diff --git a/apps/server/src/preview/Manager.ts b/apps/server/src/preview/Manager.ts
index a21a1fe406fac..6e892d51f02e7 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/preview/Manager.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/preview/Manager.ts
@@ -193,6 +193,7 @@ export const make = Effect.gen(function* PreviewManagerMake() {
         canGoForward: false,
         viewport: input.viewport ?? FILL_PREVIEW_VIEWPORT,
         ...(input.profileId === undefined ? {} : { profileId: input.profileId }),
+        ...(input.colorScheme === undefined ? {} : { colorScheme: input.colorScheme }),
         ...(runtime === undefined ? {} : { runtime }),
         ...(runtime === "server" && input.automationOwner !== undefined
           ? { automationOwner: input.automationOwner }
diff --git a/apps/server/src/preview/ServerBrowser.test.ts b/apps/server/src/preview/ServerBrowser.test.ts
index 961ea352c7c3b..73ddcc03258dd 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/preview/ServerBrowser.test.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/preview/ServerBrowser.test.ts
@@ -1726,6 +1726,58 @@ it.live("drives the desktop's own page for a tab the desktop renders", () =>
   ).pipe(Effect.provide(layer)),
 );
 
+it.live("a system tab clears the light Playwright forces on attach, without redoing it", () =>
+  Effect.scoped(
+    Effect.gen(function* () {
+      const browser = yield* ServerBrowser.ServerBrowser;
+      const manager = yield* Manager.PreviewManager;
+      yield* Effect.yieldNow;
+      desktopRendersNext = true;
+      const opened = yield* manager.open({ threadId: scope.thread.threadId, runtime: "server" });
+      yield* browser.attachViewer(viewerInput(opened.tabId, true));
+      const page = desktopConnections[0]!.context.page;
+      expect(page.emulateMedia.mock.calls).toEqual([[{ colorScheme: null }]]);
+      const dark = Promise.withResolvers<void>();
+      page.emulateMedia.mockImplementation(async () => dark.resolve());
+      const target = { threadId: scope.thread.threadId, tabId: opened.tabId };
+      yield* manager.adjust({ ...target, zoomFactor: 1.25 });
+      yield* manager.adjust({ ...target, colorScheme: "dark" });
+      yield* Effect.promise(() => dark.promise);
+      expect(page.emulateMedia.mock.calls).toEqual([
+        [{ colorScheme: null }],
+        [{ colorScheme: "dark" }],
+      ]);
+    }),
+  ).pipe(Effect.provide(layer)),
+);
+
+it.live("a tab opens at its requested appearance and its popups keep it", () =>
+  Effect.scoped(
+    Effect.gen(function* () {
+      const browser = yield* ServerBrowser.ServerBrowser;
+      const manager = yield* Manager.PreviewManager;
+      yield* Effect.yieldNow;
+      const opened = yield* manager.open({
+        threadId: scope.thread.threadId,
+        runtime: "server",
+        colorScheme: "dark",
+      });
+      yield* browser.attachViewer(viewerInput(opened.tabId, true));
+      expect(contexts[0]!.page.emulateMedia).toHaveBeenCalledWith({ colorScheme: "dark" });
+      const popup = makeContext();
+      const applied = Promise.withResolvers<void>();
+      popup.page.emulateMedia.mockImplementation(async () => applied.resolve());
+      contexts[0]!.page.emit("popup", popup.page);
+      yield* Effect.promise(() => applied.promise);
+      expect(popup.page.emulateMedia.mock.calls).toEqual([[{ colorScheme: "dark" }]]);
+      const sessions = (yield* manager.list({ threadId: scope.thread.threadId })).sessions;
+      expect(sessions.find((session) => session.tabId !== opened.tabId)).toMatchObject({
+        colorScheme: "dark",
+      });
+    }),
+  ).pipe(Effect.provide(layer)),
+);
+
 it.live("desktop file pickers stay native outside agent actions and remote control", () =>
   Effect.scoped(
     Effect.gen(function* () {
diff --git a/apps/server/src/preview/ServerBrowser.ts b/apps/server/src/preview/ServerBrowser.ts
index d9626784c32d2..aacd478299d7b 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/preview/ServerBrowser.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/preview/ServerBrowser.ts
@@ -304,7 +304,8 @@ interface ServerTab {
   } | null;
   dialog: Dialog | null;
   setting: PreviewViewportSetting;
-  colorScheme: PreviewAppearancePreference;
+  /** Null until first applied, so a `system` tab still clears Playwright's default light. */
+  colorScheme: PreviewAppearancePreference | null;
   zoomFactor: number;
   loading: boolean;
   closing: boolean;
@@ -771,7 +772,7 @@ const make = Effect.gen(function* () {
       fileChooser: null,
       dialog: null,
       setting: snapshot.viewport ?? FILL_PREVIEW_VIEWPORT,
-      colorScheme: "system",
+      colorScheme: null,
       zoomFactor: 1,
       loading: false,
       closing: false,
@@ -1193,6 +1194,7 @@ const make = Effect.gen(function* () {
         ...(/^https?:/i.test(url) ? { url } : {}),
         runtime: "server",
         ...(opener.profileId === undefined ? {} : { profileId: opener.profileId }),
+        ...(opener.colorScheme === null ? {} : { colorScheme: opener.colorScheme }),
         ...(opener.control.agentId === null
           ? {}
           : { automationOwner: opener.control.agentId, reveal: false }),
diff --git a/apps/web/src/browser/openFileInPreview.ts b/apps/web/src/browser/openFileInPreview.ts
index 9c52e03536e91..266bf5fe6fad5 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/browser/openFileInPreview.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/browser/openFileInPreview.ts
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ export async function openUrlInPreview<E>(input: {
       url: input.url,
       viewport: browserDefaultOpenViewport(defaults),
       profileId: input.profileId ?? browserDefaultOpenProfileId(defaults),
-      ...(runtime === undefined ? {} : { runtime }),
+      ...(runtime === undefined ? {} : { runtime, colorScheme: defaults.appearance }),
     },
   });
   return mapAtomCommandResult(result, (snapshot) => {
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/preview/openPreviewSession.ts b/apps/web/src/components/preview/openPreviewSession.ts
index 26428d488ffce..803b90315ca6d 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/preview/openPreviewSession.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/preview/openPreviewSession.ts
@@ -50,7 +50,9 @@ export async function openPreviewSession<E>(
       ...(input.url === undefined ? {} : { url: input.url }),
       viewport: input.viewport ?? browserDefaultOpenViewport(defaults),
       profileId: input.profileId ?? browserDefaultOpenProfileId(defaults),
-      ...(runtime === undefined || runtime === "desktop" ? {} : { runtime }),
+      ...(runtime === undefined || runtime === "desktop"
+        ? {}
+        : { runtime, colorScheme: defaults.appearance }),
     },
   });
   if (result._tag === "Failure") {
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/preview/openTerminalLinkInPreview.ts b/apps/web/src/components/preview/openTerminalLinkInPreview.ts
index c6a0e7c59d281..315cc6554ee2b 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/preview/openTerminalLinkInPreview.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/preview/openTerminalLinkInPreview.ts
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ export async function openTerminalLinkInPreview<E>(
       url: input.url,
       viewport: browserDefaultOpenViewport(defaults),
       profileId: browserDefaultOpenProfileId(defaults),
-      ...(runtime === undefined ? {} : { runtime }),
+      ...(runtime === undefined ? {} : { runtime, colorScheme: defaults.appearance }),
     },
   });
   if (result._tag === "Failure") {
diff --git a/packages/contracts/src/preview.ts b/packages/contracts/src/preview.ts
index 455663155cb40..426cabb4f5b6e 100644
--- a/packages/contracts/src/preview.ts
+++ b/packages/contracts/src/preview.ts
@@ -188,6 +188,8 @@ export const PreviewOpenInput = Schema.Struct({
   viewport: Schema.optional(PreviewViewportSetting),
   profileId: Schema.optional(BrowserProfileId),
   runtime: Schema.optional(PreviewRuntime),
+  /** Server tabs only; the desktop seeds its own tabs at creation. */
+  colorScheme: Schema.optional(PreviewAppearancePreference),
   reveal: Schema.optional(Schema.Boolean),
 });
 export type PreviewOpenInput = typeof PreviewOpenInput.Type;