diff --git a/src/renderer.ts b/src/renderer.ts
index d354c27..3fea8fe 100644
--- a/src/renderer.ts
+++ b/src/renderer.ts
@@ -1561,12 +1561,23 @@ function renderMergeFiles(): void {
     byId('btnMerge').disabled = mergeFiles.length < 2;
 
     if (mergeFiles.length === 0) {
-        list.innerHTML = `
-            <div class="empty-state" style="padding: 40px 20px;">
-                <svg width="48" height="48" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="currentColor" style="opacity:0.3"><path d="M19 13h-6v6h-2v-6H5v-2h6V5h2v6h6v2z"/></svg>
-                <p style="margin-top:10px">${UI_TEXT.merge.empty}</p>
-            </div>
-        `;
+        // Build via DOM API to keep the renderer clean of inline-styled
+        // HTML strings. The empty-state SVG is the same plus-icon the
+        // static HTML uses, just built programmatically.
+        list.replaceChildren();
+        const wrap = document.createElement('div');
+        wrap.className = 'empty-state merge-empty-state';
+        const svg = document.createElementNS('http://www.w3.org/2000/svg', 'svg');
+        svg.setAttribute('viewBox', '0 0 24 24');
+        svg.setAttribute('fill', 'currentColor');
+        const path = document.createElementNS('http://www.w3.org/2000/svg', 'path');
+        path.setAttribute('d', 'M19 13h-6v6h-2v-6H5v-2h6V5h2v6h6v2z');
+        svg.appendChild(path);
+        wrap.appendChild(svg);
+        const p = document.createElement('p');
+        p.textContent = UI_TEXT.merge.empty;
+        wrap.appendChild(p);
+        list.appendChild(wrap);
         return;
     }
 
diff --git a/src/styles.css b/src/styles.css
index 7f088ce..6954d73 100644
--- a/src/styles.css
+++ b/src/styles.css
@@ -2086,6 +2086,23 @@ select option {
     line-height: 1.4;
 }
 
+/* Merge-tab empty state — uses the global .empty-state base and adds
+   its own padding override since the merge file-list container sits
+   inside a settings-card with its own padding. */
+.merge-empty-state {
+    padding: 40px 20px;
+}
+
+.merge-empty-state svg {
+    opacity: 0.3;
+    width: 48px;
+    height: 48px;
+}
+
+.merge-empty-state p {
+    margin-top: 10px;
+}
+
 /* Old generic scrollbar rules were dead — superseded by the
    purple-themed *::-webkit-scrollbar block further down the file.
    Removed to avoid confusion when someone greps for scrollbar styles. */