diff --git a/frontend/packages/dashboard/src/common.js b/frontend/packages/dashboard/src/common.js
index 4f9ef2e5..ba351a83 100644
--- a/frontend/packages/dashboard/src/common.js
+++ b/frontend/packages/dashboard/src/common.js
@@ -46,72 +46,6 @@ export const form = (action, btnClass, btnLabel, confirmMsg, extra = {}, opts =
   return f;
 };
 
-// ─── themed confirm modal ───────────────────────────────────────────────
-// In-theme replacement for the browser's native `confirm()` so destructive
-// actions match the dashboard chrome instead of a jarring OS dialog. Returns
-// a Promise resolving to `null` when cancelled, or an object of the checkbox
-// states (keyed by each checkbox's `name`) when confirmed — `{}` when there
-// are no checkboxes. Escape, a backdrop click, or Cancel all reject; for a
-// `danger` action the Cancel button takes initial focus (so a stray Enter
-// doesn't fire the destructive path). Example:
-//   const r = await themedConfirm({ message: `stop ${n}?`, danger: true,
-//     confirmLabel: '■ stop', checkboxes: [{ name: 'graceful', label: '…' }] });
-//   if (!r) return;            // cancelled
-//   doStop(r.graceful);
-export function themedConfirm(opts = {}) {
-  return new Promise((resolve) => {
-    const {
-      title = '', message = '', danger = false,
-      confirmLabel = 'confirm', cancelLabel = 'cancel', checkboxes = [],
-    } = opts;
-
-    const boxes = checkboxes.map((cb) => {
-      const input = el('input', { type: 'checkbox', class: 'tc-check', name: cb.name });
-      if (cb.checked) input.checked = true;
-      const row = el('label', { class: 'tc-checkrow' },
-        input, el('span', { class: 'tc-check-label' }, cb.label || cb.name));
-      return { name: cb.name, input, row };
-    });
-
-    let settled = false;
-    function done(result) {
-      if (settled) return;
-      settled = true;
-      document.removeEventListener('keydown', onKey, true);
-      backdrop.remove();
-      resolve(result);
-    }
-    const cancel = () => done(null);
-    const confirmAction = () => {
-      const out = {};
-      for (const b of boxes) out[b.name] = b.input.checked;
-      done(out);
-    };
-    function onKey(e) {
-      if (e.key === 'Escape') { e.preventDefault(); e.stopPropagation(); cancel(); }
-    }
-
-    const cancelBtn = el('button', { type: 'button', class: 'btn tc-btn tc-cancel' }, cancelLabel);
-    const okBtn = el('button', {
-      type: 'button', class: 'btn tc-btn tc-confirm' + (danger ? ' tc-danger' : ''),
-    }, confirmLabel);
-    cancelBtn.addEventListener('click', cancel);
-    okBtn.addEventListener('click', confirmAction);
-
-    const box = el('div', { class: 'tc-box', role: 'dialog', 'aria-modal': 'true' },
-      title ? el('div', { class: 'tc-title' }, title) : null,
-      el('div', { class: 'tc-message' }, message),
-      boxes.length ? el('div', { class: 'tc-checks' }, ...boxes.map((b) => b.row)) : null,
-      el('div', { class: 'tc-actions' }, cancelBtn, okBtn));
-
-    const backdrop = el('div', { class: 'tc-backdrop' }, box);
-    backdrop.addEventListener('click', (e) => { if (e.target === backdrop) cancel(); });
-    document.addEventListener('keydown', onKey, true);
-    document.body.append(backdrop);
-    (danger ? cancelBtn : okBtn).focus();
-  });
-}
-
 // Page-level submit interceptor for `data-async` forms — the pattern every
 // dashboard action button uses (meta-update, spawn, cancel, purge, …).
 // Without this a `data-async` form POSTs natively and the browser navigates
diff --git a/frontend/packages/dashboard/src/modal.js b/frontend/packages/dashboard/src/modal.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5e6fd406
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/packages/dashboard/src/modal.js
@@ -0,0 +1,115 @@
+// modal.js — reusable themed modal/dialog component for the operator
+// dashboard. An in-theme replacement for the browser's native
+// `confirm()` / `alert()` overlays so destructive actions and prompts match
+// the dashboard chrome instead of a jarring OS dialog.
+//
+// `openDialog` is the general primitive (any title/message/content + a row of
+// buttons); `themedConfirm` is a thin cancel/confirm wrapper with optional
+// checkboxes built on top of it. Styling lives in `dashboard.css` under the
+// `.tc-*` classes.
