refactor: centralize path handling with XDG Base Directory compliance

- Add src/paths.rs module for all XDG path lookups
- Move scripts from ~/.config to ~/.local/share (XDG data)
- Use $XDG_CONFIG_HOME for browser bookmark paths
- Add dev-logging feature flag for verbose debug output
- Add dev-install profile for testable release builds
- Remove CLAUDE.md from version control

BREAKING: Scripts directory moved from
~/.config/owlry/scripts/ to ~/.local/share/owlry/scripts/

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

.gitignore

@@ -1 +1,2 @@
 /target
+CLAUDE.md

CLAUDE.md

@@ -1,32 +0,0 @@
-# Owlry - Claude Code Instructions
-
-## Release Workflow
-
-Always use `just` for releases and AUR deployment:
-
-```bash
-# Bump version (updates Cargo.toml + Cargo.lock, commits)
-just bump 0.x.y
-
-# Push and create tag
-git push && just tag
-
-# Update AUR package
-just aur-update
-
-# Review changes, then publish
-just aur-publish
-```
-
-Do NOT manually edit Cargo.toml for version bumps - use `just bump`.
-
-## Available just recipes
-
-- `just build` / `just release` - Build debug/release
-- `just check` - Run cargo check + clippy
-- `just test` - Run tests
-- `just bump <version>` - Bump version
-- `just tag` - Create and push git tag
-- `just aur-update` - Update PKGBUILD checksums
-- `just aur-publish` - Commit and push to AUR
-- `just aur-test` - Test PKGBUILD locally

Cargo.toml

@@ -55,6 +55,11 @@ serde_json = "1"
 # Date/time for frecency calculations
 chrono = { version = "0.4", features = ["serde"] }
 
+[features]
+default = []
+# Enable verbose debug logging (for development/testing builds)
+dev-logging = []
+
 [profile.release]
 lto = true
 codegen-units = 1
@@ -65,3 +70,9 @@ opt-level = "z"  # Optimize for size
 [profile.dev]
 opt-level = 0
 debug = true
+
+# For installing a testable build: cargo install --path . --profile dev-install --features dev-logging
+[profile.dev-install]
+inherits = "release"
+strip = false
+debug = 1  # Basic debug info for stack traces

src/app.rs

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ use crate::cli::CliArgs;
 use crate::config::Config;
 use crate::data::FrecencyStore;
 use crate::filter::ProviderFilter;
+use crate::paths;
 use crate::providers::ProviderManager;
 use crate::theme;
 use crate::ui::MainWindow;
@@ -98,10 +99,8 @@ impl OwlryApp {
                     debug!("Loaded built-in owl theme");
                 }
                 _ => {
-                    // Check for custom theme in ~/.config/owlry/themes/{name}.css
+                    // Check for custom theme in $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/owlry/themes/{name}.css
-                    if let Some(theme_path) = dirs::config_dir()
+                    if let Some(theme_path) = paths::theme_file(theme_name) {
-                        .map(|p| p.join("owlry").join("themes").join(format!("{}.css", theme_name)))
-                    {
                         if theme_path.exists() {
                             theme_provider.load_from_path(&theme_path);
                             debug!("Loaded custom theme from {:?}", theme_path);
@@ -119,7 +118,7 @@ impl OwlryApp {
         }
 
         // 3. Load user's custom stylesheet if exists
-        if let Some(custom_path) = dirs::config_dir().map(|p| p.join("owlry").join("style.css")) {
+        if let Some(custom_path) = paths::custom_style_file() {
             if custom_path.exists() {
                 let custom_provider = CssProvider::new();
                 custom_provider.load_from_path(&custom_path);

src/config/mod.rs

@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
+use log::{debug, info, warn};
 use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
 use std::path::PathBuf;
 use std::process::Command;
-use log::{info, warn, debug};
+
+use crate::paths;
 
