diff --git a/src/SkillView.Core/Gh/GhSkillInstallService.cs b/src/SkillView.Core/Gh/GhSkillInstallService.cs
index 301f59a..4aff737 100644
--- a/src/SkillView.Core/Gh/GhSkillInstallService.cs
+++ b/src/SkillView.Core/Gh/GhSkillInstallService.cs
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ internal static ImmutableArray<RepoSkill> ParseRepoSkillListing(string? stdout)
             }
 
             var tab = line.IndexOf('\t');
-            var name = (tab >= 0 ? line[..tab] : line).Trim();
+            var name = NormalizeSkillName((tab >= 0 ? line[..tab] : line).Trim());
             var description = tab >= 0 ? line[(tab + 1)..].Trim() : string.Empty;
             if (name.Length == 0)
             {
@@ -162,6 +162,37 @@ internal static ImmutableArray<RepoSkill> ParseRepoSkillListing(string? stdout)
         return builder.ToImmutable();
     }
 
+    /// gh prefixes each listed skill with its namespace in brackets, e.g.
+    /// `[root] code-review` or `[monalisa] code-review`. The bracket tag is
+    /// display decoration, not part of the installable argument: root-namespace
+    /// skills install by bare name, others as `namespace/name`. Strip the tag so
+    /// the picker shows clean names and per-name (subset) installs actually
+    /// resolve. Input without a leading `[ns] ` tag is returned unchanged.
+    internal static string NormalizeSkillName(string raw)
+    {
+        if (raw.Length < 2 || raw[0] != '[')
+        {
+            return raw;
+        }
+
+        var close = raw.IndexOf(']');
+        if (close < 1)
+        {
+            return raw;
+        }
+
+        var ns = raw[1..close].Trim();
+        var rest = raw[(close + 1)..].Trim();
+        if (rest.Length == 0)
+        {
+            return raw;
+        }
+
+        return ns.Length == 0 || ns.Equals("root", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase)
+            ? rest
+            : $"{ns}/{rest}";
+    }
+
     /// How to install a chosen subset of a repo's discovered skills. When the
     /// user keeps every discovered skill checked, a single `--all` install is
     /// cheaper and matches the existing install-all path; otherwise each
diff --git a/src/SkillView.Core/Ui/RepoSkillPickerModal.cs b/src/SkillView.Core/Ui/RepoSkillPickerModal.cs
index 4095f40..df18e81 100644
--- a/src/SkillView.Core/Ui/RepoSkillPickerModal.cs
+++ b/src/SkillView.Core/Ui/RepoSkillPickerModal.cs
@@ -88,23 +88,30 @@ internal Result Show()
         listFrame.ViewportSettings |= ViewportSettingsFlags.HasVerticalScrollBar;
 
         var skillBoxes = new CheckBox[_skills.Length];
+        var contentWidth = 20;
         for (var i = 0; i < _skills.Length; i++)
         {
             var skill = _skills[i];
-            var label = string.IsNullOrEmpty(skill.Description)
-                ? skill.Name
-                : $"{skill.Name} — {skill.Description}";
+            // Keep labels bounded so the (non-horizontally-scrolling) content
+            // region stays readable; the full description lives in the repo.
+            var desc = skill.Description.Length > 70
+                ? skill.Description[..70].TrimEnd() + "…"
+                : skill.Description;
+            var label = string.IsNullOrEmpty(desc) ? skill.Name : $"{skill.Name} — {desc}";
+            contentWidth = Math.Max(contentWidth, label.Length + 4);
             var box = new CheckBox
             {
                 X = 0, Y = i,
-                Width = Dim.Fill(),
                 Text = label,
                 Value = CheckState.Checked,
             };
             skillBoxes[i] = box;
             listFrame.Add(box);
         }
-        listFrame.SetContentSize(new Size(1, Math.Max(_skills.Length, 1)));
+        // Content size drives the vertical scrollbar; the width must be wide
+        // enough for the labels (a width of 1 would clip every label to the
+        // checkbox glyph). Height is the row count so all skills scroll.
+        listFrame.SetContentSize(new Size(contentWidth, Math.Max(_skills.Length, 1)));
 
         var scopeLabel = new Label { X = 1, Y = Pos.AnchorEnd(9), Text = "Scope:" };
         var scopeSelector = new OptionSelector
@@ -193,6 +200,12 @@ void RefreshValidity()
             RefreshValidity();
         };
         customPathField.TextChanged += (_, _) => RefreshValidity();
+        // Update the "N/M selected" count + Install-enabled state when a row is
+        // toggled with Space (the CheckBox change event is ValueChanged here).
+        foreach (var box in skillBoxes)
+        {
+            box.ValueChanged += (_, _) => RefreshValidity();
+        }
 
         void SetAll(CheckState state)
         {
diff --git a/src/SkillView.Core/Ui/SkillViewApp.cs b/src/SkillView.Core/Ui/SkillViewApp.cs
index 5ae200c..5d08a06 100644
--- a/src/SkillView.Core/Ui/SkillViewApp.cs
+++ b/src/SkillView.Core/Ui/SkillViewApp.cs
@@ -498,6 +498,18 @@ private bool OnWindowShortcut(Key key)
             return false;
         }
 
