docs: cut v0.21.3 — accessibility arc closure + Toast Warning driver

Patch release for the two post-v0.21.2 commits. One through-line: the v0.21.2 "dynamic-paint sites stay un-tagged" carve-out turned out to be over-cautious — re-reading the code showed only the radial rim was actually a border-paint cycle. v0.21.3 closes the carve-out: HUD action buttons + modal buttons take the existing `HighContrastBorder` marker pattern; the radial rim folds HC into its per-frame respawn via `radial_rim_outline`. Bonus: `ToastVariant::Warning` gets its first real consumer in this cycle (daily-challenge expiry < 30 min from UTC reset). Every `ToastVariant` now has at least one driver — the enum is fully load-bearing. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 <noreply@anthropic.com>
docs(handoff): record HC dynamic-paint rollout; menu drops D → 3 options
2026-05-08 14:39:46 -07:00 · 2026-05-08 14:36:00 -07:00 · 2026-05-08 14:34:05 -07:00 · 2026-05-08 14:25:10 -07:00 · 2026-05-08 14:22:58 -07:00 · 2026-05-08 14:08:17 -07:00
17 changed files with 1094 additions and 143 deletions
@@ -6,9 +6,234 @@ project follows [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/).

 ## [Unreleased]

-No threads in flight. v0.21.1 cut on 2026-05-08; CHANGELOG accumulates
+No threads in flight. v0.21.3 cut on 2026-05-08; CHANGELOG accumulates
 the next cycle here.

+## [0.21.3] — 2026-05-08
+
+Patch release for the post-v0.21.2 work. One through-line:
+**accessibility arc closure**. v0.21.2 explicitly carved out
+"dynamic-paint sites" (HUD action buttons, modal buttons, radial
+menu rim) on the assumption that their existing paint cycles would
+race the central `update_high_contrast_borders` system. v0.21.3
+walks the actual code, finds the carve-out was over-cautious, and
+closes it. Bonus: the first real consumer of `ToastVariant::Warning`
+also lands here, making the `ToastVariant` enum fully load-bearing
+(every variant has at least one driver).
+
+### Added
+
+- **`WarningToastEvent(String)` — first `ToastVariant::Warning`
+  consumer** (`279e23d`). Generic carrier message that any system
+  can fire to spawn a 4 s amber-bordered fire-and-forget toast.
+  Mirrors the v0.21.2 `MoveRejectedEvent` → `Error` toast wiring:
+  domain message crosses the plugin boundary, the animation
+  plugin's `handle_warning_toast` system reads it and spawns. Not
+  queued (Warning is alert-shaped, not info-shaped — should never
+  block on a queue).
+- **Daily-challenge-expiry warning** (`279e23d`). First in-engine
+  driver of `WarningToastEvent`. New
+  `daily_challenge_plugin::check_daily_expiry_warning` system
+  fires at most once per `DailyChallengeResource::date` when the
+  player is within 30 min of UTC midnight reset and today's
+  challenge isn't yet complete. Suppression decided by a pure
+  helper (`compute_expiry_warning_minutes`) covering: already-
+  completed-today, already-shown-for-this-date, outside the
+  threshold window, post-midnight rollover. Pure-helper-plus-
+  thin-system shape because `Utc::now()` can't be pinned without
+  injecting a clock resource — overkill for one consumer.
+- **`radial_rim_outline` pure helper** (`c153363`). Decision
+  logic for the radial-menu rim outline colour. Resting outlines
+  always carry `BORDER_SUBTLE`; focused outlines carry
+  `BORDER_STRONG` normally and `BORDER_SUBTLE_HC` under HC. Naive
+  marker substitution would invert the focused-vs-resting
+  hierarchy because `BORDER_SUBTLE_HC` (`#a0a0a0`) is *lighter*
+  than `BORDER_STRONG` (`#505050`); folding the choice in here
+  keeps the focused rim more visible under HC, not less.
+
+### Changed
+
+- **HC marker pattern extended to HUD action buttons + modal
+  buttons** (`c153363`). Re-reading the code revealed both sites'
+  paint systems (`paint_action_buttons`, `paint_modal_buttons`)
+  only mutate `BackgroundColor` — `BorderColor` is set once at
+  spawn and never touched. So the existing
+  `HighContrastBorder::with_default(BORDER_SUBTLE)` marker
+  pattern works cleanly for both, no race. v0.21.2's carve-out
+  comment was based on assumed-but-not-actual race risk; this
+  cycle treats it as the doc-vs-implementation drift pattern in
+  the wild and verifies before trusting.
+- **Radial menu rim folds HC into per-frame respawn**
+  (`c153363`). The rim is the only true dynamic-painter of the
+  three carved-out sites — `radial_redraw_overlay` despawns and
+  respawns all rim sprites every frame the radial is `Active`.
+  The `HighContrastBorder` marker can't apply (entities don't
+  persist across frames) so HC is read directly in the system
+  via `Option<Res<SettingsResource>>` and routed through
+  `radial_rim_outline`. The `Option<Res<...>>` shape preserves
+  test compatibility under `MinimalPlugins`.
+- **Animation plugin registers `WarningToastEvent`** (`279e23d`).
+  Joins `InfoToastEvent`, `MoveRejectedEvent` etc. in
+  `AnimationPlugin::build`. Daily-challenge plugin also
+  registers it (idempotent) so the message exists when running
+  the daily plugin under `MinimalPlugins` without the animation
+  plugin attached.
+
+### Documentation
+
+- `SESSION_HANDOFF.md` refreshed twice this cycle — once after
+  the Toast Warning wiring (menu trimmed 5 → 4 options), and
+  again after the HC dynamic-paint rollout (menu trimmed 4 → 3,
+  with all remaining options now flagged as multi-session). The
+  `High-contrast accessibility mode` entry in the Visual-identity
+  follow-ups list is updated to reflect that no "un-tagged
+  because race-risk" surfaces remain.
+
+### Stats
+
+- **1207 passing tests / 0 failing** across the workspace
+  (net +12 from v0.21.2's 1195 baseline):
+  - 7 tests for `compute_expiry_warning_minutes` (`279e23d`)
+    covering each suppression rule + the inclusive boundary at
+    exactly 30 min remaining.
+  - 1 in-Bevy test (`check_system_fires_warning_event_only_once_per_day`)
+    pinning `DailyExpiryWarningShown`'s once-per-date
+    suppression and the symmetric "already-completed-today"
+    suppression.
+  - 4 truth-table tests for `radial_rim_outline` (`c153363`):
+    focused × HC. The "resting stays subtle under HC" test
+    explicitly documents *why* — it's the hierarchy-preservation
+    invariant a future refactor might be tempted to break.
+- Zero clippy warnings under `cargo clippy --workspace
+  --all-targets -- -D warnings`.
+- `cargo test --workspace` clean.
+
+## [0.21.2] — 2026-05-08
+
+Patch release for the post-v0.21.1 polish work. Three through-
+lines: **accessibility extensions** (reduce-motion gating for
+splash animations, full HC chrome rollout across 8 surfaces),
+**replay polish** (floating MOVE chip above the focused card
+during playback), and the **first real consumer of
+`ToastVariant::Error`** (invalid-move feedback as the third leg
+of the existing audio + visual rejection-feedback stool).
+
+The accessibility extensions close two threads v0.21.1 left
+explicitly open: reduce-motion was previously gated only on card
+slide_secs, and HC borders had `BORDER_SUBTLE_HC` defined but no
+consumers. v0.21.2 finishes both — non-essential motion in the
+splash boot screen now respects reduce-motion, and every static-
+border chrome surface (modal scaffold, tooltip, help / stats /
+home / settings panels) boosts to the HC variant under high-
+contrast mode. Dynamic-paint sites (HUD action buttons, modal
+buttons, radial menu rim) intentionally stay un-tagged because
+their existing paint cycles would race the HC system; they
+remain open for a future iteration that needs a different shape.
+
+### Added
+
+- **`sync_pile_marker_visibility` system precursor was v0.21.1's;
+  this cycle adds**: `update_high_contrast_borders` system in
+  `settings_plugin` (`c9af1ea`). Walks all entities tagged with
+  `HighContrastBorder` each Update tick, swaps `BorderColor` to
+  `BORDER_SUBTLE_HC` when high-contrast mode is on. Compares
+  current colour and only mutates when different so Bevy's
+  change-detection doesn't trigger repaints every frame. New
+  `HighContrastBorder { default_color: Color }` component carries
+  the off-state colour at each tagged site so the system can
+  revert correctly.
+- **HC chrome rollout — 8 tagged surfaces** (`c9af1ea` modal
+  scaffold; `d87761d` tooltip + onboarding key chips + help
+  panel key chips + stats panel cells; `ec804d5` home Level/XP/
+  Score row + home mode-selector buttons + home mode-hotkey
+  chips + 4 settings panel surfaces). Each tagging is one line
+  on the spawn tuple. The marker-component architecture pays
+  back proportionally to the number of consumers — the per-
+  commit cost dropped from ~75 lines (foundation + first
+  surface) to ~13 lines (4 surfaces) to ~9 lines (7 surfaces).
+- **Floating MOVE chip during replay** (`2fb2d63`). New
+  `ReplayFloatingProgressChip` marker on a `Text2d` entity
+  rendered in 2D world space above the destination pile of the
+  most-recently-applied move. Sibling of the banner overlay (not
+  a child) because it lives in world-space coordinates, not the
+  UI tree. Lifecycle matches the banner: `spawn_overlay` spawns
+  the chip alongside the banner when a replay starts;
+  `react_to_state_change` despawns it when the replay ends.
+  World-space placement (rather than UI-space + camera projection)
+  uses the same `LayoutResource` pile coordinates that drive
+  every other piece of pile geometry — stays correctly positioned
+  through window resizes for free. Hidden when cursor=0 (no
+  moves applied yet) or when the last applied move was a
+  `StockClick` (no destination pile to follow).
+- **`handle_move_rejected_toast` system + first real
+  `ToastVariant::Error` consumer** (`68d50b5`). When
+  `MoveRejectedEvent` fires (illegal placement attempt), spawns
+  a 2-second pink-bordered "Invalid move" toast. Joins the
+  existing `card_invalid.wav` (audio cue) and destination-pile
+  shake (visual cue) as the accessibility-focused readable text
+  channel — covers deaf players (no audio reliance) and
+  reduce-motion players (no shake reliance) with a persistent
+  ~2 s text cue. Drops the `#[allow(dead_code)]` from
+  `ToastVariant::Error` and updates its doc to point at the new
+  consumer.
+
+### Changed
+
+- **Splash scanline overlay skipped under reduce-motion**
+  (`ed152e2`). `spawn_splash` reads `Settings::reduce_motion_mode`
+  and skips the scanline texture / overlay node entirely when
+  on. Without the scanlines the boot screen still reads as
+  terminal-themed (foreground content, borders, palette swatches
+  unchanged); the scanlines are decorative.
+- **Splash cursor pulse held under reduce-motion** (`ed152e2`).
+  `pulse_splash_cursor` reads `Settings::reduce_motion_mode` and
+  skips the per-frame sine-pulse multiplier when on — the cursor
+  still fades in / out with the global splash alpha (essential
+  timing) but doesn't blink. Spec calls out non-essential motion
+  as the reduce-motion target; the global fade is essential
+  (otherwise the splash would hard-cut on/off, which is
+  jarring), and the cursor blink is decorative.
+- **`AnimationPlugin::build` registers
+  `MoveRejectedEvent`** (`68d50b5`). Bevy's `add_message` is
+  idempotent, so the duplicate registration with
+  `feedback_anim_plugin` (which already registered the message)
+  coexists cleanly. Required for the new
+  `handle_move_rejected_toast` system to run under
+  MinimalPlugins (tests).
+
+### Documentation
+
+- `docs/ui-mockups/design-system.md` and `SESSION_HANDOFF.md`
+  refreshed in lockstep with the rollouts. The handoff's
+  Resume-prompt menu trimmed twice this cycle as Options A and F
+  closed in v0.21.1, then this commit cycle's accessibility
+  extensions implicitly closed the "future scope" footnotes
+  v0.21.1 left on F's documentation.
+
+### Stats
+
+- **1195 passing tests / 0 failing** across the workspace
+  (net +3 from v0.21.1's 1192 baseline). New tests added by
+  this cycle:
+  - `splash_skips_scanline_overlay_under_reduce_motion`
+    (`ed152e2`) pins the reduce-motion gate on the splash
+    scanline overlay. Discovered an asset-fixture bootstrapping
+    detail along the way: under `MinimalPlugins`,
+    `Assets<Image>` isn't auto-inserted; the test had to add
+    `bevy::asset::AssetPlugin::default()` and
+    `init_asset::<bevy::image::Image>()`. Pattern flagged for
+    future asset-using tests.
+  - `floating_chip_spawns_and_despawns_with_overlay`
+    (`2fb2d63`) pins the floating MOVE chip's lifecycle:
+    absent on Inactive, exactly one on Playing, absent again
+    on return to Inactive.
+  - `move_rejected_event_spawns_error_toast` (`68d50b5`) pins
+    the new toast wiring: firing a `MoveRejectedEvent` spawns
+    exactly one `ToastOverlay` on the next tick.
+- Zero clippy warnings under `cargo clippy --workspace
+  --all-targets -- -D warnings`.
+- `cargo test --workspace` clean.
+
 ## [0.21.1] — 2026-05-08

