diff --git a/packages/iios-kernel-client/package.json b/packages/iios-kernel-client/package.json
index a9ecafe..436b673 100644
--- a/packages/iios-kernel-client/package.json
+++ b/packages/iios-kernel-client/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@insignia/iios-kernel-client",
-  "version": "0.1.4",
+  "version": "0.1.6",
   "type": "module",
   "main": "dist/index.js",
   "module": "dist/index.js",
diff --git a/packages/iios-kernel-client/src/types.ts b/packages/iios-kernel-client/src/types.ts
index d1b74dd..e8f8a01 100644
--- a/packages/iios-kernel-client/src/types.ts
+++ b/packages/iios-kernel-client/src/types.ts
@@ -37,7 +37,11 @@ export interface OpenThreadResult {
 
 export interface ReceiptEvent {
   interactionId: string;
+  /** The reader's IIOS actor UUID — an internal id, NOT comparable to a caller's userId. */
   actorId: string;
+  /** The reader's userId — the same id space clients hold, so they can ignore their own receipt.
+   *  Optional: absent from servers older than the change that added it. */
+  userId?: string;
   kind: 'READ' | 'DELIVERED';
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/iios-messaging-ui/package.json b/packages/iios-messaging-ui/package.json
index 78d31d1..5ff7d63 100644
--- a/packages/iios-messaging-ui/package.json
+++ b/packages/iios-messaging-ui/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@insignia/iios-messaging-ui",
-  "version": "0.1.9",
+  "version": "0.1.14",
   "type": "module",
   "main": "dist/index.js",
   "module": "dist/index.js",
diff --git a/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/adapters/mock.ts b/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/adapters/mock.ts
index 5514657..b442234 100644
--- a/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/adapters/mock.ts
+++ b/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/adapters/mock.ts
@@ -270,8 +270,9 @@ export class MockAdapter implements MessagingAdapter {
     // No-op: nobody is typing back in a mock.
   }
 
-  async markRead(): Promise<void> {
-    // No-op: the mock has no second party to report a read.
+  /** Echo a receipt the way a real server does, so the "ignore my own read" path is exercised. */
+  async markRead(threadId: string, messageId: string): Promise<void> {
+    this.emit(threadId, { kind: 'receipt', messageId, actorId: ME });
   }
 
   isConnected(): boolean {
diff --git a/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/components/composer.test.tsx b/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/components/composer.test.tsx
index c6947f8..3896a32 100644
--- a/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/components/composer.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/components/composer.test.tsx
@@ -16,6 +16,14 @@ describe('<Composer /> formatting + native text services', () => {
     expect(box.getAttribute('autocorrect')).toBe('on');
   });
 
+  it('does NOT reuse .miu-textarea — that class belongs to the inbox mail composer', () => {
+    // Regression: sharing it let the mail rule (resize: vertical; min-height: 90px), which is
+    // declared later in the stylesheet, win at equal specificity and inflate the chat composer.
+    const { box } = mount();
+    expect(box.classList.contains('miu-composer-box')).toBe(true);
+    expect(box.classList.contains('miu-textarea')).toBe(false);
+  });
+
   it('Enter sends, Shift+Enter does not (it makes a newline)', async () => {
     const { onSend, box } = mount();
     fireEvent.change(box, { target: { value: 'hello' } });
diff --git a/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/components/composer.tsx b/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/components/composer.tsx
index 20ecc33..c7a45c9 100644
--- a/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/components/composer.tsx
+++ b/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/components/composer.tsx
@@ -54,11 +54,14 @@ export function Composer({
   const inputRef = useRef<HTMLTextAreaElement>(null);
 
   // Grow with the content up to the CSS max-height, then scroll — a chat box, not a fixed field.
+  // The box is border-box, but scrollHeight excludes the border, so add it back or every measure
+  // lands a couple of pixels short and the textarea shows a scrollbar it doesn't need.
   useEffect(() => {
     const el = inputRef.current;
     if (!el) return;
     el.style.height = 'auto';
-    el.style.height = `${el.scrollHeight}px`;
+    const border = el.offsetHeight - el.clientHeight;
+    el.style.height = `${el.scrollHeight + border}px`;
   }, [draft]);
 
