diff --git a/bin/check.sh b/bin/check.sh
index 8225d60..24e4594 100755
--- a/bin/check.sh
+++ b/bin/check.sh
@@ -16,13 +16,20 @@ source "$SCRIPT_DIR/lib/manage/autofix.sh"
 source "$SCRIPT_DIR/lib/check/all.sh"
 
 cleanup_all() {
+    stop_inline_spinner 2> /dev/null || true
     stop_sudo_session
     cleanup_temp_files
 }
 
+handle_interrupt() {
+    cleanup_all
+    exit 130
+}
+
 main() {
     # Register unified cleanup handler
-    trap cleanup_all EXIT INT TERM
+    trap cleanup_all EXIT
+    trap handle_interrupt INT TERM
 
     if [[ -t 1 ]]; then
         clear
diff --git a/bin/optimize.sh b/bin/optimize.sh
index 9c9f687..49d6ceb 100755
--- a/bin/optimize.sh
+++ b/bin/optimize.sh
@@ -319,10 +319,16 @@ perform_security_fixes() {
 }
 
 cleanup_all() {
+    stop_inline_spinner 2> /dev/null || true
     stop_sudo_session
     cleanup_temp_files
 }
 
+handle_interrupt() {
+    cleanup_all
+    exit 130
+}
+
 main() {
     local health_json
     for arg in "$@"; do
@@ -340,7 +346,8 @@ main() {
         esac
     done
 
-    trap cleanup_all EXIT INT TERM
+    trap cleanup_all EXIT
+    trap handle_interrupt INT TERM
 
     if [[ -t 1 ]]; then
         clear
diff --git a/bin/uninstall.sh b/bin/uninstall.sh
index 8b1b2ca..8befe5c 100755
--- a/bin/uninstall.sh
+++ b/bin/uninstall.sh
@@ -77,6 +77,23 @@ scan_applications() {
         "/Applications"
         "$HOME/Applications"
     )
+    local vol_app_dir
+    local nullglob_was_set=0
+    shopt -q nullglob && nullglob_was_set=1
+    shopt -s nullglob
+    for vol_app_dir in /Volumes/*/Applications; do
+        [[ -d "$vol_app_dir" && -r "$vol_app_dir" ]] || continue
+        if [[ -d "/Applications" && "$vol_app_dir" -ef "/Applications" ]]; then
+            continue
+        fi
+        if [[ -d "$HOME/Applications" && "$vol_app_dir" -ef "$HOME/Applications" ]]; then
+            continue
+        fi
+        app_dirs+=("$vol_app_dir")
+    done
+    if [[ $nullglob_was_set -eq 0 ]]; then
+        shopt -u nullglob
+    fi
 
     for app_dir in "${app_dirs[@]}"; do
         if [[ ! -d "$app_dir" ]]; then continue; fi
diff --git a/bin/uninstall_lib.sh b/bin/uninstall_lib.sh
index 43035db..badd927 100755
--- a/bin/uninstall_lib.sh
+++ b/bin/uninstall_lib.sh
@@ -111,40 +111,61 @@ scan_applications() {
 
