diff --git a/docs/typoena-snippets.md b/docs/typoena-snippets.md
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+# `.typoena.snippets.json` — snippet library
+
+> The git-tracked file that holds your trigger-driven text expansions for
+> Markdown authoring. Hand-editable (and Zed-compatible, so you can paste your
+> existing snippets straight in), synced across devices like your notes. Landed
+> in **v0.6** (see [`macroplan.md`](macroplan.md)). The editing surfaces — inline
+> Tab-expansion and the `$` palette — are specified in
+> [`v0.6-markdown.md`](v0.6-markdown.md).
+>
+> **Three files, three concerns, don't confuse them.** `.typoena.snippets.json`
+> is *content* (your templates). [`.typoena.toml`](typoena-toml.md) is *behaviour*
+> (auto-save, gutter). `/sd/typoena.conf` is *secrets* (Wi-Fi, PAT), gitignored
+> and never committed. The first two live in the repo and sync; the third is
+> per-device.
+
+## Location
+
+```
+/sd/repo/.typoena.snippets.json
+```
+
+It sits in the Tracked repo beside [`.typoena.toml`](typoena-toml.md), so it is
+**committed and pushed** like any note and **syncs to every device** that clones
+the repo. Your snippet library follows you. It is read **once at boot**; a
+**missing, empty, or malformed file is fine** — you simply have no snippets, and
+the editor runs unchanged.
+
+## Format
+
+Deliberately **Zed's snippet JSON shape**, so the contents of a Zed
+`snippets/markdown.json` paste in unmodified:
+
+```json
+{
+  "Markdown link": {
+    "prefix": "link",
+    "body": "[$1]($2)$0",
+    "description": "Inline link"
+  },
+  "Book notes": {
+    "prefix": "fiche",
+    "body": ["# $1", "", "## $2 — $3", "", "## What the book is about", ""],
+    "description": "Fiche de lecture"
+  }
+}
+```
+
+- The top-level key is the **display name** (what the `$` palette shows).
+- `prefix` — the word that triggers inline Tab-expansion.
+- `body` — a **string**, or an **array of lines** joined with `\n` (Zed's form;
+  it sidesteps embedded-newline escaping and reads cleanly for multi-line
+  templates).
+- `description` — optional but recommended: the `$` palette fuzzy-matches it and
+  shows it, so it is how you find a snippet you don't remember the prefix for.
+
+### Tab stops
+
+A body is literal text plus numbered stops:
+
+- `$1 … $n` — empty stops the caret visits in order.
+- `$0` — the final resting place (defaults to the end of the insertion if absent).
+- `${n:label}` — **accepted, but the label is stripped** to a bare `$n`. The
+  editor has no selection/overtype model, so a label would just be text to
+  delete; on a device with no completion popup it could never be shown as a
+  prompt anyway. The **headings and structure carry the template** — the labels
+  were only hints. This is what lets a Zed file with `${1:Titre}` load as-is.
+- **No dynamic or computed values** (no `date`, no `clipboard`). There is no RTC
+  — the wall clock is valid only after Wi-Fi + SNTP, so a `date` snippet would
+  stamp 1970 on a cold boot. A stop is empty or it is literal; nothing else.
+
+## The two surfaces
+
+Every snippet works both ways — there is **no hidden two-tier rule** where some
+are "inline only" and some are "palette only". Inline Tab is the fast path you
+reach for once a prefix is in muscle memory; the `$` palette is discovery.
+
+### Inline Tab-expansion (Insert mode)
+
+Type a prefix, press **Tab**. If the word immediately before the caret matches a
+snippet prefix, it expands; otherwise Tab inserts spaces as it does today. (Tab
+arrives as an ordinary character, so this is a check inside the Insert-mode
+handler, alongside the existing list-continuation transform.)
+
+On a **typing pause** — the same throttle as the word-count / cursor refresh, so
+never a per-keystroke e-ink flash — if the word before the caret is a prefix, the
+right side panel shows a quiet hint (`↹ fiche de lecture`). The panel is ~17
+columns, so the hint is the **snippet name / first line**, not the whole body;
+the full preview is what the `$` palette is for.
