Merge pull request #2549 from vitorpamplona/claude/improve-desktop-design-iOokB

Add native OS theming and improve desktop UI layout

amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/ui/theme/Theme.kt

@@ -592,7 +592,7 @@ fun AmethystTheme(
         colorScheme = colors,
         typography = Typography,
         shapes = Shapes,
-        content = { ProvideMaterialSymbols(content) },
+        content = { ProvideMaterialSymbols(content = content) },
     )
 
     val view = LocalView.current

commons/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/commons/icons/symbols/MaterialSymbolsFont.kt

@@ -47,24 +47,31 @@ private const val TEXT_MEASURER_CACHE_SIZE = 64
 /**
  * Builds the Material Symbols FontFamily and a shared TextMeasurer once for the subtree and
  * exposes them via CompositionLocal. Wrap app roots (AmethystTheme, desktop MaterialTheme) in this.
+ *
+ * The optional [weight] override lets callers pick a stroke thickness different from the
+ * library default — desktop uses per-OS weights (macOS likes the thinner SF-Symbols-ish
+ * look at 200, Windows Fluent icons sit closer to 400) while Android keeps the default.
  */
 @Composable
-fun ProvideMaterialSymbols(content: @Composable () -> Unit) {
+fun ProvideMaterialSymbols(
+    weight: Int = MaterialSymbolsDefaults.WEIGHT,
+    content: @Composable () -> Unit,
+) {
     val font =
         Font(
             resource = Res.font.material_symbols_outlined,
-            weight = FontWeight(MaterialSymbolsDefaults.WEIGHT),
+            weight = FontWeight(weight),
             variationSettings =
                 FontVariation.Settings(
-                    FontVariation.weight(MaterialSymbolsDefaults.WEIGHT),
+                    FontVariation.weight(weight),
                     FontVariation.Setting("FILL", MaterialSymbolsDefaults.FILL),
                     FontVariation.Setting("opsz", MaterialSymbolsDefaults.OPTICAL_SIZE),
                     FontVariation.Setting("GRAD", MaterialSymbolsDefaults.GRADE),
                 ),
         )
-    // Keyless remember: the Font wrapper identity changes every composition but the underlying
+    // Keyless remember is safe only when weight is stable; key on weight so a platform-
-    // resource is a compile-time constant, so one FontFamily for the lifetime of the subtree.
+    // preview override swap actually rebuilds the FontFamily.
-    val fontFamily = remember { FontFamily(font) }
+    val fontFamily = remember(weight) { FontFamily(font) }
     val textMeasurer = rememberTextMeasurer(cacheSize = TEXT_MEASURER_CACHE_SIZE)
     CompositionLocalProvider(
         LocalMaterialSymbolsFontFamily provides fontFamily,

desktopApp/THEME_PREVIEW.md

@@ -0,0 +1,143 @@
+# Manual Testing: Desktop Native Theming
+
+The desktop app adapts its colors, fonts, shapes, and accent to the host OS
+(macOS, Windows, GNOME, KDE, other Linux). This guide shows how to preview
+each platform's theme without leaving your dev machine, and what to look at
+when reviewing a theming change.
+
+## Quick Start
+
+Three environment variables drive the preview overrides. Each one also has
+a `-Damethyst.<key>=<value>` system-property form, forwarded from gradle to
+the launched app's JVM.
+
+| Variable | Values | Effect |
+|---|---|---|
+| `AMETHYST_PLATFORM` | `MACOS`, `WINDOWS`, `GNOME`, `KDE`, `LINUX_OTHER`, `UNKNOWN` | Forces in-app theming for that OS |
+| `AMETHYST_APPEARANCE` | `light`, `dark` | Forces dark/light mode |
+| `AMETHYST_ACCENT` | `#RRGGBB`, `RRGGBB`, or libadwaita name (`blue`, `teal`, `green`, `yellow`, `orange`, `red`, `pink`, `purple`, `slate`) | Forces accent color |
+
+Examples:
+
+```bash
+# Native (no override) — uses your real OS
+./gradlew :desktopApp:run
+
+# GNOME light theme with the libadwaita default blue accent
+AMETHYST_PLATFORM=GNOME AMETHYST_APPEARANCE=light AMETHYST_ACCENT=blue ./gradlew :desktopApp:run
+
+# KDE Breeze dark with a custom accent
+AMETHYST_PLATFORM=KDE AMETHYST_APPEARANCE=dark AMETHYST_ACCENT=#3DAEE9 ./gradlew :desktopApp:run
+
+# Windows 11 (WinUI 3 mica tones)
+AMETHYST_PLATFORM=WINDOWS ./gradlew :desktopApp:run
+
+# Equivalent system-property form
+./gradlew :desktopApp:run -Damethyst.platform=GNOME -Damethyst.appearance=light
+```
+
+## What Changes vs. What Doesn't
+
+The override swaps **in-app theming only**. The window chrome (title bar,
+traffic lights / minimize-maximize buttons, screen menu bar on macOS) is
+drawn by AWT from the actual host OS, not by our theme code. So:
+
+| Element | Follows override? | Notes |
+|---|---|---|
+| `colorScheme` (background, surface, primary…) | ✅ | Per-OS reference palettes |
+| Body / heading fonts | ✅ | SF Pro on macOS, Cantarell on GNOME, Noto Sans on KDE, Segoe UI Variable on Windows |
+| Button / card / dialog rounding | ✅ | macOS 8/10/14, libadwaita 9/12/16, Breeze 6/8/12, WinUI 4/8/8 |
+| Accent color | ✅ | Threaded through `MaterialTheme.colorScheme.primary` |
+| Sidebar density (56 dp) | ✅ | Same on all OSes (desktop convention) |
+| Native title bar / traffic lights | ❌ | Drawn by host OS — to see the real GNOME header bar or KDE Breeze title, you need a real Linux machine or VM |
+| macOS screen menu bar | ❌ | Only active when host OS is macOS |
+| `apple.awt.transparentTitleBar` content extension | ❌ | macOS-host-only |
+
+## Review Checklist
+
+When reviewing a theming change, launch each preview and verify:
+
+### macOS (`AMETHYST_PLATFORM=MACOS`, or no override on a Mac)
+
+- [ ] Sidebar background reads as `surfaceContainer` — slightly lighter than the deck background, not jarringly different
+- [ ] Body text renders in SF Pro Text (check by zooming a screenshot — SF has distinctive 'a', 'g', 'k' shapes)
+- [ ] Card / dialog corners ~10 dp (a hair tighter than libadwaita)
+- [ ] Letter spacing is slightly tight at large headings (SF tightens at display sizes)
+- [ ] On a real Mac: traffic lights sit at top-left over the sidebar color, NOT over a white default-OS strip
+- [ ] On a real Mac: menu bar appears at the top of the screen, not inside the window
+
+### GNOME (`AMETHYST_PLATFORM=GNOME`)
+
+- [ ] Surfaces match libadwaita references: `#242424` window bg dark, `#FAFAFA` window bg light
+- [ ] Cards have 12 dp medium rounding (visibly more rounded than macOS)
+- [ ] If Cantarell or Adwaita Sans is installed locally, body text uses it; otherwise falls through to Inter / Noto Sans
+- [ ] Try `AMETHYST_ACCENT=blue` and confirm primary color is `#3584E4` (libadwaita default)
+
+### KDE (`AMETHYST_PLATFORM=KDE`)
+
+- [ ] Surfaces match Breeze references: `#1B1E20` background dark, `#EFF0F1` background light
+- [ ] Rounding is tighter than macOS / GNOME (8 dp medium, 6 dp small)
+- [ ] Body text renders in Noto Sans if installed
+- [ ] Default accent (when nothing forced) is the Amethyst purple fallback — KDE accent detection won't run on macOS
+
+### Windows (`AMETHYST_PLATFORM=WINDOWS`)
+
+- [ ] Surfaces match WinUI 3 mica tones: `#202020` background dark, `#F3F3F3` background light
+- [ ] Rounding is the tightest of any platform: 4 dp small, 8 dp medium
+- [ ] Body text uses Segoe UI Variable Text only if installed locally (not present on macOS by default — falls back to FontFamily.Default)
+
+## Side-by-side Comparison
+
+The launched app is a single window. To compare two themes you currently
+need to launch the app twice:
+
+```bash
+# Terminal 1
+AMETHYST_PLATFORM=GNOME ./gradlew :desktopApp:run
+
+# Terminal 2 (after the first finishes building)
+AMETHYST_PLATFORM=MACOS ./gradlew :desktopApp:run
+```
+
+Each launch opens its own window — drag them next to each other.
+
+## Known Limitations
+
+1. **No native chrome on host OS.** The window frame, title bar buttons,
+   and (on macOS) screen menu bar always come from the real host OS.
+   To see a real GNOME header bar or KDE title bar, use a Linux machine
+   or VM.
+
+2. **OS detection shell-outs return defaults when their CLI is missing.**
+   On macOS, `gsettings` and `kreadconfig5` aren't installed, so
+   `AMETHYST_PLATFORM=GNOME` without `AMETHYST_APPEARANCE` defaults to
+   dark and without `AMETHYST_ACCENT` defaults to Amethyst purple. Pass
+   the explicit overrides to control them.
+
+3. **Font fallback chain is deterministic but not always satisfying.**
+   The chain (e.g. for GNOME: Adwaita Sans → Cantarell → Inter → Noto
+   Sans → DejaVu Sans) walks Skia's font manager and picks the first
+   installed family. If none of the candidates are installed,
+   `FontFamily.Default` is used (looks like Roboto-ish). To install the
+   GNOME family on macOS for testing:
+   ```bash
+   brew install --cask font-cantarell
+   ```
+
+4. **Accent name list is libadwaita-only.** Apple's named accents (red,
+   orange, etc. as integers) and Windows registry accents resolve only
+   when the corresponding host OS is the real OS. Use hex
+   (`AMETHYST_ACCENT=#FF6B35`) for arbitrary colors.
+
+## Where the Code Lives
+
+All preview behavior is in `desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/platform/`:
+
+- `PlatformInfo.kt` — OS detection + `amethyst.platform` override
+- `PlatformAppearance.kt` — dark/light detection + `amethyst.appearance` override
+- `PlatformAccent.kt` — accent detection + `amethyst.accent` override
+- `PlatformFonts.kt` — system font resolution via Skia FontMgr
+- `PlatformShapes.kt` — per-OS Material3 Shapes
+- `PlatformTypography.kt` — per-OS Material3 Typography
+- `PlatformColorScheme.kt` — per-OS dark/light ColorSchemes
+- `PlatformTheme.kt` — `PlatformMaterialTheme` composable + `applyNativeWindowChrome()`

desktopApp/build.gradle.kts

@@ -90,6 +90,13 @@ compose.desktop {
 
         jvmArgs += "-Xmx2g"
 
+        // Forward platform-preview overrides from the gradle invocation to the
+        // launched app's JVM so `./gradlew :desktopApp:run -Damethyst.platform=GNOME`
+        // works in addition to the env-var form (`AMETHYST_PLATFORM=GNOME`).
+        listOf("amethyst.platform", "amethyst.appearance", "amethyst.accent").forEach { key ->
+            System.getProperty(key)?.let { jvmArgs += "-D$key=$it" }
+        }
+
         nativeDistributions {
             appResourcesRootDir.set(project.layout.projectDirectory.dir("src/jvmMain/appResources"))
             targetFormats(TargetFormat.Dmg, TargetFormat.Msi, TargetFormat.Deb, TargetFormat.Rpm)

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/DesktopPreferences.kt

@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ object DesktopPreferences {
     private const val KEY_LAST_SCREEN = "last_screen"
     private const val KEY_DECK_COLUMNS = "deck_columns"
     private const val KEY_LAYOUT_MODE = "layout_mode"
+    private const val KEY_MESSAGES_LIST_WIDTH = "messages_list_width_dp"
 
     var feedMode: FeedMode
         get() {
@@ -69,6 +70,13 @@ object DesktopPreferences {
             prefs.put(KEY_LAYOUT_MODE, value)
         }
 
+    /** Width (dp) of the conversation list pane in the Messages screen. */
+    var messagesListWidthDp: Float
+        get() = prefs.getFloat(KEY_MESSAGES_LIST_WIDTH, 280f)
+        set(value) {
+            prefs.putFloat(KEY_MESSAGES_LIST_WIDTH, value)
+        }
+
     private const val KEY_WORKSPACES = "workspaces"
 
     var workspaces: String

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/Main.kt

@@ -20,14 +20,17 @@
  */
 package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop
 
+import androidx.compose.foundation.background
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Arrangement
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Box
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Column
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Row
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Spacer
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxHeight
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxSize
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxWidth
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.height
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.heightIn
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.padding
 import androidx.compose.foundation.lazy.LazyColumn
 import androidx.compose.foundation.lazy.items
@@ -45,7 +48,6 @@ import androidx.compose.material3.SnackbarHostState
 import androidx.compose.material3.Surface
 import androidx.compose.material3.Text
 import androidx.compose.material3.VerticalDivider
-import androidx.compose.material3.darkColorScheme
 import androidx.compose.runtime.Composable
 import androidx.compose.runtime.CompositionLocalProvider
 import androidx.compose.runtime.DisposableEffect
@@ -60,6 +62,8 @@ import androidx.compose.runtime.setValue
 import androidx.compose.ui.Alignment
 import androidx.compose.ui.Modifier
 import androidx.compose.ui.graphics.Color
+import androidx.compose.ui.graphics.painter.BitmapPainter
+import androidx.compose.ui.graphics.toComposeImageBitmap
 import androidx.compose.ui.input.key.Key
 import androidx.compose.ui.input.key.KeyShortcut
 import androidx.compose.ui.unit.dp
@@ -81,6 +85,7 @@ import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.model.DesktopRelayCategories
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.network.DefaultRelays
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.network.DesktopRelayConnectionManager
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.network.Nip11Fetcher
+import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.platform.applyNativeWindowChrome
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.service.highlights.DesktopHighlightStore
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.service.images.DesktopImageLoaderSetup
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.service.media.VlcjPlayerPool
@@ -130,7 +135,7 @@ import kotlinx.coroutines.runBlocking
 import kotlinx.coroutines.withTimeoutOrNull
 import kotlin.time.Duration.Companion.seconds
 
-private val isMacOS = System.getProperty("os.name").lowercase().contains("mac")
+private val isMacOS = com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.platform.PlatformInfo.isMacOS
 
 enum class LayoutMode {
     SINGLE_PANE,
@@ -183,6 +188,42 @@ sealed class DesktopScreen {
 private var activeTorManager: com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.tor.DesktopTorManager? = null
 
 fun main() {
+    // macOS: route the app's MenuBar to the system menu bar at the top of the
+    // screen and set the application name shown in the apple-menu. Both must be
+    // set before AWT initializes (i.e. before any Swing/AWT class loads).
+    if (com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.platform.PlatformInfo.isMacOS) {
+        System.setProperty("apple.laf.useScreenMenuBar", "true")
+        System.setProperty("apple.awt.application.name", "Amethyst")
+        System.setProperty("apple.awt.application.appearance", "system")
+    }
+
+    // Set the dock / taskbar icon image before any window is shown.
+    //
+    // On macOS the Cmd+Tab app switcher and the dock use the Taskbar API's
+    // iconImage, NOT the Window(icon=) composable parameter (which only sets
+    // the in-title-bar proxy icon). Without this, a JVM launched via gradle
+    // shows the generic Java coffee-cup square in Cmd+Tab. ImageIO preserves
+    // the PNG alpha channel so the dock renders the logo with transparency;
+    // on macOS the logo is then wrapped in a squircle so it matches
+    // first-party dock icons.
+    try {
+        val bytes = Unit::class.java.getResourceAsStream("/icon.png")!!.readBytes()
+        val raw = javax.imageio.ImageIO.read(java.io.ByteArrayInputStream(bytes))
+        val adapted =
+            raw?.let {
+                com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.platform.PlatformAppIcon
+                    .adaptForHost(it)
+            }
+        if (adapted != null && java.awt.Taskbar.isTaskbarSupported()) {
+            val taskbar = java.awt.Taskbar.getTaskbar()
+            if (taskbar.isSupported(java.awt.Taskbar.Feature.ICON_IMAGE)) {
+                taskbar.iconImage = adapted
+            }
+        }
+    } catch (e: Exception) {
+        Log.w("Main") { "Failed to set dock icon: ${e.message}" }
+    }
+
     Log.minLevel = LogLevel.DEBUG
     DesktopImageLoaderSetup.setup()
     Runtime.getRuntime().addShutdownHook(
@@ -241,11 +282,35 @@ fun main() {
         // Callback set by App() for single pane navigation from MenuBar
         var navigateToScreen by remember { mutableStateOf<((DeckColumnType) -> Unit)?>(null) }
 
+        // Window title-bar / taskbar thumbnail icon. On macOS the source logo
+        // is wrapped in a squircle so it matches every other dock icon; on
+        // other platforms the raw transparent logo is used as-is.
+        val appIcon =
+            remember {
+                val bytes = Unit::class.java.getResourceAsStream("/icon.png")!!.readBytes()
+                val raw = javax.imageio.ImageIO.read(java.io.ByteArrayInputStream(bytes))
+                val adapted =
+                    com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.platform.PlatformAppIcon
+                        .adaptForHost(raw)
+                val buf = java.io.ByteArrayOutputStream()
+                javax.imageio.ImageIO.write(adapted, "png", buf)
+                val bitmap =
+                    org.jetbrains.skia.Image
+                        .makeFromEncoded(buf.toByteArray())
+                        .toComposeImageBitmap()
+                BitmapPainter(bitmap)
+            }
+
         Window(
             onCloseRequest = ::exitApplication,
             state = windowState,
             title = "Amethyst",
+            icon = appIcon,
         ) {
+            // macOS: transparent + full-window-content title bar so the deck/sidebar
+            // shows through, with traffic lights still drawn on top. No-op elsewhere.
+            applyNativeWindowChrome()
+
             MenuBar {
                 Menu("File") {
                     Item(
@@ -737,10 +802,13 @@ fun App(
         }
     }
 
-    MaterialTheme(
+    val isDark by com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.platform
-        colorScheme = darkColorScheme(),
+        .rememberSystemDark(LocalAwtWindow.current)
+
+    com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.platform.PlatformMaterialTheme(isDark = isDark) {
+        ProvideMaterialSymbols(
+            weight = com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.platform.PlatformIconWeight.current,
         ) {
-        ProvideMaterialSymbols {
             Surface(
                 modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize(),
                 color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.background,
@@ -1254,21 +1322,39 @@ fun RelaySettingsScreen(
         accountManager.loadNwcConnection()
     }
 
