diff --git a/install.sh b/install.sh
index 8fbda7a..b2df98f 100755
--- a/install.sh
+++ b/install.sh
@@ -495,6 +495,17 @@ if command -v crontab >/dev/null 2>&1 \
     fi
 fi
 
+# ── Default terminal for "Terminal=true" apps ──
+# Opening a text file from Thunar picks an editor through GIO; when that is
+# a terminal app (nvim), GIO needs a terminal and only knows a fixed list
+# that has no kitty — hence "Unable to find terminal required for
+# application". GIO asks xdg-terminal-exec first, and this file tells it to
+# use kitty. Left alone when it already exists.
+if [ ! -f "${CONFIG_DIR}/xdg-terminals.list" ]; then
+    echo "kitty.desktop" > "${CONFIG_DIR}/xdg-terminals.list"
+    echo -e "  ${O}[+] xdg-terminals.list (kitty)${R}"
+fi
+
 # ── XDG MIME defaults ──
 MIME_DIR="${HOME}/.local/share/applications"
 mkdir -p "$MIME_DIR"
diff --git a/setup/post-install.sh b/setup/post-install.sh
index b46dba4..552a0dd 100755
--- a/setup/post-install.sh
+++ b/setup/post-install.sh
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ FIREWALL_PKGS="nftables"
 BLUETOOTH_PKGS="bluez bluez-utils"
 
 # XDG + hardware utils
-XDG_PKGS="xdg-utils v4l-utils"
+XDG_PKGS="xdg-utils xdg-terminal-exec v4l-utils"
 
 # Night light (blue light filter — Wayland)
 NIGHTLIGHT_PKGS="gammastep"
@@ -212,7 +212,7 @@ DEV_PKGS="github-cli gnupg"
 
 # Shell and extras — zsh is the Stoa default login shell; bash stays available
 # as a fallback (and is already pulled in by `base`, but listed here for intent).
-SHELL_PKGS="zsh bash git base-devel"
+SHELL_PKGS="zsh zsh-autosuggestions zsh-syntax-highlighting zsh-history-substring-search zsh-completions bash git base-devel"
 
 ALL_PKGS="$WAYLAND_PKGS $UI_PKGS $SETTINGS_APP_PKGS $APP_PKGS $STOA_APPS $GAMING_PKGS $SCREENSHOT_PKGS $STOATOOLS_PKGS $GESTURE_PKGS $MOUSE_PKGS $RGB_PKGS $CLOUD_PKGS $STORE_PKGS $LOCK_PKGS $CLIPBOARD_PKGS $FIREWALL_PKGS $BLUETOOTH_PKGS $XDG_PKGS $NIGHTLIGHT_PKGS $POWER_MGMT_PKGS $PRINT_PKGS $EQUALIZER_PKGS $WINAPPS_PKGS $DFM_PKGS $FONT_PKGS $THEME_PKGS $UTIL_PKGS $DEV_PKGS $SHELL_PKGS $SHELL_PKGS_QS"
 
diff --git a/shell/.zshrc b/shell/.zshrc
index fb0fa8f..fb6bb79 100644
--- a/shell/.zshrc
+++ b/shell/.zshrc
@@ -42,6 +42,43 @@ zstyle ':completion:*:options' description 'yes'
 bindkey -v
 export KEYTIMEOUT=1
 
+# ── Fish-style helpers ──
+# What fish does out of the box: suggestions from history as you type
+# (→ / End accepts), commands coloured as valid/invalid while typing, and
+# ↑/↓ searching history for what is already typed. Arch packages, sourced
+# only when installed (post-install.sh installs them); syntax-highlighting
+# must come after every other widget and history-substring-search after it.
+_stoa_zsh_plugins=/usr/share/zsh/plugins
+if [ -r "$_stoa_zsh_plugins/zsh-autosuggestions/zsh-autosuggestions.zsh" ]; then
+    ZSH_AUTOSUGGEST_HIGHLIGHT_STYLE='fg=#6e6a62'
+    ZSH_AUTOSUGGEST_STRATEGY=(history completion)
+    source "$_stoa_zsh_plugins/zsh-autosuggestions/zsh-autosuggestions.zsh"
+fi
+if [ -r "$_stoa_zsh_plugins/zsh-syntax-highlighting/zsh-syntax-highlighting.zsh" ]; then
+    source "$_stoa_zsh_plugins/zsh-syntax-highlighting/zsh-syntax-highlighting.zsh"
+    # Stoic palette: valid = olive, unknown = terracotta, paths underlined.
+    typeset -gA ZSH_HIGHLIGHT_STYLES
+    ZSH_HIGHLIGHT_STYLES[command]='fg=#8a9a6c'
+    ZSH_HIGHLIGHT_STYLES[builtin]='fg=#8a9a6c'
+    ZSH_HIGHLIGHT_STYLES[alias]='fg=#8a9a6c'
+    ZSH_HIGHLIGHT_STYLES[function]='fg=#8a9a6c'
+    ZSH_HIGHLIGHT_STYLES[unknown-token]='fg=#b36b5a'
+    ZSH_HIGHLIGHT_STYLES[path]='underline'
+    ZSH_HIGHLIGHT_STYLES[single-quoted-argument]='fg=#c4b08a'
+    ZSH_HIGHLIGHT_STYLES[double-quoted-argument]='fg=#c4b08a'
+fi
+if [ -r "$_stoa_zsh_plugins/zsh-history-substring-search/zsh-history-substring-search.zsh" ]; then
+    source "$_stoa_zsh_plugins/zsh-history-substring-search/zsh-history-substring-search.zsh"
+    HISTORY_SUBSTRING_SEARCH_HIGHLIGHT_FOUND='fg=#c49a5c,bold'
+    bindkey '^[[A' history-substring-search-up      # ↑
+    bindkey '^[[B' history-substring-search-down    # ↓
+    bindkey '^[OA' history-substring-search-up
+    bindkey '^[OB' history-substring-search-down
+    bindkey -M vicmd 'k' history-substring-search-up
+    bindkey -M vicmd 'j' history-substring-search-down
+fi
+unset _stoa_zsh_plugins
+
 # ── Stoic Prompt ──
 # Symbol: Greek column (Ι) in bronze
 autoload -Uz vcs_info
@@ -80,7 +117,7 @@ alias sync-stoa='stoa-sync'
 
 # ── Functions ──
 commit-all() {
-    git pull --autostash
+    git pull --rebase --autostash
     git add -A
     git commit -m "$(printf 'chore: sync %s\n\nChanges:\n%s' "$(date '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M')" "$(git diff --cached --name-status)")"
     git push