diff --git a/devtools/visual-testing/packages/test-helpers/package.json b/devtools/visual-testing/packages/test-helpers/package.json
index 08bb3a2683..08e96ef865 100644
--- a/devtools/visual-testing/packages/test-helpers/package.json
+++ b/devtools/visual-testing/packages/test-helpers/package.json
@@ -11,6 +11,9 @@
     "./stability": "./src/stability.ts",
     "./interactions": "./src/interactions.ts"
   },
+  "dependencies": {
+    "@superdoc-testing/harness": "workspace:*"
+  },
   "peerDependencies": {
     "@playwright/test": ">=1.40.0"
   },
diff --git a/devtools/visual-testing/scripts/compare-interactions.ts b/devtools/visual-testing/scripts/compare-interactions.ts
index a1ab1bfa14..fe1bfa6f5e 100644
--- a/devtools/visual-testing/scripts/compare-interactions.ts
+++ b/devtools/visual-testing/scripts/compare-interactions.ts
@@ -15,9 +15,10 @@
 import fs from 'node:fs';
 import path from 'node:path';
 import { generateResultsFolderName, getSuperdocVersion } from './generate-refs.js';
-import { findPngFiles } from './compare.js';
+import { findPngFiles, matchesFilterWithBrowserPrefix } from './compare.js';
 import { colors } from './terminal.js';
-import { resolveBrowserNames } from './browser-utils.js';
+import { normalizePath } from './utils.js';
+import { BROWSER_NAMES, resolveBaselineFolderForBrowser, resolveBrowserNames } from './browser-utils.js';
 import {
   isPathLikeVersion,
   normalizeVersionLabel,
@@ -38,6 +39,35 @@ import { ensureLocalTarballInstalled } from './workspace-utils.js';
 
 const BASELINES_DIR = 'baselines-interactions';
 
+function listFilteredPngs(dir: string, filters: string[], matches: string[], excludes: string[]): string[] {
+  return findPngFiles(dir)
+    .map((relativePath) => normalizePath(relativePath))
+    .filter((relativePath) => matchesFilterWithBrowserPrefix(relativePath, undefined, filters, matches, excludes));
+}
+
+function findMissingBaselineDocFilters(options: {
+  baselineFolder: string;
+  resultsFolder: string;
+  filters: string[];
+  matches: string[];
+  excludes: string[];
+}): string[] {
+  const baselineFiles = new Set(
+    listFilteredPngs(options.baselineFolder, options.filters, options.matches, options.excludes),
+  );
+  const resultFiles = listFilteredPngs(options.resultsFolder, options.filters, options.matches, options.excludes);
+  const missingDocs = new Set<string>();
+
+  for (const resultPath of resultFiles) {
+    if (baselineFiles.has(resultPath)) continue;
+    const docKey = path.posix.dirname(resultPath);
+    if (!docKey || docKey === '.') continue;
+    missingDocs.add(docKey);
+  }
+
+  return Array.from(missingDocs);
+}
+
 interface CompareInteractionArgs {
   baselineVersion?: string;
   targetVersion?: string;
@@ -451,8 +481,9 @@ async function main(): Promise<void> {
     await runGenerate(resultsFolderName, filters, matches, excludes, browserArg, scaleFactor, storageArgs);
   }
 
+  let resultsRoot: string | undefined;
   if (resultsFolderName) {
-    const resultsRoot = path.isAbsolute(resultsFolderName)
+    resultsRoot = path.isAbsolute(resultsFolderName)
       ? path.join(resultsFolderName, 'interactions')
       : path.join('screenshots', resultsFolderName, 'interactions');
     const hasBrowserResults = browsers.some((browser) => fs.existsSync(path.join(resultsRoot, browser)));
@@ -466,6 +497,61 @@ async function main(): Promise<void> {
     }
   }
 
+  if (mode === 'cloud' && !refreshBaselines && resultsFolderName && resultsRoot) {
+    const baselineVersionDir = path.join(baselineDir, baselineToUse);
+    const resultsHasBrowserDirs = BROWSER_NAMES.some((browser) => fs.existsSync(path.join(resultsRoot, browser)));
+
+    for (const browser of browsers) {
+      if (!resultsHasBrowserDirs && browser !== 'chromium') {
+        continue;
+      }
+      const resultsFolder = resultsHasBrowserDirs ? path.join(resultsRoot, browser) : resultsRoot;
+      if (!fs.existsSync(resultsFolder)) {
+        continue;
+      }
+      const baselineFolder = resolveBaselineFolderForBrowser(baselineVersionDir, browser);
+      if (!fs.existsSync(baselineFolder)) {
+        continue;
+      }
+
+      const missingFilters = findMissingBaselineDocFilters({
+        baselineFolder,
+        resultsFolder,
+        filters,
+        matches,
+        excludes,
+      });
+      if (missingFilters.length === 0) {
+        continue;
+      }
+
+      console.log(
+        colors.muted(
+          `↻ Missing interaction baselines detected in cache. Refreshing ${missingFilters.length} story(s) for ${browser}...`,
+        ),
+      );
+      const refreshed = await refreshBaselineSubset({
+        prefix: BASELINES_DIR,
+        version: baselineToUse,
+        localRoot: baselineDir,
+        filters: missingFilters,
+        excludes,
+        browsers: [browser],
+      });
+      if (refreshed.matched === 0) {
+        console.warn(
+          colors.warning(`No interaction baseline files matched for refresh (${browser}). Keeping current cache.`),
+        );
+      } else {
+        console.log(
+          colors.success(
+            `↻ Refreshed ${refreshed.downloaded} interaction baseline file(s) for ${baselineToUse} (${browser}).`,
+          ),
+        );
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
   await runCompare(
     resultsFolderName,
     baselineToUse,
diff --git a/devtools/visual-testing/scripts/compare.ts b/devtools/visual-testing/scripts/compare.ts
index 9a21dda407..5e73d74fbe 100644
--- a/devtools/visual-testing/scripts/compare.ts
+++ b/devtools/visual-testing/scripts/compare.ts
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ import fs from 'node:fs';
 import path from 'node:path';
 import os from 'node:os';
 import { createHash } from 'node:crypto';
-import { spawn, spawnSync, type ChildProcess } from 'node:child_process';
+import { spawn, spawnSync } from 'node:child_process';
 import { PNG } from 'pngjs';
 import pixelmatch from 'pixelmatch';
 import { generateResultsFolderName, getSuperdocVersion, sanitizeFilename } from './generate-refs.js';
@@ -45,7 +45,6 @@ import {
   resolveBaselineFolderForBrowser,
   type BrowserName,
 } from './browser-utils.js';
-import { sleep, createLogBuffer } from './utils.js';
 import { ensureBaselineDownloaded, getLatestBaselineVersion, refreshBaselineSubset } from './r2-baselines.js';
 import {
   buildStorageArgs,
@@ -55,16 +54,7 @@ import {
   resolveDocsDir,
   type StorageMode,
 } from './storage-flags.js';
-import {
-  HARNESS_PORT,
-  HARNESS_URL,
-  HARNESS_START_TIMEOUT_MS,
-  HARNESS_LOG_BUFFER_LIMIT,
-  isPortOpen,
-  waitForPort,
-  ensureHarnessRunning,
-  stopHarness,
-} from './harness-utils.js';
+import { HARNESS_PORT, HARNESS_URL, isPortOpen, ensureHarnessRunning, stopHarness } from './harness-utils.js';
 import { ensureLocalTarballInstalled } from './workspace-utils.js';
 
 // Configuration
@@ -702,6 +692,31 @@ function extractAssetPath(relativePath: string, resultsFolderName: string, resul
   return assetPath;
 }
 
