diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index bf6e2da..542e8b2 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -7,3 +7,6 @@ dist/
 # runtime state written by the admin page / layout saves
 config/modules.json
 config/layouts/
+
+# compiled per-machine, source sits next to it
+modules/propresenter-timers/ltc-capture
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 64bd454..10334f1 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -92,20 +92,29 @@ are written by the app itself.
   discovered timer (and the LTC card) as its own tile, or add "All timers"
   and pick a selection via the tile's "Timers ▾" menu; overruns are
   unmistakably red. Read-only — no start/stop controls. Admin config:
-  ProPresenter endpoint (host : port), API password, stage display
-  password, LTC reader token.
+  ProPresenter endpoint (host : port), API password, the LTC listener
+  switch + audio device + channel, LTC reader token, stage display
+  password.
 
-  LTC sources, best first (ProPresenter's HTTP API has no timecode route):
-  1. **The LTC audio feed itself** — run `tools/ltc-reader.js` on any
-     machine that can hear the LTC signal; it decodes the SMPTE frames from
-     a PCM pipe (ffmpeg/sox one-liners in its header) and POSTs
-     running/stopped/no-signal, the timecode, and the frame rate (incl.
-     29.97 drop-frame) to the module's `/ltc` ingest route. LTC on one
-     input of a multichannel interface: capture all channels and pick one
-     with `--channels 18 --ch 5` — never downmix LTC into program audio.
-     `--selftest` checks the decoder; `--demo` feeds synthetic LTC
-     end-to-end with no audio hardware.
-  2. A stage-display layout field labeled "LTC", read over ProPresenter's
+  LTC lives behind the admin **LTC listener** switch — off means no LTC
+  tile in the picker at all. On, the sources, best first (ProPresenter's
+  HTTP API has no timecode route):
+  1. **Built-in listener** — the module captures the admin-selected audio
+     input device/channel on the ProdDash machine (native `ltc-capture`
+     helper, compiled on first use) and decodes the SMPTE frames
+     in-process: running/stopped/no-signal, timecode, frame rate (incl.
+     29.97 drop-frame). macOS note: the ProdDash server needs microphone
+     permission — launch it from a logged-in session (Start
+     ProdDash.command) and approve the one-time prompt; a server started
+     over SSH or by bare launchd silently captures zeros.
+  2. **Remote reader** — when a *different* machine hears the LTC, run
+     `tools/ltc-reader.js` there; it decodes the same way from a PCM pipe
+     (`ltc-capture`, ffmpeg, or sox; `--channels 18 --ch 5` picks one
+     input of a multichannel interface — never downmix LTC into program
+     audio) and POSTs to the module's `/ltc` route. `--selftest` checks
+     the decoder; `--demo` feeds synthetic LTC end-to-end with no audio
+     hardware.
+  3. A stage-display layout field labeled "LTC", read over ProPresenter's
      stage websocket — value and freshness only, no frame rate.
 - **Clock** — a big booth clock; also the smallest possible module and the
   reference for module authors.
diff --git a/docs/MODULE-GUIDE.md b/docs/MODULE-GUIDE.md
index b84ddec..2f2886f 100644
--- a/docs/MODULE-GUIDE.md
+++ b/docs/MODULE-GUIDE.md
@@ -67,10 +67,19 @@ Both schemas map field names to specs:
 { "type": "string" | "number" | "boolean" | "select" | "password" | "endpoint",
   "label": "Shown next to the field",
   "default": <value>,
-  "options": [ { "value": "a", "label": "A" }, … ]   // "select" only
+  "options": [ { "value": "a", "label": "A" }, … ],  // "select" only
+  "optionsRoute": "/devices"                          // "select" only, admin config only
 }
 ```
 
+A `select` whose choices are only knowable at runtime (audio devices, serial
+ports, discovered sources) sets `optionsRoute` instead of — or as a fallback
+refresh of — static `options`: the admin page GETs
+`/api/modules/<id><optionsRoute>` and expects `{ "options": [ { "value",
+"label" }, … ] }` from one of the module's own server routes. The saved value
+stays selectable even when the route is down or the option has vanished. (See
+`propresenter-timers`' "LTC audio device" for a worked example.)
+
 `password` fields are admin-config only in practice: their values are stored
 in `config/modules.json`, handed to your *server* entry, and **never sent to
 browsers** — not in `/api/modules`, and never echoed back into the admin
diff --git a/modules/propresenter-timers/client.js b/modules/propresenter-timers/client.js
index c239214..f397668 100644
--- a/modules/propresenter-timers/client.js
+++ b/modules/propresenter-timers/client.js
@@ -61,7 +61,9 @@ export default function create({ root, moduleApi }) {
 
   function menuRows() {
     const rows = (state?.timers || []).map((t) => ({ key: t.uuid, name: t.name }));
-    rows.push({ key: LTC_KEY, name: 'LTC timecode' });
+    // No LTC row while the listener is off in Admin — the item shouldn't
+    // even be offerable.
+    if (state?.ltcEnabled) rows.push({ key: LTC_KEY, name: 'LTC timecode' });
     return rows;
   }
 
@@ -159,7 +161,7 @@ export default function create({ root, moduleApi }) {
     for (const t of state?.timers || []) {
       if (!hiddenItems.has(t.uuid)) items.push({ key: t.uuid, timer: t });
     }
-    if (!hiddenItems.has(LTC_KEY)) items.push({ key: LTC_KEY, ltc: ltcState });
+    if (state?.ltcEnabled && !hiddenItems.has(LTC_KEY)) items.push({ key: LTC_KEY, ltc: ltcState });
     return items;
   }
 
@@ -235,9 +237,10 @@ export default function create({ root, moduleApi }) {
       card.timeEl.textContent = '—';
       card.stateEl.textContent = 'No signal';
     }
-    // The reader posts independently of ProPresenter, so its card must not
-    // gray out with the rest when only ProPresenter is unreachable.
-    const live = ltc.source === 'reader' ? ' src-reader' : '';
+    // The built-in listener and the remote reader are independent of
+    // ProPresenter, so their card must not gray out with the rest when
+    // only ProPresenter is unreachable.
+    const live = ltc.source === 'reader' || ltc.source === 'listener' ? ' src-reader' : '';
     card.el.className = `tm-card tm-card-ltc is-ltc-${mode}${live}`;
   }
 
@@ -261,9 +264,9 @@ export default function create({ root, moduleApi }) {
     }
     if (!state.enabled) {
       bannerEl.hidden = true;
-      // The LTC reader feeds us with or without ProPresenter — an LTC-only
-      // setup is working, not broken.
-      if (state.ltc?.supported) moduleApi.setStatus('ok', 'LTC via reader — no ProPresenter host configured');
+      // The LTC listener/reader feed us with or without ProPresenter — an
+      // LTC-only setup is working, not broken.
+      if (state.ltc?.supported) moduleApi.setStatus('ok', 'LTC only — no ProPresenter host configured');
       else moduleApi.setStatus('error', 'No ProPresenter host configured — set one in Admin');
       return;
     }
diff --git a/tools/ltc-capture.swift b/modules/propresenter-timers/ltc-capture.swift
similarity index 86%
rename from tools/ltc-capture.swift
rename to modules/propresenter-timers/ltc-capture.swift
index c82c676..c5d3c86 100644
--- a/tools/ltc-capture.swift
+++ b/modules/propresenter-timers/ltc-capture.swift
@@ -1,19 +1,23 @@
-// ltc-capture — minimal CoreAudio input capture for the LTC reader.
+// ltc-capture — minimal CoreAudio input capture for the Timers module's
+// LTC listener.
