diff --git a/tailbone/templates/appinfo/index.mako b/tailbone/templates/appinfo/index.mako
index 75032c1f..faaea935 100644
--- a/tailbone/templates/appinfo/index.mako
+++ b/tailbone/templates/appinfo/index.mako
@@ -1,8 +1,7 @@
 ## -*- coding: utf-8; -*-
-<%inherit file="/master/index.mako" />
+<%inherit file="wuttaweb:templates/appinfo/index.mako" />
 
 <%def name="page_content()">
-
   <div class="buttons">
 
     <once-button type="is-primary"
@@ -28,95 +27,5 @@
 
   </div>
 
-  <${b}-collapse class="panel" open>
-
-    <template #trigger="props">
-      <div class="panel-heading"
-           style="cursor: pointer;"
-           role="button">
-
-        ## TODO: for some reason buefy will "reuse" the icon
-        ## element in such a way that its display does not
-        ## refresh.  so to work around that, we use different
-        ## structure for the two icons, so buefy is forced to
-        ## re-draw
-
-        <b-icon v-if="props.open"
-                pack="fas"
-                icon="angle-down">
-        </b-icon>
-
-        <span v-if="!props.open">
-          <b-icon pack="fas"
-                  icon="angle-right">
-          </b-icon>
-        </span>
-
-        <span>Configuration Files</span>
-      </div>
-    </template>
-
-    <div class="panel-block">
-      <div style="width: 100%;">
-        <${b}-table :data="configFiles">
-          
-          <${b}-table-column field="priority"
-                          label="Priority"
-                          v-slot="props">
-            {{ props.row.priority }}
-          </${b}-table-column>
-
-          <${b}-table-column field="path"
-                          label="File Path"
-                          v-slot="props">
-            {{ props.row.path }}
-          </${b}-table-column>
-
-        </${b}-table>
-      </div>
-    </div>
-  </${b}-collapse>
-
-  <${b}-collapse class="panel"
-              :open="false">
-
-    <template #trigger="props">
-      <div class="panel-heading"
-           style="cursor: pointer;"
-           role="button">
-
-        ## TODO: for some reason buefy will "reuse" the icon
-        ## element in such a way that its display does not
-        ## refresh.  so to work around that, we use different
-        ## structure for the two icons, so buefy is forced to
-        ## re-draw
-
-        <b-icon v-if="props.open"
-                pack="fas"
-                icon="angle-down">
-        </b-icon>
-
-        <span v-if="!props.open">
-          <b-icon pack="fas"
-                  icon="angle-right">
-          </b-icon>
-        </span>
-
-        <strong>Installed Packages</strong>
-      </div>
-    </template>
-
-    <div class="panel-block">
-      <div style="width: 100%;">
-        ${grid.render_vue_tag()}
-      </div>
-    </div>
-  </${b}-collapse>
-</%def>
-
-<%def name="modify_vue_vars()">
-  ${parent.modify_vue_vars()}
-  <script>
-    ThisPageData.configFiles = ${json.dumps([dict(path=p, priority=i) for i, p in enumerate(request.rattail_config.prioritized_files, 1)])|n}
-  </script>
+  ${parent.page_content()}
 </%def>
diff --git a/tailbone/templates/grids/complete.mako b/tailbone/templates/grids/complete.mako
index c136273b..5d406512 100644
--- a/tailbone/templates/grids/complete.mako
+++ b/tailbone/templates/grids/complete.mako
@@ -257,6 +257,9 @@
       loading: false,
       ajaxDataUrl: ${json.dumps(getattr(grid, 'ajax_data_url', request.path_url))|n},
 
+      ## nb. this tracks whether grid.fetchFirstData() happened
+      fetchedFirstData: false,
+
       savingDefaults: false,
 
       data: ${grid.vue_component}CurrentData,
@@ -519,6 +522,17 @@
                       ...this.getFilterParams()}
           },
 
+          ## nb. this is meant to call for a grid which is hidden at
+          ## first, when it is first being shown to the user.  and if
+          ## it was initialized with empty data set.
+          async fetchFirstData() {
+              if (this.fetchedFirstData) {
+                  return
+              }
+              await this.loadAsyncData()
+              this.fetchedFirstData = true
+          },
+
           ## TODO: i noticed buefy docs show using `async` keyword here,
           ## so now i am too.  knowing nothing at all of if/how this is
           ## supposed to improve anything.  we shall see i guess
diff --git a/tailbone/views/settings.py b/tailbone/views/settings.py
index bda62ccc..4d99cb2a 100644
--- a/tailbone/views/settings.py
+++ b/tailbone/views/settings.py
@@ -71,10 +71,20 @@ class AppInfoView(MasterView):
                                   app.get_title())
 
     def get_data(self, session=None):
+        """ """
+
+        # nb. init with empty data, only load it upon user request
+        if not self.request.GET.get('partial'):
+            return []
+
+        # TODO: pretty sure this is not cross-platform.  probably some
+        # sort of pip methods belong on the app handler?  or it should
+        # have a pip handler for all that?
         pip = os.path.join(sys.prefix, 'bin', 'pip')
         output = subprocess.check_output([pip, 'list', '--format=json'])
         data = json.loads(output.decode('utf_8').strip())
 
+        # must avoid null values for sort to work right
         for pkg in data:
             pkg.setdefault('editable_project_location', '')