diff --git a/picker/scripts/color.js b/picker/scripts/color.js
index 4bbd35075..b520ec8bd 100644
--- a/picker/scripts/color.js
+++ b/picker/scripts/color.js
@@ -112,3 +112,37 @@ export function readableOn(accent, ground, target = 4.5) {
   }
   return darker ? '#000000' : '#FFFFFF';
 }
+
+// Floors for judging the neutral on screen 02. The neutral paints the large
+// surfaces of every preview, so two pairs matter: the fixed swatch inks that
+// set text on it, and the primary fills that sit on it.
+const NEUTRAL_INK_FLOOR = 7;
+const NEUTRAL_PRIMARY_FLOOR = 3;
+
+/**
+ * One warning sentence when the palette's neutral will cause contrast
+ * trouble, or null when it is safe.
+ *
+ * Check 1: the better of the two fixed inks must reach 7:1 (the WCAG AAA
+ * body-text figure) on the neutral. The inks are near-black and near-white,
+ * so 4.5:1 is nearly impossible to fail; 7:1 is the floor that catches
+ * mid-tone neutrals which leave no headroom for muted and secondary text.
+ *
+ * Check 2: the primary must reach 3:1 (WCAG 1.4.11 non-text contrast)
+ * against the neutral, because primary button fills and accents sit directly
+ * on neutral surfaces and readableOn() only rescues text, never fills.
+ */
+export function neutralContrastIssue({ neutral, primary }) {
+  const surface = relativeLuminance(neutral);
+  const bestInk = Math.max(
+    ratio(INK_DARK_LUMINANCE, surface),
+    ratio(INK_LIGHT_LUMINANCE, surface),
+  );
+  if (bestInk < NEUTRAL_INK_FLOOR) {
+    return 'This neutral is a mid-tone: even the strongest text ink stays below 7:1 on it, so type will strain on every surface. Pick a near-white or near-black neutral.';
+  }
+  if (ratio(relativeLuminance(primary), surface) < NEUTRAL_PRIMARY_FLOOR) {
+    return 'Your primary sits under 3:1 against this neutral, so buttons and accents will blend into the surfaces behind them. Push the two further apart.';
+  }
+  return null;
+}
diff --git a/picker/scripts/palette-picker.js b/picker/scripts/palette-picker.js
index 1a1c6edcf..e6cc9ae19 100644
--- a/picker/scripts/palette-picker.js
+++ b/picker/scripts/palette-picker.js
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { contrastInk, contrastInkHex, formatOklch, hexToOklch, oklchToHex, readableOn, seedToRoles } from './color.js';
+import { contrastInk, contrastInkHex, formatOklch, hexToOklch, neutralContrastIssue, oklchToHex, readableOn, seedToRoles } from './color.js';
 
 const ROLES = ['primary', 'secondary', 'tertiary', 'neutral'];
 const screen = document.querySelector('[data-screen="02"]');
@@ -286,6 +286,7 @@ function renderPreview() {
   if (!cards.length) return;
   for (const role of ROLES) preview.style.setProperty(`--pv-${role}`, state().colors[role]);
   preview.style.setProperty('--pv-n-ink', contrastInk(state().colors.neutral));
+  syncNeutralWarning();
 }
 
 /* The prefix exists for the strategy stage, which needs the committed colors
@@ -1175,15 +1176,42 @@ function loadCustomFace({ heading, body }) {
   }
 }
 
-function setActiveRole(role) {
-  if (hint.textContent === hint.dataset[role]) return;
+/* The hint shows one of three things, in priority order: the neutral
+   contrast warning while the working neutral is bad, the hovered or edited
+   role's guidance, or the idle instruction. The warning wins so an edit that
+   breaks the neutral is reported at the moment it happens, and the role copy
+   comes back on its own the moment the neutral is fixed. */
+let hintRole = 'idle';
+let neutralWarning = null;
+
+function hintCopy() {
+  return neutralWarning ?? hint.dataset[hintRole] ?? hint.dataset.idle;
+}
+
+function paintHint() {
+  const wanted = hintCopy();
+  if (hint.textContent === wanted) {
+    hint.classList.toggle('is-warning', Boolean(neutralWarning));
+    return;
+  }
   hint.classList.add('is-changing');
   setTimeout(() => {
-    hint.textContent = hint.dataset[role];
+    hint.textContent = hintCopy();
+    hint.classList.toggle('is-warning', Boolean(neutralWarning));
     hint.classList.remove('is-changing');
   }, 90);
 }
 
+function setActiveRole(role) {
+  hintRole = role;
+  paintHint();
+}
+
+function syncNeutralWarning() {
+  neutralWarning = cards.length ? neutralContrastIssue(state().colors) : null;
+  paintHint();
+}
+
 function setColor(role, hex, detached = true) {
   const itemState = state();
   itemState.colors[role] = hex.toUpperCase();
diff --git a/picker/styles/picker.css b/picker/styles/picker.css
index 571012a56..4268affa8 100644
--- a/picker/styles/picker.css
+++ b/picker/styles/picker.css
@@ -7207,6 +7207,10 @@ body.picker-page {
   opacity: 0;
 }
 
+.picker-palette-hint.is-warning {
+  color: var(--ks-vermilion);
+}
+
 .picker-select {
   width: auto;
 }
diff --git a/tests/picker-server.test.mjs b/tests/picker-server.test.mjs
index 9e582d0b8..12d35e5c2 100644
--- a/tests/picker-server.test.mjs
+++ b/tests/picker-server.test.mjs
@@ -328,6 +328,18 @@ test('picker color math round-trips sRGB and clips out-of-gamut OKLCH', async ()
   assert.equal(contrastInk('#8D7352'), 'var(--pk-ink-dark)');
 });
 
+test('neutral contrast issue flags mid-tones and low primary separation', async () => {
+  const { neutralContrastIssue } = await import(colorModule);
+  // The fixture cue palette: near-white neutral under a deep green primary.
+  assert.equal(neutralContrastIssue({ neutral: '#F2EFE8', primary: '#1E4A42' }), null);
+  // Near-black neutral under a light primary is the other healthy shape.
+  assert.equal(neutralContrastIssue({ neutral: '#141414', primary: '#E8C36A' }), null);
+  // A mid-tone neutral: neither fixed ink reaches 7:1 on it.
+  assert.match(neutralContrastIssue({ neutral: '#777777', primary: '#1E4A42' }) ?? '', /near-white or near-black/);
+  // A primary that melts into the neutral fails the 3:1 separation check.
+  assert.match(neutralContrastIssue({ neutral: '#F2EFE8', primary: '#E8E4DC' }) ?? '', /3:1/);
+});
+
 test('rejects raw, encoded, and double-encoded path traversal', async (t) => {
   const fixture = await createFixture();
   const server = await startPicker(fixture.cwd, ['--port', String(portBase + 20)]);