diff --git a/.cargo/config.toml b/.cargo/config.toml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ac2b23f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.cargo/config.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+[target.x86_64-pc-windows-msvc]
+rustflags = ["-C", "target-feature=+crt-static"]
diff --git a/.github/workflows/version-tag.yml b/.github/workflows/version-tag.yml
index 96f32a9..372014b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/version-tag.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/version-tag.yml
@@ -24,6 +24,9 @@ jobs:
       - name: Checkout
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
 
+      - name: Check repository text
+        run: python scripts/check-text.py
+
       - name: Extract version from tag
         id: version
         shell: pwsh
@@ -260,12 +263,18 @@ jobs:
           $ui = "$pkg/ui"
           New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path $ui | Out-Null
           Copy-Item "$rel/ui/*" $ui -Recurse
+          ./scripts/verify-runtime-dlls.ps1 `
+            -RuntimeDir $ui `
+            -VcpkgBinDir "build/vcpkg_installed/x64-windows/bin"
           Compress-Archive -Path "$ui/*" -DestinationPath "monolith-ui-${{ steps.compvars.outputs.ui }}.zip"
 
           # updater: Updater.exe at the app root.
           $upd = "$pkg/updater"
           New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path $upd | Out-Null
           Copy-Item "$rel/Updater.exe" $upd
+          ./scripts/verify-runtime-dlls.ps1 `
+            -RuntimeDir $upd `
+            -VcpkgBinDir "build/vcpkg_installed/x64-windows/bin"
           Compress-Archive -Path "$upd/*" -DestinationPath "monolith-updater-${{ steps.compvars.outputs.updater }}.zip"
 
           Get-ChildItem monolith-*.zip | ForEach-Object { Write-Host "$($_.Name) $([math]::Round($_.Length / 1MB, 1)) MB" }
@@ -317,7 +326,7 @@ jobs:
             **Install:** download and run `MonolithSetup-${{ steps.version.outputs.version }}.exe` (per-user, no admin needed, no prerequisites).
             Existing installs update automatically via the in-app updater.
 
-            **Components:** engine ${{ steps.compvars.outputs.engine }} · ui ${{ steps.compvars.outputs.ui }} · updater ${{ steps.compvars.outputs.updater }} — clients download only what changed.
+            **Components:** engine ${{ steps.compvars.outputs.engine }} · ui ${{ steps.compvars.outputs.ui }} · updater ${{ steps.compvars.outputs.updater }} - clients download only what changed.
 
             **Stream Deck:** `Monolith-StreamDeck-${{ steps.version.outputs.version }}.streamDeckPlugin`
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/windows-ci.yml b/.github/workflows/windows-ci.yml
index b6bda24..9edd8f6 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/windows-ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/windows-ci.yml
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ on:
   push:
     branches: [main]
   pull_request:
-    branches: [main]
 
 permissions:
   contents: read
@@ -25,6 +24,13 @@ jobs:
       - name: Checkout
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
 
+      - name: Check repository text
+        run: python scripts/check-text.py
+
+      - name: Test runtime dependency verifier
+        shell: pwsh
+        run: ./tests/packaging/verify-runtime-dlls.tests.ps1
+
       # Pinned to the builtin-baseline commit in vcpkg.json so dependency
       # versions (FFmpeg DLL ABIs etc.) are reproducible across CI runs.
       - name: Clone vcpkg (pinned)
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index ff90312..585ebee 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -42,7 +42,6 @@ Win32/
 # --- vcpkg ---
 vcpkg/
 vcpkg_installed/
-vcpkg-configuration.json
 
 # --- Windows ---
 Thumbs.db
diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..91c5222
--- /dev/null
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+# Repository instructions
+
+Follow `CLAUDE.md` and `docs/DEVELOPMENT_RULES.md` for build, architecture and verification rules.
+
+## Text and comments
+
+- Never use U+2013 or U+2014 in any context: code, comments, documentation, commit messages, pull requests or reports. Use an ASCII hyphen, comma, colon or parentheses as appropriate.
+- Remove or replace these characters whenever encountered. Keep all tracked UTF-8 text free of them.
+- Keep comments short and essential. Explain only non-obvious intent, constraints or logic. Do not claim that code works, is safe or is correct in a comment.
+- Keep names short, clear and specific to the function or type.
+
+## Contributions
+
+- Work on separate branches and open pull requests in English.
+- Report exact checks performed and distinguish static inspection from Windows runtime verification.
+- Update `docs/handover/ACTIVE_HANDOVER.md` after substantial work.
diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index 54e937a..6a837f0 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ Dis file = work guide for agents and maintainers in repo.
 Monolith = Windows-only, recorder-first screen capture + replay-buffer app.
 Target Windows 11 x64. Built on native C++23 recording engine, Win32 tray/message-loop host, Tauri v2/WebView2 desktop UI sidecar, Elgato Stream Deck controller plugin.
 
-Component versions (independent — bump only what changed): engine = root
+Component versions (independent - bump only what changed): engine = root
 `CMakeLists.txt` `project(VERSION)`, ui = `app/desktop-ui/src-tauri/tauri.conf.json`,
 updater = `app/updater/src-tauri/tauri.conf.json`. The git tag only names a
 release and versions the full installer (see docs/RELEASING.md, ADR-0018).
diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index a9b5498..1ab55b8 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ endif()
 
 project(monolith VERSION 1.6.2 LANGUAGES CXX)
 
-# Engine version — the engine component of the component updater (the ui and
+# Engine version - the engine component of the component updater (the ui and
 # updater components carry their own versions in their tauri.conf.json).
 # Bump it when the engine changes; local builds fall back to project(VERSION).
 set(MONOLITH_VERSION "${PROJECT_VERSION}" CACHE STRING "Monolith engine version (X.Y.Z)")
diff --git a/app/desktop-ui/CMakeLists.txt b/app/desktop-ui/CMakeLists.txt
index bbed1b3..a256566 100644
--- a/app/desktop-ui/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/app/desktop-ui/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ if(NPM_EXECUTABLE AND CARGO_EXECUTABLE)
         COMMAND "${NPM_EXECUTABLE}" install
         COMMAND "${NPM_EXECUTABLE}" run build
         # 2. Compile the Tauri host. Plain `cargo build --release` is used (not
-        #    `cargo tauri build`) so the tauri-cli is not required — bundling is
+        #    `cargo tauri build`) so the tauri-cli is not required - bundling is
         #    disabled (tauri.conf.json bundle.active=false) and we ship the bare exe.
         #    --features custom-protocol is REQUIRED: without it tauri's build
         #    script sets cfg(dev)=true and the shipped exe loads build.devUrl
diff --git a/app/desktop-ui/PRODUCT.md b/app/desktop-ui/PRODUCT.md
index 09f04aa..133f6ac 100644
--- a/app/desktop-ui/PRODUCT.md
+++ b/app/desktop-ui/PRODUCT.md
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ instantly in the library, and the app never gets in the way of the game.
 Quiet, precise, native. The app should feel like part of Windows: dark chrome,
 monochrome restraint, red reserved for recording/destructive meaning. A single
 desaturated lavender-ice accent marks interactive/active/selected state
-(active nav item, active tab, focused input, primary button) — it never
+(active nav item, active tab, focused input, primary button) - it never
 appears on recording or favorite affordances, and it's deliberately muted
 rather than saturated so it reads as UI state, not brand color. No gamer-RGB
 styling, no streamer-brand loudness.
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ styling, no streamer-brand loudness.
 2. Resolve, don't expose: every process, device, or file is shown by its
    human name and icon; identifiers stay internal.
 3. One accent, one meaning: red means recording or destruction, gold means
-   favorited, and the lavender-ice accent means interactive/active/selected —
+   favorited, and the lavender-ice accent means interactive/active/selected -
    each color carries exactly one signal, never mixed or reused.
 4. Native fidelity: Windows-resident fonts, standard affordances, offline and
    CSP-clean assets.
diff --git a/app/desktop-ui/README.md b/app/desktop-ui/README.md
index 873c972..a40cbb6 100644
--- a/app/desktop-ui/README.md
+++ b/app/desktop-ui/README.md
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ Rust modules:
   (favorite/title/hashtags/rename/delete).
 - `engine_rpc.rs`: JSON-RPC client to `Monolith.exe` (recorder control,
   `clip_regen_thumb`, `reload_settings`, status). Unchanged by the IPC
-  migration — also used by `plugins/stream-deck`.
+  migration - also used by `plugins/stream-deck`.
 - `game_catalog.rs`: game metadata lookup.
 - `exe_icon.rs`: native exe icon extraction.
 - `paths.rs`: Monolith runtime paths.
diff --git a/app/desktop-ui/src-tauri/capabilities/default.json b/app/desktop-ui/src-tauri/capabilities/default.json
index 06be53b..f5a83e2 100644
--- a/app/desktop-ui/src-tauri/capabilities/default.json
+++ b/app/desktop-ui/src-tauri/capabilities/default.json
@@ -2,13 +2,17 @@
   "$schema": "../gen/schemas/desktop-schema.json",
   "identifier": "default",
   "description": "Capabilities for the main Monolith UI window.",
-  "windows": ["main"],
+  "windows": [
+    "main"
+  ],
   "permissions": [
     "core:default",
     "core:window:allow-minimize",
     "core:window:allow-toggle-maximize",
     "core:window:allow-close",
     "core:window:allow-start-dragging",
-    "core:event:default"
+    "core:event:default",
+    "core:window:allow-maximize",
+    "core:window:allow-unmaximize"
   ]
 }
diff --git a/app/desktop-ui/src-tauri/src/collections.rs b/app/desktop-ui/src-tauri/src/collections.rs
index 871a8aa..8a48c60 100644
--- a/app/desktop-ui/src-tauri/src/collections.rs
+++ b/app/desktop-ui/src-tauri/src/collections.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 // Collections ("albums"): user-curated groupings of clips that span both
 // sources (replay + manual). Stored in a single global collections.db under
-// %LocalAppData%\Monolith — deliberately not per-catalog, because a collection
+// %LocalAppData%\Monolith - deliberately not per-catalog, because a collection
 // mixes clips from clips.db and recs.db. Rows referencing clips that have
 // since been deleted are pruned on read.
 
diff --git a/app/desktop-ui/src-tauri/src/commands.rs b/app/desktop-ui/src-tauri/src/commands.rs
index b26acd3..5eaf0fc 100644
--- a/app/desktop-ui/src-tauri/src/commands.rs
+++ b/app/desktop-ui/src-tauri/src/commands.rs
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 //
 // IMPORTANT: every command here is `async fn`. Tauri v2 runs plain
 // (non-async) commands inline on the main thread, which is also the WebView2
-// message-pump thread — a synchronous SQLite query or engine_rpc TCP call
+// message-pump thread - a synchronous SQLite query or engine_rpc TCP call
 // there freezes the whole window. `async fn` commands are dispatched via
 // `async_runtime::spawn`, and the blocking bodies below run on
 // `spawn_blocking` so the UI thread never waits on disk/network I/O.
@@ -202,7 +202,7 @@ pub async fn reveal_in_explorer(path: String) -> Result<(), String> {
     .await
 }
 
-// Spawns the component updater (Updater.exe) with its window visible — the
+// Spawns the component updater (Updater.exe) with its window visible - the
 // Settings "Check for updates" action. Resolution mirrors the engine's
 // resolve_tauri_ui() (settings_window.cpp): installed exe next to the app
 // root, then the CMake build output, then a dev cargo tree. The updater has
@@ -400,7 +400,7 @@ pub async fn get_settings() -> Value {
 
 // Rejects a config document that assigns the same normalized hotkey chord to
 // more than one action. Defense-in-depth mirror of the check the engine's
-// `settings::save()` also runs before persisting — this one catches it before
+// `settings::save()` also runs before persisting - this one catches it before
 // the write even happens. "NONE" (hotkey disabled) never collides with itself.
 fn find_hotkey_collision(config: &Value) -> Option<String> {
     let hotkeys = config.get("hotkeys")?.as_object()?;
@@ -447,7 +447,7 @@ pub async fn save_settings(app: tauri::AppHandle, config: Value) -> Result<(), S
     blocking_result(move || settings_store::write_config(&config).map_err(|err| err.to_string())).await?;
     if let Err(err) = blocking(engine_rpc::reload_settings).await {
         // Settings are saved; the engine just couldn't reload them right now
-        // (it may not be running — it reads the new values at next start).
+        // (it may not be running - it reads the new values at next start).
         eprintln!("engine settings reload failed: {err}");
     }
     // Output folders may have changed: re-scope the asset protocol so
diff --git a/app/desktop-ui/src-tauri/src/exe_icon.rs b/app/desktop-ui/src-tauri/src/exe_icon.rs
index 8dc0d3d..8a5a57e 100644
--- a/app/desktop-ui/src-tauri/src/exe_icon.rs
+++ b/app/desktop-ui/src-tauri/src/exe_icon.rs
@@ -3,8 +3,8 @@
 // bar capture status pattern) instead of remote artwork or a raw process name.
 // Windows-only by definition (SHDefExtractIconW).
 //
-// Cached in game_catalog.db keyed by process name (not install path) — see
-// game_catalog::cached_exe_icon/store_exe_icon — so the same game keeps its
+// Cached in game_catalog.db keyed by process name (not install path) - see
+// game_catalog::cached_exe_icon/store_exe_icon - so the same game keeps its
 // icon across reinstalls, relocations, or different machines instead of
 // re-extracting (and never sharing a cache entry) whenever the exe's on-disk
 // path differs.
diff --git a/app/desktop-ui/src-tauri/src/game_catalog.rs b/app/desktop-ui/src-tauri/src/game_catalog.rs
index eac2c03..d614ccc 100644
--- a/app/desktop-ui/src-tauri/src/game_catalog.rs
+++ b/app/desktop-ui/src-tauri/src/game_catalog.rs
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ use std::path::PathBuf;
 use std::time::{Duration, SystemTime, UNIX_EPOCH};
 
 // Discord is only ever used to enrich the display (name/icon/cover) of a game
-// the C++ recorder's local heuristic already detected — never to decide which
+// the C++ recorder's local heuristic already detected - never to decide which
 // process is active. All reads used by the clip grid go through
 // resolve_artwork_cached (below), which never makes a network call; artwork
 // is populated/refreshed only by the scheduled background job in main.rs
diff --git a/app/desktop-ui/src-tauri/src/main.rs b/app/desktop-ui/src-tauri/src/main.rs
index b9aebfe..b90b94a 100644
--- a/app/desktop-ui/src-tauri/src/main.rs
+++ b/app/desktop-ui/src-tauri/src/main.rs
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 // protocol) instead of navigating to a local loopback HTTP server. The engine
 // (Monolith.exe) is a separate process, reached only over JSON-RPC on
 // 127.0.0.1:45991 for clip mutations / settings reload / recorder control
-// (engine_rpc.rs) — that transport is unchanged and also used by the Stream
+// (engine_rpc.rs) - that transport is unchanged and also used by the Stream
 // Deck plugin. See docs/DECISIONS.md (ADR superseding ADR-0011/0012).
 #![cfg_attr(not(debug_assertions), windows_subsystem = "windows")]
 
diff --git a/app/desktop-ui/src-tauri/src/settings_store.rs b/app/desktop-ui/src-tauri/src/settings_store.rs
index f1a8af9..32f0753 100644
--- a/app/desktop-ui/src-tauri/src/settings_store.rs
+++ b/app/desktop-ui/src-tauri/src/settings_store.rs
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ pub fn read_runtime_status() -> Value {
 // output_dirs() is on the hot path of every catalog command (db_path +
 // media_folder each call it). Reading settings.db + parsing the full JSON
 // each time showed up with large libraries, so cache the result keyed by the
-// settings.db mtime+size — a stat() instead of a DB round-trip, and still
+// settings.db mtime+size - a stat() instead of a DB round-trip, and still
 // correct when the engine (or anything else) rewrites the file.
 static DIRS_CACHE: Mutex<Option<(Option<SystemTime>, u64, paths::OutputDirs)>> = Mutex::new(None);
 
diff --git a/app/desktop-ui/ui/index.html b/app/desktop-ui/ui/index.html
index 14b103d..d5b86d8 100644
--- a/app/desktop-ui/ui/index.html
+++ b/app/desktop-ui/ui/index.html
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
     <!-- CSP is injected by Tauri from tauri.conf.json's app.security.csp. A
          static meta tag here would intersect with it (most-restrictive-wins
          per directive) and silently re-block asset:/ipc: even though the
-         config allows them — see docs/DECISIONS.md ADR-0015. -->
+         config allows them - see docs/DECISIONS.md ADR-0015. -->
     <title>Monolith</title>
     <link rel="stylesheet" href="/styles.css" />
   </head>
diff --git a/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/app.tsx b/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/app.tsx
index d86b4a9..4e45411 100644
--- a/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/app.tsx
+++ b/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/app.tsx
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ export function App() {
   }, [clips]);
 
   // Card-level mutations (favorite, thumbnail capture, duration fix) are all
-  // patched optimistically via updateClip — a full catalog reload per event
+  // patched optimistically via updateClip - a full catalog reload per event
   // caused a reload storm when many cards were missing thumbnails.
   const handleCardChanged = useCallback((next: Clip) => {
     updateClip(next);
diff --git a/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/home/clip-card.tsx b/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/home/clip-card.tsx
index c89cb5d..02af0c2 100644
--- a/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/home/clip-card.tsx
+++ b/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/home/clip-card.tsx
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ export const ClipCard = memo(function ClipCard(
   // Icon is always resolved locally: prefer the icon embedded in the game's
   // own executable (no network, no cache dependency), then fall back to
   // whatever list_clips already resolved from the local Discord artwork
-  // cache (game_icon_url) — never fetched here, so opening the library never
+  // cache (game_icon_url) - never fetched here, so opening the library never
   // triggers a network call. A game newly added to the cache picks up its
   // icon on the next scheduled refresh (see game_catalog::refresh_stale).
   useEffect(() => {
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ export const ClipCard = memo(function ClipCard(
     };
 
     video.onerror = () => {
-      // Container/codec unsupported by WebView2 (e.g. .mkv) — hand off to the
+      // Container/codec unsupported by WebView2 (e.g. .mkv) - hand off to the
       // engine regenerator instead of silently giving up.
       if (needsThumb) {
         void fallbackToEngine().finally(finish);
diff --git a/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/home/collection-picker.tsx b/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/home/collection-picker.tsx
index c69c507..39945fd 100644
--- a/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/home/collection-picker.tsx
+++ b/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/home/collection-picker.tsx
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ export function CollectionPicker({ clip, onClose, onChanged }: {
           {loading
             ? <span class="loading-dots"><i /><i /><i /></span>
             : collections.length === 0
-            ? <p class="modal-msg">No collections yet — create one below.</p>
+            ? <p class="modal-msg">No collections yet - create one below.</p>
             : collections.map((c) => {
               const inCol = membership.has(c.id);
               return (
diff --git a/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/home/detail-view.tsx b/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/home/detail-view.tsx
index 95511ac..d2b5ccb 100644
--- a/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/home/detail-view.tsx
+++ b/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/home/detail-view.tsx
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ interface Props {
   onClipUpdate: (clip: Clip) => void;
   onDelete: (clip: Clip) => void;
   /** Opens the collection picker for this clip (grid path wires it; collection
-   *  detail leaves it unset — clips there are already in a collection). */
+   *  detail leaves it unset - clips there are already in a collection). */
   onAddToCollection?: (clip: Clip) => void;
 }
 
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ function BookmarkMarkers(
           <button
             class="bm-marker"
             key={bm.seq}
-            title={`${bm.label} — ${formatDuration(bm.time_seconds)}`}
+            title={`${bm.label} - ${formatDuration(bm.time_seconds)}`}
             style={{ left: `${pct}%`, background: bm.color }}
             onClick={() => onSeek(bm.time_seconds)}
           />
@@ -283,7 +283,7 @@ export function DetailView(
     return () => { cancelled = true; };
   }, [clip?.id, clip?.source]);
 
-  // Fullscreen reuses this same <video> element in place (see render below) —
+  // Fullscreen reuses this same <video> element in place (see render below) -
   // only the surrounding chrome/layout changes, so playback never restarts.
   useEffect(() => {
     if (!fsMode) return;
@@ -591,7 +591,7 @@ export function DetailView(
                     ? (
                       <span class="trim-readout">
                         <span class="trim-range">
-                          {formatDuration(trimStart)} – {formatDuration(trimEnd)}
+                          {formatDuration(trimStart)} - {formatDuration(trimEnd)}
                         </span>
                         <button class="btn btn-primary" disabled={trimBusy} onClick={applyTrim}>
                           Apply
@@ -740,7 +740,7 @@ export function DetailView(
             {bookmarks.length === 0
               ? (
                 <p class="bm-empty">
-                  No bookmarks — press Ctrl+Shift+F12 while recording to add one.
+                  No bookmarks - press Ctrl+Shift+F12 while recording to add one.
                 </p>
               )
               : (
diff --git a/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/home/fullscreen.tsx b/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/home/fullscreen.tsx
index 7bebe65..6e5f9e4 100644
--- a/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/home/fullscreen.tsx
+++ b/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/home/fullscreen.tsx
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ function fmtTime(seconds: number): string {
 
 // Custom YouTube-style fullscreen chrome (not the native <video controls>),
 // driven by an externally-owned <video> element rather than one it renders
-// itself — this lets a caller that already has a playing element (e.g. the
+// itself - this lets a caller that already has a playing element (e.g. the
 // detail view) reuse it in place instead of restarting playback on a new one.
 export function FullscreenChrome(
   { videoEl, multitrack, onClose }: {
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ export function FullscreenChrome(
   }, [onClose, videoEl, muted]);
 
   // Document-level (not a wrapping div's onMouseMove) so the autohide timer
-  // resets no matter which sibling element the pointer is over — the chrome
+  // resets no matter which sibling element the pointer is over - the chrome
   // here only renders fixed-position overlays, not a full-viewport container.
   useEffect(() => {
     document.addEventListener("mousemove", wake);
diff --git a/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/lib/api.ts b/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/lib/api.ts
index 73362a3..d5f85e1 100644
--- a/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/lib/api.ts
+++ b/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/lib/api.ts
@@ -253,7 +253,7 @@ export interface EngineStatus {
   replay_enabled?: boolean;
   recording_enabled?: boolean;
   clip_generation?: number;
-  // Engine component version (the interface version is separate — the two
+  // Engine component version (the interface version is separate - the two
   // are versioned independently by the component updater).
   version?: string;
   connected?: boolean;
diff --git a/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/lib/format.ts b/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/lib/format.ts
index 5c85884..e8f9204 100644
--- a/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/lib/format.ts
+++ b/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/lib/format.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 // Display formatting helpers (deno.md §2.1).
 
 export function formatSize(bytes: number): string {
-  if (!bytes || bytes <= 0) return "—";
+  if (!bytes || bytes <= 0) return "-";
   const units = ["B", "KB", "MB", "GB", "TB"];
   let v = bytes;
   let i = 0;
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ export function appLabel(displayName?: string | null, processName?: string | nul
 
 // Same as appLabel, but for clips specifically: when no game was detected,
 // the label depends on how the clip was captured rather than falling back to
-// the generic "Desktop" — a manual recording with no game is a screen
+// the generic "Desktop" - a manual recording with no game is a screen
 // recording, while a replay-buffer save with no game genuinely has none.
 export function clipSourceLabel(
   clip: { source: "replay" | "manual"; game_display_name?: string | null; game_process_name?: string | null },
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ export function formatDate(iso: string): string {
   return `${month} ${d.getDate()}, ${d.getFullYear()} ${time}`;
 }
 
-// Windows device paths ("\\.\DISPLAY2") are never user-facing copy — derive
+// Windows device paths ("\\.\DISPLAY2") are never user-facing copy - derive
 // a friendly "Display N" label from the trailing device number instead.
 export function monitorDisplayName(
   mon: { device?: string | null },
diff --git a/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/lib/multitrack.ts b/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/lib/multitrack.ts
index 9ccfaa6..0e8663d 100644
--- a/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/lib/multitrack.ts
+++ b/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/lib/multitrack.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 // Monolith records separate audio streams (game, mic, apps) into one file
 // (see libs/encoding/mux_common.cpp). Chromium/WebView2 exposes every track
 // via `video.audioTracks`, but a single <video>/<audio> element only ever
-// *renders* one enabled track at a time — flipping `audioTracks[i].enabled`
+// *renders* one enabled track at a time - flipping `audioTracks[i].enabled`
 // for more than one track has no effect on what you hear. The only way to
 // hear every track at once is to decode each extra track on its own hidden
 // element and let the OS mixer combine them acoustically, so this hook spins
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 // visible primary element (play/pause, seek, mute, volume, rate).
 //
 // Sync is event-driven (play/pause/seeking mirrored immediately, currentTime
-// drift corrected on timeupdate), not sample-accurate — under heavy CPU
+// drift corrected on timeupdate), not sample-accurate - under heavy CPU
 // contention drift beyond ~150ms is possible before the next correction
 // tick. That's an accepted tradeoff: still strictly better than silently
 // dropping every track but the first.
diff --git a/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/settings/audio-settings.tsx b/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/settings/audio-settings.tsx
index 7a15e57..457330b 100644
--- a/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/settings/audio-settings.tsx
+++ b/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/settings/audio-settings.tsx
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ export function AudioSettings({ cfg, rs, update }: Props) {
 
