diff --git a/src/Filee.App/Services/ThemeService.cs b/src/Filee.App/Services/ThemeService.cs
index 604475a3..55fc9399 100644
--- a/src/Filee.App/Services/ThemeService.cs
+++ b/src/Filee.App/Services/ThemeService.cs
@@ -171,6 +171,11 @@ private static void ApplyCustomOverrides(IResourceDictionary dictionary, IReadOn
         foreach (var (name, value) in colors ?? new Dictionary<string, string>())
             if (CustomBrushKeys.TryGetValue(name, out var key) && Color.TryParse(value, out var color))
                 dictionary[key] = new SolidColorBrush(color);
+        // Plain buttons are the surface they sit on (#524): also under Material You and a theme.json's own surface.
+        if (dictionary.TryGetValue("SurfaceBrush", out var surface))
+            dictionary["ButtonBackground"] = surface;
+        if (dictionary.TryGetValue("SurfaceAltBrush", out var surfaceAlt))
+            dictionary["ButtonBackgroundPointerOver"] = surfaceAlt;
     }
 
     /// <summary>Replaces (or, with no colours, removes) the user's colours for one variant.</summary>
diff --git a/src/Filee.App/Styles/Soft.axaml b/src/Filee.App/Styles/Soft.axaml
index 5a6269dd..d6b28b2c 100644
--- a/src/Filee.App/Styles/Soft.axaml
+++ b/src/Filee.App/Styles/Soft.axaml
@@ -27,6 +27,15 @@
           <SolidColorBrush x:Key="AccentFaintBrush" Color="#177F77DD" />
           <SolidColorBrush x:Key="AccentStrongBrush" Color="#5F59A6" />
           <SolidColorBrush x:Key="OnAccentBrush" Color="#FFFFFF" />
+          <!-- Plain buttons: the surface with a thin border, so only a disabled control is a flat grey (#524).
+               ThemeService gives them a theme's own surface (Material You, theme.json). -->
+
+          <SolidColorBrush x:Key="ButtonBackground" Color="#FFFFFF" />
+          <SolidColorBrush x:Key="ButtonBackgroundPointerOver" Color="#EFEDE6" />
+          <SolidColorBrush x:Key="ButtonBackgroundPressed" Color="#E6E3DA" />
+          <SolidColorBrush x:Key="ButtonBorderBrush" Color="#29000000" />
+          <SolidColorBrush x:Key="ButtonBorderBrushPointerOver" Color="#3D000000" />
+          <SolidColorBrush x:Key="ButtonBorderBrushPressed" Color="#3D000000" />
         </ResourceDictionary>
         <ResourceDictionary x:Key="Dark">
           <SolidColorBrush x:Key="PageBrush" Color="#1B1B19" />
@@ -44,6 +53,12 @@
           <SolidColorBrush x:Key="AccentFaintBrush" Color="#177F77DD" />
           <SolidColorBrush x:Key="AccentStrongBrush" Color="#5F59A6" />
           <SolidColorBrush x:Key="OnAccentBrush" Color="#FFFFFF" />
+          <SolidColorBrush x:Key="ButtonBackground" Color="#262624" />
+          <SolidColorBrush x:Key="ButtonBackgroundPointerOver" Color="#31312E" />
+          <SolidColorBrush x:Key="ButtonBackgroundPressed" Color="#3A3A36" />
+          <SolidColorBrush x:Key="ButtonBorderBrush" Color="#38FFFFFF" />
+          <SolidColorBrush x:Key="ButtonBorderBrushPointerOver" Color="#4DFFFFFF" />
+          <SolidColorBrush x:Key="ButtonBorderBrushPressed" Color="#4DFFFFFF" />
         </ResourceDictionary>
       </ResourceDictionary.ThemeDictionaries>
 
diff --git a/tests/Filee.App.Tests/MaterialYouThemeTests.cs b/tests/Filee.App.Tests/MaterialYouThemeTests.cs
index 75a75c93..22aba023 100644
--- a/tests/Filee.App.Tests/MaterialYouThemeTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Filee.App.Tests/MaterialYouThemeTests.cs
@@ -198,6 +198,35 @@ public void ThemeService_respects_custom_theme_json_overrides()
 
             var darkSurface = Assert.IsType<SolidColorBrush>(darkDict["SurfaceBrush"]);
             Assert.Equal(Color.Parse("#654321"), darkSurface.Color);
+
+            // Plain buttons follow the theme's surface (#524), not the Soft look's white.
+            Assert.Same(lightSurface, lightDict["ButtonBackground"]);
+            Assert.Same(darkSurface, darkDict["ButtonBackground"]);
+            Assert.Same(lightDict["SurfaceAltBrush"], lightDict["ButtonBackgroundPointerOver"]);
+        }
+        finally
+        {
+            themeService.Apply(new ThemeSettings(), "en");
+        }
+    }
+
+    [AvaloniaFact]
+    public void Plain_buttons_are_the_surface_with_a_border_unlike_a_disabled_box()
+    {
+        TestServices.EnsureInitialized("en");
+        var themeService = AppHost.Get<ThemeService>();
+        try
+        {
+            foreach (var style in new[] { ThemeStyle.Soft, ThemeStyle.MaterialYou })
+            {
+                themeService.Apply(new ThemeSettings { Style = style }, "en");
+                foreach (var variant in new[] { ThemeVariant.Light, ThemeVariant.Dark })
+                {
+                    Assert.Equal(ResolveBrush("SurfaceBrush", variant).Color, ResolveBrush("ButtonBackground", variant).Color);
+                    Assert.Equal(ResolveBrush("SurfaceAltBrush", variant).Color, ResolveBrush("ButtonBackgroundPointerOver", variant).Color);
+                    Assert.True(ResolveBrush("ButtonBorderBrush", variant).Color.A > 0);
+                }
+            }
         }
         finally
         {