ive lost track. but this needs to happen. because ive lost track.

assets/Acord.svg

@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
-<svg viewBox="0 0 489.61898 491.035" version="1.1" id="svg29" width="489.61899" height="491.035" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" preserveAspectRatio="none" xmlns:bx="https://boxy-svg.com">
+<svg viewBox="28.548 28.642 432.523 433.752" version="1.1" id="svg29" width="489.61899" height="491.035" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" preserveAspectRatio="none" xmlns:bx="https://boxy-svg.com">
   <defs id="defs26">
     <path id="text-path-1" d="m 77.219,406.062 c 77.897,-187.809 190.069,-151.33 256.629,-99.786 18.407,14.254 76.718,135.623 76.524,160.854"/>
     <path id="path-2" d="m 77.219,406.062 c 77.897,-187.809 190.069,-151.33 256.629,-99.786 18.407,14.254 76.718,135.623 76.524,160.854"/>
     <path id="path-3" d="m 77.219,406.062 c 77.897,-187.809 190.069,-151.33 256.629,-99.786 18.407,14.254 76.718,135.623 76.524,160.854"/>
-    <filter id="drop-shadow-filter-0" bx:preset="drop-shadow 1 0 2 20 1 #fff" color-interpolation-filters="sRGB" x="-50%" y="-50%" width="200%" height="200%">
+    <filter id="drop-shadow-filter-0" bx:preset="drop-shadow 1 0 2 5 1 #fff" color-interpolation-filters="sRGB" x="-50%" y="-50%" width="200%" height="200%">
       <title>Drop shadow</title>
-      <feGaussianBlur in="SourceAlpha" stdDeviation="20"/>
+      <feGaussianBlur in="SourceAlpha" stdDeviation="5"/>
       <feOffset dx="0" dy="2"/>
       <feComponentTransfer result="offsetblur">
         <feFuncA id="spread-ctrl" type="linear" slope="2"/>
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
       <feGaussianBlur in="SourceAlpha" stdDeviation="4"/>
       <feOffset dx="-3" dy="10"/>
       <feComponentTransfer result="offsetblur">
-        <feFuncA id="spread-ctrl" type="linear" slope="1.74"/>
+        <feFuncA id="spread-ctrl-2" type="linear" slope="1.74"/>
       </feComponentTransfer>
       <feFlood flood-color="#fff"/>
       <feComposite in2="offsetblur" operator="in"/>

ios/Acord.xcodeproj/project.pbxproj

@@ -7,16 +7,28 @@
 	objects = {
 
 /* Begin PBXBuildFile section */
+		13355EBDA35C1D1A4C56C4B6 /* ViewportController.swift in Sources */ = {isa = PBXBuildFile; fileRef = A1D4361480B1086E42F1C44D /* ViewportController.swift */; };
+		451B55F9A56914484DE9F387 /* MenuBar.swift in Sources */ = {isa = PBXBuildFile; fileRef = D1CC2AF06102C6AF52E50D50 /* MenuBar.swift */; };
 		52FAB9972C318EE0F234F494 /* IcedViewportView.swift in Sources */ = {isa = PBXBuildFile; fileRef = 4AF21EB9858D4F182A323DAA /* IcedViewportView.swift */; };
 		951153057A1C3373C77657DF /* AcordApp.swift in Sources */ = {isa = PBXBuildFile; fileRef = E391F925E2727D13659EDA02 /* AcordApp.swift */; };
+		A6236C78901D9A1CDF17D665 /* Assets.xcassets in Resources */ = {isa = PBXBuildFile; fileRef = 22A61FD61FB3606DC153A210 /* Assets.xcassets */; };
+		C138920C883B9BF2BF57BCFA /* PermissionsManager.swift in Sources */ = {isa = PBXBuildFile; fileRef = 5FB74A74224F1D3571524FA8 /* PermissionsManager.swift */; };
 		F0306F25CA56D707AE2E27A0 /* IcedViewportRepresentable.swift in Sources */ = {isa = PBXBuildFile; fileRef = 19D7F3B08824BF5E9E468EF2 /* IcedViewportRepresentable.swift */; };
+		F10B810345E36162B23064AF /* DocumentPicker.swift in Sources */ = {isa = PBXBuildFile; fileRef = F50B6D3A3481F01ECC66CDBD /* DocumentPicker.swift */; };
+		F6003A9958CB3CA65BAFE23F /* Debug.swift in Sources */ = {isa = PBXBuildFile; fileRef = CF09AEF6E0546502D3FB36BE /* Debug.swift */; };
 /* End PBXBuildFile section */
 
 /* Begin PBXFileReference section */
 		19D7F3B08824BF5E9E468EF2 /* IcedViewportRepresentable.swift */ = {isa = PBXFileReference; lastKnownFileType = sourcecode.swift; path = IcedViewportRepresentable.swift; sourceTree = "<group>"; };
+		22A61FD61FB3606DC153A210 /* Assets.xcassets */ = {isa = PBXFileReference; lastKnownFileType = folder.assetcatalog; path = Assets.xcassets; sourceTree = "<group>"; };
 		4AF21EB9858D4F182A323DAA /* IcedViewportView.swift */ = {isa = PBXFileReference; lastKnownFileType = sourcecode.swift; path = IcedViewportView.swift; sourceTree = "<group>"; };
+		5FB74A74224F1D3571524FA8 /* PermissionsManager.swift */ = {isa = PBXFileReference; lastKnownFileType = sourcecode.swift; path = PermissionsManager.swift; sourceTree = "<group>"; };
+		A1D4361480B1086E42F1C44D /* ViewportController.swift */ = {isa = PBXFileReference; lastKnownFileType = sourcecode.swift; path = ViewportController.swift; sourceTree = "<group>"; };
 		C3417095D399AB8B216B5139 /* Acord.app */ = {isa = PBXFileReference; includeInIndex = 0; lastKnownFileType = wrapper.application; path = Acord.app; sourceTree = BUILT_PRODUCTS_DIR; };
+		CF09AEF6E0546502D3FB36BE /* Debug.swift */ = {isa = PBXFileReference; lastKnownFileType = sourcecode.swift; path = Debug.swift; sourceTree = "<group>"; };
+		D1CC2AF06102C6AF52E50D50 /* MenuBar.swift */ = {isa = PBXFileReference; lastKnownFileType = sourcecode.swift; path = MenuBar.swift; sourceTree = "<group>"; };
 		E391F925E2727D13659EDA02 /* AcordApp.swift */ = {isa = PBXFileReference; lastKnownFileType = sourcecode.swift; path = AcordApp.swift; sourceTree = "<group>"; };
+		F50B6D3A3481F01ECC66CDBD /* DocumentPicker.swift */ = {isa = PBXFileReference; lastKnownFileType = sourcecode.swift; path = DocumentPicker.swift; sourceTree = "<group>"; };
 /* End PBXFileReference section */
 
 /* Begin PBXGroup section */
@@ -32,6 +44,7 @@
 			isa = PBXGroup;
 			children = (
 				FD6FF6B76E15E1EA3D0E676B /* src */,
+				22A61FD61FB3606DC153A210 /* Assets.xcassets */,
 				76C61BCA6D25861221CA6340 /* Products */,
 			);
 			sourceTree = "<group>";
@@ -40,8 +53,13 @@
 			isa = PBXGroup;
 			children = (
 				E391F925E2727D13659EDA02 /* AcordApp.swift */,
+				CF09AEF6E0546502D3FB36BE /* Debug.swift */,
+				F50B6D3A3481F01ECC66CDBD /* DocumentPicker.swift */,
 				19D7F3B08824BF5E9E468EF2 /* IcedViewportRepresentable.swift */,
 				4AF21EB9858D4F182A323DAA /* IcedViewportView.swift */,
+				D1CC2AF06102C6AF52E50D50 /* MenuBar.swift */,
+				5FB74A74224F1D3571524FA8 /* PermissionsManager.swift */,
+				A1D4361480B1086E42F1C44D /* ViewportController.swift */,
 			);
 			path = src;
 			sourceTree = "<group>";
@@ -54,6 +72,7 @@
 			buildConfigurationList = 3E9D564CF91C62A230D65F8C /* Build configuration list for PBXNativeTarget "Acord" */;
 			buildPhases = (
 				BEED27C37617469B917539A1 /* Sources */,
+				5C3B8F8816A1704304EF6942 /* Resources */,
 			);
 			buildRules = (
 			);
@@ -100,14 +119,30 @@
 		};
 /* End PBXProject section */
 
+/* Begin PBXResourcesBuildPhase section */
+		5C3B8F8816A1704304EF6942 /* Resources */ = {
+			isa = PBXResourcesBuildPhase;
+			buildActionMask = 2147483647;
+			files = (
+				A6236C78901D9A1CDF17D665 /* Assets.xcassets in Resources */,
+			);
+			runOnlyForDeploymentPostprocessing = 0;
+		};
+/* End PBXResourcesBuildPhase section */
+
 /* Begin PBXSourcesBuildPhase section */
 		BEED27C37617469B917539A1 /* Sources */ = {
 			isa = PBXSourcesBuildPhase;
 			buildActionMask = 2147483647;
 			files = (
 				951153057A1C3373C77657DF /* AcordApp.swift in Sources */,
+				F6003A9958CB3CA65BAFE23F /* Debug.swift in Sources */,
+				F10B810345E36162B23064AF /* DocumentPicker.swift in Sources */,
 				F0306F25CA56D707AE2E27A0 /* IcedViewportRepresentable.swift in Sources */,
 				52FAB9972C318EE0F234F494 /* IcedViewportView.swift in Sources */,
+				451B55F9A56914484DE9F387 /* MenuBar.swift in Sources */,
+				C138920C883B9BF2BF57BCFA /* PermissionsManager.swift in Sources */,
+				13355EBDA35C1D1A4C56C4B6 /* ViewportController.swift in Sources */,
 			);
 			runOnlyForDeploymentPostprocessing = 0;
 		};
@@ -187,9 +222,8 @@
 				GENERATE_INFOPLIST_FILE = NO;
 				INFOPLIST_FILE = Info.plist;
 				IPHONEOS_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET = 17.0;
-				LIBRARY_SEARCH_PATHS = (
+				"LIBRARY_SEARCH_PATHS[sdk=iphoneos*]" = "/tmp/acord/target/aarch64-apple-ios/release";
-					"$(PROJECT_DIR)/../target/$(SWIFT_PLATFORM_TARGET_PREFIX)/release",
+				"LIBRARY_SEARCH_PATHS[sdk=iphonesimulator*]" = "/tmp/acord/target/aarch64-apple-ios-sim/release";
-				);
 				MTL_ENABLE_DEBUG_INFO = INCLUDE_SOURCE;
 				MTL_FAST_MATH = YES;
 				ONLY_ACTIVE_ARCH = YES;
@@ -258,9 +292,8 @@
 				GENERATE_INFOPLIST_FILE = NO;
 				INFOPLIST_FILE = Info.plist;
 				IPHONEOS_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET = 17.0;
-				LIBRARY_SEARCH_PATHS = (
+				"LIBRARY_SEARCH_PATHS[sdk=iphoneos*]" = "/tmp/acord/target/aarch64-apple-ios/release";
-					"$(PROJECT_DIR)/../target/$(SWIFT_PLATFORM_TARGET_PREFIX)/release",
+				"LIBRARY_SEARCH_PATHS[sdk=iphonesimulator*]" = "/tmp/acord/target/aarch64-apple-ios-sim/release";
-				);
 				MTL_ENABLE_DEBUG_INFO = NO;
 				MTL_FAST_MATH = YES;
 				OTHER_LDFLAGS = (

ios/Acord.xcodeproj/xcuserdata/pszsh.xcuserdatad/xcschemes/xcschememanagement.plist

