diff --git a/account/sx/layouts.sx b/account/sx/layouts.sx
index 06af8df..19c028a 100644
--- a/account/sx/layouts.sx
+++ b/account/sx/layouts.sx
@@ -1,9 +1,12 @@
 ;; Account layout defcomps — read ctx values from env free variables.
 ;; Registered via register_sx_layout("account", ...) in __init__.py.
+;; Free variables come from _ctx_to_env() in shared/sx/helpers.py.
 
 ;; Full page: root header + auth header row in header-child
 (defcomp ~account-layout-full ()
-  (<> (~root-header)
+  (<> (~root-header :cart-mini cart-mini :blog-url blog-url :site-title site-title
+                     :app-label app-label :nav-tree nav-tree :auth-menu auth-menu
+                     :nav-panel nav-panel :settings-url settings-url :is-admin is-admin)
     (~header-child-sx
       :inner (~auth-header-row :account-url account-url
                                 :select-colours select-colours
@@ -15,7 +18,10 @@
                          :select-colours select-colours
                          :account-nav account-nav
                          :oob true)
-    (~root-header :oob true)))
+    (~root-header :cart-mini cart-mini :blog-url blog-url :site-title site-title
+                   :app-label app-label :nav-tree nav-tree :auth-menu auth-menu
+                   :nav-panel nav-panel :settings-url settings-url :is-admin is-admin
+                   :oob true)))
 
 ;; Mobile menu: auth section + root nav
 (defcomp ~account-layout-mobile ()
@@ -24,4 +30,4 @@
         :items (~auth-nav-items :account-url account-url
                                  :select-colours select-colours
                                  :account-nav account-nav))
-    (~root-mobile)))
+    (~root-mobile :nav-tree nav-tree :auth-menu auth-menu)))
diff --git a/federation/sx/layouts.sx b/federation/sx/layouts.sx
index 321eb55..c2587da 100644
--- a/federation/sx/layouts.sx
+++ b/federation/sx/layouts.sx
@@ -3,7 +3,9 @@
 
 ;; Full page: root header + social header in header-child
 (defcomp ~social-layout-full ()
-  (<> (~root-header)
+  (<> (~root-header :cart-mini cart-mini :blog-url blog-url :site-title site-title
+                     :app-label app-label :nav-tree nav-tree :auth-menu auth-menu
+                     :nav-panel nav-panel :settings-url settings-url :is-admin is-admin)
     (~header-child-sx
       :inner (~federation-social-header
                :nav (~federation-social-nav :actor actor)))))
@@ -14,4 +16,7 @@
         :parent-id "root-header-child"
         :row (~federation-social-header
                :nav (~federation-social-nav :actor actor)))
-    (~root-header :oob true)))
+    (~root-header :cart-mini cart-mini :blog-url blog-url :site-title site-title
+                   :app-label app-label :nav-tree nav-tree :auth-menu auth-menu
+                   :nav-panel nav-panel :settings-url settings-url :is-admin is-admin
+                   :oob true)))
diff --git a/orders/sx/layouts.sx b/orders/sx/layouts.sx
index d141577..16867d0 100644
--- a/orders/sx/layouts.sx
+++ b/orders/sx/layouts.sx
@@ -4,7 +4,9 @@
 ;; --- orders layout: root + auth + orders rows ---
 
 (defcomp ~orders-layout-full (&key list-url)
-  (<> (~root-header)
+  (<> (~root-header :cart-mini cart-mini :blog-url blog-url :site-title site-title
+                     :app-label app-label :nav-tree nav-tree :auth-menu auth-menu
+                     :nav-panel nav-panel :settings-url settings-url :is-admin is-admin)
     (~header-child-sx
       :inner (<> (~auth-header-row :account-url account-url
                                     :select-colours select-colours
@@ -19,15 +21,20 @@
     (~oob-header-sx
       :parent-id "auth-header-child"
       :row (~orders-header-row :list-url (or list-url "/")))
-    (~root-header :oob true)))
+    (~root-header :cart-mini cart-mini :blog-url blog-url :site-title site-title
+                   :app-label app-label :nav-tree nav-tree :auth-menu auth-menu
+                   :nav-panel nav-panel :settings-url settings-url :is-admin is-admin
+                   :oob true)))
 
