docs: changelog for unreleased fixes

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -17,13 +17,13 @@ aims to follow [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html)
   delete albums in one go. Deleting an album never touches your files — only the
   grouping is removed.
 - **Multi-select & bulk actions in the gallery** — hover a thumbnail's top-left
-  corner to reveal a selection checkbox (or click it to start selecting); while
+  corner to reveal a selection checkbox (click it to start selecting); while
   selecting, click tiles to toggle and double-click to open. A floating action
   bar then lets you tag (with autocomplete), rate, favorite, add to an album, or
   delete the whole selection at once. Works in similar-image, region, and album
   views too.
-- **Color search** — filter the gallery (and Timeline) by dominant color via a
-  collapsible swatch palette plus a custom color picker in the toolbar; existing
+- **Colour search** — filter the gallery (and Timeline) by dominant colour via a
+  collapsible swatch palette plus a custom colour picker in the toolbar; existing
   libraries are backfilled automatically in the background.
 - **Album-scoped similar search** — when finding visually similar images or
   searching by a selected region from an album, you can now keep results scoped
@@ -39,9 +39,7 @@ aims to follow [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html)
   without re-indexing.
 - **What's New** — after updating, Phokus now greets you with a "What's new"
   toast that opens an in-app release-notes screen for the new version, with the
-  changes grouped into collapsible Added / Changed / Fixed sections. It's
-  sourced from the bundled changelog (so it works offline) and can be reopened
-  any time from Settings → Updates → What's new.
+  changes grouped into collapsible Added / Changed / Fixed sections.
 - **Build badge in Settings** — the version line in Settings → Updates now shows
   whether the running build is the CPU or CUDA (GPU-accelerated) variant.
 
@@ -53,6 +51,14 @@ aims to follow [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html)
   click with no confirmation or warning.
 - The updater now shows a real download progress bar with a percentage in
   Settings → Updates (previously it only said "Downloading").
+- **Smaller-screen layout** — the toolbar adapts on narrow windows: the filter
+  chips scroll horizontally instead of squashing (so "Similar: Folder/All" no
+  longer stack), the search box shrinks, and the colour-search swatches now open
+  in a compact popover rather than expanding inline and running off-screen. The
+  sidebar and the lightbox info panel also narrow to give the gallery more room.
+- **Explore cluster layout** — clusters are now sized by image count (busier
+  clusters are larger and stack on top) and repositioned to avoid overlapping, so
+  every cluster stays viewable and clickable even in dense libraries.
 
 ### Fixed
 
@@ -66,6 +72,27 @@ aims to follow [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html)
 - Subtle Light theme — fixed several surfaces and buttons that stayed dark or
   became unreadable on hover, including new dialogs and the green action buttons
   across the updater and onboarding.
+- **Endless self-indexing loop** — adding a folder that contains Phokus's own
+  app-data directory (for example, your whole user profile) no longer makes the
+  app index its own thumbnail cache, generate thumbnails of those thumbnails, and
+  loop forever. That directory is now skipped by both the folder scanner and the
+  filesystem watcher.
+- **Background tasks now lead with the active folder** — when one folder's
+  workers are paused while another is actively processing, the active folder
+  takes the main slot in the background-tasks bar instead of the paused one.
+- **Oversized window on smaller screens** — on a fresh install the window opened
+  at a fixed size that was taller than the usable area on displays like
+  1366×768, leaving part of it off-screen. It now clamps to the monitor's work
+  area (excluding the taskbar) and centres there when it would overflow; larger
+  displays and any remembered size/position are left untouched.
+- **Explore readability in Subtle Light** — fixed washed-out and unreadable
+  elements in the Explore view on the light theme. Cluster cards now use a soft
+  dark caption scrim (the previous cream overlay fogged the photos), with a
+  legible label, count, and "Open" button; Tag Cloud words use darker accents and
+  a higher opacity floor instead of near-invisible pale text.
+- **Explore polish** — the Tag Cloud now uses the in-app tooltip instead of the
+  native browser one (and reads "1 image", not "1 images"), and the folder-scope
+  dropdown no longer opens behind the cluster cards.
 
 ## [0.1.1] — 2026-06-23
 

CLAUDE.md

@@ -15,8 +15,11 @@ pnpm dev:app
 # Frontend only (no Tauri window)
 pnpm dev:vite
 
-# Production build
-pnpm build:app
+# Production build (CPU)
+pnpm build:app:cpu
+
+# Production build (CUDA / GPU-accelerated)
+pnpm build:app:cuda
 
 # Type-check frontend
 pnpm build:vite

README.md

@@ -109,8 +109,11 @@ pnpm dev:app
 # Frontend only
 pnpm dev:vite
 
-# Production build
-pnpm build:app
+# Production build (CPU)
+pnpm build:app:cpu
+
+# Production build (CUDA / GPU-accelerated)
+pnpm build:app:cuda
 
 # Type-check the frontend
 pnpm build:vite

package.json

@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@
   "license": "MIT",
   "type": "module",
   "scripts": {
-    "build:app": "tauri build",
     "build:app:cpu": "tauri build -- --no-default-features",
     "build:app:cuda": "tauri build --config src-tauri/tauri.cuda.conf.json",
     "build:vite": "tsc && vite build",

src-tauri/src/indexer.rs

@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ use std::collections::{HashMap, HashSet};
 use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex, OnceLock};
 use std::time::{Duration, Instant};
-use tauri::{AppHandle, Emitter};
+use tauri::{AppHandle, Emitter, Manager};
 use walkdir::WalkDir;
 
 const IMAGE_EXTENSIONS: &[&str] = &[
@@ -354,7 +354,51 @@ pub fn start_tagging_worker(app: AppHandle, pool: DbPool, app_data_dir: PathBuf)
     });
 }
 
