diff --git a/bin/omarchy-font-current b/bin/omarchy-font-current
index fb032e9b..a52ed821 100755
--- a/bin/omarchy-font-current
+++ b/bin/omarchy-font-current
@@ -3,10 +3,10 @@
 # omarchy:summary=Show current monospace font
 # omarchy:examples=omarchy font current
 
-bar_config="$HOME/.config/omarchy/bar.json"
+shell_config="$HOME/.config/omarchy/shell.json"
 
-if [[ -f $bar_config ]]; then
-  font_family=$(python3 - "$bar_config" <<'PY'
+if [[ -f $shell_config ]]; then
+  font_family=$(python3 - "$shell_config" <<'PY'
 import json
 import sys
 
@@ -16,7 +16,8 @@ try:
 except (FileNotFoundError, json.JSONDecodeError):
   data = {}
 
-font = data.get("fontFamily") if isinstance(data, dict) else None
+bar = data.get("bar") if isinstance(data, dict) else None
+font = bar.get("fontFamily") if isinstance(bar, dict) else None
 if font:
   print(font)
 PY
diff --git a/bin/omarchy-font-set b/bin/omarchy-font-set
index 6f2d4f31..56f21051 100755
--- a/bin/omarchy-font-set
+++ b/bin/omarchy-font-set
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ if [[ -n $font_name ]]; then
     sed -i "s/font_family = .*/font_family = $font_name/g" ~/.config/hypr/hyprlock.conf
     sed -i "s/font-family: .*/font-family: '$font_name';/g" ~/.config/waybar/style.css
     mkdir -p "$HOME/.config/omarchy"
-    python3 - "$HOME/.config/omarchy/bar.json" "$font_name" <<'PY'
+    python3 - "$HOME/.config/omarchy/shell.json" "$font_name" <<'PY'
 import json
 import sys
 
@@ -42,7 +42,12 @@ try:
 except (FileNotFoundError, json.JSONDecodeError):
   data = {}
 
-data["fontFamily"] = font_name
+data.setdefault("version", 1)
+bar = data.get("bar")
+if not isinstance(bar, dict):
+  bar = {}
+  data["bar"] = bar
+bar["fontFamily"] = font_name
 
 with open(path, "w") as file:
   json.dump(data, file, indent=2)
diff --git a/bin/omarchy-refresh-bar b/bin/omarchy-refresh-bar
index 8d57fbb9..b2e2f03a 100755
--- a/bin/omarchy-refresh-bar
+++ b/bin/omarchy-refresh-bar
@@ -1,17 +1,20 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
-# omarchy:summary=Reset bar user overrides to Omarchy defaults
+# omarchy:summary=Reset shell.json to Omarchy defaults
 # omarchy:examples=omarchy refresh bar
 
 set -e
 
-OMARCHY_PATH="${OMARCHY_PATH:-$HOME/.local/share/omarchy}"
-DEFAULT_CONFIG="$OMARCHY_PATH/config/omarchy/bar.json"
+USER_CONFIG="$HOME/.config/omarchy/shell.json"
 
-if [[ ! -f $DEFAULT_CONFIG ]]; then
-  echo "Missing default bar config at $DEFAULT_CONFIG" >&2
-  exit 1
+# Removing the user file lets the shell fall back to shell-defaults.json on
+# its next reload. omarchy-restart-bar (which is now an alias for restarting
+# omarchy-shell) reloads the shell so the change takes effect immediately.
+if [[ -f $USER_CONFIG ]]; then
+  backup="$USER_CONFIG.bak.$(date +%s)"
+  cp "$USER_CONFIG" "$backup"
+  echo "Backed up user shell config to $backup"
+  rm -f "$USER_CONFIG"
 fi
 
-omarchy-refresh-config omarchy/bar.json
 omarchy-restart-bar
diff --git a/bin/omarchy-shell-ipc b/bin/omarchy-shell-ipc
index 6533ebb4..fe83401b 100755
--- a/bin/omarchy-shell-ipc
+++ b/bin/omarchy-shell-ipc
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ Examples:
   omarchy-shell-ipc shell summon omarchy.bar-settings "{}"
   omarchy-shell-ipc shell hide omarchy.image-picker
   omarchy-shell-ipc shell listPlugins
+  omarchy-shell-ipc shell listShellConfig
   omarchy-shell-ipc shell rescanPlugins
   omarchy-shell-ipc image-selector ping
   omarchy-shell-ipc image-selector cancel ""
diff --git a/bin/omarchy-style-bar-position b/bin/omarchy-style-bar-position
index 1e84d745..4cea7539 100755
--- a/bin/omarchy-style-bar-position
+++ b/bin/omarchy-style-bar-position
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 
 set -e
 
-CONFIG_FILE="$HOME/.config/omarchy/bar.json"
+CONFIG_FILE="$HOME/.config/omarchy/shell.json"
 position=$1
 
 if [[ ! $position =~ ^(top|bottom|left|right)$ ]]; then
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@ fi
 mkdir -p "$(dirname "$CONFIG_FILE")"
 python3 - "$CONFIG_FILE" "$position" <<'PY'
 import json
-import os
 import sys
 
 path, position = sys.argv[1], sys.argv[2]
@@ -29,7 +28,12 @@ try:
 except (FileNotFoundError, json.JSONDecodeError):
   data = {}
 
-data["position"] = position
+data.setdefault("version", 1)
+bar = data.get("bar")
+if not isinstance(bar, dict):
+  bar = {}
+  data["bar"] = bar
+bar["position"] = position
 
