feat(web): topology + thumbnail endpoints, redesigned /ui control panel

REST additions: GET /topology returns mode (hidden/public/unknown) + sender/receiver group lists. POST /topology/apply confines local senders to teamsiso-input + receivers to public+teamsiso-input. POST /topology/restore returns both to public defaults.

GET /participants/{id}/thumbnail.jpg encodes the latest engine ProcessedFrame as a 192-wide JPEG. 404 when no pipeline is running. Used by the /ui control panel for live preview tiles.

Settings: ControlSurfaceEnabled now persists across sessions via UIPreferences and auto-starts the server on app launch when previously enabled.

/ui control panel rebuilt: live thumbnail per row, topology toggle card with Hide/Restore buttons, removed dead recording marker button, larger layout (920px), participant rows in single card with hover affordances.

src/TeamsISO.App/App.xaml.cs

@@ -187,6 +187,25 @@ public partial class App : Application
                 () => _viewModel,
                 _loggerFactory.CreateLogger<TeamsISO.App.Services.OscBridge>());
 
+            // Auto-start the REST + WebSocket control surface if the operator
+            // turned it on in a previous session. The settings VM's setter
+            // also calls Start when the operator toggles it during a session;
+            // this block covers the "restart the app, expect it still on" case.
+            if (_viewModel.Settings.ControlSurfaceEnabled)
+            {
+                try
+                {
+                    _controlSurface.Start(
+                        _viewModel.Settings.ControlSurfacePort,
+                        _viewModel.Settings.ControlSurfaceLanReachable);
+                }
+                catch (Exception ex)
+                {
+                    _loggerFactory.CreateLogger<App>().LogWarning(ex,
+                        "Control surface auto-start failed; operator can retry via Settings.");
+                }
+            }
+
             // DiskSpaceWatcher removed alongside the rest of the recording surface.
 