+/// True when `path` lives inside Phokus's own app-data directory (thumbnail
+/// cache, database, downloaded models). If a user indexes an ancestor of this
+/// directory — e.g. their whole `Users` folder — the app would otherwise index
+/// its own thumbnails, generate thumbnails of those thumbnails, and loop
+/// forever. The whole subtree is pruned from folder scans and ignored by the
+/// watcher to break that cycle.
+///
+/// Comparison is component-aware (so a sibling like `…/phokus-backup` never
+/// matches) and case-insensitive on Windows — the indexed root may report a
+/// different casing than `app_data_dir` (e.g. `c:\users\…` vs `C:\Users\…`),
+/// and a case-sensitive prefix check there would silently let the loop back in.
+fn is_within_app_data(path: &Path, app_data_dir: Option<&Path>) -> bool {
+    let Some(dir) = app_data_dir else {
+        return false;
+    };
+    let mut base = dir.components();
+    let mut target = path.components();
+    loop {
+        let Some(base_component) = base.next() else {
+            // Consumed every component of the app-data dir while still matching →
+            // `path` is the app-data dir itself or a descendant.
+            return true;
+        };
+        let Some(target_component) = target.next() else {
+            // `path` is shorter than the app-data dir, so it cannot be inside it.
+            return false;
+        };
+        let matches = if cfg!(windows) {
+            base_component
+                .as_os_str()
+                .eq_ignore_ascii_case(target_component.as_os_str())
+        } else {
+            base_component == target_component
+        };
+        if !matches {
+            return false;
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 fn do_index(app: AppHandle, pool: &DbPool, folder_id: i64, folder_path: PathBuf) -> Result<()> {
+    // Resolve our own app-data directory so the walk can skip it (see
+    // `is_within_app_data`). Resolution failure is non-fatal — we just lose the
+    // guard, which only matters when indexing an ancestor of the app data dir.
+    let app_data_dir = app.path().app_data_dir().ok();
     let existing_entries = {
         let conn = pool.get()?;
         db::get_folder_media_index(&conn, folder_id)?
@@ -371,6 +415,9 @@ fn do_index(app: AppHandle, pool: &DbPool, folder_id: i64, folder_path: PathBuf)
     let media_paths: Vec<PathBuf> = WalkDir::new(&folder_path)
         .follow_links(true)
         .into_iter()
+        // Prune our own app-data subtree before descending into it, so we never
+        // scan (and re-thumbnail) the thumbnail cache.
+        .filter_entry(|entry| !is_within_app_data(entry.path(), app_data_dir.as_deref()))
         .filter_map(|entry| match entry {
             Ok(e) if e.file_type().is_file() && is_supported_media(e.path()) => {
                 Some(e.path().to_path_buf())
@@ -1597,6 +1644,10 @@ pub fn start_watcher(app: AppHandle, pool: DbPool, thumb_dir: PathBuf) -> Watche
 
     // Spawn the debounce loop on its own thread.
     let folder_map_thread = Arc::clone(&folder_map);
+    // `thumb_dir` is `<app data>/thumbnails`; its parent is the app-data root.
+    // Watched roots can be ancestors of it (e.g. a whole user profile), so we
+    // drop any event inside that subtree to avoid re-indexing our own cache.
+    let app_data_dir = thumb_dir.parent().map(Path::to_path_buf);
     std::thread::spawn(move || {
         // path → deadline: the earliest instant at which this path should be processed.
         let mut pending: HashMap<PathBuf, Instant> = HashMap::new();
@@ -1639,7 +1690,22 @@ pub fn start_watcher(app: AppHandle, pool: DbPool, thumb_dir: PathBuf) -> Watche
                     {
                         let old = event.paths[0].clone();
                         let new = event.paths[1].clone();
-                        if is_supported_media(&old) || is_supported_media(&new) {
+                        let old_in_app = is_within_app_data(&old, app_data_dir.as_deref());
+                        let new_in_app = is_within_app_data(&new, app_data_dir.as_deref());
+                        if old_in_app && new_in_app {
+                            // Internal app-data churn (e.g. thumbnail cache) — ignore.
+                        } else if old_in_app || new_in_app {
+                            // Only one side is app-data, so the rename pairing is
+                            // meaningless (we don't track app-data files). Handle the
+                            // legitimate side as an independent create/delete via the
+                            // normal debounce queue: a file moved out of app-data is
+                            // indexed as a create; one moved in is processed as a
+                            // delete (process_watcher_path sees it no longer exists).
+                            let legit = if old_in_app { new } else { old };
+                            if is_supported_media(&legit) {
+                                pending.insert(legit, now + WATCHER_DEBOUNCE);
+                            }
+                        } else if is_supported_media(&old) || is_supported_media(&new) {
                             // Remove either side from regular pending so it isn't
                             // processed as an independent delete/create.
                             pending.remove(&old);
@@ -1648,7 +1714,9 @@ pub fn start_watcher(app: AppHandle, pool: DbPool, thumb_dir: PathBuf) -> Watche
                         }
                     } else {
                         for path in event.paths {
-                            if is_supported_media(&path) {
+                            if is_supported_media(&path)
+                                && !is_within_app_data(&path, app_data_dir.as_deref())
+                            {
                                 pending.insert(path, now + WATCHER_DEBOUNCE);
                             }
                         }

