diff --git a/internal/app/app_test.go b/internal/app/app_test.go
index d34cbab6..da0d49c3 100644
--- a/internal/app/app_test.go
+++ b/internal/app/app_test.go
@@ -250,7 +250,7 @@ func TestCommandHelpShowsRelevantFlagsOnly(t *testing.T) {
 	for _, want := range []string{
 		"\nUSAGE\n  tea issue list [flags]\n",
 		"\nALIASES\n  tea issue ls\n",
-		"\nFLAGS\n  --assignee string ",
+		"\nFLAGS\n      --assignee string ",
 		"\nINHERITED FLAGS\n  -R, --repo OWNER/REPO ",
 		"\n      --json fields ",
 		"\n  -q, --jq expression ",
@@ -264,7 +264,7 @@ func TestCommandHelpShowsRelevantFlagsOnly(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	out.Reset()
 	require.NoError(t, Execute(context.Background(), deps, []string{"label", "list", "--help"}))
-	require.Contains(t, out.String(), "\nFLAGS\n  --limit int    Maximum results (1..100) (default 30)\n  --org string ")
+	require.Contains(t, out.String(), "\nFLAGS\n  -L, --limit int    Maximum number of results (1..1000) (default 30)\n      --org string ")
 	for _, args := range [][]string{{"version", "--help"}, {"alias", "list", "--help"}, {"auth", "status", "--help"}} {
 		out.Reset()
 		require.NoError(t, Execute(context.Background(), deps, args))
diff --git a/internal/app/helpers_test.go b/internal/app/helpers_test.go
index d609e21f..d026bdd5 100644
--- a/internal/app/helpers_test.go
+++ b/internal/app/helpers_test.go
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import (
 	"net/http/httptest"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
+	"regexp"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
@@ -291,3 +292,10 @@ func selectablesHandler(t *testing.T, push bool, next http.HandlerFunc) http.Han
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+var ansiSequence = regexp.MustCompile("\x1b\\[[0-9;]*m")
+
+// withoutANSI drops SGR color sequences, such as those in pretty JSON on a terminal.
+func withoutANSI(s string) string {
+	return ansiSequence.ReplaceAllString(s, "")
+}
diff --git a/internal/app/human_output.go b/internal/app/human_output.go
index 92071082..17debb5c 100644
--- a/internal/app/human_output.go
+++ b/internal/app/human_output.go
@@ -55,7 +55,8 @@ func (a *application) writeHuman(cmd *cobra.Command, text string) error {
 
 // writeJSON writes v as JSON, filtered by --json fields and --jq.
 func (a *application) writeJSON(cmd *cobra.Command, v any) error {
-	return terminal.WriteJSON(cmd.OutOrStdout(), v, a.options.json, a.options.jq)
+	pretty := a.deps.Streams.OutTTY
+	return terminal.JSONOutput{Fields: a.options.json, Query: a.options.jq, Pretty: pretty, Color: pretty && a.colorEnabled()}.Write(cmd.OutOrStdout(), v)
 }
 
 // listSpec describes how a list command shows its items to people.
diff --git a/internal/app/human_output_test.go b/internal/app/human_output_test.go
index 360b7cc4..79b5bbbc 100644
--- a/internal/app/human_output_test.go
+++ b/internal/app/human_output_test.go
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ func TestIssueViewJSONDoesNotPage(t *testing.T) {
 	deps, out, _, pager := pagedDeps(t, server.URL, map[string]string{"PAGER": "fake-pager"})
 	require.NoError(t, Execute(context.Background(), deps, []string{"issue", "view", "7", "-R", "alice/project", "--json=number,title", "--no-input"}))
 	require.Zero(t, pager.calls)
-	require.JSONEq(t, `{"number":7,"title":"Title"}`, out.String())
+	require.JSONEq(t, `{"number":7,"title":"Title"}`, withoutANSI(out.String()))
 }
 
 func TestConfiguredPagerOverridesPagerEnvironment(t *testing.T) {
@@ -121,10 +121,10 @@ func TestTeaPagerAndColorEnvironmentOverrides(t *testing.T) {
 	require.Contains(t, pager.input, "\x1b[38;5;196mbug\x1b[0m")
 	out.Reset()
 	require.NoError(t, Execute(context.Background(), deps, []string{"config", "get", "pager", "--show-source", "--json"}))
-	require.JSONEq(t, `{"pager":{"value":"tea-pager","source":"TEA_PAGER"}}`, out.String())
+	require.JSONEq(t, `{"pager":{"value":"tea-pager","source":"TEA_PAGER"}}`, withoutANSI(out.String()))
 	out.Reset()
 	require.NoError(t, Execute(context.Background(), deps, []string{"config", "get", "color", "--show-source", "--json"}))
-	require.JSONEq(t, `{"color":{"value":"always","source":"TEA_COLOR"}}`, out.String())
+	require.JSONEq(t, `{"color":{"value":"always","source":"TEA_COLOR"}}`, withoutANSI(out.String()))
 }
 
 func TestColorAutoUsesStdoutTTY(t *testing.T) {
@@ -308,7 +308,7 @@ func TestWriteTable(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 		{name: "empty message on a terminal", tty: true, page: listPage{Number: 1}, stderr: "no open issues in alice/x\n"},
 		{name: "nothing when empty and piped", page: listPage{Number: 1}},
-		{name: "JSON", tty: true, json: "number", items: items[:1], page: listPage{Number: 1, More: true}, out: `[{"number":12}]` + "\n"},
+		{name: "JSON", tty: true, json: "number", items: items[:1], page: listPage{Number: 1, More: true}, out: "[\n  {\n    \"number\": 12\n  }\n]\n"},
 	} {
 		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
 			deps, out, diagnostics := testDeps(t)
@@ -336,7 +336,7 @@ func TestWriteView(t *testing.T) {
 	}{
 		{name: "terminal", tty: true, want: "Login fails #1\nOpen • alice opened about 2 hours ago\n\nSteps\n\nView this issue on Gitea: https://example.org/1\n"},
 		{name: "piped", want: "title:\tLogin fails\nurl:\thttps://example.org/1\n--\nSteps\n"},
-		{name: "JSON", tty: true, json: "title", want: `{"title":"Login fails"}` + "\n"},
+		{name: "JSON", tty: true, json: "title", want: "{\n  \"title\": \"Login fails\"\n}\n"},
 	} {
 		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
 			deps, out, _ := testDeps(t)