diff --git a/setup/archbaseos-guided-install.sh b/setup/archbaseos-guided-install.sh
index 1f55e0b..1e03df1 100755
--- a/setup/archbaseos-guided-install.sh
+++ b/setup/archbaseos-guided-install.sh
@@ -27,35 +27,14 @@ error_handler() {
     echo "" >> "$LOGFILE"
     echo "ERROR: installer failed at line $line_num (exit code $exit_code)" >> "$LOGFILE"
 
-    if command -v dialog &>/dev/null; then
-        if dialog --clear --title " Installer Error " \
-                  --yesno \
-                  "Installation failed at line $line_num (exit code: $exit_code).\n\nSend the log to another system via croc for analysis?" \
-                  9 62; then
-            clear
-            if ! command -v croc &>/dev/null; then
-                echo "Installing croc..."
-                pacman -Sy --noconfirm croc 2>/dev/null || true
-            fi
-            if command -v croc &>/dev/null; then
-                croc send "$LOGFILE"
-            else
-                echo "croc unavailable — log is at: $LOGFILE"
-            fi
-        else
-            clear
-            echo "Log saved to: $LOGFILE"
-        fi
+    echo ""
+    echo "Installation failed at line $line_num (exit code $exit_code)."
+    read -rp "Send log via croc? [y/N]: " _croc_ans
+    if [[ "${_croc_ans,,}" == "y" ]]; then
+        command -v croc &>/dev/null || pacman -Sy --noconfirm croc 2>/dev/null || true
+        croc send "$LOGFILE" || true
     else
-        echo ""
-        echo "Installation failed at line $line_num (exit code $exit_code)."
-        read -rp "Send log via croc? [y/N]: " _croc_ans
-        if [[ "${_croc_ans,,}" == "y" ]]; then
-            command -v croc &>/dev/null || pacman -Sy --noconfirm croc 2>/dev/null || true
-            croc send "$LOGFILE" || true
-        else
-            echo "Log saved to: $LOGFILE"
-        fi
+        echo "Log saved to: $LOGFILE"
     fi
     exit "$exit_code"
 }
@@ -434,9 +413,9 @@ if [[ "${_DO_TUI^^}" == "YES" ]]; then
     echo "${USERNAME} ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: ALL" \
         | arch-chroot /mnt tee /etc/sudoers.d/99-setup-nopasswd > /dev/null
 
-    echo "Running tui-install.sh as ${USERNAME} inside chroot..."
+    echo "Running simple-install.sh as ${USERNAME} inside chroot..."
     arch-chroot /mnt runuser -u "${USERNAME}" -- \
-        bash "/home/${USERNAME}/Dotfiles/setup/tui-install.sh" \
+        bash "/home/${USERNAME}/Dotfiles/setup/simple-install.sh" \
         || echo "Warning: tui-install exited with errors — check ~/dotfiles-install.log in the new system."
 
     arch-chroot /mnt rm -f /etc/sudoers.d/99-setup-nopasswd
@@ -454,7 +433,7 @@ echo "  umount -R /mnt && reboot"
 if [[ "${_DO_TUI^^}" != "YES" ]]; then
     echo
     echo "After first boot, login as ${USERNAME} and run:"
-    echo "  ~/Dotfiles/setup/tui-install.sh"
+    echo "  ~/Dotfiles/setup/simple-install.sh"
 fi
 if [[ "$ENCRYPT_DISK" == "YES" ]]; then
     echo
diff --git a/setup/archiso/overlay/packages.extra b/setup/archiso/overlay/packages.extra
index 38885e7..c5351b6 100644
--- a/setup/archiso/overlay/packages.extra
+++ b/setup/archiso/overlay/packages.extra
@@ -6,5 +6,4 @@ libfido2
 btop
 fastfetch
 openssh
-dialog
 croc
diff --git a/setup/simple-install.sh b/setup/simple-install.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..3c7fc0b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/setup/simple-install.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,633 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# simple-install.sh — TUI installer for the_miro's Arch dotfiles
+
+set -uo pipefail
+
+# ── Paths ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
+DOTFILES_DIR="$(cd "$SCRIPT_DIR/.." && pwd)"
+MODULES="$DOTFILES_DIR/setup/modules"
+APPS="$MODULES/optional-Modules/apps"
+LOG="$HOME/dotfiles-install.log"
+TMP_D="$(mktemp -d)"
+trap 'rm -rf "$TMP_D"; tput reset 2>/dev/null || stty sane 2>/dev/null || true' EXIT INT TERM HUP
+
+ANSWERFILE="${ANSWERFILE:-/answerfile.json}"
+ANSWERFILE_MODE=false
+[[ -f "$ANSWERFILE" ]] && ANSWERFILE_MODE=true
+
+TITLE="the_miro's Arch Dotfiles"
+
+# ── Terminal dimensions ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+TERM_H=$(tput lines 2>/dev/null || echo 24)
+TERM_W=$(tput cols  2>/dev/null || echo 80)
+TUI_W=$(( TERM_W < 74 ? TERM_W - 2 : 72 ))
+printf -v TUI_BAR '%.0s─' $(seq 1 "$TUI_W")
+
+# ── ANSI color codes ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+R=$'\e[0m'; B=$'\e[1m'; D=$'\e[2m'; M=$'\e[1;35m'; CY=$'\e[1;36m'
+
+# ── TUI primitives ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+# All display goes to /dev/tty so functions work correctly inside $() captures.