src-tauri/src/lib.rs

@@ -46,6 +46,32 @@ pub fn run() {
         .plugin(tauri_plugin_fs::init())
         .plugin(tauri_plugin_notification::init())
         .setup(|app| {
+            // Fresh installs open at the fixed config size (1280×800) because the
+            // window-state plugin has nothing saved yet — too tall for laptops
+            // like 1366×768. Clamp the window to the monitor's work area (which
+            // already excludes the taskbar) and re-center it there, but only when
+            // it actually overflows, so a restored size/position on a roomier
+            // display is left untouched. Sizes are physical pixels on both sides,
+            // so this stays correct across display scaling.
+            if let Some(window) = app.get_webview_window("main") {
+                if let Ok(Some(monitor)) = window.current_monitor() {
+                    let area = monitor.work_area();
+                    let max_w = area.size.width.saturating_sub(32);
+                    let max_h = area.size.height.saturating_sub(32);
+                    if let Ok(size) = window.outer_size() {
+                        if size.width > max_w || size.height > max_h {
+                            let new_w = size.width.min(max_w);
+                            let new_h = size.height.min(max_h);
+                            let _ = window.set_size(tauri::PhysicalSize::new(new_w, new_h));
+                            let _ = window.set_position(tauri::PhysicalPosition::new(
+                                area.position.x + (area.size.width as i32 - new_w as i32) / 2,
+                                area.position.y + (area.size.height as i32 - new_h as i32) / 2,
+                            ));
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+
             let app_dir = app
                 .path()
                 .app_data_dir()

src/components/BackgroundTasks.tsx

@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ interface Task {
   id: number;
   name: string;
   stages: TaskStage[];
+  isActive: boolean;
   hasFailedEmbeddings: boolean;
   hasFailedTagging: boolean;
   hasFailedCaptions: boolean;
@@ -156,6 +157,18 @@ export function BackgroundTasks() {
         const captionReady = jobs?.caption_ready ?? 0;
         const captionFailed = jobs?.caption_failed ?? 0;
 
+        // A folder is "actively processing" when something is genuinely moving:
+        // an in-progress scan, or pending work on a worker that isn't paused.
+        // Captions have no per-folder pause toggle, so any caption work counts.
+        const paused = workerPaused[folder.id];
+        const isActive =
+          (!!index && !index.done) ||
+          (thumbnailPending > 0 && !(paused?.thumbnail ?? false)) ||
+          (metadataPending > 0 && !(paused?.metadata ?? false)) ||
+          (embeddingPending > 0 && !(paused?.embedding ?? false)) ||
+          (taggingPending > 0 && !(paused?.tagging ?? false)) ||
+          captionPending > 0;
+
         const pendingMediaWork = thumbnailPending + metadataPending + embeddingPending + taggingPending + captionPending;
         const embeddingProcessed = embeddingReady + embeddingFailed;
         const embeddingTotal = embeddingProcessed + embeddingPending;
@@ -262,6 +275,7 @@ export function BackgroundTasks() {
           id: folder.id,
           name: folder.name,
           stages,
+          isActive,
           hasFailedEmbeddings,
           hasFailedTagging,
           hasFailedCaptions,
@@ -273,8 +287,12 @@ export function BackgroundTasks() {
         };
       })
       .filter((t): t is Task => t !== null)
-      .filter((t) => dismissed[t.id] !== t.snapshot);
-  }, [folders, indexingProgress, mediaJobProgress, dismissed]);
+      .filter((t) => dismissed[t.id] !== t.snapshot)
+      // Surface actively-processing folders first so a paused folder never holds
+      // the primary (collapsed) slot while another is genuinely working. Array
+      // sort is stable, so folders within each group keep their existing order.
+      .sort((a, b) => Number(b.isActive) - Number(a.isActive));
+  }, [folders, indexingProgress, mediaJobProgress, workerPaused, dismissed]);
 
   // Synthetic task for duplicate scanning — negative id so dismiss/retry are suppressed
   const duplicateScanTask: Task | null = duplicateScanning ? {
@@ -294,6 +312,7 @@ export function BackgroundTasks() {
         : null,
       failed: false,
     }],
+    isActive: true,
     hasFailedEmbeddings: false,
     hasFailedTagging: false,
     hasFailedCaptions: false,

src/components/ColorFilter.tsx

@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ export function ColorFilter() {
   }, [open]);
 
   return (
-    <div ref={ref} className="ml-1 flex items-center border-l border-white/[0.06] pl-2">
+    <div ref={ref} className="relative ml-1 flex shrink-0 items-center border-l border-white/[0.06] pl-2">
       {/* Trigger — a single palette icon; shows the active color as a dot when a
           filter is applied so the collapsed state still communicates it. */}
       <Tooltip label={isActive ? "Color filter active" : "Filter by color"} delay={400}>
@@ -85,17 +85,17 @@ export function ColorFilter() {
 
