From baa8f7d43686634c163950970bfe826948191f41 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Prad Nukala <prad@sonr.io>
Date: Sat, 17 Oct 2026 13:36:49 -0400
Subject: [PATCH] umbriel: scratchpad residents float as a centered 960px
 square instead of maximized

---
 docs/desktop/umbriel.mdx       |  4 ++--
 dot_config/umbriel/config.toml |  6 +++---
 dot_config/umbriel/rules.toml  | 18 ++++++++++++++++--
 3 files changed, 21 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-)

diff --git a/docs/desktop/umbriel.mdx b/docs/desktop/umbriel.mdx
index df91e73..63f13a4 100644
--- a/docs/desktop/umbriel.mdx
+++ b/docs/desktop/umbriel.mdx
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ The Studio Display's phantom 640x480 connector, which niri switched off as `DP-5
 
 ## Scratchpads
 
-Named scratchpads replace Hyprland's `special:*` workspaces and `omarchy-toggle-scratch`. A window rule sends each app into its scratchpad when it opens; toggling an empty scratchpad runs `spawn_when_empty`. Shown scratchpads are maximized over a desktop dimmed to 0.6, on the output under the pointer.
+Named scratchpads replace Hyprland's `special:*` workspaces and `omarchy-toggle-scratch`. A window rule sends each app into its scratchpad when it opens; toggling an empty scratchpad runs `spawn_when_empty`. A shown scratchpad window floats as a 960 px square centered on the output under the pointer (`default_floating_size_px`, the last window rule in `rules.toml`; 960 fits the laptop panel's 1038 px usable height) over a desktop dimmed to 0.6. `animation.scratchpad.maximize` is off. The size is a default: a resident that was already open before the rule changed keeps its old geometry until it is reopened.
 
 | Scratchpad | App id | Launch | Keys |
 | --- | --- | --- | --- |
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ Named scratchpads replace Hyprland's `special:*` workspaces and `omarchy-toggle-
 | title `Picture-in-Picture` / `Picture in picture` | floating, unfocused, opaque, 24 px from the top-right of `eDP-1` |
 | YouTube and chat/mail/dashboard apps (`chromium`, Calendar, Discord, Slack, Gemini, Hermes, Todoist, Cloudflare web apps) | laptop panel, workspace 1, maximized |
 | `zed`, `obsidian`, sticky notes, `vacuumtube`, `Fladder`, `kitty`, `kitty-herdr`, `kitty-tmux` | Apple Studio Display |
-| the six scratchpad apps | their scratchpad |
+| the six scratchpad apps | their scratchpad, floating 960×960 centered |
 
 Noctalia's bar, panels, notifications, dock, OSD, and desktop widgets get blur through a layer rule.
 
diff --git a/dot_config/umbriel/config.toml b/dot_config/umbriel/config.toml
index 6bf3b7f..cd4fe86 100644
--- a/dot_config/umbriel/config.toml
+++ b/dot_config/umbriel/config.toml
@@ -111,9 +111,9 @@ curve = "spring:0.78,1350"
 curve = "spring:0.85,1463"
 workspace_curve = "spring:0.78,1350"
 
-# Hyprland's special workspaces show their app tiled over the whole output
-# above a dimmed desktop; maximize is the scratchpad equivalent.
+# Scratchpad residents float as a centered square (rules.toml, the last
+# window rule) above a dimmed desktop, so maximize stays off here.
 [animation.scratchpad]
 curve = "spring:0.85,1463"
 dim = 0.6
-maximize = true
+maximize = false
diff --git a/dot_config/umbriel/rules.toml b/dot_config/umbriel/rules.toml
index 1d975a9..0b5c7b2 100644
--- a/dot_config/umbriel/rules.toml
+++ b/dot_config/umbriel/rules.toml
@@ -119,8 +119,7 @@ default_output = "Apple Computer Inc StudioDisplay 0x984262A7"
 match.title = "^Sticky Notes$"
 default_output = "Apple Computer Inc StudioDisplay 0x984262A7"
 
-# Scratchpad residents, last so they win over the placement rules above. Their
-# presentation (maximized) is animation.scratchpad in config.toml.
+# Scratchpad residents, last so they win over the placement rules above.
 [[window_rule]]
 match.app_id = "^so[.]stencil[.]tern$"
 default_scratchpad = "tern"
@@ -145,6 +144,21 @@ default_scratchpad = "home"
 match.app_id = "^ai[.]elementlabs[.]lmstudio$"
 default_scratchpad = "lmstudio"
 
+# Presentation shared by every scratchpad resident: a 960px square centered on
+# the output (fits the laptop panel's 1038px usable height), floating so it
+# never joins the strip. Last, so it overrides default_floating = false from
+# the translucent-apps rule for Claude and Beeper.
+[[window_rule]]
+match.app_id = [
+  "^so[.]stencil[.]tern$", "^com[.]anthropic[.]Claude$",
+  "^com[.-]fastmail[.-][Ff]astmail$", "^Beeper$",
+  "^brave-home[.]google[.]com__", "^ai[.]elementlabs[.]lmstudio$",
+]
+default_floating = true
+default_maximize = false
+default_floating_size_px = { width = 960, height = 960 }
+default_position = { x = 0, y = 0, anchor = "center" }
+
 # ==============================================================================
 # Layer rules