diff --git a/crates/trace/src/lib.rs b/crates/trace/src/lib.rs
index 6ea7b689e..9e8157083 100644
--- a/crates/trace/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/trace/src/lib.rs
@@ -291,6 +291,7 @@ pub struct TraceParams {
     pub auto_grouping: bool,
     /// Gradients (Grayscale and Color): an area whose colour changes evenly along one direction
     /// is one path filled with a linear gradient ([`TracedPath::gradient`]), not bands of colour.
+    /// Grayscale finds them in the image's grays, and their stops are gray.
     pub gradients: bool,
     /// Create: trace areas as filled shapes.
     pub fills: bool,
@@ -527,7 +528,17 @@ fn trace_paths(img: &Raster, params: &TraceParams, max_anchors: usize) -> Result
     let smoothed = (params.mode != Mode::BlackAndWhite && quantize::continuous_tone(img)).then(|| smooth::smoothed(img));
     let img = smoothed.as_ref().unwrap_or(img);
     // Gradients are found first and kept out of the palette: no colour is spent on bands of them.
-    let found = (params.gradients && params.mode != Mode::BlackAndWhite).then(|| gradient::detect(img)).filter(|f| !f.1.is_empty());
+    // Grayscale finds them in the image's grays (as its flat colours are), so their stops are gray.
+    let grays = (params.gradients && params.mode == Mode::Grayscale).then(|| {
+        let mut grays = img.clone();
+        for p in grays.rgba.as_chunks_mut::<4>().0 {
+            let g = quantize::luma(*p);
+            p[..3].fill(g);
+        }
+        grays
+    });
+    let traced_as = grays.as_ref().unwrap_or(img);
+    let found = (params.gradients && params.mode != Mode::BlackAndWhite).then(|| gradient::detect(traced_as)).filter(|f| !f.1.is_empty());
     let without = found.as_ref().map(|(of, _)| {
         let mut rest = img.clone();
         for (p, &g) in rest.rgba.as_chunks_mut::<4>().0.iter_mut().zip(of) {
@@ -542,7 +553,7 @@ fn trace_paths(img: &Raster, params: &TraceParams, max_anchors: usize) -> Result
     // Each gradient is a palette entry of its own (its colour: the gradient's middle).
     let mut gradients: Vec<Option<TracedGradient>> = vec![None; q.palette.len()];
     if let Some((mut of, found)) = found {
-        gradient::settle_edges(img, &mut of, &found, &mut q.labels);
+        gradient::settle_edges(traced_as, &mut of, &found, &mut q.labels);
         let first = q.palette.len();
         for (l, &g) in q.labels.iter_mut().zip(&of) {
             if g != u32::MAX {
@@ -552,6 +563,7 @@ fn trace_paths(img: &Raster, params: &TraceParams, max_anchors: usize) -> Result
         q.palette.extend(found.iter().map(|g| g.color_at(g.start.midpoint(g.end)).map(|v| v.round().clamp(0.0, 255.0) as u8)));
         gradients.extend(found.into_iter().map(Some));
     }
+    drop(grays);
     denoise(&mut q.labels, w, h, params.noise as usize);
     // Pixel count per palette entry, and the box its pixels lie in.
     let mut counts = vec![0usize; q.palette.len()];
diff --git a/crates/trace/src/quantize.rs b/crates/trace/src/quantize.rs
index 476a212eb..7c14e3dde 100644
--- a/crates/trace/src/quantize.rs
+++ b/crates/trace/src/quantize.rs
@@ -14,7 +14,8 @@ pub struct Quantized {
     pub palette: Vec<[u8; 3]>,
 }
 
-fn luma(p: [u8; 4]) -> u8 {
+/// A pixel's gray (Rec. 601 luma): what Grayscale traces it as.
+pub(crate) fn luma(p: [u8; 4]) -> u8 {
     ((p[0] as u32 * 299 + p[1] as u32 * 587 + p[2] as u32 * 114 + 500) / 1000) as u8
 }
 
diff --git a/crates/trace/src/tests.rs b/crates/trace/src/tests.rs
index 3f8fb0f5c..59e49bd8c 100644
--- a/crates/trace/src/tests.rs
+++ b/crates/trace/src/tests.rs
@@ -1295,3 +1295,36 @@ fn stroke_caps_are_square_or_round_as_the_ink_is() {
     assert!(line(true));
     assert!(!line(false));
 }
+
+/// A blue-to-orange sky over flat colours, and a green-to-magenta ramp in a rectangle on them.
+fn sky_and_ramp() -> Raster {
+    Raster::from_fn(240, 160, |x, y| {
+        let (fx, fy) = (f64::from(x), f64::from(y));
+        let mix = |a: [f64; 3], b: [f64; 3], t: f64| [0, 1, 2].map(|k| (a[k] + (b[k] - a[k]) * t).round() as u8);
+        if (20..100).contains(&x) && (100..150).contains(&y) {
+            let [r, g, b] = mix([40.0, 200.0, 60.0], [220.0, 40.0, 200.0], (fx - 20.0) / 80.0);
+            [r, g, b, 255]
+        } else if y >= 90 {
+            if x >= 140 { [200, 30, 40, 255] } else { [30, 120, 50, 255] }
+        } else {
+            let [r, g, b] = mix([30.0, 60.0, 200.0], [250.0, 140.0, 30.0], fy / 90.0);
+            [r, g, b, 255]
+        }
+    })
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn grayscale_gradients_are_grey() {
+    let img = sky_and_ramp();
+    let params = TraceParams { mode: Mode::Grayscale, colors: 4, gradients: true, ..TraceParams::default() };
+    let res = trace(&img, &params);
+    let grey = |c: [u8; 3]| c[0] == c[1] && c[1] == c[2];
+    assert!(res.paths.iter().any(|p| p.gradient.is_some()), "a gradient is still found");
+    for p in &res.paths {
+        assert!(grey(p.color), "{:?}", p.color);
+        for stop in p.gradient.iter().flat_map(|g| &g.stops) {
+            assert!(grey(stop.1), "{:?}", p.gradient);
+        }
+    }
+    assert!(res.palette.iter().all(|&c| grey(c)), "{:?}", res.palette);
+}