diff --git a/admin_server.py b/admin_server.py
index b00ce83..e2afba3 100644
--- a/admin_server.py
+++ b/admin_server.py
@@ -310,8 +310,9 @@ def _seed_if_empty(conn: sqlite3.Connection, table: str, columns: tuple, rows: l
 def _seed_data(conn: sqlite3.Connection):
     """Insert default seed data for lookup tables."""
     _seed_if_empty(conn, "categories", ("name", "icon"), [
-        ("Furniture", "🪑"), ("Appliances", "🔌"),
-        ("Utensils & Serveware", "🍽️"), ("Equipment", "⚙️"), ("Other", "📦"),
+        ("Bev", "🥤"), ("Snack", "🍿"),
+        ("Food", "🍔"), ("Equipment", "🔧"),
+        ("Appliances", "🔌"), ("Other", "📦"),
     ])
     _seed_if_empty(conn, "key_names", ("name",), [
         ("MK500",), ("Green Dot",), ("Red Key",), ("Blue Key",),
@@ -1526,6 +1527,19 @@ def get_stats():
     ).fetchall()
     by_make = {r["make"]: r["cnt"] for r in makes}
 
+    # Find asset categories not in the categories lookup table
+    unmapped = conn.execute(
+        """SELECT a.category AS name, COUNT(*) AS cnt
+           FROM assets a LEFT JOIN categories c ON a.category = c.name
+           WHERE c.id IS NULL AND a.category IS NOT NULL AND a.category != ''
+           GROUP BY a.category ORDER BY cnt DESC"""
+    ).fetchall()
+    category_health = {
+        "unmapped": [{"name": r["name"], "count": r["cnt"]} for r in unmapped],
+        "total_categories": len(by_category),
+        "unmapped_count": len(unmapped),
+    }
+
     conn.close()
     return {
         "total_assets": total_assets,
@@ -1538,6 +1552,7 @@ def get_stats():
         "top_visited": top_visited_list,
         "time_on_site": time_on_site,
         "by_make": by_make,
+        "category_health": category_health,
     }
 
 
diff --git a/static/index.html b/static/index.html
index 9796866..5cda65c 100644
--- a/static/index.html
+++ b/static/index.html
@@ -136,6 +136,7 @@
       flex: 1;
       padding: 24px;
       max-width: calc(100vw - var(--sidebar-w));
+      position: relative;
     }
     .page-title {
       font-size: 22px;
@@ -533,6 +534,42 @@
     .empty-state { text-align: center; padding: 28px 16px; color: var(--text2); font-size: 13px; }
     .empty-state .es-icon { font-size: 36px; margin-bottom: 8px; opacity: 0.5; }
     .loading-row { text-align: center; padding: 20px; color: var(--text2); }
+
+    /* ── Skeleton cards (dashboard loading) ── */
+    .skeleton-card {
+      background: var(--card);
+      border: 1px solid var(--border);
+      border-radius: var(--radius);
+      padding: 18px;
+      margin-bottom: 14px;
+      min-height: 80px;
+    }
+    .skeleton-card.skeleton-stat { padding: 18px; text-align: center; min-height: 100px; }
+    .skeleton-card .skeleton-bar {
+      height: 14px; background: var(--card2); border-radius: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;
+      animation: skeleton-pulse 1.4s ease-in-out infinite;
+    }
+    .skeleton-card .skeleton-bar:last-child { margin-bottom: 0; }
+    .skeleton-card .skeleton-bar.w60 { width: 60%; }
+    .skeleton-card .skeleton-bar.w40 { width: 40%; }
+    .skeleton-card .skeleton-bar.w80 { width: 80%; }
+    .skeleton-card .skeleton-circle {
+      width: 48px; height: 48px; border-radius: 50%; background: var(--card2);
+      margin: 0 auto 10px; animation: skeleton-pulse 1.4s ease-in-out infinite;
+    }
+    @keyframes skeleton-pulse {
+      0%, 100% { opacity: 0.3; }
+      50% { opacity: 0.7; }
+    }
+    @keyframes pulse-border {
+      0%, 100% { border-color: var(--accent); }
+      50% { border-color: var(--accent2); }
+    }
+    td.saving {
+      opacity: 0.6;
+      box-shadow: inset 0 0 0 1px var(--accent);
+      animation: pulse-border 1s infinite;
+    }
     .flex-row { display: flex; gap: 8px; align-items: center; }
     .gap-sm { gap: 6px; }
     .mt-8 { margin-top: 8px; }
@@ -716,6 +753,21 @@
     .cs-repl-status.approved { background: rgba(72,199,142,0.15); color: var(--green); }
     .cs-repl-status.rejected { background: rgba(240,61,62,0.15); color: var(--red); }
     .cs-repl-resolve-all { margin-top: 8px; }
+
+    /* ── Route Planner iframe ── */
+    #pageRoute {
+      position: absolute;
+      top: 0; left: 0; right: 0; bottom: 0;
+      margin-top: 0; padding: 0;
+      display: flex; flex-direction: column;
+    }
+    #pageRoute.hidden { display: none !important; }
+    #routeFrame {
+      width: 100%;
+      flex: 1;
+      border: none;
+      background: #fff;
+    }
   </style>
   <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://unpkg.com/leaflet@1.9.4/dist/leaflet.css" />
   <script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/exifr@7/dist/lite.umd.js"></script>
@@ -731,7 +783,6 @@
     <input id="loginUser" class="input-field" type="text" placeholder="Username" autocomplete="username">
     <input id="loginPass" class="input-field" type="password" placeholder="Password" autocomplete="current-password">
     <button id="loginBtn" class="btn btn-primary btn-block" onclick="doLogin()">Sign In</button>
-    <div style="text-align:center;font-size:12px;color:var(--text3);margin-top:10px;">Default: admin / changeme</div>
   </div>
 </div>
 
