diff --git a/fktry/src/sim/bloom.test.ts b/fktry/src/sim/bloom.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c389f48
--- /dev/null
+++ b/fktry/src/sim/bloom.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,232 @@
+/**
+ * The bloom loop — M3's signature topology, proved early.
+ *
+ * Two separate claims are tested here, because they fail for different reasons:
+ *
+ *  1. The loop MECHANIC: a closed belt circle has no terminal machine, so it ranks 0 and
+ *     machines will push onto it. Cargo circulates forever instead of wedging, and the
+ *     tracer doesn't spin trying to walk it.
+ *
+ *  2. DATA's grade recipes COMPOSE: a closed delta-wafer bus with splitter taps feeding
+ *     one duplicator per grade escalates bloom-concentrate all the way to grade 5.
+ *
+ * On the topology: the codex says "any closed belt circle with a P-FRAME DUPLICATOR on it;
+ * contents compound each lap". With DATA's recipes that exact build cannot work — each
+ * grade is a distinct recipe and a machine runs one recipe, so a lone duplicator can never
+ * consume its own output. The shape that DOES compose puts the circle underneath as a
+ * shared wafer bus: unclaimed wafers keep going round, and every duplicator gets fed on a
+ * later lap. The loop is what makes the taps fair. See NOTES round 3.
+ */
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
+import { createSim } from './index';
+import type { Command, Dir, GameData, Sim, SimEvent } from '../contracts';
+
+import items from '../../data/items.json';
+import machines from '../../data/machines.json';
+import recipes from '../../data/recipes.json';
+import tech from '../../data/tech.json';
+import commissions from '../../data/commissions.json';
+
+const DATA = { items, machines, recipes, tech, commissions } as unknown as GameData;
+const N: Dir = 0, E: Dir = 1, S: Dir = 2, W: Dir = 3;
+
+function newSim(seed = 1337): Sim {
+  const sim = createSim();
+  sim.init(DATA, seed);
+  return sim;
+}
+function run(sim: Sim, ticks: number, sink?: SimEvent[]): void {
+  for (let i = 0; i < ticks; i++) {
+    sim.tick();
+    const evs = sim.drainEvents();
+    if (sink) for (const e of evs) sink.push(e);
+  }
+}
+
+describe('closed belt circles', () => {
+  it('accept cargo and circulate it forever without losing or wedging it', () => {
+    const sim = newSim();
+    const cmds: Command[] = [];
+    const b = (x: number, y: number, dir: Dir) => cmds.push({ kind: 'place', def: 'belt', pos: { x, y }, dir });
+
+    cmds.push({ kind: 'place', def: 'decode-asic', pos: { x: 0, y: 10 }, dir: N });
+    cmds.push({ kind: 'place', def: 'seam-extractor', pos: { x: 0, y: 0 }, dir: N }); // 2x2 at (0,0)
+    // A 4x4 ring the miner can reach: it feeds (2,0), which is part of the circle.
+    for (let x = 2; x <= 4; x++) b(x, 0, E);
+    b(5, 0, S);
+    for (let y = 1; y <= 3; y++) b(5, y, S);
+    b(5, 4, W);
+    for (let x = 4; x >= 3; x--) b(x, 4, W);
+    b(2, 4, N);
+    for (let y = 3; y >= 1; y--) b(2, y, N); // (2,1) -> (2,0) closes the ring
+
+    for (const c of cmds) sim.enqueue(c);
+    run(sim, 400);
+    const loaded = sim.snapshot().beltItems.length;
+    expect(loaded).toBeGreaterThan(0); // rank 0: the miner was willing to push onto a loop
+
+    // Cargo keeps moving: track one item and prove it changes tiles rather than parking.
+    const tracked = sim.snapshot().beltItems[0].id;
+    const seen = new Set<number>();
+    for (let i = 0; i < 600; i++) {
+      run(sim, 1);
+      const it = sim.snapshot().beltItems.find((x) => x.id === tracked);
+      if (it) seen.add(it.entity);
+    }
+    expect(seen.size).toBeGreaterThan(3); // it went round, it didn't sit at a dead end
+
+    // And the ring fills to a stable holding pattern rather than deleting anything.
+    const before = sim.snapshot().beltItems.length;
+    run(sim, 2000);
+    expect(sim.snapshot().beltItems.length).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(before);
+    expect(sim.snapshot().entities.find((e) => e.def === 'seam-extractor')!.jammed).not.toBeNull();
+  });
+});
+
+/**
+ * ore -> demuxer -> mv-flux -> [split] -+-> p-caster -> delta wafers -> the BUS (a closed
+ *                                       |               circle, tapped by 5 splitters)
+ *                                       +-> tap-bloom
+ * tap-bloom -> concentrate -> grade1 -> grade2 -> grade3 -> grade4 -> grade5 -> uplink
+ */
+function bloomLoop(): Command[] {
+  const cmds: Command[] = [];
+  const P = (def: string, x: number, y: number, dir: Dir = N) =>
+    cmds.push({ kind: 'place', def, pos: { x, y }, dir });
+  const b = (x: number, y: number, dir: Dir) => P('belt', x, y, dir);
+  const runX = (x0: number, x1: number, y: number, dir: Dir) => {
+    const s = x0 <= x1 ? 1 : -1;
+    for (let x = x0; ; x += s) { b(x, y, dir); if (x === x1) break; }
+  };
+  const runY = (y0: number, y1: number, x: number, dir: Dir) => {
+    const s = y0 <= y1 ? 1 : -1;
+    for (let y = y0; ; y += s) { b(x, y, dir); if (y === y1) break; }
+  };
+  const recipeAt = (x: number, y: number, recipe: string) =>
+    cmds.push({ kind: 'setRecipeAt', pos: { x, y }, recipe });
+
+  // Power: ASICs only. Heat is not what this test is about.
+  for (let i = 0; i < 8; i++) P('decode-asic', -30 + i * 3, -12);
+
+  // Feeder: ore -> demuxer. Luma and slurry are byproducts here; sell both.
+  P('seam-extractor', -30, 0);
+  P('seam-extractor', -30, -3);
+  P('seam-extractor', -30, 3);
+  runY(-2, -1, -28, S);
+  runY(3, 1, -28, N);
+  runX(-28, -27, 0, E);
+  P('demuxer', -26, 0);
+  runX(-24, -23, 0, E);
+  P('shipper', -22, 0);
+  runY(2, 3, -26, S);
+  P('shipper', -27, 4);
+
+  // mv-flux splits between the wafer press and the bloom tap. The tap only wants 4 of
+  // every ~56, so it fills, blocks, and the splitter hands the rest to the p-caster.
+  b(-25, -1, N);
+  P('lane-splitter', -25, -2);
+  b(-25, -3, N);
+  P('p-caster', -26, -5);
+  runX(-24, 14, -2, E);
+  runY(-2, 1, 15, S);
+  b(15, 2, W); // -> tap-bloom at (14,2), at the far end of the bus
+
+  // Wafers leave the press, run the long way round, and merge into the bus's right edge.
+  runX(-26, 17, -6, E);
+  runY(-6, 9, 18, S);
+  b(18, 10, W);
+  b(17, 10, W); // -> (16,10), a bus belt
+
+  // THE BUS: a closed circle, (0,4) to (16,14), with five splitter taps on its top edge.
+  const taps = [2, 5, 8, 11, 14];
+  for (let x = 0; x <= 15; x++) {
+    if (taps.includes(x)) P('lane-splitter', x, 4);
+    else b(x, 4, E);
+  }
+  b(16, 4, S);
+  runY(5, 13, 16, S);
+  b(16, 14, W);
+  runX(15, 1, 14, W);
+  b(0, 14, N);
+  runY(13, 5, 0, N); // (0,5) -> (0,4): the circle closes
+
+  // Each tap hands wafers north, out of the ring, to its duplicator.
+  for (const x of taps) b(x, 3, N);
+
+  // The escalator runs COUNTER-CURRENT to the wafer flow, and that ordering is load
+  // bearing. Wafers join the ring at its right edge and reach the taps left-to-right, so
+  // whoever taps first eats first. Grade 5 wants 8 wafers a craft and grade 4 wants 5,
+  // while the bloom tap only wants 8 per finished grade-1 — put the tap first (measured
+  // it) and it swallows half of everything, grade 3 backs up 'output full' behind a
+  // starving grade 4, and 30,000 ticks yields exactly one grade 5. Hungriest first.
+  P('bloom-duplicator', 14, 2);  // tap-bloom (default recipe), fed last
+  b(14, 1, N);
+  P('bloom-duplicator', 14, 0);
+  recipeAt(14, 0, 'bloom-grade-1');
+  runX(13, 12, 0, W);
+  b(11, 0, S);
+  b(11, 1, S);
+  P('bloom-duplicator', 11, 2);
+  recipeAt(11, 2, 'bloom-grade-2');
+  runX(10, 9, 2, W);
+  P('bloom-duplicator', 8, 2);
+  recipeAt(8, 2, 'bloom-grade-3');
+  runX(7, 6, 2, W);
+  P('bloom-duplicator', 5, 2);
+  recipeAt(5, 2, 'bloom-grade-4');
+  runX(4, 3, 2, W);
+  P('bloom-duplicator', 2, 2);
+  recipeAt(2, 2, 'bloom-grade-5'); // hungriest, tapped first
+  b(1, 2, W);
+  P('shipper', -1, 1);
+
+  return cmds;
+}
+
+describe('bloom loop', () => {
+  it('escalates concentrate to grade 5 off a closed wafer bus', () => {
+    const sim = newSim();
+    for (const c of bloomLoop()) sim.enqueue(c);
+
+    const evs: SimEvent[] = [];
+    run(sim, 20000, evs);
+    const snap = sim.snapshot();
+
+    // Every rung of DATA's ladder actually ran.
+    for (const g of ['tap-bloom', 'bloom-grade-1', 'bloom-grade-2', 'bloom-grade-3',
+      'bloom-grade-4', 'bloom-grade-5']) {
+      expect(evs.filter((e) => e.kind === 'crafted' && e.recipe === g).length,
+        `${g} never crafted`).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+    }
+    expect(snap.shippedTotal['bloom-grade-5'] ?? 0).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+  });
+
+  it('keeps wafers circulating so the far taps get fed too', () => {
+    const sim = newSim();
+    for (const c of bloomLoop()) sim.enqueue(c);
+    run(sim, 20000);
+    const snap = sim.snapshot();
+
+    // The last tap on the bus is the hungriest (8 wafers) and the furthest from the
+    // injection point. It only ever eats because unclaimed wafers come round again.
+    const grade5 = snap.entities.find((e) => e.pos.x === 2 && e.pos.y === 2)!;
+    expect(grade5.recipe).toBe('bloom-grade-5');
+    expect(grade5.jammed).not.toBe('output full');
+
+    // Wafers are genuinely resident on the ring rather than all consumed on arrival.
+    const ringIds = new Set(snap.entities.filter((e) =>
+      (e.def === 'belt' || e.def === 'lane-splitter') && e.pos.y >= 4 && e.pos.y <= 14
+      && e.pos.x >= 0 && e.pos.x <= 16).map((e) => e.id));
+    const onRing = snap.beltItems.filter((i) => ringIds.has(i.entity));
+    expect(onRing.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+    expect(onRing.every((i) => i.item === 'delta-wafer')).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it('never wedges the head of the chain', () => {
+    const sim = newSim();
+    for (const c of bloomLoop()) sim.enqueue(c);
+    run(sim, 20000);
+    const demuxer = sim.snapshot().entities.find((e) => e.def === 'demuxer')!;
+    expect(demuxer.jammed).not.toBe('output full');
+  });
+});
diff --git a/fktry/src/sim/index.ts b/fktry/src/sim/index.ts
index 3b8c6ea..af06723 100644
--- a/fktry/src/sim/index.ts
+++ b/fktry/src/sim/index.ts
@@ -40,8 +40,8 @@ const MAX_TRACE = 512;
 const HEAT_THROTTLE_START = 0.7;
 /** Speed multiplier at heat 1.0 — the lore's "tick rate visibly halves". */
 const HEAT_THROTTLE_FLOOR = 0.5;
-/** Heat shed per tick, always, active or not. */
-const HEAT_DISSIPATION = 0.004;
+/** Heat shed per tick, always, active or not. Overridden per machine by `coolPerTick`. */
+const HEAT_COOL_DEFAULT = 0.004;
 /** Cool back below this and a scrammed machine comes back up. */
 const HEAT_RESTART = 0.5;
 
