diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 71584e76bb5..fbd45ade780 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -28,3 +28,4 @@ plugin_packages
 playwright-report
 state.json
 /src/static/oidc
+.claude/
diff --git a/settings.json.docker b/settings.json.docker
index a265a9235cf..3fa7495038d 100644
--- a/settings.json.docker
+++ b/settings.json.docker
@@ -273,6 +273,7 @@
    */
   "padOptions": {
     "noColors":         "${PAD_OPTIONS_NO_COLORS:false}",
+    "showAuthorColors": "${PAD_OPTIONS_SHOW_AUTHOR_COLORS:true}",
     "showControls":     "${PAD_OPTIONS_SHOW_CONTROLS:true}",
     "showChat":         "${PAD_OPTIONS_SHOW_CHAT:true}",
     "showLineNumbers":  "${PAD_OPTIONS_SHOW_LINE_NUMBERS:true}",
diff --git a/settings.json.template b/settings.json.template
index 9f0bc55a00e..0a655cd5ad1 100644
--- a/settings.json.template
+++ b/settings.json.template
@@ -252,6 +252,7 @@
    */
   "padOptions": {
     "noColors":         false,
+    "showAuthorColors": true,
     "showControls":     true,
     "showChat":         true,
     "showLineNumbers":  true,
diff --git a/src/node/utils/Settings.ts b/src/node/utils/Settings.ts
index d25c3d4e1a3..f6f758d84a8 100644
--- a/src/node/utils/Settings.ts
+++ b/src/node/utils/Settings.ts
@@ -192,6 +192,7 @@ export type SettingsType = {
   defaultPadText: string,
   padOptions: {
     noColors: boolean,
+    showAuthorColors: boolean,
     showControls: boolean,
     showChat: boolean,
     showLineNumbers: boolean,
@@ -398,6 +399,7 @@ const settings: SettingsType = {
    */
   padOptions: {
     noColors: false,
+    showAuthorColors: true,
     showControls: true,
     showChat: true,
     showLineNumbers: true,
diff --git a/src/static/js/pad.ts b/src/static/js/pad.ts
index d9cc4e902ed..812fbc4170d 100644
--- a/src/static/js/pad.ts
+++ b/src/static/js/pad.ts
@@ -69,6 +69,13 @@ const getParameters = [
       $('#clearAuthorship').hide();
     },
   },
+  {
+    name: 'showAuthorColors',
+    checkVal: 'false',
+    callback: (val) => {
+      settings.showAuthorColorsDisabled = true;
+    },
+  },
   {
     name: 'showControls',
     checkVal: 'true',
@@ -461,7 +468,10 @@ const pad = {
         chat.chatAndUsers(true); // stick it to the screen
         $('#options-chatandusers').prop('checked', true); // set the checkbox to on
       }
-      if (padcookie.getPref('showAuthorshipColors') === false) {
+      const authorColorsPref = padcookie.getPref('showAuthorshipColors');
+      if (authorColorsPref === true) {
+        pad.changeViewOption('showAuthorColors', true);
+      } else if (authorColorsPref === false) {
         pad.changeViewOption('showAuthorColors', false);
       }
       if (padcookie.getPref('showLineNumbers') === false) {
@@ -555,6 +565,13 @@ const pad = {
       this.changeViewOption('noColors', true);
     }
 
+    // If showAuthorColors is set to false in padOptions, default colors off.
+    // The user can still toggle them on via the checkbox; the cookie will
+    // override this default on subsequent visits.
+    if (settings.showAuthorColorsDisabled === true) {
+      this.changeViewOption('showAuthorColors', false);
+    }
+
     // RTL override is applied in postAceInit (after padeditor.init resolves)
     // to avoid a race where setViewOptions(initialViewOptions) overwrites it.
 
@@ -783,6 +800,7 @@ const init = () => pad.init();
 const settings = {
   LineNumbersDisabled: false,
   noColors: false,
+  showAuthorColorsDisabled: false,
   useMonospaceFontGlobal: false,
   globalUserName: false,
   globalUserColor: false,
diff --git a/src/static/js/pad_editor.ts b/src/static/js/pad_editor.ts
index 7feb81e30ea..113b99c9c33 100644
--- a/src/static/js/pad_editor.ts
+++ b/src/static/js/pad_editor.ts
@@ -172,16 +172,15 @@ const padeditor = (() => {
       padutils.setCheckbox($('#options-linenoscheck'), v);
 
       v = getOption('showAuthorColors', true);
+      // noColors overrides showAuthorColors completely
+      if (settings.noColors) {
+        v = false;
+      }
       self.ace.setProperty('showsauthorcolors', v);
       $('#chattext').toggleClass('authorColors', v);
       $('iframe[name="ace_outer"]').contents().find('#sidedivinner').toggleClass('authorColors', v);
       padutils.setCheckbox($('#options-colorscheck'), v);
 
-      // Override from parameters if true
-      if (settings.noColors !== false) {
-        self.ace.setProperty('showsauthorcolors', !settings.noColors);
-      }
-
       self.ace.setProperty('textface', newOptions.padFontFamily || '');
     },
     dispose: () => {
diff --git a/src/static/js/types/SocketIOMessage.ts b/src/static/js/types/SocketIOMessage.ts
index f2b8cfc14fa..99622b01e8d 100644
--- a/src/static/js/types/SocketIOMessage.ts
+++ b/src/static/js/types/SocketIOMessage.ts
@@ -239,6 +239,7 @@ export type PadOptionsMessage = {
 
 export type PadOption = {
   "noColors"?:         boolean,
+  "showAuthorColors"?: boolean,
   "showControls"?:     boolean,
   "showChat"?:         boolean,
   "showLineNumbers"?:  boolean,
diff --git a/src/tests/frontend-new/specs/show_author_colors.spec.ts b/src/tests/frontend-new/specs/show_author_colors.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..fbd4cfce1b1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/tests/frontend-new/specs/show_author_colors.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+import {expect, test} from "@playwright/test";
+import {
+  appendQueryParams,
+  clearPadContent,
+  getPadBody,
+  goToNewPad,
+  writeToPad,
+} from "../helper/padHelper";
+
+test.describe('showAuthorColors pad option', () => {
+  test('authorship colors checkbox is checked by default', async ({page}) => {
+    await goToNewPad(page);
+    const checkbox = page.locator('#options-colorscheck');
+    await expect(checkbox).toBeChecked();
+  });
+
+  test('noColors query param unchecks the authorship colors checkbox', async ({page}) => {
+    const padId = await goToNewPad(page);
+    await appendQueryParams(page, {noColors: 'true'});
+    const checkbox = page.locator('#options-colorscheck');
+    await expect(checkbox).not.toBeChecked();
+  });
+
+  test('toggling authorship colors checkbox works', async ({page}) => {
+    await goToNewPad(page);
+    const padBody = await getPadBody(page);
+
+    await clearPadContent(page);
+    await writeToPad(page, 'Hello colors');
+    await expect(padBody.locator('div span').first()).toHaveAttribute('class', /author-/);
+
+    // Uncheck colors
+    const checkbox = page.locator('#options-colorscheck');
+    await checkbox.click();
+    await expect(checkbox).not.toBeChecked();
+
+    // Re-check colors
+    await checkbox.click();
+    await expect(checkbox).toBeChecked();
+  });
+});