diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index d3ae581..09d6560 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ It runs these steps, in this order, and every one of them is idempotent:
 | 2. `BLOB_PATH` | symlinks `~/.local/share/blob` to this checkout |
 | 3. Packages | installs what is missing from `packages/`, bootstrapping `yay` first on a machine that has no AUR helper |
 | 4. Config | copies `hypr/`, the themed app configs, `blob/shell.json`, the uwsm environment, and the icon font into `~/.config` |
-| 5. First theme | links `~/wallpapers` to the checkout, applies `flats` headless, and picks a background, so the first login is not a blank desktop |
+| 5. First theme | links `~/wallpapers` to the checkout, applies `flats` headless, picks a background, and links the btop and Neovim theme files, so the first login is not a blank desktop |
 | 6. User units | installs the session services into `~/.config/systemd/user` and enables them |
 | 7. systemd drop-ins | writes the shutdown timeouts, oomd thresholds, plocate prune paths, and sleep hooks under `/etc` |
 | 8. System services | enables NetworkManager, resolved, bluetooth, cups, avahi, docker, power-profiles-daemon, and oomd, and masks `NetworkManager-wait-online` |
diff --git a/config/kitty/current-theme.conf b/config/kitty/current-theme.conf
deleted file mode 100644
index 0c97e1a..0000000
--- a/config/kitty/current-theme.conf
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,83 +0,0 @@
-# vim:ft=kitty
-
-## name:     Flats
-## upstream: themes/flats/colors.toml
-## blurb:    Dark theme with a soft blue accent. Hand-translated from the
-##           Omarchy colors.toml, since macOS has no omarchy-theme-set.
-
-
-# The basic colors
-foreground              #cbd2d9
-background              #0f1012
-selection_foreground    #0f1012
-selection_background    #7babe3
-
-# Cursor colors
-cursor                  #cbd2d9
-cursor_text_color       #0f1012
-
-# URL underline color when hovering with mouse
-url_color               #7babe3
-
-# Kitty window border colors
-active_border_color     #7babe3
-inactive_border_color   #949494
-bell_border_color       #d58638
-
-# OS Window titlebar colors
-wayland_titlebar_color system
-macos_titlebar_color system
-
-# Tab bar colors
-active_tab_foreground   #0f1012
-active_tab_background   #7babe3
-inactive_tab_foreground #cbd2d9
-inactive_tab_background #0f1012
-tab_bar_background      #000000
-
-# Colors for marks (marked text in the terminal)
-mark1_foreground #0f1012
-mark1_background #7babe3
-mark2_foreground #0f1012
-mark2_background #38d586
-mark3_foreground #0f1012
-mark3_background #d58638
-
-# The 16 terminal colors
-#
-# Note: flats maps the ANSI slots unconventionally — color4 (blue) holds a
-# magenta and color6 (cyan) holds the blue, among others. Kept faithful to
-# colors.toml so both machines render identically; the comments below name
-# the ANSI slot, not the resulting hue.
-
-# black
-color0 #000000
-color8 #949494
-
-# red
-color1 #d53838
-color9 #d53838
-
-# green
-color2  #38d4d5
-color10 #38d4d5
-
-# yellow
-color3  #d58638
-color11 #d58638
-
-# blue
-color4  #d53886
-color12 #d53886
-
-# magenta
-color5  #38d586
-color13 #38d586
-
-# cyan
-color6  #3886d5
-color14 #3886d5
-
-# white
-color7  #d4d4d4
-color15 #d4d4d4
diff --git a/config/kitty/kitty.conf b/config/kitty/kitty.conf
index 2de2a07..7cf92dd 100644
--- a/config/kitty/kitty.conf
+++ b/config/kitty/kitty.conf
@@ -1,11 +1,10 @@
 # vim:ft=kitty
 #
-# kitty config for macOS. The Arch side of these dotfiles gets its terminal
-# colors from omarchy-theme-set rewriting the active theme; there is no
-# omarchy here, so current-theme.conf is checked in alongside this file and
-# generated by hand from themes/<name>/colors.toml.
+# Colors come from the active theme, the same way foot.ini takes them: the
+# theme pipeline renders default/themed/kitty.conf.tpl into the current-theme
+# directory, and blob-restart-terminal signals kitty to reload it.
 