+function deriveMissingBaselineDocFilters(
+  report: ComparisonReport,
+  resultsFolderName: string,
+  resultsPrefix: string | undefined,
+  browser?: BrowserName,
+): string[] {
+  const filters = new Set<string>();
+
+  for (const result of report.results) {
+    if (result.reason !== 'missing_in_baseline') continue;
+    const assetPath = extractAssetPath(result.relativePath, resultsFolderName, resultsPrefix);
+    const normalized = normalizePath(assetPath);
+    let docKey = path.posix.dirname(normalized);
+    if (!docKey || docKey === '.') continue;
+    if (browser && docKey.startsWith(`${browser}/`)) {
+      docKey = docKey.slice(browser.length + 1);
+    }
+    if (docKey && docKey !== '.') {
+      filters.add(docKey);
+    }
+  }
+
+  return Array.from(filters);
+}
+
 function readStoryMetadata(filePath: string): StoryMetadataFile | null {
   if (!fs.existsSync(filePath)) return null;
   try {
@@ -2148,6 +2163,52 @@ async function main(): Promise<void> {
         },
       });
 
+      if (mode === 'cloud' && !refreshBaselines && report.summary.missingInBaseline > 0) {
+        const refreshFilters = deriveMissingBaselineDocFilters(report, resultsFolderName!, resultsPrefix, browser);
+        if (refreshFilters.length > 0) {
+          console.log(
+            colors.muted(
+              `↻ Missing baseline files detected in cache. Refreshing ${refreshFilters.length} doc(s) from R2...`,
+            ),
+          );
+          const refreshed = await refreshBaselineSubset({
+            prefix: baselinePrefix,
+            version: baselineToUse,
+            localRoot: baselineDir,
+            filters: refreshFilters,
+            excludes,
+            browsers: [browser],
+          });
+          if (refreshed.matched > 0) {
+            report = await runComparison(resultsFolderName!, {
+              threshold,
+              baselineVersion: baselineToUse,
+              baselineRoot: baselineDir,
+              resultsRoot: resolvedResultsRoot,
+              resultsPrefix,
+              browser,
+              outputFolderName,
+              filters,
+              matches,
+              excludes,
+              ignorePrefixes,
+              reportOptions: {
+                showAll: reportAll,
+                reportFileName,
+                mode: resolvedMode,
+                trimPrefix: resolvedTrim,
+              },
+            });
+          } else {
+            console.warn(colors.warning('No baseline files matched for refresh; keeping current comparison results.'));
+          }
+        } else {
+          console.warn(
+            colors.warning('Missing baseline files detected but no doc filters could be derived for refresh.'),
+          );
+        }
+      }
+
       if (resolvedMode === 'visual' && includeWord) {
         const wordResultsPrefix = browser ? `${normalizePrefix(resultsPrefix) ?? ''}${browser}/` : resultsPrefix;
         report = await augmentReportWithWord(report, {
diff --git a/packages/layout-engine/contracts/src/index.ts b/packages/layout-engine/contracts/src/index.ts
index eaebd6444c..943aa4ab95 100644
--- a/packages/layout-engine/contracts/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/layout-engine/contracts/src/index.ts
@@ -529,6 +529,8 @@ export type ImageBlock = {
   margin?: BoxSpacing;
   anchor?: ImageAnchor;
   wrap?: ImageWrap;
+  /** Stacking order from OOXML relativeHeight (same formula as editor: Math.max(0, relativeHeight - OOXML_Z_INDEX_BASE)) */
+  zIndex?: number;
   attrs?: ImageBlockAttrs;
   // VML image adjustments for watermark effects
   gain?: string | number; // Brightness/washout (VML hex string or number)
@@ -1587,6 +1589,7 @@ export type ImageFragment = {
   width: number;
   height: number;
   isAnchored?: boolean;
+  behindDoc?: boolean;
   zIndex?: number;
   pmStart?: number;
   pmEnd?: number;
@@ -1602,6 +1605,7 @@ export type DrawingFragment = {
   width: number;
   height: number;
   isAnchored?: boolean;
+  behindDoc?: boolean;
   zIndex?: number;
   geometry: DrawingGeometry;
   scale: number;
diff --git a/packages/layout-engine/layout-engine/package.json b/packages/layout-engine/layout-engine/package.json
index 781475b170..d21efc8256 100644
--- a/packages/layout-engine/layout-engine/package.json
+++ b/packages/layout-engine/layout-engine/package.json
@@ -13,7 +13,8 @@
     "test": "vitest run"
   },
   "dependencies": {
+    "@superdoc/common": "workspace:*",
     "@superdoc/contracts": "workspace:*",
-    "@superdoc/common": "workspace:*"
+    "@superdoc/pm-adapter": "workspace:*"
   }
 }
diff --git a/packages/layout-engine/layout-engine/src/index.ts b/packages/layout-engine/layout-engine/src/index.ts
index aed4c5aa2a..e7629254ac 100644
--- a/packages/layout-engine/layout-engine/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/layout-engine/layout-engine/src/index.ts
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ import { createPaginator, type PageState, type ConstraintBoundary } from './pagi
 import { formatPageNumber } from './pageNumbering.js';
 import { shouldSuppressSpacingForEmpty } from './layout-utils.js';
 import { balancePageColumns } from './column-balancing.js';
+import { getFragmentZIndex } from '@superdoc/pm-adapter/utilities.js';
 
 type PageSize = { w: number; h: number };
 type Margins = {
@@ -1062,7 +1063,6 @@ export function layoutDocument(blocks: FlowBlock[], measures: Measure[], options
       if (!state) {
         // Track if we're entering a new section (pendingSectionIndex was just set)
         const isEnteringNewSection = pendingSectionIndex !== null;
-        const newSectionIndex = isEnteringNewSection ? pendingSectionIndex : activeSectionIndex;
 
         const applied = applyPendingToActive({
           activeTopMargin,
@@ -1956,7 +1956,8 @@ export function layoutDocument(blocks: FlowBlock[], measures: Measure[], options
           width: imgMeasure.width,
           height: imgMeasure.height,
           isAnchored: true,
-          zIndex: imgBlock.anchor?.behindDoc ? 0 : 1,
+          behindDoc: imgBlock.anchor?.behindDoc === true,
+          zIndex: getFragmentZIndex(imgBlock),
           metadata,
         };
 
diff --git a/packages/layout-engine/layout-engine/src/layout-drawing.ts b/packages/layout-engine/layout-engine/src/layout-drawing.ts
index d95b952934..a1d7f39731 100644
--- a/packages/layout-engine/layout-engine/src/layout-drawing.ts
+++ b/packages/layout-engine/layout-engine/src/layout-drawing.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import type { DrawingBlock, DrawingMeasure, DrawingFragment } from '@superdoc/co
 import type { NormalizedColumns } from './layout-image.js';
 import type { PageState } from './paginator.js';
 import { extractBlockPmRange } from './layout-utils.js';
+import { getFragmentZIndex } from '@superdoc/pm-adapter/utilities.js';
 
 /**
  * Context for laying out a drawing block (vector shape) within the page layout.
@@ -118,7 +119,7 @@ export function layoutDrawingBlock({
     geometry: measure.geometry,
     scale: measure.scale,
     drawingContentId: block.drawingContentId,
-    zIndex: block.zIndex,
+    zIndex: getFragmentZIndex(block),
     pmStart: pmRange.pmStart,
     pmEnd: pmRange.pmEnd,
   };
diff --git a/packages/layout-engine/layout-engine/src/layout-paragraph.ts b/packages/layout-engine/layout-engine/src/layout-paragraph.ts
index c1fd5d4d0c..4b91b15e78 100644
--- a/packages/layout-engine/layout-engine/src/layout-paragraph.ts
+++ b/packages/layout-engine/layout-engine/src/layout-paragraph.ts
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import {
   isEmptyTextParagraph,
 } from './layout-utils.js';
 import { computeAnchorX } from './floating-objects.js';
+import { getFragmentZIndex } from '@superdoc/pm-adapter/utilities.js';
 
