diff --git a/controllers/TicketController.php b/controllers/TicketController.php
index 2e2c0d4..5b3adb0 100644
--- a/controllers/TicketController.php
+++ b/controllers/TicketController.php
@@ -93,19 +93,27 @@ class TicketController
                 $visibilityGroups = implode(',', array_map('trim', $_POST['visibility_groups']));
             }
 
+            // Honor the posted status, validated against the app's canonical list
+            $validStatuses = $GLOBALS['config']['TICKET_STATUSES'] ?? ['Open', 'Pending', 'In Progress', 'Closed'];
+            $status = $_POST['status'] ?? 'Open';
+            if (!in_array($status, $validStatuses, true)) {
+                $status = 'Open';
+            }
+
             $ticketData = [
-                'title' => $_POST['title'] ?? '',
+                'title' => trim($_POST['title'] ?? ''),
                 'description' => $_POST['description'] ?? '',
                 'priority' => $_POST['priority'] ?? '4',
                 'category' => $_POST['category'] ?? 'General',
                 'type' => $_POST['type'] ?? 'Issue',
+                'status' => $status,
                 'visibility' => $_POST['visibility'] ?? 'public',
                 'visibility_groups' => $visibilityGroups,
                 'assigned_to' => !empty($_POST['assigned_to']) ? $_POST['assigned_to'] : null
             ];
 
-            // Validate input
-            if (empty($ticketData['title'])) {
+            // Validate input (server-side; form is novalidate)
+            if ($ticketData['title'] === '') {
                 $error = "Title is required";
                 $templates = $this->templateModel->getAllTemplates();
                 $allUsers = $this->userModel->getAllUsers();
@@ -114,6 +122,15 @@ class TicketController
                 return;
             }
 
+            if (trim($ticketData['description']) === '') {
+                $error = "Description is required";
+                $templates = $this->templateModel->getAllTemplates();
+                $allUsers = $this->userModel->getAllUsers();
+                $conn = $this->conn; // Make $conn available to view
+                include dirname(__DIR__) . '/views/CreateTicketView.php';
+                return;
+            }
+
             // Create ticket with user tracking
             $result = $this->ticketModel->createTicket($ticketData, $userId);
 
diff --git a/index.php b/index.php
index 602f671..f9732ed 100644
--- a/index.php
+++ b/index.php
@@ -249,8 +249,11 @@ switch (true) {
         $params = [];
         $types = '';
 
-        $allowedActionTypes = ['create','update','delete','comment','assign','status_change','login','security',
-                               'ticket_create','ticket_update','ticket_delete','attachment_delete','attachment_upload'];
+        // Mirrors AuditLogModel::VALID_ACTION_TYPES so every option offered by the
+        // audit-log filter dropdown is actually accepted here.
+        $allowedActionTypes = ['create','update','delete','view','security_event',
+                               'login','logout','assign','unassign','comment','mention',
+                               'revoke','attachment_upload','attachment_delete','bulk_update'];
         if (!empty($_GET['action_type']) && in_array($_GET['action_type'], $allowedActionTypes, true)) {
             $whereConditions[] = "al.action_type = ?";
             $params[] = $_GET['action_type'];
@@ -335,9 +338,12 @@ switch (true) {
     case $requestPath == '/admin/user-activity':
         requireAdmin($currentUser);
 
+        // Validate date params (YYYY-MM-DD) like the audit-log route; fall back to defaults on garbage
+        $uaFrom = $_GET['date_from'] ?? '';
+        $uaTo   = $_GET['date_to'] ?? '';
         $dateRange = [
-            'from' => $_GET['date_from'] ?? date('Y-m-d', strtotime('-30 days')),
-            'to' => $_GET['date_to'] ?? date('Y-m-d')
+            'from' => preg_match('/^\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}$/', $uaFrom) ? $uaFrom : date('Y-m-d', strtotime('-30 days')),
+            'to'   => preg_match('/^\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}$/', $uaTo)   ? $uaTo   : date('Y-m-d')
         ];
 
