Release v4.3: speak status line (Tolk) + Logging tab with housekeeping

- New screen-reader hotkey "Speak the RemSound status information" (issue #13):
  reads the status line aloud through the active screen reader via Tolk, fires from
  anywhere (system-wide), unset by default. Built behind an IScreenReaderOutput seam
  so a future build can swap Tolk for Prism on Windows 10+ without touching callers.
  Tolk DLLs vendored under tolk/ and shipped next to the exe.
- New Logging tab in Preferences: Enable logs + Write logs now moved there, plus
  opt-in startup "warn if logs folder exceeds N MB" and "delete logs older than N days",
  and a "Delete all logs" button (Yes/No confirm). New LogMaintenance helper + AppConfig
  settings drive it.
- Manual (readme.html + regenerated MANUAL.md), About changelog and RELEASE_NOTES
  updated in plain English; csproj <Version> bumped to 4.3.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>

src/RemSound.App/AboutDialog.cs

@@ -20,6 +20,31 @@ internal sealed class AboutDialog : Form
     /// updates" path.</summary>
     private const string ReleaseNotes =
         """
+        RemSound v4.3
+
+        Two additions for screen-reader users, and a
+        tidier home for logging.
+
+        You can now hear the RemSound status line on
+        demand. In the Keyboard shortcuts dialog set a
+        key for "Speak the RemSound status information",
+        and pressing it reads the whole status line aloud
+        through your screen reader — how long you've been
+        connected, your peers, whether sound is flowing,
+        and how healthy the link is — from anywhere, even
+        with RemSound in the tray. It's there for the
+        times your screen reader can't read the status
+        line itself. Unset to begin with, so you pick the
+        key.
+
+        Logging now has its own tab in Preferences, and it
+        can keep its own folder tidy: warn you at startup
+        if the logs folder grows past a size you choose,
+        automatically delete logs older than a number of
+        days you set, and a "Delete all logs" button to
+        clear them out at once. All three are off unless
+        you turn them on.
+
         RemSound v4.2
 
         Three fixes, one of them a real annoyance gone.

src/RemSound.App/IScreenReaderOutput.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+namespace RemSound.App;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Abstraction over a screen-reader speech backend, so RemSound can speak text straight to whatever
+/// screen reader is running (NVDA, JAWS, SAPI, ...). Needed for feedback the screen reader can't
+/// otherwise observe — most importantly a GLOBAL hotkey firing while RemSound isn't focused, where
+/// NVDA reads nothing on its own.
+///
+/// Kept as an interface purely so the concrete backend can be swapped later without touching callers.
+/// Today the only implementation is <see cref="TolkScreenReaderOutput"/>, which works on every
+/// Windows version RemSound supports (including Windows 7). Prism (evaluated 2026-06-19) is the more
+/// modern option but hard-requires Windows 10+, so it can't replace Tolk while Win7 is supported — if
+/// that changes, add a PrismScreenReaderOutput and pick it per-OS in <see cref="ScreenReader"/>.
+/// </summary>
+internal interface IScreenReaderOutput
+{
+    /// <summary>Speak <paramref name="text"/> through the active screen reader. <paramref name="interrupt"/>
+    /// true cuts off whatever it's currently saying. Returns true if the text was handed to a screen
+    /// reader, false if none is available. Best-effort — never throws.</summary>
+    bool Speak(string text, bool interrupt = true);
+
+    /// <summary>Release the backend. Safe to call more than once.</summary>
+    void Shutdown();
+}

src/RemSound.App/LogMaintenance.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+using RemSound.Core;
+
+namespace RemSound.App;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Housekeeping for the <c>logs\</c> folder, driven by the Logging-tab preferences: report the
+/// folder's total size (for the startup over-size warning), prune log files older than N days, and
+/// delete every log on demand. All operations are best-effort — a locked or vanished file is
+/// skipped, never thrown, because log housekeeping must never stop the app from running.
+/// </summary>
+internal static class LogMaintenance
+{
+    /// <summary>Total size in bytes of every <c>*.log</c> file in the logs folder. 0 if the folder
+    /// doesn't exist yet or can't be read.</summary>
+    public static long LogsFolderSizeBytes()
+    {
+        try
+        {
+            var dir = AppConfig.LogsDirectory;
+            if (!Directory.Exists(dir)) return 0;
+            long total = 0;
+            foreach (var file in Directory.EnumerateFiles(dir, "*.log"))
+            {
+                try { total += new FileInfo(file).Length; } catch { /* vanished mid-scan — skip */ }
+            }
+            return total;
+        }
+        catch { return 0; }
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>Delete <c>*.log</c> files last written more than <paramref name="days"/> days ago.
+    /// The currently-open log (<paramref name="activeLogPath"/>) is always spared even if the clock
+    /// makes it look old. Returns how many files were deleted.</summary>
+    public static int PruneLogsOlderThan(int days, string? activeLogPath)
+    {
+        if (days < 1) return 0;
+        var deleted = 0;
+        try
+        {
+            var dir = AppConfig.LogsDirectory;
+            if (!Directory.Exists(dir)) return 0;
+            var cutoff = DateTime.Now.AddDays(-days);
+            foreach (var file in Directory.EnumerateFiles(dir, "*.log"))
+            {
+                if (IsSamePath(file, activeLogPath)) continue;
+                try
+                {
+                    if (File.GetLastWriteTime(file) < cutoff)
+                    {
+                        File.Delete(file);
+                        deleted++;
+                    }
+                }
+                catch { /* locked / in use — leave it */ }
+            }
+        }
+        catch { /* folder enumeration failed — give up quietly */ }
+        return deleted;
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>Delete every <c>*.log</c> file except the one currently being written
+    /// (<paramref name="activeLogPath"/>, which is held open and can't be removed anyway). Returns
+    /// how many files were deleted.</summary>
+    public static int DeleteAllLogs(string? activeLogPath)
+    {
+        var deleted = 0;
+        try
+        {
+            var dir = AppConfig.LogsDirectory;
+            if (!Directory.Exists(dir)) return 0;
+            foreach (var file in Directory.EnumerateFiles(dir, "*.log"))
+            {
+                if (IsSamePath(file, activeLogPath)) continue;
+                try { File.Delete(file); deleted++; }
+                catch { /* locked / in use — leave it */ }
+            }
+        }
+        catch { /* give up quietly */ }
+        return deleted;
+    }
+
+    private static bool IsSamePath(string a, string? b) =>
+        !string.IsNullOrEmpty(b)
+        && string.Equals(Path.GetFullPath(a), Path.GetFullPath(b), StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase);
+}

