diff --git a/config/preferences-patch.xml b/config/preferences-patch.xml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0767e7a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/preferences-patch.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,112 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
+<!--
+  Illuscape preferences patch.
+  Applied by scripts/merge_prefs.py — only nodes listed here are changed.
+  Existing user preferences not referenced here are preserved.
+-->
+<inkscape>
+
+  <group id="options">
+
+    <!-- Single-window mode (like Illustrator) -->
+    <group id="window"
+      geometry="maximized"
+      save-geom="true"
+      single="1" />
+
+    <!-- Scroll wheel pans; Ctrl+wheel zooms (Illustrator behavior) -->
+    <group id="scroll"
+      mousewheel-zoom="0"
+      mousewheel-moves-in-history="0" />
+
+    <group id="zoom"
+      mousewheel-zoom-ctrl="1"
+      zoom-to-fit-drawing="1" />
+
+    <!-- Show 20 recent files (Illustrator default; Inkscape default is 4) -->
+    <group id="misc"
+      recent-files="20" />
+
+    <!-- Remember export path; use document name as default export filename -->
+    <group id="export"
+      defaultxdpi="96"
+      defaultydpi="96" />
+
+    <!-- Paste in place by default (enables Ctrl+F/Ctrl+B paste in front/back) -->
+    <group id="clipboard"
+      verbatim="1" />
+
+    <!-- Keyboard preset set at install time by apply_preset() -->
+    <group id="keyboard"
+      file="illustrator-cc" />
+
+    <!-- Document units set at install time by apply_preset() -->
+    <group id="units"
+      doc="px"
+      font="px" />
+
+  </group>
+
+  <group id="tools">
+
+    <!-- Selection: rubber-band selects objects touching the band (Illustrator behavior) -->
+    <group id="select"
+      touch="1" />
+
+    <!-- Node tool: square handles, no rotation handles until double-click -->
+    <group id="nodes"
+      square-handles="1"
+      show-transform-handles="1"
+      show-rotation-handles="0" />
+
+    <!-- Rectangle: no rounded corners by default -->
+    <group id="rect"
+      rx="0"
+      ry="0" />
+
+    <!-- Ellipse: full circle/ellipse by default (not arc/pie) -->
+    <group id="arc"
+      start="0"
+      end="0" />
+
+    <!-- Text: left-aligned by default -->
+    <group id="text"
+      align="start" />
+
+    <!-- Pen: Bezier mode by default (not spiro) -->
+    <group id="freehand"
+      mode="0" />
+
+  </group>
+
+  <group id="document">
+
+    <!-- White canvas background (Illustrator default; Inkscape default is grey) -->
+    <group id="color"
+      background="16777215"
+      background-alpha="255" />
+
+    <!-- Show rulers, border, guides by default -->
+    <group id="display"
+      show-rulers="1"
+      show-page="1"
+      show-guides="1" />
+
+    <!-- Cyan guides (matching Illustrator's default guide color) -->
+    <group id="guides"
+      color="0x0086a1ff"
+      hicolor="0xff0000ff" />
+
+  </group>
+
+  <group id="grid">
+    <!-- Snap to pixel grid by default -->
+    <group id="snap"
+      snaptoglobal="1"
+      snap-to-grids="1"
+      snap-to-guide-lines="1"
+      snap-nodes="1"
+      snap-bbox="1" />
+  </group>
+
+</inkscape>