 Patch release for the post-v0.21.0 work — closes Resume-prompt
@@ -1,75 +1,73 @@
 # Solitaire Quest — Session Handoff

-**Last updated:** 2026-05-08 — **v0.21.0 cut and tagged at `04f9bf9`**,
-working tree clean, all post-tag work pushed to origin.
+**Last updated:** 2026-05-08 — v0.21.2 cut and tagged at `f23df3b`;
+post-cut work shipped: Toast Warning (`279e23d`) and the HC
+dynamic-paint rollout (`c153363`). Working tree clean, all
+post-tag work pushed to origin.

-v0.21.0 closes the visual-identity arc opened in v0.20.0. Three
-through-lines landed in this cycle: the **card-face / suit /
-card-back artwork migration** that v0.20.0 deliberately deferred
-(both rendering paths in lockstep — `assets/cards/*.png` fallback
-plus the bundled-default theme SVGs at
-`solitaire_engine/assets/themes/default/*.svg` that
-`include_bytes!()`-embed into the binary), the **splash boot-
-screen + replay-overlay polish** that closed Resume-prompt
-Options B and C, and a late-cycle **`ACCENT_PRIMARY` palette
-swap** from cyan `#6fc2ef` to brick red `#a54242` after a quick
-stakeholder review of the shipped art.
+v0.21.2 is a patch release for the post-v0.21.1 polish work:
+extends accessibility (full HC chrome rollout across 8 surfaces;
+splash reduce-motion gating on scanline + cursor pulse), adds a
+floating MOVE chip above the destination card during replay
+playback, and lights up the first real consumer of
+`ToastVariant::Error` (a "Invalid move" toast as the third leg
+of the existing audio + visual rejection-feedback stool).

-Full v0.21.0 detail lives in `CHANGELOG.md` § [0.21.0]. This
+Full v0.21.2 detail lives in `CHANGELOG.md` § [0.21.2]. This
 file from here on focuses on what's *open* post-cut and how to
 resume.

 ## Status at pause

 - **HEAD locally:** see `git rev-parse HEAD`. The cut commit is
-  `04f9bf9`; any post-cut docs edits ride on top of that.
- **HEAD on origin:** matches local. v0.21.0 is fully on origin.
+  `f23df3b`; post-cut work (`279e23d` Toast Warning, `c153363`
+  HC dynamic-paint rollout) rides on top of that.
+- **HEAD on origin:** matches local. v0.21.2 is fully on origin.
 - **Working tree:** clean. No WIP outstanding.
 - **`artwork/` directory:** still untracked. Intentional.
 - **Build:** `cargo clippy --workspace --all-targets -- -D warnings`
  clean.
- **Tests:** **1184 passing / 0 failing** across the workspace
-  (net +8 from v0.20.0's 1176 baseline). Detail in
-  `CHANGELOG.md` § [0.21.0] § Stats.
- **Tags on origin:** `v0.9.0` through `v0.21.0`. v0.21.0 is on
+- **Tests:** **1207 passing / 0 failing** across the workspace
+  (net +12 from the v0.21.2 cut: 8 from Toast Warning wiring;
+  4 from the radial-rim HC truth-table).
+- **Tags on origin:** `v0.9.0` through `v0.21.2`. v0.21.2 is on
+  `f23df3b`; v0.21.1 stays on `daa655a`; v0.21.0 stays on
  `04f9bf9`; v0.20.0 stays on `41a009a`.

-## Since the v0.21.0 cut
+## Since the v0.21.2 cut

-Two Resume-prompt options closed post-tag (2026-05-08):
+- **`279e23d` — Toast Warning variant wired.** First in-engine
+  consumer of `ToastVariant::Warning`: a 4 s amber-bordered
+  toast that fires once per daily-challenge date when the
+  player is within 30 min of UTC midnight reset and hasn't yet
+  completed today's challenge. Mirrors the v0.21.2 Toast Error
+  pattern — a domain message (`WarningToastEvent(String)`) is
+  the contract between the daily plugin and the animation
+  plugin's spawn handler. Suppression decided by a pure helper
+  (`compute_expiry_warning_minutes`) that's exhaustively tested
+  without an `App`. After this commit every `ToastVariant`
+  (Info / Warning / Error / Celebration) has at least one real
+  driver — the variant enum is fully load-bearing.
+- **`c153363` — HC rollout to the dynamic-paint sites.** Closes
+  the v0.21.2 carve-out. Re-reading the code revealed only one
+  of three "dynamic-paint" sites was actually a border-paint
+  cycle — HUD action buttons and modal buttons paint
+  *backgrounds* dynamically with static borders, so they take
+  the existing `HighContrastBorder` marker pattern cleanly. The
+  radial menu rim is the only true dynamic-painter (full
+  per-frame respawn of `Sprite` entities); HC is folded into
+  the spawn there with a pure helper (`radial_rim_outline`)
+  that boosts the *focused* rim to `BORDER_SUBTLE_HC` under HC
+  rather than `BORDER_STRONG` — naive marker substitution would
+  invert the focused-vs-resting hierarchy because
+  `BORDER_SUBTLE_HC` (#a0a0a0) is lighter than `BORDER_STRONG`
+  (#505050). After this commit, every UI surface in the v0.21.x
+  accessibility arc either carries the marker or has HC folded
+  into its own spawn cycle. No "un-tagged because race-risk"
+  surfaces remain.

- **Option A — App icon round** (`3eb3a26` + `716a025`). 9-size
-  PNG hierarchy in `assets/icon/` (16/24/32/48/64/128/256/512/
-  1024 px), generated by a new `icon_generator` example from a
-  shared `icon_svg` builder (Terminal `▌RS` mark on dark
-  `#151515` with brick-red accent). Runtime `Window::icon`
-  wired via `WinitWindows` on desktop only (Android draws its
-  launcher icon from the APK manifest). The follow-up fix
-  `716a025` wraps `NonSend<WinitWindows>` in `Option<...>`
-  to satisfy Bevy 0.18's stricter system-param validation —
-  the resource doesn't exist on the first few frames before
-  winit's `Resumed` event fires. New deps (target-gated
-  non-Android): direct `winit = "0.30"` for `Icon`
-  construction, direct `tiny-skia` for PNG → RGBA decode.
-  Pin test `icon_svg_pin` guards future rasteriser drift.
- **Option F — Accessibility modes** (`c5787c6` + `07e0357`).
-  High-contrast and reduce-motion settings flags wired through
-  the engine and surfaced as Settings panel toggles. HC boosts
-  `RED_SUIT_COLOUR` to `#ff8aa0` and `BLACK_SUIT_COLOUR` to
-  `#f5f5f5` for card text rendering; reduce-motion forces
-  `effective_slide_secs` to 0 regardless of `AnimSpeed`. CBM
-  and HC compose: lime CBM wins on red when both are on; HC
-  still applies to black suits when both are on. Six new
-  tests pin the truth tables. UI toggles sit alongside the
-  Color-blind row in Settings → Cosmetic; tab-walk visits
-  all three accessibility flags in one vertical run.
-
-Three Resume-prompt options remain live: B (APK launch
-verification), C (replay-overlay extensions), D (Toast
-Warning/Error wiring), E (Phase 8 sync). The visible-payoff
-pieces of the post-v0.21.0 menu have shipped; what's left is
-Android runtime work, replay-overlay polish, sync infrastructure,
-and toast-event sourcing.
+For the v0.21.2 contents themselves, see `CHANGELOG.md` §
+[0.21.2].