         // Optimized query using LEFT JOINs with aggregated subqueries instead of correlated subqueries
@@ -410,7 +416,7 @@ switch (true) {
         header("Location: /");
         exit;
 
-    case preg_match('/^\/ticket\.php/', $requestPath) && isset($_GET['id']):
+    case preg_match('/^\/ticket\.php$/', $requestPath) && isset($_GET['id']):
         $legacyId = (string)$_GET['id'];
         if (ctype_digit($legacyId) && (int)$legacyId > 0) {
             header("Location: /ticket/" . $legacyId);
diff --git a/views/DashboardView.php b/views/DashboardView.php
index 4384d98..af6895d 100644
--- a/views/DashboardView.php
+++ b/views/DashboardView.php
@@ -1317,7 +1317,7 @@ if (advForm) advForm.addEventListener('submit', function(e) {
   var pLabels = { '1':'P1 — Critical', '2':'P2 — High', '3':'P3 — Medium', '4':'P4 — Low', '5':'P5 — Minimal' };
   var dotClass = { 'Open':'lt-dot-up', 'In Progress':'lt-dot-warn', 'Pending':'lt-dot--orange', 'Closed':'lt-dot-idle' };
 
-  function esc(s) { return String(s||'').replace(/&/g,'&amp;').replace(/</g,'&lt;').replace(/>/g,'&gt;'); }
+  function esc(s) { return String(s||'').replace(/&/g,'&amp;').replace(/</g,'&lt;').replace(/>/g,'&gt;').replace(/"/g,'&quot;').replace(/'/g,'&#39;'); }
 
   function fmtAge(dateStr) {
     var d = new Date(dateStr);
diff --git a/views/TicketView.php b/views/TicketView.php
index 635c5f9..767ffc0 100644
--- a/views/TicketView.php
+++ b/views/TicketView.php
@@ -461,8 +461,8 @@ include __DIR__ . '/layout_header.php';
   <button type="button" class="lt-tab" id="comments-tab-btn"
           role="tab" data-tab="comments-panel" aria-selected="false" aria-controls="comments-panel">
     Comments
-    <?php if (!empty($comments)) : ?>
-      <span class="lt-badge lt-badge-sm"><?= count($comments) ?></span>
+    <?php if ($totalComments > 0) : ?>
+      <span class="lt-badge lt-badge-sm"><?= (int)$totalComments ?></span>
     <?php endif ?>
   </button>
   <button type="button" class="lt-tab" id="attachments-tab-btn"
diff --git a/views/admin/ApiKeysView.php b/views/admin/ApiKeysView.php
index 1db7649..633da9a 100644
--- a/views/admin/ApiKeysView.php
+++ b/views/admin/ApiKeysView.php
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ include __DIR__ . '/../../views/layout_header.php';
     </p>
     <div class="lt-code-block">
       <div class="lt-code-header"><span class="lt-code-lang">CURL</span></div>
-      <pre><code>curl -X POST https://your-instance/api/create_ticket.php \
+      <pre><code>curl -X POST https://your-instance/create_ticket_api.php \
   -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
   -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
   -d '{"title":"My ticket","category":"General","type":"Issue","priority":3}'</code></pre>
diff --git a/views/admin/AuditLogView.php b/views/admin/AuditLogView.php
index 4495d2e..f350139 100644
--- a/views/admin/AuditLogView.php
+++ b/views/admin/AuditLogView.php
@@ -29,9 +29,14 @@ include __DIR__ . '/../../views/layout_header.php';
         <label class="lt-label" for="action_type">Action Type</label>
         <select name="action_type" id="action_type" class="lt-select lt-select-sm">
           <option value="">All Actions</option>
-          <?php foreach (['create','update','delete','comment','assign','status_change','login','security'] as $a) : ?>
+          <?php
+            // Mirrors AuditLogModel::VALID_ACTION_TYPES (the backend whitelist of loggable actions)
+            $auditActionTypes = ['create','update','delete','view','security_event',
+                                 'login','logout','assign','unassign','comment','mention',
+                                 'revoke','attachment_upload','attachment_delete','bulk_update'];
+            foreach ($auditActionTypes as $a) : ?>
             <option value="<?= htmlspecialchars($a, ENT_QUOTES, 'UTF-8') ?>" <?= ($filters['action_type'] ?? '') === $a ? 'selected' : '' ?>><?= htmlspecialchars(ucfirst(str_replace('_', ' ', $a)), ENT_QUOTES, 'UTF-8') ?></option>
-          <?php endforeach ?>
+            <?php endforeach ?>
         </select>
       </div>
       <div class="lt-form-group" style="margin:0">
diff --git a/views/admin/UserActivityView.php b/views/admin/UserActivityView.php
index 00548da..3d80857 100644
--- a/views/admin/UserActivityView.php
+++ b/views/admin/UserActivityView.php
@@ -43,11 +43,23 @@ include __DIR__ . '/../../views/layout_header.php';
 
