feat: add a compact icon-only top navigation toggle (#1363)

* feat: add a compact icon-only top navigation toggle

Add a browser-local "Top navigation labels" preference under Settings >
Appearance. With it off, the desktop top navigation renders icon-only;
each destination keeps an aria-label, gains a hover/focus tooltip, and
stays reachable from the command palette. The setting defaults on, so
current behavior is preserved, and the mobile navigation always keeps
its labels.

Also left-align the desktop nav (previously centered) and shorten the
longest nav label from "Auto-Update" to "Update" so the bar scans faster.

* feat: let the icon-only top nav be left or centered

Add a "Top navigation alignment" preference under Settings > Appearance
that appears only when top navigation labels are off. It places the
icon-only bar against the left edge (the default) or centered. With
labels on, the nav always stays left so the longer labels read from the
edge. The choice is browser-local and persists per device.

docs/features/appearance.mdx

@@ -49,5 +49,6 @@ Hero headings and featured names always render in Instrument Serif so the editor
 The **Display** group holds the remaining per-browser preferences:
 
 - **Density** switches between **Comfortable** (roomy rows, the default) and **Compact** (tighter rows and tiles that fit more on screen for dense dashboards).
+- **Top navigation labels** shows text labels beside the top navigation icons. Turn it off for an icon-only bar; the destinations stay reachable by hover tooltip, accessible name, and the command palette. On the phone layout the navigation always keeps its labels. With labels off, **Top navigation alignment** chooses whether the icon-only bar sits to the left or centered.
 - **Deploy progress** toggles live output streaming for deploy, restart, update, install, and Git operations, and **Progress style** chooses Modal or Inline presentation.
 - **Diff preview before save** toggles a side-by-side diff of compose and env edits before they are written to disk.

docs/features/auto-update-policies.mdx

@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ When nothing is pending, the board renders a single Shield-icon panel with the h
 
 ## Workflow
 
-1. Open **Auto-Update** from the top nav strip.
+1. Open **Update** from the top nav strip.
 2. Skim the card grid. The badge tells you the risk at a glance: `Safe · patch` is green, `Review · minor` is amber, `Blocked · major` is red, and a digest-only rebuild on a non-semver tag shows the gray `Digest rebuild` badge.
 3. For a safe update, click **Apply now** on the card to pull and recreate the stack immediately.
 4. For a major bump, review the changelog preview and the upstream release notes. **Apply now** is disabled on the readiness board for blocked cards; to apply a major bump after review, use the stack's lifecycle **Update** action (right-click the stack in the sidebar, or open the kebab menu and choose **Update**, or click **Deploy** in the stack editor).

docs/features/global-search.mdx

@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ The palette groups results into three sections.
 
 | Group | What it contains | What happens when you pick one |
 |-------|------------------|--------------------------------|
-| **Pages** | The same set of destinations the top bar shows you. Home, Fleet, Resources, App Store, and Logs always appear; Auto-Update and Schedules appear for admins; Console appears for admins on Admiral; Audit appears for any role on Admiral with the audit permission. | Navigates to that page |
+| **Pages** | The same set of destinations the top bar shows you. Home, Fleet, Resources, App Store, and Logs always appear; Update and Schedules appear for admins; Console appears for admins on Admiral; Audit appears for any role on Admiral with the audit permission. | Navigates to that page |
 | **Nodes** | Every node in your fleet, with a green dot for online and a grey dot for offline. The currently active node carries a small **ACTIVE** chip on the right. | Switches the active node without leaving the current page |
 | **Stacks** | Every compose stack on every online node, matched on the compose filename (extension included). | Switches to the stack's node and opens it in the editor |
 

docs/getting-started/introduction.mdx

@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ The **Home** view is the default landing page. It is designed for a fast operati
 - The activity panel shows **Fleet Heartbeat** when remote nodes exist, or **Stack Restarts (7d)** on a local-only install.
 - **Recent Alerts** shows the latest notification feed and includes **Clear All Notifications** when there is anything to clear.
 
-The top navigation includes **Home**, **Fleet**, **Resources**, **App Store**, and **Logs** on the standard dashboard surface. Depending on license, role, and node context, it can also include **Auto-Update**, **Schedules**, **Console**, and **Audit**.
+The top navigation includes **Home**, **Fleet**, **Resources**, **App Store**, and **Logs** on the standard dashboard surface. Depending on license, role, and node context, it can also include **Update**, **Schedules**, **Console**, and **Audit**.
 
