diff --git a/astro-menu/config.py b/astro-menu/config.py
index 96f59b3..ad94e3f 100644
--- a/astro-menu/config.py
+++ b/astro-menu/config.py
@@ -4,6 +4,21 @@ Same pattern as orbit-menu/config.py and horizon-dock/config.py. Deliberately
 separate from settings.py's Settings class: that one persists quad enable/
 feature toggles and favorites (module-scoped, read via ctx.feature()), while
 this is a single whole-window flag read once at startup.
+
+"layouts" narrows/customises the workspace-layout picker in the taskbar panel
+(ui/taskbar.py) on top of what hypr/layouts auto-discovers and writes to
+~/.cache/astro-menu/layouts.json:
+  "enabled":   list of layout names to offer, in that order (tab order follows
+               it) — omit/null to show everything hypr/layouts discovered.
+  "overrides": {layout_name: {partial layout spec}} shallow-merged onto the
+               discovered spec for that layout — e.g. trim "dirs" to fewer
+               directions, or set "fit_method"/"stepper" to false to hide
+               those controls for that layout, without touching its .lua file.
+Example:
+  "layouts": {
+    "enabled": ["scrolling", "master", "monocle"],
+    "overrides": {"scrolling": {"dirs": ["down", "right"]}}
+  }
 """
 
 from __future__ import annotations
@@ -12,7 +27,7 @@ import json
 
 from paths import CONFIG_FILE, ensure_dirs
 
-_DEFAULTS = {"hologram": True}
+_DEFAULTS = {"hologram": True, "layouts": {"enabled": None, "overrides": {}}}
 
 
 def _load() -> dict:
@@ -29,3 +44,23 @@ def _load() -> dict:
 
 def hologram_enabled() -> bool:
     return bool(_load().get("hologram", True))
+
+
+def apply_layout_config(layouts: list[dict]) -> list[dict]:
+    """Filter/reorder/override the layouts hypr/layouts discovered, per the
+    "layouts" config key. `layouts` is the parsed layouts.json (or its
+    hardcoded fallback) — see Taskbar._load_layouts."""
+    cfg = _load().get("layouts") or {}
+    enabled = cfg.get("enabled")
+    overrides = cfg.get("overrides") or {}
+
+    by_name = {ly["name"]: ly for ly in layouts}
+    names = enabled if enabled else [ly["name"] for ly in layouts]
+
+    out = []
+    for name in names:
+        ly = by_name.get(name)
+        if ly is None:
+            continue   # config names a layout hypr/layouts never discovered
+        out.append({**ly, **overrides.get(name, {})})
+    return out
diff --git a/astro-menu/ui/taskbar.py b/astro-menu/ui/taskbar.py
index f6abbaa..bb0e3e2 100644
--- a/astro-menu/ui/taskbar.py
+++ b/astro-menu/ui/taskbar.py
@@ -7,7 +7,9 @@ so it *covers* the 2x2 quads rather than pushing anything down. The panel holds:
   * workspace/layout controls — pick the current workspace's layout (scrolling /
     dwindle / master / monocle, enumerated from ~/.cache/astro-menu/layouts.json,
     written by hypr/layouts) and, for directional layouts, its direction. Applied
-    live via `hyprctl eval 'layouts.set(ws, name, dir)'`.
+    live via `hyprctl eval 'layouts.set(ws, name, dir)'`. The set of layouts
+    offered (and their per-layout options) can be narrowed/customised via
+    config.py's "layouts" key — see config.apply_layout_config.
   * a per-window row list: [icon + title → focus/jump] [⇤ pull to this workspace].
 """
 
@@ -19,8 +21,9 @@ import gi
 
 gi.require_version("Gtk", "4.0")
 gi.require_version("AstalApps", "0.1")
-from gi.repository import AstalApps, Gtk  # noqa: E402
+from gi.repository import AstalApps, Gtk, GLib  # noqa: E402
 
+import config
 from lib.proc import run_json, run_text
 from paths import CACHE_DIR
 
@@ -51,6 +54,7 @@ class Taskbar(Gtk.Box):
         self._clients: list = []
         self._dir_dds = {}
         self._fit_sws = {}
+        self._poll_id: int | None = None
 
