diff --git a/.forgejo/workflows/release-bread-theme.yml b/.forgejo/workflows/release-bread-theme.yml
index c5e2426..335f982 100644
--- a/.forgejo/workflows/release-bread-theme.yml
+++ b/.forgejo/workflows/release-bread-theme.yml
@@ -31,7 +31,31 @@ jobs:
           cp src/bread-theme/bakery.toml "${PKG_DIR}/bakery.toml"
           ln -sfn "${VERSION}" "/srv/breadway-dl/bread-theme/latest"
 
+      # Signs the bread-theme binary with the shared bakery ecosystem signing
+      # key (same key that signs index.json — get.sh / manifest.rs pin the
+      # matching public key). BAKERY_MINISIGN_SEC_KEY_PATH is a *path on this
+      # runner's disk* (hestia has persistent storage, unlike a fresh
+      # GitHub-hosted runner), not the key contents — see the handoff note
+      # in scripts/gen-index.sh. Dormant (binary ships unsigned, as today)
+      # until that secret is provisioned.
+      - name: sign release binary
+        env:
+          MINISIGN_SEC_KEY: ${{ secrets.BAKERY_MINISIGN_SEC_KEY_PATH }}
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          VERSION="${GITHUB_REF_NAME#v}"
+          PKG_DIR="/srv/breadway-dl/bread-theme/${VERSION}"
+          if [ -n "${MINISIGN_SEC_KEY:-}" ]; then
+            minisign -W -S -s "${MINISIGN_SEC_KEY}" -m "${PKG_DIR}/bread-theme-x86_64" \
+              -x "${PKG_DIR}/bread-theme-x86_64.minisig" </dev/null
+            echo "signed bread-theme-x86_64"
+          else
+            echo "::warning::BAKERY_MINISIGN_SEC_KEY_PATH not set — shipping bread-theme-x86_64 UNSIGNED"
+          fi
+
       - name: regenerate index.json
+        env:
+          MINISIGN_SEC_KEY: ${{ secrets.BAKERY_MINISIGN_SEC_KEY_PATH }}
         run: cd src && bash scripts/gen-index.sh
 
       - name: upload to GitHub Release
@@ -43,7 +67,6 @@ jobs:
           PKG_DIR="/srv/breadway-dl/bread-theme/${VERSION}"
           gh release create "${GITHUB_REF_NAME}" --repo Breadway/bread-ecosystem \
             --title "bread-ecosystem ${GITHUB_REF_NAME}" --generate-notes 2>/dev/null || true
-          gh release upload "${GITHUB_REF_NAME}" --repo Breadway/bread-ecosystem \
-            "${PKG_DIR}/bread-theme-x86_64" \
-            "${PKG_DIR}/bread-theme-x86_64.sha256" \
-            --clobber
+          ASSETS="${PKG_DIR}/bread-theme-x86_64 ${PKG_DIR}/bread-theme-x86_64.sha256"
+          [ -f "${PKG_DIR}/bread-theme-x86_64.minisig" ] && ASSETS="${ASSETS} ${PKG_DIR}/bread-theme-x86_64.minisig"
+          gh release upload "${GITHUB_REF_NAME}" --repo Breadway/bread-ecosystem ${ASSETS} --clobber
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index a977bc2..1f9675b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -36,8 +36,41 @@ jobs:
           cp bakery.toml "${PKG_DIR}/bakery.toml"
           ln -sfn "${VERSION}" "${DL_DIR}/bakery/latest"
 
+      # Signs the bakery binary itself with the same minisign key that signs
+      # index.json (get.sh pins the matching public key). Dormant until the
+      # BAKERY_MINISIGN_SEC_KEY secret is actually provisioned in this repo's
+      # Actions settings — until then this step logs a warning and the
+      # binary ships unsigned, exactly as it does today.
+      - name: sign release binary
+        env:
+          MINISIGN_SEC_KEY_CONTENTS: ${{ secrets.BAKERY_MINISIGN_SEC_KEY }}
+        run: |
+          VERSION="${GITHUB_REF_NAME#v}"
+          PKG_DIR="${DL_DIR}/bakery/${VERSION}"
+          if [ -n "${MINISIGN_SEC_KEY_CONTENTS}" ]; then
+            command -v minisign >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo "::error::minisign not installed on runner"; exit 1; }
+            KEY_FILE="$(mktemp)"
+            trap 'shred -u "${KEY_FILE}" 2>/dev/null || rm -f "${KEY_FILE}"' EXIT
+            printf '%s' "${MINISIGN_SEC_KEY_CONTENTS}" > "${KEY_FILE}"
+            minisign -W -S -s "${KEY_FILE}" -m "${PKG_DIR}/bakery-x86_64" \
+              -x "${PKG_DIR}/bakery-x86_64.minisig" </dev/null
+            echo "signed bakery-x86_64"
+          else
+            echo "::warning::BAKERY_MINISIGN_SEC_KEY secret not set — shipping bakery-x86_64 UNSIGNED"
+          fi
+
       - name: regenerate index.json
-        run: bash "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/scripts/gen-index.sh"
+        env:
+          MINISIGN_SEC_KEY_CONTENTS: ${{ secrets.BAKERY_MINISIGN_SEC_KEY }}
+        run: |
+          if [ -n "${MINISIGN_SEC_KEY_CONTENTS}" ]; then
+            KEY_FILE="$(mktemp)"
+            trap 'shred -u "${KEY_FILE}" 2>/dev/null || rm -f "${KEY_FILE}"' EXIT
+            printf '%s' "${MINISIGN_SEC_KEY_CONTENTS}" > "${KEY_FILE}"
+            MINISIGN_SEC_KEY="${KEY_FILE}" bash "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/scripts/gen-index.sh"
+          else
+            bash "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/scripts/gen-index.sh"
+          fi
 
