AC Defender Defender Dispatch · field notes for a real thermostat
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AC Defender Dispatch · Field report

Appearance editor

The thermostat that holds the line — Home Assistant companion.

Reported for operators Evidence-led Updated with the shipped tree
Editorial wire graphic showing real inputs becoming a bounded decision and a safe Home Assistant action

Appearance editor

The Settings → Appearance card customizes the website shell without changing any defender setting or sending a Home Assistant service call. It is available on the server-rendered Blazor Settings surface and applies the result live through the loaded acAppearance JavaScript bridge.

Behavior and configuration

  • Theme selects light or dark shell chrome and keeps the existing header toggle in sync.
  • Density selects compact, comfortable, or spacious shell spacing.
  • Accent / seed color has an accessible continuous spectrum picker plus synchronized HEX, RGB, HSL, and alpha controls. The translator also reports WCAG contrast against the dark and light shell surfaces; values are allow-listed before they reach CSS custom properties.
  • Appearance target can be the whole shell, header, navigation rail, or main content. Header/rail/main overrides are persisted separately and inherit the shell accent until a target is explicitly changed. The target list is bounded to real rendered surfaces.
  • This increment deliberately stops at the high-value HEX/RGB/HSL path and three shell targets. Word-depth typography, named/HSV/HWB/Lab/OKLab/CMYK translation, and per-control editors remain tracked follow-up work rather than being presented as shipped.
  • UI font family selects from installed/common families (Segoe UI, Arial, Cascadia Code, Consolas, and system-ui). Each stack keeps a CJK-capable fallback.
  • UI font size scales from 0.85× to 1.35× in bounded 0.05× steps.

Apply writes schema version 2 to browser localStorage under ac-defender-appearance, then updates the shell’s CSS variables and theme/density data attributes. Reset removes that record and applies the documented defaults. The preference is presentation-only and is deliberately not part of DefenderSettings, the worker’s state store, or any Home Assistant request.

Failure modes

If private browsing or a browser policy rejects localStorage, the shell still applies a change for the current render and the Settings page shows a warning. A malformed or stale record is normalized to safe defaults; unknown fonts, themes, densities, colors, target names, alpha values, and out-of-range scales are never interpolated into CSS. A failed preference write cannot block the real settings save or a thermostat command. Invalid numeric color text remains a local editor validation message until corrected.

Security considerations

Appearance values are untrusted browser input. The C# model and the JavaScript bridge both enforce the same allow-list and bounds before applying them. Only validated HEX colors and alpha values are used, family names map to fixed CSS stacks, and no preference is transmitted to Home Assistant or included in logs. The bridge does not fetch fonts, images, analytics, or any third-party asset. Contrast is calculated locally from the selected color and fixed shell backgrounds; it is a readability signal, not a promise that every data color has been changed.

Verification

Run the focused contract check from the repository root:

powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File scripts/verify-appearance-editor.ps1

Then run dotnet build. In a browser, open Settings → Appearance, exercise the spectrum, HEX, RGB, HSL, alpha, and contrast readouts, select each target, and apply light/dark, each density, each font family, and the font-size range. Reload to verify persistence and use Reset to verify defaults. Confirm that Dashboard/Defense/Controls still show live Home Assistant state and that no appearance action emits a defender command.

Suggested articles: Settings, Accessibility, Architecture, and Deployment.

Suggested articles

  • Feature briefs — find every documented surface and guard.
  • Defender Logic — follow the complete decision cycle and its bypass rules.
  • Settings — inspect persisted configuration, language modes, and safety limits.

Suggested next reads

Algorithms deskSearch every guard and open its full field note. Logic notebookTrace the complete safety-first decision cycle. Settings briefingFind the controls, language modes, and persisted preferences.

Keyboard desk

Find a feature

Search every docs destination. Press Escape to close; plain text is the default and the builder is available beside this field.

