diff --git a/src/font/Glyph.zig b/src/font/Glyph.zig
index 5449e2440..fa29e44fa 100644
--- a/src/font/Glyph.zig
+++ b/src/font/Glyph.zig
@@ -20,3 +20,6 @@ atlas_y: u32,
 
 /// horizontal position to increase drawing position for strings
 advance_x: f32,
+
+/// Whether we drew this glyph ourselves with the sprite font.
+sprite: bool = false,
diff --git a/src/font/sprite/Face.zig b/src/font/sprite/Face.zig
index 25968e865..8c39daef4 100644
--- a/src/font/sprite/Face.zig
+++ b/src/font/sprite/Face.zig
@@ -216,7 +216,7 @@ pub fn renderGlyph(
     // Write the drawing to the atlas
     const region = try canvas.writeAtlas(alloc, atlas);
 
-    return font.Glyph{
+    return .{
         .width = region.width,
         .height = region.height,
         .offset_x = @as(i32, @intCast(canvas.clip_left)) - @as(i32, @intCast(padding_x)),
@@ -224,6 +224,7 @@ pub fn renderGlyph(
         .atlas_x = region.x,
         .atlas_y = region.y,
         .advance_x = @floatFromInt(width),
+        .sprite = true,
     };
 }
 
diff --git a/src/renderer/generic.zig b/src/renderer/generic.zig
index 0e97808af..810e17686 100644
--- a/src/renderer/generic.zig
+++ b/src/renderer/generic.zig
@@ -3039,15 +3039,22 @@ pub fn Renderer(comptime GraphicsAPI: type) type {
                 return;
             }
 
-            const mode: shaderpkg.CellText.Mode = switch (fgMode(
-                render.presentation,
-                cell_pin,
-            )) {
-                .normal => .fg,
-                .color => .fg_color,
-                .constrained => .fg_constrained,
-                .powerline => .fg_powerline,
-            };
+            // We always use fg mode for sprite glyphs, since we know we never
+            // need to constrain them, and we don't have any color sprites.
+            //
+            // Otherwise we defer to `fgMode`.
+            const mode: shaderpkg.CellText.Mode =
+                if (render.glyph.sprite)
+                    .fg
+                else switch (fgMode(
+                    render.presentation,
+                    cell_pin,
+                )) {
+                    .normal => .fg,
+                    .color => .fg_color,
+                    .constrained => .fg_constrained,
+                    .powerline => .fg_powerline,
+                };
 
             try self.cells.add(self.alloc, .text, .{
                 .mode = mode,