CmdPal: Extract persistence services from SettingsModel and AppStateModel (#46312)

## Summary of the Pull Request

Extracts persistence (load/save) logic from `SettingsModel` and
`AppStateModel` into dedicated service classes, following the
single-responsibility principle. Consumers now interact with
`ISettingsService` and `IAppStateService` instead of receiving raw model
objects through DI.

**New services introduced:**
- `IPersistenceService` / `PersistenceService` — generic `Load<T>` /
`Save<T>` with AOT-compatible `JsonTypeInfo<T>`, ensures target
directory exists before writing
- `ISettingsService` / `SettingsService` — loads settings on
construction, runs migrations, exposes `Settings` property and
`SettingsChanged` event
- `IAppStateService` / `AppStateService` — loads state on construction,
exposes `State` property and `StateChanged` event

**Key changes:**
- `SettingsModel` and `AppStateModel` are now pure data models — all
file I/O, migration, and directory management removed
- Raw `SettingsModel` and `AppStateModel` removed from DI container;
consumers receive the appropriate service
- `IApplicationInfoService.ConfigDirectory` injected into services for
config path resolution (no more hardcoded `Utilities.BaseSettingsPath`)
- ~30 consumer files updated across `Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels` and
`Microsoft.CmdPal.UI` projects
- All `#pragma warning disable SA1300` suppressions removed —
convenience accessors replaced with direct `_settingsService.Settings` /
`_appStateService.State` access
- Namespace prefixes (`Services.ISettingsService`) replaced with proper
`using` directives

## PR Checklist

- [ ] **Communication:** I've discussed this with core contributors
already.
- [x] **Tests:** Added/updated and all pass
- [ ] **Localization:** N/A — no end-user-facing strings changed
- [ ] **Dev docs:** N/A — internal refactor, no public API changes
- [ ] **New binaries:** N/A — no new binaries introduced

## Detailed Description of the Pull Request / Additional comments

### Architecture

Services are registered as singletons in `App.xaml.cs`:
```csharp
services.AddSingleton<IPersistenceService, PersistenceService>();
services.AddSingleton<ISettingsService, SettingsService>();
services.AddSingleton<IAppStateService, AppStateService>();
```

`PersistenceService.Save<T>` writes the serialized model directly to
disk, creating the target directory if it doesn't exist. It also does
not attempt to merge existing and new settings/state. `SettingsService`
runs hotkey migrations on load and raises `SettingsChanged` after saves.
`AppStateService` always raises `StateChanged` after saves.

### Files changed (41 files, +1169/−660)

| Area | Files | What changed |
|------|-------|-------------|
| New services | `Services/IPersistenceService.cs`,
`PersistenceService.cs`, `ISettingsService.cs`, `SettingsService.cs`,
`IAppStateService.cs`, `AppStateService.cs` | New service interfaces and
implementations |
| Models | `SettingsModel.cs`, `AppStateModel.cs` | Stripped to pure
data bags |
| DI | `App.xaml.cs` | Service registration, removed raw model DI |
| ViewModels | 12 files | Constructor injection of services |
| UI | 10 files | Service injection replacing model access |
| Settings | `DockSettings.cs` | `Colors.Transparent` replaced with
struct literal to avoid WinUI3 COM dependency |
| Tests | `PersistenceServiceTests.cs`, `SettingsServiceTests.cs`,
`AppStateServiceTests.cs` | 38 unit tests covering all three services |
| Config | `.gitignore` | Added `.squad/`, `.github/agents/` exclusions
|

## Validation Steps Performed

- Built `Microsoft.CmdPal.UI` with MSBuild (x64/Debug) — exit code 0,
clean build
- Ran 38 unit tests via `vstest.console.exe` — all passing
- Verified no remaining `#pragma warning disable SA1300` blocks
- Verified no remaining `Services.` namespace prefixes

---------

Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

.gitignore

@@ -360,3 +360,8 @@ src/common/Telemetry/*.etl
 # PowerToysInstaller Build Temp Files
 installer/*/*.wxs.bk
 /src/modules/awake/.claude
+
+# Squad / Copilot agents — local-only, not committed
+.squad/
+.squad-workstream
+.github/agents/

src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels/AliasManager.cs

@@ -5,20 +5,23 @@
 using CommunityToolkit.Mvvm.ComponentModel;
 using CommunityToolkit.Mvvm.Messaging;
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Messages;
+using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Services;
 
 namespace Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels;
 
 public partial class AliasManager : ObservableObject
 {
     private readonly TopLevelCommandManager _topLevelCommandManager;
+    private readonly ISettingsService _settingsService;
 
     // REMEMBER, CommandAlias.SearchPrefix is what we use as keys
     private readonly Dictionary<string, CommandAlias> _aliases;
 
-    public AliasManager(TopLevelCommandManager tlcManager, SettingsModel settings)
+    public AliasManager(TopLevelCommandManager tlcManager, ISettingsService settingsService)
     {
         _topLevelCommandManager = tlcManager;
-        _aliases = settings.Aliases;
+        _settingsService = settingsService;
+        _aliases = _settingsService.Settings.Aliases;
 
         if (_aliases.Count == 0)
         {

src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels/AppStateModel.cs

@@ -1,26 +1,14 @@
-// Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation
+// Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation
 // The Microsoft Corporation licenses this file to you under the MIT license.
 // See the LICENSE file in the project root for more information.
 
-using System.Diagnostics;
-using System.Diagnostics.CodeAnalysis;
-using System.Text.Json;
-using System.Text.Json.Nodes;
 using System.Text.Json.Serialization;
 using CommunityToolkit.Mvvm.ComponentModel;
-using ManagedCommon;
-using Microsoft.CommandPalette.Extensions.Toolkit;
-using Windows.Foundation;
 
 namespace Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels;
 
 public partial class AppStateModel : ObservableObject
 {
-    [JsonIgnore]
-    public static readonly string FilePath;
-
-    public event TypedEventHandler<AppStateModel, object?>? StateChanged;
-
     ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
     // STATE HERE
     // Make sure that you make the setters public (JsonSerializer.Deserialize will fail silently otherwise)!
@@ -31,141 +19,4 @@ public partial class AppStateModel : ObservableObject
 
     // END SETTINGS
     ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-
-    static AppStateModel()
-    {
-        FilePath = StateJsonPath();
-    }
-
-    public static AppStateModel LoadState()
-    {
-        if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(FilePath))
-        {
-            throw new InvalidOperationException($"You must set a valid {nameof(FilePath)} before calling {nameof(LoadState)}");
-        }
-
-        if (!File.Exists(FilePath))
-        {
-            Debug.WriteLine("The provided settings file does not exist");
-            return new();
-        }
-
-        try
-        {
-            // Read the JSON content from the file
-            var jsonContent = File.ReadAllText(FilePath);
-
-            var loaded = JsonSerializer.Deserialize<AppStateModel>(jsonContent, JsonSerializationContext.Default.AppStateModel);
-
-            Debug.WriteLine(loaded is not null ? "Loaded settings file" : "Failed to parse");
-
-            return loaded ?? new();
-        }
-        catch (Exception ex)
-        {
-            Debug.WriteLine(ex.ToString());
-        }
-
-        return new();
-    }
-
-    public static void SaveState(AppStateModel model)
-    {
-        if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(FilePath))
-        {
-            throw new InvalidOperationException($"You must set a valid {nameof(FilePath)} before calling {nameof(SaveState)}");
-        }
-
-        try
-        {
-            // Serialize the main dictionary to JSON and save it to the file
-            var settingsJson = JsonSerializer.Serialize(model, JsonSerializationContext.Default.AppStateModel!);
-
-            // validate JSON
-            if (JsonNode.Parse(settingsJson) is not JsonObject newSettings)
-            {
-                Logger.LogError("Failed to parse app state as a JsonObject.");
-                return;
-            }
-
-            // read previous settings
-            if (!TryReadSavedState(out var savedSettings))
-            {
-                savedSettings = new JsonObject();
-            }
-
-            // merge new settings into old ones
-            foreach (var item in newSettings)
-            {
-                savedSettings[item.Key] = item.Value?.DeepClone();
-            }
-
-            var serialized = savedSettings.ToJsonString(JsonSerializationContext.Default.AppStateModel!.Options);
-            File.WriteAllText(FilePath, serialized);
-
-            // TODO: Instead of just raising the event here, we should
-            // have a file change watcher on the settings file, and
-            // reload the settings then
-            model.StateChanged?.Invoke(model, null);
-        }
-        catch (Exception ex)
-        {
-            Logger.LogError($"Failed to save application state to {FilePath}:", ex);
-        }
-    }
-
-    private static bool TryReadSavedState([NotNullWhen(true)] out JsonObject? savedSettings)
-    {
-        savedSettings = null;
-
-        // read existing content from the file
-        string oldContent;
-        try
-        {
-            if (File.Exists(FilePath))
-            {
-                oldContent = File.ReadAllText(FilePath);
-            }
-            else
-            {
-                // file doesn't exist (might not have been created yet), so consider this a success
-                // and return empty settings
-                savedSettings = new JsonObject();
-                return true;
-            }
-        }
-        catch (Exception ex)
-        {
-            Logger.LogWarning($"Failed to read app state file {FilePath}:\n{ex}");
-            return false;
-        }
-
-        // detect empty file, just for sake of logging
-        if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(oldContent))
-        {
-            Logger.LogInfo($"App state file is empty: {FilePath}");
-            return false;
-        }
-
-        // is it valid JSON?
-        try
-        {
-            savedSettings = JsonNode.Parse(oldContent) as JsonObject;
-            return savedSettings != null;
-        }
-        catch (Exception ex)
-        {
-            Logger.LogWarning($"Failed to parse app state from {FilePath}:\n{ex}");
-            return false;
-        }
-    }
-
-    internal static string StateJsonPath()
-    {
-        var directory = Utilities.BaseSettingsPath("Microsoft.CmdPal");
-        Directory.CreateDirectory(directory);
-
-        // now, the settings is just next to the exe
-        return Path.Combine(directory, "state.json");
-    }
 }

src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels/AppearanceSettingsViewModel.cs

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation
+// Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation
 // The Microsoft Corporation licenses this file to you under the MIT license.
 // See the LICENSE file in the project root for more information.
 
@@ -87,7 +87,8 @@ public sealed partial class AppearanceSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject, IDis
         Color.FromArgb(255, 126, 115, 95), // #7e735f
     ];
 
-    private readonly SettingsModel _settings;
+    private readonly ISettingsService _settingsService;
+
     private readonly UISettings _uiSettings;
     private readonly IThemeService _themeService;
     private readonly DispatcherQueueTimer _saveTimer = DispatcherQueue.GetForCurrentThread().CreateTimer();
@@ -100,18 +101,18 @@ public sealed partial class AppearanceSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject, IDis
 
     public int ThemeIndex
     {
-        get => (int)_settings.Theme;
+        get => (int)_settingsService.Settings.Theme;
         set => Theme = (UserTheme)value;
     }
 
     public UserTheme Theme
     {
-        get => _settings.Theme;
+        get => _settingsService.Settings.Theme;
         set
         {
-            if (_settings.Theme != value)
+            if (_settingsService.Settings.Theme != value)
             {
-                _settings.Theme = value;
+                _settingsService.Settings.Theme = value;
                 OnPropertyChanged();
                 OnPropertyChanged(nameof(ThemeIndex));
                 Save();
@@ -121,12 +122,12 @@ public sealed partial class AppearanceSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject, IDis
 
     public ColorizationMode ColorizationMode
     {
-        get => _settings.ColorizationMode;
+        get => _settingsService.Settings.ColorizationMode;
         set
         {
-            if (_settings.ColorizationMode != value)
+            if (_settingsService.Settings.ColorizationMode != value)
             {
-                _settings.ColorizationMode = value;
+                _settingsService.Settings.ColorizationMode = value;
                 OnPropertyChanged();
                 OnPropertyChanged(nameof(ColorizationModeIndex));
                 OnPropertyChanged(nameof(IsCustomTintVisible));
@@ -152,18 +153,18 @@ public sealed partial class AppearanceSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject, IDis
 
     public int ColorizationModeIndex
     {
-        get => (int)_settings.ColorizationMode;
+        get => (int)_settingsService.Settings.ColorizationMode;
         set => ColorizationMode = (ColorizationMode)value;
     }
 
     public Color ThemeColor
     {
-        get => _settings.CustomThemeColor;
+        get => _settingsService.Settings.CustomThemeColor;
         set
         {
-            if (_settings.CustomThemeColor != value)
+            if (_settingsService.Settings.CustomThemeColor != value)
             {
-                _settings.CustomThemeColor = value;
+                _settingsService.Settings.CustomThemeColor = value;
 
                 OnPropertyChanged();
 
@@ -179,10 +180,10 @@ public sealed partial class AppearanceSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject, IDis
 
     public int ColorIntensity
     {
-        get => _settings.CustomThemeColorIntensity;
+        get => _settingsService.Settings.CustomThemeColorIntensity;
         set
         {
-            _settings.CustomThemeColorIntensity = value;
+            _settingsService.Settings.CustomThemeColorIntensity = value;
             OnPropertyChanged();
             OnPropertyChanged(nameof(EffectiveTintIntensity));
             Save();
@@ -191,10 +192,10 @@ public sealed partial class AppearanceSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject, IDis
 
     public int BackgroundImageTintIntensity
     {
-        get => _settings.BackgroundImageTintIntensity;
+        get => _settingsService.Settings.BackgroundImageTintIntensity;
         set
         {
-            _settings.BackgroundImageTintIntensity = value;
+            _settingsService.Settings.BackgroundImageTintIntensity = value;
             OnPropertyChanged();
             OnPropertyChanged(nameof(EffectiveTintIntensity));
             Save();
@@ -203,12 +204,12 @@ public sealed partial class AppearanceSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject, IDis
 
     public string BackgroundImagePath
     {
-        get => _settings.BackgroundImagePath ?? string.Empty;
+        get => _settingsService.Settings.BackgroundImagePath ?? string.Empty;
         set
         {
-            if (_settings.BackgroundImagePath != value)
+            if (_settingsService.Settings.BackgroundImagePath != value)
             {
-                _settings.BackgroundImagePath = value;
+                _settingsService.Settings.BackgroundImagePath = value;
                 OnPropertyChanged();
 
                 if (BackgroundImageOpacity == 0)
@@ -223,12 +224,12 @@ public sealed partial class AppearanceSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject, IDis
 
     public int BackgroundImageOpacity
     {
-        get => _settings.BackgroundImageOpacity;
+        get => _settingsService.Settings.BackgroundImageOpacity;
         set
         {
-            if (_settings.BackgroundImageOpacity != value)
+            if (_settingsService.Settings.BackgroundImageOpacity != value)
             {
-                _settings.BackgroundImageOpacity = value;
+                _settingsService.Settings.BackgroundImageOpacity = value;
                 OnPropertyChanged();
                 Save();
             }
@@ -237,12 +238,12 @@ public sealed partial class AppearanceSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject, IDis
 
     public int BackgroundImageBrightness
     {
-        get => _settings.BackgroundImageBrightness;
+        get => _settingsService.Settings.BackgroundImageBrightness;
         set
         {
-            if (_settings.BackgroundImageBrightness != value)
+            if (_settingsService.Settings.BackgroundImageBrightness != value)
             {
-                _settings.BackgroundImageBrightness = value;
+                _settingsService.Settings.BackgroundImageBrightness = value;
                 OnPropertyChanged();
                 Save();
             }
@@ -251,12 +252,12 @@ public sealed partial class AppearanceSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject, IDis
 
     public int BackgroundImageBlurAmount
     {
-        get => _settings.BackgroundImageBlurAmount;
+        get => _settingsService.Settings.BackgroundImageBlurAmount;
         set
         {
-            if (_settings.BackgroundImageBlurAmount != value)
+            if (_settingsService.Settings.BackgroundImageBlurAmount != value)
             {
-                _settings.BackgroundImageBlurAmount = value;
+                _settingsService.Settings.BackgroundImageBlurAmount = value;
                 OnPropertyChanged();
                 Save();
             }
@@ -265,12 +266,12 @@ public sealed partial class AppearanceSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject, IDis
 
     public BackgroundImageFit BackgroundImageFit
     {
-        get => _settings.BackgroundImageFit;
+        get => _settingsService.Settings.BackgroundImageFit;
         set
         {
-            if (_settings.BackgroundImageFit != value)
+            if (_settingsService.Settings.BackgroundImageFit != value)
             {
-                _settings.BackgroundImageFit = value;
+                _settingsService.Settings.BackgroundImageFit = value;
                 OnPropertyChanged();
                 OnPropertyChanged(nameof(BackgroundImageFitIndex));
                 Save();
@@ -299,12 +300,12 @@ public sealed partial class AppearanceSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject, IDis
 
     public int BackdropOpacity
     {
-        get => _settings.BackdropOpacity;
+        get => _settingsService.Settings.BackdropOpacity;
         set
         {
-            if (_settings.BackdropOpacity != value)
+            if (_settingsService.Settings.BackdropOpacity != value)
             {
-                _settings.BackdropOpacity = value;
+                _settingsService.Settings.BackdropOpacity = value;
                 OnPropertyChanged();
                 OnPropertyChanged(nameof(EffectiveBackdropStyle));
                 OnPropertyChanged(nameof(EffectiveImageOpacity));
@@ -315,13 +316,13 @@ public sealed partial class AppearanceSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject, IDis
 
     public int BackdropStyleIndex
     {
-        get => (int)_settings.BackdropStyle;
+        get => (int)_settingsService.Settings.BackdropStyle;
         set
         {
             var newStyle = (BackdropStyle)value;
-            if (_settings.BackdropStyle != newStyle)
+            if (_settingsService.Settings.BackdropStyle != newStyle)
             {
-                _settings.BackdropStyle = newStyle;
+                _settingsService.Settings.BackdropStyle = newStyle;
 
