palette: enlarge the region title into WCAG large class; repoint the grabbed envelope handle off hue

Corrects theme.h's large-text thresholds, names accent/secondary's real
binding limiter, and adds compositeOver so the loop-span fill's 2.25:1
under-floor pair is asserted rather than assumed.

docs/product/visual-design-language.md

@@ -416,25 +416,29 @@ against the WCAG tests — §2.1):
 | Role | Pastel | Starting RGB (hex) | Job |
 |---|---|---|---|
 | `accent/primary` | pastel lime green | `~176,224,152` (`#B0E098`) | the live/active/selected signal — the eye-magnet |
-| `accent/secondary` | pastel teal | `~132,214,208` (`#84D6D0`) | categorical role A (non-active zones, a second cluster) |
+| `accent/secondary` | pastel teal | `~132,214,208` (`#84D6D0`) *(superseded, see below)* | categorical role A (non-active zones, a second cluster) |
 | `accent/tertiary` | pastel purple | `~194,170,232` (`#C2AAE8`) | categorical role B (tertiary zones, a distinct affordance class) |
 | `accent/hot` | brighter primary tint | `~200,236,178` (`#C8ECB2`) | hover / live / drag feedback (a lighter pastel-lime) |
 
 **Locked values, where they diverge from the starting table (2026-07-31).** `accent/secondary`
-darkened to `#38A8A0` (same hue ~176°, same saturation, lightness 0.68 → 0.44), which put its
-binding limiter on the AA 4.5:1 text-on-fill pair (4.91:1 on `bg/base`) rather than the 3:1
-indicator floor (3.94:1 on `bg/cell`). Two roles were added past the original three, since
-"exactly three accents" is no longer a constraint: `overlay/trace` `#816AA6` (a muted violet for
-marks drawn *over* an accent fill — see §the two-neighbour problem below), and the spectral
-ramp's mid stop, which keeps the original pastel teal `#84D6D0` as its own constant rather than
-aliasing `accent/secondary`.
+darkened to `#38A8A0` (same hue ~176°, same saturation, lightness 0.68 → 0.44). Its **binding
+limiter** — the pair that stops it going darker — is the velocity-curve trace on a
+*hover-lightened* `bg/cell` at **3.03:1** against a 3:1 floor, tighter than either the AA 4.5:1
+text-on-fill pair (4.91:1 on `bg/base`) or the indicator floor on rest `bg/cell` (3.94:1). ONE
+new Role was added past the original three, since "exactly three accents" is no longer a
+constraint: `overlay/trace` `#816AA6`, a muted violet for marks drawn *over* an accent fill (see
+§the two-neighbour problem below). The spectral ramp's mid stop also became its own value —
+the original pastel teal `#84D6D0` — but as a private constant, not a `Role`.
 
-**The two-neighbour problem.** A mark drawn *over* an accent fill has to read against the fill
-*and* the surface behind it. For the envelope trace those are the lime waveform (relative
-luminance 0.648) and `bg/base` (0.024) — 9.41:1 apart, so `sqrt(9.41)` ≈ **3.07:1 is the most
-any single value can clear against both**. `overlay/trace` sits at that optimum; it has no
-headroom in either direction, and no value at all can clear 3:1 against the lime *and* on
-`bg/cell`. Such a role is confined to the band it was picked for.
+**The two-neighbour problem** (rule + numbers owned by `src/core/ui/CLAUDE.md`; the design
+consequence is recorded here). A mark drawn *over* an accent fill has to read against the fill
+*and* the surface behind it, which caps *any* single value at ≈3.07:1 against both. Two
+consequences shape the design rather than the palette: such a role is confined to the band it
+was picked for, and a **state** of that mark cannot be expressed as a hotter color — every
+value that clears the ceiling sits within 1.05:1 of every other, so the grabbed envelope handle
+signals by **size and a punched-out core** instead. That deliberately inverts the kit's
+"brighter = hotter" convention in this one band, because over a light fill a brighter tint is a
+*lower*-contrast tint (`accent/hot` measures 1.15:1 against the lime).
 
 These are light-ish, low-saturation tints. On the **REAPER-grey surfaces** (`bg/cell` ≈
 `#3a3a3a`) they still clear **AA-large (3:1)** and the **state-indicator** floor — but the

