[Bug]: Light theme defaults fail WCAG contrast for field borders and muted text #27632
Description
Before submitting
- I searched existing issues and did not find a duplicate.
- I included enough detail to reproduce or investigate the problem.
Area
apps/web
Steps to reproduce
- Use the default T3 Code theme in light mode, with Settings → Appearance → Contrast at 100%.
- Open Settings → General. Look at the select borders and the switches that are off.
- Open any thread. Look at the composer against the page background, and at muted text on a user message bubble or on a hovered sidebar row.
- Measure the computed colours against the surface behind them.
Expected behavior
- Field and control boundaries reach 3:1 against the adjacent colour (WCAG 2.2 SC 1.4.11, non-text contrast).
- Muted text reaches 4.5:1 on every surface it appears on (SC 1.4.3).
Actual behavior
These are measured from computed styles in the browser, default theme, light:
| Pair | Ratio | Minimum |
|---|---|---|
--input (select and outline borders, switch track, checkbox) on the page canvas |
1.45:1 | 3:1 |
--input on the sidebar |
1.42:1 | 3:1 |
--muted-foreground on a user message bubble |
4.06:1 | 4.5:1 |
--muted-foreground on --accent (hovered and selected rows, menu items) |
4.39:1 | 4.5:1 |
| Sidebar secondary label on the sidebar control surface (update pill) | 4.39:1 | 4.5:1 |
Dark mode has the same field-border failure: --input on the canvas is 1.23:1.
The decorative --border is 1.24:1, and the page canvas is nearly the same white as cards and the composer, so surfaces blend into each other ("white on white"). That part isn't a WCAG failure, but it has the same cause.
Impact
Minor bug or occasional failure
Version or commit
v0.1.6-nightly.20261030.3917 (97e35bcf23)
Environment
macOS, Chromium, web client at 1440×900, default T3 Code theme, light mode.
Screenshots
The "before" images are the nightly above. The "after" images are a local branch with a retuned palette: light canvas #f7f7f8 under white cards, --input at 3.08:1, --border at 1.42:1, and muted text at 4.87:1 or higher on every surface. The data is a throwaway fixture project.
| Before | After |
|---|---|
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Workaround
The Settings → Appearance → Contrast slider is a per-user adjustment. The defaults are what most users see.
Proposed fix
The palette change is step 2 of a broader design-system proposal in #27634.
Activity