diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 5cfa2e7..1855541 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -49,8 +49,8 @@ unexercised: `retint.sh`, `opacity.sh`, `buttons.sh`, `whichbg.sh`, `icons.sh`,
 | portal preference | `prefer-light` | `prefer-dark` |
 
 Shared by both, and defined once in `theme.env`: Breeze application style, no desktop
-layout, buttons on the right (`ButtonsOnLeft=M`, `ButtonsOnRight=IAX`), the Aurorae
-plugin id, and the `kwinrc` group name. Panel at 65% and popups at 75%.
+layout, button positions (`BUTTONS_LEFT=M`, `BUTTONS_RIGHT=IAX`), the Aurorae plugin id,
+and the `kwinrc` group name. Panel at 65% and popups at 75%.
 
 **The application style is checked, not just reported.** `contents/defaults` sets
 `widgetStyle`, so a different live value means either `plasma-apply-lookandfeel` did not
@@ -162,7 +162,9 @@ than two unrelated icon packs.
 
 `install.sh` refuses to `--apply` if the icon theme is missing, rather than applying a
 global theme that points at icons you do not have. `--force-icons` overrides.
-`uninstall.sh` restores your previous icon theme but leaves Slot on disk.
+Default `uninstall.sh` switches the appearance settings to stock Breeze and leaves the
+Slot files on disk. Use `--restore-backup` to replay the previously recorded icon-theme
+setting.
 
 ## Cursors
 
@@ -749,8 +751,8 @@ build.
   12px buttons — upstream Moe's geometry. Raise `TitleHeight` and
   `ButtonWidth`/`ButtonHeight` in `<ID>rc`, or use `bin/buttons.sh --base`.
 - **No menu-button artwork.** Moe ships no `menu.svg`, so the `M` button falls back to
-  the window icon. If that looks wrong, set `ButtonsOnLeft=` (empty) in
-  `packaging/stamp-metadata.py` and re-stamp.
+  the window icon. If that looks wrong, set `BUTTONS_LEFT=""` in `theme.env`, then run
+  `python3 packaging/stamp-metadata.py` to regenerate the defaults before installing.
 - **Content Credentials get injected on copy.** Copying files to this host through a file
   bridge signs every *image* with a C2PA provenance manifest — about 7.7 KiB of base64
   inside `<metadata>` in each SVG. Harmless to rendering (QSvg ignores `<metadata>`) but
diff --git a/lib/common.sh b/lib/common.sh
index 423cf4e..4b72fad 100644
--- a/lib/common.sh
+++ b/lib/common.sh
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ quantum_vdir()        { printf '%s\n' "$QUANTUM_ROOT/variants/$1"; }
 quantum_src_aurorae() { printf '%s\n' "$QUANTUM_ROOT/variants/$1/aurorae/$(quantum_variant_get "$1" ID)"; }
 
 QUANTUM_REQUIRED_KEYS=(SLUG ID NAME BASE_SCHEME ICON_THEME ICON_SUBDIR CURSOR_THEME PORTAL_PREF GTK_PREFER_DARK STOCK_LNF
-                       WIDGET_STYLE BUTTONS_LEFT BUTTONS_RIGHT AURORAE_PLUGIN KDECORATION_GROUP)
+                       WIDGET_STYLE BUTTONS_RIGHT AURORAE_PLUGIN KDECORATION_GROUP)
 
 quantum_init() {
   QUANTUM_ARGS=()
@@ -128,6 +128,7 @@ quantum_init() {
   for k in "${QUANTUM_REQUIRED_KEYS[@]}"; do
     [[ -n "${!k:-}" ]] || die "variants/$want/variant.env does not define $k"
   done
+  [[ ${BUTTONS_LEFT+x} ]] || die "theme.env does not define BUTTONS_LEFT"
   [[ "$SLUG" == "$want" ]] || die "variants/$want/variant.env says SLUG=$SLUG"
 
   # ---- derived, so no script computes these twice --------------------------
diff --git a/packaging/make-release.sh b/packaging/make-release.sh
index 0fcea1d..096b218 100755
--- a/packaging/make-release.sh
+++ b/packaging/make-release.sh
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ say "pre-release checks"
 ./tests/run-tests.sh || die "tests failed - not building a release"
 
 command -v git >/dev/null && [[ -d .git ]] && {
-  [[ -z "$(git status --porcelain)" ]] || say "note: working tree is dirty; the source tarball is built from disk, not from HEAD"
+  [[ -z "$(git status --porcelain)" ]] || say "note: working tree is dirty; both source and package artifacts are built from disk"
 }
 
 # ---- build -------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -84,11 +84,7 @@ done
 
 # the whole repo: the install path the README documents
 src_out="$DIST/quantum-theme-$VER.tar.gz"
-if [[ -d .git ]] && command -v git >/dev/null; then
-  git archive --format=tar.gz --prefix="quantum-theme-$VER/" -o "$src_out" HEAD
-else
-  tar czf "$src_out" "${TARFLAGS[@]}" --exclude='./dist' --transform "s|^\.|quantum-theme-$VER|" .
-fi
+tar czf "$src_out" "${TARFLAGS[@]}" --exclude='./dist' --transform "s|^\.|quantum-theme-$VER|" .
 say "$(basename "$src_out") ($(du -h "$src_out" | cut -f1))"
 
 ( cd "$DIST" && sha256sum ./*.tar.gz > SHA256SUMS )
diff --git a/packaging/stamp-metadata.py b/packaging/stamp-metadata.py
index 8d48e72..01ed011 100755
--- a/packaging/stamp-metadata.py
+++ b/packaging/stamp-metadata.py
@@ -108,7 +108,8 @@ def read_env(path):
         if not line or line.startswith("#") or "=" not in line:
             continue
         k, v = line.split("=", 1)
-        out[k.strip()] = shlex.split(v)[0] if v else ""
+        values = shlex.split(v)
+        out[k.strip()] = values[0] if values else ""
     return out
 
 
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_install.sh b/tests/unit/test_install.sh
index d68d310..0f7a4ae 100755
--- a/tests/unit/test_install.sh
+++ b/tests/unit/test_install.sh
@@ -119,4 +119,17 @@ out="$(run install.sh --variant light --aply)"
 assert_eq "a typo'd flag exits non-zero" 1 "$(status)"
 assert_contains "and is named" "$out" "--aply"
 
+describe "an empty left-button position is valid"
+sandbox_reset
+seed_icon_theme Slot-Light-Icons
+sed -i 's/^BUTTONS_LEFT=.*/BUTTONS_LEFT=""/' "$QUANTUM_ROOT/theme.env"
+python3 "$QUANTUM_ROOT/packaging/stamp-metadata.py" >/dev/null
+assert_contains "generated defaults preserve the empty value" \
+  "$(cat "$QUANTUM_ROOT/variants/light/look-and-feel/QuantumLight/contents/defaults")" \
+  "ButtonsOnLeft="
+out="$(run install.sh --variant light --apply)"
+assert_eq "the install accepts the empty setting" 0 "$(status)"
+assert_eq "and the live KWin setting is empty" "" \
+  "$(kcfg kwinrc org.kde.kdecoration2 ButtonsOnLeft)"
+
 finish