diff --git a/options-table.c b/options-table.c
index 3d1b4f85..08efa6b2 100644
--- a/options-table.c
+++ b/options-table.c
@@ -405,7 +405,7 @@ const struct options_table_entry options_table[] = {
 	  .choices = options_table_popup_border_lines_list,
 	  .default_num = BOX_LINES_SINGLE,
 	  .text = "Type of characters used to draw menu border lines. Some of "
-	          "these are only supported on terminals with UTF-8 support."
+		  "these are only supported on terminals with UTF-8 support."
 	},
 
 	{ .name = "message-limit",
@@ -425,7 +425,7 @@ const struct options_table_entry options_table[] = {
 	  .default_num = 0,
 	  .unit = "milliseconds",
 	  .text = "The timeout for the prefix key if no subsequent key is "
-	          "pressed. Zero means disabled."
+		  "pressed. Zero means disabled."
 	},
 
 	{ .name = "prompt-history-limit",
@@ -462,7 +462,7 @@ const struct options_table_entry options_table[] = {
 	  .flags = OPTIONS_TABLE_IS_ARRAY,
 	  .default_str = "xterm*:clipboard:ccolour:cstyle:focus:title,"
 			 "screen*:title,"
-	                 "rxvt*:ignorefkeys",
+			 "rxvt*:ignorefkeys",
 	  .separator = ",",
 	  .text = "List of terminal features, used if they cannot be "
 		  "automatically detected."
@@ -479,6 +479,14 @@ const struct options_table_entry options_table[] = {
 		  "'User0', 'User1' and so on."
 	},
 
+	{ .name = "variation-selector-always-wide",
+	  .type = OPTIONS_TABLE_FLAG,
+	  .scope = OPTIONS_TABLE_SERVER,
+	  .default_num = 1,
+	  .text = "If the Unicode VS16 codepoint should always be treated as a "
+		  "wide character."
+	},
+
 	/* Session options. */
 	{ .name = "activity-action",
 	  .type = OPTIONS_TABLE_CHOICE,
@@ -611,8 +619,8 @@ const struct options_table_entry options_table[] = {
 	  .default_num = 0,
 	  .unit = "milliseconds",
 	  .text = "Time to wait for a key binding to repeat the first time the "
-	          "key is pressed, if it is bound with the '-r' flag. "
-	          "Subsequent presses use the 'repeat-time' option."
+		  "key is pressed, if it is bound with the '-r' flag. "
+		  "Subsequent presses use the 'repeat-time' option."
 	},
 
 	{ .name = "key-table",
@@ -1033,11 +1041,11 @@ const struct options_table_entry options_table[] = {
 	  .type = OPTIONS_TABLE_STRING,
 	  .scope = OPTIONS_TABLE_WINDOW|OPTIONS_TABLE_PANE,
 	  .default_str = "#[align=right]"
-	                 "#{t/p:top_line_time}#{?#{e|>:#{top_line_time},0}, ,}"
-	                 "[#{scroll_position}/#{history_size}]"
-	                 "#{?search_timed_out, (timed out),"
-	                 "#{?search_count, (#{search_count}"
-	                 "#{?search_count_partial,+,} results),}}",
+			 "#{t/p:top_line_time}#{?#{e|>:#{top_line_time},0}, ,}"
+			 "[#{scroll_position}/#{history_size}]"
+			 "#{?search_timed_out, (timed out),"
+			 "#{?search_count, (#{search_count}"
+			 "#{?search_count_partial,+,} results),}}",
 	  .text = "Format of the position indicator in copy mode."
 	},
 
@@ -1234,7 +1242,7 @@ const struct options_table_entry options_table[] = {
 	  .text = "Pane scrollbar position."
 	},
 
