diff --git a/.github/workflows/shell-tests.yml b/.github/workflows/shell-tests.yml
index 49138a2e..0a205900 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/shell-tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/shell-tests.yml
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           set -euo pipefail
           tests=(
+            test_i3blocks_gaming_budget.sh
             test_i3blocks_persist_common.sh
             test_setup_dns_blocker.sh
           )
diff --git a/docs/superpowers/evidence/i3blocks-gaming-budget-2026-09-26.json b/docs/superpowers/evidence/i3blocks-gaming-budget-2026-09-26.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..7c1fa072
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/superpowers/evidence/i3blocks-gaming-budget-2026-09-26.json
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+{
+  "intent": "Show today's gaming budget in the i3 bar: time left, used/total, and which bonuses (workout, LeetCode, reading) can still be earned.",
+  "scope": [
+    "linux_configuration/i3blocks/gaming_budget.sh (new block), linux_configuration/i3blocks/config",
+    "linux_configuration/tests/test_i3blocks_gaming_budget.sh, .github/workflows/shell-tests.yml",
+    "Non-goal: no changes to steam-backlog-enforcer, screen-locker, leetcode-guard or book-guard; the block only reads /api/budget"
+  ],
+  "changes": [
+    "New interval=30 block reads steam-backlog-enforcer GET /api/budget with one curl + one jq pass; colours follow the enforcer warn_at (1h yellow, 30m orange, 10m/blocked red)",
+    "Unearned-bonus sizes come from ~/.config/steam_backlog_enforcer/config.json via jq --slurpfile (never on argv, the file holds secrets), falling back to the enforcer defaults 2h/1h/1h",
+    "Never blank: dead server shows cached text marked (stale) in orange or 'budget server down' in red; bad state_status, ok:false and unparseable bodies are red and do not overwrite the cache",
+    "Behaviour test with a PATH-stubbed curl, wired into the shell-tests CI list"
+  ],
+  "verification": [
+    {
+      "command": "~/.config/i3blocks/gaming_budget.sh",
+      "result": "pass",
+      "evidence": "Live API: '🎮 2h00 left · 6h00/8h00 +📖1h' / '🎮 2h00' / #50FA7B, matching /api/budget (21600s used of 28800, reading bonus 0)"
+    },
+    {
+      "command": "i3-msg restart (run by the user)",
+      "result": "pass",
+      "evidence": "User confirmed the block renders in the bar as intended"
+    },
+    {
+      "command": "bash linux_configuration/tests/test_i3blocks_gaming_budget.sh",
+      "result": "pass",
+      "evidence": "All gaming_budget checks passed (thresholds, blocked, overspent, config bonus sizes, stale, down, error states)"
+    },
+    {
+      "command": "bash linux_configuration/tests/test_i3blocks_efficiency.sh",
+      "result": "pass",
+      "evidence": "All i3blocks efficiency regression tests passed"
+    }
+  ],
+  "risks": [
+    "Depends on the /api/budget JSON shape (today.*, rules.bonuses.*); a renamed field renders 'unreadable budget' in red rather than a wrong number",
+    "Bonus fallback sizes duplicate the enforcer defaults; they only matter when config.json leaves the fields unset"
+  ],
+  "rollback": [
+    "git revert the commit and remove ~/.config/i3blocks/gaming_budget.sh symlink",
+    "i3-msg restart and confirm the bar renders without the block"
+  ]
+}
diff --git a/docs/superpowers/evidence/nvidia-config-seams-restore-2026-08-23.json b/docs/superpowers/evidence/nvidia-config-seams-restore-2026-08-23.json
deleted file mode 100644
index 87550d6b..00000000
--- a/docs/superpowers/evidence/nvidia-config-seams-restore-2026-08-23.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,41 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "intent": "Restore the four test seams in nvidia_config.sh, which were verified and measured but did not reach the previous commit, so the committed suite read and wrote the real system files.",
-  "scope": [
-    "linux_configuration/scripts/single_use/fixes/lib/nvidia_config.sh",
-    "Non-goal: any change to the tests, which were already correct"
-  ],
-  "changes": [
-    "Re-applied the XORG_CONF, XORG_CONF_D, PROFILE_FILE and USER_HOME defaults at their assignment sites",
-    "Grepped the file for all four immediately after writing it, before running anything, because a silently-reverted edit is exactly what caused this"
-  ],
-  "verification": [
-    {
-      "command": "ci-mirror during git push",
-      "result": "fail",
-      "evidence": "'lib/tests suite failed: .../fixes/lib/tests/run_all.sh'. ci-mirror runs from a clean checkout of committed files, which is why it caught what the local run could not."
