diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 3d6612f..1c2a976 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ internal/examples/plugins/plugins
 internal/examples/realtimechart/realtimechart
 internal/examples/shakespeare/shakespeare
 internal/examples/nats-chatroom/nats-chatroom
+/nats-chatroom
 
 # NATS data directory
 data/
diff --git a/internal/examples/nats-chatroom/chat.css b/internal/examples/nats-chatroom/chat.css
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3c5e5d2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/examples/nats-chatroom/chat.css
@@ -0,0 +1,153 @@
+body { margin: 0; }
+
+/* Layout navbar */
+.app-nav {
+	display: flex;
+	align-items: center;
+	gap: 1rem;
+	padding: 0.5rem 1rem;
+	background: var(--pico-card-background-color);
+	border-bottom: 1px solid var(--pico-muted-border-color);
+}
+.app-nav .brand {
+	font-weight: 700;
+	text-decoration: none;
+	margin-right: auto;
+}
+.nav-links {
+	display: flex;
+	gap: 1rem;
+}
+.nav-links a {
+	text-decoration: none;
+	font-size: 0.875rem;
+}
+
+/* Chat page */
+.chat-page {
+	display: flex;
+	flex-direction: column;
+	height: calc(100vh - 53px);
+}
+nav[role="tab-control"] ul li a[aria-current="page"] {
+	background-color: var(--pico-primary-background);
+	color: var(--pico-primary-inverse);
+	border-bottom: 2px solid var(--pico-primary);
+}
+.chat-message { display: flex; gap: 0.75rem; margin-bottom: 0.5rem; }
+.avatar {
+	width: 2rem;
+	height: 2rem;
+	border-radius: 50%;
+	background: var(--pico-muted-border-color);
+	display: grid;
+	place-items: center;
+	font-size: 1.5rem;
+	flex-shrink: 0;
+}
+.avatar-lg {
+	width: 3rem;
+	height: 3rem;
+	font-size: 2rem;
+}
+.bubble { flex: 1; }
+.bubble p { margin: 0; }
+.chat-history {
+	flex: 1;
+	overflow-y: auto;
+	padding: 1rem;
+	padding-bottom: calc(88px + env(safe-area-inset-bottom));
+}
+.chat-input {
+	position: fixed;
+	left: 0;
+	right: 0;
+	bottom: 0;
+	background: var(--pico-background-color);
+	display: flex;
+	align-items: center;
+	gap: 0.75rem;
+	padding: 0.75rem 1rem calc(0.75rem + env(safe-area-inset-bottom));
+	border-top: 1px solid var(--pico-muted-border-color);
+}
+.chat-input fieldset {
+	flex: 1;
+	margin: 0;
+}
+
+/* NATS badge with status dot */
+.nats-badge {
+	background: #27AAE1;
+	color: white;
+	padding: 0.25rem 0.5rem;
+	border-radius: 4px;
+	font-size: 0.75rem;
+	margin-left: auto;
+	display: flex;
+	align-items: center;
+	gap: 0.375rem;
+}
+.status-dot {
+	width: 8px;
+	height: 8px;
+	border-radius: 50%;
+	background: #4ade80;
+	animation: pulse 2s ease-in-out infinite;
+}
+@keyframes pulse {
+	0%, 100% { opacity: 1; }
+	50% { opacity: 0.4; }
+}
+
+/* Profile page */
+.profile-page {
+	max-width: 480px;
+	margin: 0 auto;
+	padding: 2rem 1rem;
+}
+.profile-preview {
+	display: flex;
+	align-items: center;
+	gap: 0.75rem;
+	margin-bottom: 1.5rem;
+	padding: 1rem;
+	background: var(--pico-card-background-color);
+	border-radius: 8px;
+}
+.preview-name {
+	font-size: 1.125rem;
+	font-weight: 600;
+}
+.profile-form label {
+	display: block;
+	margin-bottom: 0.5rem;
+}
+.emoji-grid {
+	display: grid;
+	grid-template-columns: repeat(10, 1fr);
+	gap: 0.25rem;
+	margin-bottom: 1.5rem;
+}
+.emoji-option {
+	padding: 0.375rem;
+	font-size: 1.25rem;
+	border: 2px solid transparent;
