--- a/design_system/src/components/alert.js	Tue Aug 04 12:21:19 2026 -0700
+++ b/design_system/src/components/alert.js	Tue Aug 04 15:12:09 2026 -0700
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+/**
+ * Presents a semantic status message with optional dismissal.
+ *
+ * @extends {HTMLElement}
+ */
 export class ZenAlert extends HTMLElement {
   static get observedAttributes() {
     return ["dismissible", "tone"];
@@ -50,7 +55,9 @@
       dismiss.dataset.zenDismiss = "";
       dismiss.dataset.zenGenerated = "true";
       dismiss.setAttribute("aria-label", "Dismiss message");
-      dismiss.textContent = "×";
+      const icon = document.createElement("zen-icon");
+      icon.setAttribute("name", "close");
+      dismiss.append(icon);
       this.append(dismiss);
     }
     if (dismiss === this._dismissControl) return;