-    },
-    {
-      "command": "bash run_all.sh from a detached worktree at the previous commit",
-      "result": "fail",
-      "evidence": "EXIT 1 with 10 failures, including 'configure_xorg: enables RenderAccel (expected \"RenderAccel\" \"true\", got: # NVIDIA configuration with RenderAccel disabled)' -- the suite was reading this machine's real /etc/X11 config, and 'does not re-clone over a checkout' showed a clone path of /home/testuser/pyroveil rather than the tmpdir."
-    },
-    {
-      "command": "grep -n 'XORG_CONF:-|XORG_CONF_D:-|PROFILE_FILE:-|USER_HOME:-' nvidia_config.sh",
-      "result": "pass",
-      "evidence": "All four present at lines 26, 27, 60 and 85 after re-applying."
-    },
-    {
-      "command": "shellcheck + shfmt -l on nvidia_config.sh",
-      "result": "pass",
-      "evidence": "No findings, zero suppressions, no reformat pending."
-    }
-  ],
-  "risks": [
-    "The previous commit, cb1e8c53, is pushed and briefly had a suite that would write to the real /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d on any machine that ran it un-jailed. Nothing ran it in that window on this machine -- the real 20-nvidia.conf still carries its Jun 2025 mtime.",
-    "The local run passed against a stale seamed copy in the measurement worktree, which is why a clean-checkout run is now the check that matters before pushing."
-  ],
-  "rollback": [
-    "git revert the commit; nvidia_config.sh returns to hardcoded paths and the suite will fail again from a clean checkout",
-    "Re-run run_all.sh from a detached worktree to confirm the failure mode returns"
-  ]
-}
diff --git a/linux_configuration/i3blocks/config b/linux_configuration/i3blocks/config
index b304855e..5c8c5fb5 100644
--- a/linux_configuration/i3blocks/config
+++ b/linux_configuration/i3blocks/config
@@ -51,6 +51,10 @@ interval=30
 color=#FFFFFF
 
 
+[gaming_budget]
+command=~/.config/i3blocks/gaming_budget.sh
+interval=30
+
 [screen_locker]
 command=~/.config/i3blocks/screen_locker.sh
 interval=30
diff --git a/linux_configuration/i3blocks/gaming_budget.sh b/linux_configuration/i3blocks/gaming_budget.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..bf1fa203
--- /dev/null
+++ b/linux_configuration/i3blocks/gaming_budget.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# ============================================================================
+# Gaming time budget for i3blocks: time left today, used/total, and which
+# bonuses (workout, LeetCode, reading) are still there to be earned.
+#
+# Reads steam-backlog-enforcer's /api/budget, which already folds in the
+# screen-locker, leetcode-guard and book-guard bonuses. Like screen_locker.sh
+# it is never blank: a dead server shows the last value marked stale, or red.
+# Click opens the enforcer's web UI.
+# ============================================================================
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+readonly API="${GAMING_BUDGET_API:-http://127.0.0.1:8000/api/budget}"
+readonly UI='http://127.0.0.1:8000/'
+# Only for the *size* of bonuses not yet earned; /api/budget reports earned
+# ones as 0. The file holds secrets, so it goes to jq by path, never on argv.
+readonly CONFIG="${GAMING_BUDGET_CONFIG:-$HOME/.config/steam_backlog_enforcer/config.json}"
+readonly CACHE="${GAMING_BUDGET_CACHE:-${XDG_RUNTIME_DIR:-/tmp}/i3blocks-gaming-budget.cache}"
+
+# Dracula-ish palette, matching screen_locker.sh.
+readonly RED='#FF5555'
+readonly YELLOW='#F1FA8C'
+readonly GREEN='#50FA7B'
+readonly ORANGE='#FFB86C'
+
+emit() {
+	# full_text, short_text, color — the three lines i3blocks reads.
+	printf '%s\n%s\n%s\n' "$1" "$2" "$3"
+}
+
+if [[ ${BLOCK_BUTTON:-0} -ne 0 ]]; then
+	xdg-open "$UI" >/dev/null 2>&1 &
+fi
+
+if ! command -v curl >/dev/null 2>&1 || ! command -v jq >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+	emit '🎮 no curl/jq' '🎮 ?' "$ORANGE"
+	exit 0
+fi
+
+budget_json=$(curl -fsS --max-time 2 "$API" 2>/dev/null || true)
+if [[ -z $budget_json ]]; then
+	if [[ -r $CACHE ]]; then
+		emit "$(<"$CACHE") (stale)" '🎮 ?' "$ORANGE"
+	else
+		emit '🎮 budget server down' '🎮 ?' "$RED"
+	fi
+	exit 0
+fi
+
+config_path=/dev/null
+[[ -r $CONFIG ]] && config_path=$CONFIG
+
+# One jq pass renders all three lines, so a tick costs curl + jq and no more.
