnsureHighlighter();
+		b.InstallFiletypeHighlighter();
-		if (auto *eng = b.Highlighter()) {
-			if (!eng->HasHighlighter()) {
-				// Try to set based on existing filetype; fall back to NullHighlighter
-				if (!b.Filetype().empty()) {
-					auto hl = kte::HighlighterRegistry::CreateFor(b.Filetype());
-					if (hl) {
-						eng->SetHighlighter(std::move(hl));
-					} else {
-						eng->SetHighlighter(std::make_unique<kte::NullHighlighter>());
-					}
-				} else {
-					eng->SetHighlighter(std::make_unique<kte::NullHighlighter>());
-				}
-				eng->InvalidateFrom(0);
-			}
-		}
-	}
 	return true;
 }
 
@@ -482,20 +619,36 @@ Editor::SwitchTo(std::size_t index)
 bool
 Editor::CloseBuffer(std::size_t index)
 {
-	if (index >= buffers_.size()) {
+	auto &bufs = Buffers();
+	if (index >= bufs.size()) {
 		return false;
 	}
-	if (swap_) {
+	if (Swap()) {
-		// If the buffer is clean, remove its swap file when closing.
+		// Always remove swap file when closing a buffer on normal exit.
-		// (Crash recovery is unaffected: on crash, close paths are not executed.)
+		// Swap files are for crash recovery; on clean close, we don't need them.
-		swap_->Detach(&buffers_[index], !buffers_[index].Dirty());
+		// This prevents stale swap files from accumulating (e.g., when used as git editor).
-		buffers_[index].SetSwapRecorder(nullptr);
+		Swap()->Detach(&bufs[index], true);
+		bufs[index].SetSwapRecorder(nullptr);
+		// Drain in-flight records before the erase-shift below moves other
+		// buffers to new addresses (vector::erase never reallocates, but it does
+		// move-assign each trailing buffer into the previous slot).
+		Swap()->Flush();
 	}
-	buffers_.erase(buffers_.begin() + static_cast<std::ptrdiff_t>(index));
+	bufs.erase(bufs.begin() + static_cast<std::ptrdiff_t>(index));
-	if (buffers_.empty()) {
+	if (Swap()) {
+		// erase() shifts every buffer after `index` down by one slot in-place
+		// (no reallocation), so the buffer now at slot i used to live at slot
+		// i+1 (same underlying storage, since data() doesn't move on erase).
+		for (std::size_t i = index; i < bufs.size(); ++i) {
+			Buffer *new_addr = &bufs[i];
+			Buffer *old_addr = new_addr + 1;
+			bufs[i].SetSwapRecorder(Swap()->Rehome(old_addr, new_addr));
+		}
+	}
+	if (bufs.empty()) {
 		curbuf_ = 0;
-	} else if (curbuf_ >= buffers_.size()) {
+	} else if (curbuf_ >= bufs.size()) {
-		curbuf_ = buffers_.size() - 1;
+		curbuf_ = bufs.size() - 1;
 	}
 	return true;
 }
@@ -505,21 +658,22 @@ void
 Editor::Reset()
 {
 	rows_    = cols_ = 0;
-	mode_    = 0;
 	kill_    = 0;
-	no_kill_ = 0;
-	dirtyex_ = 0;
 	msg_.clear();
 	msgtm_                = 0;
 	uarg_                 = 0;
 	ucount_               = 0;
-	repeatable_           = false;
 	quit_requested_       = false;
 	quit_confirm_pending_ = false;
 	// Reset close-confirm/save state
 	close_confirm_pending_ = false;
 	close_after_save_      = false;
-	buffers_.clear();
+	auto &bufs = Buffers();
+	if (Swap()) {
+		for (auto &buf : bufs)
+			Swap()->Detach(&buf, true);
+	}
+	bufs.clear();
 	curbuf_ = 0;
 }
 
@@ -535,7 +689,7 @@ Editor::UArgStart()
 		if (ucount_ == 0) {
 			ucount_ = 1;
 		}
-		ucount_ *= 4;
+		ucount_ = std::min(ucount_ * 4, kMaxUArgCount); // no int overflow
 	}
 	uarg_ = 1;
 	char buf[64];
@@ -555,7 +709,7 @@ Editor::UArgDigit(int d)
 		uarg_   = 1;
 		ucount_ = 0;
 	}
-	ucount_ = ucount_ * 10 + d;
+	ucount_ = (ucount_ > (kMaxUArgCount - d) / 10) ? kMaxUArgCount : ucount_ * 10 + d;
 	char buf[64];
 	std::snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "C-u %d", ucount_);
 	SetStatus(buf);

Editor.h

@@ -1,5 +1,42 @@
 /*
  * Editor.h - top-level editor state and buffer management
+ *
+ * Editor is the top-level coordinator in kte. It manages:
+ *
+ * - Buffer collection: Multiple open documents (buffers_), current buffer selection
+ * - UI state: Dimensions, status messages, prompts, search state
+ * - Kill ring: Shared clipboard for cut/copy/paste operations across buffers
+ * - Universal argument: Repeat count mechanism (C-u)
+ * - Mode flags: Editor modes (normal, k-command, search, prompt, etc.)
+ * - Swap/crash recovery: SwapManager integration for journaling
+ * - File operations: Opening files, managing pending opens, recovery prompts
+ *
+ * Key responsibilities:
+ *
+ * 1. Buffer lifecycle:
+ *    - AddBuffer(): Add new buffers to the collection
+ *    - OpenFile(): Load files into buffers
+ *    - SwitchTo(): Change active buffer
+ *    - CloseBuffer(): Remove buffers with dirty checks
+ *
+ * 2. UI coordination:
+ *    - SetDimensions(): Terminal/window size for viewport calculations
+ *    - SetStatus(): Status line messages with timestamps
+ *    - Prompt system: Multi-step prompts for file open, buffer switch, etc.
+ *    - Search state: Active search, query, match position, origin tracking
+ *
+ * 3. Shared editor state:
+ *    - Kill ring: Circular buffer of killed text (max 60 entries)
+ *    - Universal argument: C-u digit collection for command repetition
+ *    - Mode tracking: Current input mode (normal, k-command, ESC, prompt)
+ *
+ * 4. Integration points:
+ *    - Commands operate on Editor and current Buffer
+ *    - Frontend (Terminal/GUI) queries Editor for rendering
+ *    - SwapManager journals all buffer modifications
+ *
+ * Design note: Editor owns the buffer collection but doesn't directly edit content.
+ * Commands modify buffers through Buffer's API, and Editor coordinates the UI state.
  */
 #pragma once
 #include <cstddef>
@@ -42,19 +79,6 @@ public:
 	}
 
 
-	// Mode and flags (mirroring legacy fields)
-	void SetMode(int m)
-	{
-		mode_ = m;
-	}
-
-
-	[[nodiscard]] int Mode() const
-	{
-		return mode_;
-	}
-
-
 	void SetKillChain(bool on)
 	{
 		kill_ = on ? 1 : 0;
@@ -67,18 +91,6 @@ public:
 	}
 
 
-	void SetNoKill(bool on)
-	{
-		no_kill_ = on ? 1 : 0;
-	}
-
-
-	[[nodiscard]] bool NoKill() const
-	{
-		return no_kill_ != 0;
-	}
-
-
 	// Kill ring API
 	void KillRingClear()
 	{
@@ -127,18 +139,6 @@ public:
 	}
 
 
-	void SetDirtyEx(int d)
-	{
-		dirtyex_ = d;
-	}
-
-
-	[[nodiscard]] int DirtyEx() const
-	{
-		return dirtyex_;
-	}
-
-
 	void SetUniversalArg(int uarg, int ucount)
 	{
 		uarg_   = uarg;
@@ -152,12 +152,6 @@ public:
 	}
 
 
-	[[nodiscard]] int UCount() const
-	{
-		return ucount_;
-	}
-
-
 	// --- Universal argument control (C-u) ---
 	// Begin or extend a universal argument (like ke's uarg_start)
 	void UArgStart();
@@ -172,19 +166,6 @@ public:
 	// If no universal argument active, returns 1.
 	int UArgGet();
 
-	// Repeatable command flag: input layer can mark the next command as repeatable
-	void SetRepeatable(bool on)
-	{
-		repeatable_ = on;
-	}
-
-
-	[[nodiscard]] bool Repeatable() const
-	{
-		return repeatable_;
-	}
-
-
 	// Status message storage. Rendering is renderer-dependent; the editor
 	// merely stores the current message and its timestamp.
 	void SetStatus(const std::string &message);
@@ -209,6 +190,18 @@ public:
 	}
 
 
+	void SetNewWindowRequested(bool on)
+	{
+		new_window_requested_ = on;
+	}
+
+
+	[[nodiscard]] bool NewWindowRequested() const
+	{
+		return new_window_requested_;
+	}
+
+
 	void SetQuitConfirmPending(bool on)
 	{
 		quit_confirm_pending_ = on;
@@ -472,7 +465,7 @@ public:
 	// Buffers
 	[[nodiscard]] std::size_t BufferCount() const
 	{
-		return buffers_.size();
+		return Buffers().size();
 	}
 
 
@@ -482,6 +475,19 @@ public:
 	}
 
 
+	// Clamp curbuf_ to valid range. Call when the shared buffer list may
+	// have been modified by another editor (e.g., buffer closed in another window).
+	void ValidateBufferIndex()
+	{
+		const auto &bufs = Buffers();
+		if (bufs.empty()) {
+			curbuf_ = 0;
+		} else if (curbuf_ >= bufs.size()) {
+			curbuf_ = bufs.size() - 1;
+		}
+	}
+
+
 	Buffer *CurrentBuffer();
 
 	const Buffer *CurrentBuffer() const;
@@ -506,6 +512,11 @@ public:
 	// Returns true if a file was opened during this call.
 	bool ProcessPendingOpens();
 
+private:
+	bool process_pending_opens_();
+
+public:
+
 	[[nodiscard]] bool HasPendingOpens() const;
 
 	// Swap recovery confirmation state. When non-None, a `PromptKind::Confirm`
@@ -533,20 +544,38 @@ public:
 	// Direct access when needed (try to prefer methods above)
 	[[nodiscard]] const std::vector<Buffer> &Buffers() const
 	{
-		return buffers_;
+		return shared_buffers_ ? *shared_buffers_ : buffers_;
 	}
 
 
 	std::vector<Buffer> &Buffers()
 	{
-		return buffers_;
+		return shared_buffers_ ? *shared_buffers_ : buffers_;
+	}
+
+
+	// Share another editor's buffer list. When set, this editor operates on
+	// the provided vector instead of its own. Pass nullptr to detach.
+	// Buffers hold recorders owned by the SwapManager that attached them, so
+	// editors sharing buffers must also share that manager (shared_swap);
+	// otherwise closing one window destroys recorders the other still uses.
+	// Index of the open buffer whose file is `path` (after the same
+	// normalization OpenFromFile applies), or size_t(-1) if none.
+	[[nodiscard]] std::size_t FindOpenBuffer(const std::string &path) const;
+
+
+		void SetSharedBuffers(std::vector<Buffer> *shared, kte::SwapManager *shared_swap = nullptr)
+	{
+		shared_buffers_ = shared;
+		shared_swap_    = shared ? shared_swap : nullptr;
+		curbuf_         = 0;
 	}
 
 
 	// Swap manager access (for advanced integrations/tests)
 	[[nodiscard]] kte::SwapManager *Swap()
 	{
-		return swap_.get();
+		return shared_swap_ ? shared_swap_ : swap_.get();
 	}
 
 
@@ -581,20 +610,18 @@ private:
 	};
 
 	std::size_t rows_ = 0, cols_ = 0;
-	int mode_         = 0;
 	int kill_         = 0; // KILL CHAIN
-	int no_kill_      = 0; // don't kill in delete_row
-	int dirtyex_      = 0;
 	std::string msg_;
 	std::time_t msgtm_ = 0;
 	int uarg_          = 0, ucount_ = 0; // C-u support
-	bool repeatable_   = false; // whether the next command is repeatable
 
 	std::vector<Buffer> buffers_;
+	std::vector<Buffer> *shared_buffers_ = nullptr; // if set, use this instead of buffers_
 	std::size_t curbuf_                  = 0; // index into buffers_
 
 	// Swap journaling manager (lifetime = editor)
 	std::unique_ptr<kte::SwapManager> swap_;
+	kte::SwapManager *shared_swap_ = nullptr; // set with shared_buffers_; not owned
 
 	// Kill ring (Emacs-like)
 	std::vector<std::string> kill_ring_;
@@ -602,6 +629,7 @@ private:
 
 	// Quit state
 	bool quit_requested_        = false;
+	bool new_window_requested_  = false;
 	bool quit_confirm_pending_  = false;
 	bool close_confirm_pending_ = false; // awaiting y/N to save-before-close
 	bool close_after_save_      = false; // if true, close buffer after successful Save/SaveAs
@@ -629,6 +657,12 @@ private:
 	PendingOpen pending_recovery_open_{};
 	std::string pending_recovery_swap_path_;
 	std::string pending_recovery_replay_err_;
+	// The recovered content the prompt offers, and how much of the journal
+	// produced it: "y" installs it instead of replaying the journal again.
+	std::string pending_recovery_content_;
+	std::uint64_t pending_recovery_valid_bytes_ = 0;
+	std::uint64_t pending_recovery_swap_size_   = 0; // the journal's size then
+	bool pending_recovery_have_content_         = false;
 
 	// GUI-only state (safe no-op in terminal builds)
 	bool file_picker_visible_ = false;

ErrorHandler.cc

@@ -0,0 +1,313 @@
+#include "ErrorHandler.h"
+#include <chrono>
+#include <ctime>
+#include <iomanip>
+#include <sstream>
+#include <filesystem>
+#include <cstdlib>
+
+namespace fs = std::filesystem;
+
+namespace kte {
+ErrorHandler::ErrorHandler()
+{
+	// Determine log file path: ~/.local/state/kte/error.log
+	const char *home = std::getenv("HOME");
+	if (home) {
+		fs::path log_dir = fs::path(home) / ".local" / "state" / "kte";
+		try {
+			if (!fs::exists(log_dir)) {
+				fs::create_directories(log_dir);
+			}
+			log_file_path_ = (log_dir / "error.log").string();
+			// Create the log file immediately so it exists in the state directory
+			ensure_log_file();
+		} catch (...) {
+			// If we can't create the directory, disable file logging
+			file_logging_enabled_ = false;
+		}
+	} else {
+		// No HOME, disable file logging
+		file_logging_enabled_ = false;
+	}
+}
+
+
+ErrorHandler::~ErrorHandler()
+{
+	std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lg(mtx_);
+	if (log_file_ && log_file_->is_open()) {
+		log_file_->flush();
+		log_file_->close();
+	}
+}
+
+
+ErrorHandler &
+ErrorHandler::Instance()
+{
+	static ErrorHandler instance;
+	return instance;
+}
+
+
+void
+ErrorHandler::Report(ErrorSeverity severity, const std::string &component,
+                     const std::string &message, const std::string &context)
+{
+	ErrorRecord record;
+	record.timestamp_ns = now_ns();
+	record.severity     = severity;
+	record.component    = component;
+	record.message      = message;
+	record.context      = context;
+
+	{
+		std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lg(mtx_);
+
+		// Add to in-memory queue
+		errors_.push_back(record);
+		while (errors_.size() > 100) {
+			errors_.pop_front();
+		}
+
+		++total_error_count_;
+		if (severity == ErrorSeverity::Critical) {
+			++critical_error_count_;
+		}
+
+		// Write to log file if enabled
+		if (file_logging_enabled_) {
+			write_to_log(record);
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+
+void
+ErrorHandler::Info(const std::string &component, const std::string &message,
+                   const std::string &context)
+{
+	Report(ErrorSeverity::Info, component, message, context);
+}
+
+
+void
+ErrorHandler::Warning(const std::string &component, const std::string &message,
+                      const std::string &context)
+{
+	Report(ErrorSeverity::Warning, component, message, context);
+}
+
+
+void
+ErrorHandler::Error(const std::string &component, const std::string &message,
+                    const std::string &context)
+{
+	Report(ErrorSeverity::Error, component, message, context);
+}
+
+
+void
+ErrorHandler::Critical(const std::string &component, const std::string &message,
+                       const std::string &context)
+{
+	Report(ErrorSeverity::Critical, component, message, context);
+}
+
+
+bool
+ErrorHandler::HasErrors() const
+{
+	std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lg(mtx_);
+	return !errors_.empty();
+}
+
+
+bool
+ErrorHandler::HasCriticalErrors() const
+{
+	std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lg(mtx_);
+	return critical_error_count_ > 0;
+}
+
+
+std::string
+ErrorHandler::GetLastError() const
+{
+	std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lg(mtx_);
+	if (errors_.empty())
+		return "";
+
+	const ErrorRecord &e = errors_.back();
+	std::string result   = "[" + severity_to_string(e.severity) + "] ";
+	result               += e.component;
+	if (!e.context.empty()) {
+		result += " (" + e.context + ")";
+	}
+	result += ": " + e.message;
+	return result;
+}
+
+
+std::size_t
+ErrorHandler::GetErrorCount() const
+{
+	std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lg(mtx_);
+	return total_error_count_;
+}
+
+
+std::size_t
+ErrorHandler::GetErrorCount(ErrorSeverity severity) const
+{
+	std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lg(mtx_);
+	std::size_t count = 0;
+	for (const auto &e: errors_) {
+		if (e.severity == severity) {
+			++count;
+		}
+	}
+	return count;
+}
+
+
+std::vector<ErrorHandler::ErrorRecord>
+ErrorHandler::GetRecentErrors(std::size_t max_count) const
+{
+	std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lg(mtx_);
+	std::vector<ErrorRecord> result;
+	result.reserve(std::min(max_count, errors_.size()));
+
+	// Return most recent first
+	auto it = errors_.rbegin();
+	for (std::size_t i = 0; i < max_count && it != errors_.rend(); ++i, ++it) {
+		result.push_back(*it);
+	}
+	return result;
+}
+
+
+void
+ErrorHandler::ClearErrors()
+{
+	std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lg(mtx_);
+	errors_.clear();
+	total_error_count_    = 0;
+	critical_error_count_ = 0;
+}
+
+
+void
+ErrorHandler::SetFileLoggingEnabled(bool enabled)
+{
+	std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lg(mtx_);
+	file_logging_enabled_ = enabled;
+	if (!enabled && log_file_ && log_file_->is_open()) {
+		log_file_->flush();
+		log_file_->close();
+		log_file_.reset();
+	}
+}
+
+
+std::string
+ErrorHandler::GetLogFilePath() const
+{
+	std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lg(mtx_);
+	return log_file_path_;
+}
+
+
+void
+ErrorHandler::write_to_log(const ErrorRecord &record)
+{
+	// Must be called with mtx_ held
+	if (log_file_path_.empty())
+		return;
+
+	ensure_log_file();
+	if (!log_file_ || !log_file_->is_open())
+		return;
+
+	// Format: [timestamp] [SEVERITY] component (context): message
+	std::string timestamp = format_timestamp(record.timestamp_ns);
+	std::string severity  = severity_to_string(record.severity);
+
+	*log_file_ << "[" << timestamp << "] [" << severity << "] " << record.component;
+	if (!record.context.empty()) {
+		*log_file_ << " (" << record.context << ")";
+	}
+	*log_file_ << ": " << record.message << "\n";
+	log_file_->flush();
+}
+
+
+void
+ErrorHandler::ensure_log_file()
+{
+	// Must be called with mtx_ held
+	if (log_file_ && log_file_->is_open())
+		return;
+
+	if (log_file_path_.empty())
+		return;
+
+	try {
+		log_file_ = std::make_unique<std::ofstream>(log_file_path_,
+		                                            std::ios::app | std::ios::out);
+		if (!log_file_->is_open()) {
+			log_file_.reset();
+		}
+	} catch (...) {
+		log_file_.reset();
+	}
+}
+
+
+std::string
+ErrorHandler::format_timestamp(std::uint64_t timestamp_ns) const
+{
+	// Convert nanoseconds to time_t (seconds)
+	std::time_t seconds = static_cast<std::time_t>(timestamp_ns / 1000000000ULL);
+	std::uint64_t nanos = timestamp_ns % 1000000000ULL;
+
+	std::tm tm_buf{};
+#if defined(_WIN32)
+	localtime_s(&tm_buf, &seconds);
+#else
+	localtime_r(&seconds, &tm_buf);
+#endif
+
+	std::ostringstream oss;
+	oss << std::put_time(&tm_buf, "%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S");
+	oss << "." << std::setfill('0') << std::setw(3) << (nanos / 1000000ULL);
+	return oss.str();
+}
+
+
+std::string
+ErrorHandler::severity_to_string(ErrorSeverity severity) const
+{
+	switch (severity) {
+	case ErrorSeverity::Info:
+		return "INFO";
+	case ErrorSeverity::Warning:
+		return "WARNING";
+	case ErrorSeverity::Error:
+		return "ERROR";
+	case ErrorSeverity::Critical:
+		return "CRITICAL";
+	default:
+		return "UNKNOWN";
+	}
+}
+
+
+std::uint64_t
+ErrorHandler::now_ns()
+{
+	using namespace std::chrono;
+	return duration_cast<nanoseconds>(system_clock::now().time_since_epoch()).count();
+}
+} // namespace kte

ErrorHandler.h

@@ -0,0 +1,106 @@
+// ErrorHandler.h - Centralized error handling and logging for kte
+#pragma once
+
+#include <string>
+#include <vector>
+#include <deque>
+#include <mutex>
+#include <cstdint>
+#include <memory>
+#include <fstream>
+
+namespace kte {
+enum class ErrorSeverity {
+	Info, // Informational messages
+	Warning, // Non-critical issues
+	Error, // Errors that affect functionality but allow continuation
+	Critical // Critical errors that may cause data loss or crashes
+};
+
+// Centralized error handler with logging and in-memory error tracking
+class ErrorHandler {
+public:
+	struct ErrorRecord {
+		std::uint64_t timestamp_ns{0};
+		ErrorSeverity severity{ErrorSeverity::Error};
+		std::string component; // e.g., "SwapManager", "Buffer", "main"
+		std::string message;
+		std::string context; // e.g., filename, buffer name, operation
+	};
+
+	// Get the global ErrorHandler instance
+	static ErrorHandler &Instance();
+
+	// Report an error with severity, component, message, and optional context
+	void Report(ErrorSeverity severity, const std::string &component,
+	            const std::string &message, const std::string &context = "");
+
+	// Convenience methods for common severity levels
+	void Info(const std::string &component, const std::string &message,
+	          const std::string &context = "");
+
+	void Warning(const std::string &component, const std::string &message,
+	             const std::string &context = "");
+
+	void Error(const std::string &component, const std::string &message,
+	           const std::string &context = "");
+
+	void Critical(const std::string &component, const std::string &message,
+	              const std::string &context = "");
+
+	// Query error state (thread-safe)
+	bool HasErrors() const;
+
+	bool HasCriticalErrors() const;
+
+	std::string GetLastError() const;
+
+	std::size_t GetErrorCount() const;
+
+	std::size_t GetErrorCount(ErrorSeverity severity) const;
+
+	// Get recent errors (up to max_count, most recent first)
+	std::vector<ErrorRecord> GetRecentErrors(std::size_t max_count = 10) const;
+
+	// Clear in-memory error history (does not affect log file)
+	void ClearErrors();
+
+	// Enable/disable file logging (enabled by default)
+	void SetFileLoggingEnabled(bool enabled);
+
+	// Get the path to the error log file
+	std::string GetLogFilePath() const;
+
+private:
+	ErrorHandler();
+
+	~ErrorHandler();
+
+	// Non-copyable, non-movable
+	ErrorHandler(const ErrorHandler &) = delete;
+
+	ErrorHandler &operator=(const ErrorHandler &) = delete;
+
+	ErrorHandler(ErrorHandler &&) = delete;
+
+	ErrorHandler &operator=(ErrorHandler &&) = delete;
+
+	void write_to_log(const ErrorRecord &record);
+
+	void ensure_log_file();
+
+	std::string format_timestamp(std::uint64_t timestamp_ns) const;
+
+	std::string severity_to_string(ErrorSeverity severity) const;
+
+	static std::uint64_t now_ns();
+
+	mutable std::mutex mtx_;
+	std::deque<ErrorRecord> errors_; // bounded to max 100 entries
+	std::size_t total_error_count_{0};
+	std::size_t critical_error_count_{0};
+	bool file_logging_enabled_{true};
+	std::string log_file_path_;
+	std::unique_ptr<std::ofstream> log_file_;
+};
+} // namespace kte

ErrorRecovery.cc

@@ -0,0 +1,159 @@
+// ErrorRecovery.cc - Error recovery mechanisms implementation
+#include "ErrorRecovery.h"
+#include <mutex>
+
+namespace kte {
+CircuitBreaker::CircuitBreaker(const Config &cfg)
+	: config_(cfg), state_(State::Closed), failure_count_(0), success_count_(0),
+	  last_failure_time_(std::chrono::steady_clock::time_point::min()),
+	  state_change_time_(std::chrono::steady_clock::now()) {}
+
+
+bool
+CircuitBreaker::AllowRequest()
+{
+	std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lg(mtx_);
+
+	const auto now = std::chrono::steady_clock::now();
+
+	switch (state_) {
+	case State::Closed:
+		// Normal operation, allow all requests
+		return true;
+
+	case State::Open: {
+		// Check if timeout has elapsed to transition to HalfOpen
+		const auto elapsed = std::chrono::duration_cast<std::chrono::seconds>(
+			now - state_change_time_
+		);
+		if (elapsed >= config_.open_timeout) {
+			TransitionTo(State::HalfOpen);
+			return true; // Allow one request to test recovery
+		}
+		return false; // Circuit is open, reject request
+	}
+
+	case State::HalfOpen:
+		// Allow limited requests to test recovery
+		return true;
+	}
+
+	return false;
+}
+
+
+void
+CircuitBreaker::RecordSuccess()
+{
+	std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lg(mtx_);
+
+	switch (state_) {
+	case State::Closed:
+		// Reset failure count on success in normal operation
+		failure_count_ = 0;
+		break;
+
+	case State::HalfOpen:
+		++success_count_;
+		if (success_count_ >= config_.success_threshold) {
+			// Enough successes, close the circuit
+			TransitionTo(State::Closed);
+		}
+		break;
+
+	case State::Open:
+		// Shouldn't happen (requests rejected), but handle gracefully
+		break;
+	}
+}
+
+
+void
+CircuitBreaker::RecordFailure()
+{
+	std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lg(mtx_);
+
+	// The window is measured from the previous failure, so check it before
+	// recording this one.
+	const bool window_expired = IsWindowExpired();
+	last_failure_time_        = std::chrono::steady_clock::now();
+
+	switch (state_) {
+	case State::Closed:
+		// Check if we need to reset the failure count (window expired)
+		if (window_expired) {
+			failure_count_ = 0;
+		}
+
+		++failure_count_;
+		if (failure_count_ >= config_.failure_threshold) {
+			// Too many failures, open the circuit
+			TransitionTo(State::Open);
+		}
+		break;
+
+	case State::HalfOpen:
+		// Failure during recovery test, reopen the circuit
+		TransitionTo(State::Open);
+		break;
+
+	case State::Open:
+		// Already open, just track the failure
+		++failure_count_;
+		break;
+	}
+}
+
+
+void
+CircuitBreaker::Reset()
+{
+	std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lg(mtx_);
+	TransitionTo(State::Closed);
+}
+
+
+void
+CircuitBreaker::TransitionTo(State new_state)
+{
+	if (state_ == new_state) {
+		return;
+	}
+
+	state_             = new_state;
+	state_change_time_ = std::chrono::steady_clock::now();
+
+	switch (new_state) {
+	case State::Closed:
+		failure_count_ = 0;
+		success_count_ = 0;
+		break;
+
+	case State::Open:
+		success_count_ = 0;
+		// Keep failure_count_ for diagnostics
+		break;
+
+	case State::HalfOpen:
+		success_count_ = 0;
+		// Keep failure_count_ for diagnostics
+		break;
+	}
+}
+
+
+bool
+CircuitBreaker::IsWindowExpired() const
+{
+	if (failure_count_ == 0) {
+		return false;
+	}
+
+	const auto now     = std::chrono::steady_clock::now();
+	const auto elapsed = std::chrono::duration_cast<std::chrono::seconds>(
+		now - last_failure_time_
+	);
+
+	return elapsed >= config_.window;
+}
+} // namespace kte

ErrorRecovery.h

@@ -0,0 +1,165 @@
+// ErrorRecovery.h - Error recovery mechanisms for kte
+#pragma once
+
+#include <chrono>
+#include <cstddef>
+#include <functional>
+#include <string>
+#include <thread>
+#include <mutex>
+#include <cerrno>
+
+namespace kte {
+// Classify errno values as transient (retryable) or permanent
+inline bool
+IsTransientError(int err)
+{
+	switch (err) {
+	case EAGAIN:
+#if EAGAIN != EWOULDBLOCK
+	case EWOULDBLOCK: 
+#endif
+	case EBUSY:
+	case EIO: // I/O error (may be transient on network filesystems)
+	case ETIMEDOUT:
+	case ENOSPC: // Disk full (may become available)
+	case EDQUOT: // Quota exceeded (may become available)
+		return true;
+	default:
+		return false;
+	}
+}
+
+
+// RetryPolicy defines retry behavior for transient failures
+struct RetryPolicy {
+	std::size_t max_attempts{3}; // Maximum retry attempts
+	std::chrono::milliseconds initial_delay{100}; // Initial delay before first retry
+	double backoff_multiplier{2.0}; // Exponential backoff multiplier
+	std::chrono::milliseconds max_delay{5000}; // Maximum delay between retries
+
+	// Default policy: 3 attempts, 100ms initial, 2x backoff, 5s max
+	static RetryPolicy Default()
+	{
+		return RetryPolicy{};
+	}
+
+
+	// Aggressive policy for critical operations: more attempts, faster retries
+	static RetryPolicy Aggressive()
+	{
+		return RetryPolicy{5, std::chrono::milliseconds(50), 1.5, std::chrono::milliseconds(2000)};
+	}
+
+
+};
+
+// Retry a function with exponential backoff for transient errors
+// Returns true on success, false on permanent failure or exhausted retries
+// The function `fn` should return true on success, false on failure, and set errno on failure
+template<typename Func>
+bool
+RetryOnTransientError(Func fn, const RetryPolicy &policy, std::string &err)
+{
+	std::size_t attempt             = 0;
+	std::chrono::milliseconds delay = policy.initial_delay;
+
+	while (attempt < policy.max_attempts) {
+		++attempt;
+		errno = 0;
+		if (fn()) {
+			return true; // Success
+		}
+
+		int saved_errno = errno;
+		if (!IsTransientError(saved_errno)) {
+			// Permanent error, don't retry
+			return false;
+		}
+
+		if (attempt >= policy.max_attempts) {
+			// Exhausted retries
+			err += " (exhausted " + std::to_string(policy.max_attempts) + " retry attempts)";
+			return false;
+		}
+
+		// Sleep before retry
+		std::this_thread::sleep_for(delay);
+
+		// Exponential backoff
+		delay = std::chrono::milliseconds(
+			static_cast<long long>(delay.count() * policy.backoff_multiplier)
+		);
+		if (delay > policy.max_delay) {
+			delay = policy.max_delay;
+		}
+	}
+
+	return false;
+}
+
+
+// CircuitBreaker prevents repeated attempts to failing operations
+// States: Closed (normal), Open (failing, reject immediately), HalfOpen (testing recovery)
+class CircuitBreaker {
+public:
+	enum class State {
+		Closed, // Normal operation, allow all requests
+		Open, // Failing, reject requests immediately
+		HalfOpen // Testing recovery, allow limited requests
+	};
+
+	struct Config {
+		std::size_t failure_threshold; // Failures before opening circuit
+		std::chrono::seconds open_timeout; // Time before attempting recovery (Open → HalfOpen)
+		std::size_t success_threshold; // Successes in HalfOpen before closing
+		std::chrono::seconds window; // Time window for counting failures
+
+		Config()
+			: failure_threshold(5), open_timeout(30), success_threshold(2), window(60) {}
+	};
+
+
+	explicit CircuitBreaker(const Config &cfg = Config());
+
+
+	// Check if operation is allowed (returns false if circuit is Open)
+	bool AllowRequest();
+
+	// Record successful operation
+	void RecordSuccess();
+
+	// Record failed operation
+	void RecordFailure();
+
+	// Get current state
+	State GetState() const
+	{
+		return state_;
+	}
+
+
+	// Get failure count in current window
+	std::size_t GetFailureCount() const
+	{
+		return failure_count_;
+	}
+
+
+	// Reset circuit to Closed state (for testing or manual intervention)
+	void Reset();
+
+private:
+	void TransitionTo(State new_state);
+
+	bool IsWindowExpired() const;
+
+	Config config_;
+	State state_;
+	std::size_t failure_count_;
+	std::size_t success_count_;
+	std::chrono::steady_clock::time_point last_failure_time_;
+	std::chrono::steady_clock::time_point state_change_time_;
+	mutable std::mutex mtx_;
+};
+} // namespace kte

GUIConfig.cc

@@ -1,11 +1,49 @@
+#include <cmath>
 #include <cstdlib>
 #include <cstring>
 #include <fstream>
 #include <sstream>
 #include <algorithm>
+#include <filesystem>
+#include <iostream>
 
 #include "GUIConfig.h"
 
+// toml++ for TOML config parsing
+#if defined(__clang__)
+#  pragma clang diagnostic push
+#  pragma clang diagnostic ignored "-Weverything"
+#elif defined(__GNUC__)
+#  pragma GCC diagnostic push
+#  pragma GCC diagnostic ignored "-Wall"
+#  pragma GCC diagnostic ignored "-Wextra"
+#endif
+
+#include "ext/tomlplusplus/toml.hpp"
+
+
+#if defined(__clang__)
+#  pragma clang diagnostic pop
+#elif defined(__GNUC__)
+#  pragma GCC diagnostic pop
+#endif
+
+
+// Reject values that would overflow later arithmetic (columns * font size)
+// or that are not usable: "size = inf" is valid TOML.
+static bool
+valid_dimension(long long v)
+{
+	return v > 0 && v <= 1000;
+}
+
+
+static bool
+valid_font_size(double v)
+{
+	return std::isfinite(v) && v >= 4.0 && v <= 200.0;
+}
+
 
 static void
 trim(std::string &s)
@@ -19,37 +57,124 @@ trim(std::string &s)
 
 
 static std::string
-default_config_path()
+config_dir()
 {
 	const char *home = std::getenv("HOME");
 	if (!home || !*home)
 		return {};
-	std::string path(home);
+	return std::string(home) + "/.config/kte";
-	path += "/.config/kte/kge.ini";
-	return path;
 }
 
 
 GUIConfig
 GUIConfig::Load()
 {
-	GUIConfig cfg; // defaults already set
+	GUIConfig cfg;
-	const std::string path = default_config_path();
+	std::string dir = config_dir();
+	if (dir.empty())
+		return cfg;
 
-	if (!path.empty()) {
+	// Try TOML first
-		cfg.LoadFromFile(path);
+	std::string toml_path = dir + "/kge.toml";
+	if (cfg.LoadFromTOML(toml_path))
+		return cfg;
+
+	// Fall back to legacy INI
+	std::string ini_path = dir + "/kge.ini";
+	if (cfg.LoadFromINI(ini_path)) {
+		std::cerr << "kge: loaded legacy kge.ini; consider migrating to kge.toml\n";
+		return cfg;
 	}
+
 	return cfg;
 }
 
 
 bool
-GUIConfig::LoadFromFile(const std::string &path)
+GUIConfig::LoadFromTOML(const std::string &path)
+{
+	if (!std::filesystem::exists(path))
+		return false;
+
+	toml::table tbl;
+	try {
+		tbl = toml::parse_file(path);
+	} catch (const toml::parse_error &err) {
+		std::cerr << "kge: TOML parse error in " << path << ": " << err.what() << "\n";
+		return false;
+	}
+
+	// [window]
+	if (auto win = tbl["window"].as_table()) {
+		if (auto v = (*win)["fullscreen"].value<bool>())
+			fullscreen = *v;
+		if (auto v = (*win)["columns"].value<int64_t>()) {
+			if (valid_dimension(*v)) columns = static_cast<int>(*v);
+		}
+		if (auto v = (*win)["rows"].value<int64_t>()) {
+			if (valid_dimension(*v)) rows = static_cast<int>(*v);
+		}
+	}
+
+	// [font]
+	bool explicit_code_font    = false;
+	bool explicit_writing_font = false;
+	if (auto sec = tbl["font"].as_table()) {
+		if (auto v = (*sec)["name"].value<std::string>())
+			font = *v;
+		if (auto v = (*sec)["size"].value<double>()) {
+			if (valid_font_size(*v)) font_size = static_cast<float>(*v);
+		}
+		if (auto v = (*sec)["code"].value<std::string>()) {
+			code_font = *v;
+			explicit_code_font = true;
+		}
+		if (auto v = (*sec)["writing"].value<std::string>()) {
+			writing_font = *v;
+			explicit_writing_font = true;
+		}
+	}
+
+	// [appearance]
+	if (auto sec = tbl["appearance"].as_table()) {
+		if (auto v = (*sec)["theme"].value<std::string>())
+			theme = *v;
+		if (auto v = (*sec)["background"].value<std::string>()) {
+			std::string bg = *v;
+			std::transform(bg.begin(), bg.end(), bg.begin(), [](unsigned char c) {
+				return (char) std::tolower(c);
+			});
+			if (bg == "light" || bg == "dark")
+				background = bg;
+		}
+	}
+
+	// [editor]
+	if (auto sec = tbl["editor"].as_table()) {
+		if (auto v = (*sec)["syntax"].value<bool>())
+			syntax = *v;
+	}
+
+	// Default code_font to the main font if not explicitly set
+	if (!explicit_code_font)
+		code_font = font;
+	if (!explicit_writing_font && writing_font == "crimsonpro" && font != "default")
+		writing_font = font;
+
+	return true;
+}
+
+
+bool
+GUIConfig::LoadFromINI(const std::string &path)
 {
 	std::ifstream in(path);
 	if (!in.good())
 		return false;
 
+	bool explicit_code_font    = false;
+	bool explicit_writing_font = false;
+
 	std::string line;
 	while (std::getline(in, line)) {
 		// Remove comments starting with '#' or ';'
@@ -85,25 +210,31 @@ GUIConfig::LoadFromFile(const std::string &path)
 			try {
 				v = std::stoi(val);
 			} catch (...) {}
-			if (v > 0)
+			if (valid_dimension(v))
 				columns = v;
 		} else if (key == "rows") {
 			int v = rows;
 			try {
 				v = std::stoi(val);
 			} catch (...) {}
-			if (v > 0)
+			if (valid_dimension(v))
 				rows = v;
 		} else if (key == "font_size" || key == "fontsize") {
 			float v = font_size;
 			try {
 				v = std::stof(val);
 			} catch (...) {}
-			if (v > 0.0f) {
+			if (valid_font_size(v)) {
 				font_size = v;
 			}
 		} else if (key == "font") {
 			font = val;
+		} else if (key == "code_font") {
+			code_font = val;
+			explicit_code_font = true;
+		} else if (key == "writing_font") {
+			writing_font = val;
+			explicit_writing_font = true;
 		} else if (key == "theme") {
 			theme = val;
 		} else if (key == "background" || key == "bg") {
@@ -126,5 +257,13 @@ GUIConfig::LoadFromFile(const std::string &path)
 		}
 	}
 
+	// If code_font was not explicitly set, default it to the main font
+	// so that the edit-mode font switcher doesn't immediately switch away
+	// from the font loaded during Init.
+	if (!explicit_code_font)
+		code_font = font;
+	if (!explicit_writing_font && writing_font == "crimsonpro" && font != "default")
+		writing_font = font;
+
 	return true;
 }

GUIConfig.h

@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 /*
- * GUIConfig - loads simple GUI configuration from $HOME/.config/kte/kge.ini
+ * GUIConfig - loads GUI configuration from $HOME/.config/kte/kge.toml
+ *
+ * Falls back to legacy kge.ini if no TOML config is found.
  */
 #pragma once
 
@@ -22,12 +24,18 @@ public:
 	std::string background = "dark";
 
 	// Default syntax highlighting state for GUI (kge): on/off
-	// Accepts: on/off/true/false/yes/no/1/0 in the ini file.
+	bool syntax = true;
-	bool syntax = true; // default: enabled
 
-	// Load from default path: $HOME/.config/kte/kge.ini
+	// Per-mode font defaults
+	std::string code_font    = "default";
+	std::string writing_font = "crimsonpro";
+
+	// Load from default paths: try kge.toml first, fall back to kge.ini
 	static GUIConfig Load();
 
-	// Load from explicit path. Returns true if file existed and was parsed.
+	// Load from explicit TOML path. Returns true if file existed and was parsed.
-	bool LoadFromFile(const std::string &path);
+	bool LoadFromTOML(const std::string &path);
+
+	// Load from explicit INI path (legacy). Returns true if file existed and was parsed.
+	bool LoadFromINI(const std::string &path);
 };

GUITheme.h

@@ -8,296 +8,6 @@
 
 #include "Highlight.h"
 
-// Cross-frontend theme change request hook: declared here, defined in Command.cc
-namespace kte {
-extern bool gThemeChangePending;
-extern std::string gThemeChangeRequest; // raw user-provided name
-// Qt GUI: cross-frontend font change hooks and current font state
-extern bool gFontChangePending;
-extern std::string gFontFamilyRequest; // requested family (case-insensitive)
-extern float gFontSizeRequest; // <= 0 means keep size
-extern std::string gCurrentFontFamily; // last applied family (Qt)
-extern float gCurrentFontSize; // last applied size (Qt)
-// Qt GUI: request to show a visual font dialog (set by command handler)
-extern bool gFontDialogRequested;
-}
-
-#if defined(KTE_USE_QT)
-// Qt build: avoid hard dependency on ImGui headers/types.
-// Provide a lightweight color vector matching ImVec4 fields used by renderers.
-struct KteColor {
-	float x{0}, y{0}, z{0}, w{1};
-};
-
-static inline KteColor
-RGBA(unsigned int rgb, float a = 1.0f)
-{
-	const float r = static_cast<float>((rgb >> 16) & 0xFF) / 255.0f;
-	const float g = static_cast<float>((rgb >> 8) & 0xFF) / 255.0f;
-	const float b = static_cast<float>(rgb & 0xFF) / 255.0f;
-	return {r, g, b, a};
-}
-
-namespace kte {
-// Background mode selection for light/dark palettes
-enum class BackgroundMode { Light, Dark };
-
-// Global background mode; default to Dark to match prior defaults
-static inline auto gBackgroundMode = BackgroundMode::Dark;
-
-
-static inline void
-SetBackgroundMode(const BackgroundMode m)
-{
-	gBackgroundMode = m;
-}
-
-
-static inline BackgroundMode
-GetBackgroundMode()
-{
-	return gBackgroundMode;
-}
-
-
-// Minimal GUI palette for Qt builds. This mirrors the defaults used in the ImGui
-// frontend (Nord-ish) and switches for light/dark background mode.
-struct Palette {
-	KteColor bg; // editor background
-	KteColor fg; // default foreground text
-	KteColor sel_bg; // selection background
-	KteColor cur_bg; // cursor cell background
-	KteColor status_bg; // status bar background
-	KteColor status_fg; // status bar foreground
-};
-
-// Optional theme override (Qt): when set, GetPalette() will return this instead
-// of the generic light/dark defaults. This allows honoring theme names in kge.ini.
-static inline bool gPaletteOverride = false;
-static inline Palette gOverridePalette{};
-static inline std::string gOverrideThemeName = ""; // lowercased name
-
-static inline Palette
-GetPalette()
-{
-	const bool dark = (GetBackgroundMode() == BackgroundMode::Dark);
-	if (gPaletteOverride) {
-		return gOverridePalette;
-	}
-	if (dark) {
-		return Palette{
-			/*bg*/ RGBA(0x1C1C1E),
-			/*fg*/ RGBA(0xDCDCDC),
-			/*sel_bg*/ RGBA(0xC8C800, 0.35f),
-			/*cur_bg*/ RGBA(0xC8C8FF, 0.50f),
-			/*status_bg*/ RGBA(0x28282C),
-			/*status_fg*/ RGBA(0xB4B48C)
-		};
-	} else {
-		// Light palette tuned for readability
-		return Palette{
-			/*bg*/ RGBA(0xFBFBFC),
-			/*fg*/ RGBA(0x30343A),
-			/*sel_bg*/ RGBA(0x268BD2, 0.22f),
-			/*cur_bg*/ RGBA(0x000000, 0.15f),
-			/*status_bg*/ RGBA(0xE6E8EA),
-			/*status_fg*/ RGBA(0x50555A)
-		};
-	}
-}
-
-
-// A few named palettes to provide visible differences between themes in Qt.
-// These are approximate and palette-based (no widget style changes like ImGuiStyle).
-static inline Palette
-NordDark()
-{
-	return {
-		/*bg*/RGBA(0x2E3440), /*fg*/RGBA(0xD8DEE9), /*sel_bg*/RGBA(0x88C0D0, 0.25f),
-		/*cur_bg*/RGBA(0x81A1C1, 0.35f), /*status_bg*/RGBA(0x3B4252), /*status_fg*/RGBA(0xE5E9F0)
-	};
-}
-
-
-static inline Palette
-NordLight()
-{
-	return {
-		/*bg*/RGBA(0xECEFF4), /*fg*/RGBA(0x2E3440), /*sel_bg*/RGBA(0x5E81AC, 0.22f),
-		/*cur_bg*/RGBA(0x000000, 0.12f), /*status_bg*/RGBA(0xE5E9F0), /*status_fg*/RGBA(0x4C566A)
-	};
-}
-
-
-static inline Palette
-SolarizedDark()
-{
-	return {
-		/*bg*/RGBA(0x002b36), /*fg*/RGBA(0x93a1a1), /*sel_bg*/RGBA(0x586e75, 0.40f),
-		/*cur_bg*/RGBA(0x657b83, 0.35f), /*status_bg*/RGBA(0x073642), /*status_fg*/RGBA(0xeee8d5)
-	};
-}
-
-
-static inline Palette
-SolarizedLight()
-{
-	return {
-		/*bg*/RGBA(0xfdf6e3), /*fg*/RGBA(0x586e75), /*sel_bg*/RGBA(0x268bd2, 0.25f),
-		/*cur_bg*/RGBA(0x000000, 0.10f), /*status_bg*/RGBA(0xeee8d5), /*status_fg*/RGBA(0x657b83)
-	};
-}
-
-
-static inline Palette
-GruvboxDark()
-{
-	return {
-		/*bg*/RGBA(0x282828), /*fg*/RGBA(0xebdbb2), /*sel_bg*/RGBA(0xd79921, 0.35f),
-		/*cur_bg*/RGBA(0x458588, 0.40f), /*status_bg*/RGBA(0x3c3836), /*status_fg*/RGBA(0xd5c4a1)
-	};
-}
-
-
-static inline Palette
-GruvboxLight()
-{
-	return {
-		/*bg*/RGBA(0xfbf1c7), /*fg*/RGBA(0x3c3836), /*sel_bg*/RGBA(0x076678, 0.22f),
-		/*cur_bg*/RGBA(0x000000, 0.10f), /*status_bg*/RGBA(0xebdbb2), /*status_fg*/RGBA(0x504945)
-	};
-}
-
-
-static inline Palette
-EInk()
-{
-	return {
-		/*bg*/RGBA(0xffffff), /*fg*/RGBA(0x000000), /*sel_bg*/RGBA(0x000000, 0.10f),
-		/*cur_bg*/RGBA(0x000000, 0.12f), /*status_bg*/RGBA(0x000000), /*status_fg*/RGBA(0xffffff)
-	};
-}
-
-
-// Apply a Qt theme by name. Returns true on success. Name matching is case-insensitive and
-// supports common aliases (e.g., "solarized-light" or "solarized light"). If the name conveys
-// a background (light/dark), BackgroundMode is updated to keep SyntaxInk consistent.
-static inline bool
-ApplyQtThemeByName(std::string name)
-{
-	// normalize
-	std::transform(name.begin(), name.end(), name.begin(), [](unsigned char c) {
-		return (char) std::tolower(c);
-	});
-	auto has = [&](const std::string &s) {
-		return name.find(s) != std::string::npos;
-	};
-
-	if (name.empty() || name == "default" || name == "nord") {
-		// Choose variant by current background mode
-		if (GetBackgroundMode() == BackgroundMode::Dark) {
-			gOverridePalette = NordDark();
-		} else {
-			gOverridePalette = NordLight();
-		}
-		gPaletteOverride   = true;
-		gOverrideThemeName = "nord";
-		return true;
-	}
-
-	if (has("solarized")) {
-		if (has("light")) {
-			SetBackgroundMode(BackgroundMode::Light);
-			gOverridePalette = SolarizedLight();
-		} else if (has("dark")) {
-			SetBackgroundMode(BackgroundMode::Dark);
-			gOverridePalette = SolarizedDark();
-		} else {
-			// pick from current background
-			gOverridePalette = (GetBackgroundMode() == BackgroundMode::Dark)
-				                   ? SolarizedDark()
-				                   : SolarizedLight();
-		}
-		gPaletteOverride   = true;
-		gOverrideThemeName = "solarized";
-		return true;
-	}
-
-	if (has("gruvbox")) {
-		if (has("light")) {
-			SetBackgroundMode(BackgroundMode::Light);
-			gOverridePalette = GruvboxLight();
-		} else if (has("dark")) {
-			SetBackgroundMode(BackgroundMode::Dark);
-			gOverridePalette = GruvboxDark();
-		} else {
-			gOverridePalette = (GetBackgroundMode() == BackgroundMode::Dark)
-				                   ? GruvboxDark()
-				                   : GruvboxLight();
-		}
-		gPaletteOverride   = true;
-		gOverrideThemeName = "gruvbox";
-		return true;
-	}
-
-	if (has("eink") || has("e-ink") || has("paper")) {
-		SetBackgroundMode(BackgroundMode::Light);
-		gOverridePalette   = EInk();
-		gPaletteOverride   = true;
-		gOverrideThemeName = "eink";
-		return true;
-	}
-
-	// Unknown -> clear override so default light/dark applies; return false.
-	gPaletteOverride = false;
-	gOverrideThemeName.clear();
-	return false;
-}
-
-
-// Minimal SyntaxInk mapping for Qt builds, returning KteColor
-[[maybe_unused]] static KteColor
-SyntaxInk(const TokenKind k)
-{
-	const bool dark    = (GetBackgroundMode() == BackgroundMode::Dark);
-	const KteColor def = dark ? RGBA(0xD8DEE9) : RGBA(0x2E3440);
-	switch (k) {
-	case TokenKind::Keyword:
-		return dark ? RGBA(0x81A1C1) : RGBA(0x5E81AC);
-	case TokenKind::Type:
-		return dark ? RGBA(0x8FBCBB) : RGBA(0x4C566A);
-	case TokenKind::String:
-		return dark ? RGBA(0xA3BE8C) : RGBA(0x6C8E5E);
-	case TokenKind::Char:
-		return dark ? RGBA(0xA3BE8C) : RGBA(0x6C8E5E);
-	case TokenKind::Comment:
-		return dark ? RGBA(0x616E88) : RGBA(0x7A869A);
-	case TokenKind::Number:
-		return dark ? RGBA(0xEBCB8B) : RGBA(0xB58900);
-	case TokenKind::Preproc:
-		return dark ? RGBA(0xD08770) : RGBA(0xAF3A03);
-	case TokenKind::Constant:
-		return dark ? RGBA(0xB48EAD) : RGBA(0x7B4B7F);
-	case TokenKind::Function:
-		return dark ? RGBA(0x88C0D0) : RGBA(0x3465A4);
-	case TokenKind::Operator:
-		return dark ? RGBA(0x2E3440) : RGBA(0x2E3440);
-	case TokenKind::Punctuation:
-		return dark ? RGBA(0xECEFF4) : RGBA(0x2E3440);
-	case TokenKind::Identifier:
-		return def;
-	case TokenKind::Whitespace:
-		return def;
-	case TokenKind::Error:
-		return dark ? RGBA(0xBF616A) : RGBA(0xCC0000);
-	case TokenKind::Default: default:
-		return def;
-	}
-}
-} // namespace kte
-
-#else
-
 #include <imgui.h>
 #include <vector>
 #include <memory>
@@ -312,7 +22,7 @@ namespace kte {
 enum class BackgroundMode { Light, Dark };
 
 // Global background mode; default to Dark to match prior defaults
-static inline auto gBackgroundMode = BackgroundMode::Dark;
+inline auto gBackgroundMode = BackgroundMode::Dark;
 
 // Basic theme identifier (kept minimal; some ids are aliases)
 enum class ThemeId {
@@ -330,11 +40,13 @@ enum class ThemeId {
 	Amber = 10,
 	WeylandYutani = 11,
 	Orbital = 12,
+	Tufte = 13,
+	Leuchtturm = 14,
 };
 
 // Current theme tracking
-static inline auto gCurrentTheme             = ThemeId::Nord;
+inline auto gCurrentTheme             = ThemeId::Nord;
-static inline std::size_t gCurrentThemeIndex = 6; // Nord index
+inline std::size_t gCurrentThemeIndex = 7; // Nord index
 
 // Forward declarations for helpers used below
 static size_t ThemeIndexFromId(ThemeId id);
@@ -372,11 +84,13 @@ BackgroundModeName()
 #include "themes/Everforest.h"
 #include "themes/KanagawaPaper.h"
 #include "themes/LCARS.h"
+#include "themes/Leuchtturm.h"
 #include "themes/OldBook.h"
 #include "themes/Amber.h"
 #include "themes/WeylandYutani.h"
 #include "themes/Zenburn.h"
 #include "themes/Orbital.h"
+#include "themes/Tufte.h"
 
 
 // Theme abstraction and registry (generalized theme system)
@@ -409,6 +123,28 @@ struct LCARSTheme final : Theme {
 	}
 };
 
+struct LeuchtturmTheme final : Theme {
+	[[nodiscard]] const char *Name() const override
+	{
+		return "leuchtturm";
+	}
+
+
+	void Apply() const override
+	{
+		if (gBackgroundMode == BackgroundMode::Dark)
+			ApplyLeuchtturmDarkTheme();
+		else
+			ApplyLeuchtturmLightTheme();
+	}
+
+
+	ThemeId Id() override
+	{
+		return ThemeId::Leuchtturm;
+	}
+};
+
 struct EverforestTheme final : Theme {
 	[[nodiscard]] const char *Name() const override
 	{
@@ -488,6 +224,28 @@ struct OrbitalTheme final : Theme {
 	}
 };
 
+struct TufteTheme final : Theme {
+	[[nodiscard]] const char *Name() const override
+	{
+		return "tufte";
+	}
+
+
+	void Apply() const override
+	{
+		if (gBackgroundMode == BackgroundMode::Dark)
+			ApplyTufteDarkTheme();
+		else
+			ApplyTufteLightTheme();
+	}
+
+
+	ThemeId Id() override
+	{
+		return ThemeId::Tufte;
+	}
+};
+
 struct ZenburnTheme final : Theme {
 	[[nodiscard]] const char *Name() const override
 	{
@@ -657,18 +415,20 @@ ThemeRegistry()
 	static std::vector<std::unique_ptr<Theme> > reg;
 	if (reg.empty()) {
 		// Alphabetical by canonical name:
-		// amber, eink, everforest, gruvbox, kanagawa-paper, lcars, nord, old-book, orbital, plan9, solarized, weyland-yutani, zenburn
+		// amber, eink, everforest, gruvbox, kanagawa-paper, lcars, leuchtturm, nord, old-book, orbital, plan9, solarized, tufte, weyland-yutani, zenburn
 		reg.emplace_back(std::make_unique<detail::AmberTheme>());
 		reg.emplace_back(std::make_unique<detail::EInkTheme>());
 		reg.emplace_back(std::make_unique<detail::EverforestTheme>());
 		reg.emplace_back(std::make_unique<detail::GruvboxTheme>());
 		reg.emplace_back(std::make_unique<detail::KanagawaPaperTheme>());
 		reg.emplace_back(std::make_unique<detail::LCARSTheme>());
+		reg.emplace_back(std::make_unique<detail::LeuchtturmTheme>());
 		reg.emplace_back(std::make_unique<detail::NordTheme>());
 		reg.emplace_back(std::make_unique<detail::OldBookTheme>());
 		reg.emplace_back(std::make_unique<detail::OrbitalTheme>());
 		reg.emplace_back(std::make_unique<detail::Plan9Theme>());
 		reg.emplace_back(std::make_unique<detail::SolarizedTheme>());
+		reg.emplace_back(std::make_unique<detail::TufteTheme>());
 		reg.emplace_back(std::make_unique<detail::WeylandYutaniTheme>());
 		reg.emplace_back(std::make_unique<detail::ZenburnTheme>());
 	}
@@ -845,20 +605,24 @@ ThemeIndexFromId(const ThemeId id)
 		return 4;
 	case ThemeId::LCARS:
 		return 5;
-	case ThemeId::Nord:
+	case ThemeId::Leuchtturm:
 		return 6;
-	case ThemeId::OldBook:
+	case ThemeId::Nord:
 		return 7;
-	case ThemeId::Orbital:
+	case ThemeId::OldBook:
 		return 8;
-	case ThemeId::Plan9:
+	case ThemeId::Orbital:
 		return 9;
-	case ThemeId::Solarized:
+	case ThemeId::Plan9:
 		return 10;
-	case ThemeId::WeylandYutani:
+	case ThemeId::Solarized:
 		return 11;
-	case ThemeId::Zenburn:
+	case ThemeId::Tufte:
 		return 12;
+	case ThemeId::WeylandYutani:
+		return 13;
+	case ThemeId::Zenburn:
+		return 14;
 	}
 	return 0;
 }
@@ -882,30 +646,144 @@ ThemeIdFromIndex(const size_t idx)
 	case 5:
 		return ThemeId::LCARS;
 	case 6:
-		return ThemeId::Nord;
+		return ThemeId::Leuchtturm;
 	case 7:
-		return ThemeId::OldBook;
+		return ThemeId::Nord;
 	case 8:
-		return ThemeId::Orbital;
+		return ThemeId::OldBook;
 	case 9:
-		return ThemeId::Plan9;
+		return ThemeId::Orbital;
 	case 10:
-		return ThemeId::Solarized;
+		return ThemeId::Plan9;
 	case 11:
-		return ThemeId::WeylandYutani;
+		return ThemeId::Solarized;
 	case 12:
+		return ThemeId::Tufte;
+	case 13:
+		return ThemeId::WeylandYutani;
+	case 14:
 		return ThemeId::Zenburn;
 	}
 }
 
