diff --git a/docs/widgets.md b/docs/widgets.md
index 9c48461..82e7f1d 100644
--- a/docs/widgets.md
+++ b/docs/widgets.md
@@ -212,6 +212,70 @@ Per-widget-type notes:
   (`framed_image.html.jinja`, shared between the two) wrapping the
   already-composed image.
 
+### Themes for modern-style widgets
+
+`Frame.theme` (String, default `"classic"`, one Advanced Configuration
+`<select>`) picks a curated visual preset for every modern-style widget
+on that frame -- font family, corner radius, drop shadow, and an accent
+hue for widgets with a header/accent region. Presets live in
+`app/theme_tokens.py`'s `THEMES` dict; `resolve_theme(theme_name,
+widget_kind, palette_rgb)` turns one into concrete, ready-to-render
+values (`accent_hex`/`accent_hex_dark`, resolved `font_regular`/
+`font_bold` file paths, `radius`, `shadow`, `accent_amplitude`). Inspired
+by [Tesserae](https://github.com/dmellok/tesserae)'s (AGPL-3.0) own
+three-layer CSS custom-property theme system -- this is an original
+reimplementation of that *architecture*, not a copy of its token file
+(see this repo's `CLAUDE.md` on copyleft dependencies).
+
+**A theme is purely stylistic, never functional color-coding.** Battery's
+charge-level red/yellow/green, calendar/tasks' per-owner event color
+chips, and text's user-authored inline run colors are status/identity
+signals, not style choices -- no theme may recolor them, and every
+`build_*`/`resolve_theme` call site that touches those stays on its own
+existing logic untouched. Text's own per-widget `font_family` setting
+(a user's explicit content-level choice, same carve-out reasoning) is
+similarly never overridden by a theme -- `build_text` accepts a
+`theme_name` param for signature uniformity with every other modern-
+style builder but deliberately ignores it.
+
+**Rich accent hues, not just the 6 exact panel inks.** A theme's
+`accent_hex` can be any arbitrary color (e.g. terracotta, moss, slate) --
+`html_render.ordered_dither_regions(rendered, palette_rgb,
+base_amplitude, accent_regions=[(rect, amplitude), ...])` dithers the
+whole widget at the existing safe default (`ordered_dither`'s tuned 48,
+unchanged, still icon/text-legible) and then *separately* re-dithers
+just the accent rectangle (a header bar's already-computed pixel rect)
+at a theme's higher `accent_amplitude` (~130) and pastes it back. Safe
+to do per-region for the same reason `ordered_dither` itself is safe
+per-widget: ordered (Bayer) dithering has no cross-pixel error term, so
+a region's result depends only on its own pixels. A single higher
+amplitude applied to the *whole* widget instead was tried and rejected --
+it washes out pale content (a weather icon's white cloud body nearly
+vanished in testing); confining the higher amplitude to just the accent
+rect avoids that while still letting the rect approximate a rich hue via
+denser stippling instead of flatly snapping to one nearest ink (what
+happens to a rich hue at the base amplitude).
+
+**"classic" is a deliberately no-visual-change default.** Its
+`accent_hex` is `None`, meaning "keep this widget kind's own pre-theme
+look exactly": weather's header was always a fixed blue gradient (now
+`theme_tokens._CLASSIC_WEATHER_GRADIENT`, byte-identical to the old
+module-level `ACCENT_START`/`ACCENT_END` constants this system
+replaced); tasks/calendar's header was always a flat single ink resolved
+through `panel_style.THEME` (still is, just via `resolve_theme` now).
+Widget kinds with no ink of their own (battery/text/static/whiteboard)
+fall back to black, though none of their templates currently have an
+accent-colored surface for it to visibly affect.
+
+Which widgets get the richer accent-region treatment: weather's
+`build_daily` (the header bar, when `city_label` is set), tasks, and
+calendar's four view builders (each already computed a `header_h` in
+Python for layout, reused as the accent rect). Weather's `build_current`,
+battery, and static/whiteboard's shared `build_framed_image` are
+theme-aware for font/radius/shadow only -- no header/accent region to
+dither richer, so they call plain `ordered_dither` exactly as before
+themes existed.
+
 ## Button actions
 
 Each physical button (NEXT/BACK) runs the `(widget, action)` binding of
diff --git a/server/app/calendar_html_render.py b/server/app/calendar_html_render.py
index 0a33a0a..10bec93 100644
--- a/server/app/calendar_html_render.py
+++ b/server/app/calendar_html_render.py
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ from zoneinfo import ZoneInfo
 
 from PIL import Image
 
-from . import html_render, panel_style
+from . import html_render, panel_style, theme_tokens
 from .calendar_render import (
     MARGIN,
     WEEKDAY_NAMES,
@@ -71,8 +71,11 @@ def _day_section_data(day: date, events: list[dict], tz: ZoneInfo, palette_rgb,
 
 def build_agenda(events: list[dict], browse_offset: int, target_w: int, target_h: int, tz: ZoneInfo,
                  palette_rgb: list | None = None, weather_cities: list[dict] | None = None,
-                 weather_units: str = "fahrenheit") -> Image.Image:
-    """HTML/CSS-rendered analogue of calendar_render._build_agenda."""
+                 weather_units: str = "fahrenheit", theme_name: str | None = None) -> Image.Image:
+    """HTML/CSS-rendered analogue of calendar_render._build_agenda. Has a
+    header bar -- dithered at the theme's accent_amplitude via
+    ordered_dither_regions."""
+    theme = theme_tokens.resolve_theme(theme_name, "calendar", palette_rgb)
     day = datetime.now(tz).date() + timedelta(days=browse_offset)
     title_size = max(14, min(target_w, target_h) // 12)
     body_size = max(11, min(target_w, target_h) // 20)
@@ -91,24 +94,30 @@ def build_agenda(events: list[dict], browse_offset: int, target_w: int, target_h
     data = _day_section_data(day, events, tz, palette_rgb, weather_cities, weather_units, owners_seen,
                              target_h - header_h - MARGIN, row_h)
 
-    accent = html_render._rgb_to_hex(panel_style.ink(palette_rgb, panel_style.THEME_CALENDAR))
     template = html_render._jinja_env.get_template("calendar_agenda.html.jinja")
     html = template.render(
-        w=target_w, h=target_h, gutter=panel_style.GUTTER, radius=panel_style.CARD_RADIUS,
-        font_dir=str(html_render._FONT_DIR), header=data["header"], title_size=title_size, header_h=header_h,
-        accent_start=accent, accent_end=accent, weather_entries=data["weather_entries"],
+        w=target_w, h=target_h, gutter=panel_style.GUTTER, radius=theme["radius"], shadow=theme["shadow"],
+        font_regular=theme["font_regular"], font_bold=theme["font_bold"],
+        header=data["header"], title_size=title_size, header_h=header_h,
+        accent_start=theme["accent_hex"], accent_end=theme["accent_hex_dark"], weather_entries=data["weather_entries"],
         weather_size=weather_size, unit_suffix=unit_suffix, rows=data["rows"],
         more_count=data["more_count"], row_h=row_h, body_size=body_size,
     )
     rendered = html_render.render_html_to_image(html, target_w, target_h)
-    return html_render.ordered_dither(rendered, palette_rgb)
+    gutter = panel_style.GUTTER
+    accent_rect = (gutter, gutter, target_w - gutter, gutter + header_h)
+    return html_render.ordered_dither_regions(
+        rendered, palette_rgb, accent_regions=[(accent_rect, theme["accent_amplitude"])]
+    )
 
 
 def build_today_tomorrow(events: list[dict], browse_offset: int, target_w: int, target_h: int, tz: ZoneInfo,
                          palette_rgb: list | None = None, weather_cities: list[dict] | None = None,
-                         weather_units: str = "fahrenheit") -> Image.Image:
+                         weather_units: str = "fahrenheit", theme_name: str | None = None) -> Image.Image:
     """HTML/CSS-rendered analogue of calendar_render._build_today_tomorrow
-    -- two day-sections stacked (see _day_section_data)."""
+    -- two day-sections stacked (see _day_section_data), each with its own
+    header bar dithered richer via ordered_dither_regions."""
+    theme = theme_tokens.resolve_theme(theme_name, "calendar", palette_rgb)
     start_day = datetime.now(tz).date() + timedelta(days=browse_offset)
     section_h = target_h // 2
     title_size = max(13, section_h // 8)
@@ -131,26 +140,35 @@ def build_today_tomorrow(events: list[dict], browse_offset: int, target_w: int,
         for d in day_dates
     ]
 
-    accent = html_render._rgb_to_hex(panel_style.ink(palette_rgb, panel_style.THEME_CALENDAR))
     template = html_render._jinja_env.get_template("calendar_today_tomorrow.html.jinja")
     html = template.render(
-        w=target_w, h=target_h, gutter=panel_style.GUTTER, radius=panel_style.CARD_RADIUS,
-        font_dir=str(html_render._FONT_DIR), days=days, title_size=title_size, header_h=header_h,
-        accent_start=accent, accent_end=accent, weather_size=weather_size, unit_suffix=unit_suffix,
-        row_h=row_h, body_size=body_size,
+        w=target_w, h=target_h, gutter=panel_style.GUTTER, radius=theme["radius"], shadow=theme["shadow"],
+        font_regular=theme["font_regular"], font_bold=theme["font_bold"],
+        days=days, title_size=title_size, header_h=header_h,
+        accent_start=theme["accent_hex"], accent_end=theme["accent_hex_dark"], weather_size=weather_size,
+        unit_suffix=unit_suffix, row_h=row_h, body_size=body_size,
     )
     rendered = html_render.render_html_to_image(html, target_w, target_h)
-    return html_render.ordered_dither(rendered, palette_rgb)
+    gutter = panel_style.GUTTER
+    accent_regions = [
+        ((gutter, gutter + i * section_h, target_w - gutter, gutter + i * section_h + header_h),
+         theme["accent_amplitude"])
+        for i in range(len(days))
+    ]
+    return html_render.ordered_dither_regions(rendered, palette_rgb, accent_regions=accent_regions)
 
 
 def build_week(events: list[dict], browse_offset: int, target_w: int, target_h: int, tz: ZoneInfo,
               week_start: int, palette_rgb: list | None = None, weather_cities: list[dict] | None = None,
               weather_units: str = "fahrenheit", days: int = 7, layout: str = "horizontal",
-              start_offset: int = 0) -> Image.Image:
+              start_offset: int = 0, theme_name: str | None = None) -> Image.Image:
     """HTML/CSS-rendered analogue of calendar_render._build_week -- both
     the vertical (stacked day-sections, reusing build_today_tomorrow's
     template with an arbitrary day count) and horizontal (side-by-side
-    columns) layouts."""
+    columns) layouts. Each header (per-section or per-column) dithers
+    richer via ordered_dither_regions."""
+    theme = theme_tokens.resolve_theme(theme_name, "calendar", palette_rgb)
+    gutter = panel_style.GUTTER
     today = datetime.now(tz).date()
     if days == 7:
         days_since_start = (today.weekday() - week_start) % 7
@@ -158,7 +176,6 @@ def build_week(events: list[dict], browse_offset: int, target_w: int, target_h:
     else:
         week_first_day = today + timedelta(days=start_offset) + timedelta(days=days * browse_offset)
     unit_suffix = "F" if weather_units == "fahrenheit" else "C"
-    accent = html_render._rgb_to_hex(panel_style.ink(palette_rgb, panel_style.THEME_CALENDAR))
     owners_seen: list[str] = []
 
     if layout == "vertical":
@@ -180,13 +197,19 @@ def build_week(events: list[dict], browse_offset: int, target_w: int, target_h:
         ]
         template = html_render._jinja_env.get_template("calendar_today_tomorrow.html.jinja")
         html = template.render(
-            w=target_w, h=target_h, gutter=panel_style.GUTTER, radius=panel_style.CARD_RADIUS,
-            font_dir=str(html_render._FONT_DIR), days=day_sections, title_size=title_size, header_h=header_h,
-            accent_start=accent, accent_end=accent, weather_size=weather_size, unit_suffix=unit_suffix,
-            row_h=row_h, body_size=body_size,
+            w=target_w, h=target_h, gutter=gutter, radius=theme["radius"], shadow=theme["shadow"],
+            font_regular=theme["font_regular"], font_bold=theme["font_bold"],
+            days=day_sections, title_size=title_size, header_h=header_h,
+            accent_start=theme["accent_hex"], accent_end=theme["accent_hex_dark"], weather_size=weather_size,
+            unit_suffix=unit_suffix, row_h=row_h, body_size=body_size,
         )
         rendered = html_render.render_html_to_image(html, target_w, target_h)
-        return html_render.ordered_dither(rendered, palette_rgb)
+        accent_regions = [
+            ((gutter, gutter + i * section_h, target_w - gutter, gutter + i * section_h + header_h),
+             theme["accent_amplitude"])
+            for i in range(len(day_sections))
+        ]
+        return html_render.ordered_dither_regions(rendered, palette_rgb, accent_regions=accent_regions)
 
     header_size = max(10, min(16, (target_w // days) // 6))
     chip_size = max(9, header_size - 3)
@@ -219,20 +242,29 @@ def build_week(events: list[dict], browse_offset: int, target_w: int, target_h:
 
     template = html_render._jinja_env.get_template("calendar_week_horizontal.html.jinja")
     html = template.render(
-        w=target_w, h=target_h, gutter=panel_style.GUTTER, radius=panel_style.CARD_RADIUS,
-        font_dir=str(html_render._FONT_DIR), cols=cols, header_size=header_size, chip_size=chip_size,
-        header_h=header_h, weather_size=weather_size, unit_suffix=unit_suffix, accent_start=accent, accent_end=accent,
+        w=target_w, h=target_h, gutter=gutter, radius=theme["radius"], shadow=theme["shadow"],
+        font_regular=theme["font_regular"], font_bold=theme["font_bold"],
+        cols=cols, header_size=header_size, chip_size=chip_size,
+        header_h=header_h, weather_size=weather_size, unit_suffix=unit_suffix,
+        accent_start=theme["accent_hex"], accent_end=theme["accent_hex_dark"],
     )
     rendered = html_render.render_html_to_image(html, target_w, target_h)
-    return html_render.ordered_dither(rendered, palette_rgb)
+    accent_rect = (gutter, gutter, target_w - gutter, gutter + header_h)
+    return html_render.ordered_dither_regions(rendered, palette_rgb, accent_regions=[(accent_rect, theme["accent_amplitude"])])
 
 
 def build_month(events: list[dict], browse_offset: int, target_w: int, target_h: int, tz: ZoneInfo,
-               week_start: int, palette_rgb: list | None = None) -> Image.Image:
+               week_start: int, palette_rgb: list | None = None, theme_name: str | None = None) -> Image.Image:
     """HTML/CSS-rendered analogue of calendar_render._build_month --
     density dots per day, not literal event text, same reasoning as the
     classic renderer (real text at typical month-cell size is close to
-    unreadable on a 6-color dithered e-ink panel)."""
+    unreadable on a 6-color dithered e-ink panel). The per-owner event
+    dots are identity-coding (like every other calendar view's chips) and
+    are never touched by a theme; only the weekday-name row (a flat
+    accent background, no gradient in this view) dithers richer via
+    ordered_dither_regions."""
+    theme = theme_tokens.resolve_theme(theme_name, "calendar", palette_rgb)
+    gutter = panel_style.GUTTER
     today = datetime.now(tz).date()
     target_month = _add_months(date(today.year, today.month, 1), browse_offset)
     weeks_dates = list(
@@ -243,7 +275,6 @@ def build_month(events: list[dict], browse_offset: int, target_w: int, target_h:
     header_size = max(11, min(16, target_h // 30))
     day_size = max(10, min(15, target_w // 55))
     dot_size = max(4, day_size // 2)
-    accent = html_render._rgb_to_hex(panel_style.ink(palette_rgb, panel_style.THEME_CALENDAR))
 
     owners_seen: list[str] = []
     weeks = []
@@ -260,18 +291,22 @@ def build_month(events: list[dict], browse_offset: int, target_w: int, target_h:
 
     template = html_render._jinja_env.get_template("calendar_month.html.jinja")
     html = template.render(
-        w=target_w, h=target_h, gutter=panel_style.GUTTER, radius=panel_style.CARD_RADIUS,
-        font_dir=str(html_render._FONT_DIR), day_names=day_names, weeks=weeks,
-        header_size=header_size, day_size=day_size, dot_size=dot_size, accent_start=accent,
+        w=target_w, h=target_h, gutter=gutter, radius=theme["radius"], shadow=theme["shadow"],
+        font_regular=theme["font_regular"], font_bold=theme["font_bold"],
+        day_names=day_names, weeks=weeks,
+        header_size=header_size, day_size=day_size, dot_size=dot_size, accent_start=theme["accent_hex"],
     )
     rendered = html_render.render_html_to_image(html, target_w, target_h)
-    return html_render.ordered_dither(rendered, palette_rgb)
+    weekday_row_h = header_size + 12
+    accent_rect = (gutter, gutter, target_w - gutter, gutter + weekday_row_h)
+    return html_render.ordered_dither_regions(rendered, palette_rgb,
+                                              accent_regions=[(accent_rect, theme["accent_amplitude"])])
 
 
 def build(events: list[dict], view: str, browse_offset: int, target_w: int, target_h: int, tz: ZoneInfo,
          week_start: int, palette_rgb: list | None = None, weather_cities: list[dict] | None = None,
          weather_units: str = "fahrenheit", week_days: int = 7, week_layout: str = "horizontal",
-         week_start_offset: int = 0) -> Image.Image:
+         week_start_offset: int = 0, theme_name: str | None = None) -> Image.Image:
     """Dispatches to the right build_* -- mirrors calendar_render._build's
     exact "month falls back to agenda when it doesn't fit" resolution, so
     a narrow month-mode widget set to modern style still gets a sensible
@@ -281,11 +316,12 @@ def build(events: list[dict], view: str, browse_offset: int, target_w: int, targ
         effective_view = "agenda"
 
     if effective_view == "agenda":
-        return build_agenda(events, browse_offset, target_w, target_h, tz, palette_rgb, weather_cities, weather_units)
+        return build_agenda(events, browse_offset, target_w, target_h, tz, palette_rgb, weather_cities,
+                            weather_units, theme_name)
     if effective_view == "today_tomorrow":
         return build_today_tomorrow(events, browse_offset, target_w, target_h, tz, palette_rgb, weather_cities,
-                                    weather_units)
+                                    weather_units, theme_name)
     if effective_view == "week":
         return build_week(events, browse_offset, target_w, target_h, tz, week_start, palette_rgb, weather_cities,
-                          weather_units, week_days, week_layout, week_start_offset)
-    return build_month(events, browse_offset, target_w, target_h, tz, week_start, palette_rgb)
+                          weather_units, week_days, week_layout, week_start_offset, theme_name)
+    return build_month(events, browse_offset, target_w, target_h, tz, week_start, palette_rgb, theme_name)
diff --git a/server/app/html_render.py b/server/app/html_render.py
index 2ebe189..0f85a6d 100644
--- a/server/app/html_render.py
+++ b/server/app/html_render.py
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ dithering) plus one `build_*` function per widget type that has a
 modern-style builder -- battery/text/tasks/static image/whiteboard live
 here directly (mirroring how those widget types are themselves "inlined"
 in their own widget.py rather than getting a dedicated render module);
-calendar's (agenda mode only, see calendar_html_render.py) is the one
+calendar's (all four view modes, see calendar_html_render.py) is the one
 exception, kept separate the same reason calendar_render.py itself is
 its own 800+ line file rather than joining battery/text/tasks inline.
 Not offered for the photos widget -- a real photograph isn't a
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ import numpy as np
 from jinja2 import Environment, FileSystemLoader, select_autoescape
 from PIL import Image
 
-from . import panel_style
+from . import panel_style, theme_tokens
 from .image_pipeline import DEFAULT_PALETTE_RGB, hex_to_rgb
 
 _TEMPLATE_DIR = Path(__file__).resolve().parent / "templates" / "widget_html"
@@ -87,16 +87,6 @@ CATEGORY_EMOJI = {
     "thunderstorm": "⛈️",
 }
 
-# ACCENT_START/END: a fixed blue gradient pair for the "modern" style's
-# card header -- deliberately not routed through panel_style.theme_color
-# (unlike every classic-rendered widget's chrome), since the whole point
-# of this style is the gradient look ordered_dither below then commits
-# to exact palette colors anyway; which literal hex this starts from
-# doesn't matter to the end result the way it would for a flat PIL fill.
-ACCENT_START = "#1c4fd6"
-ACCENT_END = "#6fa8ff"
-
-
 def _rgb_to_hex(rgb: tuple[int, int, int]) -> str:
     return "#%02x%02x%02x" % tuple(rgb)
 
@@ -104,7 +94,7 @@ def _rgb_to_hex(rgb: tuple[int, int, int]) -> str:
 def _darken_hex(rgb: tuple[int, int, int], factor: float = 0.75) -> str:
     """A darker shade of `rgb` for a CSS gradient's second stop -- purely
     decorative (ordered_dither commits everything to exact palette colors
-    regardless), same reasoning ACCENT_START/END's own comment gives."""
+    regardless of which literal hex a gradient starts from)."""
     return _rgb_to_hex(tuple(max(0, round(c * factor)) for c in rgb))
 
 
@@ -247,6 +237,26 @@ def ordered_dither(img: Image.Image, palette_rgb: list | None, amplitude: float
     return Image.fromarray(palette[idx].astype(np.uint8), "RGB")
 
 
+def ordered_dither_regions(rendered: Image.Image, palette_rgb: list | None, base_amplitude: float = 48.0,
+                           accent_regions: list[tuple[tuple[int, int, int, int], float]] = ()) -> Image.Image:
+    """Like `ordered_dither`, but lets specific rectangles (e.g. a themed
+    header bar) dither at a higher amplitude than the rest of the widget.
+    A single higher amplitude applied to a whole widget washes out pale
+    content (a weather icon's white cloud body nearly disappeared in
+    testing); dithering the base image at the safe default and only
+    re-dithering an accent rect on top -- pasted back over the base --
+    lets a header carry a rich, arbitrary accent hue (via denser
+    stippling) without touching icon/text legibility elsewhere. Safe to
+    do per-region for the same reason `ordered_dither` is safe per-widget
+    (see its docstring): no cross-pixel error-diffusion term, so each
+    region's result depends only on its own pixels."""
+    base = ordered_dither(rendered, palette_rgb, amplitude=base_amplitude)
+    for (x0, y0, x1, y1), amplitude in accent_regions:
+        crop = rendered.crop((x0, y0, x1, y1))
+        base.paste(ordered_dither(crop, palette_rgb, amplitude=amplitude), (x0, y0))
+    return base
+
+
 # --- Weather "modern" style ----------------------------------------------
 
 def _day_label(day_date: date) -> str:
@@ -259,21 +269,25 @@ def _day_label(day_date: date) -> str:
 
 
 def build_current(entry: dict | None, target_w: int, target_h: int, palette_rgb: list | None = None,
-                  units: str = "fahrenheit", city_label: str = "") -> Image.Image:
+                  units: str = "fahrenheit", city_label: str = "", theme_name: str | None = None) -> Image.Image:
     """HTML/CSS-rendered analogue of weather_render.build_current --
     same call signature, so app/widgets/weather.py can dispatch to
     either interchangeably. Returns an already-palette-exact RGB image
-    (see ordered_dither)."""
+    (see ordered_dither). No header/accent region here (just a centered
+    icon+temp) -- theme-aware for font/radius only, plain ordered_dither
+    (no ordered_dither_regions call)."""
     img = Image.new("RGB", (target_w, target_h), (255, 255, 255))
     if not entry:
         return img
 
+    theme = theme_tokens.resolve_theme(theme_name, "weather", palette_rgb)
     unit_suffix = "F" if units == "fahrenheit" else "C"
     icon_size = max(28, min(target_w, target_h) // 3)
     template = _jinja_env.get_template("weather_current.html.jinja")
     html = template.render(
-        w=target_w, h=target_h, gutter=panel_style.GUTTER, radius=panel_style.CARD_RADIUS,
-        font_dir=str(_FONT_DIR), emoji=CATEGORY_EMOJI.get(entry["category"], ""),
+        w=target_w, h=target_h, gutter=panel_style.GUTTER, radius=theme["radius"],
+        font_regular=theme["font_regular"], font_bold=theme["font_bold"],
+        emoji=CATEGORY_EMOJI.get(entry["category"], ""),
         temp=round(entry["temp"]), unit_suffix=unit_suffix, city_label=city_label,
         icon_size=icon_size, temp_size=max(24, min(target_w, target_h) // 3),
         label_size=max(12, icon_size // 3),
@@ -283,15 +297,18 @@ def build_current(entry: dict | None, target_w: int, target_h: int, palette_rgb:
 
 
 def build_daily(daily: dict[str, dict], target_w: int, target_h: int, palette_rgb: list | None = None,
-               units: str = "fahrenheit", city_label: str = "") -> Image.Image:
+               units: str = "fahrenheit", city_label: str = "", theme_name: str | None = None) -> Image.Image:
     """HTML/CSS-rendered analogue of weather_render.build_daily -- same
     call signature. Returns an already-palette-exact RGB image (see
-    ordered_dither)."""
+    ordered_dither). Has a header bar -- dithered at the theme's
+    accent_amplitude via ordered_dither_regions, richer than the rest of
+    the widget (see that function's docstring for why)."""
     img = Image.new("RGB", (target_w, target_h), (255, 255, 255))
     days = list(daily.items())
     if not days:
         return img
 
+    theme = theme_tokens.resolve_theme(theme_name, "weather", palette_rgb)
     unit_suffix = "F" if units == "fahrenheit" else "C"
     header_h = max(28, min(target_w, target_h) // 8) if city_label else 0
     col_w = max(1, target_w // len(days))
@@ -307,21 +324,26 @@ def build_daily(daily: dict[str, dict], target_w: int, target_h: int, palette_rg
     ]
     template = _jinja_env.get_template("weather_daily.html.jinja")
     html = template.render(
-        w=target_w, h=target_h, gutter=panel_style.GUTTER, radius=panel_style.CARD_RADIUS,
-        font_dir=str(_FONT_DIR), city_label=city_label, header_h=header_h,
-        title_size=max(14, header_h - 12), accent_start=ACCENT_START, accent_end=ACCENT_END,
+        w=target_w, h=target_h, gutter=panel_style.GUTTER, radius=theme["radius"], shadow=theme["shadow"],
+        font_regular=theme["font_regular"], font_bold=theme["font_bold"],
+        city_label=city_label, header_h=header_h,
+        title_size=max(14, header_h - 12), accent_start=theme["accent_hex"], accent_end=theme["accent_hex_dark"],
         days=day_entries, icon_size=icon_size, label_size=max(12, icon_size // 2),
         unit_suffix=unit_suffix,
     )
     rendered = render_html_to_image(html, target_w, target_h)
-    return ordered_dither(rendered, palette_rgb)
+    if header_h <= 0:
+        return ordered_dither(rendered, palette_rgb)
+    gutter = panel_style.GUTTER
+    accent_rect = (gutter, gutter, target_w - gutter, gutter + header_h)
+    return ordered_dither_regions(rendered, palette_rgb, accent_regions=[(accent_rect, theme["accent_amplitude"])])
 
 
 SUPPORTED_MODES = ("current", "daily")
 
 
 def build(mode: str, data, target_w: int, target_h: int, palette_rgb: list | None = None,
-         units: str = "fahrenheit", city_label: str = "") -> Image.Image:
+         units: str = "fahrenheit", city_label: str = "", theme_name: str | None = None) -> Image.Image:
     """Dispatches to build_current/build_daily -- mirrors weather_render.
     build()'s signature (minus interval_hours, which no modern-style mode
     uses) so app/widgets/weather.py and the weather preview endpoint can
@@ -329,12 +351,13 @@ def build(mode: str, data, target_w: int, target_h: int, palette_rgb: list | Non
     SUPPORTED_MODES -- callers are expected to have already fallen back to
     weather_render.build() for hourly/multi_city (see weather.py)."""
     if mode == "current":
-        return build_current(data, target_w, target_h, palette_rgb, units, city_label)
-    return build_daily(data, target_w, target_h, palette_rgb, units, city_label)
+        return build_current(data, target_w, target_h, palette_rgb, units, city_label, theme_name)
+    return build_daily(data, target_w, target_h, palette_rgb, units, city_label, theme_name)
 
 
 def render_weather_preview_png(mode: str, data, orientation: str, palette_rgb: list | None,
-                               units: str = "fahrenheit", city_label: str = "") -> bytes:
+                               units: str = "fahrenheit", city_label: str = "",
+                               theme_name: str | None = None) -> bytes:
     """Modern-style analogue of weather_render.render_weather_preview_png
     -- same browser-viewable-PNG convention every other widget's preview
     endpoint uses. build()'s output is already palette-exact (see
@@ -343,7 +366,7 @@ def render_weather_preview_png(mode: str, data, orientation: str, palette_rgb: l
     from .image_pipeline import _quantize, _png_bytes, logical_render_size
 
     target_w, target_h = logical_render_size(orientation)
-    img = build(mode, data, target_w, target_h, palette_rgb, units, city_label)
+    img = build(mode, data, target_w, target_h, palette_rgb, units, city_label, theme_name)
     quantized = _quantize(img, palette_rgb, dither_strength=1.0)
     return _png_bytes(quantized)
 
@@ -361,13 +384,16 @@ def _battery_sizes(target_w: int, target_h: int, num_lines: int, scale: float) -
 
 
 def build_battery(percent: int, lines: list[str], target_w: int, target_h: int,
-                  palette_rgb: list | None = None) -> Image.Image:
+                  palette_rgb: list | None = None, theme_name: str | None = None) -> Image.Image:
     """HTML/CSS-rendered analogue of widgets/battery.py's classic PIL
     drawing -- same icon+percent+caption-lines shape, `lines` already
     resolved by the caller (widgets/battery.py's _lines_for(), shared
     with the classic path so the estimate/age formatting only lives in
     one place). Returns an already-palette-exact RGB image (see
-    ordered_dither).
+    ordered_dither). Theme-aware for font/radius only -- the charge-level
+    fill_color below is a functional status signal (not a style choice)
+    and is never touched by a theme, and there's no header/accent region
+    to dither richer via ordered_dither_regions.
 
     Shrinks icon/text sizes together (in 0.05 steps down to 0.3x) until
     the whole stack actually fits the available height -- the classic
@@ -392,6 +418,7 @@ def build_battery(percent: int, lines: list[str], target_w: int, target_h: int,
         num_lines = len(lines)
         sizes = _battery_sizes(target_w, target_h, num_lines, scale)
 
+    theme = theme_tokens.resolve_theme(theme_name, "battery", palette_rgb)
     fill_color = panel_style.battery_fill_color(percent, palette_rgb)
     icon_h = sizes["icon_h"]
     icon_w = int(icon_h * 1.8)
@@ -399,8 +426,8 @@ def build_battery(percent: int, lines: list[str], target_w: int, target_h: int,
     nub_w = max(3, icon_w // 10)
     template = _jinja_env.get_template("battery.html.jinja")
     html = template.render(
-        w=target_w, h=target_h, gutter=panel_style.GUTTER, radius=panel_style.CARD_RADIUS,
-        font_dir=str(_FONT_DIR), percent=percent, lines=lines,
+        w=target_w, h=target_h, gutter=panel_style.GUTTER, radius=theme["radius"],
+        font_regular=theme["font_regular"], font_bold=theme["font_bold"], percent=percent, lines=lines,
         icon_w=icon_w, icon_h=icon_h, icon_radius=icon_h // 6, stroke=stroke,
         fill_pct=max(0, min(100, percent)), fill_radius=max(0, icon_h // 6 - stroke),
         fill_color=_rgb_to_hex(fill_color), fill_color_dark=_darken_hex(fill_color),
@@ -413,7 +440,8 @@ def build_battery(percent: int, lines: list[str], target_w: int, target_h: int,
 
 # --- Text "modern" style ---------------------------------------------------
 
-def build_text(cfg, target_w: int, target_h: int, palette_rgb: list | None = None) -> Image.Image:
+def build_text(cfg, target_w: int, target_h: int, palette_rgb: list | None = None,
+              theme_name: str | None = None) -> Image.Image:
     """HTML/CSS-rendered analogue of widgets/text.py's classic PIL
     drawing. Reuses widgets/text.py's own `_fit()` for the one piece of
     logic CSS has no native equivalent for (shrink-to-fit sizing) --
@@ -425,7 +453,15 @@ def build_text(cfg, target_w: int, target_h: int, palette_rgb: list | None = Non
     algorithms can disagree on exact break points, an acceptable
     approximation since this style only needs to look good and fit
     reasonably, not be pixel-identical to classic. Returns an already-
-    palette-exact RGB image (see ordered_dither)."""
+    palette-exact RGB image (see ordered_dither).
+
+    theme_name is accepted (every modern-style build_* function takes
+    one, threaded uniformly from frame.theme) but deliberately unused --
+    the text widget's own font_family is a per-widget, user-authored
+    choice (see widgets/text.py's module docstring), same carve-out
+    reasoning as run-level colors; a frame theme overriding it would
+    silently undo an explicit user choice. text.html.jinja also has no
+    card chrome (no radius/shadow) for a theme to touch."""
     from PIL import ImageDraw
 
     from . import widgets  # local import: heavy-ish, and only "modern" text needs it
@@ -459,15 +495,19 @@ def build_text(cfg, target_w: int, target_h: int, palette_rgb: list | None = Non
 # --- Tasks "modern" style ---------------------------------------------------
 
 def build_tasks(tasks: list[dict], target_w: int, target_h: int, palette_rgb: list | None = None,
-                title: str = "Tasks") -> Image.Image:
+                title: str = "Tasks", theme_name: str | None = None) -> Image.Image:
     """HTML/CSS-rendered analogue of calendar_render._build_tasks --
     same header+checklist shape. Reuses calendar_render's own
     _event_colors/_fmt_task_due (the exact color-dedup/due-date-format
     logic the classic renderer uses) so a task's color chip/due string
-    matches classic style exactly; only the drawing differs. Returns an
-    already-palette-exact RGB image (see ordered_dither)."""
+    matches classic style exactly; only the drawing differs -- and a
+    theme's accent never touches those per-owner chip colors (identity-
+    coding, not style). Has a header bar -- dithered at the theme's
+    accent_amplitude via ordered_dither_regions. Returns an already-
+    palette-exact RGB image (see ordered_dither)."""
     from .calendar_render import _event_colors, _fmt_task_due
 
+    theme = theme_tokens.resolve_theme(theme_name, "tasks", palette_rgb)
     header_h = max(28, min(target_w, target_h) // 8)
     body_size = max(11, min(target_w, target_h) // 20)
     row_h = body_size + 14
@@ -491,35 +531,40 @@ def build_tasks(tasks: list[dict], target_w: int, target_h: int, palette_rgb: li
 
     template = _jinja_env.get_template("tasks.html.jinja")
     html = template.render(
-        w=target_w, h=target_h, gutter=panel_style.GUTTER, radius=panel_style.CARD_RADIUS,
-        font_dir=str(_FONT_DIR), title=title, header_h=header_h, title_size=max(14, header_h - 12),
-        accent_start=_rgb_to_hex(panel_style.ink(palette_rgb, panel_style.THEME_TASKS)),
-        accent_end=_rgb_to_hex(panel_style.ink(palette_rgb, panel_style.THEME_TASKS)),
+        w=target_w, h=target_h, gutter=panel_style.GUTTER, radius=theme["radius"], shadow=theme["shadow"],
+        font_regular=theme["font_regular"], font_bold=theme["font_bold"],
+        title=title, header_h=header_h, title_size=max(14, header_h - 12),
+        accent_start=theme["accent_hex"], accent_end=theme["accent_hex_dark"],
         rows=rows, more_count=more_count, row_h=row_h, box_size=box_size, body_size=body_size,
     )
     rendered = render_html_to_image(html, target_w, target_h)
-    return ordered_dither(rendered, palette_rgb)
+    gutter = panel_style.GUTTER
+    accent_rect = (gutter, gutter, target_w - gutter, gutter + header_h)
+    return ordered_dither_regions(rendered, palette_rgb, accent_regions=[(accent_rect, theme["accent_amplitude"])])
 
 
 # --- Static image / whiteboard "modern" style (shared) ---------------------
 
 def build_framed_image(composed: Image.Image, target_w: int, target_h: int,
-                       palette_rgb: list | None = None) -> Image.Image:
+                       palette_rgb: list | None = None, theme_name: str | None = None,
+                       widget_kind: str = "static") -> Image.Image:
     """Wraps an already-composed image (static_image.py/whiteboard.py's
     own compose_into() output, exactly target_w x target_h, already
     cropped/fit per that widget's own display_mode) in a rounded-corner,
     shadowed card -- the first visual chrome either widget type has ever
-    had (both currently draw with zero chrome of their own). Returns an
-    already-palette-exact RGB image (see ordered_dither)."""
+    had (both currently draw with zero chrome of their own). Theme-aware
+    for radius/shadow only -- no text/header content to accent or font.
+    Returns an already-palette-exact RGB image (see ordered_dither)."""
     import base64
 
+    theme = theme_tokens.resolve_theme(theme_name, widget_kind, palette_rgb)
     buf = io.BytesIO()
     composed.convert("RGB").save(buf, format="PNG")
     image_b64 = base64.b64encode(buf.getvalue()).decode("ascii")
 
     template = _jinja_env.get_template("framed_image.html.jinja")
     html = template.render(
-        w=target_w, h=target_h, gutter=panel_style.GUTTER, radius=panel_style.CARD_RADIUS,
+        w=target_w, h=target_h, gutter=panel_style.GUTTER, radius=theme["radius"], shadow=theme["shadow"],
         image_b64=image_b64,
     )
     rendered = render_html_to_image(html, target_w, target_h)
diff --git a/server/app/migration.py b/server/app/migration.py
index 096f713..225f67d 100644
--- a/server/app/migration.py
+++ b/server/app/migration.py
@@ -880,6 +880,15 @@ def _migration_38(conn) -> None:
         conn.execute(text("ALTER TABLE calendar_widget_configs ADD COLUMN render_style TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT 'classic'"))
 
 
+def _migration_39(conn) -> None:
+    """Frame-level curated theme for "modern" style widgets (models.
+    Frame.theme, see theme_tokens.THEMES) -- same guarded-per-column
+    shape as every prior migration."""
+    existing = {c["name"] for c in inspect(conn).get_columns("frames")}
+    if "theme" not in existing:
+        conn.execute(text("ALTER TABLE frames ADD COLUMN theme TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT 'classic'"))
+
+
 MIGRATIONS = [
     (1, _migration_1),
     (2, _migration_2),
@@ -919,6 +928,7 @@ MIGRATIONS = [
     (36, _migration_36),
     (37, _migration_37),
     (38, _migration_38),
+    (39, _migration_39),
 ]
 
 
diff --git a/server/app/models.py b/server/app/models.py
index c9ba298..4f319b9 100644
--- a/server/app/models.py
+++ b/server/app/models.py
@@ -186,6 +186,11 @@ class Frame(Base):
     # for real photographs. NULL/1.0 = same defaults as the main fields.
     photo_palette_rgb: Mapped[list | None] = mapped_column(JSON, nullable=True, default=None)
     photo_dither_strength: Mapped[float] = mapped_column(Float, default=1.0)
+    # Curated visual theme for "modern" (HTML/CSS) style widgets -- see
+    # theme_tokens.THEMES. Frame-level (like palette_rgb/dither_strength
+    # above), not per-widget, since a theme is "how this frame looks."
+    # Widgets rendered in classic (PIL) style ignore this entirely.
+    theme: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String, default="classic")
 
     # -- calendar mode (see calendar_feed.py, calendar_render.py,
     # routers/device.py's RENDERERS["calendar"]) --
diff --git a/server/app/routers/api_frames.py b/server/app/routers/api_frames.py
index 2898622..1ef1784 100644
--- a/server/app/routers/api_frames.py
+++ b/server/app/routers/api_frames.py
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ from fastapi.responses import Response
 from sqlalchemy import select
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 
-from .. import gitea_releases, grid, quiet_hours
+from .. import gitea_releases, grid, quiet_hours, theme_tokens
 from ..auth import require_frame_control, require_frame_view, require_user_api
 from ..db import frame_locked, get_db
 from ..global_actions import GLOBAL_ACTIONS
@@ -108,6 +108,7 @@ def api_config_save(
     photo_palette: list[str] | None = Form(None),
     photo_palette_reset: bool | None = Form(None),
     photo_dither_strength: float | None = Form(None),
+    theme: str | None = Form(None),
     hold_duration_ms: int | None = Form(None),
     next_hold_action: str | None = Form(None),
     back_hold_action: str | None = Form(None),
@@ -196,6 +197,8 @@ def api_config_save(
             cfg.photo_palette_rgb = [list(rgb) for rgb in parsed]
         if photo_dither_strength is not None:
             cfg.photo_dither_strength = max(0.0, min(1.0, photo_dither_strength))
+        if theme is not None:
+            cfg.theme = theme if theme in theme_tokens.THEMES else "classic"
         if hold_duration_ms is not None:
             cfg.hold_duration_ms = max(MIN_HOLD_DURATION_MS, min(MAX_HOLD_DURATION_MS, hold_duration_ms))
         if next_hold_action is not None:
diff --git a/server/app/routers/api_widgets.py b/server/app/routers/api_widgets.py
index 5924fc2..723ed70 100644
--- a/server/app/routers/api_widgets.py
+++ b/server/app/routers/api_widgets.py
@@ -876,6 +876,7 @@ def api_widget_preview_calendar(
         img = calendar_html_render.build(
             events, ccfg.view, ccfg.browse_offset, target_w, target_h, tz, ccfg.week_start, frame.palette_rgb,
             weather_cities, ccfg.weather_units, ccfg.week_days, ccfg.week_layout, ccfg.week_start_offset,
+            frame.theme,
         )
         quantized = _quantize(img, frame.palette_rgb, dither_strength=1.0)
         png = _png_bytes(quantized)
@@ -911,7 +912,7 @@ def api_widget_preview_tasks(
         from .. import html_render
 
         target_w, target_h = logical_render_size(frame.orientation)
-        img = html_render.build_tasks(tasks, target_w, target_h, frame.palette_rgb, title)
+        img = html_render.build_tasks(tasks, target_w, target_h, frame.palette_rgb, title, frame.theme)
         quantized = _quantize(img, frame.palette_rgb, dither_strength=1.0)
         png = _png_bytes(quantized)
     else:
@@ -1170,7 +1171,7 @@ def api_widget_preview_weather(
 
         png = html_render.render_weather_preview_png(
             wcfg.mode, data, orientation=frame.orientation, palette_rgb=frame.palette_rgb, units=wcfg.units,
-            city_label=wcfg.city_label or "",
+            city_label=wcfg.city_label or "", theme_name=frame.theme,
         )
     else:
         png = weather_render.render_weather_preview_png(
@@ -1230,7 +1231,7 @@ def api_widget_preview_static(
         composed = compose_into(source, faces=None, target_w=target_w, target_h=target_h,
                                 display_mode=scfg.display_mode)
         fitted = _enhance(composed, frame.color_boost, frame.contrast_boost)
-        img = html_render.build_framed_image(fitted, target_w, target_h, frame.palette_rgb)
+        img = html_render.build_framed_image(fitted, target_w, target_h, frame.palette_rgb, frame.theme, "static")
         quantized = _quantize(img, frame.palette_rgb, dither_strength=1.0)
         png = _png_bytes(quantized)
     else:
@@ -1257,7 +1258,8 @@ def api_widget_preview_text(
     xcfg = db.get(TextWidgetConfig, widget.id)
     if not has_text(xcfg.content):
         raise HTTPException(400, "No text authored on this widget yet")
-    png = text_widget.render_preview_png(xcfg, orientation=frame.orientation, palette_rgb=frame.palette_rgb)
+    png = text_widget.render_preview_png(xcfg, orientation=frame.orientation, palette_rgb=frame.palette_rgb,
+                                         theme_name=frame.theme)
     return Response(content=png, media_type="image/png")
 
 
@@ -1379,7 +1381,8 @@ def api_widget_preview_whiteboard(
         target_w, target_h = logical_render_size(frame.orientation)
         composed = compose_into(source, faces=None, target_w=target_w, target_h=target_h,
                                 display_mode="letterbox")
-        img = html_render.build_framed_image(composed, target_w, target_h, frame.palette_rgb)
+        img = html_render.build_framed_image(composed, target_w, target_h, frame.palette_rgb, frame.theme,
+                                             "whiteboard")
         quantized = _quantize(img, frame.palette_rgb, dither_strength=1.0)
         png = _png_bytes(quantized)
     else:
diff --git a/server/app/routers/frame_pages.py b/server/app/routers/frame_pages.py
index 7d43c8c..14849cc 100644
--- a/server/app/routers/frame_pages.py
+++ b/server/app/routers/frame_pages.py
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ from fastapi.templating import Jinja2Templates
 from sqlalchemy import select
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 
-from .. import weather
+from .. import theme_tokens, weather
 from ..auth import can_view_frame, current_user
 from ..calendar_render import CALENDAR_VIEW_LABELS
 from ..db import get_db
@@ -94,6 +94,7 @@ def frame_config_page(frame_id: int, request: Request, db: Session = Depends(get
         palette_to_hex=palette_to_hex,
         photo_widget_id=photo_widget_id,
         global_action_labels=GLOBAL_ACTION_LABELS,
+        themes=theme_tokens.THEMES,
     )
 
 
diff --git a/server/app/static/frame_config.js b/server/app/static/frame_config.js
index 5442268..d9ceb00 100644
--- a/server/app/static/frame_config.js
+++ b/server/app/static/frame_config.js
@@ -260,6 +260,24 @@ document.getElementById('photo-palette-reset').addEventListener('click', () => {
   savePalette('photo-palette', 'photo_palette', { photo_palette_reset: 'true', photo_dither_strength: '1' });
 });
 
+// ---- Theme ----
+
+document.getElementById('theme-save').addEventListener('click', async () => {
+  const body = new URLSearchParams({ theme: document.getElementById('theme-select').value });
+  try {
+    const resp = await fetch(`${window.FRAME_API}/config`, {
+      method: 'POST',
+      headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded' },
+      body,
+    });
+    if (!resp.ok) throw new Error(await apiError(resp));
+    showStatus(true, 'Saved.');
+    loadPreview();
+  } catch (e) {
+    showStatus(false, e.message);
+  }
+});
+
 // ---- Preview: current photo vs. how it renders with saved settings ----
 // Scoped to this frame's photo widget (window.PHOTO_WIDGET_PREVIEW_API,
 // set by the template) rather than window.FRAME_API -- palette/color/
diff --git a/server/app/templates/frame_config.html b/server/app/templates/frame_config.html
index 23af66e..04a83ff 100644
--- a/server/app/templates/frame_config.html
+++ b/server/app/templates/frame_config.html
@@ -196,6 +196,23 @@
           Compare against the physical panel before keeping it.</p>
       </details>
 
+      <details class="card">
+        <summary class="card-title">Theme</summary>
+        <p class="sub">A curated visual style for widgets using the
+          "modern" (experimental) render style -- font, corner radius,
+          shadow, and header accent. Widgets rendered in the classic
+          style are unaffected. Photos are unaffected too (see Photos
+          configuration below).</p>
+        <label>Theme
+          <select id="theme-select">
+            {% for key, t in themes.items() %}
+              <option value="{{ key }}" {% if frame.theme == key %}selected{% endif %}>{{ t.label }}</option>
+            {% endfor %}
+          </select>
+        </label>
+        <button type="button" class="secondary" id="theme-save" style="margin-top: 16px;">Save</button>
+      </details>
+
       <details class="card">
         <summary class="card-title">Photos configuration</summary>
         <p class="sub">Palette and dithering used <strong>only</strong> by
diff --git a/server/app/templates/widget_html/battery.html.jinja b/server/app/templates/widget_html/battery.html.jinja
index 2cfca71..513ee13 100644
--- a/server/app/templates/widget_html/battery.html.jinja
+++ b/server/app/templates/widget_html/battery.html.jinja
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 <!doctype html>
 <html><head><style>
-  @font-face { font-family: "Inter"; src: url("file://{{ font_dir }}/Inter-Regular.ttf"); font-weight: 400; }
-  @font-face { font-family: "Inter"; src: url("file://{{ font_dir }}/Inter-Bold.ttf"); font-weight: 700; }
-  * { margin: 0; padding: 0; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Inter", sans-serif; }
+  @font-face { font-family: "ThemeFont"; src: url("file://{{ font_regular }}"); font-weight: 400; }
+  @font-face { font-family: "ThemeFont"; src: url("file://{{ font_bold }}"); font-weight: 700; }
+  * { margin: 0; padding: 0; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "ThemeFont", sans-serif; }
   body { width: {{ w }}px; height: {{ h }}px; background: #ffffff; }
   .card {
     width: {{ w - gutter * 2 }}px;
diff --git a/server/app/templates/widget_html/calendar_agenda.html.jinja b/server/app/templates/widget_html/calendar_agenda.html.jinja
index 9bb7fb9..4c645f9 100644
--- a/server/app/templates/widget_html/calendar_agenda.html.jinja
+++ b/server/app/templates/widget_html/calendar_agenda.html.jinja
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 <!doctype html>
 <html><head><style>
-  @font-face { font-family: "Inter"; src: url("file://{{ font_dir }}/Inter-Regular.ttf"); font-weight: 400; }
-  @font-face { font-family: "Inter"; src: url("file://{{ font_dir }}/Inter-Bold.ttf"); font-weight: 700; }
-  * { margin: 0; padding: 0; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Inter", sans-serif; }
+  @font-face { font-family: "ThemeFont"; src: url("file://{{ font_regular }}"); font-weight: 400; }
+  @font-face { font-family: "ThemeFont"; src: url("file://{{ font_bold }}"); font-weight: 700; }
+  * { margin: 0; padding: 0; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "ThemeFont", sans-serif; }
   body { width: {{ w }}px; height: {{ h }}px; background: #ffffff; }
   .card {
     width: {{ w - gutter * 2 }}px;
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
     margin: {{ gutter }}px;
     border-radius: {{ radius }}px;
     overflow: hidden;
-    box-shadow: 0 4px 14px rgba(0, 20, 60, 0.2);
+    {% if shadow %}box-shadow: 0 4px 14px rgba(0, 20, 60, 0.2);{% endif %}
     background: #ffffff;
     display: flex;
     flex-direction: column;
diff --git a/server/app/templates/widget_html/calendar_month.html.jinja b/server/app/templates/widget_html/calendar_month.html.jinja
index 011db3f..98348eb 100644
--- a/server/app/templates/widget_html/calendar_month.html.jinja
+++ b/server/app/templates/widget_html/calendar_month.html.jinja
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 <!doctype html>
 <html><head><style>
-  @font-face { font-family: "Inter"; src: url("file://{{ font_dir }}/Inter-Regular.ttf"); font-weight: 400; }
-  @font-face { font-family: "Inter"; src: url("file://{{ font_dir }}/Inter-Bold.ttf"); font-weight: 700; }
-  * { margin: 0; padding: 0; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Inter", sans-serif; }
+  @font-face { font-family: "ThemeFont"; src: url("file://{{ font_regular }}"); font-weight: 400; }
+  @font-face { font-family: "ThemeFont"; src: url("file://{{ font_bold }}"); font-weight: 700; }
+  * { margin: 0; padding: 0; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "ThemeFont", sans-serif; }
   body { width: {{ w }}px; height: {{ h }}px; background: #ffffff; }
   .card {
     width: {{ w - gutter * 2 }}px;
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
     margin: {{ gutter }}px;
     border-radius: {{ radius }}px;
     overflow: hidden;
-    box-shadow: 0 4px 14px rgba(0, 20, 60, 0.2);
+    {% if shadow %}box-shadow: 0 4px 14px rgba(0, 20, 60, 0.2);{% endif %}
     background: #ffffff;
     display: flex;
     flex-direction: column;
diff --git a/server/app/templates/widget_html/calendar_today_tomorrow.html.jinja b/server/app/templates/widget_html/calendar_today_tomorrow.html.jinja
index ff4be8b..e94354a 100644
--- a/server/app/templates/widget_html/calendar_today_tomorrow.html.jinja
+++ b/server/app/templates/widget_html/calendar_today_tomorrow.html.jinja
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 <!doctype html>
 <html><head><style>
-  @font-face { font-family: "Inter"; src: url("file://{{ font_dir }}/Inter-Regular.ttf"); font-weight: 400; }
-  @font-face { font-family: "Inter"; src: url("file://{{ font_dir }}/Inter-Bold.ttf"); font-weight: 700; }
-  * { margin: 0; padding: 0; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Inter", sans-serif; }
+  @font-face { font-family: "ThemeFont"; src: url("file://{{ font_regular }}"); font-weight: 400; }
+  @font-face { font-family: "ThemeFont"; src: url("file://{{ font_bold }}"); font-weight: 700; }
+  * { margin: 0; padding: 0; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "ThemeFont", sans-serif; }
   body { width: {{ w }}px; height: {{ h }}px; background: #ffffff; }
   .card {
     width: {{ w - gutter * 2 }}px;
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
     margin: {{ gutter }}px;
     border-radius: {{ radius }}px;
     overflow: hidden;
-    box-shadow: 0 4px 14px rgba(0, 20, 60, 0.2);
+    {% if shadow %}box-shadow: 0 4px 14px rgba(0, 20, 60, 0.2);{% endif %}
     background: #ffffff;
     display: flex;
     flex-direction: column;
diff --git a/server/app/templates/widget_html/calendar_week_horizontal.html.jinja b/server/app/templates/widget_html/calendar_week_horizontal.html.jinja
index 3bc77e1..26130f2 100644
--- a/server/app/templates/widget_html/calendar_week_horizontal.html.jinja
+++ b/server/app/templates/widget_html/calendar_week_horizontal.html.jinja
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 <!doctype html>
 <html><head><style>
-  @font-face { font-family: "Inter"; src: url("file://{{ font_dir }}/Inter-Regular.ttf"); font-weight: 400; }
-  @font-face { font-family: "Inter"; src: url("file://{{ font_dir }}/Inter-Bold.ttf"); font-weight: 700; }
-  * { margin: 0; padding: 0; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Inter", sans-serif; }
+  @font-face { font-family: "ThemeFont"; src: url("file://{{ font_regular }}"); font-weight: 400; }
+  @font-face { font-family: "ThemeFont"; src: url("file://{{ font_bold }}"); font-weight: 700; }
+  * { margin: 0; padding: 0; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "ThemeFont", sans-serif; }
   body { width: {{ w }}px; height: {{ h }}px; background: #ffffff; }
   .card {
     width: {{ w - gutter * 2 }}px;
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
     margin: {{ gutter }}px;
     border-radius: {{ radius }}px;
     overflow: hidden;
-    box-shadow: 0 4px 14px rgba(0, 20, 60, 0.2);
+    {% if shadow %}box-shadow: 0 4px 14px rgba(0, 20, 60, 0.2);{% endif %}
     background: #ffffff;
     display: flex;
   }
diff --git a/server/app/templates/widget_html/framed_image.html.jinja b/server/app/templates/widget_html/framed_image.html.jinja
index 9225c39..3a545eb 100644
--- a/server/app/templates/widget_html/framed_image.html.jinja
+++ b/server/app/templates/widget_html/framed_image.html.jinja
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
     margin: {{ gutter }}px;
     border-radius: {{ radius }}px;
     overflow: hidden;
-    box-shadow: 0 4px 14px rgba(0, 20, 60, 0.25);
+    {% if shadow %}box-shadow: 0 4px 14px rgba(0, 20, 60, 0.25);{% endif %}
     background: #ffffff;
   }
   .card img {
diff --git a/server/app/templates/widget_html/tasks.html.jinja b/server/app/templates/widget_html/tasks.html.jinja
index cdd6442..98c728a 100644
--- a/server/app/templates/widget_html/tasks.html.jinja
+++ b/server/app/templates/widget_html/tasks.html.jinja
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 <!doctype html>
 <html><head><style>
-  @font-face { font-family: "Inter"; src: url("file://{{ font_dir }}/Inter-Regular.ttf"); font-weight: 400; }
-  @font-face { font-family: "Inter"; src: url("file://{{ font_dir }}/Inter-Bold.ttf"); font-weight: 700; }
-  * { margin: 0; padding: 0; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Inter", sans-serif; }
+  @font-face { font-family: "ThemeFont"; src: url("file://{{ font_regular }}"); font-weight: 400; }
+  @font-face { font-family: "ThemeFont"; src: url("file://{{ font_bold }}"); font-weight: 700; }
+  * { margin: 0; padding: 0; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "ThemeFont", sans-serif; }
   body { width: {{ w }}px; height: {{ h }}px; background: #ffffff; }
   .card {
     width: {{ w - gutter * 2 }}px;
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
     margin: {{ gutter }}px;
     border-radius: {{ radius }}px;
     overflow: hidden;
-    box-shadow: 0 4px 14px rgba(0, 20, 60, 0.2);
+    {% if shadow %}box-shadow: 0 4px 14px rgba(0, 20, 60, 0.2);{% endif %}
     background: #ffffff;
     display: flex;
     flex-direction: column;
diff --git a/server/app/templates/widget_html/weather_current.html.jinja b/server/app/templates/widget_html/weather_current.html.jinja
index 28bfde6..058191d 100644
--- a/server/app/templates/widget_html/weather_current.html.jinja
+++ b/server/app/templates/widget_html/weather_current.html.jinja
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 <!doctype html>
 <html><head><style>
-  @font-face { font-family: "Inter"; src: url("file://{{ font_dir }}/Inter-Regular.ttf"); font-weight: 400; }
-  @font-face { font-family: "Inter"; src: url("file://{{ font_dir }}/Inter-Bold.ttf"); font-weight: 700; }
-  * { margin: 0; padding: 0; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Inter", sans-serif; }
+  @font-face { font-family: "ThemeFont"; src: url("file://{{ font_regular }}"); font-weight: 400; }
+  @font-face { font-family: "ThemeFont"; src: url("file://{{ font_bold }}"); font-weight: 700; }
+  * { margin: 0; padding: 0; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "ThemeFont", sans-serif; }
   body { width: {{ w }}px; height: {{ h }}px; background: #ffffff; }
   .card {
     width: {{ w - gutter * 2 }}px;
diff --git a/server/app/templates/widget_html/weather_daily.html.jinja b/server/app/templates/widget_html/weather_daily.html.jinja
index a9b2306..e91d256 100644
--- a/server/app/templates/widget_html/weather_daily.html.jinja
+++ b/server/app/templates/widget_html/weather_daily.html.jinja
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 <!doctype html>
 <html><head><style>
-  @font-face { font-family: "Inter"; src: url("file://{{ font_dir }}/Inter-Regular.ttf"); font-weight: 400; }
-  @font-face { font-family: "Inter"; src: url("file://{{ font_dir }}/Inter-Bold.ttf"); font-weight: 700; }
-  * { margin: 0; padding: 0; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Inter", sans-serif; }
+  @font-face { font-family: "ThemeFont"; src: url("file://{{ font_regular }}"); font-weight: 400; }
+  @font-face { font-family: "ThemeFont"; src: url("file://{{ font_bold }}"); font-weight: 700; }
+  * { margin: 0; padding: 0; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "ThemeFont", sans-serif; }
   body { width: {{ w }}px; height: {{ h }}px; background: #ffffff; }
   .card {
     width: {{ w - gutter * 2 }}px;
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
     margin: {{ gutter }}px;
     border-radius: {{ radius }}px;
     overflow: hidden;
-    box-shadow: 0 4px 14px rgba(0, 20, 60, 0.25);
+    {% if shadow %}box-shadow: 0 4px 14px rgba(0, 20, 60, 0.25);{% endif %}
     background: #ffffff;
   }
   .header {
diff --git a/server/app/theme_tokens.py b/server/app/theme_tokens.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5a4f8d4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/app/theme_tokens.py
@@ -0,0 +1,202 @@
+"""Curated theme presets for "modern" (HTML/CSS) style widgets, plus the
+font-family table every modern-style widget -- and widgets/text.py's own
+classic PIL path -- resolves fonts through. The font table used to be
+widgets/text.py's private property; it's hoisted here (text.py now
+imports it back) since html_render.py's build_text/build_daily/etc. all
+need to resolve a theme's font_family to real font files too, not just
+the text widget.
+
+Inspired by Tesserae's (github.com/dmellok/tesserae, AGPL-3.0) three-
+layer CSS custom-property theme system -- primitives, semantic per-
+theme tokens, component tokens -- reimplemented here as original Python/
+CSS rather than copied (see docs/widgets.md and this repo's CLAUDE.md on
+copyleft dependencies).
+
+A theme is purely **stylistic**: font family, corner radius, drop
+shadow, header gradient on/off, and an accent hue for the widgets that
+have an actual header/accent region to dither richer (see
+html_render.ordered_dither_regions). It never touches **functional**
+color-coding -- battery's charge-level red/yellow/green, calendar/tasks'
+per-owner event color chips, and text's user-authored inline run colors
+are status/identity signals, not style choices, and no theme may
+recolor them.
+
+Rich accent_hex values are not restricted to the 6 exact panel inks --
+`ordered_dither_regions` approximates them via denser Bayer stippling in
+just the accent region (verified directly: terracotta/ochre/moss/teal/
+slate-blue/plum swatches all resolve to a believable multi-ink
+approximation at amplitude ~130, the same mechanism -- spatial
+dithering, not flat quantization -- Tesserae's own calibrated-palette
+Floyd-Steinberg uses, just ordered instead of diffused)."""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from functools import lru_cache
+from pathlib import Path
+
+from PIL import ImageFont
+
+from . import panel_style
+
+_FONT_DIR = Path(__file__).resolve().parent / "fonts"
+
+# --- Font family table (hoisted from widgets/text.py) -----------------
+
+DEFAULT_FONT_FAMILY = "sans"
+FONT_FAMILIES: dict[str, str] = {
+    "sans": "Sans-serif (Noto Sans)",
+    "inter": "Inter",
+    "source_sans": "Source Sans",
+    "serif": "Serif (Noto Serif)",
+    "elegant": "Elegant serif (Crimson Text)",
+    "slab": "Slab serif (Arvo)",
+    "mono": "Monospace (IBM Plex Mono)",
+}
+_FONT_FILES = {
+    "sans": {
+        (False, False): "NotoSans-Regular.ttf", (True, False): "NotoSans-Bold.ttf",
+        (False, True): "NotoSans-Italic.ttf", (True, True): "NotoSans-BoldItalic.ttf",
+    },
+    "inter": {
+        (False, False): "Inter-Regular.ttf", (True, False): "Inter-Bold.ttf",
+        (False, True): "Inter-Italic.ttf", (True, True): "Inter-BoldItalic.ttf",
+    },
+    "source_sans": {
+        (False, False): "SourceSans3-Regular.ttf", (True, False): "SourceSans3-Bold.ttf",
+        (False, True): "SourceSans3-Italic.ttf", (True, True): "SourceSans3-BoldItalic.ttf",
+    },
+    "serif": {
+        (False, False): "NotoSerif-Regular.ttf", (True, False): "NotoSerif-Bold.ttf",
+        (False, True): "NotoSerif-Italic.ttf", (True, True): "NotoSerif-BoldItalic.ttf",
+    },
+    "elegant": {
+        (False, False): "CrimsonText-Regular.ttf", (True, False): "CrimsonText-Bold.ttf",
+        (False, True): "CrimsonText-Italic.ttf", (True, True): "CrimsonText-BoldItalic.ttf",
+    },
+    "slab": {
+        (False, False): "Arvo-Regular.ttf", (True, False): "Arvo-Bold.ttf",
+        (False, True): "Arvo-Italic.ttf", (True, True): "Arvo-BoldItalic.ttf",
+    },
+    "mono": {
+        (False, False): "IBMPlexMono-Regular.ttf", (True, False): "IBMPlexMono-Bold.ttf",
+        (False, True): "IBMPlexMono-Italic.ttf", (True, True): "IBMPlexMono-BoldItalic.ttf",
+    },
+}
+
+
+def font_path(family: str, bold: bool, italic: bool) -> Path:
+    files = _FONT_FILES.get(family) or _FONT_FILES[DEFAULT_FONT_FAMILY]
+    return _FONT_DIR / files[(bold, italic)]
+
+
+@lru_cache(maxsize=256)
+def font(family: str, bold: bool, italic: bool, size: int) -> ImageFont.FreeTypeFont:
+    return ImageFont.truetype(str(font_path(family, bold, italic)), size)
+
+
+def _rgb_to_hex(rgb: tuple[int, int, int]) -> str:
+    return "#%02x%02x%02x" % tuple(rgb)
+
+
+def _darken_hex(rgb: tuple[int, int, int], factor: float = 0.75) -> str:
+    return _rgb_to_hex(tuple(max(0, round(c * factor)) for c in rgb))
+
+
+# --- Theme presets -------------------------------------------------------
+
+DEFAULT_THEME = "classic"
+
+# accent_hex=None means "keep each widget's own classic THEME_* ink" --
+# resolve_theme() below is what actually looks that up -- so "classic" is
+# deliberately a no-visual-change default, byte-identical to how modern
+# style already rendered before this theme system existed.
+THEMES: dict[str, dict] = {
+    "classic": {
+        "label": "Classic", "accent_hex": None,
+        "font_family": "inter", "radius": panel_style.CARD_RADIUS, "shadow": True,
+        "gradient": True, "accent_amplitude": 48.0,
+    },
+    "terracotta": {
+        "label": "Terracotta", "accent_hex": "#a84b2a",
+        "font_family": "inter", "radius": panel_style.CARD_RADIUS, "shadow": True,
+        "gradient": True, "accent_amplitude": 130.0,
+    },
+    "ochre": {
+        "label": "Ochre", "accent_hex": "#b8892b",
+        "font_family": "slab", "radius": panel_style.CARD_RADIUS, "shadow": True,
+        "gradient": True, "accent_amplitude": 130.0,
+    },
+    "moss": {
+        "label": "Moss", "accent_hex": "#4f6f36",
+        "font_family": "serif", "radius": 4, "shadow": False,
+        "gradient": False, "accent_amplitude": 130.0,
+    },
+    "teal": {
+        "label": "Teal", "accent_hex": "#2b7a78",
+        "font_family": "source_sans", "radius": panel_style.CARD_RADIUS, "shadow": True,
+        "gradient": True, "accent_amplitude": 130.0,
+    },
+    "slate": {
+        "label": "Slate", "accent_hex": "#3f5a88",
+        "font_family": "inter", "radius": 0, "shadow": False,
+        "gradient": False, "accent_amplitude": 130.0,
+    },
+    "plum": {
+        "label": "Plum", "accent_hex": "#6a3b5e",
+        "font_family": "elegant", "radius": panel_style.CARD_RADIUS, "shadow": True,
+        "gradient": False, "accent_amplitude": 130.0,
+    },
+}
+
+
+# "classic" theme's accent_hex is None, meaning "keep this specific
+# widget kind's own pre-theme-system look exactly" -- for tasks/calendar
+# that's their classic THEME_TASKS/THEME_CALENDAR ink (a flat color, both
+# gradient stops equal, since neither ever had a gradient header before
+# this system existed); weather's modern style never went through
+# panel_style.THEME at all -- its header was always this fixed blue
+# gradient (see html_render.py's now-removed ACCENT_START/ACCENT_END
+# constants) -- preserved here byte-for-byte so "classic" stays a
+# genuinely no-visual-change default for every widget kind that shipped
+# before themes existed.
+_CLASSIC_WEATHER_GRADIENT = ("#1c4fd6", "#6fa8ff")
+
+
+def resolve_theme(theme_name: str | None, widget_kind: str, palette_rgb: list | None) -> dict:
+    """Concrete, ready-to-render values for one widget's modern-style
+    build_* function: accent_hex/accent_hex_dark (a gradient's two CSS
+    stops -- both equal when the theme has no gradient), font_family
+    (validated against FONT_FAMILIES) plus its resolved font_regular/
+    font_bold file paths, radius, shadow, gradient, and accent_amplitude
+    (for ordered_dither_regions' header rect -- unused by widgets that
+    dither their header at the base amplitude only, see module
+    docstring). widget_kind is one of panel_style.THEME's keys
+    ("calendar"/"tasks"/"weather") plus "battery"/"text"/"static"/
+    "whiteboard" for the widgets that have no classic THEME_* ink of
+    their own -- those fall back to BLACK when theme_name is "classic"
+    or unrecognized."""
+    theme = THEMES.get(theme_name or DEFAULT_THEME, THEMES[DEFAULT_THEME])
+    accent_hex = theme["accent_hex"]
+    if accent_hex is None:
+        if widget_kind == "weather":
+            accent_hex, accent_hex_dark = _CLASSIC_WEATHER_GRADIENT
+        else:
+            ink_index = panel_style.THEME.get(widget_kind, panel_style.BLACK)
+            accent_hex = accent_hex_dark = _rgb_to_hex(panel_style.ink(palette_rgb, ink_index))
+    else:
+        accent_hex_dark = accent_hex if not theme["gradient"] else _darken_hex(
+            tuple(int(accent_hex[i:i + 2], 16) for i in (1, 3, 5))
+        )
+    family = theme["font_family"] if theme["font_family"] in FONT_FAMILIES else DEFAULT_FONT_FAMILY
+    return {
+        "theme_name": theme_name if theme_name in THEMES else DEFAULT_THEME,
+        "accent_hex": accent_hex,
+        "accent_hex_dark": accent_hex_dark,
+        "font_family": family,
+        "font_regular": str(font_path(family, False, False)),
+        "font_bold": str(font_path(family, True, False)),
+        "radius": theme["radius"],
+        "shadow": theme["shadow"],
+        "gradient": theme["gradient"],
+        "accent_amplitude": theme["accent_amplitude"],
+    }
diff --git a/server/app/widgets/battery.py b/server/app/widgets/battery.py
index 373da0e..c90e8c4 100644
--- a/server/app/widgets/battery.py
+++ b/server/app/widgets/battery.py
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ def render(db: Session, frame: Frame, widget: Widget, target_w: int, target_h: i
         # image_pipeline.render_placeholder's local `import qrcode`).
         from .. import html_render
 
-        return html_render.build_battery(percent, lines, target_w, target_h, palette_rgb)
+        return html_render.build_battery(percent, lines, target_w, target_h, palette_rgb, frame.theme)
 
     img, draw, (cx0, cy0, cw, ch) = panel_style.card_canvas(target_w, target_h)
     cx = cx0 + cw // 2
diff --git a/server/app/widgets/calendar.py b/server/app/widgets/calendar.py
index f36b6d7..d0c32ca 100644
--- a/server/app/widgets/calendar.py
+++ b/server/app/widgets/calendar.py
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ def render(db: Session, frame: Frame, widget: Widget, target_w: int, target_h: i
         return calendar_html_render.build(
             events, cfg.view, cfg.browse_offset, target_w, target_h, tz, cfg.week_start, frame.palette_rgb,
             weather_cities, cfg.weather_units, cfg.week_days, cfg.week_layout, cfg.week_start_offset,
+            frame.theme,
         )
 
     return _build(
diff --git a/server/app/widgets/static_image.py b/server/app/widgets/static_image.py
index f71c8aa..86fa775 100644
--- a/server/app/widgets/static_image.py
+++ b/server/app/widgets/static_image.py
@@ -39,5 +39,5 @@ def render(db: Session, frame: Frame, widget: Widget, target_w: int, target_h: i
         # own classic path, should never pay for it.
         from .. import html_render
 
-        return html_render.build_framed_image(composed, target_w, target_h, frame.palette_rgb)
+        return html_render.build_framed_image(composed, target_w, target_h, frame.palette_rgb, frame.theme, "static")
     return composed
diff --git a/server/app/widgets/tasks.py b/server/app/widgets/tasks.py
index d08258f..65c116d 100644
--- a/server/app/widgets/tasks.py
+++ b/server/app/widgets/tasks.py
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ def render(db: Session, frame: Frame, widget: Widget, target_w: int, target_h: i
         # own classic path, should never pay for it.
         from .. import html_render
 
-        return html_render.build_tasks(tasks, target_w, target_h, frame.palette_rgb, title)
+        return html_render.build_tasks(tasks, target_w, target_h, frame.palette_rgb, title, frame.theme)
     return _build_tasks(tasks, target_w, target_h, frame.palette_rgb, title)
 
 
diff --git a/server/app/widgets/text.py b/server/app/widgets/text.py
index 16d0a95..9b912b7 100644
--- a/server/app/widgets/text.py
+++ b/server/app/widgets/text.py
@@ -20,12 +20,11 @@ block of authored text."""
 from __future__ import annotations
 
 import re
-from functools import lru_cache
-from pathlib import Path
 
-from PIL import Image, ImageDraw, ImageFont
+from PIL import Image, ImageDraw
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 
+from .. import theme_tokens
 from ..image_pipeline import _quantize, draw_text, hex_to_rgb, logical_render_size
 from ..models import Frame, TextWidgetConfig, Widget
 from ..text_content import has_text
@@ -40,66 +39,20 @@ LINE_HEIGHT_FACTOR = 1.35
 DEFAULT_FG = (0, 0, 0)
 DEFAULT_BG = (255, 255, 255)
 
-_FONT_DIR = Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent / "fonts"
-
-# A small curated set, not an open-ended picker -- each entry needs a
-# real vendored Regular/Bold/Italic/BoldItalic file, so families that
-# only ship as a variable font (Playfair Display, Lora, Merriweather,
-# stock "Inter"/"Source Sans 3" from Google Fonts) were skipped in favor
-# of static builds from their own upstream repos where one exists (see
-# app/fonts/OFL-*.txt for each non-Noto family's own license/copyright --
-# they're all OFL, same as the Noto fonts already vendored here, but
-# each has a different copyright holder so gets its own license file
-# rather than sharing app/fonts/OFL.txt).
-DEFAULT_FONT_FAMILY = "sans"
-FONT_FAMILIES: dict[str, str] = {
-    "sans": "Sans-serif (Noto Sans)",
-    "inter": "Inter",
-    "source_sans": "Source Sans",
-    "serif": "Serif (Noto Serif)",
-    "elegant": "Elegant serif (Crimson Text)",
-    "slab": "Slab serif (Arvo)",
-    "mono": "Monospace (IBM Plex Mono)",
-}
-_FONT_FILES = {
-    "sans": {
-        (False, False): "NotoSans-Regular.ttf", (True, False): "NotoSans-Bold.ttf",
-        (False, True): "NotoSans-Italic.ttf", (True, True): "NotoSans-BoldItalic.ttf",
-    },
-    "inter": {
-        (False, False): "Inter-Regular.ttf", (True, False): "Inter-Bold.ttf",
-        (False, True): "Inter-Italic.ttf", (True, True): "Inter-BoldItalic.ttf",
-    },
-    "source_sans": {
-        (False, False): "SourceSans3-Regular.ttf", (True, False): "SourceSans3-Bold.ttf",
-        (False, True): "SourceSans3-Italic.ttf", (True, True): "SourceSans3-BoldItalic.ttf",
-    },
-    "serif": {
-        (False, False): "NotoSerif-Regular.ttf", (True, False): "NotoSerif-Bold.ttf",
-        (False, True): "NotoSerif-Italic.ttf", (True, True): "NotoSerif-BoldItalic.ttf",
-    },
-    "elegant": {
-        (False, False): "CrimsonText-Regular.ttf", (True, False): "CrimsonText-Bold.ttf",
-        (False, True): "CrimsonText-Italic.ttf", (True, True): "CrimsonText-BoldItalic.ttf",
-    },
-    "slab": {
-        (False, False): "Arvo-Regular.ttf", (True, False): "Arvo-Bold.ttf",
-        (False, True): "Arvo-Italic.ttf", (True, True): "Arvo-BoldItalic.ttf",
-    },
-    "mono": {
-        (False, False): "IBMPlexMono-Regular.ttf", (True, False): "IBMPlexMono-Bold.ttf",
-        (False, True): "IBMPlexMono-Italic.ttf", (True, True): "IBMPlexMono-BoldItalic.ttf",
-    },
-}
+# The font-family table (a small curated set, not an open-ended picker --
+# each entry needs a real vendored Regular/Bold/Italic/BoldItalic file)
+# lives in app/theme_tokens.py now, shared with every modern-style
+# widget's own font resolution -- re-exported here under their original
+# names since this was the text widget's own table before the theme
+# system needed it too (see app/fonts/OFL-*.txt for each non-Noto
+# family's own license/copyright).
+DEFAULT_FONT_FAMILY = theme_tokens.DEFAULT_FONT_FAMILY
+FONT_FAMILIES = theme_tokens.FONT_FAMILIES
+_FONT_FILES = theme_tokens._FONT_FILES
+_font = theme_tokens.font
 _WORD_OR_SPACE = re.compile(r"\S+|\s+")
 
 
-@lru_cache(maxsize=256)
-def _font(family: str, bold: bool, italic: bool, size: int) -> ImageFont.FreeTypeFont:
-    files = _FONT_FILES.get(family) or _FONT_FILES[DEFAULT_FONT_FAMILY]
-    return ImageFont.truetype(str(_FONT_DIR / files[(bold, italic)]), size)
-
-
 def _paragraph_word_groups(paragraph: list[dict]) -> list[list[dict]]:
     """One paragraph's styled runs -> word groups: each group is a list
     of same-word sub-tokens that must stay glued together on one line
@@ -225,7 +178,7 @@ def _render_text(cfg: TextWidgetConfig, target_w: int, target_h: int) -> Image.I
 
 
 def _render_dispatch(cfg: TextWidgetConfig, target_w: int, target_h: int,
-                     palette_rgb: list | None) -> Image.Image:
+                     palette_rgb: list | None, theme_name: str | None = None) -> Image.Image:
     """classic vs modern (app/html_render.py) -- shared by render() and
     render_preview_png() so both honor render_style identically (weather
     once shipped with its preview endpoint bypassing render_style
@@ -233,14 +186,17 @@ def _render_dispatch(cfg: TextWidgetConfig, target_w: int, target_h: int,
     dispatch point exists specifically so that bug can't happen here).
     palette_rgb is unused by the classic path (it never quantizes itself
     -- see module docstring), only threaded through for modern's own
-    ordered_dither."""
+    ordered_dither. theme_name is threaded through uniformly (every
+    modern-style widget's dispatch takes one) but build_text ignores it
+    -- see its own docstring for why (the text widget's font is a
+    per-widget, user-authored choice, not theme-driven)."""
     if cfg.render_style == "modern":
         # Local import: html_render pulls in Playwright, a real headless-
         # Chromium dependency -- every other widget type, and this one's
         # own classic path, should never pay for it.
         from .. import html_render
 
-        return html_render.build_text(cfg, target_w, target_h, palette_rgb)
+        return html_render.build_text(cfg, target_w, target_h, palette_rgb, theme_name)
     return _render_text(cfg, target_w, target_h)
 
 
@@ -252,10 +208,11 @@ def render(db: Session, frame: Frame, widget: Widget, target_w: int, target_h: i
     cfg = db.get(TextWidgetConfig, widget.id)
     if cfg is None or not has_text(cfg.content):
         return placeholder_image(target_w, target_h, ["Text widget", "not configured yet"])
-    return _render_dispatch(cfg, target_w, target_h, frame.palette_rgb)
+    return _render_dispatch(cfg, target_w, target_h, frame.palette_rgb, frame.theme)
 
 
-def render_preview_png(cfg: TextWidgetConfig, orientation: str, palette_rgb: list | None) -> bytes:
+def render_preview_png(cfg: TextWidgetConfig, orientation: str, palette_rgb: list | None,
+                       theme_name: str | None = None) -> bytes:
     """A normal browser-viewable PNG at full logical panel size --
     mirrors calendar_render.render_tasks_preview_png's relationship to
     render_tasks (the dialog's own preview endpoint always renders at
@@ -264,7 +221,7 @@ def render_preview_png(cfg: TextWidgetConfig, orientation: str, palette_rgb: lis
     import io
 
     target_w, target_h = logical_render_size(orientation)
-    img = _render_dispatch(cfg, target_w, target_h, palette_rgb)
+    img = _render_dispatch(cfg, target_w, target_h, palette_rgb, theme_name)
     quantized = _quantize(img, palette_rgb, dither_strength=1.0)
     buf = io.BytesIO()
     quantized.convert("RGB").save(buf, format="PNG")
diff --git a/server/app/widgets/weather.py b/server/app/widgets/weather.py
index f02ea50..85f59c9 100644
--- a/server/app/widgets/weather.py
+++ b/server/app/widgets/weather.py
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ def render(db: Session, frame: Frame, widget: Widget, target_w: int, target_h: i
         from .. import html_render
 
         return html_render.build(cfg.mode, data, target_w, target_h, frame.palette_rgb, cfg.units,
-                                 city_label=cfg.city_label or "")
+                                 city_label=cfg.city_label or "", theme_name=frame.theme)
 
     return weather_render.build(
         cfg.mode, data, target_w, target_h, frame.palette_rgb, cfg.units,
diff --git a/server/app/widgets/whiteboard.py b/server/app/widgets/whiteboard.py
index e12db2f..57deeaa 100644
--- a/server/app/widgets/whiteboard.py
+++ b/server/app/widgets/whiteboard.py
@@ -43,7 +43,8 @@ def render(db: Session, frame: Frame, widget: Widget, target_w: int, target_h: i
         # own classic path, should never pay for it.
         from .. import html_render
 
-        return html_render.build_framed_image(composed, target_w, target_h, frame.palette_rgb)
+        return html_render.build_framed_image(composed, target_w, target_h, frame.palette_rgb, frame.theme,
+                                              "whiteboard")
     return composed
 
 
diff --git a/server/tests/test_html_render.py b/server/tests/test_html_render.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..dc63c1b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/tests/test_html_render.py
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+"""app.html_render's shared ordered-dithering primitives -- ordered_dither
+and ordered_dither_regions -- exercised directly against synthetic
+images, no Chromium/Playwright involved (these two functions run purely
+on whatever Image render_html_to_image already handed back)."""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from PIL import Image
+
+from app import html_render
+from app.image_pipeline import DEFAULT_PALETTE_RGB
+
+_PALETTE = set(DEFAULT_PALETTE_RGB)
+# A muddy hue nowhere near any of the 6 exact palette colors -- at the
+# "modern" style's tuned default amplitude (48), this should still snap
+# flatly to a single nearest ink (see theme_tokens.py's module docstring
+# for why 48 was chosen for icon/text legibility); only a much higher
+# amplitude (as a rich theme's accent_amplitude would use) stipples it
+# into a multi-ink approximation.
+_RICH_HUE = (168, 75, 42)  # a terracotta-ish RGB, not one of the 6 inks
+
+
+def test_ordered_dither_output_is_exact_palette_colors():
+    img = Image.new("RGB", (40, 30), (128, 128, 128))
+    dithered = html_render.ordered_dither(img, None)
+    assert set(dithered.getdata()) <= _PALETTE
+
+
+def test_ordered_dither_regions_outside_the_region_matches_plain_dither():
+    """Pixels outside every accent_regions rect must come out identical
+    to a plain ordered_dither call at base_amplitude -- the region-aware
+    variant must not perturb anything it wasn't asked to."""
+    img = Image.new("RGB", (100, 80), (90, 140, 200))
+    base_only = html_render.ordered_dither(img, None, amplitude=48.0)
+    regions = html_render.ordered_dither_regions(
+        img, None, base_amplitude=48.0, accent_regions=[((10, 10, 40, 30), 130.0)]
+    )
+    for x in range(100):
+        for y in range(80):
+            if 10 <= x < 40 and 10 <= y < 30:
+                continue  # inside the accent region -- expected to differ
+            assert regions.getpixel((x, y)) == base_only.getpixel((x, y))
+
+
+def test_ordered_dither_regions_stipples_a_rich_hue_the_base_amplitude_would_flatten():
+    """The whole reason ordered_dither_regions exists: a rich accent hue
+    dithered at the base (icon/text-safe) amplitude just snaps to one
+    nearest ink, but the same hue in an accent region at a theme's higher
+    accent_amplitude resolves to a believable multi-ink stipple instead --
+    assert that difference directly, not just "some image came back"."""
+    img = Image.new("RGB", (60, 60), _RICH_HUE)
+    rect = (0, 0, 60, 60)
+
+    flat = html_render.ordered_dither(img, None, amplitude=48.0)
+    richer = html_render.ordered_dither_regions(img, None, base_amplitude=48.0, accent_regions=[(rect, 130.0)])
+
+    assert len(set(flat.getdata())) == 1
+    assert len(set(richer.getdata())) > 1
+    assert set(richer.getdata()) <= _PALETTE
+
+
+def test_ordered_dither_regions_with_no_accent_regions_matches_plain_dither():
+    img = Image.new("RGB", (30, 30), (50, 60, 70))
+    assert list(html_render.ordered_dither_regions(img, None, base_amplitude=48.0).getdata()) == \
+        list(html_render.ordered_dither(img, None, amplitude=48.0).getdata())
diff --git a/server/tests/test_theme_tokens.py b/server/tests/test_theme_tokens.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f1b46aa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/tests/test_theme_tokens.py
@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+"""app.theme_tokens -- resolve_theme()'s fallback logic (does "classic"
+stay a byte-identical no-op vs. each widget kind's pre-theme-system
+look?) and the font table every preset resolves against. No rendering
+here -- see test_html_render.py for ordered_dither_regions and each
+widget's own test_widgets_*.py for dispatch-level "does a theme actually
+change the output" coverage."""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from pathlib import Path
+
+from app import panel_style, theme_tokens
+
+
+def test_classic_weather_matches_historical_fixed_gradient():
+    """Weather's modern style never went through panel_style.THEME --
+    its header was always this fixed blue gradient (see html_render.py's
+    removed ACCENT_START/ACCENT_END). "classic" must reproduce it
+    byte-for-byte so themes are additive, not a silent regression."""
+    resolved = theme_tokens.resolve_theme("classic", "weather", None)
+    assert resolved["accent_hex"] == "#1c4fd6"
+    assert resolved["accent_hex_dark"] == "#6fa8ff"
+
+
+def test_classic_tasks_and_calendar_use_flat_theme_ink():
+    """Tasks/calendar's classic accent was always a flat single ink (no
+    gradient) resolved through panel_style.THEME -- both ends of the
+    "gradient" must be that same ink, not two different shades."""
+    tasks = theme_tokens.resolve_theme("classic", "tasks", None)
+    calendar = theme_tokens.resolve_theme("classic", "calendar", None)
+    assert tasks["accent_hex"] == tasks["accent_hex_dark"]
+    assert calendar["accent_hex"] == calendar["accent_hex_dark"]
+
+    from app.image_pipeline import DEFAULT_PALETTE_RGB
+
+    expected_tasks = "#%02x%02x%02x" % tuple(DEFAULT_PALETTE_RGB[panel_style.THEME_TASKS])
+    expected_calendar = "#%02x%02x%02x" % tuple(DEFAULT_PALETTE_RGB[panel_style.THEME_CALENDAR])
+    assert tasks["accent_hex"] == expected_tasks
+    assert calendar["accent_hex"] == expected_calendar
+
+
+def test_classic_unmapped_widget_kind_falls_back_to_black():
+    resolved = theme_tokens.resolve_theme("classic", "battery", None)
+    from app.image_pipeline import DEFAULT_PALETTE_RGB
+
+    assert resolved["accent_hex"] == "#%02x%02x%02x" % tuple(DEFAULT_PALETTE_RGB[panel_style.BLACK])
+
+
+def test_unknown_theme_name_falls_back_to_classic():
+    assert theme_tokens.resolve_theme("not-a-real-theme", "weather", None) == \
+        theme_tokens.resolve_theme("classic", "weather", None)
+    assert theme_tokens.resolve_theme(None, "weather", None) == \
+        theme_tokens.resolve_theme("classic", "weather", None)
+
+
+def test_every_preset_resolves_without_error_for_every_widget_kind():
+    widget_kinds = ["weather", "tasks", "calendar", "battery", "text", "static", "whiteboard"]
+    for theme_name in theme_tokens.THEMES:
+        for kind in widget_kinds:
+            resolved = theme_tokens.resolve_theme(theme_name, kind, None)
+            assert resolved["accent_hex"].startswith("#") and len(resolved["accent_hex"]) == 7
+            assert resolved["accent_hex_dark"].startswith("#") and len(resolved["accent_hex_dark"]) == 7
+            assert resolved["font_family"] in theme_tokens.FONT_FAMILIES
+            assert Path(resolved["font_regular"]).exists()
+            assert Path(resolved["font_bold"]).exists()
+
+
+def test_non_gradient_theme_has_equal_accent_stops():
+    """"moss" is configured with gradient=False -- its two CSS gradient
+    stops must be identical (a flat fill), unlike a gradient theme's."""
+    resolved = theme_tokens.resolve_theme("moss", "tasks", None)
+    assert resolved["gradient"] is False
+    assert resolved["accent_hex"] == resolved["accent_hex_dark"]
+
+
+def test_gradient_theme_has_a_darker_second_stop():
+    resolved = theme_tokens.resolve_theme("terracotta", "tasks", None)
+    assert resolved["gradient"] is True
+    assert resolved["accent_hex"] == "#a84b2a"
+    assert resolved["accent_hex_dark"] != resolved["accent_hex"]
+
+
+def test_font_path_covers_every_family_and_style_combination():
+    for family in theme_tokens.FONT_FAMILIES:
+        for bold in (False, True):
+            for italic in (False, True):
+                assert theme_tokens.font_path(family, bold, italic).exists()
+
+
+def test_font_path_falls_back_to_default_family_for_unknown_name():
+    assert theme_tokens.font_path("not-a-real-family", False, False) == \
+        theme_tokens.font_path(theme_tokens.DEFAULT_FONT_FAMILY, False, False)
diff --git a/server/tests/test_widgets_calendar.py b/server/tests/test_widgets_calendar.py
index 6e9d6e4..c9a44c8 100644
--- a/server/tests/test_widgets_calendar.py
+++ b/server/tests/test_widgets_calendar.py
@@ -208,3 +208,35 @@ def test_render_modern_month_falls_back_to_agenda_below_small_tier(db_session, m
 
     img = widgets.calendar.render(db_session, frame, widget, 300, 192)
     assert img.size == (300, 192)
+
+
+def test_render_modern_threads_frame_theme_through_to_resolve_theme(db_session, monkeypatch):
+    """Same spy-on-resolve_theme approach as test_widgets_weather.py's
+    equivalent test -- confirms calendar.py's render() passes frame.theme
+    into calendar_html_render.build (proving the widget-level threading,
+    not re-testing ordered_dither_regions itself, which
+    test_html_render.py already covers)."""
+    from app import calendar_html_render, theme_tokens
+
+    calls = []
+    real_resolve = theme_tokens.resolve_theme
+
+    def _spy(theme_name, widget_kind, palette_rgb):
+        calls.append((theme_name, widget_kind))
+        return real_resolve(theme_name, widget_kind, palette_rgb)
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(theme_tokens, "resolve_theme", _spy)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(calendar_html_render, "theme_tokens", theme_tokens)
+
+    frame, widget = _make_widget(db_session, view="agenda", render_style="modern")
+    frame.theme = "moss"
+    # calendar.py's render() takes widget_locked's write path (it resets
+    # browse_offset on a normal wake), which commits and would otherwise
+    # expire-and-reload frame from the DB, discarding this uncommitted
+    # attribute change.
+    db_session.commit()
+    _stub_fetches(monkeypatch)
+    _stub_render_html_to_image(monkeypatch)
+
+    widgets.calendar.render(db_session, frame, widget, 380, 300)
+    assert ("moss", "calendar") in calls
diff --git a/server/tests/test_widgets_tasks.py b/server/tests/test_widgets_tasks.py
index 525a9d2..0ae8774 100644
--- a/server/tests/test_widgets_tasks.py
+++ b/server/tests/test_widgets_tasks.py
@@ -153,3 +153,33 @@ def test_render_modern_style(db_session, monkeypatch):
     img = widgets.tasks.render(db_session, frame, widget, 300, 200)
     assert img.size == (300, 200)
     assert img.mode == "RGB"
+
+
+def test_render_modern_threads_frame_theme_through_to_resolve_theme(db_session, monkeypatch):
+    """Same spy-on-resolve_theme approach as test_widgets_weather.py's
+    equivalent test -- confirms tasks.py's render() passes frame.theme
+    into html_render.build_tasks (proving the widget-level threading, not
+    re-testing ordered_dither_regions itself, which test_html_render.py
+    already covers)."""
+    from PIL import Image
+
+    from app import html_render, theme_tokens
+
+    calls = []
+    real_resolve = theme_tokens.resolve_theme
+
+    def _spy(theme_name, widget_kind, palette_rgb):
+        calls.append((theme_name, widget_kind))
+        return real_resolve(theme_name, widget_kind, palette_rgb)
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(theme_tokens, "resolve_theme", _spy)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(html_render, "theme_tokens", theme_tokens)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(html_render, "render_html_to_image",
+                        lambda html, target_w, target_h: Image.new("RGB", (target_w, target_h), (255, 255, 255)))
+
+    frame, widget = _make_widget(db_session, render_style="modern")
+    frame.theme = "slate"
+    monkeypatch.setattr(widgets.tasks, "get_or_refresh_tasks_for_widget", lambda db, frame, widget: [])
+
+    widgets.tasks.render(db_session, frame, widget, 300, 200)
+    assert ("slate", "tasks") in calls
diff --git a/server/tests/test_widgets_weather.py b/server/tests/test_widgets_weather.py
index 0676339..0717281 100644
--- a/server/tests/test_widgets_weather.py
+++ b/server/tests/test_widgets_weather.py
@@ -187,3 +187,34 @@ def test_render_style_default_is_classic(db_session, monkeypatch):
     frame, widget = _make_widget(db_session, mode="current")
     cfg = db_session.get(WeatherWidgetConfig, widget.id)
     assert cfg.render_style == "classic"
+
+
+def test_render_modern_daily_threads_frame_theme_through_to_resolve_theme(db_session, monkeypatch):
+    """widgets/weather.py's render() must pass frame.theme all the way
+    into html_render.build_daily's theme resolution -- spies on
+    theme_tokens.resolve_theme (still delegating to the real
+    implementation) rather than diffing final pixels, since the stubbed
+    render_html_to_image below never actually executes the template's CSS
+    (that's the whole point of stubbing out Chromium), so a theme's
+    accent color has nothing to visibly change in the fake screenshot."""
+    from app import theme_tokens
+
+    calls = []
+    real_resolve = theme_tokens.resolve_theme
+
+    def _spy(theme_name, widget_kind, palette_rgb):
+        calls.append((theme_name, widget_kind))
+        return real_resolve(theme_name, widget_kind, palette_rgb)
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(theme_tokens, "resolve_theme", _spy)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(html_render, "theme_tokens", theme_tokens)
+
+    daily = {"2026-07-31": {"high": 75, "low": 55, "category": "clear"}}
+    monkeypatch.setattr(widgets.weather, "get_or_refresh_weather_widget_data", lambda db, frame, widget: daily)
+    _stub_render_html_to_image(monkeypatch)
+
+    frame, widget = _make_widget(db_session, mode="daily", city_label="Denver", render_style="modern")
+    frame.theme = "terracotta"
+    widgets.weather.render(db_session, frame, widget, 200, 160)
+
+    assert ("terracotta", "weather") in calls