[simonvanlaak]

Ordinary app launches and macOS reopens enter Settings on About after setup initialization. Unfinished setup and active capture retain priority. About preserves explicit unavailable-update guidance, selectable build identity and Copy version from the authoritative parent-provided version/SHA.

The shared Electron Settings shell waits for React commit, paint readiness and a completed hidden compositor snapshot before reveal. Repeated requests share a pending snapshot; late completion cannot revive a retired window. Existing startup deadlines, native fallback and the authoritative configuration writer remain. The accepted current-main Settings design is composed with these contracts; exactly one restricted Copy version IPC handler remains. General/Permissions and other unmigrated native paths remain available. Routing, rollback and removal conditions are documented beside the owner.

This carrier preserves the frozen histories of #1160 and #1168, which were closed as superseded. It does not require the broader #530 migration or include onboarding/Hermes/security changes or a separate publication.

Validation on 3accd489572fd531027c2094a46aaeeff6ce0aa6, tree 28c85678bf69d7a848b74769cb80c65984711e4f, based on main 05643c76bb910f0605ac6598a7d34417d550beb1:

• Independent source, integration and native-receipt reviews found no blocker. Full normal push gate passed: 948 root Rust tests (13 ignored), 191 frontend tests, 29 real Electron tests and selected Engine/Connect/Public checks. All applicable hosted checks and ARM64 preparation/verification passed.
• Exact installed ARM64 Mac packet and all 531 sealed entries verified; app/helper hashes matched. Three individually inspected General/Storage/Permissions cycles, inactive first-click, repeated Storage, Refresh, real picker Cancel with byte-identical config, About/version/native clipboard, settled light/dark and close/reopen passed. Settled pane intervals each contained one owned 720×530 window at alpha 1; close contained zero.
• Mac Start waited for a real screen frame. The same capture ID remained recording after ordinary activation without opening Settings. Exact-ID Cancel returned idle/null active ID/null bundle. App-specific OS grants and app readbacks were verified; microphone stayed disabled.
• Isolated Linux at the same source rendered About at 640×530 in light/dark, copied the exact version through native QMP input and OS clipboard readback, rendered native General/Storage/Permissions and reopened one About surface after close. Existing Linux native pane routing remains; this does not claim installed Electron Storage on Linux. Earlier setup-priority evidence retains its original source qualification.
• Native guests stopped, evidence retained privately and cleanup/FIFO verified. Cumulative macOS Settings changes layout and becomes blank when clicking panes #562 NoMac spend is $3.33 of the explicit $4 cap; reservations are empty. No real Kit display/TCC reset/audio test or private public upload occurred.

The original #562 build is unknown. A baseline briefly rendered cream Storage before its content; the compositor fence addresses that reproduced boundary. Persistent historical blanking and earlier hosted AX/GPU failures have no established root cause. Original failures remain retained; successful current-path checks are recovery evidence. Native fixture diagnostics/readiness retain exact PID/executable/input guards and the original deadlines. No uninterrupted-video or broad platform-parity claim is made.

Refs #562. Supersedes #1160 and #1168.