fix(tui): pin footer to bottom, style hint bar, auto-clear status

Content area now enforces full height so the context help bar stays
pinned to the terminal bottom. Hint keys rendered with bold highlight
color for scannability. Status messages (created, deleted, etc.)
auto-clear after 2 seconds, reverting to the entity count.

internal/tui/commands.go

@@ -58,6 +58,8 @@ type tagsLoadedMsg struct {
 	tags []db.TagCount
 }
 
+type statusClearMsg struct{}
+
 type editorFinishedMsg struct {
 	err error
 }
@@ -267,3 +269,9 @@ func copyResolved(store *db.Store, entityID string, resolved string) tea.Cmd {
 		return templateCopiedMsg{}
 	}
 }
+
+func clearStatusAfter(d time.Duration) tea.Cmd {
+	return tea.Tick(d, func(time.Time) tea.Msg {
+		return statusClearMsg{}
+	})
+}

internal/tui/input.go

@@ -107,7 +107,10 @@ func (i inputModel) view(width int) string {
 	b.WriteString("\n")
 	b.WriteString(i.ti.View())
 	b.WriteString("\n")
-	b.WriteString(drawerHintsStyle.Render("enter:submit  esc:cancel  ?:search  -:todo  @:event  !:reminder"))
+	b.WriteString(drawerHintsStyle.Render(renderHints([]hint{
+		{"enter", "submit"}, {"esc", "cancel"}, {"?", "search"},
+		{"-", "todo"}, {"@", "event"}, {"!", "reminder"},
+	})))
 	b.WriteString("\n")
 	b.WriteString(i.renderPreview(width))
 	return b.String()

internal/tui/model.go

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package tui
 import (
 	"fmt"
 	"strings"
+	"time"
 
 	tea "github.com/charmbracelet/bubbletea"
 	"github.com/charmbracelet/lipgloss"
@@ -10,6 +11,8 @@ import (
 	"github.com/lerko/nib/internal/db"
 )
 
+const statusTimeout = 2 * time.Second
+
 type viewState int
 
 const (
@@ -192,37 +195,37 @@ func (m model) Update(msg tea.Msg) (tea.Model, tea.Cmd) {
 		m.input.reset()
 		m.recalcSizes()
 		m.status = "created"
-		return m, loadEntities(m.store, m.listParams())
+		return m, tea.Batch(loadEntities(m.store, m.listParams()), clearStatusAfter(statusTimeout))
 
 	case entityDeletedMsg:
 		m.status = "deleted"
 		m.state = stateList
-		return m, loadEntities(m.store, m.listParams())
+		return m, tea.Batch(loadEntities(m.store, m.listParams()), clearStatusAfter(statusTimeout))
 
 	case entityUpdatedMsg:
 		m.status = msg.action
 		if m.state == stateDetail {
 			m.detail.setEntity(msg.entity)
 		}
-		return m, loadEntities(m.store, m.listParams())
+		return m, tea.Batch(loadEntities(m.store, m.listParams()), clearStatusAfter(statusTimeout))
 
 	case entityPromotedMsg:
 		m.status = fmt.Sprintf("promoted → %s", msg.cardType)
 		m.state = stateList
-		return m, loadEntities(m.store, m.listParams())
+		return m, tea.Batch(loadEntities(m.store, m.listParams()), clearStatusAfter(statusTimeout))
 
 	case entityDemotedMsg:
 		m.status = "demoted → fluid"
-		return m, m.reloadDetail(msg.id)
+		return m, tea.Batch(m.reloadDetail(msg.id), clearStatusAfter(statusTimeout))
 
 	case entityCopiedMsg:
 		m.status = "copied"
-		return m, nil
+		return m, clearStatusAfter(statusTimeout)
 
 	case entityAbsorbedMsg:
 		m.status = "absorbed"
 		m.state = stateList
-		return m, loadEntities(m.store, m.listParams())
+		return m, tea.Batch(loadEntities(m.store, m.listParams()), clearStatusAfter(statusTimeout))
 
 	case absorbSourcesLoadedMsg:
 		m.absorb = newAbsorbModel(msg.targetID)
@@ -234,12 +237,12 @@ func (m model) Update(msg tea.Msg) (tea.Model, tea.Cmd) {
 	case stepsPersistedMsg:
 		m.status = "steps saved"
 		m.detail.mode = detailPreview
-		return m, m.reloadDetail(m.detail.entity.ID)
+		return m, tea.Batch(m.reloadDetail(m.detail.entity.ID), clearStatusAfter(statusTimeout))
 
