diff --git a/packages/diffs/src/renderers/DiffHunksRenderer.ts b/packages/diffs/src/renderers/DiffHunksRenderer.ts
index 6daaed9f0..0f81d345e 100644
--- a/packages/diffs/src/renderers/DiffHunksRenderer.ts
+++ b/packages/diffs/src/renderers/DiffHunksRenderer.ts
@@ -281,11 +281,21 @@ export class DiffHunksRenderer<LAnnotation = undefined> {
    * Enter edit-session mode: hunk updates preserve the current region
    * skeleton instead of recomputing hunks, and rendering happens locally
    * with the token transformer forced on (worker-pool requests/results are
-   * suspended for this renderer). Called on every editor attach, including
-   * a re-attach after recycle.
+   * suspended for this renderer). An empty additions document gets one row so
+   * the editor has a line for its caret. Called on every editor attach,
+   * including a re-attach after recycle.
    */
   public beginEditSession(): void {
     this.editSessionActive = true;
+    const diff = this.diffCache;
+    if (diff != null && !diff.isPartial && diff.additionLines.length === 0) {
+      Object.assign(
+        diff,
+        recomputeEmptyDocumentDiff(diff, this.options.parseDiffOptions)
+      );
+      this.markEditSessionPass(diff);
+      this.clearRenderCache();
+    }
   }
 
   /** Leave edit-session mode. The exit recompute is the host's concern. */
@@ -652,7 +662,7 @@ export class DiffHunksRenderer<LAnnotation = undefined> {
       );
       result.code.additionLines[0] = createPlainAdditionLineElement(
         0,
-        textDocument
+        textDocument.getLineText(0)
       );
       this.markEditSessionPass(diff);
     } else if (this.editSessionActive) {
@@ -1110,6 +1120,34 @@ export class DiffHunksRenderer<LAnnotation = undefined> {
       expandedHunks: forcePlainText ? true : undefined,
       collapsedContextThreshold,
     });
+    if (
+      this.editSessionActive &&
+      diff.additionLines.length === 1 &&
+      diff.additionLines[0] === '' &&
+      result.code.additionLines[0] == null
+    ) {
+      let fallbackLine: DiffLineMetadata | undefined;
+      iterateOverDiff({
+        diff,
+        diffStyle: 'both',
+        expandedHunks: forcePlainText ? true : undefined,
+        collapsedContextThreshold,
+        callback: ({ additionLine }) => {
+          if (additionLine?.lineIndex !== 0) return;
+          fallbackLine = additionLine;
+          return true;
+        },
+      });
+      if (fallbackLine == null) {
+        throw new Error('DiffHunksRenderer: missing empty addition line');
+      }
+      result.code.additionLines[0] = createPlainAdditionLineElement(
+        0,
+        '',
+        fallbackLine.unifiedLineIndex,
+        fallbackLine.splitLineIndex
+      );
+    }
     return { result, options };
   }
 
@@ -2339,21 +2377,26 @@ function realignAdditionHastLines(
     realigned[index] ??= hastLines[index];
   }
   for (let index = prefix; index < nextLines.length; index++) {
-    realigned[index] ??= createPlainAdditionLineElement(index, textDocument);
+    realigned[index] ??= createPlainAdditionLineElement(
+      index,
+      textDocument.getLineText(index)
+    );
   }
   return realigned;
 }
 