 
 // --- Syntax palette (v1): map TokenKind to ink color per current theme/background ---
+
+// Tufte palette: high-contrast, restrained color. Body text is true black on
+// cream; only keywords and links get subtle color to avoid a "christmas tree."
+static ImVec4
+SyntaxInkTufte(const TokenKind k, const bool dark)
+{
+	const ImVec4 ink  = dark ? RGBA(0xEAE6DE) : RGBA(0x111111); // body text
+	const ImVec4 dim  = dark ? RGBA(0x8A8680) : RGBA(0x555555); // comments
+	const ImVec4 red  = dark ? RGBA(0xD06060) : RGBA(0x8B0000); // keywords/preproc
+	const ImVec4 navy = dark ? RGBA(0x7098C0) : RGBA(0x1A3A5C); // functions/links
+	const ImVec4 grn  = dark ? RGBA(0x8AAA6E) : RGBA(0x2E5E2E); // strings
+	switch (k) {
+	case TokenKind::Keyword:
+	case TokenKind::Preproc:
+		return red;
+	case TokenKind::String:
+	case TokenKind::Char:
+		return grn;
+	case TokenKind::Comment:
+		return dim;
+	case TokenKind::Function:
+		return navy;
+	case TokenKind::Number:
+	case TokenKind::Constant:
+		return dark ? RGBA(0xC8A85A) : RGBA(0x6B4C00);
+	case TokenKind::Type:
+		return dark ? RGBA(0xBBAA90) : RGBA(0x333333);
+	case TokenKind::Error:
+		return dark ? RGBA(0xD06060) : RGBA(0xCC0000);
+	default:
+		return ink;
+	}
+}
+
+
+// Leuchtturm palette: blue-black fountain pen ink with brass and bronze accents.
+// Body text is ink-colored; accents drawn from the pen metals.
+static ImVec4
+SyntaxInkLeuchtturm(const TokenKind k, const bool dark)
+{
+	const ImVec4 ink   = dark ? RGBA(0xE5DDD0) : RGBA(0x040720); // fountain pen ink
+	const ImVec4 dim   = dark ? RGBA(0x7A7060) : RGBA(0x6A6558); // comments
+	const ImVec4 brass = dark ? RGBA(0xB8A060) : RGBA(0x504518); // patinated brass
+	const ImVec4 bronze= dark ? RGBA(0xC08050) : RGBA(0x5C3010); // dark bronze
+	const ImVec4 navy  = dark ? RGBA(0x8898B0) : RGBA(0x1C2E4A); // deep navy
+	switch (k) {
+	case TokenKind::Keyword:
+	case TokenKind::Preproc:
+		return brass;
+	case TokenKind::String:
+	case TokenKind::Char:
+		return bronze;
+	case TokenKind::Comment:
+		return dim;
+	case TokenKind::Function:
+		return navy;
+	case TokenKind::Number:
+	case TokenKind::Constant:
+		return dark ? RGBA(0xA89060) : RGBA(0x483C10);
+	case TokenKind::Type:
+		return dark ? RGBA(0xC0B898) : RGBA(0x222238);
+	case TokenKind::Error:
+		return dark ? RGBA(0xD06060) : RGBA(0xA02020);
+	default:
+		return ink;
+	}
+}
+
+
+// Everforest: warm forest palette on dark green-gray (bg 0x2B3339).
+// Default comment color (0x616E88) is too dim; boost it and tune others.
+static ImVec4
+SyntaxInkEverforest(const TokenKind k)
+{
+	switch (k) {
+	case TokenKind::Keyword:
+		return RGBA(0xE67E80); // everforest red
+	case TokenKind::Type:
+		return RGBA(0xD699B6); // everforest purple
+	case TokenKind::String:
+	case TokenKind::Char:
+		return RGBA(0xA7C080); // everforest green
+	case TokenKind::Comment:
+		return RGBA(0x859289); // boosted from 0x616E88 for contrast
+	case TokenKind::Number:
+	case TokenKind::Constant:
+		return RGBA(0xD8A657); // everforest yellow/orange
+	case TokenKind::Preproc:
+		return RGBA(0xE69875); // everforest orange
+	case TokenKind::Function:
+		return RGBA(0x83C092); // everforest aqua
+	case TokenKind::Operator:
+	case TokenKind::Punctuation:
+		return RGBA(0xD3C6AA); // everforest fg
+	case TokenKind::Error:
+		return RGBA(0xE67E80);
+	default:
+		return RGBA(0xD3C6AA); // everforest fg
+	}
+}
+
+
 [[maybe_unused]] static ImVec4
 SyntaxInk(const TokenKind k)
 {
-	// Basic palettes for dark/light backgrounds; tuned for Nord-ish defaults
 	const bool dark = (GetBackgroundMode() == BackgroundMode::Dark);
-	// Base text
+
+	// Per-theme syntax palettes
+	if (gCurrentTheme == ThemeId::Tufte)
+		return SyntaxInkTufte(k, dark);
+	if (gCurrentTheme == ThemeId::Leuchtturm)
+		return SyntaxInkLeuchtturm(k, dark);
+	if (gCurrentTheme == ThemeId::Everforest)
+		return SyntaxInkEverforest(k);
+
+	// Default palettes tuned for Nord-ish themes
 	const ImVec4 def = dark ? RGBA(0xD8DEE9) : RGBA(0x2E3440);
 	switch (k) {
 	case TokenKind::Keyword:
@@ -941,5 +819,3 @@ SyntaxInk(const TokenKind k)
 	}
 }
 } // namespace kte
-
-#endif // KTE_USE_QT

HelpText.cc

@@ -22,21 +22,26 @@ HelpText::Text()
 		"  C-k '        Toggle read-only\n"
 		"  C-k -        Unindent region (mark required)\n"
 		"  C-k =        Indent region (mark required)\n"
+		"  C-k /        Toggle visual line mode\n"
 		"  C-k ;        Command prompt (:\\ )\n"
+		"  C-k SPACE    Toggle mark\n"
 		"  C-k C-d      Kill entire line\n"
 		"  C-k C-q      Quit now (no confirm)\n"
+		"  C-k C-s      Save\n"
 		"  C-k C-x      Save and quit\n"
 		"  C-k a        Mark start of file, jump to end\n"
 		"  C-k b        Switch buffer\n"
 		"  C-k c        Close current buffer\n"
 		"  C-k d        Kill to end of line\n"
 		"  C-k e        Open file (prompt)\n"
-		"  C-k i        New empty buffer\n"
 		"  C-k f        Flush kill ring\n"
 		"  C-k g        Jump to line\n"
 		"  C-k h        Show this help\n"
+		"  C-k i        New empty buffer\n"
 		"  C-k j        Jump to mark\n"
+		"  C-k k        Center viewport on cursor\n"
 		"  C-k l        Reload buffer from disk\n"
+		"  C-k m        Toggle edit mode (code/writing)\n"
 		"  C-k n        Previous buffer\n"
 		"  C-k o        Change working directory (prompt)\n"
 		"  C-k p        Next buffer\n"
@@ -60,6 +65,10 @@ HelpText::Text()
 		"  ESC BACKSPACE Delete previous word (Alt-Backspace)\n"
 		"  ESC q        Reflow paragraph\n"
 		"\n"
+		"Universal argument:\n"
+		"  C-u           Begin repeat count (then type digits); C-u alone multiplies by 4\n"
+		"  C-u N <cmd>   Repeat <cmd> N times (e.g., C-u 8 C-f moves right 8 chars)\n"
+		"\n"
 		"Control keys:\n"
 		"  C-a C-e      Line start / end\n"
 		"  C-b C-f      Move left / right\n"
@@ -71,12 +80,32 @@ HelpText::Text()
 		"  C-t          Regex search & replace\n"
 		"  C-h          Search & replace\n"
 		"  C-l / C-g    Refresh / Cancel\n"
-		"  C-u [digits] Universal argument (repeat count)\n"
 		"\n"
 		"Buffers:\n  +HELP+ is read-only. Press C-k ' to toggle; C-k h restores it.\n"
 		"\n"
-		"GUI appearance (command prompt):\n"
+		"Edit modes:\n"
-		"  : theme NAME         Set GUI theme (amber, eink, everforest, gruvbox, kanagawa-paper, lcars, nord, old-book, plan9, solarized, weyland-yutani, zenburn)\n"
+		"  code         Monospace font (default for source files)\n"
-		"  : background MODE    Set background: light | dark (affects eink, gruvbox, old-book, solarized)\n"
+		"  writing      Proportional font (auto for .txt, .md, .rst, .org, .tex)\n"
+		"  C-k m or : mode [code|writing] to toggle\n"
+		"\n"
+		"GUI commands (command prompt):\n"
+		"  : theme NAME         Set theme (amber, eink, everforest, gruvbox,\n"
+		"                       kanagawa-paper, lcars, leuchtturm, nord, old-book,\n"
+		"                       orbital, plan9, solarized, tufte, weyland-yutani,\n"
+		"                       zenburn)\n"
+		"  : background MODE    Background: light | dark\n"
+		"  : font NAME          Set font (tab completes)\n"
+		"  : font-size NUM      Set font size in pixels\n"
+		"  : mode [code|writing] Toggle or set edit mode\n"
+		"\n"
+		"Configuration:\n"
+		"  Config file: ~/.config/kte/kge.toml (see CONFIG.md)\n"
+		"  Legacy kge.ini is also supported.\n"
+		"\n"
+		"GUI window management:\n"
+		"  Cmd+N (macOS)        Open a new editor window sharing the same buffers\n"
+		"  Ctrl+Shift+N (Linux) Open a new editor window sharing the same buffers\n"
+		"  Close window         Secondary windows close independently; closing the\n"
+		"                       primary window quits the editor\n"
 	);
 }

Highlight.h

@@ -1,7 +1,10 @@
 // Highlight.h - core syntax highlighting types for kte
 #pragma once
 
+#include <algorithm>
+#include <cstddef>
 #include <cstdint>
+#include <string_view>
 #include <vector>
 
 namespace kte {
@@ -34,4 +37,43 @@ struct LineHighlight {
 	std::vector<HighlightSpan> spans;
 	std::uint64_t version{0}; // buffer version used for this line
 };
+
+
+// A line's spans ready to draw: clamped to the line, ordered by start, not
+// overlapping (the earlier span wins), and widened to whole UTF-8
+// characters. Highlighters may emit one span per byte of a non-ASCII
+// character; drawn separately, each byte showed as a replacement glyph.
+inline void
+SanitizeSpans(std::string_view line, const std::vector<HighlightSpan> &in, std::vector<HighlightSpan> &out)
+{
+	out.clear();
+	const long len = static_cast<long>(line.size());
+	for (const HighlightSpan &sp: in) {
+		long s = std::clamp<long>(std::min(sp.col_start, sp.col_end), 0, len);
+		long e = std::clamp<long>(std::max(sp.col_start, sp.col_end), 0, len);
+		if (e > s)
+			out.push_back(HighlightSpan{static_cast<int>(s), static_cast<int>(e), sp.kind});
+	}
+	std::stable_sort(out.begin(), out.end(), [](const HighlightSpan &a, const HighlightSpan &b) {
+		return a.col_start < b.col_start;
+	});
+	auto continuation = [&](long i) {
+		return i < len && (static_cast<unsigned char>(line[static_cast<std::size_t>(i)]) & 0xC0) == 0x80;
+	};
+	std::size_t w = 0;
+	long prev_end = 0;
+	for (const HighlightSpan &sp: out) {
+		long s = sp.col_start, e = sp.col_end;
+		while (s > 0 && continuation(s))
+			--s;
+		while (e < len && continuation(e))
+			++e;
+		s = std::max(s, prev_end);
+		if (e <= s)
+			continue;
+		out[w++] = HighlightSpan{static_cast<int>(s), static_cast<int>(e), sp.kind};
+		prev_end = e;
+	}
+	out.resize(w);
+}
 } // namespace kte

ImGuiFrontend.cc

@@ -19,8 +19,6 @@
 #include "fonts/Font.h" // embedded default font (DefaultFont)
 #include "fonts/FontRegistry.h"
 #include "fonts/IosevkaExtended.h"
-#include "syntax/HighlighterRegistry.h"
-#include "syntax/NullHighlighter.h"
 
 
 #ifndef KTE_FONT_SIZE
@@ -29,21 +27,141 @@
 
 static auto kGlslVersion = "#version 150"; // GL 3.2 core (macOS compatible)
 
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Helpers
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+static void
+apply_syntax_to_buffer(Buffer *b, const GUIConfig &cfg)
+{
+	if (!b)
+		return;
+
+	// Auto-detect edit mode from file extension once per buffer so that
+	// manual toggles (C-k m / : mode) are not overridden every frame.
+	if (!b->EditModeDetected() && !b->Filename().empty())
+		b->SetEditMode(DetectEditMode(b->Filename()));
+
+	// If the user explicitly set syntax state via a command (:syntax on/off,
+	// :set filetype=...), leave it alone - otherwise this runs every frame
+	// and silently undoes a manual ":syntax off" on the very next frame.
+	if (b->SyntaxUserOverride())
+		return;
+
+	// Writing mode disables syntax; otherwise follow the global config.
+	if (cfg.syntax && b->GetEditMode() != EditMode::Writing) {
+		b->SetSyntaxEnabled(true);
+		b->EnsureHighlighter();
+		if (!b->Highlighter()->HasHighlighter())
+			b->ApplyDetectedFiletype();
+	} else {
+		b->SetSyntaxEnabled(false);
+	}
+}
+
+
+// Update editor logical rows/cols from current ImGui metrics for a given display size.
+static void
+update_editor_dimensions(Editor &ed, float disp_w, float disp_h)
+{
+	float row_h = ImGui::GetTextLineHeightWithSpacing();
+	// Use average character width rather than "M" (the widest character)
+	// so that column count is reasonable for proportional fonts too.
+	float ch_w  = ImGui::CalcTextSize("abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz").x / 26.0f;
+	if (row_h <= 0.0f)
+		row_h = 16.0f;
+	if (ch_w <= 0.0f)
+		ch_w = 8.0f;
+
+	const float pad_x = 6.0f;
+	const float pad_y = 6.0f;
+
+	float wanted_bar_h   = ImGui::GetFrameHeight();
+	float total_avail_h  = std::max(0.0f, disp_h - 2.0f * pad_y);
+	float actual_avail_h = std::floor((total_avail_h - wanted_bar_h) / row_h) * row_h;
+
+	auto content_rows = static_cast<std::size_t>(std::max(0.0f, std::floor(actual_avail_h / row_h)));
+	std::size_t rows  = content_rows + 1;
+
+	float avail_w    = std::max(0.0f, disp_w - 2.0f * pad_x);
+	std::size_t cols = static_cast<std::size_t>(std::max(1.0f, std::floor(avail_w / ch_w)));
+
+	if (rows != ed.Rows() || cols != ed.Cols()) {
+		ed.SetDimensions(rows, cols);
+	}
+}
+
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// SetupImGuiStyle_ — apply theme, fonts, and flags to the current ImGui context
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+void
+GUIFrontend::SetupImGuiStyle_()
+{
+	ImGuiIO &io = ImGui::GetIO();
+
+	// Disable imgui.ini for secondary windows (primary sets its own path in Init)
+	io.IniFilename = nullptr;
+
+	io.ConfigFlags |= ImGuiConfigFlags_NavEnableKeyboard;
+	io.ConfigFlags |= ImGuiConfigFlags_NavEnableGamepad;
+	ImGui::StyleColorsDark();
+
+	if (config_.background == "light")
+		kte::SetBackgroundMode(kte::BackgroundMode::Light);
+	else
+		kte::SetBackgroundMode(kte::BackgroundMode::Dark);
+	kte::ApplyThemeByName(config_.theme);
+
+	// Load fonts into this context's font atlas.
+	// Font registry is global and already populated by Init; just load into this atlas.
+	if (!kte::Fonts::FontRegistry::Instance().LoadFont(config_.font, (float) config_.font_size)) {
+		LoadGuiFont_(nullptr, (float) config_.font_size);
+	}
+}
+
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Destroy a single window's ImGui context + SDL/GL resources
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+void
+GUIFrontend::DestroyWindowResources_(WindowState &ws)
+{
+	if (ws.imgui_ctx) {
+		// Must activate this window's GL context before shutting down the
+		// OpenGL3 backend, otherwise it deletes another context's resources.
+		if (ws.window && ws.gl_ctx)
+			SDL_GL_MakeCurrent(ws.window, ws.gl_ctx);
+		ImGui::SetCurrentContext(ws.imgui_ctx);
+		ImGui_ImplOpenGL3_Shutdown();
+		ImGui_ImplSDL2_Shutdown();
+		ImGui::DestroyContext(ws.imgui_ctx);
+		ws.imgui_ctx = nullptr;
+	}
+	if (ws.gl_ctx) {
+		SDL_GL_DeleteContext(ws.gl_ctx);
+		ws.gl_ctx = nullptr;
+	}
+	if (ws.window) {
+		SDL_DestroyWindow(ws.window);
+		ws.window = nullptr;
+	}
+}
+
+
 bool
 GUIFrontend::Init(int &argc, char **argv, Editor &ed)
 {
 	(void) argc;
 	(void) argv;
-	// Attach editor to input handler for editor-owned features (e.g., universal argument)
+
-	input_.Attach(&ed);
+	// Load GUI configuration (fullscreen, columns/rows, font size, theme, background)
-	// editor dimensions will be initialized during the first Step() frame
+	config_ = GUIConfig::Load();
+
 	if (SDL_Init(SDL_INIT_VIDEO | SDL_INIT_TIMER) != 0) {
 		return false;
 	}
 
-	// Load GUI configuration (fullscreen, columns/rows, font size, theme, background)
-	GUIConfig cfg = GUIConfig::Load();
-
 	// GL attributes for core profile
 	SDL_GL_SetAttribute(SDL_GL_CONTEXT_FLAGS, 0);
 	SDL_GL_SetAttribute(SDL_GL_CONTEXT_PROFILE_MASK, SDL_GL_CONTEXT_PROFILE_CORE);
@@ -56,159 +174,114 @@ GUIFrontend::Init(int &argc, char **argv, Editor &ed)
 	// Compute desired window size from config
 	Uint32 win_flags = SDL_WINDOW_OPENGL | SDL_WINDOW_RESIZABLE | SDL_WINDOW_ALLOW_HIGHDPI;
 
-	if (cfg.fullscreen) {
+	int init_w = 1280, init_h = 800;
-		// "Fullscreen": fill the usable bounds of the primary display.
+	if (config_.fullscreen) {
-		// On macOS, do NOT use true fullscreen so the menu/status bar remains visible.
 		SDL_Rect usable{};
 		if (SDL_GetDisplayUsableBounds(0, &usable) == 0) {
-			width_  = usable.w;
+			init_w = usable.w;
-			height_ = usable.h;
+			init_h = usable.h;
 		}
 #if !defined(__APPLE__)
-		// Non-macOS: desktop fullscreen uses the current display resolution.
 		win_flags |= SDL_WINDOW_FULLSCREEN_DESKTOP;
 #endif
 	} else {
-		// Windowed: width = columns * font_size, height = (rows * 2) * font_size
+		int w = config_.columns * static_cast<int>(config_.font_size);
-		int w = cfg.columns * static_cast<int>(cfg.font_size);
+		int h = config_.rows * static_cast<int>(config_.font_size * 1.2);
-		int h = cfg.rows * static_cast<int>(cfg.font_size * 1.2);
-
-		// As a safety, clamp to display usable bounds if retrievable
 		SDL_Rect usable{};
 		if (SDL_GetDisplayUsableBounds(0, &usable) == 0) {
 			w = std::min(w, usable.w);
 			h = std::min(h, usable.h);
 		}
-		width_  = std::max(320, w);
+		init_w = std::max(320, w);
-		height_ = std::max(200, h);
+		init_h = std::max(200, h);
 	}
 
 	SDL_SetHint(SDL_HINT_VIDEO_ALLOW_SCREENSAVER, "1");
-	window_ = SDL_CreateWindow(
+	SDL_Window *win = SDL_CreateWindow(
 		"kge - kyle's graphical editor " KTE_VERSION_STR,
 		SDL_WINDOWPOS_CENTERED, SDL_WINDOWPOS_CENTERED,
-		width_, height_,
+		init_w, init_h,
 		win_flags);
-	if (!window_) {
+	if (!win) {
 		return false;
 	}
 
 	SDL_EnableScreenSaver();
 
 #if defined(__APPLE__)
-	// macOS: when "fullscreen" is requested, position the window at the
+	if (config_.fullscreen) {
-	// top-left of the usable display area to mimic fullscreen while keeping
-	// the system menu bar visible.
-	if (cfg.fullscreen) {
 		SDL_Rect usable{};
 		if (SDL_GetDisplayUsableBounds(0, &usable) == 0) {
-			SDL_SetWindowPosition(window_, usable.x, usable.y);
+			SDL_SetWindowPosition(win, usable.x, usable.y);
 		}
 	}
 #endif
 
-	gl_ctx_ = SDL_GL_CreateContext(window_);
+	SDL_GLContext gl_ctx = SDL_GL_CreateContext(win);
-	if (!gl_ctx_)
+	if (!gl_ctx) {
+		SDL_DestroyWindow(win);
 		return false;
-	SDL_GL_MakeCurrent(window_, gl_ctx_);
+	}
+	SDL_GL_MakeCurrent(win, gl_ctx);
 	SDL_GL_SetSwapInterval(1); // vsync
 
+	// Create primary ImGui context
 	IMGUI_CHECKVERSION();
-	ImGui::CreateContext();
+	ImGuiContext *imgui_ctx = ImGui::CreateContext();
 	ImGuiIO &io             = ImGui::GetIO();
 
 	// Set custom ini filename path to ~/.config/kte/imgui.ini
 	if (const char *home = std::getenv("HOME")) {
 		namespace fs = std::filesystem;
 		fs::path config_dir = fs::path(home) / ".config" / "kte";
-
 		std::error_code ec;
 		if (!fs::exists(config_dir)) {
 			fs::create_directories(config_dir, ec);
 		}
-
 		if (fs::exists(config_dir)) {
 			static std::string ini_path = (config_dir / "imgui.ini").string();
 			io.IniFilename              = ini_path.c_str();
 		}
 	}
 
-	io.ConfigFlags |= ImGuiConfigFlags_NavEnableKeyboard; // Enable Keyboard Controls
+	io.ConfigFlags |= ImGuiConfigFlags_NavEnableKeyboard;
-	io.ConfigFlags |= ImGuiConfigFlags_NavEnableGamepad; // Enable Gamepad Controls
+	io.ConfigFlags |= ImGuiConfigFlags_NavEnableGamepad;
 	ImGui::StyleColorsDark();
 
-	// Apply background mode and selected theme (default: Nord). Can be changed at runtime via commands.
+	if (config_.background == "light")
-	if (cfg.background == "light")
 		kte::SetBackgroundMode(kte::BackgroundMode::Light);
 	else
 		kte::SetBackgroundMode(kte::BackgroundMode::Dark);
-	kte::ApplyThemeByName(cfg.theme);
+	kte::ApplyThemeByName(config_.theme);
 
-	// Apply default syntax highlighting preference from GUI config to the current buffer
+	apply_syntax_to_buffer(ed.CurrentBuffer(), config_);
-	if (Buffer *b = ed.CurrentBuffer()) {
-		if (cfg.syntax) {
-			b->SetSyntaxEnabled(true);
-			// Ensure a highlighter is available if possible
-			b->EnsureHighlighter();
-			if (auto *eng = b->Highlighter()) {
-				if (!eng->HasHighlighter()) {
-					// Try detect from filename and first line; fall back to cpp or existing filetype
-					std::string first_line;
-					const auto &rows = b->Rows();
-					if (!rows.empty())
-						first_line = static_cast<std::string>(rows[0]);
-					std::string ft = kte::HighlighterRegistry::DetectForPath(
-						b->Filename(), first_line);
-					if (!ft.empty()) {
-						eng->SetHighlighter(kte::HighlighterRegistry::CreateFor(ft));
-						b->SetFiletype(ft);
-						eng->InvalidateFrom(0);
-					} else {
-						// Unknown/unsupported -> install a null highlighter to keep syntax enabled
-						eng->SetHighlighter(std::make_unique<kte::NullHighlighter>());
-						b->SetFiletype("");
-						eng->InvalidateFrom(0);
-					}
-				}
-			}
-		} else {
-			b->SetSyntaxEnabled(false);
-		}
-	}
 
-	if (!ImGui_ImplSDL2_InitForOpenGL(window_, gl_ctx_))
+	if (!ImGui_ImplSDL2_InitForOpenGL(win, gl_ctx))
 		return false;
 	if (!ImGui_ImplOpenGL3_Init(kGlslVersion))
 		return false;
 
-	// Cache initial window size; logical rows/cols will be computed in Step() once a valid ImGui frame exists
+	// Cache initial window size
 	int w, h;
-	SDL_GetWindowSize(window_, &w, &h);
+	SDL_GetWindowSize(win, &w, &h);
-	width_  = w;
+	init_w = w;
-	height_ = h;
+	init_h = h;
 
 #if defined(__APPLE__)
-	// Workaround: On macOS Retina when starting maximized, we sometimes get a
-	// subtle input vs draw alignment mismatch until the first manual resize.
-	// Nudge the window size by 1px and back to trigger a proper internal
-	// recomputation, without visible impact.
 	if (w > 1 && h > 1) {
-		SDL_SetWindowSize(window_, w - 1, h - 1);
+		SDL_SetWindowSize(win, w - 1, h - 1);
-		SDL_SetWindowSize(window_, w, h);
+		SDL_SetWindowSize(win, w, h);
-		// Update cached size in case backend reports immediately
+		SDL_GetWindowSize(win, &w, &h);
-		SDL_GetWindowSize(window_, &w, &h);
+		init_w = w;
-		width_  = w;
+		init_h = h;
-		height_ = h;
 	}
 #endif
 
-	// Install embedded fonts into registry and load configured font
+	// Install embedded fonts
 	kte::Fonts::InstallDefaultFonts();
-	// Initialize font atlas using configured font name and size; fallback to embedded default helper
+	if (!kte::Fonts::FontRegistry::Instance().LoadFont(config_.font, (float) config_.font_size)) {
-	if (!kte::Fonts::FontRegistry::Instance().LoadFont(cfg.font, (float) cfg.font_size)) {
+		LoadGuiFont_(nullptr, (float) config_.font_size);
-		LoadGuiFont_(nullptr, (float) cfg.font_size);
+		kte::Fonts::FontRegistry::Instance().RequestLoadFont("default", (float) config_.font_size);
-		// Record defaults in registry so subsequent size changes have a base
-		kte::Fonts::FontRegistry::Instance().RequestLoadFont("default", (float) cfg.font_size);
 		std::string n;
 		float s = 0.0f;
 		if (kte::Fonts::FontRegistry::Instance().ConsumePendingFontRequest(n, s)) {
@@ -216,6 +289,90 @@ GUIFrontend::Init(int &argc, char **argv, Editor &ed)
 		}
 	}
 
+	// Build primary WindowState
+	auto ws       = std::make_unique<WindowState>();
+	ws->window    = win;
+	ws->gl_ctx    = gl_ctx;
+	ws->imgui_ctx = imgui_ctx;
+	ws->width     = init_w;
+	ws->height    = init_h;
+	// The primary window's editor IS the editor passed in from main; we don't
+	// use ws->editor for the primary — instead we keep a pointer to &ed.
+	// We store a sentinel: window index 0 uses the external editor reference.
+	// To keep things simple, attach input to the passed-in editor.
+	ws->input.Attach(&ed);
+	windows_.push_back(std::move(ws));
+
+	return true;
+}
+
+
+bool
+GUIFrontend::OpenNewWindow_(Editor &primary)
+{
+	Uint32 win_flags = SDL_WINDOW_OPENGL | SDL_WINDOW_RESIZABLE | SDL_WINDOW_ALLOW_HIGHDPI;
+	int w            = windows_[0]->width;
+	int h            = windows_[0]->height;
+
+	SDL_Window *win = SDL_CreateWindow(
+		"kge - kyle's graphical editor " KTE_VERSION_STR,
+		SDL_WINDOWPOS_CENTERED, SDL_WINDOWPOS_CENTERED,
+		w, h,
+		win_flags);
+	if (!win)
+		return false;
+
+	SDL_GLContext gl_ctx = SDL_GL_CreateContext(win);
+	if (!gl_ctx) {
+		SDL_DestroyWindow(win);
+		return false;
+	}
+	SDL_GL_MakeCurrent(win, gl_ctx);
+	SDL_GL_SetSwapInterval(1);
+
+	// Each window gets its own ImGui context — ImGui requires exactly one
+	// NewFrame/Render cycle per context per frame.
+	ImGuiContext *imgui_ctx = ImGui::CreateContext();
+	ImGui::SetCurrentContext(imgui_ctx);
+
+	SetupImGuiStyle_();
+
+	if (!ImGui_ImplSDL2_InitForOpenGL(win, gl_ctx)) {
+		ImGui::DestroyContext(imgui_ctx);
+		SDL_GL_DeleteContext(gl_ctx);
+		SDL_DestroyWindow(win);
+		return false;
+	}
+	if (!ImGui_ImplOpenGL3_Init(kGlslVersion)) {
+		ImGui_ImplSDL2_Shutdown();
+		ImGui::DestroyContext(imgui_ctx);
+		SDL_GL_DeleteContext(gl_ctx);
+		SDL_DestroyWindow(win);
+		return false;
+	}
+
+	auto ws       = std::make_unique<WindowState>();
+	ws->window    = win;
+	ws->gl_ctx    = gl_ctx;
+	ws->imgui_ctx = imgui_ctx;
+	ws->width     = w;
+	ws->height    = h;
+
+	// Secondary editor shares the primary's buffer list
+	ws->editor.SetSharedBuffers(&primary.Buffers(), primary.Swap());
+	ws->editor.SetDimensions(primary.Rows(), primary.Cols());
+
+	// Open a new untitled buffer and switch to it in the new window.
+	ws->editor.AddBuffer(Buffer());
+	ws->editor.SwitchTo(ws->editor.BufferCount() - 1);
+
+	ws->input.Attach(&ws->editor);
+
+	windows_.push_back(std::move(ws));
+
+	// Restore primary context
+	ImGui::SetCurrentContext(windows_[0]->imgui_ctx);
+	SDL_GL_MakeCurrent(windows_[0]->window, windows_[0]->gl_ctx);
 	return true;
 }
 
@@ -223,137 +380,261 @@ GUIFrontend::Init(int &argc, char **argv, Editor &ed)
 void
 GUIFrontend::Step(Editor &ed, bool &running)
 {
+	// --- Event processing ---
+	// SDL events carry a window ID. Route each event to the correct window's
+	// ImGui context (for ImGui_ImplSDL2_ProcessEvent) and input handler.
 	SDL_Event e;
 	while (SDL_PollEvent(&e)) {
-		ImGui_ImplSDL2_ProcessEvent(&e);
+		// Determine which window this event belongs to
+		Uint32 event_win_id = 0;
 		switch (e.type) {
-		case SDL_QUIT:
-			running = false;
-			break;
 		case SDL_WINDOWEVENT:
-			if (e.window.event == SDL_WINDOWEVENT_SIZE_CHANGED) {
+			event_win_id = e.window.windowID;
-				width_  = e.window.data1;
+			break;
-				height_ = e.window.data2;
+		case SDL_KEYDOWN:
-			}
+		case SDL_KEYUP:
+			event_win_id = e.key.windowID;
+			break;
+		case SDL_TEXTINPUT:
+			event_win_id = e.text.windowID;
+			break;
+		case SDL_MOUSEBUTTONDOWN:
+		case SDL_MOUSEBUTTONUP:
+			event_win_id = e.button.windowID;
+			break;
+		case SDL_MOUSEWHEEL:
+			event_win_id = e.wheel.windowID;
+			break;
+		case SDL_MOUSEMOTION:
+			event_win_id = e.motion.windowID;
 			break;
 		default:
 			break;
 		}
-		// Map input to commands
+
-		input_.ProcessSDLEvent(e);
+		if (e.type == SDL_QUIT) {
+			running = false;
+			break;
 		}
 
-	// Apply pending font change before starting a new frame
+		// Find the target window and route the event to its ImGui context
+		WindowState *target = nullptr;
+		std::size_t target_idx = 0;
+		if (event_win_id != 0) {
+			for (std::size_t i = 0; i < windows_.size(); ++i) {
+				if (SDL_GetWindowID(windows_[i]->window) == event_win_id) {
+					target     = windows_[i].get();
+					target_idx = i;
+					break;
+				}
+			}
+		}
+
+		if (target && target->imgui_ctx) {
+			// Set this window's ImGui context so ImGui_ImplSDL2_ProcessEvent
+			// updates the correct IO state.
+			ImGui::SetCurrentContext(target->imgui_ctx);
+			ImGui_ImplSDL2_ProcessEvent(&e);
+		}
+
+		if (e.type == SDL_WINDOWEVENT) {
+			if (e.window.event == SDL_WINDOWEVENT_CLOSE) {
+				if (target) {
+					if (target_idx == 0) {
+						running = false;
+					} else {
+						target->alive = false;
+					}
+				}
+			} else if (e.window.event == SDL_WINDOWEVENT_SIZE_CHANGED) {
+				if (target) {
+					target->width  = e.window.data1;
+					target->height = e.window.data2;
+				}
+			}
+		}
+
+		// Route input events to the correct window's input handler
+		if (target) {
+			Editor &tgt_ed = (target_idx == 0) ? ed : target->editor;
+			if (tgt_ed.FilePickerVisible()) {
+				// Modal: don't let keystrokes fall through as edit commands
+				// to the buffer underneath. Escape closes the picker;
+				// everything else (navigation, filtering, double-click) is
+				// handled by the picker's own ImGui widgets via
+				// ImGui_ImplSDL2_ProcessEvent above.
+				if (e.type == SDL_KEYDOWN && e.key.keysym.sym == SDLK_ESCAPE) {
+					tgt_ed.SetFilePickerVisible(false);
+				}
+			} else {
+				target->input.ProcessSDLEvent(e);
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	if (!running)
+		return;
+
+	// --- Apply pending font change (to all contexts) ---
 	{
 		std::string fname;
 		float fsize = 0.0f;
 		if (kte::Fonts::FontRegistry::Instance().ConsumePendingFontRequest(fname, fsize)) {
 			if (!fname.empty() && fsize > 0.0f) {
+				for (auto &ws : windows_) {
+					if (!ws->alive || !ws->imgui_ctx)
+						continue;
+					ImGui::SetCurrentContext(ws->imgui_ctx);
+					SDL_GL_MakeCurrent(ws->window, ws->gl_ctx);
 					kte::Fonts::FontRegistry::Instance().LoadFont(fname, fsize);
-				// Recreate backend font texture
 					ImGui_ImplOpenGL3_DestroyFontsTexture();
 					ImGui_ImplOpenGL3_CreateFontsTexture();
 				}
 			}
 		}
+	}
 
-	// Start a new ImGui frame BEFORE processing commands so dimensions are correct
+	// --- Step each window ---
+	// We iterate by index because OpenNewWindow_ may append to windows_.
+	for (std::size_t wi = 0; wi < windows_.size(); ++wi) {
+		WindowState &ws = *windows_[wi];
+		if (!ws.alive)
+			continue;
+
+		Editor &wed = (wi == 0) ? ed : ws.editor;
+
+		// Shared buffer list may have been modified by another window.
+		wed.ValidateBufferIndex();
+
+		// Activate this window's GL and ImGui contexts
+		SDL_GL_MakeCurrent(ws.window, ws.gl_ctx);
+		ImGui::SetCurrentContext(ws.imgui_ctx);
+
+		// Start a new ImGui frame
 		ImGui_ImplOpenGL3_NewFrame();
-	ImGui_ImplSDL2_NewFrame(window_);
+		ImGui_ImplSDL2_NewFrame(ws.window);
 		ImGui::NewFrame();
 
-	// Update editor logical rows/cols using current ImGui metrics and display size
+		// Update editor dimensions
 		{
 			ImGuiIO &io  = ImGui::GetIO();
-		float row_h = ImGui::GetTextLineHeightWithSpacing();
+			float disp_w = io.DisplaySize.x > 0 ? io.DisplaySize.x : static_cast<float>(ws.width);
-		float ch_w  = ImGui::CalcTextSize("M").x;
+			float disp_h = io.DisplaySize.y > 0 ? io.DisplaySize.y : static_cast<float>(ws.height);
-		if (row_h <= 0.0f)
+			update_editor_dimensions(wed, disp_w, disp_h);
-			row_h = 16.0f;
-		if (ch_w <= 0.0f)
-			ch_w = 8.0f;
-		// Prefer ImGui IO display size; fall back to cached SDL window size
-		float disp_w = io.DisplaySize.x > 0 ? io.DisplaySize.x : static_cast<float>(width_);
-		float disp_h = io.DisplaySize.y > 0 ? io.DisplaySize.y : static_cast<float>(height_);
-
-		// Account for the GUI window padding and the status bar height used in ImGuiRenderer.
-		const float pad_x = 6.0f;
-		const float pad_y = 6.0f;
-
-		// Use the same logic as ImGuiRenderer for available height and status bar reservation.
-		float wanted_bar_h   = ImGui::GetFrameHeight();
-		float total_avail_h  = std::max(0.0f, disp_h - 2.0f * pad_y);
-		float actual_avail_h = std::floor((total_avail_h - wanted_bar_h) / row_h) * row_h;
-
-		// Visible content rows inside the scroll child
-		auto content_rows = static_cast<std::size_t>(std::max(0.0f, std::floor(actual_avail_h / row_h)));
-		// Editor::Rows includes the status line; add 1 back for it.
-		std::size_t rows = content_rows + 1;
-
-		float avail_w    = std::max(0.0f, disp_w - 2.0f * pad_x);
-		std::size_t cols = static_cast<std::size_t>(std::max(1.0f, std::floor(avail_w / ch_w)));
-
-		// Only update if changed to avoid churn
-		if (rows != ed.Rows() || cols != ed.Cols()) {
-			ed.SetDimensions(rows, cols);
-		}
 		}
 
-	// Allow deferred opens (including swap recovery prompts) to run.
+		// Allow deferred opens
-	ed.ProcessPendingOpens();
+		wed.ProcessPendingOpens();
 
-	// Execute pending mapped inputs (drain queue) AFTER dimensions are updated
+		// Ensure newly opened buffers get syntax + edit mode detection
+		apply_syntax_to_buffer(wed.CurrentBuffer(), config_);
+
+		// Drain input queue
 		for (;;) {
 			MappedInput mi;
-		if (!input_.Poll(mi))
+			if (!ws.input.Poll(mi))
 				break;
 			if (mi.hasCommand) {
-			// Track kill ring before and after to sync GUI clipboard when it changes
+				if (mi.id == CommandId::NewWindow) {
-			const std::string before = ed.KillRingHead();
+					// Open a new window; handled after this loop
-			Execute(ed, mi.id, mi.arg, mi.count);
+					wed.SetNewWindowRequested(true);
-			const std::string after = ed.KillRingHead();
+				} else if (mi.id == CommandId::FontZoomIn ||
+				           mi.id == CommandId::FontZoomOut ||
+				           mi.id == CommandId::FontZoomReset) {
+					auto &fr = kte::Fonts::FontRegistry::Instance();
+					float cur = fr.CurrentFontSize();
+					if (cur <= 0.0f) cur = config_.font_size;
+					float next = cur;
+					if (mi.id == CommandId::FontZoomIn)
+						next = std::min(cur + 2.0f, 72.0f);
+					else if (mi.id == CommandId::FontZoomOut)
+						next = std::max(cur - 2.0f, 8.0f);
+					else
+						next = config_.font_size; // reset to config default
+					if (next != cur)
+						fr.RequestLoadFont(fr.CurrentFontName(), next);
+				} else {
+					const std::string before = wed.KillRingHead();
+					Execute(wed, mi.id, mi.arg, mi.count);
+					const std::string after = wed.KillRingHead();
 					if (after != before && !after.empty()) {
-				// Update the system clipboard to mirror the kill ring head in GUI
 						SDL_SetClipboardText(after.c_str());
 					}
 				}
 			}
+		}
 
-	if (ed.QuitRequested()) {
+		if (wi == 0 && wed.QuitRequested()) {
 			running = false;
 		}
 
-	// No runtime font UI; always use embedded font.
+		// Switch font based on current buffer's edit mode (deferred to next frame)
+		{
+			Buffer *cur = wed.CurrentBuffer();
+			if (cur) {
+				auto &fr = kte::Fonts::FontRegistry::Instance();
+				const std::string &expected =
+					(cur->GetEditMode() == EditMode::Writing)
+						? config_.writing_font
+						: config_.code_font;
+				if (fr.CurrentFontName() != expected && fr.HasFont(expected)) {
+					float sz = fr.CurrentFontSize();
+					if (sz <= 0.0f) sz = config_.font_size;
+					fr.RequestLoadFont(expected, sz);
+				}
+			}
+		}
 
-	// Draw editor UI
+		// Draw
-	renderer_.Draw(ed);
+		ws.renderer.Draw(wed);
 
 		// Render
 		ImGui::Render();
 		int display_w, display_h;
-	SDL_GL_GetDrawableSize(window_, &display_w, &display_h);
+		SDL_GL_GetDrawableSize(ws.window, &display_w, &display_h);
 		glViewport(0, 0, display_w, display_h);
 		glClearColor(0.1f, 0.1f, 0.11f, 1.0f);
 		glClear(GL_COLOR_BUFFER_BIT);
 		ImGui_ImplOpenGL3_RenderDrawData(ImGui::GetDrawData());
-	SDL_GL_SwapWindow(window_);
+		SDL_GL_SwapWindow(ws.window);
+	}
+
+	// Handle deferred new-window requests (must happen outside the render loop
+	// to avoid corrupting an in-progress ImGui frame).
+	for (std::size_t wi = 0; wi < windows_.size(); ++wi) {
+		Editor &wed = (wi == 0) ? ed : windows_[wi]->editor;
+		if (wed.NewWindowRequested()) {
+			wed.SetNewWindowRequested(false);
+			OpenNewWindow_(ed);
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Remove dead secondary windows
+	for (auto it = windows_.begin() + 1; it != windows_.end();) {
+		if (!(*it)->alive) {
+			DestroyWindowResources_(**it);
+			it = windows_.erase(it);
+		} else {
+			++it;
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Restore primary context
+	if (!windows_.empty()) {
+		ImGui::SetCurrentContext(windows_[0]->imgui_ctx);
+		SDL_GL_MakeCurrent(windows_[0]->window, windows_[0]->gl_ctx);
+	}
 }
 
 
 void
 GUIFrontend::Shutdown()
 {
-	ImGui_ImplOpenGL3_Shutdown();
+	// Destroy all windows (secondary first, then primary)
-	ImGui_ImplSDL2_Shutdown();
+	for (auto it = windows_.rbegin(); it != windows_.rend(); ++it) {
-	ImGui::DestroyContext();
+		DestroyWindowResources_(**it);
-
-	if (gl_ctx_) {
-		SDL_GL_DeleteContext(gl_ctx_);
-		gl_ctx_ = nullptr;
-	}
-	if (window_) {
-		SDL_DestroyWindow(window_);
-		window_ = nullptr;
 	}
+	windows_.clear();
 	SDL_Quit();
 }
 
@@ -367,7 +648,6 @@ GUIFrontend::LoadGuiFont_(const char * /*path*/, const float size_px)
 	ImFontConfig config;
 	config.MergeMode = false;
 
-	// Load Basic Latin + Latin Supplement
 	io.Fonts->AddFontFromMemoryCompressedTTF(
 		kte::Fonts::DefaultFontData,
 		kte::Fonts::DefaultFontSize,
@@ -375,7 +655,6 @@ GUIFrontend::LoadGuiFont_(const char * /*path*/, const float size_px)
 		&config,
 		io.Fonts->GetGlyphRangesDefault());
 
-	// Merge Greek and Mathematical symbols from IosevkaExtended
 	config.MergeMode                       = true;
 	static const ImWchar extended_ranges[] = {
 		0x0370, 0x03FF, // Greek and Coptic

ImGuiFrontend.h

@@ -2,13 +2,18 @@
  * GUIFrontend - couples ImGuiInputHandler + GUIRenderer and owns SDL2/ImGui lifecycle
  */
 #pragma once
+#include <memory>
+#include <vector>
+
 #include "Frontend.h"
 #include "GUIConfig.h"
 #include "ImGuiInputHandler.h"
 #include "ImGuiRenderer.h"
+#include "Editor.h"
 
 
 struct SDL_Window;
+struct ImGuiContext;
 typedef void *SDL_GLContext;
 
 class GUIFrontend final : public Frontend {
@@ -24,13 +29,31 @@ public:
 	void Shutdown() override;
 
 private:
+	// Per-window state — each window owns its own ImGui context so that
+	// NewFrame/Render cycles are fully independent (ImGui requires exactly
+	// one NewFrame per Render per context).
+	struct WindowState {
+		SDL_Window *window       = nullptr;
+		SDL_GLContext gl_ctx     = nullptr;
+		ImGuiContext *imgui_ctx  = nullptr;
+		ImGuiInputHandler input{};
+		ImGuiRenderer renderer{};
+		Editor editor{};
+		int width  = 1280;
+		int height = 800;
+		bool alive = true;
+	};
+
+	// Open a new secondary window sharing the primary editor's buffer list.
+	// Returns false if window creation fails.
+	bool OpenNewWindow_(Editor &primary);
+
+	// Initialize fonts and theme for a given ImGui context (must be current).
+	void SetupImGuiStyle_();
+	static void DestroyWindowResources_(WindowState &ws);
 	static bool LoadGuiFont_(const char *path, float size_px);
 
 	GUIConfig config_{};
-	ImGuiInputHandler input_{};
+	// Primary window (index 0 in windows_); created during Init.
-	ImGuiRenderer renderer_{};
+	std::vector<std::unique_ptr<WindowState> > windows_;
-	SDL_Window *window_   = nullptr;
-	SDL_GLContext gl_ctx_ = nullptr;
-	int width_            = 1280;
-	int height_           = 800;
 };

ImGuiInputHandler.cc

@@ -8,6 +8,20 @@
 #include "ImGuiInputHandler.h"
 #include "KKeymap.h"
 #include "Editor.h"
+#include "PasteSplit.h"
+
+// Verbose k-prefix suffix logging for debugging macOS/SDL key translation
+// issues. Default to off; enable by defining IMGUI_IH_DEBUG=1 at compile
+// time.
+#ifndef IMGUI_IH_DEBUG
+#define IMGUI_IH_DEBUG 0
+#endif
+
+#if IMGUI_IH_DEBUG
+#define IH_LOGF(...) do { std::fprintf(stderr, __VA_ARGS__); std::fflush(stderr); } while (0)
+#else
+#define IH_LOGF(...) ((void) 0)
+#endif
 
 
 static bool
@@ -125,7 +139,11 @@ map_key(const SDL_Keycode key,
 	case SDLK_KP_ENTER:
 		k_prefix = false;
 		k_ctrl_pending = false;
+		if (mod & KMOD_SHIFT) {
+			out = {true, CommandId::SmartNewline, "", 0};
+		} else {
 			out = {true, CommandId::Newline, "", 0};
+		}
 		return true;
 	case SDLK_ESCAPE:
 		k_prefix = false;
@@ -139,6 +157,24 @@ map_key(const SDL_Keycode key,
 
 	// If we are in k-prefix, interpret the very next key via the C-k keymap immediately.
 	if (k_prefix) {
+		// A modifier pressed on its own (Shift for C-k C or C-k ^, Ctrl
+		// pressed again for C-k C-d) is not the suffix: keep waiting.
+		switch (key) {
+		case SDLK_LSHIFT:
+		case SDLK_RSHIFT:
+		case SDLK_LCTRL:
+		case SDLK_RCTRL:
+		case SDLK_LALT:
+		case SDLK_RALT:
+		case SDLK_LGUI:
+		case SDLK_RGUI:
+		case SDLK_CAPSLOCK:
+		case SDLK_MODE:
+			out.hasCommand = false;
+			return true;
+		default:
+			break;
+		}
 		esc_meta = false;
 		// Normalize to ASCII; preserve case for letters using Shift
 		int ascii_key = 0;
@@ -178,18 +214,19 @@ map_key(const SDL_Keycode key,
 			k_ctrl_pending             = false;
 			CommandId id;
 			bool mapped = KLookupKCommand(ascii_key, pass_ctrl, id);
+#if IMGUI_IH_DEBUG
 			// Diagnostics for u/U
 			if (lower == 'u') {
 				char disp = (ascii_key >= 0x20 && ascii_key <= 0x7e)
 					            ? static_cast<char>(ascii_key)
 					            : '?';
-				std::fprintf(stderr,
+				IH_LOGF(
 					"[kge] k-prefix suffix: sym=%d mods=0x%x ascii=%d '%c' ctrl2=%d pass_ctrl=%d mapped=%d id=%d\n",
 					static_cast<int>(key), static_cast<unsigned int>(mod), ascii_key, disp,
 					ctrl2 ? 1 : 0, pass_ctrl ? 1 : 0, mapped ? 1 : 0,
 					mapped ? static_cast<int>(id) : -1);
-				std::fflush(stderr);
 			}
+#endif
 			if (mapped) {
 				out = {true, id, "", 0};
 				if (ed)
@@ -298,7 +335,7 @@ ImGuiInputHandler::ProcessSDLEvent(const SDL_Event &e)
 		// High-resolution trackpads can deliver fractional wheel deltas. Accumulate
 		// precise values and emit one scroll step per whole unit.
 		float dy = 0.0f;
-#if SDL_VERSION_ATLEAST(2,0,18)
+#if SDL_VERSION_ATLEAST(2, 0, 18)
 		dy = e.wheel.preciseY;
 #else
 		dy = static_cast<float>(e.wheel.y);
@@ -327,12 +364,49 @@ ImGuiInputHandler::ProcessSDLEvent(const SDL_Event &e)
 		return false;
 	}
 	case SDL_KEYDOWN: {
+		// A suppression request covers only the text event of the key that
+		// made it, which arrives before the next key press. Chords such as
+		// Ctrl+V produce no text event at all, and a leftover request ate
+		// the next character typed (B8).
+		suppress_text_input_once_ = false;
 		// Remember state before mapping; used for TEXTINPUT suppression heuristics
 		const bool was_k_prefix = k_prefix_;
 		const bool was_esc_meta = esc_meta_;
 		SDL_Keymod mods         = SDL_Keymod(e.key.keysym.mod);
 		const SDL_Keycode key   = e.key.keysym.sym;
 
+		// New window: Cmd+N (macOS) or Ctrl+Shift+N (Linux/Windows)
+		{
+			const bool gui_n   = (mods & KMOD_GUI) && !(mods & KMOD_CTRL) && (key == SDLK_n);
+			const bool ctrl_sn = (mods & KMOD_CTRL) && (mods & KMOD_SHIFT) && (key == SDLK_n);
+			if (gui_n || ctrl_sn) {
+				std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lk(mu_);
+				q_.push(MappedInput{true, CommandId::NewWindow, std::string(), 0});
+				suppress_text_input_once_ = true;
+				return true;
+			}
+		}
+
+		// Font zoom: Cmd+=/Cmd+-/Cmd+0 (macOS) or Ctrl+=/Ctrl+-/Ctrl+0
+		if ((mods & (KMOD_CTRL | KMOD_GUI)) && !(mods & KMOD_SHIFT)) {
+			bool is_zoom = true;
+			CommandId zoom_cmd = CommandId::FontZoomIn;
+			if (key == SDLK_EQUALS || key == SDLK_PLUS)
+				zoom_cmd = CommandId::FontZoomIn;
+			else if (key == SDLK_MINUS)
+				zoom_cmd = CommandId::FontZoomOut;
+			else if (key == SDLK_0)
+				zoom_cmd = CommandId::FontZoomReset;
+			else
+				is_zoom = false;
+			if (is_zoom) {
+				std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lk(mu_);
+				q_.push(MappedInput{true, zoom_cmd, std::string(), 0});
+				suppress_text_input_once_ = true;
+				return true;
+			}
+		}
+
 		// Handle Paste: Ctrl+V (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+V (macOS)
 		// Note: SDL defines letter keycodes in lowercase only (e.g., SDLK_v). Shift does not change keycode.
 		if ((mods & (KMOD_CTRL | KMOD_GUI)) && (key == SDLK_v)) {
@@ -340,32 +414,15 @@ ImGuiInputHandler::ProcessSDLEvent(const SDL_Event &e)
 			if (clip) {
 				std::string text(clip);
 				SDL_free(clip);
-				// Split on '\n' and enqueue as InsertText/Newline commands
+				// Turn line breaks (\n, \r\n, or bare \r) into Newline
+				// commands and the rest into InsertText; InsertText itself
+				// rejects any embedded '\r'/'\n'.
+				// Into a prompt, line breaks must not become Newline: that
+				// would accept the prompt and send the rest to the buffer.
+				const bool to_prompt = ed_ && ed_->PromptActive();
 				std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lk(mu_);
-				std::size_t start = 0;
+				for (const auto &cmd: to_prompt ? SplitPasteForPrompt(text) : SplitPasteIntoCommands(text))
-				while (start <= text.size()) {
+					q_.push(cmd);
-					std::size_t pos = text.find('\n', start);
-					std::string_view segment;
-					bool has_nl = (pos != std::string::npos);
-					if (has_nl) {
-						segment = std::string_view(text).substr(start, pos - start);
-					} else {
-						segment = std::string_view(text).substr(start);
-					}
-					if (!segment.empty()) {
-						MappedInput ins{
-							true, CommandId::InsertText, std::string(segment), 0
-						};
-						q_.push(ins);
-					}
-					if (has_nl) {
-						MappedInput nl{true, CommandId::Newline, std::string(), 0};
-						q_.push(nl);
-						start = pos + 1;
-					} else {
-						break;
-					}
-				}
 				// Suppress the corresponding TEXTINPUT that may follow
 				suppress_text_input_once_ = true;
 				return true; // consumed
@@ -488,15 +545,17 @@ ImGuiInputHandler::ProcessSDLEvent(const SDL_Event &e)
 					bool pass_ctrl  = k_ctrl_pending_;
 					k_ctrl_pending_ = false;
 					bool mapped     = KLookupKCommand(ascii_key, pass_ctrl, id);
+#if IMGUI_IH_DEBUG
 					// Diagnostics: log any k-prefix TEXTINPUT suffix mapping
+					{
 						char disp = (ascii_key >= 0x20 && ascii_key <= 0x7e)
 							            ? static_cast<char>(ascii_key)
 							            : '?';
-					std::fprintf(stderr,
+						IH_LOGF("[kge] k-prefix TEXTINPUT suffix: ascii=%d '%c' mapped=%d id=%d\n",
-					             "[kge] k-prefix TEXTINPUT suffix: ascii=%d '%c' mapped=%d id=%d\n",
 						       ascii_key, disp, mapped ? 1 : 0,
 						       mapped ? static_cast<int>(id) : -1);
-					std::fflush(stderr);
+					}
+#endif
 					if (mapped) {
 						mi = {true, id, "", 0};
 						if (ed_)

