diff --git a/web/src/lib/components/ui/Tabs.svelte b/web/src/lib/components/ui/Tabs.svelte
index 6f905d0d..c02f8110 100644
--- a/web/src/lib/components/ui/Tabs.svelte
+++ b/web/src/lib/components/ui/Tabs.svelte
@@ -13,6 +13,9 @@
 
 <script lang="ts">
 	import { resolve } from "$app/paths";
+	import { navigating } from "$app/state";
+	import type { ResolvedPathname } from "$app/types";
+	import { Spring, prefersReducedMotion } from "svelte/motion";
 
 	interface Props {
 		tabs: TabDef[];
@@ -24,34 +27,116 @@
 
 	let { tabs, active, label, vertical = false, overlapBottom = false }: Props = $props();
 
+	// resolved up front so the plate can match hrefs against the destination url
+	const items = $derived(
+		tabs.map((tab) => ({
+			...tab,
+			url: (tab.href.startsWith("/") ? resolve(tab.href as "/") : tab.href) as ResolvedPathname
+		}))
+	);
+
+	// the plate follows where we're heading rather than where we are, so it leaves
+	// the moment you click instead of waiting on the route's load; aria-current
+	// stays behind on the page that's still on screen
+	const selected = $derived.by(() => {
+		const dest = navigating.to?.url;
+		if (!dest) return active;
+
+		let best: string | undefined;
+		let bestLength = -1;
+		for (const item of items) {
+			if (item.url === dest.pathname + dest.search) return item.id;
+			// a plain path also owns everything nested under it, so an issue page
+			// keeps the issues tab lit; a query-scoped tab only matches exactly
+			if (item.url.includes("?")) continue;
+			const owns = dest.pathname === item.url || dest.pathname.startsWith(`${item.url}/`);
+			if (owns && item.url.length > bestLength) {
+				best = item.id;
+				bestLength = item.url.length;
+			}
+		}
+		return best ?? active;
+	});
+
+	let nav = $state<HTMLElement>();
+	let nodes = $state<(HTMLElement | undefined)[]>([]);
+	let box = $state<{ x: number; width: number; height: number }>();
+	let ready = $state(false);
+
+	const plate = new Spring({ x: 0, width: 0 }, { stiffness: 0.145, damping: 0.65, precision: 0.1 });
+
+	const measure = () => {
+		const node = nodes[items.findIndex((item) => item.id === selected)];
+		if (!node) return;
+		box = { x: node.offsetLeft, width: node.offsetWidth, height: node.offsetHeight };
+	};
+
+	$effect(() => {
+		if (vertical) return;
+		measure();
+	});
+
+	// watch every tab, not just the row: a preceding tab changing width (a count
+	// arriving, a webfont landing) shifts the plate without resizing the row
+	$effect(() => {
+		if (vertical || !nav) return;
+		const observer = new ResizeObserver(measure);
+		observer.observe(nav);
+		for (const node of nodes) if (node) observer.observe(node);
+		return () => observer.disconnect();
+	});
+
+	// the first placement lands instantly so the plate never slides in from the
+	// left; until it happens the selected tab wears the chrome itself, which is
+	// also what server-rendered and script-less pages get
+	let placed = false;
+	$effect(() => {
+		if (!box) return;
+		plate.set({ x: box.x, width: box.width }, { instant: !placed || prefersReducedMotion.current });
+		placed = true;
+		ready = true;
+	});
+
 	const navClass = $derived(
 		vertical
 			? "h-fit divide-y divide-border-default overflow-hidden rounded border border-border-default"
 			: "relative z-10 flex w-full overflow-x-auto overflow-y-hidden pl-4"
 	);
 
-	const itemClass = (isActive: boolean) =>
+	const itemClass = (isSelected: boolean) =>
 		vertical
 			? `flex items-center gap-3 px-3 py-2 typography-paragraph-small no-underline hover:no-underline ${
-					isActive
+					isSelected
 						? "bg-background-default text-foreground-default dark:bg-background-inset"
 						: "bg-background-inset text-foreground-muted hover:text-foreground-default dark:bg-background-default"
 				}`
-			: `relative mr-1 flex items-center rounded-t px-4 pt-1 pb-[5px] whitespace-nowrap text-foreground-default no-underline hover:no-underline ${
-					isActive
-						? "border border-b-0 border-border-default bg-background-default [-webkit-text-stroke:0.3px_currentColor]"
-						: "border border-b-0 border-transparent hover:bg-background-muted hover:dark:bg-background-subtle/50"
+			: `relative mr-1 flex items-center rounded-t border border-b-0 border-transparent px-4 pt-1 pb-[5px] whitespace-nowrap text-foreground-default no-underline hover:no-underline ${
+					isSelected
+						? `[-webkit-text-stroke:0.3px_currentColor] ${ready ? "" : "border-border-default bg-background-default"}`
+						: "hover:bg-background-muted hover:dark:bg-background-subtle/50"
 				}`;
 </script>
 
-<nav class={[navClass, overlapBottom && "-mb-px"]} aria-label={label}>
-	{#each tabs as tab (tab.id)}
-		{@const isActive = active === tab.id}
+<nav class={[navClass, overlapBottom && "-mb-px"]} aria-label={label} bind:this={nav}>
+	{#if !vertical}
+		<span
+			aria-hidden="true"
+			class={[
+				"pointer-events-none absolute top-0 left-0 rounded-t border border-b-0 border-border-default bg-background-default",
+				ready ? "opacity-100" : "opacity-0"
+			]}
+			style="translate: {plate.current.x}px; width: {plate.current.width}px; height: {box?.height ??
+				0}px"
+		></span>
+	{/if}
+	{#each items as tab, i (tab.id)}
+		{@const isSelected = selected === tab.id}
 		{@const Glyph = tab.icon}
 		<a
-			href={tab.href.startsWith("/") ? resolve(tab.href as "/") : tab.href}
-			aria-current={isActive ? "page" : undefined}
-			class={itemClass(isActive)}
+			bind:this={nodes[i]}
+			href={tab.url}
+			aria-current={active === tab.id ? "page" : undefined}
+			class={itemClass(isSelected)}
 		>
 			{#if Glyph}
 				<Glyph class={vertical ? "size-4 shrink-0" : "mr-2 size-4 "} aria-hidden="true" />
@@ -67,8 +152,10 @@
 				</span>
 			{/if}
 			{#if tab.count}
-				<span class="rounded-sm bg-background-inset px-1 typography-paragraph-small {vertical ? 'ml-auto' : 'ml-1'}"
-					>{tab.count}</span
+				<span
+					class="rounded-sm bg-background-inset px-1 typography-paragraph-small {vertical
+						? 'ml-auto'
+						: 'ml-1'}">{tab.count}</span
 				>
 			{/if}
 		</a>