diff --git a/src/dsl/walker/mod.rs b/src/dsl/walker/mod.rs
index db296a9..268fadd 100644
--- a/src/dsl/walker/mod.rs
+++ b/src/dsl/walker/mod.rs
@@ -332,6 +332,34 @@ pub fn input_verdict(
     outcome_severity.into_iter().chain(diag_severity).max()
 }
 
+/// The schema-aware diagnostics for `source` (ADR-0027 §2).
+///
+/// Schema-existence ERRORs (unknown table / column) and
+/// expression WARNINGs. The highlight overlay and the hint
+/// panel both read these for *where* and *why*; the indicator
+/// ([`input_verdict`]) is the severity summary over them.
+///
+/// Empty for empty input, an unrecognised command, or a parse
+/// that never reached a structural `Match` — a parse failure
+/// carries its own ERROR through the outcome, not through a
+/// `Diagnostic`, and is highlighted by the existing
+/// definite-error path.
+#[must_use]
+pub fn input_diagnostics(
+    source: &str,
+    schema: Option<&crate::completion::SchemaCache>,
+) -> Vec<outcome::Diagnostic> {
+    if source.trim().is_empty() {
+        return Vec::new();
+    }
+    let mut ctx = schema.map_or_else(
+        context::WalkContext::new,
+        context::WalkContext::with_schema,
+    );
+    let (result, _cmd) = walk(source, outcome::WalkBound::EndOfInput, &mut ctx);
+    result.map_or_else(Vec::new, |r| r.diagnostics)
+}
+
 /// Schema-existence diagnostics (ADR-0027 §2).
 ///
 /// A matched `IdentSource::Tables` token whose name is not in
diff --git a/src/input_render.rs b/src/input_render.rs
index fcc653b..5f4c438 100644
--- a/src/input_render.rs
+++ b/src/input_render.rs
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
 //! The error overlay (stage 4) and hint panel (stage 5)
 //! compose with these runs without fighting them.
 
-use ratatui::style::{Modifier, Style};
+use ratatui::style::{Color, Modifier, Style};
 
 use crate::dsl::parser::parse_command_with_schema;
 use crate::dsl::walker;
@@ -73,6 +73,19 @@ pub fn render_input_runs(
     if let Some(inv) = crate::completion::invalid_ident_at_cursor(input, cursor_byte, cache) {
         overlay_error(&mut runs, inv.range.0, theme);
     }
+    // Schema-aware diagnostics (ADR-0027 §2): an unknown table
+    // or column (ERROR), or a dubious comparison (WARNING), is
+    // overlaid wherever it sits in the input — not only under
+    // the cursor, so a problem the user has typed past stays
+    // visible. `input_diagnostics` is empty on a parse failure,
+    // so this never fights the definite-error overlay above.
+    for diag in walker::input_diagnostics(input, Some(cache)) {
+        let colour = match diag.severity {
+            walker::Severity::Error => theme.tok_error,
+            walker::Severity::Warning => theme.warning,
+        };
+        overlay_span(&mut runs, diag.span, colour);
+    }
     inject_cursor(&mut runs, input, cursor_byte, theme);
     runs
 }
@@ -417,6 +430,21 @@ fn overlay_error(runs: &mut [StyledRun], error_byte: usize, theme: &Theme) {
     // shouldn't happen given classify_input's contract). No-op.
 }
 
+/// Recolour every run wholly inside the byte range `span` to
+/// `colour`, preserving other style bits. Unlike `overlay_error`
+/// — which targets the single run *starting* at a byte — this
+/// covers a whole span: a diagnostic (ADR-0027) is anchored to
+/// a token's exact byte range (an identifier, a literal), and
+/// the matching base run sits exactly inside it.
+fn overlay_span(runs: &mut [StyledRun], span: (usize, usize), colour: Color) {
+    let (start, end) = span;
+    for run in runs.iter_mut() {
+        if run.byte_range.0 >= start && run.byte_range.1 <= end {
+            run.style = run.style.fg(colour);
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 /// Cursor-less variant: tokenises `input` into styled runs
 /// covering the full byte range, with no inverted cursor.
 /// Used by the echo-line renderer (ADR-0022 §5) where there's
@@ -1108,13 +1136,17 @@ mod tests {
 
     #[test]
     fn full_valid_command_lexes_to_each_token_class() {
-        // Use a valid command — `update ... --all-rows` —
-        // so the error overlay (stage 4) doesn't replace any
-        // class colours with tok_error. Tokens: keyword(s),
-        // identifier(s), string literal, punct (=), flag.
+        // Use a valid command — `update ... --all-rows` — with
+        // a schema that actually has the table and column, so
+        // no overlay (parse-error or ADR-0027 diagnostic)
+        // replaces a class colour with tok_error. Tokens:
+        // keyword(s), identifier(s), string literal, punct (=),
+        // flag.
+        use crate::dsl::types::Type;
         let theme = dark();
+        let cache = schema_with_columns("T", &[("Name", Type::Text)]);
         let input = "update T set Name='hi' --all-rows";
-        let runs = render_input_runs(input, input.len(), &theme, &empty_cache());
+        let runs = render_input_runs(input, input.len(), &theme, &cache);
         let fgs: Vec<_> = runs.iter().filter_map(|r| r.style.fg).collect();
         assert!(fgs.contains(&theme.tok_keyword)); // update / set
         assert!(fgs.contains(&theme.tok_identifier)); // T / Name
@@ -1126,4 +1158,87 @@ mod tests {
             assert_ne!(r.style.fg, Some(theme.tok_error));
         }
     }
+
+    // ---- diagnostic overlays (ADR-0027 highlight wiring) ----
+
+    #[test]
+    fn unknown_table_is_overlaid_in_error_colour() {
+        use crate::dsl::types::Type;
+        let theme = dark();
+        let cache = schema_with_columns("Customers", &[("id", Type::Int)]);
+        let input = "show data NoSuchTable";
+        // Cursor at the start — the overlay must fire even
+        // though the cursor is nowhere near the bad name.
+        let runs = render_input_runs(input, 0, &theme, &cache);
+        let bad = runs
+            .iter()
+            .find(|r| r.text(input) == "NoSuchTable")
+            .expect("a run for the table name");
+        assert_eq!(
+            bad.style.fg,
+            Some(theme.tok_error),
+            "diagnostic highlight is global, not cursor-local",
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn unknown_column_is_overlaid_in_error_colour() {
+        use crate::dsl::types::Type;
+        let theme = dark();
+        let cache = schema_with_columns("Customers", &[("id", Type::Int)]);
+        let input = "delete from Customers where Nope = 1";
+        let runs = render_input_runs(input, 0, &theme, &cache);
+        let bad = runs
+            .iter()
+            .find(|r| r.text(input) == "Nope")
+            .expect("a run for the column name");
+        assert_eq!(bad.style.fg, Some(theme.tok_error));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn type_mismatch_literal_is_overlaid_in_warning_colour() {
+        use crate::dsl::types::Type;
+        let theme = dark();
+        let cache = schema_with_columns("Events", &[("Count", Type::Int)]);
+        let input = "delete from Events where Count = 'oops'";
+        let runs = render_input_runs(input, 0, &theme, &cache);
+        let lit = runs
+            .iter()
+            .find(|r| r.text(input) == "'oops'")
+            .expect("a run for the literal");
+        assert_eq!(lit.style.fg, Some(theme.warning));
+        // Precise span: the column name is not warning-coloured.
+        let col = runs
+            .iter()
+            .find(|r| r.text(input) == "Count")
+            .expect("a run for the column");
+        assert_ne!(col.style.fg, Some(theme.warning));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn like_on_numeric_column_is_overlaid_in_warning_colour() {
+        use crate::dsl::types::Type;
+        let theme = dark();
+        let cache = schema_with_columns("Events", &[("Count", Type::Int)]);
+        let input = "delete from Events where Count like '9%'";
+        let runs = render_input_runs(input, 0, &theme, &cache);
+        let col = runs
+            .iter()
+            .find(|r| r.text(input) == "Count")
+            .expect("a run for the column");
+        assert_eq!(col.style.fg, Some(theme.warning));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn clean_schema_aware_command_has_no_diagnostic_overlay() {
+        use crate::dsl::types::Type;
+        let theme = dark();
+        let cache = schema_with_columns("Events", &[("Count", Type::Int)]);
+        let input = "delete from Events where Count = 7";
+        let runs = render_input_runs(input, input.len(), &theme, &cache);
+        for r in &runs {
+            assert_ne!(r.style.fg, Some(theme.tok_error));
+            assert_ne!(r.style.fg, Some(theme.warning));
+        }
+    }
 }