diff --git a/modules/home-manager/eww/eww.scss b/modules/home-manager/eww/eww.scss
index bba8d1f..145eba6 100644
--- a/modules/home-manager/eww/eww.scss
+++ b/modules/home-manager/eww/eww.scss
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ $rosewater: #f5e0dc;
 }
 
 .sidestuff slider {
-  color: #ffd5cd;
+  color: $sapphire;
 }
 
 .metric {}
@@ -75,10 +75,26 @@ $rosewater: #f5e0dc;
 
 .vol .muted,
 .mic .live {
-  color: #f38ba8;
+  color: $red;
 }
 
 .vol .live,
 .mic .muted {
-  color: #74c7ec;
+  color: $sapphire;
 }
+
+.workspace {
+  padding-left: 10px;
+  padding-right: 10px;
+  color: #666666;
+}
+
+.workspace.occupied {
+  color: $text;
+}
+
+.workspace.occupied.focused,
+.workspace.focused {
+  color: $base;
+  background-color: $sapphire;
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/modules/home-manager/eww/eww.yuck b/modules/home-manager/eww/eww.yuck
index 1daa3a5..2c20cc9 100644
--- a/modules/home-manager/eww/eww.yuck
+++ b/modules/home-manager/eww/eww.yuck
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@
   (bar))
 
 (defwidget sidestuff []
-  (box :class "sidestuff" :orientation "h" :space-evenly false :halign "start" :valign "center" :spacing 20
+  (box :class "sidestuff" :orientation "h" :space-evenly false :halign "start" :valign "center" :spacing 10
     time
     ; TODO: indicator/tray/taskbar/toolbar icons and management? (probably should use something standalone?)
     ; https://github.com/elkowar/eww/issues/111
@@ -49,8 +49,8 @@
     )
     {" ${round(EWW_CPU["avg"], 0)}%"}
     {" ${round(EWW_RAM["used_mem_perc"], 0)}%"}
-    {showBrightness == "false" ? "" : (" ${brightness}%")}
-    {showBattery == "false" ? "" : ("󱊣 ${EWW_BATTERY["BAT1"]["capacity"]}% (${batteryTime})")}
+    {(showBrightness == "true") ? (" ${brightness}%") : ""}
+    {(showBattery == "true") ? ("󱊣 ${EWW_BATTERY["BAT1"]["capacity"]}% (${batteryTime})") : ""}
     (box :orientation "h" :space-evenly false :halign "start" :valign "center" (workspaces))
   ))
 
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@
   "pamixer --default-source --get-mute; pactl subscribe | grep source --line-buffered | while read i; do pamixer --default-source --get-mute; done")
 
 (deflisten batteryTime :initial "unknown"
-  "upower -d | rg '\\s*time to empty:\\s*(\\d.*)\$' -r '\$1'")
+  "command -v upower && upower -d | rg '\\s*time to empty:\\s*(\\d.*)\$' -r '\$1'")
 
 ; (deflisten batteryTime :initial "unknown"
 ;   "upower -d | rg '\s*time to empty:\s*(\d.*)\$' -r '\$1'; upower --monitor-detail | rg '\s*time to empty:\s*(\d.*)\$' -r '\$1'")
diff --git a/modules/home-manager/eww/scripts/hypr-workspaces.bash b/modules/home-manager/eww/scripts/hypr-workspaces.bash
index 05c288a..5baa1aa 100755
--- a/modules/home-manager/eww/scripts/hypr-workspaces.bash
+++ b/modules/home-manager/eww/scripts/hypr-workspaces.bash
@@ -5,12 +5,12 @@ ic=(1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9)
 
 #initial check for occupied workspaces
 for num in $(hyprctl workspaces | grep ID | sed 's/()/(1)/g' | awk 'NR>1{print $1}' RS='(' FS=')'); do 
-  export o"$num"="$num"
+  export o"$num"=" occupied"
 done
  
 #initial check for focused workspace
 for num in $(hyprctl monitors | grep active | sed 's/()/(1)/g' | awk 'NR>1{print $1}' RS='(' FS=')'); do 
-  export f"$num"="$num"
+  export f"$num"=" focused"
   export fnum=f"$num"
 done
 
@@ -19,13 +19,13 @@ workspaces() {
     # set focused workspace
     unset -v "$fnum"
     num=${1:11}
-    export f"$num"="$num"
+    export f"$num"=" focused"
     export fnum=f"$num"
   elif [[ ${1:0:15} == "createworkspace" ]]; then 
     # set occupied workspace
     num=${1:17}
-    export o"$num"="$num"
-    export f"$num"="$num"
+    export o"$num"=" occupied"
+    export f"$num"=" focused"
   elif [[ ${1:0:16} == "destroyworkspace" ]]; then
     # unset occupied workspace
     num=${1:18}
@@ -34,16 +34,16 @@ workspaces() {
 
