Add contextual Help panel to all TUI screens (F1 toggle)

Split each screen into two columns: existing controls on the left,
a DocsPanel with Rich-markup documentation on the right (30% width).
Press F1 to toggle the help panel on/off from any screen.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

tui/app.py

@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 from textual.app import App
+from textual.css.query import NoMatches
 
 from tui.config import has_remotes, has_targets
 from tui.screens.main_menu import MainMenuScreen
@@ -23,6 +24,7 @@ class GnizaApp(App):
 
     TITLE = "GNIZA - Linux Backup Manager"
     CSS_PATH = "gniza.tcss"
+    BINDINGS = [("f1", "toggle_docs", "Help")]
 
     SCREENS = {
         "main": MainMenuScreen,
@@ -60,6 +62,13 @@ class GnizaApp(App):
         else:
             self.notify(f"{job.label} failed (exit code {message.return_code})", severity="error")
 
+    def action_toggle_docs(self) -> None:
+        try:
+            panel = self.screen.query_one("#docs-panel")
+            panel.display = not panel.display
+        except NoMatches:
+            pass
+
     async def action_quit(self) -> None:
         if job_manager.running_count() > 0:
             from tui.widgets import ConfirmDialog

tui/docs.py

@@ -0,0 +1,328 @@
+SCREEN_DOCS = {
+    "backup-screen": (
+        "[bold]Backup Screen[/bold]\n"
+        "\n"
+        "Run backups of configured targets to remote destinations.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]Fields:[/bold]\n"
+        "  [bold]Target[/bold] - The backup target to run. Each target\n"
+        "  defines which folders and databases to back up.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "  [bold]Remote[/bold] - Where to send the backup. Choose a\n"
+        "  specific remote or 'Default (all)' to back up to\n"
+        "  every configured remote.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]Buttons:[/bold]\n"
+        "  [bold]Run Backup[/bold] - Back up the selected target to\n"
+        "  the selected remote.\n"
+        "  [bold]Backup All[/bold] - Back up all enabled targets to\n"
+        "  all their configured remotes.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]Tips:[/bold]\n"
+        "  - Backups run in the background. You can monitor\n"
+        "    progress on the Running Tasks screen.\n"
+        "  - Each backup creates a timestamped snapshot on\n"
+        "    the remote, so you can restore any point in time.\n"
+        "  - Use retention cleanup to remove old snapshots."
+    ),
+    "restore-screen": (
+        "[bold]Restore Screen[/bold]\n"
+        "\n"
+        "Restore files and databases from a remote snapshot.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]Fields:[/bold]\n"
+        "  [bold]Target[/bold] - The backup target to restore.\n"
+        "  [bold]Remote[/bold] - The remote that holds the snapshot.\n"
+        "  [bold]Snapshot[/bold] - The specific point-in-time snapshot\n"
+        "  to restore from. Loaded after selecting target and\n"
+        "  remote.\n"
+        "  [bold]Restore location[/bold] - Choose 'In-place' to\n"
+        "  overwrite original files, or 'Custom directory' to\n"
+        "  restore to a different path.\n"
+        "  [bold]Restore MySQL[/bold] - Toggle whether to restore\n"
+        "  MySQL databases (only shown if the target has MySQL\n"
+        "  backup enabled).\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]Warning:[/bold]\n"
+        "  In-place restore will overwrite existing files.\n"
+        "  Consider restoring to a custom directory first to\n"
+        "  verify the contents."
+    ),
+    "targets-screen": (
+        "[bold]Targets Screen[/bold]\n"
+        "\n"
+        "List and manage backup targets. A target defines what\n"
+        "to back up: folders, file patterns, and optionally\n"
+        "MySQL databases.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]Table columns:[/bold]\n"
+        "  [bold]Name[/bold] - Unique target identifier.\n"