 //
-// ProdDash's LTC reader (tools/ltc-reader.js) eats raw PCM on stdin and is
-// normally fed by ffmpeg or sox — but production machines rarely have
-// either, and shipping a third-party binary just to move samples from an
-// input device to a pipe is overkill. This is the whole job, natively:
+// The module decodes LTC in-process (ltc.js) and spawns this to move
+// samples from an input device to a pipe. Production machines rarely have
+// ffmpeg/sox, and shipping a third-party binary for that one job is
+// overkill — this is the whole job, natively. The module compiles it on
+// first use when swiftc is available; otherwise build it once on any
+// same-architecture Mac and copy the binary next to this source:
 //
-//   swiftc -O -o tools/ltc-capture tools/ltc-capture.swift    (once, ~5 s)
+//   swiftc -O -o modules/propresenter-timers/ltc-capture \
+//     modules/propresenter-timers/ltc-capture.swift          (once, ~5 s)
 //
-//   tools/ltc-capture --list
+//   ltc-capture --list
 //       every input-capable device: name, input channels, sample rate
-//   tools/ltc-capture --device "Dante Via 16" \
-//       | node tools/ltc-reader.js --sr 48000 --channels 16 --ch 5 ...
+//   ltc-capture --device "Dante Via 16 Channel"
 //       streams the device's inputs as interleaved s16le to stdout, at the
 //       device's own sample rate and channel count (both printed to stderr
-//       at start — pass them to the reader as --sr / --channels).
+//       at start). The name matches exactly first, then as a substring.
+//       The remote reader (tools/ltc-reader.js) pipes from it the same way.
 //
 // --device matches case-insensitively on a substring of the device name or
 // UID; ambiguity is an error listing the candidates. Capture uses an
@@ -144,7 +148,12 @@ if wantList || wantDevice == nil {
 }
 
 let query = wantDevice!.lowercased()
-let matches = devices.filter { $0.name.lowercased().contains(query) || $0.uid.lowercased().contains(query) }
+// An exact name/uid match wins outright — device lists like "Media",
+// "Media 2", "Media Key" make substring-only matching ambiguous for the
+// very names a picker hands us verbatim.
+let exact = devices.filter { $0.name.lowercased() == query || $0.uid.lowercased() == query }
+let matches = exact.count == 1 ? exact
+    : devices.filter { $0.name.lowercased().contains(query) || $0.uid.lowercased().contains(query) }
 guard matches.count == 1 else {
     if matches.isEmpty { fail("no input device matches \"\(wantDevice!)\" — see --list") }
     fail("\"\(wantDevice!)\" is ambiguous: " + matches.map { $0.name }.joined(separator: ", "))
diff --git a/modules/propresenter-timers/ltc-listener.js b/modules/propresenter-timers/ltc-listener.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2390b61
--- /dev/null
+++ b/modules/propresenter-timers/ltc-listener.js
@@ -0,0 +1,183 @@
+'use strict';
+
+/**
+ * Built-in LTC listener — capture child + in-process decode.
+ *
+ * Spawns the module's native capture tool (ltc-capture, compiled from
+ * ltc-capture.swift beside it) for the admin-configured audio device, reads
+ * the interleaved s16le stream, extracts the configured channel, and decodes
+ * SMPTE LTC with ltc.js — all inside the module server. Reports upward via
+ * onUpdate roughly 4×/s:
+ *
+ *   { state: 'running'|'stopped'|'nosignal', time, fps, df }   healthy
+ *   { error: '<what is wrong and how to fix it>' }             not capturing
+ *
+ * The capture binary is per-machine (gitignored): if it is missing this
+ * tries one swiftc compile of the source next to it, and otherwise says to
+ * build it on any same-architecture Mac and copy it over. A dead child is
+ * restarted with backoff — fast for a crash, slow for config-shaped
+ * failures (unknown device, ambiguous name) that never fix themselves.
+ *
+ * macOS gotcha this file can't fix: microphone permission. A ProdDash
+ * server launched over SSH or from a bare launchd job gets SILENT ZEROS
+ * from every input (no error!), which shows up here as endless 'nosignal'.
+ * Launch ProdDash from a logged-in GUI context (Start ProdDash.command)
+ * and approve the mic prompt once.
+ */
+
+const path = require('path');
+const fs = require('fs');
+const { spawn, spawnSync } = require('child_process');
+const { LtcDecoder, ChannelExtractor, fmtTc } = require('./ltc');
+
+const RESTART_MS = 5000;
+/** An immediate exit is config-shaped (bad device name, ambiguity) — a fast
+    retry loop would just spam the log. */
+const BAD_CONFIG_RETRY_MS = 30000;
+const EVAL_MS = 250;
+/** Frames must decode AND advance this recently to count as running. */
+const RUNNING_WINDOW_MS = 400;
+
+/** stderr line the capture prints once the device is open. */
+const CAPTURING_RE = /capturing "(.+)": (\d+) channels @ (\d+) Hz/;
+
+/**
+ * @param {{device:string, channel:number, moduleDir:string, log:Function,
+ *          onUpdate:(u:object)=>void}} opts
+ * @returns {{stop:()=>void}}
+ */
+function createLtcListener({ device, channel, moduleDir, log, onUpdate }) {
+  const bin = path.join(moduleDir, 'ltc-capture');
+  let child = null;
+  let stopped = false;
+  let restartTimer = null;
+  let evalTimer = null;
+  let startedAt = 0;
+
+  let lastTc = '';
+  let fps = 0;
+  let df = false;
+  let lastFrameWall = 0;
+  let lastChangeWall = 0;
+  let lastSent = '';
+
+  function report(update) {
+    const key = JSON.stringify(update);
+    if (key === lastSent) return;
+    lastSent = key;
+    onUpdate(update);
+  }
+
+  function snapshotState() {
+    const now = Date.now();
+    if (now - lastFrameWall < RUNNING_WINDOW_MS && now - lastChangeWall < RUNNING_WINDOW_MS) return 'running';
+    if (lastTc) return 'stopped';
+    return 'nosignal';
+  }
+
+  function ensureBinary() {
+    if (fs.existsSync(bin)) return '';
+    const src = bin + '.swift';
+    log('ltc-capture binary missing — trying a one-time swiftc build');
+    const built = spawnSync('swiftc', ['-O', '-o', bin, src], { timeout: 120000 });
+    if (built.status === 0 && fs.existsSync(bin)) {
+      log('ltc-capture compiled');
+      return '';
+    }
+    return 'LTC capture tool missing — build it on any Apple Silicon Mac with '
+      + '`swiftc -O -o modules/propresenter-timers/ltc-capture modules/propresenter-timers/ltc-capture.swift` '
+      + 'and copy it here';
+  }
+
+  function start() {
+    if (stopped) return;
+    const missing = ensureBinary();
+    if (missing) {
+      report({ error: missing });
+      scheduleRestart(BAD_CONFIG_RETRY_MS);
+      return;
+    }
+
+    startedAt = Date.now();
+    let extractor = null;
+    let decoder = null;
+    let stderrTail = '';
+
+    child = spawn(bin, ['--device', device], { stdio: ['ignore', 'pipe', 'pipe'] });
+
+    child.stderr.setEncoding('utf8');
+    child.stderr.on('data', (text) => {
+      stderrTail = (stderrTail + text).slice(-500);
+      const m = text.match(CAPTURING_RE);
+      if (!m) return;
+      const channels = Number(m[2]);
+      const rate = Number(m[3]);
+      if (channel > channels) {
+        report({ error: `"${m[1]}" has ${channels} input channels — channel ${channel} is configured. Fix it in Admin.` });
+        try { child.kill(); } catch { /* exiting anyway */ }
+        return;
+      }
+      log(`LTC listener: capturing "${m[1]}" (${channels} ch @ ${rate} Hz), decoding channel ${channel}`);
+      extractor = new ChannelExtractor(channels, channel);
+      decoder = new LtcDecoder(rate, (frame) => {
+        const tc = fmtTc(frame);
+        const now = Date.now();
+        if (tc !== lastTc) lastChangeWall = now;
+        lastTc = tc;
+        fps = frame.fps;
+        df = frame.df;
+        lastFrameWall = now;
+      });
+    });
+
+    child.stdout.on('data', (buf) => {
+      if (extractor && decoder) decoder.push(extractor.push(buf));
+    });
+
+    child.on('error', (err) => {
+      report({ error: `LTC capture failed to start: ${err.message}` });
+    });
+
+    child.on('exit', (code) => {
+      child = null;
+      if (stopped) return;
+      // The capture's own failure text (unknown device, ambiguous name,
+      // permission hint) is the most useful thing we can show.
