diff --git a/qt/src/GhosttySurface.cpp b/qt/src/GhosttySurface.cpp
index 2c432f96c..e5abd29cf 100644
--- a/qt/src/GhosttySurface.cpp
+++ b/qt/src/GhosttySurface.cpp
@@ -317,8 +317,10 @@ void GhosttySurface::paintEvent(QPaintEvent *) {
   // Unfocused-split dimming: a translucent fill over an inactive pane.
   // Only split panes (a QSplitter parent) are dimmed, matching GTK.
   if (!hasFocus() && qobject_cast<QSplitter *>(parentWidget())) {
-    double opacity = 0.7;
-    config::get(&opacity, "unfocused-split-opacity");
+    double opacity = 0.7;  // default: 70% opaque
+    // On read failure opacity keeps the default; the success bit
+    // isn't load-bearing.
+    (void)config::get(&opacity, "unfocused-split-opacity");
     if (opacity < 1.0) {
       QColor fill(0, 0, 0);  // default: dim toward black
       ghostty_config_color_s c{};
diff --git a/qt/src/MainWindow.cpp b/qt/src/MainWindow.cpp
index f7485aa6b..61a85922c 100644
--- a/qt/src/MainWindow.cpp
+++ b/qt/src/MainWindow.cpp
@@ -289,7 +289,8 @@ MainWindow *MainWindow::newWindow(ghostty_surface_t parent) {
   if (!s_initialWindowConsumed) {
     s_initialWindowConsumed = true;
     bool initialWindow = true;
-    config::get(&initialWindow, "initial-window");
+    // Default-on; the success bit isn't load-bearing.
+    (void)config::get(&initialWindow, "initial-window");
     wantsShow = initialWindow;
   }
   if (wantsShow) w->show();
@@ -1068,7 +1069,8 @@ void MainWindow::refreshChrome() {
   // runtime; mirrors the calculation in initialize().
   if (GhosttyApp::instance().config()) {
     bool quitAfter = true;
-    config::get(&quitAfter, "quit-after-last-window-closed");
+    // Default-on; the success bit isn't load-bearing.
+    (void)config::get(&quitAfter, "quit-after-last-window-closed");
     // Same Duration-decode workaround as initialize().
     const uint64_t delayNs =
         config::durationNs("quit-after-last-window-closed-delay", 0);
@@ -1370,9 +1372,10 @@ void MainWindow::toggleCommandPalette(GhosttySurface *surface) {
 void MainWindow::applyBlur() {
   // background-blur is a union whose C value is an i16: 0 (and the
   // macOS-only negatives) means off, a positive radius means on. KWin
-  // uses its own configured radius, so only on/off matters here.
+  // uses its own configured radius, so only on/off matters here. On
+  // read failure blur stays 0 (off).
   short blur = 0;
-  config::get(&blur, "background-blur");
+  (void)config::get(&blur, "background-blur");
   applyWindowBlur(this, blur > 0);
 }
 
diff --git a/qt/src/config/Config.h b/qt/src/config/Config.h
index 7dcc8971e..dc5386cd2 100644
--- a/qt/src/config/Config.h
+++ b/qt/src/config/Config.h
@@ -20,17 +20,17 @@ namespace config {
 // The live ghostty_config_t. Returns nullptr before the singleton has
 // finished ensureInitialized — callers that read config during early
 // startup (before the first MainWindow::initialize) must check.
-ghostty_config_t handle();
+[[nodiscard]] ghostty_config_t handle();
 
 // Read a string-valued config key (or an enum, which libghostty
 // returns as its tag-name string). Empty if absent or the call
 // fails.
-QString string(const char *key);
+[[nodiscard]] QString string(const char *key);
 
 // Read a bool-valued config key. Returns `fallback` when the key is
 // absent or the call fails. Note: libghostty's bool config keys are
 // strict bools, NOT packed bitfields — see bitfield<>() for those.
-bool boolean(const char *key, bool fallback);
+[[nodiscard]] bool boolean(const char *key, bool fallback);
 