@@ -272,6 +272,7 @@ export function createSim(): Sim {
       outputBuf: {},
       jammed: null,
       heat: 0,
+      scrammed: false,
     };
     const e: Ent = { state, def, crafting: false, scrammed: false, tiles, queue: [], cursor: 0 };
     ents.push(e);
@@ -328,6 +329,10 @@ export function createSim(): Sim {
   function doSetRecipe(entity: number, recipe: string | null): void {
     const e = byId.get(entity);
     if (!e) return;
+    setRecipeOn(e, recipe);
+  }
+
+  function setRecipeOn(e: Ent, recipe: string | null): void {
     if (recipe !== null && !e.def.recipes.includes(recipe)) return;
     e.state.recipe = recipe;
     e.state.progress = 0;
@@ -346,6 +351,11 @@ export function createSim(): Sim {
       case 'remove': doRemove(cmd.pos); break;
       case 'rotate': doRotate(cmd.pos); break;
       case 'setRecipe': doSetRecipe(cmd.entity, cmd.recipe); break;
+      case 'setRecipeAt': {
+        const e = entAt(cmd.pos.x, cmd.pos.y); // id-free: any tile of the footprint works
+        if (e) setRecipeOn(e, cmd.recipe);
+        break;
+      }
       case 'setPaused': paused = cmd.paused; snap.paused = paused; break;
     }
   }
@@ -386,10 +396,15 @@ export function createSim(): Sim {
   }
 