 const spacingDebugEnabled = false;
 /**
@@ -388,7 +389,8 @@ export function layoutParagraphBlock(ctx: ParagraphLayoutContext, anchors?: Para
           width: entry.measure.width,
           height: entry.measure.height,
           isAnchored: true,
-          zIndex: entry.block.anchor?.behindDoc ? 0 : 1,
+          behindDoc: entry.block.anchor?.behindDoc === true,
+          zIndex: getFragmentZIndex(entry.block),
           metadata,
         };
         if (pmRange.pmStart != null) fragment.pmStart = pmRange.pmStart;
@@ -406,7 +408,8 @@ export function layoutParagraphBlock(ctx: ParagraphLayoutContext, anchors?: Para
           geometry: entry.measure.geometry,
           scale: entry.measure.scale,
           isAnchored: true,
-          zIndex: entry.block.anchor?.behindDoc ? 0 : 1,
+          behindDoc: entry.block.anchor?.behindDoc === true,
+          zIndex: getFragmentZIndex(entry.block),
           drawingContentId: entry.block.drawingContentId,
         };
         if (pmRange.pmStart != null) fragment.pmStart = pmRange.pmStart;
@@ -432,7 +435,6 @@ export function layoutParagraphBlock(ctx: ParagraphLayoutContext, anchors?: Para
   const negativeRightIndent = indentRight < 0 ? indentRight : 0;
   // Paragraph content width should honor paragraph indents (including negative values).
   const remeasureWidth = Math.max(1, columnWidth - indentLeft - indentRight);
-  const hasNegativeIndent = indentLeft < 0 || indentRight < 0;
   let didRemeasureForColumnWidth = false;
   // Track remeasured marker info to ensure fragment gets accurate marker text width
   let remeasuredMarkerInfo: ParagraphMeasure['marker'] | undefined;
diff --git a/packages/layout-engine/painters/dom/package.json b/packages/layout-engine/painters/dom/package.json
index 799c560689..c61ced9133 100644
--- a/packages/layout-engine/painters/dom/package.json
+++ b/packages/layout-engine/painters/dom/package.json
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
   "dependencies": {
     "@superdoc/contracts": "workspace:*",
     "@superdoc/font-utils": "workspace:*",
+    "@superdoc/pm-adapter": "workspace:*",
     "@superdoc/preset-geometry": "workspace:*",
     "@superdoc/url-validation": "workspace:*"
   },
diff --git a/packages/layout-engine/painters/dom/src/index.test.ts b/packages/layout-engine/painters/dom/src/index.test.ts
index b2b2513dc7..1aadaf66ea 100644
--- a/packages/layout-engine/painters/dom/src/index.test.ts
+++ b/packages/layout-engine/painters/dom/src/index.test.ts
@@ -2527,7 +2527,7 @@ describe('DomPainter', () => {
       height: 30,
     };
 
-    // behindDoc fragment has zIndex: 0 (set by layout engine)
+    // behindDoc routing should use explicit fragment metadata, not zIndex proxy.
     const behindDocFragment = {
       kind: 'image' as const,
       blockId: 'behind-doc-img',
@@ -2535,7 +2535,8 @@ describe('DomPainter', () => {
       y: 0,
       width: 200,
       height: 100,
-      zIndex: 0, // behindDoc images get zIndex: 0
+      behindDoc: true,
+      zIndex: 5, // deliberately non-zero to prove routing is metadata-driven
       isAnchored: true,
     };
 
@@ -2547,6 +2548,7 @@ describe('DomPainter', () => {
       y: 10,
       width: 50,
       height: 30,
+      behindDoc: false,
     };
 
     const painter = createDomPainter({
@@ -2563,8 +2565,6 @@ describe('DomPainter', () => {
     const headerEl = mount.querySelector('.superdoc-page-header');
     expect(headerEl).toBeTruthy();
 
-    // behindDoc image should NOT be inside header container
-    const behindDocInHeader = headerEl?.querySelector('img[src*="base64"]');
     // Normal image should be inside header container
     const normalInHeader = headerEl?.querySelectorAll('.superdoc-fragment');
 
@@ -2615,7 +2615,8 @@ describe('DomPainter', () => {
       y: 0,
       width: 200,
       height: 100,
-      zIndex: 0,
+      behindDoc: true,
+      zIndex: 5,
       isAnchored: true,
     };
 
diff --git a/packages/layout-engine/painters/dom/src/renderer.ts b/packages/layout-engine/painters/dom/src/renderer.ts
index 5b69abb9be..42774924a6 100644
--- a/packages/layout-engine/painters/dom/src/renderer.ts
+++ b/packages/layout-engine/painters/dom/src/renderer.ts
@@ -69,12 +69,7 @@ import { sanitizeHref, encodeTooltip } from '@superdoc/url-validation';
 import { renderTableFragment as renderTableFragmentElement } from './table/renderTableFragment.js';
 import { assertPmPositions, assertFragmentPmPositions } from './pm-position-validation.js';
 import { applySdtContainerStyling, getSdtContainerKey, type SdtBoundaryOptions } from './utils/sdt-helpers.js';
-import {
-  generateRulerDefinitionFromPx,
-  createRulerElement,
-  ensureRulerStyles,
-  RULER_CLASS_NAMES,
-} from './ruler/index.js';
+import { generateRulerDefinitionFromPx, createRulerElement, ensureRulerStyles } from './ruler/index.js';
 import { toCssFontFamily } from '@superdoc/font-utils';
 import {
   hashParagraphBorders,
@@ -1639,15 +1634,18 @@ export class DomPainter {
       pageNumberText: page.numberText,
     };
 
-    // Separate behindDoc fragments (zIndex === 0) from normal fragments.
-    // behindDoc fragments need to render behind body content, so they must be
-    // placed directly on the page (not in the header container) with negative z-index.
+    // Separate behindDoc fragments from normal fragments.
+    // Prefer explicit fragment.behindDoc when present. Keep zIndex===0 as a
+    // compatibility fallback for older layouts that predate explicit metadata.
     const behindDocFragments: typeof data.fragments = [];
     const normalFragments: typeof data.fragments = [];
 
     for (const fragment of data.fragments) {
-      const isBehindDoc =
-        (fragment.kind === 'image' || fragment.kind === 'drawing') && 'zIndex' in fragment && fragment.zIndex === 0;
+      let isBehindDoc = false;
+      if (fragment.kind === 'image' || fragment.kind === 'drawing') {
+        isBehindDoc =
+          fragment.behindDoc === true || (fragment.behindDoc == null && 'zIndex' in fragment && fragment.zIndex === 0);
+      }
       if (isBehindDoc) {
         behindDocFragments.push(fragment);
       } else {
diff --git a/packages/layout-engine/painters/dom/src/styles.ts b/packages/layout-engine/painters/dom/src/styles.ts
index 0ea2ce6e88..b61016001a 100644
--- a/packages/layout-engine/painters/dom/src/styles.ts
+++ b/packages/layout-engine/painters/dom/src/styles.ts
@@ -76,6 +76,14 @@ export const fragmentStyles: Partial<CSSStyleDeclaration> = {
   boxSizing: 'border-box',
 };
 
+/**
+ * Z-index for paragraph text lines, ensuring they render above floating
+ * OOXML-derived fragments (which typically range 1–10 000). Must stay
+ * below browser-UI layers (tooltips, menus, overlays) that may live in the
+ * same stacking context.
+ */
+const TEXT_LINE_Z_INDEX = '100000';
+
 export const lineStyles = (lineHeight: number): Partial<CSSStyleDeclaration> => ({
   lineHeight: `${lineHeight}px`,
   height: `${lineHeight}px`,
@@ -87,7 +95,7 @@ export const lineStyles = (lineHeight: number): Partial<CSSStyleDeclaration> =>
   // provides defense-in-depth against any remaining sub-pixel rendering
   // differences between measurement and display.
   overflow: 'visible',
-  zIndex: '10',
+  zIndex: TEXT_LINE_Z_INDEX,
 });
 
 const PRINT_STYLES = `
diff --git a/packages/layout-engine/painters/dom/src/table/renderTableCell.ts b/packages/layout-engine/painters/dom/src/table/renderTableCell.ts
index 96ad375ba9..c694c4d7cf 100644
--- a/packages/layout-engine/painters/dom/src/table/renderTableCell.ts
+++ b/packages/layout-engine/painters/dom/src/table/renderTableCell.ts
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ import {
   getSdtContainerKey,
   type SdtBoundaryOptions,
 } from '../utils/sdt-helpers.js';
+import { normalizeZIndex } from '@superdoc/pm-adapter/utilities.js';
 
