diff --git a/kittens/diff/mouse.go b/kittens/diff/mouse.go
index de3074b23..8edc14483 100644
--- a/kittens/diff/mouse.go
+++ b/kittens/diff/mouse.go
@@ -6,10 +6,10 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"strconv"
-	"strings"
 
 	"kitty"
 	"kitty/tools/config"
+	"kitty/tools/tui"
 	"kitty/tools/tui/loop"
 	"kitty/tools/utils"
 	"kitty/tools/wcswidth"
@@ -50,6 +50,38 @@ func (self *Handler) handle_wheel_event(up bool) {
 	self.dispatch_action(`scroll_by`, strconv.Itoa(amt))
 }
 
+type line_pos struct {
+	min_x, max_x int
+	y            ScrollPos
+}
+
+func (self *line_pos) MinX() int { return self.min_x }
+func (self *line_pos) MaxX() int { return self.max_x }
+func (self *line_pos) Equal(other tui.LinePos) bool {
+	if o, ok := other.(*line_pos); ok {
+		return self.y == o.y
+	}
+	return false
+}
+func (self *line_pos) LessThan(other tui.LinePos) bool {
+	if o, ok := other.(*line_pos); ok {
+		return self.y.Less(o.y)
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
+func (self *Handler) line_pos_from_pos(x int, pos ScrollPos) *line_pos {
+	ans := line_pos{min_x: self.logical_lines.margin_size, y: pos}
+	available_cols := self.logical_lines.columns / 2
+	if x >= available_cols {
+		ans.min_x += available_cols
+		ans.max_x = utils.Max(ans.min_x, ans.min_x+self.logical_lines.ScreenLineAt(pos).right.wcswidth()-1)
+	} else {
+		ans.max_x = utils.Max(ans.min_x, ans.min_x+self.logical_lines.ScreenLineAt(pos).left.wcswidth()-1)
+	}
+	return &ans
+}
+
 func (self *Handler) start_mouse_selection(ev *loop.MouseEvent) {
 	available_cols := self.logical_lines.columns / 2
 	if ev.Cell.Y >= self.screen_size.num_lines || ev.Cell.X < self.logical_lines.margin_size || (ev.Cell.X >= available_cols && ev.Cell.X < available_cols+self.logical_lines.margin_size) {
@@ -61,14 +93,7 @@ func (self *Handler) start_mouse_selection(ev *loop.MouseEvent) {
 	if ll.line_type == EMPTY_LINE || ll.line_type == IMAGE_LINE {
 		return
 	}
-
-	min_x := self.logical_lines.margin_size
-	max_x := available_cols - 1
-	if ev.Cell.X >= available_cols {
-		min_x += available_cols
-		max_x += available_cols
-	}
-	self.mouse_selection.StartNewSelection(ev, &pos, min_x, max_x, 0, self.screen_size.num_lines-1, self.screen_size.cell_width, self.screen_size.cell_height)
+	self.mouse_selection.StartNewSelection(ev, self.line_pos_from_pos(ev.Cell.X, pos), 0, self.screen_size.num_lines-1, self.screen_size.cell_width, self.screen_size.cell_height)
 }
 
 func (self *Handler) update_mouse_selection(ev *loop.MouseEvent) {
@@ -79,7 +104,8 @@ func (self *Handler) update_mouse_selection(ev *loop.MouseEvent) {
 	y := ev.Cell.Y
 	y = utils.Max(0, utils.Min(y, self.screen_size.num_lines-1))
 	self.logical_lines.IncrementScrollPosBy(&pos, y)
-	self.mouse_selection.Update(ev, &pos)
+	x := self.mouse_selection.StartLine().MinX()
+	self.mouse_selection.Update(ev, self.line_pos_from_pos(x, pos))
 	self.draw_screen()
 }
 
