diff --git a/src/renderer/components/terminal/terminalColors.test.ts b/src/renderer/components/terminal/terminalColors.test.ts
index 70471ce4..02391860 100644
--- a/src/renderer/components/terminal/terminalColors.test.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/components/terminal/terminalColors.test.ts
@@ -1,43 +1,68 @@
 import { afterAll, beforeAll, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 import { resolveTerminalColor } from "./terminalColors";
 
-// Emulate a browser's CanvasRenderingContext2D.fillStyle: a parseable color is
-// stored in a normalized form, while an unparseable value is silently ignored
-// (the previous value is kept) — the exact behavior resolveTerminalColor relies
-// on. Modern color syntaxes the real engine converts to sRGB hex are mapped to a
-// fixed hex; a wide-gamut `color(srgb ...)` parses but stays in that format.
-function emulateBrowserParse(input: string): string | null {
-  const v = input.trim().toLowerCase();
-  if (/^#([0-9a-f]{3}|[0-9a-f]{6}|[0-9a-f]{8})$/.test(v)) {
-    if (v.length === 4) {
-      return `#${v[1]}${v[1]}${v[2]}${v[2]}${v[3]}${v[3]}`;
-    }
-    return v;
-  }
-  if (/^rgb\(/.test(v)) return v.replace(/\s+/g, "").replace("rgb(", "rgb(");
-  if (/^rgba\(/.test(v)) return v.replace(/\s+/g, "");
-  // oklch()/oklab()/color-mix(...) are in-gamut here → engine yields sRGB hex.
-  if (/^(oklch|oklab|color-mix)\(/.test(v)) return "#3a6ea5";
-  // Wide-gamut color() parses but cannot be downgraded to hex/rgb.
-  if (/^color\(/.test(v)) return v;
-  return null; // unparseable: "notacolor", "var(--x)", etc.
-}
+// These fixtures are EMPIRICALLY MEASURED from a real renderer (Electron 41 /
+// Chromium 140), because the resolver's correctness hinges on quirks a hand-
+// written mock would get wrong — the bug this guards against was a mock that
+// *assumed* `oklch()` serializes to hex. It does not:
+//   - `fillStyle` echoes modern color spaces back unchanged: `oklch(...)` stays
+//     `oklch(...)`, `color-mix(in oklab, ...)` becomes `oklab(...)`, wide-gamut
+//     `color(...)` stays `color(...)`. None are xterm-safe.
+//   - Opaque `rgb()`/`hsl()`/named colors serialize to `#hex`; `rgba()` stays a
+//     legacy `rgba()`. Those are xterm-safe and returned verbatim.
+//   - Only the pixel-readback path (getImageData) collapses a modern color space
+//     to concrete sRGB bytes.
+// Each fixture pairs an input with `serialize` (what `fillStyle` echoes — absent
+// ⇒ unparseable, so the setter ignores it) and `raster` (the sRGB pixel a 1×1
+// fill produces). One entry per color keeps the two readings from drifting apart.
+const FIXTURES: Record<string, { serialize: string; raster: [number, number, number, number] }> = {
+  "#000000": { serialize: "#000000", raster: [0, 0, 0, 255] },
+  "#ffffff": { serialize: "#ffffff", raster: [255, 255, 255, 255] },
+  "#abc": { serialize: "#aabbcc", raster: [170, 187, 204, 255] },
+  "#1d4c89": { serialize: "#1d4c89", raster: [29, 76, 137, 255] },
+  "rgba(148, 191, 255, 0.24)": {
+    serialize: "rgba(148, 191, 255, 0.24)",
+    raster: [146, 192, 255, 61],
+  },
+  "oklch(0.9911 0 0)": { serialize: "oklch(0.9911 0 0)", raster: [252, 252, 252, 255] },
+  "oklch(0.2 0.004 286)": { serialize: "oklch(0.2 0.004 286)", raster: [22, 22, 24, 255] },
+  "oklch(0.975 0.003 286)": { serialize: "oklch(0.975 0.003 286)", raster: [246, 246, 249, 255] },
+  "oklch(0.77 0.08 244)": { serialize: "oklch(0.77 0.08 244)", raster: [136, 186, 228, 255] },
+  "color-mix(in oklab, #ffffff 50%, #000000)": {
+    serialize: "oklab(0.499997 0.0000227839 0.0000100434)",
+    raster: [99, 99, 99, 255],
+  },
+  "color(srgb 1 0.5 0)": { serialize: "color(srgb 1 0.5 0)", raster: [255, 128, 0, 255] },
+};
 
