diff --git a/bin/omarchy-install-ui-preview b/bin/omarchy-install-ui-preview
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..cf2c70e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bin/omarchy-install-ui-preview
@@ -0,0 +1,346 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Preview Omarchy installer UI concepts without building or booting the ISO.
+# Usage: bin/omarchy-install-ui-preview [dashboard|matrix|forge|logs]
+set -euo pipefail
+
+concept="${1:-dashboard}"
+SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd -- "$(dirname -- "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
+
+LOGO_PATH="${OMARCHY_PREVIEW_LOGO:-}"
+if [[ -z $LOGO_PATH ]]; then
+  for candidate in \
+    "$SCRIPT_DIR/../../omarchy-installer/logo.txt" \
+    "$SCRIPT_DIR/../configs/airootfs/usr/share/omarchy/logo.txt" \
+    "/usr/share/omarchy/logo.txt"; do
+    if [[ -f $candidate ]]; then
+      LOGO_PATH="$candidate"
+      break
+    fi
+  done
+fi
+
+CSI=$'\033['
+RESET="${CSI}0m"
+BOLD="${CSI}1m"
+DIM="${CSI}2m"
+HIDE_CURSOR="${CSI}?25l"
+SHOW_CURSOR="${CSI}?25h"
+CLEAR="${CSI}2J${CSI}H"
+HOME="${CSI}H"
+CLEAR_LINE="${CSI}2K"
+CLEAR_TO_END="${CSI}J"
+GREEN="${CSI}38;5;150m"
+BLUE="${CSI}38;5;111m"
+PURPLE="${CSI}38;5;141m"
+YELLOW="${CSI}38;5;221m"
+RED="${CSI}38;5;203m"
+GRAY="${CSI}38;5;245m"
+DARK="${CSI}38;5;238m"
+
+logo_width() {
+  if [[ -n ${LOGO_PATH:-} && -f $LOGO_PATH ]]; then
+    awk '{ if (length > max) max = length } END { print max+0 }' "$LOGO_PATH"
+  else
+    printf '78\n'
+  fi
+}
+
+LOGO_WIDTH="$(logo_width)"
+(( LOGO_WIDTH > 0 )) || LOGO_WIDTH=78
+CONTENT_WIDTH="${OMARCHY_PREVIEW_WIDTH:-$LOGO_WIDTH}"
+(( CONTENT_WIDTH > 0 )) || CONTENT_WIDTH="$LOGO_WIDTH"
+
+phases=(
+  "Preparing live environment"
+  "Partitioning target disk"
+  "Installing base system"
+  "Installing Omarchy packages"
+  "Building Limine UKI"
+  "Configuring Snapper"
+  "Validating boot setup"
+  "Finishing"
+)
+
+logs=(
+  "pacman-key: populating archlinux keyring"
+  "mount: /mnt ready"
+  "pacstrap: installing linux btrfs-progs limine"
+  "pacman: installing omarchy-installer"
+  "useradd: creating ryan with /etc/skel defaults"
+  "limine-update: generating omarchy_linux.efi"
+  "snapper: creating root config"
+  "efibootmgr: registered Limine"
+  "validation: UKI present, fstab present, boot entry present"
+)
+
+whimsy=(
+  "making Linux feel like home"
+  "installing the good defaults"
+  "putting the system in order"
+  "setting up a civilized desktop"
+  "clearing the path to Hyprland"
+  "preparing the command line sanctuary"
+  "teaching pacman the house rules"
+  "laying down the Tokyo Night carpet"
+  "arranging the sharp tools safely"
+  "keeping the boot path clean"
+  "giving Limine the keys"
+  "making snapshots worth having"
+  "saving future you a few hours"
+  "choosing boring where boring wins"
+  "leaving room for your dotfiles"
+  "tightening the last few screws"
+)
+
+cleanup() {
+  printf '%s%s' "$RESET" "$SHOW_CURSOR"
+}
+trap cleanup EXIT INT TERM
+
+term_cols() {
+  # Match install/helpers/presentation.sh: read the real tty dimensions even
+  # if stdout is redirected through a pipe/process substitution.
