fix(messages): normalize escaped markdown newlines

src/main/database/activity.ts

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { randomUUID } from "node:crypto";
 import type { DatabaseSync } from "node:sqlite";
 import type { CommentRecord } from "@shared/types";
+import { normalizeMarkdownText } from "@shared/markdown-text";
 import type { ReadAll } from "./helpers";
 import { nowIso } from "./helpers";
 
@@ -19,12 +20,13 @@ export function buildActivityMethods(
       const taskRow = getDb().prepare("select company_id from tasks where id = ?").get(input.taskId) as { company_id: string } | undefined;
       if (!taskRow) throw new Error("Task not found.");
       if (taskRow.company_id !== input.companyId) throw new Error("Task does not belong to this company.");
+      const body = normalizeMarkdownText(input.body);
       const id = randomUUID();
       const ts = nowIso();
       getDb().prepare(
         "insert into task_comments (id, company_id, task_id, author_agent_id, author_name, body, created_at) values (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)",
-      ).run(id, input.companyId, input.taskId, input.authorAgentId, input.authorName, input.body, ts);
+      ).run(id, input.companyId, input.taskId, input.authorAgentId, input.authorName, body, ts);
-      return { id, companyId: input.companyId, taskId: input.taskId, authorAgentId: input.authorAgentId, authorName: input.authorName, body: input.body, createdAt: ts };
+      return { id, companyId: input.companyId, taskId: input.taskId, authorAgentId: input.authorAgentId, authorName: input.authorName, body, createdAt: ts };
     },
 
     listComments(taskId: string): CommentRecord[] {

src/main/database/messages.ts

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import { randomUUID } from "node:crypto";
 import type { DatabaseSync, SQLInputValue } from "node:sqlite";
 import log from "electron-log/main.js";
 import type { AgentMessageRecord, AgentRecord } from "@shared/types";
+import { normalizeMarkdownText } from "@shared/markdown-text";
 import {
   BOARD_READER_ID,
   type ReadAll,
@@ -66,6 +67,7 @@ export function buildMessageMethods(
       }
       const senderKind = input.senderKind
         ?? (input.fromAgentId === BOARD_READER_ID ? "human" : "agent");
+      const body = normalizeMarkdownText(input.body);
       const id = randomUUID();
       const createdAt = nowIso();
       // Single transaction: the row and its mention fan-out must land
@@ -86,7 +88,7 @@ export function buildMessageMethods(
             channel,
             input.channelTargetId ?? null,
             input.subject,
-            input.body,
+            body,
             input.priority ?? "normal",
             input.parentMessageId ?? null,
             input.attachmentsJson ?? "[]",

src/main/messaging/dispatch.ts

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import type { AppDatabase } from "../database";
 import type { AgentMessageRecord, DesktopEvent, MessageChannel, MentionResult, SectionId } from "@shared/types";
+import { normalizeMarkdownText } from "@shared/markdown-text";
 
 /**
  * The board reader / human participant ID.
@@ -120,7 +121,7 @@ export function normalizeAgentMessageInput(input: AgentMessageDispatchInput): No
     channel,
     channelTargetId,
     subject,
-    body: input.body,
+    body: normalizeMarkdownText(input.body),
     priority,
     parentMessageId,
     threadId,

src/renderer/components/communication/SearchResults.tsx

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import { formatMessageTime } from "../../lib/formatters"
 import { EmptyState, useReducedMotion } from "../ui"
 import { useRovingTabIndex } from "../../lib/keyboard"
 import { useT } from "../../i18n"
+import { normalizeMarkdownText } from "@shared/markdown-text"
 
 type ChannelConfig = { labelKey: string; icon: React.ElementType; color: string }
 
@@ -121,6 +122,7 @@ export function SearchResults({ results, query, loading, agents, onNavigateToRes
             const message = results[virtualRow.index]
             const agent = agentMap.get(message.fromAgentId)
             const config = channelConfig[message.channel]
+            const normalizedBody = normalizeMarkdownText(message.body)
             const ChannelIcon = config.icon
 
             return (
@@ -175,7 +177,7 @@ export function SearchResults({ results, query, loading, agents, onNavigateToRes
 