+
+_hdr() {
+    printf '\e[2J\e[H' >/dev/tty
+    printf "${M}  ┌%s┐${R}\n  ${M}│  ${B}%-*s${R}  ${M}│${R}\n  ${M}└%s┘${R}\n\n" \
+        "$TUI_BAR" $(( TUI_W - 4 )) "$TITLE" "$TUI_BAR" >/dev/tty
+}
+
+_sep() { printf "  ${D}─────────────────────────────────────────────${R}\n\n" >/dev/tty; }
+
+# tui_msg TITLE MSG
+tui_msg() {
+    _hdr
+    printf "  ${M}${B}%s${R}\n" "$1" >/dev/tty; _sep
+    printf "%b\n\n" "$2" >/dev/tty
+    printf "  ${D}Press Enter to continue...${R}" >/dev/tty; read -r </dev/tty
+}
+
+# tui_yesno TITLE MSG  → 0=yes 1=no
+tui_yesno() {
+    _hdr
+    printf "  ${M}${B}%s${R}\n" "$1" >/dev/tty; _sep
+    printf "%b\n\n" "$2" >/dev/tty
+    local a
+    while true; do
+        printf "  ${CY}[Y/n]${R} > " >/dev/tty; read -r a </dev/tty
+        case "${a,,}" in
+            y|yes|"") return 0 ;;
+            n|no)     return 1 ;;
+            *)        printf "  Enter Y or N.\n" >/dev/tty ;;
+        esac
+    done
+}
+
+# tui_input TITLE PROMPT [DEFAULT]  → prints value to stdout
+tui_input() {
+    _hdr
+    printf "  ${M}${B}%s${R}\n" "$1" >/dev/tty; _sep
+    printf "  %b\n" "$2" >/dev/tty
+    [[ -n "${3:-}" ]] && printf "  ${D}(default: %s)${R}\n" "$3" >/dev/tty
+    printf "\n  > " >/dev/tty; local v; read -r v </dev/tty
+    printf '%s' "${v:-${3:-}}"
+}
+
+# tui_checklist TITLE PROMPT  tag desc state  tag desc state ...
+# state: "on" | "off" | "header"  (header = section label, tag is ignored)
+# Prints space-separated selected tags to stdout.
+tui_checklist() {
+    local title="$1" prompt="$2"; shift 2
+    local -a _T _D _S
+    while [[ $# -ge 3 ]]; do _T+=("$1"); _D+=("$2"); _S+=("$3"); shift 3; done
+    local n=${#_T[@]}
+
+    while true; do
+        _hdr
+        printf "  ${M}${B}%s${R}\n" "$title" >/dev/tty; _sep
+        printf "  ${D}%s${R}\n\n" "$prompt" >/dev/tty
+
+        local -a sel=()
+        local i num=0
+        for (( i=0; i<n; i++ )); do
+            if [[ "${_S[$i]}" == "header" ]]; then
+                printf "\n  ${M}── %s${R}\n" "${_D[$i]}" >/dev/tty
+                continue
+            fi
+            sel+=("$i"); (( num++ ))
+            if [[ "${_S[$i]}" == "on" ]]; then
+                printf "  ${CY}%3d) [*] %-22s${R} %s\n" "$num" "${_T[$i]}" "${_D[$i]}" >/dev/tty
+            else
+                printf "  %3d) [ ] %-22s %s\n" "$num" "${_T[$i]}" "${_D[$i]}" >/dev/tty
+            fi
+        done
+        local total_sel=${#sel[@]}
+
+        printf "\n  ${D}Number(s) to toggle · 'a' all · 'n' none · Enter confirm:${R}\n  > " >/dev/tty
+        local inp; read -r inp </dev/tty
+
+        [[ -z "$inp" ]] && break
+        case "$inp" in
+            a) for (( i=0; i<n; i++ )); do [[ "${_S[$i]}" != "header" ]] && _S[$i]="on";  done; continue ;;
+            n) for (( i=0; i<n; i++ )); do [[ "${_S[$i]}" != "header" ]] && _S[$i]="off"; done; continue ;;
+        esac
+        for tok in $inp; do
+            if [[ "$tok" =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]]; then
+                local k=$(( tok - 1 ))
+                (( k >= 0 && k < total_sel )) || continue
+                local idx="${sel[$k]}"
+                [[ "${_S[$idx]}" == "on" ]] && _S[$idx]="off" || _S[$idx]="on"
+            fi
+        done
+    done
+
+    local res=""
+    for (( i=0; i<n; i++ )); do [[ "${_S[$i]}" == "on" ]] && res+="${_T[$i]} "; done
+    printf '%s' "${res% }"
+}
+
+# tui_menu TITLE PROMPT  tag desc  tag desc ...