+      const said = stderrTail.split('\n').reverse().find((l) => l.includes('ltc-capture:') && !CAPTURING_RE.test(l));
+      const quickDeath = Date.now() - startedAt < 3000;
+      report({ error: (said ? said.replace(/^.*ltc-capture:\s*/, '') : `LTC capture exited (code ${code})`) + (quickDeath ? '' : ' — restarting') });
+      scheduleRestart(quickDeath ? BAD_CONFIG_RETRY_MS : RESTART_MS);
+    });
+  }
+
+  function scheduleRestart(ms) {
+    if (stopped || restartTimer) return;
+    restartTimer = setTimeout(() => {
+      restartTimer = null;
+      start();
+    }, ms);
+    restartTimer.unref?.();
+  }
+
+  evalTimer = setInterval(() => {
+    if (stopped || !child) return;
+    report({ state: snapshotState(), time: lastTc, fps, df });
+  }, EVAL_MS);
+  evalTimer.unref?.();
+
+  start();
+
+  return {
+    stop() {
+      stopped = true;
+      clearTimeout(restartTimer);
+      clearInterval(evalTimer);
+      if (child) {
+        try { child.kill(); } catch { /* already gone */ }
+        child = null;
+      }
+    },
+  };
+}
+
+module.exports = { createLtcListener };
diff --git a/modules/propresenter-timers/ltc.js b/modules/propresenter-timers/ltc.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..409fe46
--- /dev/null
+++ b/modules/propresenter-timers/ltc.js
@@ -0,0 +1,314 @@
+'use strict';
+
+/**
+ * LTC engine for the propresenter-timers module — SMPTE LTC decode from PCM,
+ * interleaved-channel extraction, and an encoder for tests and demos.
+ *
+ * Used in-process by the module's built-in LTC listener (ltc-listener.js),
+ * and by the standalone remote reader (tools/ltc-reader.js) for machines
+ * other than the ProdDash server. All design notes and the full protocol
+ * commentary live with the classes below; the encoder exists so the decode
+ * path can be proven end-to-end without timecode hardware (see the reader's
+ * --selftest).
+ */
+
+/* ══ decoder ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ */
+
+/** Sync word as bits 64–79 (0011111111111101) shift into a 16-bit register. */
+const SYNC_WORD = 0x3ffd;
+
+class LtcDecoder {
+  /**
+   * @param {number} sampleRate stdin PCM rate in Hz
+   * @param {(f:{h:number,m:number,s:number,f:number,df:boolean,fps:number})=>void} onFrame
+   */
+  constructor(sampleRate, onFrame) {
+    this.sr = sampleRate;
+    this.onFrame = onFrame;
+    this.mean = 0; // DC offset tracker
+    this.env = 0; // decaying |sample| envelope, scales the comparator
+    this.level = 0; // comparator state: 1 / -1 (0 = not seen a crossing yet)
+    this.n = 0; // absolute sample clock
+    this.lastEdge = 0;
+    this.lastEdgeSeen = 0; // for signal-presence checks
+    // Samples per LTC bit. Start at the 30 fps value (the shortest possible
+    // bit) and let the interval EMA walk it up to the true rate.
+    this.T = sampleRate / (80 * 30);
+    this.halfAt = 0; // first half-interval of a suspected 1 bit, else 0
+    this.bits = new Uint8Array(80); // last 80 decoded bits, newest at [79]
+    this.sync = 0; // last 16 bits as an integer, newest at bit 0
+    this.fresh = 0; // bits decoded since the last reset — see bit()
+    this.prev = null; // previous valid frame, for rollover observation
+    this.nominal = 0; // nominal fps locked by two agreeing rollovers
+    this.rollCandidate = 0;
+    this.df = false; // drop-frame with two-frame hysteresis
+    this.dfPending = null;
+    this.dfRun = 0;
+  }
+
+  /** @param {Int16Array} samples */
+  push(samples) {
+    for (let i = 0; i < samples.length; i += 1) {
+      this.n += 1;
+      const raw = samples[i];
+      // Seed the DC tracker from the first sample — a real offset would
+      // otherwise take ~0.5 s to settle and cost the opening frames.
+      if (this.n === 1) this.mean = raw;
+      this.mean += (raw - this.mean) / 8192;
+      const v = raw - this.mean;
+      const mag = v < 0 ? -v : v;
+      this.env = mag > this.env ? mag : this.env * 0.9996;
+      // Floor keeps line noise from registering as signal during silence.
+      const th = Math.max(this.env * 0.3, 500);
+      let crossed = false;
+      if (this.level >= 0 && v < -th) {
+        this.level = -1;
+        crossed = true;
+      } else if (this.level <= 0 && v > th) {
+        this.level = 1;
+        crossed = true;
+      }
+      if (!crossed) continue;
+      const t = this.n - this.lastEdge;
+      this.lastEdge = this.n;
+      this.lastEdgeSeen = this.n;
+      this.interval(t);
+    }
+  }
+
+  /** One transition-to-transition gap, in samples. */
+  interval(t) {
+    if (t > 1.9 * this.T) {
+      // Silence gap or garbage — drop bit state, keep the period estimate
+      // (the stream that resumes is usually the same deck). Frame
+      // continuity broke, so rollover observation restarts too; the locked
+      // nominal survives — two agreeing rollovers re-lock a changed rate.
+      this.halfAt = 0;
+      this.sync = 0;
+      this.fresh = 0;
+      this.prev = null;
+      return;
+    }
+    if (t < 0.75 * this.T) {
+      // Half period: one of a 1-bit's pair.
+      if (this.halfAt) {
+        this.T += (this.halfAt + t - this.T) * 0.05;
+        this.halfAt = 0;
+        this.bit(1);
+      } else {
+        this.halfAt = t;
+      }
+    } else {
+      // Full period: a 0 bit. A lone preceding half means we slipped —
+      // shed it and let the sync-word search re-align.
+      this.halfAt = 0;
+      this.T += (t - this.T) * 0.05;
+      this.bit(0);
+    }
+  }
+
+  bit(b) {
+    this.bits.copyWithin(0, 1);
+    this.bits[79] = b;
+    this.sync = ((this.sync << 1) | b) & 0xffff;
+    if (this.fresh < 80) this.fresh += 1;
+    // Sync word just completed → bits[0..63] are one whole frame's data —
+    // but only once 80 real bits have displaced the cold-start/pre-gap
+    // buffer, or a phantom frame decodes from the padding.
+    if (this.sync === SYNC_WORD && this.fresh >= 80) this.frame();
+  }
+
+  frame() {
+    const bits = this.bits;
+    // Every LTC field is BCD, transmitted LSB-first.
+    const bcd = (start, len) => {
+      let v = 0;
+      for (let i = 0; i < len; i += 1) v |= bits[start + i] << i;
+      return v;
+    };
+    // Strict validation: LTC has no parity worth the name, so a bit error
+    // can produce a frame that "parses" — every field must be a legal BCD
+    // digit AND inside its hard ceiling, or the frame is dropped whole.
+    // (A lax check here once let a corrupt frames field of 35 through, and
+    // downstream fps logic reported 36 fps to the dashboard.)
+    const fu = bcd(0, 4);
+    const su = bcd(16, 4);
+    const mu = bcd(32, 4);
+    const hu = bcd(48, 4);
+    if (fu > 9 || su > 9 || mu > 9 || hu > 9) return;
+    const f = fu + bcd(8, 2) * 10;
+    const s = su + bcd(24, 3) * 10;
+    const m = mu + bcd(40, 3) * 10;
+    const h = hu + bcd(56, 2) * 10;
+    if (f > 29 || s > 59 || m > 59 || h > 23) return;
+
+    // Drop-frame flag with two-frame hysteresis — one corrupt-but-legal
+    // frame must not flash 29.97 DF across the dashboard.
