diff --git a/.changeset/retry-theme-palette-reads.md b/.changeset/retry-theme-palette-reads.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..aa8641e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/retry-theme-palette-reads.md
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+---
+"@kitlangton/ghui": patch
+---
+
+retry terminal palette reads during theme reload signals and keep the existing
+system theme when the terminal only returns incomplete palette data
diff --git a/src/index.tsx b/src/index.tsx
index 424286e..5604d95 100755
--- a/src/index.tsx
+++ b/src/index.tsx
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import { createRoot, useRenderer, useTerminalDimensions } from "@opentui/react"
 import { Effect } from "effect"
 import { useEffect, useState } from "react"
 import { loadStoredSystemThemeAutoReload } from "./themeStore.js"
-import { colors, setSystemThemeColors } from "./ui/colors.js"
+import { colors, isHexColor, setSystemThemeColors } from "./ui/colors.js"
 import { LoadingLogoPane } from "./ui/LoadingLogo.js"
 import { SPINNER_INTERVAL_MS } from "./ui/spinner.js"
 
@@ -32,6 +32,23 @@ type AppBundle = {
 }
 
 let notifySystemThemeReload = () => {}
+let signalTimer: ReturnType<typeof globalThis.setTimeout> | null = null
+let reloadToken = 0
+
+const SYSTEM_THEME_SIGNAL_DELAY_MS = 150
+const SYSTEM_THEME_RETRY_DELAYS_MS = [150, 300] as const
+
+const hasCompleteTerminalPalette = (terminalColors: {
+	readonly palette: readonly (string | null)[]
+	readonly defaultForeground: string | null
+	readonly defaultBackground: string | null
+}) =>
+	isHexColor(terminalColors.defaultForeground) &&
+	isHexColor(terminalColors.defaultBackground) &&
+	terminalColors.palette.length >= 16 &&
+	terminalColors.palette.slice(0, 16).every(isHexColor)
+
+const sleep = (delayMs: number) => new Promise<void>((resolve) => globalThis.setTimeout(resolve, delayMs))
 
 const StartupLogo = () => {
 	const startupRenderer = useRenderer()
@@ -64,22 +81,55 @@ const renderer = await createCliRenderer({
 	},
 })
 
-const reloadSystemThemeColors = async () => {
+const readSystemThemeColors = () => {
 	renderer.clearPaletteCache()
-	const terminalColors = await renderer.getPalette({ timeout: 150, size: 16 })
+	return renderer.getPalette({ timeout: 150, size: 16 })
+}
+
+const readThemeColorsAfterRetries = async () => {
+	let palette: Awaited<ReturnType<typeof readSystemThemeColors>> | null = null
+
+	const readNext = async () => {
+		const terminalColors = await readSystemThemeColors()
+		if (hasCompleteTerminalPalette(terminalColors)) palette = terminalColors
+	}
+
+	await readNext()
+	for (const delayMs of SYSTEM_THEME_RETRY_DELAYS_MS) {
+		await sleep(delayMs)
+		await readNext()
+	}
+
+	return palette
+}
+
+const reloadSystemThemeColors = async () => {
+	const terminalColors = await readSystemThemeColors()
 	setSystemThemeColors(terminalColors)
 	renderer.setBackgroundColor(colors.background)
 	notifySystemThemeReload()
 }
 
-const reloadSystemThemeColorsFromSignal = async () => {
+const reloadSystemThemeColorsFromSignal = async (token: number) => {
 	const systemThemeAutoReload = await Effect.runPromise(loadStoredSystemThemeAutoReload)
+	if (token !== reloadToken) return
 	if (!systemThemeAutoReload) return
-	await reloadSystemThemeColors()
+	const terminalColors = await readThemeColorsAfterRetries()
+	if (token !== reloadToken) return
+	if (terminalColors === null) return
+	setSystemThemeColors(terminalColors)
+	renderer.setBackgroundColor(colors.background)
+	notifySystemThemeReload()
 }
 
 process.on("SIGUSR2", () => {
-	void reloadSystemThemeColorsFromSignal().catch(() => {})
+	reloadToken += 1
+	const token = reloadToken
+	if (signalTimer !== null) globalThis.clearTimeout(signalTimer)
+	signalTimer = globalThis.setTimeout(() => {
+		signalTimer = null
+		void reloadSystemThemeColorsFromSignal(token).catch(() => {})
+	}, SYSTEM_THEME_SIGNAL_DELAY_MS)
 })
 
 const Bootstrap = () => {
diff --git a/src/ui/colors.ts b/src/ui/colors.ts
index 6a767ba..a29fe3f 100644
--- a/src/ui/colors.ts
+++ b/src/ui/colors.ts
@@ -85,7 +85,11 @@ interface TerminalThemeColors {
 	readonly highlightForeground: string | null
 }
 
-const readableHex = (value: string | null | undefined, fallback: string) => (typeof value === "string" && /^#[0-9a-fA-F]{6}(?:[0-9a-fA-F]{2})?$/.test(value) ? value : fallback)
+const HEX_COLOR_RE = /^#[0-9a-fA-F]{6}(?:[0-9a-fA-F]{2})?$/
+
+export const isHexColor = (value: string | null | undefined): value is string => typeof value === "string" && HEX_COLOR_RE.test(value)
+
+const readableHex = (value: string | null | undefined, fallback: string) => (isHexColor(value) ? value : fallback)
 
 const hexToRgb = (hex: string) => {
 	const value = hex.replace(/^#/, "").slice(0, 6)