diff --git a/ui/dev/harness.html b/ui/dev/harness.html
index 20b288e..faef17c 100644
--- a/ui/dev/harness.html
+++ b/ui/dev/harness.html
@@ -231,7 +231,7 @@
         </div>
       </figure>
       <figure class="cell" style="margin:0">
-        <figcaption>tabs — menu[role=tablist]</figcaption>
+        <figcaption>reference — menu[role=tablist]</figcaption>
         <menu role="tablist">
           <button role="tab" aria-selected="true">local</button>
           <button role="tab">server-a</button>
@@ -240,5 +240,50 @@
         <div role="tabpanel" style="padding:10px">Tab body</div>
       </figure>
     </div>
+
+    <h2>5 — Workspace tab strip (ours, as tab-bar.ts renders it)</h2>
+    <!--
+      The live app only ever has ONE workspace at startup and there is no way to
+      click "+" from a headless capture, so multi-tab state can only be checked
+      here. This mirrors tab-bar.ts exactly: the tabs sit in a menu[role=tablist]
+      inside a .w7-toolbar row, and the "+" / right-hand tools sit OUTSIDE the
+      menu so 7.css's descendant selector does not style them as tabs.
+    -->
+    <div class="pair">
+      <figure class="cell" style="margin:0">
+        <figcaption>ours — 3 workspaces, 2nd active</figcaption>
+        <div class="w7-toolbar relative flex h-9 items-center gap-0.5 border-b border-border bg-chrome pt-1 pr-1.5 pl-1.5">
+          <menu role="tablist" class="flex min-w-0 items-center overflow-x-auto">
+            <button role="tab" class="flex max-w-52 min-w-0 shrink-0 items-center gap-1.5">
+              <span class="truncate">Local</span>
+            </button>
+            <button role="tab" aria-selected="true" class="flex max-w-52 min-w-0 shrink-0 items-center gap-1.5">
+              <span class="truncate">build-server</span>
+            </button>
+            <button role="tab" class="flex max-w-52 min-w-0 shrink-0 items-center gap-1.5">
+              <span class="truncate">a-very-long-workspace-name-that-truncates</span>
+            </button>
+          </menu>
+          <button class="ml-0.5 grid size-6 place-items-center rounded-md">+</button>
+          <div class="flex-1"></div>
+          <button class="grid h-6 px-2 py-1 place-items-center rounded-md text-[11px]">Connections</button>
+        </div>
+        <div style="height:60px;background:var(--w7-tab-bg,#fff);border:1px solid #8e8f8f;border-top:0"></div>
+      </figure>
+      <figure class="cell" style="margin:0">
+        <figcaption>ours — single workspace (the live startup state)</figcaption>
+        <div class="w7-toolbar relative flex h-9 items-center gap-0.5 border-b border-border bg-chrome pt-1 pr-1.5 pl-1.5">
+          <menu role="tablist" class="flex min-w-0 items-center overflow-x-auto">
+            <button role="tab" aria-selected="true" class="flex max-w-52 min-w-0 shrink-0 items-center gap-1.5">
+              <span class="truncate">Local</span>
+            </button>
+          </menu>
+          <button class="ml-0.5 grid size-6 place-items-center rounded-md">+</button>
+          <div class="flex-1"></div>
+          <button class="grid h-6 px-2 py-1 place-items-center rounded-md text-[11px]">Connections</button>
+        </div>
+        <div style="height:60px;background:var(--w7-tab-bg,#fff);border:1px solid #8e8f8f;border-top:0"></div>
+      </figure>
+    </div>
   </body>
 </html>
diff --git a/ui/src/app/tab-bar/tab-bar.ts b/ui/src/app/tab-bar/tab-bar.ts
index 6b87bd2..7a060e4 100644
--- a/ui/src/app/tab-bar/tab-bar.ts
+++ b/ui/src/app/tab-bar/tab-bar.ts
@@ -45,55 +45,51 @@ const CONCURRENCY_CHOICES = [2, 3, 4, 6, 8] as const;
     <div
       class="w7-toolbar relative flex h-9 items-center gap-0.5 border-b border-border bg-chrome pt-1 pr-1.5 pl-1.5 electrobun-webkit-app-region-drag"
     >
-      <div
+      <!-- 7.css's real tab component. The contract is exact: menu[role=tablist]
+           for the strip and a button[aria-selected] per tab — 7.css then draws
+           the joined inactive tabs and raises the active one (white fill, no
+           bottom border, pulled 2px down over the row's border so it reads as
+           joined to the content). Everything the hand-rolled version painted
+           (bg-accent, the absolutely-positioned bg-primary underline) is gone:
+           it was a lookalike competing with the framework.
+           NOTE the selector is "menu[role=tablist] button" — a DESCENDANT, so
+           any button in here becomes a tab. The "+" and the right-hand tools
+           deliberately live OUTSIDE this element.
