diff --git a/edit.html b/edit.html
index 7efc20ce..54b474e3 100644
--- a/edit.html
+++ b/edit.html
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@
     <link rel="stylesheet" href="/edit/codemirror-default.css">
 
     <template data-id="appliesTo">
-      <li>
+      <li class="applies-to-item">
         <div class="select-resizer">
           <select name="applies-type" class="applies-type style-contributor">
             <option value="url" i18n-text="appliesUrlOption"></option>
diff --git a/edit/applies-to-line-widget.js b/edit/applies-to-line-widget.js
index 91d26f63..aea28e47 100644
--- a/edit/applies-to-line-widget.js
+++ b/edit/applies-to-line-widget.js
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ function createAppliesToLineWidget(cm) {
   const THROTTLE_DELAY = 400;
   let TPL, EVENTS, CLICK_ROUTE;
   let widgets = [];
-  let fromLine, toLine, styleVariables;
+  let fromLine, toLine, actualStyle;
   let initialized = false;
   return {toggle};
 
@@ -29,23 +29,14 @@ function createAppliesToLineWidget(cm) {
           $create('label', t('appliesLabel')),
           $create('ul.applies-to-list'),
         ]),
-      listItem:
-        $create('li.applies-to-item', [
-          $create('select.applies-type', [
-            $create('option', {value: 'url'}, t('appliesUrlOption')),
-            $create('option', {value: 'url-prefix'}, t('appliesUrlPrefixOption')),
-            $create('option', {value: 'domain'}, t('appliesDomainOption')),
-            $create('option', {value: 'regexp'}, t('appliesRegexpOption')),
-          ]),
-          $create('input.applies-value', {spellcheck: false}),
-          $create('button.test-regexp', t('styleRegexpTestButton')),
-          $create('button.remove-applies-to', t('appliesRemove')),
-          $create('button.add-applies-to', t('appliesAdd')),
-        ]),
+      listItem: template.appliesTo,
       appliesToEverything:
         $create('li.applies-to-everything', t('appliesToEverything')),
     };
 
+    $('button', TPL.listItem).insertAdjacentElement('afterend',
+      $create('button.test-regexp', t('styleRegexpTestButton')));
+
     CLICK_ROUTE = {
       '.test-regexp': (item, apply) => {
         regExpTester.toggle();
@@ -136,15 +127,13 @@ function createAppliesToLineWidget(cm) {
       }
     };
 
-    styleVariables = $create('style');
+    actualStyle = $create('style');
     fromLine = 0;
     toLine = cm.doc.size;
 
     cm.on('change', onChange);
     cm.on('optionChange', onOptionChange);
 
-    // is it possible to avoid flickering?
-    window.addEventListener('load', updateWidgetStyle);
     chrome.runtime.onMessage.addListener(onRuntimeMessage);
 
     updateWidgetStyle();
@@ -158,9 +147,8 @@ function createAppliesToLineWidget(cm) {
     widgets.length = 0;
     cm.off('change', onChange);
     cm.off('optionChange', onOptionChange);
-    window.removeEventListener('load', updateWidgetStyle);
     chrome.runtime.onMessage.removeListener(onRuntimeMessage);
-    styleVariables.remove();
+    actualStyle.remove();
   }
 
   function onChange(cm, event) {
@@ -229,24 +217,112 @@ function createAppliesToLineWidget(cm) {
   }
 
   function updateWidgetStyle() {
-    const gutterStyle = getComputedStyle(cm.getGutterElement());
-    const borderStyle = gutterStyle.borderRightWidth !== '0px' ?
-      `${gutterStyle.borderRightWidth} ${gutterStyle.borderRightStyle} ${gutterStyle.borderRightColor}` :
-      `1px solid ${gutterStyle.color}`;
-    const id = Date.now();
-    styleVariables.textContent = `
-      .single-editor {
-        --at-background-color-${id}: ${gutterStyle.backgroundColor};
-        --at-border-top-${id}: ${borderStyle};
-        --at-border-bottom-${id}: ${borderStyle};
-      }
+    const MIN_LUMA = .05;
+    const MIN_LUMA_DIFF = .4;
+    const color = {
+      wrapper: getRealColors(cm.display.wrapper),
+      gutter: getRealColors(cm.display.gutters, {
+        bg: 'backgroundColor',
+        border: 'borderRightColor',
+      }),
+      line: getRealColors('.CodeMirror-linenumber'),
+      comment: getRealColors('span.cm-comment'),
+    };
+    const hasBorder =
+      color.gutter.style.borderRightWidth !== '0px' &&
+      !/transparent|\b0\)/g.test(color.gutter.style.borderRightColor);
+    const diff = {
+      wrapper: Math.abs(color.gutter.bgLuma - color.wrapper.foreLuma),
+      border: hasBorder ? Math.abs(color.gutter.bgLuma - color.gutter.borderLuma) : 0,
+      line: Math.abs(color.gutter.bgLuma - color.line.foreLuma),
+    };
+    const preferLine = diff.line > diff.wrapper || diff.line > MIN_LUMA_DIFF;
+    const fore = preferLine ? color.line.fore : color.wrapper.fore;
+
+    const border = fore.replace(/[\d.]+(?=\))/, MIN_LUMA_DIFF / 2);
+    const borderStyleForced = `1px ${hasBorder ? color.gutter.style.borderRightStyle : 'solid'} ${border}`;
+
+    actualStyle.textContent = `
       .applies-to {
-        background-color: var(--at-background-color-${id});
-        border-top: var(--at-border-top-${id});
-        border-bottom: var(--at-border-bottom-${id});
+        background-color: ${color.gutter.bg};
+        border-top: ${borderStyleForced};
+        border-bottom: ${borderStyleForced};
+      }
+      .applies-to label {
+        color: ${fore};
+      }
+      .applies-to input,
+      .applies-to select {
+        background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, ${
+          Math.max(MIN_LUMA, Math.pow(Math.max(0, color.gutter.bgLuma - MIN_LUMA * 2), 2)).toFixed(2)
+        });
+        border: ${borderStyleForced};
+        transition: none;
+        color: ${fore};
+      }
+      .applies-to .svg-icon.select-arrow {
+        fill: ${fore};
+        transition: none;
       }
     `;
-    document.documentElement.appendChild(styleVariables);
+    document.documentElement.appendChild(actualStyle);
+
+    function getRealColors(el, targets = {}) {
+      targets.fore = 'color';
+      const colors = {};
+      const done = {};
+      let numDone = 0;
+      let numTotal = 0;
+      for (const k in targets) {
+        colors[k] = {r: 255, g: 255, b: 255, a: 1};
+        numTotal++;
+      }
+      const isDummy = typeof el === 'string';
+      el = isDummy ? cm.display.lineDiv.appendChild($create(el, {style: 'display: none'})) : el;
+      for (let current = el; current; current = current && current.parentElement) {
+        const style = getComputedStyle(current);
+        for (const k in targets) {
+          if (!done[k]) {
+            done[k] = blend(colors[k], style[targets[k]]);
+            numDone += done[k] ? 1 : 0;
+            if (numDone === numTotal) {
+              current = null;
+              break;
+            }
+          }
+        }
+        colors.style = colors.style || style;
+      }
+      if (isDummy) {
+        el.remove();
+      }
+      for (const k in targets) {
+        const {r, g, b, a} = colors[k];
+        colors[k] = `rgba(${r}, ${g}, ${b}, ${a})`;
+        // https://www.w3.org/TR/AERT#color-contrast
+        colors[k + 'Luma'] = (r * .299 + g * .587 + b * .114) / 256;
+      }
+      return colors;
+    }
+
+    function blend(base, color) {
+      const [r, g, b, a = 255] = (color.match(/\d+/g) || []).map(Number);
+      if (a === 255) {
+        base.r = r;
+        base.g = g;
+        base.b = b;
+        base.a = 1;
+      } else if (a) {
+        const mixedA = 1 - (1 - a / 255) * (1 - base.a);
+        const q1 = a / 255 / mixedA;
+        const q2 = base.a * (1 - mixedA) / mixedA;
+        base.r = Math.round(r * q1 + base.r * q2);
+        base.g = Math.round(g * q1 + base.g * q2);
+        base.b = Math.round(b * q1 + base.b * q2);
+        base.a = mixedA;
+      }
+      return Math.abs(base.a - 1) < 1e-3;
+    }
   }
 
   function doUpdate() {
diff --git a/edit/codemirror-default.css b/edit/codemirror-default.css
index 72370f4c..66ef1966 100644
--- a/edit/codemirror-default.css
+++ b/edit/codemirror-default.css
@@ -56,7 +56,3 @@
   position: absolute;
   pointer-events: none;
 }
-
-.CodeMirror-activeline .applies-to ul {
-  z-index: 2;
-}