+	border-radius: 8px;
+	background: none;
+	cursor: pointer;
+	text-align: center;
+}
+.emoji-option:hover {
+	background: var(--pico-muted-border-color);
+}
+.emoji-selected {
+	border-color: var(--pico-primary);
+	background: var(--pico-primary-focus);
+}
+.profile-actions {
+	display: flex;
+	gap: 0.75rem;
+}
+.field-error {
+	color: var(--pico-del-color);
+}
diff --git a/internal/examples/nats-chatroom/chat.go b/internal/examples/nats-chatroom/chat.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9a2d118
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/examples/nats-chatroom/chat.go
@@ -0,0 +1,148 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"sync"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/ryanhamamura/via"
+	"github.com/ryanhamamura/via/h"
+)
+
+var (
+	WithSignal = via.WithSignal
+)
+
+func ChatPage(c *via.Context) {
+	currentUser := UserInfo{
+		Name:  c.Session().GetString(SessionKeyUsername),
+		Emoji: c.Session().GetString(SessionKeyEmoji),
+	}
+
+	roomSignal := c.Signal("Go")
+	statement := c.Signal("")
+
+	var messages []ChatMessage
+	var messagesMu sync.Mutex
+	currentRoom := "Go"
+
+	var currentSub via.Subscription
+
+	subscribeToRoom := func(room string) {
+		if currentSub != nil {
+			currentSub.Unsubscribe()
+		}
+
+		subject := "chat.room." + room
+
+		if hist, err := via.ReplayHistory[ChatMessage](v, subject, 50); err == nil {
+			messages = hist
+		}
+
+		sub, _ := via.Subscribe(c, subject, func(msg ChatMessage) {
+			messagesMu.Lock()
+			messages = append(messages, msg)
+			if len(messages) > 50 {
+				messages = messages[len(messages)-50:]
+			}
+			messagesMu.Unlock()
+			c.Sync()
+		})
+		currentSub = sub
+		currentRoom = room
+	}
+
+	subscribeToRoom("Go")
+
+	// Heartbeat — keeps connected indicator alive
+	connected := true
+	c.OnInterval(30*time.Second, func() {
+		connected = true
+		c.Sync()
+	})
+
+	switchRoom := c.Action(func() {
+		newRoom := roomSignal.String()
+		if newRoom != currentRoom {
+			messagesMu.Lock()
+			messages = nil
+			messagesMu.Unlock()
+			subscribeToRoom(newRoom)
+			c.Sync()
+		}
+	})
+
+	say := c.Action(func() {
+		msg := statement.String()
+		if msg == "" {
+			msg = randomDevQuote()
+		}
+		statement.SetValue("")
+
+		via.Publish(c, "chat.room."+currentRoom, ChatMessage{
+			User:    currentUser,
+			Message: msg,
+			Time:    time.Now().UnixMilli(),
+		})
+	})
+
+	c.View(func() h.H {
+		var tabs []h.H
+		for _, name := range roomNames {
+			isCurrent := name == currentRoom
+			tabs = append(tabs, h.Li(
+				h.A(
+					h.If(isCurrent, h.Attr("aria-current", "page")),
+					h.Text(name),
+					switchRoom.OnClick(WithSignal(roomSignal, name)),
+				),
+			))
+		}
+
+		messagesMu.Lock()
+		chatHistoryChildren := []h.H{
+			h.Class("chat-history"),
+			h.Script(h.Raw(`new MutationObserver(()=>scrollChatToBottom()).observe(document.querySelector('.chat-history'), {childList:true})`)),
+		}
+		for _, msg := range messages {
+			chatHistoryChildren = append(chatHistoryChildren,
+				h.Div(h.Class("chat-message"),
+					h.Div(h.Class("avatar"), h.Attr("title", msg.User.Name), h.Text(msg.User.Emoji)),
+					h.Div(h.Class("bubble"),
+						h.P(h.Text(msg.Message)),
+					),
+				),
+			)
+		}
+		messagesMu.Unlock()
+
+		_ = connected
+
