diff --git a/assets/readme/examples/table-of-contents.pdf b/assets/readme/examples/table-of-contents.pdf
index 7161a42a1..6b8570fce 100644
Binary files a/assets/readme/examples/table-of-contents.pdf and b/assets/readme/examples/table-of-contents.pdf differ
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/demcha/compose/document/dsl/TocBuilder.java b/src/main/java/com/demcha/compose/document/dsl/TocBuilder.java
index 190e163d7..438d1288c 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/demcha/compose/document/dsl/TocBuilder.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/demcha/compose/document/dsl/TocBuilder.java
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
 package com.demcha.compose.document.dsl;
 
 import com.demcha.compose.document.node.DocumentNode;
+import com.demcha.compose.document.node.RowVerticalAlign;
 import com.demcha.compose.document.node.TextAlign;
 import com.demcha.compose.document.style.DocumentColor;
+import com.demcha.compose.document.style.DocumentInsets;
 import com.demcha.compose.document.style.DocumentLeader;
 import com.demcha.compose.document.style.DocumentLineCap;
 import com.demcha.compose.document.style.DocumentRowColumn;
@@ -29,6 +31,13 @@ public final class TocBuilder {
 
     private static final DocumentColor DEFAULT_LEADER_COLOR = DocumentColor.rgb(150, 150, 150);
 
+    // A bottom-aligned thin line lands on the descender line; lifting it by roughly the
+    // font's descent seats it on the text baseline. The exact descent is a font metric
+    // not reachable from the DSL layer, so this is a deliberate approximation tuned for
+    // typical text faces. It assumes the entry and page-number styles share a size — the
+    // common case; if they differ they sit on different baselines regardless.
+    private static final double LEADER_BASELINE_LIFT_RATIO = 0.2;
+
     private String title = "";
     private DocumentTextStyle titleStyle = DocumentTextStyle.DEFAULT.withSize(16);
     private DocumentTextStyle entryStyle = DocumentTextStyle.DEFAULT;
@@ -147,15 +156,21 @@ List<DocumentNode> buildEntries() {
     }
 
     private DocumentNode buildEntryRow(Entry entry) {
+        // Bottom-align so the leader sits on the entries' baseline rather than
+        // riding along the top of the line.
         RowBuilder row = new RowBuilder()
                 .gap(6)
+                .verticalAlign(RowVerticalAlign.BOTTOM)
                 .columns(DocumentRowColumn.auto(), DocumentRowColumn.weight(1), DocumentRowColumn.auto());
         row.addParagraph(p -> p.text(entry.label()).textStyle(entryStyle).linkTo(entry.anchor()));
         if (leader == DocumentLeader.NONE) {
             row.addSpacer(s -> s.width(1).height(1));
         } else {
+            // Lift the leader off the descender line onto the baseline (see the ratio above).
+            double baselineLift = entryStyle.size() * LEADER_BASELINE_LIFT_RATIO;
             row.addLine(line -> {
-                line.fill().stroke(DocumentStroke.of(leaderColor, 1.0));
+                line.fill().stroke(DocumentStroke.of(leaderColor, 1.0))
+                        .margin(DocumentInsets.bottom(baselineLift));
                 if (leader == DocumentLeader.DOTS) {
                     line.dashed(0.1, 4).lineCap(DocumentLineCap.ROUND);
                 } else {
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/demcha/compose/document/dsl/TocBuilderTest.java b/src/test/java/com/demcha/compose/document/dsl/TocBuilderTest.java
index 414d8c31d..5a2b1b2bf 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/demcha/compose/document/dsl/TocBuilderTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/demcha/compose/document/dsl/TocBuilderTest.java
@@ -1,7 +1,15 @@
 package com.demcha.compose.document.dsl;
 
+import com.demcha.compose.document.node.DocumentNode;
+import com.demcha.compose.document.node.LineNode;
+import com.demcha.compose.document.node.RowNode;
+import com.demcha.compose.document.node.RowVerticalAlign;
+import com.demcha.compose.document.style.DocumentLeader;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
 
+import java.util.List;
+
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
 import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThatExceptionOfType;
 
 /**
@@ -11,6 +19,34 @@
  */
 class TocBuilderTest {
 
+    @Test
+    void entryRowIsBottomAlignedSoTheLeaderSitsOnTheBaseline() {
+        List<DocumentNode> nodes = new TocBuilder()
+                .leader(DocumentLeader.DOTS)
+                .entry("Introduction", "intro")
+                .buildEntries();
+
+        DocumentNode entryRow = nodes.get(nodes.size() - 1);   // no title set -> the entry row is last
+        assertThat(entryRow).isInstanceOf(RowNode.class);
+        assertThat(((RowNode) entryRow).verticalAlign()).isEqualTo(RowVerticalAlign.BOTTOM);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void theLeaderIsLiftedOntoTheBaselineNotLeftOnTheDescender() {
+        // Bottom-alignment alone leaves the leader on the descender line — the user-visible
+        // fix is the upward lift, so pin that the leader carries a positive bottom margin.
+        List<DocumentNode> nodes = new TocBuilder()
+                .leader(DocumentLeader.DOTS)
+                .entry("Introduction", "intro")
+                .buildEntries();
+
+        LineNode leader = (LineNode) ((RowNode) nodes.get(nodes.size() - 1)).children().stream()
+                .filter(LineNode.class::isInstance)
+                .findFirst()
+                .orElseThrow();
+        assertThat(leader.margin().bottom()).isGreaterThan(0.0);
+    }
+
     @Test
     void entryRejectsBlankLabel() {
         assertThatExceptionOfType(IllegalArgumentException.class)