v3.2.0: redesigned TUI, password strength, non-blocking processing, bug fixes

Complete TUI overhaul with modern RGB color scheme, step progress indicators,
password strength meter (Weak/Fair/Good/Strong), animated spinner with elapsed
time, disk operation confirmation dialog, scrollable info screen with vertical
scrollbar, vim-style j/k navigation, quick-select number keys, and context-
sensitive help bar.

Critical bug fix: TUI no longer freezes during encryption/decryption. The
previous implementation blocked the UI thread in a busy-wait loop, preventing
progress bar rendering. Now uses non-blocking result polling at 30fps with
proper Esc cancellation support.

CLI: added password strength indicator after password entry during encryption.
Code audit: removed dead status_lines field, trimmed input paths, verified
all unwrap() calls are safe (Mutex locks, test code, infallible operations).

Made-with: Cursor

Author: Bae Jiho

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -2,6 +2,36 @@
 
 All notable changes to QShield are documented here. Format follows [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/).
 
+## [3.2.0] — 2026-04-14
+
+### Added
+- **Redesigned TUI** with modern visual theme: RGB color scheme, step progress indicators showing workflow position, animated spinner during processing, elapsed time display
+- **Password strength meter** in TUI (real-time visual bar with Weak/Fair/Good/Strong rating) and CLI (text-based strength indicator after password entry)
+- **Disk operation confirmation dialog** in TUI: dedicated Yes/No dialog before any disk encryption/decryption with block device warnings
+- **Scrollable info screen** in TUI with vertical scrollbar for long metadata displays
+- **Vim-style navigation** (`j`/`k` keys) throughout all TUI menus and scrollable views
+- **Quick-select menu**: pressing number keys (1-7) directly selects and launches the corresponding operation
+- **Context-sensitive help bar**: bottom bar dynamically changes based on current screen (different shortcuts for menu, input, processing, results)
+- **Operation cancellation**: Esc during processing sets a cancel flag and returns to results screen
+- **Menu item descriptions**: each operation now shows a brief description in the menu
+
+### Changed
+- TUI processing is now **non-blocking** — the UI thread polls for background thread results at 30fps instead of busy-waiting in a blocking loop
+- Removed unused `status_lines` field from TUI state (dead code cleanup)
+- Input paths are now trimmed of whitespace before validation
+- Progress bar shows elapsed time alongside percentage during encryption/decryption
+- Result screen displays total elapsed time on success
+- TUI color palette upgraded from basic terminal colors to RGB values for consistent appearance across terminal emulators
+
+### Fixed
+- **TUI would freeze during encryption/decryption** — `start_crypto_operation` previously blocked the UI thread in a busy-wait loop, preventing the progress bar from rendering. Now uses non-blocking result polling.
+- Processing screen Esc key now properly responds (was unreachable in the old blocking loop)
+- Password confirmation screen now correctly routes to disk confirmation dialog for disk operations
+
+### Security
+- Password strength evaluation considers length, character variety (uppercase, lowercase, digits, special characters)
+- CLI warns on weak passwords with visual strength indicator before proceeding
+
 ## [3.0.0] — 2026-04-13
 
 ### Added
@@ -100,6 +130,7 @@ All notable changes to QShield are documented here. Format follows [Keep a Chang
 - `.qsv` versioned file format with crypto-agility support
 - Cross-platform release builds (macOS x86_64/aarch64, Windows x86_64)
 
+[3.2.0]: https://github.com/jbaelaw/qshield/releases/tag/v3.2.0
 [3.0.0]: https://github.com/jbaelaw/qshield/releases/tag/v3.0.0
 [2.0.0]: https://github.com/jbaelaw/qshield/releases/tag/v2.0.0
 [1.1.1]: https://github.com/jbaelaw/qshield/releases/tag/v1.1.1

Cargo.lock

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "qshield"
-version = "3.0.0"
+version = "3.2.0"
 edition = "2021"
 authors = ["Jiho Bae <jbaelaw>"]
 description = "Post-quantum hybrid encryption for files, directories, and whole disks"

Cargo.toml

@@ -266,6 +266,20 @@ For each chunk i:
 
 The counter component prevents nonce reuse across chunks; the random component provides additional uniqueness across encryptions with the same key.
 
+## Interactive TUI Screenshots
+
+The TUI features:
+
+| Feature | Description |
+|---|---|
+| **Step indicators** | Visual breadcrumb showing current position in the workflow |
+| **Password strength meter** | Real-time strength evaluation (Weak/Fair/Good/Strong) with visual bar |
+| **Disk confirmation dialog** | Explicit Yes/No prompt before any block device operation |
+| **Animated progress** | Spinning indicator with elapsed time during encryption/decryption |
+| **Scrollable info** | Scroll through cryptographic metadata with ↑↓ keys |
+| **Context-sensitive help** | Bottom bar changes based on current screen |
+| **Vim-style navigation** | `j`/`k` keys work alongside ↑↓ throughout the interface |
+
 ## `.qsv` File Format Specification
 
 ```

README.md

@@ -4,7 +4,8 @@
 
 | Version | Supported | Notes |
 |---------|-----------|-------|
-| 3.0.x   | **Yes**   | Current release — whole-disk encryption, extended QSV format |
+| 3.2.x   | **Yes**   | Current release — redesigned TUI, password strength, bug fixes |
+| 3.0.x   | Yes       | Whole-disk encryption, extended QSV format |
 | 2.0.x   | Yes       | TUI mode, universal format support |
 | 1.1.x   | Yes       | Security hardening, verify command |
 | < 1.1.0 | No        | Superseded — missing key zeroization and path traversal protection |

SECURITY.md

@@ -921,6 +921,7 @@ fn prompt_password_confirm() -> Result<String, QShieldError> {
     if password.is_empty() {
         return Err(QShieldError::Other("password cannot be empty".into()));
     }
+    ui::print_password_strength(&password);
     if password.len() < 8 {
         ui::print_warning("Short password — consider using 12+ characters for strong protection.");
     }