+# Prints selected tag to stdout; loops until a valid number is entered.
+tui_menu() {
+    local title="$1" prompt="$2"; shift 2
+    local -a _T _D
+    while [[ $# -ge 2 ]]; do _T+=("$1"); _D+=("$2"); shift 2; done
+    local n=${#_T[@]}
+    while true; do
+        _hdr
+        printf "  ${M}${B}%s${R}\n" "$title" >/dev/tty; _sep
+        printf "  ${D}%s${R}\n\n" "$prompt" >/dev/tty
+        local i
+        for (( i=0; i<n; i++ )); do
+            printf "  %3d) %-22s %s\n" $(( i+1 )) "${_T[$i]}" "${_D[$i]}" >/dev/tty
+        done
+        printf "\n  ${D}Enter number:${R}\n  > " >/dev/tty
+        local inp; read -r inp </dev/tty
+        if [[ "$inp" =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]] && (( inp >= 1 && inp <= n )); then
+            printf '%s' "${_T[$(( inp-1 ))]}"; return 0
+        fi
+        printf "  Invalid selection.\n" >/dev/tty; sleep 0.4
+    done
+}
+
+# ── State ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+STEP=0
+TOTAL=0
+
+# ── Helpers ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+require_jq() {
+    command -v jq &>/dev/null && return
+    echo "jq not found — installing..."
+    sudo pacman -S --noconfirm jq || { echo "Failed to install jq."; exit 1; }
+}
+
+die() {
+    clear
+    printf "\n  Error: %s\n\n" "$1" >&2
+    exit 1
+}
+
+log_sep() {
+    printf "\n══════════════════════════════════\n  %s\n  %s\n" "$1" "$(date)" >> "$LOG"
+}
+
+run_module() {
+    local label="$1" script="$2"
+    STEP=$(( STEP + 1 ))
+    log_sep "[$STEP/$TOTAL] $label"
+
+    clear
+    printf "\n${M}  [$STEP/$TOTAL] %s${R}\n" "$label"
+    printf "${D}  ─────────────────────────────────────────────${R}\n\n"
+
+    local rc=0
+    bash "$script" 2>&1 | tee -a "$LOG" || rc=${PIPESTATUS[0]}
+
+    if [[ $rc -ne 0 ]]; then
+        if [[ $ANSWERFILE_MODE == true ]]; then
+            printf "\n  Warning: %s exited with code %d — continuing.\n" "$label" "$rc" | tee -a "$LOG"
+        else
+            tui_yesno " Module Failed " \
+                "  $label exited with code $rc.\n\n  Continue anyway?" \
+                || { clear; exit 1; }
+        fi
+    fi
+}
+
+count_steps() {
+    local c="$1" de="$2" a="${3:-}"
+    TOTAL=0
+    [[ "$c" == *"pkg"*   ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$c" == *"core"*  ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$c" == *"svc"*   ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$c" == *"shell"* ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$de" != "none" ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"ollama"*         ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"llama-cpp"*      ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"open-webui"*     ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"claude"*         ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"networking-cli"* ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"disk-recovery"*  ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"himalaya"*       ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"gnuplot"*        ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"povray"*         ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"blender"*        ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"toot"*           ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"db-clients"*     ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"mysql"*          ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"productivity"*   ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"yt-dlp"*         ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"sox"*            ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"imagemagick"*    ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"ffmpeg"*         ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"localtunnel"*    ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"butter"*         ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"tlp"*            ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"steam"*          ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"vesktop"*        ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"spotify"*        ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"prism"*          ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"vintagestory"*   ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"localsend"*      ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"croc"*           ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"onlyoffice"*     ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"wireshark"*      ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"k8s"*            ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"docker"*         ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"podman"*         ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"cockpit"*        ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"ssh-server"*     ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"freeipa-client"*  ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"freeipa-server"*  ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"freeipa-image"*   ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"python"*         ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"zfs"*            ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"wprs"*           ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"chromium"*       ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"firefox-browser"* ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"zen-browser"*    ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"nyxt"*           ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"librewolf"*      ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"min-browser"*    ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"vscodium"*       ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"zed-ide"*        ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"geany"*          ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"codeblocks"*     ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"kate"*           ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"rdp-client"*       ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"lamco-rdp-server"* ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+    [[ "$a" == *"qemu"*             ]] && TOTAL=$(( TOTAL + 1 ))
+}
+
+# ── Answerfile ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+AF_HOSTNAME=""
+AF_COMPONENTS=""
+AF_DE="none"
+AF_APPS=""
+AF_COLOR_TEXT=""
+AF_COLOR_BG=""
+AF_COLOR_HIGHLIGHT=""
+AF_COLOR_DARK=""
+AF_COLOR_RED=""
+
+load_answerfile() {
+    require_jq
+    AF_HOSTNAME=$(jq -r '.hostname // ""' "$ANSWERFILE")
+    AF_COMPONENTS=$(jq -r '(.components // []) | join(" ")' "$ANSWERFILE")
+    AF_DE=$(jq -r '.desktop_environment // "none"' "$ANSWERFILE")
+    AF_APPS=$(jq -r '(.apps // []) | join(" ")' "$ANSWERFILE")
+    AF_COLOR_TEXT=$(jq -r '.colors.COLOR_TEXT // ""' "$ANSWERFILE")
+    AF_COLOR_BG=$(jq -r '.colors.COLOR_BG // ""' "$ANSWERFILE")
+    AF_COLOR_HIGHLIGHT=$(jq -r '.colors.COLOR_HIGHLIGHT // ""' "$ANSWERFILE")
+    AF_COLOR_DARK=$(jq -r '.colors.COLOR_DARK // ""' "$ANSWERFILE")
+    AF_COLOR_RED=$(jq -r '.colors.COLOR_RED // ""' "$ANSWERFILE")
+}
+
+# ── MAC address helper ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+get_mac_suffix() {
+    local mac
+    mac=$(ip link show 2>/dev/null \
+        | awk '/^[0-9]+: [^l][^o]/{iface=1} iface && /link\/ether/{print $2; iface=0; exit}')
+    printf '%s' "${mac//:/}"
+}
+
+# ── Preflight ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+[[ $EUID -eq 0 ]] && die "Run as your normal user (not root)."