       <AnimatePresence initial={false}>
         {open ? (
+          // Right-aligned popover so it never widens the toolbar row or gets
+          // pushed off-screen on narrow windows. Swatches wrap into a compact
+          // grid instead of a single long horizontal strip.
           <motion.div
-            initial={{ width: 0, opacity: 0 }}
-            animate={{ width: "auto", opacity: 1 }}
-            exit={{ width: 0, opacity: 0 }}
-            transition={{ duration: 0.18, ease: "easeOut" }}
-            // Horizontal/vertical padding gives the active swatch's ring + scale
-            // room inside the overflow-hidden clip box (needed for the width slide).
-            // py-1 keeps the panel shorter than the always-present filter pills so
-            // opening it never changes the row height (no 1px toolbar shift).
-            className="flex items-center gap-1 overflow-hidden whitespace-nowrap px-1.5 py-1"
+            initial={{ opacity: 0, y: -4, scale: 0.98 }}
+            animate={{ opacity: 1, y: 0, scale: 1 }}
+            exit={{ opacity: 0, y: -4, scale: 0.98 }}
+            transition={{ duration: 0.14, ease: "easeOut" }}
+            className="absolute right-0 top-full z-30 mt-2 w-max rounded-xl border border-white/10 bg-gray-950/98 p-2.5 shadow-2xl backdrop-blur light-theme:border-gray-700/50"
           >
+            <div className="grid grid-cols-7 gap-1.5">
               {SWATCHES.map((swatch) => {
                 const active = rgbEquals(colorFilter, swatch.rgb);
                 return (
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ export function ColorFilter() {
                     key={swatch.name}
                     title={swatch.name}
                     aria-label={`Filter by ${swatch.name}`}
-                  className={`h-4 w-4 shrink-0 rounded-full border transition-transform ${
+                    className={`h-5 w-5 shrink-0 rounded-full border transition-transform ${
                       active ? "scale-110 border-white/40 ring-2 ring-white/70" : "border-white/15 hover:scale-110"
                     }`}
                     style={{ backgroundColor: toHex(swatch.rgb) }}
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ export function ColorFilter() {
               {/* Custom color picker — rainbow until a custom color is chosen. */}
               <label
                 title="Custom color"
-              className={`relative h-4 w-4 shrink-0 cursor-pointer overflow-hidden rounded-full border ${
+                className={`relative h-5 w-5 shrink-0 cursor-pointer overflow-hidden rounded-full border ${
                   isCustom ? "border-white/40 ring-2 ring-white/70" : "border-white/15 hover:scale-110"
                 }`}
                 style={
@@ -131,24 +131,28 @@ export function ColorFilter() {
                   onChange={(event) => setColorFilter(fromHex(event.target.value))}
                 />
               </label>
+            </div>
 
+            {isActive || (colorBackfill && colorBackfill.total > 0) ? (
+              <div className="mt-2 flex items-center justify-between gap-3 border-t border-white/[0.06] pt-2 light-theme:border-gray-700/40">
+                {colorBackfill && colorBackfill.total > 0 ? (
+                  <span
+                    className="text-[10px] text-gray-600"
+                    title="Sampling colors from existing thumbnails — color search fills in as this runs"
+                  >
+                    sampling {colorBackfill.processed.toLocaleString()}/{colorBackfill.total.toLocaleString()}
+                  </span>
+                ) : <span />}
                 {isActive ? (
                   <button
-                className="ml-0.5 shrink-0 rounded px-1 text-[11px] text-gray-500 transition-colors hover:text-gray-200"
+                    className="shrink-0 rounded px-1 text-[11px] text-gray-500 transition-colors hover:text-gray-200"
                     onClick={() => setColorFilter(null)}
                     title="Clear color filter"
                   >
                     Clear
                   </button>
                 ) : null}
-
-            {colorBackfill && colorBackfill.total > 0 ? (
-              <span
-                className="ml-0.5 shrink-0 text-[10px] text-gray-600"
-                title="Sampling colors from existing thumbnails — color search fills in as this runs"
-              >
-                sampling {colorBackfill.processed.toLocaleString()}/{colorBackfill.total.toLocaleString()}
-              </span>
+              </div>
             ) : null}
           </motion.div>
         ) : null}

src/components/Lightbox.tsx

@@ -517,7 +517,7 @@ export function Lightbox() {
                 </AnimatePresence>
               </div>
 
-              <div className="lightbox-panel flex w-72 shrink-0 flex-col border-l border-white/5 bg-gray-900/95">
+              <div className="lightbox-panel flex w-64 shrink-0 flex-col border-l border-white/5 bg-gray-900/95 lg:w-72">
                 <div className="flex shrink-0 items-center justify-between px-5 pt-5 pb-4">
                   <div className="min-w-0">
                     <p className="truncate text-sm font-medium text-white">{selectedImage.filename}</p>
@@ -534,7 +534,7 @@ export function Lightbox() {
                       </svg>
                     </button>
                     <button
-                      className={`rounded-full border px-3 py-1.5 text-xs ${
+                      className={`flex items-center gap-1.5 rounded-full border px-2 py-1.5 text-xs lg:px-3 ${
                         canFindSimilar
                           ? "border-white/10 bg-white/5 text-gray-300 hover:text-white"
                           : "border-white/5 bg-white/[0.03] text-gray-600 cursor-not-allowed"
@@ -544,8 +544,15 @@ export function Lightbox() {
                         void findSimilar(selectedImage.id, selectedImage.folder_id);
                       }}
                       disabled={!canFindSimilar}
+                      title={canFindSimilar ? "Find similar images" : "Embeddings not ready"}
                     >
-                      {canFindSimilar ? "Similar" : "Embeddings not ready"}
+                      <svg className="h-4 w-4 shrink-0" fill="none" viewBox="0 0 24 24" stroke="currentColor">
+                        <path strokeLinecap="round" strokeLinejoin="round" strokeWidth={1.6}
+                          d="M13 3l1.55 4.65L19 9.2l-4.45 1.55L13 15.4l-1.55-4.65L7 9.2l4.45-1.55L13 3z" />
+                        <path strokeLinecap="round" strokeLinejoin="round" strokeWidth={1.6}
+                          d="M5.5 14.5l.8 2.2 2.2.8-2.2.8-.8 2.2-.8-2.2L2.5 17.5l2.2-.8.8-2.2z" />
+                      </svg>
+                      <span className="hidden lg:inline">{canFindSimilar ? "Similar" : "Embeddings not ready"}</span>
                     </button>
                   </div>
                   <button className="rounded p-1 text-gray-400 hover:text-white" onClick={closeImage}>
@@ -949,7 +956,7 @@ export function Lightbox() {
           </div>
 