   /**
-   * Bandwidth v2: gen vs draw with tank storage. Compression pays for itself — a recipe
+   * Bandwidth v3: gen vs draw with tank storage. Compression pays for itself — a recipe
    * with negative bandwidth (the quantizer) generates instead of drawing. Surplus charges
-   * the tanks; a deficit drains them. Only once the tanks run dry does the factory
-   * brown out and run at gen/draw speed.
+   * the tanks; a deficit drains them. Only once the tanks run dry does the factory brown
+   * out and run at supplied/draw speed.
+   *
+   * UNITS (v3 ruling): gen and draw are bandwidth per SECOND; stored is bandwidth-SECONDS.
+   * So a tick only ever moves one tick's worth of charge — surplus/TICKS_PER_SECOND — into
+   * or out of the tanks. A 30/s deficit drains 30 stored per second, not per tick, which is
+   * what makes DATA's bufferCap 240 the 8 seconds of cover they intended.
    */
   function computePower(): number {
     let gen = 0;
@@ -411,16 +426,18 @@ export function createSim(): Sim {
 
     let supplied = gen;
     if (gen >= draw) {
-      const room = capacity - stored;
-      const charge = Math.min(gen - draw, room);
+      const charge = Math.min((gen - draw) / TICKS_PER_SECOND, capacity - stored);
       if (charge > 0) stored += charge;
     } else {
-      const drawn = Math.min(draw - gen, stored);
+      const wanted = (draw - gen) / TICKS_PER_SECOND; // bandwidth-seconds owed this tick
+      const drawn = Math.min(wanted, stored);
       stored -= drawn;
-      supplied = gen + drawn;
+      supplied = gen + drawn * TICKS_PER_SECOND;
     }
 
-    const on = supplied < draw;
+    // Epsilon: a tank covering a deficit exactly lands supplied on draw, and float drift
+    // there would otherwise flicker the brownout flag on and off every tick.
+    const on = supplied < draw - 1e-9;
     if (on !== brownout) {
       brownout = on;
       events.push({ kind: 'brownout', on, tick: curTick });
@@ -449,22 +466,35 @@ export function createSim(): Sim {
     }
   }
 
-  /** Heat v1: work heats, everything cools, hot machines throttle, boiling machines scram. */
+  /**
+   * Heat v1: work heats, everything cools, hot machines throttle, boiling machines scram.
+   *
+   * Cooling is applied every tick whether or not the machine is working, so `heatPerTick`
+   * is GROSS heat and the net climb is heatPerTick - coolPerTick. A machine whose
+   * heatPerTick doesn't clear its cooling simply never overheats. That's what makes the
+   * codex's ASIC coolers mean something — and it's the trap DATA is currently in; see NOTES.
+   */
   function updateHeat(): void {
     for (const e of ents) {
       const hpt = e.def.heatPerTick ?? 0;
+      // Most of a big factory is belts, and a belt can never be anything but stone cold.
+      // Skipping them here is the difference between 59x and 70x realtime at 3,500 entities.
+      if (hpt === 0 && e.state.heat === 0 && !e.scrammed) continue;
+      const cool = e.def.coolPerTick ?? HEAT_COOL_DEFAULT;
       const active = !e.scrammed && (e.def.kind === 'power' ? true : e.crafting);
-      let h = e.state.heat + (active ? hpt : 0) - HEAT_DISSIPATION;
+      let h = e.state.heat + (active ? hpt : 0) - cool;
       if (h < 0) h = 0;
       else if (h > 1) h = 1;
       e.state.heat = h;
 
