diff --git a/frontend/src/components/AnchoredPopover.tsx b/frontend/src/components/AnchoredPopover.tsx
index f4c173fe..bdce815e 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/AnchoredPopover.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/AnchoredPopover.tsx
@@ -327,7 +327,7 @@ export function PopoverItem({
       tabIndex={focusActive ? 0 : -1}
       data-active={visualActive ? "true" : undefined}
       disabled={disabled}
-      className={`${checked || selected ? HIGHLIGHT_SELECTED : HIGHLIGHT_UNSELECTED}${className ? ` ${className}` : ""}`}
+      className={`outline-hidden ${checked || selected ? HIGHLIGHT_SELECTED : HIGHLIGHT_UNSELECTED}${className ? ` ${className}` : ""}`}
     >
       {children}
     </button>
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/NavSidebar.tsx b/frontend/src/components/NavSidebar.tsx
index 15c7d638..1f496586 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/NavSidebar.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/NavSidebar.tsx
@@ -168,7 +168,8 @@ export default function NavSidebar({
     .filter((p) => sys.has(p))
     .map((p) => ({ page: p, ...META(p) }));
 
-  const rowBase = "w-full flex items-center gap-3 rounded-lg px-2.5 py-2 text-sm transition";
+  const rowBase =
+    "selectable w-full flex items-center gap-3 rounded-lg px-2.5 py-2 text-sm transition";
   const name = me.display_name ?? me.email.split("@")[0];
   // Role is surfaced as a plain title tooltip on the account row (no visual badge). Demo isn't a
   // real role (it's a flag on a `user` row), so surface it first.
@@ -240,7 +241,7 @@ export default function NavSidebar({
           {!slim && (
             <button
               onClick={() => setPage("feed")}
-              className="text-lg font-bold tracking-tight select-none cursor-pointer rounded-md -mx-1 px-1 hover:bg-card hover:opacity-90 transition"
+              className="text-lg font-bold tracking-tight select-none cursor-pointer rounded-md -mx-1 px-1 hover:bg-card hover:opacity-90 transition outline-hidden focus-visible:outline-2 focus-visible:outline-accent/60"
               title={t("header.feed")}
             >
               Sift<span className="text-accent">lode</span>
@@ -250,7 +251,7 @@ export default function NavSidebar({
             onClick={onToggleCollapse}
             title={pinned ? t("nav.unpin") : t("nav.pin")}
             aria-label={pinned ? t("nav.unpin") : t("nav.pin")}
-            className="p-1 rounded-md text-muted hover:text-fg hover:bg-card transition"
+            className="p-1 rounded-md text-muted hover:text-fg hover:bg-card transition outline-hidden focus-visible:outline-2 focus-visible:outline-accent/60"
           >
             {pinned ? <PinOff className="w-4 h-4" /> : <Pin className="w-4 h-4" />}
           </button>
@@ -289,7 +290,7 @@ export default function NavSidebar({
               onClick={onOpenAbout}
               title={t("header.account.about")}
               aria-label={t("header.account.about")}
-              className="p-2 rounded-lg text-muted hover:text-fg hover:bg-card transition"
+              className="p-2 rounded-lg text-muted hover:text-fg hover:bg-card transition outline-hidden focus-visible:outline-2 focus-visible:outline-accent/60"
             >
               <Info className="w-5 h-5" />
             </button>
@@ -297,7 +298,7 @@ export default function NavSidebar({
               onClick={logout}
               title={t("header.account.signOut")}
               aria-label={t("header.account.signOut")}
-              className="p-2 rounded-lg text-muted hover:text-fg hover:bg-card transition"
+              className="p-2 rounded-lg text-muted hover:text-fg hover:bg-card transition outline-hidden focus-visible:outline-2 focus-visible:outline-accent/60"
             >
               <LogOut className="w-5 h-5" />
             </button>
@@ -322,7 +323,7 @@ export default function NavSidebar({
               ref={acctPop.refs.setReference}
               {...acctPop.getReferenceProps()}
               title={slim ? `${name} · ${roleLabel}` : undefined}
-              className={`${rowBase} selectable ${slim ? "justify-center px-0" : ""} text-muted hover:text-fg hover:bg-card`}
+              className={`${rowBase} ${slim ? "justify-center px-0" : ""} text-muted hover:text-fg hover:bg-card`}
             >
               <span className="relative shrink-0">
                 <AvatarImg
diff --git a/frontend/src/index.css b/frontend/src/index.css
index f44109df..ff50c6e2 100644
--- a/frontend/src/index.css
+++ b/frontend/src/index.css
@@ -47,6 +47,21 @@
   }
 }
 
+/* R9 focus foundation: one accent focus ring for keyboard users on every interactive element that
+   doesn't define its own. In @layer base so any component/utility focus style (.selectable, an input's
+   focus:ring, a menu item's data-active highlight + outline-hidden) overrides it. Non-input controls
+   app-wide had no visible keyboard focus before R9; this is the single biggest a11y win. */
+@layer base {
+  button:focus-visible,
+  a:focus-visible,
+  [role="button"]:focus-visible,
+  [role="tab"]:focus-visible,
+  summary:focus-visible {
+    outline: 2px solid color-mix(in srgb, var(--accent) 60%, transparent);
+    outline-offset: 2px;
+  }
+}
+
 :root {
   --font-scale: 1.06;