diff --git a/resources/css/components/navigation.css b/resources/css/components/navigation.css
index 6d2d9ba1..4ea61e18 100644
--- a/resources/css/components/navigation.css
+++ b/resources/css/components/navigation.css
@@ -160,14 +160,16 @@
             min-width: max-content;
         }
 
+        /* The label stays label-medium: NavigationBarTokens.LabelTextFont is the bar's only label
+           token, and Compose's ShortNavigationBarItem passes it for both icon positions. (The
+           *rail's* horizontal item is label-large — NavigationRailHorizontalItemTokens — which is
+           a different component.) */
         [data-navigation-bar-item] [data-navigation-pill] {
             position: relative;
             isolation: isolate;
             flex-direction: row;
             height: 2.5rem;
             padding-inline: 1rem;
-            font: var(--md-sys-typescale-label-lg);
-            letter-spacing: var(--md-sys-typescale-label-lg-tracking);
         }
 
         [data-navigation-bar-item] [data-navigation-label] {
@@ -538,6 +540,14 @@
         transition: opacity var(--md-sys-motion-effects-fast-duration) var(--md-sys-motion-effects-fast);
     }
 
+    /* A navigation item's state layer is on-secondary-container, active or not: the only
+       state-layer tokens M3 states for one are NavigationRailColorTokens', which give that colour
+       to all six. The rail follows them two blocks below; the bar follows them here, over its
+       secondary-container pill. */
+    [data-navigation-bar-item] :is([data-navigation-indicator], [data-navigation-pill])::before {
+        background-color: var(--md-sys-color-on-secondary-container);
+    }
+
     @container (width < 37.5rem) {
         [data-navigation-bar-item] [data-navigation-pill]::before {
             display: none;
diff --git a/tests/Feature/Components/NavigationBarTest.php b/tests/Feature/Components/NavigationBarTest.php
index 25a05cad..f79b2b4e 100644
--- a/tests/Feature/Components/NavigationBarTest.php
+++ b/tests/Feature/Components/NavigationBarTest.php
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 <?php
 
+use Illuminate\Support\Str;
+
 it('draws a navigation landmark around its items', function () {
     expect((string) $this->blade('<x-navigation-bar><x-navigation-bar-item label="Inbox" icon="inbox" link="/inbox" /></x-navigation-bar>'))
         ->toContain('<nav aria-label="Main" data-navigation-bar')
@@ -46,3 +48,15 @@ it('badges the icon with a dot or a count that screen readers hear', function ()
         ->and($dot)->toContain('size-1.5')->toContain('<span class="sr-only">, New mail</span>')
         ->and((string) $this->blade('<x-navigation-bar-item label="Inbox" icon="inbox" link="/inbox" />'))->not->toContain('sr-only');
 });
+
+it('keeps the bar item on the label and state-layer colours M3 tokens', function () {
+    $css = file_get_contents(__DIR__.'/../../../resources/css/components/navigation.css');
+    $horizontal = Str::of($css)->after('@container (width >= 37.5rem)')->before('/* ------')->toString();
+
+    expect($horizontal)
+        // NavigationBarTokens names one label font for both icon positions: label-medium (N-08).
+        ->not->toContain('--md-sys-typescale-label-lg')
+        ->and($css)
+        // The indicator and the pill wash in on-secondary-container, as the rail's do (N-19).
+        ->toContain('[data-navigation-bar-item] :is([data-navigation-indicator], [data-navigation-pill])::before {');
+});