1
Move ACTIVE above the toolbar
Strip pinned to the top. Dropdown opens down into empty space, never collides.
ACTIVE
VIP ×
Favorite ×
Owned ×
Cover grid
2
Open dropdown upward
Drop direction flips when the strip is present. Strip stays put.
ACTIVE
VIP ×
Favorite ×
Owned ×
Cover grid
3
Inline expand (push, don't overlay)
Dropdown is part of the flow. Opening it slides everything below down.
ALL
📁 Browse▾
🔖 Filter 3▴
◆ VIP ✓ ★ Favorite ✓ ▣ Owned ✓ ⊖ Unmarked
ACTIVE
VIP ×
Favorite ×
Owned ×
Cover grid (pushed down)
4
Chips inside the dropdown header
Active state lives inside the popover top — visible while editing, vanishes when closed.
Cover grid (no strip below)
5
Sidebar dropdown — opens to the right
Popover anchors to the side of the button. Below stays untouched.
ACTIVE
VIP ×
Favorite ×
Owned ×
Cover grid
6
Auto-flip based on space
If chips are below, open up. If at top of page, open down. Hands-off heuristic.
ACTIVE
VIP ×
Favorite ×
Same control, but opens up only when the strip is present below. Down otherwise.
7
Floating chip dock — bottom of viewport
Chips never live in the toolbar's vertical column at all.
Cover grid
ACTIVE
VIP ×
Favorite ×
Owned ×
8
Drawer style — full-width slide from top
Filter expands as a horizontal drawer. Strip stays visible because the drawer occupies its own row above.
ALL
📁 Browse▾
🔖 Filter 3▴
Marks · ✓ VIP ✓ Favorite ✓ Owned ⊖ Unmarked
Watch · 👁 ALL ★ ALL
Has · 📂 ALL 🏷 ALL
ACTIVE
VIP ×
Favorite ×
Owned ×
Cover grid
9
Hide strip while popover open
Strip fades out when the popover opens (chips visible inside the popover instead). Restores on close.
ACTIVE
VIP ×
Favorite ×
Owned ×
Strip dimmed (or hidden) while menu open; reappears when closed.
10
Toolbar & strip share a row
Strip lives inside the toolbar to the right of the buttons. Dropdown opens below, but there's nothing for it to cover.
My pick: #1 (move ACTIVE above the toolbar). Simplest fix, no popover gymnastics, chips stay readable while editing because the strip is now permanently above the dropdown anchor. Runner-up: #2 (open upward) — keeps the page chrome unchanged but flips the menu direction when chips are present.