diff --git a/apps/tui-go/internal/app/model.go b/apps/tui-go/internal/app/model.go
index 870c72d8..edb7bd73 100644
--- a/apps/tui-go/internal/app/model.go
+++ b/apps/tui-go/internal/app/model.go
@@ -311,6 +311,11 @@ type Model struct {
 	snapshotPhase bool
 	pendingEvents []protocol.ServerMessage
 
+	// lastBase is the full-screen render behind the active modal, stashed by View each
+	// frame so center() can composite a modal over a dimmed copy of it (transparent
+	// backdrop) instead of an opaque scrim. Transient render scratch — not real state.
+	lastBase string
+
 	// approval steering input buffer
 	steerBuffer string
 	steering    bool
diff --git a/apps/tui-go/internal/app/overlay_composite_test.go b/apps/tui-go/internal/app/overlay_composite_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6b9a687a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/tui-go/internal/app/overlay_composite_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+package app
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/charmbracelet/lipgloss"
+	"github.com/charmbracelet/x/ansi"
+)
+
+func fullScreen(ch string, w, h int) string {
+	row := strings.Repeat(ch, w)
+	rows := make([]string, h)
+	for i := range rows {
+		rows[i] = row
+	}
+	return strings.Join(rows, "\n")
+}
+
+// A composited modal must still fill the whole screen exactly (h lines, each w cols),
+// so the alt-screen never shows a torn/short region around a "transparent" modal.
+func TestCompositeOverlayGeometry(t *testing.T) {
+	m := NewModel(nil)
+	m.width, m.height = 40, 12
+	m.lastBase = fullScreen("x", 40, 12)
+
+	modal := lipgloss.NewStyle().Width(10).Border(lipgloss.RoundedBorder()).Render("hi\nthere")
+	out := m.center(modal)
+
+	lines := strings.Split(out, "\n")
+	if len(lines) != 12 {
+		t.Fatalf("height = %d, want 12", len(lines))
+	}
+	for i, ln := range lines {
+		if w := ansi.StringWidth(ln); w != 40 {
+			t.Fatalf("line %d visible width = %d, want 40", i, w)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// The idempotence guard: a modal that is already full-screen (a builder that centered
+// internally, then got re-centered) must pass through unchanged — not get re-dimmed.
+func TestCenterIdempotentOnFullScreen(t *testing.T) {
+	m := NewModel(nil)
+	m.width, m.height = 30, 8
+	m.lastBase = fullScreen("y", 30, 8)
+
+	full := fullScreen("M", 30, 8)
+	if got := m.center(full); got != full {
+		t.Fatal("center should pass a full-screen modal through unchanged")
+	}
+}
diff --git a/apps/tui-go/internal/app/overlays.go b/apps/tui-go/internal/app/overlays.go
index 3b52600b..fe5370d4 100644
--- a/apps/tui-go/internal/app/overlays.go
+++ b/apps/tui-go/internal/app/overlays.go
@@ -9,13 +9,74 @@ import (
 	"github.com/charmbracelet/x/ansi"
 )
 
-// center composites a modal over a scrim-filled screen. Immediate-mode: the modal
-// is recomputed from state every frame, so there is no separate show/restore path
-// to desync (the "diff won't come back" bug class can't occur here).
+// center draws a modal centered over a *dimmed* copy of the screen behind it, so the
+// transcript stays faintly visible around the modal (a transparent backdrop) rather
+// than being hidden by an opaque scrim. Immediate-mode: recomputed from state every
+// frame, so there is no show/restore path to desync.
+//
+// Idempotence guard: some modal builders call center() internally and then get centered
+// again by renderOverlay. The inner call already produced a full-screen composite, so a
+// second call (input already width×height) returns it unchanged instead of dimming the
+// modal itself. Falls back to an opaque scrim when no base was stashed (defensive).
 func (m Model) center(modal string) string {
-	return lipgloss.Place(m.width, m.height, lipgloss.Center, lipgloss.Center, modal,
-		lipgloss.WithWhitespaceBackground(m.theme.P.BgDeep),
-		lipgloss.WithWhitespaceForeground(m.theme.P.BgDeep))
+	if m.lastBase == "" {
+		return lipgloss.Place(m.width, m.height, lipgloss.Center, lipgloss.Center, modal,
+			lipgloss.WithWhitespaceBackground(m.theme.P.BgDeep),
+			lipgloss.WithWhitespaceForeground(m.theme.P.BgDeep))
+	}
+	if lipgloss.Height(modal) >= m.height && lipgloss.Width(modal) >= m.width {
+		return modal // already a full-screen composite; don't re-dim it
+	}
+	return m.compositeOverlay(m.lastBase, modal)
+}
+
+// compositeOverlay strips + dims base into a faint scrim, then splices the modal box
+// over it centered. ANSI-aware so the side margins keep the (dimmed) content behind.
+// base and the result are both m.width × m.height.
+func (m Model) compositeOverlay(base, modal string) string {
+	w, h := m.width, m.height
+	dim := lipgloss.NewStyle().Foreground(m.theme.P.Faint).Background(m.theme.P.BgDeep)
+	baseLines := strings.Split(base, "\n")
+	scrim := make([]string, h)
+	for i := 0; i < h; i++ {
+		raw := ""
+		if i < len(baseLines) {
+			raw = ansi.Strip(baseLines[i])
+		}
+		scrim[i] = dim.Render(padRightRaw(raw, w))
+	}
+	modalLines := strings.Split(modal, "\n")
+	mw := lipgloss.Width(modal)
+	top := (h - len(modalLines)) / 2
+	left := (w - mw) / 2
+	if top < 0 {
+		top = 0
+	}
+	if left < 0 {
+		left = 0
+	}
+	for r, ml := range modalLines {
+		row := top + r
+		if row < 0 || row >= h {
+			continue
+		}
+		leftPart := ansi.Truncate(scrim[row], left, "")
+		rightPart := ansi.TruncateLeft(scrim[row], left+mw, "")
+		scrim[row] = leftPart + ml + rightPart
+	}
+	return strings.Join(scrim, "\n")
+}
+
+// padRightRaw pads an unstyled string with spaces to exactly w columns (or truncates).
+func padRightRaw(s string, w int) string {
+	switch sw := ansi.StringWidth(s); {
+	case sw > w:
+		return ansi.Truncate(s, w, "")
+	case sw < w:
+		return s + strings.Repeat(" ", w-sw)
+	default:
+		return s
+	}
 }
 
 func (m Model) modalWidth() int {
diff --git a/apps/tui-go/internal/app/view.go b/apps/tui-go/internal/app/view.go
index 1c4b4451..acbd5b9d 100644
--- a/apps/tui-go/internal/app/view.go
+++ b/apps/tui-go/internal/app/view.go
@@ -54,6 +54,8 @@ func (m Model) View() string {
 		bottom,
 		m.renderFooter(),
 	)
+	// Stash the base so center() can composite a modal over a dimmed copy of it.
+	m.lastBase = base
 
 	if m.displayState() == StateClarification {
 		return m.center(m.clarificationModal())