diff --git a/packages/app/e2e/session/titlebar-right-rail-contract.spec.ts b/packages/app/e2e/session/titlebar-right-rail-contract.spec.ts
index 041c1a648..53f0357c9 100644
--- a/packages/app/e2e/session/titlebar-right-rail-contract.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/app/e2e/session/titlebar-right-rail-contract.spec.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,53 @@ import { modKey } from "../utils"
 //     selection overlay, 4pt grid pinning)
 
 test.describe("titlebar right rail contract", () => {
+  test("expanded titlebar toggles change icon shape without selected-chip background", async ({
+    page,
+    gotoSession,
+  }) => {
+    await gotoSession()
+
+    const sidebarToggle = page.locator('[data-action="pawwork-sidebar-toggle"]')
+    const rightPanelToggle = page.getByRole("button", { name: "Right utility panel" })
+    if ((await sidebarToggle.getAttribute("aria-expanded")) !== "true") {
+      await sidebarToggle.click()
+    }
+    await expect(sidebarToggle).toHaveAttribute("aria-expanded", "true")
+    await openRightPanel(page)
+    await expect(rightPanelToggle).toHaveAttribute("aria-expanded", "true")
+    await page.mouse.move(400, 200)
+
+    const backgroundAlpha = (selector: string) =>
+      page.evaluate((target) => {
+        const el = document.querySelector<HTMLElement>(target)
+        if (!el) return null
+        const bg = getComputedStyle(el).backgroundColor
+        const rgba = bg.match(/^rgba\((.+)\)$/)
+        if (!rgba) return bg.startsWith("rgb(") ? 1 : null
+        const parts = rgba[1].split(",").map((part) => part.trim())
+        return Number(parts[3])
+      }, selector)
+
+    await expect
+      .poll(
+        async () => ({
+          sidebar: await backgroundAlpha('[data-action="pawwork-sidebar-toggle"]'),
+          rightPanel: await backgroundAlpha('button[aria-label="Right utility panel"]'),
+        }),
+        { timeout: 2_000 },
+      )
+      .toEqual({
+        sidebar: 0,
+        rightPanel: 0,
+      })
+
+    await sidebarToggle.hover()
+    await expect.poll(() => backgroundAlpha('[data-action="pawwork-sidebar-toggle"]')).toBeGreaterThan(0)
+
+    await rightPanelToggle.hover()
+    await expect.poll(() => backgroundAlpha('button[aria-label="Right utility panel"]')).toBeGreaterThan(0)
+  })
+
   test("right utility toggle stays clickable with the full tab set open", async ({
     page,
     gotoSession,
diff --git a/packages/app/e2e/status/status-popover.spec.ts b/packages/app/e2e/status/status-popover.spec.ts
index bfa9abf44..003ad8ae2 100644
--- a/packages/app/e2e/status/status-popover.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/app/e2e/status/status-popover.spec.ts
@@ -18,10 +18,10 @@ test("desktop right-panel toggle opens the status tab by default", async ({ page
   // Servers/MCP/LSP/Plugins render as collapsible SectionRow `<button aria-expanded>`
   // inside the Status panel body (see SessionStatusConnections.SectionRow) —
   // not as `role="tab"`. Mobile still uses tabs in the popover (separate test below).
-  await expect(rightPanel.getByRole("button", { name: /servers/i })).toBeVisible()
-  await expect(rightPanel.getByRole("button", { name: /mcp/i })).toBeVisible()
-  await expect(rightPanel.getByRole("button", { name: /lsp/i })).toBeVisible()
-  await expect(rightPanel.getByRole("button", { name: /plugins/i })).toBeVisible()
+  await expect(rightPanel.getByRole("button", { name: /^Servers\b/i })).toBeVisible()
+  await expect(rightPanel.getByRole("button", { name: /^MCP\b/i })).toBeVisible()
+  await expect(rightPanel.getByRole("button", { name: /^LSP\b/i })).toBeVisible()
+  await expect(rightPanel.getByRole("button", { name: /^Plugins\b/i })).toBeVisible()
 })
 
 test("session status panel can expand mcp section", async ({ page, gotoSession }) => {
@@ -57,10 +57,36 @@ test("mobile session status button still opens the status popover", async ({ pag
   await page.setViewportSize({ width: 390, height: 844 })
   await gotoSession()
 
-  const statusButton = page.getByRole("button", { name: "Status" }).first()
+  const statusButton = page.locator('[data-action="pawwork-status-popover-toggle"]')
   const popoverBody = page.locator('[data-slot="popover-body"]').filter({ has: page.locator('[data-component="tabs"]') })
 
   await statusButton.click()
+  await expect(statusButton).toHaveAttribute("aria-expanded", "true")
   await expect(popoverBody).toBeVisible()
   await expect(popoverBody.getByRole("tab", { name: /servers/i })).toBeVisible()
+  await page.mouse.move(10, 500, { steps: 5 })
+
+  const expandedStyles = () =>
+    statusButton.evaluate((el) => {
+      const icon = el.querySelector<HTMLElement>('[data-slot="icon-svg"]')
+      const style = getComputedStyle(el)
+      const probe = document.createElement("div")
+      probe.style.backgroundColor = style.getPropertyValue("--surface-base")
+      probe.style.color = style.getPropertyValue("--icon-strong")
+      document.body.appendChild(probe)
+      const expected = {
+        background: getComputedStyle(probe).backgroundColor,
+        iconColor: getComputedStyle(probe).color,
+      }
+      probe.remove()
+      return {
+        expected,
+        actual: {
+          background: style.backgroundColor,
+          iconColor: icon ? getComputedStyle(icon).color : null,
+        },
+      }
+    })
+  const expectedStyles = (await expandedStyles()).expected
+  await expect.poll(async () => (await expandedStyles()).actual).toEqual(expectedStyles)
 })
diff --git a/packages/app/src/components/status-popover.tsx b/packages/app/src/components/status-popover.tsx
index d86a54563..7ac898e5e 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/components/status-popover.tsx
+++ b/packages/app/src/components/status-popover.tsx
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ export function StatusPopover() {
       triggerProps={{
         variant: "ghost",
         class: "titlebar-icon w-8 h-[30px] p-0 box-border",
+        "data-action": "pawwork-status-popover-toggle",
         "aria-label": language.t("status.popover.trigger"),
         style: { scale: 1 },
       }}
diff --git a/packages/app/src/index.css b/packages/app/src/index.css
index daae979cf..78b7724aa 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/index.css
+++ b/packages/app/src/index.css
@@ -149,6 +149,14 @@
     background-color: var(--surface-sunken);
   }
 
+  [data-component="titlebar-shell"][data-shell="desktop"][data-shell-os="macos"]
+    :is([data-component="button"], [data-component="icon-button"]).titlebar-icon[data-variant="ghost"]:is(
+      [data-action="pawwork-sidebar-toggle"],
+      [aria-controls="right-panel"]
+    )[aria-expanded="true"]:not(:hover):not(:active) {
+    background-color: transparent;
+  }
+
   [data-component="desktop-shell-main"][data-shell="desktop"][data-shell-os="macos"] {
     border-top-width: 0;
   }
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/components/icon-button.css b/packages/ui/src/components/icon-button.css
index 8fe0ee7d1..fd650aa02 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/components/icon-button.css
+++ b/packages/ui/src/components/icon-button.css
@@ -78,26 +78,31 @@
 
 /* titlebar-icon: 32×30 non-square, DESIGN.md §346.
    Lives in icon-button.css for historical reasons but is intentionally NOT
-   scoped to `[data-component="icon-button"]` — the four titlebar usages in
-   `titlebar.tsx` + `session-header.tsx` render `<Button variant="ghost">`
-   (data-component="button"), not `<IconButton>`. Scoping to icon-button
-   silently dropped the `aria-expanded` selected-state chip on the sidebar
-   toggle and Right utility panel toggle. The class name carries the contract;
-   the selector should not narrow it. */
+   scoped to `[data-component="icon-button"]` — the live titlebar toggles render
+   `<Button variant="ghost">` (data-component="button"), not `<IconButton>`.
+   Expanded state is visualized by icon shape only; idle state has no selected
+   chip, while hover/press feedback still comes from the normal ghost button
+   rules. */
 .titlebar-icon {
   width: 32px;
   height: 30px;
   aspect-ratio: auto;
 }
 
-.titlebar-icon[aria-expanded="true"] {
-  background-color: var(--surface-base);
-
+.titlebar-icon[data-variant="ghost"]:is([data-action="pawwork-sidebar-toggle"], [aria-controls="right-panel"])[aria-expanded="true"] {
   [data-slot="icon-svg"] {
     color: var(--icon-strong);
   }
+}
 
-  &:hover:not(:disabled) {
-    background-color: var(--surface-base);
+.titlebar-icon[data-variant="ghost"]:is([data-action="pawwork-sidebar-toggle"], [aria-controls="right-panel"])[aria-expanded="true"]:not(:hover):not(:active) {
+  background-color: transparent;
+}
+
+.titlebar-icon[data-variant="ghost"][data-action="pawwork-status-popover-toggle"][aria-expanded="true"] {
+  background-color: var(--surface-base);
+
+  [data-slot="icon-svg"] {
+    color: var(--icon-strong);
   }
 }