   // Custom mode uses the explicit source list, so it must always contain the two
   // baseline sources (Game Audio → track 1, Microphone → track 2) that the
-  // default mode implies — otherwise editing one would silently drop the other.
+  // default mode implies - otherwise editing one would silently drop the other.
   const withBaseline = (list: Source[]): Source[] => {
     const out = list.slice();
     if (!out.some((s) => s.type === "desktop")) {
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ export function AudioSettings({ cfg, rs, update }: Props) {
   const processFor = (procName: string): Source | undefined =>
     find((s) => s.type === "process" && s.process_name?.toLowerCase() === procName.toLowerCase());
 
-  // Track layout: the microphone always gets its own track (track 2) — that's
+  // Track layout: the microphone always gets its own track (track 2) - that's
   // never up for debate since a mixed-in mic can't be un-mixed later. Every
   // *other* audio source (game desktop audio + each other app) either all
   // share the game's track (single track) or each gets its own free track
diff --git a/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/settings/controls.tsx b/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/settings/controls.tsx
index a44c49f..726ca24 100644
--- a/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/settings/controls.tsx
+++ b/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/settings/controls.tsx
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ export function Segmented(
   );
 }
 
-// A slider bound to a 0–100 percentage, showing the live value.
+// A slider bound to a 0-100 percentage, showing the live value.
 export function VolumeSlider(
   { value, onChange, disabled }: {
     value: number; // 0..1
@@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ function keyLabel(e: KeyboardEvent): string | null {
   if (k === " ") return "Space";
   if (k.startsWith("Arrow")) return k.slice(5); // Left/Right/Up/Down
   if (k.length === 1) return k.toUpperCase();
-  // Named keys (F1–F24, Enter, Escape, Tab, Delete, Home, …) pass through as-is.
+  // Named keys (F1-F24, Enter, Escape, Tab, Delete, Home, …) pass through as-is.
   return k.charAt(0).toUpperCase() + k.slice(1);
 }
 
@@ -230,7 +230,7 @@ export function HotkeyCapture(
         return;
       }
       const main = keyLabel(e);
-      if (!main) return; // modifier alone — wait for a real key
+      if (!main) return; // modifier alone - wait for a real key
       const parts: string[] = [];
       if (e.ctrlKey) parts.push(MOD_LABEL.Control);
       if (e.shiftKey) parts.push(MOD_LABEL.Shift);
diff --git a/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/settings/settings-popup.tsx b/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/settings/settings-popup.tsx
index 696cb1e..5eb85c9 100644
--- a/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/settings/settings-popup.tsx
+++ b/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/settings/settings-popup.tsx
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ type Page =
   | "game";
 
 // Grouped so the nav reads as sections (like Windows Settings), not a flat
-// list — each group heading is real structure (recording pipeline vs. where
+// list - each group heading is real structure (recording pipeline vs. where
 // files land vs. power-user knobs), not decoration.
 const PAGE_GROUPS: { label: string; pages: { id: Page; label: string; icon: string }[] }[] = [
   {
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ export function SettingsPopup({ onClose }: Props) {
   useEffect(() => {
     getVersion().then(setAppVersion).catch(() => setAppVersion(null));
     // Engine component version via the engine's get_status (independent from
-    // the interface version — the component updater versions them separately).
+    // the interface version - the component updater versions them separately).
     fetchEngineStatus().then((st) => setEngineVersion(st.version ?? null)).catch(() => {});
   }, []);
 
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ export function SettingsPopup({ onClose }: Props) {
   }, []);
 
   // Runtime status (audio sessions, active game, devices, monitors) is a live
-  // snapshot the engine keeps refreshing on its own cadence — re-poll it while
+  // snapshot the engine keeps refreshing on its own cadence - re-poll it while
   // the popup is open so e.g. "Other sources" reflects apps that start/stop
   // playing audio without the user having to close and reopen Settings.
   useEffect(() => {
@@ -277,7 +277,7 @@ function ReplayDurationSection(
     >
       <Field
         label="Duration"
-        help="Choose a preset, or Custom to enter your own length (5–600s)."
+        help="Choose a preset, or Custom to enter your own length (5-600s)."
         control={
           <div class="duration-row">
             <Select
@@ -362,7 +362,7 @@ function Pages({ page, cfg, rs, update, appVersion, engineVersion, onCheckUpdate
               help="Interface and engine are versioned independently."
               control={
                 <span class="set-field-static">
-                  interface {appVersion ?? "—"} · engine {engineVersion ?? "—"}
+                  interface {appVersion ?? "-"} · engine {engineVersion ?? "-"}
                 </span>
               }
             />
diff --git a/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/shell/icons.tsx b/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/shell/icons.tsx
index bd61788..67cc814 100644
--- a/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/shell/icons.tsx
+++ b/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/shell/icons.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import type { JSX } from "preact";
 
-// Lucide icons (https://lucide.dev, ISC license) — inlined as SVG path data so
+// Lucide icons (https://lucide.dev, ISC license) - inlined as SVG path data so
 // the app stays offline / CSP-clean (no icon-font or network fetch). Stroke-based
 // 24×24, matching Lucide's default rendering.
 const PATHS: Record<string, JSX.Element> = {
diff --git a/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/shell/titlebar.tsx b/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/shell/titlebar.tsx
index cd702a0..5e9279f 100644
--- a/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/shell/titlebar.tsx
+++ b/app/desktop-ui/ui/src/shell/titlebar.tsx
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ export function Titlebar({ view }: Props) {
     };
   }, [open]);
 
-  // Dismiss the capture popover on Escape or a click/mousedown outside it — the
+  // Dismiss the capture popover on Escape or a click/mousedown outside it - the
   // same affordance the rest of the UI uses. Without this the popover could only
   // be closed by clicking the feed button again.
   useEffect(() => {
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ export function Titlebar({ view }: Props) {
   const gameProcess = activeGame?.process_id ? activeGame.process_name : "";
   const exePath = activeGame?.process_id ? (activeGame.executable_path ?? "") : "";
   // Detected games are DB-gated, so display_name is always the game-list name
-  // (e.g. "AURA Gamers gioco") — show it verbatim, no prettify transform. Only
+  // (e.g. "AURA Gamers gioco") - show it verbatim, no prettify transform. Only
   // fall back to appLabel for the rare case the engine emits a raw exe name.
   useEffect(() => {
     let alive = true;
diff --git a/app/desktop-ui/ui/styles.css b/app/desktop-ui/ui/styles.css
index dccf9a9..5813f46 100644
--- a/app/desktop-ui/ui/styles.css
+++ b/app/desktop-ui/ui/styles.css
@@ -1,18 +1,18 @@
 /* ============================================================================
-   MONOLITH — desktop shell
+   MONOLITH - desktop shell
    A native-feeling capture app: custom title bar, sidebar rail, internal-scroll
    content panel. Monochrome gray base:
-     #000000  page background — content area, settings bg   (--dark)
-     #161616  elevated surfaces — cards, menus, dropdowns    (--mid / --card)
+     #000000  page background - content area, settings bg   (--dark)
+     #161616  elevated surfaces - cards, menus, dropdowns    (--mid / --card)
      #161616  main sidebar rail                              (--sidebar)
      #1F1F1F  settings popup's own sidebar rail              (--settings-rail)
-     #343434  highlights — hover, active, borders            (--light)
+     #343434  highlights - hover, active, borders            (--light)
      #4E4E4E  brighter hover step                             (--light-hi)
    Fonts are Windows-native (Bahnschrift / Consolas) so the app is offline and
    CSP-clean. Two chromatic accents, each with exactly one meaning, used
    nowhere else: red (--danger) = recording/destructive; gold (#f5c542) =
    favorited. A third, --accent (desaturated lavender-ice), means
-   interactive/active/selected — see --accent below.
+   interactive/active/selected - see --accent below.
    ============================================================================ */
 
 :root {
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@
   --danger: #e5544b;   /* destructive actions only */
 
   /* One accent, one meaning: interactive / active / selected. Desaturated
-     lavender-ice — reads as "precise, native" rather than a brand color, and
+     lavender-ice - reads as "precise, native" rather than a brand color, and
      never used for recording (stays red) or favorites (stays gold). */
   --accent:      #9db4d1;
   --accent-hi:   #b9cbe3;
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ body {
   align-items: center;
   gap: 9px;
   padding-left: 16px;
-  /* Sized to content, not stretched — the status chip sits immediately after
+  /* Sized to content, not stretched - the status chip sits immediately after
      it, anchored to the left like Windows app chrome, instead of floating in
      whatever space a flex-grow split happens to leave. */
   flex: none;
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ body {
 .connect-toast-close:hover { opacity: 1; }
 
 /* Status cluster: the capture feed. Anchored directly after the brand (like a
-   hotkey/status pill next to a logo) as a self-contained chip — always has a
+   hotkey/status pill next to a logo) as a self-contained chip - always has a
    visible container, even when idle/disconnected, instead of reading as bare
    text floating in the bar. */
 .tb-status {
@@ -426,13 +426,13 @@ body {
   background: var(--accent);
   border-radius: 0 3px 3px 0;
 }
-/* Favorites keeps gold, not the accent — gold means "favorited" everywhere
+/* Favorites keeps gold, not the accent - gold means "favorited" everywhere
    else in the app (card star, detail-view star); the nav item follows suit. */
 .side-item.active.fav-active svg { color: #f5c542; }
 .side-item.active.fav-active::before { background: #f5c542; }
 .side-spacer { flex: 1; }
 
-/* Content is its own scroll panel — a dark well inset into the medium chrome */
+/* Content is its own scroll panel - a dark well inset into the medium chrome */
 .content {
   flex: 1;
   min-width: 0;
@@ -478,7 +478,7 @@ body {
 
 /* Search field and the filter selects share one fixed height so they line up
    exactly (native <input> and <select> differ by a couple of px otherwise).
-   Only vertical padding is zeroed — horizontal padding (search icon, select
+   Only vertical padding is zeroed - horizontal padding (search icon, select
    arrow) is preserved. */
 .toolbar .input,
 .toolbar .select {
@@ -676,7 +676,7 @@ body {
 }
 
 /* Favorite toggle: hover-reveal like the other overlay buttons, but stays
-   visible once the clip is favorited — color is the only signal, matching
+   visible once the clip is favorited - color is the only signal, matching
    the existing "gold = favorited" rule used everywhere else in the app. */
 .fav-toggle {
   position: absolute;
@@ -966,7 +966,7 @@ body {
 }
 .name-text:hover { text-decoration: underline; }
 
-/* Detail header actions — icon-only, no chrome until hover. Colour is the whole
+/* Detail header actions - icon-only, no chrome until hover. Colour is the whole
    affordance: neutral for rename, gold when a clip is favourited. */
 .detail-name-actions { display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 2px; flex: none; }
 .act-btn {
@@ -1033,7 +1033,7 @@ body {
 }
 
 /* Fullscreen toggled from the detail view reuses the same <video> element in
-   place (see detail-view.tsx) — this just strips the windowed chrome so the
+   place (see detail-view.tsx) - this just strips the windowed chrome so the
    player fills the screen, instead of mounting a second player/element. */
 .detail-backdrop.fs-active { background: #000; backdrop-filter: none; gap: 0; }
 .detail-backdrop.fs-active .detail {
@@ -1122,7 +1122,7 @@ body {
   grid-template-columns: 210px 1fr;
   grid-template-rows: 1fr;
   width: min(880px, 94vw);
-  /* Fixed height regardless of which page is showing — switching between a
+  /* Fixed height regardless of which page is showing - switching between a
      dense page (Advanced) and a sparse one (Clip) used to resize the whole
      window, which was jarring. .settings-body scrolls internally instead;
      a sparse page just leaves empty space below its fields. */
@@ -1187,7 +1187,7 @@ body {
 .settings-tab.active svg { opacity: 1; color: var(--accent-hi); }
 .settings-group { display: flex; flex-direction: column; gap: 3px; }
 .settings-group + .settings-group { margin-top: 14px; }
-/* Section label — now only used inside the settings popup (the main sidebar is
+/* Section label - now only used inside the settings popup (the main sidebar is
    icon-only). Kept here since the base .side-section rule was removed with the
    main sidebar's text labels. */
 .side-section {
@@ -1311,7 +1311,7 @@ body {
 .duration-row > .input[type="number"] { min-width: 90px; width: 90px; text-align: right; }
 .duration-row > .input[type="number"]:disabled { opacity: .4; cursor: not-allowed; }
 .set-field-static { font-family: var(--mono); font-size: 13px; color: var(--text-dim); }
-/* Small inline action button (e.g. "Check now" in About) — same accent
+/* Small inline action button (e.g. "Check now" in About) - same accent
    treatment as the updater window's primary button. */
 .set-action {
   height: 30px; padding: 0 14px;
diff --git a/app/engine/README.md b/app/engine/README.md
index 9ca28ce..6fa4e5a 100644
--- a/app/engine/README.md
+++ b/app/engine/README.md
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 # app/engine
 
 Reserved for a future headless-engine split (recording/replay logic without
-the Win32 tray/message-loop host). Deferred — see `CLAUDE.md`'s Architecture
+the Win32 tray/message-loop host). Deferred - see `CLAUDE.md`'s Architecture
 section. `app/recorder` remains the single-process MVP for now.
diff --git a/app/recorder/CMakeLists.txt b/app/recorder/CMakeLists.txt
index 0a74396..867a8ef 100644
--- a/app/recorder/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/app/recorder/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ target_compile_definitions(monolith
 )
 
 # Auto-update is delegated to the dedicated Updater.exe (app/updater),
-# launched by src/updater.cpp — no WinSparkle dependency anymore.
+# launched by src/updater.cpp - no WinSparkle dependency anymore.
 
 target_link_libraries(monolith
     PRIVATE
@@ -78,6 +78,16 @@ target_link_libraries(monolith
 )
 
 if(MSVC)
+    set(CMAKE_INSTALL_SYSTEM_RUNTIME_LIBS_SKIP TRUE)
+    include(InstallRequiredSystemLibraries)
+    if(NOT CMAKE_INSTALL_SYSTEM_RUNTIME_LIBS)
+        message(FATAL_ERROR "MSVC redistributable libraries were not found")
+    endif()
+    add_custom_command(TARGET monolith POST_BUILD
+        COMMAND "${CMAKE_COMMAND}" -E copy_if_different
+            ${CMAKE_INSTALL_SYSTEM_RUNTIME_LIBS} "$<TARGET_FILE_DIR:monolith>"
+        COMMAND_EXPAND_LISTS
+        VERBATIM)
     target_compile_options(monolith PRIVATE /W4 /permissive-)
     target_link_options(monolith PRIVATE
         /MANIFEST:EMBED
diff --git a/app/recorder/monolith.rc b/app/recorder/monolith.rc
index 6697f4b..74cbaa0 100644
--- a/app/recorder/monolith.rc
+++ b/app/recorder/monolith.rc
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 // Lowest-ID icon doubles as the executable's shell icon.
 IDI_MONOLITH ICON "../assets/icon.ico"
 
-// File version resource — read by Explorer, installers, and WinSparkle
+// File version resource - read by Explorer, installers, and WinSparkle
 // (update comparison uses the FileVersion of the running executable).
 VS_VERSION_INFO VERSIONINFO
 FILEVERSION     MONOLITH_VERSION_MAJOR,MONOLITH_VERSION_MINOR,MONOLITH_VERSION_PATCH,0
diff --git a/app/recorder/src/feedback_sounds.h b/app/recorder/src/feedback_sounds.h
index a39b62b..a38658f 100644
--- a/app/recorder/src/feedback_sounds.h
+++ b/app/recorder/src/feedback_sounds.h
@@ -91,19 +91,19 @@ static void init()
 {
     if (!g_wav_start.empty()) return;
 
-    // Start: C5 → G5 ascending — "recording on"
+    // Start: C5 → G5 ascending - "recording on"
     g_wav_start = make_wav({
         {523.25, 65.0,  0.40},
         {783.99, 105.0, 0.48},
     });
 
-    // Stop: G5 → C5 descending — "recording off"
+    // Stop: G5 → C5 descending - "recording off"
     g_wav_stop = make_wav({
         {783.99, 65.0,  0.48},
         {523.25, 105.0, 0.38},
     });
 
-    // Clip saved: C5 → E5 → G5 arpeggio — "saved!"
+    // Clip saved: C5 → E5 → G5 arpeggio - "saved!"
     g_wav_clip = make_wav({
         {523.25, 50.0, 0.38},
         {659.25, 50.0, 0.42},
diff --git a/app/recorder/src/main.cpp b/app/recorder/src/main.cpp
index a30a2f6..81909e9 100644
--- a/app/recorder/src/main.cpp
+++ b/app/recorder/src/main.cpp
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ static void log_path(const char* tag, const char* prefix, const std::wstring& pa
     log_msg(tag, msg);
 }
 
-// Always-on error variants (bypass advanced.logging_enabled) — for failures the
+// Always-on error variants (bypass advanced.logging_enabled) - for failures the
 // user must be able to diagnose even without opting into verbose logging.
 static void log_error(const char* tag, const char* msg)
 {
@@ -196,7 +196,7 @@ static void apply_native_window_theme(HWND hwnd)
 {
     BOOL dark = apps_use_light_theme() ? FALSE : TRUE;
 
-    // Resolve the dwmapi/uxtheme entry points once and cache them — this runs on
+    // Resolve the dwmapi/uxtheme entry points once and cache them - this runs on
     // every tray right-click and theme change, so repeated LoadLibrary/FreeLibrary
     // would be pure waste.
     using DwmSetWindowAttributeFn = HRESULT (WINAPI*)(HWND, DWORD, LPCVOID, DWORD);
@@ -211,7 +211,7 @@ static void apply_native_window_theme(HWND hwnd)
             FlushMenuThemesFn       flush_menu      = nullptr;
             SetWindowThemeFn        set_theme       = nullptr;
         } f;
-        // Leaked intentionally for process lifetime — these modules stay loaded
+        // Leaked intentionally for process lifetime - these modules stay loaded
         // anyway and the handles never need releasing.
         if (HMODULE dwm = LoadLibraryW(L"dwmapi.dll"))
             f.set_attr = reinterpret_cast<DwmSetWindowAttributeFn>(
@@ -255,7 +255,7 @@ static std::array<std::unique_ptr<encoding::TrackMixer>, 7> g_track_mixers;
 
 // One output route for a source: which track, and (when that track is mixed) the
 // source's id within the mixer. mixer_src == -1 means push directly to encoder.
-// gain is the source's linear volume (0.0–1.0), applied to the recorded audio:
+// gain is the source's linear volume (0.0-1.0), applied to the recorded audio:
 // for mixed tracks it lives in the mixer source; for direct tracks it is applied
 // in-place before push_pcm.
 struct AudioRoute { int track = 0; int mixer_src = -1; float gain = 1.0f; };
@@ -321,7 +321,7 @@ static std::atomic<uint64_t>     g_clip_generation{0};
 
 // ── Recording elapsed-time clock (QPC-based, pause-aware) ────────────────────
 // Used to timestamp bookmarks at the moment they are added. Written on the
-// UI/tray thread (start/pause/resume/stop), read on the IPC thread — all fields
+// UI/tray thread (start/pause/resume/stop), read on the IPC thread - all fields
 // are atomics, and a torn read only shifts a bookmark timestamp by a frame or
 // two. Pause spans are accumulated in QPC units and subtracted at read time.
 static std::atomic<int64_t> g_rec_clock_freq{0};
@@ -424,7 +424,7 @@ static std::string now_local_ts()
 }
 
 // Re-writes AppData\Local\Monolith\runtime-status.json from g_runtime_status,
-// but only when the serialized content actually changed — the active-game poll
+// but only when the serialized content actually changed - the active-game poll
 // runs every few seconds and on every foreground change, and most ticks produce
 // identical status, so skipping no-op disk writes avoids needless I/O.
 static std::string g_last_runtime_status_json;
@@ -533,8 +533,8 @@ static DWORD WINAPI pacer_thread_proc(LPVOID)
         }
 
         // Frozen-frame: when the captured game window is minimized, WGC delivers
-        // no (or degenerate) frames. Deliberately hold the last good frame — the
-        // CFR loop keeps duplicating local_bgra — instead of swapping in whatever
+        // no (or degenerate) frames. Deliberately hold the last good frame - the
+        // CFR loop keeps duplicating local_bgra - instead of swapping in whatever
         // WGC produces while iconic. Applies to both recording and replay since
         // both consume this pacer -> encoder path.
         HWND cap_target = g_capture_target_hwnd.load(std::memory_order_relaxed);
@@ -639,7 +639,7 @@ static void pacer_stop()
         SetEvent(g_pacer_stop_event);
         if (g_pacer_thread) {
             // Unbounded join: the loop always exits once the stop event is
-            // set (WAIT_FAILED included), so this cannot hang — and the old
+            // set (WAIT_FAILED included), so this cannot hang - and the old
             // 3 s timeout closed the handles of a possibly-live thread,
             // leaving a busy-spinning pacer using a closing encoder.
             WaitForSingleObject(g_pacer_thread, INFINITE);
@@ -787,7 +787,7 @@ static void load_app_settings()
 // `source` is "replay" or "manual". Returns the new row id (> 0) or -1 on
 // failure; on success `on_cataloged` is invoked with the row id (the manual-
 // stop path uses it to flush pending bookmarks). Failures are logged, never
-// fatal — a clip with no DB row/thumb still plays and gets picked up by
+// fatal - a clip with no DB row/thumb still plays and gets picked up by
 // reconcile later.
 static int64_t catalog_clip(std::wstring video_path, std::string source,
                             double duration_seconds,
@@ -851,7 +851,7 @@ static int64_t catalog_clip(std::wstring video_path, std::string source,
 
 // Self-heal both catalogs on startup: drop rows whose video vanished, rebuild
 // missing thumbnails, and import pre-existing videos that have no row yet.
-// Detached background thread — never blocks startup.
+// Detached background thread - never blocks startup.
 static void reconcile_catalogs()
 {
     const std::wstring clips_dir = g_settings.clips_directory;
@@ -881,7 +881,7 @@ static void reconcile_catalogs()
 // ── Pending bookmarks ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 // Bookmarks are timestamped live (hotkey or IPC) while a manual recording runs
 // and flushed into recs.db when the recording stops and its clip row exists.
-// They are written by the engine (single writer) — the UI only reads/edits
+// They are written by the engine (single writer) - the UI only reads/edits
 // them afterwards.
 struct PendingBookmark {
     double      time_seconds;
@@ -927,7 +927,7 @@ static void flush_pending_bookmarks(int64_t clip_id, const std::wstring& folder)
 }
 
 // Timestamps and queues one bookmark for the running manual recording. Shared
-// by the IPC handler (IPC thread) and the tray/hotkey path (UI thread) — all
+// by the IPC handler (IPC thread) and the tray/hotkey path (UI thread) - all
 // state touched is atomic or mutex-guarded. Returns "" on success.
 static std::string add_bookmark_now()
 {
@@ -987,7 +987,7 @@ static std::string trim_clip(storage::ClipDb* db,
     }
 
     // Replace the original (MOVEFILE_REPLACE_EXISTING is atomic on the same
-    // volume — same folder here).
+    // volume - same folder here).
     if (!MoveFileExW(tmp_path.c_str(), video_path.c_str(),
                      MOVEFILE_REPLACE_EXISTING | MOVEFILE_WRITE_THROUGH)) {
         std::error_code ec;
@@ -1191,7 +1191,7 @@ static void evaluate_capture_mode(HWND hwnd)
             g_capture_mode_stopped = false;
         }
 
-        // Auto-next-on-close: the recorded game closed while others remain — the
+        // Auto-next-on-close: the recorded game closed while others remain - the
         // effective target already moved on; stop the old recording and start the
         // new target.
         if (g_auto_state == AutoState::AutoRecording &&
@@ -1954,7 +1954,7 @@ static void drop_active_game_capture(const char* reason_msg)
 // captures, encoders, and the replay buffer are never restarted.
 // Drives ONLY the Active Game audio process-loopback capture toward `result`
 // (the effective target chosen by poll_active_game()). Does not publish the
-// active_game display block on the no-audio-source path — that is handled by
+// active_game display block on the no-audio-source path - that is handled by
 // poll_active_game() so the UI shows the game even without an active-game audio
 // source configured.
 static void poll_active_game_impl(const audio::ActiveGameResult& result)
@@ -2048,7 +2048,7 @@ static void poll_active_game_impl(const audio::ActiveGameResult& result)
         return;
     }
 
-    // Same pending candidate — check whether debounce period has elapsed.
+    // Same pending candidate - check whether debounce period has elapsed.
     DWORD elapsed = now_ms - g_pending_game_first_ms;
     if (elapsed < static_cast<DWORD>(g_settings.active_game.switch_debounce_ms))
         return; // Not yet; keep waiting.
@@ -2068,7 +2068,7 @@ static void poll_active_game_impl(const audio::ActiveGameResult& result)
 
     audio::WasapiCapture* new_capture = g_audio_captures.back().capture.get();
 