+  if [[ -e /dev/tty ]]; then
+    local size
+    size=$(stty size 2>/dev/null </dev/tty || true)
+    if [[ -n $size ]]; then
+      printf '%s\n' "${size#* }"
+      return
+    fi
+  fi
+  tput cols 2>/dev/null || echo 100
+}
+
+term_rows() {
+  if [[ -e /dev/tty ]]; then
+    local size
+    size=$(stty size 2>/dev/null </dev/tty || true)
+    if [[ -n $size ]]; then
+      printf '%s\n' "${size%% *}"
+      return
+    fi
+  fi
+  tput lines 2>/dev/null || echo 32
+}
+
+repeat() {
+  local char="$1" count="$2"
+  local out=""
+  for ((i=0; i<count; i++)); do out+="$char"; done
+  printf '%s' "$out"
+}
+
+left_padding() {
+  local width="${1:-$CONTENT_WIDTH}"
+  local cols
+  cols=$(term_cols)
+  local pad=$(( (cols - width) / 2 ))
+  (( pad < 0 )) && pad=0
+  printf '%*s' "$pad" ''
+}
+
+logo_padding() {
+  # Exact equivalent of the installer's:
+  #   PADDING_LEFT=$(((TERM_WIDTH - LOGO_WIDTH) / 2))
+  left_padding "$LOGO_WIDTH"
+}
+
+visible_len() {
+  # ANSI color/control codes should not affect centering.
+  local text="$1"
+  text="$(printf '%b' "$text" | sed -E $'s/\x1b\\[[0-9;?]*[A-Za-z]//g')"
+  printf '%s' "${#text}"
+}
+
+center() {
+  # Match the real installer's gum-style layout: fixed content width shifted by
+  # a computed left gutter, rather than trying to center against the full tty.
+  local text="$1" width="${2:-$CONTENT_WIDTH}"
+  local len
+  len="$(visible_len "$text")"
+  local inner_pad=$(( (width - len) / 2 ))
+  (( inner_pad < 0 )) && inner_pad=0
+  printf '\r%s%s%*s%b%s\n' "$CLEAR_LINE" "$(left_padding "$width")" "$inner_pad" '' "$text" "$RESET"
+}
+
+line_at() {
+  local width="${1:-$CONTENT_WIDTH}" indent="${2:-0}"
+  shift 2
+  printf '\r%s%s%*s' "$CLEAR_LINE" "$(left_padding "$width")" "$indent" ''
+  printf '%b' "$*"
+}
+
+blank_line() {
+  printf '\r%s\n' "$CLEAR_LINE"
+}
+
+progress_bar() {
+  local pct="$1" width="${2:-36}"
+  local filled=$(( pct * width / 100 ))
+  local empty=$(( width - filled ))
+  printf '%s%s%s%s%s %3d%%' "$GREEN" "$(repeat █ "$filled")" "$DARK" "$(repeat ░ "$empty")" "$RESET" "$pct"
+}
+
+logo() {
+  if [[ -n ${LOGO_PATH:-} && -f $LOGO_PATH ]]; then
+    cat "$LOGO_PATH"
+  else
+    printf 'Omarchy\n'
+  fi
+}
+
+render_logo() {
+  # Draw the logo like clear_logo does: one left gutter derived from the max
+  # logo width, then the logo text exactly as stored in logo.txt.
+  local pad
+  pad="$(logo_padding)"
+  while IFS= read -r line; do
+    printf '\r%s%s%b%s%b\n' "$CLEAR_LINE" "$pad" "$GREEN" "$line" "$RESET"
+  done < <(logo)
+}
+
+current_log() {
+  local i="$1"
+  printf '%s' "${logs[$(( i % ${#logs[@]} ))]}"
+}
+
+current_whimsy() {
+  local frame="$1" phase_idx="${2:-0}"
+  # Change slower than the spinner so it feels intentional, not jittery.
