diff --git a/packages/client/ui-sidebar-documentpreview/src/client/pdf/text.ts b/packages/client/ui-sidebar-documentpreview/src/client/pdf/text.ts
index 5a68740938..30bc8b2390 100644
--- a/packages/client/ui-sidebar-documentpreview/src/client/pdf/text.ts
+++ b/packages/client/ui-sidebar-documentpreview/src/client/pdf/text.ts
@@ -7,16 +7,17 @@ import type { RenderPdfText } from './document.ts'
 /**
  * Create a selectable overlay in a component-owned host.
  * @param host - absolute overlay matching the displayed canvas dimensions.
- * @returns renderer that attaches the layer to `host` when its promise resolves; cancellation also releases its resize observer and DOM.
+ * @returns renderer that attaches the layer to `host` once its text is laid out, before its promise resolves;
+ *   a cancelled layer is never attached, and cancellation also releases its resize observer and DOM.
  */
 export function pdfTextRenderer(host: HTMLDivElement): RenderPdfText {
   return (page, viewport) => {
     let cancelled = false
     // PDF.js measures each text item against document styles; spans appended to a detached layer do not invalidate them.
-    const layer = new TextLayerBuilder({ pdfPage: page, onAppend: (div: HTMLDivElement) => {
+    const layer = new TextLayerBuilder({ pdfPage: page, onAppend: () => {
       // A cancellation after the text finishes but before this callback cannot stop the builder's continuation.
       if (cancelled) layer.cancel()
-      else host.append(div)
+      else host.append(container)
     } })
     const container = layer.div
     container.style.setProperty('--total-scale-factor', String(viewport.scale * viewport.userUnit))
diff --git a/packages/client/ui-sidebar-documentpreview/tests/pdf-text.client.spec.ts b/packages/client/ui-sidebar-documentpreview/tests/pdf-text.client.spec.ts
index 6c710c8e5f..eb89a377c9 100644
--- a/packages/client/ui-sidebar-documentpreview/tests/pdf-text.client.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/client/ui-sidebar-documentpreview/tests/pdf-text.client.spec.ts
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ import { pdfTextRenderer } from '../src/client/pdf/text.ts'
 
 afterEach(() => { vi.unstubAllGlobals(); vi.restoreAllMocks(); vi.clearAllMocks() })
 
-it('lays out text in a detached layer and attaches it once rendering finishes', async () => {
+it('attaches the text layer only after rendering finishes', async () => {
   vi.stubGlobal('ResizeObserver', class { observe = vi.fn(); disconnect = vi.fn() })
   const rendered = Promise.withResolvers<undefined>()
   api.render.mockReturnValueOnce(rendered.promise)