diff --git a/.chezmoiignore b/.chezmoiignore
index 73125a2..ec17d8c 100644
--- a/.chezmoiignore
+++ b/.chezmoiignore
@@ -65,6 +65,7 @@ Library
 # every machine flag the others' mode. run_after_kitty-theme-mode.sh
 # regenerates them after apply.
 .config/kitty/theme-mode
+.config/kitty/.theme-generated
 .config/kitty/dark-theme.auto.conf
 .config/kitty/light-theme.auto.conf
 .config/kitty/no-preference-theme.auto.conf
diff --git a/private_dot_config/kitty/private_executable_apply-theme-mode.sh b/private_dot_config/kitty/private_executable_apply-theme-mode.sh
index 6b97eff..3744bf1 100644
--- a/private_dot_config/kitty/private_executable_apply-theme-mode.sh
+++ b/private_dot_config/kitty/private_executable_apply-theme-mode.sh
@@ -47,18 +47,46 @@ esac
 
 mkdir -p "$canonical_dir"
 
-# Adopt the current automatic themes as canonical when they have not been
-# captured yet. Only safe while following the OS: under a pinned mode the
-# generated files all hold the pinned theme and would overwrite the others.
-if [ "$mode" = auto ]; then
-    for appearance in dark light no-preference; do
-        canonical="$canonical_dir/$appearance.conf"
-        generated="$config_dir/$appearance-theme.auto.conf"
-        if [ ! -f "$canonical" ] && [ -f "$generated" ]; then
-            cp "$generated" "$canonical"
-        fi
-    done
-fi
+# Checksums of the files as this script last wrote them. Anything that differs
+# now was rewritten by something else -- in practice the themes kitten saving a
+# theme for that appearance -- so it is a new choice and becomes canonical.
+# Recording it here rather than in the fish `kitten` wrapper means the choice
+# survives however the kitten was launched: `kitty +kitten themes`, a keybinding
+# or another shell all bypass that wrapper.
+state_file="$config_dir/.theme-generated"
+
+# cksum is POSIX, unlike shasum/sha256sum which differ across platforms.
+sum_of() {
+    [ -f "$1" ] || return 1
+    cksum < "$1"
+}
+
+recorded_sum() {
+    [ -f "$state_file" ] || return 1
+    awk -v want="$1" '$1 == want { $1 = ""; sub(/^ /, ""); print; found = 1 }
+                      END { exit !found }' "$state_file"
+}
+
+for appearance in dark light no-preference; do
+    canonical="$canonical_dir/$appearance.conf"
+    generated="$config_dir/$appearance-theme.auto.conf"
+    [ -f "$generated" ] || continue
+
+    # First adoption of an existing setup: take whatever is there, but only
+    # while following the OS. Under a pinned mode every generated file holds
+    # the pinned theme, so adopting them would overwrite the other appearances.
+    if [ ! -f "$canonical" ]; then
+        [ "$mode" = auto ] && cp "$generated" "$canonical"
+        continue
+    fi
+
+    # With no state yet we cannot tell a fresh choice from a file we wrote, so
+    # leave canonical alone; the checksums recorded below make the next run
+    # able to tell.
+    now=$(sum_of "$generated") || continue
+    was=$(recorded_sum "$appearance") || continue
+    [ "$now" = "$was" ] || cp "$generated" "$canonical"
+done
 
 for appearance in dark light no-preference; do
     if [ "$mode" = auto ]; then
@@ -85,3 +113,16 @@ for appearance in dark light no-preference; do
 done
 
 "$script_dir/repair-auto-themes.sh" "$config_dir"
+
+# Record what we ended up with, after the repair step, so the next run can tell
+# an externally-saved theme from one of ours.
+tmp_state=$(mktemp "$state_file.tmp.XXXXXX")
+trap 'rm -f "$tmp_state"' EXIT HUP INT TERM
+for appearance in dark light no-preference; do
+    generated="$config_dir/$appearance-theme.auto.conf"
+    [ -f "$generated" ] || continue
+    printf '%s %s\n' "$appearance" "$(sum_of "$generated")" >> "$tmp_state"
+done
+chmod 600 "$tmp_state"
+mv -f "$tmp_state" "$state_file"
+trap - EXIT HUP INT TERM
diff --git a/private_dot_config/kitty/private_tests/private_executable_test_theme_mode.sh b/private_dot_config/kitty/private_tests/private_executable_test_theme_mode.sh
index 567998f..7f00381 100644
--- a/private_dot_config/kitty/private_tests/private_executable_test_theme_mode.sh
+++ b/private_dot_config/kitty/private_tests/private_executable_test_theme_mode.sh
@@ -117,6 +117,37 @@ expect "new light theme is used once selected" \
 expect "dark theme survived the whole exchange" \
     "$config_dir/theme-modes/dark.conf" "$DARK"
 