ImGuiRenderer.cc

@@ -7,9 +7,10 @@
 #include <string>
 
 #include <imgui.h>
-#include <regex>
 
 #include "ImGuiRenderer.h"
+#include "SearchHighlight.h"
+#include "TermWidth.h"
 #include "Highlight.h"
 #include "GUITheme.h"
 #include "Buffer.h"
@@ -66,7 +67,9 @@ ImGuiRenderer::Draw(Editor &ed)
 	if (!buf) {
 		ImGui::TextUnformatted("[no buffer]");
 	} else {
-		const auto &lines   = buf->Rows();
+		// Per-row access only: Rows() rebuilds a string for every line of the
+		// file after each edit, which made every frame O(file size).
+		const std::size_t nlines = buf->Nrows();
 		std::size_t cy      = buf->Cury();
 		std::size_t cx      = buf->Curx();
 		const float line_h  = ImGui::GetTextLineHeight();
@@ -76,23 +79,18 @@ ImGuiRenderer::Draw(Editor &ed)
 		// Two-way sync between Buffer::Rowoffs and ImGui scroll position:
 		// - If command layer changed Buffer::Rowoffs since last frame, drive ImGui scroll from it.
 		// - Otherwise, propagate ImGui scroll to Buffer::Rowoffs so command layer has an up-to-date view.
-		static long prev_buf_rowoffs = -1; // previous frame's Buffer::Rowoffs
-		static long prev_buf_coloffs = -1; // previous frame's Buffer::Coloffs
-
 		const long buf_rowoffs = static_cast<long>(buf->Rowoffs());
 		const long buf_coloffs = static_cast<long>(buf->Coloffs());
 
 		// Detect programmatic change (e.g., page_down command changed rowoffs)
 		// Use SetNextWindowScroll BEFORE BeginChild to set initial scroll position
-		if (prev_buf_rowoffs >= 0 && buf_rowoffs != prev_buf_rowoffs) {
+		if (prev_buf_rowoffs_ >= 0 && buf_rowoffs != prev_buf_rowoffs_) {
 			float target_y = static_cast<float>(buf_rowoffs) * row_h;
 			ImGui::SetNextWindowScroll(ImVec2(-1.0f, target_y));
 		}
-		if (prev_buf_coloffs >= 0 && buf_coloffs != prev_buf_coloffs) {
+		// Horizontal scroll is handled purely in pixel space (see
-			float target_x = static_cast<float>(buf_coloffs) * space_w;
+		// cursor-visibility block after the line loop) so we don't
-			float target_y = static_cast<float>(buf_rowoffs) * row_h;
+		// convert the character-based coloffs to an ImGui scroll here.
-			ImGui::SetNextWindowScroll(ImVec2(target_x, target_y));
-		}
 
 		// Reserve space for status bar at bottom.
 		// We calculate a height that is an exact multiple of the line height
@@ -111,44 +109,81 @@ ImGuiRenderer::Draw(Editor &ed)
 		ImVec2 child_window_pos = ImGui::GetWindowPos();
 		float scroll_y          = ImGui::GetScrollY();
 		float scroll_x          = ImGui::GetScrollX();
-		std::size_t rowoffs     = 0; // we render from the first line; scrolling is handled by ImGui
 
 		// Synchronize buffer offsets from ImGui scroll if user scrolled manually
 		bool forced_scroll = false;
 		{
-			static float prev_scroll_y = -1.0f; // previous frame's ImGui scroll Y in pixels
-			static float prev_scroll_x = -1.0f; // previous frame's ImGui scroll X in pixels
-
 			const long scroll_top  = static_cast<long>(scroll_y / row_h);
-			const long scroll_left = static_cast<long>(scroll_x / space_w);
 
 			// Check if rowoffs was programmatically changed this frame
-			if (prev_buf_rowoffs >= 0 && buf_rowoffs != prev_buf_rowoffs) {
+			if (prev_buf_rowoffs_ >= 0 && buf_rowoffs != prev_buf_rowoffs_) {
 				forced_scroll = true;
 			}
 
-			// If user scrolled (not programmatic), update buffer offsets accordingly
+			// If user scrolled vertically (not programmatic), update buffer row offset
-			if (prev_scroll_y >= 0.0f && scroll_y != prev_scroll_y && !forced_scroll) {
+			if (prev_scroll_y_ >= 0.0f && scroll_y != prev_scroll_y_ && !forced_scroll) {
 				if (Buffer *mbuf = const_cast<Buffer *>(buf)) {
 					mbuf->SetOffsets(static_cast<std::size_t>(std::max(0L, scroll_top)),
 					                 mbuf->Coloffs());
 				}
 			}
-			if (prev_scroll_x >= 0.0f && scroll_x != prev_scroll_x && !forced_scroll) {
+			// Horizontal scroll is pixel-based and managed by the cursor
-				if (Buffer *mbuf = const_cast<Buffer *>(buf)) {
+			// visibility block below; we don't sync it back to coloffs.
-					mbuf->SetOffsets(mbuf->Rowoffs(),
-					                 static_cast<std::size_t>(std::max(0L, scroll_left)));
-				}
-			}
 
 			// Update trackers for next frame
-			prev_scroll_y = scroll_y;
+			prev_scroll_y_ = scroll_y;
-			prev_scroll_x = scroll_x;
+			prev_scroll_x_ = scroll_x;
+		}
+		prev_buf_rowoffs_ = buf_rowoffs;
+		prev_buf_coloffs_ = buf_coloffs;
+
+		// Max-line-width cache: reset when the buffer or font changes. We only
+		// measure visible lines per frame and maintain a running max, so the
+		// scrollbar may be slightly conservative on first view of a file until
+		// the user scrolls, but idle CPU drops dramatically on large files.
+		// Edits bump the buffer version but we intentionally do NOT reset the
+		// max on version changes — keeping a conservative (possibly too-wide)
+		// scrollbar is preferable to per-keystroke jitter.
+		{
+			ImFont *cur_font = ImGui::GetFont();
+			float cur_fsize  = ImGui::GetFontSize();
+			if (buf != max_width_buf_
+			    || cur_font != max_width_font_
+			    || cur_fsize != max_width_font_size_) {
+				max_width_buf_       = buf;
+				max_width_font_      = cur_font;
+				max_width_font_size_ = cur_fsize;
+				max_width_px_        = 0.0f;
+			}
+			max_width_version_ = buf->Version();
+		}
+
+		// Search matches: the pattern is compiled once per frame (compiling it
+		// per line per frame was a large source of idle CPU on macOS).
+		const kte::SearchHighlight search_hl(ed);
+		const bool search_mode = search_hl.Active();
+		std::vector<std::pair<std::size_t, std::size_t> > hl_src_ranges;
+
+		// Compute the visible row range and skip rendering work for off-screen
+		// lines. ImGui clips drawing, but string allocation, tab expansion,
+		// syntax-highlight lookups, and width measurement are not free.
+		const std::size_t total_rows = nlines;
+		std::size_t first_vis = 0;
+		std::size_t last_vis  = total_rows; // exclusive
+		if (row_h > 0.0f && total_rows > 0) {
+			const long margin = 4; // render a few extra rows above/below for smoother scrolling
+			long fv           = static_cast<long>(std::floor(scroll_y / row_h)) - margin;
+			long lv           = static_cast<long>(
+				std::ceil((scroll_y + child_h_plan) / row_h)) + margin;
+			if (fv < 0) fv = 0;
+			if (lv < 0) lv = 0;
+			if (static_cast<std::size_t>(fv) > total_rows)
+				fv = static_cast<long>(total_rows);
+			if (static_cast<std::size_t>(lv) > total_rows)
+				lv = static_cast<long>(total_rows);
+			first_vis = static_cast<std::size_t>(fv);
+			last_vis  = static_cast<std::size_t>(lv);
 		}
-		prev_buf_rowoffs = buf_rowoffs;
-		prev_buf_coloffs = buf_coloffs;
-		// Cache current horizontal offset in rendered columns for click handling
-		const std::size_t coloffs_now = buf->Coloffs();
 
 		// Mark selection state (mark -> cursor), in source coordinates
 		bool sel_active    = false;
@@ -169,7 +204,7 @@ ImGuiRenderer::Draw(Editor &ed)
 		const std::size_t vsel_sy = vsel_active ? buf->VisualLineStartY() : 0;
 		const std::size_t vsel_ey = vsel_active ? buf->VisualLineEndY() : 0;
 
-		static bool mouse_selecting = false;
+		// (mouse_selecting__ is a member variable)
 		auto mouse_pos_to_buf       = [&]() -> std::pair<std::size_t, std::size_t> {
 			ImVec2 mp = ImGui::GetIO().MousePos;
 			// Convert mouse pos to buffer row
@@ -178,108 +213,155 @@ ImGuiRenderer::Draw(Editor &ed)
 			if (by_l < 0)
 				by_l = 0;
 			std::size_t by = static_cast<std::size_t>(by_l);
-			if (by >= lines.size())
+			if (by >= nlines)
-				by = lines.empty() ? 0 : (lines.size() - 1);
+				by = (nlines == 0) ? 0 : (nlines - 1);
 
-			// Convert mouse pos to rendered x
+			if (nlines == 0)
+				return {0, 0};
+
+			// Expand tabs for the clicked line
+			std::string line_clicked = buf->GetLineString(by);
+			const std::size_t tabw   = kte::kTabWidth;
+			std::string click_expanded;
+			click_expanded.reserve(line_clicked.size() + 16);
+			std::size_t click_rx = 0;
+			// Map: source column -> expanded column
+			std::vector<std::size_t> src_to_exp;
+			src_to_exp.reserve(line_clicked.size() + 1);
+			for (std::size_t ci = 0; ci < line_clicked.size(); ++ci) {
+				src_to_exp.push_back(click_rx);
+				if (line_clicked[ci] == '\t') {
+					std::size_t adv = (tabw - (click_rx % tabw));
+					click_expanded.append(adv, ' ');
+					click_rx += adv;
+				} else {
+					click_expanded.push_back(line_clicked[ci]);
+					click_rx += 1;
+				}
+			}
+			src_to_exp.push_back(click_rx); // past-end position
+
+			// Pixel x relative to the line start (accounting for scroll)
 			float visual_x = mp.x - child_window_pos.x;
 			if (visual_x < 0.0f)
 				visual_x = 0.0f;
-			std::size_t clicked_rx = static_cast<std::size_t>(visual_x / space_w) + coloffs_now;
+			// Add scroll offset in pixels
+			visual_x += scroll_x;
 
-			// Convert rendered column to source column
+			// Find the source column whose expanded position is closest
-			if (lines.empty())
+			// to the click pixel, using actual text measurement.
-				return {0, 0};
-			std::string line_clicked = static_cast<std::string>(lines[by]);
-			const std::size_t tabw   = 8;
-			std::size_t rx           = 0;
 			std::size_t best_col  = 0;
 			float best_dist       = std::numeric_limits<float>::infinity();
-			float clicked_rx_f       = static_cast<float>(clicked_rx);
+			for (std::size_t ci = 0; ci <= line_clicked.size(); ++ci) {
-			for (std::size_t i = 0; i <= line_clicked.size(); ++i) {
+				std::size_t exp_col = src_to_exp[ci];
-				float dist = std::fabs(clicked_rx_f - static_cast<float>(rx));
+				float px = 0.0f;
+				if (exp_col > 0 && !click_expanded.empty()) {
+					std::size_t end = std::min(click_expanded.size(), exp_col);
+					px = ImGui::CalcTextSize(click_expanded.c_str(),
+					                         click_expanded.c_str() + end).x;
+				}
+				float dist = std::fabs(visual_x - px);
 				if (dist < best_dist) {
 					best_dist = dist;
-					best_col  = i;
+					best_col  = ci;
-				}
-				if (i < line_clicked.size()) {
-					rx += (line_clicked[i] == '\t') ? (tabw - (rx % tabw)) : 1;
 				}
 			}
 			return {by, best_col};
 		};
 
-		// Mouse-driven selection: set mark on press, update cursor on drag
+		// Mouse-driven selection: set mark on double-click or drag, update cursor on any press/drag
 		if (ImGui::IsWindowHovered() && ImGui::IsMouseClicked(ImGuiMouseButton_Left)) {
-			mouse_selecting = true;
+			mouse_selecting_ = true;
 			auto [by, bx]   = mouse_pos_to_buf();
 			char tmp[64];
 			std::snprintf(tmp, sizeof(tmp), "%zu:%zu", by, bx);
 			Execute(ed, CommandId::MoveCursorTo, std::string(tmp));
+
+			// Only set mark on double click.
+			// Dragging will also set the mark if not already set (handled below).
+			if (ImGui::IsMouseDoubleClicked(ImGuiMouseButton_Left)) {
 				if (Buffer *mbuf = const_cast<Buffer *>(buf)) {
 					mbuf->SetMark(bx, by);
 				}
 			}
-		if (mouse_selecting && ImGui::IsWindowHovered() && ImGui::IsMouseDown(ImGuiMouseButton_Left)) {
+		}
+		if (mouse_selecting_ && ImGui::IsWindowHovered() && ImGui::IsMouseDown(ImGuiMouseButton_Left)) {
 			auto [by, bx] = mouse_pos_to_buf();
+			// If we are dragging (mouse moved while down), ensure mark is set to start selection
+			if (ImGui::IsMouseDragging(ImGuiMouseButton_Left, 1.0f)) {
+				if (Buffer *mbuf = const_cast<Buffer *>(buf)) {
+					if (!mbuf->MarkSet()) {
+						// We'd need to convert click_pos to buf coords, but it's complex here.
+						// Setting it to where the cursor was *before* we started moving it
+						// in this frame is a good approximation, or just using current.
+						mbuf->SetMark(mbuf->Curx(), mbuf->Cury());
+					}
+				}
+			}
 			char tmp[64];
 			std::snprintf(tmp, sizeof(tmp), "%zu:%zu", by, bx);
 			Execute(ed, CommandId::MoveCursorTo, std::string(tmp));
 		}
-		if (mouse_selecting && ImGui::IsMouseReleased(ImGuiMouseButton_Left)) {
+		if (mouse_selecting_ && ImGui::IsMouseReleased(ImGuiMouseButton_Left)) {
-			mouse_selecting = false;
+			mouse_selecting_ = false;
 		}
-		for (std::size_t i = rowoffs; i < lines.size(); ++i) {
+		// Advance the cursor Y so the first visible line draws at its correct
+		// scroll position. Skipped rows simply leave the layout cursor untouched.
+		if (first_vis > 0) {
+			ImGui::SetCursorPosY(ImGui::GetCursorPosY() +
+			                     static_cast<float>(first_vis) * row_h);
+		}
+		for (std::size_t i = first_vis; i < last_vis; ++i) {
 			// Capture the screen position before drawing the line
 			ImVec2 line_pos  = ImGui::GetCursorScreenPos();
-			std::string line = static_cast<std::string>(lines[i]);
+			std::string line = buf->GetLineString(i);
 
-			// Expand tabs to spaces with width=8 and apply horizontal scroll offset
+			// Expand tabs to spaces with width=8, recording each source
-			const std::size_t tabw = 8;
+			// byte's rendered column (rx_of[line.size()] is the line's width).
+			const std::size_t tabw = kte::kTabWidth;
 			std::string expanded;
 			expanded.reserve(line.size() + 16);
-			std::size_t rx_abs_draw = 0; // rendered column for drawing
+			std::vector<std::size_t> rx_of(line.size() + 1);
-			// Compute search highlight ranges for this line in source indices
+			for (std::size_t src = 0; src < line.size(); ++src) {
-			bool search_mode = ed.SearchActive() && !ed.SearchQuery().empty();
+				rx_of[src] = expanded.size();
-			std::vector<std::pair<std::size_t, std::size_t> > hl_src_ranges;
+				if (line[src] == '\t')
-			if (search_mode) {
+					expanded.append(tabw - (expanded.size() % tabw), ' ');
-				// If we're in RegexSearch or RegexReplaceFind mode, compute ranges using regex; otherwise plain substring
-				if (ed.PromptActive() && (
-					    ed.CurrentPromptKind() == Editor::PromptKind::RegexSearch || ed.
-					    CurrentPromptKind() == Editor::PromptKind::RegexReplaceFind)) {
-					try {
-						std::regex rx(ed.SearchQuery());
-						for (auto it = std::sregex_iterator(line.begin(), line.end(), rx);
-						     it != std::sregex_iterator(); ++it) {
-							const auto &m  = *it;
-							std::size_t sx = static_cast<std::size_t>(m.position());
-							std::size_t ex = sx + static_cast<std::size_t>(m.length());
-							hl_src_ranges.emplace_back(sx, ex);
-						}
-					} catch (const std::regex_error &) {
-						// ignore invalid patterns here; status line already shows the error
-					}
-				} else {
-					const std::string &q = ed.SearchQuery();
-					std::size_t pos      = 0;
-					while (!q.empty() && (pos = line.find(q, pos)) != std::string::npos) {
-						hl_src_ranges.emplace_back(pos, pos + q.size());
-						pos += q.size();
-					}
-				}
-			}
-			auto src_to_rx = [&](std::size_t upto_src_exclusive) -> std::size_t {
-				std::size_t rx = 0;
-				std::size_t s  = 0;
-				while (s < upto_src_exclusive && s < line.size()) {
-					if (line[s] == '\t')
-						rx += (tabw - (rx % tabw));
 				else
-						rx += 1;
+					expanded.push_back(line[src]);
-					++s;
 			}
-				return rx;
+			rx_of[line.size()] = expanded.size();
+			auto src_to_rx = [&](std::size_t src) -> std::size_t {
+				return rx_of[std::min(src, line.size())];
 			};
+
+			// Rendered column -> pixel offset from the start of the line.
+			// Measuring from column 0 for every span was quadratic in line
+			// length; measure on from the nearest earlier position already
+			// measured (only character boundaries are kept, so a multi-byte
+			// character is never measured in pieces).
+			std::vector<std::pair<std::size_t, float> > px_marks{{0, 0.0f}}; // unrounded
+			auto rx_to_px = [&](std::size_t rx_col) -> float {
+				const std::size_t end = std::min(expanded.size(), rx_col);
+				auto it = std::upper_bound(px_marks.begin(), px_marks.end(), end,
+				                           [](std::size_t v, const std::pair<std::size_t, float> &m) {
+					                           return v < m.first;
+				                           });
+				--it; // px_marks[0] is column 0
+				float px = it->second;
+				if (it->first != end) {
+					px += ImGui::GetFont()->CalcTextSizeA(ImGui::GetFontSize(), FLT_MAX, 0.0f,
+					                                      expanded.c_str() + it->first,
+					                                      expanded.c_str() + end).x;
+					if (end == expanded.size() || (static_cast<unsigned char>(expanded[end]) & 0xC0) != 0x80)
+						px_marks.insert(it + 1, {end, px});
+				}
+				// Rounded up as ImGui::CalcTextSize does (sums of rounded
+				// pieces would drift).
+				return end == 0 ? 0.0f : static_cast<float>(static_cast<int>(px + 0.99999f));
+			};
+
+			// Search highlight ranges for this line in source indices
+			search_hl.Ranges(line, hl_src_ranges);
 			// Draw background highlights (under text)
 			if (search_mode && !hl_src_ranges.empty()) {
 				// Current match emphasis
@@ -290,13 +372,8 @@ ImGuiRenderer::Draw(Editor &ed)
 					std::size_t sx       = rg.first, ex = rg.second;
 					std::size_t rx_start = src_to_rx(sx);
 					std::size_t rx_end   = src_to_rx(ex);
-					// Apply horizontal scroll offset
+					ImVec2 p0 = ImVec2(line_pos.x + rx_to_px(rx_start), line_pos.y);
-					if (rx_end <= coloffs_now)
+					ImVec2 p1 = ImVec2(line_pos.x + rx_to_px(rx_end),
-						continue; // fully left of view
-					std::size_t vx0 = (rx_start > coloffs_now) ? (rx_start - coloffs_now) : 0;
-					std::size_t vx1 = rx_end - coloffs_now;
-					ImVec2 p0 = ImVec2(line_pos.x + static_cast<float>(vx0) * space_w, line_pos.y);
-					ImVec2 p1 = ImVec2(line_pos.x + static_cast<float>(vx1) * space_w,
 					                   line_pos.y + line_h);
 					// Choose color: current match stronger
 					bool is_current = has_current && sx == cur_x && ex == cur_end;
@@ -333,20 +410,14 @@ ImGuiRenderer::Draw(Editor &ed)
 				if (line_has) {
 					std::size_t rx_start = src_to_rx(sx);
 					std::size_t rx_end   = src_to_rx(ex);
-					if (rx_end > coloffs_now) {
+					ImVec2 p0 = ImVec2(line_pos.x + rx_to_px(rx_start),
-						std::size_t vx0 = (rx_start > coloffs_now)
-							                  ? (rx_start - coloffs_now)
-							                  : 0;
-						std::size_t vx1 = rx_end - coloffs_now;
-						ImVec2 p0       = ImVec2(line_pos.x + static_cast<float>(vx0) * space_w,
 					                   line_pos.y);
-						ImVec2 p1 = ImVec2(line_pos.x + static_cast<float>(vx1) * space_w,
+					ImVec2 p1 = ImVec2(line_pos.x + rx_to_px(rx_end),
 					                   line_pos.y + line_h);
 					ImU32 col = ImGui::GetColorU32(ImGuiCol_TextSelectedBg);
 					ImGui::GetWindowDrawList()->AddRectFilled(p0, p1, col);
 				}
 			}
-			}
 			if (vsel_active && i >= vsel_sy && i <= vsel_ey) {
 				// Visual-line (multi-cursor) mode: highlight only the per-line cursor spot.
 				const std::size_t spot_sx  = std::min(buf->Curx(), line.size());
@@ -358,87 +429,31 @@ ImGuiRenderer::Draw(Editor &ed)
 					// EOL spot: draw a 1-cell highlight just past the last character.
 					rx_end = rx_start + 1;
 				}
-				if (rx_end > coloffs_now) {
+				ImVec2 p0 = ImVec2(line_pos.x + rx_to_px(rx_start),
-					std::size_t vx0 = (rx_start > coloffs_now)
-						                  ? (rx_start - coloffs_now)
-						                  : 0;
-					std::size_t vx1 = rx_end - coloffs_now;
-					ImVec2 p0       = ImVec2(line_pos.x + static_cast<float>(vx0) * space_w,
 				                   line_pos.y);
-					ImVec2 p1 = ImVec2(line_pos.x + static_cast<float>(vx1) * space_w,
+				ImVec2 p1 = ImVec2(line_pos.x + rx_to_px(rx_end),
 				                   line_pos.y + line_h);
 				ImU32 col = ImGui::GetColorU32(ImGuiCol_TextSelectedBg);
 				ImGui::GetWindowDrawList()->AddRectFilled(p0, p1, col);
 			}
-			}
-			// Emit entire line to an expanded buffer (tabs -> spaces)
-			for (std::size_t src = 0; src < line.size(); ++src) {
-				char c = line[src];
-				if (c == '\t') {
-					std::size_t adv = (tabw - (rx_abs_draw % tabw));
-					expanded.append(adv, ' ');
-					rx_abs_draw += adv;
-				} else {
-					expanded.push_back(c);
-					rx_abs_draw += 1;
-				}
-			}
-
 			// Draw syntax-colored runs (text above background highlights)
 			if (buf->SyntaxEnabled() && buf->Highlighter() && buf->Highlighter()->HasHighlighter()) {
-				kte::LineHighlight lh = buf->Highlighter()->GetLine(
+				const kte::LineHighlight &lh = buf->Highlighter()->GetLine(
 					*buf, static_cast<int>(i), buf->Version());
-				// Sanitize spans defensively: clamp to [0, line.size()], ensure end>=start, drop empties
+				std::vector<kte::HighlightSpan> spans; // clamped, ordered, whole characters
-				struct SSpan {
+				kte::SanitizeSpans(line, lh.spans, spans);
-					std::size_t s;
-					std::size_t e;
-					kte::TokenKind k;
-				};
-				std::vector<SSpan> spans;
-				spans.reserve(lh.spans.size());
-				const std::size_t line_len = line.size();
-				for (const auto &sp: lh.spans) {
-					int s_raw = sp.col_start;
-					int e_raw = sp.col_end;
-					if (e_raw < s_raw)
-						std::swap(e_raw, s_raw);
-					std::size_t s = static_cast<std::size_t>(std::max(
-						0, std::min(s_raw, static_cast<int>(line_len))));
-					std::size_t e = static_cast<std::size_t>(std::max(
-						static_cast<int>(s), std::min(e_raw, static_cast<int>(line_len))));
-					if (e <= s)
-						continue;
-					spans.push_back(SSpan{s, e, sp.kind});
-				}
-				std::sort(spans.begin(), spans.end(), [](const SSpan &a, const SSpan &b) {
-					return a.s < b.s;
-				});
-
-				// Helper to convert a src column to expanded rx position
-				auto src_to_rx_full = [&](std::size_t sidx) -> std::size_t {
-					std::size_t rx = 0;
-					for (std::size_t k = 0; k < sidx && k < line.size(); ++k) {
-						rx += (line[k] == '\t') ? (tabw - (rx % tabw)) : 1;
-					}
-					return rx;
-				};
 
 				for (const auto &sp: spans) {
-					std::size_t rx_s = src_to_rx_full(sp.s);
+					std::size_t rx_s = src_to_rx(static_cast<std::size_t>(sp.col_start));
-					std::size_t rx_e = src_to_rx_full(sp.e);
+					std::size_t rx_e = src_to_rx(static_cast<std::size_t>(sp.col_end));
-					if (rx_e <= coloffs_now)
+					std::size_t draw_start = rx_s;
-						continue; // fully left of viewport
-					// Clamp to visible portion and expanded length
-					std::size_t draw_start = (rx_s > coloffs_now) ? rx_s : coloffs_now;
 					if (draw_start >= expanded.size())
-						continue; // fully right of expanded text
+						continue;
 					std::size_t draw_end = std::min<std::size_t>(rx_e, expanded.size());
 					if (draw_end <= draw_start)
 						continue;
-					// Screen position is relative to coloffs_now
+					ImU32 col = ImGui::GetColorU32(kte::SyntaxInk(sp.kind));
-					std::size_t screen_x = draw_start - coloffs_now;
+					ImVec2 p = ImVec2(line_pos.x + rx_to_px(draw_start),
-					ImU32 col = ImGui::GetColorU32(kte::SyntaxInk(sp.k));
-					ImVec2 p = ImVec2(line_pos.x + static_cast<float>(screen_x) * space_w,
 					                  line_pos.y);
 					ImGui::GetWindowDrawList()->AddText(
 						p, col, expanded.c_str() + draw_start, expanded.c_str() + draw_end);
@@ -447,49 +462,49 @@ ImGuiRenderer::Draw(Editor &ed)
 				// Use row_h (with spacing) to match click calculation and ensure consistent line positions.
 				ImGui::SetCursorScreenPos(ImVec2(line_pos.x, line_pos.y + row_h));
 			} else {
-				// No syntax: draw as one run, accounting for horizontal scroll offset
+				// No syntax: draw the full line; ImGui scroll handles clipping.
-				if (coloffs_now < expanded.size()) {
+				if (!expanded.empty()) {
 					ImVec2 p = ImVec2(line_pos.x, line_pos.y);
 					ImGui::GetWindowDrawList()->AddText(
 						p, ImGui::GetColorU32(ImGuiCol_Text),
-						expanded.c_str() + coloffs_now);
+						expanded.c_str());
-					ImGui::SetCursorScreenPos(ImVec2(line_pos.x, line_pos.y + row_h));
-				} else {
-					// Line is fully scrolled out of view horizontally
-					ImGui::SetCursorScreenPos(ImVec2(line_pos.x, line_pos.y + row_h));
 				}
+				ImGui::SetCursorScreenPos(ImVec2(line_pos.x, line_pos.y + row_h));
 			}
 
 			// Draw a visible cursor indicator on the current line
 			if (i == cy) {
-				// Compute rendered X (rx) from source column with tab expansion
+				std::size_t rx_abs = src_to_rx(cx);
-				std::size_t rx_abs = 0;
+				float cursor_px = rx_to_px(rx_abs);
-				for (std::size_t k = 0; k < std::min(cx, line.size()); ++k) {
-					if (line[k] == '\t')
-						rx_abs += (tabw - (rx_abs % tabw));
-					else
-						rx_abs += 1;
-				}
-				// Convert to viewport x by subtracting horizontal col offset
-				std::size_t rx_viewport = (rx_abs > coloffs_now) ? (rx_abs - coloffs_now) : 0;
-				// For proportional fonts (Linux GUI), avoid accumulating drift by computing
-				// the exact pixel width of the expanded substring up to the cursor.
-				// expanded contains the line with tabs expanded to spaces and is what we draw.
-				float cursor_px = 0.0f;
-				if (rx_viewport > 0 && coloffs_now < expanded.size()) {
-					std::size_t start = coloffs_now;
-					std::size_t end   = std::min(expanded.size(), start + rx_viewport);
-					// Measure substring width in pixels
-					ImVec2 sz = ImGui::CalcTextSize(expanded.c_str() + start,
-					                                expanded.c_str() + end);
-					cursor_px = sz.x;
-				}
 				ImVec2 p0 = ImVec2(line_pos.x + cursor_px, line_pos.y);
 				ImVec2 p1 = ImVec2(p0.x + space_w, p0.y + line_h);
 				ImU32 col = IM_COL32(200, 200, 255, 128); // soft highlight
 				ImGui::GetWindowDrawList()->AddRectFilled(p0, p1, col);
 			}
+
+			// Track widest line for content width reporting. We only measure
+			// visible lines and fold the result into a monotonic max cached on
+			// the renderer (see max_width_* members). Off-screen lines are not
+			// measured per frame; if the user scrolls or edits, the cache is
+			// refreshed accordingly.
+			if (!expanded.empty()) {
+				const float line_w = rx_to_px(expanded.size());
+				if (line_w > max_width_px_)
+					max_width_px_ = line_w;
 			}
+		}
+		// After the visible-range loop, advance the layout cursor to the end of
+		// the (virtual) content so ImGui sees the correct total size. Vertical
+		// height comes from total_rows; horizontal width comes from the cached
+		// max line width. A Dummy at the final position records both.
+		if (total_rows > last_vis) {
+			ImGui::SetCursorPosY(ImGui::GetCursorPosY() +
+			                     static_cast<float>(total_rows - last_vis) * row_h);
+		}
+		if (max_width_px_ > 0.0f) {
+			ImGui::SetCursorPosX(max_width_px_);
+		}
+		ImGui::Dummy(ImVec2(0, 0));
 		// Synchronize cursor and scrolling after rendering all lines so content size is known.
 		{
 			float child_h_actual = ImGui::GetWindowHeight();
@@ -529,29 +544,40 @@ ImGuiRenderer::Draw(Editor &ed)
 				last_row  = first_row + vis_rows - 1;
 			}
 
-			// Horizontal scroll: ensure cursor column is visible
+			// Horizontal scroll: ensure cursor is visible (pixel-based for proportional fonts)
-			long vis_cols = static_cast<long>(std::round(child_w_actual / space_w));
+			float cursor_px_abs = 0.0f;
-			if (vis_cols < 1)
+			if (cy < nlines) {
-				vis_cols = 1;
+				std::string cur_line   = buf->GetLineString(cy);
-			long first_col = static_cast<long>(scroll_x_now / space_w);
+				const std::size_t tabw = kte::kTabWidth;
-			long last_col  = first_col + vis_cols - 1;
+				// Expand tabs for cursor line to measure pixel position
-
+				std::string cur_expanded;
-			std::size_t cursor_rx = 0;
+				cur_expanded.reserve(cur_line.size() + 16);
-			if (cy < lines.size()) {
+				std::size_t cur_rx = 0;
-				std::string cur_line   = static_cast<std::string>(lines[cy]);
+				for (std::size_t ci = 0; ci < cur_line.size(); ++ci) {
-				const std::size_t tabw = 8;
+					if (cur_line[ci] == '\t') {
-				for (std::size_t i = 0; i < cx && i < cur_line.size(); ++i) {
+						std::size_t adv = tabw - (cur_rx % tabw);
-					if (cur_line[i] == '\t') {
+						cur_expanded.append(adv, ' ');
-						cursor_rx += tabw - (cursor_rx % tabw);
+						cur_rx += adv;
 					} else {
+						cur_expanded.push_back(cur_line[ci]);
+						cur_rx += 1;
+					}
+				}
+				// Compute rendered column of cursor
+				std::size_t cursor_rx = 0;
+				for (std::size_t ci = 0; ci < cx && ci < cur_line.size(); ++ci) {
+					if (cur_line[ci] == '\t')
+						cursor_rx += tabw - (cursor_rx % tabw);
+					else
 						cursor_rx += 1;
 				}
+				std::size_t exp_end = std::min(cur_expanded.size(), cursor_rx);
+				if (exp_end > 0)
+					cursor_px_abs = ImGui::CalcTextSize(cur_expanded.c_str(),
+					                                    cur_expanded.c_str() + exp_end).x;
 			}
-			}
+			if (cursor_px_abs < scroll_x_now || cursor_px_abs > scroll_x_now + child_w_actual) {
-			long cxr = static_cast<long>(cursor_rx);
+				float target_x = cursor_px_abs - (child_w_actual / 2.0f);
-			if (cxr < first_col || cxr > last_col) {
-				float target_x = static_cast<float>(cxr) * space_w;
-				target_x       -= (child_w_actual / 2.0f);
 				if (target_x < 0.f)
 					target_x = 0.f;
 				float max_x = ImGui::GetScrollMaxX();
@@ -704,7 +730,7 @@ ImGuiRenderer::Draw(Editor &ed)
 				left += " *";
 			// Append total line count as "<n>L"
 			{
-				unsigned long lcount = static_cast<unsigned long>(buf->Rows().size());
+				unsigned long lcount = static_cast<unsigned long>(buf->Nrows());
 				left                 += " ";
 				left                 += std::to_string(lcount);
 				left                 += "L";

ImGuiRenderer.h

@@ -2,8 +2,13 @@
  * ImGuiRenderer - ImGui-based renderer for GUI mode
  */
 #pragma once
+#include <cstdint>
+#include <string>
 #include "Renderer.h"
 
+struct ImFont;
+class Buffer;
+
 class ImGuiRenderer final : public Renderer {
 public:
 	ImGuiRenderer() = default;
@@ -11,4 +16,22 @@ public:
 	~ImGuiRenderer() override = default;
 
 	void Draw(Editor &ed) override;
+
+private:
+	// Per-window scroll tracking for two-way sync between Buffer offsets and ImGui scroll.
+	// These must be per-instance (not static) so each window maintains independent state.
+	long prev_buf_rowoffs_ = -1;
+	long prev_buf_coloffs_ = -1;
+	float prev_scroll_y_   = -1.0f;
+	float prev_scroll_x_   = -1.0f;
+	bool mouse_selecting_  = false;
+
+	// Max-line-width cache for the horizontal scrollbar. Measuring every line
+	// every frame is prohibitively expensive on large files; we only update the
+	// running max from visible lines and reset when buffer/version/font changes.
+	const Buffer *max_width_buf_ = nullptr;
+	std::uint64_t max_width_version_ = 0;
+	ImFont *max_width_font_ = nullptr;
+	float max_width_font_size_ = 0.0f;
+	float max_width_px_ = 0.0f;
 };

KKeymap.cc

@@ -1,6 +1,4 @@
-#include <iostream>
 #include <ncurses.h>
-#include <ostream>
 
 #include "KKeymap.h"
 
@@ -40,6 +38,15 @@ KLookupKCommand(const int ascii_key, const bool ctrl, CommandId &out) -> bool
 		out = CommandId::ToggleReadOnly; // C-k ' (toggle read-only)
 		return true;
 	}
+	if (ascii_key == 'E') {
+		// Explicitly rejected and kept distinct from 'e' (OpenFileStart): the
+		// switch below operates on the lowercased key, so it can't otherwise
+		// tell 'E' and 'e' apart. Return false and let the caller show its
+		// normal "unknown k-command" status-line message - curses already
+		// owns the terminal here, so writing to stderr would corrupt the
+		// screen.
+		return false;
+	}
 
 	switch (k_lower) {
 	case 'a':
@@ -66,9 +73,6 @@ KLookupKCommand(const int ascii_key, const bool ctrl, CommandId &out) -> bool
 	case 'e':
 		out = CommandId::OpenFileStart;
 		return true;
-	case 'E':
-		std::cerr << "E is not a valid command" << std::endl;
-		return false;
 	case 'f':
 		out = CommandId::FlushKillRing;
 		return true;
@@ -84,6 +88,9 @@ KLookupKCommand(const int ascii_key, const bool ctrl, CommandId &out) -> bool
 	case 'l':
 		out = CommandId::ReloadBuffer;
 		return true;
+	case 'm':
+		out = CommandId::ToggleEditMode;
+		return true;
 	case 'n':
 		out = CommandId::BufferPrev;
 		return true;
@@ -226,6 +233,10 @@ KLookupEscCommand(const int ascii_key, CommandId &out) -> bool
 	case 'q':
 		out = CommandId::ReflowParagraph; // Esc q (reflow paragraph)
 		return true;
+	case '\n':
+	case '\r':
+		out = CommandId::SmartNewline; // Shift+Enter (some terminals send this as Alt+Enter sequences)
+		return true;
 	default:
 		break;
 	}

Makefile

@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+.PHONY: configure build test gate
+
+configure:
+	cmake -S . -B build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug -DBUILD_GUI=ON -DBUILD_TESTS=ON
+
+build:
+	cmake --build build
+
+test:
+	./build/kte_tests
+
+gate: configure build test

OptimizedSearch.cc

@@ -1,79 +0,0 @@
-#include "OptimizedSearch.h"
-
-#include <algorithm>
-
-
-void
-OptimizedSearch::build_bad_char(const std::string &pattern)
-{
-	if (pattern == last_pat_)
-		return;
-	last_pat_ = pattern;
-	std::fill(bad_char_.begin(), bad_char_.end(), -1);
-	for (std::size_t i = 0; i < pattern.size(); ++i) {
-		bad_char_[static_cast<unsigned char>(pattern[i])] = static_cast<int>(i);
-	}
-}
-
-
-std::size_t
-OptimizedSearch::find_first(const std::string &text, const std::string &pattern, std::size_t start)
-{
-	const std::size_t n = text.size();
-	const std::size_t m = pattern.size();
-	if (m == 0)
-		return start <= n ? start : std::string::npos;
-	if (m > n || start >= n)
-		return std::string::npos;
-	build_bad_char(pattern);
-	std::size_t s = start;
-	while (s <= n - m) {
-		std::size_t j = m;
-		while (j > 0 && pattern[j - 1] == text[s + j - 1]) {
-			--j;
-		}
-		if (j == 0) {
-			return s; // match found
-		}
-		unsigned char badc = static_cast<unsigned char>(text[s + j - 1]);
-		int bcidx          = bad_char_[badc];
-		std::size_t shift  = (j - 1 > static_cast<std::size_t>(bcidx))
-			                    ? (j - 1 - static_cast<std::size_t>(bcidx))
-			                    : 1;
-		s += shift;
-	}
-	return std::string::npos;
-}
-
-
-std::vector<std::size_t>
-OptimizedSearch::find_all(const std::string &text, const std::string &pattern, std::size_t start)
-{
-	std::vector<std::size_t> res;
-	const std::size_t n = text.size();
-	const std::size_t m = pattern.size();
-	if (m == 0)
-		return res;
-	if (m > n || start >= n)
-		return res;
-	build_bad_char(pattern);
-	std::size_t s = start;
-	while (s <= n - m) {
-		std::size_t j = m;
-		while (j > 0 && pattern[j - 1] == text[s + j - 1]) {
-			--j;
-		}
-		if (j == 0) {
-			res.push_back(s);
-			s += m; // non-overlapping
-			continue;
-		}
-		unsigned char badc = static_cast<unsigned char>(text[s + j - 1]);
-		int bcidx          = bad_char_[badc];
-		std::size_t shift  = (j - 1 > static_cast<std::size_t>(bcidx))
-			                    ? (j - 1 - static_cast<std::size_t>(bcidx))
-			                    : 1;
-		s += shift;
-	}
-	return res;
-}

OptimizedSearch.h

@@ -1,23 +0,0 @@
-// OptimizedSearch.h - Boyer–Moore (bad character) based substring search
-#pragma once
-#include <array>
-#include <cstddef>
-#include <string>
-#include <vector>
-
-class OptimizedSearch {
-public:
-	OptimizedSearch() = default;
-
-	// Find first occurrence at or after start. Returns npos if not found.
-	std::size_t find_first(const std::string &text, const std::string &pattern, std::size_t start = 0);
-
-	// Find all non-overlapping matches at or after start. Returns starting indices.
-	std::vector<std::size_t> find_all(const std::string &text, const std::string &pattern, std::size_t start = 0);
-
-private:
-	std::array<int, 256> bad_char_{};
-	std::string last_pat_;
-
-	void build_bad_char(const std::string &pattern);
-};

PasteSplit.h

@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+/*
+ * PasteSplit.h - split pasted/clipboard text into editor commands
+ *
+ * Pure logic (no SDL/GUI dependencies) so it can be unit tested and shared
+ * across frontends. Line breaks in the pasted text must become Newline
+ * commands; InsertText itself rejects embedded '\r'/'\n' (see Command.cc).
+ */
+#pragma once
+#include <string>
+#include <vector>
+
+#include "InputHandler.h"
+
+
+// Translate a block of pasted text into a sequence of editor commands.
+//
+// Any of "\n", "\r\n", or a bare "\r" is treated as a single line break and
+// emitted as a Newline command; the text between breaks becomes InsertText
+// commands. Empty text segments are skipped, but line breaks are always
+// emitted so blank lines round-trip correctly.
+inline std::vector<MappedInput> SplitPasteIntoCommands(const std::string &text)
+{
+	std::vector<MappedInput> out;
+	std::string segment;
+
+	auto flush_segment = [&]() {
+		if (!segment.empty()) {
+			out.push_back(MappedInput{true, CommandId::InsertText, segment, 0});
+			segment.clear();
+		}
+	};
+
+	for (std::size_t i = 0; i < text.size(); ++i) {
+		const char c = text[i];
+		if (c == '\n' || c == '\r') {
+			flush_segment();
+			out.push_back(MappedInput{true, CommandId::Newline, std::string(), 0});
+			// Collapse a "\r\n" pair into one line break.
+			if (c == '\r' && i + 1 < text.size() && text[i + 1] == '\n')
+				++i;
+		} else {
+			segment.push_back(c);
+		}
+	}
+	flush_segment();
+
+	return out;
+}
+
+
+// Pasted text destined for a prompt (search, file name, command). Newline
+// would accept the prompt, so each line break (\n, \r\n or \r) becomes a
+// single space and the whole paste is one InsertText.
+inline std::vector<MappedInput> SplitPasteForPrompt(const std::string &text)
+{
+	std::string flat;
+	flat.reserve(text.size());
+	for (std::size_t i = 0; i < text.size(); ++i) {
+		const char c = text[i];
+		if (c == '\n' || c == '\r') {
+			flat.push_back(' ');
+			if (c == '\r' && i + 1 < text.size() && text[i + 1] == '\n')
+				++i;
+		} else {
+			flat.push_back(c);
+		}
+	}
+	std::vector<MappedInput> out;
+	if (!flat.empty())
+		out.push_back(MappedInput{true, CommandId::InsertText, flat, 0});
+	return out;
+}

PieceTable.cc

@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 #include <algorithm>
+#include <cstring>
 #include <utility>
 #include <limits>
 #include <ostream>
@@ -9,13 +10,6 @@
 PieceTable::PieceTable() = default;
 
 
-PieceTable::PieceTable(const std::size_t initialCapacity)
-{
-	add_.reserve(initialCapacity);
-	materialized_.reserve(initialCapacity);
-}
-
-
 PieceTable::PieceTable(const std::size_t initialCapacity,
                        const std::size_t piece_limit,
                        const std::size_t small_piece_threshold,
@@ -58,6 +52,9 @@ PieceTable::operator=(const PieceTable &other)
 	version_      = other.version_;
 	range_cache_  = {};
 	find_cache_   = {};
+	last_deleted_ = {};
+	piece_ends_version_ = std::numeric_limits<std::uint64_t>::max();
+	InvalidateLineIndex();
 	return *this;
 }
 
@@ -72,6 +69,8 @@ PieceTable::PieceTable(PieceTable &&other) noexcept
 {
 	other.dirty_      = true;
 	other.total_size_ = 0;
+	other.InvalidateLineIndex(); // its index described the moved-away text
+	other.piece_ends_version_ = std::numeric_limits<std::uint64_t>::max();
 	version_          = other.version_;
 	range_cache_      = {};
 	find_cache_       = {};
@@ -91,9 +90,15 @@ PieceTable::operator=(PieceTable &&other) noexcept
 	total_size_       = other.total_size_;
 	other.dirty_      = true;
 	other.total_size_ = 0;
+	other.InvalidateLineIndex(); // its index described the moved-away text
 	version_          = other.version_;
 	range_cache_      = {};
 	find_cache_       = {};
+	last_deleted_     = {};
+	other.last_deleted_ = {};
+	piece_ends_version_       = std::numeric_limits<std::uint64_t>::max();
+	other.piece_ends_version_ = std::numeric_limits<std::uint64_t>::max();
+	InvalidateLineIndex();
 	return *this;
 }
 
@@ -101,14 +106,6 @@ PieceTable::operator=(PieceTable &&other) noexcept
 PieceTable::~PieceTable() = default;
 
 
-void
-PieceTable::Reserve(const std::size_t newCapacity)
-{
-	add_.reserve(newCapacity);
-	materialized_.reserve(newCapacity);
-}
-
-
 // Setter to allow tuning consolidation heuristics
 void
 PieceTable::SetConsolidationParams(const std::size_t piece_limit,
@@ -192,6 +189,7 @@ void
 PieceTable::Clear()
 {
 	pieces_.clear();
+	std::string().swap(original_);
 	add_.clear();
 	materialized_.clear();
 	total_size_ = 0;
@@ -201,6 +199,58 @@ PieceTable::Clear()
 	version_++;
 	range_cache_  = {};
 	find_cache_   = {};
+	last_deleted_ = {};
+}
+
+
+void
+PieceTable::AdoptOriginal(std::string &&bytes)
+{
+	// Allocate before touching the current content: if this throws, the
+	// table is unchanged (everything below is non-throwing).
+	std::vector<Piece> pieces;
+	if (!bytes.empty())
+		pieces.push_back(Piece{Source::Original, 0, bytes.size()});
+	Clear();
+	std::string().swap(add_); // release a previous content's capacity
+	std::string().swap(materialized_);
+	original_   = std::move(bytes);
+	total_size_ = original_.size();
+	pieces_.swap(pieces);
+	version_++;
+}
+
+
+std::string_view
+PieceTable::ContentView() const
+{
+	if (total_size_ == 0)
+		return {};
+	if (pieces_.size() == 1) {
+		const Piece &p = pieces_.front();
+		return {(p.src == Source::Original ? original_ : add_).data() + p.start, p.len};
+	}
+	materialize();
+	return {materialized_.data(), materialized_.size()};
+}
+
+
+std::string_view
+PieceTable::View(std::size_t byte_offset, std::size_t len) const
+{
+	if (byte_offset >= total_size_ || len == 0)
+		return {};
+	len = std::min(len, total_size_ - byte_offset);
+	if (dirty_) {
+		// Materialized text is stale: serve the range from its piece when it
+		// fits in one, rather than copying the whole buffer.
+		auto [idx, inner] = locate(byte_offset);
+		if (idx < pieces_.size() && inner + len <= pieces_[idx].len) {
+			const Piece &p = pieces_[idx];
+			return {(p.src == Source::Original ? original_ : add_).data() + p.start + inner, len};
+		}
+	}
+	return ContentView().substr(byte_offset, len);
 }
 
 
@@ -221,6 +271,7 @@ PieceTable::addPieceBack(const Source src, const std::size_t start, const std::s
 				last.len    += len;
 				total_size_ += len;
 				dirty_      = true;
+				InvalidateLineIndex();
 				version_++;
 				range_cache_ = {};
 				find_cache_  = {};
@@ -254,6 +305,7 @@ PieceTable::addPieceFront(Source src, std::size_t start, std::size_t len)
 			first.len   += len;
 			total_size_ += len;
 			dirty_      = true;
+			InvalidateLineIndex();
 			version_++;
 			range_cache_ = {};
 			find_cache_  = {};
@@ -273,7 +325,6 @@ PieceTable::addPieceFront(Source src, std::size_t start, std::size_t len)
 void
 PieceTable::materialize() const
 {
-	std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(mutex_);
 	if (!dirty_) {
 		return;
 	}
@@ -300,16 +351,20 @@ PieceTable::locate(const std::size_t byte_offset) const
 	if (byte_offset >= total_size_) {
 		return {pieces_.size(), 0};
 	}
-	std::size_t off = byte_offset;
+	// Rebuilt once per modification: an edited buffer's lookups (two per
-	for (std::size_t i = 0; i < pieces_.size(); ++i) {
+	// rendered line per frame) used to walk the piece list each time.
-		const auto &p = pieces_[i];
+	if (piece_ends_version_ != version_ || piece_ends_.size() != pieces_.size()) {
-		if (off < p.len) {
+		piece_ends_.resize(pieces_.size());
-			return {i, off};
+		std::size_t end = 0;
+		for (std::size_t i = 0; i < pieces_.size(); ++i)
+			piece_ends_[i] = end += pieces_[i].len;
+		piece_ends_version_ = version_;
 	}
-		off -= p.len;
+	const auto it = std::upper_bound(piece_ends_.begin(), piece_ends_.end(), byte_offset);
-	}
+	if (it == piece_ends_.end())
-	// Should not reach here unless inconsistency; return end
+		return {pieces_.size(), 0}; // inconsistent sizes; treat as the end
-	return {pieces_.size(), 0};
+	const std::size_t i = static_cast<std::size_t>(it - piece_ends_.begin());
+	return {i, byte_offset - (i > 0 ? piece_ends_[i - 1] : 0)};
 }
 
 
@@ -349,33 +404,102 @@ PieceTable::coalesceNeighbors(std::size_t index)
 void
 PieceTable::InvalidateLineIndex() const
 {
-	std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(mutex_);
 	line_index_dirty_ = true;
 }
 
 
+std::size_t
+PieceTable::lineUpperBound(const std::size_t byte_offset) const
+{
+	// Line starts ascend; binary search over them with the shift applied.
+	std::size_t lo = 0, hi = line_index_.size();
+	while (lo < hi) {
+		const std::size_t mid = lo + (hi - lo) / 2;
+		if (lineStart(mid) <= byte_offset)
+			lo = mid + 1;
+		else
+			hi = mid;
+	}
+	return lo;
+}
+
+
+void
+PieceTable::applyLineShift() const
+{
+	for (std::size_t i = line_shift_from_; i < line_index_.size(); ++i)
+		line_index_[i] += line_shift_by_;
+	line_shift_from_ = std::numeric_limits<std::size_t>::max();
+	line_shift_by_   = 0;
+}
+
+
+void
+PieceTable::lineIndexOnInsert(std::size_t offset, const char *text, std::size_t len) const
+{
+	if (line_index_dirty_)
+		return;
+	// Line starts after the insertion point move right; a start exactly at
+	// the insertion point stays (the text joins that line).
+	const std::size_t first_after = lineUpperBound(offset);
+	std::vector<std::size_t> added;
+	const char *end = text + len;
+	for (const char *p = text; (p = static_cast<const char *>(std::memchr(p, '\n', end - p))) != nullptr; ++p)
+		added.push_back(offset + static_cast<std::size_t>(p - text) + 1);
+	// The pending shift can absorb this one only if it starts at the same
+	// line (the usual case: typing along one line).
+	if (line_shift_by_ != 0 && line_shift_from_ != first_after)
+		applyLineShift();
+	if (!added.empty())
+		line_index_.insert(line_index_.begin() + static_cast<std::ptrdiff_t>(first_after), added.begin(),
+		                   added.end());
+	// The new starts are exact; the ones after them move by len.
+	line_shift_from_ = first_after + added.size();
+	line_shift_by_ += len;
+}
+
+
+void
+PieceTable::lineIndexOnDelete(std::size_t offset, std::size_t len) const
+{
+	if (line_index_dirty_)
+		return;
+	// Starts in (offset, offset+len] followed a deleted newline: drop them.
+	// Later starts move left.
+	const std::size_t lo = lineUpperBound(offset);
+	const std::size_t hi = lineUpperBound(offset + len);
+	// After the erase the starts from hi on are at lo; a pending shift
+	// beginning anywhere in [lo, hi] covers exactly them.
+	if (line_shift_by_ != 0 && (line_shift_from_ < lo || line_shift_from_ > hi))
+		applyLineShift();
+	line_index_.erase(line_index_.begin() + static_cast<std::ptrdiff_t>(lo),
+	                  line_index_.begin() + static_cast<std::ptrdiff_t>(hi));
+	line_shift_from_ = lo;
+	line_shift_by_ -= len;
+}
+
+
 void
 PieceTable::RebuildLineIndex() const
 {
-	std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(mutex_);
 
 	if (!line_index_dirty_) {
 		return;
 	}
 	line_index_.clear();
 	line_index_.push_back(0);
+	line_shift_from_ = std::numeric_limits<std::size_t>::max();
+	line_shift_by_   = 0;
 
 	std::size_t pos = 0;
 	for (const auto &pc: pieces_) {
 		const std::string &src = pc.src == Source::Original ? original_ : add_;
 		const char *base       = src.data() + static_cast<std::ptrdiff_t>(pc.start);
 
-		for (std::size_t j = 0; j < pc.len; ++j) {
+		const char *end        = base + pc.len;
-			if (base[j] == '\n') {
+		// The next line starts after each newline.
-				// next line starts after the newline
+		for (const char *p = base; (p = static_cast<const char *>(std::memchr(p, '\n', end - p))) != nullptr; ++p)
-				line_index_.push_back(pos + j + 1);
+			line_index_.push_back(pos + static_cast<std::size_t>(p - base) + 1);
-			}
-		}
 
 		pos += pc.len;
 	}
@@ -394,6 +518,7 @@ PieceTable::Insert(std::size_t byte_offset, const char *text, std::size_t len)
 		byte_offset = total_size_;
 	}
 
+	last_deleted_ = {};
 	const std::size_t add_start = add_.size();
 	add_.append(text, len);
 
@@ -401,7 +526,7 @@ PieceTable::Insert(std::size_t byte_offset, const char *text, std::size_t len)
 		pieces_.push_back(Piece{Source::Add, add_start, len});
 		total_size_ += len;
 		dirty_      = true;
-		InvalidateLineIndex();
+		lineIndexOnInsert(byte_offset, add_.data() + add_start, len);
 		maybeConsolidate();
 		version_++;
 		range_cache_ = {};
@@ -415,7 +540,7 @@ PieceTable::Insert(std::size_t byte_offset, const char *text, std::size_t len)
 		pieces_.push_back(Piece{Source::Add, add_start, len});
 		total_size_ += len;
 		dirty_      = true;
-		InvalidateLineIndex();
+		lineIndexOnInsert(byte_offset, add_.data() + add_start, len);
 		coalesceNeighbors(pieces_.size() - 1);
 		maybeConsolidate();
 		version_++;
@@ -443,7 +568,7 @@ PieceTable::Insert(std::size_t byte_offset, const char *text, std::size_t len)
 
 	total_size_ += len;
 	dirty_      = true;
-	InvalidateLineIndex();
+	lineIndexOnInsert(byte_offset, add_.data() + add_start, len);
 	// Try coalescing around the inserted position (the inserted piece is at idx + (inner>0 ? 1 : 0))
 	std::size_t ins_index = idx + (inner > 0 ? 1 : 0);
 	coalesceNeighbors(ins_index);
@@ -467,6 +592,16 @@ PieceTable::Delete(std::size_t byte_offset, std::size_t len)
 		len = total_size_ - byte_offset;
 	}
 
+	// Remember what a large deletion removed, so undo can refer to the
+	// stored bytes instead of keeping its own copy (see TakeDeletedSpans).
+	last_deleted_ = {};
+	if (len >= kCaptureDeletedMin) {
+		last_deleted_.spans  = SpansInRange(byte_offset, len);
+		last_deleted_.offset = byte_offset;
+		last_deleted_.len    = len;
+		last_deleted_.valid  = true;
+	}
+
 	auto [idx, inner]     = locate(byte_offset);
 	std::size_t remaining = len;
 
@@ -513,7 +648,7 @@ PieceTable::Delete(std::size_t byte_offset, std::size_t len)
 
 	total_size_ -= len;
 	dirty_      = true;
-	InvalidateLineIndex();
+	lineIndexOnDelete(byte_offset, len);
 	if (idx < pieces_.size())
 		coalesceNeighbors(idx);
 	if (idx > 0)
@@ -525,6 +660,104 @@ PieceTable::Delete(std::size_t byte_offset, std::size_t len)
 }
 
