diff --git a/Controls/PreviewPane.xaml b/Controls/PreviewPane.xaml
index 51f7934..fc61496 100644
--- a/Controls/PreviewPane.xaml
+++ b/Controls/PreviewPane.xaml
@@ -351,8 +351,12 @@
                                             <DropShadowEffect Color="{Binding SocialBarGlowBrush.Color}"
                                                               BlurRadius="18" ShadowDepth="0" Opacity="0.9"/>
                                         </Grid.Effect>
+                                        <Border HorizontalAlignment="Center" Margin="40,8"
+                                                CornerRadius="20" Padding="18,6"
+                                                Background="{Binding SocialBarBackgroundBrush}"
+                                                Visibility="{Binding Socials.BarBackgroundEnabled, Converter={StaticResource BoolToVis}}">
                                         <ItemsControl ItemsSource="{Binding Socials.Entries}"
-                                                      HorizontalAlignment="Center" Margin="40,8"
+                                                      HorizontalAlignment="Center"
                                                       IsHitTestVisible="False">
                                             <ItemsControl.ItemsPanel>
                                                 <ItemsPanelTemplate>
@@ -362,15 +366,45 @@
                                             <ItemsControl.ItemTemplate>
                                                 <DataTemplate>
                                                     <StackPanel Orientation="Horizontal" Margin="0,0,20,0">
-                                                        <Path Data="{Binding LogoData}" Fill="White" Width="24" Height="24"
-                                                              Stretch="Uniform" VerticalAlignment="Center"/>
-                                                        <TextBlock Text="{Binding Handle}" Foreground="White"
-                                                                   FontSize="14" VerticalAlignment="Center"
-                                                                   Margin="8,0,0,0"/>
+                                                        <Path Data="{Binding LogoData}" Width="24" Height="24"
+                                                              Fill="{Binding DataContext.SocialBarTextBrush, RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType=ItemsControl}}"
+                                                              Stretch="Uniform" VerticalAlignment="Center">
+                                                            <Path.Style>
+                                                                <Style TargetType="Path">
+                                                                    <Style.Triggers>
+                                                                        <DataTrigger Binding="{Binding DataContext.Socials.BarTextShadow, RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType=ItemsControl}}" Value="True">
+                                                                            <Setter Property="Effect">
+                                                                                <Setter.Value>
+                                                                                    <DropShadowEffect Color="Black" BlurRadius="4" ShadowDepth="2" Direction="315" Opacity="0.85"/>
+                                                                                </Setter.Value>
+                                                                            </Setter>
+                                                                        </DataTrigger>
+                                                                    </Style.Triggers>
+                                                                </Style>
+                                                            </Path.Style>
+                                                        </Path>
+                                                        <TextBlock Text="{Binding Handle}" FontSize="14" VerticalAlignment="Center"
+                                                                   Margin="8,0,0,0"
+                                                                   Foreground="{Binding DataContext.SocialBarTextBrush, RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType=ItemsControl}}">
+                                                            <TextBlock.Style>
+                                                                <Style TargetType="TextBlock">
+                                                                    <Style.Triggers>
+                                                                        <DataTrigger Binding="{Binding DataContext.Socials.BarTextShadow, RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType=ItemsControl}}" Value="True">
