diff --git a/e2e/editor.spec.ts b/e2e/editor.spec.ts
index 4b7069044..2325724cc 100644
--- a/e2e/editor.spec.ts
+++ b/e2e/editor.spec.ts
@@ -210,3 +210,15 @@ test("Markdown preview highlights ⌘F matches and selected word occurrences", a
     )
     .toEqual({ current: ["Order"], other: ["Order", "Order"] });
 });
+
+test("the bookmark gutter takes no width until the file has a bookmark", async ({ workbench: page }) => {
+  const editor = await openFromTree(page, "README.md");
+  const column = editor.locator(".cm-gutter.cm-openidea-bookmarks");
+  const width = () => column.evaluate((el) => el.getBoundingClientRect().width);
+  await expect.poll(width).toBe(0);
+
+  await editor.locator(".cm-content").click();
+  await page.keyboard.press("F3");
+  await expect(column.locator(".cm-openidea-bookmark")).toBeVisible();
+  await expect.poll(width).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+});
diff --git a/src/features/search/bookmarks/gutter.ts b/src/features/search/bookmarks/gutter.ts
index f1b038230..cdd8c4da8 100644
--- a/src/features/search/bookmarks/gutter.ts
+++ b/src/features/search/bookmarks/gutter.ts
@@ -172,8 +172,9 @@ const theme = EditorView.baseTheme({
     alignItems: "center",
     // Spare width stays left of the bookmark, which sits next to the code.
     justifyContent: "flex-end",
-    padding: "0 2px",
   },
+  // Not on the empty spacer, so the column collapses fully in files without bookmarks.
+  ".cm-openidea-bookmarks .cm-gutterElement:not(:empty)": { padding: "0 2px" },
   ".cm-openidea-bookmark": {
     fill: "none",
     stroke: "var(--accent)",