diff --git a/docs/operations.md b/docs/operations.md
index f583a269..6c3738c1 100644
--- a/docs/operations.md
+++ b/docs/operations.md
@@ -623,6 +623,6 @@ their isolated offscreen process.
 
 The power saver profile is a reduced-motion request too, for as long as it is
 on; it changes neither this variable nor **Settings → Appearance → Reduce
-motion**. The compositor follows it as well: blur drops to one pass and
+motion**. The compositor follows it as well: it uses one blur pass and
 Hyprland animations turn off, and the values it replaced return when power
 saver ends.
diff --git a/docs/quickshell-notes.md b/docs/quickshell-notes.md
index d61062b2..740ed244 100644
--- a/docs/quickshell-notes.md
+++ b/docs/quickshell-notes.md
@@ -646,10 +646,14 @@ glass and detached panels. What that added, and what it needs:
   artwork and functional shapes such as switch tracks and progress meters
   retain their own presentation.
   Update assets with `scripts/update-tabler-icons`; see `assets/tabler/README.md`.
-- **Blur is the compositor's.** `roles/desktop/files/looknfeel.lua` exports the
-  named `quickshell_blur_rule` matching the `qs-*` namespaces. The Appearance
-  switch calls that handle through `hyprctl eval`; its initial `enabled` value
-  is read from the persisted JSON so compositor reloads retain the choice.
+- **Blur is the compositor's.** `roles/desktop/templates/looknfeel.lua.j2`
+  defaults to one blur pass to reduce desktop GPU work while keeping
+  animations and display refresh rates unchanged. Both Ansible deployment
+  and the ISO desktop package render this template.
+  It exports the named `quickshell_blur_rule` matching the `qs-*` namespaces.
+  The Appearance switch calls that handle through `hyprctl eval`; its initial
+  `enabled` value is read from the persisted JSON so compositor reloads retain
+  the choice.
   Layer namespaces stay fixed because changing one after a Wayland surface is
   connected does not update the compositor rule safely.
 - **Nothing that floats over the desktop may draw a drop shadow.** Blur is
diff --git a/docs/remote-server-widget.md b/docs/remote-server-widget.md
index fa216ab2..3985f34c 100644
--- a/docs/remote-server-widget.md
+++ b/docs/remote-server-widget.md
@@ -1,10 +1,14 @@
 # Remote Server widget
 
-Add **Remote Server** from Settings → Menubar → Widgets, then open its options.
-Set **SSH host** to an existing SSH alias or `user@hostname`, and optionally set
-a display name. For example: `john@10.10.0.7`, **The Beast**. These are personal
-settings, not distribution defaults; new installations leave the widget disabled
-and its host empty, and its dashboard offers **Choose SSH host** until one is set.
+**Remote Server** is included and enabled in the menubar on new installations,
+including ISO installations. Its host and display name start empty: the bar
+shows **Set up** and the dashboard offers **Choose SSH host**. No SSH connection
+starts until a host is configured. Existing visibility and host preferences are
+preserved when upgrading.
+
+Open its options in Settings → Menubar → Widgets. Set **SSH host** to an existing
+SSH alias or `user@hostname`, and optionally set a display name. For example:
+`user@server.example.com`, **My server**. These are personal settings.
 
 The default menubar statistic is CPU utilization. Options include load average,
 memory used percent/bytes or available bytes, filesystem used percent/free bytes,
@@ -49,8 +53,8 @@ dashboard while its header and footer stay fixed.
 - OpenSSH and Python 3 on the desktop. GNU `df` provides local filesystem stats;
   `ip` provides optional addresses/default-route discovery on the server.
 - Working noninteractive SSH key/agent authentication. First connect in a
-  terminal, for example `ssh john@10.10.0.7`, to verify its host key. Unknown or
-  changed keys are rejected; the widget never accepts them automatically.
+  terminal, for example `ssh user@server.example.com`, to verify its host key.
+  Unknown or changed keys are rejected; the widget never accepts them automatically.
 - Configure ports, identities and jump hosts in `~/.ssh/config`. The host field
   accepts a destination, not SSH options or a shell command.
 