+command -v pacman &>/dev/null || die "pacman not found — Arch Linux required."
+
+if $ANSWERFILE_MODE; then
+    load_answerfile
+    printf "Answerfile mode: %s\n" "$ANSWERFILE" | tee -a "$LOG"
+fi
+
+# ── Network check ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+if ! ping -c1 -W3 archlinux.org &>/dev/null; then
+    if $ANSWERFILE_MODE; then
+        printf "Warning: no internet connection detected.\n" | tee -a "$LOG"
+    else
+        tui_msg " No Network Detected " \
+            "  No internet connection found.\n\n  nmtui will open so you can configure networking.\n  Close nmtui when done to continue the installer."
+        nmtui
+        if ! ping -c1 -W3 archlinux.org &>/dev/null; then
+            tui_yesno " Still Offline " \
+                "  Still no internet connection.\n\n  Packages cannot be downloaded without network access.\n\n  Continue anyway?" \
+                || { clear; echo "Aborted — no network."; exit 1; }
+        fi
+    fi
+fi
+
+> "$LOG"
+printf "Dotfiles install: %s\nDotfiles dir:    %s\n" "$(date)" "$DOTFILES_DIR" >> "$LOG"
+
+# ── Welcome ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+if ! $ANSWERFILE_MODE; then
+    tui_msg " Welcome " \
+        "  the_miro's Arch dotfiles installer\n  Cyberqueer  ·  Wayland  ·  Hyprland\n  ─────────────────────────────────────────\n\n  Arch Linux — network admin, development & gaming\n\n  Source:  $DOTFILES_DIR\n  Log:     $LOG"
+fi
+
+# ── Hostname ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+HOSTNAME_SET=""
+if $ANSWERFILE_MODE; then
+    if [[ -n "$AF_HOSTNAME" ]]; then
+        MAC=$(get_mac_suffix)
+        HOSTNAME_SET="${AF_HOSTNAME}-${MAC}"
+        printf "Hostname (from answerfile + MAC): %s\n" "$HOSTNAME_SET" | tee -a "$LOG"
+    fi
+else
+    HOSTNAME_SET=$(tui_input " Hostname " \
+        "Hostname for this machine (leave blank to keep default)." "")
+fi
+
+if [[ -n "$HOSTNAME_SET" ]]; then
+    sudo hostnamectl set-hostname "$HOSTNAME_SET" 2>/dev/null \
+        || echo "$HOSTNAME_SET" | sudo tee /etc/hostname > /dev/null
+    printf "Hostname set: %s\n" "$HOSTNAME_SET" >> "$LOG"
+fi
+
+# ── Component selection ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+if $ANSWERFILE_MODE; then
+    COMPONENTS="$AF_COMPONENTS"
+else
+    COMPONENTS=$(tui_checklist " Select Components " \
+        "Number to toggle · Enter to confirm" \
+        "pkg"   "Package managers    yay · nvm · rust"                     on  \
+        "core"  "Core packages       100+ base system packages"            on  \
+        "svc"   "Core services       NetworkManager · cronie · fail2ban"   on  \
+        "shell" "Shell setup         zsh · nvim · yazi · micro · starship" on)
+fi
+
+# ── DE selection ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+if $ANSWERFILE_MODE; then
+    DE="$AF_DE"
+else
+    DE=$(tui_menu " Desktop Environment " \
+        "Select a desktop environment:" \
+        "hyprlua"    "HyprLua    — Hyprland with Lua config (recommended)" \
+        "hyprland"   "Hyprland   — Wayland WM, hyprlang config (legacy)"  \
+        "sway"       "Sway       — Wayland tiling WM"                     \
+        "kde-plasma" "KDE Plasma — feature-rich Wayland/X11 DE"           \
+        "gnome"      "GNOME      — modern Wayland DE"                     \
+        "cosmic"     "COSMIC     — Rust-built Wayland DE (System76)"      \
+        "xfce"       "XFCE       — lightweight X11 DE"                    \
+        "lxqt"       "LXQt       — lightweight Qt X11 DE"                 \
+        "none"       "Skip DE installation")
+fi
+
+# ── Apps selection ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+if $ANSWERFILE_MODE; then
+    SELECTED_APPS="$AF_APPS"
+else
+    SELECTED_APPS=$(tui_checklist " Applications " \
+        "Optional applications — number to toggle, Enter to confirm:" \
+        \
+        ""               "AI / LLM"                                                    header \
+        "ollama"         "Ollama            local LLM runner + API server"             off \
+        "llama-cpp"      "llama.cpp         standalone inference CLI + server"         off \
+        "open-webui"     "Open WebUI        browser UI for Ollama / LLM backends"     off \
+        "claude"         "Claude Code       Anthropic CLI via npm"                    off \
+        \
+        ""               "Networking & Disk"                                            header \
+        "networking-cli" "Networking CLI    nmap · nethogs · mitmproxy · httpie"      off \
+        "disk-recovery"  "Disk Recovery     ddrescue · f3"                             off \
+        \