src/RemSound.App/MainForm.cs

@@ -716,7 +716,10 @@ public sealed class MainForm : Form
             () => SendRemoteControl(RemoteControlKind.SystemVolumeUp, 0),
             () => SendRemoteControl(RemoteControlKind.SystemVolumeDown, 0),
             () => SendRemoteControl(RemoteControlKind.SystemMuteToggle, 0),
-            ShowQuickProfileSwitch);
+            ShowQuickProfileSwitch,
+            // Speak the status line aloud through the active screen reader (issue #13). Screen-reader
+            // specific; the global hotkey is unset by default (the user binds it in Keyboard shortcuts).
+            SpeakStatusLine);
         // Pipe hotkey controller diagnostics into the main log so we can see, e.g.,
         // "capture send-system-volume-down: OK = Ctrl+Shift+Alt+J" and
         // "register send-system-volume-down: FAILED = Ctrl+Shift+Alt+J (Win32 error 1409:
@@ -1235,6 +1238,7 @@ public sealed class MainForm : Form
             }
 
             hotkeyController.Dispose();
+            ScreenReader.Shutdown();
             trayController.Dispose();
             logFile.Dispose();
         };
@@ -1379,11 +1383,54 @@ public sealed class MainForm : Form
         if (IsDisposed) return;
         MaybeShowWhatsNewAfterUpdate();
         if (IsDisposed) return;
+        MaybeRunLogHousekeeping();
+        if (IsDisposed) return;
         MaybeWarnAboutRealtekAsio();
         if (IsDisposed) return;
         MaybeWarnMicBlockedOnStartup();
     }
 
+    /// <summary>Startup log-folder housekeeping driven by the Logging-tab preferences. Both steps are
+    /// opt-in (off by default): first prune logs older than the configured age, then warn if the
+    /// folder still exceeds the configured size. Best-effort — failures never block launch.</summary>
+    private void MaybeRunLogHousekeeping()
+    {
+        if (IsDisposed) return;
+        AppConfig cfg;
+        try { cfg = AppConfig.Load(); }
+        catch { return; }
+
+        if (cfg.PruneOldLogs)
+        {
+            var removed = LogMaintenance.PruneLogsOlderThan(cfg.PruneOldLogsDays, logFile.Path);
+            if (removed > 0)
+                logFile.Event($"log housekeeping: pruned {removed} log(s) older than {cfg.PruneOldLogsDays} day(s)");
+        }
+
+        if (cfg.WarnIfLogsFolderExceeds)
+        {
+            var bytes = LogMaintenance.LogsFolderSizeBytes();
+            var limitBytes = (long)cfg.LogsFolderWarnThresholdMb * 1024 * 1024;
+            if (bytes > limitBytes)
+            {
+                var mb = bytes / (1024.0 * 1024.0);
+                logFile.Event($"log housekeeping: logs folder {mb:0.#} MB exceeds {cfg.LogsFolderWarnThresholdMb} MB threshold — warning user");
+                var page = new TaskDialogPage
+                {
+                    Caption = "RemSound",
+                    Heading = "Logs folder is getting large",
+                    Text = $"The RemSound logs folder is using about {mb:0} MB, which is over your {cfg.LogsFolderWarnThresholdMb} MB warning size.\n\n"
+                         + "You can clear old logs from Preferences, on the Logging tab.",
+                    Icon = TaskDialogIcon.Warning,
+                    Buttons = { TaskDialogButton.OK },
+                    AllowCancel = true,
+                };
+                try { ForegroundDialog.Show(owner => TaskDialog.ShowDialog(owner, page)); }
+                catch (Exception ex) { logFile.Event($"log housekeeping: warn dialog failed: {ex.GetType().Name}: {ex.Message}"); }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
     /// <summary>If the user opted in (<see cref="AppConfig.ShowWhatsNewAfterUpdate"/>) and the
     /// running version changed since the last launch we recorded, open the About box once so
     /// they see what changed in the update just installed. Always records the current version
@@ -2242,6 +2289,13 @@ public sealed class MainForm : Form
                 UpdateDiagnosticsGate();
             },
             writeLogsNow: () => logFile.Event("user requested write logs now"),
+            deleteAllLogs: () =>
+            {
+                // Spare the log we're currently writing (it's held open and can't be removed anyway).
+                var removed = LogMaintenance.DeleteAllLogs(logFile.Path);
+                logFile.Event($"user deleted all logs from Preferences ({removed} file(s) removed)");
+                return removed;
+            },
             checkForUpdatesNow: () => CheckForUpdatesManually(),
             onUpdateFrequencyChanged: ApplyUpdateCheckTimer,
             applyUpnpEnabled: enabled =>
@@ -3130,6 +3184,21 @@ public sealed class MainForm : Form
         statusReadout.Text = text;
     }
 