diff --git a/image/cybexos-desktop.spec b/image/cybexos-desktop.spec
index 87c22978..45aebeee 100644
--- a/image/cybexos-desktop.spec
+++ b/image/cybexos-desktop.spec
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ Obsoletes:      fedora-config-desktop < %{epoch}:%{version}-%{release}
 # filesystem separately. Avoid spending minutes recompressing user toolchains.
 %global _binary_payload w3.zstdio
 %global _binary_filedigest_algorithm 8
-Requires:       bash coreutils util-linux systemd python3 ansible-core gnupg2
+Requires:       bash coreutils util-linux systemd python3 ansible-core gnupg2 openssh-clients
 Requires:       sddm sddm-wayland-generic systemd-pam gnome-keyring-pam
 Requires:       hyprland hyprland-guiutils quickshell hypridle hyprlock hyprsunset
 Requires:       xdg-desktop-portal-hyprland xdg-desktop-portal-gtk xdg-utils
diff --git a/image/test_desktop_payload.py b/image/test_desktop_payload.py
index 15492aad..7d515d7d 100644
--- a/image/test_desktop_payload.py
+++ b/image/test_desktop_payload.py
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ def test_portable_defaults_and_boot_assets_share_workstation_sources(self):
             defaults = json.loads((vendor / "essential-seed/.config/cybexos/shell.json").read_text())
             self.assertEqual(defaults, contract["shell"])
             # Exercise first-login seeding followed by the real shell merger:
-            # an unversioned seed must not revive a historical font default.
+            # an unversioned seed keeps current defaults and no personal host.
             (vendor / "bin").mkdir()
             (vendor / "runtime").mkdir()
             home = payload / "installed-user"
@@ -57,11 +57,16 @@ def test_portable_defaults_and_boot_assets_share_workstation_sources(self):
                 "node", "-e",
                 "const fs = require('fs'), H = require(process.argv[1]); "
                 "const s = H.merge(JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(process.argv[2], 'utf8'))); "
-                "console.log(H.FONT_CHOICES.find(f => f.id === s.font).family);",
+                "console.log(JSON.stringify({font: H.FONT_CHOICES.find(f => f.id === s.font).family, "
+                "remote: s.mods.right.find(m => m.id === 'remote'), options: s.modOpts.remote}));",
                 str(ROOT / "roles/desktop/files/quickshell/Common/SettingsHelpers.js"),
                 str(preferences),
             ], text=True, capture_output=True, check=True)
-            self.assertEqual(result.stdout.strip(), "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font")
+            settings = json.loads(result.stdout)
+            self.assertEqual(settings["font"], "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font")
+            self.assertTrue(settings["remote"]["on"])
+            self.assertEqual(settings["options"]["host"], "")
+            self.assertEqual(settings["options"]["label"], "")
             wallpaper = vendor / "essential-seed/Pictures/Wallpapers" / defaults["wall"]
             self.assertEqual(wallpaper.read_bytes(), (ROOT / "assets/wallpapers" / defaults["wall"]).read_bytes())
             self.assertTrue(app.is_file())
diff --git a/roles/base/defaults/main.yml b/roles/base/defaults/main.yml
index 53eb5e34..c7d50eee 100644
--- a/roles/base/defaults/main.yml
+++ b/roles/base/defaults/main.yml
@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@ base_required_packages:
 - gvfs-fuse
 - mokutil
 - NetworkManager
+# Remote Server's SSH transport is available on every installation.
+- openssh-clients
 - pipewire
 - pipewire-alsa
 - pipewire-pulseaudio
diff --git a/roles/desktop/files/quickshell/Common/Settings.qml b/roles/desktop/files/quickshell/Common/Settings.qml
index a07b6d12..9240fc62 100644
--- a/roles/desktop/files/quickshell/Common/Settings.qml
+++ b/roles/desktop/files/quickshell/Common/Settings.qml
@@ -961,7 +961,7 @@ Singleton {
     }
 