@@ -752,33 +803,39 @@
     </div>
   </div>
   <div class="sidebar-nav">
-    <button class="nav-item" data-page="dashboard" onclick="switchPage('dashboard')">
+    <button class="nav-item" data-page="dashboard" onclick="switchPage('dashboard')" title="Dashboard — overview stats, charts, and recent activity">
       <span class="ni-icon">📈</span><span>Dashboard</span>
     </button>
-    <button class="nav-item" data-page="assets" onclick="switchPage('assets')">
+    <button class="nav-item" data-page="assets" onclick="switchPage('assets')" title="Assets — search, sort, and inline-edit all assets">
       <span class="ni-icon">📦</span><span>Assets</span><span class="ni-badge" id="assetBadgeNav"></span>
     </button>
-    <button class="nav-item" data-page="settings" onclick="switchPage('settings')">
+    <button class="nav-item" data-page="settings" onclick="switchPage('settings')" title="Settings — manage categories, makes, models, key names, badge types">
       <span class="ni-icon">⚙️</span><span>Settings</span>
     </button>
-    <button class="nav-item" data-page="users" onclick="switchPage('users')">
+    <button class="nav-item" data-page="users" onclick="switchPage('users')" title="Users — manage admin accounts and roles">
       <span class="ni-icon">👥</span><span>Users</span><span class="ni-badge" id="userBadgeNav"></span>
     </button>
-    <button class="nav-item" data-page="customers" onclick="switchPage('customers')">
+    <button class="nav-item" data-page="customers" onclick="switchPage('customers')" title="Customers & Locations — manage customer info and site locations">
       <span class="ni-icon">🏢</span><span>Customers</span><span class="ni-badge" id="custBadgeNav"></span>
     </button>
-    <button class="nav-item" data-page="activity" onclick="switchPage('activity')">
+    <button class="nav-item" data-page="activity" onclick="switchPage('activity')" title="Activity Log — audit trail of all actions">
       <span class="ni-icon">📋</span><span>Activity Log</span>
     </button>
-    <button class="nav-item" data-page="export" onclick="switchPage('export')">
+    <button class="nav-item" data-page="export" onclick="switchPage('export')" title="Export & Admin — CSV exports, GPS clearing, database reset">
       <span class="ni-icon">📤</span><span>Export</span>
     </button>
-    <button class="nav-item" data-page="cantaloupe" onclick="switchPage('cantaloupe')">
+    <button class="nav-item" data-page="cantaloupe" onclick="switchPage('cantaloupe')" title="Import — upload Excel files and review changes">
       <span class="ni-icon">📥</span><span>Import</span>
     </button>
-    <button class="nav-item" data-page="exifscanner" onclick="switchPage('exifscanner')">
+    <button class="nav-item" data-page="exifscanner" onclick="switchPage('exifscanner')" title="EXIF Scanner — upload photos, extract GPS, OCR machine IDs">
       <span class="ni-icon">📸</span><span>EXIF Scanner</span>
     </button>
+    <button class="nav-item" data-page="route" onclick="switchPage('route')" title="Route Planner — view asset routes (external iframe)">
+      <span class="ni-icon">🗺️</span><span>Route</span>
+    </button>
+    <button class="nav-item" onclick="openHelpModal()" title="Help — keyboard shortcuts, tips, and documentation" style="border-top:1px solid var(--border);margin-top:4px;">
+      <span class="ni-icon">❓</span><span>Help</span>
+    </button>
   </div>
   <div class="sidebar-footer">
     <button id="logoutBtn" class="logout-btn" onclick="doLogout()">🚪 Sign out</button>
@@ -807,6 +864,10 @@
       <div class="card-title">By Category</div>
       <div id="dashCategoryBars"></div>
     </div>
+    <div class="card" id="dashCategoryHealthCard" style="display:none">
+      <div class="card-title" style="color:var(--red)">⚠️ Category Health</div>
+      <div id="dashCategoryHealth" style="font-size:13px;"></div>
+    </div>
     <div class="card">
       <div class="card-title">By Make</div>
       <div id="dashMakeBars"></div>
@@ -996,7 +1057,7 @@
     <div class="page-title">
       <span>Assets</span>
       <div class="pt-actions">
-        <input id="assetSearch" type="text" class="input-field" placeholder="Search name, machine ID, company..." oninput="loadAssets()" style="width:260px;font-size:12px;padding:6px 10px;">
+        <input id="assetSearch" type="text" class="input-field" placeholder="Search name, machine ID, company... (Ctrl+K)" oninput="loadAssets()" style="width:260px;font-size:12px;padding:6px 10px;">
         <select id="assetStatusFilter" class="input-field" onchange="loadAssets()" style="width:auto;font-size:12px;">
           <option value="">All Status</option>
           <option value="active">Active</option>
@@ -1116,6 +1177,11 @@
       </div>
       <div id="exifPrevResults"></div>
     </div>
+  </div>  <!-- /pageExifscanner -->
+
+  <!-- ── ROUTE PLANNER (iframe) ── -->
+  <div id="pageRoute" class="page hidden">
+    <iframe id="routeFrame" src="https://route.ourpad.casa" frameborder="0"></iframe>
   </div>
 
