D314 - A launch argument beats the stored view

Status: decided Date: 2026-08-27

The view the window opens into is decided by a pure function in orbistoun-shell over the arguments: --shell, --list or --title <name> beats the default in config.toml, contradictory arguments are refused with a named cause and a non-zero exit, and unrecognised arguments are ignored.

Why: an argument is what someone wants this time and a setting what they want usually, so a launcher entry must not be overridden by a preference. Silently choosing between contradictory flags makes a typed flag do something else. The window is re-executed with a worker flag and sits on frameworks with flags of their own, so it cannot refuse what it does not recognise.

Rejected:

• The setting beating an argument: launcher entries stop meaning anything.
• Resolving contradictions by picking one: the typed flag is silently ignored.
• Deciding in main: untestable.