diff --git a/packages/session-ui/component-tests/markdown.spec.ts b/packages/session-ui/component-tests/markdown.spec.ts
index f6c28096648..42ea80ad595 100644
--- a/packages/session-ui/component-tests/markdown.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/session-ui/component-tests/markdown.spec.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import type { Page } from "@playwright/test"
+import type { Locator, Page } from "@playwright/test"
 import { expect, sourceURL, story } from "../../stories/playwright/story"
 
 const png = Buffer.from(
@@ -318,8 +318,9 @@ story("shows a stable GitHub mark without changing link text or other sites", as
   await expect(github).toHaveAttribute("href", "https://github.com/anomalyco/opencode/pull/540")
   await expect(github).toHaveText("#540")
   const mark = github.locator(".markdown-link-favicon[data-github]")
-  expect(await mark.evaluate((icon) => getComputedStyle(icon, "::before").width)).toBe("14px")
-  expect(await mark.evaluate((icon) => getComputedStyle(icon, "::before").maskImage)).toContain("data:image/svg+xml")
+  const glyph = mark.locator(".markdown-link-favicon-glyph")
+  expect(await glyph.evaluate((icon) => getComputedStyle(icon).width)).toBe("14px")
+  expect(await glyph.evaluate((icon) => getComputedStyle(icon).maskImage)).toContain("data:image/svg+xml")
   await expect(mark.locator("img")).toHaveCount(0)
   await expect(markdown.getByRole("link", { name: "GitHub" }).locator(".markdown-link-favicon[data-github]")).toHaveCount(
     1,
@@ -360,8 +361,10 @@ story("keeps favicon space stable across loading and failure without fetching pr
   await expect(markdown).toHaveAttribute("data-markdown-ready", "")
   const docs = markdown.getByRole("link", { name: "docs" })
   const image = docs.locator(".markdown-link-favicon img")
+  const globe = (link: Locator) => link.locator(".markdown-link-favicon-glyph")
   await expect.poll(() => requested.some((url) => url.includes("developer.mozilla.org"))).toBe(true)
   await expect(image).toHaveCSS("opacity", "0")
+  await expect(globe(docs)).toBeVisible()
   expect((await docs.locator(".markdown-link-favicon").boundingBox())?.width).toBe(14)
   // A late web font swap also changes the link width; measure after fonts settle.
   await page.evaluate(() => document.fonts.ready.then(() => undefined))
@@ -369,6 +372,7 @@ story("keeps favicon space stable across loading and failure without fetching pr
   release()
   await expect(image).toHaveAttribute("data-loaded", "")
   await expect(image).toHaveCSS("opacity", "1")
+  await expect(globe(docs)).toHaveCount(0)
   await expect(image).not.toHaveAttribute("role", "button")
   expect(await image.evaluate((favicon) => favicon.onclick)).toBeNull()
   expect(await docs.evaluate((link) => link.getBoundingClientRect().width)).toBe(width)
@@ -384,6 +388,7 @@ story("keeps favicon space stable across loading and failure without fetching pr
   await expect(
     markdown.getByRole("link", { name: "missing" }).locator(".markdown-link-favicon img"),
   ).not.toHaveAttribute("data-loaded", "")
+  await expect(globe(markdown.getByRole("link", { name: "missing" }))).toBeVisible()
   await expect(markdown.getByRole("link", { name: "private" }).locator(".markdown-link-favicon img")).toHaveCount(0)
   await expect(markdown.getByRole("link", { name: "GitHub" }).locator(".markdown-link-favicon img")).toHaveCount(0)
   expect(requested).toHaveLength(2)
diff --git a/packages/session-ui/src/components/markdown.css b/packages/session-ui/src/components/markdown.css
index 847b23ac701..82dde48b017 100644
--- a/packages/session-ui/src/components/markdown.css
+++ b/packages/session-ui/src/components/markdown.css
@@ -153,8 +153,7 @@
     margin-inline-end: 4px;
   }
 
-  .markdown-link-favicon::before {
-    content: "";
+  .markdown-link-favicon-glyph {
     position: absolute;
     inset: 0;
     height: 14px;
@@ -163,7 +162,7 @@
     mask: url("./markdown-globe.svg") center / contain no-repeat;
   }
 
-  .markdown-link-favicon[data-github]::before {
+  .markdown-link-favicon[data-github] .markdown-link-favicon-glyph {
     mask-image: url("./markdown-github.svg");
   }
 
diff --git a/packages/session-ui/src/components/markdown.tsx b/packages/session-ui/src/components/markdown.tsx
index f844a8d4d7a..377cfe571d1 100644
--- a/packages/session-ui/src/components/markdown.tsx
+++ b/packages/session-ui/src/components/markdown.tsx
@@ -361,6 +361,9 @@ function markExternalLinkFavicons(root: HTMLDivElement) {
     favicon.className = "markdown-link-favicon"
     favicon.setAttribute("aria-hidden", "true")
     const host = url.hostname.toLowerCase()
+    const glyph = document.createElement("span")
+    glyph.className = "markdown-link-favicon-glyph"
+    favicon.appendChild(glyph)
 
     if (host === "github.com") favicon.dataset.github = ""
     else if (
@@ -383,13 +386,19 @@ function markExternalLinkFavicons(root: HTMLDivElement) {
   })
 }
 
+// The globe stands in only until the favicon loads; removing it keeps transparent favicons from showing it through.
+function showFavicon(image: HTMLImageElement) {
+  image.dataset.loaded = ""
+  image.parentElement?.querySelector(".markdown-link-favicon-glyph")?.remove()
+}
+
 function setupExternalLinkFavicons(root: HTMLDivElement) {
   const loaded = (event: Event) => {
     const image = event.target
 
     if (!(image instanceof HTMLImageElement) || !image.hasAttribute("data-markdown-favicon")) return
 
-    if (image.naturalWidth > 0) image.dataset.loaded = ""
+    if (image.naturalWidth > 0) showFavicon(image)
   }
 
   root.addEventListener("load", loaded, true)
@@ -901,7 +910,7 @@ export function Markdown(
     images?.update(container)
     previewImages(container)
     container.querySelectorAll<HTMLImageElement>("img[data-markdown-favicon]").forEach((image) => {
-      if (image.complete && image.naturalWidth > 0) image.dataset.loaded = ""
+      if (image.complete && image.naturalWidth > 0) showFavicon(image)
     })
 
     // A button gets the labels of the run that creates it, so the others only need new ones when the language changes.