diff --git a/internal/templates/components/pages/rule_detail.templ b/internal/templates/components/pages/rule_detail.templ
index fae615f7..0634bcfc 100644
--- a/internal/templates/components/pages/rule_detail.templ
+++ b/internal/templates/components/pages/rule_detail.templ
@@ -354,31 +354,21 @@ templ ruleDetailRecentApplications(p RuleDetailProps) {
 		</div>
 		<p class="text-xs text-base-content/40 mb-3">Transactions this rule has touched during syncs</p>
 		if len(p.ApplicationTxns) > 0 {
-			<!-- One card wraps the stream: per-application action strip + full tx-row.
-			     Each application is grouped in a divider-separated block so scanning
-			     top-to-bottom reads as "this is what the rule did, on this transaction". -->
+			<!-- One card wraps the stream: a divider-separated full tx-row per
+			     application. How the row got here ("Retroactive") rides inline in
+			     the row's meta line rather than as a floating top-right label —
+			     the rule's action itself is already described in the "Then" card
+			     above, so it isn't repeated per row. -->
 			<div class="bb-card overflow-hidden">
 				<div class="divide-y divide-base-300/50">
 					for _, tx := range p.ApplicationTxns {
 						{{ meta := p.ApplicationMeta[tx.ID] }}
 						<div>
-							if meta.AppliedBy != "sync" {
-								<!-- The rule's action is already described in the "Then" card above,
-								     so don't repeat it per row. Only surface how the row got here
-								     when it wasn't the default ("via sync"). -->
-								<div class="flex items-center justify-end px-4 pt-2 text-[0.65rem] uppercase tracking-wider text-base-content/40">
-									<span class="inline-flex items-center gap-1">
-										if meta.AppliedBy == "retroactive" {
-											@components.LucideIcon("rewind", "w-3 h-3")
-											retroactive
-										} else {
-											@components.LucideIcon("wrench", "w-3 h-3")
-											{ meta.AppliedBy }
-										}
-									</span>
-								</div>
+							if meta.AppliedBy != "" && meta.AppliedBy != "sync" {
+								@components.TxRow(tx, components.WithMetaBadge(ruleAppliedByBadge(meta.AppliedBy)))
+							} else {
+								@components.TxRow(tx)
 							}
-							@components.TxRow(tx)
 						</div>
 					}
 				</div>
@@ -394,6 +384,28 @@ templ ruleDetailRecentApplications(p RuleDetailProps) {
 	</div>
 }
 
+// ruleAppliedByBadge renders a compact inline meta chip describing how a
+// Recent-Applications row was touched by this rule. It rides in the TxRow
+// meta (subtitle) line via components.WithMetaBadge, replacing the old
+// floating top-right "RETROACTIVE" strip (#1917). Only non-"sync" origins
+// surface a badge — sync is the default firing path and stays unlabeled.
+// Styling matches the row's other meta chips (muted icon + text) so it reads
+// as just another subtitle detail rather than a separate banner.
+templ ruleAppliedByBadge(appliedBy string) {
+	<span class="inline-flex items-center gap-1 text-base-content/40 shrink-0" title={ ruleAppliedByTitle(appliedBy) }>
+		if appliedBy == "retroactive" {
+			@components.LucideIcon("rewind", "w-3 h-3")
+			<!-- Label hides below sm where the row meta is cramped; the icon +
+			     title carry the meaning there. The desktop meta line is itself
+			     sm+ only, so it always shows the full label. -->
+			<span class="hidden sm:inline">Retroactive</span>
+		} else {
+			@components.LucideIcon("wrench", "w-3 h-3")
+			<span class="hidden sm:inline">{ appliedBy }</span>
+		}
+	</span>
+}
+
 // ruleDetailPendingMatches renders the "Matching transactions" card — only
 // rendered when preview data is available.
 //
diff --git a/internal/templates/components/pages/rule_detail_types.go b/internal/templates/components/pages/rule_detail_types.go
index f1083612..25ebfcca 100644
--- a/internal/templates/components/pages/rule_detail_types.go
+++ b/internal/templates/components/pages/rule_detail_types.go
@@ -51,6 +51,16 @@ type RuleApplicationMeta struct {
 	AppliedBy           string
 }
 
+// ruleAppliedByTitle returns the tooltip text for the inline meta badge that
+// marks how a Recent-Applications row was touched. Retroactive is the common
+// case; any other non-sync origin falls back to a generic phrasing.
+func ruleAppliedByTitle(appliedBy string) string {
+	if appliedBy == "retroactive" {
+		return "Applied retroactively from this rule's detail page"
+	}
+	return "Applied via " + appliedBy
+}
+
 // ruleID safely returns the rule's ID, or empty string when the rule
 // pointer is nil. Used to build the data-apply-url / data-toggle-url
 // attributes without crashing the template render on a transient nil.
diff --git a/internal/templates/components/tx_row.templ b/internal/templates/components/tx_row.templ
index cd0b708a..41f5bfee 100644
--- a/internal/templates/components/tx_row.templ
+++ b/internal/templates/components/tx_row.templ
@@ -21,7 +21,15 @@ import (
 //
 // The inline category picker still reads window.__bbCategories from the
 // page; pages that render tx rows must continue to populate that global.
-templ TxRow(tx service.AdminTransactionRow) {
+//
+// Optional TxRowOption values let a page embellish the row without forcing
+// the ~50 existing call sites to thread a props struct. The only option
+// today is WithMetaBadge, which renders a small chip at the tail of the
+// meta (subtitle) line — the rule-detail "Recent Applications" list uses it
+// to mark how a row was touched (e.g. "Retroactive") inline, instead of
+// floating a separate label above the row.
+templ TxRow(tx service.AdminTransactionRow, opts ...TxRowOption) {
+	{{ cfg := buildTxRowConfig(opts) }}
 	<div
 		class="bb-tx-row group"
 		x-data="{ expanded: false }"
@@ -133,6 +141,13 @@ templ TxRow(tx service.AdminTransactionRow) {
 							@LucideIcon("flag", "w-3 h-3")
 						</span>
 					}
+					<!-- Slot 6 — optional caller-supplied meta badge (e.g. the
+					     rule-detail "Retroactive" marker). Self-contained so the
+					     leading separator vanishes with it when no badge is set. -->
+					if cfg.MetaBadge != nil {
+						<span class="text-base-content/20">&middot;</span>
+						@cfg.MetaBadge
+					}
 				</div>
 				<!-- Mobile-only sub-line (<sm): date + category dot.
 				     Keeps the row informative on iPhone without crowding the name.
@@ -170,6 +185,10 @@ templ TxRow(tx service.AdminTransactionRow) {
 							<span class="text-[0.65rem] tabular-nums font-medium">{ strconv.Itoa(tx.CommentCount) }</span>
 						</span>
 					}
+					if cfg.MetaBadge != nil {
+						<span class="text-base-content/20 shrink-0">&middot;</span>
+						@cfg.MetaBadge
+					}
 				</div>
 			</div>
 			<!-- Inline category picker (xl+). Below xl the compact label above
@@ -336,6 +355,36 @@ func txAvatarColorStyle(color *string) string {
 	return "--avatar-color: " + txNeutralCategoryColor
 }
 
+// TxRowOption configures optional, page-specific embellishments on a TxRow
+// without forcing the ~50 existing call sites to thread a props struct.
+type TxRowOption func(*txRowConfig)
+
+// txRowConfig holds resolved TxRow options.
+type txRowConfig struct {
+	// MetaBadge, when non-nil, renders inline at the tail of the row's meta
+	// (subtitle) line.
+	MetaBadge templ.Component
+}
+
+// WithMetaBadge injects a small inline chip at the end of the meta line.
+// Used by the rule-detail "Recent Applications" list to mark how a row was
+// touched (e.g. "Retroactive") without floating a separate label above it.
+func WithMetaBadge(c templ.Component) TxRowOption {
+	return func(cfg *txRowConfig) { cfg.MetaBadge = c }
+}
+
+// buildTxRowConfig folds the variadic options into a config, tolerating nil
+// options so callers can pass WithMetaBadge(maybeNil) without branching.
+func buildTxRowConfig(opts []TxRowOption) txRowConfig {
+	var cfg txRowConfig
+	for _, opt := range opts {
+		if opt != nil {
+			opt(&cfg)
+		}
+	}
+	return cfg
+}
+
 // txCategoryInitial returns the category UUID for the picker's data-initial
 // attribute, or empty string when the row is uncategorized. The shared
 // `categoryPicker` factory reads this via `data-initial` and pulls the