 ## Stack workspace
 

docs/getting-started/quickstart.mdx

@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ You land on **Home**, the default operational view. The health masthead reports
 
 Below the stack table, **Configuration Status** summarizes notification delivery, alert rules, automation, account security, backups, host thresholds, and crash detection. The neighboring activity card shows **Fleet Heartbeat** when remote nodes exist, or **Stack Restarts (7d)** on a local-only install. **Recent Alerts** shows the latest notification feed and includes **Clear All Notifications** when there is anything to clear.
 
-On the local node, the top navigation includes **Home**, **Fleet**, **Resources**, **App Store**, and **Logs**. Depending on license, role, and node context, it can also include **Auto-Update**, **Schedules**, **Console**, and **Audit**; hub-only views are hidden when a remote node is active. The right side of the top bar holds global search, notifications, and the profile menu entries **Settings**, **Documentation**, **Feedback**, **Appearance**, and **Log Out**.
+On the local node, the top navigation includes **Home**, **Fleet**, **Resources**, **App Store**, and **Logs**. Depending on license, role, and node context, it can also include **Update**, **Schedules**, **Console**, and **Audit**; hub-only views are hidden when a remote node is active. The right side of the top bar holds global search, notifications, and the profile menu entries **Settings**, **Documentation**, **Feedback**, **Appearance**, and **Log Out**.
 
 The left sidebar is the stack workspace. Below the Sencho brand, it starts with the node switcher, then **Create Stack**, a bulk-mode toggle, and **Scan stacks folder** for importing Compose projects added outside Sencho. Use **Search stacks...** with the **All**, **Up**, **Down**, and **Updates** chips to narrow the list. On a fresh install the stack list is empty until you create a stack or scan a populated `COMPOSE_DIR`.
 

frontend/src/components/EditorLayout.tsx

@@ -38,6 +38,8 @@ import { useNextAutoUpdateRun } from '@/components/sidebar/useNextAutoUpdateRun'
 import { usePanelSessionStartedAt } from '@/components/sidebar/usePanelSessionStartedAt';
 import type { SidebarActivityAction } from '@/components/sidebar/SidebarActivityTicker';
 import { useComposeDiffPreviewEnabled } from '@/hooks/use-compose-diff-preview-enabled';
+import { useTopNavLabels } from '@/hooks/use-top-nav-labels';
+import { useTopNavAlign } from '@/hooks/use-top-nav-align';
 import { toast } from '@/components/ui/toast-store';
 import { useIsMobile } from '@/hooks/use-is-mobile';
 import { MobileTabBar } from './MobileTabBar';
@@ -144,6 +146,8 @@ export default function EditorLayout() {
   }, [setCreateDialogOpen]);
 
   const [diffPreviewEnabled] = useComposeDiffPreviewEnabled();
+  const [topNavLabels] = useTopNavLabels();
+  const [topNavAlign] = useTopNavAlign();
 
   // Use a ref to break the circular dependency:
   // useViewNavigationState needs onNavigateToDashboard -> resetEditorState
@@ -665,6 +669,8 @@ export default function EditorLayout() {
           themeSwitch={themeSwitchEl}
           notifications={notificationsEl}
           userMenu={userMenuEl}
+          showLabels={topNavLabels}
+          navAlign={topNavAlign}
         />
       );
 

frontend/src/components/EditorLayout/__tests__/useViewNavigationState.test.tsx

@@ -217,7 +217,7 @@ describe('useViewNavigationState', () => {
     expect(result.current.navItems.map(i => i.value)).toContain('global-observability');
   });
 