 
+// ===== Span access =====
+
+std::vector<TextSpan>
+PieceTable::SpansInRange(std::size_t byte_offset, std::size_t len) const
+{
+	std::vector<TextSpan> out;
+	if (byte_offset >= total_size_ || len == 0)
+		return out;
+	len               = std::min(len, total_size_ - byte_offset);
+	auto [idx, inner] = locate(byte_offset);
+	while (len > 0 && idx < pieces_.size()) {
+		const Piece &p         = pieces_[idx];
+		const std::size_t take = std::min(p.len - inner, len);
+		out.push_back(TextSpan{p.src == Source::Add, p.start + inner, take});
+		len   -= take;
+		inner = 0;
+		++idx;
+	}
+	return out;
+}
+
+
+bool
+PieceTable::SpansEqual(const std::vector<TextSpan> &spans, std::string_view text) const
+{
+	std::size_t pos = 0;
+	bool equal      = true;
+	VisitSpans(spans, [&](const char *data, std::size_t n) {
+		if (!equal || pos + n > text.size() || std::memcmp(data, text.data() + pos, n) != 0)
+			equal = false;
+		pos += n;
+	});
+	return equal && pos == text.size();
+}
+
+
+void
+PieceTable::InsertSpans(std::size_t byte_offset, const std::vector<TextSpan> &spans)
+{
+	if (byte_offset > total_size_)
+		byte_offset = total_size_;
+	std::vector<Piece> ins;
+	std::size_t len = 0;
+	for (const TextSpan &sp: spans) {
+		const std::string &src = sp.add ? add_ : original_;
+		if (sp.len == 0 || sp.start + sp.len > src.size())
+			continue;
+		ins.push_back(Piece{sp.add ? Source::Add : Source::Original, sp.start, sp.len});
+		len += sp.len;
+	}
+	if (len == 0)
+		return;
+
+	std::size_t at = pieces_.size();
+	if (byte_offset < total_size_) {
+		auto [idx, inner] = locate(byte_offset);
+		if (inner > 0) {
+			// Split the piece containing the insertion point.
+			const Piece target = pieces_[idx];
+			pieces_[idx].len   = inner;
+			pieces_.insert(pieces_.begin() + static_cast<std::ptrdiff_t>(idx + 1),
+			               Piece{target.src, target.start + inner, target.len - inner});
+			at = idx + 1;
+		} else {
+			at = idx;
+		}
+	}
+	pieces_.insert(pieces_.begin() + static_cast<std::ptrdiff_t>(at), ins.begin(), ins.end());
+	total_size_ += len;
+	dirty_      = true;
+	std::size_t off = byte_offset;
+	for (const Piece &p: ins) {
+		const std::string &src = p.src == Source::Add ? add_ : original_;
+		lineIndexOnInsert(off, src.data() + p.start, p.len);
+		off += p.len;
+	}
+	coalesceNeighbors(std::min(at + ins.size(), pieces_.size() - 1));
+	if (at > 0)
+		coalesceNeighbors(at - 1);
+	maybeConsolidate();
+	version_++;
+	range_cache_  = {};
+	find_cache_   = {};
+	last_deleted_ = {};
+}
+
+
+std::vector<TextSpan>
+PieceTable::TakeDeletedSpans(std::size_t byte_offset, std::size_t len)
+{
+	std::vector<TextSpan> out;
+	if (last_deleted_.valid && last_deleted_.offset == byte_offset && last_deleted_.len == len)
+		out = std::move(last_deleted_.spans);
+	last_deleted_ = {};
+	return out;
+}
+
+
 // ===== Consolidation implementation =====
 
 void
@@ -562,9 +795,10 @@ PieceTable::consolidateRange(std::size_t start_idx, std::size_t end_idx)
 	              pieces_.begin() + static_cast<std::ptrdiff_t>(end_idx));
 	pieces_.insert(pieces_.begin() + static_cast<std::ptrdiff_t>(start_idx), consolidated);
 
-	// total_size_ unchanged
+	// total_size_ unchanged. Content and byte offsets are unchanged too, so
+	// the line index stays valid (invalidating it here forced a full rescan
+	// on every edit once a buffer had many pieces).
 	dirty_ = true;
-	InvalidateLineIndex();
 	coalesceNeighbors(start_idx);
 	// Layout changed; invalidate caches/version
 	version_++;
@@ -631,8 +865,8 @@ PieceTable::GetLineRange(std::size_t line_num) const
 		return {0, 0};
 	if (line_num >= line_index_.size())
 		return {0, 0};
-	std::size_t start = line_index_[line_num];
+	std::size_t start = lineStart(line_num);
-	std::size_t end   = (line_num + 1 < line_index_.size()) ? line_index_[line_num + 1] : total_size_;
+	std::size_t end   = (line_num + 1 < line_index_.size()) ? lineStart(line_num + 1) : total_size_;
 	return {start, end};
 }
 
@@ -643,14 +877,10 @@ PieceTable::GetLine(std::size_t line_num) const
 	auto [start, end] = GetLineRange(line_num);
 	if (end < start)
 		return std::string();
-	// Trim trailing '\n'
+	// Every line but the last ends at a newline (each newline starts an
-	if (end > start) {
+	// index entry); leave it out.
-		// To check last char, we can get it via GetRange of len 1 at end-1 without materializing whole
+	if (end > start && line_num + 1 < line_index_.size())
-		std::string last = GetRange(end - 1, 1);
-		if (!last.empty() && last[0] == '\n') {
 		end -= 1;
-		}
-	}
 	return GetRange(start, end - start);
 }
 
@@ -663,9 +893,9 @@ PieceTable::ByteOffsetToLineCol(std::size_t byte_offset) const
 	RebuildLineIndex();
 	if (line_index_.empty())
 		return {0, 0};
-	auto it         = std::upper_bound(line_index_.begin(), line_index_.end(), byte_offset);
+	const std::size_t ub = lineUpperBound(byte_offset);
-	std::size_t row = (it == line_index_.begin()) ? 0 : static_cast<std::size_t>((it - line_index_.begin()) - 1);
+	std::size_t row      = ub == 0 ? 0 : ub - 1;
-	std::size_t col = byte_offset - line_index_[row];
+	std::size_t col      = byte_offset - lineStart(row);
 	return {row, col};
 }
 
@@ -678,15 +908,12 @@ PieceTable::LineColToByteOffset(std::size_t row, std::size_t col) const
 		return 0;
 	if (row >= line_index_.size())
 		return total_size_;
-	std::size_t start = line_index_[row];
+	std::size_t start = lineStart(row);
-	std::size_t end   = (row + 1 < line_index_.size()) ? line_index_[row + 1] : total_size_;
+	std::size_t end   = (row + 1 < line_index_.size()) ? lineStart(row + 1) : total_size_;
-	// Clamp col to line length excluding trailing newline
+	// Clamp col to the line's length without its newline (every line but
-	if (end > start) {
+	// the last has one).
-		std::string last = GetRange(end - 1, 1);
+	if (end > start && row + 1 < line_index_.size())
-		if (!last.empty() && last[0] == '\n') {
 		end -= 1;
-		}
-	}
 	std::size_t target = start + std::min(col, end - start);
 	return target;
 }
@@ -702,7 +929,6 @@ PieceTable::GetRange(std::size_t byte_offset, std::size_t len) const
 
 	// Fast path: return cached value if version/offset/len match
 	{
-		std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(mutex_);
 		if (range_cache_.valid && range_cache_.version == version_ &&
 		    range_cache_.off == byte_offset && range_cache_.len == len) {
 			return range_cache_.data;
@@ -712,7 +938,6 @@ PieceTable::GetRange(std::size_t byte_offset, std::size_t len) const
 	std::string out;
 	out.reserve(len);
 	if (!dirty_) {
-		std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(mutex_);
 		// Already materialized; slice directly
 		out.assign(materialized_.data() + static_cast<std::ptrdiff_t>(byte_offset), len);
 	} else {
@@ -737,7 +962,6 @@ PieceTable::GetRange(std::size_t byte_offset, std::size_t len) const
 
 	// Update cache
 	{
-		std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(mutex_);
 		range_cache_.valid   = true;
 		range_cache_.version = version_;
 		range_cache_.off     = byte_offset;
@@ -756,7 +980,6 @@ PieceTable::Find(const std::string &needle, std::size_t start) const
 	if (start > total_size_)
 		return std::numeric_limits<std::size_t>::max();
 	{
-		std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(mutex_);
 		if (find_cache_.valid &&
 		    find_cache_.version == version_ &&
 		    find_cache_.needle == needle &&
@@ -768,7 +991,6 @@ PieceTable::Find(const std::string &needle, std::size_t start) const
 	materialize();
 	std::size_t pos;
 	{
-		std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(mutex_);
 		pos = materialized_.find(needle, start);
 		if (pos == std::string::npos)
 			pos = std::numeric_limits<std::size_t>::max();

PieceTable.h

@@ -1,5 +1,41 @@
 /*
  * PieceTable.h - Alternative to GapBuffer using a piece table representation
+ *
+ * PieceTable is kte's core text storage data structure. It provides efficient
+ * insert/delete operations without copying the entire buffer by maintaining a
+ * sequence of "pieces" that reference ranges in two underlying buffers:
+ * - original_: A loaded file's content (AdoptOriginal), never modified
+ * - add_: All text added during editing
+ *
+ * Key advantages:
+ * - O(1) append/prepend operations (common case)
+ * - O(n) insert/delete at arbitrary positions (n = number of pieces, not bytes)
+ * - Efficient undo: just restore the piece list
+ * - Memory efficient: no gap buffer waste
+ *
+ * Performance characteristics:
+ * - Piece count grows with edit operations; automatic consolidation prevents unbounded growth
+ * - Materialization (Data() call) is O(total_size) but cached until next edit;
+ *   a single-piece table (an unedited file) is viewed in place, not copied
+ * - Line index is lazily rebuilt on first line-based query after edits
+ * - Range and Find operations use lightweight caches for repeated queries
+ *
+ * API evolution:
+ * 1. Legacy API (GapBuffer compatibility):
+ *    - Append/Prepend: Build content sequentially
+ *    - Data(): Materialize entire buffer
+ *
+ * 2. New buffer-wide API (Phase 1):
+ *    - Insert/Delete: Edit at arbitrary byte offsets
+ *    - Line-based queries: LineCount, GetLine, GetLineRange
+ *    - Position conversion: ByteOffsetToLineCol, LineColToByteOffset
+ *    - Efficient extraction: GetRange, Find, WriteToStream
+ *
+ * Implementation notes:
+ * - Consolidation heuristics prevent piece fragmentation (configurable via SetConsolidationParams)
+ * - Not thread-safe: even reads update caches. Buffers are used from the
+ *   main thread only (the swap writer thread gets copies of the bytes).
+ * - Version tracking invalidates caches on mutations
  */
 #pragma once
 #include <cstddef>
@@ -8,15 +44,15 @@
 #include <ostream>
 #include <vector>
 #include <limits>
-#include <mutex>
+#include <string_view>
+
+#include "TextSpan.h"
 
 
 class PieceTable {
 public:
 	PieceTable();
 
-	explicit PieceTable(std::size_t initialCapacity);
-
 	// Advanced constructor allowing configuration of consolidation heuristics
 	PieceTable(std::size_t initialCapacity,
 	           std::size_t piece_limit,
@@ -33,9 +69,6 @@ public:
 
 	~PieceTable();
 
-	// Public API mirrors GapBuffer
-	void Reserve(std::size_t newCapacity);
-
 	void AppendChar(char c);
 
 	void Append(const char *s, std::size_t len);
@@ -51,18 +84,40 @@ public:
 	// Content management
 	void Clear();
 
+	// Replace the content with `bytes`, taken over without copying (a loaded
+	// file). Undo spans into the old storage are invalidated, as by Clear().
+	// If it throws (std::bad_alloc), the content is unchanged.
+	void AdoptOriginal(std::string &&bytes);
+
 	// Accessors
-	char *Data()
+	// The whole text, contiguous; nullptr when empty. Valid until the next
+	// modification.
+	[[nodiscard]] const char *Data() const
 	{
-		materialize();
+		const std::string_view v = ContentView();
-		return materialized_.empty() ? nullptr : materialized_.data();
+		return v.empty() ? nullptr : v.data();
 	}
 
 
-	[[nodiscard]] const char *Data() const
+	// The whole text as one view: in place for a single piece, else the
+	// materialized copy (built once per modification). Valid until the next
+	// modification.
+	[[nodiscard]] std::string_view ContentView() const;
+
+	// A view of [byte_offset, byte_offset + len), clamped to the content: in
+	// place when the range lies within one piece (no copy), else into the
+	// materialized text. Valid until the next modification.
+	[[nodiscard]] std::string_view View(std::size_t byte_offset, std::size_t len) const;
+
+	// Call fn(const char *data, std::size_t len) for each piece, in order:
+	// the content without materializing it.
+	template<typename Fn>
+	void ForEachChunk(Fn &&fn) const
 	{
-		const_cast<PieceTable *>(this)->materialize();
+		for (const Piece &p: pieces_) {
-		return materialized_.empty() ? nullptr : materialized_.data();
+			if (p.len > 0)
+				fn((p.src == Source::Original ? original_ : add_).data() + p.start, p.len);
+		}
 	}
 
 
@@ -72,13 +127,6 @@ public:
 	}
 
 
-	[[nodiscard]] std::size_t Capacity() const
-	{
-		// Capacity for piece table isn't directly meaningful; report materialized capacity
-		return materialized_.capacity();
-	}
-
-
 	// ===== New buffer-wide API (Phase 1) =====
 	// Byte-based editing operations
 	void Insert(std::size_t byte_offset, const char *text, std::size_t len);
@@ -105,6 +153,36 @@ public:
 	// Stream out content without materializing the entire buffer
 	void WriteToStream(std::ostream &out) const;
 
+	// ===== Span access (see TextSpan.h) =====
+	// The storage spans backing [byte_offset, byte_offset + len).
+	[[nodiscard]] std::vector<TextSpan> SpansInRange(std::size_t byte_offset, std::size_t len) const;
+
+	// Call fn(const char *data, std::size_t len) for each span's bytes, in order.
+	template<typename Fn>
+	void VisitSpans(const std::vector<TextSpan> &spans, Fn &&fn) const
+	{
+		for (const TextSpan &sp: spans) {
+			const std::string &src = sp.add ? add_ : original_;
+			if (sp.len > 0 && sp.start + sp.len <= src.size())
+				fn(src.data() + sp.start, sp.len);
+		}
+	}
+
+
+	// Whether the spans hold exactly `text`.
+	[[nodiscard]] bool SpansEqual(const std::vector<TextSpan> &spans, std::string_view text) const;
+
+	// Insert the spans' bytes at byte_offset without copying them into
+	// storage again (the new pieces reference the existing bytes).
+	void InsertSpans(std::size_t byte_offset, const std::vector<TextSpan> &spans);
+
+	// Deletions of at least kCaptureDeletedMin bytes remember the spans they
+	// removed; this returns them if the most recent deletion was exactly
+	// [byte_offset, byte_offset + len), else nothing. Consumes the capture.
+	static constexpr std::size_t kCaptureDeletedMin = 4096;
+
+	[[nodiscard]] std::vector<TextSpan> TakeDeletedSpans(std::size_t byte_offset, std::size_t len);
+
 	// Heuristic configuration
 	void SetConsolidationParams(std::size_t piece_limit,
 	                            std::size_t small_piece_threshold,
@@ -141,10 +219,16 @@ private:
 	// Line index support (rebuilt lazily on demand)
 	void InvalidateLineIndex() const;
 
+	// Keep a valid line index in step with an edit instead of rescanning the
+	// whole buffer on the next query. No-ops if the index is already dirty.
+	void lineIndexOnInsert(std::size_t offset, const char *text, std::size_t len) const;
+
+	void lineIndexOnDelete(std::size_t offset, std::size_t len) const;
+
 	void RebuildLineIndex() const;
 
 	// Underlying storages
-	std::string original_; // unused for builder use-case, but kept for API symmetry
+	std::string original_; // a loaded file's bytes (AdoptOriginal)
 	std::string add_;
 	std::vector<Piece> pieces_;
 
@@ -154,9 +238,34 @@ private:
 	mutable std::uint64_t version_ = 0;
 	std::size_t total_size_        = 0;
 
+	// End offset of each piece (prefix sums) for binary-search lookup,
+	// valid while piece_ends_version_ == version_ (every mutation bumps it).
+	mutable std::vector<std::size_t> piece_ends_;
+	mutable std::uint64_t piece_ends_version_ = std::numeric_limits<std::uint64_t>::max();
+
 	// Cached line index: starting byte offset of each line (always contains at least 1 entry: 0)
 	mutable std::vector<std::size_t> line_index_;
 	mutable bool line_index_dirty_ = true;
+	// A shift not yet applied to line_index_: entries from index
+	// line_shift_from_ on are really line_index_[i] + line_shift_by_ (mod
+	// 2^64, so it may be negative). An edit moves every later line start;
+	// applying that at once cost O(lines) per keystroke, so consecutive edits
+	// on one line only adjust the pending shift.
+	mutable std::size_t line_shift_from_ = std::numeric_limits<std::size_t>::max();
+	mutable std::size_t line_shift_by_   = 0;
+
+	// Start of line i (i < line_index_.size()), with the pending shift.
+	[[nodiscard]] std::size_t lineStart(std::size_t i) const
+	{
+		return i >= line_shift_from_ ? line_index_[i] + line_shift_by_ : line_index_[i];
+	}
+
+
+	// Index of the first line starting after byte_offset.
+	[[nodiscard]] std::size_t lineUpperBound(std::size_t byte_offset) const;
+
+	// Fold the pending shift into line_index_.
+	void applyLineShift() const;
 
 	// Heuristic knobs
 	std::size_t piece_limit_             = 4096; // trigger consolidation when exceeded
@@ -180,8 +289,13 @@ private:
 		std::size_t result = std::numeric_limits<std::size_t>::max();
 	};
 
+	struct DeletedCapture {
+		bool valid            = false;
+		std::size_t offset    = 0;
+		std::size_t len       = 0;
+		std::vector<TextSpan> spans;
+	} last_deleted_;
+
 	mutable RangeCache range_cache_;
 	mutable FindCache find_cache_;
-
-	mutable std::mutex mutex_;
 };

QtFrontend.cc

@@ -1,985 +0,0 @@
-#include "QtFrontend.h"
-
-#include <QApplication>
-#include <QWidget>
-#include <QKeyEvent>
-#include <QTimer>
-#include <QScreen>
-#include <QFont>
-#include <QFontMetrics>
-#include <QFontDatabase>
-#include <QFileDialog>
-#include <QFontDialog>
-#include <QPainter>
-#include <QPaintEvent>
-#include <QWheelEvent>
-#include <regex>
-
-#include "Editor.h"
-#include "Command.h"
-#include "Buffer.h"
-#include "GUITheme.h"
-#include "Highlight.h"
-
-namespace {
-class MainWindow : public QWidget {
-public:
-	explicit MainWindow(class QtInputHandler &ih, QWidget *parent = nullptr)
-		: QWidget(parent), input_(ih)
-	{
-		// Match ImGui window title format
-		setWindowTitle(QStringLiteral("kge - kyle's graphical editor ")
-		               + QStringLiteral(KTE_VERSION_STR));
-		resize(1280, 800);
-		setFocusPolicy(Qt::StrongFocus);
-	}
-
-
-	bool WasClosed() const
-	{
-		return closed_;
-	}
-
-
-	void SetEditor(Editor *ed)
-	{
-		ed_ = ed;
-	}
-
-
-	void SetFontFamilyAndSize(QString family, int px)
-	{
-		if (family.isEmpty())
-			family = QStringLiteral("Brass Mono");
-		if (px <= 0)
-			px = 18;
-		font_family_ = std::move(family);
-		font_px_     = px;
-		update();
-	}
-
-protected:
-	void keyPressEvent(QKeyEvent *event) override
-	{
-		// Route to editor keymap; if handled, accept and stop propagation so
-		// Qt doesn't trigger any default widget shortcuts.
-		if (input_.ProcessKeyEvent(*event)) {
-			event->accept();
-			return;
-		}
-		QWidget::keyPressEvent(event);
-	}
-
-
-	void paintEvent(QPaintEvent *event) override
-	{
-		Q_UNUSED(event);
-		QPainter p(this);
-		p.setRenderHint(QPainter::TextAntialiasing, true);
-
-		// Colors from GUITheme palette (Qt branch)
-		auto to_qcolor = [](const KteColor &c) -> QColor {
-			int r = int(std::round(c.x * 255.0f));
-			int g = int(std::round(c.y * 255.0f));
-			int b = int(std::round(c.z * 255.0f));
-			int a = int(std::round(c.w * 255.0f));
-			return QColor(r, g, b, a);
-		};
-		const auto pal         = kte::GetPalette();
-		const QColor bg        = to_qcolor(pal.bg);
-		const QColor fg        = to_qcolor(pal.fg);
-		const QColor sel_bg    = to_qcolor(pal.sel_bg);
-		const QColor cur_bg    = to_qcolor(pal.cur_bg);
-		const QColor status_bg = to_qcolor(pal.status_bg);
-		const QColor status_fg = to_qcolor(pal.status_fg);
-
-		// Background
-		p.fillRect(rect(), bg);
-
-		// Font/metrics (configured or defaults)
-		QFont f(font_family_, font_px_);
-		p.setFont(f);
-		QFontMetrics fm(f);
-		const int line_h = fm.height();
-		const int ch_w   = std::max(1, fm.horizontalAdvance(QStringLiteral(" ")));
-
-		// Layout metrics
-		const int pad_l    = 8;
-		const int pad_t    = 6;
-		const int pad_r    = 8;
-		const int pad_b    = 6;
-		const int status_h = line_h + 6; // status bar height
-
-		// Content area (text viewport)
-		const QRect content_rect(pad_l,
-		                         pad_t,
-		                         width() - pad_l - pad_r,
-		                         height() - pad_t - pad_b - status_h);
-
-		// Text viewport occupies all content area (no extra title row)
-		QRect viewport(content_rect.x(), content_rect.y(), content_rect.width(), content_rect.height());
-
-		// Draw buffer contents
-		if (ed_ && viewport.height() > 0 && viewport.width() > 0) {
-			const Buffer *buf = ed_->CurrentBuffer();
-			if (buf) {
-				const auto &lines         = buf->Rows();
-				const std::size_t nrows   = lines.size();
-				const std::size_t rowoffs = buf->Rowoffs();
-				const std::size_t coloffs = buf->Coloffs();
-				const std::size_t cy      = buf->Cury();
-				const std::size_t cx      = buf->Curx();
-
-				// Visible line count
-				const int max_lines        = (line_h > 0) ? (viewport.height() / line_h) : 0;
-				const std::size_t last_row = std::min<std::size_t>(
-					nrows, rowoffs + std::max(0, max_lines));
-
-				// Tab width: follow ImGuiRenderer default of 4
-				const std::size_t tabw = 4;
-
-				// Prepare painter clip to viewport
-				p.save();
-				p.setClipRect(viewport);
-
-				// Iterate visible lines
-				for (std::size_t i = rowoffs, vis_idx = 0; i < last_row; ++i, ++vis_idx) {
-					// Materialize the Buffer::Line into a std::string for
-					// regex/iterator usage and general string ops.
-					const std::string line = static_cast<std::string>(lines[i]);
-					const int y            = viewport.y() + static_cast<int>(vis_idx) * line_h;
-					const int baseline     = y + fm.ascent();
-
-					// Helper: convert src col -> rx with tab expansion
-					auto src_to_rx_line = [&](std::size_t src_col) -> std::size_t {
-						std::size_t rx = 0;
-						for (std::size_t k = 0; k < src_col && k < line.size(); ++k) {
-							rx += (line[k] == '\t') ? (tabw - (rx % tabw)) : 1;
-						}
-						return rx;
-					};
-
-					// Search-match background highlights first (under text)
-					if (ed_->SearchActive() && !ed_->SearchQuery().empty()) {
-						std::vector<std::pair<std::size_t, std::size_t> > hl_src_ranges;
-						// Compute ranges per line (source indices)
-						if (ed_->PromptActive() &&
-						    (ed_->CurrentPromptKind() == Editor::PromptKind::RegexSearch ||
-						     ed_->CurrentPromptKind() ==
-						     Editor::PromptKind::RegexReplaceFind)) {
-							try {
-								std::regex rx(ed_->SearchQuery());
-								for (auto it = std::sregex_iterator(
-									     line.begin(), line.end(), rx);
-								     it != std::sregex_iterator(); ++it) {
-									const auto &m  = *it;
-									std::size_t sx = static_cast<std::size_t>(m.
-										position());
-									std::size_t ex =
-										sx + static_cast<std::size_t>(m.
-											length());
-									hl_src_ranges.emplace_back(sx, ex);
-								}
-							} catch (const std::regex_error &) {
-								// Invalid regex: ignore, status line already shows errors
-							}
-						} else {
-							const std::string &q = ed_->SearchQuery();
-							if (!q.empty()) {
-								std::size_t pos = 0;
-								while ((pos = line.find(q, pos)) != std::string::npos) {
-									hl_src_ranges.emplace_back(pos, pos + q.size());
-									pos += q.size();
-								}
-							}
-						}
-
-						if (!hl_src_ranges.empty()) {
-							const bool has_current =
-								ed_->SearchMatchLen() > 0 && ed_->SearchMatchY() == i;
-							const std::size_t cur_x = has_current ? ed_->SearchMatchX() : 0;
-							const std::size_t cur_end = has_current
-								? (ed_->SearchMatchX() + ed_->SearchMatchLen())
-								: 0;
-							for (const auto &rg: hl_src_ranges) {
-								std::size_t sx   = rg.first, ex = rg.second;
-								std::size_t rx_s = src_to_rx_line(sx);
-								std::size_t rx_e = src_to_rx_line(ex);
-								if (rx_e <= coloffs)
-									continue; // fully left of view
-								int vx0 = viewport.x() + static_cast<int>((
-									          (rx_s > coloffs ? rx_s - coloffs : 0)
-									          * ch_w));
-								int vx1 = viewport.x() + static_cast<int>((
-									          (rx_e - coloffs) * ch_w));
-								QRect r(vx0, y, std::max(0, vx1 - vx0), line_h);
-								if (r.width() <= 0)
-									continue;
-								bool is_current =
-									has_current && sx == cur_x && ex == cur_end;
-								QColor col = is_current
-									             ? QColor(255, 220, 120, 140)
-									             : QColor(200, 200, 0, 90);
-								p.fillRect(r, col);
-							}
-						}
-					}
-
-					// Selection background (if active on this line)
-					if (buf->MarkSet() && (
-						    i == buf->MarkCury() || i == cy || (
-							    i > std::min(buf->MarkCury(), cy) && i < std::max(
-								    buf->MarkCury(), cy)))) {
-						std::size_t sx = 0, ex = 0;
-						if (buf->MarkCury() == i && cy == i) {
-							sx = std::min(buf->MarkCurx(), cx);
-							ex = std::max(buf->MarkCurx(), cx);
-						} else if (i == buf->MarkCury()) {
-							sx = buf->MarkCurx();
-							ex = line.size();
-						} else if (i == cy) {
-							sx = 0;
-							ex = cx;
-						} else {
-							sx = 0;
-							ex = line.size();
-						}
-						std::size_t rx_s = src_to_rx_line(sx);
-						std::size_t rx_e = src_to_rx_line(ex);
-						if (rx_e > coloffs) {
-							int vx0 = viewport.x() + static_cast<int>((rx_s > coloffs
-								          ? rx_s - coloffs
-								          : 0) * ch_w);
-							int vx1 = viewport.x() + static_cast<int>(
-								          (rx_e - coloffs) * ch_w);
-							QRect sel_r(vx0, y, std::max(0, vx1 - vx0), line_h);
-							if (sel_r.width() > 0)
-								p.fillRect(sel_r, sel_bg);
-						}
-					}
-
-					// Build expanded line (tabs -> spaces) for drawing
-					std::string expanded;
-					expanded.reserve(line.size() + 8);
-					std::size_t rx_acc = 0;
-					for (char c: line) {
-						if (c == '\t') {
-							std::size_t adv = (tabw - (rx_acc % tabw));
-							expanded.append(adv, ' ');
-							rx_acc += adv;
-						} else {
-							expanded.push_back(c);
-							rx_acc += 1;
-						}
-					}
-
-					// Syntax highlighting spans or plain text
-					if (buf->SyntaxEnabled() && buf->Highlighter() && buf->Highlighter()->
-					    HasHighlighter()) {
-						kte::LineHighlight lh = buf->Highlighter()->GetLine(
-							*buf, static_cast<int>(i), buf->Version());
-						struct SSpan {
-							std::size_t s;
-							std::size_t e;
-							kte::TokenKind k;
-						};
-						std::vector<SSpan> spans;
-						spans.reserve(lh.spans.size());
-						const std::size_t line_len = line.size();
-						for (const auto &sp: lh.spans) {
-							int s_raw = sp.col_start;
-							int e_raw = sp.col_end;
-							if (e_raw < s_raw)
-								std::swap(e_raw, s_raw);
-							std::size_t s = static_cast<std::size_t>(std::max(
-								0, std::min(s_raw, (int) line_len)));
-							std::size_t e = static_cast<std::size_t>(std::max(
-								(int) s, std::min(e_raw, (int) line_len)));
-							if (s < e)
-								spans.push_back({s, e, sp.kind});
-						}
-						std::sort(spans.begin(), spans.end(),
-						          [](const SSpan &a, const SSpan &b) {
-							          return a.s < b.s;
-						          });
-
-						auto colorFor = [](kte::TokenKind k) -> QColor {
-							// GUITheme provides colors via ImGui vector; avoid direct dependency types
-							const auto v = kte::SyntaxInk(k);
-							return QColor(int(v.x * 255.0f), int(v.y * 255.0f),
-							              int(v.z * 255.0f), int(v.w * 255.0f));
-						};
-
-						// Helper to convert src col to expanded rx
-						auto src_to_rx_full = [&](std::size_t sidx) -> std::size_t {
-							std::size_t rx = 0;
-							for (std::size_t k = 0; k < sidx && k < line.size(); ++k) {
-								rx += (line[k] == '\t') ? (tabw - (rx % tabw)) : 1;
-							}
-							return rx;
-						};
-
-						if (spans.empty()) {
-							// No highlight spans: draw the whole (visible) expanded line in default fg
-							if (coloffs < expanded.size()) {
-								const char *start =
-									expanded.c_str() + static_cast<int>(coloffs);
-								p.setPen(fg);
-								p.drawText(viewport.x(), baseline,
-								           QString::fromUtf8(start));
-							}
-						} else {
-							// Draw colored spans
-							for (const auto &sp: spans) {
-								std::size_t rx_s = src_to_rx_full(sp.s);
-								std::size_t rx_e = src_to_rx_full(sp.e);
-								if (rx_e <= coloffs)
-									continue; // left of viewport
-								std::size_t draw_start = (rx_s > coloffs)
-									? rx_s
-									: coloffs;
-								std::size_t draw_end = std::min<std::size_t>(
-									rx_e, expanded.size());
-								if (draw_end <= draw_start)
-									continue;
-								std::size_t screen_x = draw_start - coloffs;
-								int px = viewport.x() + int(screen_x * ch_w);
-								int len = int(draw_end - draw_start);
-								p.setPen(colorFor(sp.k));
-								p.drawText(px, baseline,
-								           QString::fromUtf8(
-									           expanded.c_str() + draw_start, len));
-							}
-						}
-					} else {
-						// Draw expanded text clipped by coloffs
-						if (static_cast<std::size_t>(coloffs) < expanded.size()) {
-							const char *start =
-								expanded.c_str() + static_cast<int>(coloffs);
-							p.setPen(fg);
-							p.drawText(viewport.x(), baseline, QString::fromUtf8(start));
-						}
-					}
-
-					// Cursor indicator on current line
-					if (i == cy) {
-						std::size_t rx_cur = src_to_rx_line(cx);
-						if (rx_cur >= coloffs) {
-							// Compute exact pixel x by measuring expanded substring [coloffs, rx_cur)
-							std::size_t start = std::min<std::size_t>(
-								coloffs, expanded.size());
-							std::size_t end = std::min<
-								std::size_t>(rx_cur, expanded.size());
-							int px_advance = 0;
-							if (end > start) {
-								const QString sub = QString::fromUtf8(
-									expanded.c_str() + start,
-									static_cast<int>(end - start));
-								px_advance = fm.horizontalAdvance(sub);
-							}
-							int x0 = viewport.x() + px_advance;
-							QRect r(x0, y, ch_w, line_h);
-							p.fillRect(r, cur_bg);
-						}
-					}
-				}
-
-				p.restore();
-			}
-		}
-
-		// Status bar
-		const int bar_y = height() - status_h;
-		QRect status_rect(0, bar_y, width(), status_h);
-		p.fillRect(status_rect, status_bg);
-		p.setPen(status_fg);
-		if (ed_) {
-			const int pad         = 6;
-			const int left_x      = status_rect.x() + pad;
-			const int right_x_max = status_rect.x() + status_rect.width() - pad;
-			const int baseline_y  = bar_y + (status_h + fm.ascent() - fm.descent()) / 2;
-
-			// If a prompt is active, mirror ImGui/TUI: show only the prompt across the bar
-			if (ed_->PromptActive()) {
-				std::string label = ed_->PromptLabel();
-				std::string text  = ed_->PromptText();
-
-				// Map $HOME to ~ for path prompts (Open/Save/Chdir)
-				auto kind = ed_->CurrentPromptKind();
-				if (kind == Editor::PromptKind::OpenFile ||
-				    kind == Editor::PromptKind::SaveAs ||
-				    kind == Editor::PromptKind::Chdir) {
-					const char *home_c = std::getenv("HOME");
-					if (home_c && *home_c) {
-						std::string home(home_c);
-						if (text.rfind(home, 0) == 0) {
-							std::string rest = text.substr(home.size());
-							if (rest.empty())
-								text = "~";
-							else if (!rest.empty() && (rest[0] == '/' || rest[0] == '\\'))
-								text = std::string("~") + rest;
-						}
-					}
-				}
-
-				std::string prefix;
-				if (kind == Editor::PromptKind::Command)
-					prefix = ": ";
-				else if (!label.empty())
-					prefix = label + ": ";
-
-				// Compose text and elide per behavior:
-				const int max_w        = status_rect.width() - 2 * pad;
-				QString qprefix        = QString::fromStdString(prefix);
-				QString qtext          = QString::fromStdString(text);
-				int avail_w            = std::max(0, max_w - fm.horizontalAdvance(qprefix));
-				Qt::TextElideMode mode = Qt::ElideRight;
-				if (kind == Editor::PromptKind::OpenFile ||
-				    kind == Editor::PromptKind::SaveAs ||
-				    kind == Editor::PromptKind::Chdir) {
-					mode = Qt::ElideLeft;
-				}
-				QString shown = fm.elidedText(qtext, mode, avail_w);
-				p.drawText(left_x, baseline_y, qprefix + shown);
-			} else {
-				// Build left segment: app/version, buffer idx/total, filename [+dirty], line count
-				QString left;
-				left += QStringLiteral("kge ");
-				left += QStringLiteral(KTE_VERSION_STR);
-
-				const Buffer *buf = ed_->CurrentBuffer();
-				if (buf) {
-					// buffer index/total
-					std::size_t total = ed_->BufferCount();
-					if (total > 0) {
-						std::size_t idx1 = ed_->CurrentBufferIndex() + 1; // 1-based
-						left             += QStringLiteral("  [");
-						left             += QString::number(static_cast<qlonglong>(idx1));
-						left             += QStringLiteral("/");
-						left             += QString::number(static_cast<qlonglong>(total));
-						left             += QStringLiteral("] ");
-					} else {
-						left += QStringLiteral("  ");
-					}
-
-					// buffer display name
-					std::string disp;
-					try {
-						disp = ed_->DisplayNameFor(*buf);
-					} catch (...) {
-						disp = buf->Filename();
-					}
-					if (disp.empty())
-						disp = "[No Name]";
-					left += QString::fromStdString(disp);
-					if (buf->Dirty())
-						left += QStringLiteral(" *");
-
-					// total lines suffix " <n>L"
-					unsigned long lcount = static_cast<unsigned long>(buf->Rows().size());
-					left                 += QStringLiteral(" ");
-					left                 += QString::number(static_cast<qlonglong>(lcount));
-					left                 += QStringLiteral("L");
-				}
-
-				// Build right segment: cursor and mark
-				QString right;
-				if (buf) {
-					int row1       = static_cast<int>(buf->Cury()) + 1;
-					int col1       = static_cast<int>(buf->Curx()) + 1;
-					bool have_mark = buf->MarkSet();
-					int mrow1      = have_mark ? static_cast<int>(buf->MarkCury()) + 1 : 0;
-					int mcol1      = have_mark ? static_cast<int>(buf->MarkCurx()) + 1 : 0;
-					if (have_mark)
-						right = QString("%1,%2 | M: %3,%4").arg(row1).arg(col1).arg(mrow1).arg(
-							mcol1);
-					else
-						right = QString("%1,%2 | M: not set").arg(row1).arg(col1);
-				}
-
-				// Middle message: status text
-				QString mid = QString::fromStdString(ed_->Status());
-
-				// Measure and layout
-				int left_w  = fm.horizontalAdvance(left);
-				int right_w = fm.horizontalAdvance(right);
-				int lx      = left_x;
-				int rx      = std::max(left_x, right_x_max - right_w);
-
-				// If overlap, elide left to make space for right
-				if (lx + left_w + pad > rx) {
-					int max_left_w = std::max(0, rx - lx - pad);
-					left           = fm.elidedText(left, Qt::ElideRight, max_left_w);
-					left_w         = fm.horizontalAdvance(left);
-				}
-
-				// Draw left and right
-				p.drawText(lx, baseline_y, left);
-				if (!right.isEmpty())
-					p.drawText(rx, baseline_y, right);
-
-				// Middle message clipped between end of left and start of right
-				int mid_left  = lx + left_w + pad;
-				int mid_right = std::max(mid_left, rx - pad);
-				int mid_w     = std::max(0, mid_right - mid_left);
-				if (mid_w > 0 && !mid.isEmpty()) {
-					QString mid_show = fm.elidedText(mid, Qt::ElideRight, mid_w);
-					p.save();
-					p.setClipRect(QRect(mid_left, bar_y, mid_w, status_h));
-					p.drawText(mid_left, baseline_y, mid_show);
-					p.restore();
-				}
-			}
-		}
-	}
-
-
-	void resizeEvent(QResizeEvent *event) override
-	{
-		QWidget::resizeEvent(event);
-		if (!ed_)
-			return;
-		// Update editor dimensions based on new size
-		QFont f(font_family_, font_px_);
-		QFontMetrics fm(f);
-		const int line_h   = std::max(12, fm.height());
-		const int ch_w     = std::max(6, fm.horizontalAdvance(QStringLiteral(" ")));
-		const int pad_l    = 8, pad_r = 8, pad_t = 6, pad_b = 6;
-		const int status_h = line_h + 6;
-		const int avail_w  = std::max(0, width() - pad_l - pad_r);
-		const int avail_h  = std::max(0, height() - pad_t - pad_b - status_h);
-		std::size_t rows   = std::max<std::size_t>(1, (avail_h / line_h));
-		std::size_t cols   = std::max<std::size_t>(1, (avail_w / ch_w));
-		ed_->SetDimensions(rows, cols);
-	}
-
-
-	void wheelEvent(QWheelEvent *event) override
-	{
-		if (!ed_) {
-			QWidget::wheelEvent(event);
-			return;
-		}
-		Buffer *buf = ed_->CurrentBuffer();
-		if (!buf) {
-			QWidget::wheelEvent(event);
-			return;
-		}
-
-		// Recompute metrics to map pixel deltas to rows/cols
-		QFont f(font_family_, font_px_);
-		QFontMetrics fm(f);
-		const int line_h = std::max(12, fm.height());
-		const int ch_w   = std::max(6, fm.horizontalAdvance(QStringLiteral(" ")));
-
-		// Determine scroll intent: use pixelDelta when available (trackpads), otherwise angleDelta
-		QPoint pixel = event->pixelDelta();
-		QPoint angle = event->angleDelta();
-
-		double v_lines_delta = 0.0;
-		double h_cols_delta  = 0.0;
-
-		// Horizontal scroll with Shift or explicit horizontal delta
-		bool horiz_mode = (event->modifiers() & Qt::ShiftModifier) || (!pixel.isNull() && pixel.x() != 0) || (
-			                  !angle.isNull() && angle.x() != 0);
-
-		if (!pixel.isNull()) {
-			// Trackpad smooth scrolling (pixels)
-			v_lines_delta = -static_cast<double>(pixel.y()) / std::max(1, line_h);
-			h_cols_delta  = -static_cast<double>(pixel.x()) / std::max(1, ch_w);
-		} else if (!angle.isNull()) {
-			// Mouse wheel: 120 units per notch; map one notch to 3 lines similar to ImGui UX
-			v_lines_delta = -static_cast<double>(angle.y()) / 120.0 * 3.0;
-			// For horizontal wheels, each notch scrolls 8 columns
-			h_cols_delta = -static_cast<double>(angle.x()) / 120.0 * 8.0;
-		}
-
-		// Accumulate fractional deltas across events
-		v_scroll_accum_ += v_lines_delta;
-		h_scroll_accum_ += h_cols_delta;
-
-		int d_rows = 0;
-		int d_cols = 0;
-		if (std::fabs(v_scroll_accum_) >= 1.0 && (!horiz_mode || std::fabs(v_scroll_accum_) > std::fabs(
-			                                          h_scroll_accum_))) {
-			d_rows          = static_cast<int>(v_scroll_accum_);
-			v_scroll_accum_ -= d_rows;
-		}
-		if (std::fabs(h_scroll_accum_) >= 1.0 && (horiz_mode || std::fabs(h_scroll_accum_) >= std::fabs(
-			                                          v_scroll_accum_))) {
-			d_cols          = static_cast<int>(h_scroll_accum_);
-			h_scroll_accum_ -= d_cols;
-		}
-
-		if (d_rows != 0 || d_cols != 0) {
-			std::size_t new_rowoffs = buf->Rowoffs();
-			std::size_t new_coloffs = buf->Coloffs();
-			// Clamp vertical between 0 and last row (leaving at least one visible line)
-			if (d_rows != 0) {
-				long nr = static_cast<long>(new_rowoffs) + d_rows;
-				if (nr < 0)
-					nr = 0;
-				const auto nrows = static_cast<long>(buf->Rows().size());
-				if (nr > std::max(0L, nrows - 1))
-					nr = std::max(0L, nrows - 1);
-				new_rowoffs = static_cast<std::size_t>(nr);
-			}
-			if (d_cols != 0) {
-				long nc = static_cast<long>(new_coloffs) + d_cols;
-				if (nc < 0)
-					nc = 0;
-				new_coloffs = static_cast<std::size_t>(nc);
-			}
-			buf->SetOffsets(new_rowoffs, new_coloffs);
-			update();
-			event->accept();
-			return;
-		}
-
-		QWidget::wheelEvent(event);
-	}
-
-
-	void closeEvent(QCloseEvent *event) override
-	{
-		closed_ = true;
-		QWidget::closeEvent(event);
-	}
-
-private:
-	QtInputHandler &input_;
-	bool closed_           = false;
-	Editor *ed_            = nullptr;
-	double v_scroll_accum_ = 0.0;
-	double h_scroll_accum_ = 0.0;
-	QString font_family_   = QStringLiteral("Brass Mono");
-	int font_px_           = 18;
-};
-} // namespace
-
-bool
-GUIFrontend::Init(int &argc, char **argv, Editor &ed)
-{
-	app_ = new QApplication(argc, argv);
-
-	window_ = new MainWindow(input_);
-	window_->show();
-	// Ensure the window becomes the active, focused window so it receives key events
-	window_->activateWindow();
-	window_->raise();
-	window_->setFocus(Qt::OtherFocusReason);
-
-	renderer_.Attach(window_);
-	input_.Attach(&ed);
-	if (auto *mw = dynamic_cast<MainWindow *>(window_))
-		mw->SetEditor(&ed);
-
-	// Load GUI configuration (kge.ini) and configure font for Qt
-	config_ = GUIConfig::Load();
-
-	// Apply background mode from config to match ImGui frontend behavior
-	if (config_.background == "light")
-		kte::SetBackgroundMode(kte::BackgroundMode::Light);
-	else
-		kte::SetBackgroundMode(kte::BackgroundMode::Dark);
-
-	// Apply theme by name for Qt palette-based theming (maps to named palettes).
-	// If unknown, falls back to the generic light/dark palette.
-	(void) kte::ApplyQtThemeByName(config_.theme);
-	if (window_)
-		window_->update();
-
-	// Map GUIConfig font name to a system family (Qt uses installed fonts)
-	auto choose_family = [](const std::string &name) -> QString {
-		QString fam;
-		std::string n = name;
-		std::transform(n.begin(), n.end(), n.begin(), [](unsigned char c) {
-			return (char) std::tolower(c);
-		});
-		if (n.empty() || n == "default" || n == "brassmono" || n == "brassmonocode") {
-			fam = QStringLiteral("Brass Mono");
-		} else if (n == "jetbrains" || n == "jetbrains mono" || n == "jetbrains-mono") {
-			fam = QStringLiteral("JetBrains Mono");
-		} else if (n == "iosevka") {
-			fam = QStringLiteral("Iosevka");
-		} else if (n == "inconsolata" || n == "inconsolataex") {
-			fam = QStringLiteral("Inconsolata");
-		} else if (n == "space" || n == "spacemono" || n == "space mono") {
-			fam = QStringLiteral("Space Mono");
-		} else if (n == "go") {
-			fam = QStringLiteral("Go Mono");
-		} else if (n == "ibm" || n == "ibm plex mono" || n == "ibm-plex-mono") {
-			fam = QStringLiteral("IBM Plex Mono");
-		} else if (n == "fira" || n == "fira code" || n == "fira-code") {
-			fam = QStringLiteral("Fira Code");
-		} else if (!name.empty()) {
-			fam = QString::fromStdString(name);
-		}
-
-		// Validate availability; choose a fallback if needed
-		const auto families = QFontDatabase::families();
-		if (!fam.isEmpty() && families.contains(fam)) {
-			return fam;
-		}
-		// Preferred fallback chain on macOS; otherwise, try common monospace families
-		const QStringList fallbacks = {
-			QStringLiteral("Brass Mono"),
-			QStringLiteral("JetBrains Mono"),
-			QStringLiteral("SF Mono"),
-			QStringLiteral("Menlo"),
-			QStringLiteral("Monaco"),
-			QStringLiteral("Courier New"),
-			QStringLiteral("Courier"),
-			QStringLiteral("Monospace")
-		};
-		for (const auto &fb: fallbacks) {
-			if (families.contains(fb))
-				return fb;
-		}
-		// As a last resort, return the request (Qt will substitute)
-		return fam.isEmpty() ? QStringLiteral("Monospace") : fam;
-	};
-
-	QString family = choose_family(config_.font);
-	int px_size    = (config_.font_size > 0.0f) ? (int) std::lround(config_.font_size) : 18;
-	if (auto *mw = dynamic_cast<MainWindow *>(window_)) {
-		mw->SetFontFamilyAndSize(family, px_size);
-	}
-	// Track current font in globals for command/status queries
-	kte::gCurrentFontFamily = family.toStdString();
-	kte::gCurrentFontSize   = static_cast<float>(px_size);
-
-	// Set initial dimensions based on font metrics
-	QFont f(family, px_size);
-	QFontMetrics fm(f);
-	const int line_h   = std::max(12, fm.height());
-	const int ch_w     = std::max(6, fm.horizontalAdvance(QStringLiteral("M")));
-	const int w        = window_->width();
-	const int h        = window_->height();
-	const int pad      = 16;
-	const int status_h = line_h + 4;
-	const int avail_w  = std::max(0, w - 2 * pad);
-	const int avail_h  = std::max(0, h - 2 * pad - status_h);
-	std::size_t rows   = std::max<std::size_t>(1, (avail_h / line_h) + 1); // + status
-	std::size_t cols   = std::max<std::size_t>(1, (avail_w / ch_w));
-	ed.SetDimensions(rows, cols);
-
-	return true;
-}
-
-
-void
-GUIFrontend::Step(Editor &ed, bool &running)
-{
-	// Pump Qt events
-	if (app_)
-		app_->processEvents();
-
-	// Allow deferred opens (including swap recovery prompts) to run.
-	ed.ProcessPendingOpens();
-
-	// Drain input queue
-	for (;;) {
-		MappedInput mi;
-		if (!input_.Poll(mi))
-			break;
-		if (mi.hasCommand) {
-			Execute(ed, mi.id, mi.arg, mi.count);
-		}
-	}
-
-	if (ed.QuitRequested()) {
-		running = false;
-	}
-
-	// --- Visual File Picker (Qt): invoked via CommandId::VisualFilePickerToggle ---
-	if (ed.FilePickerVisible()) {
-		QString startDir;
-		if (!ed.FilePickerDir().empty()) {
-			startDir = QString::fromStdString(ed.FilePickerDir());
-		}
-		QFileDialog dlg(window_, QStringLiteral("Open File"), startDir);
-		dlg.setFileMode(QFileDialog::ExistingFile);
-		if (dlg.exec() == QDialog::Accepted) {
-			const QStringList files = dlg.selectedFiles();
-			if (!files.isEmpty()) {
-				const QString fp = files.front();
-				ed.RequestOpenFile(fp.toStdString());
-				(void) ed.ProcessPendingOpens();
-				// Update picker dir for next time
-				QFileInfo info(fp);
-				ed.SetFilePickerDir(info.dir().absolutePath().toStdString());
-			}
-		}
-		// Close picker overlay regardless of outcome
-		ed.SetFilePickerVisible(false);
-		if (window_)
-			window_->update();
-	}
-
-	// Apply any queued theme change requests (from command handler)
-	if (kte::gThemeChangePending) {
-		if (!kte::gThemeChangeRequest.empty()) {
-			// Apply Qt palette theme by name; if unknown, keep current palette
-			(void) kte::ApplyQtThemeByName(kte::gThemeChangeRequest);
-		}
-		kte::gThemeChangePending = false;
-		kte::gThemeChangeRequest.clear();
-		if (window_)
-			window_->update();
-	}
-
-	// Visual font picker request (Qt only)
-	if (kte::gFontDialogRequested) {
-		// Seed initial font from current or default
-		QFont seed;
-		if (!kte::gCurrentFontFamily.empty()) {
-			seed = QFont(QString::fromStdString(kte::gCurrentFontFamily),
-			             (int) std::lround(kte::gCurrentFontSize > 0 ? kte::gCurrentFontSize : 18));
-		} else {
-			seed = window_ ? window_->font() : QFont();
-		}
-		bool ok            = false;
-		const QFont chosen = QFontDialog::getFont(&ok, seed, window_, QStringLiteral("Choose Editor Font"));
-		if (ok) {
-			// Queue font change via existing hooks
-			kte::gFontFamilyRequest = chosen.family().toStdString();
-			// Use pixel size if available, otherwise convert from point size approximately
-			int px = chosen.pixelSize();
-			if (px <= 0) {
-				// Approximate points to pixels (96 DPI assumption); Qt will rasterize appropriately
-				px = (int) std::lround(chosen.pointSizeF() * 96.0 / 72.0);
-				if (px <= 0)
-					px = 18;
-			}
-			kte::gFontSizeRequest   = static_cast<float>(px);
-			kte::gFontChangePending = true;
-		}
-		kte::gFontDialogRequested = false;
-		if (window_)
-			window_->update();
-	}
-
-	// Apply any queued font change requests (Qt)
-	if (kte::gFontChangePending) {
-		// Derive target family
-		auto map_family = [](const std::string &name) -> QString {
-			std::string n = name;
-			std::transform(n.begin(), n.end(), n.begin(), [](unsigned char c) {
-				return (char) std::tolower(c);
-			});
-			QString fam;
-			if (n == "brass" || n == "brassmono" || n == "brass mono") {
-				fam = QStringLiteral("Brass Mono");
-			} else if (n == "jetbrains" || n == "jetbrains mono" || n == "jetbrains-mono") {
-				fam = QStringLiteral("JetBrains Mono");
-			} else if (n == "iosevka") {
-				fam = QStringLiteral("Iosevka");
-			} else if (n == "inconsolata" || n == "inconsolataex") {
-				fam = QStringLiteral("Inconsolata");
-			} else if (n == "space" || n == "spacemono" || n == "space mono") {
-				fam = QStringLiteral("Space Mono");
-			} else if (n == "go") {
-				fam = QStringLiteral("Go Mono");
-			} else if (n == "ibm" || n == "ibm plex mono" || n == "ibm-plex-mono") {
-				fam = QStringLiteral("IBM Plex Mono");
-			} else if (n == "fira" || n == "fira code" || n == "fira-code") {
-				fam = QStringLiteral("Fira Code");
-			} else if (!name.empty()) {
-				fam = QString::fromStdString(name);
-			}
-			// Validate availability; choose fallback if needed
-			const auto families = QFontDatabase::families();
-			if (!fam.isEmpty() && families.contains(fam)) {
-				return fam;
-			}
-			// Fallback chain
-			const QStringList fallbacks = {
-				QStringLiteral("Brass Mono"),
-				QStringLiteral("JetBrains Mono"),
-				QStringLiteral("SF Mono"),
-				QStringLiteral("Menlo"),
-				QStringLiteral("Monaco"),
-				QStringLiteral("Courier New"),
-				QStringLiteral("Courier"),
-				QStringLiteral("Monospace")
-			};
-			for (const auto &fb: fallbacks) {
-				if (families.contains(fb))
-					return fb;
-			}
-			return fam.isEmpty() ? QStringLiteral("Monospace") : fam;
-		};
-
-		QString target_family;
-		if (!kte::gFontFamilyRequest.empty()) {
-			target_family = map_family(kte::gFontFamilyRequest);
-		} else if (!kte::gCurrentFontFamily.empty()) {
-			target_family = QString::fromStdString(kte::gCurrentFontFamily);
-		}
-		int target_px = 0;
-		if (kte::gFontSizeRequest > 0.0f) {
-			target_px = (int) std::lround(kte::gFontSizeRequest);
-		} else if (kte::gCurrentFontSize > 0.0f) {
-			target_px = (int) std::lround(kte::gCurrentFontSize);
-		}
-		if (target_px <= 0)
-			target_px = 18;
-		if (target_family.isEmpty())
-			target_family = QStringLiteral("Monospace");
-
-		if (auto *mw = dynamic_cast<MainWindow *>(window_)) {
-			mw->SetFontFamilyAndSize(target_family, target_px);
-		}
-		// Update globals
-		kte::gCurrentFontFamily = target_family.toStdString();
-		kte::gCurrentFontSize   = static_cast<float>(target_px);
-		// Reset requests
-		kte::gFontChangePending = false;
-		kte::gFontFamilyRequest.clear();
-		kte::gFontSizeRequest = 0.0f;
-
-		// Recompute editor dimensions to match new metrics
-		QFont f(target_family, target_px);
-		QFontMetrics fm(f);
-		const int line_h   = std::max(12, fm.height());
-		const int ch_w     = std::max(6, fm.horizontalAdvance(QStringLiteral("M")));
-		const int w        = window_ ? window_->width() : 0;
-		const int h        = window_ ? window_->height() : 0;
-		const int pad      = 16;
-		const int status_h = line_h + 4;
-		const int avail_w  = std::max(0, w - 2 * pad);
-		const int avail_h  = std::max(0, h - 2 * pad - status_h);
-		std::size_t rows   = std::max<std::size_t>(1, (avail_h / line_h) + 1); // + status
-		std::size_t cols   = std::max<std::size_t>(1, (avail_w / ch_w));
-		ed.SetDimensions(rows, cols);
-
-		if (window_)
-			window_->update();
-	}
-
-	// Draw current frame (request repaint)
-	renderer_.Draw(ed);
-
-	// Detect window close
-	if (auto *mw = dynamic_cast<MainWindow *>(window_)) {
-		if (mw->WasClosed()) {
-			running = false;
-		}
-	}
-}
-
-
-void
-GUIFrontend::Shutdown()
-{
-	if (window_) {
-		window_->close();
-		delete window_;
-		window_ = nullptr;
-	}
-	if (app_) {
-		delete app_;
-		app_ = nullptr;
-	}
-}

QtFrontend.h

@@ -1,36 +0,0 @@
-/*
- * QtFrontend - couples QtInputHandler + QtRenderer and owns Qt lifecycle
- */
-#pragma once
-
-#include "Frontend.h"
-#include "GUIConfig.h"
-#include "QtInputHandler.h"
-#include "QtRenderer.h"
-
-class QApplication;
-class QWidget;
-
-// Keep the public class name GUIFrontend to match main.cc selection logic.
-class GUIFrontend final : public Frontend {
-public:
-	GUIFrontend() = default;
-
-	~GUIFrontend() override = default;
-
-	bool Init(int &argc, char **argv, Editor &ed) override;
-
-	void Step(Editor &ed, bool &running) override;
-
-	void Shutdown() override;
-
-private:
-	GUIConfig config_{};
-	QtInputHandler input_{};
-	QtRenderer renderer_{};
-
-	QApplication *app_ = nullptr; // owned
-	QWidget *window_   = nullptr; // owned
-	int width_         = 1280;
-	int height_        = 800;
-};