   /**
@@ -200,7 +203,7 @@ export function Composer({
         ) : null}
         <textarea
           ref={inputRef}
-          className="miu-input miu-textarea"
+          className="miu-input miu-composer-box"
           value={draft}
           placeholder={placeholder}
           aria-label="Message"
diff --git a/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/components/conversation-list.tsx b/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/components/conversation-list.tsx
index 828a910..f4ba1c3 100644
--- a/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/components/conversation-list.tsx
+++ b/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/components/conversation-list.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import type { Conversation } from '../types';
+import { stripMarkup } from '../rich-text';
 
 /** Initials for the avatar chip — first letters of the first two words. */
 function initials(title: string): string {
@@ -37,7 +38,7 @@ export function ConversationList({
             </span>
             <span className="miu-convrow-main">
               <span className="miu-convrow-title">{c.title}</span>
-              {c.lastMessage ? <span className="miu-convrow-preview">{c.lastMessage}</span> : null}
+              {c.lastMessage ? <span className="miu-convrow-preview">{stripMarkup(c.lastMessage)}</span> : null}
             </span>
             {c.unread > 0 ? (
               <span className="miu-badge" aria-label={`${c.unread} unread`}>
diff --git a/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/hooks/use-messages.test.tsx b/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/hooks/use-messages.test.tsx
index f6d0771..30db811 100644
--- a/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/hooks/use-messages.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/hooks/use-messages.test.tsx
@@ -158,3 +158,39 @@ describe('useMessages', () => {
     }
   });
 });
+
+describe('read receipts', () => {
+  // REGRESSION: the hook reported a read of the newest message regardless of author, so sending a
+  // message made the server echo a receipt for it and the sender's own bubble showed "Seen"
+  // immediately — in DMs, groups and channels alike, before anyone had opened it.
+  it('never reports a read of my own message', async () => {
+    const adapter = new MockAdapter();
+    const markRead = vi.spyOn(adapter, 'markRead');
+
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useMessages('th_mock_1'), { wrapper: wrap(adapter) });
+    await waitFor(() => expect(result.current.loading).toBe(false));
+    markRead.mockClear();
+
+    await act(async () => {
+      await result.current.send('a message from me');
+    });
+
+    // The newest message is now mine — reading it would be reading myself.
+    const mine = result.current.messages.filter((m) => m.mine).map((m) => m.id);
+    for (const call of markRead.mock.calls) expect(mine).not.toContain(call[1]);
+  });
+
+  it('does not mark my message seen just because the receipt came back', async () => {
+    const adapter = new MockAdapter();
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useMessages('th_mock_1'), { wrapper: wrap(adapter) });
+    await waitFor(() => expect(result.current.loading).toBe(false));
+
+    await act(async () => {
+      await result.current.send('hello there');
+    });
+
+    const mine = result.current.messages.find((m) => m.mine && m.text === 'hello there');
+    expect(mine).toBeDefined();
+    expect(result.current.seenIds.has(mine!.id)).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/hooks/use-messages.ts b/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/hooks/use-messages.ts
index ccb49a6..cedb6ce 100644
--- a/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/hooks/use-messages.ts
+++ b/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/hooks/use-messages.ts
@@ -160,13 +160,19 @@ export function useMessages(threadId: string | null): MessagesState {
     if (threadId) adapter.sendTyping(threadId);
   }, [adapter, threadId]);
 
-  // The newest acknowledged (non-pending) message id — what we report as read.
+  // The newest acknowledged (non-pending) message id from SOMEONE ELSE — what we report as read.
+  //
+  // Skipping my own messages is load-bearing, not tidiness: reporting a read of the message I just
+  // sent makes the server broadcast a receipt for it, and the sender's own client then paints it
+  // "Seen" the instant it is delivered, before anyone has looked at it.
   const lastReadableId = useMemo(() => {
     for (let i = raw.length - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
-      if (!raw[i]!.pending) return raw[i]!.id;
+      const m = raw[i]!;
+      if (m.pending || isOwnMessage(m, currentActorId)) continue;
+      return m.id;
     }
     return null;
-  }, [raw]);
+  }, [raw, currentActorId]);
 
   // Report my read of the newest message (drives the other side's "seen" tick).
   // Keyed on the id, not the whole array, so reaction/optimistic churn doesn't re-fire it.
diff --git a/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/index.ts b/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/index.ts
index 466ef9e..1275866 100644
--- a/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/index.ts
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ export { useChannels } from './hooks/use-channels';
 export { useMembers } from './hooks/use-members';
 export { isOwnMessage } from './types';
 // Message-body markup (bold/italic/strike/code/links + mentions) as a safe ReactNode tree.
-export { renderRichText, safeHref } from './rich-text';
+export { renderRichText, safeHref, stripMarkup } from './rich-text';
 