 with open(path, "w") as file:
   json.dump(data, file, indent=2)
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Commons/Color.qml b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Commons/Color.qml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ff0ded28
--- /dev/null
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Commons/Color.qml
@@ -0,0 +1,111 @@
+pragma Singleton
+import QtQuick
+import Quickshell
+import Quickshell.Io
+
+// Noctalia compat shim. Plugins import `qs.Commons` and reach for these
+// palette tokens / helpers. Values stream from the Omarchy theme file; the
+// shell wires this singleton up at startup via setHostBar()/setHostShell().
+//
+// We don't try to replicate Noctalia's full Material You resolver — for the
+// fields plugins actually read, a flat token table is enough.
+QtObject {
+  id: root
+
+  // Live updated from theme/colors.toml via the FileView below.
+  property color foreground: "#cacccc"
+  property color background: "#101315"
+  property color accent: "#cacccc"
+  property color urgent: "#a55555"
+
+  // Noctalia palette tokens. We map them onto our theme colors.
+  readonly property color mPrimary: accent
+  readonly property color mSecondary: Qt.darker(accent, 1.2)
+  readonly property color mTertiary: Qt.lighter(accent, 1.3)
+  readonly property color mSurface: background
+  readonly property color mSurfaceVariant: Qt.rgba(foreground.r, foreground.g, foreground.b, 0.06)
+  readonly property color mOnSurface: foreground
+  readonly property color mOnSurfaceVariant: Qt.darker(foreground, 1.4)
+  readonly property color mOutline: Qt.rgba(foreground.r, foreground.g, foreground.b, 0.18)
+  readonly property color mHover: Qt.rgba(foreground.r, foreground.g, foreground.b, 0.14)
+  readonly property color mOnHover: foreground
+  readonly property color mError: urgent
+  readonly property color mOnError: background
+
+  // Plugins read this to know whether to skip mid-flight transitions. We
+  // don't ship theme transitions ourselves, so it's always false.
+  readonly property bool isTransitioning: false
+
+  function alpha(c, opacity) {
+    if (!c) return Qt.rgba(0, 0, 0, opacity)
+    return Qt.rgba(c.r, c.g, c.b, opacity)
+  }
+
+  // Noctalia's smartAlpha picks an alpha based on the host theme's perceived
+  // contrast. A flat 0.6 reads acceptably across our themes; cheap, no math.
+  function smartAlpha(c) {
+    return alpha(c, 0.6)
+  }
+
+  // adaptiveOpacity takes a 0..1 ratio and clamps it. Plugins use it for
+  // fade animations relative to a "full" opacity value.
+  function adaptiveOpacity(value) {
+    if (value === undefined || value === null) return 1.0
+    return Math.max(0, Math.min(1, Number(value)))
+  }
+
+  // Plugins occasionally pass a color key like "accent" or "primary" via
+  // their own settings. resolveColorKey returns a color; resolveColorKeyOptional
+  // returns null/undefined-ish for "none".
+  function resolveColorKey(key) {
+    var resolved = resolveColorKeyOptional(key)
+    return resolved === null ? foreground : resolved
+  }
+
+  function resolveColorKeyOptional(key) {
+    var k = String(key || "").toLowerCase()
+    if (!k || k === "none") return null
+    switch (k) {
+      case "primary": return mPrimary
+      case "secondary": return mSecondary
+      case "tertiary": return mTertiary
+      case "surface": return mSurface
+      case "surfacevariant": return mSurfaceVariant
+      case "onsurface": return mOnSurface
+      case "onsurfacevariant": return mOnSurfaceVariant
+      case "outline": return mOutline
+      case "hover": return mHover
+      case "onhover": return mOnHover
+      case "error": return mError
+      case "onerror": return mOnError
+      case "accent": return accent
+      case "foreground": return foreground
+      case "background": return background
+      case "urgent":
+      case "red": return urgent
+    }
+    // Anything else, treat as a literal CSS color string (the QML color type
+    // does this conversion implicitly when assigned).
+    return Qt.color(k)
+  }
+
+  function loadTheme(raw) {
+    var lines = String(raw || "").split("\n")
+    for (var i = 0; i < lines.length; i++) {
+      var match = lines[i].match(/^\s*([A-Za-z0-9_-]+)\s*=\s*["']?(#[0-9A-Fa-f]{6})/)
+      if (!match) continue
+      if (match[1] === "foreground") foreground = match[2]
+      else if (match[1] === "background") background = match[2]
+      else if (match[1] === "color4" || match[1] === "accent") accent = match[2]
+      else if (match[1] === "red") urgent = match[2]
+    }
+  }
+
+  property FileView themeFile: FileView {
+    path: Quickshell.env("HOME") + "/.config/omarchy/current/theme/colors.toml"
+    watchChanges: true
+    printErrors: false
+    onLoaded: root.loadTheme(text())
+    onFileChanged: reload()
+  }
+}
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Commons/I18n.qml b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Commons/I18n.qml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..732091b8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Commons/I18n.qml
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+pragma Singleton
+import QtQuick
+
+// Noctalia compat shim. Their plugins normally route translations through
+// pluginApi.tr(), not this singleton, so the stub here mostly exists to
+// satisfy `import qs.Commons` style usage.
+QtObject {
+  readonly property string langCode: "en"
+
+  function tr(key, interp)            { return String(key === undefined ? "" : key) }
+  function trp(key, count, interp)    { return String(key === undefined ? "" : key) }
+  function hasTranslation(key)        { return false }
+
+  signal translationsLoaded()
+}
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Commons/Icons.qml b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Commons/Icons.qml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..07211565
--- /dev/null
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Commons/Icons.qml
@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+pragma Singleton
+import QtQuick
+
+// Noctalia compat shim. Their plugins resolve Tabler icon names to glyphs via
+// this singleton. The original ships ~3000 mappings; for v1 we cover the
+// names most commonly used by the plugins in their repo and fall back to
+// "?" for unknowns so missing glyphs are visually obvious.
+QtObject {
+  // Tabler icon names → Nerd Font glyphs. Most entries are mdi-* substitutes
+  // since Omarchy installs JetBrains Mono Nerd Font which includes Material
+  // Design Icons. Glyph codepoints embedded as actual chars (Python helper
+  // when the write tool strips multi-byte codepoints in some positions).
+  readonly property var glyphs: ({
+    "bell":            "\udb80\udc9a",        // mdi-bell
+    "bell-off":        "\udb80\udc9b",        // mdi-bell_off
+    "bell-ring":       "\udb80\udd6b",        // mdi-bell_ring
+    "clock":           "\udb80\udc50",        // mdi-clock
+    "clock-outline":   "\udb80\udc51",        // mdi-clock_outline
+    "wifi":            "\udb81\udda9",        // mdi-wifi
+    "wifi-off":        "\udb81\uddaa",        // mdi-wifi_off
+    "ethernet":        "\udb80\udc02",        // mdi-ethernet
+    "bluetooth":       "\udb80\udcaf",        // mdi-bluetooth
+    "bluetooth-off":   "\udb80\udcb2",        // mdi-bluetooth_off
+    "volume":          "\udb81\udd7e",        // mdi-volume_high
+    "volume-up":       "\udb81\udd7e",
+    "volume-down":     "\udb81\udd7f",
+    "volume-off":      "\udb83\udc08",        // mdi-volume_variant_off
+    "volume-mute":     "\udb83\udc08",
+    "headphones":      "\udb80\udecb",        // mdi-headphones
+    "microphone":      "\udb80\udf6c",        // mdi-microphone
+    "microphone-off":  "\udb80\udf6d",        // mdi-microphone_off
+    "play":            "\udb81\udc0a",        // mdi-play
+    "pause":           "\udb80\udfe4",        // mdi-pause
+    "skip-back":       "\udb81\udcae",        // mdi-skip_previous
+    "skip-forward":    "\udb81\udcad",        // mdi-skip_next
+    "music":           "\udb81\udd5a",        // mdi-music
+    "weather":         "\udb81\udd99",        // mdi-weather_sunny
+    "weather-sun":     "\udb81\udd99",
+    "weather-moon":    "\udb81\udd94",        // mdi-weather_night
+    "weather-cloud":   "\udb81\udd90",        // mdi-weather_cloudy
+    "weather-rain":    "\udb81\udd96",        // mdi-weather_pouring
+    "battery":         "\udb80\udc83",        // mdi-battery
+    "battery-charging": "\udb80\udc84",
+    "cpu":             "\udb83\udee0",        // mdi-cpu_64_bit
+    "memory":          "\udb80\udd5b",        // mdi-memory
+    "tools":           "\udb80\udd64",        // mdi-tools
+    "settings":        "\udb80\udc93",        // mdi-cog
+    "settings-outline":"\udb80\udcbb",
+    "power":           "\udb80\udc25",        // mdi-power
+    "lock":            "\udb80\udd3e",        // mdi-lock
+    "unlock":          "\udb80\udd3f",
+    "refresh":         "\udb81\udc50",        // mdi-refresh
+    "x":               "\udb80\udd56",        // mdi-close
+    "check":           "\udb80\udc12",        // mdi-check
+    "chevron-down":    "\udb80\udd40",
+    "chevron-up":      "\udb80\udd43",
+    "chevron-left":    "\udb80\udd41",
+    "chevron-right":   "\udb80\udd42",
+    "plus":            "\udb80\udc15",
+    "minus":           "\udb80\udc16",
+    "leaf":            "\udb80\udf2a",
+    "rocket":          "\udb81\udc63",
+    "balance":         "\udb81\uddd1",
+    "moon":            "\udb81\udd94",
+    "sun":             "\udb81\udd99",
+    "trash":           "\udb81\udcd7",        // mdi-delete
+    "edit":            "\udb80\udd66",
+    "search":          "\udb80\udd6f",
+    "menu":            "\udb80\udd6c",
+    "home":            "\udb80\udf0c",
+    "folder":          "\udb80\udd99",
+    "file":            "\udb80\udd97",
+    "calendar":        "\udb80\udcf7",        // mdi-calendar
+    "circle":          "\udb80\udd2f"
+  })
+
+  function get(name) {
+    var key = String(name || "").toLowerCase()
+    if (glyphs[key]) return glyphs[key]
+    return "?"
+  }
+
+  function has(name) {
+    return !!glyphs[String(name || "").toLowerCase()]
+  }
+}
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Commons/Logger.qml b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Commons/Logger.qml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..bac5f9c7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Commons/Logger.qml
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+pragma Singleton
+import QtQuick
+
+// Noctalia compat shim. Plugins call Logger.d/i/w/e routinely.
+QtObject {
+  function format(args) {
+    var out = []
+    for (var i = 0; i < args.length; i++) {
+      var a = args[i]
+      out.push(a === undefined ? "undefined" : (a === null ? "null" : String(a)))
+    }
+    return out.join(" ")
+  }
+
+  function d() { console.debug(format(arguments)) }
+  function i() { console.info(format(arguments)) }
+  function w() { console.warn(format(arguments)) }
+  function e() { console.error(format(arguments)) }
+}
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Commons/Settings.qml b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Commons/Settings.qml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..015ffd4f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Commons/Settings.qml
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+pragma Singleton
+import QtQuick
+import Quickshell
+import Quickshell.Io
+
+// Noctalia compat shim. Their plugins read Settings.data.* and call
+// Settings.getBarPositionForScreen / getBarWidgetsForScreen. We expose a
+// read-only view of our shell.json so reads succeed; writes are best routed
+// through pluginApi.saveSettings() instead.
+QtObject {
+  id: root
+
+  property var data: ({
+    bar: {
+      position: "top",
+      widgets: { left: [], center: [], right: [] }
+    },
+    general: {},
+    colorSchemes: { darkMode: true }
+  })
+
+  // Plugins use this gate around verbose debug logging. Defaulting to false
+  // keeps their Logger.d calls silent unless we explicitly flip it.
+  property bool isDebug: false
+
+  // shellConfig is wired by shell.qml at startup; reading it keeps Settings.data
+  // in lockstep with the live shell config.
+  property var shellConfig: null
+  onShellConfigChanged: rebuildData()
+
+  function rebuildData() {
+    var sc = shellConfig || {}
+    var bar = (sc && sc.bar) ? sc.bar : {}
+    var layout = (bar && bar.layout) ? bar.layout : {}
+    data = {
+      bar: {
+        position: bar.position || "top",
+        centerAnchor: bar.centerAnchor || "",
+        fontFamily: bar.fontFamily || "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font",
+        widgets: {
+          left: Array.isArray(layout.left) ? layout.left : [],
+          center: Array.isArray(layout.center) ? layout.center : [],
+          right: Array.isArray(layout.right) ? layout.right : []
+        }
+      },
+      general: {},
+      colorSchemes: { darkMode: true }
+    }
+  }
+
+  function getBarPositionForScreen(name) {
+    return data && data.bar ? data.bar.position : "top"
+  }
+
+  function getBarWidgetsForScreen(name) {
+    return data && data.bar ? data.bar.widgets : { left: [], center: [], right: [] }
+  }
+
+  function getScreenOverrideEntry(name) { return null }
+  function hasScreenOverride(name, key) { return false }
+  function setScreenOverride(name, key, value) { /* not supported */ }
+}
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Commons/ShellState.qml b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Commons/ShellState.qml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..bd1ce2b1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Commons/ShellState.qml
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+pragma Singleton
+import QtQuick
+
+// Noctalia compat shim. Their plugins occasionally introspect global UI
+// state through this singleton. Returning safe defaults lets reads succeed
+// without us tracking the state ourselves.
+QtObject {
+  readonly property bool isLoaded: true
+  property var activeScreen: null
+  property bool launcherOpen: false
+  property bool controlCenterOpen: false
+  property bool settingsOpen: false
+}
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Commons/Style.qml b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Commons/Style.qml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..de84185a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Commons/Style.qml
@@ -0,0 +1,101 @@
+pragma Singleton
+import QtQuick
+import "." as Commons
+
+// Noctalia compat shim. Sizing/spacing/typography tokens that plugins
+// reference unconditionally. Real values picked to roughly match what
+// Omarchy renders today — close enough that plugin layouts don't look
+// jarring next to native widgets.
+QtObject {
+  id: root
+
+  // Radii.
+  readonly property real radiusXS: 2
+  readonly property real radiusS:  3
+  readonly property real radiusM:  4
+  readonly property real radiusL:  6
+  readonly property real radiusXL: 8
+  readonly property real iRadiusXS: 2
+  readonly property real iRadiusS:  3
+  readonly property real iRadiusM:  4
+  readonly property real iRadiusL:  6
+
+  // Margins / paddings. Noctalia uses two parallel scales for margins (one
+  // tighter, one looser); we map them to the same values.
+  readonly property real marginXS:  2
+  readonly property real marginS:   4
+  readonly property real marginM:   6
+  readonly property real marginL:   10
+  readonly property real marginXL:  14
+  readonly property real margin2XXS: 1
+  readonly property real margin2XS: 2
+  readonly property real margin2S:  3
+  readonly property real margin2M:  5
+  readonly property real margin2L:  8
+  readonly property real margin2XL: 12
+
+  // Border widths.
+  readonly property real borderS: 1
+  readonly property real borderM: 1
+  readonly property real borderL: 2
+
+  // Font sizes.
+  readonly property real fontSizeXXS:  9
+  readonly property real fontSizeXS:  10
+  readonly property real fontSizeS:   11
+  readonly property real fontSizeM:   12
+  readonly property real fontSizeL:   14
+  readonly property real fontSizeXL:  16
+  readonly property real fontSizeXXL: 20
+  readonly property real fontSizeXXXL: 24
+
+  // Font weights.
+  readonly property int fontWeightLight:    300
+  readonly property int fontWeightRegular:  400
+  readonly property int fontWeightMedium:   500
+  readonly property int fontWeightSemiBold: 600
+  readonly property int fontWeightBold:     700
+
+  // Opacities.
+  readonly property real opacityLight:  0.4
+  readonly property real opacityMedium: 0.6
+  readonly property real opacityHeavy:  0.8
+  readonly property real opacityFull:   1.0
+
+  // Animation durations (ms).
+  readonly property int animationFast:    100
+  readonly property int animationNormal:  160
+  readonly property int animationSlow:    250
+  readonly property int animationSlower:  400
+  readonly property int animationSlowest: 600
+
+  // Tooltip delay (ms).
+  readonly property int tooltipDelay: 400
+
+  // Capsule (bar pill) tokens. The Omarchy bar is flat, no capsule background,
+  // so we route these to transparent + the foreground outline for visual hint.
+  readonly property color capsuleColor:        Qt.rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)
+  readonly property color capsuleBorderColor:  Qt.rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)
+  readonly property real  capsuleBorderWidth:  0
+  readonly property real  baseWidgetSize:      22
+
+  // UI scale ratio. Noctalia plugins multiply lengths by this when
+  // applyUiScale is true; we leave it at 1.
+  readonly property real uiScaleRatio: 1.0
+
+  // Helpers. Plugins pass screen names but in practice we ignore them and
+  // return our shell-wide values.
+  function getBarHeightForScreen(name)    { return 28 }
+  function getCapsuleHeightForScreen(name) { return 22 }
+  function getBarFontSizeForScreen(name)  { return fontSizeM }
+  function getBarRadiusForScreen(name)    { return radiusM }
+
+  function pixelAlignCenter(parentSize, childSize) {
+    return Math.round((Number(parentSize) - Number(childSize)) / 2)
+  }
+
+  function toOdd(n) {
+    var i = Math.floor(Number(n))
+    return i | 1
+  }
+}
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Commons/ThemeIcons.qml b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Commons/ThemeIcons.qml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..59d974bc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Commons/ThemeIcons.qml
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+pragma Singleton