+    const dfBit = bits[10] === 1;
+    this.dfRun = dfBit === this.dfPending ? this.dfRun + 1 : 1;
+    this.dfPending = dfBit;
+    if (this.dfRun >= 2) this.df = dfBit;
+
+    // Nominal rate from observed rollovers: the frame number that precedes
+    // an f=0-with-seconds-advance IS the rate minus one. Two consecutive
+    // agreeing rollovers lock it — a single corrupt frame can't fake two
+    // valid, correctly-successive frames twice, and a genuine rate change
+    // re-locks itself within two seconds.
+    if (this.prev && f === 0 && s === (this.prev.s + 1) % 60) {
+      const cand = this.prev.f + 1;
+      if (cand === 24 || cand === 25 || cand === 30) {
+        if (cand === this.rollCandidate) this.nominal = cand;
+        this.rollCandidate = cand;
+      }
+    }
+    this.prev = { h, m, s, f };
+    this.onFrame({ h, m, s, f, df: this.df, fps: this.fps(this.df) });
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Nominal rate: locked by rollover consensus once two second-boundaries
+   * agree; until then snap the measured bit clock to a standard rate.
+   * 29.97 vs 30 non-drop differ by 0.1% — beyond the bit-clock estimate's
+   * accuracy — so non-drop 29.97 reads as 30. Drop-frame is exact: the DF
+   * bit means 29.97.
+   */
+  fps(df) {
+    if (df) return 29.97;
+    if (this.nominal) return this.nominal;
+    const measured = this.sr / (this.T * 80);
+    return [24, 25, 30].reduce((a, b) => (Math.abs(b - measured) < Math.abs(a - measured) ? b : a));
+  }
+
+  /** True while transitions are actually arriving (sample-clock based). */
+  signalPresent() {
+    return this.n - this.lastEdgeSeen < this.sr * 0.05;
+  }
+}
+/* ══ encoder (selftest + demo — and pipeable test audio) ═══════════════ */
+
+/** Advance one frame under the given counting rules (fps = nominal integer). */
+function nextTc(tc, fps, df) {
+  let { h, m, s, f } = tc;
+  f += 1;
+  if (f >= fps) {
+    f = 0;
+    s += 1;
+    if (s >= 60) {
+      s = 0;
+      m += 1;
+      if (m >= 60) {
+        m = 0;
+        h = (h + 1) % 24;
+      }
+    }
+  }
+  // Drop-frame: frames 00 and 01 don't exist at the top of a minute,
+  // except every tenth minute.
+  if (df && f === 0 && s === 0 && m % 10 !== 0) f = 2;
+  return { h, m, s, f };
+}
+
+/** The 80 bits of one frame, in transmission order. User bits stay zero;
+    the polarity-correction/parity bit is legal to leave clear. */
+function frameBits(tc, df) {
+  const bits = new Uint8Array(80);
+  const put = (start, len, v) => {
+    for (let i = 0; i < len; i += 1) bits[start + i] = (v >> i) & 1;
+  };
+  put(0, 4, tc.f % 10);
+  put(8, 2, Math.floor(tc.f / 10));
+  bits[10] = df ? 1 : 0;
+  put(16, 4, tc.s % 10);
+  put(24, 3, Math.floor(tc.s / 10));
+  put(32, 4, tc.m % 10);
+  put(40, 3, Math.floor(tc.m / 10));
+  put(48, 4, tc.h % 10);
+  put(56, 2, Math.floor(tc.h / 10));
+  const sync = [0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1];
+  for (let i = 0; i < 16; i += 1) bits[64 + i] = sync[i];
+  return bits;
+}
+
+class LtcEncoder {
+  /** @param {number} fps true rate (29.97 allowed); counting uses its rounding */
+  constructor(sampleRate, fps, df, startTc, amplitude = 12000) {
+    this.nominal = Math.round(fps);
+    this.df = df;
+    this.amp = amplitude;
+    this.spb = sampleRate / (fps * 80); // samples per bit, fractional
+    this.tc = { ...startTc };
+    this.bits = frameBits(this.tc, df);
+    this.bitIdx = 0;
+    this.halfPending = false;
+    this.level = 1;
+    this.t = 0; // sample clock
+    this.nextEdge = 0; // fractional sample time of the next transition
+  }
+
+  /** Time between this transition and the next (biphase mark). */
+  nextInterval() {
+    if (this.halfPending) {
+      this.halfPending = false;
+      return this.spb / 2;
+    }
+    if (this.bitIdx >= 80) {
+      this.tc = nextTc(this.tc, this.nominal, this.df);
+      this.bits = frameBits(this.tc, this.df);
+      this.bitIdx = 0;
+    }
+    const bit = this.bits[this.bitIdx];
+    this.bitIdx += 1;
+    if (bit) {
+      this.halfPending = true;
+      return this.spb / 2;
+    }
+    return this.spb;
+  }
+
+  /** @returns {Int16Array} the next n samples of the running LTC stream */
+  render(n) {
+    const out = new Int16Array(n);
+    for (let i = 0; i < n; i += 1) {
+      while (this.t >= this.nextEdge) {
+        this.level = -this.level;
+        this.nextEdge += this.nextInterval();
+      }
+      out[i] = this.level * this.amp;
+      this.t += 1;
+    }
+    return out;
+  }
+}
+/* ══ shared bits ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════ */
+
+/**
+ * Turns a raw s16le byte stream of interleaved channels into one channel's
+ * samples. Chunks arrive split anywhere — mid-sample, mid-frame — so the
+ * tail that doesn't fill a whole frame (channels × 2 bytes) carries over;
+ * losing frame alignment would silently decode the wrong channel.
+ */
+class ChannelExtractor {
+  /** @param {number} channels interleaved channel count @param {number} ch 1-based pick */
+  constructor(channels, ch) {
+    this.frameBytes = channels * 2;
+    this.offset = (ch - 1) * 2;
+    this.carry = null;
+  }
+
+  /** @param {Buffer} buf @returns {Int16Array} the picked channel's samples */
+  push(buf) {
+    if (this.carry) buf = Buffer.concat([this.carry, buf]);
+    const usable = buf.length - (buf.length % this.frameBytes);
+    this.carry = buf.length > usable ? buf.subarray(usable) : null;
+    const out = new Int16Array(usable / this.frameBytes);
+    for (let i = 0, off = this.offset; i < out.length; i += 1, off += this.frameBytes) {
+      out[i] = buf.readInt16LE(off);
+    }
+    return out;
+  }
+}
+
+const pad2 = (v) => String(v).padStart(2, '0');
+const fmtTc = (tc) => `${pad2(tc.h)}:${pad2(tc.m)}:${pad2(tc.s)}:${pad2(tc.f)}`;
+
+module.exports = { LtcDecoder, LtcEncoder, ChannelExtractor, frameBits, nextTc, fmtTc, SYNC_WORD };
diff --git a/modules/propresenter-timers/module.json b/modules/propresenter-timers/module.json
index 00153b4..9e4b7e6 100644
--- a/modules/propresenter-timers/module.json
+++ b/modules/propresenter-timers/module.json
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "id": "propresenter-timers",
   "name": "Timers",
-  "version": "1.1.0",
+  "version": "1.2.0",
   "description": "Live ProPresenter timers and LTC timecode",
   "client": "client.js",
   "server": "server.js",
@@ -19,14 +19,30 @@
       "label": "API password (only if set in ProPresenter)",
       "default": ""
     },
-    "stagePassword": {
-      "type": "password",
-      "label": "Stage display password (for LTC — ProPresenter Settings → Network)",
-      "default": ""
+    "ltcEnabled": {
+      "type": "boolean",
+      "label": "LTC listener — decode timecode from an audio input on this machine",
+      "default": false
+    },
+    "ltcDevice": {
+      "type": "select",
+      "label": "LTC audio device",
+      "default": "",
+      "optionsRoute": "/ltc/devices"
+    },
+    "ltcChannel": {
+      "type": "number",
+      "label": "LTC channel on that device (1-based)",
+      "default": 1
     },
     "ingestToken": {
       "type": "password",
-      "label": "LTC reader token (optional — must match tools/ltc-reader.js --token)",
+      "label": "LTC reader token (optional — for tools/ltc-reader.js on another machine)",
+      "default": ""
+    },
+    "stagePassword": {
+      "type": "password",
+      "label": "Stage display password (LTC fallback via a stage field labeled \"LTC\")",
       "default": ""
     }
   }
diff --git a/modules/propresenter-timers/server.js b/modules/propresenter-timers/server.js
index 685b71a..1e80bad 100644
--- a/modules/propresenter-timers/server.js
+++ b/modules/propresenter-timers/server.js
@@ -8,10 +8,12 @@
  * fans one merged state object out to every tile over SSE. Browsers never
  * talk to ProPresenter directly.
