diff --git a/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/bug.yml b/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/bug.yml
index 5a6f927..bc62e5a 100644
--- a/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/bug.yml
+++ b/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/bug.yml
@@ -1,28 +1,47 @@
 name: Bug report
-description: Something MeshTerm does wrong, and how to see it happen
+description: Report a problem with MeshTerm
 labels: [bug]
 body:
   - type: markdown
     attributes:
       value: |
-        The fields below are the ones that get asked in every single bug thread, so
-        answering them up front usually saves a day of back-and-forth.
+        Hopefully you never need this form.
+
+        If you do: how much of this you fill in really does decide what happens next. A
+        report I can act on gets worked on. A vague one usually doesn't, because I can't
+        do anything with it. If it isn't worth describing properly, it's probably not
+        worth fixing.
+
+        Most of these take ten seconds each.
 
   - type: textarea
-    id: what-happened
+    id: problem
     attributes:
-      label: What happened
-      description: What you saw, and what you expected instead.
+      label: What's the problem
+      description: What happens, and what you expected to happen instead.
+    validations:
+      required: true
+
+  - type: dropdown
+    id: how-often
+    attributes:
+      label: How often does it happen
+      options:
+        - Every single time
+        - Often, but not always
+        - Now and then, no pattern I can see
+        - Once, and I haven't seen it since
     validations:
       required: true
 
   - type: textarea
     id: repro
     attributes:
-      label: How to see it happen
+      label: How do I make it happen
       description: >
-        The screens and keys, in order. "Contacts, Enter on a node, Routes tab, Enter on
-        the second route" beats "open a trace".
+        The steps, in order, starting from launching MeshTerm. Screens and keys beat
+        descriptions — "Contacts, Enter on a node, Routes tab, Enter on the second route"
+        is worth more than "open a trace".
       placeholder: |
         1.
         2.
@@ -30,70 +49,124 @@ body:
     validations:
       required: true
 
+  - type: textarea
+    id: workaround
+    attributes:
+      label: Is there a way around it
+      description: Anything that avoids it, or gets you unstuck. Say so even if it's ugly.
+
   - type: input
     id: version
     attributes:
       label: MeshTerm version
-      description: Shown on the splash screen and on the About page.
+      description: It's on the splash screen when you start, and on the About page.
       placeholder: "0.2.0"
     validations:
       required: true
 
-  - type: dropdown
-    id: platform
+  - type: input
+    id: hardware
     attributes:
-      label: Which flavour
+      label: What are you running MeshTerm on
       description: >
-        MeshTerm draws itself differently on a PicoCalc — 53 columns, sixteen colours, a
-        different font. A bug in one flavour often does not exist in the other.
-      options:
-        - Regular (desktop or ssh)
-        - PicoCalc
-    validations:
-      required: true
-
-  - type: dropdown
-    id: transport
-    attributes:
-      label: How the companion is connected
-      options:
-        - USB / serial
-        - Bluetooth
-        - TCP
-        - No companion (simulator / --mock)
+        Desktop, laptop, Mac, or a handheld — and if it's a handheld, which one.
+      placeholder: "ClockworkPi uConsole (CM4), or: desktop PC"
     validations:
       required: true
 
   - type: input
     id: os
     attributes:
-      label: Operating system and Python version
-      placeholder: "Windows 11, Python 3.12"
+      label: Which OS, exact version
+      placeholder: "Windows 11 24H2 / macOS 15.3 / Debian 12"
     validations:
       required: true
 
   - type: input
     id: terminal
     attributes:
-      label: Terminal, and its size in columns x rows
+      label: Which terminal, and how big
       description: >
-        Layout bugs are usually terminal bugs. Which terminal, and how big, decides
-        whether anyone can reproduce what you are seeing.
+        PowerShell, Windows Terminal, iTerm2, the PicoCalc console, ssh from something.
+        Size in columns x rows if you know it — a lot of layout bugs are really terminal
+        bugs.
       placeholder: "Windows Terminal, 120x40"
     validations:
       required: true
 
