diff --git a/server/src/ledgrab/static/js/features/dashboard-customize.ts b/server/src/ledgrab/static/js/features/dashboard-customize.ts
index ade25eb..c81779e 100644
--- a/server/src/ledgrab/static/js/features/dashboard-customize.ts
+++ b/server/src/ledgrab/static/js/features/dashboard-customize.ts
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ import {
 import {
     ICON_X, ICON_EYE, ICON_EYE_OFF, ICON_DOWNLOAD, ICON_REFRESH,
 } from '../core/icons.ts';
+import { enhanceMiniSelects } from '../core/mini-select.ts';
 
 const ICON_DRAG = '<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" width="14" height="14" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="icon"><circle cx="9" cy="5" r="1"/><circle cx="9" cy="12" r="1"/><circle cx="9" cy="19" r="1"/><circle cx="15" cy="5" r="1"/><circle cx="15" cy="12" r="1"/><circle cx="15" cy="19" r="1"/></svg>';
 const ICON_LOCK = '<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" width="14" height="14" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="icon"><rect width="18" height="11" x="3" y="11" rx="2" ry="2"/><path d="M7 11V7a5 5 0 0 1 10 0v4"/></svg>';
@@ -173,6 +174,10 @@ function _renderPanelBody(): void {
         ${_renderActions()}
     `;
     _bindHandlers(body);
+    // Enhance the compact <select> elements rendered above into MiniSelect
+    // popups. The native elements stay in the DOM hidden, so the change
+    // handlers attached in _bindHandlers continue to fire on selection.
+    enhanceMiniSelects(body, 'select.dash-cust-mini-select');
     if (_focusAfterRender) {
         const el = body.querySelector<HTMLElement>(_focusAfterRender);
         el?.focus();
@@ -189,9 +194,9 @@ function _renderPresets(layout: DashboardLayoutV1): string {
             ${t('dashboard.customize.preset.' + name)}
         </button>`;
     }).join('');
-    const modifiedHint = layout.presetActive
-        ? ''
-        : `<span class="dash-cust-modified">${t('dashboard.customize.modified')}</span>`;
+    const modifiedHint = layout.userModified
+        ? `<span class="dash-cust-modified">${t('dashboard.customize.modified')}</span>`
+        : '';
     return `<section class="dash-cust-section">
         <h3 class="dash-cust-h3">${t('dashboard.customize.presets')}${modifiedHint}</h3>
         <div class="dash-cust-chips">${chips}</div>
diff --git a/server/src/ledgrab/static/js/features/dashboard-layout.ts b/server/src/ledgrab/static/js/features/dashboard-layout.ts
index b1c36a9..0ca8331 100644
--- a/server/src/ledgrab/static/js/features/dashboard-layout.ts
+++ b/server/src/ledgrab/static/js/features/dashboard-layout.ts
@@ -110,8 +110,18 @@ export interface DashboardLayoutV1 {
     perfCells: PerfCellConfig[];
     global: GlobalConfig;
     /** Active preset key when the layout matches a built-in unmodified.
-     *  Cleared on any user edit so the panel can show "modified" state. */
+     *  Drives the chip highlight in the customize panel — recomputed on
+     *  every save/load so a user who toggles back to a preset's exact
+     *  shape sees the chip light up again. */
     presetActive?: string;
+    /** True iff the user has made changes via the customize panel since
+     *  the last preset apply / reset / import. Drives the "MODIFIED"
+     *  indicator. Kept separate from `presetActive` so that legacy
+     *  layouts whose data drifted from every preset (older app versions
+     *  saved with different defaults, prior buggy migrations) don't
+     *  flash a perpetual "MODIFIED" warning at users who never actually
+     *  customized anything. */
+    userModified?: boolean;
 }
 
 const _defaultSection = (key: string, visible = true): SectionConfig => ({
@@ -226,6 +236,7 @@ function _clone(layout: DashboardLayoutV1, presetActive?: string): DashboardLayo
         perfCells: layout.perfCells.map(c => ({ ...c })),
         global: { ...layout.global },
         presetActive,
+        userModified: layout.userModified,
     };
 }
 
@@ -429,16 +440,22 @@ async function _pushToServer(layout: DashboardLayoutV1): Promise<void> {
     }
 }
 
-/** Apply a built-in preset and persist it. */
+/** Apply a built-in preset and persist it. Clears the `userModified`
+ *  flag — applying a preset is the user's signal that they want to
+ *  start from a clean baseline. */
 export function applyDashboardPreset(name: string): void {
     const factory = PRESETS[name];
     if (!factory) return;
-    saveDashboardLayout(factory());
+    const next = factory();
+    next.userModified = false;
+    saveDashboardLayout(next);
 }
 
