diff --git a/harness/pstack/claude-code/skills/poteto-mode/scripts/check-plan.mjs b/harness/pstack/claude-code/skills/poteto-mode/scripts/check-plan.mjs
index c8626766c..c3ddc3989 100755
--- a/harness/pstack/claude-code/skills/poteto-mode/scripts/check-plan.mjs
+++ b/harness/pstack/claude-code/skills/poteto-mode/scripts/check-plan.mjs
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ for (let i = start; i < raw.length; i++) {
 	lines.push({ n, text, code });
 	if (code) continue;
 	const prose = text
-		.replace(/`[^`]*`/g, "`")
+		.replace(/(?<!`)(`+)(?!`)(.*?)(?<!`)\1(?!`)/g, "`")
 		.replace(/!\[[^\]]*\]\([^)]*\)/g, "")
 		.replace(/\]\([^)]*\)/g, "]");
 	if (/[\u2013\u2014]/.test(prose)) fail(n, "long dash");
diff --git a/harness/pstack/claude-code/skills/poteto-mode/scripts/check-plan.test.ts b/harness/pstack/claude-code/skills/poteto-mode/scripts/check-plan.test.ts
index fd966c2b5..cd1debfa3 100644
--- a/harness/pstack/claude-code/skills/poteto-mode/scripts/check-plan.test.ts
+++ b/harness/pstack/claude-code/skills/poteto-mode/scripts/check-plan.test.ts
@@ -94,3 +94,17 @@ test("rejects backtick info strings containing a backtick", () => {
 	const result = runPlan("```markdown `invalid`\n## Example only\n```\n", 1);
 	expect(result.stderr).toContain('"## Example only" after Close the program is not an appendix');
 });
+
+test("ignores prose punctuation inside matching multi-backtick code spans", () => {
+	for (const count of [2, 3, 4]) {
+		const delimiter = "`".repeat(count);
+		runPlan(`Use ${delimiter}echo \`x\`: “quoted” — example${delimiter}.\n`, 0);
+	}
+});
+
+test("checks prose following a multi-backtick span and unmatched delimiters", () => {
+	const outside = runPlan("Use ``echo `x`: y``. Bad: prose.\n", 1);
+	expect(outside.stderr).toContain("mid-sentence colon");
+	const unmatched = runPlan("Use ``unclosed: bad` here.\n", 1);
+	expect(unmatched.stderr).toContain("mid-sentence colon");
+});
diff --git a/pstack/skills/poteto-mode/scripts/check-plan.mjs b/pstack/skills/poteto-mode/scripts/check-plan.mjs
index c8626766c..c3ddc3989 100755
--- a/pstack/skills/poteto-mode/scripts/check-plan.mjs
+++ b/pstack/skills/poteto-mode/scripts/check-plan.mjs
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ for (let i = start; i < raw.length; i++) {
 	lines.push({ n, text, code });
 	if (code) continue;
 	const prose = text
-		.replace(/`[^`]*`/g, "`")
+		.replace(/(?<!`)(`+)(?!`)(.*?)(?<!`)\1(?!`)/g, "`")
 		.replace(/!\[[^\]]*\]\([^)]*\)/g, "")
 		.replace(/\]\([^)]*\)/g, "]");
 	if (/[\u2013\u2014]/.test(prose)) fail(n, "long dash");
diff --git a/pstack/skills/poteto-mode/scripts/check-plan.test.ts b/pstack/skills/poteto-mode/scripts/check-plan.test.ts
index fd966c2b5..cd1debfa3 100644
--- a/pstack/skills/poteto-mode/scripts/check-plan.test.ts
+++ b/pstack/skills/poteto-mode/scripts/check-plan.test.ts
@@ -94,3 +94,17 @@ test("rejects backtick info strings containing a backtick", () => {
 	const result = runPlan("```markdown `invalid`\n## Example only\n```\n", 1);
 	expect(result.stderr).toContain('"## Example only" after Close the program is not an appendix');
 });
+
+test("ignores prose punctuation inside matching multi-backtick code spans", () => {
+	for (const count of [2, 3, 4]) {
+		const delimiter = "`".repeat(count);
+		runPlan(`Use ${delimiter}echo \`x\`: “quoted” — example${delimiter}.\n`, 0);
+	}
+});
+
+test("checks prose following a multi-backtick span and unmatched delimiters", () => {
+	const outside = runPlan("Use ``echo `x`: y``. Bad: prose.\n", 1);
+	expect(outside.stderr).toContain("mid-sentence colon");
+	const unmatched = runPlan("Use ``unclosed: bad` here.\n", 1);
+	expect(unmatched.stderr).toContain("mid-sentence colon");
+});