           <button
-            className="absolute right-80 top-1/2 z-10 -translate-y-1/2 rounded-full bg-white/10 p-3 text-white transition-colors hover:bg-white/20 disabled:opacity-20"
+            className="absolute right-72 top-1/2 z-10 -translate-y-1/2 rounded-full bg-white/10 p-3 text-white transition-colors hover:bg-white/20 disabled:opacity-20 lg:right-80"
             disabled={currentIndex >= images.length - 1 || regionSelectMode}
             onClick={(event) => {
               event.stopPropagation();

src/components/Sidebar.tsx

@@ -829,7 +829,7 @@ export function Sidebar() {
   };
 
   return (
-    <aside className="w-60 shrink-0 flex flex-col bg-gray-950 border-r border-white/[0.06]">
+    <aside className="w-52 shrink-0 flex flex-col bg-gray-950 border-r border-white/[0.06] lg:w-60">
       {/* Header */}
       <div className="flex items-center justify-between px-4 h-12 border-b border-white/[0.06] shrink-0">
         <span className="text-[13px] font-semibold text-white/80 tracking-wide">Phokus</span>

src/components/TagCloud.tsx

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { motion, useReducedMotion } from "framer-motion";
 import { convertFileSrc } from "@tauri-apps/api/core";
 import { ExploreTagEntry, TagCloudEntry, useGalleryStore } from "../store";
 import { FolderScopeDropdown } from "./FolderScopeDropdown";
+import { Tooltip } from "./Tooltip";
 
 const ACCENTS = [
   "#60a5fa",
@@ -17,6 +18,21 @@ const ACCENTS = [
   "#f87171",
 ];
 
+// Darker variants of each accent for the light theme — the bright originals are
+// tuned for dark cards and wash out on the cream background.
+const LIGHT_ACCENTS = [
+  "#2563eb",
+  "#9333ea",
+  "#16a34a",
+  "#d97706",
+  "#db2777",
+  "#0d9488",
+  "#ea580c",
+  "#7c3aed",
+  "#059669",
+  "#dc2626",
+];
+
 const GOLDEN_ANGLE = Math.PI * (3 - Math.sqrt(5));
 
 function seeded(n: number): number {
@@ -31,6 +47,7 @@ interface PlacedNode {
   y: number;
   w: number;
   h: number;
+  zIndex: number;
   accent: string;
   driftX: number;
   driftY: number;
@@ -44,17 +61,34 @@ function buildCloud(entries: TagCloudEntry[], containerW: number, containerH: nu
   const maxCount = Math.max(...entries.map((e) => e.count));
   const cx = containerW / 2;
   const cy = containerH / 2;
-  // Spread ellipse shrinks slightly to leave room for card half-widths at the edges
-  const spreadX = containerW * 0.42;
-  const spreadY = containerH * 0.36;
   const n = entries.length;
+  const ASPECT = 0.72;
+  const PAD = 18;
 
-  // 1. Build initial positions using phyllotaxis spiral
+  // Card width scales with image count; the sub-linear exponent (< 1) widens the
+  // gap so the busiest clusters read as clearly larger and more prominent.
+  const rawWidth = (count: number) => {
+    const ratio = Math.max(count / maxCount, 0.05);
+    return 92 + Math.pow(ratio, 0.65) * 158; // ~92–250px before fit scaling
+  };
+
+  // Shrink every card uniformly when their padded footprint can't fit the
+  // canvas, so overlap resolution can actually pull them apart instead of
+  // settling into a pile. (0.6 leaves headroom for imperfect packing.)
+  const totalArea = entries.reduce((sum, e) => {
+    const w = rawWidth(e.count);
+    return sum + (w + PAD) * (w * ASPECT + PAD);
+  }, 0);
+  const usableArea = containerW * containerH * 0.6;
+  const fit = totalArea > usableArea ? Math.sqrt(usableArea / totalArea) : 1;
+
+  const spreadX = containerW * 0.44;
+  const spreadY = containerH * 0.4;
+
+  // 1. Seed positions on a phyllotaxis spiral, sized by count.
   const nodes: PlacedNode[] = entries.map((entry, i) => {
-    const ratio = Math.max(entry.count / maxCount, 0.08);
-    // Cards scale from 110px to 230px wide; height is 3/4 of width
-    const w = 110 + Math.sqrt(ratio) * 120;
-    const h = w * 0.75;
+    const w = rawWidth(entry.count) * fit;
+    const h = w * ASPECT;
     const radialRatio = Math.sqrt((i + 0.5) / n);
     const angle = i * GOLDEN_ANGLE;
 