-    // Remove old capture — only the Active Game source, nothing else.
+    // Remove old capture - only the Active Game source, nothing else.
     if (g_active_game_capture != nullptr) {
         for (auto it = g_audio_captures.begin(); it != g_audio_captures.end(); ++it) {
             if (it->capture.get() == g_active_game_capture) {
@@ -2121,7 +2121,7 @@ static const audio::GameCandidateInfo* resolve_effective_target(
     if (!sel.empty()) {
         for (const auto& c : candidates)
             if (exe_key_of(c.process.process_name) == sel) return &c;
-        // Selected game not currently running — fall through to auto.
+        // Selected game not currently running - fall through to auto.
     }
 
     const audio::GameCandidateInfo* best = nullptr;
@@ -2144,7 +2144,7 @@ static const audio::GameCandidateInfo* resolve_effective_target(
 // Public entry point: run one DB-gated detection pass, resolve the effective
 // target, drive the Active Game audio capture toward it, publish the active game
 // + full candidate list, and flush runtime-status.json. Does NOT touch the
-// capture pipeline / auto-record — evaluate_capture_mode() does, from the shared
+// capture pipeline / auto-record - evaluate_capture_mode() does, from the shared
 // state this leaves behind.
 static void poll_active_game()
 {
@@ -2178,7 +2178,7 @@ static void poll_active_game()
     g_effective_game_pid = target ? target->process.process_id : 0;
     // Only the game_only window-capture path uses this (capture target + pacer
     // frozen-frame). In screen mode we capture the whole monitor, so leave it
-    // null — a minimized game must NOT freeze full-screen capture.
+    // null - a minimized game must NOT freeze full-screen capture.
     g_capture_target_hwnd.store(
         (target && g_settings.capture_mode == "game_only") ? target->capture_window : nullptr,
         std::memory_order_relaxed);
@@ -2240,7 +2240,7 @@ static void poll_active_game()
     publish_runtime_status();
 }
 
-// WinEvent hook callback — called on the UI thread when the foreground window changes.
+// WinEvent hook callback - called on the UI thread when the foreground window changes.
 // Rate-limited fast scan: coalesces rapid events by checking g_fast_scan_pending,
 // then posts WM_FAST_SCAN so poll_active_game() runs on the next message-loop turn.
 static void CALLBACK active_game_fg_hook(
@@ -2258,7 +2258,7 @@ static void install_fg_hook()
     if (g_fg_hook) return;
     g_fg_hook = SetWinEventHook(
         EVENT_SYSTEM_FOREGROUND, EVENT_SYSTEM_FOREGROUND,
-        nullptr,               // no DLL — out-of-context callback
+        nullptr,               // no DLL - out-of-context callback
         active_game_fg_hook,
         0, 0,                  // all processes/threads
         WINEVENT_OUTOFCONTEXT | WINEVENT_SKIPOWNPROCESS);
@@ -2558,7 +2558,7 @@ static void media_start(HWND hwnd)
 
                 // Resolves against the actually-captured frame size, which is
                 // already the GPU-downscaled size when CaptureOptions below
-                // configured one (this then just confirms it) — and is still
+                // configured one (this then just confirms it) - and is still
                 // native size in game_only mode (no upfront target there), so
                 // this remains the source of truth either way.
                 int g_enc_w_resolved = 0, g_enc_h_resolved = 0;
@@ -2659,7 +2659,7 @@ static void media_start(HWND hwnd)
 
             // In game_only, capture the effective target's window (resolved by the
             // detection poll). When there is no target (no game, or its window is
-            // unavailable) we fall back to full-screen monitor capture — which is
+            // unavailable) we fall back to full-screen monitor capture - which is
             // also the clip-without-game path.
             HWND target = nullptr;
             if (g_settings.capture_mode == "game_only") {
@@ -2724,7 +2724,7 @@ static void media_stop()
     }
     // A recording killed here never reaches CMD_RECORDING_STOP, so stop the
     // bookmark clock and drop any pending bookmarks (no clip row will exist
-    // to flush them into — otherwise they'd leak into the next recording).
+    // to flush them into - otherwise they'd leak into the next recording).
     rec_clock_stop();
     clear_pending_bookmarks();
     g_video_enc_open_attempted.store(false, std::memory_order_release);
@@ -3067,7 +3067,7 @@ static void register_one_hotkey(
 {
     (void)hwnd;
 
-    // "NONE" means the hotkey is disabled — skip registration entirely
+    // "NONE" means the hotkey is disabled - skip registration entirely
     std::string upper_configured = upper_ascii(configured);
     if (upper_configured == "NONE") {
         log_msg("hotkey", (std::string(name) + " disabled (NONE)").c_str());
@@ -3198,7 +3198,7 @@ static void hotkeys_unregister(HWND hwnd)
 
 // True when a clip/record command must be blocked: game_only mode, no known game
 // running, and clip-without-game is off (so there is genuinely nothing to
-// capture). When clip-without-game is on we allow it — capture falls back to the
+// capture). When clip-without-game is on we allow it - capture falls back to the
 // full screen.
 static bool game_gate_blocks()
 {
@@ -3221,7 +3221,7 @@ static void dispatch(Cmd cmd, HWND hwnd)
         }
         char stats[256];
         snprintf(stats, sizeof(stats),
-            "save_replay — buffer: %zu pkt / %.1f MB",
+            "save_replay - buffer: %zu pkt / %.1f MB",
             g_replay.packet_count(),
             static_cast<double>(g_replay.memory_bytes()) / 1048576.0);
         log_msg("replay", stats);
@@ -3270,7 +3270,7 @@ static void dispatch(Cmd cmd, HWND hwnd)
             if (path.empty()) log_msg("recording", "recording stopped: no packets written");
             else {
                 log_path("recording", "recording saved: ", path);
-                // Catalog off the UI thread — decode + DB I/O must not block it.
+                // Catalog off the UI thread - decode + DB I/O must not block it.
                 // The closure captures the recording folder so pending bookmarks
                 // flush into the right recs.db once the clip row exists.
                 const std::wstring folder =
@@ -3452,7 +3452,7 @@ int WINAPI wWinMain(HINSTANCE hInst, HINSTANCE, PWSTR, int)
     winrt::init_apartment(winrt::apartment_type::multi_threaded);
 
     // Logging is gated by advanced.logging_enabled, which load_app_settings()
-    // resolves — so settings must load first. Anything load_app_settings()
+    // resolves - so settings must load first. Anything load_app_settings()
     // itself would have logged is lost; acceptable startup-only gap.
     load_app_settings();
     log_init(g_settings.logging_enabled);
diff --git a/app/recorder/src/settings_config.cpp b/app/recorder/src/settings_config.cpp
index d5e0bde..8c80d2e 100644
--- a/app/recorder/src/settings_config.cpp
+++ b/app/recorder/src/settings_config.cpp
@@ -405,7 +405,7 @@ Config config_from_json(
     config.replay_duration_seconds = int_at(
         doc, "replay_buffer", "duration_seconds", 30);
 
-    // Presets are 15/30/60/120; a custom value is still accepted within 5–600.
+    // Presets are 15/30/60/120; a custom value is still accepted within 5-600.
     if (config.replay_duration_seconds < 5 || config.replay_duration_seconds > 600)
         config.replay_duration_seconds = 30;
 
@@ -415,7 +415,7 @@ Config config_from_json(
     config.replay_buffer_enabled = bool_at(doc, "replay_buffer", "enabled", true);
 
     // Where the rolling replay buffer lives: "ram" (in-memory, current
-    // behavior) or "disk" (keyframe-aligned segments on disk — survives
+    // behavior) or "disk" (keyframe-aligned segments on disk - survives
     // longer durations with bounded memory). Anything else falls back to ram.
     config.replay_buffer_storage = utf8_at(doc, "replay_buffer", "storage", "ram");
     if (config.replay_buffer_storage != "ram" && config.replay_buffer_storage != "disk")
diff --git a/app/recorder/src/settings_config.h b/app/recorder/src/settings_config.h
index b9e1cc3..7cc547d 100644
--- a/app/recorder/src/settings_config.h
+++ b/app/recorder/src/settings_config.h
@@ -17,18 +17,18 @@ struct AudioSourceConfig {
     std::wstring window_title;
     std::wstring window_class;
     bool enabled = true;
-    float volume = 1.0f;            // linear gain 0.0–1.0, applied to the recording
+    float volume = 1.0f;            // linear gain 0.0-1.0, applied to the recording
     std::vector<int> tracks;
 };
 
 // Configuration for the dynamic Active Game detection subsystem.
 struct ActiveGameSettings {
     bool detection_enabled         = true;
-    int  poll_interval_ms          = 3000;   // clamped 3000–30000
-    int  switch_debounce_ms        = 3000;   // clamped 1000–15000
-    int  min_confidence            = 50;     // clamped 0–100
+    int  poll_interval_ms          = 3000;   // clamped 3000-30000
+    int  switch_debounce_ms        = 3000;   // clamped 1000-15000
+    int  min_confidence            = 50;     // clamped 0-100
     bool fast_scan_enabled         = true;
-    int  fast_scan_min_interval_ms = 1000;   // clamped 500–5000
+    int  fast_scan_min_interval_ms = 1000;   // clamped 500-5000
 
     // Exe names (UTF-8, compared case-insensitively) to reject or boost.
     std::vector<std::string> blacklist_processes;
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ struct Config {
     std::wstring recordings_directory;
     std::wstring temp_directory;      // managed internally; not user-configurable
     int replay_disk_budget_mb = 2048; // persisted replay_buffer.disk_budget_mb; UI control deferred to phase 5
-    int replay_duration_seconds = 30; // presets 15/30/60/120, or custom 5–600
+    int replay_duration_seconds = 30; // presets 15/30/60/120, or custom 5-600
     std::string replay_clip_container = "mkv"; // "mkv" | "mp4"
     std::string replay_buffer_storage = "ram"; // "ram" (memory) | "disk" (segments on disk)
     bool replay_buffer_enabled = true;
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ struct Config {
     // it after idle_timeout_seconds with no detected game and restarts on detect.
     // Never stops an active manual recording.
     std::string capture_mode = "always"; // "always" | "game_only"
-    int capture_idle_timeout_seconds = 300; // clamped 30–3600
+    int capture_idle_timeout_seconds = 300; // clamped 30-3600
     bool capture_auto_record = false;
     // When true, the replay buffer stays active even with no detected game: in
     // game_only mode it falls back to full-screen capture until a game appears.
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ struct Config {
     // control is always CBR with the configured bitrate.
     std::string encoder_device = "gpu";   // "gpu" | "cpu"
     std::string encoder_codec  = "h264";  // "h264" | "h265" | "av1"
-    int video_bitrate_kbps = 20000;       // CBR target, clamped 1000–200000
+    int video_bitrate_kbps = 20000;       // CBR target, clamped 1000-200000
     int video_fps = 60;                   // presets 24/30/60/120/144
     std::string scaling_filter = "bilinear"; // fixed to bilinear (UI selector removed)
     std::string extra_ffmpeg_options;     // "key=value:key=value" AVOptions
diff --git a/app/recorder/src/updater.cpp b/app/recorder/src/updater.cpp
index 5a0482d..e7f0315 100644
--- a/app/recorder/src/updater.cpp
+++ b/app/recorder/src/updater.cpp
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ void launch(bool auto_mode)
 
     std::wstring working_dir = exe.parent_path().wstring();
 
-    // Detached: the updater outlives this process by design — it asks the
+    // Detached: the updater outlives this process by design - it asks the
     // engine to exit (update_engine_exit over IPC) when it replaces it.
     PROCESS_INFORMATION process_info{};
     BOOL started = CreateProcessW(
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ void post_update_cleanup()
     if (base.empty()) return;
 
     // *.old files parked by the updater's swap dance (a replaced engine exe
-    // or DLL cannot be deleted while loaded — deletion is retried here).
+    // or DLL cannot be deleted while loaded - deletion is retried here).
     const std::filesystem::path dirs[] = { base, base / "ui" };
     std::error_code ec;
     for (const auto& dir : dirs) {
diff --git a/app/recorder/src/updater.h b/app/recorder/src/updater.h
index 77745fd..f041f11 100644
--- a/app/recorder/src/updater.h
+++ b/app/recorder/src/updater.h
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ void check_silent();
 // at startup; files still locked are retried on the next launch.
 void post_update_cleanup();
 
-// Kept for WM_DESTROY symmetry — nothing to shut down anymore.
+// Kept for WM_DESTROY symmetry - nothing to shut down anymore.
 void shutdown();
 
 } // namespace updater
diff --git a/app/recorder/src/version.h.in b/app/recorder/src/version.h.in
index 23cfe2c..4a9beb4 100644
--- a/app/recorder/src/version.h.in
+++ b/app/recorder/src/version.h.in
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 #pragma once
 
-// Generated by CMake from version.h.in — do not edit the generated copy.
+// Generated by CMake from version.h.in - do not edit the generated copy.
 // Engine component version; source of truth is project(VERSION) in the root
 // CMakeLists.txt (the ui and updater components carry their own versions in
-// their tauri.conf.json — see scripts/generate-update-manifest.ps1).
+// their tauri.conf.json - see scripts/generate-update-manifest.ps1).
 #define MONOLITH_VERSION_MAJOR @MONOLITH_VERSION_MAJOR@
 #define MONOLITH_VERSION_MINOR @MONOLITH_VERSION_MINOR@
 #define MONOLITH_VERSION_PATCH @MONOLITH_VERSION_PATCH@
diff --git a/app/updater/CMakeLists.txt b/app/updater/CMakeLists.txt
index 0f2b4c2..6cd5938 100644
--- a/app/updater/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/app/updater/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 # Monolith Updater (Tauri v2 / WebView2). `cargo build --release` produces a
-# single self-contained exe (src-tauri/target/release/updater.exe) — the
+# single self-contained exe (src-tauri/target/release/updater.exe) - the
 # component self-updater that fetches update-manifest.json, downloads only
 # the changed components (engine / ui / updater), verifies Ed25519
 # signatures and swaps the files on disk. It is copied to
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ if(NPM_EXECUTABLE AND CARGO_EXECUTABLE)
         # 1. Install frontend deps and bundle the Preact frontend into dist/
         #    (embedded into the exe at compile time, so dist/ must exist
         #    before cargo runs; npm run build's postbuild step also invokes
-        #    cargo — the explicit cargo step below is idempotent).
+        #    cargo - the explicit cargo step below is idempotent).
         COMMAND "${NPM_EXECUTABLE}" install
         COMMAND "${NPM_EXECUTABLE}" run build
         # 2. Compile the Tauri host. Plain `cargo build --release` (not
diff --git a/app/updater/src-tauri/Cargo.lock b/app/updater/src-tauri/Cargo.lock
index 13c689e..f1d8a9d 100644
--- a/app/updater/src-tauri/Cargo.lock
+++ b/app/updater/src-tauri/Cargo.lock
@@ -2161,7 +2161,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "monolith-updater"
-version = "1.0.0"
+version = "1.0.1"
 dependencies = [
  "base64 0.22.1",
  "ed25519-dalek",
diff --git a/app/updater/src-tauri/Cargo.toml b/app/updater/src-tauri/Cargo.toml
index b19b10b..1fa421f 100644
--- a/app/updater/src-tauri/Cargo.toml
+++ b/app/updater/src-tauri/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "monolith-updater"
-version = "1.0.0"
+version = "1.0.1"
 edition = "2021"
 
 [build-dependencies]
diff --git a/app/updater/src-tauri/src/apply.rs b/app/updater/src-tauri/src/apply.rs
index 2134812..9c3bb50 100644
--- a/app/updater/src-tauri/src/apply.rs
+++ b/app/updater/src-tauri/src/apply.rs
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ fn wide(path: &Path) -> Vec<u16> {
 
 fn to_old(path: &Path) -> Result<(), String> {
     // Renaming a running image or a loaded DLL is legal on Windows; deleting
-    // is not. Park replaced files as *.old — swept on the next launch.
+    // is not. Park replaced files as *.old - swept on the next launch.
     let mut name = path.file_name().map(|n| n.to_os_string()).unwrap_or_default();
     name.push(".old");
     let old = path.with_file_name(name);
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ fn place_file(staged: &Path, target: &Path) -> Result<(), String> {
 }
 
 /// Moves every file of the extracted component tree into place under dest.
-/// Files already present in dest but not part of the tree are left alone —
+/// Files already present in dest but not part of the tree are left alone -
 /// the app root also hosts Updater.exe and user-adjacent files that are not
 /// part of the engine zip.
 pub fn place_tree(src: &Path, dest: &Path) -> Result<(), String> {
diff --git a/app/updater/src-tauri/src/download.rs b/app/updater/src-tauri/src/download.rs
index 0e3c4e3..3ae56a7 100644
--- a/app/updater/src-tauri/src/download.rs
+++ b/app/updater/src-tauri/src/download.rs
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ use std::io::Read;
 use std::path::Path;
 use std::sync::atomic::AtomicBool;
 
-// Public half of the Monolith Ed25519 signing key — the same pair WinSparkle
+// Public half of the Monolith Ed25519 signing key - the same pair WinSparkle
 // used. The private half lives in the CI secret WINSPARKLE_ED_PRIVATE_KEY and
 // signs each component zip (openssl pkeyutl -sign -rawin, Sparkle format);
 // scripts/generate-update-manifest.ps1 emits the signatures we verify here.
@@ -37,14 +37,14 @@ pub fn download(
     if expected_size > 0 && downloaded != expected_size {
         let _ = std::fs::remove_file(dest);
         return Err(format!(
-            "size mismatch — expected {expected_size} bytes, got {downloaded}"
+            "size mismatch - expected {expected_size} bytes, got {downloaded}"
         ));
     }
     if !expected_sha256.is_empty() {
         let digest = sha256_file(dest)?;
         if !digest.eq_ignore_ascii_case(expected_sha256) {
             let _ = std::fs::remove_file(dest);
-            return Err("checksum mismatch — the download is corrupt".to_string());
+            return Err("checksum mismatch - the download is corrupt".to_string());
         }
     }
     if !ed_signature_b64.is_empty() {
diff --git a/app/updater/src-tauri/src/engine_rpc.rs b/app/updater/src-tauri/src/engine_rpc.rs
index 92297f2..c464b37 100644
--- a/app/updater/src-tauri/src/engine_rpc.rs
+++ b/app/updater/src-tauri/src/engine_rpc.rs
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ pub fn close_ui() -> Result<(), String> {
 
 pub fn request_engine_exit() {
     // Fire and (mostly) forget: the engine tears its IPC server down during
-    // shutdown, so the reply — or even the connection — may never arrive.
+    // shutdown, so the reply - or even the connection - may never arrive.
     // wait_engine_exit() is the real confirmation.
     let _ = rpc("update_engine_exit");
 }
diff --git a/app/updater/src-tauri/src/http.rs b/app/updater/src-tauri/src/http.rs
index 8c7b4df..4c435d0 100644
--- a/app/updater/src-tauri/src/http.rs
+++ b/app/updater/src-tauri/src/http.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 // Minimal WinHTTP client: manifest fetch + streaming download with progress.
 //
 // WinHTTP (not a Rust TLS stack) on purpose: the updater inherits the system
-// proxy configuration — the same behavior the WinSparkle era had — and stays
+// proxy configuration - the same behavior the WinSparkle era had - and stays
 // free of C dependencies, which also allows `cargo check --target
 // x86_64-pc-windows-msvc` from any host. Redirects (GitHub's
 // releases/latest/download → objects.githubusercontent.com) are followed by
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ fn crack_url(url: &str) -> Result<Parts, String> {
     let mut comps = URL_COMPONENTS::default();
     comps.dwStructSize = std::mem::size_of::<URL_COMPONENTS>() as u32;
     // 0xFFFFFFFF = return pointers/lengths of substrings inside the input
-    // URL — no side buffers needed.
+    // URL - no side buffers needed.
     comps.dwHostNameLength = 0xFFFF_FFFF;
     comps.dwUrlPathLength = 0xFFFF_FFFF;
     comps.dwExtraInfoLength = 0xFFFF_FFFF;
diff --git a/app/updater/src-tauri/src/main.rs b/app/updater/src-tauri/src/main.rs
index 4a606fd..0afa77f 100644
--- a/app/updater/src-tauri/src/main.rs
+++ b/app/updater/src-tauri/src/main.rs
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
-// Monolith Updater (Updater.exe) — component self-updater.
+// Monolith Updater (Updater.exe) - component self-updater.
 //
 // Owns the whole update flow: fetch update-manifest.json from the releases
 // page, compare per-component versions (engine / ui / updater are versioned
-// independently — a UI-only release never touches the engine), download ONLY
+// independently - a UI-only release never touches the engine), download ONLY
 // the components whose version changed, verify sha256 + Ed25519 (same key
 // pair WinSparkle used), stage and swap files on disk (rename-to-.old dance),
 // and relaunch the engine. The recorder spawns this exe with --auto at
@@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ fn run_check(app: &AppHandle, auto: bool) {
 
 /// While the user decides (Available), mirror the engine's recording state
 /// so Update-now can be disabled during a recording (the engine restarts to
-/// apply engine updates — that would kill an active clip).
+/// apply engine updates - that would kill an active clip).
 fn spawn_recording_watch(app: &AppHandle) {
     let app = app.clone();
     std::thread::spawn(move || loop {
@@ -236,7 +236,7 @@ fn run_pipeline(app: &AppHandle) {
 
     let manifest = core().manifest.lock().unwrap().clone();
     let Some(m) = manifest else {
-        fail(app, "manifest missing — check for updates again");
+        fail(app, "manifest missing - check for updates again");
         return;
     };
 
@@ -322,7 +322,7 @@ fn run_pipeline(app: &AppHandle) {
     //    must exit), then relaunch the engine, then self-update last.
     core().state.lock().unwrap().speed_bps = 0;
     if engine_rpc::recording() {
-        fail(app, "a recording is in progress — stop it and retry");
+        fail(app, "a recording is in progress - stop it and retry");
         return;
     }
     set_phase(app, Phase::Applying);
@@ -350,7 +350,7 @@ fn run_pipeline(app: &AppHandle) {
         if engine_was_running {
             engine_rpc::request_engine_exit();
             if !engine_rpc::wait_engine_exit(Duration::from_secs(20)) {
-                fail(app, "the engine did not exit in time — close Monolith and retry");
+                fail(app, "the engine did not exit in time - close Monolith and retry");
                 return;
             }
         }
diff --git a/app/updater/src-tauri/src/versions.rs b/app/updater/src-tauri/src/versions.rs
index 091dc25..9bb07a8 100644
--- a/app/updater/src-tauri/src/versions.rs
+++ b/app/updater/src-tauri/src/versions.rs
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ fn read_components_json() -> Option<Installed> {
 }
 
 /// Reads the Win32 VERSIONINFO FileVersion ("major.minor.patch[.build]") via
-/// the fixed, translation-independent block — no StringFileInfo lookup
+/// the fixed, translation-independent block - no StringFileInfo lookup
 /// needed. Returns None when the file is missing or carries no version
 /// resource.
 fn file_version(path: &Path) -> Option<String> {
diff --git a/app/updater/ui/index.html b/app/updater/ui/index.html
index 7b73987..aaa7453 100644
--- a/app/updater/ui/index.html
+++ b/app/updater/ui/index.html
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
     <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
     <!-- CSP is injected by Tauri from tauri.conf.json's app.security.csp. A
          static meta tag here would intersect with it (most-restrictive-wins
-         per directive) — same lesson as ADR-0015 in the main UI. -->
+         per directive) - same lesson as ADR-0015 in the main UI. -->
     <title>Monolith Updater</title>
     <link rel="stylesheet" href="/styles.css" />
   </head>
diff --git a/app/updater/ui/src/updater.tsx b/app/updater/ui/src/updater.tsx
index 8d2f046..59e6278 100644
--- a/app/updater/ui/src/updater.tsx
+++ b/app/updater/ui/src/updater.tsx
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ function Titlebar({ closable }: { closable: boolean }) {
 }
 
 function VersionLine({ c }: { c: ComponentState }) {
-  const from = c.from === "0.0.0" ? "–" : c.from;
+  const from = c.from === "0.0.0" ? "-" : c.from;
   return (
     <div class="comp-vers">
       <span class="from">{from}</span>
@@ -445,7 +445,7 @@ export function Updater() {
           <div class="notice">
             <span>●</span>
             <span>
-              A recording is in progress. Stop it before updating — the engine
+              A recording is in progress. Stop it before updating - the engine
               restarts to apply engine updates.
             </span>
           </div>
diff --git a/app/updater/ui/styles.css b/app/updater/ui/styles.css
index 892b4f4..0691571 100644
--- a/app/updater/ui/styles.css
+++ b/app/updater/ui/styles.css
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
-/* Monolith Updater — component self-update window.
+/* Monolith Updater - component self-update window.
    Design tokens inherited from the main app's styles.css (dark monochrome,
    desaturated lavender-ice accent, Bahnschrift + Cascadia Mono) so the window
    reads as part of the product. The signature element is the buffer bar: a
    hairline meter pinned to the window's bottom edge that fills as update
-   bytes arrive — the updater window "fills" like the replay buffer. */
+   bytes arrive - the updater window "fills" like the replay buffer. */
 
 :root {
   --bg: #000000;
diff --git a/config/default_config.h.in b/config/default_config.h.in
index 93c1cab..52c0118 100644
--- a/config/default_config.h.in
+++ b/config/default_config.h.in
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 #pragma once
 
 // Generated by CMake from config/default-config.json (single source of
-// truth for default settings). Do not edit this file directly — edit
+// truth for default settings). Do not edit this file directly - edit
 // config/default-config.json and reconfigure instead.
 namespace settings {
 
diff --git a/docs/DECISIONS.md b/docs/DECISIONS.md
index 06ad291..182860a 100644
--- a/docs/DECISIONS.md
+++ b/docs/DECISIONS.md
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ File be architecture decision record index for Monolith.
   - Use WAL and `busy_timeout`.
   - Self-heal on startup: remove rows for missing media, regen missing
     thumbnails, import pre-existing media.
-- Notes: superseded in part by ADR-0015 — UI-driven favorite/hashtag/title/
+- Notes: superseded in part by ADR-0015 - UI-driven favorite/hashtag/title/
   rename/delete ops now write catalog directly from UI process
   (rusqlite, same WAL/busy_timeout discipline) so they work without engine
   running. `clip_regen_thumb` still go through engine IPC cuz thumbnail
@@ -190,7 +190,7 @@ File be architecture decision record index for Monolith.
     `allow-toggle-maximize`/`allow-close`/`allow-start-dragging`.
   - `server.rs` and `media.rs` deleted; `tiny_http`, `include_dir`, `url`,
     and `percent-encoding` dropped from `Cargo.toml`.
-  - `engine_rpc.rs` (JSON-RPC over TCP to `127.0.0.1:45991`) unchanged —
+  - `engine_rpc.rs` (JSON-RPC over TCP to `127.0.0.1:45991`) unchanged -
     out of scope for this migration, still used by `plugins/stream-deck`.
 - Notes: this closes gap identified in ADR-0010/ADR-0012 where UI
   mutations went through engine IPC even though UI process could write
@@ -217,7 +217,7 @@ File be architecture decision record index for Monolith.
   invoke bridge, not this TCP server. Server stays loopback-only
   (`127.0.0.1`) with no request-level auth.
 