src/core/ui/CLAUDE.md

@@ -43,15 +43,28 @@ L7 sub-pass, 2026-07-27):
   fills on `bg/cell` have a shrunken contrast cushion (primary ~7.6:1, tertiary
   ~5.5:1, secondary only ~3.9:1 since it was darkened — all still clear 3:1, but
   re-check every one on any hue nudge). Body text on an accent fill is a tight AA
-  4.5:1 pair, and for `accent/secondary` it is the *binding* limiter (~4.9:1), not
-  the indicator floor. Take the most pastel value that still clears the floor,
-  approached from the soft side, never re-saturated toward neon "to be safe."
-- **A mark drawn OVER an accent fill answers to two neighbours at once.**
-  `overlay/trace` (the envelope trace on the waveform) must clear 3:1 against both
-  `accent/primary` and `bg/base`, which sit 9.41:1 apart — so `sqrt(9.41)` ≈ 3.07:1
-  is the ceiling for *any* single value, and the role sits at that optimum with no
-  headroom either way. It is therefore confined to the waveform band: no value can
-  clear 3:1 on `bg/cell` and against the lime simultaneously.
+  4.5:1 pair (4.91:1 for `accent/secondary`). **The *binding* limiter on how dark
+  `accent/secondary` may go is neither of those: it is the velocity-curve trace on
+  a HOVER-lightened `bg/cell` at 3.03:1 against a 3:1 floor** — 1.2% headroom, the
+  tightest pair in the tree, and invisible to any rest-surface check. Take the most
+  pastel value that still clears the floor, approached from the soft side, never
+  re-saturated toward neon "to be safe."
+- **A state surface is a DIFFERENT surface.** Hover lightens toward `accent/hot`,
+  pressed darkens, disabled desaturates — each changes the contrast of everything
+  drawn on it. Enumerate the state surfaces a role is drawn over, not just the rest
+  ones; the limiter above is exactly the pair that enumeration missed.
+- **A mark drawn OVER an accent fill answers to two neighbours at once.** THE home
+  for this rule. `overlay/trace` (the envelope trace on the waveform) must clear 3:1
+  against both `accent/primary` and `bg/base`, which sit 9.41:1 apart — so
+  `sqrt(9.41)` ≈ 3.07:1 is the ceiling for *any* single value, and the role sits at
+  that optimum with no headroom either way. Three consequences, all load-bearing:
+  the role is confined to the waveform band (no value clears 3:1 on `bg/cell` and
+  against the lime at once); inside the 20%-alpha loop-span fill it is under floor
+  at 2.25:1, and against `line/hairline`'s zero line at 1.92:1 — both KNOWN,
+  ACCEPTED, and asserted as such, because no trace value fixes either; and any two
+  values that BOTH clear the ceiling sit within 1.05:1 of each other, so a state of
+  this mark (grabbed, hot, selected) **cannot** be carried by color and must be
+  carried by size, fill-vs-outline, or shape.
 - **"Speed is the selling point" — a design constraint on this geometry, not
   just the draw layer.** Sub-frame hover/press/drag feedback must repaint
   immediately on the input message. **No decorative animation** — no
@@ -79,7 +92,7 @@ L7 sub-pass, 2026-07-27):
 - `tab_strip` — REAPER-free scrollable tab-strip layout + hit-test for the named-banks strip.
 - `prune_button` — pure layout/hit-test for the `bank_panel` footer Prune button.
 - `drag_out` — pure OS drag-out module: gesture-boundary decision and path-list assembly. The `InstrumentDrop` gesture signals that the shell should execute an instrument-drop rather than a file-copy drag.
-- `theme` — pure palette module: role→color mapping, REAPER-grey neutral ladder + the pastel accent system, the keyboard strip's spectral ramp (its own three stops, deliberately not aliases of the accents), WCAG contrast-floor helpers.
+- `theme` — pure palette module: role→color mapping, REAPER-grey neutral ladder + the pastel accent system, the keyboard strip's spectral ramp, WCAG contrast-floor helpers + `compositeOver` (the effective color of a translucent fill, so alpha overlays are testable). Only the ramp's MID stop is its own constant; lo/hi are still aliases of `accent/primary`/`accent/tertiary`, so a categorical accent move CAN still reorder the ramp — `testSpectralRampLuminanceIsMonotonic` is the build-time catch, not the structure.
 - `component_geometry` — pure button/slider/list-row geometry + hover hit-test helpers.
 - `action_bar` — pure task-grouped action-bar layout/hit-test: clusters (Capture / Placement / Maintenance / Tagging / Switching).
 - `footer_bar` — pure footer layout/hit-test: `[Arrange|Design]` mode-toggle geometry, Tail button, and Prune placement.
@@ -93,7 +106,15 @@ L7 sub-pass, 2026-07-27):
 