+  printf '%s' "${whimsy[$(( (phase_idx * 3 + frame / 16) % ${#whimsy[@]} ))]}"
+}
+
+render_dashboard() {
+  local frame="$1" phase_idx=$(( frame / 12 ))
+  (( phase_idx >= ${#phases[@]} )) && phase_idx=$((${#phases[@]} - 1))
+  local pct=$(( frame * 100 / 95 ))
+  (( pct > 100 )) && pct=100
+
+  printf '%s' "$HOME"
+  blank_line
+  render_logo
+  blank_line
+  center "Phase $((phase_idx + 1))/${#phases[@]}  ${phases[$phase_idx]}" "$CONTENT_WIDTH"
+  blank_line
+  line_at "$CONTENT_WIDTH" $(( (CONTENT_WIDTH - 40) / 2 )) ""
+  progress_bar "$pct" 34
+  printf '\n'
+  blank_line
+  center "Now: $(current_log "$frame")" "$CONTENT_WIDTH"
+  blank_line
+  local spin=("◐" "◓" "◑" "◒")
+  center "${GREEN}${spin[$((frame % 4))]} $(current_whimsy "$frame" "$phase_idx") ${RESET}" "$CONTENT_WIDTH"
+  blank_line
+  center "${DIM}Press Ctrl-C to quit${RESET}" "$CONTENT_WIDTH"
+}
+
+render_matrix() {
+  local frame="$1" rows cols
+  rows=$(term_rows); cols=$(term_cols)
+  (( rows > 34 )) && rows=34
+  (( cols > 110 )) && cols=110
+  local words=(pacstrap limine btrfs snapper uki kernel hyprland omarchy archlinux)
+
+  printf '%s' "$HOME"
+  printf '%s%s' "$DIM" "$PURPLE"
+  center "TOKYO NIGHT PACKAGE RAIN" "$cols"
+  printf '%s' "$RESET"
+  echo
+
+  for ((r=2; r<rows-7; r++)); do
+    line=""
+    for ((c=0; c<cols; c+=10)); do
+      if (( (r + c + frame) % 7 == 0 )); then
+        word="${words[$(((r + c + frame) % ${#words[@]}))]}"
+        line+="${GREEN}${word:0:9}${RESET}"
+      elif (( (r * c + frame) % 19 == 0 )); then
+        line+="${BLUE}│${RESET}         "
+      else
+        line+="          "
+      fi
+    done
+    printf '%b\n' "${line:0:cols}"
+  done
+
+  local phase_idx=$(( frame / 10 ))
+  (( phase_idx >= ${#phases[@]} )) && phase_idx=$((${#phases[@]} - 1))
+  echo
+  center "${BOLD}${GREEN}${phases[$phase_idx]}${RESET}" "$cols"
+  center "${GRAY}$(current_log "$frame")${RESET}" "$cols"
+}
+
+render_forge() {
+  local frame="$1" phase_idx=$(( frame / 12 ))
+  (( phase_idx >= ${#phases[@]} )) && phase_idx=$((${#phases[@]} - 1))
+  local sparks=("·" "∙" "*" "✦" "✧" "⋆")
+  local hammer=("⚒" " " "⚒" " ")
+  local pct=$(( frame * 100 / 95 ))
+  (( pct > 100 )) && pct=100
+
+  printf '%s' "$HOME"
+  printf '%s' "$YELLOW"
+  center "THE OMARCHY FORGE" 80
+  printf '%s\n\n' "$RESET"
+
+  center "        ${sparks[$((frame % 6))]}        ${sparks[$(((frame+2) % 6))]}       ${sparks[$(((frame+4) % 6))]}" 80
+  center "                 ${YELLOW}${hammer[$((frame % 4))]}${RESET}" 80
+  center "              _____________" 80
+  center "             /             \\" 80
+  center "        ____/  ARCH ROOTFS  \____" 80
+  center "       /    \_______________/    \\" 80
+  center "      /  BTRFS  │  LIMINE  │ UKI  \\" 80
+  center "      \_________│__________│______/" 80
+  echo
+  center "${GREEN}${phases[$phase_idx]}${RESET}" 80
+  echo
+  line_at 80 22 ""
+  progress_bar "$pct" 36
+  echo -e "\n"
+  center "${GRAY}$(current_log "$frame")${RESET}" 80
+}
+
+render_logs() {
+  local frame="$1" phase_idx=$(( frame / 12 ))
+  (( phase_idx >= ${#phases[@]} )) && phase_idx=$((${#phases[@]} - 1))
+  local pct=$(( frame * 100 / 95 ))
+  (( pct > 100 )) && pct=100