@@ -65,6 +99,9 @@ function buildCloud(entries: TagCloudEntry[], containerW: number, containerH: nu
       y: cy + Math.sin(angle) * radialRatio * spreadY,
       w,
       h,
+      // Bigger (busier) clusters stack above smaller ones, so they stay
+      // clickable even if a sliver of overlap survives.
+      zIndex: Math.round(w),
       accent: ACCENTS[i % ACCENTS.length],
       driftX: (seeded(i + 11) - 0.5) * 18,
       driftY: (seeded(i + 17) - 0.5) * 14,
@@ -73,9 +110,12 @@ function buildCloud(entries: TagCloudEntry[], containerW: number, containerH: nu
     };
   });
 
-  // 2. Iterative overlap resolution — no physics, just push apart
-  const PAD = 24;
-  for (let iter = 0; iter < 80; iter++) {
+  // 2. Resolve overlaps by pushing pairs apart, clamping inside the canvas every
+  //    pass so edge cards settle in-bounds instead of being shoved out and
+  //    re-overlapping there.
+  const marginX = 14;
+  const marginY = 14;
+  for (let iter = 0; iter < 160; iter++) {
     for (let a = 0; a < nodes.length; a++) {
       const na = nodes[a];
       for (let b = a + 1; b < nodes.length; b++) {
@@ -85,29 +125,26 @@ function buildCloud(entries: TagCloudEntry[], containerW: number, containerH: nu
         const overlapX = (na.w + nb.w) / 2 + PAD - Math.abs(dx);
         const overlapY = (na.h + nb.h) / 2 + PAD - Math.abs(dy);
         if (overlapX <= 0 || overlapY <= 0) continue;
-        // Push along the smaller overlap axis
+        // Push along the smaller overlap axis (ternary yields ±1 so coincident
+        // cards still separate rather than stalling at a zero push).
         if (overlapX < overlapY) {
-          const push = overlapX * 0.5 * (dx >= 0 ? 1 : -1);
+          const push = (overlapX / 2) * (dx >= 0 ? 1 : -1);
           nb.x += push;
           na.x -= push;
         } else {
-          const push = overlapY * 0.5 * (dy >= 0 ? 1 : -1);
+          const push = (overlapY / 2) * (dy >= 0 ? 1 : -1);
           nb.y += push;
           na.y -= push;
         }
       }
-      // Pull gently back toward anchor to prevent runaway drift
-      na.x += (cx + Math.cos(na.index * GOLDEN_ANGLE) * Math.sqrt((na.index + 0.5) / n) * spreadX - na.x) * 0.05;
-      na.y += (cy + Math.sin(na.index * GOLDEN_ANGLE) * Math.sqrt((na.index + 0.5) / n) * spreadY - na.y) * 0.05;
+    }
+    for (const node of nodes) {
+      node.x = Math.min(Math.max(node.x, node.w / 2 + marginX), containerW - node.w / 2 - marginX);
+      node.y = Math.min(Math.max(node.y, node.h / 2 + marginY), containerH - node.h / 2 - marginY);
     }
   }
 
-  // 3. Clamp so cards never poke outside the container
-  return nodes.map((node) => ({
-    ...node,
-    x: Math.min(Math.max(node.x, node.w / 2 + 16), containerW - node.w / 2 - 16),
-    y: Math.min(Math.max(node.y, node.h / 2 + 16), containerH - node.h / 2 - 16),
-  }));
+  return nodes;
 }
 