 // Parse a duration config key as nanoseconds via the on-disk
 // fallback. Use this for `?Duration` (optional) keys: c_get.zig
@@ -41,18 +41,18 @@ bool boolean(const char *key, bool fallback);
 // with `unsigned long long` and a manual ms→ns multiplication, NOT
 // this wrapper, to avoid a redundant disk re-scan on every read.
 // Returns `fallbackNs` on parse failure or absent key.
-uint64_t durationNs(const char *key, uint64_t fallbackNs);
+[[nodiscard]] uint64_t durationNs(const char *key, uint64_t fallbackNs);
 
 // Scan the user's primary on-disk config file for `key = value`
 // directly. Used for keys ghostty_config_get can't decode (Duration,
 // repeating paths). Returns the last matching value, or empty.
-QString diskValue(const char *key);
+[[nodiscard]] QString diskValue(const char *key);
 
 // True if the live config has any custom-shader entry. Drives
 // GhosttySurface's premultiply pass — `custom-shader` is a
 // repeatable path that ghostty_config_get can't expose, so we scan
 // the on-disk config text directly.
-bool hasCustomShader();
+[[nodiscard]] bool hasCustomShader();
 
 // Read a packed-bitfield config key. libghostty serializes packed
 // structs as a c_uint via c_get.zig (`ptr.* = @intCast(@as(Backing,
@@ -61,14 +61,14 @@ bool hasCustomShader();
 // for a one-field packed struct) under-sizes the write and corrupts
 // adjacent stack — always go through this. Returns `fallbackBits`
 // when ghostty_config_get fails.
-unsigned int bitfield(const char *key, unsigned int fallbackBits);
+[[nodiscard]] unsigned int bitfield(const char *key, unsigned int fallbackBits);
 
 // Read a path-valued disk config and expand a leading `~/` to the
 // user's home directory. Returns empty when the key is absent.
 // Path-valued keys are read off-disk (libghostty doesn't surface
 // them through ghostty_config_get) so this is just diskValue() with
 // a tilde-expansion pass.
-QString expandedPath(const char *key);
+[[nodiscard]] QString expandedPath(const char *key);
 
 // Wrapper around ghostty_config_get that infers the value's length
 // from a string literal so call sites stop repeating qstrlen(). The
@@ -79,9 +79,11 @@ QString expandedPath(const char *key);
 // `out` must point to the type ghostty.h documents for the key
 // (bool* for bool keys, ghostty_config_color_s* for colors, etc.).
 // Returns false when the key is absent or the underlying call
-// fails.
+// fails. The success bit MUST be checked — `out` is left untouched
+// on failure, so dropping the return masks an unread / unwritten
+// access.
 template <typename T, size_t N>
-inline bool get(T *out, const char (&key)[N]) {
+[[nodiscard]] inline bool get(T *out, const char (&key)[N]) {
   static_assert(N > 1, "config::get requires a non-empty key literal");
   ghostty_config_t cfg = handle();
   return cfg && ghostty_config_get(cfg, out, key, N - 1);
diff --git a/qt/src/quickterm/QuickTerminal.cpp b/qt/src/quickterm/QuickTerminal.cpp
index b00d647c6..dbc83e281 100644
--- a/qt/src/quickterm/QuickTerminal.cpp
+++ b/qt/src/quickterm/QuickTerminal.cpp
@@ -36,7 +36,9 @@ constexpr const char *kAnimProperty = "ghastty.quickterm.anim";
 // and a very large value doesn't lock the user out.
 int animationMs() {
   double secs = 0.2;  // matches Config.zig default
-  config::get(&secs, "quick-terminal-animation-duration");
+  // On read failure secs keeps the default; the success bit isn't
+  // load-bearing.
+  (void)config::get(&secs, "quick-terminal-animation-duration");
   if (secs <= 0.0) return 0;
   return std::clamp(static_cast<int>(secs * 1000.0), 1, 1000);
 }
@@ -117,8 +119,10 @@ void setupLayerShell(QWidget *window) {
   const QSize scr = screen ? screen->size() : QSize(1920, 1080);
 
   // quick-terminal-size: primary is the edge-perpendicular extent.
+  // On read failure qsz stays zero-initialized and toPx falls back to
+  // its `fallback` argument; the success bit isn't load-bearing.
   ghostty_config_quick_terminal_size_s qsz = {};
-  config::get(&qsz, "quick-terminal-size");
+  (void)config::get(&qsz, "quick-terminal-size");
   const auto toPx = [](const ghostty_quick_terminal_size_s &s, int dim,
                        int fallback) -> int {
     switch (s.tag) {