diff --git a/packages/app/e2e/snap/command-palette-header.snap.ts b/packages/app/e2e/snap/command-palette-header.snap.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e5a355a07
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/app/e2e/snap/command-palette-header.snap.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+import type { Locator, Page } from "@playwright/test"
+import { test, expect } from "../fixtures"
+import { openPalette } from "../actions"
+import { applyDarkModeForTests } from "../utils"
+import { composeGrid, snapOutputPath, type Shot } from "./_compose"
+
+// Visual contract for the command palette's grouped section headers:
+//
+//   In dark mode --surface-base (#1a1917) is noticeably darker than the
+//   palette body's --surface-raised (#2d2a27). The List component paints its
+//   sticky group header on its own surface, exposed as the inherited
+//   --list-surface custom property (default --surface-base). The palette sits
+//   on --surface-raised, so palette-content must set --list-surface to match;
+//   otherwise the "Suggested / Navigation / Panels" headers read as black
+//   bands across an otherwise warm-grey palette.
+//
+//   This is the regression guard for that custom-property contract — earlier
+//   the palette tried to win the same effect with a low-specificity
+//   background override that lost to list.css's 0,4,0 chain (and to its later
+//   import order), so the band stayed black in dark mode.
+//
+// Light + dark are both captured because the bug only appears in dark.
+test.use({ viewport: { width: 900, height: 700 }, deviceScaleFactor: 2 })
+
+async function assertHeaderMatchesPaletteSurface(page: Page) {
+  const header = page.locator('[data-component="command-palette"] [data-slot="list-header"]').first()
+  await expect(header).toBeVisible()
+
+  // Header surface must match the palette body's --surface-raised, not List's
+  // default --surface-base. In dark mode the two differ, so a regression of
+  // the --list-surface contract fails here. Poll to absorb first-paint races
+  // on a cold dev server, where styles can settle a frame after the header
+  // becomes visible.
+  await expect
+    .poll(() =>
+      header.evaluate((el) => {
+        // Let the browser resolve the token in context instead of copying its
+        // raw value off documentElement.
+        const probe = document.createElement("span")
+        probe.style.color = "var(--surface-raised)"
+        document.body.appendChild(probe)
+        const expectedRgb = window.getComputedStyle(probe).color
+        probe.remove()
+        const headerBg = window.getComputedStyle(el).backgroundColor
+        return headerBg === expectedRgb
+      }),
+    )
+    .toBe(true)
+}
+
+test("command-palette-header", async ({ page, gotoSession }) => {
+  test.setTimeout(180_000)
+
+  await gotoSession()
+  const lightDialog = await openPalette(page)
+  await assertHeaderMatchesPaletteSurface(page)
+  const lightShot: Shot = { name: "light", buf: await (lightDialog as Locator).screenshot() }
+  await page.keyboard.press("Escape")
+
+  await applyDarkModeForTests(page)
+  await gotoSession()
+  const darkDialog = await openPalette(page)
+  await assertHeaderMatchesPaletteSurface(page)
+  const darkShot: Shot = { name: "dark", buf: await (darkDialog as Locator).screenshot() }
+
+  const out = snapOutputPath("command-palette-header")
+  await composeGrid([lightShot, darkShot], out, { cols: 2 })
+  process.stdout.write(`\n[snap] command-palette-header grid -> ${out}\n\n`)
+})
diff --git a/packages/app/e2e/snap/dialog-grouped-header.snap.ts b/packages/app/e2e/snap/dialog-grouped-header.snap.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..fd8eaa765
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/app/e2e/snap/dialog-grouped-header.snap.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+import type { Locator, Page } from "@playwright/test"
+import { test, expect } from "../fixtures"
+import { openSettings } from "../actions"
+import { applyDarkModeForTests } from "../utils"
+import { composeGrid, snapOutputPath, type Shot } from "./_compose"
+
+// Visual contract for grouped Lists rendered inside a Dialog (the twin of the
+// command-palette case). The provider picker dialog groups providers into
+// "Popular" / "Other", so each group paints a sticky List header.
+//
+//   In dark mode --surface-base (#1a1917) is darker than the dialog body's
+//   --surface-raised (#2d2a27). The List paints its header on the inherited
+//   --list-surface custom property (default --surface-base), so dialog-content
+//   must set --list-surface to its own raised surface; otherwise the group
+//   labels read as black bands across the warm-grey dialog.
+//
+//   The shared list.css mechanism is already guarded by
+//   command-palette-header.snap.ts; this is the dialog-local guard, so deleting
+//   the one --list-surface line from dialog.css fails here rather than slipping
+//   through to a dark-mode regression.
+//
+// Light + dark are both captured because the bug only appears in dark.
+test.use({ viewport: { width: 900, height: 700 }, deviceScaleFactor: 2 })
+
+async function openProviderDialog(page: Page): Promise<Locator> {
+  const settings = await openSettings(page)
+  await settings.getByRole("tab", { name: "Providers" }).click()
+  await settings.getByRole("button", { name: "Show more providers" }).click()
+
+  const dialog = page.locator('[data-component="dialog"] [data-slot="dialog-content"]').first()
+  await expect(dialog).toBeVisible()
+  // The grouped headers are the subject under test; wait for at least one.
+  await expect(page.locator('[data-component="dialog"] [data-slot="list-header"]').first()).toBeVisible()
+  return dialog
+}
+
+async function assertHeaderMatchesDialogSurface(page: Page) {
+  const header = page.locator('[data-component="dialog"] [data-slot="list-header"]').first()
+  await expect(header).toBeVisible()
+
+  // Header surface must match the dialog body's --surface-raised, not List's
+  // default --surface-base. In dark mode the two differ, so a regression of
+  // the --list-surface contract fails here. Poll to absorb first-paint races
+  // on a cold dev server, where styles can settle a frame after the header
+  // becomes visible.
+  await expect
+    .poll(() =>
+      header.evaluate((el) => {
+        // Let the browser resolve the token in context instead of copying its
+        // raw value off documentElement.
+        const probe = document.createElement("span")
+        probe.style.color = "var(--surface-raised)"
+        document.body.appendChild(probe)
+        const expectedRgb = window.getComputedStyle(probe).color
+        probe.remove()
+        const headerBg = window.getComputedStyle(el).backgroundColor
+        return headerBg === expectedRgb
+      }),
+    )
+    .toBe(true)
+}
+
+test("dialog-grouped-header", async ({ page, gotoSession }) => {
+  test.setTimeout(180_000)
+
+  await gotoSession()
+  const lightDialog = await openProviderDialog(page)
+  await assertHeaderMatchesDialogSurface(page)
+  const lightShot: Shot = { name: "light", buf: await lightDialog.screenshot() }
+
+  await applyDarkModeForTests(page)
+  await gotoSession()
+  const darkDialog = await openProviderDialog(page)
+  await assertHeaderMatchesDialogSurface(page)
+  const darkShot: Shot = { name: "dark", buf: await darkDialog.screenshot() }
+
+  const out = snapOutputPath("dialog-grouped-header")
+  await composeGrid([lightShot, darkShot], out, { cols: 2 })
+  process.stdout.write(`\n[snap] dialog-grouped-header grid -> ${out}\n\n`)
+})
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/components/command-palette.css b/packages/ui/src/components/command-palette.css
index 3255c5c8f..8095639f7 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/components/command-palette.css
+++ b/packages/ui/src/components/command-palette.css
@@ -25,6 +25,8 @@
 
       border-radius: var(--radius-lg);
       background: var(--surface-raised);
+      /* Tell the nested List its sticky headers sit on the raised surface. */
+      --list-surface: var(--surface-raised);
       background-clip: padding-box;
       box-shadow: var(--shadow-floating);
       border: 1px solid var(--border-base);
@@ -118,7 +120,7 @@
   letter-spacing: 0.5px;
   line-height: 1;
   color: var(--fg-weak);
-  background: var(--surface-raised);
+  /* Background comes from --list-surface set on palette-content (see top). */
 
   &::after {
     display: none;
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/components/dialog.css b/packages/ui/src/components/dialog.css
index 3e9523b70..657af764f 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/components/dialog.css
+++ b/packages/ui/src/components/dialog.css
@@ -50,6 +50,8 @@
       /* padding: 8px 8px 0 8px; */
       border-radius: var(--radius-lg);
       background: var(--surface-raised);
+      /* Grouped Lists inside a dialog read this for their sticky headers. */
+      --list-surface: var(--surface-raised);
       background-clip: padding-box;
       box-shadow: var(--shadow-modal);
 
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/components/list.css b/packages/ui/src/components/list.css
index 605c9e9e4..4ed36a7ff 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/components/list.css
+++ b/packages/ui/src/components/list.css
@@ -195,7 +195,12 @@
         justify-content: space-between;
         align-items: center;
         align-self: stretch;
-        background: var(--surface-base);
+        /* Sticky headers need an opaque backdrop matching the surface the list
+           sits on. List defaults to the page canvas (--surface-base); popover
+           consumers (picker, command palette) sit on --surface-raised and set
+           --list-surface on their container so the header tracks them without
+           a per-consumer specificity fight. */
+        background: var(--list-surface, var(--surface-base));
         position: sticky;
         top: 0;
 
@@ -215,7 +220,7 @@
           left: 0;
           right: 0;
           height: 16px;
-          background: linear-gradient(to bottom, var(--surface-base), transparent);
+          background: linear-gradient(to bottom, var(--list-surface, var(--surface-base)), transparent);
           pointer-events: none;
           opacity: 0;
           transition: opacity 0.15s ease;
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/components/picker.css b/packages/ui/src/components/picker.css
index 706c6e7cd..b8288ad12 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/components/picker.css
+++ b/packages/ui/src/components/picker.css
@@ -30,6 +30,8 @@
 
 [data-picker-content] {
   background-color: var(--surface-raised);
+  /* Tell the nested List its headers sit on the raised surface. */
+  --list-surface: var(--surface-raised);
   border-radius: var(--radius-md);
   padding: 4px;
   box-shadow: var(--ring-base), var(--shadow-floating);
@@ -46,18 +48,16 @@
    Let labels scroll with their group, and add a small gap so the label
    doesn't read as glued to the first item.
 
+   The header surface is handled by --list-surface on [data-picker-content]
+   above; this rule only undoes the sticky positioning and its gradient.
    Selector matches list.css's default header chain
    ([data-component="list"] [data-slot="list-scroll"] [data-slot="list-group"]
    [data-slot="list-header"], specificity 0,4,0) so picker.css — imported
    after list.css — wins on equal specificity. A shorter selector here
-   loses to the default and leaves the header sticky. Background swaps to
-   picker's raised surface (default --surface-base reads darker than the
-   picker body in dark mode), and the 16px ::after stuck-gradient is
-   hidden so it cannot paint over the first item. */
+   loses to the default and leaves the header sticky. */
 [data-picker-content] [data-slot="list-scroll"] [data-slot="list-group"] [data-slot="list-header"] {
   position: static;
   z-index: auto;
-  background: var(--surface-raised);
 
   &::after {
     display: none;