+  - type: input
+    id: companion
+    attributes:
+      label: Which companion device
+      description: >
+        Be precise. There are a lot of these and they don't behave the same. "A Xiao"
+        doesn't narrow it down — "Seeed XIAO nRF52840 + Wio-SX1262" does. Leave blank if
+        no radio was involved.
+      placeholder: "Heltec V3 / RAK4631 / XIAO nRF52840 + Wio-SX1262"
+
   - type: input
     id: firmware
     attributes:
-      label: Companion device and firmware version
-      description: Leave blank if no radio was involved.
-      placeholder: "Heltec V3, MeshCore 1.15.0"
+      label: Which firmware version is on it
+      placeholder: "MeshCore 1.15.0"
+
+  - type: dropdown
+    id: transport
+    attributes:
+      label: How is it connected
+      options:
+        - USB / serial
+        - Bluetooth
+        - TCP
+        - SPI-to-TCP bridge
+        - Something else (say so below)
+        - No radio — simulator / --mock
+    validations:
+      required: true
+
+  - type: dropdown
+    id: flavour
+    attributes:
+      label: Regular or PicoCalc
+      description: >
+        MeshTerm draws itself differently on a PicoCalc — narrower, fewer colours, a
+        different font. A bug in one often doesn't exist in the other, so this saves a
+        round of guessing.
+      options:
+        - Regular (desktop, laptop, ssh)
+        - PicoCalc handheld
+        - Not sure
+    validations:
+      required: true
+
+  - type: dropdown
+    id: mock
+    attributes:
+      label: Does it still happen with `meshterm --mock`
+      description: >
+        `--mock` runs the whole app against a fake radio. If the bug survives that, it's
+        in MeshTerm and I can chase it without hardware. If it doesn't, it's in the link
+        or the radio, which is a different hunt. Skip it if the bug is about connecting
+        in the first place.
+      options:
+        - "Yes, still happens with --mock"
+        - "No, --mock is fine"
+        - "Haven't tried"
+        - "Doesn't apply"
+
+  - type: textarea
+    id: error
+    attributes:
+      label: The exact error, if there was one
+      description: >
+        Copy it as text rather than photographing the screen — text can be searched, and
+        a photo of a terminal is hard to read. Paste the whole traceback if it crashed.
+      render: text
 
   - type: textarea
     id: extra
     attributes:
       label: Anything else
       description: >
-        A screenshot of the screen, the traceback if it crashed, or what the radio was
-        doing at the time. Paste text rather than a photo of text where you can.
+        Did it used to work? Did it start after an update? Screenshots of a wrong-looking
+        screen are genuinely useful here, even though text is better for errors.
diff --git a/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/config.yml b/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/config.yml
index 6a7dfc2..24495df 100644
--- a/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/config.yml
+++ b/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/config.yml
@@ -1,7 +1,13 @@
 blank_issues_enabled: false
 contact_links:
-  - name: Questions, setup help, and general mesh chat
+  - name: Not sure it's a bug? Ask on Discord
     url: https://discord.gg/AZwe5Uvb3S
     about: >
-      Not sure whether it's a bug? Ask on Discord first — it's faster, and someone
-      running the same radio has probably hit it.
+      Setup trouble, "is it supposed to do this", or anything you want a second opinion
+      on. The support forum is the place. Someone running your radio has probably hit it.
+
+  - name: No GitHub account? Report it on Discord instead
+    url: https://discord.gg/AZwe5Uvb3S
+    about: >
+      Drop reproducible bugs in #bugs and they'll get moved here. Being told beats
+      filing it tidily.
diff --git a/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/feature.yml b/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/feature.yml
index ff2624e..d2abe42 100644
--- a/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/feature.yml
+++ b/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/feature.yml
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 name: Feature request
-description: Something MeshTerm should be able to do
+description: Suggest a feature or an improvement
 labels: [enhancement]
 body:
   - type: markdown
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index d3c9877..2b675d1 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -14,11 +14,17 @@ radio overhears is recorded to a local SQLite database, so the longer you run it
 your mesh's history is worth.
 
 <p>
+  <a href="https://github.com/jpmartineau/MeshTerm/actions/workflows/ci.yml"><img alt="CI" src="https://github.com/jpmartineau/MeshTerm/actions/workflows/ci.yml/badge.svg"></a>
   <img alt="Python 3.10+" src="https://img.shields.io/badge/python-3.10%2B-blue">
+  <a href="LICENSE"><img alt="License: Apache-2.0" src="https://img.shields.io/badge/license-Apache--2.0-green"></a>
   <img alt="For MeshCore" src="https://img.shields.io/badge/for-MeshCore-8A2BE2">
   <img alt="Interface: TUI + CLI" src="https://img.shields.io/badge/interface-TUI%20%2B%20CLI-orange">
+  <a href="https://discord.gg/AZwe5Uvb3S"><img alt="Discord" src="https://img.shields.io/badge/chat-Discord-5865F2"></a>
 </p>
 
+> MeshTerm is a side project, not a product. Bug reports are very welcome — but please
+> open an issue before writing a pull request. [More on how it's run](#how-this-project-is-run).
+
 <!--
   Screenshots welcome here. Drop PNGs into docs/ and reference them, e.g.:
   ![Dashboard](docs/dashboard.png)
@@ -48,19 +54,36 @@ your mesh's history is worth.
 