+    com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.ui.ReadingColumn {
+        val sidePadding =
+            com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.ui
+                .readingHorizontalPadding()
         Column(
-        modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize().verticalScroll(rememberScrollState()),
+            modifier =
+                Modifier
+                    .fillMaxWidth()
+                    .fillMaxHeight()
+                    .verticalScroll(rememberScrollState())
+                    .padding(horizontal = sidePadding),
+        ) {
+            Row(
+                modifier =
+                    Modifier
+                        .fillMaxWidth()
+                        .heightIn(min = 48.dp)
+                        .padding(vertical = 8.dp),
+                verticalAlignment = Alignment.CenterVertically,
             ) {
                 Text(
                     "Settings",
-            style = MaterialTheme.typography.headlineMedium,
+                    style = MaterialTheme.typography.titleMedium,
                     color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onBackground,
                 )
+            }
 
-        Spacer(Modifier.height(24.dp))
+            Spacer(Modifier.height(16.dp))
 
             // Wallet Connect Section
             Text(
                 "Wallet Connect (NWC)",
-            style = MaterialTheme.typography.titleLarge,
+                style = MaterialTheme.typography.titleSmall,
                 color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onBackground,
             )
             Spacer(Modifier.height(8.dp))
@@ -1377,7 +1463,7 @@ fun RelaySettingsScreen(
 
             Text(
                 "Relay Settings",
-            style = MaterialTheme.typography.titleLarge,
+                style = MaterialTheme.typography.titleSmall,
                 color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onBackground,
             )
             Spacer(Modifier.height(8.dp))
@@ -1464,3 +1550,4 @@ fun RelaySettingsScreen(
             }
         }
     }
+}

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/chess/ChessScreen.kt

@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Arrangement
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Box
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.BoxWithConstraints
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Column
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.PaddingValues
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Row
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Spacer
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxHeight
@@ -31,6 +32,7 @@ import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxSize
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxWidth
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.height
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.padding
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.size
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.width
 import androidx.compose.foundation.lazy.LazyColumn
 import androidx.compose.foundation.lazy.LazyListState
@@ -38,7 +40,6 @@ import androidx.compose.foundation.lazy.items
 import androidx.compose.foundation.lazy.rememberLazyListState
 import androidx.compose.foundation.rememberScrollState
 import androidx.compose.foundation.verticalScroll
-import androidx.compose.material3.Button
 import androidx.compose.material3.Card
 import androidx.compose.material3.CardDefaults
 import androidx.compose.material3.IconButton
@@ -178,42 +179,49 @@ fun ChessScreen(
     var showNewGameDialog by remember { mutableStateOf(false) }
 
     Column(modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize()) {
-        // Header
+        // Header — Messages-style: compact row, titleMedium title, icon-only actions
         Row(
-            modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth().padding(bottom = 16.dp),
+            modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth().padding(horizontal = 12.dp, vertical = 8.dp),
             horizontalArrangement = Arrangement.SpaceBetween,
             verticalAlignment = Alignment.CenterVertically,
         ) {
             Row(verticalAlignment = Alignment.CenterVertically) {
                 if (selectedGameId != null) {
-                    IconButton(onClick = { viewModel.selectGame(null) }) {
+                    IconButton(onClick = { viewModel.selectGame(null) }, modifier = Modifier.size(32.dp)) {
-                        Icon(MaterialSymbols.AutoMirrored.ArrowBack, "Back to list")
+                        Icon(
+                            MaterialSymbols.AutoMirrored.ArrowBack,
+                            contentDescription = "Back to list",
+                            tint = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.primary,
+                            modifier = Modifier.size(20.dp),
+                        )
                     }
                     Spacer(Modifier.width(8.dp))
                 }
                 Text(
                     if (selectedGameId != null) "Live Game" else "Chess",
-                    style = MaterialTheme.typography.headlineMedium,
+                    style = MaterialTheme.typography.titleMedium,
                     color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onBackground,
                 )
             }
 
             if (selectedGameId == null) {
-                Row(
+                Row(verticalAlignment = Alignment.CenterVertically) {
-                    horizontalArrangement = Arrangement.spacedBy(8.dp),
+                    IconButton(onClick = { viewModel.forceRefresh() }, modifier = Modifier.size(32.dp)) {
-                    verticalAlignment = Alignment.CenterVertically,
+                        Icon(
-                ) {
+                            MaterialSymbols.Refresh,
-                    // Refresh button
+                            contentDescription = "Refresh",
-                    IconButton(onClick = { viewModel.forceRefresh() }) {
+                            tint = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.primary,
-                        Icon(MaterialSymbols.Refresh, "Refresh")
+                            modifier = Modifier.size(20.dp),
+                        )
                     }
-
-                    // New Game button
                     if (!account.isReadOnly) {
-                        Button(onClick = { showNewGameDialog = true }) {
+                        IconButton(onClick = { showNewGameDialog = true }, modifier = Modifier.size(32.dp)) {
-                            Icon(MaterialSymbols.Add, "New Game")
+                            Icon(
-                            Spacer(Modifier.width(8.dp))
+                                MaterialSymbols.Add,
-                            Text("New Game")
+                                contentDescription = "New Game",
+                                tint = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.primary,
+                                modifier = Modifier.size(20.dp),
+                            )
                         }
                     }
                 }
@@ -408,6 +416,7 @@ private fun ChessLobby(
 
     LazyColumn(
         state = listState,
+        contentPadding = PaddingValues(horizontal = 12.dp),
         verticalArrangement = Arrangement.spacedBy(8.dp),
     ) {
         // Active games section (user is participant)

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/platform/PlatformAccent.kt

@@ -0,0 +1,192 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2025 Vitor Pamplona
+ *
+ * Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of
+ * this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in
+ * the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use,
+ * copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the
+ * Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so,
+ * subject to the following conditions:
+ *
+ * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
+ * copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+ *
+ * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+ * IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS
+ * FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR
+ * COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN
+ * AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION
+ * WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
+ */
+package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.platform
+
+import androidx.compose.ui.graphics.Color
+import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.ui.theme.DefaultPrimary
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.utils.Log
+
+/**
+ * Resolves the user's preferred OS accent color. Falls back to Amethyst's purple
+ * brand color if the OS doesn't expose an accent or detection fails.
+ *
+ * - macOS: `defaults read -g AppleAccentColor` returns -1..7 (named accents) or
+ *   `AppleHighlightColor` carries an RGB triplet for the multicolor case.
+ * - GNOME 47+: `gsettings get org.gnome.desktop.interface accent-color`.
+ * - KDE: parses the `AccentColor` key from kdeglobals.
+ * - Windows: registry `ColorizationColor` (ABGR DWORD).
+ *
+ * Returning the brand color is a safe default — Amethyst purple matches the app's
+ * identity and looks intentional rather than broken.
+ */
+object PlatformAccent {
+    /**
+     * Resolves the OS accent color, with an override hook for testing:
+     * `-Damethyst.accent=#3584E4` (system property) or `AMETHYST_ACCENT=blue`
+     * (env var). Accepted: `#RRGGBB`, `RRGGBB`, or any libadwaita accent name
+     * (blue, teal, green, yellow, orange, red, pink, purple, slate).
+     */
+    fun systemAccent(): Color {
+        forcedAccent()?.let { return it }
+        return when (PlatformInfo.current) {
+            Platform.MACOS -> macOSAccent()
+            Platform.GNOME -> gnomeAccent()
+            Platform.KDE -> kdeAccent()
+            Platform.WINDOWS -> windowsAccent()
+            else -> DefaultPrimary
+        } ?: DefaultPrimary
+    }
+
+    private fun forcedAccent(): Color? {
+        val raw =
+            System.getProperty("amethyst.accent")
+                ?: System.getenv("AMETHYST_ACCENT")
+                ?: return null
+        val trimmed = raw.trim()
+        // Hex (#RRGGBB or RRGGBB) — long form for clarity
+        val hex = trimmed.removePrefix("#")
+        if (hex.length == 6 && hex.all { it.isDigit() || it in 'a'..'f' || it in 'A'..'F' }) {
+            val v = hex.toLongOrNull(16) ?: return null
+            return Color(
+                red = ((v shr 16) and 0xFFL).toInt(),
+                green = ((v shr 8) and 0xFFL).toInt(),
+                blue = (v and 0xFFL).toInt(),
+            )
+        }
+        return gnomeAccents[trimmed.lowercase()]
+    }
+
+    // macOS named accent colors (NSColor controlAccentColor variants).
+    // Index matches AppleAccentColor defaults value; -1 = Multicolor (use highlight).
+    private val macAccents =
+        mapOf(
+            -1 to Color(0xFF0064E1), // Multicolor → blue (system default)
+            0 to Color(0xFFEF5743), // Red
+            1 to Color(0xFFEC8E2C), // Orange
+            2 to Color(0xFFF8BA00), // Yellow
+            3 to Color(0xFF62BA46), // Green
+            4 to Color(0xFF0064E1), // Blue
+            5 to Color(0xFFC44495), // Purple
+            6 to Color(0xFFF74F9E), // Pink
+            7 to Color(0xFF8C8C8C), // Graphite
+        )
+
+    private fun macOSAccent(): Color? {
+        val out = exec("defaults", "read", "-g", "AppleAccentColor")
+        val idx = out?.trim()?.toIntOrNull()
+        if (idx != null) return macAccents[idx]
+
+        // Highlight color triple ("0.7 0.45 0.85 Purple") — first 3 floats are RGB 0..1.
+        val highlight = exec("defaults", "read", "-g", "AppleHighlightColor") ?: return null
+        val rgb = highlight.trim().split(" ").mapNotNull { it.toFloatOrNull() }
+        if (rgb.size >= 3) return Color(rgb[0].coerceIn(0f, 1f), rgb[1].coerceIn(0f, 1f), rgb[2].coerceIn(0f, 1f))
+        return null
+    }
+
+    // GNOME 47+ accent names mapped to the libadwaita reference accent colors.
+    private val gnomeAccents =
+        mapOf(
+            "blue" to Color(0xFF3584E4),
+            "teal" to Color(0xFF2190A4),
+            "green" to Color(0xFF3A944A),
+            "yellow" to Color(0xFFC88800),
+            "orange" to Color(0xFFED5B00),
+            "red" to Color(0xFFE62D42),
+            "pink" to Color(0xFFD56199),
+            "purple" to Color(0xFF9141AC),
+            "slate" to Color(0xFF6F8396),
+        )
+
+    private fun gnomeAccent(): Color? {
+        val out = exec("gsettings", "get", "org.gnome.desktop.interface", "accent-color") ?: return null
+        val name = out.trim().trim('\'').lowercase()
+        return gnomeAccents[name]
+    }
+
+    private fun kdeAccent(): Color? {
+        // kdeglobals stores AccentColor as comma-separated RGB ("123,45,200").
+        val home = System.getProperty("user.home") ?: return null
+        val candidates =
+            listOf(
+                "$home/.config/kdeglobals",
+                "$home/.kde/share/config/kdeglobals",
+            )
+        for (path in candidates) {
+            val file = java.io.File(path)
+            if (!file.exists()) continue
+            try {
+                val text = file.readText()
+                val match = Regex("(?m)^AccentColor\\s*=\\s*(\\d+),\\s*(\\d+),\\s*(\\d+)").find(text)
+                if (match != null) {
+                    val (r, g, b) = match.destructured
+                    return Color(r.toInt(), g.toInt(), b.toInt())
+                }
+            } catch (e: Exception) {
+                Log.d("PlatformAccent") { "Failed to parse KDE accent at $path: ${e.message}" }
+            }
+        }
+        return null
+    }
+
+    private fun windowsAccent(): Color? {
+        // HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\DWM has AccentColor as a DWORD in 0xAABBGGRR (ABGR).
+        val out =
+            exec(
+                "reg",
+                "query",
+                "HKCU\\Software\\Microsoft\\Windows\\DWM",
+                "/v",
+                "AccentColor",
+            ) ?: return null
+        val match = Regex("AccentColor\\s+REG_DWORD\\s+0x([0-9a-fA-F]+)").find(out) ?: return null
+        val value = match.groupValues[1].toLongOrNull(16) ?: return null
+        // ABGR: high byte = A, then B, G, R
+        val r = (value and 0xFFL).toInt()
+        val g = ((value shr 8) and 0xFFL).toInt()
+        val b = ((value shr 16) and 0xFFL).toInt()
+        return Color(r, g, b)
+    }
+
+    private fun exec(vararg cmd: String): String? =
+        try {
+            val proc =
+                ProcessBuilder(*cmd)
+                    .redirectErrorStream(true)
+                    .start()
+            val out =
+                proc.inputStream
+                    .bufferedReader()
+                    .readText()
+                    .trim()
+            val finished = proc.waitFor(2, java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit.SECONDS)
+            if (!finished) {
+                proc.destroyForcibly()
+                null
+            } else if (proc.exitValue() != 0) {
+                null
+            } else {
+                out
+            }
+        } catch (e: Exception) {
+            Log.d("PlatformAccent") { "Failed to exec ${cmd.joinToString(" ")}: ${e.message}" }
+            null
+        }
+}

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/platform/PlatformAppIcon.kt

@@ -0,0 +1,166 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2025 Vitor Pamplona
+ *
+ * Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of
+ * this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in
+ * the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use,
+ * copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the
+ * Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so,
+ * subject to the following conditions:
+ *
+ * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
+ * copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+ *
+ * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+ * IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS
+ * FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR
+ * COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN
+ * AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION
+ * WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
+ */
+package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.platform
+
+import java.awt.AlphaComposite
+import java.awt.Color
+import java.awt.RenderingHints
+import java.awt.geom.RoundRectangle2D
+import java.awt.image.BufferedImage
+import java.awt.image.ConvolveOp
+import java.awt.image.Kernel
+
+/**
+ * Adapts a transparent source logo to the host OS's app-icon conventions.
+ *
+ * - macOS (Big Sur+) requires a "squircle" app icon template: the mark sits on
+ *   a rounded-square background at ~22.5% corner radius with padding around the
+ *   edges. A raw transparent logo in the dock looks out-of-place next to
+ *   first-party apps, so we wrap it in a white squircle when running on macOS.
+ * - Other platforms return the source image unchanged — Windows and most Linux
+ *   DEs render transparent icons fine, and GNOME apps specifically tend to
+ *   avoid background shapes.
+ */
+object PlatformAppIcon {
+    /**
+     * Wraps [source] in a macOS-style squircle if the host OS is macOS; returns
+     * the source unchanged otherwise. Not scaled by [PlatformInfo.current] (the
+     * preview override) — the dock is drawn by the real host OS, so only the
+     * real host platform matters here.
+     */
+    fun adaptForHost(source: BufferedImage): BufferedImage =
+        when (PlatformInfo.host) {
+            Platform.MACOS -> macOsSquircle(source)
+            else -> source
+        }
+
+    /**
+     * Renders [source] inside a white squircle following Apple's macOS app icon
+     * template (Big Sur+). The squircle fills ~80.5% of the canvas width
+     * (824/1024 per Apple's HIG) — the rest is transparent margin, matching
+     * the size at which first-party dock icons render so ours doesn't appear
+     * oversized next to them.
+     *
+     * Implementation notes:
+     * - Apple's "squircle" is a superellipse, not a standard rounded rectangle;
+     *   Java2D doesn't ship a superellipse primitive, so [RoundRectangle2D]
+     *   with a ~22.37% corner radius (185/824) is the practical approximation
+     *   used by most third-party tooling. At dock-icon sizes the difference
+     *   is invisible.
+     * - The mark is padded ~10% inside the squircle so it doesn't touch the
+     *   rounded corners.
+     */
+    private fun macOsSquircle(source: BufferedImage): BufferedImage {
+        val canvas = 1024
+        // Apple's reference template: 824x824 squircle centered in a 1024x1024
+        // canvas (100px transparent margin each side).
+        val squircleSize = 824
+        val squircleMargin = (canvas - squircleSize) / 2
+        // Apple's reference corner radius on the 824-box is ~185px (≈22.45%).
+        val cornerDiameter = (squircleSize * 0.4490f)
+        // Mark padding inside the squircle: 5% each side (~90% fill) so the
+        // mark reads at roughly the same visual weight as first-party dock icons.
+        val markPadding = (squircleSize * 0.05f).toInt()
+        val markOrigin = squircleMargin + markPadding
+        val markSize = squircleSize - 2 * markPadding
+        // Drop shadow under the squircle — Apple's dock icons include a subtle
+        // shadow baked into the PNG; the dock doesn't add one at render time.
+        val shadowOffset = 8
+        val shadowBlur = 18
+
+        val squircle =
+            RoundRectangle2D.Float(
+                squircleMargin.toFloat(),
+                squircleMargin.toFloat(),
+                squircleSize.toFloat(),
+                squircleSize.toFloat(),
+                cornerDiameter,
+                cornerDiameter,
+            )
+
+        // Rasterize the shadow onto its own layer so the blur doesn't leak
+        // into the white squircle or the mark.
+        val shadowLayer = BufferedImage(canvas, canvas, BufferedImage.TYPE_INT_ARGB)
+        shadowLayer.createGraphics().apply {
+            setRenderingHint(RenderingHints.KEY_ANTIALIASING, RenderingHints.VALUE_ANTIALIAS_ON)
+            color = Color(0, 0, 0, 72) // ~28% black
+            val shadowShape =
+                RoundRectangle2D.Float(
+                    squircleMargin.toFloat(),
+                    (squircleMargin + shadowOffset).toFloat(),
+                    squircleSize.toFloat(),
+                    squircleSize.toFloat(),
+                    cornerDiameter,
+                    cornerDiameter,
+                )
+            fill(shadowShape)
+            dispose()
+        }
+        val blurredShadow = gaussianBlur(shadowLayer, shadowBlur)
+
+        val out = BufferedImage(canvas, canvas, BufferedImage.TYPE_INT_ARGB)
+        val g = out.createGraphics()
+        try {
+            g.setRenderingHint(RenderingHints.KEY_ANTIALIASING, RenderingHints.VALUE_ANTIALIAS_ON)
+            g.setRenderingHint(RenderingHints.KEY_INTERPOLATION, RenderingHints.VALUE_INTERPOLATION_BICUBIC)
+            g.setRenderingHint(RenderingHints.KEY_RENDERING, RenderingHints.VALUE_RENDER_QUALITY)
+
+            // Shadow first, then the white squircle on top, then the mark.
+            g.composite = AlphaComposite.SrcOver
+            g.drawImage(blurredShadow, 0, 0, null)
+
+            g.color = Color(0xFFFFFF)
+            g.fill(squircle)
+
+            g.clip = squircle
+            g.drawImage(source, markOrigin, markOrigin, markSize, markSize, null)
+        } finally {
+            g.dispose()
+        }
+        return out
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Separable Gaussian blur via [ConvolveOp]. Splits the 2D kernel into two
+     * 1D passes (horizontal then vertical) — O(N) per pixel instead of O(N²)
+     * for a radius-N blur, which keeps startup snappy even at 1024x1024.
+     */
+    private fun gaussianBlur(
+        src: BufferedImage,
+        radius: Int,
+    ): BufferedImage {
+        if (radius < 1) return src
+        val size = radius * 2 + 1
+        val sigma = radius / 2f
+        val kernel = FloatArray(size)
+        var sum = 0f
+        for (i in 0 until size) {
+            val x = (i - radius).toFloat()
+            kernel[i] = kotlin.math.exp(-(x * x) / (2f * sigma * sigma))
+            sum += kernel[i]
+        }
+        for (i in 0 until size) kernel[i] /= sum
+
+        val horiz = ConvolveOp(Kernel(size, 1, kernel), ConvolveOp.EDGE_NO_OP, null)
+        val vert = ConvolveOp(Kernel(1, size, kernel), ConvolveOp.EDGE_NO_OP, null)
+        return vert.filter(horiz.filter(src, null), null)
+    }
+}