       - name: upload to GitHub Release
         env:
@@ -47,7 +80,6 @@ jobs:
           PKG_DIR="${DL_DIR}/bakery/${VERSION}"
           gh release create "${GITHUB_REF_NAME}" \
             --title "bakery v${VERSION}" --generate-notes 2>/dev/null || true
-          gh release upload "${GITHUB_REF_NAME}" \
-            "${PKG_DIR}/bakery-x86_64" \
-            "${PKG_DIR}/bakery-x86_64.sha256" \
-            --clobber
+          ASSETS="${PKG_DIR}/bakery-x86_64 ${PKG_DIR}/bakery-x86_64.sha256"
+          [ -f "${PKG_DIR}/bakery-x86_64.minisig" ] && ASSETS="${ASSETS} ${PKG_DIR}/bakery-x86_64.minisig"
+          gh release upload "${GITHUB_REF_NAME}" ${ASSETS} --clobber
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index b83d222..4c046ac 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1 +1,7 @@
 /target/
+
+# minisign secret keys must never be committed — the bakery/index signing
+# key lives outside this repo entirely (see scripts/gen-index.sh /
+# scripts/get.sh for how it's consumed via MINISIGN_SEC_KEY).
+*.minisign-sec
+minisign.key
diff --git a/BREAD_DESIGN_SYSTEM.md b/BREAD_DESIGN_SYSTEM.md
index 942f7a2..ae57901 100644
--- a/BREAD_DESIGN_SYSTEM.md
+++ b/BREAD_DESIGN_SYSTEM.md
@@ -48,16 +48,27 @@ Establish a visual hierarchy with consistent rounding:
 
 ## Color System
 
-All projects use **pywal dynamic theming** with **Catppuccin Mocha** as the fallback palette:
+All projects use **pywal dynamic theming** for accents, layered on a **fixed BOS
+dark base** — background, surface, overlay, and foreground never come from
+pywal, only the accent slots (color1–6) track the current wallpaper:
 
-- **Background**: `#1e1e2e` (Catppuccin)
-- **Foreground**: `#cdd6f4` (Catppuccin)
-- **Surface**: `#181825` (Catppuccin)
-- **Accent**: Dynamic (from pywal)
+- **Background**: `#0c0c0c` (fixed)
+- **Foreground**: `#e8e8e8` (fixed)
+- **Surface**: `#1a1a1a` (fixed, `color0`)
+- **Overlay**: `#d8d8d8` (fixed, `color7`)
+- **Accent**: Dynamic (from pywal `color4`), with curated bread-toned defaults
+  before any wallpaper has been set
+
+Without pinning bg/surface/overlay, a light or muddy-toned wallpaper makes
+pywal hand back a light or off-hue background, and every bread GUI's panels
+inherit it — see `bread-theme/src/palette.rs` for the implementation.
 
 Color palette slots (via wal):
-- color0–color7: ANSI colors
+- color0–color7: ANSI colors (0 and 7 fixed, 1–6 pywal-derived)
 - Semantic: red, green, yellow, blue, pink, teal
+- Computed ink: `on-bg`, `on-surface`, `on-accent`, `on-red`, `on-overlay` —
+  black or white text, whichever is legible against that background (see
+  `bread_theme::ink_on`)
 
 ## Component Standards
 
@@ -104,8 +115,9 @@ add only app-specific rules:
   hardcoded Nord palette; migrated to the shared stylesheet).
 - **breadcrumbs** — CLI tool; ANSI colours only, no GUI styling.
 
-> Palette note: the fallback is Catppuccin Mocha, but installs (e.g. BOS) drive
-> the real palette from pywal — BOS ships a black-base palette.
+> Palette note: background/surface/overlay/foreground are a fixed BOS dark
+> base, never pywal-derived; only the accent slots (color1–6) track the
+> current wallpaper via pywal.
 
 ## Future Consistency Checks
 
diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 36707a1..44703a2 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -88,6 +88,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "clap",
  "dirs",
  "hex",
+ "minisign-verify",
  "serde",
  "serde_json",
  "sha2",
@@ -973,6 +974,12 @@ dependencies = [
  "autocfg",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "minisign-verify"
+version = "0.2.5"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "22f9645cb765ea72b8111f36c522475d2daa0d22c957a9826437e97534bc4e9e"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "miniz_oxide"
 version = "0.8.9"
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 354c58c..be6b60d 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ sha2 = "0.10"
 hex = "0.4"
 clap = { version = "4", features = ["derive", "env"] }
 chrono = "0.4"
+minisign-verify = "0.2"
 
 [profile.release]
 lto = "thin"
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 1ec4cff..c01995a 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -36,7 +36,9 @@ to keys.
 ## Theming
 
 All GUIs share one look via `bread-theme`. The `bread-theme` CLI renders the
-component stylesheet from your pywal palette (Catppuccin Mocha fallback) to
+component stylesheet from your pywal palette, layered on a fixed BOS dark
+base (background/surface/overlay never come from pywal — only the accent
+colors do, so a light wallpaper can't wash out the UI), to
 `$XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/bread/theme.css`; every app loads that file and **live-reloads**
 it, so changing your wallpaper recolours the whole ecosystem with no rebuilds:
 
@@ -95,8 +97,12 @@ Install all required deps with `sudo pacman -S <packages>`. Use `pacman -Q <pkg>
 ## Theming
 
 All GUI products (breadbar, breadbox, breadpad) read pywal colors from
-`~/.cache/wal/colors.json` and fall back to Catppuccin Mocha when that file
-is absent. Per-app CSS overrides live at `~/.config/<app>/style.css`.
+`~/.cache/wal/colors.json` for accents only; background, surface, overlay,
+and foreground are always BOS's fixed dark values (see
+[`BREAD_DESIGN_SYSTEM.md`](BREAD_DESIGN_SYSTEM.md#color-system)) regardless
+of what pywal extracted from the wallpaper. When `colors.json` is absent,
+accents fall back to BOS's curated bread-toned defaults. Per-app CSS
+overrides live at `~/.config/<app>/style.css`.
 
