diff --git a/apps/server/src/agents/tmux/command-builder.ts b/apps/server/src/agents/tmux/command-builder.ts
index 35bd95e73..20de87884 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/agents/tmux/command-builder.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/agents/tmux/command-builder.ts
@@ -322,6 +322,9 @@ export function buildLaunchGuidance(
         ? "Report status with dispatch_event as you work and before your final response — blocked means genuinely stuck, not an error you're about to fix. Your reported status is verified against session activity and auto-corrected."
         : "Report status with dispatch_event. Types: working (making progress — includes debugging, fixing test failures, investigating errors), blocked (completely stuck with no further approach to try — NOT for errors or test failures you plan to fix next), waiting_user (need a decision or approval), done (task complete), idle (no-op, just answered a question). Emit working at turn start and when shifting phases. Emit a terminal event before your final response. Your reported status is verified against session activity and auto-corrected when it doesn't match."
     );
+    rules.push(
+      "Once you accept a task, do not end a turn after only announcing a plan or status. Continue into substantive work in the same turn, or explicitly report waiting_user or blocked when you genuinely cannot proceed."
+    );
     if (chatSurface) {
       rules.push(CHAT_SURFACE_GUIDANCE_RULE);
     }
diff --git a/apps/server/test/tmux-command-builder.test.ts b/apps/server/test/tmux-command-builder.test.ts
index d7112eb40..764bc3a2e 100644
--- a/apps/server/test/tmux-command-builder.test.ts
+++ b/apps/server/test/tmux-command-builder.test.ts
@@ -1111,6 +1111,18 @@ describe("buildLaunchGuidance — trimmed variant", () => {
     expect(text).toContain("auto-corrected");
   });
 
+  it("requires accepted tasks to continue past plan-only turns", () => {
+    for (const agentType of ["claude", "codex"] as const) {
+      for (const trimmedGuidance of [false, true]) {
+        const text = guidance({ agentType, trimmedGuidance });
+        expect(text).toContain(
+          "do not end a turn after only announcing a plan or status"
+        );
+        expect(text).toContain("Continue into substantive work");
+      }
+    }
+  });
+
   it("folds the two pin rules into one", () => {
     const full = guidance({ agentType: "claude" });
     const text = guidance({ agentType: "claude", trimmedGuidance: true });
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/app/chat/chat-entries.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/app/chat/chat-entries.tsx
index 9de6eb372..f1cef9b89 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/app/chat/chat-entries.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/app/chat/chat-entries.tsx
@@ -767,6 +767,12 @@ function QuestionOptions({
   if (!question) return null;
   const answer = message.answer;
   const open = answer === null;
+  const answeredOption = answer
+    ? (question.options.find(
+        (option) => (option.value ?? option.label) === answer.value
+      ) ?? null)
+    : null;
+  const answerDisplay = answeredOption?.label ?? answer?.value ?? "";
   const optionsDisabled = answer !== null || answering || answersDisabled;
   return (
     <div
@@ -790,7 +796,16 @@ function QuestionOptions({
         <div className="mb-2 flex items-center gap-1.5 text-[11px] font-medium text-muted-foreground">
           <Check className="h-3 w-3" />
           Answered
-          <span className="truncate">· {answer.label ?? answer.value}</span>
+          <span className="flex min-w-0 items-center gap-1">
+            <span aria-hidden="true">·</span>
+            {answeredOption ? (
+              <Markdown variant="inline" className="truncate">
+                {answerDisplay}
+              </Markdown>
+            ) : (
+              <span className="truncate">{answerDisplay}</span>
+            )}
+          </span>
         </div>
       )}
       <div className="flex flex-wrap gap-1.5">
@@ -817,7 +832,7 @@ function QuestionOptions({
               onClick={() => onAnswer(option)}
             >
               {chosen ? <Check className="h-3 w-3" /> : null}
-              {option.label}
+              <Markdown variant="inline">{option.label}</Markdown>
             </Button>
           );
         })}
@@ -891,6 +906,7 @@ export const ChatMessageView = memo(function ChatMessageView({
   ctx,
   answering,
   answersDisabled = false,
+  answeredOptionLabel = null,
   onAnswer,
 }: {
   message: ChatMessage;
@@ -902,6 +918,8 @@ export const ChatMessageView = memo(function ChatMessageView({
   answering: boolean;
   /** Answers go through the same injection as the composer; lock them together. */
   answersDisabled?: boolean;
+  /** Canonical option label when this user row answers a declared option. */
+  answeredOptionLabel?: string | null;
   onAnswer: (messageId: string, option: ChatQuestionOption) => void;
 }): JSX.Element {
   const copyAction = message.text ? (
@@ -934,7 +952,11 @@ export const ChatMessageView = memo(function ChatMessageView({
         ) : null}
         {message.text ? (
           <div className="whitespace-pre-wrap break-words [overflow-wrap:anywhere]">
-            {message.text}
+            {answeredOptionLabel ? (
+              <Markdown variant="inline">{answeredOptionLabel}</Markdown>
+            ) : (
+              message.text
+            )}
           </div>
         ) : null}
         <AttachmentList attachments={message.attachments} ctx={ctx} />
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/app/chat/chat-feed.test.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/app/chat/chat-feed.test.tsx
index 39eaa3374..e7166ad10 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/app/chat/chat-feed.test.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/app/chat/chat-feed.test.tsx
@@ -887,7 +887,7 @@ describe("ChatFeed", () => {
     expect(update!.textContent).toContain("Still going");
   });
 
-  it("renders an unanswered question with clickable options", () => {
+  it("renders an unanswered question with clickable Markdown options", () => {
     const { onAnswer } = renderFeed([
       chat(
         message({
@@ -895,7 +895,10 @@ describe("ChatFeed", () => {
           kind: "question",
           text: "Which one?",
           question: {
-            options: [{ label: "Alpha", value: "a" }, { label: "Beta" }],
+            options: [
+              { label: "**Alpha** uses `a`", value: "a" },
+              { label: "Beta" },
+            ],
             allowFreeform: true,
           },
         })
@@ -906,6 +909,9 @@ describe("ChatFeed", () => {
     const options = screen.getAllByTestId("chat-question-option");
     expect(options).toHaveLength(2);
     expect(options.every((o) => !(o as HTMLButtonElement).disabled)).toBe(true);
+    expect(options[0]!.textContent).toBe("Alpha uses a");
+    expect(options[0]!.querySelector("strong")?.textContent).toBe("Alpha");
+    expect(options[0]!.querySelector("code")?.textContent).toBe("a");
 
     fireEvent.click(options[1]!);
     expect(onAnswer).toHaveBeenCalledWith("q1", { label: "Beta" });
@@ -924,23 +930,45 @@ describe("ChatFeed", () => {
           kind: "question",
           text: "Which one?",
           question: {
-            options: [{ label: "Alpha", value: "a" }, { label: "Beta" }],
+            options: [
+              { label: "**Alpha** uses `a`", value: "a" },
+              { label: "Beta" },
+            ],
             allowFreeform: true,
           },
           answer: {
             value: "a",
-            label: "Alpha",
+            label: "**Alpha** uses `a`",
             replyMessageId: "u9",
             answeredAt: "2026-09-02T10:01:00.000Z",
           },
         })
       ),
+      chat(
+        message({
+          id: "u9",
+          authorKind: "user",
+          text: "**Alpha** uses `a`",
+          replyTo: "q1",
+          delivered: true,
+          createdAt: "2026-09-02T10:01:00.000Z",
+          updatedAt: "2026-09-02T10:01:00.000Z",
+        })
+      ),
     ]);
     expect(screen.queryByTestId("chat-needs-reply")).toBeNull();
     expect(screen.queryByText("Or type a reply below.")).toBeNull();
-    expect(screen.getByTestId("chat-question-options").textContent).toContain(
-      "Answered"
-    );
+    const card = screen.getByTestId("chat-question-options");
+    expect(card.textContent).toContain("Answered");
+    expect(card.textContent).not.toContain("**Alpha**");
+    expect(card.querySelector("strong")?.textContent).toBe("Alpha");
+    expect(card.querySelector("code")?.textContent).toBe("a");
+    const userReply = screen
+      .getAllByTestId("chat-message")
+      .find((row) => row.getAttribute("data-message-id") === "u9")!;
+    expect(userReply.textContent).not.toContain("**Alpha**");
+    expect(userReply.querySelector("strong")?.textContent).toBe("Alpha");
+    expect(userReply.querySelector("code")?.textContent).toBe("a");
     const options = screen.getAllByTestId("chat-question-option");
     expect(options.every((o) => (o as HTMLButtonElement).disabled)).toBe(true);
     expect(options[0]!.getAttribute("aria-pressed")).toBe("true");
@@ -949,6 +977,34 @@ describe("ChatFeed", () => {
     expect(onAnswer).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
+  it("keeps a freeform answer literal in the answered summary", () => {
+    renderFeed([
+      chat(
+        message({
+          id: "q-freeform",
+          kind: "question",
+          text: "Other?",
+          question: {
+            options: [{ label: "Suggested" }],
+            allowFreeform: true,
+          },
+          answer: {
+            value: "__init__.py uses `literal` *marks*",
+            label: "__init__.py uses `literal` *marks*",
+            replyMessageId: "u10",
+            answeredAt: "2026-09-02T10:01:00.000Z",
+          },
+        })
+      ),
+    ]);
+
+    const card = screen.getByTestId("chat-question-options");
+    expect(card.textContent).toContain("__init__.py uses `literal` *marks*");
+    expect(card.querySelector("strong")).toBeNull();
+    expect(card.querySelector("code")).toBeNull();
+    expect(card.querySelector("em")).toBeNull();
+  });
+
   it("locks options and hides the freeform hint while answers are unavailable", () => {
     renderFeed(
       [
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/app/chat/chat-feed.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/app/chat/chat-feed.tsx
index 950d54d5c..6fd9856c0 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/app/chat/chat-feed.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/app/chat/chat-feed.tsx
@@ -329,6 +329,15 @@ export function ChatFeed({
   answersDisabled = false,
   onAnswer,
 }: ChatFeedProps): JSX.Element {
+  const messageDirectory = useMemo(
+    () =>
+      new Map(
+        entries
+          .filter((entry) => entry.type === "chat")
+          .map((entry) => [entry.message.id, entry.message] as const)
+      ),
+    [entries]
+  );
   const rows = useMemo(() => layoutFeed(entries, ctx), [entries, ctx]);
   const entering = useEnteringEntries(entries);
 
@@ -388,6 +397,17 @@ export function ChatFeed({
         }
         if (row.kind === "status") return null;
         const entry = row.entry;
+        const answeredOptionLabel = (() => {
+          if (entry.type !== "chat" || !entry.message.replyTo) return null;
+          const question = messageDirectory.get(entry.message.replyTo);
+          if (question?.answer?.replyMessageId !== entry.message.id)
+            return null;
+          const option = question.question?.options.find(
+            (candidate) =>
+              (candidate.value ?? candidate.label) === question.answer?.value
+          );
+          return option?.label ?? null;
+        })();
         const view = (() => {
           switch (entry.type) {
             case "chat":
@@ -400,6 +420,7 @@ export function ChatFeed({
                   ctx={ctx}
                   answering={answeringMessageId === entry.message.id}
                   answersDisabled={answersDisabled}
+                  answeredOptionLabel={answeredOptionLabel}
                   onAnswer={onAnswer}
                 />
               );
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/ui/markdown.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/ui/markdown.tsx
index fbee1424f..8b7fd61ab 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/ui/markdown.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/ui/markdown.tsx
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ function getCodeBlock(
 type MarkdownProps = {
   children: string;
   className?: string;
-  variant?: "default" | "pin" | "caption";
+  variant?: "default" | "pin" | "caption" | "inline";
   // Colors h1/h2 for skimming a long document (see MarkdownDefault). Off by
   // default: most `default`-variant consumers are compact cards that pass
   // their own dimmed base color (e.g. text-muted-foreground, text-foreground/85)
@@ -55,6 +55,10 @@ export const Markdown = memo(function Markdown({
     return <MarkdownCaption className={className}>{children}</MarkdownCaption>;
   }
 
+  if (variant === "inline") {
+    return <MarkdownInline className={className}>{children}</MarkdownInline>;
+  }
+
   return (
     <MarkdownDefault className={className} headingAccents={headingAccents}>
       {children}
@@ -62,6 +66,29 @@ export const Markdown = memo(function Markdown({
   );
 });
 
+function MarkdownInline({
+  children,
+  className,
+}: Pick<MarkdownProps, "children" | "className">): JSX.Element {
+  return (
+    <span
+      className={cn(
+        "[&_strong]:font-semibold [&_em]:italic [&_del]:line-through",
+        "[&_code]:rounded [&_code]:bg-current/10 [&_code]:px-1 [&_code]:font-mono [&_code]:text-[0.9em]",
+        className
+      )}
+    >
+      <ReactMarkdown
+        remarkPlugins={[remarkGfm]}
+        allowedElements={["strong", "em", "code", "del"]}
+        unwrapDisallowed
+      >
+        {children}
+      </ReactMarkdown>
+    </span>
+  );
+}
+
 /**
  * Single-line muted markdown for subtitles (e.g. a shortcut pin's caption).
  * Inline marks only — block elements are unwrapped so the caption can never