-  it('shows Auto-Update and Schedules for a community admin (now free) but hides paid Console and Audit', () => {
+  it('shows Update and Schedules for a community admin (now free) but hides paid Console and Audit', () => {
     mockCommunityAdmin();
     const { result } = renderHook(() => useViewNavigationState());
     const values = result.current.navItems.map(i => i.value);
@@ -225,6 +225,8 @@ describe('useViewNavigationState', () => {
     expect(values).toContain('scheduled-ops');
     expect(values).not.toContain('host-console');
     expect(values).not.toContain('audit-log');
+    // The auto-updates nav item surfaces under the short label "Update".
+    expect(result.current.navItems.find(i => i.value === 'auto-updates')?.label).toBe('Update');
   });
 
   it('redirects a non-admin off the Logs view when reached via a deep-link event', () => {

frontend/src/components/EditorLayout/hooks/useViewNavigationState.ts

@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ export function useViewNavigationState(options?: UseViewNavigationStateOptions)
     // admin-only operator view (the backend gates the same routes on admin).
     if (isAdmin) items.push({ value: 'global-observability', label: 'Logs', icon: Activity });
     if (isAdmin) {
-      items.push({ value: 'auto-updates', label: 'Auto-Update', icon: RefreshCw });
+      items.push({ value: 'auto-updates', label: 'Update', icon: RefreshCw });
       items.push({ value: 'scheduled-ops', label: 'Schedules', icon: Clock });
     }
     if (isPaid) {

frontend/src/components/TopBar.tsx

@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
-import type { ReactNode } from 'react';
+import { Fragment, type ReactNode } from 'react';
 import type { LucideIcon } from 'lucide-react';
 import { Menu } from 'lucide-react';
 import { Button } from './ui/button';
 import { Sheet, SheetContent, SheetTrigger } from './ui/sheet';
+import { Tooltip, TooltipContent, TooltipProvider, TooltipTrigger } from './ui/tooltip';
+import type { TopNavAlign } from '@/hooks/use-top-nav-align';
 import { cn } from '@/lib/utils';
 
 export interface TopBarNavItem {
@@ -21,6 +23,10 @@ interface TopBarProps {
     themeSwitch?: ReactNode;
     notifications: ReactNode;
     userMenu: ReactNode;
+    /** Show text labels beside the desktop nav icons. When false, the bar is icon-only. */
+    showLabels?: boolean;
+    /** Desktop nav placement in icon-only mode. Ignored while labels are shown (always left). */
+    navAlign?: TopNavAlign;
 }
 
 export function TopBar({
@@ -33,7 +39,12 @@ export function TopBar({
     themeSwitch,
     notifications,
     userMenu,
+    showLabels = true,
+    navAlign = 'left',
 }: TopBarProps) {
+    // Centering applies only to the icon-only bar; with labels on the nav stays
+    // left so the long labels read from the edge.
+    const centered = !showLabels && navAlign === 'center';
     return (
         <div
             className={cn(
@@ -42,38 +53,49 @@ export function TopBar({
                 'shadow-chrome-top',
             )}
         >
-            {/* LEFT ZONE: reserved spacer (keeps nav visually centered) */}
+            {/* LEFT SPACER: balances the right utilities so the nav centers. */}
-            <div className="flex-1 min-w-0" />
+            {centered && <div className="flex-1 min-w-0" />}
 
-            {/* CENTER ZONE: Navigation (hidden on mobile) */}
+            {/* NAV ZONE: Navigation (hidden on mobile) */}
-            <nav aria-label="Primary" className="hidden md:flex self-stretch items-stretch">
+            <TooltipProvider delayDuration={300} disableHoverableContent>
-                {navItems.map(({ value, label, icon: Icon }) => {
+                <nav aria-label="Primary" className="hidden md:flex self-stretch items-stretch">
-                    const isActive = activeView === value;
+                    {navItems.map(({ value, label, icon: Icon }) => {
-                    return (
+                        const isActive = activeView === value;
-                        <button
+                        const button = (
-                            key={value}
+                            <button
-                            onClick={() => onNavigate(value)}
+                                onClick={() => onNavigate(value)}
-                            aria-label={label}
+                                aria-label={label}
-                            aria-current={isActive ? 'page' : undefined}
+                                aria-current={isActive ? 'page' : undefined}
-                            className={cn(
+                                className={cn(
-                                'relative inline-flex h-full items-center gap-2 px-4',
+                                    'relative inline-flex h-full items-center gap-2 px-4',
-                                'font-mono text-[10px] uppercase tracking-[0.18em] transition-colors',
+                                    'font-mono text-[10px] uppercase tracking-[0.18em] transition-colors',
-                                'focus-visible:outline-none focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:ring-brand/50',
+                                    'focus-visible:outline-none focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:ring-brand/50',
-                                isActive ? 'text-foreground' : 'text-muted-foreground hover:text-foreground',
+                                    isActive ? 'text-foreground' : 'text-muted-foreground hover:text-foreground',
-                            )}
+                                )}
-                        >
+                            >
-                            <Icon className="w-4 h-4 shrink-0" strokeWidth={1.5} />
+                                <Icon className="w-4 h-4 shrink-0" strokeWidth={1.5} />
-                            <span className="hidden xl:inline">{label}</span>
+                                {showLabels && <span className="hidden xl:inline">{label}</span>}
-                            {isActive && (
+                                {isActive && (
-                                <span
+                                    <span
-                                    aria-hidden
+                                        aria-hidden
-                                    className="pointer-events-none absolute inset-x-0 -bottom-px h-[2px] bg-brand"
+                                        className="pointer-events-none absolute inset-x-0 -bottom-px h-[2px] bg-brand"
-                                />
+                                    />
-                            )}
+                                )}
-                        </button>
+                            </button>
-                    );
+                        );
-                })}
+                        // Icon-only mode: a tooltip names the destination on hover/focus. With
-            </nav>
+                        // labels on, the visible text carries it, so the button renders bare.
+                        return showLabels ? (
+                            <Fragment key={value}>{button}</Fragment>
+                        ) : (
+                            <Tooltip key={value}>
+                                <TooltipTrigger asChild>{button}</TooltipTrigger>
+                                <TooltipContent side="bottom">{label}</TooltipContent>
+                            </Tooltip>
+                        );
+                    })}
+                </nav>
+            </TooltipProvider>
 