                 OnPropertyChanged();
                 OnPropertyChanged(nameof(IsBackdropOpacityVisible));
@@ -343,25 +344,25 @@ public sealed partial class AppearanceSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject, IDis
     /// Gets whether the backdrop opacity slider should be visible.
     /// </summary>
     public bool IsBackdropOpacityVisible =>
-        BackdropStyles.Get(_settings.BackdropStyle).SupportsOpacity;
+        BackdropStyles.Get(_settingsService.Settings.BackdropStyle).SupportsOpacity;
 
     /// <summary>
     /// Gets whether the backdrop description (for styles without options) should be visible.
     /// </summary>
     public bool IsMicaBackdropDescriptionVisible =>
-        !BackdropStyles.Get(_settings.BackdropStyle).SupportsOpacity;
+        !BackdropStyles.Get(_settingsService.Settings.BackdropStyle).SupportsOpacity;
 
     /// <summary>
     /// Gets whether background/colorization settings are available.
     /// </summary>
     public bool IsBackgroundSettingsEnabled =>
-        BackdropStyles.Get(_settings.BackdropStyle).SupportsColorization;
+        BackdropStyles.Get(_settingsService.Settings.BackdropStyle).SupportsColorization;
 
     /// <summary>
     /// Gets whether the "not available" message should be shown (inverse of IsBackgroundSettingsEnabled).
     /// </summary>
     public bool IsBackgroundNotAvailableVisible =>
-        !BackdropStyles.Get(_settings.BackdropStyle).SupportsColorization;
+        !BackdropStyles.Get(_settingsService.Settings.BackdropStyle).SupportsColorization;
 
     public BackdropStyle? EffectiveBackdropStyle
     {
@@ -370,9 +371,9 @@ public sealed partial class AppearanceSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject, IDis
             // Return style when transparency/blur is visible (not fully opaque Acrylic)
             // - Clear/Mica/MicaAlt/AcrylicThin always show their effect
             // - Acrylic shows effect only when opacity < 100
-            if (_settings.BackdropStyle != BackdropStyle.Acrylic || _settings.BackdropOpacity < 100)
+            if (_settingsService.Settings.BackdropStyle != BackdropStyle.Acrylic || _settingsService.Settings.BackdropOpacity < 100)
             {
-                return _settings.BackdropStyle;
+                return _settingsService.Settings.BackdropStyle;
             }
 
             return null;
@@ -381,39 +382,39 @@ public sealed partial class AppearanceSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject, IDis
 
     public double EffectiveImageOpacity =>
         EffectiveBackdropStyle is not null
-            ? (BackgroundImageOpacity / 100f) * Math.Sqrt(_settings.BackdropOpacity / 100.0)
+            ? (BackgroundImageOpacity / 100f) * Math.Sqrt(_settingsService.Settings.BackdropOpacity / 100.0)
             : (BackgroundImageOpacity / 100f);
 
     [ObservableProperty]
     public partial bool IsColorizationDetailsExpanded { get; set; }
 
-    public bool IsCustomTintVisible => _settings.ColorizationMode is ColorizationMode.CustomColor or ColorizationMode.Image;
+    public bool IsCustomTintVisible => _settingsService.Settings.ColorizationMode is ColorizationMode.CustomColor or ColorizationMode.Image;
 
-    public bool IsColorIntensityVisible => _settings.ColorizationMode is ColorizationMode.CustomColor or ColorizationMode.WindowsAccentColor;
+    public bool IsColorIntensityVisible => _settingsService.Settings.ColorizationMode is ColorizationMode.CustomColor or ColorizationMode.WindowsAccentColor;
 
-    public bool IsImageTintIntensityVisible => _settings.ColorizationMode is ColorizationMode.Image;
+    public bool IsImageTintIntensityVisible => _settingsService.Settings.ColorizationMode is ColorizationMode.Image;
 
     /// <summary>
     /// Gets the effective tint intensity for the preview, based on the current colorization mode.
     /// </summary>
-    public int EffectiveTintIntensity => _settings.ColorizationMode is ColorizationMode.Image
+    public int EffectiveTintIntensity => _settingsService.Settings.ColorizationMode is ColorizationMode.Image
-        ? _settings.BackgroundImageTintIntensity
+        ? _settingsService.Settings.BackgroundImageTintIntensity
-        : _settings.CustomThemeColorIntensity;
+        : _settingsService.Settings.CustomThemeColorIntensity;
 
-    public bool IsBackgroundControlsVisible => _settings.ColorizationMode is ColorizationMode.Image;
+    public bool IsBackgroundControlsVisible => _settingsService.Settings.ColorizationMode is ColorizationMode.Image;
 
-    public bool IsNoBackgroundVisible => _settings.ColorizationMode is ColorizationMode.None;
+    public bool IsNoBackgroundVisible => _settingsService.Settings.ColorizationMode is ColorizationMode.None;
 
-    public bool IsAccentColorControlsVisible => _settings.ColorizationMode is ColorizationMode.WindowsAccentColor;
+    public bool IsAccentColorControlsVisible => _settingsService.Settings.ColorizationMode is ColorizationMode.WindowsAccentColor;
 
-    public bool IsResetButtonVisible => _settings.ColorizationMode is ColorizationMode.Image;
+    public bool IsResetButtonVisible => _settingsService.Settings.ColorizationMode is ColorizationMode.Image;
 
     public BackdropParameters EffectiveBackdrop { get; private set; } = new(Colors.Black, Colors.Black, 0.5f, 0.5f);
 
     public ElementTheme EffectiveTheme => _elementThemeOverride ?? _themeService.Current.Theme;
 
     public Color EffectiveThemeColor =>
-        !BackdropStyles.Get(_settings.BackdropStyle).SupportsColorization
+        !BackdropStyles.Get(_settingsService.Settings.BackdropStyle).SupportsColorization
             ? Colors.Transparent
             : ColorizationMode switch
             {
@@ -428,7 +429,7 @@ public sealed partial class AppearanceSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject, IDis
     public double EffectiveBackgroundImageBrightness => BackgroundImageBrightness / 100.0;
 
     public ImageSource? EffectiveBackgroundImageSource =>
-        !BackdropStyles.Get(_settings.BackdropStyle).SupportsBackgroundImage
+        !BackdropStyles.Get(_settingsService.Settings.BackdropStyle).SupportsBackgroundImage
             ? null
             : ColorizationMode is ColorizationMode.Image
               && !string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(BackgroundImagePath)
@@ -436,11 +437,11 @@ public sealed partial class AppearanceSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject, IDis
                 ? new Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Media.Imaging.BitmapImage(uri)
                 : null;
 
-    public AppearanceSettingsViewModel(IThemeService themeService, SettingsModel settings)
+    public AppearanceSettingsViewModel(IThemeService themeService, ISettingsService settingsService)
     {
         _themeService = themeService;
         _themeService.ThemeChanged += ThemeServiceOnThemeChanged;
-        _settings = settings;
+        _settingsService = settingsService;
 
         _uiSettings = new UISettings();
         _uiSettings.ColorValuesChanged += UiSettingsOnColorValuesChanged;
@@ -448,7 +449,7 @@ public sealed partial class AppearanceSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject, IDis
 
         Reapply();
 
-        IsColorizationDetailsExpanded = _settings.ColorizationMode != ColorizationMode.None && IsBackgroundSettingsEnabled;
+        IsColorizationDetailsExpanded = _settingsService.Settings.ColorizationMode != ColorizationMode.None && IsBackgroundSettingsEnabled;
     }
 
     private void UiSettingsOnColorValuesChanged(UISettings sender, object args) => _uiDispatcher.TryEnqueue(() => UpdateAccentColor(sender));
@@ -469,7 +470,7 @@ public sealed partial class AppearanceSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject, IDis
 
     private void Save()
     {
-        SettingsModel.SaveSettings(_settings);
+        _settingsService.Save();
         _saveTimer.Debounce(Reapply, TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(200));
     }
 

src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels/CommandProviderWrapper.cs

@@ -139,7 +139,8 @@ public sealed class CommandProviderWrapper : ICommandProviderContext
             return;
         }
 
-        var settings = serviceProvider.GetService<SettingsModel>()!;
+        var settingsService = serviceProvider.GetRequiredService<ISettingsService>();
+        var settings = settingsService.Settings;
 
         var providerSettings = GetProviderSettings(settings);
         IsActive = providerSettings.IsEnabled;
@@ -249,16 +250,15 @@ public sealed class CommandProviderWrapper : ICommandProviderContext
         IServiceProvider serviceProvider,
         ICommandProvider4? four)
     {
-        var settings = serviceProvider.GetService<SettingsModel>()!;
+        var settings = serviceProvider.GetRequiredService<ISettingsService>().Settings;
         var contextMenuFactory = serviceProvider.GetService<IContextMenuFactory>()!;
-        var state = serviceProvider.GetService<AppStateModel>()!;
         var providerSettings = GetProviderSettings(settings);
         var ourContext = GetProviderContext();
         WeakReference<IPageContext> pageContext = new(this.TopLevelPageContext);
         var make = (ICommandItem? i, TopLevelType t) =>
         {
             CommandItemViewModel commandItemViewModel = new(new(i), pageContext, contextMenuFactory: contextMenuFactory);
-            TopLevelViewModel topLevelViewModel = new(commandItemViewModel, t, ExtensionHost, ourContext, settings, providerSettings, serviceProvider, i, contextMenuFactory: contextMenuFactory);
+            TopLevelViewModel topLevelViewModel = new(commandItemViewModel, t, ExtensionHost, ourContext, providerSettings, serviceProvider, i, contextMenuFactory: contextMenuFactory);
             topLevelViewModel.InitializeProperties();
 
             return topLevelViewModel;
@@ -407,7 +407,8 @@ public sealed class CommandProviderWrapper : ICommandProviderContext
 
     public void PinCommand(string commandId, IServiceProvider serviceProvider)
     {
-        var settings = serviceProvider.GetService<SettingsModel>()!;
+        var settingsService = serviceProvider.GetRequiredService<ISettingsService>();
+        var settings = settingsService.Settings;
         var providerSettings = GetProviderSettings(settings);
 
         if (!providerSettings.PinnedCommandIds.Contains(commandId))
@@ -416,13 +417,14 @@ public sealed class CommandProviderWrapper : ICommandProviderContext
 
             // Raise CommandsChanged so the TopLevelCommandManager reloads our commands
             this.CommandsChanged?.Invoke(this, new ItemsChangedEventArgs(-1));
-            SettingsModel.SaveSettings(settings, false);
+            settingsService.Save(hotReload: false);
         }
     }
 
     public void UnpinCommand(string commandId, IServiceProvider serviceProvider)
     {
-        var settings = serviceProvider.GetService<SettingsModel>()!;
+        var settingsService = serviceProvider.GetRequiredService<ISettingsService>();
+        var settings = settingsService.Settings;
         var providerSettings = GetProviderSettings(settings);
 
         if (providerSettings.PinnedCommandIds.Remove(commandId))
@@ -430,13 +432,14 @@ public sealed class CommandProviderWrapper : ICommandProviderContext
             // Raise CommandsChanged so the TopLevelCommandManager reloads our commands
             this.CommandsChanged?.Invoke(this, new ItemsChangedEventArgs(-1));
 
-            SettingsModel.SaveSettings(settings, false);
+            settingsService.Save(hotReload: false);
         }
     }
 
     public void PinDockBand(string commandId, IServiceProvider serviceProvider)
     {
-        var settings = serviceProvider.GetService<SettingsModel>()!;
+        var settingsService = serviceProvider.GetRequiredService<ISettingsService>();
+        var settings = settingsService.Settings;
         var bandSettings = new DockBandSettings
         {
             CommandId = commandId,
@@ -447,19 +450,20 @@ public sealed class CommandProviderWrapper : ICommandProviderContext
         // Raise CommandsChanged so the TopLevelCommandManager reloads our commands
         this.CommandsChanged?.Invoke(this, new ItemsChangedEventArgs(-1));
 
-        SettingsModel.SaveSettings(settings, false);
+        settingsService.Save(hotReload: false);
     }
 
     public void UnpinDockBand(string commandId, IServiceProvider serviceProvider)
     {
-        var settings = serviceProvider.GetService<SettingsModel>()!;
+        var settingsService = serviceProvider.GetRequiredService<ISettingsService>();
+        var settings = settingsService.Settings;
         settings.DockSettings.StartBands.RemoveAll(b => b.CommandId == commandId && b.ProviderId == ProviderId);
         settings.DockSettings.CenterBands.RemoveAll(b => b.CommandId == commandId && b.ProviderId == ProviderId);
         settings.DockSettings.EndBands.RemoveAll(b => b.CommandId == commandId && b.ProviderId == ProviderId);
 
         // Raise CommandsChanged so the TopLevelCommandManager reloads our commands
         this.CommandsChanged?.Invoke(this, new ItemsChangedEventArgs(-1));
-        SettingsModel.SaveSettings(settings, false);
+        settingsService.Save(hotReload: false);
     }
 
     public ICommandProviderContext GetProviderContext() => this;

src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels/Commands/MainListPage.cs

@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ using Microsoft.CmdPal.Ext.Apps.Programs;
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Commands;
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Messages;
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Properties;
+using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Services;
 using Microsoft.CommandPalette.Extensions;
 using Microsoft.CommandPalette.Extensions.Toolkit;
 
@@ -42,8 +43,8 @@ public sealed partial class MainListPage : DynamicListPage,
     private readonly ThrottledDebouncedAction _refreshThrottledDebouncedAction;
     private readonly TopLevelCommandManager _tlcManager;
     private readonly AliasManager _aliasManager;
-    private readonly SettingsModel _settings;
+    private readonly ISettingsService _settingsService;
-    private readonly AppStateModel _appStateModel;
+    private readonly IAppStateService _appStateService;
     private readonly ScoringFunction<IListItem> _scoringFunction;
     private readonly ScoringFunction<IListItem> _fallbackScoringFunction;
     private readonly IFuzzyMatcherProvider _fuzzyMatcherProvider;
@@ -79,23 +80,23 @@ public sealed partial class MainListPage : DynamicListPage,
 
     public MainListPage(
         TopLevelCommandManager topLevelCommandManager,
-        SettingsModel settings,
         AliasManager aliasManager,
-        AppStateModel appStateModel,
+        IFuzzyMatcherProvider fuzzyMatcherProvider,
-        IFuzzyMatcherProvider fuzzyMatcherProvider)
+        ISettingsService settingsService,
+        IAppStateService appStateService)
     {
         Id = "com.microsoft.cmdpal.home";
         Title = Resources.builtin_home_name;
         Icon = IconHelpers.FromRelativePath("Assets\\Square44x44Logo.altform-unplated_targetsize-256.png");
         PlaceholderText = Properties.Resources.builtin_main_list_page_searchbar_placeholder;
 
-        _settings = settings;
+        _settingsService = settingsService;
         _aliasManager = aliasManager;
-        _appStateModel = appStateModel;
+        _appStateService = appStateService;
         _tlcManager = topLevelCommandManager;
         _fuzzyMatcherProvider = fuzzyMatcherProvider;
-        _scoringFunction = (in query, item) => ScoreTopLevelItem(in query, item, _appStateModel.RecentCommands, _fuzzyMatcherProvider.Current);
+        _scoringFunction = (in query, item) => ScoreTopLevelItem(in query, item, _appStateService.State.RecentCommands, _fuzzyMatcherProvider.Current);
-        _fallbackScoringFunction = (in _, item) => ScoreFallbackItem(item, _settings.FallbackRanks);
+        _fallbackScoringFunction = (in _, item) => ScoreFallbackItem(item, _settingsService.Settings.FallbackRanks);
 
         _tlcManager.PropertyChanged += TlcManager_PropertyChanged;
         _tlcManager.TopLevelCommands.CollectionChanged += Commands_CollectionChanged;
@@ -150,8 +151,8 @@ public sealed partial class MainListPage : DynamicListPage,
         WeakReferenceMessenger.Default.Register<ClearSearchMessage>(this);
         WeakReferenceMessenger.Default.Register<UpdateFallbackItemsMessage>(this);
 
-        settings.SettingsChanged += SettingsChangedHandler;
+        _settingsService.SettingsChanged += SettingsChangedHandler;
-        HotReloadSettings(settings);
+        HotReloadSettings(_settingsService.Settings);
         _includeApps = _tlcManager.IsProviderActive(AllAppsCommandProvider.WellKnownId);
 
         IsLoading = true;
@@ -364,7 +365,7 @@ public sealed partial class MainListPage : DynamicListPage,
             }
 
