diff --git a/frontend/src/components/ChannelPage.tsx b/frontend/src/components/ChannelPage.tsx
index 9eea1664..34b6682a 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/ChannelPage.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/ChannelPage.tsx
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import { useMutation, useQuery, useQueryClient } from "@tanstack/react-query";
 import { qk } from "../lib/queryKeys";
 import { useNavigationActions } from "./NavigationProvider";
 import { PriorityStepper } from "./PriorityStepper";
+import { useChannelPriority } from "../lib/useChannelPriority";
 import {
   ArrowLeft,
   Ban,
@@ -169,46 +170,21 @@ export default function ChannelPage({
     onError: (err) => notifyYouTubeActionError(err, t("channel.fullHistoryFailed")),
   });
 
-  // Feed priority, editable here with the same stepper the manager uses. Optimistic on this channel's
-  // detail cache + a debounced flush (~400ms after the last notch) so a press-and-hold sends ONE
-  // request, not one per step; the pending flush fires on unmount so a last bump isn't lost.
-  const prioFlush = useRef<ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null>(null);
-  const flushPriority = useCallback(() => {
-    const latest = qc.getQueryData<ChannelDetail>(qk.channel(channelId))?.priority;
-    if (latest == null) return;
-    api
-      .updateChannel(channelId, { priority: latest })
-      .then(() => {
-        qc.invalidateQueries({ queryKey: qk.channels() });
-        qc.invalidateQueries({ queryKey: qk.feed() });
-      })
-      .catch(() => qc.invalidateQueries({ queryKey: qk.channel(channelId) }));
-  }, [qc, channelId]);
-  const setPriority = (next: number) => {
-    qc.setQueryData<ChannelDetail>(qk.channel(channelId), (old) =>
-      old ? { ...old, priority: next } : old,
-    );
-    if (prioFlush.current) clearTimeout(prioFlush.current);
-    prioFlush.current = setTimeout(() => {
-      prioFlush.current = null;
-      flushPriority();
-    }, 400);
-  };
-  // Read the LATEST value from the cache each step (not a render closure) so a hold-repeat accumulates
-  // correctly, exactly like the manager's arrows.
-  const bumpPriority = (delta: number) => {
-    const cur = qc.getQueryData<ChannelDetail>(qk.channel(channelId))?.priority ?? 0;
-    setPriority(cur + delta);
-  };
-  useEffect(
-    () => () => {
-      if (prioFlush.current) {
-        clearTimeout(prioFlush.current);
-        flushPriority();
-      }
+  // Feed priority, editable here with the same stepper + debounced-flush the manager uses (shared
+  // hook so the two can't drift). Optimistic on this channel's detail cache; a success re-sorts the
+  // manager list + feed, a failure reverts by refetching the detail.
+  const { setPriority, bumpPriority } = useChannelPriority({
+    read: (id) => qc.getQueryData<ChannelDetail>(qk.channel(id))?.priority,
+    optimistic: (id, next) =>
+      qc.setQueryData<ChannelDetail>(qk.channel(id), (old) =>
+        old ? { ...old, priority: next } : old,
+      ),
+    onSuccess: () => {
+      qc.invalidateQueries({ queryKey: qk.channels() });
+      qc.invalidateQueries({ queryKey: qk.feed() });
     },
-    [flushPriority],
-  );
+    onError: (id) => qc.invalidateQueries({ queryKey: qk.channel(id) }),
+  });
 
   // Personal tags, editable right here (the same control + flow the channel manager uses). Optimistic
   // on this channel's detail cache; a failed attach/detach reverts by refetching, and a success
@@ -423,15 +399,12 @@ export default function ChannelPage({
                 </button>
               )}
               {ch?.subscribed && !me.is_demo && (
-                <div
-                  className="inline-flex items-center gap-1.5 h-9 px-2.5 rounded-lg border border-border"
-                  title={t("channels.row.priorityHint")}
-                >
