diff --git a/browser/devtools/shared/test/browser_outputparser.js b/browser/devtools/shared/test/browser_outputparser.js
index 5cc0e0abdfac..ab34bf14d7dc 100644
--- a/browser/devtools/shared/test/browser_outputparser.js
+++ b/browser/devtools/shared/test/browser_outputparser.js
@@ -37,11 +37,23 @@ function testParseCssProperty() {
   target.appendChild(frag);
 
   is(target.innerHTML,
-     '1px solid <span style="background-color:red" class="test-colorswatch"></span>#F00',
+     '1px solid <span style="background-color:red" class="test-colorswatch"></span><span>#F00</span>',
      "CSS property correctly parsed");
 
   target.innerHTML = "";
 
+  let frag = parser.parseCssProperty("background-image", "linear-gradient(to right, #F60 10%, rgba(0,0,0,1))", {
+    colorSwatchClass: "test-colorswatch",
+    colorClass: "test-color"
+  });
+  target.appendChild(frag);
+  is(target.innerHTML,
+     'linear-gradient(to right, <span style="background-color:#F60" class="test-colorswatch"></span><span class="test-color">#F60</span> 10%, ' +
+     '<span style="background-color:rgba(0,0,0,1)" class="test-colorswatch"></span><span class="test-color">#000</span>)',
+     "Gradient CSS property correctly parsed");
+
+  target.innerHTML = "";
+
   testParseHTMLAttribute();
 }
 
@@ -49,14 +61,15 @@ function testParseHTMLAttribute() {
   let attrib = "color:red; font-size: 12px; background-image: " +
                "url(chrome://branding/content/about-logo.png)";
   let frag = parser.parseHTMLAttribute(attrib, {
-    urlClass: "theme-link"
+    urlClass: "theme-link",
+    colorClass: "theme-color"
   });
 
   let target = doc.querySelector("div");
   ok(target, "captain, we have the div");
   target.appendChild(frag);
 