             // prefilter fallbacks
-            var globalFallbacks = _settings.GetGlobalFallbacks();
+            var globalFallbacks = _settingsService.Settings.GetGlobalFallbacks();
             var specialFallbacks = new List<TopLevelViewModel>(globalFallbacks.Length);
             var commonFallbacks = new List<TopLevelViewModel>(commands.Count - globalFallbacks.Length);
 
@@ -479,7 +480,7 @@ public sealed partial class MainListPage : DynamicListPage,
 
                     // We need to remove pinned apps from allNewApps so they don't show twice.
                     // Pinned app command IDs are stored in ProviderSettings.PinnedCommandIds.
-                    _settings.ProviderSettings.TryGetValue(AllAppsCommandProvider.WellKnownId, out var providerSettings);
+                    _settingsService.Settings.ProviderSettings.TryGetValue(AllAppsCommandProvider.WellKnownId, out var providerSettings);
                     var pinnedCommandIds = providerSettings?.PinnedCommandIds;
 
                     if (pinnedCommandIds is not null && pinnedCommandIds.Count > 0)
@@ -678,9 +679,9 @@ public sealed partial class MainListPage : DynamicListPage,
     public void UpdateHistory(IListItem topLevelOrAppItem)
     {
         var id = IdForTopLevelOrAppItem(topLevelOrAppItem);
-        var history = _appStateModel.RecentCommands;
+        var history = _appStateService.State.RecentCommands;
         history.AddHistoryItem(id);
-        AppStateModel.SaveState(_appStateModel);
+        _appStateService.Save();
     }
 
     private static string IdForTopLevelOrAppItem(IListItem topLevelOrAppItem)
@@ -703,7 +704,7 @@ public sealed partial class MainListPage : DynamicListPage,
         RequestRefresh(fullRefresh: false);
     }
 
-    private void SettingsChangedHandler(SettingsModel sender, object? args) => HotReloadSettings(sender);
+    private void SettingsChangedHandler(ISettingsService sender, SettingsModel args) => HotReloadSettings(args);
 
     private void HotReloadSettings(SettingsModel settings) => ShowDetails = settings.ShowAppDetails;
 
@@ -716,9 +717,9 @@ public sealed partial class MainListPage : DynamicListPage,
         _tlcManager.PropertyChanged -= TlcManager_PropertyChanged;
         _tlcManager.TopLevelCommands.CollectionChanged -= Commands_CollectionChanged;
 
-        if (_settings is not null)
+        if (_settingsService is not null)
         {
-            _settings.SettingsChanged -= SettingsChangedHandler;
+            _settingsService.SettingsChanged -= SettingsChangedHandler;
         }
 
         WeakReferenceMessenger.Default.UnregisterAll(this);

src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels/Dock/DockBandSettingsViewModel.cs

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 using System.Globalization;
 using System.Text;
 using CommunityToolkit.Mvvm.ComponentModel;
+using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Services;
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Settings;
 
 namespace Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Dock;
@@ -12,7 +13,7 @@ namespace Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Dock;
 public partial class DockBandSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject
 {
     private static readonly CompositeFormat PluralItemsFormatString = CompositeFormat.Parse(Properties.Resources.dock_item_count_plural);
-    private readonly SettingsModel _settingsModel;
+    private readonly ISettingsService _settingsService;
     private readonly DockBandSettings _dockSettingsModel;
     private readonly TopLevelViewModel _adapter;
     private readonly DockBandViewModel? _bandViewModel;
@@ -128,19 +129,19 @@ public partial class DockBandSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject
         DockBandSettings dockSettingsModel,
         TopLevelViewModel topLevelAdapter,
         DockBandViewModel? bandViewModel,
-        SettingsModel settingsModel)
+        ISettingsService settingsService)
     {
         _dockSettingsModel = dockSettingsModel;
         _adapter = topLevelAdapter;
         _bandViewModel = bandViewModel;
-        _settingsModel = settingsModel;
+        _settingsService = settingsService;
         _pinSide = FetchPinSide();
         _showLabels = FetchShowLabels();
     }
 
     private DockPinSide FetchPinSide()
     {
-        var dockSettings = _settingsModel.DockSettings;
+        var dockSettings = _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings;
         var inStart = dockSettings.StartBands.Any(b => b.CommandId == _dockSettingsModel.CommandId);
         if (inStart)
         {
@@ -175,7 +176,7 @@ public partial class DockBandSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject
 
     private void Save()
     {
-        SettingsModel.SaveSettings(_settingsModel);
+        _settingsService.Save();
     }
 
     private void UpdatePinSide(DockPinSide value)
@@ -188,7 +189,7 @@ public partial class DockBandSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject
 
     public void SetBandPosition(DockPinSide side, int? index)
     {
-        var dockSettings = _settingsModel.DockSettings;
+        var dockSettings = _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings;
 
         // Remove from all sides first
         dockSettings.StartBands.RemoveAll(b => b.CommandId == _dockSettingsModel.CommandId);

src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels/Dock/DockViewModel.cs

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ using CommunityToolkit.Mvvm.Messaging;
 using ManagedCommon;
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.Messages;
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Messages;
+using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Services;
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Settings;
 using Microsoft.CommandPalette.Extensions.Toolkit;
 
@@ -15,7 +16,7 @@ namespace Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Dock;
 public sealed partial class DockViewModel
 {
     private readonly TopLevelCommandManager _topLevelCommandManager;
-    private readonly SettingsModel _settingsModel;
+    private readonly ISettingsService _settingsService;
     private readonly DockPageContext _pageContext; // only to be used for our own context menu - not for dock bands themselves
     private readonly IContextMenuFactory _contextMenuFactory;
 
@@ -34,13 +35,13 @@ public sealed partial class DockViewModel
     public DockViewModel(
         TopLevelCommandManager tlcManager,
         IContextMenuFactory contextMenuFactory,
-        SettingsModel settings,
+        TaskScheduler scheduler,
-        TaskScheduler scheduler)
+        ISettingsService settingsService)
     {
         _topLevelCommandManager = tlcManager;
         _contextMenuFactory = contextMenuFactory;
-        _settingsModel = settings;
+        _settingsService = settingsService;
-        _settings = settings.DockSettings;
+        _settings = _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings;
         Scheduler = scheduler;
         _pageContext = new(this);
 
@@ -148,7 +149,7 @@ public sealed partial class DockViewModel
 
     private void SaveSettings()
     {
-        SettingsModel.SaveSettings(_settingsModel);
+        _settingsService.Save();
     }
 
     public DockBandViewModel? FindBandByTopLevel(TopLevelViewModel tlc)
@@ -193,7 +194,7 @@ public sealed partial class DockViewModel
     public void SyncBandPosition(DockBandViewModel band, DockPinSide targetSide, int targetIndex)
     {
         var bandId = band.Id;
-        var dockSettings = _settingsModel.DockSettings;
+        var dockSettings = _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings;
 
         var bandSettings = dockSettings.StartBands.FirstOrDefault(b => b.CommandId == bandId)
                         ?? dockSettings.CenterBands.FirstOrDefault(b => b.CommandId == bandId)
@@ -228,7 +229,7 @@ public sealed partial class DockViewModel
     public void MoveBandWithoutSaving(DockBandViewModel band, DockPinSide targetSide, int targetIndex)
     {
         var bandId = band.Id;
-        var dockSettings = _settingsModel.DockSettings;
+        var dockSettings = _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings;
 
         var bandSettings = dockSettings.StartBands.FirstOrDefault(b => b.CommandId == bandId)
                         ?? dockSettings.CenterBands.FirstOrDefault(b => b.CommandId == bandId)
@@ -301,7 +302,7 @@ public sealed partial class DockViewModel
         _snapshotCenterBands = null;
         _snapshotEndBands = null;
         _snapshotBandViewModels = null;
-        SettingsModel.SaveSettings(_settingsModel);
+        _settingsService.Save();
         Logger.LogDebug("Saved band order to settings");
     }
 
@@ -316,7 +317,7 @@ public sealed partial class DockViewModel
     /// </summary>
     public void SnapshotBandOrder()
     {
-        var dockSettings = _settingsModel.DockSettings;
+        var dockSettings = _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings;
         _snapshotStartBands = dockSettings.StartBands.Select(b => b.Clone()).ToList();
         _snapshotCenterBands = dockSettings.CenterBands.Select(b => b.Clone()).ToList();
         _snapshotEndBands = dockSettings.EndBands.Select(b => b.Clone()).ToList();
@@ -358,7 +359,7 @@ public sealed partial class DockViewModel
             band.RestoreShowLabels();
         }
 
-        var dockSettings = _settingsModel.DockSettings;
+        var dockSettings = _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings;
 
         // Restore settings from snapshot
         dockSettings.StartBands.Clear();
@@ -400,7 +401,7 @@ public sealed partial class DockViewModel
             return;
         }
 
-        var dockSettings = _settingsModel.DockSettings;
+        var dockSettings = _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings;
 
         StartItems.Clear();
         CenterItems.Clear();
@@ -433,7 +434,7 @@ public sealed partial class DockViewModel
 
     private void RebuildUICollections()
     {
-        var dockSettings = _settingsModel.DockSettings;
+        var dockSettings = _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings;
 
         // Create a lookup of all current band ViewModels
         var allBands = StartItems.Concat(CenterItems).Concat(EndItems).ToDictionary(b => b.Id);
@@ -510,7 +511,7 @@ public sealed partial class DockViewModel
 
         // Create settings for the new band
         var bandSettings = new DockBandSettings { ProviderId = topLevel.CommandProviderId, CommandId = bandId, ShowLabels = null };
-        var dockSettings = _settingsModel.DockSettings;
+        var dockSettings = _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings;
 
         // Create the band view model
         var bandVm = CreateBandItem(bandSettings, topLevel.ItemViewModel);
@@ -550,7 +551,7 @@ public sealed partial class DockViewModel
     public void UnpinBand(DockBandViewModel band)
     {
         var bandId = band.Id;
-        var dockSettings = _settingsModel.DockSettings;
+        var dockSettings = _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings;
 
         // Remove from settings
         dockSettings.StartBands.RemoveAll(b => b.CommandId == bandId);
@@ -616,7 +617,7 @@ public sealed partial class DockViewModel
 
     private void EmitDockConfiguration()
     {
-        var isDockEnabled = _settingsModel.EnableDock;
+        var isDockEnabled = _settingsService.Settings.EnableDock;
         var dockSide = isDockEnabled ? _settings.Side.ToString().ToLowerInvariant() : "none";
 
         static string FormatBands(List<DockBandSettings> bands) =>

src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels/DockAppearanceSettingsViewModel.cs

@@ -23,8 +23,7 @@ namespace Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels;
 /// </summary>
 public sealed partial class DockAppearanceSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject, IDisposable
 {
-    private readonly SettingsModel _settings;
+    private readonly ISettingsService _settingsService;
-    private readonly DockSettings _dockSettings;
     private readonly UISettings _uiSettings;
     private readonly IThemeService _themeService;
     private readonly DispatcherQueueTimer _saveTimer = DispatcherQueue.GetForCurrentThread().CreateTimer();
@@ -37,18 +36,18 @@ public sealed partial class DockAppearanceSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject,
 
     public int ThemeIndex
     {
-        get => (int)_dockSettings.Theme;
+        get => (int)_settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.Theme;
         set => Theme = (UserTheme)value;
     }
 
     public UserTheme Theme
     {
-        get => _dockSettings.Theme;
+        get => _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.Theme;
         set
         {
-            if (_dockSettings.Theme != value)
+            if (_settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.Theme != value)
             {
-                _dockSettings.Theme = value;
+                _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.Theme = value;
                 OnPropertyChanged();
                 OnPropertyChanged(nameof(ThemeIndex));
                 Save();
@@ -58,18 +57,18 @@ public sealed partial class DockAppearanceSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject,
 
     public int BackdropIndex
     {
-        get => (int)_dockSettings.Backdrop;
+        get => (int)_settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.Backdrop;
         set => Backdrop = (DockBackdrop)value;
     }
 
     public DockBackdrop Backdrop
     {
-        get => _dockSettings.Backdrop;
+        get => _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.Backdrop;
         set
         {
-            if (_dockSettings.Backdrop != value)
+            if (_settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.Backdrop != value)
             {
-                _dockSettings.Backdrop = value;
+                _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.Backdrop = value;
                 OnPropertyChanged();
                 OnPropertyChanged(nameof(BackdropIndex));
                 Save();
@@ -79,12 +78,12 @@ public sealed partial class DockAppearanceSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject,
 
     public ColorizationMode ColorizationMode
     {
-        get => _dockSettings.ColorizationMode;
+        get => _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.ColorizationMode;
         set
         {
-            if (_dockSettings.ColorizationMode != value)
+            if (_settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.ColorizationMode != value)
             {
-                _dockSettings.ColorizationMode = value;
+                _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.ColorizationMode = value;
                 OnPropertyChanged();
                 OnPropertyChanged(nameof(ColorizationModeIndex));
                 OnPropertyChanged(nameof(IsCustomTintVisible));
@@ -107,18 +106,18 @@ public sealed partial class DockAppearanceSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject,
 
     public int ColorizationModeIndex
     {
-        get => (int)_dockSettings.ColorizationMode;
+        get => (int)_settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.ColorizationMode;
         set => ColorizationMode = (ColorizationMode)value;
     }
 
     public Color ThemeColor
     {
-        get => _dockSettings.CustomThemeColor;
+        get => _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.CustomThemeColor;
         set
         {
-            if (_dockSettings.CustomThemeColor != value)
+            if (_settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.CustomThemeColor != value)
             {
-                _dockSettings.CustomThemeColor = value;
+                _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.CustomThemeColor = value;
 
                 OnPropertyChanged();
 
@@ -134,10 +133,10 @@ public sealed partial class DockAppearanceSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject,
 
     public int ColorIntensity
     {
-        get => _dockSettings.CustomThemeColorIntensity;
+        get => _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.CustomThemeColorIntensity;
         set
         {
-            _dockSettings.CustomThemeColorIntensity = value;
+            _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.CustomThemeColorIntensity = value;
             OnPropertyChanged();
             Save();
         }
@@ -145,12 +144,12 @@ public sealed partial class DockAppearanceSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject,
 
     public string BackgroundImagePath
     {
-        get => _dockSettings.BackgroundImagePath ?? string.Empty;
+        get => _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.BackgroundImagePath ?? string.Empty;
         set
         {
-            if (_dockSettings.BackgroundImagePath != value)
+            if (_settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.BackgroundImagePath != value)
             {
-                _dockSettings.BackgroundImagePath = value;
+                _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.BackgroundImagePath = value;
                 OnPropertyChanged();
 
                 if (BackgroundImageOpacity == 0)
@@ -165,12 +164,12 @@ public sealed partial class DockAppearanceSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject,
 
     public int BackgroundImageOpacity
     {
-        get => _dockSettings.BackgroundImageOpacity;
+        get => _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.BackgroundImageOpacity;
         set
         {
-            if (_dockSettings.BackgroundImageOpacity != value)
+            if (_settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.BackgroundImageOpacity != value)
             {
-                _dockSettings.BackgroundImageOpacity = value;
+                _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.BackgroundImageOpacity = value;
                 OnPropertyChanged();
                 Save();
             }
@@ -179,12 +178,12 @@ public sealed partial class DockAppearanceSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject,
 
     public int BackgroundImageBrightness
     {
-        get => _dockSettings.BackgroundImageBrightness;
+        get => _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.BackgroundImageBrightness;
         set
         {
-            if (_dockSettings.BackgroundImageBrightness != value)
+            if (_settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.BackgroundImageBrightness != value)
             {
-                _dockSettings.BackgroundImageBrightness = value;
+                _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.BackgroundImageBrightness = value;
                 OnPropertyChanged();
                 Save();
             }
@@ -193,12 +192,12 @@ public sealed partial class DockAppearanceSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject,
 
     public int BackgroundImageBlurAmount
     {
-        get => _dockSettings.BackgroundImageBlurAmount;
+        get => _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.BackgroundImageBlurAmount;
         set
         {
-            if (_dockSettings.BackgroundImageBlurAmount != value)
+            if (_settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.BackgroundImageBlurAmount != value)
             {
-                _dockSettings.BackgroundImageBlurAmount = value;
+                _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.BackgroundImageBlurAmount = value;
                 OnPropertyChanged();
                 Save();
             }
@@ -207,12 +206,12 @@ public sealed partial class DockAppearanceSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject,
 
     public BackgroundImageFit BackgroundImageFit
     {
-        get => _dockSettings.BackgroundImageFit;
+        get => _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.BackgroundImageFit;
         set
         {
-            if (_dockSettings.BackgroundImageFit != value)
+            if (_settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.BackgroundImageFit != value)
             {
-                _dockSettings.BackgroundImageFit = value;
+                _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.BackgroundImageFit = value;
                 OnPropertyChanged();
                 OnPropertyChanged(nameof(BackgroundImageFitIndex));
                 Save();
@@ -237,15 +236,15 @@ public sealed partial class DockAppearanceSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject,
     [ObservableProperty]
     public partial bool IsColorizationDetailsExpanded { get; set; }
 
