diff --git a/helix-core/src/conflict.rs b/helix-core/src/conflict.rs
index 93164c15..7f65b5e7 100644
--- a/helix-core/src/conflict.rs
+++ b/helix-core/src/conflict.rs
@@ -415,6 +415,31 @@ fn git_sep_line_end(region: &ConflictRegion, text: &Rope) -> Option<usize> {
     }
 }
 
+/// Returns the document line numbers of every conflict marker line in `text`:
+/// the opening `<<<<<<<`, every section marker (`|||||||`, `=======`, `+++++++`,
+/// `-------`), and the closing `>>>>>>>`.
+///
+/// The returned `Vec` is sorted and deduplicated.
+pub fn conflict_marker_lines(text: &Rope) -> Vec<usize> {
+    let mut lines: Vec<usize> = find_conflicts(text)
+        .iter()
+        .flat_map(|region| {
+            // Section marker lines (includes the opening <<<<<<< via sections[0].marker_start).
+            let section_lines = region
+                .sections
+                .iter()
+                .map(|s| text.char_to_line(s.marker_start));
+            // Closing >>>>>>> line — `end` is exclusive and points past the trailing
+            // newline, so subtract 1 to land somewhere on the last line.
+            let end_line = std::iter::once(text.char_to_line(region.end.saturating_sub(1)));
+            section_lines.chain(end_line)
+        })
+        .collect();
+    lines.sort_unstable();
+    lines.dedup();
+    lines
+}
+
 // ── Content helpers ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 /// Return the char range of the first `Side` section ("current" change).
@@ -1011,6 +1036,23 @@ mod tests {
         state.insert(c.start, 0);
         assert_eq!(conflict_refine_pair(&state, c), 0);
     }
+    #[test]
+    fn conflict_marker_lines_returns_sorted() {
+        let text = concat!(
+            "before\n",
+            "<<<<<<< HEAD\nours\n||||||| base\nbase\n=======\ntheirs\n>>>>>>> b\n",
+            "after\n",
+        );
+        let r = rope(text);
+        let lines = conflict_marker_lines(&r);
+        assert!(!lines.is_empty());
+        for i in 0..lines.len() - 1 {
+            assert!(lines[i] < lines[i + 1]);
+        }
+        let dedup_check: Vec<_> = lines.iter().collect();
+        assert_eq!(dedup_check.len(), lines.len());
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn all_sides_content_concatenates() {
         let text = concat!(
diff --git a/helix-term/src/ui/editor.rs b/helix-term/src/ui/editor.rs
index f49a4504..6ec599d0 100644
--- a/helix-term/src/ui/editor.rs
+++ b/helix-term/src/ui/editor.rs
@@ -15,7 +15,8 @@ use crate::{
 
 use helix_core::{
     conflict::{
-        conflict_at, conflict_pair_sections, conflict_refine_pair, find_conflicts, refine_diff,
+        conflict_at, conflict_marker_lines, conflict_pair_sections, conflict_refine_pair,
+        find_conflicts, refine_diff,
     },
     diagnostic::NumberOrString,
     graphemes::{next_grapheme_boundary, prev_grapheme_boundary},
@@ -97,6 +98,15 @@ impl EditorView {
         let text_annotations = view.text_annotations(doc, Some(theme));
         let mut decorations = DecorationManager::default();
 
+        // Conflict section/marker backgrounds — registered first so they have
+        // the lowest priority and are overwritten by cursorline and DAP highlights.
+        if let Some(deco) = Self::conflict_section_line_deco(doc, view, theme) {
+            decorations.add_decoration(deco);
+        }
+        if let Some(deco) = Self::conflict_marker_line_deco(doc, view, theme) {
+            decorations.add_decoration(deco);
+        }
+
         if is_focused && config.cursorline {
             decorations.add_decoration(Self::cursorline(doc, view, theme));
         }
@@ -187,8 +197,6 @@ impl EditorView {
             );
         }
 