+import QtQuick
+
+// Noctalia compat shim. Their plugins resolve app icons through XDG icon
+// themes; we don't ship that machinery, so iconForAppId returns empty and
+// callers fall back to their default glyph.
+QtObject {
+  function iconFromName(name) { return "" }
+  function iconForAppId(appId) { return "" }
+}
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Commons/Time.qml b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Commons/Time.qml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9c549ff2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Commons/Time.qml
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+pragma Singleton
+import QtQuick
+
+// Noctalia compat shim.
+QtObject {
+  function getFormattedTimestamp() {
+    return new Date().toISOString()
+  }
+
+  function nowMs() {
+    return Date.now()
+  }
+
+  function formatDate(date, fmt) {
+    if (!date) date = new Date()
+    return Qt.formatDateTime(date, fmt || "yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss")
+  }
+}
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Commons/qmldir b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Commons/qmldir
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f34bcbe4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Commons/qmldir
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+module qs.Commons
+singleton Color 1.0 Color.qml
+singleton Style 1.0 Style.qml
+singleton Logger 1.0 Logger.qml
+singleton Settings 1.0 Settings.qml
+singleton I18n 1.0 I18n.qml
+singleton Time 1.0 Time.qml
+singleton Icons 1.0 Icons.qml
+singleton ThemeIcons 1.0 ThemeIcons.qml
+singleton ShellState 1.0 ShellState.qml
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/README.md b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/README.md
index db65be2a..85255895 100644
--- a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/README.md
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/README.md
@@ -19,8 +19,9 @@ The runtime layout in this branch:
 ```
 default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/
   shell.qml              entry point (ShellRoot)
+  shell-defaults.json    canonical out-of-the-box config
   services/
-    PluginRegistry.qml   discovers, validates, persists plugin state
+    PluginRegistry.qml   discovers, validates plugins, looks up enabled state in shell.json
     BarWidgetRegistry.qml unified registry for bar widgets (1p + 3p)
   ui/
     settings/
@@ -133,12 +134,63 @@ type-stable across QML's `string`-only IPC arguments.
 
 ## Persisted state
 
-| Path                                      | Owner          | Purpose                              |
-|-------------------------------------------|----------------|--------------------------------------|
-| `~/.config/omarchy/bar.json`              | bar plugin     | section layout + per-entry settings  |
-| `~/.config/omarchy/plugins.json`          | PluginRegistry | enabled/disabled state               |
-| `~/.config/omarchy/plugins/<id>/`         | user           | manifest + entry points + assets     |
-| `~/.config/omarchy/plugins/<id>/settings.json` | user      | optional per-plugin overrides        |
+There is one user config file. Everything that distinguishes your
+customization from the shipped defaults lives in it.
+
+| Path                              | Owner          | Purpose                                                |
+|-----------------------------------|----------------|--------------------------------------------------------|
+| `~/.config/omarchy/shell.json`    | the shell      | full layout + per-entry settings + enabled plugin list |
+| `~/.config/omarchy/plugins/<id>/` | user           | drop-in third-party plugin source files                |
+
+The `shell-defaults.json` bundled with the shell describes the
+fresh-install state. When the user has no `shell.json`, the shell uses
+the defaults verbatim. Once the user customizes anything, `shell.json`
+becomes the authoritative file — we do **not** deep-merge defaults back
+in. Pressing **Reset to defaults** in `omarchy launch bar-settings`
+rewrites `shell.json` from the current `shell-defaults.json`.
+
+### shell.json shape
+
+```json
+{
+  "version": 1,
+  "bar": {
+    "position": "top",
+    "centerAnchor": "calendar",
+    "fontFamily": "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font",
+    "layout": {
+      "left":   [ { "id": "omarchy" }, { "id": "workspacesPro" } ],
+      "center": [ { "id": "calendar", "format": "HH:mm" } ],
+      "right": [
+        { "id": "audioPanel" },
+        { "id": "controlCenter" },
+        { "id": "powerMenu" }
+      ]
+    }
+  },
+  "plugins": [
+    { "id": "omarchy.bar-settings" },
+    { "id": "omarchy.image-picker" }
+  ]
+}
+```
+
+### Storage rules
+
+1. **Every plugin instance is one entry.** Either in `bar.layout.<section>`
+   for bar widgets, or in `plugins[]` for panels, overlays, services,
+   menus, and anything else non-bar.
+2. **Settings are inline on the entry.** No `config:` sub-object, no
+   separate per-plugin settings file, no merge layers. The fields on each
+   entry are the values the plugin sees.
+3. **Enabled ⇔ present.** A plugin is enabled iff its id appears somewhere
+   in shell.json. To disable, remove it. (The bar settings UI does both.)
+4. **Multiple instances** are allowed when a manifest sets
+   `allowMultiple: true`. Each instance is independent — e.g. two clocks
+   in different timezones are just two `{"id":"calendar", "timezone": ...}`
+   entries with their own values.
+5. **`version: 1` is required** at the top level. The shell will fall back
+   to defaults rather than load an unknown version.
 
 ## Implementation history
 
@@ -151,6 +203,7 @@ Built up in phases on this branch:
 - Phase 5 — `omarchy-shell phase 5: docs, cleanup, and migration crumbs`
 - Phase 6 — `omarchy-shell phase 6: reviewer cleanup (path traversal, collision, races)`
 - Phase 7 — `omarchy-shell phase 7: replace socket with IpcHandler, rename to image-picker`
+- Phase 8a — `omarchy-shell phase 8a: unified shell.json with inline plugin settings`
 
 Shared services and Pipewire/UPower/Hyprland consolidation are explicitly
 out of scope here and deferred to a follow-up after a review pass.
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Services/Power/PowerProfileService.qml b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Services/Power/PowerProfileService.qml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..cca40490
--- /dev/null
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Services/Power/PowerProfileService.qml
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+pragma Singleton
+import QtQuick
+
+// Noctalia compat shim. The "noctaliaPerformanceMode" flag was a v3 internal
+// state Noctalia plugins occasionally check. We hardcode false; plugins that
+// branch on it will fall into the non-performance code path.
+QtObject {
+  readonly property bool noctaliaPerformanceMode: false
+}
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Services/Power/qmldir b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Services/Power/qmldir
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f9e714fc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Services/Power/qmldir
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+module qs.Services.Power
+singleton PowerProfileService 1.0 PowerProfileService.qml
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Services/System/HostService.qml b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Services/System/HostService.qml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..835a807f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Services/System/HostService.qml
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+pragma Singleton
+import QtQuick
+import Quickshell
+import Quickshell.Io
+
+// Noctalia compat shim. activate-linux and a few other plugins display
+// distro/host info. We parse /etc/os-release lazily.
+QtObject {
+  id: root
+
+  property string osPretty: ""
+  property string osName: ""
+  property string osVersion: ""
+  property string hostname: ""
+
+  property Process osReleaseProc: Process {
+    command: ["bash", "-c",
+      "( . /etc/os-release && printf '%s\\t%s\\t%s\\n' \"$PRETTY_NAME\" \"$NAME\" \"$VERSION_ID\" ); hostname"]
+    onExited: {
+      var text = String(osReleaseStdout.text || "").trim().split("\n")
+      if (text.length >= 1) {
+        var fields = text[0].split("\t")
+        root.osPretty = fields[0] || ""
+        root.osName = fields[1] || ""
+        root.osVersion = fields[2] || ""
+      }
+      if (text.length >= 2) root.hostname = text[1].trim()
+    }
+    stdout: StdioCollector {
+      id: osReleaseStdout
+      waitForEnd: true
+    }
+  }
+
+  Component.onCompleted: osReleaseProc.running = true
+}
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Services/System/qmldir b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Services/System/qmldir
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2d3fbbc6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Services/System/qmldir
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+module qs.Services.System
+singleton HostService 1.0 HostService.qml
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Services/UI/BarService.qml b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Services/UI/BarService.qml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..df5c8f13
--- /dev/null
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Services/UI/BarService.qml
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+pragma Singleton
+import QtQuick
+
+// Noctalia compat shim. Plugin bar widgets call into BarService for
+// registration bookkeeping and to ask the host where their tooltip should
+// pop. We track the bar reference (set by the host at startup) and expose
+// the helpers plugins actually use.
+QtObject {
+  id: root
+
+  // Wired by omarchy-shell's Bar.qml on construction so we can reach back
+  // for things like position and the tooltip popup.
+  property var bar: null
+
+  // Plugins read this when computing their own layout-revision markers.
+  property int widgetsRevision: 0
+
+  // Bookkeeping for plugin widgets. Not consulted by Omarchy itself; some
+  // plugins call lookupWidget() to coordinate across instances.
+  property var registered: ({})
+
+  function registerWidget(screen, section, widgetId, index, item) {
+    var key = (screen && screen.name ? screen.name : "_") + ":" + section + ":" + widgetId + ":" + index
+    var next = {}
+    for (var k in registered) next[k] = registered[k]
+    next[key] = { screen: screen, section: section, widgetId: widgetId, index: index, item: item }
+    registered = next
+    widgetsRevision++
+  }
+
+  function unregisterWidget(screen, section, widgetId, index) {
+    var key = (screen && screen.name ? screen.name : "_") + ":" + section + ":" + widgetId + ":" + index
+    if (!registered[key]) return
+    var next = {}
+    for (var k in registered) if (k !== key) next[k] = registered[k]
+    registered = next
+    widgetsRevision++
+  }
+
+  // Plugins occasionally search for a sibling widget by id. We do a linear
+  // scan since the registry is small in practice.
+  function lookupWidget(widgetId) {
+    for (var k in registered) {
+      if (registered[k].widgetId === widgetId) return registered[k]
+    }
+    return undefined
+  }
+
+  // Translate the bar's edge to a tooltip direction string. Noctalia expects
+  // strings; the Omarchy bar drives its own tooltip popup off bar.position.
+  function getTooltipDirection(screenName) {
+    var pos = bar ? bar.position : "top"
+    if (pos === "top") return "down"
+    if (pos === "bottom") return "up"
+    if (pos === "left") return "right"
+    if (pos === "right") return "left"
+    return "down"
+  }
+
+  function getPillDirection(item) {
+    var pos = bar ? bar.position : "top"
+    return pos === "left" || pos === "right" ? "horizontal" : "vertical"
+  }
+
+  // Forward into the omarchy-shell host. Most Noctalia widgets call this
+  // from a right-click handler.
+  function openWidgetSettings(screen, section, sectionWidgetIndex, widgetId, widgetSettings) {
+    if (bar && bar.shell && typeof bar.shell.summon === "function") {
+      bar.shell.summon("omarchy.bar-settings",
+        JSON.stringify({ focusWidgetId: widgetId, section: section, index: sectionWidgetIndex }))
+    }
+  }
+
+  function openPluginSettings(screen, manifest) {
+    if (bar && bar.shell && typeof bar.shell.summon === "function") {
+      bar.shell.summon("omarchy.bar-settings",
+        JSON.stringify({ focusPluginId: manifest ? manifest.id : "" }))
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Services/UI/PanelService.qml b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Services/UI/PanelService.qml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6892682f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Services/UI/PanelService.qml
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+pragma Singleton
+import QtQuick
+
+// Noctalia compat shim. Plugins use this for context menus and to reach
+// the host's panels. We forward into the omarchy-shell host where there's
+// a matching surface, and log a warning for anything we don't ship in v1.
+QtObject {
+  id: root
+
+  property var bar: null
+  property var shell: null
+
+  // Plugins call this on right-click with a Menu component. The Noctalia
+  // implementation parents the menu to the screen's overlay; we simply
+  // call `open()` on whatever the plugin passes — most plugin context menus
+  // are plain QtQuick `Menu` items that know how to show themselves.
+  function showContextMenu(menu, item, screen) {
+    if (!menu) return
+    if (typeof menu.popup === "function") menu.popup()
+    else if (typeof menu.open === "function") menu.open()
+  }
+
+  function closeContextMenu(screen) {
+    // No-op; the Menu / PopupWindow closes itself on outside click.
+  }
+
+  function openLauncherWithSearch(screen, prefix) {
+    console.warn("PanelService.openLauncherWithSearch is not supported in the Omarchy compat layer")
+  }
+
+  function getPanel(name, screen) {
+    return null
+  }
+}
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Services/UI/TooltipService.qml b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Services/UI/TooltipService.qml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..28c3554d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Services/UI/TooltipService.qml
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+pragma Singleton
+import QtQuick
+
+// Noctalia compat shim. Their plugins call TooltipService.show(item, text)
+// on hover; we route that into the Omarchy bar's shared tooltip popup.
+QtObject {
+  id: root
+
+  // Wired by Bar.qml on construction.
+  property var bar: null
+
+  function show(item, text, direction) {
+    if (!bar || !item) return
+    if (typeof bar.showTooltip === "function") {
+      bar.showTooltip(item, text || "")
+    }
+  }
+
+  function hide(item) {
+    if (!bar) return
+    if (typeof bar.hideTooltip === "function") {
+      bar.hideTooltip(item || null)
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Services/UI/qmldir b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Services/UI/qmldir
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d36460cb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Services/UI/qmldir
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+module qs.Services.UI
+singleton BarService 1.0 BarService.qml
+singleton TooltipService 1.0 TooltipService.qml
+singleton PanelService 1.0 PanelService.qml
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NBox.qml b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NBox.qml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b3bb2b7f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NBox.qml
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+import QtQuick
+import qs.Commons
+
+Rectangle {
+  color: Color.mSurfaceVariant
+  border.color: Color.mOutline
+  border.width: Style.borderS
+  radius: Style.radiusM
+}
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NButton.qml b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NButton.qml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..db709429
--- /dev/null
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NButton.qml
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+import QtQuick
+import QtQuick.Controls
+import qs.Commons
+
+Button {
+  id: root
+  property string label: ""
+  property color colorBg: Color.mSurfaceVariant
+  property color colorFg: Color.mOnSurface
+
+  text: label || ""
+  background: Rectangle {
+    color: root.hovered ? Color.mHover : root.colorBg
+    radius: Style.radiusM
+    border.color: Color.mOutline
+    border.width: Style.borderS
+  }
+  contentItem: Text {
+    text: root.text
+    color: root.colorFg
+    font.family: "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font"
+    font.pixelSize: Style.fontSizeM
+    horizontalAlignment: Text.AlignHCenter
+    verticalAlignment: Text.AlignVCenter
+  }
+}
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NCheckbox.qml b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NCheckbox.qml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9b0b8633
--- /dev/null
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NCheckbox.qml
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+import QtQuick
+import QtQuick.Controls
+import qs.Commons
+
+CheckBox {
+  id: root
+  property string label: ""
+  text: label || ""
+  font.family: "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font"
+  font.pixelSize: Style.fontSizeS
+}
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NComboBox.qml b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NComboBox.qml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c45008e3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NComboBox.qml
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+import QtQuick
+import QtQuick.Controls
+import qs.Commons
+
+ComboBox {
+  id: root
+  property string label: ""
+
+  font.family: "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font"
+  font.pixelSize: Style.fontSizeS
+  background: Rectangle {
+    color: Color.mSurfaceVariant
+    border.color: Color.mOutline
+    border.width: Style.borderS
+    radius: Style.radiusS
+  }
+}
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NDivider.qml b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NDivider.qml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..7bbe406f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NDivider.qml