       if (!e.scrammed && h >= 1) {
         e.scrammed = true;
+        e.state.scrammed = true;
         setJam(e, null); // scram is reported by its own event, not as a flow jam
         events.push({ kind: 'scram', entity: e.state.id, on: true, tick: curTick });
       } else if (e.scrammed && h < HEAT_RESTART) {
         e.scrammed = false;
+        e.state.scrammed = false;
         events.push({ kind: 'scram', entity: e.state.id, on: false, tick: curTick });
       }
     }
@@ -601,7 +631,7 @@ export function createSim(): Sim {
           if (c < cap) cap = c;
         }
         if (target > cap) target = cap;
-      } else if (next && tryPushToMachine(next, it.item, it.id ?? 0)) {
+      } else if (next && tryPushToMachine(next, it.item, it.id)) {
         items.splice(idx, 1);
         removeFlat(it);
         return true;
@@ -636,6 +666,7 @@ export function createSim(): Sim {
   function activateCommission(): void {
     const id = commissionQueue[0] ?? null;
     snap.activeCommission = id;
+    snap.commissionQueue = commissionQueue; // active first, then upcoming: UI's "next in tray"
     snap.commissionProgress = {};
     const c = id === null ? undefined : commissionDefs.get(id);
     if (c) for (const k in c.wants) snap.commissionProgress[k] = 0;
@@ -747,5 +778,101 @@ export function createSim(): Sim {
       events = [];
       return out;
     },
+
+    /**
+     * Everything the tick loop reads, including the state the snapshot deliberately hides:
+     * the crafting/scram latches, splitter queues and cursors, and the RNG position. Miss
+     * any of those and a loaded save diverges a few hundred ticks later, which is exactly
+     * the bug that never reproduces. `data` is not saved — load() into a sim init()'d with
+     * the same GameData.
+     */
+    save(): string {
+      return JSON.stringify({
+        v: 3,
+        tick: curTick,
+        paused,
+        brownout,
+        stored,
+        nextId,
+        nextItemId,
+        rng: rng.state(),
+        commissionQueue,
+        shippedTotal: snap.shippedTotal,
+        commissionProgress: snap.commissionProgress,
+        pending: cmdQueue, // commands enqueued but not yet applied
+        entities: ents.map((e) => ({
+          state: e.state,
+          crafting: e.crafting,
+          scrammed: e.scrammed,
+          queue: e.queue,
+          cursor: e.cursor,
+        })),
+        beltItems: allBeltItems,
+      });
+    },
+
+    load(json: string): void {
+      const s = JSON.parse(json);
+      if (s.v !== 3) throw new Error(`sim.load: unsupported save version ${s.v}`);
+
+      ents = [];
+      entityStates = [];
+      allBeltItems = [];
+      byId.clear();
+      occ.clear();
+      beltContents.clear();
+      traceCache.clear();
+      cmdQueue.length = 0;
+      events = [];
+      moved.clear();
+
+      for (const rec of s.entities) {
+        const def = defs.get(rec.state.def);
+        if (!def) throw new Error(`sim.load: this GameData has no machine "${rec.state.def}"`);
+        const state = rec.state as EntityState;
+        const fp = footprintOf(def.footprint, state.dir);
+        const tiles: number[] = [];
+        for (let dx = 0; dx < fp.x; dx++) {
+          for (let dy = 0; dy < fp.y; dy++) tiles.push(tileKey(state.pos.x + dx, state.pos.y + dy));
+        }
+        const e: Ent = {
+          state, def, crafting: rec.crafting, scrammed: rec.scrammed,
+          tiles, queue: rec.queue, cursor: rec.cursor,
+        };
+        ents.push(e);
+        entityStates.push(state);
+        byId.set(state.id, e);
+        for (const k of tiles) occ.set(k, state.id);
+        if (def.kind === 'belt') beltContents.set(state.id, []);
+      }
+
+      for (const it of s.beltItems as BeltItem[]) {
+        allBeltItems.push(it);
+        beltContents.get(it.entity)?.push(it);
+      }
+      // Belt contents are ordered front-first everywhere else; restore that invariant
+      // rather than trusting the blob's ordering.
+      for (const list of beltContents.values()) list.sort((a, b) => b.t - a.t);
+
+      curTick = s.tick;
+      paused = s.paused;
+      brownout = s.brownout;
+      stored = s.stored;
+      nextId = s.nextId;
+      nextItemId = s.nextItemId;
+      rng.restore(s.rng);
+      commissionQueue = s.commissionQueue;
+      for (const cmd of s.pending ?? []) cmdQueue.push(cmd);
+
+      snap.tick = curTick;
+      snap.paused = paused;
+      snap.entities = entityStates;
+      snap.beltItems = allBeltItems;
+      snap.bandwidth = { gen: 0, draw: 0, stored, brownout };
+      snap.shippedTotal = s.shippedTotal;
+      snap.commissionProgress = s.commissionProgress;
+      snap.activeCommission = commissionQueue[0] ?? null;
+      snap.commissionQueue = commissionQueue;
+    },
   };
 }
diff --git a/fktry/src/sim/persist.test.ts b/fktry/src/sim/persist.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b57ba51
--- /dev/null
+++ b/fktry/src/sim/persist.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,121 @@
+/**
+ * save()/load() round-trip.
+ *
+ * The bar is not "the snapshot looks the same" — it's "the future is the same". A save
+ * that restores visible state but drops a splitter cursor or the RNG position looks
+ * perfect and then quietly diverges a few hundred ticks later. So every test here loads
+ * a blob and then runs BOTH sims forward before comparing.
+ */
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
+import { createSim } from './index';
+import { referenceFactory } from './reference';
+import type { GameData, Sim } from '../contracts';
+
+import items from '../../data/items.json';
+import machines from '../../data/machines.json';
+import recipes from '../../data/recipes.json';
+import tech from '../../data/tech.json';
+import commissions from '../../data/commissions.json';
+
+const DATA = { items, machines, recipes, tech, commissions } as unknown as GameData;
+
+function fresh(seed = 1337): Sim {
+  const sim = createSim();
+  sim.init(DATA, seed);
+  return sim;
+}
+function run(sim: Sim, ticks: number): void {
+  for (let i = 0; i < ticks; i++) { sim.tick(); sim.drainEvents(); }
+}
+
+describe('save/load', () => {
+  it('restores a running factory so both sims agree 1,000 ticks later', () => {
+    const original = fresh();
+    for (const c of referenceFactory(DATA)) original.enqueue(c);
+    run(original, 1500); // mid-flight: belts loaded, a scram cycle already under way
+
+    const restored = fresh();
+    restored.load!(original.save!());
+    expect(restored.snapshot().tick).toBe(original.snapshot().tick);
+
+    run(original, 1000);
+    run(restored, 1000);
+    expect(restored.snapshot()).toEqual(original.snapshot());
+    expect(restored.snapshot().shippedTotal['melt']).toBeGreaterThan(0); // not a dead factory
+  });
+
+  it('round-trips through JSON without drifting', () => {
+    const a = fresh();
+    for (const c of referenceFactory(DATA)) a.enqueue(c);
+    run(a, 800);
+
+    const blob = a.save!();
+    expect(() => JSON.parse(blob)).not.toThrow();
+
+    const b = fresh();
+    b.load!(blob);
+    // Saving the restored sim must reproduce the same bytes: nothing was lost in the gap.
+    expect(b.save!()).toBe(blob);
+  });
+
+  it('survives a save/load/save/load chain', () => {
+    const a = fresh();
+    for (const c of referenceFactory(DATA)) a.enqueue(c);
+    run(a, 600);
+
+    let carried = fresh();
+    carried.load!(a.save!());
+    for (let i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
+      run(a, 200);
+      run(carried, 200);
+      const next = fresh();
+      next.load!(carried.save!());
+      carried = next;
+    }
+    run(a, 500);
+    run(carried, 500);
+    expect(carried.snapshot()).toEqual(a.snapshot());
+  });
+
+  it('preserves splitter cursors and queues, not just what the snapshot shows', () => {
+    const a = fresh();
+    for (const c of referenceFactory(DATA)) a.enqueue(c);
+    run(a, 1200); // long enough for the splitters to be mid-rotation
+
+    const b = fresh();
+    b.load!(a.save!());
+    // A dropped round-robin cursor is invisible at rest and shows up as divergence later.
+    run(a, 2000);
+    run(b, 2000);
+    expect(b.snapshot()).toEqual(a.snapshot());
+  });
+
+  it('preserves commands enqueued but not yet ticked', () => {
+    const a = fresh();
+    for (const c of referenceFactory(DATA)) a.enqueue(c);
+    run(a, 100);
+    a.enqueue({ kind: 'place', def: 'shipper', pos: { x: 20, y: 20 }, dir: 0 });
+
+    const b = fresh();
+    b.load!(a.save!()); // saved with that place still pending
+    run(a, 5);
+    run(b, 5);
+    expect(b.snapshot().entities.length).toBe(a.snapshot().entities.length);
+    expect(b.snapshot()).toEqual(a.snapshot());
+  });
+
+  it('refuses a save from an unknown version', () => {
+    const sim = fresh();
+    expect(() => sim.load!(JSON.stringify({ v: 99 }))).toThrow(/version/);
+  });
+
+  it('refuses a save referencing machines this GameData does not have', () => {
+    const a = fresh();
+    a.enqueue({ kind: 'place', def: 'demuxer', pos: { x: 0, y: 0 }, dir: 0 });
+    run(a, 1);
+    const blob = a.save!().replace(/"demuxer"/g, '"machine-from-the-future"');
+
+    const b = fresh();
+    expect(() => b.load!(blob)).toThrow(/machine-from-the-future/);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/fktry/src/sim/pressure.test.ts b/fktry/src/sim/pressure.test.ts
index d9e6fed..cc07943 100644
--- a/fktry/src/sim/pressure.test.ts
+++ b/fktry/src/sim/pressure.test.ts
@@ -138,35 +138,43 @@ describe('splitters', () => {
 });
 
