diff --git a/Sources/WorkspaceContentView.swift b/Sources/WorkspaceContentView.swift
index 4ba398be..ad1d48d2 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 = GhosttyConfig.load()
+    @State private var config = WorkspaceContentView.resolveGhosttyAppearanceConfig()
     @Environment(\.colorScheme) private var colorScheme
     @EnvironmentObject var notificationStore: TerminalNotificationStore
 
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ struct WorkspaceContentView: View {
         .frame(maxWidth: .infinity, maxHeight: .infinity)
         .onAppear {
             syncBonsplitNotificationBadges()
-            workspace.applyGhosttyChrome(backgroundColor: GhosttyApp.shared.defaultBackgroundColor)
+            refreshGhosttyAppearanceConfig()
         }
         .onChange(of: notificationStore.notifications) { _, _ in
             syncBonsplitNotificationBadges()
@@ -104,9 +104,9 @@ struct WorkspaceContentView: View {
         }
         .onReceive(NotificationCenter.default.publisher(for: .ghosttyDefaultBackgroundDidChange)) { notification in
             if let backgroundColor = notification.userInfo?[GhosttyNotificationKey.backgroundColor] as? NSColor {
-                workspace.applyGhosttyChrome(backgroundColor: backgroundColor)
+                refreshGhosttyAppearanceConfig(backgroundOverride: backgroundColor)
             } else {
-                workspace.applyGhosttyChrome(backgroundColor: GhosttyApp.shared.defaultBackgroundColor)
+                refreshGhosttyAppearanceConfig()
             }
         }
     }
@@ -141,8 +141,18 @@ struct WorkspaceContentView: View {
         }
     }
 
-    private func refreshGhosttyAppearanceConfig() {
-        let next = GhosttyConfig.load()
+    static func resolveGhosttyAppearanceConfig(
+        backgroundOverride: NSColor? = nil,
+        loadConfig: () -> GhosttyConfig = GhosttyConfig.load,
+        defaultBackground: () -> NSColor = { GhosttyApp.shared.defaultBackgroundColor }
+    ) -> GhosttyConfig {
+        var next = loadConfig()
+        next.backgroundColor = backgroundOverride ?? defaultBackground()
+        return next
+    }
+
+    private func refreshGhosttyAppearanceConfig(backgroundOverride: NSColor? = nil) {
+        let next = Self.resolveGhosttyAppearanceConfig(backgroundOverride: backgroundOverride)
         config = next
         workspace.applyGhosttyChrome(from: next)
     }
diff --git a/cmuxTests/GhosttyConfigTests.swift b/cmuxTests/GhosttyConfigTests.swift
index 25946b38..2e28bf5f 100644
--- a/cmuxTests/GhosttyConfigTests.swift
+++ b/cmuxTests/GhosttyConfigTests.swift
@@ -232,6 +232,51 @@ final class WorkspaceChromeThemeTests: XCTestCase {
     }
 }
 
+final class WorkspaceAppearanceConfigResolutionTests: XCTestCase {
+    func testResolvedAppearanceConfigPrefersGhosttyRuntimeBackgroundOverLoadedConfig() {
+        guard let loadedBackground = NSColor(hex: "#112233"),
+              let runtimeBackground = NSColor(hex: "#FDF6E3"),
+              let loadedForeground = NSColor(hex: "#ABCDEF") else {
+            XCTFail("Expected valid test colors")
+            return
+        }
+
+        var loaded = GhosttyConfig()
+        loaded.backgroundColor = loadedBackground
+        loaded.foregroundColor = loadedForeground
+        loaded.unfocusedSplitOpacity = 0.42
+
+        let resolved = WorkspaceContentView.resolveGhosttyAppearanceConfig(
+            loadConfig: { loaded },
+            defaultBackground: { runtimeBackground }
+        )
+
+        XCTAssertEqual(resolved.backgroundColor.hexString(), "#FDF6E3")
+        XCTAssertEqual(resolved.foregroundColor.hexString(), "#ABCDEF")
+        XCTAssertEqual(resolved.unfocusedSplitOpacity, 0.42, accuracy: 0.0001)
+    }
+
+    func testResolvedAppearanceConfigPrefersExplicitBackgroundOverride() {
+        guard let loadedBackground = NSColor(hex: "#112233"),
+              let runtimeBackground = NSColor(hex: "#FDF6E3"),
+              let explicitOverride = NSColor(hex: "#272822") else {
+            XCTFail("Expected valid test colors")
+            return
+        }
+
+        var loaded = GhosttyConfig()
+        loaded.backgroundColor = loadedBackground
+
+        let resolved = WorkspaceContentView.resolveGhosttyAppearanceConfig(
+            backgroundOverride: explicitOverride,
+            loadConfig: { loaded },
+            defaultBackground: { runtimeBackground }
+        )
+
+        XCTAssertEqual(resolved.backgroundColor.hexString(), "#272822")
+    }
+}
+
 final class NotificationBurstCoalescerTests: XCTestCase {
     func testSignalsInSameBurstFlushOnce() {
         let coalescer = NotificationBurstCoalescer(delay: 0.01)