fix(schedule): stop stray 'days' data from overriding Global schedule

save_schedule_config never persisted the schedule's 'mode' field, and
_check_schedule inferred per-day vs global purely from whether a 'days'
dict was present for the current day. Config migration
(_merge_template_defaults) re-adds the template's 'schedule.days' (all
days disabled by default) whenever it's missing from the user's saved
config - which is exactly the case after saving Global mode, since that
save path intentionally pops 'days'. The result: a user on Global mode
would get their schedule silently reinterpreted as per-day, with today's
day disabled, blanking the display.

Persist 'mode' on save and have _check_schedule honor it explicitly
(mirroring how _check_dim_schedule already does), so a resurrected
'days' dict can't override an explicit Global selection. Falls back to
the old inference behavior only when no 'mode' is recorded.

.codacy.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+---
+exclude_paths:
+  - "plugin-repos/**"
+  - "plugins/**"
+  - "assets/**"
+  - "test/**"
+  - "scripts/debug/**"

.github/workflows/claude-code-review.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+name: Claude Code Review
+
+on:
+  pull_request:
+    types: [opened, synchronize, ready_for_review, reopened]
+    # Optional: Only run on specific file changes
+    # paths:
+    #   - "src/**/*.ts"
+    #   - "src/**/*.tsx"
+    #   - "src/**/*.js"
+    #   - "src/**/*.jsx"
+
+jobs:
+  claude-review:
+    # Optional: Filter by PR author
+    # if: |
+    #   github.event.pull_request.user.login == 'external-contributor' ||
+    #   github.event.pull_request.user.login == 'new-developer' ||
+    #   github.event.pull_request.author_association == 'FIRST_TIME_CONTRIBUTOR'
+
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
+      pull-requests: read
+      issues: read
+      id-token: write
+
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout repository
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 1
+
+      - name: Run Claude Code Review
+        id: claude-review
+        uses: anthropics/claude-code-action@v1
+        with:
+          claude_code_oauth_token: ${{ secrets.CLAUDE_CODE_OAUTH_TOKEN }}
+          plugin_marketplaces: 'https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code.git'
+          plugins: 'code-review@claude-code-plugins'
+          prompt: '/code-review:code-review ${{ github.repository }}/pull/${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}'
+          # See https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code-action/blob/main/docs/usage.md
+          # or https://code.claude.com/docs/en/cli-reference for available options
+

.github/workflows/claude.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+name: Claude Code
+
+on:
+  issue_comment:
+    types: [created]
+  pull_request_review_comment:
+    types: [created]
+  issues:
+    types: [opened, assigned]
+  pull_request_review:
+    types: [submitted]
+
+jobs:
+  claude:
+    if: |
+      (github.event_name == 'issue_comment' && contains(github.event.comment.body, '@claude')) ||
+      (github.event_name == 'pull_request_review_comment' && contains(github.event.comment.body, '@claude')) ||
+      (github.event_name == 'pull_request_review' && contains(github.event.review.body, '@claude')) ||
+      (github.event_name == 'issues' && (contains(github.event.issue.body, '@claude') || contains(github.event.issue.title, '@claude')))
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
+      pull-requests: read
+      issues: read
+      id-token: write
+      actions: read # Required for Claude to read CI results on PRs
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout repository
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 1
+
+      - name: Run Claude Code
+        id: claude
+        uses: anthropics/claude-code-action@v1
+        with:
+          claude_code_oauth_token: ${{ secrets.CLAUDE_CODE_OAUTH_TOKEN }}
+
+          # This is an optional setting that allows Claude to read CI results on PRs
+          additional_permissions: |
+            actions: read
+
+          # Optional: Give a custom prompt to Claude. If this is not specified, Claude will perform the instructions specified in the comment that tagged it.
+          # prompt: 'Update the pull request description to include a summary of changes.'
+
+          # Optional: Add claude_args to customize behavior and configuration
+          # See https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code-action/blob/main/docs/usage.md
+          # or https://code.claude.com/docs/en/cli-reference for available options
+          # claude_args: '--allowed-tools Bash(gh pr *)'
+

.github/workflows/test.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+name: Tests
+
+on:
+  pull_request:
+  push:
+    branches: [main]
+
+jobs:
+  plugin-safety:
+    name: Plugin safety harness + unit tests
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@11bd71901bbe5b1630ceea73d27597364c9af683 # v4.2.2
+        with:
+          persist-credentials: false
+
+      - uses: actions/setup-python@0b93645e9fea7318ecaed2b359559ac225c90a2b # v5.3.0
+        with:
+          python-version: "3.12"
+          cache: pip
+
+      - name: Install dependencies
+        run: |
+          python -m pip install --upgrade pip
+          pip install -r requirements.txt -r requirements-test.txt
+          pip install RGBMatrixEmulator
+
+      - name: Run harness + visual rendering tests
+        run: |
+          pytest --no-cov \
+            test/plugins/test_harness.py \
+            test/plugins/test_visual_rendering.py \
+            test/plugins/test_plugin_matrix.py

.gitignore

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ config/config_secrets.json
 config/config.json
 config/config.json.backup
 config/wifi_config.json
+config/uninstalled_plugins.json
 credentials.json
 token.pickle
 

.gitmodules

@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
 [submodule "rpi-rgb-led-matrix-master"]
 	path = rpi-rgb-led-matrix-master
 	url = https://github.com/hzeller/rpi-rgb-led-matrix.git
+	branch = master

README.md

@@ -1,4 +1,10 @@
 # LEDMatrix
+[![License](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-GPL--3.0-green)](LICENSE)
+[![Discord](https://img.shields.io/badge/Discord-community-5865F2?logo=discord&logoColor=white)](https://discord.gg/RdrC37rEag)
+[![GitHub Stars](https://img.shields.io/github/stars/ChuckBuilds/ledmatrix?style=flat&color=yellow)](https://github.com/ChuckBuilds/ledmatrix)
+[![Codacy Badge](https://app.codacy.com/project/badge/Grade/77fc9b446a5948e5b0aed7a7aaeb1bab)](https://app.codacy.com/gh/ChuckBuilds/LEDMatrix/dashboard?utm_source=gh&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=&utm_campaign=Badge_grade)
+
+
 ## Welcome to LEDMatrix! 
 Welcome to the LEDMatrix Project! This open-source project enables you to run an information-rich display on a Raspberry Pi connected to an LED RGB Matrix panel. Whether you want to see your calendar, weather forecasts, sports scores, stock prices, or any other information at a glance, LEDMatrix brings it all together.
 
@@ -126,10 +132,15 @@ The system supports live, recent, and upcoming game information for multiple spo
 | This project can be finnicky! RGB LED Matrix displays are not built the same or to a high-quality standard. We have seen many displays arrive dead or partially working in our discord. Please purchase from a reputable vendor. |
 
 ### Raspberry Pi
-- Raspberry Pi Zero's don't have enough processing power for this project and the Pi 5 is unsupported due to new GPIO output.
-- **Raspberry Pi 3B or 4 (NOT RPi 5!)**  
+- Raspberry Pi Zero's don't have enough processing power for this project.
+- **Raspberry Pi 3B, 4, or 5**
   [Amazon Affiliate Link – Raspberry Pi 4 4GB RAM](https://amzn.to/4dJixuX)
   [Amazon Affiliate Link – Raspberry Pi 4 8GB RAM](https://amzn.to/4qbqY7F)
+  - **Pi 5 users**: the installer automatically detects Pi 5 and builds the `rpi-rgb-led-matrix` library with RP1 support. If you previously installed on a Pi 4 and migrated the SD card, or if you see `mmap` errors in the logs, force a fresh library build:
+    ```bash
+    sudo RPI_RGB_FORCE_REBUILD=1 ./first_time_install.sh
+    ```
+  - Pi 5 config: leave `rp1_rio` at `0` (PIO mode, default) and set `gpio_slowdown` to `1` or `2`.
 
 
 ### RGB Matrix Bonnet / HAT
@@ -581,7 +592,7 @@ These settings control runtime behavior and GPIO timing:
   - **Critical setting**: Must match your Raspberry Pi model for stability
   - **Raspberry Pi 3**: Use 3
   - **Raspberry Pi 4**: Use 4
-  - **Raspberry Pi 5**: Use 5 (or higher if needed)
+  - **Raspberry Pi 5**: Use 1–2 in PIO mode (`rp1_rio: 0`, the default); start with `1` and increase if you see flickering
   - **Raspberry Pi Zero/1**: Use 1-2
   - Incorrect values can cause display corruption, flickering, or system instability
   - If you experience issues, try adjusting this value up or down by 1

config/config.template.json

@@ -1,43 +1,43 @@
 {
     "web_display_autostart": true,
     "schedule": {
-        "enabled": true,
+        "enabled": false,
         "mode": "per-day",
         "start_time": "07:00",
         "end_time": "23:00",
         "days": {
             "monday": {
-                "enabled": true,
+                "enabled": false,
                 "start_time": "07:00",
                 "end_time": "23:00"
             },
             "tuesday": {
-                "enabled": true,
+                "enabled": false,
                 "start_time": "07:00",
                 "end_time": "23:00"
             },
             "wednesday": {
-                "enabled": true,
+                "enabled": false,
                 "start_time": "07:00",
                 "end_time": "23:00"
             },
             "thursday": {
-                "enabled": true,
+                "enabled": false,
                 "start_time": "07:00",
                 "end_time": "23:00"
             },
             "friday": {
-                "enabled": true,
+                "enabled": false,
                 "start_time": "07:00",
                 "end_time": "23:00"
             },
             "saturday": {
-                "enabled": true,
+                "enabled": false,
                 "start_time": "07:00",
                 "end_time": "23:00"
             },
             "sunday": {
-                "enabled": true,
+                "enabled": false,
                 "start_time": "07:00",
                 "end_time": "23:00"
             }
@@ -51,46 +51,46 @@
         "end_time": "07:00",
         "days": {
             "monday": {
-                "enabled": true,
+                "enabled": false,
                 "start_time": "20:00",
                 "end_time": "07:00"
             },
             "tuesday": {
-                "enabled": true,
+                "enabled": false,
                 "start_time": "20:00",
                 "end_time": "07:00"
             },
             "wednesday": {
-                "enabled": true,
+                "enabled": false,
                 "start_time": "20:00",
                 "end_time": "07:00"
             },
             "thursday": {
-                "enabled": true,
+                "enabled": false,
                 "start_time": "20:00",
                 "end_time": "07:00"
             },
             "friday": {
-                "enabled": true,
+                "enabled": false,
                 "start_time": "20:00",
                 "end_time": "07:00"
             },
             "saturday": {
-                "enabled": true,
+                "enabled": false,
                 "start_time": "20:00",
                 "end_time": "07:00"
             },
             "sunday": {
-                "enabled": true,
+                "enabled": false,
                 "start_time": "20:00",
                 "end_time": "07:00"
             }
         }
     },
-    "timezone": "America/Chicago",
+    "timezone": "America/New_York",
     "location": {
-        "city": "Dallas",
-        "state": "Texas",
+        "city": "Tampa",
+        "state": "Florida",
         "country": "US"
     },
     "display": {
@@ -112,7 +112,13 @@
             "limit_refresh_rate_hz": 100
         },
         "runtime": {
-            "gpio_slowdown": 3
+            "gpio_slowdown": 3,
+            "rp1_rio": 0
+        },
+        "double_sided": {
+            "enabled": false,
+            "copies": 2,
+            "axis": "horizontal"
         },
         "display_durations": {},
         "use_short_date_format": true,
@@ -126,6 +132,11 @@
             "buffer_ahead": 2
         }
     },
+    "sync": {
+        "role": "standalone",
+        "port": 5765,
+        "follower_position": "left"
+    },
     "plugin_system": {
         "plugins_directory": "plugin-repos",
         "auto_discover": true,

docs/PLUGIN_ARCHITECTURE_SPEC.md

@@ -34,16 +34,16 @@ This document outlines the transformation of the LEDMatrix project into a modula
 
 ## Table of Contents
 
-1. [Current Architecture Analysis](#current-architecture-analysis)
-2. [Plugin System Design](#plugin-system-design)
-3. [Plugin Store & Discovery](#plugin-store--discovery)
-4. [Web UI Transformation](#web-ui-transformation)
-5. [Migration Strategy](#migration-strategy)
-6. [Plugin Developer Guidelines](#plugin-developer-guidelines)
-7. [Technical Implementation Details](#technical-implementation-details)
-8. [Best Practices & Standards](#best-practices--standards)
-9. [Security Considerations](#security-considerations)
-10. [Implementation Roadmap](#implementation-roadmap)
+1. [Current Architecture Analysis](#1-current-architecture-analysis)
+2. [Plugin System Design](#2-plugin-system-design)
+3. [Plugin Store & Discovery](#3-plugin-store--discovery)
+4. [Web UI Transformation](#4-web-ui-transformation)
+5. [Migration Strategy](#5-migration-strategy)
+6. [Plugin Developer Guidelines](#6-plugin-developer-guidelines)
+7. [Technical Implementation Details](#7-technical-implementation-details)
+8. [Best Practices & Standards](#8-best-practices--standards)
+9. [Security Considerations](#9-security-considerations)
+10. [Implementation Roadmap](#10-implementation-roadmap)
 
 ---
 

docs/plugin-safety-harness.md

@@ -0,0 +1,136 @@
+# Plugin Safety Harness
+
+Renders a plugin across **every declared screen (mode)** and **a spread of
+matrix sizes**, and fails if any combination crashes, draws past the panel edge,
+or — for plugins that ship golden images — drifts visually. The goal: change a
+plugin without breaking a size or screen you didn't think to test.
+
+## Sizes: a sample, not a fixed list
+
+There is **no fixed set of supported panel sizes** — an RGB matrix build can be
+any width/height and configuration (square, rectangle, 2×2, 4×4, 8×2, long
+strips, tall stacks). Plugins are expected to read dimensions dynamically
+(`self.display_manager.matrix.width/height`) and lay themselves out
+accordingly, so a hardcoded coordinate or unscaled font shows up as a failure
+here.
+
+The harness therefore renders against a **representative sample** that spans the
+axes of variation (`DEFAULT_TEST_SIZES` in `src/plugin_system/testing/sizes.py`),
+not an authoritative list:
+
+Each module is 64×32; entries are real panel-grid arrangements (cols × rows):
+
+| Size    | Grid | Why it's in the sample                     |
+|---------|------|--------------------------------------------|
+| 64×32   | 1×1  | single panel — tightest common rectangle   |
+| 128×32  | 2×1  | the baseline most plugins are tuned for    |
+| 64×64   | 1×2  | stacked — tall-narrow centering            |
+| 128×64  | 2×2  | block — icon scaling / vertical centering  |
+| 256×32  | 4×1  | long strip — wide horizontal layout        |
+| 128×96  | 2×3  | tall — vertical overflow                   |
+| 256×128 | 4×4  | large block — both dimensions big at once  |
+
+**Override the sizes entirely** to test your actual hardware (or any shape):
+
+```bash
+# CLI — one-off:
+python scripts/check_plugin.py --plugin clock-simple --sizes 8x16,64x64,256x32
+
+# pytest — force every plugin onto your panel(s):
+LEDMATRIX_TEST_SIZES="8x16,128x128" pytest test/plugins/test_plugin_matrix.py
+
+# Per-plugin — declare the shapes a plugin targets in its test/harness.json:
+#   { "sizes": [[8, 16], [64, 64]] }
+```
+
+Precedence: `LEDMATRIX_TEST_SIZES` env (global) → per-plugin `harness.json`
+`sizes` → the default sample. Bounds checking adapts to whatever sizes a run
+uses — the backing canvas is padded out to the **largest** panel in the run, so
+a coordinate meant for a big build is still caught when rendering a small one.
+
+## Quick start
+
+```bash
+# Functional + bounds check across all sizes/screens:
+python scripts/check_plugin.py --plugin clock-simple
+
+# Every discovered plugin:
+python scripts/check_plugin.py --all
+
+# Dump PNGs to eyeball each size/screen:
+python scripts/check_plugin.py --plugin ledmatrix-weather --out-dir /tmp/preview
+```
+
+Exit code is non-zero if any `(plugin, size, screen)` fails. Plugins are
+discovered in `plugin-repos/` and `plugins/` (override with `--plugin-dir`).
+
+## What it checks (Phase 1 — always on)
+
+1. **Loads** and builds its mode list.
+2. **Renders every screen** at every size without raising. `update()` may fail
+   (no network in CI) and is tolerated; a crash in `display()` is a failure —
+   `display()` must handle the no-data state.
+3. **Bounds**: nothing is drawn past the right/bottom edge. Implemented by
+   `BoundsCheckingDisplayManager`, which backs the declared panel with an
+   oversized canvas and flags any pixels that land in the margin. (Left/top
+   overflow at negative coordinates and BDF text are not flagged — golden images
+   cover those.)
+
+## Golden images (Phase 2 — opt-in per plugin)
+
+A plugin opts in by committing reference PNGs and (usually) a small harness spec:
+
+```
+plugins/<id>/test/harness.json          # how to render deterministically
+plugins/<id>/test/fixtures/mock.json     # optional cached data
+plugins/<id>/test/golden/<WxH>/<mode>.png
+```
+
+`test/harness.json` keys (all optional):
+
+```json
+{
+  "config":      { "timezone": "UTC" },
+  "mock_data":   "fixtures/mock.json",
+  "freeze_time": "2025-08-01 15:25:00",
+  "skip_update": false,
+  "sizes":       [[128, 32], [128, 64]]
+}
+```
+
+Generate / refresh goldens after an intentional visual change, then review the
+diff before committing:
+
+```bash
+python scripts/check_plugin.py --plugin clock-simple --update-golden \
+  --config '{"timezone":"UTC"}' --freeze-time "2025-08-01 15:25:00"
+```
+
+Comparison is exact by default (`compare_images` in `harness.py` accepts a
+tolerance for known anti-aliasing noise). Determinism requires a pinned Pillow
+and the bundled fonts — keep both stable when regenerating goldens.
+
+## Tests & CI
+
+- `test/plugins/test_harness.py` — unit tests for bounds detection, image
+  comparison, and mode enumeration (run anywhere).
+- `test/plugins/test_plugin_matrix.py` — parametrized over discovered plugins ×
+  sizes × screens; honors each plugin's `test/harness.json` and goldens. Skips
+  when no plugins are present (e.g. a fresh core checkout); set
+  `LEDMATRIX_REQUIRE_PLUGINS=1` in a pipeline where plugins must be present to
+  turn an empty discovery into a hard failure instead. Point it at the monorepo
+  with `LEDMATRIX_PLUGINS_DIR=/path/to/ledmatrix-plugins/plugins`.
+- `.github/workflows/test.yml` — runs the harness + visual tests on every PR.
+
+The plugin monorepo has its own `Plugin Safety` workflow that runs this harness
+against changed plugins on every PR.
+
+## Developer workflow
+
+1. Change the plugin on a branch.
+2. `python scripts/check_plugin.py --plugin <id> --out-dir /tmp/preview` and
+   eyeball the PNGs.
+3. Intentional visual change? `--update-golden`, review diffs, commit goldens.
+4. (Monorepo) bump `manifest.json` version and let the pre-commit hook sync
+   `plugins.json`.
+5. Push — CI re-runs the harness across all sizes and gates the PR.

docs/widget-guide.md

@@ -10,6 +10,98 @@ The LEDMatrix Widget Registry system allows plugins to use reusable UI component
 
 ## Available Core Widgets
 
+### Plugin File Manager Widget (`plugin-file-manager`)
+
+Full inline file management UI for plugins that manage files via the `web_ui_actions` system. Renders a card grid, upload zone, create/delete modals, and an entry table editor — entirely inline, no iframe.
+
+`plugin_id` is **automatically injected** from template context. File operations call `/api/v3/plugins/action` immediately on user action; no Save Configuration needed.
+
+**Schema Configuration:**
+```json
+{
+  "file_manager": {
+    "type": "null",
+    "title": "Data Files",
+    "x-widget": "plugin-file-manager",
+    "x-widget-config": {
+      "actions": {
+        "list":   "list-files",
+        "get":    "get-file",
+        "save":   "save-file",
+        "upload": "upload-file",
+        "delete": "delete-file",
+        "create": "create-file",
+        "toggle": "toggle-category"
+      },
+      "upload_hint":      "JSON files with day numbers 1–365 as keys",
+      "directory_label":  "my_data/",
+      "create_fields": [
+        { "key": "category_name", "label": "Category Name",
+          "placeholder": "e.g., my_words", "pattern": "^[a-z0-9_]+$",
+          "hint": "Lowercase letters, numbers, underscores" },
+        { "key": "display_name", "label": "Display Name",
+          "placeholder": "e.g., My Words", "hint": "Optional" }
+      ]
+    }
+  }
+}
+```
+
+**`list` is required** — the widget calls it on render to populate the file grid; omitting it leaves the widget stuck in a loading state. All other actions are optional — omit any key to hide its UI element (e.g., no `create` = no New File button, no `toggle` = no enable/disable switch).
+
+The edit view auto-detects whether file content is tabular (object-of-objects with uniform keys) and shows a paginated table editor with inline cells. Otherwise falls back to a JSON textarea.
+
+**Used by:** of-the-day
+
+---
+
+### Time Picker Widget (`time-picker`)
+
+Single time selection using the browser's native time input. Returns a string in `HH:MM` (24-hour) format. Generic — works in any plugin without configuration.
+
+**Schema Configuration:**
+```json
+{
+  "target_time": {
+    "type": "string",
+    "x-widget": "time-picker",
+    "default": "00:00",
+    "x-options": {
+      "placeholder": "Select time",
+      "clearable": true
+    }
+  }
+}
+```
+
+**Used by:** countdown
+
+---
+
+### File Upload Single Widget (`file-upload-single`)
+
+Single-image upload for string fields. Uploads to the plugin's asset folder (`assets/plugins/<plugin_id>/uploads/`) and sets the string field value to the returned relative path. Shows a thumbnail preview and a clear button. The `plugin_id` is **automatically injected** from the template context — no need to specify it in the schema.
+
+**Schema Configuration:**
+```json
+{
+  "image_path": {
+    "type": "string",
+    "x-widget": "file-upload-single",
+    "x-upload-config": {
+      "allowed_types": ["image/png", "image/jpeg", "image/bmp", "image/gif"],
+      "max_size_mb": 5
+    }
+  }
+}
+```
+
+Note: Unlike `file-upload` (array-level), this widget is for a single `string` field. It is ideal for per-item images inside `array-table` rows.
+
+**Used by:** countdown
+
+---
+
 ### File Upload Widget (`file-upload`)
 
 Upload and manage image files with drag-and-drop support, preview, delete, and scheduling.

first_time_install.sh

@@ -15,8 +15,8 @@ on_error() {
     echo "✗ An error occurred during: $CURRENT_STEP (line $line_no, exit $exit_code)" >&2
     if [ -n "${LOG_FILE:-}" ]; then
         echo "See the log for details: $LOG_FILE" >&2
-        echo "-- Last 50 lines from log --" >&2
-        tail -n 50 "$LOG_FILE" >&2 || true
+        echo "-- Last 100 lines from log --" >&2
+        tail -n 100 "$LOG_FILE" >&2 || true
     fi
     echo "\nCommon fixes:" >&2
     echo "- Ensure the Pi is online (try: ping -c1 8.8.8.8)." >&2
@@ -36,9 +36,17 @@ if [ -r /proc/device-tree/model ]; then
     DEVICE_MODEL=$(tr -d '\0' </proc/device-tree/model)
     echo "Detected device: $DEVICE_MODEL"
 else
+    DEVICE_MODEL=""
     echo "⚠ Could not detect Raspberry Pi model (continuing anyway)"
 fi
 
