diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index c711add..8eb1e03 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ are regenerated on each release — patches cannot be merged directly.
 Report problems (or send patches) to the author; accepted changes are
 applied to the development tree and appear in a following snapshot.
 
-This snapshot was assembled from development commit `9fa469dd74ed`.
+This snapshot was assembled from development commit `2e453744f5e9`.
 
 ## License
 
diff --git a/com/kdesc.cpp b/com/kdesc.cpp
index c1c314d..a59a44c 100644
--- a/com/kdesc.cpp
+++ b/com/kdesc.cpp
@@ -158,10 +158,17 @@ static std::string text_target()
     return color_enabled(std::cout) ? "ansi" : "txt";
 }
 
-void show_special_characters()
+// The Machine for a description kdesc renders from the ref/ klammerset.
+static Machine ref_machine()
 {
     Machine M;
     M.read(M.m_state.value("KLAMMERTEXT_HOME") + "/ref/ref.k");
+    return M;
+}
+
+void show_special_characters()
+{
+    Machine M = ref_machine();
     M.read_string("@b Writing characters with diacritics and non-English characters @\n\n");
     M.read_string("@diacritics_examples@");
     M.read_string("@extended_latin_examples@");
@@ -171,20 +178,29 @@ void show_special_characters()
 
 void show_unicode_examples()
 {
-    Machine M;
-    M.read(M.m_state.value("KLAMMERTEXT_HOME") + "/ref/ref.k");
+    Machine M = ref_machine();
     M.read_string("@unicode_examples@");
     std::cout << "\n" << M.apply(text_target()) << "\n\n";
 }
 
 void show_argtype_definitions()
 {
-    Machine M;
-    M.read(M.m_state.value("KLAMMERTEXT_HOME") + "/ref/ref.k");
+    Machine M = ref_machine();
     M.read_string("@argtype_definitions@");
     std::cout << "\n" << M.apply(text_target()) << "\n\n";
 }    
 
+// The katom table is wider than the text: four columns, the last of them a
+// sentence.  The width is the klammer's argument rather than a state
+// variable set here, so the paragraphs above the table keep the text width.
+void describe_katoms(bool show_regex)
+{
+    Machine M = ref_machine();
+    M.read_string(std::string("@katom_descriptions :txt_width ") +
+                  (show_regex ? "160 :regex" : "120") + " @");
+    std::cout << "\n" << M.apply(text_target()) << "\n\n";
+}
+
 int main(int argc, char* argv[])
 {
     try {
diff --git a/doc/klammertext_for_llm.md b/doc/klammertext_for_llm.md
index cbc59b1..64c1145 100644
--- a/doc/klammertext_for_llm.md
+++ b/doc/klammertext_for_llm.md
@@ -84,7 +84,8 @@ klammerset; give it `@read sks/sks.k @` in the input if it needs one.
 | The document body is the first argument | For `@document` the body goes in the **`:text` option** (or `:files`). A positional body is an error. |
 | `x@i` is "x, then italic" | A letter may not touch an opening `@`: `x@i` could be the close of a klammer named `x`. Write `x @i`. Brackets and sentence punctuation may abut: `(@i-x)`, `@i x @.` |
 | `:files ch1` names a file `ch1` | A bare word means **`kt/ch1.kt`** beside the root file. A name with a directory or extension is a pathname. |
-| `@font` sets the font | Retired. `@typeface name \| text @` is the temporary change; `@document :serif_typeface` etc. set the roles. |
+| `@font` sets the font | Retired. `@typeface name \| text @` is the temporary change; `@document :serif_typeface` etc. set the roles. `:scale N` means N times the text as it appears, the same in html and pdf; `:middle` centres a script that does not sit on the baseline (hieroglyphs); `:lift 0.15em` shifts one that draws its glyphs off it. Put those in the klammer that names the font (`@egyptian`), never on a Latin typeface. |
+| `:raise`, `:class`, `:import` as option names | An option name becomes a Python attribute, so a Python keyword is a SyntaxError at the first application, reported against the `.k`. Choose another word (`:lift`). |
 
 ---
 
@@ -139,6 +140,8 @@ while every argument is letters and digits: `@i-italic`, `@sup-2-3`, `@date@`.
 code@
 
 @c a | b c@      ← inline: same rule, and the close must be "c@"
+@c ls :w | wc c@ ← an option-shaped word and a bar are code too; only an
+                   option the klammer HAS (@c :nd | text c@) is read as one
 ```
 
 `@c` and `@code` are the in-line and block forms of the same thing. Code that
@@ -262,8 +265,8 @@ are the limited ones.
 
 | | |
 |---|---|
-| inline | `@i` italic, `@b` bold, `@t` typewriter, `@u` underline, `@s` sans, `@r` roman, `@ri` roman italic, `@c` inline code (literal; close `c@`), `@sup base \| script @`, `@sub`, `@ts scale \| text @` resize, `@color rgb :text`, `@typeface name \| text :scale @`, `@cjk` (needs an installed CJK typeface) |
-| structure | `@s1`…`@s7` numbered headings, `@h1`…`@h7` unnumbered, `@part`, `@preface`, `@par`, `@newpage`, `@vspace lines`, `@vfill`, `@nl` line break |
+| inline | `@i` italic, `@b` bold, `@t` typewriter, `@u` underline, `@s` sans, `@r` roman, `@ri` roman italic, `@c` inline code (literal; close `c@`), `@sup base \| script @`, `@sub`, `@ts scale \| text @` resize, `@color rgb :text`, `@typeface name \| text :scale :middle :lift @`, `@egyptian text @` (hieroglyphs, NewGardinerOmni, shipped), `@chinese text @` (needs Noto Serif SC installed: `kdesc --typeface install <dir>`) |
+| structure | `@s1`…`@s7` numbered headings (`:n 5` forces the number), `@h1`…`@h7` unnumbered, `@part`, `@preface`, `@par`, `@newpage`, `@vspace lines`, `@vfill`, `@nl` line break. Headings are numbered **only inside a `@document`**, in every target; a fragment's heading is its bare title |
 | blocks | `@code` (inline listing), `@source_listing file :marker P`, `@quote text \| attribution @`, `@note`, `@indent :left :right`, `@center`, `@right`, `@block to \| content @` (absolute placement), `@columns items :n @`, `@multicolumn text :n :gap @`, `@lines` |
 | lists | `@ul :bullet`, `@ol :initial`, `@define :style` term/definition, `@qa question \| answer @` — items separated by `\|` |
 | tables | `@table` — cells by `\|`, rows by `\|\|` (§6); `@rowcolor` |
@@ -275,13 +278,13 @@ are the limited ones.
 Bar depth is the dimension: one `|` separates items, two `||` separates rows.
 Argument order is free for options, fixed for positionals.
 
-**Coverage today** (`kdesc --coverage`; 89 klammers): html, tex and pdf cover
-nearly all. **txt and ansi cover 40**, among them `@b @i @t @u @s @r @ri @ts
+**Coverage today** (`kdesc --coverage`; 83 klammers): html, tex and pdf cover
+nearly all. **txt and ansi cover 60**, among them `@b @i @t @u @s @r @ri @ts
 @typeface`, `@s1`–`@s7`, `@par @newpage @vspace @vfill @nl`, `@indent @right
 @lines @qa`, `@ul @ol`, `@table @tbl @reference @define @left_right`,
-`@footnote @link`, `@date @datetime`, `@c`. Not for txt: `@code
-@source_listing @image @image_grid @quote @note @center @block @columns
-@multicolumn @sup @sub @color @h1`–`@h7`.
+`@footnote @link`, `@date @datetime`, `@c @code @source_listing @columns`,
+`@h1`–`@h7`. Not for txt: `@image @image_grid @quote @note @center @block
+@multicolumn @sup @sub @color`.
 `@u` has no html definition. A klammer applied under a target that lacks it is
 an **error**, never silently dropped.
 
@@ -311,6 +314,11 @@ the range (here: one sum per column).
 - `:cell_hpos l c r` per column; `:justify <cells> <pos>; …` per cell.
 - Lines: default under the header and at the bottom; `:hline`/`:vline`
   replace them (`all`, `none`, or indexed ranges); `:grid` for all lines.
+- Vertical rhythm, the same in html and pdf: **`:leading L`** is the row
+  height in lines of the surrounding text (default `1`: as dense as a
+  paragraph); **`:rulesep R`** is the space between a horizontal line and
+  the text either side, as a multiple of the standard amount (`0` = none;
+  a pdf table with vertical lines gets none).
 - `:colspan`/`:rowspan` with the indexed-range syntax; `:allow_break true`
   makes a page-breaking table (pdf).
 - `:calc` — `;`-separated `<row>(<col>) = <op> <operands>`, prefix `+ - * /`
@@ -331,7 +339,7 @@ the range (here: one sum per column).
 | `html` | a directory `<name>/` with `index.html`, `css/`, `fonts/`, `js/` | self-contained, fonts localized; `book` structure adds navigation, search |
 | `tex` | `<name>.tex` | XeLaTeX source; fonts via fontspec from the font store |
 | `pdf` | `<name>.pdf` | `tex` plus a xelatex run (TeX Live required) |
-| `txt` | `<name>.txt` | plain text filled to `Target_txt_width` (72), blocks indented by `Target_txt_indent` (3); tables ruled and padded; captions numbered; **40 of 89 klammers** (§5) |
+| `txt` | `<name>.txt` | plain text filled to `Target_txt_width` (72), blocks indented by `Target_txt_indent` (2); tables ruled and padded (`:leading`, `:rulesep` and `:colsep` have no meaning here: a row is a line of characters); `@c` set between `‹ ›` (`@c :nd \| text c@` omits them); listings flush left under their caption; headings numbered inside a `@document`; captions numbered per kind; **60 of 83 klammers** (§5) |
 | `ansi` | txt + SGR escape sequences | `@b`/`@i`/`@u` and table header styles shown by a terminal; **identical to txt once the escape sequences are stripped**; pick it with `-t ansi -d`; a terminal needs a font with an italic face (macOS Terminal: Menlo, not Monaco) |
 
 `k`, `o`, `*` also appear in `kdesc -t`: they are declaration pseudo-targets
@@ -344,10 +352,16 @@ quality of cached photographs, 85), `Target_txt_width`, `Target_txt_indent`,
 
 Typefaces: the **font store** is closed-world (no network). The distribution
 ships eb-garamond, crimson-pro, open-sans, source-sans-3, inconsolata,
-source-code-pro, noto-sans-egyptian-hieroglyphs, noto-sans-cuneiform (see
-`kdesc --typeface`); more are installed with `kdesc --typeface install <dir>`
-into `KLAMMERTEXT_FONTS`. An unknown typeface is an error listing the available
-ones. CJK is deliberately not shipped.
+source-code-pro, noto-sans-egyptian-hieroglyphs, noto-sans-cuneiform and
+newgardineromni (see `kdesc --typeface`); more are installed with
+`kdesc --typeface install <dir>` into `KLAMMERTEXT_FONTS`. An unknown typeface
+is an error listing the available ones. CJK is deliberately not shipped:
+`@chinese` errors until Noto Serif SC is installed, and `kdesc -u` says so.
+Two traps: a text font may carry OpenType features that rewrite plain text
+(EB Garamond sets `^9053^` as a raised 9053, since a caret before figures
+means superscript to it — show Klammertext codes in `@t` or `@c`, which are
+monospace); and the txt/ansi targets pass a `@typeface` through unchanged,
+so the terminal's own font decides what a script looks like there.
 
 ---
 
diff --git a/mac/ktype.cpp b/mac/ktype.cpp
index 15099a3..298361b 100644
--- a/mac/ktype.cpp
+++ b/mac/ktype.cpp
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 #include <iomanip>
 #include <algorithm>
 #include <utility>
+#include <stdexcept>
 
 #include "locator.h"
 #include "ktype.h"
@@ -43,127 +44,21 @@ bool is_deftype(katom_t type)
         type == katom_t::klammer_default;
 }
 
-std::string pattern_display(Ktype t)
+const Ktype& type_to_katom_instance(katom_t type)
 {
-    std::string pat{};
-    if (t.m_type == katom_t::space) {
-        pat = "<space>";
-    } else if (t.m_type == katom_t::newline) {
-        pat = "\\n";
-    } else if (t.m_type == katom_t::ws_space) {
-        pat = "#+ or #+<number>";
-    } else if (t.m_type == katom_t::ws_newline) {
-        pat = "#/ or #/<number>";
-    } else if (t.m_type == katom_t::special) {
-        pat = "^@,  ^|, ^#, ^:, or ^^";
-    } else if (t.m_type == katom_t::apply_end) {
-        pat = "@ or <name>@";
-    } else if (t.m_type == katom_t::define_end) {
-        pat = "@@ or <name>@@";
-    } else if (t.m_type == katom_t::machine_end) {
-        pat = "@@@ or <name>@@@";
-    } else if (t.m_type == katom_t::ws_added) {
-        pat = "<space> or \\n";
-    } else if (t.m_type == katom_t::word) {
-        pat = "<only-letters>";
-    } else if (t.m_type == katom_t::text) {
-        pat = "<no-special-chars>";
-    } else if (t.m_type == katom_t::nonascii) {
-        pat = "^<code> or ^<code>^";
-    } else {
-        pat = t.m_pattern;
-        pat = string_replace(pat, definition_name, "<name>");
-        pat = string_replace(pat, "\\", "");
+    auto var = std::find_if(katom_types.begin(), katom_types.end(),
+                            [&] (const Ktype& t) { return t.m_type == type; });
+    if (var == katom_types.end()) {
+        throw std::logic_error(
+            "type_to_katom_instance: katom type " +
+            std::to_string(static_cast<int>(type)) +
+            " has no entry in katom_types. See file mac/ktype.h.");
     }
-    return pat;
-}
-
-std::string regex_display(Ktype t)
-{
-    std::string rgx{};
-    if (t.m_type == katom_t::space) {
-        rgx = "<space>";
-    } else if (t.m_type == katom_t::newline) {
-        rgx = "\\n";
-    } else {
-        rgx = t.m_pattern;
-    }
-    return rgx;
-}
-
-Ktype find_katom_type(katom_t type)
-{
-    for (auto t : katom_types) {
-        if (t.m_type == type) {
-            return t;
-        }
-    }
-    throw Internal_error("Unknown katom_t: " + std::to_string((int)type));
-}
-
-void describe_katoms(bool show_regex)
-{
-    size_t name_w = 0;
-    size_t pattern_w = 0;
-    size_t regex_w = 0;
-    size_t description_w = 0;
-    std::stringstream ss {};
-    ss << R"(
-A "katom" is an individual element in the Klammertext input text.
-Each katom has a type, listed below. You can see how Klammertext
-divides up text into katoms with the "kdiag" command.)" << "\n\n";
-    if (show_regex) {
-        ss << R"(The "Regex" column is the argument to the std::regex C++ function.)";
-    } else {
-        ss << R"(In the katom patterns, "<name>" is a word that begins with a letter
-            and only contains letters, numbers, or the underscore (_) or period (.) characters. )";
-    }
-    ss << "A <number> is an integer greater than or equal to 1. "
-        "A <code> is one of the non-ASCII codes that are displayed by the command "
-        "\"kdesc -c\".";
-
-    for (auto t : katom_types) {
-        name_w = std::max(name_w, t.m_name.size());
-        pattern_w = std::max(pattern_w, pattern_display(t).size());
-        regex_w = std::max(regex_w, regex_display(t).size());
-        description_w = std::max(description_w, t.m_description.size());
-    }
-    pattern_w++;
-    regex_w++;
-
-    std::cout << justify(ss.str()) << "\n\n"
-              << std::setfill(' ') << boldblack << std::right << std::setw(6) << "Index"
-              << std::left
-              << std::setw(name_w) << " Name" << "  ";
-    if (show_regex) {
-        std::cout << std::setw(regex_w) << " Regex" << "   ";
-    } else {
-        std::cout << std::setw(pattern_w) << " Pattern" << "  ";
-    }
-    std::cout << std::setw(description_w) << "Description"
-              << "\n" << black;
-
-    for (auto typ : katom_type_display_order) {
-        auto t = find_katom_type(typ);
-        std::cout << " " << std::right << std::setw(3)
-                  << static_cast<int>(t.m_type) << "   "
-                  << std::left
-                  << std::setw(name_w) << t.m_name << "  ";
-        if (show_regex) {
-            std::cout << std::setw(regex_w) << regex_display(t) << "  ";
-        } else {
-            std::cout << std::setw(pattern_w) << pattern_display(t) << " ";
-        }
-
-        std::cout << std::setw(description_w) << t.m_description << "\n";
-    }
-    std::cout << "\n";
+    return *var;
 }
 
 
 std::string type_to_name(katom_t type)
 {
-    auto var = std::find_if(katom_types.begin(), katom_types.end(),
-                            [&] (Ktype t) { return t.m_type == type; });
-    return var->m_name;
+    return type_to_katom_instance(type).m_name;
 }
diff --git a/mac/ktype.h b/mac/ktype.h
index 02bcb56..0cd2af6 100644
--- a/mac/ktype.h
+++ b/mac/ktype.h
@@ -69,10 +69,10 @@ enum class katom_t {
     karg,
     machine_begin,
     machine_end,
+    ignore_line,
     ignore_begin,
     ignore_end,
     ignore_rest,
-    ignore_line,
     ws_remove,
     ws_space,
     ws_newline,
@@ -88,109 +88,67 @@ enum class katom_t {
 };
 
 
-inline const
-std::vector<katom_t> katom_type_display_order {
-    katom_t::space,
-    katom_t::word,
-    katom_t::newline,
-    katom_t::text, 
-    katom_t::apply_begin,
-    katom_t::apply_end,
-    katom_t::bar,
-    katom_t::double_bar,
-    katom_t::option_name,
-    katom_t::read_begin,
-    katom_t::eval_begin,
-    katom_t::cond_begin,
-    katom_t::define_begin,
-    katom_t::define_end,
-    katom_t::klammer_definition,
-    katom_t::klammer_instance,
-    katom_t::klammer_override,
-    katom_t::klammer_default,
-    katom_t::karg,
-    katom_t::machine_begin,
-    katom_t::machine_end,
-    katom_t::ignore_begin,
-    katom_t::ignore_end,
-    katom_t::ignore_rest,
-    katom_t::ignore_line,
-    katom_t::ws_remove,
-    katom_t::ws_space,
-    katom_t::ws_newline,
-    katom_t::special,
-    katom_t::nonascii,
-    katom_t::literal_begin,
-    katom_t::literal_end,
-    katom_t::ws_added,
-    katom_t::literal,
-    katom_t::eval_result,
-    katom_t::replaced,
-    katom_t::ignored
-};
-
 class Ktype;
 
 inline std::map<katom_t, std::string> katom_type_names {};
-inline std::map<katom_t, std::string> katom_type_descs {};
 inline std::vector<katom_t> katom_type_list {};
 
 class Ktype {
 public:
 //    Ktype() = default;
-    Ktype(katom_t type, std::string name, std::string pattern, std::string description, bool use_equal = false)
+    Ktype(katom_t type, std::string name, std::string pattern, bool use_equal = false)
             : m_type(type),
               m_name(name),
               m_pattern(pattern),
-              m_description(description),
               m_use_equal(use_equal),
               m_rgx(std::regex(pattern)) {
         katom_type_list.push_back(type);
         katom_type_names.insert({m_type, m_name});
-        katom_type_descs.insert({m_type, m_description});
     }
+    // A description used to be the fourth argument.  A string literal there
+    // would now convert to bool and silently set use_equal, so it is refused.
+    Ktype(katom_t, std::string, std::string, const char*) = delete;
     bool match(const std::string& s) const {
         return m_use_equal ? s == m_pattern : std::regex_match(s, m_rgx);
     }
     katom_t m_type;
     std::string m_name;
     std::string m_pattern;
-    std::string m_description;
     bool m_use_equal;
     std::regex m_rgx;
 };
 
 inline const
 std::vector<Ktype> katom_types {
-    Ktype(katom_t::space, "space", " ", "One space character", false),
-    Ktype(katom_t::word, "word", "[a-zA-Z]+", "Text only containing letters", false),
-    Ktype(katom_t::newline, "newline", "\n", "One newline character", false),
-    Ktype(katom_t::bar, "bar", "\\|", "Bar character used as positional argument separator", false),
-    Ktype(katom_t::double_bar, "double-bar", "\\|\\|", "Separator for compound positional arguments", false),
-    Ktype(katom_t::read_begin, "read-begin", at_s+read_s, "Beginning of the file input klammer", false),
-    Ktype(katom_t::eval_begin, "eval-begin", at_s+eval_s, "Beginning of the evaluation klammer", false),
-    Ktype(katom_t::cond_begin, "cond-begin", at_s+cond_s, "Beginning of the conditional (if/then/else) klammer", false),
-    Ktype(katom_t::apply_begin, "apply-begin", at_s + definition_name, "Beginning of a klammer call"),
-    Ktype(katom_t::apply_end, "apply-end", "(" + definition_name + ")?" + at_s, "End of a klammer call"),
-    Ktype(katom_t::option_name, "option-name", ":" + definition_name, "Optional argument name"),
-    Ktype(katom_t::define_begin, "define-begin", at2_s + definition_begin_name, "Beginning of a klammer definition"),
-    Ktype(katom_t::define_end, "define-end", "(" + definition_name + ")?" + at2_s, "End of a klammer definition"),
-    Ktype(katom_t::klammer_default, "klammer-default", "::::", "Define klammer default value for possible override"),
-    Ktype(katom_t::klammer_override, "klammer-override", ":::", "Override existing klammer definition"),
-    Ktype(katom_t::klammer_definition, "klammer-definition", ":", "Klammer definition, including parameters"),
-    Ktype(katom_t::klammer_instance, "klammer-instance", "::", "Klammer definition using previously defined parameters"),
+    Ktype(katom_t::space, "space", " ", false),
+    Ktype(katom_t::word, "word", "[a-zA-Z]+", false),
+    Ktype(katom_t::newline, "newline", "\n", false),
+    Ktype(katom_t::bar, "bar", "\\|", false),
+    Ktype(katom_t::double_bar, "double-bar", "\\|\\|", false),
+    Ktype(katom_t::read_begin, "read-begin", at_s+read_s, false),
+    Ktype(katom_t::eval_begin, "eval-begin", at_s+eval_s, false),
+    Ktype(katom_t::cond_begin, "cond-begin", at_s+cond_s, false),
+    Ktype(katom_t::apply_begin, "apply-begin", at_s + definition_name),
+    Ktype(katom_t::apply_end, "apply-end", "(" + definition_name + ")?" + at_s),
+    Ktype(katom_t::option_name, "option-name", ":" + definition_name),
+    Ktype(katom_t::define_begin, "define-begin", at2_s + definition_begin_name),
+    Ktype(katom_t::define_end, "define-end", "(" + definition_name + ")?" + at2_s),
+    Ktype(katom_t::klammer_default, "klammer-default", "::::"),
+    Ktype(katom_t::klammer_override, "klammer-override", ":::"),
+    Ktype(katom_t::klammer_definition, "klammer-definition", ":"),
+    Ktype(katom_t::klammer_instance, "klammer-instance", "::"),
 
-    Ktype(katom_t::karg, "klammer-arg", "\\*" + definition_name +"\\*", "Klammer argument in klammer body definition"),
-    Ktype(katom_t::machine_begin, "machine-begin", at3_s + definition_name, "Beginning of a processor modification definition"),
-    Ktype(katom_t::machine_end, "machine-end", "(" + definition_name + ")?" + at3_s, "End of a processor modification definition"),
-    Ktype(katom_t::ignore_begin, "ignore-begin", ignore_begin_s, "Beginning of text to remove"),
-    Ktype(katom_t::ignore_end, "ignore-end", ignore_end_s, "End of text to remove"),
-    Ktype(katom_t::ignore_rest, "ignore-rest", ignore_rest_s, "Remove all text to the end of file or string"),
-    Ktype(katom_t::ignore_line, "ignore-line", ignore_line_s, "Remove all text to the first newline, inclusive"),
-    Ktype(katom_t::ws_remove, "ws-remove", ws_remove_s, "Remove all whitespace at this point"),
-    Ktype(katom_t::ws_space, "ws-space", ws_space_s, "Remove all whitespace, leaving <number> spaces (default: 1)"),
-    Ktype(katom_t::ws_newline, "ws-newline", ws_newline_s, "Remove all whitespace, leaving <number> newlines (default: 1)"),
-    Ktype(katom_t::special, "special-char", R"(\^[@|#^:*])", "Klammertext special character treated as regular text"),
+    Ktype(katom_t::karg, "klammer-arg", "\\*" + definition_name +"\\*"),
+    Ktype(katom_t::machine_begin, "machine-begin", at3_s + definition_name),
+    Ktype(katom_t::machine_end, "machine-end", "(" + definition_name + ")?" + at3_s),
+    Ktype(katom_t::ignore_begin, "ignore-begin", ignore_begin_s),
+    Ktype(katom_t::ignore_end, "ignore-end", ignore_end_s),
+    Ktype(katom_t::ignore_rest, "ignore-rest", ignore_rest_s),
+    Ktype(katom_t::ignore_line, "ignore-line", ignore_line_s),
+    Ktype(katom_t::ws_remove, "ws-remove", ws_remove_s),
+    Ktype(katom_t::ws_space, "ws-space", ws_space_s),
+    Ktype(katom_t::ws_newline, "ws-newline", ws_newline_s),
+    Ktype(katom_t::special, "special-char", R"(\^[@|#^:*])"),
     //Ktype(katom_t::nonascii, "non-ascii-char", R"(\^\w(?:.|\^))", "Non-ASCII character"),
     // The second alternative is the "^...^" delimited form: a code point
     // (^263A^, 4-6 hex digits) OR a mnemonic (^s^, ^oe^).  Its character
@@ -207,26 +165,95 @@ std::vector<Ktype> katom_types {
     // decided there, by the tables, not here -- katomization's job is only to
     // recognize the shape.  A shape that resolves to no character at all is
     // a located error, raised at the end of encode().
-    Ktype(katom_t::nonascii, "non-ascii-char", R"((\^(\w(?:.|\^)))|(\^[A-Za-z0-9]{1,6}\^))", "Non-ASCII character"),
+    Ktype(katom_t::nonascii, "non-ascii-char", R"((\^(\w(?:.|\^)))|(\^[A-Za-z0-9]{1,6}\^))"),
 
     // Ktype(katom_t::word, "word", R"([a-z][a-z0-9_]*)", "Lower-case letters, numbers, or underscore"),
     // Ktype(katom_t::text, "text",
 
-    Ktype(katom_t::literal_begin, "literal-begin", R"(\^')", "Begin unprocessed text"),
-    Ktype(katom_t::literal_end, "literal-end", R"('\^)", "End unprocessed text"),
-    Ktype(katom_t::text, "text", R"([^^@#|]+)", "No special characters, whitespace, or \":\" at the beginning"), // spaces, @, #, |, or ^, 
+    Ktype(katom_t::literal_begin, "literal-begin", R"(\^')"),
+    Ktype(katom_t::literal_end, "literal-end", R"('\^)"),
+    Ktype(katom_t::text, "text", R"([^^@#|]+)"), // spaces, @, #, |, or ^, 
 
-    Ktype(katom_t::ws_added, "ws-added", "<space> or \\n", "Added whitespace characters from #+ and #/"),
-    Ktype(katom_t::literal, "literal", "", "Literal katom (changed from its original type by ^'...'^)"),
-    Ktype(katom_t::eval_result, "eval-result", "", "Katom produced by @eval klammer"),
+    Ktype(katom_t::ws_added, "ws-added", "<space> or \\n"),
+    Ktype(katom_t::literal, "literal", ""),
+    Ktype(katom_t::eval_result, "eval-result", ""),
     
-    Ktype(katom_t::replaced, "replaced", "", "A katom replaced by definitions, applications, or file input"),
-    Ktype(katom_t::ignored, "ignored", "", "A katom ignored by the action of a \"#\" katom"),
+    Ktype(katom_t::replaced, "replaced", ""),
+    Ktype(katom_t::ignored, "ignored", ""),
 //    Ktype(katom_t::undefined, "undefined", "", "Undefined pattern")
 };
 
 
+// The human-facing description of the katom types, and the ONLY one: class
+// Ktype above holds what the program needs (type, name, regex), this holds
+// what a reader is told, and katom_t joins them.  The pattern and the
+// description are Klammertext, rendered by katom_descriptions() in
+// ref/reflect.cpp (kdesc --katoms; a Handbook chapter).  A title is
+// Klammertext too, without styling -- the generator styles every title alike.
+//
+// The ORDER is the display order, from what every author meets to what only
+// a programmer does, and it is also the order of the katom_t enumerators:
+// the table's Index column is the enum value, which is the subscript kdiag
+// prints.  tst/ktype_test.cpp asserts both halves of the tie -- every type
+// in katom_types described exactly once, and the indices increasing.
+struct Katom_type_description {
+    katom_t m_type;
+    std::string m_pattern;
+    std::string m_description;
+};
 
+struct Katom_type_group {
+    std::string m_title;
+    std::vector<Katom_type_description> m_types;
+};
+
+inline const
+std::vector<Katom_type_group> katom_type_groups {
+    {"Plain text", {
+        {katom_t::space,              "@symb-space",                                     "One space character"},
+        {katom_t::word,               "@symb only-letters @",                            "Text only containing letters"},
+        {katom_t::newline,            "\\n",                                             "One newline character"},
+        {katom_t::text,               "@symb no-special-chars @",                        "No special characters, whitespace, or an initial colon"}}},
+    {"Klammer application", {
+        {katom_t::apply_begin,        "^@ #- @symb-name",                                "Beginning of a klammer call"},
+        {katom_t::apply_end,          "^@ @ri-or @symb-name #- ^@",                      "End of a klammer call"},
+        {katom_t::bar,                "^|",                                              "Bar character used as positional argument separator"},
+        {katom_t::double_bar,         "^|^|",                                            "Separator for compound positional arguments"},
+        {katom_t::option_name,        ": #- @symb-name",                                 "Name of an optional argument"},
+        {katom_t::read_begin,         "@t ^@read @",                                     "Beginning of the file input klammer"},
+        {katom_t::eval_begin,         "@t ^@eval @",                                     "Beginning of the evaluation klammer"},
+        {katom_t::cond_begin,         "@t ^@cond @",                                     "Beginning of the conditional (if/then/else) klammer"}}},
+    {"Klammer definition", {
+        {katom_t::define_begin,       "^@^@ #- @symb-name",                              "Beginning of a klammer definition"},
+        {katom_t::define_end,         "^@^@ @ri-or @symb-name #- ^@^@",                  "End of a klammer definition"},
+        {katom_t::klammer_definition, ":",                                               "Klammer definition, including parameters"},
+        {katom_t::klammer_instance,   "::",                                              "Klammer definition using previously defined parameters"},
+        {katom_t::klammer_override,   ":::",                                             "Override existing klammer definition"},
+        {katom_t::klammer_default,    "::::",                                            "Define klammer default value for possible override"},
+        {katom_t::karg,               "* #- @symb-name #- *",                            "Klammer argument in klammer body definition"}}},
+    {"System commands", {
+        {katom_t::machine_begin,      "^@^@^@ #- @symb-name",                            "Beginning of a system command"},
+        {katom_t::machine_end,        "^@^@^@ @ri-or @symb-name #- ^@^@^@",             "End of a system command"}}},
+    {"Text removal and whitespace", {
+        {katom_t::ignore_line,        "^#",                                              "Remove all text to the first newline, inclusive"},
+        {katom_t::ignore_begin,       "^#[",                                             "Beginning of text to remove"},
+        {katom_t::ignore_end,         "]^#",                                             "End of text to remove"},
+        {katom_t::ignore_rest,        "^#^#",                                            "Remove all text to the end of file or string"},
+        {katom_t::ws_remove,          "^#-",                                             "Remove all whitespace at this point"},
+        {katom_t::ws_space,           "^#+ @ri-or ^#+ #- @symb-n",                       "Remove all whitespace, leaving @symb-n spaces (default: 1)"},
+        {katom_t::ws_newline,         "^#/ @ri-or ^#/ #- @symb-n",                       "Remove all whitespace, leaving @symb-n newlines (default: 1)"}}},
+    {"Special characters and literal text", {
+        {katom_t::special,            "^@,  ^|, ^#, ^:, @ri-or ^^",                      "Klammertext special character treated as regular text"},
+        {katom_t::nonascii,           "^^ #- @symb-code @ri-or ^^ #- @symb-code #- ^^",  "Non-ASCII character"},
+        {katom_t::literal_begin,      "^^ #- '",                                         "Begin unprocessed text"},
+        {katom_t::literal_end,        "'#- ^^",                                          "End unprocessed text"}}},
+    {"Types assigned during processing", {
+        {katom_t::ws_added,           "@symb-space @ri-or \\n",                          "Added whitespace characters from @t ^#+ @ and @t ^#/ @"},
+        {katom_t::literal,            "@symb any-text @",                                "Literal katom (type changed by @t ^^ #- '...'#- ^^ @ #- )"},
+        {katom_t::eval_result,        "@symb any-text @",                                "Katom produced by @t ^@eval @ klammer"},
+        {katom_t::replaced,           "@symb any-text @",                                "A katom replaced by definitions or klammers"},
+        {katom_t::ignored,            "@symb any-text @",                                "A katom ignored by the action of a text-removal katom"}}}
+};
 
 inline const
 std::set<katom_t> printable_katom_types {
@@ -277,8 +304,7 @@ std::map<katom_t, katom_t> katom_spans {
 bool is_active(katom_t t);
 bool is_printable(katom_t type);
 
-void describe_katoms(bool show_regex = false);
-
 bool is_deftype(katom_t type);
 
+const Ktype& type_to_katom_instance(katom_t type);
 std::string type_to_name(katom_t type);
diff --git a/mac/machine.cpp b/mac/machine.cpp
index 87cd089..53fefe6 100644
--- a/mac/machine.cpp
+++ b/mac/machine.cpp
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+#include <algorithm>
 #include <set>
 #include <utility>
 #include "machine.h"
@@ -402,11 +403,19 @@ void Machine::mark_literal_klammer_content(katom_list& katoms)
         // Find where literal content starts.
         // Skip bars_before_literal bars (separating preceding positional args).
         // If options are present, skip past the bar after them.
-        // Options are identified by :name katoms before any bar.
+        // Options are identified by :name katoms before any bar -- but only
+        // a name THE KLAMMER DECLARES.  Any ":word" counted until 2026-09-20,
+        // so code holding one before a bar ("@c ls :w | wc c@", a regex's
+        // "(?:a|b)") had its text up to the bar taken for options and the
+        // file failed with 'Optional argument ":w" not defined' -- an error
+        // about an option the author never wrote, in content that is
+        // promised to be read as nothing but text.
+        const auto& optional_names = klammer.m_parameters.m_optional_names;
         auto literal_start = k + 1;
         bool has_options = false;
         for (auto j = k + 1; j < close; ++j) {
-            if (j->m_type == katom_t::option_name) {
+            if (j->m_type == katom_t::option_name &&
+                std::ranges::count(optional_names, std::string(j->m_text, 1)) > 0) {
                 has_options = true;
             }
             if (j->m_type == katom_t::bar) {
diff --git a/ref/ref.k b/ref/ref.k
index 30a8ba5..8b123c0 100644
--- a/ref/ref.k
+++ b/ref/ref.k
@@ -36,3 +36,15 @@
 
 @@argtype_definitions.* ::
   @eval :cpp *KLAMMERTEXT_HOME*/ref/reflect argtype_definitions @ @@
+
+@@katom_descriptions.k :regex.bool :txt_width.uint :
+  Describe the katom types, in groups, with the informal pattern of each.
+  With ^:regex a further column shows the regular expression a katom is
+  matched by.  ^:txt_width is the width of the table in characters under the
+  txt and ansi targets, where a table cannot be wider than the text: it
+  widens the table alone, and the text around it keeps Target_txt_width. @@
+
+@@symb s : @ri ⟨*s*⟩ @ @@
+
+@@katom_descriptions.* ::
+  @eval :cpp *KLAMMERTEXT_HOME*/ref/reflect katom_descriptions @ @@
diff --git a/ref/reflect.cpp b/ref/reflect.cpp
index baef41d..2e9ae3e 100644
--- a/ref/reflect.cpp
+++ b/ref/reflect.cpp
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 #include "error.h"
 #include "show.h"
 #include "font_store.h"
+#include "ktype.h"
 
 // extern "C" is needed for dlsym name lookup. Returning std::string from
 // C-linkage functions is technically non-standard but works correctly on
@@ -191,3 +192,101 @@ std::string argtype_definitions(Machine& machine)
     kt << "define@\n\n";
     return kt.str();
 }
+
+
+// The Regex cell of a katom type.  A type the Machine assigns is matched by
+// no regex and its cell is empty -- ws_added among them, whose m_pattern is a
+// description and not a regex (see the note in mac/katom_matching.cpp).  The
+// two whitespace types are named, since "@c   c@" would show nothing.
+static std::string katom_regex_cell(const Ktype& k)
+{
+    if (k.m_pattern.empty() || k.m_type == katom_t::ws_added) {
+        return "";
+    }
+    if (k.m_type == katom_t::space) {
+        return "@symb-space";
+    }
+    if (k.m_type == katom_t::newline) {
+        return "@t \\n @";
+    }
+    // A literal value has its caret forms processed as it is built, so a
+    // caret is written quoted: bare, "[^^@#|]+" would display as "[^@#|]+"
+    // and "[@|#^:*]" would lose its caret to the colon.
+    // The exception is a caret before an apostrophe: "^'" is not a quoting
+    // form (it opens a literal span elsewhere) and passes through as written.
+    std::string quoted {};
+    for (size_t i = 0; i < k.m_pattern.size(); i++) {
+        const char c = k.m_pattern[i];
+        const bool before_apostrophe = i + 1 < k.m_pattern.size() && k.m_pattern[i + 1] == '\'';
+        quoted += (c == '^' && !before_apostrophe) ? "^^" : std::string(1, c);
+    }
+    return "@c :nd | " + quoted + " c@";
+}
+
+extern "C"
+std::string katom_descriptions([[maybe_unused]] Machine& machine)
+{
+    std::stringstream kt {};
+    kt << R"(
+A ``katom'' is an individual element in the Klammertext input text.  Each katom
+has a type, listed below. You can see how Klammertext divides up text into
+katoms with the @t-kdiag command.
+
+In the katom patterns, @symb-name is a word that begins with a letter and only
+contains letters, numbers, or the underscore (_) or period (.) characters.  The
+@symb-n symbol is an integer greater than or equal to 1.  The @symb-code symbol
+is one of the codes used with the @t ^^ @ character to create characters that
+are not available in the English alphabet.  The codes for producing those
+characters can be displayed by the @t-kdesc command: @t kdesc -c -u @
+
+)";
+    // ":txt_width N" widens the TABLE alone.  This text is re-read by a
+    // Machine of its own (Eval::eval), so a @@@state here changes the width
+    // the @table below is laid out to and nothing else: the prose above
+    // leaves that Machine as plain text and is filled to the caller's width
+    // by the caller's phases, which skip the table because it is laid out.
+    const std::string txt_width = machine.m_state.value("txt_width", false);
+    if (!txt_width.empty()) {
+        kt << "@@@state Target_txt_width :replace " << txt_width << " @@@\n";
+    }
+    const bool show_regex = machine.m_state.value("regex", false) == "true";
+
+    // The rows first, so that the rules can be placed by the number of rows
+    // before them (the header is the first): one above each group's title
+    // and one below it, which is what marks the row as a title.  The first
+    // group needs none above: "head" already rules the header off.
+    const std::string b = " | ";
+    const std::string title_cells = show_regex ? b + b + b + b : b + b + b;
+    std::stringstream rows {};
+    std::stringstream hlines {};
+    int row_count = 1;
+    for (const auto& group : katom_type_groups) {
+        if (row_count > 1) {
+            hlines << " " << row_count;
+        }
+        rows << title_cells << "@i " << group.m_title << " @ ||\n";
+        row_count++;
+        hlines << " " << row_count;    // ... and one below the title
+        for (const auto& type : group.m_types) {
+            const Ktype& k = type_to_katom_instance(type.m_type);
+            rows << static_cast<int>(k.m_type) << b << k.m_name << b << type.m_pattern << b;
+            if (show_regex) {
+                rows << katom_regex_cell(k) << b;
+            }
+            rows << type.m_description << " ||\n";
+            row_count++;
+        }
+    }
+    kt << "@table "
+       << ":number false "
+       << ":hline head bottom" << hlines.str() << " :leading .95 ";
+    if (show_regex) {
+        kt << ":cell_hpos c l :style r r t t r :column_width fit fit fit fit fill |\n"
+           << "Index | Name | Pattern | Regex | Description ||\n";
+    } else {
+        kt << ":cell_hpos c l :style r r t r :column_width fit fit fit fill |\n"
+           << "Index | Name | Pattern | Description ||\n";
+    }
+    kt << rows.str() << "table@\n";
+    return kt.str();
+}
diff --git a/sks/code/code.k b/sks/code/code.k
index 48ac665..9b126f3 100644
--- a/sks/code/code.k
+++ b/sks/code/code.k
@@ -13,15 +13,16 @@ katom when no bar is written, "^@code :filename f :pattern p" DISPLAYED THOSE
 WORDS as the listing rather than acting on them.
 @@
 
-@@code.html,tex :: @eval code_block.Code(K) @ @@
+@@code.html,tex,txt :: @eval code_block.Code(K) @ @@
 
-@@c.k code_text.literal :
+@@c.k :nd.bool | code_text.literal :
 A word or phrase displayed verbatim in a line.  Like ^@code, its content is
 LITERAL -- nothing in it is interpreted as Klammertext -- so it must be closed
 with the named delimiter "c^@".  ^@c is the in-line form and ^@code the block
 form of the same thing; before 2026-08-16 this parameter was an ordinary
 string, so a "^#" or a bare "^@" inside it was read as Klammertext and usually
 failed the file, which is not what "verbatim" can mean.
+If :nd (no delimiters) is true, then the txt target delimiters are excluded.
 @@
 
 @@c.html,tex,txt :: @eval code_block.Code_fragment(K) eval@
@@ -44,4 +45,4 @@ quietly different listing.
 
 Named "^@source_file" until 2026-08-16.  # retired-ok
 @@
-@@source_listing.html,tex :: @eval :cwd *K_input_dir* code_block.Source(K) @ @@
+@@source_listing.html,tex,txt :: @eval :cwd *K_input_dir* code_block.Source(K) @ @@
diff --git a/sks/code/code_block.py b/sks/code/code_block.py
index 0d93572..7bf7b91 100644
--- a/sks/code/code_block.py
+++ b/sks/code/code_block.py
@@ -5,11 +5,13 @@
 
 import re
 import klammer_base
+import kutil
 import html_util
+import txt_util
+import phases
 from html_util import E
 import latex_util as L
 
-
 def escape_newlines(s):
     # A newline becomes the marker the html paragraph pass turns back into a
     # line break, so a verbatim source file keeps its lines.  Used by Source.
@@ -119,7 +121,13 @@ def tex_line(line):
     a monospace font, which LaTeX will not collapse -- so the code's
     indentation and internal alignment survive.
     """
-    return quote_specials(escape_latex(line)).replace(" ", "~")
+    # An apostrophe is hidden as a marker: after a quoted caret it would
+    # otherwise read back as "^" + "^'", the opening of a literal span, and
+    # "@c \^' c@" -- the regex of that very katom -- failed the document
+    # with a span that does not end.  html_line hides it with the other
+    # typographic characters; the marker decodes to the plain character.
+    quoted = quote_specials(escape_latex(line)).replace("'", klammer_base.escape_ktesc("'"))
+    return quoted.replace(" ", "~")
 
 def widest_line(lines):
     r"""The line to measure the block's width with.
@@ -325,12 +333,64 @@ class Code(klammer_base.Klammer_base):
         # As in tex: the caption goes through the shared helper, so it sits
         # in the same position container as the listing and moves with it.
         if self.number or self.caption:
+            # A left-placed (or flowing) listing's caption is flush with it,
+            # as in tex, where such a listing is unboxed and its caption a
+            # paragraph on the same indent; a centred or right-placed one is
+            # boxed there and its caption centred over the box, which is
+            # the helper's default here too.
+            align = "left" if self.hpos in ("left", "none") else None
             return html_util.add_caption(
                 listing, "Listing", self.number, self.caption,
                 self.caption_style, self.hpos, self.caption_side, True,
-                self.caption_size, offset=self.offset)
+                self.caption_size, offset=self.offset, caption_align=align)
         return html_util.hpos_container(listing, self.hpos, self.offset).str()
 
+    def txt_indent(self):
+        # The block's indent in columns, by @table's rule: a left- or
+        # right-placed block is inset by its :offset (0 = flush), ":hpos
+        # none" flows with no indent, and "center" -- not attempted in plain
+        # text -- keeps the block convention, Target_txt_indent.
+        if self.hpos in ("left", "right"):
+            return int(kutil.parse_width("txt", self.offset)[0])
+        if self.hpos == "none":
+            return 0
+        return int(self.Target_txt_indent)
+
+    def txt(self):
+        # The listing is LAID OUT here, line by line, and says so with the
+        # verbatim marker (phases.txt_lay_out) so the justification pass
+        # leaves it alone -- a blank line in the code included, which holds
+        # a marker and therefore does not end the paragraph.
+        #
+        # Each line is prepared exactly as txt()'s inline sibling prepares a
+        # fragment: the Klammertext specials QUOTED, because this result is
+        # re-read as Klammertext (raw, a "#" removed the rest of its line and
+        # a "code@" in a quoted source file closed the document's own span:
+        # "A named end katom does not match"), and the typographic characters
+        # hidden, so "--x" stays two hyphens.  Spaces become the nbsp marker
+        # AFTER that, not "~": hide_typographic has already hidden the
+        # code's own tildes, and a "~" written here would be turned into a
+        # space by the txt target's transform only as long as it survived.
+        lines = self.text.strip("\n").split("\n")
+        indent = txt_util.NBSP * self.txt_indent()
+        def prepared(line):
+            line = klammer_base.hide_typographic(quote_specials(line.rstrip()))
+            return line.replace(" ", txt_util.NBSP)
+        width = max(len(line.rstrip()) for line in lines)
+        rule = indent + klammer_base.hide_typographic("-" * width)
+        body = [indent + prepared(line) for line in lines]
+        # A caption above the listing is ruled off by the caption pass, so
+        # the listing draws its own top rule only when nothing does.
+        captioned = self.number or self.caption
+        caption_above = captioned and self.caption_side in ("top", "left")
+        if not caption_above:
+            body.insert(0, rule)
+        body.append(rule)
+        result = phases.txt_lay_out("\n".join(body))
+        return txt_util.add_caption(
+            result, "Listing", self.number, self.caption, self.caption_side,
+            self.txt_indent())
+
 
 class Code_fragment(klammer_base.Klammer_base):
     def __init__(self, K):
@@ -356,10 +416,13 @@ class Code_fragment(klammer_base.Klammer_base):
         # without a beginning) and the typographically active characters
         # hidden, so a "--" in code stays two hyphens.
         result = klammer_base.hide_typographic(quote_specials(self.code_text.strip()))
-        # Surround code symbols with ‹ and ›, though there are conflicts in Swiss
-        # German, Italian and some Scandinavian languages. Should be clear in
-        # context, though.
-        result = "\u2039" + result + "\u203A"
+
+        # If *nd* ("no delimiters) is false (the default), surround code symbols
+        # with the characters ‹ and ›. There are conflicts in Swiss German,
+        # Italian and some Scandinavian languages, but the meaning should be
+        # clear in context.
+        if not self.nd:
+            result = "\u2039" + result + "\u203A"
         return result
 
 def extract_marked_region(src, marker, filename):
@@ -424,6 +487,9 @@ class Source(Code):
         # not exist until the file has been read.  File content carries no
         # whitespace markers anyway, since those come from the katomizer.
         klammer_base.Klammer_base.__init__(self, K)
+        # The filename arrives with the target's escapes as markers -- under
+        # tex an underscore is one -- and a marker names no file.
+        self.filename = klammer_base.unescape_ktesc(self.filename)
         try:
             with open(self.filename) as fp:
                 text = fp.read()
diff --git a/sks/code/css/code.css b/sks/code/css/code.css
index 6ba7afb..b3e53b3 100644
--- a/sks/code/css/code.css
+++ b/sks/code/css/code.css
@@ -30,7 +30,11 @@
 .code_block {
     display: flex;
     align-items: center;
-    margin: 0 0 0 1rem;
+    /* No left margin: it was 1rem, an html-only inset with no tex
+       counterpart, which set the code a rem to the right of its own
+       flush-left caption and of the same listing's pdf.  A listing's
+       inset is :offset, in both targets (the hpos_margin precedent). */
+    margin: 0;
     padding: 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/sks/font/css/font.css b/sks/font/css/font.css
index f0e5192..ff30501 100644
--- a/sks/font/css/font.css
+++ b/sks/font/css/font.css
@@ -4,6 +4,14 @@
     --serif: Libre Baskerville, serif;
     --sans-serif: Open Sans, sans-serif;
     --monospace:  Inconsolata, monospace;
+    /* The pitch of a line of body text, in em of the NOMINAL font size.
+       It is 1.5 rather than LaTeX's 1.2 because font-size-adjust (below)
+       draws the type larger than its nominal size -- EB Garamond by a
+       fifth -- and line-height is computed from the nominal one.  It is
+       the html counterpart of \baselineskip, and a klammer whose spacing
+       is stated in lines of text multiplies THIS (@table :leading), so a
+       table and the paragraphs around it cannot drift apart. */
+    --text_line_height: 1.5;
 }
 
 body {
@@ -32,7 +40,7 @@ h1, h2, h3, h4, h5 {
    place); this file assigns only the family. */
 
 p {
-    line-height: 1.5;
+    line-height: var(--text_line_height);
 }
 
 .plain {
diff --git a/sks/kutil/kutil.k b/sks/kutil/kutil.k
index 78e609f..d2d5665 100644
--- a/sks/kutil/kutil.k
+++ b/sks/kutil/kutil.k
@@ -195,7 +195,7 @@ other structures. The ^:offset is used only if the ^:hpos value is "left" or
   :number.bool true
   :caption_side.side
   :caption_style.style_code i
-  :caption_size.float .9
+  :caption_size.float 1
 : Arguments that define a caption for a block element.
 @@
 
diff --git a/sks/section/section.k b/sks/section/section.k
index fc7208f..b9dc463 100644
--- a/sks/section/section.k
+++ b/sks/section/section.k
@@ -2,8 +2,8 @@
 # the front and back matter of a book):
 
 @@section_args.o :id :n.int -1 :
-  Common arguments for section headings.  If *n* is not the default, it is used
-  as the section number.
+  Common arguments for section headings.  If *n* is not the default,
+  it is used as the section number.
 @@
 
 @@preface.k :id :name Preface : Preface text @@
diff --git a/sks/table/css/table.css b/sks/table/css/table.css
index 81d9eff..bcd8568 100644
--- a/sks/table/css/table.css
+++ b/sks/table/css/table.css
@@ -58,8 +58,21 @@ td {
     --cell-border:  1px black solid;
 }
 
+/* The space between a rule and the text on either side of it: a cell is
+   padded on the side that CARRIES the rule, so a row with no rule is
+   untouched, a partial :hline pads only the cells it crosses, and the
+   table's outer rules are padded on the inner side alone.  The amounts
+   began as booktabs' defaults (0.4ex above a rule, 0.65ex below one) and
+   were tuned by eye, 2026-09-20: half of the space below moved above, so
+   0.725ex above and 0.325ex below, the total unchanged.  The tex target's
+   pair is in table.py (TEX_RULE_ABOVE/_BELOW) and differs on purpose -- a
+   TeX row and an html row distribute their own height differently around
+   the text.  --rulesep is @table's :rulesep, a multiplier, set on the
+   <table> by table.py.  "ex" is the x-height as RENDERED
+   (font-size-adjust), so the space tracks the visible type. */
 .Bt {
     border-top: var(--cell-border);
+    padding-top: calc(var(--rulesep, 1) * 0.325ex);
 }
 
 .Br {
@@ -68,6 +81,7 @@ td {
 
 .Bb {
     border-bottom: var(--cell-border);
+    padding-bottom: calc(var(--rulesep, 1) * 0.725ex);
 }
 
 .Bl {
diff --git a/sks/table/table.k b/sks/table/table.k
index 0258e92..0665329 100644
--- a/sks/table/table.k
+++ b/sks/table/table.k
@@ -213,7 +213,8 @@
   :calc.table_calc
   :format.table_format
   :decimal.decimal_mark
-  :leading.float 1.3
+  :leading.float 1.0
+  :rulesep.float 1
   :colsep 4pt
   :
 A table of rows of cells.  The cells of a row are separated by "|" and the
@@ -226,6 +227,15 @@ draw lines, ^:colspan and ^:rowspan merge cells, ^:justify and ^:cell_hpos
 place text within them, ^:calc computes cells from other cells and ^:format
 formats them, and ^:hpos and ^:offset place the whole table in the text
 column.
+
+^:leading is the height of a row in lines of the surrounding text, the same
+in html and pdf.  ^:rulesep is the space between a horizontal line and the
+text on either side of it, as a multiple of the standard amount (slightly
+more below a line than above it); 0 sets the lines against the rows.  The
+lines at the top and the bottom of the table are spaced on their inner side
+only.  A table with vertical lines gets no such space in a pdf, where it
+would break them.  Neither argument has a meaning in plain text, where a row
+is a line of characters and a horizontal line already has a line to itself.
 @@
 
 @@table.html,tex,txt :: @eval table.Table(K) eval@ @@
diff --git a/sks/table/table.py b/sks/table/table.py
index a34b9ab..722fa19 100644
--- a/sks/table/table.py
+++ b/sks/table/table.py
@@ -575,23 +575,39 @@ class Table(klammer_base.Klammer_base):
         # would wrap it as a stray <p> inside the table.
         return E("colgroup").body(cols.strip(), newline=False).str(), layout, table_width
 
-    def html_style(self):
-        # :leading and :colsep under html (2026-09-18; both were tex-only).
-        # \arraystretch multiplies the row strut, which is \baselineskip,
-        # 1.2 times the font size -- so :leading L is a 1.2 L em row, and
-        # the html equivalent is that line-height on the table, inherited
-        # by every cell.  The cells' vertical padding went with it
-        # (table.css): an html-only extra with no tex counterpart, which
-        # kept a :leading 1 table 0.3rem looser per row than its pdf.
-        # :colsep is a custom property the td rule reads for its horizontal
-        # padding (padding does not inherit); the flush-edge classes still
-        # zero the outer ones.  Measured 2026-09-18: rows of :leading 1 and
-        # :leading 2 in the ratio 1:2 in both targets.
-        line_height = f"{1.2 * float(self.leading):.4g}"
+    def html_style(self, layout=""):
+        # The WHOLE style attribute of the <table>, written once: "layout" is
+        # the width declarations the caller has worked out (max-width for a
+        # fill table, table-layout/width for fractions).  E.attr() appends,
+        # so a second .attr("style", ...) made a second attribute, which a
+        # browser discards -- from 2026-09-18, when this function arrived,
+        # to 2026-09-20 every width declaration was lost that way.
+        # :leading and :colsep under html.  ":leading L" is L times the pitch
+        # of a line of the surrounding TEXT, in every target.  tex has that
+        # by construction: \arraystretch multiplies the row strut, which is
+        # the \baselineskip in force.  The html counterpart of \baselineskip
+        # is --text_line_height (font.css, 1.5), so the table's line-height
+        # is L times that, inherited by every cell.  It was 1.2 L from
+        # 2026-09-18 to 09-20, LaTeX's ratio of \baselineskip to font size:
+        # wrong in html, where font-size-adjust draws the type larger than
+        # the nominal size line-height is computed from, so a :leading 1
+        # table sat 16% tighter than the paragraphs around it (measured:
+        # 20.2px rows beside 24px text, where the pdf had 14.2pt beside
+        # 14.2pt).  The fallback serves a fragment without the stylesheet.
+        # The cells have no vertical padding (table.css): an html-only extra
+        # with no tex counterpart.  :colsep is a custom property the td rule
+        # reads for its horizontal padding (padding does not inherit); the
+        # flush-edge classes still zero the outer ones.
+        line_height = f"calc({float(self.leading):.4g} * var(--text_line_height, 1.5))"
         # Hidden: the result is re-read and the html target's transforms
         # would turn the property's "--" into an en dash (font.py's trap).
-        return klammer_base.hide_typographic(
-            f"line-height: {line_height}; --colsep: {self.colsep}")
+        # :rulesep is a custom property too: the .Bt/.Bb rules (table.css)
+        # read it for the padding on the side of a cell that carries a rule.
+        style = (f"line-height: {line_height}; --colsep: {self.colsep}; "
+                 f"--rulesep: {float(self.rulesep):.4g}")
+        if layout:
+            style += "; " + layout.strip().rstrip(";")
+        return klammer_base.hide_typographic(style)
 
     def html(self):
         result = ""
@@ -610,8 +626,10 @@ class Table(klammer_base.Klammer_base):
             # algorithm), matching the tex \ratio division.  The max-width
             # cap goes on the caption wrapper when there is one (the table's
             # own percentage would be circular in a shrink-to-fit wrapper).
-            result = E("table").body(result).attr("style", self.html_style())
-            if self.number or self.caption:
+            captioned = self.number or self.caption
+            result = E("table").body(result).attr(
+                "style", self.html_style("" if captioned else "max-width: 100%"))
+            if captioned:
                 result = html_util.add_caption(
                     result, "Table", self.number, self.caption,
                     self.caption_style, hpos=self.hpos,
@@ -619,17 +637,19 @@ class Table(klammer_base.Klammer_base):
                     font_size=self.caption_size, max_width="100%",
                     offset=self.offset)
             else:
-                result.attr("style", "max-width: 100%")
                 result = html_util.hpos_container(result, self.hpos, self.offset).str()
             return result
         colgroup, layout, table_width = self.html_colgroup()
-        result = E("table").body(colgroup + result).attr("style", self.html_style())
-        if self.number or self.caption:
+        captioned = self.number or self.caption
+        table_layout = ""
+        if table_width:
+            table_layout = f"{layout}width: " + ("100%" if captioned else table_width)
+        result = E("table").body(colgroup + result).attr(
+            "style", self.html_style(table_layout))
+        if captioned:
             # The caption wrapper carries the width (a percentage on the
             # shrink-to-fit wrapper itself would be circular) and the table
             # fills it -- which also makes the caption track the table.
-            if table_width:
-                result.attr("style", f"{layout}width: 100%")
             result = html_util.add_caption(
                 result, "Table", self.number, self.caption, self.caption_style,
                 hpos=self.hpos, side=self.caption_side,
@@ -638,8 +658,6 @@ class Table(klammer_base.Klammer_base):
         else:
             # An uncaptioned table still gets the position container, so
             # html and tex agree on where the table sits.
-            if table_width:
-                result.attr("style", f"{layout}width: {table_width}")
             result = html_util.hpos_container(result, self.hpos, self.offset).str()
         return result
 
@@ -761,9 +779,32 @@ class Table(klammer_base.Klammer_base):
         # print("tex_column_spec:", "".join(parts))
         return "".join(parts)
 
+    TEX_RULE_ABOVE = 0.4     # ex; booktabs' \aboverulesep
+    TEX_RULE_BELOW = 0.35 # 468   # ex; booktabs' \belowrulesep (0.65) less 20%, less 10%
+
+    def tex_rule_separations(self, top, bottom):
+        # The space above and below a rule, as booktabs' \specialrule and
+        # \cmidrule take them: :rulesep times TEX_RULE_ABOVE/_BELOW.  They
+        # began as booktabs' defaults (0.4ex above a rule, 0.65ex below) and
+        # were tuned by eye, per target, 2026-09-20 (Andy): the amounts that
+        # LOOK alike differ, because a TeX row carries its strut's depth
+        # under the text and an html row its half-leading.  The html pair is
+        # in table.css (.Bt/.Bb).  The table's outer rules are padded on the
+        # INNER side only.
+        rulesep = float(self.rulesep)
+        above = "0pt" if top else f"{self.TEX_RULE_ABOVE * rulesep:.4g}ex"
+        below = "0pt" if bottom else f"{self.TEX_RULE_BELOW * rulesep:.4g}ex"
+        return above, below
+
     def tex_hline(self, index):
-        # Contiguous cell borders coalesce into single \cline runs; a
-        # full-width line becomes \hline.
+        # Contiguous cell borders coalesce into single rule runs.  The rules
+        # are booktabs' -- an \hline sits flush against the strut of the
+        # rows on either side, and the only way to open space there is a
+        # strut in every neighbouring row -- EXCEPT in a table with vertical
+        # lines: a booktabs rule is set between rows, so it breaks every
+        # vertical line it crosses (its author provides for none), and such
+        # a table keeps \hline/\cline and gets no space at its rules.
+        top = index == 0
         bottom = index == self.row_count
         if bottom:
             index -= 1
@@ -773,7 +814,11 @@ class Table(klammer_base.Klammer_base):
             # No line through the interior of a merged (rowspan) cell.
             flags = [flag and (index, col_i) not in self.rowspan_covered
                      for col_i, flag in enumerate(flags)]
+        spaced = not self.s_vline.by_index and float(self.rulesep) > 0
+        above, below = self.tex_rule_separations(top, bottom)
         if flags and all(flags):
+            if spaced:
+                return f"\\specialrule{{\\arrayrulewidth}}{{{above}}}{{{below}}}\n"
             return "\\hline\n"
         hline = ""
         start = None
@@ -781,7 +826,10 @@ class Table(klammer_base.Klammer_base):
             if flag and start is None:
                 start = i
             elif not flag and start is not None:
-                hline += f"\\cline{{{start + 1}-{i}}} "
+                if spaced:
+                    hline += f"\\cmidrule[\\arrayrulewidth]{{{start + 1}-{i}}} "
+                else:
+                    hline += f"\\cline{{{start + 1}-{i}}} "
                 start = None
         return hline.strip() + "\n"
 
@@ -1063,7 +1111,7 @@ class Table(klammer_base.Klammer_base):
         if len(rows) in self.s_hline.by_index:
             result += rule
         result = txt_util.add_caption(
-            result, "Table", self.number, self.caption, self.caption_side, \
-            int(self.Target_txt_indent))
+            result, "Table", self.number, self.caption, self.caption_side,
+            len(indent) // len(txt_util.NBSP))
         return result
 
diff --git a/sks/target/css/target.css b/sks/target/css/target.css
index 71eaed6..bfb9e2f 100644
--- a/sks/target/css/target.css
+++ b/sks/target/css/target.css
@@ -103,6 +103,18 @@
     font-style: italic;
 }
 
+/* A caption flush with its element's left edge (html_util.add_caption,
+   caption_align "left"): @code's caption when the listing is placed left,
+   as the tex target sets it.  AFTER the two rules above, which it must
+   override at equal specificity. */
+.caption_flush_left {
+    align-items: flex-start;
+}
+
+.caption_flush_left .caption {
+    text-align: left;
+}
+
 .caption_left {
     display: inline-flex;
     flex-direction: row;
diff --git a/sks/target/html_util.py b/sks/target/html_util.py
index 0463971..1a7ed80 100644
--- a/sks/target/html_util.py
+++ b/sks/target/html_util.py
@@ -238,7 +238,12 @@ def hpos_container(element, hpos, offset=None):
 
 def add_caption(element, caption_label, number, caption_text,
                 font_symbol="i", hpos="center", side="bottom", as_string=True,
-                font_size=.9, width=None, max_width=None, offset=None):
+                font_size=.9, width=None, max_width=None, offset=None,
+                caption_align=None):
+    # caption_align "left" sets the caption flush with the element's left
+    # edge, where the default centres it over the element: a caption above
+    # a left-placed listing, which the tex target sets as a paragraph on the
+    # listing's own indent.
     tag = element_tag(element)
     # Caption
     caption = ""
@@ -276,6 +281,8 @@ def add_caption(element, caption_label, number, caption_text,
         #print("-"*80)
 
         element = E("div").cls("caption_" + side).attr("data-label", caption_label).body(element)
+        if caption_align == "left" and side in {"top", "bottom"}:
+            element.cls("caption_flush_left")
         if width:
             # The element's width (e.g. a table's :column_width total) lives
             # on this wrapper: the element fills it, and the caption tracks
diff --git a/sks/target/phases.py b/sks/target/phases.py
index e57ff2e..1909754 100644
--- a/sks/target/phases.py
+++ b/sks/target/phases.py
@@ -147,6 +147,36 @@ def tex_nl_marker():
 def tex_resolve_markers(text, K):
     return text.replace(tex_nl_marker(), "\\newline")
 
+def txt_runs(par):
+    """A paragraph as runs of lines: [(laid_out, text), ...].
+
+    "Laid out or prose" was decided ONCE per paragraph, by its first line,
+    so a laid-out block written directly after prose -- no blank line
+    between them -- was re-flowed with it, every one of its lines marked
+    or not: a generator whose prose ran straight into its @table put the
+    table's header on the last line of the sentence (2026-09-20).  A blank
+    line should not be what protects a block that has already said, line
+    by line, that it is laid out.
+
+    So a line that BEGINS WITH THE VERBATIM MARKER is laid out wherever it
+    stands, and the paragraph divides into runs at each change.  Only the
+    marker divides: it is explicit and per line (txt_lay_out).  A leading
+    space or nbsp keeps the older, whole-paragraph meaning and only on the
+    FIRST line, since a later line of prose may legitimately begin with
+    one (a footnote's hanging indent).
+    """
+    if par.startswith((" ", txt_nbsp_marker())):
+        return [(True, par)]
+    mark = txt_verbatim_marker()
+    runs = []
+    for line in par.split("\n"):
+        laid_out = line.startswith(mark)
+        if runs and runs[-1][0] == laid_out:
+            runs[-1][1].append(line)
+        else:
+            runs.append((laid_out, [line]))
+    return [(laid_out, "\n".join(lines)) for laid_out, lines in runs]
+
 def txt_justify_blocks(text, K):
     delim = '__DIVIDE__'
     text = re.sub("\n\n+", delim, text)
@@ -178,13 +208,20 @@ def txt_justify_blocks(text, K):
         # verbatim paragraph was not left alone, it was DELETED: the one
         # branch that had nothing to do also did not copy the text through.
         # An indented paragraph vanished from the output with no error.
+        #
+        # The decision is per RUN of lines, not per paragraph (txt_runs):
+        # prose is filled, a laid-out run is copied through, and the runs
+        # stay on consecutive lines as they were written.
         nbsp = txt_nbsp_marker()
-        if par and not txt_is_laid_out(par):
-            label = re.match("(?:" + re.escape(nbsp) + r")*\[\d+\] ", par)
-            par = "\n".join(txt_wrap(
-                par, int(K.Target_txt_width),
-                subsequent_indent=" " * len(label.group(0)) if label else ""))
-        result += par + "\n\n"
+        filled = []
+        for laid_out, run in txt_runs(par):
+            if run and not laid_out:
+                label = re.match("(?:" + re.escape(nbsp) + r")*\[\d+\] ", run)
+                run = "\n".join(txt_wrap(
+                    run, int(K.Target_txt_width),
+                    subsequent_indent=" " * len(label.group(0)) if label else ""))
+            filled.append(run)
+        result += "\n".join(filled) + "\n\n"
     result = re.sub(" *" + txt_vspace_marker() + " *", "\n", result)
     result = re.sub(r"\n? *" + txt_nl_marker() + r" *\n?", "\n", result)
     result = result.replace(txt_verbatim_marker(), "")
@@ -192,33 +229,45 @@ def txt_justify_blocks(text, K):
     return result
 
 def txt_insert_captions(text, K):
+    # The caption's INDENT is the block's, read off the run of nbsp markers
+    # written before the caption marker (txt_util.add_caption) -- not
+    # Target_txt_indent, which put the caption of a flush block two columns
+    # to the right of the block it captions.  Every line produced here is
+    # marked laid-out: a flush caption begins with neither a space nor an
+    # nbsp, and an unmarked first line made the justification pass re-flow
+    # the caption, its rule and the whole block under it into one paragraph.
     mark = kutil.caption_delimiter()
-    caption_rgx = re.compile(f"{mark}(.*?){mark}(.*?){mark}", re.S)
-    caption_number = 0
+    nbsp = txt_nbsp_marker()
+    caption_rgx = re.compile(
+        f"((?:{re.escape(nbsp)})*){mark}(.*?){mark}(.*?){mark}", re.S)
+    # One sequence PER LABEL, as in html and tex: a listing after a table is
+    # "Listing 1", not "Listing 2".  It was one counter for every label.
+    caption_numbers = {}
     width = int(K.Target_txt_width)
-    indent = int(K.Target_txt_indent)
-    indented_width = width - indent
     def replace(m):
-        nonlocal caption_number
-        name, text = m.groups()
+        indent_run, name, text = m.groups()
+        indent = len(indent_run) // len(nbsp)
+        indented_width = max(1, width - indent)
         # An empty label means an unnumbered caption (":number false").  It
         # must NOT take a number from the sequence: a reader counting the
         # captions they can see would then find the next one a number
         # ahead.  The same is true of html and tex, where an unnumbered
         # caption emits no marker and so never reaches their counter.
         if name:
-            caption_number += 1
-            caption = f"{name} {caption_number} - {text}"
+            caption_numbers[name] = caption_numbers.get(name, 0) + 1
+            caption = f"{name} {caption_numbers[name]} - {text}"
         else:
             caption = text
         # Visible widths throughout: a caption may carry style markers.
+        lines = [caption]
         if txt_visible_length(caption) > indented_width:
-            caption = "\n".join(txt_wrap(
-                caption, indented_width,
-                subsequent_indent=txt_nbsp_marker()*indent))
-        line_length = max([txt_visible_length(e) for e in caption.split("\n")])
-        line = txt_nbsp_marker() * indent + "-" * line_length
-        return caption + "\n" + line
+            lines = txt_wrap(caption, indented_width)
+        line_length = max(txt_visible_length(e) for e in lines)
+        lines.append("-" * line_length)
+        lead = txt_verbatim_marker() + indent_run
+        # The first line's marker is already in the text, before the indent
+        # run this match begins with (add_caption); the others get theirs.
+        return indent_run + ("\n" + lead).join(lines)
     result = caption_rgx.sub(replace, text)
     return result
 
diff --git a/sks/target/txt_util.py b/sks/target/txt_util.py
index 92e49ed..3f50f92 100644
--- a/sks/target/txt_util.py
+++ b/sks/target/txt_util.py
@@ -101,7 +101,11 @@ def add_caption(element, caption_label, number, caption_text,
         caption = kutil.caption_marker("", caption_text, None)
     else:
         return element
-    caption = indent_text(re.sub(r"\s*\n\s*", " ", caption.strip()), indent)
+    # Marked laid-out, like the block: with no indent the caption begins
+    # with neither a space nor an nbsp, and the justification pass would
+    # re-flow it together with everything under it.
+    caption = phases.txt_verbatim_marker() + indent_text(
+        re.sub(r"\s*\n\s*", " ", caption.strip()), indent)
     if side in {"top", "left"}:
         return caption + "\n" + element
     return element + "\n" + caption
diff --git a/tst/escape_test.sh b/tst/escape_test.sh
index 56954dc..0498df3 100755
--- a/tst/escape_test.sh
+++ b/tst/escape_test.sh
@@ -181,6 +181,36 @@ check_eq "25. a real literal klammer still works after a comment naming it" \
     '[x]' --klammersets none -t t -s "$T $LIT # mentions @lit here
 @lit x lit@"
 
+echo
+echo "-- 25a-e: only a DECLARED option name opens an option region --"
+# The content of a literal klammer begins after the bar that follows its
+# options.  ANY ":word" before a bar counted as an option until 2026-09-20,
+# declared or not, so code holding one ("ls :w | wc", a regex's "(?:a|b)")
+# lost everything up to the bar to an option region and the file failed with
+# 'Optional argument ":w" not defined' -- an error about an option the author
+# never wrote, in content promised to be read as nothing but text.
+# OPT declares one option, :flag, so both directions can be asserted.
+OPT='@@opt.k :flag.bool | t.literal : A literal klammer with an option @@ @@opt.t :: [*flag*/*t*] @@'
+OPTUSE=$(mktemp /tmp/escape_opt.XXXXXX).kt
+opt_case() {   # opt_case NAME EXPECTED USE
+    printf '%s\n' "$3" > "$OPTUSE"
+    check_eq "$1" "$2" "$OPTUSE" --klammersets none -t t -d -s "$T $OPT"
+}
+opt_case "25a. an UNDECLARED :name before a bar is content" \
+    '[/x :y | z]'     '@opt x :y | z opt@'
+opt_case "25b. ... as is a regex's (?:a|b)" \
+    '[/(?:a|b)]'      '@opt (?:a|b) opt@'
+opt_case "25c. a DECLARED option still opens the option region" \
+    '[true/x]'        '@opt :flag | x opt@'
+opt_case "25d. ... and after its bar an undeclared :name is content again" \
+    '[true/x :y | z]' '@opt :flag | x :y | z opt@'
+# The one ambiguity left, and the author's way out of it: a name the klammer
+# DOES declare, written inside the code before a bar, is an option -- unless
+# an option region has already been written, which ends at ITS bar.
+opt_case "25e. a declared name in the code is content once the options are written" \
+    '[false/x :flag | z]' '@opt :flag false | x :flag | z opt@'
+rm -f "$OPTUSE"
+
 rm -f "$ERR"
 
 echo
diff --git a/tst/kdesc_test.sh b/tst/kdesc_test.sh
index 1253fe2..e949058 100755
--- a/tst/kdesc_test.sh
+++ b/tst/kdesc_test.sh
@@ -107,6 +107,17 @@ echo
 echo "-- result detail is a word, not a verbosity level --"
 shows " 9. --katoms full adds the regex column"  'Regex'        "$KDESC" --katoms full
 absent "10. --katoms alone omits it"             'Regex'        "$KDESC" --katoms
+# The regex goes through @c, which processes caret forms: a bare "[^^@#|]+"
+# displayed as "[^@#|]+", a different regex, until the generator quoted its
+# carets.  These two are the patterns that carry a caret before a special.
+shows " 9a. ... a regex keeps a caret before a special" '\[\^\^@#\|\]\+' "$KDESC" --katoms full
+shows " 9b. ... and a caret before a colon"            '\[@\|#\^:\*\]'     "$KDESC" --katoms full
+shows " 9c. the types are grouped under titles"       '^ +Klammer definition *$' "$KDESC" --katoms
+# The table is wider than the text by the klammer's own argument, so the
+# paragraphs above it keep the text width (72) while a table row exceeds it.
+absent "10a. the prose above the table keeps the text width" \
+       '^[A-Za-z].{72,}$'                                    "$KDESC" --katoms
+shows "10b. ... while the table is wider than the text"  '^ +Index .{72,}$' "$KDESC" --katoms
 shows "11. --coverage all adds the file column"   'sks/table/table\.k' "$KDESC" --coverage all
 absent "12. --coverage alone omits it"            'sks/table/table\.k' "$KDESC" --coverage
 # "all" is one word for both kinds of missing information: if you want some of