 ## Install
 
-```bash
-git clone <your-fork-url> meshterm
-cd meshterm
-pip install -e ".[dev]"
-```
-
-Python **3.10+** is required (matching the `meshcore` library). The `[dev]` extra adds
-pytest and ruff; drop it for a runtime-only install (`pip install -e .`).
+You need **Python 3.10 or newer**. That's the only requirement — MeshTerm pulls in
+everything else itself.
 
 ```bash
-python -m pytest -q      # run the test suite
+pip install git+https://github.com/jpmartineau/MeshTerm
+meshterm
 ```
 
+`meshterm` opens the full-screen menu. That's the whole install.
+
+**Rather not touch your system Python?** [pipx](https://pipx.pypa.io/) puts the app in its
+own private environment and still gives you a plain `meshterm` command:
+
+```bash
+pipx install git+https://github.com/jpmartineau/MeshTerm
+```
+
+**No radio yet?** `meshterm --mock` runs the entire app against a simulated mesh, so you
+can have a look around before you buy anything.
+
+### Coming
+
+- **Downloadable installers** for Windows, macOS and Linux, so you won't need Python at
+  all. They'll show up on the [Releases](https://github.com/jpmartineau/MeshTerm/releases)
+  page.
+- **`pip install mesh-term`**, once the package is published. It isn't yet — the name
+  question is still being sorted out ([why](https://github.com/pypi/support/issues/12162)).
+
+Setting up for development instead? That's in [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md).
+
 ## Quick start
 
 ```bash
@@ -253,6 +276,41 @@ Adding a feature means subclassing `Tool`, decorating it with `@register`, and
 implementing `run()`. The same registry builds both the CLI and the menu, and the base
 class wraps every execution in a logged `runs` row automatically.
 
+## How this project is run
+
+MeshTerm is one person working evenings and weekends. I'd rather tell you that up front
+than have you guess from how long things take.
+
+**Issues are welcome — all of them.** Bugs, questions, "is this supposed to do that". The
+[bug form](.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/bug.yml) asks for a fair bit, and that's on purpose: how
+well a problem is described really does decide whether I can do anything with it. If I can
+reproduce it, I'll usually chase it. If I can't, I'm mostly guessing.
+
+**Ask before you write a pull request.** Open an issue first and wait for a yes. I'm not
+being precious — MeshTerm has firm house rules about how screens get built (they're in
+[CLAUDE.md](CLAUDE.md)), and I'd hate for you to spend a weekend on something I then ask
+you to rewrite. A quick conversation first saves us both.
+
+**I can't promise timelines.** Some things get fixed the same night. Some sit for a month
+because life happened. If your issue goes quiet, a nudge is completely fine — it's not
+rude, it's helpful.
+
+**Where to report things.** Either works:
+
+- **[GitHub issues](https://github.com/jpmartineau/MeshTerm/issues)** if you have an
+  account. This is where things get tracked and fixed, so it's the shortest path.
+- **[Discord](https://discord.gg/AZwe5Uvb3S)** if you don't, or if you're not sure it's a
+  bug yet. Ask in the support forum, or drop reproducible defects in `#bugs`. I move the
+  real ones over to GitHub myself.
+
+Don't worry about picking the wrong one. Getting told about a problem beats filing it
+tidily.
+
+Also here: [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) ·
+[SECURITY.md](SECURITY.md) ·
+[CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md](CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md) ·
+[CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md)
+
 ## Development
 
 ```bash
diff --git a/docs/survey-navigation.md b/docs/survey-navigation.md
index 2ffe57c..9b1c002 100644
--- a/docs/survey-navigation.md
+++ b/docs/survey-navigation.md
@@ -1,5 +1,10 @@
 # Navigation survey — every exception to "Esc pops the stack"
 
+> **A historical record.** This was a snapshot of the code on the date below, kept
+> because a project that writes down its own problems is easier to trust than one
+> that doesn't. Some of what's here has since been fixed and some hasn't; nothing in
+> it is a to-do list. Read it as "what this looked like then", not "what is wrong now".
+
 Written 2026-08-22 against `main` @ `4b29248`. A catalogue, not a change: nothing here had
 been fixed at the time of writing. Each finding says where it is, what it does, and what
 makes it a question.
diff --git a/docs/survey-ui-consistency.md b/docs/survey-ui-consistency.md
index 8ea6596..855c28a 100644
--- a/docs/survey-ui-consistency.md
+++ b/docs/survey-ui-consistency.md
@@ -1,5 +1,10 @@
 # UI consistency survey — what is off, and what turned out to be fine
 
+> **A historical record.** This was a snapshot of the code on the date below, kept
+> because a project that writes down its own problems is easier to trust than one
+> that doesn't. Some of what's here has since been fixed and some hasn't; nothing in
+> it is a to-do list. Read it as "what this looked like then", not "what is wrong now".
+
 Written 2026-08-22 against `main` @ `4b29248`. Companion to
 [`survey-navigation.md`](survey-navigation.md), which covers navigation exceptions; this one
 covers everything else in the CLAUDE.md UX standard. A catalogue, not a change.