diff --git a/shell/Ui/WidgetButton.qml b/shell/Ui/WidgetButton.qml
index 1641fcfd..02d843ab 100644
--- a/shell/Ui/WidgetButton.qml
+++ b/shell/Ui/WidgetButton.qml
@@ -59,6 +59,9 @@ Item {
   readonly property real scaledHorizontalMargin: Style.spaceReal(horizontalMargin)
   readonly property real scaledVerticalPadding: Style.spaceReal(verticalPadding)
   readonly property bool tooltipHovered: visible && interactive && !concealed && mouseArea.containsMouse
+  // Width of the painted label, for bar chrome that wants to line up with the
+  // text rather than with the slot it sits in. Zero on icon-only buttons.
+  readonly property real labelWidth: label.visible ? label.implicitWidth : 0
 
   visible: hasVisualContent || keepSpace
   opacity: !hasVisualContent || concealed ? 0 : (dimmed ? 0.45 : 1)
diff --git a/shell/plugins/bar/Bar.qml b/shell/plugins/bar/Bar.qml
index af40f78b..4d7202cc 100644
--- a/shell/plugins/bar/Bar.qml
+++ b/shell/plugins/bar/Bar.qml
@@ -406,15 +406,19 @@ Item {
   function findPanelWidget(pluginId) {
     var id = String(pluginId || "")
     if (!id) return null
+    var candidates = []
     for (var i = 0; i < moduleSlots.length; i++) {
       var slot = moduleSlots[i]
       if (!slot || !slot.activeItem) continue
       if (slot.moduleName !== id) continue
       var item = slot.activeItem
       if (typeof item.open !== "function" || typeof item.close !== "function" || item.opened === undefined) continue
-      return item
+      candidates.push(slot)
     }
-    return null
+    // Anchored center modules are mounted twice; only the drawn copy can
+    // anchor a popup or carry the open-panel mark. See BarModel.pickDrawnSlot.
+    var chosen = BarModel.pickDrawnSlot(candidates)
+    return chosen ? chosen.activeItem : null
   }
 
   function summonBarWidget(pluginId) {
@@ -1386,6 +1390,16 @@ Item {
     readonly property bool hovered: moduleHover.hovered
     readonly property bool dragSource: root.barDragSource === slot
     readonly property bool panelOpen: root.activePopout === slot.activeItem
+    // Modules bigger than the mark they want (a text label in a padded slot,
+    // a multi-line stack on a vertical bar) can say how long the open-panel
+    // dot should be along the bar, so it tracks what the module paints
+    // instead of a fraction of whatever slot it happens to fill.
+    readonly property real panelIndicatorExtent: {
+      var key = root.vertical ? "openPanelIndicatorHeight" : "openPanelIndicatorWidth"
+      var hint = activeItem && key in activeItem ? activeItem[key] : undefined
+      if (hint !== undefined && hint !== null && hint > 0) return Math.round(hint)
+      return Math.max(Style.space(10), Math.round((root.vertical ? slot.height : slot.width) * 0.55))
+    }
     implicitWidth: activeItem && activeItem.visible ? (root.vertical ? root.barSize : activeItem.implicitWidth) : 0
     implicitHeight: activeItem && activeItem.visible ? activeItem.implicitHeight : 0
     width: implicitWidth
@@ -1455,8 +1469,12 @@ Item {
       opacity: slot.panelOpen && !slot.dragSource ? 0.9 : 0
       color: Color.accent
       radius: Math.min(width, height) / 2
-      width: root.vertical ? Style.space(2) : Math.max(Style.space(10), Math.round(parent.width * 0.55))
-      height: root.vertical ? Math.max(Style.space(10), Math.round(parent.height * 0.55)) : Style.space(2)
+      width: root.vertical ? Style.space(2) : slot.panelIndicatorExtent
+      height: root.vertical ? slot.panelIndicatorExtent : Style.space(2)
+      // The mark sits on the module's inner edge — the one facing the
+      // desktop — so it underlines a top bar, overlines a bottom one, and
+      // points inward from a left or right one. It reads as pointing at the
+      // panel that opens on that side.
       x: root.vertical
         ? (root.position === "left" ? parent.width - width - inset : inset)
         : Math.round((parent.width - width) / 2)
diff --git a/shell/plugins/bar/BarModel.js b/shell/plugins/bar/BarModel.js
index e94d8a4f..89b3e3c2 100644
--- a/shell/plugins/bar/BarModel.js
+++ b/shell/plugins/bar/BarModel.js
@@ -96,8 +96,32 @@ function customModulePath(entry, home, configDir) {
   return source
 }
 