 The shared theming logic lives in the `bread-theme` crate in this repo.
 
@@ -107,7 +113,7 @@ This repo is a Cargo workspace:
 ```
 bread-ecosystem/
 ├── bakery/          # package manager binary
-├── bread-theme/     # shared pywal + Catppuccin theming crate
+├── bread-theme/     # shared pywal + fixed-dark-base theming crate
 ├── registry/        # bread-ecosystem.toml — product registry
 └── scripts/
     ├── get.sh       # curl | sh bootstrap
diff --git a/bakery/Cargo.toml b/bakery/Cargo.toml
index df5b7c1..3664980 100644
--- a/bakery/Cargo.toml
+++ b/bakery/Cargo.toml
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ sha2 = { workspace = true }
 hex = { workspace = true }
 clap = { workspace = true }
 chrono = { workspace = true }
+minisign-verify = { workspace = true }
 
 [dev-dependencies]
 tempfile = "3"
diff --git a/bakery/src/download.rs b/bakery/src/download.rs
index c89744c..3362bd0 100644
--- a/bakery/src/download.rs
+++ b/bakery/src/download.rs
@@ -32,7 +32,12 @@ pub fn fetch_and_place(binary: &Binary, dest: &Path) -> Result<()> {
     Ok(())
 }
 
-fn verify_sha256(bytes: &[u8], expected_hex: &str) -> Result<()> {
+/// Verify that `bytes` hashes to `expected_hex` under SHA-256.
+///
+/// Shared by every artifact download path — binaries (via
+/// [`fetch_and_place`]), and config-example / systemd-unit downloads in
+/// `install.rs` — so all downloaded artifacts get the same integrity check.
+pub fn verify_sha256(bytes: &[u8], expected_hex: &str) -> Result<()> {
     let mut hasher = Sha256::new();
     hasher.update(bytes);
     let actual = hex::encode(hasher.finalize());
diff --git a/bakery/src/install.rs b/bakery/src/install.rs
index 03fb65f..3b4c925 100644
--- a/bakery/src/install.rs
+++ b/bakery/src/install.rs
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ use anyhow::{Context, Result};
 use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 use std::process::Command;
 
-use crate::download::fetch_and_place;
+use crate::download::{fetch_and_place, verify_sha256};
 use crate::manifest::{fetch_binary, Package, Service};
 use crate::state::{InstalledPackage, State};
 
@@ -119,11 +119,28 @@ fn scaffold_config(cfg: &crate::manifest::ConfigScaffold, pkg: &Package) -> Resu
         if !dest.exists() {
             if let Some((primary, fallback)) = pkg.artifact_urls(example) {
                 match fetch_binary(&primary, &fallback) {
-                    Ok(bytes) => {
-                        std::fs::write(&dest, &bytes)
-                            .with_context(|| format!("writing {}", dest.display()))?;
-                        println!("  installed example config at {}", dest.display());
-                    }
+                    Ok(bytes) => match &cfg.example_sha256 {
+                        Some(expected) => match verify_sha256(&bytes, expected) {
+                            Ok(()) => {
+                                std::fs::write(&dest, &bytes)
+                                    .with_context(|| format!("writing {}", dest.display()))?;
+                                println!("  installed example config at {}", dest.display());
+                            }
+                            Err(e) => {
+                                eprintln!(
+                                    "  warning: checksum mismatch for example config {example}: {e} — not installed"
+                                );
+                                println!("  config dir created at {}", dir.display());
+                            }
+                        },
+                        None => {
+                            eprintln!(
+                                "  warning: index.json has no sha256 for example config \
+                                 {example} — refusing to install an unverified download"
+                            );
+                            println!("  config dir created at {}", dir.display());
+                        }
+                    },
                     Err(e) => {
                         eprintln!("  warning: could not download example config {example}: {e}");
                         println!("  config dir created at {}", dir.display());
@@ -151,11 +168,19 @@ fn install_service(svc: &Service, bin_dir: &Path, pkg: &Package) -> Result<()> {
     if !unit_path.exists() {
         if let Some((primary, fallback)) = pkg.artifact_urls(&svc.unit) {
             match fetch_binary(&primary, &fallback) {
-                Ok(bytes) => {
-                    std::fs::write(&unit_path, &bytes)
-                        .with_context(|| format!("writing {}", unit_path.display()))?;
-                    println!("  downloaded unit {}", unit_path.display());
-                }
+                Ok(bytes) => match verify_sha256(&bytes, &svc.sha256) {
+                    Ok(()) => {
+                        std::fs::write(&unit_path, &bytes)
+                            .with_context(|| format!("writing {}", unit_path.display()))?;
+                        println!("  downloaded unit {}", unit_path.display());
+                    }
+                    Err(e) => {
+                        eprintln!(