 let originalGetContext: typeof HTMLCanvasElement.prototype.getContext;
 
 beforeAll(() => {
   originalGetContext = HTMLCanvasElement.prototype.getContext;
-  let stored = "#000000";
+  let serialized = "#000000";
+  let rawForRaster = "#000000";
+  let pixel: [number, number, number, number] = [0, 0, 0, 255];
   const ctx = {
     get fillStyle() {
-      return stored;
+      return serialized;
     },
     set fillStyle(value: string) {
-      const parsed = emulateBrowserParse(value);
-      if (parsed !== null) stored = parsed;
+      const key = String(value).trim().toLowerCase();
+      const fixture = FIXTURES[key];
+      // Unknown ⇒ unparseable; the real setter keeps the previous value.
+      if (fixture === undefined) return;
+      serialized = fixture.serialize;
+      rawForRaster = key;
+    },
+    clearRect() {},
+    fillRect() {
+      pixel = FIXTURES[rawForRaster]?.raster ?? [0, 0, 0, 255];
+    },
+    getImageData() {
+      return { data: Uint8ClampedArray.from(pixel) };
     },
   };
-  // @ts-expect-error -- partial mock; only fillStyle is exercised.
+  // @ts-expect-error -- partial mock; only the members the resolver touches.
   HTMLCanvasElement.prototype.getContext = () => ctx;
 });
 
@@ -46,13 +71,22 @@ afterAll(() => {
 });
 
 describe("resolveTerminalColor", () => {
-  it("converts oklch() to an xterm-safe hex string", () => {
-    // The crash that motivated this: xterm cannot parse "oklch(0.9911 0 0)".
-    expect(resolveTerminalColor("oklch(0.9911 0 0)")).toBe("#3a6ea5");
+  it("rasterizes oklch() down to an xterm-safe sRGB hex", () => {
+    // Regression: xterm cannot parse "oklch(...)", and Chromium's fillStyle
+    // echoes it back unchanged — so it MUST be rasterized, not passed through.
+    expect(resolveTerminalColor("oklch(0.9911 0 0)")).toBe("#fcfcfc");
+    expect(resolveTerminalColor("oklch(0.2 0.004 286)")).toBe("#161618");
+    expect(resolveTerminalColor("oklch(0.975 0.003 286)")).toBe("#f6f6f9");
+    expect(resolveTerminalColor("oklch(0.77 0.08 244)")).toBe("#88bae4");
   });
 
-  it("converts color-mix(in oklab, ...) to an xterm-safe hex string", () => {
-    expect(resolveTerminalColor("color-mix(in oklab, #ffffff 50%, #000000)")).toBe("#3a6ea5");
+  it("rasterizes color-mix(in oklab, ...) down to an xterm-safe sRGB hex", () => {
+    // Serializes to oklab(...), which xterm also cannot parse.
+    expect(resolveTerminalColor("color-mix(in oklab, #ffffff 50%, #000000)")).toBe("#636363");
+  });
+
+  it("rasterizes a wide-gamut color() down to clamped sRGB", () => {
+    expect(resolveTerminalColor("color(srgb 1 0.5 0)")).toBe("#ff8000");
   });
 
   it("passes through and normalizes plain hex colors", () => {
@@ -60,8 +94,10 @@ describe("resolveTerminalColor", () => {
     expect(resolveTerminalColor("#1d4c89")).toBe("#1d4c89");
   });
 