+           (No backticks in this template: it is a TS template literal.) -->
+      <menu
         #tabScroll
-        class="flex min-w-0 items-center gap-0.5 overflow-x-auto [scrollbar-width:none] [&::-webkit-scrollbar]:hidden"
+        role="tablist"
+        class="flex min-w-0 items-center overflow-x-auto [scrollbar-width:none] [&::-webkit-scrollbar]:hidden"
       >
       @for (ws of panels.workspaces(); track ws.id; let i = $index) {
-        <div
+        <!-- No ✕ inside the tab: real Win7 tab controls had none, and a button
+             nested in a button is invalid HTML. Closing is Ctrl/Cmd+W or
+             middle-click (auxclick), so a pointer path survives. -->
+        <button
+          role="tab"
+          [attr.aria-selected]="ws.id === panels.activeWorkspaceId()"
           [attr.data-tab-id]="ws.id"
-          class="group relative flex max-w-52 shrink-0 items-center rounded-md electrobun-webkit-app-region-no-drag"
-          [class.bg-accent]="ws.id === panels.activeWorkspaceId()"
+          (click)="panels.setActiveWorkspace(ws.id)"
+          (auxclick)="onAuxClick($event, ws.id)"
+          class="flex max-w-52 min-w-0 shrink-0 items-center gap-1.5 electrobun-webkit-app-region-no-drag"
           [class.opacity-50]="draggedId() === ws.id"
           [style.box-shadow]="dropIndicatorShadow(i)"
+          [title]="panels.workspaceName(ws)"
           draggable="true"
           (dragstart)="onDragStart($event, ws.id)"
           (dragover)="onDragOver($event, i)"
           (drop)="onDrop($event, i)"
           (dragend)="onDragEnd()"
         >
-          <button
-            (click)="panels.setActiveWorkspace(ws.id)"
-            class="flex min-w-0 items-center gap-1.5 py-1.5 pr-1 pl-2.5 text-xs"
-            [class.text-foreground]="ws.id === panels.activeWorkspaceId()"
-            [class.text-muted-foreground]="ws.id !== panels.activeWorkspaceId()"
-            [title]="panels.workspaceName(ws)"
-          >
-            <ng-icon
-              [name]="panels.workspaceIsRemote(ws) ? 'mynaServers' : 'mynaHardDrive'"
-              size="0.85rem"
-              class="shrink-0"
-              [class.text-primary]="panels.workspaceIsRemote(ws)"
-            />
-            <span class="truncate">{{ panels.workspaceName(ws) }}</span>
-          </button>
-          @if (panels.workspaces().length > 1) {
-            <button
-              (click)="close($event, ws.id)"
-              [title]="i18n.t('tabBar.closeTab', { mod: modLabel })"
-              class="mr-1 grid size-4 shrink-0 place-items-center rounded text-muted-foreground opacity-0 group-hover:opacity-100 hover:bg-border hover:text-foreground"
-            >
-              <ng-icon name="mynaX" size="0.7rem" />
-            </button>
-          } @else {
-            <span class="mr-1 size-4 shrink-0"></span>
-          }
-          @if (ws.id === panels.activeWorkspaceId()) {
-            <div class="absolute inset-x-0 -bottom-px h-0.5 rounded-full bg-primary"></div>
-          }
-        </div>
+          <ng-icon
+            [name]="panels.workspaceIsRemote(ws) ? 'mynaServers' : 'mynaHardDrive'"
+            size="0.85rem"
+            class="shrink-0"
+          />
+          <span class="truncate">{{ panels.workspaceName(ws) }}</span>
+        </button>
       }
-      </div>
+      </menu>
       <button
         (click)="panels.newWorkspace()"
         [title]="i18n.t('tabBar.newTab', { mod: modLabel })"
@@ -448,7 +444,7 @@ export class TabBar {
   readonly draggedId = signal<number | null>(null);
   readonly dropTarget = signal<{ index: number; before: boolean } | null>(null);
 
-  private readonly tabScroll = viewChild.required<ElementRef<HTMLDivElement>>('tabScroll');
+  private readonly tabScroll = viewChild.required<ElementRef<HTMLMenuElement>>('tabScroll');
 
   constructor() {
     // keep the active tab visible when the strip overflows
@@ -465,6 +461,18 @@ export class TabBar {
     this.panels.closeWorkspace(id);
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Middle-click closes the tab — the pointer path that replaced the per-tab ✕.
+   * `auxclick` is the non-primary-button click event; guard on button 1 so the
+   * right button (which also fires auxclick) never closes anything. Refuses the
+   * last tab, matching closeWorkspace's own floor.