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
 pub struct Config {
@@ -250,7 +252,7 @@ impl Default for Config {
 
 impl Config {
     pub fn config_path() -> Option<PathBuf> {
-        dirs::config_dir().map(|p| p.join("owlry").join("config.toml"))
+        paths::config_file()
     }
 
     pub fn load_or_default() -> Self {
@@ -289,9 +291,7 @@ impl Config {
     pub fn save(&self) -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
         let path = Self::config_path().ok_or("Could not determine config path")?;
 
-        if let Some(parent) = path.parent() {
+        paths::ensure_parent_dir(&path)?;
-            std::fs::create_dir_all(parent)?;
-        }
 
         let content = toml::to_string_pretty(self)?;
         std::fs::write(&path, content)?;

src/data/frecency.rs

@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@ use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
 use std::collections::HashMap;
 use std::path::PathBuf;
 
+use crate::paths;
+
 /// A single frecency entry tracking launch count and recency
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
 pub struct FrecencyEntry {
@@ -56,10 +58,7 @@ impl FrecencyStore {
 
     /// Get the path to the frecency data file
     fn data_path() -> PathBuf {
-        dirs::data_dir()
+        paths::frecency_file().unwrap_or_else(|| PathBuf::from("frecency.json"))
-            .unwrap_or_else(|| PathBuf::from("."))
-            .join("owlry")
-            .join("frecency.json")
     }
 
     /// Load frecency data from a file
@@ -85,10 +84,7 @@ impl FrecencyStore {
             return Ok(());
         }
 
-        // Ensure directory exists
+        paths::ensure_parent_dir(&self.path)?;
-        if let Some(parent) = self.path.parent() {
-            std::fs::create_dir_all(parent)?;
-        }
 
         let content = serde_json::to_string_pretty(&self.data)?;
         std::fs::write(&self.path, content)?;

src/filter.rs

@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 use std::collections::HashSet;
 
+#[cfg(feature = "dev-logging")]
+use log::debug;
+
 use crate::config::ProvidersConfig;
 use crate::providers::ProviderType;
 
@@ -69,10 +72,15 @@ impl ProviderFilter {
             set
         };
 
-        Self {
+        let filter = Self {
             enabled,
             active_prefix: None,
-        }
+        };
+
+        #[cfg(feature = "dev-logging")]
+        debug!("[Filter] Created with enabled providers: {:?}", filter.enabled);
+
+        filter
     }
 
     /// Default filter: apps only
@@ -92,8 +100,12 @@ impl ProviderFilter {
             if self.enabled.is_empty() {
                 self.enabled.insert(ProviderType::Application);
             }
+            #[cfg(feature = "dev-logging")]
+            debug!("[Filter] Toggled OFF {:?}, enabled: {:?}", provider, self.enabled);
         } else {
             self.enabled.insert(provider);
+            #[cfg(feature = "dev-logging")]
+            debug!("[Filter] Toggled ON {:?}, enabled: {:?}", provider, self.enabled);
         }
     }
 
@@ -118,6 +130,10 @@ impl ProviderFilter {
 
     /// Set prefix mode (from :app, :cmd, etc.)
     pub fn set_prefix(&mut self, prefix: Option<ProviderType>) {
+        #[cfg(feature = "dev-logging")]
+        if self.active_prefix != prefix {
+            debug!("[Filter] Prefix changed: {:?} -> {:?}", self.active_prefix, prefix);
+        }
         self.active_prefix = prefix;
     }
 