             {/* RIGHT ZONE: Utilities + identity pin */}
             <div className="flex flex-1 min-w-0 items-center justify-end gap-2">

frontend/src/components/__tests__/TopBar.test.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+/**
+ * Coverage for the TopBar `showLabels` preference and accessibility contract.
+ *
+ * Locks the compact icon-only mode: when labels are hidden the desktop nav must
+ * drop the visible text yet keep an accessible name on every button, and the
+ * mobile navigation sheet must always show its labels regardless of the setting.
+ */
+import { describe, it, expect, vi } from 'vitest';
+import { render, screen, fireEvent } from '@testing-library/react';
+import { Home, Radar } from 'lucide-react';
+import { TopBar, type TopBarNavItem } from '../TopBar';
+
+const navItems: TopBarNavItem[] = [
+  { value: 'dashboard', label: 'Home', icon: Home },
+  { value: 'fleet', label: 'Fleet', icon: Radar },
+];
+
+function renderTopBar(overrides: Partial<Parameters<typeof TopBar>[0]> = {}) {
+  return render(
+    <TopBar
+      activeView="dashboard"
+      navItems={navItems}
+      onNavigate={vi.fn()}
+      mobileNavOpen={false}
+      onMobileNavOpenChange={vi.fn()}
+      notifications={null}
+      userMenu={null}
+      {...overrides}
+    />,
+  );
+}
+
+describe('TopBar showLabels', () => {
+  it('renders visible nav labels by default', () => {
+    renderTopBar();
+    expect(screen.getByText('Home')).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.getByText('Fleet')).toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+
+  it('hides the visible label text in icon-only mode but keeps the accessible name', () => {
+    renderTopBar({ showLabels: false });
+    expect(screen.queryByText('Home')).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+    // The button is still reachable by its accessible name (aria-label).
+    expect(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Home' })).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Fleet' })).toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+
+  it('always shows labels in the mobile navigation sheet, even when desktop labels are off', () => {
+    renderTopBar({ showLabels: false, mobileNavOpen: true });
+    // Desktop label spans are not rendered in icon-only mode, so the only "Home"
+    // text comes from the open sheet.
+    expect(screen.getByText('Home')).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.getByText('Fleet')).toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+
+  it('wraps nav buttons in a tooltip trigger only in icon-only mode', () => {
+    // Radix TooltipTrigger (asChild) stamps a data-state attribute onto the
+    // button; the labels-on path renders the button bare without one.
+    const { unmount } = renderTopBar({ showLabels: false });
+    expect(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Home' })).toHaveAttribute('data-state');
+    unmount();
+    renderTopBar({ showLabels: true });
+    expect(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Home' })).not.toHaveAttribute('data-state');
+  });
+
+  it('forwards clicks to onNavigate through the icon-only tooltip trigger', () => {
+    const onNavigate = vi.fn();
+    renderTopBar({ showLabels: false, onNavigate });
+    fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Fleet' }));
+    expect(onNavigate).toHaveBeenCalledWith('fleet');
+  });
+
+  it('adds a leading spacer to center the nav only in icon-only center mode', () => {
+    // Centered: a flex-1 spacer precedes the nav.
+    const { unmount } = renderTopBar({ showLabels: false, navAlign: 'center' });
+    expect(screen.getByRole('navigation', { name: 'Primary' }).previousElementSibling)
+      .toHaveClass('flex-1');
+    unmount();
+
+    // Icon-only but left-aligned: no leading spacer.
+    const second = renderTopBar({ showLabels: false, navAlign: 'left' });
+    expect(screen.getByRole('navigation', { name: 'Primary' }).previousElementSibling).toBeNull();
+    second.unmount();
+
+    // Labels on always stays left, even if center is requested.
+    renderTopBar({ showLabels: true, navAlign: 'center' });
+    expect(screen.getByRole('navigation', { name: 'Primary' }).previousElementSibling).toBeNull();
+  });
+});