     # First pass: quickly collect all valid app paths and bundle IDs (NO mdls calls)
     local -a app_data_tuples=()
-    while IFS= read -r -d '' app_path; do
-        if [[ ! -e "$app_path" ]]; then continue; fi
-
-        local app_name
-        app_name=$(basename "$app_path" .app)
-
-        # Skip nested apps (e.g. inside Wrapper/ or Frameworks/ of another app)
-        # Check if parent path component ends in .app (e.g. /Foo.app/Bar.app or /Foo.app/Contents/Bar.app)
-        # This prevents false positives like /Old.apps/Target.app
-        local parent_dir
-        parent_dir=$(dirname "$app_path")
-        if [[ "$parent_dir" == *".app" || "$parent_dir" == *".app/"* ]]; then
-            continue
-        fi
-
-        # Get bundle ID only (fast, no mdls calls in first pass)
-        local bundle_id="unknown"
-        if [[ -f "$app_path/Contents/Info.plist" ]]; then
-            bundle_id=$(defaults read "$app_path/Contents/Info.plist" CFBundleIdentifier 2> /dev/null || echo "unknown")
-        fi
-
-        # Skip system critical apps (input methods, system components)
-        if should_protect_from_uninstall "$bundle_id"; then
-            continue
-        fi
-
-        # Store tuple: app_path|app_name|bundle_id (display_name will be resolved in parallel later)
-        app_data_tuples+=("${app_path}|${app_name}|${bundle_id}")
-    done < <(
-        # Scan both system and user application directories
-        # Using maxdepth 3 to find apps in subdirectories (e.g., Adobe apps in /Applications/Adobe X/)
-        command find /Applications -name "*.app" -maxdepth 3 -print0 2> /dev/null
-        command find ~/Applications -name "*.app" -maxdepth 3 -print0 2> /dev/null
+    local -a app_dirs=(
+        "/Applications"
+        "$HOME/Applications"
     )
+    local vol_app_dir
+    local nullglob_was_set=0
+    shopt -q nullglob && nullglob_was_set=1
+    shopt -s nullglob
+    for vol_app_dir in /Volumes/*/Applications; do
+        [[ -d "$vol_app_dir" && -r "$vol_app_dir" ]] || continue
+        if [[ -d "/Applications" && "$vol_app_dir" -ef "/Applications" ]]; then
+            continue
+        fi
+        if [[ -d "$HOME/Applications" && "$vol_app_dir" -ef "$HOME/Applications" ]]; then
+            continue
+        fi
+        app_dirs+=("$vol_app_dir")
+    done
+    if [[ $nullglob_was_set -eq 0 ]]; then
+        shopt -u nullglob
+    fi
+
+    for app_dir in "${app_dirs[@]}"; do
+        if [[ ! -d "$app_dir" ]]; then continue; fi
+
+        while IFS= read -r -d '' app_path; do
+            if [[ ! -e "$app_path" ]]; then continue; fi
+
+            local app_name
+            app_name=$(basename "$app_path" .app)
+
+            # Skip nested apps (e.g. inside Wrapper/ or Frameworks/ of another app)
+            # Check if parent path component ends in .app (e.g. /Foo.app/Bar.app or /Foo.app/Contents/Bar.app)
+            # This prevents false positives like /Old.apps/Target.app
+            local parent_dir
+            parent_dir=$(dirname "$app_path")
+            if [[ "$parent_dir" == *".app" || "$parent_dir" == *".app/"* ]]; then
+                continue
+            fi
+
+            # Get bundle ID only (fast, no mdls calls in first pass)
+            local bundle_id="unknown"
+            if [[ -f "$app_path/Contents/Info.plist" ]]; then
+                bundle_id=$(defaults read "$app_path/Contents/Info.plist" CFBundleIdentifier 2> /dev/null || echo "unknown")
+            fi
+
+            # Skip system critical apps (input methods, system components)
+            if should_protect_from_uninstall "$bundle_id"; then
+                continue
+            fi
+
+            # Store tuple: app_path|app_name|bundle_id (display_name will be resolved in parallel later)
+            app_data_tuples+=("${app_path}|${app_name}|${bundle_id}")
+        done < <(command find "$app_dir" -name "*.app" -maxdepth 3 -print0 2> /dev/null)
+    done
 
     # Second pass: process each app with parallel size calculation
     local app_count=0
diff --git a/lib/optimize/tasks.sh b/lib/optimize/tasks.sh
index 9ee0746..2fe2ddc 100644
--- a/lib/optimize/tasks.sh
+++ b/lib/optimize/tasks.sh
@@ -174,8 +174,18 @@ opt_saved_state_cleanup() {
 # Removed: opt_local_snapshots - Deletes user Time Machine recovery points, breaks backup continuity
 
 opt_fix_broken_configs() {
+    local spinner_started="false"
+    if [[ -t 1 ]]; then
+        MOLE_SPINNER_PREFIX="  " start_inline_spinner "Checking preferences..."
+        spinner_started="true"
+    fi
+
     local broken_prefs=$(fix_broken_preferences)
 
