diff --git a/crates/color/src/palette_io.rs b/crates/color/src/palette_io.rs
index fa193273..b37463b9 100644
--- a/crates/color/src/palette_io.rs
+++ b/crates/color/src/palette_io.rs
@@ -57,6 +57,19 @@ impl PaletteFormat {
     pub fn binary(self) -> bool {
         self == PaletteFormat::Ase
     }
+    /// Does [`write`] keep a swatch with `paint` in a file of this format? None and patterns are
+    /// never written; `.gpl` and `.ase` hold solid colors only, and CSS holds no freeform gradients.
+    pub fn holds(self, paint: &Paint) -> bool {
+        match paint {
+            Paint::Solid { .. } => true,
+            Paint::Gradient(g) => match self {
+                PaletteFormat::Native => true,
+                PaletteFormat::Css => g.gradient.kind != GradientKind::Freeform,
+                PaletteFormat::Gpl | PaletteFormat::Ase => false,
+            },
+            Paint::None | Paint::Pattern { .. } => false,
+        }
+    }
 }
 
 /// The native file: a header around the library.
@@ -792,6 +805,23 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(read(&text, "x").is_err(), "CSS is written only");
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn holds_counts_the_swatches_each_format_writes() {
+        // `sample()` holds the spot color Ink, the linear gradient Fade, the pattern Tiles and two solid colors in a group.
+        let mut lib = sample();
+        let Paint::Gradient(mut mesh) = lib.swatches[1].paint.clone() else { panic!("Fade is a gradient") };
+        mesh.gradient.kind = GradientKind::Freeform;
+        lib.swatches.push(Swatch { name: "Mesh".into(), paint: Paint::Gradient(mesh), global: false, spot: false });
+        lib.swatches.push(Swatch { name: "[None]".into(), paint: Paint::None, global: false, spot: false });
+        let held = |f: PaletteFormat| lib.iter().filter(|w| f.holds(&w.paint)).count();
+        assert_eq!(PaletteFormat::ALL.map(held), [5, 3, 3, 4], "vcswatches, gpl, ase, css");
+        for f in [PaletteFormat::Native, PaletteFormat::Gpl, PaletteFormat::Ase] {
+            assert_eq!(read_bytes(&write(&lib, f).unwrap(), "x").unwrap().len(), held(f), "{f:?}");
+        }
+        let css = written(&lib, PaletteFormat::Css);
+        assert_eq!(css.lines().filter(|l| l.starts_with("  --")).count(), held(PaletteFormat::Css), "one property each: {css}");
+    }
+
     /// A swatch exchange file of `blocks` (type, body).
     fn ase(blocks: &[(u16, Vec<u8>)]) -> Vec<u8> {
         let mut out = b"ASEF\0\x01\0\0".to_vec();
@@ -1088,5 +1118,15 @@ mod tests {
                 prop_assert!(same_swatches(&g.swatches, &ase_expected(&want.swatches)), "{}: {:?}", g.name, g.swatches);
             }
         }
+
+        /// A written `.vcswatches`, `.gpl` or `.ase` file reads back with as many swatches as
+        /// [`PaletteFormat::holds`] counts.
+        #[test]
+        fn written_files_read_back_with_the_swatches_holds_counts(lib in arb_library()) {
+            for f in [PaletteFormat::Native, PaletteFormat::Gpl, PaletteFormat::Ase] {
+                let back = read_bytes(&write(&lib, f).unwrap(), &lib.name).unwrap();
+                prop_assert_eq!(back.len(), lib.iter().filter(|w| f.holds(&w.paint)).count(), "{:?}", f);
+            }
+        }
     }
 }
diff --git a/crates/engine/src/cmd/swatchlib.rs b/crates/engine/src/cmd/swatchlib.rs
index 9c1a9298..33adf24f 100644
--- a/crates/engine/src/cmd/swatchlib.rs
+++ b/crates/engine/src/cmd/swatchlib.rs
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ pub fn specs() -> Vec<CommandSpec> {
             "Save Swatch Library…",
             ["Window", "Swatches"],
             None,
-            "{path?, format?: \"vcswatches\" (lossless JSON: colour models, global, spot, gradients, groups) | \"gpl\" (8-bit RGB palette; groups as `# Group:` comments) | \"ase\" (swatch exchange, binary: solid colors in their own model (RGB, CMYK, Lab, Gray) as global, spot or process colors, and color groups; gradients are left out, and a tint swatch is saved as the color it shows) | \"css\" (custom properties on :root) (default: the path's extension, else vcswatches), names?: [swatch or colour group names] (default: all; None and patterns are never saved), name?: library name (default: the document's), user?: false (save into the user library folder, listed under User Defined)} save the document's swatches as a library → {path, format, count, library?: id when saved to the user folder}; without path or user → {data: the file's text, format, count}, or {dataBase64, format, count} for ase",
+            "{path?, format?: \"vcswatches\" (lossless JSON: colour models, global, spot, gradients, groups) | \"gpl\" (8-bit RGB palette; groups as `# Group:` comments) | \"ase\" (swatch exchange, binary: solid colors in their own model (RGB, CMYK, Lab, Gray) as global, spot or process colors, and color groups; gradients are left out, and a tint swatch is saved as the color it shows) | \"css\" (custom properties on :root) (default: the path's extension, else vcswatches), names?: [swatch or colour group names] (default: all; None and patterns are never saved), name?: library name (default: the document's), user?: false (save into the user library folder, listed under User Defined)} save the document's swatches as a library → {path, format, count: the swatches written (gpl and ase hold solid colors only, and css leaves freeform gradients out), library?: id when saved to the user folder}; without path or user → {data: the file's text, format, count}, or {dataBase64, format, count} for ase",
             has_doc,
             save
         ),
@@ -454,7 +454,7 @@ fn save(s: &mut Session, p: &Value) -> Result<Value> {
     let lib = document_library(&st.doc, &str_list(p, "names"), name, C)?;
     let bytes = palette_io::write(&lib, format).map_err(|e| bad(C, e))?;
     let data = if format.binary() { FileData::Binary(bytes) } else { FileData::Text(String::from_utf8_lossy(&bytes).into_owned()) };
-    let mut out = json!({"format": format.id(), "count": lib.len()});
+    let mut out = json!({"format": format.id(), "count": lib.iter().filter(|w| format.holds(&w.paint)).count()});
     s.swatch_libraries.write(p, &lib.name, format.id(), data, &mut out, C)?;
     Ok(out)
 }
diff --git a/crates/engine/src/tests_swatchlib.rs b/crates/engine/src/tests_swatchlib.rs
index 68f1d8ec..0783e159 100644
--- a/crates/engine/src/tests_swatchlib.rs
+++ b/crates/engine/src/tests_swatchlib.rs
@@ -283,6 +283,26 @@ fn swatch_exchange_files_save_with_models_kinds_and_groups() {
     let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(dir);
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn save_counts_the_swatches_the_file_holds() {
+    let mut s = session();
+    // A new document has 46 solid colors and 4 linear or radial gradients besides None. Mesh is a freeform gradient.
+    run(&mut s, "swatch.new", json!({"name": "Mesh", "gradient": {"kind": "freeform"}}));
+    let mut counts = vec![];
+    for format in ["vcswatches", "gpl", "ase", "css"] {
+        let r = run(&mut s, "swatch.library.save", json!({ "format": format }));
+        // The libraries load back with that many swatches, and the CSS file has one property for each.
+        let held = if format == "css" {
+            r["data"].as_str().unwrap().lines().filter(|l| l.starts_with("  --")).count() as u64
+        } else {
+            let load = json!({"data": r["data"], "dataBase64": r["dataBase64"], "name": format!("Saved.{format}")});
+            run(&mut s, "swatch.library.load", load)["count"].as_u64().unwrap()
+        };
+        counts.push((format, r["count"].as_u64().unwrap(), held));
+    }
+    assert_eq!(counts, [("vcswatches", 51, 51), ("gpl", 46, 46), ("ase", 46, 46), ("css", 50, 50)]);
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn loaded_libraries_copy_into_the_user_folder_without_replacing_files() {
     use vectorcraft_testkit::ase::{Block, ase, sample};
diff --git a/docs/mcp.md b/docs/mcp.md
index b49165ce..249b9c9a 100644
--- a/docs/mcp.md
+++ b/docs/mcp.md
@@ -931,7 +931,8 @@ groups; `.gpl` is 8-bit RGB; a swatch exchange `.ase` file keeps solid colors in
 (RGB, CMYK, Lab or Gray) as global, spot or process colors, and color groups, writes a tint swatch
 as the color it shows and leaves gradients out; CSS writes custom properties); without `path`
 it returns `{data}`, or `{dataBase64}` for `.ase`, and `user: true` saves into the user library
-folder of the desktop app (listed as category `user`, User Defined). `swatch.library.load {path? | data? |
+folder of the desktop app (listed as category `user`, User Defined). The reply's `count` is the number of swatches
+written: `.gpl` and `.ase` hold solid colors only, and CSS leaves freeform gradients out. `swatch.library.load {path? | data? |
 dataBase64?, name?}` loads a `.vcswatches`, `.gpl`, swatch exchange (`.ase`) or color book (`.acb`) file, or another
 document's swatches, as a library to add from. From an `.ase` file it reads RGB, CMYK, Lab and Gray colors as global,
 spot or process swatches and keeps their color groups. A color book (such as a Pantone book you own) gives its RGB,