 // Rendered UI. Pair with the './styles.css' export (or override the --miu-* tokens).
 export { Messenger } from './components/messenger';
diff --git a/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/rich-text.test.tsx b/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/rich-text.test.tsx
index 46d3802..6fb6691 100644
--- a/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/rich-text.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/rich-text.test.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest';
 import { render, screen } from '@testing-library/react';
-import { renderRichText, safeHref } from './rich-text';
+import { renderRichText, safeHref, stripMarkup } from './rich-text';
 
 function show(text: string, names: string[] = []) {
   render(<div data-testid="out">{renderRichText(text, names)}</div>);
@@ -75,3 +75,21 @@ describe('renderRichText', () => {
     expect(show('just a normal message').textContent).toBe('just a normal message');
   });
 });
+
+describe('stripMarkup (one-line previews)', () => {
+  it('drops the markers so a preview never shows ~crazy~', () => {
+    expect(stripMarkup('~crazy~')).toBe('crazy');
+    expect(stripMarkup('*bold* and _italic_')).toBe('bold and italic');
+  });
+
+  it('unwraps code and flattens a fenced block', () => {
+    expect(stripMarkup('run `npm ci` now')).toBe('run npm ci now');
+    expect(stripMarkup('```\nconst a = 1;\n```')).toBe('const a = 1;');
+  });
+
+  it('handles nesting and leaves ordinary text (and identifiers) alone', () => {
+    expect(stripMarkup('*bold with _italic_*')).toBe('bold with italic');
+    expect(stripMarkup('snake_case_name and 5 * 3')).toBe('snake_case_name and 5 * 3');
+    expect(stripMarkup('plain preview')).toBe('plain preview');
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/rich-text.tsx b/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/rich-text.tsx
index f0a94bd..b760f21 100644
--- a/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/rich-text.tsx
+++ b/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/rich-text.tsx
@@ -71,6 +71,25 @@ function firstSpan(text: string): { start: number; end: number; rule: Rule; inne
   return best;
 }
 
+/**
+ * The same text with its formatting markers removed, for places that show a one-line plain-text
+ * preview (conversation list, notifications) where `~crazy~` must read as "crazy" — you cannot
+ * render nodes into those, so the markers have to come off rather than be styled.
+ */
+export function stripMarkup(text: string): string {
+  const noCode = text
+    .replace(/```([\s\S]*?)```/g, (_m, code: string) => code.trim())
+    .replace(/`([^`\n]+)`/g, '$1');
+  return stripSpans(noCode);
+}
+
+/** Recursively drop *bold* / _italic_ / ~strike~ markers, honouring the same word-boundary rule. */
+function stripSpans(text: string): string {
+  const span = firstSpan(text);
+  if (!span) return text;
+  return text.slice(0, span.start) + stripSpans(span.inner) + stripSpans(text.slice(span.end));
+}
+
 /** Linkify + mention-highlight a run of text that carries no other markup. */
 function plain(text: string, memberNames: string[], keyed: () => string): ReactNode[] {
   const out: ReactNode[] = [];
diff --git a/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/styles.css b/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/styles.css
index 2c8922e..95ee0a6 100644
--- a/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/styles.css
+++ b/packages/iios-messaging-ui/src/styles.css
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@
   --miu-accent: #fda913;
   --miu-accent-text: #1a1206;
   --miu-radius: 12px;
+  /* Collapsed composer height — textarea, attach and send all use this so they never diverge. */
+  --miu-composer-h: 38px;
 
