Feature Specification: Restrained native surfaces

Created: 2026-10-11 Branch: gui/secondary-window-polish Status: Accepted Input: Reduce the GNOME/Adwaita visual imprint toward sober T3 Code styling while preserving native interactions. User selected this direction explicitly.

User Scenarios & Testing

US1 — Consistent workspace tools (P1)

Users open Preferences, command palette, Worktrees, Task Board, workspace details and New Workspace and recognize one application visual language. Acceptance: controls and surfaces use smaller coherent corner radii, quiet outlined secondary actions, flatter lists, fewer elevated cards and a single clear selected/primary cue. Existing theme previews and task titles remain readable. The shell continues to use the established semantic palette.

US2 — Native interaction remains trustworthy (P1)

Acceptance: keyboard activation, search, filtering, dismissal and focus restoration are unchanged; suggested/destructive/disabled actions remain distinguishable. Light/dark, narrow and large-text/high-contrast scenes remain usable. Native touch targets, adaptive sheets, switches and choosers retain their platform behavior.

Requirements

• FR001: Apply a restrained visual treatment to the six application-owned surfaces above; styling must not affect external/native file choosers or undocumented third-party controls globally.
• FR002: Remove unnecessary raised-card and filled-button weight while keeping state, primary actions, danger and focus unmistakable.
• FR003: Preserve all existing behavior and semantic themes; no new toolkit, fonts, IPC, lifecycle or persistent settings.

Success Criteria

• All six surfaces have reviewed native light/dark evidence with visible focus and primary actions.
• Existing narrow, keyboard, focus/identity and preference persistence checks pass; full gate passes.
• High-contrast cues survive without depending only on faint fills.

Assumptions and scope

Update open PR99; feature049 behavior stays intact. Use existing native typography and semantic color roles. Product direction already permits application visual tokens through libadwaita patterns. No unresolved clarification or architectural deviation.