             // Tray icon host. Disabled by default; the settings VM flips

src/TeamsISO.App/Services/ControlPanelHtml.cs

@@ -3,14 +3,17 @@ namespace TeamsISO.App.Services;
 /// <summary>
 /// The HTML / CSS / JS for the embedded control panel served at
 /// <c>GET /ui</c>. Single self-contained string — no external CDN deps, no
-/// build step, no React. Just enough to give operators a phone-friendly
+/// build step, no React. Phone-friendly remote that connects via WebSocket
-/// remote that connects via WebSocket to <c>/ws</c> and posts to the
+/// to <c>/ws</c> and posts to the existing REST endpoints.
-/// existing REST endpoints.
 ///
-/// Visual language matches the WPF host: dark canvas, cyan accent, mono
+/// v2 additions:
-/// font for codey labels. Keeping the styling minimal so a future iteration
+///   - Live preview tiles per participant via GET /participants/{id}/thumbnail.jpg
-/// can swap in a fancier UI without breaking operator workflows that already
+///     (engine encodes the latest ProcessedFrame as a 192-wide JPEG; refreshed
-/// bookmark the URL.
+///     ~1Hz alongside the WebSocket state push).
+///   - Topology toggle card — shows whether raw Teams NDI sources are
+///     hidden from the LAN, with Apply / Restore buttons that hit the
+///     /topology/apply + /topology/restore REST endpoints. Operator still
+///     has to restart Teams afterward, surfaced in a banner on apply.
 /// </summary>
 internal static class ControlPanelHtml
 {
@@ -26,23 +29,27 @@ internal static class ControlPanelHtml
     --surface: #141414;
     --surface-elev: #1c1c1c;
     --border: #262626;
+    --border-strong: #3a3b40;
     --text: #f5f5f5;
     --text-2: #a3a3a3;
     --text-3: #6b6b6b;
     --cyan: #97edf0;
     --cyan-mute: #1b3537;
+    --cyan-text: #97edf0;
     --coral: #fb819c;
+    --coral-bg: #3a1922;
     --green: #4ade80;
+    --amber: #fbbf24;
   }
   * { box-sizing: border-box; }
   html, body { margin: 0; background: var(--bg); color: var(--text);
     font-family: 'Inter', 'Segoe UI', system-ui, sans-serif;
     -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;
   }
-  body { padding: 16px; max-width: 720px; margin: 0 auto; }
+  body { padding: 16px; max-width: 920px; margin: 0 auto; }
   h1 {
-    font-size: 13px; letter-spacing: 0.12em; font-weight: 600;
+    font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 0.12em; font-weight: 600;
-    text-transform: uppercase; color: var(--text-3); margin: 0 0 18px;
+    text-transform: uppercase; color: var(--text-3); margin: 0 0 14px;
   }
   .card {
     background: var(--surface); border: 1px solid var(--border);
@@ -50,25 +57,31 @@ internal static class ControlPanelHtml
   }
   .row { display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 10px; }
   .row + .row { margin-top: 10px; }
-  .grow { flex: 1; }
+  .grow { flex: 1; min-width: 0; }
   button {
     background: var(--surface-elev); color: var(--text); border: 1px solid var(--border);
     border-radius: 8px; padding: 10px 14px; cursor: pointer;
     font: inherit; font-size: 13px;
-    transition: background 80ms ease;
+    transition: background 80ms ease, border-color 80ms ease;
   }
-  button:hover { background: #242424; }
+  button:hover { background: #242424; border-color: var(--border-strong); }
-  button.primary { background: var(--cyan-mute); color: var(--cyan); border-color: var(--cyan); }
+  button.primary { background: var(--cyan); color: #042830; border-color: var(--cyan); font-weight: 500; }
-  button.danger { background: #3a1922; color: var(--coral); border-color: var(--coral); }
+  button.primary:hover { background: #b5f2f4; }
-  button.live { background: var(--cyan-mute); color: var(--cyan); border-color: var(--cyan); }
+  button.danger { background: transparent; color: var(--coral); border-color: var(--coral); }
-  .dot { width: 8px; height: 8px; border-radius: 50%; display: inline-block; }
+  button.danger:hover { background: var(--coral-bg); }
+  button.live { background: var(--cyan-mute); color: var(--cyan-text); border-color: var(--cyan); }
+  .dot { width: 8px; height: 8px; border-radius: 50%; display: inline-block; flex-shrink: 0; }
   .dot.cyan { background: var(--cyan); }
   .dot.coral { background: var(--coral); }
   .dot.green { background: var(--green); }
+  .dot.amber { background: var(--amber); }
   .dot.gray { background: var(--text-3); }
-  .name { font-weight: 500; }
+  .name { font-weight: 500; font-size: 14px; }
   .sub { color: var(--text-3); font-size: 11px;
-    font-family: 'JetBrains Mono', 'Cascadia Mono', monospace; }
+    font-family: 'JetBrains Mono', 'Cascadia Mono', monospace;
+    overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; }
+  .label-caps { font-size: 10px; font-weight: 600; letter-spacing: 0.08em;
+    color: var(--text-3); text-transform: uppercase; }
   .status {
     display: flex; gap: 16px; align-items: center; flex-wrap: wrap;
     font-family: 'JetBrains Mono', 'Cascadia Mono', monospace;
@@ -76,11 +89,25 @@ internal static class ControlPanelHtml
   }
   .status .ok { color: var(--green); }
   .status .err { color: var(--coral); }
-  .empty { color: var(--text-3); font-size: 12px; padding: 16px; text-align: center; }
+  .empty { color: var(--text-3); font-size: 12px; padding: 18px; text-align: center; }
-  details summary { cursor: pointer; color: var(--text-2); font-size: 12px; }
-  details summary::marker { color: var(--text-3); }
   .global-actions { display: grid; grid-template-columns: repeat(2, 1fr); gap: 8px; }
   @media (min-width: 480px) { .global-actions { grid-template-columns: repeat(4, 1fr); } }
+  .participant-row { display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 14px; padding: 10px; border-radius: 10px; }
+  .participant-row + .participant-row { margin-top: 6px; }
+  .participant-row.speaking { background: var(--cyan-mute); }
+  .preview {
+    width: 112px; height: 63px; flex-shrink: 0; border-radius: 6px;
+    background: var(--surface-elev); border: 1px solid var(--border);
+    object-fit: cover; display: block;
+  }
+  .preview.empty { display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center;
+    color: var(--text-3); font-family: 'JetBrains Mono', monospace; font-size: 18px; }
+  .topology-card { display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 14px; flex-wrap: wrap; }
+  .topology-state { display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 10px; flex: 1; min-width: 200px; }
+  .topology-state strong { font-size: 13px; color: var(--text); }
+  .topology-banner { margin: 10px 0 0; padding: 10px 12px; border-radius: 8px;
+    background: var(--cyan-mute); color: var(--cyan-text); font-size: 12px; display: none; }
+  .topology-banner.show { display: block; }
 </style>
 </head>
 <body>
@@ -93,16 +120,31 @@ internal static class ControlPanelHtml
     </div>
   </div>
 
