diff --git a/shell/Ui/ChoiceButton.qml b/shell/Ui/ChoiceButton.qml
index ea60b621..83ffcbe9 100644
--- a/shell/Ui/ChoiceButton.qml
+++ b/shell/Ui/ChoiceButton.qml
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ Rectangle {
   // separately from real activeFocus. Visuals match the activeFocus look
   // (foreground 2px border) so cursor and Tab focus read the same.
   property bool hasCursor: false
+  property bool borderlessHighlight: false
 
   property color foreground: Color.foreground
   property color background: Color.background
@@ -42,11 +43,12 @@ Rectangle {
 
   color: selected
     ? Qt.rgba(accent.r, accent.g, accent.b, 0.18)
-    : (mouse.containsMouse ? Style.hotFill : background)
+    : ((mouse.containsMouse || hasCursor) ? Qt.rgba(foreground.r, foreground.g, foreground.b, 0.12) : background)
   border.color: selected
     ? accent
-    : (activeFocus || hasCursor ? foreground : Qt.rgba(foreground.r, foreground.g, foreground.b, 0.4))
-  border.width: selected ? 2 : (activeFocus || hasCursor ? 2 : 1)
+    : (activeFocus ? foreground : Qt.rgba(foreground.r, foreground.g, foreground.b, 0.4))
+  border.width: borderlessHighlight ? (activeFocus ? 2 : 0)
+    : (selected ? 2 : (activeFocus || hasCursor ? 2 : 1))
 
   Behavior on color { ColorAnimation { duration: 100 } }
 
diff --git a/shell/Ui/CursorPill.qml b/shell/Ui/CursorPill.qml
index da299455..fcb877df 100644
--- a/shell/Ui/CursorPill.qml
+++ b/shell/Ui/CursorPill.qml
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@ import QtQuick
 PillButton {
   id: root
 
+  cursorBordered: false
+
   signal hovered(bool isHovered)
 
   HoverHandler {
diff --git a/shell/Ui/CursorSurface.qml b/shell/Ui/CursorSurface.qml
index 477d4e32..92ad4e50 100644
--- a/shell/Ui/CursorSurface.qml
+++ b/shell/Ui/CursorSurface.qml
@@ -13,11 +13,12 @@ Rectangle {
   property bool current: false
 
   property color foreground: "#cacccc"
-  property color fill: Qt.rgba(foreground.r, foreground.g, foreground.b, 0.18)
+  property color fill: Qt.rgba(foreground.r, foreground.g, foreground.b, 0.12)
+  property color currentFill: fill
 
   radius: Style.cornerRadius
-  color: (hasCursor || current) ? fill : "transparent"
-  border.width: hasCursor ? 1 : 0
+  color: hasCursor ? fill : (current ? currentFill : "transparent")
+  border.width: 0
   border.color: foreground
 
   Behavior on color {
diff --git a/shell/Ui/PillButton.qml b/shell/Ui/PillButton.qml
index 7cdae396..c5634ca5 100644
--- a/shell/Ui/PillButton.qml
+++ b/shell/Ui/PillButton.qml
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ Rectangle {
   // hits them. The hot/cursor state paints its own 1px border, so changing
   // this doesn't affect panel-pill visuals.
   property bool bordered: false
+  property bool cursorBordered: true
 
   activeFocusOnTab: focusable
   Keys.onReturnPressed: if (focusable) root.clicked()
@@ -93,7 +94,7 @@ Rectangle {
     : hot ? hoverBackground
     : (active ? activeBackground : background)
   border.width: _showFocusRing ? Style.focusBorderWidth
-    : hot ? 1
+    : hot ? (cursorBordered ? 1 : 0)
     : (bordered ? 1 : 0)
   border.color: _showFocusRing ? Style.focusBorderColor : foreground
 
diff --git a/shell/plugins/bar/widgets/audioPanel.qml b/shell/plugins/bar/widgets/audioPanel.qml
index 3b9c974e..cb457b50 100644
--- a/shell/plugins/bar/widgets/audioPanel.qml
+++ b/shell/plugins/bar/widgets/audioPanel.qml
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ Item {
   property int selectedIndex: -1
 
   readonly property color activeFill: bar
-    ? Qt.rgba(bar.foreground.r, bar.foreground.g, bar.foreground.b, 0.18)
+    ? Qt.rgba(bar.foreground.r, bar.foreground.g, bar.foreground.b, 0.12)
     : "transparent"
 
   function sectionCount(section) {
@@ -450,7 +450,7 @@ Item {
               hasCursor: root.focusSection === "output" && root.selectedIndex === -1
               onHasCursorChanged: if (hasCursor) root.ensureCursorVisible(outputSliderRow)
               foreground: root.bar.foreground
-              fill: root.activeFill
+              fill: "transparent"
 
               Row {
                 id: outputSliderInner
@@ -567,7 +567,7 @@ Item {
               hasCursor: root.focusSection === "input" && root.selectedIndex === -1
               onHasCursorChanged: if (hasCursor) root.ensureCursorVisible(inputSliderRow)
               foreground: root.bar.foreground
-              fill: root.activeFill
+              fill: "transparent"
 
               Row {
                 id: inputSliderInner
@@ -700,8 +700,8 @@ Item {
       anchors.left: parent.left
       anchors.right: parent.right
       anchors.verticalCenter: parent.verticalCenter
-      anchors.leftMargin: 10
-      anchors.rightMargin: 10
+      anchors.leftMargin: 6
+      anchors.rightMargin: 6
       spacing: 8
 