+    /// <summary>Speak the current connection status line aloud through the active screen reader, via
+    /// Tolk (<see cref="ScreenReader"/>). Answers issue #13: NVDA sometimes can't see the status
+    /// readout ("no status line found"), so this reads it on demand. Triggered only by a user-set
+    /// global hotkey (screen-reader only, unset by default) — being a system-wide hotkey it works from
+    /// anywhere, whether or not RemSound is focused. Newlines become ". " so the multi-line readout
+    /// speaks as a sentence rather than running together.</summary>
+    private void SpeakStatusLine()
+    {
+        var text = statusReadout.Text;
+        text = string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(text)
+            ? "No status information available."
+            : text.Replace("\r\n", ". ").Replace("\n", ". ");
+        ScreenReader.Speak(text);
+    }
+
     private string ComputeStatusText()
     {
         // Compute byte-rates from delta since last sample. First call has no baseline so

src/RemSound.App/MainFormHotkeyController.cs

@@ -31,6 +31,10 @@ internal sealed class MainFormHotkeyController : IDisposable
     private readonly Action sendSystemVolumeDown;
     private readonly Action sendSystemMuteToggle;
     private readonly Action quickProfileSwitch;
+    // Speak the connection status line aloud through the active screen reader (Tolk). Screen-reader
+    // specific (issue #13); unset by default. Global so it reads the status even when RemSound isn't
+    // focused — the case NVDA can't otherwise cover.
+    private readonly Action speakStatusLine;
     private Form? owner;
     private HotkeyInfo sendMuteHotkey;
     private HotkeyInfo receiveMuteHotkey;
@@ -45,6 +49,7 @@ internal sealed class MainFormHotkeyController : IDisposable
     private HotkeyInfo systemVolumeDownHotkey;
     private HotkeyInfo systemMuteToggleHotkey;
     private HotkeyInfo quickProfileSwitchHotkey;
+    private HotkeyInfo speakStatusLineHotkey;
     private GlobalHotkey? sendMuteGlobalHotkey;
     private GlobalHotkey? receiveMuteGlobalHotkey;
     private GlobalHotkey? trayGlobalHotkey;
@@ -58,6 +63,7 @@ internal sealed class MainFormHotkeyController : IDisposable
     private GlobalHotkey? systemVolumeDownGlobalHotkey;
     private GlobalHotkey? systemMuteToggleGlobalHotkey;
     private GlobalHotkey? quickProfileSwitchGlobalHotkey;
+    private GlobalHotkey? speakStatusLineGlobalHotkey;
 
     /// <summary>Optional log sink. MainForm wires this to <c>logFile.Event(...)</c> so each
     /// hotkey change writes a clear trail of "user opened capture", "captured X", "registered X
@@ -87,7 +93,8 @@ internal sealed class MainFormHotkeyController : IDisposable
         Action sendSystemVolumeUp,
         Action sendSystemVolumeDown,
         Action sendSystemMuteToggle,
-        Action quickProfileSwitch)
+        Action quickProfileSwitch,
+        Action speakStatusLine)
     {
         this.settingsStore = settingsStore;
         this.toggleSend = toggleSend;
@@ -103,6 +110,7 @@ internal sealed class MainFormHotkeyController : IDisposable
         this.sendSystemVolumeDown = sendSystemVolumeDown;
         this.sendSystemMuteToggle = sendSystemMuteToggle;
         this.quickProfileSwitch = quickProfileSwitch;
+        this.speakStatusLine = speakStatusLine;
         sendMuteHotkey = settingsStore.LoadSendMuteHotkey();
         receiveMuteHotkey = settingsStore.LoadReceiveMuteHotkey();
         trayHotkey = settingsStore.LoadTrayHotkey();
@@ -116,6 +124,7 @@ internal sealed class MainFormHotkeyController : IDisposable
         systemVolumeDownHotkey = settingsStore.LoadSystemVolumeDownHotkey();
         systemMuteToggleHotkey = settingsStore.LoadSystemMuteToggleHotkey();
         quickProfileSwitchHotkey = settingsStore.LoadQuickProfileSwitchHotkey();
+        speakStatusLineHotkey = settingsStore.LoadSpeakStatusLineHotkey();
     }
 
     public void Initialize(Form ownerForm)
@@ -134,6 +143,7 @@ internal sealed class MainFormHotkeyController : IDisposable
         systemVolumeDownGlobalHotkey = new GlobalHotkey(ownerForm);
         systemMuteToggleGlobalHotkey = new GlobalHotkey(ownerForm);
         quickProfileSwitchGlobalHotkey = new GlobalHotkey(ownerForm);
+        speakStatusLineGlobalHotkey = new GlobalHotkey(ownerForm);
         sendMuteGlobalHotkey.Pressed += () => InvokeOnOwner(toggleSend);
         receiveMuteGlobalHotkey.Pressed += () => InvokeOnOwner(toggleReceive);
         trayGlobalHotkey.Pressed += () => InvokeOnOwner(toggleTray);
@@ -147,6 +157,7 @@ internal sealed class MainFormHotkeyController : IDisposable
         systemVolumeDownGlobalHotkey.Pressed += () => InvokeOnOwner(sendSystemVolumeDown);
         systemMuteToggleGlobalHotkey.Pressed += () => InvokeOnOwner(sendSystemMuteToggle);
         quickProfileSwitchGlobalHotkey.Pressed += () => InvokeOnOwner(quickProfileSwitch);
+        speakStatusLineGlobalHotkey.Pressed += () => InvokeOnOwner(speakStatusLine);
         RegisterSendMuteHotkey();
         RegisterReceiveMuteHotkey();
         RegisterTrayHotkey();
@@ -160,6 +171,7 @@ internal sealed class MainFormHotkeyController : IDisposable
         RegisterSystemVolumeDownHotkey();
         RegisterSystemMuteToggleHotkey();
         RegisterQuickProfileSwitchHotkey();
+        RegisterSpeakStatusLineHotkey();
     }
 