  *
- *   GET /state   → { state: <state> }   (instant paint for new tiles)
- *   GET /stream  → SSE, `state` events  (change-detected, heartbeated)
- *   POST /ltc    → LTC ingest: tools/ltc-reader.js decodes the actual LTC
- *                  audio signal and reports { state, time, fps, df } here.
+ *   GET /state        → { state: <state> }   (instant paint for new tiles)
+ *   GET /stream       → SSE, `state` events  (change-detected, heartbeated)
+ *   POST /ltc         → remote LTC ingest: tools/ltc-reader.js on another
+ *                       machine reports { state, time, fps, df } here.
+ *   GET /ltc/devices  → this machine's audio input devices, for the admin
+ *                       page's device picker (select + optionsRoute).
  *
  * Endpoints used, verified against openapi.propresenter.com (API v1):
  *   GET /v1/timers          → [ { id:{uuid,name,index}, allows_overrun,
@@ -30,13 +32,19 @@
  *     once per connection anyway so a future ProPresenter that adds it
  *     lights up without a module update.
  *
- * Because the HTTP API has no timecode, LTC comes from two real sources:
- * the external reader (POST /ltc — tools/ltc-reader.js decoding the LTC
- * audio feed itself, ground truth while its reports are fresh) and the
- * classic stage-display websocket (see stage-ws.js): a stage layout field
- * labeled "LTC" streams its text to us. Source precedence: fresh reader
- * ingest, else the HTTP route if it ever answers, else the stage field,
- * else "not available".
+ * Because the HTTP API has no timecode, LTC comes from the audio signal
+ * itself. The whole LTC feature sits behind the admin "LTC listener"
+ * switch — off means no LTC tile in the picker, no probes, and the ingest
+ * route answers 409. When on, the sources in precedence order:
+ *   1. the built-in listener (ltc-listener.js — this machine captures the
+ *      admin-selected device/channel and decodes in-process) while it has
+ *      actual data;
+ *   2. a fresh remote reader report (POST /ltc, tools/ltc-reader.js on the
+ *      machine that can hear the LTC when this one can't);
+ *   3. the listener's own "no signal" verdict (healthy capture, silent
+ *      feed — believed over the indirect sources below);
+ *   4. the HTTP timecode route if some future ProPresenter answers it;
+ *   5. a stage-display field labeled "LTC" (see stage-ws.js).
  *
  * ProPresenter's built-in HTTP server is easily overwhelmed (see the hot-path
  * notes in ../propresenter-now-next/propresenter-core). So: requests run
@@ -60,14 +68,17 @@ const HEARTBEAT_MS = 15000;
     the reader posts at least 1×/s, so 6s of silence means it died. */
 const INGEST_STALE_MS = 6000;
 
+const { spawn } = require('child_process');
 const { createStageLtcClient } = require('./stage-ws');
+const { createLtcListener } = require('./ltc-listener');
 
 /** Set by init(), read by the routes — both are rebuilt together on remount. */
 let current = null;
 
-function clearedState(enabled) {
+function clearedState(enabled, ltcEnabled = false) {
   return {
     enabled,
+    ltcEnabled,
     reachable: false,
     lastError: '',
     timers: [],
@@ -91,8 +102,11 @@ module.exports = {
     const port = Number(config.port ?? ep.port) || 1025;
     const password = String(config.password || '');
     const enabled = Boolean(host && port);
+    const ltcEnabled = Boolean(config.ltcEnabled);
+    const ltcDevice = String(config.ltcDevice || '');
+    const ltcChannel = Math.max(1, Math.trunc(Number(config.ltcChannel)) || 1);
 
-    let latest = clearedState(enabled);
+    let latest = clearedState(enabled, ltcEnabled);
     let lastFrame = '';
     let stopped = false;
     let pollTimer = null;
@@ -105,27 +119,42 @@ module.exports = {
     let ltcLast = { time: '', receiving: false };
     /** Live view of the stage-display websocket's LTC field (stage-ws.js). */
     let stageLtc = { bound: false, time: '', receiving: false, note: '' };
-    /** Latest POST /ltc report from the external reader, null until one lands. */
+    /** Latest POST /ltc report from a remote reader, null until one lands. */
     let ingest = null; // { state, time, fps, df, source, at }
     let ingestExpiry = null;
+    /** Built-in listener's latest word: { state, time, fps, df } | { error }. */
+    let listenerLtc = null;
 
-    /** One LTC verdict from all three sources. The external reader decodes
-        the LTC audio itself, so a fresh report from it is ground truth;
-        then the HTTP route if it ever answers; then the stage-display
-        field. Text sources don't know fps — receiving/frozen/empty maps
-        onto the same status vocabulary the reader uses. */
+    /** One LTC verdict from every source, in the precedence the header
+        comment explains. Text sources don't know fps — receiving/frozen/
+        empty maps onto the same status vocabulary the audio decode uses. */
     function composeLtc() {
+      if (!ltcEnabled) {
+        return { supported: false, source: '', time: '', receiving: false, status: '', fps: 0, df: false, note: 'LTC listener disabled' };
+      }
+      const audioVerdict = (src, tag) => ({
+        supported: true,
+        source: tag,
+        time: src.time,
+        receiving: src.state === 'running',
+        status: src.state,
+        fps: src.fps,
+        df: src.df,
+        note: '',
+      });
+      // The built-in listener while it has actual data …
+      if (listenerLtc && !listenerLtc.error && listenerLtc.state !== 'nosignal') {
+        return audioVerdict(listenerLtc, 'listener');
+      }
+      // … else a fresh remote reader (during migrations both may run —
+      // real data beats no data) …
       if (ingest && Date.now() - ingest.at < INGEST_STALE_MS) {
-        return {
-          supported: true,
-          source: 'reader',
-          time: ingest.time,
-          receiving: ingest.state === 'running',
-          status: ingest.state,
-          fps: ingest.fps,
-          df: ingest.df,
-          note: '',
-        };
+        return audioVerdict(ingest, 'reader');
+      }
+      // … else a healthy-but-silent listener is believed over the indirect
+      // sources: no audio means the LTC really stopped.
+      if (listenerLtc && !listenerLtc.error) {
+        return audioVerdict(listenerLtc, 'listener');
       }
       const textStatus = (src) => (src.receiving ? 'running' : src.time ? 'stopped' : 'nosignal');
       if (ltcSupported === true) {
@@ -139,10 +168,10 @@ module.exports = {
         // story than anything the stage feed has to say.
         return { supported: false, source: '', time: '', receiving: false, status: '', fps: 0, df: false, note: 'LTC reader offline' };
       }
-      if (ltcSupported === null && !stageLtc.note && enabled) {
+      if (!listenerLtc?.error && ltcSupported === null && !stageLtc.note && enabled) {
         return { supported: null, source: '', time: '', receiving: false, status: '', fps: 0, df: false, note: '' };
       }
-      return { supported: false, source: '', time: '', receiving: false, status: '', fps: 0, df: false, note: stageLtc.note || '' };
+      return { supported: false, source: '', time: '', receiving: false, status: '', fps: 0, df: false, note: listenerLtc?.error || stageLtc.note || '' };
     }
 
     /** Timecode-shaped text — same shape rule as the other sources. */
@@ -284,6 +313,7 @@ module.exports = {
     }
 
     async function pollLtc() {
+      if (!ltcEnabled) return;
       // A 404 verdict is retried once a minute — an endpoint appearing
       // without an unreachable spell (ProPresenter hot-swapped in testing,
       // or some future in-place upgrade) must not stay invisible forever.