+        ""               "CLI Tools"                                                    header \
+        "himalaya"       "Himalaya          terminal email client (AUR)"               off \
+        "gnuplot"        "Gnuplot           scientific plotting"                       off \
+        "povray"         "POV-Ray           ray-tracing renderer"                      off \
+        "blender"        "Blender           3D creation suite"                         off \
+        "toot"           "toot              Mastodon CLI client (AUR)"                 off \
+        "db-clients"     "DB Clients        pgcli · mycli"                             off \
+        "mysql"          "MySQL / MariaDB   mariadb server + setup"                    off \
+        "productivity"   "Productivity      taskwarrior · watson · jrnl"               off \
+        "yt-dlp"         "yt-dlp            YouTube / media downloader"               off \
+        "sox"            "SoX               audio processing toolkit"                  off \
+        "imagemagick"    "ImageMagick       image manipulation"                        off \
+        "ffmpeg"         "FFmpeg extras     thumbnailer · GStreamer codecs"            off \
+        "localtunnel"    "LocalTunnel       expose localhost via tunnel"               off \
+        "butter"         "butter            btrfs snapshot backup (AUR)"               off \
+        "tlp"            "TLP               laptop power management"                   off \
+        \
+        ""               "Gaming"                                                       header \
+        "steam"          "Steam             gaming platform"                            off \
+        "vesktop"        "Vesktop           Discord + Vencord theme"                   off \
+        "spotify"        "Spotify           launcher + Spicetify theming"              off \
+        "prism"          "PrismLauncher     Minecraft launcher (Flatpak)"              off \
+        "vintagestory"   "Vintage Story     survival game (AUR)"                       off \
+        \
+        ""               "File Transfer & Office"                                       header \
+        "localsend"      "LocalSend         LAN file transfer (AUR)"                   off \
+        "croc"           "croc              cross-platform file transfer"              off \
+        "onlyoffice"     "OnlyOffice        office suite (AUR)"                       off \
+        \
+        ""               "Security"                                                     header \
+        "wireshark"      "Wireshark         network packet analyser (GUI)"             off \
+        \
+        ""               "Containers & Server"                                          header \
+        "k8s"            "Kubernetes tools  kubectl · podman-desktop"                  off \
+        "docker"         "Docker            docker · docker-compose"                   off \
+        "podman"         "Podman            rootless containers · buildah"             off \
+        "cockpit"        "Cockpit           web UI · machines · podman"               off \
+        "ssh-server"     "SSH server        openssh · key-auth · enabled"              off \
+        "freeipa-client" "FreeIPA Client    sssd + ipa-client-install + enrollment"   off \
+        "freeipa-server" "FreeIPA Server    interactive server setup + client gen"    off \
+        "freeipa-image"  "FreeIPA Image     OCI/LXC/Proxmox LXC builder + Keycloak"  off \
+        \
+        ""               "Dev & System"                                                 header \
+        "python"         "Python tools      pyright · pipx · pynvim"                  off \
+        "zfs"            "ZFS               zfs-dkms kernel module"                   off \
+        "wprs"           "WPRS              wprs-git (AUR)"                            off \
+        \
+        ""               "Browsers"                                                     header \
+        "chromium"        "Chromium          open-source browser (official)"           off \
+        "firefox-browser" "Firefox           Mozilla browser (official)"               off \
+        "zen-browser"     "Zen Browser       Firefox-based privacy browser (AUR)"      off \
+        "nyxt"            "Nyxt              keyboard-driven browser (AUR)"            off \
+        "librewolf"       "LibreWolf         hardened Firefox fork (AUR)"              off \
+        "min-browser"     "Min               minimal Electron browser (AUR)"           off \
+        \
+        ""               "IDEs & Editors"                                               header \