@@ -92,31 +118,39 @@ func (self *Handler) text_for_current_mouse_selection() string {
 		return ""
 	}
 	text := make([]byte, 0, 2048)
-	start, end := *self.mouse_selection.StartLine().(*ScrollPos), *self.mouse_selection.EndLine().(*ScrollPos)
-	for pos, prev_ll_idx := start, start.logical_line; pos.Less(end) || pos.Equal(&end); self.logical_lines.IncrementScrollPosBy(&pos, 1) {
+	start_pos, end_pos := *self.mouse_selection.StartLine().(*line_pos), *self.mouse_selection.EndLine().(*line_pos)
+	start, end := start_pos.y, end_pos.y
+	is_left := start_pos.min_x == self.logical_lines.margin_size
+
+	line_for_pos := func(pos ScrollPos) string {
+		if is_left {
+			return self.logical_lines.ScreenLineAt(pos).left.marked_up_text
+		}
+		return self.logical_lines.ScreenLineAt(pos).right.marked_up_text
+	}
+
+	for pos, prev_ll_idx := start, start.logical_line; pos.Less(end) || pos == end; self.logical_lines.IncrementScrollPosBy(&pos, 1) {
 		ll := self.logical_lines.At(pos.logical_line)
 		var line string
 		switch ll.line_type {
 		case EMPTY_LINE:
 		case IMAGE_LINE:
 			if pos.screen_line < ll.image_lines_offset {
-				line = self.logical_lines.ScreenLineAt(pos)
+				line = line_for_pos(pos)
 			}
 		default:
-			line = self.logical_lines.ScreenLineAt(pos)
+			line = line_for_pos(pos)
 		}
 		line = wcswidth.StripEscapeCodes(line)
-		s, e := self.mouse_selection.LineBounds(&pos)
+		s, e := self.mouse_selection.LineBounds(self.line_pos_from_pos(start_pos.min_x, pos))
+		s -= start_pos.min_x
+		e -= start_pos.min_x
 		line = wcswidth.TruncateToVisualLength(line, e+1)
 		if s > 0 {
 			prefix := wcswidth.TruncateToVisualLength(line, s)
 			line = line[len(prefix):]
 		}
-		// TODO: look at the original line from the source and handle leading tabs and trailing spaces as per it
-		tline := strings.TrimRight(line, " ")
-		if len(tline) < len(line) {
-			line = tline + " "
-		}
+		// TODO: look at the original line from the source and handle leading tabs as per it
 		if pos.logical_line > prev_ll_idx {
 			line = "\n" + line
 		}
@@ -140,6 +174,11 @@ func (self *Handler) finish_mouse_selection(ev *loop.MouseEvent) {
 	}
 }
 
-func (self *Handler) add_mouse_selection_to_line(line string, line_pos ScrollPos, y int) string {
-	return line + self.mouse_selection.LineFormatSuffix(&line_pos, selection_sgr, y)
+func (self *Handler) add_mouse_selection_to_line(line_pos ScrollPos, y int) string {
+	if self.mouse_selection.IsEmpty() {
+		return ""
+	}
+	selection_sgr := format_as_sgr.selection
+	x := self.mouse_selection.StartLine().MinX()
+	return self.mouse_selection.LineFormatSuffix(self.line_pos_from_pos(x, line_pos), selection_sgr[2:len(selection_sgr)-1], y)
 }
diff --git a/kittens/diff/render.go b/kittens/diff/render.go
index a41ef268c..bf6daf262 100644
--- a/kittens/diff/render.go
+++ b/kittens/diff/render.go
@@ -39,6 +39,14 @@ type HalfScreenLine struct {
 	marked_up_margin_text string
 	marked_up_text        string
 	is_filler             bool
+	cached_wcswidth       int
+}
+
+func (self *HalfScreenLine) wcswidth() int {
+	if self.cached_wcswidth == 0 && self.marked_up_text != "" {
+		self.cached_wcswidth = wcswidth.Stringwidth(self.marked_up_text)
+	}
+	return self.cached_wcswidth
 }
 
 type ScreenLine struct {
@@ -466,10 +474,10 @@ func lines_for_context_chunk(data *DiffData, hunk_num int, chunk *Chunk, chunk_n
 		left_line_number_s := strconv.Itoa(left_line_number + 1)
 		right_line_number_s := strconv.Itoa(right_line_number + 1)
 		for _, text := range splitlines(data.left_lines[left_line_number], data.available_cols) {
-			left_line := HalfScreenLine{left_line_number_s, text, false}
+			left_line := HalfScreenLine{marked_up_margin_text: left_line_number_s, marked_up_text: text}
 			right_line := left_line
 			if right_line_number_s != left_line_number_s {
-				right_line = HalfScreenLine{right_line_number_s, text, false}
+				right_line = HalfScreenLine{marked_up_margin_text: right_line_number_s, marked_up_text: text}
 			}
 			ll.screen_lines = append(ll.screen_lines, &ScreenLine{left_line, right_line})
 			left_line_number_s, right_line_number_s = "", ""
@@ -494,7 +502,7 @@ func render_half_line(line_number int, line, ltype string, available_cols int, c
 	}
 	lnum := strconv.Itoa(line_number + 1)
 	for _, sc := range splitlines(line, available_cols) {
-		ans = append(ans, HalfScreenLine{lnum, sc, false})
+		ans = append(ans, HalfScreenLine{marked_up_margin_text: lnum, marked_up_text: sc})
 		lnum = ""
 	}
 	return ans
diff --git a/kittens/diff/ui.go b/kittens/diff/ui.go
index 53f2eea8f..d5c5514e6 100644
--- a/kittens/diff/ui.go
+++ b/kittens/diff/ui.go
@@ -38,20 +38,6 @@ func (self ScrollPos) Less(other ScrollPos) bool {
 	return self.logical_line < other.logical_line || (self.logical_line == other.logical_line && self.screen_line < other.screen_line)
 }
 