-        Self::render_rulers(editor, doc, view, inner, surface, theme);
-
         let primary_cursor = doc
             .selection(view.id)
             .primary()
@@ -223,6 +231,9 @@ impl EditorView {
             theme,
             decorations,
         );
+        // Rulers are painted after render_document so they always appear on top
+        // of decoration backgrounds (conflict sections, cursorline, etc.).
+        Self::render_rulers(editor, doc, view, inner, surface, theme);
 
         // if we're not at the edge of the screen, draw a right border
         if viewport.right() != view.area.right() {
@@ -721,7 +732,82 @@ impl EditorView {
         Some(OverlayHighlights::Heterogenous { highlights: spans })
     }
 
-    /// Render bufferline at the top
+    /// Returns a decoration that paints per-section background colors across
+    /// every line of each conflict section:
+    ///   - `diff.conflict.current`  — section index % 3 == 0 (ours / first side)
+    ///   - `diff.conflict.base`     — section index % 3 == 1 (common base)
+    ///   - `diff.conflict.incoming` — section index % 3 == 2 (theirs / last side)
+    ///
+    /// For jj N-way conflicts the colors cycle through the three slots by section
+    /// index.  Returns `None` if none of the three scopes are defined in the theme.
+    pub fn conflict_section_line_deco<'a>(
+        doc: &Document,
+        view: &View,
+        theme: &Theme,
+    ) -> Option<impl Decoration + 'a> {
+        let styles = [
+            theme.try_get("diff.conflict.current"),
+            theme.try_get("diff.conflict.base"),
+            theme.try_get("diff.conflict.incoming"),
+        ];
+        if styles.iter().all(|s| s.is_none()) {
+            return None;
+        }
+        let text = doc.text();
+        // Collect (line_start, line_end_excl, slot) for every section content range.
+        let ranges: Vec<(usize, usize, usize)> = find_conflicts(text)
+            .iter()
+            .flat_map(|region| {
+                region.sections.iter().enumerate().map(|(i, s)| {
+                    let l0 = text.char_to_line(s.content_start);
+                    let l1 = text.char_to_line(s.content_end);
+                    let slot = match s.kind {
+                        helix_core::conflict::SectionKind::Base => 1,
+                        helix_core::conflict::SectionKind::Side => {
+                            let side_idx = region.sections[..i]
+                                .iter()
+                                .filter(|s| s.kind == helix_core::conflict::SectionKind::Side)
+                                .count();
+                            if side_idx % 2 == 0 {
+                                0
+                            } else {
+                                2
+                            }
+                        }
+                    };
+                    (l0, l1, slot)
+                })
+            })
+            .collect();
+        let inner = view.inner_area(doc);
+        Some(move |renderer: &mut TextRenderer, pos: LinePos| {
+            for &(l0, l1, slot) in &ranges {
+                if pos.doc_line >= l0 && pos.doc_line < l1 {
+                    if let Some(style) = styles[slot] {
+                        renderer
+                            .set_style(Rect::new(inner.x, pos.visual_line, inner.width, 1), style);
+                    }
+                    break;
+                }
+            }
+        })
+    }
+
+    pub fn conflict_marker_line_deco<'a>(
+        doc: &Document,
+        view: &View,
+        theme: &Theme,
+    ) -> Option<impl Decoration + 'a> {
+        let style = theme.try_get("diff.conflict.marker")?;
+        let lines = conflict_marker_lines(doc.text());
+        let inner = view.inner_area(doc);
+        Some(move |renderer: &mut TextRenderer, pos: LinePos| {
+            if lines.binary_search(&pos.doc_line).is_ok() {
+                renderer.set_style(Rect::new(inner.x, pos.visual_line, inner.width, 1), style);
+            }
+        })
+    }
+
     pub fn render_bufferline(editor: &Editor, viewport: Rect, surface: &mut Surface) {
         let scratch = PathBuf::from(SCRATCH_BUFFER_NAME); // default filename to use for scratch buffer
         surface.clear_with(
diff --git a/runtime/themes/base16_default_dark.toml b/runtime/themes/base16_default_dark.toml
index 5f39b4aa..3f670e22 100644
--- a/runtime/themes/base16_default_dark.toml
+++ b/runtime/themes/base16_default_dark.toml
@@ -48,8 +48,12 @@
 "diff.plus" = "base0B"
 "diff.delta" = "base09"
 "diff.minus" = "base08"
-"diff.conflict.removed" = { bg = "#3d2020" }
-"diff.conflict.added"   = { bg = "#1e3020" }
+"diff.conflict.removed"  = { bg = "#3d2020" }
+"diff.conflict.added"    = { bg = "#1e3020" }
+"diff.conflict.marker"   = { bg = "#202020" }
+"diff.conflict.current"  = { bg = "#1c1c22" }
+"diff.conflict.base"     = { bg = "#202020" }
+"diff.conflict.incoming" = { bg = "#1c221c" }
 