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+import QtQuick
+import qs.Commons
+
+Rectangle {
+  implicitHeight: 1
+  color: Color.mOutline
+  opacity: 0.4
+}
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NIcon.qml b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NIcon.qml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0f0710e2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NIcon.qml
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+import QtQuick
+import qs.Commons
+
+// Noctalia compat shim. Renders an icon by name through the Icons map.
+Text {
+  id: root
+  property string icon: ""
+  property real pointSize: 14
+  property bool applyUiScale: true
+
+  text: Icons.get(icon)
+  color: Color.mOnSurface
+  font.family: "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font"
+  font.pixelSize: Math.round(pointSize * (applyUiScale ? Style.uiScaleRatio : 1))
+  verticalAlignment: Text.AlignVCenter
+  horizontalAlignment: Text.AlignHCenter
+  renderType: Text.NativeRendering
+}
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NIconButton.qml b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NIconButton.qml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5f7607b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NIconButton.qml
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+import QtQuick
+import qs.Commons
+import qs.Services.UI
+
+// Noctalia compat shim. The widget plugins lean on this heavily; it's the
+// primary clickable bar element. We mimic Noctalia's surface area
+// (icon/text/tooltip/colors/border) but skip the long tail of properties
+// no observed plugin actually sets.
+Rectangle {
+  id: root
+
+  property string icon: ""
+  property string text: ""
+  property string tooltipText: ""
+  property string tooltipDirection: ""
+  property real baseSize: Style.baseWidgetSize
+  property bool applyUiScale: false
+  property real customRadius: -1
+  property color colorBg: Style.capsuleColor
+  property color colorFg: Color.mOnSurface
+  property color colorBgHover: Color.mHover
+  property color colorFgHover: Color.mOnHover
+  property color colorBorder: Style.capsuleBorderColor
+  property color colorBorderHover: Style.capsuleBorderColor
+  property bool flat: false
+
+  signal clicked()
+  signal rightClicked()
+  signal middleClicked()
+  signal wheel(int delta)
+
+  readonly property real effectiveSize: Math.round(baseSize * (applyUiScale ? Style.uiScaleRatio : 1))
+
+  implicitWidth: effectiveSize
+  implicitHeight: effectiveSize
+  radius: customRadius >= 0 ? customRadius : Style.radiusM
+  color: mouse.containsMouse ? colorBgHover : colorBg
+  border.color: mouse.containsMouse ? colorBorderHover : colorBorder
+  border.width: Style.capsuleBorderWidth
+
+  Behavior on color { ColorAnimation { duration: Style.animationFast } }
+
+  Text {
+    anchors.centerIn: parent
+    text: root.icon ? Icons.get(root.icon) : root.text
+    color: mouse.containsMouse ? root.colorFgHover : root.colorFg
+    font.family: "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font"
+    font.pixelSize: Math.round(Style.fontSizeM * (root.applyUiScale ? Style.uiScaleRatio : 1))
+    Behavior on color { ColorAnimation { duration: Style.animationFast } }
+  }
+
+  MouseArea {
+    id: mouse
+    anchors.fill: parent
+    hoverEnabled: true
+    cursorShape: Qt.PointingHandCursor
+    acceptedButtons: Qt.LeftButton | Qt.RightButton | Qt.MiddleButton
+    onEntered: if (root.tooltipText) TooltipService.show(root, root.tooltipText, root.tooltipDirection)
+    onExited: TooltipService.hide(root)
+    onClicked: function(m) {
+      if (m.button === Qt.RightButton) root.rightClicked()
+      else if (m.button === Qt.MiddleButton) root.middleClicked()
+      else root.clicked()
+    }
+    onWheel: function(w) { root.wheel(w.angleDelta.y) }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NPopupContextMenu.qml b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NPopupContextMenu.qml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..498ccefa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NPopupContextMenu.qml
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+import QtQuick
+import QtQuick.Controls
+import qs.Commons
+
+// Noctalia compat shim. Plugins instantiate this with a model of action
+// objects and expect `triggered(action)` when a row is picked.
+Menu {
+  id: root
+
+  property var model: []
+  signal triggered(string action)
+
+  Instantiator {
+    model: root.model
+    delegate: MenuItem {
+      required property var modelData
+      text: modelData ? String(modelData.label || modelData.action || "") : ""
+      onTriggered: root.triggered(modelData ? String(modelData.action || "") : "")
+    }
+    onObjectAdded: function(index, object) { root.insertItem(index, object) }
+    onObjectRemoved: function(index, object) { root.removeItem(object) }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NScrollText.qml b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NScrollText.qml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..806e9aee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NScrollText.qml
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+import QtQuick
+import qs.Commons
+
+// Noctalia compat shim. Auto-scrolling label.
+Item {
+  id: root
+
+  property string text: ""
+  property real maxWidth: 200
+  property real pointSize: Style.fontSizeM
+  property int scrollMode: NScrollText.ScrollMode.Hover
+  property bool forcedHover: false
+  property real fadeExtent: 0.1
+  property real fadeCornerRadius: 0
+  property bool fadeRoundLeftCorners: false
+  property bool fadeRoundRightCorners: false
+  property color textColor: Color.mOnSurface
+
+  enum ScrollMode { Always, Hover, Never }
+
+  implicitHeight: label.implicitHeight
+  implicitWidth: Math.min(maxWidth, label.implicitWidth)
+  clip: true
+
+  readonly property bool overflowing: label.implicitWidth > width
+  readonly property bool shouldScroll: {
+    if (!overflowing) return false
+    if (scrollMode === NScrollText.ScrollMode.Always) return true
+    if (scrollMode === NScrollText.ScrollMode.Hover) return forcedHover
+    return false
+  }
+
+  Text {
+    id: label
+    text: root.text
+    color: root.textColor
+    font.family: "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font"
+    font.pixelSize: root.pointSize
+    verticalAlignment: Text.AlignVCenter
+    height: parent.height
+    anchors.verticalCenter: parent.verticalCenter
+
+    NumberAnimation on x {
+      id: scrollAnim
+      running: root.shouldScroll
+      loops: Animation.Infinite
+      duration: Math.max(5000, label.implicitWidth * 22)
+      from: root.width
+      to: -label.implicitWidth
+      easing.type: Easing.Linear
+    }
+
+    onShouldScrollChanged: if (!root.shouldScroll) x = 0
+  }
+}
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NSlider.qml b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NSlider.qml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4cc311f9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NSlider.qml
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+import QtQuick
+import QtQuick.Controls
+import qs.Commons
+
+Slider {
+  id: root
+  property string label: ""
+}
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NSpinBox.qml b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NSpinBox.qml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..08ded63d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NSpinBox.qml
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+import QtQuick
+import QtQuick.Controls
+import qs.Commons
+
+SpinBox {
+  id: root
+  property string label: ""
+  font.family: "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font"
+  font.pixelSize: Style.fontSizeS
+}
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NText.qml b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NText.qml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..84e4aebc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NText.qml
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+import QtQuick
+import qs.Commons
+
+// Noctalia compat shim. The original supports pointSize (interpreted as
+// pixel size in Noctalia) plus an applyUiScale flag. We translate to
+// font.pixelSize directly; uiScaleRatio comes from Style.
+Text {
+  id: root
+  property real pointSize: 12
+  property bool applyUiScale: true
+  property var customFont: null
+
+  color: Color.mOnSurface
+  font.family: customFont || "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font"
+  font.pixelSize: Math.round(pointSize * (applyUiScale ? Style.uiScaleRatio : 1))
+  font.weight: Style.fontWeightRegular
+  verticalAlignment: Text.AlignVCenter
+  renderType: Text.NativeRendering
+}
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NTextInput.qml b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NTextInput.qml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..234b332d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NTextInput.qml
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+import QtQuick
+import QtQuick.Controls
+import qs.Commons
+
+TextField {
+  id: root
+  property string label: ""
+  property string description: ""
+  property string defaultValue: ""
+
+  font.family: "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font"
+  font.pixelSize: Style.fontSizeS
+  color: Color.mOnSurface
+  background: Rectangle {
+    color: Color.mSurfaceVariant
+    border.color: root.focus ? Color.mPrimary : Color.mOutline
+    border.width: Style.borderS
+    radius: Style.radiusS
+  }
+}
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NToggle.qml b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NToggle.qml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ef404608
--- /dev/null
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/NToggle.qml
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+import QtQuick
+import QtQuick.Controls
+import qs.Commons
+
+Switch {
+  id: root
+  property string label: ""
+
+  indicator: Rectangle {
+    implicitWidth: 32
+    implicitHeight: 18
+    x: root.leftPadding
+    y: root.height / 2 - height / 2
+    radius: height / 2
+    color: root.checked ? Color.mPrimary : Color.mSurfaceVariant
+    border.color: Color.mOutline
+    border.width: Style.borderS
+
+    Rectangle {
+      x: root.checked ? parent.width - width - 2 : 2
+      y: 2
+      width: parent.height - 4
+      height: parent.height - 4
+      radius: height / 2
+      color: Color.mOnSurface
+      Behavior on x { NumberAnimation { duration: Style.animationFast } }
+    }
+  }
+
+  contentItem: Text {
+    leftPadding: 38
+    text: root.label || root.text
+    color: Color.mOnSurface
+    font.family: "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font"
+    font.pixelSize: Style.fontSizeS
+    verticalAlignment: Text.AlignVCenter
+  }
+}
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/qmldir b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/qmldir
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ee82b347
--- /dev/null
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/Widgets/qmldir
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+module qs.Widgets
+NText 1.0 NText.qml
+NIcon 1.0 NIcon.qml
+NIconButton 1.0 NIconButton.qml
+NBox 1.0 NBox.qml
+NButton 1.0 NButton.qml
+NPopupContextMenu 1.0 NPopupContextMenu.qml
+NScrollText 1.0 NScrollText.qml
+NToggle 1.0 NToggle.qml
+NSpinBox 1.0 NSpinBox.qml
+NSlider 1.0 NSlider.qml
+NTextInput 1.0 NTextInput.qml
+NComboBox 1.0 NComboBox.qml
+NCheckbox 1.0 NCheckbox.qml
+NDivider 1.0 NDivider.qml
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/compat/noctalia/PluginApiFactory.qml b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/compat/noctalia/PluginApiFactory.qml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..47be96b3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/compat/noctalia/PluginApiFactory.qml
@@ -0,0 +1,101 @@
+import QtQuick
+import Quickshell
+
+// Builds the `pluginApi` QtObject that Noctalia plugins expect. The host
+// (omarchy-shell or the bar) calls create() once per plugin and caches the
+// returned object so the same handle is reused across the plugin's bar
+// widget, panel, settings form, etc.
+Item {
+  // create(pluginId, manifest, settingsProvider, hostBridge) -> QtObject
+  //
+  // settingsProvider: function() that returns the plugin's current settings
+  //   merged with defaults. Called fresh on every read so the plugin always
+  //   sees the live shell.json entry, not a stale snapshot from when create()
+  //   was first called.
+  // hostBridge: object with these methods (all optional):
+  //   - persistSettings(pluginId, settings): write back to shell.json via
+  //     the shell's updateEntryInline helper.
+  //   - openPanel(pluginId, screen, buttonItem): summon the plugin's panel
+  //     entry point through the shell's plugin host.
+  //   - closePanel(pluginId, screen): hide a previously-summoned panel.
+  //   - currentScreen(): return the screen the plugin should anchor to.
+  // togglePanel is provided by the factory itself and routes through the
+  // open/closePanel bridge methods. Main.qml service instances are wired
+  // separately by the shell and set on api.mainInstance once instantiated.
+  function create(pluginId, manifest, settingsProvider, hostBridge) {
+    var api = pluginApiFactory.createObject(null, {
+      pluginId: pluginId,
+      pluginDir: manifest && manifest.__sourceDir ? manifest.__sourceDir : "",
+      manifest: manifest || ({}),
+      _settingsProvider: settingsProvider || (function() { return {} }),
+      _hostBridge: hostBridge || ({})
+    })
+    return api
+  }
+
+  Component {
+    id: pluginApiFactory
+
+    QtObject {
+      id: api
+
+      property string pluginId: ""
+      property string pluginDir: ""
+      property var manifest: ({})
+      property var _settingsProvider
+      property var _hostBridge: ({})
+      property var mainInstance: null
+
+      // Resolved every read so the plugin sees current shell.json state.
+      readonly property var pluginSettings: _settingsProvider ? _settingsProvider() : ({})
+
+      property var panelOpenScreen: null
+      property var ipcHandlers: ({})
+
+      // Noctalia i18n surface — v1 returns the key as-is.
+      readonly property string currentLanguage: "en"
+      readonly property var pluginTranslations: ({})
+      readonly property var pluginFallbackTranslations: ({})
+      readonly property int translationVersion: 0
+
+      function tr(key, interp) { return String(key === undefined ? "" : key) }
+      function trp(key, count, interp) { return String(key === undefined ? "" : key) }
+      function hasTranslation(key) { return false }
+
+      function saveSettings() {
+        if (_hostBridge && typeof _hostBridge.persistSettings === "function")
+          _hostBridge.persistSettings(pluginId, pluginSettings)
+      }
+
+      function openPanel(screen, buttonItem) {
+        panelOpenScreen = screen
+        if (_hostBridge && typeof _hostBridge.openPanel === "function")
+          _hostBridge.openPanel(pluginId, screen, buttonItem)
+      }
+
+      function closePanel(screen) {
+        panelOpenScreen = null
+        if (_hostBridge && typeof _hostBridge.closePanel === "function")
+          _hostBridge.closePanel(pluginId, screen)
+      }
+
+      function togglePanel(screen, buttonItem) {
+        if (panelOpenScreen) closePanel(screen)
+        else openPanel(screen, buttonItem)
+      }
+
+      function withCurrentScreen(cb) {
+        if (typeof cb !== "function") return
+        var s = (_hostBridge && typeof _hostBridge.currentScreen === "function")
+          ? _hostBridge.currentScreen() : null
+        cb(s)
+      }
+
+      function openLauncher(screen) {
+        console.warn("pluginApi.openLauncher is not supported in the Omarchy compat layer (plugin=" + pluginId + ")")
+      }
+      function closeLauncher(screen) { /* no-op */ }
+      function toggleLauncher(screen) { openLauncher(screen) }
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/compat/noctalia/README.md b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/compat/noctalia/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..bf07fc51
--- /dev/null
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/compat/noctalia/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+# Noctalia plugin compatibility (omarchy-shell)
+
+The omarchy-shell can load most bar widget plugins from the
+[noctalia-dev/noctalia-plugins](https://github.com/noctalia-dev/noctalia-plugins)
+ecosystem without any modification to the plugin code.
+
+## Install a Noctalia plugin
+
+```sh
+git clone https://github.com/noctalia-dev/noctalia-plugins /tmp/noctalia-plugins
+ln -s /tmp/noctalia-plugins/asus-um5606-fan-state \
+      ~/.config/omarchy/plugins/asus-um5606-fan-state
+omarchy-shell-ipc shell rescanPlugins
+```
+
+The plugin id you see inside Omarchy is prefixed: `noctalia.asus-um5606-fan-state`.
+Add it via the bar customizer or by editing `~/.config/omarchy/shell.json` directly.
+
+## What's supported in v1
+
+| Noctalia concept | Omarchy support |
+|---|---|
+| `entryPoints.barWidget` | yes — registered through `BarWidgetRegistry` |
+| `entryPoints.panel` | yes — opened via `pluginApi.openPanel()` |
+| `entryPoints.settings` | yes — embedded in the bar-settings dialog |
+| `entryPoints.main` | yes — instantiated as a hidden service, exposed via `pluginApi.mainInstance` |
+| `entryPoints.desktopWidget` | **no** — skipped with a console warning |
+| `entryPoints.launcherProvider` | **no** — skipped with a console warning |
+| `entryPoints.controlCenterWidget` | **no** — skipped with a console warning |
+| Plugin i18n (`i18n/<lang>.json`) | **no** — `tr()` returns the raw key |
+| Plugin install from git URL | **no** — manual drop into `~/.config/omarchy/plugins/` |
+| Hot reload on plugin change | **no** — call `omarchy-shell-ipc shell rescanPlugins` |
+
+## Shim surface
+
+We ship just enough of Noctalia's QML namespace to render typical bar widgets.
+
+| Module | Symbols |
+|---|---|
+| `qs.Commons` | `Color`, `Style`, `Logger`, `Settings` (read-only), `I18n` (stub), `Time`, `Icons` (~50 entries), `ThemeIcons` (stub), `ShellState` (stub) |
+| `qs.Widgets` | `NText`, `NIcon`, `NIconButton`, `NBox`, `NButton`, `NPopupContextMenu`, `NScrollText`, `NToggle`, `NSpinBox`, `NSlider`, `NTextInput`, `NComboBox`, `NCheckbox`, `NDivider` |
+| `qs.Services.UI` | `BarService`, `TooltipService`, `PanelService` |
+| `qs.Services.System` | `HostService` (reads `/etc/os-release`) |
+| `qs.Services.Power` | `PowerProfileService` (returns `noctaliaPerformanceMode: false`) |