@@ -308,6 +338,7 @@ module.exports = {
     function broadcast() {
       latest = {
         enabled,
+        ltcEnabled,
         reachable: latest.reachable,
         lastError: latest.lastError,
         timers: latest.timers,
@@ -365,23 +396,46 @@ module.exports = {
     if (enabled) {
       pollTick();
       log(`polling timers on ${host}:${port}`);
-      stageClient = createStageLtcClient({
-        host,
-        port,
-        password: String(config.stagePassword || ''),
-        log,
-        // The HTTP poller knows every configured timer's uuid — anything
-        // else streaming timecode-shaped text can be heuristically bound.
-        isTimerUid: (uid) => timerConfigs.has(uid),
-        onUpdate(update) {
-          stageLtc = update;
-          broadcast();
-        },
-      });
+      if (ltcEnabled) {
+        stageClient = createStageLtcClient({
+          host,
+          port,
+          password: String(config.stagePassword || ''),
+          log,
+          // The HTTP poller knows every configured timer's uuid — anything
+          // else streaming timecode-shaped text can be heuristically bound.
+          isTimerUid: (uid) => timerConfigs.has(uid),
+          onUpdate(update) {
+            stageLtc = update;
+            broadcast();
+          },
+        });
+      }
     } else {
       log('no ProPresenter host configured — set one in /admin');
     }
 
+    // The built-in listener is independent of ProPresenter — LTC-only
+    // setups (no host configured) still get the LTC card.
+    let ltcListener = null;
+    if (ltcEnabled) {
+      if (ltcDevice) {
+        ltcListener = createLtcListener({
+          device: ltcDevice,
+          channel: ltcChannel,
+          moduleDir: __dirname,
+          log,
+          onUpdate(update) {
+            listenerLtc = update;
+            broadcast();
+          },
+        });
+      } else {
+        listenerLtc = { error: 'LTC listener is on but no audio device is selected — pick one in Admin' };
+        broadcast();
+      }
+    }
+
     const heartbeat = setInterval(() => {
       for (const res of streams) {
         try {
@@ -402,6 +456,7 @@ module.exports = {
         clearTimeout(ingestExpiry);
         clearInterval(heartbeat);
         stageClient?.stop();
+        ltcListener?.stop();
         for (const res of streams) {
           try { res.end(); } catch { /* already gone */ }
         }
@@ -409,18 +464,20 @@ module.exports = {
         if (current && current.streams === streams) current = null;
       },
       health() {
-        const ltcSource = { reader: ', LTC via reader', api: ', LTC via API', stage: ', LTC via stage display' };
+        const ltcSource = { listener: ', LTC via listener', reader: ', LTC via remote reader', api: ', LTC via API', stage: ', LTC via stage display' };
         if (!enabled) {
-          // The LTC reader posts to us regardless of ProPresenter — an
+          // The LTC listener/reader work regardless of ProPresenter — an
           // LTC-only setup is half-configured but working.
-          if (latest.ltc.source === 'reader') return { status: 'ok', message: 'No ProPresenter host configured — LTC via reader only' };
+          if (latest.ltc.supported) return { status: 'ok', message: `No ProPresenter host configured — LTC only${ltcSource[latest.ltc.source] || ''}` };
           return { status: 'error', message: 'No ProPresenter host configured' };
         }
         if (latest.reachable) {
           const ltc = latest.ltc;
-          const ltcNote = ltc.supported
-            ? (ltcSource[ltc.source] || '')
-            : (ltc.note ? ` (${ltc.note})` : '');
+          const ltcNote = !ltcEnabled
+            ? ''
+            : ltc.supported
+              ? (ltcSource[ltc.source] || '')
+              : (ltc.note ? ` (LTC: ${ltc.note})` : '');
           return { status: 'ok', message: `Polling ${host}:${port}, ${latest.timers.length} timer(s)${ltcNote}` };
         }
         return {
@@ -442,7 +499,7 @@ module.exports = {
    */
   tiles() {
     const state = current ? current.getLatest() : null;
-    if (!state || !state.enabled) return []; // unconfigured → classic single entry
+    if (!state || (!state.enabled && !state.ltcEnabled)) return []; // unconfigured → classic single entry
     const TYPE_LABEL = {
       countdown: 'Countdown timer',
       countdown_to_time: 'Countdown to a time of day',
@@ -451,14 +508,23 @@ module.exports = {
     };
     const oneCard = { defaultSize: { w: 3, h: 2 }, minSize: { w: 2, h: 1 } };
     return [
-      { id: 'all', name: 'All timers', description: 'Every timer and the LTC timecode, selectable per tile' },
+      {
+        id: 'all',
+        name: 'All timers',
+        description: state.ltcEnabled
+          ? 'Every timer and the LTC timecode, selectable per tile'
+          : 'Every timer, selectable per tile',
+      },
       ...state.timers.map((t) => ({
         id: `timer:${t.uuid}`,
         name: t.name,
         description: TYPE_LABEL[t.type] || 'Timer',
         ...oneCard,
       })),
-      { id: 'ltc', name: 'LTC timecode', description: 'Incoming timecode (HH:MM:SS:FF)', ...oneCard },
+      // The LTC entry exists only while the admin switch is on.
+      ...(state.ltcEnabled
+        ? [{ id: 'ltc', name: 'LTC timecode', description: 'Incoming timecode (HH:MM:SS:FF)', ...oneCard }]
+        : []),
     ];
   },
 
@@ -472,10 +538,36 @@ module.exports = {
         sendJson(res, 200, { state: current ? current.getLatest() : clearedState(false) });
       },
 
-      // The external LTC reader (tools/ltc-reader.js) reports here — the
-      // one route on this module that accepts writes, so it optionally
-      // carries a shared token (Admin → "LTC reader token").
+      // The admin device picker asks this machine what it can hear. The
+      // options shape matches the admin select's optionsRoute contract.
+      'GET /ltc/devices': (req, res) => {
+        const bin = require('path').join(__dirname, 'ltc-capture');
+        const child = spawn(bin, ['--list'], { stdio: ['ignore', 'ignore', 'pipe'], timeout: 4000 });
+        let err = '';
+        child.stderr.setEncoding('utf8');
+        child.stderr.on('data', (t) => { err += t; });
+        child.on('error', () => {
+          sendJson(res, 200, { options: [], error: 'LTC capture tool missing — see modules/propresenter-timers/ltc-capture.swift' });
+        });
+        child.on('exit', () => {
+          if (res.writableEnded) return;
+          const options = [];
+          for (const line of err.split('\n')) {
+            const m = line.match(/^ltc-capture:\s+(.*?)\s+(\d+) ch\s+(\d+) Hz\s+uid=/);
+            if (m) options.push({ value: m[1], label: `${m[1]} — ${m[2]} ch @ ${(Number(m[3]) / 1000)} kHz` });
+          }
+          sendJson(res, 200, { options });
+        });
+      },
+
+      // A remote LTC reader (tools/ltc-reader.js, on the machine that can
+      // hear the LTC when this one can't) reports here — the one route on
+      // this module that accepts writes, so it optionally carries a shared
+      // token (Admin → "LTC reader token").
       'POST /ltc': (req, res) => {
+        if (!config.ltcEnabled) {
+          return void sendJson(res, 409, { error: 'LTC listener is disabled in Admin — enable it to accept reader reports' });
+        }
         const token = String(config.ingestToken || '');
         if (token) {
           const given = String(req.headers.authorization || '').replace(/^Bearer\s+/i, '');
diff --git a/public/admin/admin.js b/public/admin/admin.js
index fdcd56c..01c1914 100644
--- a/public/admin/admin.js
+++ b/public/admin/admin.js
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ function healthText(mod) {
   return mod.hasServer ? 'Mounted.' : 'Client-only module (no server part).';
 }
 
-function fieldFor(key, spec, value, passwordSet) {
+function fieldFor(key, spec, value, passwordSet, moduleId) {
   const type = spec?.type || 'string';
   const label = spec?.label || key;
   const field = document.createElement('label');
@@ -122,17 +122,38 @@ function fieldFor(key, spec, value, passwordSet) {
     row.append(host, sep, port);
     field.append(span, row);
     read = () => ({ host: host.value.trim(), port: Number(port.value) || 0 });
-  } else if (type === 'select' && Array.isArray(spec.options)) {
+  } else if (type === 'select' && (Array.isArray(spec.options) || spec.optionsRoute)) {
     const span = document.createElement('span');
     span.textContent = label;
     const select = document.createElement('select');
-    for (const opt of spec.options) {
-      const o = document.createElement('option');
-      o.value = String(typeof opt === 'object' ? opt.value : opt);
-      o.textContent = String(typeof opt === 'object' ? (opt.label ?? opt.value) : opt);
-      select.appendChild(o);
+    const fill = (options) => {
+      select.innerHTML = '';
+      // The saved value must stay selectable even when it isn't among the
+      // live options (device unplugged, module route down).