-    public bool IsCustomTintVisible => _dockSettings.ColorizationMode is ColorizationMode.CustomColor or ColorizationMode.Image;
+    public bool IsCustomTintVisible => _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.ColorizationMode is ColorizationMode.CustomColor or ColorizationMode.Image;
 
-    public bool IsCustomTintIntensityVisible => _dockSettings.ColorizationMode is ColorizationMode.CustomColor or ColorizationMode.WindowsAccentColor or ColorizationMode.Image;
+    public bool IsCustomTintIntensityVisible => _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.ColorizationMode is ColorizationMode.CustomColor or ColorizationMode.WindowsAccentColor or ColorizationMode.Image;
 
-    public bool IsBackgroundControlsVisible => _dockSettings.ColorizationMode is ColorizationMode.Image;
+    public bool IsBackgroundControlsVisible => _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.ColorizationMode is ColorizationMode.Image;
 
-    public bool IsNoBackgroundVisible => _dockSettings.ColorizationMode is ColorizationMode.None;
+    public bool IsNoBackgroundVisible => _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.ColorizationMode is ColorizationMode.None;
 
-    public bool IsAccentColorControlsVisible => _dockSettings.ColorizationMode is ColorizationMode.WindowsAccentColor;
+    public bool IsAccentColorControlsVisible => _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.ColorizationMode is ColorizationMode.WindowsAccentColor;
 
     public ElementTheme EffectiveTheme => _elementThemeOverride ?? _themeService.Current.Theme;
 
@@ -268,12 +267,11 @@ public sealed partial class DockAppearanceSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject,
             ? new Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Media.Imaging.BitmapImage(uri)
             : null;
 
-    public DockAppearanceSettingsViewModel(IThemeService themeService, SettingsModel settings)
+    public DockAppearanceSettingsViewModel(IThemeService themeService, ISettingsService settingsService)
     {
         _themeService = themeService;
         _themeService.ThemeChanged += ThemeServiceOnThemeChanged;
-        _settings = settings;
+        _settingsService = settingsService;
-        _dockSettings = settings.DockSettings;
 
         _uiSettings = new UISettings();
         _uiSettings.ColorValuesChanged += UiSettingsOnColorValuesChanged;
@@ -281,7 +279,7 @@ public sealed partial class DockAppearanceSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject,
 
         Reapply();
 
-        IsColorizationDetailsExpanded = _dockSettings.ColorizationMode != ColorizationMode.None;
+        IsColorizationDetailsExpanded = _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.ColorizationMode != ColorizationMode.None;
     }
 
     private void UiSettingsOnColorValuesChanged(UISettings sender, object args) => _uiDispatcher.TryEnqueue(() => UpdateAccentColor(sender));
@@ -302,7 +300,7 @@ public sealed partial class DockAppearanceSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject,
 
     private void Save()
     {
-        SettingsModel.SaveSettings(_settings);
+        _settingsService.Save();
         _saveTimer.Debounce(Reapply, TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(200));
     }
 

src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels/FallbackSettingsViewModel.cs

@@ -5,12 +5,13 @@
 using CommunityToolkit.Mvvm.ComponentModel;
 using CommunityToolkit.Mvvm.Messaging;
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Messages;
+using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Services;
 
 namespace Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels;
 
 public partial class FallbackSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject
 {
-    private readonly SettingsModel _settings;
+    private readonly ISettingsService _settingsService;
     private readonly FallbackSettings _fallbackSettings;
 
     public string DisplayName { get; private set; } = string.Empty;
@@ -62,10 +63,10 @@ public partial class FallbackSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject
     public FallbackSettingsViewModel(
     TopLevelViewModel fallback,
     FallbackSettings fallbackSettings,
-    SettingsModel settingsModel,
+    ProviderSettingsViewModel providerSettings,
-    ProviderSettingsViewModel providerSettings)
+    ISettingsService settingsService)
     {
-        _settings = settingsModel;
+        _settingsService = settingsService;
         _fallbackSettings = fallbackSettings;
 
         Id = fallback.Id;
@@ -79,7 +80,7 @@ public partial class FallbackSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject
 
     private void Save()
     {
-        SettingsModel.SaveSettings(_settings);
+        _settingsService.Save();
         WeakReferenceMessenger.Default.Send<ReloadCommandsMessage>(new());
     }
 }

src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels/HotkeyManager.cs

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 // See the LICENSE file in the project root for more information.
 
 using CommunityToolkit.Mvvm.ComponentModel;
+using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Services;
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Settings;
 
 namespace Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels;
@@ -12,10 +13,10 @@ public partial class HotkeyManager : ObservableObject
     private readonly TopLevelCommandManager _topLevelCommandManager;
     private readonly List<TopLevelHotkey> _commandHotkeys;
 
-    public HotkeyManager(TopLevelCommandManager tlcManager, SettingsModel settings)
+    public HotkeyManager(TopLevelCommandManager tlcManager, ISettingsService settingsService)
     {
         _topLevelCommandManager = tlcManager;
-        _commandHotkeys = settings.CommandHotkeys;
+        _commandHotkeys = settingsService.Settings.CommandHotkeys;
     }
 
     public void UpdateHotkey(string commandId, HotkeySettings? hotkey)

src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels/ProviderSettingsViewModel.cs

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation
+// Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation
 // The Microsoft Corporation licenses this file to you under the MIT license.
 // See the LICENSE file in the project root for more information.
 
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ using CommunityToolkit.Mvvm.Messaging;
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.Common.Services;
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Messages;
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Properties;
+using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Services;
 
 namespace Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels;
 
@@ -22,7 +23,7 @@ public partial class ProviderSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject
 
     private readonly CommandProviderWrapper _provider;
     private readonly ProviderSettings _providerSettings;
-    private readonly SettingsModel _settings;
+    private readonly ISettingsService _settingsService;
     private readonly Lock _initializeSettingsLock = new();
 
     private Task? _initializeSettingsTask;
@@ -30,11 +31,11 @@ public partial class ProviderSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject
     public ProviderSettingsViewModel(
         CommandProviderWrapper provider,
         ProviderSettings providerSettings,
-        SettingsModel settings)
+        ISettingsService settingsService)
     {
         _provider = provider;
         _providerSettings = providerSettings;
-        _settings = settings;
+        _settingsService = settingsService;
 
         LoadingSettings = _provider.Settings?.HasSettings ?? false;
 
@@ -179,18 +180,18 @@ public partial class ProviderSettingsViewModel : ObservableObject
         {
             if (_providerSettings.FallbackCommands.TryGetValue(fallbackItem.Id, out var fallbackSettings))
             {
-                fallbackViewModels.Add(new FallbackSettingsViewModel(fallbackItem, fallbackSettings, _settings, this));
+                fallbackViewModels.Add(new FallbackSettingsViewModel(fallbackItem, fallbackSettings, this, _settingsService));
             }
             else
             {
-                fallbackViewModels.Add(new FallbackSettingsViewModel(fallbackItem, new(), _settings, this));
+                fallbackViewModels.Add(new FallbackSettingsViewModel(fallbackItem, new(), this, _settingsService));
             }
         }
 
         FallbackCommands = fallbackViewModels;
     }
 
-    private void Save() => SettingsModel.SaveSettings(_settings);
+    private void Save() => _settingsService.Save();
 
     private void InitializeSettingsPage()
     {

src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels/Services/AppStateService.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+// Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation
+// The Microsoft Corporation licenses this file to you under the MIT license.
+// See the LICENSE file in the project root for more information.
+
+using Microsoft.CmdPal.Common.Services;
+using Windows.Foundation;
+
+namespace Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Services;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Default implementation of <see cref="IAppStateService"/>.
+/// Handles loading, saving, and change notification for <see cref="AppStateModel"/>.
+/// </summary>
+public sealed class AppStateService : IAppStateService
+{
+    private readonly IPersistenceService _persistence;
+    private readonly IApplicationInfoService _appInfoService;
+    private readonly string _filePath;
+
+    public AppStateService(IPersistenceService persistence, IApplicationInfoService appInfoService)
+    {
+        _persistence = persistence;
+        _appInfoService = appInfoService;
+        _filePath = StateJsonPath();
+        State = _persistence.Load(_filePath, JsonSerializationContext.Default.AppStateModel);
+    }
+
+    /// <inheritdoc/>
+    public AppStateModel State { get; private set; }
+
+    /// <inheritdoc/>
+    public event TypedEventHandler<IAppStateService, AppStateModel>? StateChanged;
+
+    /// <inheritdoc/>
+    public void Save()
+    {
+        _persistence.Save(State, _filePath, JsonSerializationContext.Default.AppStateModel);
+        StateChanged?.Invoke(this, State);
+    }
+
+    private string StateJsonPath()
+    {
+        var directory = _appInfoService.ConfigDirectory;
+        return Path.Combine(directory, "state.json");
+    }
+}

src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels/Services/IAppStateService.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+// Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation
+// The Microsoft Corporation licenses this file to you under the MIT license.
+// See the LICENSE file in the project root for more information.
+
+using Windows.Foundation;
+
+namespace Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Services;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Manages the lifecycle of <see cref="AppStateModel"/>: load, save, and change notification.
+/// </summary>
+public interface IAppStateService
+{
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Gets the current application state instance.
+    /// </summary>
+    AppStateModel State { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Persists the current state to disk and raises <see cref="StateChanged"/>.
+    /// </summary>
+    void Save();
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Raised after state has been saved to disk.
+    /// </summary>
+    event TypedEventHandler<IAppStateService, AppStateModel> StateChanged;
+}

src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels/Services/IPersistenceService.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+// Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation
+// The Microsoft Corporation licenses this file to you under the MIT license.
+// See the LICENSE file in the project root for more information.
+
+using System.Text.Json.Serialization.Metadata;
+
+namespace Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Services;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Provides AOT-compatible JSON file persistence with shallow-merge strategy.
+/// </summary>
+public interface IPersistenceService
+{
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Loads and deserializes a model from the specified JSON file.
+    /// Returns a new <typeparamref name="T"/> instance when the file is missing or unreadable.
+    /// </summary>
+    T Load<T>(string filePath, JsonTypeInfo<T> typeInfo)
+        where T : new();
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Serializes <paramref name="model"/>, shallow-merges into the existing file
+    /// (preserving unknown keys), and writes the result back to disk.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <param name="model">The model to persist.</param>
+    /// <param name="filePath">Target JSON file path.</param>
+    /// <param name="typeInfo">AOT-compatible type metadata.</param>
+    void Save<T>(T model, string filePath, JsonTypeInfo<T> typeInfo);
+}

src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels/Services/ISettingsService.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+// Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation
+// The Microsoft Corporation licenses this file to you under the MIT license.
+// See the LICENSE file in the project root for more information.
+
+using Windows.Foundation;
+
+namespace Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Services;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Manages the lifecycle of <see cref="SettingsModel"/>: load, save, migration, and change notification.
+/// </summary>
+public interface ISettingsService
+{
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Gets the current settings instance.
+    /// </summary>
+    SettingsModel Settings { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Persists the current settings to disk.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <param name="hotReload">When <see langword="true"/>, raises <see cref="SettingsChanged"/> after saving.</param>
+    void Save(bool hotReload = true);
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Raised after settings are saved with <paramref name="hotReload"/> enabled, or after <see cref="Reload"/>.
+    /// </summary>
+    event TypedEventHandler<ISettingsService, SettingsModel> SettingsChanged;
+}

src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels/Services/PersistenceService.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+// Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation
+// The Microsoft Corporation licenses this file to you under the MIT license.
+// See the LICENSE file in the project root for more information.
+
+using System.Text.Json;
+using System.Text.Json.Nodes;
+using System.Text.Json.Serialization.Metadata;
+using ManagedCommon;
+
+namespace Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Services;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Default implementation of <see cref="IPersistenceService"/> that reads/writes
+/// JSON files with a shallow-merge strategy to preserve unknown keys.
+/// </summary>
+public sealed class PersistenceService : IPersistenceService
+{
+    /// <inheritdoc/>
+    public T Load<T>(string filePath, JsonTypeInfo<T> typeInfo)
+        where T : new()
+    {
+        if (!File.Exists(filePath))
+        {
+            Logger.LogDebug("Settings file not found at {FilePath}", filePath);
+            return new T();
+        }
+
+        try
+        {
+            var jsonContent = File.ReadAllText(filePath);
+            var loaded = JsonSerializer.Deserialize(jsonContent, typeInfo);
+
+            if (loaded is null)
+            {
+                Logger.LogDebug("Failed to parse settings file at {FilePath}", filePath);
+            }
+            else
+            {
+                Logger.LogDebug("Successfully loaded settings file from {FilePath}", filePath);
+            }
+
+            return loaded ?? new T();
+        }
+        catch (Exception ex)
+        {
+            Logger.LogError($"Failed to load settings from {filePath}:", ex);
+        }
+
+        return new T();
+    }
+
+    /// <inheritdoc/>
+    public void Save<T>(T model, string filePath, JsonTypeInfo<T> typeInfo)
+    {
+        try
+        {
+            var settingsJson = JsonSerializer.Serialize(model, typeInfo);
+
+            if (JsonNode.Parse(settingsJson) is not JsonObject newSettings)
+            {
+                Logger.LogError("Failed to parse serialized model as JsonObject.");
+                return;
+            }
+
+            var directory = Path.GetDirectoryName(filePath);
+            if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(directory))
+            {
+                Directory.CreateDirectory(directory);
+            }
+
+            var serialized = newSettings.ToJsonString(typeInfo.Options);
+            File.WriteAllText(filePath, serialized);
+        }
+        catch (Exception ex)
+        {
+            Logger.LogError($"Failed to save to {filePath}:", ex);
+        }
+    }
+}

src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels/Services/SettingsService.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,122 @@
+// Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation
+// The Microsoft Corporation licenses this file to you under the MIT license.
+// See the LICENSE file in the project root for more information.
+
+using System.Diagnostics;
+using System.Text.Json;
+using System.Text.Json.Nodes;
+using System.Text.Json.Serialization.Metadata;
+using ManagedCommon;
+using Microsoft.CmdPal.Common.Services;
+using Windows.Foundation;
+
+namespace Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Services;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Default implementation of <see cref="ISettingsService"/>.
+/// Handles loading, saving, migration, and change notification for <see cref="SettingsModel"/>.
+/// </summary>
+public sealed class SettingsService : ISettingsService
+{
+    private const string DeprecatedHotkeyGoesHomeKey = "HotkeyGoesHome";
+
+    private readonly IPersistenceService _persistence;
+    private readonly IApplicationInfoService _appInfoService;
+    private readonly string _filePath;
+
+    public SettingsService(IPersistenceService persistence, IApplicationInfoService appInfoService)
+    {
+        _persistence = persistence;
+        _appInfoService = appInfoService;
+        _filePath = SettingsJsonPath();
+        Settings = _persistence.Load(_filePath, JsonSerializationContext.Default.SettingsModel);
+        ApplyMigrations();
+    }
+
+    /// <inheritdoc/>
+    public SettingsModel Settings { get; private set; }
+
+    /// <inheritdoc/>
+    public event TypedEventHandler<ISettingsService, SettingsModel>? SettingsChanged;
+
+    /// <inheritdoc/>
+    public void Save(bool hotReload = true)
+    {
+        _persistence.Save(
+            Settings,
+            _filePath,
+            JsonSerializationContext.Default.SettingsModel);
+
+        if (hotReload)
+        {
+            SettingsChanged?.Invoke(this, Settings);
+        }
+    }
+
+    private string SettingsJsonPath()
+    {
+        var directory = _appInfoService.ConfigDirectory;
+        return Path.Combine(directory, "settings.json");
+    }
+
+    private void ApplyMigrations()
+    {
+        var migratedAny = false;
+
+        try
+        {
+            var jsonContent = File.Exists(_filePath) ? File.ReadAllText(_filePath) : null;
+            if (jsonContent is not null && JsonNode.Parse(jsonContent) is JsonObject root)
+            {
+                migratedAny |= TryMigrate(
+                    "Migration #1: HotkeyGoesHome (bool) -> AutoGoHomeInterval (TimeSpan)",
+                    root,
+                    Settings,
+                    nameof(SettingsModel.AutoGoHomeInterval),
+                    DeprecatedHotkeyGoesHomeKey,
+                    (model, goesHome) => model.AutoGoHomeInterval = goesHome ? TimeSpan.Zero : Timeout.InfiniteTimeSpan,
+                    JsonSerializationContext.Default.Boolean);
+            }
+        }
+        catch (Exception ex)
+        {
+            Debug.WriteLine($"Migration check failed: {ex}");
+        }
+
+        if (migratedAny)
+        {
+            Save(hotReload: false);
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static bool TryMigrate<T>(
+        string migrationName,
+        JsonObject root,
+        SettingsModel model,
+        string newKey,
+        string oldKey,
+        Action<SettingsModel, T> apply,
+        JsonTypeInfo<T> jsonTypeInfo)
+    {
+        try
+        {
+            if (root.ContainsKey(newKey) && root[newKey] is not null)
+            {
+                return false;
+            }
+
+            if (root.TryGetPropertyValue(oldKey, out var oldNode) && oldNode is not null)
+            {
+                var value = oldNode.Deserialize(jsonTypeInfo);
+                apply(model, value!);
+                return true;
+            }
+        }
+        catch (Exception ex)
+        {
+            Logger.LogError($"Error during migration {migrationName}.", ex);
+        }
+
+        return false;
+    }
+}

src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels/Settings/DockSettings.cs

@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@
 // See the LICENSE file in the project root for more information.
 
 using System.Text.Json.Serialization;
-using Microsoft.UI;
 using Windows.UI;
 
 namespace Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Settings;
@@ -29,7 +28,7 @@ public class DockSettings
 
     public ColorizationMode ColorizationMode { get; set; }
 
-    public Color CustomThemeColor { get; set; } = Colors.Transparent;
+    public Color CustomThemeColor { get; set; } = new() { A = 0, R = 255, G = 255, B = 255 }; // Transparent — avoids WinUI3 COM dependency on Colors.Transparent and COM in class init
 
     public int CustomThemeColorIntensity { get; set; } = 100;
 

src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels/SettingsModel.cs

@@ -2,30 +2,15 @@
 // The Microsoft Corporation licenses this file to you under the MIT license.
 // See the LICENSE file in the project root for more information.
 