+
+Anything outside this surface logs a `console.warn` instead of crashing the
+shell, but the plugin may not render correctly.
+
+## `pluginApi` surface
+
+A Noctalia plugin's `pluginApi` is built per-plugin and injected onto the bar
+widget / panel / settings entry points. The implementation lives at
+`compat/noctalia/PluginApiFactory.qml`.
+
+| Property / method | Behaviour |
+|---|---|
+| `pluginId`, `pluginDir`, `manifest` | Provided as expected. |
+| `pluginSettings` | Live read of the plugin's entry in `~/.config/omarchy/shell.json`, merged with the manifest's `metadata.defaultSettings`. |
+| `mainInstance` | Live instance of `Main.qml` when the plugin declares one. |
+| `saveSettings()` | Persists the merged settings into the plugin's entry in `shell.json`. |
+| `openPanel(screen, btn)` / `closePanel(screen)` / `togglePanel(screen, btn)` | Routes through `omarchy-shell-ipc shell summon/hide` against the plugin's panel entry point. |
+| `withCurrentScreen(cb)` | Calls `cb` with the bar's currently-rendering screen. |
+| `tr/trp/hasTranslation` | Returns the key as-is; no i18n in v1. |
+| `openLauncher(...)` family | Stub — logs a warning. |
+
+## Known limitations
+
+- Plugin labels show raw translation keys for non-English locales.
+- Icon names not present in our compact `Icons` map render as `?`.
+- Plugins that declare only `desktopWidget` or `launcherProvider` and no
+  bar/panel/main do not appear in the Omarchy catalog.
+- Some plugins call `Color.mPrimary` for accent colors that don't perfectly
+  match Omarchy's theme palette; results are close but not pixel-identical.
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/plugins/README.md b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/plugins/README.md
index d3f270dd..5c764833 100644
--- a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/plugins/README.md
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/plugins/README.md
@@ -16,22 +16,25 @@ User-installed plugins live alongside these conceptually but on disk under
 
 ## Bar
 
-The status bar. Mounted at startup, lives forever. Layout is configured
-through `~/.config/omarchy/bar.json` (deep-merged over
-[`bar/bar-defaults.json`](bar/bar-defaults.json)). Owns the `bar` IPC
-target for refresh hooks fired by indicator scripts. See
-[`bar/README.md`](bar/README.md) for the widget catalogue and customization
-schema.
+The status bar. Mounted at startup, lives forever. Layout lives in the
+top-level `bar:` subtree of `~/.config/omarchy/shell.json` (with the shell
+providing [`shell-defaults.json`](../shell-defaults.json) when the user has
+no file). Owns the `bar` IPC target for refresh hooks fired by indicator
+scripts. See [`bar/README.md`](bar/README.md) for the widget catalogue
+and customization schema.
 
 ## Bar settings
 
-Visual editor for the bar layout. Summoned by
+Visual editor for the entire shell config. Summoned by
 `omarchy-shell-ipc shell summon omarchy.bar-settings "{}"` (which is what
 `omarchy launch bar-settings` ultimately calls). Provides:
 
-- per-section add/move/remove/edit of widget entries
-- a Plugin Manager tab for enabling/disabling third-party plugins
-- a dynamic settings form driven by each widget's manifest schema
+- per-section add/move/remove/edit of bar widget entries
+- a separate "Other plugins" section for panels, overlays, services,
+  and menus (entries that live in `plugins[]` rather than the bar layout)
+- a Plugin Manager tab listing every discovered plugin with its manifest
+- a dynamic settings form driven by each widget's manifest schema, that
+  writes inline back to the corresponding shell.json entry
 
 ## Image picker
 
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/plugins/bar-settings/BarSettingsPanel.qml b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/plugins/bar-settings/BarSettingsPanel.qml
index d2d440c0..1738cd56 100644
--- a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/plugins/bar-settings/BarSettingsPanel.qml
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/plugins/bar-settings/BarSettingsPanel.qml
@@ -19,6 +19,9 @@ Item {
   // so the panel sees the same registry state the bar wrote into.
   property var barWidgetRegistry: null
   property var pluginRegistry: null
+  // The host shell. Used to look up pluginApi for Noctalia plugins so their
+  // Settings.qml can read/write via pluginApi.saveSettings().
+  property var shell: null
 
   // Not `required` so the Loader-based instantiation can satisfy it via
   // onLoaded; we still gracefully fall back to deriving from shellDir for
@@ -32,8 +35,8 @@ Item {
     return Quickshell.env("HOME") + "/.local/share/omarchy"
   }
   readonly property string home: Quickshell.env("HOME")
-  readonly property string userConfigPath: home + "/.config/omarchy/bar.json"
-  readonly property string defaultsPath: omarchyPath + "/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/plugins/bar/bar-defaults.json"
+  readonly property string userConfigPath: home + "/.config/omarchy/shell.json"
+  readonly property string defaultsPath: omarchyPath + "/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/shell-defaults.json"
 
   property color foreground: "#cacccc"
   property color background: "#101315"
@@ -43,32 +46,41 @@ Item {
   property string fontFamily: "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font"
   property string activeTab: "layout"
 
-  // Bundled fallback so 'Reset to defaults' never produces an empty bar even
-  // if bar-defaults.json fails to load. Keep in rough sync with the layout
-  // shipped in default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/plugins/bar/bar-defaults.json.
-  readonly property var builtinBarConfig: ({
-    position: "top",
-    fontFamily: "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font",
-    centerAnchor: "calendar",
-    layout: {
-      left: [{ id: "omarchy" }, { id: "workspacesPro" }, { id: "activeWindow" }],
-      center: [
-        { id: "media" },
-        { id: "calendar", format: "dddd HH:mm", formatAlt: "dd MMMM 'W'ww yyyy", verticalFormat: "HH\n—\nmm" },
-        { id: "weatherFlyout" }, { id: "update" }, { id: "voxtype" },
-        { id: "screenRecording" }, { id: "idle" }, { id: "notifications" }
-      ],
-      right: [
-        { id: "tray" }, { id: "systemStats" }, { id: "microphone" },
-        { id: "bluetoothPanel" }, { id: "networkPanel" }, { id: "audioPanel" },
-        { id: "nightLight" }, { id: "brightness" }, { id: "powerProfile" },
-        { id: "battery" }, { id: "controlCenter" }, { id: "powerMenu" }
-      ]
-    }
+  // Bundled fallback so 'Reset to defaults' never produces an empty config
+  // even if shell-defaults.json fails to load. Keep in rough sync with the
+  // file shipped at default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/shell-defaults.json.
+  readonly property var builtinShellConfig: ({
+    version: 1,
+    bar: {
+      position: "top",
+      fontFamily: "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font",
+      centerAnchor: "calendar",
+      layout: {
+        left: [{ id: "omarchy" }, { id: "workspacesPro" }, { id: "activeWindow" }],
+        center: [
+          { id: "media" },
+          { id: "calendar", format: "dddd HH:mm", formatAlt: "dd MMMM 'W'ww yyyy", verticalFormat: "HH\n—\nmm" },
+          { id: "weatherFlyout" }, { id: "update" }, { id: "voxtype" },
+          { id: "screenRecording" }, { id: "idle" }, { id: "notifications" }
+        ],
+        right: [
+          { id: "tray" }, { id: "systemStats" }, { id: "microphone" },
+          { id: "bluetoothPanel" }, { id: "networkPanel" }, { id: "audioPanel" },
+          { id: "nightLight" }, { id: "brightness" }, { id: "powerProfile" },
+          { id: "battery" }, { id: "controlCenter" }, { id: "powerMenu" }
+        ]
+      }
+    },
+    plugins: [
+      { id: "omarchy.bar-settings" },
+      { id: "omarchy.image-picker" }
+    ]
   })
 
-  property var defaultConfig: builtinBarConfig
-  property var draft: ({ position: "top", centerAnchor: "calendar", layout: { left: [], center: [], right: [] }, fontFamily: "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font" })
+  property var defaultConfig: builtinShellConfig
+  // The draft mirrors the full shell.json on-disk shape. Editors operate on
+  // draft.bar.layout.* and draft.plugins; the file we persist is `draft`.
+  property var draft: ({ version: 1, bar: { position: "top", centerAnchor: "calendar", fontFamily: "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font", layout: { left: [], center: [], right: [] } }, plugins: [] })
   property var registry: ({})
   property int draftRevision: 0
   property bool suppressReload: false
@@ -116,32 +128,53 @@ Item {
   }
 
   function loadConfig() {
-    var defaults = builtinBarConfig
+    var defaults = builtinShellConfig
     var diskText = defaultsFile.text()
     if (diskText) {
       try {
-        defaults = JSON.parse(diskText)
+        var parsed = JSON.parse(diskText)
+        if (isPlainObject(parsed) && parsed.version === 1) defaults = parsed
       } catch (e) {
-        console.warn("Bad defaults JSON, falling back to builtin:", e)
-        defaults = builtinBarConfig
+        console.warn("Bad shell-defaults JSON, falling back to builtin:", e)
+        defaults = builtinShellConfig
       }
     }
     defaultConfig = defaults
 
-    var userText = userFile.text() || "{}"
-    var user = {}
-    try { user = JSON.parse(userText) } catch (e) { user = {} }
-
-    var merged = mergeConfig(defaultConfig, user)
-    draft = {
-      position: String(merged.position || "top"),
-      centerAnchor: String(merged.centerAnchor || ""),
-      fontFamily: String(merged.fontFamily || "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font"),
-      layout: normalizeLayout(merged.layout || {})
+    // shell.json is canonical when present and valid; otherwise we fall back
+    // to defaults. We do NOT deep-merge — once the user has a shell.json, the
+    // file's contents are authoritative.
+    var userText = userFile.text() || ""
+    var source = defaults
+    if (userText.trim()) {
+      try {
+        var u = JSON.parse(userText)
+        if (isPlainObject(u) && u.version === 1) source = u
+      } catch (e) {
+        console.warn("shell.json parse failed in panel:", e)
+      }
     }
+    draft = normalizeDraft(source)
     draftRevision++
   }
 
+  function normalizeDraft(source) {
+    var bar = isPlainObject(source.bar) ? source.bar : {}
+    var plugins = Array.isArray(source.plugins) ? source.plugins.slice() : []
+    return {
+      version: 1,
+      bar: {
+        position: String(bar.position || "top"),
+        centerAnchor: String(bar.centerAnchor || ""),
+        fontFamily: String(bar.fontFamily || "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font"),
+        layout: normalizeLayout(bar.layout || {})
+      },
+      plugins: plugins
+        .map(normalizeLayoutEntry)
+        .filter(function(e) { return !!e })
+    }
+  }
+
   function persistDraft() {
     // Suppress the inotify callback that this write triggers so the FileView
     // reload doesn't race with rapid edits and clobber them.
@@ -154,19 +187,14 @@ Item {
     // (path resolution failed or defaultsFile hasn't finished loading), so
     // Reset never zeroes the bar out.
     var source = defaultConfig
-    if (!isPlainObject(source) || !isPlainObject(source.layout)) {
-      source = builtinBarConfig
+    if (!isPlainObject(source) || !isPlainObject(source.bar) || !isPlainObject(source.bar.layout)) {
+      source = builtinShellConfig
     } else {
-      var l = source.layout
+      var l = source.bar.layout
       var anyEntries = (l.left && l.left.length) || (l.center && l.center.length) || (l.right && l.right.length)
-      if (!anyEntries) source = builtinBarConfig
-    }
-    var payload = {
-      position: String(source.position || "top"),
-      centerAnchor: String(source.centerAnchor || ""),
-      fontFamily: String(source.fontFamily || "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font"),
-      layout: normalizeLayout(source.layout || {})
+      if (!anyEntries) source = builtinShellConfig
     }
+    var payload = normalizeDraft(source)
     // Update the GUI synchronously — the suppressed file-watch callback won't
     // fire loadConfig, so the draft would otherwise stay stale.
     draft = payload
@@ -180,44 +208,45 @@ Item {
     persistDraft()
   }
 
-  // Replace the whole `layout` object so any binding that reads `draft.layout`
-  // is invalidated. Mutating `draft.layout[section]` alone does not notify QML.
-  function mutateLayout(section, mutator) {
-    var nextLayout = {
-      left: draft.layout.left.slice(),
-      center: draft.layout.center.slice(),
-      right: draft.layout.right.slice()
-    }
-    mutator(nextLayout[section])
-    var nextDraft = {
-      position: draft.position,
-      centerAnchor: draft.centerAnchor,
-      fontFamily: draft.fontFamily,
-      layout: nextLayout
-    }
+  // Section list helpers operate on a virtual section name. "left" / "center"
+  // / "right" address draft.bar.layout.<section>; "plugins" addresses
+  // draft.plugins. The mutators replace the whole `draft` so any binding that
+  // reads it re-evaluates.
+  function sectionArray(section) {
+    if (section === "plugins") return draft.plugins || []
+    return (draft.bar && draft.bar.layout && draft.bar.layout[section]) || []
+  }
+
+  function mutateSection(section, mutator) {
+    var arr = sectionArray(section).slice()
+    mutator(arr)
+    var nextDraft = cloneJson(draft)
+    if (section === "plugins") nextDraft.plugins = arr
+    else nextDraft.bar.layout[section] = arr
     draft = nextDraft
     markDirty()
   }
 
   function moveEntry(section, fromIndex, toIndex) {
-    if (toIndex < 0 || toIndex >= draft.layout[section].length) return
-    mutateLayout(section, function(arr) {
-      var item = arr[fromIndex]
-      arr.splice(fromIndex, 1)
-      arr.splice(toIndex, 0, item)
+    var arr = sectionArray(section)
+    if (toIndex < 0 || toIndex >= arr.length) return
+    mutateSection(section, function(a) {
+      var item = a[fromIndex]
+      a.splice(fromIndex, 1)
+      a.splice(toIndex, 0, item)
     })
   }
 
   function removeEntry(section, index) {
-    mutateLayout(section, function(arr) { arr.splice(index, 1) })
+    mutateSection(section, function(a) { a.splice(index, 1) })
   }
 
   function addEntry(section, id) {
-    mutateLayout(section, function(arr) { arr.push({ id: id }) })
+    mutateSection(section, function(a) { a.push({ id: id }) })
   }
 
   function updateEntry(section, index, newEntry) {
-    mutateLayout(section, function(arr) { arr[index] = cloneJson(newEntry) })
+    mutateSection(section, function(a) { a[index] = cloneJson(newEntry) })
   }
 
   function loadTheme(raw) {
@@ -297,12 +326,23 @@ Item {
     var rev = catalogRevision
     var meta = widgetMetadata(id)
     if (meta.settingsForm) return true
-    return widgetSchema(id).length > 0
+    if (widgetSchema(id).length > 0) return true
+    // Noctalia plugins ship their own Settings.qml — surface the gear icon
+    // even though we don't render a built-in form for them.
+    var manifest = root.pluginRegistry ? root.pluginRegistry.installedPlugins[id] : null
+    if (manifest && manifest.__noctaliaCompat && manifest.entryPoints && manifest.entryPoints.settings)
+      return true
+    return false
   }
 
   function widgetIsPlugin(id) {
     var meta = widgetMetadata(id)
-    return meta.source === "plugin" || String(id).indexOf("plugin:") === 0
+    return meta.source === "plugin"
+  }
+
+  function widgetIsNoctaliaPlugin(id) {
+    var manifest = root.pluginRegistry ? root.pluginRegistry.installedPlugins[id] : null
+    return !!(manifest && manifest.__noctaliaCompat)
   }
 
   function widgetAllowsMultiple(id) {
@@ -322,18 +362,24 @@ Item {
     return Object.keys(ids)
   }
 
+  // section is one of "left" / "center" / "right" for bar widgets, or
+  // "plugins" for the non-bar plugin list. The catalogue we offer differs:
+  // bar sections accept anything with kind `bar-widget` (or anything in the
+  // legacy widget metadata); the plugins section accepts panel/overlay/menu/
+  // service kinds.
   function availableToAdd(section) {
     var rev = catalogRevision
-    var existingByOther = {}
-    var sections = ["left", "center", "right"]
-    for (var s = 0; s < sections.length; s++) {
-      if (sections[s] === section) continue
-      var list = draft.layout[sections[s]] || []
-      for (var i = 0; i < list.length; i++) existingByOther[list[i].id] = true
+    var isBarSection = section === "left" || section === "center" || section === "right"
+    var barSections = ["left", "center", "right"]
+
+    var existingInBar = {}
+    for (var s = 0; s < barSections.length; s++) {
+      var list = sectionArray(barSections[s])
+      for (var i = 0; i < list.length; i++) existingInBar[list[i].id] = true
     }
-    var existingHere = {}
-    var here = draft.layout[section] || []
-    for (var j = 0; j < here.length; j++) existingHere[here[j].id] = true
+    var existingInPlugins = {}
+    var pluginList = sectionArray("plugins")
+    for (var p = 0; p < pluginList.length; p++) existingInPlugins[pluginList[p].id] = true
 
     var ids = catalogIds().sort(function(a, b) {
       return widgetName(a).localeCompare(widgetName(b))
@@ -342,8 +388,35 @@ Item {
     var result = []
     for (var k = 0; k < ids.length; k++) {
       var id = ids[k]
-      if (!widgetAllowsMultiple(id) && existingHere[id]) continue
-      result.push({ id: id, name: widgetName(id), description: widgetDescription(id), elsewhere: !!existingByOther[id] })
+      var meta = widgetMetadata(id)
+      var isBarWidget = !!(meta && meta.source !== "plugin")
+        || (meta && meta.kinds && meta.kinds.indexOf && meta.kinds.indexOf("bar-widget") !== -1)
+      if (isBarSection) {
+        if (!isBarWidget && !legacyWidgetMeta[id]) continue
+        var inSection = sectionArray(section)
+        var existsHere = false
+        for (var x = 0; x < inSection.length; x++) if (inSection[x].id === id) { existsHere = true; break }
+        var allowsMultiple = widgetAllowsMultiple(id)
+        // Hard block: if it's already placed in any bar section and the
+        // widget doesn't permit multiple instances, drop it from the menu
+        // entirely rather than offer an "(elsewhere)" entry that would
+        // silently move/duplicate state.
+        if (!allowsMultiple && existingInBar[id]) continue
+        // For widgets that do allow multiple (spacer), the `elsewhere`
+        // hint is informational only.