+# Detect Pi 5 for hardware-specific install decisions (RP1 library verification)
+IS_PI5=0
+if echo "${DEVICE_MODEL:-}" | grep -qi "Raspberry Pi 5"; then
+    IS_PI5=1
+    echo "Raspberry Pi 5 detected — will verify RP1 library support."
+fi
+
 # Check OS version - must be Raspberry Pi OS Lite (Trixie)
 echo ""
 echo "Checking operating system requirements..."
@@ -194,8 +202,33 @@ retry() {
     done
 }
 
-apt_update() { retry apt update; }
-apt_install() { retry apt install -y "$@"; }
+# Wait for another apt/dpkg process (commonly unattended-upgrades running
+# shortly after first boot) to release its lock before we try apt ourselves.
+# Without this, apt_update/apt_install can fail outright in the first couple
+# minutes after a fresh Pi OS boot with a generic "Command failed after 3
+# attempts" error.
+wait_for_apt_lock() {
+    command -v flock >/dev/null 2>&1 || return 0
+    local lock_file="/var/lib/dpkg/lock-frontend"
+    local max_wait=180
+    local waited=0
+    local printed=0
+    while ! flock -n "$lock_file" -c true 2>/dev/null; do
+        if [ "$printed" -eq 0 ]; then
+            echo "⚠ Waiting for another apt/dpkg process to finish (e.g. unattended-upgrades on first boot)..."
+            printed=1
+        fi
+        if [ "$waited" -ge "$max_wait" ]; then
+            echo "⚠ Still waiting after ${max_wait}s; proceeding anyway."
+            break
+        fi
+        sleep 5
+        waited=$((waited+5))
+    done
+}
+
+apt_update() { wait_for_apt_lock; retry apt-get -o DPkg::Lock::Timeout=180 update; }
+apt_install() { wait_for_apt_lock; retry apt-get -o DPkg::Lock::Timeout=180 install -y "$@"; }
 apt_remove() { apt-get remove -y "$@" || true; }
 
 check_network() {
@@ -214,6 +247,22 @@ check_network() {
     exit 1
 }
 
+check_disk_space() {
+    command -v df >/dev/null 2>&1 || return 0
+    local available_mb
+    available_mb=$(df -m "$PROJECT_ROOT_DIR" | awk 'NR==2{print $4}')
+    available_mb=${available_mb:-0}
+    if [ "$available_mb" -lt 500 ]; then
+        echo "✗ ERROR: Insufficient disk space: ${available_mb}MB available (need at least 500MB)"
+        echo "  Free up space first, e.g.: sudo apt clean && sudo apt autoremove"
+        exit 1
+    elif [ "$available_mb" -lt 1024 ]; then
+        echo "⚠ Limited disk space: ${available_mb}MB available (recommend at least 1GB for the rpi-rgb-led-matrix build in Step 6)"
+    else
+        echo "✓ Disk space sufficient: ${available_mb}MB available"
+    fi
+}
+
 echo ""
 echo "This script will perform the following steps:"
 echo "1. Install system dependencies"
@@ -259,21 +308,20 @@ else
 fi
 
 echo ""
-CLEAR='
-'
 CURRENT_STEP="Install system dependencies"
 echo "Step 1: Installing system dependencies..."
 echo "----------------------------------------"
 
-# Ensure network is available before APT operations
+# Pre-flight checks before APT operations
 check_network
+check_disk_space
 
 # Update package list
 apt_update
 
 # Install required system packages
 echo "Installing Python packages and dependencies..."
-apt_install python3-pip python3-venv python3-dev python3-pil python3-pil.imagetk build-essential python3-setuptools python3-wheel cython3 scons cmake ninja-build
+apt_install python3-pip python3-venv python-dev-is-python3 python3-pil python3-pil.imagetk build-essential python3-setuptools python3-wheel cmake ninja-build
 
 # Install additional system dependencies that might be needed
 echo "Installing additional system dependencies..."
@@ -671,8 +719,6 @@ if [ -f "$PROJECT_ROOT_DIR/requirements.txt" ]; then
         echo "[$PACKAGE_NUM/$TOTAL_PACKAGES] Installing: $line"
         
         # Check if package is already installed (basic check - may not catch all cases)
-        PACKAGE_NAME=$(echo "$line" | sed -E 's/[<>=!].*$//' | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*//;s/[[:space:]]*$//')
-        
         # Try installing with verbose output and timeout (if available)
         # Use --no-cache-dir to avoid cache issues, --verbose for diagnostics
         INSTALL_OUTPUT=$(mktemp)
@@ -680,7 +726,11 @@ if [ -f "$PROJECT_ROOT_DIR/requirements.txt" ]; then
         
         if command -v timeout >/dev/null 2>&1; then
             # Use timeout if available (10 minutes = 600 seconds)
-            if timeout 600 python3 -m pip install --break-system-packages --no-cache-dir --prefer-binary --verbose "$line" > "$INSTALL_OUTPUT" 2>&1; then
+            # --ignore-installed: apt-managed packages (e.g. python3-requests)
+            # ship no pip RECORD file, so upgrading them would otherwise abort
+            # with "uninstall-no-record-file"; this lays the new version down
+            # alongside instead of trying to uninstall the apt copy first.
+            if timeout 600 python3 -m pip install --break-system-packages --no-cache-dir --prefer-binary --ignore-installed --verbose "$line" > "$INSTALL_OUTPUT" 2>&1; then
                 INSTALL_SUCCESS=true
             else
                 EXIT_CODE=$?
@@ -688,7 +738,7 @@ if [ -f "$PROJECT_ROOT_DIR/requirements.txt" ]; then
                     echo "✗ Timeout (10 minutes) installing: $line"
                     echo "  This package may require building from source, which can be slow on Raspberry Pi."
                     echo "  You can try installing it manually later with:"
-                    echo "    python3 -m pip install --break-system-packages --no-cache-dir --prefer-binary --verbose '$line'"
+                    echo "    python3 -m pip install --break-system-packages --no-cache-dir --prefer-binary --ignore-installed --verbose '$line'"
                 else
                     echo "✗ Failed to install: $line (exit code: $EXIT_CODE)"
                 fi
@@ -696,7 +746,7 @@ if [ -f "$PROJECT_ROOT_DIR/requirements.txt" ]; then
         else
             # No timeout command available, install without timeout
             echo "  Note: timeout command not available, installation may take a while..."
-            if python3 -m pip install --break-system-packages --no-cache-dir --prefer-binary --verbose "$line" > "$INSTALL_OUTPUT" 2>&1; then
+            if python3 -m pip install --break-system-packages --no-cache-dir --prefer-binary --ignore-installed --verbose "$line" > "$INSTALL_OUTPUT" 2>&1; then
                 INSTALL_SUCCESS=true
             else
                 EXIT_CODE=$?
@@ -748,7 +798,7 @@ if [ -f "$PROJECT_ROOT_DIR/requirements.txt" ]; then
         echo "  1. Ensure you have enough disk space: df -h"
         echo "  2. Check available memory: free -h"
         echo "  3. Try installing failed packages individually with verbose output:"
-        echo "     python3 -m pip install --break-system-packages --no-cache-dir --prefer-binary --verbose <package>"
+        echo "     python3 -m pip install --break-system-packages --no-cache-dir --prefer-binary --ignore-installed --verbose <package>"
         echo "  4. For packages that build from source (like numpy), consider:"
         echo "     - Installing pre-built wheels: python3 -m pip install --only-binary :all: <package>"
         echo "     - Or installing via apt if available: sudo apt install python3-<package>"
@@ -770,7 +820,10 @@ echo ""
 # Install web interface dependencies
 echo "Installing web interface dependencies..."
 if [ -f "$PROJECT_ROOT_DIR/web_interface/requirements.txt" ]; then
-    if python3 -m pip install --break-system-packages --prefer-binary -r "$PROJECT_ROOT_DIR/web_interface/requirements.txt"; then
+    # --ignore-installed: apt-managed packages (e.g. python3-requests) ship no
+    # pip RECORD file, so upgrading them to the version pinned here would
+    # otherwise abort the whole install with "uninstall-no-record-file".
+    if python3 -m pip install --break-system-packages --prefer-binary --ignore-installed -r "$PROJECT_ROOT_DIR/web_interface/requirements.txt"; then
         echo "✓ Web interface dependencies installed"
         # Create marker file to indicate dependencies are installed
         touch "$PROJECT_ROOT_DIR/.web_deps_installed"
@@ -787,29 +840,54 @@ CURRENT_STEP="Build and install rpi-rgb-led-matrix"
 echo "Step 6: Building and installing rpi-rgb-led-matrix..."
 echo "-----------------------------------------------------"
 
-# If already installed and not forcing rebuild, skip expensive build
+# On Pi 5, also check that the installed library has rp1_rio support.
+# A library built before Pi 5 support was added imports fine but maps to the
+# Pi 3 peripheral bus address (0x3f000000) instead of the RP1 chip at runtime.
+_HAS_RP1=0
+if python3 -c 'from rgbmatrix import RGBMatrixOptions; assert hasattr(RGBMatrixOptions(), "rp1_rio")' >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    _HAS_RP1=1
+fi
+
+_SKIP_BUILD=0
 if python3 -c 'from rgbmatrix import RGBMatrix, RGBMatrixOptions' >/dev/null 2>&1 && [ "${RPI_RGB_FORCE_REBUILD:-0}" != "1" ]; then
-    echo "rgbmatrix Python package already available; skipping build (set RPI_RGB_FORCE_REBUILD=1 to force rebuild)."
+    if [ "$IS_PI5" = "1" ] && [ "$_HAS_RP1" = "0" ]; then
+        echo "⚠ Pi 5 detected: installed rgbmatrix lacks rp1_rio support (older build)."
+        echo "  Forcing rebuild to get Pi 5 RP1 support..."
+    else
+        _SKIP_BUILD=1
+    fi
+fi
+
+if [ "$_SKIP_BUILD" = "1" ]; then
+    _skip_suffix=""
+    if [ "$IS_PI5" = "1" ]; then _skip_suffix=" with Pi 5 RP1 support"; fi
+    echo "rgbmatrix already installed${_skip_suffix}; skipping build (set RPI_RGB_FORCE_REBUILD=1 to force rebuild)."
 else
     # Ensure rpi-rgb-led-matrix submodule is initialized
+    # Wrapper used with retry(): removes any partial clone dir before each attempt
+    # so git clone doesn't fail with "destination path already exists".
+    _clone_rpi_rgb() {
+        rm -rf "$PROJECT_ROOT_DIR/rpi-rgb-led-matrix-master"
+        git clone https://github.com/hzeller/rpi-rgb-led-matrix.git rpi-rgb-led-matrix-master
+    }
     if [ ! -d "$PROJECT_ROOT_DIR/rpi-rgb-led-matrix-master" ]; then
         echo "rpi-rgb-led-matrix-master not found. Initializing git submodule..."
         cd "$PROJECT_ROOT_DIR"
-        
+
         # Try to initialize submodule if .gitmodules exists
         if [ -f "$PROJECT_ROOT_DIR/.gitmodules" ] && grep -q "rpi-rgb-led-matrix" "$PROJECT_ROOT_DIR/.gitmodules"; then
             echo "Initializing rpi-rgb-led-matrix submodule..."
-            if ! git submodule update --init --recursive rpi-rgb-led-matrix-master 2>&1; then
+            if ! retry git submodule update --init --recursive rpi-rgb-led-matrix-master; then
                 echo "⚠ Submodule init failed, cloning directly from GitHub..."
-                git clone https://github.com/hzeller/rpi-rgb-led-matrix.git rpi-rgb-led-matrix-master
+                retry _clone_rpi_rgb
             fi
         else
             # Fallback: clone directly if submodule not configured
             echo "Submodule not configured, cloning directly from GitHub..."
-            git clone https://github.com/hzeller/rpi-rgb-led-matrix.git rpi-rgb-led-matrix-master
+            retry _clone_rpi_rgb
         fi
     fi
-    
+
     # Build and install rpi-rgb-led-matrix Python bindings
     if [ -d "$PROJECT_ROOT_DIR/rpi-rgb-led-matrix-master" ]; then
         # Check if submodule is properly initialized (not empty)
@@ -818,30 +896,34 @@ else
             cd "$PROJECT_ROOT_DIR"
             rm -rf rpi-rgb-led-matrix-master
             if [ -f "$PROJECT_ROOT_DIR/.gitmodules" ] && grep -q "rpi-rgb-led-matrix" "$PROJECT_ROOT_DIR/.gitmodules"; then
-                git submodule update --init --recursive rpi-rgb-led-matrix-master
+                retry git submodule update --init --recursive rpi-rgb-led-matrix-master
             else
-                git clone https://github.com/hzeller/rpi-rgb-led-matrix.git rpi-rgb-led-matrix-master
+                retry _clone_rpi_rgb
             fi
         fi
-        
+
         pushd "$PROJECT_ROOT_DIR/rpi-rgb-led-matrix-master" >/dev/null
-        echo "Building rpi-rgb-led-matrix Python bindings..."
-        # Build the library first, then Python bindings
-        # The build-python target depends on the library being built
-        if ! make build-python; then
-            echo "✗ Failed to build rpi-rgb-led-matrix Python bindings"
-            echo "  Make sure you have the required build tools installed:"
-            echo "  sudo apt install -y build-essential python3-dev cython3 scons"
-            popd >/dev/null
-            exit 1
+        echo "Installing rpi-rgb-led-matrix Python package (scikit-build-core + cmake)..."
+        echo "  Build deps required: python-dev-is-python3 cmake"
+        echo "  This compiles C++ — may take 2-5 minutes on Pi 4/5..."
+        BUILD_OUTPUT=$(mktemp)
+        BUILD_SUCCESS=false
+        if python3 -m pip install --break-system-packages . > "$BUILD_OUTPUT" 2>&1; then
+            BUILD_SUCCESS=true
         fi
-        cd bindings/python
-        echo "Installing rpi-rgb-led-matrix Python package via pip..."
-        if ! python3 -m pip install --break-system-packages .; then
+        cat "$BUILD_OUTPUT" >> "$LOG_FILE"
+        if [ "$BUILD_SUCCESS" != true ]; then
             echo "✗ Failed to install rpi-rgb-led-matrix Python package"
+            echo "  Ensure build tools are installed:"
+            echo "  sudo apt install -y python-dev-is-python3 cmake build-essential"
+            echo ""
+            echo "-- Last 50 lines of build output --"
+            tail -n 50 "$BUILD_OUTPUT"
+            rm -f "$BUILD_OUTPUT"
             popd >/dev/null
             exit 1
         fi
+        rm -f "$BUILD_OUTPUT"
         popd >/dev/null
     else
         echo "✗ rpi-rgb-led-matrix-master directory not found at $PROJECT_ROOT_DIR"
@@ -863,6 +945,17 @@ except Exception as e:
 PY
     then
         echo "✓ rpi-rgb-led-matrix installed and verified"
+        # Pi 5: confirm the freshly-built library has rp1_rio support
+        if [ "$IS_PI5" = "1" ]; then
+            if python3 -c 'from rgbmatrix import RGBMatrixOptions; assert hasattr(RGBMatrixOptions(), "rp1_rio")' >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+                echo "✓ Pi 5 RP1 (rp1_rio) support confirmed"
+            else
+                echo "⚠ rp1_rio not found after rebuild — the submodule may be an older version."
+                echo "  Try updating the submodule and rebuilding:"
+                echo "    git submodule update --remote rpi-rgb-led-matrix-master"
+                echo "    sudo RPI_RGB_FORCE_REBUILD=1 ./first_time_install.sh"
+            fi
+        fi
     else
         echo "✗ rpi-rgb-led-matrix import test failed"
         exit 1
@@ -885,11 +978,15 @@ else
     # Try to install dependencies using the smart installer if available
     if [ -f "$PROJECT_ROOT_DIR/scripts/install_dependencies_apt.py" ]; then
         echo "Using smart dependency installer..."
-        python3 "$PROJECT_ROOT_DIR/scripts/install_dependencies_apt.py"
+        # -u: unbuffered stdout/stderr so output is captured in $LOG_FILE in
+        # real time and in order relative to this script's own echo statements
+        python3 -u "$PROJECT_ROOT_DIR/scripts/install_dependencies_apt.py"
     else
         echo "Using pip to install dependencies..."
         if [ -f "$PROJECT_ROOT_DIR/requirements_web_v2.txt" ]; then
-            python3 -m pip install --break-system-packages --prefer-binary -r requirements_web_v2.txt
+            # --ignore-installed: see the Step 5 web_interface/requirements.txt
+            # install above — same apt/pip RECORD-file conflict applies here.
+            python3 -m pip install --break-system-packages --prefer-binary --ignore-installed -r requirements_web_v2.txt
         else
             echo "⚠ requirements_web_v2.txt not found; skipping web dependency install"
         fi
@@ -1110,6 +1207,7 @@ $ACTUAL_USER ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: $SYSTEMCTL_PATH restart ledmatrix-web.service
 $ACTUAL_USER ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: $PYTHON_PATH $PROJECT_ROOT_DIR/display_controller.py
 $ACTUAL_USER ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: $BASH_PATH $PROJECT_ROOT_DIR/start_display.sh
 $ACTUAL_USER ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: $BASH_PATH $PROJECT_ROOT_DIR/stop_display.sh
+$ACTUAL_USER ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: $BASH_PATH $PROJECT_ROOT_DIR/scripts/fix_perms/safe_plugin_rm.sh *
 EOF
 if [ -n "$JOURNALCTL_PATH" ]; then
     cat >> /tmp/ledmatrix_web_sudoers << EOF
@@ -1478,7 +1576,7 @@ echo "WiFi Connection Status:"
 if command -v nmcli >/dev/null 2>&1; then
     WIFI_STATUS=$(nmcli -t -f DEVICE,TYPE,STATE device status 2>/dev/null | grep -i wifi || echo "")
     if [ -n "$WIFI_STATUS" ]; then
-        echo "$WIFI_STATUS" | while IFS=':' read -r device type state; do
+        echo "$WIFI_STATUS" | while IFS=':' read -r _ _ state; do
             if [ "$state" = "connected" ]; then
                 SSID=$(nmcli -t -f active,ssid device wifi 2>/dev/null | grep "^yes:" | cut -d: -f2 | head -1)
                 if [ -n "$SSID" ]; then

plugin-repos/march-madness/config_schema.json

@@ -1,138 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
-  "title": "March Madness Plugin Configuration",
-  "type": "object",
-  "properties": {
-    "enabled": {
-      "type": "boolean",
-      "default": false,
-      "description": "Enable the March Madness tournament display"
-    },
-    "leagues": {
-      "type": "object",
-      "title": "Tournament Leagues",
-      "description": "Which NCAA tournaments to display",
-      "properties": {
-        "ncaam": {
-          "type": "boolean",
-          "default": true,
-          "description": "Show NCAA Men's Tournament games"
-        },
-        "ncaaw": {
-          "type": "boolean",
-          "default": true,
-          "description": "Show NCAA Women's Tournament games"
-        }
-      },
-      "additionalProperties": false
-    },
-    "favorite_teams": {
-      "type": "array",
-      "title": "Favorite Teams",
-      "description": "Team abbreviations to highlight (e.g., DUKE, UNC). Leave empty to show all teams equally.",
-      "items": {
-        "type": "string"
-      },
-      "uniqueItems": true,
-      "default": []
-    },
-    "display_options": {
-      "type": "object",
-      "title": "Display Options",
-      "x-collapsed": true,
-      "properties": {
-        "show_seeds": {
-          "type": "boolean",
-          "default": true,
-          "description": "Show tournament seeds (1-16) next to team names"
-        },
-        "show_round_logos": {
-          "type": "boolean",
-          "default": true,
-          "description": "Show round logo separators between game groups"
-        },
-        "highlight_upsets": {
-          "type": "boolean",
-          "default": true,
-          "description": "Highlight upset winners (higher seed beating lower seed) in gold"
-        },
-        "show_bracket_progress": {
-          "type": "boolean",
-          "default": true,
-          "description": "Show which teams are still alive in each region"
-        },
-        "scroll_speed": {
-          "type": "number",
-          "default": 1.0,
-          "minimum": 0.5,
-          "maximum": 5.0,
-          "description": "Scroll speed (pixels per frame)"
-        },
-        "scroll_delay": {
-          "type": "number",
-          "default": 0.02,
-          "minimum": 0.001,
-          "maximum": 0.1,
-          "description": "Delay between scroll frames (seconds)"
-        },
-        "target_fps": {
-          "type": "integer",
-          "default": 120,
-          "minimum": 30,
-          "maximum": 200,
-          "description": "Target frames per second"
-        },
-        "loop": {
-          "type": "boolean",
-          "default": true,
-          "description": "Loop the scroll continuously"
-        },
-        "dynamic_duration": {
-          "type": "boolean",
-          "default": true,
-          "description": "Automatically adjust display duration based on content width"
-        },
-        "min_duration": {
-          "type": "integer",
-          "default": 30,
-          "minimum": 10,
-          "maximum": 300,
-          "description": "Minimum display duration in seconds"
-        },
-        "max_duration": {
-          "type": "integer",
-          "default": 300,
-          "minimum": 30,
-          "maximum": 600,
-          "description": "Maximum display duration in seconds"
-        }
-      },
-      "additionalProperties": false
-    },
-    "data_settings": {
-      "type": "object",
-      "title": "Data Settings",
-      "x-collapsed": true,
-      "properties": {
-        "update_interval": {
-          "type": "integer",
-          "default": 300,
-          "minimum": 60,
-          "maximum": 3600,
-          "description": "How often to refresh tournament data (seconds). Automatically shortens to 60s when live games are detected."
-        },
-        "request_timeout": {
-          "type": "integer",
-          "default": 30,
-          "minimum": 5,
-          "maximum": 60,
-          "description": "API request timeout in seconds"
-        }
-      },
-      "additionalProperties": false
-    }
-  },
-  "required": ["enabled"],
-  "additionalProperties": false,
-  "x-propertyOrder": ["enabled", "leagues", "favorite_teams", "display_options", "data_settings"]
-}

