diff --git a/frontend/packages/agent/src/agent.css b/frontend/packages/agent/src/agent.css
index 646a9442..c99e9e39 100644
--- a/frontend/packages/agent/src/agent.css
+++ b/frontend/packages/agent/src/agent.css
@@ -319,10 +319,47 @@ h2, h3 {
   background: color-mix(in srgb, var(--purple) 6%, transparent);
 }
 
-/* Header pill (inbox / loose-ends triggers) — no CSS of its own any
-   more. `HeaderPill.tsx` renders `@hive/shared`'s `Badge` directly now
-   (mara: "cant we reuse the badge component") instead of a hand-styled
-   pill matched to Badge's own values; nothing left to override here. */
+/* Header pill — inbox / loose-ends triggers. Compact, count-prominent.
+   Markup carries `hive-pill` alongside `header-pill` (shared pill.css
+   supplies border/radius/padding/font-size/letter-spacing; `display`
+   is the one thing overridden here, to `inline-flex`, for the icon+
+   label+count row layout — see pill.css's own note on that). */
+.header-pill {
+  background: transparent;
+  border-color: var(--purple-dim);
+  color: var(--fg);
+  font-family: inherit;
+  display: inline-flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  gap: 0.4em;
+  cursor: pointer;
+  transition: border-color 0.15s ease, box-shadow 0.15s ease, color 0.15s ease;
+}
+.header-pill:hover {
+  border-color: var(--purple);
+  color: var(--purple);
+  box-shadow: 0 0 10px -2px var(--purple);
+}
+.header-pill-icon { font-size: 1.05em; line-height: 1; }
+.header-pill-label { color: var(--muted); }
+.header-pill-count {
+  background: var(--purple-dim);
+  color: var(--purple);
+  border-radius: 999px;
+  padding: 0 0.5em;
+  min-width: 1.6em;
+  text-align: center;
+  font-weight: bold;
+  font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums;
+}
+.header-pill-inbox .header-pill-count {
+  background: color-mix(in srgb, var(--amber) 18%, transparent);
+  color: var(--amber);
+}
+.header-pill-todos .header-pill-count {
+  background: color-mix(in srgb, var(--green) 18%, transparent);
+  color: var(--green);
+}
 
 .agent-main {
   position: absolute;
diff --git a/frontend/packages/agent/src/components/HeaderPill.tsx b/frontend/packages/agent/src/components/HeaderPill.tsx
index deea92eb..1d3f7e9f 100644
--- a/frontend/packages/agent/src/components/HeaderPill.tsx
+++ b/frontend/packages/agent/src/components/HeaderPill.tsx
@@ -1,15 +1,9 @@
 // <HeaderPill> — the inbox/todos flyout triggers in the header's right
-// cluster. A thin wrapper over `@hive/shared`'s `Badge` (icon+label+
-// value+onClick already covers this shape exactly) rather than a
-// bespoke pill — mara, reviewing the first cut of this (a hand-styled
-// `.header-pill` matched to `Badge`'s own CSS values rather than the
-// component itself): "cant we reuse the badge component". Only two
-// things this wrapper still owns: hiding at count 0 (`pill.hidden =
-// count === 0` in the old page) and picking the inbox/todos tone so
-// the count reads amber/green like it always has (`Badge`'s `tone`
-// colours the value, which here is the count).
-import { Badge, type BadgeTone } from '@hive/shared/badge.js';
-
+// cluster. Reuses agent.css's existing `.hive-pill.header-pill…` rules
+// (loaded globally) — same "layout is a like-for-like port, the
+// component model is the change" approach as Header.tsx. Hidden
+// (renders nothing) at count 0, matching the old page's `pill.hidden =
+// count === 0`.
 export interface HeaderPillProps {
   kind: 'inbox' | 'todos';
   icon: string;
@@ -18,21 +12,15 @@ export interface HeaderPillProps {
   onClick: () => void;
 }
 
-const TONE: Record<HeaderPillProps['kind'], BadgeTone> = {
-  inbox: 'warning',
-  todos: 'positive',
-};
-
 export function HeaderPill({ kind, icon, label, count, onClick }: HeaderPillProps) {
   if (count === 0) return null;
   return (
-    <Badge
-      icon={icon}
-      label={label}
-      value={count}
-      tone={TONE[kind]}
-      onClick={onClick}
-      title={`open ${label} flyout`}
-    />
+    <button type="button" class={`hive-pill header-pill header-pill-${kind}`} onClick={onClick} title={`open ${label} flyout`}>
+      <span class="header-pill-icon" aria-hidden="true">
+        {icon}
+      </span>
+      <span class="header-pill-label">{label}</span>
+      <span class="header-pill-count">{count}</span>
+    </button>
   );
 }