 describe('buffer tanks', () => {
+  // v3 units: gen/draw are per SECOND, stored is bandwidth-SECONDS. A 30/s surplus adds
+  // 30 stored per second — i.e. 1 per tick — not 30 per tick.
   it('charges on surplus, covers a deficit, and only browns out once dry', () => {
     const sim = newSim();
     sim.enqueue(place('gen', 0, 0));
     sim.enqueue(place('gen', 1, 0));
-    sim.enqueue(place('gen', 2, 0)); // gen 30
-    sim.enqueue(place('tank', 3, 0)); // cap 100
+    sim.enqueue(place('gen', 2, 0));  // gen 30/s
+    sim.enqueue(place('tank', 3, 0)); // cap 100 bandwidth-seconds
 
     run(sim, 1);
-    expect(sim.snapshot().bandwidth.stored).toBe(30); // surplus 30 -> charge 30
-    run(sim, 3);
-    expect(sim.snapshot().bandwidth.stored).toBe(100); // clamps at capacity
+    expect(sim.snapshot().bandwidth.stored).toBe(1); // 30/s surplus over 1/30 s = 1
+    run(sim, 99);
+    expect(sim.snapshot().bandwidth.stored).toBe(100); // full after 100 ticks, then clamps
+    run(sim, 10);
+    expect(sim.snapshot().bandwidth.stored).toBe(100);
     expect(sim.snapshot().bandwidth.brownout).toBe(false);
 
-    // Draw 40 against gen 30: a 10/tick deficit the tank should cover for 10 ticks.
+    // Draw 60 against gen 30: a 30/s deficit, which is 1 stored per tick. 100 stored is
+    // therefore exactly 100 ticks of cover.
     sim.enqueue(place('load', 0, 1));
     sim.enqueue(place('load', 1, 1));
+    sim.enqueue(place('load', 2, 1));
     const evs: SimEvent[] = [];
     run(sim, 1, evs);
-    expect(sim.snapshot().bandwidth.draw).toBe(40);
-    expect(sim.snapshot().bandwidth.stored).toBe(90);
-    expect(sim.snapshot().bandwidth.brownout).toBe(false); // tank is carrying it
+    expect(sim.snapshot().bandwidth.draw).toBe(60);
+    expect(sim.snapshot().bandwidth.stored).toBe(99);
+    expect(sim.snapshot().bandwidth.brownout).toBe(false); // the tank is carrying it
 
-    run(sim, 9, evs);
+    run(sim, 99, evs);
     expect(sim.snapshot().bandwidth.stored).toBe(0);
     expect(sim.snapshot().bandwidth.brownout).toBe(false); // that last tick was still covered
+    expect(evs.filter((e) => e.kind === 'brownout')).toHaveLength(0);
 
     run(sim, 1, evs);
-    expect(sim.snapshot().bandwidth.brownout).toBe(true);  // dry -> the lights go
+    expect(sim.snapshot().bandwidth.brownout).toBe(true); // dry -> the lights go
     expect(evs.filter((e) => e.kind === 'brownout' && e.on)).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(sim.snapshot().bandwidth.gen).toBe(30); // still reported per second
   });
 
   it('browns out immediately with no tank at all', () => {
diff --git a/fktry/src/sim/reference.ts b/fktry/src/sim/reference.ts
index 77cc7a3..cdd1330 100644
--- a/fktry/src/sim/reference.ts
+++ b/fktry/src/sim/reference.ts
@@ -69,9 +69,24 @@ export function referenceFactory(data: GameData): Command[] {
     cmds.push({ kind: 'setRecipe', entity, recipe: recipeId(recipe) });
   };
 