 - The WCAG contrast-floor pairs above are real math in `theme`'s tests, not a
   visual eyeball check — any new hue or role needs its own contrast-floor
-  assertion.
+  assertion. Enumerate the draw sites by grep, not from memory: the enumeration
+  must cover state surfaces (hover/pressed/active), translucent composites, and
+  anything else drawn into the same rect, not just the rest surfaces.
+- **A text color's floor is set by its FONT, not by its role.** WCAG's large-scale
+  class needs ≥24px, or ≥18.66px BOLD (`theme.h`'s thresholds); anything smaller is
+  body class and answers to 4.5:1. A draw site relying on the 3:1 floor must pin its
+  font metrics against those constants — `draw_kit.cpp`'s `Font::RegionTitle` is the
+  worked example. A prior revision wrote the threshold ~25% low and let 15px
+  semibold clear a floor it was not entitled to.
 - `card_drag`'s precedence order must stay a pure decision helper mirroring
   `drag_out::decideGesture` — don't let a shell reimplement gesture precedence
   ad hoc; the cursor-cue mapping in the shell must stay a thin lookup over the

src/core/ui/theme.cpp

@@ -34,22 +34,20 @@ constexpr KitColor kDirHairline   {74, 74, 74, 255};   // #4a4a4a — subtle ste
 constexpr KitColor kDirTextPrimary{220, 220, 220, 255};  // #dcdcdc
 constexpr KitColor kDirTextDim    {168, 168, 168, 255};  // #a8a8a8 (lifted from #a0a0a0)
 
-// Accent system: primary = pastel lime (the live/active/selected signal); secondary = deep
-// teal, tertiary = pastel purple (CATEGORICAL distinctions — a KIND, never intensity).
-// accent/hot is a brighter tint OF the primary for hover/live/drag. Secondary is the one
-// accent off the pastel side: its binding limiter is the AA 4.5:1 text-on-fill pair (a bg/base
-// label on a secondary fill), NOT the 3:1 indicator floor, so it cannot go darker than this.
-// warn is reserved for byte-deleting states only.
+// Accent system — roles and their categorical meaning are core/ui/CLAUDE.md's. Warning only:
+// secondary CANNOT go darker. Its tightest pair is the velocity-curve trace on a HOVER-lightened
+// bg/cell (3.03:1 against a 3:1 floor — the whole tree's thinnest margin), which no rest-surface
+// check sees.
 constexpr KitColor kDirAccentPrimary  {176, 224, 152, 255};  // #B0E098 — pastel lime
 constexpr KitColor kDirAccentSecondary{56, 168, 160, 255};   // #38A8A0 — deep teal
 constexpr KitColor kDirAccentTertiary {194, 170, 232, 255};  // #C2AAE8 — pastel purple
 constexpr KitColor kDirAccentHot      {200, 236, 178, 255};  // #C8ECB2 — lighter pastel lime
 constexpr KitColor kDirWarn           {235, 120, 90, 255};   // #eb785a — destructive only
 
-// The envelope trace over the waveform. Two neighbours pin it at once — the lime accent it
-// crosses and bg/base behind it — which bound ANY single value to 3.07:1 against both; this is
-// that optimum, with no room in either direction. No categorical accent can carry it: every
-// one of them is light enough to fall under 2:1 against the lime.
+// The envelope trace over the waveform. Warning only (the two-neighbour rule is
+// core/ui/CLAUDE.md's): this value has NO room in either direction, and it is confined to the
+// waveform band — inside the 20%-alpha loop-span fill it already sits under floor at 2.25:1,
+// which no single value can fix.
 constexpr KitColor kDirOverlayTrace{129, 106, 166, 255};  // #816AA6 — muted violet
 
 // Spectral ramp: pastel lime (low) -> pastel teal (mid) -> pastel purple (high). The mid stop
@@ -160,6 +158,12 @@ KitColor spectralColor(double t) {
     return mix(kDirSpectralMid, kDirSpectralHi, (t - 0.5) / 0.5);
 }
 
+KitColor compositeOver(const KitColor& over, const KitColor& under, double alpha) {
+    if (alpha < 0.0) alpha = 0.0;
+    if (alpha > 1.0) alpha = 1.0;
+    return mix(under, over, alpha);
+}
+
 double relativeLuminance(const KitColor& c) {
     return 0.2126 * linearizeChannel(c.r) +
            0.7152 * linearizeChannel(c.g) +

src/core/ui/theme.h

@@ -56,7 +56,14 @@ enum class InteractionState {
     Disabled,
 };
 
-// Text size classes for the WCAG floor: "Large" (>= ~18.66px, or >= ~14px bold) and UI-state
+// WCAG 2.1's large-scale thresholds, in px at 96dpi (18pt = 24px normal, 14pt = 18.66px bold).
+// A previous revision wrote the BOLD threshold as the normal one and both ~25% low, which let
+// 15px semibold self-classify as Large and clear a floor it was not entitled to — draw sites
+// that want the Large floor static_assert their font against these.
+inline constexpr double kLargeTextMinPx     = 24.0;
+inline constexpr double kLargeTextMinBoldPx = 18.66;
+
+// Text size classes for the WCAG floor: "Large" (>= 24px, or >= ~18.66px BOLD) and UI-state
 // indicators clear at 3:1; body text clears at 4.5:1 (WCAG 2.1 AA).
 enum class TextClass {
     Body,   // AA 4.5:1
@@ -73,14 +80,26 @@ KitColor roleColorState(Role role, InteractionState state);
 