 ## Open punch list

@@ -106,29 +104,51 @@ palette refresh all shipped in v0.20.0 + v0.21.0. What stays open:
  mini-tableau preview, playback controls, move-log scroll, and
  a WIN MOVE marker on the scrub bar. Banner-local pieces all
  shipped in v0.21.0 (`c84d9f4` + `6204db8` + `54005d5` +
-  `e080b49`); the screen-takeover is a multi-session redesign
-  with data-layer impact (move-log scroller; WIN MOVE needs a
-  `win_move_index` field on `Replay` that doesn't yet exist).
- **Floating `MOVE N/M` chip above the focused card during
-  playback.** Cross-plugin work — `update_progress_text` writes
-  the banner chip but the card-position lookup belongs in
-  `card_plugin`. Smaller scope than the screen-takeover.
- **Toast Warning / Error variants.** `ToastVariant` has slots
-  for `Warning` (gold) and `Error` (pink) but no in-engine
-  event uses them yet. Wire when a warning- or error-flavoured
-  toast event materialises.
+  `e080b49`); the floating MOVE chip above the focused card
+  shipped in v0.21.2 (`2fb2d63`). The screen-takeover is a
+  multi-session redesign with data-layer impact — needs a new
+  `win_move_index: Option<usize>` field on `Replay` (currently
+  unimplemented), a move-log scroller, and a mini-tableau
+  preview.
+- *Floating `MOVE N/M` chip above the focused card during
+  playback — closed 2026-05-08 by `2fb2d63`.* World-space
+  `Text2d` entity sibling to the banner overlay; uses the same
+  `LayoutResource` pile coordinates so it survives window
+  resizes without UI/camera math.
+- *Toast Warning variant wiring — closed 2026-05-08 by `279e23d`.*
+  Daily-challenge-expiry toast fires once per `daily.date` when
+  within 30 min of UTC midnight reset and today is incomplete.
+  `ToastVariant` is now fully load-bearing (every variant has at
+  least one real driver). Future Warning drivers can either reuse
+  the generic `WarningToastEvent(String)` carrier or add their
+  own domain message + `animation_plugin` handler.
+- *Toast Error variant wiring — closed 2026-05-08 by `68d50b5`.*
+  `MoveRejectedEvent` now fires a 2-second pink-bordered
+  "Invalid move" toast as the third leg of the
+  audio + visual + text rejection-feedback stool.
 - *High-contrast accessibility mode — closed 2026-05-08 by
-  `c5787c6` + `07e0357`.* Card text rendering picks up
-  `TEXT_PRIMARY_HC` (`#f5f5f5`) and `RED_SUIT_COLOUR_HC`
-  (`#ff8aa0`); Settings panel has a toggle. Future scope:
-  extend HC through chrome borders (`BORDER_SUBTLE_HC` already
-  defined, not yet consumed), buttons, popover edges.
- *Reduced-motion mode — closed 2026-05-08 by the same pair.*
-  `effective_slide_secs` forces 0 when on, regardless of the
-  `AnimSpeed` setting. Future scope: gate splash scanline
-  overlay + cursor pulse animation on the same flag, gate
-  warning-chip pulse, gate any future card-lift z-bump
-  animation.
+  `c5787c6` + `07e0357` (engine + UI) + v0.21.2's HC chrome
+  rollout (`c9af1ea` + `d87761d` + `ec804d5`) + post-cut
+  dynamic-paint rollout (`c153363`).* Card text rendering plus
+  8 static-border chrome surfaces (modal scaffold, tooltip,
+  onboarding key chips, help panel key chips, stats panel
+  cells, home Level/XP/Score row, home mode buttons, home
+  mode-hotkey chips, 4 settings panel surfaces) all boost
+  borders to `BORDER_SUBTLE_HC` under HC via the
+  `HighContrastBorder` marker. The previously-carved-out
+  dynamic-paint sites are now also covered: HUD action buttons
+  and modal buttons take the same marker (their paint cycles
+  only mutate `BackgroundColor`, so no race); the radial menu
+  rim folds HC into its per-frame spawn via
+  `radial_rim_outline` so the focused rim boosts to
+  `BORDER_SUBTLE_HC` under HC (preserving focused-vs-resting
+  hierarchy that naive marker substitution would invert).
+- *Reduced-motion mode — closed 2026-05-08 by `c5787c6` +
+  v0.21.2's `ed152e2`.* `effective_slide_secs` forces 0 on
+  card animations; `pulse_splash_cursor` skips the per-frame
+  pulse multiplier; `spawn_splash` skips the scanline overlay
+  entirely. Future scope: gate any future card-lift z-bump
+  animation, warning-chip pulse (when one materialises).

 ### Carried forward from v0.19.0

@@ -232,20 +252,22 @@ into a v0.21.1 / v0.22.0 cut.
 ```
 You are a senior Rust + Bevy developer working on Solitaire Quest.
 Working directory: <Rusty_Solitaire clone path on this machine>.
-Branch: master. v0.21.0 is tagged at 04f9bf9 (cut 2026-05-08).
-Working tree clean. v0.21.0 closed the visual-identity arc that
-v0.20.0 deferred — full Terminal cards on both rendering paths
-(asset PNGs + bundled-default theme SVGs), splash boot screen,
-replay-overlay banner enrichments, and a project-wide ACCENT_PRIMARY
-swap from cyan to brick red `#a54242`. See CHANGELOG.md § [0.21.0]
-for full detail.
+Branch: master. v0.21.2 is tagged at f23df3b (cut 2026-05-08, a
+patch release rolling up accessibility extensions, replay polish,
+and the first real `ToastVariant::Error` consumer). v0.21.1 stays
+at daa655a, v0.21.0 at 04f9bf9. Working tree clean. Post-cut
+work shipped: Toast Warning variant (`279e23d`) and the HC
+dynamic-paint rollout (`c153363`) — accessibility arc is fully
+closed, every `ToastVariant` has at least one real driver. See
+CHANGELOG.md § [0.21.2] + the "Since the v0.21.2 cut" section
+above for full detail.

 State: HEAD locally — see `git rev-parse HEAD`. All workspace tests
-pass (1184+; check with `cargo test --workspace`), clippy clean.
+pass (1207+; check with `cargo test --workspace`), clippy clean.

 READ FIRST (in order, before doing anything):
  1. SESSION_HANDOFF.md  — this file
-  2. CHANGELOG.md        — [0.21.0] section is the most recent cut
+  2. CHANGELOG.md        — [0.21.2] section is the most recent cut
  3. CLAUDE.md           — unified-3.0 rule set
  4. CLAUDE_SPEC.md      — formal architecture spec
  5. ARCHITECTURE.md     — crate responsibilities + data flow
@@ -260,38 +282,21 @@ READ FIRST (in order, before doing anything):
                           fresh machine)

 DECISION TO ASK THE PLAYER FIRST:
-  A. *Closed 2026-05-08 by `3eb3a26` + `716a025`.* App icon
-     round — runtime `Window::icon` wired plus a 9-size PNG
-     hierarchy at `assets/icon/`. `.ico` / `.icns` bundle
-     formats stay open if the project later ships as a
-     packaged macOS / Windows app.
-  B. APK launch verification on AVD / device — `adb install` +
+  A. APK launch verification on AVD / device — `adb install` +
     `adb logcat` to shake out runtime bugs the build / unit
     tests can't catch. Likely surfaces JNI ClipboardManager
     and Android Keystore stubs that need real bridges. Larger
     scope; needs an Android device or emulator running.
-  C. Replay-overlay extensions — either the floating `MOVE N/M`
-     chip above the focused card (smaller, cross-plugin; needs
-     cursor → card-position plumbing in `card_plugin`) or the
-     full screen-takeover redesign (multi-session: move-log
-     scroll, mini tableau preview, WIN MOVE marker, data-layer
-     impact for `Replay::win_move_index`).
-  D. Toast Warning / Error variant wiring. UI infrastructure
-     exists in `ToastVariant`; no in-engine event uses Warning
-     (gold) or Error (pink) yet. Wire when a real warning- or
-     error-flavoured event materialises.
-  E. Phase 8 (sync) — local storage scaffolding, self-hosted
+  B. Replay-overlay screen-takeover redesign — multi-session
+     work: move-log scroller, mini-tableau preview, WIN MOVE
+     marker on the scrub bar (needs new `Replay::win_move_index`
+     field), playback controls. The smaller floating-MOVE-chip
+     piece of B already shipped in v0.21.2 (`2fb2d63`).
+  C. Phase 8 (sync) — local storage scaffolding, self-hosted
     Axum server, `SolitaireServerClient` impl, GPGS stub
     wired into Settings. The biggest open arc by scope; rolls
     up several Phase Android dependencies (Keystore,
     ClipboardManager).
-  F. *Closed 2026-05-08 by `c5787c6` + `07e0357`.* High-contrast
-     and reduced-motion accessibility modes — Settings flags
-     + UI toggles + engine wiring. Card text rendering uses
-     HC variants when on; card slide_secs forces to 0 when
-     reduce-motion is on. Future scope: extend HC through
-     chrome borders, buttons; gate splash + warning-chip
-     animations on reduce-motion.

 WORKFLOW NOTES:
  - Use the system git config (already correct).
@@ -308,6 +313,16 @@ WORKFLOW NOTES:
    migration walked past this" follow-ups that all matched
    this shape — codified here so future similar work can
    pattern-match instead of rediscovering.
+  - Doc-vs-implementation drift pattern: v0.21.1's pile-marker
+    visibility fix (`4d48cad`) implemented an invariant that
+    had been declared in a module doc comment but was never
+    enforced in code. When future work touches a module with
+    a "this does X" doc comment, verify the code actually does
+    X and add a test if not. Two layers, two checks.

-OPEN AT THE START: ask which of A–F. Don't pick unilaterally.
+OPEN AT THE START: ask which of A–C. Don't pick unilaterally.
+Note: every remaining option is multi-session by nature (A is
+gated on Android tooling, B and C are explicitly multi-session
+arcs). A fresh session is a better fit for any of them than the
+tail of a long working stretch.
 ```
@@ -21,8 +21,10 @@ use crate::card_animation::{sample_curve, CardAnimation, MotionCurve};
 use crate::card_plugin::CardEntity;
 use crate::challenge_plugin::ChallengeAdvancedEvent;
 use crate::daily_challenge_plugin::{DailyChallengeCompletedEvent, DailyGoalAnnouncementEvent};
-use crate::events::{InfoToastEvent, XpAwardedEvent};
-use crate::events::{AchievementUnlockedEvent, GameWonEvent};
+use crate::events::{
+    AchievementUnlockedEvent, GameWonEvent, InfoToastEvent, MoveRejectedEvent, WarningToastEvent,
+    XpAwardedEvent,
+};
 use crate::game_plugin::GameMutation;
 use crate::layout::LayoutResource;
 use crate::pause_plugin::PausedResource;
@@ -162,6 +164,8 @@ impl Plugin for AnimationPlugin {
            .add_message::<ChallengeAdvancedEvent>()
            .add_message::<SettingsChangedEvent>()
            .add_message::<InfoToastEvent>()
+            .add_message::<MoveRejectedEvent>()
+            .add_message::<WarningToastEvent>()
            .add_message::<XpAwardedEvent>()
            .init_resource::<EffectiveSlideDuration>()
            .init_resource::<ToastQueue>()
@@ -183,6 +187,8 @@ impl Plugin for AnimationPlugin {
                    handle_settings_toast,
                    handle_auto_complete_toast,
                    handle_xp_awarded_toast,
+                    handle_move_rejected_toast,
+                    handle_warning_toast,
                    tick_toasts,
                    (enqueue_toasts, drive_toast_display).chain(),
                )
@@ -565,9 +571,11 @@ pub enum ToastVariant {
    /// event; kept so future warning-flavoured toasts have a slot.
    #[allow(dead_code)]
    Warning,
-    /// Failure / rejected action — pink border. Currently unused; kept so
-    /// future error-flavoured toasts have a slot.
-    #[allow(dead_code)]
+    /// Failure / rejected action — pink border. Used by
+    /// [`handle_move_rejected_toast`] for illegal-placement
+    /// feedback; the third leg of the rejection-feedback stool
+    /// alongside `card_invalid.wav` (audio) and the destination-
+    /// pile shake (visual).
    Error,
    /// Reward / milestone — lavender border. Used for XP awards,
    /// achievement unlocks, level-ups, daily/weekly/challenge completions.
@@ -622,6 +630,47 @@ fn handle_xp_awarded_toast(mut commands: Commands, mut events: MessageReader<XpA
    }
 }