 "diagnostic" = { modifiers = ["underlined"] }
 "ui.gutter" = { bg = "base01" }
diff --git a/runtime/themes/base16_default_light.toml b/runtime/themes/base16_default_light.toml
index 73374f11..2f759feb 100644
--- a/runtime/themes/base16_default_light.toml
+++ b/runtime/themes/base16_default_light.toml
@@ -48,8 +48,12 @@
 "diff.plus" = "base0B"
 "diff.delta" = "base09"
 "diff.minus" = "base08"
-"diff.conflict.removed" = { bg = "#f2d0d0" }
-"diff.conflict.added"   = { bg = "#d0ead0" }
+"diff.conflict.removed"  = { bg = "#f2d0d0" }
+"diff.conflict.added"    = { bg = "#d0ead0" }
+"diff.conflict.marker"   = { bg = "#f0f0f0" }
+"diff.conflict.current"  = { bg = "#f8f0f0" }
+"diff.conflict.base"     = { bg = "#f0f0f0" }
+"diff.conflict.incoming" = { bg = "#f0f8f0" }
 
 "diagnostic" = { modifiers = ["underlined"] }
 "ui.gutter" = { bg = "base01" }
diff --git a/runtime/themes/tokyonight.toml b/runtime/themes/tokyonight.toml
index 26019bdd..ca2146ba 100644
--- a/runtime/themes/tokyonight.toml
+++ b/runtime/themes/tokyonight.toml
@@ -57,8 +57,12 @@ variable = { fg = "fg" }
 "diff.delta.moved" = { fg = "blue" }
 "diff.minus" = { fg = "delete" }
 "diff.plus" = { fg = "add" }
-"diff.conflict.removed" = { bg = "#372731" }
-"diff.conflict.added"   = { bg = "#243b47" }
+"diff.conflict.removed"  = { bg = "#662644" }
+"diff.conflict.added"    = { bg = "#005572" }
+"diff.conflict.marker"   = { bg = "#1f242e" }
+"diff.conflict.current"  = { bg = "#092334" }
+"diff.conflict.base"     = { bg = "#1e2025" }
+"diff.conflict.incoming" = { bg = "#142610" }
 
 error = { fg = "error" }
 warning = { fg = "yellow" }
diff --git a/theme.toml b/theme.toml
index 2139c8bf..24ffe620 100644
--- a/theme.toml
+++ b/theme.toml
@@ -40,6 +40,10 @@ tabstop = { modifiers = ["italic"], bg = "bossanova" }
 "diff.plus" = "#35bf86"
 "diff.minus" = "#f22c86"
 "diff.delta" = "#6f44f0"
+"diff.conflict.marker"   = { bg = "#463553" }
+"diff.conflict.current"  = { bg = "#442b56" }
+"diff.conflict.base"     = { bg = "#382e40" }
+"diff.conflict.incoming" = { bg = "#382e53" }
 
 # TODO: differentiate doc comment
 # concat (ERROR) @error.syntax and "MISSING ;" selectors for errors