frontend/src/components/settings/AppearanceSection.tsx

@@ -2,11 +2,14 @@ import { Combobox } from '@/components/ui/combobox';
 import { Checkbox } from '@/components/ui/checkbox';
 import { Slider } from '@/components/ui/slider';
 import { SegmentedControl } from '@/components/ui/segmented-control';
+import { TogglePill } from '@/components/ui/toggle-pill';
 import { useDensity } from '@/hooks/use-density';
 import type { Density } from '@/hooks/use-density';
 import { useDeployFeedbackEnabled } from '@/hooks/use-deploy-feedback-enabled';
 import { useDeployFeedbackStyle, type DeployFeedbackStyle } from '@/hooks/use-deploy-feedback-style';
 import { useComposeDiffPreviewEnabled } from '@/hooks/use-compose-diff-preview-enabled';
+import { useTopNavLabels } from '@/hooks/use-top-nav-labels';
+import { useTopNavAlign, type TopNavAlign } from '@/hooks/use-top-nav-align';
 import { useTheme, THEME_MODE_OPTIONS, ACCENTS, CONTRAST, BORDER_BOOST, GLOW, TYPE_SCALE } from '@/hooks/use-theme';
 import { AccentPicker } from '@/components/theme/AccentPicker';
 import { ThemePreview } from '@/components/theme/ThemePreview';
@@ -31,6 +34,11 @@ const DEPLOY_STYLE_OPTIONS: { value: DeployFeedbackStyle; label: string }[] = [
     { value: 'inline', label: 'Inline' },
 ];
 
+const TOP_NAV_ALIGN_OPTIONS: { value: TopNavAlign; label: string }[] = [
+    { value: 'left', label: 'Left' },
+    { value: 'center', label: 'Center' },
+];
+
 const fmtSigned = (v: number) => `${v > 0 ? '+' : ''}${v.toFixed(2)}`;
 
 export function AppearanceSection() {
@@ -38,6 +46,8 @@ export function AppearanceSection() {
     const [isEnabled, setEnabled] = useDeployFeedbackEnabled();
     const [feedbackStyle, setFeedbackStyle] = useDeployFeedbackStyle();
     const [diffPreviewEnabled, setDiffPreviewEnabled] = useComposeDiffPreviewEnabled();
+    const [topNavLabels, setTopNavLabels] = useTopNavLabels();
+    const [topNavAlign, setTopNavAlign] = useTopNavAlign();
     const {
         theme, accent, borderBoost, glow, contrast, uiFont, monoFont, typeScale,
         setTheme, setAccent, setBorderBoost, setGlow, setContrast, setUiFont, setMonoFont, setTypeScale,
@@ -193,6 +203,27 @@ export function AppearanceSection() {
                     />
                 </SettingsField>
 
+                <SettingsField
+                    label="Top navigation labels"
+                    helper="Show text labels beside top navigation icons. Turn off for a more compact navigation bar."
+                >
+                    <TogglePill checked={topNavLabels} onChange={setTopNavLabels} />
+                </SettingsField>
+
+                {!topNavLabels && (
+                    <SettingsField
+                        label="Top navigation alignment"
+                        helper="Place the icon-only navigation against the left edge or centered in the bar."
+                    >
+                        <SegmentedControl
+                            value={topNavAlign}
+                            options={TOP_NAV_ALIGN_OPTIONS}
+                            onChange={setTopNavAlign}
+                            ariaLabel="Top navigation alignment"
+                        />
+                    </SettingsField>
+                )}
+
                 <SettingsField
                     label="Deploy progress"
                     helper="Stream live output for deploy, restart, update, install, and Git operations, with a warning when an operation goes quiet. On by default; turn it off to run operations without it."