+// A center module is mounted twice once an anchor is set: the copy that is
+// actually drawn, and a zero-size placeholder holding its place in the flow
+// beside the anchor. Panel routing has to pick the drawn one — it is the only
+// one that can anchor a popup, carry the open-panel mark, or be found again
+// by switchPanelFrom — and fall back to the placeholder only when nothing is
+// on screen. The order the two are registered in is not stable across a live
+// bar reconfiguration, so picking the first match is not good enough.
+function isDrawnSlot(slot) {
+  return !!slot && slot.visible === true && slot.width > 0 && slot.height > 0
+}
+
+function pickDrawnSlot(slots) {
+  var placeholder = null
+  var list = slots || []
+  for (var i = 0; i < list.length; i++) {
+    if (!list[i]) continue
+    if (isDrawnSlot(list[i])) return list[i]
+    if (!placeholder) placeholder = list[i]
+  }
+  return placeholder
+}
+
 if (typeof module !== "undefined") {
   module.exports = {
+    isDrawnSlot: isDrawnSlot,
+    pickDrawnSlot: pickDrawnSlot,
     normalizePosition: normalizePosition,
     entrySettings: entrySettings,
     entryId: entryId,
diff --git a/test/shell.d/bar-test.sh b/test/shell.d/bar-test.sh
index 99cb26cd..7a40ea9b 100644
--- a/test/shell.d/bar-test.sh
+++ b/test/shell.d/bar-test.sh
@@ -15,7 +15,47 @@ fi
 pass "bar move outline has no post-release settling state"
 
 run_node_test <<'JS'
+const fs = require('fs')
 const bar = requireFromRoot('shell/plugins/bar/BarModel.js')
+const barSource = fs.readFileSync(root + '/shell/plugins/bar/Bar.qml', 'utf8')
+
+// A center module is mounted twice — drawn copy plus zero-size placeholder —
+// and the order they register in is not stable across a live reconfiguration,
+// so panel routing has to pick the one that is actually on screen.
+const drawn = { moduleName: 'omarchy.clock', visible: true, width: 28, height: 81 }
+const placeholder = { moduleName: 'omarchy.clock', visible: false, width: 0, height: 0 }
+assertEqual(bar.isDrawnSlot(drawn), true, 'bar recognises a drawn slot')
+assertEqual(bar.isDrawnSlot(placeholder), false, 'bar recognises a layout placeholder')
+assertEqual(bar.pickDrawnSlot([placeholder, drawn]), drawn, 'bar picks the drawn slot when the placeholder registers first')
+assertEqual(bar.pickDrawnSlot([drawn, placeholder]), drawn, 'bar picks the drawn slot when it registers first')
+assertEqual(bar.pickDrawnSlot([placeholder]), placeholder, 'bar falls back to the placeholder when nothing is drawn')
+assertEqual(bar.pickDrawnSlot([]), null, 'bar reports no slot when there are none')
+assertEqual(bar.pickDrawnSlot(null), null, 'bar tolerates a missing slot list')
+assert(
+  /BarModel\.pickDrawnSlot\(candidates\)/.test(barSource),
+  'bar routes panels through the drawn-slot picker'
+)
+
+// The open-panel mark sits on the module's desktop-facing edge at every
+// position: under a top bar, over a bottom one, inward from left and right.
+const indicator = barSource.slice(barSource.indexOf('id: openPanelIndicator'), barSource.indexOf('id: openPanelIndicator') + 1600)
+assert(
+  /x: root\.vertical\s*\n\s*\? \(root\.position === "left" \? parent\.width - width - inset : inset\)/.test(indicator),
+  'bar pins the open-panel mark to the desktop-facing edge on vertical bars'
+)
+assert(
+  /root\.position === "top" \? parent\.height - height - inset : inset/.test(indicator),
+  'bar pins the open-panel mark to the desktop-facing edge on horizontal bars'
+)
+assert(
+  /key in activeItem/.test(barSource),
+  'bar asks whether a widget declares an indicator hint before reading it'
+)
+assert(
+  /width: root\.vertical \? Style\.space\(2\) : slot\.panelIndicatorExtent/.test(indicator) &&
+  /height: root\.vertical \? slot\.panelIndicatorExtent : Style\.space\(2\)/.test(indicator),
+  'bar sizes the open-panel mark from the same content hint on both axes'
+)
 
 assertEqual(bar.normalizePosition('left'), 'left', 'bar accepts valid positions')
 assertEqual(bar.normalizePosition('sideways'), 'top', 'bar defaults invalid positions')