 function CloudCard({ node, onOpen, animated }: { node: PlacedNode; onOpen: (imageIds: number[]) => void; animated: boolean }) {
@@ -124,7 +161,7 @@ function CloudCard({ node, onOpen, animated }: { node: PlacedNode; onOpen: (imag
   return (
     <motion.button
       className="explore-cluster-card group absolute overflow-hidden rounded-2xl border border-white/8 bg-white/[0.04] text-left shadow-[0_8px_28px_rgba(0,0,0,0.38)] focus:outline-none focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:ring-white/30"
-      style={{ width: w, height: h, left: node.x - w / 2, top: node.y - h / 2 }}
+      style={{ width: w, height: h, left: node.x - w / 2, top: node.y - h / 2, zIndex: node.zIndex }}
       initial={animated ? { opacity: 0, scale: 0.82, rotate: node.rotateSeed } : { opacity: 0, scale: 0.96 }}
       animate={
         animated
@@ -148,9 +185,9 @@ function CloudCard({ node, onOpen, animated }: { node: PlacedNode; onOpen: (imag
             }
           : { opacity: { duration: 0.18, delay: Math.min(node.index * 0.016, 0.28) }, scale: { duration: 0.18, delay: Math.min(node.index * 0.016, 0.28) } }
       }
-      whileHover={{ scale: 1.06, rotate: 0, transition: { duration: 0.18 } }}
+      whileHover={{ scale: 1.06, rotate: 0, zIndex: 500, transition: { duration: 0.18 } }}
       onClick={() => onOpen(node.entry.image_ids)}
-      title={`Open cluster — ${node.entry.count.toLocaleString()} images`}
+      title={`Open cluster — ${node.entry.count.toLocaleString()} ${node.entry.count === 1 ? "image" : "images"}`}
     >
       {src ? (
         <img
@@ -178,7 +215,7 @@ function CloudCard({ node, onOpen, animated }: { node: PlacedNode; onOpen: (imag
             <p className="explore-cluster-count text-base font-semibold leading-none text-white">{node.entry.count.toLocaleString()}</p>
           </div>
           <span
-            className="rounded-full border px-2 py-0.5 text-[9px] uppercase tracking-[0.1em] opacity-0 transition-opacity duration-200 group-hover:opacity-100"
+            className="explore-cluster-open rounded-full border px-2 py-0.5 text-[9px] uppercase tracking-[0.1em] opacity-0 transition-opacity duration-200 group-hover:opacity-100"
             style={{ borderColor: `${accent}50`, color: accent, backgroundColor: `${accent}12` }}
           >
             Open
@@ -203,25 +240,34 @@ function TagWord({
   logRange: number;
   onSearch: (tag: string) => void;
 }) {
+  const theme = useGalleryStore((state) => state.theme);
+  const isLight = theme === "subtle-light";
   const ratio = logRange > 0 ? (Math.log(Math.max(entry.count, 1)) - logMin) / logRange : 0.5;
   const fontSize = 11 + ratio * 28; // 11px – 39px
-  const accent = ACCENTS[index % ACCENTS.length];
+  const accent = (isLight ? LIGHT_ACCENTS : ACCENTS)[index % ACCENTS.length];
   const tilt = (seeded(index + 5) - 0.5) * 7;
+  // Faint low-frequency words read fine as subtle white-on-dark, but the same low
+  // opacity is unreadable on the light theme's cream, so raise the floor there.
+  const minOpacity = isLight ? 0.6 : 0.4;
 
   return (
+    <Tooltip
+      label={`${entry.tag} — ${entry.count.toLocaleString()} ${entry.count === 1 ? "image" : "images"}`}
+      followCursor
+      delay={250}
+    >
       <motion.button
         initial={{ opacity: 0, scale: 0.6 }}
-      animate={{ opacity: 0.4 + ratio * 0.6, scale: 1 }}
+        animate={{ opacity: minOpacity + ratio * (1 - minOpacity), scale: 1 }}
         transition={{ delay: Math.min(index * 0.008, 0.55), duration: 0.22 }}
         whileHover={{ scale: 1.2, opacity: 1, rotate: 0, transition: { duration: 0.14 } }}
         className="explore-tag-word group inline-flex items-center gap-1 rounded-full px-2 py-1 transition-colors hover:bg-white/[0.07]"
         style={{ fontSize, rotate: tilt }}
         onClick={() => onSearch(entry.tag)}
-      title={`${entry.tag} — ${entry.count.toLocaleString()} images`}
       >
         <span
           className="font-medium leading-none"
-        style={{ color: ratio > 0.55 ? accent : "rgba(255,255,255,0.82)" }}
+          style={{ color: ratio > 0.55 ? accent : isLight ? "#4b5563" : "rgba(255,255,255,0.82)" }}
         >
           {entry.tag}
         </span>
@@ -232,6 +278,7 @@ function TagWord({
           {entry.count.toLocaleString()}
         </span>
       </motion.button>
+    </Tooltip>
   );
 }
 
@@ -278,7 +325,7 @@ function ClusterCloud({
   );
 
   return (
-    <div ref={canvasRef} className="relative min-h-0 flex-1 overflow-hidden">
+    <div ref={canvasRef} className="relative isolate min-h-0 flex-1 overflow-hidden">
       <div className="explore-cluster-grid pointer-events-none absolute inset-0 opacity-[0.07] [background-image:radial-gradient(circle,rgba(255,255,255,0.6)_1px,transparent_1px)] [background-size:28px_28px]" />
       {nodes.map((node) => (
         <CloudCard
@@ -484,8 +531,9 @@ export function TagCloud() {
 
   return (
     <div className="explore-view flex min-h-0 flex-1 flex-col overflow-hidden bg-[radial-gradient(ellipse_at_top,rgba(59,130,246,0.08),transparent_50%),radial-gradient(ellipse_at_80%_75%,rgba(168,85,247,0.07),transparent_40%),#07080f]">
-      {/* Header */}
-      <div className="explore-header shrink-0 border-b border-white/[0.05] px-6 py-4">
+      {/* Header — `relative z-10` keeps the folder-scope dropdown above the
+          cluster canvas, whose cards use a high z-index of their own. */}
+      <div className="explore-header relative z-10 shrink-0 border-b border-white/[0.05] px-6 py-4">
         <div className="flex items-center justify-between gap-4">
           <div className="min-w-0">
             <h2 className="explore-title text-[15px] font-semibold text-white">Explore</h2>