+        "  [bold]Folders[/bold] - Comma-separated paths to back up.\n"
+        "  [bold]Enabled[/bold] - Whether the target is active.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]Buttons:[/bold]\n"
+        "  [bold]Add[/bold] - Create a new target.\n"
+        "  [bold]Edit[/bold] - Modify the selected target.\n"
+        "  [bold]Delete[/bold] - Remove the selected target.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]Tips:[/bold]\n"
+        "  - You need at least one target and one remote\n"
+        "    before you can run backups.\n"
+        "  - Disable a target to skip it during 'Backup All'\n"
+        "    without deleting it."
+    ),
+    "target-edit": (
+        "[bold]Target Editor[/bold]\n"
+        "\n"
+        "Add or edit a backup target configuration.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]Fields:[/bold]\n"
+        "  [bold]Name[/bold] - Unique identifier (letters, digits,\n"
+        "  dash, underscore; max 32 chars).\n"
+        "  [bold]Folders[/bold] - Comma-separated paths to back up.\n"
+        "  Use Browse to pick folders interactively.\n"
+        "  [bold]Include/Exclude[/bold] - Glob patterns to filter\n"
+        "  files (e.g. *.conf, *.log).\n"
+        "  [bold]Remote override[/bold] - Force this target to a\n"
+        "  specific remote instead of the default.\n"
+        "  [bold]Retention override[/bold] - Custom snapshot count.\n"
+        "  [bold]Pre/Post hooks[/bold] - Shell commands to run\n"
+        "  before/after the backup.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]MySQL section:[/bold]\n"
+        "  Enable MySQL to dump databases alongside files.\n"
+        "  Choose 'All databases' or select specific ones.\n"
+        "  Leave user/password empty for socket auth."
+    ),
+    "remotes-screen": (
+        "[bold]Remotes Screen[/bold]\n"
+        "\n"
+        "List and manage remote backup destinations.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]Table columns:[/bold]\n"
+        "  [bold]Name[/bold] - Unique remote identifier.\n"
+        "  [bold]Type[/bold] - Connection type (SSH, Local, S3,\n"
+        "  Google Drive).\n"
+        "  [bold]Host/Path[/bold] - Connection details.\n"
+        "  [bold]Disk[/bold] - Available space (loaded in background).\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]Buttons:[/bold]\n"
+        "  [bold]Add[/bold] - Create a new remote.\n"
+        "  [bold]Edit[/bold] - Modify the selected remote.\n"
+        "  [bold]Test[/bold] - Verify connectivity to the remote.\n"
+        "  [bold]Delete[/bold] - Remove the selected remote.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]Tips:[/bold]\n"
+        "  - Always test a new remote before running backups.\n"
+        "  - The Disk column shows used/total space and may\n"
+        "    take a moment to load for SSH remotes."
+    ),
+    "remote-edit": (
+        "[bold]Remote Editor[/bold]\n"
+        "\n"
+        "Add or edit a remote backup destination.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]Types:[/bold]\n"
+        "  [bold]SSH[/bold] - Remote server via SSH/rsync.\n"
+        "  [bold]Local[/bold] - Local directory or mounted drive.\n"
+        "  [bold]S3[/bold] - Amazon S3 or compatible storage.\n"
+        "  [bold]Google Drive[/bold] - Google Drive via service\n"
+        "  account.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]SSH fields:[/bold]\n"
+        "  Host, port, user, and either SSH key or password\n"
+        "  authentication.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]Common fields:[/bold]\n"
+        "  [bold]Base path[/bold] - Root directory for backups on\n"
+        "  the remote.\n"
+        "  [bold]Bandwidth limit[/bold] - Throttle transfer speed\n"
+        "  in KB/s (0 = unlimited).\n"
+        "  [bold]Retention count[/bold] - Max snapshots to keep.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]Tips:[/bold]\n"
+        "  - For SSH, ensure the remote user has write access\n"
+        "    to the base path.\n"
+        "  - Use key-based auth for unattended backups."