-include current-theme.conf
+include ~/.local/state/blob/current/theme/kitty.conf
 
 
 # Fonts
diff --git a/docs/install.md b/docs/install.md
index a23c455..2986ab6 100644
--- a/docs/install.md
+++ b/docs/install.md
@@ -37,8 +37,12 @@ with `--check`.
    `wallpapers/`, `flats` is applied with `BLOB_THEME_HEADLESS=1` (no shell or
    session bus exists yet), and the background symlink is pointed at the first
    image in `~/wallpapers`. Without this the first login has no palette and no
-   wallpaper, which draws as a black desktop. All three steps are skipped when a
-   theme, a background or a wallpaper directory of your own is already there.
+   wallpaper, which draws as a black desktop. It then links the per-app theme
+   files the pipeline renders but no app would otherwise find:
+   `~/.config/btop/themes/current.theme` (btop's `color_theme = "current"`) and,
+   only when `~/.config/nvim/lua/plugins` already exists, `theme.lua` there.
+   Every step is skipped when a theme, a background, a wallpaper directory or a
+   theme file of your own is already in place.
 6. **User units** land in `~/.config/systemd/user` and are enabled, not started:
    they are all `WantedBy=graphical-session.target`, so they come up with the
    session. `blob-speaker-tuning.service` is left out, because
diff --git a/docs/themes.md b/docs/themes.md
index 1f5d1f3..1d91379 100644
--- a/docs/themes.md
+++ b/docs/themes.md
@@ -27,6 +27,12 @@ the shell and the CLI never disagree about what a slot means.
 
 ## Templates
 
+Each rendered file is picked up differently: `foot.ini` and `kitty.conf` by an
+`include` in the shipped terminal config, `hyprland.lua` through Hyprland's Lua
+module path, `shell.toml` and `chromium.theme` read straight from the state
+directory, and `btop.theme` and `neovim.lua` through symlinks the installer
+makes into those apps' own config trees.
+
 `default/themed/*.tpl` are rendered per theme into
 `~/.local/state/blob/current/theme/`. Nine ship: foot, kitty, btop, chromium,
 hyprland, the screenshare picker, neovim, `shell.toml`, and zen.
diff --git a/install.sh b/install.sh
index 5f3c152..4ecc985 100755
--- a/install.sh
+++ b/install.sh
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ install_zen_config
 link_wallpapers
 install_default_theme
 install_default_background
+link_app_themes
 
 enable_system_services
 mask_system_services
diff --git a/install/steps/theme.sh b/install/steps/theme.sh
index e15d3c4..24c2f8d 100644
--- a/install/steps/theme.sh
+++ b/install/steps/theme.sh
@@ -90,3 +90,47 @@ install_default_background() {
   ln -nsf "$first" "$link"
   say "bg    $(basename "$first")"
 }
+
+# The theme pipeline renders one file per app into the current-theme directory,
+# but each app only ever reads its own config tree. These links are what join
+# the two. Without them a theme switch silently leaves the app on stock colors,
+# because nothing errors: the app just never sees the generated file.
+link_theme_file() {
+  local theme_file="$1" dest="$2" label="$3"
+  local target="$current_state_dir/theme/$theme_file"
+
+  if [[ -L $dest ]] && [[ "$(readlink "$dest")" == "$target" ]]; then
+    say "ok    $label"
+    return 0
+  fi
+
+  if [[ -e $dest && ! -L $dest ]] && [[ $force == false ]]; then
+    note_change
+    say "DIFF  $label (own file kept; --force to replace)"
+    return 0
+  fi
+
+  note_change
+  if [[ $check == true ]]; then
+    say "would link $label"
+    return 0
+  fi
+
+  mkdir -p "$(dirname "$dest")"
+  ln -nsf "$target" "$dest"
+  say "link  $label"
+}
+
+# btop reads color_theme = "current" out of its own themes directory, and
+# Neovim loads whatever theme.lua its plugin directory holds. Neovim is only
+# linked when that directory already exists: Blob ships no Neovim config, so
+# creating the tree would be inventing a layout the user has not chosen.
+link_app_themes() {
+  link_theme_file btop.theme "$config_dir/btop/themes/current.theme" "btop theme"
+
+  if [[ -d $config_dir/nvim/lua/plugins ]]; then
+    link_theme_file neovim.lua "$config_dir/nvim/lua/plugins/theme.lua" "neovim theme"
+  else
+    say "SKIP  neovim theme (no ~/.config/nvim/lua/plugins)"
+  fi
+}