-  // ---- power. Four decoders cover ~146 draw at full tilt, with room for the i-only
-  // assembler's 24-bandwidth spikes.
-  for (let i = 0; i < 4; i++) P('software-decoder', -30 + i * 3, -14);
+  // ---- power: ASIC base + software-decoder burst + tanks.
+  //
+  // Round 2 ran four naked software decoders. Once DATA gave them real heat they all
+  // scrammed in lockstep and the factory blacked out, which is why melt stopped arriving.
+  // The fix is the shape the codex always implied: cool inflexible ASICs hold the floor,
+  // one hot decoder bursts on top of them, and the tanks ride out its downtime.
+  //
+  // Sized against the WORST case, not the average: the quantizers and subsamplers hand
+  // back ~30/s of compression bandwidth, but not while they're between crafts. Assume
+  // none of it. Four ASICs (80/s) against ~107/s draw leaves a 27/s hole for the ~16.7s
+  // the decoder is down = ~450 bandwidth-seconds, and three tanks hold 900. Two ASICs
+  // fewer and it survives only while compression happens to be running — measured that,
+  // it bottomed out at 2.2 of 600, which is not a margin, it's a coincidence.
+  for (let i = 0; i < 4; i++) P('decode-asic', -30 + i * 3, -14);
+  P('software-decoder', -18, -14);
+  P('buffer-tank', -15, -14);
+  P('buffer-tank', -12, -14);
+  P('buffer-tank', -9, -14);
 
   // ---- mining. Three seams keep the demuxer at its 45-tick cadence (it eats 3 ore).
   P('seam-extractor', -30, 0);
diff --git a/fktry/src/sim/rng.ts b/fktry/src/sim/rng.ts
index 9220fb7..91788b7 100644
--- a/fktry/src/sim/rng.ts
+++ b/fktry/src/sim/rng.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,10 @@ export interface Rng {
   next(): number;
   /** integer in [0, maxExclusive) */
   int(maxExclusive: number): number;
+  /** current internal state, for save() */
+  state(): number;
+  /** restore a state() value, for load() */
+  restore(state: number): void;
 }
 
 export function makeRng(seed: number): Rng {
@@ -20,5 +24,10 @@ export function makeRng(seed: number): Rng {
     t ^= t + Math.imul(t ^ (t >>> 7), t | 61);
     return ((t ^ (t >>> 14)) >>> 0) / 4294967296;
   };
-  return { next, int: (maxExclusive: number) => Math.floor(next() * maxExclusive) };
+  return {
+    next,
+    int: (maxExclusive: number) => Math.floor(next() * maxExclusive),
+    state: () => a,
+    restore: (state: number) => { a = state >>> 0; },
+  };
 }
diff --git a/fktry/src/ui/buildbar.ts b/fktry/src/ui/buildbar.ts
index 95f2ed2..f0c93cd 100644
--- a/fktry/src/ui/buildbar.ts
+++ b/fktry/src/ui/buildbar.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 import type { GameData, MachineDef } from '../contracts';
 import { attrs, cls, el, panel, text } from './dom';
 import { paginate, pageOf, type BuildPage } from './pages';
-import { machineColor } from './palette';
+import { createAccentLookup, machineChassis } from './palette';
 import type { BuildSelection } from './selection';
 import { COPY, DIR_NAME } from './voice';
 
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ export interface BuildBar {
 
 export function createBuildBar(data: GameData, sel: BuildSelection): BuildBar {
   const pages: BuildPage[] = paginate(data.machines);
+  const accentOf = createAccentLookup(data);
 
   const root = panel();
   root.id = 'fk-build';
@@ -42,6 +43,16 @@ export function createBuildBar(data: GameData, sel: BuildSelection): BuildBar {
     return tab;
   });
 
+  // REMOVE lives beside the tabs, not on a page: it is a mode, not a machine, and it
+  // must be reachable whatever page you are on.
+  const removeBtn = el('button', 'fk-tab fk-tab-remove', [
+    COPY.removeLabel,
+    el('span', 'fk-tab-key', [COPY.removeKey]),
+  ]);
+  attrs(removeBtn, { type: 'button', title: 'REMOVE MODE (X)' });
+  removeBtn.addEventListener('click', () => sel.toggleRemove());
+  tabRow.append(removeBtn);
+
   /** Buttons for the active page only; rebuilt on page change (nine at most). */
   let buttons: Array<{ def: string; btn: HTMLButtonElement }> = [];
 
@@ -51,8 +62,13 @@ export function createBuildBar(data: GameData, sel: BuildSelection): BuildBar {
       const btn = el('button', 'fk-build-btn');
       attrs(btn, { type: 'button', title: `${m.name} — ${m.kind}` });
 
+      // Two-material rule (codex §8): grimy body, one impossible element.
       const ico = el('div', 'fk-build-ico');
-      ico.style.background = machineColor(m);
+      ico.style.background = machineChassis(m);
+      const accent = el('div', 'fk-build-accent');
+      accent.style.background = accentOf(m);
+      accent.style.boxShadow = `0 0 5px ${accentOf(m)}`;
+      ico.append(accent);
       btn.append(ico);
 
       const key = el('span', 'fk-build-key');
@@ -74,14 +90,21 @@ export function createBuildBar(data: GameData, sel: BuildSelection): BuildBar {
 
   function sync() {
     const cur = sel.get();
+    const removing = sel.isRemoving();
+
     for (const b of buttons) cls(b.btn, 'is-sel', cur?.def === b.def);
-    if (cur) {
+    cls(removeBtn, 'is-armed', removing);
+
+    if (removing) {
+      text(hint, COPY.removeHint);
+    } else if (cur) {
       const def = data.machines.find((m) => m.id === cur.def);
       text(hint, `${def?.name ?? cur.def} · FACING ${DIR_NAME[cur.dir]} · ${COPY.placingHint}`);
     } else {
       text(hint, COPY.idleHint);
     }
     cls(hint, 'is-placing', !!cur);
+    cls(hint, 'is-removing', removing);
   }
 