frontend/src/hooks/__tests__/use-top-nav-align.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach } from 'vitest';
+import { renderHook, act } from '@testing-library/react';
+import { useTopNavAlign, TOP_NAV_ALIGN_KEY } from '../use-top-nav-align';
+
+describe('useTopNavAlign (left default)', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => localStorage.clear());
+  afterEach(() => localStorage.clear());
+
+  it('defaults to left when no value is stored', () => {
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useTopNavAlign());
+    expect(result.current[0]).toBe('left');
+  });
+
+  it('reads center only when explicitly set to center', () => {
+    localStorage.setItem(TOP_NAV_ALIGN_KEY, 'center');
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useTopNavAlign());
+    expect(result.current[0]).toBe('center');
+  });
+
+  it('treats any unknown value as left', () => {
+    localStorage.setItem(TOP_NAV_ALIGN_KEY, 'something-else');
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useTopNavAlign());
+    expect(result.current[0]).toBe('left');
+  });
+
+  it('setAlign persists and switches', () => {
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useTopNavAlign());
+    act(() => result.current[1]('center'));
+    expect(result.current[0]).toBe('center');
+    expect(localStorage.getItem(TOP_NAV_ALIGN_KEY)).toBe('center');
+    act(() => result.current[1]('left'));
+    expect(result.current[0]).toBe('left');
+  });
+
+  it('reacts to a storage event from another tab', () => {
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useTopNavAlign());
+    expect(result.current[0]).toBe('left');
+    act(() => {
+      window.dispatchEvent(new StorageEvent('storage', { key: TOP_NAV_ALIGN_KEY, newValue: 'center' }));
+    });
+    expect(result.current[0]).toBe('center');
+  });
+
+  it('syncs a second hook in the same tab via the settings-changed event', () => {
+    const a = renderHook(() => useTopNavAlign());
+    const b = renderHook(() => useTopNavAlign());
+    act(() => a.result.current[1]('center'));
+    expect(b.result.current[0]).toBe('center');
+  });
+});

frontend/src/hooks/__tests__/use-top-nav-labels.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach } from 'vitest';
+import { renderHook, act } from '@testing-library/react';
+import { useTopNavLabels, TOP_NAV_LABELS_KEY } from '../use-top-nav-labels';
+
+describe('useTopNavLabels (opt-out default)', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => localStorage.clear());
+  afterEach(() => localStorage.clear());
+
+  it('defaults to showing labels when no value is stored', () => {
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useTopNavLabels());
+    expect(result.current[0]).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it('hides labels only when explicitly set to false', () => {
+    localStorage.setItem(TOP_NAV_LABELS_KEY, 'false');
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useTopNavLabels());
+    expect(result.current[0]).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('treats any non-false value as labels-on', () => {
+    localStorage.setItem(TOP_NAV_LABELS_KEY, 'true');
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useTopNavLabels());
+    expect(result.current[0]).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it('restores labels when a storage event clears the key (newValue null)', () => {
+    localStorage.setItem(TOP_NAV_LABELS_KEY, 'false');
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useTopNavLabels());
+    expect(result.current[0]).toBe(false);
+    act(() => {
+      window.dispatchEvent(new StorageEvent('storage', { key: TOP_NAV_LABELS_KEY, newValue: null }));
+    });
+    expect(result.current[0]).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it('setShowLabels(false) persists false and hides labels', () => {
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useTopNavLabels());
+    act(() => result.current[1](false));
+    expect(result.current[0]).toBe(false);
+    expect(localStorage.getItem(TOP_NAV_LABELS_KEY)).toBe('false');
+  });
+
+  it('syncs a second hook in the same tab via the settings-changed event', () => {
+    const a = renderHook(() => useTopNavLabels());
+    const b = renderHook(() => useTopNavLabels());
+    act(() => a.result.current[1](false));
+    expect(b.result.current[0]).toBe(false);
+  });
+});