@@ -176,6 +192,8 @@ impl ProviderFilter {
 
         for (prefix_str, provider) in prefixes {
             if let Some(rest) = trimmed.strip_prefix(prefix_str) {
+                #[cfg(feature = "dev-logging")]
+                debug!("[Filter] parse_query({:?}) -> prefix={:?}, query={:?}", query, provider, rest);
                 return ParsedQuery {
                     prefix: Some(provider),
                     query: rest.to_string(),
@@ -214,6 +232,8 @@ impl ProviderFilter {
 
         for (prefix_str, provider) in partial_prefixes {
             if trimmed == prefix_str {
+                #[cfg(feature = "dev-logging")]
+                debug!("[Filter] parse_query({:?}) -> partial prefix {:?}", query, provider);
                 return ParsedQuery {
                     prefix: Some(provider),
                     query: String::new(),
@@ -221,10 +241,15 @@ impl ProviderFilter {
             }
         }
 
-        ParsedQuery {
+        let result = ParsedQuery {
             prefix: None,
             query: query.to_string(),
-        }
+        };
+
+        #[cfg(feature = "dev-logging")]
+        debug!("[Filter] parse_query({:?}) -> prefix={:?}, query={:?}", query, result.prefix, result.query);
+
+        result
     }
 
     /// Get enabled providers for UI display (sorted)

src/main.rs

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ mod cli;
 mod config;
 mod data;
 mod filter;
+mod paths;
 mod providers;
 mod theme;
 mod ui;
@@ -11,11 +12,26 @@ use app::OwlryApp;
 use cli::CliArgs;
 use log::{info, warn};
 
+#[cfg(feature = "dev-logging")]
+use log::debug;
+
 fn main() {
-    env_logger::Builder::from_env(env_logger::Env::default().default_filter_or("info")).init();
+    let default_level = if cfg!(feature = "dev-logging") { "debug" } else { "info" };
+
+    env_logger::Builder::from_env(env_logger::Env::default().default_filter_or(default_level))
+        .format_timestamp_millis()
+        .init();
 
     let args = CliArgs::parse_args();
 
+    #[cfg(feature = "dev-logging")]
+    {
+        debug!("┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐");
+        debug!("│  DEV-LOGGING: Verbose output enabled    │");
+        debug!("└─────────────────────────────────────────┘");
+        debug!("CLI args: {:?}", args);
+    }
+
     info!("Starting Owlry launcher");
 