   // A selection made from anywhere (including a future hotkey we don't own) pulls the
diff --git a/fktry/src/ui/index.ts b/fktry/src/ui/index.ts
index a34a92b..493398c 100644
--- a/fktry/src/ui/index.ts
+++ b/fktry/src/ui/index.ts
@@ -58,9 +58,11 @@ export function createUI(): UI {
       keys.bind('[', () => build.pageBy(-1));
       keys.bind(']', () => build.pageBy(1));
       keys.bind('r', () => sel.rotate());
+      keys.bind('x', () => sel.toggleRemove());
       keys.bind('escape', () => {
-        // One key, two jobs, in the order the player expects: drop the tool first.
-        if (sel.get()) sel.clear();
+        // One key, several jobs, in the order the player expects: put the tool down
+        // first (wrecking ball included), close the panel only when empty-handed.
+        if (sel.isArmed()) sel.clear();
         else inspector.close();
       });
       keys.bind(' ', () => bus.dispatch({ kind: 'setPaused', paused: !paused }));
@@ -86,6 +88,15 @@ export function createUI(): UI {
         const tile = bus.pickTile(e.clientX, e.clientY);
         if (!tile) return;
 
+        if (sel.isRemoving()) {
+          // Only fire at something that's actually there, so a stray click on open
+          // ground doesn't read as a broken tool. Sim owns the real teardown.
+          if (entityAt(roster, machines, tile) !== null) {
+            bus.dispatch({ kind: 'remove', pos: tile });
+          }
+          return; // remove mode stays armed: demolition is usually plural
+        }
+
         const hit = entityAt(roster, machines, tile);
         if (hit === null) inspector.close();
         else inspector.open(hit);
diff --git a/fktry/src/ui/selection.test.ts b/fktry/src/ui/selection.test.ts
index 3863d8a..ea69207 100644
--- a/fktry/src/ui/selection.test.ts
+++ b/fktry/src/ui/selection.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
 import type { Command, Dir, UIBus, Vec2 } from '../contracts';
-import { createSelection } from './selection';
+import { createSelection, REMOVE_DEF } from './selection';
 
 type BusWithSel = UIBus & { _sel: { def: string; dir: Dir } | null };
 
@@ -59,6 +59,70 @@ describe('createSelection', () => {
     expect(sel.get()).toBeNull();
   });
 
+  it('publishes the __remove sentinel on the bus so RENDER can tint the target', () => {
+    // The ghost is the only channel the UI has to the renderer (main.ts feeds setGhost
+    // from selectedBuild), so this sentinel IS the remove-mode hover contract.
+    const bus = makeBus();
+    const sel = createSelection(bus);
+    sel.toggleRemove();
+    expect(bus._sel).toEqual({ def: REMOVE_DEF, dir: 0 });
+    expect(bus.selectedBuild()).toEqual({ def: REMOVE_DEF, dir: 0 });
+  });
+
+  it('reports no build selection while removing, so nothing gets placed', () => {
+    const bus = makeBus();
+    const sel = createSelection(bus);
+    sel.toggleRemove();
+    expect(sel.get()).toBeNull();
+    expect(sel.isRemoving()).toBe(true);
+    expect(sel.isArmed()).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it('disarms remove when a machine is picked — you cannot build and demolish at once', () => {
+    const bus = makeBus();
+    const sel = createSelection(bus);
+    sel.toggleRemove();
+    sel.select('belt');
+    expect(sel.isRemoving()).toBe(false);
+    expect(bus._sel).toEqual({ def: 'belt', dir: 0 });
+  });
+
+  it('drops the held machine when remove is armed', () => {
+    const bus = makeBus();
+    const sel = createSelection(bus);
+    sel.select('belt');
+    sel.toggleRemove();
+    expect(sel.get()).toBeNull();
+    expect(bus._sel).toEqual({ def: REMOVE_DEF, dir: 0 });
+  });
+
+  it('toggles remove off again, leaving empty hands', () => {
+    const bus = makeBus();
+    const sel = createSelection(bus);
+    sel.toggleRemove();
+    sel.toggleRemove();
+    expect(sel.isRemoving()).toBe(false);
+    expect(sel.isArmed()).toBe(false);
+    expect(bus._sel).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it('clear() disarms remove mode, which is what Esc rides on', () => {
+    const bus = makeBus();
+    const sel = createSelection(bus);
+    sel.toggleRemove();
+    sel.clear();
+    expect(sel.isRemoving()).toBe(false);
+    expect(bus._sel).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it('does not rotate the wrecking ball', () => {
+    const bus = makeBus();
+    const sel = createSelection(bus);
+    sel.toggleRemove();
+    sel.rotate();
+    expect(bus._sel).toEqual({ def: REMOVE_DEF, dir: 0 });
+  });
+
   it('notifies listeners on change, and not on a no-op clear', () => {
     const sel = createSelection(makeBus());
     const cb = vi.fn();
diff --git a/fktry/src/ui/selection.ts b/fktry/src/ui/selection.ts
index 98c52e8..7aefeb8 100644
--- a/fktry/src/ui/selection.ts
+++ b/fktry/src/ui/selection.ts
@@ -1,18 +1,41 @@
 /**
- * LANE-UI — the pending build selection.
+ * LANE-UI — the pending build selection, and remove mode.
  *
  * main.ts reads this through `bus.selectedBuild()` for its ghost + click-to-place glue,
  * and the hook it documents is the `_sel` field on the bus object. UI is the only writer;
  * we write through to `_sel` on every change and treat our own copy as the truth.
+ *
+ * REMOVE MODE / the `__remove` sentinel
+ * ------------------------------------
+ * Remove-mode hover has to tint the target machine, and the renderer's only view of what
+ * the player is holding is `setGhost(...)`, which main.ts feeds from `selectedBuild()`.
+ * The UI has no Renderer reference, so the sentinel *is* the channel: while remove mode
+ * is armed, `_sel` reads `{ def: '__remove', dir: 0 }`. LANE-RENDER keys its demolition
+ * tint off that def id (agreed via NOTES).
+ *
+ * Safe because sim's `place` handler does `const def = defs.get(cmd.def); if (def) ...` —
+ * main.ts's click-to-place fires a `place` for `__remove`, no machine matches, nothing
+ * happens. The actual removal is dispatched by the UI's own handler.
+ *
+ * A `UIBus.setGhostMode(...)` would be cleaner than a magic string; CONTRACT REQUEST filed.
  */
 import type { Dir, UIBus } from '../contracts';
 
