diff --git a/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/layout/BoundsRestrictionIndicator.tsx b/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/layout/BoundsRestrictionIndicator.tsx
index 6fb664009..5ff3e85a8 100644
--- a/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/layout/BoundsRestrictionIndicator.tsx
+++ b/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/layout/BoundsRestrictionIndicator.tsx
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ export function BoundsRestrictionIndicator() {
 
   return (
     <div
-      className="pointer-events-auto absolute bottom-12 left-2 z-10 flex items-center gap-1 rounded-md border bg-background/90 px-2 py-1 text-xs font-medium text-foreground shadow-sm backdrop-blur-sm"
+      className="pointer-events-auto absolute bottom-12 left-2 z-10 flex items-center gap-1 rounded-md border map-glass px-2 py-1 text-xs font-medium text-foreground shadow-sm"
       role="status"
       title={tooltip}
       data-testid="bounds-restriction-indicator"
diff --git a/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/layout/CollaborationStatusBadge.tsx b/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/layout/CollaborationStatusBadge.tsx
index 1e2d0249c..8acc9d859 100644
--- a/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/layout/CollaborationStatusBadge.tsx
+++ b/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/layout/CollaborationStatusBadge.tsx
@@ -276,7 +276,7 @@ export function CollaborationStatusBadge({ api, mapControllerRef }: Collaboratio
         {announcements.map((a) => (
           <div
             key={a.id}
-            className="pointer-events-auto flex items-center gap-1.5 rounded-md border bg-background/95 px-2 py-1 text-xs text-foreground shadow-sm backdrop-blur-sm"
+            className="pointer-events-auto flex items-center gap-1.5 rounded-md border map-glass px-2 py-1 text-xs text-foreground shadow-sm"
           >
             <span className="h-1.5 w-1.5 shrink-0 rounded-full bg-green-500" />
             <span className="truncate">{a.text}</span>
@@ -288,7 +288,7 @@ export function CollaborationStatusBadge({ api, mapControllerRef }: Collaboratio
       {expanded && (
         <div
           id="collab-roster-panel"
-          className="pointer-events-auto rounded-md border bg-background/95 shadow-md backdrop-blur-sm"
+          className="pointer-events-auto rounded-md border map-glass shadow-md"
         >
           <div className="flex items-center justify-between border-b px-2.5 py-1.5">
             <span className="text-xs font-medium">
@@ -449,7 +449,7 @@ export function CollaborationStatusBadge({ api, mapControllerRef }: Collaboratio
               : t("collaborate.sessionStatusTooltip")
         }
         title={expanded ? t("collaborate.collapseRoster") : t("collaborate.sessionStatusTooltip")}
-        className="pointer-events-auto flex items-center gap-1.5 self-start rounded-full border bg-background/95 px-2.5 py-1 text-xs font-medium text-foreground shadow-sm backdrop-blur-sm transition hover:bg-accent"
+        className="pointer-events-auto flex items-center gap-1.5 self-start rounded-full border map-glass px-2.5 py-1 text-xs font-medium text-foreground shadow-sm transition hover:bg-accent"
       >
         <span className="relative flex h-2 w-2" aria-hidden="true">
           {!connecting && (
diff --git a/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/layout/MapGrid.tsx b/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/layout/MapGrid.tsx
index 68ef0a38e..6b602d761 100644
--- a/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/layout/MapGrid.tsx
+++ b/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/layout/MapGrid.tsx
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ function PaneLabel({
         onChange={(event) => onChange(event.target.value)}
         aria-label={ariaLabel}
         placeholder={t("mapGrid.labelPlaceholder")}
-        className="pointer-events-auto h-7 w-32 max-w-[40%] rounded-md border border-input bg-background/90 px-2 text-center text-sm text-foreground shadow-sm transition-colors placeholder:text-muted-foreground focus-visible:border-ring focus-visible:outline-none"
