diff --git a/src/vs/sessions/browser/parts/media/editorPart.css b/src/vs/sessions/browser/parts/media/editorPart.css
index db42383df20663..7d9baefa2a90a8 100644
--- a/src/vs/sessions/browser/parts/media/editorPart.css
+++ b/src/vs/sessions/browser/parts/media/editorPart.css
@@ -85,11 +85,6 @@
 	border-bottom: var(--vscode-strokeThickness) solid var(--vscode-editorGroupHeader-tabsBorder, var(--vscode-editorGroup-border));
 }
 
-.agent-sessions-workbench.dock-detail-panel .part.editor .editor-tabs-compact-height .search-editor > .query-container {
-	min-height: var(--vscode-spacing-size280);
-	padding-block: var(--vscode-spacing-sizeNone);
-}
-
 .agent-sessions-workbench.dock-detail-panel .part.editor .search-editor > .query-container > .search-widget {
 	min-width: 0;
 }
diff --git a/src/vs/sessions/contrib/search/test/browser/searchEditor.fixture.ts b/src/vs/sessions/contrib/search/test/browser/searchEditor.fixture.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..b7c4650ec682d2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/vs/sessions/contrib/search/test/browser/searchEditor.fixture.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+/*---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ *  Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
+ *  Licensed under the MIT License. See License.txt in the project root for license information.
+ *--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
+
+import '../../../../browser/parts/media/editorPart.css';
+import { $, append, Dimension } from '../../../../../base/browser/dom.js';
+import { Event } from '../../../../../base/common/event.js';
+import { mock } from '../../../../../base/test/common/mock.js';
+import { ITextResourceConfigurationService } from '../../../../../editor/common/services/textResourceConfiguration.js';
+import { IConfigurationService } from '../../../../../platform/configuration/common/configuration.js';
+import { TestConfigurationService } from '../../../../../platform/configuration/test/common/testConfigurationService.js';
+import { IFileService } from '../../../../../platform/files/common/files.js';
+import { IEditorProgressService } from '../../../../../platform/progress/common/progress.js';
+import { UriIdentityService } from '../../../../../platform/uriIdentity/common/uriIdentityService.js';
+import { IUriIdentityService } from '../../../../../platform/uriIdentity/common/uriIdentity.js';
+import { INotebookEditorService } from '../../../../../workbench/contrib/notebook/browser/services/notebookEditorService.js';
+import { IReplaceService } from '../../../../../workbench/contrib/search/browser/replace.js';
+import { SearchEditor } from '../../../../../workbench/contrib/searchEditor/browser/searchEditor.js';
+import { IEditorGroupsService } from '../../../../../workbench/services/editor/common/editorGroupsService.js';
+import { IEditorService } from '../../../../../workbench/services/editor/common/editorService.js';
+import { ISearchService } from '../../../../../workbench/services/search/common/search.js';
+import { INotebookSearchService } from '../../../../../workbench/contrib/search/common/notebookSearch.js';
+import { ComponentFixtureContext, createEditorServices, defineComponentFixture, defineThemedFixtureGroup, registerWorkbenchServices } from '../../../../../workbench/test/browser/componentFixtures/fixtureUtils.js';
+import { TestEditorGroupsService, TestEditorGroupView, TestEditorService, TestTextResourceConfigurationService } from '../../../../../workbench/test/browser/workbenchTestServices.js';
+import { TestFileService } from '../../../../../workbench/test/common/workbenchTestServices.js';
+
+function renderSearchEditor({ container, disposableStore, theme }: ComponentFixtureContext, compact: boolean): void {
+	const width = 600;
+	const height = 200;
+	container.style.width = `${width}px`;
+	container.style.height = `${height}px`;
+	container.classList.add('agent-sessions-workbench', 'dock-detail-panel');
+
+	const part = append(container, $('.part.editor'));
+	const groupContainer = append(part, $('.editor-group-container'));
+	groupContainer.classList.toggle('editor-tabs-compact-height', compact);
+	const group = new TestEditorGroupView(1);
+	const configurationService = new TestConfigurationService({
+		editor: { minimap: { enabled: false } },
+		search: { searchOnType: false, searchEditor: { defaultNumberOfContextLines: 1 } },
+	});
+	const instantiationService = createEditorServices(disposableStore, {
+		colorTheme: theme,
+		additionalServices: reg => {
+			registerWorkbenchServices(reg);
+			reg.defineInstance(IConfigurationService, configurationService);
+			reg.defineInstance(ITextResourceConfigurationService, new TestTextResourceConfigurationService(configurationService));
+			reg.defineInstance(IEditorGroupsService, new TestEditorGroupsService([group]));
+			reg.define(IEditorService, TestEditorService);
+			reg.define(IFileService, TestFileService);
+			reg.define(IUriIdentityService, UriIdentityService);
+			reg.defineInstance(IEditorProgressService, new class extends mock<IEditorProgressService>() { }());
+			reg.defineInstance(ISearchService, new class extends mock<ISearchService>() { }());
+			reg.defineInstance(INotebookSearchService, new class extends mock<INotebookSearchService>() { }());
+			reg.defineInstance(IReplaceService, new class extends mock<IReplaceService>() { }());
+			reg.definePartialInstance(INotebookEditorService, { onDidAddNotebookEditor: Event.None });
+		},
+	});
+	const editor = disposableStore.add(instantiationService.createInstance(SearchEditor, group));
+	editor.create(groupContainer);
+	editor.layout(new Dimension(width, height));
+}
+
+export default defineThemedFixtureGroup({ path: 'sessions/' }, {
+	Default: defineComponentFixture({
+		labels: { kind: 'screenshot' },
+		additionalThemes: ['darkHighContrast'],
+		expectedVisualDescriptions: ['The search input and context controls have visible breathing room above and below them, separating the controls from the horizontal results separator.'],
+		render: context => renderSearchEditor(context, false),
+	}),
+	Compact: defineComponentFixture({
+		labels: { kind: 'screenshot' },
+		additionalThemes: ['darkHighContrast'],
+		expectedVisualDescriptions: ['With compact editor tabs, the full-height search controls retain the same vertical breathing room and separation from the results separator as with default editor tabs.'],
+		render: context => renderSearchEditor(context, true),
+	}),
+});