@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
+<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
+<plist version="1.0">
+<dict>
+	<key>SchemeUserState</key>
+	<dict>
+		<key>Acord.xcscheme_^#shared#^_</key>
+		<dict>
+			<key>orderHint</key>
+			<integer>0</integer>
+		</dict>
+	</dict>
+</dict>
+</plist>

ios/Assets.xcassets/AppIcon.appiconset/Contents.json

@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+{
+  "images" : [
+    { "idiom" : "iphone",      "size" : "20x20",   "scale" : "2x", "filename" : "Icon-20@2x.png" },
+    { "idiom" : "iphone",      "size" : "20x20",   "scale" : "3x", "filename" : "Icon-20@3x.png" },
+    { "idiom" : "iphone",      "size" : "29x29",   "scale" : "2x", "filename" : "Icon-29@2x.png" },
+    { "idiom" : "iphone",      "size" : "29x29",   "scale" : "3x", "filename" : "Icon-29@3x.png" },
+    { "idiom" : "iphone",      "size" : "40x40",   "scale" : "2x", "filename" : "Icon-40@2x.png" },
+    { "idiom" : "iphone",      "size" : "40x40",   "scale" : "3x", "filename" : "Icon-40@3x.png" },
+    { "idiom" : "iphone",      "size" : "60x60",   "scale" : "2x", "filename" : "Icon-60@2x.png" },
+    { "idiom" : "iphone",      "size" : "60x60",   "scale" : "3x", "filename" : "Icon-60@3x.png" },
+    { "idiom" : "ipad",        "size" : "20x20",   "scale" : "1x", "filename" : "Icon-20.png" },
+    { "idiom" : "ipad",        "size" : "20x20",   "scale" : "2x", "filename" : "Icon-20@2x.png" },
+    { "idiom" : "ipad",        "size" : "29x29",   "scale" : "1x", "filename" : "Icon-29.png" },
+    { "idiom" : "ipad",        "size" : "29x29",   "scale" : "2x", "filename" : "Icon-29@2x.png" },
+    { "idiom" : "ipad",        "size" : "40x40",   "scale" : "1x", "filename" : "Icon-40.png" },
+    { "idiom" : "ipad",        "size" : "40x40",   "scale" : "2x", "filename" : "Icon-40@2x.png" },
+    { "idiom" : "ipad",        "size" : "76x76",   "scale" : "1x", "filename" : "Icon-76.png" },
+    { "idiom" : "ipad",        "size" : "76x76",   "scale" : "2x", "filename" : "Icon-76@2x.png" },
+    { "idiom" : "ipad",        "size" : "83.5x83.5","scale" : "2x","filename" : "Icon-83.5@2x.png" },
+    { "idiom" : "ios-marketing","size" : "1024x1024","scale" : "1x","filename" : "Icon-1024.png" }
+  ],
+  "info" : {
+    "author" : "xcode",
+    "version" : 1
+  }
+}

ios/Assets.xcassets/Contents.json

@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+{
+  "info" : {
+    "author" : "xcode",
+    "version" : 1
+  }
+}

ios/Info.plist

@@ -60,5 +60,68 @@
     <true/>
     <key>UIFileSharingEnabled</key>
     <true/>
+    <key>UISupportsDocumentBrowser</key>
+    <true/>
+    <key>CFBundleDocumentTypes</key>
+    <array>
+        <dict>
+            <key>CFBundleTypeName</key>
+            <string>Markdown</string>
+            <key>CFBundleTypeRole</key>
+            <string>Editor</string>
+            <key>LSHandlerRank</key>
+            <string>Default</string>
+            <key>LSItemContentTypes</key>
+            <array>
+                <string>net.daringfireball.markdown</string>
+                <string>public.plain-text</string>
+            </array>
+            <key>CFBundleTypeExtensions</key>
+            <array>
+                <string>md</string>
+                <string>markdown</string>
+                <string>mdown</string>
+                <string>txt</string>
+            </array>
+        </dict>
+    </array>
+    <key>NSPhotoLibraryUsageDescription</key>
+    <string>Acord uses your photo library to embed images into notes.</string>
+    <key>NSPhotoLibraryAddUsageDescription</key>
+    <string>Acord saves rendered notes and exported PDFs to your photo library.</string>
+    <key>NSCameraUsageDescription</key>
+    <string>Acord uses the camera to attach photos directly to notes.</string>
+    <key>NSMicrophoneUsageDescription</key>
+    <string>Acord uses the microphone to attach voice notes.</string>
+    <key>NSDocumentsFolderUsageDescription</key>
+    <string>Acord reads and writes notes from your chosen documents folder.</string>
+    <key>NSDownloadsFolderUsageDescription</key>
+    <string>Acord opens and saves notes in your Downloads folder.</string>
+    <key>UTExportedTypeDeclarations</key>
+    <array>
+        <dict>
+            <key>UTTypeIdentifier</key>
+            <string>net.daringfireball.markdown</string>
+            <key>UTTypeDescription</key>
+            <string>Markdown</string>
+            <key>UTTypeConformsTo</key>
+            <array>
+                <string>public.plain-text</string>
+            </array>
+            <key>UTTypeTagSpecification</key>
+            <dict>
+                <key>public.filename-extension</key>
+                <array>
+                    <string>md</string>
+                    <string>markdown</string>
+                    <string>mdown</string>
+                </array>
+                <key>public.mime-type</key>
+                <array>
+                    <string>text/markdown</string>
+                </array>
+            </dict>
+        </dict>
+    </array>
 </dict>
 </plist>

ios/project.yml

@@ -16,8 +16,10 @@ settings:
     TARGETED_DEVICE_FAMILY: "2,1"
     IPHONEOS_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET: "17.0"
     SWIFT_OBJC_BRIDGING_HEADER: ../viewport/include/acord.h
-    LIBRARY_SEARCH_PATHS:
+    # Cargo writes to /tmp/acord/target by default (see scripts/_build-dirs.sh).
-      - $(PROJECT_DIR)/../target/$(SWIFT_PLATFORM_TARGET_PREFIX)/release
+    # xcodeproj.sh runs cargo with both targets and copies their output here.
+    "LIBRARY_SEARCH_PATHS[sdk=iphoneos*]": /tmp/acord/target/aarch64-apple-ios/release
+    "LIBRARY_SEARCH_PATHS[sdk=iphonesimulator*]": /tmp/acord/target/aarch64-apple-ios-sim/release
     OTHER_LDFLAGS:
       - -lacord_viewport
     EXCLUDED_ARCHS[sdk=iphonesimulator*]: x86_64
@@ -30,8 +32,10 @@ targets:
     platform: iOS
     sources:
       - path: src
+      - path: Assets.xcassets
     settings:
       base:
         INFOPLIST_FILE: Info.plist
         GENERATE_INFOPLIST_FILE: NO
+        ASSETCATALOG_COMPILER_APPICON_NAME: AppIcon
     dependencies: []

ios/src/AcordApp.swift

@@ -1,18 +1,65 @@
 import SwiftUI
+import os.log
+import Darwin
 
 @main
 struct AcordApp: App {
+    init() {
+        Self.captureStderr()
+        dlog("AcordApp.init")
+    }
+
+    /// Pipes Rust staticlib stderr into both NSLog (for Console.app) and the
+    /// real stdout (for `xcrun devicectl --console`, which only forwards
+    /// stdout/stderr). Without this, `eprintln!()` from Rust is silently dropped.
+    private static func captureStderr() {
+        let realStdout = dup(fileno(stdout))
+        guard realStdout != -1 else { return }
+        let outFile = fdopen(realStdout, "w")
+        guard outFile != nil else { close(realStdout); return }
+        setvbuf(outFile, nil, _IONBF, 0)
+
+        var fds: [Int32] = [0, 0]
+        guard pipe(&fds) == 0 else { return }
+        dup2(fds[1], fileno(stderr))
+        setvbuf(stderr, nil, _IONBF, 0)
+
+        DispatchQueue.global(qos: .utility).async {
+            guard let f = fdopen(fds[0], "r") else { return }
+            var line: UnsafeMutablePointer<CChar>?
+            var cap: Int = 0
+            while getline(&line, &cap, f) > 0 {
+                if let l = line {
+                    fputs("[Rust] ", outFile)
+                    fputs(l, outFile)
+                    NSLog("[Rust] %s", l)
+                }
+            }
+            if let l = line { free(l) }
+        }
+    }
+
     var body: some Scene {
         WindowGroup {
             ContentView()
-                .ignoresSafeArea(.keyboard)
+                .onAppear { dlog("AcordApp scene WindowGroup appeared") }
         }
     }
 }
 
 struct ContentView: View {
+    @StateObject private var controller = ViewportController()
+
     var body: some View {
-        IcedViewportRepresentable()
+        VStack(spacing: 0) {
-            .ignoresSafeArea()
+            MenuBar(controller: controller)
+            IcedViewportRepresentable(controller: controller)
+                .ignoresSafeArea(.container, edges: .bottom)
+        }
+        .ignoresSafeArea(.keyboard)
+        .onAppear {
+            dlog("ContentView.onAppear")
+            PermissionsManager.requestSystemPermissions()
+        }
     }
 }

ios/src/Debug.swift

@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+import Foundation
+
+/// Gated logging — every diagnostic print in the iOS shell goes through here.
+/// Release builds compile this to a no-op so no log lines leak into shipping.
+/// Define DEBUG via `-D DEBUG` when invoking swiftc (debug.sh does this; the
+/// release path used by install.sh does not).
+@inline(__always)
+func dlog(_ message: @autoclosure () -> String, file: StaticString = #file, line: UInt = #line) {
+    #if DEBUG
+    let stem = (("\(file)" as NSString).lastPathComponent as NSString).deletingPathExtension
+    print("[Acord] \(stem):\(line) — \(message())")
+    #endif
+}

ios/src/DocumentPicker.swift

@@ -0,0 +1,133 @@
+import UIKit
+import UniformTypeIdentifiers
+
+/// Bridges UIDocumentPickerViewController into the Rust viewport.
+/// Open and Save flows rely on iOS's per-file permission grant — a
+/// security-scoped URL is what the picker hands back, and we copy bytes in
+/// or out under `startAccessingSecurityScopedResource` while it's in scope.
+enum DocumentPicker {
+    private static var openDelegate: OpenDelegate?
+    private static var saveDelegate: SaveDelegate?
+
+    static func presentOpen(handle: OpaquePointer) {
+        dlog("presentOpen called")
+        guard let root = topViewController() else {
+            dlog("presentOpen: topViewController returned nil — picker NOT shown")
+            return
+        }
+        // .item is the broadest "any file" UTI — without this, files whose UTI
+        // doesn't exactly match get rendered grey/unselectable in the picker.
+        // asCopy:true sidesteps the security-scoped-resource entitlement dance:
+        // iOS hands us a copy in our sandbox tmp dir we can just read.
+        var types: [UTType] = [.plainText, .utf8PlainText, .text, .sourceCode, .data, .item]
+        if let md = UTType(filenameExtension: "md") { types.insert(md, at: 0) }
+        if let md = UTType("net.daringfireball.markdown") { types.insert(md, at: 0) }
+        dlog("presentOpen: types=\(types.map(\.identifier))")
+        let picker = UIDocumentPickerViewController(forOpeningContentTypes: types, asCopy: true)
+        let delegate = OpenDelegate(handle: handle)
+        openDelegate = delegate
+        picker.delegate = delegate
+        picker.allowsMultipleSelection = false
+        root.present(picker, animated: true) {
+            dlog("presentOpen: picker presented from \(type(of: root))")
+        }
+    }
+
+    static func presentSave(handle: OpaquePointer, defaultName: String) {
+        dlog("presentSave called")
+        guard let root = topViewController() else {
+            dlog("presentSave: topViewController returned nil — picker NOT shown")
+            return
+        }
+
+        guard let cstr = viewport_get_text(handle) else {
+            dlog("presentSave: viewport_get_text returned null")
+            return
+        }
+        let text = String(cString: cstr)
+        viewport_free_string(cstr)
+        dlog("presentSave: serialized \(text.utf8.count) bytes from viewport")
+
+        let tmp = FileManager.default.temporaryDirectory.appendingPathComponent("\(defaultName).md")
+        do {
+            try text.data(using: .utf8)?.write(to: tmp)
+            dlog("presentSave: wrote tmp \(tmp.path)")
+        } catch {
+            dlog("presentSave: tmp write failed: \(error)")
+            return
+        }
+
+        let picker = UIDocumentPickerViewController(forExporting: [tmp], asCopy: true)
+        let delegate = SaveDelegate(handle: handle, source: tmp)
+        saveDelegate = delegate
+        picker.delegate = delegate
+        root.present(picker, animated: true) {
+            dlog("presentSave: picker presented")
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static func topViewController() -> UIViewController? {
+        guard let scene = UIApplication.shared.connectedScenes.first as? UIWindowScene else {
+            dlog("topViewController: no UIWindowScene")
+            return nil
+        }
+        guard let window = scene.windows.first(where: { $0.isKeyWindow }) ?? scene.windows.first else {
+            dlog("topViewController: no window in scene")
+            return nil
+        }
+        var top = window.rootViewController
+        while let presented = top?.presentedViewController { top = presented }
+        return top
+    }
+}
+
+private final class OpenDelegate: NSObject, UIDocumentPickerDelegate {
+    let handle: OpaquePointer
+    init(handle: OpaquePointer) { self.handle = handle }
+
+    func documentPicker(_ controller: UIDocumentPickerViewController, didPickDocumentsAt urls: [URL]) {
+        dlog("open delegate fired with \(urls.count) urls")
+        guard let url = urls.first else {
+            dlog("open: no url in selection")
+            return
+        }
+        dlog("open: url=\(url.path)")
+        // asCopy:true means url is already in our sandbox tmp dir — no scoped access needed.
+        do {
+            let data = try Data(contentsOf: url)
+            guard let text = String(data: data, encoding: .utf8) else {
+                dlog("open: file at \(url.path) is not utf-8 (\(data.count) bytes)")
+                return
+            }
+            text.withCString { cstr in
+                viewport_set_text(handle, cstr)
+            }
+            dlog("open: loaded \(data.count) bytes (\(text.count) chars) from \(url.lastPathComponent)")
+        } catch {
+            dlog("open: read failed: \(error)")
+        }
+    }
+
+    func documentPickerWasCancelled(_ controller: UIDocumentPickerViewController) {
+        dlog("open: cancelled by user")
+    }
+}
+
+private final class SaveDelegate: NSObject, UIDocumentPickerDelegate {
+    let handle: OpaquePointer
+    let source: URL
+    init(handle: OpaquePointer, source: URL) {
+        self.handle = handle
+        self.source = source
+    }
+
+    func documentPicker(_ controller: UIDocumentPickerViewController, didPickDocumentsAt urls: [URL]) {
+        dlog("save: picker resolved with destinations=\(urls.map(\.path))")
+        try? FileManager.default.removeItem(at: source)
+    }
+
+    func documentPickerWasCancelled(_ controller: UIDocumentPickerViewController) {
+        dlog("save: cancelled by user")
+        try? FileManager.default.removeItem(at: source)
+    }
+}

