diff --git a/src/lib/editor/extensions/characterStyle.ts b/src/lib/editor/extensions/characterStyle.ts
index 517a70f..3ee3ab9 100644
--- a/src/lib/editor/extensions/characterStyle.ts
+++ b/src/lib/editor/extensions/characterStyle.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,10 @@ declare module '@tiptap/core' {
 export const CharacterStyle = Mark.create({
   name: 'charStyle',
 
+  // Above TextStyle's 101, so this span wraps the direct formatting's instead of sitting
+  // inside it: the style is a stylesheet rule, and a rule beats an ancestor's inline style.
+  priority: 102,
+
   addAttributes() {
     return {
       name: {
diff --git a/src/lib/styles/CLAUDE.md b/src/lib/styles/CLAUDE.md
index ee7dbd4..88e568e 100644
--- a/src/lib/styles/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/src/lib/styles/CLAUDE.md
@@ -56,7 +56,8 @@ holds it as a reactive singleton persisted to `odf-editor-styles` (same shape as
   declares no style; `tests/unit/style-resolve.test.ts` asserts the built-ins match it.
 - **Character styles** are the second family (`sheet.character`, LibreOffice's Emphasis /
   Strong Emphasis / Source Text): the `CharacterStyle` mark (`charStyle`, attr `name`) tags a run
-  and renders `data-char-style`, `styleCss` emits a rule per style, and the gallery lists them
+  and renders `data-char-style` (`priority: 102`, so the span wraps the direct formatting's —
+  a stylesheet rule beats an ancestor's inline style), `styleCss` emits a rule per style, and the gallery lists them
   under the paragraph styles (clicking the active one toggles it off). **ODF**: export bakes the
   style's resolved formatting onto the run *and* prefixes a `CST` sentinel (U+E00E) so
   `applyCharacterStyles` re-points that span at a clone whose parent is the named
diff --git a/tests/unit/mark-order.test.ts b/tests/unit/mark-order.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..aedb72c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/mark-order.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest';
+import { getSchema, generateHTML } from '@tiptap/core';
+import { extensions } from '../../src/lib/editor/extensions';
+
+// A named character style renders as a stylesheet rule, direct formatting as an inline
+// style — so the charStyle span has to sit outside, or the rule beats the ancestor.
+describe('mark nesting', () => {
+  it('puts charStyle outside textStyle', () => {
+    const schema = getSchema(extensions);
+    expect(schema.marks.charStyle.rank).toBeLessThan(schema.marks.textStyle.rank);
+    const html = generateHTML({
+      type: 'doc',
+      content: [{ type: 'paragraph', content: [{ type: 'text', text: 'x',
+        marks: [{ type: 'textStyle', attrs: { fontSize: '10pt' } }, { type: 'charStyle', attrs: { name: 'Code' } }] }] }],
+    }, extensions);
+    expect(html.indexOf('data-char-style')).toBeLessThan(html.indexOf('font-size'));
+  });
+});