src/components/Toolbar.tsx

@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ function FilterPill({
       : "bg-white/10 text-white light-theme:bg-gray-900 light-theme:text-white";
   return (
     <button
-      className={`rounded-lg px-3 py-1.5 text-xs font-medium transition-all duration-150 ${
+      className={`shrink-0 whitespace-nowrap rounded-lg px-3 py-1.5 text-xs font-medium transition-all duration-150 ${
         active
           ? activeClass
           : "text-gray-500 hover:text-gray-200 hover:bg-white/5 light-theme:text-gray-600 light-theme:hover:bg-gray-900 light-theme:hover:text-white"
@@ -268,10 +268,10 @@ export function Toolbar() {
   return (
     <div className="relative z-20 shrink-0 border-b border-white/[0.06] bg-gray-950/80 backdrop-blur-xl">
       {/* Primary row */}
-      <div className="flex items-center gap-3 px-5 h-12">
+      <div className="flex items-center gap-2 px-3 h-12 lg:gap-3 lg:px-5">
         {/* Title + count */}
         <div className="flex items-baseline gap-2.5 min-w-0 shrink-0">
-          <h2 className="text-[15px] font-semibold text-white truncate max-w-48">{title}</h2>
+          <h2 className="text-[15px] font-semibold text-white truncate max-w-32 lg:max-w-48">{title}</h2>
           <span className="text-xs text-gray-600 shrink-0">
             {loadedCount < totalImages
               ? `${loadedCount.toLocaleString()} / ${totalImages.toLocaleString()}`
@@ -322,7 +322,7 @@ export function Toolbar() {
                 }}
                 onFocus={() => setSearchPanelOpen(true)}
                 placeholder="Search files, or use /s /t"
-                className={`w-64 bg-transparent py-1.5 pr-9 text-sm text-white placeholder:text-gray-600 focus:outline-none transition-colors ${searchCommand !== null ? "pl-16" : "pl-8"}`}
+                className={`w-40 bg-transparent py-1.5 pr-9 text-sm text-white placeholder:text-gray-600 focus:outline-none transition-colors lg:w-52 xl:w-64 ${searchCommand !== null ? "pl-16" : "pl-8"}`}
               />
               {searchCommand !== null ? (
                 <div className="absolute left-8 top-1/2 -translate-y-1/2">
@@ -452,8 +452,10 @@ export function Toolbar() {
         </div>
       </div>
 
-      {/* Filter row */}
+      {/* Filter row — pills scroll horizontally on narrow widths so they never
+          squash or stack; the color filter stays pinned to the right. */}
       <div className="flex items-center gap-1 px-4 pb-1.5">
+        <div className="flex min-w-0 flex-1 items-center gap-1 overflow-x-auto [scrollbar-width:none] [&::-webkit-scrollbar]:hidden">
         <FilterPill label="All" active={mediaFilter === "all" && !favoritesOnly && !failedEmbeddingsOnly && !failedTaggingOnly && minimumRating === 0 && colorFilter === null} onClick={() => { setMediaFilter("all"); setFavoritesOnly(false); setMinimumRating(0); setFailedEmbeddingsOnly(false); setFailedTaggingOnly(false); setColorFilter(null); }} />
         <FilterPill label="Images" active={mediaFilter === "image" && !favoritesOnly && !failedEmbeddingsOnly && !failedTaggingOnly} onClick={() => { setMediaFilter("image"); setFavoritesOnly(false); setFailedEmbeddingsOnly(false); setFailedTaggingOnly(false); }} />
         <FilterPill label="Videos" active={mediaFilter === "video" && !favoritesOnly && !failedEmbeddingsOnly && !failedTaggingOnly} onClick={() => { setMediaFilter("video"); setFavoritesOnly(false); setFailedEmbeddingsOnly(false); setFailedTaggingOnly(false); }} />
@@ -481,8 +483,9 @@ export function Toolbar() {
             onClick={() => setFailedTaggingOnly(!failedTaggingOnly)}
           />
         ) : null}
+        {isSimilarResults ? <span className="ml-2 shrink-0 whitespace-nowrap text-[11px] text-gray-500">Current similar scope: {similarScope === "current_album" ? "this album" : similarScope === "current_folder" ? "current folder" : "all media"}</span> : null}
+        </div>
         <ColorFilter />
-        {isSimilarResults ? <span className="ml-2 text-[11px] text-gray-500">Current similar scope: {similarScope === "current_album" ? "this album" : similarScope === "current_folder" ? "current folder" : "all media"}</span> : null}
       </div>
     </div>
   );

src/index.css

@@ -190,31 +190,29 @@ html[data-theme="subtle-light"] .explore-cluster-card:hover {
 }
 
 html[data-theme="subtle-light"] .explore-cluster-overlay {
+  /* A cream wash over the photo read as a faded, foggy haze. Use a gentle dark
+     scrim instead — the same natural "photo caption" vignette the dark theme
+     uses — with light text on top (label/count rules below). */
   background: linear-gradient(
     to top,
-    rgb(251 250 246 / 0.9),
-    rgb(251 250 246 / 0.52) 34%,
-    rgb(251 250 246 / 0.06) 68%,
-    transparent
+    rgb(17 18 22 / 0.82),
+    rgb(17 18 22 / 0.34) 38%,
+    transparent 66%
   ) !important;
 }
 
 html[data-theme="subtle-light"] .explore-cluster-label {
-  color: #6b6257 !important;
+  color: rgb(255 255 255 / 0.62) !important;
 }
 
 html[data-theme="subtle-light"] .explore-cluster-count {
-  color: #111827 !important;
+  color: #ffffff !important;
 }
 
 html[data-theme="subtle-light"] .explore-tag-word:hover {
   background: #e8e2d6 !important;
 }
 
-html[data-theme="subtle-light"] .explore-tag-word span:first-child {
-  color: #374151 !important;
-}
-
 html[data-theme="subtle-light"] .explore-spinner {
   border-color: rgb(17 24 39 / 0.18) !important;
   border-top-color: rgb(17 24 39 / 0.55) !important;