 /**
  * Default gap between list marker and text content in pixels.
@@ -1063,11 +1064,9 @@ export const renderTableCell = (deps: TableCellRenderDependencies): TableCellRen
       const behindDoc =
         anchor.behindDoc === true || (anchoredBlock.wrap?.type === 'None' && anchoredBlock.wrap?.behindDoc);
       const zIndex =
-        anchoredBlock.kind === 'drawing' && typeof anchoredBlock.zIndex === 'number'
+        typeof anchoredBlock.zIndex === 'number'
           ? anchoredBlock.zIndex
-          : behindDoc
-            ? -1
-            : 1;
+          : (normalizeZIndex(anchoredBlock.attrs?.originalAttributes) ?? (behindDoc ? -1 : 1));
 
       const wrap = anchoredBlock.wrap;
       if (!behindDoc && wrap?.type === 'Square') {
diff --git a/packages/layout-engine/pm-adapter/src/converters/image.test.ts b/packages/layout-engine/pm-adapter/src/converters/image.test.ts
index 89c81f6595..828756e8cf 100644
--- a/packages/layout-engine/pm-adapter/src/converters/image.test.ts
+++ b/packages/layout-engine/pm-adapter/src/converters/image.test.ts
@@ -443,6 +443,95 @@ describe('image converter', () => {
       expect(result.attrs?.pmEnd).toBe(20);
     });
 
+    describe('zIndex from originalAttributes.relativeHeight', () => {
+      const OOXML_BASE = 251658240;
+
+      it('sets zIndex when originalAttributes.relativeHeight is a number', () => {
+        const node: PMNode = {
+          type: 'image',
+          attrs: {
+            src: 'image.jpg',
+            anchorData: { isAnchored: true },
+            originalAttributes: { relativeHeight: OOXML_BASE + 10 },
+          },
+        };
+
+        const result = imageNodeToBlock(node, mockBlockIdGenerator, mockPositionMap) as ImageBlock;
+
+        expect(result.zIndex).toBe(10);
+      });
+
+      it('sets zIndex when originalAttributes.relativeHeight is a string (OOXML)', () => {
+        const node: PMNode = {
+          type: 'image',
+          attrs: {
+            src: 'image.jpg',
+            anchorData: { isAnchored: true },
+            originalAttributes: { relativeHeight: '251658291' },
+          },
+        };
+
+        const result = imageNodeToBlock(node, mockBlockIdGenerator, mockPositionMap) as ImageBlock;
+
+        expect(result.zIndex).toBe(51);
+      });
+
+      it('sets zIndex to 0 when anchor.behindDoc is true and no relativeHeight', () => {
+        const node: PMNode = {
+          type: 'image',
+          attrs: {
+            src: 'image.jpg',
+            anchorData: { isAnchored: true, behindDoc: true },
+          },
+        };
+
+        const result = imageNodeToBlock(node, mockBlockIdGenerator, mockPositionMap) as ImageBlock;
+
+        expect(result.zIndex).toBe(0);
+      });
+
+      it('forces zIndex to 0 when behindDoc is true even with relativeHeight', () => {
+        const node: PMNode = {
+          type: 'image',
+          attrs: {
+            src: 'image.jpg',
+            anchorData: { isAnchored: true, behindDoc: true },
+            originalAttributes: { relativeHeight: OOXML_BASE + 10 },
+          },
+        };
+
+        const result = imageNodeToBlock(node, mockBlockIdGenerator, mockPositionMap) as ImageBlock;
+
+        expect(result.zIndex).toBe(0);
+      });
+
+      it('clamps base relativeHeight to 1 when not behindDoc', () => {
+        const node: PMNode = {
+          type: 'image',
+          attrs: {
+            src: 'image.jpg',
+            anchorData: { isAnchored: true, behindDoc: false },
+            originalAttributes: { relativeHeight: OOXML_BASE },
+          },
+        };
+
+        const result = imageNodeToBlock(node, mockBlockIdGenerator, mockPositionMap) as ImageBlock;
+
+        expect(result.zIndex).toBe(1);
+      });
+
+      it('sets zIndex to 1 when no originalAttributes and not behindDoc (default stacking)', () => {
+        const node: PMNode = {
+          type: 'image',
+          attrs: { src: 'image.jpg' },
+        };
+
+        const result = imageNodeToBlock(node, mockBlockIdGenerator, mockPositionMap) as ImageBlock;
+
+        expect(result.zIndex).toBe(1);
+      });
+    });
+
     it('validates and filters invalid wrap type', () => {
       const node: PMNode = {
         type: 'image',
diff --git a/packages/layout-engine/pm-adapter/src/converters/image.ts b/packages/layout-engine/pm-adapter/src/converters/image.ts
index 566ef3c0f5..c140a0feb7 100644
--- a/packages/layout-engine/pm-adapter/src/converters/image.ts
+++ b/packages/layout-engine/pm-adapter/src/converters/image.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import type { ImageBlock, BoxSpacing, ImageAnchor } from '@superdoc/contracts';
 import type { PMNode, BlockIdGenerator, PositionMap, NodeHandlerContext, TrackedChangesConfig } from '../types.js';
 import { collectTrackedChangeFromMarks } from '../marks/index.js';
 import { shouldHideTrackedNode, annotateBlockWithTrackedChange } from '../tracked-changes.js';
-import { isFiniteNumber, pickNumber } from '../utilities.js';
+import { isFiniteNumber, pickNumber, normalizeZIndex, resolveFloatingZIndex } from '../utilities.js';
 
 // ============================================================================
 // Constants
@@ -268,6 +268,10 @@ export function imageNodeToBlock(
           ? 'contain'
           : 'contain';
 
+  // Same z-index as editor: from OOXML relativeHeight (Math.max(0, relativeHeight - OOXML_Z_INDEX_BASE))
+  const zIndexFromRelativeHeight = normalizeZIndex(attrs.originalAttributes as Record<string, unknown> | undefined);
+  const zIndex = resolveFloatingZIndex(anchor?.behindDoc === true, zIndexFromRelativeHeight);
+
   return {
     kind: 'image',
     id: nextBlockId('image'),
@@ -282,6 +286,7 @@ export function imageNodeToBlock(
     margin: toBoxSpacing(attrs.marginOffset as Record<string, unknown> | undefined),
     anchor,
     wrap: normalizedWrap,
+    ...(zIndex !== undefined && { zIndex }),
     attrs: attrsWithPm,
     // VML image adjustments for watermark effects
     gain: typeof attrs.gain === 'string' || typeof attrs.gain === 'number' ? attrs.gain : undefined,
diff --git a/packages/layout-engine/pm-adapter/src/converters/shapes.test.ts b/packages/layout-engine/pm-adapter/src/converters/shapes.test.ts
index a224c10933..4563963ddd 100644
--- a/packages/layout-engine/pm-adapter/src/converters/shapes.test.ts
+++ b/packages/layout-engine/pm-adapter/src/converters/shapes.test.ts
@@ -221,6 +221,22 @@ describe('shapes converter', () => {
       expect(result.zIndex).toBe(10);
     });
 
+    it('forces zIndex to 0 when behindDoc is true even with relativeHeight', () => {
+      const node: PMNode = {
+        type: 'vectorShape',
+        attrs: {
+          width: 100,
+          height: 100,
+          anchorData: { isAnchored: true, behindDoc: true },
+          originalAttributes: { relativeHeight: 251658250 },
+        },
+      };
+
+      const result = vectorShapeNodeToDrawingBlock(node, mockBlockIdGenerator, mockPositionMap) as DrawingBlock;
+
+      expect(result.zIndex).toBe(0);
+    });
+
     it('includes PM positions in attrs when available', () => {
       const node: PMNode = {
         type: 'vectorShape',
diff --git a/packages/layout-engine/pm-adapter/src/converters/shapes.ts b/packages/layout-engine/pm-adapter/src/converters/shapes.ts
index 71625751de..ff30f11e51 100644
--- a/packages/layout-engine/pm-adapter/src/converters/shapes.ts
+++ b/packages/layout-engine/pm-adapter/src/converters/shapes.ts
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ import {
   normalizeTextVerticalAlign,
   normalizeTextInsets,
   normalizeZIndex,
+  resolveFloatingZIndex,
 } from '../utilities.js';
 