+    if [[ "$spinner_started" == "true" ]]; then
+        stop_inline_spinner
+    fi
+
     if [[ $broken_prefs -gt 0 ]]; then
         opt_msg "Repaired $broken_prefs corrupted preference files"
     else
@@ -324,7 +334,7 @@ opt_sqlite_vacuum() {
     fi
 
     if [[ $skipped -gt 0 ]]; then
-        echo -e "  ${GRAY}Already optimal for $skipped databases (size or integrity limits)${NC}"
+        opt_msg "Already optimal for $skipped databases"
     fi
 
     if [[ $timed_out -gt 0 ]]; then
@@ -520,8 +530,17 @@ opt_disk_permissions_repair() {
 #   1. Checks if default audio output is Bluetooth (precise)
 #   2. Falls back to Bluetooth + media app detection (compatibility)
 opt_bluetooth_reset() {
+    local spinner_started="false"
+    if [[ -t 1 ]]; then
+        MOLE_SPINNER_PREFIX="  " start_inline_spinner "Checking Bluetooth..."
+        spinner_started="true"
+    fi
+
     if [[ "${MOLE_DRY_RUN:-0}" != "1" ]]; then
         if has_bluetooth_hid_connected; then
+            if [[ "$spinner_started" == "true" ]]; then
+                stop_inline_spinner
+            fi
             opt_msg "Bluetooth already optimal"
             return 0
         fi
@@ -557,6 +576,9 @@ opt_bluetooth_reset() {
         fi
 
         if [[ "$bt_audio_active" == "true" ]]; then
+            if [[ "$spinner_started" == "true" ]]; then
+                stop_inline_spinner
+            fi
             opt_msg "Bluetooth already optimal"
             return 0
         fi
@@ -567,12 +589,21 @@ opt_bluetooth_reset() {
             if pgrep -x bluetoothd > /dev/null 2>&1; then
                 sudo pkill -KILL bluetoothd > /dev/null 2>&1 || true
             fi
+            if [[ "$spinner_started" == "true" ]]; then
+                stop_inline_spinner
+            fi
             opt_msg "Bluetooth module restarted"
             opt_msg "Connectivity issues resolved"
         else
+            if [[ "$spinner_started" == "true" ]]; then
+                stop_inline_spinner
+            fi
             opt_msg "Bluetooth already optimal"
         fi
     else
+        if [[ "$spinner_started" == "true" ]]; then
+            stop_inline_spinner
+        fi
         opt_msg "Bluetooth module restarted"
         opt_msg "Connectivity issues resolved"
     fi
diff --git a/lib/ui/menu_paginated.sh b/lib/ui/menu_paginated.sh
index 3ebbe94..1238b1d 100755
--- a/lib/ui/menu_paginated.sh
+++ b/lib/ui/menu_paginated.sh
@@ -235,11 +235,13 @@ paginated_multi_select() {
 
         local cols="${COLUMNS:-}"
         [[ -z "$cols" ]] && cols=$(tput cols 2> /dev/null || echo 80)
+        [[ "$cols" =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]] || cols=80
 
         _strip_ansi_len() {
             local text="$1"
             local stripped
-            stripped=$(printf "%s" "$text" | LC_ALL=C awk '{gsub(/\033\[[0-9;]*[A-Za-z]/,""); print}')
+            stripped=$(printf "%s" "$text" | LC_ALL=C awk '{gsub(/\033\[[0-9;]*[A-Za-z]/,""); print}' || true)
+            [[ -z "$stripped" ]] && stripped="$text"
             printf "%d" "${#stripped}"
         }
 
@@ -251,7 +253,10 @@ paginated_multi_select() {
             else
                 candidate="$line${sep}${s}"
             fi
-            if (($(_strip_ansi_len "$candidate") > cols)); then
+            local candidate_len
+            candidate_len=$(_strip_ansi_len "$candidate")
+            [[ -z "$candidate_len" ]] && candidate_len=0
+            if ((candidate_len > cols)); then
                 printf "%s%s\n" "$clear_line" "$line" >&2
                 line="$s"
             else
@@ -526,6 +531,7 @@ paginated_multi_select() {
                     # Normal: show full controls with dynamic reduction
                     local term_width="${COLUMNS:-}"
                     [[ -z "$term_width" ]] && term_width=$(tput cols 2> /dev/null || echo 80)
+                    [[ "$term_width" =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]] || term_width=80
 
                     # Level 0: Full controls
                     local -a _segs=("$nav" "$space_select" "$enter" "$refresh" "$search" "$sort_ctrl" "$order_ctrl" "$exit")