 // Spectral hue ramp for the keyboard strip: maps normalized position t in [0, 1] (low note ->
 // high note) through a pastel lime -> teal -> purple arc, so the strip reads as part of the
-// palette rather than a separate flourish. The arc is its own three stops — a categorical
-// accent move must not be able to reorder it. t is clamped to [0, 1].
+// palette rather than a separate flourish. The MID stop is its own value; lo/hi remain aliases
+// of accent/primary and accent/tertiary, so a categorical accent move can still reorder the
+// ramp — testSpectralRampLuminanceIsMonotonic is the build-time catch, not the structure.
+// t is clamped to [0, 1].
 KitColor spectralColor(double t);
 
 // --- WCAG contrast (the "punch" rule, made testable) --------------------------
 
+// The effective opaque color of `over` drawn at `alpha` on top of `under` — the composition the
+// contrast math needs before it can judge a translucent fill. alpha is clamped to [0, 1]; the
+// result carries `under`'s alpha byte.
+KitColor compositeOver(const KitColor& over, const KitColor& under, double alpha);
+
+// The waveform's loop-span fill alpha. Named HERE rather than at its draw site so the contrast
+// test composes the same value the shell draws with (see compositeOver).
+inline constexpr double kLoopSpanFillAlpha = 0.20;
+
 // Relative luminance per WCAG 2.1 (sRGB linearization + 0.2126/0.7152/0.0722 weighting). Alpha
-// is ignored — a translucent overlay's effective color is the caller's to compose first.
+// is ignored — a translucent overlay's effective color is the caller's to compose first
+// (compositeOver).
 double relativeLuminance(const KitColor& c);
 
 // WCAG contrast ratio between two colors, in [1, 21]. Symmetric.

src/shell/instrument/editor_paint_waveform.cpp

@@ -25,11 +25,21 @@ using audio::computeEnvelope;
 
 namespace {
 // Marker roles — semantic, drawn through the kit's palette: start AND loop start/end both
-// = teal (secondary). Markers are 2px bars and a 20%-alpha span fill, not the 1px trace, so
+// = teal (secondary). Markers are 2px bars and a translucent span fill, not the 1px trace, so
 // they live with 1.92:1 against the waveform; the trace, which cannot, has its own role.
-// Do not collapse the two back onto one role — they overlap in this rect.
+// Do not collapse the two back onto one role — they overlap in this rect. The trace crossing
+// the loop-span fill is a KNOWN, ACCEPTED under-floor pair (2.25:1 against a 3:1 floor), and no
+// trace value fixes it — see the two-neighbour rule in core/ui/CLAUDE.md. If it is ever
+// resolved, the FILL is what changes; do not nudge a color to chase it.
 constexpr Role kRoleStartMarker = Role::AccentSecondary;
 constexpr Role kRoleLoopMarker  = Role::AccentSecondary;
+
+// Envelope-handle half-extents. Grabbed grows and hollows out; kNodeGrabRadius (envelope_edit)
+// is the PICK radius and is unrelated — a handle may draw larger than it without widening any
+// hit region.
+constexpr int kEnvHandleRadius        = 3;
+constexpr int kEnvHandleGrabbedRadius = 5;
+constexpr int kEnvHandleRingPx        = 2;
 }  // namespace
 
