diff --git a/app/src/utils/__tests__/agentMessageBubbles.test.ts b/app/src/utils/__tests__/agentMessageBubbles.test.ts
index 184cc824e..fa92ee343 100644
--- a/app/src/utils/__tests__/agentMessageBubbles.test.ts
+++ b/app/src/utils/__tests__/agentMessageBubbles.test.ts
@@ -51,6 +51,29 @@ describe('splitAgentMessageIntoBubbles', () => {
     ]);
   });
 
+  it('does not absorb a following prose line whose pipes give a different column count', () => {
+    // The prose line satisfies looksLikeMarkdownTableRow (it contains pipes) but
+    // has 3 "cells" vs the table's 2; absorbing it makes parseMarkdownTable
+    // reject the block (null), suppressing the table renderer and merging the
+    // prose into the table bubble.
+    const content =
+      '| Plan | Cost |\n| --- | --- |\n| Basic | $10 |\nEither pick Basic | Pro, then run `ps aux | grep node`.';
+    expect(splitAgentMessageIntoBubbles(content)).toEqual([
+      '| Plan | Cost |\n| --- | --- |\n| Basic | $10 |',
+      'Either pick Basic | Pro, then run `ps aux | grep node`.',
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it('keeps a table whose first data row carries a code-span pipe as one readable block', () => {
+    // splitMarkdownTableCells splits naively on "|", so a genuine first data row
+    // with a pipe inside a code span over-counts its cells (3 vs the header's 2).
+    // Dropping it would leave a header+separator-only block that renders as an
+    // empty-row table and detaches the real row; keeping the first data row makes
+    // parseMarkdownTable return null so the block falls back to readable markdown.
+    const content = '| Command | Use |\n| --- | --- |\n| `ps aux | grep node` | Find it |';
+    expect(splitAgentMessageIntoBubbles(content)).toEqual([content]);
+  });
+
   it('keeps double-newline paragraphs in the same bubble', () => {
     const content = 'First line\nSecond line\n\nThird paragraph\nFourth line';
     expect(splitAgentMessageIntoBubbles(content)).toEqual([
diff --git a/app/src/utils/agentMessageBubbles.ts b/app/src/utils/agentMessageBubbles.ts
index f2326a672..8ed42cb79 100644
--- a/app/src/utils/agentMessageBubbles.ts
+++ b/app/src/utils/agentMessageBubbles.ts
@@ -47,10 +47,29 @@ export function splitAgentMessageIntoBubbles(content: string): string[] {
       if (currentLines.length > 0) {
         flushCurrent();
       }
+      // A prose line that merely contains a pipe (e.g. "pick A | B, then run
+      // `ps aux | grep x`") satisfies looksLikeMarkdownTableRow but is not a
+      // table row. Require the same column count as the header so it isn't
+      // absorbed into the table — otherwise parseMarkdownTable rejects the
+      // mismatched block (returns null), suppressing the table UI and merging
+      // the prose line into the table bubble.
+      //
+      // Always keep at least the first data row, though: splitMarkdownTableCells
+      // splits naively on "|" and does not honor escaped "\|" or pipes inside
+      // code spans, so a genuine first row carrying such a pipe over-counts its
+      // cells. Dropping it here would leave a header+separator-only block that
+      // parseMarkdownTable renders as an empty-row table (and detaches the real
+      // row). Keeping it preserves the count mismatch so parseMarkdownTable
+      // returns null and the block falls back to readable raw markdown.
+      const headerCellCount = splitMarkdownTableCells(line).length;
       const tableLines = [line, lines[index + 1]];
       index += 2;
+      let dataRowsAbsorbed = 0;
       while (index < lines.length && looksLikeMarkdownTableRow(lines[index])) {
+        const matches = splitMarkdownTableCells(lines[index]).length === headerCellCount;
+        if (!matches && dataRowsAbsorbed > 0) break;
         tableLines.push(lines[index]);
+        dataRowsAbsorbed += 1;
         index += 1;
       }
       index -= 1;