-  it("passes through rgb()/rgba() colors", () => {
-    expect(resolveTerminalColor("rgba(148, 191, 255, 0.24)")).toBe("rgba(148,191,255,0.24)");
+  it("passes through rgba() verbatim, preserving exact alpha", () => {
+    // Fast path: the serialization is already xterm-safe, so we keep it rather
+    // than rasterizing (round-tripping alpha through a pixel is lossy).
+    expect(resolveTerminalColor("rgba(148, 191, 255, 0.24)")).toBe("rgba(148, 191, 255, 0.24)");
   });
 
   it("returns null for an empty value so callers fall back", () => {
@@ -73,16 +109,11 @@ describe("resolveTerminalColor", () => {
     expect(resolveTerminalColor("notacolor")).toBeNull();
   });
 
-  it("returns null for a parseable-but-xterm-unsafe wide-gamut color()", () => {
-    // Guards against handing xterm a format its parser still cannot read.
-    expect(resolveTerminalColor("color(srgb 1 0.5 0)")).toBeNull();
-  });
-
   it("never returns a value containing modern color syntax", () => {
     for (const input of [
       "oklch(0.77 0.08 244)",
-      "oklch(0.19 0.004 286)",
-      "color-mix(in oklab, oklch(0.2 0.004 286) 50%, #000000)",
+      "oklch(0.2 0.004 286)",
+      "color-mix(in oklab, #ffffff 50%, #000000)",
     ]) {
       const resolved = resolveTerminalColor(input);
       expect(resolved).not.toBeNull();
@@ -90,6 +121,7 @@ describe("resolveTerminalColor", () => {
       expect(resolved).not.toContain("oklch");
       expect(resolved).not.toContain("oklab");
       expect(resolved).not.toContain("color-mix");
+      expect(resolved).not.toContain("color(");
     }
   });
 });
diff --git a/src/renderer/components/terminal/terminalColors.ts b/src/renderer/components/terminal/terminalColors.ts
index 3043365b..fa8cbe56 100644
--- a/src/renderer/components/terminal/terminalColors.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/components/terminal/terminalColors.ts
@@ -4,8 +4,19 @@
 // base themes and `color-mix(in oklab, ...)` for presets — which xterm cannot
 // parse and which crashes the glyph rasterizer with
 // "Unexpected fillStyle color format". These helpers let the browser resolve any
-// CSS color string down to an xterm-safe `#hex`/`rgba()` value via a 2D canvas
-// context.
+// CSS color string down to an xterm-safe `#hex`/`rgba()` value.
+//
+// Resolution can't lean on the canvas `fillStyle` round-trip alone: modern
+// Chromium (verified on Electron 41 / Chromium 140) serializes `fillStyle` back
+// in the *authored* color space, so `oklch(...)` echoes `oklch(...)` and
+// `color-mix(in oklab, ...)` echoes `oklab(...)` — neither xterm-safe. (Opaque
+// `rgb()`/`hsl()`/named colors *do* serialize to `#hex`, and `rgba()` to a legacy
+// `rgba()`.) So we take the serialization when it's already safe, and otherwise
+// rasterize a single pixel and read back its concrete sRGB bytes via
+// `getImageData` — the one path that always collapses any color space to plain
+// sRGB. Callers fall back to fixed light/dark values when this returns `null`.
+
+import { toHex } from "@/renderer/theme/colorMath";
 
 let colorResolverCtx: CanvasRenderingContext2D | null = null;
 