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/platform/PlatformAppearance.kt

@@ -0,0 +1,163 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2025 Vitor Pamplona
+ *
+ * Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of
+ * this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in
+ * the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use,
+ * copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the
+ * Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so,
+ * subject to the following conditions:
+ *
+ * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
+ * copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+ *
+ * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+ * IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS
+ * FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR
+ * COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN
+ * AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION
+ * WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
+ */
+package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.platform
+
+import androidx.compose.runtime.Composable
+import androidx.compose.runtime.DisposableEffect
+import androidx.compose.runtime.State
+import androidx.compose.runtime.mutableStateOf
+import androidx.compose.runtime.remember
+import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.utils.Log
+import java.awt.Window
+import java.awt.event.WindowFocusListener
+
+/**
+ * Reads the OS's preferred light/dark appearance.
+ *
+ * - macOS: `defaults read -g AppleInterfaceStyle` returns "Dark" only when dark is on.
+ * - GNOME: `gsettings get org.gnome.desktop.interface color-scheme` → 'prefer-dark' / 'prefer-light' / 'default'.
+ * - KDE: `kreadconfig5 --group General --key ColorScheme` (or kreadconfig6) — name contains "Dark" when dark.
+ * - Windows: HKCU AppsUseLightTheme registry value (0 = dark).
+ *
+ * Detection is stale-tolerant: re-runs on window focus so users who flip their
+ * system theme see Amethyst follow within a second of bringing the window forward.
+ */
+object PlatformAppearance {
+    /**
+     * Resolves the OS dark/light preference, with an override hook for testing
+     * on a single machine: `-Damethyst.appearance=light|dark` (system property)
+     * or `AMETHYST_APPEARANCE=light|dark` (env var).
+     *
+     * When the platform is overridden but appearance isn't, this calls the
+     * override platform's detection routine. On a Mac forced to GNOME the
+     * `gsettings` shell-out won't exist and it falls through to the GNOME
+     * default (dark) — pass `AMETHYST_APPEARANCE=light` to flip it.
+     */
+    fun isSystemDark(): Boolean {
+        forcedAppearance()?.let { return it }
+        return when (PlatformInfo.current) {
+            Platform.MACOS -> isMacOSDark()
+            Platform.GNOME -> isGnomeDark()
+            Platform.KDE -> isKdeDark()
+            Platform.WINDOWS -> isWindowsDark()
+            else -> true
+        }
+    }
+
+    private fun forcedAppearance(): Boolean? {
+        val raw =
+            System.getProperty("amethyst.appearance")
+                ?: System.getenv("AMETHYST_APPEARANCE")
+                ?: return null
+        return when (raw.lowercase()) {
+            "dark" -> true
+            "light" -> false
+            else -> null
+        }
+    }
+
+    private fun isMacOSDark(): Boolean {
+        val out = exec("defaults", "read", "-g", "AppleInterfaceStyle") ?: return false
+        return out.contains("Dark", ignoreCase = true)
+    }
+
+    private fun isGnomeDark(): Boolean {
+        val out = exec("gsettings", "get", "org.gnome.desktop.interface", "color-scheme") ?: return true
+        if (out.contains("prefer-dark", ignoreCase = true)) return true
+        if (out.contains("prefer-light", ignoreCase = true)) return false
+        // 'default' → fall back to legacy gtk-theme heuristic
+        val theme = exec("gsettings", "get", "org.gnome.desktop.interface", "gtk-theme").orEmpty()
+        return theme.contains("dark", ignoreCase = true)
+    }
+
+    private fun isKdeDark(): Boolean {
+        // Try Plasma 6 first, fall back to 5.
+        val tools = listOf("kreadconfig6", "kreadconfig5")
+        for (tool in tools) {
+            val out = exec(tool, "--group", "General", "--key", "ColorScheme")
+            if (!out.isNullOrBlank()) return out.contains("dark", ignoreCase = true)
+        }
+        return true
+    }
+
+    private fun isWindowsDark(): Boolean {
+        val out =
+            exec(
+                "reg",
+                "query",
+                "HKCU\\Software\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Themes\\Personalize",
+                "/v",
+                "AppsUseLightTheme",
+            ) ?: return false
+        // Output line looks like: "    AppsUseLightTheme    REG_DWORD    0x0"
+        val match = Regex("AppsUseLightTheme\\s+REG_DWORD\\s+0x([0-9a-fA-F]+)").find(out) ?: return false
+        return match.groupValues[1].toIntOrNull(16) == 0
+    }
+
+    private fun exec(vararg cmd: String): String? =
+        try {
+            val proc =
+                ProcessBuilder(*cmd)
+                    .redirectErrorStream(true)
+                    .start()
+            val out =
+                proc.inputStream
+                    .bufferedReader()
+                    .readText()
+                    .trim()
+            val finished = proc.waitFor(2, java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit.SECONDS)
+            if (!finished) {
+                proc.destroyForcibly()
+                null
+            } else if (proc.exitValue() != 0) {
+                null
+            } else {
+                out
+            }
+        } catch (e: Exception) {
+            Log.d("PlatformAppearance") { "Failed to exec ${cmd.joinToString(" ")}: ${e.message}" }
+            null
+        }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Returns a Compose [State]<Boolean> that tracks the OS dark/light preference and
+ * refreshes whenever the given AWT [Window] gains focus. Lightweight (~30ms shell-out
+ * on focus) and avoids polling.
+ */
+@Composable
+fun rememberSystemDark(awtWindow: Window?): State<Boolean> {
+    val state = remember { mutableStateOf(PlatformAppearance.isSystemDark()) }
+    DisposableEffect(awtWindow) {
+        if (awtWindow == null) return@DisposableEffect onDispose {}
+        val listener =
+            object : WindowFocusListener {
+                override fun windowGainedFocus(e: java.awt.event.WindowEvent?) {
+                    state.value = PlatformAppearance.isSystemDark()
+                }
+
+                override fun windowLostFocus(e: java.awt.event.WindowEvent?) = Unit
+            }
+        awtWindow.addWindowFocusListener(listener)
+        onDispose { awtWindow.removeWindowFocusListener(listener) }
+    }
+    return state
+}

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/platform/PlatformColorScheme.kt

@@ -0,0 +1,295 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2025 Vitor Pamplona
+ *
+ * Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of
+ * this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in
+ * the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use,
+ * copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the
+ * Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so,
+ * subject to the following conditions:
+ *
+ * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
+ * copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+ *
+ * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+ * IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS
+ * FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR
+ * COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN
+ * AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION
+ * WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
+ */
+package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.platform
+
+import androidx.compose.material3.ColorScheme
+import androidx.compose.material3.darkColorScheme
+import androidx.compose.material3.lightColorScheme
+import androidx.compose.ui.graphics.Color
+
+/**
+ * Per-OS Material3 [ColorScheme]s tuned to match each platform's native surface
+ * tones. The OS accent (resolved via [PlatformAccent]) is plumbed in as `primary`
+ * so links, focus rings, and selection highlights match the rest of the user's
+ * system.
+ *
+ * Surface tones come from each OS's reference palettes:
+ * - macOS dark: NSWindowBackgroundColor / NSAlternateSelectedControlColor.
+ * - macOS light: NSColor systemBackgroundColor (#FFFFFF) / window background (#ECECEC).
+ * - GNOME dark: libadwaita `@window_bg_color` (#242424) / `@view_bg_color` (#1E1E1E).
+ * - GNOME light: libadwaita `@window_bg_color` (#FAFAFA) / `@view_bg_color` (#FFFFFF).
+ * - KDE Breeze dark/light defaults.
+ * - Windows 11 dark/light: WinUI mica reference values.
+ */
+object PlatformColorScheme {
+    fun resolve(
+        dark: Boolean,
+        accent: Color,
+    ): ColorScheme =
+        when (PlatformInfo.current) {
+            Platform.MACOS -> if (dark) macOSDark(accent) else macOSLight(accent)
+            Platform.GNOME -> if (dark) gnomeDark(accent) else gnomeLight(accent)
+            Platform.KDE -> if (dark) kdeDark(accent) else kdeLight(accent)
+            Platform.WINDOWS -> if (dark) windowsDark(accent) else windowsLight(accent)
+            else -> if (dark) genericDark(accent) else genericLight(accent)
+        }
+
+    // ── macOS ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+    private fun macOSDark(accent: Color) =
+        darkColorScheme(
+            primary = accent,
+            onPrimary = onAccent(accent),
+            secondary = accent,
+            tertiary = accent,
+            background = Color(0xFF1E1E1E),
+            onBackground = Color(0xFFE5E5E5),
+            surface = Color(0xFF1E1E1E),
+            onSurface = Color(0xFFE5E5E5),
+            surfaceVariant = Color(0xFF2A2A2A),
+            onSurfaceVariant = Color(0xFFB8B8B8),
+            surfaceContainer = Color(0xFF252525),
+            surfaceContainerHigh = Color(0xFF2D2D2D),
+            surfaceContainerHighest = Color(0xFF353535),
+            surfaceContainerLow = Color(0xFF1A1A1A),
+            surfaceContainerLowest = Color(0xFF141414),
+            surfaceDim = Color(0xFF1A1A1A),
+            surfaceBright = Color(0xFF353535),
+            outline = Color(0xFF6A6A6A),
+            outlineVariant = Color(0xFF3A3A3A),
+        )
+
+    private fun macOSLight(accent: Color): ColorScheme {
+        // Apple's accent palette includes Yellow (#F8BA00) and Graphite (#8C8C8C)
+        // which have terrible contrast on any light surface. Darken high-luminance
+        // accents so the primary color stays readable without disabling the user's
+        // preference — the hue is preserved, just pulled toward a usable lightness.
+        val readable = darkenForLight(accent)
+        return lightColorScheme(
+            primary = readable,
+            onPrimary = onAccent(readable),
+            secondary = readable,
+            tertiary = readable,
+            // Apple's light-mode main content background is near-white (#F5F5F7 /
+            // Apple's secondarySystemBackgroundColor); the #ECECEC gray is only
+            // used behind the title bar chrome — which we map to surfaceContainer.
+            background = Color(0xFFF5F5F7),
+            onBackground = Color(0xFF1A1A1A),
+            surface = Color(0xFFFFFFFF),
+            onSurface = Color(0xFF1A1A1A),
+            surfaceVariant = Color(0xFFECECEC),
+            onSurfaceVariant = Color(0xFF555555),
+            surfaceContainer = Color(0xFFECECEC),
+            surfaceContainerHigh = Color(0xFFE5E5E5),
+            surfaceContainerHighest = Color(0xFFDDDDDD),
+            surfaceContainerLow = Color(0xFFF0F0F0),
+            surfaceContainerLowest = Color(0xFFFFFFFF),
+            outline = Color(0xFFB0B0B0),
+            outlineVariant = Color(0xFFD8D8D8),
+        )
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Scales an accent color toward black until its relative luminance is at
+     * most [maxLuminance]. Preserves hue (all RGB channels scale by the same
+     * factor). Only applied on light surfaces — on dark surfaces the raw accent
+     * already has good contrast.
+     *
+     * 0.38 was picked empirically: it keeps a saturated blue visible without
+     * darkening it, while pulling yellow/graphite down to a readable amber/gray.
+     */
+    private fun darkenForLight(
+        c: Color,
+        maxLuminance: Float = 0.38f,
+    ): Color {
+        val lum = 0.2126f * c.red + 0.7152f * c.green + 0.0722f * c.blue
+        if (lum <= maxLuminance) return c
+        val scale = maxLuminance / lum
+        return Color(
+            red = (c.red * scale).coerceIn(0f, 1f),
+            green = (c.green * scale).coerceIn(0f, 1f),
+            blue = (c.blue * scale).coerceIn(0f, 1f),
+            alpha = c.alpha,
+        )
+    }
+
+    // ── GNOME (libadwaita) ────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+    private fun gnomeDark(accent: Color) =
+        darkColorScheme(
+            primary = accent,
+            onPrimary = onAccent(accent),
+            secondary = accent,
+            tertiary = accent,
+            background = Color(0xFF242424),
+            onBackground = Color(0xFFFFFFFF),
+            surface = Color(0xFF1E1E1E),
+            onSurface = Color(0xFFFFFFFF),
+            surfaceVariant = Color(0xFF323232),
+            onSurfaceVariant = Color(0xFFCCCCCC),
+            surfaceContainer = Color(0xFF2C2C2C),
+            surfaceContainerHigh = Color(0xFF383838),
+            surfaceContainerHighest = Color(0xFF424242),
+            surfaceContainerLow = Color(0xFF222222),
+            surfaceContainerLowest = Color(0xFF1A1A1A),
+            outline = Color(0xFF5E5E5E),
+            outlineVariant = Color(0xFF3A3A3A),
+        )
+
+    private fun gnomeLight(accent: Color) =
+        lightColorScheme(
+            primary = accent,
+            onPrimary = onAccent(accent),
+            secondary = accent,
+            tertiary = accent,
+            background = Color(0xFFFAFAFA),
+            onBackground = Color(0xFF1A1A1A),
+            surface = Color(0xFFFFFFFF),
+            onSurface = Color(0xFF1A1A1A),
+            surfaceVariant = Color(0xFFF0F0F0),
+            onSurfaceVariant = Color(0xFF5E5E5E),
+            surfaceContainer = Color(0xFFF4F4F4),
+            surfaceContainerHigh = Color(0xFFEDEDED),
+            surfaceContainerHighest = Color(0xFFE5E5E5),
+            surfaceContainerLow = Color(0xFFF9F9F9),
+            surfaceContainerLowest = Color(0xFFFFFFFF),
+            outline = Color(0xFFB0B0B0),
+            outlineVariant = Color(0xFFD4D4D4),
+        )
+
+    // ── KDE Plasma (Breeze) ───────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+    private fun kdeDark(accent: Color) =
+        darkColorScheme(
+            primary = accent,
+            onPrimary = onAccent(accent),
+            secondary = accent,
+            tertiary = accent,
+            background = Color(0xFF1B1E20),
+            onBackground = Color(0xFFFCFCFC),
+            surface = Color(0xFF232629),
+            onSurface = Color(0xFFFCFCFC),
+            surfaceVariant = Color(0xFF2A2E32),
+            onSurfaceVariant = Color(0xFFBDC3C7),
+            surfaceContainer = Color(0xFF272A2E),
+            surfaceContainerHigh = Color(0xFF31353A),
+            surfaceContainerHighest = Color(0xFF3B4045),
+            surfaceContainerLow = Color(0xFF1F2225),
+            surfaceContainerLowest = Color(0xFF18191B),
+            outline = Color(0xFF4D5258),
+            outlineVariant = Color(0xFF34383C),
+        )
+
+    private fun kdeLight(accent: Color) =
+        lightColorScheme(
+            primary = accent,
+            onPrimary = onAccent(accent),
+            secondary = accent,
+            tertiary = accent,
+            background = Color(0xFFEFF0F1),
+            onBackground = Color(0xFF232629),
+            surface = Color(0xFFFCFCFC),
+            onSurface = Color(0xFF232629),
+            surfaceVariant = Color(0xFFE5E9EC),
+            onSurfaceVariant = Color(0xFF4D4D4D),
+            surfaceContainer = Color(0xFFF2F3F4),
+            surfaceContainerHigh = Color(0xFFEAECEE),
+            surfaceContainerHighest = Color(0xFFE0E3E5),
+            surfaceContainerLow = Color(0xFFF7F8F9),
+            surfaceContainerLowest = Color(0xFFFFFFFF),
+            outline = Color(0xFFBABEC2),
+            outlineVariant = Color(0xFFD9DCDF),
+        )
+
+    // ── Windows 11 (WinUI 3 / Mica) ───────────────────────────────────────────
+
+    private fun windowsDark(accent: Color) =
+        darkColorScheme(
+            primary = accent,
+            onPrimary = onAccent(accent),
+            secondary = accent,
+            tertiary = accent,
+            background = Color(0xFF202020),
+            onBackground = Color(0xFFFFFFFF),
+            surface = Color(0xFF2B2B2B),
+            onSurface = Color(0xFFFFFFFF),
+            surfaceVariant = Color(0xFF323232),
+            onSurfaceVariant = Color(0xFFCCCCCC),
+            surfaceContainer = Color(0xFF272727),
+            surfaceContainerHigh = Color(0xFF323232),
+            surfaceContainerHighest = Color(0xFF3D3D3D),
+            surfaceContainerLow = Color(0xFF1F1F1F),
+            surfaceContainerLowest = Color(0xFF1A1A1A),
+            outline = Color(0xFF5E5E5E),
+            outlineVariant = Color(0xFF3A3A3A),
+        )
+
+    private fun windowsLight(accent: Color) =
+        lightColorScheme(
+            primary = accent,
+            onPrimary = onAccent(accent),
+            secondary = accent,
+            tertiary = accent,
+            background = Color(0xFFF3F3F3),
+            onBackground = Color(0xFF1A1A1A),
+            surface = Color(0xFFFBFBFB),
+            onSurface = Color(0xFF1A1A1A),
+            surfaceVariant = Color(0xFFEDEDED),
+            onSurfaceVariant = Color(0xFF555555),
+            surfaceContainer = Color(0xFFF6F6F6),
+            surfaceContainerHigh = Color(0xFFEDEDED),
+            surfaceContainerHighest = Color(0xFFE5E5E5),
+            surfaceContainerLow = Color(0xFFFAFAFA),
+            surfaceContainerLowest = Color(0xFFFFFFFF),
+            outline = Color(0xFFB0B0B0),
+            outlineVariant = Color(0xFFD8D8D8),
+        )
+
+    // ── Generic (other Linux DEs / Unknown) ──────────────────────────────────
+
+    private fun genericDark(accent: Color) =
+        darkColorScheme(
+            primary = accent,
+            onPrimary = onAccent(accent),
+            secondary = accent,
+            tertiary = accent,
+            background = Color(0xFF1E1E1E),
+            surface = Color(0xFF1E1E1E),
+            surfaceVariant = Color(0xFF2A2A2A),
+        )
+
+    private fun genericLight(accent: Color) =
+        lightColorScheme(
+            primary = accent,
+            onPrimary = onAccent(accent),
+            secondary = accent,
+            tertiary = accent,
+        )
+
+    /**
+     * Picks readable text color (white or black) on top of the given accent based on
+     * its perceived luminance (Rec. 709 weights).
+     */
+    private fun onAccent(accent: Color): Color {
+        val luminance = 0.2126f * accent.red + 0.7152f * accent.green + 0.0722f * accent.blue
+        return if (luminance > 0.55f) Color.Black else Color.White
+    }
+}