+
+### `$` palette (browse + insert)
+
+Open the palette (`Cmd-P`) and type **`$`** — the same sigil mechanism as `>` for
+commands. The query after the `$` fuzzy-matches name, prefix, and description;
+`Ctrl-N`/`Ctrl-P` move the selection; **Enter inserts the body at the caret** and
+starts the tab-stop session (dropping you into Insert at `$1`). The empty-palette
+placeholder legends the sigils: `Go to file · > settings · $ snippets`.
+
+## The tab-stop session
+
+Identical whether the snippet was expanded inline or inserted from the palette:
+
+- After insertion the caret lands on **`$1`** (or the end, if the body has no
+  stops), in **Insert** mode.
+- **Tab advances** to the next stop, **forward only** (no Shift-Tab). The last
+  Tab lands on `$0` / the end and ends the session.
+- Pending stop offsets sit **after the caret** and shift with the edits you make
+  at each stop, so typing at `$1` keeps `$2 … $n` correctly placed.
+- The session **auto-aborts** on Esc, a mode change, or a motion that leaves the
+  stop range — after which the buffer is just text and Tab inserts spaces again.
+
+## Parsing
+
+The parse lives in the host-testable `editor` crate (`Snippets::parse`), using
+`serde_json` — JSON string escapes (`\n`, `\"`, `\uXXXX`) are a foot-gun to
+hand-roll, and `serde_json` is battle-tested; the editor crate is `std`, so it
+compiles for xtensa via esp-idf. This is the **one new dependency** the feature
+adds. The firmware reads the file at boot and hands the parsed list to
+`Editor::set_snippets`, mirroring how `.typoena.toml` is read and applied via
+`set_prefs`. A parse error is **non-fatal**: log it and boot with no snippets,
+rather than refusing to start over a stray comma.
+
+## Editing it
+
+- **On your computer (the normal path).** It's plain JSON in your notes repo —
+  edit it in your real editor, copy entries over from Zed, commit, and it reaches
+  the device on the next clone/sync. This is deliberately where the heavy editing
+  happens; the appliance is for writing, not for maintaining a JSON library.
+- **First-time setup.** [`just init`](../firmware/README.md#provisioning-an-sd-card)
+  seeds this file from a curated catalog — you pick which snippet groups you
+  want and it writes the selected subset into `repo/.typoena.snippets.json`
+  (committed on the device's first `:sync`). See
+  [`v0.6-markdown.md`](v0.6-markdown.md) for the catalog.
+- **On-device hand-edit — deferred.** The palette hides dotfiles, and `:e` was
+  dropped in v0.6, so there is no in-editor path to this file yet. When one is
+  wanted it returns as a discoverable `> edit snippets` command that opens the
+  file directly, rather than resurrecting a general `:e`.
+
+## See also
+
+- [`v0.6-markdown.md`](v0.6-markdown.md) — the editing surfaces, the `$`/`>`
+  palette model, and the setup-recipe snippet catalog.
+- [`typoena-toml.md`](typoena-toml.md) — the sibling prefs file this is kept
+  separate from, and the `>` command palette snippets share the surface with.
+- [`macroplan.md`](macroplan.md) — v0.6 scope.
diff --git a/docs/v0.6-markdown.md b/docs/v0.6-markdown.md
index 3427034..62c18ef 100644
--- a/docs/v0.6-markdown.md
+++ b/docs/v0.6-markdown.md
@@ -3,36 +3,93 @@
 > Part of the [Typoena macro plan](macroplan.md). Requirements and targets:
 > [qfd.md](qfd.md). Load-bearing decisions: [adr.md](adr.md).
 
-**Status:** render affordances done early; the snippet
-engine remains (snippets are net-new scope, added 2026-07-08).