     public void ShowKeyboardShortcutsDialog(IWin32Window dialogOwner)
@@ -269,6 +281,7 @@ internal sealed class MainFormHotkeyController : IDisposable
             list.Items.Add($"Send Windows global volume down to peers: {systemVolumeDownHotkey}");
             list.Items.Add($"Send Windows global mute toggle to peers: {systemMuteToggleHotkey}");
             list.Items.Add($"Quick profile switch (open a list of all profiles): {quickProfileSwitchHotkey}");
+            list.Items.Add($"Speak the RemSound status information from anywhere (screen reader only): {speakStatusLineHotkey}");
             if (prev >= 0 && prev < list.Items.Count)
             {
                 list.SelectedIndex = prev;
@@ -306,6 +319,7 @@ internal sealed class MainFormHotkeyController : IDisposable
                 case 10: ChangeSystemVolumeDownHotkey(dialog); break;
                 case 11: ChangeSystemMuteToggleHotkey(dialog); break;
                 case 12: ChangeQuickProfileSwitchHotkey(dialog); break;
+                case 13: ChangeSpeakStatusLineHotkey(dialog); break;
                 default: return;
             }
             RefreshList();
@@ -338,6 +352,7 @@ internal sealed class MainFormHotkeyController : IDisposable
                 case 10: ApplyUnset("send-system-volume-down", h => systemVolumeDownHotkey = h, RegisterSystemVolumeDownHotkey, settingsStore.SaveSystemVolumeDownHotkey); break;
                 case 11: ApplyUnset("send-system-mute-toggle", h => systemMuteToggleHotkey = h, RegisterSystemMuteToggleHotkey, settingsStore.SaveSystemMuteToggleHotkey); break;
                 case 12: ApplyUnset("quick-profile-switch", h => quickProfileSwitchHotkey = h, RegisterQuickProfileSwitchHotkey, settingsStore.SaveQuickProfileSwitchHotkey); break;
+                case 13: ApplyUnset("speak-status-line", h => speakStatusLineHotkey = h, RegisterSpeakStatusLineHotkey, settingsStore.SaveSpeakStatusLineHotkey); break;
                 default: return;
             }
             RefreshList();
@@ -418,6 +433,7 @@ internal sealed class MainFormHotkeyController : IDisposable
         systemVolumeDownGlobalHotkey?.Dispose();
         systemMuteToggleGlobalHotkey?.Dispose();
         quickProfileSwitchGlobalHotkey?.Dispose();
+        speakStatusLineGlobalHotkey?.Dispose();
     }
 
     public HotkeyInfo SendMuteHotkey => sendMuteHotkey;
@@ -433,6 +449,7 @@ internal sealed class MainFormHotkeyController : IDisposable
     public HotkeyInfo SystemVolumeDownHotkey => systemVolumeDownHotkey;
     public HotkeyInfo SystemMuteToggleHotkey => systemMuteToggleHotkey;
     public HotkeyInfo QuickProfileSwitchHotkey => quickProfileSwitchHotkey;
+    public HotkeyInfo SpeakStatusLineHotkey => speakStatusLineHotkey;
 
     /// <summary>Open the capture dialog, log what came back, and (on a successful capture)
     /// run <paramref name="apply"/> with the captured hotkey. Centralises the boilerplate
@@ -571,6 +588,13 @@ internal sealed class MainFormHotkeyController : IDisposable
         settingsStore.SaveQuickProfileSwitchHotkey(h);
     });
 
+    private void ChangeSpeakStatusLineHotkey(IWin32Window dialogOwner) => ChangeHotkey(dialogOwner, "speak-status-line", h =>
+    {
+        speakStatusLineHotkey = h;
+        RegisterSpeakStatusLineHotkey();
+        settingsStore.SaveSpeakStatusLineHotkey(h);
+    });
+
     // Hotkeys come in two flavours and need different Windows-side registration:
     //   * Toggle hotkeys (mute, tray show/hide) — re-firing on hold would flip state back
     //     and forth. Registered with MOD_NOREPEAT (allowRepeat=false). One press, one fire.
@@ -599,6 +623,9 @@ internal sealed class MainFormHotkeyController : IDisposable
     // Quick profile switch is a one-shot (press → open the popup); MOD_NOREPEAT (the default) keeps
     // a held key from re-opening it repeatedly.
     private void RegisterQuickProfileSwitchHotkey() => RegisterIfSet(quickProfileSwitchGlobalHotkey, quickProfileSwitchHotkey, "quick profile switch");
+    // Speak status line is a one-shot (press → read the status aloud once); MOD_NOREPEAT (the default)
+    // keeps a held key from re-triggering the speech over and over.
+    private void RegisterSpeakStatusLineHotkey() => RegisterIfSet(speakStatusLineGlobalHotkey, speakStatusLineHotkey, "speak status line");
 
     private void RegisterIfSet(GlobalHotkey? globalHotkey, HotkeyInfo hotkey, string description, bool allowRepeat = false)
     {

src/RemSound.App/PreferencesDialog.cs

@@ -293,6 +293,60 @@ internal sealed class PreferencesDialog : Form
         AutoSize = true,
     };
 
