diff --git a/src/pages/index.astro b/src/pages/index.astro
index 4399d81..6956153 100644
--- a/src/pages/index.astro
+++ b/src/pages/index.astro
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ const base = import.meta.env.BASE_URL;
         <label class="search-field">
           <svg class="search-icon" viewBox="0 0 24 24" aria-hidden="true"><circle cx="11" cy="11" r="7" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"/><path d="m20 20-4-4" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round"/></svg>
           <span class="sr-only">Search the documentation and the samples</span>
-          <input id="search-input" type="search" placeholder="Search docs and samples" autocomplete="off" spellcheck="false" role="combobox" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="search-results" aria-autocomplete="list">
+          <input id="search-input" type="search" placeholder="Search" autocomplete="off" spellcheck="false" role="combobox" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="search-results" aria-autocomplete="list">
           <kbd class="search-key" aria-hidden="true">Ctrl K</kbd>
         </label>
         <div class="search-results" id="search-results" role="listbox" aria-label="Results" hidden></div>
diff --git a/src/styles/global.css b/src/styles/global.css
index a40b30e..0077158 100644
--- a/src/styles/global.css
+++ b/src/styles/global.css
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
   --line: #e2e6ec;
   --bg: #ffffff;
   --card: #ffffff;
+  --soft: #f5f6f8;
   --shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(15, 23, 42, .06), 0 8px 24px rgba(15, 23, 42, .06);
   --width: 1100px;
   --font: Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;
@@ -37,6 +38,7 @@
     --line: #273042;
     --bg: #0f1522;
     --card: #172033;
+    --soft: #161e2e;
     --shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, .3), 0 8px 24px rgba(0, 0, 0, .25);
   }
 }
@@ -77,7 +79,7 @@ img { max-width: 100%; height: auto; }
 [hidden] { display: none !important; }
 .sr-only { position: absolute; width: 1px; height: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); white-space: nowrap; border: 0; }
 .hello { display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 24px; margin: 28px 0 40px; }
-.hello-text { flex: 1 1 auto; min-width: 0; display: grid; grid-template-columns: minmax(0, 1fr); gap: 20px; }
+.hello-text { flex: 1 1 auto; min-width: 0; display: grid; grid-template-columns: minmax(0, 1fr); gap: 14px; }
 .welcome {
   margin: 0; color: var(--ink);
   font-size: clamp(28px, 4vw, 40px); font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: -.025em; line-height: 1.15;
@@ -90,30 +92,31 @@ img { max-width: 100%; height: auto; }
   .hello-text { display: contents; }
   .welcome { grid-area: 1 / 1; }
   .hello-logo { grid-area: 1 / 2; width: 64px; height: 64px; align-self: center; }
-  .search { grid-area: 2 / 1 / 3 / 3; max-width: none; }
+  .search { grid-area: 2 / 1 / 3 / 3; }
   .search-key { display: none; }
 }
 
-/* the box: as wide as a tile and a half, a soft field with the magnifier,
- * the word and the shortcut - the look of the search in the docs' bar */
-.search { position: relative; max-width: 480px; }
+/* the box: a quiet pill under the greeting - a soft fill, no border, muted
+ * type; it only shows its edge when the reader is in it */
+.search { position: relative; max-width: 190px; }
 .search-field {
-  display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 10px; height: 44px; padding: 0 10px 0 14px;
-  border: 1px solid var(--line); border-radius: 12px; background: var(--card); cursor: text;
-  transition: border-color .15s, box-shadow .15s;
+  display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 7px; height: 32px; padding: 0 8px 0 11px;
+  border: 1px solid transparent; border-radius: 16px; background: var(--soft); cursor: text;
+  transition: border-color .15s, background-color .15s;
 }
-.search-field:hover { border-color: var(--muted); }
-.search-field:focus-within { border-color: var(--brand); box-shadow: 0 0 0 3px var(--brand-soft); }
-.search-icon { width: 18px; height: 18px; flex: none; color: var(--muted); }
+.search-field:hover { border-color: var(--line); }
+.search-field:focus-within { border-color: var(--brand); background: var(--card); }
+.search-icon { width: 14px; height: 14px; flex: none; color: var(--muted); opacity: .7; }
 .search-field input {
   flex: 1 1 auto; min-width: 0; height: 100%; padding: 0; border: 0; outline: none; background: none;
-  color: var(--ink); font: inherit; font-size: 15px;
+  color: var(--ink); font: inherit; font-size: 13.5px;
 }
-.search-field input::placeholder { color: var(--muted); }
+.search-field input::placeholder { color: var(--muted); opacity: .8; }
 .search-field input::-webkit-search-cancel-button { display: none; }
+/* the shortcut in a small key cap, as in the docs' bar */
 .search-key {
-  flex: none; padding: 1px 7px; border: 1px solid var(--line); border-radius: 6px;
-  font: 500 12px/1.6 var(--font); color: var(--muted); white-space: nowrap;
+  flex: none; padding: 1px 5px; border: 1px solid var(--line); border-radius: 5px;
+  font: 500 10.5px/1.5 var(--font); color: var(--muted); white-space: nowrap;
 }
 .search-field:focus-within .search-key { visibility: hidden; }
 @media (hover: none) { .search-key { display: none; } }