diff --git a/prole-app/Package.swift b/prole-app/Package.swift
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d113758
--- /dev/null
+++ b/prole-app/Package.swift
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+// swift-tools-version: 5.9
+import PackageDescription
+
+let package = Package(
+    name: "ProleApp",
+    platforms: [
+        .macOS(.v12)
+    ],
+    products: [
+        .executable(name: "Prole", targets: ["Prole"]) // App binary name
+    ],
+    dependencies: [
+        // NozeIO SwiftNIO IRC Client
+        .package(url: "https://github.com/NozeIO/swift-nio-irc-client", branch: "main"),
+        // RoyalVNCKit via SwiftPM instead of local xcframework
+        .package(url: "https://github.com/royalapplications/royalvnc", branch: "main")
+    ],
+    targets: [
+        .executableTarget(
+            name: "Prole",
+            dependencies: [
+                .product(name: "IRC", package: "swift-nio-irc-client"),
+                .product(name: "RoyalVNCKit", package: "royalvnc")
+            ],
+            path: "Sources",
+            resources: [
+                // The build script separately copies resources into the app bundle; no SPM resources here.
+            ],
+            linkerSettings: [
+                .linkedFramework("AppKit"),
+                .linkedFramework("Carbon"),
+                .linkedFramework("Network")
+            ]
+        )
+    ]
+)
diff --git a/prole-app/Sources/AppDelegate.swift b/prole-app/Sources/AppDelegate.swift
index b7f9ec7..fca139a 100644
--- a/prole-app/Sources/AppDelegate.swift
+++ b/prole-app/Sources/AppDelegate.swift
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ final class AppDelegate: NSObject, NSApplicationDelegate {
     private var hotKeyManager: HotKeyManager!
     private var serviceChecker: ServiceChecker!
     private var statusItemController: StatusItemController!
-    private var splashTipController: SplashTipWindowController?
+    // Splash screen removed — keep no reference
     private var appMenuToggleStatusBarItem: NSMenuItem?
     private var pfManager: PortForwardManager?
 
@@ -37,10 +37,7 @@ final class AppDelegate: NSObject, NSApplicationDelegate {
         NSApp.setActivationPolicy(.regular)
         dlog("Activation policy set to .regular (starting in App Window mode)")
 
-        // Show startup tip splash for 5 seconds with animated GIF and counter
-        let splash = SplashTipWindowController()
-        self.splashTipController = splash
-        splash.show()
+        // Splash removed: start directly
 
         // ServiceChecker does the lightweight TCP checks on a background timer
         serviceChecker = ServiceChecker()
@@ -114,15 +111,14 @@ final class AppDelegate: NSObject, NSApplicationDelegate {
         dlog("Starting ServiceChecker timer (interval: 30s)")
         serviceChecker.start(interval: 30)
 
-        // Release the splash controller reference shortly after it is expected to auto-dismiss
-        DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + 6.0) { [weak self] in
-            self?.splashTipController = nil
-        }
+        // No splash controller to release
 
         // Build application menu (shown when activation policy is .regular)
         setupApplicationMenu()
 
         // Start in Application Window mode by default
+        // Ensure main window is positioned at the left and visible immediately
+        if let mainWin = mainWindowController.window { MainWindowController.positionWindowAtLeftEdge(mainWin) }
         switchToAppWindowMode()
         // Ensure menu reflects current visibility
         statusItemController.setState(statusBarVisible: statusItemController.isVisible, appWindowVisible: mainWindowController.isVisible)
diff --git a/prole-app/Sources/Config.swift b/prole-app/Sources/Config.swift
index 456e38c..40ff95d 100644
--- a/prole-app/Sources/Config.swift
+++ b/prole-app/Sources/Config.swift
@@ -69,15 +69,7 @@ final class Config {
     var localHost: String { string("k3d.local.host", default: "localhost") }
     var localPort: Int { int("k3d.local.port", default: 6443) }
 
-    // UI asset config
-    // Background image file name relative to the app bundle Resources. If a path is provided, only the last component is used.
-    var uiBackground: String {
-        let raw = string("ui.background", default: "img/proleLogoSepia.png")
-        if let lastSlash = raw.lastIndex(of: "/") {
-            return String(raw[raw.index(after: lastSlash)...])
-        }
-        return raw
-    }
+    // UI background config was removed along with the splash screen.
 
     // Dev port-forward supervision
     var pfEnabled: Bool {
diff --git a/prole-app/Sources/IRCWindowController.swift b/prole-app/Sources/IRCWindowController.swift
index 2c30001..e128685 100644
--- a/prole-app/Sources/IRCWindowController.swift
+++ b/prole-app/Sources/IRCWindowController.swift
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
+import Foundation
 import AppKit
-#if canImport(IRCKit)
-import IRCKit
-#endif
+import IRC
 
 // A secondary window for IRC chat: short vertically, long horizontally.
 // Title: "Prole IRC". Positioned below the main Prole Status window.
@@ -39,13 +38,13 @@ final class IRCWindowController: NSWindowController {
     private let kServerKey = "irc.server"
     private let kSSLKey = "irc.ssl"
 
-    #if canImport(IRCKit)
-    private var client: IRCClient?
-    #endif
+    private var ircClient: IRCClient?
+    private var joinedDefaultChannel = false
 
     init(initialServer: String? = nil, initialSSL: Bool? = nil) {
         let style: NSWindow.StyleMask = [.titled, .closable, .miniaturizable, .resizable]
-        let initialRect = NSRect(x: 0, y: 0, width: 1040, height: 300)
+        // Start with the same width as the Main (Prole Status) window (720)
+        let initialRect = NSRect(x: 0, y: 0, width: 720, height: 300)
         let window = NSWindow(contentRect: initialRect, styleMask: style, backing: .buffered, defer: false)
         super.init(window: window)
 
@@ -54,6 +53,7 @@ final class IRCWindowController: NSWindowController {
         window.level = .normal
         window.collectionBehavior = [.canJoinAllSpaces]
         window.appearance = NSAppearance(named: .aqua)
+        window.minSize = NSSize(width: 480, height: 200)
 
         // Restore persisted values
         let savedServer = initialServer ?? defaults.string(forKey: kServerKey) ?? "localhost"
@@ -74,10 +74,15 @@ final class IRCWindowController: NSWindowController {
         topBar.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
         content.addSubview(topBar)
 
-        // Fix server text field width approximately to 32 characters
-        let charWidth: CGFloat = 8.0 // approx for monospaced at system size
-        let targetWidth: CGFloat = charWidth * 32.0
-        serverField.widthAnchor.constraint(greaterThanOrEqualToConstant: targetWidth).isActive = true
+        // Make the server field flexible (no fixed minimum). It should stretch to fill available space.
+        serverField.setContentHuggingPriority(.defaultLow, for: .horizontal)
+        serverField.setContentCompressionResistancePriority(.defaultLow, for: .horizontal)
+        connectButton.setContentHuggingPriority(.required, for: .horizontal)
+        connectButton.setContentCompressionResistancePriority(.required, for: .horizontal)
+        sslCheckbox.setContentHuggingPriority(.required, for: .horizontal)
+        sslCheckbox.setContentCompressionResistancePriority(.required, for: .horizontal)
+        portSuffixLabel.setContentHuggingPriority(.defaultHigh, for: .horizontal)
+        portSuffixLabel.setContentCompressionResistancePriority(.defaultHigh, for: .horizontal)
 
         topBar.addArrangedSubview(NSTextField(labelWithString: "Server:"))
         topBar.addArrangedSubview(serverField)
@@ -99,7 +104,8 @@ final class IRCWindowController: NSWindowController {
         NSLayoutConstraint.activate([
             topBar.topAnchor.constraint(equalTo: topAnchorRef, constant: 8),
             topBar.leadingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: leadingAnchorRef, constant: 8),
-            topBar.trailingAnchor.constraint(lessThanOrEqualTo: trailingAnchorRef, constant: -8),
+            // Make the top bar span full width so its children (server field) can stretch
+            topBar.trailingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: trailingAnchorRef, constant: -8),
 
             transcriptView.topAnchor.constraint(equalTo: topBar.bottomAnchor, constant: 8),
             transcriptView.leadingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: leadingAnchorRef),
@@ -111,11 +117,8 @@ final class IRCWindowController: NSWindowController {
         sslCheckbox.target = self; sslCheckbox.action = #selector(didToggleSSL)
         connectButton.target = self; connectButton.action = #selector(didTapConnect)
 