 (defcomp ~orders-layout-mobile ()
-  (~root-mobile))
+  (~root-mobile :nav-tree nav-tree :auth-menu auth-menu))
 
 ;; --- order-detail layout: root + auth + orders + order rows ---
 
 (defcomp ~order-detail-layout-full (&key list-url detail-url)
-  (<> (~root-header)
+  (<> (~root-header :cart-mini cart-mini :blog-url blog-url :site-title site-title
+                     :app-label app-label :nav-tree nav-tree :auth-menu auth-menu
+                     :nav-panel nav-panel :settings-url settings-url :is-admin is-admin)
     (~order-detail-header-stack
       :auth (~auth-header-row :account-url account-url
                                :select-colours select-colours
@@ -43,7 +50,10 @@
         :row (~menu-row-sx :id "order-row" :level 3 :colour "sky"
                :link-href (or detail-url "/") :link-label "Order"
                :icon "fa fa-gbp" :oob true))
-    (~root-header :oob true)))
+    (~root-header :cart-mini cart-mini :blog-url blog-url :site-title site-title
+                   :app-label app-label :nav-tree nav-tree :auth-menu auth-menu
+                   :nav-panel nav-panel :settings-url settings-url :is-admin is-admin
+                   :oob true)))
 
 (defcomp ~order-detail-layout-mobile ()
-  (~root-mobile))
+  (~root-mobile :nav-tree nav-tree :auth-menu auth-menu))
diff --git a/shared/sx/templates/layout.sx b/shared/sx/templates/layout.sx
index b18bf7b..0ab4679 100644
--- a/shared/sx/templates/layout.sx
+++ b/shared/sx/templates/layout.sx
@@ -146,24 +146,40 @@
     (when auth-menu
       (div :class "p-3 border-t border-stone-200" auth-menu))))
 
+;; ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+;; Root header/mobile shorthand — pass-through to shared defcomps.
+;; All values must be supplied as &key args (not free variables) because
+;; nested component calls in _aser are serialized without expansion.
+;; ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+(defcomp ~root-header (&key cart-mini blog-url site-title app-label
+                             nav-tree auth-menu nav-panel settings-url is-admin oob)
+  (~header-row-sx :cart-mini cart-mini :blog-url blog-url :site-title site-title
+                   :app-label app-label :nav-tree nav-tree :auth-menu auth-menu
+                   :nav-panel nav-panel :settings-url settings-url :is-admin is-admin
+                   :oob oob))
+
+(defcomp ~root-mobile (&key nav-tree auth-menu)
+  (~mobile-root-nav :nav-tree nav-tree :auth-menu auth-menu))
+
 ;; ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 ;; Built-in layout defcomps — used by register_sx_layout("root", ...)
 ;; Free variables (cart-mini, blog-url, etc.) come from _ctx_to_env().
 ;; ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 (defcomp ~layout-root-full ()
-  (~header-row-sx :cart-mini cart-mini :blog-url blog-url :site-title site-title
-                   :app-label app-label :nav-tree nav-tree :auth-menu auth-menu
-                   :nav-panel nav-panel :settings-url settings-url :is-admin is-admin))
+  (~root-header :cart-mini cart-mini :blog-url blog-url :site-title site-title
+                 :app-label app-label :nav-tree nav-tree :auth-menu auth-menu
+                 :nav-panel nav-panel :settings-url settings-url :is-admin is-admin))
 
 (defcomp ~layout-root-oob ()
   (~oob-header-sx :parent-id "root-header-child"
-    :row (~header-row-sx :cart-mini cart-mini :blog-url blog-url :site-title site-title
-                          :app-label app-label :nav-tree nav-tree :auth-menu auth-menu
-                          :nav-panel nav-panel :settings-url settings-url :is-admin is-admin)))
+    :row (~root-header :cart-mini cart-mini :blog-url blog-url :site-title site-title
+                        :app-label app-label :nav-tree nav-tree :auth-menu auth-menu
+                        :nav-panel nav-panel :settings-url settings-url :is-admin is-admin)))
 
 (defcomp ~layout-root-mobile ()
-  (~mobile-root-nav :nav-tree nav-tree :auth-menu auth-menu))
+  (~root-mobile :nav-tree nav-tree :auth-menu auth-menu))
 
 (defcomp ~error-content (&key errnum message image)
   (div :class "text-center p-8 max-w-lg mx-auto"