     // Diagnostic: log critical environment variables

src/paths.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,214 @@
+//! Centralized path handling following XDG Base Directory Specification.
+//!
+//! XDG directories used:
+//! - `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/owlry/` - User configuration (config.toml, themes/, style.css)
+//! - `$XDG_DATA_HOME/owlry/`   - User data (scripts/, frecency.json)
+//! - `$XDG_CACHE_HOME/owlry/`  - Cache files (future use)
+//!
+//! See: https://specifications.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/latest/
+
+use std::path::PathBuf;
+
+/// Application name used in XDG paths
+const APP_NAME: &str = "owlry";
+
+// =============================================================================
+// XDG Base Directories
+// =============================================================================
+
+/// Get XDG config home: `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME` or `~/.config`
+pub fn config_home() -> Option<PathBuf> {
+    dirs::config_dir()
+}
+
+/// Get XDG data home: `$XDG_DATA_HOME` or `~/.local/share`
+pub fn data_home() -> Option<PathBuf> {
+    dirs::data_dir()
+}
+
+/// Get XDG cache home: `$XDG_CACHE_HOME` or `~/.cache`
+#[allow(dead_code)]
+pub fn cache_home() -> Option<PathBuf> {
+    dirs::cache_dir()
+}
+
+/// Get user home directory
+pub fn home() -> Option<PathBuf> {
+    dirs::home_dir()
+}
+
+// =============================================================================
+// Owlry-specific directories
+// =============================================================================
+
+/// Owlry config directory: `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/owlry/`
+pub fn owlry_config_dir() -> Option<PathBuf> {
+    config_home().map(|p| p.join(APP_NAME))
+}
+
+/// Owlry data directory: `$XDG_DATA_HOME/owlry/`
+pub fn owlry_data_dir() -> Option<PathBuf> {
+    data_home().map(|p| p.join(APP_NAME))
+}
+
+/// Owlry cache directory: `$XDG_CACHE_HOME/owlry/`
+#[allow(dead_code)]
+pub fn owlry_cache_dir() -> Option<PathBuf> {
+    cache_home().map(|p| p.join(APP_NAME))
+}
+
+// =============================================================================
+// Config files
+// =============================================================================
+
+/// Main config file: `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/owlry/config.toml`
+pub fn config_file() -> Option<PathBuf> {
+    owlry_config_dir().map(|p| p.join("config.toml"))
+}
+
+/// Custom user stylesheet: `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/owlry/style.css`
+pub fn custom_style_file() -> Option<PathBuf> {
+    owlry_config_dir().map(|p| p.join("style.css"))
+}
+
+/// User themes directory: `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/owlry/themes/`
+pub fn themes_dir() -> Option<PathBuf> {
+    owlry_config_dir().map(|p| p.join("themes"))
+}
+
+/// Get path for a specific theme: `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/owlry/themes/{name}.css`
+pub fn theme_file(name: &str) -> Option<PathBuf> {
+    themes_dir().map(|p| p.join(format!("{}.css", name)))
+}
+
+// =============================================================================
+// Data files
+// =============================================================================
+
+/// User scripts directory: `$XDG_DATA_HOME/owlry/scripts/`
+pub fn scripts_dir() -> Option<PathBuf> {
+    owlry_data_dir().map(|p| p.join("scripts"))
+}
+
+/// Frecency data file: `$XDG_DATA_HOME/owlry/frecency.json`
+pub fn frecency_file() -> Option<PathBuf> {
+    owlry_data_dir().map(|p| p.join("frecency.json"))
+}
+
+// =============================================================================
+// System directories
+// =============================================================================
+
+/// System data directories for applications (XDG_DATA_DIRS)
+pub fn system_data_dirs() -> Vec<PathBuf> {
+    let mut dirs = Vec::new();
+
+    // User data directory first
+    if let Some(data) = data_home() {
+        dirs.push(data.join("applications"));
+    }
+
+    // System directories
+    dirs.push(PathBuf::from("/usr/share/applications"));
+    dirs.push(PathBuf::from("/usr/local/share/applications"));
+
+    // Flatpak directories
+    if let Some(data) = data_home() {
+        dirs.push(data.join("flatpak/exports/share/applications"));
+    }
+    dirs.push(PathBuf::from("/var/lib/flatpak/exports/share/applications"));
+
+    dirs
+}
+
+// =============================================================================
+// External application paths
+// =============================================================================
+
+/// SSH config file: `~/.ssh/config`
+pub fn ssh_config() -> Option<PathBuf> {
+    home().map(|p| p.join(".ssh").join("config"))
+}
+
+/// Firefox profile directory: `~/.mozilla/firefox/`
+pub fn firefox_dir() -> Option<PathBuf> {
+    home().map(|p| p.join(".mozilla").join("firefox"))
+}
+
+/// Chromium-based browser bookmark paths (using XDG config where browsers support it)
+pub fn chromium_bookmark_paths() -> Vec<PathBuf> {
+    let config = match config_home() {
+        Some(c) => c,
+        None => return Vec::new(),
+    };
+
+    vec![
+        // Google Chrome
+        config.join("google-chrome/Default/Bookmarks"),
+        // Chromium
+        config.join("chromium/Default/Bookmarks"),
+        // Brave
+        config.join("BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/Default/Bookmarks"),
+        // Microsoft Edge
+        config.join("microsoft-edge/Default/Bookmarks"),
+        // Vivaldi
+        config.join("vivaldi/Default/Bookmarks"),
+    ]
+}
+
+// =============================================================================
+// Helper functions
+// =============================================================================
+
+/// Ensure a directory exists, creating it if necessary
+pub fn ensure_dir(path: &PathBuf) -> std::io::Result<()> {
+    if !path.exists() {
+        std::fs::create_dir_all(path)?;
+    }
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+/// Ensure parent directory of a file exists
+pub fn ensure_parent_dir(path: &PathBuf) -> std::io::Result<()> {
+    if let Some(parent) = path.parent() {
+        if !parent.exists() {
+            std::fs::create_dir_all(parent)?;
+        }
+    }
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_paths_are_consistent() {
+        // All owlry paths should be under XDG directories
+        if let (Some(config), Some(data)) = (owlry_config_dir(), owlry_data_dir()) {
+            assert!(config.ends_with("owlry"));
+            assert!(data.ends_with("owlry"));
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_config_file_path() {
+        if let Some(path) = config_file() {
+            assert!(path.ends_with("config.toml"));
+            assert!(path.to_string_lossy().contains("owlry"));
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_frecency_in_data_dir() {
+        if let Some(path) = frecency_file() {
+            assert!(path.ends_with("frecency.json"));
+            // Should be in data dir, not config dir
+            let path_str = path.to_string_lossy();
+            assert!(
+                path_str.contains(".local/share") || path_str.contains("XDG_DATA_HOME"),
+                "frecency should be in data directory"
+            );
+        }
+    }
+}