+**Status:** render affordances done early; the snippet engine is the remaining
+work (snippets are net-new scope, added 2026-07-08; reshaped 2026-07-12 from a
+hard-coded table into a git-synced, Zed-compatible library with a `$` palette
+launcher — see [`typoena-snippets.md`](typoena-snippets.md) for the file format).
 
 - [x] Heading lines bolded in render (faux-bold double-strike)
 - [x] List continuation on Enter inside `- ` / `1. ` (with empty-item exit)
 - [x] Soft-wrap at word boundaries
-- [ ] **Snippets** — trigger-driven text expansion for Markdown authoring
-      (Zed-inspired, but no completion popup: e-ink's ~630 ms refresh rules out
-      a live filtering menu, and it fights the distraction-free premise). Shape,
-      mirroring the existing `list_marker` insert-transform:
-  - [ ] Tab in Insert mode triggers expansion: if the word immediately before
-        the caret matches a snippet prefix, expand it; otherwise insert spaces
-        as today (`expand_snippet(word) -> Option<(body, stops)>`, alongside
-        `list_marker`).
-  - [ ] A snippet body is literal text plus numbered empty tab stops `$1 … $n`
-        and a final `$0`. There is no placeholder text (`${1:label}`) — the
-        editor has no selection/overtype model, so a placeholder would just be
-        text to delete. There are no dynamic or computed values either (e.g. no
-        `date` — there's no RTC; the wall clock is valid only after Wi-Fi+SNTP,
-        so it'd stamp 1970 on a cold boot).
-  - [ ] After expansion the caret lands on `$1`; Tab advances to the next stop,
-        forward only (no Shift-Tab). Stored stop offsets shift with edits at the
-        caret (all pending stops are always after it). The session auto-aborts
-        on Esc, a mode change, or a motion that leaves the stops.
-  - [ ] On a typing pause (same throttle as the insert cursor / word-count
-        refresh — the panel never repaints per keystroke), if the word before
-        the caret is a snippet prefix, the side panel shows the hint (the target
-        expansion). Quiet while typing; the hint appears on pause.
-  - [ ] The snippet table is hard-coded in the binary to start; a git-syncable
-        file on SD (`/sd/repo/.snippets`) is a later option, deferred while SD
-        is still blocked.
-  - [ ] Starter set: link `[$1]($2)$0`, image `![$1]($2)$0`, fenced code block,
-        etc.
+## Snippets
+
+Trigger-driven text expansion for Markdown authoring (Zed-inspired, but **no
+completion popup**: e-ink's ~630 ms refresh rules out a live filtering menu, and
+it fights the distraction-free premise). The library is a git-synced,
+Zed-compatible JSON file — full file-format reference in
+[`typoena-snippets.md`](typoena-snippets.md). This section is the *editor*
+behaviour.
+
+- [x] **The tab-stop engine** — the shared core both surfaces drive. A body is
+      literal text plus numbered stops `$1 … $n` and a final `$0`; on insertion
+      the caret lands on `$1` (or the end), in Insert. Tab advances to the next
+      stop, **forward only** (no Shift-Tab); pending stops sit after the caret
+      and shift with edits there. The session auto-aborts on Esc, a mode change,
+      or a motion that leaves the stops. `${n:label}` parses to a bare `$n` (the
+      label is stripped — no selection model to fill); no dynamic values (no RTC,
+      so no `date`).
+- [x] **Inline Tab-expansion (Insert mode).** If the word immediately before the
+      caret matches a snippet prefix, Tab expands it and starts the tab-stop
+      session; otherwise Tab inserts spaces as today. A check in the Insert
+      handler alongside the existing `list_marker` transform
+      (`expand_snippet(word) -> Option<Snippet>`). Tab already arrives as
+      `Key::Char('\t')`, so no new key event.
+- [ ] **Hint-on-pause.** On the typing pause (same throttle as the word-count /
+      cursor refresh — never a per-keystroke repaint), if the word before the
+      caret is a prefix, the right side panel shows a quiet hint. The panel is
+      ~17 cols, so the hint is the snippet **name / first line**, not the whole
+      body — the full preview is the `$` palette's job.