-using System.Diagnostics;
-using System.Text.Json;
-using System.Text.Json.Nodes;
 using System.Text.Json.Serialization;
-using System.Text.Json.Serialization.Metadata;
 using CommunityToolkit.Mvvm.ComponentModel;
-using ManagedCommon;
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Settings;
-using Microsoft.CommandPalette.Extensions.Toolkit;
-using Microsoft.UI;
-using Windows.Foundation;
 using Windows.UI;
 
 namespace Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels;
 
 public partial class SettingsModel : ObservableObject
 {
-    private const string DeprecatedHotkeyGoesHomeKey = "HotkeyGoesHome";
-
-    [JsonIgnore]
-    public static readonly string FilePath;
-
-    public event TypedEventHandler<SettingsModel, object?>? SettingsChanged;
-
     ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
     // SETTINGS HERE
     public static HotkeySettings DefaultActivationShortcut { get; } = new HotkeySettings(true, false, true, false, 0x20); // win+alt+space
@@ -77,7 +62,7 @@ public partial class SettingsModel : ObservableObject
 
     public ColorizationMode ColorizationMode { get; set; }
 
-    public Color CustomThemeColor { get; set; } = Colors.Transparent;
+    public Color CustomThemeColor { get; set; } = new() { A = 0, R = 255, G = 255, B = 255 }; // Transparent — avoids WinUI3 COM dependency on Colors.Transparent
 
     public int CustomThemeColorIntensity { get; set; } = 100;
 
@@ -102,11 +87,6 @@ public partial class SettingsModel : ObservableObject
     // END SETTINGS
     ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
-    static SettingsModel()
-    {
-        FilePath = SettingsJsonPath();
-    }
-
     public ProviderSettings GetProviderSettings(CommandProviderWrapper provider)
     {
         ProviderSettings? settings;
@@ -143,165 +123,6 @@ public partial class SettingsModel : ObservableObject
         return globalFallbacks.ToArray();
     }
 
-    public static SettingsModel LoadSettings()
-    {
-        if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(FilePath))
-        {
-            throw new InvalidOperationException($"You must set a valid {nameof(SettingsModel.FilePath)} before calling {nameof(LoadSettings)}");
-        }
-
-        if (!File.Exists(FilePath))
-        {
-            Debug.WriteLine("The provided settings file does not exist");
-            return new();
-        }
-
-        try
-        {
-            // Read the JSON content from the file
-            var jsonContent = File.ReadAllText(FilePath);
-            var loaded = JsonSerializer.Deserialize<SettingsModel>(jsonContent, JsonSerializationContext.Default.SettingsModel) ?? new();
-
-            var migratedAny = false;
-            try
-            {
-                if (JsonNode.Parse(jsonContent) is JsonObject root)
-                {
-                    migratedAny |= ApplyMigrations(root, loaded);
-                }
-            }
-            catch (Exception ex)
-            {
-                Debug.WriteLine($"Migration check failed: {ex}");
-            }
-
-            Debug.WriteLine("Loaded settings file");
-
-            if (migratedAny)
-            {
-                SaveSettings(loaded);
-            }
-
-            return loaded;
-        }
-        catch (Exception ex)
-        {
-            Debug.WriteLine(ex.ToString());
-        }
-
-        return new();
-    }
-
-    private static bool ApplyMigrations(JsonObject root, SettingsModel model)
-    {
-        var migrated = false;
-
-        // Migration #1: HotkeyGoesHome (bool) -> AutoGoHomeInterval (TimeSpan)
-        // The old 'HotkeyGoesHome' boolean indicated whether the "go home" action should happen immediately (true) or never (false).
-        // The new 'AutoGoHomeInterval' uses a TimeSpan: 'TimeSpan.Zero' means immediate, 'Timeout.InfiniteTimeSpan' means never.
-        migrated |= TryMigrate(
-            "Migration #1: HotkeyGoesHome (bool) -> AutoGoHomeInterval (TimeSpan)",
-            root,
-            model,
-            nameof(AutoGoHomeInterval),
-            DeprecatedHotkeyGoesHomeKey,
-            (settingsModel, goesHome) => settingsModel.AutoGoHomeInterval = goesHome ? TimeSpan.Zero : Timeout.InfiniteTimeSpan,
-            JsonSerializationContext.Default.Boolean);
-
-        return migrated;
-    }
-
-    private static bool TryMigrate<T>(string migrationName, JsonObject root, SettingsModel model, string newKey, string oldKey, Action<SettingsModel, T> apply, JsonTypeInfo<T> jsonTypeInfo)
-    {
-        try
-        {
-            // If new key already present, skip migration
-            if (root.ContainsKey(newKey) && root[newKey] is not null)
-            {
-                return false;
-            }
-
-            // If old key present, try to deserialize and apply
-            if (root.TryGetPropertyValue(oldKey, out var oldNode) && oldNode is not null)
-            {
-                var value = oldNode.Deserialize<T>(jsonTypeInfo);
-                apply(model, value!);
-                return true;
-            }
-        }
-        catch (Exception ex)
-        {
-            Logger.LogError($"Error during migration {migrationName}.", ex);
-        }
-
-        return false;
-    }
-
-    public static void SaveSettings(SettingsModel model, bool hotReload = true)
-    {
-        if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(FilePath))
-        {
-            throw new InvalidOperationException($"You must set a valid {nameof(FilePath)} before calling {nameof(SaveSettings)}");
-        }
-
-        try
-        {
-            // Serialize the main dictionary to JSON and save it to the file
-            var settingsJson = JsonSerializer.Serialize(model, JsonSerializationContext.Default.SettingsModel);
-
-            // Is it valid JSON?
-            if (JsonNode.Parse(settingsJson) is JsonObject newSettings)
-            {
-                // Now, read the existing content from the file
-                var oldContent = File.Exists(FilePath) ? File.ReadAllText(FilePath) : "{}";
-
-                // Is it valid JSON?
-                if (JsonNode.Parse(oldContent) is JsonObject savedSettings)
-                {
-                    foreach (var item in newSettings)
-                    {
-                        savedSettings[item.Key] = item.Value?.DeepClone();
-                    }
-
-                    // Remove deprecated keys
-                    savedSettings.Remove(DeprecatedHotkeyGoesHomeKey);
-
-                    var serialized = savedSettings.ToJsonString(JsonSerializationContext.Default.Options);
-                    File.WriteAllText(FilePath, serialized);
-
-                    // TODO: Instead of just raising the event here, we should
-                    // have a file change watcher on the settings file, and
-                    // reload the settings then
-                    if (hotReload)
-                    {
-                        model.SettingsChanged?.Invoke(model, null);
-                    }
-                }
-                else
-                {
-                    Debug.WriteLine("Failed to parse settings file as JsonObject.");
-                }
-            }
-            else
-            {
-                Debug.WriteLine("Failed to parse settings file as JsonObject.");
-            }
-        }
-        catch (Exception ex)
-        {
-            Debug.WriteLine(ex.ToString());
-        }
-    }
-
-    internal static string SettingsJsonPath()
-    {
-        var directory = Utilities.BaseSettingsPath("Microsoft.CmdPal");
-        Directory.CreateDirectory(directory);
-
-        // now, the settings is just next to the exe
-        return Path.Combine(directory, "settings.json");
-    }
-
     // [UnconditionalSuppressMessage("AOT", "IL3050:Calling members annotated with 'RequiresDynamicCodeAttribute' may break functionality when AOT compiling.", Justification = "<Pending>")]
     // private static readonly JsonSerializerOptions _serializerOptions = new()
     // {

src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels/SettingsViewModel.cs

@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ public partial class SettingsViewModel : INotifyPropertyChanged
         TimeSpan.FromSeconds(180),
     ];
 
-    private readonly SettingsModel _settings;
+    private readonly ISettingsService _settingsService;
     private readonly TopLevelCommandManager _topLevelCommandManager;
 
     public event PropertyChangedEventHandler? PropertyChanged;
@@ -38,10 +38,10 @@ public partial class SettingsViewModel : INotifyPropertyChanged
 
     public HotkeySettings? Hotkey
     {
-        get => _settings.Hotkey;
+        get => _settingsService.Settings.Hotkey;
         set
         {
-            _settings.Hotkey = value ?? SettingsModel.DefaultActivationShortcut;
+            _settingsService.Settings.Hotkey = value ?? SettingsModel.DefaultActivationShortcut;
             PropertyChanged?.Invoke(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(nameof(Hotkey)));
             Save();
         }
@@ -49,10 +49,10 @@ public partial class SettingsViewModel : INotifyPropertyChanged
 
     public bool UseLowLevelGlobalHotkey
     {
-        get => _settings.UseLowLevelGlobalHotkey;
+        get => _settingsService.Settings.UseLowLevelGlobalHotkey;
         set
         {
-            _settings.UseLowLevelGlobalHotkey = value;
+            _settingsService.Settings.UseLowLevelGlobalHotkey = value;
             PropertyChanged?.Invoke(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(nameof(Hotkey)));
             Save();
         }
@@ -60,100 +60,100 @@ public partial class SettingsViewModel : INotifyPropertyChanged
 
     public bool AllowExternalReload
     {
-        get => _settings.AllowExternalReload;
+        get => _settingsService.Settings.AllowExternalReload;
         set
         {
-            _settings.AllowExternalReload = value;
+            _settingsService.Settings.AllowExternalReload = value;
             Save();
         }
     }
 
     public bool ShowAppDetails
     {
-        get => _settings.ShowAppDetails;
+        get => _settingsService.Settings.ShowAppDetails;
         set
         {
-            _settings.ShowAppDetails = value;
+            _settingsService.Settings.ShowAppDetails = value;
             Save();
         }
     }
 
     public bool BackspaceGoesBack
     {
-        get => _settings.BackspaceGoesBack;
+        get => _settingsService.Settings.BackspaceGoesBack;
         set
         {
-            _settings.BackspaceGoesBack = value;
+            _settingsService.Settings.BackspaceGoesBack = value;
             Save();
         }
     }
 
     public bool SingleClickActivates
     {
-        get => _settings.SingleClickActivates;
+        get => _settingsService.Settings.SingleClickActivates;
         set
         {
-            _settings.SingleClickActivates = value;
+            _settingsService.Settings.SingleClickActivates = value;
             Save();
         }
     }
 
     public bool HighlightSearchOnActivate
     {
-        get => _settings.HighlightSearchOnActivate;
+        get => _settingsService.Settings.HighlightSearchOnActivate;
         set
         {
-            _settings.HighlightSearchOnActivate = value;
+            _settingsService.Settings.HighlightSearchOnActivate = value;
             Save();
         }
     }
 
     public bool KeepPreviousQuery
     {
-        get => _settings.KeepPreviousQuery;
+        get => _settingsService.Settings.KeepPreviousQuery;
         set
         {
-            _settings.KeepPreviousQuery = value;
+            _settingsService.Settings.KeepPreviousQuery = value;
             Save();
         }
     }
 
     public int MonitorPositionIndex
     {
-        get => (int)_settings.SummonOn;
+        get => (int)_settingsService.Settings.SummonOn;
         set
         {
-            _settings.SummonOn = (MonitorBehavior)value;
+            _settingsService.Settings.SummonOn = (MonitorBehavior)value;
             Save();
         }
     }
 
     public bool ShowSystemTrayIcon
     {
-        get => _settings.ShowSystemTrayIcon;
+        get => _settingsService.Settings.ShowSystemTrayIcon;
         set
         {
-            _settings.ShowSystemTrayIcon = value;
+            _settingsService.Settings.ShowSystemTrayIcon = value;
             Save();
         }
     }
 
     public bool IgnoreShortcutWhenFullscreen
     {
-        get => _settings.IgnoreShortcutWhenFullscreen;
+        get => _settingsService.Settings.IgnoreShortcutWhenFullscreen;
         set
         {
-            _settings.IgnoreShortcutWhenFullscreen = value;
+            _settingsService.Settings.IgnoreShortcutWhenFullscreen = value;
             Save();
         }
     }
 
     public bool DisableAnimations
     {
-        get => _settings.DisableAnimations;
+        get => _settingsService.Settings.DisableAnimations;
         set
         {
-            _settings.DisableAnimations = value;
+            _settingsService.Settings.DisableAnimations = value;
             Save();
         }
     }
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@ public partial class SettingsViewModel : INotifyPropertyChanged
     {
         get
         {
-            var index = AutoGoHomeIntervals.IndexOf(_settings.AutoGoHomeInterval);
+            var index = AutoGoHomeIntervals.IndexOf(_settingsService.Settings.AutoGoHomeInterval);
             return index >= 0 ? index : 0;
         }
 
@@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ public partial class SettingsViewModel : INotifyPropertyChanged
         {
             if (value >= 0 && value < AutoGoHomeIntervals.Count)
             {
-                _settings.AutoGoHomeInterval = AutoGoHomeIntervals[value];
+                _settingsService.Settings.AutoGoHomeInterval = AutoGoHomeIntervals[value];
             }
 
             Save();
@@ -179,60 +179,60 @@ public partial class SettingsViewModel : INotifyPropertyChanged
 
     public int EscapeKeyBehaviorIndex
     {
-        get => (int)_settings.EscapeKeyBehaviorSetting;
+        get => (int)_settingsService.Settings.EscapeKeyBehaviorSetting;
         set
         {
-            _settings.EscapeKeyBehaviorSetting = (EscapeKeyBehavior)value;
+            _settingsService.Settings.EscapeKeyBehaviorSetting = (EscapeKeyBehavior)value;
             Save();
         }
     }
 
     public DockSide Dock_Side
     {
-        get => _settings.DockSettings.Side;
+        get => _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.Side;
         set
         {
-            _settings.DockSettings.Side = value;
+            _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.Side = value;
             Save();
         }
     }
 
     public DockSize Dock_DockSize
     {
-        get => _settings.DockSettings.DockSize;
+        get => _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.DockSize;
         set
         {
-            _settings.DockSettings.DockSize = value;
+            _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.DockSize = value;
             Save();
         }
     }
 
     public DockBackdrop Dock_Backdrop
     {
-        get => _settings.DockSettings.Backdrop;
+        get => _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.Backdrop;
         set
         {
-            _settings.DockSettings.Backdrop = value;
+            _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.Backdrop = value;
             Save();
         }
     }
 
     public bool Dock_ShowLabels
     {
-        get => _settings.DockSettings.ShowLabels;
+        get => _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.ShowLabels;
         set
         {
-            _settings.DockSettings.ShowLabels = value;
+            _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.ShowLabels = value;
             Save();
         }
     }
 
     public bool EnableDock
     {
-        get => _settings.EnableDock;
+        get => _settingsService.Settings.EnableDock;
         set
         {
-            _settings.EnableDock = value;
+            _settingsService.Settings.EnableDock = value;
             Save();
             WeakReferenceMessenger.Default.Send(new ShowHideDockMessage(value));
             WeakReferenceMessenger.Default.Send(new ReloadCommandsMessage()); // TODO! we need to update the MoreCommands of all top level items, but we don't _really_ want to reload
@@ -245,26 +245,26 @@ public partial class SettingsViewModel : INotifyPropertyChanged
 
     public SettingsExtensionsViewModel Extensions { get; }
 
-    public SettingsViewModel(SettingsModel settings, TopLevelCommandManager topLevelCommandManager, TaskScheduler scheduler, IThemeService themeService)
+    public SettingsViewModel(TopLevelCommandManager topLevelCommandManager, TaskScheduler scheduler, IThemeService themeService, ISettingsService settingsService)
     {
-        _settings = settings;
+        _settingsService = settingsService;
         _topLevelCommandManager = topLevelCommandManager;
 
-        Appearance = new AppearanceSettingsViewModel(themeService, _settings);
+        Appearance = new AppearanceSettingsViewModel(themeService, settingsService);
-        DockAppearance = new DockAppearanceSettingsViewModel(themeService, _settings);
+        DockAppearance = new DockAppearanceSettingsViewModel(themeService, settingsService);
 
         var activeProviders = GetCommandProviders();
-        var allProviderSettings = _settings.ProviderSettings;
+        var allProviderSettings = _settingsService.Settings.ProviderSettings;
 
         var fallbacks = new List<FallbackSettingsViewModel>();
-        var currentRankings = _settings.FallbackRanks;
+        var currentRankings = _settingsService.Settings.FallbackRanks;
         var needsSave = false;
 
         foreach (var item in activeProviders)
         {
-            var providerSettings = settings.GetProviderSettings(item);
+            var providerSettings = _settingsService.Settings.GetProviderSettings(item);
 
-            var settingsModel = new ProviderSettingsViewModel(item, providerSettings, _settings);
+            var settingsModel = new ProviderSettingsViewModel(item, providerSettings, settingsService);
             CommandProviders.Add(settingsModel);
 
             fallbacks.AddRange(settingsModel.FallbackCommands);
@@ -306,10 +306,10 @@ public partial class SettingsViewModel : INotifyPropertyChanged
 
     public void ApplyFallbackSort()
     {
-        _settings.FallbackRanks = FallbackRankings.Select(s => s.Id).ToArray();
+        _settingsService.Settings.FallbackRanks = FallbackRankings.Select(s => s.Id).ToArray();
         Save();
         PropertyChanged?.Invoke(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(nameof(FallbackRankings)));
     }
 
-    private void Save() => SettingsModel.SaveSettings(_settings);
+    private void Save() => _settingsService.Save();
 }

src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels/TopLevelViewModel.cs

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation
+// Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation
 // The Microsoft Corporation licenses this file to you under the MIT license.
 // See the LICENSE file in the project root for more information.
 