-  let expected = 'color:#F00; font-size: 12px; ' +
+  let expected = 'color:<span class="theme-color">#F00</span>; font-size: 12px; ' +
                  'background-image: url(\'<a href="chrome://branding/content/about-logo.png" ' +
                  'class="theme-link" ' +
                  'target="_blank">chrome://branding/content/about-logo.png</a>\')';
diff --git a/browser/devtools/styleinspector/rule-view.js b/browser/devtools/styleinspector/rule-view.js
index 09d677d2530d..01e4879c4ef1 100644
--- a/browser/devtools/styleinspector/rule-view.js
+++ b/browser/devtools/styleinspector/rule-view.js
@@ -2023,6 +2023,7 @@ TextPropertyEditor.prototype = {
     let outputParser = this.ruleEditor.ruleView._outputParser;
     let frag = outputParser.parseCssProperty(name, val, {
       colorSwatchClass: swatchClass,
+      colorClass: "ruleview-color",
       defaultColorType: !propDirty,
       urlClass: "theme-link",
       baseURI: this.sheetURI
diff --git a/browser/devtools/styleinspector/test/browser.ini b/browser/devtools/styleinspector/test/browser.ini
index 0ca9347280a9..d0e21683383c 100644
--- a/browser/devtools/styleinspector/test/browser.ini
+++ b/browser/devtools/styleinspector/test/browser.ini
@@ -53,3 +53,4 @@ support-files = browser_ruleview_pseudoelement.html
 [browser_bug913014_matched_expand.js]
 [browser_bug765105_background_image_tooltip.js]
 [browser_bug889638_rule_view_color_picker.js]
+[browser_bug940500_rule_view_pick_gradient_color.js]
diff --git a/browser/devtools/styleinspector/test/browser_bug940500_rule_view_pick_gradient_color.js b/browser/devtools/styleinspector/test/browser_bug940500_rule_view_pick_gradient_color.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..d52cae7090ac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/browser/devtools/styleinspector/test/browser_bug940500_rule_view_pick_gradient_color.js
@@ -0,0 +1,135 @@
+/* vim: set ts=2 et sw=2 tw=80: */
+/* Any copyright is dedicated to the Public Domain.
+ http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ */
+
+// Test that changing a color in a gradient css declaration using the tooltip
+// color picker works
+
+let {gDevTools} = Cu.import("resource:///modules/devtools/gDevTools.jsm", {});
+
+let contentDoc;
+let contentWin;
+let inspector;
+let ruleView;
+
+const PAGE_CONTENT = [
+  '<style type="text/css">',
+  '  body {',
+  '    background-image: linear-gradient(to left, #f06 25%, #333 95%, #000 100%);',
+  '  }',
+  '</style>',
+  'Updating a gradient declaration with the color picker tooltip'
+].join("\n");
+
+function test() {
+  waitForExplicitFinish();
+
+  gBrowser.selectedTab = gBrowser.addTab();
+  gBrowser.selectedBrowser.addEventListener("load", function(evt) {
+    gBrowser.selectedBrowser.removeEventListener(evt.type, arguments.callee, true);
+    contentDoc = content.document;
+    contentWin = contentDoc.defaultView;
+    waitForFocus(createDocument, content);
+  }, true);
+
+  content.location = "data:text/html,rule view color picker tooltip test";
+}
+
+function createDocument() {
+  contentDoc.body.innerHTML = PAGE_CONTENT;
+
+  openRuleView((aInspector, aRuleView) => {
+    inspector = aInspector;
+    ruleView = aRuleView;
+    startTests();
+  });
+}
+
+function startTests() {
+  inspector.selection.setNode(contentDoc.body);
+  inspector.once("inspector-updated", testColorParsing);
+}
+
+function endTests() {
+  executeSoon(function() {
+    gDevTools.once("toolbox-destroyed", () => {
+      contentDoc = contentWin = inspector = ruleView = null;
+      gBrowser.removeCurrentTab();
+      finish();
+    });
+    inspector._toolbox.destroy();
+  });
+}
+
+function testColorParsing() {
+  let ruleEl = getRuleViewProperty("background-image");
+  ok(ruleEl, "The background-image gradient declaration was found");
+
+  let swatchEls = ruleEl.valueSpan.querySelectorAll(".ruleview-colorswatch");
+  ok(swatchEls, "The color swatch elements were found");
+  is(swatchEls.length, 3, "There are 3 color swatches");
+
+  let colorEls = ruleEl.valueSpan.querySelectorAll(".ruleview-color");
+  ok(colorEls, "The color elements were found");
+  is(colorEls.length, 3, "There are 3 color values");
+
+  let colors = ["#F06", "#333", "#000"];
+  for (let i = 0; i < colors.length; i ++) {
+    is(colorEls[i].textContent, colors[i], "The right color value was found");
+  }
+
+  testPickingNewColor();
+}
+
+function testPickingNewColor() {
+  // Grab the first color swatch and color in the gradient
+  let ruleEl = getRuleViewProperty("background-image");
+  let swatchEl = ruleEl.valueSpan.querySelector(".ruleview-colorswatch");
+  let colorEl = ruleEl.valueSpan.querySelector(".ruleview-color");
+
+  // Get the color picker tooltip
+  let cPicker = ruleView.colorPicker;
+
+  cPicker.tooltip.once("shown", () => {
+    simulateColorChange(cPicker, [1, 1, 1, 1]);
+
+    executeSoon(() => {
+      is(swatchEl.style.backgroundColor, "rgb(1, 1, 1)",
+        "The color swatch's background was updated");
+      is(colorEl.textContent, "rgba(1, 1, 1, 1)",
+        "The color text was updated");
+      is(content.getComputedStyle(content.document.body).backgroundImage,
+        "linear-gradient(to left, rgb(255, 0, 102) 25%, rgb(51, 51, 51) 95%, rgb(0, 0, 0) 100%)",
+        "The gradient has been updated correctly");
+
+      cPicker.hide();
+      endTests();
+    });
+  });
+  swatchEl.click();
+}
+
+function simulateColorChange(colorPicker, newRgba) {
+  // Note that this test isn't concerned with simulating events to test how the
+  // spectrum color picker reacts, see browser_spectrum.js for this.
+  // This test only cares about the color swatch <-> color picker <-> rule view
+  // interactions. That's why there's no event simulations here
+  colorPicker.spectrum.then(spectrum => {
+    spectrum.rgb = newRgba;
+    spectrum.updateUI();
+    spectrum.onChange();
+  });
+}
+
+function getRuleViewProperty(name) {
+  let prop = null;
+  [].forEach.call(ruleView.doc.querySelectorAll(".ruleview-property"), property => {
+    let nameSpan = property.querySelector(".ruleview-propertyname");
+    let valueSpan = property.querySelector(".ruleview-propertyvalue");
+
+    if (nameSpan.textContent === name) {
+      prop = {nameSpan: nameSpan, valueSpan: valueSpan};
+    }
+  });
+  return prop;
+}
diff --git a/toolkit/devtools/output-parser.js b/toolkit/devtools/output-parser.js
index 036378b1bd4c..a17a419b1dc9 100644
--- a/toolkit/devtools/output-parser.js
+++ b/toolkit/devtools/output-parser.js
@@ -304,7 +304,9 @@ OutputParser.prototype = {
       if (options.defaultColorType) {
         color = colorObj.toString();
       }
-      this._appendTextNode(color);
+      this._appendNode("span", {
+        class: options.colorClass
+      }, color);
       return true;
     }
     return false;
@@ -362,7 +364,9 @@ OutputParser.prototype = {
     let attrs = Object.getOwnPropertyNames(attributes);
 
     for (let attr of attrs) {
-      node.setAttribute(attr, attributes[attr]);
+      if (attributes[attr]) {
+        node.setAttribute(attr, attributes[attr]);
+      }
     }
 
     if (value) {
@@ -422,6 +426,8 @@ OutputParser.prototype = {
    *           - defaultColorType: true // Convert colors to the default type
    *                                    // selected in the options panel.
    *           - colorSwatchClass: ""   // The class to use for color swatches.
+   *           - colorClass: ""         // The class to use for the color value
+   *                                    // that follows the swatch.
    *           - isHTMLAttribute: false // This property indicates whether we
    *                                    // are parsing an HTML attribute value.
    *                                    // When the value is passed in from an
@@ -439,6 +445,7 @@ OutputParser.prototype = {
     let defaults = {
       defaultColorType: true,
       colorSwatchClass: "",
+      colorClass: "",
       isHTMLAttribute: false,
       urlClass: "",
       baseURI: ""