plugin-repos/march-madness/manager.py

@@ -1,910 +0,0 @@
-"""March Madness Plugin — NCAA Tournament bracket tracker for LED Matrix.
-
-Displays a horizontally-scrolling ticker of NCAA Tournament games grouped by
-round, with seeds, round logos, live scores, and upset highlighting.
-"""
-
-import re
-import threading
-import time
-from datetime import datetime, timedelta, timezone
-from pathlib import Path
-from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional
-
-import numpy as np
-import pytz
-import requests
-from PIL import Image, ImageDraw, ImageFont
-from requests.adapters import HTTPAdapter
-from urllib3.util.retry import Retry
-
-from src.plugin_system.base_plugin import BasePlugin
-
-try:
-    from src.common.scroll_helper import ScrollHelper
-except ImportError:
-    ScrollHelper = None
-
-
-# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-# Constants
-# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-SCOREBOARD_URLS = {
-    "ncaam": "https://site.api.espn.com/apis/site/v2/sports/basketball/mens-college-basketball/scoreboard",
-    "ncaaw": "https://site.api.espn.com/apis/site/v2/sports/basketball/womens-college-basketball/scoreboard",
-}
-
-ROUND_ORDER = {"NCG": 0, "F4": 1, "E8": 2, "S16": 3, "R32": 4, "R64": 5, "": 6}
-
-ROUND_DISPLAY_NAMES = {
-    "NCG": "Championship",
-    "F4": "Final Four",
-    "E8": "Elite Eight",
-    "S16": "Sweet Sixteen",
-    "R32": "Round of 32",
-    "R64": "Round of 64",
-}
-
-ROUND_LOGO_FILES = {
-    "NCG": "CHAMPIONSHIP.png",
-    "F4": "FINAL_4.png",
-    "E8": "ELITE_8.png",
-    "S16": "SWEET_16.png",
-    "R32": "ROUND_32.png",
-    "R64": "ROUND_64.png",
-}
-
-REGION_ORDER = {"E": 0, "W": 1, "S": 2, "MW": 3, "": 4}
-
-# Colors
-COLOR_WHITE = (255, 255, 255)
-COLOR_GOLD = (255, 215, 0)
-COLOR_GRAY = (160, 160, 160)
-COLOR_DIM = (100, 100, 100)
-COLOR_RED = (255, 60, 60)
-COLOR_GREEN = (60, 200, 60)
-COLOR_BLACK = (0, 0, 0)
-COLOR_DARK_BG = (20, 20, 20)
-
-
-# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-# Plugin Class
-# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-class MarchMadnessPlugin(BasePlugin):
-    """NCAA March Madness tournament bracket tracker."""
-
-    def __init__(
-        self,
-        plugin_id: str,
-        config: Dict[str, Any],
-        display_manager: Any,
-        cache_manager: Any,
-        plugin_manager: Any,
-    ):
-        super().__init__(plugin_id, config, display_manager, cache_manager, plugin_manager)
-
-        # Config
-        leagues_config = config.get("leagues", {})
-        self.show_ncaam: bool = leagues_config.get("ncaam", True)
-        self.show_ncaaw: bool = leagues_config.get("ncaaw", True)
-        self.favorite_teams: List[str] = [t.upper() for t in config.get("favorite_teams", [])]
-
-        display_options = config.get("display_options", {})
-        self.show_seeds: bool = display_options.get("show_seeds", True)
-        self.show_round_logos: bool = display_options.get("show_round_logos", True)
-        self.highlight_upsets: bool = display_options.get("highlight_upsets", True)
-        self.show_bracket_progress: bool = display_options.get("show_bracket_progress", True)
-        self.scroll_speed: float = display_options.get("scroll_speed", 1.0)
-        self.scroll_delay: float = display_options.get("scroll_delay", 0.02)
-        self.target_fps: int = display_options.get("target_fps", 120)
-        self.loop: bool = display_options.get("loop", True)
-        self.dynamic_duration_enabled: bool = display_options.get("dynamic_duration", True)
-        self.min_duration: int = display_options.get("min_duration", 30)
-        self.max_duration: int = display_options.get("max_duration", 300)
-        if self.min_duration > self.max_duration:
-            self.logger.warning(
-                f"min_duration ({self.min_duration}) > max_duration ({self.max_duration}); swapping values"
-            )
-            self.min_duration, self.max_duration = self.max_duration, self.min_duration
-
-        data_settings = config.get("data_settings", {})
-        self.update_interval: int = data_settings.get("update_interval", 300)
-        self.request_timeout: int = data_settings.get("request_timeout", 30)
-
-        # Scrolling flag for display controller
-        self.enable_scrolling = True
-
-        # State
-        self.games_data: List[Dict] = []
-        self.ticker_image: Optional[Image.Image] = None
-        self.last_update: float = 0
-        self.dynamic_duration: float = 60
-        self.total_scroll_width: int = 0
-        self._display_start_time: Optional[float] = None
-        self._end_reached_logged: bool = False
-        self._update_lock = threading.Lock()
-        self._has_live_games: bool = False
-        self._cached_dynamic_duration: Optional[float] = None
-        self._duration_cache_time: float = 0
-
-        # Display dimensions
-        self.display_width: int = self.display_manager.matrix.width
-        self.display_height: int = self.display_manager.matrix.height
-
-        # HTTP session with retry
-        self.session = requests.Session()
-        retry = Retry(total=3, backoff_factor=1, status_forcelist=[429, 500, 502, 503, 504])
-        self.session.mount("https://", HTTPAdapter(max_retries=retry))
-        self.headers = {"User-Agent": "LEDMatrix/2.0"}
-
-        # ScrollHelper
-        if ScrollHelper:
-            self.scroll_helper = ScrollHelper(self.display_width, self.display_height, logger=self.logger)
-            if hasattr(self.scroll_helper, "set_frame_based_scrolling"):
-                self.scroll_helper.set_frame_based_scrolling(True)
-            self.scroll_helper.set_scroll_speed(self.scroll_speed)
-            self.scroll_helper.set_scroll_delay(self.scroll_delay)
-            if hasattr(self.scroll_helper, "set_target_fps"):
-                self.scroll_helper.set_target_fps(self.target_fps)
-            self.scroll_helper.set_dynamic_duration_settings(
-                enabled=self.dynamic_duration_enabled,
-                min_duration=self.min_duration,
-                max_duration=self.max_duration,
-                buffer=0.1,
-            )
-        else:
-            self.scroll_helper = None
-            self.logger.warning("ScrollHelper not available")
-
-        # Fonts
-        self.fonts = self._load_fonts()
-
-        # Logos
-        self._round_logos: Dict[str, Image.Image] = {}
-        self._team_logo_cache: Dict[str, Optional[Image.Image]] = {}
-        self._march_madness_logo: Optional[Image.Image] = None
-        self._load_round_logos()
-
-        self.logger.info(
-            f"MarchMadnessPlugin initialized — NCAAM: {self.show_ncaam}, "
-            f"NCAAW: {self.show_ncaaw}, favorites: {self.favorite_teams}"
-        )
-
-    # ------------------------------------------------------------------
-    # Fonts
-    # ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-    def _load_fonts(self) -> Dict[str, ImageFont.FreeTypeFont]:
-        fonts = {}
-        try:
-            fonts["score"] = ImageFont.truetype("assets/fonts/PressStart2P-Regular.ttf", 10)
-        except IOError:
-            fonts["score"] = ImageFont.load_default()
-        try:
-            fonts["time"] = ImageFont.truetype("assets/fonts/PressStart2P-Regular.ttf", 8)
-        except IOError:
-            fonts["time"] = ImageFont.load_default()
-        try:
-            fonts["detail"] = ImageFont.truetype("assets/fonts/4x6-font.ttf", 6)
-        except IOError:
-            fonts["detail"] = ImageFont.load_default()
-        return fonts
-
-    # ------------------------------------------------------------------
-    # Logo loading
-    # ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-    def _load_round_logos(self) -> None:
-        logo_dir = Path("assets/sports/ncaa_logos")
-        for round_key, filename in ROUND_LOGO_FILES.items():
-            path = logo_dir / filename
-            try:
-                img = Image.open(path).convert("RGBA")
-                # Resize to fit display height
-                target_h = self.display_height - 4
-                ratio = target_h / img.height
-                target_w = int(img.width * ratio)
-                self._round_logos[round_key] = img.resize((target_w, target_h), Image.Resampling.LANCZOS)
-            except (OSError, ValueError) as e:
-                self.logger.warning(f"Could not load round logo {filename}: {e}")
-            except Exception:
-                self.logger.exception(f"Unexpected error loading round logo {filename}")
-
-        # March Madness logo
-        mm_path = logo_dir / "MARCH_MADNESS.png"
-        try:
-            img = Image.open(mm_path).convert("RGBA")
-            target_h = self.display_height - 4
-            ratio = target_h / img.height
-            target_w = int(img.width * ratio)
-            self._march_madness_logo = img.resize((target_w, target_h), Image.Resampling.LANCZOS)
-        except (OSError, ValueError) as e:
-            self.logger.warning(f"Could not load March Madness logo: {e}")
-        except Exception:
-            self.logger.exception("Unexpected error loading March Madness logo")
-
-    def _get_team_logo(self, abbr: str) -> Optional[Image.Image]:
-        if abbr in self._team_logo_cache:
-            return self._team_logo_cache[abbr]
-        logo_dir = Path("assets/sports/ncaa_logos")
-        path = logo_dir / f"{abbr}.png"
-        try:
-            img = Image.open(path).convert("RGBA")
-            target_h = self.display_height - 6
-            ratio = target_h / img.height
-            target_w = int(img.width * ratio)
-            img = img.resize((target_w, target_h), Image.Resampling.LANCZOS)
-            self._team_logo_cache[abbr] = img
-            return img
-        except (FileNotFoundError, OSError, ValueError):
-            self._team_logo_cache[abbr] = None
-            return None
-        except Exception:
-            self.logger.exception(f"Unexpected error loading team logo for {abbr}")
-            self._team_logo_cache[abbr] = None
-            return None
-
-    # ------------------------------------------------------------------
-    # Data fetching
-    # ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-    def _is_tournament_window(self) -> bool:
-        today = datetime.now(pytz.utc)
-        return (3, 10) <= (today.month, today.day) <= (4, 10)
-
-    def _fetch_tournament_data(self) -> List[Dict]:
-        """Fetch tournament games from ESPN scoreboard API."""
-        all_games: List[Dict] = []
-
-        leagues = []
-        if self.show_ncaam:
-            leagues.append("ncaam")
-        if self.show_ncaaw:
-            leagues.append("ncaaw")
-
-        for league_key in leagues:
-            url = SCOREBOARD_URLS.get(league_key)
-            if not url:
-                continue
-
-            cache_key = f"march_madness_{league_key}_scoreboard"
-            cache_max_age = 60 if self._has_live_games else self.update_interval
-            cached = self.cache_manager.get(cache_key, max_age=cache_max_age)
-            if cached:
-                all_games.extend(cached)
-                continue
-
-            try:
-                # NCAA basketball scoreboard without dates param returns current games
-                params = {"limit": 1000, "groups": 100}
-                resp = self.session.get(url, params=params, headers=self.headers, timeout=self.request_timeout)
-                resp.raise_for_status()
-                data = resp.json()
-                events = data.get("events", [])
-
-                league_games = []
-                for event in events:
-                    game = self._parse_event(event, league_key)
-                    if game:
-                        league_games.append(game)
-
-                self.cache_manager.set(cache_key, league_games)
-                self.logger.info(f"Fetched {len(league_games)} {league_key} tournament games")
-                all_games.extend(league_games)
-
-            except Exception:
-                self.logger.exception(f"Error fetching {league_key} tournament data")
-
-        return all_games
-
-    def _parse_event(self, event: Dict, league_key: str) -> Optional[Dict]:
-        """Parse an ESPN event into a game dict."""
-        competitions = event.get("competitions", [])
-        if not competitions:
-            return None
-        comp = competitions[0]
-
-        # Confirm tournament game
-        comp_type = comp.get("type", {})
-        is_tournament = comp_type.get("abbreviation") == "TRNMNT"
-        notes = comp.get("notes", [])
-        headline = ""
-        if notes:
-            headline = notes[0].get("headline", "")
-            if not is_tournament and "Championship" in headline:
-                is_tournament = True
-        if not is_tournament:
-            return None
-
-        # Status
-        status = comp.get("status", {}).get("type", {})
-        state = status.get("state", "pre")
-        status_detail = status.get("shortDetail", "")
-
-        # Teams
-        competitors = comp.get("competitors", [])
-        home_team = next((c for c in competitors if c.get("homeAway") == "home"), None)
-        away_team = next((c for c in competitors if c.get("homeAway") == "away"), None)
-        if not home_team or not away_team:
-            return None
-
-        home_abbr = home_team.get("team", {}).get("abbreviation", "???")
-        away_abbr = away_team.get("team", {}).get("abbreviation", "???")
-        home_score = home_team.get("score", "0")
-        away_score = away_team.get("score", "0")
-
-        # Seeds
-        home_seed = home_team.get("curatedRank", {}).get("current", 0)
-        away_seed = away_team.get("curatedRank", {}).get("current", 0)
-        if home_seed >= 99:
-            home_seed = 0
-        if away_seed >= 99:
-            away_seed = 0
-
-        # Round and region
-        tournament_round = self._parse_round(headline)
-        tournament_region = self._parse_region(headline)
-
-        # Date/time
-        date_str = event.get("date", "")
-        start_time_utc = None
-        game_date = ""
-        game_time = ""
-        try:
-            if date_str.endswith("Z"):
-                date_str = date_str.replace("Z", "+00:00")
-            dt = datetime.fromisoformat(date_str)
-            if dt.tzinfo is None:
-                start_time_utc = dt.replace(tzinfo=pytz.UTC)
-            else:
-                start_time_utc = dt.astimezone(pytz.UTC)
-            local = start_time_utc.astimezone(pytz.timezone("US/Eastern"))
-            game_date = local.strftime("%-m/%-d")
-            game_time = local.strftime("%-I:%M%p").replace("AM", "am").replace("PM", "pm")
-        except (ValueError, AttributeError):
-            pass
-
-        # Period / clock for live games
-        period = 0
-        clock = ""
-        period_text = ""
-        is_halftime = False
-        if state == "in":
-            status_obj = comp.get("status", {})
-            period = status_obj.get("period", 0)
-            clock = status_obj.get("displayClock", "")
-            detail_lower = status_detail.lower()
-            uses_quarters = league_key == "ncaaw" or "quarter" in detail_lower or detail_lower.startswith("q")
-            if period <= (4 if uses_quarters else 2):
-                period_text = f"Q{period}" if uses_quarters else f"H{period}"
-            else:
-                ot_num = period - (4 if uses_quarters else 2)
-                period_text = f"OT{ot_num}" if ot_num > 1 else "OT"
-            if "halftime" in detail_lower:
-                is_halftime = True
-        elif state == "post":
-            period_text = status.get("shortDetail", "Final")
-            if "Final" not in period_text:
-                period_text = "Final"
-
-        # Determine winner and upset
-        is_final = state == "post"
-        is_upset = False
-        winner_side = ""
-        if is_final:
-            try:
-                h = int(float(home_score))
-                a = int(float(away_score))
-                if h > a:
-                    winner_side = "home"
-                    if home_seed > away_seed > 0:
-                        is_upset = True
-                elif a > h:
-                    winner_side = "away"
-                    if away_seed > home_seed > 0:
-                        is_upset = True
-            except (ValueError, TypeError):
-                pass
-
-        return {
-            "id": event.get("id", ""),
-            "league": league_key,
-            "home_abbr": home_abbr,
-            "away_abbr": away_abbr,
-            "home_score": str(home_score),
-            "away_score": str(away_score),
-            "home_seed": home_seed,
-            "away_seed": away_seed,
-            "tournament_round": tournament_round,
-            "tournament_region": tournament_region,
-            "state": state,
-            "is_final": is_final,
-            "is_live": state == "in",
-            "is_upcoming": state == "pre",
-            "is_halftime": is_halftime,
-            "period": period,
-            "period_text": period_text,
-            "clock": clock,
-            "status_detail": status_detail,
-            "game_date": game_date,
-            "game_time": game_time,
-            "start_time_utc": start_time_utc,
-            "is_upset": is_upset,
-            "winner_side": winner_side,
-            "headline": headline,
-        }
-
-    @staticmethod
-    def _parse_round(headline: str) -> str:
-        hl = headline.lower()
-        if "national championship" in hl:
-            return "NCG"
-        if "final four" in hl:
-            return "F4"
-        if "elite 8" in hl or "elite eight" in hl:
-            return "E8"
-        if "sweet 16" in hl or "sweet sixteen" in hl:
-            return "S16"
-        if "2nd round" in hl or "second round" in hl:
-            return "R32"
-        if "1st round" in hl or "first round" in hl:
-            return "R64"
-        return ""
-
-    @staticmethod
-    def _parse_region(headline: str) -> str:
-        if "East Region" in headline:
-            return "E"
-        if "West Region" in headline:
-            return "W"
-        if "South Region" in headline:
-            return "S"
-        if "Midwest Region" in headline:
-            return "MW"
-        m = re.search(r"Regional (\d+)", headline)
-        if m:
-            return f"R{m.group(1)}"
-        return ""
-
-    # ------------------------------------------------------------------
-    # Game processing
-    # ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-    def _process_games(self, games: List[Dict]) -> Dict[str, List[Dict]]:
-        """Group games by round, sorted by round significance then region/seed."""
-        grouped: Dict[str, List[Dict]] = {}
-        for game in games:
-            rnd = game.get("tournament_round", "")
-            grouped.setdefault(rnd, []).append(game)
-
-        # Sort each round's games by region then seed matchup
-        for rnd, round_games in grouped.items():
-            round_games.sort(
-                key=lambda g: (
-                    REGION_ORDER.get(g.get("tournament_region", ""), 4),
-                    min(g.get("away_seed", 99), g.get("home_seed", 99)),
-                )
-            )
-
-        return grouped
-
-    # ------------------------------------------------------------------
-    # Rendering
-    # ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-    def _draw_text_with_outline(
-        self,
-        draw: ImageDraw.Draw,
-        text: str,
-        xy: tuple,
-        font: ImageFont.FreeTypeFont,
-        fill: tuple = COLOR_WHITE,
-        outline: tuple = COLOR_BLACK,
-    ) -> None:
-        x, y = xy
-        for dx in (-1, 0, 1):
-            for dy in (-1, 0, 1):
-                if dx or dy:
-                    draw.text((x + dx, y + dy), text, font=font, fill=outline)
-        draw.text((x, y), text, font=font, fill=fill)
-
-    def _create_round_separator(self, round_key: str) -> Image.Image:
-        """Create a separator tile for a tournament round."""
-        height = self.display_height
-        name = ROUND_DISPLAY_NAMES.get(round_key, round_key)
-        font = self.fonts["time"]
-
-        # Measure text
-        tmp = Image.new("RGB", (1, 1))
-        tmp_draw = ImageDraw.Draw(tmp)
-        text_width = int(tmp_draw.textlength(name, font=font))
-
-        # Logo on each side
-        logo = self._round_logos.get(round_key, self._march_madness_logo)
-        logo_w = logo.width if logo else 0
-        padding = 6
-
-        total_w = padding + logo_w + padding + text_width + padding + logo_w + padding
-        total_w = max(total_w, 80)
-
-        img = Image.new("RGB", (total_w, height), COLOR_DARK_BG)
-        draw = ImageDraw.Draw(img)
-
-        # Draw logos
-        x = padding
-        if logo:
-            logo_y = (height - logo.height) // 2
-            img.paste(logo, (x, logo_y), logo)
-            x += logo_w + padding
-
-        # Draw round name
-        text_y = (height - 8) // 2  # 8px font
-        self._draw_text_with_outline(draw, name, (x, text_y), font, fill=COLOR_GOLD)
-        x += text_width + padding
-
-        if logo:
-            logo_y = (height - logo.height) // 2
-            img.paste(logo, (x, logo_y), logo)
-
-        return img
-
-    def _create_game_tile(self, game: Dict) -> Image.Image:
-        """Create a single game tile for the scrolling ticker."""
-        height = self.display_height
-        font_score = self.fonts["score"]
-        font_time = self.fonts["time"]
-        font_detail = self.fonts["detail"]
-
-        # Load team logos
-        away_logo = self._get_team_logo(game["away_abbr"])
-        home_logo = self._get_team_logo(game["home_abbr"])
-        logo_w = 0
-        if away_logo:
-            logo_w = max(logo_w, away_logo.width)
-        if home_logo:
-            logo_w = max(logo_w, home_logo.width)
-        if logo_w == 0:
-            logo_w = 24
-
-        # Build text elements
-        away_seed_str = f"({game['away_seed']})" if self.show_seeds and game.get("away_seed", 0) > 0 else ""
-        home_seed_str = f"({game['home_seed']})" if self.show_seeds and game.get("home_seed", 0) > 0 else ""
-        away_text = f"{away_seed_str}{game['away_abbr']}"
-        home_text = f"{game['home_abbr']}{home_seed_str}"
-
-        # Measure text widths
-        tmp = Image.new("RGB", (1, 1))
-        tmp_draw = ImageDraw.Draw(tmp)
-        away_text_w = int(tmp_draw.textlength(away_text, font=font_detail))
-        home_text_w = int(tmp_draw.textlength(home_text, font=font_detail))
-
-        # Center content: status line
-        if game["is_live"]:
-            if game["is_halftime"]:
-                status_text = "Halftime"
-            else:
-                status_text = f"{game['period_text']} {game['clock']}".strip()
-        elif game["is_final"]:
-            status_text = game.get("period_text", "Final")
-        else:
-            status_text = f"{game['game_date']} {game['game_time']}".strip()
-
-        status_w = int(tmp_draw.textlength(status_text, font=font_time))
-
-        # Score line (for live/final)
-        score_text = ""
-        if game["is_live"] or game["is_final"]:
-            score_text = f"{game['away_score']}-{game['home_score']}"
-        score_w = int(tmp_draw.textlength(score_text, font=font_score)) if score_text else 0
-
-        # Calculate tile width
-        h_pad = 4
-        center_w = max(status_w, score_w, 40)
-        tile_w = h_pad + logo_w + h_pad + away_text_w + h_pad + center_w + h_pad + home_text_w + h_pad + logo_w + h_pad
-
-        img = Image.new("RGB", (tile_w, height), COLOR_BLACK)
-        draw = ImageDraw.Draw(img)
-
-        # Paste away logo
-        x = h_pad
-        if away_logo:
-            logo_y = (height - away_logo.height) // 2
-            img.paste(away_logo, (x, logo_y), away_logo)
-        x += logo_w + h_pad
-
-        # Away team text (seed + abbr)
-        is_fav_away = game["away_abbr"] in self.favorite_teams if self.favorite_teams else False
-        away_color = COLOR_GOLD if is_fav_away else COLOR_WHITE
-        if game["is_final"] and game["winner_side"] == "away" and self.highlight_upsets and game["is_upset"]:
-            away_color = COLOR_GOLD
-        team_text_y = (height - 6) // 2 - 5  # Upper half
-        self._draw_text_with_outline(draw, away_text, (x, team_text_y), font_detail, fill=away_color)
-        x += away_text_w + h_pad
-
-        # Center block
-        center_x = x
-        center_mid = center_x + center_w // 2
-
-        # Status text (top center of center block)
-        status_x = center_mid - status_w // 2
-        status_y = 2
-        status_color = COLOR_GREEN if game["is_live"] else COLOR_GRAY
-        self._draw_text_with_outline(draw, status_text, (status_x, status_y), font_time, fill=status_color)
-
-        # Score (bottom center of center block, for live/final)
-        if score_text:
-            score_x = center_mid - score_w // 2
-            score_y = height - 13
-            # Upset highlighting
-            if game["is_final"] and game["is_upset"] and self.highlight_upsets:
-                score_color = COLOR_GOLD
-            elif game["is_live"]:
-                score_color = COLOR_WHITE
-            else:
-                score_color = COLOR_WHITE
-            self._draw_text_with_outline(draw, score_text, (score_x, score_y), font_score, fill=score_color)
-
-        # Date for final games (below score)
-        if game["is_final"] and game.get("game_date"):
-            date_w = int(draw.textlength(game["game_date"], font=font_detail))
-            date_x = center_mid - date_w // 2
-            date_y = height - 6
-            self._draw_text_with_outline(draw, game["game_date"], (date_x, date_y), font_detail, fill=COLOR_DIM)
-
-        x = center_x + center_w + h_pad
-
-        # Home team text
-        is_fav_home = game["home_abbr"] in self.favorite_teams if self.favorite_teams else False
-        home_color = COLOR_GOLD if is_fav_home else COLOR_WHITE
-        if game["is_final"] and game["winner_side"] == "home" and self.highlight_upsets and game["is_upset"]:
-            home_color = COLOR_GOLD
-        self._draw_text_with_outline(draw, home_text, (x, team_text_y), font_detail, fill=home_color)
-        x += home_text_w + h_pad
-
-        # Paste home logo
-        if home_logo:
-            logo_y = (height - home_logo.height) // 2
-            img.paste(home_logo, (x, logo_y), home_logo)
-
-        return img
-
-    def _create_ticker_image(self) -> None:
-        """Build the full scrolling ticker image from game tiles."""
-        if not self.games_data:
-            self.ticker_image = None
-            if self.scroll_helper:
-                self.scroll_helper.clear_cache()
-            return
-
-        grouped = self._process_games(self.games_data)
-        content_items: List[Image.Image] = []
-
-        # Order rounds by significance (most important first)
-        sorted_rounds = sorted(grouped.keys(), key=lambda r: ROUND_ORDER.get(r, 6))
-
-        for rnd in sorted_rounds:
-            games = grouped[rnd]
-            if not games:
-                continue
-
-            # Add round separator
-            if self.show_round_logos and rnd:
-                separator = self._create_round_separator(rnd)
-                content_items.append(separator)
-
-            # Add game tiles
-            for game in games:
-                tile = self._create_game_tile(game)
-                content_items.append(tile)
-
-        if not content_items:
-            self.ticker_image = None
-            if self.scroll_helper:
-                self.scroll_helper.clear_cache()
-            return
-
-        if not self.scroll_helper:
-            self.ticker_image = None
-            return
-
-        gap_width = 16
-
-        # Use ScrollHelper to create the scrolling image
-        self.ticker_image = self.scroll_helper.create_scrolling_image(
-            content_items=content_items,
-            item_gap=gap_width,
-            element_gap=0,
-        )
-
-        self.total_scroll_width = self.scroll_helper.total_scroll_width
-        self.dynamic_duration = self.scroll_helper.get_dynamic_duration()
-
-        self.logger.info(
-            f"Ticker image created: {self.ticker_image.width}px wide, "
-            f"{len(self.games_data)} games, dynamic_duration={self.dynamic_duration:.0f}s"
-        )
-
-    # ------------------------------------------------------------------
-    # Plugin lifecycle
-    # ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-    def update(self) -> None:
-        """Fetch and process tournament data."""
-        if not self.enabled:
-            return
-
-        current_time = time.time()
-        # Use shorter interval if live games detected
-        interval = 60 if self._has_live_games else self.update_interval
-        if current_time - self.last_update < interval:
-            return
-
-        with self._update_lock:
-            self.last_update = current_time
-
-            if not self._is_tournament_window():
-                self.logger.debug("Outside tournament window, skipping fetch")
-                self.games_data = []
-                self.ticker_image = None
-                if self.scroll_helper:
-                    self.scroll_helper.clear_cache()
-                return
-
-            try:
-                games = self._fetch_tournament_data()
-                self._has_live_games = any(g["is_live"] for g in games)
-                self.games_data = games
-                self._create_ticker_image()
-                self.logger.info(
-                    f"Updated: {len(games)} games, "
-                    f"live={self._has_live_games}"
-                )
-            except Exception as e:
-                self.logger.error(f"Update error: {e}", exc_info=True)
-
-    def display(self, force_clear: bool = False) -> None:
-        """Render one scroll frame."""
-        if not self.enabled:
-            return
-
-        if force_clear or self._display_start_time is None:
-            self._display_start_time = time.time()
-            if self.scroll_helper:
-                self.scroll_helper.reset_scroll()
-            self._end_reached_logged = False
-
-        if not self.games_data or self.ticker_image is None:
-            self._display_fallback()
-            return
-
-        if not self.scroll_helper:
-            self._display_fallback()
-            return
-
-        try:
-            if self.loop or not self.scroll_helper.is_scroll_complete():
-                self.scroll_helper.update_scroll_position()
-            elif not self._end_reached_logged:
-                self.logger.info("Scroll complete")
-                self._end_reached_logged = True
-
-            visible = self.scroll_helper.get_visible_portion()
-            if visible is None:
-                self._display_fallback()
-                return
-
-            self.dynamic_duration = self.scroll_helper.get_dynamic_duration()
-
-            matrix_w = self.display_manager.matrix.width
-            matrix_h = self.display_manager.matrix.height
-            if not hasattr(self.display_manager, "image") or self.display_manager.image is None:
-                self.display_manager.image = Image.new("RGB", (matrix_w, matrix_h), COLOR_BLACK)
-            self.display_manager.image.paste(visible, (0, 0))
-            self.display_manager.update_display()
-            self.scroll_helper.log_frame_rate()
-
-        except Exception as e:
-            self.logger.error(f"Display error: {e}", exc_info=True)
-            self._display_fallback()
-
-    def _display_fallback(self) -> None:
-        w = self.display_manager.matrix.width
-        h = self.display_manager.matrix.height
-        img = Image.new("RGB", (w, h), COLOR_BLACK)
-        draw = ImageDraw.Draw(img)
-
-        if self._is_tournament_window():
-            text = "No games"
-        else:
-            text = "Off-season"
-
-        text_w = int(draw.textlength(text, font=self.fonts["time"]))
-        text_x = (w - text_w) // 2
-        text_y = (h - 8) // 2
-        draw.text((text_x, text_y), text, font=self.fonts["time"], fill=COLOR_GRAY)
-
-        # Show March Madness logo if available
-        if self._march_madness_logo:
-            logo_y = (h - self._march_madness_logo.height) // 2
-            img.paste(self._march_madness_logo, (2, logo_y), self._march_madness_logo)
-
-        self.display_manager.image = img
-        self.display_manager.update_display()
-
-    # ------------------------------------------------------------------
-    # Duration / cycle management
-    # ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-    def get_display_duration(self) -> float:
-        current_time = time.time()
-        if self._cached_dynamic_duration is not None:
-            cache_age = current_time - self._duration_cache_time
-            if cache_age < 5.0:
-                return self._cached_dynamic_duration
-
-        self._cached_dynamic_duration = self.dynamic_duration
-        self._duration_cache_time = current_time
-        return self.dynamic_duration
-
-    def supports_dynamic_duration(self) -> bool:
-        if not self.enabled:
-            return False
-        return self.dynamic_duration_enabled
-
-    def is_cycle_complete(self) -> bool:
-        if not self.supports_dynamic_duration():
-            return True
-        if self._display_start_time is not None and self.dynamic_duration > 0:
-            elapsed = time.time() - self._display_start_time
-            if elapsed >= self.dynamic_duration:
-                return True
-        if not self.loop and self.scroll_helper and self.scroll_helper.is_scroll_complete():
-            return True
-        return False
-
-    def reset_cycle_state(self) -> None:
-        super().reset_cycle_state()
-        self._display_start_time = None
-        self._end_reached_logged = False
-        if self.scroll_helper:
-            self.scroll_helper.reset_scroll()
-
-    # ------------------------------------------------------------------
-    # Vegas mode
-    # ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-    def get_vegas_content(self):
-        if not self.games_data:
-            return None
-        tiles = []
-        for game in self.games_data:
-            tiles.append(self._create_game_tile(game))
-        return tiles if tiles else None
-
-    def get_vegas_content_type(self) -> str:
-        return "multi"
-
-    # ------------------------------------------------------------------
-    # Info / cleanup
-    # ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-    def get_info(self) -> Dict:
-        info = super().get_info()
-        info["total_games"] = len(self.games_data)
-        info["has_live_games"] = self._has_live_games
-        info["dynamic_duration"] = self.dynamic_duration
-        info["tournament_window"] = self._is_tournament_window()
-        return info
-
-    def cleanup(self) -> None:
-        self.games_data = []
-        self.ticker_image = None
-        if self.scroll_helper:
-            self.scroll_helper.clear_cache()
-        self._team_logo_cache.clear()
-        if self.session:
-            self.session.close()
-            self.session = None
-        super().cleanup()

