diff --git a/packages/coding-agent/src/modes/components/custom-editor.ts b/packages/coding-agent/src/modes/components/custom-editor.ts
index 7c3c2e340..bb97c1598 100644
--- a/packages/coding-agent/src/modes/components/custom-editor.ts
+++ b/packages/coding-agent/src/modes/components/custom-editor.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,6 @@
 import { Editor, type KeyId, matchesKey, parseKittySequence } from "@oh-my-pi/pi-tui";
 import type { AppKeybinding } from "../../config/keybindings";
-import { highlightOrchestrate } from "../orchestrate";
-import { highlightUltrathink } from "../ultrathink";
-import { highlightWorkflow } from "../workflow";
+import { highlightMagicKeywords } from "../magic-keywords";
 
 type ConfigurableEditorAction = Extract<
 	AppKeybinding,
@@ -47,8 +45,9 @@ const DEFAULT_ACTION_KEYS: Record<ConfigurableEditorAction, KeyId[]> = {
  * Custom editor that handles configurable app-level shortcuts for coding-agent.
  */
 export class CustomEditor extends Editor {
-	/** Gradient-highlight the "ultrathink" / "orchestrate" / "workflow" keywords as the user types them. */
-	decorateText = (text: string): string => highlightWorkflow(highlightOrchestrate(highlightUltrathink(text)));
+	/** Gradient-highlight the "ultrathink" / "orchestrate" / "workflow" keywords as the user types
+	 *  them, skipping any occurrence inside code spans, fenced blocks, or XML sections. */
+	decorateText = (text: string): string => highlightMagicKeywords(text);
 	onEscape?: () => void;
 	shouldBypassAutocompleteOnEscape?: () => boolean;
 	onClear?: () => void;
diff --git a/packages/coding-agent/src/modes/components/user-message.ts b/packages/coding-agent/src/modes/components/user-message.ts
index 5f1da9317..a51de6aa0 100644
--- a/packages/coding-agent/src/modes/components/user-message.ts
+++ b/packages/coding-agent/src/modes/components/user-message.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { Container, Markdown, Spacer } from "@oh-my-pi/pi-tui";
 import { getMarkdownTheme, theme } from "../../modes/theme/theme";
+import { highlightMagicKeywords } from "../magic-keywords";
 
 // OSC 133 shell integration: marks prompt zones for terminal multiplexers
 const OSC133_ZONE_START = "\x1b]133;A\x07";
@@ -13,9 +14,15 @@ export class UserMessageComponent extends Container {
 	constructor(text: string, synthetic = false) {
 		super();
 		const bgColor = (value: string) => theme.bg("userMessageBg", value);
+		// Paint the magic keywords ("ultrathink"/"orchestrate"/"workflow") inside the rendered
+		// bubble too — matching the live editor glow. The Markdown component routes code spans and
+		// fenced blocks through its own code styling (never `color`), so those are already excluded;
+		// `highlightMagicKeywords` additionally restores the bubble's own foreground after each
+		// painted keyword so the gradient never bleeds into the rest of the line.
+		const keywordReset = theme.getFgAnsi("userMessageText") || "\x1b[39m";
 		const color = synthetic
 			? (value: string) => theme.fg("dim", value)
-			: (value: string) => theme.fg("userMessageText", value);
+			: (value: string) => theme.fg("userMessageText", highlightMagicKeywords(value, keywordReset));
 		this.addChild(new Spacer(1));
 		this.addChild(
 			new Markdown(text, 1, 1, getMarkdownTheme(), {