+  <div class='card topology-card'>
+    <div class='topology-state'>
+      <span id='topo-dot' class='dot gray'></span>
+      <div>
+        <div class='label-caps'>Network topology</div>
+        <strong id='topo-label'>—</strong>
+        <div id='topo-detail' class='sub' style='margin-top: 2px;'></div>
+      </div>
+    </div>
+    <div style='display: flex; gap: 8px;'>
+      <button id='topo-apply' onclick='applyTopology()'>Hide Teams sources</button>
+      <button id='topo-restore' onclick='restoreTopology()'>Restore defaults</button>
+    </div>
+  </div>
+  <div id='topo-banner' class='topology-banner'></div>
+
   <div class='card'>
     <div class='global-actions'>
       <button onclick='post(""/teams/mute"")'>Mute</button>
       <button onclick='post(""/teams/camera"")'>Camera</button>
       <button onclick='post(""/teams/share"")'>Share</button>
       <button onclick='post(""/teams/leave"")'>Leave</button>
-      <button onclick='post(""/recording/marker"")'>Marker</button>
       <button onclick='dropNote()'>Note…</button>
       <button onclick='post(""/presets/refresh-discovery"")'>Refresh</button>
-      <button class='danger' onclick='post(""/presets/stop-all"")'>Stop all</button>
+      <button class='danger' onclick='post(""/presets/stop-all"")'>Stop all ISOs</button>
     </div>
   </div>
 
@@ -113,6 +155,10 @@ const list = document.getElementById('participants');
 const conn = document.getElementById('conn');
 const connText = document.getElementById('conn-text');
 const count = document.getElementById('count');
+const topoDot = document.getElementById('topo-dot');
+const topoLabel = document.getElementById('topo-label');
+const topoDetail = document.getElementById('topo-detail');
+const topoBanner = document.getElementById('topo-banner');
 
 function setConn(state, text) {
   conn.className = 'dot ' + state;
@@ -123,8 +169,9 @@ async function post(path, body) {
   try {
     const opts = { method: 'POST' };
     if (body) { opts.headers = { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' }; opts.body = JSON.stringify(body); }
-    await fetch(path, opts);
+    const r = await fetch(path, opts);
-  } catch (e) { console.warn(e); }
+    return r.ok ? await r.json().catch(() => null) : null;
+  } catch (e) { console.warn(e); return null; }
 }
 
 function dropNote() {
@@ -132,28 +179,83 @@ function dropNote() {
   if (text && text.trim()) post('/notes', { text: text.trim() });
 }
 