+# The first line is "cache" or "nocache": error states must not overwrite the
+# last good value that the stale path shows.
+# Thresholds mirror the enforcer's own warn_at (1h, 30m, 10m).
+rendered=$(jq -r \
+	--slurpfile cfg "$config_path" \
+	--arg red "$RED" --arg orange "$ORANGE" --arg yellow "$YELLOW" --arg green "$GREEN" '
+	def hm: (. / 60 | round) as $m
+		| "\($m / 60 | floor)h\($m % 60 | tostring | if length < 2 then "0" + . else . end)";
+	def bonus_hm: hm | sub("h00$"; "h");
+	($cfg[0] // {}) as $c
+	| if .state_status != "ok" then ["nocache", "🎮 state \(.state_status)", "🎮 !", $red]
+	elif .ok != true then ["nocache", "🎮 budget error", "🎮 !", $red]
+	else
+		.today as $t
+		| .rules.bonuses as $b
+		| ([$t.seconds_remaining, 0] | max) as $left
+		| "\($t.seconds_used | hm)/\($t.budget_seconds | hm)" as $ratio
+		# Unearned bonuses: [earned, configured size (enforcer default), icon].
+		| [ [$b.workout, ($c.workout_bonus_seconds // 7200), "💪"],
+		    [$b.leetcode, ($c.leetcode_bonus_seconds // 3600), "🧩"],
+		    [$b.reading, ($c.reading_bonus_seconds // 3600), "📖"] ]
+		| map(select((.[0] // 0) == 0 and .[1] > 0) | "+\(.[2])\(.[1] | bonus_hm)")
+		| (if length > 0 then " " + join(" ") else "" end) as $todo
+		| if $t.blocked or $left <= 0 then
+			["cache", "🎮 BLOCKED · \($ratio)\($todo)", "🎮 BLOCKED", $red]
+		else
+			["cache", "🎮 \($left | hm) left · \($ratio)\($todo)", "🎮 \($left | hm)",
+			 (if $left <= 600 then $red
+			  elif $left <= 1800 then $orange
+			  elif $left <= 3600 then $yellow
+			  else $green end)]
+		end
+	end
+	| .[]' <<<"$budget_json" 2>/dev/null) || {
+	emit '🎮 unreadable budget' '🎮 !' "$RED"
+	exit 0
+}
+
+{
+	read -r cache_flag
+	read -r full_text
+	read -r short_text
+	read -r color
+} <<<"$rendered"
+
+[[ $cache_flag == 'cache' ]] && printf '%s' "$full_text" >"$CACHE"
+emit "$full_text" "$short_text" "$color"
diff --git a/linux_configuration/tests/test_i3blocks_gaming_budget.sh b/linux_configuration/tests/test_i3blocks_gaming_budget.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..ae3b9512
--- /dev/null
+++ b/linux_configuration/tests/test_i3blocks_gaming_budget.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,114 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# Behaviour tests for the i3blocks gaming_budget block: text, colour
+# thresholds, unearned-bonus suffix and every failure state. curl is stubbed on
+# PATH to serve a fixture file, so nothing talks to the real enforcer.
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+SCRIPT_DIR=$(cd -- "$(dirname -- "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)
+REPO_DIR=$(cd -- "$SCRIPT_DIR/.." && pwd)
+BLOCK="$REPO_DIR/i3blocks/gaming_budget.sh"
+TMP_DIR=$(mktemp -d)
+
+cleanup() {
+	rm -rf "$TMP_DIR"
+}
+trap cleanup EXIT
+
+fail() {
+	printf 'FAIL: %s\n' "$1" >&2
+	exit 1
+}
+
+assert_eq() {
+	local expected=$1
+	local actual=$2
+	local context=$3
+	if [[ "$expected" != "$actual" ]]; then
+		fail "$context (expected '$expected', actual '$actual')"
+	fi
+}
+
+printf '{}' | jq -e . >/dev/null 2>&1 ||
+	fail 'a working jq is required for the gaming_budget tests (pacman -S jq)'
+
+# Stub curl: print $FIXTURE, or fail like `curl -f` on a dead server.