+                            "  warning: checksum mismatch for unit {}: {e} — not installed",
+                            svc.unit
+                        );
+                    }
+                },
                 Err(e) => {
                     eprintln!("  warning: could not download {}: {e}", svc.unit);
                 }
diff --git a/bakery/src/manifest.rs b/bakery/src/manifest.rs
index 5106646..2a8e7ac 100644
--- a/bakery/src/manifest.rs
+++ b/bakery/src/manifest.rs
@@ -1,11 +1,45 @@
 use anyhow::{bail, Context, Result};
+use minisign_verify::{PublicKey, Signature};
 use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
-use std::path::PathBuf;
+use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 use std::time::{Duration, SystemTime};
 
 const PRIMARY_URL: &str = "https://dl.breadway.dev/index.json";
+const SIG_URL: &str = "https://dl.breadway.dev/index.json.minisig";
 const CACHE_MAX_AGE: Duration = Duration::from_secs(24 * 3600);
 
+/// The bakery index-signing public key.
+///
+/// The matching secret key is used offline (never on this machine, never in
+/// this repo) to sign `index.json` with `minisign` as part of publishing a
+/// new index — see `scripts/gen-index.sh`. Every fetch of `index.json`, and
+/// every load of the on-disk cache, must verify against this key before the
+/// bytes are trusted or parsed. This is the single control point: the
+/// per-artifact `sha256` fields and `post_install` hook strings all live
+/// inside `index.json` itself, so a valid signature transitively covers them.
+const PUBKEY: &str = "RWRh2Zr5SUinvVFCtD7S7HwGjfrye6j31Xq2mYXRdkGFDWe3yHF7W11K";
+
+/// Verify `bytes` against `sig_text` (the contents of an `index.json.minisig`
+/// file) using the pinned [`PUBKEY`]. Returns an error on any failure —
+/// missing/malformed signature, wrong key, or a hash mismatch.
+fn verify_index_signature(bytes: &[u8], sig_text: &str) -> Result<()> {
+    verify_against_key(bytes, sig_text, PUBKEY)
+}
+
+/// Verify `bytes` against a minisign `sig_text` using an arbitrary base64
+/// public key. Split out from [`verify_index_signature`] purely so tests can
+/// exercise the verification logic with a throwaway keypair instead of the
+/// real production key.
+fn verify_against_key(bytes: &[u8], sig_text: &str, pubkey_b64: &str) -> Result<()> {
+    let public_key =
+        PublicKey::from_base64(pubkey_b64).context("public key is malformed")?;
+    let signature =
+        Signature::decode(sig_text).context("index.json.minisig is malformed or unreadable")?;
+    public_key
+        .verify(bytes, &signature, false)
+        .context("index.json failed signature verification against the pinned bakery key")
+}
+
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Deserialize, Serialize)]
 pub struct Binary {
     pub name: String,
@@ -18,6 +52,10 @@ pub struct Binary {
 pub struct Service {
     pub unit: String,
     pub enable: bool,
+    /// SHA-256 of the unit file artifact. Required to verify the download in
+    /// `install::install_service`, same as binaries; `index.json` carries it
+    /// (and is itself minisign-signed, which is what makes it trustworthy).
+    pub sha256: String,
 }
 
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Deserialize, Serialize)]
@@ -25,6 +63,10 @@ pub struct ConfigScaffold {
     pub dir: String,
     /// Example config filename, relative to the release artifact directory.
     pub example: Option<String>,
+    /// SHA-256 of the example config artifact, when `example` is set.
+    /// Verified in `install::scaffold_config` the same way binaries are.
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub example_sha256: Option<String>,
 }
 
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Deserialize, Serialize)]
@@ -80,15 +122,38 @@ impl Index {
 
 /// Load the manifest, using the on-disk cache when it is fresh enough.
 /// Always fetches if `force_refresh` is true.
+///
+/// Every path — fresh fetch or cached read — verifies the minisign
+/// signature over the raw `index.json` bytes before the JSON is parsed or
+/// trusted. A signature failure on a freshly fetched index is always a hard
+/// error. A signature failure on the *cached* copy is treated as a
+/// (possibly tampered, possibly just stale-format) cache and triggers one
+/// re-fetch from the network rather than bricking the CLI outright; if the
+/// freshly fetched copy also fails to verify, that's a hard error.
 pub fn load(force_refresh: bool) -> Result<Index> {
     let cache_path = cache_path();
+    let sig_cache_path = sig_cache_path(&cache_path);
 
     if !force_refresh && cache_is_fresh(&cache_path) {
-        let text = std::fs::read_to_string(&cache_path).context("reading cached index")?;
-        return serde_json::from_str(&text).context("parsing cached index");
+        match read_and_verify_cache(&cache_path, &sig_cache_path) {
+            Ok(index) => return Ok(index),
+            Err(err) => {
+                eprintln!(
+                    "  warning: cached index.json failed verification ({err}), re-fetching…"
+                );
+            }
+        }
     }
 
-    fetch_and_cache(&cache_path)