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ using ManagedCommon;
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.Common.Helpers;
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.Common.Text;
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Messages;
+using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Services;
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Settings;
 using Microsoft.CommandPalette.Extensions;
 using Microsoft.CommandPalette.Extensions.Toolkit;
@@ -21,7 +22,7 @@ namespace Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels;
 [DebuggerDisplay($"{{{nameof(GetDebuggerDisplay)}(),nq}}")]
 public sealed partial class TopLevelViewModel : ObservableObject, IListItem, IExtendedAttributesProvider, IPrecomputedListItem
 {
-    private readonly SettingsModel _settings;
+    private readonly ISettingsService _settingsService;
     private readonly ProviderSettings _providerSettings;
     private readonly IServiceProvider _serviceProvider;
     private readonly CommandItemViewModel _commandItemViewModel;
@@ -185,9 +186,9 @@ public sealed partial class TopLevelViewModel : ObservableObject, IListItem, IEx
                 return null;
             }
 
-            var bandSettings = _settings.DockSettings.StartBands
+            var bandSettings = _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.StartBands
-                .Concat(_settings.DockSettings.CenterBands)
+                .Concat(_settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.CenterBands)
-                .Concat(_settings.DockSettings.EndBands)
+                .Concat(_settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.EndBands)
                 .FirstOrDefault(band => band.CommandId == this.Id);
             if (bandSettings is null)
             {
@@ -208,14 +209,13 @@ public sealed partial class TopLevelViewModel : ObservableObject, IListItem, IEx
         TopLevelType topLevelType,
         CommandPaletteHost extensionHost,
         ICommandProviderContext commandProviderContext,
-        SettingsModel settings,
         ProviderSettings providerSettings,
         IServiceProvider serviceProvider,
         ICommandItem? commandItem,
         IContextMenuFactory? contextMenuFactory)
     {
         _serviceProvider = serviceProvider;
-        _settings = settings;
+        _settingsService = serviceProvider.GetRequiredService<ISettingsService>();
         _providerSettings = providerSettings;
         ProviderContext = commandProviderContext;
         _commandItemViewModel = item;
@@ -313,7 +313,7 @@ public sealed partial class TopLevelViewModel : ObservableObject, IListItem, IEx
         }
     }
 
-    private void Save() => SettingsModel.SaveSettings(_settings);
+    private void Save() => _settingsService.Save();
 
     private void HandleChangeAlias()
     {
@@ -347,7 +347,7 @@ public sealed partial class TopLevelViewModel : ObservableObject, IListItem, IEx
 
     private void UpdateHotkey()
     {
-        var hotkey = _settings.CommandHotkeys.Where(hk => hk.CommandId == Id).FirstOrDefault();
+        var hotkey = _settingsService.Settings.CommandHotkeys.Where(hk => hk.CommandId == Id).FirstOrDefault();
         if (hotkey is not null)
         {
             _hotkey = hotkey.Hotkey;

src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI/App.xaml.cs

@@ -183,11 +183,10 @@ public partial class App : Application, IDisposable
 
     private static void AddUIServices(ServiceCollection services, DispatcherQueue dispatcherQueue)
     {
-        // Models
+        // Models & persistence services
-        var sm = SettingsModel.LoadSettings();
+        services.AddSingleton<IPersistenceService, PersistenceService>();
-        services.AddSingleton(sm);
+        services.AddSingleton<ISettingsService, SettingsService>();
-        var state = AppStateModel.LoadState();
+        services.AddSingleton<IAppStateService, AppStateService>();
-        services.AddSingleton(state);
 
         // Services
         services.AddSingleton<ICommandProviderCache, DefaultCommandProviderCache>();

src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI/CommandPaletteContextMenuFactory.cs

@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ using CommunityToolkit.Mvvm.Messaging;
 using ManagedCommon;
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels;
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Messages;
+using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Services;
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Settings;
 using Microsoft.CommandPalette.Extensions;
 using Microsoft.CommandPalette.Extensions.Toolkit;
@@ -15,12 +16,12 @@ namespace Microsoft.CmdPal.UI;
 
 internal sealed partial class CommandPaletteContextMenuFactory : IContextMenuFactory
 {
-    private readonly SettingsModel _settingsModel;
+    private readonly ISettingsService _settingsService;
     private readonly TopLevelCommandManager _topLevelCommandManager;
 
-    public CommandPaletteContextMenuFactory(SettingsModel settingsModel, TopLevelCommandManager topLevelCommandManager)
+    public CommandPaletteContextMenuFactory(ISettingsService settingsService, TopLevelCommandManager topLevelCommandManager)
     {
-        _settingsModel = settingsModel;
+        _settingsService = settingsService;
         _topLevelCommandManager = topLevelCommandManager;
     }
 
@@ -65,7 +66,7 @@ internal sealed partial class CommandPaletteContextMenuFactory : IContextMenuFac
             var providerId = providerContext.ProviderId;
             if (_topLevelCommandManager.LookupProvider(providerId) is CommandProviderWrapper provider)
             {
-                var providerSettings = _settingsModel.GetProviderSettings(provider);
+                var providerSettings = _settingsService.Settings.GetProviderSettings(provider);
 
                 var alreadyPinnedToTopLevel = providerSettings.PinnedCommandIds.Contains(itemId);
 
@@ -82,7 +83,7 @@ internal sealed partial class CommandPaletteContextMenuFactory : IContextMenuFac
                         providerId: providerId,
                         pin: !alreadyPinnedToTopLevel,
                         PinLocation.TopLevel,
-                        _settingsModel,
+                        _settingsService,
                         _topLevelCommandManager);
 
                     var contextItem = new PinToContextItem(pinToTopLevelCommand, commandItem);
@@ -132,7 +133,7 @@ internal sealed partial class CommandPaletteContextMenuFactory : IContextMenuFac
         var providerId = providerContext.ProviderId;
         if (_topLevelCommandManager.LookupProvider(providerId) is CommandProviderWrapper provider)
         {
-            var providerSettings = _settingsModel.GetProviderSettings(provider);
+            var providerSettings = _settingsService.Settings.GetProviderSettings(provider);
 
             var isPinnedSubCommand = providerSettings.PinnedCommandIds.Contains(itemId);
             if (isPinnedSubCommand)
@@ -142,7 +143,7 @@ internal sealed partial class CommandPaletteContextMenuFactory : IContextMenuFac
                        providerId: providerId,
                        pin: !isPinnedSubCommand,
                        PinLocation.TopLevel,
-                       _settingsModel,
+                       _settingsService,
                        _topLevelCommandManager);
 
                 var contextItem = new PinToContextItem(pinToTopLevelCommand, commandItem);
@@ -168,22 +169,22 @@ internal sealed partial class CommandPaletteContextMenuFactory : IContextMenuFac
         List<IContextItem> moreCommands,
         CommandItemViewModel commandItem)
     {
-        if (!_settingsModel.EnableDock)
+        if (!_settingsService.Settings.EnableDock)
         {
             return;
         }
 
-        var inStartBands = _settingsModel.DockSettings.StartBands.Any(band => MatchesBand(band, itemId, providerId));
+        var inStartBands = _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.StartBands.Any(band => MatchesBand(band, itemId, providerId));
-        var inCenterBands = _settingsModel.DockSettings.CenterBands.Any(band => MatchesBand(band, itemId, providerId));
+        var inCenterBands = _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.CenterBands.Any(band => MatchesBand(band, itemId, providerId));
-        var inEndBands = _settingsModel.DockSettings.EndBands.Any(band => MatchesBand(band, itemId, providerId));
+        var inEndBands = _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.EndBands.Any(band => MatchesBand(band, itemId, providerId));
         var alreadyPinned = inStartBands || inCenterBands || inEndBands; /** &&
-                            _settingsModel.DockSettings.PinnedCommands.Contains(this.Id)**/
+                            _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings.PinnedCommands.Contains(this.Id)**/
         var pinToTopLevelCommand = new PinToCommand(
             commandId: itemId,
             providerId: providerId,
             pin: !alreadyPinned,
             PinLocation.Dock,
-            _settingsModel,
+            _settingsService,
             _topLevelCommandManager);
 
         var contextItem = new PinToContextItem(pinToTopLevelCommand, commandItem);
@@ -231,7 +232,7 @@ internal sealed partial class CommandPaletteContextMenuFactory : IContextMenuFac
     {
         private readonly string _commandId;
         private readonly string _providerId;
-        private readonly SettingsModel _settings;
+        private readonly ISettingsService _settingsService;
         private readonly TopLevelCommandManager _topLevelCommandManager;
         private readonly bool _pin;
         private readonly PinLocation _pinLocation;
@@ -251,13 +252,13 @@ internal sealed partial class CommandPaletteContextMenuFactory : IContextMenuFac
             string providerId,
             bool pin,
             PinLocation pinLocation,
-            SettingsModel settings,
+            ISettingsService settingsService,
             TopLevelCommandManager topLevelCommandManager)
         {
             _commandId = commandId;
             _providerId = providerId;
             _pinLocation = pinLocation;
-            _settings = settings;
+            _settingsService = settingsService;
             _topLevelCommandManager = topLevelCommandManager;
             _pin = pin;
         }

src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI/Controls/FallbackRanker.xaml.cs

@@ -18,10 +18,10 @@ public sealed partial class FallbackRanker : UserControl
     {
         this.InitializeComponent();
 
-        var settings = App.Current.Services.GetService<SettingsModel>()!;
         var topLevelCommandManager = App.Current.Services.GetService<TopLevelCommandManager>()!;
         var themeService = App.Current.Services.GetService<IThemeService>()!;
-        viewModel = new SettingsViewModel(settings, topLevelCommandManager, _mainTaskScheduler, themeService);
+        var settingsService = App.Current.Services.GetRequiredService<ISettingsService>();
+        viewModel = new SettingsViewModel(topLevelCommandManager, _mainTaskScheduler, themeService, settingsService);
     }
 
     private void ListView_DragItemsCompleted(ListViewBase sender, DragItemsCompletedEventArgs args)

src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI/Controls/SearchBar.xaml.cs

@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.Helpers;
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels;
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Commands;
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Messages;
+using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Services;
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.Views;
 using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection;
 using Microsoft.UI.Dispatching;
@@ -49,7 +50,7 @@ public sealed partial class SearchBar : UserControl,
     // 0.6+ suggestions
     private string? _textToSuggest;
 
-    private SettingsModel Settings => App.Current.Services.GetRequiredService<SettingsModel>();
+    private SettingsModel Settings => App.Current.Services.GetRequiredService<ISettingsService>().Settings;
 
     public PageViewModel? CurrentPageViewModel
     {

src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI/Dock/DockWindow.xaml.cs

@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ public sealed partial class DockWindow : WindowEx,
 #pragma warning restore SA1306 // Field names should begin with lower-case letter
 
     private readonly IThemeService _themeService;
+    private readonly ISettingsService _settingsService;
     private readonly DockWindowViewModel _windowViewModel;
     private readonly HiddenOwnerWindowBehavior _hiddenOwnerWindowBehavior = new();
 
@@ -68,8 +69,9 @@ public sealed partial class DockWindow : WindowEx,
     public DockWindow()
     {
         var serviceProvider = App.Current.Services;
-        var mainSettings = serviceProvider.GetService<SettingsModel>()!;
+        var mainSettings = serviceProvider.GetRequiredService<ISettingsService>().Settings;
-        mainSettings.SettingsChanged += SettingsChangedHandler;
+        _settingsService = serviceProvider.GetRequiredService<ISettingsService>();
+        _settingsService.SettingsChanged += SettingsChangedHandler;
         _settings = mainSettings.DockSettings;
         _lastSize = _settings.DockSize;
 
@@ -128,9 +130,9 @@ public sealed partial class DockWindow : WindowEx,
         UpdateSettingsOnUiThread();
     }
 
-    private void SettingsChangedHandler(SettingsModel sender, object? args)
+    private void SettingsChangedHandler(ISettingsService sender, SettingsModel args)
     {
-        _settings = sender.DockSettings;
+        _settings = args.DockSettings;
         DispatcherQueue.TryEnqueue(UpdateSettingsOnUiThread);
     }
 
@@ -621,9 +623,7 @@ public sealed partial class DockWindow : WindowEx,
 
     private void DockWindow_Closed(object sender, WindowEventArgs args)
     {
-        var serviceProvider = App.Current.Services;
+        _settingsService.SettingsChanged -= SettingsChangedHandler;
-        var settings = serviceProvider.GetService<SettingsModel>();
-        settings?.SettingsChanged -= SettingsChangedHandler;
         _themeService.ThemeChanged -= ThemeService_ThemeChanged;
         DisposeAcrylic();
 

src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI/ExtViews/ListPage.xaml.cs

@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.Messages;
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels;
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Commands;
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Messages;
+using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Services;
 using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection;
 using Microsoft.UI.Xaml;
 using Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Automation.Peers;
@@ -183,7 +184,7 @@ public sealed partial class ListPage : Page,
                 return;
             }
 
-            var settings = App.Current.Services.GetService<SettingsModel>()!;
+            var settings = App.Current.Services.GetRequiredService<ISettingsService>().Settings;
             if (settings.SingleClickActivates)
             {
                 ViewModel?.InvokeItemCommand.Execute(item);
@@ -203,7 +204,7 @@ public sealed partial class ListPage : Page,
     {
         if (ItemView.SelectedItem is ListItemViewModel vm)
         {
-            var settings = App.Current.Services.GetService<SettingsModel>()!;
+            var settings = App.Current.Services.GetRequiredService<ISettingsService>().Settings;
             if (!settings.SingleClickActivates)
             {
                 ViewModel?.InvokeItemCommand.Execute(vm);

src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI/Helpers/TrayIconService.cs

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ using CommunityToolkit.Mvvm.Messaging;
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.Messages;
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels;
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Messages;
+using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Services;
 using Microsoft.UI.Xaml;
 using Windows.Win32;
 using Windows.Win32.Foundation;
@@ -25,7 +26,7 @@ internal sealed partial class TrayIconService
     private const uint MY_NOTIFY_ID = 1000;
     private const uint WM_TRAY_ICON = PInvoke.WM_USER + 1;
 
-    private readonly SettingsModel _settingsModel;
+    private readonly ISettingsService _settingsService;
     private readonly uint WM_TASKBAR_RESTART;
 
     private Window? _window;
@@ -36,9 +37,9 @@ internal sealed partial class TrayIconService
     private DestroyIconSafeHandle? _largeIcon;
     private DestroyMenuSafeHandle? _popupMenu;
 
-    public TrayIconService(SettingsModel settingsModel)
+    public TrayIconService(ISettingsService settingsService)
     {
-        _settingsModel = settingsModel;
+        _settingsService = settingsService;
 
         // TaskbarCreated is the message that's broadcast when explorer.exe
         // restarts. We need to know when that happens to be able to bring our
@@ -48,7 +49,7 @@ internal sealed partial class TrayIconService
 
     public void SetupTrayIcon(bool? showSystemTrayIcon = null)
     {
-        if (showSystemTrayIcon ?? _settingsModel.ShowSystemTrayIcon)
+        if (showSystemTrayIcon ?? _settingsService.Settings.ShowSystemTrayIcon)
         {
             if (_window is null)
             {

src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI/MainWindow.xaml.cs

@@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ public sealed partial class MainWindow : WindowEx,
 
         // Load our settings, and then also wire up a settings changed handler
         HotReloadSettings();
-        App.Current.Services.GetService<SettingsModel>()!.SettingsChanged += SettingsChangedHandler;
+        App.Current.Services.GetRequiredService<ISettingsService>().SettingsChanged += SettingsChangedHandler;
 