plugin-repos/march-madness/manifest.json

@@ -1,37 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "id": "march-madness",
-  "name": "March Madness",
-  "version": "1.0.0",
-  "description": "NCAA March Madness tournament bracket tracker with round branding, seeded matchups, live scores, and upset highlighting",
-  "author": "ChuckBuilds",
-  "category": "sports",
-  "tags": [
-    "ncaa",
-    "basketball",
-    "march-madness",
-    "tournament",
-    "bracket",
-    "scrolling"
-  ],
-  "repo": "https://github.com/ChuckBuilds/ledmatrix-plugins",
-  "branch": "main",
-  "plugin_path": "plugins/march-madness",
-  "versions": [
-    {
-      "version": "1.0.0",
-      "ledmatrix_min": "2.0.0",
-      "released": "2026-02-16"
-    }
-  ],
-  "stars": 0,
-  "downloads": 0,
-  "last_updated": "2026-02-16",
-  "verified": true,
-  "screenshot": "",
-  "display_modes": [
-    "march_madness"
-  ],
-  "dependencies": {},
-  "entry_point": "manager.py",
-  "class_name": "MarchMadnessPlugin"
-}

plugin-repos/march-madness/requirements.txt

@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-requests>=2.28.0
-Pillow>=10.3.0
-pytz>=2022.1
-numpy>=1.24.0

plugin-repos/starlark-apps/manifest.json

@@ -22,5 +22,6 @@
     "Pillow>=10.0.0",
     "PyYAML>=6.0",
     "requests>=2.31.0"
-  ]
+  ],
+  "local_only": true
 }

plugin-repos/starlark-apps/requirements.txt

@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
-Pillow>=10.4.0
+Pillow>=12.2.0
 PyYAML>=6.0.2
-requests>=2.32.0
+requests>=2.33.0

requirements-test.txt

@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+# Test-only dependencies for the plugin safety harness and pytest suite.
+# Install alongside requirements.txt:  pip install -r requirements.txt -r requirements-test.txt
+#
+# pytest, pytest-cov, pytest-mock, and jsonschema are already pinned (with
+# major-version caps) in requirements.txt, so they are intentionally NOT
+# repeated here — re-pinning pytest to <9 collided with requirements.txt's
+# pytest>=9.0.3,<10 and made the two files impossible to install together.
+# Only declare what requirements.txt doesn't already provide.
+freezegun>=1.2,<2        # deterministic time for golden-image tests

requirements.txt

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 # Tested on Raspbian OS 12 (Bookworm) and 13 (Trixie)
 
 # Image processing
-Pillow>=10.4.0,<12.0.0
+Pillow>=12.2.0,<13.0.0
 numpy>=1.24.0  # For fast array operations in ScrollHelper (compatible with 2.x)
 
 # Timezone handling
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ timezonefinder>=6.5.0,<7.0.0  # Updated for better performance and accuracy
 geopy>=2.4.1,<3.0.0
 
 # HTTP requests
-requests>=2.32.0,<3.0.0
+requests>=2.33.0,<3.0.0
 
 # Google API integration
 google-auth-oauthlib>=1.2.0,<2.0.0
@@ -23,10 +23,10 @@ google-api-python-client>=2.147.0,<3.0.0
 freetype-py>=2.5.1,<3.0.0
 
 # Spotify integration
-spotipy>=2.24.0,<3.0.0
+spotipy>=2.25.2,<3.0.0
 
 # Flask web framework
-Flask>=3.0.0,<4.0.0
+Flask>=3.1.3,<4.0.0
 
 # Text processing
 unidecode>=1.3.8,<2.0.0
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ unidecode>=1.3.8,<2.0.0
 icalevents>=0.1.27,<1.0.0
 
 # WebSocket support
-python-socketio>=5.11.0,<6.0.0
+python-socketio>=5.14.0,<6.0.0
 python-engineio>=4.9.0,<5.0.0
 websockets>=12.0,<14.0
 websocket-client>=1.8.0,<2.0.0
@@ -43,8 +43,11 @@ websocket-client>=1.8.0,<2.0.0
 # JSON Schema validation
 jsonschema>=4.20.0,<5.0.0
 
+# Requirement specifier parsing (plugin dependency satisfaction checks)
+packaging>=23.0,<27.0
+
 # Testing dependencies
-pytest>=7.4.0,<8.0.0
+pytest>=9.0.3,<10.0.0
 pytest-cov>=4.1.0,<5.0.0
 pytest-mock>=3.11.0,<4.0.0
 mypy>=1.5.0,<2.0.0

run.py

@@ -51,7 +51,6 @@ if debug_mode:
 
         # Try to import the plugin system directly to get better error info
         print("DEBUG: Attempting to import src.plugin_system...", flush=True)
-        from src.plugin_system import PluginManager
         print("DEBUG: Plugin system import successful", flush=True)
     except ImportError as e:
         print(f"DEBUG: Plugin system import failed: {e}", flush=True)

scripts/add_defaults_to_schemas.py

@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ and preventing validation errors.
 import json
 import sys
 from pathlib import Path
-from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional
+from typing import Any, Dict, List
 
 
 def get_default_for_field(prop: Dict[str, Any]) -> Any:

scripts/analyze_plugin_schemas.py

@@ -9,9 +9,8 @@ Analyze all plugin config schemas to identify issues:
 """
 
 import json
-import os
 from pathlib import Path
-from typing import Dict, List, Set, Any
+from typing import Dict, List, Any
 import jsonschema
 from jsonschema import Draft7Validator
 

scripts/check_plugin.py

@@ -0,0 +1,232 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""
+Plugin safety checker.
+
+Renders a plugin across every declared screen (mode) and every supported matrix
+size, and fails if any screen crashes, overflows the panel, or (for plugins with
+committed golden images) drifts visually.
+
+Usage:
+    # Functional + bounds check across all sizes/modes:
+    python scripts/check_plugin.py --plugin clock-simple
+
+    # Every discovered plugin:
+    python scripts/check_plugin.py --all
+
+    # Dump PNGs for each size/mode so you can eyeball them:
+    python scripts/check_plugin.py --plugin ledmatrix-weather --out-dir /tmp/preview
+
+    # Refresh committed golden images after an intentional visual change:
+    python scripts/check_plugin.py --plugin clock-simple --update-golden \
+        --mock-data plugins/clock-simple/test/fixtures/mock.json
+
+Exit code is non-zero if any (plugin, size, mode) fails.
+"""
+
+import argparse
+import json
+import os
+import sys
+from pathlib import Path
+from typing import Dict, List, Optional
+
+PROJECT_ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent
+sys.path.insert(0, str(PROJECT_ROOT))
+
+os.environ['EMULATOR'] = 'true'
+
+from src.logging_config import get_logger  # noqa: E402
+from src.plugin_system.testing.loading import (  # noqa: E402
+    find_plugin_dir, load_config_defaults, load_harness_spec,
+)
+from src.plugin_system.testing.harness import (  # noqa: E402
+    RenderResult, render_plugin_matrix, compare_to_goldens, write_goldens,
+)
+from src.plugin_system.testing.sizes import (  # noqa: E402
+    parse_size_token, resolve_test_sizes, safe_mode_filename, size_label,
+)
+
+logger = get_logger("[Check Plugin]")
+
+DEFAULT_SEARCH_DIRS = [
+    str(PROJECT_ROOT / 'plugins'),
+    str(PROJECT_ROOT / 'plugin-repos'),
+]
+
+
+def discover_plugins(search_dirs: List[str]) -> List[str]:
+    """All plugin ids found across the search dirs (dirs containing manifest.json)."""
+    found = []
+    for d in search_dirs:
+        base = Path(d)
+        if not base.exists():
+            continue
+        for child in sorted(base.iterdir()):
+            if (child / 'manifest.json').exists() and child.name not in found:
+                found.append(child.name)
+    return found
+
+
+def parse_sizes(spec: Optional[str]):
+    if not spec:
+        return None
+    sizes = []
+    for token in spec.split(','):
+        if not token.strip():
+            continue
+        try:
+            sizes.append(parse_size_token(token))
+        except ValueError as exc:
+            raise SystemExit(str(exc)) from exc
+    return sizes
+
+
+def check_one(plugin_id: str, search_dirs: List[str], sizes, mock_data: Dict,
+              config: Dict, run_update: bool, out_dir: Optional[Path],
+              update_golden: bool, golden_dir_override: Optional[Path],
+              freeze_time: Optional[str]) -> List[RenderResult]:
+    plugin_dir = find_plugin_dir(plugin_id, search_dirs)
+    if not plugin_dir:
+        logger.error("Plugin '%s' not found in: %s", plugin_id, search_dirs)
+        return [RenderResult(plugin_id, 0, 0, "<not-found>", error="plugin directory not found")]
+
+    # Per-plugin test/harness.json holds the deterministic settings the committed
+    # goldens were generated with (config, mock data, frozen time, sizes). Load
+    # them so the CLI/CI render reproduces the golden the same way the pytest
+    # matrix path does; explicit CLI flags still override the file.
+    spec = load_harness_spec(plugin_dir)
+
+    # config_schema defaults (real-install behavior), then harness.json config,
+    # then CLI --config — most specific wins.
+    full_config = {"enabled": True}
+    full_config.update(load_config_defaults(plugin_dir))
+    full_config.update(spec.get("config", {}))
+    full_config.update(config)
+
+    # Precedence: CLI flag > LEDMATRIX_TEST_SIZES env > harness.json > default.
+    effective_sizes = sizes if sizes else resolve_test_sizes(spec.get("sizes"))
+    # CLI value wins when provided, else fall back to the harness.json setting.
+    effective_mock_data = mock_data or spec.get("mock_data_contents", {})
+    effective_freeze = freeze_time or spec.get("freeze_time")
+    effective_run_update = run_update and not spec.get("skip_update", False)
+
+    results = render_plugin_matrix(
+        plugin_id=plugin_id, plugin_dir=plugin_dir, config=full_config,
+        mock_data=effective_mock_data, sizes=effective_sizes,
+        run_update=effective_run_update, freeze_time=effective_freeze,
+    )
+
+    golden_dir = golden_dir_override or (plugin_dir / 'test' / 'golden')
+    if update_golden:
+        written = write_goldens(results, golden_dir)
+        logger.info("Wrote %d golden image(s) for %s to %s", written, plugin_id, golden_dir)
+    else:
+        compare_to_goldens(results, golden_dir)
+
+    if out_dir:
+        for r in results:
+            if r.image is None:
+                continue
+            dest = out_dir / plugin_id / size_label(r.width, r.height)
+            dest.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+            r.image.save(dest / f"{safe_mode_filename(r.mode)}.png", format="PNG")
+
+    return results
+
+
+def print_report(all_results: Dict[str, List[RenderResult]]) -> bool:
+    """Print a per-plugin grid. Returns True if everything passed."""
+    everything_ok = True
+    for plugin_id, results in all_results.items():
+        print(f"\n=== {plugin_id} ===")
+        for r in results:
+            if r.ok:
+                status = "PASS"
+                detail = ""
+                if r.golden_checked:
+                    detail = " (golden ✓)"
+                if r.update_error is not None:
+                    detail += f" (update warn: {r.update_error})"
+            else:
+                everything_ok = False
+                if r.error is not None:
+                    status, detail = "FAIL", f" error={r.error}"
+                elif r.overflow is not None:
+                    status, detail = "FAIL", f" overflow bbox={r.overflow}"
+                elif r.golden_ok is False:
+                    status = "FAIL"
+                    detail = f" golden drift: {r.golden_diff_pixels}px (max Δ={r.golden_max_delta})"
+                else:
+                    status, detail = "FAIL", ""
+            print(f"  [{status}] {r.size_label:>7}  {r.mode}{detail}")
+    print()
+    return everything_ok
+
+
+def main() -> int:
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="Check a plugin renders safely across sizes & screens")
+    group = parser.add_mutually_exclusive_group(required=True)
+    group.add_argument('--plugin', '-p', help='Plugin id to check')
+    group.add_argument('--all', action='store_true', help='Check every discovered plugin')
+    parser.add_argument('--plugin-dir', '-d', default=None, help='Directory to search for plugins')
+    parser.add_argument('--sizes', default=None, help='Comma-separated WxH list (default: all supported)')
+    parser.add_argument('--config', '-c', default='{}', help='Plugin config overrides as JSON')
+    parser.add_argument('--mock-data', '-m', default=None, help='Path to JSON file with mock cache data')
+    parser.add_argument('--out-dir', '-o', default=None, help='Also dump rendered PNGs here')
+    parser.add_argument('--skip-update', action='store_true', help='Skip calling update()')
+    parser.add_argument('--update-golden', action='store_true', help='Write/refresh golden images')
+    parser.add_argument('--golden-dir', default=None, help='Override golden dir (default: <plugin>/test/golden)')
+    parser.add_argument('--freeze-time', default=None,
+                        help='Freeze wall clock, e.g. "2025-08-01 15:25:00" (for time-dependent plugins)')
+    args = parser.parse_args()
+
+    search_dirs = [args.plugin_dir] if args.plugin_dir else DEFAULT_SEARCH_DIRS
+    sizes = parse_sizes(args.sizes)
+
+    try:
+        config = json.loads(args.config)
+    except json.JSONDecodeError as e:
+        logger.error("Invalid --config JSON: %s", e)
+        return 2
+    if not isinstance(config, dict):
+        logger.error("--config must be a JSON object, got %s", type(config).__name__)
+        return 2
+
+    mock_data = {}
+    if args.mock_data:
+        mock_path = Path(args.mock_data)
+        if not mock_path.exists():
+            logger.error("Mock data file not found: %s", args.mock_data)
+            return 2
+        with open(mock_path) as f:
+            mock_data = json.load(f)
+        if not isinstance(mock_data, dict):
+            logger.error("--mock-data must be a JSON object (key -> cache value), got %s",
+                         type(mock_data).__name__)
+            return 2
+
+    plugin_ids = discover_plugins(search_dirs) if args.all else [args.plugin]
+    if not plugin_ids:
+        logger.error("No plugins found in: %s", search_dirs)
+        return 2
+
+    out_dir = Path(args.out_dir) if args.out_dir else None
+    golden_dir_override = Path(args.golden_dir) if args.golden_dir else None
+
+    all_results: Dict[str, List[RenderResult]] = {}
+    for plugin_id in plugin_ids:
+        all_results[plugin_id] = check_one(
+            plugin_id=plugin_id, search_dirs=search_dirs, sizes=sizes,
+            mock_data=mock_data, config=config, run_update=not args.skip_update,
+            out_dir=out_dir, update_golden=args.update_golden,
+            golden_dir_override=golden_dir_override, freeze_time=args.freeze_time,
+        )
+
+    # When refreshing goldens we skip drift comparison, but a crash or overflow
+    # still means the plugin is broken — never let --update-golden mask that.
+    ok = print_report(all_results)
+    return 0 if ok else 1
+
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    sys.exit(main())

scripts/clear_dependency_markers.sh

@@ -1,29 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash
-# Clear all plugin dependency markers to force fresh dependency check
-# Useful after updating plugins or troubleshooting dependency issues
-
-echo "Clearing plugin dependency markers..."
-
-# Check both possible cache locations
-CACHE_DIRS=(
-    "/var/cache/ledmatrix"
-    "$HOME/.cache/ledmatrix"
-)
-
-for CACHE_DIR in "${CACHE_DIRS[@]}"; do
-    if [ -d "$CACHE_DIR" ]; then
-        echo "Checking $CACHE_DIR..."
-        marker_count=$(find "$CACHE_DIR" -name "plugin_*_deps_installed" 2>/dev/null | wc -l)
-        if [ "$marker_count" -gt 0 ]; then
-            echo "Found $marker_count dependency marker(s) in $CACHE_DIR"
-            find "$CACHE_DIR" -name "plugin_*_deps_installed" -delete
-            echo "Cleared $marker_count marker(s)"
-        else
-            echo "No dependency markers found in $CACHE_DIR"
-        fi
-    fi
-done
-
-echo "Done! Dependency markers cleared."
-echo "Next startup will check and install dependencies as needed."
-

scripts/debug/check_imports.py

@@ -3,8 +3,6 @@
 Check what imports are actually in the app.py file on the Pi
 """
 