+BIN_DIR="$TMP_DIR/bin"
+mkdir -p "$BIN_DIR"
+cat >"$BIN_DIR/curl" <<'STUB'
+#!/bin/bash
+[[ -r ${FIXTURE:-} ]] || exit 7
+cat "$FIXTURE"
+STUB
+chmod +x "$BIN_DIR/curl"
+
+FIXTURE="$TMP_DIR/budget.json"
+CACHE_FILE="$TMP_DIR/cache"
+CONFIG_FILE="$TMP_DIR/config.json"
+
+# write_budget USED BUDGET REMAINING BLOCKED WORKOUT LEETCODE READING
+write_budget() {
+	printf '{"ok":true,"state_status":"ok","today":{"seconds_used":%s,"budget_seconds":%s,"seconds_remaining":%s,"blocked":%s},"rules":{"bonuses":{"base":18000,"workout":%s,"leetcode":%s,"reading":%s}}}\n' \
+		"$@" >"$FIXTURE"
+}
+
+run_block() {
+	PATH="$BIN_DIR:$PATH" FIXTURE="$FIXTURE" GAMING_BUDGET_CACHE="$CACHE_FILE" \
+		GAMING_BUDGET_CONFIG="$CONFIG_FILE" bash "$BLOCK"
+}
+
+line() {
+	run_block | sed -n "${1}p"
+}
+
+printf 'Checking the normal day: time left, used/total, missing bonus...\n'
+write_budget 21600.3 28800 7199.7 false 7200 3600 0
+assert_eq '🎮 2h00 left · 6h00/8h00 +📖1h' "$(line 1)" 'full text'
+assert_eq '🎮 2h00' "$(line 2)" 'short text'
+assert_eq '#50FA7B' "$(line 3)" 'green above 1h'
+
+printf 'Checking colour thresholds follow the enforcer warn_at...\n'
+write_budget 25800 28800 3000 false 7200 3600 3600
+assert_eq '#F1FA8C' "$(line 3)" 'yellow at <=1h'
+assert_eq '🎮 0h50 left · 7h10/8h00' "$(line 1)" 'no suffix when every bonus is earned'
+write_budget 27600 28800 1200 false 7200 3600 3600
+assert_eq '#FFB86C' "$(line 3)" 'orange at <=30m'
+write_budget 28500 28800 300 false 7200 3600 3600
+assert_eq '#FF5555' "$(line 3)" 'red at <=10m'
+
+printf 'Checking the blocked state...\n'
+write_budget 18000 18000 0 true 0 0 0
+assert_eq '🎮 BLOCKED · 5h00/5h00 +💪2h +🧩1h +📖1h' "$(line 1)" 'blocked full text lists what can still be earned'
+assert_eq '🎮 BLOCKED' "$(line 2)" 'blocked short text'
+assert_eq '#FF5555' "$(line 3)" 'blocked is red'
+write_budget 18100 18000 -100 false 7200 3600 3600
+assert_eq '🎮 BLOCKED' "$(line 2)" 'overspent counts as blocked even before the flag flips'
+
+printf 'Checking bonus sizes come from the enforcer config...\n'
+printf '{"workout_bonus_seconds":5400,"leetcode_bonus_seconds":0}\n' >"$CONFIG_FILE"
+write_budget 0 18000 18000 false 0 0 0
+assert_eq '🎮 5h00 left · 0h00/5h00 +💪1h30 +📖1h' "$(line 1)" 'configured sizes, zero-size bonus omitted'
+rm -f "$CONFIG_FILE"
+
+printf 'Checking a dead server shows the cached value as stale...\n'
+write_budget 21600 28800 7200 false 7200 3600 0
+run_block >/dev/null
+rm -f "$FIXTURE"
+assert_eq '🎮 2h00 left · 6h00/8h00 +📖1h (stale)' "$(line 1)" 'stale text'
+assert_eq '#FFB86C' "$(line 3)" 'stale is orange'
+rm -f "$CACHE_FILE"
+assert_eq '🎮 budget server down' "$(line 1)" 'no cache: server down'
+assert_eq '#FF5555' "$(line 3)" 'server down is red'
+
+printf 'Checking error states are red and never overwrite the cache...\n'
+printf 'kept' >"$CACHE_FILE"
+printf '{"ok":false,"state_status":"corrupt"}\n' >"$FIXTURE"
+assert_eq '🎮 state corrupt' "$(line 1)" 'bad state_status'
+assert_eq '#FF5555' "$(line 3)" 'bad state is red'
+printf '{"ok":false,"state_status":"ok"}\n' >"$FIXTURE"
+assert_eq '🎮 budget error' "$(line 1)" 'ok:false'
+printf 'not json' >"$FIXTURE"
+assert_eq '🎮 unreadable budget' "$(line 1)" 'garbage body'
+assert_eq 'kept' "$(<"$CACHE_FILE")" 'error states must leave the cache alone'
+
+printf 'All gaming_budget checks passed.\n'