Windows compatibility pass (beta target)

External editor via cmd/start + exe picker; Permissions hidden for
Windows-local (chmod only flips read-only there); Explorer/Recycle Bin
wording; Ctrl vs Cmd shortcut labels; separator-aware path joins +
drive-root detection; drives list in the panel source picker; icon.ico
+ colored tray icon; icacls ACL on connections.json; README Windows
(beta) section with upstream known issues and a smoke-test checklist.
Runtime paths pending first boot on a real Windows machine.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

ui/src/app/editor-window/editor-window.html

@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
       <div class="flex-1"></div>
       <button
         (click)="toggleWrap()"
-        title="Wrap long lines — hides line numbers (⌥Z)"
+        [title]="'Wrap long lines — hides line numbers (' + altLabel + 'Z)'"
         class="rounded-md px-2 py-1 text-[11px] electrobun-webkit-app-region-no-drag hover:bg-accent"
         [class.bg-accent]="wrap()"
         [class.text-foreground]="wrap()"
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@
       </button>
       <button
         (click)="openFind()"
-        title="Find (⌘F)"
+        [title]="'Find (' + modLabel + 'F)'"
         class="grid size-6 place-items-center rounded-md text-muted-foreground electrobun-webkit-app-region-no-drag hover:bg-accent hover:text-foreground"
       >
         <ng-icon name="mynaSearch" size="0.85rem" />
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@
       </div>
 
       <footer class="flex shrink-0 items-center gap-2 border-t border-border px-4 py-2">
-        <span class="text-[11px] text-muted-foreground">⌘S save · ⌘F find · ⌘W close</span>
+        <span class="text-[11px] text-muted-foreground">{{ modLabel }}S save · {{ modLabel }}F find · {{ modLabel }}W close</span>
         <span class="text-[11px] text-muted-foreground">·</span>
         <span class="text-[11px] tabular-nums text-muted-foreground">
           {{ lineCount() }} {{ lineCount() === 1 ? 'line' : 'lines' }}

ui/src/app/editor-window/editor-window.ts

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import {
   viewChild,
 } from '@angular/core';
 import { NgIcon } from '@ng-icons/core';
-import { blockNativeContextMenu, EDITOR_CONTEXT, IS_MAC_CHROME } from '../platform';
+import { ALT_LABEL, blockNativeContextMenu, EDITOR_CONTEXT, IS_MAC_CHROME, MOD_LABEL } from '../platform';
 import { RpcService } from '../rpc.service';
 import { SettingsService } from '../settings.service';
 import { ToastService } from '../toast.service';
@@ -40,6 +40,8 @@ const DRAFT_DEBOUNCE_MS = 400;
 export class EditorWindow {
   readonly ctx = EDITOR_CONTEXT;
   readonly isMacChrome = IS_MAC_CHROME;
+  readonly modLabel = MOD_LABEL;
+  readonly altLabel = ALT_LABEL;
 
   readonly loading = signal(true);
   readonly loadError = signal<string | null>(null);

ui/src/app/file-actions.service.ts

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import type { FileEntry } from '@shared/types';
 import { DialogsService } from './dialogs.service';
 import { joinPath } from './format';
 import { type PanelState, type Side } from './panels.service';
+import { IS_WINDOWS } from './platform';
 import { RpcService } from './rpc.service';
 import { SettingsService } from './settings.service';
 import { ToastService } from './toast.service';
@@ -157,6 +158,8 @@ export class FileActionsService {
   }
 
   chmod(panel: PanelState): void {
+    // Windows local chmod only flips the read-only bit — don't pretend
+    if (IS_WINDOWS && panel.sessionId() === 'local') return;
     const targets = this.targets(panel);
     if (!targets.length) return;
     this.dialogs.chmod.set({

ui/src/app/file-panel/file-panel.html

@@ -63,13 +63,15 @@
   >
     <ng-icon name="mynaFilePlus" size="var(--action-icon)" />
   </button>
-  <button
-    (click)="run('chmod')"
-    title="Permissions"
-    class="grid size-(--action-h) shrink-0 place-items-center rounded-md text-muted-foreground hover:bg-accent hover:text-foreground"
-  >
-    <ng-icon name="mynaLock" size="var(--action-icon)" />
-  </button>
+  @if (chmodAvailable()) {
+    <button
+      (click)="run('chmod')"
+      title="Permissions"
+      class="grid size-(--action-h) shrink-0 place-items-center rounded-md text-muted-foreground hover:bg-accent hover:text-foreground"
+    >
+      <ng-icon name="mynaLock" size="var(--action-icon)" />
+    </button>
+  }
   <button
     (click)="run('delete')"
     title="Delete (F8 / Del)"
@@ -95,6 +97,17 @@
         }
       </button>
 
