diff --git a/docs/skills/pr-review-decision.md b/docs/skills/pr-review-decision.md
index 08c21df..a6db2bf 100644
--- a/docs/skills/pr-review-decision.md
+++ b/docs/skills/pr-review-decision.md
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@ Time-ordered list with owner + dependency. Strike through items that completed a
 - Hyperlinks: full URLs, never bare `#11`
 ```
 
-Use full markdown links for every PR / commit reference: `[PR #11](https://github.com/<org>/<repo>/pull/11)`, not `PR #11`. Same for table cells (`[#11](url)`) and English-prose mentions (`taken in [#12](url)`). To avoid nested-bracket bugs when running replace*all, scrub any pre-existing `[PR #11 - title](url)` style links to `[Pull request 11 — title](url)` \_first*, then replace_all `PR #11` → linked form.
+Use full markdown links for every PR / commit reference: `[PR #11](https://github.com/<org>/<repo>/pull/11)`, not `PR #11`. Same for table cells (`[#11](url)`) and English-prose mentions (`taken in [#12](url)`). To avoid nested-bracket bugs when running `replace_all`, scrub any pre-existing `[PR #11 - title](url)` style links to `[Pull request 11 — title](url)` first, then run `replace_all` on `PR #11` → linked form.
 
 ### Step 6 — Bilingual comment drafting
 
diff --git a/src/tui/app.tsx b/src/tui/app.tsx
index a811536..b6e021e 100644
--- a/src/tui/app.tsx
+++ b/src/tui/app.tsx
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ import {
   getTuiThemeNames,
   hasTuiTheme,
   mergeTuiThemes,
+  resolveTuiTranscriptRailColor,
   resolveTuiTheme,
   type StepCliTuiThemeColors,
   type StepCliTuiThemeName,
@@ -1095,7 +1096,7 @@ export function StepCliTuiScreen(props: StepCliTuiScreenProps) {
           setStatus({
             tone: "accent",
             label: "Theme",
-            detail: `Current ${themeName}. Available: ${availableThemesLabel}. Use /theme <name>.`,
+            detail: `Current ${themeName}. Available: ${availableThemesLabel}. Use /theme <name> or /theme ${DEFAULT_TUI_THEME_NAME} to recover the default theme.`,
           });
           return true;
         }
@@ -1104,7 +1105,7 @@ export function StepCliTuiScreen(props: StepCliTuiScreenProps) {
           setStatus({
             tone: "warning",
             label: "Theme",
-            detail: `Unknown theme "${requestedThemeName}". Available: ${availableThemesLabel}.`,
+            detail: `Unknown theme "${requestedThemeName}". Available: ${availableThemesLabel}. Use /theme ${DEFAULT_TUI_THEME_NAME} to recover the default theme.`,
           });
           return false;
         }
@@ -1501,7 +1502,7 @@ const TranscriptPane = React.memo(function TranscriptPane(input: {
       {summaryLines.length > 0 ? (
         <box flexDirection="column" marginBottom={1}>
           <text fg={input.theme.foreground}>
-            <span bg={input.theme.systemBadge} fg={input.theme.warning}>
+            <span bg={input.theme.systemBadge} fg={input.theme.foreground}>
               {" "}
               SUMMARY{" "}
             </span>
@@ -2157,42 +2158,43 @@ function resolveTranscriptBadgeStyle(
   textColor: string;
   railColor: string;
 } {
+  const railColor = resolveTuiTranscriptRailColor(theme);
   switch (tone) {
     case "accent":
       return {
         backgroundColor: theme.userBadge,
-        textColor: theme.accent,
-        railColor: theme.accent,
+        textColor: theme.foreground,
+        railColor,
       };
     case "brand":
       return {
         backgroundColor: theme.assistantBadge,
-        textColor: theme.brand,
-        railColor: theme.brand,
+        textColor: theme.foreground,
+        railColor,
       };
     case "success":
       return {
         backgroundColor: theme.toolBadge,
-        textColor: theme.success,
-        railColor: theme.success,
+        textColor: theme.foreground,
+        railColor,
       };
     case "warning":
       return {
         backgroundColor: theme.systemBadge,