+        "vscodium"       "VSCodium          telemetry-free VS Code (AUR)"              off \
+        "zed-ide"        "Zed               high-performance Rust IDE (official)"      off \
+        "geany"          "Geany             lightweight IDE + plugins (official)"      off \
+        "codeblocks"     "Code::Blocks      C/C++ IDE (official)"                      off \
+        "kate"           "Kate              KDE advanced text editor (official)"       off \
+        \
+        ""                 "Remote & Virtualization"                                    header \
+        "rdp-client"       "RDP Client      Remmina + FreeRDP + VNC plugins"           off \
+        "lamco-rdp-server" "Lamco RDP Srv   native Wayland RDP server (AUR, Rust)"    off \
+        "qemu"             "QEMU/KVM        full virt stack + virt-manager GUI"        off)
+fi
+
+# ── Confirmation (interactive mode only) ──────────────────────────────────────
+if ! $ANSWERFILE_MODE; then
+    SUMMARY=""
+    [[ -n "$HOSTNAME_SET" ]] && SUMMARY+="  ✦ Hostname: $HOSTNAME_SET\n"
+    [[ "$COMPONENTS" == *"pkg"*   ]] && SUMMARY+="  ✦ Package managers (yay, nvm, rust)\n"
+    [[ "$COMPONENTS" == *"core"*  ]] && SUMMARY+="  ✦ Core packages\n"
+    [[ "$COMPONENTS" == *"svc"*   ]] && SUMMARY+="  ✦ Core services\n"
+    [[ "$COMPONENTS" == *"shell"* ]] && SUMMARY+="  ✦ Shell setup\n"
+    [[ "$DE" != "none" ]] && SUMMARY+="  ✦ Desktop environment: $DE\n"
+
+    if [[ -n "$SELECTED_APPS" ]]; then
+        SUMMARY+="\n  Applications:\n"
+        for _app in ollama llama-cpp open-webui claude networking-cli disk-recovery \
+                    himalaya gnuplot povray blender toot db-clients mysql productivity \
+                    yt-dlp sox imagemagick ffmpeg localtunnel butter tlp steam vesktop \
+                    spotify prism vintagestory localsend croc onlyoffice wireshark k8s \
+                    docker podman cockpit ssh-server freeipa-client freeipa-server \
+                    freeipa-image python zfs wprs chromium firefox-browser zen-browser \
+                    nyxt librewolf min-browser vscodium zed-ide geany codeblocks kate \
+                    rdp-client lamco-rdp-server qemu; do
+            [[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"$_app"* ]] && SUMMARY+="  ✦ $_app\n"
+        done
+    fi
+
+    tui_yesno " Confirm Installation " \
+        "  Components to install:\n\n${SUMMARY}\n  Log: $LOG\n\n  Proceed?" \
+        || { clear; echo "Aborted."; exit 0; }
+fi
+
+count_steps "$COMPONENTS" "$DE" "$SELECTED_APPS"
+
+# ── Installation: base components ─────────────────────────────────────────────
+[[ "$COMPONENTS" == *"pkg"*   ]] && run_module "Package Managers" "$MODULES/package-managers.sh"
+[[ "$COMPONENTS" == *"core"*  ]] && run_module "Core Packages"    "$MODULES/core-packages.sh"
+[[ "$COMPONENTS" == *"svc"*   ]] && run_module "Core Services"    "$MODULES/core.sh"
+[[ "$COMPONENTS" == *"shell"* ]] && run_module "Shell Setup"      "$MODULES/shell-setup.sh"
+
+if [[ "$DE" != "none" ]]; then
+    case "$DE" in
+        hyprlua)    run_module "HyprLua"     "$MODULES/Desktop-Environments/hyprlua.sh" ;;
+        hyprland)   run_module "Hyprland"    "$MODULES/Desktop-Environments/hyprland.sh" ;;
+        sway)       run_module "Sway"        "$MODULES/Desktop-Environments/sway.sh" ;;
+        kde-plasma) run_module "KDE Plasma"  "$MODULES/Desktop-Environments/kde-plasma.sh" ;;
+        gnome)      run_module "GNOME"       "$MODULES/Desktop-Environments/gnome.sh" ;;
+        cosmic)     run_module "COSMIC"      "$MODULES/Desktop-Environments/cosmic.sh" ;;
+        xfce)       run_module "XFCE"        "$MODULES/Desktop-Environments/xfce.sh" ;;
+        lxqt)       run_module "LXQt"        "$MODULES/Desktop-Environments/lxqt.sh" ;;
+    esac
+fi
+
+# ── Installation: applications ────────────────────────────────────────────────
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"ollama"*         ]] && run_module "Ollama"            "$APPS/ollama.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"llama-cpp"*      ]] && run_module "llama.cpp"         "$APPS/llama-cpp.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"open-webui"*     ]] && run_module "Open WebUI"        "$APPS/open-webui.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"claude"*         ]] && run_module "Claude Code"       "$APPS/claude.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"networking-cli"* ]] && run_module "Networking CLI"    "$APPS/networking-cli.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"disk-recovery"*  ]] && run_module "Disk Recovery"     "$APPS/disk-recovery.