diff --git a/cli/engine/design-system.mjs b/cli/engine/design-system.mjs
index 511329c5c..c7e993c8f 100644
--- a/cli/engine/design-system.mjs
+++ b/cli/engine/design-system.mjs
@@ -743,11 +743,12 @@ function isShadowPropertyContext(line, match) {
   // Unlike jsColorKeyContext, the JS tail admits commas: a multi-layer shadow
   // string is comma-separated, and a later property on the same line is still
   // blocked because it sits past the string's closing quote. Both tails also
-  // admit complete `${...}` interpolations, so a tokenized dynamic shadow
-  // (template literal or CSS-in-JS) keeps its context; a bare `}`, quote, or
-  // `;` still ends it.
-  return /(?:^|[{\s;"'`(,])(?:box-shadow|text-shadow)\s*:\s*(?:\$\{[^}"'`]*\}|[^;{}"'`])*$/i.test(before)
-    || /(?:^|[,{]\s*)(?:boxShadow|textShadow)\s*[:=]\s*["'`]?(?:\$\{[^}"'`]*\}|[^"'`}])*$/i.test(before);
+  // admit complete `${...}` interpolations (including paired quoted strings
+  // inside them, for function arguments and ternaries), so a tokenized
+  // dynamic shadow (template literal or CSS-in-JS) keeps its context; a bare
+  // `}`, quote, or `;` still ends it.
+  return /(?:^|[{\s;"'`(,])(?:box-shadow|text-shadow)\s*:\s*(?:\$\{(?:"[^"]*"|'[^']*'|[^}"'`])*\}|[^;{}"'`])*$/i.test(before)
+    || /(?:^|[,{]\s*)(?:boxShadow|textShadow)\s*[:=]\s*["'`]?(?:\$\{(?:"[^"]*"|'[^']*'|[^}"'`])*\}|[^"'`}])*$/i.test(before);
 }
 
 function isInsideCssAttributeSelector(line, index) {
diff --git a/tests/design-system.test.mjs b/tests/design-system.test.mjs
index c9bddd8c6..2d9db30a5 100644
--- a/tests/design-system.test.mjs
+++ b/tests/design-system.test.mjs
@@ -572,17 +572,21 @@ const leak = { boxShadow: "0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.28)", color: "rgba(0, 0, 0,
     const findings = checkSourceDesignSystem(`
 const card = { boxShadow: \`0 \${offset}px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.28)\` };
   box-shadow: 0 1px \${blur}px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.28);
+const fn = { boxShadow: \`0 \${getShadow('lg')} 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.28)\` };
+const tern = { boxShadow: \`0 1px \${dark ? "4px" : "2px"} rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.28)\` };
+  box-shadow: 0 \${theme('blur')} rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.28);
 const leak = { boxShadow: \`0 \${offset}px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.28)\`, color: "rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.28)" };
 `, '/tmp/interpolated.js', { designSystem });
     const colors = findings.filter((item) => item.antipattern === 'design-system-color');
 
     // The documented shadow color passes after a \${...} interpolation in
-    // both the JS template literal and the CSS-in-JS line; the color key on
-    // the leak line still fires because it sits past the template's closing
-    // backtick.
+    // the JS template literal and the CSS-in-JS line, including
+    // interpolations carrying quoted function arguments or ternary branches;
+    // the color key on the leak line still fires because it sits past the
+    // template's closing backtick.
     assert.deepEqual(
       colors.map((item) => [item.line, item.ignoreValue]),
-      [[4, 'rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.28)']],
+      [[7, 'rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.28)']],
     );
   });