+    fetch_and_cache(&cache_path, &sig_cache_path)
+}
+
+fn read_and_verify_cache(cache_path: &PathBuf, sig_cache_path: &PathBuf) -> Result<Index> {
+    let bytes = std::fs::read(cache_path).context("reading cached index")?;
+    let sig_text = std::fs::read_to_string(sig_cache_path)
+        .context("reading cached index.json.minisig (cache predates signing support)")?;
+    verify_index_signature(&bytes, &sig_text)?;
+    serde_json::from_slice(&bytes).context("parsing cached index")
 }
 
 fn cache_is_fresh(path: &PathBuf) -> bool {
@@ -98,13 +163,26 @@ fn cache_is_fresh(path: &PathBuf) -> bool {
         .unwrap_or(false)
 }
 
-fn fetch_and_cache(cache_path: &PathBuf) -> Result<Index> {
-    let text = fetch_text(PRIMARY_URL)?;
+fn fetch_and_cache(cache_path: &PathBuf, sig_cache_path: &PathBuf) -> Result<Index> {
+    let bytes = fetch_bytes(PRIMARY_URL)?;
+    let sig_text = fetch_text(SIG_URL).context(
+        "fetching index.json.minisig — the index must be signed before it can be trusted",
+    )?;
+    verify_index_signature(&bytes, &sig_text)
+        .context("freshly fetched index.json failed signature verification")?;
+
     if let Some(dir) = cache_path.parent() {
         std::fs::create_dir_all(dir)?;
     }
-    std::fs::write(cache_path, &text)?;
-    serde_json::from_str(&text).context("parsing index.json")
+    std::fs::write(cache_path, &bytes)?;
+    std::fs::write(sig_cache_path, &sig_text)?;
+    serde_json::from_slice(&bytes).context("parsing index.json")
+}
+
+fn sig_cache_path(cache_path: &Path) -> PathBuf {
+    let mut name = cache_path.file_name().unwrap_or_default().to_os_string();
+    name.push(".minisig");
+    cache_path.with_file_name(name)
 }
 
 fn fetch_text(url: &str) -> Result<String> {
@@ -151,3 +229,51 @@ fn fetch_bytes(url: &str) -> Result<Vec<u8>> {
         .context("reading response")?;
     Ok(buf)
 }
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    // A throwaway test-only minisign keypair, generated solely to produce
+    // these fixtures (`minisign -G` then `minisign -S`). It has no
+    // relationship to the real bakery signing key (PUBKEY above) and the
+    // matching secret key was discarded — these are just fixed vectors to
+    // exercise the verification code path deterministically.
+    const TEST_PUBKEY: &str = "RWQTYQi9Fe4trQDQmbb9txWDxzUIPYs57J//A5wG9BHcZXgC8YP0Cf59";
+    const TEST_DATA: &[u8] = b"{\"hello\":\"world\"}\n";
+    const TEST_SIG: &str = "untrusted comment: signature from minisign secret key\n\
+RUQTYQi9Fe4trXY/WBxk++476WhTqtVd3hlNWQj5h5DF8keP8sEJn22LDG2hloNgJesXt6HsTQs9uktayRVp/HB4XfC6e+rhYAs=\n\
+trusted comment: timestamp:1784230084\tfile:test-data.json\thashed\n\
+znmVfINB4jFDR2a4wuY8rOKlUBeSDOFjMkHYDXV3vxvAjK+r4V12ae9ZRQkfVtQ1YIEmFXbnJfbxywg+NR/1AA==\n";
+
+    #[test]
+    fn valid_signature_verifies() {
+        verify_against_key(TEST_DATA, TEST_SIG, TEST_PUBKEY)
+            .expect("known-good signature must verify");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn tampered_bytes_fail_verification() {
+        let tampered = b"{\"hello\":\"world!\"}\n".to_vec();
+        assert!(verify_against_key(&tampered, TEST_SIG, TEST_PUBKEY).is_err());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn wrong_key_fails_verification() {
+        // PUBKEY is the real production key — unrelated to the throwaway
+        // TEST_PUBKEY the fixture was signed with, so it must not verify.
+        assert!(verify_against_key(TEST_DATA, TEST_SIG, PUBKEY).is_err());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn malformed_signature_text_errors_cleanly() {
+        assert!(verify_against_key(TEST_DATA, "not a real signature", TEST_PUBKEY).is_err());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn production_pubkey_constant_is_well_formed() {
+        // Guards against a future typo/truncation in the hardcoded PUBKEY —
+        // it must at least parse as a valid minisign public key.
+        PublicKey::from_base64(PUBKEY).expect("PUBKEY must be a valid minisign public key");
+    }
+}
diff --git a/bread-theme/Cargo.toml b/bread-theme/Cargo.toml
index 8dc41e7..8547e24 100644
--- a/bread-theme/Cargo.toml
+++ b/bread-theme/Cargo.toml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ version.workspace = true
 edition.workspace = true
 license.workspace = true
 authors.workspace = true
-description = "Shared pywal + Catppuccin theming crate for the bread ecosystem"
+description = "Shared pywal-accented, fixed-dark-base theming crate for the bread ecosystem"
 repository = "https://github.com/Breadway/bread-ecosystem"
 keywords = ["theming", "pywal", "gtk4", "wayland"]
 
diff --git a/bread-theme/bakery.toml b/bread-theme/bakery.toml
index a64c968..548fd3e 100644
--- a/bread-theme/bakery.toml
+++ b/bread-theme/bakery.toml
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 name = "bread-theme"
-description = "Shared pywal + Catppuccin theming CLI for the bread ecosystem — generates the shared GTK4 stylesheet every bread app loads"
+description = "Shared pywal-accented, fixed-dark-base theming CLI for the bread ecosystem — generates the shared GTK4 stylesheet every bread app loads"
