diff --git a/modules/ui/modeline/autoload/settings.el b/modules/ui/modeline/autoload/settings.el
index 26aa59a77..f4891edba 100644
--- a/modules/ui/modeline/autoload/settings.el
+++ b/modules/ui/modeline/autoload/settings.el
@@ -2,6 +2,18 @@
 
 (defvar +modeline--alist nil)
 
+(defun +modeline--segment-active-p (segment xs)
+  (cond ((null xs) nil)
+        ((listp xs)
+         (or (+modeline--segment-active-p segment (car xs))
+             (+modeline--segment-active-p segment (cdr xs))))
+        ((eq xs segment))))
+
+;;;###autoload
+(defun +modeline-segment-active-p (segment)
+  (or (+modeline--segment-active-p segment +modeline-format-left)
+      (+modeline--segment-active-p segment +modeline-format-right)))
+
 ;;;###autodef
 (defun def-modeline-format! (name left &optional right)
   "Define a preset modeline format by name.
@@ -48,8 +60,7 @@ keep them left and right aligned respectively."
                                (varsetterfn (intern (format "+modeline--setvar-%s" name))))
                            (append `((fset ',setterfn
                                            (lambda (&rest _)
-                                             (when (or (memq ',name +modeline-format-left)
-                                                       (memq ',name +modeline-format-right))
+                                             (when (+modeline-segment-active-p ',name)
                                                (setq-local ,realvar ,(macroexp-progn body)))))
                                      (byte-compile ',setterfn))
                                    (mapcar (lambda (hook) `(add-hook ',hook #',setterfn))
@@ -61,7 +72,7 @@ keep them left and right aligned respectively."
                                                     (with-current-buffer where
                                                       (set sym val)
                                                       (,setterfn)))))
-                                       ,@(mapcar (lambda (var) `(add-variable-watcher ',var #',varsetterfn))
+                                       ,@(mapcan (lambda (var) `((add-variable-watcher ',var #',varsetterfn)))
                                                  on-set)))))
                        (setq init `(quote (:eval ,(macroexp-progn body))))
                        nil))
diff --git a/modules/ui/modeline/config.el b/modules/ui/modeline/config.el
index 9b53dfeac..90b6dd29a 100644
--- a/modules/ui/modeline/config.el
+++ b/modules/ui/modeline/config.el
@@ -316,8 +316,7 @@ buffers.")
       (let ((face    'mode-line-inactive)
             (active  (active))
             (all-the-icons-default-adjust -0.1))
-        (concat "  "
-                (cond ((memq state '(edited added))
+        (concat (cond ((memq state '(edited added))
                        (if active (setq face 'doom-modeline-info))
                        (all-the-icons-octicon
                         "git-compare"
@@ -340,8 +339,7 @@ buffers.")
                         :v-adjust -0.05)))
                 " "
                 (propertize (substring vc-mode (+ (if (eq backend 'Hg) 2 3) 2))
-                            'face (if active face))
-                " ")))))
+                            'face (if active face)))))))
 
 (def-modeline-segment! +modeline-encoding
   :on-hooks (after-revert-hook after-save-hook find-file-hook)
@@ -495,9 +493,10 @@ segment.")
     +modeline-buffer-state
     +modeline-buffer-id
     "  %2l:%c %p  ")
-  '(+modeline-encoding
-    +modeline-major-mode
-    +modeline-vcs))
+  `(+modeline-encoding
+    +modeline-major-mode " "
+    mode-line-misc-info
+    (+modeline-vcs (" " +modeline-vcs " "))))
 
 (def-modeline-format! :minimal
   '(+modeline-matches " "