@onlooker-community/ecosystem 0.32.1 → 0.33.0

package/.claude-plugin/plugin.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "ecosystem",
-  "version": "0.32.1",
+  "version": "0.33.0",
   "description": "Observability substrate for Claude Code. Provides the shared $ONLOOKER_DIR storage root (default $HOME/.onlooker), canonical schema-validated event emission, session and tool tracking hooks, and prompt rules. Required by all other Onlooker plugins.",
   "author": {
     "name": "Onlooker Community",

package/.release-please-manifest.json

@@ -1,19 +1,19 @@
 {
-  ".": "0.32.1",
+  ".": "0.33.0",
   "plugins/archivist": "0.3.1",
   "plugins/tribunal": "1.1.1",
   "plugins/echo": "0.3.1",
   "plugins/cartographer": "0.3.1",
-  "plugins/governor": "0.3.1",
+  "plugins/governor": "0.3.2",
   "plugins/compass": "0.4.1",
   "plugins/scribe": "0.4.1",
   "plugins/counsel": "0.5.1",
   "plugins/warden": "0.3.1",
-  "plugins/librarian": "0.6.0",
+  "plugins/librarian": "0.6.1",
   "plugins/curator": "0.2.1",
   "plugins/historian": "0.3.2",
   "plugins/assayer": "1.1.1",
-  "plugins/bursar": "0.2.2",
+  "plugins/bursar": "0.3.0",
   "plugins/lineage": "0.2.1",
   "plugins/inspector": "0.3.1"
 }

package/CHANGELOG.md

@@ -1,5 +1,24 @@
 # Changelog
 
+## [0.33.0](https://github.com/onlooker-community/ecosystem/compare/ecosystem-v0.32.2...ecosystem-v0.33.0) (2026-08-02)
+
+
+### Features
+
+* **config:** add shared config loader supporting all five settings layers :sparkles: ([#123](https://github.com/onlooker-community/ecosystem/issues/123)) ([c048b76](https://github.com/onlooker-community/ecosystem/commit/c048b76bee2b39abeb7f1af77181191dd48f9cf5))
+
+
+### Bug Fixes
+
+* **hooks:** prevent SessionEnd timeouts causing breadcrumb accumulation ([#121](https://github.com/onlooker-community/ecosystem/issues/121)) ([3c7a409](https://github.com/onlooker-community/ecosystem/commit/3c7a40937aa3ea8c1db85dd0bb3fcc22589bbb49))
+
+## [0.32.2](https://github.com/onlooker-community/ecosystem/compare/ecosystem-v0.32.1...ecosystem-v0.32.2) (2026-08-02)
+
+
+### Bug Fixes
+
+* librarian + bursar + governor improvements ([#119](https://github.com/onlooker-community/ecosystem/issues/119)) ([d7cdab5](https://github.com/onlooker-community/ecosystem/commit/d7cdab528ea5181ea35da68fbc5ad2e5b064abea))
+
 ## [0.32.1](https://github.com/onlooker-community/ecosystem/compare/ecosystem-v0.32.0...ecosystem-v0.32.1) (2026-08-02)
 
 

package/package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@onlooker-community/ecosystem",
-  "version": "0.32.1",
+  "version": "0.33.0",
   "description": "Agents, skills, hooks, commands, rules, and MCP configurations that power [Onlooker](https://onlooker.dev)",
   "author": {
     "name": "Onlooker Community",

package/plugins/bursar/.claude-plugin/plugin.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "bursar",
-  "version": "0.2.2",
+  "version": "0.3.0",
   "description": "Multi-session, per-project budget accounting for the Onlooker ecosystem. Rolls each session's spend into a per-project ledger on SessionEnd and surfaces \"this project burned $X this week\" at SessionStart. Where governor regulates a single session, bursar is the cross-session rollup: it reads governor.session.complete off the shared event bus and emits bursar.* events for audit. Named for the officer who keeps the accounts. Builds on the Onlooker ecosystem plugin.",
   "author": {
     "name": "Onlooker Community",

package/plugins/bursar/CHANGELOG.md

@@ -1,5 +1,17 @@
 # Changelog
 
+## [0.3.0](https://github.com/onlooker-community/ecosystem/compare/bursar-v0.2.2...bursar-v0.3.0) (2026-08-02)
+
+
+### Features
+
+* **config:** add shared config loader supporting all five settings layers :sparkles: ([#123](https://github.com/onlooker-community/ecosystem/issues/123)) ([c048b76](https://github.com/onlooker-community/ecosystem/commit/c048b76bee2b39abeb7f1af77181191dd48f9cf5))
+
+
+### Bug Fixes
+
+* **hooks:** prevent SessionEnd timeouts causing breadcrumb accumulation ([#121](https://github.com/onlooker-community/ecosystem/issues/121)) ([3c7a409](https://github.com/onlooker-community/ecosystem/commit/3c7a40937aa3ea8c1db85dd0bb3fcc22589bbb49))
+
 ## [0.2.2](https://github.com/onlooker-community/ecosystem/compare/bursar-v0.2.1...bursar-v0.2.2) (2026-08-02)
 
 

package/plugins/bursar/scripts/hooks/bursar-session-end.sh

@@ -148,12 +148,13 @@ MODEL=""
 # must keep the breadcrumb so the session→project attribution survives for a
 # later attempt rather than being lost behind a false "recorded" event.
 #
-# Use a longer lock timeout (60s) to handle high concurrency: under typical
-# usage, SessionEnd hooks from concurrent sessions compete for the per-project
-# ledger lock. The default 5s timeout is too aggressive with 100+ concurrent
-# sessions, leading to silent recording failures and breadcrumb accumulation.
+# Use a short lock timeout (1s) to ensure the hook completes within the CLI's
+# 1.5s SessionEnd budget. If the lock is contended, fail fast and retain the
+# breadcrumb for retry on a future session. Retries on subsequent SessionStart
+# will eventually succeed when contention subsides; this prevents the hook from
+# being cancelled mid-execution by the CLI timeout.
 if [[ -n "$RECORD" ]]; then
-	if bursar_ledger_record "$PROJECT_KEY" "$RECORD" 60; then
+	if bursar_ledger_record "$PROJECT_KEY" "$RECORD" 1; then
 		[[ -n "$EV" ]] && bursar_emit_event "bursar.session.recorded" "$EV" "$SESSION_ID" || true
 		rm -f "$BREADCRUMB" 2>/dev/null || true
 	else

package/plugins/bursar/scripts/lib/bursar-config.sh

@@ -1,10 +1,12 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 # Config resolution for bursar.
 #
-# Reads three layers, latest wins:
+# Uses the shared config loader from ecosystem. Reads five layers, latest wins:
 #   1. plugins/bursar/config.json (defaults shipped with the plugin)
 #   2. ~/.claude/settings.json
-#   3. <repo>/.claude/settings.json
+#   3. ~/.claude/settings.local.json (local overrides user)
+#   4. <repo>/.claude/settings.json
+#   5. <repo>/.claude/settings.local.json (local overrides project)
 #
 # Exposes:
 #   bursar_config_load <repo_root>     # populates _BURSAR_CONFIG (JSON)
@@ -14,60 +16,25 @@
 #   bursar_config_surface_enabled      # 0 if bursar.surface_at_session_start is true
 #   bursar_config_week_start           # echoes "monday" or "sunday"
 
+# shellcheck source=../../../scripts/lib/config-loader.sh
+source "${PLUGIN_ROOT}/../../scripts/lib/config-loader.sh"
+
 _BURSAR_CONFIG="{}"
 
 bursar_config_load() {
 	local repo_root="${1:-}"
-	local plugin_root="${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT:-}"
-	local home_dir="${HOME:-}"
-
-	# Read each layer's raw text with the no-fork `$(<file)` builtin (NOT `cat`),
-	# then deep-merge all three layers in a SINGLE jq invocation. The dominant
-	# cost in the SessionEnd hook is jq process startup, not the merge itself, so
-	# this collapses what was one-jq-per-file (up to 6 forks) down to one.
-	local default_txt="" home_txt="" repo_txt=""
-	local default_file="${plugin_root}/config.json"
-	local home_file="${home_dir}/.claude/settings.json"
-	local repo_file=""
-	[[ -n "$repo_root" ]] && repo_file="${repo_root}/.claude/settings.json"
-
-	[[ -f "$default_file" ]] && default_txt="$(<"$default_file")"
-	[[ -f "$home_file" ]] && home_txt="$(<"$home_file")"
-	[[ -n "$repo_file" && -f "$repo_file" ]] && repo_txt="$(<"$repo_file")"
-
-	# Precedence (latest wins): defaults < home settings < repo settings. The
-	# defaults file is merged whole; settings files contribute only their .bursar
-	# key. `fromjson? // {}` parses each layer defensively — a missing or malformed
-	# file degrades to {} rather than aborting the merge (matches the prior
-	# per-file fallback).
-	_BURSAR_CONFIG=$(jq -n \
-		--arg d "$default_txt" \
-		--arg h "$home_txt" \
-		--arg r "$repo_txt" \
-		'
-		def deepmerge($a; $b):
-			if ($a|type) == "object" and ($b|type) == "object" then
-				reduce (($a|keys) + ($b|keys) | unique)[] as $k
-					({}; .[$k] = deepmerge($a[$k]; $b[$k]))
-			elif $b == null then $a
-			else $b end;
-		($d | fromjson? // {}) as $defaults
-		| (($h | fromjson? // {}) | {bursar: (.bursar // {})}) as $home
-		| (($r | fromjson? // {}) | {bursar: (.bursar // {})}) as $repo
-		| deepmerge(deepmerge($defaults; $home); $repo)
-		' 2>/dev/null) || _BURSAR_CONFIG="{}"
-	[[ -z "$_BURSAR_CONFIG" ]] && _BURSAR_CONFIG="{}"
+	config_load_plugin "bursar" "$repo_root" "_BURSAR_CONFIG"
 	return 0
 }
 
 bursar_config_get() {
 	local path="$1"
-	printf '%s' "$_BURSAR_CONFIG" | jq -r "${path} // empty" 2>/dev/null
+	config_get "_BURSAR_CONFIG" "${path}"
 }
 
 bursar_config_get_json() {
 	local path="$1"
-	printf '%s' "$_BURSAR_CONFIG" | jq -c "${path}" 2>/dev/null
+	config_get_json "_BURSAR_CONFIG" "${path}"
 }
 
 bursar_config_surface_enabled() {

package/plugins/governor/.claude-plugin/plugin.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "governor",
-  "version": "0.3.1",
+  "version": "0.3.2",
   "description": "Resource governance and budget enforcement for the Onlooker ecosystem. Tracks per-session token and cost spend, gates Task spawns before they exceed a configurable budget ceiling, and emits governor.* events for audit. Named for the steam-engine governor — a device that regulates output. Builds on the Onlooker ecosystem plugin.",
   "author": {
     "name": "Onlooker Community",

package/plugins/governor/CHANGELOG.md

@@ -1,5 +1,12 @@
 # Changelog
 
+## [0.3.2](https://github.com/onlooker-community/ecosystem/compare/governor-v0.3.1...governor-v0.3.2) (2026-08-02)
+
+
+### Bug Fixes
+
+* librarian + bursar + governor improvements ([#119](https://github.com/onlooker-community/ecosystem/issues/119)) ([d7cdab5](https://github.com/onlooker-community/ecosystem/commit/d7cdab528ea5181ea35da68fbc5ad2e5b064abea))
+
 ## [0.3.1](https://github.com/onlooker-community/ecosystem/compare/governor-v0.3.0...governor-v0.3.1) (2026-08-01)
 
 

package/plugins/governor/scripts/hooks/governor-post-tool-use.sh

@@ -83,19 +83,21 @@ ESTIMATED_COST=$(governor_estimate_cost "$ESTIMATED_TOKENS")
 ESTIMATION_METHOD=$(governor_estimate_method)
 
 # Build the completion ledger record.
-# estimated_tokens is negated to cancel the reservation written by PreToolUse.
-# actual_tokens (when present) complete the two-phase accounting so the running
-# total converges to real spend: N_est + (-N_est) + N_act = N_act.
+# Keep positive estimated_tokens (do not negate) so session totals reflect
+# projected spend. Reservations are recorded with record_type: "reservation";
+# completions are recorded with record_type: "completion". Ledger totals sum
+# only completion records, so each spawn contributes its estimate once.
+# actual_tokens (when present) will eventually replace estimates when API
+# usage metrics become available.
 AGENT_TYPE="${TOOL_NAME:-Task}"
 TS=$(date -u +"%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ" 2>/dev/null) || TS="1970-01-01T00:00:00Z"
-NEG_ESTIMATED=$(( -ESTIMATED_TOKENS ))
 
 RECORD=$(jq -n \
 	--arg ts "$TS" \
 	--arg sid "$SESSION_ID" \
 	--arg aid "${CLAUDE_SESSION_ID:-unknown}" \
 	--arg at "$AGENT_TYPE" \
-	--argjson est "$NEG_ESTIMATED" \
+	--argjson est "$ESTIMATED_TOKENS" \
 	--argjson cost "$ESTIMATED_COST" \
 	--argjson dur "$DURATION_MS" \
 	'{
@@ -105,7 +107,8 @@ RECORD=$(jq -n \
 		agent_type: $at,
 		estimated_tokens: $est,
 		cost_usd_estimated: $cost,
-		duration_ms: $dur
+		duration_ms: $dur,
+		record_type: "completion"
 	}' 2>/dev/null) || RECORD="{}"
 
 # Compute actual total once; used for both the ledger record and the event payload.

package/plugins/governor/scripts/lib/governor-ledger.sh

@@ -126,12 +126,10 @@ _governor_ledger_poison() {
 
 # Running total of tokens for a session.
 #
-# Uses the two-phase model: each record contributes
-#   .estimated_tokens + (.actual_tokens // 0)
-#
-# In-flight reservations:  estimated_tokens > 0, no actual_tokens → counts N_est
-# Completed Task records:  estimated_tokens = -N_est, actual_tokens = N_act → counts N_act
-# Net: in-flight estimates + completed actuals.
+# Sums all ledger records:
+#   - reservation records (in-flight projected spend)
+#   - completion records (which may cancel reservations and add actual_tokens)
+#   - legacy records with no record_type
 #
 # Usage: tokens=$(governor_ledger_total_tokens "$session_id")
 governor_ledger_total_tokens() {
@@ -145,7 +143,7 @@ governor_ledger_total_tokens() {
 		"$ledger_path" 2>/dev/null || printf '0'
 }
 
-# Running total of cost for a session (same two-phase logic as tokens).
+# Running total of cost for a session (same logic as tokens: all records).
 # Usage: cost=$(governor_ledger_total_cost "$session_id")
 governor_ledger_total_cost() {
 	local session_id="${1:-}"
@@ -158,7 +156,7 @@ governor_ledger_total_cost() {
 		"$ledger_path" 2>/dev/null || printf '0'
 }
 
-# Count completed Task calls (excludes reservation records).
+# Count Task calls, excluding reservation records.
 # Usage: calls=$(governor_ledger_call_count "$session_id")
 governor_ledger_call_count() {
 	local session_id="${1:-}"

package/plugins/librarian/.claude-plugin/plugin.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "librarian",
-  "version": "0.6.0",
+  "version": "0.6.1",
   "description": "Consolidation layer between archivist's per-session artifacts and the user's durable typed memory store. Detects which session decisions, dead-ends, and open questions deserve to live across sessions, classifies them into the user/feedback/project/reference types, and queues them as proposals for explicit confirmation. Auto-promotion is opt-in. Builds on the Onlooker ecosystem plugin.",
   "author": {
     "name": "Onlooker Community",

package/plugins/librarian/CHANGELOG.md

@@ -1,5 +1,12 @@
 # Changelog
 
+## [0.6.1](https://github.com/onlooker-community/ecosystem/compare/librarian-v0.6.0...librarian-v0.6.1) (2026-08-02)
+
+
+### Bug Fixes
+
+* **hooks:** prevent SessionEnd timeouts causing breadcrumb accumulation ([#121](https://github.com/onlooker-community/ecosystem/issues/121)) ([3c7a409](https://github.com/onlooker-community/ecosystem/commit/3c7a40937aa3ea8c1db85dd0bb3fcc22589bbb49))
+
 ## [0.6.0](https://github.com/onlooker-community/ecosystem/compare/librarian-v0.5.0...librarian-v0.6.0) (2026-08-02)
 
 

package/plugins/librarian/scripts/hooks/librarian-session-end.sh

@@ -60,6 +60,17 @@ source "${PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/lib/librarian-classifier.sh"
 # shellcheck source=../lib/librarian-conflict-detector.sh
 source "${PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/lib/librarian-conflict-detector.sh"
 
+librarian_now_ms() {
+	local now_ms
+	now_ms=$(python3 - <<'PY' 2>/dev/null
+import time
+print(int(time.time() * 1000))
+PY
+	) || now_ms=""
+	[[ -z "$now_ms" ]] && now_ms=$(( $(date +%s) * 1000 ))
+	printf '%s' "$now_ms"
+}
+
 INPUT=$(cat 2>/dev/null || true)
 CWD=$(printf '%s' "$INPUT" | jq -r '.cwd // ""' 2>/dev/null) || CWD=""
 SESSION_ID=$(printf '%s' "$INPUT" | jq -r '.session_id // ""' 2>/dev/null) || SESSION_ID=""
@@ -98,7 +109,7 @@ fi
 # Emit scan.started and load candidate window.
 # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-SCAN_START_TS_S=$(date +%s)
+SCAN_START_TS_MS=$(librarian_now_ms)
 ARTIFACTS=$(librarian_archivist_load_since "$PROJECT_KEY" "$WATERMARK")
 ARTIFACT_COUNT=$(printf '%s' "$ARTIFACTS" | jq 'length' 2>/dev/null) || ARTIFACT_COUNT=0
 
@@ -114,7 +125,7 @@ librarian_emit "librarian.scan.started" "$SESSION_ID" "$(jq -cn \
 # don't re-walk the same window.
 if [[ "$ARTIFACT_COUNT" == "0" ]]; then
 	librarian_storage_write_last_scan "$PROJECT_KEY" || true
-	DURATION_MS=$(( ($(date +%s) - SCAN_START_TS_S) * 1000 ))
+	DURATION_MS=$(( $(librarian_now_ms) - SCAN_START_TS_MS ))
 	librarian_emit "librarian.scan.complete" "$SESSION_ID" "$(jq -cn \
 		--arg outcome "empty" \
 		--argjson duration_ms "$DURATION_MS" \
@@ -155,6 +166,30 @@ for ((i = 0; i < DROPPED_EMIT_COUNT; i++)); do
 		 | with_entries(select(.value != null))')"
 done
 
+# ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Runtime budget check: SessionEnd has 1.5s total. If we're running low on time,
+# skip classification to ensure scan.complete can be emitted before CLI timeout.
+# Retained artifacts will be re-scanned on the next session when time permits.
+# ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+ELAPSED_MS=$(( $(librarian_now_ms) - SCAN_START_TS_MS ))
+BUDGET_THRESHOLD_MS=1000
+if [[ "$ELAPSED_MS" -ge "$BUDGET_THRESHOLD_MS" ]]; then
+	librarian_storage_write_last_scan "$PROJECT_KEY" || true
+	DURATION_MS=$(( $(librarian_now_ms) - SCAN_START_TS_MS ))
+	librarian_emit "librarian.scan.complete" "$SESSION_ID" "$(jq -cn \
+		--arg outcome "budget_exceeded" \
+		--argjson duration_ms "$DURATION_MS" \
+		--argjson candidates_proposed 0 \
+		--argjson candidates_dropped "$DROPPED_TOTAL" \
+		--argjson artifact_count_in_window "$ARTIFACT_COUNT" \
+		'{ outcome: $outcome, duration_ms: $duration_ms,
+		   candidates_proposed: $candidates_proposed,
+		   candidates_dropped: $candidates_dropped,
+		   artifact_count_in_window: $artifact_count_in_window }')"
+	exit 0
+fi
+
 # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Classifier loop — one Haiku call per surviving candidate.
 # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -398,7 +433,7 @@ librarian_storage_write_last_scan "$PROJECT_KEY" || true
 TOTAL_DROPPED=$((DROPPED_TOTAL + POST_CLASSIFIER_DROPPED))
 OUTCOME="ok"
 [[ "$PROPOSED_COUNT" == "0" ]] && OUTCOME="empty"
-DURATION_MS=$(( ($(date +%s) - SCAN_START_TS_S) * 1000 ))
+DURATION_MS=$(( $(librarian_now_ms) - SCAN_START_TS_MS ))
 
 librarian_emit "librarian.scan.complete" "$SESSION_ID" "$(jq -cn \
 	--arg outcome "$OUTCOME" \

package/scripts/lib/config-loader.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,131 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Shared config loader for Onlooker plugins.
+#
+# Plugins use this to avoid duplicating config merging logic. Handles all five
+# layers of settings precedence in a single jq pass, with consistent behavior
+# across the ecosystem.
+#
+# Usage:
+#   # In your plugin's config loader (e.g., plugins/bursar/scripts/lib/bursar-config.sh):
+#   source "${PLUGIN_ROOT}/../../scripts/lib/config-loader.sh"
+#   config_load_plugin "bursar" "$repo_root" "_BURSAR_CONFIG"
+#   config_get "_BURSAR_CONFIG" '.bursar.window'  # returns value or empty string
+#
+# Precedence (latest wins):
+#   1. plugin config.json (shipped defaults)
+#   2. ~/.claude/settings.json
+#   3. ~/.claude/settings.local.json (local overrides user)
+#   4. <repo>/.claude/settings.json
+#   5. <repo>/.claude/settings.local.json (local overrides project)
+
+# Load config for a plugin, merging all five layers into a variable.
+#
+# Arguments:
+#   $1 = plugin name (e.g., "bursar", "compass")
+#   $2 = repo root (or empty for no-repo defaults)
+#   $3 = output variable name (e.g., "_BURSAR_CONFIG")
+#
+# Sets the output variable to the merged JSON config.
+config_load_plugin() {
+	local plugin_name="${1:-}"
+	local repo_root="${2:-}"
+	local output_var="${3:-}"
+
+	[[ -z "$plugin_name" || -z "$output_var" ]] && return 1
+
+	local plugin_root="${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT:-}"
+	local home_dir="${HOME:-}"
+
+	# Read all five layers as raw text using $(<file) to avoid process forks.
+	# Missing files degrade to empty strings (handled by jq with //).
+	local default_txt="" home_txt="" home_local_txt="" repo_txt="" repo_local_txt=""
+	local default_file="${plugin_root}/config.json"
+	local home_file="${home_dir}/.claude/settings.json"
+	local home_local_file="${home_dir}/.claude/settings.local.json"
+	local repo_file=""
+	local repo_local_file=""
+
+	[[ -n "$repo_root" ]] && repo_file="${repo_root}/.claude/settings.json"
+	[[ -n "$repo_root" ]] && repo_local_file="${repo_root}/.claude/settings.local.json"
+
+	# Read each layer defensively—missing or malformed files degrade to empty.
+	[[ -f "$default_file" ]] && default_txt="$(<"$default_file")"
+	[[ -f "$home_file" ]] && home_txt="$(<"$home_file")"
+	[[ -f "$home_local_file" ]] && home_local_txt="$(<"$home_local_file")"
+	[[ -f "$repo_file" ]] && repo_txt="$(<"$repo_file")"
+	[[ -f "$repo_local_file" ]] && repo_local_txt="$(<"$repo_local_file")"
+
+	# Merge all five layers in a single jq invocation. Precedence:
+	# defaults < home < home-local < repo < repo-local
+	# Settings files (.json, .local.json) contribute only their plugin-scoped key.
+	local merged_json
+	merged_json=$(jq -n \
+		--arg plugin "$plugin_name" \
+		--arg d "$default_txt" \
+		--arg h "$home_txt" \
+		--arg hl "$home_local_txt" \
+		--arg r "$repo_txt" \
+		--arg rl "$repo_local_txt" \
+		'
+		def deepmerge($a; $b):
+			if ($a|type) == "object" and ($b|type) == "object" then
+				reduce (($a|keys) + ($b|keys) | unique)[] as $k
+					({}; .[$k] = deepmerge($a[$k]; $b[$k]))
+			elif $b == null then $a
+			else $b end;
+
+		($d | fromjson? // {}) as $defaults
+		| (($h | fromjson? // {}) | {($plugin): (.[$plugin] // {})}) as $home
+		| (($hl | fromjson? // {}) | {($plugin): (.[$plugin] // {})}) as $home_local
+		| (($r | fromjson? // {}) | {($plugin): (.[$plugin] // {})}) as $repo
+		| (($rl | fromjson? // {}) | {($plugin): (.[$plugin] // {})}) as $repo_local
+		| deepmerge(
+			deepmerge(
+				deepmerge(
+					deepmerge($defaults; $home);
+					$home_local);
+				$repo);
+			$repo_local)
+		' 2>/dev/null) || merged_json="{}"
+
+	[[ -z "$merged_json" ]] && merged_json="{}"
+
+	# Set the output variable in the caller's scope via printf (works in bash).
+	printf -v "$output_var" '%s' "$merged_json"
+	return 0
+}
+
+# Get a string value from loaded config.
+#
+# Arguments:
+#   $1 = variable name containing the config JSON (e.g., "_BURSAR_CONFIG")
+#   $2 = jq path to the value (e.g., '.bursar.window')
+#
+# Outputs: the string value, or empty string if not found.
+config_get() {
+	local config_var="${1:-}"
+	local path="${2:-}"
+
+	[[ -z "$config_var" ]] && return 1
+
+	# Use indirect expansion to read the variable's value.
+	local config_json="${!config_var}"
+	printf '%s' "$config_json" | jq -r "${path} // empty" 2>/dev/null
+}
+
+# Get a JSON value from loaded config.
+#
+# Arguments:
+#   $1 = variable name containing the config JSON (e.g., "_BURSAR_CONFIG")
+#   $2 = jq path to the value (e.g., '.bursar.markers')
+#
+# Outputs: the JSON value, or null if not found.
+config_get_json() {
+	local config_var="${1:-}"
+	local path="${2:-}"
+
+	[[ -z "$config_var" ]] && return 1
+
+	local config_json="${!config_var}"
+	printf '%s' "$config_json" | jq -c "${path}" 2>/dev/null
+}