diff --git a/doc/diffs.nvim.txt b/doc/diffs.nvim.txt
index cfcd1b6..79f34b7 100644
--- a/doc/diffs.nvim.txt
+++ b/doc/diffs.nvim.txt
@@ -758,6 +758,13 @@ character-level groups blend at 60% for more contrast. Line-number groups
 combine both: background from the line-level blend, foreground from the
 character-level blend.
 
+Note: highlight groups are computed when the first diff buffer is attached,
+so your colorscheme must be loaded before any diff buffer opens. If `Normal`
+has no background at that point (colorscheme loaded too late, or transparent
+terminal), diffs.nvim schedules one deferred retry via |vim.schedule()| to
+recompute once the event loop settles. To avoid relying on this, ensure your
+colorscheme plugin has `priority = 1000` and `lazy = false`.
+
 Fugitive unified diff highlights: ~
                                                                   *DiffsAdd*
     DiffsAdd            Background for `+` lines. Derived by blending
diff --git a/lua/diffs/init.lua b/lua/diffs/init.lua
index a176d80..a68b7ee 100644
--- a/lua/diffs/init.lua
+++ b/lua/diffs/init.lua
@@ -162,6 +162,7 @@ local default_config = {
 local config = vim.deepcopy(default_config)
 
 local initialized = false
+local hl_retry_pending = false
 
 ---@diagnostic disable-next-line: missing-fields
 local fast_hl_opts = {} ---@type diffs.HunkOpts
@@ -477,6 +478,17 @@ local function compute_highlight_groups()
   local add_fg = diff_added.fg or diff_add.fg or (dark and 0x80d080 or 0x206020)
   local del_fg = diff_removed.fg or diff_delete.fg or (dark and 0xd08080 or 0x802020)
 
+  if not normal.bg and not hl_retry_pending then
+    hl_retry_pending = true
+    vim.schedule(function()
+      hl_retry_pending = false
+      compute_highlight_groups()
+      for bufnr, _ in pairs(attached_buffers) do
+        invalidate_cache(bufnr)
+      end
+    end)
+  end
+
   local blended_add = blend_color(add_bg, bg, 0.4)
   local blended_del = blend_color(del_bg, bg, 0.4)