+		return h.Div(h.Class("chat-page"),
+			h.Nav(
+				h.Attr("role", "tab-control"),
+				h.Ul(tabs...),
+				h.Span(h.Class("nats-badge"),
+					h.Span(h.Class("status-dot")),
+					h.Text("NATS"),
+				),
+			),
+			h.Div(chatHistoryChildren...),
+			h.Div(
+				h.Class("chat-input"),
+				h.DataIgnoreMorph(),
+				currentUser.Avatar(),
+				h.FieldSet(
+					h.Attr("role", "group"),
+					h.Input(
+						h.Type("text"),
+						h.Placeholder(currentUser.Name+" says..."),
+						statement.Bind(),
+						h.Attr("autofocus"),
+						say.OnKeyDown("Enter"),
+					),
+					h.Button(h.Text("Send"), say.OnClick()),
+				),
+			),
+		)
+	})
+}
diff --git a/internal/examples/nats-chatroom/main.go b/internal/examples/nats-chatroom/main.go
index 6abf378..530827b 100644
--- a/internal/examples/nats-chatroom/main.go
+++ b/internal/examples/nats-chatroom/main.go
@@ -1,40 +1,21 @@
 package main
 
 import (
+	_ "embed"
 	"log"
-	"math/rand"
-	"sync"
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/ryanhamamura/via"
 	"github.com/ryanhamamura/via/h"
 )
 
-var (
-	WithSignal = via.WithSignal
-)
+//go:embed chat.css
+var chatCSS string
 
-// ChatMessage represents a message in a chat room
-type ChatMessage struct {
-	User    UserInfo `json:"user"`
-	Message string   `json:"message"`
-	Time    int64    `json:"time"`
-}
-
-// UserInfo identifies a chat participant
-type UserInfo struct {
-	Name  string `json:"name"`
-	Emoji string `json:"emoji"`
-}
-
-func (u *UserInfo) Avatar() h.H {
-	return h.Div(h.Class("avatar"), h.Attr("title", u.Name), h.Text(u.Emoji))
-}
-
-var roomNames = []string{"Go", "Rust", "Python", "JavaScript", "Clojure"}
+var v *via.V
 
 func main() {
-	v := via.New()
+	v = via.New()
 	v.Config(via.Options{
 		DevMode:       true,
 		DocumentTitle: "NATS Chat",
@@ -54,62 +35,7 @@ func main() {
 
 	v.AppendToHead(
 		h.Link(h.Rel("stylesheet"), h.Href("https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/@picocss/pico@2/css/pico.min.css")),
-		h.StyleEl(h.Raw(`
-			body { margin: 0; }
-			main {
-				display: flex;
-				flex-direction: column;
-				height: 100vh;
-			}
-			nav[role="tab-control"] ul li a[aria-current="page"] {
-				background-color: var(--pico-primary-background);
-				color: var(--pico-primary-inverse);
-				border-bottom: 2px solid var(--pico-primary);
-			}
-			.chat-message { display: flex; gap: 0.75rem; margin-bottom: 0.5rem; }
-			.avatar {
-				width: 2rem;
-				height: 2rem;
-				border-radius: 50%;
-				background: var(--pico-muted-border-color);
-				display: grid;
-				place-items: center;
-				font-size: 1.5rem;
-				flex-shrink: 0;
-			}
-			.bubble { flex: 1; }
-			.bubble p { margin: 0; }
-			.chat-history {
-				flex: 1;
-				overflow-y: auto;
-				padding: 1rem;
-				padding-bottom: calc(88px + env(safe-area-inset-bottom));
-			}
-			.chat-input {
-				position: fixed;
-				left: 0;
-				right: 0;
-				bottom: 0;
-				background: var(--pico-background-color);
-				display: flex;
-				align-items: center;
-				gap: 0.75rem;
-				padding: 0.75rem 1rem calc(0.75rem + env(safe-area-inset-bottom));
-				border-top: 1px solid var(--pico-muted-border-color);
-			}
-			.chat-input fieldset {
-				flex: 1;
-				margin: 0;
-			}
-			.nats-badge {
-				background: #27AAE1;
-				color: white;
-				padding: 0.25rem 0.5rem;
