diff --git a/Sources/ContentView.swift b/Sources/ContentView.swift
index 82de33b1..21f40272 100644
--- a/Sources/ContentView.swift
+++ b/Sources/ContentView.swift
@@ -843,7 +843,6 @@ struct ContentView: View {
     @State private var titlebarThemeGeneration: UInt64 = 0
     @State private var sidebarDraggedTabId: UUID?
     @State private var titlebarTextUpdateCoalescer = NotificationBurstCoalescer(delay: 1.0 / 30.0)
-    @State private var titlebarThemeUpdateCoalescer = NotificationBurstCoalescer(delay: 1.0 / 30.0)
     @State private var sidebarResizerCursorReleaseWorkItem: DispatchWorkItem?
     @State private var sidebarResizerPointerMonitor: Any?
     @State private var isResizerBandActive = false
@@ -1261,10 +1260,15 @@ struct ContentView: View {
         }
     }
 
-    private func scheduleTitlebarThemeRefresh() {
-        titlebarThemeUpdateCoalescer.signal {
+    private func scheduleTitlebarThemeRefresh(reason: String) {
+        withTransaction(Transaction(animation: nil)) {
             titlebarThemeGeneration &+= 1
         }
+        if GhosttyApp.shared.backgroundLogEnabled {
+            GhosttyApp.shared.logBackground(
+                "titlebar theme refresh reason=\(reason) generation=\(titlebarThemeGeneration)"
+            )
+        }
     }
 
     private var focusedDirectory: String? {
@@ -1406,11 +1410,16 @@ struct ContentView: View {
         })
 
         view = AnyView(view.onReceive(NotificationCenter.default.publisher(for: Notification.Name("ghosttyConfigDidReload"))) { _ in
-            scheduleTitlebarThemeRefresh()
+            scheduleTitlebarThemeRefresh(reason: "ghosttyConfigDidReload")
         })
 
-        view = AnyView(view.onReceive(NotificationCenter.default.publisher(for: Notification.Name("ghosttyDefaultBackgroundDidChange"))) { _ in
-            scheduleTitlebarThemeRefresh()
+        view = AnyView(view.onReceive(NotificationCenter.default.publisher(for: Notification.Name("ghosttyDefaultBackgroundDidChange"))) { notification in
+            let payloadHex = (notification.userInfo?[GhosttyNotificationKey.backgroundColor] as? NSColor)?.hexString() ?? "nil"
+            let eventId = (notification.userInfo?[GhosttyNotificationKey.backgroundEventId] as? NSNumber)?.uint64Value
+            let source = (notification.userInfo?[GhosttyNotificationKey.backgroundSource] as? String) ?? "nil"
+            scheduleTitlebarThemeRefresh(
+                reason: "ghosttyDefaultBackgroundDidChange:event=\(eventId.map(String.init) ?? "nil"):source=\(source):payload=\(payloadHex)"
+            )
         })
 
         view = AnyView(view.onReceive(NotificationCenter.default.publisher(for: .ghosttyDidBecomeFirstResponderSurface)) { notification in
diff --git a/Sources/GhosttyTerminalView.swift b/Sources/GhosttyTerminalView.swift
index 2b80a7f3..f0dd19e6 100644
--- a/Sources/GhosttyTerminalView.swift
+++ b/Sources/GhosttyTerminalView.swift
@@ -283,7 +283,9 @@ class GhosttyApp {
     private var defaultBackgroundUpdateScope: GhosttyDefaultBackgroundUpdateScope = .unscoped
     private var defaultBackgroundScopeSource: String = "initialize"
     private lazy var defaultBackgroundNotificationDispatcher: GhosttyDefaultBackgroundNotificationDispatcher =
-        GhosttyDefaultBackgroundNotificationDispatcher(logEvent: { [weak self] message in
+        // Theme chrome should track terminal theme changes in the same frame.
+        // Keep coalescing semantics, but flush in the next main turn instead of waiting ~1 frame.
+        GhosttyDefaultBackgroundNotificationDispatcher(delay: 0, logEvent: { [weak self] message in
             guard let self, self.backgroundLogEnabled else { return }
             self.logBackground(message)
         })
diff --git a/Sources/WorkspaceContentView.swift b/Sources/WorkspaceContentView.swift
index 3c33f1ab..24743fe4 100644
--- a/Sources/WorkspaceContentView.swift
+++ b/Sources/WorkspaceContentView.swift
@@ -183,7 +183,9 @@ struct WorkspaceContentView: View {
         logTheme(
             "theme refresh workspace=\(workspace.id.uuidString) reason=\(reason) previousBg=\(previousBackgroundHex) nextBg=\(next.backgroundColor.hexString()) overrideBg=\(backgroundOverride?.hexString() ?? "nil")"
         )
-        config = next
+        withTransaction(Transaction(animation: nil)) {
+            config = next
+        }
         workspace.applyGhosttyChrome(from: next)
     }