 	case templateCopiedMsg:
 		m.status = "copied resolved"
 		m.detail.mode = detailPreview
-		return m, loadEntities(m.store, m.listParams())
+		return m, tea.Batch(loadEntities(m.store, m.listParams()), clearStatusAfter(statusTimeout))
 
 	case tagsLoadedMsg:
 		m.filter.setTags(msg.tags)
@@ -249,10 +252,10 @@ func (m model) Update(msg tea.Msg) (tea.Model, tea.Cmd) {
 	case editorFinishedMsg:
 		if msg.err != nil {
 			m.err = msg.err
-		} else {
+			return m, m.reloadAfterEdit()
-			m.status = "updated"
 		}
-		return m, m.reloadAfterEdit()
+		m.status = "updated"
+		return m, tea.Batch(m.reloadAfterEdit(), clearStatusAfter(statusTimeout))
 
 	case confirmTimeoutMsg:
 		if m.state == stateConfirm {
@@ -261,6 +264,10 @@ func (m model) Update(msg tea.Msg) (tea.Model, tea.Cmd) {
 		}
 		return m, nil
 
+	case statusClearMsg:
+		m.status = ""
+		return m, nil
+
 	case errMsg:
 		m.err = msg.err
 		return m, nil
@@ -415,7 +422,7 @@ func (m model) updateKeys(msg tea.KeyMsg) (tea.Model, tea.Cmd) {
 		if m.mode == modeCards && m.state == stateList {
 			m.cardsSort = m.cardsSort.next()
 			m.status = "sort: " + m.cardsSort.String()
-			return m, loadEntities(m.store, m.listParams())
+			return m, tea.Batch(loadEntities(m.store, m.listParams()), clearStatusAfter(statusTimeout))
 		}
 		return m, nil
 
@@ -532,7 +539,7 @@ func (m model) updateKeys(msg tea.KeyMsg) (tea.Model, tea.Cmd) {
 		if e != nil {
 			if e.CardType != nil {
 				m.status = "target must be fluid"
-				return m, nil
+				return m, clearStatusAfter(statusTimeout)
 			}
 			return m, loadAbsorbSources(m.store, e.ID)
 		}
@@ -543,7 +550,7 @@ func (m model) updateKeys(msg tea.KeyMsg) (tea.Model, tea.Cmd) {
 		if e != nil {
 			if e.CardType != nil {
 				m.status = "already a card"
-				return m, nil
+				return m, clearStatusAfter(statusTimeout)
 			}
 			m.promote = newPromoteModel(e.ID, e.Body)
 			m.state = statePromote
@@ -555,7 +562,7 @@ func (m model) updateKeys(msg tea.KeyMsg) (tea.Model, tea.Cmd) {
 		if m.state == stateDetail && m.detail.entity != nil {
 			if m.detail.entity.CardType == nil {
 				m.status = "already fluid"
-				return m, nil
+				return m, clearStatusAfter(statusTimeout)
 			}
 			return m, demoteEntity(m.store, m.detail.entity.ID)
 		}
@@ -758,6 +765,8 @@ func (m model) View() string {
 	header := m.headerView()
 	footer := m.footerView()
 
+	content = lipgloss.NewStyle().Width(m.width).Height(m.contentHeight()).Render(content)
+
 	return header + "\n" + content + "\n" + footer
 }
 
@@ -824,10 +833,6 @@ func (m model) footerView() string {
 		return errorStyle.Render("error: " + m.err.Error())
 	}
 
-	if m.status != "" {
-		return statusStyle.Render(m.status) + "  " + helpStyle.Render(contextHints(m))
-	}
-
 	return renderStatusBar(m, m.width)
 }
 

internal/tui/statusbar.go

@@ -2,24 +2,40 @@ package tui
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
+	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/charmbracelet/lipgloss"
 )
 
