diff --git a/desktop/src/features/home/ui/HomeView.tsx b/desktop/src/features/home/ui/HomeView.tsx
index 2a02284fb6..fd5085bb31 100644
--- a/desktop/src/features/home/ui/HomeView.tsx
+++ b/desktop/src/features/home/ui/HomeView.tsx
@@ -414,6 +414,7 @@ export function HomeView({
             onFilterChange={setFilter}
             onSelect={(itemId) => {
               handleUserSelectItem(itemId);
+              markItemRead(itemId);
             }}
             reminderPubkey={currentPubkey}
             selectedId={selectedItemId}
diff --git a/desktop/src/features/home/ui/InboxListPane.tsx b/desktop/src/features/home/ui/InboxListPane.tsx
index 5990fd1d2f..c4fa6a1dfc 100644
--- a/desktop/src/features/home/ui/InboxListPane.tsx
+++ b/desktop/src/features/home/ui/InboxListPane.tsx
@@ -121,21 +121,18 @@ export function InboxListPane({
             </span>
           </div>
 
-          <div
+          <Markdown
             className={cn(
-              "mt-0.5 line-clamp-2 text-sm leading-5 **:inline [&_a]:font-medium [&_a]:text-current [&_br]:hidden [&_p]:inline",
+              "mt-0.5 line-clamp-2 max-w-full text-sm! leading-5! **:inline [&_*]:text-inherit [&_a]:font-medium [&_a]:text-current [&_br]:hidden [&_p]:inline",
               isDone
                 ? "font-normal text-muted-foreground"
                 : "font-semibold text-foreground",
             )}
-          >
-            <Markdown
-              className="inline max-w-full text-inherit"
-              content={item.preview}
-              interactive={false}
-              mentionNames={item.mentionNames}
-            />
-          </div>
+            content={item.preview}
+            interactive={false}
+            mentionNames={item.mentionNames}
+            plainInlineReferences
+          />
         </div>
       </button>
     );
diff --git a/desktop/src/shared/ui/markdown.tsx b/desktop/src/shared/ui/markdown.tsx
index 516ffceb4b..468be9ca9f 100644
--- a/desktop/src/shared/ui/markdown.tsx
+++ b/desktop/src/shared/ui/markdown.tsx
@@ -238,6 +238,7 @@ type MarkdownProps = {
   customEmoji?: CustomEmoji[];
   imetaByUrl?: ImetaLookup;
   interactive?: boolean;
+  plainInlineReferences?: boolean;
   agentMentionPubkeysByName?: Record<string, string>;
   mentionNames?: string[];
   mentionPubkeysByName?: Record<string, string>;
@@ -1678,6 +1679,7 @@ function SpoilerInline({
 function createMarkdownComponents(
   runtimeRef: React.RefObject<MarkdownRuntime>,
   interactive = true,
+  plainInlineReferences = false,
 ): Components {
   const paragraphClassName = "leading-[inherit]";
   const listItemClassName = "my-1 [&_p]:inline";
@@ -1799,6 +1801,14 @@ function createMarkdownComponents(
         );
       }
 
+      if (plainInlineReferences) {
+        return (
+          <code {...props} className="font-mono text-inherit">
+            {children}
+          </code>
+        );
+      }
+
       return (
         <code {...props} className={cn(INLINE_CODE_CHIP_CLASS, className)}>
           {children}
@@ -1937,6 +1947,10 @@ function createMarkdownComponents(
       const { agentMentionPubkeysByName, mentionPubkeysByName } =
         runtimeRef.current;
       const mentionText = String(children ?? "");
+      if (plainInlineReferences) {
+        return <span>{mentionText}</span>;
+      }
+
       const mentionName = mentionText.replace(/^@/, "").trim().toLowerCase();
       const pubkey = mentionPubkeysByName?.[mentionName];
       const isAgentMention =
@@ -1988,6 +2002,10 @@ function createMarkdownComponents(
       return <InlineEmojiPopover alt={alt} resolvedSrc={resolvedSrc} />;
     },
     "channel-link": ({ children }: { children?: React.ReactNode }) => {
+      if (plainInlineReferences) {
+        return <span>{children}</span>;
+      }
+
       const { channels, onOpenChannel } = runtimeRef.current;
       const text = String(children ?? "");
       const channelName = text.startsWith("#") ? text.slice(1) : text;
@@ -2075,6 +2093,7 @@ function MarkdownInner({
   customEmoji,
   imetaByUrl,
   interactive = true,
+  plainInlineReferences = false,
   agentMentionPubkeysByName,
   mentionNames,
   mentionPubkeysByName,
@@ -2116,8 +2135,9 @@ function MarkdownInner({
   });
 
   const components = React.useMemo(
-    () => createMarkdownComponents(runtimeRef, interactive),
-    [runtimeRef, interactive],
+    () =>
+      createMarkdownComponents(runtimeRef, interactive, plainInlineReferences),
+    [runtimeRef, interactive, plainInlineReferences],
   );
 
   // biome-ignore lint/suspicious/noExplicitAny: PluggableList type not directly importable
@@ -2200,6 +2220,7 @@ export const Markdown = React.memo(
     prev.className === next.className &&
     prev.customEmoji === next.customEmoji &&
     prev.interactive === next.interactive &&
+    prev.plainInlineReferences === next.plainInlineReferences &&
     prev.agentMentionPubkeysByName === next.agentMentionPubkeysByName &&
     prev.mentionPubkeysByName === next.mentionPubkeysByName &&
     shallowArrayEqual(prev.mentionNames, next.mentionNames) &&