     <!-- Summary stats -->
     <?php if (!empty($userStats)) : ?>
+        <?php
+        // "Active" = users with >=1 tracked action within the selected date range.
+        // The query LEFT JOINs from all users, so $userStats includes zero-activity users.
+        $activeUsers = 0;
+        foreach ($userStats as $_u) {
+            $_activity = ($_u['tickets_created'] ?? 0) + ($_u['tickets_resolved'] ?? 0)
+                + ($_u['comments_added'] ?? 0) + ($_u['tickets_assigned'] ?? 0);
+            if ($_activity > 0) {
+                $activeUsers++;
+            }
+        }
+        ?>
     <div class="lt-stats-grid lt-mb-md">
       <div class="lt-stat-card">
         <div class="lt-stat-icon lt-text-cyan">[ # ]</div>
         <div class="lt-stat-info">
-          <div class="lt-stat-value"><?= count($userStats) ?></div>
+          <div class="lt-stat-value"><?= (int)$activeUsers ?></div>
           <div class="lt-stat-label">Active Users</div>
         </div>
       </div>
diff --git a/views/layout_footer.php b/views/layout_footer.php
index 04018e0..e10a1ce 100644
--- a/views/layout_footer.php
+++ b/views/layout_footer.php
@@ -138,10 +138,13 @@
       var themeBtn = document.getElementById('lt-theme-btn');
       if (themeBtn) themeBtn.addEventListener('click', function() { lt.theme.toggle(); });
 
-      // Command palette — global navigation commands available on all pages
+      // Command palette — single global instance (overlay DOM above; base.js binds Ctrl/Cmd+K)
       var _cpCmds = [
         { id: 'nav-dashboard',   group: 'Navigation', icon: '~', label: 'Dashboard',          kbd: 'G D', action: function() { window.location.href = '/'; } },
         { id: 'nav-new-ticket',  group: 'Navigation', icon: '+', label: 'New Ticket',          kbd: 'N',   action: function() { window.location.href = '/ticket/create'; } },
+        { id: 'filter-mine',        group: 'Filter', icon: '◈', label: 'My Open Tickets',      action: function() { window.location.href = '/?assigned_to=me&status=Open,In+Progress,Pending'; } },
+        { id: 'filter-unassigned',  group: 'Filter', icon: '◌', label: 'Unassigned Tickets',   action: function() { window.location.href = '/?assigned_to=unassigned'; } },
+        { id: 'filter-critical',    group: 'Filter', icon: '!', label: 'P1 Critical Tickets',  action: function() { window.location.href = '/?priority=1'; } },
         { id: 'help-shortcuts',  group: 'Help',       icon: '?', label: 'Keyboard Shortcuts',  kbd: '?',   action: function() { lt.modal.open('lt-keys-help'); } },
         { id: 'help-theme',      group: 'Help',       icon: '*', label: 'Toggle Theme',                    action: function() { lt.theme.toggle(); } },
       ];
@@ -156,7 +159,20 @@
         { id: 'admin-api-keys',   group: 'Admin', icon: 'K', label: 'API Keys',         action: function() { window.location.href = '/admin/api-keys'; } },
       ]);
       <?php endif ?>
+      // Recently viewed tickets from localStorage
+      try {
+        var _recent = JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem('lt_recent_tickets') || '[]');
+        _recent.slice(0, 5).forEach(function(id) {
+          _cpCmds.push({ id: 'recent-' + id, group: 'Recent', icon: '◷', label: 'Ticket #' + id, tags: ['ticket'], action: function(tid) { return function() { window.location.href = '/ticket/' + tid; }; }(id) });
+        });
+      } catch (_e) { /* ignore malformed localStorage */ }
       lt.cmdPalette.init(_cpCmds);
+
+      // Bind the header ⌘K trigger button (no inline onclick — CSP blocks inline handlers)
+      var _cmdTrigger = document.getElementById('lt-cmd-trigger');
+      if (_cmdTrigger) {
+        _cmdTrigger.addEventListener('click', function() { lt.cmdPalette.open(); });
+      }
     }
 
     // Patch lt.api mutating methods to auto-rotate CSRF token when server returns a new one
@@ -194,7 +210,7 @@
         return Math.floor(diff / 86400) + 'd ago';
       }
 
-      function esc(s) { return String(s).replace(/&/g,'&amp;').replace(/</g,'&lt;').replace(/>/g,'&gt;'); }
+      function esc(s) { return String(s).replace(/&/g,'&amp;').replace(/</g,'&lt;').replace(/>/g,'&gt;').replace(/"/g,'&quot;').replace(/'/g,'&#39;'); }
 
       function renderNotifications(data) {
         lt.notif.set(bell, data.unread_count || 0);
diff --git a/views/layout_header.php b/views/layout_header.php
index d5be680..2690e2f 100644
--- a/views/layout_header.php
+++ b/views/layout_header.php
@@ -196,7 +196,9 @@ $_lt_assetVer  = $GLOBALS['config']['ASSET_VERSION'] ?? '20260329';
             <div style="padding:0.75rem;font-size:0.75rem;color:var(--text-muted);text-align:center">Loading&hellip;</div>
           </div>
           <div class="lt-notif-panel-footer">
+            <?php if ($_lt_isAdmin) : ?>
             <a href="/admin/audit-log" class="lt-btn lt-btn-ghost lt-btn-sm lt-w-full lt-text-center">View activity log</a>
+            <?php endif; ?>
           </div>
         </div>
       </div>
@@ -212,67 +214,6 @@ $_lt_assetVer  = $GLOBALS['config']['ASSET_VERSION'] ?? '20260329';
 
