diff --git a/apps/apollo-vertex/content/docs/components/timeline.mdx b/apps/apollo-vertex/content/docs/components/timeline.mdx
index 2fc975feac..f100cb05eb 100644
--- a/apps/apollo-vertex/content/docs/components/timeline.mdx
+++ b/apps/apollo-vertex/content/docs/components/timeline.mdx
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ Keep the domain mapping on your side: convert your own state into a `TimelineMar
 | Prop | Type | Default | Description |
 | --- | --- | --- | --- |
 | `variant` | `TimelineMarkerVariant` | — | Required. One of `user`, `completed-user`, `completed-ai`, `ai-upcoming`, `ai-suspended`, `ai-progress`, `ai-failed`, `ai-cancelled`, `ai-complete`. |
-| `initials` | `string` | — | Shown inside the `user` marker, falling back to `"?"` when omitted. Ignored by other variants. |
+| `initials` | `string` | — | Shown inside the `user` marker, falling back to `"?"` when omitted. The compact size shows only the first character. Ignored by other variants. |
 | `compact` | `boolean` | `false` | Render the smaller size for dense trails. |
 
 ## TimelineRowLayout props
diff --git a/packages/apollo-vertex/registry/calendar/calendar.tsx b/packages/apollo-vertex/registry/calendar/calendar.tsx
index 93a979ea53..80bfc69c07 100644
--- a/packages/apollo-vertex/registry/calendar/calendar.tsx
+++ b/packages/apollo-vertex/registry/calendar/calendar.tsx
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ function Calendar({
         ),
         weekdays: cn("flex", defaultClassNames.weekdays),
         weekday: cn(
-          "text-muted-foreground rounded-md flex-1 font-normal text-[0.8rem] select-none",
+          "text-muted-foreground rounded-md flex-1 font-normal text-xs select-none",
           defaultClassNames.weekday,
         ),
         week: cn("flex w-full mt-2", defaultClassNames.week),
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ function Calendar({
           defaultClassNames.week_number_header,
         ),
         week_number: cn(
-          "text-[0.8rem] select-none text-muted-foreground",
+          "text-xs select-none text-muted-foreground",
           defaultClassNames.week_number,
         ),
         day: cn(
diff --git a/packages/apollo-vertex/registry/timeline/timeline-marker.tsx b/packages/apollo-vertex/registry/timeline/timeline-marker.tsx
index 0edd0ee57b..7b0988a0ac 100644
--- a/packages/apollo-vertex/registry/timeline/timeline-marker.tsx
+++ b/packages/apollo-vertex/registry/timeline/timeline-marker.tsx
@@ -70,12 +70,9 @@ export function TimelineMarker({
       return (
         <MarkerCircle
           compact={compact}
-          className={cn(
-            "bg-muted font-medium text-muted-foreground shadow-sm",
-            compact ? "text-[9px]" : "text-xs",
-          )}
+          className="bg-muted text-xs font-medium text-muted-foreground shadow-sm"
         >
-          {initials ?? "?"}
+          {(compact ? initials?.[0] : initials) ?? "?"}
         </MarkerCircle>
       );