diff --git a/ui/src/index.css b/ui/src/index.css
index 7d42f87ed7c..f58e1bfac02 100644
--- a/ui/src/index.css
+++ b/ui/src/index.css
@@ -442,13 +442,13 @@
   align-items: center;
   gap: 0.25rem;
   margin: 0 0.1rem;
-  padding: 0.05rem 0.45rem;
+  padding: 0 0.45rem;
   border: 1px solid var(--border);
   border-radius: 999px;
   font-size: 0.75rem;
-  line-height: 1.3;
+  line-height: 1.25;
   text-decoration: none;
-  vertical-align: baseline;
+  vertical-align: middle;
   white-space: nowrap;
   user-select: none;
 }
@@ -860,15 +860,16 @@ span.paperclip-project-mention-chip {
   align-items: center;
   gap: 0.25rem;
   margin: 0 0.1rem;
-  padding: 0.05rem 0.45rem;
+  padding: 0 0.45rem;
   border: 1px solid var(--border);
   border-radius: 999px;
   font-size: 0.75rem;
-  line-height: 1.3;
+  line-height: 1.25;
   text-decoration: none;
-  /* Align the pill relative to the surrounding text baseline instead of its
-     x-height midpoint so it sits on the text line rather than floating above. */
-  vertical-align: baseline;
+  /* Center the pill on the surrounding x-height so it sits on the text line
+     instead of hanging below it. inline-flex baseline alignment is unreliable
+     across browsers, so use vertical-align: middle for a predictable result. */
+  vertical-align: middle;
   white-space: nowrap;
 }
 
diff --git a/ui/storybook/stories/forms-editors.stories.tsx b/ui/storybook/stories/forms-editors.stories.tsx
index c8e49573ac8..2a5e6b8c4ed 100644
--- a/ui/storybook/stories/forms-editors.stories.tsx
+++ b/ui/storybook/stories/forms-editors.stories.tsx
@@ -92,6 +92,8 @@ Ship criteria for the board UI refresh:
 - [x] Keep comments and task updates auditable
 - [ ] Attach screenshots after QA
 
+Tooling: lean on [/react-perf-optimizer](skill://skill-react-perf?s=react-perf-optimizer) and [/vercel-react-best-practices](skill://skill-vercel-react?s=vercel-react-best-practices) so we don't regress render performance on the page it's open to. Inline skill chips like [/release-changelog](skill://skill-release?s=release-changelog) must sit on the surrounding text line, not hang below it.
+
 | Surface | Owner | State |
 | --- | --- | --- |
 | Issues | CodexCoder | In progress |