+      <!-- Windows drive roots (empty list elsewhere) -->
+      @for (drive of drives(); track drive) {
+        <button
+          (click)="pickDrive(drive)"
+          class="flex w-full items-center gap-2 py-1.5 pr-3 pl-6 text-left text-(length:--path-font) hover:bg-accent"
+        >
+          <ng-icon name="mynaHardDrive" size="var(--action-icon)" class="shrink-0 text-muted-foreground" />
+          <span class="flex-1 font-mono">{{ drive }}</span>
+        </button>
+      }
+
       @if (connections.grouped().loose.length || connections.grouped().stacks.length) {
         <div class="my-1 border-t border-border"></div>
       }

ui/src/app/file-panel/file-panel.ts

@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import { FileActionsService } from '../file-actions.service';
 import { fileGlyph, fileIconClass, fileKind } from '../file-icons';
 import { formatDate, formatMode, formatSize } from '../format';
 import { PanelsService, type Side, type SortKey } from '../panels.service';
+import { IS_WINDOWS } from '../platform';
 import { RpcService } from '../rpc.service';
 import { SettingsService } from '../settings.service';
 import { TransfersService } from '../transfers.service';
@@ -56,6 +57,10 @@ export class FilePanel {
 
   readonly pathDraft = signal('');
   readonly menuOpen = signal(false);
+  /** Windows drive roots for the source picker; always empty elsewhere. */
+  readonly drives = signal<string[]>([]);
+  /** chmod on Windows local files only flips the read-only bit — hide it. */
+  readonly chmodAvailable = computed(() => !(IS_WINDOWS && !this.isRemote()));
 
   private readonly listEl = viewChild.required<ElementRef<HTMLDivElement>>('list');
   private lastClickedIndex = 0;
@@ -79,7 +84,18 @@ export class FilePanel {
     void this.rpc.request.showColumnsMenu({ visible: this.settings.columns() });
   }
 
+  pickDrive(drive: string): void {
+    this.menuOpen.set(false);
+    this.activate();
+    void this.panel().load(drive);
+  }
+
   constructor() {
+    if (IS_WINDOWS && this.rpc.available) {
+      void this.rpc.request.listDrives({}).then((res) => {
+        if (res.ok) this.drives.set(res.drives);
+      });
+    }
     // keep the editable path bar in sync with the actual cwd
     effect(() => this.pathDraft.set(this.panel().cwd()));
     // focus follows the active side (Tab switches panels, dialogs refocus on close)

ui/src/app/format.ts

@@ -42,9 +42,18 @@ export function formatEta(seconds: number): string {
   return h ? `${h}:${String(m).padStart(2, '0')}:${String(sec).padStart(2, '0')}` : mmss;
 }
 
-/** POSIX-style join for UI-composed paths (both panels use "/" on macOS + remote). */
+/**
+ * Separator-aware join for UI-composed paths: remote and POSIX-local dirs use
+ * "/", a Windows-local dir ("C:\Users\x") keeps "\" so paths stay consistent.
+ */
 export function joinPath(dir: string, name: string): string {
-  return dir.endsWith('/') ? dir + name : `${dir}/${name}`;
+  const sep = dir.includes('\\') && !dir.includes('/') ? '\\' : '/';
+  return dir.endsWith(sep) ? dir + name : `${dir}${sep}${name}`;
+}
+
+/** "/" (POSIX) or a drive root like "C:\" — nothing above to navigate to. */
+export function isRootPath(p: string): boolean {
+  return p === '/' || /^[A-Za-z]:[\\/]?$/.test(p);
 }
 