 void ReaSamplerEditor::paintWaveform(LICE_IBitmap* bmp, const Rect& band) {
@@ -84,7 +94,8 @@ void ReaSamplerEditor::paintWaveform(LICE_IBitmap* bmp, const Rect& band) {
         const int rx = frameToX(overlay, frames, m.loopEnd);
         if (rx > lx) {
             LICE_FillRect(bmp, lx, overlayRect.y, rx - lx, overlayRect.height,
-                          toLice(roleColor(kRoleLoopMarker)), 0.20f, 0);
+                          toLice(roleColor(kRoleLoopMarker)),
+                          static_cast<float>(kLoopSpanFillAlpha), 0);
         }
     }
     const std::int64_t markerFrames[3] = {m.start, m.loopStart, m.loopEnd};
@@ -124,24 +135,35 @@ void ReaSamplerEditor::paintEnvelopeOverlay(LICE_IBitmap* bmp, const OverlayArea
         }
         prev = &v;
     }
-    // Handles: a square per draggable stage node, a ROUND knot per curvable segment. Lit
-    // accent-hot when this node is the grabbed one. Every vertex is guaranteed in-bounds; the
-    // handle is additionally clamped inside the band so one on an edge node never overhangs
-    // into the neighbouring bands.
+    // Handles: a square per draggable stage node, a ROUND knot per curvable segment. Every
+    // vertex is guaranteed in-bounds; the handle is additionally clamped inside the band so one
+    // on an edge node never overhangs into the neighbouring bands.
+    //
+    // GRAB is signalled by SIZE + a punched-out core, NOT by a hotter hue — the one place the
+    // kit's "brighter = hotter" convention is deliberately inverted, because a brighter tint is
+    // a LOWER-contrast tint here: accent/hot sits at 1.15:1 against the lime it is drawn over.
+    // The two-neighbour ceiling (core/ui/CLAUDE.md) leaves at most 1.05:1 between ANY two values
+    // that both clear the floor over lime and bg/base, so no color can carry this state. The
+    // grabbed mark stays overlay/trace and reads by its 3.07:1 ring against the lime plus a
+    // 3.06:1 bg/base core inside it.
     const LICE_pixel handle = toLice(roleColor(Role::OverlayTrace));
-    const LICE_pixel handleHot = toLice(roleColor(Role::AccentHot));
+    const LICE_pixel core = toLice(roleColor(Role::BgBase));
     for (const EnvVertex& v : poly) {
         if (v.node == EnvNode::Origin || v.node == EnvNode::ReleaseEnd) continue;
         const bool grabbed = (drag_ == DragKind::kEnvNode && envNode_ == v.node);
-        const int r = 3;
+        const int r = grabbed ? kEnvHandleGrabbedRadius : kEnvHandleRadius;
+        const int ir = r - kEnvHandleRingPx;  // core radius; > 0 only when grabbed
         const int hx = (std::max)(area.x + r, (std::min)(area.right() - 1 - r, v.x));
         const int hy = (std::max)(area.y + r, (std::min)(area.bottom() - 1 - r, v.y));
         if (v.knot) {
             LICE_FillCircle(bmp, static_cast<float>(hx), static_cast<float>(hy),
-                            static_cast<float>(r), grabbed ? handleHot : handle, 1.0f, 0, true);
+                            static_cast<float>(r), handle, 1.0f, 0, true);
+            if (grabbed)
+                LICE_FillCircle(bmp, static_cast<float>(hx), static_cast<float>(hy),
+                                static_cast<float>(ir), core, 1.0f, 0, true);
         } else {
-            LICE_FillRect(bmp, hx - r, hy - r, 2 * r, 2 * r, grabbed ? handleHot : handle, 1.0f,
-                          0);
+            LICE_FillRect(bmp, hx - r, hy - r, 2 * r, 2 * r, handle, 1.0f, 0);
+            if (grabbed) LICE_FillRect(bmp, hx - ir, hy - ir, 2 * ir, 2 * ir, core, 1.0f, 0);
         }
     }
 }

src/shell/panel/draw_kit.cpp

@@ -40,7 +40,17 @@ namespace {
 // this converts a KitColor's 8-bit alpha so a disabled surface composites at the right opacity.
 float drawAlpha(const KitColor& c) { return c.a / 255.0f; }
 
+// Font::RegionTitle exists so an ACCENT-colored title can answer to the 3:1 indicator floor
+// instead of the 4.5:1 body floor. That entitlement is the font's, not the color's, so the
+// metrics are pinned here against theme's thresholds: shrink either one and the build stops
+// rather than silently reclassifying every pair drawn in it.
+constexpr int kRegionTitlePx     = 19;
+constexpr int kRegionTitleWeight = FW_BOLD;
+static_assert(kRegionTitlePx >= ui::kLargeTextMinBoldPx, "region title must clear WCAG large");
+static_assert(kRegionTitleWeight >= FW_BOLD, "the large-bold threshold requires bold, not semi");
+
 struct KitFonts {
+    LICE_CachedFont regionTitle;
     LICE_CachedFont title;
     LICE_CachedFont label;
     LICE_CachedFont valueMono;
@@ -65,6 +75,7 @@ void loadFont(LICE_CachedFont& dst, int pxHeight, int weight, const char* face)
 LICE_CachedFont* fontFor(Font f) {
     if (!g_fonts.ready) return nullptr;
     switch (f) {
+        case Font::RegionTitle: return &g_fonts.regionTitle;
         case Font::Title:     return &g_fonts.title;
         case Font::Label:     return &g_fonts.label;
         case Font::ValueMono: return &g_fonts.valueMono;
@@ -136,6 +147,7 @@ RECT toRect(const KitBox& b) {
 
 void kitFontsInit() {
     if (g_fonts.ready) return;  // idempotent
+    loadFont(g_fonts.regionTitle, kRegionTitlePx, kRegionTitleWeight, "Segoe UI");
     loadFont(g_fonts.title,     15, FW_SEMIBOLD, "Segoe UI");
     loadFont(g_fonts.label,     12, FW_NORMAL,   "Segoe UI");
     loadFont(g_fonts.valueMono, 12, FW_NORMAL,   "Consolas");
@@ -147,6 +159,7 @@ void kitFontsShutdown() {
     if (!g_fonts.ready) return;  // idempotent
     // g_fonts is a static instance, never re-created, so free the HFONTs explicitly:
     // handing each a null font with OWNS_HFONT cleans up the prior HFONT (lice_text.h).
+    g_fonts.regionTitle.SetFromHFont(nullptr, LICE_FONT_FLAG_OWNS_HFONT);
     g_fonts.title.SetFromHFont(nullptr, LICE_FONT_FLAG_OWNS_HFONT);
     g_fonts.label.SetFromHFont(nullptr, LICE_FONT_FLAG_OWNS_HFONT);
     g_fonts.valueMono.SetFromHFont(nullptr, LICE_FONT_FLAG_OWNS_HFONT);

src/shell/panel/draw_kit.h

@@ -42,13 +42,14 @@ using ui::ListRowBox;
 using ui::Role;
 using ui::SliderGeometry;
 