     // Power saver takes the compositor's polish too: cybexos_power_saver() in
-    // looknfeel.lua drops blur to one pass and turns animations off, and
+    // looknfeel.lua uses one blur pass and turns animations off, and
     // holds that across a config reload. It is sent on startup as well, which
     // also lifts a saver left behind by a shell that exited meanwhile.
     property bool dispatchedPowerSaver: false
diff --git a/roles/desktop/files/quickshell/Common/SettingsHelpers.js b/roles/desktop/files/quickshell/Common/SettingsHelpers.js
index 54017ba6..22d6a0cc 100644
--- a/roles/desktop/files/quickshell/Common/SettingsHelpers.js
+++ b/roles/desktop/files/quickshell/Common/SettingsHelpers.js
@@ -217,7 +217,7 @@ function defaultMods() {
             mod("notes", true)],
         right: [
             mod("modelusage", false), mod("updates", true), mod("gh", false), mod("t3", false),
-            mod("hermes", false), mod("remote", false),
+            mod("hermes", false), mod("remote", true),
             mod("tray", false), mod("notifications", true), mod("vol", true),
             mod("wifi", true), mod("bt", true), mod("batt", true), mod("control", true)
         ]
diff --git a/roles/desktop/files/quickshell/Settings/ModuleDetailView.qml b/roles/desktop/files/quickshell/Settings/ModuleDetailView.qml
index b14bd2ab..af48a57d 100644
--- a/roles/desktop/files/quickshell/Settings/ModuleDetailView.qml
+++ b/roles/desktop/files/quickshell/Settings/ModuleDetailView.qml
@@ -911,7 +911,7 @@ SettingsPage {
             SettingsTextRow {
                 width: parent.width
                 label: "SSH host"
-                placeholder: "john@10.10.0.7 or SSH alias"
+                placeholder: "user@hostname or SSH alias"
                 hint: "Uses your SSH config and keys. Connect once in a terminal to verify the host key. Requires Linux and Python 3.9+."
                 value: view.opts.host
                 dirty: view.optDirty("host")
@@ -921,7 +921,7 @@ SettingsPage {
             SettingsTextRow {
                 width: parent.width
                 label: "Display name"
-                placeholder: "The Beast"
+                placeholder: "My server"
                 value: view.opts.label
                 dirty: view.optDirty("label")
                 onCommitted: text => view.setOpt("label", text)
diff --git a/roles/desktop/templates/looknfeel.lua.j2 b/roles/desktop/templates/looknfeel.lua.j2
index f38725ba..fdad742c 100644
--- a/roles/desktop/templates/looknfeel.lua.j2
+++ b/roles/desktop/templates/looknfeel.lua.j2
@@ -38,13 +38,11 @@ hl.config({
     -- Match Quickshell's Theme.hugCornerSize so tiled window corners continue
     -- the menubar's inverted edge curve at the reserved boundary.
     rounding = 16,
-    -- In glass mode every menubar and panel surface is a translucent tint over
-    -- whatever is behind it, and without a real blur they read as smeared
-    -- plastic. Three passes at this radius
-    -- is the point where the wallpaper stops being legible through the bar;
+    -- Blur separates translucent surfaces from the wallpaper. One pass keeps
+    -- compositing work down on high-resolution, high-refresh-rate displays;
     -- vibrancy stands in for the design's saturate(1.7).
     blur = {
-      enabled = true, size = 6, passes = 3, new_optimizations = true,
+      enabled = true, size = 6, passes = 1, new_optimizations = true,
       vibrancy = 0.25, noise = 0.012,
     },
     shadow = { enabled = true, range = 4, render_power = 3, color = "rgba(1a1917ee)" },
@@ -246,7 +244,7 @@ quickshell_blur_rule = hl.layer_rule({
   ignore_alpha = 0.1,
 })
 
--- Power saver trades compositor polish for battery: one blur pass and no
+-- Power saver keeps blur to one pass and disables
 -- animations. Quickshell calls cybexos_power_saver() through `hyprctl eval`
 -- when it starts and whenever the power profile changes. What the saver
 -- replaced is read live and kept in _G, which outlives a config reload: a
diff --git a/tests/quickshell/power-saver.test.cjs b/tests/quickshell/power-saver.test.cjs
index ecb20283..982a9e82 100644
--- a/tests/quickshell/power-saver.test.cjs
+++ b/tests/quickshell/power-saver.test.cjs
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 // Power saver is the user's explicit request to trade polish for battery.
 // The shell follows it with its reduced-motion path; the compositor follows
-// it with fewer blur passes and no animations.
+// it with one blur pass and no animations.
 const test = require("node:test");
 const assert = require("node:assert/strict");
 const childProcess = require("node:child_process");
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ test("power saver drops compositor blur and animations, and restores what it rep
     { skip: luajit ? false : "luajit is not installed" }, () => {
     runLookAndFeel(`
 dofile(look)
-assert(passes() == 3 and animations() == true, "the configured values")
+assert(passes() == 1 and animations() == true, "the configured values")
 -- A user.lua override is what comes back afterwards.
 hl.config({ decoration = { blur = { passes = 2 } } })
 