+/// Spawns a 2-second pink-bordered Error toast when the player tries an
+/// illegal placement (`MoveRejectedEvent`). Adds a third leg to the
+/// existing rejection feedback stool — `card_invalid.wav` already plays
+/// (audio cue) and `feedback_anim_plugin::queue_shake_for_rejected_move`
+/// fires the destination-pile shake (visual cue). The toast is the
+/// accessibility-focused leg: persistent ~2 s text that's readable for
+/// deaf players and impossible to miss for players who blink during the
+/// shake. First in-engine consumer of `ToastVariant::Error` — exercises
+/// the variant's pink border accent and the design-system "rejected
+/// action" semantic.
+fn handle_move_rejected_toast(
+    mut commands: Commands,
+    mut events: MessageReader<MoveRejectedEvent>,
+) {
+    for _ev in events.read() {
+        spawn_toast(
+            &mut commands,
+            "Invalid move".to_string(),
+            2.0,
+            ToastVariant::Error,
+        );
+    }
+}
+
+/// Spawns a 4-second amber-bordered Warning toast for every incoming
+/// [`WarningToastEvent`]. First in-engine consumer of
+/// [`ToastVariant::Warning`] — exercises the variant's amber accent and
+/// the design-system "act soon" semantic.
+///
+/// Mirrors [`handle_move_rejected_toast`] but reads a generic carrier
+/// event (not a domain-specific one) because Warning has multiple
+/// candidate drivers and the call-site knows the message wording.
+fn handle_warning_toast(
+    mut commands: Commands,
+    mut events: MessageReader<WarningToastEvent>,
+) {
+    for ev in events.read() {
+        spawn_toast(&mut commands, ev.0.clone(), 4.0, ToastVariant::Warning);
+    }
+}
+
 /// Ticks down `ToastTimer` on each toast and despawns it when the timer expires.
 ///
 /// Skipped while the game is paused so toast countdowns freeze along with the
@@ -966,6 +1015,44 @@ mod tests {
        let _ = count;
    }

+    #[test]
+    fn move_rejected_event_spawns_error_toast() {
+        // The first in-engine consumer of `ToastVariant::Error`. Firing
+        // a `MoveRejectedEvent` (illegal placement) must spawn exactly
+        // one `ToastOverlay` carrying the rejection-feedback message.
+        // Pairs the existing audio (`card_invalid.wav`) and visual
+        // (`feedback_anim_plugin::queue_shake_for_rejected_move`) feedback
+        // with an accessibility-focused readable text cue.
+        use solitaire_core::pile::PileType;
+        let mut app = App::new();
+        app.add_plugins(MinimalPlugins).add_plugins(AnimationPlugin);
+
+        // Baseline: no toast overlays exist before the event.
+        let before = app
+            .world_mut()
+            .query::<&ToastOverlay>()
+            .iter(app.world())
+            .count();
+
+        app.world_mut().write_message(MoveRejectedEvent {
+            from: PileType::Tableau(0),
+            to: PileType::Tableau(1),
+            count: 1,
+        });
+        app.update();
+
+        let after = app
+            .world_mut()
+            .query::<&ToastOverlay>()
+            .iter(app.world())
+            .count();
+        assert_eq!(
+            after,
+            before + 1,
+            "MoveRejectedEvent must spawn exactly one error toast",
+        );
+    }
+
    // -----------------------------------------------------------------------
    // Task #67 — Toast queue pure-function tests
    // -----------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -14,13 +14,13 @@
 use bevy::input::ButtonInput;
 use bevy::prelude::*;
 use bevy::tasks::{futures_lite::future, AsyncComputeTaskPool, Task};
-use chrono::{Local, NaiveDate};
+use chrono::{DateTime, Duration, Local, NaiveDate, Utc};
 use solitaire_data::{daily_seed_for, save_progress_to};
 use solitaire_sync::ChallengeGoal;

 use crate::events::{
    GameWonEvent, InfoToastEvent, NewGameRequestEvent, StartDailyChallengeRequestEvent,
-    XpAwardedEvent,
+    WarningToastEvent, XpAwardedEvent,
 };
 use crate::game_plugin::GameMutation;
 use crate::progress_plugin::{ProgressResource, ProgressStoragePath, ProgressUpdate};
@@ -30,6 +30,11 @@ use crate::sync_plugin::SyncProviderResource;
 /// Bonus XP awarded for completing today's daily challenge.
 pub const DAILY_BONUS_XP: u64 = 100;

+/// Minutes before UTC midnight at which the daily-challenge expiry warning
+/// fires. The reset is global (UTC), so the warning is global too — local
+/// midnight may be hours away or already past.
+pub const DAILY_EXPIRY_WARNING_MINUTES: i64 = 30;
+
 /// The active daily challenge — date + RNG seed for that date's deal,
 /// plus optional goal metadata fetched from the server.
 #[derive(Resource, Debug, Clone)]
@@ -74,6 +79,16 @@ pub struct DailyChallengeCompletedEvent {
 #[derive(Resource, Default)]
 struct DailyChallengeTask(Option<Task<Option<ChallengeGoal>>>);

+/// Tracks which `DailyChallengeResource::date` the expiry-warning toast has
+/// already fired for, so the toast spawns at most once per day.
+///
+/// `None` until the first warning fires; thereafter holds the date the
+/// warning was shown for. When `daily.date` advances (a new local day rolls
+/// over while the app stays open), this becomes stale and the next warning
+/// can fire.
+#[derive(Resource, Default, Debug)]
+struct DailyExpiryWarningShown(Option<NaiveDate>);
+
 /// Fetches today's daily challenge seed and goal from the sync server on startup and tracks completion.
 /// Fires `DailyChallengeCompletedEvent` when the player wins a matching game.
 pub struct DailyChallengePlugin;
@@ -82,18 +97,21 @@ impl Plugin for DailyChallengePlugin {
    fn build(&self, app: &mut App) {
        app.insert_resource(DailyChallengeResource::for_today())
            .init_resource::<DailyChallengeTask>()
+            .init_resource::<DailyExpiryWarningShown>()
            .add_message::<DailyChallengeCompletedEvent>()
            .add_message::<DailyGoalAnnouncementEvent>()
            .add_message::<GameWonEvent>()
            .add_message::<NewGameRequestEvent>()
            .add_message::<StartDailyChallengeRequestEvent>()
+            .add_message::<WarningToastEvent>()
            .add_message::<XpAwardedEvent>()
            .add_systems(Startup, fetch_server_challenge)
            .add_systems(Update, poll_server_challenge)
            // record/award after the base ProgressUpdate so we don't fight
            // ProgressPlugin's add_xp on the same frame.
            .add_systems(Update, handle_daily_completion.after(ProgressUpdate))
-            .add_systems(Update, handle_start_daily_request.before(GameMutation));
+            .add_systems(Update, handle_start_daily_request.before(GameMutation))
+            .add_systems(Update, check_daily_expiry_warning);
    }
 }

@@ -215,6 +233,71 @@ fn handle_start_daily_request(
    announce.write(DailyGoalAnnouncementEvent(desc));
 }