-        #if !canImport(IRCKit)
-        connectButton.isEnabled = false
-        connectButton.toolTip = "IRCKit not linked — cannot connect"
-        transcriptView.appendLine("IRCKit not linked — chat disabled.")
-        #endif
+        connectButton.isEnabled = true
+        connectButton.toolTip = "Connect to #prole"
     }
 
     required init?(coder: NSCoder) { fatalError("init(coder:) has not been implemented") }
@@ -132,6 +135,8 @@ final class IRCWindowController: NSWindowController {
         guard let this = window else { return }
         let refFrame = refWindow.frame
         var newFrame = this.frame
+        // Match width to the reference (Prole Status) window
+        newFrame.size.width = refFrame.size.width
         newFrame.origin.x = refFrame.origin.x
         newFrame.origin.y = refFrame.origin.y - newFrame.height - gap
         this.setFrame(newFrame, display: true, animate: false)
@@ -177,56 +182,88 @@ final class IRCWindowController: NSWindowController {
     }
 
     private func connectTo(host: String, port: Int, ssl: Bool) {
-        transcriptView.appendLine("Connecting to \(host):\(port) \(ssl ? "(SSL)" : "")…")
-        #if canImport(IRCKit)
-        // Disconnect if already connected
-        client?.disconnect(message: "reconnect")
-
-        // IRCKit API surface (approximate based on typical IRC libs). Adjust if needed.
+        // Note: TLS/SSL is not yet supported by the swift-nio-irc-client package here.
+        if ssl {
+            transcriptView.appendLine("Note: SSL/TLS not implemented in current IRC client; attempting plain connection…")
+        }
         let nick = nickname()
-        let user = nick
-        let realName = "Prole"
-
-        let configuration = IRCConfiguration(
-            hostname: host,
-            port: UInt16(port),
-            secure: ssl,
-            nickname: nick,
-            username: user,
-            realname: realName
+        let options = IRCClientOptions(
+            port: port,
+            host: host,
+            password: nil,
+            nickname: IRCNickName(nick)!,
+            userInfo: IRCUserInfo(username: nick, hostname: host, servername: host, realname: "Prole")
         )
+        let client = IRCClient(options: options)
+        self.ircClient = client
+        self.joinedDefaultChannel = false
 
-        let client = IRCClient(configuration: configuration)
-        self.client = client
+        // Delegate callbacks
+        class Delegate: IRCClientDelegate {
+            weak var owner: IRCWindowController?
+            init(owner: IRCWindowController) { self.owner = owner }
 
-        client.onConnect = { [weak self] in
-            self?.transcriptView.appendLine("Connected. Joining #prole …")
-            client.join(channel: "#prole")
-        }
-
-        client.onDisconnect = { [weak self] reason, _ in
-            self?.transcriptView.appendLine("Disconnected: \(reason ?? "unknown")")
-        }
-
-        client.onMessage = { [weak self] message in
-            guard let self = self else { return }
-            let nick = message.sender?.nickname ?? "?"
-            let text = message.message
-            self.transcriptView.appendLine("<\(nick)> \(text)")
-        }
-
-        client.onNotice = { [weak self] notice in
-            self?.transcriptView.appendLine("-notice- \(notice.message)")
-        }
-
-        client.onError = { [weak self] err in
-            self?.transcriptView.appendLine("Error: \(err.localizedDescription)")
+            func client(_ client: IRCClient, registered nick: IRCNickName, with userInfo: IRCUserInfo) {
+                owner?.transcriptView.appendLine("Registered as \(nick.stringValue)")
+                // Join default channel
+                if owner?.joinedDefaultChannel == false {
+                    client.send(.otherCommand("JOIN", ["#prole"]))
+                    owner?.joinedDefaultChannel = true
+                }
+            }
+            func clientFailedToRegister(_ client: IRCClient) {
+                owner?.transcriptView.appendLine("Failed to register with server")
+            }
+            func client(_ client: IRCClient, received message: IRCMessage) {
+                // Render a few common messages
+                switch message.command {
+                case .PRIVMSG(let target, let text):
+                    // The upstream message model may not expose a prefix property consistently across versions.
+                    // Fallback to unknown sender for now.
+                    let from = "?"
+                    if case .channel(let ch) = target.first {
+                        owner?.transcriptView.appendLine("[\(ch)] <\(from)> \(text)")
+                    } else {
+                        owner?.transcriptView.appendLine("<\(from)> \(text)")
+                    }
+                case .NOTICE(_, let text):
+                    owner?.transcriptView.appendLine("-notice- \(text)")
+                default:
+                    break
+                }
+            }
+            func client(_ client: IRCClient, messageOfTheDay: String) {
+                owner?.transcriptView.appendLine("-motd- \(messageOfTheDay)")
+            }
+            func client(_ client: IRCClient, notice message: String, for recipients: [IRCMessageRecipient]) {
+                owner?.transcriptView.appendLine("-notice- \(message)")
+            }
+            func client(_ client: IRCClient, message: String, from user: IRCUserID, for recipients: [IRCMessageRecipient]) {
+                let who = user.nick.stringValue
+                owner?.transcriptView.appendLine("<\(who)> \(message)")
+            }
+            func client(_ client: IRCClient, changedUserModeTo mode: IRCUserMode) {}
+            func client(_ client: IRCClient, changedNickTo nick: IRCNickName) {
+                owner?.transcriptView.appendLine("You are now known as \(nick.stringValue)")
+            }
+            func client(_ client: IRCClient, user: IRCUserID, joined: [IRCChannelName]) {
+                let who = user.nick.stringValue
+                let channels = joined.map { $0.stringValue }.joined(separator: ", ")
+                owner?.transcriptView.appendLine("-- \(who) joined \(channels)")
+            }
+            func client(_ client: IRCClient, user: IRCUserID, left: [IRCChannelName], with: String?) {
+                let who = user.nick.stringValue
+                let channels = left.map { $0.stringValue }.joined(separator: ", ")
+                owner?.transcriptView.appendLine("-- \(who) left \(channels)")
+            }
+            func client(_ client: IRCClient, changeTopic: String, of channel: IRCChannelName) {
+                owner?.transcriptView.appendLine("-- topic for \(channel.stringValue): \(changeTopic)")
+            }
         }
 
+        client.delegate = Delegate(owner: self)
+        transcriptView.appendLine("Connecting to \(host):\(port)…")
         client.connect()
-        #else
-        transcriptView.appendLine("Cannot connect: IRCKit not linked")
-        #endif
     }
 }
 
@@ -261,6 +298,10 @@ final class IRCTranscriptView: NSView {
 
     required init?(coder: NSCoder) { fatalError("init(coder:) has not been implemented") }
 
+    convenience init() {
+        self.init(frame: .zero)
+    }
+
     func appendLine(_ line: String) {
         let ts = IRCTranscriptView.timestamp()
         let s = "[\(ts)] \(line)\n"
diff --git a/prole-app/Sources/MainWindowController.swift b/prole-app/Sources/MainWindowController.swift
index d81e9a8..a24f23a 100644
--- a/prole-app/Sources/MainWindowController.swift
+++ b/prole-app/Sources/MainWindowController.swift
@@ -34,8 +34,7 @@ final class MainWindowController: NSWindowController {
         super.init(window: window)
 
         window.isReleasedWhenClosed = false
-        window.title = "ProleStatus"
-        window.center()
+        window.title = "Prole Status — ⌘⌥⇧P to toggle"
         window.level = .normal
         window.collectionBehavior = [.canJoinAllSpaces]
         window.appearance = NSAppearance(named: .aqua)
@@ -125,6 +124,7 @@ final class MainWindowController: NSWindowController {
 
     func show() {
         guard let window = window else { return }
+        MainWindowController.positionWindowAtLeftEdge(window)
         window.makeKeyAndOrderFront(nil)
         NSApp.activate(ignoringOtherApps: false)
     }
@@ -135,6 +135,20 @@ final class MainWindowController: NSWindowController {
 