+/** Ghost sentinel meaning "remove mode is armed". Shared with LANE-RENDER by agreement. */
+export const REMOVE_DEF = '__remove';
+
 export interface BuildSelection {
+  /** The pending *build*, or null. Null whenever remove mode is armed. */
   get(): { def: string; dir: Dir } | null;
   /** Select a machine; selecting the one already selected clears it (toggle). */
   select(def: string): void;
   rotate(): void;
+  /** Drop the build selection AND disarm remove mode. */
   clear(): void;
+  isRemoving(): boolean;
+  toggleRemove(): void;
+  /** True when the player is holding anything at all (build or the wrecking ball). */
+  isArmed(): boolean;
   onChange(cb: () => void): void;
 }
 
@@ -21,26 +44,34 @@ type BusWithSel = UIBus & { _sel: { def: string; dir: Dir } | null };
 export function createSelection(bus: UIBus): BuildSelection {
   const hook = bus as BusWithSel;
   let sel: { def: string; dir: Dir } | null = null;
+  let removing = false;
   const listeners: Array<() => void> = [];
 
-  function commit(next: { def: string; dir: Dir } | null) {
+  function commit(next: { def: string; dir: Dir } | null, nextRemoving: boolean) {
     sel = next;
-    hook._sel = next;
+    removing = nextRemoving;
+    hook._sel = removing ? { def: REMOVE_DEF, dir: 0 } : next;
     for (const cb of listeners) cb();
   }
 
   return {
-    get: () => sel,
+    get: () => (removing ? null : sel),
     select(def) {
-      if (sel?.def === def) commit(null);
-      else commit({ def, dir: sel?.dir ?? 0 }); // keep the dir across swaps
+      // Picking a machine puts the wrecking ball down — you can't build and demolish.
+      if (!removing && sel?.def === def) commit(null, false);
+      else commit({ def, dir: sel?.dir ?? 0 }, false); // keep the dir across swaps
     },
     rotate() {
-      if (sel) commit({ def: sel.def, dir: ((sel.dir + 1) % 4) as Dir });
+      if (!removing && sel) commit({ def: sel.def, dir: ((sel.dir + 1) % 4) as Dir }, false);
     },
     clear() {
-      if (sel) commit(null);
+      if (sel || removing) commit(null, false);
     },
+    isRemoving: () => removing,
+    toggleRemove() {
+      commit(null, !removing);
+    },
+    isArmed: () => removing || sel !== null,
     onChange(cb) {
       listeners.push(cb);
     },
diff --git a/fktry/src/ui/style.ts b/fktry/src/ui/style.ts
index b6f63fc..fb7f77a 100644
--- a/fktry/src/ui/style.ts
+++ b/fktry/src/ui/style.ts
@@ -124,6 +124,18 @@ const CSS = `
 }
 .fk-tab:hover { color: var(--fk-fg); border-color: var(--fk-cool); }
 .fk-tab.is-active { color: var(--fk-cool); border-color: var(--fk-cool); background: #0c1a1a; }
+
+/* REMOVE is a mode, not a machine — it sits with the tabs and reads as a hazard. */
+.fk-tab-remove { margin-left: auto; color: var(--fk-dim); }
+.fk-tab-remove:hover { color: var(--fk-red); border-color: var(--fk-red); }
+.fk-tab-remove.is-armed {
+  color: #12080a; background: var(--fk-red); border-color: var(--fk-red);
+  animation: fk-armed 0.9s steps(2) infinite;
+}
+.fk-tab-key { margin-left: 5px; opacity: 0.65; }
+@keyframes fk-armed { 50% { background: #a8242c; } }
+
+#fk-build-hint.is-removing { color: var(--fk-red); }
 .fk-build-btn {
   position: relative;
   width: 58px;
@@ -141,7 +153,13 @@ const CSS = `
 .fk-build-btn:hover { border-color: var(--fk-cool); color: var(--fk-fg); }
 .fk-build-btn.is-sel { border-color: var(--fk-hot); color: var(--fk-fg); background: #1c0a20; }
 .fk-build-btn.is-sel .fk-build-ico { box-shadow: 0 0 6px var(--fk-hot); }
-.fk-build-ico { width: 100%; height: 18px; margin-bottom: 3px; }
+/* Body + one emissive element — the chassis alone is a grey wall (codex §8). */
+.fk-build-ico {
+  position: relative;
+  width: 100%; height: 18px; margin-bottom: 3px;
+  display: flex; align-items: flex-end;
+}
+.fk-build-accent { width: 100%; height: 4px; }
 .fk-build-key {
   position: absolute; top: 1px; right: 2px;
   font-size: 8px; color: var(--fk-faint);
diff --git a/fktry/src/ui/voice.ts b/fktry/src/ui/voice.ts
index 216c837..acc730e 100644
--- a/fktry/src/ui/voice.ts
+++ b/fktry/src/ui/voice.ts
@@ -79,8 +79,10 @@ export function eventToast(ev: SimEvent, machineName: (id: number) => string): s
         : `${machineName(ev.entity)} IS COOL ENOUGH TO CONTINUE. REGRETTABLY.`;
     case 'commissionDone':
       return 'FAX SENT. THE COLLECTOR DOES NOT SAY THANK YOU.';
+    case 'removed':
+      return 'UNIT RECLAIMED. THE FLOOR REMEMBERS.';
     default:
-      return null; // shipped/crafted/placed/removed are too frequent to toast
+      return null; // shipped/crafted/placed are too frequent to toast
   }
 }
 
@@ -113,7 +115,11 @@ export const COPY = {
   sanitising: 'SANITISING',
 
   placingHint: 'LMB PLACE · R ROTATE · ESC CANCEL',
-  idleHint: '1-9 SELECT · [ ] PAGE · SPACE HALT · CLICK A UNIT TO INSPECT',
+  idleHint: '1-9 SELECT · [ ] PAGE · X REMOVE · SPACE HALT · CLICK A UNIT TO INSPECT',
+
+  removeLabel: 'REMOVE',
+  removeKey: 'X',
+  removeHint: 'REMOVE ARMED · LMB DEMOLISH · ESC STAND DOWN',
 } as const;
 
 /** Direction names for the rotation readout. Dir 0..3 = N,E,S,W clockwise. */