diff --git a/DESIGN.md b/DESIGN.md
index d6e905f6b4..8bde7a684d 100644
--- a/DESIGN.md
+++ b/DESIGN.md
@@ -155,8 +155,8 @@ exist yet, add it in react-ui, not locally.
 
 **Avatar identity** is the one deliberate color exception. A person without
 an explicit image receives deterministic initials from the approved pastel
-palette. `@corbits/chat-ui` owns the finite Tailwind background/text class
-map and resolves a principal to one class pair; consumers never use CSS
+palette. `@corbits/chat-ui` owns the finite Tailwind color palette and
+resolves a principal to one class pair; consumers never use CSS
 variables or inline color styles. Agents use `CorbitAvatar`: a circular
 field with a dark lower visor and sensor glint. The two forms stay distinct
 at a glance in every collaborative surface.
diff --git a/apps/web/src/pages/create-agent-panel.tsx b/apps/web/src/pages/create-agent-panel.tsx
index b058eee921..1cd27bb684 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/pages/create-agent-panel.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/pages/create-agent-panel.tsx
@@ -53,8 +53,7 @@ import {
 import type { IntakeField } from "@corbits/react-ui";
 import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
 import {
-  AVATAR_COLORS,
-  avatarColorClass,
+  AVATAR_PALETTE,
   CORBIT_DEFAULT_COLOR,
   CorbitAvatar,
 } from "@corbits/chat-ui";
@@ -434,13 +433,13 @@ export function CreateAgentPanel({
               size="lg"
             />
             <div role="group" aria-label="Agent color" className="flex gap-1.5">
-              {AVATAR_COLORS.map((color) => (
+              {AVATAR_PALETTE.map(({ color, className }) => (
                 <button
                   key={color}
                   type="button"
                   aria-label={`Choose ${color} avatar color`}
                   aria-pressed={avatarColor === color}
-                  className={`size-6 cursor-pointer rounded-full border-2 border-transparent p-0 focus-visible:outline focus-visible:outline-2 focus-visible:outline-offset-2 focus-visible:outline-foreground aria-pressed:border-foreground ${avatarColorClass[color]}`}
+                  className={`size-6 cursor-pointer rounded-full border-2 border-transparent p-0 focus-visible:outline focus-visible:outline-2 focus-visible:outline-offset-2 focus-visible:outline-foreground aria-pressed:border-foreground ${className}`}
                   disabled={submitting}
                   onClick={() => setAvatarColor(color)}
                 />
diff --git a/packages/chat-ui/src/avatar.test.tsx b/packages/chat-ui/src/avatar.test.tsx
index bb6bed6931..5869236454 100644
--- a/packages/chat-ui/src/avatar.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/chat-ui/src/avatar.test.tsx
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import { describe, expect, test } from "bun:test";
 import { renderToStaticMarkup } from "react-dom/server";
 
 import {
-  AVATAR_COLORS,
+  AVATAR_PALETTE,
   CORBIT_DEFAULT_COLOR,
   CORBIT_GLINT_COLOR,
   CORBIT_VISOR_COLOR,
@@ -29,7 +29,9 @@ describe("avatarColorForPrincipal", () => {
       "prn_frank",
     ];
     for (const p of principals) {
-      expect(AVATAR_COLORS).toContain(avatarColorForPrincipal(p));
+      expect(AVATAR_PALETTE.map((entry) => entry.color)).toContain(
+        avatarColorForPrincipal(p),
+      );
     }
   });
 
@@ -55,6 +57,11 @@ describe("avatarClassForPrincipal", () => {
       avatarClassForPrincipal("prn_super_secret_internal_id"),
     ).not.toContain("prn_super_secret_internal_id");
   });
+
+  test("selects one of the palette's Tailwind class pairs", () => {
+    const paletteClassNames = AVATAR_PALETTE.map((entry) => entry.className);
+    expect(paletteClassNames).toContain(avatarClassForPrincipal("prn_alice"));
+  });
 });
 
 describe("resolveAvatarFill", () => {
diff --git a/packages/chat-ui/src/avatar.tsx b/packages/chat-ui/src/avatar.tsx
index 258b8ac045..6a97e9ba88 100644
--- a/packages/chat-ui/src/avatar.tsx
+++ b/packages/chat-ui/src/avatar.tsx
@@ -1,21 +1,14 @@
 import type { CSSProperties } from "react";
 
 export const CORBIT_DEFAULT_COLOR = "#C5D2DE";
-export const AVATAR_COLORS = [
-  CORBIT_DEFAULT_COLOR,
-  "#C1D1BE",
-  "#F7EAD5",
-  "#F2B277",
+export const AVATAR_PALETTE = [
+  { color: CORBIT_DEFAULT_COLOR, className: "bg-[#C5D2DE] text-black" },
+  { color: "#C1D1BE", className: "bg-[#C1D1BE] text-black" },
+  { color: "#F7EAD5", className: "bg-[#F7EAD5] text-black" },
+  { color: "#F2B277", className: "bg-[#F2B277] text-black" },
 ] as const;
 
-export type AvatarColor = (typeof AVATAR_COLORS)[number];
-
-export const avatarColorClass: Record<AvatarColor, string> = {
-  "#C5D2DE": "bg-[#C5D2DE] text-black",
-  "#C1D1BE": "bg-[#C1D1BE] text-black",
-  "#F7EAD5": "bg-[#F7EAD5] text-black",
-  "#F2B277": "bg-[#F2B277] text-black",
-};
+export type AvatarColor = (typeof AVATAR_PALETTE)[number]["color"];
 
 export function hashPrincipal(principalId: string): number {
   let hash = 0;
@@ -25,18 +18,22 @@ export function hashPrincipal(principalId: string): number {
   return hash;
 }
 
-export function avatarColorForPrincipal(principalId: string): AvatarColor {
+function avatarPaletteEntryForPrincipal(principalId: string) {
   const hash = hashPrincipal(principalId);
-  const index = hash % AVATAR_COLORS.length;
-  const color = AVATAR_COLORS[index];
-  if (color === undefined) {
+  const index = hash % AVATAR_PALETTE.length;
+  const entry = AVATAR_PALETTE[index];
+  if (entry === undefined) {
     throw new Error("Avatar color palette is empty");
   }
-  return color;
+  return entry;
+}
+
+export function avatarColorForPrincipal(principalId: string): AvatarColor {
+  return avatarPaletteEntryForPrincipal(principalId).color;
 }
 
 export function avatarClassForPrincipal(principalId: string): string {
-  return avatarColorClass[avatarColorForPrincipal(principalId)];
+  return avatarPaletteEntryForPrincipal(principalId).className;
 }
 
 export type AvatarFill =
diff --git a/packages/chat-ui/src/index.ts b/packages/chat-ui/src/index.ts
index 0215c5cec1..f573448d71 100644
--- a/packages/chat-ui/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/chat-ui/src/index.ts
@@ -24,8 +24,7 @@ export {
   CORBIT_DEFAULT_COLOR,
   CORBIT_VISOR_COLOR,
   CORBIT_GLINT_COLOR,
-  AVATAR_COLORS,
-  avatarColorClass,
+  AVATAR_PALETTE,
   avatarColorForPrincipal,
   avatarClassForPrincipal,
   resolveAvatarFill,
diff --git a/packages/chat-ui/test/avatar-composition.test.tsx b/packages/chat-ui/test/avatar-composition.test.tsx
index 35579bfcae..2fdebf34aa 100644
--- a/packages/chat-ui/test/avatar-composition.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/chat-ui/test/avatar-composition.test.tsx
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import { renderToStaticMarkup } from "react-dom/server";
 
 import {
   CorbitAvatar,
-  AVATAR_COLORS,
+  AVATAR_PALETTE,
   CORBIT_DEFAULT_COLOR,
   avatarClassForPrincipal,
   avatarColorForPrincipal,
@@ -26,8 +26,9 @@ describe("avatar composition and identity resolution", () => {
     const aliceColor = avatarColorForPrincipal("usr_alice");
     const bobColor = avatarColorForPrincipal("usr_bob");
 
-    expect(AVATAR_COLORS).toContain(aliceColor);
-    expect(AVATAR_COLORS).toContain(bobColor);
+    const avatarColors = AVATAR_PALETTE.map((entry) => entry.color);
+    expect(avatarColors).toContain(aliceColor);
+    expect(avatarColors).toContain(bobColor);
 
     expect(avatarClassForPrincipal("usr_alice")).toContain(aliceColor);