 binaries = ["bread-theme"]
 system_deps = []
 optional_system_deps = ["python-pywal"]
diff --git a/bread-theme/src/lib.rs b/bread-theme/src/lib.rs
index 2ee2307..ab0156b 100644
--- a/bread-theme/src/lib.rs
+++ b/bread-theme/src/lib.rs
@@ -24,31 +24,23 @@ pub mod tokens {
     pub const RADIUS_PILL: u16 = 999;
 }
 
-/// Emit the `@define-color` block that all bread apps use.
-/// Apps append their own rules below this; user CSS goes on top.
+/// Emit the `@define-color` block that all bread apps use, plus the shared
+/// font rule.
+///
+/// Kept for API compatibility with older callers that only want the color
+/// variables (not the full [`stylesheet`] component rules). It used to carry
+/// its own hand-written `@define-color` block that predated the `accent` and
+/// computed-ink (`on-*`) colors — that duplication is exactly what let it
+/// drift out of sync and reintroduce the illegible-text bug (light pywal
+/// colors + no computed ink meant white-on-white / black-on-black text
+/// wherever a caller's own CSS referenced `@on-surface`, `@on-accent`, etc.,
+/// since those names simply didn't exist in this block). It now delegates
+/// to the same [`define_colors`] the full stylesheet uses, so there is only
+/// one color-block implementation and it cannot drift again.
 pub fn css_vars(p: &Palette) -> String {
     format!(
-        "@define-color bg {bg};\n\
-         @define-color fg {fg};\n\
-         @define-color surface {c0};\n\
-         @define-color red {c1};\n\
-         @define-color green {c2};\n\
-         @define-color yellow {c3};\n\
-         @define-color blue {c4};\n\
-         @define-color pink {c5};\n\
-         @define-color teal {c6};\n\
-         @define-color overlay {c7};\n\
-         * {{ font-family: '{font}'; font-size: {size}px; }}\n",
-        bg = p.background,
-        fg = p.foreground,
-        c0 = p.color0,
-        c1 = p.color1,
-        c2 = p.color2,
-        c3 = p.color3,
-        c4 = p.color4,
-        c5 = p.color5,
-        c6 = p.color6,
-        c7 = p.color7,
+        "{vars}* {{ font-family: '{font}'; font-size: {size}px; }}\n",
+        vars = define_colors(p),
         font = tokens::FONT_FAMILY,
         size = tokens::FONT_SIZE_BASE,
     )
@@ -241,6 +233,33 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(css.contains("14px"));
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn css_vars_includes_accent_and_computed_ink_colors() {
+        // Regression test: css_vars() used to be a second, hand-written
+        // @define-color block that predated `accent` and the computed `on-*`
+        // ink colors. Any caller whose own CSS referenced `@on-surface` /
+        // `@on-accent` etc. against that older block would hit an undefined
+        // color name — the illegible-text bug. css_vars() must now emit
+        // exactly the same color set as the full stylesheet.
+        let css = css_vars(&Palette::default());
+        for name in &["accent", "on-bg", "on-surface", "on-accent", "on-red", "on-overlay"] {
+            assert!(css.contains(&format!("@define-color {name} ")), "missing @define-color {name}");
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn css_vars_and_stylesheet_agree_on_color_block() {
+        // Both must derive their color variables from the same
+        // `define_colors` implementation, so they can't drift apart again.
+        let p = Palette::default();
+        let vars = css_vars(&p);
+        let sheet = stylesheet(&p);
+        for name in &["bg", "fg", "surface", "overlay", "accent", "on-bg", "on-surface", "on-accent"] {
+            let needle = format!("@define-color {name} ");
+            assert!(vars.contains(&needle) && sheet.contains(&needle));
+        }
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn stylesheet_defines_canonical_colors_and_components() {
         let css = stylesheet(&Palette::default());
diff --git a/registry/bread-ecosystem.toml b/registry/bread-ecosystem.toml
index 06706f0..43abdc5 100644
--- a/registry/bread-ecosystem.toml
+++ b/registry/bread-ecosystem.toml
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ description = "Bread ecosystem package manager"
 [[products]]
 name = "bread-theme"
 repo = "Breadway/bread-ecosystem"
-description = "Shared pywal + Catppuccin theming CLI for the bread ecosystem"
+description = "Shared pywal-accented, fixed-dark-base theming CLI for the bread ecosystem"
 
 [[products]]
 name = "bread"
diff --git a/scripts/gen-index.sh b/scripts/gen-index.sh
index 86d3f40..9991adb 100755
--- a/scripts/gen-index.sh
+++ b/scripts/gen-index.sh
@@ -119,8 +119,12 @@ with open('${bakery_toml}', 'rb') as f:
 print(json.dumps(d.get('bread_deps', [])))
 " 2>/dev/null || echo "[]")"
 
-    # [[service]] entries → [{unit, enable}]
-    services="$(python3 -c "
+    # [[service]] entries → [{unit, enable, sha256}]. sha256 comes from the
+    # actual unit file shipped in this version dir — the same
+    # artifact-integrity guarantee binaries already get. A missing unit file
+    # gets an empty sha256; install.rs refuses to install an unverified
+    # download rather than silently skipping the check.