+    ),
+    "snapshots-screen": (
+        "[bold]Snapshots Browser[/bold]\n"
+        "\n"
+        "Browse snapshots stored on remote destinations.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]Fields:[/bold]\n"
+        "  [bold]Target[/bold] - The backup target.\n"
+        "  [bold]Remote[/bold] - The remote holding snapshots.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]Buttons:[/bold]\n"
+        "  [bold]Load Snapshots[/bold] - Fetch the list of\n"
+        "  available snapshots from the remote.\n"
+        "  [bold]Browse Files[/bold] - View the file tree inside\n"
+        "  the selected snapshot.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]Tips:[/bold]\n"
+        "  - Each snapshot is a timestamped directory on the\n"
+        "    remote containing the backed-up files.\n"
+        "  - Loading may take a moment for SSH remotes.\n"
+        "  - Use the Restore screen to actually restore files\n"
+        "    from a snapshot."
+    ),
+    "retention-screen": (
+        "[bold]Retention Cleanup[/bold]\n"
+        "\n"
+        "Remove old snapshots based on retention count.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]Fields:[/bold]\n"
+        "  [bold]Target[/bold] - Run cleanup for a specific target.\n"
+        "  [bold]Default retention count[/bold] - Number of\n"
+        "  snapshots to keep per target/remote pair.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]Buttons:[/bold]\n"
+        "  [bold]Run Cleanup[/bold] - Clean old snapshots for the\n"
+        "  selected target.\n"
+        "  [bold]Cleanup All[/bold] - Clean old snapshots for all\n"
+        "  targets.\n"
+        "  [bold]Save[/bold] - Save the default retention count.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]How it works:[/bold]\n"
+        "  Retention keeps the N most recent snapshots and\n"
+        "  deletes the rest. Per-target or per-remote overrides\n"
+        "  take priority over the default count.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]Warning:[/bold]\n"
+        "  Deleted snapshots cannot be recovered."
+    ),
+    "schedule-screen": (
+        "[bold]Schedules Screen[/bold]\n"
+        "\n"
+        "Manage scheduled backup jobs via cron.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]Table columns:[/bold]\n"
+        "  [bold]Name[/bold] - Schedule identifier.\n"
+        "  [bold]Active[/bold] - Whether the schedule is enabled.\n"
+        "  [bold]Type[/bold] - Frequency (hourly/daily/weekly/\n"
+        "  monthly/custom).\n"
+        "  [bold]Time[/bold] - When the backup runs.\n"
+        "  [bold]Last/Next Run[/bold] - Timing information.\n"
+        "  [bold]Targets/Remotes[/bold] - Scope of the schedule.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]Buttons:[/bold]\n"
+        "  [bold]Toggle Active[/bold] - Enable/disable a schedule.\n"
+        "  [bold]Show crontab[/bold] - View the installed crontab.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]Tips:[/bold]\n"
+        "  - The cron daemon must be running for schedules to\n"
+        "    execute. You will be warned if it is not running.\n"
+        "  - Changes are automatically synced to crontab."
+    ),
+    "schedule-edit": (
+        "[bold]Schedule Editor[/bold]\n"
+        "\n"
+        "Add or edit a scheduled backup.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]Schedule types:[/bold]\n"
+        "  [bold]Hourly[/bold] - Run every N hours.\n"
+        "  [bold]Daily[/bold] - Run at a set time on selected days.\n"
+        "  [bold]Weekly[/bold] - Run once a week on a chosen day.\n"
+        "  [bold]Monthly[/bold] - Run once a month on a chosen day.\n"
+        "  [bold]Custom cron[/bold] - Use a raw 5-field cron\n"
+        "  expression for full control.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]Fields:[/bold]\n"
+        "  [bold]Time[/bold] - The time of day to run (HH:MM).\n"
+        "  [bold]Targets[/bold] - Which targets to back up. Leave\n"
+        "  empty to back up all targets.\n"
+        "  [bold]Remotes[/bold] - Which remotes to use. Leave empty\n"
+        "  to use all remotes.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]Tips:[/bold]\n"
+        "  - Daily schedules let you pick specific days of\n"
+        "    the week.\n"
+        "  - Custom cron: minute hour day month weekday"
+    ),
+    "logs-screen": (
+        "[bold]Logs Screen[/bold]\n"
+        "\n"
+        "View backup operation logs.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]Table columns:[/bold]\n"
+        "  [bold]Status[/bold] - Outcome (Success, Failed,\n"
+        "  Interrupted, Empty).\n"
+        "  [bold]Date/Time[/bold] - When the operation ran.\n"
+        "  [bold]Size[/bold] - Log file size.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]Buttons:[/bold]\n"
+        "  [bold]View[/bold] - Display the selected log file\n"
+        "  contents in the viewer below.\n"
+        "  [bold]Status[/bold] - Show a summary of recent backup\n"
+        "  activity.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]Status detection:[/bold]\n"
+        "  - [green]Success[/green] - 'Backup completed' found, no errors.\n"
+        "  - [red]Failed[/red] - ERROR or FATAL entries found.\n"
+        "  - [yellow]Interrupted[/yellow] - Log exists but backup did\n"
+        "    not complete.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]Tips:[/bold]\n"
+        "  - The 20 most recent logs are shown.\n"
+        "  - Check logs after scheduled backups to verify\n"
+        "    they ran successfully."
+    ),
+    "settings-screen": (
+        "[bold]Settings Screen[/bold]\n"
+        "\n"
+        "Global application settings.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]General:[/bold]\n"
+        "  [bold]Log Level[/bold] - Verbosity of log output.\n"
+        "  [bold]Log Retention[/bold] - Days to keep log files.\n"
+        "  [bold]Retention Count[/bold] - Default number of\n"
+        "  snapshots to keep.\n"
+        "  [bold]Bandwidth Limit[/bold] - Default transfer speed\n"
+        "  limit in KB/s.\n"
+        "  [bold]Disk Threshold[/bold] - Warn when remote disk\n"
+        "  usage exceeds this percentage.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]Email Notifications:[/bold]\n"
+        "  Configure SMTP to receive email alerts on backup\n"
+        "  success or failure.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]SSH:[/bold]\n"
+        "  [bold]Timeout[/bold] - Seconds before SSH gives up.\n"
+        "  [bold]Retries[/bold] - Number of retry attempts.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]Web Dashboard:[/bold]\n"
+        "  Port, host, and API key for the web interface.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]Tips:[/bold]\n"
+        "  - Per-target and per-remote settings override\n"
+        "    these defaults."
+    ),
+    "running-tasks-screen": (
+        "[bold]Running Tasks[/bold]\n"
+        "\n"
+        "Monitor running backup and restore jobs.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]Table columns:[/bold]\n"
+        "  [bold]Status[/bold] - Current state (running, ok, failed,\n"
+        "  unknown).\n"
+        "  [bold]Job[/bold] - Description of the operation.\n"
+        "  [bold]Started[/bold] - When the job began.\n"
+        "  [bold]Duration[/bold] - Elapsed time.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]Buttons:[/bold]\n"
+        "  [bold]View Log[/bold] - Show live log output and\n"
+        "  progress bar for the selected job.\n"
+        "  [bold]Kill Job[/bold] - Terminate the selected running\n"
+        "  job.\n"
+        "  [bold]Clear Finished[/bold] - Remove completed jobs\n"
+        "  from the list.\n"
+        "\n"
+        "[bold]Tips:[/bold]\n"
+        "  - The table refreshes every second.\n"
+        "  - The progress bar shows rsync transfer progress\n"
+        "    when viewing a running job's log.\n"
+        "  - Jobs continue in the background even if you\n"
+        "    navigate away from this screen."
+    ),
+}

tui/gniza.tcss

@@ -33,6 +33,10 @@ Screen {
     margin: 1 2 0 2;
 }
 
+.screen-with-docs {
+    height: 1fr;
+}
+
 /* Data tables */
 DataTable {
     height: 12;

tui/screens/backup.py

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ from textual.widgets import Header, Footer, Static, Button, Select
 from textual.containers import Vertical, Horizontal
 from tui.config import list_conf_dir, has_targets, has_remotes
 from tui.jobs import job_manager
-from tui.widgets import ConfirmDialog
+from tui.widgets import ConfirmDialog, DocsPanel
 
 
 class BackupScreen(Screen):
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ class BackupScreen(Screen):
         yield Header(show_clock=True)
         targets = list_conf_dir("targets.d")
         remotes = list_conf_dir("remotes.d")
+        with Horizontal(classes="screen-with-docs"):
             with Vertical(id="backup-screen"):
                 yield Static("Backup", id="screen-title")
                 if not targets:
@@ -37,6 +38,7 @@ class BackupScreen(Screen):
                         yield Button("Run Backup", variant="primary", id="btn-backup")
                         yield Button("Backup All", variant="warning", id="btn-backup-all")
                         yield Button("Back", id="btn-back")
+            yield DocsPanel.for_screen("backup-screen")
         yield Footer()
 
     def on_button_pressed(self, event: Button.Pressed) -> None:

tui/screens/logs.py

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ from textual.widgets import Header, Footer, Static, Button, DataTable, RichLog
 from textual.containers import Vertical, Horizontal
 
 from tui.config import LOG_DIR
+from tui.widgets import DocsPanel
 
 
 _LOG_NAME_RE = re.compile(r"gniza-(\d{4})(\d{2})(\d{2})-(\d{2})(\d{2})(\d{2})\.log")
@@ -47,6 +48,7 @@ class LogsScreen(Screen):
 
     def compose(self) -> ComposeResult:
         yield Header(show_clock=True)
+        with Horizontal(classes="screen-with-docs"):
             with Vertical(id="logs-screen"):
                 yield Static("Logs", id="screen-title")
                 yield DataTable(id="logs-table")
@@ -55,6 +57,7 @@ class LogsScreen(Screen):
                     yield Button("Status", id="btn-status")
                     yield Button("Back", id="btn-back")
                 yield RichLog(id="log-viewer", wrap=True, highlight=True)
+            yield DocsPanel.for_screen("logs-screen")
         yield Footer()
 
     def on_mount(self) -> None:

tui/screens/remote_edit.py

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ from textual.containers import Vertical, Horizontal
 
 from tui.config import parse_conf, write_conf, CONFIG_DIR
 from tui.models import Remote
-from tui.widgets import FilePicker
+from tui.widgets import FilePicker, DocsPanel
 
 _NAME_RE = re.compile(r'^[a-zA-Z][a-zA-Z0-9_-]{0,31}$')
 
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ class RemoteEditScreen(Screen):
             data = parse_conf(CONFIG_DIR / "remotes.d" / f"{self._edit_name}.conf")
             remote = Remote.from_conf(self._edit_name, data)
 
+        with Horizontal(classes="screen-with-docs"):
             with Vertical(id="remote-edit"):
                 yield Static(title, id="screen-title")
                 if self._is_new:
@@ -88,6 +89,7 @@ class RemoteEditScreen(Screen):
                 with Horizontal(id="re-buttons"):
                     yield Button("Save", variant="primary", id="btn-save")
                     yield Button("Cancel", id="btn-cancel")
+            yield DocsPanel.for_screen("remote-edit")
         yield Footer()
 
     def on_mount(self) -> None:

tui/screens/remotes.py

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ from textual import work
 
 from tui.config import list_conf_dir, parse_conf, CONFIG_DIR
 from tui.backend import run_cli
-from tui.widgets import ConfirmDialog, OperationLog
+from tui.widgets import ConfirmDialog, OperationLog, DocsPanel
 
 
 class RemotesScreen(Screen):
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ class RemotesScreen(Screen):
 
     def compose(self) -> ComposeResult:
         yield Header(show_clock=True)
+        with Horizontal(classes="screen-with-docs"):
             with Vertical(id="remotes-screen"):
                 yield Static("Remotes", id="screen-title")
                 yield DataTable(id="remotes-table")
@@ -24,6 +25,7 @@ class RemotesScreen(Screen):
                     yield Button("Test", variant="warning", id="btn-test")
                     yield Button("Delete", variant="error", id="btn-delete")
                     yield Button("Back", id="btn-back")
+            yield DocsPanel.for_screen("remotes-screen")
         yield Footer()
 
     def on_mount(self) -> None:

tui/screens/restore.py

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ from textual import work, on
 from tui.config import list_conf_dir, parse_conf, CONFIG_DIR
 from tui.backend import run_cli
 from tui.jobs import job_manager
-from tui.widgets import ConfirmDialog, FolderPicker
+from tui.widgets import ConfirmDialog, FolderPicker, DocsPanel
 
 
 class RestoreScreen(Screen):
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ class RestoreScreen(Screen):
         yield Header(show_clock=True)
         targets = list_conf_dir("targets.d")
         remotes = list_conf_dir("remotes.d")
+        with Horizontal(classes="screen-with-docs"):
             with Vertical(id="restore-screen"):
                 yield Static("Restore", id="screen-title")
                 if not targets or not remotes:
@@ -42,6 +43,7 @@ class RestoreScreen(Screen):
                     with Horizontal(id="restore-buttons"):
                         yield Button("Restore", variant="primary", id="btn-restore")
                         yield Button("Back", id="btn-back")
+            yield DocsPanel.for_screen("restore-screen")
         yield Footer()
 
     def on_mount(self) -> None:

tui/screens/retention.py

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ from textual import work
 
 from tui.config import list_conf_dir, parse_conf, update_conf_key, CONFIG_DIR
 from tui.backend import stream_cli
-from tui.widgets import ConfirmDialog, OperationLog
+from tui.widgets import ConfirmDialog, OperationLog, DocsPanel
 
 
 class RetentionScreen(Screen):
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ class RetentionScreen(Screen):
         targets = list_conf_dir("targets.d")
         conf = parse_conf(CONFIG_DIR / "gniza.conf")
         current_count = conf.get("RETENTION_COUNT", "30")
+        with Horizontal(classes="screen-with-docs"):
             with Vertical(id="retention-screen"):
                 yield Static("Retention Cleanup", id="screen-title")
                 if not targets:
@@ -38,6 +39,7 @@ class RetentionScreen(Screen):
                     yield Input(value=current_count, id="ret-count", placeholder="30")
                     yield Button("Save", id="btn-save-count")
                 yield Button("Back", id="btn-back")
+            yield DocsPanel.for_screen("retention-screen")
         yield Footer()
 
     def on_button_pressed(self, event: Button.Pressed) -> None:

tui/screens/running_tasks.py

@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ from textual.containers import Vertical, Horizontal
 from textual.timer import Timer
 
 from tui.jobs import job_manager
-from tui.widgets import ConfirmDialog
+from tui.widgets import ConfirmDialog, DocsPanel
 
 _PROGRESS_RE = re.compile(r"(\d+)%")
 
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ class RunningTasksScreen(Screen):
 
     def compose(self) -> ComposeResult:
         yield Header(show_clock=True)
+        with Horizontal(classes="screen-with-docs"):
             with Vertical(id="running-tasks-screen"):
                 yield Static("Running Tasks", id="screen-title")
                 yield DataTable(id="rt-table")
@@ -31,6 +32,7 @@ class RunningTasksScreen(Screen):
                 yield Static("", id="rt-progress-label")
                 yield ProgressBar(id="rt-progress", total=100, show_eta=False)
                 yield RichLog(id="rt-log-viewer", wrap=True, highlight=True)
+            yield DocsPanel.for_screen("running-tasks-screen")
         yield Footer()
 
     def on_mount(self) -> None:

tui/screens/schedule.py

@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ from textual import work
 from tui.config import list_conf_dir, parse_conf, update_conf_key, CONFIG_DIR, LOG_DIR
 from tui.models import Schedule
 from tui.backend import run_cli
-from tui.widgets import ConfirmDialog, OperationLog
+from tui.widgets import ConfirmDialog, OperationLog, DocsPanel
 
 
 class ScheduleScreen(Screen):
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ class ScheduleScreen(Screen):
 
     def compose(self) -> ComposeResult:
         yield Header(show_clock=True)
+        with Horizontal(classes="screen-with-docs"):
             with Vertical(id="schedule-screen"):
                 yield Static("Schedules", id="screen-title")
                 yield DataTable(id="sched-table")
@@ -28,6 +29,7 @@ class ScheduleScreen(Screen):
                     yield Button("Delete", variant="error", id="btn-delete")
                     yield Button("Show crontab", id="btn-show")
                     yield Button("Back", id="btn-back")
+            yield DocsPanel.for_screen("schedule-screen")
         yield Footer()
 
