diff --git a/src/hooks/communities.test.ts b/src/hooks/communities.test.ts
index ccb83af8..9f4c4cc6 100644
--- a/src/hooks/communities.test.ts
+++ b/src/hooks/communities.test.ts
@@ -532,6 +532,136 @@ describe("communities", () => {
     expect(rendered.result.current.hourActiveUserCount).toBe(1);
   });
 
+  test("useCommunityStats unwraps fetchCid content responses", async () => {
+    let fetchSpy: { mockRestore: () => void } | undefined;
+    try {
+      fetchSpy = vi.spyOn(PKC.prototype as any, "fetchCid").mockResolvedValue({
+        content: {
+          hourActiveUserCount: 3,
+          weekActiveUserCount: 33,
+          allPostCount: 333,
+        },
+      });
+      const rendered = renderHook<any, any>(() =>
+        useCommunityStats({ community: { name: "wrapped stats" } }),
+      );
+      const waitFor = testUtils.createWaitFor(rendered);
+      await waitFor(() => rendered.result.current.state === "succeeded");
+      expect(rendered.result.current.hourActiveUserCount).toBe(3);
+      expect(rendered.result.current.weekActiveUserCount).toBe(33);
+      expect(rendered.result.current.allPostCount).toBe(333);
+    } finally {
+      fetchSpy?.mockRestore();
+    }
+  });
+
+  test("useCommunityStats parses string fetchCid content responses", async () => {
+    let fetchSpy: { mockRestore: () => void } | undefined;
+    try {
+      fetchSpy = vi.spyOn(PKC.prototype as any, "fetchCid").mockResolvedValue({
+        content: JSON.stringify({
+          hourActiveUserCount: 4,
+          weekActiveUserCount: 44,
+          allPostCount: 444,
+        }),
+      });
+      const rendered = renderHook<any, any>(() =>
+        useCommunityStats({ community: { name: "string wrapped stats" } }),
+      );
+      const waitFor = testUtils.createWaitFor(rendered);
+      await waitFor(() => rendered.result.current.state === "succeeded");
+      expect(rendered.result.current.hourActiveUserCount).toBe(4);
+      expect(rendered.result.current.weekActiveUserCount).toBe(44);
+      expect(rendered.result.current.allPostCount).toBe(444);
+    } finally {
+      fetchSpy?.mockRestore();
+    }
+  });
+
+  test("useCommunityStats parses string fetchCid responses", async () => {
+    let fetchSpy: { mockRestore: () => void } | undefined;
+    try {
+      fetchSpy = vi.spyOn(PKC.prototype as any, "fetchCid").mockResolvedValue(
+        JSON.stringify({
+          hourActiveUserCount: 5,
+          weekActiveUserCount: 55,
+          allPostCount: 555,
+        }),
+      );
+      const rendered = renderHook<any, any>(() =>
+        useCommunityStats({ community: { name: "string stats" } }),
+      );
+      const waitFor = testUtils.createWaitFor(rendered);
+      await waitFor(() => rendered.result.current.state === "succeeded");
+      expect(rendered.result.current.hourActiveUserCount).toBe(5);
+      expect(rendered.result.current.weekActiveUserCount).toBe(55);
+      expect(rendered.result.current.allPostCount).toBe(555);
+    } finally {
+      fetchSpy?.mockRestore();
+    }
+  });
+
+  test("useCommunityStats accepts object fetchCid responses", async () => {
+    let fetchSpy: { mockRestore: () => void } | undefined;
+    try {
+      fetchSpy = vi.spyOn(PKC.prototype as any, "fetchCid").mockResolvedValue({
+        hourActiveUserCount: 6,
+        weekActiveUserCount: 66,
+        allPostCount: 666,
+      });
+      const rendered = renderHook<any, any>(() =>
+        useCommunityStats({ community: { name: "object stats" } }),
+      );
+      const waitFor = testUtils.createWaitFor(rendered);
+      await waitFor(() => rendered.result.current.state === "succeeded");
+      expect(rendered.result.current.hourActiveUserCount).toBe(6);
+      expect(rendered.result.current.weekActiveUserCount).toBe(66);
+      expect(rendered.result.current.allPostCount).toBe(666);
+    } finally {
+      fetchSpy?.mockRestore();
+    }
+  });
+
+  test("useCommunityStats keeps direct stats responses with content fields", async () => {
+    let fetchSpy: { mockRestore: () => void } | undefined;
+    try {
+      fetchSpy = vi.spyOn(PKC.prototype as any, "fetchCid").mockResolvedValue({
+        content: "not json stats content",
+        hourActiveUserCount: 5,
+        weekActiveUserCount: 55,
+        allPostCount: 555,
+      });
+      const rendered = renderHook<any, any>(() =>
+        useCommunityStats({ community: { name: "stats with content" } }),
+      );
+      const waitFor = testUtils.createWaitFor(rendered);
+      await waitFor(() => rendered.result.current.state === "succeeded");
+      expect(rendered.result.current.hourActiveUserCount).toBe(5);
+      expect(rendered.result.current.weekActiveUserCount).toBe(55);
+      expect(rendered.result.current.allPostCount).toBe(555);
+      expect(rendered.result.current.content).toBe("not json stats content");
+    } finally {
+      fetchSpy?.mockRestore();
+    }
+  });
+
+  test("useCommunityStats keeps unrecognized content responses", async () => {
+    let fetchSpy: { mockRestore: () => void } | undefined;
+    try {
+      fetchSpy = vi.spyOn(PKC.prototype as any, "fetchCid").mockResolvedValue({
+        content: "not json stats content",
+      });
+      const rendered = renderHook<any, any>(() =>
+        useCommunityStats({ community: { name: "unknown content stats" } }),
+      );
+      const waitFor = testUtils.createWaitFor(rendered);
+      await waitFor(() => rendered.result.current.state === "succeeded");
+      expect(rendered.result.current.content).toBe("not json stats content");
+    } finally {
+      fetchSpy?.mockRestore();
+    }
+  });
+
   test("useCommunityStats fetchCid error logs (stmt 110)", async () => {
     const origFetch = PKC.prototype.fetchCid;
     (PKC.prototype as any).fetchCid = () => Promise.reject(new Error("fetchCid failed"));
diff --git a/src/hooks/communities.ts b/src/hooks/communities.ts
index 30fcb721..217b617e 100644
--- a/src/hooks/communities.ts
+++ b/src/hooks/communities.ts
@@ -26,6 +26,37 @@ import shallow from "zustand/shallow";
 import { getChainProviders, getPkcCommunityAddresses } from "../lib/pkc-compat";
 import { getCommunityRefKey, getUniqueSortedCommunityRefs } from "../lib/community-ref";
 
+const parseMaybeJson = (value: unknown) => (typeof value === "string" ? JSON.parse(value) : value);
+
+const tryParseMaybeJson = (value: unknown) => {
+  try {
+    return parseMaybeJson(value);
+  } catch {
+    return value;
+  }
+};
+
+const isRecord = (value: unknown): value is Record<string, unknown> =>
+  !!value && typeof value === "object";
+
+const isCommunityStatsPayload = (value: unknown): value is CommunityStats =>
+  isRecord(value) &&
+  ("hourActiveUserCount" in value || "weekActiveUserCount" in value || "allPostCount" in value);
+
+const parseFetchedCommunityStats = (fetchedCid: unknown): CommunityStats => {
+  const parsedCid = parseMaybeJson(fetchedCid);
+  if (isCommunityStatsPayload(parsedCid)) {
+    return parsedCid;
+  }
+  if (isRecord(parsedCid) && "content" in parsedCid) {
+    const parsedContent = tryParseMaybeJson(parsedCid.content);
+    if (isCommunityStatsPayload(parsedContent)) {
+      return parsedContent;
+    }
+  }
+  return parsedCid as CommunityStats;
+};
+
 /**
  * @param community - The community identifier, e.g. {name: 'memes.eth'} or {publicKey: '12D3KooW...'}
  * @param acountName - The nickname of the account, e.g. 'Account 1'. If no accountName is provided, use
@@ -183,7 +214,7 @@ export function useCommunityStats(options?: UseCommunityStatsOptions): UseCommun
       let fetchedCid;
       try {
         fetchedCid = await account.pkc.fetchCid({ cid: communityStatsCid });
-        fetchedCid = JSON.parse(fetchedCid);
+        fetchedCid = parseFetchedCommunityStats(fetchedCid);
         if (cancelled) {
           return;
         }