 /** 0o755 -> "rwxr-xr-x" */

ui/src/app/panels.service.ts

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import { Injectable, computed, inject, signal, type WritableSignal } from '@angu
 import type { ColumnKey, ConnectionConfig, FileEntry, SavedConnection } from '@shared/types';
 import { fileKind } from './file-icons';
 import { FocusService } from './focus.service';
-import { formatMode } from './format';
+import { formatMode, isRootPath, joinPath } from './format';
 import { RpcService } from './rpc.service';
 import { ToastService } from './toast.service';
 
@@ -73,8 +73,8 @@ export class PanelState {
       return cmp * dir;
     });
     const cwd = this.cwd();
-    if (cwd && cwd !== '/') {
-      list.unshift({ name: '..', path: `${cwd}/..`, type: 'dir', size: 0, mtime: 0, mode: 0 });
+    if (cwd && !isRootPath(cwd)) {
+      list.unshift({ name: '..', path: joinPath(cwd, '..'), type: 'dir', size: 0, mtime: 0, mode: 0 });
     }
     return list;
   });
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ export class PanelState {
 
   up(): void {
     if (!this.cwd()) return;
-    void this.load(`${this.cwd()}/..`);
+    void this.load(joinPath(this.cwd(), '..'));
   }
 
   /** Update the filter and park the cursor on the first real match. */

ui/src/app/platform.ts

@@ -18,6 +18,12 @@ export const PLATFORM = typeof window !== 'undefined' ? (window.__APP_PLATFORM ?
 /** True when the window uses macOS hiddenInset chrome (header fused with titlebar). */
 export const IS_MAC_CHROME = PLATFORM === 'darwin';
 
+export const IS_WINDOWS = PLATFORM === 'win32';
+
+/** Shortcut-hint labels: "⌘W" on macOS, "Ctrl+W" elsewhere. */
+export const MOD_LABEL = IS_MAC_CHROME ? '⌘' : 'Ctrl+';
+export const ALT_LABEL = IS_MAC_CHROME ? '⌥' : 'Alt+';
+
 export const APP_MODE: 'main' | 'editor' | 'manager' =
   typeof window !== 'undefined' ? (window.__APP_MODE ?? 'main') : 'main';
 

ui/src/app/tab-bar/tab-bar.ts

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import { NgIcon } from '@ng-icons/core';
 import { BRANDING } from '@shared/branding';
 import type { AccentTone } from '@shared/types';
 import { PanelsService } from '../panels.service';
-import { IS_MAC_CHROME } from '../platform';
+import { IS_MAC_CHROME, MOD_LABEL } from '../platform';
 import { RpcService } from '../rpc.service';
 import { SettingsService } from '../settings.service';
 
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ const CONCURRENCY_CHOICES = [2, 3, 4, 6, 8] as const;
           @if (panels.workspaces().length > 1) {
             <button
               (click)="close($event, ws.id)"
-              title="Close tab (⌘W)"
+              [title]="'Close tab (' + modLabel + 'W)'"
               class="mr-1 grid size-4 shrink-0 place-items-center rounded text-muted-foreground opacity-0 group-hover:opacity-100 hover:bg-border hover:text-foreground"
             >
               <ng-icon name="mynaX" size="0.7rem" />
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ const CONCURRENCY_CHOICES = [2, 3, 4, 6, 8] as const;
       </div>
       <button
         (click)="panels.newWorkspace()"
-        title="New tab (⌘T)"
+        [title]="'New tab (' + modLabel + 'T)'"
         class="ml-0.5 grid size-6 place-items-center rounded-md text-muted-foreground electrobun-webkit-app-region-no-drag hover:bg-accent hover:text-foreground"
       >
         <ng-icon name="mynaPlus" size=".8rem" />
@@ -359,6 +359,7 @@ export class TabBar {
   private readonly rpc = inject(RpcService);
   readonly settingsOpen = signal(false);
   readonly isMacChrome = IS_MAC_CHROME;
+  readonly modLabel = MOD_LABEL;
   readonly appName = BRANDING.appName;
   readonly buildLabel = BRANDING.buildLabel;
   readonly themes = THEMES;