-// The kit's four cached fonts. Consumers pass a Font to text() to pick the size/weight;
-// the kit maps it to the matching LICE_CachedFont.
+// The kit's cached fonts. Consumers pass a Font to text() to pick the size/weight; the kit
+// maps it to the matching LICE_CachedFont.
 enum class Font {
-    Title,      // ~15px semibold — region titles, headings
-    Label,      // ~12px regular — labels, body
-    ValueMono,  // ~12px tabular/mono — numbers (dB/ms/notes) that must not jitter
-    Micro,      // ~10px dim — units, counts, keybinding sub-labels
+    RegionTitle,  // 19px BOLD — text that must qualify as WCAG large-scale (3:1 floor)
+    Title,        // ~15px semibold — headings (BODY class: 4.5:1 floor)
+    Label,        // ~12px regular — labels, body
+    ValueMono,    // ~12px tabular/mono — numbers (dB/ms/notes) that must not jitter
+    Micro,        // ~10px dim — units, counts, keybinding sub-labels
 };
 
 // Horizontal text alignment for text(). Vertical is always centered in the rect (the kit's
@@ -58,7 +59,7 @@ enum class Align { Left, Center, Right };
 // The one place a pure KitColor becomes a LICE_pixel. Defined in draw_kit.cpp.
 LICE_pixel toLice(const KitColor& c);
 
-// Creates the four cached fonts once; idempotent. Segoe UI for title/label/micro,
+// Creates the cached fonts once; idempotent. Segoe UI for region-title/title/label/micro,
 // Consolas (tabular) for value-mono. No-op-safe: if font creation fails, text()
 // draws nothing rather than crashing.
 void kitFontsInit();

src/shell/panel/panel_render.cpp

@@ -327,12 +327,14 @@ void drawRegionHeader(LICE_IBitmap* bmp, const RECT& region, const char* title,
     // Title, left. The two regions are distinct KINDS of container, so the title carries a
     // CATEGORICAL accent (secondary/tertiary mark kinds, never intensity) — Pool = secondary
     // teal, Banks = tertiary purple. This is a category mark, NOT the "what's live" signal
-    // (that stays the primary-lime "Active:" readout beside it).
+    // (that stays the primary-lime "Active:" readout beside it). Font::RegionTitle, not
+    // Font::Title: an accent this deep only clears the 3:1 indicator floor, so the type has to
+    // be large enough to be ENTITLED to it — see draw_kit.cpp's metrics static_assert.
     RECT titleRc = hdr;
     titleRc.left += 8;
     titleRc.right = titleRc.left + 120;
     const Role titleRole = poolBtnIsPool ? Role::AccentSecondary : Role::AccentTertiary;
-    kitText(bmp, toKitBox(titleRc), title, Font::Title, titleRole, Align::Left);
+    kitText(bmp, toKitBox(titleRc), title, Font::RegionTitle, titleRole, Align::Left);
 
     // Active-bank readout — the UNMISTAKABLE indicator, in the PRIMARY accent role in BOTH
     // region headers so the active/capture-target bank is legible even when it is not the

src/shell/panel/panel_state.h

@@ -198,7 +198,9 @@ inline constexpr int kTooltipCharPx = 7;
 inline constexpr int kTooltipTextH  = 14;
 
 // Client area top to bottom: top toolbar | split body | bottom toolbar | footer.
-inline constexpr int kRegionHeaderHeight = 24;
+// 26, not 24: Font::RegionTitle's line box (19px em + Segoe UI's leading) is ~25px, and
+// DT_VCENTER clips to the rect.
+inline constexpr int kRegionHeaderHeight = 26;
 inline constexpr int kTabStripHeight     = 26;
 inline constexpr int kSplitDividerHeight = 3;
 inline constexpr int kFullHtBtnWidth     = 22;