src/providers/application.rs

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 use super::{LaunchItem, Provider, ProviderType};
+use crate::paths;
 use freedesktop_desktop_entry::{DesktopEntry, Iter};
 use log::{debug, warn};
-use std::path::PathBuf;
 
 /// Clean desktop file field codes from command string.
 /// Removes %f, %F, %u, %U, %d, %D, %n, %N, %i, %c, %k, %v, %m field codes
@@ -75,25 +75,8 @@ impl ApplicationProvider {
         Self { items: Vec::new() }
     }
 
-    fn get_application_dirs() -> Vec<PathBuf> {
+    fn get_application_dirs() -> Vec<std::path::PathBuf> {
-        let mut dirs = Vec::new();
+        paths::system_data_dirs()
-
-        // User applications
-        if let Some(data_home) = dirs::data_dir() {
-            dirs.push(data_home.join("applications"));
-        }
-
-        // System applications
-        dirs.push(PathBuf::from("/usr/share/applications"));
-        dirs.push(PathBuf::from("/usr/local/share/applications"));
-
-        // Flatpak applications
-        if let Some(data_home) = dirs::data_dir() {
-            dirs.push(data_home.join("flatpak/exports/share/applications"));
-        }
-        dirs.push(PathBuf::from("/var/lib/flatpak/exports/share/applications"));
-
-        dirs
     }
 }
 

src/providers/bookmarks.rs

@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+use crate::paths;
 use crate::providers::{LaunchItem, Provider, ProviderType};
 use log::{debug, warn};
 use serde::Deserialize;
@@ -27,8 +28,8 @@ impl BookmarksProvider {
     fn load_firefox_bookmarks(&mut self) {
         // Firefox stores bookmarks in places.sqlite
         // The file is locked when Firefox is running, so we read from backup
-        let firefox_dir = match dirs::home_dir() {
+        let firefox_dir = match paths::firefox_dir() {
-            Some(h) => h.join(".mozilla").join("firefox"),
+            Some(d) => d,
             None => return,
         };
 
@@ -99,29 +100,10 @@ impl BookmarksProvider {
     }
 
     fn load_chrome_bookmarks(&mut self) {
-        // Chrome/Chromium bookmarks are in JSON format
+        // Chrome/Chromium bookmarks are in JSON format (XDG config paths)
-        let home = match dirs::home_dir() {
+        for path in paths::chromium_bookmark_paths() {
-            Some(h) => h,
-            None => return,
-        };
-
-        // Try multiple browser paths
-        let bookmark_paths = [
-            // Chrome
-            home.join(".config/google-chrome/Default/Bookmarks"),
-            // Chromium
-            home.join(".config/chromium/Default/Bookmarks"),
-            // Brave
-            home.join(".config/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/Default/Bookmarks"),
-            // Edge
-            home.join(".config/microsoft-edge/Default/Bookmarks"),
-            // Vivaldi
-            home.join(".config/vivaldi/Default/Bookmarks"),
-        ];
-
-        for path in &bookmark_paths {
             if path.exists() {
-                self.read_chrome_bookmarks(path);
+                self.read_chrome_bookmarks(&path);
             }
         }
     }