   </header><!-- /.lt-header -->
 
-  <!-- ── COMMAND PALETTE OVERLAY (Ctrl+K / ⌘K) ──────────────────── -->
-  <div id="lt-cmd-overlay" class="lt-cmd-overlay" role="dialog" aria-modal="true" aria-label="Command palette" aria-hidden="true">
-    <div id="lt-cmd-palette" class="lt-cmd-palette" role="combobox" aria-expanded="true" aria-haspopup="listbox">
-      <div class="lt-cmd-input-wrap">
-        <span aria-hidden="true" style="opacity:0.45;margin-right:0.4rem;font-size:0.9em">&#x2315;</span>
-        <input class="lt-cmd-input" type="text" placeholder="Type a command or search&hellip;"
-               autocomplete="off" spellcheck="false" aria-label="Command search" aria-autocomplete="list"
-               aria-controls="lt-cmd-results-list">
-        <kbd style="font-size:0.6rem;opacity:0.4;white-space:nowrap">ESC</kbd>
-      </div>
-      <div class="lt-cmd-results" id="lt-cmd-results-list" role="listbox"></div>
-    </div>
-  </div>
-  <script nonce="<?= htmlspecialchars($nonce, ENT_QUOTES, 'UTF-8') ?>">
-  (function() {
-    var isAdmin = <?= json_encode($_lt_isAdmin) ?>;
-    document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function() {
-      var commands = [
-        { id: 'nav-dashboard',  label: 'Dashboard',        icon: '⌂', group: 'Navigate', action: function(){ location.href = '/'; } },
-        { id: 'nav-new-ticket', label: 'New Ticket',        icon: '+', group: 'Navigate', kbd: 'N',  action: function(){ location.href = '/create'; } },
-        { id: 'filter-mine',    label: 'My Open Tickets',   icon: '◈', group: 'Filter',   action: function(){ location.href = '/?assigned_to=me&status=Open,In+Progress,Pending'; } },
-        { id: 'filter-unassigned', label: 'Unassigned Tickets', icon: '◌', group: 'Filter', action: function(){ location.href = '/?assigned_to=unassigned'; } },
-        { id: 'filter-critical', label: 'P1 Critical Tickets', icon: '!', group: 'Filter', action: function(){ location.href = '/?priority=1'; } },
-      ];
-      if (isAdmin) {
-        [
-          { id: 'admin-templates',   label: 'Admin: Templates',     icon: '▤', href: '/admin/templates' },
-          { id: 'admin-workflow',    label: 'Admin: Workflow',       icon: '⇌', href: '/admin/workflow' },
-          { id: 'admin-audit',       label: 'Admin: Audit Log',      icon: '📋', href: '/admin/audit-log' },
-          { id: 'admin-api-keys',    label: 'Admin: API Keys',       icon: '🔑', href: '/admin/api-keys' },
-          { id: 'admin-users',       label: 'Admin: User Activity',  icon: '👤', href: '/admin/user-activity' },
-          { id: 'admin-recurring',   label: 'Admin: Recurring',      icon: '↻', href: '/admin/recurring-tickets' },
-          { id: 'admin-fields',      label: 'Admin: Custom Fields',  icon: '⊞', href: '/admin/custom-fields' },
-        ].forEach(function(c) {
-          commands.push({ id: c.id, label: c.label, icon: c.icon, group: 'Admin', action: function(href){ return function(){ location.href = href; }; }(c.href) });
-        });
-      }
-      // Inject recent ticket IDs from localStorage
-      try {
-        var recent = JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem('lt_recent_tickets') || '[]');
-        recent.slice(0, 5).forEach(function(id) {
-          commands.push({ id: 'recent-' + id, label: 'Ticket #' + id, icon: '◷', group: 'Recent', tags: ['ticket'], action: function(tid){ return function(){ location.href = '/ticket/' + tid; }; }(id) });
-        });
-      } catch(_) {}
-      if (window.lt && lt.cmdPalette) lt.cmdPalette.init(commands);
-      // Bind the header ⌘K trigger here (no inline onclick — CSP blocks inline handlers)
-      var cmdTrigger = document.getElementById('lt-cmd-trigger');
-      if (cmdTrigger) {
-        cmdTrigger.addEventListener('click', function() {
-          if (window.lt && lt.cmdPalette) lt.cmdPalette.open();
-        });
-      }
-    });
-    // Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+K / Cmd+K
-    document.addEventListener('keydown', function(e) {
-      if ((e.ctrlKey || e.metaKey) && e.key === 'k') {
-        e.preventDefault();
-        if (window.lt && lt.cmdPalette) lt.cmdPalette.open();
-      }
-    });
-  })();
-  </script>
+  <!-- Command palette overlay + init live in layout_footer.php (single instance) -->
 
   <main class="lt-main lt-container" id="main-content" style="padding-top: calc(var(--header-height, 56px) + var(--space-lg, 1.5rem))">