-import sys
-import os
 from pathlib import Path
 
 # Read the app.py file and check the import lines

scripts/debug/debug_web_manual.py

@@ -67,8 +67,9 @@ def main():
         print("   📍 Will run on: http://0.0.0.0:5000")
         print("   ⏹️  Press Ctrl+C to stop")
 
-        # Run the app (this should start the server)
-        app.run(host='0.0.0.0', port=5000, debug=True)
+        # Run the app (debug mode controlled by env var to satisfy security scanners)
+        _debug = os.environ.get('LEDMATRIX_FLASK_DEBUG', '0') == '1'
+        app.run(host='0.0.0.0', port=5000, debug=_debug)
 
     except KeyboardInterrupt:
         print("\n   ⏹️  Server stopped by user")

scripts/dev/dev_plugin_setup.sh

@@ -203,7 +203,7 @@ link_github_plugin() {
         log_info "Repository already exists at $target_dir"
         if [[ -d "$target_dir/.git" ]]; then
             log_info "Updating repository..."
-            (cd "$target_dir" && git pull --rebase || true)
+            (cd "$target_dir" && git pull --rebase) || true
         fi
     else
         # Clone the repository

scripts/dev/test_pillow_compat.py

@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""
+Pillow compatibility smoke test.
+
+Exercises the Pillow APIs used throughout LEDMatrix to verify a new
+Pillow version doesn't break image rendering, font handling, or resize ops.
+
+Run after upgrading Pillow:
+    python3 scripts/dev/test_pillow_compat.py
+"""
+
+import sys
+
+
+def check(label, fn):
+    try:
+        result = fn()
+        print(f"  ✓ {label}" + (f" — {result}" if result is not None else ""))
+        return True
+    except Exception as e:
+        print(f"  ✗ {label} — {type(e).__name__}: {e}", file=sys.stderr)
+        return False
+
+
+def main():
+    from PIL import Image, ImageDraw, ImageFont
+    import PIL
+
+    print(f"Pillow {PIL.__version__} on Python {sys.version.split()[0]}\n")
+
+    failures = 0
+
+    print("Image creation:")
+    failures += not check("Image.new RGB",
+        lambda: Image.new('RGB', (128, 32), (0, 0, 0)).size)
+    failures += not check("Image.new RGBA",
+        lambda: Image.new('RGBA', (64, 64), (255, 0, 0, 128)).size)
+    failures += not check("Image.new 1-bit",
+        lambda: Image.new('1', (16, 16)).size)
+
+    print("\nDraw operations:")
+    img = Image.new('RGB', (128, 32), (0, 0, 0))
+    draw = ImageDraw.Draw(img)
+    font = ImageFont.load_default()
+    failures += not check("draw.rectangle",
+        lambda: draw.rectangle([0, 0, 127, 31], outline=(255, 0, 0)))
+    failures += not check("draw.text",
+        lambda: draw.text((2, 2), "Hello", fill=(255, 255, 255), font=font))
+    failures += not check("draw.line",
+        lambda: draw.line([0, 0, 127, 31], fill=(0, 255, 0)))
+
+    print("\nFont metrics (used in text_helper, scroll_helper):")
+    failures += not check("draw.textlength",
+        lambda: f"{draw.textlength('Test', font=font):.1f}px")
+    failures += not check("draw.textbbox",
+        lambda: draw.textbbox((0, 0), "Test", font=font))
+
+    print("\nResampling (used in logo_helper, image_utils, sports base):")
+    logo = Image.new('RGBA', (200, 200), (255, 128, 0, 200))
+    failures += not check("Image.Resampling.LANCZOS exists",
+        lambda: str(Image.Resampling.LANCZOS))
+    failures += not check("thumbnail with LANCZOS",
+        lambda: (logo.thumbnail((64, 32), Image.Resampling.LANCZOS), logo.size)[1])
+    big = Image.new('RGB', (300, 300), (0, 128, 255))
+    failures += not check("resize with LANCZOS",
+        lambda: big.resize((128, 32), Image.Resampling.LANCZOS).size)
+
+    print("\nComposite / paste (used in display rendering):")
+    base = Image.new('RGB', (128, 32), (0, 0, 0))
+    overlay = Image.new('RGBA', (32, 32), (255, 0, 0, 128))
+    failures += not check("paste RGBA onto RGB",
+        lambda: (base.paste(overlay.convert('RGB'), (0, 0)), base.size)[1])
+    failures += not check("Image.alpha_composite",
+        lambda: Image.alpha_composite(
+            Image.new('RGBA', (32, 32)), overlay).size)
+
+    print("\nImage I/O:")
+    import io
+    buf = io.BytesIO()
+    img.save(buf, format='PNG')
+    buf.seek(0)
+    failures += not check("save/load PNG roundtrip",
+        lambda: Image.open(buf).size)
+
+    print()
+    if failures == 0:
+        print(f"All checks passed. Pillow {PIL.__version__} is compatible.")
+        return 0
+    else:
+        print(f"{failures} check(s) failed — review output above.", file=sys.stderr)
+        return 1
+
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    sys.exit(main())

scripts/dev/validate_python.py

@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ Usage: python tools/validate_python.py <python_file>
 import ast
 import sys
 import os
-from pathlib import Path
 
 def validate_file(filepath: str) -> bool:
     """Validate a Python file for common issues."""

scripts/diagnose_plugin_permissions.sh

@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@ echo ""
 RED='\033[0;31m'
 GREEN='\033[0;32m'
 YELLOW='\033[1;33m'
-BLUE='\033[0;34m'
 NC='\033[0m' # No Color
 
 # Get the actual user

scripts/diagnose_web_interface.sh

@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ if [ -f "$PROJECT_DIR/config/config.json" ]; then
     echo -e "${GREEN}✓ Config file found${NC}"
     
     # Check web_display_autostart setting
-    AUTOSTART=$(cat "$PROJECT_DIR/config/config.json" | grep -o '"web_display_autostart"[[:space:]]*:[[:space:]]*[a-z]*' | grep -o '[a-z]*$')
+    AUTOSTART=$(grep -o '"web_display_autostart"[[:space:]]*:[[:space:]]*[a-z]*' "$PROJECT_DIR/config/config.json" | grep -o '[a-z]*$')
     
     if [ "$AUTOSTART" == "true" ]; then
         echo -e "${GREEN}✓ web_display_autostart: true${NC}"

scripts/diagnose_web_ui.sh

@@ -16,11 +16,8 @@ YELLOW='\033[1;33m'
 NC='\033[0m' # No Color
 
 # Check if running as root or with sudo
-if [ "$EUID" -ne 0 ]; then 
+if [ "$EUID" -ne 0 ]; then
     echo -e "${YELLOW}Warning: Some checks require sudo. Running what we can...${NC}"
-    SUDO=""
-else
-    SUDO=""
 fi
 
 PROJECT_DIR="${HOME}/LEDMatrix"

scripts/download_pixlet.sh

@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ total_count=${#ARCHITECTURES[@]}
 
 for arch in "${!ARCHITECTURES[@]}"; do
     if download_binary "$arch" "${ARCHITECTURES[$arch]}"; then
-        ((success_count++))
+        success_count=$((success_count + 1))
     fi
 done
 

scripts/fix_perms/fix_assets_permissions.sh

@@ -7,12 +7,6 @@ echo "Fixing LEDMatrix assets directory permissions..."
 
 # Get the real user (not root when running with sudo)
 REAL_USER=${SUDO_USER:-$USER}
-# Resolve the home directory of the real user robustly
-if command -v getent >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-    REAL_HOME=$(getent passwd "$REAL_USER" | cut -d: -f6)
-else
-    REAL_HOME=$(eval echo ~"$REAL_USER")
-fi
 REAL_GROUP=$(id -gn "$REAL_USER")
 
 # Get the project directory

scripts/fix_perms/safe_pip_install.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# safe_pip_install.sh — Install a requirements.txt as root after validating
+# that the resolved path is the project's own requirements.txt or a plugin's
+# requirements.txt under plugin-repos/ or plugins/.
+#
+# This script is intended to be called via sudo from the web interface, so
+# that packages a plugin declares end up visible to ledmatrix.service (which
+# runs as root) rather than only to whichever non-root user runs the web
+# interface. Plugin code already runs as root once loaded, so installing its
+# declared dependencies as root is not a new trust boundary.
+#
+# Usage: safe_pip_install.sh <requirements_txt_path>
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+if [ $# -ne 1 ]; then
+    echo "Usage: $0 <requirements_txt_path>" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+TARGET="$1"
+
+# Determine the project root (parent of scripts/fix_perms/)
+SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
+PROJECT_ROOT="$(cd "$SCRIPT_DIR/../.." && pwd)"
+
+# Allowed locations (resolved, no trailing slash):
+#   - the project's own requirements.txt
+#   - any requirements.txt under plugin-repos/ or plugins/
+ALLOWED_EXACT="$(realpath --canonicalize-missing "$PROJECT_ROOT/requirements.txt")"
+ALLOWED_BASES=(
+    "$(realpath --canonicalize-missing "$PROJECT_ROOT/plugin-repos")"
+    "$(realpath --canonicalize-missing "$PROJECT_ROOT/plugins")"
+)
+
+# Resolve the target path (follow symlinks); works even if it doesn't exist.
+RESOLVED_TARGET="$(realpath --canonicalize-missing "$TARGET")"
+
+# Must be named requirements.txt — never install from an arbitrary file.
+if [ "$(basename "$RESOLVED_TARGET")" != "requirements.txt" ]; then
+    echo "DENIED: $RESOLVED_TARGET is not a requirements.txt file" >&2
+    exit 2
+fi
+
+ALLOWED=false
+if [ "$RESOLVED_TARGET" = "$ALLOWED_EXACT" ]; then
+    ALLOWED=true
+else
+    for BASE in "${ALLOWED_BASES[@]}"; do
+        if [[ "$RESOLVED_TARGET" == "$BASE/"* ]]; then
+            ALLOWED=true
+            break
+        fi
+    done
+fi
+
+if [ "$ALLOWED" = false ]; then
+    echo "DENIED: $RESOLVED_TARGET is not an allowed requirements.txt location" >&2
+    echo "Allowed: $ALLOWED_EXACT, or any requirements.txt under: ${ALLOWED_BASES[*]}" >&2
+    exit 2
+fi
+
+if [ ! -f "$RESOLVED_TARGET" ]; then
+    echo "ERROR: $RESOLVED_TARGET does not exist" >&2
+    exit 3
+fi
+
+PYTHON_PATH="$(command -v python3)"
+# --ignore-installed: root's site-packages often has apt/dpkg-managed copies
+# of common libraries (requests, urllib3, ...) with no pip RECORD file, which
+# pip refuses to uninstall in place ("Cannot uninstall: no RECORD file was
+# found"). This tells pip to install the newer version alongside rather than
+# aborting the whole requirements.txt install over one such conflict.
+exec "$PYTHON_PATH" -m pip install --break-system-packages --ignore-installed -r "$RESOLVED_TARGET"

scripts/install/configure_web_sudo.sh

@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ POWEROFF_PATH=$(command -v poweroff)  || true
 BASH_PATH=$(command -v bash)        || true
 JOURNALCTL_PATH=$(command -v journalctl) || true
 SAFE_RM_PATH="$PROJECT_ROOT/scripts/fix_perms/safe_plugin_rm.sh"
+SAFE_PIP_INSTALL_PATH="$PROJECT_ROOT/scripts/fix_perms/safe_pip_install.sh"
 
 # Validate required commands (systemctl, bash, python3 are essential)
 for CMD_NAME in SYSTEMCTL_PATH BASH_PATH PYTHON_PATH; do
@@ -48,11 +49,15 @@ if [ ${#MISSING_CMDS[@]} -gt 0 ]; then
     exit 1
 fi
 
-# Validate helper script exists
+# Validate helper scripts exist
 if [ ! -f "$SAFE_RM_PATH" ]; then
     echo "Error: Safe plugin removal helper not found: $SAFE_RM_PATH" >&2
     exit 1
 fi
+if [ ! -f "$SAFE_PIP_INSTALL_PATH" ]; then
+    echo "Error: Safe pip install helper not found: $SAFE_PIP_INSTALL_PATH" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
 
 echo "Command paths:"
 echo "  Python: $PYTHON_PATH"
@@ -62,6 +67,7 @@ echo "  Poweroff: ${POWEROFF_PATH:-(not found, skipping)}"
 echo "  Bash: $BASH_PATH"
 echo "  Journalctl: ${JOURNALCTL_PATH:-(not found, skipping)}"
 echo "  Safe plugin rm: $SAFE_RM_PATH"
+echo "  Safe pip install: $SAFE_PIP_INSTALL_PATH"
 
 # Create a temporary sudoers file
 TEMP_SUDOERS="/tmp/ledmatrix_web_sudoers_$$"
@@ -101,13 +107,22 @@ TEMP_SUDOERS="/tmp/ledmatrix_web_sudoers_$$"
     fi
 
     # Required: python3, bash
-    echo "$WEB_USER ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: $PYTHON_PATH $PROJECT_DIR/display_controller.py"
-    echo "$WEB_USER ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: $BASH_PATH $PROJECT_DIR/start_display.sh"
-    echo "$WEB_USER ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: $BASH_PATH $PROJECT_DIR/stop_display.sh"
+    # NOTE: display_controller.py/start_display.sh/stop_display.sh live at the
+    # project root, not under scripts/install/ (where this script lives) —
+    # must use PROJECT_ROOT here, not PROJECT_DIR.
+    echo "$WEB_USER ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: $PYTHON_PATH $PROJECT_ROOT/display_controller.py"
+    echo "$WEB_USER ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: $BASH_PATH $PROJECT_ROOT/start_display.sh"
+    echo "$WEB_USER ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: $BASH_PATH $PROJECT_ROOT/stop_display.sh"
     echo ""
     echo "# Allow web user to remove plugin directories via vetted helper script"
     echo "# The helper validates that the target path resolves inside plugin-repos/ or plugins/"
     echo "$WEB_USER ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: $BASH_PATH $SAFE_RM_PATH *"
+    echo ""
+    echo "# Allow web user to install a plugin's requirements.txt as root via vetted"
+    echo "# helper script, so packages are visible to root-run ledmatrix.service"
+    echo "# (not just the web interface's own user). The helper validates the target"
+    echo "# is requirements.txt at the project root or under plugin-repos/ or plugins/."
+    echo "$WEB_USER ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: $BASH_PATH $SAFE_PIP_INSTALL_PATH *"
 } > "$TEMP_SUDOERS"
 
 echo ""
@@ -126,6 +141,7 @@ echo "- Run display_controller.py directly"
 echo "- Execute start_display.sh and stop_display.sh"
 echo "- Reboot and shutdown the system"
 echo "- Remove plugin directories (for update/uninstall when root-owned files block deletion)"
+echo "- Install plugin/base requirements.txt as root (so ledmatrix.service can see them)"
 echo ""
 
 # Ask for confirmation
@@ -147,6 +163,13 @@ fi
 if ! sudo chmod 755 "$SAFE_RM_PATH"; then
     echo "Warning: Could not set permissions on $SAFE_RM_PATH"
 fi
+echo "Hardening safe_pip_install.sh ownership..."
+if ! sudo chown root:root "$SAFE_PIP_INSTALL_PATH"; then
+    echo "Warning: Could not set ownership on $SAFE_PIP_INSTALL_PATH"
+fi
+if ! sudo chmod 755 "$SAFE_PIP_INSTALL_PATH"; then
+    echo "Warning: Could not set permissions on $SAFE_PIP_INSTALL_PATH"
+fi
 
 if sudo cp "$TEMP_SUDOERS" /etc/sudoers.d/ledmatrix_web; then
     echo "Configuration applied successfully!"
@@ -160,7 +183,7 @@ if sudo cp "$TEMP_SUDOERS" /etc/sudoers.d/ledmatrix_web; then
         echo "✗ systemctl status ledmatrix.service - Failed"
     fi
     
-    if sudo -n test -f "$PROJECT_DIR/start_display.sh"; then
+    if sudo -n test -f "$PROJECT_ROOT/start_display.sh"; then
         echo "✓ File access test - OK"
     else
         echo "✗ File access test - Failed"

scripts/install/install_web_service.sh

@@ -14,9 +14,6 @@ else
     ACTUAL_USER=$(whoami)
 fi
 
-# Get the home directory of the actual user
-USER_HOME=$(eval echo ~$ACTUAL_USER)
-
 # Determine the Project Root Directory (parent of scripts/install/)
 PROJECT_ROOT_DIR=$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")/../.." && pwd)
 
@@ -34,7 +31,8 @@ echo "Generating service file with dynamic paths..."
 WEB_SERVICE_FILE_CONTENT=$(cat <<EOF
 [Unit]
 Description=LED Matrix Web Interface Service
-After=network.target
+After=network-online.target
+Wants=network-online.target
 
 [Service]
 Type=simple

scripts/install/one-shot-install.sh

@@ -340,9 +340,14 @@ main() {
     echo ""
     
     # Execute with proper error handling and non-interactive mode
-    # Temporarily disable errexit to capture exit code instead of exiting immediately
+    # Temporarily disable errexit AND the ERR trap to capture exit code instead of
+    # exiting immediately. `set +e` alone does not suppress the ERR trap, so without
+    # `trap '' ERR` a non-zero exit from first_time_install.sh would trigger on_error
+    # here with the generic "Main installation" message instead of the detailed
+    # if/else handling below.
     set +e
-    
+    trap '' ERR
+
     # Check /tmp permissions - only fix if actually wrong (common in automated scenarios)
     # When running manually, /tmp usually has correct permissions (1777)
     TMP_PERMS=$(stat -c '%a' /tmp 2>/dev/null || echo "unknown")
@@ -370,6 +375,7 @@ main() {
         sudo -E env TMPDIR=/tmp LEDMATRIX_ASSUME_YES=1 bash ./first_time_install.sh -y </dev/null
     fi
     INSTALL_EXIT_CODE=$?
+    trap 'on_error $LINENO' ERR  # Re-enable ERR trap
     set -e  # Re-enable errexit
     
     if [ $INSTALL_EXIT_CODE -eq 0 ]; then

scripts/install_dependencies_apt.py

@@ -6,82 +6,143 @@ then falls back to pip with --break-system-packages
 
 import subprocess
 import sys
+import tempfile
 import warnings
+from collections import deque
 from pathlib import Path
+from typing import List, Tuple
 
-def install_via_apt(package_name):
-    """Try to install a package via apt."""
-    try:
-        # Map pip package names to apt package names
-        apt_package_map = {
-            'flask': 'python3-flask',
-            'PIL': 'python3-pil',
-            'freetype': 'python3-freetype',
-            'psutil': 'python3-psutil',
-            'werkzeug': 'python3-werkzeug',
-            'numpy': 'python3-numpy',
-            'requests': 'python3-requests',
-            'python-dateutil': 'python3-dateutil',
-            'pytz': 'python3-tz',
-            'geopy': 'python3-geopy',
-            'unidecode': 'python3-unidecode',
-            'websockets': 'python3-websockets',
-            'websocket-client': 'python3-websocket-client'
-        }
-        
-        apt_package = apt_package_map.get(package_name, f'python3-{package_name}')
-        
-        print(f"Trying to install {apt_package} via apt...")
-        subprocess.check_call([
-            'sudo', 'apt', 'update'
-        ], stdout=subprocess.DEVNULL, stderr=subprocess.DEVNULL)
-        
-        subprocess.check_call([
-            'sudo', 'apt', 'install', '-y', apt_package
-        ], stdout=subprocess.DEVNULL, stderr=subprocess.DEVNULL)
-        
+# How many trailing lines of a failed command's output to keep for the
+# end-of-run failure summary. Keeps the root cause near the end of the log,
+# which is where first_time_install.sh's error handler tails from.
+ERROR_TAIL_LINES = 15
+
+
+def _run(cmd: List[str]) -> Tuple[bool, str]:
+    """Run a command, streaming combined stdout/stderr to a temp file.
+
+    Returns (success, output) instead of raising, so callers can report
+    *why* a command failed rather than just that it failed. `output` is
+    bounded to the last ERROR_TAIL_LINES lines so failures from very
+    chatty commands (e.g. pip build logs) don't get buffered in memory.
+    """
+    with tempfile.TemporaryFile(mode='w+b') as f:
+        result = subprocess.run(cmd, stdout=f, stderr=subprocess.STDOUT)  # nosec B603 B607 - hardcoded apt/pip args  # nosemgrep
+        f.seek(0)
+        # Stream line-by-line so only the last ERROR_TAIL_LINES are ever held
+        # in memory, regardless of how much output the command produced.
+        tail = deque(
+            (line.decode('utf-8', errors='replace').rstrip('\n') for line in f),
+            maxlen=ERROR_TAIL_LINES,
+        )
+    return result.returncode == 0, '\n'.join(tail)
+
+
+def install_via_apt(package_name: str) -> Tuple[bool, str]:
+    """Try to install a package via apt. Returns (success, output)."""
+    # Map pip package names to apt package names
+    apt_package_map = {
+        'flask': 'python3-flask',
+        'PIL': 'python3-pil',
+        'freetype': 'python3-freetype',
+        'psutil': 'python3-psutil',
+        'werkzeug': 'python3-werkzeug',
+        'numpy': 'python3-numpy',
+        'requests': 'python3-requests',
+        'python-dateutil': 'python3-dateutil',
+        'pytz': 'python3-tz',
+        'geopy': 'python3-geopy',
+        'unidecode': 'python3-unidecode',
+        'websockets': 'python3-websockets',
+        'websocket-client': 'python3-websocket-client'
+    }
+
+    apt_package = apt_package_map.get(package_name, f'python3-{package_name}')
+
+    print(f"Trying to install {apt_package} via apt...")
+    success, output = _run(['sudo', 'apt-get', '-o', 'DPkg::Lock::Timeout=180', 'install', '-y', apt_package])
+    if success:
         print(f"Successfully installed {apt_package} via apt")
-        return True
-        
-    except subprocess.CalledProcessError:
-        print(f"Failed to install {package_name} via apt, will try pip")
-        return False
+        return True, ""
 
-def install_via_pip(package_name):
+    print(f"Failed to install {apt_package} via apt, will try pip")
+    return False, output
+
+
+def install_via_pip(package_name: str) -> Tuple[bool, str]:
     """Install a package via pip with --break-system-packages and --prefer-binary.
 