src/providers/files.rs

@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+use crate::paths;
 use crate::providers::{LaunchItem, ProviderType};
 use log::{debug, warn};
 use std::process::Command;
@@ -106,7 +107,7 @@ impl FileSearchProvider {
 
     fn search_with_fd(&self, pattern: &str) -> Vec<LaunchItem> {
         // fd searches from home directory by default
-        let home = dirs::home_dir().unwrap_or_default();
+        let home = paths::home().unwrap_or_default();
 
         let output = match Command::new("fd")
             .args([
@@ -132,7 +133,7 @@ impl FileSearchProvider {
     }
 
     fn search_with_locate(&self, pattern: &str) -> Vec<LaunchItem> {
-        let home = dirs::home_dir().unwrap_or_default();
+        let home = paths::home().unwrap_or_default();
 
         let output = match Command::new("locate")
             .args([

src/providers/mod.rs

@@ -30,6 +30,9 @@ use fuzzy_matcher::FuzzyMatcher;
 use fuzzy_matcher::skim::SkimMatcherV2;
 use log::info;
 
+#[cfg(feature = "dev-logging")]
+use log::debug;
+
 use crate::data::FrecencyStore;
 
 /// Represents a single searchable/launchable item
@@ -288,12 +291,16 @@ impl ProviderManager {
         frecency: &FrecencyStore,
         frecency_weight: f64,
     ) -> Vec<(LaunchItem, i64)> {
+        #[cfg(feature = "dev-logging")]
+        debug!("[Search] query={:?}, max={}, frecency_weight={}", query, max_results, frecency_weight);
+
         let mut results: Vec<(LaunchItem, i64)> = Vec::new();
 
         // Check for calculator query (= or calc prefix)
         if CalculatorProvider::is_calculator_query(query) {
             if let Some(calc_result) = self.calculator.evaluate(query) {
-                // Calculator results get a high score to appear first
+                #[cfg(feature = "dev-logging")]
+                debug!("[Search] Calculator result: {}", calc_result.name);
                 results.push((calc_result, 10000));
             }
         }
@@ -323,6 +330,8 @@ impl ProviderManager {
         // Check for file search query
         if FileSearchProvider::is_file_query(query) {
             let file_results = self.filesearch.evaluate(query);
+            #[cfg(feature = "dev-logging")]
+            debug!("[Search] File search returned {} results", file_results.len());
             for (idx, item) in file_results.into_iter().enumerate() {
                 // Score decreases for each result to maintain order
                 results.push((item, 8000 - idx as i64));
@@ -387,6 +396,18 @@ impl ProviderManager {
         results.extend(search_results);
         results.sort_by(|a, b| b.1.cmp(&a.1));
         results.truncate(max_results);
+
+        #[cfg(feature = "dev-logging")]
+        {
+            debug!("[Search] Returning {} results", results.len());
+            for (i, (item, score)) in results.iter().take(5).enumerate() {
+                debug!("[Search]   #{}: {} (score={}, provider={:?})", i + 1, item.name, score, item.provider);
+            }
+            if results.len() > 5 {
+                debug!("[Search]   ... and {} more", results.len() - 5);
+            }
+        }
+
         results
     }
 

src/providers/scripts.rs

@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
+use crate::paths;
 use crate::providers::{LaunchItem, Provider, ProviderType};
 use log::{debug, warn};
 use std::fs;
 use std::os::unix::fs::PermissionsExt;
 use std::path::PathBuf;
 
