diff --git a/texteditor/highlighting/highlighter.go b/texteditor/highlighting/highlighter.go
index a02fc5a799..4e2862f21d 100644
--- a/texteditor/highlighting/highlighter.go
+++ b/texteditor/highlighting/highlighter.go
@@ -222,15 +222,16 @@ func ChromaTagsLine(clex chroma.Lexer, txt string) (lexer.Line, error) {
 
 // maxLineLen prevents overflow in allocating line length
 const (
-	maxLineLen = 64 * 1024 * 1024
-	maxNumTags = 1024
+	maxLineLen   = 64 * 1024 * 1024
+	maxNumTags   = 1024
+	EscapeHTML   = true
+	NoEscapeHTML = false
 )
 
 // MarkupLine returns the line with html class tags added for each tag
 // takes both the hi tags and extra tags.  Only fully nested tags are supported,
-// with any dangling ends truncated. only operates on given inputs, does not
-// require any locking in terms of internal state.
-func MarkupLine(txt []rune, hitags, tags lexer.Line) []byte {
+// with any dangling ends truncated.
+func MarkupLine(txt []rune, hitags, tags lexer.Line, escapeHtml bool) []byte {
 	if len(txt) > maxLineLen { // avoid overflow
 		return nil
 	}
@@ -238,10 +239,19 @@ func MarkupLine(txt []rune, hitags, tags lexer.Line) []byte {
 	if sz == 0 {
 		return nil
 	}
+	var escf func([]rune) []byte
+	if escapeHtml {
+		escf = HtmlEscapeRunes
+	} else {
+		escf = func(r []rune) []byte {
+			return []byte(string(r))
+		}
+	}
+
 	ttags := lexer.MergeLines(hitags, tags) // ensures that inner-tags are *after* outer tags
 	nt := len(ttags)
 	if nt == 0 || nt > maxNumTags {
-		return HtmlEscapeRunes(txt)
+		return escf(txt)
 	}
 	sps := []byte(`<span class="`)
 	sps2 := []byte(`">`)
@@ -262,7 +272,7 @@ func MarkupLine(txt []rune, hitags, tags lexer.Line) []byte {
 			if ts.Ed <= tr.St {
 				ep := min(sz, ts.Ed)
 				if cp < ep {
-					mu = append(mu, HtmlEscapeRunes(txt[cp:ep])...)
+					mu = append(mu, escf(txt[cp:ep])...)
 					cp = ep
 				}
 				mu = append(mu, spe...)
@@ -273,7 +283,7 @@ func MarkupLine(txt []rune, hitags, tags lexer.Line) []byte {
 			break
 		}
 		if tr.St > cp {
-			mu = append(mu, HtmlEscapeRunes(txt[cp:tr.St])...)
+			mu = append(mu, escf(txt[cp:tr.St])...)
 		}
 		mu = append(mu, sps...)
 		clsnm := tr.Token.Token.StyleName()
@@ -302,7 +312,7 @@ func MarkupLine(txt []rune, hitags, tags lexer.Line) []byte {
 		}
 		ep = min(len(txt), ep)
 		if tr.St < ep {
-			mu = append(mu, HtmlEscapeRunes(txt[tr.St:ep])...)
+			mu = append(mu, escf(txt[tr.St:ep])...)
 		}
 		if addEnd {
 			mu = append(mu, spe...)
@@ -310,7 +320,7 @@ func MarkupLine(txt []rune, hitags, tags lexer.Line) []byte {
 		cp = ep
 	}
 	if sz > cp {
-		mu = append(mu, HtmlEscapeRunes(txt[cp:sz])...)
+		mu = append(mu, escf(txt[cp:sz])...)
 	}
 	// pop any left on stack..
 	for si := len(tstack) - 1; si >= 0; si-- {
diff --git a/texteditor/layout.go b/texteditor/layout.go
index 2322fa3063..16e269ae7f 100644
--- a/texteditor/layout.go
+++ b/texteditor/layout.go
@@ -109,12 +109,13 @@ func (ed *Editor) layoutAllLines() {
 	mxwd := sz.X // always start with our render size
 
 	ed.hasLinks = false
+	cssAgg := ed.textStyleProperties()
 	for ln := 0; ln < nln; ln++ {
 		if ln >= len(ed.renders) || ln >= len(buf.Markup) {
 			break
 		}
 		rn := &ed.renders[ln]
-		rn.SetHTMLPre(buf.Markup[ln], fst, &sty.Text, &sty.UnitContext, ed.textStyleProperties())
+		rn.SetHTMLPre(buf.Markup[ln], fst, &sty.Text, &sty.UnitContext, cssAgg)
 		rn.Layout(&sty.Text, sty.FontRender(), &sty.UnitContext, sz)
 		if !ed.hasLinks && len(rn.Links) > 0 {
 			ed.hasLinks = true
diff --git a/texteditor/render.go b/texteditor/render.go
index 920331a984..54626b30d5 100644
--- a/texteditor/render.go
+++ b/texteditor/render.go
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ func (ed *Editor) RenderWidget() {
 
 // textStyleProperties returns the styling properties for text based on HiStyle Markup
 func (ed *Editor) textStyleProperties() map[string]any {
-	if ed.Buffer == nil || !ed.Buffer.Highlighter.Has {
+	if ed.Buffer == nil {
 		return nil
 	}
 	return ed.Buffer.Highlighter.CSSProperties
diff --git a/texteditor/textbuf/lines.go b/texteditor/textbuf/lines.go
index a764030075..14ce4197e3 100644
--- a/texteditor/textbuf/lines.go
+++ b/texteditor/textbuf/lines.go
@@ -1356,6 +1356,7 @@ func (ls *Lines) markupApplyEdits(tags []lexer.Line) []lexer.Line {
 			} else {
 				stln := tbe.Reg.Start.Ln + 1
 				nlns := (tbe.Reg.End.Ln - tbe.Reg.Start.Ln)
+				stln = min(stln, len(tags))
 				tags = slices.Insert(tags, stln, make([]lexer.Line, nlns)...)
 			}
 		}
@@ -1371,7 +1372,7 @@ func (ls *Lines) markupApplyTags(tags []lexer.Line) {
 	for ln := range maxln {
 		ls.hiTags[ln] = tags[ln]
 		ls.tags[ln] = ls.adjustedTags(ln)
-		ls.Markup[ln] = highlighting.MarkupLine(ls.lines[ln], tags[ln], ls.tags[ln])
+		ls.Markup[ln] = highlighting.MarkupLine(ls.lines[ln], tags[ln], ls.tags[ln], highlighting.EscapeHTML)
 	}
 	if ls.MarkupDoneFunc != nil {
 		ls.MarkupDoneFunc()
@@ -1396,7 +1397,7 @@ func (ls *Lines) markupLines(st, ed int) bool {
 		mt, err := ls.Highlighter.MarkupTagsLine(ln, ltxt)
 		if err == nil {
 			ls.hiTags[ln] = mt
-			ls.Markup[ln] = highlighting.MarkupLine(ltxt, mt, ls.adjustedTags(ln))
+			ls.Markup[ln] = highlighting.MarkupLine(ltxt, mt, ls.adjustedTags(ln), highlighting.EscapeHTML)
 		} else {
 			ls.Markup[ln] = highlighting.HtmlEscapeRunes(ltxt)
 			allgood = false