 function createPlainAdditionLineElement(
   lineIndex: number,
-  textDocument: DiffsTextDocument
+  lineText: string,
+  unifiedLineIndex = lineIndex,
+  splitLineIndex = lineIndex
 ): HASTElement {
   return {
     type: 'element',
     tagName: 'div',
     properties: {
       'data-line': lineIndex + 1,
-      'data-line-index': `${lineIndex},${lineIndex}`,
+      'data-line-index': `${unifiedLineIndex},${splitLineIndex}`,
       'data-line-type': 'context',
     },
     children: [
@@ -2366,7 +2409,7 @@ function createPlainAdditionLineElement(
         children: [
           {
             type: 'text',
-            value: textDocument.getLineText(lineIndex),
+            value: lineText,
           },
         ],
       },
diff --git a/packages/diffs/src/utils/editSessionHunks.ts b/packages/diffs/src/utils/editSessionHunks.ts
index 12070712b..8fd827179 100644
--- a/packages/diffs/src/utils/editSessionHunks.ts
+++ b/packages/diffs/src/utils/editSessionHunks.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import { parseDiffFromFile } from './parseDiffFromFile';
 import {
   offsetHunkContent,
   preserveTrailingEditorBlankLine,
+  recomputeDiffHunks,
   recomputeDiffHunksForEdit,
   recomputeDiffRenderLineCounts,
   recomputeHunkRenderLineCounts,
@@ -419,7 +420,13 @@ export function finishEditSessionForDiff(
     return false;
   }
   diff.editSessionDirty = undefined;
-  Object.assign(diff, recomputeDiffHunksForEdit(diff, parseDiffOptions));
+  // The empty editor row only hosts a caret; it is not file content after exit.
+  Object.assign(
+    diff,
+    diff.additionLines.length <= 1 && diff.additionLines.join('') === ''
+      ? recomputeDiffHunks(diff, parseDiffOptions)
+      : recomputeDiffHunksForEdit(diff, parseDiffOptions)
+  );
   return true;
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/diffs/test/editorDiffEmptyDocument.test.ts b/packages/diffs/test/editorDiffEmptyDocument.test.ts
index 0f11ecfe5..c2e78f3e8 100644
--- a/packages/diffs/test/editorDiffEmptyDocument.test.ts
+++ b/packages/diffs/test/editorDiffEmptyDocument.test.ts
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ function countEditableLineEls(content: HTMLElement): number {
 interface DiffEditorFixture {
   container: HTMLElement;
   editor: Editor<undefined>;
+  fileDiff: FileDiff<undefined>;
   cleanup(): Promise<void>;
 }
 
@@ -96,6 +97,7 @@ async function createDiffEditorFixture(
   return {
     container,
     editor,
+    fileDiff,
     async cleanup() {
       // Drain any pending highlighter/sync callbacks before tearing down the DOM
       // so a late re-attach does not run against a destroyed document.
@@ -122,8 +124,75 @@ function replaceAll(editor: Editor<undefined>, newText: string): void {
   );
 }
 
-describe('diff editor: select-all then delete', () => {
+describe('diff editor: empty document', () => {
   for (const diffStyle of ['split', 'unified'] as const) {
+    test(`renders line 1 and a caret when the new file starts empty (${diffStyle})`, async () => {
+      const fixture = await createDiffEditorFixture(diffStyle, 'removed\n', '');
+      const { editor, container } = fixture;
+
+      try {
+        const content = findAdditionContent(container);
+        expect(content).toBeDefined();
+        if (content == null) return;
+        expect(countEditableLineEls(content)).toBe(1);
+        expect(
+          [...content.children].some(
+            (child) => (child as HTMLElement).dataset.line === '1'
+          )
+        ).toBe(true);
+        const editableLine = [...content.children].find((child) => {
+          const el = child as HTMLElement;
+          return (
+            el.dataset.line === '1' && el.dataset.lineType !== 'change-deletion'
+          );
+        }) as HTMLElement | undefined;
+        expect(editableLine?.dataset.lineIndex).toBe('1,0');
+
+        editor.setSelections([
+          {
+            start: { line: 0, character: 0 },
+            end: { line: 0, character: 0 },
+            direction: 'none',
+          },
+        ]);
+        expect(
+          container.shadowRoot?.querySelector('[data-caret]') != null
+        ).toBe(true);
+      } finally {
+        await fixture.cleanup();
+      }
+    });
+
+    test(`restores the zero-line diff after an attach-only session (${diffStyle})`, async () => {
+      const fixture = await createDiffEditorFixture(
+        diffStyle,
+        'removed 1\nremoved 2\n',
+        ''
+      );
+
+      try {
+        expect(fixture.fileDiff.fileDiff?.additionLines).toEqual(['']);
+
+        fixture.editor.cleanUp();
+        for (let attempt = 0; attempt < 40; attempt++) {
+          const content = findAdditionContent(fixture.container);
+          if (
+            fixture.fileDiff.fileDiff?.additionLines.length === 0 &&
+            (content == null || countEditableLineEls(content) === 0)
+          ) {
+            break;
+          }
+          await wait(0);
+        }
+
+        expect(fixture.fileDiff.fileDiff?.additionLines).toEqual([]);
+        const content = findAdditionContent(fixture.container);
+        expect(content == null ? 0 : countEditableLineEls(content)).toBe(0);
+      } finally {
+        await fixture.cleanup();
+      }
+    });
+
     test(`keeps an editable line, accepts typing, and undoes (${diffStyle})`, async () => {
       const fixture = await createDiffEditorFixture(
         diffStyle,