diff --git a/_locales/en/messages.json b/_locales/en/messages.json
index b018fb0c..f3cb29de 100644
--- a/_locales/en/messages.json
+++ b/_locales/en/messages.json
@@ -1086,11 +1086,8 @@
   "optionsAdvancedNewStyleAsUsercss": {
     "message": "Write new style as usercss"
   },
-  "optionsAdvancedAutoSwitchScheme": {
-    "message": "Toggle Light/Dark Mode styles automatically"
-  },
   "optionsAdvancedAutoSwitchSchemeNever": {
-    "message": "Never"
+    "message": "Disabled. The dark/light setting in styles is ignored."
   },
   "optionsAdvancedAutoSwitchSchemeBySystem": {
     "message": "By system preference"
@@ -1312,26 +1309,20 @@
     "description": "Label for the checkbox controlling section order in the popup."
   },
   "preferScheme": {
-    "message": "Dark/Light mode preference:"
+    "message": "Dark/Light mode preference"
+  },
+  "preferSchemeAlways": {
+    "message": "Currently ignored (the style always applies) because the global Dark/Light mode is disabled"
   },
   "preferSchemeDark": {
     "message": "Dark"
   },
-  "preferSchemeDarkOnly": {
-    "message": "Dark (strict)"
-  },
   "preferSchemeLight": {
     "message": "Light"
   },
-  "preferSchemeLightOnly": {
-    "message": "Light (strict)"
-  },
   "preferSchemeNone": {
     "message": "None (always applied)"
   },
-  "preferSchemeTip": {
-    "message": "The style will be applied in a matching Dark/Light global mode. For strict options, the mode being active is mandatory, so the style doesn't apply when the mode is 'Never'. For non-strict options, the style also applies when the user doesn't care i.e. the global mode is 'Never'."
-  },
   "prefShowBadge": {
     "message": "Number of styles active for the current site",
     "description": "Label for the checkbox controlling toolbar badge text."
diff --git a/background/color-scheme.js b/background/color-scheme.js
index 300322c2..1c389623 100644
--- a/background/color-scheme.js
+++ b/background/color-scheme.js
@@ -8,11 +8,17 @@ const colorScheme = (() => {
   const kSTATE = 'schemeSwitcher.enabled';
   const kSTART = 'schemeSwitcher.nightStart';
   const kEND = 'schemeSwitcher.nightEnd';
-  const SCHEMES = ['dark', 'light', 'dark!', 'light!']; // ! = only if schemeSwitcher is enabled
-  const isDark = {never: null, system: false, time: false};
+  const SCHEMES = ['dark', 'light'];
+  const isDark = {
+    never: null,
+    dark: true,
+    light: false,
+    system: false,
+    time: false,
+  };
   let isDarkNow = false;
 
-  prefs.subscribe(kSTATE, () => emitChange());
+  prefs.subscribe(kSTATE, () => update());
   prefs.subscribe([kSTART, kEND], (key, value) => {
     updateTimePreferDark();
     createAlarm(key, value);
@@ -28,17 +34,25 @@ const colorScheme = (() => {
     onChange(listener) {
       changeListeners.add(listener);
     },
-    shouldIncludeStyle({preferScheme: val}) {
-      return !SCHEMES.includes(val) ||
-        !val.endsWith('!') && prefs.get(kSTATE) === 'never' ||
-        val.startsWith('dark') === isDarkNow;
+    /** @param {StyleObj | 'darkUI'} val - the string is used by the built-in dark themer */
+    shouldIncludeStyle(val) {
+      return val === 'darkUI'
+        ? isDarkNow
+        : prefs.get(kSTATE) === 'never' ||
+          !SCHEMES.includes(val = val.preferScheme) ||
+          isDarkNow === (val === 'dark');
     },
     updateSystemPreferDark(val) {
-      emitChange('system', val);
+      update('system', val);
       return true;
     },
   };
 
+  function calcTime(key) {
+    const [h, m] = prefs.get(key).split(':');
+    return (h * 3600 + m * 60) * 1000;
+  }
+
   function createAlarm(key, value) {
     const date = new Date();
     const [h, m] = value.split(':');
@@ -59,22 +73,20 @@ const colorScheme = (() => {
     const val = start > end ?
       now >= start || now < end :
       now >= start && now < end;
-    emitChange('time', val);
+    update('time', val);
   }
 
