diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/editor/export-css.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/editor/export-css.ts
index b19fe732134..858c45b5a6c 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/editor/export-css.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/editor/export-css.ts
@@ -125,12 +125,13 @@ html, body {
 
 /* Why: the export subtree selection already excludes the big chrome (toolbar,
    search bar, etc.), but in-document affordances like the code-copy button
-   can still leak. Hide the well-known offenders as a belt-and-suspenders
-   defense on top of DOM scrubbing. */
+   and preview annotation controls can still leak. Hide the well-known
+   offenders as a belt-and-suspenders defense on top of DOM scrubbing. */
 .code-block-copy-btn,
 .markdown-preview-search,
+.markdown-annotation-controls,
 .rich-markdown-toolbar,
-[data-orca-export-hide="true"] {
+[data-orca-export-hide] {
   display: none !important;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/editor/markdown-export-extract.test.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/editor/markdown-export-extract.test.ts
index f10a8289c44..a1c7a4ad31b 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/editor/markdown-export-extract.test.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/editor/markdown-export-extract.test.ts
@@ -66,4 +66,95 @@ describe('getActiveMarkdownExportPayload', () => {
       })
     ).rejects.toThrow('Failed to inline image for PDF export')
   })
+
+  it('strips preview annotation controls so Add note buttons never reach the PDF', async () => {
+    await mockPreviewOpenFile()
+    const root = document.createElement('div')
+    // Why: class-only fixture proves the explicit selector scrubs even when
+    // the data attr is absent; two blocks prove every block is scrubbed.
+    root.innerHTML = `
+      <div class="markdown-body">
+        <div class="markdown-annotation-block" data-source-line="1" data-source-end-line="1">
+          <h1>Title</h1>
+          <div class="markdown-annotation-controls">
+            <button type="button" class="markdown-annotation-add" aria-label="Add note"><svg></svg></button>
+            <div class="markdown-annotation-composer"><textarea>draft note</textarea></div>
+            <div class="markdown-annotation-note-stack"><div class="markdown-annotation-card">saved note body</div></div>
+          </div>
+        </div>
+        <div class="markdown-annotation-block" data-source-line="2" data-source-end-line="2">
+          <p>Body text</p>
+          <div class="markdown-annotation-controls">
+            <button type="button" class="markdown-annotation-add" aria-label="Add note"><svg></svg></button>
+          </div>
+        </div>
+        <pre><code class="language-mermaid">graph TD;</code></pre>
+      </div>`
+    const payload = await getActiveMarkdownExportPayload({
+      fileId: '/repo/docs/readme.md',
+      root
+    })
+    const exported = parseExportedHtml(payload?.html)
+    expect(exported.querySelector('h1')?.textContent).toBe('Title')
+    expect(exported.querySelector('p')?.textContent).toBe('Body text')
+    expect(exported.querySelector('pre code')?.textContent).toContain('graph TD;')
+    expect(exported.querySelector('.markdown-annotation-controls')).toBeNull()
+    expect(exported.querySelector('.markdown-annotation-add')).toBeNull()
+    expect(exported.querySelector('.markdown-annotation-composer')).toBeNull()
+    expect(exported.querySelector('.markdown-annotation-note-stack')).toBeNull()
+    expect(exported.textContent).not.toContain('draft note')
+    expect(exported.textContent).not.toContain('saved note body')
+    // Why: scrub runs on a clone; the live preview keeps its controls.
+    expect(root.querySelector('.markdown-annotation-controls')).not.toBeNull()
+  })
+
+  it('strips list-block annotation controls while preserving list text', async () => {
+    await mockPreviewOpenFile()
+    const root = document.createElement('div')
+    // Why: attr-only fixture (renamed class) proves the generic
+    // data-orca-export-hide rule scrubs even after a class rename.
+    root.innerHTML = `
+      <div class="markdown-body">
+        <ul>
+          <li>
+            <div class="markdown-annotation-list-block" data-source-line="2" data-source-end-line="2">
+              <span class="markdown-annotation-list-content">List item</span>
+              <div class="markdown-annotation-controls-renamed" data-orca-export-hide="true">
+                <button type="button" class="markdown-annotation-add" aria-label="Add note"><svg></svg></button>
+              </div>
+            </div>
+          </li>
+        </ul>
+      </div>`
+    const payload = await getActiveMarkdownExportPayload({
+      fileId: '/repo/docs/readme.md',
+      root
+    })
+    const exported = parseExportedHtml(payload?.html)
+    expect(exported.querySelector('li')?.textContent).toContain('List item')
+    expect(exported.querySelector('[data-orca-export-hide]')).toBeNull()
+    expect(exported.querySelector('.markdown-annotation-add')).toBeNull()
+    expect(root.querySelector('[data-orca-export-hide]')).not.toBeNull()
+  })
 })
+
+async function mockPreviewOpenFile(): Promise<void> {
+  const { useAppStore } = await import('@/store')
+  // oxlint-disable-next-line typescript/consistent-type-assertions -- SAFETY: test mock provides only openFiles, the sole store slice getActiveMarkdownExportPayload reads.
+  vi.mocked(useAppStore.getState).mockReturnValue({
+    openFiles: [
+      {
+        id: '/repo/docs/readme.md',
+        filePath: '/repo/docs/readme.md',
+        relativePath: 'docs/readme.md',
+        mode: 'markdown-preview'
+      }
+    ]
+  } as never)
+}
+
+function parseExportedHtml(html: string | undefined): HTMLElement {
+  const container = document.createElement('div')
+  container.innerHTML = html ?? ''
+  return container
+}
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/editor/markdown-export-extract.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/editor/markdown-export-extract.ts
index a0ec5ebb2fe..acf53973921 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/editor/markdown-export-extract.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/editor/markdown-export-extract.ts
@@ -17,12 +17,18 @@ const DOCUMENT_SUBTREE_SELECTOR = '.ProseMirror, .markdown-body'
 // Why: even after picking the smallest subtree, a few in-document UI leaks
 // can remain. The design doc lists these by name and treats the cloned-scrub
 // pass as a belt-and-suspenders defense so PDF output never shows copy
-// buttons, per-block search highlights, or other transient affordances.
+// buttons, per-block search highlights, annotation controls, or other
+// transient affordances.
 const UI_ONLY_SELECTORS = [
   '.code-block-copy-btn',
   '.markdown-preview-search',
   '[class*="rich-markdown-search"]',
-  '[data-orca-export-hide="true"]'
+  // Why: preview annotation controls (add-note button, composer, note stack)
+  // render inside `.markdown-body`. The source also carries
+  // `data-orca-export-hide`, so the generic rule below covers renames; this
+  // explicit entry covers an attr-strip regression.
+  '.markdown-annotation-controls',
+  '[data-orca-export-hide]'
 ]
 