 </div>
@@ -1129,6 +1195,17 @@
   </div>
 </div>
 
+<!-- ═══ HELP MODAL ═══ -->
+<div id="helpModal" class="modal-overlay" style="z-index:600;" onclick="closeHelpModal()">
+  <div class="modal" onclick="event.stopPropagation()" style="max-width:560px;max-height:80vh;overflow-y:auto;">
+    <div class="modal-title" style="font-size:18px;">❓ Help &amp; Quick Tips</div>
+    <div class="modal-body" style="font-size:13px;color:var(--text2);"></div>
+    <div class="modal-actions">
+      <button class="btn btn-primary" onclick="closeHelpModal()" style="flex:1;">Got it</button>
+    </div>
+  </div>
+</div>
+
 <!-- ═══ TOAST ═══ -->
 <div id="toast" class="toast"></div>
 
@@ -1201,7 +1278,7 @@ function showToast(msg, isError = false) {
   t.textContent = msg;
   t.className = 'toast' + (isError ? ' error' : '');
   t.classList.add('show');
-  setTimeout(() => t.classList.remove('show'), 3000);
+  setTimeout(() => t.classList.remove('show'), 4000);
 }
 
 let modalResolve = null;
@@ -1222,10 +1299,73 @@ function closeModal(confirmed = false) {
   if (modalResolve) { modalResolve(confirmed); modalResolve = null; }
 }
 
+// ── Help Modal ──
+function openHelpModal() {
+  const body = document.querySelector('#helpModal .modal-body');
+  body.innerHTML = `
+    <div style="margin-bottom:14px;">
+      <div style="font-weight:700;font-size:14px;color:var(--text);margin-bottom:6px;">⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts</div>
+      <div style="display:grid;grid-template-columns:auto 1fr;gap:4px 12px;font-size:13px;">
+        <span style="background:var(--card2);padding:1px 6px;border-radius:4px;font-family:monospace;font-size:11px;">Ctrl+K</span><span>Focus asset search</span>
+        <span style="background:var(--card2);padding:1px 6px;border-radius:4px;font-family:monospace;font-size:11px;">Ctrl+/</span><span>Focus asset search</span>
+        <span style="background:var(--card2);padding:1px 6px;border-radius:4px;font-family:monospace;font-size:11px;">Esc</span><span>Close modals / cancel inline edit</span>
+        <span style="background:var(--card2);padding:1px 6px;border-radius:4px;font-family:monospace;font-size:11px;">Enter</span><span>Save inline edit cell</span>
+      </div>
+    </div>
+    <div style="margin-bottom:14px;">
+      <div style="font-weight:700;font-size:14px;color:var(--text);margin-bottom:6px;">✏️ Inline Editing (Assets)</div>
+      <ul style="margin:0;padding-left:18px;list-style:disc;">
+        <li>Click any cell in the assets table to start editing</li>
+        <li>Press <strong>Enter</strong> to save the cell</li>
+        <li>Press <strong>Esc</strong> to cancel editing</li>
+        <li>Click column headers to sort (ascending / descending)</li>
+        <li>Empty cells have a <span style="background:var(--amber-bg);color:var(--amber);padding:0 6px;border-radius:4px;">■</span> amber left border</li>
+        <li>Use the <strong>Batch Lookup</strong> button to find business names from addresses</li>
+      </ul>
+    </div>
+    <div style="margin-bottom:14px;">
+      <div style="font-weight:700;font-size:14px;color:var(--text);margin-bottom:6px;">📥 Cantaloupe Sync (Import)</div>
+      <ul style="margin:0;padding-left:18px;list-style:disc;">
+        <li>Upload an Excel file exported from Cantaloupe</li>
+        <li>Review <strong>pending batches</strong> — approve or reject changes</li>
+        <li>Use <strong>Review Changes</strong> to see per-field diffs before approving</li>
+        <li>Blank-fill changes (populating empty fields) are auto-selected for convenience</li>
+        <li>Machine replacements need manual approval per asset</li>
+      </ul>
+    </div>
+    <div>
+      <div style="font-weight:700;font-size:14px;color:var(--text);margin-bottom:6px;">📸 EXIF Scanner</div>
+      <ul style="margin:0;padding-left:18px;list-style:disc;">
+        <li>Drop photos or click to upload — GPS data is read from EXIF</li>
+        <li>Choose OCR engine: Tesseract (fast, local), LLM, or Google Gemini</li>
+        <li><strong>Sticker mode</strong> scans a 4-digit sticker on the machine</li>
+        <li>Bulk process extracts Machine IDs and matches them to assets</li>
+        <li>Use <strong>Push GPS</strong> to write GPS coordinates to matched assets</li>
+      </ul>
+    </div>
+  `;
+  document.getElementById('helpModal').style.display = 'flex';
+  document.getElementById('helpModal').classList.add('open');
+}
+function closeHelpModal() {
+  document.getElementById('helpModal').classList.remove('open');
+  document.getElementById('helpModal').style.display = 'none';
+}
+
 // ═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
 // PAGE ROUTING
 // ═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
 function switchPage(page) {
+  // Check for dirty inline edits before navigating
+  const editingCells = document.querySelectorAll('.ae-cell.editing');
+  if (editingCells.length > 0) {
+    if (!confirm('You have unsaved inline edits. Discard them and navigate away?')) {
+      return;
+    }
+    // Force-cancel all edits by re-rendering
+    if (cachedAssets.length > 0) renderAssetTable();
+  }
+
   AppState.currentPage = page;
   document.querySelectorAll('.page').forEach(p => p.classList.add('hidden'));
   const target = document.getElementById('page' + page.charAt(0).toUpperCase() + page.slice(1));
@@ -1245,6 +1385,7 @@ function switchPage(page) {
   else if (page === 'activity') loadActivity();
   else if (page === 'cantaloupe') loadCantaloupeSync();
   else if (page === 'exifscanner') loadExifScanner();
+  else if (page === 'route') initRoutePage();
 }
 function closeDetail() {
   if (AppState._prevPage) switchPage(AppState._prevPage);
@@ -1257,10 +1398,13 @@ function closeDetail() {
 async function doLogin() {
   const username = document.getElementById('loginUser').value.trim();
   const password = document.getElementById('loginPass').value;
+  const loginBtn = document.getElementById('loginBtn');
   if (!username || !password) {
     showLoginError('Please enter username and password');
     return;
   }
+  loginBtn.disabled = true;
+  loginBtn.textContent = 'Signing in...';
   try {
     const data = await api('/api/auth/login', {
       method: 'POST',
@@ -1276,6 +1420,9 @@ async function doLogin() {
     switchPage('dashboard');
   } catch (e) {
     showLoginError(e.message);
+  } finally {
+    loginBtn.disabled = false;
+    loginBtn.textContent = 'Sign In';
   }
 }
 
@@ -1325,6 +1472,18 @@ async function initAuth() {
 // DASHBOARD
 // ═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
 async function loadDashboard() {
+  // Show skeleton loading placeholders
+  document.getElementById('dashStats').innerHTML =
+    '<div class="skeleton-card skeleton-stat"><div class="skeleton-circle"></div><div class="skeleton-bar w60" style="margin:0 auto"></div><div class="skeleton-bar w40" style="margin:4px auto 0"></div></div>'.repeat(8);
+  document.getElementById('dashCategoryBars').innerHTML =
+    '<div class="skeleton-card"><div class="skeleton-bar w80"></div><div class="skeleton-bar w60"></div><div class="skeleton-bar w40"></div></div>';
+  document.getElementById('dashMakeBars').innerHTML =
+    '<div class="skeleton-card"><div class="skeleton-bar w80"></div><div class="skeleton-bar w60"></div><div class="skeleton-bar w40"></div></div>';
+  document.getElementById('dashStatusBars').innerHTML =
+    '<div class="skeleton-card"><div class="skeleton-bar w80"></div><div class="skeleton-bar w60"></div></div>';
+  document.getElementById('dashActivity').innerHTML =
+    '<div class="skeleton-card"><div class="skeleton-bar w80"></div><div class="skeleton-bar w60"></div><div class="skeleton-bar w40"></div></div>';
+
   try {
     const [stats, activity] = await Promise.all([
       api('/api/stats'),
@@ -1332,12 +1491,13 @@ async function loadDashboard() {
     ]);
     renderDashStats(stats || {});
     renderDashCategoryBars(stats || {});
+    renderDashCategoryHealth(stats.category_health);
     renderDashMakeBars(stats || {});
     renderDashStatusBars(stats || {});
     renderDashActivity(activity || []);
   } catch (e) {
     document.getElementById('dashStats').innerHTML =
-      `<div class="card" style="grid-column:1/-1;text-align:center;color:var(--red);">Failed to load: ${esc(e.message)}</div>`;
+      `<div class="card" style="grid-column:1/-1;text-align:center;color:var(--red);">Failed to load dashboard — check your connection and try again. (${esc(e.message)})</div>`;
   }
 }
 