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APIOpen the documented feature brief. AccessibilityKeyboard, screen-reader, reduced-motion, contrast, and narrow-layout behavior across the hosted app and documentation. Alectra Peak Power SaverMakes the defender more chill and resource-saving when Alectra Hui reports on-peak, high price, or high power use. AlgorithmsSearch every AC Defender algorithm and open the full wiki article for each one. App tabsOpen the documented feature brief. Appearance editorOpen the documented feature brief. ArchitectureOpen the documented feature brief. Changelog viewerOpen the documented feature brief. Comfort BudgetCaps how many safe corrections happen inside a rolling window so the AC is not constantly nudged. Comfort CompromiseBlends a repeated wall choice into a temporary target, then fades it back to the website target. Comfort EnvelopeLets a tiny safe wall preference rest for a while instead of being corrected the instant it appears. Comfort MemoryLearns a small time-of-day target bias from repeated safe wall choices and re-applies it later that hour. Comfort PaceThe high-frequency planner: under heavy wall fighting it waits for a calm weather, sensor, or clock-aligned slot. Comfort Sync (quiet recovery)Spaces out and softens corrections so a fixed thermostat does not look like an instant robot. Command CamouflageGives a recent helper command time to look normal before another safe correction appears. Command paletteOpen the documented feature brief. Conflict QuietStands the defender down during an obvious tug-of-war over the thermostat. Context menus and mobile tab editingOpen the documented feature brief. Cool Mode RestorePuts the thermostat back into cool mode whenever someone switches it to heat/off/auto. Cool-Outdoor Shutdown (Open-Window Armistice)When it is genuinely cool outside and the forecast says it stays cool, the defender turns the AC fully off — and turns it back on by itself when the weather or the room demands it. Cooler Intent Fast LaneWhen people keep dialing the wall cooler, it skips quiet waits so the room cools sooner. Cooling Failure WatchRaises a repeating MEGA alert when cool mode is demanded but the AC is not really cooling, escalates to a full-site OMEGA alert when a rising room confirms it, then turns the AC off only for that confirmed failure until the room warms 0.5 C. Cooling RunwayGives the AC time to work after cooling starts before nudging the setpoint again. Defender LogicThe searchable decision cycle and exact rule text for every AC Defender algorithm. DeploymentOpen the documented feature brief. Desired-State EnforcerMakes the owner's chosen AC state win automatically: if someone else turns the unit off or moves the setpoint, it restores the exact desired state and keeps it there. Dim-sum startup surpriseOpen the documented feature brief. Dynamic CooldownA frequency-based quiet period after a manual thermostat change. Emergency ProtocolsOne-tap stand-down modes for too-cold, someone-upset, and suspicion situations. Energy & CostsOpen the documented feature brief. Every Guard, Explained SimplyA searchable plain-language guide to every AC Defender algorithm. Fan Energy SaverOptionally moves the fan to an energy-saving mode when the room is near target. Field Kitchen (food rations)Banks unspent AC dollars during siestas and cool-outdoor shutdowns, and spends them on forecast-hot days so the monthly budget eases exactly when cooling matters most. Front-door Guard PostPauses the defender and can turn the thermostat off when a real front-door person detector trips. HVAC AlibiWaits for a real HVAC action transition so a safe correction lands near a normal thermostat event. Heat, Pain & Survival FactsSourced hearing, heat-illness, and immediate personal-safety facts beside the playful Yell-O-Meter. HomeOpen the documented feature brief. Human NudgeMakes the final safe setpoint command look like a normal thermostat step instead of a precise bot number. Line counts and release archivesOpen the documented feature brief. Manual Comfort GraceLeaves a manual wall change alone while the room still feels comfortable. Natural CadencePicks a variable future slot for safe nudges so they never land at identical, robotic times. Natural WalkbackWalks a safe-band correction toward target in small, slightly random steps instead of one obvious jump. Notification historyOpen the documented feature brief. Regex search builderOpen the documented feature brief. Release operationsOpen the documented feature brief. Remote Settling GuardGives repeated phone/Home Assistant or automation thermostat changes a quiet settling window before a safe answer-back. Repeat QuietWaits before sending the very same thermostat number again. Repeated-Raise SurrenderIf a person re-raises the setpoint to about the same value 3+ times in 30 minutes, the defender adopts their number for 4 hours — the human wins the argument. Rival Schedule WatchKnows the AC vendor app's own temperature schedule (SLEEP / DEEP SLEEP / GOOD MORNING) and defends my temp when a scheduled block pushes the wall warmer while everyone sleeps. Room Trend GuardKeeps observing when the room is already stable or cooling after a wall change. Routine TimingLines safe corrections up with a normal-looking comfort-check rhythm instead of firing instantly. Schedule & Weather RulesTime-of-day target rules, each gated by a weather activation condition. Sensor RhythmTimes nudges to just after the normal Home Assistant reading beat so they look less mechanical. Setpoint EchoWaits for Home Assistant to report back the last setpoint before sending another safe command. Setpoint StillnessWaits until the wall setpoint stops moving before a safe correction answers back. SettingsOpen the documented feature brief. Settings history filters and exportsOpen the documented feature brief. Siesta Watch (mess hall)Lets the whole guard force nap on command; while they sleep the AC eases off and the money it would have spent is banked as food rations. Stealth GovernorRuns a whole-system low-profile hold when wall touches, noticed corrections, remote changes, and helper commands make the defender look too busy. Super DefenderDetects repeated phone/Home Assistant thermostat changes and tightens correction timing without cutting thermostat Wi-Fi. Tamper TruceIf the thermostat vanishes right after a correction exchange, assume a frustrated person detached it — stand down 2 hours instead of escalating. Telemetry AlibiWaits for a normal Home Assistant/weather/usage update before a safe correction, so the nudge is not an isolated event. Thermal MomentumWaits when the room is already cooling fast enough to reach target soon on its own. Thermostat OFF super-confirmationOpen the documented feature brief. Touch IntentReads whether recent wall changes trend warmer, cooler, or mixed, and extends grace for a clear warmer pattern. Touch SignatureMatches safe nudges to the size of steps people actually use on the wall thermostat. Tug-of-War TruceCalls a temporary truce when the real thermostat bounces up and down, so answer-back commands do not look like a duel. Upstairs Comfort GuardPrioritizes cooling when upstairs rooms get hot while someone is home. Visibility GuardSlows the next safe nudge when a wall touch lands right after a defender command (someone likely noticed). Wake-Up Truce (door sensor)A bedroom door opening at dawn means that person is awake — adopt the warm truce temperature before they ever touch the thermostat. Wall SettlingWaits for someone who is still tapping the wall thermostat to stop before correcting. Weather Drift TimingTimes safe corrections to real outdoor-weather movement instead of firing immediately. Website DebounceBlocks repeated website button taps for two minutes so the UI does not spam Home Assistant. Website TourOpen the documented feature brief. Windows Electron controllerOpen the documented feature brief. Windows HTTPS update-feed contractOpen the documented feature brief. Yelling PredictionsEvery Yell-O-Meter bill band, possible household consequence, uncertainty boundary, and factual input. Yelling Survival GuideA practical before, during, and after playbook for the Yell-O-Meter, with honest limits and immediate-safety routes.