ios/src/IcedViewportRepresentable.swift

@@ -2,12 +2,20 @@ import SwiftUI
 import UIKit
 
 /// SwiftUI wrapper around the UIView that hosts the Rust viewport.
+/// Stashes the underlying view into the shared ViewportController so the
+/// menu bar can dispatch commands against the same handle.
 struct IcedViewportRepresentable: UIViewRepresentable {
+    let controller: ViewportController
+
     func makeUIView(context: Context) -> IcedViewportView {
-        IcedViewportView(frame: .zero)
+        dlog("makeUIView")
+        let v = IcedViewportView(frame: .zero)
+        controller.view = v
+        return v
     }
 
     func updateUIView(_ uiView: IcedViewportView, context: Context) {
-        // size pushed via setFrameSize; nothing to refresh per SwiftUI tick.
+        dlog("updateUIView: bounds=\(uiView.bounds.size) handle=\(uiView.viewportHandle != nil ? "live" : "nil")")
+        controller.view = uiView
     }
 }

ios/src/IcedViewportView.swift

@@ -2,8 +2,9 @@ import UIKit
 import QuartzCore
 
 /// CAMetalLayer-backed UIView that owns the Rust viewport handle and pumps
-/// CADisplayLink ticks into `viewport_render`.
+/// CADisplayLink ticks into `viewport_render`. UIKeyInput conformance is what
-class IcedViewportView: UIView {
+/// makes the soft keyboard appear when the view becomes first responder.
+class IcedViewportView: UIView, UIKeyInput {
     override class var layerClass: AnyClass { CAMetalLayer.self }
 
     private(set) var viewportHandle: OpaquePointer?
@@ -29,15 +30,22 @@ class IcedViewportView: UIView {
             metalLayer.framebufferOnly = true
             metalLayer.pixelFormat = .bgra8Unorm
             metalLayer.isOpaque = true
+            dlog("commonInit: scale=\(UIScreen.main.scale) pixelFormat=bgra8Unorm")
+        } else {
+            dlog("commonInit: layer is NOT CAMetalLayer — got \(type(of: layer))")
         }
     }
 
     override func didMoveToWindow() {
         super.didMoveToWindow()
+        dlog("didMoveToWindow: window=\(window != nil ? "set" : "nil") handle=\(viewportHandle != nil ? "live" : "nil") tornDown=\(isTornDown) bounds=\(bounds.size)")
         if window != nil && viewportHandle == nil && !isTornDown {
             createViewport()
             startDisplayLink()
-            becomeFirstResponder()
+            // intentionally NOT becoming first responder here — claiming it on
+            // appear conflicts with SwiftUI Menu popovers (see the
+            // _UIReparentingView warning when clicking the menu strip).
+            // touchesBegan claims it instead, which is the natural moment.
         } else if window == nil {
             teardown()
         }
@@ -45,27 +53,66 @@ class IcedViewportView: UIView {
 
     override var canBecomeFirstResponder: Bool { true }
 
+    // MARK: - UIKeyInput (soft keyboard)
+
+    var hasText: Bool { true }
+
+    func insertText(_ text: String) {
+        guard let h = viewportHandle else {
+            dlog("insertText: no handle — dropped \(text.debugDescription)")
+            return
+        }
+        dlog("insertText: \(text.debugDescription) (\(text.utf8.count) bytes)")
+        text.withCString { cstr in
+            viewport_key_event(h, 0, 0, true, cstr)
+            viewport_key_event(h, 0, 0, false, cstr)
+        }
+    }
+
+    func deleteBackward() {
+        guard let h = viewportHandle else {
+            dlog("deleteBackward: no handle")
+            return
+        }
+        dlog("deleteBackward")
+        "\u{7F}".withCString { cstr in
+            viewport_key_event(h, 51, 0, true, cstr)
+            viewport_key_event(h, 51, 0, false, cstr)
+        }
+    }
+
     private func createViewport() {
         let scale = Float(window?.screen.scale ?? UIScreen.main.scale)
         let w = Float(bounds.width)
         let h = Float(bounds.height)
+        if let metalLayer = layer as? CAMetalLayer, metalLayer.device == nil {
+            metalLayer.device = MTLCreateSystemDefaultDevice()
+            dlog("createViewport: assigned MTLDevice=\(String(describing: metalLayer.device?.name))")
+        }
         let viewPtr = Unmanaged.passUnretained(self).toOpaque()
         viewportHandle = viewport_create(viewPtr, w, h, scale)
+        dlog("createViewport: bounds=\(w)x\(h) scale=\(scale) handle=\(String(describing: viewportHandle))")
+        if w == 0 || h == 0 {
+            dlog("createViewport: WARNING bounds are zero — layoutSubviews must fire before paint is meaningful")
+        }
     }
 
     private func destroyViewport() {
         guard let handle = viewportHandle else { return }
+        dlog("destroyViewport")
         viewportHandle = nil
         viewport_destroy(handle)
     }
 
     func teardown() {
         if isTornDown { return }
+        dlog("teardown")
         isTornDown = true
         stopDisplayLink()
         if let h = viewportHandle, let cstr = viewport_get_text(h) {
             cachedText = String(cString: cstr)
             viewport_free_string(cstr)
+            dlog("teardown: cached \(cachedText.count) chars")
         }
         destroyViewport()
     }
@@ -79,6 +126,7 @@ class IcedViewportView: UIView {
         let link = CADisplayLink(target: self, selector: #selector(renderFrame))
         link.add(to: .main, forMode: .common)
         displayLink = link
+        dlog("startDisplayLink")
     }
 
     private func stopDisplayLink() {
@@ -86,10 +134,17 @@ class IcedViewportView: UIView {
         displayLink = nil
     }
 
+    private var renderCount: Int = 0
     @objc private func renderFrame() {
         if isTornDown { return }
         guard let handle = viewportHandle else { return }
         viewport_render(handle)
+        renderCount += 1
+        // first frame, then 60th (~1s), then every 600 (~10s) to confirm the loop is alive.
+        if renderCount == 1 || renderCount == 60 || renderCount % 600 == 0 {
+            let ml = layer as? CAMetalLayer
+            dlog("renderFrame #\(renderCount) bounds=\(bounds.width)x\(bounds.height) drawable=\(ml?.drawableSize ?? .zero) scale=\(ml?.contentsScale ?? 0)")
+        }
     }
 
     // MARK: - Resize
@@ -103,8 +158,12 @@ class IcedViewportView: UIView {
                 width: bounds.width * CGFloat(scale),
                 height: bounds.height * CGFloat(scale)
             )
+            dlog("layoutSubviews: bounds=\(bounds.size) scale=\(scale) drawable=\(metalLayer.drawableSize)")
+        }
+        guard let handle = viewportHandle else {
+            dlog("layoutSubviews: no handle yet")
+            return
         }
-        guard let handle = viewportHandle else { return }
         viewport_resize(handle, Float(bounds.width), Float(bounds.height), scale)
     }
 
@@ -113,8 +172,10 @@ class IcedViewportView: UIView {
     override func touchesBegan(_ touches: Set<UITouch>, with event: UIEvent?) {
         guard let h = viewportHandle, let touch = touches.first else { return }
         let p = touch.location(in: self)
+        dlog("touchesBegan: \(p)")
         viewport_mouse_event(h, Float(p.x), Float(p.y), 0, true)
         becomeFirstResponder()
+        dlog("touchesBegan: firstResponder=\(isFirstResponder)")
     }
 
     override func touchesMoved(_ touches: Set<UITouch>, with event: UIEvent?) {
@@ -126,12 +187,14 @@ class IcedViewportView: UIView {
     override func touchesEnded(_ touches: Set<UITouch>, with event: UIEvent?) {
         guard let h = viewportHandle, let touch = touches.first else { return }
         let p = touch.location(in: self)
+        dlog("touchesEnded: \(p)")
         viewport_mouse_event(h, Float(p.x), Float(p.y), 0, false)
     }
 
     override func touchesCancelled(_ touches: Set<UITouch>, with event: UIEvent?) {
         guard let h = viewportHandle, let touch = touches.first else { return }
         let p = touch.location(in: self)
+        dlog("touchesCancelled: \(p)")
         viewport_mouse_event(h, Float(p.x), Float(p.y), 0, false)
     }
 
@@ -160,6 +223,7 @@ class IcedViewportView: UIView {
     private func forwardKey(_ press: UIPress, pressed: Bool, handle: OpaquePointer) {
         guard let key = press.key else { return }
         let chars = pressed ? key.characters : ""
+        dlog("forwardKey: keyCode=\(key.keyCode.rawValue) mods=\(key.modifierFlags.rawValue) pressed=\(pressed) chars=\(chars.debugDescription)")
         chars.withCString { cstr in
             viewport_key_event(handle, UInt32(key.keyCode.rawValue), UInt32(key.modifierFlags.rawValue), pressed, cstr)
         }

ios/src/MenuBar.swift

@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+import SwiftUI
+
+/// Top toolbar with File / Edit / Render / View menus, mirroring the
+/// editor's MenuCategory layout. Uses SwiftUI Menu so each label opens a
+/// dropdown of buttons; each button dispatches through ViewportController.
+struct MenuBar: View {
+    @ObservedObject var controller: ViewportController
+
+    var body: some View {
+        HStack(spacing: 0) {
+            fileMenu
+            editMenu
+            renderMenu
+            viewMenu
+            Spacer()
+        }
+        .padding(.horizontal, 8)
+        .padding(.vertical, 4)
+        .background(Color(white: 0.12))
+        .foregroundColor(.white)
+        .font(.system(size: 13))
+    }
+
+    private var fileMenu: some View {
+        Menu("File") {
+            Button("New Note") { controller.newNote() }
+            Button("Open…")     { controller.openDocument() }
+            Divider()
+            Button("Save")      { controller.saveDocument() }
+            Button("Save As…")  { controller.saveDocumentAs() }
+            Divider()
+            Button("Print…")    { controller.printDocument() }
+            Divider()
+            Button("Settings…") { controller.toggleSettings() }
+        }
+        .menuLabel
+    }
+
+    private var editMenu: some View {
+        Menu("Edit") {
+            Button("Undo")          { controller.undo() }
+            Button("Redo")          { controller.redo() }
+            Divider()
+            Button("Bold")          { controller.toggleBold() }
+            Button("Italic")        { controller.toggleItalic() }
+            Button("Insert Table")  { controller.insertTable() }
+            Divider()
+            Button("Find…")         { controller.toggleFind() }
+        }
+        .menuLabel
+    }
+
+    private var renderMenu: some View {
+        Menu("Render") {
+            Button("Live")     { controller.setLiveMode() }
+            Button("Editor")   { controller.setEditorMode() }
+            Button("View")     { controller.setViewMode() }
+            Divider()
+            Button("Evaluate") { controller.evaluate() }
+        }
+        .menuLabel
+    }
+
+    private var viewMenu: some View {
+        Menu("View") {
+            Button("Zoom In")    { controller.zoomIn() }
+            Button("Zoom Out")   { controller.zoomOut() }
+            Button("Reset Zoom") { controller.resetZoom() }
+        }
+        .menuLabel
+    }
+}
+
+private extension View {
+    /// Consistent Menu chrome — slightly padded, light hit target.
+    var menuLabel: some View {
+        self
+            .padding(.horizontal, 10)
+            .padding(.vertical, 4)
+            .contentShape(Rectangle())
+    }
+}

ios/src/PermissionsManager.swift

@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+import UIKit
+import Photos
+import AVFoundation
+
+/// Drives the iOS permission dialogs that fire on first launch.
+/// Photos / Camera / Microphone trigger native system prompts when their
+/// `requestAuthorization` is called, the Info.plist usage strings exist,
+/// and the corresponding framework is linked.
+/// File-system access on iOS isn't a global permission — DocumentPicker's
+/// per-file picker IS the consent moment for that, and asCopy:true means
+/// no entitlements beyond the picker itself are required.
+enum PermissionsManager {
+    /// Sequentially asks for Photos → Camera → Microphone access.
+    /// Each call shows the system prompt only when status is .notDetermined.
+    static func requestSystemPermissions() {
+        dlog("requestSystemPermissions called")
+        let photosStatus = PHPhotoLibrary.authorizationStatus(for: .readWrite)
+        dlog("photos status: \(authStatusName(photosStatus))")
+        if photosStatus == .notDetermined {
+            dlog("photos: requesting authorization (system dialog should appear)")
+            PHPhotoLibrary.requestAuthorization(for: .readWrite) { status in
+                dlog("photos: dialog returned \(authStatusName(status))")
+                requestCamera()
+            }
+        } else {
+            dlog("photos: already determined — skipping dialog")
+            requestCamera()
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static func requestCamera() {
+        let cameraStatus = AVCaptureDevice.authorizationStatus(for: .video)
+        dlog("camera status: \(avStatusName(cameraStatus))")
+        if cameraStatus == .notDetermined {
+            dlog("camera: requesting authorization (system dialog should appear)")
+            AVCaptureDevice.requestAccess(for: .video) { granted in
+                dlog("camera: dialog returned granted=\(granted)")
+                requestMicrophone()
+            }
+        } else {
+            dlog("camera: already determined — skipping dialog")
+            requestMicrophone()
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static func requestMicrophone() {
+        let micStatus = AVCaptureDevice.authorizationStatus(for: .audio)
+        dlog("microphone status: \(avStatusName(micStatus))")
+        if micStatus == .notDetermined {
+            dlog("microphone: requesting authorization (system dialog should appear)")
+            AVCaptureDevice.requestAccess(for: .audio) { granted in
+                dlog("microphone: dialog returned granted=\(granted)")
+            }
+        } else {
+            dlog("microphone: already determined — skipping dialog")
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static func authStatusName(_ s: PHAuthorizationStatus) -> String {
+        switch s {
+        case .notDetermined: return "notDetermined"
+        case .restricted:    return "restricted"
+        case .denied:        return "denied"
+        case .authorized:    return "authorized"
+        case .limited:       return "limited"
+        @unknown default:    return "unknown(\(s.rawValue))"
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static func avStatusName(_ s: AVAuthorizationStatus) -> String {
+        switch s {
+        case .notDetermined: return "notDetermined"
+        case .restricted:    return "restricted"
+        case .denied:        return "denied"
+        case .authorized:    return "authorized"
+        @unknown default:    return "unknown(\(s.rawValue))"
+        }
+    }
+}