 function basenameWithoutExt(filePath: string): string {
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/editor/markdown-export-html.test.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/editor/markdown-export-html.test.ts
index 66bce46fba6..9d98aa61502 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/editor/markdown-export-html.test.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/editor/markdown-export-html.test.ts
@@ -28,4 +28,11 @@ describe('buildMarkdownExportHtml', () => {
     const html = buildMarkdownExportHtml({ title: '', renderedHtml: '<p>x</p>' })
     expect(html).toContain('<title>Untitled</title>')
   })
+
+  it('hides preview annotation controls even if DOM scrubbing misses them', () => {
+    const html = buildMarkdownExportHtml({ title: 'Notes', renderedHtml: '<p>x</p>' })
+    expect(html).toContain('.markdown-annotation-controls')
+    expect(html).toContain('[data-orca-export-hide')
+    expect(html).toContain('display: none')
+  })
 })
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/editor/use-markdown-preview-annotation-renderers.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/editor/use-markdown-preview-annotation-renderers.tsx
index 4e45e337a10..ab0ffeb1146 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/editor/use-markdown-preview-annotation-renderers.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/editor/use-markdown-preview-annotation-renderers.tsx
@@ -88,7 +88,11 @@ export function useMarkdownPreviewAnnotationRenderers({
       }
 
       return (
-        <div className="markdown-annotation-controls">
+        // Why: annotation controls (add-note button, composer, saved note
+        // stack) are transient review state, not document content. They render
+        // inside `.markdown-body`, so mark the container for PDF export
+        // exclusion — the extract scrub and export CSS both honor this.
+        <div className="markdown-annotation-controls" data-orca-export-hide="true">
           <button
             type="button"
             className="markdown-annotation-add"