     --break-system-packages allows pip to install into the system Python on
     Debian/Ubuntu-based systems without a virtual environment.
     --prefer-binary prefers pre-built wheels over source distributions to avoid
     exhausting /tmp space during compilation.
-    """
-    try:
-        print(f"Installing {package_name} via pip...")
-        subprocess.check_call([
-            sys.executable, '-m', 'pip', 'install', '--break-system-packages', '--prefer-binary', package_name
-        ])
-        print(f"Successfully installed {package_name} via pip")
-        return True
-    except subprocess.CalledProcessError as e:
-        print(f"Failed to install {package_name} via pip: {e}")
-        return False
+    --ignore-installed stops pip from trying to *uninstall* packages that were
+    installed by apt (e.g. python3-requests). Those Debian packages ship no
+    pip RECORD file, so an uninstall attempt fails with "uninstall-no-record-file"
+    and aborts the whole install. With --ignore-installed, pip lays the new
+    version down in /usr/local where it shadows the apt copy instead of removing
+    it. This matters when a pip dependency (google-api-python-client pulls a
+    newer requests) needs to upgrade an apt-managed package.
 
-def check_package_installed(package_name):
+    Returns (success, output).
+    """
+    print(f"Installing {package_name} via pip...")
+    success, output = _run([
+        sys.executable, '-m', 'pip', 'install',
+        '--break-system-packages', '--prefer-binary', '--ignore-installed', package_name
+    ])
+    if success:
+        print(f"Successfully installed {package_name} via pip")
+        return True, ""
+
+    print(f"Failed to install {package_name} via pip (see failure summary at end of log)")
+    return False, output
+
+
+# Distribution (pip/apt) names whose importable module name differs.
+IMPORT_NAME_MAP = {
+    'python-dateutil': 'dateutil',
+    'websocket-client': 'websocket',
+}
+
+
+def check_package_installed(package_name: str) -> bool:
     """Check if a package is already installed."""
+    import_name = IMPORT_NAME_MAP.get(package_name, package_name)
     # Suppress deprecation warnings when checking if packages are installed
     # (we're just checking, not using them)
     with warnings.catch_warnings():
         warnings.filterwarnings('ignore', category=DeprecationWarning)
         try:
-            __import__(package_name)
+            __import__(import_name)
             return True
         except ImportError:
             return False
 
+
+def print_failure_summary(failed_packages: List[str], failure_details: dict) -> None:
+    print("\n" + "=" * 60)
+    print("DEPENDENCY INSTALLATION FAILURES - DETAILS")
+    print("=" * 60)
+    for package in failed_packages:
+        print(f"\nPackage: {package}")
+        print("-" * 40)
+        output = failure_details.get(package, "").strip()
+        if not output:
+            print("  (no output captured)")
+            continue
+        for line in output.splitlines()[-ERROR_TAIL_LINES:]:
+            print(f"  {line}")
+    print("=" * 60)
+
+
 def main():
     """Main installation function."""
     print("Installing dependencies for LED Matrix Web Interface V2...")
-    
+
+    print("Refreshing apt package index...")
+    _run(['sudo', 'apt', 'update'])  # best-effort; individual installs surface their own errors
+
     # List of required packages
     required_packages = [
         'flask',
@@ -98,19 +159,23 @@ def main():
         'websockets',
         'websocket-client'
     ]
-    
+
     failed_packages = []
-    
+    failure_details = {}
+
     for package in required_packages:
         if check_package_installed(package):
             print(f"{package} is already installed")
             continue
-            
+
         # Try apt first, then pip
-        if not install_via_apt(package):
-            if not install_via_pip(package):
+        ok, apt_output = install_via_apt(package)
+        if not ok:
+            ok, pip_output = install_via_pip(package)
+            if not ok:
                 failed_packages.append(package)
-    
+                failure_details[package] = pip_output or apt_output
+
     # Install packages that don't have apt equivalents
     special_packages = [
         'timezonefinder>=6.5.0,<7.0.0',
@@ -122,47 +187,49 @@ def main():
         'python-socketio>=5.11.0,<6.0.0',
         'python-engineio>=4.9.0,<5.0.0'
     ]
-    
+
     for package in special_packages:
-        if not install_via_pip(package):
+        ok, pip_output = install_via_pip(package)
+        if not ok:
             failed_packages.append(package)
-    
+            failure_details[package] = pip_output
+
     # Install rgbmatrix module from local source (optional - may already be installed in Step 6)
     # Check if already installed first
     if check_package_installed('rgbmatrix'):
         print("rgbmatrix module already installed, skipping...")
     else:
         print("Installing rgbmatrix module from local source...")
-        try:
-            # Get project root (parent of scripts directory)
-            PROJECT_ROOT = Path(__file__).parent.parent
-            rgbmatrix_path = PROJECT_ROOT / 'rpi-rgb-led-matrix-master' / 'bindings' / 'python'
-            if rgbmatrix_path.exists():
-                # Check if the module has been built (look for setup.py)
-                setup_py = rgbmatrix_path / 'setup.py'
-                if setup_py.exists():
-                    # Try installing - use regular install, not editable mode
-                    # This is optional for web interface and should already be installed in Step 6
-                    subprocess.check_call([
-                        sys.executable, '-m', 'pip', 'install', '--break-system-packages', str(rgbmatrix_path)
-                    ], stdout=subprocess.DEVNULL, stderr=subprocess.DEVNULL)
+        # Get project root (parent of scripts directory)
+        PROJECT_ROOT = Path(__file__).parent.parent
+        rgbmatrix_path = PROJECT_ROOT / 'rpi-rgb-led-matrix-master' / 'bindings' / 'python'
+        if rgbmatrix_path.exists():
+            # Check if the module has been built (look for setup.py)
+            setup_py = rgbmatrix_path / 'setup.py'
+            if setup_py.exists():
+                # Try installing - use regular install, not editable mode
+                # This is optional for web interface and should already be installed in Step 6
+                ok, output = _run([sys.executable, '-m', 'pip', 'install', '--break-system-packages', str(rgbmatrix_path)])
+                if ok:
                     print("rgbmatrix module installed successfully")
                 else:
-                    print("Warning: rgbmatrix setup.py not found, module may need to be built first")
-                    print("  This is normal if Step 6 hasn't completed yet.")
+                    # Don't fail the whole installation - rgbmatrix is optional for web interface
+                    # and should be installed in Step 6 of first_time_install.sh
+                    print("Warning: Failed to install rgbmatrix module:")
+                    for line in output.strip().splitlines()[-ERROR_TAIL_LINES:]:
+                        print(f"  {line}")
+                    print("  This is normal if rgbmatrix hasn't been built yet (Step 6).")
+                    print("  The web interface will work without it.")
             else:
-                print("Warning: rgbmatrix source not found (this is normal if Step 6 hasn't run yet)")
-        except subprocess.CalledProcessError as e:
-            # Don't fail the whole installation - rgbmatrix is optional for web interface
-            # and should be installed in Step 6 of first_time_install.sh
-            print(f"Warning: Failed to install rgbmatrix module: {e}")
-            print("  This is normal if rgbmatrix hasn't been built yet (Step 6).")
-            print("  The web interface will work without it.")
-            # Don't add to failed_packages since it's optional
-    
+                print("Warning: rgbmatrix setup.py not found, module may need to be built first")
+                print("  This is normal if Step 6 hasn't completed yet.")
+        else:
+            print("Warning: rgbmatrix source not found (this is normal if Step 6 hasn't run yet)")
+
     if failed_packages:
         print(f"\nFailed to install the following packages: {failed_packages}")
         print("You may need to install them manually or check your system configuration.")
+        print_failure_summary(failed_packages, failure_details)
         return False
     else:
         print("\nAll dependencies installed successfully!")

scripts/render_plugin.py

@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@ import os
 import json
 import argparse
 from pathlib import Path
-from typing import Any, Dict, Optional, Sequence, Union
 
 # Add project root to path
 PROJECT_ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent
@@ -28,49 +27,15 @@ os.environ['EMULATOR'] = 'true'
 
 # Import logger after path setup so src.logging_config is importable
 from src.logging_config import get_logger  # noqa: E402
+from src.plugin_system.testing.loading import (  # noqa: E402
+    find_plugin_dir, load_manifest, load_config_defaults,
+)
 logger = get_logger("[Render Plugin]")
 
 MIN_DIMENSION = 1
 MAX_DIMENSION = 512
 
 
-def find_plugin_dir(plugin_id: str, search_dirs: Sequence[Union[str, Path]]) -> Optional[Path]:
-    """Find a plugin directory by searching multiple paths."""
-    from src.plugin_system.plugin_loader import PluginLoader
-    loader = PluginLoader()
-    for search_dir in search_dirs:
-        search_path = Path(search_dir)
-        if not search_path.exists():
-            continue
-        result = loader.find_plugin_directory(plugin_id, search_path)
-        if result:
-            return Path(result)
-    return None
-
-
-def load_manifest(plugin_dir: Path) -> Dict[str, Any]:
-    """Load and return manifest.json from plugin directory."""
-    manifest_path = plugin_dir / 'manifest.json'
-    if not manifest_path.exists():
-        raise FileNotFoundError(f"No manifest.json in {plugin_dir}")
-    with open(manifest_path, 'r') as f:
-        return json.load(f)
-
-
-def load_config_defaults(plugin_dir: Path) -> Dict[str, Any]:
-    """Extract default values from config_schema.json."""
-    schema_path = plugin_dir / 'config_schema.json'
-    if not schema_path.exists():
-        return {}
-    with open(schema_path, 'r') as f:
-        schema = json.load(f)
-    defaults: Dict[str, Any] = {}
-    for key, prop in schema.get('properties', {}).items():
-        if 'default' in prop:
-            defaults[key] = prop['default']
-    return defaults
-
-
 def main() -> int:
     """Load a plugin, call update() + display(), and save the result as a PNG image."""
     parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description='Render a plugin display to a PNG image')
@@ -81,7 +46,7 @@ def main() -> int:
                         help='Plugin config as JSON string')
     parser.add_argument('--mock-data', '-m', default=None,
                         help='Path to JSON file with mock cache data')
-    parser.add_argument('--output', '-o', default='/tmp/plugin_render.png',
+    parser.add_argument('--output', '-o', default='/tmp/plugin_render.png',  # nosec B108 - dev script default; user can override
                         help='Output PNG path (default: /tmp/plugin_render.png)')
     parser.add_argument('--width', type=int, default=128, help='Display width (default: 128)')
     parser.add_argument('--height', type=int, default=32, help='Display height (default: 32)')

scripts/run_plugin_tests.py

@@ -7,9 +7,7 @@ Supports both unittest and pytest.
 """
 
 import sys
-import os
 import argparse
-import subprocess
 from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Optional
 
@@ -198,17 +196,14 @@ def main():
     if runner == 'auto':
         # Try pytest first, fall back to unittest
         try:
-            import pytest
             runner = 'pytest'
         except ImportError:
             runner = 'unittest'
     
     # Run tests
     if runner == 'pytest':
-        import importlib.util
         return run_pytest_tests(test_files, args.verbose, args.coverage)
     else:
-        import importlib.util
         return run_unittest_tests(test_files, args.verbose)
 
 

scripts/utils/clear_cache.py

@@ -6,9 +6,7 @@ This script allows manual clearing of specific cache keys or all cache data.
 
 import os
 import sys
-import json
 import argparse
-from pathlib import Path
 
 # Add the src directory to the path so we can import our modules
 sys.path.insert(0, os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), 'src'))

scripts/utils/start_web_conditionally.py

@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ def main():
             # Ensure PYTHONPATH is set correctly if web_interface.py has relative imports to src
             # The WorkingDirectory in systemd service should handle this for web_interface.py
             print(f"Launching web interface v3: {sys.executable} {WEB_INTERFACE_SCRIPT}")
-            os.execvp(sys.executable, [sys.executable, WEB_INTERFACE_SCRIPT])
+            os.execvp(sys.executable, [sys.executable, WEB_INTERFACE_SCRIPT])  # nosec B606 - both args are fixed constants
         except Exception as e:
             print(f"Failed to exec web interface: {e}")
             sys.exit(1) # Failed to start

scripts/utils/wifi_monitor_daemon.py

@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ class WiFiMonitorDaemon:
                                 logger.error(f"NetworkManager restart failed (rc={e.returncode}); "
                                              "resetting failure counter to avoid tight retry loop")
                                 self._consecutive_internet_failures = 0
-                            except Exception as e:
+                            except (subprocess.SubprocessError, OSError) as e:
                                 logger.error(f"NetworkManager restart error: {e}; "
                                              "resetting failure counter to avoid tight retry loop")
                                 self._consecutive_internet_failures = 0

src/background_cache_mixin.py

@@ -7,10 +7,7 @@ where Recent/Upcoming managers consume data from the background service cache.
 """
 
 import time
-import logging
 from typing import Dict, Optional, Any, Callable
-from datetime import datetime
-import pytz
 
 
 class BackgroundCacheMixin:

src/background_data_service.py

@@ -14,19 +14,15 @@ Key Features:
 - Memory-efficient data storage
 """
 
-import os
 import time
 import logging
 import threading
 import requests
-from typing import Dict, Any, Optional, List, Callable, Union
-from datetime import datetime, timedelta
+from typing import Dict, Any, Optional, Callable
 from dataclasses import dataclass, field
 from enum import Enum
-import json
 import queue
-from concurrent.futures import ThreadPoolExecutor, Future
-import weakref
+from concurrent.futures import ThreadPoolExecutor
 from src.cache_manager import CacheManager
 # Configure logging
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
@@ -227,7 +223,7 @@ class BackgroundDataService:
             self.stats['cache_misses'] += 1
         
         # Submit to executor
-        future = self.executor.submit(self._fetch_data_worker, request)
+        self.executor.submit(self._fetch_data_worker, request)
         
         logger.info(f"Submitted background fetch request {request_id} for {sport} {year}")
         return request_id
@@ -553,13 +549,12 @@ class BackgroundDataService:
             if to_remove:
                 logger.info(f"Cleared {len(to_remove)} old completed requests")
     
-    def shutdown(self, wait: bool = True, timeout: int = 30):
+    def shutdown(self, wait: bool = True):
         """
         Shutdown the background data service.
-        
+
         Args:
             wait: Whether to wait for active requests to complete
-            timeout: Maximum time to wait for shutdown
         """
         logger.info("Shutting down BackgroundDataService...")
         
@@ -570,24 +565,14 @@ class BackgroundDataService:
             for request_id in list(self.active_requests.keys()):
                 self.cancel_request(request_id)
         
-        # Shutdown executor with compatibility for older Python versions
-        try:
-            # Try with timeout parameter (Python 3.9+)
-            self.executor.shutdown(wait=wait, timeout=timeout)
-        except TypeError:
-            # Fallback for older Python versions that don't support timeout
-            if wait and timeout:
-                # For older versions, we can't specify timeout, so just wait
-                self.executor.shutdown(wait=True)
-            else:
-                self.executor.shutdown(wait=wait)
+        self.executor.shutdown(wait=wait)
         
         logger.info("BackgroundDataService shutdown complete")
     
     def __del__(self):
         """Cleanup when service is destroyed."""
         if not self._shutdown:
-            self.shutdown(wait=False, timeout=None)
+            self.shutdown(wait=False)
 
 # Global service instance
 _background_service: Optional[BackgroundDataService] = None

src/backup_manager.py

@@ -410,8 +410,8 @@ def validate_backup(zip_path: Path) -> Tuple[bool, str, Dict[str, Any]]:
             try:
                 manifest_raw = zf.read(MANIFEST_NAME).decode("utf-8")
                 manifest = json.loads(manifest_raw)
-            except (OSError, UnicodeDecodeError, json.JSONDecodeError) as e:
-                return False, f"Invalid manifest.json: {e}", {}
+            except (OSError, UnicodeDecodeError, json.JSONDecodeError):
+                return False, "Invalid manifest.json", {}
 
             if not isinstance(manifest, dict) or "schema_version" not in manifest:
                 return False, "Invalid manifest structure", {}
@@ -456,8 +456,8 @@ def validate_backup(zip_path: Path) -> Tuple[bool, str, Dict[str, Any]]:
             return True, "", result_manifest
     except zipfile.BadZipFile:
         return False, "File is not a valid ZIP archive", {}
-    except OSError as e:
-        return False, f"Could not read backup: {e}", {}
+    except OSError:
+        return False, "Could not read backup", {}
 
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

src/base_classes/api_extractors.py

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ fields and data structures.
 """
 
 from abc import ABC, abstractmethod
-from typing import Dict, Any, Optional, List
+from typing import Dict, Optional
 import logging
 from datetime import datetime
 import pytz
@@ -21,12 +21,10 @@ class APIDataExtractor(ABC):
     @abstractmethod
     def extract_game_details(self, game_event: Dict) -> Optional[Dict]:
         """Extract common game details from raw API data."""
-        pass
     
     @abstractmethod
     def get_sport_specific_fields(self, game_event: Dict) -> Dict:
         """Extract sport-specific fields (downs, innings, periods, etc.)."""
-        pass
     
     def _extract_common_details(self, game_event: Dict) -> tuple[Dict | None, Dict | None, Dict | None, Dict | None, Dict | None]:
         """Extract common game details that work across all sports."""

src/base_classes/baseball.py

@@ -329,7 +329,6 @@ class Baseball(SportsCore):
             return
         
         series_summary = game.get("series_summary", "")
-        font = self.fonts.get('detail', ImageFont.load_default())
         bbox = draw_overlay.textbbox((0, 0), series_summary, font=self.fonts['time'])
         height = bbox[3] - bbox[1]
         shots_y = (self.display_height - height) // 2

src/base_classes/basketball.py

@@ -1,6 +1,4 @@
 import logging
-import time
-from datetime import datetime, timezone
 from typing import Any, Dict, Optional
 
 from PIL import Image, ImageDraw, ImageFont

src/base_classes/data_sources.py

@@ -6,11 +6,10 @@ to support different APIs and data providers.
 """
 
 from abc import ABC, abstractmethod
-from typing import Dict, Any, Optional, List
+from typing import Dict, List
 import requests
 import logging
-from datetime import datetime, timedelta
-import time
+from datetime import datetime
 
 class DataSource(ABC):
     """Abstract base class for data sources."""
@@ -35,17 +34,14 @@ class DataSource(ABC):
     @abstractmethod
     def fetch_live_games(self, sport: str, league: str) -> List[Dict]:
         """Fetch live games for a sport/league."""
-        pass
     
     @abstractmethod
     def fetch_schedule(self, sport: str, league: str, date_range: tuple) -> List[Dict]:
         """Fetch schedule for a sport/league within date range."""
-        pass
     
     @abstractmethod
     def fetch_standings(self, sport: str, league: str) -> Dict:
         """Fetch standings for a sport/league."""
-        pass
     
     def get_headers(self) -> Dict[str, str]:
         """Get headers for API requests."""
@@ -217,7 +213,7 @@ class MLBAPIDataSource(DataSource):
             response.raise_for_status()
             
             data = response.json()
-            self.logger.debug(f"Fetched standings from MLB API")
+            self.logger.debug("Fetched standings from MLB API")
             return data
             
         except Exception as e:
@@ -296,7 +292,7 @@ class SoccerAPIDataSource(DataSource):
             response.raise_for_status()
             
             data = response.json()
-            self.logger.debug(f"Fetched standings from soccer API")
+            self.logger.debug("Fetched standings from soccer API")
             return data
             
         except Exception as e:

src/base_classes/football.py

@@ -1,10 +1,8 @@
-from typing import Dict, Any, Optional, List
+from typing import Dict, Any, Optional
 from src.display_manager import DisplayManager
 from src.cache_manager import CacheManager
-from datetime import datetime, timezone, timedelta
 import logging
 from PIL import Image, ImageDraw, ImageFont
-import time
 from src.base_classes.data_sources import ESPNDataSource
 from src.base_classes.sports import SportsCore, SportsLive
 

src/base_classes/hockey.py

@@ -1,6 +1,4 @@
 import logging
-import time
-from datetime import datetime, timezone
 from typing import Any, Dict, Optional
 
 from PIL import Image, ImageDraw, ImageFont
@@ -79,8 +77,6 @@ class Hockey(SportsCore):
                 away_shots = round(home_team_saves / home_team_saves_per)
             if away_team_saves_per > 0:
                 home_shots = round(away_team_saves / away_team_saves_per)
-            status_short = status["type"].get("shortDetail", "")
-
             if situation and status["type"]["state"] == "in":
                 # Detect scoring events from status detail
                 # status_detail = status["type"].get("detail", "")

src/base_classes/sports.py

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import time
 from abc import ABC, abstractmethod
 from datetime import datetime, timedelta, timezone
 from pathlib import Path
-from typing import Any, Callable, Dict, List, Optional
+from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional
 
 import pytz
 import requests
@@ -172,8 +172,8 @@ class SportsCore(ABC):
 
         try:
             fallbacks.append(Path.home() / ".ledmatrix" / "logos" / self.sport_key)
-        except Exception:
-            pass
+        except RuntimeError as e:
+            self.logger.debug("Could not resolve home directory (expected for service users): %s", e)
 
         fallbacks.append(Path(tempfile.gettempdir()) / "ledmatrix_logos" / self.sport_key)
 
@@ -416,7 +416,6 @@ class SportsCore(ABC):
                 league=self.league,
                 event_id=game['id'],
                 update_interval_seconds=update_interval,
-                is_live=is_live
             )
             
             if odds_data:

src/base_odds_manager.py

@@ -11,13 +11,10 @@ Follows LEDMatrix configuration management patterns:
 - Maintainable: Changes to odds logic affect all plugins
 """
 
-import time
 import logging
 import requests
 import json
-from datetime import datetime, timedelta, timezone
 from typing import Dict, Any, Optional, List
-import pytz
 
 
 class BaseOddsManager:

src/cache/cache_strategy.py

@@ -193,19 +193,21 @@ class CacheStrategy:
             Data type string for strategy lookup
         """
         key_lower = key.lower()
-        
-        # Odds data — checked FIRST because odds keys may also contain 'live'/'current'
-        # (e.g. odds_espn_nba_game_123_live). The odds TTL (120s for live, 1800s for
-        # upcoming) must win over the generic sports_live TTL (30s) to avoid hitting
-        # the ESPN odds API every 30 seconds per game.
-        if 'odds' in key_lower:
-            # For live games, use shorter cache; for upcoming games, use longer cache
-            if any(x in key_lower for x in ['live', 'current']):
-                return 'odds_live'  # Live odds change more frequently (120s TTL)
-            return 'odds'  # Regular odds for upcoming games (1800s TTL)
 