-        { .name = "popup-style",
+	{ .name = "popup-style",
 	  .type = OPTIONS_TABLE_STRING,
 	  .scope = OPTIONS_TABLE_WINDOW,
 	  .default_str = "default",
@@ -1275,12 +1283,12 @@ const struct options_table_entry options_table[] = {
 	  .scope = OPTIONS_TABLE_WINDOW|OPTIONS_TABLE_PANE,
 	  .default_str = "Pane is dead ("
 			 "#{?#{!=:#{pane_dead_status},},"
-	                 "status #{pane_dead_status},}"
+			 "status #{pane_dead_status},}"
 			 "#{?#{!=:#{pane_dead_signal},},"
-	                 "signal #{pane_dead_signal},}, "
+			 "signal #{pane_dead_signal},}, "
 			 "#{t:pane_dead_time})",
 	  .text = "Message shown after the program in a pane has exited, if "
-	          "remain-on-exit is enabled."
+		  "remain-on-exit is enabled."
 	},
 
 	{ .name = "scroll-on-clear",
diff --git a/screen-write.c b/screen-write.c
index bce56b8e..b980d0ee 100644
--- a/screen-write.c
+++ b/screen-write.c
@@ -2105,9 +2105,11 @@ screen_write_combine(struct screen_write_ctx *ctx, const struct grid_cell *gc)
 	 */
 	if (utf8_is_zwj(ud))
 		zero_width = 1;
-	else if (utf8_is_vs(ud))
-		zero_width = force_wide = 1;
-	else if (ud->width == 0)
+	else if (utf8_is_vs(ud)) {
+		zero_width = 1;
+		if (options_get_number(global_options, "variation-selector-always-wide"))
+			force_wide = 1;
+	} else if (ud->width == 0)
 		zero_width = 1;
 
 	/* Cannot combine empty character or at left. */
diff --git a/tmux.1 b/tmux.1
index 1d50ab29..58686732 100644
--- a/tmux.1
+++ b/tmux.1
@@ -4394,6 +4394,11 @@ For example:
 set -s user-keys[0] "\ee[5;30012\[ti]"
 bind User0 resize-pane -L 3
 .Ed
+.It Xo Ic variation-selector-always-wide
+.Op Ic on | off
+.Xc
+Always treat Unicode variation selector 16 as marking a wide character.
+This is a feature of some terminals as part of their Unicode 14 support.
 .El
 .Pp
 Available session options are:
diff --git a/tty.c b/tty.c
index ea2fa941..bfedb8ee 100644
--- a/tty.c
+++ b/tty.c
@@ -2882,15 +2882,23 @@ tty_check_fg(struct tty *tty, struct colour_palette *palette,
 	/* Is this a 256-colour colour? */
 	if (gc->fg & COLOUR_FLAG_256) {
 		/* And not a 256 colour mode? */
-		if (colours < 256) {
-			gc->fg = colour_256to16(gc->fg);
-			if (gc->fg & 8) {
-				gc->fg &= 7;
-				if (colours >= 16)
-					gc->fg += 90;
-				else if (gc->fg == 0 && gc->bg == 0)
-					gc->fg = 7;
-			}
+		if (colours >= 256)
+			return;
+		gc->fg = colour_256to16(gc->fg);
+		if (~gc->fg & 8)
+			return;
+		gc->fg &= 7;
+		if (colours >= 16)
+			gc->fg += 90;
+		else {
+			/*
+			 * Mapping to black-on-black or white-on-white is not
+			 * much use, so change the foreground.
+			 */
+			if (gc->fg == 0 && gc->bg == 0)
+				gc->fg = 7;
+			else if (gc->fg == 7 && gc->bg == 7)
+				gc->fg = 0;
 		}
 		return;
 	}
@@ -2938,14 +2946,14 @@ tty_check_bg(struct tty *tty, struct colour_palette *palette,
 		 * palette. Bold background doesn't exist portably, so just
 		 * discard the bold bit if set.
 		 */
-		if (colours < 256) {
-			gc->bg = colour_256to16(gc->bg);
-			if (gc->bg & 8) {
-				gc->bg &= 7;
-				if (colours >= 16)
-					gc->bg += 90;
-			}
-		}
+		if (colours >= 256)
+			return;
+		gc->bg = colour_256to16(gc->bg);
+		if (~gc->bg & 8)
+			return;
+		gc->bg &= 7;
+		if (colours >= 16)
+			gc->bg += 90;
 		return;
 	}