-## ADR-0017: Vice Feature Fusion — Collections, Bookmarks, Engine-Side Trim, Disk Replay, AV1
+## ADR-0017: Vice Feature Fusion - Collections, Bookmarks, Engine-Side Trim, Disk Replay, AV1
 
 - Status: accepted (2026-08-11).
 - Decision:
@@ -241,7 +241,7 @@ File be architecture decision record index for Monolith.
     recorder process; new `clip_trim` JSON-RPC mutation (same channel as
     `clip_regen_thumb`) copies packets losslessly (`-c copy` semantics,
     keyframe-backward seek keeps pre-roll), writes `<file>.trimming.<ext>`,
-    then `MoveFileExW(REPLACE_EXISTING|WRITE_THROUGH)` — file replaced
+    then `MoveFileExW(REPLACE_EXISTING|WRITE_THROUGH)` - file replaced
     in place like Vice, original intact on any failure. Re-encode is a
     safety-net fallback only. `duration_seconds` re-probed, thumbnail
     regenerated, `clip_generation` bumped so the UI grid refreshes.
@@ -255,7 +255,7 @@ File be architecture decision record index for Monolith.
   - **AV1**: `VideoCodec::AV1` + `resolve_video_encoder("av1")` cascade
     `av1_nvenc → av1_amf → av1_qsv → libaom-av1` (vcpkg ffmpeg feature
     `libaom`, not GPL). libaom gets only `cpu-used=8` + `rc-end-usage=cbr`
-    (no preset/tune — unknown options fail `avcodec_open2`).
+    (no preset/tune - unknown options fail `avcodec_open2`).
 - Notes: no-10-bit, no-CRF/CQ, no timeline editor (out of scope). Manual
   recordings stay always-on-disk. UI text stays English.
 
@@ -268,8 +268,8 @@ File be architecture decision record index for Monolith.
   DLLs + UI) for every update. A UI-only change therefore required bumping
   the engine version/tag, and clients re-downloaded ~everything for nothing.
   The update UX was WinSparkle's stock native dialog.
-- Decision: a dedicated Tauri v2 process — `Updater.exe` (`app/updater`,
-  deployed at the app root next to `Monolith.exe`) — owns the entire flow:
+- Decision: a dedicated Tauri v2 process - `Updater.exe` (`app/updater`,
+  deployed at the app root next to `Monolith.exe`) - owns the entire flow:
   - Feed: `update-manifest.json` on the stable
     `releases/latest/download/` URL with per-component entries
     (version / url / size / sha256 / EdDSA signature).
@@ -293,11 +293,19 @@ File be architecture decision record index for Monolith.
   wrapper). Two new JSON-RPC methods on the engine (`update_close_ui`,
   `update_engine_exit`). `get_status` now also reports the engine version
   (Settings shows interface + engine versions side by side). No binary
-  delta-patching (component granularity only) and no download resume —
+  delta-patching (component granularity only) and no download resume -
   retry re-downloads; both are accepted v1 limitations.
 
 ## Open Decisions
 
 - Final MP4 remux/finalization policy for interrupted recordings.
 - GPU-resident encoder API shape and fallback contract.
-- Future engine/UI process split boundary.
\ No newline at end of file
+- Future engine/UI process split boundary.
+
+## ADR-0019: App-local Windows runtime closure
+
+Date: 2026-10-08
+
+The native recorder and vcpkg dependencies retain dynamic MSVC linkage. CMake copies the redistributable runtime beside the engine. Rust UI and updater binaries use a static CRT, matching their independent single-executable component payloads.
+
+The verifier scans the root and sidecars, requires imports beside each binary and never treats VC runtime DLLs installed on a CI host as Windows prerequisites. All component staging directories are checked before packaging. Dynamically loaded driver/WebView2 dependencies and actual loader behavior require a clean Windows 11 smoke test.
diff --git a/docs/RELEASING.md b/docs/RELEASING.md
index a00ab3a..2ce702f 100644
--- a/docs/RELEASING.md
+++ b/docs/RELEASING.md
@@ -3,12 +3,12 @@
 ## Distribution Model
 
 - Code + releases: `fraa2a/Monolith` (single repo; releases are public
-  assets on tag pushes — no separate releases repo).
+  assets on tag pushes - no separate releases repo).
 - Published artifacts per release:
-  - `MonolithSetup-X.Y.Z.exe` — full per-user installer (fresh installs).
+  - `MonolithSetup-X.Y.Z.exe` - full per-user installer (fresh installs).
   - `update-manifest.json` + `monolith-engine-*.zip` / `monolith-ui-*.zip` /
-    `monolith-updater-*.zip` — component update payload for Updater.exe.
-  - `appcast.xml` — legacy WinSparkle feed (migration only, see below).
+    `monolith-updater-*.zip` - component update payload for Updater.exe.
+  - `appcast.xml` - legacy WinSparkle feed (migration only, see below).
   - `monolith-src-X.Y.Z.zip` (GPLv3 corresponding source), Stream Deck plugin.
 - Install path: `%LocalAppData%\Programs\Monolith`.
 - User data path: `%LocalAppData%\Monolith`.
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ updates signed by a new key.
 
 ## Versioning (independent components)
 
-Each component carries its own version — bump only what changed:
+Each component carries its own version - bump only what changed:
 
 | Component | Source of truth | Used by |
 |---|---|---|
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ Each component carries its own version — bump only what changed:
 | updater | `version` in `app/updater/src-tauri/tauri.conf.json` | `Updater.exe` FileVersion, update-manifest |
 
 The git tag `vX.Y.Z` only names the release and versions the full installer
-(`MonolithSetup-X.Y.Z.exe`). A UI-only release bumps just the ui version —
+(`MonolithSetup-X.Y.Z.exe`). A UI-only release bumps just the ui version -
 clients never re-download the engine. CI warns if the tag sorts below any
 component version it ships.
 
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ component version it ships.
 Installs still on WinSparkle read `appcast.xml` (still generated every
 release, pointing at the full installer). They update once through the old
 full-installer path and land on the component-updater build; from there
-`update-manifest.json` takes over. Keep generating the appcast indefinitely —
+`update-manifest.json` takes over. Keep generating the appcast indefinitely -
 it costs nothing and there is no cutoff to coordinate.
 
 ## Release Command
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ git push origin vX.Y.Z
 CI then:
 
 1. Extract the version from the tag (installer version only).
-2. Configure CMake with pinned vcpkg baseline (no version injection — the
+2. Configure CMake with pinned vcpkg baseline (no version injection - the
    engine version comes from `project(VERSION)`).
 3. Build `Monolith.exe` + `ui\Monolith.UI.exe` + `Updater.exe`.
 4. Compile `installer/monolith.iss` into `MonolithSetup-X.Y.Z.exe`.
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ Use numeric `X.Y.Z` version for `VersionInfoVersion`.
   `$env:MONOLITH_UPDATE_MANIFEST = "http://127.0.0.1:PORT/update-manifest.json"`
   (serve the manifest + zips with any static server; URLs in the manifest
   point at the same server).
-- `Updater.exe --force` reinstalls even when versions match — the way to
+- `Updater.exe --force` reinstalls even when versions match - the way to
   exercise the download/apply path without publishing anything.
 - `MONOLITH_APP_DIR` overrides the app directory the updater operates on.
 
diff --git a/docs/handover/ACTIVE_HANDOVER.md b/docs/handover/ACTIVE_HANDOVER.md
index 6c7d99f..b969c5e 100644
--- a/docs/handover/ACTIVE_HANDOVER.md
+++ b/docs/handover/ACTIVE_HANDOVER.md
@@ -1,12 +1,22 @@
 # Active Handover
 
-Updated: 2026-09-08
+Updated: 2026-10-08
+
+
+## Session 2026-10-08: Windows runtime packaging and text policy
+
+- Copy MSVC redistributable libraries into the native runtime output via CMake.
+- Build both Rust sidecars with a static MSVC CRT so independently shipped UI/updater executables do not need external VC runtime DLLs.
+- Check each executable/DLL directory recursively, reject missing VC runtime libraries even if installed on CI, and verify all three staged component payloads.
+- Add a mock-based dependency verifier regression suite; actual clean Windows startup is still required before release.
+- Add `AGENTS.md` and a tracked UTF-8 text check banning U+2013 and U+2014. Normalize existing occurrences to ASCII hyphens.
+- PRs form a stack: runtime/policy first, audit fixes second, comment cleanup third. No release or merge was requested.
 
 ## Publication version bump
 
 After the focused U6 test and final Terra-medium review passed, the modified components were bumped for publication: engine `1.6.2`, desktop UI `1.4.1`; updater remains unchanged. Windows CI and runtime validation remain required after push.
 
-## Audit phase 2A — media timeline and disk retention (review pending)
+## Audit phase 2A - media timeline and disk retention (review pending)
 
 Parent accepted phase 1 after independent review; its historical entry below is
 preserved. Implemented this stage: **R2/R3/R4/T1/T2/T3/T4**, plus the specifically
@@ -65,15 +75,15 @@ reload + file-locking/real-device tests. No Windows execution or performance
 improvement is claimed. Full-budget saturation, HEVC/AV1 matrix and allocation/
 thread-failure injection remain unexecuted. Filesystem replacement/temp-path and
 DB/bookmark transaction/crash durability are **phase 2B**, not silently fixed.
-R5 synchronous disk/encode work also remains. Pending audit IDs: V1–V8, R5–R12,
-U1–U6, I3, A1–A7; do not start the next phase without parent authorization.
+R5 synchronous disk/encode work also remains. Pending audit IDs: V1-V8, R5-R12,
+U1-U6, I3, A1-A7; do not start the next phase without parent authorization.
 
-## Audit phase 1 — bounded replay and IPC (review pending)
+## Audit phase 1 - bounded replay and IPC (review pending)
 
 Implemented only R1/I1/I2; original audit remains in `report.md` with a separate
 phase-1 evidence appendix. Previous DLL changes and pre-existing roadmap deletion
 were preserved; no commit/push/release or version bump. All other report IDs
-(V1–V8, R2–R12, T1–T4, U1–U6, I3, A1–A7) remain pending.
+(V1-V8, R2-R12, T1-T4, U1-U6, I3, A1-A7) remain pending.
 
 - RAM replay: hard logical payload and 262144-packet caps; whole-GOP eviction,
   no audio/dependent frames before a key, rejection of oversized packets,
@@ -114,7 +124,7 @@ Windows handle/private-byte soak, keyframe-starvation/oversize replay and slow
 snapshot save with FFmpeg decode. Linux tests do not establish these Windows
 results. Do not begin phase 2 without parent authorization.
 
-## Session 2026-09-08 — native runtime DLL packaging fix
+## Session 2026-09-08 - native runtime DLL packaging fix
 
 Hardened packaging against Windows startup failures caused by native dependencies (reported as missing `aom.dll`) being present in the CMake/vcpkg build output but omitted from shipped packages. The old installer and component-update rules selected DLLs by filename prefixes (`av*`, `sw*`, `lib*`, plus `sqlite3.dll`), which excluded dependencies whose names did not match that list.
 
@@ -124,68 +134,68 @@ Hardened packaging against Windows startup failures caused by native dependencie
 
 Static validation was run on Linux (`git diff --check` plus source assertions for wildcard packaging and workflow verifier calls). PowerShell, MSVC/vcpkg Windows build output, Inno Setup, and Windows runtime were unavailable here. Before release, require Windows CI green and smoke both a fresh installer and an engine component update on a clean Windows 11 machine.
 
-## Session 2026-08-11 — Vice feature fusion: quick trim, bookmarks, replay storage RAM|Disk, AV1, collections
+## Session 2026-08-11 - Vice feature fusion: quick trim, bookmarks, replay storage RAM|Disk, AV1, collections
 
-Executed the full plan at `local://monolith-vice-fusion-plan.md` (engine + IPC + storage + Rust + Preact UI). UI `npm install` + `npx tsc --noEmit` + `npx vite build` all GREEN on this machine. Native side is static-verified only — **no C++ build (MSVC/vcpkg absent) and no cargo on this host; Windows CI + real-machine build is the first step before release**.
+Executed the full plan at `local://monolith-vice-fusion-plan.md` (engine + IPC + storage + Rust + Preact UI). UI `npm install` + `npx tsc --noEmit` + `npx vite build` all GREEN on this machine. Native side is static-verified only - **no C++ build (MSVC/vcpkg absent) and no cargo on this host; Windows CI + real-machine build is the first step before release**.
 
-Phase 1 — Engine foundation (native, static-verified):
+Phase 1 - Engine foundation (native, static-verified):
 
 - IPC (`libs/ipc`): `ClipMutation{start,end}`, `AddBookmarkFn` + `start()` 5th param, `"recording_add_bookmark"` handled on the IPC thread (bookmark timestamp accuracy), `"clip_trim"` whitelisted.
 - Storage (`libs/storage`): `set_duration`, `video_file_for(id)`, `set_bookmark_time`, bookmark CRUD (INSERT OR REPLACE, `clip_exists` guard, `PRIMARY KEY(clip_id,seq)`), `remove_clip` cascade.
-- Engine (`app/recorder/src/main.cpp`): recording-clock globals + `recording_elapsed_seconds()` (+ pause/resume), `PendingBookmark{time,label,color}` queue flushed on catalog with `catalog_clip(path, source, dur, on_cataloged)`; `CMD_ADD_BOOKMARK = 1008` with hotkey (default `Ctrl+Shift+F12`) + tray entry + wnd_proc dispatch; `add_bookmark_now` errors on "not recording"/"recording is paused". Fixed: auto-record stop path lacked the flush closure — now builds `folder = parent_path(path)` and passes `[folder](int64_t id){ flush_pending_bookmarks(id, folder); }` (same as the manual-stop path).
+- Engine (`app/recorder/src/main.cpp`): recording-clock globals + `recording_elapsed_seconds()` (+ pause/resume), `PendingBookmark{time,label,color}` queue flushed on catalog with `catalog_clip(path, source, dur, on_cataloged)`; `CMD_ADD_BOOKMARK = 1008` with hotkey (default `Ctrl+Shift+F12`) + tray entry + wnd_proc dispatch; `add_bookmark_now` errors on "not recording"/"recording is paused". Fixed: auto-record stop path lacked the flush closure - now builds `folder = parent_path(path)` and passes `[folder](int64_t id){ flush_pending_bookmarks(id, folder); }` (same as the manual-stop path).
 
-Phase 2 — Settings (`settings_config.{h,cpp}`, default-config.json): `hotkey_add_bookmark` (`Ctrl+Shift+F12`), `replay_buffer_storage` (`"ram"|"disk"`), codec accepts `"av1"`. 5-entry hotkey collision table in C++ and Rust (frontend auto-picks from its hotkey field list). Note: `settings.db` stores whole top-level sections as JSON blobs — all new sub-keys round-trip with zero Rust changes.
+Phase 2 - Settings (`settings_config.{h,cpp}`, default-config.json): `hotkey_add_bookmark` (`Ctrl+Shift+F12`), `replay_buffer_storage` (`"ram"|"disk"`), codec accepts `"av1"`. 5-entry hotkey collision table in C++ and Rust (frontend auto-picks from its hotkey field list). Note: `settings.db` stores whole top-level sections as JSON blobs - all new sub-keys round-trip with zero Rust changes.
 
-Phase 3 — Trim lib (`libs/encoding/trim.{h,cpp}`): ffmpeg `-c copy` remux window with keyframe-backward seek (playback-safe pre-roll), per-stream pts/dts re-anchor + `offset_sec` shift, trailer finalize, `concat_clip_segments` for multi-segment; lossless→reencode fallback. `main.cpp::trim_clip` validates, writes `.trimming<ext>` temp, `MoveFileExW(REPLACE_EXISTING|WRITE_THROUGH)`, `set_duration`, bookmark re-time (`set_bookmark_time(t-start)`/`remove_bookmark`), thumbnail regen + `g_clip_generation` bump. Fixed latent: output pb leak on error paths (`OutFmt` dtor `avio_closep` + `free_fmt` lambda in reencode path). CMakeLists already included `trim.cpp`.
+Phase 3 - Trim lib (`libs/encoding/trim.{h,cpp}`): ffmpeg `-c copy` remux window with keyframe-backward seek (playback-safe pre-roll), per-stream pts/dts re-anchor + `offset_sec` shift, trailer finalize, `concat_clip_segments` for multi-segment; lossless→reencode fallback. `main.cpp::trim_clip` validates, writes `.trimming<ext>` temp, `MoveFileExW(REPLACE_EXISTING|WRITE_THROUGH)`, `set_duration`, bookmark re-time (`set_bookmark_time(t-start)`/`remove_bookmark`), thumbnail regen + `g_clip_generation` bump. Fixed latent: output pb leak on error paths (`OutFmt` dtor `avio_closep` + `free_fmt` lambda in reencode path). CMakeLists already included `trim.cpp`.
 
-Phase 4 — Replay-buffer disk backend: new `libs/disk-segments/{disk_segments.h,cpp,CMakeLists.txt}`; `replay_buffer` `Impl::disk` unique_ptr, `configure()` routes ram↔disk (forwards vsp/audio params), `push/clear/save_clip/stats` route; `main.cpp` `apply_runtime_settings` sets `rbcfg.storage` + `rbcfg.segment_dir = temp_directory`.
+Phase 4 - Replay-buffer disk backend: new `libs/disk-segments/{disk_segments.h,cpp,CMakeLists.txt}`; `replay_buffer` `Impl::disk` unique_ptr, `configure()` routes ram↔disk (forwards vsp/audio params), `push/clear/save_clip/stats` route; `main.cpp` `apply_runtime_settings` sets `rbcfg.storage` + `rbcfg.segment_dir = temp_directory`.
 
-Phase 5 — AV1 (`libs/encoding`): `VideoCodec::AV1`, `resolve_video_encoder("h264"|"h265"|"av1")`, candidates `av1_nvenc/av1_amf/av1_qsv/libaom-av1`; libaom options `cpu-used=8` + `rc-end-usage=cbr` only (never preset/tune — unknown option fails `avcodec_open2`); `mux_common.cpp` AV1→`AV_CODEC_ID_AV1`; `vcpkg.json` ffmpeg features += libaom.
+Phase 5 - AV1 (`libs/encoding`): `VideoCodec::AV1`, `resolve_video_encoder("h264"|"h265"|"av1")`, candidates `av1_nvenc/av1_amf/av1_qsv/libaom-av1`; libaom options `cpu-used=8` + `rc-end-usage=cbr` only (never preset/tune - unknown option fails `avcodec_open2`); `mux_common.cpp` AV1→`AV_CODEC_ID_AV1`; `vcpkg.json` ffmpeg features += libaom.
 
-Phase 6 — Rust backend (`src-tauri/src`): `clip_catalog.rs` bookmark CRUD + `BOOKMARK_DDL` + `clip_by_id` + `clip_select_sql`/`map_clip_row` refactor; new `collections.rs` (single global `%LocalAppData%\Monolith\collections.db`, mixes replay+manual, prune-on-read, ISO-8601 `created_at_utc`); `commands.rs` registered 13 new commands (`clip_trim`, `recording_add_bookmark`, bookmark CRUD, collection CRUD + membership); `main.rs` invoke_handler verified — all 37 entries exist.
+Phase 6 - Rust backend (`src-tauri/src`): `clip_catalog.rs` bookmark CRUD + `BOOKMARK_DDL` + `clip_by_id` + `clip_select_sql`/`map_clip_row` refactor; new `collections.rs` (single global `%LocalAppData%\Monolith\collections.db`, mixes replay+manual, prune-on-read, ISO-8601 `created_at_utc`); `commands.rs` registered 13 new commands (`clip_trim`, `recording_add_bookmark`, bookmark CRUD, collection CRUD + membership); `main.rs` invoke_handler verified - all 37 entries exist.
 
-Phase 7 — UI (`app/desktop-ui/ui`): `lib/api.ts` `clipApi.{trim,listBookmarks,addBookmark,updateBookmark,deleteBookmark,recordingAddBookmark}` + `collectionsApi.{list,create,rename,remove,clips,addClip,removeClip}` + `BookmarkRow`/`CollectionSummary` (color swatch, no cover thumb); `icons.tsx` += `scissors/bookmark/album/plus-circle/flag`. Settings popup: 5th hotkey field, Replay Storage segmented (Ram|Disk), AV1 codec option + encoder label. Detail view: trim mode with draggable/keyboard handles (min span 0.5s, Esc cancels, Apply → `clip_trim`), bookmark markers on the scrubber, bookmark list with edit/delete + 8-swatch palette, add-bookmark button gated to `clip.source === "manual"`. Collections: sidebar 3rd nav (album icon), `collections-view` (grid + create/rename/delete), `collection-detail` (self-contained: its own DetailView/Fullscreen/ctx-menu — collections have no cover image, cards use color swatch + album icon), `collection-picker` (from clip context menu "Add to collection…" + detail-view album button), titlebar `Collections · <name>`.
+Phase 7 - UI (`app/desktop-ui/ui`): `lib/api.ts` `clipApi.{trim,listBookmarks,addBookmark,updateBookmark,deleteBookmark,recordingAddBookmark}` + `collectionsApi.{list,create,rename,remove,clips,addClip,removeClip}` + `BookmarkRow`/`CollectionSummary` (color swatch, no cover thumb); `icons.tsx` += `scissors/bookmark/album/plus-circle/flag`. Settings popup: 5th hotkey field, Replay Storage segmented (Ram|Disk), AV1 codec option + encoder label. Detail view: trim mode with draggable/keyboard handles (min span 0.5s, Esc cancels, Apply → `clip_trim`), bookmark markers on the scrubber, bookmark list with edit/delete + 8-swatch palette, add-bookmark button gated to `clip.source === "manual"`. Collections: sidebar 3rd nav (album icon), `collections-view` (grid + create/rename/delete), `collection-detail` (self-contained: its own DetailView/Fullscreen/ctx-menu - collections have no cover image, cards use color swatch + album icon), `collection-picker` (from clip context menu "Add to collection…" + detail-view album button), titlebar `Collections · <name>`.
 
 Verification on this machine (all done this session):
 
-- **cargo build (Linux) green — MUST use `--features custom-protocol`**: `cargo build --release --features custom-protocol` in `src-tauri` → `target/release/monolith_ui` (24 MB, ELF x86-64, stripped) and the UI **loads** (verified live). Without the feature the release binary falls back to `devUrl` (`http://localhost:1420`) — WebView shows a white screen with "Could not connect to localhost: Connection refused" (that error is the dev server, NOT the engine's 45991). The plain `cargo build --release` in this file's older sessions and the Open-items command below had this latent trap; on Windows too, production builds must pass `--features custom-protocol` (or use `npm run tauri build`, which enables it via the CLI). Two more cross-platform fixes: `src-tauri/icons/icon.png` was missing (tauri-build requires it on Linux; Windows uses the ico) — copied from `app/assets/icon.png`; `exe_icon.rs` (SHDefExtractIconW) is Windows-only but was compiled unconditionally — `mod exe_icon`, the `commands::exe_icon` import/fn and its invoke_handler entry are now `#[cfg(target_os = "windows")]` (leaves 2 dead-code warnings in `game_catalog.rs` on Linux only — reachable on Windows, intentional).
+- **cargo build (Linux) green - MUST use `--features custom-protocol`**: `cargo build --release --features custom-protocol` in `src-tauri` → `target/release/monolith_ui` (24 MB, ELF x86-64, stripped) and the UI **loads** (verified live). Without the feature the release binary falls back to `devUrl` (`http://localhost:1420`) - WebView shows a white screen with "Could not connect to localhost: Connection refused" (that error is the dev server, NOT the engine's 45991). The plain `cargo build --release` in this file's older sessions and the Open-items command below had this latent trap; on Windows too, production builds must pass `--features custom-protocol` (or use `npm run tauri build`, which enables it via the CLI). Two more cross-platform fixes: `src-tauri/icons/icon.png` was missing (tauri-build requires it on Linux; Windows uses the ico) - copied from `app/assets/icon.png`; `exe_icon.rs` (SHDefExtractIconW) is Windows-only but was compiled unconditionally - `mod exe_icon`, the `commands::exe_icon` import/fn and its invoke_handler entry are now `#[cfg(target_os = "windows")]` (leaves 2 dead-code warnings in `game_catalog.rs` on Linux only - reachable on Windows, intentional).
 - `npm install` (91 packages), `npx tsc --noEmit` → 0 errors, `npx vite build` → OK (37 modules, 109 kB JS / 35 kB CSS).
-- Fixed one pre-existing UI type bug found by tsc: `saveCapturedThumb` went through `ok()` which discarded the `thumbnail_file` return value while `clip-card.tsx` reads `res.thumbnail_file` — now returns the invoke payload on the envelope.
+- Fixed one pre-existing UI type bug found by tsc: `saveCapturedThumb` went through `ok()` which discarded the `thumbnail_file` return value while `clip-card.tsx` reads `res.thumbnail_file` - now returns the invoke payload on the envelope.
 - Cross-stack parity greps: `clip_trim`/`recording_add_bookmark` present in ipc_server.h/.cpp + main.cpp + commands.rs + api.ts; `catalog_clip` def + 3 callsites (auto-stop/replay/manual-stop); 5 hotkey registrations; bookmark DDL C++/Rust aligned; `replay_buffer_storage`/`hotkey_add_bookmark` wired in settings C++ + engine; all 13 commands in `commands.rs` and invoke_handler.
 
-Open items — Windows-only, cannot run here:
+Open items - Windows-only, cannot run here:
 
-1. Build: `cmake --build build --config Release` (vcpkg add `libaom` via ffmpeg features) + `cargo build --release --features custom-protocol --manifest-path src-tauri\Cargo.toml` (the feature is required — without it the webview falls back to devUrl and shows a white screen).
+1. Build: `cmake --build build --config Release` (vcpkg add `libaom` via ffmpeg features) + `cargo build --release --features custom-protocol --manifest-path src-tauri\Cargo.toml` (the feature is required - without it the webview falls back to devUrl and shows a white screen).
 2. Runtime smoke: trim a manual clip (verify keyframe pre-roll quality + duration/timebase), add bookmark mid-recording via `Ctrl+Shift+F12` and via tray, replay-buffer storage=Disk (segment files under temp dir), AV1 encoding path (`libaom-av1` or hw AV1), collections create/rename/delete/add-remove clip (replay AND manual), bookmark re-time after trim.
 3. Confirm `%LocalAppData%\Monolith\collections.db` schema on first collections use.
 
 Previous session entry below (2026-07-12) unchanged.
 
-## Session 2026-07-12 (b) — border removal + shared-exe game resolution + titlebar crash fix
+## Session 2026-07-12 (b) - border removal + shared-exe game resolution + titlebar crash fix
 
-Native engine NOT built locally (vcpkg absent) — runtime unverified, need CI + real-machine smoke. UI `vite build` green.
+Native engine NOT built locally (vcpkg absent) - runtime unverified, need CI + real-machine smoke. UI `vite build` green.
 
 - **Capture border**: always suppressed. `main.cpp` force `options.show_border = false` (ignore `g_settings.show_capture_border`); log branch simplified. UI toggle removed from `settings-popup.tsx`. Config key `show_capture_border` left inert (load/save kept for `settings.db` back-compat).
 - **Shared-executable game resolution** (root cause of "Minecraft detected as Spiral Knights"): DB mapped ONE game per exe and dropped Discord's `>` prefix.
-  - `libs/gamelist`: `GameMap` is now `unordered_map<exe, vector<GameEntry>>` (`GameList`) — every game sharing an exe is kept. `basename_lower` strips a leading `>` (Discord marks child-process exes like `>javaw.exe` for Minecraft, which previously never matched the real `javaw.exe`). `parse_detectables` appends + dedups by `discord_app_id`. SQLite schema v2: composite PK `(exe_lower, discord_app_id)`; `open_db` migrates via `meta.schema_version` (drops stale `games`, re-syncs). `lookup` now returns a `GameList`.
+  - `libs/gamelist`: `GameMap` is now `unordered_map<exe, vector<GameEntry>>` (`GameList`) - every game sharing an exe is kept. `basename_lower` strips a leading `>` (Discord marks child-process exes like `>javaw.exe` for Minecraft, which previously never matched the real `javaw.exe`). `parse_detectables` appends + dedups by `discord_app_id`. SQLite schema v2: composite PK `(exe_lower, discord_app_id)`; `open_db` migrates via `meta.schema_version` (drops stale `games`, re-syncs). `lookup` now returns a `GameList`.
   - `libs/audio` `detect_game_candidates`: candidate gets provisional identity = first game for its exe; after the window pass, if the exe has >1 game AND a window title exists, pick the game whose name matches the title (`title_matches_db_name`: whole-name or alnum token len>=3, case-insensitive) and set `display_name`/`discord_app_id`/`title_matches_db`. No match → provisional stands (normal fallback). Single game → nothing to resolve.
   - Reverted the earlier same-session `ambiguous_suppressed_pids` approach (wrong model: it only fired with two running same-exe processes and compared against the single stored name).
 - **Titlebar crash** (`titlebar.tsx`): `subject` rendered the whole `runtime.active_game` object → "Objects are not valid as a child" + Titlebar re-render loop that hung the clip library (Preact injects `__,__b,__i,__u` treating the object as a vnode). Now renders `appLabel(active_game.display_name, active_game.process_name)`.
 
-Open items: CI build + real-game smoke — verify Minecraft (`javaw.exe`, title "Minecraft* …") now resolves to Minecraft not Spiral Knights; confirm first post-upgrade launch rebuilds `game_list.db` (schema v2) and re-syncs. NVENC/QuickSync codec wiring still pending (extend `libs/encoding` + fallback cascade, NOT libobs — hw encoders already in FFmpeg vcpkg feature set).
+Open items: CI build + real-game smoke - verify Minecraft (`javaw.exe`, title "Minecraft* …") now resolves to Minecraft not Spiral Knights; confirm first post-upgrade launch rebuilds `game_list.db` (schema v2) and re-syncs. NVENC/QuickSync codec wiring still pending (extend `libs/encoding` + fallback cascade, NOT libobs - hw encoders already in FFmpeg vcpkg feature set).
 
-## Session 2026-07-12 — DB-gated detection + auto-record features
+## Session 2026-07-12 - DB-gated detection + auto-record features
 
-Landed 4 commits on `main` (Windows CI green; native engine NOT built locally — vcpkg absent — so runtime unverified, need real-machine smoke test).
+Landed 4 commits on `main` (Windows CI green; native engine NOT built locally - vcpkg absent - so runtime unverified, need real-machine smoke test).
 
-- **Bug fixes**: topbar exe-icon call missing `processName` arg (`titlebar.tsx`) — fixed; topbar now show DB `display_name` verbatim (no `prettyAppName`). Thumbnail failures were silent (verbose logging off by default) and frontend `<video>` fallback cannot decode `.mkv` in WebView2 — added always-on `logging::log_error` channel, frontend now hand off to engine FFmpeg regenerator, and `clip_regen_thumb` bump `clip_generation` so grid reload.
+- **Bug fixes**: topbar exe-icon call missing `processName` arg (`titlebar.tsx`) - fixed; topbar now show DB `display_name` verbatim (no `prettyAppName`). Thumbnail failures were silent (verbose logging off by default) and frontend `<video>` fallback cannot decode `.mkv` in WebView2 - added always-on `logging::log_error` channel, frontend now hand off to engine FFmpeg regenerator, and `clip_regen_thumb` bump `clip_generation` so grid reload.
 - **New `libs/gamelist`**: recorder-owned SQLite cache of Discord detectable list (`https://discord.com/api/v10/applications/detectable`), fetched via WinHTTP on worker thread (startup + 72h + refetch-if-missing), lock-free snapshot. `%LocalAppData%\Monolith\game_list.db`.
 - **DB-gated detection** (`libs/audio`): `detect_game_candidates()` enumerate all processes (Toolhelp), gate on game-list membership; heuristic scoring + foreground-fallback removed. `detect_active_game()` now return best DB-matched candidate.
 - **Engine state machine** (`main.cpp`): 3 s cadence; `poll_active_game()` resolve effective target (user selection by exe, else most-recently-focused) and publish `game_candidates[]` + `selected_game_pid`; `evaluate_capture_mode()` run auto-record (startup 60 s focus grace, auto-next-on-close, manual switch). New `set_selected_game` IPC command + `SelectGameFn`. `capture_mode.clip_without_game` setting; idle-timeout now honored. Pacer hold last frame while captured game window minimized (game_only only). Screen mode auto-follow game's monitor unless pinned.
 - **UI**: topbar multi-game picker + Clip-Without-Game toggle; Settings > Game page toggles (mode, auto-record, clip-without-game, idle timeout).
 
 Open items next session:
-- Runtime smoke test on real machine with real game (detection match, auto-record start/stop/switch, frozen frame, thumbnail gen) — none verifiable from CI compile alone.
+- Runtime smoke test on real machine with real game (detection match, auto-record start/stop/switch, frozen frame, thumbnail gen) - none verifiable from CI compile alone.
 - Confirm live Discord detectable JSON shape match parser in `gamelist.cpp` (`[{id, name, executables:[{name, os, is_launcher}]}]`).
 - Rust `game_catalog.db` still hold artwork only; `discord_app_id` from new gamelist now on candidates but not yet threaded into clip rows for artwork.
 
@@ -358,20 +368,20 @@ Executed 9-task redesign plan in `UI_Todo.md` to bring `app/desktop-ui` closer t
 
 Done:
 
-- New `--accent`/`--accent-hi`/`--accent-soft`/`--accent-ink` design tokens (desaturated lavender-ice) applied to all interactive/active/selected UI (`.btn-primary`, `.toggle.on`, `.seg.active`, `.side-item.active`, `.settings-tab.active`, input/select focus, `.rec-dot.clip`). Red stays recording-only, gold stays favorites-only — verified no overlap. `PRODUCT.md` "Brand Personality" + Design Principle 3 updated to document third accent's single meaning.
+- New `--accent`/`--accent-hi`/`--accent-soft`/`--accent-ink` design tokens (desaturated lavender-ice) applied to all interactive/active/selected UI (`.btn-primary`, `.toggle.on`, `.seg.active`, `.side-item.active`, `.settings-tab.active`, input/select focus, `.rec-dot.clip`). Red stays recording-only, gold stays favorites-only - verified no overlap. `PRODUCT.md` "Brand Personality" + Design Principle 3 updated to document third accent's single meaning.
 - Titlebar status cluster flex ratios fixed (`.tb-brand` no longer grow to consume space, `.tb-status` anchored after it) + persistent chip background on `.capture-feed`.
 - Settings popup: grouped nav (Recording / Output / Advanced sections), content-driven modal height (was fixed 640px regardless of content), + real "About" section on General page using Tauri's `getVersion()` (previously that page near-empty).
-- Library clip cards: persistent (non-hover) action row — favorite, open containing folder, delete — reusing app's existing `ConfirmDialog` flow for delete rather than native `confirm()`. Added new Tauri command `reveal_in_explorer` (`explorer /select,<path>`) since no folder-reveal capability existed anywhere before this session.
+- Library clip cards: persistent (non-hover) action row - favorite, open containing folder, delete - reusing app's existing `ConfirmDialog` flow for delete rather than native `confirm()`. Added new Tauri command `reveal_in_explorer` (`explorer /select,<path>`) since no folder-reveal capability existed anywhere before this session.
 - Typography coherence pass: weight/tracking bumps on active nav/tab states + section/card titles for clearer hierarchy. No new font bundled.
 
-Intentionally skipped (documented in `UI_Todo.md`'s own terms — don't fake data or add scope app doesn't support):
+Intentionally skipped (documented in `UI_Todo.md`'s own terms - don't fake data or add scope app doesn't support):
 
-- **Sidebar storage/space indicator** — `RuntimeStatus` has no disk/storage fields; adding needs new backend work (`settings_store.rs` + `commands.rs` + `settings-api.ts`) out of scope for UI pass.
-- **Bundled display font** — marked optional in spec; needs separate licensing/packaging decision.
+- **Sidebar storage/space indicator** - `RuntimeStatus` has no disk/storage fields; adding needs new backend work (`settings_store.rs` + `commands.rs` + `settings-api.ts`) out of scope for UI pass.
+- **Bundled display font** - marked optional in spec; needs separate licensing/packaging decision.
 
 Build verified this session: `npm run build` (Vite) + `cargo build --release --manifest-path src-tauri\Cargo.toml` both succeed. Fixed one unrelated pre-existing compile error found along the way (`game_catalog.rs::resolve_artwork` was missing `last_updated` field after Discord cache redesign in prior commit).
 
-Not done: manual runtime smoke test (build machine only, no interactive session) — verify titlebar/sidebar/library grid/settings modal/card actions visually before shipping, per `CLAUDE.md`'s manual runtime smoke checklist.
+Not done: manual runtime smoke test (build machine only, no interactive session) - verify titlebar/sidebar/library grid/settings modal/card actions visually before shipping, per `CLAUDE.md`'s manual runtime smoke checklist.
 
 ## desktop-ui: clip card/detail/settings follow-up pass
 
@@ -381,19 +391,19 @@ Follow-up session on top of redesign pass above, addressing user feedback:
 - Detail view player: added fullscreen button next to volume slider (`onFullscreen(clip)`, wired through `app.tsx` into existing `Fullscreen` component).
 - Clip card compact meta row reordered to `[game/source icon] · date · size` (previously size/date/icon), matching requested "Game, Date, Size" order.
 - Settings popup no longer resize when switching categories: `.settings` changed from `height: auto; max-height: min(640px, 90vh)` to fixed `height: min(640px, 90vh)`. `.settings-body`'s existing `overflow-y: auto` now does all scrolling; sparse page just leaves empty space instead of shrinking whole popup.
-- Audio settings: new "Track Layout" section/toggle (`audio.track_layout`: `"single" | "separate"`). Microphone always keep own track; every other source (game desktop audio + other apps) either share track 1 or get own free track (3-6). Purely frontend — confirmed via reading `settings_config.h`/`encoding.h` that C++ engine already mix whatever `tracks: []` values a source is given, and via `settings_store.rs` that config round-trips as untyped JSON blob, so no backend/schema changes needed.
-- Audio settings "Other sources" now re-poll `getRuntimeStatus()` every 5s while Settings popup open, so newly-detected audio-producing apps show up without closing/reopening Settings. Note: refresh happens at popup-mount level + 5s poll, not as independent re-fetch on every tab switch within one already-open popup session — in practice 5s poll means data never more than 5s stale regardless of active tab, but flagging distinction since not asked literally.
+- Audio settings: new "Track Layout" section/toggle (`audio.track_layout`: `"single" | "separate"`). Microphone always keep own track; every other source (game desktop audio + other apps) either share track 1 or get own free track (3-6). Purely frontend - confirmed via reading `settings_config.h`/`encoding.h` that C++ engine already mix whatever `tracks: []` values a source is given, and via `settings_store.rs` that config round-trips as untyped JSON blob, so no backend/schema changes needed.
+- Audio settings "Other sources" now re-poll `getRuntimeStatus()` every 5s while Settings popup open, so newly-detected audio-producing apps show up without closing/reopening Settings. Note: refresh happens at popup-mount level + 5s poll, not as independent re-fetch on every tab switch within one already-open popup session - in practice 5s poll means data never more than 5s stale regardless of active tab, but flagging distinction since not asked literally.
 
 Build verified this session: `npm run build` (Vite) + `cargo build --release --manifest-path src-tauri\Cargo.toml` both succeed, no compile errors.
 
-Not done: manual runtime smoke test of these specific changes (build machine only) — verify card layout, detail-view name-click/fullscreen button, settings popup fixed sizing across all category pages, and audio track layout toggle actually changing recorded track assignment, before shipping.
+Not done: manual runtime smoke test of these specific changes (build machine only) - verify card layout, detail-view name-click/fullscreen button, settings popup fixed sizing across all category pages, and audio track layout toggle actually changing recorded track assignment, before shipping.
 
-No git commit/push made — awaiting explicit user confirmation per standing instruction.
+No git commit/push made - awaiting explicit user confirmation per standing instruction.
 Phase-2A accounting clarification: incremental mux bounds application packet
 queues, not all library-owned MP4 indexes/Matroska cues; those metadata can grow
 with output length. System FFmpeg libraries were not rebuilt with sanitizers.
 
-## Phase 2B entry — concat continuity checkpoint (independent review pending)
+## Phase 2B entry - concat continuity checkpoint (independent review pending)
 
 Phase2A's prior acceptance was reopened by the requested continuous-clock test:
 real AAC loss at a disk-segment B-frame boundary (source DTS5.952s skipped; next
@@ -420,7 +430,7 @@ remains R5 phase3; requested 2B failure/restart tests remain pending. Preserve
 existing DLL work and intentional deletions. Phase5 disk-budget UI still pending
 (default persisted budget 2048MiB). No commits/releases/version bumps.
 
-## Phase 2B U6 — in progress, not ready for review
+## Phase 2B U6 - in progress, not ready for review
 
 Delete/rename Tauri commands have been routed to engine RPC, preserving offline
 read-only browsing and returning the connection failure rather than a direct
diff --git a/installer/monolith.iss b/installer/monolith.iss
index 11cf88b..01f128f 100644
--- a/installer/monolith.iss
+++ b/installer/monolith.iss
@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
-; Monolith — per-user Inno Setup installer.
+; Monolith - per-user Inno Setup installer.
 ;
 ; Build:  iscc /DMonolithVersion=X.Y.Z monolith.iss
 ; CI passes MonolithVersion from the git tag (.github/workflows/version-tag.yml).
 ; The payload is native Monolith.exe plus all native runtime DLLs at the root
 ; and the self-contained Tauri UI (Monolith.UI.exe) under .\ui. The only
 ; external runtime dependency is the Edge WebView2 runtime, which ships with
-; Windows 11 and recent Windows 10 — no other prerequisites on the target
+; Windows 11 and recent Windows 10 - no other prerequisites on the target
 ; machine.
 ;
 ; Per-user by design: installs under {localappdata}\Programs\Monolith with
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ Name: "{userprograms}\{#MonolithName}"; Filename: "{app}\{#MonolithExe}"
 Name: "{userdesktop}\{#MonolithName}"; Filename: "{app}\{#MonolithExe}"; Tasks: desktopicon
 
 [Registry]
-; Per-user autostart (HKCU — no elevation needed); removed on uninstall.
+; Per-user autostart (HKCU - no elevation needed); removed on uninstall.
 Root: HKCU; Subkey: "Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run"; \
     ValueType: string; ValueName: "{#MonolithName}"; ValueData: """{app}\{#MonolithExe}"""; \
     Flags: uninsdeletevalue; Tasks: startupicon
@@ -88,4 +88,4 @@ Filename: "{app}\{#MonolithExe}"; Description: "{cm:LaunchProgram,{#MonolithName
     Flags: nowait postinstall skipifsilent
 
 ; User data (config.json, logs) lives under {localappdata}\Monolith and is
-; intentionally NOT touched by uninstall — settings survive reinstalls.
+; intentionally NOT touched by uninstall - settings survive reinstalls.
diff --git a/libs/audio/audio.cpp b/libs/audio/audio.cpp
index 604a7fe..46968ba 100644
--- a/libs/audio/audio.cpp
+++ b/libs/audio/audio.cpp
@@ -467,7 +467,7 @@ static bool window_fills_monitor(HWND hwnd)
 }
 
 // Per-pid window facts gathered in one EnumWindows pass. The "best" window per
-// process is the largest visible unowned top-level window — the capture target.
+// process is the largest visible unowned top-level window - the capture target.
 struct WindowFacts {
     HWND         hwnd       = nullptr;
     int64_t      area       = 0;
diff --git a/libs/audio/audio.h b/libs/audio/audio.h
index be95fc3..d289a48 100644
--- a/libs/audio/audio.h
+++ b/libs/audio/audio.h
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ struct PacketInfo {
     uint32_t sample_rate;
     uint16_t channels;
     uint16_t bit_depth;     // bits per sample (from mix format)
-    bool     silent;        // AUDCLNT_BUFFERFLAGS_SILENT — don't feed to encoder
+    bool     silent;        // AUDCLNT_BUFFERFLAGS_SILENT - don't feed to encoder
     bool     is_float;      // true = IEEE 754 float; false = signed integer PCM
     uint32_t seq;
 
@@ -64,21 +64,21 @@ struct DetectConfig {
     std::vector<std::wstring> blacklist;    // processes to reject unconditionally
     std::vector<std::wstring> whitelist;    // processes that receive a strong bonus
     std::vector<std::wstring> manual_games; // user-explicitly-chosen games (strong bonus)
-    int min_confidence = 50;               // 0–100; candidates below this are discarded
+    int min_confidence = 50;               // 0-100; candidates below this are discarded
     // When Monolith's own window (recorder or Settings) is in the foreground,
     // the real game loses its foreground bonus and may drop below
-    // min_confidence — invalidating detection while Settings is open.  Set this
+    // min_confidence - invalidating detection while Settings is open.  Set this
     // to the currently-tracked game pid so its foreground bonus stays "sticky"
     // while a Monolith window holds focus.  0 = no sticky fallback.
     uint32_t sticky_foreground_pid = 0;
 };
 
 // Extended result returned by the config-driven detect_active_game overload.
-// confidence 0–100; reason is a human-readable string of applied scoring factors.
+// confidence 0-100; reason is a human-readable string of applied scoring factors.
 struct ActiveGameResult {
     ProcessInfo process;         // process_id == 0 when nothing qualifies
     int  score       = 0;
-    int  confidence  = 0;        // 0–100
+    int  confidence  = 0;        // 0-100
     std::string reason;
     bool has_session = false;
     bool fullscreen  = false;
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ struct ActiveGameResult {
 // One running process whose executable is present in the local game-list DB.
 // Detection is DB-gated: only DB-matched processes ever become candidates. The
 // window facts (foreground/fullscreen/capture_window) only order candidates and
-// select the capture target — they never gate membership. display_name /
+// select the capture target - they never gate membership. display_name /
 // discord_app_id come from the DB (UTF-8).
 struct GameCandidateInfo {
     ProcessInfo process;
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ class WasapiCapture {
     WasapiCapture& operator=(const WasapiCapture&) = delete;
 
     // COM must be initialized on the calling thread before start().
-    // cb is invoked from the internal capture thread — must be thread-safe.
+    // cb is invoked from the internal capture thread - must be thread-safe.
     bool start(Mode mode, PacketCallback cb);
     bool start_device(Mode mode, const std::wstring& device_id, PacketCallback cb);
     bool start_process_loopback(uint32_t process_id, PacketCallback cb);
diff --git a/libs/capture/capture.cpp b/libs/capture/capture.cpp
index 76be389..6452917 100644
--- a/libs/capture/capture.cpp
+++ b/libs/capture/capture.cpp
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ struct DisplayCapture::Impl {
 
     // GPU pre-readback downscale (see CaptureOptions::output_width/height).
     // Absent/null when the device doesn't expose D3D11 video support, or
-    // while no downscale is configured — the CopyResource(native) path is
+    // while no downscale is configured - the CopyResource(native) path is
     // then used unconditionally, identical to pre-downscale behavior.
     winrt::com_ptr<ID3D11VideoDevice>              video_device;
     winrt::com_ptr<ID3D11VideoContext>             video_ctx;
@@ -311,7 +311,7 @@ bool DisplayCapture::start(HMONITOR hmon, FrameCallback cb, CaptureOptions optio
         impl_->last_size    = item.Size();
 
         // CreateFreeThreaded: callbacks arrive on the WinRT thread pool regardless
-        // of the calling thread's apartment — required for Win32 desktop apps.
+        // of the calling thread's apartment - required for Win32 desktop apps.
         impl_->pool = wgc::Direct3D11CaptureFramePool::CreateFreeThreaded(
             impl_->winrt_device,
             wgdx::DirectXPixelFormat::B8G8R8A8UIntNormalized,
@@ -483,7 +483,7 @@ void DisplayCapture::stop()
     // Spike-quality sync: 30ms >> max callback duration at 60fps (16ms).
     Sleep(30);
 