+        className="pointer-events-auto h-7 w-32 max-w-[40%] rounded-md border border-input map-glass px-2 text-center text-sm text-foreground shadow-sm transition-colors placeholder:text-muted-foreground focus-visible:border-ring focus-visible:outline-none"
       />
     </div>
   );
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ function SecondaryMapPane({ viewId, index, cesiumToken }: SecondaryMapPaneProps)
         {cesiumAvailable ? (
           <button
             type="button"
-            className="flex h-7 w-7 items-center justify-center rounded-md border border-input bg-background/90 text-muted-foreground shadow-sm transition-colors hover:bg-accent hover:text-foreground"
+            className="flex h-7 w-7 items-center justify-center rounded-md border border-input map-glass text-muted-foreground shadow-sm transition-colors hover:bg-accent hover:text-foreground"
             aria-label={
               is3d
                 ? t("mapGrid.show2d", { number: index + 2 })
@@ -179,7 +179,7 @@ function SecondaryMapPane({ viewId, index, cesiumToken }: SecondaryMapPaneProps)
         ) : null}
         <button
           type="button"
-          className="flex h-7 w-7 items-center justify-center rounded-md border border-input bg-background/90 text-muted-foreground shadow-sm transition-colors hover:bg-accent hover:text-foreground"
+          className="flex h-7 w-7 items-center justify-center rounded-md border border-input map-glass text-muted-foreground shadow-sm transition-colors hover:bg-accent hover:text-foreground"
           aria-label={t("mapGrid.removePane", { number: index + 2 })}
           onClick={() => removeSecondaryMapView(viewId)}
         >
@@ -215,9 +215,16 @@ function PaneLayerToggle({ viewId, index, is3d }: PaneLayerToggleProps) {
     <DropdownMenu>
       <DropdownMenuTrigger asChild>
         <Button
-          variant="outline"
+          // ghost rather than outline: outline carries its own bg-background,
+          // which sits in the same cascade layer as map-glass at equal
+          // specificity, so this button rendered opaque beside its glass
+          // siblings. ghost sets no base background, leaving map-glass to paint
+          // it, and still supplies hover:bg-accent. The border the outline
+          // variant would have given is restored explicitly to match the
+          // sibling controls.
+          variant="ghost"
           size="sm"
-          className="h-7 gap-1.5 bg-background/90 px-2 shadow-sm"
+          className="h-7 gap-1.5 border border-input map-glass px-2 shadow-sm"
           aria-label={t("mapGrid.layersLabel", { number: index + 2 })}
         >
           <Layers className="h-3.5 w-3.5" />
diff --git a/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/layout/MapModeBanner.tsx b/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/layout/MapModeBanner.tsx
index 3ee1bad67..82728325a 100644
--- a/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/layout/MapModeBanner.tsx
+++ b/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/layout/MapModeBanner.tsx
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ export function MapModeBanner({ mapControllerRef }: MapModeBannerProps) {
     <div className="pointer-events-none absolute left-1/2 top-3 z-20 flex w-[min(92vw,30rem)] -translate-x-1/2 flex-col gap-2">
       {directionsActive ? (
         <div
-          className="pointer-events-auto flex flex-col gap-2 rounded-md border bg-background/95 px-3 py-2 text-sm shadow-lg backdrop-blur-sm"
+          className="pointer-events-auto flex flex-col gap-2 rounded-md border map-glass px-3 py-2 text-sm shadow-lg"
           role="region"
           aria-label={t("map.directionsMode.title")}
           data-testid="directions-mode-banner"
@@ -231,7 +231,7 @@ export function MapModeBanner({ mapControllerRef }: MapModeBannerProps) {
 
       {reverseGeocodeActive ? (
         <div
-          className="pointer-events-auto flex items-center gap-2 rounded-md border bg-background/95 px-3 py-2 text-sm shadow-lg backdrop-blur-sm"
+          className="pointer-events-auto flex items-center gap-2 rounded-md border map-glass px-3 py-2 text-sm shadow-lg"
           role="region"
           aria-label={t("map.reverseGeocodeMode.title")}