     var isVisible: Bool { window?.isVisible ?? false }
 
+    // MARK: - Positioning helpers
+    static func positionWindowAtLeftEdge(_ window: NSWindow, margin: CGFloat = 12) {
+        guard let screen = window.screen ?? NSScreen.main else { return }
+        let vis = screen.visibleFrame
+        var frame = window.frame
+        // Place near left edge and below the menu bar, keep current size
+        frame.origin.x = vis.origin.x + margin
+        // Align top to visible frame top with small margin
+        frame.origin.y = vis.maxY - frame.height - margin
+        // Ensure not offscreen vertically
+        if frame.origin.y < vis.origin.y + margin { frame.origin.y = vis.origin.y + margin }
+        window.setFrame(frame, display: true, animate: false)
+    }
+
     // MARK: - Actions
     @objc private func didTapRefresh() { actions.onRefresh() }
     @objc private func didTapMinimize() { actions.onMinimizeToStatusBar() }
diff --git a/prole-app/Sources/SplashTipWindowController.swift b/prole-app/Sources/SplashTipWindowController.swift
deleted file mode 100644
index 7a8e0b4..0000000
--- a/prole-app/Sources/SplashTipWindowController.swift
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,145 +0,0 @@
-import AppKit
-
-final class SplashTipWindowController: NSWindowController {
-    private let imageView = NSImageView()
-    private let tipLabel = NSTextField(labelWithString: "Tip: Press Cmd+Opt+Shift+P to change modes")
-    private let counterLabel = NSTextField(labelWithString: "0.0")
-    private var timer: DispatchSourceTimer?
-    private var startTime: DispatchTime?
-    private let displayDuration: TimeInterval = 5.0
-
-    init() {
-        let style: NSWindow.StyleMask = [.borderless]
-        let initialRect = NSRect(x: 0, y: 0, width: 520, height: 360)
-        let window = NSWindow(contentRect: initialRect, styleMask: style, backing: .buffered, defer: false)
-        super.init(window: window)
-
-        window.isReleasedWhenClosed = false
-        // Light theme background
-        window.backgroundColor = NSColor(calibratedWhite: 1.0, alpha: 0.96)
-        window.isOpaque = false
-        window.hasShadow = true
-        window.level = .floating
-        window.collectionBehavior = [.canJoinAllSpaces]
-        window.titleVisibility = .hidden
-        window.titlebarAppearsTransparent = true
-        window.appearance = NSAppearance(named: .aqua)
-
-        let content = NSView()
-        content.wantsLayer = true
-        content.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
-        window.contentView = content
-
-        imageView.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
-        imageView.imageScaling = .scaleProportionallyUpOrDown
-        imageView.animates = true
-
-        tipLabel.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
-        tipLabel.font = NSFont.systemFont(ofSize: 14, weight: .semibold)
-        tipLabel.textColor = .labelColor
-        tipLabel.alignment = .center
-        tipLabel.lineBreakMode = .byWordWrapping
-        tipLabel.maximumNumberOfLines = 2
-
-        counterLabel.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
-        counterLabel.font = NSFont.monospacedSystemFont(ofSize: 10, weight: .regular)
-        counterLabel.textColor = NSColor(white: 0.1, alpha: 0.85)
-        counterLabel.alignment = .left
-
-        content.addSubview(imageView)
-        content.addSubview(tipLabel)
-        content.addSubview(counterLabel)
-
-        NSLayoutConstraint.activate([
-            content.widthAnchor.constraint(equalToConstant: initialRect.width),
-            content.heightAnchor.constraint(equalToConstant: initialRect.height),
-
-            imageView.topAnchor.constraint(equalTo: content.topAnchor, constant: 20),
-            imageView.leadingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: content.leadingAnchor, constant: 20),
-            imageView.trailingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: content.trailingAnchor, constant: -20),
-            imageView.heightAnchor.constraint(equalToConstant: 260),
-
-            tipLabel.topAnchor.constraint(equalTo: imageView.bottomAnchor, constant: 12),
-            tipLabel.leadingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: content.leadingAnchor, constant: 20),
-            tipLabel.trailingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: content.trailingAnchor, constant: -20),
-
-            counterLabel.leadingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: content.leadingAnchor, constant: 6),
-            counterLabel.bottomAnchor.constraint(equalTo: content.bottomAnchor, constant: -4)
-        ])
-
-        // Load background/splash image from config (bundled in Resources) if present
-        let bgName = Config.shared.uiBackground
-        let candidates: [(String, String?)] = [
-            (bgName, nil),
-            ("prole-type", "gif")
-        ]
-        var loaded = false
-        for (res, ext) in candidates {
-            if let url = Bundle.main.url(forResource: res, withExtension: ext),
-               let img = NSImage(contentsOf: url) {
-                imageView.image = img
-                loaded = true
-                break
-            }
-        }
-        if !loaded {
-            // Fallback: show placeholder text if the resource is missing
-            let placeholder = NSTextField(labelWithString: "Splash background not found")
-            placeholder.textColor = .secondaryLabelColor
-            placeholder.alignment = .center
-            placeholder.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
-            content.addSubview(placeholder)
-            NSLayoutConstraint.activate([
-                placeholder.centerXAnchor.constraint(equalTo: imageView.centerXAnchor),
-                placeholder.centerYAnchor.constraint(equalTo: imageView.centerYAnchor)
-            ])
-        }
-
-        // Click anywhere to dismiss early
-        let clickRecognizer = NSClickGestureRecognizer(target: self, action: #selector(dismissSplash))
-        content.addGestureRecognizer(clickRecognizer)
-    }
-
-    required init?(coder: NSCoder) { fatalError("init(coder:) has not been implemented") }
-
-    func show() {
-        guard let screen = NSScreen.main, let window = window else { return }
-        let frame = window.frame
-        let x = screen.visibleFrame.midX - frame.width / 2
-        let y = screen.visibleFrame.midY - frame.height / 2
-        window.setFrame(NSRect(x: x, y: y, width: frame.width, height: frame.height), display: true)
-        window.orderFrontRegardless()
-        NSApp.activate(ignoringOtherApps: false)
-
-        // Start counter timer
-        startTime = .now()
-        let timer = DispatchSource.makeTimerSource(queue: .main)
-        timer.schedule(deadline: .now(), repeating: .milliseconds(100))
-        timer.setEventHandler { [weak self] in
-            self?.tick()
-        }
-        timer.resume()
-        self.timer = timer
-
-        // Auto dismiss after duration
-        DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + displayDuration) { [weak self] in
-            self?.dismissSplash()
-        }
-    }
-
-    private func tick() {
-        guard let start = startTime else { return }
-        let elapsed = DispatchTime.now().uptimeNanoseconds - start.uptimeNanoseconds
-        let seconds = Double(elapsed) / 1_000_000_000.0
-        let whole = Int(seconds)
-        let tenths = Int((seconds - Double(whole)) * 10.0)
-        counterLabel.stringValue = String(format: "%d.%d", whole, tenths)
-    }
-
-    @objc private func dismissSplash() {
-        timer?.cancel()
-        timer = nil
-        window?.orderOut(nil)
-        close()
-    }
-}
diff --git a/prole-app/Sources/WorkstationWindowController.swift b/prole-app/Sources/WorkstationWindowController.swift
index b3d6757..f311032 100644
--- a/prole-app/Sources/WorkstationWindowController.swift
+++ b/prole-app/Sources/WorkstationWindowController.swift
@@ -1,7 +1,5 @@
 import AppKit
-#if canImport(RoyalVNCKit)
 import RoyalVNCKit
-#endif
 
 // A secondary window that hosts the Prole Workstation (VNC viewer)
 // Version 1: viewer-only (no interactive session wiring yet)
@@ -62,31 +60,18 @@ final class WorkstationWindowController: NSWindowController {
     }
 }
 
-// Host view that embeds RoyalVNCKit viewer when available; otherwise shows a placeholder.
+// Host view that embeds RoyalVNCKit viewer.
 final class VNCViewerHostView: NSView {
-    private let placeholder: NSTextField = {
-        let tf = NSTextField(labelWithString: "VNC viewer unavailable — RoyalVNCKit not linked")
-        tf.alignment = .center
-        tf.textColor = .secondaryLabelColor
-        tf.font = NSFont.systemFont(ofSize: 13)
-        tf.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
-        return tf
-    }()
+    private var framebufferView: VNCCAFramebufferView?
+    private var connection: VNCConnection?
+    // Keep a strong reference to the delegate; VNCConnection holds it weakly
+    private var connectionDelegateStrongRef: VNCConnectionDelegate?
 