@@ -14,17 +25,42 @@ function getColorResolverCtx(): CanvasRenderingContext2D | null {
   // transient failure (or a test that installs a canvas mock after first use)
   // doesn't permanently disable resolution.
   if (!colorResolverCtx && typeof document !== "undefined") {
-    colorResolverCtx = document.createElement("canvas").getContext("2d");
+    // `willReadFrequently` keeps the canvas CPU-backed so the rasterize path's
+    // `getImageData` readback doesn't pay a GPU round-trip.
+    colorResolverCtx = document
+      .createElement("canvas")
+      .getContext("2d", { willReadFrequently: true });
   }
   return colorResolverCtx;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Rasterize a known-parseable color to a 1×1 pixel and read it back as a plain
+ * sRGB `#hex` (opaque) or `rgba()` (translucent) string. `clearRect` first so a
+ * translucent fill composites over transparent, not over the previous pixel.
+ * Returns `null` if the readback fails (e.g. a tainted/unavailable context).
+ */
+function rasterizeColor(ctx: CanvasRenderingContext2D, value: string): string | null {
+  try {
+    ctx.fillStyle = value;
+    ctx.clearRect(0, 0, 1, 1);
+    ctx.fillRect(0, 0, 1, 1);
+    const [r = 0, g = 0, b = 0, a = 255] = ctx.getImageData(0, 0, 1, 1).data;
+    if (a === 255) {
+      return toHex([r, g, b]);
+    }
+    // Round alpha to 3 decimals so the 0–255 → 0–1 division doesn't leak float noise.
+    return `rgba(${r}, ${g}, ${b}, ${Number((a / 255).toFixed(3))})`;
+  } catch {
+    return null;
+  }
+}
+
 /**
  * Resolve an arbitrary CSS color string (`oklch(...)`, `color-mix(...)`, hex,
  * `rgb()`, named, ...) to a hex or `rgb(a)` string that xterm's color parser can
- * understand. Returns `null` when the value is empty, unparseable, or resolves
- * to a format xterm still wouldn't understand (e.g. a wide-gamut
- * `color(srgb ...)`), so callers can fall back to a known-safe color.
+ * understand. Returns `null` when the value is empty or unparseable, so callers
+ * can fall back to a known-safe color.
  */
 export function resolveTerminalColor(value: string): string | null {
   if (!value) return null;
@@ -41,5 +77,10 @@ export function resolveTerminalColor(value: string): string | null {
   ctx.fillStyle = value;
   const second = ctx.fillStyle;
   if (first !== second) return null;
-  return /^#[0-9a-f]{3,8}$/i.test(first) || /^rgba?\(/i.test(first) ? first : null;
+  // Fast path: the serialization is already xterm-safe (hex / rgb / rgba). Use
+  // it verbatim so translucent `rgba()` keeps its exact channels (rasterizing
+  // round-trips alpha lossily). Otherwise it's a modern color space xterm can't
+  // read — rasterize the verified-parseable value down to sRGB.
+  if (/^#[0-9a-f]{3,8}$/i.test(first) || /^rgba?\(/i.test(first)) return first;
+  return rasterizeColor(ctx, value);
 }
diff --git a/src/renderer/styles.css b/src/renderer/styles.css
index 56a122a2..2b10c1ee 100644
--- a/src/renderer/styles.css
+++ b/src/renderer/styles.css
@@ -791,7 +791,6 @@
     --content-background: var(--background);
     --window-header-background: var(--sidebar-background);
     --window-overlay-background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);
-    --terminal-surface: var(--surface);
     --composer-surface: var(--surface);
     --interactive-cursor: default;
 
@@ -843,7 +842,6 @@
     --sidebar-background: oklch(0.945 0.004 286);
     --content-background: oklch(0.975 0.003 286);
     --window-header-background: var(--sidebar-background);
-    --terminal-surface: oklch(0.967 0.003 286);
     --composer-surface: oklch(0.982 0.002 286);
   }
 
@@ -874,7 +872,6 @@
     --sidebar-background: oklch(0.22 0.004 286);
     --content-background: oklch(0.2 0.004 286);
     --window-header-background: var(--sidebar-background);
-    --terminal-surface: oklch(0.155 0.004 286);
     --composer-surface: oklch(0.25 0.004 286);
   }
 
diff --git a/src/renderer/theme/themePresets.ts b/src/renderer/theme/themePresets.ts
index 1a7b1274..1a2d3446 100644
--- a/src/renderer/theme/themePresets.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/theme/themePresets.ts
@@ -50,7 +50,6 @@ export const THEME_SPECS: AppThemeSpec[] = [
       border: "#cacace",
       sidebar: "#ececef",
       content: "#f6f6f9",
-      terminal: "#f4f4f6",
     },
     dark: {
       bg: "#141416",
@@ -61,7 +60,6 @@ export const THEME_SPECS: AppThemeSpec[] = [
       border: "#303033",
       sidebar: "#1a1a1c",
       content: "#161618",
-      terminal: "#0c0c0e",
     },
   },
 
