diff --git a/docs/reference/plugin-theme-tokens.md b/docs/reference/plugin-theme-tokens.md
index f95afd04ce9..790524142ce 100644
--- a/docs/reference/plugin-theme-tokens.md
+++ b/docs/reference/plugin-theme-tokens.md
@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@ Every key an app theme may set in `tokens` (see [plugin themes](plugin-themes.md
 | `--chat-selection` | Selected text in chat; may be translucent, it paints over the chat | no | `--text-link` (else Orca's link blue) mixed into the chat background, up to 30% light and 40% dark, as deep as keeps selected text 4.5:1 (never under 15%) |
 | `--chat-selection-foreground` | Text inside a chat selection | no | same as `--foreground` |
 | `--text-link` | Links in Markdown previews, editors and agent chat | no | Orca's built-in color |
+| `--editor-selection` | Selected text in the code editor; keep it translucent so find matches show through. An unfocused editor shows it at half its opacity | no | `--ring` at 30% opacity |
 | `--diff-added` | Added-line hue: Monaco overview ruler and chat diff text | no | same as `--git-decoration-added` |
 | `--diff-added-background` | Added lines in diffs | no | light: `--diff-added` at 13% opacity; dark: `--diff-added` at 16% opacity |
 | `--diff-added-emphasis` | Added characters within a changed line | no | light: `--diff-added` at 15% opacity; dark: `--diff-added` at 20% opacity |
diff --git a/docs/reference/plugin-themes.md b/docs/reference/plugin-themes.md
index 71a97aff8db..cf4709f520d 100644
--- a/docs/reference/plugin-themes.md
+++ b/docs/reference/plugin-themes.md
@@ -33,13 +33,14 @@ file of at most 16 KiB, or 64 KiB for an icon theme.
   `--primary`/`--primary-foreground`) must be opaque with at least 4.5:1 contrast; a pair that
   fails is dropped and keeps Orca's built-in colors. A pair you set only half of is checked
   against what the other half falls back to. Some checks drop only your token: `--text-link`
-  needs 4.5:1 on `--editor-surface`, each `--git-decoration-*` 3:1 on `--sidebar`,
-  `--chat-bold-foreground` 4.5:1 on the chat background and on `--chat-user-message`,
-  `--chat-muted-foreground` 4.5:1 on the chat background and on code blocks, and
+  needs 4.5:1 on `--editor-surface`, `--editor-selection` 4.5:1 under `--foreground`, each
+  `--git-decoration-*` 3:1 on `--sidebar`, `--chat-bold-foreground` 4.5:1 on the chat
+  background and on `--chat-user-message`, `--chat-muted-foreground` 4.5:1 on the chat
+  background and on code blocks, and
   `--worktree-sidebar-active`, `--chat-user-message`, `--chat-inline-code` (against the chat link
   color), `--chat-code-block` and the diff line and character tints 4.5:1 with the text drawn on
-  them. Those surfaces, `--chat-inline-code`, `--chat-selection` and `--host-badge` may be
-  translucent; they are checked as painted over the surface beneath.
+  them. Those surfaces, `--chat-inline-code`, `--chat-selection`, `--editor-selection` and
+  `--host-badge` may be translucent; they are checked as painted over the surface beneath.