     override init(frame frameRect: NSRect) {
         super.init(frame: frameRect)
         wantsLayer = true
         layer?.backgroundColor = NSColor.windowBackgroundColor.cgColor
-
-        #if canImport(RoyalVNCKit)
-        // The actual viewer will be created in connectDefault()
-        #else
-        addSubview(placeholder)
-        NSLayoutConstraint.activate([
-            placeholder.centerXAnchor.constraint(equalTo: centerXAnchor),
-            placeholder.centerYAnchor.constraint(equalTo: centerYAnchor)
-        ])
-        #endif
+        // The actual framebuffer view will be created when the connection creates the framebuffer
     }
 
     required init?(coder: NSCoder) { fatalError("init(coder:) has not been implemented") }
@@ -96,23 +81,70 @@ final class VNCViewerHostView: NSView {
     }
 
     func connect(hostname: String, port: Int) {
-        #if canImport(RoyalVNCKit)
-        // The concrete API follows the RoyalVNCKit USAGE; adjust if needed when linking.
-        let settings = VNCConnection.Settings(hostname: hostname, port: UInt16(port))
-        let connection = VNCConnection(settings: settings)
-        let vncView = VNCView(frame: bounds)
-        vncView.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
-        addSubview(vncView)
-        NSLayoutConstraint.activate([
-            vncView.topAnchor.constraint(equalTo: topAnchor),
-            vncView.leadingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: leadingAnchor),
-            vncView.trailingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: trailingAnchor),
-            vncView.bottomAnchor.constraint(equalTo: bottomAnchor)
-        ])
-        vncView.connect(connection)
-        #else
-        // Nothing to do; placeholder already shown
-        _ = hostname; _ = port
-        #endif
+        // Construct full settings according to current RoyalVNCKit API
+        let settings = VNCConnection.Settings(
+            isDebugLoggingEnabled: false,
+            hostname: hostname,
+            port: UInt16(port),
+            isShared: true,
+            isScalingEnabled: true,
+            useDisplayLink: true,
+            inputMode: .forwardKeyboardShortcutsIfNotInUseLocally,
+            isClipboardRedirectionEnabled: true,
+            colorDepth: .depth24Bit,
+            frameEncodings: .default
+        )
+
+        let conn = VNCConnection(settings: settings)
+        self.connection = conn
+
+        // Minimal delegate to attach framebuffer to a view
+        class Delegate: VNCConnectionDelegate {
+            weak var host: VNCViewerHostView?
+            init(host: VNCViewerHostView) { self.host = host }
+
+            func connection(_ connection: VNCConnection, stateDidChange connectionState: VNCConnection.ConnectionState) {
+                // No-op for now; could update UI
+            }
+
+            func connection(_ connection: VNCConnection, credentialFor authenticationType: VNCAuthenticationType, completion: @escaping (VNCCredential?) -> Void) {
+                // For now, no auth
+                completion(nil)
+            }
+
+            func connection(_ connection: VNCConnection, didCreateFramebuffer framebuffer: VNCFramebuffer) {
+                guard let host = host else { return }
+                DispatchQueue.main.async {
+                    let fbView = VNCCAFramebufferView(frame: host.bounds, framebuffer: framebuffer, connection: connection)
+                    fbView.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
+                    host.subviews.forEach { $0.removeFromSuperview() }
+                    host.addSubview(fbView)
+                    NSLayoutConstraint.activate([
+                        fbView.topAnchor.constraint(equalTo: host.topAnchor),
+                        fbView.leadingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: host.leadingAnchor),
+                        fbView.trailingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: host.trailingAnchor),
+                        fbView.bottomAnchor.constraint(equalTo: host.bottomAnchor)
+                    ])
+                    host.framebufferView = fbView
+                }
+            }
+
+            func connection(_ connection: VNCConnection, didResizeFramebuffer framebuffer: VNCFramebuffer) {
+                // VNCCAFramebufferView queries connection/framebuffer for size; nothing required here
+            }
+
+            func connection(_ connection: VNCConnection, didUpdateFramebuffer framebuffer: VNCFramebuffer, x: UInt16, y: UInt16, width: UInt16, height: UInt16) {
+                // View should handle drawing updates internally
+            }
+
+            func connection(_ connection: VNCConnection, didUpdateCursor cursor: VNCCursor) {
+                // Cursor updates handled by the framebuffer view
+            }
+        }
+
+        let delegate = Delegate(host: self)
+        self.connectionDelegateStrongRef = delegate
+        conn.delegate = delegate
+        conn.connect()
     }
 }
diff --git a/prole-app/build.sh b/prole-app/build.sh
index df066e5..203bb6d 100755
--- a/prole-app/build.sh
+++ b/prole-app/build.sh
@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@ LOG_DIR="$BUILD_DIR/logs"
 ARCH_CURRENT="$(uname -m)"   # arm64 or x86_64
 
 # Mandatory dependency sources (auto-fetched)
-URL_IRCKIT="https://github.com/FuelRats/IRCKit/archive/refs/tags/0.16.0.tar.gz"
 URL_ROYALVNC="https://github.com/royalapplications/royalvnc/archive/refs/tags/1.0.1.tar.gz"
 
 # Deps staging directories
@@ -56,16 +55,11 @@ Examples:
   ./build.sh package
 
 Dependencies:
-  This script can download, build, link, and embed IRCKit (0.16.0)
-  and RoyalVNCKit (1.0.1). These are optional and controlled by flags below.
+  IRC and RoyalVNC are built via Swift Package Manager.
 
 Environment overrides (optional):
-  IRCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK        If set, use this IRCKit.xcframework instead of building
   ROYALVNCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK   If set, use this RoyalVNCKit.xcframework instead of building
   KEEP_DEPS=1               Keep the deps staging directory after the build (for debugging)
-  PROLE_DISABLE_SSL=1       Build IRCKit with SSL/TLS disabled (compilation condition); may also update deps to Swift‑6‑compatible NIO
-  PROLE_ENABLE_IRCKit=0     Enable building/linking IRCKit (0/1). Default: 0 (disabled)
-  PROLE_ENABLE_RoyalVNCKit=0 Enable building/linking RoyalVNCKit (0/1). Default: 0 (disabled)
 EOF
 }
 
@@ -223,29 +217,6 @@ PLIST
 }
 
 copy_extra_resources() {
-  # Copy animated tip GIF into app resources if it exists in repo
-  local gif_src="$PARENT_DIR/www/images/prole-type.gif"
-  if [[ -f "$gif_src" ]]; then
-    mkdir -p "$RESOURCES_DIR"
-    cp "$gif_src" "$RESOURCES_DIR/prole-type.gif"
-    echo "[resources] Copied prole-type.gif into Resources"
-  else
-    echo "[resources] prole-type.gif not found at $gif_src (skipping)"
-  fi
-
-  # Copy configured background image (ui.background) into Resources, keeping basename
-  local ui_bg
-  ui_bg="$(prop_get ui.background || true)"
-  if [[ -n "$ui_bg" && -f "$PARENT_DIR/$ui_bg" ]]; then
-    mkdir -p "$RESOURCES_DIR"
-    local base
-    base="$(basename "$ui_bg")"
-    cp "$PARENT_DIR/$ui_bg" "$RESOURCES_DIR/$base"
-    echo "[resources] Copied background image ($base) into Resources"
-  else
-    echo "[resources] ui.background not set or file missing (skipping)"
-  fi
-
   # Copy default properties file if present
   local props_src="$ROOT_DIR/prole.properties"
   if [[ -f "$props_src" ]]; then
@@ -256,7 +227,7 @@ copy_extra_resources() {
   fi
 }
 
-# --- Dependency preparation (mandatory IRCKit & RoyalVNCKit) ---
+# --- Dependency preparation (RoyalVNCKit) ---
 
 have_cmd() { command -v "$1" >/dev/null 2>&1; }
 
@@ -295,22 +266,19 @@ xc_archive_one() {
     proj_opt=( -project "${scheme}.xcodeproj" )
   fi
   local logfile="$LOG_DIR/xcode-archive-${scheme}-${arch}.log"
-  if [[ "$scheme" == "IRCKit" ]]; then logfile="$DEPS_LOGS_DIR/irckit-archive-${arch}.log"; fi
   if [[ "$scheme" == "RoyalVNCKit" ]]; then logfile="$DEPS_LOGS_DIR/royalvnc-archive-${arch}.log"; fi
   pushd "$proj_dir" >/dev/null || return 1
 
