diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 0517d60de..179bb5fa8 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@
 
 ### Fixes
 
+- Restore the Variables dialog empty state, full-width table layout, unclipped type menu, and expected Escape handling in dialogs and popup menus.
 - Pin the patched `websocket-driver` release used through Trystero/Firebase collaboration to resolve a critical protocol-length advisory.
 - Preserve unrelated Figma prototype, library, export, and raw metadata when editing modeled `.fig` fields, while still overriding stale field-specific payloads.
 - Make canvas text rendering demand missing font faces and verify CJK/Arabic fallback coverage from CanvasKit shaping results instead of coarse script predictions.
diff --git a/src/app/shell/keyboard/registry.ts b/src/app/shell/keyboard/registry.ts
index a9706c83e..8bb08aff2 100644
--- a/src/app/shell/keyboard/registry.ts
+++ b/src/app/shell/keyboard/registry.ts
@@ -52,7 +52,10 @@ function opacityBindings(): ShortcutDefinition[] {
 
 function shouldIgnoreShortcut(event: KeyboardEvent, options: KeyboardShortcutOptions) {
   return (
-    (event.target instanceof Element && event.target.closest('[data-picker-content]') !== null) ||
+    (event.target instanceof Element &&
+      event.target.closest(
+        '[data-picker-content], [role="dialog"], [role="listbox"], [role="menu"]'
+      ) !== null) ||
     isEditing(event) ||
     options.inputFocused.value ||
     !!options.store.state.editingTextId ||
diff --git a/src/components/variables/VariablesDialog.vue b/src/components/variables/VariablesDialog.vue
index 19989c195..f2bd90a66 100644
--- a/src/components/variables/VariablesDialog.vue
+++ b/src/components/variables/VariablesDialog.vue
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ import type { VariableType } from '@open-pencil/scene-graph'
 const open = defineModel<boolean>('open', { default: false })
 const cls = useDialogUI({ content: 'flex h-[75vh] w-[800px] max-w-[90vw] flex-col' })
 const menuCls = useMenuUI({ content: 'w-40' })
+const addVariableMenuCls = useMenuUI({ content: 'w-48' })
 const variableTable = tv(variableTableTheme)
 const tableStyles = variableTable()
 
@@ -128,10 +129,11 @@ function resizeHandleClass(resizing: boolean) {
         :class="cls.content"
       >
         <DialogTitle class="sr-only">{{ dialogs.localVariables }}</DialogTitle>
-        <div v-if="!ctx.hasCollections" class="flex flex-1 flex-col">
+        <div v-if="!ctx.hasCollections.value" class="flex flex-1 flex-col">
           <div class="flex shrink-0 items-center justify-between border-b border-border px-4 py-3">
             <h2 class="text-sm font-semibold text-surface">{{ dialogs.localVariables }}</h2>
             <DialogClose
+              :aria-label="dialogs.close"
               class="flex size-6 cursor-pointer items-center justify-center rounded border-none bg-transparent text-muted hover:bg-hover hover:text-surface"
             >
               <icon-lucide-x class="size-4" />
@@ -235,6 +237,7 @@ function resizeHandleClass(resizing: boolean) {
                   </button>
                 </Tip>
                 <DialogClose
+                  :aria-label="dialogs.close"
                   class="flex size-6 cursor-pointer items-center justify-center rounded border-none bg-transparent text-muted hover:bg-hover hover:text-surface"
                 >
                   <icon-lucide-x class="size-4" />
@@ -250,7 +253,7 @@ function resizeHandleClass(resizing: boolean) {
             >
               <div class="flex-1 overflow-auto">
                 <table
-                  class="w-full border-collapse"
+                  class="w-full min-w-full border-collapse"
                   :style="{ width: `${ctx.table.getCenterTotalSize()}px` }"
                 >
                   <thead class="sticky top-0 z-10 bg-panel">
@@ -395,7 +398,7 @@ function resizeHandleClass(resizing: boolean) {
                       side="top"
                       :side-offset="8"
                       align="end"
-                      :class="menuCls.content"
+                      :class="addVariableMenuCls.content"
                     >
                       <DropdownMenuItem
                         v-for="item in variableTypes"
diff --git a/tests/e2e/variables/dialog.spec.ts b/tests/e2e/variables/dialog.spec.ts
index f47c1a443..ae6534093 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/variables/dialog.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/e2e/variables/dialog.spec.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { expect, test, useEditorSetup } from '#tests/e2e/fixtures'
+import { expectDefined } from '#tests/helpers/assert'
 import { variablesAddTestId } from '#tests/helpers/test-ids'
 
 const editor = useEditorSetup()
@@ -25,12 +26,31 @@ function openVariables() {
     .getByRole('button', { name: 'Open variables' })
 }
 
+test('empty variables dialog offers to create a collection', async () => {
+  await openVariables().click()
+
+  const dialog = editor.page.getByTestId('variables-dialog')
+  await expect(dialog).toBeVisible()
+  await expect(dialog.getByText('No variable collections')).toBeVisible()
+  await expect(dialog.getByRole('button', { name: 'Create collection' })).toBeVisible()
+  await editor.page.keyboard.press('Escape')
+  await expect(dialog).toBeHidden()
+})
+
 test('variables dialog opens', async () => {
   await createColorVariable('primary-color')
 
   await openVariables().click()
-  await expect(editor.page.getByTestId('variables-dialog')).toBeVisible()
+  const dialog = editor.page.getByTestId('variables-dialog')
+  await expect(dialog).toBeVisible()
   await expect(editor.page.locator('[data-default="true"]')).toHaveCount(1)
+  const table = dialog.locator('table')
+  const tableBox = expectDefined(await table.boundingBox(), 'variables table bounds')
+  const scrollerBox = expectDefined(
+    await table.locator('..').boundingBox(),
+    'table scroller bounds'
+  )
+  expect(tableBox.width).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(scrollerBox.width)
   editor.canvas.assertNoErrors()
 })
 
@@ -55,6 +75,17 @@ test('add variable menu creates non-color variable types', async () => {
   await editor.page.getByTestId('variables-search-input').fill('')
   await editor.canvas.waitForRender()
 
+  await editor.page.getByTestId('variables-add-variable').click()
+  const numberOption = editor.page.getByTestId(variablesAddTestId('FLOAT'))
+  const numberHint = numberOption.getByText('Sizes, spacing, opacity')
+  await expect(numberHint).toBeVisible()
+  expect(await numberHint.evaluate((element) => element.scrollWidth <= element.clientWidth)).toBe(
+    true
+  )
+  await editor.page.keyboard.press('Escape')
+  await expect(numberOption).toBeHidden()
+  await expect(editor.page.getByTestId('variables-dialog')).toBeVisible()
+
   await editor.page.getByTestId('variables-add-variable').click()
   await editor.page.getByTestId(variablesAddTestId('FLOAT')).click()
   await expect(