-    // Revoke the handler — no new invocations after this returns.
+    // Revoke the handler - no new invocations after this returns.
     impl_->pool.FrameArrived(impl_->frame_token);
 
     if (impl_->session) { impl_->session.Close(); impl_->session = nullptr; }
diff --git a/libs/capture/capture.h b/libs/capture/capture.h
index bc15403..6584cd0 100644
--- a/libs/capture/capture.h
+++ b/libs/capture/capture.h
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ class DisplayCapture {
     DisplayCapture(const DisplayCapture&)            = delete;
     DisplayCapture& operator=(const DisplayCapture&) = delete;
 
-    // cb is invoked from the WGC thread pool — must be thread-safe.
+    // cb is invoked from the WGC thread pool - must be thread-safe.
     // show_border = false requests yellow-border suppression via
     // GraphicsCaptureSession::IsBorderRequired(false); the OS may deny it.
     bool start(HMONITOR hmon, FrameCallback cb, bool show_border = false);
diff --git a/libs/disk-segments/disk_segments.h b/libs/disk-segments/disk_segments.h
index 8087f09..c29ef64 100644
--- a/libs/disk-segments/disk_segments.h
+++ b/libs/disk-segments/disk_segments.h
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
 
 namespace disk_segments {
 
-// Rolling keyframe-aligned buffer of clip segments on disk — the "disk"
+// Rolling keyframe-aligned buffer of clip segments on disk - the "disk"
 // storage mode for the replay buffer. Mirrors replay_buffer::ReplayBuffer's
 // public surface so that class can route on its Config::storage. Segments are
 // ~5 s long (rolled on video keyframes); age and payload retention keep
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ class DiskSegmentBuffer {
     void set_audio_params(encoding::AudioStreamParams const& p);
     void set_audio_params(std::vector<encoding::AudioStreamParams> const& p);
 
-    // Thread-safe — call from encoder sink callbacks.
+    // Thread-safe - call from encoder sink callbacks.
     void push(encoding::EncodedPacket pkt);
 
     // Concatenates the retained window [newest − duration, newest] into a
diff --git a/libs/encoding/encoding.cpp b/libs/encoding/encoding.cpp
index 253ac2c..11e218a 100644
--- a/libs/encoding/encoding.cpp
+++ b/libs/encoding/encoding.cpp
@@ -414,7 +414,7 @@ template <typename ImplT>
 static void drain_video(ImplT* impl)
 {
     // Zero-initialised stack packet: receive overwrites it, unref after each
-    // use — no per-frame heap allocation in the hot path.
+    // use - no per-frame heap allocation in the hot path.
     AVPacket pkt{};
     while (avcodec_receive_packet(impl->ctx, &pkt) == 0) {
         EncodedPacket ep;
@@ -441,7 +441,7 @@ static int submit_current_frame(ImplT* impl, int64_t pts)
 {
     // PTS: clock-locked frame index from the pacer (preferred), or fall back
     // to the internal counter when pts < 0.  The pacer is the single source
-    // of timing truth — it emits exactly fps frames per real second (dup/skip),
+    // of timing truth - it emits exactly fps frames per real second (dup/skip),
     // so this PTS advances at wall-clock rate.
     if (pts >= 0) {
         impl->frame->pts = pts;
@@ -572,7 +572,7 @@ struct AudioEncoder::Impl {
     int             swr_src_ch   = 0;
     AVSampleFormat  swr_src_fmt  = AV_SAMPLE_FMT_NONE;
     // Reusable swr output planes (grown on demand). push_pcm runs every
-    // ~10 ms per track — per-call alloc/free is avoidable churn.
+    // ~10 ms per track - per-call alloc/free is avoidable churn.
     uint8_t**       conv_data    = nullptr;
     int             conv_linesize = 0;
     int             conv_cap     = 0; // capacity in samples
diff --git a/libs/encoding/encoding.h b/libs/encoding/encoding.h
index bff3a74..12e448b 100644
--- a/libs/encoding/encoding.h
+++ b/libs/encoding/encoding.h
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ struct VideoEncoderPerfStats {
     uint64_t encode_time_us_total = 0;
 };
 
-// H.264 encoder.  Not thread-safe — drive from a single thread (or serialise).
+// H.264 encoder.  Not thread-safe - drive from a single thread (or serialise).
 class VideoEncoder {
 public:
      VideoEncoder();
@@ -151,7 +151,7 @@ class VideoEncoder {
 
     // Encode one decoded frame directly (e.g. YUV420P from a demuxer).  When
     // the frame already matches the encoder's pixel format and output size
-    // the planes are shared — no BGRA round-trip, no extra quality loss.
+    // the planes are shared - no BGRA round-trip, no extra quality loss.
     // Otherwise the frame is converted/scaled like push_bgra would.
     // pts semantics as in push_bgra.
     void push_frame(const AVFrame* frame, int64_t pts = -1);
@@ -234,7 +234,7 @@ class TrackMixer {
     bool open(int out_sample_rate, int out_channels, Sink sink);
 
     // Registers a source and returns its id (>= 0), or -1 if not open.
-    // Thread-safe. Optional linear gain (0.0–1.0+) applied to this source's
+    // Thread-safe. Optional linear gain (0.0-1.0+) applied to this source's
     // samples before they are summed into the mix.
     int add_source(float gain = 1.0f);
 
diff --git a/libs/encoding/mux_common.cpp b/libs/encoding/mux_common.cpp
index a046682..7f936ab 100644
--- a/libs/encoding/mux_common.cpp
+++ b/libs/encoding/mux_common.cpp
@@ -125,13 +125,13 @@ bool open_file_and_write_header(AVFormatContext* fmt,
 
     // NB: no "+faststart" for mp4. faststart relocates the moov atom to the
     // front of the file at av_write_trailer() time, which rewrites the ENTIRE
-    // file on stop — for a multi-GB manual recording that is many seconds of
+    // file on stop - for a multi-GB manual recording that is many seconds of
     // disk/CPU on the calling thread and froze the UI/hotkeys. We instead leave
     // the moov at the end (OBS default); local playback and editing are
     // unaffected, and finalizing only writes the index, so stop is near-instant.
     const bool ok = avformat_write_header(fmt, nullptr) >= 0;
     if (!ok) {
-        // avformat_free_context does not close pb — callers that only free the
+        // avformat_free_context does not close pb - callers that only free the
         // context on failure would leak the AVIOContext and the file handle.
         avio_closep(&fmt->pb);
     }
diff --git a/libs/gamelist/gamelist.cpp b/libs/gamelist/gamelist.cpp
index 3392975..ca6f025 100644
--- a/libs/gamelist/gamelist.cpp
+++ b/libs/gamelist/gamelist.cpp
@@ -296,7 +296,7 @@ bool http_get(std::string* body)
 
 std::string basename_lower(const std::string& name)
 {
-    // Discord marks some executables with a leading '>' — the game runs as a
+    // Discord marks some executables with a leading '>' - the game runs as a
     // child/launched process rather than the top-level exe (e.g. Minecraft is
     // listed as ">javaw.exe"). Strip that marker so the key is the real process
     // basename we can match against a running process.
diff --git a/libs/gamelist/gamelist.h b/libs/gamelist/gamelist.h
index 29f4391..65aea6f 100644
--- a/libs/gamelist/gamelist.h
+++ b/libs/gamelist/gamelist.h
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ void set_log_sink(std::function<void(const char* tag, const char* msg)> sink);
 void init(const std::wstring& app_data_dir);
 
 // O(1), lock-free-for-readers snapshot of the current map. Never blocks on disk
-// or network — this is what the detection poll calls every tick. May be empty
+// or network - this is what the detection poll calls every tick. May be empty
 // before the first successful sync.
 std::shared_ptr<const GameMap> snapshot();
 
diff --git a/libs/ipc/ipc_server.cpp b/libs/ipc/ipc_server.cpp
index fc51a74..1324a24 100644
--- a/libs/ipc/ipc_server.cpp
+++ b/libs/ipc/ipc_server.cpp
@@ -25,12 +25,12 @@
 #include <thread>
 #include <vector>
 
-// These match the Cmd enum in main.cpp — kept in sync manually.
+// These match the Cmd enum in main.cpp - kept in sync manually.
 static constexpr UINT kCmdSaveReplay     = 1001;
 static constexpr UINT kCmdRecordingStart = 1002;
 static constexpr UINT kCmdRecordingStop  = 1003;
 static constexpr UINT kCmdPauseResume    = 1004;
-// Matches WM_SETTINGS_RELOAD (WM_APP + 2) in main.cpp — kept in sync manually.
+// Matches WM_SETTINGS_RELOAD (WM_APP + 2) in main.cpp - kept in sync manually.
 static constexpr UINT kMsgSettingsReload = WM_APP + 2;
 
 // Pending accept queue only; kMaxClients separately caps accepted workers.
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ void handle_client(SOCKET client)
                         // Updater.exe asks the engine to close the UI process
                         // so ui\* can be swapped on disk. Runs directly on
                         // this IPC thread (blocks up to ~3s: graceful close,
-                        // then terminate) — the reply is the confirmation
+                        // then terminate) - the reply is the confirmation
                         // that the files are safe to replace.
                         if (!g_update_close_ui_fn) {
                             response = make_error(req_id, -32601, "Update control unavailable");
@@ -197,7 +197,7 @@ void handle_client(SOCKET client)
                         // engine files can be swapped. Graceful by design:
                         // WM_CLOSE → WM_DESTROY stops any recording cleanly.
                         // The reply may never arrive (the engine tears its
-                        // IPC server down during shutdown) — the updater
+                        // IPC server down during shutdown) - the updater
                         // polls for the port to close instead.
                         PostMessage(g_hwnd, WM_CLOSE, 0, 0);
                         response = make_result(req_id, {{"status", "accepted"}});
@@ -274,7 +274,7 @@ void handle_client(SOCKET client)
                         response = make_error(req_id, -32601, "Method not found");
                     }
                 } catch (...) {
-                    // Handler failure (bad_alloc, DB error...) — not a parse
+                    // Handler failure (bad_alloc, DB error...) - not a parse
                     // problem; report it as an internal error.
                     response = make_error(req_id, -32603, "Internal error");
                 }
diff --git a/libs/ipc/ipc_server.h b/libs/ipc/ipc_server.h
index 74d6ed2..59c382a 100644
--- a/libs/ipc/ipc_server.h
+++ b/libs/ipc/ipc_server.h
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ struct RecordingState {
     uint64_t clip_generation = 0;
     // Engine component version (MONOLITH_VERSION_STRING). Surfaced through
     // get_status so the Settings UI can show engine + interface versions
-    // side by side — the two are versioned independently.
+    // side by side - the two are versioned independently.
     std::string version;
 };
 
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ using AddBookmarkFn = std::function<std::string()>;
 // UI-driven selection of which detected game to record/clip when several are
 // running. `exe` is the lowercased executable basename (stable across restarts);
 // `pid` is an optional live hint. Empty exe + pid 0 clears the selection (auto).
-// Called on an IPC client thread — the handler must only touch synchronized
+// Called on an IPC client thread - the handler must only touch synchronized
 // state and defer engine work to the message loop.
 using SelectGameFn = std::function<void(const std::string& exe, uint32_t pid)>;
 
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ using UpdateCloseUiFn = std::function<void()>;
 // recording_add_bookmark directly on the IPC thread. `update_close_ui_fn`
 // handles update_close_ui (blocks until the UI process is gone).
 // `reload_settings` posts WM_APP+2 to hwnd; `update_engine_exit` posts
-// WM_CLOSE to hwnd (graceful shutdown — stops any recording first).
+// WM_CLOSE to hwnd (graceful shutdown - stops any recording first).
 void start(HWND hwnd,
            std::function<RecordingState()> status_fn,
            ClipMutationFn mutation_fn = nullptr,
diff --git a/libs/logging/logging.cpp b/libs/logging/logging.cpp
index 3c88bc2..3bbc788 100644
--- a/libs/logging/logging.cpp
+++ b/libs/logging/logging.cpp
@@ -126,8 +126,8 @@ void log_error(const char* tag, const char* msg)
         st.wHour, st.wMinute, st.wSecond,
         tag, msg);
 
-    // Always surfaced: to the debugger, and to the log file — opened on demand
-    // even when verbose logging is disabled — so failures aren't silent.
+    // Always surfaced: to the debugger, and to the log file - opened on demand
+    // even when verbose logging is disabled - so failures aren't silent.
     OutputDebugStringA(buf);
     if (!g_file) open_locked();
     if (g_file) { fputs(buf, g_file); fflush(g_file); }
diff --git a/libs/logging/logging.h b/libs/logging/logging.h
index a81d097..8a11eff 100644
--- a/libs/logging/logging.h
+++ b/libs/logging/logging.h
@@ -2,8 +2,8 @@
 
 #include <string>
 
-// Rotating file logger for the recorder engine. Disabled by default — no log
-// file is created and log() is a cheap no-op — until the user opts in via
+// Rotating file logger for the recorder engine. Disabled by default - no log
+// file is created and log() is a cheap no-op - until the user opts in via
 // Settings > Advanced (advanced.logging_enabled), wired through set_enabled()
 // on settings reload.
 namespace logging {
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ void log(const char* tag, const char* msg);
 // Always-on error channel. Unlike log(), this is NOT gated by enabled(): the
 // message is emitted to the debugger and appended to the log file (opened on
 // demand even when verbose logging is off) so genuine failures are never
-// silent. Reserve for real errors — it bypasses the opt-in and can create the
+// silent. Reserve for real errors - it bypasses the opt-in and can create the
 // log file.
 void log_error(const char* tag, const char* msg);
 
diff --git a/libs/platform-win/platform_win.h b/libs/platform-win/platform_win.h
index ed373e8..7e2a8c6 100644
--- a/libs/platform-win/platform_win.h
+++ b/libs/platform-win/platform_win.h
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 #include <string>
 
 // Shared Win32 utility primitives used across the recorder, storage, encoding
-// and audio libraries. Pure extraction of previously duplicated code — no
+// and audio libraries. Pure extraction of previously duplicated code - no
 // behavior changes vs. the original per-file copies.
 namespace platform_win {
 
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ struct ProcessInfo {
 ProcessInfo process_info(uint32_t pid);
 
 // True if `hwnd` looks like a real, user-facing top-level window (visible,
-// not a tool window, not disabled, has window text) — i.e. a reasonable
+// not a tool window, not disabled, has window text) - i.e. a reasonable
 // candidate for "this is a window belonging to a running application/game".
 bool is_capture_candidate_window(HWND hwnd);
 
diff --git a/libs/replay-buffer/replay_buffer.cpp b/libs/replay-buffer/replay_buffer.cpp
index bfde6ae..5122902 100644
--- a/libs/replay-buffer/replay_buffer.cpp
+++ b/libs/replay-buffer/replay_buffer.cpp
@@ -257,14 +257,14 @@ static std::wstring write_clip(
 
 void ReplayBuffer::save_clip(std::function<void(std::wstring)> cb)
 {
-    // Drop concurrent save requests — don't queue.
+    // Drop concurrent save requests - don't queue.
     bool expected = false;
     if (!impl_->saving.compare_exchange_strong(expected, true))
         return;
 
     // Disk mode: hand off to the segment buffer (it owns its own save
     // thread); the facade's saving flag mirrors it so stats() stays honest.
-    // Read cfg/disk under the lock — configure() can swap storage modes and
+    // Read cfg/disk under the lock - configure() can swap storage modes and
     // reset the disk buffer concurrently (settings reload thread). RAM mode
     // (disk == nullptr, the normal configuration) falls through to the
     // snapshot path below.
diff --git a/libs/replay-buffer/replay_buffer.h b/libs/replay-buffer/replay_buffer.h
index 8bfa1b6..b400490 100644
--- a/libs/replay-buffer/replay_buffer.h
+++ b/libs/replay-buffer/replay_buffer.h
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ class ReplayBuffer {
     void set_audio_params(encoding::AudioStreamParams const& p);
     void set_audio_params(std::vector<encoding::AudioStreamParams> const& p);
 
-    // Thread-safe — call from encoder sink callbacks.
+    // Thread-safe - call from encoder sink callbacks.
     void push(encoding::EncodedPacket pkt);
 
     // Snapshot the ring buffer and save a clip asynchronously.
diff --git a/libs/storage/storage.h b/libs/storage/storage.h
index d3c276e..da70a72 100644
--- a/libs/storage/storage.h
+++ b/libs/storage/storage.h
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 #include <utility>
 #include <vector>
 
-// libs/storage — SQLite-backed clip catalog co-located with each output folder.
+// libs/storage - SQLite-backed clip catalog co-located with each output folder.
 //
 // Layout (auto-contained per output folder chosen in Settings > Output):
 //   <folder>\clips.db   (source "replay")   or   <folder>\recs.db (source "manual")
@@ -29,13 +29,13 @@ std::string now_iso8601_utc();
 //
 // Replaces the old config.json file (ADR-0009 rewrite). Lives at
 // <app_data_dir>\settings.db in WAL mode. A generic string KV table; the caller
-// (settings_config.cpp) owns the schema meaning of keys — this layer stays
+// (settings_config.cpp) owns the schema meaning of keys - this layer stays
 // JSON-agnostic. The UI process reads/writes the same table for the settings popup;
 // writes are user-driven and infrequent, so single-writer contention is a
 // non-issue in practice, and WAL keeps reads non-blocking either way.
 
 // Reads all (key,value) rows. Returns true on success (out may be empty when the
-// DB is new/absent — treated as "no saved settings yet", not an error).
+// DB is new/absent - treated as "no saved settings yet", not an error).
 bool settings_get_all(const std::wstring& app_data_dir,
                       std::vector<std::pair<std::string, std::string>>& out,
                       std::string* error);
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ class ClipDb {
     // Opens (creating if absent) the DB for a self-contained output folder.
     //   source "replay" -> <folder>\clips.db ; source "manual" -> <folder>\recs.db
     // Returns nullptr (and sets *error) if the folder is empty, or if a file is
-    // present but is NOT a valid Monolith clip DB — it is never overwritten.
+    // present but is NOT a valid Monolith clip DB - it is never overwritten.
     static std::unique_ptr<ClipDb> open(const std::wstring& folder,
                                         const std::string& source,
                                         std::string* error);
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ class ClipDb {
                         std::string* error) const;
 
     // Updates the clip's display title only. Does NOT touch the video file on
-    // disk — title is independent of the filename. Empty title becomes "Untitled".
+    // disk - title is independent of the filename. Empty title becomes "Untitled".
     bool set_title(int64_t id, const std::string& title, std::string* error);
 
     bool add_hashtag(int64_t id, const std::string& tag, std::string* error);
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ class ClipDb {
     // <new_stem> + original extension (in place, same folder/.thumbs) and updates
     // the row. new_stem is a base name with no path/extension; invalid or
     // colliding names fail without touching disk. This is a distinct, optional
-    // action from set_title — the on-screen name is the title, not the filename.
+    // action from set_title - the on-screen name is the title, not the filename.
     // Returns false + *error on any failure.
     bool rename_clip(int64_t id, const std::wstring& new_stem, std::string* error);
 
diff --git a/plugins/stream-deck/src/ipc-client.ts b/plugins/stream-deck/src/ipc-client.ts
index 0c99d7d..ec1b7e0 100644
--- a/plugins/stream-deck/src/ipc-client.ts
+++ b/plugins/stream-deck/src/ipc-client.ts
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ export class IpcClient {
         });
 
         s.on('error', () => {
-            // handled by 'close' — suppress unhandled error event
+            // handled by 'close' - suppress unhandled error event
         });
     }
 
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ export class IpcClient {
                 handlers[0](msg.result);
             }
         } catch {
-            // malformed response — ignore
+            // malformed response - ignore
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/plugins/stream-deck/src/plugin.ts b/plugins/stream-deck/src/plugin.ts
index 47b520a..d02b4c4 100644
--- a/plugins/stream-deck/src/plugin.ts
+++ b/plugins/stream-deck/src/plugin.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import { SaveReplay } from './actions/save-replay.js';
 import { RecordingToggle } from './actions/recording-toggle.js';
 import { PauseResume } from './actions/pause-resume.js';
 
-// Shared IPC client — actions import this directly.
+// Shared IPC client - actions import this directly.
 export const ipc = new IpcClient();
 ipc.connect();
 
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ setInterval(async () => {
                 await action.setTitle(status.paused ? '▶ Resume' : '⏸ Pause');
             }
         } catch {
-            // action may have disappeared — skip
+            // action may have disappeared - skip
         }
     }
 }, 5000);
diff --git a/plugins/stream-deck/top.fraa2a.monolith.sdPlugin/bin/ipc-client.js b/plugins/stream-deck/top.fraa2a.monolith.sdPlugin/bin/ipc-client.js
index b0faccc..e69668c 100644
--- a/plugins/stream-deck/top.fraa2a.monolith.sdPlugin/bin/ipc-client.js
+++ b/plugins/stream-deck/top.fraa2a.monolith.sdPlugin/bin/ipc-client.js
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ export class IpcClient {
             this._scheduleReconnect();
         });
         s.on('error', () => {
-            // handled by 'close' — suppress unhandled error event
+            // handled by 'close' - suppress unhandled error event
         });
     }
     _scheduleReconnect() {
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ export class IpcClient {
             }
         }
         catch {
-            // malformed response — ignore
+            // malformed response - ignore
         }
     }
     request(method) {
diff --git a/plugins/stream-deck/top.fraa2a.monolith.sdPlugin/bin/plugin.js b/plugins/stream-deck/top.fraa2a.monolith.sdPlugin/bin/plugin.js
index 845a153..8f8e56d 100644
--- a/plugins/stream-deck/top.fraa2a.monolith.sdPlugin/bin/plugin.js
+++ b/plugins/stream-deck/top.fraa2a.monolith.sdPlugin/bin/plugin.js
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import { IpcClient } from './ipc-client.js';
 import { SaveReplay } from './actions/save-replay.js';
 import { RecordingToggle } from './actions/recording-toggle.js';
 import { PauseResume } from './actions/pause-resume.js';
-// Shared IPC client — actions import this directly.
+// Shared IPC client - actions import this directly.
 export const ipc = new IpcClient();
 ipc.connect();
 // Register all actions.
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ setInterval(async () => {
             }
         }
         catch {
-            // action may have disappeared — skip
+            // action may have disappeared - skip
         }
     }
 }, 5000);
diff --git a/ports/README.md b/ports/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f75b0fd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ports/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+# Dependency overlays
+
+`x264` mirrors the port from vcpkg baseline `9432c416e5c543eded0b4df35a4d347b2e669208`.
+Only the source transport changes: fetch the original VideoLAN Git repository at
+commit `31e19f92f00c7003fa115047ce50978bc98c3a0d`, instead of its generated GitLab archive.
+The archive endpoint returned bytes that failed the pinned SHA-512 in Windows CI
+run 37708715628. The exact source commit, build options and patches remain pinned.
+Do not replace the expected digest with that of an error page or disable verification.
+
+Upstream port files are MIT licensed. See `LICENSE.vcpkg`.
+Remove the overlay once the pinned registry has a working source transport.
diff --git a/ports/x264/LICENSE.vcpkg b/ports/x264/LICENSE.vcpkg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4d23e0e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ports/x264/LICENSE.vcpkg
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+MIT License
+
+Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation
+
+Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this
+software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software
+without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify,
+merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to
+permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following
+conditions:
+
+The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies
+or substantial portions of the Software.
+
+THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,
+INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A
+PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT
+HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF
+CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE
+OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
diff --git a/ports/x264/allow-clang-cl.patch b/ports/x264/allow-clang-cl.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c4fe44d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ports/x264/allow-clang-cl.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+diff --git a/configure b/configure
+index 6f95e2314..e677e36f4 100644
+--- a/configure
++++ b/configure
+@@ -606,9 +606,9 @@ if [[ $host_os = mingw* || $host_os = msys* || $host_os = cygwin* ]]; then
+         if cc_check '' -Qdiag-error:10006,10157 ; then
+             CHECK_CFLAGS="$CHECK_CFLAGS -Qdiag-error:10006,10157"
+         fi
+-    elif [[ "$cc_base" = cl || "$cc_base" = cl[\ .]* ]]; then
++    elif [[ "$cc_base" = cl || "$cc_base" = cl[\ .]* || "$cc_base" = clang-cl || "$cc_base" = clang-cl[\ .]* ]]; then
+         # Standard Microsoft Visual Studio
+         compiler=CL
+         compiler_style=MS
+         CFLAGS="$CFLAGS -nologo -GS- -DHAVE_STRING_H -I\$(SRCPATH)/extras"
+         cpp_check '' '' '_MSC_VER > 1800 || (_MSC_VER == 1800 && _MSC_FULL_VER >= 180030324)' || die "Microsoft Visual Studio support requires Visual Studio 2013 Update 2 or newer"
diff --git a/ports/x264/configure.patch b/ports/x264/configure.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..788a1a5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ports/x264/configure.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+diff --git a/configure b/configure
+index e242e73c..e0d1df76 100755
+--- a/configure
++++ b/configure
+@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
+-#!/bin/bash
++#!/usr/bin/env bash
++
++export CFLAGS="${CPPFLAGS} ${CFLAGS}"
++test "${AS:-:}" = ":" && unset AS
+ 
+ if test x"$1" = x"-h" -o x"$1" = x"--help" ; then
+ cat <<EOF
+@@ -837,6 +840,7 @@ case $host_cpu in
+             AS="${AS-${SRCPATH}/tools/gas-preprocessor.pl -arch aarch64 -as-type armasm -- armasm64 -nologo}"
+         else
+             AS="${AS-${CC}}"
++            test "${AS}" = "${CC}" && ASFLAGS="${CPPFLAGS} ${ASFLAGS}"
+         fi
+         ;;
+     arm*)
+@@ -855,6 +859,7 @@ case $host_cpu in
+             AS="${AS-${SRCPATH}/tools/gas-preprocessor.pl -arch arm -as-type clang -force-thumb -- ${CC} -mimplicit-it=always}"
+         else
+             AS="${AS-${CC}}"
++            test "${AS}" = "${CC}" && ASFLAGS="${CPPFLAGS} ${ASFLAGS}"
+         fi
+         ;;
+     s390|s390x)
+@@ -1354,8 +1359,10 @@ if [ $SYS = WINDOWS -a $ARCH = X86 -a $compiler = GNU ] ; then
+ fi
+ 
+ if cc_check "stdio.h" "" "fseeko(stdin,0,0);" ; then
++  if cc_check "" "" "#if defined(__ANDROID_API__) && __ANDROID_API__ < 24\n#error\n#endif\n" ; then
+     define fseek fseeko
+     define ftell ftello
++  fi
+ elif cc_check "stdio.h" "" "fseeko64(stdin,0,0);" ; then
+     define fseek fseeko64
+     define ftell ftello64
diff --git a/ports/x264/parallel-install.patch b/ports/x264/parallel-install.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b2c24e0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ports/x264/parallel-install.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+diff --git a/configure b/configure
+index 6f95e23..30924ba 100755
+--- a/configure
++++ b/configure
+@@ -1565,7 +1565,8 @@ fi
+ 
+ if [ "$cli" = "yes" ]; then
+     echo 'default: cli' >> config.mak
+-    echo 'install: install-cli' >> config.mak
++    echo 'install:' >> config.mak
++    echo '	$(MAKE) install-cli' >> config.mak
+ fi
+ 
+ if [ "$shared" = "yes" ]; then
diff --git a/ports/x264/portfile.cmake b/ports/x264/portfile.cmake
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..70dadff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ports/x264/portfile.cmake
@@ -0,0 +1,130 @@
+# The latest ref in branch stable
+set(ref 31e19f92f00c7003fa115047ce50978bc98c3a0d)
+
+# Note on x264 versioning:
+# The pc file exports "0.164.<N>" where is the number of commits.
+# The binary releases on https://artifacts.videolan.org/x264/ are named x264-r<N>-<COMMIT>.
+# With a git clone, this can be determined by running `versions.sh`.
+# With vcpkg_from_gitlab, we modify `versions.sh` accordingly.
+# For --editable mode, use configured patch instead of vcpkg_replace_string.
+string(REGEX MATCH "^......." short_ref "${ref}")
+string(REGEX MATCH "[0-9]+\$" revision "${VERSION}")
+configure_file("${CURRENT_PORT_DIR}/version.diff.in" "${CURRENT_BUILDTREES_DIR}/src/version-${VERSION}.diff" @ONLY)
+
+vcpkg_from_git(
+    OUT_SOURCE_PATH SOURCE_PATH
+    URL https://code.videolan.org/videolan/x264.git
+    REF "${ref}"
+    HEAD_REF master
+    PATCHES
+        "${CURRENT_BUILDTREES_DIR}/src/version-${VERSION}.diff"
+        uwp-cflags.patch
+        parallel-install.patch
+        allow-clang-cl.patch
+        configure.patch
+)
+
+function(add_cross_prefix)
+  if(configure_env MATCHES "CC=([^\/]*-)gcc$")
+      vcpkg_list(APPEND arg_OPTIONS "--cross-prefix=${CMAKE_MATCH_1}")
+  endif()
+  set(arg_OPTIONS "${arg_OPTIONS}" PARENT_SCOPE)
+endfunction()
+
+set(nasm_archs x86 x64)
+set(gaspp_archs arm arm64)
+if(NOT "asm" IN_LIST FEATURES)
+    vcpkg_list(APPEND OPTIONS --disable-asm)
+elseif(NOT "$ENV{AS}" STREQUAL "")
+    # Accept setting from triplet
+elseif(VCPKG_TARGET_ARCHITECTURE IN_LIST nasm_archs)
+    vcpkg_find_acquire_program(NASM)
+    vcpkg_insert_program_into_path("${NASM}")
+    set(ENV{AS} "${NASM}")
+elseif(VCPKG_TARGET_ARCHITECTURE IN_LIST gaspp_archs AND VCPKG_TARGET_IS_WINDOWS AND VCPKG_HOST_IS_WINDOWS)
+    vcpkg_find_acquire_program(GASPREPROCESSOR)
+    list(FILTER GASPREPROCESSOR INCLUDE REGEX gas-preprocessor)
+    file(INSTALL "${GASPREPROCESSOR}" DESTINATION "${SOURCE_PATH}/tools" RENAME "gas-preprocessor.pl")
+endif()
+
+vcpkg_list(SET OPTIONS_RELEASE)
+if("tool" IN_LIST FEATURES)
+    vcpkg_list(APPEND OPTIONS_RELEASE --enable-cli)
+else()
+    vcpkg_list(APPEND OPTIONS_RELEASE --disable-cli)
+endif()
+
+if("chroma-format-all" IN_LIST FEATURES)
+    vcpkg_list(APPEND OPTIONS --chroma-format=all)
+endif()
+
+if(NOT "gpl" IN_LIST FEATURES)
+    vcpkg_list(APPEND OPTIONS --disable-gpl)
+endif()
+
+if(VCPKG_TARGET_IS_UWP)
+    list(APPEND OPTIONS --extra-cflags=-D_WIN32_WINNT=0x0A00)
+endif()
+
+vcpkg_make_configure(
+    SOURCE_PATH "${SOURCE_PATH}"
+    DISABLE_CPPFLAGS # Build is not using CPP/CPPFLAGS
+    DISABLE_MSVC_WRAPPERS
+    LANGUAGES ASM C CXX # Requires NASM to compile
+    DISABLE_MSVC_TRANSFORMATIONS # disable warnings about unknown -Xcompiler/-Xlinker flags
+    PRE_CONFIGURE_CMAKE_COMMANDS
+        add_cross_prefix
+    OPTIONS
+        ${OPTIONS}
+        --enable-pic
+        --disable-lavf
+        --disable-swscale
+        --disable-avs
+        --disable-ffms
+        --disable-gpac
+        --disable-lsmash
+        --disable-bashcompletion
+    OPTIONS_RELEASE
+        ${OPTIONS_RELEASE}
+        --enable-strip
+        "--bindir=\\\${prefix}/bin"
+    OPTIONS_DEBUG
+        --enable-debug
+        --disable-cli
+        "--bindir=\\\${prefix}/bin"
+)
+
+vcpkg_make_install()
+
+if("tool" IN_LIST FEATURES)
+    vcpkg_copy_tools(TOOL_NAMES x264 AUTO_CLEAN)
+endif()
+
+file(REMOVE_RECURSE "${CURRENT_PACKAGES_DIR}/debug/include")
+
+if(VCPKG_TARGET_IS_WINDOWS AND NOT VCPKG_TARGET_IS_MINGW)
+    vcpkg_replace_string("${CURRENT_PACKAGES_DIR}/lib/pkgconfig/x264.pc" "-lx264" "-llibx264")
+    if(NOT VCPKG_BUILD_TYPE)
+        vcpkg_replace_string("${CURRENT_PACKAGES_DIR}/debug/lib/pkgconfig/x264.pc" "-lx264" "-llibx264")
+    endif()
+endif()
+
+if(VCPKG_LIBRARY_LINKAGE STREQUAL "dynamic" AND VCPKG_TARGET_IS_WINDOWS AND NOT VCPKG_TARGET_IS_MINGW)
+    file(RENAME "${CURRENT_PACKAGES_DIR}/lib/libx264.dll.lib" "${CURRENT_PACKAGES_DIR}/lib/libx264.lib")
+    if (NOT VCPKG_BUILD_TYPE)
+        file(RENAME "${CURRENT_PACKAGES_DIR}/debug/lib/libx264.dll.lib" "${CURRENT_PACKAGES_DIR}/debug/lib/libx264.lib")
+    endif()
+    vcpkg_replace_string("${CURRENT_PACKAGES_DIR}/include/x264.h" "#ifdef X264_API_IMPORTS" "#if 1")
+elseif(VCPKG_LIBRARY_LINKAGE STREQUAL "static")
+    vcpkg_replace_string("${CURRENT_PACKAGES_DIR}/include/x264.h" "defined(U_STATIC_IMPLEMENTATION)" "1" IGNORE_UNCHANGED)
+    file(REMOVE_RECURSE
+        "${CURRENT_PACKAGES_DIR}/bin"
+        "${CURRENT_PACKAGES_DIR}/debug/bin"
+    )
+endif()
+
+vcpkg_fixup_pkgconfig()
+
+vcpkg_copy_pdbs()
+
+vcpkg_install_copyright(FILE_LIST "${SOURCE_PATH}/COPYING")
diff --git a/ports/x264/uwp-cflags.patch b/ports/x264/uwp-cflags.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..792e999
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ports/x264/uwp-cflags.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+diff --git a/configure b/configure
+index f7b14d9..2c92b2a 100644
+--- a/configure
++++ b/configure
+@@ -821,7 +821,6 @@ if [ $SYS = WINDOWS ]; then
+     if cpp_check "winapifamily.h" "" "!WINAPI_FAMILY_PARTITION(WINAPI_PARTITION_DESKTOP)" ; then
+         [ $compiler = CL ] || die "WinRT requires MSVC"
+         define HAVE_WINRT
+-        CFLAGS="$CFLAGS -MD"
+         LDFLAGS="$LDFLAGS -appcontainer"
+         if ! cpp_check "" "" "defined(_WIN32_WINNT) && _WIN32_WINNT >= 0x0603" ; then
+             die "_WIN32_WINNT must be defined to at least 0x0603 (Windows 8.1) for WinRT"
diff --git a/ports/x264/vcpkg.json b/ports/x264/vcpkg.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1a9b14f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ports/x264/vcpkg.json
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+{
+  "name": "x264",
+  "version": "0.164.3108",
+  "port-version": 2,
+  "description": "x264 is a free software library and application for encoding video streams into the H.264/MPEG-4 AVC compression format",
+  "homepage": "https://www.videolan.org/developers/x264.html",
+  "license": "GPL-2.0-or-later",
+  "supports": "!xbox",
+  "dependencies": [
+    {
+      "name": "vcpkg-make",
+      "host": true
+    }
+  ],
+  "default-features": [
+    {
+      "name": "asm",
+      "platform": "!(arm32 & windows)"
+    },
+    {
+      "name": "gpl",
+      "platform": "!(arm32 & windows)"
+    }
+  ],
+  "features": {
+    "asm": {
+      "description": "Enable platform-specific assembly optimizations",
+      "supports": "!(arm32 & windows)"
+    },
+    "chroma-format-all": {
+      "description": "Output all chroma formats"
+    },
+    "gpl": {
+      "description": "Allow use of GPL code, the resulting libs and binaries will be under GPL"
+    },
+    "tool": {
+      "description": "Build the command line tool",
+      "supports": "!uwp"
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/ports/x264/version.diff.in b/ports/x264/version.diff.in
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3f13fda
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ports/x264/version.diff.in
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+diff --git a/version.sh b/version.sh
+index 178fc952..06728796 100755
+--- a/version.sh
++++ b/version.sh
+@@ -3,8 +3,8 @@
+ cd "$(dirname "$0")" >/dev/null && [ -f x264.h ] || exit 1
+ 
+ api="$(grep '#define X264_BUILD' < x264.h | sed 's/^.* \([1-9][0-9]*\).*$/\1/')"
+-ver="x"
+-version=""
++ver="@revision@ @short_ref@"
++version=" r${ver} vcpkg"
+ 
+ if [ -d .git ] && command -v git >/dev/null 2>&1 ; then
+     localver="$(($(git rev-list HEAD | wc -l)))"
diff --git a/report.md b/report.md
index 57df2d3..82f21a0 100644
--- a/report.md
+++ b/report.md
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ Stato iniziale: nessuna fase di ottimizzazione ancora implementata; hardening DL
 
 ---
 
-# Monolith — DLL mancanti e audit tecnico
+# Monolith - DLL mancanti e audit tecnico
 
 ## 1. Esito e limiti
 
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ L'ordine consigliato è: **sicurezza/integrità e limiti delle risorse → elimi
 
 ## 4. Cattura, encoding e qualità video
 
-### V1 — P1: shutdown della cattura senza attesa dimostrabile dei callback
+### V1 - P1: shutdown della cattura senza attesa dimostrabile dei callback
 
 **Evidenza:** `libs/capture/capture.cpp:323-442,475-510`; `app/recorder/src/main.cpp:2537-2634`.
 
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ L'ordine consigliato è: **sicurezza/integrità e limiti delle risorse → elimi
 
 **Beneficio:** meno crash intermittenti su stop, resize, cambio display e riconfigurazione. **Test:** cicli ripetuti start/stop/resize con encoder lento; contatore callback a zero prima del rilascio. La probabilità del problema richiede verifica Windows.
 
-### V2 — P1: fallback encoder può cambiare codec senza consenso
+### V2 - P1: fallback encoder può cambiare codec senza consenso
 
 **Evidenza:** `libs/encoding/encoding.cpp:47-53,132-159,246-253`; `app/recorder/src/main.cpp:2556-2570`.
 
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ La risoluzione iniziale rispetta il codec richiesto, ma l'apertura reale aggiung
 
 **Consiglio:** limitare i fallback allo stesso codec, mostrare dispositivo/codec effettivi e rendere esplicito un eventuale cambio. **Beneficio:** compatibilità prevedibile, evita fallback software o formati inattesi. **Test:** forzare fallimenti per ogni codec e controllare l'output con `ffprobe`.
 
-### V3 — P1/P2: HDR non preservato e colore SDR non esplicitamente definito
+### V3 - P1/P2: HDR non preservato e colore SDR non esplicitamente definito
 
 **Evidenza:** `libs/capture/capture.cpp:315-319,403-406`; `libs/encoding/encoding.cpp:273-274,469-487`; `libs/encoding/mux_common.cpp:65-93`.
 
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ Il percorso è BGRA8 → YUV420P 8 bit. Non emerge una politica esplicita di mat
 
 **Beneficio:** colori riproducibili, meno highlight tagliati o neri alterati. **Costo:** HDR richiede lavoro significativo e test di compatibilità. **Test:** color bars, gradienti SDR/HDR, valori decodificati e metadata MediaInfo/ffprobe.
 
-### V4 — P2, massimo potenziale CPU: eliminare il percorso GPU→CPU→GPU
+### V4 - P2, massimo potenziale CPU: eliminare il percorso GPU→CPU→GPU
 
 **Evidenza:** `libs/capture/capture.cpp:416-430`; `app/recorder/src/main.cpp:459-473`; `libs/encoding/encoding.cpp:469-492`.
 
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ Per frame accettato: copia su staging, Map sincrona, copia BGRA nel pacer, conve
 
 **Beneficio:** meno CPU, banda memoria e stalli, soprattutto UHD/high-FPS. **Costo:** implementazione complessa; più risorse GPU e vincoli interop. **Misura:** ETW/GPUView, tempi readback/memcpy/sws, frame persi, frametime del gioco. Non basta misurare gli FPS nominali del file.
 
-### V5 — P2: apertura/probing encoder nel callback di cattura
+### V5 - P2: apertura/probing encoder nel callback di cattura
 
 **Evidenza:** `app/recorder/src/main.cpp:2415-2634`; `libs/encoding/encoding.cpp:89-112,132-159,201-409`.
 
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ La prima immagine attiva prove/apertura codec direttamente nel callback WGC, con
 
 **Beneficio:** avvio/ripristino più prevedibili e meno frame iniziali persi. **Test:** encoder occupato/indisponibile, tempo primo frame→ready e durata p95/p99 callback.
 
-### V6 — P2: pacer con intervalli interi e risvegli relativi
+### V6 - P2: pacer con intervalli interi e risvegli relativi
 
 **Evidenza:** `app/recorder/src/main.cpp:509-531,576-598`.
 
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ La prima immagine attiva prove/apertura codec direttamente nel callback WGC, con
 
 **Beneficio:** meno risvegli superflui e jitter di scheduling. **Test:** wakeup/s, distribuzione lateness, frame duplicati/saltati e PTS; non dedurre FPS reali solo dall'intervallo timer.
 
-### V7 — P2: errori e drop poco osservabili
+### V7 - P2: errori e drop poco osservabili
 
 **Evidenza:** `app/recorder/src/main.cpp:459-473,590-598,2443-2518`; `libs/encoding/encoding.cpp:479-493`; `libs/recording/recording.cpp:245`.
 
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ Sostituzioni del latest-frame non contate; il contatore submitted sale anche se
 
 **Beneficio:** permette ottimizzazioni basate su fatti e diagnosi di clip degradate. **Test:** fault injection su encode/mux e riconciliazione dei contatori.
 
-### V8 — P2: mancati controlli sulla creazione thread/event del pacer
+### V8 - P2: mancati controlli sulla creazione thread/event del pacer
 
 **Evidenza:** `app/recorder/src/main.cpp:608-658`.
 
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ Event/thread possono fallire ma lo stato può risultare running.
 
 ## 5. Replay, recording, audio e memoria
 
-### R1 — P1: il tetto replay 512 MB non è garantito
+### R1 - P1: il tetto replay 512 MB non è garantito
 
 **Evidenza:** `libs/replay-buffer/replay_buffer.cpp:58-95,171-195`; `app/recorder/src/main.cpp:2402-2415`.
 
@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ L'espulsione richiede `keyframes > 2`. Se audio parte e video non arriva, fallis
 
 **Beneficio:** RAM stabile e comportamento esplicito quando non è possibile conservare una clip decodificabile. **Tradeoff:** buffer più corto o clip non disponibile in emergenza. **Test:** solo audio, WGC fallita, video senza keyframe, bitrate massimo, save lento.
 
-### R2 — P1: ordine di arrivo scambiato per ordine temporale nel replay
+### R2 - P1: ordine di arrivo scambiato per ordine temporale nel replay
 
 **Evidenza:** `libs/replay-buffer/replay_buffer.cpp:66-95,171-195,238-268,389-394`; `app/recorder/src/main.cpp:1455-1460,1575-1616,2570-2576`.
 
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ Audio/video arrivano da produttori distinti; il mutex serializza l'arrivo ma non
 
 **Consiglio:** watermark temporale o reorder limitato per stream; determinare i confini da timestamp validi. **Beneficio:** durata e inizio clip prevedibili. **Costo:** piccola latenza/coda. **Test:** pacchetti fuori ordine con skew, partenza su keyframe e timeline finale.
 
-### R3 — P1: nuovi segmenti disco possono iniziare senza keyframe video
+### R3 - P1: nuovi segmenti disco possono iniziare senza keyframe video
 
 **Evidenza:** `libs/disk-segments/disk_segments.cpp:218-245,264-285`.
 
@@ -192,7 +192,7 @@ Il save chiude il segmento corrente. Il pacchetto successivo, anche audio, può
 
 **Consiglio:** attendere un keyframe per aprire il nuovo segmento, con preroll audio limitato e politica documentata. **Beneficio:** segmenti indipendentemente decodificabili. **Test:** save a metà GOP, poi audio e frame non-key, quindi nuovo save e decode integrale.
 
-### R4 — P1: retention disco sospesa per tutta la durata del salvataggio
+### R4 - P1: retention disco sospesa per tutta la durata del salvataggio
 
 **Evidenza:** `libs/disk-segments/disk_segments.cpp:154-168,264-314`.
 
@@ -200,7 +200,7 @@ Il save chiude il segmento corrente. Il pacchetto successivo, anche audio, può
 
 **Consiglio:** proteggere soltanto i segmenti dello snapshot, liberare gli altri e imporre tetto byte/free-space. **Beneficio:** spazio temporaneo limitato anche verso dischi lenti. **Costo:** reference tracking e scelta su abort/drop. **Test:** destinazione bloccata per più finestre replay; crescita disco deve stabilizzarsi.
 
-### R5 — P1: I/O mux sincrono sui produttori realtime e stop sul message loop
+### R5 - P1: I/O mux sincrono sui produttori realtime e stop sul message loop
 
 **Evidenza:** `libs/audio/audio.cpp:240-263`; `libs/recording/recording.cpp:119-143,208-245`; `libs/disk-segments/disk_segments.cpp:218-245`; `app/recorder/src/main.cpp:1575-1616,3251-3268,3374-3386`.
 
@@ -210,7 +210,7 @@ WASAPI chiama l'integrazione prima di ReleaseBuffer. Encode/sink possono arrivar
 
 **Beneficio:** meno gap audio, frame persi e tray bloccata su dischi lenti/pieni. **Test:** latenza ReleaseBuffer, p99 write/stop, code, audio/video e hotkey sotto throttling I/O.
 
-### R6 — P2: copie e allocazioni ripetute dei pacchetti codificati
+### R6 - P2: copie e allocazioni ripetute dei pacchetti codificati
 
 **Evidenza:** `libs/encoding/encoding.cpp:35-43,419-432`; `libs/encoding/mux_common.cpp:147-166`.
 
@@ -220,7 +220,7 @@ Una copia crea il payload posseduto dal progetto; un'altra allocazione/copia avv
 
 **Beneficio:** meno allocator/memcpy; priorità inferiore al readback dei frame grezzi. **Test:** allocazioni/s e CPU a bitrate alto, race/lifetime durante clear/save/stop.
 
-### R7 — P1: filename recording collidenti e buffer MAX_PATH
+### R7 - P1: filename recording collidenti e buffer MAX_PATH
 
 **Evidenza:** `libs/recording/recording.cpp:58-72,180-188`.
 
@@ -228,7 +228,7 @@ Nome preciso solo al secondo, senza prenotazione esclusiva, e costruzione in `wc
 
 **Consiglio:** path dinamici, suffisso univoco, creazione no-overwrite con retry. **Beneficio:** previene sovrascrittura o failure con start/stop ravvicinati e percorsi lunghi. **Test:** due registrazioni nello stesso secondo, directory lunghe, file già esistente.
 
-### R8 — P1: uscita durante recording non percorre il normale completamento catalogo/bookmark
+### R8 - P1: uscita durante recording non percorre il normale completamento catalogo/bookmark
 
 **Evidenza:** `app/recorder/src/main.cpp:2694-2712,3251-3263,3374-3386`.
 
@@ -236,7 +236,7 @@ Nome preciso solo al secondo, senza prenotazione esclusiva, e costruzione in `wc
 
 **Consiglio:** unico completamento per stop/exit/autostop, con persistenza o journal recuperabile. **Test:** bookmark, uscita in recording e restart: file, durata, thumbnail, riga catalogo e bookmark devono sopravvivere.
 
-### R9 — P2: errore WASAPI può lasciare stato running obsoleto
+### R9 - P2: errore WASAPI può lasciare stato running obsoleto
 
 **Evidenza:** `libs/audio/audio.cpp:219-231,748-750`; `libs/audio/audio.h:142-143`.
 
@@ -244,7 +244,7 @@ Un errore `GetNextPacketSize` esce dal loop senza azzerare running.
 
 **Consiglio:** stato terminale su ogni uscita, HRESULT e notifica al controller per restart con backoff. **Beneficio:** recupero endpoint anziché cattura apparentemente attiva ma muta. **Test:** disconnessione/cambio dispositivo ed errori simulati.
 
-### R10 — P2: metadati temporali/discontinuità audio scartati
+### R10 - P2: metadati temporali/discontinuità audio scartati
 
 **Evidenza:** `libs/audio/audio.cpp:238-262`; `app/recorder/src/main.cpp:1575-1616`; `libs/recording/recording.cpp:130-142`.
 
@@ -254,7 +254,7 @@ QPC e flag di discontinuity non vengono propagati nella normale integrazione PCM
 
 **Beneficio:** sincronizzazione recuperabile dopo stalli/device switch. **Test:** almeno un'ora con timecode audiovisivo, stalli e cambio endpoint; misurare offset massimo e dopo il recupero.
 
-### R11 — P2: mixer recupera tutto il ritardo in un unico blocco
+### R11 - P2: mixer recupera tutto il ritardo in un unico blocco
 
 **Evidenza:** `libs/encoding/encoding.cpp:933-952,979-985`.
 
@@ -262,7 +262,7 @@ Il numero di frame da emettere deriva da tempo reale meno frame già emessi, sen
 
 **Consiglio:** chunk massimo, gestione esplicita di salti temporali e underrun, riallineamento dopo suspend/resume. **Beneficio:** meno picchi CPU/RAM e latenza. **Test:** sospendere il worker o rallentare il sink e tracciare dimensione massima del blocco.
 
-### R12 — P3: clipping duro del mix audio
+### R12 - P3: clipping duro del mix audio
 
 **Evidenza:** `libs/encoding/encoding.cpp:958-975`.
 
@@ -272,7 +272,7 @@ Le sorgenti vengono sommate e clippate a [-1,1]. È un comportamento definito, n
 
 ## 6. Trim: ulteriori riscontri diretti
 
-### T1 — P1: remux senza conversione dalla timebase di input a quella di output
+### T1 - P1: remux senza conversione dalla timebase di input a quella di output
 
 **Evidenza:** `libs/encoding/trim.cpp:181-254`, in particolare `237-247`.
 
@@ -282,7 +282,7 @@ Le stream timebase vengono inizialmente copiate, ma il muxer può cambiarle dura
 
 **Beneficio:** durata, velocità, sincronizzazione e concat corretti quando le basi differiscono. **Test:** MP4/MKV con timebase differenti, più segmenti e tracce; `ffprobe -show_packets` e decode completo. Manifestazione dipendente dal muxer/input, non riprodotta qui.
 
-### T2 — P1: trim lossless con preroll ma metadata/bookmark basati sul taglio richiesto
+### T2 - P1: trim lossless con preroll ma metadata/bookmark basati sul taglio richiesto
 
 **Evidenza:** `libs/encoding/trim.cpp:178-205,223-232`; `app/recorder/src/main.cpp:978-1008`.
 
@@ -292,7 +292,7 @@ Il seek backward conserva il keyframe precedente a start, ma il catalogo registr
 
 **Beneficio:** niente durate sbagliate o bookmark spostati di parte di un GOP. **Test:** taglio non-keyframe e confronto contenuto/durata/bookmark, inclusa concatenazione con preroll.
 
-### T3 — P1: fallback reencode salta pacchetti necessari al decoder
+### T3 - P1: fallback reencode salta pacchetti necessari al decoder
 
 **Evidenza:** `libs/encoding/trim.cpp:444-476,480-499`.
 
@@ -302,7 +302,7 @@ Dopo il seek, i pacchetti video prima di start vengono scartati prima di aliment
 
 **Beneficio:** inizio clip integro e meno errori o frame mancanti. **Test:** tagli tra keyframe con B-frame, 59.94 FPS e input VFR.
 
-### T4 — P1/P2: ricodifica trim accumula tutto in RAM e conserva una sola traccia audio
+### T4 - P1/P2: ricodifica trim accumula tutto in RAM e conserva una sola traccia audio
 
 **Evidenza:** `libs/encoding/trim.cpp:326-327,356-378,502-539`.
 
@@ -314,7 +314,7 @@ Dopo il seek, i pacchetti video prima di start vengono scartati prima di aliment
 
 ## 7. UI, catalogo e attività in background
 
-### U1 — P1: tre scansioni complete della libreria per un reload
+### U1 - P1: tre scansioni complete della libreria per un reload
 
 **Evidenza:** `app/desktop-ui/ui/src/app.tsx:55-65`; `app/desktop-ui/src-tauri/src/clip_catalog.rs:110-111,199,278-293`; `commands.rs:57-68`.
 
@@ -324,7 +324,7 @@ Lista, giochi e hashtag invocano percorsi che rimaterializzano l'intera libreria
 
 **Beneficio:** meno DB/stat/serializzazione e ricerca stabile su librerie grandi. **Test:** 100/1.000/10.000 clip, query/stat per reload, tempo prima card e risposte fuori ordine.
 
-### U2 — P1: tutte le card aprono un video anche con thumbnail disponibile
+### U2 - P1: tutte le card aprono un video anche con thumbnail disponibile
 
 **Evidenza:** `app/desktop-ui/ui/src/app.tsx:245-255`; `home/clip-card.tsx:86-150`.
 
@@ -334,7 +334,7 @@ La griglia monta tutte le clip; ciascuna crea un elemento video e chiama load. I
 
 **Beneficio:** meno RAM WebView, I/O e contesa decoder con la cattura. **Test:** 1.000 clip con/senza thumbnail, decoder attivi, private bytes e tempo interattività.
 
-### U3 — P2: collection con query N+1
+### U3 - P2: collection con query N+1
 
 **Evidenza:** `app/desktop-ui/src-tauri/src/collections.rs:173-204`; `clip_catalog.rs:230-243`.
 
@@ -342,7 +342,7 @@ Ogni membro apre/carica dati catalogo, tag, artwork e stat.
 
 **Consiglio:** batch ID per sorgente, dati condivisi caricati una volta, pruning in transazione. **Beneficio:** apertura collection più rapida. **Test:** connessioni/query/stat con 100 e 1.000 membri.
 
-### U4 — P2: polling host attivo con UI nascosta
+### U4 - P2: polling host attivo con UI nascosta
 
 **Evidenza:** `app/desktop-ui/src-tauri/src/main.rs:28-38`; `engine_rpc.rs:19-21`; `ui/src/shell/titlebar.tsx:42-55`.
 
@@ -352,7 +352,7 @@ Il watcher nativo interroga l'engine ogni secondo anche a finestra nascosta; la
 
 **Beneficio:** meno CPU idle e churn socket/thread. **Test:** CPU/connect/s in stato visibile, minimizzato e nascosto.
 
-### U5 — P2: artwork senza backoff sui fallimenti
+### U5 - P2: artwork senza backoff sui fallimenti
 
 **Evidenza:** `app/desktop-ui/src-tauri/src/main.rs:48-54`; `game_catalog.rs:356-377`.
 
@@ -360,7 +360,7 @@ Elementi stale falliti restano stale e sono ritentati nei successivi startup/cic
 
 **Consiglio:** last_attempt, backoff con jitter e batch limitato. **Beneficio:** meno rete e worker occupati con cache ampia/offline. **Test:** centinaia di elementi irraggiungibili e verifica retry nel tempo.
 
-### U6 — P1/P2: delete/rename non consistenti tra filesystem e DB
+### U6 - P1/P2: delete/rename non consistenti tra filesystem e DB
 
 **Evidenza:** `libs/storage/storage.cpp:432-479,811-845,902-921`; `app/desktop-ui/src-tauri/src/clip_catalog.rs:486-514`.
 
@@ -372,7 +372,7 @@ Cancellazione DB committata prima della rimozione file, con errori filesystem ig
 
 ## 8. IPC, updater, logging e affidabilità
 
-### I1 — P1: thread IPC terminati non recuperati fino allo shutdown
+### I1 - P1: thread IPC terminati non recuperati fino allo shutdown
 
 **Evidenza:** `libs/ipc/ipc_server.cpp:86-95,246-270,337-343`; `app/desktop-ui/src-tauri/src/engine_rpc.rs:19`; `main.rs:28-38`.
 
@@ -382,7 +382,7 @@ Ogni connessione crea uno std::thread conservato nel vector; la fine del client
 
 **Beneficio:** arresta crescita handle/RAM nelle sessioni lunghe. **Test:** UI idle 1/8/24 ore, handle count/private bytes/vector e latenza RPC. Il polling visibile può generare circa 1,6 connessioni/s, stima da timer, non misura.
 
-### I2 — P1: input e numero connessioni IPC senza limite
+### I2 - P1: input e numero connessioni IPC senza limite
 
 **Evidenza:** `libs/ipc/ipc_server.cpp:86-100,246-270,308`.
 
@@ -390,7 +390,7 @@ Buffer fino a newline illimitato, handler bloccanti per connessione senza cap. B
 
 **Consiglio:** massimo messaggio, massimo client/work item, deadline e send-all. **Beneficio:** disponibilità anche con client difettoso o abuso locale. **Test:** input senza newline, molti client idle, short writes, JSON malformato.
 
-### I3 — P2: IPC locale senza autenticazione
+### I3 - P2: IPC locale senza autenticazione
 
 **Evidenza:** `libs/ipc/ipc_server.cpp:105-239,300-308`.
 
@@ -398,7 +398,7 @@ Scelta già dichiarata dal progetto: un processo locale con accesso alla porta p
 
 **Consiglio:** definire threat model e valutare named pipe con ACL utente/integrity o token con lifecycle adeguato anche al plugin. Prima di tutto imporre limiti I2.
 
-### A1 — P1, blocco consigliato per la release: autenticità update opzionale
+### A1 - P1, blocco consigliato per la release: autenticità update opzionale
 
 **Evidenza:** `app/updater/src-tauri/src/manifest.rs:25-56`; `download.rs:37-54`.
 
@@ -408,13 +408,13 @@ Dimensione/hash/firma hanno default vuoti e controlli saltati se assenti. Un man
 
 **Beneficio:** aggiornamento realmente autenticato. **Costo:** vecchi manifest incompleti devono fallire chiusi. **Test:** campi mancanti/vuoti/malformati, firme invalide, nessuna applicazione su errore.
 
-### A2 — P1: versione updater discordante
+### A2 - P1: versione updater discordante
 
 **Evidenza:** `app/updater/src-tauri/Cargo.toml:3` = 1.0.0; `tauri.conf.json:4` = 1.0.1; `src/versions.rs:22-23` legge CARGO_PKG_VERSION.
 
 **Consiglio:** singola fonte o gate di uguaglianza Cargo/Tauri/manifest. **Beneficio:** evita proposta ripetuta dello stesso aggiornamento. **Test:** manifest della versione corrente deve risultare UpToDate.
 
-### A3 — P1: apply componenti senza rollback completo
+### A3 - P1: apply componenti senza rollback completo
 
 **Evidenza:** `app/updater/src-tauri/src/apply.rs:60-95`; `main.rs:340-361`.
 
@@ -422,15 +422,15 @@ Spostamenti in .old e sostituzioni file avvengono progressivamente; errore inter
 
 **Consiglio:** journal di apply e rollback verificato, swap directory dove possibile; aggiornare versioni persistite solo al completamento effettivo. **Beneficio:** update fallito non rompe l'avvio né reintroduce DLL mancanti. **Test:** errore al file N, crash, file bloccato, disco pieno e riavvio successivo.
 
-### A4 — P2: progress updater emesso per chunk da 64 KiB
+### A4 - P2: progress updater emesso per chunk da 64 KiB
 
 **Evidenza:** `app/updater/src-tauri/src/http.rs:155-168`; `main.rs:261-277`.
 
 Ogni chunk prende mutex, serializza stato completo ed emette evento Tauri. A 100 MiB/s il calcolo teorico è circa 1.600 eventi/s, non un benchmark.
 
-**Consiglio:** contatori continui, notifiche 4–10 Hz e sempre sugli eventi terminali. **Beneficio:** meno CPU/render/churn della coda. **Test:** eventi/s e tempo main thread durante download veloce.
+**Consiglio:** contatori continui, notifiche 4-10 Hz e sempre sugli eventi terminali. **Beneficio:** meno CPU/render/churn della coda. **Test:** eventi/s e tempo main thread durante download veloce.
 
-### A5 — P2: firma update legge l'intero archivio in RAM
+### A5 - P2: firma update legge l'intero archivio in RAM
 
 **Evidenza:** `app/updater/src-tauri/src/download.rs:58-95`.
 
@@ -440,7 +440,7 @@ SHA-256 legge a blocchi, poi `verify_signature` usa `std::fs::read` sull'intero
 
 **Beneficio:** picchi RAM più prevedibili sugli update grandi. **Test:** private bytes e I/O con pacchetti grandi, limite dichiarato assente/falso, errore firma.
 
-### A6 — P2: quit può attendere rete gamelist
+### A6 - P2: quit può attendere rete gamelist
 
 **Evidenza:** `app/recorder/src/main.cpp:3374-3381`; `libs/gamelist/gamelist.cpp:247-250,493-501`.
 
@@ -448,7 +448,7 @@ Shutdown fa join del worker che può essere dentro WinHTTP sincrono con timeout
 
 **Consiglio:** cancellazione coordinata request/session e completamento controllato, non detach. **Beneficio:** uscita/update più rapidi sotto errori rete. **Test:** DNS/proxy bloccati e tempo close→exit.
 
-### A7 — P2: log ruota solo all'apertura e flush sincrono per scrittura
+### A7 - P2: log ruota solo all'apertura e flush sincrono per scrittura
 
 **Evidenza:** `libs/logging/logging.cpp:41-63,99-133`.
 
@@ -510,7 +510,7 @@ Per migliorare davvero l'app, le priorità non sono micro-ottimizzazioni isolate
 
 ---
 
-## Phase 1 progress / evidence — R1, I1, I2 (implementation; review pending)
+## Phase 1 progress / evidence - R1, I1, I2 (implementation; review pending)
 
 Only phase 1 is implemented in this working tree. The original audit above is
 preserved verbatim; its historical “not applied” statements describe the audit
@@ -609,13 +609,13 @@ bounds are not fairness/rate-limiting/authentication guarantees (I3 stays pendin
 R2 clip selection/reordering, disk replay R3/R4 and save/mux integration are not
 silently marked fixed by the new retention index.
 
-All other audit IDs remain pending: **V1–V8, R2–R12, T1–T4, U1–U6, I3, A1–A7**,
+All other audit IDs remain pending: **V1-V8, R2-R12, T1-T4, U1-U6, I3, A1-A7**,
 plus the evolutionary experiments in section 9. Parent review is required before
 any phase-2 work or authorization to proceed.
 
 ---
 
-## Phase 2A progress / evidence — R2, R3, R4, T1–T4 (implementation; review pending)
+## Phase 2A progress / evidence - R2, R3, R4, T1-T4 (implementation; review pending)
 
 Phase 1 was independently reviewed and accepted by the parent before this stage;
 its earlier “review pending” text is preserved as historical evidence. This stage
@@ -771,7 +771,7 @@ Existing packet encode sinks/disk finalization/probing remain synchronous (R5).
 
 Phase 2B must address original replacement/temp-path collision and filesystem/DB
 catalog/bookmark durability; T2 here fixes timeline values/error reporting only.
-All other audit IDs remain pending: **V1–V8, R5–R12, U1–U6, I3, A1–A7**, plus
+All other audit IDs remain pending: **V1-V8, R5-R12, U1-U6, I3, A1-A7**, plus
 section-9 experiments and the **phase-5 disk-budget Settings UI control**. No
 phase-2B or later work is authorized by this completion report.
 
@@ -783,7 +783,7 @@ the test target, not a rebuilt/instrumented copy of the system FFmpeg libraries.
 
 ---
 
-## Phase 2B entry checkpoint — reopened phase-2A concat continuity (review pending)
+## Phase 2B entry checkpoint - reopened phase-2A concat continuity (review pending)
 
 Full report and CLAUDE.md read before writing. Parent's retained LOW review had
 accepted phase 2A with a request for continuous-clock disk-save evidence. That
@@ -857,7 +857,7 @@ fix, then resume authorized R7/R8/U6 and the narrow lifecycle prerequisite.
 
 ---
 
-## Phase 2B U6 progress — incomplete, not accepted
+## Phase 2B U6 progress - incomplete, not accepted
 
 A subsequent writer began the approved engine-only delete/rename routing and an
 operation-specific SQLite journal implementation. The Rust UI delete/rename
diff --git a/scripts/check-text.py b/scripts/check-text.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bd08aff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/check-text.py
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+"""Reject forbidden dash characters in tracked UTF-8 files."""
+
+import pathlib
+import subprocess
+import sys
+
+
+def main() -> int:
+    root = pathlib.Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent
+    paths = subprocess.check_output(["git", "ls-files", "-z"], cwd=root).split(b"\0")
+    failed = False
+    for raw in filter(None, paths):
+        path = root / raw.decode("utf-8")
+        try:
+            content = path.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+        except UnicodeDecodeError:
+            continue
+        for number, line in enumerate(content.splitlines(), 1):
+            if any(char in line for char in (chr(0x2013), chr(0x2014))):
+                print(f"{path.relative_to(root)}:{number}: forbidden dash character")
+                failed = True
+    return int(failed)
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    sys.exit(main())
diff --git a/scripts/generate-appcast.ps1 b/scripts/generate-appcast.ps1
index c678463..e34fd0e 100644
--- a/scripts/generate-appcast.ps1
+++ b/scripts/generate-appcast.ps1
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ function Format-Pem([string] $raw) {
         $lines = [regex]::Matches($body, '.{1,64}') | ForEach-Object { $_.Value }
         return "-----BEGIN $label-----`n" + ($lines -join "`n") + "`n-----END $label-----`n"
     }
-    # No recognizable markers — pass through unchanged (openssl will report the real error).
+    # No recognizable markers - pass through unchanged (openssl will report the real error).
     return $t + "`n"
 }
 
diff --git a/scripts/generate-update-manifest.ps1 b/scripts/generate-update-manifest.ps1
index 3a078c8..ef564f0 100644
--- a/scripts/generate-update-manifest.ps1
+++ b/scripts/generate-update-manifest.ps1
@@ -6,14 +6,14 @@ Generate update-manifest.json for a Monolith release: per-component zips
 .DESCRIPTION
 The component updater (Updater.exe, app/updater) fetches
 releases/latest/download/update-manifest.json and downloads ONLY the
-components whose version is higher than the installed one — a UI-only
+components whose version is higher than the installed one - a UI-only
 release never re-downloads the engine. Each component is versioned
 independently (CMakeLists project() for the engine, the two tauri.conf.json
 files for ui/updater); the git tag only names the release and versions the
 full installer.
 
 Signing uses the same Ed25519 key pair WinSparkle used (CI secret
-WINSPARKLE_ED_PRIVATE_KEY, pure Ed25519 over the zip bytes — openssl
+WINSPARKLE_ED_PRIVATE_KEY, pure Ed25519 over the zip bytes - openssl
 pkeyutl -sign -rawin; the public half is embedded in Updater.exe).
 
 .EXAMPLE
diff --git a/scripts/verify-runtime-dlls.ps1 b/scripts/verify-runtime-dlls.ps1
index 2902468..cc1e771 100644
--- a/scripts/verify-runtime-dlls.ps1
+++ b/scripts/verify-runtime-dlls.ps1
@@ -16,22 +16,18 @@ if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $VcpkgBinDir -PathType Container)) {
     throw "vcpkg runtime directory does not exist: $VcpkgBinDir"
 }
 
-# Scope: EXE/DLL files directly in RuntimeDir and their transitive imports.
-# Sidecars in subdirectories (such as ui/) and LoadLibrary-only dependencies
-# are not validated here. This does not replace a clean-Windows smoke test.
-$dumpbin = (Get-Command dumpbin.exe -ErrorAction Stop).Source
+# Each executable directory must carry its own non-system import closure.
+$dumpbin = (Get-Command dumpbin.exe -ErrorAction Stop).Name
 $windowsSystem = Join-Path $env:WINDIR "System32"
-$runtimeFiles = @(Get-ChildItem -LiteralPath $RuntimeDir -File | Where-Object {
+$runtimeFiles = @(Get-ChildItem -LiteralPath $RuntimeDir -File -Recurse | Where-Object {
     $_.Extension -ieq ".exe" -or $_.Extension -ieq ".dll"
 })
 if ($runtimeFiles.Count -eq 0) {
     throw "No native runtime binaries found in: $RuntimeDir"
 }
 
-$runtimeByName = @{}
 $pending = [System.Collections.Generic.Queue[string]]::new()
 foreach ($file in $runtimeFiles) {
-    $runtimeByName[$file.Name.ToLowerInvariant()] = $file.FullName
     $pending.Enqueue($file.FullName)
 }
 
@@ -58,15 +54,15 @@ while ($pending.Count -ne 0) {
         }
 
         $dependency = $match.Groups[1].Value
-        $key = $dependency.ToLowerInvariant()
-        if ($runtimeByName.ContainsKey($key)) {
-            $pending.Enqueue($runtimeByName[$key])
+        $local = Join-Path ([IO.Path]::GetDirectoryName($binary)) $dependency
+        if (Test-Path -LiteralPath $local -PathType Leaf) {
+            $pending.Enqueue($local)
             continue
         }
 
-        # Prefer the vcpkg copy over anything coincidentally installed on the
-        # CI host. API-set DLLs and Windows-owned DLLs remain OS dependencies.
-        if (Test-Path -LiteralPath (Join-Path $VcpkgBinDir $dependency) -PathType Leaf) {
+        # CI hosts have the VC runtime installed; clean Windows may not.
+        if ($dependency -match '^(vcruntime|msvcp|msvcr|concrt|vcomp)\d.*\.dll$' -or
+            (Test-Path -LiteralPath (Join-Path $VcpkgBinDir $dependency) -PathType Leaf)) {
             $missing.Add("$dependency (imported by $([IO.Path]::GetFileName($binary)))")
             continue
         }
@@ -85,7 +81,7 @@ if ($missing.Count -ne 0) {
     throw "Native runtime dependency closure is incomplete: $details"
 }
 
-Write-Host "Verified static import closure for $($visited.Count) root-level native binary/binaries in $RuntimeDir (subdirectories excluded)"
+Write-Host "Verified static import closure for $($visited.Count) binaries in $RuntimeDir (including sidecars)"
 (Get-ChildItem -LiteralPath $RuntimeDir -Filter "*.dll" -File).Name |
     Sort-Object |
     ForEach-Object { Write-Host "  $_" }
diff --git a/tests/packaging/verify-runtime-dlls.tests.ps1 b/tests/packaging/verify-runtime-dlls.tests.ps1
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..52de911
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/packaging/verify-runtime-dlls.tests.ps1
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
+$root = Join-Path ([IO.Path]::GetTempPath()) ([guid]::NewGuid().ToString())
+$previousWindows = $env:WINDIR
+$verifier = Join-Path $PSScriptRoot '../../scripts/verify-runtime-dlls.ps1'
+$global:MonolithTestImports = @{}
+
+function global:dumpbin.exe {
+    param($NoLogo, $Dependents, $Binary)
+    $global:LASTEXITCODE = 0
+    foreach ($dependency in $global:MonolithTestImports[[IO.Path]::GetFileName($Binary)]) {
+        "    $dependency"
+    }
+}
+
+function Assert-Closure([bool]$ShouldPass, [string]$Label) {
+    $passed = $false
+    try {
+        & $verifier -RuntimeDir "$root/runtime" -VcpkgBinDir "$root/vcpkg" | Out-Null
+        $passed = $true
+    } catch {
+        if ($ShouldPass) { throw }
+        if ($_.Exception.Message -notlike '*dependency closure is incomplete*') { throw }
+    }
+    if ($passed -ne $ShouldPass) { throw "Unexpected result: $Label" }
+    Write-Host "PASS: $Label"
+}
+
+try {
+    foreach ($directory in @('runtime/ui', 'vcpkg', 'windows/System32')) {
+        New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path "$root/$directory" -Force | Out-Null
+    }
+    $env:WINDIR = "$root/windows"
+    Set-Content "$root/runtime/Monolith.exe" ''
+    Set-Content "$root/windows/System32/kernel32.dll" ''
+    $global:MonolithTestImports = @{'Monolith.exe' = @('kernel32.dll', 'api-ms-win-core-file-l1-1-0.dll')}
+    Assert-Closure $true 'Windows and API-set imports'
+
+    Set-Content "$root/vcpkg/aom.dll" ''
+    $global:MonolithTestImports['Monolith.exe'] = @('aom.dll')
+    Assert-Closure $false 'Missing vcpkg import'
+    Set-Content "$root/runtime/aom.dll" ''
+    $global:MonolithTestImports['aom.dll'] = @('kernel32.dll')
+    Assert-Closure $true 'Complete transitive import closure'
+
+    Set-Content "$root/windows/System32/vcruntime140.dll" ''
+    $global:MonolithTestImports['aom.dll'] = @('vcruntime140.dll')
+    Assert-Closure $false 'VC runtime installed on CI is not a packaged runtime'
+    Set-Content "$root/runtime/vcruntime140.dll" ''
+    Assert-Closure $true 'App-local VC runtime'
+
+    Set-Content "$root/runtime/ui/Monolith.UI.exe" ''
+    $global:MonolithTestImports['Monolith.UI.exe'] = @('vcruntime140.dll')
+    Assert-Closure $false 'Root DLL does not satisfy a sidecar import'
+    Set-Content "$root/runtime/ui/vcruntime140.dll" ''
+    Assert-Closure $true 'Sidecar has its own import closure'
+
+    $global:MonolithTestImports['Monolith.UI.exe'] = @('unknown.dll')
+    Assert-Closure $false 'Unknown dependency is rejected'
+} finally {
+    $env:WINDIR = $previousWindows
+    Remove-Variable MonolithTestImports -Scope Global
+    Remove-Item Function:/dumpbin.exe
+    Remove-Item -LiteralPath $root -Recurse -Force
+}
diff --git a/vcpkg-configuration.json b/vcpkg-configuration.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8ef2cd6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/vcpkg-configuration.json
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+{
+  "overlay-ports": [
+    "ports"
+  ]
+}
diff --git a/vcpkg.json b/vcpkg.json
index 27bd9ca..f9f450f 100644
--- a/vcpkg.json
+++ b/vcpkg.json
@@ -5,7 +5,19 @@
     "sqlite3",
     {
       "name": "ffmpeg",
-      "features": ["avcodec", "avformat", "swscale", "swresample", "amf", "nvcodec", "qsv", "x264", "x265", "aom", "gpl"]
+      "features": [
+        "avcodec",
+        "avformat",
+        "swscale",
+        "swresample",
+        "amf",
+        "nvcodec",
+        "qsv",
+        "x264",
+        "x265",
+        "aom",
+        "gpl"
+      ]
     }
   ]
 }