+/// Pure decision logic for the daily-challenge expiry warning. Returns the
+/// integer minutes-until-UTC-midnight if a warning toast should fire on this
+/// frame, or `None` if any suppression condition holds.
+///
+/// Suppression rules (in order):
+/// 1. Player has already completed today's daily challenge.
+/// 2. The warning has already fired for `daily_date`.
+/// 3. UTC midnight is more than [`DAILY_EXPIRY_WARNING_MINUTES`] away.
+/// 4. UTC midnight has already passed for the current calendar day (the
+///    minutes-remaining is negative — happens for at most one frame at the
+///    rollover boundary).
+///
+/// Factored out so the threshold/clock behavior is unit-testable without an
+/// `App`.
+fn compute_expiry_warning_minutes(
+    daily_date: NaiveDate,
+    last_completed: Option<NaiveDate>,
+    last_shown: Option<NaiveDate>,
+    now_utc: DateTime<Utc>,
+    threshold_mins: i64,
+) -> Option<i64> {
+    if last_completed == Some(daily_date) {
+        return None;
+    }
+    if last_shown == Some(daily_date) {
+        return None;
+    }
+    let next_midnight = (now_utc.date_naive() + Duration::days(1))
+        .and_hms_opt(0, 0, 0)?
+        .and_utc();
+    let mins_remaining = (next_midnight - now_utc).num_minutes();
+    if !(0..=threshold_mins).contains(&mins_remaining) {
+        return None;
+    }
+    Some(mins_remaining)
+}
+
+/// Each-frame check for the daily-challenge expiry warning. Fires a single
+/// [`WarningToastEvent`] when the player is within
+/// [`DAILY_EXPIRY_WARNING_MINUTES`] of UTC midnight reset and hasn't yet
+/// completed today's challenge.
+///
+/// Idempotent — `DailyExpiryWarningShown` ensures the toast spawns at most
+/// once per `daily.date`.
+fn check_daily_expiry_warning(
+    daily: Res<DailyChallengeResource>,
+    progress: Res<ProgressResource>,
+    mut shown: ResMut<DailyExpiryWarningShown>,
+    mut warning: MessageWriter<WarningToastEvent>,
+) {
+    let Some(mins) = compute_expiry_warning_minutes(
+        daily.date,
+        progress.0.daily_challenge_last_completed,
+        shown.0,
+        Utc::now(),
+        DAILY_EXPIRY_WARNING_MINUTES,
+    ) else {
+        return;
+    };
+    shown.0 = Some(daily.date);
+    warning.write(WarningToastEvent(format!(
+        "Daily challenge expires in {mins} min"
+    )));
+}
+
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
    use super::*;
@@ -385,4 +468,141 @@ mod tests {
        assert_eq!(r.target_score, Some(1_000));
        assert_eq!(r.max_time_secs, Some(300));
    }
+
+    // -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+    // Daily-expiry warning toast (compute_expiry_warning_minutes + system)
+    // -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+    fn ymd(y: i32, m: u32, d: u32) -> NaiveDate {
+        NaiveDate::from_ymd_opt(y, m, d).unwrap()
+    }
+
+    /// Construct a UTC `DateTime` at the given calendar position. Used to
+    /// drive the pure helper through every threshold edge.
+    fn utc_at(y: i32, m: u32, d: u32, h: u32, min: u32) -> DateTime<Utc> {
+        ymd(y, m, d).and_hms_opt(h, min, 0).unwrap().and_utc()
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn warning_fires_inside_threshold_when_incomplete_and_unseen() {
+        // 23:50 UTC, 10 min until reset, < 30 min threshold.
+        let now = utc_at(2026, 5, 8, 23, 50);
+        let mins = compute_expiry_warning_minutes(ymd(2026, 5, 8), None, None, now, 30);
+        assert_eq!(mins, Some(10));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn warning_fires_at_exact_threshold_boundary() {
+        // 23:30 UTC, exactly 30 min remaining — the inclusive boundary.
+        let now = utc_at(2026, 5, 8, 23, 30);
+        let mins = compute_expiry_warning_minutes(ymd(2026, 5, 8), None, None, now, 30);
+        assert_eq!(mins, Some(30));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn warning_suppressed_outside_threshold() {
+        // 23:00 UTC, 60 min remaining — outside the 30 min window.
+        let now = utc_at(2026, 5, 8, 23, 0);
+        let mins = compute_expiry_warning_minutes(ymd(2026, 5, 8), None, None, now, 30);
+        assert_eq!(mins, None);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn warning_suppressed_when_already_completed_today() {
+        // 23:50 UTC inside threshold, but today is already done.
+        let now = utc_at(2026, 5, 8, 23, 50);
+        let mins = compute_expiry_warning_minutes(
+            ymd(2026, 5, 8),
+            Some(ymd(2026, 5, 8)),
+            None,
+            now,
+            30,
+        );
+        assert_eq!(mins, None);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn warning_suppressed_when_yesterdays_completion_is_stale() {
+        // Yesterday's completion is irrelevant — we want to warn about today.
+        let now = utc_at(2026, 5, 8, 23, 50);
+        let mins = compute_expiry_warning_minutes(
+            ymd(2026, 5, 8),
+            Some(ymd(2026, 5, 7)),
+            None,
+            now,
+            30,
+        );
+        assert_eq!(mins, Some(10));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn warning_suppressed_when_already_shown_for_this_date() {
+        let now = utc_at(2026, 5, 8, 23, 50);
+        let mins = compute_expiry_warning_minutes(
+            ymd(2026, 5, 8),
+            None,
+            Some(ymd(2026, 5, 8)),
+            now,
+            30,
+        );
+        assert_eq!(mins, None);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn warning_fires_when_last_shown_was_yesterday() {
+        // Player kept the app open across a midnight rollover. Stale
+        // "shown" date doesn't suppress today's warning.
+        let now = utc_at(2026, 5, 8, 23, 50);
+        let mins = compute_expiry_warning_minutes(
+            ymd(2026, 5, 8),
+            None,
+            Some(ymd(2026, 5, 7)),
+            now,
+            30,
+        );
+        assert_eq!(mins, Some(10));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn check_system_fires_warning_event_only_once_per_day() {
+        // The pure helper is exhaustively tested above. This test verifies
+        // the system that consumes it correctly stores the "shown" date so
+        // the WarningToastEvent fires at most once per `daily.date`, even
+        // when the system runs many frames in a row inside the threshold.
+        //
+        // The system reads `Utc::now()` directly, so we can't pin the clock.
+        // Instead, we simulate the post-warning state by pre-populating
+        // `DailyExpiryWarningShown` with `daily.date` and asserting nothing
+        // fires; then we verify the symmetric "completed today" suppression.
+        let mut app = headless_app();
+        let today = app.world().resource::<DailyChallengeResource>().date;
+
+        // Pre-mark warning as already shown for today.
+        app.world_mut()
+            .resource_mut::<DailyExpiryWarningShown>()
+            .0 = Some(today);
+        app.update();
+        let events = app.world().resource::<Messages<WarningToastEvent>>();
+        let mut cursor = events.get_cursor();
+        assert!(
+            cursor.read(events).next().is_none(),
+            "no warning fires when DailyExpiryWarningShown already covers today"
+        );
+
+        // Reset shown, mark today as completed.
+        app.world_mut()
+            .resource_mut::<DailyExpiryWarningShown>()
+            .0 = None;
+        app.world_mut()
+            .resource_mut::<ProgressResource>()
+            .0
+            .daily_challenge_last_completed = Some(today);
+        app.update();
+        let events = app.world().resource::<Messages<WarningToastEvent>>();
+        let mut cursor = events.get_cursor();
+        assert!(
+            cursor.read(events).next().is_none(),
+            "no warning fires when today is already completed"
+        );
+    }
 }
@@ -212,6 +212,21 @@ pub struct SyncCompleteEvent(pub Result<SyncResponse, String>);
 #[derive(Message, Debug, Clone)]
 pub struct InfoToastEvent(pub String);

+/// Generic warning toast message. Spawns a fire-and-forget
+/// [`ToastVariant::Warning`](crate::animation_plugin::ToastVariant) toast.
+///
+/// Distinct from [`InfoToastEvent`] in two ways:
+/// 1. **Variant.** Warning carries the design-system warning border accent,
+///    not the neutral info accent — so the player can distinguish "you might
+///    want to act" from "here's some neutral information".
+/// 2. **No queue.** Warnings are alerts, not a stream. Each event spawns its
+///    own toast immediately rather than waiting for the info queue to drain.
+///
+/// First in-engine driver: daily-challenge expiry warning fired by
+/// `daily_challenge_plugin` when < 30 min from UTC midnight reset.
+#[derive(Message, Debug, Clone)]
+pub struct WarningToastEvent(pub String);
+
 /// Fired by `ProgressPlugin` immediately after awarding XP for a win so the
 /// animation layer can display a "+N XP" toast alongside the win cascade.
 #[derive(Message, Debug, Clone, Copy)]
@@ -14,8 +14,8 @@ use crate::ui_modal::{
    ScrimDismissible,
 };
 use crate::ui_theme::{
-    Z_MODAL_PANEL, BORDER_SUBTLE, RADIUS_SM, SPACE_2, TEXT_PRIMARY, TEXT_SECONDARY, TYPE_BODY,
-    TYPE_CAPTION, VAL_SPACE_1, VAL_SPACE_2, VAL_SPACE_3,
+    BORDER_SUBTLE, HighContrastBorder, RADIUS_SM, SPACE_2, TEXT_PRIMARY, TEXT_SECONDARY, TYPE_BODY,
+    TYPE_CAPTION, VAL_SPACE_1, VAL_SPACE_2, VAL_SPACE_3, Z_MODAL_PANEL,
 };

 /// Marker on the help overlay root node.
@@ -263,6 +263,7 @@ fn spawn_help_screen(commands: &mut Commands, font_res: Option<&FontResource>) {
                                ..default()
                            },
                            BorderColor::all(BORDER_SUBTLE),
+                            HighContrastBorder::with_default(BORDER_SUBTLE),
                        ))
                        .with_children(|chip| {
                            chip.spawn((
@@ -38,8 +38,8 @@ use crate::ui_modal::{
    ScrimDismissible,
 };
 use crate::ui_theme::{
-    ACCENT_PRIMARY, BG_ELEVATED, BG_ELEVATED_HI, BORDER_STRONG, BORDER_SUBTLE, RADIUS_MD,
-    STATE_INFO, TEXT_DISABLED, TEXT_PRIMARY, TEXT_SECONDARY, TYPE_BODY, TYPE_BODY_LG,
+    ACCENT_PRIMARY, BG_ELEVATED, BG_ELEVATED_HI, BORDER_STRONG, BORDER_SUBTLE, HighContrastBorder,
+    RADIUS_MD, STATE_INFO, TEXT_DISABLED, TEXT_PRIMARY, TEXT_SECONDARY, TYPE_BODY, TYPE_BODY_LG,
    TYPE_CAPTION, TYPE_DISPLAY, VAL_SPACE_1, VAL_SPACE_2, VAL_SPACE_3, Z_MODAL_PANEL,
 };

@@ -840,6 +840,7 @@ fn spawn_home_header_chips(parent: &mut ChildSpawnerCommands, ctx: &HomeContext<
            },
            BackgroundColor(BG_ELEVATED),
            BorderColor::all(BORDER_SUBTLE),
+            HighContrastBorder::with_default(BORDER_SUBTLE),
        ))
        .with_children(|row| {
            for (label, value) in [
@@ -943,6 +944,7 @@ fn spawn_draw_mode_chip<M: Component>(
            },
            BackgroundColor(bg),
            BorderColor::all(BORDER_SUBTLE),
+            HighContrastBorder::with_default(BORDER_SUBTLE),
        ))
        .with_children(|c| {
            c.spawn((Text::new(label.to_string()), font.clone(), TextColor(fg)));
@@ -1156,6 +1158,7 @@ fn spawn_mode_card(
                            ..default()
                        },
                        BorderColor::all(BORDER_SUBTLE),
+                        HighContrastBorder::with_default(BORDER_SUBTLE),
                    ))
                    .with_children(|chip| {
                        chip.spawn((
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ use crate::settings_plugin::SettingsResource;
 use crate::layout::HUD_BAND_HEIGHT;
 use crate::ui_theme::{
    scaled_duration, ACCENT_PRIMARY, ACCENT_SECONDARY, BG_ELEVATED, BG_ELEVATED_HI,
-    BG_ELEVATED_PRESSED, BG_HUD_BAND, BORDER_SUBTLE, MOTION_SCORE_PULSE_SECS,
+    BG_ELEVATED_PRESSED, BG_HUD_BAND, BORDER_SUBTLE, HighContrastBorder, MOTION_SCORE_PULSE_SECS,
    MOTION_STREAK_FLOURISH_SECS, RADIUS_MD, RADIUS_SM, STATE_DANGER, STATE_INFO, STATE_SUCCESS,
    STATE_WARNING, STREAK_FLOURISH_PEAK_SCALE, TEXT_PRIMARY, TEXT_SECONDARY, TYPE_BODY,
    TYPE_BODY_LG, TYPE_CAPTION, TYPE_HEADLINE, VAL_SPACE_1, VAL_SPACE_2, VAL_SPACE_3,
@@ -715,6 +715,7 @@ fn spawn_action_button<M: Component>(
        },
        BackgroundColor(ACTION_BTN_IDLE),
        BorderColor::all(BORDER_SUBTLE),
+        HighContrastBorder::with_default(BORDER_SUBTLE),
    ))
    .with_children(|b| {
        b.spawn((Text::new(label), font.clone(), TextColor(TEXT_PRIMARY)));
@@ -32,8 +32,8 @@ use crate::ui_modal::{
    spawn_modal_header, ButtonVariant,
 };
 use crate::ui_theme::{
-    BORDER_SUBTLE, RADIUS_SM, TEXT_PRIMARY, TEXT_SECONDARY, TYPE_CAPTION, TYPE_BODY, VAL_SPACE_1,
-    VAL_SPACE_2, VAL_SPACE_3, Z_ONBOARDING,
+    BORDER_SUBTLE, HighContrastBorder, RADIUS_SM, TEXT_PRIMARY, TEXT_SECONDARY, TYPE_BODY,
+    TYPE_CAPTION, VAL_SPACE_1, VAL_SPACE_2, VAL_SPACE_3, Z_ONBOARDING,
 };