+
+  printf '%s' "$HOME"
+  render_logo
+  blank_line
+  line_at "$CONTENT_WIDTH" 0 "${BOLD}Omarchy Install${RESET}\n"
+  line_at "$CONTENT_WIDTH" 0 ""
+  progress_bar "$pct" 50
+  printf '\n'
+  blank_line
+  line_at "$CONTENT_WIDTH" 0 "${GREEN}${phases[$phase_idx]}${RESET}\n"
+  blank_line
+
+  local start=$(( frame - 12 ))
+  (( start < 0 )) && start=0
+  for ((i=start; i<=frame; i++)); do
+    line_at "$CONTENT_WIDTH" 2 "${GRAY}→${RESET} [$(printf '%02d:%02d' "$((i / 3))" "$(((i * 7) % 60))")] $(current_log "$i")\n"
+  done
+  blank_line
+  line_at "$CONTENT_WIDTH" 0 "${DIM}This is the boring/debuggable mode: curated progress plus log tail.${RESET}\n"
+}
+
+case "$concept" in
+  dashboard|matrix|forge|logs) ;;
+  -h|--help|help)
+    echo "Usage: $0 [dashboard|matrix|forge|logs]"
+    exit 0
+    ;;
+  *)
+    echo "Unknown concept: $concept" >&2
+    echo "Usage: $0 [dashboard|matrix|forge|logs]" >&2
+    exit 2
+    ;;
+esac
+
+printf '%s%s' "$HIDE_CURSOR" "$CLEAR"
+for ((frame=0; frame<=96; frame++)); do
+  "render_$concept" "$frame"
+  printf '%s' "$CLEAR_TO_END"
+  sleep 0.08
+done
diff --git a/configs/airootfs/root/.automated_script.sh b/configs/airootfs/root/.automated_script.sh
index 95e8bfc..e8b071b 100644
--- a/configs/airootfs/root/.automated_script.sh
+++ b/configs/airootfs/root/.automated_script.sh
@@ -43,11 +43,33 @@ export FORCE_COLOR=1
 cd /root
 ./configurator
 
+# Keep the actual install screen calm: the dashboard owns /dev/tty while the
+# noisy installer stream is captured to the support log.
+/usr/local/bin/omarchy-install-dashboard "$OMARCHY_INSTALL_LOG_FILE" /run/omarchy-install/state.json /mnt/var/log/omarchy-install.log >/dev/tty 2>&1 &
+dashboard_pid=$!
+export OMARCHY_INSTALL_DASHBOARD_PID="$dashboard_pid"
+
+stop_install_dashboard() {
+  if [[ -n ${dashboard_pid:-} ]]; then
+    kill "$dashboard_pid" 2>/dev/null || true
+    wait "$dashboard_pid" 2>/dev/null || true
+    unset dashboard_pid
+  fi
+  printf "\033[?25h" >/dev/tty
+}
+
 # Absolute paths because omarchy-iso-install cd's into /usr/share/omarchy-iso
 # before exec'ing python; relative paths would resolve against the wrong dir.
-exec /usr/local/bin/omarchy-iso-install \
+set +e
+/usr/local/bin/omarchy-iso-install \
   --config /root/user_configuration.json \
   --creds /root/user_credentials.json \
   --full-name-file /root/user_full_name.txt \
   --email-file /root/user_email_address.txt \
-  --encrypt-file /root/user_encrypt_installation.txt
+  --encrypt-file /root/user_encrypt_installation.txt \
+  > >(sed -u 's/\x1b\[[0-9;]*[a-zA-Z]//g' >>"$OMARCHY_INSTALL_LOG_FILE") 2>&1
+install_status=$?
+set -e
+
+stop_install_dashboard
+exit "$install_status"
diff --git a/configs/airootfs/usr/local/bin/omarchy-install-dashboard b/configs/airootfs/usr/local/bin/omarchy-install-dashboard
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..f4618e3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/configs/airootfs/usr/local/bin/omarchy-install-dashboard
@@ -0,0 +1,222 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Render the live Omarchy install dashboard on tty1 while installer output is
+# captured to logs. Intentionally has no external UI dependencies.