+      const saved = String(value ?? '');
+      if (saved && !options.some((opt) => String(typeof opt === 'object' ? opt.value : opt) === saved)) {
+        options = [{ value: saved, label: `${saved} (saved)` }, ...options];
+      }
+      if (!saved) options = [{ value: '', label: '— choose —' }, ...options];
+      for (const opt of options) {
+        const o = document.createElement('option');
+        o.value = String(typeof opt === 'object' ? opt.value : opt);
+        o.textContent = String(typeof opt === 'object' ? (opt.label ?? opt.value) : opt);
+        select.appendChild(o);
+      }
+      select.value = saved;
+    };
+    fill(Array.isArray(spec.options) ? spec.options : []);
+    if (spec.optionsRoute && moduleId) {
+      // Options discovered at runtime (audio devices, ports, sources…):
+      // the module serves them from one of its own routes.
+      fetch(`/api/modules/${encodeURIComponent(moduleId)}${spec.optionsRoute}`)
+        .then((res) => (res.ok ? res.json() : null))
+        .then((body) => {
+          if (Array.isArray(body?.options)) fill(body.options);
+        })
+        .catch(() => { /* keep the static/saved options */ });
     }
-    select.value = String(value ?? '');
     field.append(span, select);
     read = () => select.value;
   } else {
@@ -227,7 +248,7 @@ function buildModuleCard(mod) {
     form.className = 'module-form';
     const readers = new Map();
     for (const [key, spec] of schemaKeys) {
-      const { field, read } = fieldFor(key, spec, mod.config[key], mod.passwordSet[key]);
+      const { field, read } = fieldFor(key, spec, mod.config[key], mod.passwordSet[key], mod.id);
       readers.set(key, read);
       form.appendChild(field);
     }
diff --git a/tools/ltc-reader.js b/tools/ltc-reader.js
index f7f5d3f..9d33606 100644
--- a/tools/ltc-reader.js
+++ b/tools/ltc-reader.js
@@ -48,8 +48,8 @@
  * tracks transitions with an envelope-scaled hysteresis comparator (so
  * input level doesn't matter), classifies the transition gaps as full/half
  * bit periods against an adaptive period estimate, shifts bits until the
- * sync word appears, then reads the BCD fields. Frame rate is snapped from
- * the measured bit clock and the highest frame number seen; the drop-frame
+ * sync word appears, then reads the BCD fields. Frame rate locks from
+ * second-rollover consensus (bit clock until then); the drop-frame
  * bit distinguishes 29.97 DF. Reverse play is not decoded (the sync word
  * never matches backwards) — for booth status that reads as "stopped",
  * which is the honest summary anyway.
@@ -57,306 +57,13 @@
 
 const os = require('os');
 
-/* ══ decoder ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ */
 
-/** Sync word as bits 64–79 (0011111111111101) shift into a 16-bit register. */
-const SYNC_WORD = 0x3ffd;
+/* The LTC engine (decoder, encoder, channel extractor) lives with the
+   Timers module and is shared from there — one implementation, used both
+   by the module's built-in listener and by this standalone reader. */
+const { LtcDecoder, LtcEncoder, ChannelExtractor, frameBits, fmtTc } =
+  require('../modules/propresenter-timers/ltc.js');
 
-class LtcDecoder {
-  /**
-   * @param {number} sampleRate stdin PCM rate in Hz
-   * @param {(f:{h:number,m:number,s:number,f:number,df:boolean,fps:number})=>void} onFrame
-   */
-  constructor(sampleRate, onFrame) {
-    this.sr = sampleRate;
-    this.onFrame = onFrame;
-    this.mean = 0; // DC offset tracker
-    this.env = 0; // decaying |sample| envelope, scales the comparator
-    this.level = 0; // comparator state: 1 / -1 (0 = not seen a crossing yet)
-    this.n = 0; // absolute sample clock
-    this.lastEdge = 0;
-    this.lastEdgeSeen = 0; // for signal-presence checks
-    // Samples per LTC bit. Start at the 30 fps value (the shortest possible
-    // bit) and let the interval EMA walk it up to the true rate.
-    this.T = sampleRate / (80 * 30);
-    this.halfAt = 0; // first half-interval of a suspected 1 bit, else 0
-    this.bits = new Uint8Array(80); // last 80 decoded bits, newest at [79]
-    this.sync = 0; // last 16 bits as an integer, newest at bit 0
-    this.fresh = 0; // bits decoded since the last reset — see bit()
-    this.prev = null; // previous valid frame, for rollover observation
-    this.nominal = 0; // nominal fps locked by two agreeing rollovers
-    this.rollCandidate = 0;
-    this.df = false; // drop-frame with two-frame hysteresis
-    this.dfPending = null;
-    this.dfRun = 0;
-  }
-
-  /** @param {Int16Array} samples */
-  push(samples) {
-    for (let i = 0; i < samples.length; i += 1) {
-      this.n += 1;
-      const raw = samples[i];
-      // Seed the DC tracker from the first sample — a real offset would
-      // otherwise take ~0.5 s to settle and cost the opening frames.
-      if (this.n === 1) this.mean = raw;
-      this.mean += (raw - this.mean) / 8192;
-      const v = raw - this.mean;
-      const mag = v < 0 ? -v : v;
-      this.env = mag > this.env ? mag : this.env * 0.9996;
-      // Floor keeps line noise from registering as signal during silence.
-      const th = Math.max(this.env * 0.3, 500);
-      let crossed = false;
-      if (this.level >= 0 && v < -th) {
-        this.level = -1;
-        crossed = true;
-      } else if (this.level <= 0 && v > th) {
-        this.level = 1;
-        crossed = true;
-      }
-      if (!crossed) continue;
-      const t = this.n - this.lastEdge;
-      this.lastEdge = this.n;
-      this.lastEdgeSeen = this.n;
-      this.interval(t);
-    }
-  }
-
-  /** One transition-to-transition gap, in samples. */
-  interval(t) {
-    if (t > 1.9 * this.T) {
-      // Silence gap or garbage — drop bit state, keep the period estimate
-      // (the stream that resumes is usually the same deck). Frame
-      // continuity broke, so rollover observation restarts too; the locked
-      // nominal survives — two agreeing rollovers re-lock a changed rate.
-      this.halfAt = 0;
-      this.sync = 0;
-      this.fresh = 0;
-      this.prev = null;
-      return;
-    }
-    if (t < 0.75 * this.T) {
-      // Half period: one of a 1-bit's pair.
-      if (this.halfAt) {
-        this.T += (this.halfAt + t - this.T) * 0.05;
-        this.halfAt = 0;
-        this.bit(1);
-      } else {
-        this.halfAt = t;
-      }
-    } else {
-      // Full period: a 0 bit. A lone preceding half means we slipped —
-      // shed it and let the sync-word search re-align.
-      this.halfAt = 0;
-      this.T += (t - this.T) * 0.05;
-      this.bit(0);
-    }
-  }
-
-  bit(b) {
-    this.bits.copyWithin(0, 1);
-    this.bits[79] = b;
-    this.sync = ((this.sync << 1) | b) & 0xffff;
-    if (this.fresh < 80) this.fresh += 1;
-    // Sync word just completed → bits[0..63] are one whole frame's data —
-    // but only once 80 real bits have displaced the cold-start/pre-gap
-    // buffer, or a phantom frame decodes from the padding.