ios/src/ViewportController.swift

@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+import SwiftUI
+
+/// Bridges SwiftUI menu buttons to the Rust viewport handle.
+/// Holds a weak reference to the IcedViewportView so the menu can dispatch
+/// commands without owning the rendering surface.
+final class ViewportController: ObservableObject {
+    weak var view: IcedViewportView?
+
+    func send(_ code: UInt32) {
+        guard let h = view?.viewportHandle else {
+            dlog("send(\(code)): no handle")
+            return
+        }
+        dlog("send(\(code))")
+        viewport_send_command(h, code)
+    }
+
+    /// Editor commands (mirror viewport/src/lib.rs::viewport_send_command codes).
+    func toggleBold()        { send(1) }
+    func toggleItalic()      { send(2) }
+    func insertTable()       { send(3) }
+    func evaluate()          { send(5) }
+    func zoomIn()            { send(7) }
+    func zoomOut()           { send(8) }
+    func resetZoom()         { send(9) }
+    func setLiveMode()       { send(11) }
+    func setEditorMode()     { send(12) }
+    func setViewMode()       { send(13) }
+    func toggleSettings()    { send(16) }
+
+    /// Hand-rolled key events for shortcuts that flow through iced's text bindings
+    /// rather than the cmd dispatcher (Find, Undo, Redo, etc.).
+    private func sendKey(keyCode: UInt32, modifiers: UInt32, character: String) {
+        guard let h = view?.viewportHandle else {
+            dlog("sendKey: no handle (key=\(character.debugDescription) mods=\(modifiers))")
+            return
+        }
+        dlog("sendKey: char=\(character.debugDescription) keyCode=\(keyCode) mods=\(modifiers)")
+        character.withCString { cstr in
+            viewport_key_event(h, keyCode, modifiers, true, cstr)
+            viewport_key_event(h, keyCode, modifiers, false, cstr)
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// `f` / cmd. The viewport reads .super_key as cmd via iced's modifier mapping.
+    /// keycode 3 is the macOS keycode for `f`; iced doesn't actually use the
+    /// platform keycode on macOS — it pulls the Key from the characters string.
+    /// So we pass 0 and let the character drive it.
+    func toggleFind() { sendKey(keyCode: 0, modifiers: cmdMask, character: "f") }
+    func undo()       { sendKey(keyCode: 0, modifiers: cmdMask, character: "z") }
+    func redo()       { sendKey(keyCode: 0, modifiers: cmdMask | shiftMask, character: "Z") }
+
+    // UIKeyModifierFlags bits; copied here so the controller doesn't import UIKit.
+    private var cmdMask: UInt32   { 1 << 20 }
+    private var shiftMask: UInt32 { 1 << 17 }
+
+    /// File operations — Open and Save go through UIDocumentPicker so iOS
+    /// prompts the user to grant per-file access.
+    func newNote() {
+        guard let h = view?.viewportHandle else {
+            dlog("newNote: no handle")
+            return
+        }
+        dlog("newNote")
+        let stub = "# "
+        stub.withCString { viewport_set_text(h, $0) }
+    }
+
+    func openDocument() {
+        guard let h = view?.viewportHandle else {
+            dlog("openDocument: no handle")
+            return
+        }
+        dlog("openDocument: dispatching to picker")
+        DocumentPicker.presentOpen(handle: h)
+    }
+
+    func saveDocument() {
+        dlog("saveDocument (routed to saveDocumentAs)")
+        saveDocumentAs()
+    }
+
+    func saveDocumentAs() {
+        guard let h = view?.viewportHandle else {
+            dlog("saveDocumentAs: no handle")
+            return
+        }
+        dlog("saveDocumentAs: dispatching to picker")
+        DocumentPicker.presentSave(handle: h, defaultName: "Acord")
+    }
+
+    func printDocument() {
+        dlog("printDocument: not implemented")
+        // TODO: call viewport_render_pdf, hand to UIPrintInteractionController
+    }
+}

scripts/_build-dirs.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Sourced by build / install / debug scripts to redirect cargo's target dir
+# to the boot SSD instead of the repo's external spinning disk.
+# Scripts read compiled artifacts from $CARGO_TARGET_DIR and copy the final
+# .app / .exe / binary into $ROOT/build/ as real files at the end.
+#
+# Override the SSD location with: export CARGO_TARGET_DIR=/some/other/path
+
+if [ -n "${ACORD_BUILD_DIRS_DONE:-}" ]; then
+    return 0 2>/dev/null || exit 0
+fi
+export ACORD_BUILD_DIRS_DONE=1
+
+export CARGO_TARGET_DIR="${CARGO_TARGET_DIR:-/tmp/acord/target}"
+mkdir -p "$CARGO_TARGET_DIR"

scripts/android/select.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
+
+# Stub — the Android shell hasn't been started yet.
+# When it lands, this should mirror scripts/ios/select.sh: list `adb devices`
+# entries plus available emulators (`emulator -list-avds`), let the user
+# pick one, and write the choice to $HOME/.acord/android-target.
+
+cat <<'EOF' >&2
+android select is a stub — the Android shell isn't built yet.
+
+when it ships, this will:
+  - list connected devices (adb devices)
+  - list available emulators (emulator -list-avds)
+  - write the picked target to $HOME/.acord/android-target
+EOF
+exit 1

scripts/ios/build.sh

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 set -euo pipefail
 
 ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")/../.." && pwd)"
+source "$ROOT/scripts/_build-dirs.sh"
 cd "$ROOT"
 
 case "$(uname -s)" in
@@ -29,9 +30,29 @@ case "$TARGET" in
         ;;
 esac
 
+# debug.sh sets ACORD_IOS_CONFIG=debug to flip cargo to the dev profile and
+# pass -D DEBUG / -Onone / -g to swiftc. install.sh leaves it unset → release.
+CONFIG="${ACORD_IOS_CONFIG:-release}"
+case "$CONFIG" in
+    release)
+        CARGO_FLAGS=(--release)
+        CARGO_PROFILE_DIR="release"
+        SWIFT_OPT_FLAGS=(-O)
+        ;;
+    debug)
+        CARGO_FLAGS=()
+        CARGO_PROFILE_DIR="debug"
+        SWIFT_OPT_FLAGS=(-Onone -g -D DEBUG)
+        ;;
+    *)
+        echo "ACORD_IOS_CONFIG must be release or debug (got '$CONFIG')" >&2
+        exit 2
+        ;;
+esac
+
 BUILD="$ROOT/build"
 APP="$BUILD/ios/Acord.app"
-RUST_LIB="$ROOT/target/$RUST_TARGET/release"
+RUST_LIB="$CARGO_TARGET_DIR/$RUST_TARGET/$CARGO_PROFILE_DIR"
 
 SDK="$(xcrun --sdk "$SDK_NAME" --show-sdk-path)"
 
@@ -40,8 +61,8 @@ export CC=/usr/bin/clang
 export CXX=/usr/bin/clang++
 export IPHONEOS_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET=17.0
 
-echo "Building Rust workspace for $RUST_TARGET (release)..."
+echo "Building Rust workspace for $RUST_TARGET ($CONFIG)..."
-cargo build --release --target "$RUST_TARGET" -p acord-viewport
+cargo build "${CARGO_FLAGS[@]}" --target "$RUST_TARGET" -p acord-viewport
 
 if [ ! -f "$RUST_LIB/libacord_viewport.a" ]; then
     echo "ERROR: libacord_viewport.a not found at $RUST_LIB" >&2
@@ -53,18 +74,32 @@ rm -rf "$APP"
 mkdir -p "$APP"
 cp "$ROOT/ios/Info.plist" "$APP/Info.plist"
 
-# generate icon (PNG variants required by iOS) — single 1024 master, scaled to bundle entries.
+# asset catalog → compiled Assets.car + partial Info.plist via actool.
-SVG="$ROOT/assets/Acord.svg"
+# regenerate the source PNGs from the SVG so a fresh checkout doesn't need
-if [ -f "$SVG" ] && command -v rsvg-convert >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+# a manual icon-rebuild step.
-    echo "Generating app icons..."
+bash "$ROOT/scripts/ios/generate-icons.sh"
-    for size in 20 29 40 58 60 76 80 87 120 152 167 180 1024; do
+
-        rsvg-convert --width="$size" --height="$size" "$SVG" -o "$APP/AppIcon-${size}.png"
+ACTOOL_PARTIAL="$BUILD/ios/actool-partial-info.plist"
-    done
+mkdir -p "$BUILD/ios"
+echo "Compiling asset catalog..."
+xcrun actool "$ROOT/ios/Assets.xcassets" \
+    --compile "$APP" \
+    --platform "$SDK_NAME" \
+    --minimum-deployment-target 17.0 \
+    --app-icon AppIcon \
+    --output-partial-info-plist "$ACTOOL_PARTIAL" \
+    --target-device ipad \
+    --target-device iphone \
+    >/dev/null
+
+# merge the actool partial plist (icon name + variants) into Info.plist.
+if [ -f "$ACTOOL_PARTIAL" ]; then
+    /usr/libexec/PlistBuddy -c "Merge $ACTOOL_PARTIAL" "$APP/Info.plist" 2>/dev/null || true
 fi
 
 RUST_FLAGS=(-import-objc-header "$ROOT/viewport/include/acord.h" -L "$RUST_LIB" -lacord_viewport)
 
-echo "Compiling Swift (release)..."
+echo "Compiling Swift ($CONFIG)..."
 xcrun -sdk "$SDK_NAME" swiftc \
     -target "$SWIFT_TARGET" \
     -sdk "$SDK" \
@@ -76,7 +111,10 @@ xcrun -sdk "$SDK_NAME" swiftc \
     -framework MetalKit \
     -framework CoreGraphics \
     -framework CoreFoundation \
-    -O \
+    -framework Photos \
+    -framework AVFoundation \
+    -framework UniformTypeIdentifiers \
+    "${SWIFT_OPT_FLAGS[@]}" \
     -o "$APP/Acord" \
     "$ROOT"/ios/src/*.swift
 

scripts/ios/debug.sh

@@ -1,11 +1,85 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 set -euo pipefail
 
+# Builds debug, installs to the chosen target, and launches with stdio attached
+# so Swift print() AND Rust eprintln!() (via captureStderr in AcordApp) stream
+# straight into this terminal.
+
 ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")/../.." && pwd)"
+source "$ROOT/scripts/_build-dirs.sh"
 cd "$ROOT"
 
-# debug build: skip release flags by reusing build.sh but with the dev profile.
+export ACORD_IOS_CONFIG=debug
-# build.sh always uses release; for now, point users to install.sh for normal use,
+
-# and stream the simulator log for the bundle id.
+CONFIG_FILE="$HOME/.acord/ios-target"
-bash "$ROOT/scripts/ios/install.sh"
+KIND="" ; ID=""
-xcrun simctl spawn booted log stream --predicate 'subsystem == "org.else-if.acord" OR processImagePath CONTAINS "Acord"' --level debug
+if [ -n "${1:-}" ]; then
+    case "$1" in
+        sim|device) KIND="$1";;
+    esac
+fi
+if [ -z "$KIND" ] && [ -f "$CONFIG_FILE" ]; then
+    # shellcheck disable=SC1090
+    . "$CONFIG_FILE"
+fi
+if [ -z "$KIND" ]; then
+    if xcrun devicectl list devices 2>/dev/null | grep -q "available (paired)"; then
+        KIND="device"
+    else
+        KIND="sim"
+    fi
+fi
+if [ -z "$ID" ]; then
+    case "$KIND" in
+        device)
+            ID="$(xcrun devicectl list devices 2>/dev/null \
+                | awk '/available \(paired\)/ {for(i=1;i<=NF;i++) if($i ~ /^[A-F0-9-]{36}$/) {print $i; exit}}')"
+            ;;
+        sim)
+            ID="$(xcrun simctl list devices booted | { grep -oE '[0-9A-F]{8}-[0-9A-F]{4}-[0-9A-F]{4}-[0-9A-F]{4}-[0-9A-F]{12}' || true; } | head -1)"
+            if [ -z "$ID" ]; then
+                ID="$(xcrun simctl list devices available | awk '/iPad/' | { grep -oE '[0-9A-F]{8}-[0-9A-F]{4}-[0-9A-F]{4}-[0-9A-F]{4}-[0-9A-F]{12}' || true; } | head -1)"
+            fi
+            ;;
+    esac
+fi
+
+bash "$ROOT/scripts/ios/build.sh" "$KIND"
+
+APP="$ROOT/build/ios/Acord.app"
+BUNDLE_ID="org.else-if.acord"
+
+case "$KIND" in
+    device)
+        if [ -z "$ID" ]; then
+            echo "no paired device found — connect via cable and trust this Mac" >&2
+            exit 1
+        fi
+        echo "Installing to device $ID..."
+        xcrun devicectl device install app --device "$ID" "$APP"
+        echo "Launching with live console (Ctrl+C to detach)..."
+        echo "----------------------------------------------------------"
+        exec xcrun devicectl device process launch \
+            --device "$ID" \
+            --console \
+            --terminate-existing \
+            "$BUNDLE_ID"
+        ;;
+    sim)
+        if [ -z "$ID" ]; then
+            echo "no iPad simulator available — open Xcode → Window → Devices and Simulators to add one" >&2
+            exit 1
+        fi
+        xcrun simctl boot "$ID" 2>/dev/null || true
+        open -a Simulator
+        echo "Installing to simulator $ID..."
+        xcrun simctl install "$ID" "$APP"
+        echo "Launching with live console (Ctrl+C to detach)..."
+        echo "----------------------------------------------------------"
+        exec xcrun simctl launch --console-pty --terminate-running-process "$ID" "$BUNDLE_ID"
+        ;;
+    *)
+        echo "unknown KIND='$KIND'" >&2
+        exit 1
+        ;;
+esac