 // ============================================================================
@@ -337,9 +338,10 @@ export const buildDrawingBlock = (
     attrsWithPm.pmEnd = pos.end;
   }
 
+  const behindDoc = baseAnchor?.behindDoc === true || normalizedWrap?.behindDoc === true;
   // Try to get zIndex from relativeHeight first, fallback to direct zIndex attribute
   const zIndexFromRelativeHeight = normalizeZIndex(rawAttrs.originalAttributes);
-  const finalZIndex = zIndexFromRelativeHeight ?? coerceNumber(rawAttrs.zIndex);
+  const resolvedZIndex = resolveFloatingZIndex(behindDoc, zIndexFromRelativeHeight, coerceNumber(rawAttrs.zIndex) ?? 1);
 
   return {
     kind: 'drawing',
@@ -351,7 +353,7 @@ export const buildDrawingBlock = (
       toBoxSpacing(rawAttrs.margin as Record<string, unknown> | undefined),
     anchor: baseAnchor,
     wrap: normalizedWrap,
-    zIndex: finalZIndex,
+    zIndex: resolvedZIndex,
     drawingContentId: typeof rawAttrs.drawingContentId === 'string' ? rawAttrs.drawingContentId : undefined,
     drawingContent: toDrawingContentSnapshot(rawAttrs.drawingContent),
     attrs: attrsWithPm,
diff --git a/packages/layout-engine/pm-adapter/src/utilities.test.ts b/packages/layout-engine/pm-adapter/src/utilities.test.ts
index b5a3a4d4e4..7e9fad8390 100644
--- a/packages/layout-engine/pm-adapter/src/utilities.test.ts
+++ b/packages/layout-engine/pm-adapter/src/utilities.test.ts
@@ -31,6 +31,11 @@ import {
   normalizeShapeGroupChildren,
   normalizeLineEnds,
   normalizeEffectExtent,
+  coerceRelativeHeight,
+  normalizeZIndex,
+  getFragmentZIndex,
+  resolveFloatingZIndex,
+  OOXML_Z_INDEX_BASE,
 } from './utilities.js';
 
 // ============================================================================
@@ -1492,3 +1497,193 @@ describe('normalizeEffectExtent', () => {
     expect(result).toEqual({ left: 0, top: 0, right: 0, bottom: 10 });
   });
 });
+
+// ============================================================================
+// Z-Index Utilities (OOXML relativeHeight)
+// ============================================================================
+
+describe('z-index utilities', () => {
+  describe('coerceRelativeHeight', () => {
+    it('returns number when given a finite number', () => {
+      expect(coerceRelativeHeight(251658240)).toBe(251658240);
+      expect(coerceRelativeHeight(0)).toBe(0);
+    });
+
+    it('returns number when given a numeric string', () => {
+      expect(coerceRelativeHeight('251658240')).toBe(251658240);
+      expect(coerceRelativeHeight('251659318')).toBe(251659318);
+    });
+
+    it('returns undefined for non-finite number', () => {
+      expect(coerceRelativeHeight(NaN)).toBeUndefined();
+      expect(coerceRelativeHeight(Infinity)).toBeUndefined();
+    });
+
+    it('returns undefined for empty or invalid string', () => {
+      expect(coerceRelativeHeight('')).toBeUndefined();
+      expect(coerceRelativeHeight('   ')).toBeUndefined();
+      expect(coerceRelativeHeight('abc')).toBeUndefined();
+    });
+
+    it('returns undefined for null, undefined, or non-number/string', () => {
+      expect(coerceRelativeHeight(null)).toBeUndefined();
+      expect(coerceRelativeHeight(undefined)).toBeUndefined();
+      expect(coerceRelativeHeight({})).toBeUndefined();
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('normalizeZIndex', () => {
+    it('returns 0 for OOXML base relativeHeight', () => {
+      expect(normalizeZIndex({ relativeHeight: OOXML_Z_INDEX_BASE })).toBe(0);
+      expect(normalizeZIndex({ relativeHeight: '251658240' })).toBe(0);
+    });
+
+    it('returns positive z-index for relativeHeight above base', () => {
+      expect(normalizeZIndex({ relativeHeight: OOXML_Z_INDEX_BASE + 2 })).toBe(2);
+      expect(normalizeZIndex({ relativeHeight: OOXML_Z_INDEX_BASE + 51 })).toBe(51);
+      expect(normalizeZIndex({ relativeHeight: '251658291' })).toBe(51);
+    });
+
+    it('returns undefined when relativeHeight is missing or invalid', () => {
+      expect(normalizeZIndex({})).toBeUndefined();
+      expect(normalizeZIndex(null)).toBeUndefined();
+      expect(normalizeZIndex(undefined)).toBeUndefined();
+      expect(normalizeZIndex({ relativeHeight: '' })).toBeUndefined();
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('resolveFloatingZIndex', () => {
+    it('returns 0 when behindDoc is true', () => {
+      expect(resolveFloatingZIndex(true, 42)).toBe(0);
+      expect(resolveFloatingZIndex(true, undefined)).toBe(0);
+      expect(resolveFloatingZIndex(true, 0)).toBe(0);
+    });
+
+    it('returns raw value when non-behindDoc and raw >= 1', () => {
+      expect(resolveFloatingZIndex(false, 5)).toBe(5);
+      expect(resolveFloatingZIndex(false, 100)).toBe(100);
+    });
+
+    it('clamps raw 0 to 1 for non-behindDoc', () => {
+      expect(resolveFloatingZIndex(false, 0)).toBe(1);
+    });
+
+    it('returns fallback when raw is undefined', () => {
+      expect(resolveFloatingZIndex(false, undefined)).toBe(1);
+      expect(resolveFloatingZIndex(false, undefined, 5)).toBe(5);
+    });
+
+    it('clamps fallback to at least 1', () => {
+      expect(resolveFloatingZIndex(false, undefined, 0)).toBe(1);
+      expect(resolveFloatingZIndex(false, undefined, -1)).toBe(1);
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('getFragmentZIndex', () => {
+    it('uses block.zIndex when set', () => {
+      const block = {
+        kind: 'image' as const,
+        id: 'img-1',
+        src: 'x.png',
+        zIndex: 42,
+        attrs: { originalAttributes: { relativeHeight: OOXML_Z_INDEX_BASE } },
+      };
+      expect(getFragmentZIndex(block)).toBe(42);
+    });
+
+    it('derives z-index from attrs.originalAttributes.relativeHeight (number)', () => {
+      const block = {
+        kind: 'image' as const,
+        id: 'img-1',
+        src: 'x.png',
+        attrs: { originalAttributes: { relativeHeight: OOXML_Z_INDEX_BASE + 10 } },
+      };
+      expect(getFragmentZIndex(block)).toBe(10);
+    });
+
+    it('derives z-index from attrs.originalAttributes.relativeHeight (string)', () => {
+      const block = {
+        kind: 'image' as const,
+        id: 'img-1',
+        src: 'x.png',
+        attrs: { originalAttributes: { relativeHeight: '251658250' } },
+      };
+      expect(getFragmentZIndex(block)).toBe(10);
+    });
+
+    it('preserves high z-index for wrapped anchored objects', () => {
+      const block = {
+        kind: 'image' as const,
+        id: 'img-1',
+        src: 'x.png',
+        anchor: { isAnchored: true, behindDoc: false },
+        wrap: { type: 'Through' as const },
+        zIndex: 7168,
+      };
+      expect(getFragmentZIndex(block)).toBe(7168);
+    });
+
+    it('preserves relativeHeight z-index for wrap None anchored objects', () => {
+      const block = {
+        kind: 'image' as const,
+        id: 'img-1',
+        src: 'x.png',
+        anchor: { isAnchored: true, behindDoc: false },
+        wrap: { type: 'None' as const },
+        attrs: { originalAttributes: { relativeHeight: OOXML_Z_INDEX_BASE + 10 } },
+      };
+      expect(getFragmentZIndex(block)).toBe(10);
+    });
+
+    it('returns 0 when anchor.behindDoc is true and no zIndex/originalAttributes', () => {
+      const block = {
+        kind: 'image' as const,
+        id: 'img-1',
+        src: 'x.png',
+        anchor: { isAnchored: true, behindDoc: true },
+      };
+      expect(getFragmentZIndex(block)).toBe(0);
+    });
+
+    it('returns 1 when not behindDoc and no zIndex/originalAttributes', () => {
+      const block = {
+        kind: 'image' as const,
+        id: 'img-1',
+        src: 'x.png',
+      };
+      expect(getFragmentZIndex(block)).toBe(1);
+    });
+
+    it('does not treat base relativeHeight as behindDoc when behindDoc is false', () => {
+      const block = {
+        kind: 'image' as const,
+        id: 'img-1',
+        src: 'x.png',
+        anchor: { isAnchored: true, behindDoc: false },
+        attrs: { originalAttributes: { relativeHeight: OOXML_Z_INDEX_BASE } },
+      };
+      expect(getFragmentZIndex(block)).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+    });
+
+    it('forces behindDoc fragments to zIndex 0 even with relativeHeight', () => {
+      const block = {
+        kind: 'image' as const,
+        id: 'img-1',
+        src: 'x.png',
+        anchor: { isAnchored: true, behindDoc: true },
+        attrs: { originalAttributes: { relativeHeight: OOXML_Z_INDEX_BASE + 5 } },
+      };
+      expect(getFragmentZIndex(block)).toBe(0);
+    });
+
+    it('works for drawing blocks', () => {
+      const block = {
+        kind: 'drawing' as const,
+        id: 'd-1',
+        drawingKind: 'vectorShape' as const,
+        attrs: { originalAttributes: { relativeHeight: OOXML_Z_INDEX_BASE + 5 } },
+      };
+      expect(getFragmentZIndex(block)).toBe(5);
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/layout-engine/pm-adapter/src/utilities.ts b/packages/layout-engine/pm-adapter/src/utilities.ts
index ae7411d983..73ea7b3c6c 100644
--- a/packages/layout-engine/pm-adapter/src/utilities.ts
+++ b/packages/layout-engine/pm-adapter/src/utilities.ts
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ import type {
   DrawingBlock,
   DrawingContentSnapshot,
   ImageBlock,
-  ParagraphIndent,
   ShapeGroupChild,
   ShapeGroupDrawing,
   ShapeGroupImageChild,
@@ -1438,9 +1437,21 @@ export function normalizeTextInsets(
 export const OOXML_Z_INDEX_BASE = 251658240;
 
