diff --git a/cli/engine/detect-antipatterns-browser.js b/cli/engine/detect-antipatterns-browser.js
index 62f5b87f1..3f5abd0a8 100644
--- a/cli/engine/detect-antipatterns-browser.js
+++ b/cli/engine/detect-antipatterns-browser.js
@@ -70,13 +70,27 @@ function isBrandFontOnOwnDomain(font) {
   return allowed.some(suffix => host === suffix || host.endsWith('.' + suffix));
 }
 
-const GENERIC_FONTS = new Set([
+// Overused-font primary selection skips only CSS generics so a system stack
+// keeps the system face as primary; GENERIC_FONTS still includes platform
+// faces for design-system/serif resolution.
+const CSS_GENERIC_FONTS = new Set([
   'serif', 'sans-serif', 'monospace', 'cursive', 'fantasy',
-  'system-ui', 'ui-serif', 'ui-sans-serif', 'ui-monospace', 'ui-rounded',
-  '-apple-system', 'blinkmacsystemfont', 'segoe ui',
   'inherit', 'initial', 'unset', 'revert',
 ]);
 
+const GENERIC_FONTS = new Set([
+  ...CSS_GENERIC_FONTS,
+  'system-ui', 'ui-serif', 'ui-sans-serif', 'ui-monospace', 'ui-rounded',
+  '-apple-system', 'blinkmacsystemfont', 'segoe ui',
+]);
+
+function primaryFontFace(fontFamily, skip = CSS_GENERIC_FONTS) {
+  return String(fontFamily || '')
+    .split(',')
+    .map(f => f.trim().replace(/^['"]|['"]$/g, '').toLowerCase())
+    .find(f => f && !skip.has(f)) || null;
+}
+
 // WCAG large text thresholds are defined in points: 18pt normal text and
 // 14pt bold text. Browsers expose font-size in CSS pixels at 96px per inch.
 const WCAG_LARGE_TEXT_PX = 18 * (96 / 72);
@@ -1591,7 +1605,7 @@ function checkIconTile(opts) {
 function resolveSerif(fontFamily) {
   if (!fontFamily) return { primary: null, isSerif: false };
   const tokens = fontFamily.split(',').map(f => f.trim().replace(/^['"]|['"]$/g, '').toLowerCase());
-  const primary = tokens.find(f => f && !GENERIC_FONTS.has(f)) || null;
+  const primary = primaryFontFace(fontFamily, GENERIC_FONTS);
   if (!primary) return { primary: null, isSerif: false };
   if (KNOWN_SERIF_FONTS.has(primary)) return { primary, isSerif: true };
   if (tokens.includes('serif')) return { primary, isSerif: true };
@@ -5190,8 +5204,7 @@ function checkTypography() {
     const style = getComputedStyle(el);
     const ff = style.fontFamily;
     if (!ff) continue;
-    const stack = ff.split(',').map(f => f.trim().replace(/^['"]|['"]$/g, '').toLowerCase());
-    const primary = stack.find(f => f && !GENERIC_FONTS.has(f));
+    const primary = primaryFontFace(ff);
     if (!primary) continue;
     fontUsage.set(primary, (fontUsage.get(primary) || 0) + 1);
     totalTextElements++;
@@ -5436,8 +5449,7 @@ function checkPageTypography(doc, win) {
       if (rule.type !== 1) continue;
       const ff = rule.style?.fontFamily;
       if (!ff) continue;
-      const stack = ff.split(',').map(f => f.trim().replace(/^['"]|['"]$/g, '').toLowerCase());
-      const primary = stack.find(f => f && !GENERIC_FONTS.has(f));
+      const primary = primaryFontFace(ff);
       if (primary) {
         fonts.add(primary);
         if (OVERUSED_FONTS.has(primary)) overusedFound.add(primary);
@@ -5456,11 +5468,10 @@ function checkPageTypography(doc, win) {
   const ffRe = /font-family\s*:\s*([^;}]+)/gi;
   let fm;
   while ((fm = ffRe.exec(html)) !== null) {
-    for (const f of fm[1].split(',').map(f => f.trim().replace(/^['"]|['"]$/g, '').toLowerCase())) {
-      if (f && !GENERIC_FONTS.has(f)) {
-        fonts.add(f);
-        if (OVERUSED_FONTS.has(f)) overusedFound.add(f);
-      }
+    const primary = primaryFontFace(fm[1]);
+    if (primary) {
+      fonts.add(primary);
+      if (OVERUSED_FONTS.has(primary)) overusedFound.add(primary);
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/tests/detect-antipatterns.test.js b/tests/detect-antipatterns.test.js
index e5cab77a1..4f0ae4cb7 100644
--- a/tests/detect-antipatterns.test.js
+++ b/tests/detect-antipatterns.test.js
@@ -675,6 +675,18 @@ describe('detectText — overused fonts', () => {
 });
 
 describe('detectHtml — overused fonts system stack', () => {
+  test('Inter before a system stack still flags overused-font', async () => {
+    const page = `<!DOCTYPE html><html><head><style>
+      body { font-family: Inter, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; }
+      h1 { font-size: 34px; }
+      p { font-size: 15px; }
+    </style></head><body><h1>Hello</h1><p>world</p></body></html>`;
+    await withStaticFixture({ 'index.html': page }, async ({ file }) => {
+      const f = await detectHtml(file);
+      expect(f.some(r => r.antipattern === 'overused-font' && /inter/i.test(r.snippet))).toBe(true);
+    });
+  });
+
   test('checkPageTypography regex path skips Roboto in system stack', () => {
     const html = `<!DOCTYPE html><html><head><style>
       body { font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif; }
diff --git a/tests/fixtures/antipatterns/overused-font.html b/tests/fixtures/antipatterns/overused-font.html
index 8f54db821..2ace348c1 100644
--- a/tests/fixtures/antipatterns/overused-font.html
+++ b/tests/fixtures/antipatterns/overused-font.html
@@ -35,7 +35,6 @@
     .face-geist { font-family: Geist, sans-serif; }
     .face-montserrat { font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; }
     .face-lato { font-family: Lato, sans-serif; }
-    .face-inter-system { font-family: Inter, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, sans-serif; }
     .face-system-shorthand {
       font: 16px/1.5 -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;
     }
@@ -68,10 +67,6 @@
         <h2>Overused Lato</h2>
         <p class="face-lato">Lato is the primary face on this block, so overused-font should name it.</p>
       </article>
-      <article>
-        <h2>Inter Before System Stack</h2>
-        <p class="face-inter-system">Inter ahead of -apple-system is still the primary face, so overused-font should name it.</p>
-      </article>
     </section>
     <section class="col" data-col="pass">
       <p class="col-label">Should pass</p>