+- [x] **`$` palette (browse + insert).** `Cmd-P` then `$` switches the palette to
+      the snippet list (the same sigil mechanism as `>`). Fuzzy-matches name /
+      prefix / description; Enter inserts the body at the caret and starts the
+      tab-stop session. Lists **all** snippets — the fuzzy filter handles clutter,
+      so there's no hidden "inline-only vs palette-only" split. Rows read
+      `Name [prefix]`, so browsing also teaches the inline trigger.
+- [ ] **Boot wiring.** The host reads `/sd/repo/.typoena.snippets.json` at boot
+      and calls `Editor::set_snippets` (mirroring `set_prefs`); a missing or
+      malformed file is non-fatal (no snippets, editor runs). Parse lives in the
+      host-testable `editor` crate via `serde_json` — the one new dependency.
+
+## The palette, generalised (`Cmd-P` · `>` · `$`)
+
+v0.5 shipped `Cmd-P` = files and `>` = a five-entry settings list (`save_on_idle`,
+`format_on_save`, `line_numbers` toggles + `theme`/`auto_sync` rotations). v0.6
+makes the sigils a clean split by verb, and the empty-palette placeholder legends:
+`Go to file · > settings · $ snippets`.
+
+- **bare `Cmd-P`** → *navigate*: go to file (unchanged).
+- **`>`** → *act on the editor* — the command palette. The pref toggles are just
+  its stateful entries, not a special section. Dispatch differs per entry: a
+  **toggle** flips and the list **stays open** (as today); a **one-shot** (e.g.
+  `format`, `publish`) runs and **closes**; a **parameterised** command morphs
+  the palette into a second **input step** (select `New file` → the box becomes a
+  filename prompt → Enter creates it, scope read from a `repo/`/`local/` prefix as
+  `:enew` does today). This retires `:e` (bare `Cmd-P` covers file-opening;
+  dotfiles get a dedicated `> edit …` command if/when wanted).
+- **`$`** → *insert content* — the snippet launcher above.
+
+`format` / `publish` as `>` entries are a small opportunistic add (they prove `>`
+is a real action registry, not a settings box); the headline is snippets.
+
+## First-time setup — snippet catalog (`just init`)
+
+[`just init`](../firmware/README.md#provisioning-an-sd-card) gains a step that
+seeds the two git-tracked config files into `repo/` (so they commit + sync on the
+device's first `:sync`): a starter [`.typoena.toml`](typoena-toml.md) (the four
+keys at their defaults, or confirmed at a prompt) and a
+[`.typoena.snippets.json`](typoena-snippets.md) chosen from a **curated catalog**
+checked into the repo. The catalog is grouped and opt-in — you pick the groups
+you want rather than getting all of one writer's personal templates. Not every
+Zed snippet is worth proposing: the Slidev/blog-pipeline ones (`@[youtube]`,
+`<v-clicks>`, frontmatter, mermaid) and render-dependent or hyper-specific ones
+are left out of the menu, since a distraction-free prose appliance can't render
+them and you'd never miss them. **Proposed groups (pending sign-off):**
+
+  - [ ] **Symbols** (inline, keyboard can't type them): `fleche`→`→`,
+        `different`→`≠`, `fois`→`×`, `median`→`·`, `degre`→`°`, `euro`→`€`,
+        `edanso`→`œ` (dead keys in v0.2.5 cover accents, *not* these).
+  - [ ] **Structure**: `todo`→`- [ ] `, `link`→`[$1]($2)$0`, `img`→`![$1]($2)$0`
+        (net-new — obvious for Markdown), `table`, `code` (fenced block).
+  - [ ] **Prose / PKM templates** (`${n:label}` stripped to `$n`): `fiche`
+        (book notes), `reference`/`refangl` (reference block), `biais`,
+        `capture`, `standard`, `5w1h`.