+                                                                            <Setter Property="Effect">
+                                                                                <Setter.Value>
+                                                                                    <DropShadowEffect Color="Black" BlurRadius="4" ShadowDepth="2" Direction="315" Opacity="0.85"/>
+                                                                                </Setter.Value>
+                                                                            </Setter>
+                                                                        </DataTrigger>
+                                                                    </Style.Triggers>
+                                                                </Style>
+                                                            </TextBlock.Style>
+                                                        </TextBlock>
                                                     </StackPanel>
                                                 </DataTemplate>
 </ItemsControl.ItemTemplate>
                                          </ItemsControl>
+                                        </Border>
                                      </Grid>
                                  </Canvas>
                             </Grid>
diff --git a/Themes/Controls.xaml b/Themes/Controls.xaml
index 3f63732..b409b7d 100644
--- a/Themes/Controls.xaml
+++ b/Themes/Controls.xaml
@@ -359,6 +359,16 @@
         <GradientStop Color="{StaticResource Color.Tertiary}" Offset="1"/>
     </RadialGradientBrush>
 
+    <!-- Hover/drag knob: the same gloss with the highlight spread wider. The conversion to
+         tokens deleted this key while two triggers still referenced it, and WPF turns a missing
+         StaticResource into DependencyProperty.UnsetValue — which crashes Ellipse.OnRender at
+         the next layout. ThemeResourceTests now catches that class of defect. -->
+    <RadialGradientBrush x:Key="YtSliderKnobHoverBrush" Center="0.35,0.3" GradientOrigin="0.35,0.3">
+        <GradientStop Color="#ffffff" Offset="0"/>
+        <GradientStop Color="#ffffff" Offset="0.3"/>
+        <GradientStop Color="{StaticResource Color.Tertiary}" Offset="1"/>
+    </RadialGradientBrush>
+
     <Style x:Key="YtSliderTrackButton" TargetType="RepeatButton">
         <Setter Property="Focusable" Value="False"/>
         <Setter Property="Template">
diff --git a/ViewModels/MainViewModel.Socials.cs b/ViewModels/MainViewModel.Socials.cs
index e24cb28..2a3da84 100644
--- a/ViewModels/MainViewModel.Socials.cs
+++ b/ViewModels/MainViewModel.Socials.cs
@@ -31,6 +31,13 @@ public partial class MainViewModel
     /// <summary>Green glow on the bar while it's on the stream.</summary>
     public SolidColorBrush SocialBarGlowBrush => BarOnBrush;
 
+    /// <summary>Glyph colour of the bar — the preview draws the same value the renderer paints,
+    /// so the two cannot drift apart (creator request 2026-10-30).</summary>
+    public SolidColorBrush SocialBarTextBrush => SocialBarStyle.From(_socials).TextBrush;
+
+    /// <summary>The preview's plate: same colour AND same opacity the renderer bakes in.</summary>
+    public SolidColorBrush SocialBarBackgroundBrush => SocialBarStyle.From(_socials).BackgroundBrush;
+
     /// <summary>The global socials config (entries + bar settings), or null.</summary>
     public SocialsConfig? Socials => _socials;
 
@@ -137,13 +144,28 @@ public partial class MainViewModel
             SignOutYouTubeAsync,
             _youtubeAuth.CurrentChannel,
             _socials);
+        // Live preview: the drawer edits the REAL config, so colour/opacity/shadow land on the
+        // preview immediately instead of waiting for Save. Cancel restores the snapshot below.
+        _socialsBeforeEdit = _socials;
+        dialog.PropertyChanged += (_, e) =>
+        {
+            if (e.PropertyName is null) return;
+            if (!IsAppearanceProperty(e.PropertyName)) return;
+            ApplyAppearancePreview(dialog);
+        };
         dialog.SaveRequested += () =>
         {
             _socials = dialog.BuildSocialsConfig();
             NotifySocialsChanged();
             CloseSocialsDrawer();
         };
-        dialog.CancelRequested += CloseSocialsDrawer;
+        dialog.CancelRequested += () =>
+        {
+            _socials = _socialsBeforeEdit;
+            NotifySocialsChanged();
+            OnPropertyChanged(nameof(SocialBarVisible));
+            CloseSocialsDrawer();
+        };
         SocialsDrawer = dialog;
         BroadcastForm.IsDrawerOpen = false;
         Ypp.IsDrawerOpen = false;
@@ -153,6 +175,28 @@ public partial class MainViewModel
         OnPropertyChanged(nameof(SocialsDrawerOpen));
     }
 
+    private SocialsConfig? _socialsBeforeEdit;
+
+    private static bool IsAppearanceProperty(string name) => name is