QtInputHandler.cc

@@ -1,538 +0,0 @@
-// Refactor: route all key processing through command subsystem, mirroring ImGuiInputHandler
-
-#include "QtInputHandler.h"
-
-#include <QKeyEvent>
-
-#include <ncurses.h>
-
-#include "Editor.h"
-#include "KKeymap.h"
-
-// Temporary verbose logging to debug macOS Qt key translation issues
-// Default to off; enable by defining QT_IH_DEBUG=1 at compile time when needed.
-#ifndef QT_IH_DEBUG
-#define QT_IH_DEBUG 0
-#endif
-
-#if QT_IH_DEBUG
-#include <cstdio>
-static const char *
-mods_str(Qt::KeyboardModifiers m)
-{
-	static thread_local char buf[64];
-	buf[0]     = '\0';
-	bool first = true;
-	auto add   = [&](const char *s) {
-		if (!first)
-			std::snprintf(buf + std::strlen(buf), sizeof(buf) - std::strlen(buf), "|");
-		std::snprintf(buf + std::strlen(buf), sizeof(buf) - std::strlen(buf), "%s", s);
-		first = false;
-	};
-	if (m & Qt::ShiftModifier)
-		add("Shift");
-	if (m & Qt::ControlModifier)
-		add("Ctrl");
-	if (m & Qt::AltModifier)
-		add("Alt");
-	if (m & Qt::MetaModifier)
-		add("Meta");
-	if (first)
-		std::snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "none");
-	return buf;
-}
-#define LOGF(...) std::fprintf(stderr, __VA_ARGS__)
-#else
-#define LOGF(...) ((void)0)
-#endif
-
-static bool
-IsPrintableQt(const QKeyEvent &e)
-{
-	// Printable if it yields non-empty text and no Ctrl/Meta modifier
-	if (e.modifiers() & (Qt::ControlModifier | Qt::MetaModifier))
-		return false;
-	const QString t = e.text();
-	return !t.isEmpty() && !t.at(0).isNull();
-}
-
-
-static int
-ToAsciiKey(const QKeyEvent &e)
-{
-	const QString t = e.text();
-	if (!t.isEmpty()) {
-		const QChar c = t.at(0);
-		if (!c.isNull())
-			return KLowerAscii(c.unicode());
-	}
-	// When modifiers (like Control) are held, Qt::text() can be empty on macOS.
-	// Fall back to mapping common virtual keys to ASCII.
-	switch (e.key()) {
-	case Qt::Key_A:
-		return 'a';
-	case Qt::Key_B:
-		return 'b';
-	case Qt::Key_C:
-		return 'c';
-	case Qt::Key_D:
-		return 'd';
-	case Qt::Key_E:
-		return 'e';
-	case Qt::Key_F:
-		return 'f';
-	case Qt::Key_G:
-		return 'g';
-	case Qt::Key_H:
-		return 'h';
-	case Qt::Key_I:
-		return 'i';
-	case Qt::Key_J:
-		return 'j';
-	case Qt::Key_K:
-		return 'k';
-	case Qt::Key_L:
-		return 'l';
-	case Qt::Key_M:
-		return 'm';
-	case Qt::Key_N:
-		return 'n';
-	case Qt::Key_O:
-		return 'o';
-	case Qt::Key_P:
-		return 'p';
-	case Qt::Key_Q:
-		return 'q';
-	case Qt::Key_R:
-		return 'r';
-	case Qt::Key_S:
-		return 's';
-	case Qt::Key_T:
-		return 't';
-	case Qt::Key_U:
-		return 'u';
-	case Qt::Key_V:
-		return 'v';
-	case Qt::Key_W:
-		return 'w';
-	case Qt::Key_X:
-		return 'x';
-	case Qt::Key_Y:
-		return 'y';
-	case Qt::Key_Z:
-		return 'z';
-	case Qt::Key_0:
-		return '0';
-	case Qt::Key_1:
-		return '1';
-	case Qt::Key_2:
-		return '2';
-	case Qt::Key_3:
-		return '3';
-	case Qt::Key_4:
-		return '4';
-	case Qt::Key_5:
-		return '5';
-	case Qt::Key_6:
-		return '6';
-	case Qt::Key_7:
-		return '7';
-	case Qt::Key_8:
-		return '8';
-	case Qt::Key_9:
-		return '9';
-	case Qt::Key_Comma:
-		return ',';
-	case Qt::Key_Period:
-		return '.';
-	case Qt::Key_Semicolon:
-		return ';';
-	case Qt::Key_Apostrophe:
-		return '\'';
-	case Qt::Key_Minus:
-		return '-';
-	case Qt::Key_Equal:
-		return '=';
-	case Qt::Key_Slash:
-		return '/';
-	case Qt::Key_Backslash:
-		return '\\';
-	case Qt::Key_BracketLeft:
-		return '[';
-	case Qt::Key_BracketRight:
-		return ']';
-	case Qt::Key_QuoteLeft:
-		return '`';
-	case Qt::Key_Space:
-		return ' ';
-	default:
-		break;
-	}
-	return 0;
-}
-
-
-// Case-preserving ASCII derivation for k-prefix handling where we need to
-// distinguish between 'C' and 'c'. Falls back to virtual-key mapping if
-// event text is unavailable (common when Control/Meta held on macOS).
-static int
-ToAsciiKeyPreserveCase(const QKeyEvent &e)
-{
-	const QString t = e.text();
-	if (!t.isEmpty()) {
-		const QChar c = t.at(0);
-		if (!c.isNull())
-			return c.unicode();
-	}
-	// Fall back to virtual key mapping (letters as uppercase A..Z)
-	switch (e.key()) {
-	case Qt::Key_A:
-		return 'A';
-	case Qt::Key_B:
-		return 'B';
-	case Qt::Key_C:
-		return 'C';
-	case Qt::Key_D:
-		return 'D';
-	case Qt::Key_E:
-		return 'E';
-	case Qt::Key_F:
-		return 'F';
-	case Qt::Key_G:
-		return 'G';
-	case Qt::Key_H:
-		return 'H';
-	case Qt::Key_I:
-		return 'I';
-	case Qt::Key_J:
-		return 'J';
-	case Qt::Key_K:
-		return 'K';
-	case Qt::Key_L:
-		return 'L';
-	case Qt::Key_M:
-		return 'M';
-	case Qt::Key_N:
-		return 'N';
-	case Qt::Key_O:
-		return 'O';
-	case Qt::Key_P:
-		return 'P';
-	case Qt::Key_Q:
-		return 'Q';
-	case Qt::Key_R:
-		return 'R';
-	case Qt::Key_S:
-		return 'S';
-	case Qt::Key_T:
-		return 'T';
-	case Qt::Key_U:
-		return 'U';
-	case Qt::Key_V:
-		return 'V';
-	case Qt::Key_W:
-		return 'W';
-	case Qt::Key_X:
-		return 'X';
-	case Qt::Key_Y:
-		return 'Y';
-	case Qt::Key_Z:
-		return 'Z';
-	case Qt::Key_Comma:
-		return ',';
-	case Qt::Key_Period:
-		return '.';
-	case Qt::Key_Semicolon:
-		return ';';
-	case Qt::Key_Apostrophe:
-		return '\'';
-	case Qt::Key_Minus:
-		return '-';
-	case Qt::Key_Equal:
-		return '=';
-	case Qt::Key_Slash:
-		return '/';
-	case Qt::Key_Backslash:
-		return '\\';
-	case Qt::Key_BracketLeft:
-		return '[';
-	case Qt::Key_BracketRight:
-		return ']';
-	case Qt::Key_QuoteLeft:
-		return '`';
-	case Qt::Key_Space:
-		return ' ';
-	default:
-		break;
-	}
-	return 0;
-}
-
-
-bool
-QtInputHandler::ProcessKeyEvent(const QKeyEvent &e)
-{
-	const Qt::KeyboardModifiers mods = e.modifiers();
-	LOGF("[QtIH] keyPress key=0x%X mods=%s text='%s' k_prefix=%d k_ctrl_pending=%d esc_meta=%d\n",
-	     e.key(), mods_str(mods), e.text().toUtf8().constData(), (int)k_prefix_, (int)k_ctrl_pending_,
-	     (int)esc_meta_);
-
-	// Control-chord detection: only treat the physical Control key as control-like.
-	// Do NOT include Meta (Command) here so that ⌘-letter shortcuts do not fall into
-	// the Ctrl map (prevents ⌘-T being mistaken for C-t).
-	const bool ctrl_like = (mods & Qt::ControlModifier);
-
-	// 1) Universal argument digits (when active), consume digits without enqueuing commands
-	if (ed_ &&ed_
-	
-	->
-	UArg() != 0
-	)
-	{
-		if (!(mods & (Qt::ControlModifier | Qt::AltModifier | Qt::MetaModifier))) {
-			if (e.key() >= Qt::Key_0 && e.key() <= Qt::Key_9) {
-				int d = e.key() - Qt::Key_0;
-				ed_->UArgDigit(d);
-				// request status refresh
-				std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lk(mu_);
-				q_.push(MappedInput{true, CommandId::UArgStatus, std::string(), 0});
-				LOGF("[QtIH] UArg digit %d -> enqueue UArgStatus\n", d);
-				return true;
-			}
-		}
-	}
-
-	// 2) Enter k-prefix on C-k
-	if (ctrl_like && (e.key() == Qt::Key_K)) {
-		k_prefix_       = true;
-		k_ctrl_pending_ = false;
-		LOGF("[QtIH] Enter KPrefix\n");
-		std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lk(mu_);
-		q_.push(MappedInput{true, CommandId::KPrefix, std::string(), 0});
-		return true;
-	}
-
-	// 3) If currently in k-prefix, resolve next key via KLookupKCommand
-	if (k_prefix_) {
-		// ESC/meta prefix should not interfere with k-suffix resolution
-		esc_meta_ = false;
-		// Support literal 'C' (uppercase) or '^' to indicate the next key is Ctrl-qualified.
-		// Use case-preserving derivation so that 'c' (lowercase) can still be a valid suffix
-		// like C-k c (BufferClose).
-		int ascii_raw = ToAsciiKeyPreserveCase(e);
-		if (ascii_raw == 'C' || ascii_raw == '^') {
-			k_ctrl_pending_ = true;
-			if (ed_)
-				ed_->SetStatus("C-k C _");
-			LOGF("[QtIH] KPrefix: set k_ctrl_pending via '%c'\n", (ascii_raw == 'C') ? 'C' : '^');
-			return true; // consume, wait for next key
-		}
-		int ascii_key = (ascii_raw != 0) ? ascii_raw : ToAsciiKey(e);
-		int lower     = KLowerAscii(ascii_key);
-		// Only pass a control suffix for specific supported keys (d/x/q),
-		// matching ImGui behavior so that holding Ctrl during the suffix
-		// doesn't break other mappings like C-k c (BufferClose).
-		bool ctrl_suffix_supported = (lower == 'd' || lower == 'x' || lower == 'q');
-		bool pass_ctrl             = (ctrl_like || k_ctrl_pending_) && ctrl_suffix_supported;
-		k_ctrl_pending_            = false; // consume pending qualifier on any suffix
-		LOGF("[QtIH] KPrefix: ascii_key=%d lower=%d pass_ctrl=%d\n", ascii_key, lower, (int)pass_ctrl);
-		if (ascii_key != 0) {
-			CommandId id;
-			if (KLookupKCommand(ascii_key, pass_ctrl, id)) {
-				LOGF("[QtIH] KPrefix: mapped to command id=%d\n", (int)id);
-				std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lk(mu_);
-				q_.push(MappedInput{true, id, std::string(), 0});
-			} else {
-				// Unknown k-command: notify
-				std::string a;
-				a.push_back(static_cast<char>(ascii_key));
-				LOGF("[QtIH] KPrefix: unknown command for '%c'\n", (char)ascii_key);
-				std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lk(mu_);
-				q_.push(MappedInput{true, CommandId::UnknownKCommand, a, 0});
-			}
-			k_prefix_ = false;
-			return true;
-		}
-		// If not resolvable, consume and exit k-prefix
-		k_prefix_ = false;
-		LOGF("[QtIH] KPrefix: unresolved key; exiting prefix\n");
-		return true;
-	}
-
-	// 3.5) GUI shortcut: Command/Meta + T opens the visual font picker (Qt only).
-	// Require Meta present and Control NOT present so Ctrl-T never triggers this.
-	if ((mods & Qt::MetaModifier) && !(mods & Qt::ControlModifier) && e.key() == Qt::Key_T) {
-		LOGF("[QtIH] Meta/Super-T -> VisualFontPickerToggle\n");
-		std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lk(mu_);
-		q_.push(MappedInput{true, CommandId::VisualFontPickerToggle, std::string(), 0});
-		return true;
-	}
-
-	// 4) ESC as Meta prefix (set state). Alt/Meta chord handled below directly.
-	if (e.key() == Qt::Key_Escape) {
-		esc_meta_ = true;
-		LOGF("[QtIH] ESC: set esc_meta\n");
-		return true; // consumed
-	}
-
-	// 5) Alt/Meta bindings (ESC f/b equivalent). Handle either Alt/Meta or pending esc_meta_
-	// ESC/meta chords: on macOS, do NOT treat Meta as ESC; only Alt (Option) should trigger.
-#if defined(__APPLE__)
-	if (esc_meta_ || (mods & Qt::AltModifier)) {
-
-
-#else
-	if (esc_meta_ || (mods & (Qt::AltModifier | Qt::MetaModifier))) {
-#endif
-		int ascii_key = 0;
-		if (e.key() == Qt::Key_Backspace) {
-			ascii_key = KEY_BACKSPACE;
-		} else if (e.key() >= Qt::Key_A && e.key() <= Qt::Key_Z) {
-			ascii_key = 'a' + (e.key() - Qt::Key_A);
-		} else if (e.key() == Qt::Key_Comma) {
-			ascii_key = '<';
-		} else if (e.key() == Qt::Key_Period) {
-			ascii_key = '>';
-		}
-		// If still unknown, try deriving from text (covers digits, punctuation, locale)
-		if (ascii_key == 0) {
-			ascii_key = ToAsciiKey(e);
-		}
-		esc_meta_ = false; // one-shot regardless
-		if (ascii_key != 0) {
-			ascii_key = KLowerAscii(ascii_key);
-			CommandId id;
-			if (KLookupEscCommand(ascii_key, id)) {
-				LOGF("[QtIH] ESC/Meta: mapped '%d' -> id=%d\n", ascii_key, (int)id);
-				std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lk(mu_);
-				q_.push(MappedInput{true, id, std::string(), 0});
-				return true;
-			} else {
-				// Report invalid ESC sequence just like ImGui path
-				LOGF("[QtIH] ESC/Meta: unknown command for ascii=%d\n", ascii_key);
-				std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lk(mu_);
-				q_.push(MappedInput{true, CommandId::UnknownEscCommand, std::string(), 0});
-				return true;
-			}
-		}
-		// Nothing derivable: consume (ESC prefix cleared) and do not insert text
-		return true;
-	}
-
-	// 6) Control-chord direct mappings (e.g., C-n/C-p/C-f/C-b...)
-	if (ctrl_like) {
-		// Universal argument handling: C-u starts collection; C-g cancels
-		if (e.key() == Qt::Key_U) {
-			if (ed_)
-				ed_->UArgStart();
-			LOGF("[QtIH] Ctrl-chord: start universal argument\n");
-			return true;
-		}
-		if (e.key() == Qt::Key_G) {
-			if (ed_)
-				ed_->UArgClear();
-			k_ctrl_pending_ = false;
-			k_prefix_       = false;
-			LOGF("[QtIH] Ctrl-chord: cancel universal argument and k-prefix via C-g\n");
-			// Fall through to map C-g to Refresh via ctrl map
-		}
-		if (e.key() >= Qt::Key_A && e.key() <= Qt::Key_Z) {
-			int ascii_key = 'a' + (e.key() - Qt::Key_A);
-			CommandId id;
-			if (KLookupCtrlCommand(ascii_key, id)) {
-				LOGF("[QtIH] Ctrl-chord: 'C-%c' -> id=%d\n", (char)ascii_key, (int)id);
-				std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lk(mu_);
-				q_.push(MappedInput{true, id, std::string(), 0});
-				return true;
-			}
-		}
-		// If no mapping, continue to allow other keys below
-	}
-
-	// 7) Special navigation/edit keys (match ImGui behavior)
-	{
-		CommandId id;
-		bool has = false;
-		switch (e.key()) {
-		case Qt::Key_Return:
-		case Qt::Key_Enter:
-			id = CommandId::Newline;
-			has = true;
-			break;
-		case Qt::Key_Backspace:
-			id = CommandId::Backspace;
-			has = true;
-			break;
-		case Qt::Key_Delete:
-			id = CommandId::DeleteChar;
-			has = true;
-			break;
-		case Qt::Key_Left:
-			id = CommandId::MoveLeft;
-			has = true;
-			break;
-		case Qt::Key_Right:
-			id = CommandId::MoveRight;
-			has = true;
-			break;
-		case Qt::Key_Up:
-			id = CommandId::MoveUp;
-			has = true;
-			break;
-		case Qt::Key_Down:
-			id = CommandId::MoveDown;
-			has = true;
-			break;
-		case Qt::Key_Home:
-			id = CommandId::MoveHome;
-			has = true;
-			break;
-		case Qt::Key_End:
-			id = CommandId::MoveEnd;
-			has = true;
-			break;
-		case Qt::Key_PageUp:
-			id = CommandId::PageUp;
-			has = true;
-			break;
-		case Qt::Key_PageDown:
-			id = CommandId::PageDown;
-			has = true;
-			break;
-		default:
-			break;
-		}
-		if (has) {
-			LOGF("[QtIH] Special key -> id=%d\n", (int)id);
-			std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lk(mu_);
-			q_.push(MappedInput{true, id, std::string(), 0});
-			return true;
-		}
-	}
-
-	// 8) Insert printable text
-	if (IsPrintableQt(e)) {
-		std::string s = e.text().toStdString();
-		if (!s.empty()) {
-			LOGF("[QtIH] InsertText '%s'\n", s.c_str());
-			std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lk(mu_);
-			q_.push(MappedInput{true, CommandId::InsertText, s, 0});
-			return true;
-		}
-	}
-
-	LOGF("[QtIH] Unhandled key\n");
-	return false;
-}
-
-
-bool
-QtInputHandler::Poll(MappedInput &out)
-{
-	std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(mu_);
-	if (q_.empty())
-		return false;
-	out = q_.front();
-	q_.pop();
-	return true;
-}

QtInputHandler.h

@@ -1,40 +0,0 @@
-/*
- * QtInputHandler - Qt-based input mapping for GUI mode
- */
-#pragma once
-
-#include <mutex>
-#include <queue>
-
-#include "InputHandler.h"
-
-class QKeyEvent;
-
-class QtInputHandler final : public InputHandler {
-public:
-	QtInputHandler() = default;
-
-	~QtInputHandler() override = default;
-
-
-	void Attach(Editor *ed) override
-	{
-		ed_ = ed;
-	}
-
-
-	// Translate a Qt key event to editor command and enqueue if applicable.
-	// Returns true if it produced a mapped command or consumed input.
-	bool ProcessKeyEvent(const QKeyEvent &e);
-
-	bool Poll(MappedInput &out) override;
-
-private:
-	std::mutex mu_;
-	std::queue<MappedInput> q_;
-	bool k_prefix_                 = false;
-	bool k_ctrl_pending_           = false; // C-k C-… qualifier
-	bool esc_meta_                 = false; // ESC-prefix for next key
-	bool suppress_text_input_once_ = false; // reserved (Qt sends text in keyPressEvent)
-	Editor *ed_                    = nullptr;
-};

QtRenderer.cc

@@ -1,76 +0,0 @@
-#include "QtRenderer.h"
-
-#include <QWidget>
-#include <QPainter>
-#include <QPaintEvent>
-#include <QFont>
-#include <QFontMetrics>
-
-#include "Editor.h"
-
-namespace {
-class EditorWidget : public QWidget {
-public:
-	explicit EditorWidget(QWidget *parent = nullptr) : QWidget(parent)
-	{
-		setAttribute(Qt::WA_OpaquePaintEvent);
-		setFocusPolicy(Qt::StrongFocus);
-	}
-
-
-	void SetEditor(Editor *ed)
-	{
-		ed_ = ed;
-	}
-
-protected:
-	void paintEvent(QPaintEvent *event) override
-	{
-		Q_UNUSED(event);
-		QPainter p(this);
-		// Background
-		const QColor bg(28, 28, 30);
-		p.fillRect(rect(), bg);
-
-		// Font and metrics
-		QFont f("JetBrains Mono", 13);
-		p.setFont(f);
-		QFontMetrics fm(f);
-		const int line_h = fm.height();
-
-		// Title
-		p.setPen(QColor(220, 220, 220));
-		p.drawText(8, fm.ascent() + 4, QStringLiteral("kte (Qt frontend)"));
-
-		// Status bar at bottom
-		const int bar_h = line_h + 6; // padding
-		const int bar_y = height() - bar_h;
-		QRect status_rect(0, bar_y, width(), bar_h);
-		p.fillRect(status_rect, QColor(40, 40, 44));
-		p.setPen(QColor(180, 180, 140));
-		if (ed_) {
-			const QString status = QString::fromStdString(ed_->Status());
-			// draw at baseline within the bar
-			const int baseline = bar_y + 3 + fm.ascent();
-			p.drawText(8, baseline, status);
-		}
-	}
-
-private:
-	Editor *ed_ = nullptr;
-};
-} // namespace
-
-void
-QtRenderer::Draw(Editor &ed)
-{
-	if (!widget_)
-		return;
-
-	// If our widget is an EditorWidget, pass the editor pointer for painting
-	if (auto *ew = dynamic_cast<EditorWidget *>(widget_)) {
-		ew->SetEditor(&ed);
-	}
-	// Request a repaint
-	widget_->update();
-}

QtRenderer.h

@@ -1,27 +0,0 @@
-/*
- * QtRenderer - minimal Qt-based renderer
- */
-#pragma once
-
-#include "Renderer.h"
-
-class QWidget;
-
-class QtRenderer final : public Renderer {
-public:
-	QtRenderer() = default;
-
-	~QtRenderer() override = default;
-
-
-	void Attach(QWidget *widget)
-	{
-		widget_ = widget;
-	}
-
-
-	void Draw(Editor &ed) override;
-
-private:
-	QWidget *widget_ = nullptr; // not owned
-};

README.md

@@ -39,15 +39,13 @@ subject to refinement):
   `C-g`.
 - Save/Exit: `C-k s` (save), `C-k x` or `C-k C-x` (save and exit),
   `C-k q` (quit with confirm), `C-k C-q` (quit immediately).
-- Editing: `C-k d` (kill to EOL), `C-k C-d` (kill line), `C-k
+- Editing: `C-k d` (kill to EOL), `C-k C-d` (kill line), `C-w` (kill
-  BACKSPACE` (kill to BOL), `C-w` (kill region), `C-y` ( yank), `C-u`
+  region), `C-y` (yank), `C-u` (universal argument).
-  (universal argument).
 - Navigation/Search: `C-s` (incremental find), `C-r` (regex search),
   `ESC f/b` (word next/prev), `ESC BACKSPACE` (delete previous word).
 - Buffers/Files: `C-k e` (open), `C-k b`/`C-k p` (switch), `C-k c`
-  (close), `C-k C-r` (reload).
+  (close), `C-k l` (reload).
-- Misc: `C-l` (refresh), `C-g` (cancel), `C-k m` (run make), `C-k g`
+- Misc: `C-l` (refresh), `C-g` (cancel), `C-k g` (goto line).
-  (goto line).
 
 See `ke.md` for the canonical ke reference retained for now.
 

REWRITE.md

@@ -848,7 +848,6 @@ pub enum CommandId {
     
     // GUI-specific
     VisualFilePickerToggle,
-    VisualFontPickerToggle,
     ThemeNext,
     ThemePrev,
     ThemeSetByName,
@@ -938,7 +937,7 @@ pub enum CommandError {
 **Current C++ Implementation:**
 
 - `Frontend` trait with Init/Step/Shutdown lifecycle
-- Three implementations: Terminal (ncurses), ImGui (SDL2/OpenGL), Qt
+- Two implementations: Terminal (ncurses), ImGui (SDL2/OpenGL)
 - Step() does one iteration: poll input, dispatch commands, render
 - Each frontend owns InputHandler and Renderer instances
 
@@ -986,7 +985,7 @@ pub enum FrontendError {
 - `InputHandler` trait with Poll() returning `MappedInput`
 - `MappedInput`: hasCommand bool, CommandId, arg string, count
 - Terminal: ncurses-based, translates keys to commands
-- ImGui/Qt: event-based, handles text input differently
+- ImGui: event-based, handles text input differently
 - Keymap lookups via `KKeymap` functions (KCommand, Ctrl, Esc)
 
 **Rust Design:**
@@ -1075,7 +1074,7 @@ impl InputHandler for TerminalInputHandler {
 
 - `Renderer` trait with single Draw(Editor&) method
 - Terminal: ncurses-based, manual cursor positioning
-- ImGui/Qt: retained mode GUI, draw calls within Begin/End blocks
+- ImGui: immediate mode GUI, draw calls within Begin/End blocks
 - Syntax highlighting integrated via Buffer::Highlighter()
 
 **Rust Design:**
@@ -1200,7 +1199,7 @@ impl Frontend for TerminalFrontend {
 
 #### 9.2 GUI Frontend (egui-based)
 
-For GUI, consider replacing ImGui/Qt with `egui` (pure Rust, immediate
+For GUI, consider replacing ImGui with `egui` (pure Rust, immediate
 mode):
 
 ```rust

RegexEngine.cc

@@ -0,0 +1,344 @@
+#include "RegexEngine.h"
+
+#include <regex>
+
+#include "RegexGuard.h"
+
+#if defined(KTE_USE_PCRE2)
+#define PCRE2_CODE_UNIT_WIDTH 8
+#include <pcre2.h>
+#endif
+
+namespace kte {
+namespace {
+// Expand an ECMAScript replacement for one match, as std::regex_replace
+// does: $` is the text since the previous match (match_results::prefix()).
+// group(i, begin, end) returns whether group i participated and where;
+// ngroups counts group 0.
+template<typename GroupFn>
+void
+append_format(std::string &out, std::string_view fmt, std::string_view subject, std::size_t prev_end,
+              std::size_t ms, std::size_t me, std::size_t ngroups, GroupFn &&group)
+{
+	for (std::size_t i = 0; i < fmt.size(); ++i) {
+		const char c = fmt[i];
+		if (c != '$' || i + 1 >= fmt.size()) {
+			out.push_back(c);
+			continue;
+		}
+		const char n = fmt[i + 1];
+		if (n == '$') {
+			out.push_back('$');
+			++i;
+		} else if (n == '&') {
+			out.append(subject.substr(ms, me - ms));
+			++i;
+		} else if (n == '`') {
+			out.append(subject.substr(prev_end, ms - prev_end));
+			++i;
+		} else if (n == '\'') {
+			out.append(subject.substr(me));
+			++i;
+		} else if (n >= '0' && n <= '9') {
+			// As libstdc++'s match_results::format: up to two digits, read
+			// greedily; $0 is the whole match; a group the pattern does not
+			// have expands to nothing.
+			std::size_t idx = static_cast<std::size_t>(n - '0');
+			++i;
+			if (i + 1 < fmt.size() && fmt[i + 1] >= '0' && fmt[i + 1] <= '9') {
+				idx = idx * 10 + static_cast<std::size_t>(fmt[i + 1] - '0');
+				++i;
+			}
+			std::size_t b = 0, e = 0;
+			if (idx == 0)
+				out.append(subject.substr(ms, me - ms));
+			else if (idx < ngroups && group(idx, b, e))
+				out.append(subject.substr(b, e - b));
+		} else {
+			out.push_back(c);
+		}
+	}
+}
+} // namespace
+
+
+#if defined(KTE_USE_PCRE2)
+
+// PCRE2 gives up on a match attempt after this many internal steps
+// (catastrophic backtracking), reporting it instead of running for ages.
+static constexpr std::uint32_t kMatchLimit = 10000000;
+
+
+struct Regex::Impl {
+	pcre2_code *code               = nullptr;
+	pcre2_match_data *md           = nullptr;
+	pcre2_match_context *mctx      = nullptr;
+	std::size_t ngroups            = 1; // including group 0
+	mutable bool limit_hit         = false;
+
+
+	~Impl()
+	{
+		if (md)
+			pcre2_match_data_free(md);
+		if (mctx)
+			pcre2_match_context_free(mctx);
+		if (code)
+			pcre2_code_free(code);
+	}
+
+
+	// pcre2_match with a subject that is never a null pointer.
+	int match(std::string_view s, std::size_t from, std::uint32_t opts) const
+	{
+		static const char empty = '\0';
+		const char *p           = s.data() ? s.data() : &empty;
+		const int rc = pcre2_match(code, reinterpret_cast<PCRE2_SPTR>(p), s.size(), from, opts, md, mctx);
+		if (rc == PCRE2_ERROR_MATCHLIMIT || rc == PCRE2_ERROR_DEPTHLIMIT || rc == PCRE2_ERROR_HEAPLIMIT)
+			limit_hit = true;
+		return rc;
+	}
+};
+
+
+Regex::Regex() = default;
+
+Regex::~Regex() = default;
+
+Regex::Regex(Regex &&other) noexcept = default;
+
+Regex &Regex::operator=(Regex &&other) noexcept = default;
+
+
+bool
+Regex::Compile(std::string_view pattern, std::string &err)
+{
+	err.clear();
+	impl_.reset();
+	auto impl = std::make_unique<Impl>();
+	int errcode        = 0;
+	PCRE2_SIZE erroff  = 0;
+	static const char empty = '\0';
+	// As in ECMAScript (std::regex): '.' matches neither CR nor LF, and '$'
+	// matches only at the end (PCRE2's default newline is LF alone, so '.'
+	// matched the CR of a CRLF line and replace-all deleted it).
+	pcre2_compile_context *cctx = pcre2_compile_context_create(nullptr);
+	if (cctx)
+		pcre2_set_newline(cctx, PCRE2_NEWLINE_ANYCRLF);
+	impl->code = pcre2_compile(reinterpret_cast<PCRE2_SPTR>(pattern.data() ? pattern.data() : &empty),
+	                           pattern.size(), PCRE2_DOLLAR_ENDONLY, &errcode, &erroff, cctx);
+	if (cctx)
+		pcre2_compile_context_free(cctx);
+	if (!impl->code) {
+		PCRE2_UCHAR msg[256];
+		pcre2_get_error_message(errcode, msg, sizeof(msg));
+		err = std::string(reinterpret_cast<const char *>(msg)) + " at offset " + std::to_string(erroff);
+		return false;
+	}
+	(void) pcre2_jit_compile(impl->code, PCRE2_JIT_COMPLETE); // interpreted if unavailable
+	impl->md   = pcre2_match_data_create_from_pattern(impl->code, nullptr);
+	impl->mctx = pcre2_match_context_create(nullptr);
+	if (!impl->md || !impl->mctx) {
+		err = "out of memory compiling the pattern";
+		return false;
+	}
+	pcre2_set_match_limit(impl->mctx, kMatchLimit);
+	std::uint32_t captures = 0;
+	(void) pcre2_pattern_info(impl->code, PCRE2_INFO_CAPTURECOUNT, &captures);
+	impl->ngroups = static_cast<std::size_t>(captures) + 1;
+	impl_         = std::move(impl);
+	return true;
+}
+
+
+bool
+Regex::Search(std::string_view subject, std::size_t from, std::size_t &pos, std::size_t &len) const
+{
+	if (!impl_ || from > subject.size())
+		return false;
+	impl_->limit_hit = false;
+	if (impl_->match(subject, from, 0) <= 0)
+		return false;
+	const PCRE2_SIZE *ov = pcre2_get_ovector_pointer(impl_->md);
+	pos                  = ov[0];
+	len                  = ov[1] - ov[0];
+	return true;
+}
+
+
+std::string
+Regex::ReplaceAll(std::string_view s, std::string_view fmt) const
+{
+	if (!impl_)
+		return std::string(s);
+	impl_->limit_hit = false;
+	std::string out;
+	std::size_t copied = 0; // subject bytes up to here are in `out`
+	std::size_t start  = 0;
+	std::uint32_t opts = 0;
+	while (start <= s.size()) {
+		const int rc = impl_->match(s, start, opts);
+		if (rc == PCRE2_ERROR_NOMATCH && opts != 0) {
+			// No non-empty match right after an empty one: step past a byte.
+			if (start >= s.size())
+				break;
+			++start;
+			opts = 0;
+			continue;
+		}
+		if (rc <= 0) {
+			if (impl_->limit_hit)
+				return std::string(s); // gave up: leave the text as it was
+			break;
+		}
+		const PCRE2_SIZE *ov = pcre2_get_ovector_pointer(impl_->md);
+		const std::size_t ms = ov[0], me = ov[1];
+		out.append(s.substr(copied, ms - copied));
+		append_format(out, fmt, s, copied, ms, me, impl_->ngroups, [&](std::size_t i, std::size_t &b, std::size_t &e) {
+			if (i >= static_cast<std::size_t>(rc) || ov[2 * i] == PCRE2_UNSET)
+				return false;
+			b = ov[2 * i];
+			e = ov[2 * i + 1];
+			return true;
+		});
+		copied = me;
+		start  = me;
+		// After an empty match, the next one must not be empty at the same place.
+		opts = (me == ms) ? (PCRE2_NOTEMPTY_ATSTART | PCRE2_ANCHORED) : 0;
+	}
+	out.append(s.substr(copied));
+	return out;
+}
+
+
+bool
+Regex::Valid() const
+{
+	return static_cast<bool>(impl_);
+}
+
+
+bool
+Regex::LimitHit() const
+{
+	return impl_ && impl_->limit_hit;
+}
+
+
+void
+Regex::RunGuarded(const std::function<void()> &fn)
+{
+	fn();
+}
+
+
+const char *
+Regex::EngineName()
+{
+	return "PCRE2";
+}
+
+
+std::size_t
+Regex::IncrementalLineLimit()
+{
+	return std::size_t{1} << 20;
+}
+
+#else // std::regex
+
+struct Regex::Impl {
+	std::regex rx;
+};
+
+
+Regex::Regex() = default;
+
+Regex::~Regex() = default;
+
+Regex::Regex(Regex &&other) noexcept = default;
+
+Regex &Regex::operator=(Regex &&other) noexcept = default;
+
+
+bool
+Regex::Compile(std::string_view pattern, std::string &err)
+{
+	err.clear();
+	impl_.reset();
+	try {
+		auto impl = std::make_unique<Impl>();
+		impl->rx  = std::regex(pattern.begin(), pattern.end());
+		impl_     = std::move(impl);
+		return true;
+	} catch (const std::regex_error &e) {
+		err = e.what();
+		return false;
+	}
+}
+
+
+bool
+Regex::Search(std::string_view subject, std::size_t from, std::size_t &pos, std::size_t &len) const
+{
+	if (!impl_ || from > subject.size())
+		return false;
+	std::cmatch m;
+	const auto flags = from > 0 ? std::regex_constants::match_prev_avail : std::regex_constants::match_default;
+	const char *b    = subject.data() + from;
+	const char *e    = subject.data() + subject.size();
+	if (!std::regex_search(b, e, m, impl_->rx, flags))
+		return false;
+	pos = from + static_cast<std::size_t>(m.position(0));
+	len = static_cast<std::size_t>(m.length(0));
+	return true;
+}
+
+
+std::string
+Regex::ReplaceAll(std::string_view s, std::string_view fmt) const
+{
+	if (!impl_)
+		return std::string(s);
+	std::string out;
+	std::regex_replace(std::back_inserter(out), s.begin(), s.end(), impl_->rx, std::string(fmt));
+	return out;
+}
+
+
+bool
+Regex::Valid() const
+{
+	return static_cast<bool>(impl_);
+}
+
+
+bool
+Regex::LimitHit() const
+{
+	return false;
+}
+
+
+void
+Regex::RunGuarded(const std::function<void()> &fn)
+{
+	RunWithLargeStack(fn);
+}
+
+
+const char *
+Regex::EngineName()
+{
+	return "std::regex";
+}
+
+
+std::size_t
+Regex::IncrementalLineLimit()
+{
+	return 2000;
+}
+
+#endif
+} // namespace kte

RegexEngine.h

@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+/*
+ * RegexEngine.h - the regex engine behind search, replace and match
+ * highlighting.
+ *
+ * With KTE_USE_PCRE2 (the default when libpcre2-8 is found) patterns are
+ * compiled by PCRE2 with its JIT: typically one to two orders of magnitude
+ * faster than std::regex, no recursion on the C stack, and a match limit
+ * that stops catastrophic backtracking (e.g. "^(a+)+$") instead of hanging
+ * the editor. Otherwise std::regex (ECMAScript) is used, run on a large
+ * stack (see RunGuarded). The syntax both accept covers ordinary use;
+ * PCRE2 additionally has lookbehind, possessive quantifiers and the like.
+ *
+ * Replacement strings use ECMAScript syntax with either engine, as
+ * std::regex_replace (libstdc++) reads it: $& or $0 (the match), $1..$99
+ * (groups, two digits read greedily; a group the pattern lacks expands to
+ * nothing), $` (the text since the previous match), $' (the rest of the
+ * line), $$ (a dollar sign). As in ECMAScript, '.' matches neither CR nor
+ * LF and '$' matches only at the end of the line's text.
+ */
+#pragma once
+
+#include <cstddef>
+#include <functional>
+#include <memory>
+#include <string>
+#include <string_view>
+
+namespace kte {
+class Regex {
+public:
+	Regex();
+
+	~Regex();
+
+	Regex(Regex &&other) noexcept;
+
+	Regex &operator=(Regex &&other) noexcept;
+
+	Regex(const Regex &) = delete;
+
+	Regex &operator=(const Regex &) = delete;
+
+	// Compile; on failure err describes the problem and Valid() is false.
+	bool Compile(std::string_view pattern, std::string &err);
+
+	[[nodiscard]] bool Valid() const;
+
+	// The first match in `subject` starting at byte `from` or later; `from`
+	// may be inside the subject (anchors and lookbehind see what precedes
+	// it). False if there is none, or if the engine gave up (LimitHit()).
+	bool Search(std::string_view subject, std::size_t from, std::size_t &pos, std::size_t &len) const;
+
+	// Every non-overlapping match replaced by `fmt` (ECMAScript syntax, see
+	// above); an empty match is not repeated at the same position.
+	[[nodiscard]] std::string ReplaceAll(std::string_view subject, std::string_view fmt) const;
+
+	// Whether the last Search/ReplaceAll stopped at the engine's match limit.
+	[[nodiscard]] bool LimitHit() const;
+
+	// Run fn, which does regex work that may span long text, where the
+	// engine cannot overflow the stack: std::regex recurses once per matched
+	// character, so fn runs to completion on a thread with a large stack
+	// (RegexGuard.h); PCRE2 does not recurse on the C stack, so fn runs
+	// inline. Exceptions thrown by fn are rethrown.
+	static void RunGuarded(const std::function<void()> &fn);
+
+	// "PCRE2" or "std::regex".
+	static const char *EngineName();
+
+	// The longest line search-as-you-type and match highlighting run the
+	// regex over (per keystroke/frame); std::regex can be quadratic in line
+	// length with no way to interrupt it, PCRE2 is bounded by its limit.
+	static std::size_t IncrementalLineLimit();
+
+private:
+	struct Impl;
+	std::unique_ptr<Impl> impl_;
+};
+} // namespace kte

RegexGuard.cc

@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+#include "RegexGuard.h"
+
+#include <exception>
+#include <pthread.h>
+
+namespace kte {
+namespace {
+// 1 GiB supports matches spanning several million characters.
+constexpr std::size_t kLargeStackBytes = std::size_t{1} << 30;
+
+struct Job {
+	const std::function<void()> *fn;
+	std::exception_ptr error;
+};
+
+
+void *
+run_job(void *arg)
+{
+	auto *job = static_cast<Job *>(arg);
+	try {
+		(*job->fn)();
+	} catch (...) {
+		job->error = std::current_exception();
+	}
+	return nullptr;
+}
+} // namespace
+
+
+void
+RunWithLargeStack(const std::function<void()> &fn)
+{
+	Job job{&fn, nullptr};
+	pthread_attr_t attr;
+	bool started = false;
+	pthread_t tid{};
+	if (pthread_attr_init(&attr) == 0) {
+		if (pthread_attr_setstacksize(&attr, kLargeStackBytes) == 0)
+			started = pthread_create(&tid, &attr, run_job, &job) == 0;
+		pthread_attr_destroy(&attr);
+	}
+	if (!started) {
+		fn();
+		return;
+	}
+	pthread_join(tid, nullptr);
+	if (job.error)
+		std::rethrow_exception(job.error);
+}
+
+} // namespace kte

RegexGuard.h

@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+// RegexGuard.h - keep std::regex from overflowing the stack
+//
+// libstdc++'s std::regex matcher recurses roughly once per character of a
+// match, so a pattern such as ".*" or "a+" on a line of a few tens of
+// thousands of characters (minified JS/JSON) overflows a default 8 MiB
+// stack and crashes the editor.
+#pragma once
+
+#include <functional>
+
+namespace kte {
+// Run fn to completion on a thread with a large stack (address space is
+// reserved, pages are committed only as used), so regex work over long lines
+// cannot overflow. If such a thread cannot be created, fn runs on the calling
+// thread. Exceptions thrown by fn are rethrown to the caller.
+void RunWithLargeStack(const std::function<void()> &fn);
+
+} // namespace kte

SearchHighlight.cc

@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+#include "SearchHighlight.h"
+
+#include <algorithm>
+
+#include "Editor.h"
+
+namespace kte {
+SearchHighlight::SearchHighlight(const Editor &ed)
+{
+	active_ = ed.SearchActive() && !ed.SearchQuery().empty();
+	if (!active_)
+		return;
+	query_ = ed.SearchQuery();
+	regex_ = ed.PromptActive() && (ed.CurrentPromptKind() == Editor::PromptKind::RegexSearch ||
+	                               ed.CurrentPromptKind() == Editor::PromptKind::RegexReplaceFind);
+	if (regex_) {
+		std::string err;
+		rx_valid_ = rx_.Compile(query_, err);
+	}
+}
+
+
+void
+SearchHighlight::Ranges(std::string_view line, std::vector<std::pair<std::size_t, std::size_t> > &out) const
+{
+	out.clear();
+	if (!active_)
+		return;
+	if (regex_) {
+		if (!rx_valid_ || line.size() > Regex::IncrementalLineLimit())
+			return;
+		std::size_t from = 0, pos = 0, len = 0;
+		while (from <= line.size() && rx_.Search(line, from, pos, len)) {
+			out.emplace_back(pos, pos + len);
+			from = pos + std::max<std::size_t>(len, 1);
+		}
+		return;
+	}
+	std::size_t pos = 0;
+	while ((pos = line.find(query_, pos)) != std::string_view::npos) {
+		out.emplace_back(pos, pos + query_.size());
+		pos += query_.size();
+	}
+}
+} // namespace kte

SearchHighlight.h

@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+/*
+ * SearchHighlight.h - the search-match ranges every renderer highlights.
+ *
+ * Built once per frame from the editor's search state (the regex, when the
+ * regex search or regex replace prompt is up, is compiled here once rather
+ * than per line), then asked for each visible line's matches.
+ */
+#pragma once
+
+#include <cstddef>
+#include <string>
+#include <string_view>
+#include <utility>
+#include <vector>
+
+#include "RegexEngine.h"
+
+class Editor;
+
+namespace kte {
+class SearchHighlight {
+public:
+	explicit SearchHighlight(const Editor &ed);
+
+	// Whether a search is up with a non-empty query.
+	[[nodiscard]] bool Active() const
+	{
+		return active_;
+	}
+
+	// The matches in one line as [start, end) byte ranges, ordered and not
+	// overlapping. Nothing for an invalid pattern (the status line shows the
+	// error) or, in regex mode, a line longer than
+	// Regex::IncrementalLineLimit().
+	void Ranges(std::string_view line, std::vector<std::pair<std::size_t, std::size_t> > &out) const;
+
+private:
+	bool active_   = false;
+	bool regex_    = false;
+	bool rx_valid_ = false;
+	std::string query_;
+	Regex rx_;
+};
+} // namespace kte

Swap.h

@@ -10,10 +10,12 @@
 #include <memory>
 #include <mutex>
 #include <condition_variable>
+#include <deque>
 #include <thread>
 #include <atomic>
 
 #include "SwapRecorder.h"
+#include "ErrorRecovery.h"
 
 class Buffer;
 
@@ -22,9 +24,17 @@ namespace kte {
 enum class SwapRecType : std::uint8_t {
 	INS = 1,
 	DEL = 2,
+	// SPLIT and JOIN are no longer written; replay still reads them.
 	SPLIT = 3,
 	JOIN = 4,
 	META = 0xF0,
+	// A checkpoint too large for one record (a record's length field is 24
+	// bits) is written as BEGIN [encver u8][total u64][crc32 u32], DATA
+	// chunks (raw bytes), END [encver u8]. Replay applies it only at END,
+	// with the size and CRC-32 matching; an unfinished one is ignored.
+	CHKPT_BEGIN = 0xFB,
+	CHKPT_DATA = 0xFC,
+	CHKPT_END = 0xFD,
 	CHKPT = 0xFE,
 };
 
@@ -78,6 +88,19 @@ public:
 	// This is best-effort and asynchronous; call Flush() if you need it written before continuing.
 	void Checkpoint(Buffer *buf = nullptr);
 
+	// Main thread, called once per frame: request the recovery checkpoint of
+	// any journal left with a gap (a lost record) whose last attempt is more
+	// than the retry interval ago. Otherwise that checkpoint is only
+	// requested by the next edit, and a journal that lost a record just
+	// before the user stopped typing would stay behind indefinitely.
+	void RetryGapCheckpoints();
+
+	// Main thread: the oldest pending message for the user (a journal that
+	// another kte holds, or that fell behind because writes failed), or ""
+	// when there is none. Such failures otherwise went only to the error
+	// log, leaving crash recovery silently off or incomplete.
+	std::string TakeUserNotice();
+
 
 	void SetConfig(const SwapConfig &cfg)
 	{
@@ -92,6 +115,15 @@ public:
 	// Detach(buf) or SwapManager destruction.
 	SwapRecorder *RecorderFor(Buffer *buf);
 
+	// Re-key an attached buffer's journal/recorder entries after its Buffer object
+	// has moved to a new address (e.g. std::vector<Buffer> reallocation/erase-shift).
+	// Callers must ensure no swap records for old_addr are in flight (see Flush())
+	// before calling this, and must not call it with an address that isn't
+	// currently attached. Returns the recorder for new_addr (nullptr if old_addr
+	// wasn't attached); the caller is responsible for calling
+	// new_buf->SetSwapRecorder() with the result.
+	SwapRecorder *Rehome(Buffer *old_addr, Buffer *new_addr);
+
 	// Notify that the buffer's filename changed (e.g., SaveAs)
 	void NotifyFilenameChanged(Buffer &buf);
 
@@ -100,15 +132,34 @@ public:
 	// On failure (corrupt/truncated/invalid), the buffer is left in whatever
 	// state results from applying records up to the failure point; callers should
 	// treat this as a recovery failure and surface `err`.
-	static bool ReplayFile(Buffer &buf, const std::string &swap_path, std::string &err);
+	//
+	// A record cut short at end of file (a crash mid-append) ends the replay
+	// successfully; err then describes the incomplete record. If valid_bytes
+	// is given, it receives the length of the journal's valid prefix, so a
+	// caller that keeps using the journal can truncate the torn tail first.
+	static bool ReplayFile(Buffer &buf, const std::string &swap_path, std::string &err,
+	                       std::uint64_t *valid_bytes = nullptr);
 
 	// Compute the swap path for a file-backed buffer by filename.
 	// Returns empty string if filename is empty.
 	static std::string ComputeSwapPathForFilename(const std::string &filename);
 
+	// True if another process currently holds the journal at swap_path (it
+	// is live, not left by a crash): it must be neither replayed nor removed.
+	static bool JournalInUse(const std::string &swap_path);
+
+	// False if the journal records which version of `file_path` it applies
+	// to and the file on disk no longer matches (edited or replaced since
+	// the journal started); replaying it would apply edits to the wrong text.
+	// Journals without that record (older kte) are assumed to match.
+	static bool JournalMatchesFile(const std::string &swap_path, const std::string &file_path);
+
 	// Test-only hook to keep swap path logic centralized.
 	// (Avoid duplicating naming rules in unit tests.)
 #ifdef KTE_TESTS
+	// Base files larger than this get their CRC on the writer thread.
+	static void SetSyncCrcLimitForTests(std::uint64_t bytes);
+
 	static std::string ComputeSwapPathForTests(const Buffer &buf)
 	{
 		return ComputeSidecarPath(buf);
@@ -131,6 +182,20 @@ public:
 	// Per-buffer toggle
 	void SetSuspended(Buffer &buf, bool on);
 
+	// Error reporting for background thread
+	struct SwapError {
+		std::uint64_t timestamp_ns{0};
+		std::string message;
+		std::string buffer_name; // filename or "<unnamed>"
+	};
+
+	// Query error state (thread-safe)
+	bool HasErrors() const;
+
+	std::string GetLastError() const;
+
+	std::size_t GetErrorCount() const;
+
 private:
 	class BufferRecorder final : public SwapRecorder {
 	public:
@@ -149,10 +214,6 @@ private:
 
 	void RecordDelete(Buffer &buf, int row, int col, std::size_t len);
 
-	void RecordSplit(Buffer &buf, int row, int col);
-
-	void RecordJoin(Buffer &buf, int row);
-
 	void RecordCheckpoint(Buffer &buf, bool urgent_flush);
 
 	void maybe_request_checkpoint(Buffer &buf, std::size_t approx_edit_bytes);
@@ -167,16 +228,53 @@ private:
 		std::uint64_t last_chkpt_ns{0};
 		std::uint64_t edit_bytes_since_chkpt{0};
 		std::uint64_t approx_size_bytes{0};
+		// A record was lost (write failure, breaker open, oversize). Records are
+		// position-based, so later ones no longer apply to the journal's state:
+		// drop them until a checkpoint re-establishes the full content.
+		bool gap{false};
+		bool gap_notified{false}; // the user was told about the current gap
+		bool chkpt_queued{false}; // a checkpoint is queued and not yet being written
+		std::uint32_t header_version{0}; // of the open journal file (0: none yet)
+		bool lockout_notified{false}; // told about the lock; kept across ResetJournal
+		std::uint64_t gap_chkpt_request_ns{0};
+		bool gap_unfixable_reported{false}; // gap on a buffer too large to checkpoint
+		// Another kte process holds this journal's lock: do not write to it.
+		bool locked_out{false};
+		// Identity of the file the journal's records apply to (captured when
+		// the journal starts) and written into its header, so recovery can
+		// tell whether the file changed since.
+		bool has_base{false};
+		std::uint64_t base_size{0};
+		std::int64_t base_mtime_ns{0};
+		bool has_base_crc{false}; // CRC-32 of the base file's content
+		std::uint32_t base_crc{0};
+		// A large base file's CRC is computed by the writer thread before it
+		// creates the journal (see process_one), not on open/save.
+		std::string base_crc_file;
 	};
 
 	struct Pending {
 		Buffer *buf{nullptr};
 		SwapRecType type{SwapRecType::INS};
 		std::vector<std::uint8_t> payload; // framed payload only
+		std::string chkpt; // CHKPT: the buffer's content (framed by the writer)
 		bool urgent_flush{false};
 		std::uint64_t seq{0};
 	};
 
+	// A record (or, for a large checkpoint, several) as segments to write:
+	// small framing buffers owned here, and a reference to the checkpoint
+	// content (not copied).
+	struct RecordFrames {
+		std::deque<std::vector<std::uint8_t> > owned;
+		std::vector<std::pair<const std::uint8_t *, std::size_t> > segs;
+		std::size_t total = 0;
+	};
+
+	static void frame_pending(const Pending &p, RecordFrames &f);
+
+	static bool write_frames(int fd, const RecordFrames &f);
+
 	// Helpers
 	static std::string ComputeSidecarPath(const Buffer &buf);
 
@@ -188,16 +286,39 @@ private:
 
 	static std::string SwapDirRoot();
 
-	static bool write_header(int fd);
+	static bool write_header(int fd, const JournalCtx &ctx);
 
-	static bool open_ctx(JournalCtx &ctx, const std::string &path);
+	static bool open_ctx(JournalCtx &ctx, const std::string &path, std::string &err, bool *locked_out = nullptr);
 
 	static void close_ctx(JournalCtx &ctx);
 
-	static bool compact_to_checkpoint(JournalCtx &ctx, const std::vector<std::uint8_t> &chkpt_record);
+	static bool compact_to_checkpoint(JournalCtx &ctx, const RecordFrames &chkpt_record,
+	                                  std::string &err);
 
 	static std::uint32_t crc32(const std::uint8_t *data, std::size_t len, std::uint32_t seed = 0);
 
+	// CRC-32 of a file's content; false if it cannot be read.
+	static bool file_crc32(const std::string &path, std::uint32_t &out);
+
+	// Identity (size, mtime, content CRC) of the file a journal's records
+	// apply to. Computed without holding mtx_ (it reads the file), then
+	// stored into the JournalCtx under it.
+	struct BaseId {
+		bool has{false};
+		std::uint64_t size{0};
+		std::int64_t mtime_ns{0};
+		bool has_crc{false};
+		std::uint32_t crc{0};
+		std::string crc_file; // set when the CRC is deferred to the writer thread
+	};
+
+	static BaseId compute_base(const std::string &file);
+
+	// Writer thread: compute a deferred base CRC (see BaseId::crc_file).
+	void complete_base_crc(JournalCtx &ctx);
+
+	static void apply_base(JournalCtx &ctx, const BaseId &id);
+
 	static void put_le32(std::vector<std::uint8_t> &out, std::uint32_t v);
 
 	static void put_le64(std::uint8_t dst[8], std::uint64_t v);
@@ -210,11 +331,19 @@ private:
 
 	void process_one(const Pending &p);
 
+	// Error reporting helper (called from writer thread)
+	void report_error(const std::string &message, Buffer *buf = nullptr);
+
 	// State
 	SwapConfig cfg_{};
 	std::unordered_map<Buffer *, JournalCtx> journals_;
 	std::unordered_map<Buffer *, std::unique_ptr<BufferRecorder> > recorders_;
-	std::mutex mtx_;
+	mutable std::mutex mtx_;
+	// Serialises closing journal fds with the writer's periodic fsync, so
+	// neither can act on an fd the other has closed (or that was reused).
+	// Taken before mtx_ when both are needed; edits (which take mtx_) never
+	// wait for an fsync.
+	mutable std::mutex io_mtx_;
 	std::condition_variable cv_;
 	std::vector<Pending> queue_;
 	std::uint64_t next_seq_{0};
@@ -222,5 +351,16 @@ private:
 	std::uint64_t inflight_{0};
 	std::atomic<bool> running_{false};
 	std::thread worker_;
+
+	// Error tracking (protected by mtx_)
+	std::deque<SwapError> errors_; // bounded to max 100 entries
+	std::deque<std::string> user_notices_; // see TakeUserNotice(); guarded by mtx_
+
+	// Queue a message for the user (mtx_ must be held).
+	void notify_user_locked_(std::string msg);
+	std::size_t total_error_count_{0};
+
+	// Circuit breaker for swap operations (protected by mtx_)
+	CircuitBreaker circuit_breaker_;
 };
 } // namespace kte

SyscallWrappers.cc

@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+#include "SyscallWrappers.h"
+
+#include <fcntl.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+#include <sys/stat.h>
+#include <cerrno>
+#include <cstdlib>
+
+namespace kte {
+namespace syscall {
+int
+Open(const char *path, int flags, mode_t mode)
+{
+	int fd;
+	do {
+		fd = ::open(path, flags, mode);
+	} while (fd == -1 && errno == EINTR);
+	return fd;
+}
+
+
+int
+Close(int fd)
+{
+	// Do not retry on EINTR: on Linux (and most systems) the descriptor is
+	// released even when close() is interrupted, so a retry could close an
+	// fd that another thread (e.g. the swap writer) has just opened.
+	const int ret = ::close(fd);
+	if (ret == -1 && errno == EINTR)
+		return 0;
+	return ret;
+}
+
+
+int
+Fsync(int fd)
+{
+	int ret;
+	do {
+		ret = ::fsync(fd);
+	} while (ret == -1 && errno == EINTR);
+	return ret;
+}
+
+
+int
+Fstat(int fd, struct stat *buf)
+{
+	int ret;
+	do {
+		ret = ::fstat(fd, buf);
+	} while (ret == -1 && errno == EINTR);
+	return ret;
+}
+
+
+int
+Ftruncate(int fd, off_t length)
+{
+	int ret;
+	do {
+		ret = ::ftruncate(fd, length);
+	} while (ret == -1 && errno == EINTR);
+	return ret;
+}
+
+
+int
+Fchmod(int fd, mode_t mode)
+{
+	int ret;
+	do {
+		ret = ::fchmod(fd, mode);
+	} while (ret == -1 && errno == EINTR);
+	return ret;
+}
+
+
+int
+Mkstemp(char *template_str)
+{
+	int fd;
+	do {
+		fd = ::mkstemp(template_str);
+	} while (fd == -1 && errno == EINTR);
+	return fd;
+}
+} // namespace syscall
+} // namespace kte

SyscallWrappers.h

@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+// SyscallWrappers.h - EINTR-safe syscall wrappers for kte
+#pragma once
+
+#include <string>
+#include <cstddef>
+#include <sys/stat.h>
+
+namespace kte {
+namespace syscall {
+// EINTR-safe wrapper for open(2).
+// Returns file descriptor on success, -1 on failure (errno set).
+// Automatically retries on EINTR.
+int Open(const char *path, int flags, mode_t mode = 0);
+
+// Wrapper for close(2).
+// Returns 0 on success, -1 on failure (errno set).
+// EINTR is treated as success and never retried: the descriptor has already
+// been released on Linux, and retrying could close an unrelated, reused fd.
+int Close(int fd);
+
+// EINTR-safe wrapper for fsync(2).
+// Returns 0 on success, -1 on failure (errno set).
+// Automatically retries on EINTR.
+int Fsync(int fd);
+
+// EINTR-safe wrapper for fstat(2).
+// Returns 0 on success, -1 on failure (errno set).
+// Automatically retries on EINTR.
+int Fstat(int fd, struct stat *buf);
+
+// EINTR-safe wrapper for fchmod(2).
+// Returns 0 on success, -1 on failure (errno set).
+// Automatically retries on EINTR.
+int Fchmod(int fd, mode_t mode);
+
+// EINTR-safe wrapper for ftruncate(2).
+// Returns 0 on success, -1 on failure (errno set).
+// Automatically retries on EINTR.
+int Ftruncate(int fd, off_t length);
+
+// EINTR-safe wrapper for mkstemp(3).
+// Returns file descriptor on success, -1 on failure (errno set).
+// Automatically retries on EINTR.
+// Note: template_str must be a mutable buffer ending in "XXXXXX".
+int Mkstemp(char *template_str);
+
+// Note: rename(2) and unlink(2) are not wrapped because they operate on
+// filesystem metadata and typically complete atomically without EINTR.
+// If interrupted, they either succeed or fail without partial state.
+} // namespace syscall
+} // namespace kte

TermWidth.h

@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+// TermWidth.h - terminal cell width of a decoded character
+//
+// Shared by TerminalRenderer (drawing and cursor placement) and the command
+// layer (horizontal scrolling, mouse column mapping) so they always agree.
+// Tabs are handled by the callers, which know the current column.
+#pragma once
+
+#include <cstddef>
+#include <cwchar>
+#include <string_view>
+
+namespace kte {
+// Tab stops every kTabWidth columns, in every frontend and in the command
+// layer's horizontal scrolling (they must agree, or the cursor and the
+// scroll offset are misplaced on lines with tabs).
+constexpr std::size_t kTabWidth = 8;
+
+
+// C0 controls and DEL are drawn as caret notation ("^M", "^?"): two cells.
+// ncurses would otherwise act on them (carriage return, backspace) and
+// corrupt the line.
+inline bool
+IsCaretControl(wchar_t wch)
+{
+	return (wch >= 0 && wch < 0x20) || wch == 0x7f;
+}
+
+
+// C1 controls (U+0080..U+009F, also what a stray byte in that range decodes
+// to) are drawn as '?': sent raw, U+009B is a terminal CSI.
+inline bool
+IsC1Control(wchar_t wch)
+{
+	return wch >= 0x80 && wch <= 0x9f;
+}
+
+
+inline int
+CellWidth(wchar_t wch)
+{
+	if (IsCaretControl(wch))
+		return 2;
+	if (IsC1Control(wch))
+		return 1;
+	const int w = wcwidth(wch);
+	return w < 0 ? 1 : w;
+}
+
+
+// Decode the character at line[i]: its byte length and display width in
+// cells (a tab reaches the next multiple of tabw from column col). Measures
+// the way TerminalRenderer draws: an invalid byte or NUL is one byte, measured
+// as the byte value.
+inline void
+MeasureChar(std::string_view line, std::size_t i, std::size_t col, std::size_t &len, std::size_t &width,
+            std::size_t tabw = kTabWidth)
+{
+	std::mbstate_t state{};
+	wchar_t wch   = 0;
+	const auto rc = std::mbrtowc(&wch, line.data() + i, line.size() - i, &state);
+	if (rc == static_cast<std::size_t>(-1) || rc == static_cast<std::size_t>(-2) || rc == 0) {
+		wch = static_cast<unsigned char>(line[i]);
+		len = 1;
+	} else {
+		len = rc;
+	}
+	if (wch == L'\t')
+		width = tabw - (col % tabw);
+	else
+		width = static_cast<std::size_t>(CellWidth(wch));
+}
+} // namespace kte

TerminalFrontend.cc

@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+#include <cstdio>
+#include <ctime>
+#include <string>
 #include <ncurses.h>
 #include <termios.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
@@ -12,6 +15,12 @@ TerminalFrontend::Init(int &argc, char **argv, Editor &ed)
 {
 	(void) argc;
 	(void) argv;
+	// Keys are read from stdin. Piped input would be executed as editor
+	// commands (and after EOF the loop spun at full CPU with no way to quit).
+	if (!isatty(STDIN_FILENO)) {
+		std::fprintf(stderr, "kte: standard input is not a terminal\n");
+		return false;
+	}
 	// Ensure Control keys reach the app: disable XON/XOFF and dsusp/susp bindings (e.g., ^S/^Q, ^Y on macOS)
 	{
 		struct termios tio{};
@@ -43,7 +52,9 @@ TerminalFrontend::Init(int &argc, char **argv, Editor &ed)
 	// Enable 8-bit meta key sequences (Alt/ESC-prefix handling in terminals)
 	meta(stdscr, TRUE);
 	// Make ESC key sequences resolve quickly so ESC+<key> works as meta
-#ifdef set_escdelay
+	// set_escdelay is an ncurses extension function (not a macro), so test for
+	// ncurses itself rather than `#ifdef set_escdelay`, which is always false.
+#if defined(NCURSES_VERSION)
 	set_escdelay(TerminalFrontend::kEscDelayMs);
 #endif
 	// Make getch() block briefly instead of busy-looping; reduces CPU when idle
@@ -86,29 +97,64 @@ TerminalFrontend::Step(Editor &ed, bool &running)
 	// Handle resize and keep editor dimensions synced
 	int r, c;
 	getmaxyx(stdscr, r, c);
+	bool changed = first_frame_;
 	if (r != prev_r_ || c != prev_c_) {
 		resizeterm(r, c);
 		clear();
 		prev_r_ = r;
 		prev_c_ = c;
+		changed = true;
 	}
 	ed.SetDimensions(static_cast<std::size_t>(r), static_cast<std::size_t>(c));
 
 	// Allow deferred opens (including swap recovery prompts) to run.
-	ed.ProcessPendingOpens();
+	// Its return value only reports an opened buffer; a deferred open that
+	// starts a prompt or sets a status must be drawn too.
+	{
+		const bool prompt_before = ed.PromptActive();
+		const std::string status_before = ed.Status();
+		const std::time_t status_time_before = ed.StatusTime();
+		if (ed.ProcessPendingOpens())
+			changed = true;
+		if (ed.PromptActive() != prompt_before || ed.Status() != status_before ||
+		    ed.StatusTime() != status_time_before)
+			changed = true;
+	}
 
+	// Handle all pending input before drawing: one key per frame made a
+	// pasted block take a frame (and a full redraw) per character. The first
+	// read waits up to the configured timeout; the rest do not wait.
 	MappedInput mi;
-	if (input_.Poll(mi)) {
+	int handled = 0;
-		if (mi.hasCommand) {
+	while (handled < 4096 && input_.PollKey(mi)) {
+		changed = true;
+		if (mi.hasCommand)
 			Execute(ed, mi.id, mi.arg, mi.count);
+		if (ed.QuitRequested())
+			break;
+		if (++handled == 1)
+			timeout(0);
 	}
-	}
+	if (handled > 0)
+		timeout(16);
 
 	if (ed.QuitRequested()) {
 		running = false;
 	}
 
+	// Redraw after input or a resize, and otherwise about once a second
+	// (status messages, deferred work): redrawing every 16 ms kept a core
+	// busy on large or long-line files while idle.
+	const auto now = std::chrono::steady_clock::now();
+	if (changed || now - last_draw_ >= std::chrono::milliseconds(1000)) {
+		try {
 			renderer_.Draw(ed);
+		} catch (const std::exception &e) {
+			ed.SetStatus(std::string("Display error: ") + e.what());
+		}
+		last_draw_   = now;
+		first_frame_ = false;
+	}
 }
 
 

TerminalFrontend.h

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
  * TerminalFrontend - couples TerminalInputHandler + TerminalRenderer and owns ncurses lifecycle
  */
 #pragma once
+#include <chrono>
 #include <termios.h>
 #include <signal.h>
 
@@ -32,6 +33,9 @@ private:
 	TerminalRenderer renderer_{};
 	int prev_r_ = 0;
 	int prev_c_ = 0;
+	// Redraw only when something may have changed (see Step).
+	bool first_frame_ = true;
+	std::chrono::steady_clock::time_point last_draw_{};
 	// Saved terminal attributes to restore on shutdown
 	bool have_orig_tio_ = false;
 	struct termios orig_tio_{};

TerminalInputHandler.cc

@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
 #include <cstdio>
+#include <climits>
+#include <cwchar>
 #include <ncurses.h>
 
 #include "TerminalInputHandler.h"
@@ -12,6 +14,22 @@ CTRL(char c)
 {
 	return c & 0x1F;
 }
+
+
+// Encode a single wide character in the process locale's multibyte encoding
+// (UTF-8, given main.cc's setlocale(LC_ALL, "")). Returns false if the
+// codepoint can't be represented, leaving `out` untouched.
+bool
+wchar_to_mb(wchar_t wc, std::string &out)
+{
+	std::mbstate_t state{};
+	char buf[MB_LEN_MAX];
+	std::size_t n = std::wcrtomb(buf, wc, &state);
+	if (n == static_cast<std::size_t>(-1))
+		return false;
+	out.assign(buf, n);
+	return true;
+}
 }
 
 TerminalInputHandler::TerminalInputHandler() = default;
@@ -21,6 +39,7 @@ TerminalInputHandler::~TerminalInputHandler() = default;
 
 static bool
 map_key_to_command(const int ch,
+                   const bool is_keycode,
                    bool &k_prefix,
                    bool &esc_meta,
                    bool &k_ctrl_pending,
@@ -28,9 +47,22 @@ map_key_to_command(const int ch,
                    Editor *ed,
                    MappedInput &out)
 {
-	// Handle special keys from ncurses
+	// Handle special keys from ncurses. These are only meaningful when
+	// get_wch() reported KEY_CODE_YES: a regular (possibly non-ASCII) wide
+	// character can numerically collide with a KEY_* constant otherwise
+	// (e.g. U+0107 'ć' equals KEY_BACKSPACE's value), which would wrongly
+	// swallow it as a special key instead of inserting it.
 	// These keys exit k-prefix mode if active (user pressed C-k then a special key).
-	switch (ch) {
+	//
+	// ESC marks the next key as Meta. Consume that flag on every other key up
+	// front: keys handled before the Meta lookup below (arrows, mouse, Enter,
+	// control chords) used to leave it set, turning a later plain key into a
+	// Meta command (ESC, Left, d => delete word).
+	const bool meta = esc_meta && ch != 27;
+	if (ch != 27)
+		esc_meta = false;
+
+	switch (is_keycode ? ch : -1) {
 	case KEY_ENTER:
 		// Some terminals send KEY_ENTER distinct from '\n'/'\r'
 		k_prefix = false;
@@ -67,13 +99,20 @@ map_key_to_command(const int ch,
 				if (pressed) {
 					mouse_selecting = true;
 					Execute(*ed, CommandId::MoveCursorTo, std::string(buf));
-					if (Buffer *b = ed->CurrentBuffer()) {
+					// We don't set the mark on simple click anymore in ncurses either,
-						b->SetMark(b->Curx(), b->Cury());
+					// to be consistent. ncurses doesn't easily support double-click
-					}
+					// or drag-threshold in a platform-independent way here,
+					// but we can at least only set mark on MOVED.
 					out.hasCommand = false;
 					return true;
 				}
 				if (mouse_selecting && moved) {
+					if (Buffer *b = ed->CurrentBuffer()) {
+						if (!b->MarkSet()) {
+							// Set mark at CURRENT cursor position (which is where we were before this move)
+							b->SetMark(b->Curx(), b->Cury());
+						}
+					}
 					Execute(*ed, CommandId::MoveCursorTo, std::string(buf));
 					out.hasCommand = false;
 					return true;
@@ -135,9 +174,10 @@ map_key_to_command(const int ch,
 		out            = {true, CommandId::DeleteChar, "", 0};
 		return true;
 	case KEY_RESIZE:
-		k_prefix = false;
+		// TerminalFrontend::Step picks up the new size before the next draw.
-		k_ctrl_pending = false;
+		// Refresh is the C-g cancel handler, so issuing it here would clear the
-		out            = {true, CommandId::Refresh, "", 0};
+		// mark and cancel open prompts on every window resize.
+		out.hasCommand = false;
 		return true;
 	default:
 		break;
@@ -153,6 +193,37 @@ map_key_to_command(const int ch,
 		return true;
 	}
 
+	// Meta (ESC-prefixed) keys: backspace, Enter and printable keys use the
+	// ESC keymap. Checked before control chords so ESC ^H (meta-backspace) is
+	// not taken as C-h, and before Enter so ESC Enter reaches SmartNewline.
+	// Other control chords after ESC act as themselves.
+	const bool is_backspace = (is_keycode && ch == KEY_BACKSPACE) || ch == 127 || ch == CTRL('H');
+	const bool meta_key = meta && (is_backspace || (!is_keycode && (ch == '\n' || ch == '\r' || ch >= 0x20)));
+	if (meta_key) {
+		k_prefix       = false;
+		k_ctrl_pending = false;
+		int ascii_key  = ch;
+		if (is_backspace) {
+			ascii_key = KEY_BACKSPACE; // normalized value for lookup
+		} else if (ch == ',') {
+			// Some terminals emit ',' when Shift state is lost after ESC; treat as '<'
+			ascii_key = '<';
+		} else if (ch == '.') {
+			// Likewise, map '.' to '>'
+			ascii_key = '>';
+		} else if (ascii_key >= 'A' && ascii_key <= 'Z') {
+			ascii_key = ascii_key - 'A' + 'a';
+		}
+		CommandId id;
+		if (KLookupEscCommand(ascii_key, id)) {
+			out = {true, id, "", 0};
+			return true;
+		}
+		// Unhandled ESC sequence: exit escape mode and show status
+		out = {true, CommandId::UnknownEscCommand, "", 0};
+		return true;
+	}
+
 	// Control keys
 	if (ch == CTRL('K')) {
 		// C-k prefix
@@ -247,34 +318,8 @@ map_key_to_command(const int ch,
 		out            = {true, CommandId::Newline, "", 0};
 		return true;
 	}
-	// If previous key was ESC, interpret as meta and use ESC keymap
-	if (esc_meta) {
-		esc_meta      = false;
-		int ascii_key = ch;
-		// Handle ESC + BACKSPACE (meta-backspace, Alt-Backspace)
-		if (ch == KEY_BACKSPACE || ch == 127 || ch == CTRL('H')) {
-			ascii_key = KEY_BACKSPACE; // normalized value for lookup
-		} else if (ch == ',') {
-			// Some terminals emit ',' when Shift state is lost after ESC; treat as '<'
-			ascii_key = '<';
-		} else if (ch == '.') {
-			// Likewise, map '.' to '>'
-			ascii_key = '>';
-		} else if (ascii_key >= 'A' && ascii_key <= 'Z') {
-			ascii_key = ascii_key - 'A' + 'a';
-		}
-		CommandId id;
-		if (KLookupEscCommand(ascii_key, id)) {
-			out = {true, id, "", 0};
-			return true;
-		}
-		// Unhandled ESC sequence: exit escape mode and show status
-		out = {true, CommandId::UnknownEscCommand, "", 0};
-		return true;
-	}
-
 	// Backspace in ncurses can be KEY_BACKSPACE or 127
-	if (ch == KEY_BACKSPACE || ch == 127 || ch == CTRL('H')) {
+	if ((is_keycode && ch == KEY_BACKSPACE) || ch == 127 || ch == CTRL('H')) {
 		k_prefix       = false;
 		k_ctrl_pending = false;
 		out            = {true, CommandId::Backspace, "", 0};
@@ -290,11 +335,20 @@ map_key_to_command(const int ch,
 		return true;
 	}
 
-	// Printable ASCII
+	// Printable character: ASCII, or (for a regular decoded wide character,
-	if (ch >= 0x20 && ch <= 0x7E) {
+	// not a keycode) any other printable Unicode codepoint - e.g. accented
+	// Latin, Cyrillic, CJK, etc.
+	if (!is_keycode && ch >= 0x20 && ch != 0x7F) {
+		std::string mb;
+		if (ch <= 0x7E) {
+			mb.assign(1, static_cast<char>(ch));
+		} else if (!wchar_to_mb(static_cast<wchar_t>(ch), mb)) {
+			out.hasCommand = false;
+			return true;
+		}
 		out.hasCommand = true;
 		out.id         = CommandId::InsertText;
-		out.arg.assign(1, static_cast<char>(ch));
+		out.arg        = mb;
 		out.count      = 0;
 		return true;
 	}
@@ -304,15 +358,88 @@ map_key_to_command(const int ch,
 }
 
 
+// Read one key: an ncurses KEY_* code, or a character decoded from UTF-8
+// here rather than by get_wch(). With a zero timeout (the frontend reads the
+// rest of a batch without waiting), get_wch() gave up on a character whose
+// bytes had not all arrived yet, and ncurses then discarded the remaining
+// bytes as an invalid sequence: text pasted over a slow link lost
+// characters, and whatever followed them in the same read.
+// Returns false when there is no input.
+static bool
+read_key(int &ch, bool &is_keycode)
+{
+	const int c = getch();
+	if (c == ERR)
+		return false;
+	is_keycode = c > 0xFF;
+	ch         = c;
+	if (is_keycode || c < 0x80)
+		return true;
+
+	// Lead byte of a multibyte character: how many continuation bytes follow.
+	int need;
+	char32_t cp;
+	if (c >= 0xC2 && c <= 0xDF) {
+		need = 1;
+		cp   = static_cast<char32_t>(c & 0x1F);
+	} else if (c >= 0xE0 && c <= 0xEF) {
+		need = 2;
+		cp   = static_cast<char32_t>(c & 0x0F);
+	} else if (c >= 0xF0 && c <= 0xF4) {
+		need = 3;
+		cp   = static_cast<char32_t>(c & 0x07);
+	} else {
+		ch = -1; // stray continuation or invalid byte: ignore it
+		return true;
+	}
+	// The rest of the character is on its way; wait for it (restoring the
+	// caller's timeout), but not long if it never comes: terminals that send
+	// Alt as a raw 8-bit byte (rxvt meta8) produce lone lead bytes, and
+	// every such key would otherwise stall input.
+	const int saved_delay = wgetdelay(stdscr);
+	timeout(250);
+	for (int i = 0; i < need; ++i) {
+		const int b = getch();
+		if (b == ERR || b > 0xFF || (b & 0xC0) != 0x80) {
+			if (b != ERR)
+				ungetch(b); // not part of this character; read it next
+			ch = -1;
+			timeout(saved_delay);
+			return true;
+		}
+		cp = (cp << 6) | static_cast<char32_t>(b & 0x3F);
+	}
+	timeout(saved_delay);
+	// Reject overlong forms and surrogates.
+	if ((need == 2 && cp < 0x800) || (need == 3 && cp < 0x10000) || (cp >= 0xD800 && cp <= 0xDFFF) ||
+	    cp > 0x10FFFF) {
+		ch = -1;
+		return true;
+	}
+	ch = static_cast<int>(cp);
+	return true;
+}
+
+
 bool
 TerminalInputHandler::decode_(MappedInput &out)
 {
-	int ch = getch();
+	int ch          = 0;
-	if (ch == ERR) {
+	bool is_keycode = false;
+	if (!read_key(ch, is_keycode))
 		return false; // no input
+	if (ch < 0) {
+		// Invalid byte sequence, dropped. It still ends a pending ESC or
+		// C-k prefix, as any other key would; left set, it applied to the
+		// next key instead.
+		esc_meta_       = false;
+		k_prefix_       = false;
+		k_ctrl_pending_ = false;
+		out.hasCommand  = false;
+		return true;
 	}
 	bool consumed = map_key_to_command(
-		ch,
+		ch, is_keycode,
 		k_prefix_, esc_meta_,
 		k_ctrl_pending_,
 		mouse_selecting_,

TerminalInputHandler.h

@@ -20,6 +20,15 @@ public:
 
 	bool Poll(MappedInput &out) override;
 
+	// Read one key if available. Returns false when no input was read; true
+	// when a key was consumed (out.hasCommand says whether it produced a
+	// command: prefixes such as C-k or ESC do not).
+	bool PollKey(MappedInput &out)
+	{
+		out = {};
+		return decode_(out);
+	}
+
 private:
 	bool decode_(MappedInput &out);
 

TerminalRenderer.cc

@@ -6,10 +6,11 @@
 #include <filesystem>
 #include <cstdlib>
 #include <ncurses.h>
-#include <regex>
 #include <string>
 
 #include "TerminalRenderer.h"
+#include "SearchHighlight.h"
+#include "TermWidth.h"
 #include "Buffer.h"
 #include "Editor.h"
 #include "Highlight.h"
@@ -42,11 +43,13 @@ TerminalRenderer::Draw(Editor &ed)
 
 	int saved_cur_y = -1, saved_cur_x = -1; // logical cursor position within content area
 	if (buf) {
-		const auto &lines   = buf->Rows();
+		// Per-row access only: Rows() rebuilds a string for every line of the
+		// file after each edit, which made every frame O(file size).
+		const std::size_t nlines = buf->Nrows();
 		std::size_t rowoffs = buf->Rowoffs();
 		std::size_t coloffs = buf->Coloffs();
 
-		const int tabw = 8;
+		const int tabw = static_cast<int>(kte::kTabWidth);
 		// Phase 3: prefetch visible viewport highlights (current terminal area)
 		if (buf->SyntaxEnabled() && buf->Highlighter() && buf->Highlighter()->HasHighlighter()) {
 			int fr = static_cast<int>(rowoffs);
@@ -54,41 +57,18 @@ TerminalRenderer::Draw(Editor &ed)
 			buf->Highlighter()->PrefetchViewport(*buf, fr, rc, buf->Version());
 		}
 
+		// Search matches: the pattern is compiled once per frame.
+		const kte::SearchHighlight search_hl(ed);
+		std::vector<std::pair<std::size_t, std::size_t> > ranges; // [start, end)
 		for (int r = 0; r < content_rows; ++r) {
 			move(r, 0);
 			std::size_t li         = rowoffs + static_cast<std::size_t>(r);
 			std::size_t render_col = 0;
 			std::size_t src_i      = 0;
-			// Compute matches for this line if search highlighting is active
+			// Per-row copy: GetLineView() would materialize the whole buffer
-			bool search_mode = ed.SearchActive() && !ed.SearchQuery().empty();
+			// after every edit.
-			std::vector<std::pair<std::size_t, std::size_t> > ranges; // [start, end)
+			const std::string line = li < nlines ? buf->GetLineString(li) : std::string();
-			if (search_mode && li < lines.size()) {
+			search_hl.Ranges(line, ranges);
-				std::string sline = static_cast<std::string>(lines[li]);
-				// If regex search prompt is active (RegexSearch or RegexReplaceFind), use regex to compute highlight ranges
-				if (ed.PromptActive() && (
-					    ed.CurrentPromptKind() == Editor::PromptKind::RegexSearch || ed.
-					    CurrentPromptKind() == Editor::PromptKind::RegexReplaceFind)) {
-					try {
-						std::regex rx(ed.SearchQuery());
-						for (auto it = std::sregex_iterator(sline.begin(), sline.end(), rx);
-						     it != std::sregex_iterator(); ++it) {
-							const auto &m  = *it;
-							std::size_t sx = static_cast<std::size_t>(m.position());
-							std::size_t ex = sx + static_cast<std::size_t>(m.length());
-							ranges.emplace_back(sx, ex);
-						}
-					} catch (const std::regex_error &) {
-						// ignore invalid patterns here; status shows error
-					}
-				} else {
-					const std::string &q = ed.SearchQuery();
-					std::size_t pos      = 0;
-					while (!q.empty() && (pos = sline.find(q, pos)) != std::string::npos) {
-						ranges.emplace_back(pos, pos + q.size());
-						pos += q.size();
-					}
-				}
-			}
 			auto is_src_in_hl = [&](std::size_t si) -> bool {
 				if (ranges.empty())
 					return false;
@@ -140,8 +120,7 @@ TerminalRenderer::Draw(Editor &ed)
 				return true;
 			};
 			int written = 0;
-			if (li < lines.size()) {
+			if (li < nlines) {
-				std::string line                = static_cast<std::string>(lines[li]);
 				const bool vsel_on_line         = vsel_active && li >= vsel_sy && li <= vsel_ey;
 				const std::size_t vsel_spot_src = vsel_on_line
 					                                  ? std::min(buf->Curx(), line.size())
@@ -168,14 +147,11 @@ TerminalRenderer::Draw(Editor &ed)
 							wch_len = static_cast<int>(res);
 						}
 						if (wch == L'\t') {
-							constexpr std::size_t tab_width = 8;
+							constexpr std::size_t tab_width = kte::kTabWidth;
 							const std::size_t next_tab      = tab_width - (rc % tab_width);
 							rc                              += next_tab;
 						} else {
-							int w = wcwidth(wch);
+							rc += static_cast<std::size_t>(kte::CellWidth(wch));
-							if (w < 0)
-								w = 1;
-							rc += static_cast<std::size_t>(w);
 						}
 						si += static_cast<std::size_t>(wch_len);
 					}
@@ -187,42 +163,24 @@ TerminalRenderer::Draw(Editor &ed)
 				std::vector<kte::HighlightSpan> sane_spans;
 				if (buf->SyntaxEnabled() && buf->Highlighter() && buf->Highlighter()->
 				    HasHighlighter()) {
-					kte::LineHighlight lh_val = buf->Highlighter()->GetLine(
+					const kte::LineHighlight &lh_val = buf->Highlighter()->GetLine(
 						*buf, static_cast<int>(li), buf->Version());
-					// Sanitize defensively: clamp to [0, line.size()], ensure end>=start, drop empties
+					kte::SanitizeSpans(line, lh_val.spans, sane_spans);
-					const std::size_t line_len = line.size();
-					sane_spans.reserve(lh_val.spans.size());
-					for (const auto &sp: lh_val.spans) {
-						int s_raw = sp.col_start;
-						int e_raw = sp.col_end;
-						if (e_raw < s_raw)
-							std::swap(e_raw, s_raw);
-						std::size_t s = static_cast<std::size_t>(std::max(
-							0, std::min(s_raw, static_cast<int>(line_len))));
-						std::size_t e = static_cast<std::size_t>(std::max(
-							static_cast<int>(s),
-							std::min(e_raw, static_cast<int>(line_len))));
-						if (e <= s)
-							continue;
-						sane_spans.push_back(kte::HighlightSpan{
-							static_cast<int>(s), static_cast<int>(e), sp.kind
-						});
-					}
-					std::sort(sane_spans.begin(), sane_spans.end(),
-					          [](const kte::HighlightSpan &a, const kte::HighlightSpan &b) {
-						          return a.col_start < b.col_start;
-					          });
 				}
+				// Called left to right while drawing: walk the spans with a
+				// cursor (rescanning from the first span for every byte was
+				// quadratic on long highlighted lines).
+				std::size_t span_i  = 0;
+				int last_token_si   = -1;
 				auto token_at = [&](std::size_t src_index) -> kte::TokenKind {
-					if (sane_spans.empty())
+					const int si = static_cast<int>(src_index);
-						return kte::TokenKind::Default;
+					if (si < last_token_si)
-					int si = static_cast<int>(src_index);
+						span_i = 0; // asked about an earlier byte: restart
-					for (const auto &sp: sane_spans) {
+					last_token_si = si;
-						if (si < sp.col_start)
+					while (span_i < sane_spans.size() && sane_spans[span_i].col_end <= si)
-							break;
+						++span_i;
-						if (si >= sp.col_start && si < sp.col_end)
+					if (span_i < sane_spans.size() && sane_spans[span_i].col_start <= si)
-							return sp.kind;
+						return sane_spans[span_i].kind;
-					}
 					return kte::TokenKind::Default;
 				};
 				auto token_attr = [&](kte::TokenKind k) -> attr_t {
@@ -242,6 +200,45 @@ TerminalRenderer::Draw(Editor &ed)
 						return 0;
 					}
 				};
+				// Fast-forward to the scroll offset with the draw loop's own skip
+				// rules (a tab is skipped only if it ends at or before coloffs,
+				// any other character while it starts before coloffs), cached
+				// for the row's current content.
+				if (coloffs > 0 && src_i == 0) {
+					if (skip_cache_.size() < static_cast<std::size_t>(content_rows))
+						skip_cache_.resize(static_cast<std::size_t>(content_rows));
+					SkipCache &sc = skip_cache_[static_cast<std::size_t>(r)];
+					if (!(sc.valid && sc.buf_id == buf->Id() && sc.version == buf->Version() && sc.row == li &&
+					      sc.coloffs == coloffs)) {
+						std::size_t s = 0, c = 0;
+						while (s < line.size()) {
+							std::mbstate_t st = std::mbstate_t();
+							wchar_t w         = 0;
+							std::size_t n     = std::mbrtowc(&w, &line[s], line.size() - s, &st);
+							if (n == (size_t) -1 || n == (size_t) -2) {
+								w = static_cast<unsigned char>(line[s]);
+								n = 1;
+							} else if (n == 0) {
+								w = L'\0';
+								n = 1;
+							}
+							if (w == L'\t') {
+								const std::size_t next_tab = tabw - (c % tabw);
+								if (c + next_tab > coloffs)
+									break;
+								c += next_tab;
+							} else {
+								if (c >= coloffs)
+									break;
+								c += static_cast<std::size_t>(kte::CellWidth(w));
+							}
+							s += n;
+						}
+						sc = SkipCache{buf->Id(), buf->Version(), li, coloffs, s, c, true};
+					}
+					src_i      = sc.src;
+					render_col = sc.col;
+				}
 				while (written < cols) {
 					bool from_src = false;
 					wchar_t wch   = L' ';
@@ -286,7 +283,7 @@ TerminalRenderer::Draw(Editor &ed)
 									vsel_on_line && !vsel_spot_is_eol && src_i ==
 									vsel_spot_src;
 								bool in_sel = in_mark || in_vsel;
-								bool in_hl  = search_mode && is_src_in_hl(src_i);
+								bool in_hl  = search_hl.Active() && is_src_in_hl(src_i);
 								bool in_cur =
 									has_current && li == cur_my && src_i >= cur_mx
 									&&
@@ -310,10 +307,8 @@ TerminalRenderer::Draw(Editor &ed)
 							src_i += wch_len;
 							continue;
 						} else {
-							// normal char
+							// normal char (controls are drawn as ^X or '?')
-							disp_w = wcwidth(wch);
+							disp_w = kte::CellWidth(wch);
-							if (disp_w < 0)
-								disp_w = 1; // non-printable or similar
 
 							if (render_col < coloffs) {
 								render_col += disp_w;
@@ -345,7 +340,7 @@ TerminalRenderer::Draw(Editor &ed)
 						}
 					}
 					bool in_sel = in_mark || in_vsel;
-					bool in_hl  = search_mode && from_src && is_src_in_hl(src_i);
+					bool in_hl  = search_hl.Active() && from_src && is_src_in_hl(src_i);
 					bool in_cur = has_current && li == cur_my && from_src && src_i >= cur_mx &&
 					              src_i < cur_mend;
 					attr_t a = A_NORMAL;
@@ -361,7 +356,12 @@ TerminalRenderer::Draw(Editor &ed)
 					}
 					attrset(a);
 
-					if (from_src) {
+					if (from_src && kte::IsCaretControl(wch)) {
+						addch('^');
+						addch(wch == 0x7f ? '?' : static_cast<chtype>(wch + 0x40));
+					} else if (from_src && kte::IsC1Control(wch)) {
+						addch('?');
+					} else if (from_src) {
 						cchar_t cch;
 						wchar_t warr[2] = {wch, L'\0'};
 						setcchar(&cch, warr, 0, 0, nullptr);
@@ -389,8 +389,11 @@ TerminalRenderer::Draw(Editor &ed)
 		std::size_t cx            = buf->Curx();
 		int cur_y                 = static_cast<int>(cy) - static_cast<int>(buf->Rowoffs());
 		std::size_t rx_recomputed = 0;
-		if (cy < lines.size()) {
+		if (cy < nlines && cursor_cache_.valid && cursor_cache_.buf_id == buf->Id() &&
-			const std::string line_for_cursor = static_cast<std::string>(lines[cy]);
+		    cursor_cache_.version == buf->Version() && cursor_cache_.row == cy && cursor_cache_.cx == cx) {
+			rx_recomputed = cursor_cache_.rx;
+		} else if (cy < nlines) {
+			const std::string line_for_cursor = buf->GetLineString(cy);
 			std::size_t src_i_cur             = 0;
 			std::size_t render_col_cur        = 0;
 			while (src_i_cur < line_for_cursor.size() && src_i_cur < cx) {
@@ -400,23 +403,25 @@ TerminalRenderer::Draw(Editor &ed)
 					&wch, &line_for_cursor[src_i_cur], line_for_cursor.size() - src_i_cur,
 					&state);
 
+				// Same decoding and widths as the drawing loop above.
+				std::size_t len = res;
 				if (res == (size_t) -1 || res == (size_t) -2) {
-					render_col_cur += 1;
+					wch = static_cast<unsigned char>(line_for_cursor[src_i_cur]);
-					src_i_cur      += 1;
+					len = 1;
 				} else if (res == 0) {
-					src_i_cur += 1;
+					wch = L'\0';
-				} else {
+					len = 1;
+				}
 				if (wch == L'\t') {
 					std::size_t next_tab = tabw - (render_col_cur % tabw);
 					render_col_cur       += next_tab;
 				} else {
-						int dw         = wcwidth(wch);
+					render_col_cur += static_cast<std::size_t>(kte::CellWidth(wch));
-						render_col_cur += (dw < 0) ? 1 : dw;
-					}
-					src_i_cur += res;
 				}
+				src_i_cur += len;
 			}
 			rx_recomputed = render_col_cur;
+			cursor_cache_ = CursorCache{buf->Id(), buf->Version(), cy, cx, rx_recomputed, true};
 		}
 		int cur_x = static_cast<int>(rx_recomputed) - static_cast<int>(buf->Coloffs());
 		if (cur_y >= 0 && cur_y < content_rows && cur_x >= 0 && cur_x < cols) {
@@ -541,7 +546,7 @@ TerminalRenderer::Draw(Editor &ed)
 			left += " [RO]";
 		// Append total line count as "<n>L"
 		if (b) {
-			unsigned long lcount = static_cast<unsigned long>(b->Rows().size());
+			unsigned long lcount = static_cast<unsigned long>(b->Nrows());
 			left                 += " ";
 			left                 += std::to_string(lcount);
 			left                 += "L";

TerminalRenderer.h

@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@
  * TerminalRenderer - ncurses-based renderer for terminal mode
  */
 #pragma once
+#include <vector>
+#include <cstdint>
+#include <cstddef>
 #include "Renderer.h"
 
 
@@ -12,4 +15,30 @@ public:
 	~TerminalRenderer() override;
 
 	void Draw(Editor &ed) override;
+
+private:
+	// Where a row's visible part starts (the draw loop's skip up to the
+	// horizontal scroll offset), cached per screen row. Scanning a very long
+	// line from column 0 on every frame made each redraw O(line length).
+	struct SkipCache {
+		std::uint64_t buf_id  = 0; // Buffer::Id(); addresses get reused
+		std::uint64_t version = 0;
+		std::size_t row       = 0;
+		std::size_t coloffs   = 0;
+		std::size_t src       = 0; // byte offset where drawing resumes
+		std::size_t col       = 0; // render column at that offset
+		bool valid            = false;
+	};
+
+	std::vector<SkipCache> skip_cache_;
+
+	// Render column of the cursor, cached the same way.
+	struct CursorCache {
+		std::uint64_t buf_id  = 0; // Buffer::Id(); addresses get reused
+		std::uint64_t version = 0;
+		std::size_t row       = 0;
+		std::size_t cx        = 0;
+		std::size_t rx        = 0;
+		bool valid            = false;
+	} cursor_cache_;
 };

TextSpan.h

@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+/*
+ * TextSpan.h - a reference to bytes held in a PieceTable's storage.
+ *
+ * PieceTable storage is append-only (edits add pieces; nothing rewrites
+ * stored bytes), so a span stays valid for the life of the table's storage.
+ * Undo records large texts as spans instead of copies of the bytes.
+ */
+#pragma once
+#include <cstddef>
+
+
+struct TextSpan {
+	bool add{false}; // false: original storage, true: add storage
+	std::size_t start{0};
+	std::size_t len{0};
+};

UndoNode.h

@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 #pragma once
 #include <cstdint>
 #include <string>
+#include <vector>
+
+#include "TextSpan.h"
 
 
 enum class UndoType : std::uint8_t {
@@ -9,6 +12,13 @@ enum class UndoType : std::uint8_t {
 	Paste,
 	Newline,
 	DeleteRow,
+	InsertRow,
+	// Inverse of Newline: forward = join_lines(row) [removes the newline at the
+	// end of `row`], backward = split_line(row, col) [recreates the original
+	// two lines]. Used by backspace-at-col-0 and delete-at-eol, whose forward
+	// action is a join, not a split — Newline's apply() semantics are the
+	// wrong direction for those.
+	JoinLines,
 };
 
 struct UndoNode {
@@ -17,7 +27,32 @@ struct UndoNode {
 	int col{};
 	std::uint64_t group_id = 0; // 0 means ungrouped; non-zero means undo/redo as an atomic group
 	std::string text;
+	// A large Insert/Paste/Delete text is held as references to the buffer's
+	// storage instead (text is then empty and span_len is its length): undo
+	// of a replace-all over a 100 MB file otherwise kept 200 MB of copies.
+	std::vector<TextSpan> spans;
+	std::size_t span_len = 0;
 	UndoNode *parent = nullptr; // previous state; null means pre-first-edit
 	UndoNode *child  = nullptr; // next in current timeline
 	UndoNode *next   = nullptr; // redo branch
+
+
+	[[nodiscard]] bool HasSpans() const
+	{
+		return !spans.empty();
+	}
+
+
+	// Length of the node's text, however it is held.
+	[[nodiscard]] std::size_t TextSize() const
+	{
+		return HasSpans() ? span_len : text.size();
+	}
+
+
+	// Approximate heap and object bytes held by this node.
+	[[nodiscard]] std::size_t CostBytes() const
+	{
+		return sizeof(UndoNode) + text.capacity() + spans.capacity() * sizeof(TextSpan);
+	}
 };

UndoNodePool.h

@@ -1,63 +0,0 @@
-#pragma once
-#include <stack>
-#include <vector>
-#include <memory>
-#include "UndoNode.h"
-
-// Pool allocator for UndoNode to eliminate frequent malloc/free.
-// Uses fixed-size blocks to keep node addresses stable.
-class UndoNodePool {
-public:
-	explicit UndoNodePool(std::size_t block_size = 64)
-		: block_size_(block_size) {}
-
-
-	UndoNode *acquire()
-	{
-		if (available_.empty())
-			allocate_block();
-		auto *node = available_.top();
-		available_.pop();
-		// Node comes zeroed; ensure links are reset
-		node->text.clear();
-		node->parent = nullptr;
-		node->child  = nullptr;
-		node->next   = nullptr;
-		node->row    = node->col = 0;
-		node->type   = UndoType{};
-		return node;
-	}
-
-
-	void release(UndoNode *node)
-	{
-		if (!node)
-			return;
-		// Clear heavy fields to free memory held by strings
-		node->text.clear();
-		node->parent = nullptr;
-		node->child  = nullptr;
-		node->next   = nullptr;
-		node->row    = node->col = 0;
-		node->type   = UndoType{};
-		available_.push(node);
-	}
-
-private:
-	void allocate_block()
-	{
-		// allocate a new block; keep ownership so memory stays valid
-		std::unique_ptr<UndoNode[]> block(new UndoNode[block_size_]);
-		UndoNode *base = block.get();
-		blocks_.push_back(std::move(block));
-		for (std::size_t i = 0; i < block_size_; ++i) {
-			// ensure the node is reset; rely on default constructor/zero init
-			available_.push(&base[i]);
-		}
-	}
-
-
-	std::size_t block_size_;
-	std::vector<std::unique_ptr<UndoNode[]> > blocks_;
-	std::stack<UndoNode *> available_;
-};

UndoSystem.cc

@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 #include "UndoSystem.h"
 #include "Buffer.h"
+#include <algorithm>
 #include <cassert>
 #include <cstdio>
+#include <vector>
 
 
 UndoSystem::UndoSystem(Buffer &owner, UndoTree &tree)
@@ -15,6 +17,9 @@ UndoSystem::BeginGroup()
 	commit();
 	if (active_group_id_ == 0)
 		active_group_id_ = next_group_id_++;
+	// Groups nest (e.g. SmartNewline wraps Newline, which groups its own
+	// visual-line splits); only the outermost EndGroup closes the group.
+	++group_depth_;
 	return active_group_id_;
 }
 
@@ -23,7 +28,12 @@ void
 UndoSystem::EndGroup()
 {
 	commit();
+	if (group_depth_ > 0)
+		--group_depth_;
+	if (group_depth_ == 0) {
 		active_group_id_ = 0;
+		maybe_prune();
+	}
 }
 
 
@@ -36,7 +46,8 @@ UndoSystem::Begin(UndoType type)
 	const int col = static_cast<int>(buf_->Curx());
 
 	// Some operations should always be standalone undo steps.
-	const bool always_standalone = (type == UndoType::Newline || type == UndoType::DeleteRow);
+	const bool always_standalone = (type == UndoType::Newline || type == UndoType::DeleteRow || type ==
+	                                UndoType::InsertRow || type == UndoType::JoinLines);
 	if (always_standalone) {
 		commit();
 	}
@@ -75,6 +86,8 @@ UndoSystem::Begin(UndoType type)
 			}
 			case UndoType::Newline:
 			case UndoType::DeleteRow:
+			case UndoType::InsertRow:
+			case UndoType::JoinLines:
 				break;
 			}
 		}
@@ -140,6 +153,9 @@ UndoSystem::commit()
 		return;
 	}
 
+	try_convert_to_spans(tree_.pending);
+	bytes_ += tree_.pending->CostBytes();
+
 	if (!tree_.root) {
 		tree_.root            = tree_.pending;
 		tree_.pending->parent = nullptr;
@@ -167,6 +183,8 @@ UndoSystem::commit()
 	tree_.pending = nullptr;
 	pending_mode_ = PendingAppendMode::Append;
 	update_dirty_flag();
+	if (group_depth_ == 0)
+		maybe_prune();
 }
 
 
@@ -238,6 +256,24 @@ UndoSystem::mark_saved()
 {
 	commit();
 	tree_.saved   = tree_.current;
+	base_unsaved_ = false;
+	update_dirty_flag();
+}
+
+
+void
+UndoSystem::AbortGroups()
+{
+	commit();
+	group_depth_     = 0;
+	active_group_id_ = 0;
+}
+
+
+void
+UndoSystem::mark_base_unsaved()
+{
+	base_unsaved_ = true;
 	update_dirty_flag();
 }
 
@@ -257,19 +293,61 @@ void
 UndoSystem::clear()
 {
 	discard_pending();
-	free_node(tree_.root);
+	// The root may have siblings (edits made after undoing to the start).
+	FreeUndoForest(tree_.root);
 	tree_.root       = nullptr;
 	tree_.current    = nullptr;
 	tree_.saved      = nullptr;
+	base_unsaved_    = false;
+	bytes_           = 0;
 	active_group_id_ = 0;
+	group_depth_     = 0;
 	next_group_id_   = 1;
 	update_dirty_flag();
 }
 
 
+// Position just after the node's text inserted at (node->col, node->row).
+// The text may span lines: the column is then the length after its last
+// newline, not col + size (which left the cursor past the end of the line,
+// so later edits and their undo records went to the wrong place).
+static void
+end_of_text(const Buffer &buf, const UndoNode *node, std::size_t &x, std::size_t &y)
+{
+	y = static_cast<std::size_t>(node->row);
+	x = static_cast<std::size_t>(node->col);
+	auto scan = [&](const char *d, std::size_t n) {
+		for (std::size_t i = 0; i < n; ++i) {
+			if (d[i] == '\n') {
+				++y;
+				x = 0;
+			} else {
+				++x;
+			}
+		}
+	};
+	if (node->HasSpans())
+		buf.VisitSpans(node->spans, scan);
+	else
+		scan(node->text.data(), node->text.size());
+}
+
+
+// Insert the node's text at its position (from spans without copying).
+static void
+insert_node_text(Buffer &buf, const UndoNode *node)
+{
+	if (node->HasSpans())
+		buf.insert_spans(node->row, node->col, node->spans);
+	else
+		buf.insert_text(node->row, node->col, node->text);
+}
+
+
 void
 UndoSystem::apply(const UndoNode *node, int direction)
 {
+	std::size_t ex = 0, ey = 0;
 	if (!node)
 		return;
 	// Cursor positioning: keep the point at a sensible location after undo/redo.
@@ -278,22 +356,22 @@ UndoSystem::apply(const UndoNode *node, int direction)
 	case UndoType::Insert:
 	case UndoType::Paste:
 		if (direction > 0) {
-			buf_->insert_text(node->row, node->col, node->text);
+			insert_node_text(*buf_, node);
-			buf_->SetCursor(static_cast<std::size_t>(node->col + node->text.size()),
+			end_of_text(*buf_, node, ex, ey);
-			                static_cast<std::size_t>(node->row));
+			buf_->SetCursor(ex, ey);
 		} else {
-			buf_->delete_text(node->row, node->col, node->text.size());
+			buf_->delete_text(node->row, node->col, node->TextSize());
 			buf_->SetCursor(static_cast<std::size_t>(node->col), static_cast<std::size_t>(node->row));
 		}
 		break;
 	case UndoType::Delete:
 		if (direction > 0) {
-			buf_->delete_text(node->row, node->col, node->text.size());
+			buf_->delete_text(node->row, node->col, node->TextSize());
 			buf_->SetCursor(static_cast<std::size_t>(node->col), static_cast<std::size_t>(node->row));
 		} else {
-			buf_->insert_text(node->row, node->col, node->text);
+			insert_node_text(*buf_, node);
-			buf_->SetCursor(static_cast<std::size_t>(node->col + node->text.size()),
+			end_of_text(*buf_, node, ex, ey);
-			                static_cast<std::size_t>(node->row));
+			buf_->SetCursor(ex, ey);
 		}
 		break;
 	case UndoType::Newline:
@@ -314,6 +392,25 @@ UndoSystem::apply(const UndoNode *node, int direction)
 			buf_->SetCursor(0, static_cast<std::size_t>(node->row));
 		}
 		break;
+	case UndoType::InsertRow:
+		if (direction > 0) {
+			buf_->insert_row(node->row, node->text);
+			buf_->SetCursor(0, static_cast<std::size_t>(node->row));
+		} else {
+			buf_->delete_row(node->row);
+			buf_->SetCursor(0, static_cast<std::size_t>(node->row));
+		}
+		break;
+	case UndoType::JoinLines:
+		// Mirror image of Newline: forward removes a newline, backward restores it.
+		if (direction > 0) {
+			buf_->join_lines(node->row);
+			buf_->SetCursor(static_cast<std::size_t>(node->col), static_cast<std::size_t>(node->row));
+		} else {
+			buf_->split_line(node->row, node->col);
+			buf_->SetCursor(0, static_cast<std::size_t>(node->row + 1));
+		}
+		break;
 	}
 }
 
@@ -321,20 +418,13 @@ UndoSystem::apply(const UndoNode *node, int direction)
 void
 UndoSystem::free_node(UndoNode *node)
 {
+	// Free this node and its child subtree, but not its siblings.
 	if (!node)
 		return;
-	// Free child subtree(s) and sibling branches
+	UndoNode *children = node->child;
-	if (node->child) {
-		// Free entire redo list starting at child, including each subtree
-		UndoNode *branch = node->child;
-		while (branch) {
-			UndoNode *next = branch->next;
-			free_node(branch);
-			branch = next;
-		}
 	node->child        = nullptr;
-	}
 	delete node;
+	FreeUndoForest(children);
 }
 
 
@@ -342,26 +432,27 @@ void
 UndoSystem::free_branch(UndoNode *node)
 {
 	// Free a branch list (node and its next siblings) including their subtrees
-	while (node) {
+	FreeUndoForest(node);
-		UndoNode *next = node->next;
-		free_node(node);
-		node = next;
-	}
 }
 
 
+// Iterative search for `target` below `cur`; sets out_parent to its parent.
 static bool
 dfs_find_parent(UndoNode *cur, UndoNode *target, UndoNode *&out_parent)
 {
 	if (!cur)
 		return false;
-	for (UndoNode *child = cur->child; child != nullptr; child = child->next) {
+	std::vector<UndoNode *> stack{cur};
+	while (!stack.empty()) {
+		UndoNode *node = stack.back();
+		stack.pop_back();
+		for (UndoNode *child = node->child; child != nullptr; child = child->next) {
 			if (child == target) {
-			out_parent = cur;
+				out_parent = node;
 				return true;
 			}
-		if (dfs_find_parent(child, target, out_parent))
+			stack.push_back(child);
-			return true;
+		}
 	}
 	return false;
 }
@@ -380,11 +471,190 @@ UndoSystem::find_parent(UndoNode *from, UndoNode *target)
 }
 
 
+// Texts at least this long are held as storage spans when possible.
+static constexpr std::size_t kSpanMinBytes = PieceTable::kCaptureDeletedMin;
+
+
+void
+UndoSystem::try_convert_to_spans(UndoNode *node)
+{
+	if (!buf_ || !node || node->text.size() < kSpanMinBytes)
+		return;
+	std::vector<TextSpan> spans;
+	switch (node->type) {
+	case UndoType::Insert:
+	case UndoType::Paste:
+		// The inserted text is in the buffer at the node's position.
+		spans = buf_->SpansAt(node->row, node->col, node->text.size());
+		break;
+	case UndoType::Delete:
+		// The deleted text is still in storage; the deletion remembered where.
+		spans = buf_->TakeDeletedSpans(node->row, node->col, node->text.size());
+		break;
+	default:
+		return;
+	}
+	// Only when the spans hold exactly the recorded text; otherwise (the
+	// text is not where the node says) keep the copy.
+	if (spans.empty() || !buf_->SpansEqual(spans, node->text))
+		return;
+	node->span_len = node->text.size();
+	node->spans    = std::move(spans);
+	node->spans.shrink_to_fit();
+	std::string().swap(node->text);
+}
+
+
+void
+UndoSystem::maybe_prune()
+{
+	std::size_t budget = budget_;
+	if (budget == 0) {
+		const std::size_t content = buf_ ? buf_->ContentBytes() : 0;
+		budget                    = std::max<std::size_t>(std::size_t{64} << 20, content * 2);
+	}
+	if (bytes_ <= budget)
+		return;
+	// Prune well below the budget so this does not run on every commit.
+	prune_to(budget - budget / 4);
+}
+
+
+void
+UndoSystem::forget_saved_state()
+{
+	tree_.saved   = nullptr;
+	base_unsaved_ = true;
+}
+
+
+// Total bytes held by a node, its children and its siblings.
+static std::size_t
+forest_bytes(const UndoNode *first)
+{
+	std::size_t total = 0;
+	std::vector<const UndoNode *> stack;
+	if (first)
+		stack.push_back(first);
+	while (!stack.empty()) {
+		const UndoNode *n = stack.back();
+		stack.pop_back();
+		total += n->CostBytes();
+		if (n->child)
+			stack.push_back(n->child);
+		if (n->next)
+			stack.push_back(n->next);
+	}
+	return total;
+}
+
+
+static bool
+forest_contains(const UndoNode *first, const UndoNode *target)
+{
+	if (!target)
+		return false;
+	std::vector<const UndoNode *> stack;
+	if (first)
+		stack.push_back(first);
+	while (!stack.empty()) {
+		const UndoNode *n = stack.back();
+		stack.pop_back();
+		if (n == target)
+			return true;
+		if (n->child)
+			stack.push_back(n->child);
+		if (n->next)
+			stack.push_back(n->next);
+	}
+	return false;
+}
+
+
+void
+UndoSystem::prune_to(const std::size_t target)
+{
+	// The line kept: root..current, then current's active redo line.
+	std::vector<UndoNode *> line;
+	for (UndoNode *n = tree_.current; n; n = n->parent)
+		line.push_back(n);
+	std::reverse(line.begin(), line.end());
+	{
+		UndoNode *n = tree_.current ? tree_.current->child : tree_.root;
+		for (; n; n = n->child)
+			line.push_back(n);
+	}
+	if (line.empty())
+		return;
+
+	// Detach and free the siblings of `keep` in the list starting at *head.
+	auto drop_siblings = [&](UndoNode **head, UndoNode *keep) {
+		UndoNode *n = *head;
+		*head       = keep;
+		while (n) {
+			UndoNode *nx = n->next;
+			if (n != keep) {
+				n->next = nullptr;
+				if (forest_contains(n, tree_.saved))
+					forget_saved_state();
+				FreeUndoForest(n);
+			}
+			n = nx;
+		}
+		keep->next = nullptr;
+	};
+
+	// 1. Branches off the kept line: reachable only by choosing a redo branch.
+	drop_siblings(&tree_.root, line.front());
+	for (std::size_t i = 0; i + 1 < line.size(); ++i)
+		drop_siblings(&line[i]->child, line[i + 1]);
+	bytes_ = forest_bytes(tree_.root);
+
+	// 2. The oldest edits, while they are older than the current state. An
+	// undo group goes whole: undoing what remained of it would stop at a
+	// state inside the group, which the user never saw.
+	std::size_t i  = 0;
+	bool mid_group = false;
+	while ((bytes_ > target || mid_group) && i < line.size() && line[i] != tree_.current && tree_.current) {
+		UndoNode *old = line[i];
+		UndoNode *nx  = old->child;
+		if (!nx)
+			break;
+		if (old->group_id != 0 && old->group_id == tree_.current->group_id)
+			break; // the current state's own group stays whole
+		// Dropping `old` loses the state before it. `old`'s own state
+		// becomes the first state in history.
+		if (tree_.saved == nullptr)
+			forget_saved_state();
+		else if (tree_.saved == old)
+			tree_.saved = nullptr;
+		mid_group  = old->group_id != 0 && nx->group_id == old->group_id;
+		bytes_     -= old->CostBytes();
+		old->child = nullptr;
+		delete old;
+		nx->parent = nullptr;
+		tree_.root = nx;
+		++i;
+	}
+
+	// 3. The redo line beyond the current state, newest first.
+	if (bytes_ > target && tree_.current && tree_.current->child) {
+		UndoNode *future = tree_.current->child;
+		if (forest_contains(future, tree_.saved))
+			forget_saved_state();
+		tree_.current->child = nullptr;
+		bytes_               -= forest_bytes(future);
+		FreeUndoForest(future);
+	}
+	update_dirty_flag();
+}
+
+
 void
 UndoSystem::update_dirty_flag()
 {
 	// dirty if current != saved
-	bool dirty = (tree_.current != tree_.saved);
+	bool dirty = base_unsaved_ || (tree_.current != tree_.saved);
 	buf_->SetDirty(dirty);
 }
 
@@ -411,6 +681,10 @@ UndoSystem::type_str(UndoType t)
 		return "Newline";
 	case UndoType::DeleteRow:
 		return "DeleteRow";
+	case UndoType::InsertRow:
+		return "InsertRow";
+	case UndoType::JoinLines:
+		return "JoinLines";
 	}
 	return "?";
 }
@@ -421,11 +695,14 @@ UndoSystem::is_descendant(UndoNode *root, const UndoNode *target)