   # render eww widget
   echo "(eventbox :onscroll \"echo {} | sed -e 's/up/-1/g' -e 's/down/+1/g' | xargs hyprctl dispatch workspace\" \
-    (box :class \"works\" :orientation \"h\" :spacing 5 :space-evenly \"true\" \
-      (button :onclick \"hyprctl dispatch workspace 1\" :onrightclick \"hyprctl dispatch workspace 1\" :class \"ws_$o1$f1\" \"${ic[0]}\") \
-      (button :onclick \"hyprctl dispatch workspace 2\" :onrightclick \"hyprctl dispatch workspace 2\" :class \"ws_$o2$f2\" \"${ic[1]}\") \
-      (button :onclick \"hyprctl dispatch workspace 3\" :onrightclick \"hyprctl dispatch workspace 3\" :class \"ws_$o3$f3\" \"${ic[2]}\") \
-      (button :onclick \"hyprctl dispatch workspace 4\" :onrightclick \"hyprctl dispatch workspace 4\" :class \"ws_$o4$f4\" \"${ic[3]}\") \
-      (button :onclick \"hyprctl dispatch workspace 5\" :onrightclick \"hyprctl dispatch workspace 5\" :class \"ws_$o5$f5\" \"${ic[4]}\") \
-      (button :onclick \"hyprctl dispatch workspace 6\" :onrightclick \"hyprctl dispatch workspace 6\" :class \"ws_$o6$f6\" \"${ic[5]}\") \
-      (button :onclick \"hyprctl dispatch workspace 7\" :onrightclick \"hyprctl dispatch workspace 7\" :class \"ws_$o7$f7\" \"${ic[6]}\") \
-      (button :onclick \"hyprctl dispatch workspace 8\" :onrightclick \"hyprctl dispatch workspace 8\" :class \"ws_$o8$f8\" \"${ic[7]}\") \
-      (button :onclick \"hyprctl dispatch workspace 9\" :onrightclick \"hyprctl dispatch workspace 9\" :class \"ws_$o9$f9\" \"${ic[8]}\") \
+    (box :class \"workspaces\" :orientation \"h\" :spacing 0 :space-evenly \"true\" \
+      (button :onclick \"hyprctl dispatch workspace 1\" :onrightclick \"hyprctl dispatch workspace 1\" :class \"workspace$o1$f1\" \"${ic[0]}\") \
+      (button :onclick \"hyprctl dispatch workspace 2\" :onrightclick \"hyprctl dispatch workspace 2\" :class \"workspace$o2$f2\" \"${ic[1]}\") \
+      (button :onclick \"hyprctl dispatch workspace 3\" :onrightclick \"hyprctl dispatch workspace 3\" :class \"workspace$o3$f3\" \"${ic[2]}\") \
+      (button :onclick \"hyprctl dispatch workspace 4\" :onrightclick \"hyprctl dispatch workspace 4\" :class \"workspace$o4$f4\" \"${ic[3]}\") \
+      (button :onclick \"hyprctl dispatch workspace 5\" :onrightclick \"hyprctl dispatch workspace 5\" :class \"workspace$o5$f5\" \"${ic[4]}\") \
+      (button :onclick \"hyprctl dispatch workspace 6\" :onrightclick \"hyprctl dispatch workspace 6\" :class \"workspace$o6$f6\" \"${ic[5]}\") \
+      (button :onclick \"hyprctl dispatch workspace 7\" :onrightclick \"hyprctl dispatch workspace 7\" :class \"workspace$o7$f7\" \"${ic[6]}\") \
+      (button :onclick \"hyprctl dispatch workspace 8\" :onrightclick \"hyprctl dispatch workspace 8\" :class \"workspace$o8$f8\" \"${ic[7]}\") \
+      (button :onclick \"hyprctl dispatch workspace 9\" :onrightclick \"hyprctl dispatch workspace 9\" :class \"workspace$o9$f9\" \"${ic[8]}\") \
     ) \
   )"
 }
@@ -52,6 +52,6 @@ workspaces() {
 workspaces
 
 # listen to events and re-render
-nc -u -l -U /tmp/hypr/"$HYPRLAND_INSTANCE_SIGNATURE"/.socket2.sock - | while read -r event; do 
+socat - UNIX-CONNECT:/tmp/hypr/"${HYPRLAND_INSTANCE_SIGNATURE}"/.socket2.sock | while read -r event; do
   workspaces "$event"
 done
diff --git a/modules/nixos/hyprland.nix b/modules/nixos/hyprland.nix
index 733e209..cff2ac2 100644
--- a/modules/nixos/hyprland.nix
+++ b/modules/nixos/hyprland.nix
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
         enable = true;
         package = inputs.hyprland.packages.${pkgs.system}.hyprland;
       };
-      environment.systemPackages = with pkgs; [hyprpaper xwaylandvideobridge];
+      environment.systemPackages = with pkgs; [hyprpaper xwaylandvideobridge socat];
     }
   ];
 }