diff --git a/bin/omarchy-style-bar-position b/bin/omarchy-style-bar-position
index af3a83e2..2ef44675 100755
--- a/bin/omarchy-style-bar-position
+++ b/bin/omarchy-style-bar-position
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 set -e
 
 CONFIG_FILE="$HOME/.config/omarchy/shell.json"
+DEFAULTS_FILE="${OMARCHY_PATH:-$HOME/.local/share/omarchy}/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/shell-defaults.json"
 position=$1
 
 if [[ ! $position =~ ^(top|bottom|left|right)$ ]]; then
@@ -17,14 +18,20 @@ fi
 mkdir -p "$(dirname "$CONFIG_FILE")"
 tmp=$(mktemp)
 
+# Seed from shell-defaults.json when the user has no shell.json yet (or it's
+# malformed). Writing just `{ bar: { position } }` would leave the bar with
+# no layout, since the shell treats any valid user config as authoritative
+# and does not deep-merge defaults.
 if [[ -s $CONFIG_FILE ]] && jq -e 'type == "object"' "$CONFIG_FILE" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-  jq --arg position "$position" '
-    .version = 1 |
-    .bar = ((.bar // {}) | if type == "object" then . else {} end) |
-    .bar.position = $position
-  ' "$CONFIG_FILE" >"$tmp"
+  source="$CONFIG_FILE"
 else
-  jq -n --arg position "$position" '{ version: 1, bar: { position: $position } }' >"$tmp"
+  source="$DEFAULTS_FILE"
 fi
 
+jq --arg position "$position" '
+  .version = 1 |
+  .bar = ((.bar // {}) | if type == "object" then . else {} end) |
+  .bar.position = $position
+' "$source" >"$tmp"
+
 mv "$tmp" "$CONFIG_FILE"
diff --git a/default/hypr/apps/omarchy-bar-settings.lua b/default/hypr/apps/omarchy-bar-settings.lua
deleted file mode 100644
index 22728d23..00000000
--- a/default/hypr/apps/omarchy-bar-settings.lua
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-hl.window_rule({ match = { title = "^Omarchy bar settings$" }, tag = "+floating-window" })
-hl.window_rule({ match = { title = "^Omarchy bar settings$" }, size = { 720, 720 } })
-hl.window_rule({ match = { title = "^Widget settings " }, tag = "+floating-window" })
-hl.window_rule({ match = { title = "^Widget settings " }, size = { 380, 320 } })
diff --git a/default/hypr/apps/omarchy-shell.lua b/default/hypr/apps/omarchy-shell.lua
index 2623aab9..76576db6 100644
--- a/default/hypr/apps/omarchy-shell.lua
+++ b/default/hypr/apps/omarchy-shell.lua
@@ -13,3 +13,8 @@ hl.layer_rule({ match = { namespace = "omarchy-image-selector" }, no_anim = true
 hl.window_rule({ match = { class = "^org.quickshell$", title = "^Omarchy Settings$" }, float = true })
 hl.window_rule({ match = { class = "^org.quickshell$", title = "^Omarchy Settings$" }, center = true })
 hl.window_rule({ match = { class = "^org.quickshell$", title = "^Omarchy Settings$" }, size = { 960, 700 } })
+
+-- Per-widget settings dialog opens as a smaller FloatingWindow off the
+-- settings panel; keep it floating with its own default size.
+hl.window_rule({ match = { class = "^org.quickshell$", title = "^Widget settings " }, float = true })
+hl.window_rule({ match = { class = "^org.quickshell$", title = "^Widget settings " }, size = { 380, 320 } })
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/README.md b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/README.md
index 1c40b759..947af156 100644
--- a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/README.md
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/README.md
@@ -72,6 +72,7 @@ Supported `kinds`:
 | `overlay`    | A fullscreen overlay (e.g. background switcher)              |
 | `menu`       | A summoned menu surface                                      |
 | `service`    | A headless singleton, no UI                                  |
+| `bar`        | Reserved for the first-party bar host (`omarchy.bar`). Third-party plugins should ship `bar-widget`s; they do not replace the host bar. |
 
 `activation` is either `persistent` (loaded on startup, never unloaded) or
 `on-demand` (loaded by `shell summon <id>` and unloaded by `shell hide`).