diff --git a/src/completion.rs b/src/completion.rs
index 20f1524..ca986ef 100644
--- a/src/completion.rs
+++ b/src/completion.rs
@@ -199,6 +199,89 @@ pub struct InvalidIdent {
     pub slot: IdentSlot,
 }
 
+/// "User is typing a name" cursor state (round-3 follow-up).
+///
+/// Fires at `NewName` slots — positions where the user is
+/// expected to invent a name (new table, new column, new
+/// relationship). Used by the hint panel to surface a friendly
+/// "Type a name" hint instead of the technical "next: `(`"
+/// that would otherwise appear once the partial identifier
+/// gets consumed by the parser.
+///
+/// `next_after_name` is what the parser would expect once the
+/// user finishes typing the name — derived by re-parsing with
+/// a single-letter placeholder identifier substituted at the
+/// cursor. `None` when the post-name parse succeeds (the rest
+/// of the command is already in place) or has no meaningful
+/// next-token information (custom errors with empty expected
+/// set).
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq)]
+pub struct TypingName {
+    pub next_after_name: Option<String>,
+}
+
+/// `Some(_)` when the cursor is at or inside a `NewName`-slot
+/// position. Otherwise `None`.
+#[must_use]
+pub fn typing_name_at_cursor(input: &str, cursor: usize) -> Option<TypingName> {
+    let cursor = cursor.min(input.len());
+    let bytes = input.as_bytes();
+    let mut start = cursor;
+    while start > 0 {
+        let prev = bytes[start - 1];
+        if prev.is_ascii_alphanumeric() || prev == b'_' {
+            start -= 1;
+        } else {
+            break;
+        }
+    }
+    let leading = &input[..start];
+    let expected = expected_set(leading);
+    let is_new_name_slot = expected
+        .iter()
+        .filter_map(|item| IdentSlot::from_expected_label(item))
+        .any(|slot| slot == IdentSlot::NewName);
+    if !is_new_name_slot {
+        return None;
+    }
+    // Probe what comes after the name by substituting a
+    // single-letter identifier placeholder. Walk forward over
+    // any partial text past the cursor first so the probe
+    // replaces the user's in-progress name as a whole.
+    let mut end = cursor;
+    while end < bytes.len() {
+        let c = bytes[end];
+        if c.is_ascii_alphanumeric() || c == b'_' {
+            end += 1;
+        } else {
+            break;
+        }
+    }
+    let probe = format!("{}X{}", &input[..start], &input[end..]);
+    let next_after_name = match parse_command(&probe) {
+        Ok(_) => None,
+        Err(ParseError::Empty) => None,
+        Err(ParseError::Invalid { expected, .. }) if expected.is_empty() => None,
+        Err(ParseError::Invalid { expected, .. }) => Some(oxford_or(&expected)),
+    };
+    Some(TypingName { next_after_name })
+}
+
+/// English-style "A, B, or C" join used by the hint panel
+/// prose. Lifted out of `input_render` so the completion
+/// module can produce ready-to-render strings.
+fn oxford_or(items: &[String]) -> String {
+    match items {
+        [] => String::new(),
+        [a] => a.clone(),
+        [a, b] => format!("{a} or {b}"),
+        rest => {
+            let (last, head) = rest.split_last().expect("len >= 3");
+            format!("{}, or {last}", head.join(", "))
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 /// Detect "the user has typed an identifier here that the
 /// schema doesn't have." Returns `None` for any of:
 /// - cursor at empty / whitespace partial;
@@ -554,6 +637,54 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(cs.is_empty(), "got {cs:?}");
     }
 
+    // ---- typing_name_at_cursor (round-3 follow-up) ----
+
+    #[test]
+    fn typing_name_fires_at_new_column_slot_with_next_token() {
+        // After `add column to table T: ` the parser expects
+        // an identifier (NewName slot) followed by `(`. The
+        // probe substitutes a placeholder name and reads back
+        // that the next token is `(`.
+        let t = typing_name_at_cursor("add column to table T: ", 23)
+            .expect("should fire at NewName slot");
+        assert_eq!(t.next_after_name.as_deref(), Some("`(`"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn typing_name_fires_when_partial_name_already_typed() {
+        // Mid-typing the column name. typing_name_at_cursor
+        // walks back over the partial to find the slot, then
+        // probes forward as if the partial were a complete name.
+        let t = typing_name_at_cursor("add column to table T: Na", 25)
+            .expect("should fire at NewName slot with partial");
+        assert_eq!(t.next_after_name.as_deref(), Some("`(`"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn typing_name_does_not_fire_at_table_name_slot() {
+        // `show data ` — the slot is TableName, not NewName.
+        // The candidates path (or invalid-ident) handles it;
+        // typing_name should not fire.
+        assert!(typing_name_at_cursor("show data ", 10).is_none());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn typing_name_does_not_fire_at_keyword_slot() {
+        // `cr` at position 2 is a keyword slot.
+        assert!(typing_name_at_cursor("cr", 2).is_none());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn typing_name_yields_no_next_when_probe_succeeds() {
+        // `add column to table T: Name (text)` — the user is
+        // inside `Name`, and substituting any name there
+        // produces a complete command. No useful "next after
+        // name" hint.
+        let t = typing_name_at_cursor("add column to table T: Name (text)", 27)
+            .expect("should fire");
+        assert_eq!(t.next_after_name, None);
+    }
+
     // ---- invalid_ident_at_cursor (stage 8e) ----
 
     #[test]
diff --git a/src/dsl/parser.rs b/src/dsl/parser.rs
index 384fb0b..b7d4bf3 100644
--- a/src/dsl/parser.rs
+++ b/src/dsl/parser.rs
@@ -252,11 +252,21 @@ fn flag<'a>(
 /// existing "unknown type 'X' (expected one of: …)" message
 /// (ADR-0020 §4) — keyword-shape errors aggregate naturally,
 /// content errors keep their hand-written voice.
+///
+/// Labelled "type" so the structural-error wording reads as
+/// "next: type" rather than the unhelpful "something else"
+/// the unlabelled `select_ref!` would otherwise produce.
 fn type_keyword<'a>()
 -> impl Parser<'a, &'a [Token], Type, extra::Err<Rich<'a, Token>>> + Clone {
+    // Label is applied to the select-ref alone (before
+    // try_map) so the unknown-type custom error from try_map
+    // still surfaces — labelled() on the whole chain would
+    // replace it with "expected type" and lose the
+    // "unknown type 'X' (expected one of: …)" wording.
     select_ref! {
         Token { kind: TokenKind::Identifier(s), .. } = e => (s.clone(), e.span())
     }
+    .labelled("type")
     .try_map(|(name, span): (String, SimpleSpan), _| {
         name.parse::<Type>()
             .map_err(|err| Rich::custom(span, err.to_string()))
diff --git a/src/friendly/keys.rs b/src/friendly/keys.rs
index 82f21aa..c33a633 100644
--- a/src/friendly/keys.rs
+++ b/src/friendly/keys.rs
@@ -132,6 +132,11 @@ pub const KEYS_AND_PLACEHOLDERS: &[(&str, &[&str])] = &[
         "hint.ambient_invalid_ident",
         &["kind", "found"],
     ),
+    ("hint.ambient_typing_name", &[]),
+    (
+        "hint.ambient_typing_name_then",
+        &["next"],
+    ),
     // ---- Parse error rendering ----
     ("parse.available_commands", &["commands"]),
     ("parse.caret", &["padding"]),
diff --git a/src/friendly/strings/en-US.yaml b/src/friendly/strings/en-US.yaml
index 5c5370d..72ebec2 100644
--- a/src/friendly/strings/en-US.yaml
+++ b/src/friendly/strings/en-US.yaml
@@ -255,13 +255,24 @@ hint:
   # The hint panel goes ambient as soon as the user types
   # anything — empty input keeps the existing
   # `panel.hint_empty` content.
-  ambient_complete: "submit with Enter"
-  ambient_expected: "expected: {expected}"
+  # Hint sentences are full standalone phrases, capitalised
+  # at the start. Inline `{message}` substitutions inherit
+  # whatever case the source produced (parser errors,
+  # engine messages) — they're embedded mid-sentence so they
+  # stay lowercase by convention.
+  ambient_complete: "Submit with Enter"
+  ambient_expected: "Next: {expected}"
   ambient_error_with_usage: "{message} — usage: {usage}"
   # Invalid identifier in a schema slot (ADR-0022 stage 8e
   # + the user's #5). Voice mirrors ADR-0019's "no such
   # {kind}" wording for consistency with engine errors.
-  ambient_invalid_ident: "no such {kind}: `{found}`"
+  ambient_invalid_ident: "No such {kind}: `{found}`"
+  # User-invented-name slot (NewName per IdentSlot). The
+  # probe-derived `{next}` is what comes after the name —
+  # e.g. `(` after a new column name. Empty/unknown `next`
+  # falls through to `ambient_typing_name` instead.
+  ambient_typing_name: "Type a name"
+  ambient_typing_name_then: "Type a name, then {next}"
 
 parse:
   # Wrapper around chumsky's structural error message. The
diff --git a/src/input_render.rs b/src/input_render.rs
index f2671a7..962e7bf 100644
--- a/src/input_render.rs
+++ b/src/input_render.rs
@@ -188,6 +188,17 @@ pub fn ambient_hint(
             selected: None,
         });
     }
+    // User typing into a NewName slot — show the friendlier
+    // "type a name" hint rather than the technical "next: …"
+    // that the post-consumed-partial parse would otherwise
+    // produce (round-3 follow-up).
+    if let Some(t) = crate::completion::typing_name_at_cursor(input, cursor) {
+        let text = t.next_after_name.map_or_else(
+            || crate::t!("hint.ambient_typing_name"),
+            |next| crate::t!("hint.ambient_typing_name_then", next = next),
+        );
+        return Some(AmbientHint::Prose(text));
+    }
     // Invalid identifier: cursor sits in a known-set slot but
     // the typed prefix matches nothing in the schema. (Stage
     // 8e / the user's #5.)
@@ -567,8 +578,8 @@ mod tests {
         match ambient_hint("show data Custp", 15, None, &cache) {
             Some(AmbientHint::Prose(p)) => {
                 assert!(
-                    p.contains("no such table"),
-                    "expected 'no such table' wording, got {p:?}",
+                    p.contains("No such table"),
+                    "expected 'No such table' wording, got {p:?}",
                 );
                 assert!(p.contains("Custp"), "should name the bad ident, got {p:?}");
             }
diff --git a/src/theme.rs b/src/theme.rs
index d9c46f5..790239c 100644
--- a/src/theme.rs
+++ b/src/theme.rs
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ impl Theme {
             // accent tones; keyword takes a cool accent tone
             // distinct from the mode-banner blue.
             tok_keyword: Color::Rgb(0xC7, 0x92, 0xEA),    // muted purple
-            tok_identifier: Color::Rgb(0xAB, 0xB2, 0xBF), // cool grey-blue (distinct from fg)
+            tok_identifier: Color::Rgb(0x56, 0xB6, 0xC2), // cyan-teal — identifiers are the user's content, deserve a vivid distinct colour
             tok_number: Color::Rgb(0xF7, 0x8C, 0x6C),     // warm orange
             tok_string: Color::Rgb(0xC3, 0xE8, 0x8D),     // soft green
             tok_punct: Color::Rgb(0x8B, 0x90, 0x9A),      // == muted
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ impl Theme {
             // identifier/punct close to fg/muted; warm tones for
             // literals + flags; cool accent for keyword.
             tok_keyword: Color::Rgb(0x6F, 0x42, 0xC1),    // royal purple
-            tok_identifier: Color::Rgb(0x3F, 0x47, 0x57), // dark steel-blue (distinct from fg)
+            tok_identifier: Color::Rgb(0x0F, 0x6B, 0x76), // deep teal — same role as dark variant: identifiers stand out
             tok_number: Color::Rgb(0xBC, 0x4F, 0x1F),     // burnt orange
             tok_string: Color::Rgb(0x22, 0x86, 0x3A),     // forest green
             tok_punct: Color::Rgb(0x60, 0x66, 0x73),      // == muted