diff --git a/packages/session-ui/src/components/message-part-css.test.ts b/packages/session-ui/src/components/message-part-css.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b56c79744
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/session-ui/src/components/message-part-css.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+import { describe, expect, test } from "bun:test"
+import { readFileSync } from "node:fs"
+import { resolve } from "node:path"
+
+// Regression guard: the text-card (kind:"text") CSS was accidentally deleted
+// once (amicode#349 / opencode#121) during a file-reference feature refactor.
+// Without these rules the textarea in a free-form question is transparent and
+// borderless — effectively invisible. This test catches a future deletion.
+
+const css = readFileSync(resolve(__dirname, "message-part.css"), "utf8")
+
+describe("question text-card CSS (amicode#349 regression)", () => {
+  test("question-text-form selector is present", () => {
+    expect(css).toContain('[data-slot="question-text-form"]')
+  })
+
+  test("text-form textarea has visible border", () => {
+    expect(css).toContain('[data-slot="question-text-form"] > [data-slot="question-custom-input"]')
+  })
+
+  test("text-form textarea has min-height", () => {
+    expect(css).toContain("min-height: 36px")
+  })
+
+  test("text-form textarea has background", () => {
+    // The v2 design token path
+    expect(css).toMatch(/question-text-form.*background.*bg-layer-02/s)
+  })
+})
diff --git a/packages/session-ui/src/components/message-part.css b/packages/session-ui/src/components/message-part.css
index 5b0a24618..843006a47 100644
--- a/packages/session-ui/src/components/message-part.css
+++ b/packages/session-ui/src/components/message-part.css
@@ -1158,6 +1158,26 @@
     }
   }
 
+  /* Text-card (kind: "text") — the textarea is the ONLY affordance, so it
+     needs visible chrome (border + background) unlike the choice-card's
+     secondary custom-input which is borderless/transparent. */
+  [data-slot="question-text-form"] {
+    padding: 4px 8px;
+  }
+
+  [data-slot="question-text-form"] > [data-slot="question-custom-input"] {
+    border: 1px solid var(--v2-border-border-base);
+    border-radius: var(--radius-md);
+    padding: 8px 12px;
+    background: var(--v2-background-bg-layer-02);
+    min-height: 36px;
+
+    &:focus-visible {
+      border-color: var(--v2-border-border-focus);
+      outline: none;
+    }
+  }
+
   [data-slot="question-footer"] {
     display: flex;
     align-items: center;
@@ -1623,6 +1643,16 @@ body:not([data-new-layout]) {
         outline: 1px solid var(--border-interactive-base);
       }
     }
+
+    [data-slot="question-text-form"] > [data-slot="question-custom-input"] {
+      border-color: var(--border-weak-base);
+      background: var(--surface-weak);
+
+      &:focus-visible {
+        border-color: var(--border-interactive-base);
+        outline: none;
+      }
+    }
   }
 
   [data-component="question-answers"] {