diff --git a/app/src/components/Archive.js b/app/src/components/Archive.js
index a2aff695..a8d97418 100644
--- a/app/src/components/Archive.js
+++ b/app/src/components/Archive.js
@@ -20,7 +20,8 @@ import {
     SearchInput,
     TabLinks,
     textEllipsis,
-    useTitle
+    mimetypeColor,
+    useTitle,
 } from "./Common";
 import {
     deleteDomain,
@@ -425,7 +426,8 @@ export function ArchiveCard({file}) {
         </div>
     </>;
 
-    return <Card media={media} title={titleElm} meta={meta}>
+    return <Card media={media} title={titleElm} meta={meta}
+                 color={mimetypeColor(file.mimetype, file.primary_path)}>
         <div style={{display: 'flex', gap: '0.5em', marginTop: '0.5em'}}>
             <Link to={`/archives/${file.id}`}>
                 <Button icon='file alternate'>Details</Button>
diff --git a/app/src/components/Files.js b/app/src/components/Files.js
index a1c1edbe..1b3644de 100644
--- a/app/src/components/Files.js
+++ b/app/src/components/Files.js
@@ -17,7 +17,8 @@ import {
     TagIcon,
     Toggle,
     textEllipsis,
-    useTitle
+    mimetypeColor,
+    useTitle,
 } from "./Common";
 import {
     usePages,
@@ -116,6 +117,7 @@ function EbookCard({file, sortField}) {
     return <Card media={<CardPoster file={file} to={detailUrl}/>}
                  title={<Tooltip label={title}>{header}</Tooltip>}
                  meta={meta}
+                 color={mimetypeColor(file.mimetype, file.primary_path)}
     />
 }
 
@@ -134,6 +136,7 @@ function ImageCard({file}) {
     return <Card media={<PreviewLink file={file}><CardPoster file={file}/></PreviewLink>}
                  title={<Tooltip label={title}>{header}</Tooltip>}
                  meta={meta}
+                 color={mimetypeColor(file.mimetype, file.primary_path)}
     />
 }
 
@@ -175,7 +178,8 @@ function FileCard({file}) {
             </>
         }
     </>;
-    return <Card media={<CardPoster file={file}/>} title={header} meta={meta}/>
+    return <Card media={<CardPoster file={file}/>} title={header} meta={meta}
+                 color={mimetypeColor(file.mimetype, file.primary_path)}/>
 }
 
 export function FileCards({files}) {
diff --git a/app/src/components/ThemeSamplePage.js b/app/src/components/ThemeSamplePage.js
index 4a60dd46..80083a7e 100644
--- a/app/src/components/ThemeSamplePage.js
+++ b/app/src/components/ThemeSamplePage.js
@@ -382,20 +382,26 @@ export function ThemeSamplePage() {
         <Section label='Cards'>
             <CardGroup>
                 {[
-                    ['How To Sharpen An Axe The Right Way', 'Wranglerstar · 2024-11-03'],
-                    ['Pressure Canning Basics', 'RoseRed Homestead · 2025-02-17'],
-                    ['Solar Panel Wiring: Series vs Parallel', 'DIY Solar Power · 2025-08-21'],
-                    ['Ham Radio General License, Part 1', 'Ham Radio Crash Course · 2024-05-09'],
-                ].map(([title, meta]) => <Card
+                    ['How To Sharpen An Axe The Right Way', 'Wranglerstar · 2024-11-03', 'blue', 'film'],
+                    ['Pressure Canning Basics', 'RoseRed Homestead · 2025-02-17', 'blue', 'film'],
+                    ['Water Storage Guide.pdf', 'docs/ · 2025-08-21', 'red', 'file pdf'],
+                    ['Ham Radio General License.epub', 'ebooks/ · 2024-05-09', 'yellow', 'book'],
+                ].map(([title, meta, color, icon]) => <Card
                     key={title}
                     title={title}
                     meta={meta}
+                    color={color}
                     media={<div style={{
                         aspectRatio: '16/9', background: 'var(--head)', display: 'flex',
                         alignItems: 'center', justifyContent: 'center', color: 'var(--muted)',
-                    }}><Icon name='film' size={34}/></div>}
+                    }}><Icon name={icon} size={34}/></div>}
                 />)}
             </CardGroup>
+            <p style={{fontSize: 12, color: 'var(--muted)', marginTop: 10}}>
+                The top edge carries the file type's colour, so a grid of results is
+                scannable by kind before any title is read. It comes from a token, so night
+                and amber render the accent in their own single hue rather than four.
+            </p>
         </Section>
 
         <Section label='Loading placeholders'>
diff --git a/app/src/components/ui/Surfaces.tsx b/app/src/components/ui/Surfaces.tsx
index 87bef8fb..7389727e 100644
--- a/app/src/components/ui/Surfaces.tsx
+++ b/app/src/components/ui/Surfaces.tsx
@@ -124,10 +124,17 @@ export interface CardProps {
     meta?: React.ReactNode;
     children?: React.ReactNode;
     onClick?: React.MouseEventHandler<HTMLDivElement>;
+    /**
+     * A token colour name, drawn as an accent along the card's top edge.  File cards use
+     * it to carry the mimetype's colour, so a grid of results is scannable by kind before
+     * any text is read.  It remaps per theme, so night gets a red accent rather than a
+     * dozen hues.
+     */
+    color?: string;
     className?: string;
 }
 
-export function Card({media, title, meta, children, onClick, className}: CardProps) {
+export function Card({media, title, meta, children, onClick, color, className}: CardProps) {
     return <MCard
         withBorder
         padding={0}
@@ -139,6 +146,9 @@ export function Card({media, title, meta, children, onClick, className}: CardPro
             cursor: onClick ? 'pointer' : undefined,
             display: 'flex',
             flexDirection: 'column',
+            // An accent edge rather than a tinted surface: the design rules keep surfaces
+            // flat, and a 3px edge survives night mode without becoming a bright patch.
+            borderTop: color ? `3px solid var(--${color})` : undefined,
         }}
     >
         {media && <div style={{borderBottom: '1px solid var(--border)'}}>{media}</div>}
diff --git a/app/src/components/ui/ui.test.js b/app/src/components/ui/ui.test.js
index 6a68b673..53dc2666 100644
--- a/app/src/components/ui/ui.test.js
+++ b/app/src/components/ui/ui.test.js
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import {themeChoices} from '../../themes/names';
 import {
     ActionInput,
     Button,
+    Card,
     Confirm,
     Header,
     Icon,
@@ -432,6 +433,23 @@ describe('Table', () => {
     });
 });
 
+describe('Card', () => {
+    it('draws a mimetype accent from a token, not a hex', () => {
+        // File cards carry the mimetype's colour on their top edge so a grid of results is
+        // scannable by kind.  Semantic did this with `<Card color='violet'>`; two migrated
+        // files had dropped the accent because our Card had no equivalent.
+        const {container} = renderUI(<Card title='Water Storage.pdf' color='red'/>);
+
+        expect(container.firstChild).toHaveStyle({borderTop: '3px solid var(--red)'});
+    });
+
+    it('has no accent when no colour is given', () => {
+        const {container} = renderUI(<Card title='Plain'/>);
+
+        expect(container.firstChild.style.borderTop).toBe('');
+    });
+});
+
 describe('Panel', () => {
     it('marks danger zones', () => {
         const {container} = renderUI(<Panel danger>Destructive actions</Panel>);