+    service_units="$(python3 -c "
 import tomllib, json
 with open('${bakery_toml}', 'rb') as f:
     d = tomllib.load(f)
@@ -128,7 +132,24 @@ svcs = d.get('service', [])
 print(json.dumps([{'unit': s['unit'], 'enable': s.get('enable', False)} for s in svcs]))
 " 2>/dev/null || echo "[]")"
 
-    # [config] → {dir, example?} or null
+    services="[]"
+    while IFS= read -r svc_entry; do
+        [[ -z "${svc_entry}" ]] && continue
+        unit_name="$(echo "${svc_entry}" | jq -r '.unit')"
+        enable="$(echo "${svc_entry}" | jq -r '.enable')"
+        unit_path="${version_dir}/${unit_name}"
+        unit_sha256=""
+        if [[ -f "${unit_path}" ]]; then
+            unit_sha256="$(sha256sum "${unit_path}" | awk '{print $1}')"
+        else
+            echo "  warning: service unit '${unit_name}' not found at ${unit_path}" >&2
+        fi
+        svc_json="$(jq -n --arg unit "${unit_name}" --argjson enable "${enable}" --arg sha256 "${unit_sha256}" \
+            '{unit: $unit, enable: $enable, sha256: $sha256}')"
+        services="$(jq -n --argjson arr "${services}" --argjson e "${svc_json}" '$arr + [$e]')"
+    done < <(echo "${service_units}" | jq -c '.[]')
+
+    # [config] → {dir, example?, example_sha256?} or null
     config="$(python3 -c "
 import tomllib, json
 with open('${bakery_toml}', 'rb') as f:
@@ -142,6 +163,19 @@ if cfg:
 else:
     print('null')
 " 2>/dev/null || echo "null")"
+    if [[ "${config}" != "null" ]]; then
+        example_name="$(echo "${config}" | jq -r '.example // empty')"
+        if [[ -n "${example_name}" ]]; then
+            example_path="${version_dir}/${example_name}"
+            example_sha256=""
+            if [[ -f "${example_path}" ]]; then
+                example_sha256="$(sha256sum "${example_path}" | awk '{print $1}')"
+            else
+                echo "  warning: config.example '${example_name}' not found at ${example_path}" >&2
+            fi
+            config="$(echo "${config}" | jq -c --arg sha "${example_sha256}" '. + {example_sha256: $sha}')"
+        fi
+    fi
 
     post_install="$(python3 -c "
 import tomllib, json
@@ -194,3 +228,42 @@ jq -n \
     > "${OUT}"
 
 echo "wrote ${OUT}"
+
+# Sign the index so `bakery` can verify it before trusting a single byte.
+# Every artifact sha256 and post_install hook string lives inside index.json,
+# so a valid signature over these raw bytes transitively covers all of it —
+# no separate per-artifact signing is needed.
+#
+# MINISIGN_SEC_KEY must point at the *secret* key file generated with
+# `minisign -G`. It is intentionally never read from inside either git repo;
+# point it at wherever the key actually lives on the machine that runs this
+# script (e.g. a root-only path on hestia), and set MINISIGN_SEC_KEY_PASSWORD
+# too if the key was generated with a password.
+#
+# This step is a no-op (with a loud warning) if the key isn't configured, so
+# existing unsigned publishing flows don't break until the key is actually
+# wired up — see the handoff note in the fix commit for this repo.
+if [[ -n "${MINISIGN_SEC_KEY:-}" ]]; then
+    if [[ ! -f "${MINISIGN_SEC_KEY}" ]]; then
+        echo "ERROR: MINISIGN_SEC_KEY=${MINISIGN_SEC_KEY} does not exist" >&2
+        exit 1
+    fi
+    if ! command -v minisign >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+        echo "ERROR: MINISIGN_SEC_KEY is set but the 'minisign' binary is not installed" >&2
+        exit 1
+    fi
+    sign_args=(-S -s "${MINISIGN_SEC_KEY}" -m "${OUT}" -x "${OUT}.minisig")
+    if [[ -n "${MINISIGN_SEC_KEY_PASSWORD:-}" ]]; then
+        MINISIGN_PASSWORD="${MINISIGN_SEC_KEY_PASSWORD}" minisign "${sign_args[@]}" </dev/null
+    else
+        # -W: the key has no password (matches how CI-facing signing keys are
+        # normally generated, since there's no human to type a passphrase).
+        minisign -W "${sign_args[@]}" </dev/null
+    fi
+    echo "signed ${OUT} -> ${OUT}.minisig"
+else
+    echo "WARNING: MINISIGN_SEC_KEY not set — index.json was NOT signed." >&2
+    echo "         bakery clients built with signature verification will reject" >&2
+    echo "         this index. Set MINISIGN_SEC_KEY before running this in" >&2
+    echo "         production once the signing key has been provisioned." >&2
+fi
diff --git a/scripts/get.sh b/scripts/get.sh
index cc343f0..a2df2eb 100755
--- a/scripts/get.sh
+++ b/scripts/get.sh
@@ -4,6 +4,13 @@
 # Or:    curl -sSfL https://breadway.dev/get | sh
 set -eu
 
+# Pinned minisign public key for the bakery release binary. Matches the
+# PUBKEY constant in bakery/src/manifest.rs (same keypair signs both
+# index.json and the bakery binary itself). Do not source this from the
+# network — it must be baked into this script so a compromised dl server
+# can't swap it out along with a malicious binary.
+BAKERY_MINISIGN_PUBKEY="RWRh2Zr5SUinvVFCtD7S7HwGjfrye6j31Xq2mYXRdkGFDWe3yHF7W11K"
+
 BAKERY_VERSION="${BAKERY_VERSION:-latest}"
 BIN_DIR="${BAKERY_BIN_DIR:-$HOME/.local/bin}"
 
@@ -19,12 +26,16 @@ if [ "${BAKERY_VERSION}" = "latest" ]; then
     DL_PRIMARY="https://dl.breadway.dev/bakery/latest/bakery-x86_64"
