diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/WelcomeOnboarding/AuthMethodStep.tsx b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/WelcomeOnboarding/AuthMethodStep.tsx
index 6271d844e..43d6ad597 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/WelcomeOnboarding/AuthMethodStep.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/WelcomeOnboarding/AuthMethodStep.tsx
@@ -88,8 +88,9 @@ export const AuthMethodStep: React.FC<AuthMethodStepProps> = ({
         <Text bold color={Colors.AccentCyan}>
           Step 3 of 5: Choose Authentication Method
         </Text>
-        <Text> </Text>
-        <Text>How would you like to authenticate with {providerDisplay}?</Text>
+        <Text color={Colors.Foreground}>
+          How would you like to authenticate with {providerDisplay}?
+        </Text>
       </Box>
 
       {error && (
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/WelcomeOnboarding/AuthenticationStep.tsx b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/WelcomeOnboarding/AuthenticationStep.tsx
index bc75f05c6..d298b41d1 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/WelcomeOnboarding/AuthenticationStep.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/WelcomeOnboarding/AuthenticationStep.tsx
@@ -119,12 +119,18 @@ export const AuthenticationStep: React.FC<AuthenticationStepProps> = ({
             <Text color={Colors.AccentYellow}>
               <Spinner type="dots" />
             </Text>{' '}
-            Opening browser for OAuth authentication...
+            <Text color={Colors.Foreground}>
+              Opening browser for OAuth authentication...
+            </Text>
           </Text>
         </Box>
 
-        <Text>Please complete the authentication in your browser.</Text>
-        <Text>This window will update when done.</Text>
+        <Text color={Colors.Foreground}>
+          Please complete the authentication in your browser.
+        </Text>
+        <Text color={Colors.Foreground}>
+          This window will update when done.
+        </Text>
 
         <Box marginTop={1}>
           <Text color={Colors.Gray}>Press Esc to cancel and go back</Text>
@@ -149,18 +155,20 @@ export const AuthenticationStep: React.FC<AuthenticationStepProps> = ({
             <Text color={Colors.AccentYellow}>
               <Spinner type="dots" />
             </Text>{' '}
-            Validating API key...
+            <Text color={Colors.Foreground}>Validating API key...</Text>
           </Text>
         </Box>
       ) : (
         <>
           <Box marginBottom={1}>
-            <Text>Enter your {providerDisplay} API key:</Text>
+            <Text color={Colors.Foreground}>
+              Enter your {providerDisplay} API key:
+            </Text>
           </Box>
 
           <Box>
-            <Text>API Key: </Text>
-            <Text>{maskedValue}</Text>
+            <Text color={Colors.Foreground}>API Key: </Text>
+            <Text color={Colors.Foreground}>{maskedValue}</Text>
             <Text color={Colors.AccentCyan}>▌</Text>
           </Box>
         </>
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/WelcomeOnboarding/CompletionStep.tsx b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/WelcomeOnboarding/CompletionStep.tsx
index 7fe060fb1..543b51b19 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/WelcomeOnboarding/CompletionStep.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/WelcomeOnboarding/CompletionStep.tsx
@@ -94,22 +94,23 @@ export const CompletionStep: React.FC<CompletionStepProps> = ({
         <Text bold color={Colors.AccentCyan}>
           Step 5 of 5: Save Your Profile
         </Text>
-        <Text> </Text>
         <Text bold color={Colors.AccentGreen}>
-          {'✓ Authentication complete!'}
+          [OK] Authentication complete!
         </Text>
       </Box>
 
       <Box flexDirection="column" marginBottom={1}>
-        <Text>Provider: {providerDisplay}</Text>
-        {model && <Text>Model: {model}</Text>}
-        <Text>Authentication: {authDisplay}</Text>
+        <Text color={Colors.Foreground}>Provider: {providerDisplay}</Text>
+        {model && <Text color={Colors.Foreground}>Model: {model}</Text>}
+        <Text color={Colors.Foreground}>Authentication: {authDisplay}</Text>
       </Box>
 
       {showProfilePrompt ? (
         <Box flexDirection="column">
           <Box marginBottom={1}>
-            <Text bold>Save this setup as a profile</Text>
+            <Text bold color={Colors.Foreground}>
+              Save this setup as a profile
+            </Text>
           </Box>
 
           <Text color={Colors.Gray}>
@@ -127,11 +128,11 @@ export const CompletionStep: React.FC<CompletionStepProps> = ({
             )}
 
             {saving ? (
-              <Text>Saving profile...</Text>
+              <Text color={Colors.Foreground}>Saving profile...</Text>
             ) : (
               <Box>
-                <Text>Profile name: </Text>
-                <Text>{profileName}</Text>
+                <Text color={Colors.Foreground}>Profile name: </Text>
+                <Text color={Colors.Foreground}>{profileName}</Text>
                 <Text color={Colors.AccentCyan}>▌</Text>
               </Box>
             )}
@@ -146,7 +147,7 @@ export const CompletionStep: React.FC<CompletionStepProps> = ({
       ) : (
         <Box flexDirection="column">
           <Box marginBottom={1}>
-            <Text>Try asking me something like:</Text>
+            <Text color={Colors.Foreground}>Try asking me something like:</Text>
             <Text color={Colors.AccentCyan}>
               {'"Explain how async/await works in JavaScript"'}
             </Text>
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/WelcomeOnboarding/ModelSelectStep.tsx b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/WelcomeOnboarding/ModelSelectStep.tsx
index bfda951d2..0d25194e3 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/WelcomeOnboarding/ModelSelectStep.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/WelcomeOnboarding/ModelSelectStep.tsx
@@ -80,8 +80,10 @@ export const ModelSelectStep: React.FC<ModelSelectStepProps> = ({
         <Text bold color={Colors.AccentCyan}>
           Step 2 of 5: Choose Your Model
         </Text>
-        <Text> </Text>
-        <Text>Select a model for {providerDisplay}:</Text>
+        <Text color={Colors.Foreground}>
+          {' '}
+          Select a model for {providerDisplay}:
+        </Text>
       </Box>
 
       {modelsLoadStatus === 'loading' && (
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/WelcomeOnboarding/ProviderSelectStep.tsx b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/WelcomeOnboarding/ProviderSelectStep.tsx
index 72f4dde69..8e22a37bc 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/WelcomeOnboarding/ProviderSelectStep.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/WelcomeOnboarding/ProviderSelectStep.tsx
@@ -69,8 +69,9 @@ export const ProviderSelectStep: React.FC<ProviderSelectStepProps> = ({
         <Text bold color={Colors.AccentCyan}>
           Step 1 of 5: Choose Your AI Provider
         </Text>
-        <Text> </Text>
-        <Text>{"Select which AI provider you'd like to use:"}</Text>
+        <Text color={Colors.Foreground}>
+          {"Select which AI provider you'd like to use:"}
+        </Text>
       </Box>
 
       <RadioButtonSelect
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/WelcomeOnboarding/SkipExitStep.tsx b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/WelcomeOnboarding/SkipExitStep.tsx
index b2e12b1e2..b134d8ff9 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/WelcomeOnboarding/SkipExitStep.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/WelcomeOnboarding/SkipExitStep.tsx
@@ -30,21 +30,22 @@ export const SkipExitStep: React.FC<SkipExitStepProps> = ({
   return (
     <Box flexDirection="column">
       <Box flexDirection="column" marginBottom={1}>
-        <Text bold>Setup skipped</Text>
+        <Text bold color={Colors.Foreground}>
+          Setup skipped
+        </Text>
       </Box>
 
       <Box flexDirection="column" marginBottom={1}>
-        <Text>To configure llxprt manually:</Text>
-        <Text> </Text>
-        <Text>
+        <Text color={Colors.Foreground}>To configure llxprt manually:</Text>
+        <Text color={Colors.Foreground}>
           • Use <Text color={Colors.AccentCyan}>/auth &lt;provider&gt;</Text> to
           set up authentication
         </Text>
-        <Text>
+        <Text color={Colors.Foreground}>
           • Use <Text color={Colors.AccentCyan}>/provider</Text> to select your
           AI provider
         </Text>
-        <Text>
+        <Text color={Colors.Foreground}>
           • Type <Text color={Colors.AccentCyan}>/help</Text> for more commands
         </Text>
       </Box>
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/WelcomeOnboarding/WelcomeStep.tsx b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/WelcomeOnboarding/WelcomeStep.tsx
index faee3db25..f2f7bcd1a 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/WelcomeOnboarding/WelcomeStep.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/WelcomeOnboarding/WelcomeStep.tsx
@@ -42,16 +42,20 @@ export const WelcomeStep: React.FC<WelcomeStepProps> = ({
         <Text bold color={Colors.AccentCyan}>
           Welcome to llxprt!
         </Text>
-        <Text> </Text>
-        <Text>{"Let's get you set up in just a few steps."}</Text>
-        <Text>
+        <Text color={Colors.Foreground}>
+          {' '}
+          {"Let's get you set up in just a few steps."}
+        </Text>
+        <Text color={Colors.Foreground}>
           {"You'll choose an AI provider and configure authentication"}
         </Text>
-        <Text>so llxprt can work its magic.</Text>
+        <Text color={Colors.Foreground}>so llxprt can work its magic.</Text>
       </Box>
 
       <Box flexDirection="column" marginBottom={1}>
-        <Text bold>What would you like to do?</Text>
+        <Text bold color={Colors.Foreground}>
+          What would you like to do?
+        </Text>
       </Box>
 
       <RadioButtonSelect
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/hooks/useWelcomeOnboarding.ts b/packages/cli/src/ui/hooks/useWelcomeOnboarding.ts
index f193ca26a..f300afb8b 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/hooks/useWelcomeOnboarding.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/hooks/useWelcomeOnboarding.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
  * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
  */
 
-import { useState, useCallback, useEffect } from 'react';
+import { useState, useCallback, useEffect, useMemo } from 'react';
 import { DebugLogger } from '@vybestack/llxprt-code-core';
 import { type LoadedSettings } from '../../config/settings.js';
 import {
@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@ import { useRuntimeApi } from '../contexts/RuntimeContext.js';
 
 const debug = new DebugLogger('llxprt:ui:useWelcomeOnboarding');
 
+const PLACEHOLDER_MODEL_NAMES = new Set(['placeholder-model']);
+
 export type WelcomeStep =
   | 'welcome'
   | 'provider'
@@ -81,8 +83,68 @@ export const useWelcomeOnboarding = (
     isWelcomeCompleted(),
   );
 
-  // Only show welcome after folder trust is complete
-  const showWelcome = !welcomeCompleted && isFolderTrustComplete;
+  const isSystemDefaultModelName = useCallback((modelName: string): boolean => {
+    return PLACEHOLDER_MODEL_NAMES.has(modelName);
+  }, []);
+
+  const shouldSuppressWelcome = useMemo(() => {
+    // Always prefer showing onboarding until the user explicitly completes/skips it.
+    if (!isFolderTrustComplete || welcomeCompleted) {
+      return false;
+    }
+
+    // Non-interactive signals (CLI/env) that indicate the user already configured things.
+    // Keep this conservative: avoid treating system defaults as user configuration.
+
+    if (process.env.LLXPRT_PROFILE) {
+      debug.log('Welcome suppressed: LLXPRT_PROFILE environment variable set');
+      return true;
+    }
+
+    // If a provider is already active (typically set via CLI flags or prior usage),
+    // suppress welcome.
+    const providerManager = runtime.getCliProviderManager();
+    if (providerManager) {
+      try {
+        const providerName = providerManager.getActiveProviderName();
+        const hasActiveProvider =
+          providerManager.hasActiveProvider?.() ?? false;
+
+        if (providerName || hasActiveProvider) {
+          debug.log('Welcome suppressed: active provider configured');
+          return true;
+        }
+      } catch (error) {
+        debug.log('Could not check for active provider:', error);
+      }
+    }
+
+    try {
+      const activeModel = runtime.getActiveModelName();
+      if (activeModel && !isSystemDefaultModelName(activeModel)) {
+        debug.log('Welcome suppressed: active model configured');
+        return true;
+      }
+    } catch (error) {
+      debug.log('Could not check for active model:', error);
+    }
+
+    // Intentionally do NOT suppress based solely on defaultProfile. A profile can be
+    // present due to system defaults and should not skip onboarding unless the user
+    // has explicitly completed it.
+
+    return false;
+  }, [
+    isFolderTrustComplete,
+    isSystemDefaultModelName,
+    runtime,
+    welcomeCompleted,
+  ]);
+
+  // Show welcome after folder trust is complete unless it was completed/skipped,
+  // or we detect a non-interactive configuration state.
+  const showWelcome =
+    !welcomeCompleted && isFolderTrustComplete && !shouldSuppressWelcome;
 
   const [state, setState] = useState<WelcomeState>({
     step: 'welcome',