diff --git a/packages/app/src/agent-stream/presentation.test.ts b/packages/app/src/agent-stream/presentation.test.ts
index 70ed8862ae..be4d09c547 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/agent-stream/presentation.test.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/agent-stream/presentation.test.ts
@@ -123,6 +123,88 @@ function rows(result: { tail: StreamItem[]; head: StreamItem[] }): StreamItem[]
   return [...result.tail, ...result.head];
 }
 
+describe("native prose runs", () => {
+  it("splits inline workspace images out of prose without mistaking code for images", () => {
+    const source = hydrateStreamState([
+      {
+        event: assistant("Before `![literal](code.png)` ![Screenshot](shots/app.png) after."),
+        timestamp: new Date(1000),
+      },
+    ]);
+    const result = createStreamPresentation({ markdown: "prose-runs" })({
+      ...presentationOptions,
+      tail: source,
+      head: [],
+      transform: undefined,
+    });
+    expect(result.tail).toMatchObject([
+      { text: "Before `![literal](code.png)`", markdownKind: "prose" },
+      { text: "![Screenshot](shots/app.png)", markdownKind: "block" },
+      { text: "after.", markdownKind: "prose" },
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it.each([
+    { middle: "```ts\nconst a = 1;\n```", kind: "block" },
+    { middle: "> Quoted paragraph.", kind: "quote" },
+    { middle: "![Image](image.png)", kind: "block" },
+  ])("keeps $kind between prose in a separate row", ({ middle, kind }) => {
+    const source = hydrateStreamState([
+      { event: assistant(`First.\n\n${middle}\n\nLast.`), timestamp: new Date(1000) },
+    ]);
+    const result = createStreamPresentation({ markdown: "prose-runs" })({
+      ...presentationOptions,
+      tail: source,
+      head: [],
+      transform: undefined,
+    });
+    expect(result.tail).toMatchObject([
+      { id: `${source[0]!.id}:run:0`, text: "First.", markdownKind: "prose" },
+      { id: `${source[0]!.id}:block:1`, text: middle, markdownKind: kind },
+      { id: `${source[0]!.id}:run:2`, text: "Last.", markdownKind: "prose" },
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it("grows the live run and retains promoted rows", () => {
+    const present = createStreamPresentation({ markdown: "prose-runs" });
+    let state: { tail: StreamItem[]; head: StreamItem[] } = { tail: [], head: [] };
+    function send(text: string) {
+      state = applyStreamEvent({ ...state, event: assistant(text), timestamp: new Date(1000) });
+      return present({ ...presentationOptions, ...state, transform: undefined });
+    }
+    const first = send("First.");
+    const second = send("\n\nSecond.");
+    expect(second.tail).toEqual([]);
+    expect(second.head).toMatchObject([{ id: first.head[0]!.id, text: "First.\n\nSecond." }]);
+    const boundary = send("\n\n```ts\na\n```");
+    expect(boundary.tail[0]).toBe(second.head[0]);
+    const last = send("\n\nAfter.");
+    expect(last.tail[0]).toBe(second.head[0]);
+    expect(last.tail[1]).toBe(boundary.head[0]);
+    expect(last.head).toMatchObject([{ id: "message-1:run:3", text: "After." }]);
+  });
+
+  it("keeps consecutive paragraphs in one selectable row", () => {
+    const source = hydrateStreamState([
+      { event: assistant("First paragraph.\n\nSecond paragraph."), timestamp: new Date(1000) },
+    ]);
+    const result = createStreamPresentation({ markdown: "prose-runs" })({
+      ...presentationOptions,
+      tail: source,
+      head: [],
+      transform: undefined,
+    });
+    expect(result.tail).toMatchObject([
+      {
+        id: `${source[0]!.id}:run:0`,
+        text: "First paragraph.\n\nSecond paragraph.",
+        markdownKind: "prose",
+        blockGroupId: source[0]!.id,
+      },
+    ]);
+  });
+});
+
 describe("stream presentation through installed plugins", () => {
   it("offers every source tool call to an installed transformer in Overview mode", () => {
     const calls = [toolCall("call-1", "bash"), toolCall("call-2", "read")];
diff --git a/packages/app/src/agent-stream/presentation.ts b/packages/app/src/agent-stream/presentation.ts
index b89f91f6c0..ed2346f874 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/agent-stream/presentation.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/agent-stream/presentation.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@ import {
   type ToolCallDetailLevel,
 } from "@/tool-calls/detail-level/projection";
 
+import { groupMarkdownProse } from "@/components/markdown-prose/runs";
+
 interface PresentationInput {
   tail: StreamItem[];
   head: StreamItem[];
@@ -53,7 +55,10 @@ function isReusableBlock(block: AssistantMessageItem, source: AssistantMessageIt
 }
 
 /** Source messages reach plugins before any Markdown splitting or Overview grouping. */
-export function createStreamPresentation() {
+export function createStreamPresentation({
+  markdown = "blocks",
+}: { markdown?: "blocks" | "prose-runs" } = {}) {
+  const runsBySource = new WeakMap<AssistantMessageItem, AssistantMessageItem[]>();
   const userMessageCache = new WeakMap<UserMessageItem, UserMessageItem>();
 
   function presentUserMessage(item: UserMessageItem): UserMessageItem {
@@ -139,6 +144,27 @@ export function createStreamPresentation() {
     return blocks;
   }
 