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"himalaya"*       ]] && run_module "Himalaya"          "$APPS/himalaya.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"gnuplot"*        ]] && run_module "Gnuplot"           "$APPS/gnuplot.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"povray"*         ]] && run_module "POV-Ray"           "$APPS/povray.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"blender"*        ]] && run_module "Blender"           "$APPS/blender.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"toot"*           ]] && run_module "toot"              "$APPS/toot.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"db-clients"*     ]] && run_module "DB Clients"        "$APPS/db-clients.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"mysql"*          ]] && run_module "MySQL / MariaDB"   "$APPS/mysql.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"productivity"*   ]] && run_module "Productivity"      "$APPS/productivity.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"yt-dlp"*         ]] && run_module "yt-dlp"           "$APPS/yt-dlp.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"sox"*            ]] && run_module "SoX"              "$APPS/sox.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"imagemagick"*    ]] && run_module "ImageMagick"       "$APPS/imagemagick.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"ffmpeg"*         ]] && run_module "FFmpeg extras"     "$APPS/ffmpeg.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"localtunnel"*    ]] && run_module "LocalTunnel"       "$APPS/localtunnel.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"butter"*         ]] && run_module "butter"            "$APPS/butter.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"tlp"*            ]] && run_module "TLP"              "$APPS/tlp.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"steam"*          ]] && run_module "Steam"             "$APPS/steam.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"vesktop"*        ]] && run_module "Vesktop"           "$APPS/vesktop.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"spotify"*        ]] && run_module "Spotify"           "$APPS/spotify.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"prism"*          ]] && run_module "PrismLauncher"     "$APPS/prismlauncher.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"vintagestory"*   ]] && run_module "Vintage Story"     "$APPS/vintagestory.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"localsend"*      ]] && run_module "LocalSend"         "$APPS/localsend.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"croc"*           ]] && run_module "croc"              "$APPS/croc.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"onlyoffice"*     ]] && run_module "OnlyOffice"        "$APPS/onlyoffice.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"wireshark"*      ]] && run_module "Wireshark"         "$APPS/wireshark.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"k8s"*            ]] && run_module "Kubernetes Tools"  "$APPS/k8s.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"docker"*         ]] && run_module "Docker"            "$APPS/docker.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"podman"*         ]] && run_module "Podman"            "$APPS/podman.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"cockpit"*        ]] && run_module "Cockpit"           "$APPS/cockpit.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"ssh-server"*     ]] && run_module "SSH Server"        "$APPS/ssh-server.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"freeipa-client"* ]] && run_module "FreeIPA Client"    "$APPS/freeipa-client.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"freeipa-server"* ]] && run_module "FreeIPA Server"    "$APPS/freeipa-server.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"freeipa-image"*  ]] && run_module "FreeIPA Image"     "$APPS/freeipa-image-builder.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"python"*         ]] && run_module "Python Tools"      "$MODULES/optional-Modules/python.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"zfs"*            ]] && run_module "ZFS"              "$MODULES/optional-Modules/zfs.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"wprs"*           ]] && run_module "WPRS"             "$MODULES/optional-Modules/wprs.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"chromium"*       ]] && run_module "Chromium"         "$APPS/chromium.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"firefox-browser"* ]] && run_module "Firefox"         "$APPS/firefox.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"zen-browser"*    ]] && run_module "Zen Browser"      "$APPS/zen-browser.