+    // --- Logging tab: log-folder housekeeping (2026-06-19). All machine-local (AppConfig). The two
+    // spinners are greyed out until their enabling checkbox is ticked. Mnemonics on this tab: L, W,
+    // S, M, D, Y, A — all distinct (tab scope is per-page, so reuse elsewhere is fine). ---
+    private readonly AccessibleCheckBox warnIfLogsExceedBox = new()
+    {
+        Text = "Warn at startup if the logs folder is larger than (Alt+&S)",
+        AccessibleName = "Warn at startup if the logs folder is larger than",
+        AutoSize = true,
+    };
+    private readonly NumericUpDown logsSizeLimitBox = new()
+    {
+        Minimum = 1,
+        Maximum = 100000,
+        Increment = 10,
+        Value = 100,
+        Width = 90,
+        AccessibleName = "Warn when the logs folder is larger than this many megabytes (Alt+M)",
+    };
+    private readonly MnemonicLabel logsSizeUnitLabel = new()
+    {
+        Text = "&megabytes",
+        AutoSize = true,
+        Anchor = AnchorStyles.Left,
+        Padding = new Padding(6, 6, 0, 0),
+    };
+    private readonly AccessibleCheckBox pruneOldLogsBox = new()
+    {
+        Text = "Delete logs older than (Alt+&D)",
+        AccessibleName = "Delete logs older than",
+        AutoSize = true,
+    };
+    private readonly NumericUpDown pruneDaysBox = new()
+    {
+        Minimum = 1,
+        Maximum = 30,
+        Increment = 1,
+        Value = 14,
+        Width = 70,
+        AccessibleName = "Delete logs older than this many days (Alt+Y)",
+    };
+    private readonly MnemonicLabel pruneDaysUnitLabel = new()
+    {
+        Text = "da&ys old",
+        AutoSize = true,
+        Anchor = AnchorStyles.Left,
+        Padding = new Padding(6, 6, 0, 0),
+    };
+    private readonly Button deleteAllLogsButton = new()
+    {
+        Text = "Delete &all logs",
+        AccessibleName = "Delete all logs",
+        AutoSize = true,
+    };
+
     // Startup behaviour (moved here from the Options-menu StartupBehaviourDialog, 2026-06-13). These
     // live on their own tab; their Alt-letters are isolated per tab so reusing M/A/P/L is fine.
     private readonly AccessibleCheckBox startMinimisedBox = new()
@@ -353,6 +407,7 @@ internal sealed class PreferencesDialog : Form
         Func<bool> getLoggingEnabled,
         Action<bool> applyLoggingEnabled,
         Action writeLogsNow,
+        Func<int> deleteAllLogs,
         Action checkForUpdatesNow,
         Action onUpdateFrequencyChanged,
         Action<bool> applyUpnpEnabled,
@@ -585,6 +640,70 @@ internal sealed class PreferencesDialog : Form
 
         writeLogsNowButton.Click += (_, _) => writeLogsNow();
 
+        // --- Logging housekeeping (machine-local; each control writes through to AppConfig on
+        // change, like the Update-settings controls above). The two spinners follow their
+        // checkbox's enabled state so they're only editable when the feature is on. ---
+        warnIfLogsExceedBox.Checked = cfgForLoad.WarnIfLogsFolderExceeds;
+        logsSizeLimitBox.Value = Math.Clamp(cfgForLoad.LogsFolderWarnThresholdMb, (int)logsSizeLimitBox.Minimum, (int)logsSizeLimitBox.Maximum);
+        logsSizeLimitBox.Enabled = warnIfLogsExceedBox.Checked;
+        logsSizeUnitLabel.MnemonicTarget = logsSizeLimitBox;
+        warnIfLogsExceedBox.CheckedChanged += (_, _) =>
+        {
+            var cfg = AppConfig.Load();
+            cfg.WarnIfLogsFolderExceeds = warnIfLogsExceedBox.Checked;
+            TrySaveConfig(cfg);
+            logsSizeLimitBox.Enabled = warnIfLogsExceedBox.Checked;
+        };
+        logsSizeLimitBox.ValueChanged += (_, _) =>
+        {
+            var cfg = AppConfig.Load();
+            cfg.LogsFolderWarnThresholdMb = (int)logsSizeLimitBox.Value;
+            TrySaveConfig(cfg);
+        };
+
+        pruneOldLogsBox.Checked = cfgForLoad.PruneOldLogs;
+        pruneDaysBox.Value = Math.Clamp(cfgForLoad.PruneOldLogsDays, (int)pruneDaysBox.Minimum, (int)pruneDaysBox.Maximum);
+        pruneDaysBox.Enabled = pruneOldLogsBox.Checked;
+        pruneDaysUnitLabel.MnemonicTarget = pruneDaysBox;
+        pruneOldLogsBox.CheckedChanged += (_, _) =>
+        {
+            var cfg = AppConfig.Load();
+            cfg.PruneOldLogs = pruneOldLogsBox.Checked;
+            TrySaveConfig(cfg);
+            pruneDaysBox.Enabled = pruneOldLogsBox.Checked;
+        };
+        pruneDaysBox.ValueChanged += (_, _) =>
+        {
+            var cfg = AppConfig.Load();
+            cfg.PruneOldLogsDays = (int)pruneDaysBox.Value;
+            TrySaveConfig(cfg);
+        };
+
+        deleteAllLogsButton.Click += (_, _) =>
+        {
+            var confirm = new TaskDialogPage
+            {
+                Caption = "RemSound",
+                Heading = "Delete all logs?",
+                Text = "This permanently deletes every log file in the logs folder except the one currently in use. This cannot be undone.",
+                Icon = TaskDialogIcon.Warning,
+                Buttons = { TaskDialogButton.Yes, TaskDialogButton.No },
+                DefaultButton = TaskDialogButton.No,
+                AllowCancel = true,
+            };
+            if (TaskDialog.ShowDialog(this, confirm) != TaskDialogButton.Yes) return;
+            var removed = deleteAllLogs();
+            var done = new TaskDialogPage
+            {
+                Caption = "RemSound",
+                Heading = "Logs deleted",
+                Text = removed == 1 ? "Deleted 1 log file." : $"Deleted {removed} log files.",
+                Icon = TaskDialogIcon.Information,
+                Buttons = { TaskDialogButton.OK },
+            };
+            TaskDialog.ShowDialog(this, done);
+        };
+
         closeButton.Click += (_, _) => Close();
 