+                <div className="inline-flex items-center gap-1.5 h-9 px-2.5 rounded-lg border border-border">
                   <span className="text-xs text-muted">{t("channels.cols.priority")}</span>
                   <PriorityStepper
                     priority={ch.priority}
-                    onPriority={bumpPriority}
-                    onSet={setPriority}
+                    onPriority={(d) => bumpPriority(channelId, d)}
+                    onSet={(v) => setPriority(channelId, v)}
                   />
                 </div>
               )}
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/Channels.tsx b/frontend/src/components/Channels.tsx
index 69b02039..fe388946 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/Channels.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/Channels.tsx
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ import ChannelLayoutGrid from "./ChannelLayoutGrid";
 import { LoadingState, StateMessage } from "./QueryState";
 import { ChannelTagsControl } from "./ChannelTags";
 import { useChannelTagActions } from "../lib/useChannelTagActions";
+import { useChannelPriority } from "../lib/useChannelPriority";
 import ViewSwitcher, { type ViewOption } from "./ViewSwitcher";
 import ColumnSortControl from "./ColumnSortControl";
 import Pager from "./Pager";
@@ -143,56 +144,19 @@ export default function Channels() {
       qc.invalidateQueries({ queryKey: qk.feedCount() });
     },
   });
-  // Priority is updated optimistically in place and NOT re-sorted/refetched, so the list
-  // doesn't jump (the server list is priority-sorted; refetching would reorder rows and
-  // lose your scroll position). The new order takes effect next time the page loads.
-  // Press-and-hold fires many bumps, so the PATCH is DEBOUNCED per channel: each bump reads the
-  // accumulated value from the cache, and the server call flushes once ~400ms after the last step
-  // (instead of one request per notch). Pending flushes are fired on unmount so a last-moment bump
-  // isn't lost.
-  const prioFlush = useRef<Map<string, ReturnType<typeof setTimeout>>>(new Map());
-  const flushPriority = (id: string) => {
-    const latest = qc
-      .getQueryData<ManagedChannel[]>(qk.channels())
-      ?.find((c) => c.id === id)?.priority;
-    if (latest == null) return;
-    api
-      .updateChannel(id, { priority: latest })
-      .catch(() => qc.invalidateQueries({ queryKey: qk.channels() }));
-  };
-  // Set an absolute priority (used by both the arrows — via bumpPriority — and the inline edit),
-  // optimistically + a debounced flush.
-  const setPriority = (id: string, next: number) => {
-    qc.setQueryData<ManagedChannel[]>(qk.channels(), (old) =>
-      (old ?? []).map((ch) => (ch.id === id ? { ...ch, priority: next } : ch)),
-    );
-    const timers = prioFlush.current;
-    const pending = timers.get(id);
-    if (pending) clearTimeout(pending);
-    timers.set(
-      id,
-      setTimeout(() => {
-        timers.delete(id);
-        flushPriority(id);
-      }, 400),
-    );
-  };
-  const bumpPriority = (id: string, delta: number) => {
-    const cur =
-      qc.getQueryData<ManagedChannel[]>(qk.channels())?.find((c) => c.id === id)?.priority ?? 0;
-    setPriority(id, cur + delta);
-  };
-  useEffect(() => {
-    const timers = prioFlush.current;
-    return () => {
-      timers.forEach((timer, id) => {
-        clearTimeout(timer);
-        flushPriority(id);
-      });
-      timers.clear();
-    };
-    // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
-  }, []);
+  // Priority is updated optimistically in place and NOT re-sorted/refetched, so the list doesn't
+  // jump (the server list is priority-sorted; refetching would reorder rows and lose your scroll
+  // position). The new order takes effect next time the page loads. Press-and-hold is debounced +
+  // flushed on unmount by the shared hook (same flow the channel detail page uses).
