Somehow I missed this. Thank you for pointing out the config item (search for "revamp") that lets me get rid of that extra mostly blank strip - there are easy alternate ways to change the sidebar away from tabs if I want.
I have to say it. I can't use vertical tabs as I just tried them in Firefox 138.0.1. It's better than what I experienced when I tried it in Chrome, but not much. I have been using the Tree Style Tab Extension for I-don't-know-how-many years. Not ...