+set -euo pipefail
+
+LOG_FILE="${1:-/var/log/omarchy-install.log}"
+STATE_FILE="${2:-/run/omarchy-install/state.json}"
+TARGET_LOG_FILE="${3:-/mnt/var/log/omarchy-install.log}"
+LOGO_PATH="${OMARCHY_PATH:-/usr/share/omarchy}/logo.txt"
+
+CSI=$'\033['
+RESET="${CSI}0m"
+BOLD="${CSI}1m"
+DIM="${CSI}2m"
+HIDE_CURSOR="${CSI}?25l"
+SHOW_CURSOR="${CSI}?25h"
+CLEAR="${CSI}2J${CSI}H"
+HOME="${CSI}H"
+CLEAR_LINE="${CSI}2K"
+CLEAR_TO_END="${CSI}J"
+GREEN="${CSI}38;5;150m"
+GRAY="${CSI}38;5;245m"
+DARK="${CSI}38;5;238m"
+
+whimsy=(
+  "making Linux feel like home"
+  "installing the good defaults"
+  "putting the system in order"
+  "setting up a civilized desktop"
+  "clearing the path to Hyprland"
+  "preparing the command line sanctuary"
+  "teaching pacman the house rules"
+  "laying down the Tokyo Night carpet"
+  "arranging the sharp tools safely"
+  "keeping the boot path clean"
+  "giving Limine the keys"
+  "making snapshots worth having"
+  "saving future you a few hours"
+  "choosing boring where boring wins"
+  "leaving room for your dotfiles"
+  "tightening the last few screws"
+)
+
+cleanup() {
+  printf '%s%s' "$RESET" "$SHOW_CURSOR" >/dev/tty 2>/dev/null || true
+}
+trap cleanup EXIT INT TERM
+
+term_size() {
+  stty size 2>/dev/null </dev/tty || printf '24 80\n'
+}
+
+term_cols() {
+  local size
+  size="$(term_size)"
+  printf '%s\n' "${size#* }"
+}
+
+repeat() {
+  local char="$1" count="$2" out=""
+  for ((i=0; i<count; i++)); do out+="$char"; done
+  printf '%s' "$out"
+}
+
+logo_width() {
+  if [[ -f $LOGO_PATH ]]; then
+    awk '{ if (length > max) max = length } END { print max+0 }' "$LOGO_PATH"
+  else
+    printf '81\n'
+  fi
+}
+
+LOGO_WIDTH="$(logo_width)"
+(( LOGO_WIDTH > 0 )) || LOGO_WIDTH=81
+CONTENT_WIDTH="$LOGO_WIDTH"
+
+left_padding() {
+  local width="${1:-$CONTENT_WIDTH}" cols pad
+  cols="$(term_cols)"
+  pad=$(( (cols - width) / 2 ))
+  (( pad < 0 )) && pad=0
+  printf '%*s' "$pad" ''
+}
+
+visible_len() {
+  local text="$1"
+  text="$(printf '%b' "$text" | sed -E $'s/\x1b\\[[0-9;?]*[A-Za-z]//g')"
+  printf '%s' "${#text}"
+}
+
+blank_line() {
+  printf '\r%s\n' "$CLEAR_LINE"
+}
+
+line_at() {
+  local width="${1:-$CONTENT_WIDTH}" indent="${2:-0}"
+  shift 2
+  printf '\r%s%s%*s' "$CLEAR_LINE" "$(left_padding "$width")" "$indent" ''
+  printf '%b' "$*"
+}
+
+center() {
+  local text="$1" width="${2:-$CONTENT_WIDTH}" len inner_pad
+  len="$(visible_len "$text")"
+  inner_pad=$(( (width - len) / 2 ))
+  (( inner_pad < 0 )) && inner_pad=0
+  printf '\r%s%s%*s%b%s\n' "$CLEAR_LINE" "$(left_padding "$width")" "$inner_pad" '' "$text" "$RESET"