   display: flex;
   height: 100%;
@@ -371,13 +373,17 @@
 .miu-composer-row {
   display: flex;
   gap: 8px;
+  /* Pin the controls to the bottom so a growing textarea never stretches them (WhatsApp). */
+  align-items: flex-end;
 }
 .miu-file-input {
   display: none;
 }
 .miu-attach-btn {
   flex-shrink: 0;
-  width: 38px;
+  box-sizing: border-box;
+  width: var(--miu-composer-h);
+  height: var(--miu-composer-h);
   border-radius: 10px;
   border: 1px solid var(--miu-border);
   background: var(--miu-panel);
@@ -515,13 +521,22 @@ button.miu-attach-dl:hover {
 .miu-input:focus {
   border-color: var(--miu-accent);
 }
-/* Chat box: one row by default, grows with content (JS sets height), then scrolls. */
-.miu-textarea {
+/* Chat box: one row by default, grows with content (JS sets height), then scrolls.
+   border-box so min/max-height are the REAL height — under the default content-box the padding
+   and border are added on top, which made a "38px" box render ~58px and dragged the row with it. */
+/* Composer box only. NOTE: .miu-textarea is already taken by the inbox mail composer further
+   down (resize: vertical; min-height: 90px) — sharing it made that rule win and blow this up. */
+.miu-composer-box {
+  box-sizing: border-box;
   resize: none;
-  min-height: 38px;
+  /* Collapsed height must equal the single-line <input> this replaced: 20px of line + 16px
+     padding + 2px border = 38px. Padding is tightened from .miu-input's 9px so a 14px/1.4 line
+     fits the content box exactly — at 9px it overflowed and forced a scrollbar. */
+  padding: 8px 12px;
+  line-height: 1.4;
+  min-height: var(--miu-composer-h);
   max-height: 160px;
   overflow-y: auto;
-  line-height: 1.45;
   font-family: inherit;
 }
 .miu-format-bar {
@@ -568,8 +583,14 @@ button.miu-attach-dl:hover {
   color: var(--miu-accent);
   text-decoration: underline;
 }
-.miu-msg.is-mine .miu-bubble .miu-link,
-.miu-msg.is-mine .miu-bubble .miu-code {
+.miu-msg.is-mine .miu-bubble .miu-link {
+  color: var(--miu-accent-text);
+}
+/* On your own (accent-filled) bubble the panel background would sit dark-on-dark against the dark
+   accent text — tint the bubble instead so the chip reads on any accent colour. */
+.miu-msg.is-mine .miu-bubble .miu-code,
+.miu-msg.is-mine .miu-bubble .miu-code-block {
+  background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.16);
   color: var(--miu-accent-text);
 }
 .miu-send {
@@ -581,6 +602,11 @@ button.miu-attach-dl:hover {
   color: var(--miu-accent-text);
   background: var(--miu-accent);
 }
+.miu-composer .miu-send {
+  box-sizing: border-box;
+  flex-shrink: 0;
+  height: var(--miu-composer-h);
+}
 .miu-send:disabled {
   opacity: 0.5;
   cursor: not-allowed;
diff --git a/packages/iios-service/src/messaging/message.gateway.ts b/packages/iios-service/src/messaging/message.gateway.ts
index 40bbe89..7637abd 100644
--- a/packages/iios-service/src/messaging/message.gateway.ts
+++ b/packages/iios-service/src/messaging/message.gateway.ts
@@ -159,7 +159,9 @@ export class MessageGateway implements OnGatewayInit, OnGatewayConnection, OnGat
   async read(@ConnectedSocket() client: Socket, @MessageBody() body: { threadId: string; interactionId: string }) {
     const { principal } = client.data as SocketState;
     const r = await this.messages.markRead(body.threadId, principal, body.interactionId);
-    this.server.to(body.threadId).emit('receipt', { interactionId: r.interactionId, actorId: r.actorId, kind: 'READ' });
+    // userId as well as actorId: actorId is an IIOS actor UUID, but clients hold the caller's
+    // USERID, so without this they cannot tell their own receipt from someone else's.
+    this.server.to(body.threadId).emit('receipt', { interactionId: r.interactionId, actorId: r.actorId, userId: principal.userId, kind: 'READ' });
     return { ok: true };
   }
 
@@ -167,7 +169,9 @@ export class MessageGateway implements OnGatewayInit, OnGatewayConnection, OnGat
   async delivered(@ConnectedSocket() client: Socket, @MessageBody() body: { threadId: string; interactionId: string }) {
     const { principal } = client.data as SocketState;
     const r = await this.messages.markDelivered(body.threadId, principal, body.interactionId);
-    this.server.to(body.threadId).emit('receipt', { interactionId: r.interactionId, actorId: r.actorId, kind: 'DELIVERED' });
+    // userId as well as actorId: actorId is an IIOS actor UUID, but clients hold the caller's
+    // USERID, so without this they cannot tell their own receipt from someone else's.
+    this.server.to(body.threadId).emit('receipt', { interactionId: r.interactionId, actorId: r.actorId, userId: principal.userId, kind: 'DELIVERED' });
     return { ok: true };
   }