-/** Reset to the studio default. */
+/** Reset to the studio default. Clears `userModified`. */
 export function resetDashboardLayout(): void {
-    saveDashboardLayout(PRESETS.studio());
+    const next = PRESETS.studio();
+    next.userModified = false;
+    saveDashboardLayout(next);
 }
 
 /** Export the current layout as a downloadable JSON string. */
@@ -453,6 +470,7 @@ export function importDashboardLayoutJson(json: string): boolean {
         if (!parsed || typeof parsed !== 'object') return false;
         const merged = _mergeWithDefaults(parsed);
         merged.presetActive = undefined;
+        merged.userModified = true;
         saveDashboardLayout(merged);
         return true;
     } catch (e) {
@@ -514,6 +532,7 @@ export function setSectionVisible(layout: DashboardLayoutV1, key: string, visibl
     const s = next.sections.find(s => s.key === key);
     if (s) s.visible = visible;
     next.presetActive = undefined;
+    next.userModified = true;
     return next;
 }
 
@@ -529,6 +548,7 @@ export function setSectionOrder(layout: DashboardLayoutV1, orderedKeys: string[]
     for (const s of map.values()) reordered.push(s);
     next.sections = reordered;
     next.presetActive = undefined;
+    next.userModified = true;
     return next;
 }
 
@@ -537,6 +557,7 @@ export function setSectionDensity(layout: DashboardLayoutV1, key: string, densit
     const s = next.sections.find(s => s.key === key);
     if (s) s.density = density;
     next.presetActive = undefined;
+    next.userModified = true;
     return next;
 }
 
@@ -545,6 +566,7 @@ export function setSectionCollapsedDefault(layout: DashboardLayoutV1, key: strin
     const s = next.sections.find(s => s.key === key);
     if (s) s.collapsedDefault = collapsed;
     next.presetActive = undefined;
+    next.userModified = true;
     return next;
 }
 
@@ -553,6 +575,7 @@ export function setPerfCellVisible(layout: DashboardLayoutV1, key: string, visib
     const c = next.perfCells.find(c => c.key === key);
     if (c) c.visible = visible;
     next.presetActive = undefined;
+    next.userModified = true;
     return next;
 }
 
@@ -567,6 +590,7 @@ export function setPerfCellOrder(layout: DashboardLayoutV1, orderedKeys: string[
     for (const c of map.values()) reordered.push(c);
     next.perfCells = reordered;
     next.presetActive = undefined;
+    next.userModified = true;
     return next;
 }
 
@@ -575,6 +599,7 @@ export function setPerfCellMode(layout: DashboardLayoutV1, key: string, mode: Pe
     const c = next.perfCells.find(c => c.key === key);
     if (c) c.mode = mode;
     next.presetActive = undefined;
+    next.userModified = true;
     return next;
 }
 
@@ -583,6 +608,7 @@ export function setPerfCellWindow(layout: DashboardLayoutV1, key: string, window
     const c = next.perfCells.find(c => c.key === key);
     if (c) c.window = window;
     next.presetActive = undefined;
+    next.userModified = true;
     return next;
 }
 
@@ -590,6 +616,7 @@ export function setGlobalPerfWindow(layout: DashboardLayoutV1, window: SampleWin
     const next = _clone(layout);
     next.global.perfWindow = window;
     next.presetActive = undefined;
+    next.userModified = true;
     return next;
 }
 
@@ -598,6 +625,7 @@ export function setPerfCellYScale(layout: DashboardLayoutV1, key: string, yScale
     const c = next.perfCells.find(c => c.key === key);
     if (c) c.yScale = yScale;
     next.presetActive = undefined;
+    next.userModified = true;
     return next;
 }
 
@@ -605,6 +633,7 @@ export function setGlobalPerfMode(layout: DashboardLayoutV1, mode: 'system' | 'a
     const next = _clone(layout);
     next.global.perfMode = mode;
     next.presetActive = undefined;
+    next.userModified = true;
     return next;
 }
 
@@ -612,53 +641,97 @@ export function setGlobalConfig(layout: DashboardLayoutV1, patch: Partial<Global
     const next = _clone(layout);
     next.global = { ...next.global, ...patch };
     next.presetActive = undefined;
+    next.userModified = true;
     return next;
 }
 