+}
+
+render_logo() {
+  local pad
+  pad="$(left_padding "$LOGO_WIDTH")"
+  if [[ -f $LOGO_PATH ]]; then
+    while IFS= read -r line; do
+      printf '\r%s%s%b%s%b\n' "$CLEAR_LINE" "$pad" "$GREEN" "$line" "$RESET"
+    done <"$LOGO_PATH"
+  else
+    center "${GREEN}Omarchy${RESET}" "$CONTENT_WIDTH"
+  fi
+}
+
+progress_bar() {
+  local pct="$1" width="${2:-34}" filled empty
+  (( pct < 0 )) && pct=0
+  (( pct > 100 )) && pct=100
+  filled=$(( pct * width / 100 ))
+  empty=$(( width - filled ))
+  printf '%s%s%s%s%s %3d%%' "$GREEN" "$(repeat █ "$filled")" "$DARK" "$(repeat ░ "$empty")" "$RESET" "$pct"
+}
+
+state_value() {
+  local key="$1" fallback="$2"
+  [[ -f $STATE_FILE ]] || { printf '%s' "$fallback"; return; }
+  python - "$STATE_FILE" "$key" "$fallback" <<'PY' 2>/dev/null || true
+import json, sys
+path, key, fallback = sys.argv[1:4]
+try:
+    with open(path) as f:
+        state = json.load(f)
+except Exception:
+    print(fallback, end='')
+    raise SystemExit
+if key == 'phase':
+    print(state.get('current_phase') or 'Starting installation', end='')
+elif key == 'index':
+    print(state.get('current_index') or 0, end='')
+elif key == 'total':
+    print(state.get('total_phases') or 1, end='')
+elif key == 'done':
+    print(len([p for p in state.get('phases', []) if p.get('status') == 'ok']), end='')
+else:
+    print(fallback, end='')
+PY
+}
+
+last_log_line() {
+  local file line files
+  if [[ -s $TARGET_LOG_FILE && $TARGET_LOG_FILE -nt $LOG_FILE ]]; then
+    files=("$TARGET_LOG_FILE" "$LOG_FILE")
+  else
+    files=("$LOG_FILE" "$TARGET_LOG_FILE")
+  fi
+
+  for file in "${files[@]}"; do
+    [[ -s $file ]] || continue
+    line="$(grep -avE '^(\s*|===|\[.*\] (Starting|Completed):)' "$file" 2>/dev/null | tail -n 1 || true)"
+    if [[ -n $line ]]; then
+      line="${line//$'\r'/}"
+      line="$(printf '%s' "$line" | sed -E 's/\x1b\[[0-9;?]*[A-Za-z]//g')"
+      printf '%s' "${line:0:$((CONTENT_WIDTH - 8))}"
+      return
+    fi
+  done
+  printf 'starting installer'
+}
+
+current_whimsy() {
+  local frame="$1" index="$2"
+  printf '%s' "${whimsy[$(( (index * 3 + frame / 8) % ${#whimsy[@]} ))]}"
+}
+
+render() {
+  local frame="$1" phase index total done pct spin log_line
+  phase="$(state_value phase 'Starting installation')"
+  index="$(state_value index 0)"
+  total="$(state_value total 1)"
+  done="$(state_value done 0)"
+  (( total < 1 )) && total=1
+  pct=$(( (done * 100) / total ))
+  # Give the active phase a little movement without pretending exact progress.