tests/test_theme.cpp

@@ -64,12 +64,11 @@ static void testTextDimClearsItsFloorOnSurfaces() {
 }
 
 static void testAccentsClearIndicatorFloorOnCell() {
-    // DS-2 revised (grey re-read): each of the three pastel accents is used as a state
-    // indicator / active fill on bg/cell (selection border, active segment, active tab).
-    // The greyer surface shrank the cushion from ~15:1 (near-black) to ~6-7:1 (grey), so
-    // this is re-verified on bg/cell (NOT the old near-black) at the 3:1 large/indicator
-    // floor. If any pastel dropped below, the fix is to nudge that hue deeper (hue stays
-    // lime/teal/purple) — the value the test locks proves it did not need it here.
+    // Each accent is used as a state indicator / active fill on bg/cell (selection border,
+    // active segment, active tab). The move to REAPER grey shrank the cushion from ~15:1 on
+    // near-black to 3.9:1 (secondary) - 8.7:1 (hot), so the floor is verified on bg/cell, NOT
+    // the old near-black. If a pastel drops below, nudge that hue deeper; hue stays
+    // lime/teal/purple.
     for (Role a : {Role::AccentPrimary, Role::AccentSecondary, Role::AccentTertiary,
                    Role::AccentHot}) {
         CHECK(contrastRatio(roleColor(a), roleColor(Role::BgCell))
@@ -78,13 +77,21 @@ static void testAccentsClearIndicatorFloorOnCell() {
     // The primary accent also leads the mode-switch/tab active fill drawn over bg/base.
     CHECK(contrastRatio(roleColor(Role::AccentPrimary), roleColor(Role::BgBase))
           >= textFloor(TextClass::Large));
-    // bank_panel draws categorical accents as text on bg/panel (region-title band):
-    // AccentSecondary/Tertiary as region-title text; AccentPrimary as the "Active:" readout.
-    // Verify all three clear the 3:1 large/indicator floor on bg/panel (the ACTUAL draw surface).
+}
+
+// The docked panel's region-title band: secondary/tertiary as the title itself, primary as the
+// "Active:" readout beside it, all on bg/panel. The titles clear the 3:1 indicator floor and
+// NOT the 4.5:1 body floor (secondary sits at 4.38:1), so they are drawn in Font::RegionTitle —
+// 19px bold, which is what ENTITLES them to the large-text floor. draw_kit.cpp static_asserts
+// those metrics against theme's thresholds; that assert and this pair are one guard in two
+// halves, and removing either re-opens the AA failure that 15px semibold hid.
+static void testRegionTitleAccentsClearLargeFloorOnPanel() {
     for (Role a : {Role::AccentPrimary, Role::AccentSecondary, Role::AccentTertiary}) {
         CHECK(contrastRatio(roleColor(a), roleColor(Role::BgPanel))
               >= textFloor(TextClass::Large));
     }
+    // Tighter pin at the measured value, so drift is caught before it reaches the floor.
+    CHECK(contrastRatio(roleColor(Role::AccentSecondary), roleColor(Role::BgPanel)) >= 4.3);
 }
 
 // Text drawn ON a pastel accent fill (retained tight pair, re-verified for the pastels):
@@ -122,23 +129,65 @@ static void testSecondaryTertiaryAreDistinguishable() {
 }
 
 // The envelope overlay is traced OVER the waveform, which draws in the primary accent — an
-// accent-on-accent pair no surface floor covers, since neither is a surface. overlay/trace
-// exists so that pair can clear the real 3:1 indicator floor; every categorical accent is light
-// enough to sit under 2:1 against the lime, so pointing the trace back at one fails here.
+// accent-on-accent pair no surface floor covers, since neither is a surface. Every categorical
+// accent is light enough to sit under 2:1 against the lime, so pointing the trace back at one
+// fails here.
 static void testOverlayTraceClearsIndicatorFloorOnTheWaveform() {
     CHECK(contrastRatio(roleColor(Role::OverlayTrace), roleColor(Role::AccentPrimary))
           >= textFloor(TextClass::Large));
 }
 
-// The trace's own surface floor. bg/base is the only surface it draws on (the waveform band
-// fills with it), and that confinement is forced, not convenient: clearing 3:1 against the lime
-// caps the trace's luminance at 0.183, while clearing 3:1 on bg/cell would demand 0.227. The two
-// are mutually exclusive, so this role must not be reused outside that band.
+// The trace's own surface floor, on the bg/base the waveform band fills with. This pair does
+// double duty: the GRABBED envelope handle is an overlay/trace ring around a bg/base core, so
+// the same number is also that mark's internal ring-vs-core contrast.
 static void testOverlayTraceClearsFloorOnItsDrawSurface() {
     CHECK(contrastRatio(roleColor(Role::OverlayTrace), roleColor(Role::BgBase))
           >= textFloor(TextClass::Large));
 }
 