 - An omitted surface token paints exactly what Orca paints without a theme. The code editor's
   diff view and links keep Monaco's own colors unless the theme sets a diff token or
   `--text-link`. Setting only `--diff-added` and `--diff-removed` is enough; the line, gutter and
@@ -57,8 +58,9 @@ An app theme also colors the code editor: its background, text, line numbers, cu
 selection follow the theme's tokens. Users can also pick any app theme, of either base, as just
 their editor theme (Settings → Appearance → Light/Dark editor theme); the editor then takes its
 colors from `--editor-surface` (else `--background`), `--foreground`, `--muted-foreground`,
-`--accent`, `--ring`, `--popover`, `--border` and `tokenColors`, while the rest of Orca keeps the
-app theme. If those tokens can't make a legible editor, it uses Monaco's default colors. To
+`--accent`, `--ring`, `--editor-selection`, `--popover`, `--border` and `tokenColors`, while the
+rest of Orca keeps the app theme. Keep `--editor-selection` translucent so find matches and
+highlighted words show through it; without it the selection is `--ring` at 30%. If those tokens can't make a legible editor, it uses Monaco's default colors. To
 color code itself, add `tokenColors` (Orca 1.4.245 and later) in the same shape as a VS Code theme's, so most VS Code theme lists paste in unchanged (`validate:plugin` flags entries without a `scope` and any setting other than these two):
 
 ```json
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/app-shell/appearance/plugin-theme-contrast-rules.ts b/src/renderer/src/app-shell/appearance/plugin-theme-contrast-rules.ts
index 8f6f1972b26..af7e522d12f 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/app-shell/appearance/plugin-theme-contrast-rules.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/app-shell/appearance/plugin-theme-contrast-rules.ts
@@ -119,6 +119,11 @@ const CONTRAST_RULE_DEFINITIONS: readonly ContrastRule[] = [
     ['--chat-inline-code', '--chat-user-message']
   ].map((under) => chatPair('--chat-selection', '--chat-selection-foreground', undefined, under)),
   { ...textPair('--editor-surface', '--text-link'), drop: ['--text-link'] },
+  {
+    ...textPair('--editor-selection', '--foreground'),
+    drop: ['--editor-selection'],
+    over: '--editor-surface'
+  },
   chatPair('--chat-user-message', '--chat-link', ['--chat-user-message']),
   ...GIT_DECORATIONS.map((status): ContrastRule => ({
     surface: '--sidebar',
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/lib/editor/appearance/plugin-monaco-theme.test.ts b/src/renderer/src/lib/editor/appearance/plugin-monaco-theme.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..00b745b6220
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/renderer/src/lib/editor/appearance/plugin-monaco-theme.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+import { expect, it } from 'vitest'
+import type { ColorProbe } from '../../../app-shell/appearance/plugin-theme-tokens'
+import { derivePluginMonacoTheme } from './plugin-monaco-theme'
+
+const probe: ColorProbe = (value) => {
+  const hex = /^#([0-9a-f]{6})([0-9a-f]{2})?$/i.exec(value.trim())
+  if (!hex) {
+    return null
+  }
+  const channel = (offset: number): number => Number.parseInt(hex[1].slice(offset, offset + 2), 16)
+  return [channel(0), channel(2), channel(4), hex[2] ? Number.parseInt(hex[2], 16) / 255 : 1]
+}
+
+it('paints a theme-chosen editor selection instead of the ring', () => {
+  const tokens: Record<string, string> = {
+    '--background': '#261d45',
+    '--foreground': '#ffffff',
+    '--ring': '#00ff6a',
+    '--editor-selection': '#ff2a6d66'
+  }
+  const theme = derivePluginMonacoTheme({
+    base: 'dark',
+    read: (token) => tokens[token] ?? '',
+    painted: tokens,
+    probe
+  })
+  expect(theme?.data.colors['editor.selectionBackground']).toBe('#ff2a6d66')
+  expect(theme?.data.colors['editor.inactiveSelectionBackground']).toBe('#ff2a6d33')
+})
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/lib/editor/appearance/plugin-monaco-theme.ts b/src/renderer/src/lib/editor/appearance/plugin-monaco-theme.ts
index db718cb3ea2..80ecb2637fb 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/lib/editor/appearance/plugin-monaco-theme.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/lib/editor/appearance/plugin-monaco-theme.ts
@@ -84,6 +84,9 @@ export function derivePluginMonacoTheme(input: {
   const muted = color('--muted-foreground') ?? foreground
   const accent = color('--accent')
   const ring = color('--ring') ?? foreground
+  const themed = input.painted['--editor-selection'] ? color('--editor-selection') : null
+  // Why the ring by default: a theme's accent is a faint hover tint, too weak to read as a selection.