   # Per-scheme extra flags / xcconfig
   local extra_args=()
-  if [[ "$scheme" == "IRCKit" && -n ${PROLE_DISABLE_SSL:-} ]]; then
-    echo "[deps] PROLE_DISABLE_SSL=1: building IRCKit with PROLE_DISABLE_SSL compilation condition"
-    # Use a temporary xcconfig to avoid shell/argument parsing issues on the command line
-    local xcflags_file="$outdir/irckit-prole-disable-ssl.xcconfig"
-    # IMPORTANT: Keep this file strictly to valid xcconfig key/value lines (no comments or extra text)
+  if [[ "$scheme" == "RoyalVNCKit" ]]; then
+    # Enable distribution interfaces so SPM can import the Swift module, but disable verification to avoid toolchain issues
+    local xcflags_file="$outdir/royalvnc-archive-overrides.xcconfig"
     cat > "$xcflags_file" <<'XCCONFIG'
-SWIFT_ACTIVE_COMPILATION_CONDITIONS = $(inherited) PROLE_DISABLE_SSL
-OTHER_SWIFT_FLAGS = $(inherited) -DPROLE_DISABLE_SSL
-SWIFT_VERSION = 5.0
-SWIFT_STRICT_CONCURRENCY = minimal
+BUILD_LIBRARY_FOR_DISTRIBUTION = YES
+SWIFT_EMIT_MODULE_INTERFACE = YES
+SWIFT_SERIALIZE_DEBUGGING_OPTIONS = NO
+OTHER_SWIFT_FLAGS = $(inherited) -no-verify-emitted-module-interface
 XCCONFIG
     extra_args+=( -xcconfig "$xcflags_file" )
   fi
@@ -331,134 +299,47 @@ XCCONFIG
   popd >/dev/null
 }
 
-build_irckit_xcframework() {
-  # If external override exists, trust it
-  if [[ -n ${IRCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK:-} && -d ${IRCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK} ]]; then
-    echo "[deps] Using provided IRCKit.xcframework: ${IRCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK}"
+# Build one framework w/ xcodebuild (not archive), outputting a .framework into outdir
+xc_build_framework_one() {
+  local proj_dir="$1"; local scheme="$2"; local arch="$3"; local outdir="$4"; local product_name="$5"
+  local build_dir="$outdir/${scheme}-macos-${arch}-build"
+  mkdir -p "$build_dir"
+  local logfile="$DEPS_LOGS_DIR/${scheme}-build-${arch}.log"
+  pushd "$proj_dir" >/dev/null || return 1
+    # Prepare xcconfig to disable interface emission/verification
+    local xcflags_file="$outdir/${scheme}-build-overrides.${arch}.xcconfig"
+    cat > "$xcflags_file" <<'XCCONFIG'
+// Emit module interfaces suitable for distribution so the Swift module can be imported by SPM
+BUILD_LIBRARY_FOR_DISTRIBUTION = YES
+SWIFT_EMIT_MODULE_INTERFACE = YES
+SWIFT_SERIALIZE_DEBUGGING_OPTIONS = NO
+// But do not verify emitted module interfaces to avoid toolchain-specific failures
+OTHER_SWIFT_FLAGS = $(inherited) -no-verify-emitted-module-interface
+XCCONFIG
+    # Important: write all xcodebuild output to the log to keep stdout clean (we echo only the path below)
+    xcodebuild build \
+      -scheme "$scheme" \
+      -destination 'generic/platform=macOS' \
+      -configuration Release \
+      -sdk macosx \
+      ARCHS="$arch" ONLY_ACTIVE_ARCH=NO \
+      SWIFT_VERSION=5.0 \
+      SWIFT_STRICT_CONCURRENCY=minimal \
+      MACOSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET="${MIN_MACOS}" \
+      CONFIGURATION_BUILD_DIR="$build_dir" \
+      -xcconfig "$xcflags_file" \
+      >"$logfile" 2>&1 || { popd >/dev/null; return 1; }
+  popd >/dev/null
+  # Accept both plain build dir and SwiftPM PackageFrameworks location
+  if [[ -d "$build_dir/${product_name}.framework" ]]; then
+    echo "$build_dir/${product_name}.framework"
     return 0
   fi
-
-  local work="$DEPS_SRC_DIR/IRCKit-src"
-  local tar="$DEPS_DIR/irckit.tar.gz"
-  rm -rf "$work"; mkdir -p "$work"
-  fetch_tarball "$URL_IRCKIT" "$tar"
-  extract_tarball "$tar" "$work"
-  # Detect package or project root robustly
-  local src_root=""
-  # 1) If a Package.swift exists directly under work
-  if [[ -f "$work/Package.swift" ]]; then
-    src_root="$work"
+  if [[ -d "$build_dir/PackageFrameworks/${product_name}.framework" ]]; then
+    echo "$build_dir/PackageFrameworks/${product_name}.framework"
+    return 0
   fi
-  # 2) Else pick the first child directory that contains a Package.swift
-  if [[ -z "$src_root" ]]; then
-    for d in "$work"/*; do
-      [[ -d "$d" ]] || continue
-      if [[ -f "$d/Package.swift" ]]; then src_root="$d"; break; fi
-    done
-  fi
-  # 3) Else fall back to the first child directory (common for GitHub tarballs)
-  if [[ -z "$src_root" ]]; then
-    for d in "$work"/*; do
-      [[ -d "$d" ]] || continue
-      src_root="$d"; break
-    done
-  fi
-  if [[ -z "$src_root" ]]; then
-    echo "[deps] error: IRCKit source not found after extract" >&2
-    exit 1
-  fi
-  echo "[deps] IRCKit source root: $src_root"
-  pushd "$src_root" >/dev/null
-    # Ensure SwiftPM uses Swift 5 toolchain mode (avoid Swift 6 defaults under Xcode 16.x)
-    if have_cmd swift; then
-      echo "[deps] Forcing SwiftPM tools-version to 5.9 for IRCKit"
-      log_exec "$DEPS_LOGS_DIR/irckit-spm-tools-version.log" swift package tools-version --set 5.9 || true
-    fi
-    # Under SSL-less builds, strip NIOSSL from the graph and pin swift-nio to a Swift‑5–compatible release
-    if [[ -n ${PROLE_DISABLE_SSL:-} && -f "Package.swift" ]]; then
-      echo "[deps] PROLE_DISABLE_SSL=1: patching IRCKit Package.swift to remove NIOSSL and pin swift-nio to 2.40.0 (exact)"
-      cp -f "Package.swift" "$DEPS_LOGS_DIR/irckit-Package.swift.before" 2>/dev/null || true
-      # 1) Remove swift-nio-ssl package declaration lines entirely
-      perl -0777 -pe 's|\s*\.package\(\s*url:\s*"https://github\.com/apple/swift-nio-ssl"\s*,\s*[^\)]*\),?\n||g' -i "Package.swift" 2>/dev/null || true
-      # 2) Remove NIOSSL from any target dependency arrays (handles product and target name forms)
-      perl -0777 -pe 's|("|\[)NIOSSL(\]|"),?\s*||g; s|\[\s*,\s*\]|[]|g' -i "Package.swift" 2>/dev/null || true
-      perl -0777 -pe 's|\s*\.product\(name:\s*"NIOSSL"[^\)]*\),?\n||g' -i "Package.swift" 2>/dev/null || true
-      # 3) Pin swift-nio to an exact, Swift‑5–compatible version to avoid Swift‑6‑only codepaths
-      perl -0777 -pe 's|\.package\(\s*url:\s*"https://github\.com/apple/swift-nio"\s*,\s*from:\s*"[^"]+"\s*\)|.package(url: "https://github.com/apple/swift-nio", .exact("2.40.0"))|g' -i "Package.swift" 2>/dev/null || true
-      perl -0777 -pe 's|\.package\(\s*url:\s*"https://github\.com/apple/swift-nio"\s*,\s*\.upToNextMajor\(from:\s*"[^"]+"\)\s*\)|.package(url: "https://github.com/apple/swift-nio", .exact("2.40.0"))|g' -i "Package.swift" 2>/dev/null || true
-      perl -0777 -pe 's|\.package\(\s*url:\s*"https://github\.com/apple/swift-nio"\s*,\s*\.exact\([^\)]*\)\s*\)|.package(url: "https://github.com/apple/swift-nio", .exact("2.40.0"))|g' -i "Package.swift" 2>/dev/null || true
-      # 3b) Optionally pin swift-atomics to a Swift‑5–compatible release to help NIOConcurrencyHelpers
-      if ! grep -q "swift-atomics" Package.swift 2>/dev/null; then
-        echo "[deps] PROLE_DISABLE_SSL=1: adding swift-atomics .exact(\"1.0.2\") to Package.swift to stabilize NIOConcurrencyHelpers"
-        perl -0777 -pe 's|(dependencies\s*:\s*\[)|$1\n        .package(url: "https://github.com/apple/swift-atomics", .exact("1.0.2")),|s' -i "Package.swift" 2>/dev/null || true
-      else
-        perl -0777 -pe 's|\.package\(\s*url:\s*"https://github\.com/apple/swift-atomics"\s*,\s*from:\s*"[^"]+"\s*\)|.package(url: "https://github.com/apple/swift-atomics", .exact("1.0.2"))|g' -i "Package.swift" 2>/dev/null || true
-        perl -0777 -pe 's|\.package\(\s*url:\s*"https://github\.com/apple/swift-atomics"\s*,\s*\.upToNextMajor\(from:\s*"[^"]+"\)\s*\)|.package(url: "https://github.com/apple/swift-atomics", .exact("1.0.2"))|g' -i "Package.swift" 2>/dev/null || true
-      fi
-      # 4) Ensure the package explicitly targets Swift 5 language mode if not already present
-      if ! grep -q "swiftLanguageVersions" Package.swift 2>/dev/null; then
-        echo "[deps] PROLE_DISABLE_SSL=1: injecting swiftLanguageVersions = [.v5] into Package.swift"
-        # Try to insert after the targets array before the closing paren of Package initializer
-        perl -0777 -pe 's|(targets\s*:\s*\[[\s\S]*?\])\s*\)\s*$|$1,\n    swiftLanguageVersions: [.v5]\n)\n|s' -i "Package.swift" 2>/dev/null || true
-      fi
-      cp -f "Package.swift" "$DEPS_LOGS_DIR/irckit-Package.swift.after" 2>/dev/null || true
-    fi
-    # If SSL is disabled, avoid updating to latest; just resolve with our pinned/stripped graph
-    if have_cmd swift; then
-      if [[ -n ${PROLE_DISABLE_SSL:-} ]]; then
-        echo "[deps] PROLE_DISABLE_SSL=1: resolving IRCKit SwiftPM dependencies (no update)"
-        log_exec "$DEPS_LOGS_DIR/irckit-spm-resolve.log" swift package resolve || true
-      else
-        echo "[deps] Resolving IRCKit SwiftPM dependencies as pinned (no update)"
-        log_exec "$DEPS_LOGS_DIR/irckit-spm-resolve.log" swift package resolve || true
-      fi
-      # Best-effort diagnostics of the resolved graph
-      log_exec "$DEPS_LOGS_DIR/irckit-spm-show-deps.log" swift package show-dependencies || true
-      if [[ -f .swiftpm/resolved/Package.resolved ]]; then
-        cp -f .swiftpm/resolved/Package.resolved "$DEPS_LOGS_DIR/irckit-Package.resolved" || true
-      fi
-    fi
-
-    # Note: Avoid surgical source patches; rely on version pinning per user request
-    local build_tmp="$DEPS_OUT_DIR/IRCKit-build"
-    rm -rf "$build_tmp"; mkdir -p "$build_tmp"
-    local have_arm=0; local have_x86=0
-    # Determine which architectures to build for dependencies
-    local want_arches=(arm64 x86_64)
-    if [[ "${PROLE_BUILD_ARCH:-}" == "arm64" ]]; then
-      want_arches=(arm64)
-    elif [[ "${PROLE_BUILD_ARCH:-}" == "x86_64" ]]; then
-      want_arches=(x86_64)
-    fi
-    for dep_arch in "${want_arches[@]}"; do
-      if [[ "$dep_arch" == "arm64" ]]; then
-        if xc_archive_one "$PWD" IRCKit arm64 "$build_tmp"; then have_arm=1; fi
-      else
-        if xc_archive_one "$PWD" IRCKit x86_64 "$build_tmp"; then have_x86=1; fi
-      fi
-    done
-    local out_xc="$DEPS_OUT_DIR/IRCKit.xcframework"
-    rm -rf "$out_xc"
-    if [[ $have_arm -eq 1 && $have_x86 -eq 1 ]]; then
-      log_exec "$DEPS_LOGS_DIR/irckit-create-xcframework.log" xcodebuild -create-xcframework \
-        -framework "$build_tmp/IRCKit-macos-arm64.xcarchive/Products/Library/Frameworks/IRCKit.framework" \
-        -framework "$build_tmp/IRCKit-macos-x86_64.xcarchive/Products/Library/Frameworks/IRCKit.framework" \
-        -output "$out_xc"
-    elif [[ $have_arm -eq 1 ]]; then
-      log_exec "$DEPS_LOGS_DIR/irckit-create-xcframework.log" xcodebuild -create-xcframework \
-        -framework "$build_tmp/IRCKit-macos-arm64.xcarchive/Products/Library/Frameworks/IRCKit.framework" \
-        -output "$out_xc"
-    elif [[ $have_x86 -eq 1 ]]; then
-      log_exec "$DEPS_LOGS_DIR/irckit-create-xcframework.log" xcodebuild -create-xcframework \
-        -framework "$build_tmp/IRCKit-macos-x86_64.xcarchive/Products/Library/Frameworks/IRCKit.framework" \
-        -output "$out_xc"
-    else
-      echo "[deps] error: failed to archive IRCKit for any macOS arch" >&2
-      exit 1
-    fi
-    export IRCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK="$out_xc"
-    echo "[deps] Built IRCKit.xcframework at $IRCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK"
-  popd >/dev/null
+  return 1
 }
 