           data-testid="reverse-geocode-mode-banner"
diff --git a/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/layout/QuickAnalysisBanner.tsx b/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/layout/QuickAnalysisBanner.tsx
index 96535a3c1..743653466 100644
--- a/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/layout/QuickAnalysisBanner.tsx
+++ b/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/layout/QuickAnalysisBanner.tsx
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ export function QuickAnalysisBanner() {
     <div className="pointer-events-none absolute bottom-10 left-1/2 z-20 flex w-[min(92vw,28rem)] -translate-x-1/2 justify-center">
       <div
         role="status"
-        className="pointer-events-auto flex w-full items-center gap-2 rounded-md border bg-background/95 px-3 py-2 text-xs shadow-md backdrop-blur"
+        className="pointer-events-auto flex w-full items-center gap-2 rounded-md border map-glass px-3 py-2 text-xs shadow-md"
       >
         {running ? (
           <Loader2 className="h-4 w-4 shrink-0 animate-spin text-muted-foreground" />
diff --git a/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/legend/MapLegendPanel.tsx b/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/legend/MapLegendPanel.tsx
index ae51279c9..f2da94d8d 100644
--- a/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/legend/MapLegendPanel.tsx
+++ b/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/legend/MapLegendPanel.tsx
@@ -470,7 +470,7 @@ export function MapLegendPanel({
     // a flex column keeps header/footer fixed while the entry list scrolls.
     <div
       ref={panelRef}
-      className="relative flex w-64 flex-col overflow-hidden rounded-lg border border-border/50 bg-background/95 text-foreground shadow-lg backdrop-blur-md"
+      className="relative flex w-64 flex-col overflow-hidden rounded-lg border border-border/50 map-glass text-foreground shadow-lg"
       style={{
         maxHeight: maxHeight ?? undefined,
         ...(width !== undefined ? { width: clamp(width, MIN_PANEL_WIDTH, MAX_PANEL_WIDTH) } : {}),
diff --git a/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/panels/FlightSimulatorPanel.tsx b/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/panels/FlightSimulatorPanel.tsx
index d85a0bee7..c8f94e21e 100644
--- a/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/panels/FlightSimulatorPanel.tsx
+++ b/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/panels/FlightSimulatorPanel.tsx
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ function FlightSimulatorCard() {
 
   return (
     <div
-      className="absolute z-30 rounded-lg border border-border bg-background/95 shadow-lg backdrop-blur"
+      className="absolute z-30 rounded-lg border border-border map-glass shadow-lg"
       style={{ left: position.x, top: position.y, width: PANEL_WIDTH }}
       role="dialog"
       aria-label={t("toolbar.flightSim.title")}
diff --git a/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/panels/RouteAnimationPanel.tsx b/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/panels/RouteAnimationPanel.tsx
index b50386da5..aa812386a 100644
--- a/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/panels/RouteAnimationPanel.tsx
+++ b/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/panels/RouteAnimationPanel.tsx
@@ -356,7 +356,7 @@ function RouteAnimationCard({ mapControllerRef }: RouteAnimationPanelProps) {
 
   return (
     <div
-      className="absolute z-30 rounded-lg border border-border bg-background/95 shadow-lg backdrop-blur"
+      className="absolute z-30 rounded-lg border border-border map-glass shadow-lg"
       style={{ left: position.x, top: position.y, width: PANEL_WIDTH }}
       role="dialog"
       aria-label={t("toolbar.routeAnimation.title")}
diff --git a/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/panels/SunPanel.tsx b/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/panels/SunPanel.tsx
index 98622fb96..fb4626790 100644
--- a/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/panels/SunPanel.tsx
+++ b/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/panels/SunPanel.tsx
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ function SunPanelCard() {
 
