diff --git a/docs/herdr-insights-development.md b/docs/herdr-insights-development.md
index 1fdda10..55e6fd4 100644
--- a/docs/herdr-insights-development.md
+++ b/docs/herdr-insights-development.md
@@ -69,8 +69,10 @@ dashboard. The installer preflights the mod tree, checks a temporary buffered co
 before replacing live files, generates the dashboard's local Node path, and records
 ownership in `install-manifest.json`. Install/uninstall share an exclusive lock;
 interrupted operations require confirming the process stopped before removing it.
-The toolbar is a personal layout clone wrapping Herdr's original `tabs` block;
-no built-in mod source is cloned, patched, or vendored. See
+The toolbar is a personal layout clone wrapping the tab-bar block (Herdr's `tabs`
+or a personal clone of it); no built-in mod source is cloned, patched, or
+vendored. Windows and Linux place the button before the bar so the window
+buttons the bar draws stay last; macOS places it after. See
 [INSTALL.md](../herdr-insights/INSTALL.md) for the clone, click-state, and
 ownership rules. A clone does not inherit future structural changes to its
 source layout. A normal install has one `install-manifest.json` and the dashboard
diff --git a/herdr-insights/INSTALL.md b/herdr-insights/INSTALL.md
index f50d68b..da546aa 100644
--- a/herdr-insights/INSTALL.md
+++ b/herdr-insights/INSTALL.md
@@ -14,9 +14,15 @@ npm run install:local --prefix herdr-insights
 
 The installer checks `mods/insights` before copying it to the app home, which
 defaults to `$HERDR_APP_HOME` or `~/.config/herdr-app`. First install creates and
-selects a personal layout whose **Insights** button sits beside the native tabs.
-Reinstall updates owned files without rewriting layouts. Shipped tabs, keys, and
-usage data are preserved.
+selects a personal layout whose **Insights** button sits in the tab bar row.
+The tab bar may be Herdr's `tabs` or a personal clone of it (`tabs-graph`, ...);
+the clone is wrapped, never edited. Windows and Linux have no system window
+buttons, so the tab bar draws minimize/maximize/close at its own end: there the
+button is placed before the bar so those stay last. On macOS the button follows
+the bar, clear of the traffic lights. Reinstall updates owned files without
+rewriting layouts, so an existing install keeps its original placement: uninstall
+and install again to move the button. Shipped tabs, keys, and usage data are
+preserved.
 
 Success requires one `herdr-app check passed` message **and exit code 0**.
 Do not run developer tests or change tabs during installation. Open the dashboard
diff --git a/herdr-insights/README.md b/herdr-insights/README.md
index 6353f10..ffba835 100644
--- a/herdr-insights/README.md
+++ b/herdr-insights/README.md
@@ -24,8 +24,12 @@ npm run install:local --prefix herdr-insights
 ```
 
 With Herdr running, the installer checks the `insights` mod and adds an
-**Insights** button beside the native tabs; clicking it reuses the current
-space's dashboard tab, opening one only when absent. It installs `mods/insights/`
+**Insights** button to the tab bar row; clicking it reuses the current
+space's dashboard tab, opening one only when absent. On Windows and Linux the
+button comes before the tab bar, because that bar draws minimize/maximize/close
+at its own end and those stay last; on macOS it follows the bar, clear of the
+traffic lights. The bar can be Herdr's `tabs` or a personal clone of it
+(`tabs-graph`, ...): both are wrapped, never edited. It installs `mods/insights/`
 and records ownership in `data/insights/`. Shipped files, tabs, keys, terminals,
 and usage data are unchanged. See [INSTALL.md](INSTALL.md) for the layout and
 click-state rules. Set `HERDR_APP_HOME` to use a different app home.