-				border-radius: 4px;
-				font-size: 0.75rem;
-				margin-left: auto;
-			}
-		`)),
+		h.StyleEl(h.Raw(chatCSS)),
 		h.Script(h.Raw(`
 			function scrollChatToBottom() {
 				const chatHistory = document.querySelector('.chat-history');
@@ -118,156 +44,38 @@ func main() {
 		`)),
 	)
 
-	v.Page("/", func(c *via.Context) {
-		currentUser := randUser()
-		roomSignal := c.Signal("Go")
-		statement := c.Signal("")
-
-		var messages []ChatMessage
-		var messagesMu sync.Mutex
-		currentRoom := "Go"
-
-		var currentSub via.Subscription
-
-		subscribeToRoom := func(room string) {
-			if currentSub != nil {
-				currentSub.Unsubscribe()
-			}
-
-			subject := "chat.room." + room
-
-			// Replay history from JetStream
-			if hist, err := via.ReplayHistory[ChatMessage](v, subject, 50); err == nil {
-				messages = hist
-			}
-
-			sub, _ := via.Subscribe(c, subject, func(msg ChatMessage) {
-				messagesMu.Lock()
-				messages = append(messages, msg)
-				if len(messages) > 50 {
-					messages = messages[len(messages)-50:]
-				}
-				messagesMu.Unlock()
-				c.Sync()
-			})
-			currentSub = sub
-			currentRoom = room
-		}
-
-		subscribeToRoom("Go")
-
-		switchRoom := c.Action(func() {
-			newRoom := roomSignal.String()
-			if newRoom != currentRoom {
-				messagesMu.Lock()
-				messages = nil
-				messagesMu.Unlock()
-				subscribeToRoom(newRoom)
-				c.Sync()
-			}
-		})
-
-		say := c.Action(func() {
-			msg := statement.String()
-			if msg == "" {
-				msg = randomDevQuote()
-			}
-			statement.SetValue("")
-
-			via.Publish(c, "chat.room."+currentRoom, ChatMessage{
-				User:    currentUser,
-				Message: msg,
-				Time:    time.Now().UnixMilli(),
-			})
-		})
-
-		c.View(func() h.H {
-			var tabs []h.H
-			for _, name := range roomNames {
-				isCurrent := name == currentRoom
-				tabs = append(tabs, h.Li(
-					h.A(
-						h.If(isCurrent, h.Attr("aria-current", "page")),
-						h.Text(name),
-						switchRoom.OnClick(WithSignal(roomSignal, name)),
-					),
-				))
-			}
-
-			messagesMu.Lock()
-			chatHistoryChildren := []h.H{
-				h.Class("chat-history"),
-				h.Script(h.Raw(`new MutationObserver(()=>scrollChatToBottom()).observe(document.querySelector('.chat-history'), {childList:true})`)),
-			}
-			for _, msg := range messages {
-				chatHistoryChildren = append(chatHistoryChildren,
-					h.Div(h.Class("chat-message"),
-						h.Div(h.Class("avatar"), h.Attr("title", msg.User.Name), h.Text(msg.User.Emoji)),
-						h.Div(h.Class("bubble"),
-							h.P(h.Text(msg.Message)),
-						),
-					),
-				)
-			}
-			messagesMu.Unlock()
-
-			return h.Main(h.Class("container"),
-				h.Nav(
-					h.Attr("role", "tab-control"),
-					h.Ul(tabs...),
-					h.Span(h.Class("nats-badge"), h.Text("NATS")),
+	v.Layout(func(content func() h.H) h.H {
+		return h.Div(
+			h.Nav(h.Class("app-nav"),
+				h.A(h.Href("/"), h.Class("brand"), h.Text("NATS Chat")),
+				h.Div(h.Class("nav-links"),
+					h.A(h.Href("/"), h.Text("Chat")),
+					h.A(h.Href("/profile"), h.Text("Profile")),
 				),
-				h.Div(chatHistoryChildren...),
-				h.Div(
-					h.Class("chat-input"),
-					currentUser.Avatar(),
-					h.FieldSet(
-						h.Attr("role", "group"),
-						h.Input(
-							h.Type("text"),
-							h.Placeholder(currentUser.Name+" says..."),
-							statement.Bind(),