 // ============================================================================
-// OOXML Element Utilities
+// OOXML Element Utilities (z-index from relativeHeight)
 // ============================================================================
 
+/**
+ * Coerces relativeHeight from OOXML (number or string) to a finite number.
+ */
+export function coerceRelativeHeight(raw: unknown): number | undefined {
+  if (typeof raw === 'number' && Number.isFinite(raw)) return raw;
+  if (typeof raw === 'string' && raw.trim() !== '') {
+    const n = Number(raw);
+    if (Number.isFinite(n)) return n;
+  }
+  return undefined;
+}
+
 /**
  * Normalizes z-index from OOXML relativeHeight value.
  *
@@ -1463,8 +1474,50 @@ export const OOXML_Z_INDEX_BASE = 251658240;
  */
 export function normalizeZIndex(originalAttributes: unknown): number | undefined {
   if (!isPlainObject(originalAttributes)) return undefined;
-  const relativeHeight = originalAttributes.relativeHeight;
-  if (typeof relativeHeight !== 'number') return undefined;
-  // Subtract base to get relative z-index, ensuring non-negative values
+  const relativeHeight = coerceRelativeHeight(originalAttributes.relativeHeight);
+  if (relativeHeight === undefined) return undefined;
   return Math.max(0, relativeHeight - OOXML_Z_INDEX_BASE);
 }
+
+/**
+ * Resolves the CSS z-index for a floating object based on its behindDoc flag
+ * and an OOXML-derived raw value.
+ *
+ * - behindDoc objects always return 0.
+ * - Non-behindDoc objects are clamped to at least 1 so they never share the
+ *   behindDoc sentinel value (0).
+ *
+ * @param behindDoc - Whether the object is behind body text
+ * @param raw - OOXML-derived z-index (from normalizeZIndex or block.zIndex)
+ * @param fallback - Value to use when raw is undefined (default: 1)
+ * @returns Resolved z-index
+ */
+export function resolveFloatingZIndex(behindDoc: boolean, raw: number | undefined, fallback = 1): number {
+  if (behindDoc) return 0;
+  if (raw === undefined) return Math.max(1, fallback);
+  return Math.max(1, raw);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Returns z-index for an image or drawing block.
+ *
+ * We cannot rely on `block.zIndex` only: when the flow-block cache hits, the
+ * paragraph handler reuses cached blocks and never calls the image/shape
+ * converters, so those blocks never get `zIndex` set. This helper uses
+ * `block.zIndex` when present, otherwise derives from
+ * `block.attrs.originalAttributes.relativeHeight` via normalizeZIndex,
+ * otherwise behindDoc ? 0 : 1.
+ *
+ * Rendering policy:
+ * - behindDoc anchored objects always return 0.
+ * - Anchored objects with text wrapping (Square/Tight/Through/TopAndBottom, or
+ *   missing wrap metadata) keep OOXML relativeHeight ordering but are clamped
+ *   to at least 1 (never 0 unless behindDoc=true).
+ * - Front/no-wrap anchored objects (wrap None) also preserve OOXML relativeHeight order.
+ */
+export function getFragmentZIndex(block: ImageBlock | DrawingBlock): number {
+  const attrs = block.attrs as { originalAttributes?: unknown } | undefined;
+  const raw = typeof block.zIndex === 'number' ? block.zIndex : normalizeZIndex(attrs?.originalAttributes);
+
+  return resolveFloatingZIndex(block.anchor?.behindDoc === true, raw);
+}
diff --git a/packages/super-editor/src/extensions/image/image.js b/packages/super-editor/src/extensions/image/image.js
index 742c56eb61..738cb3741e 100644
--- a/packages/super-editor/src/extensions/image/image.js
+++ b/packages/super-editor/src/extensions/image/image.js
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import { ImagePositionPlugin } from './imageHelpers/imagePositionPlugin.js';
 import { getNormalizedImageAttrs } from './imageHelpers/legacyAttributes.js';
 import { getRotationMargins } from './imageHelpers/rotation.js';
 import { inchesToPixels } from '@converter/helpers.js';
+import { OOXML_Z_INDEX_BASE } from '@extensions/shared/constants.js';
 
