diff --git a/styles/globals.css b/styles/globals.css
index b9e2387..4c09837 100644
--- a/styles/globals.css
+++ b/styles/globals.css
@@ -443,6 +443,15 @@ body {
       label).
    2) Toned down the radial-gradient alphas. Light: 35%/18% → 22%/
       10%. Dark: 40%/22% → 26%/12%. Same shape, gentler glow. */
+/* Hover/focus also surfaces a subtle 1px ember border so the
+   hit-target of the chip is unambiguous even when the cursor is
+   near an edge (operator feedback after PR #111: the spotlight-only
+   hover hid the exact bounds of the interactive surface). The
+   border is 28% alpha — distinctly visible but lighter than the
+   active state's full-saturation ember border so the two states
+   remain readable side-by-side (hover < active). Implemented via
+   box-shadow inset rather than border: 1px to avoid the 1px layout
+   shift a real border would cause when toggling on hover. */
 .nav-item:hover,
 .nav-item-bottom:hover,
 .nav-item-hover:hover,
@@ -450,6 +459,16 @@ body {
 .nav-item-bottom:focus-within,
 .nav-item-hover:focus-within {
   color: var(--text-primary) !important;
+  box-shadow: inset 0 0 0 1px rgba(216, 67, 21, 0.28) !important;
+}
+
+[data-theme="dark"] .nav-item:hover,
+[data-theme="dark"] .nav-item-bottom:hover,
+[data-theme="dark"] .nav-item-hover:hover,
+[data-theme="dark"] .nav-item:focus-within,
+[data-theme="dark"] .nav-item-bottom:focus-within,
+[data-theme="dark"] .nav-item-hover:focus-within {
+  box-shadow: inset 0 0 0 1px rgba(255, 138, 80, 0.34) !important;
 }
 
 /* Mouse-tracking radial spotlight on every hoverable nav surface.