+        result.push({ id: id, name: widgetName(id), description: widgetDescription(id),
+          elsewhere: allowsMultiple && !!existingInBar[id] && !existsHere,
+          isNoctalia: widgetIsNoctaliaPlugin(id) })
+      } else {
+        // Plugins section: accept anything that has a manifest in the
+        // registry (plugins[] holds non-bar plugins — panel/overlay/menu/
+        // service — keyed by manifest id).
+        var hasManifest = !!(root.pluginRegistry && root.pluginRegistry.installedPlugins[id])
+        if (!hasManifest) continue
+        if (existingInPlugins[id]) continue
+        result.push({ id: id, name: widgetName(id), description: widgetDescription(id), elsewhere: false,
+          isNoctalia: widgetIsNoctaliaPlugin(id) })
+      }
     }
     return result
   }
@@ -432,7 +505,7 @@ Item {
             anchors.verticalCenter: parent.verticalCenter
 
             Text {
-              text: "Auto-saving to ~/.config/omarchy/bar.json"
+              text: "Auto-saving to ~/.config/omarchy/shell.json"
               color: Qt.darker(root.foreground, 1.5)
               font.family: root.fontFamily
               font.pixelSize: 11
@@ -453,25 +526,29 @@ Item {
 
           OptionDropdown {
             label: "Position"
-            value: root.draft.position
+            value: root.draft.bar.position
             options: ["top", "right", "bottom", "left"]
             onChanged: function(v) {
-              root.draft.position = v
+              var next = root.cloneJson(root.draft)
+              next.bar.position = v
+              root.draft = next
               root.markDirty()
             }
           }
 
           OptionDropdown {
             label: "Center anchor"
-            value: root.draft.centerAnchor
+            value: root.draft.bar.centerAnchor
             options: {
               var list = ["(none)"]
-              var entries = root.draft.layout.center || []
+              var entries = root.draft.bar.layout.center || []
               for (var i = 0; i < entries.length; i++) list.push(entries[i].id)
               return list
             }
             onChanged: function(v) {
-              root.draft.centerAnchor = v === "(none)" ? "" : v
+              var next = root.cloneJson(root.draft)
+              next.bar.centerAnchor = v === "(none)" ? "" : v
+              root.draft = next
               root.markDirty()
             }
           }
@@ -525,9 +602,17 @@ Item {
               Layout.fillWidth: true
               spacing: 14
 
-              SectionEditor { sectionKey: "left";   sectionLabel: "Left" }
-              SectionEditor { sectionKey: "center"; sectionLabel: "Center" }
-              SectionEditor { sectionKey: "right";  sectionLabel: "Right" }
+              SectionEditor { sectionKey: "left";   sectionLabel: "Bar · Left" }
+              SectionEditor { sectionKey: "center"; sectionLabel: "Bar · Center" }
+              SectionEditor { sectionKey: "right";  sectionLabel: "Bar · Right" }
+
+              Rectangle {
+                Layout.fillWidth: true
+                height: 1
+                color: Qt.rgba(root.foreground.r, root.foreground.g, root.foreground.b, 0.12)
+              }
+
+              SectionEditor { sectionKey: "plugins"; sectionLabel: "Other plugins" }
             }
 
             PluginManager {
@@ -638,13 +723,13 @@ Item {
 
     property string sectionKey: ""
     property string sectionLabel: ""
-    property var entries: (root.draft.layout && root.draft.layout[section.sectionKey]) || []
+    property var entries: root.sectionArray(section.sectionKey)
     Layout.fillWidth: true
     spacing: 8
 
     Connections {
       target: root
-      function onDraftRevisionChanged() { section.entries = (root.draft.layout && root.draft.layout[section.sectionKey]) || [] }
+      function onDraftRevisionChanged() { section.entries = root.sectionArray(section.sectionKey) }
     }
 
     Row {
@@ -681,7 +766,11 @@ Item {
           model: root.availableToAdd(section.sectionKey)
           delegate: MenuItem {
             required property var modelData
-            text: modelData.name + (modelData.elsewhere ? "  (elsewhere)" : "")
+            // Suffix order matches what users skim left-to-right:
+            // name first, origin badge, then "elsewhere" if shared across sections.
+            text: modelData.name
+              + (modelData.isNoctalia ? "  (Noctalia)" : "")
+              + (modelData.elsewhere ? "  (elsewhere)" : "")
             onTriggered: root.addEntry(section.sectionKey, modelData.id)
           }
         }
@@ -934,6 +1023,11 @@ Item {
     }
   }
 
+  // Resolution order:
+  //   1) First-party inline forms (id-keyed switch).
+  //   2) Noctalia plugin's own Settings.qml — we load it inside a Loader
+  //      so the plugin renders its native UI and writes via pluginApi.
+  //   3) Generic DynamicSettingsForm built from manifest schema entries.
   function formComponent(id) {
     var meta = widgetMetadata(id)
     if (meta && meta.settingsForm) {
@@ -943,6 +1037,9 @@ Item {
       case "brightnessSettings": return brightnessSettingsComponent
       }
     }
+    var manifest = root.pluginRegistry ? root.pluginRegistry.installedPlugins[id] : null
+    if (manifest && manifest.__noctaliaCompat && manifest.entryPoints && manifest.entryPoints.settings)
+      return noctaliaSettingsComponent
     if (widgetSchema(id).length > 0) return dynamicSettingsComponent
     return null
   }
@@ -956,6 +1053,51 @@ Item {
     }
   }
 
+  // Loader stub for Noctalia plugins that bundle a Settings.qml. We load the
+  // plugin's form and inject pluginApi so the plugin's own "save" button
+  // routes through pluginApi.saveSettings() — which lands in shell.json via
+  // shell.updateEntryInline. The plugin form doesn't emit `fieldChanged`,
+  // so the dialog's Apply/Cancel buttons are mostly decorative for these
+  // (writes already happened by the time you click Apply).
+  Component {
+    id: noctaliaSettingsComponent
+
+    Item {
+      id: noctaliaForm
+      property var entry: ({})
+      property string pluginId: entry && entry.id ? String(entry.id) : ""
+      property var manifest: pluginId && root.pluginRegistry
+        ? root.pluginRegistry.installedPlugins[pluginId] : null
+
+      implicitHeight: settingsLoader.item ? settingsLoader.item.implicitHeight : 0
+      implicitWidth: settingsLoader.item ? settingsLoader.item.implicitWidth : 0
+
+      Loader {
+        id: settingsLoader
+        anchors.fill: parent
+        source: {
+          if (!noctaliaForm.manifest) return ""
+          return root.pluginRegistry.entryPointUrl(noctaliaForm.manifest, "settings")
+        }
+        asynchronous: false
+        onLoaded: {
+          if (!item) return
+          var api = (root.shell && typeof root.shell.noctaliaPluginApiFor === "function")
+            ? root.shell.noctaliaPluginApiFor(noctaliaForm.pluginId) : null
+          if (api && "pluginApi" in item) item.pluginApi = api
+          if ("screen" in item && root.QsWindow && root.QsWindow.window)
+            item.screen = root.QsWindow.window.screen
+        }
+        onStatusChanged: {
+          if (status === Loader.Error) {
+            console.warn("noctalia Settings.qml failed for " + noctaliaForm.pluginId + ":",
+              sourceComponent ? sourceComponent.errorString() : "")
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
   Component {
     id: spacerSettingsComponent
 
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/plugins/bar/Bar.qml b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/plugins/bar/Bar.qml
index 0099580c..85c77a86 100644
--- a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/plugins/bar/Bar.qml
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/plugins/bar/Bar.qml
@@ -19,29 +19,26 @@ Item {
   // Injected by the host shell. Shared with the bar-settings panel so both
   // see the same widget catalogue.
   required property var barWidgetRegistry
+  // Injected by the host shell every time shell.json is reloaded. Holds the
+  // `bar:` subtree: position, centerAnchor, fontFamily, layout. The host owns
+  // file IO; the bar just renders whatever it's handed.
+  required property var barConfig
+  // Injected by the host shell so the bar can detect Noctalia-compat plugins
+  // and look up manifests when wiring per-widget Noctalia pluginApi.
+  property var pluginRegistry: null
+  // Injected by the host shell. Used so Noctalia plugins that reach for
+  // shell-wide APIs (openPanel, currentScreen) can do so via pluginApi.
+  property var shell: null
   property string home: Quickshell.env("HOME")
   property string omarchyConfigDir: home + "/.config/omarchy"
-  property var builtinBarConfig: ({
+  property var fallbackBarConfig: ({
     position: "top",
     fontFamily: "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font",
-    centerAnchor: "clock",
-    layout: {
-      left: [{ id: "omarchy" }, { id: "workspaces" }],
-      center: [
-        { id: "clock", format: "dddd HH:mm", formatAlt: "dd MMMM 'W'ww yyyy", verticalFormat: "HH\n—\nmm" },
-        { id: "weather" }, { id: "update" }, { id: "voxtype" },
-        { id: "screenRecording" }, { id: "idle" }, { id: "notifications" }
-      ],
-      right: [
-        { id: "tray" }, { id: "bluetooth" }, { id: "network" },
-        { id: "audio" }, { id: "cpu" }, { id: "battery" }
-      ]
-    }
+    centerAnchor: "calendar",
+    layout: { left: [], center: [], right: [] }
   })
-  property var defaultBarConfig: builtinBarConfig
-  property var userBarConfig: ({})
-  property var layoutConfig: builtinBarConfig.layout
-  property string centerAnchor: "clock"
+  property var layoutConfig: fallbackBarConfig.layout
+  property string centerAnchor: ""
   property int barConfigSerial: 0
   property string position: "top"
   property string fontFamily: "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font"
@@ -80,6 +77,40 @@ Item {
     if (activePopout === owner) activePopout = null
   }
 
+  // -------------------------------------------------- Noctalia compat helpers
+  //
+  // The shell owns pluginApi creation and Main.qml service instantiation now;
+  // bar widgets just look up their api by moduleName. Keeping section/index
+  // helpers here because they're needed for Noctalia bar-widget injection
+  // (widgetId, section, sectionWidgetIndex, sectionWidgetsCount).
+
+  function sectionOfEntry(entry) {
+    var sections = ["left", "center", "right"]
+    for (var s = 0; s < sections.length; s++) {
+      var list = layoutConfig[sections[s]] || []
+      for (var i = 0; i < list.length; i++) {
+        if (list[i] === entry) return sections[s]
+      }
+    }
+    return ""
+  }
+
+  function indexOfEntry(entry) {
+    var section = sectionOfEntry(entry)
+    var list = section ? (layoutConfig[section] || []) : []
+    for (var i = 0; i < list.length; i++) if (list[i] === entry) return i
+    return -1
+  }
+
+  function entriesOfSection(section) {
+    return Array.isArray(layoutConfig[section]) ? layoutConfig[section] : []
+  }
+
+  function noctaliaPluginApiFor(moduleName) {
+    if (!shell || typeof shell.noctaliaPluginApiFor !== "function") return null
+    return shell.noctaliaPluginApiFor(moduleName)
+  }
+
   readonly property bool vertical: position === "left" || position === "right"
   readonly property int barSize: vertical ? 28 : 26
 
@@ -104,51 +135,6 @@ Item {
     return value !== null && typeof value === "object" && !Array.isArray(value)
   }
 
-  function cloneConfig(value) {
-    if (Array.isArray(value)) {
-      var arrayCopy = []
-      for (var i = 0; i < value.length; i++)
-        arrayCopy.push(cloneConfig(value[i]))
-      return arrayCopy
-    }
-
-    if (isPlainObject(value)) {
-      var objectCopy = {}
-      for (var key in value)
-        objectCopy[key] = cloneConfig(value[key])
-      return objectCopy
-    }
-
-    return value
-  }
-
-  function mergeConfig(base, override) {
-    var result = cloneConfig(base || {})
-    if (!isPlainObject(override)) return result
-
-    for (var key in override) {
-      if (isPlainObject(result[key]) && isPlainObject(override[key]))
-        result[key] = mergeConfig(result[key], override[key])
-      else
-        result[key] = cloneConfig(override[key])
-    }
-
-    return result
-  }
-
-  function parseConfig(raw, label) {
-    var text = String(raw || "").trim()
-    if (!text) return {}
-
-    try {
-      var parsed = JSON.parse(text)
-      return isPlainObject(parsed) ? parsed : {}
-    } catch (error) {
-      console.warn("Failed to parse " + label + ": " + error)
-      return {}
-    }
-  }
-
   function normalizeLayoutEntry(entry) {
     if (typeof entry === "string") return { id: entry }
     if (isPlainObject(entry) && entry.id) return entry
@@ -166,7 +152,7 @@ Item {
   }
 
   function normalizeLayout(layout) {
-    if (!isPlainObject(layout)) layout = builtinBarConfig.layout
+    if (!isPlainObject(layout)) layout = fallbackBarConfig.layout
     return {
       left: normalizeLayoutSection(layout.left),
       center: normalizeLayoutSection(layout.center),
@@ -175,24 +161,16 @@ Item {
   }
 
   function applyBarConfig() {
-    var config = mergeConfig(defaultBarConfig, userBarConfig)
+    var config = isPlainObject(barConfig) ? barConfig : fallbackBarConfig
 
     position = normalizePosition(config.position)
     fontFamily = String(config.fontFamily || "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font")
-    centerAnchor = String(config.centerAnchor || "clock")
+    centerAnchor = String(config.centerAnchor || "")
     layoutConfig = normalizeLayout(config.layout)
     barConfigSerial++
   }
 
-  function loadDefaultBarConfig(raw) {
-    defaultBarConfig = mergeConfig(builtinBarConfig, parseConfig(raw, "bar defaults"))
-    applyBarConfig()
-  }
-
-  function loadUserBarConfig(raw) {
-    userBarConfig = parseConfig(raw, "bar config")
-    applyBarConfig()
-  }
+  onBarConfigChanged: applyBarConfig()
 
   function layoutEntries(region) {
     var serial = barConfigSerial
@@ -327,7 +305,10 @@ Item {
 
   property var registeredFirstPartyComponents: ({})
 
-  Component.onCompleted: registerFirstPartyWidgets()
+  Component.onCompleted: {
+    registerFirstPartyWidgets()
+    applyBarConfig()
+  }
 
   function registerFirstPartyWidgets() {
     var ids = Object.keys(firstPartyWidgetMetadata)
@@ -713,22 +694,8 @@ Item {
     onTriggered: root.tooltipShown = true
   }
 
-  FileView {
-    path: root.omarchyPath + "/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/plugins/bar/bar-defaults.json"
-    watchChanges: true
-    printErrors: false
-    onLoaded: root.loadDefaultBarConfig(text())
-    onFileChanged: reload()
-  }
-
-  FileView {
-    path: root.omarchyConfigDir + "/bar.json"
-    watchChanges: true
-    printErrors: false
-    onLoaded: root.loadUserBarConfig(text())
-    onFileChanged: reload()
-  }
-
+  // The host owns shell.json loading and injects `barConfig`. Bar still keeps
+  // its own theme FileView since theme colors are independent of shell.json.
   FileView {
     path: root.home + "/.config/omarchy/current/theme/colors.toml"
     watchChanges: true
@@ -1230,6 +1197,20 @@ Item {
       if ("bar" in target) target.bar = root
       if ("moduleName" in target) target.moduleName = moduleName
       if ("settings" in target) target.settings = moduleSettings
+
+      // Noctalia compat injection. Only kicks in for plugins whose manifest
+      // was translated from Noctalia shape; for our first-party widgets these
+      // properties don't exist on the target item so nothing happens.
+      var manifest = root.pluginRegistry ? root.pluginRegistry.installedPlugins[moduleName] : null
+      if (manifest && manifest.__noctaliaCompat) {
+        if ("pluginApi" in target)            target.pluginApi          = root.noctaliaPluginApiFor(moduleName)
+        if ("widgetId" in target)             target.widgetId           = moduleName
+        if ("section" in target)              target.section            = root.sectionOfEntry(entry)
+        if ("sectionWidgetIndex" in target)   target.sectionWidgetIndex = root.indexOfEntry(entry)
+        if ("sectionWidgetsCount" in target)  target.sectionWidgetsCount = root.entriesOfSection(root.sectionOfEntry(entry)).length
+        if ("screen" in target && root.QsWindow && root.QsWindow.window)
+          target.screen = root.QsWindow.window.screen
+      }
     }
 
     Component {
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/plugins/bar/README.md b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/plugins/bar/README.md
index 0317ca7b..999d4209 100644
--- a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/plugins/bar/README.md
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/plugins/bar/README.md
@@ -7,41 +7,43 @@ the shell for its whole session.
 
 - `manifest.json` declares the plugin (`id: omarchy.bar`, `kind: bar`, `activation: persistent`) and points at `Bar.qml` as the entry point.
 - `Bar.qml` is Omarchy-owned bar engine code, loaded by the omarchy-shell host. Users should not edit it directly.
-- `bar-defaults.json` is the Omarchy-owned default layout and module settings.
 - `widgets/` holds first-party widgets — modular, interactive components shipped with Omarchy.
 - `common/` holds shared QML helpers (buttons, sliders, popup cards).
-- User overrides live in `~/.config/omarchy/bar.json` and are merged over defaults at runtime.
-- `omarchy-style-bar-position` updates only the user override file.
+- The bar receives its config from the host shell as a `barConfig` property; the host loads it from `~/.config/omarchy/shell.json` (or `shell-defaults.json` when the user has no file).
+- `omarchy-style-bar-position` updates only the user shell.json file.
 
 ## Customizing
 
-The bar reads `~/.local/share/omarchy/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/plugins/bar/bar-defaults.json`, then deep-merges `~/.config/omarchy/bar.json` on top of it. Each `layout.{left,center,right}` entry is an object: at minimum `{ "id": "<widget>" }`, plus any inline settings the widget reads.
+The bar config lives under the `bar:` key of [`~/.config/omarchy/shell.json`](../../README.md#shelljson-shape). Out of the box the shell uses [`shell-defaults.json`](../../shell-defaults.json). Once you customize anything via `omarchy launch bar-settings` or by editing shell.json directly, your file is canonical — there is no deep-merge.
 
 Launch the visual editor with `omarchy launch bar-settings` (or run `omarchy-launch-bar-settings`) to reorder widgets, add/remove them, and tweak per-widget options without editing JSON by hand.
 
-Example `bar.json`:
+Example `shell.json` (bar subtree only shown):
 