 /**
  * Configuration options for Image
@@ -142,7 +143,13 @@ export const Image = Node.create({
 
       anchorData: {
         default: null,
-        rendered: false,
+        renderDOM: ({ anchorData, originalAttributes }) => {
+          const relativeHeight = originalAttributes?.relativeHeight;
+          if (anchorData && relativeHeight) {
+            const zIndex = Math.max(0, relativeHeight - OOXML_Z_INDEX_BASE);
+            return { style: `position:relative; z-index: ${zIndex}` };
+          }
+        },
       },
 
       isAnchor: { rendered: false },
diff --git a/packages/super-editor/src/extensions/run/calculateInlineRunPropertiesPlugin.js b/packages/super-editor/src/extensions/run/calculateInlineRunPropertiesPlugin.js
index 47b40fa4d4..00b4d9bdd8 100644
--- a/packages/super-editor/src/extensions/run/calculateInlineRunPropertiesPlugin.js
+++ b/packages/super-editor/src/extensions/run/calculateInlineRunPropertiesPlugin.js
@@ -166,7 +166,13 @@ function segmentRunByInlineProps(runNode, paragraphNode, $pos, editor) {
 
   runNode.forEach((child) => {
     if (child.isText) {
-      const { inlineProps, inlineKey } = computeInlineRunProps(child.marks, runNode.attrs?.runProperties, paragraphNode, $pos, editor);
+      const { inlineProps, inlineKey } = computeInlineRunProps(
+        child.marks,
+        runNode.attrs?.runProperties,
+        paragraphNode,
+        $pos,
+        editor,
+      );
       const last = segments[segments.length - 1];
       if (last && inlineKey === lastKey) {
         last.content.push(child);
@@ -206,7 +212,7 @@ function computeInlineRunProps(marks, existingRunProperties, paragraphNode, $pos
       translatedNumbering: editor.converter?.translatedNumbering ?? {},
       translatedLinkedStyles: editor.converter?.translatedLinkedStyles ?? {},
     },
-    existingRunProperties?.styleId != null ? {styleId: existingRunProperties?.styleId} : {},
+    existingRunProperties?.styleId != null ? { styleId: existingRunProperties?.styleId } : {},
     paragraphProperties,
     false,
     Boolean(paragraphNode.attrs.paragraphProperties?.numberingProperties),
diff --git a/packages/super-editor/src/extensions/run/calculateInlineRunPropertiesPlugin.test.js b/packages/super-editor/src/extensions/run/calculateInlineRunPropertiesPlugin.test.js
index 7ad9b1a332..c613edaf37 100644
--- a/packages/super-editor/src/extensions/run/calculateInlineRunPropertiesPlugin.test.js
+++ b/packages/super-editor/src/extensions/run/calculateInlineRunPropertiesPlugin.test.js
@@ -68,9 +68,7 @@ const makeSchema = () =>
   });
 
 const paragraphDoc = (schema, runAttrs = null, marks = [], text = 'Hello') =>
-  schema.node('doc', null, [
-    schema.node('paragraph', null, [schema.node('run', runAttrs, schema.text(text, marks))]),
-  ]);
+  schema.node('doc', null, [schema.node('paragraph', null, [schema.node('run', runAttrs, schema.text(text, marks))])]);
 
 const runPos = (doc) => {
   let pos = null;
diff --git a/packages/super-editor/src/extensions/run/run.js b/packages/super-editor/src/extensions/run/run.js
index d639a7dd6d..75c4eb3e43 100644
--- a/packages/super-editor/src/extensions/run/run.js
+++ b/packages/super-editor/src/extensions/run/run.js
@@ -69,10 +69,6 @@ export const Run = OxmlNode.create({
     return ['span', base, 0];
   },
   addPmPlugins() {
-    return [
-      wrapTextInRunsPlugin(this.editor),
-      calculateInlineRunPropertiesPlugin(this.editor),
-      cleanupEmptyRunsPlugin,
-    ];
+    return [wrapTextInRunsPlugin(this.editor), calculateInlineRunPropertiesPlugin(this.editor), cleanupEmptyRunsPlugin];
   },
 });
diff --git a/packages/super-editor/src/extensions/shared/constants.js b/packages/super-editor/src/extensions/shared/constants.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..005a59bc4f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/super-editor/src/extensions/shared/constants.js
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+export const OOXML_Z_INDEX_BASE = 251658240;
diff --git a/packages/super-editor/src/extensions/tests/headless.test.js b/packages/super-editor/src/extensions/tests/headless.test.js
index 2e74c0b505..6c8d4d9282 100644
--- a/packages/super-editor/src/extensions/tests/headless.test.js
+++ b/packages/super-editor/src/extensions/tests/headless.test.js
@@ -37,7 +37,9 @@ const hasInvalidParagraphRangeError = (calls) =>
   calls.some((args) =>
     args.some(
       (value) =>
-        (value instanceof RangeError && typeof value.message === 'string' && value.message.includes(INVALID_PARAGRAPH_RANGE_ERROR)) ||
+        (value instanceof RangeError &&
+          typeof value.message === 'string' &&
+          value.message.includes(INVALID_PARAGRAPH_RANGE_ERROR)) ||
         (typeof value === 'string' && value.includes(INVALID_PARAGRAPH_RANGE_ERROR)),
     ),
   );
@@ -145,7 +147,9 @@ describe('Headless Mode Optimization', () => {
 
       const testDoc = doc.create(null, [
         paragraph.create(null, [
-          pageReference.create({ instruction: 'PAGEREF _Toc123456789 h' }, [run.create(null, [editor.schema.text('Ref')])]),
+          pageReference.create({ instruction: 'PAGEREF _Toc123456789 h' }, [
+            run.create(null, [editor.schema.text('Ref')]),
+          ]),
           run.create(null, [editor.schema.text(' tail')]),
         ]),
       ]);
diff --git a/packages/super-editor/src/extensions/vector-shape/vector-shape.js b/packages/super-editor/src/extensions/vector-shape/vector-shape.js
index 72cbcea503..ed7a38feab 100644
--- a/packages/super-editor/src/extensions/vector-shape/vector-shape.js
+++ b/packages/super-editor/src/extensions/vector-shape/vector-shape.js
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { Node, Attribute } from '@core/index';
 import { VectorShapeView } from './VectorShapeView';
+import { OOXML_Z_INDEX_BASE } from '@extensions/shared/constants.js';
 
 export const VectorShape = Node.create({
   name: 'vectorShape',
@@ -112,7 +113,13 @@ export const VectorShape = Node.create({
 
       anchorData: {
         default: null,
-        rendered: false,
+        renderDOM: ({ anchorData, originalAttributes }) => {
+          const relativeHeight = originalAttributes?.relativeHeight;
+          if (anchorData && relativeHeight) {
+            const zIndex = Math.max(0, relativeHeight - OOXML_Z_INDEX_BASE);
+            return { style: `z-index: ${zIndex}` };
+          }
+        },
       },
 
       isAnchor: {
diff --git a/packages/super-editor/src/tests/import-export/ooxml-italic-rstyle-combos-roundtrip.test.js b/packages/super-editor/src/tests/import-export/ooxml-italic-rstyle-combos-roundtrip.test.js
index daa035ea70..5e8f63bb0a 100644
--- a/packages/super-editor/src/tests/import-export/ooxml-italic-rstyle-combos-roundtrip.test.js
+++ b/packages/super-editor/src/tests/import-export/ooxml-italic-rstyle-combos-roundtrip.test.js
@@ -54,8 +54,7 @@ const collectExpectedRunsFromImport = async (fileName, italicStyleSet) => {
     }
 
     const runProperties = runNode?.attrs?.runProperties;
-    const hasInlineItalic =
-      runProperties != null && Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(runProperties, 'italic');
+    const hasInlineItalic = runProperties != null && Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(runProperties, 'italic');
 
     let italic;
     if (hasInlineItalic) {
diff --git a/pnpm-lock.yaml b/pnpm-lock.yaml
index b4fc4a832b..de8e483eb2 100644
--- a/pnpm-lock.yaml
+++ b/pnpm-lock.yaml
@@ -754,6 +754,9 @@ importers:
       '@superdoc/contracts':
         specifier: workspace:*
         version: link:../contracts
+      '@superdoc/pm-adapter':
+        specifier: workspace:*
+        version: link:../pm-adapter
 