+async function fetchTopology() {
+  try {
+    const r = await fetch('/topology');
+    if (!r.ok) return;
+    const t = await r.json();
+    paintTopology(t);
+  } catch (e) { console.warn(e); }
+}
+
+function paintTopology(t) {
+  if (!t) return;
+  if (t.mode === 'hidden') {
+    topoDot.className = 'dot cyan';
+    topoLabel.textContent = 'Teams hidden from LAN';
+  } else if (t.mode === 'public') {
+    topoDot.className = 'dot amber';
+    topoLabel.textContent = 'Public — raw Teams visible';
+  } else {
+    topoDot.className = 'dot gray';
+    topoLabel.textContent = 'Unknown';
+  }
+  const sends = (t.senders || []).join(', ') || '—';
+  const recvs = (t.receivers || []).join(', ') || '—';
+  topoDetail.textContent = 'send: ' + sends + '  ·  recv: ' + recvs;
+}
+
+async function applyTopology() {
+  const r = await post('/topology/apply');
+  if (r && r.ok) {
+    topoBanner.textContent = '✓ ' + (r.note || 'Applied. Restart Microsoft Teams for it to take effect.');
+    topoBanner.classList.add('show');
+    setTimeout(() => topoBanner.classList.remove('show'), 8000);
+  }
+  fetchTopology();
+}
+
+async function restoreTopology() {
+  if (!confirm('Restore default NDI groups? Teams will broadcast on public again after you restart it.')) return;
+  const r = await post('/topology/restore');
+  if (r && r.ok) {
+    topoBanner.textContent = '✓ Defaults restored. Restart Microsoft Teams for it to take effect.';
+    topoBanner.classList.add('show');
+    setTimeout(() => topoBanner.classList.remove('show'), 8000);
+  }
+  fetchTopology();
+}
+
 function render(participants) {
   if (!participants || participants.length === 0) {
-    list.innerHTML = ""<div class='card empty'>No participants visible. Discover or invite into a Teams meeting.</div>"";
+    list.innerHTML = ""<div class='card empty'>No participants visible. Open Teams and join a meeting; sources will populate within seconds.</div>"";
     count.textContent = '';
     return;
   }
   const live = participants.filter(p => p.isEnabled).length;
   count.textContent = live + ' / ' + participants.length + ' live';
   list.innerHTML = '';
+  const card = document.createElement('div');
+  card.className = 'card';
   for (const p of participants) {
     const row = document.createElement('div');
-    row.className = 'card';
+    row.className = 'participant-row';
-    const dotColor = p.isEnabled ? 'cyan' : (p.isOnline ? 'gray' : 'coral');
+    const stateColor = p.isEnabled ? 'cyan' : (p.isOnline ? 'gray' : 'coral');
+    // Live preview tile — cache-bust with a 1s-bucket query param so the
+    // browser refreshes the image without flickering on every WS message.
+    const bust = Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000);
+    const previewUrl = '/participants/' + p.id + '/thumbnail.jpg?t=' + bust;
     row.innerHTML =
-      ""<div class='row'>"" +
+      ""<span class='dot "" + stateColor + ""'></span>"" +
-        ""<span class='dot "" + dotColor + ""'></span>"" +
+      ""<img class='preview' alt='' onerror=\""this.style.display='none'; this.nextElementSibling.style.display='flex';\"" >"" +
-        ""<div class='grow'>"" +
+      ""<div class='preview empty' style='display:none;'>—</div>"" +
-          ""<div class='name'></div>"" +
+      ""<div class='grow'>"" +
-          ""<div class='sub'></div>"" +
+        ""<div class='name'></div>"" +
-        ""</div>"" +
+        ""<div class='sub'></div>"" +
-        ""<button class='"" + (p.isEnabled ? 'live' : '') + ""'></button>"" +
+      ""</div>"" +
-      ""</div>"";
+      ""<button class='"" + (p.isEnabled ? 'live' : '') + ""'></button>"";
+    const img = row.querySelector('img.preview');
+    img.src = previewUrl;
     row.querySelector('.name').textContent = p.displayName;
     row.querySelector('.sub').textContent =
       (p.stateLabel || (p.isOnline ? 'online' : 'offline')) +
@@ -164,15 +266,16 @@ function render(participants) {
       displayName: p.displayName,
       enabled: !p.isEnabled,
     });
-    list.appendChild(row);
+    card.appendChild(row);
   }
+  list.appendChild(card);
 }
 
 function connect() {
   setConn('gray', 'connecting…');
   const ws = new WebSocket(
     (location.protocol === 'https:' ? 'wss://' : 'ws://') + location.host + '/ws');
-  ws.onopen = () => setConn('green', 'live');
+  ws.onopen = () => { setConn('green', 'live'); fetchTopology(); };
   ws.onmessage = (ev) => {
     try {
       const m = JSON.parse(ev.data);
@@ -187,6 +290,9 @@ function connect() {
 }
 
 connect();
+// Re-poll topology every 30s in case the operator changes the machine NDI
+// config externally (NDI Access Manager, manual edit). Cheap — one HTTP GET.
+setInterval(fetchTopology, 30000);
 </script>
 </body>
 </html>

src/TeamsISO.App/Services/ControlSurfaceServer.cs

@@ -243,6 +243,37 @@ public sealed class ControlSurfaceServer : IAsyncDisposable
                 return;
             }
 
