docs: Emergency recovery guide for sliceanddice boot issues

CURRENT-ISSUES-SUMMARY.md

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+# Current Issues Summary - sliceanddice
+
+**Date**: November 11, 2026  
+**System**: sliceanddice (NixOS, niri desktop)  
+**Status**: Two active issues, both diagnosed with solutions ready
+
+---
+
+## Issue #1: TTY1 Blank Cursor / Greeter Not Starting
+
+### Status: 🔴 CRITICAL
+**What**: TTY1 shows blank blinking cursor instead of graphical login (gtkgreet)  
+**Impact**: Cannot log in graphically  
+**Root Cause**: greetd → sway → gtkgreet chain is broken
+
+### Quick Fix:
+```bash
+# From TTY2 (Ctrl+Alt+F2)
+sudo systemctl restart greetd
+```
+
+### Alternative Fix:
+```bash
+# Boot previous generation from systemd-boot menu
+# Or rebuild from stable master branch
+cd /etc/nixos/.dotfiles
+git checkout master
+sudo nixos-rebuild switch --flake .#sliceanddice
+```
+
+### Documentation:
+- **FIX-TTY1-GREETER.md** - Complete troubleshooting guide
+- **diagnose-tty1-greeter.sh** - Diagnostic script
+
+### Technical Details:
+The login flow is:
+1. greetd service starts
+2. sway launches as kiosk compositor  
+3. gtkgreet shows login UI inside sway
+4. After login, niri starts as desktop
+
+One of these steps is failing. Most likely sway or gtkgreet.
+
+### Important Note:
+You mentioned "Shoji-wm/Shoji greeter" but this is **not** in the codebase. The actual stack is:
+- greetd (service)
+- sway (kiosk compositor)
+- gtkgreet (login UI)
+- niri (desktop)
+
+If you're seeing "Shoji" references, check for local modifications.
+
+---
+
+## Issue #2: Cursor Multiple Instances / Display Issues
+
+### Status: 🟡 MODERATE  
+**What**: Cursor running but not displaying windows properly  
+**Impact**: Cannot use Cursor IDE  
+**Root Cause**: Stuck Cursor process or corrupted window state
+
+### Quick Fix:
+```bash
+# Kill all Cursor processes
+pkill -9 cursor
+
+# Relaunch with Wayland
+cursor --ozone-platform=wayland
+```
+
+### Key Findings:
+| Finding | Meaning | Status |
+|---------|---------|--------|
+| Isolated profile works | Fresh user-data launches fine | ✅ Confirmed |
+| Existing instance stuck | PID 23387 not showing windows | ✅ Confirmed |
+| X11 backend active | Using XWayland instead of native Wayland | ✅ Confirmed |
+| Mesa error | GBM driver load failure | ⚠️ Unknown impact |
+
+### Why This Isn't a Reinstall:
+- Cursor works (isolated launch proved it)
+- NixOS config is fine
+- **Problem is in `~/.config/Cursor` state**
+
+### Progressive Fixes:
+1. **Kill and relaunch** (most likely fix)
+2. **Disable extensions** if #1 fails
+3. **Disable GPU** if #2 fails  
+4. **Fresh profile** if #3 fails
+5. **Repair original profile** selectively
+
+### Documentation:
+- **FIX-CURSOR-MULTIPLE-INSTANCES.md** - Complete debugging guide
+
+### Don't Do This:
+- ❌ Don't reinstall Cursor
+- ❌ Don't rebuild NixOS
+- ❌ Don't delete config without backup
+
+---
+
+## Combined Recovery Plan
+
+### Priority Order:
+
+**1. Fix TTY1 First** (you need graphical login)
+   - Use TTY2 to diagnose
+   - Restart greetd service
+   - Or boot previous generation
+
+**2. Then Fix Cursor** (after you can log in)
+   - Kill stuck processes
+   - Relaunch with Wayland flags
+   - Test progressively if needed
+
+### Emergency Access:
+
+If you can't log in graphically:
+
+```bash
+# From TTY2
+# Temporarily enable autologin
+sudo nano /etc/nixos/.dotfiles/hosts/nixos/sliceanddice/default.nix