         // Make sure that we update the acrylic theme when the OS theme changes
         RootElement.ActualThemeChanged += (s, e) => DispatcherQueue.TryEnqueue(UpdateBackdrop);
@@ -211,7 +211,7 @@ public sealed partial class MainWindow : WindowEx,
         }
     }
 
-    private void SettingsChangedHandler(SettingsModel sender, object? args)
+    private void SettingsChangedHandler(ISettingsService sender, SettingsModel args)
     {
         DispatcherQueue.TryEnqueue(HotReloadSettings);
     }
@@ -292,7 +292,7 @@ public sealed partial class MainWindow : WindowEx,
 
     private void RestoreWindowPositionFromSavedSettings()
     {
-        var settings = App.Current.Services.GetService<SettingsModel>();
+        var settings = App.Current.Services.GetRequiredService<ISettingsService>().Settings;
         RestoreWindowPosition(settings?.LastWindowPosition);
     }
 
@@ -363,7 +363,7 @@ public sealed partial class MainWindow : WindowEx,
 
     private void HotReloadSettings()
     {
-        var settings = App.Current.Services.GetService<SettingsModel>()!;
+        var settings = App.Current.Services.GetRequiredService<ISettingsService>().Settings;
 
         SetupHotkey(settings);
         App.Current.Services.GetService<TrayIconService>()!.SetupTrayIcon(settings.ShowSystemTrayIcon);
@@ -707,7 +707,7 @@ public sealed partial class MainWindow : WindowEx,
     {
         _isLoadedFromDock = false;
 
-        var settings = App.Current.Services.GetService<SettingsModel>()!;
+        var settings = App.Current.Services.GetRequiredService<ISettingsService>().Settings;
 
         // Start session tracking
         _sessionStopwatch = Stopwatch.StartNew();
@@ -902,7 +902,8 @@ public sealed partial class MainWindow : WindowEx,
             UpdateWindowPositionInMemory();
         }
 
-        var settings = serviceProvider.GetService<SettingsModel>();
+        var settingsService = serviceProvider.GetRequiredService<ISettingsService>();
+        var settings = settingsService.Settings;
         if (settings is not null)
         {
             // If we were last shown from the dock, _currentWindowPosition still holds
@@ -910,7 +911,7 @@ public sealed partial class MainWindow : WindowEx,
             if (_currentWindowPosition.IsSizeValid)
             {
                 settings.LastWindowPosition = _currentWindowPosition;
-                SettingsModel.SaveSettings(settings);
+                settingsService.Save();
             }
         }
 
@@ -1080,7 +1081,7 @@ public sealed partial class MainWindow : WindowEx,
                         }
                         else if (uri.StartsWith("x-cmdpal://reload", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
                         {
-                            var settings = App.Current.Services.GetService<SettingsModel>();
+                            var settings = App.Current.Services.GetRequiredService<ISettingsService>().Settings;
                             if (settings?.AllowExternalReload == true)
                             {
                                 Logger.LogInfo("External Reload triggered");

src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI/Pages/ShellPage.xaml.cs

@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.Services;
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.Settings;
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels;
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Messages;
+using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Services;
 using Microsoft.CommandPalette.Extensions;
 using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection;
 using Microsoft.PowerToys.Telemetry;
@@ -111,7 +112,7 @@ public sealed partial class ShellPage : Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Controls.Page,
         var pageAnnouncementFormat = ResourceLoaderInstance.GetString("ScreenReader_Announcement_NavigatedToPage0");
         _pageNavigatedAnnouncement = CompositeFormat.Parse(pageAnnouncementFormat);
 
-        if (App.Current.Services.GetService<SettingsModel>()!.EnableDock)
+        if (App.Current.Services.GetRequiredService<ISettingsService>().Settings.EnableDock)
         {
             _dockWindow = new DockWindow();
             _dockWindow.Show();
@@ -125,14 +126,14 @@ public sealed partial class ShellPage : Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Controls.Page,
     {
         get
         {
-            var settings = App.Current.Services.GetService<SettingsModel>()!;
+            var settings = App.Current.Services.GetRequiredService<ISettingsService>().Settings;
             return settings.DisableAnimations ? _noAnimation : _slideRightTransition;
         }
     }
 
     public void Receive(NavigateBackMessage message)
     {
-        var settings = App.Current.Services.GetService<SettingsModel>()!;
+        var settings = App.Current.Services.GetRequiredService<ISettingsService>().Settings;
 
         if (RootFrame.CanGoBack)
         {
@@ -362,7 +363,7 @@ public sealed partial class ShellPage : Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Controls.Page,
 
     private void SummonOnUiThread(HotkeySummonMessage message)
     {
-        var settings = App.Current.Services.GetService<SettingsModel>()!;
+        var settings = App.Current.Services.GetRequiredService<ISettingsService>().Settings;
         var commandId = message.CommandId;
         var isRoot = string.IsNullOrEmpty(commandId);
         if (isRoot)

src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI/PowerToysRootPageService.cs

@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ using Microsoft.CmdPal.Common.Services;
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.Common.Text;
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels;
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.MainPage;
+using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Services;
 using Microsoft.CommandPalette.Extensions;
 using WinRT;
 
@@ -23,13 +24,13 @@ internal sealed class PowerToysRootPageService : IRootPageService
     private IExtensionWrapper? _activeExtension;
     private Lazy<MainListPage> _mainListPage;
 
-    public PowerToysRootPageService(TopLevelCommandManager topLevelCommandManager, SettingsModel settings, AliasManager aliasManager, AppStateModel appStateModel, IFuzzyMatcherProvider fuzzyMatcherProvider)
+    public PowerToysRootPageService(TopLevelCommandManager topLevelCommandManager, AliasManager aliasManager, IFuzzyMatcherProvider fuzzyMatcherProvider, ISettingsService settingsService, IAppStateService appStateService)
     {
         _tlcManager = topLevelCommandManager;
 
         _mainListPage = new Lazy<MainListPage>(() =>
         {
-            return new MainListPage(_tlcManager, settings, aliasManager, appStateModel, fuzzyMatcherProvider);
+            return new MainListPage(_tlcManager, aliasManager, fuzzyMatcherProvider, settingsService, appStateService);
         });
     }
 

src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI/RunHistoryService.cs

@@ -4,32 +4,33 @@
 
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.Common.Services;
 using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels;
+using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Services;
 
 namespace Microsoft.CmdPal.UI;
 
 internal sealed class RunHistoryService : IRunHistoryService
 {
-    private readonly AppStateModel _appStateModel;
+    private readonly IAppStateService _appStateService;
 
-    public RunHistoryService(AppStateModel appStateModel)
+    public RunHistoryService(IAppStateService appStateService)
     {
-        _appStateModel = appStateModel;
+        _appStateService = appStateService;
     }
 
     public IReadOnlyList<string> GetRunHistory()
     {
-        if (_appStateModel.RunHistory.Count == 0)
+        if (_appStateService.State.RunHistory.Count == 0)
         {
             var history = Microsoft.Terminal.UI.RunHistory.CreateRunHistory();
-            _appStateModel.RunHistory.AddRange(history);
+            _appStateService.State.RunHistory.AddRange(history);
         }
 
-        return _appStateModel.RunHistory;
+        return _appStateService.State.RunHistory;
     }
 
     public void ClearRunHistory()
     {
-        _appStateModel.RunHistory.Clear();
+        _appStateService.State.RunHistory.Clear();
     }
 
     public void AddRunHistoryItem(string item)
@@ -40,11 +41,11 @@ internal sealed class RunHistoryService : IRunHistoryService
             return; // Do not add empty or whitespace items
         }
 
-        _appStateModel.RunHistory.Remove(item);
+        _appStateService.State.RunHistory.Remove(item);
 
         // Add the item to the front of the history
-        _appStateModel.RunHistory.Insert(0, item);
+        _appStateService.State.RunHistory.Insert(0, item);
 
-        AppStateModel.SaveState(_appStateModel);
+        _appStateService.Save();
     }
 }

src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI/Services/ThemeService.cs

@@ -27,7 +27,8 @@ internal sealed partial class ThemeService : IThemeService, IDisposable
     private static readonly TimeSpan ReloadDebounceInterval = TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(500);
 
     private readonly UISettings _uiSettings;
-    private readonly SettingsModel _settings;
+    private readonly ISettingsService _settingsService;
+
     private readonly ResourceSwapper _resourceSwapper;
     private readonly NormalThemeProvider _normalThemeProvider;
     private readonly ColorfulThemeProvider _colorfulThemeProvider;
@@ -76,32 +77,32 @@ internal sealed partial class ThemeService : IThemeService, IDisposable
         }
 
         // provider selection
-        var themeColorIntensity = Math.Clamp(_settings.CustomThemeColorIntensity, 0, 100);
+        var themeColorIntensity = Math.Clamp(_settingsService.Settings.CustomThemeColorIntensity, 0, 100);
-        var imageTintIntensity = Math.Clamp(_settings.BackgroundImageTintIntensity, 0, 100);
+        var imageTintIntensity = Math.Clamp(_settingsService.Settings.BackgroundImageTintIntensity, 0, 100);
-        var effectiveColorIntensity = _settings.ColorizationMode == ColorizationMode.Image
+        var effectiveColorIntensity = _settingsService.Settings.ColorizationMode == ColorizationMode.Image
             ? imageTintIntensity
             : themeColorIntensity;
 
         IThemeProvider provider = UseColorfulProvider(effectiveColorIntensity) ? _colorfulThemeProvider : _normalThemeProvider;
 
         // Calculate values
-        var tint = _settings.ColorizationMode switch
+        var tint = _settingsService.Settings.ColorizationMode switch
         {
-            ColorizationMode.CustomColor => _settings.CustomThemeColor,
+            ColorizationMode.CustomColor => _settingsService.Settings.CustomThemeColor,
             ColorizationMode.WindowsAccentColor => _uiSettings.GetColorValue(UIColorType.Accent),
-            ColorizationMode.Image => _settings.CustomThemeColor,
+            ColorizationMode.Image => _settingsService.Settings.CustomThemeColor,
             _ => Colors.Transparent,
         };
-        var effectiveTheme = GetElementTheme((ElementTheme)_settings.Theme);
+        var effectiveTheme = GetElementTheme((ElementTheme)_settingsService.Settings.Theme);
-        var imageSource = _settings.ColorizationMode == ColorizationMode.Image
+        var imageSource = _settingsService.Settings.ColorizationMode == ColorizationMode.Image
-            ? LoadImageSafe(_settings.BackgroundImagePath)
+            ? LoadImageSafe(_settingsService.Settings.BackgroundImagePath)
             : null;
-        var stretch = _settings.BackgroundImageFit switch
+        var stretch = _settingsService.Settings.BackgroundImageFit switch
         {
             BackgroundImageFit.Fill => Stretch.Fill,
             _ => Stretch.UniformToFill,
         };
-        var opacity = Math.Clamp(_settings.BackgroundImageOpacity, 0, 100) / 100.0;
+        var opacity = Math.Clamp(_settingsService.Settings.BackgroundImageOpacity, 0, 100) / 100.0;
 
         // create input and offload to actual theme provider
         var context = new ThemeContext
@@ -112,16 +113,16 @@ internal sealed partial class ThemeService : IThemeService, IDisposable
             BackgroundImageSource = imageSource,
             BackgroundImageStretch = stretch,
             BackgroundImageOpacity = opacity,
-            BackdropStyle = _settings.BackdropStyle,
+            BackdropStyle = _settingsService.Settings.BackdropStyle,
-            BackdropOpacity = Math.Clamp(_settings.BackdropOpacity, 0, 100) / 100f,
+            BackdropOpacity = Math.Clamp(_settingsService.Settings.BackdropOpacity, 0, 100) / 100f,
         };
         var backdrop = provider.GetBackdropParameters(context);
-        var blur = _settings.BackgroundImageBlurAmount;
+        var blur = _settingsService.Settings.BackgroundImageBlurAmount;
-        var brightness = _settings.BackgroundImageBrightness;
+        var brightness = _settingsService.Settings.BackgroundImageBrightness;
 
         // Create public snapshot (no provider!)
         var hasColorization = effectiveColorIntensity > 0
-            && _settings.ColorizationMode is ColorizationMode.CustomColor or ColorizationMode.WindowsAccentColor or ColorizationMode.Image;
+            && _settingsService.Settings.ColorizationMode is ColorizationMode.CustomColor or ColorizationMode.WindowsAccentColor or ColorizationMode.Image;
 
         var snapshot = new ThemeSnapshot
         {
@@ -149,7 +150,7 @@ internal sealed partial class ThemeService : IThemeService, IDisposable
         Interlocked.Exchange(ref _currentState, newState);
 
         // Compute DockThemeSnapshot from DockSettings
-        var dockSettings = _settings.DockSettings;
+        var dockSettings = _settingsService.Settings.DockSettings;
         var dockIntensity = Math.Clamp(dockSettings.CustomThemeColorIntensity, 0, 100);
         IThemeProvider dockProvider = dockIntensity > 0 && dockSettings.ColorizationMode is ColorizationMode.CustomColor or ColorizationMode.WindowsAccentColor or ColorizationMode.Image
                 ? _colorfulThemeProvider
@@ -208,8 +209,8 @@ internal sealed partial class ThemeService : IThemeService, IDisposable
 
     private bool UseColorfulProvider(int effectiveColorIntensity)
     {
-        return _settings.ColorizationMode == ColorizationMode.Image
+        return _settingsService.Settings.ColorizationMode == ColorizationMode.Image
-               || (effectiveColorIntensity > 0 && _settings.ColorizationMode is ColorizationMode.CustomColor or ColorizationMode.WindowsAccentColor);
+               || (effectiveColorIntensity > 0 && _settingsService.Settings.ColorizationMode is ColorizationMode.CustomColor or ColorizationMode.WindowsAccentColor);
     }
 
     private static BitmapImage? LoadImageSafe(string? path)
@@ -241,13 +242,12 @@ internal sealed partial class ThemeService : IThemeService, IDisposable
         }
     }
 
-    public ThemeService(SettingsModel settings, ResourceSwapper resourceSwapper)
+    public ThemeService(ResourceSwapper resourceSwapper, ISettingsService settingsService)
     {
-        ArgumentNullException.ThrowIfNull(settings);
         ArgumentNullException.ThrowIfNull(resourceSwapper);
 
-        _settings = settings;
+        _settingsService = settingsService;
-        _settings.SettingsChanged += SettingsOnSettingsChanged;
+        _settingsService.SettingsChanged += SettingsOnSettingsChanged;
 
         _resourceSwapper = resourceSwapper;
 
@@ -319,7 +319,7 @@ internal sealed partial class ThemeService : IThemeService, IDisposable
         };
     }
 
-    private void SettingsOnSettingsChanged(SettingsModel sender, object? args)
+    private void SettingsOnSettingsChanged(ISettingsService sender, SettingsModel args)
     {
         RequestReload();
     }
@@ -339,7 +339,7 @@ internal sealed partial class ThemeService : IThemeService, IDisposable
         _disposed = true;
         _dispatcherQueueTimer?.Stop();
         _uiSettings.ColorValuesChanged -= UiSettings_ColorValuesChanged;
-        _settings.SettingsChanged -= SettingsOnSettingsChanged;
+        _settingsService.SettingsChanged -= SettingsOnSettingsChanged;
     }
 
     private sealed class InternalThemeState

src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI/Settings/AppearancePage.xaml.cs

@@ -31,10 +31,10 @@ public sealed partial class AppearancePage : Page
     {
         InitializeComponent();
 
-        var settings = App.Current.Services.GetService<SettingsModel>()!;
         var themeService = App.Current.Services.GetRequiredService<IThemeService>();
         var topLevelCommandManager = App.Current.Services.GetService<TopLevelCommandManager>()!;
-        ViewModel = new SettingsViewModel(settings, topLevelCommandManager, _mainTaskScheduler, themeService);
+        var settingsService = App.Current.Services.GetRequiredService<ISettingsService>();
+        ViewModel = new SettingsViewModel(topLevelCommandManager, _mainTaskScheduler, themeService, settingsService);
     }
 
     private async void PickBackgroundImage_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)

src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI/Settings/DockSettingsPage.xaml.cs

@@ -28,11 +28,11 @@ public sealed partial class DockSettingsPage : Page
     {
         this.InitializeComponent();
 
-        var settings = App.Current.Services.GetService<SettingsModel>()!;
         var themeService = App.Current.Services.GetService<IThemeService>()!;
         var topLevelCommandManager = App.Current.Services.GetService<TopLevelCommandManager>()!;
+        var settingsService = App.Current.Services.GetRequiredService<ISettingsService>();
 
-        ViewModel = new SettingsViewModel(settings, topLevelCommandManager, _mainTaskScheduler, themeService);
+        ViewModel = new SettingsViewModel(topLevelCommandManager, _mainTaskScheduler, themeService, settingsService);
 
         // Initialize UI state
         InitializeSettings();
@@ -195,7 +195,8 @@ public sealed partial class DockSettingsPage : Page
 
