diff --git a/internal/cli/app.go b/internal/cli/app.go
index a138f014..b15e0fd2 100644
--- a/internal/cli/app.go
+++ b/internal/cli/app.go
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/worktrees"
 	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/zerogit"
 	"github.com/Gitlawb/zero/internal/zeroruntime"
+	"github.com/charmbracelet/x/term"
 )
 
 var version = "dev"
@@ -339,7 +340,17 @@ func runWithDeps(args []string, stdout io.Writer, stderr io.Writer, deps appDeps
 				return 0
 			}
 		}
-		if _, err := fmt.Fprintf(stdout, "zero %s\n", version); err != nil {
+		// Pipes and redirects keep the machine-readable contract exactly as it
+		// was: a single "zero <version>" line. Scripts, command substitutions,
+		// and the NPM wrapper smoke check all parse that record, so the banner
+		// is strictly a TTY affordance.
+		if !stdoutIsTerminal(stdout) {
+			if _, err := fmt.Fprintf(stdout, "zero %s\n", version); err != nil {
+				return 1
+			}
+			return 0
+		}
+		if _, err := fmt.Fprintf(stdout, "%s\n\nzero %s\n", tui.Wordmark(), version); err != nil {
 			return 1
 		}
 		return 0
@@ -1115,6 +1126,17 @@ func closeSpecialistRuntime(stderr io.Writer, runtime *agentToolRuntime) {
 	}
 }
 
+// stdoutIsTerminal reports whether w is an interactive terminal. Tests pass
+// bytes.Buffer writers and pipes/redirects fail term.IsTerminal, so both take
+// the machine-readable path.
+func stdoutIsTerminal(w io.Writer) bool {
+	f, ok := w.(*os.File)
+	if !ok {
+		return false
+	}
+	return term.IsTerminal(f.Fd())
+}
+
 func writeAppError(stderr io.Writer, message string, exitCode int) int {
 	if _, err := fmt.Fprintf(stderr, "[zero] %s\n", message); err != nil {
 		return 1
diff --git a/internal/cli/app_test.go b/internal/cli/app_test.go
index d56bd906..bbcd20ad 100644
--- a/internal/cli/app_test.go
+++ b/internal/cli/app_test.go
@@ -41,6 +41,8 @@ func TestRunPrintsVersion(t *testing.T) {
 	if exitCode != 0 {
 		t.Fatalf("expected exit code 0, got %d", exitCode)
 	}
+	// Non-terminal stdout keeps the machine-readable contract: exactly one
+	// "zero <version>" record, no wordmark banner, no ANSI.
 	if got := stdout.String(); got != "zero dev\n" {
 		t.Fatalf("expected version output, got %q", got)
 	}
@@ -49,6 +51,33 @@ func TestRunPrintsVersion(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// TestRunVersionRedirectedFile covers the `zero --version > file` path: stdout
+// is a real *os.File but not a terminal, so the single-line contract must hold.
+func TestRunVersionRedirectedFile(t *testing.T) {
+	stdout, err := os.CreateTemp(t.TempDir(), "version-stdout")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("create temp stdout: %v", err)
+	}
+	defer stdout.Close()
+	var stderr bytes.Buffer
+
+	exitCode := Run([]string{"--version"}, stdout, &stderr)
+
+	if exitCode != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected exit code 0, got %d", exitCode)
+	}
+	content, err := os.ReadFile(stdout.Name())
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("read temp stdout: %v", err)
+	}
+	if got := string(content); got != "zero dev\n" {
+		t.Fatalf("expected version output, got %q", got)
+	}
+	if stderr.Len() != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected empty stderr, got %q", stderr.String())
+	}
+}
+
 func TestRunPrintsHelp(t *testing.T) {
 	for _, args := range [][]string{
 		{"--help"},
diff --git a/internal/tui/startup.go b/internal/tui/startup.go
index 9e67e1b8..69c4c156 100644
--- a/internal/tui/startup.go
+++ b/internal/tui/startup.go
@@ -137,6 +137,19 @@ func zeroWordmarkLines() []string {
 	return lines
 }
 
+// Wordmark renders the brand ASCII art shown on the TUI's empty state, for
+// reuse outside the TUI (e.g. `zero --version`). It is deliberately
+// uncolored: only newModel resolves --theme/ZERO_THEME, so painting the
+// global palette here would ignore a selected light theme and be unreadable
+// on light terminals. The terminal's default foreground works everywhere.
+func Wordmark() string {
+	lines := make([]string, 0, minInt(len(zeroWordmarkPrefixLines), len(zeroWordmarkOLines)))
+	for index := 0; index < len(zeroWordmarkPrefixLines) && index < len(zeroWordmarkOLines); index++ {
+		lines = append(lines, zeroWordmarkPrefixLines[index]+zeroWordmarkOLines[index])
+	}
+	return strings.Join(lines, "\n")
+}
+
 func borderedBlock(width int, lines []string) string {
 	return styledBlock(width, lines, zeroTheme.line)
 }
diff --git a/internal/tui/startup_test.go b/internal/tui/startup_test.go
index 13e67782..9408cbc7 100644
--- a/internal/tui/startup_test.go
+++ b/internal/tui/startup_test.go
@@ -21,6 +21,25 @@ func TestEmptyStateShowsBrandAndTaglineOnly(t *testing.T) {
 	assertNotContains(t, view, "fix the failing test in internal/tools")
 }
 
+// TestWordmarkIsPlain guards the --version banner: it must carry no ANSI
+// escapes, because this renderer never resolves --theme/ZERO_THEME and any
+// palette color could be unreadable on the user's background.
+func TestWordmarkIsPlain(t *testing.T) {
+	wordmark := Wordmark()
+	if strings.Contains(wordmark, "\x1b") {
+		t.Fatalf("expected uncolored wordmark, got %q", wordmark)
+	}
+	lines := strings.Split(wordmark, "\n")
+	if len(lines) != len(zeroWordmarkPrefixLines) {
+		t.Fatalf("expected %d wordmark lines, got %d", len(zeroWordmarkPrefixLines), len(lines))
+	}
+	for index, line := range lines {
+		if want := zeroWordmarkPrefixLines[index] + zeroWordmarkOLines[index]; line != want {
+			t.Fatalf("wordmark line %d: expected %q, got %q", index, want, line)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 func TestEmptyStateShowsVersion(t *testing.T) {
 	m := newModel(context.Background(), Options{Version: "0.2.0"})
 	m.width, m.height = 100, 30