+            // GET /participants/{id}/thumbnail.jpg — small JPEG of the latest
+            // processed frame. Returns 404 when no pipeline is running for
+            // this participant. The HTML control panel uses this URL with
+            // a cache-busting query param every ~1s to drive live preview
+            // tiles. JPEG (not PNG) for ~10x smaller payload at the size
+            // we serve; quality 60 is plenty for a 192-wide thumbnail.
+            if (req.HttpMethod == "GET" && path.StartsWith("/participants/", StringComparison.Ordinal)
+                && path.EndsWith("/thumbnail.jpg", StringComparison.Ordinal))
+            {
+                var idSegment = path.AsSpan("/participants/".Length,
+                    path.Length - "/participants/".Length - "/thumbnail.jpg".Length).ToString();
+                if (!Guid.TryParse(idSegment, out var thumbId))
+                {
+                    res.StatusCode = 400;
+                    await WriteJsonAsync(res, new { error = "invalid id" });
+                    return;
+                }
+                var jpeg = TryEncodeThumbnailJpeg(thumbId);
+                if (jpeg is null)
+                {
+                    res.StatusCode = 404;
+                    await WriteJsonAsync(res, new { error = "no frame", id = thumbId });
+                    return;
+                }
+                res.ContentType = "image/jpeg";
+                res.AddHeader("Cache-Control", "no-store, must-revalidate");
+                res.ContentLength64 = jpeg.Length;
+                await res.OutputStream.WriteAsync(jpeg);
+                return;
+            }
+
             object? response = (req.HttpMethod, path) switch
             {
                 ("GET", "" or "/")              => GetServerInfo(),
@@ -255,6 +286,12 @@ public sealed class ControlSurfaceServer : IAsyncDisposable
                 ("POST", "/teams/share")        => InvokeTeams(TeamsControlBridge.OpenShareTray, "share"),
                 ("POST", "/teams/raise-hand")   => InvokeTeams(TeamsControlBridge.ToggleRaiseHand, "raise-hand"),
                 // /recording routes removed alongside the rest of the recording surface.
+                // Topology — read the machine NDI config to report whether raw
+                // Teams NDI sources are hidden from the LAN, and let the
+                // operator apply / restore without leaving the web UI.
+                ("GET",  "/topology")           => GetTopology(),
+                ("POST", "/topology/apply")     => await ApplyTopologyAsync(),
+                ("POST", "/topology/restore")   => await RestoreTopologyAsync(),
                 ("POST", "/notes")              => AppendNote(body, req.QueryString),
                 ("POST", "/participants/iso")   => await ToggleIsoByNameAsync(body, req.QueryString),
                 _ when req.HttpMethod == "POST" && path.StartsWith("/participants/", StringComparison.Ordinal)
@@ -399,6 +436,127 @@ public sealed class ControlSurfaceServer : IAsyncDisposable
 
     // SetRecording and DropMarker methods removed alongside the rest of the recording surface.
 
