diff --git a/assets/js/markdown.js b/assets/js/markdown.js
index 42efc19..7bba4ee 100644
--- a/assets/js/markdown.js
+++ b/assets/js/markdown.js
@@ -334,7 +334,10 @@ function buildTable(rows) {
 // Apply markdown rendering to all elements with data-markdown attribute
 function renderMarkdownElements() {
     document.querySelectorAll('[data-markdown]:not([data-rendered])').forEach(element => {
-        const markdownText = element.getAttribute('data-markdown') || element.textContent;
+        // 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';
     });
@@ -587,7 +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>