+// The velocity-curve trace is drawn in accent/secondary over a HOVER-lightened bg/cell (the
+// chrome band's mini preview button). Hover lightens the surface toward accent/hot, closing on
+// the deep teal from below: 3.03:1 against a 3:1 floor — the thinnest margin in the tree, and
+// the true binding limiter on how dark accent/secondary may go. No rest-surface check sees it.
+static void testCurveTraceOnHoverSurfaceClearsFloor() {
+    CHECK(contrastRatio(roleColor(Role::AccentSecondary),
+                        roleColorState(Role::BgCell, InteractionState::Hover))
+          >= textFloor(TextClass::Large));
+}
+
+// The trace's OTHER two neighbours in the waveform rect, both composited or drawn beneath it.
+// Enumerating only bg/base under-counted them.
+//   - The loop-span fill: accent/secondary at kLoopSpanFillAlpha over bg/base. The trace over
+//     that composite is 2.25:1 — a KNOWN, ACCEPTED under-floor pair, pinned here as a RANGE so
+//     it is recorded rather than silently believed to clear. The two-neighbour ceiling means no
+//     trace value fixes it (clearing the fill breaks the lime or bg/base pair); if it is ever
+//     resolved, the FILL is what changes, and this assertion is what will fail first.
+//   - drawWaveform's line/hairline zero line, at 1.92:1. Also under floor, and also unfixable
+//     from the trace's side.
+static void testOverlayTraceAgainstItsRemainingNeighbours() {
+    const KitColor loopFill = compositeOver(roleColor(Role::AccentSecondary),
+                                            roleColor(Role::BgBase), kLoopSpanFillAlpha);
+    const double onFill = contrastRatio(roleColor(Role::OverlayTrace), loopFill);
+    CHECK(onFill >= 2.2 && onFill < textFloor(TextClass::Large));
+    const double onZeroLine = contrastRatio(roleColor(Role::OverlayTrace),
+                                            roleColor(Role::LineHairline));
+    CHECK(onZeroLine >= 1.9 && onZeroLine < textFloor(TextClass::Large));
+}
+
+// compositeOver is the arithmetic the pairs above depend on, so anchor it: full alpha is the
+// overlay, zero alpha is the surface, and the composite of a lighter color over a darker one
+// lands strictly between the two.
+static void testCompositeOverAnchors() {
+    const KitColor over = roleColor(Role::AccentSecondary);
+    const KitColor under = roleColor(Role::BgBase);
+    CHECK(compositeOver(over, under, 1.0) == over);
+    CHECK(compositeOver(over, under, 0.0) == under);
+    CHECK(compositeOver(over, under, 5.0) == over);   // alpha clamps
+    CHECK(compositeOver(over, under, -1.0) == under);
+    const double mid = relativeLuminance(compositeOver(over, under, 0.5));
+    CHECK(mid > relativeLuminance(under) && mid < relativeLuminance(over));
+}
+
 // editor_paint_waveform.cpp draws the loop span/markers and the envelope overlay trace into
 // the SAME overlay rect, so they must read as two things. Luminance cannot carry that — each is
 // pinned near its own floor — so the separation is a hue one: teal leans green over red, the
@@ -156,11 +205,9 @@ static void testLoopMarkerAndOverlayTraceAreDistinct() {
 }
 
 // AccentSecondary was darkened from a pastel teal (#84D6D0) to a deep teal (#38A8A0, same
-// hue/saturation, lower lightness). Locks the re-measured numbers so a future palette nudge
-// that erodes past either the 3:1 indicator floor or the tighter AA 4.5:1 text-on-fill floor
-// fails the build. The text-on-fill pair (bg/base label on a secondary fill) is the binding
-// limiter — it clears with far less headroom (~4.9:1) than the indicator floor on bg/cell
-// (~3.9:1), which is why the value could not go darker than this.
+// hue/saturation, lower lightness). Locks the re-measured numbers so a future nudge that erodes
+// past either the 3:1 indicator floor or the AA 4.5:1 text-on-fill floor fails the build. The
+// binding limiter on going darker is NOT one of these — it is the hover-surface pair above.
 static void testAccentSecondaryDarkerTealClearsFloors() {
     const KitColor sec = roleColor(Role::AccentSecondary);
     CHECK(contrastRatio(sec, roleColor(Role::BgBase))  >= textFloor(TextClass::Large));
@@ -296,11 +343,15 @@ int main() {
     testTextPrimaryClearsBodyFloorOnSurfaces();
     testTextDimClearsItsFloorOnSurfaces();
     testAccentsClearIndicatorFloorOnCell();
+    testRegionTitleAccentsClearLargeFloorOnPanel();
     testTextOnPastelFillClearsBodyFloor();
     testTextOnHoverSurfaceClearsFloor();
+    testCurveTraceOnHoverSurfaceClearsFloor();
     testSecondaryTertiaryAreDistinguishable();
     testOverlayTraceClearsIndicatorFloorOnTheWaveform();
     testOverlayTraceClearsFloorOnItsDrawSurface();
+    testOverlayTraceAgainstItsRemainingNeighbours();
+    testCompositeOverAnchors();
     testLoopMarkerAndOverlayTraceAreDistinct();
     testAccentSecondaryDarkerTealClearsFloors();
     testWarnClearsStateFloorOnBackground();