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"nyxt"*           ]] && run_module "Nyxt"             "$APPS/nyxt.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"librewolf"*      ]] && run_module "LibreWolf"        "$APPS/librewolf.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"min-browser"*    ]] && run_module "Min Browser"      "$APPS/min-browser.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"vscodium"*       ]] && run_module "VSCodium"         "$APPS/vscodium.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"zed-ide"*        ]] && run_module "Zed IDE"          "$APPS/zed.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"geany"*          ]] && run_module "Geany"            "$APPS/geany.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"codeblocks"*     ]] && run_module "Code::Blocks"     "$APPS/codeblocks.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"kate"*           ]] && run_module "Kate"             "$APPS/kate.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"rdp-client"*       ]] && run_module "RDP Client"        "$APPS/rdp-client.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"lamco-rdp-server"* ]] && run_module "Lamco RDP Server" "$APPS/lamco-rdp-server.sh"
+[[ "$SELECTED_APPS" == *"qemu"*             ]] && run_module "QEMU/KVM"          "$APPS/qemu.sh"
+
+# ── Colorway (final step) ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+declare -A _cdef
+if [[ -f "$DOTFILES_DIR/colors.conf" ]]; then
+    while IFS='=' read -r k v; do
+        k="${k%%[[:space:]]*}"
+        [[ "$k" =~ ^[[:space:]]*# || -z "$k" ]] && continue
+        v="${v%%#*}"; v="${v//[[:space:]]/}"; v="${v^^}"
+        _cdef[$k]="$v"
+    done < "$DOTFILES_DIR/colors.conf"
+fi
+DEF_TEXT="${_cdef[COLOR_TEXT]:-D6ABAB}"
+DEF_BG="${_cdef[COLOR_BG]:-1A1A1A}"
+DEF_HIGHLIGHT="${_cdef[COLOR_HIGHLIGHT]:-E40046}"
+DEF_DARK="${_cdef[COLOR_DARK]:-5018DD}"
+DEF_RED="${_cdef[COLOR_RED]:-F50505}"
+
+_write_colors_conf() {
+    local out="$1" t="$2" b="$3" h="$4" d="$5" r="$6"
+    printf 'COLOR_TEXT=%s\nCOLOR_BG=%s\nCOLOR_HIGHLIGHT=%s\nCOLOR_DARK=%s\nCOLOR_RED=%s\n' \
+        "${t^^}" "${b^^}" "${h^^}" "${d^^}" "${r^^}" > "$out"
+}
+
+if $ANSWERFILE_MODE; then
+    if [[ -n "$AF_COLOR_TEXT$AF_COLOR_BG$AF_COLOR_HIGHLIGHT$AF_COLOR_DARK$AF_COLOR_RED" ]]; then
+        TMP_COLORS="$TMP_D/colors.conf"
+        _write_colors_conf "$TMP_COLORS" \
+            "${AF_COLOR_TEXT:-$DEF_TEXT}" \
+            "${AF_COLOR_BG:-$DEF_BG}" \
+            "${AF_COLOR_HIGHLIGHT:-$DEF_HIGHLIGHT}" \
+            "${AF_COLOR_DARK:-$DEF_DARK}" \
+            "${AF_COLOR_RED:-$DEF_RED}"
+        printf "Applying colorway from answerfile...\n" | tee -a "$LOG"
+        bash "$DOTFILES_DIR/apply-theme.sh" "$TMP_COLORS" 2>&1 | tee -a "$LOG" || true
+    fi
+else
+    _hdr
+    printf "  ${M}${B} Colorway (optional) ${R}\n" >/dev/tty; _sep
+    printf "  Customize theme colors — bare 6-digit hex, no #.\n  Press Enter to keep each default.\n\n" >/dev/tty
+
+    printf "  COLOR_TEXT      ${D}[%s]${R} > " "$DEF_TEXT"      >/dev/tty; read -r N_TEXT      </dev/tty; N_TEXT="${N_TEXT:-$DEF_TEXT}"
+    printf "  COLOR_BG        ${D}[%s]${R} > " "$DEF_BG"        >/dev/tty; read -r N_BG        </dev/tty; N_BG="${N_BG:-$DEF_BG}"
+    printf "  COLOR_HIGHLIGHT ${D}[%s]${R} > " "$DEF_HIGHLIGHT" >/dev/tty; read -r N_HIGHLIGHT </dev/tty; N_HIGHLIGHT="${N_HIGHLIGHT:-$DEF_HIGHLIGHT}"
+    printf "  COLOR_DARK      ${D}[%s]${R} > " "$DEF_DARK"      >/dev/tty; read -r N_DARK      </dev/tty; N_DARK="${N_DARK:-$DEF_DARK}"
+    printf "  COLOR_RED       ${D}[%s]${R} > " "$DEF_RED"       >/dev/tty; read -r N_RED       </dev/tty; N_RED="${N_RED:-$DEF_RED}"
+
+    if [[ "${N_TEXT^^}"      != "$DEF_TEXT"      || \
+          "${N_BG^^}"        != "$DEF_BG"         || \
+          "${N_HIGHLIGHT^^}"  != "$DEF_HIGHLIGHT"  || \
+          "${N_DARK^^}"      != "$DEF_DARK"        || \
+          "${N_RED^^}"       != "$DEF_RED" ]]; then
+        TMP_COLORS="$TMP_D/colors.conf"
+        _write_colors_conf "$TMP_COLORS" "$N_TEXT" "$N_BG" "$N_HIGHLIGHT" "$N_DARK" "$N_RED"
+        clear
+        printf "\n${M}  Applying colorway...${R}\n\n"
+        bash "$DOTFILES_DIR/apply-theme.sh" "$TMP_COLORS" 2>&1 | tee -a "$LOG" || true
+    fi
+fi
+
+# ── Done ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+if $ANSWERFILE_MODE; then
+    printf "\nDone. Log: %s\n" "$LOG"
+else
+    tui_msg " Done " \
+        "  All selected components installed.\n\n  Log: $LOG\n\n  A reboot may be required for all changes to take effect."
+    clear
+    printf "\n  Done. Log: %s\n\n" "$LOG"
+fi