diff --git a/Sources/GhosttyTerminalView.swift b/Sources/GhosttyTerminalView.swift
index 3c3fa1a0..ed21b275 100644
--- a/Sources/GhosttyTerminalView.swift
+++ b/Sources/GhosttyTerminalView.swift
@@ -166,10 +166,33 @@ class GhosttyApp {
     private(set) var config: ghostty_config_t?
     private(set) var defaultBackgroundColor: NSColor = .windowBackgroundColor
     private(set) var defaultBackgroundOpacity: Double = 1.0
+    private static func resolveBackgroundLogURL(
+        environment: [String: String] = ProcessInfo.processInfo.environment
+    ) -> URL {
+        if let explicitPath = environment["CMUX_DEBUG_BG_LOG"],
+           !explicitPath.trimmingCharacters(in: .whitespacesAndNewlines).isEmpty {
+            return URL(fileURLWithPath: explicitPath)
+        }
+
+        if let debugLogPath = environment["CMUX_DEBUG_LOG"],
+           !debugLogPath.trimmingCharacters(in: .whitespacesAndNewlines).isEmpty {
+            let baseURL = URL(fileURLWithPath: debugLogPath)
+            let extensionSeparatorIndex = baseURL.lastPathComponent.lastIndex(of: ".")
+            let stem = extensionSeparatorIndex.map { String(baseURL.lastPathComponent[..<$0]) } ?? baseURL.lastPathComponent
+            let bgName = "\(stem)-bg.log"
+            return baseURL.deletingLastPathComponent().appendingPathComponent(bgName)
+        }
+
+        return URL(fileURLWithPath: "/tmp/cmux-bg.log")
+    }
+
     let backgroundLogEnabled = {
         if ProcessInfo.processInfo.environment["CMUX_DEBUG_BG"] == "1" {
             return true
         }
+        if ProcessInfo.processInfo.environment["CMUX_DEBUG_LOG"] != nil {
+            return true
+        }
         if ProcessInfo.processInfo.environment["GHOSTTYTABS_DEBUG_BG"] == "1" {
             return true
         }
@@ -178,7 +201,7 @@ class GhosttyApp {
         }
         return UserDefaults.standard.bool(forKey: "GhosttyTabsDebugBG")
     }()
-    private let backgroundLogURL = URL(fileURLWithPath: "/tmp/cmux-bg.log")
+    private let backgroundLogURL = GhosttyApp.resolveBackgroundLogURL()
     private var appObservers: [NSObjectProtocol] = []
 
     // Scroll lag tracking
diff --git a/Sources/Workspace.swift b/Sources/Workspace.swift
index 6c8d20cc..99d17dcf 100644
--- a/Sources/Workspace.swift
+++ b/Sources/Workspace.swift
@@ -352,9 +352,20 @@ final class Workspace: Identifiable, ObservableObject {
     }
 
     func applyGhosttyChrome(backgroundColor: NSColor) {
+        let currentChromeColors = bonsplitController.configuration.appearance.chromeColors
         let nextChromeColors = Self.resolvedChromeColors(from: backgroundColor)
-        if bonsplitController.configuration.appearance.chromeColors.backgroundHex == nextChromeColors.backgroundHex &&
-            bonsplitController.configuration.appearance.chromeColors.borderHex == nextChromeColors.borderHex {
+        let isNoOp = currentChromeColors.backgroundHex == nextChromeColors.backgroundHex &&
+            currentChromeColors.borderHex == nextChromeColors.borderHex
+
+        if GhosttyApp.shared.backgroundLogEnabled {
+            let currentBackgroundHex = currentChromeColors.backgroundHex ?? "nil"
+            let nextBackgroundHex = nextChromeColors.backgroundHex ?? "nil"
+            GhosttyApp.shared.logBackground(
+                "theme apply workspace=\(id.uuidString) currentBg=\(currentBackgroundHex) nextBg=\(nextBackgroundHex) currentBorder=\(currentChromeColors.borderHex ?? "nil") nextBorder=\(nextChromeColors.borderHex ?? "nil") noop=\(isNoOp)"
+            )
+        }
+
+        if isNoOp {
             return
         }
         bonsplitController.configuration.appearance.chromeColors = nextChromeColors
diff --git a/Sources/WorkspaceContentView.swift b/Sources/WorkspaceContentView.swift
index ad1d48d2..ebe6a414 100644
--- a/Sources/WorkspaceContentView.swift
+++ b/Sources/WorkspaceContentView.swift
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ struct WorkspaceContentView: View {
     let isWorkspaceVisible: Bool
     let isWorkspaceInputActive: Bool
     let workspacePortalPriority: Int
-    @State private var config = WorkspaceContentView.resolveGhosttyAppearanceConfig()
+    @State private var config = WorkspaceContentView.resolveGhosttyAppearanceConfig(reason: "stateInit")
     @Environment(\.colorScheme) private var colorScheme
     @EnvironmentObject var notificationStore: TerminalNotificationStore
 
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ struct WorkspaceContentView: View {
         .frame(maxWidth: .infinity, maxHeight: .infinity)
         .onAppear {
             syncBonsplitNotificationBadges()
-            refreshGhosttyAppearanceConfig()
+            refreshGhosttyAppearanceConfig(reason: "onAppear")
         }
         .onChange(of: notificationStore.notifications) { _, _ in
             syncBonsplitNotificationBadges()
@@ -96,17 +96,20 @@ struct WorkspaceContentView: View {
             syncBonsplitNotificationBadges()
         }
         .onReceive(NotificationCenter.default.publisher(for: .ghosttyConfigDidReload)) { _ in
-            refreshGhosttyAppearanceConfig()
+            refreshGhosttyAppearanceConfig(reason: "ghosttyConfigDidReload")
         }
-        .onChange(of: colorScheme) { _, _ in
+        .onChange(of: colorScheme) { oldValue, newValue in
             // Keep split overlay color/opacity in sync with light/dark theme transitions.
-            refreshGhosttyAppearanceConfig()
+            refreshGhosttyAppearanceConfig(reason: "colorSchemeChanged:\(oldValue)->\(newValue)")
         }
         .onReceive(NotificationCenter.default.publisher(for: .ghosttyDefaultBackgroundDidChange)) { notification in
             if let backgroundColor = notification.userInfo?[GhosttyNotificationKey.backgroundColor] as? NSColor {
-                refreshGhosttyAppearanceConfig(backgroundOverride: backgroundColor)
+                refreshGhosttyAppearanceConfig(
+                    reason: "ghosttyDefaultBackgroundDidChange:withPayload",
+                    backgroundOverride: backgroundColor
+                )
             } else {
-                refreshGhosttyAppearanceConfig()
+                refreshGhosttyAppearanceConfig(reason: "ghosttyDefaultBackgroundDidChange:withoutPayload")
             }
         }
     }
@@ -142,20 +145,51 @@ struct WorkspaceContentView: View {
     }
 
     static func resolveGhosttyAppearanceConfig(
+        reason: String = "unspecified",
         backgroundOverride: NSColor? = nil,
         loadConfig: () -> GhosttyConfig = GhosttyConfig.load,
         defaultBackground: () -> NSColor = { GhosttyApp.shared.defaultBackgroundColor }
     ) -> GhosttyConfig {
         var next = loadConfig()
-        next.backgroundColor = backgroundOverride ?? defaultBackground()
+        let loadedBackgroundHex = next.backgroundColor.hexString()
+        let defaultBackgroundHex: String
+        let resolvedBackground: NSColor
+
+        if let backgroundOverride {
+            resolvedBackground = backgroundOverride
+            defaultBackgroundHex = "skipped"
+        } else {
+            let fallback = defaultBackground()
+            resolvedBackground = fallback
+            defaultBackgroundHex = fallback.hexString()
+        }
+
+        next.backgroundColor = resolvedBackground
+        if GhosttyApp.shared.backgroundLogEnabled {
+            GhosttyApp.shared.logBackground(
+                "theme resolve reason=\(reason) loadedBg=\(loadedBackgroundHex) overrideBg=\(backgroundOverride?.hexString() ?? "nil") defaultBg=\(defaultBackgroundHex) finalBg=\(next.backgroundColor.hexString()) theme=\(next.theme ?? "nil")"
+            )
+        }
         return next
     }
 
-    private func refreshGhosttyAppearanceConfig(backgroundOverride: NSColor? = nil) {
-        let next = Self.resolveGhosttyAppearanceConfig(backgroundOverride: backgroundOverride)
+    private func refreshGhosttyAppearanceConfig(reason: String, backgroundOverride: NSColor? = nil) {
+        let previousBackgroundHex = config.backgroundColor.hexString()
+        let next = Self.resolveGhosttyAppearanceConfig(
+            reason: reason,
+            backgroundOverride: backgroundOverride
+        )
+        logTheme(
+            "theme refresh workspace=\(workspace.id.uuidString) reason=\(reason) previousBg=\(previousBackgroundHex) nextBg=\(next.backgroundColor.hexString()) overrideBg=\(backgroundOverride?.hexString() ?? "nil")"
+        )
         config = next
         workspace.applyGhosttyChrome(from: next)
     }
+
+    private func logTheme(_ message: String) {
+        guard GhosttyApp.shared.backgroundLogEnabled else { return }
+        GhosttyApp.shared.logBackground(message)
+    }
 }
 
 extension WorkspaceContentView {