diff --git a/.changeset/pip-placeholder-theme.md b/.changeset/pip-placeholder-theme.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..753475e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/pip-placeholder-theme.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@karnstack/kino": patch
+---
+
+The picture-in-picture placeholder (the layer left inline while playback runs in the pip window) now follows `chromeTheme` instead of always painting a solid black void. Its colors move to `--kino-pip-fill`, `--kino-pip-card`, `--kino-pip-card-border`, `--kino-pip-text`, `--kino-pip-text-hover`, and `--kino-pip-sub`, which the `data-kino-theme="light"` block overrides, and the "playing in picture in picture" affordance sits in a small card so it reads on a light surface. Dark is unchanged; `--kino-pip-fill` must stay opaque because the master media keeps playing underneath it.
diff --git a/src/scenes/pip-surfaces.test.ts b/src/scenes/pip-surfaces.test.ts
index 0554f97..ac5946b 100644
--- a/src/scenes/pip-surfaces.test.ts
+++ b/src/scenes/pip-surfaces.test.ts
@@ -1,23 +1,66 @@
+import { readFileSync } from "node:fs"
 import { mountPipPlaceholder, mountPipOverlay } from "./pip-surfaces"
 
 afterEach(() => {
   vi.useRealTimers()
 })
 
+// vitest runs from the package root, so the stylesheet path is stable.
+const css = readFileSync("src/styles/kino.css", "utf8")
+
+// Reads one flat rule body out of kino.css; the pip rules and both token
+// blocks are flat, so a naive brace scan is enough.
+function ruleBody(selector: string): string {
+  const start = css.indexOf(`${selector} {`)
+  expect(start, `missing rule: ${selector}`).toBeGreaterThan(-1)
+  const open = css.indexOf("{", start)
+  return css.slice(open + 1, css.indexOf("}", open))
+}
+
 test("placeholder mounts icon and copy, forwards clicks, and cleans up", () => {
   const container = document.createElement("div")
   const onReturn = vi.fn()
   const cleanup = mountPipPlaceholder(container, onReturn)
   const el = container.querySelector(".kino-pip-placeholder") as HTMLElement
-  expect(el.querySelector("svg")).not.toBeNull()
-  expect(el.textContent).toContain("Playing in picture in picture")
-  expect(el.textContent).toContain("Click to return")
+  const card = el.querySelector(".kino-pip-placeholder-card") as HTMLElement
+  expect(card.querySelector("svg")).not.toBeNull()
+  expect(card.textContent).toContain("Playing in picture in picture")
+  expect(card.textContent).toContain("Click to return")
   el.click()
   expect(onReturn).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
   cleanup()
   expect(container.querySelector(".kino-pip-placeholder")).toBeNull()
 })
 
+// Regression: the placeholder used to be a hardcoded black fill with light
+// copy, so it stayed a black void on a light page. Every color it paints now
+// comes from a token the light chrome block overrides.
+test("placeholder colors are tokens the light chrome block overrides", () => {
+  const placeholder = ruleBody(".kino .kino-pip-placeholder")
+  expect(placeholder).toContain("background: var(--kino-pip-fill)")
+  expect(placeholder).toContain("color: var(--kino-pip-text)")
+  expect(placeholder).not.toMatch(/\b(black|white|#fff)\b/)
+
+  const card = ruleBody(".kino .kino-pip-placeholder-card")
+  expect(card).toContain("var(--kino-pip-card)")
+  expect(card).toContain("var(--kino-pip-card-border)")
+
+  const light = ruleBody('.kino[data-kino-theme="light"]')
+  for (const token of [
+    "--kino-pip-fill",
+    "--kino-pip-card",
+    "--kino-pip-card-border",
+    "--kino-pip-text",
+    "--kino-pip-text-hover",
+    "--kino-pip-sub",
+  ]) {
+    expect(ruleBody(".kino"), `dark default: ${token}`).toContain(`${token}:`)
+    expect(light, `light override: ${token}`).toContain(`${token}:`)
+  }
+  // The whole point: the light fill is not another black void.
+  expect(light).not.toMatch(/--kino-pip-fill:\s*black/)
+})
+
 type OverlayState = {
   paused: boolean
   activeCueText: string
diff --git a/src/scenes/pip-surfaces.ts b/src/scenes/pip-surfaces.ts
index accb1a7..630435e 100644
--- a/src/scenes/pip-surfaces.ts
+++ b/src/scenes/pip-surfaces.ts
@@ -42,13 +42,18 @@ export function mountPipPlaceholder(
 ): () => void {
   const el = document.createElement("div")
   el.className = "kino-pip-placeholder"
-  el.innerHTML = svg(PIP_PATH, 28)
+  // The fill covers the whole stage; the card carries the affordance so it
+  // reads as a panel in either chrome theme (see kino.css --kino-pip-*).
+  const card = document.createElement("div")
+  card.className = "kino-pip-placeholder-card"
+  card.innerHTML = svg(PIP_PATH, 28)
   const label = document.createElement("div")
   label.textContent = "Playing in picture in picture"
   const sub = document.createElement("div")
   sub.className = "kino-pip-placeholder-sub"
   sub.textContent = "Click to return"
-  el.append(label, sub)
+  card.append(label, sub)
+  el.appendChild(card)
   el.addEventListener("click", onReturn)
   container.appendChild(el)
   return () => el.remove()
diff --git a/src/styles/kino.css b/src/styles/kino.css
index 54911f1..ca70df6 100644
--- a/src/styles/kino.css
+++ b/src/styles/kino.css
@@ -40,6 +40,17 @@
   --kino-sheet-grip: color-mix(in oklab, white 32%, transparent);
   --kino-sheet-chip: color-mix(in oklab, white 10%, transparent);
 