   return (
     <div
-      className="absolute z-30 rounded-lg border border-border bg-background/95 shadow-lg backdrop-blur"
+      className="absolute z-30 rounded-lg border border-border map-glass shadow-lg"
       style={{ left: position.x, top: position.y, width: PANEL_WIDTH }}
       role="dialog"
       aria-label={t("toolbar.sun.title")}
diff --git a/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/storymap/StoryMapComposeBar.tsx b/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/storymap/StoryMapComposeBar.tsx
index f41f68e6e..4a8085205 100644
--- a/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/storymap/StoryMapComposeBar.tsx
+++ b/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/storymap/StoryMapComposeBar.tsx
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ export function StoryMapComposeBar({ mapControllerRef }: StoryMapComposeBarProps
   return (
     <div className="pointer-events-none absolute bottom-6 left-1/2 z-20 flex w-[min(92vw,34rem)] -translate-x-1/2 flex-col">
       <div
-        className="pointer-events-auto flex flex-col gap-2 rounded-md border bg-background/95 px-3 py-2 text-sm shadow-lg backdrop-blur-sm"
+        className="pointer-events-auto flex flex-col gap-2 rounded-md border map-glass px-3 py-2 text-sm shadow-lg"
         role="region"
         aria-label={t("storymap.composeMode.title")}
         data-testid="storymap-compose-bar"
diff --git a/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/storymap/StoryMapPresenter.tsx b/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/storymap/StoryMapPresenter.tsx
index 5e9abb80a..e1fdcf948 100644
--- a/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/storymap/StoryMapPresenter.tsx
+++ b/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/components/storymap/StoryMapPresenter.tsx
@@ -544,7 +544,7 @@ export function StoryMapPresenter({ mapControllerRef }: StoryMapPresenterProps)
       {navOpen ? (
         <nav
           aria-label={t("storymap.chapterNav")}
-          className="absolute left-3 top-14 z-[72] max-h-[calc(100%-4.5rem)] w-52 overflow-y-auto rounded-md border bg-background/85 p-1.5 shadow-lg backdrop-blur"
+          className="absolute left-3 top-14 z-[72] max-h-[calc(100%-4.5rem)] w-52 overflow-y-auto rounded-md border map-glass p-1.5 shadow-lg"
         >
           {chapters.map((chapter, index) => (
             <button
diff --git a/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/index.css b/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/index.css
index 800505c3b..79daae6f8 100644
--- a/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/index.css
+++ b/apps/geolibre-desktop/src/index.css
@@ -27,6 +27,115 @@
     "IBM Plex Mono", ui-monospace, SFMono-Regular, Menlo, Consolas, "Liberation Mono", monospace;
 }
 
+/* Map-floating chrome, a.k.a. "instrument glass".
+
+   The distinction this encodes: chrome docked BESIDE the map (top toolbar,
+   status bar, side panels) is fully opaque, while panels that hover OVER the
+   map are translucent and blurred so the data reads through them. Translucency
+   is the signal for "this floats above your map" — which is why it must not
+   spread to docked chrome or to dialogs, which sit on a dimmed overlay rather
+   than on the map.
+
+   Codified here because the recipe was already in use across 11 components
+   with drifted values — bg-background/90 vs /95, and backdrop-blur-sm vs -md vs
+   bare backdrop-blur — so tuning the look meant finding every copy. Components
+   keep their own radius, border, shadow and padding; this owns only the surface
+   itself.
+
+   Must be an `@utility`, i.e. inside Tailwind's utilities layer — NOT an
+   unlayered plain class. Unlayered CSS beats every layered declaration for the
+   same property, and cascade-layer precedence is resolved *before* specificity,
+   so an unlayered `.map-glass { background-color }` also silently beats
+   `hover:bg-accent`. That killed the hover fill on MapGrid's pane buttons and
+   the CollaborationStatusBadge toggle — verified dead, not theoretical. Inside
+   the layer, `.hover\:bg-accent:hover` (0,2,0) outranks `.map-glass` (0,1,0)
+   and hover works again.