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/platform/PlatformFonts.kt

@@ -0,0 +1,134 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2025 Vitor Pamplona
+ *
+ * Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of
+ * this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in
+ * the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use,
+ * copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the
+ * Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so,
+ * subject to the following conditions:
+ *
+ * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
+ * copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+ *
+ * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+ * IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS
+ * FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR
+ * COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN
+ * AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION
+ * WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
+ */
+package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.platform
+
+import androidx.compose.ui.text.font.FontFamily
+import androidx.compose.ui.text.platform.Typeface
+import org.jetbrains.skia.FontMgr
+import org.jetbrains.skia.FontStyle
+import java.awt.GraphicsEnvironment
+
+/**
+ * Resolves a [FontFamily] backed by the host OS's preferred UI font, with a
+ * per-OS fallback chain. Uses Skia's font manager to look up the family by name
+ * — names not installed on the system are skipped, so the order acts as a chain.
+ *
+ * Targets per OS:
+ * - macOS: SF Pro Text (the system UI font; "Helvetica Neue" / "Helvetica" as fallbacks).
+ * - GNOME: Adwaita Sans (47+), Cantarell (older), Inter, Noto Sans.
+ * - KDE Plasma: Noto Sans (Plasma's default), then Inter / DejaVu Sans.
+ * - Windows: Segoe UI Variable Text (Win 11), Segoe UI (Win 10).
+ *
+ * The final fallback is `FontFamily.Default` so Compose still has something to draw
+ * with on stripped-down systems.
+ */
+object PlatformFonts {
+    val ui: FontFamily by lazy { resolve(uiCandidates()) }
+
+    val mono: FontFamily by lazy { resolve(monoCandidates(), fallback = FontFamily.Monospace) }
+
+    private fun uiCandidates(): List<String> =
+        when (PlatformInfo.current) {
+            Platform.MACOS -> {
+                listOf("SF Pro Text", ".AppleSystemUIFont", "Helvetica Neue", "Helvetica")
+            }
+
+            Platform.WINDOWS -> {
+                listOf("Segoe UI Variable Text", "Segoe UI Variable", "Segoe UI")
+            }
+
+            Platform.GNOME -> {
+                listOf("Adwaita Sans", "Cantarell", "Inter", "Noto Sans", "DejaVu Sans")
+            }
+
+            Platform.KDE -> {
+                listOf("Noto Sans", "Inter", "DejaVu Sans", "Cantarell")
+            }
+
+            Platform.LINUX_OTHER -> {
+                listOf("Inter", "Noto Sans", "DejaVu Sans", "Cantarell")
+            }
+
+            Platform.UNKNOWN -> {
+                emptyList()
+            }
+        }
+
+    private fun monoCandidates(): List<String> =
+        when (PlatformInfo.current) {
+            Platform.MACOS -> {
+                listOf("SF Mono", "Menlo", "Monaco")
+            }
+
+            Platform.WINDOWS -> {
+                listOf("Cascadia Mono", "Cascadia Code", "Consolas")
+            }
+
+            Platform.GNOME -> {
+                listOf("Adwaita Mono", "Source Code Pro", "DejaVu Sans Mono")
+            }
+
+            Platform.KDE -> {
+                listOf("Hack", "Noto Sans Mono", "Source Code Pro")
+            }
+
+            Platform.LINUX_OTHER -> {
+                listOf("JetBrains Mono", "Source Code Pro", "DejaVu Sans Mono")
+            }
+
+            Platform.UNKNOWN -> {
+                emptyList()
+            }
+        }
+
+    private fun resolve(
+        candidates: List<String>,
+        fallback: FontFamily = FontFamily.Default,
+    ): FontFamily {
+        if (candidates.isEmpty()) return fallback
+        val installed = installedFamilies
+        val name = candidates.firstOrNull { it in installed } ?: return fallback
+        return systemFamily(name)
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Builds a [FontFamily] from a system family name. Skia's `FontMgr.matchFamilyStyle`
+     * gives us a regular-weight typeface; Skia synthesizes bold/italic from it on demand,
+     * which is how every native UI toolkit on desktop renders system fonts.
+     */
+    private fun systemFamily(name: String): FontFamily {
+        val skTypeface =
+            runCatching { FontMgr.default.matchFamilyStyle(name, FontStyle.NORMAL) }
+                .getOrNull() ?: return FontFamily.Default
+        return FontFamily(Typeface(skTypeface))
+    }
+
+    private val installedFamilies: Set<String> by lazy {
+        try {
+            GraphicsEnvironment
+                .getLocalGraphicsEnvironment()
+                .availableFontFamilyNames
+                .toSet()
+        } catch (e: Exception) {
+            emptySet()
+        }
+    }
+}

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/platform/PlatformIconWeight.kt

@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2025 Vitor Pamplona
+ *
+ * Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of
+ * this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in
+ * the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use,
+ * copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the
+ * Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so,
+ * subject to the following conditions:
+ *
+ * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
+ * copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+ *
+ * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+ * IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS
+ * FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR
+ * COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN
+ * AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION
+ * WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
+ */
+package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.platform
+
+/**
+ * Preferred Material Symbols stroke weight per host OS. Each desktop UI language
+ * draws icons at a different visual weight; matching them makes the in-app icons
+ * feel at home next to the OS's own. Values use the Material Symbols variation
+ * axis (100 = Thin, 200 = ExtraLight, 300 = Light, 400 = Regular, …, 700 = Bold).
+ *
+ * Reference calibration:
+ * - macOS: SF Symbols "Regular" is visually lighter than 400 Material Symbols;
+ *   200 (Thin/ExtraLight) matches the delicate stroke macOS users expect.
+ * - GNOME: libadwaita symbolic icons are a hair thinner than Regular — 300 matches.
+ * - KDE Breeze: Breeze icons are thin-to-medium, also 300.
+ * - Windows (Fluent): Fluent Icons have moderate weight, 400 is the sweet spot.
+ */
+object PlatformIconWeight {
+    val current: Int by lazy {
+        when (PlatformInfo.current) {
+            Platform.MACOS -> 200
+            Platform.GNOME -> 300
+            Platform.KDE -> 300
+            Platform.WINDOWS -> 400
+            Platform.LINUX_OTHER, Platform.UNKNOWN -> 300
+        }
+    }
+}

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/platform/PlatformInfo.kt

@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2025 Vitor Pamplona
+ *
+ * Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of
+ * this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in
+ * the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use,
+ * copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the
+ * Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so,
+ * subject to the following conditions:
+ *
+ * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
+ * copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+ *
+ * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+ * IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS
+ * FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR
+ * COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN
+ * AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION
+ * WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
+ */
+package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.platform
+
+/**
+ * Identifies the host operating system and (on Linux) the desktop environment so the
+ * UI can adopt native fonts, shapes, accent colors, and window chrome.
+ *
+ * Detection happens once at JVM start and is cached for the process lifetime.
+ */
+enum class Platform {
+    MACOS,
+    WINDOWS,
+    GNOME,
+    KDE,
+    LINUX_OTHER,
+    UNKNOWN,
+    ;
+
+    val isLinux: Boolean get() = this == GNOME || this == KDE || this == LINUX_OTHER
+}
+
+object PlatformInfo {
+    /**
+     * The detected (or overridden) UI platform — drives all per-OS theming.
+     *
+     * Override for testing on a single machine via `-Damethyst.platform=GNOME`
+     * (system property) or `AMETHYST_PLATFORM=GNOME` (env var). Accepted values
+     * are the [Platform] enum names, case-insensitive: MACOS, WINDOWS, GNOME,
+     * KDE, LINUX_OTHER, UNKNOWN.
+     */
+    val current: Platform by lazy { override() ?: detect() }
+
+    /** The actual host OS, ignoring any override. Useful for shell-out helpers
+     * that should always hit the real underlying system (e.g. accent detection
+     * falling back to the Mac's value when the override platform's CLI is absent). */
+    val host: Platform by lazy { detect() }
+
+    val isMacOS: Boolean get() = current == Platform.MACOS
+    val isWindows: Boolean get() = current == Platform.WINDOWS
+    val isGnome: Boolean get() = current == Platform.GNOME
+    val isKde: Boolean get() = current == Platform.KDE
+    val isLinux: Boolean get() = current.isLinux
+
+    private fun override(): Platform? {
+        val raw =
+            System.getProperty("amethyst.platform")
+                ?: System.getenv("AMETHYST_PLATFORM")
+                ?: return null
+        return runCatching { Platform.valueOf(raw.uppercase()) }.getOrNull()
+    }
+
+    private fun detect(): Platform {
+        val osName = System.getProperty("os.name", "").lowercase()
+        return when {
+            osName.contains("mac") || osName.contains("darwin") -> Platform.MACOS
+            osName.contains("win") -> Platform.WINDOWS
+            osName.contains("nux") || osName.contains("nix") -> detectLinuxEnv()
+            else -> Platform.UNKNOWN
+        }
+    }
+
+    private fun detectLinuxEnv(): Platform {
+        // Per the freedesktop spec, XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP is the canonical hint.
+        // It's a colon-separated list — match any token.
+        val xdg = System.getenv("XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP")?.lowercase().orEmpty()
+        val session = System.getenv("XDG_SESSION_DESKTOP")?.lowercase().orEmpty()
+        val desktop = System.getenv("DESKTOP_SESSION")?.lowercase().orEmpty()
+        val combined = "$xdg:$session:$desktop"
+
+        return when {
+            "gnome" in combined || "unity" in combined || "pantheon" in combined -> Platform.GNOME
+            "kde" in combined || "plasma" in combined -> Platform.KDE
+            else -> Platform.LINUX_OTHER
+        }
+    }
+}

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/platform/PlatformShapes.kt

@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2025 Vitor Pamplona
+ *
+ * Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of
+ * this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in
+ * the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use,
+ * copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the
+ * Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so,
+ * subject to the following conditions:
+ *
+ * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
+ * copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+ *
+ * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+ * IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS
+ * FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR
+ * COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN
+ * AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION
+ * WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
+ */
+package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.platform
+
+import androidx.compose.foundation.shape.RoundedCornerShape
+import androidx.compose.material3.Shapes
+import androidx.compose.ui.unit.dp
+
+/**
+ * Per-OS Material3 [Shapes] tuned to match each platform's native rounding language.
+ * Material's defaults (4 / 4 / 0 dp) read as Android — these values match what users
+ * see in their OS's first-party apps.
+ *
+ * - macOS (Sonoma+): ~10 / 12 / 16 dp continuous-style corners.
+ * - GNOME (libadwaita): 9 / 12 / 16 dp — adw_dialog / adw_card baseline.
+ * - KDE (Breeze): 6 / 8 / 12 dp — Breeze prefers tighter rounding than libadwaita.
+ * - Windows (WinUI 3): 4 / 8 / 8 dp — WinUI's mica surfaces use modest rounding.
+ */
+object PlatformShapes {
+    val current: Shapes by lazy {
+        when (PlatformInfo.current) {
+            Platform.MACOS -> {
+                Shapes(
+                    extraSmall = RoundedCornerShape(6.dp),
+                    small = RoundedCornerShape(8.dp),
+                    medium = RoundedCornerShape(10.dp),
+                    large = RoundedCornerShape(14.dp),
+                    extraLarge = RoundedCornerShape(20.dp),
+                )
+            }
+
+            Platform.GNOME -> {
+                Shapes(
+                    extraSmall = RoundedCornerShape(6.dp),
+                    small = RoundedCornerShape(9.dp),
+                    medium = RoundedCornerShape(12.dp),
+                    large = RoundedCornerShape(16.dp),
+                    extraLarge = RoundedCornerShape(24.dp),
+                )
+            }
+
+            Platform.KDE -> {
+                Shapes(
+                    extraSmall = RoundedCornerShape(4.dp),
+                    small = RoundedCornerShape(6.dp),
+                    medium = RoundedCornerShape(8.dp),
+                    large = RoundedCornerShape(12.dp),
+                    extraLarge = RoundedCornerShape(16.dp),
+                )
+            }
+
+            Platform.WINDOWS -> {
+                Shapes(
+                    extraSmall = RoundedCornerShape(4.dp),
+                    small = RoundedCornerShape(4.dp),
+                    medium = RoundedCornerShape(8.dp),
+                    large = RoundedCornerShape(8.dp),
+                    extraLarge = RoundedCornerShape(12.dp),
+                )
+            }
+
+            Platform.LINUX_OTHER, Platform.UNKNOWN -> {
+                Shapes(
+                    extraSmall = RoundedCornerShape(6.dp),
+                    small = RoundedCornerShape(8.dp),
+                    medium = RoundedCornerShape(10.dp),
+                    large = RoundedCornerShape(14.dp),
+                    extraLarge = RoundedCornerShape(20.dp),
+                )
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/platform/PlatformTheme.kt

@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2025 Vitor Pamplona
+ *
+ * Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of
+ * this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in
+ * the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use,
+ * copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the
+ * Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so,
+ * subject to the following conditions:
+ *
+ * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
+ * copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+ *
+ * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+ * IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS
+ * FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR
+ * COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN
+ * AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION
+ * WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
+ */
+package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.platform
+
+import androidx.compose.material3.MaterialTheme
+import androidx.compose.runtime.Composable
+import androidx.compose.runtime.remember
+import androidx.compose.ui.unit.Dp
+import androidx.compose.ui.unit.dp
+import androidx.compose.ui.window.FrameWindowScope
+
+/**
+ * Wraps content in a [MaterialTheme] tuned for the host OS: native fonts, accent
+ * color, surface tones, and shape rounding all match what the user sees in their
+ * other apps.
+ *
+ * Pair this with [applyNativeWindowChrome] inside the [androidx.compose.ui.window.Window]
+ * scope to also get native title-bar treatment (transparent title bar with
+ * traffic-light inset on macOS).
+ */
+@Composable
+fun PlatformMaterialTheme(
+    isDark: Boolean,
+    content: @Composable () -> Unit,
+) {
+    val accent = remember { PlatformAccent.systemAccent() }
+    val colorScheme = remember(isDark, accent) { PlatformColorScheme.resolve(isDark, accent) }
+    MaterialTheme(
+        colorScheme = colorScheme,
+        typography = PlatformTypography.current,
+        shapes = PlatformShapes.current,
+        content = content,
+    )
+}
+
+/**
+ * Inset to apply at the top of window content so it doesn't underlap the macOS
+ * traffic lights once `applyNativeWindowChrome` has made the title bar transparent
+ * + full-content. ~28 dp clears the buttons with comfortable padding. On non-macOS
+ * platforms returns 0 dp so layouts stay flush.
+ */
+val titleBarInsetTop: Dp
+    get() = if (PlatformInfo.isMacOS) 28.dp else 0.dp
+
+/**
+ * Applies platform-specific native window chrome.
+ *
+ * On macOS:
+ *  - `apple.awt.transparentTitleBar = true` removes the title bar tint so app
+ *    content shows through.
+ *  - `apple.awt.fullWindowContent = true` lets content extend under the title bar
+ *    while the traffic lights stay drawn on top.
+ *  - `apple.awt.windowTitleVisible = false` hides the "Amethyst" string so the
+ *    bar is clean.
+ *
+ * On other platforms this is a no-op — the OS chrome stays as-is, which is
+ * already what users expect (custom Compose-drawn title bars on Linux/Windows
+ * mostly look worse than the system's, especially for window snapping & a11y).
+ */
+@Composable
+fun FrameWindowScope.applyNativeWindowChrome() {
+    if (!PlatformInfo.isMacOS) return
+    val rootPane = window.rootPane
+    rootPane.putClientProperty("apple.awt.transparentTitleBar", true)
+    rootPane.putClientProperty("apple.awt.fullWindowContent", true)
+    rootPane.putClientProperty("apple.awt.windowTitleVisible", false)
+}

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/platform/PlatformTypography.kt

@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2025 Vitor Pamplona
+ *
+ * Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of
+ * this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in
+ * the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use,
+ * copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the
+ * Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so,
+ * subject to the following conditions:
+ *
+ * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
+ * copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+ *
+ * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+ * IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS
+ * FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR
+ * COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN
+ * AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION
+ * WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
+ */
+package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.platform
+
+import androidx.compose.material3.Typography
+import androidx.compose.ui.text.TextStyle
+import androidx.compose.ui.text.font.FontFamily
+import androidx.compose.ui.text.font.FontWeight
+import androidx.compose.ui.unit.TextUnit
+import androidx.compose.ui.unit.sp
+
+/**
+ * Material3 [Typography] using the host OS's preferred UI font with per-OS letter
+ * spacing tuned to match native apps. Material's defaults are positively tracked
+ * (Roboto-style); Apple's SF Pro and GNOME's Adwaita are tracked tighter at the
+ * larger sizes, so we mirror that.
+ *
+ * The body sizes stay close to Material defaults so the existing layout code that
+ * assumes 14–16sp body text doesn't reflow.
+ */
+object PlatformTypography {
+    val current: Typography by lazy { build(PlatformFonts.ui) }
+
+    private fun build(family: FontFamily): Typography {
+        // Per-OS letter spacing offset applied to display/headline styles.
+        val tightening: TextUnit =
+            when (PlatformInfo.current) {
+                Platform.MACOS -> (-0.4).sp
+
+                // SF Pro is set tight at large sizes
+                Platform.GNOME -> (-0.2).sp
+
+                // Adwaita Sans is mildly tight
+                Platform.KDE, Platform.WINDOWS -> 0.sp
+
+                else -> 0.sp
+            }
+
+        fun ts(
+            size: Int,
+            line: Int,
+            weight: FontWeight = FontWeight.Normal,
+            tracking: TextUnit = 0.sp,
+        ) = TextStyle(
+            fontFamily = family,
+            fontWeight = weight,
+            fontSize = size.sp,
+            lineHeight = line.sp,
+            letterSpacing = tracking,
+        )
+
+        return Typography(
+            displayLarge = ts(57, 64, FontWeight.Normal, tightening),
+            displayMedium = ts(45, 52, FontWeight.Normal, tightening),
+            displaySmall = ts(36, 44, FontWeight.Normal, tightening),
+            headlineLarge = ts(32, 40, FontWeight.SemiBold, tightening),
+            headlineMedium = ts(28, 36, FontWeight.SemiBold, tightening),
+            headlineSmall = ts(24, 32, FontWeight.SemiBold, tightening),
+            titleLarge = ts(22, 28, FontWeight.SemiBold),
+            titleMedium = ts(16, 24, FontWeight.Medium, 0.15.sp),
+            titleSmall = ts(14, 20, FontWeight.Medium, 0.1.sp),
+            bodyLarge = ts(16, 24, FontWeight.Normal, 0.15.sp),
+            bodyMedium = ts(14, 20, FontWeight.Normal, 0.25.sp),
+            bodySmall = ts(12, 16, FontWeight.Normal, 0.4.sp),
+            labelLarge = ts(14, 20, FontWeight.Medium, 0.1.sp),
+            labelMedium = ts(12, 16, FontWeight.Medium, 0.5.sp),
+            labelSmall = ts(11, 16, FontWeight.Medium, 0.5.sp),
+        )
+    }
+}

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/ui/ArticleEditorScreen.kt

@@ -29,12 +29,15 @@ import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxSize
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxWidth
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.height
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.padding
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.size
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.width
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.widthIn
 import androidx.compose.foundation.rememberScrollState
 import androidx.compose.foundation.text.selection.SelectionContainer
 import androidx.compose.foundation.verticalScroll
 import androidx.compose.material3.Button
 import androidx.compose.material3.HorizontalDivider
+import androidx.compose.material3.IconButton
 import androidx.compose.material3.MaterialTheme
 import androidx.compose.material3.OutlinedButton
 import androidx.compose.material3.Text
@@ -63,6 +66,8 @@ import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.compose.editor.MarkdownEditorState
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.compose.editor.MarkdownToolbar
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.compose.editor.MetadataPanel
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.compose.markdown.RenderMarkdown
+import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.icons.symbols.Icon
+import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.icons.symbols.MaterialSymbols
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.model.nip23LongContent.LongFormPublishAction
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.account.AccountState
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.network.DesktopRelayConnectionManager
@@ -227,24 +232,41 @@ fun ArticleEditorScreen(
                     }
                 },
     ) {
-        // Top bar
+        // Header — Messages-style: back + titleMedium on left, actions on right
         Row(
-            modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth().padding(bottom = 8.dp),
+            modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth().padding(horizontal = 12.dp, vertical = 8.dp),
             horizontalArrangement = Arrangement.SpaceBetween,
             verticalAlignment = Alignment.CenterVertically,
         ) {
-            OutlinedButton(onClick = onBack) {
+            Row(verticalAlignment = Alignment.CenterVertically) {
-                Text("Back")
+                IconButton(onClick = onBack, modifier = Modifier.size(32.dp)) {
+                    Icon(
+                        MaterialSymbols.AutoMirrored.ArrowBack,
+                        contentDescription = "Back",
+                        tint = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.primary,
+                        modifier = Modifier.size(20.dp),
+                    )
                 }
-            Row(horizontalArrangement = Arrangement.spacedBy(8.dp)) {
+                Spacer(Modifier.width(8.dp))
+                Text(
+                    "Article",
+                    style = MaterialTheme.typography.titleMedium,
+                    color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onBackground,
+                )
+            }
+            Row(
+                horizontalArrangement = Arrangement.spacedBy(8.dp),
+                verticalAlignment = Alignment.CenterVertically,
+            ) {
                 saveMessage?.let {
                     Text(
                         it,
                         style = MaterialTheme.typography.bodySmall,
                         color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onSurfaceVariant,
-                        modifier = Modifier.align(Alignment.CenterVertically),
                     )
                 }
+                // Save/Publish stay as text buttons — they're primary destructive
+                // actions, not affordances you'd reduce to an icon.
                 OutlinedButton(onClick = { saveDraft() }) {
                     Text("Save")
                 }

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/ui/ArticleReaderScreen.kt

@@ -403,24 +403,25 @@ fun ArticleReaderScreen(
                     }
                 },
     ) {
-        // Top bar: back + bookmark placeholder
+        // Header — Messages-style: compact row, titleMedium title
         Row(
-            modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth().padding(bottom = 8.dp),
+            modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth().padding(horizontal = 12.dp, vertical = 8.dp),
             verticalAlignment = Alignment.CenterVertically,
             horizontalArrangement = Arrangement.SpaceBetween,
         ) {
             Row(verticalAlignment = Alignment.CenterVertically) {
-                IconButton(onClick = onBack) {
+                IconButton(onClick = onBack, modifier = Modifier.size(32.dp)) {
                     Icon(
                         MaterialSymbols.AutoMirrored.ArrowBack,
                         contentDescription = "Back",
-                        modifier = Modifier.size(24.dp),
+                        tint = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.primary,
+                        modifier = Modifier.size(20.dp),
                     )
                 }
                 Spacer(Modifier.width(8.dp))
                 Text(
                     "Article",
-                    style = MaterialTheme.typography.headlineMedium,
+                    style = MaterialTheme.typography.titleMedium,
                     color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onBackground,
                 )
                 if (zoomLevel != 1.0f) {

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/ui/BookmarksScreen.kt

@@ -22,10 +22,12 @@ package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.ui
 
 import androidx.compose.foundation.clickable
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Column
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.PaddingValues
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Row
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Spacer
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxSize
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxWidth
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.heightIn
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.padding
 import androidx.compose.foundation.lazy.LazyColumn
 import androidx.compose.foundation.lazy.items
@@ -246,18 +248,20 @@ fun BookmarksScreen(
     val currentEvents = if (selectedTab == BookmarkTab.PUBLIC) publicEvents else privateEvents
     val currentBookmarkIds = if (selectedTab == BookmarkTab.PUBLIC) publicBookmarkIds else privateBookmarkIds
 
-    Column(modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize()) {
+    ReadingColumn {
+        val sidePadding = readingHorizontalPadding()
         // Header with tabs
         Row(
             modifier =
                 Modifier
                     .fillMaxWidth()
-                    .padding(16.dp),
+                    .heightIn(min = 48.dp)
+                    .padding(horizontal = sidePadding, vertical = 8.dp),
             verticalAlignment = Alignment.CenterVertically,
         ) {
             Text(
                 text = "Bookmarks",
-                style = MaterialTheme.typography.headlineMedium,
+                style = MaterialTheme.typography.titleMedium,
                 color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onBackground,
             )
 
@@ -303,6 +307,7 @@ fun BookmarksScreen(
             else -> {
                 LazyColumn(
                     modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize(),
+                    contentPadding = PaddingValues(horizontal = sidePadding),
                 ) {
                     items(currentEvents, key = { it.id }) { event ->
                         Column(

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/ui/DraftsScreen.kt

@@ -20,19 +20,19 @@
  */
 package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.ui
 
-import androidx.compose.foundation.clickable
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Arrangement
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Column
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.PaddingValues
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Row
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Spacer
-import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxSize
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxWidth
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.height
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.heightIn
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.padding
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.size
 import androidx.compose.foundation.lazy.LazyColumn
 import androidx.compose.foundation.lazy.items
 import androidx.compose.material3.AlertDialog
-import androidx.compose.material3.Button
 import androidx.compose.material3.Card
 import androidx.compose.material3.CardDefaults
 import androidx.compose.material3.IconButton
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ import androidx.compose.ui.text.style.TextOverflow
 import androidx.compose.ui.unit.dp
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.icons.symbols.Icon
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.icons.symbols.MaterialSymbols
+import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.ui.components.EmptyState
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.service.drafts.DesktopDraftStore
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.service.drafts.DraftEntry
 import kotlinx.coroutines.launch
@@ -65,33 +66,42 @@ fun DraftsScreen(
     val scope = rememberCoroutineScope()
     var deleteTarget by remember { mutableStateOf<DraftEntry?>(null) }
 
-    Column(modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize()) {
+    ReadingColumn {
+        val sidePadding = readingHorizontalPadding()
         Row(
-            modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth(),
+            modifier =
+                Modifier
+                    .fillMaxWidth()
+                    .heightIn(min = 48.dp)
+                    .padding(horizontal = sidePadding, vertical = 8.dp),
             horizontalArrangement = Arrangement.SpaceBetween,
             verticalAlignment = Alignment.CenterVertically,
         ) {
             Text(
                 "Drafts",
-                style = MaterialTheme.typography.headlineMedium,
+                style = MaterialTheme.typography.titleMedium,
                 color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onBackground,
             )
-            Button(onClick = { onOpenEditor(null) }) {
+            // Convert "New Draft" button to an icon for consistency with other
-                Icon(MaterialSymbols.Add, contentDescription = null)
+            // screens' tabs-first + icon-actions header pattern.
-                Text("New Draft", modifier = Modifier.padding(start = 4.dp))
+            IconButton(onClick = { onOpenEditor(null) }, modifier = Modifier.size(32.dp)) {
+                Icon(
+                    MaterialSymbols.Add,
+                    contentDescription = "New Draft",
+                    tint = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.primary,
+                    modifier = Modifier.size(20.dp),
+                )
             }
         }
 
-        Spacer(Modifier.height(16.dp))
-
         if (drafts.isEmpty()) {
-            Text(
+            EmptyState(
-                "No drafts yet. Click \"New Draft\" to start writing.",
+                title = "No drafts yet",
-                style = MaterialTheme.typography.bodyMedium,
+                description = "Click \"New Draft\" to start writing.",
-                color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onSurfaceVariant,
             )
         } else {
             LazyColumn(
+                contentPadding = PaddingValues(horizontal = sidePadding),
                 verticalArrangement = Arrangement.spacedBy(8.dp),
             ) {
                 items(drafts, key = { it.slug }) { entry ->
@@ -139,7 +149,8 @@ private fun DraftCard(
     onDelete: () -> Unit,
 ) {
     Card(
-        modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth().clickable(onClick = onClick),
+        onClick = onClick,
+        modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth(),
         colors =
             CardDefaults.cardColors(
                 containerColor = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.surface,

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/ui/FeedHeader.kt

@@ -18,11 +18,12 @@
  * AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION
  * WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
  */
-package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.ui.feed
+package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.ui
 
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Arrangement
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Row
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxWidth
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.padding
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.size
 import androidx.compose.material3.IconButton
 import androidx.compose.material3.MaterialTheme
@@ -33,10 +34,12 @@ import androidx.compose.ui.Modifier
 import androidx.compose.ui.unit.dp
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.icons.symbols.Icon
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.icons.symbols.MaterialSymbols
-import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.ui.theme.RelayStatusColors
 
 /**
- * Header component for feed screens with title and relay connection status.
+ * Compact Messages-style header for feed screens: titleMedium on the left,
+ * a single refresh IconButton on the right. Relay count is rolled into the
+ * refresh button's content description so it still surfaces in hover tooltips
+ * / accessibility readers without stealing a whole row.
  *
  * @param title The feed title
  * @param connectedRelayCount Number of connected relays
@@ -51,62 +54,28 @@ fun FeedHeader(
     modifier: Modifier = Modifier,
 ) {
     Row(
-        modifier = modifier.fillMaxWidth(),
+        modifier =
+            modifier
+                .fillMaxWidth()
+                .padding(horizontal = readingHorizontalPadding(), vertical = 8.dp),
         horizontalArrangement = Arrangement.SpaceBetween,
         verticalAlignment = Alignment.CenterVertically,
     ) {
         Text(
             title,
-            style = MaterialTheme.typography.headlineMedium,
+            style = MaterialTheme.typography.titleMedium,
             color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onBackground,
         )
 
-        RelayStatusIndicator(
+        IconButton(
-            connectedCount = connectedRelayCount,
+            onClick = onRefresh,
-            onRefresh = onRefresh,
+            modifier = Modifier.size(32.dp),
-        )
-    }
-}
-
-/**
- * Compact relay connection status indicator with refresh button.
- */
-@Composable
-fun RelayStatusIndicator(
-    connectedCount: Int,
-    onRefresh: () -> Unit,
-    modifier: Modifier = Modifier,
         ) {
-    Row(
-        modifier = modifier,
-        verticalAlignment = Alignment.CenterVertically,
-        horizontalArrangement = Arrangement.spacedBy(8.dp),
-    ) {
-        val statusColor =
-            when {
-                connectedCount == 0 -> RelayStatusColors.Disconnected
-                connectedCount < 3 -> RelayStatusColors.Connecting
-                else -> RelayStatusColors.Connected
-            }
-
-        Icon(
-            symbol = if (connectedCount > 0) MaterialSymbols.Check else MaterialSymbols.Close,
-            contentDescription = null,
-            tint = statusColor,
-            modifier = Modifier.size(16.dp),
-        )
-
-        Text(
-            "$connectedCount relay${if (connectedCount != 1) "s" else ""}",
-            color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onSurfaceVariant,
-            style = MaterialTheme.typography.bodySmall,
-        )
-
-        IconButton(onClick = onRefresh) {
             Icon(
                 MaterialSymbols.Refresh,
-                contentDescription = "Reconnect",
+                contentDescription = "Refresh ($connectedRelayCount relays connected)",
                 tint = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.primary,
+                modifier = Modifier.size(20.dp),
             )
         }
     }

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/ui/FeedScreen.kt

@@ -20,12 +20,12 @@
  */
 package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.ui
 
-import androidx.compose.foundation.clickable
+import androidx.compose.foundation.ExperimentalFoundationApi
+import androidx.compose.foundation.TooltipArea
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Arrangement
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Box
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Column
-import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.ExperimentalLayoutApi
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.PaddingValues
-import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.FlowRow
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Row
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Spacer
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxSize
@@ -33,14 +33,13 @@ import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxWidth
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.height
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.padding
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.size
-import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.width
 import androidx.compose.foundation.lazy.LazyColumn
 import androidx.compose.foundation.lazy.items
 import androidx.compose.material3.AlertDialog
-import androidx.compose.material3.Button
 import androidx.compose.material3.FilterChip
 import androidx.compose.material3.IconButton
 import androidx.compose.material3.MaterialTheme
+import androidx.compose.material3.Surface
 import androidx.compose.material3.Text
 import androidx.compose.material3.TextButton
 import androidx.compose.runtime.Composable
@@ -487,9 +486,8 @@ fun FeedScreen(
         onDispose { subId?.let { coordinator.releaseInteractions(it) } }
     }
 
-    @OptIn(ExperimentalLayoutApi::class)
     Box(modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize()) {
-        Column(modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize()) {
+        ReadingColumn {
             // Header with compose button
             FeedHeader(
                 feedMode = feedMode,
@@ -546,7 +544,9 @@ fun FeedScreen(
 
                 is FeedState.Loaded -> {
                     val loadedState by state.feed.collectAsState()
+                    val sidePadding = LocalReadingSidePadding.current
                     LazyColumn(
+                        contentPadding = PaddingValues(horizontal = sidePadding + 12.dp),
                         verticalArrangement = Arrangement.spacedBy(8.dp),
                     ) {
                         items(loadedState.list, key = { it.idHex }) { note ->
@@ -627,9 +627,15 @@ fun FeedScreen(
 }
 
 /**
- * Feed header with title, mode selector, relay count, and compose button.
+ * Feed header \u2014 Messages-style single row: Following/Global tabs on the left,
+ * compact icon buttons on the right (relays, refresh, compose). The selected
+ * tab IS the title; no redundant "Global Feed" / "Following Feed" label.
+ *
+ * Relay count and followed-users count are surfaced via a hover tooltip on
+ * the relays icon (desktop convention \u2014 the at-a-glance info is preserved
+ * without stealing header real estate).
  */
-@OptIn(ExperimentalLayoutApi::class)
+@OptIn(ExperimentalFoundationApi::class)
 @Composable
 private fun FeedHeader(
     feedMode: FeedMode,
@@ -642,90 +648,100 @@ private fun FeedHeader(
     onNavigateToRelays: () -> Unit = {},
     onOpenRelayPicker: () -> Unit = {},
 ) {
-    FlowRow(
+    val sidePadding = LocalReadingSidePadding.current
-        modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth().padding(bottom = 16.dp),
+    Row(
+        modifier =
+            Modifier
+                .fillMaxWidth()
+                .padding(horizontal = sidePadding + 12.dp, vertical = 8.dp),
         horizontalArrangement = Arrangement.SpaceBetween,
-        verticalArrangement = Arrangement.spacedBy(8.dp),
+        verticalAlignment = Alignment.CenterVertically,
     ) {
-        Column {
+        // Tabs \u2014 the selected one is the screen title.
-            FlowRow(
+        Row(horizontalArrangement = Arrangement.spacedBy(8.dp)) {
-                verticalArrangement = Arrangement.Center,
-                horizontalArrangement = Arrangement.spacedBy(8.dp),
-            ) {
-                Text(
-                    if (feedMode == FeedMode.GLOBAL) "Global Feed" else "Following Feed",
-                    style = MaterialTheme.typography.headlineMedium,
-                    color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onBackground,
-                )
-
             if (account != null) {
-                    Row(horizontalArrangement = Arrangement.spacedBy(4.dp)) {
-                        FilterChip(
-                            selected = feedMode == FeedMode.GLOBAL,
-                            onClick = { onFeedModeChange(FeedMode.GLOBAL) },
-                            label = { Text("Global") },
-                        )
                 FilterChip(
                     selected = feedMode == FeedMode.FOLLOWING,
                     onClick = { onFeedModeChange(FeedMode.FOLLOWING) },
                     label = { Text("Following") },
                 )
             }
-                }
+            FilterChip(
+                selected = feedMode == FeedMode.GLOBAL,
+                onClick = { onFeedModeChange(FeedMode.GLOBAL) },
+                label = { Text("Global") },
+            )
         }
 
-            Spacer(Modifier.height(4.dp))
+        // Actions \u2014 compact icon buttons at the same scale as the Messages header.
         Row(verticalAlignment = Alignment.CenterVertically) {
-                Text(
+            val relaysTooltip =
-                    "${feedRelays.size} relays",
+                buildString {
-                    style = MaterialTheme.typography.bodyMedium,
+                    append("${feedRelays.size} relays")
-                    color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.primary,
-                    modifier =
-                        Modifier.clickable { onNavigateToRelays() },
-                )
                     if (feedMode == FeedMode.FOLLOWING) {
+                        append(" \u2022 $followedUsersCount followed")
+                    }
+                }
+            TooltipArea(
+                tooltip = {
+                    Surface(
+                        shape = MaterialTheme.shapes.small,
+                        color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.surfaceContainerHigh,
+                        tonalElevation = 2.dp,
+                        shadowElevation = 4.dp,
+                    ) {
                         Text(
-                        " \u2022 $followedUsersCount followed",
+                            relaysTooltip,
-                        style = MaterialTheme.typography.bodyMedium,
+                            modifier = Modifier.padding(horizontal = 8.dp, vertical = 4.dp),
-                        color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onSurfaceVariant,
+                            style = MaterialTheme.typography.bodySmall,
                         )
                     }
-                Spacer(Modifier.width(8.dp))
+                },
-                if (account != null && !account.isReadOnly) {
+            ) {
                 IconButton(
-                        onClick = onOpenRelayPicker,
+                    onClick = {
-                        modifier = Modifier.size(24.dp),
+                        if (account != null && !account.isReadOnly) {
+                            onOpenRelayPicker()
+                        } else {
+                            onNavigateToRelays()
+                        }
+                    },
+                    modifier = Modifier.size(32.dp),
                 ) {
                     Icon(
                         MaterialSymbols.Dns,
-                            contentDescription = "Edit Feed Relays",
+                        contentDescription = relaysTooltip,
                         tint = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.primary,
-                            modifier = Modifier.size(18.dp),
+                        modifier = Modifier.size(20.dp),
                     )
                 }
-                    Spacer(Modifier.width(4.dp))
             }
+
             IconButton(
                 onClick = onRefresh,
-                    modifier = Modifier.size(24.dp),
+                modifier = Modifier.size(32.dp),
             ) {
                 Icon(
                     MaterialSymbols.Refresh,
                     contentDescription = "Refresh",
                     tint = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.primary,
-                        modifier = Modifier.size(18.dp),
+                    modifier = Modifier.size(20.dp),
+                )
+            }
+
+            if (account != null && !account.isReadOnly) {
+                IconButton(
+                    onClick = onCompose,
+                    modifier = Modifier.size(32.dp),
+                ) {
+                    Icon(
+                        MaterialSymbols.Add,
+                        contentDescription = "New Post",
+                        tint = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.primary,
+                        modifier = Modifier.size(20.dp),
                     )
                 }
             }
         }
-
-        Button(
-            onClick = onCompose,
-            enabled = account != null && !account.isReadOnly,
-        ) {
-            Icon(MaterialSymbols.Add, "New Post", Modifier.size(18.dp))
-            Spacer(Modifier.width(8.dp))
-            Text("New Post")
-        }
     }
 }

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/ui/NotificationsScreen.kt

@@ -22,9 +22,9 @@ package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.ui
 
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Arrangement
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Column
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.PaddingValues
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Row
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Spacer
-import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxSize
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxWidth
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.height
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.padding
@@ -56,7 +56,6 @@ import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.icons.symbols.rememberMaterialSymbolPa
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.state.EventCollectionState
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.ui.components.EmptyState
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.ui.components.LoadingState
-import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.ui.feed.FeedHeader
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.util.toTimeAgo
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.account.AccountState
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.cache.DesktopLocalCache
@@ -238,15 +237,13 @@ fun NotificationsScreen(
         }
     }
 
-    Column(modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize()) {
+    ReadingColumn {
         FeedHeader(
             title = "Notifications",
             connectedRelayCount = connectedRelays.size,
             onRefresh = { relayManager.connect() },
         )
 
-        Spacer(Modifier.height(16.dp))
-
         if (connectedRelays.isEmpty()) {
             LoadingState("Connecting to relays...")
         } else if (notifications.isEmpty() && !initialLoadComplete) {
@@ -259,6 +256,7 @@ fun NotificationsScreen(
             )
         } else {
             LazyColumn(
+                contentPadding = PaddingValues(horizontal = readingHorizontalPadding()),
                 verticalArrangement = Arrangement.spacedBy(8.dp),
             ) {
                 items(notifications.distinctBy { it.event.id }, key = { it.event.id }) { notification ->

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/ui/ReadingColumn.kt

@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2025 Vitor Pamplona
+ *
+ * Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of
+ * this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in
+ * the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use,
+ * copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the
+ * Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so,
+ * subject to the following conditions:
+ *
+ * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
+ * copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+ *
+ * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+ * IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS
+ * FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR
+ * COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN
+ * AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION
+ * WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
+ */
+package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.ui
+
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.BoxWithConstraints
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Column
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.ColumnScope
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxSize
+import androidx.compose.runtime.Composable
+import androidx.compose.runtime.CompositionLocalProvider
+import androidx.compose.runtime.compositionLocalOf
+import androidx.compose.ui.Modifier
+import androidx.compose.ui.unit.Dp
+import androidx.compose.ui.unit.dp
+
+/**
+ * Maximum reading width for single-pane content screens. Matches the
+ * comfortable column width used by Twitter / Mastodon / Threads on desktop —
+ * wider than a book column (which tops out around 600 dp), narrower than a
+ * full-window feed, so cards don't stretch disproportionately on 4K displays.
+ */
+val DefaultReadingWidth: Dp = 720.dp
+
+/**
+ * Side padding the current screen should apply to its scrollable list /
+ * headers to keep content centered at [DefaultReadingWidth] within the
+ * window. `0.dp` outside of a [ReadingColumn].
+ *
+ * Screens use this to widen the gutter on wide displays (`horizontal =
+ * readingSidePadding + 12.dp`) while keeping the scrollable area itself at
+ * full window width — so the mouse wheel scrolls the feed wherever it
+ * hovers, not only inside the 720 dp column.
+ */
+val LocalReadingSidePadding = compositionLocalOf { 0.dp }
+
+/**
+ * Convenience: reads the current reading-column side padding and adds the
+ * standard 12.dp screen-edge gutter. Use this inside composable bodies when
+ * applying horizontal padding to header rows or `contentPadding` on
+ * LazyColumns so items stay centered at [DefaultReadingWidth] while the
+ * scrollable surface still spans the full window width.
+ */
+@Composable
+fun readingHorizontalPadding(): Dp = LocalReadingSidePadding.current + 12.dp
+
+/**
+ * Top-level scaffold for single-pane content screens. Measures the window
+ * width and computes the side padding that centers a [maxWidth]-wide column
+ * within it. The actual content (header + LazyColumn) fills the window — the
+ * centering is done via [LocalReadingSidePadding] applied to inner modifiers
+ * (`horizontal` padding on a header Row, `contentPadding` on a LazyColumn).
+ * This keeps scroll events live across the full window, not just the center
+ * column.
+ *
+ * Not used by:
+ * - Messages (two-pane layout with its own sizing)
+ * - Article Reader (has its own narrower reading-width logic)
+ * - Editor / Chess / Relay Dashboard (tools that want full width)
+ */
+@Composable
+fun ReadingColumn(
+    maxWidth: Dp = DefaultReadingWidth,
+    content: @Composable ColumnScope.() -> Unit,
+) {
+    BoxWithConstraints(modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize()) {
+        val sidePadding = ((this.maxWidth - maxWidth) / 2).coerceAtLeast(0.dp)
+        CompositionLocalProvider(LocalReadingSidePadding provides sidePadding) {
+            Column(modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize(), content = content)
+        }
+    }
+}

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/ui/ReadsScreen.kt

@@ -23,16 +23,13 @@ package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.ui
 import androidx.compose.foundation.clickable
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Arrangement
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Column
-import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.ExperimentalLayoutApi
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.PaddingValues
-import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.FlowRow
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Row
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Spacer
-import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxSize
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxWidth
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.height
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.padding
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.size
-import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.width
 import androidx.compose.foundation.lazy.LazyColumn
 import androidx.compose.foundation.lazy.items
 import androidx.compose.material3.Card
@@ -100,10 +97,8 @@ fun LongFormCard(
     val publishedAt = event.publishedAt() ?: event.createdAt
 
     Card(
-        modifier =
+        onClick = onClick,
-            Modifier
+        modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth(),
-                .fillMaxWidth()
-                .clickable(onClick = onClick),
         colors =
             CardDefaults.cardColors(
                 containerColor = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.surface,
@@ -289,66 +284,45 @@ fun ReadsScreen(
         }
     }
 
-    @OptIn(ExperimentalLayoutApi::class)
+    ReadingColumn {
-    Column(modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize()) {
+        val sidePadding = readingHorizontalPadding()
-        // Header — wraps on narrow columns
+        // Header — Messages-style: tabs left, refresh right. The selected tab
-        FlowRow(
+        // (Following / Global) acts as the screen title, so no separate label.
-            modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth().padding(bottom = 16.dp),
+        Row(
+            modifier =
+                Modifier
+                    .fillMaxWidth()
+                    .padding(horizontal = sidePadding, vertical = 8.dp),
             horizontalArrangement = Arrangement.SpaceBetween,
-            verticalArrangement = Arrangement.spacedBy(8.dp),
+            verticalAlignment = Alignment.CenterVertically,
         ) {
-            Column {
+            Row(horizontalArrangement = Arrangement.spacedBy(8.dp)) {
-                FlowRow(
-                    verticalArrangement = Arrangement.Center,
-                    horizontalArrangement = Arrangement.spacedBy(8.dp),
-                ) {
-                    Text(
-                        "Reads",
-                        style = MaterialTheme.typography.headlineMedium,
-                        color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onBackground,
-                    )
-
-                    // Feed mode selector
                 if (account != null) {
-                        Row(horizontalArrangement = Arrangement.spacedBy(4.dp)) {
-                            FilterChip(
-                                selected = feedMode == FeedMode.GLOBAL,
-                                onClick = { feedMode = FeedMode.GLOBAL },
-                                label = { Text("Global") },
-                            )
                     FilterChip(
                         selected = feedMode == FeedMode.FOLLOWING,
                         onClick = { feedMode = FeedMode.FOLLOWING },
                         label = { Text("Following") },
                     )
                 }
-                    }
+                FilterChip(
+                    selected = feedMode == FeedMode.GLOBAL,
+                    onClick = { feedMode = FeedMode.GLOBAL },
+                    label = { Text("Global") },
+                )
             }
 
-                Spacer(Modifier.height(4.dp))
-                Row(verticalAlignment = Alignment.CenterVertically) {
-                    Text(
-                        "${connectedRelays.size} relays connected",
-                        style = MaterialTheme.typography.bodyMedium,
-                        color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onSurfaceVariant,
-                    )
-                    Spacer(Modifier.width(8.dp))
             IconButton(
                 onClick = { relayManager.connect() },
-                        modifier = Modifier.size(24.dp),
+                modifier = Modifier.size(32.dp),
             ) {
                 Icon(
                     MaterialSymbols.Refresh,
-                            contentDescription = "Refresh",
+                    contentDescription = "Refresh (${connectedRelays.size} relays connected)",
                     tint = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.primary,
-                            modifier = Modifier.size(18.dp),
+                    modifier = Modifier.size(20.dp),
                 )
             }
         }
-            }
-        }
-
-        Spacer(Modifier.height(8.dp))
 
         when {
             connectedRelays.isEmpty() -> {
@@ -383,6 +357,7 @@ fun ReadsScreen(
 
             else -> {
                 LazyColumn(
+                    contentPadding = PaddingValues(horizontal = sidePadding),
                     verticalArrangement = Arrangement.spacedBy(12.dp),
                 ) {
                     items(events, key = { it.id }) { event ->

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/ui/SearchScreen.kt

@@ -28,11 +28,13 @@ import androidx.compose.animation.shrinkVertically
 import androidx.compose.foundation.clickable
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Arrangement
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Column
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.PaddingValues
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Row
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Spacer
-import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxSize
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxHeight
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxWidth
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.height
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.heightIn
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.padding
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.size
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.width
@@ -46,7 +48,6 @@ import androidx.compose.material3.HorizontalDivider
 import androidx.compose.material3.IconButton
 import androidx.compose.material3.LinearProgressIndicator
 import androidx.compose.material3.MaterialTheme
-import androidx.compose.material3.OutlinedTextField
 import androidx.compose.material3.Text
 import androidx.compose.material3.TextButton
 import androidx.compose.runtime.Composable
@@ -287,10 +288,12 @@ fun SearchScreen(
         focusRequester.requestFocus()
     }
 
+    ReadingColumn {
         Column(
             modifier =
                 modifier
-                .fillMaxSize()
+                    .fillMaxWidth()
+                    .fillMaxHeight()
                     .onPreviewKeyEvent { event ->
                         if (event.type != KeyEventType.KeyDown) return@onPreviewKeyEvent false
                         when (event.key) {
@@ -329,14 +332,19 @@ fun SearchScreen(
             )
 
             // Title row
+            val sidePadding = readingHorizontalPadding()
             Row(
-            modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth(),
+                modifier =
+                    Modifier
+                        .fillMaxWidth()
+                        .heightIn(min = 48.dp)
+                        .padding(horizontal = sidePadding, vertical = 8.dp),
                 horizontalArrangement = Arrangement.SpaceBetween,
                 verticalAlignment = Alignment.CenterVertically,
             ) {
                 Text(
                     "Search",
-                style = MaterialTheme.typography.headlineMedium,
+                    style = MaterialTheme.typography.titleMedium,
                     color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onBackground,
                 )
                 Text(
@@ -348,40 +356,87 @@ fun SearchScreen(
 
             Spacer(Modifier.height(16.dp))
 
-        // Search bar with advanced toggle
+            // Search bar with advanced toggle — honors the reading width cap so it
+            // stays centered with the rest of the screen's content on wide windows.
             Row(
-            modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth(),
+                modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth().padding(horizontal = sidePadding),
                 verticalAlignment = Alignment.CenterVertically,
                 horizontalArrangement = Arrangement.spacedBy(8.dp),
             ) {
-            OutlinedTextField(
+                // Compact desktop search field. M3's OutlinedTextField has a hard
+                // ~32dp vertical contentPadding baked in, so forcing .height(40dp)
+                // clipped the placeholder. BasicTextField + DecorationBox lets us
+                // override contentPadding to 8dp vertical so the field can sit at
+                // a true 40dp tall without clipping the bodyMedium line-height.
+                val searchInteraction =
+                    remember {
+                        androidx.compose.foundation.interaction
+                            .MutableInteractionSource()
+                    }
+                androidx.compose.foundation.text.BasicTextField(
                     value = textFieldValue,
                     onValueChange = {
                         textFieldValue = it
                         state.updateFromText(it.text)
                     },
-                modifier = Modifier.weight(1f).focusRequester(focusRequester),
+                    modifier = Modifier.weight(1f).height(40.dp).focusRequester(focusRequester),
-                placeholder = { Text("Search notes, people, tags... or use operators") },
+                    textStyle =
+                        MaterialTheme.typography.bodyMedium
+                            .copy(color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onSurface),
+                    cursorBrush =
+                        androidx.compose.ui.graphics
+                            .SolidColor(MaterialTheme.colorScheme.primary),
+                    singleLine = true,
+                    interactionSource = searchInteraction,
+                    decorationBox = { innerTextField ->
+                        androidx.compose.material3.OutlinedTextFieldDefaults.DecorationBox(
+                            value = textFieldValue.text,
+                            innerTextField = innerTextField,
+                            enabled = true,
+                            singleLine = true,
+                            visualTransformation = androidx.compose.ui.text.input.VisualTransformation.None,
+                            interactionSource = searchInteraction,
+                            placeholder = {
+                                Text(
+                                    "Search people, tags, notes…",
+                                    style = MaterialTheme.typography.bodyMedium,
+                                )
+                            },
                             leadingIcon = {
                                 Icon(
                                     MaterialSymbols.Search,
                                     contentDescription = "Search",
                                     tint = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onSurfaceVariant,
+                                    modifier = Modifier.size(18.dp),
                                 )
                             },
                             trailingIcon = {
                                 if (displayText.isNotEmpty()) {
-                        IconButton(onClick = { state.clearSearch() }) {
+                                    IconButton(onClick = { state.clearSearch() }, modifier = Modifier.size(28.dp)) {
                                         Icon(
                                             MaterialSymbols.Clear,
                                             contentDescription = "Clear",
                                             tint = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onSurfaceVariant,
+                                            modifier = Modifier.size(18.dp),
                                         )
                                     }
                                 }
                             },
-                singleLine = true,
+                            contentPadding =
-                shape = RoundedCornerShape(12.dp),
+                                androidx.compose.foundation.layout.PaddingValues(
+                                    horizontal = 12.dp,
+                                    vertical = 8.dp,
+                                ),
+                            container = {
+                                androidx.compose.material3.OutlinedTextFieldDefaults.Container(
+                                    enabled = true,
+                                    isError = false,
+                                    interactionSource = searchInteraction,
+                                    shape = RoundedCornerShape(10.dp),
+                                )
+                            },
+                        )
+                    },
                 )
                 if (account != null && !account.isReadOnly) {
                     IconButton(onClick = { showRelayPicker = true }) {
@@ -508,6 +563,7 @@ fun SearchScreen(
             }
         }
     }
+}
 
 @Composable
 private fun SearchEmptyState(
@@ -519,6 +575,7 @@ private fun SearchEmptyState(
 ) {
     LazyColumn(
         modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth(),
+        contentPadding = PaddingValues(horizontal = readingHorizontalPadding()),
         verticalArrangement = Arrangement.spacedBy(4.dp),
     ) {
         // Saved searches

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/ui/ThreadScreen.kt

@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import androidx.compose.foundation.clickable
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Arrangement
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Box
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Column
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.PaddingValues
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Row
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Spacer
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxSize
@@ -196,23 +197,25 @@ fun ThreadScreen(
     val replyNotes = threadNotes.filter { it.idHex != noteId }
 
     Box(modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize()) {
-        Column(modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize()) {
+        ReadingColumn {
-            // Header with back button
+            val sidePadding = readingHorizontalPadding()
+            // Header — Messages-style: compact row with back + titleMedium
             Row(
-                modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth().padding(bottom = 16.dp),
+                modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth().padding(horizontal = sidePadding, vertical = 8.dp),
                 verticalAlignment = Alignment.CenterVertically,
             ) {
-                IconButton(onClick = onBack) {
+                IconButton(onClick = onBack, modifier = Modifier.size(32.dp)) {
                     Icon(
                         MaterialSymbols.AutoMirrored.ArrowBack,
                         contentDescription = "Back",
-                        modifier = Modifier.size(24.dp),
+                        tint = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.primary,
+                        modifier = Modifier.size(20.dp),
                     )
                 }
                 Spacer(Modifier.width(8.dp))
                 Text(
                     "Thread",
-                    style = MaterialTheme.typography.headlineMedium,
+                    style = MaterialTheme.typography.titleMedium,
                     color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onBackground,
                 )
             }
@@ -237,6 +240,7 @@ fun ThreadScreen(
 
                 else -> {
                     LazyColumn(
+                        contentPadding = PaddingValues(horizontal = sidePadding),
                         verticalArrangement = Arrangement.spacedBy(0.dp),
                     ) {
                         // Root note