+        // Esc at the root of a primary tab would otherwise fall through to
+        // Terminal.Gui's default quit-on-Esc and exit the app with no
+        // confirmation. Swallow it and hint how to quit instead. Modals,
+        // Doctor, Updates, and the search field all handle Esc themselves
+        // (setting Handled before this runs), so this only fires at the
+        // top-level list where Esc previously meant "lose your session".
+        if (key.KeyCode == KeyCode.Esc)
+        {
+            SetStatus("Press q to quit");
+            return true;
+        }
+
         var rune = key.AsRune;
         if (rune.Value == '/')
         {
@@ -603,6 +615,8 @@ private void ActivateTab(SkillViewTab tab)
                 {
                     _installedTab.Visible = true;
                     _ = _installedTab.LoadAsync();
+                    var installed = _installedTab;
+                    Invoke(() => installed.FocusList());
                 }
                 break;
             case SkillViewTab.Changes:
@@ -806,6 +820,12 @@ private void ProbeGhAsync()
                         _activeTab = SkillViewTab.Installed;
                         _tabBar?.SetActiveTab(SkillViewTab.Installed);
                         _installedTab.LoadSeeded(snapshot);
+                        // Defer to the next loop tick so the list focus wins
+                        // over Terminal.Gui's post-reflow default that would
+                        // otherwise land on the filter field and swallow the
+                        // advertised global hotkeys (?, d, x).
+                        var tab = _installedTab;
+                        Invoke(() => tab.FocusList());
                     }
                 }
             });
diff --git a/src/SkillView.Core/Ui/SkillViewWorkflowCoordinator.cs b/src/SkillView.Core/Ui/SkillViewWorkflowCoordinator.cs
index 7672822..d086a01 100644
--- a/src/SkillView.Core/Ui/SkillViewWorkflowCoordinator.cs
+++ b/src/SkillView.Core/Ui/SkillViewWorkflowCoordinator.cs
@@ -230,6 +230,12 @@ public void OpenRepoDiscoveryDialog(InstallRequest request)
                         $"install failed — {TuiHelpers.ErrorSnippet(result.FirstError)}".TrimEnd(),
                         TuiHelpers.NotificationLevel.Error);
                 }
+                else
+                {
+                    // Cancelled (or nothing selected): clear the lingering
+                    // "discovering skills in …" busy status the spinner left.
+                    _setStatus($"{request.Repo}: no skills installed");
+                }
             });
         }, "discover");
     }
diff --git a/src/SkillView.Core/Ui/Tabs/InstalledTabView.cs b/src/SkillView.Core/Ui/Tabs/InstalledTabView.cs
index 4ec1649..f39511d 100644
--- a/src/SkillView.Core/Ui/Tabs/InstalledTabView.cs
+++ b/src/SkillView.Core/Ui/Tabs/InstalledTabView.cs
@@ -141,6 +141,18 @@ internal InstalledTabView(
         };
 
         _filterField.TextChanged += (_, _) => RefreshAll();
+        _filterField.KeyDown += (_, key) =>
+        {
+            // Esc on a non-empty filter clears it (the list is live-filtered, so
+            // stray text otherwise leaves it stuck at "(no matches)"); the
+            // TextChanged handler then restores the full list. An Esc on an
+            // already-empty filter is left to the normal "Back" shortcut.
+            if (key.KeyCode == KeyCode.Esc && _filterField.Text.Length > 0)
+            {
+                key.Handled = true;
+                _filterField.Text = string.Empty;
+            }
+        };
         _table.ValueChanged += (_, _) =>
         {
             var row = _table.GetSelectedRow();
@@ -455,6 +467,15 @@ private void QueueDeferredWidthStabilization(int remainingPasses)
         });
     }
 
+    /// Force focus onto the skill list. Used after the tab is activated so the
+    /// browse-first list (not the filter text field) holds focus — otherwise
+    /// global hotkeys like `?`, `d`, and `x` get typed into the filter.
+    internal void FocusList()
+    {
+        _lastFocusedTarget = FocusTarget.Table;
+        _table.SetFocus();
+    }
+
     private void RestoreFocus()
     {
         switch (_lastFocusedTarget)
diff --git a/tests/SkillView.Tests/Gh/GhSkillInstallServiceTests.cs b/tests/SkillView.Tests/Gh/GhSkillInstallServiceTests.cs
index b08cfd2..bbfb043 100644
--- a/tests/SkillView.Tests/Gh/GhSkillInstallServiceTests.cs
+++ b/tests/SkillView.Tests/Gh/GhSkillInstallServiceTests.cs
@@ -173,6 +173,30 @@ public void ParseRepoSkillListing_ToleratesBlankLinesNameOnlyHeaderAndCrlf()
         Assert.Equal("code-review", skills[1].Name);
     }
 
+    [Theory]
+    [InlineData("[root] code-review", "code-review")]          // root namespace → bare name
+    [InlineData("[monalisa] code-review", "monalisa/code-review")] // other namespace → ns/name
+    [InlineData("[ROOT] x", "x")]                                // case-insensitive root
+    [InlineData("plain-name", "plain-name")]                    // no tag → unchanged
+    [InlineData("[root] a/b", "a/b")]                            // already-pathed name kept
+    [InlineData("[unterminated name", "[unterminated name")]    // malformed → unchanged
+    [InlineData("[root] ", "[root] ")]                          // empty rest → unchanged
+    public void NormalizeSkillName_StripsNamespaceTag(string raw, string expected)
+    {
+        Assert.Equal(expected, GhSkillInstallService.NormalizeSkillName(raw));
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void ParseRepoSkillListing_StripsRootNamespaceFromNames()
+    {
+        // gh emits "[root] name<TAB>desc"; the picker/install must use bare name.
+        var stdout = "[root] code-review\tReviews PRs\n[root] git-commit\t\n";
+        var skills = GhSkillInstallService.ParseRepoSkillListing(stdout);
+
+        Assert.Equal(new[] { "code-review", "git-commit" }, skills.Select(s => s.Name));
+        Assert.Equal("Reviews PRs", skills[0].Description);
+    }
+
     [Fact]
     public void ParseRepoSkillListing_DeduplicatesByNameAndHandlesEmpty()
     {