-        textColor: theme.warning,
-        railColor: theme.warning,
+        textColor: theme.foreground,
+        railColor,
       };
     case "danger":
       return {
         backgroundColor: theme.systemBadge,
-        textColor: theme.danger,
-        railColor: theme.danger,
+        textColor: theme.foreground,
+        railColor,
       };
     case "muted":
       return {
         backgroundColor: theme.systemBadge,
-        textColor: theme.muted,
-        railColor: theme.line,
+        textColor: theme.foreground,
+        railColor,
       };
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/tui/theme.test.ts b/src/tui/theme.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0c89a2b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/tui/theme.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,106 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { getBuiltinTuiThemes, resolveTuiTranscriptRailColor } from "./theme.js";
+
+function hexToRgb(hex: string): [number, number, number] {
+  const normalized = hex.trim().replace(/^#/, "");
+  const expanded =
+    normalized.length === 3
+      ? normalized
+          .split("")
+          .map((character) => `${character}${character}`)
+          .join("")
+      : normalized.slice(0, 6);
+
+  return [
+    Number.parseInt(expanded.slice(0, 2), 16) / 255,
+    Number.parseInt(expanded.slice(2, 4), 16) / 255,
+    Number.parseInt(expanded.slice(4, 6), 16) / 255,
+  ];
+}
+
+function linearize(channel: number): number {
+  return channel <= 0.03928
+    ? channel / 12.92
+    : ((channel + 0.055) / 1.055) ** 2.4;
+}
+
+function relativeLuminance(hex: string): number {
+  const [red, green, blue] = hexToRgb(hex).map(linearize);
+  return 0.2126 * red + 0.7152 * green + 0.0722 * blue;
+}
+
+function contrastRatio(left: string, right: string): number {
+  const [lighter, darker] = [
+    relativeLuminance(left),
+    relativeLuminance(right),
+  ].sort((first, second) => second - first);
+  return (lighter + 0.05) / (darker + 0.05);
+}
+
+describe("builtin TUI themes", () => {
+  const themes = getBuiltinTuiThemes();
+
+  it("keeps foreground and muted text readable on core surfaces", () => {
+    for (const theme of themes) {
+      expect(
+        contrastRatio(theme.colors.foreground, theme.colors.canvas),
+        `${theme.name} foreground vs canvas`,
+      ).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(7);
+      expect(
+        contrastRatio(theme.colors.foreground, theme.colors.panel),
+        `${theme.name} foreground vs panel`,
+      ).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(7);
+      expect(
+        contrastRatio(theme.colors.foreground, theme.colors.inputBackground),
+        `${theme.name} foreground vs inputBackground`,
+      ).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(7);
+      expect(
+        contrastRatio(theme.colors.muted, theme.colors.canvas),
+        `${theme.name} muted vs canvas`,
+      ).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(4.5);
+      expect(
+        contrastRatio(theme.colors.muted, theme.colors.panel),
+        `${theme.name} muted vs panel`,
+      ).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(4.5);
+      expect(
+        contrastRatio(theme.colors.foreground, theme.colors.selection),
+        `${theme.name} foreground vs selection`,
+      ).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(4.5);
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("keeps transcript rails and badges visible against panel surfaces", () => {
+    for (const theme of themes) {
+      const transcriptRailColor = resolveTuiTranscriptRailColor(theme.colors);
+
+      expect(
+        contrastRatio(transcriptRailColor, theme.colors.panel),
+        `${theme.name} transcript rail vs panel`,
+      ).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(3);
+      expect(
+        contrastRatio(transcriptRailColor, theme.colors.panelAlt),
+        `${theme.name} transcript rail vs panelAlt`,
+      ).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(3);
+      expect(
+        contrastRatio(transcriptRailColor, theme.colors.inputBackground),
+        `${theme.name} transcript rail vs inputBackground`,
+      ).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(3);
+      expect(
+        contrastRatio(theme.colors.foreground, theme.colors.assistantBadge),
+        `${theme.name} badge foreground vs assistantBadge`,
+      ).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(4.5);
+      expect(
+        contrastRatio(theme.colors.foreground, theme.colors.userBadge),
+        `${theme.name} badge foreground vs userBadge`,
+      ).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(4.5);
+      expect(
+        contrastRatio(theme.colors.foreground, theme.colors.toolBadge),
+        `${theme.name} badge foreground vs toolBadge`,
+      ).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(4.5);
+      expect(
+        contrastRatio(theme.colors.foreground, theme.colors.systemBadge),
+        `${theme.name} badge foreground vs systemBadge`,
+      ).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(4.5);
+    }
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/tui/theme.ts b/src/tui/theme.ts
index a6005f0..c961c9a 100644
--- a/src/tui/theme.ts
+++ b/src/tui/theme.ts
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ export type StepCliTuiThemeName = string;
 const BUILTIN_TUI_THEME_COLORS = {
   default: {
     foreground: "#eef6ff",
-    muted: "#7d93ab",
+    muted: "#8eaac8",
     accent: "#62d8ff",
     brand: "#4da3ff",
     success: "#58d6a6",
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ const BUILTIN_TUI_THEME_COLORS = {
     panelAlt: "#112033",
     inputBackground: "#1b2431",
     selection: "#173556",
-    line: "#234462",
+    line: "#688fb1",
     assistantBadge: "#102846",
     userBadge: "#0b223d",
     toolBadge: "#0d2b36",
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ const BUILTIN_TUI_THEME_COLORS = {
   },
   sage: {
     foreground: "#eef4df",
-    muted: "#818274",
+    muted: "#a7b7a2",
     accent: "#bde038",
     brand: "#a3ab78",
     success: "#bde038",
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ const BUILTIN_TUI_THEME_COLORS = {
     panelAlt: "#16515c",
     inputBackground: "#18363b",
     selection: "#245258",
-    line: "#506266",
+    line: "#8ca7aa",
     assistantBadge: "#1a3940",
     userBadge: "#17343a",
     toolBadge: "#233d35",
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ const BUILTIN_TUI_THEME_COLORS = {
     panelAlt: "#2b1d3d",
     inputBackground: "#251c35",
     selection: "#382353",
-    line: "#5a4675",
+    line: "#8874b0",
     assistantBadge: "#2a1846",
     userBadge: "#113a37",
     toolBadge: "#3c3712",
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ const BUILTIN_TUI_THEME_COLORS = {
     panelAlt: "#0c2a62",
     inputBackground: "#0f2446",
     selection: "#163972",
-    line: "#1c4d8e",
+    line: "#5a8fda",
     assistantBadge: "#0a2752",
     userBadge: "#0a3448",
     toolBadge: "#093b3b",
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ const BUILTIN_TUI_THEME_COLORS = {
     panelAlt: "#0c1a2d",
     inputBackground: "#102033",
     selection: "#18304d",
-    line: "#35516e",
+    line: "#607d9d",
     assistantBadge: "#0a1c32",
     userBadge: "#0e2739",
     toolBadge: "#122631",
@@ -211,6 +211,14 @@ export function resolveTuiTheme(
   );
 }
 
+export function resolveTuiTranscriptRailColor(
+  colors: StepCliTuiThemeColors,
+): string {
+  // Transcript rails are structural markers, so keep them tied to the
+  // contrast-checked line color instead of tone colors that may be too dark.
+  return colors.line;
+}
+
 export function isValidTuiThemeName(value: string): boolean {
   return /^[a-z0-9]+(?:[-_][a-z0-9]+)*$/i.test(value.trim());
 }