diff --git a/src/tui.zig b/src/tui.zig
index 1ea8339..cc65943 100644
--- a/src/tui.zig
+++ b/src/tui.zig
@@ -1539,9 +1539,23 @@ pub const App = struct {
                     // wins. Spans are expected to be small (<= ~15 per
                     // line for the review tab's column count), so a
                     // linear scan per cell is fine.
+                    //
+                    // Span composition rule: spans describe a per-cell
+                    // semantic intent (positive/negative/muted/etc.) —
+                    // they own fg, bold, italic, underline. The row's
+                    // base style owns bg (so a cursor-row's highlight
+                    // bar reads as a continuous span across the whole
+                    // row, not gappy where the colored cells land).
+                    // `alt_*` (used by braille charts) keeps the
+                    // legacy "replace fully" behavior since those
+                    // overlays are decorative chart fills where the
+                    // bg IS the signal.
                     if (line.spans) |spans| {
                         for (spans) |sp| {
-                            if (col >= sp.start and col < sp.end) s = sp.style;
+                            if (col >= sp.start and col < sp.end) {
+                                s = sp.style;
+                                s.bg = line.style.bg;
+                            }
                         }
                     } else if (line.alt_style) |alt| {
                         if (col >= line.alt_start and col < line.alt_end) s = alt;