diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/editor/EditorContent.markdown-classification.test.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/editor/EditorContent.markdown-classification.test.tsx
index 28e004e29f4..5edae2ca1a5 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/editor/EditorContent.markdown-classification.test.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/editor/EditorContent.markdown-classification.test.tsx
@@ -286,10 +286,12 @@ describe('inline Markdown render classification', () => {
     expect(classifiers.exceedsSizeLimit).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
   })
 
-  it('preserves unsupported and oversized rich-mode fallbacks', () => {
+  it('renders unsupported rich drafts in preview while keeping oversized drafts in source', () => {
     const unsupported = renderEditPath({ content: '[reference]: https://example.com' })
 
-    expect(unsupported.model.canExportMarkdownToPdf).toBe(false)
+    expect(unsupported.view.container.innerHTML).toContain('data-editor-view="preview"')
+    expect(unsupported.view.container.innerHTML).not.toContain('data-editor-view="source"')
+    expect(unsupported.model.canExportMarkdownToPdf).toBe(true)
     expect(unsupported.view.getByText('Reference links require source mode.')).toBeTruthy()
     expect(unsupported.view.queryByText('Open anyway')).toBeNull()
     unsupported.view.unmount()
@@ -300,4 +302,15 @@ describe('inline Markdown render classification', () => {
     expect(oversized.view.getByText(/File is larger than the .* rich editing limit/)).toBeTruthy()
     expect(oversized.view.getByText('Open anyway')).toBeTruthy()
   })
+
+  it('keeps unsupported drafts editable when Source is selected', () => {
+    const source = renderEditPath({
+      content: '[reference]: https://example.com',
+      viewMode: 'source'
+    })
+
+    expect(source.view.container.innerHTML).toContain('data-editor-view="source"')
+    expect(source.view.container.innerHTML).not.toContain('data-editor-view="preview"')
+    expect(classifiers.getUnsupportedMessage).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+  })
 })
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/editor/EditorMarkdownFileSurface.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/editor/EditorMarkdownFileSurface.tsx
index b3777113d0a..4bb4c04d65a 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/editor/EditorMarkdownFileSurface.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/editor/EditorMarkdownFileSurface.tsx
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ export function EditorMarkdownFileSurface({
     return (
       <div className="flex h-full min-h-0 flex-col">
         {shouldExplainRichFallback ? (
-          <div className="border-b border-border/60 bg-amber-500/10 px-3 py-2 text-xs text-amber-950 dark:text-amber-100">
+          <div className="border-b border-border/60 bg-muted/40 px-3 py-2 text-xs text-muted-foreground">
             {richModeUnsupportedMessage}
           </div>
         ) : null}
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/editor/MarkdownPreviewBody.test.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/editor/MarkdownPreviewBody.test.tsx
index 5554dba47ff..c47301fde90 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/editor/MarkdownPreviewBody.test.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/editor/MarkdownPreviewBody.test.tsx
@@ -55,6 +55,35 @@ function parseCjkFriendlyMarkdown(markdown: string) {
 }
 
 describe('MarkdownPreviewBody', () => {
+  it('renders forward reference links in research prose and tables without exposing definitions', () => {
+    const url = 'https://github.com/example/app/blob/revision/src/app/(mobile)/language.tsx#L95'
+    const markdown = [
+      '# Language picker research',
+      '',
+      'Sources: [Picker][picker], [Automatic][], and [Settings].',
+      '',
+      '| App | Evidence |',
+      '| --- | --- |',
+      '| Example | [Picker][picker] |',
+      '',
+      `[picker]: ${url} "Mobile picker"`,
+      '[automatic]: https://example.com/automatic',
+      '[settings]: ./settings.md'
+    ].join('\n')
+
+    const html = renderToStaticMarkup(<MarkdownPreviewBody content={markdown} components={{}} />)
+
+    expect(html).toContain('<h1 id="language-picker-research">Language picker research</h1>')
+    expect(html.split(`href="${url}"`)).toHaveLength(3)
+    expect(html).toContain('title="Mobile picker"')
+    expect(html).toContain('<a href="https://example.com/automatic">Automatic</a>')
+    expect(html).toContain('<a href="./settings.md">Settings</a>')
+    expect(html).toContain('<table>')
+    expect(html).not.toContain('[picker]')
+    expect(html).not.toContain('[automatic]')
+    expect(html).not.toContain('[settings]')
+  })
+
   it.each(cjkEmphasisExamples)('renders emphasis for $name', ({ markdown, expectedHtml }) => {
     const html = renderToStaticMarkup(<MarkdownPreviewBody content={markdown} components={{}} />)
 
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/editor/editor-panel-render-model.test.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/editor/editor-panel-render-model.test.ts
index 8a117cd8a30..95deda13558 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/editor/editor-panel-render-model.test.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/editor/editor-panel-render-model.test.ts
@@ -163,7 +163,8 @@ describe('getEditorPanelRenderModel markdown export affordance', () => {
       editorDrafts: { '/repo/README.md': '[example]: https://example.com' }
     })
 
-    expect(model.canExportMarkdownToPdf).toBe(false)
+    expect(model.inlineMarkdownRenderState?.renderMode).toBe('preview')
+    expect(model.canExportMarkdownToPdf).toBe(true)
   })
 
   it('disables rich export when a multibyte character crosses the byte limit', () => {
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/editor/markdown-render-mode.test.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/editor/markdown-render-mode.test.ts
index f5ee3477c0a..77aef5e7590 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/editor/markdown-render-mode.test.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/editor/markdown-render-mode.test.ts
@@ -32,13 +32,23 @@ describe('getMarkdownRenderMode', () => {
     ).toBe('preview')
   })
 
-  it('falls back to source mode when rich editing is unsupported', () => {
+  it('renders a preview when rich editing cannot preserve the source', () => {
     expect(
       getMarkdownRenderMode({
         exceedsRichModeSizeLimit: false,
         hasRichModeUnsupportedContent: true,
         viewMode: 'rich'
       })
+    ).toBe('preview')
+  })
+
+  it('keeps oversized unsupported documents in source mode', () => {
+    expect(
+      getMarkdownRenderMode({
+        exceedsRichModeSizeLimit: true,
+        hasRichModeUnsupportedContent: true,
+        viewMode: 'rich'
+      })
     ).toBe('source')
   })
 
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/editor/markdown-render-mode.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/editor/markdown-render-mode.ts
index 163fcc9ddfa..e123aaaba92 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/editor/markdown-render-mode.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/editor/markdown-render-mode.ts
@@ -30,6 +30,6 @@ export function getMarkdownRenderMode({
     return 'source'
   }
 
-  // Unsafe rich documents need an editable source fallback; read-only preview has its own explicit mode.
-  return hasRichModeUnsupportedContent ? 'source' : 'rich-editor'
+  // Preview preserves unsupported syntax; Source remains available for editing.
+  return hasRichModeUnsupportedContent ? 'preview' : 'rich-editor'
 }