-    if (this.sync === SYNC_WORD && this.fresh >= 80) this.frame();
-  }
-
-  frame() {
-    const bits = this.bits;
-    // Every LTC field is BCD, transmitted LSB-first.
-    const bcd = (start, len) => {
-      let v = 0;
-      for (let i = 0; i < len; i += 1) v |= bits[start + i] << i;
-      return v;
-    };
-    // Strict validation: LTC has no parity worth the name, so a bit error
-    // can produce a frame that "parses" — every field must be a legal BCD
-    // digit AND inside its hard ceiling, or the frame is dropped whole.
-    // (A lax check here once let a corrupt frames field of 35 through, and
-    // downstream fps logic reported 36 fps to the dashboard.)
-    const fu = bcd(0, 4);
-    const su = bcd(16, 4);
-    const mu = bcd(32, 4);
-    const hu = bcd(48, 4);
-    if (fu > 9 || su > 9 || mu > 9 || hu > 9) return;
-    const f = fu + bcd(8, 2) * 10;
-    const s = su + bcd(24, 3) * 10;
-    const m = mu + bcd(40, 3) * 10;
-    const h = hu + bcd(56, 2) * 10;
-    if (f > 29 || s > 59 || m > 59 || h > 23) return;
-
-    // Drop-frame flag with two-frame hysteresis — one corrupt-but-legal
-    // frame must not flash 29.97 DF across the dashboard.
-    const dfBit = bits[10] === 1;
-    this.dfRun = dfBit === this.dfPending ? this.dfRun + 1 : 1;
-    this.dfPending = dfBit;
-    if (this.dfRun >= 2) this.df = dfBit;
-
-    // Nominal rate from observed rollovers: the frame number that precedes
-    // an f=0-with-seconds-advance IS the rate minus one. Two consecutive
-    // agreeing rollovers lock it — a single corrupt frame can't fake two
-    // valid, correctly-successive frames twice, and a genuine rate change
-    // re-locks itself within two seconds.
-    if (this.prev && f === 0 && s === (this.prev.s + 1) % 60) {
-      const cand = this.prev.f + 1;
-      if (cand === 24 || cand === 25 || cand === 30) {
-        if (cand === this.rollCandidate) this.nominal = cand;
-        this.rollCandidate = cand;
-      }
-    }
-    this.prev = { h, m, s, f };
-    this.onFrame({ h, m, s, f, df: this.df, fps: this.fps(this.df) });
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * Nominal rate: locked by rollover consensus once two second-boundaries
-   * agree; until then snap the measured bit clock to a standard rate.
-   * 29.97 vs 30 non-drop differ by 0.1% — beyond the bit-clock estimate's
-   * accuracy — so non-drop 29.97 reads as 30. Drop-frame is exact: the DF
-   * bit means 29.97.
-   */
-  fps(df) {
-    if (df) return 29.97;
-    if (this.nominal) return this.nominal;
-    const measured = this.sr / (this.T * 80);
-    return [24, 25, 30].reduce((a, b) => (Math.abs(b - measured) < Math.abs(a - measured) ? b : a));
-  }
-
-  /** True while transitions are actually arriving (sample-clock based). */
-  signalPresent() {
-    return this.n - this.lastEdgeSeen < this.sr * 0.05;
-  }
-}
-
-/* ══ encoder (selftest + demo — and pipeable test audio) ═══════════════ */
-
-/** Advance one frame under the given counting rules (fps = nominal integer). */
-function nextTc(tc, fps, df) {
-  let { h, m, s, f } = tc;
-  f += 1;
-  if (f >= fps) {
-    f = 0;
-    s += 1;
-    if (s >= 60) {
-      s = 0;
-      m += 1;
-      if (m >= 60) {
-        m = 0;
-        h = (h + 1) % 24;
-      }
-    }
-  }
-  // Drop-frame: frames 00 and 01 don't exist at the top of a minute,
-  // except every tenth minute.
-  if (df && f === 0 && s === 0 && m % 10 !== 0) f = 2;
-  return { h, m, s, f };
-}
-
-/** The 80 bits of one frame, in transmission order. User bits stay zero;
-    the polarity-correction/parity bit is legal to leave clear. */
-function frameBits(tc, df) {
-  const bits = new Uint8Array(80);
-  const put = (start, len, v) => {
-    for (let i = 0; i < len; i += 1) bits[start + i] = (v >> i) & 1;
-  };
-  put(0, 4, tc.f % 10);
-  put(8, 2, Math.floor(tc.f / 10));
-  bits[10] = df ? 1 : 0;
-  put(16, 4, tc.s % 10);
-  put(24, 3, Math.floor(tc.s / 10));
-  put(32, 4, tc.m % 10);
-  put(40, 3, Math.floor(tc.m / 10));
-  put(48, 4, tc.h % 10);
-  put(56, 2, Math.floor(tc.h / 10));
-  const sync = [0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1];
-  for (let i = 0; i < 16; i += 1) bits[64 + i] = sync[i];
-  return bits;
-}
-
-class LtcEncoder {
-  /** @param {number} fps true rate (29.97 allowed); counting uses its rounding */
-  constructor(sampleRate, fps, df, startTc, amplitude = 12000) {
-    this.nominal = Math.round(fps);
-    this.df = df;
-    this.amp = amplitude;
-    this.spb = sampleRate / (fps * 80); // samples per bit, fractional
-    this.tc = { ...startTc };
-    this.bits = frameBits(this.tc, df);
-    this.bitIdx = 0;
-    this.halfPending = false;
-    this.level = 1;
-    this.t = 0; // sample clock
-    this.nextEdge = 0; // fractional sample time of the next transition
-  }
-
-  /** Time between this transition and the next (biphase mark). */
-  nextInterval() {
-    if (this.halfPending) {
-      this.halfPending = false;
-      return this.spb / 2;
-    }
-    if (this.bitIdx >= 80) {
-      this.tc = nextTc(this.tc, this.nominal, this.df);
-      this.bits = frameBits(this.tc, this.df);
-      this.bitIdx = 0;
-    }
-    const bit = this.bits[this.bitIdx];
-    this.bitIdx += 1;
-    if (bit) {
-      this.halfPending = true;
-      return this.spb / 2;
-    }
-    return this.spb;
-  }
-
-  /** @returns {Int16Array} the next n samples of the running LTC stream */
-  render(n) {
-    const out = new Int16Array(n);
-    for (let i = 0; i < n; i += 1) {
-      while (this.t >= this.nextEdge) {
-        this.level = -this.level;
-        this.nextEdge += this.nextInterval();
-      }
-      out[i] = this.level * this.amp;
-      this.t += 1;
-    }
-    return out;
-  }
-}
-
-/* ══ shared bits ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════ */
-
-/**
- * Turns a raw s16le byte stream of interleaved channels into one channel's
- * samples. Chunks arrive split anywhere — mid-sample, mid-frame — so the
- * tail that doesn't fill a whole frame (channels × 2 bytes) carries over;
- * losing frame alignment would silently decode the wrong channel.
- */
-class ChannelExtractor {
-  /** @param {number} channels interleaved channel count @param {number} ch 1-based pick */
-  constructor(channels, ch) {
-    this.frameBytes = channels * 2;
-    this.offset = (ch - 1) * 2;
-    this.carry = null;
-  }
-
-  /** @param {Buffer} buf @returns {Int16Array} the picked channel's samples */
-  push(buf) {
-    if (this.carry) buf = Buffer.concat([this.carry, buf]);
-    const usable = buf.length - (buf.length % this.frameBytes);
-    this.carry = buf.length > usable ? buf.subarray(usable) : null;
-    const out = new Int16Array(usable / this.frameBytes);
-    for (let i = 0, off = this.offset; i < out.length; i += 1, off += this.frameBytes) {
-      out[i] = buf.readInt16LE(off);
-    }
-    return out;
-  }
-}
-
-const pad2 = (v) => String(v).padStart(2, '0');
-const fmtTc = (tc) => `${pad2(tc.h)}:${pad2(tc.m)}:${pad2(tc.s)}:${pad2(tc.f)}`;
 
 function log(msg) {
   console.log(`[${new Date().toLocaleTimeString()}] ${msg}`);