-							h.Attr("autofocus"),
-							say.OnKeyDown("Enter"),
-						),
-						h.Button(h.Text("Send"), say.OnClick()),
-					),
-				),
-			)
-		})
+			),
+			h.Main(h.Class("container"),
+				h.DataViewTransition("page-content"),
+				content(),
+			),
+		)
 	})
 
+	// Profile page — public, no auth required
+	v.Page("/profile", ProfilePage)
+
+	// Auth middleware — redirects to profile if no identity set
+	requireProfile := func(c *via.Context, next func()) {
+		if c.Session().GetString(SessionKeyUsername) == "" {
+			c.RedirectView("/profile")
+			return
+		}
+		next()
+	}
+
+	// Chat page — protected by profile middleware
+	protected := v.Group("", requireProfile)
+	protected.Page("/", ChatPage)
+
 	log.Println("Starting NATS chatroom on :7331 (embedded NATS server)")
 	v.Start()
 }
-
-func randUser() UserInfo {
-	adjectives := []string{"Happy", "Clever", "Brave", "Swift", "Gentle", "Wise", "Bold", "Calm", "Eager", "Fierce"}
-	animals := []string{"Panda", "Tiger", "Eagle", "Dolphin", "Fox", "Wolf", "Bear", "Hawk", "Otter", "Lion"}
-	emojis := []string{"🐼", "🐯", "🦅", "🐬", "🦊", "🐺", "🐻", "🦅", "🦦", "🦁"}
-
-	idx := rand.Intn(len(animals))
-	return UserInfo{
-		Name:  adjectives[rand.Intn(len(adjectives))] + " " + animals[idx],
-		Emoji: emojis[idx],
-	}
-}
-
-var quoteIdx = rand.Intn(len(devQuotes))
-var devQuotes = []string{
-	"Just use NATS.",
-	"Pub/sub all the things!",
-	"Messages are the new API.",
-	"JetStream for durability.",
-	"No more polling.",
-	"Event-driven architecture FTW.",
-	"Decouple everything.",
-	"NATS is fast.",
-	"Subjects are like topics.",
-	"Request-reply is cool.",
-}
-
-func randomDevQuote() string {
-	quoteIdx = (quoteIdx + 1) % len(devQuotes)
-	return devQuotes[quoteIdx]
-}
diff --git a/internal/examples/nats-chatroom/profile.go b/internal/examples/nats-chatroom/profile.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8ad762f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/examples/nats-chatroom/profile.go
@@ -0,0 +1,110 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"github.com/ryanhamamura/via"
+	"github.com/ryanhamamura/via/h"
+)
+
+func ProfilePage(c *via.Context) {
+	existingName := c.Session().GetString(SessionKeyUsername)
+	existingEmoji := c.Session().GetString(SessionKeyEmoji)
+	if existingEmoji == "" {
+		existingEmoji = emojiChoices[0]
+	}
+
+	nameField := c.Field(existingName,
+		via.Required("Display name is required"),
+		via.MinLen(2, "Must be at least 2 characters"),
+		via.MaxLen(20, "Must be at most 20 characters"),
+	)
+	selectedEmoji := c.Signal(existingEmoji)
+
+	saveToSession := func() bool {
+		if !c.ValidateAll() {
+			c.Sync()
+			return false
+		}
+		c.Session().Set(SessionKeyUsername, nameField.String())
+		c.Session().Set(SessionKeyEmoji, selectedEmoji.String())
+		return true
+	}
+
+	save := c.Action(func() {
+		saveToSession()
+	})
+
+	saveAndChat := c.Action(func() {
+		if saveToSession() {
+			c.Navigate("/", false)
+		}
+	})
+
+	c.View(func() h.H {
+		// Emoji grid
+		emojiGrid := []h.H{h.Class("emoji-grid")}
+		for _, emoji := range emojiChoices {
+			cls := "emoji-option"
+			if emoji == selectedEmoji.String() {
+				cls += " emoji-selected"
+			}
+			emojiGrid = append(emojiGrid,
+				h.Button(
+					h.Class(cls),
+					h.Type("button"),