frontend/src/hooks/use-top-nav-align.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+import { useCallback, useEffect, useState } from 'react';
+import { SENCHO_SETTINGS_CHANGED } from '@/lib/events';
+
+export const TOP_NAV_ALIGN_KEY = 'sencho.appearance.topNavAlign';
+
+export type TopNavAlign = 'left' | 'center';
+
+// Horizontal placement of the desktop top nav when it is icon-only (labels off).
+// 'left' (the default) keeps the bar tucked against the left edge; 'center'
+// centers the icon cluster. Only an explicit 'center' centers it, so a missing
+// or unknown value stays left.
+function readStored(): TopNavAlign {
+    if (typeof window === 'undefined') return 'left';
+    try {
+        return window.localStorage.getItem(TOP_NAV_ALIGN_KEY) === 'center' ? 'center' : 'left';
+    } catch {
+        return 'left';
+    }
+}
+
+export function useTopNavAlign(): [TopNavAlign, (next: TopNavAlign) => void] {
+    const [align, setAlignState] = useState<TopNavAlign>(readStored);
+
+    useEffect(() => {
+        function onSettingsChanged() {
+            setAlignState(readStored());
+        }
+        window.addEventListener(SENCHO_SETTINGS_CHANGED, onSettingsChanged);
+        return () => window.removeEventListener(SENCHO_SETTINGS_CHANGED, onSettingsChanged);
+    }, []);
+
+    useEffect(() => {
+        function onStorage(event: StorageEvent) {
+            if (event.key !== TOP_NAV_ALIGN_KEY) return;
+            setAlignState(event.newValue === 'center' ? 'center' : 'left');
+        }
+        window.addEventListener('storage', onStorage);
+        return () => window.removeEventListener('storage', onStorage);
+    }, []);
+
+    const setAlign = useCallback((next: TopNavAlign) => {
+        try {
+            window.localStorage.setItem(TOP_NAV_ALIGN_KEY, next);
+        } catch {
+            // ignore; localStorage may be unavailable (private mode, quota)
+        }
+        setAlignState(next);
+        window.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent(SENCHO_SETTINGS_CHANGED));
+    }, []);
+
+    return [align, setAlign];
+}

frontend/src/hooks/use-top-nav-labels.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+import { useCallback, useEffect, useState } from 'react';
+import { SENCHO_SETTINGS_CHANGED } from '@/lib/events';
+
+export const TOP_NAV_LABELS_KEY = 'sencho.appearance.topNavLabels';
+
+// Default on (opt-out): the desktop top nav keeps its text labels unless the
+// user has explicitly turned them off, so current behavior is preserved. Only a
+// stored 'false' switches the bar to icon-only.
+function readStored(): boolean {
+    if (typeof window === 'undefined') return true;
+    try {
+        return window.localStorage.getItem(TOP_NAV_LABELS_KEY) !== 'false';
+    } catch {
+        return true;
+    }
+}
+
+export function useTopNavLabels(): [boolean, (next: boolean) => void] {
+    const [showLabels, setShowLabelsState] = useState<boolean>(readStored);
+
+    useEffect(() => {
+        function onSettingsChanged() {
+            setShowLabelsState(readStored());
+        }
+        window.addEventListener(SENCHO_SETTINGS_CHANGED, onSettingsChanged);
+        return () => window.removeEventListener(SENCHO_SETTINGS_CHANGED, onSettingsChanged);
+    }, []);
+
+    useEffect(() => {
+        function onStorage(event: StorageEvent) {
+            if (event.key !== TOP_NAV_LABELS_KEY) return;
+            // Opt-out: anything other than an explicit 'false' (including a
+            // cleared key) means labels are shown.
+            setShowLabelsState(event.newValue !== 'false');
+        }
+        window.addEventListener('storage', onStorage);
+        return () => window.removeEventListener('storage', onStorage);
+    }, []);
+
+    const setShowLabels = useCallback((next: boolean) => {
+        try {
+            window.localStorage.setItem(TOP_NAV_LABELS_KEY, next ? 'true' : 'false');
+        } catch {
+            // ignore; localStorage may be unavailable (private mode, quota)
+        }
+        setShowLabelsState(next);
+        window.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent(SENCHO_SETTINGS_CHANGED));
+    }, []);
+
+    return [showLabels, setShowLabels];
+}