@@ -78,7 +76,6 @@ export const THEME_SPECS: AppThemeSpec[] = [
       accentFg: "#ffffff",
       border: "#bcc0cc",
       sidebar: "#e6e9ef",
-      terminal: "#dce0e8",
     },
     dark: {
       bg: "#1e1e2e",
@@ -89,7 +86,6 @@ export const THEME_SPECS: AppThemeSpec[] = [
       accentFg: "#1e1e2e",
       border: "#313244",
       sidebar: "#181825",
-      terminal: "#181825",
     },
   },
 
@@ -106,7 +102,6 @@ export const THEME_SPECS: AppThemeSpec[] = [
       border: "#d0d7de",
       sidebar: "#f6f8fa",
       content: "#ffffff",
-      terminal: "#f6f8fa",
     },
     dark: {
       bg: "#0d1117",
@@ -116,7 +111,6 @@ export const THEME_SPECS: AppThemeSpec[] = [
       accentFg: "#ffffff",
       border: "#30363d",
       sidebar: "#0d1117",
-      terminal: "#010409",
     },
   },
 
@@ -132,7 +126,6 @@ export const THEME_SPECS: AppThemeSpec[] = [
       accentFg: "#ffffff",
       border: "#e5e5e6",
       sidebar: "#eaeaeb",
-      terminal: "#f0f0f0",
     },
     dark: {
       bg: "#282c34",
@@ -143,7 +136,6 @@ export const THEME_SPECS: AppThemeSpec[] = [
       accentFg: "#282c34",
       border: "#3b4048",
       sidebar: "#21252b",
-      terminal: "#21252b",
     },
   },
 
@@ -159,7 +151,6 @@ export const THEME_SPECS: AppThemeSpec[] = [
       accentFg: "#ffffff",
       border: "#d4cfc0",
       sidebar: "#f3eedd",
-      terminal: "#f3eedd",
     },
     dark: {
       bg: "#282a36",
@@ -169,7 +160,6 @@ export const THEME_SPECS: AppThemeSpec[] = [
       accentFg: "#282a36",
       border: "#44475a",
       sidebar: "#21222c",
-      terminal: "#21222c",
     },
   },
 
@@ -185,7 +175,6 @@ export const THEME_SPECS: AppThemeSpec[] = [
       accentFg: "#ffffff",
       border: "#d8dee9",
       sidebar: "#e5e9f0",
-      terminal: "#e5e9f0",
     },
     dark: {
       bg: "#2e3440",
@@ -196,7 +185,6 @@ export const THEME_SPECS: AppThemeSpec[] = [
       accentFg: "#2e3440",
       border: "#434c5e",
       sidebar: "#2b303b",
-      terminal: "#272c36",
     },
   },
 
@@ -213,7 +201,6 @@ export const THEME_SPECS: AppThemeSpec[] = [
       accentFg: "#ffffff",
       border: "#c4c8da",
       sidebar: "#d6d8df",
-      terminal: "#d6d8df",
     },
     dark: {
       bg: "#1a1b26",
@@ -224,7 +211,6 @@ export const THEME_SPECS: AppThemeSpec[] = [
       accentFg: "#1a1b26",
       border: "#292e42",
       sidebar: "#16161e",
-      terminal: "#16161e",
     },
   },
 
@@ -240,7 +226,6 @@ export const THEME_SPECS: AppThemeSpec[] = [
       accentFg: "#fbf1c7",
       border: "#d5c4a1",
       sidebar: "#ebdbb2",
-      terminal: "#ebdbb2",
     },
     dark: {
       bg: "#282828",
@@ -251,7 +236,6 @@ export const THEME_SPECS: AppThemeSpec[] = [
       accentFg: "#282828",
       border: "#504945",
       sidebar: "#1d2021",
-      terminal: "#1d2021",
     },
   },
 