-func (self *ScrollPos) Equal(other tui.LinePos) bool {
-	if o, ok := other.(*ScrollPos); ok {
-		return *self == *o
-	}
-	return false
-}
-
-func (self *ScrollPos) LessThan(other tui.LinePos) bool {
-	if o, ok := other.(*ScrollPos); ok {
-		return self.Less(*o)
-	}
-	return false
-}
-
 func (self ScrollPos) Add(other ScrollPos) ScrollPos {
 	return ScrollPos{self.logical_line + other.logical_line, self.screen_line + other.screen_line}
 }
@@ -361,16 +347,19 @@ func (self *Handler) draw_screen() {
 	for num_written := 0; num_written < self.screen_size.num_lines; num_written++ {
 		ll := self.logical_lines.At(pos.logical_line)
 		is_image := ll != nil && ll.line_type == IMAGE_LINE
-		sl := self.logical_lines.ScreenLineAt(pos)
+		ll.render_screen_line(pos.screen_line, lp, self.logical_lines.margin_size, self.logical_lines.columns)
 		if is_image && !seen_images.Has(pos.logical_line) && pos.screen_line >= ll.image_lines_offset {
 			seen_images.Add(pos.logical_line)
 			self.draw_image_pair(ll, pos.screen_line-ll.image_lines_offset)
 		}
 		if self.current_search != nil {
-			sl = self.current_search.markup_line(sl, pos)
+			if mkp := self.current_search.markup_line(pos, num_written); mkp != "" {
+				lp.QueueWriteString(mkp)
+			}
+		}
+		if mkp := self.add_mouse_selection_to_line(pos, num_written); mkp != "" {
+			lp.QueueWriteString(mkp)
 		}
-		sl = self.add_mouse_selection_to_line(sl, pos, num_written)
-		lp.QueueWriteString(strings.ReplaceAll(sl, FILLER_CHAR, " "))
 		lp.MoveCursorVertically(1)
 		lp.QueueWriteString("\x1b[m\r")
 		if self.logical_lines.IncrementScrollPosBy(&pos, 1) == 0 {
diff --git a/tools/tui/mouse.go b/tools/tui/mouse.go
index 19ba7130e..ff6055ef1 100644
--- a/tools/tui/mouse.go
+++ b/tools/tui/mouse.go
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@ var _ = fmt.Print
 type LinePos interface {
 	LessThan(other LinePos) bool
 	Equal(other LinePos) bool
+	MinX() int
+	MaxX() int
 }
 
 type SelectionBoundary struct {
@@ -48,7 +50,6 @@ func (self *SelectionBoundary) Equal(other SelectionBoundary) bool {
 type MouseSelection struct {
 	start, end              SelectionBoundary
 	is_active               bool
-	min_x, max_x            int
 	min_y, max_y            int
 	cell_width, cell_height int
 }
@@ -58,10 +59,10 @@ func (self *MouseSelection) IsActive() bool { return self.is_active }
 func (self *MouseSelection) Finish()        { self.is_active = false }
 func (self *MouseSelection) Clear()         { *self = MouseSelection{} }
 
-func (ms *MouseSelection) StartNewSelection(ev *loop.MouseEvent, line LinePos, min_x, max_x, min_y, max_y, cell_width, cell_height int) {
-	*ms = MouseSelection{min_x: min_x, max_x: max_x, cell_width: cell_width, cell_height: cell_height, min_y: min_y, max_y: max_y}
+func (ms *MouseSelection) StartNewSelection(ev *loop.MouseEvent, line LinePos, min_y, max_y, cell_width, cell_height int) {
+	*ms = MouseSelection{cell_width: cell_width, cell_height: cell_height, min_y: min_y, max_y: max_y}
 	ms.start.line = line
-	ms.start.x = utils.Max(ms.min_x, utils.Min(ev.Cell.X, ms.max_x))
+	ms.start.x = utils.Max(line.MinX(), utils.Min(ev.Cell.X, line.MaxX()))
 	cell_start := cell_width * ev.Cell.X
 	ms.start.in_first_half_of_cell = ev.Pixel.X <= cell_start+cell_width/2
 	ms.end = ms.start
@@ -70,7 +71,7 @@ func (ms *MouseSelection) StartNewSelection(ev *loop.MouseEvent, line LinePos, m
 
 func (ms *MouseSelection) Update(ev *loop.MouseEvent, line LinePos) {
 	if ms.is_active {
-		ms.end.x = utils.Max(ms.min_x, utils.Min(ev.Cell.X, ms.max_x))
+		ms.end.x = utils.Max(line.MinX(), utils.Min(ev.Cell.X, line.MaxX()))
 		cell_start := ms.cell_width * ms.end.x
 		ms.end.in_first_half_of_cell = ev.Pixel.X <= cell_start+ms.cell_width/2
 		ms.end.line = line
@@ -126,13 +127,13 @@ func (ms *MouseSelection) LineBounds(line_pos LinePos) (start_x, end_x int) {
 
 	if a.line.LessThan(line_pos) {
 		if line_pos.LessThan(b.line) {
-			return ms.min_x, ms.max_x
+			return line_pos.MinX(), line_pos.MaxX()
 		} else if b.line.Equal(line_pos) {
-			return adjust_end(ms.min_x, b)
+			return adjust_end(line_pos.MinX(), b)
 		}
 	} else if a.line.Equal(line_pos) {
 		if line_pos.LessThan(b.line) {
-			return adjust_start(a, ms.max_x)
+			return adjust_start(a, line_pos.MaxX())
 		} else if b.line.Equal(line_pos) {
 			return adjust_both(a, b)
 		}