+type hint struct {
+	key  string
+	desc string
+}
+
+func renderHints(hints []hint) string {
+	parts := make([]string, len(hints))
+	for i, h := range hints {
+		parts[i] = hintKeyStyle.Render(h.key) + " " + hintDescStyle.Render(h.desc)
+	}
+	return strings.Join(parts, "  ")
+}
+
 func renderStatusBar(m model, width int) string {
 	left := countText(m)
-	right := contextHints(m)
+	if m.status != "" {
+		left = m.status
+	}
+	right := renderHints(contextHints(m))
 
 	leftRendered := statusStyle.Render(left)
-	rightRendered := helpStyle.Render(right)
 
-	gap := width - lipgloss.Width(leftRendered) - lipgloss.Width(rightRendered)
+	gap := width - lipgloss.Width(leftRendered) - lipgloss.Width(right)
 	if gap < 0 {
 		gap = 0
 	}
 
 	pad := lipgloss.NewStyle().Width(gap).Render("")
-	return leftRendered + pad + rightRendered
+	return leftRendered + pad + right
 }
 
 func countText(m model) string {
@@ -35,37 +51,37 @@ func countText(m model) string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("%d entities", total)
 }
 
-func contextHints(m model) string {
+func contextHints(m model) []hint {
 	switch m.state {
 	case stateDetail:
 		switch m.detail.mode {
 		case detailRun:
-			return "space:toggle  j/k:nav  r:reset  esc:save+exit"
+			return []hint{{"space", "toggle"}, {"j/k", "nav"}, {"r", "reset"}, {"esc", "save+exit"}}
 		case detailFill:
-			return "tab:next  shift+tab:prev  enter:copy  esc:cancel"
+			return []hint{{"tab", "next"}, {"⇧tab", "prev"}, {"enter", "copy"}, {"esc", "cancel"}}
 		default:
-			return "p:promote D:demote c:copy e:edit r:run f:fill !:pin esc:back"
+			return []hint{{"p", "promote"}, {"D", "demote"}, {"c", "copy"}, {"e", "edit"}, {"r", "run"}, {"f", "fill"}, {"!", "pin"}, {"esc", "back"}}
 		}
 	case stateInput:
-		return ""
+		return nil
 	case stateTagFilter:
-		return "j/k:nav enter:select esc:cancel"
+		return []hint{{"j/k", "nav"}, {"enter", "select"}, {"esc", "cancel"}}
 	case stateConfirm:
-		return "y:confirm n:cancel"
+		return []hint{{"y", "confirm"}, {"n", "cancel"}}
 	case statePromote:
-		return "j/k:nav enter:select esc:cancel"
+		return []hint{{"j/k", "nav"}, {"enter", "select"}, {"esc", "cancel"}}
 	case stateAbsorb:
-		return "j/k:nav enter:absorb esc:cancel"
+		return []hint{{"j/k", "nav"}, {"enter", "absorb"}, {"esc", "cancel"}}
 	default:
 		if m.splitDetail {
 			if m.focus == focusDetail {
-				return "h:list c:copy e:edit p:promote D:demote !:pin esc:back"
+				return []hint{{"h", "list"}, {"c", "copy"}, {"e", "edit"}, {"p", "promote"}, {"D", "demote"}, {"!", "pin"}, {"esc", "back"}}
 			}
-			return "l:detail a:add d:del #:filter esc:close ?:help q:quit"
+			return []hint{{"l", "detail"}, {"a", "add"}, {"d", "del"}, {"#", "filter"}, {"esc", "close"}, {"?", "help"}, {"q", "quit"}}
 		}
 		if m.mode == modeCards {
-			return "1:stream 2:cards s:sort tab:intent a:add ?:help q:quit"
+			return []hint{{"1", "stream"}, {"2", "cards"}, {"s", "sort"}, {"tab", "intent"}, {"a", "add"}, {"?", "help"}, {"q", "quit"}}
 		}
-		return "1:stream 2:cards a:add/?search m:absorb d:del #:filter ?:help q:quit"
+		return []hint{{"1", "stream"}, {"2", "cards"}, {"a", "add"}, {"?", "search"}, {"m", "absorb"}, {"d", "del"}, {"#", "filter"}, {"?", "help"}, {"q", "quit"}}
 	}
 }

internal/tui/styles.go

@@ -122,4 +122,11 @@ var (
 
 	separatorStyle = lipgloss.NewStyle().
 			Foreground(dim)
+
+	hintKeyStyle = lipgloss.NewStyle().
+			Foreground(highlight).
+			Bold(true)
+
+	hintDescStyle = lipgloss.NewStyle().
+			Foreground(dim)
 )