+  const { setPriority, bumpPriority } = useChannelPriority({
+    read: (id) =>
+      qc.getQueryData<ManagedChannel[]>(qk.channels())?.find((c) => c.id === id)?.priority,
+    optimistic: (id, next) =>
+      qc.setQueryData<ManagedChannel[]>(qk.channels(), (old) =>
+        (old ?? []).map((ch) => (ch.id === id ? { ...ch, priority: next } : ch)),
+      ),
+    onError: () => qc.invalidateQueries({ queryKey: qk.channels() }),
+  });
 
   // Tagging is updated optimistically in place (no refetch of the whole channel list, which
   // made the toggle feel ~2s slow); only revert by refetching if the server call fails. The
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/NavSidebar.tsx b/frontend/src/components/NavSidebar.tsx
index c78ca683..6d31f480 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/NavSidebar.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/NavSidebar.tsx
@@ -17,9 +17,9 @@ import Tooltip from "./Tooltip";
 import LanguageSwitcher from "./LanguageSwitcher";
 import { PopoverSurface, useAnchoredPopover } from "./AnchoredPopover";
 
-// Primary app navigation: a collapsible left rail with icon+label entries (Design C). The
-// modules used to hide under the avatar dropdown; they now live here. Collapsed, it becomes
-// a thin icon-only rail. Account actions sit at the bottom in a popover.
+// Primary app navigation: a thin icon-only left rail. The modules used to hide under the avatar
+// dropdown; they now live here, each revealing its name in a hover/focus flyout label. Account
+// actions sit at the bottom in a popover.
 export default function NavSidebar({
   me,
   onOpenAbout,
@@ -34,10 +34,10 @@ export default function NavSidebar({
   const { t } = useTranslation();
   const { page } = useNavigation();
   const { setPage } = useNavigationActions();
-  // The rail is ALWAYS slim: a thin icon-only column flush against the left edge. There is no
-  // expanded/pinned mode anymore — instead each icon reveals a floating name label on hover (a
-  // rest-to-show flyout via Tooltip), so the names are one glance away without the rail ever growing.
-  const slim = true;
+  // The rail is ALWAYS a thin icon-only column flush against the left edge. There is no
+  // expanded/pinned mode anymore — instead each icon reveals a floating name label on hover or
+  // keyboard focus (a rest-to-show flyout via Tooltip), so the names are one glance away without the
+  // rail ever growing.
   const [acctOpen, setAcctOpen] = useState(false);
   // The account panel holds mixed content with its own tab order (profile, account switches, two
   // actions), so it is a `dialog` popover, not a roving menu. It portals out of the nav — whose
@@ -198,8 +198,6 @@ export default function NavSidebar({
   };
 
   return (
-    // Layout slot: reserves only the slim footprint when unpinned, so the expanded rail (below)
-    // overlays content instead of pushing it. Pinned reserves the full width (in-flow).
     // Slim icon rail, flush against the left viewport edge (only top/bottom margin), never grows.
     // The slot is exactly the card's width so the filter tab/bar docks flush against its right edge.
     <div className="relative shrink-0 w-14">
@@ -213,28 +211,15 @@ export default function NavSidebar({
           style={listFade.style}
         >
           {userItems.map(renderItem)}
-          {systemItems.length > 0 &&
-            (slim ? (
-              // Collapsed rail: a short, thicker centred rule is the clearest "new section" cue
-              // when there's no room for a label.
-              <div className="my-2 mx-auto w-7 border-t-2 border-border" />
-            ) : (
-              <div className="mt-4 mb-1 px-2.5 flex items-center gap-2">
-                <span className="text-3xs font-semibold uppercase tracking-wider text-muted/70">
-                  {t("nav.adminSection")}
-                </span>
-                <span className="flex-1 border-t border-border" />
-              </div>
-            ))}
+          {systemItems.length > 0 && (
+            // A short, thicker centred rule is the clearest "new section" cue on an icon-only rail.