                     {/* Row 3: Body snippet */}
                     <div className="mt-0.5 line-clamp-2 break-words text-[13px] leading-relaxed text-muted-foreground">
-                      {highlightMatch(message.body, query)}
+                      {highlightMatch(normalizedBody, query)}
                     </div>
                   </div>
                 </div>

src/renderer/components/communication/ThreadPanel.tsx

@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import WaitStateIndicator, { type WaitStateInfo } from "./WaitStateIndicator"
 import { MessageComposer } from "./MessageComposer"
 import { formatMessageTime } from "../../lib/formatters"
 import { useT, type TranslationFn } from "../../i18n"
+import { MarkdownBody } from "../ui/MarkdownBody"
 
 interface ThreadPanelProps {
   threadId: string
@@ -51,7 +52,9 @@ function EventItem({ event, agents, t }: { event: ConversationEventRecord; agent
           <span className="text-xs font-medium text-foreground">{actorName}</span>
           <span className="text-xs text-muted-foreground">{time}</span>
         </div>
-        <p className="text-sm text-foreground/80">{event.body}</p>
+        <div className="text-sm text-foreground/80">
+          <MarkdownBody body={event.body} />
+        </div>
       </div>
     </div>
   )

src/renderer/components/ui/MarkdownBody.tsx

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { memo } from "react";
 import ReactMarkdown from "react-markdown";
 import remarkGfm from "remark-gfm";
+import { normalizeMarkdownText } from "@shared/markdown-text";
 
 /**
  * Read-only markdown renderer used by message bubbles, comment bodies, and
@@ -21,6 +22,8 @@ import remarkGfm from "remark-gfm";
  * wrapping container.
  */
 export const MarkdownBody = memo(function MarkdownBody({ body }: { body: string }) {
+  const normalizedBody = normalizeMarkdownText(body);
+
   return (
     <ReactMarkdown
       remarkPlugins={[remarkGfm]}
@@ -76,7 +79,7 @@ export const MarkdownBody = memo(function MarkdownBody({ body }: { body: string
         hr: () => <hr className="my-2 border-border" />,
       }}
     >
-      {body}
+      {normalizedBody}
     </ReactMarkdown>
   );
 });

src/shared/markdown-text.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+const ACTUAL_LINE_BREAKS = /\r\n?/g;
+const ESCAPED_CRLF = /\\r\\n/g;
+const ESCAPED_LF = /\\n/g;
+const ESCAPED_CR = /\\r/g;
+
+export function normalizeMarkdownText(text: string): string {
+  return text
+    .replace(ACTUAL_LINE_BREAKS, "\n")
+    .replace(ESCAPED_CRLF, "\n")
+    .replace(ESCAPED_LF, "\n")
+    .replace(ESCAPED_CR, "\n");
+}

tests/unit/markdown-text.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { normalizeMarkdownText } from "../../src/shared/markdown-text";
+
+describe("normalizeMarkdownText", () => {
+  it("converts escaped markdown line breaks into renderable markdown", () => {
+    expect(normalizeMarkdownText("Intro\\n\\n## Plan\\n- First\\n- Second")).toBe("Intro\n\n## Plan\n- First\n- Second");
+  });
+
+  it("normalizes actual CRLF input to LF", () => {
+    expect(normalizeMarkdownText("One\r\nTwo\rThree")).toBe("One\nTwo\nThree");
+  });
+});

tests/unit/message-dispatch.test.ts

@@ -200,6 +200,40 @@ describe("message dispatch", () => {
     db.close();
   });
 
+  it("normalizes escaped markdown line breaks before persisting messages and comments", async () => {
+    const profileDir = await createTempDir("agentcompany-message-markdown-");
+    const db = new AppDatabase(profileDir);
+    db.init();
+
+    const { companyId, ceoId, ctoId, taskId } = createScaffold(db);
+
+    const result = dispatchAgentMessage({
+      db,
+    }, {
+      companyId,
+      fromAgentId: ctoId,
+      channel: "direct",
+      toAgentId: ceoId,
+      subject: "Markdown update",
+      body: "CEO,\\n\\n## Plan\\n- Confirm scope\\n- Ship cleanly",
+    });
+
+    expect(result.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (!result.ok) throw new Error("Expected dispatch to succeed.");
+    expect(result.data.message?.body).toBe("CEO,\n\n## Plan\n- Confirm scope\n- Ship cleanly");
+
+    const comment = db.core.activity.addComment({
+      companyId,
+      taskId,
+      authorAgentId: ctoId,
+      authorName: "CTO",
+      body: "Progress:\\n- Scope confirmed\\n- Review queued",
+    });
+    expect(comment.body).toBe("Progress:\n- Scope confirmed\n- Review queued");
+
+    db.close();
+  });
+
   it("redirects a DM's wake to the @mentioned agent instead of the DM recipient (chatroom semantics)", async () => {
     const profileDir = await createTempDir("agentcompany-message-redirect-");
     const db = new AppDatabase(profileDir);