+  function presentRows(item: StreamItem): StreamItem[] {
+    const blocks = nativeBlocks(item);
+    if (markdown === "blocks" || item.kind !== "assistant_message") return blocks;
+    const cached = runsBySource.get(item);
+    if (cached) return cached;
+    const previousSource = liveSources.get(item.id);
+    const previous = previousSource && runsBySource.get(previousSource);
+    const previousById = new Map(previous?.map((row) => [row.id, row]));
+    const assistantBlocks = blocks.filter(
+      (block): block is AssistantMessageItem => block.kind === "assistant_message",
+    );
+    const runs = groupMarkdownProse(assistantBlocks).map((row) => {
+      const existing = previousById.get(row.id);
+      return existing?.text === row.text && isReusableBlock(existing, item, row.id)
+        ? existing
+        : row;
+    });
+    runsBySource.set(item, runs);
+    return runs;
+  }
+
   return (input: PresentationInput) => {
     // Retained history is not reprojected or regrouped on each live text update.
     if (historySource !== input.tail || historyTransform !== input.transform) {
@@ -146,7 +172,7 @@ export function createStreamPresentation() {
       // `blocksBySource` keeps both the live block identities and the split cost
       // from being paid again when only the tail's array identity changed.
       historyRows = projectPluginTimelineItems(input.tail, input.transform).flatMap<StreamItem>(
-        nativeBlocks,
+        presentRows,
       );
       historySource = input.tail;
       historyTransform = input.transform;
@@ -155,7 +181,7 @@ export function createStreamPresentation() {
     const promoted: StreamItem[] = [];
     const nextLiveSources = new Map<string, AssistantMessageItem>();
     for (const item of projectPluginTimelineItems(input.head, input.transform, "streaming")) {
-      const blocks = nativeBlocks(item);
+      const blocks = presentRows(item);
       if (item.kind === "assistant_message") nextLiveSources.set(item.id, item);
       if (item.kind === "assistant_message" && blocks.length > 1) {
         promoted.push(...blocks.slice(0, -1));
diff --git a/packages/app/src/components/markdown-prose/runs.ts b/packages/app/src/components/markdown-prose/runs.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..08de6be718
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/app/src/components/markdown-prose/runs.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+import MarkdownIt from "markdown-it";
+import type { AssistantMessageItem } from "@/types/stream";
+
+const parser = new MarkdownIt({ html: true });
+const partsByBlock = new WeakMap<AssistantMessageItem, AssistantMessageItem[]>();
+
+function splitBlock(block: AssistantMessageItem): AssistantMessageItem[] {
+  const cached = partsByBlock.get(block);
+  if (cached) return cached;
+  const tokens = parser.parse(block.text, {});
+  const preserved = tokens.some(
+    (token) =>
+      ["fence", "code_block", "table_open", "html_block"].includes(token.type) ||
+      token.children?.some((child) => child.type === "html_inline"),
+  );
+  const isQuote = tokens.some((token) => token.type === "blockquote_open");
+  const hasImage = tokens.some((token) => token.children?.some((child) => child.type === "image"));
+  let parts: AssistantMessageItem[];
+  if (preserved || (isQuote && hasImage)) {
+    parts = [{ ...block, markdownKind: "block" }];
+  } else if (hasImage) {
+    parts = splitParagraphImages(block);
+  } else {
+    parts = [{ ...block, markdownKind: isQuote ? "quote" : "prose" }];
+  }
+  partsByBlock.set(block, parts);
+  return parts;
+}
+
+function splitParagraphImages(block: AssistantMessageItem): AssistantMessageItem[] {
+  const parts: AssistantMessageItem[] = [];
+  const state = new parser.inline.State(block.text, parser, {}, []);
+  let cursor = 0;
+  function append(text: string, markdownKind: "prose" | "block", offset: number) {
+    if (!text.trim()) return;
+    parts.push({ ...block, text: text.trim(), markdownKind, id: `${block.id}:part:${offset}` });
+  }
+  while (state.pos < state.posMax) {
+    const start = state.pos;
+    parser.inline.skipToken(state);
+    const candidate = block.text.slice(start, state.pos);
+    if (!candidate.includes("![")) continue;
+    const inline = parser.parseInline(candidate, {})[0];
+    if (!inline?.children?.some((child) => child.type === "image")) continue;
+    append(block.text.slice(cursor, start), "prose", cursor);
+    append(candidate, "block", start);
+    cursor = state.pos;
+  }
+  append(block.text.slice(cursor), "prose", cursor);
+  if (parts.length === 1) parts[0] = { ...parts[0]!, id: block.id };
+  return parts;
+}
+
+/** Native selection belongs to a text view, so adjacent prose shares one display row. */
+export function groupMarkdownProse(blocks: AssistantMessageItem[]): AssistantMessageItem[] {
+  const rows: AssistantMessageItem[] = [];
+  for (const block of blocks.flatMap(splitBlock)) {
+    const previous = rows.at(-1);
+    if (block.markdownKind === "prose" && previous?.markdownKind === "prose") {
+      previous.text += `\n\n${block.text}`;
+      continue;
+    }
+    rows.push({
+      ...block,
+      id: block.markdownKind === "prose" ? block.id.replace(":block:", ":run:") : block.id,
+    });
+  }
+  return rows;
+}
diff --git a/packages/app/src/types/stream.ts b/packages/app/src/types/stream.ts
index 56cf14558b..10de8997d0 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/types/stream.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/types/stream.ts
@@ -714,6 +714,7 @@ export interface AssistantMessageItem {
   /** Display-only fields, assigned after source-item plugin transforms. */
   blockGroupId?: string;
   blockIndex?: number;
+  markdownKind?: "prose" | "quote" | "block";
 }
 
 export interface TimelinePosition {