+
+   The @supports fallback is nested so it stays in the layer too; hoisting it
+   out would reintroduce exactly the same bug for browsers without
+   backdrop-filter. Without the blur, 85% over live imagery is unreadable.
+
+   The saturate() boost keeps basemap imagery from going muddy under the blur. */
+@utility map-glass {
+  background-color: hsl(var(--background) / 0.85);
+  -webkit-backdrop-filter: blur(12px) saturate(140%);
+  backdrop-filter: blur(12px) saturate(140%);
+
+  @supports not ((backdrop-filter: blur(1px)) or (-webkit-backdrop-filter: blur(1px))) {
+    background-color: hsl(var(--background) / 0.97);
+  }
+}
+
+/* Elevation-tied shadow scale, replacing Tailwind's stock one. Each step maps to
+   a surface in the ladder rather than being picked by eye:
+
+     shadow-xs   form field — input, textarea, select, colour picker
+     shadow-sm   resting control / inline card
+     shadow-md   popover, dropdown, tooltip
+     shadow-lg   panel floating over the map
+     shadow-xl   modal dialog
+
+   shadow-xs matters more than its name suggests: it is what @geolibre/ui's form
+   primitives use, so leaving it on the stock colour would have left every input,
+   textarea, select and colour field in the app on the invisible-in-dark shadow
+   this block exists to fix. Bare `shadow` is defined too (one use, slider.tsx).
+   shadow-2xl and shadow-inner are unused; add them here if that changes,
+   otherwise they silently fall back to Tailwind's 10% black.
+
+   Redefining the tokens fixes all ~65 existing shadow sites without touching a
+   single component. The colours come from --elev-penumbra/--elev-umbra
+   (packages/ui/src/globals.css), which are theme-aware — Tailwind's built-in
+   scale hardcodes 10% black, so dark mode previously had no visible shadows at
+   all.
+
+   The colours are written bare here: Tailwind wraps each one in
+   var(--tw-shadow-color, …) when it generates the utility, so `shadow-<color>`
+   overrides keep working without spelling the wrapper out (writing it manually
+   just nests the fallback twice). */
+@theme {
+  --shadow-xs: 0 1px 1px 0 var(--elev-penumbra);
+  --shadow-sm: 0 1px 2px 0 var(--elev-penumbra), 0 1px 3px 0 var(--elev-umbra);
+  --shadow: 0 1px 2px 0 var(--elev-penumbra), 0 1px 3px 0 var(--elev-umbra);
+  --shadow-md: 0 2px 4px -1px var(--elev-penumbra), 0 4px 8px -2px var(--elev-umbra);
+  --shadow-lg: 0 4px 8px -2px var(--elev-penumbra), 0 12px 20px -4px var(--elev-umbra);
+  --shadow-xl: 0 8px 16px -4px var(--elev-penumbra), 0 24px 40px -8px var(--elev-umbra);
+}
+
+/* One global reduced-motion guard. Previously only two components respected the
+   preference while ~53 transition sites ignored it. Motion is reduced to a
+   near-instant cross-fade rather than removed outright, so state changes stay
+   perceptible (an abrupt swap is its own accessibility problem) — and scroll
+   behaviour is pinned to auto so programmatic smooth scrolls stop animating. */
+@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
+  *,
+  *::before,
+  *::after {
+    animation-duration: 0.01ms !important;
+    animation-iteration-count: 1 !important;
+    transition-duration: 0.01ms !important;
+    scroll-behavior: auto !important;
+  }
+
+  /* Indeterminate progress is exempt. The blanket rule above would give a
+     spinner a single 0.01ms iteration and then freeze it mid-rotation, so
+     during a long raster/segmentation/conversion job the UI would look hung —
+     a worse outcome for the same user than the abrupt transitions this guard
+     exists to fix. There are ~70 animate-spin sites and 6 animate-pulse.
+
+     Slowed rather than stopped: the point of the preference is to avoid large
+     vestibular-triggering motion, which a small in-place spinner is not, so
+     halving the speed keeps the "still working" signal while calming it. */
+  .animate-spin {
+    animation-duration: 1.5s !important;
+    animation-iteration-count: infinite !important;
+  }
+
+  .animate-pulse {
+    animation-duration: 3s !important;
+    animation-iteration-count: infinite !important;
+  }
+}
+
 html,
 body,
 #root {
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/components/dialog.tsx b/packages/ui/src/components/dialog.tsx
index 61c762099..69ab40bc8 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/components/dialog.tsx
+++ b/packages/ui/src/components/dialog.tsx
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ export const DialogContent = React.forwardRef<
     <DialogPrimitive.Content
       ref={ref}
       className={cn(
-        "fixed left-[50%] top-[50%] z-50 flex max-h-[calc(100dvh-1rem)] w-[calc(100vw-1rem)] max-w-lg translate-x-[-50%] translate-y-[-50%] flex-col overflow-hidden border bg-popover text-popover-foreground shadow-lg duration-200 supports-[not_(max-height:1dvh)]:max-h-[calc(100vh-1rem)] sm:rounded-lg",
+        "fixed left-[50%] top-[50%] z-50 flex max-h-[calc(100dvh-1rem)] w-[calc(100vw-1rem)] max-w-lg translate-x-[-50%] translate-y-[-50%] flex-col overflow-hidden border bg-popover text-popover-foreground shadow-xl duration-200 supports-[not_(max-height:1dvh)]:max-h-[calc(100vh-1rem)] sm:rounded-lg",
         className,
       )}
       {...props}
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/globals.css b/packages/ui/src/globals.css
index 850f4e8d8..7dea7307d 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/globals.css
+++ b/packages/ui/src/globals.css
@@ -29,7 +29,24 @@
     --border: 220 15% 88%;
     --input: 220 13% 76%;
     --ring: 221.2 83.2% 53.3%;
-    --radius: 0.5rem;
+    /* 0.375rem rather than shadcn's stock 0.5rem: a dense tool UI reads sharper,
+       and the derived md/sm steps (calc -2px/-4px) stay positive. */
+    --radius: 0.375rem;
+
+    /* Elevation shadow colours, consumed by the --shadow-* scale the app defines
+       in index.css. Two layers: penumbra is the wide soft spread, umbra the
+       tight contact shadow.
+
+       These are plain custom properties precisely so they inherit. Tailwind v4
+       registers its own --tw-shadow-color with `inherits: false`, so retinting
+       shadows by setting that on :root silently does nothing — the value has to
+       reach each element, which ordinary inheritance does and @property-
+       registered custom properties do not.
+
+       Light shadows are a cool near-navy rather than pure black; against the
+       neutral chrome it reads less muddy than #000 at the same alpha. */
+    --elev-penumbra: hsl(220 40% 12% / 0.06);
+    --elev-umbra: hsl(220 40% 12% / 0.1);
   }
 
   /* Dark mode is built as an explicit elevation ladder. Previously --background,
@@ -69,6 +86,14 @@
     --destructive-foreground: 210 40% 98%;
     --border: 220 14% 26%;
     --input: 220 12% 38%;
+    /* Tailwind's built-in shadow scale bakes in a 10%-black colour, which is
+       all but invisible against these surfaces — so before this, every one of
+       the app's ~65 shadow utilities did nothing in dark mode and elevation was
+       carried entirely by the surface ladder above. Pure black at a much higher
+       alpha is what actually reads on a dark UI. */
+    --elev-penumbra: hsl(0 0% 0% / 0.4);
+    --elev-umbra: hsl(0 0% 0% / 0.55);
+
     /* Matches --primary, so the focus ring stays visible against the lifted
        surfaces (4.98:1 on --background, 4.64:1 on --card). The violet, rose and
        amber schemes below already pair ring with primary this way; emerald was