+					h.Text(emoji),
+					save.OnClick(WithSignal(selectedEmoji, emoji)),
+				),
+			)
+		}
+
+		// Action buttons — "Start Chatting" only if editing is meaningful
+		actionButtons := []h.H{h.Class("profile-actions")}
+		if existingName != "" {
+			actionButtons = append(actionButtons,
+				h.Button(h.Text("Save"), save.OnClick(), h.Class("secondary")),
+			)
+		}
+		actionButtons = append(actionButtons,
+			h.Button(h.Text("Start Chatting"), saveAndChat.OnClick()),
+		)
+
+		previewName := nameField.String()
+		if previewName == "" {
+			previewName = "Your Name"
+		}
+
+		return h.Div(h.Class("profile-page"),
+			h.H2(h.Text("Your Profile"), h.DataViewTransition("page-title")),
+
+			// Live preview
+			h.Div(h.Class("profile-preview"),
+				h.Div(h.Class("avatar avatar-lg"), h.Text(selectedEmoji.String())),
+				h.Span(h.Class("preview-name"), h.Text(previewName)),
+			),
+
+			h.Div(h.Class("profile-form"),
+				// Name field
+				h.Label(h.Text("Display Name"),
+					h.Input(
+						h.Type("text"),
+						h.Placeholder("Enter a display name"),
+						nameField.Bind(),
+						h.Attr("autofocus"),
+						saveAndChat.OnKeyDown("Enter"),
+						h.If(nameField.HasError(), h.Attr("aria-invalid", "true")),
+					),
+					h.If(nameField.HasError(),
+						h.Small(h.Class("field-error"), h.Text(nameField.FirstError())),
+					),
+				),
+
+				// Emoji picker
+				h.Label(h.Text("Choose an Avatar")),
+				h.Div(emojiGrid...),
+
+				// Actions
+				h.Div(actionButtons...),
+			),
+		)
+	})
+}
diff --git a/internal/examples/nats-chatroom/types.go b/internal/examples/nats-chatroom/types.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1ca15c8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/examples/nats-chatroom/types.go
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+package main
+
+import "github.com/ryanhamamura/via/h"
+
+const (
+	SessionKeyUsername = "username"
+	SessionKeyEmoji    = "emoji"
+)
+
+type ChatMessage struct {
+	User    UserInfo `json:"user"`
+	Message string   `json:"message"`
+	Time    int64    `json:"time"`
+}
+
+type UserInfo struct {
+	Name  string `json:"name"`
+	Emoji string `json:"emoji"`
+}
+
+func (u *UserInfo) Avatar() h.H {
+	return h.Div(h.Class("avatar"), h.Attr("title", u.Name), h.Text(u.Emoji))
+}
+
+var roomNames = []string{"Go", "Rust", "Python", "JavaScript", "Clojure"}
+
+var emojiChoices = []string{
+	"🐼", "🐯", "🦅", "🐬", "🦊", "🐺", "🐻", "🦦", "🦁", "🐸",
+	"🦄", "🐙", "🦀", "🐝", "🦋", "🐢", "🦉", "🐳", "🦈", "🐧",
+}
diff --git a/internal/examples/nats-chatroom/userdata.go b/internal/examples/nats-chatroom/userdata.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..56ae0e5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/examples/nats-chatroom/userdata.go
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+package main
+
+import "math/rand"
+
+var quoteIdx = rand.Intn(len(devQuotes))
+var devQuotes = []string{
+	"Just use NATS.",
+	"Pub/sub all the things!",
+	"Messages are the new API.",
+	"JetStream for durability.",
+	"No more polling.",
+	"Event-driven architecture FTW.",
+	"Decouple everything.",
+	"NATS is fast.",
+	"Subjects are like topics.",
+	"Request-reply is cool.",
+}
+
+func randomDevQuote() string {
+	quoteIdx = (quoteIdx + 1) % len(devQuotes)
+	return devQuotes[quoteIdx]
+}