diff --git a/frontend/src/app/pages/Workflows/app/CalendarView.tsx b/frontend/src/app/pages/Workflows/app/CalendarView.tsx
index 2de5ce34..c54b0585 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/pages/Workflows/app/CalendarView.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/app/pages/Workflows/app/CalendarView.tsx
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ const CalendarView: React.FC<{ nav: AppNav }> = ({ nav }) => {
   const selectFromPop = (id: string) => { setDayPop(null); nav.selectWorkflow(id); };
 
   return (
-    <div style={{ flex: 1, minWidth: 0, display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', background: WC.paper }}>
+    <div style={{ flex: 1, minWidth: 0, display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', background: WC.page }}>
       <div style={{ flex: 'none', padding: '14px 26px', borderBottom: `1px solid ${WC.line}`, display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center', gap: 14 }}>
         <button onClick={() => nav.setRefDate(new Date())} style={{ background: WC.paper, border: `1px solid rgba(${WC.inkRGB},0.14)`, borderRadius: 8, padding: '6px 14px', fontSize: 13, fontWeight: 600, color: WC.ink, cursor: 'pointer' }}>Today</button>
         <div style={{ display: 'flex', gap: 4 }}>
diff --git a/frontend/src/app/pages/Workflows/app/DetailView.tsx b/frontend/src/app/pages/Workflows/app/DetailView.tsx
index 76e538e9..bd812517 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/pages/Workflows/app/DetailView.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/app/pages/Workflows/app/DetailView.tsx
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ const DetailView: React.FC<{ workflowId: string; nav: AppNav }> = ({ workflowId
     if (workflow) dispatch(setWorkflowsRunContext(runContextChip(workflow, r)));
   }, [detailRuns, workflowId, dispatch, workflow]);
 
-  if (!workflow) return <div style={{ flex: 1, background: WC.paper }} />;
+  if (!workflow) return <div style={{ flex: 1, background: WC.page }} />;
 
   const running = isRunning(workflow, active);
   const enabled = isScheduleActive(workflow.schedule);
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ const DetailView: React.FC<{ workflowId: string; nav: AppNav }> = ({ workflowId
 
   return (
     <>
-      <div style={{ flex: 1, minWidth: 0, display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', background: WC.paper }}>
+      <div style={{ flex: 1, minWidth: 0, display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', background: WC.page }}>
         <div style={{ flex: 'none', padding: '20px 28px 16px', borderBottom: `1px solid rgba(${WC.inkRGB},0.06)` }}>
           <div style={{ display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center', gap: 13 }}>
             <ColorSwatch value={colorForWorkflow(workflow)} onChange={(hex) => patch(workflow, { color: hex })} size={14} />
diff --git a/frontend/src/app/pages/Workflows/app/HomeView.tsx b/frontend/src/app/pages/Workflows/app/HomeView.tsx
index 5c2c4401..f006309c 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/pages/Workflows/app/HomeView.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/app/pages/Workflows/app/HomeView.tsx
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ const HomeView: React.FC<{ nav: AppNav }> = ({ nav }) => {
   const reRunAll = () => { if (missed.length) dispatch(runMissedRuns(missed.map((m) => m.id))); };
 
   return (
-    <div style={{ flex: 1, minWidth: 0, display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', background: WC.paper }}>
+    <div style={{ flex: 1, minWidth: 0, display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', background: WC.page }}>
       <div style={{ flex: 'none', padding: '22px 30px 14px', borderBottom: `1px solid rgba(${WC.inkRGB},0.06)` }}>
         <div style={{ fontFamily: "'JetBrains Mono',monospace", fontSize: 11, letterSpacing: '0.06em', textTransform: 'uppercase', color: WC.muted2 }}>{todayLabel}</div>
       </div>
diff --git a/frontend/src/app/pages/Workflows/app/WorkflowsAppCard.tsx b/frontend/src/app/pages/Workflows/app/WorkflowsAppCard.tsx
index 5a745123..4b727cd7 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/pages/Workflows/app/WorkflowsAppCard.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/app/pages/Workflows/app/WorkflowsAppCard.tsx
@@ -201,7 +201,7 @@ const WorkflowsAppCard: React.FC<Props> = ({
         contain: 'layout style',
         willChange: 'transform',
         left: dx, top: dy, width: dw, height: dh,
-        background: WC.paper,
+        background: WC.page,
         border,
         borderRadius: WC.radius.lg,
         boxShadow: (isDragging || isResizing) ? WC.shadow.lg : WC.shadow.md,
diff --git a/frontend/src/app/pages/Workflows/app/WorkflowsAppContent.tsx b/frontend/src/app/pages/Workflows/app/WorkflowsAppContent.tsx
index 9e0fca6c..466fa786 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/pages/Workflows/app/WorkflowsAppContent.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/app/pages/Workflows/app/WorkflowsAppContent.tsx
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ const WorkflowsAppContent: React.FC = () => {
   }), [mode, selectedId, calView, refDate, dashboardId, dispatch]);
 
   return (
-    <div style={{ flex: 1, display: 'flex', minHeight: 0, fontFamily: FONT_SANS, color: WC.ink, background: WC.paper }}>
+    <div style={{ flex: 1, display: 'flex', minHeight: 0, fontFamily: FONT_SANS, color: WC.ink, background: WC.page }}>
       <LeftRail nav={nav} />
       {mode === 'home' && <HomeView nav={nav} />}
       {mode === 'calendar' && <CalendarView nav={nav} />}
diff --git a/frontend/src/app/pages/Workflows/app/uiKit.ts b/frontend/src/app/pages/Workflows/app/uiKit.ts
index 09a029a5..d79c42c2 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/pages/Workflows/app/uiKit.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/app/pages/Workflows/app/uiKit.ts
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import type { ClaudeTokens } from '@/shared/styles/claudeTokens';
 export interface WCPalette {
   accent: string;
   paper: string;
+  page: string;
   panel: string;
   rail: string;
   inset: string;
@@ -43,7 +44,7 @@ export interface WCPalette {
 // The identity half of the palette: accent, text, status, hairlines. The neutral
 // surfaces + structural primitives are blended in from claudeTokens by useWC(),
 // so the window is the same material as every other card.
-type WCColors = Omit<WCPalette, 'shadow' | 'radius' | 'border' | 'paper' | 'panel' | 'rail' | 'inset' | 'raised'>;
+type WCColors = Omit<WCPalette, 'shadow' | 'radius' | 'border' | 'paper' | 'page' | 'panel' | 'rail' | 'inset' | 'raised'>;
 
 export const WC_LIGHT: WCColors = {
   accent: '#C25A36',
@@ -97,15 +98,22 @@ export function useWC(): WCPalette {
   const base = mode === 'dark' ? WC_DARK : WC_LIGHT;
   return {
     ...base,
-    // Surfaces straight from the app tokens, so the window is the same material
-    // as every other card in both themes (the warmth lives in accent + text).
-    // Title bar + sidebar stay on bg.surface (not a darker fill) so the whole
-    // window reads as one card like the chat card; borders separate the regions.
-    paper: c.bg.surface,
-    panel: c.bg.surface,
-    rail: c.bg.surface,
+    // Three-tone depth from the app tokens (matches the Claude design): the
+    // content area sits on `page`, cards/title bar pop on `surface` above it,
+    // and the sidebar/right rail recede on `secondary`. surface > page in BOTH
+    // themes, so cards always pop (no light/dark inversion).
+    // Light's palette inverts (elevated is lighter than surface in light, darker
+    // in dark), so the mid content tone must flip per mode: in light it steps UP
+    // to bg.elevated so the window stands apart from the bg.page canvas behind it
+    // and cards still pop on bg.surface above; in dark bg.page is already darker
+    // than the cards, so it stays. Rows mirror it (surface in light, elevated in
+    // dark) so they always sit above the content.
+    paper: c.bg.surface,                                       // cards, title bar, popovers
+    page: mode === 'dark' ? c.bg.secondary : c.bg.elevated,   // content area: one step above the canvas in both modes
+    panel: c.bg.surface,                                       // title bar
+    rail: mode === 'dark' ? c.bg.page : c.bg.secondary,        // sidebar / right rail: the recessed darkest column
     inset: c.bg.page,
-    raised: c.bg.elevated,
+    raised: mode === 'dark' ? c.bg.elevated : c.bg.surface,    // extra-raised rows / dropdowns
     shadow: c.shadow,
     radius: c.radius,
     border: c.border,