 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -386,6 +386,7 @@ fn spawn_slide_hotkeys(commands: &mut Commands, font_res: Option<&FontResource>)
                        ..default()
                    },
                    BorderColor::all(BORDER_SUBTLE),
+                    HighContrastBorder::with_default(BORDER_SUBTLE),
                ))
                .with_children(|chip| {
                    chip.spawn((
@@ -56,7 +56,8 @@ use crate::events::MoveRequestEvent;
 use crate::layout::{Layout, LayoutResource};
 use crate::pause_plugin::PausedResource;
 use crate::resources::{DragState, GameStateResource};
-use crate::ui_theme::{ACCENT_PRIMARY, BORDER_STRONG, BORDER_SUBTLE, STATE_SUCCESS};
+use crate::settings_plugin::SettingsResource;
+use crate::ui_theme::{ACCENT_PRIMARY, BORDER_STRONG, BORDER_SUBTLE, BORDER_SUBTLE_HC, STATE_SUCCESS};

 /// Sprite-space `Transform.z` for radial-menu overlay sprites.
 ///
@@ -533,8 +534,17 @@ fn radial_handle_release_or_cancel(

 /// Despawns and respawns the radial overlay sprites every frame the
 /// state is `Active`; despawns them when the state returns to `Idle`.
+///
+/// Reads [`SettingsResource`] so the focused-icon outline can boost to
+/// [`BORDER_SUBTLE_HC`] under high-contrast mode. Per-frame respawn is
+/// the simplest place to fold HC in: this is the only system that
+/// owns the rim sprite, so there's no parallel paint path to fight.
+/// ([`HighContrastBorder`](crate::ui_theme::HighContrastBorder) doesn't
+/// apply because the rim is a `Sprite`, not a UI node with
+/// `BorderColor`, and the entities don't persist across frames.)
 fn radial_redraw_overlay(
    state: Res<RightClickRadialState>,
+    settings: Option<Res<SettingsResource>>,
    mut commands: Commands,
    existing_icons: Query<Entity, With<RadialIcon>>,
    existing_centres: Query<Entity, With<RadialCentre>>,
@@ -569,13 +579,12 @@ fn radial_redraw_overlay(
        Transform::from_xyz(centre.x, centre.y, Z_RADIAL_MENU + 0.01),
    ));

+    let high_contrast = settings.as_ref().is_some_and(|s| s.0.high_contrast_mode);
    for (i, (_pile, anchor)) in legal_destinations.iter().enumerate() {
        let focused = *hovered_index == Some(i);
        let scale = if focused { RADIAL_HOVER_SCALE } else { 1.0 };
        let fill = if focused { STATE_SUCCESS } else { ACCENT_PRIMARY };
-        // Hovered icon gets a strong yellow rim; resting icons get a
-        // muted purple rim so the focused one reads as the obvious target.
-        let outline = if focused { BORDER_STRONG } else { BORDER_SUBTLE };
+        let outline = radial_rim_outline(focused, high_contrast);

        commands
            .spawn((
@@ -606,6 +615,27 @@ fn radial_redraw_overlay(
    }
 }

+/// Pure decision logic for the radial-icon rim outline colour.
+///
+/// Resting icons always carry [`BORDER_SUBTLE`] so the focused icon
+/// reads as the obvious target. Under high-contrast mode the focused
+/// rim boosts to [`BORDER_SUBTLE_HC`] (`#a0a0a0`) instead of
+/// [`BORDER_STRONG`] (`#505050`) — naive marker substitution via
+/// [`HighContrastBorder`](crate::ui_theme::HighContrastBorder) would
+/// invert the hierarchy because the resting colour
+/// (`#353535`) is darker than `BORDER_STRONG`. This shape keeps the
+/// focused rim *more* visible under HC, not less.
+///
+/// Factored out as a pure function so the truth-table is unit-testable
+/// without spinning up the per-frame respawn system.
+fn radial_rim_outline(focused: bool, high_contrast: bool) -> Color {
+    match (focused, high_contrast) {
+        (true, true) => BORDER_SUBTLE_HC,
+        (true, false) => BORDER_STRONG,
+        (false, _) => BORDER_SUBTLE,
+    }
+}
+
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // Tests
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -940,4 +970,33 @@ mod tests {
            "face-down cards must not open the radial"
        );
    }
+
+    // -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+    // radial_rim_outline — accessibility / high-contrast truth table
+    // -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+    #[test]
+    fn rim_resting_uses_subtle_outline_without_hc() {
+        assert_eq!(radial_rim_outline(false, false), BORDER_SUBTLE);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn rim_focused_uses_strong_outline_without_hc() {
+        assert_eq!(radial_rim_outline(true, false), BORDER_STRONG);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn rim_focused_boosts_to_subtle_hc_under_hc() {
+        assert_eq!(radial_rim_outline(true, true), BORDER_SUBTLE_HC);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn rim_resting_stays_subtle_under_hc_to_preserve_hierarchy() {
+        // Naive marker substitution would also flip the resting outline
+        // to BORDER_SUBTLE_HC, which is *lighter* than BORDER_STRONG —
+        // that would invert the focused/resting hierarchy. Holding the
+        // resting colour at BORDER_SUBTLE keeps the focused icon the
+        // obvious target under HC.
+        assert_eq!(radial_rim_outline(false, true), BORDER_SUBTLE);
+    }
 }
@@ -27,7 +27,9 @@ use bevy::prelude::*;
 use chrono::Datelike;

 use crate::font_plugin::FontResource;
+use crate::layout::LayoutResource;
 use crate::replay_playback::{stop_replay_playback, ReplayPlaybackState};
+use solitaire_data::ReplayMove;
 use crate::ui_modal::{spawn_modal_button, ButtonVariant};
 use crate::ui_theme::{
    ACCENT_PRIMARY, BG_ELEVATED_HI, BORDER_SUBTLE, TEXT_PRIMARY, TEXT_SECONDARY, TYPE_BODY,
@@ -88,6 +90,21 @@ pub struct ReplayOverlayBannerText;
 #[derive(Component, Debug)]
 pub struct ReplayOverlayProgressText;

+/// Marker on the **floating** progress chip — a 2D world-space text
+/// entity rendered above the destination pile of the most-recently-
+/// applied move. Sits independently of the banner overlay (which
+/// lives in the UI tree and never moves) so the player can see
+/// progress without breaking eye contact with the focal card.
+///
+/// Lifecycle matches the banner overlay: spawned by `spawn_overlay`
+/// when a replay starts, despawned by `react_to_state_change` when
+/// it ends. Position updated each frame by
+/// `update_floating_progress_chip`. Hidden when cursor=0 (no moves
+/// applied yet) or the last applied move was a `StockClick` (no
+/// destination pile to follow).
+#[derive(Component, Debug)]
+pub struct ReplayFloatingProgressChip;
+
 /// Marker on the right-hand "Stop" button. Click handler queries for this
 /// and calls [`stop_replay_playback`] when an `Interaction::Pressed`
 /// transition is seen.
@@ -149,6 +166,7 @@ impl Plugin for ReplayOverlayPlugin {
                react_to_state_change,
                update_banner_label,
                update_progress_text,
+                update_floating_progress_chip,
                update_scrub_fill,
                handle_stop_button,
            )
@@ -170,6 +188,7 @@ fn react_to_state_change(
    mut commands: Commands,
    state: Res<ReplayPlaybackState>,
    existing: Query<Entity, With<ReplayOverlayRoot>>,
+    floating_chips: Query<Entity, With<ReplayFloatingProgressChip>>,
    font_res: Option<Res<FontResource>>,
 ) {
    if !state.is_changed() {
@@ -185,6 +204,13 @@ fn react_to_state_change(
        for entity in &existing {
            commands.entity(entity).despawn();
        }
+        // Floating chip lives outside the UI tree (world-space
+        // entity), so the banner-root despawn doesn't reach it.
+        // Despawn separately on the same state transition so both
+        // disappear together when the replay ends.
+        for entity in &floating_chips {
+            commands.entity(entity).despawn();
+        }
    }
    // The `should_be_visible && already_spawned` branch is a no-op here —
    // the per-frame text update systems below repaint the banner label
@@ -200,6 +226,11 @@ fn spawn_overlay(
    state: &ReplayPlaybackState,
 ) {
    let font_handle = font_res.map(|f| f.0.clone()).unwrap_or_default();
+    // Clone for the floating chip spawn that runs *after* the
+    // banner's `.with_children(|banner| { ... })` closure consumes
+    // the original `font_handle`. Cheap — Bevy's `Handle<Font>` is
+    // `Arc`-backed, the clone bumps a refcount.
+    let font_handle_for_floating = font_handle.clone();

    let banner_label = if state.is_completed() {
        "\u{258C} replay complete" // ▌ — cursor-block prefix; matches the splash boot-screen convention.
@@ -365,6 +396,30 @@ fn spawn_overlay(
                    ));
                });
        });
+
+    // Floating progress chip — a 2D world-space `Text2d` rendered
+    // above the destination pile of the most-recently-applied move.
+    // Sibling of (not child of) the banner overlay because it lives
+    // in world-space coordinates, not the UI tree. Spawned hidden;
+    // `update_floating_progress_chip` shows + positions it on the
+    // first frame the cursor advances past 0. Lifecycle matches
+    // the banner overlay — `react_to_state_change` despawns both
+    // when the replay state transitions back to `Inactive`.
+    commands.spawn((
+        ReplayFloatingProgressChip,
+        Text2d::new(format_progress(state)),
+        TextFont {
+            font: font_handle_for_floating,
+            font_size: TYPE_BODY,
+            ..default()
+        },
+        TextColor(TEXT_PRIMARY),
+        // High Z keeps the chip above every card stack
+        // (Z_DROP_OVERLAY = 50, Z_STOCK_BADGE = 30, regular cards
+        // stack to the low double digits at most).
+        Transform::from_xyz(0.0, 0.0, 100.0),
+        Visibility::Hidden,
+    ));
 }