 build_royalvnc_xcframework() {
@@ -481,6 +362,7 @@ build_royalvnc_xcframework() {
     local build_tmp="$DEPS_OUT_DIR/RoyalVNC-build"
     rm -rf "$build_tmp"; mkdir -p "$build_tmp"
     local have_arm=0; local have_x86=0
+    local fw_arm=""; local fw_x86=""
     local want_arches=(arm64 x86_64)
     if [[ "${PROLE_BUILD_ARCH:-}" == "arm64" ]]; then
       want_arches=(arm64)
@@ -489,58 +371,55 @@ build_royalvnc_xcframework() {
     fi
     for dep_arch in "${want_arches[@]}"; do
       if [[ "$dep_arch" == "arm64" ]]; then
-        if xc_archive_one "$PWD" RoyalVNCKit arm64 "$build_tmp"; then have_arm=1; fi
+        # Prefer archive to produce proper Swift module interfaces; fall back to build if archive fails
+        if xc_archive_one "$PWD" RoyalVNCKit arm64 "$build_tmp"; then
+          fw_arm="$build_tmp/RoyalVNCKit-macos-arm64.xcarchive/Products/Library/Frameworks/RoyalVNCKit.framework"
+          have_arm=1
+        elif fw_arm=$(xc_build_framework_one "$PWD" RoyalVNCKit arm64 "$build_tmp" RoyalVNCKit); then
+          have_arm=1
+        fi
       else
-        if xc_archive_one "$PWD" RoyalVNCKit x86_64 "$build_tmp"; then have_x86=1; fi
+        if xc_archive_one "$PWD" RoyalVNCKit x86_64 "$build_tmp"; then
+          fw_x86="$build_tmp/RoyalVNCKit-macos-x86_64.xcarchive/Products/Library/Frameworks/RoyalVNCKit.framework"
+          have_x86=1
+        elif fw_x86=$(xc_build_framework_one "$PWD" RoyalVNCKit x86_64 "$build_tmp" RoyalVNCKit); then
+          have_x86=1
+        fi
       fi
     done
     local out_xc="$DEPS_OUT_DIR/RoyalVNCKit.xcframework"
     rm -rf "$out_xc"
     if [[ $have_arm -eq 1 && $have_x86 -eq 1 ]]; then
       log_exec "$DEPS_LOGS_DIR/royalvnc-create-xcframework.log" xcodebuild -create-xcframework \
-        -framework "$build_tmp/RoyalVNCKit-macos-arm64.xcarchive/Products/Library/Frameworks/RoyalVNCKit.framework" \
-        -framework "$build_tmp/RoyalVNCKit-macos-x86_64.xcarchive/Products/Library/Frameworks/RoyalVNCKit.framework" \
+        -framework "$fw_arm" \
+        -framework "$fw_x86" \
         -output "$out_xc"
     elif [[ $have_arm -eq 1 ]]; then
       log_exec "$DEPS_LOGS_DIR/royalvnc-create-xcframework.log" xcodebuild -create-xcframework \
-        -framework "$build_tmp/RoyalVNCKit-macos-arm64.xcarchive/Products/Library/Frameworks/RoyalVNCKit.framework" \
+        -framework "$fw_arm" \
         -output "$out_xc"
     elif [[ $have_x86 -eq 1 ]]; then
       log_exec "$DEPS_LOGS_DIR/royalvnc-create-xcframework.log" xcodebuild -create-xcframework \
-        -framework "$build_tmp/RoyalVNCKit-macos-x86_64.xcarchive/Products/Library/Frameworks/RoyalVNCKit.framework" \
+        -framework "$fw_x86" \
         -output "$out_xc"
     else
-      echo "[deps] error: failed to archive RoyalVNCKit for any macOS arch" >&2
+      echo "[deps] error: failed to build RoyalVNCKit for any macOS arch" >&2
       exit 1
     fi
     export ROYALVNCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK="$out_xc"
     echo "[deps] Built RoyalVNCKit.xcframework at $ROYALVNCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK"
+    # Provide a stable path within the package for SwiftPM binaryTarget resolution
+    local vendor_dir="$ROOT_DIR/Vendor"
+    mkdir -p "$vendor_dir"
+    rm -rf "$vendor_dir/RoyalVNCKit.xcframework"
+    cp -R "$ROYALVNCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK" "$vendor_dir/"
+    echo "[deps] Mirrored RoyalVNCKit.xcframework to $vendor_dir"
   popd >/dev/null
 }
 
