diff --git a/src/lib/algolia-ask-ai.ts b/src/lib/algolia-ask-ai.ts
index 31f81ed9b8b..4f8092d71dd 100644
--- a/src/lib/algolia-ask-ai.ts
+++ b/src/lib/algolia-ask-ai.ts
@@ -75,10 +75,21 @@ function highlightedAskAiQuery(): string | null {
  * message DocSearch renders is the one it sends.
  *
  * Replaying is abandoned if the user keeps typing or leaves, and falls through to the original
- * behaviour on timeout so Enter can never be swallowed outright.
+ * behaviour on timeout so Enter can never be swallowed outright. At most one wait is ever pending:
+ * a later Enter supersedes it and uninstall clears it, so a replay can never land after the
+ * question it was holding back has already been asked.
  */
 function installStaleQuestionGuard(): () => void {
   let replaying = false
+  let poll: number | undefined
+
+  const stopPoll = () => {
+    if (poll === undefined) {
+      return
+    }
+    window.clearInterval(poll)
+    poll = undefined
+  }
 
   const submit = (input: HTMLInputElement) => {
     replaying = true
@@ -101,6 +112,10 @@ function installStaleQuestionGuard(): () => void {
       return
     }
 
+    // Every Enter the user presses supersedes a wait already in flight, including one this guard
+    // lets through: DocSearch acts on it there and then, so replaying afterwards would ask twice.
+    stopPoll()
+
     const optionQuery = highlightedAskAiQuery()
     const intendedQuery = input.value
     if (optionQuery === null || normalizeQuery(optionQuery) === normalizeQuery(intendedQuery)) {
@@ -111,18 +126,18 @@ function installStaleQuestionGuard(): () => void {
     event.stopImmediatePropagation()
 
     const deadline = Date.now() + OPTION_CATCH_UP_TIMEOUT_MS
-    const poll = window.setInterval(() => {
+    poll = window.setInterval(() => {
       const caughtUp =
         normalizeQuery(highlightedAskAiQuery() ?? '') === normalizeQuery(intendedQuery)
       const abandoned = !input.isConnected || input.value !== intendedQuery
 
       if (abandoned) {
-        window.clearInterval(poll)
+        stopPoll()
         return
       }
 
       if (caughtUp || Date.now() > deadline) {
-        window.clearInterval(poll)
+        stopPoll()
         submit(input)
       }
     }, OPTION_CATCH_UP_POLL_MS)
@@ -131,6 +146,7 @@ function installStaleQuestionGuard(): () => void {
   document.addEventListener('keydown', onKeyDown, true)
 
   return () => {
+    stopPoll()
     document.removeEventListener('keydown', onKeyDown, true)
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/scss/theme/_doc-search.scss b/src/scss/theme/_doc-search.scss
index 93ab42ffbf5..96d021c67dd 100644
--- a/src/scss/theme/_doc-search.scss
+++ b/src/scss/theme/_doc-search.scss
@@ -236,6 +236,15 @@
   }
 }
 
+// Ask AI renders a fenced code block as `<pre><code class="language-js">`, which the site's Prism
+// theme claims with `!important` and paints in the light gray it uses on the dark code blocks of
+// doc pages. DocSearch backs its code blocks with the modal surface instead, so in light mode that
+// gray lands on near-white. Matched from the document because this markup is shared by the search
+// modal and the sidepanel.
+.DocSearch-Markdown-Content [class*='language-'] {
+  color: var(--docsearch-text-color) !important;
+}
+
 .main-wrapper {
   .search-page-wrapper & {
     margin: auto;