 /// Pure helper — returns the scrub-fill width as a percentage of the
@@ -425,6 +480,78 @@ fn update_progress_text(
    }
 }

+/// Repositions the floating progress chip above the destination
+/// pile of the most-recently-applied move and repaints its text.
+///
+/// The chip is hidden when:
+/// - the cursor is at 0 (no moves applied yet — chip would have
+///   nowhere meaningful to land), OR
+/// - the most-recently-applied move was a `StockClick` (no
+///   destination pile — stock-click feedback already lives at
+///   the stock pile and we don't want the chip to jitter back
+///   to the stock pile every cycle).
+///
+/// When visible, the chip's world-space `Transform.translation`
+/// is set to the destination pile's centre plus a fixed upward
+/// offset (`card_size.y * 0.6`) so the chip floats just above
+/// the top edge of the card. World-space placement (rather than
+/// UI-space + camera projection) keeps the math trivial and means
+/// the chip stays correctly positioned through window resizes
+/// without any extra wiring — `LayoutResource` already drives
+/// every other piece of pile geometry.
+fn update_floating_progress_chip(
+    state: Res<ReplayPlaybackState>,
+    layout: Option<Res<LayoutResource>>,
+    mut chips: Query<
+        (&mut Transform, &mut Visibility, &mut Text2d),
+        With<ReplayFloatingProgressChip>,
+    >,
+) {
+    let Some(layout) = layout else {
+        return;
+    };
+
+    // Resolve the destination pile of the last-applied move (if
+    // any). `cursor` is the index of the *next* move to apply, so
+    // the most-recently-applied move sits at `cursor - 1`.
+    let dest_pile = match state.as_ref() {
+        ReplayPlaybackState::Playing { replay, cursor, .. } if *cursor > 0 => {
+            match &replay.moves[cursor - 1] {
+                ReplayMove::Move { to, .. } => Some(to.clone()),
+                ReplayMove::StockClick => None,
+            }
+        }
+        _ => None,
+    };
+
+    let Some(world_pos) = dest_pile
+        .as_ref()
+        .and_then(|p| layout.0.pile_positions.get(p).copied())
+    else {
+        // Nothing to point at — hide every chip and exit.
+        for (_, mut visibility, _) in chips.iter_mut() {
+            *visibility = Visibility::Hidden;
+        }
+        return;
+    };
+
+    // Position above the destination pile by ~60 % of a card
+    // height. Half a card lifts above the centre, the extra 10 %
+    // is breathing room above the top edge so the chip doesn't
+    // visually clip the card.
+    let above = Vec2::new(0.0, layout.0.card_size.y * 0.6);
+    let target = (world_pos + above).extend(100.0);
+    let label = format_progress(&state);
+
+    for (mut transform, mut visibility, mut text2d) in chips.iter_mut() {
+        transform.translation = target;
+        *visibility = Visibility::Inherited;
+        if **text2d != label {
+            **text2d = label.clone();
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 /// Repaints the bottom-edge accent scrub fill to mirror cursor progress.
 /// Same change-detection guard as the text updaters — the overlay
 /// already early-exits when nothing moved, so an idle replay leaves the
@@ -668,6 +795,56 @@ mod tests {
        );
    }

+    /// Lifecycle: the floating progress chip spawns alongside the
+    /// banner overlay when playback starts, and despawns when
+    /// playback ends. (Position correctness needs `LayoutResource`,
+    /// which isn't set up in this headless fixture; the lifecycle
+    /// test below is what's load-bearing for the spawn/despawn
+    /// pairing.)
+    #[test]
+    fn floating_chip_spawns_and_despawns_with_overlay() {
+        let mut app = headless_app();
+        // Inactive → no chip.
+        app.update();
+        assert_eq!(
+            app.world_mut()
+                .query::<&ReplayFloatingProgressChip>()
+                .iter(app.world())
+                .count(),
+            0,
+            "no floating chip while playback is Inactive",
+        );
+
+        set_state(
+            &mut app,
+            ReplayPlaybackState::Playing {
+                replay: synthetic_replay(5),
+                cursor: 0,
+                secs_to_next: 0.5,
+            },
+        );
+        app.update();
+        assert_eq!(
+            app.world_mut()
+                .query::<&ReplayFloatingProgressChip>()
+                .iter(app.world())
+                .count(),
+            1,
+            "floating chip must spawn when playback starts",
+        );
+
+        set_state(&mut app, ReplayPlaybackState::Inactive);
+        app.update();
+        assert_eq!(
+            app.world_mut()
+                .query::<&ReplayFloatingProgressChip>()
+                .iter(app.world())
+                .count(),
+            0,
+            "floating chip must despawn when playback ends",
+        );
+    }
+
    /// Manually flipping the resource back to `Inactive` (e.g. via the
    /// playback core's auto-clear after `Completed`) tears the overlay
    /// down without any further input.
@@ -34,9 +34,9 @@ use crate::ui_modal::{
 };
 use crate::ui_tooltip::Tooltip;
 use crate::ui_theme::{
-    BG_BASE, BG_ELEVATED, BG_ELEVATED_HI, BORDER_SUBTLE, RADIUS_SM, SPACE_2, STATE_SUCCESS,
-    TEXT_PRIMARY, TEXT_SECONDARY, TYPE_BODY, TYPE_BODY_LG, TYPE_CAPTION, VAL_SPACE_2, VAL_SPACE_3,
-    Z_MODAL_PANEL,
+    BG_BASE, BG_ELEVATED, BG_ELEVATED_HI, BORDER_SUBTLE, BORDER_SUBTLE_HC, HighContrastBorder,
+    RADIUS_SM, SPACE_2, STATE_SUCCESS, TEXT_PRIMARY, TEXT_SECONDARY, TYPE_BODY, TYPE_BODY_LG,
+    TYPE_CAPTION, VAL_SPACE_2, VAL_SPACE_3, Z_MODAL_PANEL,
 };

 /// Side length of a swatch button in the card-back / background pickers.
@@ -364,6 +364,7 @@ impl Plugin for SettingsPlugin {
                    update_anim_speed_text,
                    update_color_blind_text,
                    update_high_contrast_text,
+                    update_high_contrast_borders,
                    update_reduce_motion_text,
                    update_tooltip_delay_text,
                    update_time_bonus_multiplier_text,
@@ -637,6 +638,42 @@ fn update_high_contrast_text(
    }
 }

+/// Repaints `BorderColor` on every entity tagged with
+/// [`HighContrastBorder`] based on `Settings::high_contrast_mode`.
+/// Off → the marker's `default_color`; on → `BORDER_SUBTLE_HC`
+/// (`#a0a0a0`). Compares against the current border colour and
+/// only mutates when different so Bevy's change-detection
+/// doesn't trigger repaints every frame.
+///
+/// Spec at `design-system.md` §Accessibility (#2): under HC,
+/// outlines boost from `#505050` (BORDER_STRONG) to `#a0a0a0` so
+/// modal panels, popover edges, and focus-ring carriers stay
+/// legible on low-quality displays / for low-vision users.
+///
+/// Tagged sites in v0.21.x: the modal scaffold's card border
+/// (`ui_modal::spawn_modal`). More sites can be tagged in
+/// follow-ups by adding `HighContrastBorder::with_default(...)`
+/// to their spawn tuple.
+fn update_high_contrast_borders(
+    settings: Res<SettingsResource>,
+    mut borders: Query<(&HighContrastBorder, &mut BorderColor)>,
+) {
+    let high_contrast = settings.0.high_contrast_mode;
+    for (marker, mut border) in borders.iter_mut() {
+        let target = if high_contrast {
+            BORDER_SUBTLE_HC
+        } else {
+            marker.default_color
+        };
+        // Only mutate when actually different — avoids per-frame
+        // change-detection churn. `border.left` is representative
+        // because every tagged site uses `BorderColor::all(...)`.
+        if border.left != target {
+            *border = BorderColor::all(target);
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 fn update_reduce_motion_text(
    settings: Res<SettingsResource>,
    mut text_nodes: Query<&mut Text, With<ReduceMotionText>>,
@@ -1913,6 +1950,7 @@ fn picker_row(
                    },
                    BackgroundColor(bg),
                    BorderColor::all(BORDER_SUBTLE),
+                    HighContrastBorder::with_default(BORDER_SUBTLE),
                ))
                .with_children(|b| {
                    let text_color = if is_selected { BG_BASE } else { TEXT_PRIMARY };
@@ -2054,6 +2092,7 @@ fn theme_picker_row(
                    },
                    BackgroundColor(bg),
                    BorderColor::all(BORDER_SUBTLE),
+                    HighContrastBorder::with_default(BORDER_SUBTLE),
                ))
                .with_children(|b| {
                    spawn_thumbnail_pair(b, entry.thumbnails.as_ref());
@@ -2175,6 +2214,7 @@ fn sync_row(parent: &mut ChildSpawnerCommands, status_text: &str, font_res: Opti
                },
                BackgroundColor(BG_ELEVATED_HI),
                BorderColor::all(BORDER_SUBTLE),
+                HighContrastBorder::with_default(BORDER_SUBTLE),
            ))
            .with_children(|b| {
                b.spawn((
@@ -2235,6 +2275,7 @@ fn icon_button(
            },
            BackgroundColor(BG_ELEVATED_HI),
            BorderColor::all(BORDER_SUBTLE),
+            HighContrastBorder::with_default(BORDER_SUBTLE),
        ))
        .with_children(|b| {
            b.spawn((Text::new(label.to_string()), glyph_font, TextColor(TEXT_PRIMARY)));
@@ -219,12 +219,27 @@ fn spawn_splash(

    let font_handle = font_res.map(|f| f.0.clone()).unwrap_or_default();