-/// Custom scripts provider - runs user scripts from ~/.config/owlry/scripts/
+/// Custom scripts provider - runs user scripts from `$XDG_DATA_HOME/owlry/scripts/`
 pub struct ScriptsProvider {
     items: Vec<LaunchItem>,
 }
@@ -14,14 +15,10 @@ impl ScriptsProvider {
         Self { items: Vec::new() }
     }
 
-    fn scripts_dir() -> Option<PathBuf> {
-        dirs::config_dir().map(|p| p.join("owlry").join("scripts"))
-    }
-
     fn load_scripts(&mut self) {
         self.items.clear();
 
-        let scripts_dir = match Self::scripts_dir() {
+        let scripts_dir = match paths::scripts_dir() {
             Some(p) => p,
             None => {
                 debug!("Could not determine scripts directory");
@@ -32,7 +29,7 @@ impl ScriptsProvider {
         if !scripts_dir.exists() {
             debug!("Scripts directory not found at {:?}", scripts_dir);
             // Create the directory for the user
-            if let Err(e) = fs::create_dir_all(&scripts_dir) {
+            if let Err(e) = paths::ensure_dir(&scripts_dir) {
                 warn!("Failed to create scripts directory: {}", e);
             }
             return;

src/providers/ssh.rs

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
+use crate::paths;
 use crate::providers::{LaunchItem, Provider, ProviderType};
 use log::{debug, warn};
 use std::fs;
-use std::path::PathBuf;
 
 /// SSH connections provider - parses ~/.ssh/config
 pub struct SshProvider {
@@ -27,8 +27,8 @@ impl SshProvider {
         self.terminal_command = terminal.to_string();
     }
 
-    fn ssh_config_path() -> Option<PathBuf> {
+    fn ssh_config_path() -> Option<std::path::PathBuf> {
-        dirs::home_dir().map(|p| p.join(".ssh").join("config"))
+        paths::ssh_config()
     }
 
     fn parse_ssh_config(&mut self) {

src/ui/main_window.rs

@@ -10,6 +10,10 @@ use gtk4::{
     ListBoxRow, Orientation, ScrolledWindow, SelectionMode, ToggleButton,
 };
 use log::info;
+
+#[cfg(feature = "dev-logging")]
+use log::debug;
+
 use std::cell::RefCell;
 use std::collections::HashMap;
 use std::process::Command;
@@ -143,7 +147,7 @@ impl MainWindow {
         hints_box.add_css_class("owlry-hints");
 
         let hints_label = Label::builder()
-            .label("Tab: cycle mode  ↑↓: navigate  Enter: launch  Esc: close  = calc  ? web  :app :cmd")
+            .label(&Self::build_hints(&cfg.providers))
             .halign(gtk4::Align::Center)
             .hexpand(true)
             .build();
@@ -252,6 +256,52 @@ impl MainWindow {
         format!("Search {}...", active.join(", "))
     }
 
+    /// Build dynamic hints based on enabled providers
+    fn build_hints(config: &crate::config::ProvidersConfig) -> String {
+        let mut parts: Vec<String> = vec![
+            "Tab: cycle".to_string(),
+            "↑↓: nav".to_string(),
+            "Enter: launch".to_string(),
+            "Esc: close".to_string(),
+        ];
+
+        // Add trigger hints for enabled dynamic providers
+        if config.calculator {
+            parts.push("= calc".to_string());
+        }
+        if config.websearch {
+            parts.push("? web".to_string());
+        }
+        if config.files {
+            parts.push("/ files".to_string());
+        }
+
+        // Add prefix hints for static providers
+        let mut prefixes = Vec::new();
+        if config.system {
+            prefixes.push(":sys");
+        }
+        if config.emoji {
+            prefixes.push(":emoji");
+        }
+        if config.ssh {
+            prefixes.push(":ssh");
+        }
+        if config.clipboard {
+            prefixes.push(":clip");
+        }
+        if config.bookmarks {
+            prefixes.push(":bm");
+        }
+
+        // Only show first few prefixes to avoid overflow
+        if !prefixes.is_empty() {
+            parts.push(prefixes[..prefixes.len().min(4)].join(" "));
+        }
+
+        parts.join("  ")
+    }
+
     /// Scroll the given row into view within the scrolled window
     fn scroll_to_row(scrolled: &ScrolledWindow, results_list: &ListBox, row: &ListBoxRow) {
         let vadj = scrolled.vadjustment();
@@ -298,6 +348,9 @@ impl MainWindow {
         display_name: &str,
         is_active: bool,
     ) {
+        #[cfg(feature = "dev-logging")]
+        debug!("[UI] Entering submenu for service: {} (active={})", unit_name, is_active);
+
         let actions = UuctlProvider::actions_for_service(unit_name, display_name, is_active);
 
