diff --git a/app/src/App.tsx b/app/src/App.tsx
index 8169f28..600a539 100644
--- a/app/src/App.tsx
+++ b/app/src/App.tsx
@@ -138,8 +138,8 @@ export function App() {
   const effectiveFocus = focusedId && leaves.includes(focusedId) ? focusedId : leaves[0] ?? null;
   effectiveFocusRef.current = effectiveFocus;
 
-  const termFont = config ? { family: config.font_family, size: config.font_size } : null;
-  const termPalette = config ? resolvePalette(config.theme, config.accent) : null;
+  const termPalette = useMemo(() => (config ? resolvePalette(config.theme, config.accent) : null), [config?.theme, config?.accent]);
+  const termFont = useMemo(() => (config ? { family: config.font_family, size: config.font_size } : null), [config?.font_family, config?.font_size]);
 
   function selectWorkspace(id: string) {
     setActiveId(id);
@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@ export function App() {
 
   return (
     <div style={{ display: "flex", flexDirection: "column", height: "100vh", background: COLORS.bgApp }}>
-      <TopBar active={active} eventsOpen={eventsOpen} onToggleEvents={() => setEventsOpen((v) => !v)} onShowEvents={() => setEventsOpen(true)} sidebarOpen={sidebarOpen} onToggleSidebar={() => setSidebarOpen((v) => !v)} unread={unread} onOpenSettings={() => setSettingsOpen(true)} />
+      <TopBar active={active} eventsOpen={eventsOpen} onToggleEvents={() => setEventsOpen((v) => !v)} onShowEvents={() => setEventsOpen(true)} sidebarOpen={sidebarOpen} onToggleSidebar={() => setSidebarOpen((v) => !v)} unread={unread} onOpenSettings={() => { if (config) setSettingsOpen(true); }} />
       <div style={{ flex: 1, display: "flex", minHeight: 0 }}>
         {sidebarOpen && <Sidebar groups={groups} workspaces={workspaces} activeId={activeId} onSelect={selectWorkspace} onNew={() => setWizard(true)} onDelete={setDeleteTarget} health={health} connected={connected} />}
         <div style={{ flex: 1, display: "flex", flexDirection: "column", minWidth: 0 }}>
diff --git a/app/src/Settings.tsx b/app/src/Settings.tsx
index 85f9b10..4334fe5 100644
--- a/app/src/Settings.tsx
+++ b/app/src/Settings.tsx
@@ -1,17 +1,21 @@
 import { useEffect, useRef, useState } from "react";
-import { COLORS, FONT } from "./theme";
+import { COLORS, FONT, ACCENTS } from "./theme";
 import { setConfig, shutdownDaemon, restartDaemon } from "./socketBridge";
 import type { ConfigView, DaemonHealth } from "./socketBridge";
 
 const FONTS = ["JetBrains Mono", "Menlo", "Monaco", "SF Mono", "Fira Code", "Cascadia Code"];
-const ACCENTS: { id: string; hex: string }[] = [
-  { id: "blue", hex: "#4C8DFF" }, { id: "teal", hex: "#34D3C2" }, { id: "purple", hex: "#9B7BFF" },
-  { id: "green", hex: "#3FB950" }, { id: "orange", hex: "#F2934B" },
-];
 
 export function Settings({ config, health, onClose }: { config: ConfigView; health: DaemonHealth | null; onClose: () => void }) {
   const ref = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
   useEffect(() => { ref.current?.focus(); }, []);
+
+  // Fix 2: local state for font-size slider — committed only on pointer release.
+  const [sizeLocal, setSizeLocal] = useState(config.font_size);
+  useEffect(() => { setSizeLocal(config.font_size); }, [config.font_size]);
+
+  // Fix 3: controlled shell input — synced from config, committed on blur.
+  const [shellLocal, setShellLocal] = useState(config.default_shell);
+  useEffect(() => { setShellLocal(config.default_shell); }, [config.default_shell]);
   return (
     <div onMouseDown={onClose} style={{ position: "fixed", inset: 0, zIndex: 2000, background: "#000A", display: "flex", alignItems: "center", justifyContent: "center" }}>
       <div ref={ref} tabIndex={-1} onMouseDown={(e) => e.stopPropagation()} onKeyDown={(e) => { e.stopPropagation(); if (e.key === "Escape") onClose(); }}
@@ -24,8 +28,11 @@ export function Settings({ config, health, onClose }: { config: ConfigView; heal
           {FONTS.map((f) => <option key={f} value={f}>{f}</option>)}
         </select>
         <div style={{ display: "flex", alignItems: "center", gap: 10, marginBottom: 18 }}>
-          <span style={{ fontSize: 12, color: COLORS.textSecondary }}>Size {config.font_size}</span>
-          <input type="range" min={10} max={20} value={config.font_size} onChange={(e) => void setConfig({ font_size: Number(e.target.value) })} style={{ flex: 1 }} />
+          <span style={{ fontSize: 12, color: COLORS.textSecondary }}>Size {sizeLocal}</span>
+          <input type="range" min={10} max={20} value={sizeLocal}
+            onChange={(e) => setSizeLocal(Number(e.target.value))}
+            onPointerUp={() => void setConfig({ font_size: sizeLocal })}
+            style={{ flex: 1 }} />
         </div>
 