@@ -1383,6 +1543,25 @@ function renderDashCategoryBars(stats) {
   const items = stats.by_category ? Object.entries(stats.by_category).map(([k, v]) => ({ name: k, count: v })) : [];
   renderBar('dashCategoryBars', items, 'name', 'count');
 }
+function renderDashCategoryHealth(health) {
+  const card = document.getElementById('dashCategoryHealthCard');
+  const el = document.getElementById('dashCategoryHealth');
+  if (!health || !health.unmapped || health.unmapped.length === 0) {
+    card.style.display = 'none';
+    return;
+  }
+  card.style.display = '';
+  el.innerHTML = `<div style="margin-bottom:8px;color:var(--text2);">${health.unmapped_count} asset categor${health.unmapped_count === 1 ? 'y is' : 'ies are'} not in the categories lookup table:</div>
+    ${health.unmapped.map(u =>
+      `<div style="display:flex;justify-content:space-between;padding:2px 0;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.05);">
+        <span style="color:var(--red)">❓ ${esc(u.name)}</span>
+        <span style="color:var(--text2)">${u.count} asset${u.count === 1 ? '' : 's'}</span>
+      </div>`
+    ).join('')}
+    <div style="margin-top:8px;font-size:12px;color:var(--text2);">
+      Go to <a href="#" onclick="switchPage('settings');return false" style="color:var(--accent);">Settings → Categories</a> to add them.
+    </div>`;
+}
 function renderDashMakeBars(stats) {
   const items = stats.by_make ? Object.entries(stats.by_make).map(([k, v]) => ({ name: k, count: v })) : [];
   renderBar('dashMakeBars', items, 'name', 'count');
@@ -1400,10 +1579,23 @@ function renderDashActivity(items) {
   }
   el.innerHTML = items.map(a => {
     const icon = getActIcon(a.action);
+    let details = a.details || a.action || '';
+    // Try to pretty-print JSON details
+    try {
+      const parsed = JSON.parse(details);
+      if (typeof parsed === 'object' && parsed !== null) {
+        const parts = [];
+        if (parsed.assets_updated !== undefined) parts.push(`${parsed.assets_updated} asset(s) updated`);
+        if (parsed.fields_applied !== undefined) parts.push(`${parsed.fields_applied} field(s) applied`);
+        if (parsed.assets_created !== undefined) parts.push(`${parsed.assets_created} created`);
+        if (parts.length > 0) details = parts.join(', ');
+        else details = JSON.stringify(parsed).replace(/[{}"]/g, '').replace(/,/g, ', ');
+      }
+    } catch(e) { /* not JSON, show as-is */ }
     return `<div class="activity-item">
       <div class="act-icon ${icon}">${getActEmoji(a.action)}</div>
       <div class="act-info">
-        <div class="act-text">${esc(a.details || a.action || '')} <span class="act-user">${esc(a.user_name || '')}</span></div>
+        <div class="act-text">${esc(details)} <span class="act-user">${esc(a.user_name || '')}</span></div>
         <div class="act-time">${timeAgo(a.created_at)}</div>
       </div>
     </div>`;
@@ -1453,6 +1645,9 @@ async function loadAssets() {
   const search = document.getElementById('assetSearch')?.value?.trim() || '';
   const status = document.getElementById('assetStatusFilter')?.value || '';
 
+  // Show loading spinner
+  el.innerHTML = '<div class="loading-row"><div class="spinner"></div> Loading assets...</div>';
+
   await loadAssetSettings();
 
   let url = '/api/assets?limit=5000';
@@ -1466,7 +1661,7 @@ async function loadAssets() {
     document.getElementById('assetBadgeNav').textContent = data.total || cachedAssets.length;
     renderAssetTable();
   } catch (e) {
-    el.innerHTML = `<div class="card"><div class="empty-state"><div class="es-icon">⚠️</div>Failed to load assets: ${esc(e.message)}</div></div>`;
+    el.innerHTML = `<div class="card"><div class="empty-state"><div class="es-icon">⚠️</div>Failed to load assets — check your connection and try refreshing the page. (${esc(e.message)})</div></div>`;
   }
 }
 