         // Save current state
@@ -340,7 +393,11 @@ impl MainWindow {
         hints_label: &Label,
         search_entry: &Entry,
         filter: &Rc<RefCell<ProviderFilter>>,
+        config: &Rc<RefCell<Config>>,
     ) {
+        #[cfg(feature = "dev-logging")]
+        debug!("[UI] Exiting submenu");
+
         let saved_search = {
             let mut state = submenu_state.borrow_mut();
             state.active = false;
@@ -350,7 +407,7 @@ impl MainWindow {
 
         // Restore UI
         mode_label.set_label(filter.borrow().mode_display_name());
-        hints_label.set_label("Tab: cycle mode  ↑↓: navigate  Enter: launch  Esc: close  = calc  ? web  :app :cmd");
+        hints_label.set_label(&Self::build_hints(&config.borrow().providers));
         search_entry.set_placeholder_text(Some(&Self::build_placeholder(&filter.borrow())));
         search_entry.set_text(&saved_search);
 
@@ -553,7 +610,7 @@ impl MainWindow {
         let scrolled = self.scrolled.clone();
         let search_entry = self.search_entry.clone();
         let _current_results = self.current_results.clone();
-        let _config = self.config.clone();
+        let config = self.config.clone();
         let filter = self.filter.clone();
         let filter_buttons = self.filter_buttons.clone();
         let mode_label = self.mode_label.clone();
@@ -564,6 +621,9 @@ impl MainWindow {
             let ctrl = modifiers.contains(gtk4::gdk::ModifierType::CONTROL_MASK);
             let shift = modifiers.contains(gtk4::gdk::ModifierType::SHIFT_MASK);
 
+            #[cfg(feature = "dev-logging")]
+            debug!("[UI] Key pressed: {:?} (ctrl={}, shift={})", key, ctrl, shift);
+
             match key {
                 Key::Escape => {
                     // If in submenu, exit submenu first
@@ -574,6 +634,7 @@ impl MainWindow {
                             &hints_label,
                             &search_entry,
                             &filter,
+                            &config,
                         );
                         gtk4::glib::Propagation::Stop
                     } else {
@@ -590,6 +651,7 @@ impl MainWindow {
                             &hints_label,
                             &search_entry,
                             &filter,
+                            &config,
                         );
                         gtk4::glib::Propagation::Stop
                     } else {
@@ -833,10 +895,15 @@ impl MainWindow {
         // Record this launch for frecency tracking
         if config.providers.frecency {
             frecency.borrow_mut().record_launch(&item.id);
+            #[cfg(feature = "dev-logging")]
+            debug!("[UI] Recorded frecency launch for: {}", item.id);
         }
 
         info!("Launching: {} ({})", item.name, item.command);
 
+        #[cfg(feature = "dev-logging")]
+        debug!("[UI] Launch details: terminal={}, provider={:?}", item.terminal, item.provider);
+
         let cmd = if item.terminal {
             format!("{} -e {}", config.general.terminal_command, item.command)
         } else {