diff --git a/functions/_tide_internal_vcs_jj.fish b/functions/_tide_internal_vcs_jj.fish
index b7f9ce0..48cd677 100644
--- a/functions/_tide_internal_vcs_jj.fish
+++ b/functions/_tide_internal_vcs_jj.fish
@@ -118,6 +118,11 @@ if(self.contained_in("::trunk() & ~::@"),
     set -l ancestor_bm_limit 0
     string match -qr '^\d+$' -- "$tide_jj_ancestor_bookmark_limit" && set ancestor_bm_limit $tide_jj_ancestor_bookmark_limit
 
+    # jj keeps an empty, undescribed @ on top of your work as scratch space.
+    # Counting it would make a clean checkout of trunk read ↑1, so such an @
+    # is left out of ↑ and of ancestor bookmark depths.
+    set -l skipped_wc 0
+
     set -l info ""
     set -l has_conflict 0
     set -l has_immutable 0
@@ -168,6 +173,10 @@ if(self.contained_in("::trunk() & ~::@"),
             if test "$parts[7]" = true
                 set has_immutable 1
             end
+            if test "$st" = "(empty)"; and test "$parts[8]" = "(no desc)"
+                set skipped_wc 1
+                set ahead (math $ahead - 1)
+            end
 
             # Bookmarks at @
             set -l at_bookmarks ""
@@ -250,11 +259,14 @@ if(self.contained_in("::trunk() & ~::@"),
                     set ancestor_depth_forks (math $ancestor_depth_forks + 1)
                     set -l depth_commits (jj log --no-pager --no-graph --ignore-working-copy --color=never \
                         -r "$cid::@ ~ $cid" -T '".\n"' 2>/dev/null)
-                    set depth (count $depth_commits)
+                    set depth (math (count $depth_commits) - $skipped_wc)
                 end
             else
+                # $ahead already leaves out a skipped @
                 set depth (math $ahead - 1)
             end
+            # A bookmark right below a skipped @ is where you are, so no suffix
+            test "$depth" = 0 && set depth ""
             for bookmark in (string split ',' -- $parts[2])
                 set bookmark (string trim -- $bookmark)
                 if test $ancestor_bm_limit -gt 0; and test (count $display_bookmarks) -ge $ancestor_bm_limit
diff --git a/tests/_tide_item_vcs.test.fish b/tests/_tide_item_vcs.test.fish
index ed72b21..b3d540d 100644
--- a/tests/_tide_item_vcs.test.fish
+++ b/tests/_tide_item_vcs.test.fish
@@ -170,6 +170,25 @@ printf '#!/bin/sh\ncmd="$*"\ncase "$cmd" in\n  *"workspace list"*) printf "defau
 cd $dir/jj-merge-repo
 _vcs_item # CHECK: (@ xyz999 def999 * desc feature↑3 ↑3)
 
+# -------- jj empty working copy --------
+# An empty, undescribed @ is jj's scratch space, so it doesn't count toward
+# ↑ or toward ancestor bookmark depths. A described one still counts.
+mkdir -p $dir/jj-emptywc-repo/.jj
+cd $dir/jj-emptywc-repo
+printf '#!/bin/sh\ncmd="$*"\ncase "$cmd" in\n  *"workspace list"*) printf "default\\n" ;;\n  *"log"*) printf "xyz999\\t.\\t.\\tdefault\\tdef999\\t(empty)\\tfalse\\t(no desc)\\n" ;;\n  *) exit 0 ;;\nesac\n' >$dir/bin/jj
+_vcs_item # CHECK: (@ xyz999 def999 (empty) (no desc))
+printf '#!/bin/sh\ncmd="$*"\ncase "$cmd" in\n  *"workspace list"*) printf "default\\n" ;;\n  *"log"*) printf "xyz999\\t.\\t.\\tdefault\\tdef999\\t(empty)\\tfalse\\tplanned\\n" ;;\n  *) exit 0 ;;\nesac\n' >$dir/bin/jj
+_vcs_item # CHECK: (@ xyz999 def999 (empty) planned ↑1)
+# Fast path: the bookmark right below @ gets no depth suffix. Show every
+# ancestor bookmark, since new installs (and CI) only show the nearest one.
+printf '#!/bin/sh\ncmd="$*"\ncase "$cmd" in\n  *"workspace list"*) printf "default\\n" ;;\n  *"::@ ~"*) exit 1 ;;\n  *"log"*) printf "xyz999\\t.\\t.\\tdefault\\tdef999\\t(empty)\\tfalse\\t(no desc)\\nanc123\\tfeature\\n\\nanc456\\tbase\\n" ;;\n  *) exit 0 ;;\nesac\n' >$dir/bin/jj
+set -g tide_jj_ancestor_bookmark_limit 0
+_vcs_item # CHECK: (@ xyz999 def999 (empty) (no desc) feature base↑2 ↑3)
+set -e -g tide_jj_ancestor_bookmark_limit
+# Merge fallback: the per-bookmark count includes @, so it drops by one
+printf '#!/bin/sh\ncmd="$*"\ncase "$cmd" in\n  *"workspace list"*) printf "default\\n" ;;\n  *"::@ ~"*) printf ".\\n.\\n.\\n" ;;\n  *"log"*) printf "M\\nxyz999\\t.\\t.\\tdefault\\tdef999\\t(empty)\\tfalse\\t(no desc)\\nanc123\\tfeature\\n\\n" ;;\n  *) exit 0 ;;\nesac\n' >$dir/bin/jj
+_vcs_item # CHECK: (@ xyz999 def999 (empty) (no desc) feature↑2 ↑2)
+
 # -------- jj bookmark truncation --------
 # Long bookmark names (both at @ and on ancestors) are capped at
 # tide_jj_bookmark_length characters, defaulting to 24; 0 disables it.