Build card describes the build tool in general, not the selected piece

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

docs/DESIGN.md

@@ -148,9 +148,8 @@ above, including:
   wall material and filter settings. G no longer picks, as the owner requested (it is now Replace).
 - **The build menu** is a bar of tabs and icon tiles along the bottom: Structure, Moving,
   Liquids, Machines, Molds. Hover a tile for its full description, cost and placement help;
-  gamepad players see the selected tile’s popup. While building, the top-left card shows a
-  compact summary (name, cost, variant chips, Replace, ghosts, how to place, status); the full
-  description is in the hover popup.
+  gamepad players see the selected tile’s popup. While building, the top-left card describes
+  the build tool and shows the R/F settings, Replace, ghosts and status.
 - **No length limit when dragging.** Blocks out of the bot's reach become ghosts that it builds
   when it gets there.
 - **Pipes are thin:** sand, water and anything else loose passes them. Pumps and outlets are
@@ -170,9 +169,10 @@ above, including:
 - **Replace is held G, not Ctrl.** The owner hit the browser's Ctrl+W (close tab) and Ctrl+D
   (bookmark) while replacing and flying with WASD, and the game ignored WASD while Ctrl was held.
 
-- **The build tool has a compact top-left card** like the other tools. The owner asked for it
-  back after it was hidden; the long description stays in the hover popup.
-
+- **The build tool's top-left card describes the build tool**, like the other tools' cards:
+  how to place, the build keys, the R/F settings (material, direction, filter), Replace · G and
+  ghosts waiting. The selected piece's name, cost and description are in the menu and its hover
+  popup. The owner asked for a general description rather than the selected building.
 - **Ingot molds need no F.** They push junk and mixed metal out of the bottom as loose grains with the bars, throw slag away and rake the grate. Removing any mold returns its set metal: whole bars as bars, the rest as scrap. The owner asked what F was for once bars dropped on their own, and chose this over keeping F for cleaning.
 
 - **Fewer, smaller messages.** Molds show only a small percentage, red when blocked or spoiled and gold when a casting waits for F; details are in the hover panel. Bars dropping, blocked molds and set castings no longer pop up cards or toasts. Fan heat is a red marker on the fan; melted tubes and machines get a short red label where they were. Status lines are one short sentence. The owner found the messages too large and too many.

docs/PROJECT_MAP.md

@@ -397,7 +397,7 @@ The build menu along the bottom: categories, piece tiles and their icons.
 - functions: pieceIcon, catOf, selectBuildCat, cycleBuildCat, buildVariantChips, renderBuildBar, setupBuildBar
 - variables: BUILD_CATS, BUILD_ORDER, PIECE_ICONS, lastBuildKey, lastBuildMenu
 
-### src/ui/selection.js (234 lines)
+### src/ui/selection.js (236 lines)
 The selected tool and piece: R / Q / E, drill width, filter picker, the selection card, the bag panel.
 - functions: pieceUsesWall, setDrillWidth, tuneUnderCursor, cycleItem, cycleWall, rotate, toggleCollect, pickFilterUnderCursor, toggleFilterMat, toggleCollectUnderCursor, setBrush, pieceV, pieceExtra, filterChoices, matList, filterParts, filterSentence, applyFilterRun, openFilterPicker, filterBlockAt, chipCost, pieceCostNow, renderSelCard, renderBag
 - variables: lastBagKey

docs/agent-log.md

@@ -4,6 +4,18 @@ What agents have done, newest first. Add an entry for every piece of work: the d
 note or request it was for, what changed, the files touched, the tests run, and anything left
 open or not verified. Keep each entry short; the git history has the details.
 
+## 2026-10-23: the build card describes the build tool, not the piece (Claude Code)
+
+Note: "instead of the current info box for the build tool showing the current building selected,
+it should just show a description about the build tool in general." The owner kept the R/F chips.
+
+- `src/ui/selection.js`: the build card reads "Build", then the R/F chips, Replace · G and
+  ghosts, a line on placing, the build keys and the status line. No piece name or cost.
+- `test/play.py`: the card shows "Build" and the placing text, not the piece's name, cost or
+  description; the other card checks are unchanged. `play.py` and all 11 headless suites pass.
+- Shots: `shots/build-card-general-{pixel,smooth}.png`. `docs/DESIGN.md`.
+- Open: nothing.
+
 ## 2026-10-23: world sounds are heard around the bot, not the view (Claude Code)
 
 Note: "the sound effect is still heard when the player's zoom level is farther out… sounds

src/ui/selection.js

@@ -169,12 +169,14 @@ function renderSelCard() {
       <div class="row" style="flex-wrap:wrap;gap:4px"><span class="chip">${esc(b.name.toLowerCase())}</span><span class="chip">hardness ≤ ${b.hard}</span><span class="chip">reach ${drillReach(GAME.drillW)}</span>${tn ? `<span class="chip ok"><span class="sw" style="display:inline-block;vertical-align:-2px;width:9px;height:9px;margin-right:4px;background:${rgbOf(tn)}"></span>tuned: ${esc(MD[tn].name.toLowerCase())} · R</span>` : '<span class="chip">untuned · R tunes</span>'}</div>
       <div class="sub">Hold to send pulses at the cursor: rock they shake hard enough shatters and falls. <kbd>Q</kbd>/<kbd>E</kbd> width: narrow bores a long tunnel fast, wide clears a big face up close. <kbd>R</kbd> over a material tunes to it, so only that shatters. Built blocks are never harmed.</div>`;
   } else if (t === 'build') {
-    const P = piece(), cost = pieceCostNow(P);
+    // the build tool in general; the piece itself is described in the menu's hover popup
+    const P = piece();
     const chips = buildVariantChips(P) + (GAME.replace ? '<span class="chip hot">Replace · G</span>' : '')
       + (ng ? `<span class="chip ok">${ng} ghost pieces waiting${ghostMissing ? ', some short on materials' : ''}.</span>` : '');
-    h = `<div class="row cycle"><kbd>Q</kbd><span class="name grow">${esc(P.name)}</span><span class="chip${canAfford(cost, 1) ? '' : ' bad'}">${esc(costText(cost, 1) || 'free')}</span><kbd>E</kbd></div>`
+    h = '<div class="row"><span class="name grow">Build</span></div>'
       + (chips ? `<div class="row" style="flex-wrap:wrap;gap:4px">${chips}</div>` : '')
-      + `<div class="sub">${P.kind === 'block' ? 'Drag for a line, <kbd>Shift</kbd>-drag for a box.' : 'Click to place.'}${P.dirs ? ' <kbd>R</kbd> turns it.' : pieceUsesWall(P) ? ' <kbd>R</kbd> picks the material.' : ''} <kbd>Shift</kbd>+<kbd>Q</kbd>/<kbd>E</kbd> tab.</div>`;
+      + '<div class="sub">Place pieces from the menu below. Drag for a line, <kbd>Shift</kbd>-drag for a box; out of reach becomes ghosts.</div>'
+      + '<div class="sub"><kbd>Q</kbd>/<kbd>E</kbd> piece · <kbd>Shift</kbd>+<kbd>Q</kbd>/<kbd>E</kbd> tab · <kbd>R</kbd> turn or material · hold <kbd>G</kbd> replace · right click take back · hold <kbd>C</kbd>/<kbd>X</kbd> copy/cut · <kbd>V</kbd> paste · <kbd>Ctrl</kbd>+<kbd>Z</kbd> undo</div>';
   } else if (t === 'vacuum') {
     ensureDropMat();
     const m = GAME.dropMat, f = GAME.lmb ? GAME.vacFilter : 0;

test/play.py

@@ -228,7 +228,8 @@ with sync_playwright() as p:
     ev('GAME.wallMat = RSTONE; hudDirty = true')
     check('build tool starts on wall blocks', ok)
     settle(150)
-    check('the build tool shows a compact top-left card', pg.is_visible('#selcard') and pg.inner_text('#selcard .name') == ev('piece().name') and ev("costText(pieceCostNow(piece()), 1) || 'free'") in pg.inner_text('#selcard') and ev('piece().desc') not in pg.inner_text('#selcard'))
+    card = pg.inner_text('#selcard') if pg.is_visible('#selcard') else ''
+    check('the build tool card describes the build tool, not the piece', pg.inner_text('#selcard .name') == 'Build' and 'menu below' in card and ev('piece().name') not in card and ev("costText(pieceCostNow(piece()), 1) || 'free'") not in card and ev('piece().desc') not in card, card[:160])
     check('the build menu has no status row', pg.locator('#buildbar .bb-status').count() == 0)
     check('the build menu has no short description row', pg.locator('.bb-tip').count() == 0)
     for id in ['wall', 'grate']: