diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index e27bcd2f..ba8fd32d 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -31,6 +31,8 @@
 - A `lancedb.uri` without a scheme is treated as a local path. `--db PATH`
   overrides it.
 - Inspector search results mark truncated previews with an ellipsis.
+- Document titles, URIs, headings and database names render as text, not Rich
+  markup, in `search` output, chat citations and the chat document filter.
 
 ## [0.78.0] - 2026-08-24
 
diff --git a/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/app.py b/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/app.py
index 7d037c21..715895bc 100644
--- a/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/app.py
+++ b/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/app.py
@@ -910,21 +910,22 @@ class HaikuRAGApp:
         )
         if result.source and self.scope.covers_multiple:
             self.console.print(
-                f"[repr.attrib_name]database[/repr.attrib_name]: {result.source}"
+                f"[repr.attrib_name]database[/repr.attrib_name]: {escape(result.source)}"
             )
         if result.document_uri:
             self.console.print(
-                f"[repr.attrib_name]document uri[/repr.attrib_name]: {result.document_uri}"
+                "[repr.attrib_name]document uri[/repr.attrib_name]: "
+                f"{escape(result.document_uri)}"
             )
         if result.document_title:
             self.console.print("[repr.attrib_name]document title[/repr.attrib_name]:")
-            self.console.print(result.document_title)
+            self.console.print(escape(result.document_title))
         if result.page_numbers:
             self.console.print("[repr.attrib_name]pages[/repr.attrib_name]:")
             self.console.print(", ".join(str(p) for p in result.page_numbers))
         if result.headings:
             self.console.print("[repr.attrib_name]headings[/repr.attrib_name]:")
-            self.console.print(" > ".join(result.headings))
+            self.console.print(escape(" > ".join(result.headings)))
         self.console.print("[repr.attrib_name]content[/repr.attrib_name]:")
         self.console.print(content)
         self.console.rule()
diff --git a/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/chat/widgets/chat_history.py b/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/chat/widgets/chat_history.py
index 27cde368..7db96829 100644
--- a/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/chat/widgets/chat_history.py
+++ b/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/chat/widgets/chat_history.py
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ from io import BytesIO
 from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Any
 
 from PIL import Image as PILImage
+from rich.markup import escape
 from textual.containers import Horizontal, VerticalScroll
 from textual.css.query import NoMatches
 from textual.message import Message
@@ -129,6 +130,8 @@ class CitationWidget(Collapsible):
             if len(citation.page_numbers) > 3:
                 pages += "..."
             title += f" (p.{pages})"
+        # The title is data, not Textual markup.
+        title = escape(title)
 
         content = citation.content
         if len(content) > 500:
@@ -143,9 +146,14 @@ class CitationWidget(Collapsible):
             children.append(TextualImage(pil, classes="citation-image"))
         if citation.headings:
             headings = " > ".join(citation.headings[:3])
-            children.append(Static(f"Section: {headings}", classes="citation-metadata"))
+            children.append(
+                Static(escape(f"Section: {headings}"), classes="citation-metadata")
+            )
         children.append(
-            Static(f"Source: {citation.document_uri}", classes="citation-metadata")
+            Static(
+                escape(f"Source: {citation.document_uri}"),
+                classes="citation-metadata",
+            )
         )
 
         super().__init__(*children, title=title, collapsed=True, **kwargs)
diff --git a/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/chat/widgets/document_filter_modal.py b/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/chat/widgets/document_filter_modal.py
index b5cb5967..d06cc1dd 100644
--- a/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/chat/widgets/document_filter_modal.py
+++ b/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/chat/widgets/document_filter_modal.py
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+from rich.markup import escape
 from textual.app import ComposeResult
 from textual.binding import Binding
 from textual.containers import Horizontal, Vertical, VerticalScroll
@@ -22,11 +23,14 @@ class DocumentCheckbox(Checkbox):
 
 def _labelled(docs) -> list[tuple[str, str]]:
     """Each document's label and id, sorted. The database is named alongside the
-    title, which a title alone does not say."""
+    title, which a title alone does not say. Labels are escaped: titles and
+    database names are data, not Textual markup."""
     return sorted(
         (
-            f"{doc.title or doc.uri or doc.id}"
-            + (f"  ({doc.source})" if doc.source else ""),
+            escape(
+                f"{doc.title or doc.uri or doc.id}"
+                + (f"  ({doc.source})" if doc.source else "")
+            ),
             doc.id,
         )
         for doc in docs
diff --git a/tests/chat/test_chat_app.py b/tests/chat/test_chat_app.py
index 1f558dd9..4a5caed9 100644
--- a/tests/chat/test_chat_app.py
+++ b/tests/chat/test_chat_app.py
@@ -686,6 +686,48 @@ class TestDocumentSelectionIdentity:
                 await pilot.pause()
                 assert modal._selected == {"id-one"}
 
+    def test_a_label_that_looks_like_markup_is_text(self):
+        from haiku.rag.chat.widgets.document_filter_modal import (
+            DocumentCheckbox,
+            _labelled,
+        )
+        from haiku.rag.store.models.document import Document
+
+        docs = [
+            Document(
+                id="id-one", content="", title="Report [/red]", source="alpha [/x]"
+            )
+        ]
+
+        ((label, doc_id),) = _labelled(docs)
+        box = DocumentCheckbox(label, doc_id, value=False)
+
+        assert str(box.label) == "Report [/red]  (alpha [/x])"
+
+
+def test_a_citation_title_that_looks_like_markup_is_text():
+    from rich.text import Text
+
+    from haiku.rag.chat.widgets.chat_history import CitationWidget
+    from haiku.rag.store.models.citation import Citation
+
+    citation = Citation(
+        index=1,
+        document_id="doc1",
+        chunk_id="chunk1",
+        document_uri="file:///doc [/blue].pdf",
+        document_title="Report [/red]",
+        headings=["Chapter [/dim]"],
+        content="content",
+        source="alpha [/x]",
+    )
+
+    widget = CitationWidget(citation, include_collection=True)
+
+    title = Text.from_markup(str(widget.title)).plain
+    assert "Report [/red]" in title
+    assert "alpha [/x]" in title
+
 
 class TestRenderingUnattributedPictures:
     @pytest.mark.asyncio
diff --git a/tests/test_app.py b/tests/test_app.py
index d0c910fc..319b0f4c 100644
--- a/tests/test_app.py
+++ b/tests/test_app.py
@@ -229,6 +229,37 @@ async def test_a_result_names_its_database_only_across_several(tmp_path):
     assert "database:" not in printed
 
 
+async def test_a_result_renders_names_that_look_like_markup(tmp_path):
+    """Database names, titles, uris and headings render as text, not markup."""
+    config = AppConfig(
+        lancedb=LanceDBConfig(
+            databases={
+                "alpha [/red]": str(tmp_path / "a.lancedb"),
+                "beta": str(tmp_path / "b.lancedb"),
+            }
+        )
+    )
+    hit = SearchResult(
+        content="hit",
+        score=0.9,
+        chunk_id="c1",
+        source="alpha [/red]",
+        document_uri="test://doc [/blue]",
+        document_title="The [/bold] Title",
+        headings=["Chapter [/dim]"],
+    )
+
+    app = HaikuRAGApp(scope=DatabaseScope.resolve(config), config=config)
+    app.console = Console(record=True, width=200)
+    app._rich_print_search_result(hit)
+
+    printed = app.console.export_text()
+    assert "database: alpha [/red]" in printed
+    assert "test://doc [/blue]" in printed
+    assert "The [/bold] Title" in printed
+    assert "Chapter [/dim]" in printed
+
+
 async def test_search_by_image_reads_the_bytes(app, client, tmp_path):
     image = tmp_path / "query.png"
     image.write_bytes(b"pixels")