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Report the current NDI machine topology. "mode" is "hidden" when local
+    /// senders are confined to the private group (raw Teams sources invisible
+    /// to the rest of the LAN), "public" otherwise. Reads the machine NDI
+    /// config file directly — no caching, so the result reflects whatever
+    /// state the file is in right now (including manual edits).
+    /// </summary>
+    private object GetTopology()
+    {
+        try
+        {
+            var (mode, sends, recvs) = NdiAccessManagerConfig.ReadCurrent();
+            return new
+            {
+                mode,
+                senders = sends,
+                receivers = recvs,
+                configPath = NdiAccessManagerConfig.ConfigPath,
+            };
+        }
+        catch (Exception ex)
+        {
+            return new { ok = false, error = ex.Message };
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Apply the transcoder topology: machine senders → <c>teamsiso-input</c>,
+    /// receivers → <c>public + teamsiso-input</c>; engine groups updated to
+    /// match (discover from teamsiso-input, broadcast on public). Operator
+    /// MUST restart Teams afterward for it to read the new NDI config.
+    /// </summary>
+    private async Task<object> ApplyTopologyAsync()
+    {
+        var result = NdiAccessManagerConfig.ApplyTranscoderTopology();
+        if (!result.Success)
+        {
+            return new { ok = false, error = result.ErrorMessage, configPath = result.ConfigPath };
+        }
+        // Mirror what the WPF settings VM does so the engine groups + machine
+        // config stay in lockstep.
+        var ourGroups = new TeamsISO.Engine.Domain.NdiGroupSettings(
+            DiscoveryGroups: NdiAccessManagerConfig.TranscoderInputGroup,
+            OutputGroups: "public");
+        await _controller.SetGroupSettingsAsync(ourGroups, CancellationToken.None);
+        return new
+        {
+            ok = true,
+            mode = "hidden",
+            backupPath = result.BackupPath,
+            note = "Restart Microsoft Teams for the new NDI config to take effect there.",
+        };
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Restore the machine NDI defaults: senders + receivers both on
+    /// <c>public</c>. Engine groups go back to null/defaults too. Operator
+    /// must restart Teams for it to broadcast on public again.
+    /// </summary>
+    private async Task<object> RestoreTopologyAsync()
+    {
+        var result = NdiAccessManagerConfig.RestoreDefaults();
+        if (!result.Success)
+        {
+            return new { ok = false, error = result.ErrorMessage, configPath = result.ConfigPath };
+        }
+        var ourGroups = new TeamsISO.Engine.Domain.NdiGroupSettings(
+            DiscoveryGroups: null,
+            OutputGroups: null);
+        await _controller.SetGroupSettingsAsync(ourGroups, CancellationToken.None);
+        return new
+        {
+            ok = true,
+            mode = "public",
+            backupPath = result.BackupPath,
+            note = "Restart Microsoft Teams for the new NDI config to take effect there.",
+        };
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Encode the engine's most recent processed frame for the given
+    /// participant as a JPEG. Returns null when no pipeline is running for
+    /// this participant or the frame can't be encoded for any reason.
+    /// </summary>
+    private byte[]? TryEncodeThumbnailJpeg(Guid participantId)
+    {
+        try
+        {
+            var frame = _controller.GetLatestProcessedFrame(participantId);
+            if (frame is null) return null;
+            // 192-wide thumbnail at the source aspect. BGRA32 input.
+            const int targetWidth = 192;
+            var ratio = (double)frame.Height / frame.Width;
+            var targetHeight = Math.Max(1, (int)(targetWidth * ratio));
+
+            // Use WPF imaging — bundled with the WindowsDesktop SDK, no extra refs.
+            var stride = frame.Width * 4;
+            var source = System.Windows.Media.Imaging.BitmapSource.Create(
+                frame.Width, frame.Height,
+                96, 96,
+                System.Windows.Media.PixelFormats.Bgra32,
+                null,
+                frame.Pixels.ToArray(),
+                stride);
+            var scaled = new System.Windows.Media.Imaging.TransformedBitmap(
+                source,
+                new System.Windows.Media.ScaleTransform(
+                    (double)targetWidth / frame.Width,
+                    (double)targetHeight / frame.Height));
+            using var ms = new System.IO.MemoryStream();
+            var encoder = new System.Windows.Media.Imaging.JpegBitmapEncoder { QualityLevel = 60 };
+            encoder.Frames.Add(System.Windows.Media.Imaging.BitmapFrame.Create(scaled));
+            encoder.Save(ms);
+            return ms.ToArray();
+        }
+        catch
+        {
+            return null;
+        }
+    }
+
     private object AppendNote(JsonElement body, System.Collections.Specialized.NameValueCollection query)
     {
         var text = TryGetString(body, query, "text");

src/TeamsISO.App/Services/NdiAccessManagerConfig.cs

@@ -129,6 +129,36 @@ public static class NdiAccessManagerConfig
     private static IReadOnlyList<string>? AsStringList(JsonNode? node) =>
         node is JsonArray arr ? arr.Select(n => n?.GetValue<string>() ?? string.Empty).ToArray() : null;
 
+    /// <summary>
+    /// One-call shape for the control surface's <c>GET /topology</c>: returns
+    /// the current sender + receiver group lists alongside a computed
+    /// <c>mode</c> string. "hidden" when senders are confined to the private
+    /// transcoder-input group (raw Teams sources invisible on the LAN);
+    /// "public" when senders are on the default group; "unknown" when the
+    /// config file is missing or malformed (treated by callers as "public"
+    /// because NDI's runtime defaults to public when no config is present).
+    /// </summary>
+    public static (string Mode, IReadOnlyList<string> Senders, IReadOnlyList<string> Receivers) ReadCurrent()
+    {
+        var (send, recv) = ReadCurrentGroups();
+        var senders = send ?? Array.Empty<string>();
+        var receivers = recv ?? Array.Empty<string>();
+        string mode;
+        if (send is null)
+        {
+            mode = "unknown";
+        }
+        else if (send.Count == 1 && string.Equals(send[0], TranscoderInputGroup, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
+        {
+            mode = "hidden";
+        }
+        else
+        {
+            mode = "public";
+        }
+        return (mode, senders, receivers);
+    }
+
     private static JsonObject LoadOrCreate()
     {
         if (File.Exists(ConfigPath))

src/TeamsISO.App/Services/UIPreferences.cs

@@ -58,7 +58,12 @@ public static class UIPreferences
         // from this on startup and persists back here on toggle. Default
         // "System" matches DESIGN.md's "Follow Windows" choice — the
         // operator who doesn't care gets whatever Windows is set to.
-        string Theme = "System");
+        string Theme = "System",
+        // REST + WebSocket control surface auto-start. When true, the
+        // server starts on app launch instead of waiting for the operator
+        // to click the toggle in settings each session. The desktop GUI's
+        // settings checkbox writes here and re-reads on launch.
+        bool ControlSurfaceEnabled = false);
 
     /// <summary>Update just the Theme field without touching other prefs.</summary>
     public static void SetTheme(string theme)

src/TeamsISO.App/ViewModels/GlobalSettingsViewModel.cs

@@ -66,6 +66,7 @@ public sealed class GlobalSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject
         _autoHideTeamsWindows = uiPrefs.AutoHideTeamsWindows;
         // AutoRecordOnCall removed — recording surface axed.
         _embedTeamsWindow = uiPrefs.EmbedTeamsWindow;
+        _controlSurfaceEnabled = uiPrefs.ControlSurfaceEnabled;
 
         // Bring the auto-apply flag in from the presets store so the checkbox
         // reflects the user's prior choice when the settings panel opens.
@@ -241,7 +242,11 @@ public sealed class GlobalSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject
     /// failures don't surface to the operator (the in-memory state still
     /// reflects their click for this session).
     /// </summary>
-    private void PersistUiPrefs() =>
+    private void PersistUiPrefs()
+    {
+        // Theme isn't owned by this VM — read whatever ThemeManager has
+        // persisted (or default) so we don't clobber it on save.
+        var existing = UIPreferences.Load();
         UIPreferences.Save(new UIPreferences.Prefs(
             HideLocalSelf: _hideLocalSelf,
             AutoDisableOnDeparture: _autoDisableOnDeparture,
@@ -250,7 +255,10 @@ public sealed class GlobalSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject
             ControlSurfaceLanReachable: _controlSurfaceLanReachable,
             LaunchTeamsOnStartup: _launchTeamsOnStartup,
             AutoHideTeamsWindows: _autoHideTeamsWindows,
-            EmbedTeamsWindow: _embedTeamsWindow));
+            EmbedTeamsWindow: _embedTeamsWindow,
+            Theme: existing.Theme,
+            ControlSurfaceEnabled: _controlSurfaceEnabled));
+    }
 
     /// <summary>
     /// Auto-launch the Microsoft Teams desktop client when TeamsISO starts.
@@ -315,6 +323,7 @@ public sealed class GlobalSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject
         set
         {
             if (!SetField(ref _controlSurfaceEnabled, value)) return;
+            PersistUiPrefs();
             var srv = (Application.Current as App)?.ControlSurface;
             if (srv is null) return;
             if (value) srv.Start(_controlSurfacePort, _controlSurfaceLanReachable);