+
+import { el } from './common.js';
+
+// openDialog({ title, message, content, buttons, danger, dismissable })
+//   → Promise resolving to the clicked button's `value`, or `null` when the
+//     dialog is dismissed (Escape, backdrop click, or a button whose value is
+//     null). `content` is an optional DOM node rendered between the message
+//     and the buttons (checkboxes, custom fields, …). `buttons` is
+//     `[{ label, value, danger?, class?, autofocus? }]`, rendered
+//     right-aligned. Initial focus: the `autofocus` button if any, else — for
+//     a `danger` dialog — the first non-destructive button (so a stray Enter
+//     can't fire the destructive path), else the last button.
+export function openDialog(opts = {}) {
+  const {
+    title = '', message = '', content = null,
+    buttons = [{ label: 'ok', value: true }],
+    danger = false, dismissable = true,
+  } = opts;
+
+  return new Promise((resolve) => {
+    let settled = false;
+    function done(value) {
+      if (settled) return;
+      settled = true;
+      document.removeEventListener('keydown', onKey, true);
+      backdrop.remove();
+      resolve(value);
+    }
+    function onKey(e) {
+      if (dismissable && e.key === 'Escape') {
+        e.preventDefault();
+        e.stopPropagation();
+        done(null);
+      }
+    }
+
+    const btnEls = buttons.map((b) => {
+      const btn = el('button', {
+        type: 'button',
+        class: 'btn tc-btn' + (b.class ? ' ' + b.class : '') + (b.danger ? ' tc-danger' : ''),
+      }, b.label);
+      btn.addEventListener('click', () => done(b.value));
+      return { spec: b, btn };
+    });
+
+    const box = el('div', { class: 'tc-box', role: 'dialog', 'aria-modal': 'true' },
+      title ? el('div', { class: 'tc-title' }, title) : null,
+      message ? el('div', { class: 'tc-message' }, message) : null,
+      content || null,
+      el('div', { class: 'tc-actions' }, ...btnEls.map((b) => b.btn)));
+
+    const backdrop = el('div', { class: 'tc-backdrop' }, box);
+    backdrop.addEventListener('click', (e) => {
+      if (dismissable && e.target === backdrop) done(null);
+    });
+    document.addEventListener('keydown', onKey, true);
+    document.body.append(backdrop);
+
+    const focusTarget = btnEls.find((b) => b.spec.autofocus)
+      || (danger ? btnEls.find((b) => !b.spec.danger) : null)
+      || btnEls[btnEls.length - 1];
+    if (focusTarget) focusTarget.btn.focus();
+  });
+}
+
+// themedConfirm({ title, message, danger, confirmLabel, cancelLabel, checkboxes })
+//   → Promise<null | { [name]: bool }>. `null` = cancelled; otherwise an
+//   object of the checkbox states keyed by `name` (`{}` when there are none).
+//   Example:
+//     const r = await themedConfirm({ message: `stop ${n}?`, danger: true,
+//       confirmLabel: '■ stop', checkboxes: [{ name: 'graceful', label: '…' }] });
+//     if (!r) return;            // cancelled
+//     doStop(r.graceful);
+export function themedConfirm(opts = {}) {
+  const {
+    title = '', message = '', danger = false,
+    confirmLabel = 'confirm', cancelLabel = 'cancel', checkboxes = [],
+  } = opts;
+
+  const boxes = checkboxes.map((cb) => {
+    const input = el('input', { type: 'checkbox', class: 'tc-check', name: cb.name });
+    if (cb.checked) input.checked = true;
+    const row = el('label', { class: 'tc-checkrow' },
+      input, el('span', { class: 'tc-check-label' }, cb.label || cb.name));
+    return { input, row };
+  });
+  const content = boxes.length
+    ? el('div', { class: 'tc-checks' }, ...boxes.map((b) => b.row))
+    : null;
+
+  return openDialog({
+    title,
+    message,
+    content,
+    danger,
+    buttons: [
+      { label: cancelLabel, value: null, class: 'tc-cancel', autofocus: danger },
+      { label: confirmLabel, value: 'confirm', danger, class: 'tc-confirm', autofocus: !danger },
+    ],
+  }).then((v) => {
+    if (v !== 'confirm') return null;
+    const out = {};
+    for (let i = 0; i < boxes.length; i++) out[checkboxes[i].name] = boxes[i].input.checked;
+    return out;
+  });
+}
diff --git a/frontend/packages/dashboard/src/tabs.js b/frontend/packages/dashboard/src/tabs.js
index 5831a0e8..4765815e 100644
--- a/frontend/packages/dashboard/src/tabs.js
+++ b/frontend/packages/dashboard/src/tabs.js
@@ -14,10 +14,11 @@ import { marked } from 'marked';
 import {
   $, el, esc, form,
   fmtAgeSecs,
-  Panel, NOTIF, themedConfirm,
+  Panel, NOTIF,
   makePathLink, appendText, appendLinkified,
   openStream, renderServerWarnings, bindAsyncForms,
 } from './common.js';
+import { themedConfirm } from './modal.js';
 import { createTabStrip } from '@hive/shared/tabs.js';
 import {
   containersState, syncContainersFromSnapshot,