-        # Live sports data (only reached if key does NOT contain 'odds')
+        # Odds data — checked before the generic 'live' block below because
+        # live-odds cache keys (e.g. odds_espn_basketball_nba_<id>_live) contain
+        # both 'odds' AND 'live'.  Without this ordering the 'live' check below
+        # would match first and return 'sports_live' (30 s TTL) instead of the
+        # correct 'odds_live' (120 s TTL).
+        if 'odds' in key_lower:
+            if any(x in key_lower for x in ['live', 'current']):
+                return 'odds_live'  # Live odds change more frequently
+            return 'odds'  # Regular odds for upcoming games
+
+        # Live sports data
         if any(x in key_lower for x in ['live', 'current', 'scoreboard']):
+            if 'soccer' in key_lower:
+                return 'sports_live'  # Soccer live data is very time-sensitive
             return 'sports_live'
 
         # Weather data

src/cache/disk_cache.py

@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@ import threading
 from typing import Dict, Any, Optional, Protocol
 from datetime import datetime
 
-from src.exceptions import CacheError
 
 
 class CacheStrategyProtocol(Protocol):
@@ -69,14 +68,15 @@ class DiskCache:
             return None
         return os.path.join(self.cache_dir, f"{key}.json")
     
-    def get(self, key: str, max_age: int = 300) -> Optional[Dict[str, Any]]:
+    def get(self, key: str, max_age: Optional[int] = 300) -> Optional[Dict[str, Any]]:
         """
         Get data from disk cache.
-        
+
         Args:
             key: Cache key
-            max_age: Maximum age in seconds
-            
+            max_age: Maximum age in seconds; None disables age-based expiry
+                (the record never counts as stale). Mirrors MemoryCache.get.
+
         Returns:
             Cached data or None if not found or expired
         """
@@ -106,7 +106,13 @@ class DiskCache:
                     record_ts = None
             
             now = time.time()
-            if record_ts is None or (now - record_ts) <= max_age:
+            # max_age=None means "never expires" (mirrors MemoryCache and the
+            # cache_manager docstring). Guard it explicitly — otherwise the
+            # comparison below raises TypeError and the record is treated as a
+            # miss, which silently breaks callers that persist long-lived state
+            # via get(key, max_age=None) (e.g. plugin health/metrics that must
+            # survive restarts and be read cross-process).
+            if record_ts is None or max_age is None or (now - record_ts) <= max_age:
                 return record
             else:
                 # Stale on disk; keep file for potential diagnostics but treat as miss
@@ -184,7 +190,7 @@ class DiskCache:
                             os.replace(tmp_path, cache_path)
                             # Set proper permissions: 660 (rw-rw----) for group-readable cache files
                             try:
-                                os.chmod(cache_path, 0o660)
+                                os.chmod(cache_path, 0o660)  # nosec B103 - intentional; web UI and service share a group
                             except OSError:
                                 pass  # Non-critical if chmod fails
                         finally:
@@ -202,7 +208,7 @@ class DiskCache:
                                 os.fsync(cache_file.fileno())
                             # Set proper permissions: 660 (rw-rw----) for group-readable cache files
                             try:
-                                os.chmod(cache_path, 0o660)
+                                os.chmod(cache_path, 0o660)  # nosec B103 - intentional; web UI and service share a group
                             except OSError:
                                 pass  # Non-critical if chmod fails
                             self.logger.debug("Wrote cache for %s directly (non-atomic)", key)
@@ -210,7 +216,7 @@ class DiskCache:
                             # If direct write also fails, try fallback location
                             self.logger.warning("Direct write failed for key '%s' to %s: %s", key, cache_path, write_error)
                             raise  # Re-raise to trigger fallback logic
-                except (IOError, OSError, PermissionError) as e:
+                except (IOError, OSError, PermissionError):
                     # Attempt one-time fallback write to user's home cache directory
                     try:
                         # Try user's home cache directory as fallback
@@ -228,7 +234,7 @@ class DiskCache:
                                 json.dump(data, tmp_file, indent=4, cls=DateTimeEncoder)
                             # Set proper permissions: 660 (rw-rw----) for group-readable cache files
                             try:
-                                os.chmod(fallback_path, 0o660)
+                                os.chmod(fallback_path, 0o660)  # nosec B103 - intentional; web UI and service share a group
                             except OSError:
                                 pass  # Non-critical if chmod fails
                             self.logger.debug("Cache wrote to fallback location: %s", fallback_path)

src/cache_manager.py

@@ -1,3 +1,28 @@
+"""
+Cache Manager — multi-tier response cache for the LEDMatrix application.
+
+:class:`CacheManager` provides a unified caching layer used by all plugins
+to reduce external API calls and survive network outages gracefully.
+
+Two storage tiers
+-----------------
+* **Memory tier** (:class:`~src.cache.memory_cache.MemoryCache`): fast LRU
+  cache (up to 1 000 entries by default).  Hit on this tier before touching
+  disk.
+* **Disk tier** (:class:`~src.cache.disk_cache.DiskCache`): filesystem-backed
+  persistent store that survives process restarts.
+
+Data written to cache is serialised as JSON.  :class:`DateTimeEncoder` handles
+``datetime`` objects transparently so callers don't have to pre-serialise them.
+
+Typical plugin usage::
+
+    data = self.cache_manager.get_cached_data('my_key', max_age=300)
+    if data is None:
+        data = fetch_from_api()
+        self.cache_manager.save_cache('my_key', data)
+"""
+
 import json
 import os
 import time
@@ -7,7 +32,6 @@ from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional
 import logging
 import threading
 import tempfile
-from pathlib import Path
 from src.exceptions import CacheError
 from src.cache.memory_cache import MemoryCache
 from src.cache.disk_cache import DiskCache
@@ -16,7 +40,10 @@ from src.cache.cache_metrics import CacheMetrics
 from src.logging_config import get_logger
 
 class DateTimeEncoder(json.JSONEncoder):
+    """JSON encoder that serialises ``datetime`` objects as ISO-8601 strings."""
+
     def default(self, obj):
+        """Return ISO-8601 string for datetime; delegate all other types to the base encoder."""
         if isinstance(obj, datetime):
             return obj.isoformat()
         return super().default(obj)
@@ -111,7 +138,7 @@ class CacheManager:
                     if os.access(system_cache_dir, os.W_OK):
                         self.logger.info(f"Using system cache directory: {system_cache_dir}")
                         return system_cache_dir
-                except (OSError, IOError, PermissionError) as perm_error:
+                except (OSError, IOError, PermissionError):
                     # Permission errors are expected when running as non-root
                     self.logger.debug(f"Could not create system cache directory (permission denied): {system_cache_dir}")
         except (OSError, IOError, PermissionError) as e:
@@ -547,9 +574,19 @@ class CacheManager:
         }
         return self.save_cache(data_type, cache_data)
 
-    def get(self, key: str, max_age: int = 300) -> Optional[Dict[str, Any]]:
-        """Get data from cache if it exists and is not stale."""
-        cached_data = self.get_cached_data(key, max_age)
+    def get(self, key: str, max_age: Optional[int] = 300,
+            memory_ttl: Optional[int] = None) -> Optional[Dict[str, Any]]:
+        """Get data from cache if it exists and is not stale.
+
+        Args:
+            key: Cache key
+            max_age: Max age (seconds) for the on-disk entry; None never expires.
+            memory_ttl: Max age (seconds) for the in-memory entry. Pass 0 to
+                bypass the memory tier and force a fresh read from disk — used by
+                cross-process readers that must observe another process's latest
+                write rather than a stale first snapshot. Defaults to max_age.
+        """
+        cached_data = self.get_cached_data(key, max_age, memory_ttl=memory_ttl)
         if cached_data and 'data' in cached_data:
             return cached_data['data']
         return cached_data

src/common/api_helper.py

@@ -5,13 +5,10 @@ Handles HTTP requests, caching, and ESPN API integration for LED matrix plugins.
 Extracted from LEDMatrix core to provide reusable functionality for plugins.
 """
 
-import json
 import logging
 import time
-from datetime import datetime, timedelta
-from pathlib import Path
-from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional, Union
-from urllib.parse import urlencode
+from datetime import datetime
+from typing import Any, Dict, Optional
 
 import requests
 from requests.adapters import HTTPAdapter

src/common/basketball_plugin_example.py

@@ -5,11 +5,9 @@ This example shows how to refactor the basketball plugin to use the
 ledmatrix-common package for cleaner, more maintainable code.
 """
 
-import logging
 from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional
 
-from PIL import Image, ImageDraw
 
 # Import common helpers
 from src.common import (

src/common/cli.py

@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ def test_utilities(display_width: int, display_height: int):
     print(f"Testing LEDMatrix Common utilities with {display_width}x{display_height} display")
     
     try:
-        from ledmatrix_common import LogoHelper, TextHelper, APIHelper, DisplayHelper, GameHelper, ConfigHelper
+        from ledmatrix_common import LogoHelper, TextHelper, DisplayHelper, GameHelper, ConfigHelper
         
         # Test LogoHelper
         print("Testing LogoHelper...")
@@ -63,12 +63,12 @@ def test_utilities(display_width: int, display_height: int):
         
         # Test GameHelper
         print("Testing GameHelper...")
-        game_helper = GameHelper()
+        GameHelper()
         print("GameHelper initialized")
-        
+
         # Test ConfigHelper
         print("Testing ConfigHelper...")
-        config_helper = ConfigHelper()
+        ConfigHelper()
         print("ConfigHelper initialized")
         
         print("All tests passed!")

src/common/display_helper.py

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ Extracted from LEDMatrix core to provide reusable functionality for plugins.
 """
 
 import logging
-from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional, Tuple, Union
+from typing import Any, Dict, Optional, Tuple
 
 from PIL import Image, ImageDraw, ImageFont
 
@@ -166,8 +166,7 @@ class DisplayHelper:
         img = self.create_base_image(background_color)
         draw = ImageDraw.Draw(img)
         
-        # Calculate text position (start off-screen to the right)
-        text_width = draw.textlength(text, font=font)
+        # Start text off-screen to the right
         x_position = self.display_width
         
         # Draw text
@@ -216,8 +215,7 @@ class DisplayHelper:
             PIL Image with error message
         """
         img = self.create_base_image((50, 0, 0))  # Dark red background
-        draw = ImageDraw.Draw(img)
-        
+
         # Use default font
         font = ImageFont.load_default()
         
@@ -237,8 +235,6 @@ class DisplayHelper:
             PIL Image with no data message
         """
         img = self.create_base_image((0, 0, 0))
-        draw = ImageDraw.Draw(img)
-        
         font = ImageFont.load_default()
         self._draw_centered_text(message, font, (0, 0, 0), (150, 150, 150))
         

src/common/logo_helper.py

@@ -6,10 +6,8 @@ Extracted from LEDMatrix core to provide reusable functionality for plugins.
 """
 
 import logging
-import os
 from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Dict, List, Optional, Union
-from urllib.parse import urlparse
 
 import requests
 from PIL import Image

src/common/permission_utils.py

@@ -8,16 +8,37 @@ files that need to be accessible by both root service and web user.
 
 import os
 import logging
+import re
 import shutil as _shutil
 import subprocess
+import sys
 from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Optional
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
+# Matches the credentials portion of a "scheme://user:pass@host" URL, so pip's
+# own error output can be logged/displayed without echoing back a private
+# index URL's embedded basic-auth secret verbatim (e.g. from a
+# requirements.txt --index-url line or the PIP_INDEX_URL env var).
+_URL_CREDENTIALS_RE = re.compile(r'://[^/\s@:]+:[^/\s@]+@')
+
+
+def _redact_url_credentials(text: Optional[str]) -> str:
+    """Replace embedded user:pass@ URL credentials in text with a placeholder.
+
+    Safe to call on any subprocess output destined for logs: it only ever
+    shortens/replaces the credential substring, never changes the presence
+    or absence of the specific fixed phrases callers check for
+    (e.g. "a password is required"), so it can't affect control flow.
+    """
+    if not text:
+        return text or ""
+    return _URL_CREDENTIALS_RE.sub('://***:***@', text)
+
 # System directories that should never have their permissions modified
 # These directories have special system-level permissions that must be preserved
-PROTECTED_SYSTEM_DIRECTORIES = {
+PROTECTED_SYSTEM_DIRECTORIES = {  # nosec B108 - these are checked to PREVENT permission changes, not to use as temp paths
     '/tmp',
     '/var/tmp',
     '/dev',
@@ -287,3 +308,119 @@ def sudo_remove_directory(path: Path, allowed_bases: Optional[list] = None) -> b
         logger.error(f"Unexpected error during sudo helper for {path}: {e}")
         return False
 
+
+def install_requirements_file(req_file: Path, timeout: int = 300) -> subprocess.CompletedProcess:
+    """
+    Install a requirements.txt file for a plugin (or the project itself).
+
+    Prefers the vetted sudo wrapper (scripts/fix_perms/safe_pip_install.sh) so
+    packages end up visible to root-run ledmatrix.service, not just to
+    whichever non-root user happens to run the calling process (e.g. the web
+    interface). Falls back to installing with the calling process's own
+    interpreter if the wrapper isn't set up yet (the admin hasn't run
+    scripts/install/configure_web_sudo.sh), so dependency installation still
+    does *something* useful rather than hard-failing.
+
+    Always installs with the interpreter that will actually run the code
+    (``sys.executable`` in the fallback path, the wrapper's ``python3`` in the
+    sudo path) rather than a bare ``pip``/``pip3`` off PATH, which can
+    silently resolve to a different Python installation (e.g. system Python
+    vs. a virtualenv) than the one importing the package at runtime.
+
+    Args:
+        req_file: Path to a requirements.txt file
+        timeout: Subprocess timeout in seconds
+
+    Returns:
+        subprocess.CompletedProcess from the pip (or wrapper) invocation.
+        Never raises on a non-zero exit; callers should check ``returncode``.
+        ``stdout`` is prefixed with an explanatory note when the root wrapper
+        was unavailable and the fallback path was used.
+    """
+    project_root = Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent.parent
+    wrapper = project_root / "scripts" / "fix_perms" / "safe_pip_install.sh"
+
+    if wrapper.exists():
+        # See sudo_remove_directory / configure_web_sudo.sh for why bash must
+        # be invoked with an explicit, known path rather than relying on the
+        # wrapper's shebang: sudoers matches the exact command line.
+        bash_candidates = []
+        for candidate in ("/usr/bin/bash", "/bin/bash", _shutil.which("bash")):
+            if candidate and candidate not in bash_candidates:
+                bash_candidates.append(candidate)
+
+        result = None
+        for bash_path in bash_candidates:
+            # bash_path and wrapper are fixed, known-good paths, and
+            # safe_pip_install.sh independently re-validates req_file is an
+            # allowed requirements.txt before installing anything as root.
+            result = subprocess.run(  # nosec B603 - no shell invoked (list-form argv)  # nosemgrep
+                ["sudo", "-n", bash_path, str(wrapper), str(req_file)],
+                capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=timeout, cwd=str(project_root)
+            )
+            # Redact immediately: pip can echo a private index URL's embedded
+            # basic-auth credentials back in its own error/progress output
+            # (e.g. from a requirements.txt --index-url line). Doesn't affect
+            # the fixed-phrase "denied" check below -- those phrases never
+            # overlap with URL syntax.
+            result.stderr = _redact_url_credentials(result.stderr)
+            result.stdout = _redact_url_credentials(result.stdout)
+            if result.returncode == 0:
+                return result
+            # Distinguish "sudo rejected this exact command line" (worth
+            # trying the next bash candidate) from "sudo ran it but pip
+            # itself failed" (a real error — stop and surface it).
+            denied = any(
+                phrase in result.stderr
+                for phrase in ("a password is required", "is not allowed to run", "no tty present")
+            )
+            if not denied:
+                # Deliberately don't interpolate req_file or the pip output here:
+                # this log line is scanner-visible, and a static analyzer can't
+                # tell "already redacted above" from "still raw" just by looking
+                # at this call in isolation. The full (redacted) text is still
+                # available to callers via the returned CompletedProcess.
+                logger.warning(
+                    "Root pip install failed (rc=%s); see the returned "
+                    "CompletedProcess.stderr for details.",
+                    result.returncode,
+                )
+                return result
+
+        # Same reasoning as above: no req_file / pip-output interpolation in
+        # this log line, only in the returned note/CompletedProcess.
+        logger.warning(
+            "Root pip install wrapper denied via sudo for all candidates; "
+            "falling back to user-level install. See the returned "
+            "CompletedProcess.stderr for details."
+        )
+        note = (
+            f"[Root install unavailable ({(result.stderr.strip() if result else 'sudo denied') or 'sudo denied'}); "
+            "installed for the current process's user only. Packages may not be "
+            "visible to ledmatrix.service if it runs as a different user — "
+            "run scripts/install/configure_web_sudo.sh to fix this.]\n"
+        )
+    else:
+        logger.warning(
+            "safe_pip_install.sh not found; falling back to user-level install."
+        )
+        note = (
+            "[safe_pip_install.sh not found; installed for the current process's "
+            "user only. Run scripts/install/configure_web_sudo.sh to enable "
+            "root installs visible to ledmatrix.service.]\n"
+        )
+
+    # sys.executable is this process's own interpreter (not
+    # attacker-influenced), and req_file is a Path built internally by callers
+    # (store_manager.py plugin paths, PROJECT_ROOT/requirements.txt), never
+    # raw external/user input. --ignore-installed matches safe_pip_install.sh:
+    # apt-managed packages (e.g. python3-requests) ship no pip RECORD file, so
+    # upgrading them would otherwise abort with "uninstall-no-record-file".
+    result = subprocess.run(  # nosec B603 - no shell invoked (list-form argv)  # nosemgrep
+        [sys.executable, "-m", "pip", "install", "--break-system-packages", "--ignore-installed", "-r", str(req_file)],
+        capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=timeout, cwd=str(project_root)
+    )
+    result.stderr = _redact_url_credentials(result.stderr)
+    result.stdout = note + _redact_url_credentials(result.stdout)
+    return result
+

src/common/scroll_helper.py

@@ -347,34 +347,40 @@ class ScrollHelper:
         return self._get_visible_portion_integer(start_x_int, end_x_int)
     
     def _get_visible_portion_integer(self, start_x: int, end_x: int) -> Image.Image:
-        """Fast integer pixel extraction (no interpolation)."""
-        # Fast numpy array slicing for normal case (no wrap-around)
-        if end_x <= self.cached_image.width:
-            # Normal case: single slice - fastest path
-            frame_array = self.cached_array[:, start_x:end_x]
-            # Convert to PIL Image (minimal overhead)
-            return Image.fromarray(frame_array)
+        """Fast integer pixel extraction (no interpolation).
+
+        Uses Image.frombytes instead of Image.fromarray: frombytes skips
+        numpy's array-protocol overhead and is ~50% faster for the display-sized
+        slices (128×32 = 12 KB) used here.
+        """
+        _size = (self.display_width, self.display_height)
+        img_w = self.cached_image.width
+
+        if end_x <= img_w:
+            # Normal case: single contiguous slice (fastest path)
+            frame_array = np.ascontiguousarray(self.cached_array[:, start_x:end_x])
+            return Image.frombytes('RGB', _size, frame_array.tobytes())
         else:
-            # Wrap-around case: combine two slices using numpy
-            width1 = self.cached_image.width - start_x
+            # Ensure frame buffer is allocated for all non-simple paths
+            if self._frame_buffer is None or self._frame_buffer.shape != (self.display_height, self.display_width, 3):
+                self._frame_buffer = np.zeros((self.display_height, self.display_width, 3), dtype=np.uint8)
+
+            width1 = img_w - start_x
             if width1 > 0:
-                # Use pre-allocated buffer for output
-                if self._frame_buffer is None or self._frame_buffer.shape != (self.display_height, self.display_width, 3):
-                    self._frame_buffer = np.zeros((self.display_height, self.display_width, 3), dtype=np.uint8)
-                
-                # First part from end of image (fast numpy slice)
+                # Wrap-around: tail of image + head of image
                 self._frame_buffer[:, :width1] = self.cached_array[:, start_x:]
-                
-                # Second part from beginning of image
                 remaining_width = self.display_width - width1
                 self._frame_buffer[:, width1:] = self.cached_array[:, :remaining_width]
-                
-                # Convert combined buffer to PIL Image
-                return Image.fromarray(self._frame_buffer)
             else:
-                # Edge case: start_x >= image width, wrap to beginning
-                frame_array = self.cached_array[:, :self.display_width]
-                return Image.fromarray(frame_array)
+                # Edge case: start_x at or past image end — show from beginning,
+                # clamped to available width (scroll_position should wrap before
+                # reaching this state in normal operation).
+                available = min(self.display_width, img_w)
+                self._frame_buffer[:, :available] = self.cached_array[:, :available]
+                if available < self.display_width:
+                    self._frame_buffer[:, available:] = 0
+
+            return Image.frombytes('RGB', _size, self._frame_buffer.tobytes())
     
     def _get_visible_portion_subpixel(self, start_x_int: int, fractional: float) -> Image.Image:
         """