@@ -50,8 +54,9 @@ One native mod, `mods/insights`, provides both views. A pane whose content is
 `{mod: "insights", props: {mode: "toolbar"}}` renders only the button; any other
 pane shows the dashboard. Toolbar mode starts no Node helper, scans, tasks,
 timers, or editors. No layouts or key bindings ship; the button lives in a
-personal layout clone composed by the installer, which wraps the native tabs
-without modifying them (see [INSTALL.md](INSTALL.md)).
+personal layout clone composed by the installer, which wraps the tab-bar block —
+Herdr's `tabs` or a personal clone such as `tabs-graph` — without modifying it
+(see [INSTALL.md](INSTALL.md)).
 
 [RECIPE.md](RECIPE.md) is the self-contained rebuild brief required by Herdr.
 Developer tests, fixtures, and release validation live outside this distribution;
diff --git a/herdr-insights/scripts/toolbar.mjs b/herdr-insights/scripts/toolbar.mjs
index b1b2b68..1407286 100644
--- a/herdr-insights/scripts/toolbar.mjs
+++ b/herdr-insights/scripts/toolbar.mjs
@@ -55,8 +55,12 @@ async function command(appHome, args) {
   return result.stdout;
 }
 
-/** Preserve the original tabs mod and its updates; compose one native button beside it. */
-export function withInsightsToolbar(layout) {
+/**
+ * Preserve the original tab bar and its updates; compose one native button beside it.
+ * The bar may be Herdr's `tabs` or a personal clone of it: both are mod blocks, and
+ * neither is patched. `platform` is injectable so tests cover both placements.
+ */
+export function withInsightsToolbar(layout, { platform = process.platform } = {}) {
   const copy = structuredClone(layout);
   const nodes = [];
   function walk(node) {
@@ -67,19 +71,22 @@ export function withInsightsToolbar(layout) {
   if (nodes.some((node) => node.id === BUTTON_ID || node.id === "insights-original-tabs")) {
     throw new Error("This layout already contains Insights toolbar blocks.");
   }
-  const matches = nodes.filter((node) => node.id === "tabs" && node.type === "block" && node.content?.mod === "tabs");
+  const matches = nodes.filter((node) => node.id === "tabs" && node.type === "block" && typeof node.content?.mod === "string");
   if (matches.length !== 1) {
-    throw new Error('Expected one native "tabs" block. This layout cannot be integrated safely.');
+    throw new Error('Expected one "tabs" block showing a tab bar. This layout cannot be integrated safely.');
   }
   const tabs = matches[0];
   const content = tabs.content;
   delete tabs.content;
   tabs.type = "row";
   tabs.resizable = false;
-  tabs.children = [
-    { id: "insights-original-tabs", type: "block", size: { weight: 1 }, content },
-    { id: BUTTON_ID, type: "block", size: { px: 104 }, content: { mod: "insights", props: { mode: "toolbar" } } },
-  ];
+  const bar = { id: "insights-original-tabs", type: "block", size: { weight: 1 }, content };
+  const button = { id: BUTTON_ID, type: "block", size: { px: 104 }, content: { mod: "insights", props: { mode: "toolbar" } } };
+  // Windows and Linux have no system window buttons: the tab bar draws
+  // minimize/maximize/close at its own end (window().buttons), so the Insights
+  // button goes first and those stay last. macOS keeps its traffic lights on the
+  // left, where a leading button would collide with them, so the button follows.
+  tabs.children = platform === "darwin" ? [bar, button] : [button, bar];
   return copy;
 }
 
@@ -139,7 +146,7 @@ export async function applyToolbar(plan) {
     try { await command(appHome, ["do", "layout.switch", JSON.stringify({ name: source })]); } catch { /* retain original failure */ }
     throw error;
   }
-  console.log(`Added Insights beside Files/Changes in personal layout ${layout}; Herdr's tabs mod is unchanged.`);
+  console.log(`Added the Insights button to personal layout ${layout}; the tab bar and Herdr's tabs mod are unchanged.`);
 }
 
 export async function prepareToolbarRemoval(appHome) {
diff --git a/tests/herdr-insights/install-fixtures.mjs b/tests/herdr-insights/install-fixtures.mjs
index 9e94dfc..7e9e855 100644
--- a/tests/herdr-insights/install-fixtures.mjs
+++ b/tests/herdr-insights/install-fixtures.mjs
@@ -30,6 +30,13 @@ export const TOOLBAR_LAYOUT = JSON.stringify({ id: "root", type: "column", child
 
 export const SINGLE_TOOLBAR_CONTENT = { mod: "insights", props: { mode: "toolbar" } };
 
+// A personal clone of the tab bar (`mod.clone tabs --as tabs-graph`): same block
+// ID, but the content is not Herdr's own `tabs` mod.
