diff --git a/packages/host/app/components/search/card-context-search-results.gts b/packages/host/app/components/search/card-context-search-results.gts
index ab6077d0c34..cf158d5fcbc 100644
--- a/packages/host/app/components/search/card-context-search-results.gts
+++ b/packages/host/app/components/search/card-context-search-results.gts
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ export default class CardContextSearchResults extends Component<SearchResultsCom
         @query={{@query}}
         @mode={{@mode}}
         @overlays={{@overlays}}
+        @displayContainer={{@displayContainer}}
         @cardInitiated={{true}}
         @getDefaultRealm={{this.getDefaultRealm}}
         ...attributes
@@ -48,6 +49,7 @@ export default class CardContextSearchResults extends Component<SearchResultsCom
         @query={{@query}}
         @mode={{@mode}}
         @overlays={{@overlays}}
+        @displayContainer={{@displayContainer}}
         @cardInitiated={{true}}
         @getDefaultRealm={{this.getDefaultRealm}}
         ...attributes
diff --git a/packages/host/app/components/search/hydratable-card.gts b/packages/host/app/components/search/hydratable-card.gts
index 61a131a101c..bd87d49f462 100644
--- a/packages/host/app/components/search/hydratable-card.gts
+++ b/packages/host/app/components/search/hydratable-card.gts
@@ -100,6 +100,12 @@ interface Signature {
     // and no overlay (chip / options menu / selection toggle) ever anchors to
     // it — for a consumer that lays results out in its own UI.
     overlays?: boolean;
+    // Whether the row renders its card container chrome — the boundary ring
+    // (defaults to `true`). `false` hides it on both the inert HTML (via the
+    // container's `hide-boundaries` class) and the hydrated live card (via
+    // `@displayContainer={{false}}`), matching the `@fields` switch, so a row
+    // looks the same before and after hydration either way.
+    displayContainer?: boolean;
     // The format the live/hydrated card renders as, so it matches the
     // prerendered HTML the query selected (defaults to `fitted`).
     format?: Format;
@@ -266,6 +272,10 @@ export default class HydratableCard extends Component<Signature> {
     return cardContext;
   }
 
+  private get displayContainer(): boolean {
+    return this.args.displayContainer ?? true;
+  }
+
   @action private hydrate() {
     if (this.args.isError) {
       return;
@@ -284,13 +294,14 @@ export default class HydratableCard extends Component<Signature> {
         @card={{this.liveCard}}
         @format={{this.format}}
         @codeRef={{@renderType}}
-        @displayContainer={{false}}
+        @displayContainer={{this.displayContainer}}
         data-hydration={{this.hydrationState}}
         data-test-hydratable-card={{@cardId}}
         ...attributes
       />
     {{else if @component}}
       <@component
+        class={{unless this.displayContainer 'hide-boundaries'}}
         {{hydrationTrigger this.mode this.hydrate}}
         {{this.trackElement
           cardId=@cardId
diff --git a/packages/host/app/components/search/search-results.gts b/packages/host/app/components/search/search-results.gts
index 507f4139d77..9366783386a 100644
--- a/packages/host/app/components/search/search-results.gts
+++ b/packages/host/app/components/search/search-results.gts
@@ -65,6 +65,10 @@ export default class SearchResults extends Component<HostSearchResultsSignature>
     return this.args.overlays ?? true;
   }
 
+  private get displayContainer(): boolean {
+    return this.args.displayContainer ?? true;
+  }
+
   // Created once per component: the view-model layer memoizes render-stable
   // entries on top of a search resource. With `@resource` it wraps the
   // caller-owned resource (whose subscriptions and re-runs outlive this
@@ -77,12 +81,14 @@ export default class SearchResults extends Component<HostSearchResultsSignature>
         this.args.resource,
         () => this.mode,
         () => this.overlays,
+        () => this.displayContainer,
       )
     : getRenderableSearchEntries(
         this,
         () => this.args.query,
         () => this.mode,
         () => this.overlays,
+        () => this.displayContainer,
         {
           cardInitiated: this.args.cardInitiated,
           getDefaultRealm: this.args.getDefaultRealm,
diff --git a/packages/host/app/lib/hydratable-entry-component.ts b/packages/host/app/lib/hydratable-entry-component.ts
index 651b5249209..58f1acd88f6 100644
--- a/packages/host/app/lib/hydratable-entry-component.ts
+++ b/packages/host/app/lib/hydratable-entry-component.ts
@@ -57,6 +57,9 @@ export interface HydratableEntryArgs {
   // Whether the row registers with the operator-mode overlay; `false` renders
   // it plainly (no chip / options menu / selection toggle).
   overlays: boolean;
+  // Whether the row renders its card container chrome (the boundary ring);
+  // `false` hides it, as `@displayContainer={{false}}` does on `@fields`.
+  displayContainer: boolean;
 }
 
 class _HydratableEntryComponent {
@@ -71,6 +74,7 @@ class _HydratableEntryComponent {
     readonly errorDoc: ErrorEntry | undefined,
     readonly mode: HydrationMode,
     readonly overlays: boolean,
+    readonly displayContainer: boolean,
   ) {}
 }
 