         # The workspace/window panel. It is NOT appended here: the menu window mounts
         # `panel_widget` into the quad region so that expanding COLLAPSES this strip's
@@ -121,24 +125,44 @@ class Taskbar(Gtk.Box):
     @staticmethod
     def _load_layouts() -> list:
         try:
-            return json.loads(_LAYOUTS_MANIFEST.read_text())
+            layouts = json.loads(_LAYOUTS_MANIFEST.read_text())
         except (FileNotFoundError, json.JSONDecodeError):
             # fallback if hypr/layouts hasn't written the manifest yet
-            return [{"name": "scrolling", "label": "Scrolling", "directional": True,
-                     "dirs": ["down", "up", "right", "left"], "default_dir": "down",
-                     "fit_method": True},
-                    {"name": "columns", "label": "Columns", "directional": True,
-                     "dirs": ["right", "down"], "dir_labels": ["Left / Right", "Up / Down"],
-                     "default_dir": "right", "fit_method": True},
-                    {"name": "dwindle", "label": "Dwindle", "directional": False, "dirs": []},
-                    {"name": "master", "label": "Master", "directional": False, "dirs": []},
-                    {"name": "monocle", "label": "Monocle", "directional": False, "dirs": []}]
+            layouts = [{"name": "scrolling", "label": "Scrolling", "directional": True,
+                        "dirs": ["down", "up", "right", "left"], "default_dir": "down",
+                        "fit_method": True},
+                       {"name": "columns", "label": "Columns", "directional": True,
+                        "dirs": ["right", "down"], "dir_labels": ["Left / Right", "Up / Down"],
+                        "default_dir": "right", "fit_method": True},
+                       {"name": "dwindle", "label": "Dwindle", "directional": False, "dirs": []},
+                       {"name": "master", "label": "Master", "directional": False, "dirs": []},
+                       {"name": "monocle", "label": "Monocle", "directional": False, "dirs": []}]
+        return config.apply_layout_config(layouts)
 
     # -- populate ----------------------------------------------------------
     def refresh(self) -> None:
         run_json(["hyprctl", "clients", "-j"], self._on_clients)
         run_json(["hyprctl", "activeworkspace", "-j"], self._on_ws)
 
+    # -- keep the panel live while the menu is open -------------------------
+    # Hyprland doesn't push workspace-switch events to us, and switching
+    # workspaces isn't blocked by the menu being open — so without this the
+    # "Workspace N layout" panel goes stale the moment you change workspace
+    # while astro-menu is still up. Poll instead; the window starts/stops
+    # this alongside show_menu/hide_menu.
+    def start_polling(self) -> None:
+        if self._poll_id is None:
+            self._poll_id = GLib.timeout_add(1000, self._on_poll)
+
+    def stop_polling(self) -> None:
+        if self._poll_id is not None:
+            GLib.source_remove(self._poll_id)
+            self._poll_id = None
+
+    def _on_poll(self) -> bool:
+        self.refresh()
+        return True   # keep polling every second while the menu is open
+
     def _on_ws(self, ok: bool, data) -> None:
         if ok and isinstance(data, dict):
             self._active_ws = data.get("id")
diff --git a/astro-menu/window.py b/astro-menu/window.py
index 4f4ca3b..77f306c 100644
--- a/astro-menu/window.py
+++ b/astro-menu/window.py
@@ -192,6 +192,7 @@ class MenuWindow(Gtk.ApplicationWindow):
     def show_menu(self, focus_appdrawer: bool = False) -> None:
         self.appdrawer.set_expanded(False)
         self.taskbar.refresh()
+        self.taskbar.start_polling()
         self.grid.on_show()
         self.appdrawer.on_show()
         self.set_visible(True)
@@ -204,6 +205,7 @@ class MenuWindow(Gtk.ApplicationWindow):
         self._hologram.start_intro()
 
     def hide_menu(self) -> None:
+        self.taskbar.stop_polling()
         self.grid.on_hide()
         self.taskbar.collapse_panel()
         self.grid.hide_takeover()