         <div style={{ fontSize: 12, color: COLORS.textSecondary, marginBottom: 6 }}>Theme</div>
@@ -39,15 +46,15 @@ export function Settings({ config, health, onClose }: { config: ConfigView; heal
         </div>
         <div style={{ fontSize: 12, color: COLORS.textSecondary, marginBottom: 6 }}>Accent</div>
         <div style={{ display: "flex", gap: 10, marginBottom: 18 }}>
-          {ACCENTS.map((a) => (
-            <button key={a.id} onClick={() => void setConfig({ accent: a.id })} aria-label={a.id}
-              style={{ width: 26, height: 26, borderRadius: "50%", background: a.hex, cursor: "pointer",
-                border: config.accent === a.id ? `2px solid ${COLORS.textPrimary}` : "2px solid transparent" }} />
+          {Object.entries(ACCENTS).map(([id, hex]) => (
+            <button key={id} onClick={() => void setConfig({ accent: id })} aria-label={id}
+              style={{ width: 26, height: 26, borderRadius: "50%", background: hex, cursor: "pointer",
+                border: config.accent === id ? `2px solid ${COLORS.textPrimary}` : "2px solid transparent" }} />
           ))}
         </div>
 
         <div style={{ fontSize: 12, color: COLORS.textSecondary, marginBottom: 6 }}>Default shell (empty = auto)</div>
-        <input defaultValue={config.default_shell} onBlur={(e) => void setConfig({ default_shell: e.target.value })}
+        <input value={shellLocal} onChange={(e) => setShellLocal(e.target.value)} onBlur={() => void setConfig({ default_shell: shellLocal })}
           style={{ width: "100%", padding: 8, marginBottom: 18, background: COLORS.bgPanel, color: COLORS.textPrimary, border: `1px solid ${COLORS.borderStrong}`, borderRadius: 8 }} />
 
         <DaemonSection health={health} />
diff --git a/app/src/TerminalView.tsx b/app/src/TerminalView.tsx
index 35c0361..cc5817a 100644
--- a/app/src/TerminalView.tsx
+++ b/app/src/TerminalView.tsx
@@ -103,10 +103,7 @@ export function TerminalView({ surfaceId, font, palette }: { surfaceId: string;
   }, [surfaceId]); // eslint-disable-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
 
   // Live re-apply font and theme when config changes without remounting.
-  // palette is a new object each render so we depend on a stable key instead.
-  const paletteKey = palette
-    ? `${palette["bg-panel"]}|${palette["text-primary"]}|${palette["search-match"]}`
-    : null;
+  // font and palette are memoized in App.tsx so stable identity = no spurious re-applies.
   useEffect(() => {
     const t = termRef.current;
     if (!t) return;
@@ -116,7 +113,7 @@ export function TerminalView({ surfaceId, font, palette }: { surfaceId: string;
     }
     if (palette) t.options.theme = xtermTheme(palette);
     requestAnimationFrame(() => { try { fitRef.current?.fit(); } catch { /* ignore */ } });
-  }, [font?.family, font?.size, paletteKey]); // eslint-disable-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
+  }, [font, palette]); // eslint-disable-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
 
   return <div ref={ref} style={{ width: "100%", height: "100%" }} />;
 }
diff --git a/app/src/main.tsx b/app/src/main.tsx
index 4340d68..09c0067 100644
--- a/app/src/main.tsx
+++ b/app/src/main.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import React from "react";
 import ReactDOM from "react-dom/client";
 import { App } from "./App";
+import { applyTheme } from "./theme";
 import "@fontsource/inter/400.css";
 import "@fontsource/inter/500.css";
 import "@fontsource/inter/600.css";
@@ -9,6 +10,10 @@ import "@fontsource-variable/jetbrains-mono";
 import "@xterm/xterm/css/xterm.css";
 import "./styles.css";
 
+// Apply default theme before React renders so CSS vars are never unset,
+// even if the daemon is slow or offline. getConfig() overrides this later.
+applyTheme("dark", "blue");
+
 ReactDOM.createRoot(document.getElementById("root")!).render(
   <React.StrictMode>
     <App />