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/ui/UserProfileScreen.kt

@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ import androidx.compose.foundation.background
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Arrangement
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Box
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Column
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.PaddingValues
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Row
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Spacer
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxSize
@@ -113,6 +114,7 @@ fun UserProfileScreen(
     nwcConnection: com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip47WalletConnect.Nip47WalletConnect.Nip47URINorm? = null,
     subscriptionsCoordinator: DesktopRelaySubscriptionsCoordinator? = null,
     onBack: () -> Unit,
+    canGoBack: Boolean = false,
     onCompose: () -> Unit = {},
     onNavigateToProfile: (String) -> Unit = {},
     onNavigateToThread: (String) -> Unit = {},
@@ -434,12 +436,14 @@ fun UserProfileScreen(
         previousFirstVisibleItemScrollOffset = currentOffset
     }
 
+    ReadingColumn {
         Box(modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize()) {
             if (connectedRelays.isEmpty()) {
                 LoadingState("Connecting to relays...")
             } else {
                 LazyColumn(
                     state = listState,
+                    contentPadding = PaddingValues(horizontal = readingHorizontalPadding()),
                     verticalArrangement = Arrangement.spacedBy(8.dp),
                     modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize(),
                 ) {
@@ -457,43 +461,57 @@ fun UserProfileScreen(
                         )
                     }
 
-                // Header with back button
+                    // Header — Messages-style: compact row, titleMedium title.
+                    // Horizontal gutter already supplied by LazyColumn.contentPadding.
                     item(key = "header") {
                         Row(
-                        modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth().padding(bottom = 8.dp),
+                            modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth().padding(vertical = 8.dp),
                             horizontalArrangement = Arrangement.SpaceBetween,
                             verticalAlignment = Alignment.CenterVertically,
                         ) {
                             Row(verticalAlignment = Alignment.CenterVertically) {
-                            IconButton(onClick = onBack) {
+                                // Back is shown only when stacked onto a nav stack (e.g.
-                                Icon(MaterialSymbols.AutoMirrored.ArrowBack, "Back")
+                                // clicked a user in the feed). Top-level "My Profile"
+                                // from the nav rail sets canGoBack = false so no arrow.
+                                if (canGoBack) {
+                                    IconButton(onClick = onBack, modifier = Modifier.size(32.dp)) {
+                                        Icon(
+                                            MaterialSymbols.AutoMirrored.ArrowBack,
+                                            contentDescription = "Back",
+                                            tint = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.primary,
+                                            modifier = Modifier.size(20.dp),
+                                        )
                                     }
                                     Spacer(Modifier.width(8.dp))
+                                }
                                 Text(
                                     "Profile",
-                                style = MaterialTheme.typography.headlineMedium,
+                                    style = MaterialTheme.typography.titleMedium,
                                 )
                             }
 
-                        // Edit button for own profile
+                            // Edit button for own profile — compact IconButton to match
+                            // the action-icon pattern every other screen's header uses.
                             if (isOwnProfile && account.isReadOnly == false) {
-                            OutlinedButton(
+                                IconButton(
                                     onClick = {
                                         editingDisplayName = displayName ?: ""
                                         showEditDialog = true
                                     },
+                                    modifier = Modifier.size(32.dp),
                                 ) {
                                     Icon(
                                         MaterialSymbols.Edit,
-                                    contentDescription = "Edit profile",
+                                        contentDescription = "Edit Profile",
-                                    modifier = Modifier.size(18.dp),
+                                        tint = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.primary,
+                                        modifier = Modifier.size(20.dp),
                                     )
-                                Spacer(Modifier.width(8.dp))
-                                Text("Edit Profile")
                                 }
                             }
 
-                        // Follow/Unfollow button for other profiles
+                            // Follow/Unfollow button for other profiles — compact to
+                            // match the header row height (32dp); primary-coloured
+                            // text button so the affordance is still legible.
                             if (account != null && !account.isReadOnly && pubKeyHex != account.pubKeyHex) {
                                 Column(horizontalAlignment = Alignment.End) {
                                     Button(
@@ -520,6 +538,8 @@ fun UserProfileScreen(
                                             }
                                         },
                                         enabled = contactListLoaded && followState.state.value !is com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.state.LoadingState.Loading,
+                                        modifier = Modifier.height(32.dp),
+                                        contentPadding = PaddingValues(horizontal = 12.dp, vertical = 0.dp),
                                     ) {
                                         val state = followState.state.collectAsState().value
                                         val isFollowing = (state as? com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.state.LoadingState.Success)?.data?.isFollowing ?: false
@@ -879,8 +899,11 @@ fun UserProfileScreen(
                 }
             }
 
-        // Floating header — appears on scroll up when profile header is out of view
+            // Floating header — appears on scroll up when profile header is out of view.
-        AnimatedVisibility(
+            // Fully-qualified call to force the non-scoped overload; ReadingColumn
+            // provides a ColumnScope in the outer lambda which would otherwise win
+            // overload resolution and break the BoxScope Modifier.align call below.
+            androidx.compose.animation.AnimatedVisibility(
                 visible = showFloatingHeader,
                 enter = slideInVertically { -it },
                 exit = slideOutVertically { -it },
@@ -891,13 +914,20 @@ fun UserProfileScreen(
                         Modifier
                             .fillMaxWidth()
                             .background(MaterialTheme.colorScheme.surface.copy(alpha = 0.95f))
-                        .padding(horizontal = 8.dp, vertical = 4.dp),
+                            .padding(horizontal = 12.dp, vertical = 4.dp),
                     verticalAlignment = Alignment.CenterVertically,
                 ) {
-                IconButton(onClick = onBack) {
+                    if (canGoBack) {
-                    Icon(MaterialSymbols.AutoMirrored.ArrowBack, "Back")
+                        IconButton(onClick = onBack, modifier = Modifier.size(32.dp)) {
+                            Icon(
+                                MaterialSymbols.AutoMirrored.ArrowBack,
+                                contentDescription = "Back",
+                                tint = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.primary,
+                                modifier = Modifier.size(20.dp),
+                            )
+                        }
+                        Spacer(Modifier.width(4.dp))
                     }
-                Spacer(Modifier.width(8.dp))
                     UserAvatar(
                         userHex = pubKeyHex,
                         pictureUrl = picture,
@@ -914,6 +944,7 @@ fun UserProfileScreen(
                 }
             }
         }
+    }
 
     // Lightbox overlay
     lightboxState?.let { state ->

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/ui/chats/ChatBubbleLayout.kt

@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
  * AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION
  * WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
  */
-package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.ui.chat
+package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.ui.chats
 
 import androidx.compose.foundation.ExperimentalFoundationApi
 import androidx.compose.foundation.clickable
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ import androidx.compose.runtime.mutableStateOf
 import androidx.compose.runtime.remember
 import androidx.compose.ui.Alignment
 import androidx.compose.ui.Modifier
+import androidx.compose.ui.draw.clip
 import androidx.compose.ui.graphics.Color
 import androidx.compose.ui.graphics.compositeOver
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.ui.theme.ChatBubbleMaxSizeModifier
@@ -128,9 +129,14 @@ fun ChatBubbleLayout(
                 )
             }
 
+        val bubbleShape = if (isLoggedInUser) ChatBubbleShapeMe else ChatBubbleShapeThem
+        // Clip the hover/ripple to the bubble shape — combinedClickable otherwise
+        // paints a rectangular ripple that ignores the Surface's rounded corners.
         val clickableModifier =
-            remember {
+            remember(bubbleShape) {
-                Modifier.combinedClickable(
+                Modifier
+                    .clip(bubbleShape)
+                    .combinedClickable(
                         onClick = {
                             if (!onClick()) {
                                 if (!isComplete) {
@@ -148,7 +154,7 @@ fun ChatBubbleLayout(
         ) {
             Surface(
                 color = bgColor.value,
-                shape = if (isLoggedInUser) ChatBubbleShapeMe else ChatBubbleShapeThem,
+                shape = bubbleShape,
                 modifier = clickableModifier,
             ) {
                 Column(modifier = MessageBubbleLimits, verticalArrangement = ChatRowColSpacing5dp) {

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/ui/chats/ChatMessageCompose.kt

@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
  * AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION
  * WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
  */
-package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.ui.chat
+package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.ui.chats
 
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Row
 import androidx.compose.runtime.Composable

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/ui/chats/ChatPane.kt

@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Spacer
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxSize
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxWidth
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.height
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.heightIn
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.padding
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.size
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.width
@@ -41,7 +42,6 @@ import androidx.compose.foundation.text.selection.SelectionContainer
 import androidx.compose.material3.HorizontalDivider
 import androidx.compose.material3.IconButton
 import androidx.compose.material3.MaterialTheme
-import androidx.compose.material3.OutlinedTextField
 import androidx.compose.material3.SnackbarHost
 import androidx.compose.material3.SnackbarHostState
 import androidx.compose.material3.Surface
@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@ import androidx.compose.ui.ExperimentalComposeUiApi
 import androidx.compose.ui.Modifier
 import androidx.compose.ui.draganddrop.DragAndDropEvent
 import androidx.compose.ui.draganddrop.DragAndDropTarget
+import androidx.compose.ui.draw.alpha
 import androidx.compose.ui.input.key.Key
 import androidx.compose.ui.input.key.KeyEventType
 import androidx.compose.ui.input.key.isCtrlPressed
@@ -81,11 +82,6 @@ import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.model.IAccount
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.model.Note
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.model.cache.ICacheProvider
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.service.upload.UploadOrchestrator
-import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.ui.chat.ChatMessageCompose
-import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.ui.chat.ChatroomHeader
-import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.ui.chat.DmBroadcastBanner
-import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.ui.chat.DmBroadcastStatus
-import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.ui.chat.GroupChatroomHeader
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.ui.components.LoadingState
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.ui.feeds.FeedState
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.util.toTimeAgo
@@ -558,11 +554,13 @@ private fun MessageWithReactions(
                             }
                         }
 
-                        // AddReaction icon on hover
+                        // AddReaction icon: always laid out to reserve space (so hover
-                        if (showIcon) {
+                        // doesn't reflow the detail row and shift the whole list);
-                            Box {
+                        // alpha fades in/out based on hover.
+                        Box(modifier = Modifier.alpha(if (showIcon) 1f else 0f)) {
                             IconButton(
                                 onClick = { showPicker = !showPicker },
+                                enabled = showIcon,
                                 modifier = Modifier.size(20.dp),
                             ) {
                                 Icon(
@@ -590,7 +588,6 @@ private fun MessageWithReactions(
                             }
                         }
                     }
-                    }
                 },
             ) { _ ->
                 when (note.event) {
@@ -714,12 +711,22 @@ private fun MessageInput(
                 )
             }
 
-            OutlinedTextField(
+            // BasicTextField + DecorationBox with custom contentPadding lets the
+            // field sit at a compact ~40dp minimum on desktop (M3's default
+            // OutlinedTextField has ~32dp vertical contentPadding baked in, which
+            // would clip the bodyMedium placeholder at any height below ~52dp).
+            val messageInteraction =
+                remember {
+                    androidx.compose.foundation.interaction
+                        .MutableInteractionSource()
+                }
+            androidx.compose.foundation.text.BasicTextField(
                 value = messageText,
                 onValueChange = onMessageChange,
                 modifier =
                     Modifier
                         .weight(1f)
+                        .heightIn(min = 40.dp)
                         .onPreviewKeyEvent { event ->
                             if (event.type != KeyEventType.KeyDown) return@onPreviewKeyEvent false
                             // Cmd+Enter (Mac) or Ctrl+Enter to send
@@ -731,10 +738,43 @@ private fun MessageInput(
                                 false
                             }
                         },
-                placeholder = { Text("Message... (${if (isMacOS) "\u2318" else "Ctrl"}+Enter to send)") },
+                textStyle =
-                singleLine = false,
+                    MaterialTheme.typography.bodyMedium
+                        .copy(color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onSurface),
+                cursorBrush =
+                    androidx.compose.ui.graphics
+                        .SolidColor(MaterialTheme.colorScheme.primary),
                 maxLines = 4,
-                shape = RoundedCornerShape(12.dp),
+                interactionSource = messageInteraction,
+                decorationBox = { innerTextField ->
+                    androidx.compose.material3.OutlinedTextFieldDefaults.DecorationBox(
+                        value = messageText,
+                        innerTextField = innerTextField,
+                        enabled = true,
+                        singleLine = false,
+                        visualTransformation = androidx.compose.ui.text.input.VisualTransformation.None,
+                        interactionSource = messageInteraction,
+                        placeholder = {
+                            Text(
+                                "Message\u2026 (${if (isMacOS) "\u2318" else "Ctrl"}+Enter to send)",
+                                style = MaterialTheme.typography.bodyMedium,
+                            )
+                        },
+                        contentPadding =
+                            androidx.compose.foundation.layout.PaddingValues(
+                                horizontal = 12.dp,
+                                vertical = 8.dp,
+                            ),
+                        container = {
+                            androidx.compose.material3.OutlinedTextFieldDefaults.Container(
+                                enabled = true,
+                                isError = false,
+                                interactionSource = messageInteraction,
+                                shape = RoundedCornerShape(10.dp),
+                            )
+                        },
+                    )
+                },
             )
 
             IconButton(

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/ui/chats/ChatroomHeader.kt

@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
  * AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION
  * WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
  */
-package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.ui.chat
+package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.ui.chats
 
 import androidx.compose.foundation.clickable
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Arrangement

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/ui/chats/ConversationListPane.kt

@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ import androidx.compose.ui.Modifier
 import androidx.compose.ui.draw.clip
 import androidx.compose.ui.focus.FocusRequester
 import androidx.compose.ui.focus.focusRequester
+import androidx.compose.ui.graphics.Color
 import androidx.compose.ui.input.key.Key
 import androidx.compose.ui.input.key.KeyEventType
 import androidx.compose.ui.input.key.key
@@ -119,6 +120,9 @@ fun ConversationListPane(
         modifier =
             modifier
                 .fillMaxHeight()
+                // Chat-list pane reads as a secondary surface (like Messages.app,
+                // Slack, Telegram); the chat content pane to the right stays white.
+                .background(MaterialTheme.colorScheme.surfaceContainer)
                 .focusRequester(focusRequester)
                 .focusable()
                 .onPreviewKeyEvent { event ->
@@ -283,9 +287,13 @@ private fun ConversationCard(
 ) {
     val backgroundColor =
         when {
-            isSelected -> MaterialTheme.colorScheme.primaryContainer.copy(alpha = 0.3f)
+            isSelected -> MaterialTheme.colorScheme.primary.copy(alpha = 0.14f)
-            isFocused -> MaterialTheme.colorScheme.surfaceVariant.copy(alpha = 0.5f)
+
-            else -> MaterialTheme.colorScheme.surface
+            isFocused -> MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onSurface.copy(alpha = 0.06f)
+
+            // Transparent lets the pane's surfaceContainer show through — the
+            // list pane is the "secondary surface" in this screen.
+            else -> Color.Transparent
         }
 
     Row(
@@ -297,22 +305,12 @@ private fun ConversationCard(
                 .padding(horizontal = 12.dp, vertical = 10.dp),
         verticalAlignment = Alignment.CenterVertically,
     ) {
-        // Unread indicator
+        // Avatar — starts flush with the header's 12dp padding. Unread state is
-        if (item.hasUnread) {
+        // signalled by a small primary-coloured dot overlaid on the avatar's
-            Box(
+        // bottom-right corner (Slack / iMessage-style), not an inline indent
-                modifier =
+        // that would push the whole card to the right of the header label.
-                    Modifier
-                        .size(8.dp)
-                        .clip(CircleShape)
-                        .background(MaterialTheme.colorScheme.primary),
-            )
-            Spacer(Modifier.width(6.dp))
-        } else {
-            Spacer(Modifier.width(14.dp))
-        }
-
-        // Avatar
         val firstUser = item.users.firstOrNull()
+        Box {
             if (firstUser != null) {
                 UserAvatar(
                     userHex = firstUser.pubkeyHex,
@@ -327,10 +325,27 @@ private fun ConversationCard(
                     tint = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onSurfaceVariant,
                 )
             }
+            if (item.hasUnread) {
+                Box(
+                    modifier =
+                        Modifier
+                            .align(Alignment.BottomEnd)
+                            .size(10.dp)
+                            .clip(CircleShape)
+                            .background(MaterialTheme.colorScheme.surfaceContainer)
+                            .padding(1.5.dp)
+                            .clip(CircleShape)
+                            .background(MaterialTheme.colorScheme.primary),
+                )
+            }
+        }
 
         Spacer(Modifier.width(10.dp))
 
-        // Name, preview, timestamp
+        // Name, preview, timestamp — vertical hierarchy: name = medium-weight
+        // primary text (titleSmall), preview = muted secondary. Prior styling had
+        // both lines at the same weight / near-same color and stacked flush,
+        // making them blur into each other.
         Column(modifier = Modifier.weight(1f)) {
             Row(
                 modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth(),
@@ -339,7 +354,7 @@ private fun ConversationCard(
             ) {
                 Text(
                     text = item.displayName,
-                    style = MaterialTheme.typography.bodyMedium,
+                    style = MaterialTheme.typography.titleSmall,
                     color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onSurface,
                     maxLines = 1,
                     overflow = TextOverflow.Ellipsis,
@@ -347,30 +362,34 @@ private fun ConversationCard(
                 )
 
                 if (item.lastMessageTimestamp > 0) {
+                    Spacer(Modifier.width(8.dp))
                     Text(
                         text = item.lastMessageTimestamp.toTimeAgo(withDot = false),
                         style = MaterialTheme.typography.labelSmall,
-                        color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onSurfaceVariant.copy(alpha = 0.7f),
+                        color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onSurfaceVariant.copy(alpha = 0.6f),
                     )
                 }
             }
 
             if (item.lastMessagePreview.isNotEmpty()) {
+                Spacer(Modifier.height(2.dp))
                 Text(
                     text = item.lastMessagePreview,
                     style = MaterialTheme.typography.bodySmall,
-                    color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onSurfaceVariant,
+                    color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onSurfaceVariant.copy(alpha = 0.7f),
                     maxLines = 1,
                     overflow = TextOverflow.Ellipsis,
                 )
             }
 
-            // Group indicator
+            // Group indicator — labelSmall with muted tertiary so the name line
+            // still wins the eye even when a group badge is present.
             if (item.isGroup) {
+                Spacer(Modifier.height(2.dp))
                 Text(
                     text = "Group (${item.users.size + 1})",
                     style = MaterialTheme.typography.labelSmall,
-                    color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.primary.copy(alpha = 0.7f),
+                    color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onSurfaceVariant.copy(alpha = 0.5f),
                 )
             }
         }

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/ui/chats/DesktopMessagesScreen.kt

@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@
  */
 package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.ui.chats
 