+
+# Add:
+services.getty.autologinUser = "alex";
+
+# Rebuild
+sudo nixos-rebuild switch --flake /etc/nixos/.dotfiles#sliceanddice
+
+# Reboot
+sudo reboot
+```
+
+---
+
+## System Context
+
+### Hardware:
+- **Machine**: MSI laptop
+- **CPU**: Intel Tiger Lake
+- **GPU**: Intel iGPU + NVIDIA RTX 3050 Ti (hybrid)
+- **Display**: Internal panel on Intel iGPU
+- **Storage**: Samsung 870 EVO 500GB
+
+### Software Stack:
+- **OS**: NixOS (system.stateVersion 24.11)
+- **Compositor**: niri (scrollable-tiling Wayland)
+- **Greeter**: gtkgreet via sway kiosk
+- **Service Manager**: greetd
+- **Kernel**: linuxPackages_latest
+
+### Current Branch Status:
+- **Master**: Stable, working configuration
+- **Development**: New features, requires additional files
+- **Emergency mode issue**: Caused by branch mismatch (now documented)
+
+---
+
+## All Available Documentation
+
+| File | Purpose |
+|------|---------|
+| **CURRENT-ISSUES-SUMMARY.md** | This file - overview of both issues |
+| **FIX-TTY1-GREETER.md** | TTY1/greeter troubleshooting |
+| **diagnose-tty1-greeter.sh** | TTY1 diagnostic script |
+| **FIX-CURSOR-MULTIPLE-INSTANCES.md** | Cursor issues troubleshooting |
+| **START_HERE.md** | Emergency mode recovery quick start |
+| **README-EMERGENCY.md** | Emergency recovery hub |
+| **QUICKSTART.md** | Fast emergency recovery |
+| **SOLUTION.md** | Full emergency mode explanation |
+| **EMERGENCY_RECOVERY.md** | Technical recovery procedures |
+| **diagnose-emergency.sh** | Emergency mode diagnostic |
+| **fix-emergency-auto.sh** | Automated emergency fix |
+
+---
+
+## Quick Command Reference
+
+### Diagnostics:
+```bash
+# TTY1/Greeter
+sudo bash diagnose-tty1-greeter.sh
+
+# Emergency Mode
+sudo bash diagnose-emergency.sh
+
+# Cursor
+cursor --ozone-platform=wayland --enable-logging --v=1
+```
+
+### Fixes:
+```bash
+# TTY1
+sudo systemctl restart greetd
+
+# Cursor
+pkill -9 cursor && cursor --ozone-platform=wayland
+
+# Emergency Mode
+sudo bash fix-emergency-auto.sh
+```
+
+### Logs:
+```bash
+# Greeter
+sudo journalctl -u greetd -n 50
+
+# System
+sudo journalctl -b | grep -iE "(error|fail)"
+
+# Graphics
+sudo journalctl -b | grep -iE "(drm|nvidia|i915)"
+```
+
+---
+
+## Next Steps
+
+1. **Immediate**: Fix TTY1 to get graphical login working
+2. **Then**: Fix Cursor once logged in
+3. **Later**: Review and merge emergency mode documentation (PR #188)
+4. **Future**: Decide on master vs development branch strategy
+
+---
+
+## Notes
+
+- Both issues are **not** NixOS installation problems
+- Both have **clear diagnostic paths**
+- Both have **progressive fixes** (start simple, get more complex)
+- All diagnostics and fixes are now documented and committed
+- PR #188 contains all emergency recovery documentation
+
+---
+
+**Bottom Line**:
+1. TTY1 issue: Service/compositor problem → restart greetd or boot old generation
+2. Cursor issue: Stuck process → kill and relaunch with Wayland
+
+Both are fixable without reinstalling anything!

EMERGENCY_RECOVERY.md

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+# Emergency Recovery Guide for sliceanddice
+
+## Problem Analysis
+
+Your sliceanddice NixOS system is in emergency mode. Based on the repository analysis:
+
+### Most Likely Causes:
+
+1. **Missing disko.nix import**: If you pulled/applied configuration from the `development` branch (commit `ba8fb7cb` or later), it references `./disko.nix` which doesn't exist on `master` branch.
