1 files changed, 13 insertions, 4 deletions
diff --git a/docs/superpowers/plans/2026-09-15-status-registry.md b/docs/superpowers/plans/2026-09-15-status-registry.md
index 3b95743..5f86de4 100644
--- a/docs/superpowers/plans/2026-09-15-status-registry.md
+++ b/docs/superpowers/plans/2026-09-15-status-registry.md
@@ -391,7 +391,11 @@ file="$DIR/status.$mode"
 
 read_mode() {
     local v
-    v="$(cat "$file" 2>/dev/null | tr -d '[:space:]')"
+    # An unreadable file reads as off, deliberately: a missing mode file is
+    # the normal state before anything has written one, and the redirect
+    # makes that fallback explicit rather than a side effect of a pipeline
+    # swallowing cat's exit status.
+    v="$(tr -d '[:space:]' < "$file" 2>/dev/null)"
     [[ "$v" == "1" ]] && printf '1' || printf '0'
 }
 
@@ -402,7 +406,12 @@ write_mode() {
     local want="$1" tmp
     tmp="$(mktemp "$DIR/.status.$mode.XXXXXX")" || exit 1
     printf '%s\n' "$want" > "$tmp"
-    mv -f "$tmp" "$file"
+    # The temp file is made in the same directory as the target, so this is a
+    # rename rather than a copy, and therefore atomic. A failure here has to
+    # be loud: reporting success on a write that did not land would leave the
+    # caller and the shell disagreeing about the mode, with an orphan temp
+    # file as the only trace.
+    mv -f "$tmp" "$file" || { rm -f "$tmp"; exit 1; }
 }
 
 emit() {
@@ -464,7 +473,7 @@ chmod +x desktop/modules/status/statusctl
 bash desktop/modules/status/test-statusctl.sh
 ```
 
-Expected: `8 passed, 0 failed`, exit 0.
+Expected: `9 passed, 0 failed`, exit 0.
 
 - [ ] **Step 5: Commit**
 
@@ -1184,7 +1193,7 @@ bash desktop/modules/kdeconnect/test-kdeconnect-state.sh
 timeout 8 qs -p ./desktop 2>&1 | grep -E 'ERROR|TypeError|ReferenceError|is not defined|Cannot assign|Unable to assign' && echo "ERRORS ABOVE" || echo "clean"
 ```
 
-Expected: statusctl `8 passed, 0 failed`; mail 16 of 16; kdeconnect 5 of 5; `clean`.
+Expected: statusctl `9 passed, 0 failed`; mail 16 of 16; kdeconnect 5 of 5; `clean`.
 
 - [ ] **Step 4: Confirm the process count**