diff --git a/globalDisplayOptions.go b/globalDisplayOptions.go
index 3a14ec9..e5489f7 100644
--- a/globalDisplayOptions.go
+++ b/globalDisplayOptions.go
@@ -1,46 +1,14 @@
 package main
 
 import (
+	"os"
+
 	"go.wit.com/gui"
 	"go.wit.com/lib/debugger"
 	"go.wit.com/lib/gui/logsettings"
-	"go.wit.com/lib/gui/repolist"
 	"go.wit.com/log"
 )
 
-func showHideRepos(repo *repolist.RepoRow) {
-	if repo.GoPath() == "go.wit.com/dev/alexflint/arg" {
-		log.Info("found autoHideReleased() =", me.autoHideReleased.Checked())
-		log.Info("found alexflint/arg IsReleased() =", repo.Status.IsReleased())
-	}
-	// always show dirty repos
-	if repo.IsDirty() {
-		repo.Show()
-		return
-	}
-	// always show repos that have not been merged ?
-	if repo.GoState() == "merge to devel" {
-		repo.Show()
-		return
-	}
-
-	// hide read-only repos. These are repos that do not
-	// match things in the users config file (.config/autotypist)
-	if me.autoHideReadOnly.Checked() {
-		if repo.Status.ReadOnly() {
-			repo.Hide()
-			return
-		}
-	}
-	if me.autoHideReleased.Checked() {
-		if repo.Status.IsReleased() {
-			repo.Hide()
-			return
-		}
-	}
-	repo.Show()
-}
-
 func globalDisplayOptions(box *gui.Node) {
 	vbox := box.NewVerticalBox("DISPLAYVBOX")
 
@@ -73,8 +41,15 @@ func globalDisplayOptions(box *gui.Node) {
 
 	me.scanEveryMinute = hidegrid.NewCheckbox("Scan every minute").SetChecked(false)
 	me.scanEveryMinute.Custom = func() {
-		me.repos.View.SetAutoScan(me.scanEveryMinute.Checked())
+		if me.scanEveryMinute.Checked() {
+			os.Setenv("REPO_AUTO_SCAN", "true")
+			log.Info("env REPO_AUTO_SCAN=", os.Getenv("REPO_AUTO_SCAN"))
+		} else {
+			os.Unsetenv("REPO_AUTO_SCAN")
+			log.Info("env REPO_AUTO_SCAN=", os.Getenv("REPO_AUTO_SCAN"))
+		}
 	}
+
 	hidegrid.NewButton("scan now", func() {
 		log.Info("re-scanning repos now")
 		i, s := me.repos.View.ScanRepositories()
diff --git a/hideFunction.go b/hideFunction.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..30bf485
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hideFunction.go
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"os"
+
+	"go.wit.com/lib/gui/repolist"
+	"go.wit.com/log"
+)
+
+// like tcl/tk, use ENV variables to set display preferences
+func hideFunction(r *repolist.RepoRow) {
+	if r.GoPath() == "go.wit.com/dev/alexflint/arg" {
+		log.Info("found autoHideReleased() =", me.autoHideReleased.Checked())
+		log.Info("found alexflint/arg IsReleased() =", r.Status.IsReleased())
+	}
+
+	// always show dirty repos
+	if r.Status.IsDirty() {
+		r.Show()
+		return
+	}
+
+	// hide read-only repos
+	if os.Getenv("AUTOTYPIST_READONLY") == "hide" {
+		if r.Status.ReadOnly() {
+			// log.Info(r.Name(), "hiding read-only repo")
+			r.Hide()
+			return
+		} else {
+			// log.Info(r.Name(), "not hiding read-only repo")
+		}
+	}
+
+	// show repos with mismatched mode
+	// this means, if you are in "devel" mode, show all  the repos that
+	// might be stuck on the wrong branch, like 'master' or '<username>'
+	if os.Getenv("AUTOTYPIST_MODE") != "" {
+		if !r.Status.IsCorrectMode(os.Getenv("AUTOTYPIST_MODE")) {
+			r.Show()
+			return
+		}
+	}
+
+	// hide perfectly clean repos
+	if os.Getenv("AUTOTYPIST_CLEAN") == "hide" {
+		if r.IsPerfect() {
+			r.Hide()
+			return
+		}
+	}
+
+	// show everything else. often this will be "unconforming" repos
+	// if you what those repos ignored, add these to the config file
+	// as read-only=true
+	r.Show()
+}
+
+func showHideRepos(repo *repolist.RepoRow) {
+	if repo.GoPath() == "go.wit.com/dev/alexflint/arg" {
+		log.Info("found autoHideReleased() =", me.autoHideReleased.Checked())
+		log.Info("found alexflint/arg IsReleased() =", repo.Status.IsReleased())
+	}
+	// always show dirty repos
+	if repo.IsDirty() {
+		repo.Show()
+		return
+	}
+	// always show repos that have not been merged ?
+	if repo.GoState() == "merge to devel" {
+		repo.Show()
+		return
+	}
+
+	// hide read-only repos. These are repos that do not
+	// match things in the users config file (.config/autotypist)
+	if me.autoHideReadOnly.Checked() {
+		if repo.Status.ReadOnly() {
+			repo.Hide()
+			return
+		}
+	}
+	if me.autoHideReleased.Checked() {
+		if repo.Status.IsReleased() {
+			repo.Hide()
+			return
+		}
+	}
+	repo.Show()
+}
diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index 1ab0032..5cc270d 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ func main() {
 	setTargetVersion()
 
 	// register a Show/Hide function for the repo list table
-	me.repos.View.RegisterHideFunction(showHideRepos)
+	me.repos.View.RegisterHideFunction(hideFunction)
 
 	// scan in the State of all the repos
 	// TODO: should not really be necessary directly after init()