     DL_FALLBACK="https://github.com/Breadway/bread-ecosystem/releases/latest/download/bakery-x86_64"
     SHA256_URL="https://dl.breadway.dev/bakery/latest/bakery-x86_64.sha256"
+    SIG_URL="https://dl.breadway.dev/bakery/latest/bakery-x86_64.minisig"
+    SIG_FALLBACK="https://github.com/Breadway/bread-ecosystem/releases/latest/download/bakery-x86_64.minisig"
 else
     # Strip a leading 'v' if the caller included it, then add it back consistently.
     ver="${BAKERY_VERSION#v}"
     DL_PRIMARY="https://dl.breadway.dev/bakery/${ver}/bakery-x86_64"
     DL_FALLBACK="https://github.com/Breadway/bread-ecosystem/releases/download/v${ver}/bakery-x86_64"
     SHA256_URL="https://dl.breadway.dev/bakery/${ver}/bakery-x86_64.sha256"
+    SIG_URL="https://dl.breadway.dev/bakery/${ver}/bakery-x86_64.minisig"
+    SIG_FALLBACK="https://github.com/Breadway/bread-ecosystem/releases/download/v${ver}/bakery-x86_64.minisig"
 fi
 
 # Pick a download tool.
@@ -38,30 +49,63 @@ fi
 
 mkdir -p "${BIN_DIR}"
 TMP="$(mktemp)"
-trap 'rm -f "${TMP}" "${TMP}.sha256"' EXIT
+trap 'rm -f "${TMP}" "${TMP}.sha256" "${TMP}.minisig"' EXIT
 
 echo "downloading bakery…"
 if fetch "${DL_PRIMARY}" "${TMP}" 2>/dev/null; then
     echo "  from dl.breadway.dev"
-    # Verify checksum when available from primary.
-    if fetch "${SHA256_URL}" "${TMP}.sha256" 2>/dev/null; then
-        expected="$(awk '{print $1}' "${TMP}.sha256")"
-        actual="$(sha256sum "${TMP}" | awk '{print $1}')"
-        if [ "${expected}" != "${actual}" ]; then
-            die "SHA-256 checksum mismatch (expected ${expected}, got ${actual})"
-        fi
-        echo "  checksum verified"
-    else
-        echo "  warning: could not fetch checksum — skipping verification"
-    fi
+    sig_url="${SIG_URL}"
+    checksum_only_fallback_note="  warning: could not fetch checksum — skipping verification"
 elif fetch "${DL_FALLBACK}" "${TMP}" 2>/dev/null; then
     echo "  from GitHub (fallback)"
-    # No .sha256 on the GitHub fallback path; proceed without verification.
-    echo "  warning: checksum not verified for GitHub fallback download"
+    sig_url="${SIG_FALLBACK}"
+    checksum_only_fallback_note="  warning: no checksum available for GitHub fallback download"
 else
     die "failed to download bakery from both primary and fallback URLs"
 fi
 
+# Signature verification is the authoritative check: it proves the binary
+# was produced by whoever holds the bakery signing key, not just that bytes
+# match whatever the same (possibly compromised) server also reports as the
+# checksum. Prefer it whenever both a .minisig is published and a minisign
+# verifier is available on this machine.
+sig_verified=0
+if fetch "${sig_url}" "${TMP}.minisig" 2>/dev/null; then
+    if command -v minisign >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+        if minisign -V -q -m "${TMP}" -x "${TMP}.minisig" -P "${BAKERY_MINISIGN_PUBKEY}"; then
+            echo "  signature verified (minisign)"
+            sig_verified=1
+        else
+            die "minisign signature verification FAILED — refusing to install a binary that doesn't match the pinned bakery key"
+        fi
+    else
+        echo "  warning: 'minisign' is not installed — cannot verify the binary's" >&2
+        echo "  warning: signature, only its checksum. Install minisign for the" >&2
+        echo "  warning: strongest guarantee: pacman -S minisign / apt install minisign" >&2
+    fi
+else
+    echo "  warning: no .minisig published for this release yet — signature not verified" >&2
+fi
+
+# Checksum is a secondary, best-effort check (kept for defense in depth and
+# for the case where minisign isn't installed). It is not a substitute for
+# signature verification: both the binary and its checksum typically come
+# from the same server, so a compromised server can serve a matching pair.
+if fetch "${SHA256_URL}" "${TMP}.sha256" 2>/dev/null; then
+    expected="$(awk '{print $1}' "${TMP}.sha256")"
+    actual="$(sha256sum "${TMP}" | awk '{print $1}')"
+    if [ "${expected}" != "${actual}" ]; then
+        die "SHA-256 checksum mismatch (expected ${expected}, got ${actual})"
+    fi
+    echo "  checksum verified"
+else
+    echo "${checksum_only_fallback_note}"
+fi
+
+if [ "${sig_verified}" -ne 1 ]; then
+    echo "  warning: proceeding WITHOUT a verified signature on the bakery binary" >&2
+fi
+
 chmod +x "${TMP}"
 cp "${TMP}" "${BIN_DIR}/bakery"
 echo "installed bakery to ${BIN_DIR}/bakery"
diff --git a/scripts/test-gen-index.sh b/scripts/test-gen-index.sh
index 5a2733a..a496ca0 100755
--- a/scripts/test-gen-index.sh
+++ b/scripts/test-gen-index.sh
@@ -110,4 +110,12 @@ check "post_install[0]" \
     "echo installed" \
     "$(jq -r '.packages.fakepkg.post_install[0]' "${OUT}")"
 
+check "services[0].sha256" \
+    "$(sha256sum "${PKG_VER_DIR}/fakepkg.service" | awk '{print $1}')" \
+    "$(jq -r '.packages.fakepkg.services[0].sha256' "${OUT}")"
+
+check "config.example_sha256" \
+    "$(sha256sum "${PKG_VER_DIR}/fakepkg.example.toml" | awk '{print $1}')" \
+    "$(jq -r '.packages.fakepkg.config.example_sha256' "${OUT}")"
+
 echo "OK: all gen-index assertions passed"