diff --git a/ui/src/components/OperationPanel.jsx b/ui/src/components/OperationPanel.jsx
index a498961..f616267 100644
--- a/ui/src/components/OperationPanel.jsx
+++ b/ui/src/components/OperationPanel.jsx
@@ -237,6 +237,15 @@ const FIELDS = [
   ['pct',    '% change'],
 ]
 
+// Exactly one box per measure is live -- scaleInputs is keyed by measure, so
+// focusing another row hands that measure's edit over rather than adding a
+// second one. The other two are the same number said differently, so they are
+// drawn as output: no border, no ground, muted. They are still editable, and a
+// border on hover is what says so.
+//
+// Both states used to be full input boxes differing by a border colour, which
+// made three typed figures out of one typed figure and two calculations.
+//
 // given the active edit for a measure, what do the three rows read?
 // dp is the measure's own precision, so the editable rows read the same way as
 // the lines above them -- whole dollars against whole dollars, five places
@@ -328,11 +337,16 @@ function LedgerInput({ value, active, onChange, onFocus, suffix }) {
           onChange(el.value.replace(/,/g, ''))
         }}
         onFocus={onFocus} placeholder="—"
+        title={active ? undefined : 'Derived — click to enter the number this way instead'}
         className={`border rounded py-0.5 text-xs w-24 text-right font-mono tabular-nums
+          transition-colors
           ${suffix ? 'pl-2 pr-5' : 'px-2'}
-          ${active ? 'border-blue-400 bg-blue-50/40 text-gray-800' : 'border-gray-200 bg-white text-gray-700'}`} />
+          ${active
+            ? 'border-blue-400 bg-blue-50/40 text-gray-900 font-medium'
+            : 'border-transparent bg-transparent text-gray-400 hover:border-gray-300 hover:bg-white'}`} />
       {suffix && (
-        <span className="absolute right-1.5 text-gray-400 pointer-events-none"
+        <span className={`absolute right-1.5 pointer-events-none
+          ${active ? 'text-gray-500' : 'text-gray-300'}`}
               style={{ fontSize: '10px' }}>{suffix}</span>
       )}
     </span>