+            <div className="my-2 mx-auto w-7 border-t-2 border-border" />
+          )}
           {systemItems.map(renderItem)}
         </div>
 
         <div className="mt-2 pt-2 border-t border-border flex flex-col gap-1">
-          <div
-            className={`flex items-center justify-center gap-2 pb-2 mb-1 border-b border-border ${
-              slim ? "flex-col" : "flex-row"
-            }`}
-          >
+          <div className="flex flex-col items-center justify-center gap-2 pb-2 mb-1 border-b border-border">
             <LanguageSwitcher variant="rail" value={language} onChange={onChangeLanguage} />
             <button
               onClick={onOpenAbout}
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/storage.ts b/frontend/src/lib/storage.ts
index 9ae24969..393e7462 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/storage.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/storage.ts
@@ -39,7 +39,6 @@ export const LS = {
   auditTable: "siftlode.auditTable",
   statsTab: "siftlode.statsTab",
   adminUsersTab: "siftlode.adminUsersTab",
-  navCollapsed: "siftlode.navCollapsed",
   filterCollapsed: "siftlode.filterCollapsed",
   playlist: "siftlode.playlist",
   plSort: "siftlode.plSort",
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/useChannelPriority.ts b/frontend/src/lib/useChannelPriority.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..53db8b38
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/useChannelPriority.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+import { useCallback, useEffect, useRef } from "react";
+import { api } from "./api";
+
+/** The shared feed-priority flow used by both the channel manager and the channel detail page:
+ *  an optimistic bump/set with a debounced server flush (~400ms after the last notch) so a
+ *  press-and-hold sends ONE request, not one per step, and pending flushes fire on unmount so a
+ *  last-moment bump isn't lost. The cache-shape-specific bits are injected (the manager maps over a
+ *  ManagedChannel[]; the detail patches one ChannelDetail), so the two call sites can't drift — the
+ *  same drift the sibling `useChannelTagActions` hook prevents for tags.
+ *
+ *  Timers are keyed by channel id, so a pending flush survives the caller switching channels: it
+ *  fires later and reads the right cache via `read(id)`, rather than needing the caller to flush on
+ *  every id change. `read`/`optimistic`/`onSuccess`/`onError` are read through a ref so the returned
+ *  callbacks stay stable — the unmount flush then runs only on unmount, never on every render. */
+export function useChannelPriority(opts: {
+  /** Current priority for this channel from whichever cache the caller owns (undefined if absent). */
+  read: (channelId: string) => number | undefined;
+  /** Apply the optimistic priority to the caller's cache. */
+  optimistic: (channelId: string, next: number) => void;
+  /** Called after the server write lands (e.g. invalidate sibling caches). Optional. */
+  onSuccess?: (channelId: string) => void;
+  /** Called if the server write fails — revert by refetching the owning cache. */
+  onError: (channelId: string) => void;
+  /** Debounce window in ms; defaults to 400. */
+  delay?: number;
+}) {
+  const timers = useRef<Map<string, ReturnType<typeof setTimeout>>>(new Map());
+  const optsRef = useRef(opts);
+  optsRef.current = opts;
+
+  const flush = useCallback((channelId: string) => {
+    const latest = optsRef.current.read(channelId);
+    if (latest == null) return;
+    api
+      .updateChannel(channelId, { priority: latest })
+      .then(() => optsRef.current.onSuccess?.(channelId))
+      .catch(() => optsRef.current.onError(channelId));
+  }, []);
+
+  // Set an absolute priority (used by both the arrows — via bumpPriority — and the inline edit),
+  // optimistically + a debounced flush.
+  const setPriority = useCallback(
+    (channelId: string, next: number) => {
+      optsRef.current.optimistic(channelId, next);
+      const pending = timers.current.get(channelId);
+      if (pending) clearTimeout(pending);
+      timers.current.set(
+        channelId,
+        setTimeout(() => {
+          timers.current.delete(channelId);
+          flush(channelId);
+        }, optsRef.current.delay ?? 400),
+      );
+    },
+    [flush],
+  );
+
+  // Read the LATEST value from the cache each step (not a render closure) so a hold-repeat
+  // accumulates correctly.
+  const bumpPriority = useCallback(
+    (channelId: string, delta: number) => {
+      setPriority(channelId, (optsRef.current.read(channelId) ?? 0) + delta);
+    },
+    [setPriority],
+  );
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const pending = timers.current;
+    return () => {
+      pending.forEach((timer, channelId) => {
+        clearTimeout(timer);
+        flush(channelId);
+      });
+      pending.clear();
+    };
+  }, [flush]);
+
+  return { setPriority, bumpPriority };
+}