@@ -87,6 +91,7 @@ setComponentTemplate(
       @errorDoc={{this.errorDoc}}
       @mode={{this.mode}}
       @overlays={{this.overlays}}
+      @displayContainer={{this.displayContainer}}
       ...attributes
     />`,
     {
@@ -133,5 +138,6 @@ export function hydratableEntryComponent(
     args.errorDoc,
     args.mode,
     args.overlays,
+    args.displayContainer,
   ) as unknown as EntryComponent;
 }
diff --git a/packages/host/app/resources/renderable-search-entries.ts b/packages/host/app/resources/renderable-search-entries.ts
index e9e697f8346..46b791bb7d4 100644
--- a/packages/host/app/resources/renderable-search-entries.ts
+++ b/packages/host/app/resources/renderable-search-entries.ts
@@ -94,6 +94,7 @@ export class RenderableSearchEntry {
     private fallbackFormat: PrerenderedHtmlFormat,
     private mode: HydrationMode,
     private overlays: boolean,
+    private displayContainer: boolean,
   ) {}
 
   get id(): string {
@@ -214,6 +215,7 @@ export class RenderableSearchEntry {
         errorDoc: this.errorDoc,
         mode: this.mode,
         overlays: this.overlays,
+        displayContainer: this.displayContainer,
       });
     }
     return this.#component;
@@ -242,6 +244,7 @@ export class RenderableSearchEntries {
     private resource: ReturnType<typeof getSearchEntriesResource>,
     private getMode: () => HydrationMode,
     private getOverlays: () => boolean,
+    private getDisplayContainer: () => boolean,
   ) {}
 
   private get fallbackRenderType(): ResolvedCodeRef | undefined {
@@ -257,9 +260,11 @@ export class RenderableSearchEntries {
     let fallbackFormat = this.fallbackFormat;
     let mode = this.getMode();
     let overlays = this.getOverlays();
+    let displayContainer = this.getDisplayContainer();
     let inputsKey = JSON.stringify([
       mode,
       overlays,
+      displayContainer,
       fallbackRenderType,
       fallbackFormat,
     ]);
@@ -282,6 +287,7 @@ export class RenderableSearchEntries {
         fallbackFormat,
         mode,
         overlays,
+        displayContainer,
       );
       // Pure memoization keyed on the resource's stable entry identity — it
       // dirties no tracked state, and keeping unchanged rows' view-models (and
@@ -317,6 +323,7 @@ export function getRenderableSearchEntries(
   getQuery: () => SearchEntryWireQuery | undefined,
   getMode: () => HydrationMode,
   getOverlays: () => boolean = () => true,
+  getDisplayContainer: () => boolean = () => true,
   opts?: {
     // Forwarded to the underlying resource: scope a no-realm card search to the
     // current realm instead of fanning out. Set only by the card-facing
@@ -329,5 +336,6 @@ export function getRenderableSearchEntries(
     getSearchEntriesResource(owner, getQuery, opts),
     getMode,
     getOverlays,
+    getDisplayContainer,
   );
 }
diff --git a/packages/host/tests/integration/components/card-context-search-results-test.gts b/packages/host/tests/integration/components/card-context-search-results-test.gts
index 7bd90cefe8a..cacf1fe267f 100644
--- a/packages/host/tests/integration/components/card-context-search-results-test.gts
+++ b/packages/host/tests/integration/components/card-context-search-results-test.gts
@@ -200,6 +200,47 @@ module(
       );
     });
 
+    test('@displayContainer=false reaches the rows through the card-facing wrapper', async function (assert) {
+      // The wrapper forwards the arg explicitly; a row must lose its container
+      // boundaries both while inert and once hydrated.
+      let query: SearchEntryWireQuery = {
+        filter: { 'item.on': bookRef },
+        realms: [testRealmURL],
+      };
+      await render(
+        <template>
+          <CardSearchContext as |context|>
+            <context.searchResultsComponent
+              @query={{query}}
+              @mode='hover'
+              @displayContainer={{false}}
+            />
+          </CardSearchContext>
+        </template>,
+      );
+      await waitUntil(() =>
+        Boolean(document.querySelector('[data-test-search-result]')),
+      );
+
+      assert
+        .dom(`[data-test-hydratable-card="${BOOK_1}"]`)
+        .hasClass('hide-boundaries', 'the inert row suppresses its ring');
+
+      await triggerEvent(
+        `[data-test-hydratable-card="${BOOK_1}"]`,
+        'mouseenter',
+      );
+
+      assert
+        .dom(
+          `[data-test-hydratable-card="${BOOK_1}"][data-hydration="hydrated"]`,
+        )
+        .doesNotHaveClass(
+          'boxel-card-container--boundaries',
+          'the live container renders without boundaries',
+        );
+    });
+
     test('a no-realm card search scopes to the context default realm', async function (assert) {
       // The query carries no `realms`. Card-initiated, it targets the realm the
       // `@context` was provided with rather than fanning out across every
diff --git a/packages/host/tests/integration/components/hydratable-card-test.gts b/packages/host/tests/integration/components/hydratable-card-test.gts
index a3b7580bd34..52019bba66f 100644
--- a/packages/host/tests/integration/components/hydratable-card-test.gts
+++ b/packages/host/tests/integration/components/hydratable-card-test.gts
@@ -71,6 +71,9 @@ class TestContext extends GlimmerComponent<TestContextSignature> {
 
 const HASSAN = `${testRealmURL}Person/hassan`;
 const INERT_HTML = `<div class='inert' data-test-inert-card>Inert</div>`;
+// Inert HTML as the prerender captures it: the card-api container with its
+// boundary class already on it.
+const BOUNDED_INERT_HTML = `<div class='boxel-card-container boxel-card-container--boundaries inert' data-test-inert-card>Inert</div>`;
 
 // Drives a mount/unmount toggle so a teardown test can destroy the rendered
 // HydratableCard and assert it releases its Store reference.
@@ -294,6 +297,72 @@ module('Integration | Component | hydratable-card', function (hooks) {
     );
   });
 
+  // The boundary ring is on by default and survives hydration: the inert HTML
+  // keeps whatever boundary class it was prerendered with, and the live card
+  // renders inside its own bounded container.
+  test('displayContainer defaults to true — the hydrated card keeps its container boundaries', async function (assert) {
+    let inert = htmlComponent(BOUNDED_INERT_HTML);
+    await render(
+      <template>
+        <TestContext>
+          <HydratableCard
+            @cardId={{HASSAN}}
+            @component={{inert}}
+            @mode='hover'
+          />
+        </TestContext>
+      </template>,
+    );
+
+    assert
+      .dom('[data-test-inert-card]')
+      .hasClass('boxel-card-container--boundaries', 'inert ring is kept')
+      .doesNotHaveClass('hide-boundaries', 'nothing hides the inert ring');
+
+    await triggerEvent('[data-test-hydratable-card]', 'mouseenter');
+
+    assert
+      .dom('[data-test-hydratable-card]')
+      .hasClass(
+        'boxel-card-container--boundaries',
+        'the live container draws its boundaries too',
+      );
+  });
+
+  // `@displayContainer={{false}}` hides the ring on both sides of the swap, the
+  // way `<@fields.x @displayContainer={{false}} />` does for a field render.
+  test('displayContainer=false — hides the boundaries on the inert HTML and the live card alike', async function (assert) {
+    let inert = htmlComponent(BOUNDED_INERT_HTML);
+    await render(
+      <template>
+        <TestContext>
+          <HydratableCard
+            @cardId={{HASSAN}}
+            @component={{inert}}
+            @mode='hover'
+            @displayContainer={{false}}
+          />
+        </TestContext>
+      </template>,
+    );
+
+    assert
+      .dom('[data-test-inert-card]')
+      .hasClass('hide-boundaries', 'the inert ring is suppressed');
+
+    await triggerEvent('[data-test-hydratable-card]', 'mouseenter');
+
+    assert
+      .dom('[data-test-live-card]')
+      .hasText('Live: Hassan', 'still hydrates');
+    assert
+      .dom('[data-test-hydratable-card]')
+      .doesNotHaveClass(
+        'boxel-card-container--boundaries',
+        'the live container renders without boundaries',
+      );
+  });
+
   // `none` stays inert with the diagnostic attribute and never fetches.
   test('none — stays inert, marks data-hydration=none, and never fetches', async function (assert) {
     let inert = htmlComponent(INERT_HTML);
diff --git a/packages/runtime-common/search-results-component.ts b/packages/runtime-common/search-results-component.ts
index 19a66dc3103..431b1717f19 100644
--- a/packages/runtime-common/search-results-component.ts
+++ b/packages/runtime-common/search-results-component.ts
@@ -102,6 +102,11 @@ export interface SearchResultsComponentSignature {
     // pass `false` for a card that lays results out in its own UI and wants
     // them rendered plainly, with no overlay even inside operator mode.
     overlays?: boolean;
+    // Whether each result renders inside its card container chrome (the
+    // boundary ring), the same switch `<@fields.x @displayContainer={{false}} />`
+    // offers. Defaults to `true`; pass `false` for a consumer that frames
+    // results itself.
+    displayContainer?: boolean;
   };
   Blocks: {
     default: [SearchResultsYield];