 ```json
 {
-  "position": "top",
-  "centerAnchor": "calendar",
-  "layout": {
-    "left": [
-      { "id": "omarchy" },
-      { "id": "spacer", "size": 12 },
-      { "id": "workspacesPro" }
-    ],
-    "center": [
-      { "id": "media" },
-      { "id": "calendar", "format": "HH:mm" }
-    ],
-    "right": [
-      { "id": "systemStats" },
-      { "id": "audioPanel" },
-      { "id": "battery" },
-      { "id": "controlCenter" },
-      { "id": "powerMenu" }
-    ]
+  "version": 1,
+  "bar": {
+    "position": "top",
+    "centerAnchor": "calendar",
+    "layout": {
+      "left": [
+        { "id": "omarchy" },
+        { "id": "spacer", "size": 12 },
+        { "id": "workspacesPro" }
+      ],
+      "center": [
+        { "id": "media" },
+        { "id": "calendar", "format": "HH:mm" }
+      ],
+      "right": [
+        { "id": "systemStats" },
+        { "id": "audioPanel" },
+        { "id": "battery" },
+        { "id": "controlCenter" },
+        { "id": "powerMenu" }
+      ]
+    }
   }
 }
 ```
@@ -81,18 +83,21 @@ All widgets work in `top`, `bottom`, `left`, and `right` positions. Popups ancho
 
 ## Custom user modules
 
-The schema accepts arbitrary module ids that you provide. Set `type` to `command` for shell-driven output or `qml` for a custom QML widget.
+The schema accepts arbitrary module ids that you provide. Set `type` to `command` for shell-driven output or `qml` for a custom QML widget. Both still go under `bar.layout.<section>` in `shell.json`.
 
 Command module:
 
