diff --git a/web/TiledHome.ts b/web/TiledHome.ts
--- a/web/TiledHome.ts
+++ b/web/TiledHome.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import { createRoot } from "react-dom/cl
 import { getTopGraph } from "./RdfdbSyncedGraph";
 import { SyncedGraph } from "./SyncedGraph";
 import { Patch } from "./patch";
+import { SimpleLayout, fullLayout, persistedLayout, simpleLayout } from "./tiledLayoutPersistence";
 import { NamedNode } from "n3";
 export { RdfdbSyncedGraph } from "./RdfdbSyncedGraph";
 export { Light9CollectorUi } from "./collector/Light9CollectorUi";
@@ -21,22 +22,7 @@ const config: FlexLayout.IJsonModel = {
     tabEnableRename: false,
   },
   borders: [],
-  layout: {
-    type: "row",
-    weight: 100,
-    children: [
-      {
-        type: "tabset",
-        weight: 50,
-        children: [{ type: "tab", name: "devsettings", component: "light9-device-settings" }],
-      },
-      {
-        type: "tabset",
-        weight: 50,
-        children: [{ type: "tab", name: "collector", component: "light9-collector-ui" }],
-      },
-    ],
-  },
+  layout: fullLayout(persistedLayout) as FlexLayout.IJsonRowNode,
 };
 
 // see https://github.com/lit/lit/tree/main/packages/labs/react
@@ -73,8 +59,40 @@ export class Light9HomeStatus extends Li
     super();
     getTopGraph().then((g) => {
       this.graph = g;
+      runHandlerAfterGraphLoads(this.graph, this.homeLayout.bind(this), "homeLayout");
     });
   }
+  homeLayout(patch?: Patch) {
+    const U = this.graph.U();
+    const s = U(":homeLayout");
+    const p = U(":config");
+    let cfg;
+
+    try {
+      cfg = this.graph.stringValue(s, p);
+    } catch (e) {
+      const ctx = new NamedNode(showRoot + "/homeLayout");
+      log(`no config in graph- adding one to `, ctx);
+      cfg = JSON.stringify(persistedLayout);
+      this.graph.patchObject(s, p, this.graph.Literal(cfg), ctx);
+    }
+    const fl = fullLayout(JSON.parse(cfg) as SimpleLayout);
+    log("got config", fl);
+  }
+}
+
+function runHandlerAfterGraphLoads(graph: SyncedGraph, handler: HandlerFunc, label: string) {
+  let patchesSeen = 0;
+  const wrapHandler = (patch?: Patch) => {
+    patchesSeen += 1;
+    if (patchesSeen == 2) {
+      handler(patch);
+    } else {
+      graph.objects(null, null);
+    }
+  };
+
+  graph.runHandler(wrapHandler, label);
 }
 
 const root = createRoot(document.getElementById("container")!);
diff --git a/web/tiledLayoutPersistence.ts b/web/tiledLayoutPersistence.ts
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/tiledLayoutPersistence.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+// for persistence
+interface SimpleLayoutTab {
+  type: "tab";
+  light9Element: string;
+}
+export interface SimpleLayout {
+  type: string;
+  weight?: number;
+  children: (SimpleLayout | SimpleLayoutTab)[];
+}
+// for FlexLayout
+interface FullLayoutTab {
+  type: "tab";
+  name: string;
+  component: string;
+}
+interface FullLayout {
+  type: string;
+  weight?: number;
+  children: (FullLayout | FullLayoutTab)[];
+}
+function tabConfigFromSimpleTabName(name: string): FullLayoutTab {
+  return { type: "tab", name: name.replace(/^light9-/, ""), component: name };
+}
+export function simpleLayout(full: FullLayout | FullLayoutTab): SimpleLayout | SimpleLayoutTab {
+  if (full.type == "tab") {
+    return { type: "tab", light9Element: (full as FullLayoutTab).component };
+  } else {
+    return { ...(full as FullLayout), children: (full as FullLayout).children.map(simpleLayout) };
+  }
+}
+export function fullLayout(simple: SimpleLayout | SimpleLayoutTab): FullLayout | FullLayoutTab {
+  if (simple.type == "tab") {
+    return tabConfigFromSimpleTabName((simple as SimpleLayoutTab).light9Element);
+  } else {
+    return { ...(simple as SimpleLayout), children: (simple as SimpleLayout).children.map(fullLayout) };
+  }
+}
+export const persistedLayout: SimpleLayout = {
+  type: "row",
+  children: [
+    // {
+    //   type: "tabset",
+    //   weight: 50,
+    //   children: [
+    //     {
+    //       type: "tab",
+    //       light9Element: "light9-device-settings",
+    //     },
+    //   ],
+    // },
+    // {
+    //   type: "row",
+    //   weight: 50,
+    //   children: [
+    //     {
+    //       type: "tabset",
+    //       weight: 50,
+    //       children: [
+    //         {
+    //           type: "tab",
+    //           light9Element: "light9-fade-ui",
+    //         },
+    //       ],
+    //     },
+    //     {
+    //       type: "tabset",
+    //       weight: 50,
+    //       children: [
+    //         {
+    //           type: "tab",
+    //           light9Element: "light9-collector-ui",
+    //         },
+    //       ],
+    //     },
+    //   ],
+    // },
+  ],
+};