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ assert(calls() == before, "the shell's startup request touches nothing when off"
 -- A compositor restart starts a fresh state; the shell re-sends its request.
 _G.__cybexos_power_saver = nil
 dofile(look)
-assert(passes() == 3 and animations() == true)
+assert(passes() == 1 and animations() == true)
 `);
 });
 
diff --git a/tests/quickshell/remote-server.test.cjs b/tests/quickshell/remote-server.test.cjs
index 96807954..34a00e0d 100644
--- a/tests/quickshell/remote-server.test.cjs
+++ b/tests/quickshell/remote-server.test.cjs
@@ -5,28 +5,37 @@ const S = require("../../roles/desktop/files/quickshell/Common/SettingsHelpers.j
 
 function sample() {
     return { version: 1, boot: "a", uptime: 1200, cpu: 25, perCore: [20, 30], load: [1, 2, 3],
-        meta: { hostname: "beast", os: "Linux", defaultInterface: "eth0" },
+        meta: { hostname: "server", os: "Linux", defaultInterface: "eth0" },
         memory: { total: 16 * 1024 ** 3, available: 12 * 1024 ** 3, used: 4 * 1024 ** 3 },
         storage: [{ mount: "/", total: 1000, free: 400, percent: 60 }],
         temperatures: [{ name: "CPU", celsius: 54 }],
-        network: [{ name: "eth0", addresses: ["10.10.0.7"], rx: 1024, tx: 2048 },
+        network: [{ name: "eth0", addresses: ["192.0.2.10"], rx: 1024, tx: 2048 },
             { name: "docker0", addresses: ["172.17.0.1"], rx: 999999, tx: 999999 }] };
 }
-test("remote widget migrates as disabled and preserves user options", () => {
+test("remote widget starts enabled with an empty host and preserves user choices", () => {
     const old = S.defaults();
     old.mods.right = old.mods.right.filter(m => m.id !== "remote");
     delete old.modOpts.remote;
     const migrated = S.merge(old);
-    assert.equal(migrated.mods.right.find(m => m.id === "remote").on, false);
+    assert.equal(migrated.mods.right.find(m => m.id === "remote").on, true);
     assert.equal(migrated.modOpts.remote.host, "");
+    assert.equal(migrated.modOpts.remote.label, "");
     assert.equal(migrated.modOpts.remote.metric, "cpu");
-    const normalized = S.normalizeModOpts({ remote: { host: " john@10.10.0.7 ", label: "The Beast",
+    const normalized = S.normalizeModOpts({ remote: { host: " user@192.0.2.10 ", label: "My server",
         metric: "diskFree", mount: "/data", interface: "eth0", pollSecs: 999 } }).remote;
-    assert.equal(normalized.host, "john@10.10.0.7");
+    assert.equal(normalized.host, "user@192.0.2.10");
     assert.equal(normalized.metric, "diskFree");
     assert.equal(normalized.mount, "/data");
     assert.equal(normalized.pollSecs, 60);
     assert.equal(S.normalizeModOpts({ remote: { metric: "bogus" } }).remote.metric, "cpu");
+
+    const saved = S.defaults();
+    saved.v = S.VERSION;
+    saved.mods.right.find(m => m.id === "remote").on = false;
+    saved.modOpts.remote = normalized;
+    const restored = S.merge(saved);
+    assert.equal(restored.mods.right.find(m => m.id === "remote").on, false);
+    assert.deepEqual(restored.modOpts.remote, normalized);
 });
 test("every menu metric produces the intended unit and missing readings stay unknown", () => {
     const s = sample();
diff --git a/tests/quickshell/system-theme-hyprland.test.cjs b/tests/quickshell/system-theme-hyprland.test.cjs
index 7acb02a7..18677b10 100644
--- a/tests/quickshell/system-theme-hyprland.test.cjs
+++ b/tests/quickshell/system-theme-hyprland.test.cjs
@@ -293,7 +293,7 @@ assert(hl.get_config("decoration.blur.passes") == 1, "power saver survives a liv
 assert(hl.get_config("animations.enabled") == false)
 assert(layer_rules["quickshell-blur"].enabled == true)
 cybexos_power_saver(false)
-assert(hl.get_config("decoration.blur.passes") == 3)`, {
+assert(hl.get_config("decoration.blur.passes") == 1)`, {
         [THEME]: render(lightTokens()),
         ".config/cybexos/shell.json": '{"v": 23, "glassEnabled": true}',
     });
diff --git a/tests/remote-server.py b/tests/remote-server.py
index 306552d7..8e42a34d 100644
--- a/tests/remote-server.py
+++ b/tests/remote-server.py
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ def test_probe_caches_slow_data_and_resets_on_new_boot(self):
             self.assertEqual(disks.call_count, 2)
 
     def test_ssh_destination_is_data_and_host_verification_is_required(self):
-        for host in ["john@10.10.0.7", "beast", "john@[2001:db8::1]"]:
+        for host in ["user@192.0.2.10", "server", "user@[2001:db8::1]"]:
             command = launcher.command(host)
             self.assertEqual(command[-2], host)
             for flag in ["BatchMode=yes", "StrictHostKeyChecking=yes", "ControlPath=none", "ClearAllForwardings=yes", "ForwardAgent=no"]: