diff --git a/frontend/e2e/helpers/contrast.ts b/frontend/e2e/helpers/contrast.ts
index 56491e42..f10488e3 100644
--- a/frontend/e2e/helpers/contrast.ts
+++ b/frontend/e2e/helpers/contrast.ts
@@ -29,6 +29,41 @@ export const mountContrastProbes = async (page: Page, probes: Record<string, str
     );
 };
 
+// Editor highlight tokens are styled through the `.tiptap-content .ProseMirror .template-*`
+// selector, so a flat probe span (as in mountContrastProbes) would pick up none of it and
+// measure nothing. Reproduce the real ancestor chain on the shipped class. Surface is --card,
+// within ~0.005 L of the editor's real `dark:bg-input/30` ground and conservative for the floor.
+export const mountEditorProbes = async (page: Page, probes: Record<string, string>): Promise<void> => {
+    await page.evaluate(
+        ({ entries, hostId }) => {
+            document.getElementById(hostId)?.remove();
+            const host = document.createElement('div');
+
+            host.id = hostId;
+            host.className = 'tiptap-content';
+            host.style.cssText = 'position:fixed;inset:0 auto auto 0;z-index:2147483647;padding:12px';
+
+            const surface = document.createElement('div');
+
+            surface.className = 'ProseMirror';
+            surface.style.cssText = 'background:var(--card);display:flex;gap:8px;padding:8px';
+
+            for (const [name, className] of entries) {
+                const probe = document.createElement('span');
+
+                probe.className = className;
+                probe.dataset.contrast = name;
+                probe.textContent = 'Sample';
+                surface.append(probe);
+            }
+
+            host.append(surface);
+            document.body.append(host);
+        },
+        { entries: Object.entries(probes), hostId: HOST_ID },
+    );
+};
+
 export const measureContrast = async (page: Page, probe: string): Promise<number> =>
     page.evaluate((name) => {
         const element = document.querySelector<HTMLElement>(`[data-contrast="${name}"]`);
diff --git a/frontend/e2e/specs/cross/contrast.spec.ts b/frontend/e2e/specs/cross/contrast.spec.ts
index 079cf522..66dec30a 100644
--- a/frontend/e2e/specs/cross/contrast.spec.ts
+++ b/frontend/e2e/specs/cross/contrast.spec.ts
@@ -4,9 +4,14 @@ import { badgeVariants } from '@/components/ui/badge';
 import { buttonVariants } from '@/components/ui/button';
 
 import { expect, test } from '../../fixtures/test.ts';
-import { AA_NORMAL, measureContrast, mountContrastProbes } from '../../helpers/contrast.ts';
+import { AA_NORMAL, measureContrast, mountContrastProbes, mountEditorProbes } from '../../helpers/contrast.ts';
 import { flowsCassette } from '../../mocks/cassettes/flows.ts';
 
+const EDITOR_TOKENS = {
+    'editor-tag': 'template-tag',
+    'editor-variable': 'template-variable',
+} as const;
+
 const BADGE_VARIANTS = [
     'blue',
     'default',
@@ -67,5 +72,18 @@ for (const theme of THEMES) {
                 .soft(await measureContrast(page, 'destructive'), 'button on hover')
                 .toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(AA_NORMAL);
         });
+
+        test('editor highlight tokens clear AA on the editor surface', async ({ page }) => {
+            await page.goto('/flows');
+            await expect(page.getByRole('row', { name: /E2E Alpha/ })).toBeVisible();
+
+            await mountEditorProbes(page, EDITOR_TOKENS);
+
+            for (const token of Object.keys(EDITOR_TOKENS)) {
+                expect
+                    .soft(await measureContrast(page, token), `${token} (${theme})`)
+                    .toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(AA_NORMAL);
+            }
+        });
     });
 }
diff --git a/frontend/src/styles/index.css b/frontend/src/styles/index.css
index bb46353f..a304ab6e 100644
--- a/frontend/src/styles/index.css
+++ b/frontend/src/styles/index.css
@@ -308,11 +308,12 @@
         --sidebar-ring: oklch(0.25 0.14 245);
         /* Editor highlight TEXT, tuned for readable contrast on the editor surface (unlike --primary, a fill
            color that fails WCAG AA as text on dark). Four distinct hues so adjacent tokens don't blur:
-           link = theme blue 245; variable = violet 300; tag = teal 155; inline code = red 25 on a visible chip.
+           link = theme blue 245; variable = green 155 (matches the panel's "used" badge); tag = violet 300;
+           inline code = red 25 on a visible chip.
            --editor-code-bg is the opaque inline-code + code-block chip. Don't fold these back into --primary. */
         --editor-accent: oklch(0.25 0.12 245);
-        --editor-variable: oklch(0.4 0.18 300);
-        --editor-tag: oklch(0.25 0.12 155);
+        --editor-variable: oklch(0.4 0.18 155);
+        --editor-tag: oklch(0.25 0.12 300);
         --editor-code: oklch(0.5 0.16 25);
         --editor-code-bg: oklch(0.94 0.006 245);
         --font-sans: Inter, 'Inter Fallback', sans-serif;
@@ -371,8 +372,8 @@
         --sidebar-border: oklch(0.3 0.04 245);
         --sidebar-ring: oklch(0.5 0.16 245);
         --editor-accent: oklch(0.68 0.13 245);
-        --editor-variable: oklch(0.72 0.12 300);
-        --editor-tag: oklch(0.68 0.13 155);
+        --editor-variable: oklch(0.72 0.12 155);
+        --editor-tag: oklch(0.68 0.13 300);
         --editor-code: oklch(0.7 0.15 25);
         --editor-code-bg: oklch(0.27 0.03 245);
         --font-sans: Inter, 'Inter Fallback', sans-serif;
@@ -759,7 +760,7 @@
     padding: 0 1px;
 }
 
-/* `<xml-tags>`, highlighted view-only (teal --editor-tag reads distinct from the violet variables). */
+/* `<xml-tags>`, highlighted view-only. */
 .tiptap-content .ProseMirror .template-tag {
     color: var(--editor-tag);
     background-color: color-mix(in oklab, var(--editor-tag) 9%, transparent);