     def on_mount(self) -> None:
@@ -169,6 +171,36 @@ class ScheduleScreen(Screen):
             rc, stdout, stderr = await run_cli("schedule", "remove")
         if rc != 0:
             self.notify(f"Crontab sync failed: {stderr or stdout}", severity="error")
+        # Warn if cron daemon is not running
+        if has_active and not await self._is_cron_running():
+            self.notify(
+                "Cron daemon is not running — schedules won't execute. "
+                "Start it with: sudo systemctl start cron",
+                severity="warning",
+                timeout=10,
+            )
+
+    @staticmethod
+    async def _is_cron_running() -> bool:
+        """Check if the cron daemon is active."""
+        import asyncio
+        for svc in ("cron", "crond"):
+            proc = await asyncio.create_subprocess_exec(
+                "systemctl", "is-active", svc,
+                stdout=asyncio.subprocess.DEVNULL,
+                stderr=asyncio.subprocess.DEVNULL,
+            )
+            await proc.wait()
+            if proc.returncode == 0:
+                return True
+        # Fallback: check for a running process
+        proc = await asyncio.create_subprocess_exec(
+            "pgrep", "-x", "cron",
+            stdout=asyncio.subprocess.DEVNULL,
+            stderr=asyncio.subprocess.DEVNULL,
+        )
+        await proc.wait()
+        return proc.returncode == 0
 
     def _delete_schedule(self, name: str) -> None:
         conf = CONFIG_DIR / "schedules.d" / f"{name}.conf"

tui/screens/schedule_edit.py

@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ from textual.containers import Vertical, Horizontal
 
 from tui.config import list_conf_dir, parse_conf, write_conf, CONFIG_DIR
 from tui.models import Schedule
+from tui.widgets import DocsPanel
 
 _NAME_RE = re.compile(r'^[a-zA-Z][a-zA-Z0-9_-]{0,31}$')
 
@@ -45,6 +46,7 @@ class ScheduleEditScreen(Screen):
             data = parse_conf(CONFIG_DIR / "schedules.d" / f"{self._edit_name}.conf")
             sched = Schedule.from_conf(self._edit_name, data)
 
+        with Horizontal(classes="screen-with-docs"):
             with Vertical(id="schedule-edit"):
                 yield Static(title, id="screen-title")
                 if self._is_new:
@@ -115,6 +117,7 @@ class ScheduleEditScreen(Screen):
                 with Horizontal(id="sched-edit-buttons"):
                     yield Button("Save", variant="primary", id="btn-save")
                     yield Button("Cancel", id="btn-cancel")
+            yield DocsPanel.for_screen("schedule-edit")
         yield Footer()
 
     def _build_target_choices(self) -> list[tuple[str, str]]:

tui/screens/settings.py

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ from textual.containers import Vertical, Horizontal
 
 from tui.config import parse_conf, write_conf, CONFIG_DIR
 from tui.models import AppSettings
+from tui.widgets import DocsPanel
 
 
 class SettingsScreen(Screen):
@@ -15,6 +16,7 @@ class SettingsScreen(Screen):
         yield Header(show_clock=True)
         conf = parse_conf(CONFIG_DIR / "gniza.conf")
         settings = AppSettings.from_conf(conf)
+        with Horizontal(classes="screen-with-docs"):
             with Vertical(id="settings-screen"):
                 yield Static("Settings", id="screen-title")
                 yield Static("Log Level:")
@@ -71,6 +73,7 @@ class SettingsScreen(Screen):
                 with Horizontal(id="set-buttons"):
                     yield Button("Save", variant="primary", id="btn-save")
                     yield Button("Back", id="btn-back")
+            yield DocsPanel.for_screen("settings-screen")
         yield Footer()
 
     def on_button_pressed(self, event: Button.Pressed) -> None:

tui/screens/snapshots.py

@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ from textual import work
 
 from tui.config import list_conf_dir
 from tui.backend import run_cli
-from tui.widgets import SnapshotBrowser
+from tui.widgets import SnapshotBrowser, DocsPanel
 