@@ -269,7 +253,6 @@ export const THEME_SPECS: AppThemeSpec[] = [
       accentFg: "#fdf6e3",
       border: "#ddd6c1",
       sidebar: "#eee8d5",
-      terminal: "#eee8d5",
     },
     dark: {
       bg: "#002b36",
@@ -279,7 +262,6 @@ export const THEME_SPECS: AppThemeSpec[] = [
       accentFg: "#002b36",
       border: "#0a4a5a",
       sidebar: "#002028",
-      terminal: "#002028",
     },
   },
 
@@ -296,7 +278,6 @@ export const THEME_SPECS: AppThemeSpec[] = [
       accentFg: "#ffffff",
       border: "#dfdad9",
       sidebar: "#f2e9e1",
-      terminal: "#f2e9e1",
     },
     dark: {
       bg: "#232136",
@@ -306,7 +287,6 @@ export const THEME_SPECS: AppThemeSpec[] = [
       accentFg: "#232136",
       border: "#44415a",
       sidebar: "#1f1d2e",
-      terminal: "#1f1d2e",
     },
   },
 
@@ -326,7 +306,6 @@ export const THEME_SPECS: AppThemeSpec[] = [
       accentFg: "#ffffff",
       border: "#e0dcc7",
       sidebar: "#efebd4",
-      terminal: "#efebd4",
     },
     dark: {
       bg: "#2d353b",
@@ -337,7 +316,6 @@ export const THEME_SPECS: AppThemeSpec[] = [
       accentFg: "#2d353b",
       border: "#475258",
       sidebar: "#272e33",
-      terminal: "#272e33",
     },
   },
 
@@ -353,7 +331,6 @@ export const THEME_SPECS: AppThemeSpec[] = [
       accentFg: "#ffffff",
       border: "#e4e3da",
       sidebar: "#f1f1ea",
-      terminal: "#f1f1ea",
     },
     dark: {
       bg: "#272822",
@@ -363,7 +340,6 @@ export const THEME_SPECS: AppThemeSpec[] = [
       accentFg: "#ffffff",
       border: "#3e3d32",
       sidebar: "#1d1e19",
-      terminal: "#1d1e19",
     },
   },
 ];
diff --git a/src/renderer/theme/themeTokens.ts b/src/renderer/theme/themeTokens.ts
index d4d5a926..284dd8de 100644
--- a/src/renderer/theme/themeTokens.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/theme/themeTokens.ts
@@ -35,8 +35,6 @@ export interface ThemeSpec {
   sidebar?: string;
   /** Optional explicit content-area background. Defaults to `bg`. */
   content?: string;
-  /** Optional explicit agent-terminal background. Defaults to `bg`. */
-  terminal?: string;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -86,7 +84,6 @@ export const MANAGED_THEME_VARS = [
   "--separator",
   "--sidebar-background",
   "--content-background",
-  "--terminal-surface",
   "--composer-surface",
 ] as const;
 
@@ -101,7 +98,6 @@ export function buildVariant(spec: ThemeSpec, mode: "light" | "dark"): ThemeVari
   const { bg, surface, fg, accent, accentFg, border } = spec;
   const sidebar = spec.sidebar ?? surface;
   const content = spec.content ?? bg;
-  const terminal = spec.terminal ?? bg;
 
   // Derive readable secondary text from fg→bg with a contrast floor. Placeholder
   // sits a step dimmer than muted; the scrollbar is a translucent muted.
@@ -146,7 +142,6 @@ export function buildVariant(spec: ThemeSpec, mode: "light" | "dark"): ThemeVari
     "--separator": fade(border, 75),
     "--sidebar-background": sidebar,
     "--content-background": content,
-    "--terminal-surface": terminal,
     "--composer-surface": mix(surface, 90, fg),
   };
 }