 // ── Internal: merge / migrate ────────────────────────────────────────────
 
+/** Merge a saved keyed array (sections, perfCells) with the canonical
+ *  defaults. Unknown keys in `saved` are dropped; missing keys are filled
+ *  from defaults.
+ *
+ *  Ordering: when the saved keys form a *subsequence* of the canonical
+ *  order — i.e. the user never manually reordered, they just happen to
+ *  have an older snapshot missing newly-added registry entries — the
+ *  merged result uses the canonical order. Without this, every new
+ *  default key added in a later release would land at the end of the
+ *  user's saved list, drifting the layout off every preset and pinning
+ *  the customize panel in "MODIFIED" forever after an upgrade.
+ *
+ *  When the user *did* reorder (saved order is not a subsequence of
+ *  default), we preserve their order and append any new default keys at
+ *  the end — those entries are new to the user, so any position is a
+ *  guess; end-of-list is at least predictable. */
+function _mergeKeyedArray<T extends { key: string }>(
+    defaults: T[],
+    saved: T[],
+    mergeItem: (def: T, s: T) => T,
+): T[] {
+    const defByKey = new Map(defaults.map(d => [d.key, d]));
+    const savedKnown = saved.filter(s => defByKey.has(s.key));
+    const savedByKey = new Map(savedKnown.map(s => [s.key, s]));
+
+    const defaultKeys = defaults.map(d => d.key);
+    const savedKeys = savedKnown.map(s => s.key);
+    let i = 0;
+    for (const dk of defaultKeys) {
+        if (i < savedKeys.length && dk === savedKeys[i]) i++;
+    }
+    const userReordered = i !== savedKeys.length;
+
+    const finalKeys = userReordered
+        ? [...savedKeys, ...defaultKeys.filter(k => !savedByKey.has(k))]
+        : defaultKeys;
+
+    return finalKeys.map(k => {
+        const def = defByKey.get(k)!;
+        const s = savedByKey.get(k);
+        return s ? mergeItem(def, s) : { ...def };
+    });
+}
+
 /** Merge a (possibly partial or older) layout with current defaults. New
- *  registry keys not in the saved layout are appended to the end with
- *  default settings; unknown keys in the saved layout are dropped. */
+ *  registry keys not in the saved layout are inserted at their canonical
+ *  positions when the saved order is consistent with defaults; otherwise
+ *  appended at the end (see `_mergeKeyedArray`). Unknown keys in the
+ *  saved layout are dropped. */
 function _mergeWithDefaults(input: unknown): DashboardLayoutV1 {
     const base = _clone(DEFAULT_LAYOUT);
     if (!input || typeof input !== 'object') return base;
     const obj = input as Partial<DashboardLayoutV1>;
 
     if (Array.isArray(obj.sections)) {
-        const known = new Map(base.sections.map(s => [s.key, s]));
-        const reordered: SectionConfig[] = [];
-        for (const s of obj.sections as SectionConfig[]) {
-            const def = known.get(s.key);
-            if (!def) continue;
-            reordered.push({
+        base.sections = _mergeKeyedArray(
+            base.sections,
+            obj.sections as SectionConfig[],
+            (def, s) => ({
                 ...def,
                 ...s,
                 options: { ...def.options, ...(s.options || {}) },
-            });
-            known.delete(s.key);
-        }
-        for (const s of known.values()) reordered.push(s);
-        base.sections = reordered;
+            }),
+        );
     }
 
     if (Array.isArray(obj.perfCells)) {
-        const known = new Map(base.perfCells.map(c => [c.key, c]));
-        const reordered: PerfCellConfig[] = [];
-        for (const c of obj.perfCells as PerfCellConfig[]) {
-            const def = known.get(c.key);
-            if (!def) continue;
-            reordered.push({ ...def, ...c });
-            known.delete(c.key);
-        }
-        for (const c of known.values()) reordered.push(c);
-        base.perfCells = reordered;
+        base.perfCells = _mergeKeyedArray(
+            base.perfCells,
+            obj.perfCells as PerfCellConfig[],
+            (def, c) => ({ ...def, ...c }),
+        );
     }
 
     if (obj.global && typeof obj.global === 'object') {
         base.global = { ...base.global, ...obj.global };
     }
 
+    // Legacy saves (before `userModified` existed) omit the field. Treat
+    // them as un-modified so existing users with naturally-drifted layouts
+    // don't see a perpetual MODIFIED hint. New mutations through the panel
+    // will set the flag and surface MODIFIED correctly going forward.
+    base.userModified = typeof obj.userModified === 'boolean'
+        ? obj.userModified
+        : false;
     base.presetActive = _computeActivePreset(base);
     return base;
 }