diff --git a/crates/op-design-lint/src/plan.rs b/crates/op-design-lint/src/plan.rs
index 5bd35756b..762c16f63 100644
--- a/crates/op-design-lint/src/plan.rs
+++ b/crates/op-design-lint/src/plan.rs
@@ -338,6 +338,63 @@ mod tests {
         );
     }
 
+    /// Load the `invisible-container-with-var` fixture (doc declares
+    /// `color-border` variable) and assert equivalence — exercises the
+    /// `$color-border` design-token reference path.
+    ///
+    /// Regression guard: caught by stop-time review — `LintPreValidator`
+    /// previously dropped `$color-border` refs while reporting success
+    /// because `cmd_set_node_stroke_hex` strict-parsed the hex. The
+    /// op-design-lint side (this test) ensures `detect_and_plan + apply`
+    /// produces the same `$color-border`-stamped doc as `detect_and_fix`;
+    /// the host parity test confirms the same through `EditorCommand`.
+    #[test]
+    fn equivalence_invisible_container_with_var() {
+        let raw = include_str!("../tests/fixtures/docs/invisible-container-with-var.json");
+        let doc_a: PenDocument = serde_json::from_str(raw).expect("parse");
+        let doc_b: PenDocument = serde_json::from_str(raw).expect("parse");
+
+        // Clone A: detect_and_fix (the reference path).
+        let mut clone_a = doc_a;
+        let report = detect_and_fix(&mut clone_a);
+
+        // Clone B: detect_and_plan + apply each fix via node_mut primitives.
+        let mut clone_b = doc_b;
+        let plan = detect_and_plan(&clone_b);
+        let applied: usize = plan
+            .iter()
+            .filter(|fix| apply_planned_fix_to_doc(&mut clone_b, fix))
+            .count();
+
+        assert_eq!(report.total as usize, applied);
+        assert_eq!(plan.len(), applied);
+        assert_eq!(
+            clone_a, clone_b,
+            "var-ref stroke must round-trip identically"
+        );
+
+        // Verify the plan carries the $color-border ref (not a resolved hex).
+        let stroke_plan = plan
+            .iter()
+            .find(|f| f.node_id == "light-on-light")
+            .expect("light-on-light should be in the plan");
+        let value = match &stroke_plan.action {
+            PlannedAction::SetStroke(v) => v,
+            other => panic!("expected SetStroke, got {other:?}"),
+        };
+        let color = value
+            .get("fill")
+            .and_then(|f| f.as_array())
+            .and_then(|arr| arr.first())
+            .and_then(|entry| entry.get("color"))
+            .and_then(|c| c.as_str())
+            .expect("color field");
+        assert_eq!(
+            color, "$color-border",
+            "plan must preserve design-token ref, not resolve to hex"
+        );
+    }
+
     /// Load the `text-explicit-height` fixture and assert equivalence.
     ///
     /// This fixture exercises `FixProperty::Height` with `"fit_content"`.
diff --git a/crates/op-design-lint/tests/fixtures/docs/invisible-container-with-var.json b/crates/op-design-lint/tests/fixtures/docs/invisible-container-with-var.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..225be4500
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/op-design-lint/tests/fixtures/docs/invisible-container-with-var.json
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+{
+  "version": "1.0",
+  "variables": {
+    "color-border": { "type": "color", "value": "#CBD5E1" }
+  },
+  "children": [
+    {
+      "type": "frame",
+      "id": "root",
+      "layout": "vertical",
+      "fill": [{ "type": "solid", "color": "#FFFFFF" }],
+      "children": [
+        {
+          "type": "frame",
+          "id": "light-on-light",
+          "layout": "vertical",
+          "fill": [{ "type": "solid", "color": "#FFFFFF" }],
+          "children": [{ "type": "text", "id": "lol-label", "content": "Inside light wrapper" }]
+        }
+      ]
+    }
+  ]
+}
diff --git a/crates/op-design-lint/tests/fixtures/golden/invisible-container-with-var.json b/crates/op-design-lint/tests/fixtures/golden/invisible-container-with-var.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7154a13bc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/op-design-lint/tests/fixtures/golden/invisible-container-with-var.json
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+[
+  {
+    "nodeId": "light-on-light",
+    "category": "invisible-container",
+    "severity": "warning",
+    "property": "stroke",
+    "currentValue": null,
+    "suggestedValue": {
+      "thickness": 1,
+      "fill": [
+        {
+          "type": "solid",
+          "color": "$color-border"
+        }
+      ]
+    },
+    "reason": "same fill as parent (#FFFFFF ≈ #FFFFFF, contrast=1.00)"
+  }
+]
diff --git a/crates/op-design-lint/tests/parity.rs b/crates/op-design-lint/tests/parity.rs
index a1ebed85b..284d32e15 100644
--- a/crates/op-design-lint/tests/parity.rs
+++ b/crates/op-design-lint/tests/parity.rs
@@ -178,6 +178,10 @@ parity_case!(parity_edge_section_padding, "edge-section-padding");
 parity_case!(parity_empty_path, "empty-path");
 parity_case!(parity_excessive_frame_effects, "excessive-frame-effects");
 parity_case!(parity_invisible_container, "invisible-container");
+parity_case!(
+    parity_invisible_container_with_var,
+    "invisible-container-with-var"
+);
 parity_case!(parity_mixed_sibling, "mixed-sibling");
 parity_case!(parity_sibling_inconsistency, "sibling-inconsistency");
 parity_case!(
diff --git a/crates/op-editor-core/src/command_node_attrs.rs b/crates/op-editor-core/src/command_node_attrs.rs
index 02234628a..6d07cd6be 100644
--- a/crates/op-editor-core/src/command_node_attrs.rs
+++ b/crates/op-editor-core/src/command_node_attrs.rs
@@ -171,8 +171,19 @@ impl EditorState {
 
     /// `SetNodeStrokeHex` — set the stroke color on a node. A node with
     /// no stroke gets a fresh 1-px stroke so the color always lands.
+    ///
+    /// Accepts either a literal `#RGB`/`#RRGGBB` hex OR a `$variable-name`
+    /// design-token reference. The underlying `PenStroke.fill[*].color`
+    /// field is a free `String`; `op-design-lint` detectors emit
+    /// `$color-border` refs when the doc declares that variable, and a
+    /// strict hex parse here would silently drop them (regression caught
+    /// by a stop-time review of `LintPreValidator`).
     pub(crate) fn cmd_set_node_stroke_hex(&mut self, node_id: &NodeId, hex: &str) -> bool {
-        if !node_id.is_real() || crate::color_picker::parse_hex_rgb(hex).is_none() {
+        if !node_id.is_real() {
+            return false;
+        }
+        let is_var_ref = hex.starts_with('$');
+        if !is_var_ref && crate::color_picker::parse_hex_rgb(hex).is_none() {
             return false;
         }
         let Some(node) = find_node_mut(self.active_children_mut(), node_id) else {
@@ -216,8 +227,16 @@ impl EditorState {
     }
 
     /// `SetNodeFillHex` — set the fill color on a node by id.
+    ///
+    /// Accepts either a literal `#RGB`/`#RRGGBB` hex OR a `$variable-name`
+    /// design-token reference (same rationale as `SetNodeStrokeHex` —
+    /// `PenFill::Solid.color` is a free `String`).
     pub(crate) fn cmd_set_node_fill_hex(&mut self, node_id: &NodeId, hex: &str) -> bool {
-        if !node_id.is_real() || crate::color_picker::parse_hex_rgb(hex).is_none() {
+        if !node_id.is_real() {
+            return false;
+        }
+        let is_var_ref = hex.starts_with('$');
+        if !is_var_ref && crate::color_picker::parse_hex_rgb(hex).is_none() {
             return false;
         }
         let Some(node) = find_node_mut(self.active_children_mut(), node_id) else {
diff --git a/crates/op-host-desktop/src/pre_validator.rs b/crates/op-host-desktop/src/pre_validator.rs
index 9aa755ca3..ea1015bc1 100644
--- a/crates/op-host-desktop/src/pre_validator.rs
+++ b/crates/op-host-desktop/src/pre_validator.rs
@@ -399,4 +399,22 @@ mod tests {
             "empty-path",
         );
     }
+
+    /// invisible-container-with-var: exercises `$color-border` design-token
+    /// reference path through `SetNodeStrokeHex`. Regression guard caught
+    /// by stop-time review — `cmd_set_node_stroke_hex` previously rejected
+    /// `$`-prefixed strings via `parse_hex_rgb`, dropping the color silently
+    /// while `SetNodeStrokeWidth` still applied (so `any_applied=true` and
+    /// `applied_count` overreported). The op-editor-core fix relaxed both
+    /// `cmd_set_node_stroke_hex` + `cmd_set_node_fill_hex` to passthrough
+    /// `$ref` strings (the underlying `color: String` field accepts them).
+    #[test]
+    fn parity_invisible_container_with_var() {
+        assert_parity(
+            include_str!(
+                "../../op-design-lint/tests/fixtures/docs/invisible-container-with-var.json"
+            ),
+            "invisible-container-with-var",
+        );
+    }
 }