+import androidx.compose.foundation.background
+import androidx.compose.foundation.gestures.detectDragGestures
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Box
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Row
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxHeight
@@ -30,7 +32,6 @@ import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.size
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.width
 import androidx.compose.material3.MaterialTheme
 import androidx.compose.material3.Text
-import androidx.compose.material3.VerticalDivider
 import androidx.compose.runtime.Composable
 import androidx.compose.runtime.collectAsState
 import androidx.compose.runtime.getValue
@@ -49,12 +50,14 @@ import androidx.compose.ui.input.key.isShiftPressed
 import androidx.compose.ui.input.key.key
 import androidx.compose.ui.input.key.onPreviewKeyEvent
 import androidx.compose.ui.input.key.type
+import androidx.compose.ui.input.pointer.PointerIcon
+import androidx.compose.ui.input.pointer.pointerHoverIcon
+import androidx.compose.ui.input.pointer.pointerInput
 import androidx.compose.ui.unit.dp
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.icons.symbols.Icon
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.icons.symbols.MaterialSymbols
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.model.IAccount
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.model.cache.ICacheProvider
-import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.ui.chat.DmBroadcastStatus
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.viewmodels.ChatNewMessageState
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.viewmodels.ChatroomFeedViewModel
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.cache.DesktopLocalCache
@@ -62,6 +65,7 @@ import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.model.DesktopIAccount
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.network.DesktopRelayConnectionManager
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip17Dm.base.ChatroomKey
 import kotlinx.coroutines.CoroutineScope
+import java.awt.Cursor
 
 private val isMacOS = System.getProperty("os.name").lowercase().contains("mac")
 
@@ -272,6 +276,15 @@ private fun SplitMessagesContent(
     onShowRelayPicker: () -> Unit = {},
     keyHandler: Modifier,
 ) {
+    // Draggable split: the conversation list width is user-adjustable and
+    // persisted so it survives app restarts.
+    var listWidth by remember {
+        androidx.compose.runtime.mutableStateOf(
+            com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.DesktopPreferences.messagesListWidthDp.dp,
+        )
+    }
+    val density = androidx.compose.ui.platform.LocalDensity.current
+
     Row(modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize().then(keyHandler)) {
         ConversationListPane(
             state = listState,
@@ -280,12 +293,25 @@ private fun SplitMessagesContent(
             onNewConversation = onShowNewDm,
             onShowRelayPicker = onShowRelayPicker,
             focusRequester = listFocusRequester,
-            modifier = Modifier.width(280.dp),
+            modifier = Modifier.width(listWidth),
         )
 
-        VerticalDivider(modifier = Modifier.fillMaxHeight())
+        MessagesDraggableDivider(
+            onDrag = { deltaPx ->
+                val deltaDp = with(density) { deltaPx.toDp() }
+                val next = (listWidth + deltaDp).coerceIn(220.dp, 480.dp)
+                listWidth = next
+                com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.DesktopPreferences.messagesListWidthDp = next.value
+            },
+        )
 
-        Box(modifier = Modifier.weight(1f).fillMaxHeight()) {
+        Box(
+            modifier =
+                Modifier
+                    .weight(1f)
+                    .fillMaxHeight()
+                    .background(MaterialTheme.colorScheme.surface),
+        ) {
             val currentRoom = selectedRoom
             if (currentRoom != null) {
                 val feedViewModel =
@@ -350,3 +376,43 @@ private fun EmptyConversationState() {
         }
     }
 }
+
+/**
+ * Draggable vertical divider between the conversation list pane and the chat
+ * pane. The hit area is split in half horizontally: the left half takes the
+ * conversation list's surfaceContainer fill, the right half takes the chat
+ * pane's surface fill, so the divider reads as a continuation of the two panes
+ * instead of a single contrasting stripe. Cursor flips to the horizontal
+ * resize arrow on hover.
+ */
+@Composable
+private fun MessagesDraggableDivider(onDrag: (Float) -> Unit) {
+    Row(
+        modifier =
+            Modifier
+                .width(12.dp)
+                .fillMaxHeight()
+                .pointerHoverIcon(PointerIcon(Cursor(Cursor.E_RESIZE_CURSOR)))
+                .pointerInput(Unit) {
+                    detectDragGestures { change, dragAmount ->
+                        change.consume()
+                        onDrag(dragAmount.x)
+                    }
+                },
+    ) {
+        Box(
+            modifier =
+                Modifier
+                    .width(6.dp)
+                    .fillMaxHeight()
+                    .background(MaterialTheme.colorScheme.surfaceContainer),
+        )
+        Box(
+            modifier =
+                Modifier
+                    .width(6.dp)
+                    .fillMaxHeight()
+                    .background(MaterialTheme.colorScheme.surface),
+        )
+    }
+}

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/ui/chats/DmBroadcastBanner.kt

@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
  * AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION
  * WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
  */
-package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.ui.chat
+package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.ui.chats
 
 import androidx.compose.animation.AnimatedVisibility
 import androidx.compose.animation.expandVertically

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/ui/chats/DmBroadcastStatus.kt

@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
  * AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION
  * WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
  */
-package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.ui.chat
+package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.ui.chats
 
 import androidx.compose.runtime.Immutable
 

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/ui/chats/DmSendTracker.kt

@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@
  */
 package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.ui.chats
 
-import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.ui.chat.DmBroadcastStatus
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.core.Event
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.client.INostrClient
 import com.vitorpamplona.quartz.nip01Core.relay.client.accessories.publishAndConfirmDetailed

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/ui/chats/UserDisplayNameLayout.kt

@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
  * AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION
  * WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
  */
-package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.ui.chat
+package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.ui.chats
 
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Box
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.BoxScope

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/ui/deck/DeckColumnContainer.kt

@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@ import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Box
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Column
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxHeight
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxSize
-import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.padding
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.width
 import androidx.compose.material3.HorizontalDivider
 import androidx.compose.material3.MaterialTheme
@@ -130,9 +129,10 @@ fun DeckColumnContainer(
 
         HorizontalDivider()
 
-        Box(
+        // Content runs edge-to-edge; each screen adds its own header padding
-            modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize().padding(12.dp),
+        // to match the Messages pattern (padding(horizontal = 12, vertical = 8)
-        ) {
+        // on the title row, no outer wrapper).
+        Box(modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize()) {
             // Always keep RootContent composed so state (e.g. search results) survives navigation
             RootContent(
                 columnType = column.type,
@@ -460,6 +460,7 @@ internal fun OverlayContent(
                 nwcConnection = nwcConnection,
                 subscriptionsCoordinator = subscriptionsCoordinator,
                 onBack = onBack,
+                canGoBack = true,
                 onCompose = onShowComposeDialog,
                 onNavigateToProfile = onNavigateToProfile,
                 onNavigateToThread = onNavigateToThread,

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/ui/deck/DeckSidebar.kt

@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.icons.symbols.Icon
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.icons.symbols.MaterialSymbols
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.tor.TorServiceStatus
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.ui.components.BunkerHeartbeatIndicator
+import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.platform.titleBarInsetTop
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.ui.tor.TorStatusIndicator
 
 @Composable
@@ -56,10 +57,10 @@ fun DeckSidebar(
     Column(
         modifier =
             modifier
-                .width(48.dp)
+                .width(56.dp)
                 .fillMaxHeight()
-                .background(MaterialTheme.colorScheme.surfaceVariant)
+                .background(MaterialTheme.colorScheme.surfaceContainer)
-                .padding(vertical = 8.dp),
+                .padding(top = 8.dp + titleBarInsetTop, bottom = 8.dp),
         horizontalAlignment = Alignment.CenterHorizontally,
         verticalArrangement = Arrangement.Top,
     ) {

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/ui/deck/SinglePaneLayout.kt

@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Row
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Spacer
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxHeight
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxSize
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.height
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.padding
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.size
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.width
@@ -52,6 +53,7 @@ import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.account.AccountState
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.cache.DesktopLocalCache
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.network.DesktopRelayConnectionManager
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.network.Nip11Fetcher
+import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.platform.titleBarInsetTop
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.service.highlights.DesktopHighlightStore
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.subscriptions.DesktopRelaySubscriptionsCoordinator
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.ui.ZapFeedback
@@ -97,7 +99,9 @@ fun SinglePaneLayout(
         if (!isImmersive) {
             NavigationRail(
                 modifier = Modifier.width(80.dp).fillMaxHeight(),
-                containerColor = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.surfaceVariant,
+                containerColor = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.surfaceContainer,
+                // macOS: push rail items below the traffic lights.
+                header = { Spacer(Modifier.height(titleBarInsetTop)) },
             ) {
                 val pinnedScreens by pinnedNavBarState.pinnedScreens.collectAsState()
                 pinnedScreens.forEach { screenType ->
@@ -176,9 +180,10 @@ fun SinglePaneLayout(
         }
 
         Column(modifier = Modifier.weight(1f).fillMaxHeight()) {
-            Box(
+            // Content extends to the window edges; individual screens add their
-                modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize().padding(if (isImmersive) 0.dp else 12.dp),
+            // own internal padding where appropriate (Messages uses full-bleed
-            ) {
+            // panes to match native two-column chat apps).
+            Box(modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize()) {
                 // Always keep RootContent composed so state (e.g. search results) survives navigation
                 RootContent(
                     columnType = currentColumnType,

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/ui/highlights/MyHighlightsScreen.kt

@@ -23,11 +23,12 @@ package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.ui.highlights
 import androidx.compose.foundation.clickable
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Arrangement
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Column
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.PaddingValues
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Row
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Spacer
-import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxSize
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxWidth
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.height
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.heightIn
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.padding
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.size
 import androidx.compose.foundation.lazy.LazyColumn
@@ -70,14 +71,24 @@ fun MyHighlightsScreen(
     val scope = rememberCoroutineScope()
     var deleteTarget by remember { mutableStateOf<HighlightData?>(null) }
 
-    Column(modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize()) {
+    com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.ui.ReadingColumn {
+        val sidePadding =
+            com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.ui
+                .readingHorizontalPadding()
+        Row(
+            modifier =
+                Modifier
+                    .fillMaxWidth()
+                    .heightIn(min = 48.dp)
+                    .padding(horizontal = sidePadding, vertical = 8.dp),
+            verticalAlignment = Alignment.CenterVertically,
+        ) {
             Text(
                 "Highlights",
-            style = MaterialTheme.typography.headlineMedium,
+                style = MaterialTheme.typography.titleMedium,
                 color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onBackground,
             )
-
+        }
-        Spacer(Modifier.height(16.dp))
 
         if (allHighlights.isEmpty()) {
             EmptyState(
@@ -86,6 +97,7 @@ fun MyHighlightsScreen(
             )
         } else {
             LazyColumn(
+                contentPadding = PaddingValues(horizontal = sidePadding),
                 verticalArrangement = Arrangement.spacedBy(8.dp),
             ) {
                 allHighlights.forEach { (addressTag, highlights) ->

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/ui/note/NoteCard.kt

@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import androidx.compose.foundation.clickable
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Arrangement
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Box
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Column
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.ColumnScope
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Row
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Spacer
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxWidth
@@ -34,7 +35,6 @@ import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.width
 import androidx.compose.foundation.shape.RoundedCornerShape
 import androidx.compose.material3.Card
 import androidx.compose.material3.CardDefaults
-import androidx.compose.material3.HorizontalDivider
 import androidx.compose.material3.MaterialTheme
 import androidx.compose.material3.Text
 import androidx.compose.runtime.Composable
@@ -156,34 +156,30 @@ fun NoteCard(
             400.dp
         }
 
-    Card(
+    // Whole-card hover/ripple: pass onClick to M3 Card so the click-surface is
-        modifier = modifier.fillMaxWidth(),
+    // the entire card (M3 handles shape clipping for us). Action buttons inside
-        colors =
+    // the NoteActionsRow have their own clickables that consume the click before
-            CardDefaults.cardColors(
+    // it reaches the Card's handler, so tapping an action still fires only that
-                containerColor = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.surfaceVariant,
+    // action.
-            ),
+    val cardColors = CardDefaults.cardColors(containerColor = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.surface)
-    ) {
+    val cardElevation = CardDefaults.cardElevation(defaultElevation = 1.dp)
+    val cardBody: @Composable ColumnScope.() -> Unit = {
         Column(modifier = Modifier.padding(12.dp)) {
-            // Header + text area — clickable to navigate to thread
+            Column {
-            Column(
-                modifier =
-                    if (onClick != null) {
-                        Modifier.clickable { onClick() }
-                    } else {
-                        Modifier
-                    },
-            ) {
                 Row(
                     modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth(),
                     horizontalArrangement = Arrangement.SpaceBetween,
                     verticalAlignment = Alignment.CenterVertically,
                 ) {
-                    // Author with avatar
+                    // Author with avatar — stadium-shaped hover to match the
+                    // avatar+name chip's visual shape.
                     Row(
                         verticalAlignment = Alignment.CenterVertically,
                         modifier =
                             if (onAuthorClick != null) {
-                                Modifier.clickable { onAuthorClick(note.pubKeyHex) }
+                                Modifier
+                                    .clip(RoundedCornerShape(100.dp))
+                                    .clickable { onAuthorClick(note.pubKeyHex) }
                             } else {
                                 Modifier
                             },
@@ -305,21 +301,25 @@ fun NoteCard(
                     }
                 }
             }
-
-            Spacer(Modifier.height(8.dp))
-
-            HorizontalDivider(color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.outline.copy(alpha = 0.3f))
-
-            Spacer(Modifier.height(4.dp))
-
-            // Event ID (truncated)
-            Text(
-                text = "ID: ${note.id.take(12)}...",
-                style = MaterialTheme.typography.labelSmall,
-                color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onSurfaceVariant.copy(alpha = 0.6f),
-            )
         }
     }
+
+    if (onClick != null) {
+        Card(
+            onClick = onClick,
+            modifier = modifier.fillMaxWidth(),
+            colors = cardColors,
+            elevation = cardElevation,
+            content = cardBody,
+        )
+    } else {
+        Card(
+            modifier = modifier.fillMaxWidth(),
+            colors = cardColors,
+            elevation = cardElevation,
+            content = cardBody,
+        )
+    }
 }
 
 /**

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/ui/relay/RelayConfigTab.kt

@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ fun RelayConfigTab(
             modifier
                 .fillMaxSize()
                 .verticalScroll(rememberScrollState())
-                .padding(top = 8.dp),
+                .padding(horizontal = 12.dp, vertical = 8.dp),
     ) {
         // 1. Connected Relays (collapsed by default to show other sections)
         CollapsibleSection(

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/ui/relay/RelayDashboardScreen.kt

@@ -20,11 +20,13 @@
  */
 package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.ui.relay
 
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Arrangement
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Column
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Row
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxSize
-import androidx.compose.material3.ExperimentalMaterial3Api
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxWidth
-import androidx.compose.material3.PrimaryTabRow
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.padding
-import androidx.compose.material3.Tab
+import androidx.compose.material3.FilterChip
 import androidx.compose.material3.Text
 import androidx.compose.runtime.Composable
 import androidx.compose.runtime.LaunchedEffect
@@ -34,7 +36,9 @@ import androidx.compose.runtime.mutableStateListOf
 import androidx.compose.runtime.mutableStateOf
 import androidx.compose.runtime.remember
 import androidx.compose.runtime.setValue
+import androidx.compose.ui.Alignment
 import androidx.compose.ui.Modifier
+import androidx.compose.ui.unit.dp
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.model.nip65RelayList.Nip65RelayListState
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.model.DesktopAccountRelays
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.network.DesktopRelayConnectionManager
@@ -50,7 +54,6 @@ enum class DashboardTab(
     CONFIGURE("Configure"),
 }
 
-@OptIn(ExperimentalMaterial3Api::class)
 @Composable
 fun RelayDashboardScreen(
     relayManager: DesktopRelayConnectionManager,
@@ -79,12 +82,17 @@ fun RelayDashboardScreen(
     }
 
     Column(modifier = modifier.fillMaxSize()) {
-        PrimaryTabRow(selectedTabIndex = DashboardTab.entries.indexOf(selectedTab)) {
+        // Header — Messages-style tabs-first: selected chip acts as the screen title.
+        Row(
+            modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth().padding(horizontal = 12.dp, vertical = 8.dp),
+            horizontalArrangement = Arrangement.spacedBy(8.dp),
+            verticalAlignment = Alignment.CenterVertically,
+        ) {
             DashboardTab.entries.forEach { tab ->
-                Tab(
+                FilterChip(
                     selected = selectedTab == tab,
                     onClick = { selectedTab = tab },
-                    text = { Text(tab.label) },
+                    label = { Text(tab.label) },
                 )
             }
         }

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/ui/relay/RelayMetricCard.kt

@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@
 package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.ui.relay
 
 import androidx.compose.animation.AnimatedVisibility
-import androidx.compose.foundation.clickable
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Arrangement
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Column
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Row
@@ -62,9 +61,9 @@ fun RelayMetricCard(
         value = nip11Fetcher.fetch(status.url)
     }
 
-    Card(modifier = modifier.fillMaxWidth()) {
+    Card(onClick = onToggleExpand, modifier = modifier.fillMaxWidth()) {
         Column(
-            modifier = Modifier.clickable { onToggleExpand() }.padding(12.dp),
+            modifier = Modifier.padding(12.dp),
         ) {
             Row(
                 modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth(),

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/ui/relay/RelayMetricsTab.kt

@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.desktop.ui.relay
 
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Arrangement
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Column
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.PaddingValues
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Row
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Spacer
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxSize
@@ -91,6 +92,7 @@ fun RelayMetricsTab(
 
         LazyColumn(
             modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize(),
+            contentPadding = PaddingValues(horizontal = 12.dp),
             verticalArrangement = Arrangement.spacedBy(8.dp),
         ) {
             items(statuses, key = { it.url.url }) { status ->

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/ui/settings/MediaServerSettings.kt

@@ -91,10 +91,13 @@ fun MediaServerSettings(
         }
     }
 
-    Column(modifier = modifier.fillMaxWidth().padding(16.dp)) {
+    // Parent (RelaySettingsScreen) provides the 12dp horizontal gutter, so this
+    // column no longer adds its own all-sides 16dp which was showing up as an
+    // extra frame inside the settings screen.
+    Column(modifier = modifier.fillMaxWidth()) {
         Text(
             "Media Servers (Blossom)",
-            style = MaterialTheme.typography.titleMedium,
+            style = MaterialTheme.typography.titleSmall,
         )
 
         Spacer(Modifier.height(8.dp))

desktopApp/src/jvmMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/desktop/ui/tor/TorSettingsSection.kt

@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ fun TorSettingsSection(
             Row(verticalAlignment = Alignment.CenterVertically) {
                 Text(
                     "Tor",
-                    style = MaterialTheme.typography.titleLarge,
+                    style = MaterialTheme.typography.titleSmall,
                     color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onBackground,
                 )
                 Spacer(Modifier.width(12.dp))