+  if (( done < total )); then
+    pct=$(( pct + (frame % 8) * (100 / total) / 8 ))
+  fi
+  (( pct > 100 )) && pct=100
+  spin=("◐" "◓" "◑" "◒")
+  log_line="$(last_log_line)"
+
+  printf '%s' "$HOME"
+  blank_line
+  render_logo
+  blank_line
+  center "Phase $((index + 1))/$total  $phase" "$CONTENT_WIDTH"
+  blank_line
+  line_at "$CONTENT_WIDTH" $(( (CONTENT_WIDTH - 40) / 2 )) ""
+  progress_bar "$pct" 34
+  printf '\n'
+  blank_line
+  center "Now: $log_line" "$CONTENT_WIDTH"
+  blank_line
+  center "${GREEN}${spin[$((frame % 4))]} $(current_whimsy "$frame" "$index") ${RESET}" "$CONTENT_WIDTH"
+  blank_line
+  center "${DIM}Logs are being saved for support${RESET}" "$CONTENT_WIDTH"
+  printf '%s' "$CLEAR_TO_END"
+}
+
+printf '%s%s' "$HIDE_CURSOR" "$CLEAR" >/dev/tty
+frame=0
+while true; do
+  render "$frame" >/dev/tty
+  frame=$((frame + 1))
+  sleep 0.5
+done
diff --git a/configs/airootfs/usr/share/omarchy-iso/orchestrator/phases.py b/configs/airootfs/usr/share/omarchy-iso/orchestrator/phases.py
index d84bd66..ffbd8fd 100644
--- a/configs/airootfs/usr/share/omarchy-iso/orchestrator/phases.py
+++ b/configs/airootfs/usr/share/omarchy-iso/orchestrator/phases.py
@@ -23,10 +23,21 @@ class PhaseError(Exception):
 def run(ctx: InstallContext, phases: list[tuple[str, PhaseFn]]) -> None:
     ctx.state_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
     state_path = ctx.state_dir / "state.json"
-    state = {"started_at": time.time(), "phases": []}
+    state = {
+        "started_at": time.time(),
+        "total_phases": len(phases),
+        "current_index": 0,
+        "current_phase": "Starting installation",
+        "phases": [],
+    }
     _write_state(state_path, state)
 
-    for name, fn in phases:
+    for index, (name, fn) in enumerate(phases):
+        state["current_index"] = index
+        state["current_phase"] = name
+        state["phase_started_at"] = time.time()
+        _write_state(state_path, state)
+
         info(f"› {name}")
         started = time.time()
         try:
@@ -49,6 +60,8 @@ def run(ctx: InstallContext, phases: list[tuple[str, PhaseFn]]) -> None:
         state["phases"].append({"name": name, "status": "ok", "elapsed": elapsed})
         _write_state(state_path, state)
 
+    state["current_index"] = max(len(phases) - 1, 0)
+    state["current_phase"] = "Installation complete"
     state["finished_at"] = time.time()
     _write_state(state_path, state)
 
diff --git a/configs/airootfs/usr/share/omarchy-iso/orchestrator/phases_impl.py b/configs/airootfs/usr/share/omarchy-iso/orchestrator/phases_impl.py
index 9dad240..deb003b 100644
--- a/configs/airootfs/usr/share/omarchy-iso/orchestrator/phases_impl.py
+++ b/configs/airootfs/usr/share/omarchy-iso/orchestrator/phases_impl.py
@@ -21,8 +21,8 @@ Phase ordering (protected / pre-mounted):
     arch_install_base         → archinstall used as pacstrap + users +
                                 packages driver only; no bootloader,
                                 no fstab, no mkinitcpio
-    configure_protected_boot  → Omarchy-owned fstab/crypttab/mkinitcpio/
-                                bootloader — implemented in Step 8
+    configure_protected_boot  → protected fstab/crypttab + Limine EFI handoff;
+                                final UKI build still happens in finalizer
     run_chroot_finalizer      → same
     configure_login           → same
     validate_boot_protected   → implemented in Step 8
@@ -1047,7 +1047,26 @@ def cleanup_protected_state(ctx: InstallContext) -> None:
 # finish: prompt for reboot. Bind mounts are unwound in main()'s finally.
 # ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
+def _stop_install_dashboard() -> None:
+    pid = os.environ.get("OMARCHY_INSTALL_DASHBOARD_PID")
+    if not pid:
+        return
+    try:
+        os.kill(int(pid), 15)
+    except (OSError, ValueError):
+        pass
+    # Give the shell dashboard a moment to restore the cursor before gum draws.
+    time.sleep(0.1)
+    try:
+        with open("/dev/tty", "w", encoding="utf-8") as tty:
+            tty.write("\033[?25h\033[H\033[2J")
+            tty.flush()
+    except OSError:
+        pass
+
+
 def finish(ctx: InstallContext) -> None:
+    _stop_install_dashboard()
     info("Installation finished. Reboot when ready.")
     if confirm("Reboot now?", default=True):
         os.system("reboot")