diff --git a/src/ClaudeDo.Ui/ViewModels/Conflicts/ConflictModels.cs b/src/ClaudeDo.Ui/ViewModels/Conflicts/ConflictModels.cs
index 7212e24..e4db884 100644
--- a/src/ClaudeDo.Ui/ViewModels/Conflicts/ConflictModels.cs
+++ b/src/ClaudeDo.Ui/ViewModels/Conflicts/ConflictModels.cs
@@ -72,9 +72,11 @@ public sealed class MergeFile
     /// <summary>A binary file can't be resolved in-app; a text file is done once every block is resolved.</summary>
     public bool AllResolved => !IsBinary && Conflicts.All(c => c.IsResolved);
 
-    /// <summary>Reassemble the file: stable text verbatim, each conflict replaced by its resolution.</summary>
+    /// <summary>Reassemble the file: stable text verbatim, each conflict replaced by its resolution
+    /// (empty when unresolved — the same "empty start" the editor shows; Continue is gated on
+    /// <see cref="AllResolved"/> so an unresolved conflict never actually reaches here).</summary>
     public string Compose() => string.Concat(
-        Segments.Select(s => s.IsConflict ? (s.Conflict!.Resolution ?? s.Conflict.Ours) : s.StableText));
+        Segments.Select(s => s.IsConflict ? (s.Conflict!.Resolution ?? "") : s.StableText));
 
     /// <summary>Left pane document: stable regions verbatim, conflict regions show Ours text.</summary>
     public string OursText => string.Concat(
@@ -84,7 +86,8 @@ public sealed class MergeFile
     public string TheirsText => string.Concat(
         Segments.Select(s => s.IsConflict ? s.Conflict!.Theirs : s.StableText));
 
-    /// <summary>Middle (result) pane document: stable regions verbatim, conflict regions show Resolution if set, else Ours.</summary>
+    /// <summary>Middle (result) pane document: stable regions verbatim, conflict regions show the
+    /// chosen Resolution, or empty when unresolved (the editor builds each conflict up from empty).</summary>
     public string ResultText => string.Concat(
-        Segments.Select(s => s.IsConflict ? (s.Conflict!.Resolution ?? s.Conflict.Ours) : s.StableText));
+        Segments.Select(s => s.IsConflict ? (s.Conflict!.Resolution ?? "") : s.StableText));
 }
diff --git a/src/ClaudeDo.Ui/ViewModels/Conflicts/ConflictResolverViewModel.cs b/src/ClaudeDo.Ui/ViewModels/Conflicts/ConflictResolverViewModel.cs
index fe6b3e3..a4018a8 100644
--- a/src/ClaudeDo.Ui/ViewModels/Conflicts/ConflictResolverViewModel.cs
+++ b/src/ClaudeDo.Ui/ViewModels/Conflicts/ConflictResolverViewModel.cs
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ public sealed partial class ConflictResolverViewModel : ObservableObject
             if (ActiveFile is null || ActiveFile.Conflicts.Count == 0) return "No text conflicts";
             var count = ActiveFile.Conflicts.Count;
             var resolved = ActiveFile.Conflicts.Count(c => c.IsResolved);
-            return $"{count} conflicts · {resolved} resolved";
+            return $"{count} {(count == 1 ? "conflict" : "conflicts")} · {resolved} resolved";
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/src/ClaudeDo.Ui/Views/Conflicts/ConflictResolverView.axaml.cs b/src/ClaudeDo.Ui/Views/Conflicts/ConflictResolverView.axaml.cs
index 6bda13a..2e33714 100644
--- a/src/ClaudeDo.Ui/Views/Conflicts/ConflictResolverView.axaml.cs
+++ b/src/ClaudeDo.Ui/Views/Conflicts/ConflictResolverView.axaml.cs
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ public partial class ConflictResolverView : Window
     private bool _applyingAccept;
     private bool _syncing;
     private bool _gutterPending;
+    private int _gutterRetries;
 
     public ConflictResolverView()
     {
@@ -109,6 +110,7 @@ public partial class ConflictResolverView : Window
     {
         if (_vm is null) return;
         _rebuilding = true;
+        _gutterRetries = 0; // fresh retry budget for this file's gutter layout
         try
         {
             ClearGutters();
@@ -257,9 +259,12 @@ public partial class ConflictResolverView : Window
         var tv = ResultEditor.TextArea.TextView;
         if (!tv.VisualLinesValid)
         {
-            QueueGutters();
+            // Retry until the editor is laid out, but bounded so a never-laid-out editor
+            // (e.g. minimized window) can't busy-loop the dispatcher.
+            if (_gutterRetries++ < 40) QueueGutters();
             return;
         }
+        _gutterRetries = 0;
 
         var doc = ResultEditor.Document;
         foreach (var region in _resultRegions)
diff --git a/tests/ClaudeDo.Ui.Tests/ViewModels/ConflictResolverViewModelTests.cs b/tests/ClaudeDo.Ui.Tests/ViewModels/ConflictResolverViewModelTests.cs
index 6839823..2d295b6 100644
--- a/tests/ClaudeDo.Ui.Tests/ViewModels/ConflictResolverViewModelTests.cs
+++ b/tests/ClaudeDo.Ui.Tests/ViewModels/ConflictResolverViewModelTests.cs
@@ -238,7 +238,7 @@ public class ConflictResolverViewModelTests
 
         Assert.Equal("a\no\nz\n", file.OursText);
         Assert.Equal("a\nt\nz\n", file.TheirsText);
-        Assert.Equal("a\no\nz\n", file.ResultText);   // unresolved seeds Ours
+        Assert.Equal("a\nz\n", file.ResultText);   // unresolved conflicts start empty
 
         // After resolving: ResultText reflects the resolution
         file.Conflicts[0].Resolution = "r\n";
@@ -286,7 +286,7 @@ public class ConflictResolverViewModelTests
         // Switch to file B
         vm.SelectFileCommand.Execute(vm.Files[1]);
         Assert.Equal("b.cs", vm.ActiveFile!.Path);
-        Assert.Equal("ours-b\n", vm.ActiveResultText);   // unresolved seeds Ours
+        Assert.Equal("", vm.ActiveResultText);   // unresolved conflicts start empty
 
         // Switch back to file A
         vm.SelectFileCommand.Execute(vm.Files[0]);
@@ -303,11 +303,11 @@ public class ConflictResolverViewModelTests
         await vm.OpenAsync("main");
 
         // 1 conflict, 0 resolved
-        Assert.Equal("1 conflicts · 0 resolved", vm.PositionText);
+        Assert.Equal("1 conflict · 0 resolved", vm.PositionText);
 
         vm.Current!.AcceptOursCommand.Execute(null);
 
         // 1 conflict, 1 resolved
-        Assert.Equal("1 conflicts · 1 resolved", vm.PositionText);
+        Assert.Equal("1 conflict · 1 resolved", vm.PositionText);
     }
 }