@@ -1548,6 +1743,9 @@ async function saveCell(assetId, field, value) {
   const cell = document.querySelector(`[data-edit-id="${assetId}"][data-field="${field}"]`);
   if (!cell) return;
 
+  // Add saving visual indicator
+  cell.classList.add('saving');
+
   // Optimistic update
   const asset = cachedAssets.find(a => a.id === assetId);
   if (asset) {
@@ -1571,9 +1769,13 @@ async function saveCell(assetId, field, value) {
       headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
     });
     if (asset && updated) Object.assign(asset, updated);
+    // Remove saving class on success
+    document.querySelectorAll(`[data-edit-id="${assetId}"][data-field="${field}"]`).forEach(el => el.classList.remove('saving'));
     showToast(`✓ ${field} saved`);
   } catch (e) {
-    showToast(`✗ Failed to save ${field}: ${e.message}`, true);
+    // Remove saving class on error
+    document.querySelectorAll(`[data-edit-id="${assetId}"][data-field="${field}"]`).forEach(el => el.classList.remove('saving'));
+    showToast(`✗ Failed to save ${field}: ${e.message} — check your connection and try again`, true);
     if (asset) renderAssetTable();
   }
 }
@@ -1621,7 +1823,7 @@ function renderAssetTable() {
   });
 
   if (sorted.length === 0) {
-    el.innerHTML = '<div class="card"><div class="empty-state"><div class="es-icon">📦</div>No assets found</div></div>';
+    el.innerHTML = '<div class="card"><div class="empty-state"><div class="es-icon">📦</div>No assets found — add one via the <strong>+</strong> button, or clear your search filters.</div></div>';
     document.getElementById('assetPagination').innerHTML = '';
     return;
   }
@@ -2104,7 +2306,7 @@ function renderRoleBadges(roleStr) {
 function renderUsers() {
   const el = document.getElementById('usersContent');
   if (cachedUsers.length === 0) {
-    el.innerHTML = '<div class="card"><div class="empty-state"><div class="es-icon">👥</div>No users found</div></div>';
+    el.innerHTML = '<div class="card"><div class="empty-state"><div class="es-icon">👥</div>No users found — add one via the <strong>+ Add User</strong> button above.</div></div>';
     return;
   }
   el.innerHTML = `<div class="table-wrap"><table class="data-table">
@@ -2264,7 +2466,7 @@ function renderCustomers() {
   document.getElementById('custBadgeNav').textContent = cachedCustomers.length;
 
   if (filtered.length === 0) {
-    el.innerHTML = '<div class="card"><div class="empty-state"><div class="es-icon">🏢</div>No customers found</div></div>';
+    el.innerHTML = '<div class="card"><div class="empty-state"><div class="es-icon">🏢</div>No customers found — add one via the <strong>+ Add Customer</strong> button, or clear your search.</div></div>';
     return;
   }
   el.innerHTML = filtered.map(c => {
@@ -3489,6 +3691,38 @@ document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', () => {
   document.getElementById('loginUser').addEventListener('keydown', e => {
     if (e.key === 'Enter') document.getElementById('loginPass').focus();
   });
+
+  // ── Keyboard shortcuts ──
+  // Ctrl+K or Ctrl+/ to focus asset search (when logged in and on assets page)
+  document.addEventListener('keydown', e => {
+    if ((e.ctrlKey || e.metaKey) && (e.key === 'k' || e.key === '/')) {
+      e.preventDefault();
+      if (!isLoggedIn()) return;
+      const searchInput = document.getElementById('assetSearch');
+      if (searchInput) {
+        switchPage('assets');
+        setTimeout(() => searchInput.focus(), 100);
+      }
+    }
+    // Escape to close modals
+    if (e.key === 'Escape') {
+      if (document.getElementById('modalOverlay').classList.contains('open')) {
+        closeModal(false);
+      }
+      if (document.getElementById('helpModal') && document.getElementById('helpModal').style.display !== 'none') {
+        closeHelpModal();
+      }
+    }
+  });
+
+  // Warn on page refresh/close if inline edits are in progress
+  window.addEventListener('beforeunload', (e) => {
+    const editingCells = document.querySelectorAll('.ae-cell.editing');
+    if (editingCells.length > 0) {
+      e.preventDefault();
+      e.returnValue = 'You have unsaved inline edits.';
+    }
+  });
 });
 