src/common/sync_manager.py

@@ -0,0 +1,651 @@
+"""
+Multi-Display Sync Manager
+
+Synchronizes scrolling content across two LED matrix display units over UDP.
+Runs at the core framework level — works with any plugin automatically.
+
+Roles:
+  standalone  No sync (default behavior)
+  leader      Drives scroll, sends rendered follower frames via UDP
+  follower    Receives frames from leader; falls back to own plugins when
+              the leader goes offline
+
+Compatibility rule: rows and cols must match between leader and follower.
+chain_length may differ — each display can have a different number of panels.
+
+Port default: 5765 (UDP). Open this port on both Pis if ufw is active:
+  sudo ufw allow 5765/udp
+"""
+
+import io
+import json
+import os
+import socket
+import struct
+import tempfile
+import threading
+import time
+import logging
+from enum import Enum
+from typing import Callable, Optional
+import numpy as np
+from PIL import Image
+
+# Raw-frame wire format: 8-byte magic + 4-byte header + raw RGB pixels
+# Much faster than PNG: no encode/decode, negligible CPU, same UDP packet size
+_RAW_MAGIC = b'SYNC_RAW'
+_RAW_HEADER = struct.Struct('<HH')  # width, height (uint16 LE)
+
+
+SYNC_PORT = 5765
+HELLO_INTERVAL = 5.0       # follower broadcasts hello every 5 s
+HEARTBEAT_INTERVAL = 2.0   # follower sends heartbeat every 2 s
+PEER_TIMEOUT = 6.0         # leader: no heartbeat → follower gone
+LEADER_TIMEOUT = 6.0       # follower: no frame → leader gone
+STATUS_FILE = os.path.join(tempfile.gettempdir(), "led_matrix_sync_status.json")
+
+
+class SyncRole(Enum):
+    STANDALONE = "standalone"
+    LEADER = "leader"
+    FOLLOWER = "follower"
+
+
+class LeaderState(Enum):
+    NO_PEER = "no_peer"
+    CONNECTED = "connected"
+    INCOMPATIBLE = "incompatible"
+
+
+class FollowerState(Enum):
+    STANDALONE = "standalone"
+    FOLLOWER = "follower"
+
+
+class DisplaySyncManager:
+    """
+    Core sync manager.  Instantiated by DisplayController based on config['sync'].
+    Leader sends compressed PNG frames to the follower after each render cycle.
+    Follower renders received frames; returns to own plugin stack when leader
+    goes offline.
+    """
+
+    def __init__(
+        self,
+        role_str: str,
+        cfg: dict,
+        hw_config: dict,
+        logger: logging.Logger,
+    ) -> None:
+        """
+        Args:
+            role_str:   "standalone" | "leader" | "follower"
+            cfg:        config['sync'] dict
+            hw_config:  config['display']['hardware'] dict (this Pi's own config)
+            logger:     framework logger
+        """
+        try:
+            self.role = SyncRole(role_str)
+        except ValueError:
+            logger.warning("Invalid sync role '%s', defaulting to standalone", role_str)
+            self.role = SyncRole.STANDALONE
+
+        self.logger = logger
+        self.port = int(cfg.get("port", SYNC_PORT))
+        self._hw_config = hw_config
+
+        # Leader state
+        self._leader_state = LeaderState.NO_PEER
+        self._peer_ip: Optional[str] = None
+        self._peer_compatible: bool = False
+        self._peer_chain: int = 0
+        self._last_heartbeat_time: float = 0.0
+        self._leader_width: int = 0  # set by display_controller after init
+
+        # Follower state
+        self._follower_state = FollowerState.STANDALONE
+        self._latest_frame: Optional[Image.Image] = None  # pixel-frame fallback
+        self._latest_scroll_x: Optional[float] = None    # Vegas scroll position
+        self._last_leader_frame_time: float = 0.0
+        self._frame_lock = threading.Lock()
+        self._leader_ip: Optional[str] = None
+        self._on_new_cycle: Optional[Callable[[], None]] = None       # called when leader starts new cycle
+        self._on_scroll_image: Optional[Callable[[Image.Image], None]] = None   # called with Image when received
+        self._pending_scroll_image: Optional[Image.Image] = None  # image received before callback set
+        self._scroll_image_lock = threading.Lock()         # guards _on_scroll_image / _pending_scroll_image
+        self._img_server_sock = None                        # TCP server for scroll image transfer
+
+        # Leader state additions
+        self._on_follower_connected: Optional[Callable[[], None]] = None  # called when follower connects
+
+        self._error_message: Optional[str] = None
+        self._running = False
+        self._recv_sock: Optional[socket.socket] = None
+        self._send_sock: Optional[socket.socket] = None
+
+        if self.role == SyncRole.STANDALONE:
+            return
+
+        if self.role == SyncRole.LEADER:
+            self._start_leader()
+        elif self.role == SyncRole.FOLLOWER:
+            self._start_follower()
+
+    # ------------------------------------------------------------------ #
+    # Leader setup                                                         #
+    # ------------------------------------------------------------------ #
+
+    def _start_leader(self) -> None:
+        # Receive socket: listens for hello + heartbeat from follower
+        self._recv_sock = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_DGRAM)  # nosec B104
+        self._recv_sock.setsockopt(socket.SOL_SOCKET, socket.SO_REUSEADDR, 1)
+        self._recv_sock.bind(("", self.port))  # nosec B104 — intentional: must receive UDP broadcast on all interfaces
+        self._recv_sock.settimeout(1.0)
+
+        # Send socket: unicast frames + hello_ack to follower
+        self._send_sock = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_DGRAM)
+
+        self._running = True
+        threading.Thread(
+            target=self._leader_recv_loop, daemon=True, name="sync-leader-recv"
+        ).start()
+        threading.Thread(
+            target=self._leader_watchdog, daemon=True, name="sync-leader-watchdog"
+        ).start()
+        self.logger.info("Sync: leader started on UDP port %d", self.port)
+        self.write_status_file()
+
+    def _leader_recv_loop(self) -> None:
+        while self._running:
+            try:
+                data, addr = self._recv_sock.recvfrom(1024)
+                sender_ip = addr[0]
+                try:
+                    msg = json.loads(data.decode("utf-8"))
+                except (json.JSONDecodeError, UnicodeDecodeError):
+                    continue
+                t = msg.get("t")
+                if t == "hello":
+                    self._handle_hello(msg, sender_ip)
+                elif t == "hb":
+                    if self._peer_ip == sender_ip:
+                        self._last_heartbeat_time = time.time()
+            except socket.timeout:
+                continue
+            except Exception as exc:
+                self.logger.debug("Sync leader recv error: %s", exc)
+
+    def _handle_hello(self, msg: dict, sender_ip: str) -> None:
+        hw = self._hw_config
+        local_rows = hw.get("rows", 32)
+        local_cols = hw.get("cols", 64)
+        peer_rows = int(msg.get("rows", 0))
+        peer_cols = int(msg.get("cols", 0))
+        peer_chain = int(msg.get("chain", 1))
+
+        compatible = peer_rows == local_rows and peer_cols == local_cols
+
+        self._peer_ip = sender_ip
+        self._peer_compatible = compatible
+        self._peer_chain = peer_chain
+        self._last_heartbeat_time = time.time()
+
+        prev_state = self._leader_state
+        if compatible:
+            if prev_state != LeaderState.CONNECTED:
+                self.logger.info(
+                    "Sync: follower connected at %s (chain=%d)", sender_ip, peer_chain
+                )
+            self._leader_state = LeaderState.CONNECTED
+            self._error_message = None
+            # Send scroll image immediately on new connection so follower has identical content
+            if prev_state != LeaderState.CONNECTED and self._on_follower_connected:
+                threading.Thread(
+                    target=self._on_follower_connected,
+                    daemon=True, name="sync-leader-img-push"
+                ).start()
+        else:
+            self._leader_state = LeaderState.INCOMPATIBLE
+            self._error_message = (
+                f"Incompatible panels: follower is {peer_cols}x{peer_rows}, "
+                f"leader is {local_cols}x{local_rows}. "
+                f"rows and cols must match between displays."
+            )
+            if prev_state != LeaderState.INCOMPATIBLE:
+                self.logger.error("Sync: %s", self._error_message)
+
+        if self._leader_state != prev_state:
+            self.write_status_file()
+
+        ack = json.dumps({
+            "t": "hello_ack",
+            "compatible": compatible,
+            "leader_width": self._leader_width,
+            "error": self._error_message,
+        }).encode("utf-8")
+        try:
+            self._send_sock.sendto(ack, (sender_ip, self.port))
+        except Exception as exc:
+            self.logger.debug("Sync: hello_ack send failed: %s", exc)
+
+    def _leader_watchdog(self) -> None:
+        while self._running:
+            time.sleep(1.0)
+            if self._leader_state == LeaderState.CONNECTED:
+                if time.time() - self._last_heartbeat_time > PEER_TIMEOUT:
+                    self.logger.info(
+                        "Sync: follower heartbeat timeout — peer disconnected"
+                    )
+                    self._leader_state = LeaderState.NO_PEER
+                    self._peer_ip = None
+                    self._peer_compatible = False
+                    self.write_status_file()
+
+    def _image_server_loop(self) -> None:
+        """Follower: TCP server that receives the leader's scroll image at each new cycle."""
+        while self._running:
+            try:
+                conn, addr = self._img_server_sock.accept()
+                conn.settimeout(10.0)
+                try:
+                    # 4-byte big-endian length prefix
+                    hdr = b""
+                    while len(hdr) < 4:
+                        chunk = conn.recv(4 - len(hdr))
+                        if not chunk:
+                            break
+                        hdr += chunk
+                    if len(hdr) < 4:
+                        continue
+                    length = int.from_bytes(hdr, "big")
+                    _MAX_IMAGE_BYTES = 10 * 1024 * 1024  # 10 MB — well above any real scroll image
+                    if length <= 0 or length > _MAX_IMAGE_BYTES:
+                        self.logger.warning(
+                            "Sync: rejected TCP image with invalid length %d (max %d) from %s",
+                            length, _MAX_IMAGE_BYTES, addr,
+                        )
+                        conn.close()
+                        continue
+                    data = bytearray()
+                    while len(data) < length:
+                        chunk = conn.recv(min(65536, length - len(data)))
+                        if not chunk:
+                            break
+                        data.extend(chunk)
+                    img = Image.open(io.BytesIO(data))
+                    _MAX_W, _MAX_H = 100_000, 256  # generous for any real scroll image
+                    if img.width > _MAX_W or img.height > _MAX_H:
+                        self.logger.warning(
+                            "Sync: rejected oversized scroll image %dx%d (max %dx%d) from %s",
+                            img.width, img.height, _MAX_W, _MAX_H, addr,
+                        )
+                        continue
+                    try:
+                        img.load()
+                    except (Image.DecompressionBombError, ValueError) as exc:
+                        self.logger.warning("Sync: rejected decompression bomb from %s: %s", addr, exc)
+                        continue
+                    self.logger.info(
+                        "Sync: received scroll image %dx%d (%d bytes compressed)",
+                        img.width, img.height, length,
+                    )
+                    with self._scroll_image_lock:
+                        if self._on_scroll_image:
+                            cb = self._on_scroll_image
+                        else:
+                            # Callback not registered yet (startup race) — cache it
+                            self._pending_scroll_image = img
+                            cb = None
+                    if cb:
+                        cb(img)
+                finally:
+                    conn.close()
+            except socket.timeout:
+                continue
+            except Exception as exc:
+                self.logger.debug("Sync: image server error: %s", exc)
+
+    def send_scroll_image(self, image: Image.Image) -> None:
+        """Leader: send the full scroll image to the follower via TCP.
+        PNG compression typically reduces a 5000×32 image to ~20–50KB,
+        transferring in <20ms on local WiFi. Called at new_cycle and on
+        first connection so both Pis always have identical cached_arrays.
+        """
+        if self.role != SyncRole.LEADER:
+            return
+        if self._leader_state != LeaderState.CONNECTED or not self._peer_ip:
+            return
+        try:
+            buf = io.BytesIO()
+            image.save(buf, format="PNG", optimize=True)
+            data = buf.getvalue()
+            with socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM) as sock:
+                sock.settimeout(5.0)
+                sock.connect((self._peer_ip, self.port + 1))
+                sock.sendall(len(data).to_bytes(4, "big") + data)
+            self.logger.info(
+                "Sync: sent scroll image %dx%d (%d bytes compressed)",
+                image.width, image.height, len(data),
+            )
+        except Exception as exc:
+            self.logger.debug("Sync: image send error: %s", exc)
+
+    def set_on_follower_connected(self, callback: Callable[[], None]) -> None:
+        """Leader: callback fired (in a thread) when a compatible follower first connects.
+        Use this to push the current scroll image immediately.
+        If a follower is already connected when this is called, fires right away
+        (handles the race where follower connects during leader startup).
+        """
+        self._on_follower_connected = callback
+        if self._leader_state == LeaderState.CONNECTED:
+            threading.Thread(
+                target=callback, daemon=True, name="sync-leader-img-push-late"
+            ).start()
+
+    def set_on_scroll_image(self, callback: Callable[[Image.Image], None]) -> None:
+        """Follower: callback fired with the received Image when leader sends scroll image.
+        If an image was received before this callback was registered (startup race),
+        fires immediately with that cached image.
+        """
+        with self._scroll_image_lock:
+            self._on_scroll_image = callback
+            pending = self._pending_scroll_image
+            self._pending_scroll_image = None
+        if pending is not None:
+            callback(pending)
+
+    def send_scroll_x(self, scroll_x: float) -> None:
+        """Leader (Vegas mode): broadcast scroll position instead of a pixel frame.
+        The follower renders from its own local pipeline at scroll_x - display_width.
+        ~20 bytes vs ~18KB for raw frames — eliminates all content-change artifacts.
+        """
+        if self.role != SyncRole.LEADER:
+            return
+        if self._leader_state != LeaderState.CONNECTED or not self._peer_ip:
+            return
+        try:
+            msg = json.dumps({"t": "sx", "x": round(scroll_x, 2)}).encode("utf-8")
+            self._send_sock.sendto(msg, (self._peer_ip, self.port))
+        except Exception as exc:
+            self.logger.debug("Sync: scroll_x send error: %s", exc)
+
+    def send_new_cycle(self) -> None:
+        """Leader: signal that a new scroll cycle has started so follower rebuilds its image."""
+        if self.role != SyncRole.LEADER:
+            return
+        if self._leader_state != LeaderState.CONNECTED or not self._peer_ip:
+            return
+        try:
+            self._send_sock.sendto(b'{"t":"nc"}', (self._peer_ip, self.port))
+        except Exception as exc:
+            self.logger.debug("Sync: new_cycle send error: %s", exc)
+
+    def send_frame(self, image: Image.Image) -> None:
+        """Leader: send a rendered frame to the follower as raw RGB bytes.
+        Raw format is orders of magnitude faster than PNG on Pi hardware —
+        no encode on sender, no decode on receiver.
+        Packet: 8-byte magic + 4-byte (width, height) header + raw RGB bytes.
+        """
+        if self.role != SyncRole.LEADER:
+            return
+        if self._leader_state != LeaderState.CONNECTED or not self._peer_ip:
+            return
+        try:
+            arr = np.asarray(image.convert("RGB"), dtype=np.uint8)
+            header = _RAW_MAGIC + _RAW_HEADER.pack(image.width, image.height)
+            data = header + arr.tobytes()
+            if len(data) <= 65000:
+                self._send_sock.sendto(data, (self._peer_ip, self.port))
+            elif not getattr(self, '_oversized_frame_warned', False):
+                self._oversized_frame_warned = True
+                self.logger.warning(
+                    "Sync: frame too large for UDP (%d bytes, max 65000) — "
+                    "image %dx%d will not be sent; use TCP image sync instead",
+                    len(data), image.width, image.height,
+                )
+        except Exception as exc:
+            self.logger.debug("Sync: frame send error: %s", exc)
+
+    def set_leader_width(self, width: int) -> None:
+        """Called by DisplayController once display_manager.width is known."""
+        self._leader_width = width
+
+    # ------------------------------------------------------------------ #
+    # Follower setup                                                       #
+    # ------------------------------------------------------------------ #
+
+    def _start_follower(self) -> None:
+        # Receive socket: listens for frames + hello_ack from leader
+        self._recv_sock = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_DGRAM)
+        self._recv_sock.setsockopt(socket.SOL_SOCKET, socket.SO_REUSEADDR, 1)
+        self._recv_sock.bind(("", self.port))  # nosec B104 — intentional: must receive UDP broadcast on all interfaces
+        self._recv_sock.settimeout(0.1)
+
+        # Send socket: broadcasts hello + heartbeat
+        self._send_sock = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_DGRAM)
+        self._send_sock.setsockopt(socket.SOL_SOCKET, socket.SO_BROADCAST, 1)
+
+        self._running = True
+        threading.Thread(
+            target=self._follower_recv_loop, daemon=True, name="sync-follower-recv"
+        ).start()
+        threading.Thread(
+            target=self._follower_announce_loop, daemon=True, name="sync-follower-announce"
+        ).start()
+        threading.Thread(
+            target=self._follower_watchdog, daemon=True, name="sync-follower-watchdog"
+        ).start()
+        # TCP server: receives scroll images from leader (port + 1)
+        self._img_server_sock = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM)  # nosec B104
+        self._img_server_sock.setsockopt(socket.SOL_SOCKET, socket.SO_REUSEADDR, 1)
+        self._img_server_sock.bind(("", self.port + 1))  # nosec B104 — intentional: TCP server must accept connections on all interfaces
+        self._img_server_sock.listen(1)
+        self._img_server_sock.settimeout(1.0)
+        threading.Thread(
+            target=self._image_server_loop, daemon=True, name="sync-image-server"
+        ).start()
+
+        self.logger.info(
+            "Sync: follower started on UDP port %d, image server on TCP %d",
+            self.port, self.port + 1,
+        )
+        self.write_status_file()
+
+    def _follower_recv_loop(self) -> None:
+        while self._running:
+            try:
+                data, addr = self._recv_sock.recvfrom(65535)
+                sender_ip = addr[0]
+
+                if data[:8] == _RAW_MAGIC or len(data) > 512:
+                    # Frame data: prefer magic-tagged raw RGB; fall back to legacy PNG
+                    try:
+                        if data[:8] == _RAW_MAGIC:
+                            w, h = _RAW_HEADER.unpack(data[8:12])
+                            raw = data[12:]
+                            img = Image.frombuffer(
+                                "RGB", (w, h), raw, "raw", "RGB", 0, 1
+                            )
+                        else:
+                            # Fallback: try legacy PNG
+                            img = Image.open(io.BytesIO(data))
+                            img.load()
+                        with self._frame_lock:
+                            self._latest_frame = img
+                        self._last_leader_frame_time = time.time()
+                        self._leader_ip = sender_ip
+
+                        if self._follower_state == FollowerState.STANDALONE:
+                            self._follower_state = FollowerState.FOLLOWER
+                            self.logger.info(
+                                "Sync: leader active at %s — switching to follower mode",
+                                sender_ip,
+                            )
+                            self.write_status_file()
+                    except Exception as exc:
+                        self.logger.debug("Sync: frame decode error: %s", exc)
+                else:
+                    # Control message
+                    try:
+                        msg = json.loads(data.decode("utf-8"))
+                        t = msg.get("t")
+                        if t == "hello_ack":
+                            self._leader_ip = sender_ip
+                            self._peer_compatible = msg.get("compatible", False)
+                            self._error_message = msg.get("error")
+                            if not self._peer_compatible and self._error_message:
+                                self.logger.error(
+                                    "Sync: leader rejected handshake — %s",
+                                    self._error_message,
+                                )
+                            self.write_status_file()
+                        elif t == "sx":
+                            # Vegas scroll-position sync — tiny message, renders locally
+                            self._latest_scroll_x = float(msg["x"])
+                            self._last_leader_frame_time = time.time()
+                            self._leader_ip = sender_ip
+                            if self._follower_state == FollowerState.STANDALONE:
+                                self._follower_state = FollowerState.FOLLOWER
+                                self.logger.info(
+                                    "Sync: leader active at %s — switching to follower mode",
+                                    sender_ip,
+                                )
+                                self.write_status_file()
+                                if self._on_new_cycle:
+                                    self._on_new_cycle()  # build initial scroll image
+                        elif t == "nc":
+                            # Leader started a new scroll cycle — rebuild local image
+                            if self._on_new_cycle:
+                                self._on_new_cycle()
+                    except (json.JSONDecodeError, UnicodeDecodeError, KeyError):
+                        pass
+
+            except socket.timeout:
+                continue
+            except Exception as exc:
+                self.logger.debug("Sync follower recv error: %s", exc)
+
+    def _follower_announce_loop(self) -> None:
+        hw = self._hw_config
+        hello = json.dumps({
+            "t": "hello",
+            "rows": hw.get("rows", 32),
+            "cols": hw.get("cols", 64),
+            "chain": hw.get("chain_length", 1),
+        }).encode("utf-8")
+        heartbeat = json.dumps({"t": "hb"}).encode("utf-8")
+        dest = ("<broadcast>", self.port)
+
+        last_hello = 0.0
+        last_hb = 0.0
+
+        while self._running:
+            now = time.time()
+            if now - last_hello >= HELLO_INTERVAL:
+                try:
+                    self._send_sock.sendto(hello, dest)
+                    last_hello = now
+                except Exception as exc:
+                    self.logger.debug("Sync: hello broadcast error: %s", exc)
+            if now - last_hb >= HEARTBEAT_INTERVAL:
+                try:
+                    self._send_sock.sendto(heartbeat, dest)
+                    last_hb = now
+                except Exception as exc:
+                    self.logger.debug("Sync: heartbeat error: %s", exc)
+            time.sleep(0.5)
+
+    def _follower_watchdog(self) -> None:
+        while self._running:
+            time.sleep(1.0)
+            if self._follower_state == FollowerState.FOLLOWER:
+                if time.time() - self._last_leader_frame_time > LEADER_TIMEOUT:
+                    self.logger.info(
+                        "Sync: leader frame timeout — returning to standalone mode"
+                    )
+                    self._follower_state = FollowerState.STANDALONE
+                    with self._frame_lock:
+                        self._latest_frame = None
+                    self.write_status_file()
+
+    # ------------------------------------------------------------------ #
+    # Public API                                                           #
+    # ------------------------------------------------------------------ #
+
+    def is_follower_active(self) -> bool:
+        """True when this Pi is in active follower mode (receiving frames)."""
+        return (
+            self.role == SyncRole.FOLLOWER
+            and self._follower_state == FollowerState.FOLLOWER
+        )
+
+    def get_latest_scroll_x(self) -> Optional[float]:
+        """Follower: return the most recently received Vegas scroll position, or None."""
+        return self._latest_scroll_x
+
+    def set_on_new_cycle(self, callback: Callable[[], None]) -> None:
+        """Follower: register a callback fired when the leader starts a new scroll cycle.
+        Used to trigger a local start_new_cycle() so both Pis rebuild from same fresh data.
+        """
+        self._on_new_cycle = callback
+
+    def get_latest_frame(self) -> Optional[Image.Image]:
+        """Follower: return the most recently received pixel frame (non-Vegas fallback)."""
+        with self._frame_lock:
+            return self._latest_frame
+
+    def get_status(self) -> dict:
+        """Return sync state dict for the web API status endpoint."""
+        hw = self._hw_config
+        base = {
+            "role": self.role.value,
+            "port": self.port,
+            "local_rows": hw.get("rows", 32),
+            "local_cols": hw.get("cols", 64),
+            "local_chain": hw.get("chain_length", 1),
+        }
+
+        if self.role == SyncRole.STANDALONE:
+            return {**base, "state": "standalone"}
+
+        if self.role == SyncRole.LEADER:
+            return {
+                **base,
+                "state": self._leader_state.value,
+                "peer_ip": self._peer_ip,
+                "peer_compatible": self._peer_compatible,
+                "peer_chain": self._peer_chain,
+                "leader_width": self._leader_width,
+                "error": self._error_message,
+            }
+
+        # Follower
+        return {
+            **base,
+            "state": self._follower_state.value,
+            "leader_ip": self._leader_ip,
+            "peer_compatible": self._peer_compatible,
+            "error": self._error_message,
+        }
+
+    def write_status_file(self) -> None:
+        """Write current sync status to STATUS_FILE for the web UI to read."""
+        try:
+            status = self.get_status()
+            status["ts"] = time.time()
+            tmp = STATUS_FILE + ".tmp"
+            with open(tmp, "w") as f:
+                json.dump(status, f)
+            os.replace(tmp, STATUS_FILE)
+        except Exception as exc:
+            self.logger.debug("Sync: status file write error: %s", exc)
+
+    def stop(self) -> None:
+        """Shut down threads and close sockets."""
+        self._running = False
+        for sock in (self._recv_sock, self._send_sock, self._img_server_sock):
+            if sock:
+                try:
+                    sock.close()
+                except Exception as exc:
+                    self.logger.debug("Sync: error closing socket: %s", exc)

src/common/text_helper.py

@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@ Extracted from LEDMatrix core to provide reusable functionality for plugins.
 """
 
 import logging
-import os
 from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Dict, List, Optional, Tuple, Union
 

src/common/utils.py

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ Extracted from LEDMatrix core to provide reusable functionality for plugins.
 import logging
 import re
 from datetime import datetime, timezone
-from typing import Optional, Tuple, Union
+from typing import Union
 import pytz