+  const selection: Rgba = themed ?? [ring[0], ring[1], ring[2], 0.3]
   const popover = color('--popover')
   const border = color('--border')
   const colors: Record<string, string> = {
@@ -94,9 +97,13 @@ export function derivePluginMonacoTheme(input: {
     'editorLineNumber.foreground': hex(muted),
     'editorLineNumber.activeForeground': hex(foreground),
     'editorCursor.foreground': hex(ring),
-    // Why from the ring: a theme's accent is a faint hover tint, too weak to read as a selection.
-    'editor.selectionBackground': hex([ring[0], ring[1], ring[2], 0.3]),
-    'editor.inactiveSelectionBackground': hex([ring[0], ring[1], ring[2], 0.15])
+    'editor.selectionBackground': hex(selection),
+    'editor.inactiveSelectionBackground': hex([
+      selection[0],
+      selection[1],
+      selection[2],
+      selection[3] / 2
+    ])
   }
   if (accent) {
     colors['editor.lineHighlightBackground'] = hex(accent)
diff --git a/src/shared/plugins/artifacts/plugin-theme-artifact.ts b/src/shared/plugins/artifacts/plugin-theme-artifact.ts
index 68f085ece3b..41d18c2efd9 100644
--- a/src/shared/plugins/artifacts/plugin-theme-artifact.ts
+++ b/src/shared/plugins/artifacts/plugin-theme-artifact.ts
@@ -68,6 +68,7 @@ export const PLUGIN_APP_THEME_TOKENS = [
   '--chat-selection',
   '--chat-selection-foreground',
   '--text-link',
+  '--editor-selection',
   '--diff-added',
   '--diff-added-background',
   '--diff-added-emphasis',
diff --git a/src/shared/plugins/artifacts/plugin-theme-css-fallbacks.ts b/src/shared/plugins/artifacts/plugin-theme-css-fallbacks.ts
index 3c58e428705..27c1fdd2f73 100644
--- a/src/shared/plugins/artifacts/plugin-theme-css-fallbacks.ts
+++ b/src/shared/plugins/artifacts/plugin-theme-css-fallbacks.ts
@@ -74,7 +74,9 @@ const PLUGIN_APP_THEME_CSS_FALLBACKS: Record<
     light: { tint: '--text-link', percent: 30, into: '--chat-canvas' },
     dark: { tint: '--text-link', percent: 40, into: '--chat-canvas' }
   },
-  '--chat-selection-foreground': ['--foreground']
+  '--chat-selection-foreground': ['--foreground'],
+  // Monaco paints this one, not main.css (plugin-monaco-theme.ts).
+  '--editor-selection': { tint: '--ring', percent: 30 }
 }
 
 export function pluginAppThemeCssFallback(
diff --git a/src/shared/plugins/artifacts/plugin-theme-token-reference-doc.ts b/src/shared/plugins/artifacts/plugin-theme-token-reference-doc.ts
index d0e380ce1cd..7f083343a84 100644
--- a/src/shared/plugins/artifacts/plugin-theme-token-reference-doc.ts
+++ b/src/shared/plugins/artifacts/plugin-theme-token-reference-doc.ts
@@ -73,6 +73,8 @@ const TOKEN_ROLES: Record<PluginAppThemeToken, string> = {
   '--chat-selection': 'Selected text in chat; may be translucent, it paints over the chat',
   '--chat-selection-foreground': 'Text inside a chat selection',
   '--text-link': 'Links in Markdown previews, editors and agent chat',
+  '--editor-selection':
+    'Selected text in the code editor; keep it translucent so find matches show through. An unfocused editor shows it at half its opacity',
   '--diff-added': 'Added-line hue: Monaco overview ruler and chat diff text',
   '--diff-added-background': 'Added lines in diffs',
   '--diff-added-emphasis': 'Added characters within a changed line',