       Text {
@@ -709,7 +709,7 @@ Item {
         color: root.bar.foreground
         font.family: root.bar.fontFamily
         font.pixelSize: 14
-        width: 18
+        width: 22
         horizontalAlignment: Text.AlignHCenter
         anchors.verticalCenter: parent.verticalCenter
       }
@@ -720,7 +720,7 @@ Item {
         font.family: root.bar.fontFamily
         font.pixelSize: 12
         elide: Text.ElideRight
-        width: parent.width - 18 - 14 - 16
+        width: parent.width - 22 - 14 - 16
         anchors.verticalCenter: parent.verticalCenter
       }
 
@@ -766,8 +766,8 @@ Item {
       anchors.left: parent.left
       anchors.right: parent.right
       anchors.verticalCenter: parent.verticalCenter
-      anchors.leftMargin: 10
-      anchors.rightMargin: 10
+      anchors.leftMargin: 6
+      anchors.rightMargin: 6
       spacing: 8
 
       Text {
@@ -775,7 +775,7 @@ Item {
         color: root.bar.foreground
         font.family: root.bar.fontFamily
         font.pixelSize: 14
-        width: 18
+        width: 22
         horizontalAlignment: Text.AlignHCenter
         anchors.verticalCenter: parent.verticalCenter
       }
@@ -786,7 +786,7 @@ Item {
         font.family: root.bar.fontFamily
         font.pixelSize: 12
         elide: Text.ElideRight
-        width: parent.width - 18 - 14 - 16
+        width: parent.width - 22 - 14 - 16
         anchors.verticalCenter: parent.verticalCenter
       }
 
diff --git a/shell/plugins/bar/widgets/bluetoothPanel.qml b/shell/plugins/bar/widgets/bluetoothPanel.qml
index dcf7b766..f4636ecd 100644
--- a/shell/plugins/bar/widgets/bluetoothPanel.qml
+++ b/shell/plugins/bar/widgets/bluetoothPanel.qml
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ Item {
   property string focusedKnownAddress: ""
 
   readonly property color activeFill: bar
-    ? Qt.rgba(bar.foreground.r, bar.foreground.g, bar.foreground.b, 0.18)
+    ? Qt.rgba(bar.foreground.r, bar.foreground.g, bar.foreground.b, 0.12)
     : "transparent"
 
   function sectionCount(section) {
@@ -374,7 +374,6 @@ Item {
               tooltipText: !root.adapter ? "" : !root.adapter.enabled ? "Bluetooth is off"
                 : root.adapter.discovering ? "Stop scanning" : "Scan for devices"
               pillEnabled: root.adapter !== null && root.adapter.enabled
-              active: root.adapter && root.adapter.discovering
               onActivated: if (root.adapter) root.adapter.discovering = !root.adapter.discovering
             }
 
@@ -389,7 +388,6 @@ Item {
               pillIndex: 2
               iconText: root.adapter && root.adapter.enabled ? "󰂯" : "󰂲"
               tooltipText: root.adapter && root.adapter.enabled ? "Turn Bluetooth off" : "Turn Bluetooth on"
-              active: root.adapter && root.adapter.enabled
               onActivated: if (root.adapter) root.adapter.enabled = !root.adapter.enabled
             }
           }
@@ -514,7 +512,7 @@ Item {
     onHasCursorChanged: if (hasCursor) root.ensureCursorVisible(row)
     current: isConnected
     foreground: root.bar.foreground
-    fill: root.activeFill
+    fill: isConnected ? root.activeFill : "transparent"
 
     // 0 idle, 1 connecting, 2 disconnecting, 3 pairing, 4 failed.
     property int pendingAction: 0
diff --git a/shell/plugins/bar/widgets/monitorPanel.qml b/shell/plugins/bar/widgets/monitorPanel.qml
index 1dcccdfa..3feb196c 100644
--- a/shell/plugins/bar/widgets/monitorPanel.qml
+++ b/shell/plugins/bar/widgets/monitorPanel.qml
@@ -414,7 +414,7 @@ Item {
               hasCursor: root.focusSection === "brightness" && root.selectedIndex === -1
               onHasCursorChanged: if (hasCursor) root.ensureCursorVisible(brightnessRow)
               foreground: root.bar.foreground
-              fill: Qt.rgba(root.bar.foreground.r, root.bar.foreground.g, root.bar.foreground.b, 0.18)
+              fill: "transparent"
 
               Row {
                 id: brightnessInner
@@ -511,6 +511,7 @@ Item {
                   fontSize: 11
                   selected: root.normalizeScale(root.monitorScale) === root.normalizeScale(modelData)
                   hasCursor: root.focusSection === "scale" && root.selectedIndex === index
+                  borderlessHighlight: true
                   onClicked: root.setScale(modelData)
                   onHovered: function(h) {
                     if (h) {
diff --git a/shell/plugins/bar/widgets/networkPanel.qml b/shell/plugins/bar/widgets/networkPanel.qml
index fcb0b348..32354dfb 100644
--- a/shell/plugins/bar/widgets/networkPanel.qml
+++ b/shell/plugins/bar/widgets/networkPanel.qml
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ Item {
   // Mouse hover and keyboard nav both mutate this state at the root; items
   // never read containsMouse for visuals. See CursorSurface for the
   // shared chrome (fill / border) shared by NetworkRow and DnsProviderPill.
-  readonly property color activeFill: bar ? Qt.rgba(bar.foreground.r, bar.foreground.g, bar.foreground.b, 0.18) : "transparent"
+  readonly property color activeFill: bar ? Qt.rgba(bar.foreground.r, bar.foreground.g, bar.foreground.b, 0.12) : "transparent"
 
   // The panel below is its own layer-shell with Exclusive keyboard focus,
   // so Hyprland grants focus when the surface is mapped (popupOpen flips