Motir

Type: bug · Parent: Epic 6 (where the bug was DISCOVERED) · Surface: the saved-filters directory page /filters — the ApplyNameButton filter-name cell in app/(authed)/filters/_components/FiltersDirectory.tsx (Story 6.2 · Subtask 6.2.4) · Status: open · Reported by: axe sweep in tests/e2e/saved-filters.spec.ts (the dependents-warning test).

The filter-name cell renders the name as a hover-underlined link: <span class="truncate font-medium text-(--el-text) group-hover:text-(--el-link) group-hover:underline">…</span> inside a row with hover:bg-(--el-surface-soft). On HOVER the text turns --el-link (#0075de) while the row background turns --el-surface-soft (#fafaf9). That pair computes to 4.37:1, below the WCAG 2.1 AA threshold of 4.5:1 for normal-weight text at 14px (10.5pt). axe flags it as a color-contrast violation on the name link (e.g. the built-in "Done issues" row).

Why it surfaced intermittently (and why it is NOT the modal-clip bug PR). The bad colour only applies on group-hover, so axe trips ONLY when the cursor happens to rest on a name row at the moment of the directory a11y sweep. That is cursor-position-dependent, so the same spec passed on the green main run at the base commit and failed on an UNRELATED PR (bug-sprint-report-modal-clipped-burndown, PR #1036) whose diff touches only CompleteSprintDialog + the sprint-lifecycle spec. The underlying contrast deficit is a real shipped AA bug; the intermittent trigger is a separate spec-robustness smell (the directory axe sweep should normalise the pointer / not depend on a hover state) — fix both.

Repro. Open /filters (the saved-filters directory), hover any filter name row, and run an axe color-contrast check (or read the rendered colour pair): #0075de on #fafaf9 = 4.37:1. Deterministic given the hover state.

Root cause. --color-link: #0075de (globals.css Tier 0) is tuned for AA on the white page background (#ffffff) but NOT on the slightly-darker --color-surface-soft: #fafaf9 that the row hover paints behind it. The link hue and the hover surface were each chosen in isolation; their COMBINATION on the hovered name cell was never contrast-checked.

Fix shapes (decide at fix time):

1. Darken --el-link (or add a dedicated --el-link-on-soft) so the link clears 4.5:1 on --el-surface-soft. The cross-cutting fix — every link-on-hovered-row surface benefits — but it shifts the link hue app-wide, so re-verify the existing link surfaces still read as intended (and check the dark-theme #58a6ff / #161616 pair too).
2. Bold the name link on hover (group-hover:font-semibold) so the 14px text qualifies for the 3:1 large-text threshold, which 4.37:1 clears. Contained to the directory cell, but layout-shifts the row on hover unless the weight is reserved.
3. Use --el-text (no hue change) on hover and signal the link affordance with underline only. Drops the colour cue; least invasive but changes the visual language.

Plus: make the directory a11y sweep deterministic (reset/blur the pointer before the axe call, or assert the hover colour pair directly) so the violation can no longer hide behind cursor position.

Acceptance criteria

• The /filters filter-name link clears WCAG 2.1 AA (≥ 4.5:1 for normal text, or ≥ 3:1 if it becomes large/bold) in BOTH its rest and HOVERED-row states, in light AND dark themes.
• The saved-filters directory axe sweep is deterministic — it no longer passes/fails based on where the cursor happens to be at sweep time.
• Colour flows through --el-* tokens per motir-core/CLAUDE.md (no Tier-0 --color-* in component code); if a new token is needed, it is added at Tier 3.

Context refs

• app/(authed)/filters/_components/FiltersDirectory.tsx — the ApplyNameButton name cell (the flagged group-hover:text-(--el-link) group-hover:underline span) and the row hover:bg-(--el-surface-soft)
• app/globals.css — --color-link: #0075de / --el-link (line ~98/337) and --color-surface-soft: #fafaf9 / --el-surface-soft (line ~59/327); the dark values are #58a6ff / #161616
• tests/e2e/saved-filters.spec.ts — the directory axe sweep that caught it (the "an admin subscribes, changes owner, and deletes" test)
• Sibling Epic-6 filters bug [[bug-filters-directory-builtins-i18n-and-layout]] (same /filters table, different defect) — grep all ApplyNameButton consumers when fixing
• motir-core/CLAUDE.md — the --el-* colour-token + AA-contrast rules (finding #35: fix the colour pair, not just one side)