 prepare_dependencies() {
   ensure_dirs
-  local want_irc="${PROLE_ENABLE_IRCKit:-0}"
-  local want_vnc="${PROLE_ENABLE_RoyalVNCKit:-0}"
-  echo "[deps] Preparing frameworks — IRCKit: ${want_irc} (0=off,1=on), RoyalVNCKit: ${want_vnc} (0=off,1=on)"
-
-  if [[ "$want_irc" = "1" ]]; then
-    build_irckit_xcframework
-    if [[ ! -d "${IRCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK:-}" ]]; then
-      echo "[deps] error: IRCKit.xcframework is missing" >&2; exit 1; fi
-  else
-    echo "[deps] IRCKit disabled (PROLE_ENABLE_IRCKit=0); skipping build"
-    IRCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK=""
-  fi
-
-  if [[ "$want_vnc" = "1" ]]; then
-    build_royalvnc_xcframework
-    if [[ ! -d "${ROYALVNCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK:-}" ]]; then
-      echo "[deps] error: RoyalVNCKit.xcframework is missing" >&2; exit 1; fi
-  else
-    echo "[deps] RoyalVNCKit disabled (PROLE_ENABLE_RoyalVNCKit=0); skipping build"
-    ROYALVNCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK=""
-  fi
+  echo "[deps] (deprecated) RoyalVNCKit manual build not required; managed by SwiftPM"
 }
 
 cleanup_dependencies() {
@@ -552,52 +431,29 @@ cleanup_dependencies() {
   fi
 }
 
-swiftc_compile() {
-  local arch="$1"; shift
-  local out="$1"; shift
-
-  # Map arch to -target
-  local target="${arch}-apple-macosx${MIN_MACOS}"
-
-  echo "[swiftc] Building for ${arch} -> ${out}"
-
-  # Optional linking of frameworks based on flags
-  local want_irc="${PROLE_ENABLE_IRCKit:-0}"
-  local want_vnc="${PROLE_ENABLE_RoyalVNCKit:-0}"
-  local irc_flags=()
-  local vnc_flags=()
-  local swift_cfg_flags=()
-  if [[ "$want_irc" = "1" && -n "${IRCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK:-}" && -d "${IRCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK}" ]]; then
-    irc_flags=( -F "${IRCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK}" -framework IRCKit -Xlinker -rpath -Xlinker "@executable_path/../Frameworks" )
-    swift_cfg_flags+=( -D PROLE_ENABLE_IRCKit )
-    echo "[swiftc] Linking IRCKit from ${IRCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK}"
-  else
-    echo "[swiftc] IRCKit disabled or not present; not linking"
-    # Define a convenience symbol for conditional compilation if app code uses it
-    swift_cfg_flags+=( -D PROLE_ENABLE_IRCKit_DISABLED )
+# Build via Swift Package Manager and return path to built binary on stdout
+spm_build_binary() {
+  local arch="$1"
+  echo "[spm] Building (Release) for arch=${arch}" >&2
+  # ROOT_DIR already points to prole-app; build from there so Package.swift is visible.
+  pushd "$ROOT_DIR" >/dev/null || return 1
+    mkdir -p "$LOG_DIR"
+    # Build via SwiftPM (Package.swift in prole-app). All dependencies managed by SPM.
+    local args=( build -c release --arch "$arch" \
+      -Xlinker -rpath -Xlinker "@executable_path/../Frameworks" \
+    )
+    # Run swift build quietly; write all output to the log to avoid contaminating stdout
+    swift "${args[@]}" >"$LOG_DIR/spm-build-${arch}.log" 2>&1 || { popd >/dev/null; return 1; }
+  popd >/dev/null
+  local candidate1="$ROOT_DIR/.build/${arch}-apple-macosx/release/${APP_NAME}"
+  local candidate2="$ROOT_DIR/.build/release/${APP_NAME}"
+  if [[ -x "$candidate1" ]]; then
+    echo "$candidate1"; return 0
   fi
-  if [[ "$want_vnc" = "1" && -n "${ROYALVNCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK:-}" && -d "${ROYALVNCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK}" ]]; then
-    vnc_flags=( -F "${ROYALVNCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK}" -framework RoyalVNCKit -Xlinker -rpath -Xlinker "@executable_path/../Frameworks" )
-    swift_cfg_flags+=( -D PROLE_ENABLE_RoyalVNCKit )
-    echo "[swiftc] Linking RoyalVNCKit from ${ROYALVNCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK}"
-  else
-    echo "[swiftc] RoyalVNCKit disabled or not present; not linking"
-    swift_cfg_flags+=( -D PROLE_ENABLE_RoyalVNCKit_DISABLED )
+  if [[ -x "$candidate2" ]]; then
+    echo "$candidate2"; return 0
   fi
-
-  # shellcheck disable=SC2046
-  log_exec "$LOG_DIR/swiftc-${arch}.log" xcrun swiftc \
-    -target "$target" \
-    -O \
-    -sdk "$(xcrun --show-sdk-path --sdk macosx)" \
-    -framework AppKit \
-    -framework Carbon \
-    -framework Network \
-    ${swift_cfg_flags[@]:-} \
-    ${irc_flags[@]:-} \
-    ${vnc_flags[@]:-} \
-    $(/usr/bin/find "$SRC_DIR" -name "*.swift" | sort) \
-    -o "$out"
+  return 1
 }
 
 codesign_app() {
@@ -605,95 +461,32 @@ codesign_app() {
   xcrun codesign --force --deep -s - "$APP_DIR"
 }
 
-embed_irckit_framework() {
-  if [[ "${PROLE_ENABLE_IRCKit:-0}" != "1" ]]; then
-    return 0
-  fi
-  # Embed IRCKit.xcframework slice into Contents/Frameworks if available
-  if [[ -z "${IRCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK:-}" ]]; then
-    return 0
-  fi
-  if [[ ! -d "${IRCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK}" ]]; then
-    echo "[embed] IRCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK path not found: ${IRCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK}"
-    return 0
-  fi
 