 // ═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
@@ -3585,19 +3819,12 @@ function renderExifPrevCard(p, idx) {
   const matchBadge = matched === 'matched'
     ? `<span class="status-tag" style="background:var(--green-bg);color:var(--green);font-size:10px;">✓ ${esc(p.machine_id)}</span>`
     : '<span class="status-tag" style="background:var(--card2);color:var(--text2);font-size:10px;">⏳ No match</span>';
+  const uploaderBadge = p.uploaded_by
+    ? `<span class="status-tag" style="background:var(--accent-bg);color:var(--accent2);font-size:10px;">👤 ${esc(p.uploaded_by)}</span>`
+    : '';
   const thumb = p.id ? `/api/admin/exif/photos/${p.id}/file` : '';
-  return `<div style="background:var(--card);border-radius:var(--radius-sm);padding:10px;margin-bottom:6px;border-left:3px solid ${hasGps ? 'var(--green)' : 'var(--amber)'};">
-    <div style="display:flex;gap:8px;">
-      ${thumb ? `<img src="${thumb}" style="width:48px;height:48px;border-radius:6px;object-fit:cover;flex-shrink:0;" onclick="window.open('${thumb}','_blank')">` : ''}
-      <div style="flex:1;min-width:0;">
-        <div style="font-size:13px;font-weight:600;white-space:nowrap;overflow:hidden;text-overflow:ellipsis;">${esc(p.orig_filename || 'photo.jpg')}</div>
-        <div style="display:flex;gap:4px;margin-top:4px;flex-wrap:wrap;">
-          ${gpsBadge} ${matchBadge}
-        </div>
-        <div style="font-size:10px;color:var(--text3);margin-top:4px;">${p.created_at ? new Date(p.created_at).toLocaleString() : ''}</div>
-      </div>
-    </div>
-  </div>`;
+  return `<div style="background:var(--card);border-radius:var(--radius-sm);padding:10px;margin-bottom:6px;border-left:3px solid ${hasGps ? 'var(--green)' : 'var(--amber)'};">\n    <div style="display:flex;gap:8px;">\n      ${thumb ? `<img src="${thumb}" style="width:48px;height:48px;border-radius:6px;object-fit:cover;flex-shrink:0;" onclick="window.open('${thumb}','_blank')">` : ''}\n      <div style="flex:1;min-width:0;">\n        <div style="font-size:13px;font-weight:600;white-space:nowrap;overflow:hidden;text-overflow:ellipsis;">${esc(p.orig_filename || 'photo.jpg')}</div>\n        <div style="display:flex;gap:4px;margin-top:4px;flex-wrap:wrap;">\n          ${gpsBadge} ${matchBadge} ${uploaderBadge}
+        </div>\n        <div style="font-size:10px;color:var(--text3);margin-top:4px;">${p.created_at ? new Date(p.created_at).toLocaleString() : ''}</div>\n      </div>\n    </div>\n  </div>`;
 }
 
 // ═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
@@ -4029,6 +4256,19 @@ function openExifLightbox(src) {
 function closeExifLightbox() {
   if (exifLightboxEl) exifLightboxEl.style.display = 'none';
 }
+
+// ═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+// ROUTE PLANNER
+// ═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+function initRoutePage() {
+  const iframe = document.getElementById('routeFrame');
+  if (!iframe) return;
+  // Force-reload on each visit so the route data is always fresh
+  if (iframe.dataset.loaded) {
+    iframe.src = iframe.src;
+  }
+  iframe.dataset.loaded = '1';
+}
 </script>
 </body>
 </html>