+    // Settings is borrowed twice — once for the first_run_complete
+    // gate above, once here for the reduce-motion gate. The borrow
+    // above already happened (and was let-go via the `settings.as_deref()`
+    // pattern's auto-drop), so this re-read is safe.
+    let reduce_motion = settings.is_some_and(|s| s.0.reduce_motion_mode);
+
    // Generate the scanline texture handle up-front (when the asset
    // store is available — always true in production; opt-out under
    // bare `MinimalPlugins` test fixtures so existing tests that
    // don't init `Assets<Image>` keep working with the rest of the
-    // splash content unchanged).
-    let scanline_handle = images.map(|mut images| images.add(build_scanline_image()));
+    // splash content unchanged). Also skipped when reduce-motion is
+    // on — the scanline overlay is the "CRT scanline effect" the
+    // design-system spec calls out as non-essential motion under
+    // reduce-motion (`design-system.md` §Accessibility #3). Without
+    // it the boot screen still reads as terminal-themed; the
+    // scanlines are decorative.
+    let scanline_handle = if reduce_motion {
+        None
+    } else {
+        images.map(|mut images| images.add(build_scanline_image()))
+    };

    commands
        .spawn((
@@ -712,15 +727,29 @@ fn cursor_pulse_factor(age: Duration, period: f32, min: f32) -> f32 {
 ///
 /// No-op when no `SplashRoot` exists (the splash has already
 /// despawned, or we're under a test fixture that doesn't spawn one).
+///
+/// Under `Settings::reduce_motion_mode`, the per-frame pulse
+/// multiplier is skipped — the cursor still fades in / out with
+/// the global splash alpha (essential timing) but doesn't blink
+/// (decorative motion). Spec at `design-system.md` §Accessibility
+/// (#3): reduce-motion suppresses non-essential motion only;
+/// fade-in / fade-out timelines stay intact because the splash
+/// itself would otherwise hard-cut on/off, which is jarring.
 fn pulse_splash_cursor(
    roots: Query<&SplashAge, With<SplashRoot>>,
+    settings: Option<Res<SettingsResource>>,
    mut pulses: Query<(&SplashFadableBg, &mut BackgroundColor), With<SplashCursorPulse>>,
 ) {
    let Some(age) = roots.iter().next() else {
        return;
    };
    let global = splash_alpha(age.0).unwrap_or(0.0);
-    let pulse = cursor_pulse_factor(age.0, MOTION_PULSE_PERIOD_SECS, PULSE_ALPHA_MIN);
+    let reduce_motion = settings.is_some_and(|s| s.0.reduce_motion_mode);
+    let pulse = if reduce_motion {
+        1.0
+    } else {
+        cursor_pulse_factor(age.0, MOTION_PULSE_PERIOD_SECS, PULSE_ALPHA_MIN)
+    };
    let combined = (global * pulse).clamp(0.0, 1.0);
    for (fadable, mut bg) in &mut pulses {
        let mut c = fadable.base_color;
@@ -954,6 +983,46 @@ mod tests {
        );
    }

+    #[test]
+    fn splash_skips_scanline_overlay_under_reduce_motion() {
+        // The CRT scanline overlay is decorative motion that
+        // `Settings::reduce_motion_mode` suppresses per the
+        // design-system spec (§Accessibility #3). The splash
+        // root itself still spawns — the cursor still fades in
+        // and out (essential timing), but the scanline overlay
+        // node is omitted entirely.
+        use solitaire_data::Settings;
+        let mut app = App::new();
+        app.add_plugins(MinimalPlugins)
+            .add_plugins(bevy::asset::AssetPlugin::default())
+            .init_asset::<bevy::image::Image>()
+            .add_plugins(SplashPlugin);
+        app.init_resource::<ButtonInput<KeyCode>>();
+        app.init_resource::<ButtonInput<MouseButton>>();
+        app.insert_resource(SettingsResource(Settings {
+            first_run_complete: false,
+            reduce_motion_mode: true,
+            ..Settings::default()
+        }));
+        app.update();
+        // The splash root spawns (essential motion intact)
+        assert_eq!(
+            count_splash_roots(&mut app),
+            1,
+            "splash should still spawn under reduce-motion — only the scanline + pulse are gated",
+        );
+        // The scanline overlay is gone
+        let scanline_count = app
+            .world_mut()
+            .query::<&SplashScanlineOverlay>()
+            .iter(app.world())
+            .count();
+        assert_eq!(
+            scanline_count, 0,
+            "scanline overlay must NOT spawn under reduce-motion",
+        );
+    }
+
    #[test]
    fn splash_despawns_after_total_duration() {
        let mut app = headless_app();
@@ -32,9 +32,9 @@ use crate::ui_modal::{
    ScrimDismissible,
 };
 use crate::ui_theme::{
-    ACCENT_PRIMARY, BORDER_SUBTLE, RADIUS_SM, STATE_INFO, STATE_WARNING, STREAK_MILESTONES,
-    TEXT_PRIMARY, TEXT_SECONDARY, TYPE_BODY, TYPE_BODY_LG, TYPE_CAPTION, TYPE_HEADLINE, VAL_SPACE_2,
-    VAL_SPACE_3, VAL_SPACE_4, Z_MODAL_PANEL,
+    ACCENT_PRIMARY, BORDER_SUBTLE, HighContrastBorder, RADIUS_SM, STATE_INFO, STATE_WARNING,
+    STREAK_MILESTONES, TEXT_PRIMARY, TEXT_SECONDARY, TYPE_BODY, TYPE_BODY_LG, TYPE_CAPTION,
+    TYPE_HEADLINE, VAL_SPACE_2, VAL_SPACE_3, VAL_SPACE_4, Z_MODAL_PANEL,
 };

 /// Bevy resource wrapping the current stats.
@@ -1017,6 +1017,7 @@ fn spawn_stat_cell(parent: &mut ChildSpawnerCommands, value: &str, label: &str)
                ..default()
            },
            BorderColor::all(BORDER_SUBTLE),
+            HighContrastBorder::with_default(BORDER_SUBTLE),
        ))
        .with_children(|cell| {
            // Large value label — accent yellow makes the number sing
@@ -58,8 +58,9 @@ use crate::settings_plugin::SettingsResource;
 use crate::ui_theme::{
    scaled_duration, ACCENT_PRIMARY, ACCENT_PRIMARY_HOVER, ACCENT_SECONDARY, BG_BASE, BG_ELEVATED,
    BG_ELEVATED_HI, BG_ELEVATED_PRESSED, BG_ELEVATED_TOP, BORDER_STRONG, BORDER_SUBTLE,
-    MOTION_MODAL_SECS, RADIUS_LG, RADIUS_MD, SCRIM, TEXT_PRIMARY, TEXT_SECONDARY, TYPE_BODY_LG,
-    TYPE_CAPTION, TYPE_HEADLINE, VAL_SPACE_2, VAL_SPACE_3, VAL_SPACE_4, VAL_SPACE_5,
+    HighContrastBorder, MOTION_MODAL_SECS, RADIUS_LG, RADIUS_MD, SCRIM, TEXT_PRIMARY,
+    TEXT_SECONDARY, TYPE_BODY_LG, TYPE_CAPTION, TYPE_HEADLINE, VAL_SPACE_2, VAL_SPACE_3,
+    VAL_SPACE_4, VAL_SPACE_5,
 };

 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -230,6 +231,13 @@ where
                Transform::from_scale(Vec3::splat(MODAL_ENTER_START_SCALE)),
                BackgroundColor(BG_ELEVATED),
                BorderColor::all(BORDER_STRONG),
+                // Honour `Settings::high_contrast_mode`: under HC the
+                // border boosts from `BORDER_STRONG` (#505050) to
+                // `BORDER_SUBTLE_HC` (#a0a0a0) so the modal panel
+                // edge stays clearly visible against the scrim and
+                // surface beneath. `update_high_contrast_borders` in
+                // `settings_plugin` does the per-frame swap.
+                HighContrastBorder::with_default(BORDER_STRONG),
            ))
            .with_children(build_card);
        })
@@ -364,6 +372,7 @@ pub fn spawn_modal_button<M: Component>(
            },
            BackgroundColor(idle_bg(variant)),
            BorderColor::all(BORDER_SUBTLE),
+            HighContrastBorder::with_default(BORDER_SUBTLE),
        ))
        .with_children(|b| {
            b.spawn((Text::new(label.into()), font_label, TextColor(label_color)));
@@ -226,6 +226,32 @@ pub const BORDER_SUBTLE: Color = Color::srgba(0.208, 0.208, 0.208, 1.0);
 /// vision users.
 pub const BORDER_SUBTLE_HC: Color = Color::srgba(0.627, 0.627, 0.627, 1.0);

+/// Marker for entities whose [`BorderColor`] should swap to
+/// [`BORDER_SUBTLE_HC`] when `Settings::high_contrast_mode` is on.
+/// Tag any UI node where border legibility is accessibility-critical
+/// — modal panels, popovers, settings rows, focus-ring carriers —
+/// then add the `apply_high_contrast_borders` system to react to
+/// settings changes.
+///
+/// `default_color` records the off-state colour the entity was
+/// spawned with so the system can revert when HC is toggled back
+/// off. Different sites use different defaults (`BORDER_SUBTLE` for
+/// idle popover edges, `BORDER_STRONG` for active modal cards) — the
+/// marker captures whichever one applies at this entity.
+#[derive(bevy::prelude::Component, Debug, Clone, Copy)]
+pub struct HighContrastBorder {
+    /// Border colour to use when high-contrast mode is *off* — the
+    /// site's normal idle / active-state colour.
+    pub default_color: bevy::prelude::Color,
+}
+
+impl HighContrastBorder {
+    /// Convenience constructor — `HighContrastBorder::with_default(BORDER_SUBTLE)`.
+    pub const fn with_default(default_color: bevy::prelude::Color) -> Self {
+        Self { default_color }
+    }
+}
+
 /// Strong border — hover outline, focused button, active popover.
 /// `outline` from the design system. `#505050`.
 pub const BORDER_STRONG: Color = Color::srgba(0.314, 0.314, 0.314, 1.0);
@@ -36,8 +36,8 @@ use bevy::ui::{ComputedNode, UiGlobalTransform};
 use crate::font_plugin::FontResource;
 use crate::settings_plugin::SettingsResource;
 use crate::ui_theme::{
-    BG_ELEVATED_HI, BORDER_SUBTLE, MOTION_TOOLTIP_DELAY_SECS, RADIUS_SM, TEXT_PRIMARY,
-    TYPE_CAPTION, VAL_SPACE_2, Z_TOOLTIP,
+    BG_ELEVATED_HI, BORDER_SUBTLE, HighContrastBorder, MOTION_TOOLTIP_DELAY_SECS, RADIUS_SM,
+    TEXT_PRIMARY, TYPE_CAPTION, VAL_SPACE_2, Z_TOOLTIP,
 };

 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -189,6 +189,7 @@ fn spawn_tooltip_overlay(
            },
            BackgroundColor(BG_ELEVATED_HI),
            BorderColor::all(BORDER_SUBTLE),
+            HighContrastBorder::with_default(BORDER_SUBTLE),
            Visibility::Hidden,
            // Pin above the focus ring so a tooltip on a focused element
            // is never occluded by the focus outline.