         // Wire up the Startup behaviour tab (moved here from the old Options-menu dialog).
@@ -650,16 +769,46 @@ internal sealed class PreferencesDialog : Form
         startupListPanel.Controls.Add(startupProfileListLabel);
         startupListPanel.Controls.Add(startupProfileList);
 
-        // Four tabs, accessible (QuietTabControl) like the main window. Ctrl+Tab / arrows on the
+        // Logging tab rows: each spinner sits with its unit label on its own indented row beneath the
+        // checkbox that enables it (number box first, then the "megabytes"/"days old" unit label —
+        // matching the natural "...larger than [100] megabytes" reading order).
+        var logsSizeRow = new FlowLayoutPanel
+        {
+            AutoSize = true,
+            Dock = DockStyle.Fill,
+            FlowDirection = FlowDirection.LeftToRight,
+            WrapContents = false,
+            Padding = new Padding(20, 2, 0, 0),
+        };
+        logsSizeRow.Controls.Add(logsSizeLimitBox);
+        logsSizeRow.Controls.Add(logsSizeUnitLabel);
+        var pruneDaysRow = new FlowLayoutPanel
+        {
+            AutoSize = true,
+            Dock = DockStyle.Fill,
+            FlowDirection = FlowDirection.LeftToRight,
+            WrapContents = false,
+            Padding = new Padding(20, 2, 0, 0),
+        };
+        pruneDaysRow.Controls.Add(pruneDaysBox);
+        pruneDaysRow.Controls.Add(pruneDaysUnitLabel);
+
+        // Five tabs, accessible (QuietTabControl) like the main window. Ctrl+Tab / arrows on the
         // strip switch tabs; the active page's controls are the next tab stops. The control itself
-        // is a field (declared above) so OnShown can focus it when the dialog opens.
+        // is a field (declared above) so OnShown can focus it when the dialog opens. Logging is its
+        // own tab (2026-06-19); the two logging controls moved off the General tab to lead it.
         tabs.TabPages.Add(MakeTab("General",
-            browseProfilesFolderButton, acceptRemoteVolumeBox, upnpEnabledBox, upnpStatusLabel, loggingBox, writeLogsNowButton));
+            browseProfilesFolderButton, acceptRemoteVolumeBox, upnpEnabledBox, upnpStatusLabel));
         tabs.TabPages.Add(MakeTab("Audio cues", cueGroup));
         tabs.TabPages.Add(MakeTab("Startup behaviour",
             startMinimisedBox, startWithUserBox, startWithProfileBox, startupListPanel));
         tabs.TabPages.Add(MakeTab("Update settings",
             checkForUpdatesOnStartupBox, freqRow, checkForUpdatesNowButton, silentlyInstallUpdatesBox, showWhatsNewAfterUpdateBox));
+        tabs.TabPages.Add(MakeTab("Logging",
+            loggingBox, writeLogsNowButton,
+            warnIfLogsExceedBox, logsSizeRow,
+            pruneOldLogsBox, pruneDaysRow,
+            deleteAllLogsButton));
 
         var buttons = new FlowLayoutPanel
         {

src/RemSound.App/RemSound.App.csproj

@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
          tag_name on the latest GitHub release; bump it on every public release. The
          AssemblyVersion / FileVersion default to this value, and Assembly.GetName().Version
          is what the About dialog and the updater both read. -->
-    <Version>4.2</Version>
+    <Version>4.3</Version>
   </PropertyGroup>
 
   <ItemGroup>
@@ -79,6 +79,17 @@
       <Link>readme.html</Link>
       <CopyToOutputDirectory>PreserveNewest</CopyToOutputDirectory>
     </Content>
+    <!-- Tolk screen-reader output DLLs (vendored 2026-06-19). Native libraries P/Invoked by
+         TolkScreenReaderOutput so RemSound can speak the status line aloud on demand (issue #13) —
+         needed because a GLOBAL hotkey fires while RemSound isn't focused, where NVDA won't read
+         anything itself. Tolk.dll loads its two helper DLLs from the same folder, so all three ship
+         flat next to the exe. Copied on build AND publish; the EnsureTolkDllsPublished target below
+         makes the publish copy marker-independent (the same belt-and-braces the cue WAVs use). -->
+    <Content Include="..\..\tolk\Tolk.dll;..\..\tolk\nvdaControllerClient64.dll;..\..\tolk\SAAPI64.dll;..\..\tolk\LICENSE-Tolk.txt">
+      <Link>%(Filename)%(Extension)</Link>
+      <CopyToOutputDirectory>PreserveNewest</CopyToOutputDirectory>
+      <CopyToPublishDirectory>PreserveNewest</CopyToPublishDirectory>
+    </Content>
   </ItemGroup>
 
   <!-- Guarantee the cue WAVs land in a PUBLISHED build. The Content items above use
@@ -97,4 +108,14 @@
           DestinationFolder="$(PublishDir)default sounds"
           SkipUnchangedFiles="false" />
   </Target>
+
+  <!-- Same marker-independent guarantee for the Tolk DLLs: always copy them into a PUBLISHED build
+       so a release zip can never ship without the screen-reader libraries the "speak status line"
+       feature needs. -->
+  <Target Name="EnsureTolkDllsPublished" AfterTargets="Publish">
+    <ItemGroup>
+      <_TolkFiles Include="..\..\tolk\Tolk.dll;..\..\tolk\nvdaControllerClient64.dll;..\..\tolk\SAAPI64.dll;..\..\tolk\LICENSE-Tolk.txt" />
+    </ItemGroup>
+    <Copy SourceFiles="@(_TolkFiles)" DestinationFolder="$(PublishDir)" SkipUnchangedFiles="false" />
+  </Target>
 </Project>

src/RemSound.App/ScreenReader.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+namespace RemSound.App;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Process-wide screen-reader speech. Used for feedback the screen reader can't otherwise observe —
+/// chiefly the "speak the status line" hotkey (GitHub issue #13), which must read aloud even when the
+/// global hotkey fires while RemSound isn't the focused window.
+///
+/// Holds a single backend, created once on first use. Today that is always Tolk, which works on every
+/// Windows version RemSound supports — including Windows 7. The interface seam exists so a future build
+/// can choose a different backend per OS without changing any caller: branch inside
+/// <see cref="CreateBackend"/>. (Prism is the modern successor to Tolk but requires Windows 10+, so it
+/// can't be the default while Win7 is supported — see <see cref="IScreenReaderOutput"/>.)
+/// </summary>
+internal static class ScreenReader
+{
+    private static readonly object sync = new();
+    private static IScreenReaderOutput? backend;
+
+    private static IScreenReaderOutput Backend
+    {
+        get { lock (sync) { return backend ??= CreateBackend(); } }
+    }
+
+    private static IScreenReaderOutput CreateBackend()
+    {
+        // Win7-safe default. To adopt Prism on Windows 10+ later, branch on Environment.OSVersion
+        // here and return a PrismScreenReaderOutput when the OS is >= Windows 10 — callers below stay
+        // exactly as they are.
+        return new TolkScreenReaderOutput();
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>Speak text through the active screen reader (best-effort; silent if none is running).
+    /// Returns true if it reached a screen reader.</summary>
+    public static bool Speak(string text, bool interrupt = true) => Backend.Speak(text, interrupt);
+
+    /// <summary>Release the backend on app shutdown. Safe to call when nothing was ever spoken.</summary>
+    public static void Shutdown()
+    {
+        lock (sync)
+        {
+            backend?.Shutdown();
+            backend = null;
+        }
+    }
+}

src/RemSound.App/SelfTest.cs

@@ -335,7 +335,7 @@ internal static class SelfTest
             ("Recording settings", () => new RecordingSettingsDialog(new RecordingSettings())),
             ("Preferences", () => new PreferencesDialog(
                 new RemSoundSettingsStore("RemSound"), null,
-                () => false, _ => { }, () => { }, () => { }, () => { }, _ => { },
+                () => false, _ => { }, () => { }, () => 0, () => { }, () => { }, _ => { },
                 () => (default(RouterMappingStatus), (IPEndPoint?)null, ""),
                 _ => { }, _ => { })),
         };

src/RemSound.App/TolkScreenReaderOutput.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
+
+namespace RemSound.App;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Tolk-backed <see cref="IScreenReaderOutput"/>. Tolk (https://github.com/dkager/tolk, LGPL-3.0) is a
+/// screen-reader abstraction DLL that auto-detects whichever reader is running (NVDA, JAWS, Window-Eyes,
+/// SuperNova, System Access, ZoomText) and falls back to SAPI, then routes speech to it. The native
+/// <c>Tolk.dll</c> plus its helpers (<c>nvdaControllerClient64.dll</c>, <c>SAAPI64.dll</c>) ship flat
+/// next to the exe (see the .csproj Content items) — Tolk.dll loads those helpers from the same folder.
+///
+/// Loaded lazily on the first <see cref="Speak"/> and never re-attempted once it fails, so a missing DLL
+/// or absent screen reader just means silence, never an exception. All entry points are wrapped in
+/// try/catch and guarded by a lock, so it's safe to call from any thread (e.g. a hotkey callback).
+/// </summary>
+internal sealed class TolkScreenReaderOutput : IScreenReaderOutput
+{
+    private readonly object sync = new();
+    private bool loadAttempted;
+    private bool loaded;
+
+    public bool Speak(string text, bool interrupt = true)
+    {
+        if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(text)) return false;
+        if (!EnsureLoaded()) return false;
+        try { return Tolk_Output(text, interrupt); }
+        catch { return false; }
+    }
+
+    public void Shutdown()
+    {
+        lock (sync)
+        {
+            if (!loaded) return;
+            try { Tolk_Unload(); } catch { /* best-effort */ }
+            loaded = false;
+            loadAttempted = false;
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>Load Tolk once. Succeeds only if Tolk loads AND reports a working speech channel, so a
+    /// machine with the DLLs present but no screen reader running stays silent instead of half-init'd.</summary>
+    private bool EnsureLoaded()
+    {
+        lock (sync)
+        {
+            if (loaded) return true;
+            if (loadAttempted) return false;   // already tried and failed — don't spam load attempts
+            loadAttempted = true;
+            try { loaded = Tolk_Load() && Tolk_HasSpeech(); }
+            catch { loaded = false; }
+            return loaded;
+        }
+    }
+
+    [DllImport("Tolk.dll", CharSet = CharSet.Unicode)]
+    [return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
+    private static extern bool Tolk_Load();
+
+    [DllImport("Tolk.dll")]
+    private static extern void Tolk_Unload();
+
+    [DllImport("Tolk.dll")]
+    [return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
+    private static extern bool Tolk_HasSpeech();
+
+    [DllImport("Tolk.dll", CharSet = CharSet.Unicode)]
+    [return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
+    private static extern bool Tolk_Output(string text, [MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)] bool interrupt);
+}

src/RemSound.Core/AppConfig.cs

@@ -128,6 +128,25 @@ public sealed class AppConfig
     /// ticks <em>Enable logs</em> in the Preferences dialog.</summary>
     public bool LoggingEnabled { get; set; }
 
+    /// <summary>If true, RemSound checks the total size of the <c>logs\</c> folder at startup and,
+    /// when it exceeds <see cref="LogsFolderWarnThresholdMb"/> megabytes, shows a one-time warning so
+    /// the user can prune or clear it. Off by default (opt-in, like the other behaviour toggles).
+    /// Machine-local — a "watch my disk on this box" decision, not a per-profile audio setting.</summary>
+    public bool WarnIfLogsFolderExceeds { get; set; }
+
+    /// <summary>The size threshold in megabytes for <see cref="WarnIfLogsFolderExceeds"/>. Default
+    /// 100 MB. Only consulted when that flag is on.</summary>
+    public int LogsFolderWarnThresholdMb { get; set; } = 100;
+
+    /// <summary>If true, RemSound deletes log files older than <see cref="PruneOldLogsDays"/> days
+    /// from the <c>logs\</c> folder at startup. Off by default (opt-in). The currently-open log file
+    /// is never a candidate (it's today's). Machine-local.</summary>
+    public bool PruneOldLogs { get; set; }
+
+    /// <summary>Age in days for <see cref="PruneOldLogs"/>: log files last written more than this many
+    /// days ago are deleted at startup. Range 1–30, default 14. Only consulted when that flag is on.</summary>
+    public int PruneOldLogsDays { get; set; } = 14;
+
     /// <summary>If non-null and a profile with this title exists, RemSound skips the
     /// startup profile picker and loads this profile directly. Combine with
     /// <see cref="StartMinimised"/> + the Windows auto-start registry entry

src/RemSound.Core/Profile.cs

@@ -212,6 +212,9 @@ public sealed class Profile
     /// <summary>Global hotkey that opens the Quick profile switch popup — a list of all profiles you
     /// can arrow through and press Enter to switch to, from anywhere in Windows. Unset by default.</summary>
     public HotkeyRecord? QuickProfileSwitchHotkey { get; set; }
+    /// <summary>Optional global hotkey that speaks the connection status line aloud through the active
+    /// screen reader (issue #13). Unset by default. Screen-reader specific.</summary>
+    public HotkeyRecord? SpeakStatusLineHotkey { get; set; }
     /// <summary>When true, this machine honours incoming Control packets from connected
     /// peers — adjusts the local volume slider or toggles mute. Default false: receiving
     /// remote control is opt-in even though the audio allow-list already gates who's

src/RemSound.Core/RemSoundSettingsStore.cs

@@ -144,6 +144,16 @@ public sealed class RemSoundSettingsStore
         Save(s);
     }
 
+    public HotkeyInfo LoadSpeakStatusLineHotkey() =>
+        Try(() => Load()?.SpeakStatusLineHotkey?.ToHotkeyInfo()) ?? HotkeyInfo.Unset;
+
+    public void SaveSpeakStatusLineHotkey(HotkeyInfo hotkey)
+    {
+        var s = Load() ?? new Settings();
+        s.SpeakStatusLineHotkey = HotkeySetting.From(hotkey);
+        Save(s);
+    }
+
     public bool LoadAcceptRemoteVolumeCommands(bool defaultValue = false) =>
         Try(() => Load()?.AcceptRemoteVolumeCommands) ?? defaultValue;
 
@@ -593,6 +603,7 @@ public sealed class RemSoundSettingsStore
             SystemVolumeDownHotkey = profile.SystemVolumeDownHotkey is null ? null : HotkeySettingFromRecord(profile.SystemVolumeDownHotkey),
             SystemMuteToggleHotkey = profile.SystemMuteToggleHotkey is null ? null : HotkeySettingFromRecord(profile.SystemMuteToggleHotkey),
             QuickProfileSwitchHotkey = profile.QuickProfileSwitchHotkey is null ? null : HotkeySettingFromRecord(profile.QuickProfileSwitchHotkey),
+            SpeakStatusLineHotkey = profile.SpeakStatusLineHotkey is null ? null : HotkeySettingFromRecord(profile.SpeakStatusLineHotkey),
             AcceptRemoteVolumeCommands = profile.AcceptRemoteVolumeCommands,
             MaxLatencyMs = profile.MaxLatencyMs,
             Codec = profile.Codec,
@@ -649,6 +660,7 @@ public sealed class RemSoundSettingsStore
         profile.SystemVolumeDownHotkey = s.SystemVolumeDownHotkey is null ? null : HotkeyRecordFromSetting(s.SystemVolumeDownHotkey);
         profile.SystemMuteToggleHotkey = s.SystemMuteToggleHotkey is null ? null : HotkeyRecordFromSetting(s.SystemMuteToggleHotkey);
         profile.QuickProfileSwitchHotkey = s.QuickProfileSwitchHotkey is null ? null : HotkeyRecordFromSetting(s.QuickProfileSwitchHotkey);
+        profile.SpeakStatusLineHotkey = s.SpeakStatusLineHotkey is null ? null : HotkeyRecordFromSetting(s.SpeakStatusLineHotkey);
         if (s.AcceptRemoteVolumeCommands is bool arvc) profile.AcceptRemoteVolumeCommands = arvc;
         if (s.MaxLatencyMs is int ml) profile.MaxLatencyMs = ml;
         if (s.Codec is AudioTransportCodec c) profile.Codec = c;
@@ -716,6 +728,7 @@ public sealed class RemSoundSettingsStore
         public HotkeySetting? SystemVolumeDownHotkey { get; set; }
         public HotkeySetting? SystemMuteToggleHotkey { get; set; }
         public HotkeySetting? QuickProfileSwitchHotkey { get; set; }
+        public HotkeySetting? SpeakStatusLineHotkey { get; set; }
         public bool? AcceptRemoteVolumeCommands { get; set; }
         public int? MaxLatencyMs { get; set; }
         public AudioTransportCodec? Codec { get; set; }