diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/chat/TimelineUserMessageRow.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/chat/TimelineUserMessageRow.tsx
index 67bf9c2eec902..ae55a3214da9e 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/chat/TimelineUserMessageRow.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/chat/TimelineUserMessageRow.tsx
@@ -1218,7 +1218,7 @@ const UserMessageBody = memo(function UserMessageBody(props: {
       cwd={props.markdownCwd}
       threadRef={ctx.threadRef ?? undefined}
       skills={props.skills}
-      className="text-foreground user-message-markdown"
+      className="text-message-foreground user-message-markdown"
       lineBreaks
       parseRawHtml={false}
       extraRemarkPlugins={USER_MESSAGE_REMARK_PLUGINS}
diff --git a/apps/web/src/index.css b/apps/web/src/index.css
index 654ef108e8e75..676e120e826de 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/index.css
+++ b/apps/web/src/index.css
@@ -2138,6 +2138,11 @@ code {
   font-size: 0.85em;
 }
 
+.chat-markdown.user-message-markdown :not(pre) > code {
+  background: color-mix(in srgb, var(--contrast-message-foreground) 10%, transparent);
+  color: var(--contrast-message-foreground);
+}
+
 .chat-markdown strong {
   font-weight: 700;
 }
@@ -2202,6 +2207,18 @@ code {
   }
 }
 
+/* Sent messages color prose with the message foreground, which is not chosen
+   for the code surface, so their plain-text fences keep the global foreground. */
+.chat-markdown.user-message-markdown
+  .chat-markdown-codeblock:is(
+    [data-language="text" i],
+    [data-language="txt" i],
+    [data-language="plain" i],
+    [data-language="plaintext" i]
+  ) {
+  color: var(--contrast-foreground) !important;
+}
+
 /* Paragraphs and code blocks arrive in chunks while a response streams. Fade
    each new block in so the chunk does not pop. @starting-style only applies
    when an element is first inserted, and the rule is gated on data-streaming,