+# --- a theme saved without going through the fish shim is still kept -----
+# `kitty +kitten themes`, a keybinding, or any non-fish shell writes the
+# automatic theme file directly and never runs the `kitten` function. The
+# capture therefore lives in apply-theme-mode.sh, keyed on checksums, or the
+# next regeneration silently reverts the choice.
+echo dark >"$config_dir/theme-mode"
+"$root/apply-theme-mode.sh" "$config_dir"
+
+BYPASS_DARK='#0d0f31'
+printf 'background %s\n' "$BYPASS_DARK" >"$config_dir/dark-theme.auto.conf"
+"$root/apply-theme-mode.sh" "$config_dir"
+expect "theme saved outside the shim becomes canonical" \
+    "$config_dir/theme-modes/dark.conf" "$BYPASS_DARK"
+expect "and stays applied" "$config_dir/dark-theme.auto.conf" "$BYPASS_DARK"
+
+# the same for a light theme while the pin is on dark
+BYPASS_LIGHT='#fafafa'
+printf 'background %s\n' "$BYPASS_LIGHT" >"$config_dir/light-theme.auto.conf"
+"$root/apply-theme-mode.sh" "$config_dir"
+expect "light theme saved outside the shim becomes canonical" \
+    "$config_dir/theme-modes/light.conf" "$BYPASS_LIGHT"
+expect "but the dark pin still wins on screen" \
+    "$config_dir/light-theme.auto.conf" "$BYPASS_DARK"
+
+# and a further run must not mistake our own output for a new choice
+"$root/apply-theme-mode.sh" "$config_dir"
+expect "adoption is idempotent (dark)" \
+    "$config_dir/theme-modes/dark.conf" "$BYPASS_DARK"
+expect "adoption is idempotent (light)" \
+    "$config_dir/theme-modes/light.conf" "$BYPASS_LIGHT"
+
 # --- a bare `theme` records auto when it lands on the macOS appearance ----
 echo auto >"$config_dir/theme-mode"
 "$root/apply-theme-mode.sh" "$config_dir"
diff --git a/private_dot_config/kitty/theme-modes/private_dark.conf b/private_dot_config/kitty/theme-modes/private_dark.conf
index 824b9ce..8ba5d9a 100644
--- a/private_dot_config/kitty/theme-modes/private_dark.conf
+++ b/private_dot_config/kitty/theme-modes/private_dark.conf
@@ -1,29 +1,37 @@
-background            #1c2836
-foreground            #ffffff
-cursor                #bbbbbb
-selection_background  #b4d5ff
-color0                #000000
-color8                #545454
-color1                #f9555f
-color9                #fa8b8e
-color2                #20af89
-color10               #34bb99
-color3                #fdf029
-color11               #ffff55
-color4                #589cf5
-color12               #589cf5
-color5                #934d95
-color13               #e75598
-color6                #1e9ee6
-color14               #3978bb
-color7                #bbbbbb
-color15               #ffffff
-selection_foreground #1c2836
+# 1984 theme by Bertie Blackman, https://github.com/covertbert/iterm2-1984/
+
+foreground #ffffff
+background #0d0f31
+selection_foreground #000000
+selection_background #00d5eb
+color0 #000000
+color1 #ff16b0
+color2 #b3f361
+color3 #ffea16
+color4 #46bdff
+color5 #f806fa
+color6 #59e1e3
+color7 #feffff
+color8 #000000
+color9 #ff16b0
+color10 #b3f361
+color11 #ffea16
+color12 #46bdff
+color13 #f806fa
+color14 #6be4e6
+color15 #feffff
+
+# URL styles
+url_color #f806fa
+url_style single
+
+# Cursor styles
+cursor #59e1e3
 
 # START_AUTOGENERATED_TAB_STYLE
 # Feel free to update these colors manually and remove these comments.
-active_tab_foreground   #444444
-active_tab_background   #b4d5ff
+active_tab_foreground   #eeeeee
+active_tab_background   #00d5eb
 inactive_tab_foreground #ffffff
-inactive_tab_background #16202b
+inactive_tab_background #0a0c27
 # END_AUTOGENERATED_TAB_STYLE
diff --git a/private_dot_config/private_fish/functions/private_kitten.fish b/private_dot_config/private_fish/functions/private_kitten.fish
index 767a345..1da787b 100644
--- a/private_dot_config/private_fish/functions/private_kitten.fish
+++ b/private_dot_config/private_fish/functions/private_kitten.fish
@@ -4,49 +4,17 @@ function kitten --description 'Run kitten and restore Kitty theme overrides'
         set config_dir "$KITTY_CONFIG_DIRECTORY"
     end
 
-    set -l is_themes false
-    if test (count $argv) -gt 0; and test "$argv[1]" = themes
-        set is_themes true
-    end
-
-    # The automatic theme files are generated from $config_dir/theme-modes, so record
-    # their state first: whichever one the kitten rewrites is the theme just
-    # chosen for that appearance, and has to be captured before the mode is
-    # re-applied over the top of it.
-    set -l appearances dark light no-preference
-    set -l before
-    if test $is_themes = true
-        for appearance in $appearances
-            set -l file "$config_dir/$appearance-theme.auto.conf"
-            if test -r "$file"
-                set -a before (command shasum <"$file" | string split -f1 ' ')
-            else
-                set -a before missing
-            end
-        end
-    end
-
     command kitten $argv
     set -l kitten_status $status
 
+    # Re-apply the pinned mode over whatever the themes kitten just wrote, and
+    # reload so the change shows immediately. apply-theme-mode.sh does the
+    # capturing itself, by checksum, so a theme saved through some other route
+    # -- `kitty +kitten themes`, a keybinding, another shell -- is picked up on
+    # its next run rather than being lost.
     if test $kitten_status -eq 0
-        and test $is_themes = true
-        for index in (seq (count $appearances))
-            set -l appearance $appearances[$index]
-            set -l file "$config_dir/$appearance-theme.auto.conf"
-            test -r "$file"
-            or continue
-
-            set -l now (command shasum <"$file" | string split -f1 ' ')
-            test "$now" = "$before[$index]"
-            and continue
-
-            command mkdir -p "$config_dir/theme-modes"
-            or return $status
-            command cp "$file" "$config_dir/theme-modes/$appearance.conf"
-            or return $status
-        end
-
+        and test (count $argv) -gt 0
+        and test "$argv[1]" = themes
         "$HOME/.config/kitty/apply-theme-mode.sh" "$config_dir"
         or return $status