scripts/ios/generate-icons.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Generates ios/Assets.xcassets/AppIcon.appiconset/ from assets/Acord.svg.
+# Used by both the CLI build (build.sh) and the Xcode project path
+# (xcodeproj.sh). Idempotent — re-running just overwrites.
+set -euo pipefail
+
+ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")/../.." && pwd)"
+SVG="$ROOT/assets/Acord.svg"
+ASSETS="$ROOT/ios/Assets.xcassets"
+APPICON="$ASSETS/AppIcon.appiconset"
+
+if [ ! -f "$SVG" ]; then
+    echo "ERROR: $SVG not found" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+if ! command -v rsvg-convert >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    echo "ERROR: rsvg-convert not on PATH (brew install librsvg or port install librsvg)" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+mkdir -p "$APPICON"
+
+# (filename, pixel size) pairs covering iPhone + iPad icon slots through iOS 17.
+# 1024 is the marketing icon; the rest are point-size@scale variants.
+SIZES=(
+    "Icon-20.png 20"
+    "Icon-20@2x.png 40"
+    "Icon-20@3x.png 60"
+    "Icon-29.png 29"
+    "Icon-29@2x.png 58"
+    "Icon-29@3x.png 87"
+    "Icon-40.png 40"
+    "Icon-40@2x.png 80"
+    "Icon-40@3x.png 120"
+    "Icon-60@2x.png 120"
+    "Icon-60@3x.png 180"
+    "Icon-76.png 76"
+    "Icon-76@2x.png 152"
+    "Icon-83.5@2x.png 167"
+    "Icon-1024.png 1024"
+)
+
+for entry in "${SIZES[@]}"; do
+    name="${entry%% *}"
+    size="${entry##* }"
+    rsvg-convert --width="$size" --height="$size" "$SVG" -o "$APPICON/$name"
+done
+
+# Top-level Assets.xcassets/Contents.json (xcode requires it even if empty-ish).
+cat > "$ASSETS/Contents.json" <<'EOF'
+{
+  "info" : {
+    "author" : "xcode",
+    "version" : 1
+  }
+}
+EOF
+
+# AppIcon.appiconset/Contents.json — maps every Icon-*.png to its slot.
+cat > "$APPICON/Contents.json" <<'EOF'
+{
+  "images" : [
+    { "idiom" : "iphone",      "size" : "20x20",   "scale" : "2x", "filename" : "Icon-20@2x.png" },
+    { "idiom" : "iphone",      "size" : "20x20",   "scale" : "3x", "filename" : "Icon-20@3x.png" },
+    { "idiom" : "iphone",      "size" : "29x29",   "scale" : "2x", "filename" : "Icon-29@2x.png" },
+    { "idiom" : "iphone",      "size" : "29x29",   "scale" : "3x", "filename" : "Icon-29@3x.png" },
+    { "idiom" : "iphone",      "size" : "40x40",   "scale" : "2x", "filename" : "Icon-40@2x.png" },
+    { "idiom" : "iphone",      "size" : "40x40",   "scale" : "3x", "filename" : "Icon-40@3x.png" },
+    { "idiom" : "iphone",      "size" : "60x60",   "scale" : "2x", "filename" : "Icon-60@2x.png" },
+    { "idiom" : "iphone",      "size" : "60x60",   "scale" : "3x", "filename" : "Icon-60@3x.png" },
+    { "idiom" : "ipad",        "size" : "20x20",   "scale" : "1x", "filename" : "Icon-20.png" },
+    { "idiom" : "ipad",        "size" : "20x20",   "scale" : "2x", "filename" : "Icon-20@2x.png" },
+    { "idiom" : "ipad",        "size" : "29x29",   "scale" : "1x", "filename" : "Icon-29.png" },
+    { "idiom" : "ipad",        "size" : "29x29",   "scale" : "2x", "filename" : "Icon-29@2x.png" },
+    { "idiom" : "ipad",        "size" : "40x40",   "scale" : "1x", "filename" : "Icon-40.png" },
+    { "idiom" : "ipad",        "size" : "40x40",   "scale" : "2x", "filename" : "Icon-40@2x.png" },
+    { "idiom" : "ipad",        "size" : "76x76",   "scale" : "1x", "filename" : "Icon-76.png" },
+    { "idiom" : "ipad",        "size" : "76x76",   "scale" : "2x", "filename" : "Icon-76@2x.png" },
+    { "idiom" : "ipad",        "size" : "83.5x83.5","scale" : "2x","filename" : "Icon-83.5@2x.png" },
+    { "idiom" : "ios-marketing","size" : "1024x1024","scale" : "1x","filename" : "Icon-1024.png" }
+  ],
+  "info" : {
+    "author" : "xcode",
+    "version" : 1
+  }
+}
+EOF
+
+echo "Wrote $APPICON ($(ls "$APPICON" | wc -l | tr -d ' ') files)"

scripts/ios/install.sh

@@ -2,10 +2,32 @@
 set -euo pipefail
 
 ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")/../.." && pwd)"
+source "$ROOT/scripts/_build-dirs.sh"
 cd "$ROOT"
 
-# pick the deploy target: explicit arg, or auto-detect (paired physical device wins).
+CONFIG_FILE="$HOME/.acord/ios-target"
-TARGET="${1:-}"
+
+# resolve target. priority:
+#   1. explicit cli arg ("sim" / "device")
+#   2. saved selection from `cargo xtask select-ios`
+#   3. auto-detect (paired physical device wins)
+TARGET=""
+SELECTED_ID=""
+SELECTED_LABEL=""
+
+CLI_ARG="${1:-}"
+if [ -n "$CLI_ARG" ]; then
+    TARGET="$CLI_ARG"
+elif [ -f "$CONFIG_FILE" ]; then
+    # shellcheck disable=SC1090
+    . "$CONFIG_FILE"
+    case "${KIND:-}" in
+        device) TARGET="device"; SELECTED_ID="$ID"; SELECTED_LABEL="${LABEL:-}";;
+        sim)    TARGET="sim";    SELECTED_ID="$ID"; SELECTED_LABEL="${LABEL:-}";;
+        *)      echo "warning: $CONFIG_FILE has unknown KIND='${KIND:-}', falling back to auto-detect" >&2;;
+    esac
+fi
+
 if [ -z "$TARGET" ]; then
     if xcrun devicectl list devices 2>/dev/null | grep -q "available (paired)"; then
         TARGET="device"
@@ -14,34 +36,52 @@ if [ -z "$TARGET" ]; then
     fi
 fi
 
+if [ -n "$SELECTED_LABEL" ]; then
+    echo "Target: $TARGET — $SELECTED_LABEL ($SELECTED_ID)"
+else
+    echo "Target: $TARGET (auto-detected)"
+fi
+
 case "$TARGET" in
     sim)
         bash "$ROOT/scripts/ios/build.sh" sim
         APP="$ROOT/build/ios/Acord.app"
         BUNDLE_ID="org.else-if.acord"
 
-        DEV="$(xcrun simctl list devices booted | awk '/Booted/ {print $NF}' | tr -d '()' | head -1 || true)"
+        DEV="$SELECTED_ID"
         if [ -z "$DEV" ]; then
-            DEV="$(xcrun simctl list devices available | awk '/iPad/ && /\([A-F0-9\-]+\)/ {gsub(/[\(\)]/,"",$NF); print $NF; exit}')"
+            DEV="$(xcrun simctl list devices booted | { grep -oE '[0-9A-F]{8}-[0-9A-F]{4}-[0-9A-F]{4}-[0-9A-F]{4}-[0-9A-F]{12}' || true; } | head -1)"
+        fi
+        if [ -z "$DEV" ]; then
+            DEV="$(xcrun simctl list devices available | awk '/iPad/' | { grep -oE '[0-9A-F]{8}-[0-9A-F]{4}-[0-9A-F]{4}-[0-9A-F]{4}-[0-9A-F]{12}' || true; } | head -1)"
             if [ -z "$DEV" ]; then
                 echo "no iPad simulator available — open Xcode → Window → Devices and Simulators to add one" >&2
                 exit 1
             fi
+        fi
+
+        # boot it if it isn't already.
+        STATE="$(xcrun simctl list devices | awk -v id="$DEV" '$0 ~ id { for (i=1; i<=NF; i++) if ($i ~ /^\(/) state=$i } END { gsub(/[()]/, "", state); print state }')"
+        if [ "$STATE" != "Booted" ]; then
             xcrun simctl boot "$DEV" 2>/dev/null || true
             open -a Simulator
         fi
 
         echo "Installing to simulator $DEV..."
         xcrun simctl install "$DEV" "$APP"
-        echo "Launching..."
+        if [ "${ACORD_IOS_NOLAUNCH:-0}" = "1" ]; then
-        xcrun simctl launch "$DEV" "$BUNDLE_ID"
+            echo "Skipping launch (ACORD_IOS_NOLAUNCH=1)"
+        else
+            echo "Launching..."
+            xcrun simctl launch "$DEV" "$BUNDLE_ID"
+        fi
         ;;
 
     device)
         bash "$ROOT/scripts/ios/build.sh" device
         APP="$ROOT/build/ios/Acord.app"
 
-        DEVICE_ID="${ACORD_IOS_DEVICE:-}"
+        DEVICE_ID="${SELECTED_ID:-${ACORD_IOS_DEVICE:-}}"
         if [ -z "$DEVICE_ID" ]; then
             DEVICE_ID="$(xcrun devicectl list devices 2>/dev/null \
                 | awk '/available \(paired\)/ {for(i=1;i<=NF;i++) if($i ~ /^[A-F0-9-]{36}$/) {print $i; exit}}')"
@@ -49,14 +89,19 @@ case "$TARGET" in
 
         if [ -z "$DEVICE_ID" ]; then
             echo "no paired device found — connect via cable and trust this Mac on the device" >&2
+            echo "  or run: cargo xtask select-ios" >&2
             exit 1
         fi
 
         echo "Installing to device $DEVICE_ID..."
         xcrun devicectl device install app --device "$DEVICE_ID" "$APP"
 
-        echo "Launching..."
+        if [ "${ACORD_IOS_NOLAUNCH:-0}" = "1" ]; then
-        xcrun devicectl device process launch --device "$DEVICE_ID" org.else-if.acord || true
+            echo "Skipping launch (ACORD_IOS_NOLAUNCH=1)"
+        else
+            echo "Launching..."
+            xcrun devicectl device process launch --device "$DEVICE_ID" org.else-if.acord || true
+        fi
         ;;
 
     *)

scripts/ios/select.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
+
+# Interactive picker for the iOS deploy target. Lists every paired physical
+# device and every available iPad simulator, lets the user pick one, then
+# stores the choice at $HOME/.acord/ios-target so install.sh / debug.sh can
+# read it back without prompting again.
+
+CONFIG_DIR="$HOME/.acord"
+CONFIG_FILE="$CONFIG_DIR/ios-target"
+mkdir -p "$CONFIG_DIR"
+
+ALL_FILE="$(mktemp)"
+trap 'rm -f "$ALL_FILE"' EXIT
+
+echo "Scanning paired devices..."
+# devicectl columns are aligned with 2+ spaces. fields: name | host | uuid | state | model
+xcrun devicectl list devices 2>/dev/null \
+    | awk -F'  +' '/available \(paired\)/ {
+        gsub(/^[[:space:]]+|[[:space:]]+$/, "", $1)
+        gsub(/^[[:space:]]+|[[:space:]]+$/, "", $3)
+        gsub(/^[[:space:]]+|[[:space:]]+$/, "", $5)
+        if ($3 ~ /^[A-F0-9-]{36}$/) print "device|" $3 "|" $1 " — " $5
+    }' >> "$ALL_FILE" || true
+
+echo "Scanning iPad simulators..."
+# simctl line: "    iPad Pro 11-inch (M4) (UUID) (Shutdown)"
+# strip whitespace, peel off "(state)" then "(uuid)" from the right.
+xcrun simctl list devices available 2>/dev/null \
+    | awk '/iPad/ {
+        line=$0
+        sub(/^[[:space:]]+/, "", line); sub(/[[:space:]]+$/, "", line)
+        if (match(line, /\([^()]+\)$/)) {
+            state=substr(line, RSTART+1, RLENGTH-2)
+            line=substr(line, 1, RSTART-1)
+            sub(/[[:space:]]+$/, "", line)
+        } else { state="" }
+        if (match(line, /\([A-F0-9-]{36}\)$/)) {
+            uuid=substr(line, RSTART+1, 36)
+            name=substr(line, 1, RSTART-1)
+            sub(/[[:space:]]+$/, "", name)
+        } else { next }
+        print "sim|" uuid "|" name " (" state ")"
+    }' >> "$ALL_FILE" || true
+
+COUNT=$(wc -l < "$ALL_FILE" | tr -d ' ')
+if [ "$COUNT" -eq 0 ]; then
+    echo "no paired devices and no iPad simulators found" >&2
+    echo "  - connect an iPad via cable and trust this Mac" >&2
+    echo "  - or open Xcode → Window → Devices and Simulators to add a sim" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+echo
+echo "available iOS targets:"
+i=1
+while IFS= read -r entry; do
+    [ -z "$entry" ] && continue
+    IFS='|' read -r kind id label <<< "$entry"
+    printf "  %2d) [%-6s] %s\n" "$i" "$kind" "$label"
+    i=$((i + 1))
+done < "$ALL_FILE"
+
+echo
+read -r -p "pick a target (number): " CHOICE
+if ! [[ "$CHOICE" =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]] || [ "$CHOICE" -lt 1 ] || [ "$CHOICE" -gt "$COUNT" ]; then
+    echo "invalid choice: $CHOICE" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+PICK=$(sed -n "${CHOICE}p" "$ALL_FILE")
+IFS='|' read -r KIND ID LABEL <<< "$PICK"
+
+cat > "$CONFIG_FILE" <<EOF
+KIND=$KIND
+ID=$ID
+LABEL=$LABEL
+EOF
+
+echo "saved $CONFIG_FILE: $KIND $ID ($LABEL)"

scripts/ios/xcodeproj.sh

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 set -euo pipefail
 
 ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")/../.." && pwd)"
+source "$ROOT/scripts/_build-dirs.sh"
 cd "$ROOT"
 
 if ! command -v xcodegen >/dev/null 2>&1; then
@@ -20,6 +21,9 @@ echo "Building Rust staticlibs for both iOS targets (release)..."
 cargo build --release --target aarch64-apple-ios -p acord-viewport
 cargo build --release --target aarch64-apple-ios-sim -p acord-viewport
 
+# regenerate the asset catalog so xcode picks up the latest svg.
+bash "$ROOT/scripts/ios/generate-icons.sh"
+
 cd "$ROOT/ios"
 echo "Generating Acord.xcodeproj..."
 xcodegen generate

scripts/linux/build.sh

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 set -euo pipefail
 
 ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")/../.." && pwd)"
+source "$ROOT/scripts/_build-dirs.sh"
 cd "$ROOT"
 
 case "$(uname -s)" in
@@ -37,7 +38,7 @@ fi
 STAGE="$ROOT/build/bin"
 mkdir -p "$STAGE"
 
-cp "$ROOT/target/release/acord" "$STAGE/Acord"
+cp "$CARGO_TARGET_DIR/release/acord" "$STAGE/Acord"
 chmod +x "$STAGE/Acord"
 
 # Rasterize the SVG icon next to the binary so load_window_icon picks it up.

scripts/linux/debug.sh

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ set -euo pipefail
 # launched in the foreground so Rust panics print straight to this terminal.
 
 ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")/../.." && pwd)"
+source "$ROOT/scripts/_build-dirs.sh"
 cd "$ROOT"
 
 case "$(uname -s)" in
@@ -20,11 +21,11 @@ else
     cargo build -p acord-linux
 fi
 
-EXE="$ROOT/target/debug/acord"
+EXE="$CARGO_TARGET_DIR/debug/acord"
 
 # Rasterize the icon next to the exe so the dev binary has a window icon too.
 if command -v rsvg-convert >/dev/null 2>&1 && [ -f "$ROOT/assets/Acord.svg" ]; then
-    rsvg-convert --width 256 --height 256 "$ROOT/assets/Acord.svg" -o "$ROOT/target/debug/icon.png"
+    rsvg-convert --width 256 --height 256 "$ROOT/assets/Acord.svg" -o "$CARGO_TARGET_DIR/debug/icon.png"
 fi
 
 pkill -x acord 2>/dev/null || true

scripts/linux/install.sh

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 set -euo pipefail
 
 ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")/../.." && pwd)"
+source "$ROOT/scripts/_build-dirs.sh"
 cd "$ROOT"
 
 case "$(uname -s)" in

scripts/macos/build-universal.sh

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 set -euo pipefail
 
 ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")/../.." && pwd)"
+source "$ROOT/scripts/_build-dirs.sh"
 cd "$ROOT"
 
 case "$(uname -s)" in
@@ -23,11 +24,11 @@ rustup target add aarch64-apple-darwin x86_64-apple-darwin
 cargo build --release -p acord-viewport --target aarch64-apple-darwin
 cargo build --release -p acord-viewport --target x86_64-apple-darwin
 
-mkdir -p "$ROOT/target/universal"
+mkdir -p "$CARGO_TARGET_DIR/universal"
 lipo -create \
-  "$ROOT/target/aarch64-apple-darwin/release/libacord_viewport.a" \
+  "$CARGO_TARGET_DIR/aarch64-apple-darwin/release/libacord_viewport.a" \
-  "$ROOT/target/x86_64-apple-darwin/release/libacord_viewport.a" \
+  "$CARGO_TARGET_DIR/x86_64-apple-darwin/release/libacord_viewport.a" \
-  -output "$ROOT/target/universal/libacord_viewport.a"
+  -output "$CARGO_TARGET_DIR/universal/libacord_viewport.a"
 
 # TODO: regenerate AppIcon.icns from assets/Acord.svg here (see build.sh).
 
@@ -37,7 +38,7 @@ cp "$ROOT/macos/Info.plist" "$CONTENTS/Info.plist"
 
 echo "Compiling Swift (Universal)..."
 SWIFT_FILES=("$ROOT"/macos/src/*.swift)
-RUST_INCLUDES=(-import-objc-header "$ROOT/viewport/include/acord.h" -L "$ROOT/target/universal" -lacord_viewport)
+RUST_INCLUDES=(-import-objc-header "$ROOT/viewport/include/acord.h" -L "$CARGO_TARGET_DIR/universal" -lacord_viewport)
 
 swiftc -target arm64-apple-macosx14.0 -sdk "$SDK" "${RUST_INCLUDES[@]}" \
   -framework Cocoa -framework SwiftUI -framework Metal -framework MetalKit -O \

scripts/macos/build.sh

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 set -euo pipefail
 
 ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")/../.." && pwd)"
+source "$ROOT/scripts/_build-dirs.sh"
 cd "$ROOT"
 
 case "$(uname -s)" in
@@ -16,7 +17,7 @@ MACOS="$CONTENTS/MacOS"
 RESOURCES="$CONTENTS/Resources"
 
 SDK=$(xcrun --show-sdk-path)
-RUST_LIB="$ROOT/target/release"
+RUST_LIB="$CARGO_TARGET_DIR/release"
 
 export MACOSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET=14.0
 export ZERO_AR_DATE=0

scripts/macos/debug.sh

@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ set -euo pipefail
 # (the panic hook in viewport/src/lib.rs flushes stderr before SIGABRT).
 
 ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")/../.." && pwd)"
+source "$ROOT/scripts/_build-dirs.sh"
 cd "$ROOT"
 
 case "$(uname -s)" in
@@ -20,7 +21,7 @@ MACOS="$CONTENTS/MacOS"
 RESOURCES="$CONTENTS/Resources"
 
 SDK=$(xcrun --show-sdk-path)
-RUST_LIB="$ROOT/target/debug"
+RUST_LIB="$CARGO_TARGET_DIR/debug"
 
 export MACOSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET=14.0
 export ZERO_AR_DATE=0

scripts/macos/install.sh

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 set -euo pipefail
 
 ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")/../.." && pwd)"
+source "$ROOT/scripts/_build-dirs.sh"
 cd "$ROOT"
 
 case "$(uname -s)" in

scripts/macos/package.sh

@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ set -euo pipefail
 #       cargo install cargo-zigbuild
 
 ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")/../.." && pwd)"
+source "$ROOT/scripts/_build-dirs.sh"
 cd "$ROOT"
 
 case "$(uname -s)" in
@@ -141,7 +142,7 @@ build_macos() {
     export ZERO_AR_DATE=0
     cargo build --release -p acord-viewport --target "$rust_target"
 
-    local rust_lib="$ROOT/target/$rust_target/release"
+    local rust_lib="$CARGO_TARGET_DIR/$rust_target/release"
     [ -f "$rust_lib/libacord_viewport.a" ] \
         || { echo "ERROR: libacord_viewport.a missing for $rust_target" >&2; exit 1; }
 
@@ -187,7 +188,7 @@ build_windows() {
     rm -rf "$stage"
     mkdir -p "$stage"
 
-    cp "$ROOT/target/$rust_target/release/acord.exe" "$stage/Acord.exe"
+    cp "$CARGO_TARGET_DIR/$rust_target/release/acord.exe" "$stage/Acord.exe"
     [ -f "$ICON_PNG" ] && cp "$ICON_PNG" "$stage/icon.png"
     [ -f "$ROOT/LICENCE" ] && cp "$ROOT/LICENCE" "$stage/LICENCE"
     [ -f "$ROOT/README.md" ] && cp "$ROOT/README.md" "$stage/README.md"
@@ -214,7 +215,7 @@ build_linux() {
     rm -rf "$stage"
     mkdir -p "$stage"
 
-    cp "$ROOT/target/$rust_target/release/acord" "$stage/Acord"
+    cp "$CARGO_TARGET_DIR/$rust_target/release/acord" "$stage/Acord"
     chmod +x "$stage/Acord"
     [ -f "$ICON_PNG" ] && cp "$ICON_PNG" "$stage/icon.png"
     [ -f "$ROOT/LICENCE" ] && cp "$ROOT/LICENCE" "$stage/LICENCE"

viewport/src/editor.rs

@@ -173,6 +173,12 @@ pub enum Message {
     InlineResultRelease,
     /// double-click on an inline result
     InlineResultDoubleClick { block_id: crate::selection::BlockId, after_line: usize },
+    /// mouse pressed on a heading or hr block, arms a free-layer drag.
+    BlockPromotePress(crate::selection::BlockId),
+    /// mouse pressed on an inline image, arms a free-layer drag.
+    ImagePromotePress { block_id: crate::selection::BlockId, after_line: usize, src: String },
+    /// mouse released after a block or image promote press.
+    PromoteRelease,
     ToggleMenu(MenuCategory),
     CloseMenu,
     Shell(ShellAction),
@@ -312,6 +318,36 @@ enum LayerItem<'a> {
     Image(&'a ComputedImage),
 }
 
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq, Hash)]
+pub enum FreeNodeId {
+    Block(crate::selection::BlockId),
+    Table(crate::selection::BlockId, usize),
+    Tree(crate::selection::BlockId, usize),
+    Image(crate::selection::BlockId, usize, String),
+}
+
+/// position and size of a free-layer object in editor-content coordinates.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy)]
+pub struct FreePlacement {
+    pub layer: u8,
+    pub x: f32,
+    pub y: f32,
+    pub w: f32,
+    pub h: f32,
+}
+
+/// pending drag state for promoting a block onto a free layer.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
+pub struct PromoteDragState {
+    pub node_id: FreeNodeId,
+    pub start_cursor: Point,
+    pub origin: (f32, f32),
+    pub size: (f32, f32),
+    pub layer: u8,
+    pub escalated: bool,
+    pub fallback_table_idx: Option<usize>,
+}
+
 impl LayerItem<'_> {
     fn element_height(&self, line_h: f32, font_size: f32) -> f32 {
         match self {
@@ -437,6 +473,11 @@ pub struct EditorState {
     pub pending_shell_action: Option<ShellAction>,
     pub settings_open: bool,
     pub settings_view: SettingsView,
+
+    pub free_placements: HashMap<FreeNodeId, FreePlacement>,
+    pub frozen_doc_size: Option<(f32, f32)>,
+    pub viewport_size: (f32, f32),
+    pub promote_drag: Option<PromoteDragState>,
 }
 
 #[derive(Debug, Clone)]
@@ -553,9 +594,77 @@ impl EditorState {
             pending_shell_action: None,
             settings_open: false,
             settings_view: SettingsView::default(),
+            free_placements: HashMap::new(),
+            frozen_doc_size: None,
+            viewport_size: (0.0, 0.0),
+            promote_drag: None,
         }
     }
 
+    /// applies the current cursor delta to any active promote drag.
+    pub fn tick_promote_drag(&mut self) -> bool {
+        let (node_id, layer, origin, size, dx, dy, was_escalated) = {
+            let Some(pd) = self.promote_drag.as_ref() else { return false };
+            let dx = self.cursor_pos.x - pd.start_cursor.x;
+            let dy = self.cursor_pos.y - pd.start_cursor.y;
+            (pd.node_id.clone(), pd.layer, pd.origin, pd.size, dx, dy, pd.escalated)
+        };
+        let dist_sq = dx * dx + dy * dy;
+        let threshold_sq = 16.0;
+        if dist_sq < threshold_sq && !was_escalated {
+            return false;
+        }
+        if let Some(pd) = self.promote_drag.as_mut() { pd.escalated = true; }
+        let placement = FreePlacement {
+            layer,
+            x: origin.0 + dx,
+            y: origin.1 + dy,
+            w: size.0,
+            h: size.1,
+        };
+        self.free_placements.insert(node_id, placement);
+        if self.frozen_doc_size.is_none() && self.viewport_size != (0.0, 0.0) {
+            self.frozen_doc_size = Some(self.viewport_size);
+        }
+        true
+    }
+
+    /// arms a drag promotion for any free-layer node in live mode.
+    fn start_promote(&mut self, node_id: FreeNodeId, fallback_table_idx: Option<usize>) {
+        if !matches!(self.render_mode, RenderMode::Live) { return; }
+        let existing = self.free_placements.get(&node_id).copied();
+        let default_size = (360.0, 240.0);
+        let (origin, size, layer) = match existing {
+            Some(p) => ((p.x, p.y), (p.w, p.h), p.layer),
+            None => ((self.cursor_pos.x, self.cursor_pos.y), default_size, 1),
+        };
+        self.promote_drag = Some(PromoteDragState {
+            node_id,
+            start_cursor: self.cursor_pos,
+            origin,
+            size,
+            layer,
+            escalated: false,
+            fallback_table_idx,
+        });
+    }
+
+    /// arms a corner-drag promotion for the table at a layout index.
+    pub fn begin_promote_table_corner(&mut self, block_idx: usize) {
+        let Some(&block_id) = self.layout.get(block_idx) else { return };
+        self.start_promote(FreeNodeId::Block(block_id), Some(block_idx));
+    }
+
+    /// arms a drag promotion for a heading or hr block.
+    pub fn begin_promote_block(&mut self, block_id: crate::selection::BlockId) {
+        self.start_promote(FreeNodeId::Block(block_id), None);
+    }
+
+    /// arms a drag promotion for an inline image at a specific anchor.
+    pub fn begin_promote_image(&mut self, block_id: crate::selection::BlockId, after_line: usize, src: String) {
+        self.start_promote(FreeNodeId::Image(block_id, after_line, src), None);
+    }
+
     /// returns the queued shell action and clears it
     pub fn take_pending_shell_action(&mut self) -> Option<ShellAction> {
         self.pending_shell_action.take()
@@ -2841,6 +2950,23 @@ impl EditorState {
                 self.update_find_matches();
             }
             Message::TableMsg(idx, tmsg) => {
+                match &tmsg {
+                    TableMessage::PromoteCornerPress => {
+                        self.begin_promote_table_corner(idx);
+                        return;
+                    }
+                    TableMessage::PromoteCornerRelease => {
+                        if let Some(pd) = self.promote_drag.take() {
+                            if !pd.escalated {
+                                if let Some(fb_idx) = pd.fallback_table_idx {
+                                    self.update(Message::TableMsg(fb_idx, TableMessage::SelectAll));
+                                }
+                            }
+                        }
+                        return;
+                    }
+                    _ => {}
+                }
                 let structural = matches!(
                     &tmsg,
                     TableMessage::InsertRowAbove
@@ -3312,6 +3438,15 @@ impl EditorState {
                 self.inline_press = None;
                 self.handle_result_extract(block_id, after_line);
             }
+            Message::BlockPromotePress(block_id) => {
+                self.begin_promote_block(block_id);
+            }
+            Message::ImagePromotePress { block_id, after_line, src } => {
+                self.begin_promote_image(block_id, after_line, src);
+            }
+            Message::PromoteRelease => {
+                self.promote_drag = None;
+            }
         }
     }
 
@@ -3406,7 +3541,11 @@ impl EditorState {
             })
             .into()
         } else {
-            self.view_blocks()
+            let editor = self.view_blocks();
+            match self.build_free_overlay() {
+                Some(overlay) => iced_widget::stack![editor, overlay].into(),
+                None => editor,
+            }
         };
 
         let mode_label = match self.render_mode {
@@ -3507,6 +3646,9 @@ impl EditorState {
 
         let mut global_line = 0usize;
         for (bi, &block_id) in self.layout.iter().enumerate() {
+            if self.free_placements.contains_key(&FreeNodeId::Block(block_id)) {
+                continue;
+            }
             let block = self.registry.get(&block_id).unwrap();
             let any = block.as_any();
 
@@ -3659,14 +3801,14 @@ impl EditorState {
 
             if let Some(hb) = any.downcast_ref::<HeadingBlock>() {
                 let layered = <HeadingBlock as BlockTrait<Message>>::view(hb, &ctx);
-                block_elements.push(layered.base);
+                block_elements.push(self.wrap_block_with_promote(layered.base, hb.id));
                 global_line += 1;
                 continue;
             }
 
             if let Some(hr) = any.downcast_ref::<HrBlock>() {
                 let layered = <HrBlock as BlockTrait<Message>>::view(hr, &ctx);
-                block_elements.push(layered.base);
+                block_elements.push(self.wrap_block_with_promote(layered.base, hr.id));
                 global_line += 1;
                 continue;
             }
@@ -3830,16 +3972,22 @@ impl EditorState {
         }
         for ct in &self.computed_tables {
             if ct.anchor.block_id == block_id {
+                let id = FreeNodeId::Table(ct.anchor.block_id, ct.anchor.after_line);
+                if self.free_placements.contains_key(&id) { continue; }
                 items.push((ct.anchor.after_line, LayerItem::Table(ct)));
             }
         }
         for ct in &self.computed_trees {
             if ct.anchor.block_id == block_id {
+                let id = FreeNodeId::Tree(ct.anchor.block_id, ct.anchor.after_line);
+                if self.free_placements.contains_key(&id) { continue; }
                 items.push((ct.anchor.after_line, LayerItem::Tree(ct)));
             }
         }
         for img in &self.computed_images {
             if img.anchor.block_id == block_id {
+                let id = FreeNodeId::Image(img.anchor.block_id, img.anchor.after_line, img.src.clone());
+                if self.free_placements.contains_key(&id) { continue; }
                 items.push((img.anchor.after_line, LayerItem::Image(img)));
             }
         }
@@ -3917,40 +4065,9 @@ impl EditorState {
                     });
                 }
                 LayerItem::Table(ct) => {
-                    let mut table_rows: Vec<Element<'a, Message, Theme, iced_wgpu::Renderer>> = Vec::new();
+                    let inner = self.build_computed_table_widget(ct);
-                    for (ri, row) in ct.rows.iter().enumerate() {
-                        let is_header = ri == 0;
-                        let cells: Vec<Element<'a, Message, Theme, iced_wgpu::Renderer>> = row.iter()
-                            .enumerate()
-                            .map(|(ci, cell)| {
-                                let cw = ct.col_widths.get(ci).copied().unwrap_or(80.0);
-                                let mut txt = iced_widget::text(cell)
-                                    .font(syntax::EDITOR_FONT)
-                                    .size(self.font_size)
-                                    .color(oklab::lighten_for_size(p.text, self.font_size));
-                                if is_header {
-                                    txt = txt.font(Font { weight: iced_wgpu::core::font::Weight::Bold, ..syntax::EDITOR_FONT });
-                                }
-                                iced_widget::container(txt)
-                                .width(Length::Fixed(cw))
-                                .padding(Padding { top: 2.0, right: 8.0, bottom: 2.0, left: 8.0 })
-                                .style(move |_theme: &Theme| {
-                                    let bg_alpha = if is_header { 0.12 } else { 0.06 };
-                                    container::Style {
-                                        background: Some(Background::Color(Color { a: bg_alpha, ..p.surface1 })),
-                                        border: Border { color: p.surface1, width: 0.5, radius: border::Radius::default() },
-                                        text_color: None,
-                                        shadow: Shadow::default(),
-                                        snap: false,
-                                    }
-                                })
-                                .into()
-                            })
-                            .collect();
-                        table_rows.push(iced_widget::row(cells).into());
-                    }
                     let el: Element<'a, Message, Theme, iced_wgpu::Renderer> =
-                        iced_widget::container(iced_widget::column(table_rows))
+                        iced_widget::container(inner)
                             .padding(Padding { top: 4.0, right: 8.0, bottom: 4.0, left: 40.0 })
                             .width(Length::Fill)
                             .into();
@@ -3990,10 +4107,16 @@ impl EditorState {
                             .width(Length::Fill)
                             .into()
                         };
+                    let wrapped = self.wrap_image_with_promote(
+                        el,
+                        img.anchor.block_id,
+                        img.anchor.after_line,
+                        img.src.clone(),
+                    );
                     anchored.push(AnchoredItem {
                         after_line: *after_line,
                         height: item.element_height(lh, self.font_size),
-                        element: el,
+                        element: wrapped,
                     });
                 }
             }
@@ -4002,6 +4125,206 @@ impl EditorState {
         anchored
     }
 
+    /// builds a column of cell rows from a computed table.
+    fn build_computed_table_widget<'a>(
+        &self,
+        ct: &'a ComputedTable,
+    ) -> Element<'a, Message, Theme, iced_wgpu::Renderer> {
+        let p = palette::current();
+        let mut table_rows: Vec<Element<'a, Message, Theme, iced_wgpu::Renderer>> = Vec::new();
+        for (ri, row) in ct.rows.iter().enumerate() {
+            let is_header = ri == 0;
+            let cells: Vec<Element<'a, Message, Theme, iced_wgpu::Renderer>> = row.iter()
+                .enumerate()
+                .map(|(ci, cell)| {
+                    let cw = ct.col_widths.get(ci).copied().unwrap_or(80.0);
+                    let mut txt = iced_widget::text(cell)
+                        .font(syntax::EDITOR_FONT)
+                        .size(self.font_size)
+                        .color(oklab::lighten_for_size(p.text, self.font_size));
+                    if is_header {
+                        txt = txt.font(Font { weight: iced_wgpu::core::font::Weight::Bold, ..syntax::EDITOR_FONT });
+                    }
+                    iced_widget::container(txt)
+                        .width(Length::Fixed(cw))
+                        .padding(Padding { top: 2.0, right: 8.0, bottom: 2.0, left: 8.0 })
+                        .style(move |_theme: &Theme| {
+                            let bg_alpha = if is_header { 0.12 } else { 0.06 };
+                            container::Style {
+                                background: Some(Background::Color(Color { a: bg_alpha, ..p.surface1 })),
+                                border: Border { color: p.surface1, width: 0.5, radius: border::Radius::default() },
+                                text_color: None,
+                                shadow: Shadow::default(),
+                                snap: false,
+                            }
+                        })
+                        .into()
+                })
+                .collect();
+            table_rows.push(iced_widget::row(cells).into());
+        }
+        iced_widget::column(table_rows).into()
+    }
+
+    /// wraps a block element with the promote press/release mouse area in live mode.
+    fn wrap_block_with_promote<'a>(
+        &self,
+        elem: Element<'a, Message, Theme, iced_wgpu::Renderer>,
+        block_id: crate::selection::BlockId,
+    ) -> Element<'a, Message, Theme, iced_wgpu::Renderer> {
+        if !matches!(self.render_mode, RenderMode::Live) {
+            return elem;
+        }
+        MouseArea::new(elem)
+            .on_press(Message::BlockPromotePress(block_id))
+            .on_release(Message::PromoteRelease)
+            .into()
+    }
+
+    /// wraps an inline image element with the promote press/release mouse area in live mode.
+    fn wrap_image_with_promote<'a>(
+        &self,
+        elem: Element<'a, Message, Theme, iced_wgpu::Renderer>,
+        block_id: crate::selection::BlockId,
+        after_line: usize,
+        src: String,
+    ) -> Element<'a, Message, Theme, iced_wgpu::Renderer> {
+        if !matches!(self.render_mode, RenderMode::Live) {
+            return elem;
+        }
+        MouseArea::new(elem)
+            .on_press(Message::ImagePromotePress { block_id, after_line, src })
+            .on_release(Message::PromoteRelease)
+            .into()
+    }
+
+    /// builds the overlay widget for a single block at the given layout index.
+    fn build_free_block_widget(
+        &self,
+        block_id: crate::selection::BlockId,
+    ) -> Option<Element<'_, Message, Theme, iced_wgpu::Renderer>> {
+        let bi = self.layout.iter().position(|id| *id == block_id)?;
+        let block = self.registry.get(&block_id)?;
+        let any = block.as_any();
+        if let Some(tab) = any.downcast_ref::<TableBlock>() {
+            let editing_cell = match self.editing.as_ref() {
+                Some(path) if path.block_id == tab.id => match &path.inner {
+                    crate::selection::InnerPath::Cell { row, col } => Some((*row, *col)),
+                    _ => None,
+                },
+                _ => None,
+            };
+            let block_idx = bi;
+            return Some(table_block::table_view(
+                tab,
+                editing_cell,
+                self.font_size,
+                &self.computed_cells,
+                move |tmsg| Message::TableMsg(block_idx, tmsg),
+            ));
+        }
+        let ctx: ViewCtx<'_, Message> = ViewCtx {
+            block_index: bi,
+            selection: &self.selection,
+            focus: self.focus.as_ref(),
+            editing: self.editing.as_ref(),
+            font_size: self.font_size,
+            is_dark: true,
+            on_text_action: |idx, action| Message::BlockAction(idx, action),
+            on_table_msg: |idx, tmsg| Message::TableMsg(idx, tmsg),
+            computed_cells: &self.computed_cells,
+        };
+        if let Some(hb) = any.downcast_ref::<HeadingBlock>() {
+            return Some(<HeadingBlock as BlockTrait<Message>>::view(hb, &ctx).base);
+        }
+        if let Some(hr) = any.downcast_ref::<HrBlock>() {
+            return Some(<HrBlock as BlockTrait<Message>>::view(hr, &ctx).base);
+        }
+        if let Some(tree) = any.downcast_ref::<TreeBlock>() {
+            return Some(<TreeBlock as BlockTrait<Message>>::view(tree, &ctx).base);
+        }
+        None
+    }
+
+    /// stacks free-placed objects at absolute positions over the editor body.
+    fn build_free_overlay(&self) -> Option<Element<'_, Message, Theme, iced_wgpu::Renderer>> {
+        if self.free_placements.is_empty() {
+            return None;
+        }
+        let mut placed: Vec<(&FreeNodeId, &FreePlacement)> = self.free_placements.iter().collect();
+        placed.sort_by_key(|(_, pl)| pl.layer);
+
+        let mut layers: Vec<Element<'_, Message, Theme, iced_wgpu::Renderer>> = Vec::new();
+        for &(id, placement) in &placed {
+            let inner_opt: Option<Element<'_, Message, Theme, iced_wgpu::Renderer>> = match id {
+                FreeNodeId::Table(block_id, after_line) => self
+                    .computed_tables
+                    .iter()
+                    .find(|ct| ct.anchor.block_id == *block_id && ct.anchor.after_line == *after_line)
+                    .map(|ct| self.build_computed_table_widget(ct)),
+                FreeNodeId::Block(block_id) => self
+                    .build_free_block_widget(*block_id)
+                    .map(|el| self.wrap_block_with_promote(el, *block_id)),
+                FreeNodeId::Image(block_id, after_line, src) => self
+                    .computed_images
+                    .iter()
+                    .find(|img| img.anchor.block_id == *block_id
+                        && img.anchor.after_line == *after_line
+                        && img.src == *src)
+                    .map(|img| {
+                        let inner: Element<'_, Message, Theme, iced_wgpu::Renderer> =
+                            if let Some(entry) = self.image_cache.get(&img.src) {
+                                iced_widget::image(entry.handle.clone())
+                                    .width(Length::Fill)
+                                    .height(Length::Fill)
+                                    .into()
+                            } else {
+                                let p = palette::current();
+                                iced_widget::text(format!("[image: {}]", img.alt))
+                                    .font(syntax::EDITOR_FONT)
+                                    .size(self.font_size)
+                                    .color(p.overlay0)
+                                    .into()
+                            };
+                        self.wrap_image_with_promote(
+                            inner,
+                            img.anchor.block_id,
+                            img.anchor.after_line,
+                            img.src.clone(),
+                        )
+                    }),
+                FreeNodeId::Tree(_, _) => None,
+            };
+            let Some(inner) = inner_opt else { continue };
+
+            let sized = iced_widget::container(iced_widget::scrollable(inner))
+                .width(Length::Fixed(placement.w))
+                .height(Length::Fixed(placement.h))
+                .style(|_theme: &Theme| {
+                    let p = palette::current();
+                    container::Style {
+                        background: Some(Background::Color(p.base)),
+                        border: Border { color: p.surface1, width: 1.0, radius: 4.0.into() },
+                        text_color: None,
+                        shadow: Shadow::default(),
+                        snap: false,
+                    }
+                });
+
+            let positioned = iced_widget::container(sized)
+                .padding(Padding { top: placement.y, right: 0.0, bottom: 0.0, left: placement.x })
+                .width(Length::Fill)
+                .height(Length::Fill);
+            layers.push(positioned.into());
+        }
+
+        if layers.is_empty() {
+            None
+        } else {
+            Some(iced_widget::stack(layers).into())
+        }
+    }
+
     /// builds the context menu overlay for a right-clicked cell
     fn context_menu_view(
         &self,

viewport/src/handle.rs

@@ -113,11 +113,11 @@ pub fn create_native(
     height: f32,
     scale: f32,
 ) -> Option<ViewportHandle> {
-    #[cfg(target_os = "macos")]
+    #[cfg(any(target_os = "macos", target_os = "ios"))]
     let backends = wgpu::Backends::METAL;
     #[cfg(target_os = "windows")]
     let backends = wgpu::Backends::DX12;
-    #[cfg(not(any(target_os = "macos", target_os = "windows")))]
+    #[cfg(not(any(target_os = "macos", target_os = "ios", target_os = "windows")))]
     let backends = wgpu::Backends::VULKAN | wgpu::Backends::GL;
 
     let instance = wgpu::Instance::new(&wgpu::InstanceDescriptor {
@@ -147,6 +147,12 @@ pub fn create_native(
 
     let caps = surface.get_capabilities(&adapter);
     let format = caps.formats.first().copied()?;
+    let alpha_mode = caps.alpha_modes.first().copied().unwrap_or(wgpu::CompositeAlphaMode::Auto);
+    crate::ios_dlog!(
+        "surface formats={:?} chose={:?} alpha_modes={:?} chose={:?} adapter={}",
+        caps.formats, format, caps.alpha_modes, alpha_mode,
+        adapter.get_info().name,
+    );
 
     surface.configure(
         &device,
@@ -156,11 +162,7 @@ pub fn create_native(
             width: phys_w.max(1),
             height: phys_h.max(1),
             present_mode: wgpu::PresentMode::AutoVsync,
-            alpha_mode: caps
+            alpha_mode,
-                .alpha_modes
-                .first()
-                .copied()
-                .unwrap_or(wgpu::CompositeAlphaMode::Auto),
             view_formats: vec![],
             desired_maximum_frame_latency: 2,
         },
@@ -175,6 +177,11 @@ pub fn create_native(
         Shell::headless(),
     );
 
+    // NOTE: `Font::DEFAULT` is cosmic-text's hardcoded "Noto Sans Mono" which
+    // iOS doesn't ship — we override per-span with EDITOR_FONT, but anything
+    // unstyled falls back to this missing font. If iOS shows invisible text
+    // while spans render, this is the suspect.
+    crate::ios_dlog!("renderer init font=Font::DEFAULT (= cosmic 'Noto Sans Mono', iOS likely missing) editor_font={:?}", crate::syntax::EDITOR_FONT);
     let renderer = iced_wgpu::Renderer::new(engine, Font::DEFAULT, Pixels(16.0));
 
     let viewport =
@@ -743,6 +750,9 @@ pub fn render(handle: &mut ViewportHandle) {
     // anchor the context menu at the current position in the same frame.
     if let Some(pt) = handle.cursor.position() {
         handle.state.cursor_pos = pt;
+        if handle.state.tick_promote_drag() {
+            handle.needs_redraw = true;
+        }
     }
     handle.state.sync_focused_cell(focused_id.as_ref());
 
@@ -771,6 +781,26 @@ pub fn render(handle: &mut ViewportHandle) {
         text_color: Color::WHITE,
     };
 
+    // First-frame palette/theme dump so we can spot a "white text on white
+    // background" misconfiguration. Then a periodic re-log so palette swaps
+    // mid-session show up too.
+    {
+        use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicU64, Ordering};
+        static FRAME: AtomicU64 = AtomicU64::new(0);
+        let n = FRAME.fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed);
+        if n == 0 || n == 60 || n % 600 == 0 {
+            let p = palette::current();
+            let _ = (n, &p, &theme, &style);
+            crate::ios_dlog!(
+                "render frame={n} theme=Dark style.text={:?} palette.base={:?} palette.text={:?} palette.surface0={:?}",
+                style.text_color,
+                p.base,
+                p.text,
+                p.surface0,
+            );
+        }
+    }
+
     let mut ui = UserInterface::build(
         handle.state.view(),
         Size::new(logical_size.width, logical_size.height),

viewport/src/lib.rs

@@ -19,6 +19,20 @@
 
 use std::ffi::{c_char, c_void, CStr, CString};
 
+/// Gated diagnostic logging — `eprintln!` to stderr, prefixed with the
+/// callsite. Compiles to nothing outside debug builds on iOS.
+/// AcordApp.swift's captureStderr() pumps stderr → stdout + NSLog so output
+/// shows up under `cargo xtask debug-ios --console`.
+#[macro_export]
+macro_rules! ios_dlog {
+    ($($arg:tt)*) => {{
+        #[cfg(all(debug_assertions, target_os = "ios"))]
+        {
+            eprintln!("[viewport {}:{}] {}", file!(), line!(), format!($($arg)*));
+        }
+    }};
+}
+
 pub mod block;
 pub mod blocks;
 pub mod bridge;
@@ -136,12 +150,20 @@ pub extern "C" fn viewport_create(
     scale: f32,
 ) -> *mut ViewportHandle {
     install_panic_hook();
+    ios_dlog!("viewport_create: w={width} h={height} scale={scale} font={:?}", crate::syntax::EDITOR_FONT);
     if nsview.is_null() {
+        ios_dlog!("viewport_create: nsview NULL — bailing");
         return std::ptr::null_mut();
     }
     match handle::create(nsview, width, height, scale) {
-        Some(h) => Box::into_raw(Box::new(h)),
+        Some(h) => {
-        None => std::ptr::null_mut(),
+            ios_dlog!("viewport_create: ok — surface ready");
+            Box::into_raw(Box::new(h))
+        }
+        None => {
+            ios_dlog!("viewport_create: handle::create returned None");
+            std::ptr::null_mut()
+        }
     }
 }
 
@@ -176,6 +198,7 @@ pub extern "C" fn viewport_resize(
         None => return,
     };
     handle::resize(h, width, height, scale);
+    h.state.viewport_size = (width, height);
     h.needs_redraw = true;
 }
 

viewport/src/syntax.rs

@@ -75,11 +75,11 @@ const MD_BOLD_ITALIC: u8 = 44;
 /// cosmic-text / fontdb to resolve real Bold, Italic and BoldItalic faces,
 /// which the generic monospace fallback does not reliably do on macOS because
 /// cosmic-text hardcodes its default monospace family to "Noto Sans Mono".
-#[cfg(target_os = "macos")]
+#[cfg(any(target_os = "macos", target_os = "ios"))]
 pub const EDITOR_FONT: Font = Font::with_name("Menlo");
 #[cfg(target_os = "windows")]
 pub const EDITOR_FONT: Font = Font::with_name("Consolas");
-#[cfg(not(any(target_os = "macos", target_os = "windows")))]
+#[cfg(not(any(target_os = "macos", target_os = "ios", target_os = "windows")))]
 pub const EDITOR_FONT: Font = Font::with_name("DejaVu Sans Mono");
 
 #[derive(Clone, PartialEq)]

viewport/src/table_block.rs

@@ -131,6 +131,10 @@ pub enum TableMessage {
     /// Click on a column-header sort arrow: cycles that column through
     /// Neutral → Asc → Desc → Neutral and re-applies the composite sort.
     CycleSort(usize),
+    /// mouse pressed on the corner select-all marker, arms a free-layer drag.
+    PromoteCornerPress,
+    /// mouse released on the corner select-all marker, ends or cancels the drag.
+    PromoteCornerRelease,
 }
 
 /// Trait-implementing block for tables. Owns all the per-table mutable state
@@ -852,6 +856,7 @@ impl TableBlock {
                 // so we just clear the bookkeeping.
                 self.end_drag_select();
             }
+            TableMessage::PromoteCornerPress | TableMessage::PromoteCornerRelease => {}
         }
     }
 
@@ -1254,7 +1259,7 @@ where
         // Visible whenever the chrome is active so the user always has a
         // reachable affordance once they've touched the table once.
         let corner: Element<'a, Message, Theme, iced_wgpu::Renderer> = if chrome_active {
-            iced_widget::button(
+            let inner = container(
                 text("\u{25A0}")
                     .size(corner_font)
                     .font(EDITOR_FONT)
@@ -1262,9 +1267,20 @@ where
             .width(Length::Fixed(ROW_NUMBER_WIDTH))
             .height(Length::Fixed(header_h))
             .padding(Padding { top: 0.0, right: 0.0, bottom: 0.0, left: 0.0 })
-            .style(plus_button_style)
+            .style(|_theme: &Theme| {
-            .on_press(on_msg(TableMessage::SelectAll))
+                let p = palette::current();
-            .into()
+                container::Style {
+                    background: None,
+                    border: Border::default(),
+                    text_color: Some(p.overlay0),
+                    shadow: Shadow::default(),
+                    snap: false,
+                }
+            });
+            MouseArea::new(inner)
+                .on_press(on_msg(TableMessage::PromoteCornerPress))
+                .on_release(on_msg(TableMessage::PromoteCornerRelease))
+                .into()
         } else {
             container(text(""))
                 .width(Length::Fixed(ROW_NUMBER_WIDTH))

xtask/src/main.rs

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ use std::env;
 use std::path::PathBuf;
 use std::process::{Command, ExitCode};
 
-const KNOWN_PLATFORMS: &[&str] = &["macos", "windows", "linux", "ios"];
+const KNOWN_PLATFORMS: &[&str] = &["macos", "windows", "linux", "ios", "android"];
 
 fn main() -> ExitCode {
     let args: Vec<String> = env::args().skip(1).collect();
@@ -111,11 +111,15 @@ fn print_help() {
     eprintln!("                       --all              all six targets");
     eprintln!("                       --target <name>    e.g. macos-aarch64, windows-x86_64");
     eprintln!();
-    eprintln!("append -macos / -windows / -linux / -ios to any command to force a platform.");
+    eprintln!("append -macos / -windows / -linux / -ios / -android to any command to force a platform.");
     eprintln!("  e.g. cargo xtask build-universal-macos");
     eprintln!();
     eprintln!("ios:");
+    eprintln!("  cargo xtask select-ios    interactively pick the iPad / simulator to target");
     eprintln!("  cargo xtask build-ios     build the .app bundle for the iPad simulator");
-    eprintln!("  cargo xtask install-ios   build + install + launch (paired device wins, else sim)");
+    eprintln!("  cargo xtask install-ios   build + install + launch (uses selected target)");
     eprintln!("  cargo xtask xcodeproj-ios generate Acord.xcodeproj for finishing in Xcode");
+    eprintln!();
+    eprintln!("android:");
+    eprintln!("  cargo xtask select-android  interactively pick the Android device / emulator (stub)");
 }