[oddurs]

Problem

• Changing theme, size, translucency, or the number of results in Settings showed nothing until you closed Settings and opened the panel.
• A shortcut another app already held failed silently. On this Mac Alfred holds ⌘Space; a throwaway RegisterEventHotKey(⌘Space) returned noErr anyway. Both apps register, only one opens, and Common Command's "Another app already uses this shortcut" message never appears.
• VoiceOver users heard nothing as the selection moved.

Approach

• Preview. Settings opens with the real panel's views (PanelContent, FieldView, CardView) on a second SearchModel searching "s", scaled to fit by giving the view smaller bounds than frame. It follows theme, size, translucency, and visible rows live, and takes no input.
• Clashes. Conflicts (CommandKit, tested) reads Spotlight's shortcuts from com.apple.symbolichotkeys (ids 64 and 65, enabled only) and Alfred's from the hotkey plist that ~/Library/Application Support/Alfred/prefs.json points to (so a synced preferences folder is followed). Settings shows an orange warning naming the other app and where to change it; the menu bar menu shows "⌘Space also opens Alfred". When ⌘Space belongs to someone else, Settings says who, instead of the old generic Spotlight tip.
• VoiceOver. The selected result is announced as it changes, by key or because typing changed the top result: title, subtitle, and section.
• --snapshot … --settings renders the Settings window offscreen for review.

Look at sceptically

• Reading another app's preferences is not an API contract. Unknown shapes produce no warning, never a crash, but a future Alfred could move its hotkey.
• Only Spotlight and Alfred are recognised. Raycast keeps its hotkey in its own store and I can't check its format here without it installed.
• The preview's glass and its scaling were reviewed offscreen with solid surfaces only.
• VoiceOver announcements haven't been heard with VoiceOver running.

Checklist

• scripts/task check passes locally
• Tests for reading both shortcut stores and naming the holder
• Settings reviewed offscreen in light and dark, with and without a clash