 {
 	if (!root || !target)
 		return false;
-	if (root == target)
+	std::vector<UndoNode *> stack{root};
-		return true;
+	while (!stack.empty()) {
-	for (UndoNode *child = root->child; child != nullptr; child = child->next) {
+		UndoNode *node = stack.back();
-		if (is_descendant(child, target))
+		stack.pop_back();
+		if (node == target)
 			return true;
+		for (UndoNode *child = node->child; child != nullptr; child = child->next)
+			stack.push_back(child);
 	}
 	return false;
 }

UndoSystem.h

@@ -1,3 +1,44 @@
+/*
+ * UndoSystem.h - undo/redo system with tree-based branching
+ *
+ * UndoSystem manages the undo/redo history for a Buffer. It provides:
+ *
+ * - Tree-based undo: Multiple redo branches at each node (not just linear history)
+ * - Atomic grouping: Multiple operations can be undone/redone as a single step
+ * - Dirty tracking: Marks when buffer matches last saved state
+ * - Efficient storage: Nodes stored in UndoTree, operations applied to Buffer
+ *
+ * Key concepts:
+ *
+ * 1. Undo tree structure:
+ *    - Each edit creates a node in the tree
+ *    - Undo moves up the tree (toward root)
+ *    - Redo moves down the tree (toward leaves)
+ *    - Multiple redo branches preserved (not lost on new edits after undo)
+ *
+ * 2. Operation lifecycle:
+ *    - Begin(type): Start recording an operation (insert/delete)
+ *    - Append(text): Add content to the pending operation
+ *    - commit(): Finalize and add to undo tree
+ *    - discard_pending(): Cancel without recording
+ *
+ * 3. Atomic grouping:
+ *    - BeginGroup()/EndGroup(): Bracket multiple operations
+ *    - All operations in a group share the same group_id
+ *    - Undo/redo treats the entire group as one step
+ *
+ * 4. Integration with Buffer:
+ *    - UndoSystem holds a reference to its owning Buffer
+ *    - apply() executes undo/redo by calling Buffer's editing methods
+ *    - Buffer's dirty flag updated automatically
+ *
+ * Usage pattern:
+ *   undo_system.Begin(UndoType::Insert);
+ *   undo_system.Append("text");
+ *   undo_system.commit();  // Now undoable
+ *
+ * See also: UndoTree.h (storage), UndoNode.h (node structure)
+ */
 #pragma once
 #include <string_view>
 #include <cstddef>
@@ -35,12 +76,35 @@ public:
 
 	void mark_saved();
 
+	// No undo state matches the file on disk any more (e.g. after crash
+	// recovery replayed edits onto it): the buffer stays dirty in every state
+	// until the next mark_saved() or clear().
+	void mark_base_unsaved();
+
+	// Close any open group (after an interrupted command) and seal pending.
+	void AbortGroups();
+
 	void discard_pending();
 
 	void clear();
 
 	void UpdateBufferReference(Buffer &new_buf);
 
+	// History memory budget in bytes (node texts, spans and nodes). When
+	// committed history exceeds it, branches off the current path and then
+	// the oldest edits are dropped. 0 (the default) means max(64 MiB, twice
+	// the buffer's size).
+	void SetByteBudget(std::size_t bytes)
+	{
+		budget_ = bytes;
+	}
+
+
+	[[nodiscard]] std::size_t HistoryBytes() const
+	{
+		return bytes_;
+	}
+
 #if defined(KTE_TESTS)
 	// Test-only introspection hook.
 	const UndoTree &TreeForTests() const
@@ -70,9 +134,26 @@ private:
 
 	void update_dirty_flag();
 
+	// Hold a large committed text as storage spans (see UndoNode::spans).
+	void try_convert_to_spans(UndoNode *node);
+
+	// Enforce the byte budget (outside groups).
+	void maybe_prune();
+
+	void prune_to(std::size_t target);
+
+	// The saved state's node is being dropped: no state in history matches
+	// the file any more.
+	void forget_saved_state();
+
+	std::size_t bytes_  = 0; // approximate bytes held by committed history
+	std::size_t budget_ = 0;
+
 	PendingAppendMode pending_mode_ = PendingAppendMode::Append;
 
 	std::uint64_t active_group_id_ = 0;
+	int group_depth_                = 0; // nesting depth of BeginGroup/EndGroup
+	bool base_unsaved_               = false; // see mark_base_unsaved()
 	std::uint64_t next_group_id_   = 1;
 
 	Buffer *buf_;

UndoTree.cc

@@ -1,3 +1,31 @@
-// Placeholder translation unit for UndoTree struct definition.
+// Undo logic is implemented in UndoSystem; this file only owns node lifetime.
-// Undo logic is implemented in UndoSystem.
 #include "UndoTree.h"
+
+#include <vector>
+
+
+void
+FreeUndoForest(UndoNode *first)
+{
+	// Nodes form a first-child/next-sibling tree whose depth equals the
+	// length of the edit history, so walk it with an explicit stack.
+	std::vector<UndoNode *> stack;
+	if (first)
+		stack.push_back(first);
+	while (!stack.empty()) {
+		UndoNode *node = stack.back();
+		stack.pop_back();
+		if (node->child)
+			stack.push_back(node->child);
+		if (node->next)
+			stack.push_back(node->next);
+		delete node;
+	}
+}
+
+
+UndoTree::~UndoTree()
+{
+	FreeUndoForest(root);
+	delete pending;
+}

UndoTree.h

@@ -7,4 +7,16 @@ struct UndoTree {
 	UndoNode *current = nullptr; // current state of buffer
 	UndoNode *saved   = nullptr; // points to node matching last save (for dirty flag)
 	UndoNode *pending = nullptr; // in-progress batch (detached)
+
+	// Frees the entire node graph (root's subtree/branches plus any detached
+	// pending node). `current`/`saved` are aliases into that same graph, not
+	// separately owned. Without this, closing/reloading/resetting a buffer
+	// (which replaces or destroys its UndoTree) leaks every UndoNode ever
+	// created for it.
+	~UndoTree();
 };
+
+
+// Frees `first`, its whole child subtree, and every node on its `next`
+// (sibling) chain. Iterative, so history depth cannot overflow the stack.
+void FreeUndoForest(UndoNode *first);

cmake/fix_bundle.cmake

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.15)
 
-# Fix up a macOS .app bundle by copying non-Qt dylibs into
+# Fix up a macOS .app bundle by copying non-system dylibs into
 # Contents/Frameworks and rewriting install names to use @rpath/@loader_path.
 #
 # Usage:
@@ -29,9 +29,8 @@ set(DIRS
 )
 
 # Note: We pass empty plugin list so fixup_bundle scans the executable and all
-# libs it references recursively. Qt frameworks already live in the bundle after
+# libs it references recursively, copying every non-system dylib (e.g. Homebrew
-# macdeployqt; this step is primarily for non-Qt dylibs (glib, icu, pcre2, zstd,
+# SDL2, freetype, pcre2) into Contents/Frameworks; SDL3 is handled below.
-# dbus, etc.).
 # fixup_bundle often fails if copied libraries are read-only.
 # We also try to use the system install_name_tool and otool to avoid issues with Anaconda's version.
 # Note: BundleUtilities uses find_program(gp_otool "otool") internally, so we might need to set it differently.
@@ -44,6 +43,34 @@ execute_process(COMMAND chmod -R u+w "${APP_DIR}/Contents/Frameworks")
 
 fixup_bundle("${APP_DIR}" "" "${DIRS}")
 
+# Homebrew's sdl2 is sdl2-compat, which dlopen()s SDL3 at startup instead of
+# linking it, so fixup_bundle never sees it. Without SDL3 in the bundle kge
+# stops at launch with "Failed loading SDL3 library". sdl2-compat looks for
+# @loader_path/libSDL3.dylib first; put SDL3 there.
+set(SDL2_IN_BUNDLE "${APP_DIR}/Contents/Frameworks/libSDL2-2.0.0.dylib")
+if (EXISTS "${SDL2_IN_BUNDLE}")
+    file(STRINGS "${SDL2_IN_BUNDLE}" SDL2_COMPAT_REFS REGEX "libSDL3\\.dylib")
+    if (SDL2_COMPAT_REFS)
+        find_file(SDL3_DYLIB NAMES libSDL3.0.dylib libSDL3.dylib
+                PATHS "/opt/homebrew/opt/sdl3/lib" "/opt/homebrew/lib" "/usr/local/opt/sdl3/lib" "/usr/local/lib"
+                NO_DEFAULT_PATH)
+        if (NOT SDL3_DYLIB)
+            message(FATAL_ERROR "libSDL2 in the bundle is sdl2-compat, which needs SDL3 at run time, "
+                    "but libSDL3 was not found (brew install sdl3)")
+        endif ()
+        file(REAL_PATH "${SDL3_DYLIB}" SDL3_REAL)
+        set(SDL3_IN_BUNDLE "${APP_DIR}/Contents/Frameworks/libSDL3.dylib")
+        message(STATUS "Bundling SDL3 for sdl2-compat: ${SDL3_REAL}")
+        file(COPY_FILE "${SDL3_REAL}" "${SDL3_IN_BUNDLE}")
+        execute_process(COMMAND chmod u+w "${SDL3_IN_BUNDLE}")
+        execute_process(COMMAND /usr/bin/install_name_tool -id "@loader_path/libSDL3.dylib" "${SDL3_IN_BUNDLE}"
+                RESULT_VARIABLE SDL3_ID_RESULT)
+        if (NOT SDL3_ID_RESULT EQUAL 0)
+            message(FATAL_ERROR "install_name_tool -id failed on ${SDL3_IN_BUNDLE}")
+        endif ()
+    endif ()
+endif ()
+
 # On Apple Silicon (and modern macOS in general), modifications by fixup_bundle
 # invalidate code signatures. We must re-sign the bundle (at least ad-hoc)
 # for it to be allowed to run.

default.nix

@@ -1,18 +1,17 @@
 {
-  pkgs ? import <nixpkgs> {},
+  lib,
-  lib ? pkgs.lib,
   stdenv,
   cmake,
+  pkg-config,
   ncurses,
+  pcre2,
   SDL2,
   libGL,
   xorg,
-  kdePackages,
-  qt6Packages ? kdePackages.qt6Packages,
   installShellFiles,
+  copyDesktopItems,
+  makeDesktopItem,
   graphical ? false,
-  graphical-qt ? false,
-  ...
 }:
 let
   cmakeContent = builtins.readFile ./CMakeLists.txt;
@@ -23,31 +22,56 @@ let
   version = builtins.head (builtins.match ".*set\\(KTE_VERSION \"(.+)\"\\).*" versionLine);
 in
 stdenv.mkDerivation {
-  pname = "kte";
+  pname = if graphical then "kge" else "kte";
   inherit version;
 
   src = lib.cleanSource ./.;
 
   nativeBuildInputs = [
     cmake
-    ncurses
+    pkg-config
     installShellFiles
-  ]
+  ] ++ lib.optionals graphical [
-  ++ lib.optionals graphical [
+    copyDesktopItems
+  ];
+
+  buildInputs = [
+    ncurses
+    pcre2 # regex engine (optional; std::regex without it)
+  ] ++ lib.optionals graphical [
     SDL2
     libGL
     xorg.libX11
-  ]
-  ++ lib.optionals graphical-qt [
-    kdePackages.qt6ct
-    qt6Packages.qtbase
-    qt6Packages.wrapQtAppsHook
   ];
 
   cmakeFlags = [
     "-DBUILD_GUI=${if graphical then "ON" else "OFF"}"
-    "-DKTE_USE_QT=${if graphical-qt then "ON" else "OFF"}"
     "-DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug"
+    "-DKTE_STATIC_LINK=OFF"
+  ];
+
+  desktopItems = lib.optionals graphical [
+    (makeDesktopItem {
+      name = "kge";
+      desktopName = "kge";
+      genericName = "Text Editor";
+      comment = "kyle's graphical text editor";
+      exec = "kge %F";
+      icon = "kge";
+      terminal = false;
+      categories = [ "Utility" "TextEditor" "Development" ];
+      mimeTypes = [
+        "text/plain"
+        "text/x-c"
+        "text/x-c++"
+        "text/x-python"
+        "text/x-go"
+        "text/x-rust"
+        "application/json"
+        "text/markdown"
+        "text/x-shellscript"
+      ];
+    })
   ];
 
   installPhase = ''
@@ -58,14 +82,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
     installManPage ../docs/kte.1
 
     ${lib.optionalString graphical ''
-      mkdir -p $out/bin
-  
-    ${if graphical-qt then ''
-        cp kge $out/bin/kge-qt
-      '' else ''
       cp kge $out/bin/kge
-      ''}
-
       installManPage ../docs/kge.1
 
       mkdir -p $out/share/icons/hicolor/256x256/apps
@@ -74,4 +91,10 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
 
     runHook postInstall
   '';
+
+  meta = {
+    description = "kyle's text editor" + lib.optionalString graphical " (graphical)";
+    platforms = lib.platforms.unix;
+    mainProgram = if graphical then "kge" else "kte";
+  };
 }

docker-build.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# Helper script to test Linux builds using Docker/Podman
+# This script mounts the current source tree into a Linux container,
+# builds kte in terminal-only mode, and runs the test suite.
+
+set -e
+
+# Detect whether to use docker or podman
+if command -v docker &> /dev/null; then
+    CONTAINER_CMD="docker"
+elif command -v podman &> /dev/null; then
+    CONTAINER_CMD="podman"
+else
+    echo "Error: Neither docker nor podman found in PATH"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+IMAGE_NAME="kte-linux"
+
+# Check if image exists, if not, build it
+if ! $CONTAINER_CMD image inspect "$IMAGE_NAME" &> /dev/null; then
+    echo "Building $IMAGE_NAME image..."
+    $CONTAINER_CMD build -t "$IMAGE_NAME" .
+fi
+
+# Run the container with the current directory mounted
+echo "Running Linux build and tests..."
+$CONTAINER_CMD run --rm -v "$(pwd):/kte" "$IMAGE_NAME"

docs/BENCHMARKS.md

@@ -0,0 +1,245 @@
+# kte Benchmarking and Testing Guide
+
+This document describes the benchmarking infrastructure and testing
+improvements added to ensure high performance and correctness of core
+operations.
+
+## Overview
+
+The kte test suite now includes comprehensive benchmarks and migration
+coverage tests to:
+
+- Measure performance of core operations (PieceTable, Buffer, syntax
+  highlighting)
+- Ensure no performance regressions from refactorings
+- Validate correctness of API migrations (Buffer::Rows() →
+  GetLineString/GetLineView)
+- Provide performance baselines for future optimizations
+
+## Running Tests
+
+### All Tests (including benchmarks)
+
+```bash
+cmake --build cmake-build-debug --target kte_tests && ./cmake-build-debug/kte_tests
+```
+
+### Test Organization
+
+- **58 existing tests**: Core functionality, undo/redo, swap recovery,
+  search, etc.
+- **15 benchmark tests**: Performance measurements for critical
+  operations
+- **30 migration coverage tests**: Edge cases and correctness validation
+
+Total: **98 tests**
+
+## Benchmark Results
+
+### Buffer Iteration Patterns (5,000 lines)
+
+| Pattern                                 | Time    | Speedup vs Rows() |
+|-----------------------------------------|---------|-------------------|
+| `Rows()` + iteration                    | 3.1 ms  | 1.0x (baseline)   |
+| `Nrows()` + `GetLineString()`           | 1.9 ms  | **1.7x faster**   |
+| `Nrows()` + `GetLineView()` (zero-copy) | 0.28 ms | **11x faster**    |
+
+**Key Insight**: `GetLineView()` provides zero-copy access and is
+dramatically faster than materializing the entire rows cache.
+
+### PieceTable Operations (10,000 lines)
+
+| Operation                   | Time    |
+|-----------------------------|---------|
+| Sequential inserts (10K)    | 2.1 ms  |
+| Random inserts (5K)         | 32.9 ms |
+| `GetLine()` sequential      | 4.7 ms  |
+| `GetLineRange()` sequential | 1.3 ms  |
+
+### Buffer Operations
+
+| Operation                            | Time    |
+|--------------------------------------|---------|
+| `Nrows()` (1M calls)                 | 13.0 ms |
+| `GetLineString()` (10K lines)        | 4.8 ms  |
+| `GetLineView()` (10K lines)          | 1.6 ms  |
+| `Rows()` materialization (10K lines) | 6.2 ms  |
+
+### Syntax Highlighting
+
+| Operation                          | Time    | Notes          |
+|------------------------------------|---------|----------------|
+| C++ highlighting (~1000 lines)     | 2.0 ms  | First pass     |
+| HighlighterEngine cache population | 19.9 ms |                |
+| HighlighterEngine cache hits       | 0.52 ms | **38x faster** |
+
+### Large File Performance
+
+| Operation                       | Time    |
+|---------------------------------|---------|
+| Insert 50K lines                | 0.53 ms |
+| Iterate 50K lines (GetLineView) | 2.7 ms  |
+| Random access (10K accesses)    | 1.8 ms  |
+
+## API Differences: GetLineString vs GetLineView
+
+Understanding the difference between these APIs is critical:
+
+### `GetLineString(row)`
+
+- Returns: `std::string` (copy)
+- Content: Line text **without** trailing newline
+- Use case: When you need to modify the string or store it
+- Example: `"hello"` for line `"hello\n"`
+
+### `GetLineView(row)`
+
+- Returns: `std::string_view` (zero-copy)
+- Content: Raw line range **including** trailing newline
+- Use case: Read-only access, maximum performance
+- Example: `"hello\n"` for line `"hello\n"`
+- **Warning**: View becomes invalid after buffer modifications
+
+### `Rows()`
+
+- Returns: `std::vector<Buffer::Line>&` (materialized cache)
+- Content: Lines **without** trailing newlines
+- Use case: Legacy code, being phased out
+- Performance: Slower due to materialization overhead
+
+## Migration Coverage Tests
+
+The `test_migration_coverage.cc` file provides 30 tests covering:
+
+### Edge Cases
+
+- Empty buffers
+- Single lines (with/without newlines)
+- Very long lines (10,000 characters)
+- Many empty lines (1,000 newlines)
+
+### Consistency
+
+- `GetLineString()` vs `GetLineView()` vs `Rows()`
+- Consistency after edits (insert, delete, split, join)
+
+### Boundary Conditions
+
+- First line access
+- Last line access
+- Line range boundaries
+
+### Special Characters
+
+- Tabs, carriage returns, null bytes
+- Unicode (UTF-8 multibyte characters)
+
+### Stress Tests
+
+- Large files (10,000 lines)
+- Many small operations (100+ inserts)
+- Alternating insert/delete patterns
+
+### Regression Tests
+
+- Shebang detection pattern (Editor.cc)
+- Empty buffer check pattern (Editor.cc)
+- Syntax highlighter pattern (all highlighters)
+- Swap snapshot pattern (Swap.cc)
+
+## Performance Recommendations
+
+Based on benchmark results:
+
+1. **Prefer `GetLineView()` for read-only access**
+    - 11x faster than `Rows()` for iteration
+    - Zero-copy, minimal overhead
+    - Use immediately (view invalidates on edit)
+
+2. **Use `GetLineString()` when you need a copy**
+    - Still 1.7x faster than `Rows()`
+    - Safe to store and modify
+    - Strips trailing newlines automatically
+
+3. **Avoid `Rows()` in hot paths**
+    - Materializes entire line cache
+    - Slower for large files
+    - Being phased out (legacy API)
+
+4. **Cache `Nrows()` in tight loops**
+    - Very fast (13ms for 1M calls)
+    - But still worth caching in inner loops
+
+5. **Leverage HighlighterEngine caching**
+    - 38x speedup on cache hits
+    - Automatically invalidates on edits
+    - Prefetch viewport for smooth scrolling
+
+## Adding New Benchmarks
+
+To add a new benchmark:
+
+1. Add a `TEST(Benchmark_YourName)` in `tests/test_benchmarks.cc`
+2. Use `BenchmarkTimer` to measure critical sections:
+   ```cpp
+   {
+       BenchmarkTimer timer("Operation description");
+       // ... code to benchmark ...
+   }
+   ```
+3. Print section headers with `std::cout` for clarity
+4. Use `ASSERT_EQ` or `EXPECT_TRUE` to validate results
+
+Example:
+
+```cpp
+TEST(Benchmark_MyOperation) {
+    std::cout << "\n=== My Operation Benchmark ===\n";
+    
+    // Setup
+    Buffer buf;
+    std::string data = generate_test_data();
+    buf.insert_text(0, 0, data);
+    
+    std::size_t result = 0;
+    {
+        BenchmarkTimer timer("My operation on 10K lines");
+        for (std::size_t i = 0; i < buf.Nrows(); ++i) {
+            result += my_operation(buf, i);
+        }
+    }
+    
+    EXPECT_TRUE(result > 0);
+}
+```
+
+## Continuous Performance Monitoring
+
+Run benchmarks regularly to detect regressions:
+
+```bash
+# Run tests and save output
+./cmake-build-debug/kte_tests > benchmark_results.txt
+
+# Compare with baseline
+diff benchmark_baseline.txt benchmark_results.txt
+```
+
+Look for:
+
+- Significant time increases (>20%) in any benchmark
+- New operations that are slower than expected
+- Cache effectiveness degradation
+
+## Conclusion
+
+The benchmark suite provides:
+
+- **Performance validation**: Ensures migrations don't regress
+  performance
+- **Optimization guidance**: Identifies fastest APIs for each use case
+- **Regression detection**: Catches performance issues early
+- **Documentation**: Demonstrates correct API usage patterns
+
+All 98 tests pass with 0 failures, confirming both correctness and
+performance of the migrated codebase.

docs/audits/claude-findings-20260923.md

@@ -0,0 +1,678 @@
+# Bug and Performance Audit
+
+**Project:** kte (Kyle's Text Editor)
+**Date:** 2026-09-23
+**Auditor:** Claude Code (automated review, four parallel reviewers plus
+spot verification)
+**Baseline:** `d8d2ae8` (debug build clean, `kte_tests` 0 failures)
+
+---
+
+## Method
+
+The tree was split into four review areas: core text model (PieceTable,
+Buffer, OptimizedSearch), undo and swap (UndoSystem/Tree/Node, Swap,
+ErrorRecovery, SyscallWrappers), commands (Command.cc, KKeymap), and
+frontends/syntax (Terminal, ImGui, Qt, Editor, `syntax/`). Every finding
+below was traced to a concrete scenario. Findings marked **[repro]** were
+reproduced with a small test program; the rest were confirmed by reading
+the code.
+
+Finding IDs are stable and are referenced by fix commits:
+
+- **M** — memory safety (crash, out-of-bounds, use-after-free, data race)
+- **D** — data integrity (undo, swap journal, text corruption)
+- **B** — incorrect behaviour
+- **P** — performance
+
+---
+
+## M — Memory safety
+
+### M1. PieceTable assignment keeps a stale line index **[repro]**
+
+`PieceTable.cc:47-98`. Copy and move assignment copy `pieces_`, `add_`,
+and `total_size_`, but leave the destination's `line_index_` and
+`line_index_dirty_` untouched. `Editor::CloseBuffer` erases from
+`std::vector<Buffer>`, which move-assigns every later buffer into the
+previous slot.
+
+Scenario: open A (`"line1\nline2\nline3\n"`), open B (`"x"`), render
+both, close A. Slot 0 now holds B's text with A's index: `LineCount()`
+returns 4 and `GetLineView(1)` builds a view over bytes 6–12 of a 1-byte
+buffer.
+
+Fix: mark the line index dirty (and clear it) in both assignment
+operators.
+
+### M2. Background highlighter thread races buffer mutation
+
+`syntax/HighlighterEngine.cc:184-249`. `PrefetchViewport` (called from
+the terminal and ImGui renderers) queues rows for a worker thread which
+calls `buf.GetLineString`, walking `pieces_` and reading `add_`. The main
+thread's `PieceTable::Insert`/`Delete` mutate both without any shared
+lock; `add_.append` may reallocate. The worker also stores a raw
+`Buffer*` (`pending_.buf`) which dangles when `AddBuffer`'s `push_back`
+reallocates or `CloseBuffer`'s `erase` shifts buffers.
+
+Fix: remove the background warm-up, or feed it an immutable snapshot.
+
+### M3. Per-window SwapManager leaves dangling recorders (ImGui multi-window)
+
+`ImGuiFrontend.cc:381-385`, `Editor.cc:205-213`. Each window's `Editor`
+owns its own `SwapManager` but shares the buffer vector. A buffer created
+from a secondary window keeps a `swap_rec_` pointing into that window's
+manager; closing the window destroys it, and the next edit in the main
+window calls into freed memory. `Rehome` from the wrong manager also
+returns `nullptr`, silently disabling journaling for the primary's
+buffers.
+
+Fix: share one `SwapManager` across windows, and detach every buffer an
+`Editor` attached when that `Editor` is destroyed.
+
+### M4. Recursive undo-tree free overflows the stack **[repro]**
+
+`UndoTree.cc:12` (`free_node_graph`), also `UndoSystem.cc:354`
+(`is_descendant`, `dfs_find_parent`). Recursion depth equals history
+length. About 300k nodes segfaults a debug build on an 8 MB stack;
+replace-all over ~150k matches (two nodes each) followed by close or
+reload is enough.
+
+Fix: free iteratively with an explicit stack.
+
+### M5. Jump-to-mark places the cursor past the end of the buffer
+
+`Command.cc:3720`. Marks are not adjusted on edits and
+`cmd_jump_to_mark` does not clamp. After deleting lines below a mark,
+C-k j puts the cursor on a nonexistent row; `cmd_move_left` and
+`cmd_move_up` (`:3866`, `:3988`) then index `rows[y]` out of bounds.
+
+Fix: clamp in `cmd_jump_to_mark` and in `compute_mark_region`.
+
+---
+
+## D — Data integrity
+
+### D1. Smart-newline undo deletes the wrong text **[repro]**
+
+`Command.cc:3139-3146`. The indent is inserted and the cursor moved past
+it before `u->Begin(UndoType::Insert)`; `UndoSystem::Begin` records the
+cursor position, so the node is placed `indent.size()` columns too far
+right. `"    foobar"` + SmartNewline + two undos yields
+`"    foo    next"` (the following line's text is spliced in and `bar`
+is lost).
+
+Fix: `Begin` at `new_x`, then insert, then move the cursor; group the
+newline and the indent.
+
+### D2. Cursor column left past end-of-line corrupts undo
+
+`cmd_scroll_up`/`cmd_scroll_down` (`Command.cc:4178`, `:4215`, bound to
+the mouse wheel), replace-all's cursor restore (`:2580`), and
+`cmd_jump_to_mark` call `SetCursor` without clamping x. `delete_text`
+does not clamp; it treats the excess as crossing the newline.
+Backspace then joins lines with an empty (dropped) undo node, and
+typing followed by undo deletes a newline instead of the typed
+character.
+
+Fix: clamp x to the line length in `Buffer::SetCursor`.
+
+### D3. `delete_row` on a final line without trailing newline leaves a stray `\n`
+
+`Buffer.cc:803`. Affects `delete_region` (C-w, M-d, M-Backspace), regex
+replace (`Command.cc:2996`), reflow (`:4884`), and the kill ring.
+`"foo\nbar"` + M-d at end of `foo` yields `"foo\n"`.
+
+### D4. Phantom empty row after a trailing newline
+
+`PieceTable::LineCount()` counts the empty row after a final `\n`.
+C-k C-d on that row records a `DeleteRow("")` whose undo inserts a
+line (`Command.cc:3516`); regex replace of `^` matches it and appends
+an extra line (`:2985`).
+
+### D5. Missing or wrong undo grouping
+
+- Plain replace-all (`Command.cc:2537-2577`) has no group: N
+  replacements need 2N undos, and the final Insert stays pending so the
+  next typed characters coalesce into it.
+- Visual-line newline (`:3043-3075`) records no undo at all.
+
+### D6. Reflow on a blank line merges the adjacent paragraphs
+
+`Command.cc:4592`. `"aaa\n\nbbb"` with the cursor on the blank line and
+ESC q gives `"aaa bbb"`.
+
+### D7. Swap journal is fragile exactly where it matters
+
+- `Swap.cc:1344-1373`: a torn final record (the power-loss case) makes
+  the whole file unreadable instead of replaying the valid prefix.
+- `Swap.cc:1134-1157`, `:1187`, `:1224`: after any dropped record
+  (breaker open, >16 MB payload, partial write) later records still
+  replay against a different base state; a partial write leaves bytes
+  that later records are appended behind.
+- `Swap.cc:1040` vs `:1187`: checkpoints allow 4 GB but the record
+  length is 24 bits; buffers over 16 MB are never checkpointed and the
+  journal grows without bound.
+- `Swap.cc:644`, `:708`: a failed header write leaves an fd with no
+  header; answering N to "delete corrupt swap?" appends new edits to the
+  corrupt file.
+
+### D8. Circuit breaker failure window never expires
+
+`ErrorRecovery.cc:77`. `last_failure_time_` is updated before
+`IsWindowExpired()` reads it, so elapsed time is always zero; five
+failures hours apart still open the breaker.
+
+### D9. Stale syntax highlighting after undo-to-clean or reload
+
+`Buffer.h:391-400`. `version_` is bumped only in `SetDirty(true)`. Undo
+back to the saved node calls `SetDirty(false)`, and `OpenFromFile`
+(reload) never bumps it, so `HighlighterEngine` keeps serving spans for
+the old text.
+
+---
+
+## B — Behaviour
+
+### B1. `set_escdelay` is compiled out
+
+`TerminalFrontend.cc:46`. `set_escdelay` is a function in ncurses, not a
+macro, so `#ifdef set_escdelay` is always false and ESC waits the
+1000 ms default.
+
+### B2. Terminal resize runs C-g
+
+`TerminalInputHandler.cc:167-171` maps `KEY_RESIZE` to
+`CommandId::Refresh`, the cancel handler: it clears the mark, cancels
+prompts (including the swap-recovery prompt, so the file is never
+opened), and resets the universal argument.
+
+### B3. ESC-as-Meta flag is not cleared on most paths
+
+`TerminalInputHandler.cc:56-279`. ESC followed by an arrow, Enter, Tab,
+or a control chord leaves `esc_meta` set; the next plain `d` runs M-d.
+Same in `ImGuiInputHandler.cc:43-73`.
+
+### B4. C-h shadows Backspace in the terminal
+
+The generic control lookup (`TerminalInputHandler.cc:264`) maps ^H to
+SearchReplace before the Backspace branch (`:307`) runs.
+
+### B5. Byte-based editing splits UTF-8
+
+`Command.cc:3259`, `:3352`, `:3861-3947`. Backspace, delete, and
+horizontal motion step by byte: Backspace on `é` leaves a lone `0xC3`,
+and C-b/C-f land inside code points.
+
+### B6. Horizontal scroll counts bytes, renderer counts cells
+
+`compute_render_x` (`Command.cc:52-60`) counts bytes while
+`TerminalRenderer.cc:269-322` skips display cells: a long CJK line
+scrolls to blank with the cursor off-screen.
+
+### B7. GUI draws non-ASCII text as replacement glyphs
+
+Highlighters emit one span per non-ASCII byte and `ImGuiRenderer.cc`
+(~510) / `QtFrontend.cc` (~333) decode each span separately.
+
+### B8. ImGui drops the character after Ctrl+V
+
+`ImGuiInputHandler.cc:362`, `:382`, `:401` set a suppress-next-text flag
+for chords that produce no text event.
+
+### B9. Control characters mis-measured in the terminal
+
+`TerminalRenderer.cc:314`, `:364`, `:413` count C0 controls as width 1;
+ncurses draws them as `^X`.
+
+### B10. Qt tab width disagrees with the command layer
+
+`QtFrontend.cc:138` uses 4; `Command.cc` uses 8.
+
+### B11. Smart newline edits the old buffer while a prompt is open
+
+`Command.cc:3131`. With a prompt active, `cmd_newline` accepts it and
+the saved indent is inserted through a possibly stale `Buffer*`.
+
+### B12. Line count stale after merged appends **[repro]**
+
+`PieceTable.cc:220-260`. `addPieceBack`/`addPieceFront` merge paths
+skip `InvalidateLineIndex()`. Latent today.
+
+### B13. Syntax highlighter edge cases
+
+Go raw strings and Rust multi-line strings do not carry state across
+lines; shell `$#` is highlighted as a comment; a C++ `#define` line
+opening `/*` does not carry the comment.
+
+---
+
+## P — Performance
+
+### P1. Whole-file `Rows()` rebuild per frame
+
+Renderers call `buf->Rows()` every frame (`TerminalRenderer.cc:45`,
+`ImGuiRenderer.cc:69`, `QtFrontend.cc:477`), and
+`ensure_cursor_visible` (`Command.cc:91`) after every command. After an
+edit this rebuilds a `std::string` per line, each via two `GetRange`
+calls.
+
+### P2. Whole-buffer materialization for one line
+
+`Buffer::GetLineView` (`Buffer.cc:633`) calls `content_.Data()`, which
+copies the entire file; the line index is rebuilt byte-by-byte after
+every edit.
+
+### P3. Re-highlight from row 0 on every keystroke
+
+`SetDirty(true)` calls `InvalidateFrom(0)`; stateful highlighters then
+re-lex from the top of the file to the viewport.
+
+### P4. Quadratic region commands
+
+Replace-all, `delete_region`, indent/unindent, reflow, and repeated
+backspace re-fetch `Rows()` after each mutation inside their loops.
+
+### P5. Opening a file checkpoints into a journal that is then deleted
+
+`Swap.cc:493` snapshots, writes, and fsyncs the whole file into
+`unnamed-N.swp` before removing it.
+
+### P6. Boyer–Moore bad-character shift degenerates to 1
+
+`OptimizedSearch.cc:63`, `:96`: when the mismatched byte is absent from
+the pattern the shift is 1 instead of `j`. Test-only today.
+
+---
+
+## Recommended order
+
+1. M1 (one-line fix)
+2. M2 (remove or snapshot the warm-up thread)
+3. D2 + M5 (clamp in `SetCursor` and jump-to-mark)
+4. D1 (smart-newline undo order)
+5. D7 (accept a torn final swap record)
+6. P1/P2 (`Nrows()` + `GetLineString` in hot paths)
+
+---
+
+## Fix status
+
+Updated as fixes land on `claude/funny-fermat-gj2vm5`.
+
+| ID | Status |
+|----|--------|
+| M1 | fixed: assignment operators invalidate the line index |
+| M2 | fixed: background warm-up thread removed; visible rows highlighted synchronously |
+| M3 | fixed: editors sharing buffers share the owner's SwapManager |
+| M4 | fixed: iterative free/search; `clear()` also leaked root siblings, now frees all |
+| M5 | fixed: jump-to-mark clamps; move up/down clamp the row (move-down also underflowed) |
+| D1 | fixed: `Begin` before the cursor moves; newline + indent grouped |
+| D2 | fixed for scroll up/down and replace-all restore |
+| D3 | fixed: kill-region, regex replace, reflow and kill-line edit byte ranges in place |
+| D4 | fixed: regex replace skips the row after a final newline (a zero-width pattern used to hang the editor); kill-line there is a no-op |
+| D5 | fixed: replace-all one undo group; visual-line newline recorded as one group |
+| D6 | fixed: reflow on a blank line is a no-op |
+| D7 | fixed: torn tail replays the valid prefix; lost records mark a gap resynced by checkpoint; partial writes truncated; header failure closes; large inserts split; oversize checkpoints skipped; declined corrupt swap moved to `.corrupt` |
+| D8 | fixed: window checked before recording the failure |
+| D9 | fixed: every text mutation bumps the version (including undo to the saved state); reload and replace also clear undo/highlighting |
+| B1 | fixed: guard on `NCURSES_VERSION` |
+| B2 | fixed: `KEY_RESIZE` issues no command |
+| B3 | fixed: ESC-meta flag consumed on every key; ESC ^H and ESC Enter reach their bindings |
+| B4 | not changed: C-h is a deliberate binding (search & replace); terminals whose terminfo `kbs` is ^H are translated to KEY_BACKSPACE by ncurses |
+| B5 | fixed: backspace/delete/left/right step over whole UTF-8 characters; up/down snap to a boundary |
+| B6 | fixed: horizontal scroll and mouse column use display cells (mbrtowc/wcwidth) |
+| B7 | fixed: spans are widened to whole UTF-8 characters before the GUIs draw them (`SanitizeSpans`) |
+| B8 | fixed: a text-event suppression lasts only until the next key press |
+| B9 | fixed: C0 controls and DEL drawn and measured as two-cell caret notation (`TermWidth.h`) |
+| B10 | fixed: one tab width (`kte::kTabWidth`); the Qt frontend has since been removed |
+| B13 | open (highlighter edge cases) |
+| B11 | fixed: SmartNewline with a prompt open delegates to Newline |
+| B12 | fixed: merged appends invalidate the line index |
+| P1 | fixed: `ensure_cursor_visible` and the terminal/ImGui renderers no longer call `Rows()` |
+| P2 | fixed: line index updated in place on insert/delete (14.7 ms -> 0.28 ms per keystroke on a 38 MB buffer) |
+| P3 | fixed: highlighting invalidated from the edited row (46 ms -> 0.14 ms per keystroke near the end of a 100k-line C++ file) |
+| P4 | fixed: replace-all, delete-region, indent/unindent and visual-line edits each apply as one edit |
+| P5 | fixed: no throwaway checkpoint on filename change |
+| P6 | moot: `OptimizedSearch` was test-only and has been removed |
+
+Regression tests: `tests/test_audit_regressions.cc`. Each test fails on the
+unfixed code (M4 by crashing).
+
+---
+
+## Follow-up review rounds
+
+After the first batch of fixes, further review rounds (an adversarial
+review of each batch of changes, plus fresh reviews of areas the first
+audit covered lightly) found further defects. All of the following are
+fixed on this branch, each with a regression test that fails on the code
+before the fix (unless noted).
+
+**Crash / hang**
+- Opening a directory (bad_alloc exit), a FIFO (open blocked forever), or
+  a device node (later replaced by a regular file on save).
+- Filesystem exceptions (ENAMETOOLONG, EACCES, deleted cwd) and any other
+  exception escaping a command terminated the editor.
+- Regex search/replace, and renderer match highlighting, overflowed the
+  stack on long lines (std::regex recursion); a zero-width regex replace
+  hung the editor (D4).
+- Piped (non-tty) stdin was executed as commands, then spun at full CPU.
+
+**Data loss / corruption**
+- Recovery deleted the swap it was about to replay when another named
+  buffer was current (pre-existing).
+- Recovered sessions appended behind a torn final record.
+- Reload left the old journal (discarded edits came back on recovery);
+  reload discarded unsaved edits without confirmation and "reloaded" a
+  deleted file as empty.
+- Two buffers (duplicate open, save-as onto an open file) or two
+  sessions shared one journal; closing/saving one deleted the other's
+  live journal. Journals are now flock()ed; a session never removes a
+  journal it does not own; unnamed journals include the pid; distinct
+  paths no longer map to one swap name.
+- Journals now record the base file's size, mtime and CRC-32 and are
+  not replayed onto a file that changed afterwards.
+- Quit checked only the current buffer; Enter at "Recover?" / "Save
+  changes?" took the destructive branch; the close prompt's save
+  overwrote on-disk changes; save-as overwrote other files silently.
+- Kill-line with a count, stale marks in kill-region, commands running
+  behind an open prompt (read-only bypass, wrong buffer closed), paste
+  into a prompt, nested undo groups, UTF-8 splitting in word motions.
+- Save: fsync retried after failure (could report success for lost
+  data); new files got 0600; symlinks replaced; hard links split;
+  owner and setuid/setgid bits lost; umask race with the writer thread.
+- Writer-thread fsync raced with closes (fd reuse; kept a closed
+  journal's lock alive); crc32 table init race; Close() retried EINTR.
+
+**Performance**
+- Motion/delete commands rebuilt every line after an edit (80-90 ms per
+  keystroke on 500k lines; C-u 3000 C-d took 273 s, now 0.25 s).
+- Line index invalidated by consolidation; incremental index added.
+- Idle redraw every 16 ms rescanned long lines (one core busy); paste
+  handled one key per frame; RowsView retained unbounded copies.
+
+**Fourth round (stress testing)**
+- Undo/redo of multi-line text left the cursor past the end of the
+  line; later edits and their undo records went astray and
+  delete-word-prev read out of bounds (ASan).
+- A recovered buffer looked clean after one edit and its undo; closing
+  it discarded the recovered text and journal. Save-and-quit did not
+  record the saved state; stale visual-line selections pointed past the
+  end of the buffer; open undo groups survived an exception.
+- A reload that ran out of memory emptied the buffer, and the next save
+  truncated the file. Exceptions from deferred opens ended the editor.
+  A leftover hard-link copy blocked every later save; a file in a
+  read-only directory could not be saved.
+- The journal writer's periodic fsync held the lock every keystroke
+  needs (typing froze on slow disks); every open and save re-read the
+  whole file under that lock; two ThreadSanitizer races.
+- Replace-all, yank and repeat counts issued one edit per match, line
+  or repetition (quadratic: minutes for 229k matches, now 0.14 s).
+- With LANG unset, multibyte input was dropped. Renderer caches and the
+  reload confirmation were keyed on buffer addresses, which are reused
+  after a close; a reload confirmation survived other commands; a swap
+  recovery prompt from a deferred open was not drawn until a key.
+
+**Fifth round (review of the fourth round's changes)**
+- The save fallbacks added in round four (write in place when no temp
+  file or hard-link copy can be made) also fired on ENOSPC/EDQUOT/EIO,
+  truncating the file and then failing: the file on disk was left
+  corrupt. They now apply only when the directory refuses a new name
+  (EACCES, EPERM, ENAMETOOLONG); otherwise the save fails and the file
+  is untouched.
+- Whole-buffer replace recorded the entire old and new text for undo on
+  every run (about 150 MB more per replace-all on a 50 MB file); only
+  the span between the common prefix and suffix is now recorded.
+- Regex search silently never found matches on lines over 20,000 bytes;
+  the skip now applies only to search-as-you-type (at 2,000 bytes, where
+  the worst case is well under a second), says so in the status line,
+  and moving to the next/previous match searches every line.
+- After a lost journal record, the recovery checkpoint was requested
+  only by later edits, at most once a second; if the first attempt
+  failed and the user then stopped typing, the journal stayed behind
+  indefinitely. The editor loop now retries it each second while idle
+  (this was also why SwapReplay_LostRecord_ResyncsWithCheckpoint was
+  flaky under load).
+- Undoing C-k C-k (and redoing an inserted row) journaled the row and
+  its newline as two records; a checkpoint triggered by the first
+  already contained the newline, so recovery silently produced an
+  extra blank line.
+- Visual-line yank with the cursor moved out of the selection (C-k a,
+  Enter) left it past the end of a line or the buffer, and text typed
+  there could not be undone. Every command now leaves the cursor
+  inside the buffer (checked in the command dispatcher).
+- ENABLE_ASAN instrumented only C sources, i.e. none of the project;
+  it now applies to C++ as well. (Earlier "ASan clean" results in this
+  audit came from that uninstrumented build; the full suite has since
+  passed under a correctly instrumented ASan build with leak checks,
+  and the stress fuzzers ran with ASan and UBSan.)
+
+**Sixth round (real terminal, file I/O, recovery end to end)**
+- UTF-8 typed or pasted over a slow link lost characters: with the
+  input batch read at zero timeout, ncurses gave up on a character split
+  across reads and discarded the rest as invalid. kte now assembles
+  UTF-8 itself and waits for continuation bytes. (This regression came
+  from this audit's own input batching.)
+- Visual-line (multi-line) insert, delete, backspace and newline used
+  the cursor's byte column on every selected line, splitting multibyte
+  characters on the others; the column is now carried in characters.
+- Journal failures reached only the error log: a session locked out of
+  the journal by another kte (which only happens when the other opened
+  the file before this one's first edit), or whose journal writes
+  failed, silently had no or partial crash recovery. The status line now
+  says so (once per failure).
+- Basenames over about 233 bytes produced a swap name over NAME_MAX, so
+  such files were never journaled. (The first fix capped the name at
+  exactly 255 bytes, which broke compaction's ".tmp" sibling and let
+  the journal grow without bound; it now leaves room for it.)
+
+**Seventh round (highlighters, region and paragraph commands, buffers)**
+- Indent-region on a selection ending in the empty row after a final
+  newline added a tab-only last line (empty lines are now skipped).
+- Reflow emitted a prefix-only line before a first word longer than the
+  width (a blank line before a long URL, a bullet split from its text),
+  adding another on every reflow; joined paragraphs separated by a
+  whitespace-only line; and moved the CRs of CRLF lines into the middle
+  of lines.
+- A counted backspace/delete that joined lines took several undos.
+- The C++ highlighter scanned to the end of the line for a raw-string
+  '(' at every R", quadratic on long lines.
+- Fuzzing every highlighter (incremental vs full), 20,000 random command
+  sequences, and 6,300 random buffer-list sessions found nothing else.
+
+**Eighth round (reflow review; large-file performance)**
+- Reflow's CRLF handling applied only when every line had a CR, so the
+  last paragraph of a CRLF file without a final newline still got CRs
+  mid-line; wrapping could start a line with "-" or "1.", which the next
+  reflow read as a list.
+- Large files (26-105 MB): the stateful highlighter cached spans for
+  every row above the viewport (854 MB for a 78 MB C++ file after
+  jumping to the end; now 197 MB); search built and kept a string per
+  line on every keystroke after an edit (now one scan of the
+  materialized text: 42 -> 28 ms per keystroke on 26 MB); indent,
+  unindent and visual-line insert/delete/backspace/newline/yank made one
+  piece-table edit per row (1.1 s per keystroke with 5,000 rows
+  selected; now 4 ms, as one edit).
+
+**Ninth round (review of the eighth round's changes)**
+- No serious findings. Highlighting (cached vs fresh), search (against
+  the old per-line code, 3,200 random buffers) and the row-range edits
+  (differential against the previous commit, ~88k random steps: text
+  identical after every step; undo-all and journal replay exact) all
+  agreed. Redo-all after heavy branching can end on an older branch of
+  the undo tree (a state that did exist), as before.
+
+**Follow-up: undo memory**
+- Undo texts of 4 KiB or more are held as references to the piece
+  table's (append-only) storage instead of copies, verified byte for
+  byte when converted; undo/redo re-splice the stored bytes instead of
+  copying them into storage again. A replace-all session on a 26 MB file
+  ends at 181 MB instead of 332 MB; undo/redo cycles of a 6.6 MB kill
+  stay at 75 MB instead of growing by 6.6 MB each.
+- History has a byte budget (default max(64 MiB, twice the buffer)):
+  over it, branches off the current path, then the oldest edits (whole
+  undo groups), then the redo line are dropped. If the saved state goes,
+  the buffer stays modified until the next save.
+- replace_all_bytes clears undo history (it was recorded against, and
+  may reference, the previous content).
+
+**Follow-up: search**
+- Search finds the next match from the search origin (then from the
+  current match) and stops there; it no longer collects every match in
+  the buffer on every keystroke and next/previous. The i/N count stops
+  at 1,000 matches (and, for regex, after 4 MiB). On 26 MB: plain
+  keystroke 30 ms -> 0.1 ms, next 24 -> 3 ms, regex keystroke 434 ->
+  1.6 ms. Previous-match scans backwards in 1 MiB forward-searched
+  blocks (string_view::rfind: 511 ms -> 6 ms on 105 MB).
+- Semantics change: the first match is the first one at or after the
+  cursor (it was the first in the buffer), and Left/Right also step
+  through matches in the regex replace prompt; Up/Down in a regex prompt
+  use the regex.
+
+**Follow-up: journals for large buffers**
+- Buffers over 16 MiB are checkpointed as CHKPT_BEGIN (size, CRC-32),
+  data chunks and CHKPT_END; replay applies the checkpoint only when it
+  is complete and its CRC matches, and treats an unfinished one as a
+  torn tail. Such buffers could not be checkpointed at all: a lost
+  record left the journal permanently behind and it was never
+  compacted. The journal header is now version 2 (version 1 journals
+  are still read; older kte builds will not read version 2).
+- Checkpoint thresholds scale with the buffer: after edits amounting to
+  half its size, on the timer only after a sixteenth, compaction at
+  twice its size, gap retries spaced by size. A checkpoint that would
+  compact is written straight into the compacted journal.
+- The recovery prompt keeps the content it replayed for the preview;
+  answering y installs it instead of replaying the journal again.
+- The CRC of a base file over 64 MiB is computed by the journal writer
+  thread (it was skipped), so a touched but unchanged large file no
+  longer makes its journal unusable for recovery.
+
+**Follow-up: regex engine**
+- kte::Regex (RegexEngine.h) wraps PCRE2 with its JIT when libpcre2-8
+  is found (KTE_USE_PCRE2, default ON), std::regex otherwise. Search,
+  regex replace-all and the terminal and ImGui renderers use it (the Qt
+  frontend's highlighting still calls std::regex). PCRE2 has a match
+  limit, so catastrophic backtracking ("^(a+)+$") stops with a status
+  note instead of hanging, and does not recurse on the C stack, so its
+  per-keystroke line limit is 1 MiB instead of 2,000 bytes. Replacement
+  strings keep std::regex_replace semantics with either engine.
+- On 26 MB: regex keystroke 1.6 -> 0.14 ms, next 62 -> 6 ms,
+  replace-all 929 -> 438 ms; a rarely matching regex over 105 MB:
+  1.55 s -> 0.10 s per keystroke.
+- Only one checkpoint per journal is queued at a time; whole-file edits
+  in a row on a large buffer each queued a full copy of it.
+- Review of this work found, and these are fixed: with PCRE2, '.'
+  matched the CR of CRLF lines (regex replace-all deleted it) — PCRE2
+  now uses the ANYCRLF newline convention and $ matches only at the end;
+  $0, out-of-range $n and $nn in replacements now follow libstdc++;
+  plain search visits overlapping matches in both directions (the count
+  could read "2/1"); the recovery prompt replays again if the journal
+  changed while it was open; a version 1 journal continued after
+  recovery gets a chunked checkpoint only by being rewritten as
+  version 2.
+
+**Known limitations (not fixed)**
+- Without PCRE2 (std::regex builds), catastrophic regex backtracking
+  can still take very long; std::regex has no limit.
+- Without PCRE2 on libc++ (macOS), '^' also matches where a search
+  resumes inside a line (libc++ ignores match_prev_avail, and
+  match_not_bol with it, for '^'), and '\b' never matches at the end of
+  a line. Search_NextPrevVisitReferenceMatches fails in that
+  configuration; the default macOS build uses PCRE2.
+- Typing in a multi-megabyte single line costs O(line length) per
+  keystroke (cursor column computed by scanning the line).
+- Highlighter edge cases B13 are unchanged. (B7, B8 and B10 were fixed
+  in the debt pass below, once the GUIs could be built and run.)
+- Journals are created at the first edit, so a second kte that opens
+  the file before the first one edits it is not warned at open; the
+  session that is locked out is told at its first edit instead.
+- A regex that matches rarely or not at all scans the whole buffer
+  (0.1 s on 105 MB with PCRE2, 1.6 s with std::regex).
+
+---
+
+## Debt and performance pass (2026-09-24)
+
+After the merge of the fixes above. Both GUI frontends (ImGui and Qt) were
+built in this environment and checked by screenshot under Xvfb; the ImGui
+renderer changes are pixel-identical to before on a sample with tabs,
+UTF-8, syntax colouring and search highlights.
+
+**Performance**
+- Typing near the top of a large file: each edit shifted every later line
+  start. The shift is now pending and applied on read; piece lookup
+  binary-searches prefix sums instead of walking the piece list. Typing on
+  line 10 of a 1M-line file, with a frame's worth of line reads per
+  keystroke: 0.52 -> 0.017 ms.
+- A loaded file is adopted as the piece table's original storage: the
+  first keystroke no longer copies the whole file (140 ms at 200 MB), and
+  the read buffer is not copied again. Save writes the pieces instead of
+  materializing a second full copy that then stayed resident. An unedited
+  (single-piece) buffer is viewed in place; `GetLineView` no longer copies
+  the whole buffer after an edit when the line lies within one piece.
+- Line reads decide "ends with a newline" from the line index instead of
+  fetching the last byte; the index is rebuilt with `memchr`.
+- ImGui measured every span and the cursor from column 0 of the line
+  (quadratic on long lines); the terminal renderer rescanned spans per
+  byte; Qt compiled a `std::regex` per visible line per frame. All now
+  linear, with search-match ranges computed by one shared
+  `SearchHighlight`.
+- The highlighter engine returns cached spans by reference and no longer
+  `dynamic_cast`s per call.
+
+**Bugs found on the way**
+- Qt: operators were drawn in the dark background colour (invisible);
+  tabs were 4 columns against the command layer's 8; text after a
+  multi-byte character was placed one column per byte; the editor's
+  column count was computed three different ways from painting and the
+  cell width was rounded, so on long lines the cursor drifted off the
+  text. Unhighlighted text between spans is now drawn.
+- B7, B8 (above).
+
+**Debt removed**
+- `Buffer::Rows()` and the `Line` wrapper (tests use `GetLineString` or a
+  test-only `LinesForTests()`); `OptimizedSearch`, `UndoNodePool.h`, the
+  unused swap SPLIT/JOIN writers and several unused Editor/Buffer/PieceTable
+  members; mutexes that guarded only reads in single-threaded classes
+  (the claim that PieceTable reads were thread-safe was false).
+- Consolidated: filetype detection and highlighter installation
+  (`Buffer::ApplyDetectedFiletype`, `InstallFiletypeHighlighter`), whole
+  buffer copies (`Buffer::Bytes`), character measurement
+  (`kte::MeasureChar`, `DisplayColumns`), span sanitizing
+  (`kte::SanitizeSpans`), word motion scans, the search reset, and the
+  regex engine's stack policy (`kte::Regex::RunGuarded`).
+
+**Left as is**
+- The C-k / ESC-meta / universal-argument key state machine is still
+  written once per frontend; unifying it is a behavioural change best done
+  with its own tests.
+- The highlighter keeps one line state per row (about 40 bytes each) and
+  highlighters copy each line; both are modest next to the file itself.
+- A long run of backspaces grows its undo record by prepending (quadratic
+  only in the length of one typed run).
+
+---
+
+## Follow-up: macOS build and Qt removal (2026-09-24)
+
+The gate had only run on Linux (as root). On macOS it failed three
+tests and the app bundle could not start.
+
+- kge stopped at launch with "Failed loading SDL3 library": Homebrew's
+  sdl2 is sdl2-compat, which dlopen()s SDL3, and the bundle fixup copies
+  only linked libraries. SDL3 is now bundled when sdl2-compat is.
+- Saving lost setuid/setgid when not running as root: writing the data
+  clears them, and the mode was applied before the write. Ownership and
+  mode now go on after the data; in-place writes restore the mode.
+- Two tests used libc++'s std::regex as the reference, which misses
+  '\b' at the end of the subject and ignores match_prev_avail for '^'.
+- After C-k, pressing Shift (for C-k C, C-k ^ or a shifted symbol) or
+  pressing Ctrl again (C-k C-d) ended the prefix as an unknown command
+  in kge; modifier keys alone are now ignored there (checked with
+  synthetic SDL key events against kge's objects).
+- The Qt frontend was removed: unused, out of make-app-release since
+  March, not built by the gate, and its bundle could not start (no
+  platform plugin). Every renderer and input change had to be made in
+  it separately.
+

docs/audits/error-propagation-standardization.md

@@ -0,0 +1,549 @@
+# Error Propagation Standardization Report
+
+**Project:** kte (Kyle's Text Editor)  
+**Date:** 2026-02-17  
+**Auditor:** Error Propagation Standardization Review  
+**Language:** C++20
+
+---
+
+## Executive Summary
+
+This report documents the standardization of error propagation patterns
+across the kte codebase. Following the implementation of centralized
+error handling (ErrorHandler), this audit identifies inconsistencies in
+error propagation and provides concrete remediation recommendations.
+
+**Key Findings:**
+
+- **Dominant Pattern**: `bool + std::string &err` is used consistently
+  in Buffer and SwapManager for I/O operations
+- **Inconsistencies**: PieceTable has no error reporting mechanism; some
+  internal helpers lack error propagation
+- **Standard Chosen**: `bool + std::string &err` pattern (C++20 project,
+  std::expected not available)
+- **Documentation**: Comprehensive error handling conventions added to
+  DEVELOPER_GUIDE.md
+
+**Overall Assessment**: The codebase has a **solid foundation** with the
+`bool + err` pattern used consistently in critical I/O paths. Primary
+gaps are in PieceTable memory allocation error handling and some
+internal helper functions.
+
+---
+
+## 1. CURRENT STATE ANALYSIS
+
+### 1.1 Error Propagation Patterns Found
+
+#### Pattern 1: `bool + std::string &err` (Dominant)
+
+**Usage**: File I/O, swap operations, resource allocation
+
+**Examples**:
+
+- `Buffer::OpenFromFile(const std::string &path, std::string &err)` (
+  Buffer.h:72)
+- `Buffer::Save(std::string &err)` (Buffer.h:74)
+- `Buffer::SaveAs(const std::string &path, std::string &err)` (Buffer.h:
+  75)
+- `Editor::OpenFile(const std::string &path, std::string &err)` (
+  Editor.h:536)
+-
+`SwapManager::ReplayFile(Buffer &buf, const std::string &swap_path, std::string &err)` (
+Swap.h:104)
+-
+`SwapManager::open_ctx(JournalCtx &ctx, const std::string &path, std::string &err)` (
+Swap.h:208)
+-
+`SwapManager::compact_to_checkpoint(JournalCtx &ctx, const std::vector<std::uint8_t> &chkpt_record, std::string &err)` (
+Swap.h:212-213)
+
+**Assessment**: ✅ **Excellent** - Consistent, well-implemented,
+integrated with ErrorHandler
+
+#### Pattern 2: `void` (State Changes)
+
+**Usage**: Setters, cursor movement, flag toggles, internal state
+modifications
+
+**Examples**:
+
+- `Buffer::SetCursor(std::size_t x, std::size_t y)` (Buffer.h:348)
+- `Buffer::SetDirty(bool d)` (Buffer.h:368)
+- `Buffer::SetMark(std::size_t x, std::size_t y)` (Buffer.h:387)
+- `Buffer::insert_text(int row, int col, std::string_view text)` (
+  Buffer.h:545)
+- `Buffer::delete_text(int row, int col, std::size_t len)` (Buffer.h:
+  547)
+- `Editor::SetStatus(const std::string &msg)` (Editor.h:various)
+
+**Assessment**: ✅ **Appropriate** - These operations are infallible
+state changes
+
+#### Pattern 3: `bool` without error parameter (Control Flow)
+
+**Usage**: Validation checks, control flow decisions
+
+**Examples**:
+
+- `Editor::ProcessPendingOpens()` (Editor.h:544)
+- `Editor::ResolveRecoveryPrompt(bool yes)` (Editor.h:558)
+- `Editor::SwitchTo(std::size_t index)` (Editor.h:563)
+- `Editor::CloseBuffer(std::size_t index)` (Editor.h:565)
+
+**Assessment**: ✅ **Appropriate** - Success/failure is sufficient for
+control flow
+
+#### Pattern 4: No Error Reporting (PieceTable)
+
+**Usage**: Memory allocation, text manipulation
+
+**Examples**:
+
+- `void PieceTable::Reserve(std::size_t newCapacity)` (PieceTable.h:71)
+- `void PieceTable::Append(const char *s, std::size_t len)` (
+  PieceTable.h:75)
+-
+`void PieceTable::Insert(std::size_t byte_offset, const char *text, std::size_t len)` (
+PieceTable.h:118)
+- `char *PieceTable::Data()` (PieceTable.h:89-93) - returns nullptr on
+  allocation failure
+
+**Assessment**: ⚠️ **Gap** - Memory allocation failures are not reported
+
+---
+
+## 2. STANDARDIZATION DECISION
+
+### 2.1 Chosen Pattern: `bool + std::string &err`
+
+**Rationale**:
+
+1. **C++20 Project**: `std::expected` (C++23) is not available
+2. **Existing Adoption**: Already used consistently in Buffer,
+   SwapManager, Editor for I/O operations
+3. **Clear Semantics**: `bool` return indicates success/failure, `err`
+   provides details
+4. **ErrorHandler Integration**: Works seamlessly with centralized error
+   logging
+5. **Zero Overhead**: No exceptions, no dynamic allocation for error
+   paths
+6. **Testability**: Easy to verify error messages in unit tests
+
+**Alternative Considered**: `std::expected<T, std::string>` (C++23)
+
+- **Rejected**: Requires C++23, would require major refactoring, not
+  available in current toolchain
+
+### 2.2 Pattern Selection Guidelines
+
+| Operation Type      | Pattern                   | Example                                                                           |
+|---------------------|---------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
+| File I/O            | `bool + std::string &err` | `Buffer::Save(std::string &err)`                                                  |
+| Syscalls            | `bool + std::string &err` | `open_ctx(JournalCtx &ctx, const std::string &path, std::string &err)`            |
+| Resource Allocation | `bool + std::string &err` | Future: `PieceTable::Reserve(std::size_t cap, std::string &err)`                  |
+| Parsing/Validation  | `bool + std::string &err` | `SwapManager::ReplayFile(Buffer &buf, const std::string &path, std::string &err)` |
+| State Changes       | `void`                    | `Buffer::SetCursor(std::size_t x, std::size_t y)`                                 |
+| Control Flow        | `bool` (no err)           | `Editor::SwitchTo(std::size_t index)`                                             |
+
+---
+
+## 3. INCONSISTENCIES AND GAPS
+
+### 3.1 PieceTable Memory Allocation (Severity: 6/10)
+
+**Finding**: PieceTable methods that allocate memory (`Reserve`,
+`Append`, `Insert`, `Data`) do not report allocation failures.
+
+**Impact**:
+
+- Memory allocation failures are silent
+- `Data()` returns `nullptr` on failure, but callers may not check
+- Large file operations could fail without user notification
+
+**Evidence**:
+
+```cpp
+// PieceTable.h:71
+void Reserve(std::size_t newCapacity);  // No error reporting
+
+// PieceTable.h:89-93
+char *Data();  // Returns nullptr on allocation failure
+```
+
+**Remediation Priority**: **Medium** - Memory allocation failures are
+rare on modern systems, but should be handled for robustness
+
+**Recommended Fix**:
+
+**Option 1: Add error parameter to fallible operations** (Preferred)
+
+```cpp
+// PieceTable.h
+bool Reserve(std::size_t newCapacity, std::string &err);
+bool Append(const char *s, std::size_t len, std::string &err);
+bool Insert(std::size_t byte_offset, const char *text, std::size_t len, std::string &err);
+
+// Returns nullptr on failure; check with HasMaterializationError()
+char *Data();
+bool HasMaterializationError() const;
+std::string GetMaterializationError() const;
+```
+
+**Option 2: Use exceptions for allocation failures** (Not recommended)
+
+PieceTable could throw `std::bad_alloc` on allocation failures, but this
+conflicts with the project's error handling philosophy and would require
+exception handling throughout the codebase.
+
+**Option 3: Status quo with improved documentation** (Minimal change)
+
+Document that `Data()` can return `nullptr` and callers must check. Add
+assertions in debug builds.
+
+```cpp
+// PieceTable.h
+// Returns pointer to materialized buffer, or nullptr if materialization fails.
+// Callers MUST check for nullptr before dereferencing.
+char *Data();
+```
+
+**Recommendation**: **Option 3** for now (document + assertions), *
+*Option 1** if memory allocation errors become a concern in production.
+
+### 3.2 Internal Helper Functions (Severity: 4/10)
+
+**Finding**: Some internal helper functions in Swap.cc and Buffer.cc use
+`bool` returns without error parameters.
+
+**Examples**:
+
+```cpp
+// Swap.cc:562
+static bool ensure_parent_dir(const std::string &path);  // No error details
+
+// Swap.cc:579
+static bool write_header(int fd);  // No error details
+
+// Buffer.cc:101
+static bool write_all_fd(int fd, const char *data, std::size_t len, std::string &err);  // ✅ Good
+```
+
+**Impact**: Limited - These are internal helpers called by functions
+that do report errors
+
+**Remediation Priority**: **Low** - Callers already provide error
+context
+
+**Recommended Fix**: Add error parameters to internal helpers for
+consistency
+
+```cpp
+// Swap.cc
+static bool ensure_parent_dir(const std::string &path, std::string &err);
+static bool write_header(int fd, std::string &err);
+```
+
+**Status**: **Deferred** - Low priority, callers already provide
+adequate error context
+
+### 3.3 Editor Control Flow Methods (Severity: 2/10)
+
+**Finding**: Editor methods like `SwitchTo()`, `CloseBuffer()` return
+`bool` without error details.
+
+**Assessment**: ✅ **Appropriate** - These are control flow decisions
+where success/failure is sufficient
+
+**Remediation**: **None needed** - Current pattern is correct for this
+use case
+
+---
+
+## 4. ERRORHANDLER INTEGRATION STATUS
+
+### 4.1 Components with ErrorHandler Integration
+
+✅ **Buffer** (Buffer.cc)
+
+- `OpenFromFile()` - Reports file open, seek, read errors
+- `Save()` - Reports write errors
+- `SaveAs()` - Reports write errors
+
+✅ **SwapManager** (Swap.cc)
+
+- `report_error()` - All swap file errors reported
+- Background thread errors captured and logged
+- Errno captured for all syscalls
+
+✅ **main** (main.cc)
+
+- Top-level exception handler reports Critical errors
+- Both `std::exception` and unknown exceptions captured
+
+### 4.2 Components Without ErrorHandler Integration
+
+⚠️ **PieceTable** (PieceTable.cc)
+
+- No error reporting mechanism
+- Memory allocation failures are silent
+
+⚠️ **Editor** (Editor.cc)
+
+- File operations delegate to Buffer (✅ covered)
+- Control flow methods don't need error reporting (✅ appropriate)
+
+⚠️ **Command** (Command.cc)
+
+- Commands use `Editor::SetStatus()` for user-facing messages
+- No ErrorHandler integration for command failures
+- **Assessment**: Commands are user-initiated actions; status messages
+  are appropriate
+
+---
+
+## 5. DOCUMENTATION STATUS
+
+### 5.1 Error Handling Conventions (DEVELOPER_GUIDE.md)
+
+✅ **Added comprehensive section** covering:
+
+- Three standard error propagation patterns
+- Pattern selection guidelines with decision tree
+- ErrorHandler integration requirements
+- Code examples for file I/O, syscalls, background threads, top-level
+  handlers
+- Anti-patterns and best practices
+- Error log location and format
+- Migration guide for updating existing code
+
+**Location**: `docs/DEVELOPER_GUIDE.md` section 7
+
+### 5.2 API Documentation
+
+⚠️ **Gap**: Individual function documentation in headers could be
+improved
+
+**Recommendation**: Add brief comments to public APIs documenting error
+behavior
+
+```cpp
+// Buffer.h
+// Opens a file and loads its content into the buffer.
+// Returns false on failure; err contains detailed error message.
+// Errors are logged to ErrorHandler.
+bool OpenFromFile(const std::string &path, std::string &err);
+```
+
+---
+
+## 6. REMEDIATION RECOMMENDATIONS
+
+### 6.1 High Priority (Severity 7-10)
+
+**None identified** - Critical error handling gaps were addressed in
+previous sessions:
+
+- ✅ Top-level exception handler added (Severity 9/10)
+- ✅ Background thread error reporting added (Severity 9/10)
+- ✅ File I/O error checking added (Severity 8/10)
+- ✅ Errno capture added to swap operations (Severity 7/10)
+- ✅ Centralized error handling implemented (Severity 7/10)
+
+### 6.2 Medium Priority (Severity 4-6)
+
+#### 6.2.1 PieceTable Memory Allocation Error Handling (Severity: 6/10)
+
+**Action**: Document that `Data()` can return `nullptr` and add debug
+assertions
+
+**Implementation**:
+
+```cpp
+// PieceTable.h
+// Returns pointer to materialized buffer, or nullptr if materialization fails
+// due to memory allocation error. Callers MUST check for nullptr.
+char *Data();
+
+// PieceTable.cc
+char *PieceTable::Data() {
+    materialize();
+    assert(materialized_ != nullptr && "PieceTable materialization failed");
+    return materialized_;
+}
+```
+
+**Effort**: Low (documentation + assertions)  
+**Risk**: Low (no API changes)  
+**Timeline**: Next maintenance cycle
+
+#### 6.2.2 Add Error Parameters to Internal Helpers (Severity: 4/10)
+
+**Action**: Add `std::string &err` parameters to `ensure_parent_dir()`
+and `write_header()`
+
+**Implementation**:
+
+```cpp
+// Swap.cc
+static bool ensure_parent_dir(const std::string &path, std::string &err) {
+    try {
+        fs::path p(path);
+        fs::path dir = p.parent_path();
+        if (dir.empty())
+            return true;
+        if (!fs::exists(dir))
+            fs::create_directories(dir);
+        return true;
+    } catch (const std::exception &e) {
+        err = std::string("Failed to create directory: ") + e.what();
+        return false;
+    } catch (...) {
+        err = "Failed to create directory: unknown error";
+        return false;
+    }
+}
+```
+
+**Effort**: Low (update 2 functions + call sites)  
+**Risk**: Low (internal helpers only)  
+**Timeline**: Next maintenance cycle
+
+### 6.3 Low Priority (Severity 1-3)
+
+#### 6.3.1 Add Function-Level Error Documentation (Severity: 3/10)
+
+**Action**: Add brief comments to public APIs documenting error behavior
+
+**Effort**: Medium (many functions to document)  
+**Risk**: None (documentation only)  
+**Timeline**: Ongoing as code is touched
+
+#### 6.3.2 Add ErrorHandler Integration to Commands (Severity: 2/10)
+
+**Action**: Consider logging command failures to ErrorHandler for
+diagnostics
+
+**Assessment**: **Not recommended** - Commands are user-initiated
+actions; status messages are more appropriate than error logs
+
+---
+
+## 7. TESTING RECOMMENDATIONS
+
+### 7.1 Error Handling Test Coverage
+
+**Current State**:
+
+- ✅ Swap file error handling tested (test_swap_edge_cases.cc)
+- ✅ Buffer I/O error handling tested (test_buffer_io.cc)
+- ⚠️ PieceTable allocation failure testing missing
+
+**Recommendations**:
+
+1. **Add PieceTable allocation failure tests** (if Option 1 from 3.1 is
+   implemented)
+2. **Add ErrorHandler query tests** - Verify error logging and retrieval
+3. **Add errno capture tests** - Verify errno is captured correctly in
+   syscall failures
+
+### 7.2 Test Examples
+
+```cpp
+// test_error_handler.cc
+TEST(ErrorHandler, LogsErrorsWithContext) {
+    ErrorHandler::Instance().Error("TestComponent", "Test error", "test.txt");
+    EXPECT_TRUE(ErrorHandler::Instance().HasErrors());
+    EXPECT_EQ(ErrorHandler::Instance().GetErrorCount(), 1);
+    std::string last = ErrorHandler::Instance().GetLastError();
+    EXPECT_TRUE(last.find("Test error") != std::string::npos);
+    EXPECT_TRUE(last.find("test.txt") != std::string::npos);
+}
+
+// test_piece_table.cc (if Option 1 implemented)
+TEST(PieceTable, ReportsAllocationFailure) {
+    PieceTable pt;
+    std::string err;
+    // Attempt to allocate huge buffer
+    bool ok = pt.Reserve(SIZE_MAX, err);
+    EXPECT_FALSE(ok);
+    EXPECT_FALSE(err.empty());
+}
+```
+
+---
+
+## 8. MIGRATION CHECKLIST
+
+For developers updating existing code to follow error handling
+conventions:
+
+- [ ] Identify all error-prone operations (file I/O, syscalls,
+  allocations)
+- [ ] Add `std::string &err` parameter if not present
+- [ ] Clear `err` at function start: `err.clear();`
+- [ ] Capture `errno` immediately after syscall failures:
+  `int saved_errno = errno;`
+- [ ] Build detailed error messages with context (paths, operation
+  details)
+- [ ] Call `ErrorHandler::Instance().Error()` at all error sites
+- [ ] Return `false` on failure, `true` on success
+- [ ] Update all call sites to handle the error parameter
+- [ ] Write unit tests that verify error handling
+- [ ] Update function documentation to describe error behavior
+
+---
+
+## 9. SUMMARY AND NEXT STEPS
+
+### 9.1 Achievements
+
+✅ **Standardized on `bool + std::string &err` pattern** for error-prone
+operations  
+✅ **Documented comprehensive error handling conventions** in
+DEVELOPER_GUIDE.md  
+✅ **Identified and prioritized remaining gaps** (PieceTable, internal
+helpers)  
+✅ **Integrated ErrorHandler** into Buffer, SwapManager, and main  
+✅ **Established clear pattern selection guidelines** for future
+development
+
+### 9.2 Remaining Work
+
+**Medium Priority**:
+
+1. Document PieceTable `Data()` nullptr behavior and add assertions
+2. Add error parameters to internal helper functions
+
+**Low Priority**:
+
+3. Add function-level error documentation to public APIs
+4. Add ErrorHandler query tests
+
+### 9.3 Conclusion
+
+The kte codebase has achieved **strong error handling consistency** with
+the `bool + std::string &err` pattern used uniformly across critical I/O
+paths. The centralized ErrorHandler provides comprehensive logging and
+UI integration. Remaining gaps are minor and primarily affect edge
+cases (memory allocation failures) that are rare in practice.
+
+**Overall Grade**: **B+ (8.5/10)**
+
+**Strengths**:
+
+- Consistent error propagation in Buffer and SwapManager
+- Comprehensive ErrorHandler integration
+- Excellent documentation in DEVELOPER_GUIDE.md
+- Errno capture for all syscalls
+- Top-level exception handling
+
+**Areas for Improvement**:
+
+- PieceTable memory allocation error handling
+- Internal helper function error propagation
+- Function-level API documentation
+
+The error handling infrastructure is **production-ready** and provides a
+solid foundation for reliable operation and debugging.

docs/plans/qt-frontend.md

@@ -1,124 +0,0 @@
-Based on the project structure and the presence of files like
-`imgui.ini`, `GUIFrontend.h`, and `TerminalFrontend.h`, here is an
-analysis of the difficulty and challenges involved in adding a GTK or Qt
-version of the GUI.
-
-### **Executive Summary: Difficulty Level - Moderate**
-
-The project is well-architected for this task. It already supports
-multiple frontends (Terminal vs. GUI), meaning the "Core Logic" (
-Buffers, Syntax, Commands) is successfully decoupled from the "View" (
-Rendering/Input). However, the specific move from an **Immediate Mode**
-GUI (likely Dear ImGui, implied by `imgui.ini` and standard naming
-patterns) to a **Retained Mode** GUI (Qt/GTK) introduces specific
-architectural frictions regarding the event loop and state management.
-
----
-
-### **1. Architectural Analysis**
-
-The existence of abstract interfaces—likely `Frontend`, `Renderer`, and
-`InputHandler`—is the biggest asset here.
-
-* **Current State:**
-    * **Abstract Layer:** `Frontend.h`, `Renderer.h`, `InputHandler.h`
-      likely define the contract.
-    * **Implementations:**
-        * `Terminal*` files implement the TUI (likely ncurses or VT100).
-        * `GUI*` files (currently ImGui) implement the graphical
-          version.
-* **The Path Forward:**
-    * You would create `QtFrontend`, `QtRenderer`, `QtInputHandler` (or
-      GTK equivalents).
-    * Because the core logic (`Editor.cc`, `Buffer.cc`) calls these
-      interfaces, you theoretically don't need to touch the core text
-      manipulation code.
-
-### **2. Key Challenges**
-
-#### **A. The Event Loop Inversion (Main Challenge)**
-
-* **Current (ImGui):** Typically, the application owns the loop:
-  `while (running) { HandleInput(); Update(); Render(); }`. The
-  application explicitly tells the GUI to draw every frame.
-* **Target (Qt/GTK):** The framework owns the loop: `app.exec()` or
-  `gtk_main()`. The framework calls *you* when events happen.
-* **Difficulty:** You will need to refactor `main.cc` or the entry point
-  to hand over control to the Qt/GTK application object. The Editor's "
-  tick" function might need to be connected to a timer or an idle event
-  in the new framework to ensure logic updates happen.
-
-#### **B. Rendering Paradigm: Canvas vs. Widgets**
-
-* **The "Easy" Way (Custom Canvas):**
-    * Implement the `QtRenderer` by subclassing `QWidget` and overriding
-      `paintEvent`.
-    * Use `QPainter` (or Cairo in GTK) to draw text, cursors, and
-      selections exactly where the `Renderer` interface says to.
-    * **Pros:** Keeps the code similar to the current ImGui/Terminal
-      renderers.
-    * **Cons:** You lose native accessibility and some native "feel" (
-      scrolling physics, native text context menus).
-* **The "Hard" Way (Native Widgets):**
-    * Trying to map an internal `Buffer` directly to a `QTextEdit` or
-      `GtkTextView`.
-    * **Difficulty:** This is usually very hard because the Editor core
-      likely manages its own cursor, selection, and syntax highlighting.
-      Syncing that internal state with a complex native widget often
-      leads to conflicts.
-    * **Recommendation:** Stick to the "Custom Canvas" approach (drawing
-      text manually on a surface) to preserve the custom editor
-      behavior (vim-like modes, specific syntax highlighting).
-
-#### **C. Input Handling**
-
-* **Challenge:** Mapping Qt/GTK key events to the internal `Keymap`.
-* **Detail:** ImGui and Terminal libraries often provide raw scancodes
-  or simple chars. Qt/GTK provide complex Event objects. You will need a
-  translation layer in `QtInputHandler::keyPressEvent` that converts
-  `Qt::Key_Escape` -> `KKey::Escape` (or your internal equivalent).
-
-### **3. Portability of Assets**
-
-#### **Themes (Colors)**
-
-* **Feasibility:** High.
-* **Approach:** `GUITheme.h` likely contains structs with RGB/Hex
-  values. Qt supports stylesheets (QSS) and GTK uses CSS. You can write
-  a converter that reads your current theme configuration and generates
-  a CSS string to apply to your window, or simply use the RGB values
-  directly in your custom `QPainter`/Cairo drawing logic.
-
-#### **Fonts**
-
-* **Feasibility:** Moderate.
-* **Approach:**
-    * **ImGui:** Usually loads a TTF into a texture atlas.
-    * **Qt/GTK:** Uses the system font engine (Freetype/Pango).
-    * **Challenge:** You won't use the texture atlas anymore. You will
-      simply request a font family and size (e.g.,
-      `QFont("JetBrains Mono", 12)`). You may need to ensure your custom
-      renderer calculates character width/height metrics correctly using
-      `QFontMetrics` (Qt) or `PangoLayout` (GTK) to align the grid
-      correctly.
-
-### **4. Summary Recommendation**
-
-If you proceed, **Qt** is generally considered easier to integrate with
-C++ projects than GTK (which is C-based, though `gtkmm` exists).
-
-1. **Create a `QtFrontend`** class inheriting from `Frontend`.
-2. **Create a `QtWindow`** class inheriting from `QWidget`.
-3. **Implement `QtRenderer`** that holds a pointer to the `QtWindow`.
-   When the core calls `DrawText()`, `QtRenderer` should queue that
-   command or draw directly to the widget's paint buffer.
-4. **Refactor `main.cc`** to instantiate `QApplication` instead of the
-   current manual loop.
-
----
-
-Note (2025-12): The Qt frontend defers all key processing to the
-existing command subsystem and keymaps, mirroring the ImGui path. There
-are no Qt-only keybindings; `QtInputHandler` translates Qt key events
-into the shared keymap flow (C-k prefix, Ctrl chords, ESC/Meta,
-universal-argument digits, printable insertion).

docs/themes.md

@@ -23,29 +23,34 @@ Current themes (alphabetically):
 - **gruvbox** — Retro groove color scheme (light/dark variants)
 - **kanagawa-paper** — Inspired by traditional Japanese art
 - **lcars** — Star Trek LCARS interface style
+- **leuchtturm** — Modern, clean theme (light/dark variants)
 - **nord** — Arctic, north-bluish color palette
 - **old-book** — Sepia-toned vintage book aesthetic (light/dark
   variants)
 - **orbital** — Space-themed dark palette
 - **plan9** — Minimalist Plan 9 from Bell Labs inspired
 - **solarized** — Ethan Schoonover's Solarized (light/dark variants)
+- **tufte** — Edward Tufte-inspired minimalist theme (light/dark variants)
 - **weyland-yutani** — Alien franchise corporate aesthetic
 - **zenburn** — Low-contrast, easy-on-the-eyes theme
 
 Configuration
 -------------
 
-Themes are configured via `$HOME/.config/kte/kge.ini`:
+Themes are configured via `$HOME/.config/kte/kge.toml`:
 
-```ini
+```toml
-theme = nord
+[appearance]
-background = dark
+theme = "nord"
+background = "dark"
 ```
 
 - `theme` — The theme name (e.g., "nord", "gruvbox", "solarized")
 - `background` — Either "dark" or "light" (for themes supporting both
   variants)
 
+Legacy `kge.ini` format is also supported (see CONFIG.md).
+
 Themes can also be switched at runtime using the `:theme <name>`
 command.
 

flake.nix

@@ -3,8 +3,7 @@
 
   inputs.nixpkgs.url = "github:NixOS/nixpkgs/nixos-unstable";
 
-  outputs =
+  outputs = { self, nixpkgs, ... }:
-    inputs@{ self, nixpkgs, ... }:
     let
       eachSystem = nixpkgs.lib.genAttrs nixpkgs.lib.systems.flakeExposed;
       pkgsFor = system: import nixpkgs { inherit system; };
@@ -13,9 +12,26 @@
       packages = eachSystem (system: rec {
         default = kte;
         full = kge;
-        kte = (pkgsFor system).callPackage ./default.nix { graphical = false; graphical-qt = false; };
+        kte = (pkgsFor system).callPackage ./default.nix { graphical = false; };
-        kge = (pkgsFor system).callPackage ./default.nix { graphical = true;  graphical-qt = false; };
+        kge = (pkgsFor system).callPackage ./default.nix { graphical = true; };
-        qt  = (pkgsFor system).callPackage ./default.nix { graphical = true;  graphical-qt = true;  };
       });
+
+      devShells = eachSystem (system:
+        let pkgs = pkgsFor system;
+        in {
+          default = pkgs.mkShell {
+            inputsFrom = [ self.packages.${system}.kge ];
+            packages = with pkgs; [ gdb valgrind ];
+          };
+          terminal = pkgs.mkShell {
+            inputsFrom = [ self.packages.${system}.kte ];
+          };
+        }
+      );
+
+      overlays.default = final: prev: {
+        kte = self.packages.${final.system}.kte;
+        kge = self.packages.${final.system}.kge;
+      };
     };
 }

fonts/FontList.h

@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@
 #include "BerkeleyMono.h"
 #include "BrassMono.h"
 #include "BrassMonoCode.h"
+#include "CrimsonPro.h"
+#include "ETBook.h"
 #include "FiraCode.h"
 #include "Go.h"
 #include "IBMPlexMono.h"
@@ -13,6 +15,7 @@
 #include "IosevkaExtended.h"
 #include "ShareTech.h"
 #include "SpaceMono.h"
+#include "Spectral.h"
 #include "Syne.h"
 #include "Triplicate.h"
 #include "Unispace.h"

fonts/FontRegistry.cc

@@ -45,6 +45,16 @@ InstallDefaultFonts()
 		BrassMonoCode::DefaultFontBoldCompressedData,
 		BrassMonoCode::DefaultFontBoldCompressedSize
 	));
+	FontRegistry::Instance().Register(std::make_unique<Font>(
+		"crimsonpro",
+		CrimsonPro::DefaultFontRegularCompressedData,
+		CrimsonPro::DefaultFontRegularCompressedSize
+	));
+	FontRegistry::Instance().Register(std::make_unique<Font>(
+		"etbook",
+		ETBook::DefaultFontRegularCompressedData,
+		ETBook::DefaultFontRegularCompressedSize
+	));
 	FontRegistry::Instance().Register(std::make_unique<Font>(
 		"fira",
 		FiraCode::DefaultFontRegularCompressedData,
@@ -95,6 +105,11 @@ InstallDefaultFonts()
 		SpaceMono::DefaultFontRegularCompressedData,
 		SpaceMono::DefaultFontRegularCompressedSize
 	));
+	FontRegistry::Instance().Register(std::make_unique<Font>(
+		"spectral",
+		Spectral::DefaultFontRegularCompressedData,
+		Spectral::DefaultFontRegularCompressedSize
+	));
 	FontRegistry::Instance().Register(std::make_unique<Font>(
 		"syne",
 		Syne::DefaultFontRegularCompressedData,

fonts/FontRegistry.h

@@ -1,10 +1,12 @@
 #pragma once
 
+#include <algorithm>
 #include <cassert>
 #include <memory>
 #include <mutex>
 #include <string>
 #include <unordered_map>
+#include <vector>
 
 #include "Font.h"
 
@@ -87,6 +89,19 @@ public:
 	}
 
 
+	// Return all registered font names (sorted)
+	std::vector<std::string> FontNames() const
+	{
+		std::lock_guard lock(mutex_);
+		std::vector<std::string> names;
+		names.reserve(fonts_.size());
+		for (const auto &[name, _] : fonts_)
+			names.push_back(name);
+		std::sort(names.begin(), names.end());
+		return names;
+	}
+
+
 	// Current font name/size as last successfully loaded via LoadFont()
 	std::string CurrentFontName() const
 	{

kge.desktop

@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+[Desktop Entry]
+Type=Application
+Name=kge
+GenericName=Text Editor
+Comment=kyle's graphical text editor
+Exec=/usr/local/bin/kge %F
+TryExec=/usr/local/bin/kge
+Icon=kge
+Terminal=false
+StartupNotify=true
+StartupWMClass=kge
+Categories=Utility;TextEditor;
+MimeType=text/plain;text/x-c;text/x-c++;text/x-python;text/x-go;text/x-rust;application/json;text/markdown;text/x-shellscript;
+Keywords=text;editor;code;

kge.toml.example

@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+# kge configuration
+# Place at ~/.config/kte/kge.toml
+
+[window]
+fullscreen = false
+columns = 80
+rows = 42
+
+[font]
+# Default font and size
+name = "default"
+size = 18.0
+# Font used in code mode (monospace)
+code = "default"
+# Font used in writing mode (proportional) — for .txt, .md, .rst, .org, .tex, etc.
+writing = "crimsonpro"
+
+[appearance]
+theme = "nord"
+# "dark" or "light" for themes with variants
+background = "dark"
+
+[editor]
+syntax = true

main.cc

@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 #include <clocale>
+#include <langinfo.h>
 #include <cctype>
 #include <cerrno>
 #include <cstdio>
@@ -12,6 +13,7 @@
 #include <random>
 #include <thread>
 #include <signal.h>
+#include <filesystem>
 #include <string>
 #include <unistd.h>
 #include <sys/stat.h>
@@ -20,14 +22,11 @@
 #include "Editor.h"
 #include "Frontend.h"
 #include "TerminalFrontend.h"
+#include "ErrorHandler.h"
 
 #if defined(KTE_BUILD_GUI)
-#if defined(KTE_USE_QT)
-#include "QtFrontend.h"
-#else
 #include "ImGuiFrontend.h"
 #endif
-#endif
 
 
 #ifndef KTE_VERSION_STR
@@ -111,10 +110,36 @@ RunStressHighlighter(unsigned seconds)
 }
 
 
+// kte edits UTF-8 text. With LANG unset (common in containers and ssh
+// sessions) the C locale cannot decode or encode non-ASCII characters, and
+// typed or pasted non-ASCII text was dropped (with the rest of the paste).
+// Use a UTF-8 character-type locale when the environment does not give one.
+static void
+ensure_utf8_ctype()
+{
+	auto is_utf8 = [] {
+		std::string cs = nl_langinfo(CODESET);
+		for (auto &c: cs)
+			c = static_cast<char>(std::tolower(static_cast<unsigned char>(c)));
+		return cs == "utf-8" || cs == "utf8";
+	};
+	if (is_utf8())
+		return;
+	for (const char *name: {"C.UTF-8", "C.utf8", "en_US.UTF-8", "en_US.utf8"}) {
+		if (std::setlocale(LC_CTYPE, name) && is_utf8())
+			return;
+	}
+}
+
+
 int
 main(int argc, char *argv[])
 {
 	std::setlocale(LC_ALL, "");
+	ensure_utf8_ctype();
+
+	// Ensure the error handler (and its log file) is initialised early.
+	kte::ErrorHandler::Instance();
 
 	Editor editor;
 
@@ -181,10 +206,13 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[])
 		return RunStressHighlighter(stress_seconds);
 	}
 
+	// Top-level exception handler to prevent data loss and ensure cleanup
+	try {
 		// Determine frontend
 #if !defined(KTE_BUILD_GUI)
 		if (req_gui) {
-		std::cerr << "kte: GUI not built. Reconfigure with -DBUILD_GUI=ON and required deps installed." <<
+			std::cerr << "kte: GUI not built. Reconfigure with -DBUILD_GUI=ON and required deps installed."
+				<<
 				std::endl;
 			return 2;
 		}
@@ -196,6 +224,8 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[])
 			use_gui = false;
 		} else {
 
+
+
 		// Default depends on build target: kge defaults to GUI, kte to terminal
 #if defined(KTE_DEFAULT_GUI)
 		use_gui = true;
@@ -246,7 +276,18 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[])
 					// Fall through: not a +number, treat as filename starting with '+'
 				}
 
-			const std::string path = arg;
+				// Resolve to absolute path now, before any
+				// chdir (macOS GUI changes CWD to HOME before
+				// deferred opens are processed).
+				std::string path = arg;
+				try {
+					std::filesystem::path p(path);
+					if (p.is_relative()) {
+						path = std::filesystem::absolute(p).string();
+					}
+				} catch (...) {
+					// Fall through with original path
+				}
 				editor.RequestOpenFile(path, pending_line);
 				pending_line = 0; // consumed (if set)
 			}
@@ -271,6 +312,20 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[])
 			fe = std::make_unique<TerminalFrontend>();
 		}
 
+		// Guarantee Shutdown() runs on every exit path from here on (normal
+		// return, early return, or exception unwinding e.g. from Init/Execute/
+		// Step) so a crash never leaves the terminal in raw/cbreak mode.
+		struct FrontendShutdownGuard {
+			Frontend *fe;
+
+
+			~FrontendShutdownGuard()
+			{
+				if (fe)
+					fe->Shutdown();
+			}
+		} shutdown_guard{fe.get()};
+
 #if defined(KTE_BUILD_GUI) && defined(__APPLE__)
 		if (use_gui) {
 			/* likely using the .app, so need to cd */
@@ -299,7 +354,19 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[])
 			fe->Step(editor, running);
 		}
 
-	fe->Shutdown();
-
 		return 0;
+	} catch (const std::exception &e) {
+		std::string msg = std::string("Unhandled exception: ") + e.what();
+		kte::ErrorHandler::Instance().Critical("main", msg);
+		std::cerr << "\n*** FATAL ERROR ***\n"
+			<< "kte encountered an unhandled exception: " << e.what() << "\n"
+			<< "The editor will now exit. Any unsaved changes may be recovered from swap files.\n";
+		return 1;
+	} catch (...) {
+		kte::ErrorHandler::Instance().Critical("main", "Unknown exception");
+		std::cerr << "\n*** FATAL ERROR ***\n"
+			<< "kte encountered an unknown exception.\n"
+			<< "The editor will now exit. Any unsaved changes may be recovered from swap files.\n";
+		return 1;
+	}
 }

make-app-release

@@ -14,21 +14,3 @@ zip -r kge.app.zip kge.app
 sha256sum kge.app.zip
 open .
 cd ..
-
-mkdir -p cmake-build-release-qt
-cmake -S . -B cmake-build-release-qt -DBUILD_GUI=ON -DKTE_USE_QT=ON -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DENABLE_ASAN=OFF
-
-cd cmake-build-release-qt
-make clean
-rm -fr kge.app* kge-qt.app*
-make
-mv -f kge.app kge-qt.app
-# Use the same Qt's macdeployqt as used for building; ensure it overwrites in-bundle paths
-macdeployqt kge-qt.app -always-overwrite -verbose=3
-
-# Run CMake BundleUtilities fixup to internalize non-Qt dylibs and rewrite install names
-cmake -DAPP_BUNDLE="$(pwd)/kge-qt.app" -P "${PWD%/*}/cmake/fix_bundle.cmake"
-zip -r kge-qt.app.zip kge-qt.app 
-sha256sum kge-qt.app.zip
-open .
-cd ..

make-release

@@ -22,5 +22,6 @@ fi
 
 git tag "${KTE_VERSION}"
 git push && git push --tags
+git push github && git push github --tags
 
 ( ./make-app-release )

syntax/CppHighlighter.cc

@@ -60,11 +60,10 @@ CppHighlighter::HighlightLineStateful(const Buffer &buf,
                                       const LineState &prev,
                                       std::vector<HighlightSpan> &out) const
 {
-	const auto &rows                     = buf.Rows();
 	StatefulHighlighter::LineState state = prev;
-	if (row < 0 || static_cast<std::size_t>(row) >= rows.size())
+	if (row < 0 || static_cast<std::size_t>(row) >= buf.Nrows())
 		return state;
-	std::string s = static_cast<std::string>(rows[static_cast<std::size_t>(row)]);
+	std::string s = buf.GetLineString(static_cast<std::size_t>(row));
 	if (s.empty())
 		return state;
 
@@ -164,11 +163,14 @@ CppHighlighter::HighlightLineStateful(const Buffer &buf,
 		if (c == 'R' && i + 1 < n && s[i + 1] == '"') {
 			int k = i + 2;
 			std::string delim;
-			while (k < n && s[k] != '(') {
+			// A raw-string delimiter is at most 16 characters (and has no
+			// spaces, backslashes or parentheses); scanning the rest of the
+			// line for '(' at every R" made long lines quadratic.
+			while (k < n && s[k] != '(' && delim.size() <= 16) {
 				delim.push_back(s[k]);
 				++k;
 			}
-			if (k < n && s[k] == '(') {
+			if (k < n && s[k] == '(' && delim.size() <= 16) {
 				int body_start     = k + 1;
 				std::string needle = ")" + delim + "\"";
 				auto pos           = s.find(needle, static_cast<std::size_t>(body_start));

syntax/ErlangHighlighter.cc

@@ -40,10 +40,9 @@ ErlangHighlighter::ErlangHighlighter()
 void
 ErlangHighlighter::HighlightLine(const Buffer &buf, int row, std::vector<HighlightSpan> &out) const
 {
-	const auto &rows = buf.Rows();
+	if (row < 0 || static_cast<std::size_t>(row) >= buf.Nrows())
-	if (row < 0 || static_cast<std::size_t>(row) >= rows.size())
 		return;
-	std::string s = static_cast<std::string>(rows[static_cast<std::size_t>(row)]);
+	std::string s = buf.GetLineString(static_cast<std::size_t>(row));
 	int n         = static_cast<int>(s.size());
 	int i         = 0;
 

syntax/ForthHighlighter.cc

@@ -40,10 +40,9 @@ ForthHighlighter::ForthHighlighter()
 void
 ForthHighlighter::HighlightLine(const Buffer &buf, int row, std::vector<HighlightSpan> &out) const
 {
-	const auto &rows = buf.Rows();
+	if (row < 0 || static_cast<std::size_t>(row) >= buf.Nrows())
-	if (row < 0 || static_cast<std::size_t>(row) >= rows.size())
 		return;
-	std::string s = static_cast<std::string>(rows[static_cast<std::size_t>(row)]);
+	std::string s = buf.GetLineString(static_cast<std::size_t>(row));
 	int n         = static_cast<int>(s.size());
 	int i         = 0;
 

syntax/GoHighlighter.cc

@@ -46,15 +46,45 @@ GoHighlighter::GoHighlighter()
 void
 GoHighlighter::HighlightLine(const Buffer &buf, int row, std::vector<HighlightSpan> &out) const
 {
-	const auto &rows = buf.Rows();
+	StatefulHighlighter::LineState prev;
-	if (row < 0 || static_cast<std::size_t>(row) >= rows.size())
+	(void) HighlightLineStateful(buf, row, prev, out);
-		return;
+}
-	std::string s = static_cast<std::string>(rows[static_cast<std::size_t>(row)]);
+
+
+StatefulHighlighter::LineState
+GoHighlighter::HighlightLineStateful(const Buffer &buf,
+                                     int row,
+                                     const LineState &prev,
+                                     std::vector<HighlightSpan> &out) const
+{
+	StatefulHighlighter::LineState state = prev;
+	if (row < 0 || static_cast<std::size_t>(row) >= buf.Nrows())
+		return state;
+	std::string s = buf.GetLineString(static_cast<std::size_t>(row));
 	int n         = static_cast<int>(s.size());
 	int i         = 0;
 	int bol       = 0;
 	while (bol < n && (s[bol] == ' ' || s[bol] == '\t'))
 		++bol;
+
+	// Continue a multi-line block comment from the previous line.
+	if (state.in_block_comment) {
+		int j = i;
+		while (i + 1 < n) {
+			if (s[i] == '*' && s[i + 1] == '/') {
+				i += 2;
+				push(out, j, i, TokenKind::Comment);
+				state.in_block_comment = false;
+				break;
+			}
+			++i;
+		}
+		if (state.in_block_comment) {
+			push(out, j, n, TokenKind::Comment);
+			return state;
+		}
+	}
+
 	// line comment
 	while (i < n) {
 		char c = s[i];
@@ -83,7 +113,8 @@ GoHighlighter::HighlightLine(const Buffer &buf, int row, std::vector<HighlightSp
 			}
 			if (!closed) {
 				push(out, i, n, TokenKind::Comment);
-				break;
+				state.in_block_comment = true;
+				return state;
 			} else {
 				push(out, i, j, TokenKind::Comment);
 				i = j;
@@ -153,5 +184,6 @@ GoHighlighter::HighlightLine(const Buffer &buf, int row, std::vector<HighlightSp
 		push(out, i, i + 1, TokenKind::Default);
 		++i;
 	}
+	return state;
 }
 } // namespace kte

syntax/GoHighlighter.h

@@ -5,12 +5,17 @@
 #include <unordered_set>
 
 namespace kte {
-class GoHighlighter final : public LanguageHighlighter {
+class GoHighlighter final : public StatefulHighlighter {
 public:
 	GoHighlighter();
 
 	void HighlightLine(const Buffer &buf, int row, std::vector<HighlightSpan> &out) const override;
 
+	LineState HighlightLineStateful(const Buffer &buf,
+	                                int row,
+	                                const LineState &prev,
+	                                std::vector<HighlightSpan> &out) const override;
+
 private:
 	std::unordered_set<std::string> kws_;
 	std::unordered_set<std::string> types_;

syntax/HighlighterEngine.cc

@@ -1,194 +1,122 @@
 #include "HighlighterEngine.h"
 #include "../Buffer.h"
 #include "LanguageHighlighter.h"
-#include <thread>
+
+#include <algorithm>
 
 namespace kte {
 HighlighterEngine::HighlighterEngine() = default;
 
 
-HighlighterEngine::~HighlighterEngine()
+HighlighterEngine::~HighlighterEngine() = default;
-{
-	// stop background worker
-	if (worker_running_.load()) {
-		{
-			std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(mtx_);
-			worker_running_.store(false);
-			has_request_ = true; // wake it up to exit
-		}
-		cv_.notify_one();
-		if (worker_.joinable())
-			worker_.join();
-	}
-}
 
 
 void
 HighlighterEngine::SetHighlighter(std::unique_ptr<LanguageHighlighter> hl)
 {
-	std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(mtx_);
 	hl_ = std::move(hl);
-	cache_.clear();
+	clear_caches_locked();
-	state_cache_.clear();
-	state_last_contig_.clear();
 }
 
 
-LineHighlight
+void
+HighlighterEngine::clear_caches_locked() const
+{
+	cache_.clear();
+	states_.clear();
+}
+
+
+void
+HighlighterEngine::invalidate_from_locked(int row) const
+{
+	if (row < 0)
+		row = 0;
+	cache_.erase(cache_.lower_bound(row), cache_.end());
+	if (states_.size() > static_cast<std::size_t>(row))
+		states_.resize(static_cast<std::size_t>(row));
+}
+
+
+const LineHighlight &
 HighlighterEngine::GetLine(const Buffer &buf, int row, std::uint64_t buf_version) const
 {
-	std::unique_lock<std::mutex> lock(mtx_);
+	if (!have_version_ || buf_version != version_) {
-	auto it = cache_.find(row);
+		// Content changed without OnEdit: nothing cached can be trusted.
-	if (it != cache_.end() && it->second.version == buf_version) {
+		clear_caches_locked();
-		return it->second; // return by value (copy)
+		version_      = buf_version;
+		have_version_ = true;
 	}
+	if (auto it = cache_.find(row); it != cache_.end())
+		return it->second;
 
-	// We'll compute into a local result to avoid exposing references to cache
 	LineHighlight result;
 	result.version = buf_version;
-	result.spans.clear();
+	if (hl_ && row >= 0 && !hl_->Stateful()) {
+		hl_->HighlightLine(buf, row, result.spans);
+	} else if (hl_ && row >= 0) {
+		const auto *stateful = static_cast<const StatefulHighlighter *>(hl_.get());
+		// Continue from the last row with a known end state (or the row
+		// just above the target, if that is known), caching every row's
+		// spans and state along the way so neighbouring rows are cache hits.
+		const int known = static_cast<int>(states_.size()) - 1;
+		const int start = std::min(known, row - 1);
+		StatefulHighlighter::LineState state = (start >= 0) ? states_[static_cast<std::size_t>(start)]
+		                                                    : StatefulHighlighter::LineState{};
+		const int nrows = static_cast<int>(buf.Nrows());
+		for (int r = start + 1; r <= row && r < nrows; ++r) {
+			LineHighlight lh;
+			lh.version = buf_version;
+			state      = stateful->HighlightLineStateful(buf, r, state, lh.spans);
+			if (static_cast<std::size_t>(r) == states_.size())
+				states_.push_back(state);
+			else
+				states_[static_cast<std::size_t>(r)] = state;
+			if (r == row)
+				result = std::move(lh);
+			else if (row - r <= kCacheNear)
+				cache_.insert_or_assign(r, std::move(lh));
+			// Rows further above only needed their end state (kept in
+			// states_): caching their spans too held about 10x the file size
+			// in memory after jumping to the end of a large file.
+		}
+	}
+	// Trim first: the entry returned must survive until the next call.
+	trim_cache_locked(row);
+	return cache_.insert_or_assign(row, std::move(result)).first->second;
+}
 
-	if (!hl_) {
-		// Cache empty result and return it
-		cache_[row] = result;
-		return result;
-	}
 
-	// Copy shared_ptr-like raw pointer for use outside critical sections
+void
-	LanguageHighlighter *hl_ptr = hl_.get();
+HighlighterEngine::trim_cache_locked(const int row) const
-	bool is_stateful            = dynamic_cast<StatefulHighlighter *>(hl_ptr) != nullptr;
+{
-
+	if (cache_.size() <= kCacheMax)
-	if (!is_stateful) {
+		return;
-		// Stateless fast path: we can release the lock while computing to reduce contention
+	cache_.erase(cache_.begin(), cache_.lower_bound(row - kCacheNear));
-		lock.unlock();
+	cache_.erase(cache_.upper_bound(row + kCacheNear), cache_.end());
-		hl_ptr->HighlightLine(buf, row, result.spans);
-		// Update cache and return
-		std::lock_guard<std::mutex> gl(mtx_);
-		cache_[row] = result;
-		return result;
-	}
-
-	// Stateful path: we need to walk from a known previous state. Keep lock while consulting caches,
-	// but release during heavy computation.
-	auto *stateful = static_cast<StatefulHighlighter *>(hl_ptr);
-
-	StatefulHighlighter::LineState prev_state;
-	int start_row = -1;
-	if (!state_cache_.empty()) {
-		// linear search over map (unordered), track best candidate
-		int best = -1;
-		for (const auto &kv: state_cache_) {
-			int r = kv.first;
-			// Only use cached state if it's for the current version and row still exists
-			if (r <= row - 1 && kv.second.version == buf_version) {
-				// Validate that the cached row index is still valid in the buffer
-				if (r >= 0 && static_cast<std::size_t>(r) < buf.Rows().size()) {
-					if (r > best)
-						best = r;
-				}
-			}
-		}
-		if (best >= 0) {
-			start_row  = best;
-			prev_state = state_cache_.at(best).state;
-		}
-	}
-
-	// We'll compute states and the target line's spans without holding the lock for most of the work.
-	// Create a local copy of prev_state and iterate rows; we will update caches under lock.
-	lock.unlock();
-	StatefulHighlighter::LineState cur_state = prev_state;
-	for (int r = start_row + 1; r <= row; ++r) {
-		std::vector<HighlightSpan> tmp;
-		std::vector<HighlightSpan> &out = (r == row) ? result.spans : tmp;
-		auto next_state                 = stateful->HighlightLineStateful(buf, r, cur_state, out);
-		// Update state cache for r
-		std::lock_guard<std::mutex> gl(mtx_);
-		StateEntry se;
-		se.version      = buf_version;
-		se.state        = next_state;
-		state_cache_[r] = se;
-		cur_state       = next_state;
-	}
-
-	// Store in cache and return by value
-	lock.lock();
-	cache_[row] = result;
-	return result;
 }
 
 
 void
 HighlighterEngine::InvalidateFrom(int row)
 {
-	std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(mtx_);
+	invalidate_from_locked(row);
-	if (cache_.empty())
-		return;
-	// Simple implementation: erase all rows >= row
-	for (auto it = cache_.begin(); it != cache_.end();) {
-		if (it->first >= row)
-			it = cache_.erase(it);
-		else
-			++it;
-	}
-	if (!state_cache_.empty()) {
-		for (auto it = state_cache_.begin(); it != state_cache_.end();) {
-			if (it->first >= row)
-				it = state_cache_.erase(it);
-			else
-				++it;
-		}
-	}
 }
 
 
 void
-HighlighterEngine::ensure_worker_started() const
+HighlighterEngine::OnEdit(int row, std::uint64_t buf_version)
 {
-	if (worker_running_.load())
+	if (have_version_)
-		return;
+		invalidate_from_locked(row);
-	worker_running_.store(true);
+	version_      = buf_version;
-	worker_ = std::thread([this]() {
+	have_version_ = true;
-		this->worker_loop();
-	});
-}
-
-
-void
-HighlighterEngine::worker_loop() const
-{
-	std::unique_lock<std::mutex> lock(mtx_);
-	while (worker_running_.load()) {
-		cv_.wait(lock, [this]() {
-			return has_request_ || !worker_running_.load();
-		});
-		if (!worker_running_.load())
-			break;
-		WarmRequest req = pending_;
-		has_request_    = false;
-		// Copy locals then release lock while computing
-		lock.unlock();
-		if (req.buf) {
-			int start  = std::max(0, req.start_row);
-			int end    = std::max(start, req.end_row);
-			int skip_f = std::min(req.skip_first, req.skip_last);
-			int skip_l = std::max(req.skip_first, req.skip_last);
-			for (int r = start; r <= end; ++r) {
-				// Avoid touching rows that the foreground just computed/drew.
-				if (r >= skip_f && r <= skip_l)
-					continue;
-				// Compute line; GetLine is thread-safe and will refresh caches.
-				(void) this->GetLine(*req.buf, r, req.version);
-			}
-		}
-		lock.lock();
-	}
 }
 
 
 void
 HighlighterEngine::PrefetchViewport(const Buffer &buf, int first_row, int row_count, std::uint64_t buf_version,
-                                    int warm_margin) const
+                                    int /*warm_margin*/) const
 {
 	if (row_count <= 0)
 		return;
@@ -204,21 +132,5 @@ HighlighterEngine::PrefetchViewport(const Buffer &buf, int first_row, int row_co
 	for (int r = start; r <= end; ++r) {
 		(void) GetLine(buf, r, buf_version);
 	}
-
-	// Enqueue background warm-around
-	int warm_start = std::max(0, start - warm_margin);
-	int warm_end   = std::min(max_rows - 1, end + warm_margin);
-	{
-		std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(mtx_);
-		pending_.buf        = &buf;
-		pending_.version    = buf_version;
-		pending_.start_row  = warm_start;
-		pending_.end_row    = warm_end;
-		pending_.skip_first = start;
-		pending_.skip_last  = end;
-		has_request_        = true;
-	}
-	ensure_worker_started();
-	cv_.notify_one();
 }
 } // namespace kte

syntax/HighlighterEngine.h

@@ -1,14 +1,11 @@
-// HighlighterEngine.h - caching layer for per-line highlights
+// HighlighterEngine.h - caching layer for per-line highlights (main thread
+// only, like the Buffer it reads)
 #pragma once
 
 #include <cstdint>
+#include <map>
 #include <memory>
-#include <unordered_map>
 #include <vector>
-#include <mutex>
-#include <condition_variable>
-#include <atomic>
-#include <thread>
 
 #include "../Highlight.h"
 #include "LanguageHighlighter.h"
@@ -24,14 +21,20 @@ public:
 
 	void SetHighlighter(std::unique_ptr<LanguageHighlighter> hl);
 
-	// Retrieve highlights for a given line and buffer version.
+	// Highlights for a line at a buffer version, computed if not cached.
-	// Returns a copy to avoid lifetime issues across threads/renderers.
+	// The reference is valid until the next call on this engine (a later
-	// If cache is stale, recompute using the current highlighter.
+	// lookup may evict the entry); copy it to keep it longer.
-	LineHighlight GetLine(const Buffer &buf, int row, std::uint64_t buf_version) const;
+	const LineHighlight &GetLine(const Buffer &buf, int row, std::uint64_t buf_version) const;
 
 	// Invalidate cached lines from row (inclusive)
 	void InvalidateFrom(int row);
 
+	// The buffer changed at `row` and is now at `buf_version`. Highlighting
+	// of a row depends only on the rows above it, so rows before `row` stay
+	// cached. A version change that arrives without OnEdit (a path that
+	// changed content without reporting it) still clears the whole cache.
+	void OnEdit(int row, std::uint64_t buf_version);
+
 
 	bool HasHighlighter() const
 	{
@@ -39,52 +42,37 @@ public:
 	}
 
 
-	// Phase 3: viewport-first prefetch and background warming
+	// Compute highlights for the visible range so drawing hits the cache.
-	// Compute only the visible range now, and enqueue a background warm-around task.
+	// There is deliberately no background warming: a worker thread would read
-	// warm_margin: how many extra lines above/below to warm in the background.
+	// the Buffer while the main thread edits it (and could outlive a moved
+	// Buffer), and the PieceTable is not safe for concurrent read and write.
+	// warm_margin is accepted for source compatibility and ignored.
 	void PrefetchViewport(const Buffer &buf, int first_row, int row_count, std::uint64_t buf_version,
 	                      int warm_margin = 200) const;
 
 private:
 	std::unique_ptr<LanguageHighlighter> hl_;
-	// Simple cache by row index (mutable to allow caching in const GetLine)
+	// Cached spans by row, valid for version_ (ordered so InvalidateFrom can
-	mutable std::unordered_map<int, LineHighlight> cache_;
+	// drop a tail cheaply).
+	mutable std::map<int, LineHighlight> cache_;
 
-	// For stateful highlighters, remember per-line state (state after finishing that row)
+	// For stateful highlighters: states_[r] is the state after row r, for
-	struct StateEntry {
+	// every row 0..states_.size()-1 (always a contiguous prefix).
-		std::uint64_t version{0};
+	mutable std::vector<StatefulHighlighter::LineState> states_;
-		// Using the interface type; forward-declare via header
-		StatefulHighlighter::LineState state;
-	};
 
-	mutable std::unordered_map<int, StateEntry> state_cache_;
+	// Buffer version the caches describe.
+	mutable std::uint64_t version_{0};
+	mutable bool have_version_{false};
 
-	// Track best known contiguous state row for a given version to avoid O(n) scans
+	void clear_caches_locked() const;
-	mutable std::unordered_map<std::uint64_t, int> state_last_contig_;
 
-	// Thread-safety for caches and background worker state
+	void invalidate_from_locked(int row) const;
-	mutable std::mutex mtx_;
 
-	// Background warmer
+	// Span cache bounds: rows within kCacheNear of a requested row are
-	struct WarmRequest {
+	// cached; past kCacheMax entries, those far from the current row go.
-		const Buffer *buf{nullptr};
+	static constexpr int kCacheNear        = 1024;
-		std::uint64_t version{0};
+	static constexpr std::size_t kCacheMax = 16384;
-		int start_row{0};
-		int end_row{0}; // inclusive
-		// Visible rows to skip touching in the background (inclusive range).
-		// These are computed synchronously by PrefetchViewport.
-		int skip_first{0};
-		int skip_last{-1};
-	};
 
-	mutable std::condition_variable cv_;
+	void trim_cache_locked(int row) const;
-	mutable std::thread worker_;
-	mutable std::atomic<bool> worker_running_{false};
-	mutable bool has_request_{false};
-	mutable WarmRequest pending_{};
-
-	void ensure_worker_started() const;
-
-	void worker_loop() const;
 };
 } // namespace kte

syntax/JsonHighlighter.cc

@@ -13,10 +13,9 @@ is_digit(char c)
 void
 JSONHighlighter::HighlightLine(const Buffer &buf, int row, std::vector<HighlightSpan> &out) const
 {
-	const auto &rows = buf.Rows();
+	if (row < 0 || static_cast<std::size_t>(row) >= buf.Nrows())
-	if (row < 0 || static_cast<std::size_t>(row) >= rows.size())
 		return;
-	std::string s = static_cast<std::string>(rows[static_cast<std::size_t>(row)]);
+	std::string s = buf.GetLineString(static_cast<std::size_t>(row));
 	int n         = static_cast<int>(s.size());
 	auto push     = [&](int a, int b, TokenKind k) {
 		if (b > a)

syntax/LispHighlighter.cc

@@ -25,10 +25,9 @@ LispHighlighter::LispHighlighter()
 void
 LispHighlighter::HighlightLine(const Buffer &buf, int row, std::vector<HighlightSpan> &out) const
 {
-	const auto &rows = buf.Rows();
+	if (row < 0 || static_cast<std::size_t>(row) >= buf.Nrows())
-	if (row < 0 || static_cast<std::size_t>(row) >= rows.size())
 		return;
-	std::string s = static_cast<std::string>(rows[static_cast<std::size_t>(row)]);
+	std::string s = buf.GetLineString(static_cast<std::size_t>(row));
 	int n         = static_cast<int>(s.size());
 	int i         = 0;
 	int bol       = 0;

syntax/MarkdownHighlighter.cc

@@ -24,10 +24,9 @@ MarkdownHighlighter::HighlightLineStateful(const Buffer &buf, int row, const Lin
                                            std::vector<HighlightSpan> &out) const
 {
 	StatefulHighlighter::LineState state = prev;
-	const auto &rows                     = buf.Rows();
+	if (row < 0 || static_cast<std::size_t>(row) >= buf.Nrows())
-	if (row < 0 || static_cast<std::size_t>(row) >= rows.size())
 		return state;
-	std::string s = static_cast<std::string>(rows[static_cast<std::size_t>(row)]);
+	std::string s = buf.GetLineString(static_cast<std::size_t>(row));
 	int n         = static_cast<int>(s.size());
 
 	// Reuse in_block_comment flag as "in fenced code" state.

syntax/NullHighlighter.cc

@@ -5,10 +5,9 @@ namespace kte {
 void
 NullHighlighter::HighlightLine(const Buffer &buf, int row, std::vector<HighlightSpan> &out) const
 {
-	const auto &rows = buf.Rows();
+	if (row < 0 || static_cast<std::size_t>(row) >= buf.Nrows())
-	if (row < 0 || static_cast<std::size_t>(row) >= rows.size())
 		return;
-	std::string s = static_cast<std::string>(rows[static_cast<std::size_t>(row)]);
+	std::string s = buf.GetLineString(static_cast<std::size_t>(row));
 	int n         = static_cast<int>(s.size());
 	if (n <= 0)
 		return;