+   */
+  onAuxClick(event: MouseEvent, id: number): void {
+    if (event.button !== 1) return;
+    event.preventDefault();
+    if (this.panels.workspaces().length > 1) this.close(event, id);
+  }
+
   /** "Visual Studio Code.app" -> "Visual Studio Code"; empty -> system default. */
   editorAppName(): string {
     const path = this.settings.editorApp();
diff --git a/ui/src/styles.css b/ui/src/styles.css
index 2cfea06..dc4f395 100644
--- a/ui/src/styles.css
+++ b/ui/src/styles.css
@@ -415,6 +415,9 @@ body {
   --w7-lv-head-grad: linear-gradient(180deg, #fff 45%, #fafafa 0, #f0f0f0);
   --w7-lv-head-bd: #d7d7d7;
   --w7-lv-cell-bd: #eee;
+  /* Tabs (tabs.css). 7.css hardcodes `color: #222` on every tablist button,
+     outside its own var system, which is unreadable on the dark surface. */
+  --w7-tab-c: #222;
   /* Menu (menu.css) */
   --w7-mn-c: #000;
   --w7-mn-bd: #0006;
@@ -472,6 +475,7 @@ body {
   --w7-lv-head-grad: linear-gradient(180deg, var(--w7-el-bg) 45%, var(--w7-el-bg-d) 0, var(--w7-el-bg-s-1));
   --w7-lv-head-bd: var(--w7-el-bd-d);
   --w7-lv-cell-bd: var(--w7-el-bd-d);
+  --w7-tab-c: var(--w7-el-c);
   --w7-mn-c: var(--w7-el-c);
   --w7-mn-bd: var(--w7-el-bd-d);
   --w7-mn-stripe: inset 1px 0 #00000059, inset -1px 0 #ffffff14;
@@ -528,6 +532,7 @@ body {
     --w7-lv-head-grad: linear-gradient(180deg, var(--w7-el-bg) 45%, var(--w7-el-bg-d) 0, var(--w7-el-bg-s-1));
     --w7-lv-head-bd: var(--w7-el-bd-d);
     --w7-lv-cell-bd: var(--w7-el-bd-d);
+  --w7-tab-c: var(--w7-el-c);
     --w7-mn-c: var(--w7-el-c);
     --w7-mn-bd: var(--w7-el-bd-d);
     --w7-mn-stripe: inset 1px 0 #00000059, inset -1px 0 #ffffff14;
@@ -652,15 +657,20 @@ body {
      Explorer's command bar worked exactly that way. `w7-toolbar` marks the
      three header rows; a plain `.title-bar` sibling is deliberately NOT one of
      them, so its controls keep the real Aero treatment. `w7-flat` is the
-     per-button escape hatch. Both classes are inert under the modern skin. */
-  .win7 .w7-toolbar button,
+     per-button escape hatch. Both classes are inert under the modern skin.
+     `:not([role='tab'])` is load-bearing: the workspace strip IS a w7-toolbar,
+     so without the exemption this rule would strip the border, gradient and
+     both pseudo-elements off every tab and leave 7.css's tab component drawing
+     nothing. Tabs want the full Aero slab; the +/Connections/options buttons
+     beside them want the flat treatment. */
+  .win7 .w7-toolbar button:not([role='tab']),
   .win7 .w7-flat {
     background: revert-layer;
     border-color: transparent;
     box-shadow: none;
   }
-  .win7 .w7-toolbar button::before,
-  .win7 .w7-toolbar button::after,
+  .win7 .w7-toolbar button:not([role='tab'])::before,
+  .win7 .w7-toolbar button:not([role='tab'])::after,
   .win7 .w7-flat::before,
   .win7 .w7-flat::after {
     content: none;
@@ -808,6 +818,41 @@ body {
     color: var(--w7-mn-check-c);
   }
 
+  /* ---- Tabs (workspace strip) ----
+     7.css owns the tab CHROME; these restore the tab CONTENT layout it breaks.
+     `menu[role=tablist] button` sets `display: block` at (0,2,1), which
+     outranks Tailwind's `.flex` in `utilities` — so the icon and the label
+     rendered jammed together with no gap and no truncation. Restate the flex
+     box here (skinfix outranks skin) and leave every painted property alone.
+     The gap matches the gap-1.5 the template asks for. */
+  .win7 menu[role='tablist'] button[role='tab'] {
+    display: flex;
+    align-items: center;
+    gap: 0.375rem;
+  }
+
+  /* tabs.css hardcodes `color: #222` on every tablist button — a light-mode
+     literal outside 7.css's var system, which left the labels near-invisible
+     on the dark surface. Same failure and same remedy as the ListView and menu
+     literals above: route it through a token that both dark blocks override. */
+  .win7 menu[role='tablist'] button {
+    color: var(--w7-tab-c);
+  }
+
+  /* The workspace strip scrolls horizontally when tabs overflow. Setting
+     `overflow-x: auto` forces the computed `overflow-y` from visible to auto
+     as well (CSS will not pair visible with a non-visible axis), so the strip
+     clips vertically — and 7.css raises the ACTIVE tab with `margin-top: -2px`,
+     which put its top border outside the scroll box and silently deleted it.
+     Reserve those 2px as padding so the pulled-up tab lands inside the box.
+     7.css already reserves the matching 3px on the left (padding-left: 3px)
+     for the same tab's -3px left margin; it just never anticipated a scroller.
+     Verified by pixel scan: the active tab's top edge must be #8e8f8f, not a
+     straight jump from the toolbar grey to the tab fill. */
+  .win7 .w7-toolbar menu[role='tablist'] {
+    padding-top: 2px;
+  }
+
   .win7 .window.glass > .title-bar {
     background: var(--w7-glass-title);
     background-attachment: fixed;