+  /* Picture-in-picture placeholder: the panel shown inline where the stage was
+     while playback runs in the pip window. --kino-pip-fill must stay opaque
+     (the master media keeps playing underneath it), so it is a literal color
+     rather than --kino-bg, which a host may set to transparent. */
+  --kino-pip-fill: black;
+  --kino-pip-card: color-mix(in oklab, white 7%, transparent);
+  --kino-pip-card-border: color-mix(in oklab, white 12%, transparent);
+  --kino-pip-text: color-mix(in oklab, white 65%, transparent);
+  --kino-pip-text-hover: oklch(98% 0 0);
+  --kino-pip-sub: color-mix(in oklab, white 40%, transparent);
+
   position: relative;
   width: 100%;
   height: 100%;
@@ -81,6 +92,14 @@
   --kino-menu-selected: color-mix(in oklab, black 12%, transparent);
   --kino-sheet-grip: color-mix(in oklab, black 24%, transparent);
   --kino-sheet-chip: color-mix(in oklab, black 8%, transparent);
+  /* Opaque like the dark fill, a shade under --kino-bg so the placeholder
+     still reads as a panel where the stage was. */
+  --kino-pip-fill: oklch(95% 0 0);
+  --kino-pip-card: color-mix(in oklab, white 70%, transparent);
+  --kino-pip-card-border: color-mix(in oklab, black 10%, transparent);
+  --kino-pip-text: color-mix(in oklab, black 62%, transparent);
+  --kino-pip-text-hover: oklch(24% 0 0);
+  --kino-pip-sub: color-mix(in oklab, black 42%, transparent);
 }
 /* Keycaps are white-glass in dark; pointing them at --kino-surface would change
    the dark look, so the dark literals stay inline and only light flips them to
@@ -134,14 +153,11 @@
   position: absolute;
   inset: 0;
   display: flex;
-  flex-direction: column;
   align-items: center;
   justify-content: center;
-  gap: 10px;
-  /* the pip placeholder is always a black void where the video was, so its
-     text stays light in both themes (not the theme-flipping chrome tokens) */
-  background: black;
-  color: color-mix(in oklab, white 65%, transparent);
+  /* Opaque fill: the master media plays on underneath this layer. */
+  background: var(--kino-pip-fill);
+  color: var(--kino-pip-text);
   font-size: 14px;
   font-weight: 500;
   line-height: 1.4;
@@ -149,6 +165,19 @@
   user-select: none;
   transition: color 0.15s var(--kino-ease);
 }
+/* The card keeps the "playing in pip" affordance readable on a light fill,
+   where a flat centered stack would just look like an empty frame. */
+.kino .kino-pip-placeholder-card {
+  display: flex;
+  flex-direction: column;
+  align-items: center;
+  gap: 8px;
+  padding: 18px 24px;
+  text-align: center;
+  background: var(--kino-pip-card);
+  border: 1px solid var(--kino-pip-card-border);
+  border-radius: var(--kino-radius);
+}
 .kino .kino-pip-placeholder svg {
   width: 28px;
   height: 28px;
@@ -156,7 +185,7 @@
   transition: opacity 0.15s var(--kino-ease);
 }
 .kino .kino-pip-placeholder:hover {
-  color: oklch(98% 0 0);
+  color: var(--kino-pip-text-hover);
 }
 .kino .kino-pip-placeholder:hover svg {
   opacity: 0.8;
@@ -164,7 +193,7 @@
 .kino .kino-pip-placeholder-sub {
   font-size: 11px;
   font-weight: 400;
-  color: color-mix(in oklab, white 40%, transparent);
+  color: var(--kino-pip-sub);
 }
 .kino .kino-video-host {
   position: absolute;