diff --git a/api/add_comment.php b/api/add_comment.php
index d78be47..33362a7 100644
--- a/api/add_comment.php
+++ b/api/add_comment.php
@@ -52,9 +52,15 @@ try {
         if (!CsrfMiddleware::validateToken($csrfToken)) {
             http_response_code(403);
             header('Content-Type: application/json');
-            echo json_encode(['success' => false, 'error' => 'Invalid CSRF token']);
+            echo json_encode([
+                'success' => false,
+                'error' => 'Invalid CSRF token',
+                'csrf_token' => CsrfMiddleware::getToken()
+            ]);
             exit;
         }
+        // Rotate token after successful validation
+        $newCsrfToken = CsrfMiddleware::rotateToken();
     }
 
     $currentUser = $_SESSION['user'];
@@ -208,6 +214,9 @@ try {
     if ($result['success']) {
         $result['user_name'] = $currentUser['display_name'] ?? $currentUser['username'];
         $result['user_id']   = $userId;
+        if (isset($newCsrfToken)) {
+            $result['csrf_token'] = $newCsrfToken;
+        }
     }
 
     // Discard any unexpected output
diff --git a/api/update_ticket.php b/api/update_ticket.php
index c172ec3..de210be 100644
--- a/api/update_ticket.php
+++ b/api/update_ticket.php
@@ -48,9 +48,14 @@ try {
         if (!CsrfMiddleware::validateToken($csrfToken)) {
             http_response_code(403);
             header('Content-Type: application/json');
-            echo json_encode(['success' => false, 'error' => 'Invalid CSRF token']);
+            echo json_encode([
+                'success' => false,
+                'error' => 'Invalid CSRF token',
+                'csrf_token' => CsrfMiddleware::getToken()
+            ]);
             exit;
         }
+        $GLOBALS['newCsrfToken'] = CsrfMiddleware::rotateToken();
     }
 
     $currentUser = $_SESSION['user'];
@@ -279,7 +284,8 @@ try {
                 'status'     => $updateData['status'],
                 'priority'   => $updateData['priority'],
                 'updated_at' => date('Y-m-d H:i:s'),
-                'message'    => 'Ticket updated successfully'
+                'message'    => 'Ticket updated successfully',
+                'csrf_token' => $GLOBALS['newCsrfToken'] ?? null
             ];
         }
     }
diff --git a/assets/js/markdown.js b/assets/js/markdown.js
index 27bc63a..7bba4ee 100644
--- a/assets/js/markdown.js
+++ b/assets/js/markdown.js
@@ -41,10 +41,22 @@ function parseMarkdown(markdown) {
                .replace(/"/g, '"')
                .replace(/'/g, ''');
 
-    // Code blocks (```code```) - preserve content and don't process further
+    // Code blocks (```lang\ncode\n```) - preserve content and don't process further
     const codeBlocks = [];
-    html = html.replace(/```([\s\S]*?)```/g, function(match, code) {
-        codeBlocks.push('<pre class="code-block"><code>' + code + '</code></pre>');
+    html = html.replace(/```([a-zA-Z0-9_+-]*)\n?([\s\S]*?)```/g, function(match, lang, code) {
+        lang = lang ? lang.trim() : '';
+        const displayLang = lang || 'text';
+        
+        // Build header with optional copy button if one exists in your UI, otherwise just lang
+        const header = '<div class="lt-code-header"><span class="lt-code-lang">' + displayLang + '</span></div>';
+        
+        // Remove exactly one trailing newline from code block if it exists
+        if (code.endsWith('\n')) {
+            code = code.slice(0, -1);
+        }
+        
+        // Wrap in the specific UI classes expected by base.css
+        codeBlocks.push('<div class="lt-code-block">' + header + '<pre><code>' + code + '</code></pre></div>');
         return '%%CODEBLOCK' + (codeBlocks.length - 1) + '%%';
     });
 
@@ -321,9 +333,13 @@ function buildTable(rows) {
 
 // Apply markdown rendering to all elements with data-markdown attribute
 function renderMarkdownElements() {
-    document.querySelectorAll('[data-markdown]').forEach(element => {
-        const markdownText = element.getAttribute('data-markdown') || element.textContent;
+    document.querySelectorAll('[data-markdown]:not([data-rendered])').forEach(element => {
+        // Trim so template indentation/whitespace in the element's text content
+        // doesn't get parsed as a leading code block (which breaks headings,
+        // tables, etc. and diverges from the live preview).
+        const markdownText = (element.getAttribute('data-markdown') || element.textContent).trim();
         element.innerHTML = parseMarkdown(markdownText);
+        element.dataset.rendered = '1';
     });
 }
 
@@ -574,7 +590,9 @@ function processPlainTextComments() {
 function renderMarkdownComments() {
     document.querySelectorAll('.comment-text[data-markdown]:not([data-rendered])').forEach(el => {
         el.classList.add('lt-markdown');
-        el.innerHTML = parseMarkdown(el.textContent);
+        // Trim template whitespace so the first line isn't parsed as an
+        // indented code block (matches the live-preview rendering).
+        el.innerHTML = parseMarkdown(el.textContent.trim());
         el.dataset.rendered = '1';
     });
 }
diff --git a/views/TicketView.php b/views/TicketView.php
index 767ffc0..4b49a38 100644
--- a/views/TicketView.php
+++ b/views/TicketView.php
@@ -621,11 +621,14 @@ include __DIR__ . '/layout_header.php';
                     </div>
                   </div>
                   <div class="comment-text<?= $markdownEnabled ? ' lt-markdown' : '' ?>" id="comment-text-<?= $commentId ?>"
-                       <?= $markdownEnabled ? 'data-markdown' : '' ?>>
-                    <?= $markdownEnabled
+                       <?= $markdownEnabled ? 'data-markdown' : '' ?>><?=
+                        // Emit inline (no surrounding whitespace) so a markdown
+                        // comment's text content isn't prefixed with template
+                        // indentation, which would be parsed as a code block.
+                        $markdownEnabled
                         ? htmlspecialchars($comment['comment_text'])
-                        : nl2br(htmlspecialchars($comment['comment_text'])) ?>
-                  </div>
+                        : nl2br(htmlspecialchars($comment['comment_text']))
+                        ?></div>
                   <textarea class="lt-input lt-textarea comment-edit-raw is-hidden"
                             id="comment-raw-<?= $commentId ?>"
                             aria-hidden="true"><?= htmlspecialchars($comment['comment_text']) ?></textarea>