-  local slice=""
-  # Prefer universal slice if available; otherwise match host arch
-  if [[ -d "${IRCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK}/macos-arm64_x86_64/IRCKit.framework" ]]; then
-    slice="${IRCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK}/macos-arm64_x86_64/IRCKit.framework"
-  else
-    case "$ARCH_CURRENT" in
-      arm64)
-        if [[ -d "${IRCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK}/macos-arm64/IRCKit.framework" ]]; then
-          slice="${IRCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK}/macos-arm64/IRCKit.framework"
-        fi
-        ;;
-      x86_64)
-        if [[ -d "${IRCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK}/macos-x86_64/IRCKit.framework" ]]; then
-          slice="${IRCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK}/macos-x86_64/IRCKit.framework"
-        fi
-        ;;
-    esac
+# Copy SwiftPM-produced dynamic libraries (e.g., libRoyalVNCKit.dylib) into the app bundle
+embed_spm_dylibs() {
+  local arch="$1"
+  local spm_lib_dir="$ROOT_DIR/.build/${arch}-apple-macosx/release"
+  if [[ ! -d "$spm_lib_dir" ]]; then
+    spm_lib_dir="$ROOT_DIR/.build/release"
   fi
-
-  if [[ -z "$slice" ]]; then
-    echo "[embed] Could not find matching IRCKit.framework slice in xcframework"
-    return 0
+  mkdir -p "$CONTENTS_DIR/Frameworks"
+  local found=0
+  if compgen -G "$spm_lib_dir/*.dylib" > /dev/null; then
+    for dyl in "$spm_lib_dir"/*.dylib; do
+      found=1
+      echo "[embed] Copying $(basename "$dyl") into Frameworks"
+      cp -f "$dyl" "$CONTENTS_DIR/Frameworks/"
+    done
+  fi
+  if [[ $found -eq 1 ]]; then
+    echo "[embed] Codesigning embedded dylibs"
+    # Sign all copied dylibs
+    find "$CONTENTS_DIR/Frameworks" -name "*.dylib" -print0 | while IFS= read -r -d '' f; do
+      xcrun codesign --force -s - "$f"
+    done
   fi
-
-  local dest="$CONTENTS_DIR/Frameworks/IRCKit.framework"
-  rm -rf "$dest"
-  echo "[embed] Embedding IRCKit.framework slice: $slice"
-  cp -R "$slice" "$dest"
-  # Sign the embedded framework
-  xcrun codesign --force -s - "$dest"
 }
 
-embed_royalvnckit_framework() {
-  if [[ "${PROLE_ENABLE_RoyalVNCKit:-0}" != "1" ]]; then
-    return 0
-  fi
-  # Embed RoyalVNCKit.xcframework slice into Contents/Frameworks if available
-  if [[ -z "${ROYALVNCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK:-}" ]]; then
-    return 0
-  fi
-  if [[ ! -d "${ROYALVNCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK}" ]]; then
-    echo "[embed] ROYALVNCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK path not found: ${ROYALVNCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK}"
-    return 0
-  fi
-
-  local slice=""
-  # Prefer universal slice if present; otherwise pick matching arch
-  if [[ -d "${ROYALVNCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK}/macos-arm64_x86_64/RoyalVNCKit.framework" ]]; then
-    slice="${ROYALVNCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK}/macos-arm64_x86_64/RoyalVNCKit.framework"
-  else
-    case "$ARCH_CURRENT" in
-      arm64)
-        if [[ -d "${ROYALVNCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK}/macos-arm64/RoyalVNCKit.framework" ]]; then
-          slice="${ROYALVNCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK}/macos-arm64/RoyalVNCKit.framework"
-        fi
-        ;;
-      x86_64)
-        if [[ -d "${ROYALVNCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK}/macos-x86_64/RoyalVNCKit.framework" ]]; then
-          slice="${ROYALVNCKIT_XCFRAMEWORK}/macos-x86_64/RoyalVNCKit.framework"
-        fi
-        ;;
-    esac
-  fi
-
-  if [[ -z "$slice" ]]; then
-    echo "[embed] Could not find matching RoyalVNCKit.framework slice in xcframework"
-    return 0
-  fi
-
-  local dest="$CONTENTS_DIR/Frameworks/RoyalVNCKit.framework"
-  rm -rf "$dest"
-  echo "[embed] Embedding RoyalVNCKit.framework slice: $slice"
-  cp -R "$slice" "$dest"
-  # Sign the embedded framework
-  xcrun codesign --force -s - "$dest"
-}
 
 build_one_arch() {
   local arch="$1"
@@ -707,17 +500,22 @@ build_one_arch() {
   gen_app_icns
   gen_statusbar_icon_png
   copy_extra_resources
-  local bin="$BUILD_DIR/${APP_NAME}-${arch}"
-  swiftc_compile "$arch" "$bin"
+  local built_bin
+  built_bin=$(spm_build_binary "$arch") || { echo "[spm] build failed" >&2; exit 1; }
   mkdir -p "$MACOS_DIR"
-  cp "$bin" "$MACOS_DIR/${APP_NAME}"
-  embed_irckit_framework
-  embed_royalvnckit_framework
+  cp "$built_bin" "$MACOS_DIR/${APP_NAME}"
+  # Embed any SwiftPM dynamic libs (e.g., RoyalVNCKit) into the app bundle
+  embed_spm_dylibs "$arch"
+  # Ensure the app binary can locate embedded dylibs in Contents/Frameworks at runtime
+  echo "[rpath] Adding @executable_path/../Frameworks to app binary rpaths"
+  xcrun install_name_tool -add_rpath "@executable_path/../Frameworks" "$MACOS_DIR/${APP_NAME}" 2>/dev/null || true
   codesign_app
   echo "Built: $APP_DIR"
   echo "[summary] App binary: $(lipo -info "$MACOS_DIR/${APP_NAME}" 2>/dev/null || echo unknown)"
-  echo "[summary] Embedded frameworks:"
+  echo "[summary] Embedded frameworks (.framework):"
   /usr/bin/find "$CONTENTS_DIR/Frameworks" -maxdepth 1 -type d -name "*.framework" -exec basename {} \; | sed 's/^/  - /'
+  echo "[summary] Embedded dynamic libraries (.dylib):"
+  /usr/bin/find "$CONTENTS_DIR/Frameworks" -maxdepth 1 -type f -name "*.dylib" -exec basename {} \; | sed 's/^/  - /'
   cleanup_dependencies
 }
 
@@ -729,19 +527,17 @@ build_universal() {
   prepare_dependencies
   ensure_dirs
   gen_plist
-  local bin_arm64="$BUILD_DIR/${APP_NAME}-arm64"
-  local bin_x86="$BUILD_DIR/${APP_NAME}-x86_64"
-  swiftc_compile arm64 "$bin_arm64"
-  swiftc_compile x86_64 "$bin_x86"
+  local built_arm64; built_arm64=$(spm_build_binary arm64) || { echo "[spm] arm64 build failed" >&2; exit 1; }
+  local built_x86;   built_x86=$(spm_build_binary x86_64) || { echo "[spm] x86_64 build failed" >&2; exit 1; }
   mkdir -p "$MACOS_DIR"
-  xcrun lipo -create -output "$MACOS_DIR/${APP_NAME}" "$bin_arm64" "$bin_x86"
-  embed_irckit_framework
-  embed_royalvnckit_framework
+  xcrun lipo -create -output "$MACOS_DIR/${APP_NAME}" "$built_arm64" "$built_x86"
   codesign_app
   echo "Built universal: $APP_DIR"
   echo "[summary] App binary: $(lipo -info "$MACOS_DIR/${APP_NAME}" 2>/dev/null || echo unknown)"
-  echo "[summary] Embedded frameworks:"
+  echo "[summary] Embedded frameworks (.framework):"
   /usr/bin/find "$CONTENTS_DIR/Frameworks" -maxdepth 1 -type d -name "*.framework" -exec basename {} \; | sed 's/^/  - /'
+  echo "[summary] Embedded dynamic libraries (.dylib):"
+  /usr/bin/find "$CONTENTS_DIR/Frameworks" -maxdepth 1 -type f -name "*.dylib" -exec basename {} \; | sed 's/^/  - /'
   cleanup_dependencies
 }
 
diff --git a/prole-app/debug.sh b/prole-app/debug.sh
index 2104685..1070a63 100755
--- a/prole-app/debug.sh
+++ b/prole-app/debug.sh
@@ -37,22 +37,6 @@ status=$?
 set -e
 echo "[debug] build.sh finished with status: $status"
 
-echo
-echo "[debug] ===== Dependency logs (IRCKit) ====="
-for f in \
-  "$DEPS_LOGS_DIR/irckit-archive-arm64.log" \
-  "$DEPS_LOGS_DIR/irckit-archive-x86_64.log" \
-  "$DEPS_LOGS_DIR/irckit-create-xcframework.log" \
-  "$DEPS_LOGS_DIR/irckit-spm-update.log" \
-  "$DEPS_LOGS_DIR/irckit-spm-resolve.log" \
-; do
-  if [[ -f "$f" ]]; then
-    echo "----- tail: ${f} -----"
-    tail -n 200 "$f" || true
-    echo
-  fi
-done
-
 echo "[debug] ===== Dependency logs (RoyalVNCKit) ====="
 for f in \
   "$DEPS_LOGS_DIR/royalvnc-archive-arm64.log" \