diff --git a/docs/src/plugins/worktrunk-terminal.mjs b/docs/src/plugins/worktrunk-terminal.mjs
index d706ea974c..ae5a5c5e02 100644
--- a/docs/src/plugins/worktrunk-terminal.mjs
+++ b/docs/src/plugins/worktrunk-terminal.mjs
@@ -385,6 +385,7 @@ export function pluginWorktrunkTerminal() {
         color: var(--wt-ink-muted);
       }
       .expressive-code .frame.is-terminal .wt-terminal-gutter {
+        display: inline-block;
         background: var(--wt-terminal-gutter);
       }
       .expressive-code .frame.is-terminal .wt-terminal-bold {
diff --git a/docs/src/themes/worktrunk-code.mjs b/docs/src/themes/worktrunk-code.mjs
index dec3daa8d2..83e2391f03 100644
--- a/docs/src/themes/worktrunk-code.mjs
+++ b/docs/src/themes/worktrunk-code.mjs
@@ -34,6 +34,11 @@ const baseTokenColors = (palette) => [
     scope: ['string', 'constant.other.symbol', 'entity.other.inherited-class'],
     settings: { foreground: palette.string },
   },
+  {
+    name: 'Quoted shell strings',
+    scope: ['string.quoted.single.shell', 'string.quoted.double.shell'],
+    settings: { foreground: palette.quotedShellString },
+  },
   {
     name: 'Variables',
     scope: ['variable', 'support.class', 'entity.name.class', 'entity.name.type.class'],
@@ -78,8 +83,8 @@ function theme(name, type, palette) {
   };
 }
 
-// These are the syntax roles from the pre-Astro Worktrunk themes, adjusted only
-// where the old foregrounds did not meet contrast on the current code surface.
+// These roles follow the pre-Astro Worktrunk themes. Low-contrast colors and
+// the shell-only quoted-string role use the current site's accessible palette.
 export const worktrunkLightCodeTheme = theme('worktrunk-light', 'light', {
   background: '#f8f7f6',
   foreground: '#3d3632',
@@ -87,6 +92,7 @@ export const worktrunkLightCodeTheme = theme('worktrunk-light', 'light', {
   keyword: '#9f4f2a',
   function: '#9b6500',
   string: '#527a16',
+  quotedShellString: '#1d4ed8',
   variable: '#7e6247',
   constant: '#a03c15',
   support: '#9f4f2a',
@@ -101,6 +107,7 @@ export const worktrunkDarkCodeTheme = theme('worktrunk-dark', 'dark', {
   keyword: '#d8b4fe',
   function: '#e5b567',
   string: '#a3be8c',
+  quotedShellString: '#93c5fd',
   variable: '#d9a0a5',
   constant: '#e09a82',
   support: '#67d4d4',
diff --git a/docs/tests/browser-site.test.mjs b/docs/tests/browser-site.test.mjs
index 23e07fa91b..c3da4d6634 100644
--- a/docs/tests/browser-site.test.mjs
+++ b/docs/tests/browser-site.test.mjs
@@ -235,6 +235,65 @@ test('code artifacts keep their visual hierarchy in both themes', async () => {
       await page.evaluate((selectedTheme) => {
         document.documentElement.dataset.theme = selectedTheme;
       }, theme);
+      const homepageTerminalStyles = await page.evaluate(() => {
+        const frames = [...document.querySelectorAll('.expressive-code .frame')];
+        const agentFrame = frames.find((candidate) => candidate.textContent.includes(
+          "wt switch -x claude -c feature-a -- 'Add user authentication'",
+        ));
+        const mergeFrame = frames.find((candidate) => candidate.textContent.includes(
+          'Merging 1 commit to main',
+        ));
+        const token = (text) => [...agentFrame.querySelectorAll('.code span')]
+          .find((candidate) => candidate.textContent === text);
+        const outputLines = [...mergeFrame.querySelectorAll('.ec-line.wt-output')];
+        const gutters = outputLines.map((line, index) => ({
+          index,
+          gutter: line.querySelector('.wt-terminal-gutter'),
+        })).filter(({ gutter }) => gutter);
+        const joins = gutters.slice(1).flatMap((current, index) => (
+          current.index === gutters[index].index + 1
+            ? [current.gutter.getBoundingClientRect().top
+              - gutters[index].gutter.getBoundingClientRect().bottom]
+            : []
+        ));
+        const pre = agentFrame.querySelector('pre');
+        return {
+          argument: getComputedStyle(token('feature-a')).color,
+          background: getComputedStyle(pre).backgroundColor,
+          gutterIndexes: gutters.map(({ index }) => index),
+          joins,
+          lineHeights: outputLines.map((line) => line.getBoundingClientRect().height),
+          quoted: getComputedStyle(token("'Add user authentication'")).color,
+        };
+      });
+      assert.notEqual(
+        homepageTerminalStyles.argument,
+        homepageTerminalStyles.quoted,
+        `${theme} quoted shell string uses the argument color`,
+      );
+      assert.ok(
+        contrastRatio(homepageTerminalStyles.quoted, homepageTerminalStyles.background) >= 4.5,
+        `${theme} quoted shell string falls below 4.5:1 contrast`,
+      );
+      assert.deepEqual(
+        homepageTerminalStyles.gutterIndexes,
+        [1, 4, 5, 6, 7],
+        `${theme} merge gutter rows moved — regenerate from quickstart_merge.snap`,
+      );
+      assert.equal(
+        homepageTerminalStyles.joins.length,
+        3,
+        `${theme} merge gutter run is no longer three adjacent joins`,
+      );
+      assert.ok(
+        homepageTerminalStyles.joins.every((gap) => Math.abs(gap) < 0.5),
+        `${theme} merge gutter does not sit flush between rows`,
+      );
+      assert.equal(
+        new Set(homepageTerminalStyles.lineHeights).size,
+        1,
+        `${theme} gutter padding changes terminal line height`,
+      );
       const comparisonStyles = await page.evaluate(() => {
         const table = document.querySelector('.cmd-compare');
         return {
@@ -331,6 +390,8 @@ test('code artifacts keep their visual hierarchy in both themes', async () => {
           titleBackground: getComputedStyle(title).backgroundColor,
           codeBackground: getComputedStyle(pre).backgroundColor,
           accentWidth: getComputedStyle(pre).borderInlineStartWidth,
+          stringColor: getComputedStyle([...frame.querySelectorAll('.code span')]
+            .find((span) => span.textContent === '".worktrees/{{ branch | sanitize }}"')).color,
         };
       });
       assert.equal(fileFrame.title, '~/.config/worktrunk/config.toml');
@@ -346,6 +407,11 @@ test('code artifacts keep their visual hierarchy in both themes', async () => {
       );
       const titleContrast = contrastRatio(fileFrame.titleColor, fileFrame.titleBackground);
       assert.ok(titleContrast >= 4.5, `${theme} file-label contrast is ${titleContrast.toFixed(2)}:1`);
+      assert.notEqual(
+        fileFrame.stringColor,
+        homepageTerminalStyles.quoted,
+        `${theme} shell quote color leaks into TOML strings`,
+      );
       assert.equal(fileFrame.accentWidth, '3px');
       await page.close();
     }