 ```json
 {
-  "layout": {
-    "right": [
-      { "id": "tray" },
-      { "id": "vpn", "type": "command", "exec": "~/.config/omarchy/bar/scripts/vpn-status", "interval": 5, "tooltip": "VPN", "onClick": "nm-connection-editor" },
-      { "id": "audioPanel" }
-    ]
+  "version": 1,
+  "bar": {
+    "layout": {
+      "right": [
+        { "id": "tray" },
+        { "id": "vpn", "type": "command", "exec": "~/.config/omarchy/bar/scripts/vpn-status", "interval": 5, "tooltip": "VPN", "onClick": "nm-connection-editor" },
+        { "id": "audioPanel" }
+      ]
+    }
   }
 }
 ```
@@ -107,11 +112,14 @@ QML module:
 
 ```json
 {
-  "layout": {
-    "right": [
-      { "id": "gpu", "type": "qml" },
-      { "id": "audioPanel" }
-    ]
+  "version": 1,
+  "bar": {
+    "layout": {
+      "right": [
+        { "id": "gpu", "type": "qml" },
+        { "id": "audioPanel" }
+      ]
+    }
   }
 }
 ```
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/plugins/bar/bar-defaults.json b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/plugins/bar/bar-defaults.json
deleted file mode 100644
index 82c9a6d1..00000000
--- a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/plugins/bar/bar-defaults.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,36 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "position": "top",
-  "fontFamily": "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font",
-  "centerAnchor": "calendar",
-  "layout": {
-    "left": [
-      { "id": "omarchy" },
-      { "id": "workspacesPro" },
-      { "id": "activeWindow" }
-    ],
-    "center": [
-      { "id": "media" },
-      { "id": "calendar", "format": "dddd HH:mm", "formatAlt": "dd MMMM 'W'ww yyyy", "verticalFormat": "HH\n—\nmm" },
-      { "id": "weatherFlyout" },
-      { "id": "update" },
-      { "id": "voxtype" },
-      { "id": "screenRecording" },
-      { "id": "idle" },
-      { "id": "notifications" }
-    ],
-    "right": [
-      { "id": "tray" },
-      { "id": "systemStats" },
-      { "id": "microphone" },
-      { "id": "bluetoothPanel" },
-      { "id": "networkPanel" },
-      { "id": "audioPanel" },
-      { "id": "nightLight" },
-      { "id": "brightness" },
-      { "id": "powerProfile" },
-      { "id": "battery" },
-      { "id": "controlCenter" },
-      { "id": "powerMenu" }
-    ]
-  }
-}
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/services/PluginRegistry.qml b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/services/PluginRegistry.qml
index 23d137d3..1e3ccc27 100644
--- a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/services/PluginRegistry.qml
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/services/PluginRegistry.qml
@@ -8,15 +8,19 @@ QtObject {
 
   property string home: Quickshell.env("HOME")
   property string pluginsDir: home + "/.config/omarchy/plugins"
-  property string stateFile: home + "/.config/omarchy/plugins.json"
 
   // Set by shell.qml at startup so we can also scan bundled first-party plugins.
   property string firstPartyDir: ""
 
+  // Wired by shell.qml so the registry can read the canonical shell.json
+  // without owning file IO itself. shellConfigProvider returns the current
+  // effective shell config; shellConfigMutator takes a function that receives
+  // a deep-cloned config it can mutate in place and persists the result.
+  property var shellConfigProvider: null
+  property var shellConfigMutator: null
+
   // { pluginId: manifest } — manifests have __sourceDir and __isFirstParty stamped in.
   property var installedPlugins: ({})
-  // { pluginId: { enabled: bool } } — persisted to stateFile.
-  property var pluginStates: ({})
   property int registryRevision: 0
   property bool scanning: false
 
@@ -40,11 +44,99 @@ QtObject {
     return true
   }
 
+  // Detect a Noctalia-shape manifest (https://github.com/noctalia-dev/noctalia-plugins).
+  // Noctalia manifests don't carry our schemaVersion; we recognise them by the
+  // presence of `minNoctaliaVersion` or `metadata.defaultSettings`, or an
+  // `entryPoints` map that names roles Noctalia owns (main/barWidget/panel).
+  function isNoctaliaShape(manifest) {
+    if (!isPlainObject(manifest)) return false
+    if (manifest.schemaVersion !== undefined) return false
+    if (manifest.minNoctaliaVersion !== undefined) return true
+    if (isPlainObject(manifest.metadata) && isPlainObject(manifest.metadata.defaultSettings)) return true
+    if (isPlainObject(manifest.entryPoints)) {
+      var ep = manifest.entryPoints
+      if (ep.barWidget || ep.main || ep.panel || ep.desktopWidget
+          || ep.launcherProvider || ep.controlCenterWidget) return true
+    }
+    return false
+  }
+
+  // Translate a Noctalia manifest into the shape we validate normally. We do
+  // not modify the on-disk file; the in-memory copy gets a __noctaliaCompat
+  // marker so downstream code can branch where the semantics diverge.
+  function translateNoctaliaManifest(src) {
+    var ep = isPlainObject(src.entryPoints) ? src.entryPoints : {}
+    var kinds = []
+    var unsupported = []
+    if (ep.main) kinds.push("service")
+    if (ep.barWidget) kinds.push("bar-widget")
+    if (ep.panel) kinds.push("panel")
+    // Out of scope for v1 — warn loudly so we don't silently strand the plugin.
+    if (ep.desktopWidget)         unsupported.push("desktopWidget")
+    if (ep.launcherProvider)      unsupported.push("launcherProvider")
+    if (ep.controlCenterWidget)   unsupported.push("controlCenterWidget")
+
+    if (kinds.length === 0) {
+      console.warn("PluginRegistry: noctalia plugin '" + src.id + "' has no supported entryPoints"
+        + (unsupported.length ? " (unsupported in v1: " + unsupported.join(", ") + ")" : ""))
+      return null
+    }
+    if (unsupported.length) {
+      console.warn("PluginRegistry: noctalia plugin '" + src.id
+        + "' uses entryPoints not supported in v1, ignoring: " + unsupported.join(", "))
+    }
+
+    var translated = {
+      schemaVersion: 1,
+      id: "noctalia." + String(src.id),
+      name: src.name || src.id,
+      version: src.version || "0.0.0",
+      author: src.author || "",
+      description: src.description || "",
+      kinds: kinds,
+      activation: kinds.indexOf("service") !== -1 ? "persistent" : "on-demand",
+      entryPoints: {},
+      __noctaliaCompat: true,
+      __noctaliaOriginal: src
+    }
+
+    if (ep.barWidget) translated.entryPoints.barWidget = ep.barWidget
+    if (ep.main)      translated.entryPoints.service   = ep.main
+    if (ep.panel)     translated.entryPoints.panel     = ep.panel
+    if (ep.settings)  translated.entryPoints.settings  = ep.settings
+
+    var defaults = (isPlainObject(src.metadata) && isPlainObject(src.metadata.defaultSettings))
+      ? src.metadata.defaultSettings : {}
+    if (translated.entryPoints.barWidget) {
+      translated.barWidget = {
+        displayName: translated.name,
+        description: translated.description,
+        category: "Noctalia",
+        allowMultiple: false,
+        defaults: defaults,
+        schema: []
+      }
+    }
+    if (defaults && Object.keys(defaults).length > 0) translated.defaults = defaults
+
+    return translated
+  }
+
   function validateManifest(manifest, sourcePath) {
     if (!isPlainObject(manifest)) {
       console.warn("PluginRegistry: manifest is not an object at " + sourcePath)
       return null
     }
+    // Noctalia shape — translate before validation. The translated manifest
+    // goes through the standard schemaVersion=1 path below.
+    if (isNoctaliaShape(manifest)) {
+      var preservedSourceDir = manifest.__sourceDir
+      var preservedFirstParty = manifest.__isFirstParty
+      manifest = translateNoctaliaManifest(manifest)
+      if (!manifest) return null
+      manifest.__sourceDir = preservedSourceDir
+      manifest.__isFirstParty = preservedFirstParty
+    }
     if (manifest.schemaVersion !== 1) {
       console.warn("PluginRegistry: unsupported schemaVersion at " + sourcePath)
       return null
@@ -99,18 +191,74 @@ QtObject {
     return fileUrl(resolved)
   }
 
+  // Enabled = the plugin id is referenced somewhere in shell.json. That can
+  // be either a layout entry inside `bar.layout.*` (bar widgets) or a top-level
+  // entry in `plugins[]` (panels, overlays, services).
+  //
+  // Special case: plugins with `kinds` containing "bar" are directly mounted
+  // by the shell host rather than loaded through plugins[], so they're
+  // implicitly always enabled.
   function isEnabled(id) {
-    var state = pluginStates[String(id)]
-    return !!(state && state.enabled)
+    var key = String(id)
+    var manifest = installedPlugins[key]
+    if (manifest && Array.isArray(manifest.kinds) && manifest.kinds.indexOf("bar") !== -1) return true
+    var config = shellConfigProvider ? shellConfigProvider() : null
+    return findEntryLocation(config, key).found
   }
 
+  function findEntryLocation(config, id) {
+    if (!isPlainObject(config)) return { found: false }
+    if (isPlainObject(config.bar) && isPlainObject(config.bar.layout)) {
+      var sections = ["left", "center", "right"]
+      for (var s = 0; s < sections.length; s++) {
+        var arr = config.bar.layout[sections[s]]
+        if (!Array.isArray(arr)) continue
+        for (var i = 0; i < arr.length; i++) {
+          if (arr[i] && arr[i].id === id) return { found: true, kind: "bar", section: sections[s], index: i }
+        }
+      }
+    }
+    if (Array.isArray(config.plugins)) {
+      for (var j = 0; j < config.plugins.length; j++) {
+        if (config.plugins[j] && config.plugins[j].id === id) return { found: true, kind: "plugin", index: j }
+      }
+    }
+    return { found: false }
+  }
+
+  // Adding a plugin places it in the right section based on its declared
+  // kinds. Bar widgets default to the right section; panels/overlays/menus/
+  // services go into the plugins[] array.
   function setEnabled(id, value) {
     var key = String(id)
-    var next = {}
-    for (var k in pluginStates) next[k] = pluginStates[k]
-    next[key] = { enabled: !!value }
-    pluginStates = next
-    persistStates()
+    if (!shellConfigMutator) {
+      console.warn("PluginRegistry.setEnabled called before shellConfigMutator wired")
+      return
+    }
+    var manifest = installedPlugins[key]
+    var isBarWidget = manifest && Array.isArray(manifest.kinds) && manifest.kinds.indexOf("bar-widget") !== -1
+    shellConfigMutator(function(config) {
+      // Ensure shape exists.
+      if (!isPlainObject(config.bar)) config.bar = { layout: { left: [], center: [], right: [] } }
+      if (!isPlainObject(config.bar.layout)) config.bar.layout = { left: [], center: [], right: [] }
+      if (!Array.isArray(config.plugins)) config.plugins = []
+      var location = findEntryLocation(config, key)
+      if (value && !location.found) {
+        var entry = { id: key }
+        if (isBarWidget) {
+          if (!Array.isArray(config.bar.layout.right)) config.bar.layout.right = []
+          config.bar.layout.right.push(entry)
+        } else {
+          config.plugins.push(entry)
+        }
+      } else if (!value && location.found) {
+        if (location.kind === "bar") {
+          config.bar.layout[location.section].splice(location.index, 1)
+        } else {
+          config.plugins.splice(location.index, 1)
+        }
+      }
+    })
     registryRevision++
     pluginsChanged()
   }
@@ -124,36 +272,6 @@ QtObject {
     return result
   }
 
-  // ---------------------------------------------------------------- persistence
-
-  property bool suppressStateReload: false
-
-  function persistStates() {
-    suppressStateReload = true
-    stateFileView.setText(JSON.stringify({ version: 1, states: pluginStates }, null, 2) + "\n")
-  }
-
-  property FileView stateFileView: FileView {
-    path: registry.stateFile
-    watchChanges: true
-    atomicWrites: true
-    printErrors: false
-    onLoaded: {
-      if (registry.suppressStateReload) {
-        registry.suppressStateReload = false
-        return
-      }
-      try {
-        var data = JSON.parse(text() || "{}")
-        registry.pluginStates = (data && data.states) || {}
-      } catch (e) {
-        console.warn("PluginRegistry: bad plugins.json:", e)
-        registry.pluginStates = {}
-      }
-    }
-    onFileChanged: reload()
-  }
-
   // ---------------------------------------------------------------- scanning
 
   // Output format produced by the rescan script:
@@ -207,16 +325,6 @@ QtObject {
     }
     flush()
 
-    // Merge defaults into pluginStates: first-party defaults to enabled, third-party to disabled.
-    var nextStates = {}
-    for (var k in pluginStates) nextStates[k] = pluginStates[k]
-    for (var fpid in firstParty) {
-      if (!nextStates[fpid]) nextStates[fpid] = { enabled: true }
-    }
-    for (var tpid in thirdParty) {
-      if (!nextStates[tpid]) nextStates[tpid] = { enabled: false }
-    }
-
     var merged = {}
     for (var fk in firstParty) merged[fk] = firstParty[fk]
     // Third-party plugins never shadow a first-party one with the same id.
@@ -229,7 +337,6 @@ QtObject {
       merged[tk] = thirdParty[tk]
     }
 
-    pluginStates = nextStates
     installedPlugins = merged
     registryRevision++
     scanning = false
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/shell-defaults.json b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/shell-defaults.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8f04f90d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/shell-defaults.json
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+{
+  "version": 1,
+  "bar": {
+    "position": "top",
+    "fontFamily": "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font",
+    "centerAnchor": "calendar",
+    "layout": {
+      "left": [
+        { "id": "omarchy" },
+        { "id": "workspacesPro" },
+        { "id": "activeWindow" }
+      ],
+      "center": [
+        { "id": "media" },
+        { "id": "calendar", "format": "dddd HH:mm", "formatAlt": "dd MMMM 'W'ww yyyy", "verticalFormat": "HH\n—\nmm" },
+        { "id": "weatherFlyout" },
+        { "id": "update" },
+        { "id": "voxtype" },
+        { "id": "screenRecording" },
+        { "id": "idle" },
+        { "id": "notifications" }
+      ],
+      "right": [
+        { "id": "tray" },
+        { "id": "systemStats" },
+        { "id": "microphone" },
+        { "id": "bluetoothPanel" },
+        { "id": "networkPanel" },
+        { "id": "audioPanel" },
+        { "id": "nightLight" },
+        { "id": "brightness" },
+        { "id": "powerProfile" },
+        { "id": "battery" },
+        { "id": "controlCenter" },
+        { "id": "powerMenu" }
+      ]
+    }
+  },
+  "plugins": [
+    { "id": "omarchy.bar-settings" },
+    { "id": "omarchy.image-picker" }
+  ]
+}
diff --git a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/shell.qml b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/shell.qml
index 911ded62..48390368 100644
--- a/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/shell.qml
+++ b/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/shell.qml
@@ -5,6 +5,9 @@ import Quickshell.Io
 
 import "plugins/bar"
 import "services"
+import "compat/noctalia" as Compat
+import qs.Services.UI as NoctaliaUI
+import qs.Commons as NoctaliaCommons
 
 ShellRoot {
   id: shell
@@ -32,23 +35,363 @@ ShellRoot {
   }
   property string omarchyPath: deriveOmarchyPath()
   readonly property string firstPartyPluginsDir: omarchyPath + "/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/plugins"
+  readonly property string defaultsPath: omarchyPath + "/default/quickshell/omarchy-shell/shell-defaults.json"
+  readonly property string userConfigPath: home + "/.config/omarchy/shell.json"
+
+  // Bundled fallback so the shell can start even when shell-defaults.json is
+  // missing or unreadable. The bar config here mirrors the on-disk defaults
+  // closely enough to render a usable bar; not authoritative.
+  readonly property var builtinShellConfig: ({
+    version: 1,
+    bar: {
+      position: "top",
+      fontFamily: "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font",
+      centerAnchor: "calendar",
+      layout: {
+        left: [{ id: "omarchy" }, { id: "workspacesPro" }],
+        center: [{ id: "calendar", format: "dddd HH:mm" }],
+        right: [{ id: "audioPanel" }, { id: "controlCenter" }, { id: "powerMenu" }]
+      }
+    },
+    plugins: [
+      { id: "omarchy.bar-settings" },
+      { id: "omarchy.image-picker" }
+    ]
+  })
+
+  property var defaultsConfig: builtinShellConfig
+  property var shellConfig: builtinShellConfig
+  property bool suppressUserReload: false
+
+  function isPlainObject(value) {
+    return value !== null && typeof value === "object" && !Array.isArray(value)
+  }
+
+  function applyShellConfig() {
+    // Decide which source is canonical: a valid user shell.json overrides
+    // defaults entirely; otherwise fall back to defaults. We do not deep-merge.
+    var defaults = isPlainObject(defaultsConfig) ? defaultsConfig : builtinShellConfig
+    var user = null
+    var userText = userConfigFile.text() || ""
+    if (userText.trim()) {
+      try {
+        var parsed = JSON.parse(userText)
+        if (isPlainObject(parsed) && parsed.version === 1) user = parsed
+        else if (isPlainObject(parsed)) console.warn("shell.json missing version: 1, using defaults")
+      } catch (e) {
+        console.warn("shell.json parse failed, using defaults:", e)
+      }
+    }
+    shellConfig = user || defaults
+  }
+
+  function loadDefaults(raw) {
+    var text = String(raw || "").trim()
+    if (!text) {
+      defaultsConfig = builtinShellConfig
+      applyShellConfig()
+      return
+    }
+    try {
+      var parsed = JSON.parse(text)
+      if (isPlainObject(parsed) && parsed.version === 1) defaultsConfig = parsed
+      else defaultsConfig = builtinShellConfig
+    } catch (e) {
+      console.warn("shell-defaults.json parse failed, using builtin:", e)
+      defaultsConfig = builtinShellConfig
+    }
+    applyShellConfig()
+  }
+
+  function persistShellConfig(nextConfig) {
+    suppressUserReload = true
+    var payload = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(nextConfig))
+    payload.version = 1
+    shellConfig = payload
+    userConfigFile.setText(JSON.stringify(payload, null, 2) + "\n")
+  }
+
+  readonly property var barConfig: shellConfig && isPlainObject(shellConfig.bar) ? shellConfig.bar : builtinShellConfig.bar
+  readonly property var pluginsConfig: shellConfig && Array.isArray(shellConfig.plugins) ? shellConfig.plugins : []
+
+  FileView {
+    id: defaultsFile
+    path: shell.defaultsPath
+    watchChanges: true
+    printErrors: false
+    onLoaded: shell.loadDefaults(text())
+    onLoadFailed: function(error) {
+      console.warn("shell-defaults load failed: " + error + " path=" + shell.defaultsPath)
+      shell.loadDefaults("")
+    }
+    onFileChanged: reload()
+  }
+
+  FileView {
+    id: userConfigFile
+    path: shell.userConfigPath
+    watchChanges: true
+    atomicWrites: true
+    printErrors: false
+    onLoaded: {
+      if (shell.suppressUserReload) {
+        shell.suppressUserReload = false
+        return
+      }
+      shell.applyShellConfig()
+    }
+    onLoadFailed: function(error) { shell.applyShellConfig() }
+    onFileChanged: reload()
+  }
 
   Component.onCompleted: {
     console.log("omarchy-shell paths",
       "omarchyPath=" + shell.omarchyPath,
       "shellDir=" + Quickshell.shellDir,
-      "firstPartyPluginsDir=" + shell.firstPartyPluginsDir)
+      "firstPartyPluginsDir=" + shell.firstPartyPluginsDir,
+      "defaultsPath=" + shell.defaultsPath,
+      "userConfigPath=" + shell.userConfigPath)
     pluginRegistry.firstPartyDir = shell.firstPartyPluginsDir
+    pluginRegistry.shellConfigProvider = function() { return shell.shellConfig }
+    pluginRegistry.shellConfigMutator = function(mutate) { shell.mutateShellConfig(mutate) }
     // PluginRegistry.ensureUserDir() runs in its own Component.onCompleted and
     // chains rescan() once the directory exists. We also kick a scan here in
     // case the user dir already existed at startup.
     pluginRegistry.rescan()
+
+    // Wire Noctalia compat singletons. Plugins read state from these globals;
+    // we hand them references to the host so they can route into the right
+    // popup, tooltip, etc.
+    NoctaliaUI.BarService.bar = bar
+    NoctaliaUI.TooltipService.bar = bar
+    NoctaliaUI.PanelService.bar = bar
+    NoctaliaUI.PanelService.shell = shell
+    NoctaliaCommons.Settings.shellConfig = shell.shellConfig
+  }
+
+  // Keep Noctalia.Settings.data in sync with whatever shell.json currently is.
+  onShellConfigChanged: NoctaliaCommons.Settings.shellConfig = shell.shellConfig
+
+  function mutateShellConfig(mutator) {
+    var copy = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(shellConfig || builtinShellConfig))
+    mutator(copy)
+    persistShellConfig(copy)
   }
 
   Bar {
     id: bar
     omarchyPath: shell.omarchyPath
     barWidgetRegistry: shell.barWidgetRegistry
+    barConfig: shell.barConfig
+    pluginRegistry: shell.pluginRegistry
+    shell: shell
+  }
+
+  // ------------------------------------------------- Noctalia plugin API
+  //
+  // One pluginApi instance per plugin, cached for the life of the shell. The
+  // factory is host-owned (shell, not bar) so non-bar Noctalia plugins
+  // (panels, services) can call into it too. Settings lookups walk the live
+  // shell.json on every read so reorders/edits never leave a stale entry
+  // captured in the closure.
+  Compat.PluginApiFactory { id: noctaliaApiFactory }
+
+  property var _noctaliaApis: ({})
+  property var _noctaliaServices: ({})
+
+  function findShellEntry(pluginId) {
+    var config = shellConfig
+    if (!isPlainObject(config)) return null
+    if (isPlainObject(config.bar) && isPlainObject(config.bar.layout)) {
+      var sections = ["left", "center", "right"]
+      for (var s = 0; s < sections.length; s++) {
+        var arr = config.bar.layout[sections[s]]
+        if (!Array.isArray(arr)) continue
+        for (var i = 0; i < arr.length; i++) {
+          if (arr[i] && arr[i].id === pluginId) return arr[i]
+        }
+      }
+    }
+    if (Array.isArray(config.plugins)) {
+      for (var p = 0; p < config.plugins.length; p++) {
+        if (config.plugins[p] && config.plugins[p].id === pluginId) return config.plugins[p]
+      }
+    }
+    return null
+  }
+
+  function noctaliaPluginApiFor(pluginId) {
+    var key = String(pluginId)
+    if (!key) return null
+    var existing = _noctaliaApis[key]
+    if (existing) return existing
+    var manifest = pluginRegistry && pluginRegistry.installedPlugins
+      ? pluginRegistry.installedPlugins[key] : null
+    if (!manifest || !manifest.__noctaliaCompat) return null
+
+    var api = noctaliaApiFactory.create(
+      key,
+      manifest,
+      function() {
+        // Compute effective settings on every read. We can't capture an entry
+        // reference because mutateSection rebuilds the layout objects and the
+        // captured reference would point at a snapshot.
+        var defaults = (manifest.barWidget && manifest.barWidget.defaults) || manifest.defaults || {}
+        var merged = {}
+        for (var k in defaults) merged[k] = defaults[k]
+        var entry = findShellEntry(key)
+        if (entry) {
+          for (var ek in entry) if (ek !== "id") merged[ek] = entry[ek]
+        }
+        return merged
+      },
+      {
+        persistSettings: function(_pluginId, settings) {
+          if (typeof shell.updateEntryInline === "function")
+            shell.updateEntryInline(key, settings)
+        },
+        openPanel: function(_pluginId, _screen, _btn) {
+          shell.summon(key, JSON.stringify({ source: "noctalia" }))
+        },
+        closePanel: function(_pluginId, _screen) { shell.hide(key) },
+        currentScreen: function() {
+          var screens = Quickshell.screens
+          return screens && screens.length > 0 ? screens[0] : null
+        }
+      }
+    )
+
+    var next = ({})
+    for (var existingKey in _noctaliaApis) next[existingKey] = _noctaliaApis[existingKey]
+    next[key] = api
+    _noctaliaApis = next
+    return api
+  }
+
+  // -------------------------------------------------- noctalia service main
+  //
+  // Noctalia plugins with `entryPoints.main` (translated to kind="service")
+  // are instantiated once per shell session when enabled. The Main.qml is
+  // typically headless — a data source the plugin's bar widget reads from.
+  // We rely on the shared pluginApi so the service and any bar widgets see
+  // the same handle.
+  function ensureNoctaliaService(pluginId) {
+    var key = String(pluginId)
+    if (_noctaliaServices[key]) return _noctaliaServices[key]
+    var manifest = pluginRegistry && pluginRegistry.installedPlugins
+      ? pluginRegistry.installedPlugins[key] : null
+    if (!manifest || !manifest.__noctaliaCompat) return null
+    if (!manifest.entryPoints || !manifest.entryPoints.service) return null
+    var url = pluginRegistry.entryPointUrl(manifest, "service")
+    if (!url) return null
+    var api = noctaliaPluginApiFor(key)
+    if (!api) return null
+
+    var comp = Qt.createComponent(url, Component.PreferSynchronous)
+    function finalize() {
+      if (comp.status !== Component.Ready) {
+        console.warn("noctalia service load failed for " + key + ": " + comp.errorString())
+        return
+      }
+      var inst = comp.createObject(shell, { pluginApi: api })
+      if (!inst) {
+        console.warn("noctalia service createObject returned null for", key)
+        return
+      }
+      var snext = ({})
+      for (var sk in _noctaliaServices) snext[sk] = _noctaliaServices[sk]
+      snext[key] = inst
+      _noctaliaServices = snext
+      api.mainInstance = inst
+    }
+    if (comp.status === Component.Loading) {
+      comp.statusChanged.connect(finalize)
+      return null
+    }
+    finalize()
+    return _noctaliaServices[key] || null
+  }
+
+  function _syncNoctaliaServices() {
+    if (!pluginRegistry || !pluginRegistry.installedPlugins) return
+    var plugins = pluginRegistry.installedPlugins
+    for (var id in plugins) {
+      var m = plugins[id]
+      if (!m || !m.__noctaliaCompat) continue
+      if (!m.entryPoints || !m.entryPoints.service) continue
+      if (!pluginRegistry.isEnabled(id)) continue
+      if (_noctaliaServices[id]) continue
+      ensureNoctaliaService(id)
+    }
+    // Drop services for plugins that have been disabled or removed.
+    for (var existingId in _noctaliaServices) {
+      var stillThere = plugins[existingId]
+      var stillEnabled = stillThere && pluginRegistry.isEnabled(existingId)
+      if (stillThere && stillEnabled) continue
+      var inst = _noctaliaServices[existingId]
+      if (inst && typeof inst.destroy === "function") inst.destroy()
+      var next = ({})
+      for (var k in _noctaliaServices) if (k !== existingId) next[k] = _noctaliaServices[k]
+      _noctaliaServices = next
+      var apis = ({})
+      for (var ak in _noctaliaApis) apis[ak] = _noctaliaApis[ak]
+      if (apis[existingId]) apis[existingId].mainInstance = null
+      _noctaliaApis = apis
+    }
+  }
+
+  Connections {
+    target: shell.pluginRegistry
+    function onPluginsChanged() { shell._syncNoctaliaServices() }
+  }
+
+  // Used by Noctalia compat: pluginApi.saveSettings() ends up writing inline
+  // settings to the plugin's entry in shell.json. moduleName is the entry id
+  // (the bare manifest id, e.g. "noctalia.air-quality"); settings is the
+  // merged plugin state. Returns true if anything actually changed.
+  // Compute the proposed new shellConfig in a local clone, and only persist
+  // if anything actually changed. Lets Noctalia plugins call saveSettings()
+  // repeatedly with identical values (common for reactive QML bindings)
+  // without dirtying shell.json or thrashing the file watcher.
+  function updateEntryInline(moduleName, settings) {
+    var stripped = String(moduleName)
+    var copy = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(shellConfig || builtinShellConfig))
+    if (!isPlainObject(copy.bar)) copy.bar = { layout: { left: [], center: [], right: [] } }
+    if (!isPlainObject(copy.bar.layout)) copy.bar.layout = { left: [], center: [], right: [] }
+    if (!Array.isArray(copy.plugins)) copy.plugins = []
+
+    var sections = ["left", "center", "right"]
+    var foundInLayout = false
+    var dirty = false
+    for (var s = 0; s < sections.length; s++) {
+      var arr = copy.bar.layout[sections[s]] || []
+      for (var i = 0; i < arr.length; i++) {
+        if (arr[i] && arr[i].id === stripped) {
+          var next = { id: stripped }
+          for (var k in settings) if (k !== "id") next[k] = settings[k]
+          if (JSON.stringify(arr[i]) !== JSON.stringify(next)) {
+            arr[i] = next
+            dirty = true
+          }
+          foundInLayout = true
+        }
+      }
+    }
+    if (!foundInLayout) {
+      for (var j = 0; j < copy.plugins.length; j++) {
+        if (copy.plugins[j] && copy.plugins[j].id === stripped) {
+          var pnext = { id: stripped }
+          for (var pk in settings) if (pk !== "id") pnext[pk] = settings[pk]
+          if (JSON.stringify(copy.plugins[j]) !== JSON.stringify(pnext)) {
+            copy.plugins[j] = pnext
+            dirty = true
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    }
+    if (!dirty) return false
+    persistShellConfig(copy)
+    return true
   }
 
   // ---------------------------------------------------------- on-demand panels
@@ -206,6 +549,11 @@ ShellRoot {
           if ("manifest" in item) item.manifest = panelEntry.manifest
           if ("barWidgetRegistry" in item) item.barWidgetRegistry = shell.barWidgetRegistry
           if ("pluginRegistry" in item) item.pluginRegistry = shell.pluginRegistry
+          // Noctalia panel/overlay/menu plugins expect a pluginApi just like
+          // their bar widgets do. First-party Omarchy plugins don't declare
+          // the property so the `in target` check skips them.
+          if (panelEntry.manifest && panelEntry.manifest.__noctaliaCompat && "pluginApi" in item)
+            item.pluginApi = shell.noctaliaPluginApiFor(panelEntry.pluginId)
           shell.registerPanelLoader(panelEntry.pluginId, this)
         }
         onStatusChanged: {
@@ -224,7 +572,10 @@ ShellRoot {
 
   // Mirror plugin registry state into BarWidgetRegistry whenever it changes.
   // Each enabled plugin with kind "bar-widget" gets a Component created from
-  // its manifest entry point and registered under the id "plugin:<id>".
+  // its manifest entry point and registered under its plain manifest id.
+  // First-party widget ids (calendar, weather, etc.) are short and don't
+  // collide with namespaced plugin ids like noctalia.air-quality, so we don't
+  // need a separate "plugin:" namespace anymore.
   Connections {
     target: shell.pluginRegistry
     function onPluginsChanged() { shell.syncPluginWidgets() }
@@ -241,7 +592,7 @@ ShellRoot {
       if (!manifest || !manifest.kinds || manifest.kinds.indexOf("bar-widget") === -1) continue
       if (!shell.pluginRegistry.isEnabled(pluginId)) continue
 
-      var registryKey = "plugin:" + manifest.id
+      var registryKey = String(manifest.id)
       seen[registryKey] = true
 
       // Already loaded with matching source — leave it alone.
@@ -272,7 +623,7 @@ ShellRoot {
     var allIds = shell.barWidgetRegistry.availableIds()
     for (var i = 0; i < allIds.length; i++) {
       var id = allIds[i]
-      if (id.indexOf("plugin:") !== 0) continue
+      if (!pluginWidgetComponents[id]) continue
       if (!seen[id]) {
         shell.barWidgetRegistry.unregister(id)
         var next = ({})
@@ -335,6 +686,13 @@ ShellRoot {
       return JSON.stringify(out)
     }
 
+    // Returns the effective shell.json content as JSON. Useful for debugging
+    // and for CLI tools that want to inspect the merged state without
+    // re-implementing the load logic.
+    function listShellConfig(): string {
+      return JSON.stringify(shell.shellConfig || {})
+    }
+
     function summon(id: string, payloadJson: string): string {
       return shell.summon(id, payloadJson) ? "ok" : "unknown"
     }