-  function calcTime(key) {
-    const [h, m] = prefs.get(key).split(':');
-    return (h * 3600 + m * 60) * 1000;
-  }
-
-  function emitChange(type, val) {
+  function update(type, val) {
     if (type) {
       if (isDark[type] === val) return;
       isDark[type] = val;
     }
-    isDarkNow = isDark[prefs.get(kSTATE)];
-    for (const listener of changeListeners) {
-      listener(isDarkNow);
+    val = isDark[prefs.get(kSTATE)];
+    if (isDarkNow !== val) {
+      isDarkNow = val;
+      for (const listener of changeListeners) {
+        listener(isDarkNow);
+      }
     }
   }
 })();
diff --git a/edit/codemirror-default.css b/edit/codemirror-default.css
index 0fdf0791..191b9813 100644
--- a/edit/codemirror-default.css
+++ b/edit/codemirror-default.css
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@
   background: linear-gradient(0deg, hsla(180, 100%, 30%, .75) 2px, hsla(180, 100%, 30%, .2) 2px);
 }
 
-@media not screen, dark {
+@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
   .CodeMirror-dialog {
     background-color: #333;
   }
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@
   .cm-s-default .cm-operator { color: #d2c057 }
   .cm-s-default .cm-string { color: #f28b54 }
   .cm-s-default .cm-variable { color: #d9d9d9 }
-  .cm-s-default .cm-variable-2 { color: #05a }
+  .cm-s-default .cm-variable-2 { color: #72b9ff }
   .cm-s-default .cm-variable-3 { color: #9bbbdc }
 
   @keyframes highlight {
diff --git a/edit/settings.html b/edit/settings.html
index 83495186..a83a958f 100644
--- a/edit/settings.html
+++ b/edit/settings.html
@@ -8,9 +8,7 @@
     </div>
     <div id="ss-scheme">
       <div i18n-text="preferScheme">
-        <a tabindex="0" data-cmd="note" i18n-title="preferSchemeTip">
-          <svg class="svg-icon info"><use xlink:href="#svg-icon-help"/></svg>
-        </a>
+        <div><small id="ss-scheme-off" i18n-text="preferSchemeAlways" hidden></small></div>
       </div>
       <label i18n-text-append="preferSchemeNone" class="ss-radio">
         <input name="ss-scheme" type="radio" value="none">
@@ -18,15 +16,9 @@
       <label i18n-text-append="preferSchemeDark" class="ss-radio">
         <input name="ss-scheme" type="radio" value="dark">
       </label>
-      <label i18n-text-append="preferSchemeDarkOnly" class="ss-radio">
-        <input name="ss-scheme" type="radio" value="dark!">
-      </label>
       <label i18n-text-append="preferSchemeLight" class="ss-radio">
         <input name="ss-scheme" type="radio" value="light">
       </label>
-      <label i18n-text-append="preferSchemeLightOnly" class="ss-radio">
-        <input name="ss-scheme" type="radio" value="light!">
-      </label>
     </div>
     <label i18n-text="styleIncludeLabel">
       <textarea id="ss-inclusions" spellcheck="false" class="w100"
diff --git a/edit/settings.js b/edit/settings.js
index 855bdb0a..b415c1bc 100644
--- a/edit/settings.js
+++ b/edit/settings.js
@@ -2,11 +2,12 @@
 /* global API */// msg.js
 /* global editor */
 /* global helpPopup */// util.js
+/* global prefs */
 /* global t */// localization.js
 /* global debounce tryURL */// toolbox.js
-/* exported StyleSettings */
 'use strict';
 
+/* exported StyleSettings */
 async function StyleSettings() {
   const AUTOSAVE_DELAY = 500; // same as config-dialog.js
   const SS_ID = 'styleSettings';
@@ -31,6 +32,9 @@ async function StyleSettings() {
     initArea('exclusions'),
   ];
   update();
+  prefs.subscribe('schemeSwitcher.enabled', (_, val) => {
+    $('#ss-scheme-off', ui).hidden = val !== 'never';
+  }, {runNow: true});
   window.on(SS_ID, update);
   window.on('closeHelp', () => window.off(SS_ID, update), {once: true});
   helpPopup.show(t(SS_ID), ui, {
diff --git a/global-dark.css b/global-dark.css
index 80c3f9b2..385b043c 100644
--- a/global-dark.css
+++ b/global-dark.css
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-@media not screen, dark {
+@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
   :root {
     /* Comfortable dark themes don't use absolutes so the range is compressed */
     --c00: hsl(0, 0%, 80%);
diff --git a/install-usercss/install-usercss.js b/install-usercss/install-usercss.js
index bd89b794..3202e4bb 100644
--- a/install-usercss/install-usercss.js
+++ b/install-usercss/install-usercss.js
@@ -45,7 +45,12 @@ setTimeout(() => !cm && showSpinner($('#header')), 200);
   }
   ({tabId, initialUrl} = preinit);
   liveReload = initLiveReload();
-  preinit.tpl.then(el => $('#ss-scheme').append(...$('#ss-scheme', el).children));
+  preinit.tpl.then(el => {
+    $('#ss-scheme').append(...$('#ss-scheme', el).children);
+    prefs.subscribe('schemeSwitcher.enabled', (_, val) => {
+      $('#ss-scheme-off').hidden = val !== 'never';
+    }, {runNow: true});
+  });
 
   const [
     {dup, style, error, sourceCode},
diff --git a/js/dark-themer.js b/js/dark-themer.js
index 771ee921..ca983e13 100644
--- a/js/dark-themer.js
+++ b/js/dark-themer.js
@@ -4,12 +4,13 @@
 /**
  * This file must be loaded in a <script> tag placed after all the <link> tags
  * that contain dark themes so that the stylesheets are loaded synchronously
- * by the time this script runs. The CSS must use `@media not screen, dark {}`
- * to ensure the rules are loaded before the first paint in inactive state,
- * then we activate it here.
+ * by the time this script runs. The CSS must use `@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {}`
+ * to ensure the rules are loaded before the first paint, then we toggle the rule here,
+ * which also happens before the first paint unless the browser "yields", but that's abnormal
+ * and not even a problem in the most popular case of using system dark/light mode.
  */
 
-API.colorScheme.shouldIncludeStyle({preferScheme: 'dark!'}).then(val => {
+API.colorScheme.shouldIncludeStyle('darkUI').then(val => {
   let isDark = val;
   toggleDarkStyles();
   msg.onExtension(e => {
@@ -21,8 +22,8 @@ API.colorScheme.shouldIncludeStyle({preferScheme: 'dark!'}).then(val => {
   function toggleDarkStyles() {
     for (const sheet of document.styleSheets) {
       for (const {media: m} of sheet.cssRules) {
-        if (m && m[1] === 'dark' && (m[0] === 'screen') !== isDark) {
-          m.mediaText = `${isDark ? '' : 'not '}screen, dark`;
+        if (m && /dark/.test(m) && (m[0] === 'screen') !== isDark) {
+          m.mediaText = isDark ? 'screen,dark' : 'dark';
         }
       }
     }
diff --git a/options.html b/options.html
index 4b2655a1..4513d41a 100644
--- a/options.html
+++ b/options.html
@@ -52,14 +52,14 @@
         <h1 i18n-text="stylePreferSchemeLabel"></h1>
         <div class="items">
           <div class="radio-group">
-            <span i18n-text="optionsAdvancedAutoSwitchScheme" class="radio-group-label"></span>
-            <label class="radio-group-item">
-              <input type="radio" value="never" name="schemeSwitcher.enabled" class="radio">
-              <span i18n-text="optionsAdvancedAutoSwitchSchemeNever"></span>
+            <label class="radio-group-item" i18n-text-append="preferSchemeDark">
+              <input type="radio" value="light" name="schemeSwitcher.enabled" class="radio">
             </label>
-            <label class="radio-group-item">
+            <label class="radio-group-item" i18n-text-append="preferSchemeLight">
+              <input type="radio" value="dark" name="schemeSwitcher.enabled" class="radio">
+            </label>
+            <label class="radio-group-item" i18n-text-append="optionsAdvancedAutoSwitchSchemeBySystem">
               <input type="radio" value="system" name="schemeSwitcher.enabled" class="radio">
-              <span i18n-text="optionsAdvancedAutoSwitchSchemeBySystem"></span>
             </label>
             <label class="radio-group-item">
               <input type="radio" value="time" name="schemeSwitcher.enabled" class="radio">
@@ -68,6 +68,9 @@
               ~
               <input type="time" required id="schemeSwitcher.nightEnd">
             </label>
+            <label class="radio-group-item" i18n-text-append="optionsAdvancedAutoSwitchSchemeNever">
+              <input type="radio" value="never" name="schemeSwitcher.enabled" class="radio">
+            </label>
           </div>
         </div>
       </div>