+
+2. **Filesystem mounting failure**: The recent changes included:
+   - New disko partitioning scheme (btrfs subvolumes)
+   - Modified filesystem UUIDs and mount options
+   - New swap configuration
+
+3. **Boot generation limit**: Commit `963b83f1` capped systemd-boot generations to 5 to prevent `/boot` from filling (511M EFI partition).
+
+## Immediate Recovery Steps
+
+### Option 1: Boot into a previous generation (RECOMMENDED FIRST STEP)
+
+1. At boot, when you see the systemd-boot menu, press `Space` or `Esc` immediately
+2. Select an older NixOS generation from before your recent changes
+3. Press `Enter` to boot
+4. Once booted, you can investigate what went wrong
+
+### Option 2: Emergency mode recovery
+
+If you're already in emergency mode:
+
+```bash
+# 1. Check which filesystems are mounted
+mount | grep -E "/(boot|nix|home)"
+
+# 2. Check for filesystem errors
+journalctl -xb | grep -i "failed\|error\|emergency"
+
+# 3. Check if /boot is full
+df -h /boot
+
+# 4. Check filesystem mounts status
+systemctl list-units --type=mount --failed
+
+# 5. Try to mount root as read-write if needed
+mount -o remount,rw /
+```
+
+### Option 3: Rollback to stable master branch configuration
+
+If you're using `/etc/nixos/.dotfiles`:
+
+```bash
+# In emergency mode or from an older generation:
+cd /etc/nixos/.dotfiles
+
+# Check current branch and status
+git branch
+git status
+
+# If you're on development branch, switch to master
+git checkout master
+git pull origin master
+
+# Rebuild with stable config
+nixos-rebuild switch --flake /etc/nixos/.dotfiles#sliceanddice
+```
+
+## Known Issues from Recent Commits
+
+### Issue 1: disko.nix import on master branch
+- **Commit**: `ba8fb7cb` (on development branch only)
+- **Problem**: Imports `./disko.nix` which doesn't exist on master
+- **Solution**: Ensure you're using master branch, or cherry-pick disko.nix from development
+
+### Issue 2: Boot partition space
+- **Commit**: `963b83f1`
+- **Problem**: 511M EFI partition fills with initrds (~50MB each)
+- **Solution**: Already fixed with `boot.loader.systemd-boot.configurationLimit = 5`
+- **Check**: Run `df -h /boot` to verify space
+
+### Issue 3: Filesystem UUID changes
+- **Location**: `hosts/nixos/sliceanddice/hardware-configuration.nix`
+- **Current UUIDs**:
+  - Root: `b89f5dca-4b37-4062-bf1d-9e4ebfd61916` (ext4)
+  - Boot: `8824-4C5F` (vfat)
+  - Swap: `c570ec29-6025-456b-99d1-8f16b677835a`
+
+## Verification Commands
+
+Once you can boot normally, verify the configuration:
+
+```bash
+# Check current branch
+cd /etc/nixos/.dotfiles && git branch
+
+# Verify filesystem mounts
+findmnt / /boot /home /nix
+
+# Check boot partition space
+df -h /boot
+du -sh /boot/loader/entries/*
+
+# List available boot generations
+ls -lh /boot/loader/entries/
+
+# Check system status
+systemctl status
+journalctl -p err -b
+```
+
+## Prevention
+
+1. **Always test major changes**: Use `nixos-rebuild test` before `switch`
+2. **Keep old generations**: The configurationLimit=5 is set, but you can temporarily increase it
+3. **Monitor /boot space**: Run `df -h /boot` before rebuilds
+4. **Stick to one branch**: Use either `master` or `development`, not a mix
+
+## Contact Information
+
+If you need to restore from scratch:
+- Bootstrap script: `scripts/install-sliceanddice.sh`
+- Secrets: `secrets/sliceanddice-secrets.yaml` (encrypted with sops)
+- Hardware config: `hosts/nixos/sliceanddice/hardware-configuration.nix`
+
+## Architecture Notes
+
+- Laptop: MSI with Intel Tiger Lake UHD + NVIDIA RTX 3050 Ti Mobile
+- Storage: Samsung 870 EVO 500GB (`ata-Samsung_SSD_870_EVO_500GB_S62ANJ0R238724D`)
+- Graphics: Hybrid PRIME render offload (Intel for display, NVIDIA on-demand)
+- Kernel: Latest mainline (`pkgs.linuxPackages_latest`)