         // var allBands = GetAllBands();
         var tlcManager = App.Current.Services.GetService<TopLevelCommandManager>()!;
-        var settingsModel = App.Current.Services.GetService<SettingsModel>()!;
+        var settingsModel = App.Current.Services.GetRequiredService<ISettingsService>().Settings;
+        var settingsService = App.Current.Services.GetRequiredService<ISettingsService>();
         var dockViewModel = App.Current.Services.GetService<DockViewModel>()!;
         var allBands = tlcManager.GetDockBandsSnapshot();
         foreach (var band in allBands)
@@ -208,7 +209,7 @@ public sealed partial class DockSettingsPage : Page
                     dockSettingsModel: setting,
                     topLevelAdapter: band,
                     bandViewModel: bandVm,
-                    settingsModel: settingsModel
+                    settingsService: settingsService
                 ));
             }
         }

src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI/Settings/ExtensionsPage.xaml.cs

@@ -24,10 +24,10 @@ public sealed partial class ExtensionsPage : Page
     {
         this.InitializeComponent();
 
-        var settings = App.Current.Services.GetService<SettingsModel>()!;
         var topLevelCommandManager = App.Current.Services.GetService<TopLevelCommandManager>()!;
         var themeService = App.Current.Services.GetService<IThemeService>()!;
-        viewModel = new SettingsViewModel(settings, topLevelCommandManager, _mainTaskScheduler, themeService);
+        var settingsService = App.Current.Services.GetRequiredService<ISettingsService>();
+        viewModel = new SettingsViewModel(topLevelCommandManager, _mainTaskScheduler, themeService, settingsService);
     }
 
     private void SettingsCard_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)

src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI/Settings/GeneralPage.xaml.cs

@@ -23,11 +23,11 @@ public sealed partial class GeneralPage : Page
     {
         this.InitializeComponent();
 
-        var settings = App.Current.Services.GetService<SettingsModel>()!;
         var topLevelCommandManager = App.Current.Services.GetService<TopLevelCommandManager>()!;
         var themeService = App.Current.Services.GetService<IThemeService>()!;
+        var settingsService = App.Current.Services.GetRequiredService<ISettingsService>();
         _appInfoService = App.Current.Services.GetRequiredService<IApplicationInfoService>();
-        viewModel = new SettingsViewModel(settings, topLevelCommandManager, _mainTaskScheduler, themeService);
+        viewModel = new SettingsViewModel(topLevelCommandManager, _mainTaskScheduler, themeService, settingsService);
     }
 
     public string ApplicationVersion

src/modules/cmdpal/Tests/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.UnitTests/AppStateServiceTests.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,163 @@
+// Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation
+// The Microsoft Corporation licenses this file to you under the MIT license.
+// See the LICENSE file in the project root for more information.
+
+using System;
+using System.Collections.Generic;
+using System.IO;
+using Microsoft.CmdPal.Common.Services;
+using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Services;
+using Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestTools.UnitTesting;
+using Moq;
+
+namespace Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.UnitTests;
+
+[TestClass]
+public class AppStateServiceTests
+{
+    private Mock<IPersistenceService> _mockPersistence = null!;
+    private Mock<IApplicationInfoService> _mockAppInfo = null!;
+    private string _testDirectory = null!;
+
+    [TestInitialize]
+    public void Setup()
+    {
+        _mockPersistence = new Mock<IPersistenceService>();
+        _mockAppInfo = new Mock<IApplicationInfoService>();
+        _testDirectory = Path.Combine(Path.GetTempPath(), $"CmdPalTest_{Guid.NewGuid():N}");
+        _mockAppInfo.Setup(a => a.ConfigDirectory).Returns(_testDirectory);
+
+        // Default: Load returns a new AppStateModel
+        _mockPersistence
+            .Setup(p => p.Load(
+                It.IsAny<string>(),
+                It.IsAny<System.Text.Json.Serialization.Metadata.JsonTypeInfo<AppStateModel>>()))
+            .Returns(new AppStateModel());
+    }
+
+    [TestMethod]
+    public void Constructor_LoadsState_ViaPersistenceService()
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        var expectedState = new AppStateModel
+        {
+            RunHistory = new List<string> { "command1", "command2" },
+        };
+        _mockPersistence
+            .Setup(p => p.Load(
+                It.IsAny<string>(),
+                It.IsAny<System.Text.Json.Serialization.Metadata.JsonTypeInfo<AppStateModel>>()))
+            .Returns(expectedState);
+
+        // Act
+        var service = new AppStateService(_mockPersistence.Object, _mockAppInfo.Object);
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.IsNotNull(service.State);
+        Assert.AreEqual(2, service.State.RunHistory.Count);
+        Assert.AreEqual("command1", service.State.RunHistory[0]);
+        _mockPersistence.Verify(
+            p => p.Load(
+                It.IsAny<string>(),
+                It.IsAny<System.Text.Json.Serialization.Metadata.JsonTypeInfo<AppStateModel>>()),
+            Times.Once);
+    }
+
+    [TestMethod]
+    public void State_ReturnsLoadedModel()
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        var expectedState = new AppStateModel();
+        _mockPersistence
+            .Setup(p => p.Load(
+                It.IsAny<string>(),
+                It.IsAny<System.Text.Json.Serialization.Metadata.JsonTypeInfo<AppStateModel>>()))
+            .Returns(expectedState);
+
+        // Act
+        var service = new AppStateService(_mockPersistence.Object, _mockAppInfo.Object);
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.AreSame(expectedState, service.State);
+    }
+
+    [TestMethod]
+    public void Save_DelegatesToPersistenceService()
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        var service = new AppStateService(_mockPersistence.Object, _mockAppInfo.Object);
+        service.State.RunHistory.Add("test-command");
+
+        // Act
+        service.Save();
+
+        // Assert
+        _mockPersistence.Verify(
+            p => p.Save(
+                service.State,
+                It.IsAny<string>(),
+                It.IsAny<System.Text.Json.Serialization.Metadata.JsonTypeInfo<AppStateModel>>()),
+            Times.Once);
+    }
+
+    [TestMethod]
+    public void Save_RaisesStateChangedEvent()
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        var service = new AppStateService(_mockPersistence.Object, _mockAppInfo.Object);
+        var eventRaised = false;
+        service.StateChanged += (sender, state) =>
+        {
+            eventRaised = true;
+        };
+
+        // Act
+        service.Save();
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.IsTrue(eventRaised);
+    }
+
+    [TestMethod]
+    public void StateChanged_PassesCorrectArguments()
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        var service = new AppStateService(_mockPersistence.Object, _mockAppInfo.Object);
+        IAppStateService? receivedSender = null;
+        AppStateModel? receivedState = null;
+
+        service.StateChanged += (sender, state) =>
+        {
+            receivedSender = sender;
+            receivedState = state;
+        };
+
+        // Act
+        service.Save();
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.AreSame(service, receivedSender);
+        Assert.AreSame(service.State, receivedState);
+    }
+
+    [TestMethod]
+    public void Save_Always_RaisesStateChangedEvent()
+    {
+        // Arrange - AppStateService.Save() should always raise StateChanged
+        // (unlike SettingsService which has hotReload parameter)
+        var service = new AppStateService(_mockPersistence.Object, _mockAppInfo.Object);
+        var eventCount = 0;
+
+        service.StateChanged += (sender, state) =>
+        {
+            eventCount++;
+        };
+
+        // Act
+        service.Save();
+        service.Save();
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.AreEqual(2, eventCount);
+    }
+}

src/modules/cmdpal/Tests/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.UnitTests/PersistenceServiceTests.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,136 @@
+// Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation
+// The Microsoft Corporation licenses this file to you under the MIT license.
+// See the LICENSE file in the project root for more information.
+
+using System;
+using System.IO;
+using System.Text.Json;
+using System.Text.Json.Serialization;
+using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Services;
+using Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestTools.UnitTesting;
+
+namespace Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.UnitTests;
+
+[TestClass]
+public partial class PersistenceServiceTests
+{
+    private PersistenceService _service = null!;
+    private string _testDirectory = null!;
+    private string _testFilePath = null!;
+
+    // Simple test model for persistence testing
+    private sealed class TestModel
+    {
+        public string Name { get; set; } = string.Empty;
+
+        public int Value { get; set; }
+    }
+
+    [JsonSerializable(typeof(TestModel))]
+    private sealed partial class TestJsonContext : JsonSerializerContext
+    {
+    }
+
+    [TestInitialize]
+    public void Setup()
+    {
+        _service = new PersistenceService();
+        _testDirectory = Path.Combine(Path.GetTempPath(), $"PersistenceServiceTests_{Guid.NewGuid():N}");
+        Directory.CreateDirectory(_testDirectory);
+        _testFilePath = Path.Combine(_testDirectory, "test.json");
+    }
+
+    [TestCleanup]
+    public void Cleanup()
+    {
+        if (Directory.Exists(_testDirectory))
+        {
+            Directory.Delete(_testDirectory, recursive: true);
+        }
+    }
+
+    [TestMethod]
+    public void Load_ReturnsNewInstance_WhenFileDoesNotExist()
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        var nonExistentPath = Path.Combine(_testDirectory, "nonexistent.json");
+
+        // Act
+        var result = _service.Load(nonExistentPath, TestJsonContext.Default.TestModel);
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.IsNotNull(result);
+        Assert.AreEqual(string.Empty, result.Name);
+        Assert.AreEqual(0, result.Value);
+    }
+
+    [TestMethod]
+    public void Load_ReturnsDeserializedModel_WhenFileContainsValidJson()
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        var expectedModel = new TestModel { Name = "Test", Value = 42 };
+        var json = JsonSerializer.Serialize(expectedModel, TestJsonContext.Default.TestModel);
+        File.WriteAllText(_testFilePath, json);
+
+        // Act
+        var result = _service.Load(_testFilePath, TestJsonContext.Default.TestModel);
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.IsNotNull(result);
+        Assert.AreEqual("Test", result.Name);
+        Assert.AreEqual(42, result.Value);
+    }
+
+    [TestMethod]
+    public void Load_ReturnsNewInstance_WhenFileContainsInvalidJson()
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        File.WriteAllText(_testFilePath, "{ invalid json }");
+
+        // Act
+        var result = _service.Load(_testFilePath, TestJsonContext.Default.TestModel);
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.IsNotNull(result);
+        Assert.AreEqual(string.Empty, result.Name);
+        Assert.AreEqual(0, result.Value);
+    }
+
+    [TestMethod]
+    public void Save_CreatesFile_WhenFileDoesNotExist()
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        var model = new TestModel { Name = "NewFile", Value = 123 };
+
+        // Act
+        _service.Save(model, _testFilePath, TestJsonContext.Default.TestModel);
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.IsTrue(File.Exists(_testFilePath));
+        var content = File.ReadAllText(_testFilePath);
+        Assert.IsTrue(content.Contains("NewFile"));
+        Assert.IsTrue(content.Contains("123"));
+    }
+
+    [TestMethod]
+    public void Save_HandlesExistingDirectory()
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        // Note: PersistenceService.Save() does NOT create missing directories
+        // It relies on Directory.CreateDirectory being called by the consumer
+        // (e.g., SettingsService calls Directory.CreateDirectory in SettingsJsonPath())
+        var nestedDir = Path.Combine(_testDirectory, "nested");
+        Directory.CreateDirectory(nestedDir); // Create directory beforehand
+        var nestedFilePath = Path.Combine(nestedDir, "test.json");
+        var model = new TestModel { Name = "NestedTest", Value = 321 };
+
+        // Act
+        _service.Save(model, nestedFilePath, TestJsonContext.Default.TestModel);
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.IsTrue(File.Exists(nestedFilePath));
+        var result = _service.Load(nestedFilePath, TestJsonContext.Default.TestModel);
+        Assert.AreEqual("NestedTest", result.Name);
+        Assert.AreEqual(321, result.Value);
+    }
+}

src/modules/cmdpal/Tests/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.UnitTests/SettingsServiceTests.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,181 @@
+// Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation
+// The Microsoft Corporation licenses this file to you under the MIT license.
+// See the LICENSE file in the project root for more information.
+
+using System;
+using System.IO;
+using Microsoft.CmdPal.Common.Services;
+using Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.Services;
+using Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestTools.UnitTesting;
+using Moq;
+
+namespace Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels.UnitTests;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Tests for <see cref="SettingsService"/>.
+/// NOTE: These tests currently fail in console test runners due to WinUI3 COM dependencies in SettingsModel.
+/// SettingsModel constructor initializes DockSettings which uses Microsoft.UI.Colors.Transparent,
+/// requiring WinUI3 runtime registration. Tests pass when run within VS Test Explorer with WinUI3 host.
+/// </summary>
+[TestClass]
+public class SettingsServiceTests
+{
+    private Mock<IPersistenceService> _mockPersistence = null!;
+    private Mock<IApplicationInfoService> _mockAppInfo = null!;
+    private SettingsModel _testSettings = null!;
+    private string _testDirectory = null!;
+
+    [TestInitialize]
+    public void Setup()
+    {
+        _mockPersistence = new Mock<IPersistenceService>();
+        _mockAppInfo = new Mock<IApplicationInfoService>();
+        _testDirectory = Path.Combine(Path.GetTempPath(), $"CmdPalTest_{Guid.NewGuid():N}");
+        _mockAppInfo.Setup(a => a.ConfigDirectory).Returns(_testDirectory);
+
+        // Create a minimal test settings instance without triggering WinUI3 dependencies
+        // We'll mock the Load to return this, avoiding SettingsModel constructor that uses Colors.Transparent
+        _testSettings = CreateMinimalSettingsModel();
+
+        // Default: Load returns our test settings
+        _mockPersistence
+            .Setup(p => p.Load(
+                It.IsAny<string>(),
+                It.IsAny<System.Text.Json.Serialization.Metadata.JsonTypeInfo<SettingsModel>>()))
+            .Returns(_testSettings);
+    }
+
+    private static SettingsModel CreateMinimalSettingsModel()
+    {
+        // Bypass constructor by using deserialize from minimal JSON
+        // This avoids WinUI3 dependencies (Colors.Transparent)
+        var minimalJson = "{}";
+        var settings = System.Text.Json.JsonSerializer.Deserialize(
+            minimalJson,
+            JsonSerializationContext.Default.SettingsModel) ?? new SettingsModel();
+        return settings;
+    }
+
+    [TestMethod]
+    public void Constructor_LoadsSettings_ViaPersistenceService()
+    {
+        // Act
+        var service = new SettingsService(_mockPersistence.Object, _mockAppInfo.Object);
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.IsNotNull(service.Settings);
+        _mockPersistence.Verify(
+            p => p.Load(
+                It.IsAny<string>(),
+                It.IsAny<System.Text.Json.Serialization.Metadata.JsonTypeInfo<SettingsModel>>()),
+            Times.Once);
+    }
+
+    [TestMethod]
+    public void Settings_ReturnsLoadedModel()
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        _testSettings.ShowAppDetails = true;
+
+        // Act
+        var service = new SettingsService(_mockPersistence.Object, _mockAppInfo.Object);
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.IsTrue(service.Settings.ShowAppDetails);
+    }
+
+    [TestMethod]
+    public void Save_DelegatesToPersistenceService()
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        var service = new SettingsService(_mockPersistence.Object, _mockAppInfo.Object);
+        service.Settings.SingleClickActivates = true;
+
+        // Act
+        service.Save(hotReload: false);
+
+        // Assert
+        _mockPersistence.Verify(
+            p => p.Save(
+                service.Settings,
+                It.IsAny<string>(),
+                It.IsAny<System.Text.Json.Serialization.Metadata.JsonTypeInfo<SettingsModel>>()),
+            Times.Once);
+    }
+
+    [TestMethod]
+    public void Save_WithHotReloadTrue_RaisesSettingsChangedEvent()
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        var service = new SettingsService(_mockPersistence.Object, _mockAppInfo.Object);
+        var eventRaised = false;
+        service.SettingsChanged += (sender, settings) =>
+        {
+            eventRaised = true;
+        };
+
+        // Act
+        service.Save(hotReload: true);
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.IsTrue(eventRaised);
+    }
+
+    [TestMethod]
+    public void Save_WithHotReloadFalse_DoesNotRaiseSettingsChangedEvent()
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        var service = new SettingsService(_mockPersistence.Object, _mockAppInfo.Object);
+        var eventRaised = false;
+        service.SettingsChanged += (sender, settings) =>
+        {
+            eventRaised = true;
+        };
+
+        // Act
+        service.Save(hotReload: false);
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.IsFalse(eventRaised);
+    }
+
+    [TestMethod]
+    public void Save_WithDefaultHotReload_RaisesSettingsChangedEvent()
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        var service = new SettingsService(_mockPersistence.Object, _mockAppInfo.Object);
+        var eventRaised = false;
+        service.SettingsChanged += (sender, settings) =>
+        {
+            eventRaised = true;
+        };
+
+        // Act
+        service.Save(); // Default is hotReload: true
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.IsTrue(eventRaised);
+    }
+
+    [TestMethod]
+    public void SettingsChanged_PassesCorrectArguments()
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        var service = new SettingsService(_mockPersistence.Object, _mockAppInfo.Object);
+        ISettingsService? receivedSender = null;
+        SettingsModel? receivedSettings = null;
+
+        service.SettingsChanged += (sender, settings) =>
+        {
+            receivedSender = sender;
+            receivedSettings = settings;
+        };
+
+        // Act
+        service.Save(hotReload: true);
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.AreSame(service, receivedSender);
+        Assert.AreSame(service.Settings, receivedSettings);
+    }
+}