diff --git a/frontend/packages/shared/src/hive-btn.css b/frontend/packages/shared/src/hive-btn.css
index 0d5c96d9..d3d16f17 100644
--- a/frontend/packages/shared/src/hive-btn.css
+++ b/frontend/packages/shared/src/hive-btn.css
@@ -1,14 +1,20 @@
-/* hive-btn.css — scoped stylesheet for the <hive-btn> customized built-in
-   button element (hive-btn.js). Loaded as raw text at build time
-   (esbuild's `text` loader) and turned into a `CSSStyleSheet` adopted by
-   the element's own shadow root. `:host` styles the button itself (the
-   element *is* a real `<button is="hive-btn">`, so `:host(:hover)` /
-   `:host(:disabled)` select genuine native pseudo-classes, not
-   hand-rolled state tracking) — this is the base look every `<hive-btn>`
-   gets; `variant` is an attribute (not a class) since it's a semantic
-   property of the component, not an arbitrary styling hook. */
+/* hive-btn.css — stylesheet for the <hive-btn> customized built-in button
+   element (hive-btn.js). Loaded as raw text at build time (esbuild's
+   `text` loader) and adopted once on `document` (see hive-btn.js) — NOT
+   scoped to a shadow root. A customized built-in (`<button is="hive-btn">`)
+   can't host one: `Element.attachShadow()` only accepts autonomous custom
+   elements or a fixed list of native tags that doesn't include `button`,
+   and explicitly excludes `is=`-upgraded built-ins regardless of tag —
+   so this styles via the `[is="hive-btn"]` attribute selector instead of
+   `:host`, same light-DOM-scoping approach the rest of the app's `.btn`
+   consumers already use, just keyed off the attribute instead of a class.
+   `:hover`/`:disabled` below are still genuine native pseudo-classes on a
+   real `<button>`, not hand-rolled state tracking — that part of the
+   original design goal survives even without shadow encapsulation.
+   `variant` is an attribute (not a class) since it's a semantic property
+   of the component, not an arbitrary styling hook. */
 
-:host {
+[is="hive-btn"] {
   font-family: inherit;
   font-weight: bold;
   text-transform: uppercase;
@@ -24,17 +30,17 @@
   box-shadow: 0 0 0 0 currentColor;
   transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease;
 }
-:host(:hover) {
+[is="hive-btn"]:hover {
   background: color-mix(in srgb, var(--fg) 6%, transparent);
   text-shadow: 0 0 10px currentColor;
   box-shadow: 0 0 10px -2px currentColor;
 }
-:host(:disabled) {
+[is="hive-btn"]:disabled {
   opacity: 0.32;
   cursor: not-allowed;
   text-shadow: none;
   box-shadow: none;
 }
-:host([variant="cancel"]) { color: var(--subtext0); }
-:host([variant="confirm"]) { color: var(--green); }
-:host([variant="danger"]) { color: var(--red); }
+[is="hive-btn"][variant="cancel"] { color: var(--subtext0); }
+[is="hive-btn"][variant="confirm"] { color: var(--green); }
+[is="hive-btn"][variant="danger"] { color: var(--red); }
diff --git a/frontend/packages/shared/src/hive-btn.js b/frontend/packages/shared/src/hive-btn.js
index d05b0a48..a48d3023 100644
--- a/frontend/packages/shared/src/hive-btn.js
+++ b/frontend/packages/shared/src/hive-btn.js
@@ -1,40 +1,43 @@
 // hive-btn.js — <hive-btn>, a customized built-in `<button>` (`<button
-// is="hive-btn">`) with a shadow root for style encapsulation, replacing
-// the light-DOM `.btn` class as the button primitive for shadow-DOM
-// consumers (starting with modal.js's dialog buttons — see the frontend
-// components-split discussion on the forge issue tracker).
+// is="hive-btn">`) — the button primitive for modal.js's dialog buttons.
+// Extending `HTMLButtonElement` keeps native button behaviour (click/
+// keyboard activation, `:disabled`) for free.
 //
-// Extending `HTMLButtonElement` (a "customized built-in element", not an
-// autonomous one) keeps every native `<button>` behaviour for free —
-// click/keyboard activation, `:disabled`, form participation/submission —
-// instead of re-implementing them on a generic wrapper. The shadow root
-// holds only a `<style>`-equivalent (adopted stylesheet) plus a `<slot>`
-// so the button's light-DOM content (its label, or asyncBtn's swapped-in
-// spinner span) renders through unchanged — slotted content stays styled
-// by the light-DOM cascade (global `.spinner` etc. still apply), only the
-// host element's own box/text styling is shadow-scoped.
+// NOT shadow-DOM-encapsulated: a customized built-in can't host a shadow
+// root — `attachShadow()` throws `NotSupportedError` unconditionally for
+// any element that isn't an autonomous custom element or on the HTML
+// spec's short fixed list (article/aside/div/span/etc., no `button`),
+// and `is=`-upgraded built-ins are excluded regardless of tag. The prior
+// version called `attachShadow()` here anyway — it shipped and passed
+// review since nothing in CI exercises real browser DOM, then broke the
+// very first live dialog open. Styled via a stylesheet adopted once on
+// `document` instead, scoped with `[is="hive-btn"]` (hive-btn.css) — the
+// light-DOM approach the rest of the app's `.btn` consumers already use.
+// (`<hive-dialog>`/`<hive-toast>` in modal.js are unaffected — genuine
+// autonomous custom elements, valid shadow hosts.)
 //
-// Customized built-ins aren't supported in Safari/WebKit (a deliberate
-// WebKit-team stance, unlikely to change) — fine here since the project
-// targets recent Firefox only.
+// Customized built-ins aren't supported in Safari/WebKit — fine here
+// since the project targets recent Firefox only.
 //
-// Usage: `el('button', { type: 'button', is: 'hive-btn', variant: 'danger' }, 'label')`
-// (dom.js's `el()` passes `is` to `document.createElement` so custom-
-// element upgrade happens at creation, not after). `variant` is one of
-// 'cancel' | 'confirm' | 'danger' | (unset, for the neutral/default look)
-// — a plain attribute, not a class, since it's a semantic prop of the
-// component rather than an arbitrary styling hook.
+// Usage: `el('button', { type: 'button', is: 'hive-btn', variant: 'danger' }, 'label')`.
+// `variant` ∈ 'cancel' | 'confirm' | 'danger' | unset (neutral default).
 
 import hiveBtnCss from './hive-btn.css';
 
+// Adopted once, module-wide — every <hive-btn> instance shares the same
+// document-level stylesheet rather than each instance re-adopting it.
+let styleInstalled = false;
+function ensureStyleInstalled() {
+  if (styleInstalled) return;
+  styleInstalled = true;
+  const sheet = new CSSStyleSheet();
+  sheet.replaceSync(hiveBtnCss);
+  document.adoptedStyleSheets = [...document.adoptedStyleSheets, sheet];
+}
+
 class HiveBtn extends HTMLButtonElement {
   connectedCallback() {
-    if (this.shadowRoot) return; // guard: connectedCallback can re-fire (e.g. re-parenting)
-    const root = this.attachShadow({ mode: 'open' });
-    const sheet = new CSSStyleSheet();
-    sheet.replaceSync(hiveBtnCss);
-    root.adoptedStyleSheets = [sheet];
-    root.append(document.createElement('slot'));
+    ensureStyleInstalled();
   }
 }
 customElements.define('hive-btn', HiveBtn, { extends: 'button' });
diff --git a/frontend/packages/shared/src/modal.js b/frontend/packages/shared/src/modal.js
index 5052a6d8..249abf31 100644
--- a/frontend/packages/shared/src/modal.js
+++ b/frontend/packages/shared/src/modal.js
@@ -5,14 +5,15 @@
 // dialog.
 //
 // Implemented as two shadow-DOM custom elements (`<hive-dialog>`,
-// `<hive-toast>`), plus `<hive-btn>` (hive-btn.js) for the dialog's own
-// buttons — real per-component style encapsulation, CSS in real `.css`
-// files imported as raw text (see each component's own header comment
-// for the design rationale: shadow-DOM-vs-light-DOM tradeoffs live atop
-// the `<hive-dialog>`/`<hive-toast>` classes below, the customized-
-// built-in choice lives in hive-btn.js). Other `.btn` consumers across
-// the app stay on the light-DOM `.btn` class for now — migrating them
-// is a separate follow-up.
+// `<hive-toast>`) — real per-component style encapsulation, CSS in real
+// `.css` files imported as raw text (see each component's own header
+// comment for the shadow-DOM-vs-light-DOM tradeoffs) — plus `<hive-btn>`
+// (hive-btn.js) for the dialog's own buttons, which is NOT shadow-DOM
+// encapsulated: a customized built-in (`<button is="hive-btn">`) can't
+// host a shadow root at all, so it styles itself via a document-level
+// stylesheet instead (see hive-btn.js's header for why). Other `.btn`
+// consumers across the app stay on the light-DOM `.btn` class for now —
+// migrating them is a separate follow-up.
 //
 // `openDialog` is the general primitive (any title/message/content + a row of
 // buttons); `themedConfirm` is a thin cancel/confirm wrapper with optional