+export const CLONED_TOOLBAR_LAYOUT = JSON.stringify({ id: "root", type: "column", children: [
+  { id: "tabs", type: "block", size: { px: 42 }, window_drag: true, content: { mod: "tabs-graph" } },
+  { id: "main", type: "block", content: { tab: "active" } },
+] }) + "\n";
+
 export const APP_FILES = {
   "data/insights/insights.json": '{"version":1,"keep":"local"}\n',
   "data/insights/local-note.txt": "local data\n",
diff --git a/tests/herdr-insights/toolbar-install.test.mjs b/tests/herdr-insights/toolbar-install.test.mjs
index 1906711..36349f0 100644
--- a/tests/herdr-insights/toolbar-install.test.mjs
+++ b/tests/herdr-insights/toolbar-install.test.mjs
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import test from "node:test";
 
 import {
   APP_FILES,
+  CLONED_TOOLBAR_LAYOUT,
   PACKAGE_ROOT,
   SINGLE_TOOLBAR_CONTENT,
   TOOLBAR_LAYOUT,
@@ -70,6 +71,27 @@ test("standalone distribution installs one mod and a single-mod toolbar without
   assert.equal(log.filter((entry) => entry.args[1] === "mod.open").length, 0, "no floating window");
 });
 
+test("a personal tab-bar clone installs, and the tab bar keeps the window buttons last", async (t) => {
+  const root = await temporaryRoot(t);
+  const sourceRoot = await createSource(root);
+  const appHome = path.join(root, "app");
+  await writeTree(appHome, { ...APP_FILES, "layouts/main.json": CLONED_TOOLBAR_LAYOUT });
+  const fake = await createFakeRunner(root);
+  assertSuccess(runInstall({ appHome, fake, sourceRoot }));
+  const layout = await readJson(path.join(appHome, "layouts/main-insights.json"));
+  const row = layout.children[0];
+  assert.equal(row.id, "tabs");
+  assert.equal(row.type, "row");
+  const ids = row.children.map((child) => child.id);
+  assert.deepEqual(ids, process.platform === "darwin"
+    ? ["insights-original-tabs", "insights-toolbar-button"]
+    : ["insights-toolbar-button", "insights-original-tabs"]);
+  assert.deepEqual(row.children.find((child) => child.id === "insights-original-tabs").content,
+    { mod: "tabs-graph" }, "the clone is preserved, not replaced by Herdr's tabs");
+  assert.deepEqual(row.children.find((child) => child.id === "insights-toolbar-button").content,
+    SINGLE_TOOLBAR_CONTENT);
+});
+
 test("one mod reinstalls idempotently and uninstall preserves data and local edits", async (t) => {
   const root = await temporaryRoot(t);
   const sourceRoot = await createSource(root);
diff --git a/tests/herdr-insights/toolbar-layout.test.mjs b/tests/herdr-insights/toolbar-layout.test.mjs
index 44fd3a1..329ddb6 100644
--- a/tests/herdr-insights/toolbar-layout.test.mjs
+++ b/tests/herdr-insights/toolbar-layout.test.mjs
@@ -4,6 +4,17 @@ import { collectSourceFiles, PACKAGE_ROOT } from "../../herdr-insights/scripts/l
 import { withInsightsToolbar } from "../../herdr-insights/scripts/toolbar.mjs";
 import { SINGLE_TOOLBAR_CONTENT } from "./install-fixtures.mjs";
 
+const BUTTON = {
+  id: "insights-toolbar-button",
+  type: "block",
+  size: { px: 104 },
+  content: SINGLE_TOOLBAR_CONTENT,
+};
+
+function preservedBar(tabs) {
+  return { id: "insights-original-tabs", type: "block", size: { weight: 1 }, content: tabs.content };
+}
+
 test("the Insights source includes its toolbar icon", async () => {
   const source = await collectSourceFiles(PACKAGE_ROOT);
   assert.ok(source.files.some((file) => file.relative === "insights.svg"));
@@ -13,7 +24,7 @@ test("layout composition keeps the original tabs code and points the toolbar at
   const tabs = { id: "tabs", type: "block", size: { px: 42 }, window_drag: true, content: { mod: "tabs", props: { custom: true } } };
   const original = { id: "root", type: "column", theme: "ink", children: [tabs, { id: "main", type: "block", content: { tab: "active" } }] };
   const snapshot = structuredClone(original);
-  const integrated = withInsightsToolbar(original);
+  const integrated = withInsightsToolbar(original, { platform: "darwin" });
   assert.deepEqual(original, snapshot, "input must not be mutated");
   assert.equal(integrated.theme, "ink");
   assert.deepEqual(integrated.children[1], original.children[1]);
@@ -24,15 +35,31 @@ test("layout composition keeps the original tabs code and points the toolbar at
   assert.equal(row.window_drag, true);
   assert.equal(row.resizable, false);
   assert.equal(row.content, undefined);
-  assert.deepEqual(row.children[0].content, tabs.content);
-  assert.deepEqual(row.children[0].size, { weight: 1 });
-  assert.deepEqual(row.children[1], {
-    id: "insights-toolbar-button",
-    type: "block",
-    size: { px: 104 },
-    content: SINGLE_TOOLBAR_CONTENT,
-  });
+  assert.deepEqual(row.children, [preservedBar(tabs), BUTTON], "macOS keeps the button after the tab bar");
   assert.throws(() => withInsightsToolbar(integrated), /already contains/);
   assert.throws(() => withInsightsToolbar({ id: "root", type: "row", children: [] }), /cannot be integrated safely/);
   assert.throws(() => withInsightsToolbar({ id: "root", type: "row", children: [tabs, tabs] }), /cannot be integrated safely/);
 });
+
+test("Windows and Linux put the button before the tab bar so the window buttons stay last", () => {
+  for (const platform of ["win32", "linux"]) {
+    const tabs = { id: "tabs", type: "block", size: { px: 42 }, window_drag: true, content: { mod: "tabs" } };
+    const integrated = withInsightsToolbar({ id: "root", type: "column", children: [tabs] }, { platform });
+    const row = integrated.children[0];
+    assert.deepEqual(row.children, [BUTTON, preservedBar(tabs)], platform);
+    assert.equal(row.children.at(-1).id, "insights-original-tabs",
+      "the tab bar, which draws minimize/maximize/close, must be the last item");
+  }
+});
+
+test("a personal tab-bar clone is composed exactly like the native one", () => {
+  const tabs = { id: "tabs", type: "block", size: { px: 42 }, window_drag: true, content: { mod: "tabs-graph" } };
+  const integrated = withInsightsToolbar({ id: "root", type: "column", children: [tabs] }, { platform: "win32" });
+  assert.deepEqual(integrated.children[0].children, [BUTTON, preservedBar(tabs)]);
+});
+
+test("a tabs block that is not a tab-bar mod is refused", () => {
+  const tabs = { id: "tabs", type: "block", content: { tab: "active" } };
+  assert.throws(() => withInsightsToolbar({ id: "root", type: "column", children: [tabs] }),
+    /cannot be integrated safely/);
+});