+        nameof(SocialsDialogViewModel.BarEnabled) or nameof(SocialsDialogViewModel.BarTextColor)
+        or nameof(SocialsDialogViewModel.BarBackgroundEnabled) or nameof(SocialsDialogViewModel.BarBackgroundColor)
+        or nameof(SocialsDialogViewModel.BarBackgroundOpacity) or nameof(SocialsDialogViewModel.BarTextShadow);
+
+    /// <summary>Paints the drawer's current appearance onto the live config and re-renders the
+    /// strip. Nothing is persisted here — Save writes, Cancel restores the snapshot.</summary>
+    private void ApplyAppearancePreview(SocialsDialogViewModel dialog)
+    {
+        if (_socials == null) return;
+        _socials.BarEnabled = dialog.BarEnabled;
+        _socials.BarTextColor = dialog.BarTextColor;
+        _socials.BarBackgroundEnabled = dialog.BarBackgroundEnabled;
+        _socials.BarBackgroundColor = dialog.BarBackgroundColor;
+        _socials.BarBackgroundOpacity = dialog.BarBackgroundOpacity;
+        _socials.BarTextShadow = dialog.BarTextShadow;
+        NotifySocialsChanged();
+        OnPropertyChanged(nameof(SocialBarVisible));
+    }
+
     internal void CloseSocialsDrawer()
     {
         if (!SocialsDrawerOpen) return;
@@ -164,6 +208,8 @@ public partial class MainViewModel
     private void NotifySocialsChanged()
     {
         RenderSocialBarFrame();
+        OnPropertyChanged(nameof(SocialBarTextBrush));
+        OnPropertyChanged(nameof(SocialBarBackgroundBrush));
         OnPropertyChanged(nameof(HasSocials));
         OnPropertyChanged(nameof(SocialBarVisible));
         OnPropertyChanged(nameof(SocialBarDotBrush));
diff --git a/ytLive.Tests/ThemeResourceTests.cs b/ytLive.Tests/ThemeResourceTests.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..dbd5bde
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ytLive.Tests/ThemeResourceTests.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+using System;
+using System.Collections.Generic;
+using System.IO;
+using System.Linq;
+using System.Text.RegularExpressions;
+using Xunit;
+
+namespace ytLive.Tests;
+
+/// <summary>A missing <c>{StaticResource}</c> key does not fail the build — WPF substitutes
+/// <c>DependencyProperty.UnsetValue</c> and throws at the next layout pass. That is exactly how
+/// the app crashed on 2026-10-30: the token conversion deleted <c>YtSliderKnobHoverBrush</c>
+/// while two slider triggers still asked for it, so the first slider the creator touched
+/// (the new socials opacity slider) killed the app inside <c>Ellipse.OnRender</c>.
+///
+/// <para>This guard scans every XAML file in the app and proves each referenced key exists —
+/// either in the theme/App resources or in the same file — so the class cannot come back.</para></summary>
+public class ThemeResourceTests
+{
+    [Fact]
+    public void Every_StaticResource_reference_resolves_to_a_defined_key()
+    {
+        var root = System.IO.Path.GetDirectoryName(SourceAssert.RepoPath("App.xaml"))!;
+        var globalKeys = new HashSet<string>(StringComparer.Ordinal);
+        foreach (var file in new[] { System.IO.Path.Combine(root, "App.xaml") }
+                     .Concat(Directory.GetFiles(System.IO.Path.Combine(root, "Themes"), "*.xaml")))
+            globalKeys.UnionWith(KeysIn(File.ReadAllText(file)));
+
+        var missing = new List<string>();
+
+        foreach (var path in XamlFiles())
+        {
+            var text = File.ReadAllText(path);
+            var localKeys = KeysIn(text);
+            foreach (Match match in Regex.Matches(text, @"\{StaticResource ([^}]+)\}"))
+            {
+                var key = match.Groups[1].Value.Trim();
+                if (key.StartsWith("{", StringComparison.Ordinal)) continue; // nested markup extension
+                if (globalKeys.Contains(key) || localKeys.Contains(key)) continue;
+                missing.Add($"{System.IO.Path.GetFileName(path)}: {key}");
+            }
+        }
+
+        Assert.True(missing.Count == 0,
+            "StaticResource keys with no definition (WPF throws UnsetValue at layout):\n  "
+            + string.Join("\n  ", missing.Distinct()));
+    }
+
+    private static HashSet<string> KeysIn(string text)
+        => Regex.Matches(text, @"x:Key=""([^""]+)""").Select(m => m.Groups[1].Value)
+            .ToHashSet(StringComparer.Ordinal);
+
+    private static IEnumerable<string> XamlFiles()
+    {
+        var root = System.IO.Path.GetDirectoryName(SourceAssert.RepoPath("App.xaml"))!;
+        return Directory.EnumerateFiles(root, "*.xaml", SearchOption.AllDirectories)
+            .Where(p => !p.Contains($"{System.IO.Path.DirectorySeparatorChar}obj{System.IO.Path.DirectorySeparatorChar}", StringComparison.Ordinal)
+                     && !p.Contains($"{System.IO.Path.DirectorySeparatorChar}bin{System.IO.Path.DirectorySeparatorChar}", StringComparison.Ordinal)
+                     && !p.Contains("ytLive.Tests", StringComparison.Ordinal));
+    }
+}