 
 def _format_snapshot_ts(ts: str) -> str:
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ class SnapshotsScreen(Screen):
         yield Header(show_clock=True)
         targets = list_conf_dir("targets.d")
         remotes = list_conf_dir("remotes.d")
+        with Horizontal(classes="screen-with-docs"):
             with Vertical(id="snapshots-screen"):
                 yield Static("Snapshots Browser", id="screen-title")
                 if not targets or not remotes:
@@ -43,6 +44,7 @@ class SnapshotsScreen(Screen):
                     with Horizontal(id="snapshots-buttons"):
                         yield Button("Browse Files", id="btn-browse")
                         yield Button("Back", id="btn-back")
+            yield DocsPanel.for_screen("snapshots-screen")
         yield Footer()
 
     def on_mount(self) -> None:

tui/screens/target_edit.py

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ from textual.containers import Vertical, Horizontal
 
 from tui.config import parse_conf, write_conf, CONFIG_DIR, list_conf_dir
 from tui.models import Target
-from tui.widgets import FolderPicker
+from tui.widgets import FolderPicker, DocsPanel
 
 _NAME_RE = re.compile(r'^[a-zA-Z][a-zA-Z0-9_-]{0,31}$')
 
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ class TargetEditScreen(Screen):
             data = parse_conf(CONFIG_DIR / "targets.d" / f"{self._edit_name}.conf")
             target = Target.from_conf(self._edit_name, data)
 
+        with Horizontal(classes="screen-with-docs"):
             with Vertical(id="target-edit"):
                 yield Static(title, id="screen-title")
                 if self._is_new:
@@ -85,6 +86,7 @@ class TargetEditScreen(Screen):
                 with Horizontal(id="te-buttons"):
                     yield Button("Save", variant="primary", id="btn-save")
                     yield Button("Cancel", id="btn-cancel")
+            yield DocsPanel.for_screen("target-edit")
         yield Footer()
 
     def on_mount(self) -> None:

tui/screens/targets.py

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ from textual.widgets import Header, Footer, Static, Button, DataTable
 from textual.containers import Vertical, Horizontal
 
 from tui.config import list_conf_dir, parse_conf, CONFIG_DIR
-from tui.widgets import ConfirmDialog
+from tui.widgets import ConfirmDialog, DocsPanel
 
 
 class TargetsScreen(Screen):
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ class TargetsScreen(Screen):
 
     def compose(self) -> ComposeResult:
         yield Header(show_clock=True)
+        with Horizontal(classes="screen-with-docs"):
             with Vertical(id="targets-screen"):
                 yield Static("Targets", id="screen-title")
                 yield DataTable(id="targets-table")
@@ -21,6 +22,7 @@ class TargetsScreen(Screen):
                     yield Button("Edit", id="btn-edit")
                     yield Button("Delete", variant="error", id="btn-delete")
                     yield Button("Back", id="btn-back")
+            yield DocsPanel.for_screen("targets-screen")
         yield Footer()
 
     def on_mount(self) -> None:

tui/widgets/__init__.py

@@ -3,3 +3,4 @@ from tui.widgets.file_picker import FilePicker
 from tui.widgets.confirm_dialog import ConfirmDialog
 from tui.widgets.operation_log import OperationLog
 from tui.widgets.snapshot_browser import SnapshotBrowser
+from tui.widgets.docs_panel import DocsPanel

tui/widgets/docs_panel.py

@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+from textual.containers import VerticalScroll
+from textual.widgets import Static
+from tui.docs import SCREEN_DOCS
+
+
+class DocsPanel(VerticalScroll):
+    DEFAULT_CSS = """
+    DocsPanel {
+        width: 30%;
+        min-width: 30;
+        border-left: solid $accent;
+        padding: 1 2;
+        background: $surface;
+    }
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, content: str, **kwargs):
+        super().__init__(id="docs-panel", **kwargs)
+        self._content = content
+
+    def compose(self):
+        yield Static("[bold underline]Help[/]", id="docs-title")
+        yield Static(self._content, id="docs-body")
+
+    @classmethod
+    def for_screen(cls, screen_id: str) -> "DocsPanel":
+        text = SCREEN_DOCS.get(screen_id, "No documentation available for this screen.")
+        return cls(content=text)