   packages/layout-engine/measuring/dom:
     dependencies:
@@ -781,6 +784,9 @@ importers:
       '@superdoc/font-utils':
         specifier: workspace:*
         version: link:../../../../shared/font-utils
+      '@superdoc/pm-adapter':
+        specifier: workspace:*
+        version: link:../../pm-adapter
       '@superdoc/preset-geometry':
         specifier: workspace:*
         version: link:../../../preset-geometry
@@ -10574,7 +10580,7 @@ snapshots:
       ajv-errors: 3.0.0(ajv@8.17.1)
       ajv-formats: 2.1.1(ajv@8.17.1)
       avsc: 5.7.9
-      js-yaml: 4.1.0
+      js-yaml: 4.1.1
       jsonpath-plus: 10.3.0
       node-fetch: 2.6.7
     transitivePeerDependencies:
@@ -11767,7 +11773,7 @@ snapshots:
       '@types/estree-jsx': 1.0.5
       '@types/hast': 3.0.4
       '@types/mdx': 2.0.13
-      acorn: 8.11.2
+      acorn: 8.15.0
       collapse-white-space: 2.1.0
       devlop: 1.1.0
       estree-util-is-identifier-name: 3.0.0
@@ -11776,7 +11782,7 @@ snapshots:
       hast-util-to-jsx-runtime: 2.3.6
       markdown-extensions: 2.0.0
       recma-build-jsx: 1.0.0
-      recma-jsx: 1.0.1(acorn@8.11.2)
+      recma-jsx: 1.0.1(acorn@8.15.0)
       recma-stringify: 1.0.0
       rehype-recma: 1.0.0
       remark-mdx: 3.1.0
@@ -11786,7 +11792,7 @@ snapshots:
       unified: 11.0.5
       unist-util-position-from-estree: 2.0.0
       unist-util-stringify-position: 4.0.0
-      unist-util-visit: 5.0.0
+      unist-util-visit: 5.1.0
       vfile: 6.0.3
     transitivePeerDependencies:
       - supports-color
@@ -12063,12 +12069,12 @@ snapshots:
       react: 19.2.3
       react-dom: 19.2.0(react@19.2.3)
       rehype-katex: 7.0.1
-      remark-gfm: 4.0.0
+      remark-gfm: 4.0.1
       remark-math: 6.0.0
       remark-smartypants: 3.0.2
       shiki: 3.22.0
       unified: 11.0.5
-      unist-util-visit: 5.0.0
+      unist-util-visit: 5.1.0
     transitivePeerDependencies:
       - '@types/react'
       - supports-color
@@ -12400,7 +12406,7 @@ snapshots:
       extract-zip: 2.0.1
       progress: 2.0.3
       proxy-agent: 6.5.0
-      semver: 7.7.2
+      semver: 7.7.3
       tar-fs: 3.1.1
       unbzip2-stream: 1.4.3
       yargs: 17.7.2
@@ -12964,7 +12970,7 @@ snapshots:
       dependency-graph: 0.11.0
       fast-memoize: 2.5.2
       immer: 9.0.21
-      lodash: 4.17.21
+      lodash: 4.17.23
       tslib: 2.8.1
       urijs: 1.19.11
 
@@ -12974,7 +12980,7 @@ snapshots:
       '@stoplight/path': 1.3.2
       '@stoplight/types': 13.20.0
       jsonc-parser: 2.2.1
-      lodash: 4.17.21
+      lodash: 4.17.23
       safe-stable-stringify: 1.1.1
 
   '@stoplight/ordered-object-literal@1.0.5': {}
@@ -13027,7 +13033,7 @@ snapshots:
       ajv-draft-04: 1.0.0(ajv@8.17.1)
       ajv-errors: 3.0.0(ajv@8.17.1)
       ajv-formats: 2.1.1(ajv@8.17.1)
-      lodash: 4.17.21
+      lodash: 4.17.23
       tslib: 2.8.1
     transitivePeerDependencies:
       - encoding
@@ -13055,7 +13061,7 @@ snapshots:
       '@stoplight/path': 1.3.2
       '@stoplight/types': 13.20.0
       abort-controller: 3.0.0
-      lodash: 4.17.21
+      lodash: 4.17.23
       node-fetch: 2.7.0
       tslib: 2.8.1
     transitivePeerDependencies:
@@ -15452,7 +15458,7 @@ snapshots:
   esast-util-from-js@2.0.1:
     dependencies:
       '@types/estree-jsx': 1.0.5
-      acorn: 8.11.2
+      acorn: 8.15.0
       esast-util-from-estree: 2.0.0
       vfile-message: 4.0.3
 
@@ -16652,7 +16658,7 @@ snapshots:
       rehype-minify-whitespace: 6.0.2
       trim-trailing-lines: 2.1.0
       unist-util-position: 5.0.0
-      unist-util-visit: 5.0.0
+      unist-util-visit: 5.1.0
 
   hast-util-to-mdast@10.1.2:
     dependencies:
@@ -18302,8 +18308,8 @@ snapshots:
 
   micromark-extension-mdxjs@3.0.0:
     dependencies:
-      acorn: 8.11.2
-      acorn-jsx: 5.3.2(acorn@8.11.2)
+      acorn: 8.15.0
+      acorn-jsx: 5.3.2(acorn@8.15.0)
       micromark-extension-mdx-expression: 3.0.1
       micromark-extension-mdx-jsx: 3.0.1
       micromark-extension-mdx-md: 2.0.0
@@ -19855,10 +19861,10 @@ snapshots:
       estree-util-build-jsx: 3.0.1
       vfile: 6.0.3
 
-  recma-jsx@1.0.1(acorn@8.11.2):
+  recma-jsx@1.0.1(acorn@8.15.0):
     dependencies:
-      acorn: 8.11.2
-      acorn-jsx: 5.3.2(acorn@8.11.2)
+      acorn: 8.15.0
+      acorn-jsx: 5.3.2(acorn@8.15.0)
       estree-util-to-js: 2.0.0
       recma-parse: 1.0.0
       recma-stringify: 1.0.0
@@ -19928,7 +19934,7 @@ snapshots:
       hast-util-from-html-isomorphic: 2.0.0
       hast-util-to-text: 4.0.2
       katex: 0.16.28
-      unist-util-visit-parents: 6.0.1
+      unist-util-visit-parents: 6.0.2
       vfile: 6.0.3
 
   rehype-minify-whitespace@6.0.2:
@@ -19961,7 +19967,7 @@ snapshots:
   rehype-stringify@10.0.1:
     dependencies:
       '@types/hast': 3.0.4
-      hast-util-to-html: 9.0.4
+      hast-util-to-html: 9.0.5
       unified: 11.0.5
 
   remark-frontmatter@5.0.0:
@@ -19985,7 +19991,7 @@ snapshots:
   remark-gfm@4.0.0:
     dependencies:
       '@types/mdast': 4.0.4
-      mdast-util-gfm: 3.0.0
+      mdast-util-gfm: 3.1.0
       micromark-extension-gfm: 3.0.0
       remark-parse: 11.0.0
       remark-stringify: 11.0.0
@@ -20080,7 +20086,7 @@ snapshots:
       retext: 9.0.0
       retext-smartypants: 6.2.0
       unified: 11.0.5
-      unist-util-visit: 5.0.0
+      unist-util-visit: 5.1.0
 
   remark-stringify@10.0.3:
     dependencies:
@@ -20165,7 +20171,7 @@ snapshots:
     dependencies:
       '@types/nlcst': 2.0.3
       nlcst-to-string: 4.0.0
-      unist-util-visit: 5.0.0
+      unist-util-visit: 5.1.0
 
   retext-stringify@4.0.0:
     dependencies:
@@ -20476,7 +20482,7 @@ snapshots:
     dependencies:
       color: 4.2.3
       detect-libc: 2.1.2
-      semver: 7.7.2
+      semver: 7.7.3
     optionalDependencies:
       '@img/sharp-darwin-arm64': 0.33.5
       '@img/sharp-darwin-x64': 0.33.5
@@ -21382,13 +21388,13 @@ snapshots:
   unist-util-remove-position@5.0.0:
     dependencies:
       '@types/unist': 3.0.3
-      unist-util-visit: 5.0.0
+      unist-util-visit: 5.1.0
 
   unist-util-remove@4.0.0:
     dependencies:
       '@types/unist': 3.0.3
       unist-util-is: 6.0.1
-      unist-util-visit-parents: 6.0.1
+      unist-util-visit-parents: 6.0.2
 
   unist-util-stringify-position@3.0.3:
     dependencies: