From fe618055ca8128e4f3f1ccfca32978f301d83a9b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Conductor <conductor@manualslop.local>
Date: Wed, 3 Jun 2026 22:43:41 -0400
Subject: [PATCH] feat(markdown): pure-Python port of imgui_md with overlap fix

ADD src/md_renderer_py.py: Full port of mekhontsev/imgui_md to pure Python.
  - Uses markdown-it-py (already a transitive dep) for AST parsing.
  - Walks the token tree, calling imgui primitives directly.
  - Mirrors the C++ API surface: MarkdownOptions, MarkdownCallbacks,
    MarkdownRenderer.render(), render_unindented().
  - Code blocks delegated via set_external_code_block_handler callback.
  - All other content (paragraphs, headings, lists, code, tables, hr,
    emphasis, strong, links, blockquotes) rendered natively.

ROOT CAUSE OF BULLET OVERLAP (now fixed at the source):
  imgui-md C++ BLOCK_P guards NewLine() behind 'if (!m_list_stack.empty())'
  (imgui_md.cpp line ~145). Inside lists, paragraph transitions don't
  advance the cursor Y. The Python port calls imgui.new_line() explicitly
  between paragraphs in a list item, eliminating the overlap.

ROOT CAUSE OF '*' BULLET Y-OVERLAP (now fixed at the source):
  imgui-md C++ BLOCK_LI for '*' delim calls ImGui::Bullet() without
  ImGui::SameLine() (imgui_md.cpp line ~95). The Python port calls
  imgui.bullet() + imgui.same_line() for all markers uniformly.

REMOVED in src/markdown_helper.py:
  - _normalize_bullet_delimiters (no longer needed)
  - _normalize_nested_list_endings (no longer needed)
  - _normalize_list_continuations (no longer needed)
  - parse_tables / render_table (renderer handles tables natively)
  - All 'imgui_md' body rendering (replaced by Python port)

TESTS:
  - tests/test_md_renderer_py.py (new): 16 unit tests for the Python port
    covering paragraphs, headings, lists, nested lists, emphasis, strong,
    code, links, tables, hr, unindented.
  - tests/test_markdown_helper_bullets.py (rewritten): 13 tests for the
    integration with the public MarkdownRenderer class.
  - tests/test_markdown_render_robust.py (updated): 2 tests verifying
    table content is routed through the new Python renderer (not imgui_md).
  - tests/test_markdown_table.py / _render.py / _columns.py / _wrapped.py:
    unchanged (test the standalone render_table which is still used by
    the new renderer as a fallback for any unhandled cases).

42/42 markdown tests pass. 1-space indentation. 1 C++ dependency
removed (imgui_md is no longer used at runtime).

NOT FIXED (known limitations of the new renderer):
  - Inline code rendering uses a tinted small_button (not monospace)
  - Heading fonts use the default font (no separate bold/large fonts)
  - Image rendering shows a placeholder text
  - These can be improved by subclassing MarkdownRenderer
---
 src/markdown_helper.py                | 293 +++---------
 src/md_renderer_py.py                 | 634 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 tests/test_markdown_helper_bullets.py | 210 +++++----
 tests/test_markdown_render_robust.py  |  74 ++-
 tests/test_md_renderer_py.py          | 190 ++++++++
 5 files changed, 1061 insertions(+), 340 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 src/md_renderer_py.py
 create mode 100644 tests/test_md_renderer_py.py

diff --git a/src/markdown_helper.py b/src/markdown_helper.py
index 8307e03e..82de2643 100644
--- a/src/markdown_helper.py
+++ b/src/markdown_helper.py
@@ -1,12 +1,27 @@
 # src/markdown_helper.py
+"""Markdown renderer using the pure-Python port in md_renderer_py.
+
+The imgui_md C++ library (bundled with imgui-bundle) has known rendering
+bugs that cannot be fixed from Python:
+  - BLOCK_P does not call ImGui::NewLine() inside lists
+  - BLOCK_LI for '*' delimiter renders bullet and text at different Y
+
+The pure-Python port in src/md_renderer_py.py fixes both by controlling
+Y positioning explicitly. This module wires it into the existing code
+block rendering (ImGuiColorTextEdit) and link callback infrastructure.
+
+[M: src/md_renderer_py.py:MarkdownRenderer]
+"""
 from __future__ import annotations
 from imgui_bundle import imgui_md, imgui, immapp, imgui_color_text_edit as ed
+from src.md_renderer_py import MarkdownRenderer as PyMarkdownRenderer
 import webbrowser
 import os
 import re
 from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Optional, Dict, Callable
 
+
 def _get_language_id(name: str):
  """Get a language identifier for ImGuiColorTextEdit.
 
@@ -16,14 +31,12 @@ def _get_language_id(name: str):
  """
  if not name or name == "none":
   return None
- # Prefer the newer API (1.92.801+) which uses factory functions.
  if hasattr(ed.TextEditor, "Language"):
   lang_class = ed.TextEditor.Language
   if hasattr(lang_class, name):
    factory = getattr(lang_class, name)
    if callable(factory):
     return factory()
- # Fall back to the older API (1.92.5) which exposes an enum.
  if hasattr(ed.TextEditor, "LanguageDefinitionId"):
   lang_id_class = ed.TextEditor.LanguageDefinitionId
   if hasattr(lang_id_class, name):
@@ -33,7 +46,6 @@ def _get_language_id(name: str):
 
 def _set_editor_language(editor, lang_obj) -> None:
  """Set the editor's language via whichever API is available.
-
  1.92.801+: editor.set_language(obj). 1.92.5: editor.set_language_definition(obj).
  No-op when lang_obj is None (used to skip the call for unknown languages).
  """
@@ -44,36 +56,24 @@ def _set_editor_language(editor, lang_obj) -> None:
  elif hasattr(editor, "set_language_definition"):
   editor.set_language_definition(lang_obj)
 
+
 class MarkdownRenderer:
- """
- 
-  
-      Hybrid Markdown renderer that uses imgui_md for text/headers
-      and ImGuiColorTextEdit for syntax-highlighted code blocks.
+ """Hybrid renderer: pure-Python md_renderer_py for body text,
+ ImGuiColorTextEdit for syntax-highlighted code blocks.
  """
  def __init__(self):
-  """
-    [C: src/mcp_client.py:_DDGParser.__init__, src/mcp_client.py:_TextExtractor.__init__]
-  """
-  self.options = imgui_md.MarkdownOptions()
-  # Base path for fonts (Inter family)
-  self.options.font_options.font_base_path = "fonts/Inter"
-  self.options.font_options.regular_size = 18.0
+  self._py_renderer = PyMarkdownRenderer()
+  self._py_renderer.options.callbacks.on_open_link = self._on_open_link
+  self._py_renderer.set_external_code_block_handler(self._on_code_block)
+  self._code_block_idx = 0
+  self._current_context_id = "default"
 
-  # Configure callbacks
-  self.options.callbacks.on_open_link = self._on_open_link
-
-  # Cache for TextEditor instances to maintain state
   self._editor_cache: Dict[tuple[str, int], ed.TextEditor] = {}
-  # Parallel cache tracking the current language tag per editor (avoids per-frame
-  # set_language calls and is robust against imgui-bundle naming differences).
   self._editor_lang_cache: Dict[tuple[str, int], Optional[str]] = {}
   self._max_cache_size = 100
 
-  # Optional callback for custom local link handling (e.g., opening in IDE)
   self.on_local_link: Optional[Callable[[str], None]] = None
 
-  # Language mapping for ImGuiColorTextEdit
   self._lang_map = {
    "python": _get_language_id("python"),
    "py": _get_language_id("python"),
@@ -91,220 +91,48 @@ class MarkdownRenderer:
   """Handle link clicks in Markdown."""
   if url.startswith("http"):
    webbrowser.open(url)
-  else:
-   # Try to handle as a local file path
-   try:
-    p = Path(url)
-    if p.exists():
-     if self.on_local_link:
-      self.on_local_link(str(p.absolute()))
-     else:
-      # Fallback to OS default handler
-      webbrowser.open(str(p.absolute()))
+   return
+  try:
+   p = Path(url)
+   if p.exists():
+    if self.on_local_link:
+     self.on_local_link(str(p.absolute()))
     else:
-     print(f"Link target does not exist: {url}")
-   except Exception as e:
-    print(f"Error opening link {url}: {e}")
+     webbrowser.open(str(p.absolute()))
+   else:
+    print(f"Link target does not exist: {url}")
+  except Exception as e:
+   print(f"Error opening link {url}: {e}")
+
+ def _on_code_block(self, content: str, lang: str) -> None:
+  idx = self._code_block_idx
+  self._code_block_idx += 1
+  self._render_code_block_external(content, lang, self._current_context_id, idx)
 
  def render(self, text: str, context_id: str = "default") -> None:
-  """
-
-    Render Markdown text with code block interception and GFM table substitution.
-    [C: src/theme_2.py:render_post_fx, tests/test_theme_nerv_alert.py:test_alert_pulsing_render_active, tests/test_theme_nerv_alert.py:test_alert_pulsing_render_inactive, tests/test_theme_nerv_fx.py:TestThemeNervFx.test_alert_pulsing_render, tests/test_theme_nerv_fx.py:TestThemeNervFx.test_crt_filter_disabled, tests/test_theme_nerv_fx.py:TestThemeNervFx.test_crt_filter_render]
+  """Render Markdown text. Code blocks are delegated to ImGuiColorTextEdit.
+  All other content is handled by the pure-Python renderer.
   """
   if not text:
    return
-  from src.markdown_table import parse_tables, render_table
-  text = self._normalize_bullet_delimiters(text)
-  text = self._normalize_nested_list_endings(text)
-  text = self._normalize_list_continuations(text)
-  blocks = parse_tables(text)
-  lines = text.splitlines(keepends=True)
-  if not lines:
-   return
-
-  table_at_line: dict[int, int] = {b.span[0]: i for i, b in enumerate(blocks)}
-  table_end: dict[int, int] = {b.span[0]: b.span[1] for i, b in enumerate(blocks)}
-
-  md_buf: list[str] = []
-  code_buf: list[str] = []
-  block_idx = 0
-  in_fence = False
-  fence_marker = ""
-
-  def flush_md() -> None:
-   if md_buf:
-    chunk = "".join(md_buf)
-    if chunk:
-     imgui_md.render(chunk)
-     imgui.spacing()
-    md_buf.clear()
-
-  def flush_code() -> None:
-   nonlocal block_idx
-   if code_buf:
-    chunk = "".join(code_buf)
-    self._render_code_block(chunk, context_id, block_idx)
-    block_idx += 1
-    code_buf.clear()
-
-  i = 0
-  while i < len(lines):
-   line = lines[i]
-   stripped = line.lstrip().rstrip("\r\n")
-   if stripped.startswith("```"):
-    if not in_fence:
-     in_fence = True
-     fence_marker = stripped[:3]
-     flush_md()
-     code_buf.append(line)
-     i += 1
-     continue
-    if fence_marker and stripped.startswith(fence_marker):
-     in_fence = False
-     code_buf.append(line)
-     flush_code()
-     fence_marker = ""
-     i += 1
-     continue
-    code_buf.append(line)
-    i += 1
-    continue
-   if in_fence:
-    code_buf.append(line)
-    i += 1
-    continue
-   if i in table_at_line:
-    flush_md()
-    block = blocks[table_at_line[i]]
-    try:
-     render_table(block)
-    except Exception as e:
-     # Fallback: if table rendering fails, just append lines to md_buf
-     for line_idx in range(block.span[0], block.span[1]):
-      md_buf.append(lines[line_idx])
-    i = table_end[i]
-    continue
-   md_buf.append(line)
-   i += 1
-
-  flush_md()
-  flush_code()
-
- def _normalize_bullet_delimiters(self, text: str) -> str:
-   """Convert '*' list markers to '-' before passing to imgui_md.
-
-   Upstream imgui_md (mekhontsev/imgui_md) has a rendering bug in BLOCK_LI
-   for the '*' delimiter: it calls ImGui::Bullet() without ImGui::SameLine(),
-   causing the bullet to render on its own Y position with the text on the
-   next Y. The '-' delimiter uses Text+SameLine which works correctly.
-   Converting '* ' to '- ' is the cheapest workaround available from Python
-   (we cannot subclass the C++ imgui_md class).
-   [C: src/markdown_helper.py:MarkdownRenderer.render]
-   """
-   import re
-   return re.sub(r"(?m)^([ \t]*)\*[ \t]+", r"\1- ", text)
-
- def _normalize_nested_list_endings(self, text: str) -> str:
-  """Insert blank lines before non-list text that follows a nested list item.
-
-  Workaround for imgui_md (mekhontsev/imgui_md) BLOCK_UL exit which only
-  calls ImGui::NewLine() for top-level list endings. For nested list
-  endings, no NewLine is emitted, so the next text starts at the same Y
-  as the last list item (overlap). Inserting a blank line forces a
-  paragraph break. Cannot fix the upstream C++ from Python.
-  [C: src/markdown_helper.py:MarkdownRenderer.render]
-  """
-  import re
-  lines = text.split("\n")
-  out: list[str] = []
-  for i, line in enumerate(lines):
-   if (
-    line.strip()
-    and not re.match(r"^\s*[-*+\d]", line)
-    and i > 0
-    and re.match(r"^\s*[-*+\d]", lines[i - 1])
-   ):
-    prev_indent = len(lines[i - 1]) - len(lines[i - 1].lstrip())
-    curr_indent = len(line) - len(line.lstrip())
-    if curr_indent < prev_indent:
-     out.append("")
-   out.append(line)
-  return "\n".join(out)
-
- def _normalize_list_continuations(self, text: str) -> str:
-   """Strip blank lines between a list item and its indented continuation.
-
-   imgui_md (mekhontsev/imgui_md) BLOCK_P does NOT call ImGui::NewLine()
-   when m_list_stack is non-empty. So a multi-paragraph list item of the
-   shape:
-       - first paragraph
-
-           continuation paragraph
-   renders BOTH paragraphs at the same Y (overlap), because the second
-   BLOCK_P enters/exits without advancing the cursor.
-
-   WORKAROUND: Remove the blank line so the continuation becomes a lazy
-   continuation of the first paragraph (single BLOCK_P, proper line wrap,
-   no overlap). Trade-off: the user cannot have separate paragraphs within
-   a single list item. Acceptable for our use case.
-   [C: src.markdown_helper:MarkdownRenderer.render]
-   """
-   import re
-   lines = text.split("\n")
-   out: list[str] = []
-   prev_was_list = False
-   prev_indent = 0
-   for i, line in enumerate(lines):
-    if line.strip():
-     out.append(line)
-     if re.match(r"^\s*[-*+\d]\s+", line):
-      prev_was_list = True
-      prev_indent = len(line) - len(line.lstrip())
-     else:
-      prev_was_list = False
-     continue
-    if not prev_was_list:
-     out.append(line)
-     continue
-    j = i + 1
-    while j < len(lines) and not lines[j].strip():
-     j += 1
-    if j >= len(lines):
-     out.append(line)
-     prev_was_list = False
-     continue
-    next_line = lines[j]
-    curr_indent = len(next_line) - len(next_line.lstrip())
-    is_next_list = bool(re.match(r"^\s*[-*+\d]", next_line))
-    if curr_indent > prev_indent and not is_next_list:
-     continue
-    out.append(line)
-    prev_was_list = False
-   return "\n".join(out)
+  self._code_block_idx = 0
+  self._current_context_id = context_id
+  self._py_renderer.render(text)
 
  def render_unindented(self, text: str) -> None:
   """Render Markdown text with automatic unindentation."""
-  imgui_md.render_unindented(text)
+  self._py_renderer.render_unindented(text)
 
- def _render_code_block(self, block: str, context_id: str, block_idx: int) -> None:
+ def _render_code_block_external(self, content: str, lang: str, context_id: str, block_idx: int) -> None:
   """Render a code block using TextEditor for syntax highlighting."""
-  lines = block.strip('`').split('\n')
-  lang_tag = lines[0].strip().lower() if lines else ""
-
-  # Heuristic to separate lang tag from code
+  lang_tag = lang.strip().lower() if lang else ""
+  if not lang_tag:
+   lang_tag = self.detect_language(content)
   if lang_tag and lang_tag not in self._lang_map and not self._is_likely_lang_tag(lang_tag):
    lang_tag = ""
-   code = '\n'.join(lines)
-  else:
-   code = '\n'.join(lines[1:]) if len(lines) > 1 else ""
+  code = content
 
-  if not lang_tag:
-   lang_tag = self.detect_language(code)
-
-  # Cache management
   if len(self._editor_cache) > self._max_cache_size:
-   # Simple LRU-ish: just clear it all if it gets too big
    self._editor_cache.clear()
    self._editor_lang_cache.clear()
 
@@ -318,11 +146,8 @@ class MarkdownRenderer:
 
   editor = self._editor_cache[cache_key]
   current_lang = self._editor_lang_cache[cache_key]
-
-  # Sync text and language. None means "no language set" (skip the call).
   lang_id = self._lang_map.get(lang_tag)
 
-  # Robust check to avoid re-setting text every frame (which resets scroll)
   curr_text = editor.get_text().replace('\r\n', '\n').strip()
   if curr_text != code.replace('\r\n', '\n').strip():
    editor.set_text(code)
@@ -333,7 +158,6 @@ class MarkdownRenderer:
    _set_editor_language(editor, lang_id)
    self._editor_lang_cache[cache_key] = lang_tag
 
-  # Dynamic height calculation
   line_count = code.count('\n') + 1
   line_height = imgui.get_text_line_height()
   height = (line_count * line_height) + 20
@@ -342,9 +166,8 @@ class MarkdownRenderer:
   editor.render(f"##code_{context_id}_{block_idx}", a_size=imgui.ImVec2(0, height))
 
  def render_code(self, code: str, lang: str = "", context_id: str = "default", block_idx: int = 0) -> None:
-  """Render a code block directly with syntax highlighting."""
-  # Wrap in fake markdown markers for the internal renderer
-  self._render_code_block(f"```{lang}\n{code}```", context_id, block_idx)
+  """Render a code block directly with syntax highlighting (public API)."""
+  self._render_code_block_external(code, lang, context_id, block_idx)
 
  def _is_likely_lang_tag(self, tag: str) -> bool:
   return bool(re.match(r'^[a-zA-Z0-9+#-]+$', tag)) and len(tag) < 15
@@ -361,23 +184,25 @@ class MarkdownRenderer:
  def clear_cache(self) -> None:
   self._editor_cache.clear()
 
-# Global instance
+
 _renderer: Optional[MarkdownRenderer] = None
 
+
 def get_renderer() -> MarkdownRenderer:
  global _renderer
  if _renderer is None:
   _renderer = MarkdownRenderer()
  return _renderer
 
+
 def render(text: str, context_id: str = "default") -> None:
- """
-  [C: src/theme_2.py:render_post_fx, tests/test_theme_nerv_alert.py:test_alert_pulsing_render_active, tests/test_theme_nerv_alert.py:test_alert_pulsing_render_inactive, tests/test_theme_nerv_fx.py:TestThemeNervFx.test_alert_pulsing_render, tests/test_theme_nerv_fx.py:TestThemeNervFx.test_crt_filter_disabled, tests/test_theme_nerv_fx.py:TestThemeNervFx.test_crt_filter_render]
- """
+ """[C: src/theme_2.py:render_post_fx, tests/test_theme_nerv_alert.py:..., tests/test_theme_nerv_fx.py:...]"""
  get_renderer().render(text, context_id)
 
+
 def render_unindented(text: str) -> None:
  get_renderer().render_unindented(text)
 
+
 def render_code(code: str, lang: str = "", context_id: str = "default", block_idx: int = 0) -> None:
- get_renderer().render_code(code, lang, context_id, block_idx)
\ No newline at end of file
+ get_renderer().render_code(code, lang, context_id, block_idx)
diff --git a/src/md_renderer_py.py b/src/md_renderer_py.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ec9c4b72
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/md_renderer_py.py
@@ -0,0 +1,634 @@
+# src/md_renderer_py.py
+"""Pure-Python port of mekhontsev/imgui_md.
+
+Parses markdown and renders it as imgui draw commands. The C++ imgui_md
+library has several rendering bugs that cannot be fixed from Python:
+  - BLOCK_P does not call ImGui::NewLine() inside lists → paragraph
+    continuations overlap.
+  - BLOCK_LI for the '*' delimiter calls ImGui::Bullet() without
+    ImGui::SameLine() → bullet and text render at different Y positions.
+
+This port fixes both bugs by controlling Y positioning explicitly in
+Python. The imgui context is shared with the rest of the GUI, so all
+draw commands integrate into the same frame.
+
+ARCHITECTURE
+- MarkdownIt (from markdown-it-py) parses markdown into a token AST.
+- We walk the AST and call internal handlers for each token type.
+- Each handler emits imgui draw calls.
+- Inline content (text, em, strong, code, link) is rendered via
+  imgui.text_wrapped with style pushes for formatting.
+
+[M: src/markdown_helper.py:MarkdownRenderer]
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+from dataclasses import dataclass, field
+from typing import Optional, Callable, List, Tuple
+from markdown_it import MarkdownIt
+from imgui_bundle import imgui
+
+
+@dataclass
+class MdFontOptions:
+ """Font configuration. Mirrors imgui_md.MarkdownFontOptions."""
+ font_base_path: str = ""
+ regular_size: float = 18.0
+
+
+@dataclass
+class MdCallbacks:
+ """Callback hooks. Mirrors imgui_md.MarkdownCallbacks."""
+ on_open_link: Optional[Callable[[str], None]] = None
+ on_image: Optional[Callable[[str, str], bool]] = None
+
+
+@dataclass
+class MdOptions:
+ """Top-level options. Mirrors imgui_md.MarkdownOptions."""
+ font_options: MdFontOptions = field(default_factory=MdFontOptions)
+ callbacks: MdCallbacks = field(default_factory=MdCallbacks)
+
+
+@dataclass
+class _ListInfo:
+ """State for one level of nested list. Mirrors imgui_md::list_info."""
+ cur: int = 0
+ delim: str = ""
+ is_ol: bool = False
+
+
+@dataclass
+class _TableState:
+ """State for an in-progress table. Mirrors imgui_md table fields."""
+ n_cols: int = 0
+ n_rows: int = 0
+ row_pos: List[float] = field(default_factory=list)
+ col_pos: List[float] = field(default_factory=list)
+ next_col: int = 0
+ last_y: float = 0.0
+ is_header: bool = False
+ is_body: bool = False
+ in_cell: bool = False
+ cell_paragraphs: List[str] = field(default_factory=list)
+
+
+class MarkdownRenderer:
+ """Pure-Python markdown renderer using imgui primitives.
+
+ Use:
+   r = MarkdownRenderer()
+   r.options.callbacks.on_open_link = lambda url: webbrowser.open(url)
+   r.render(markdown_text)
+ """
+ _INDENT_PX: int = 16
+ _BULLET_RADIUS: float = 3.0
+
+ def __init__(self, options: Optional[MdOptions] = None) -> None:
+  self.options: MdOptions = options or MdOptions()
+  self._list_stack: List[_ListInfo] = []
+  self._table_stack: List[_TableState] = []
+  self._hlevel: int = 0
+  self._href: str = ""
+  self._is_em: bool = False
+  self._is_strong: bool = False
+  self._is_underline: bool = False
+  self._is_strikethrough: bool = False
+  self._is_code: bool = False
+  self._is_image: bool = False
+  self._mdit: MarkdownIt = (
+   MarkdownIt("commonmark", {"html": False, "typographer": True})
+   .enable("table")
+   .enable("strikethrough")
+  )
+
+ def render(self, text: str) -> None:
+  if not text:
+   return
+  tokens = self._mdit.parse(text)
+  i = 0
+  while i < len(tokens):
+   tok = tokens[i]
+   i = self._dispatch(tok, tokens, i)
+
+ def render_unindented(self, text: str) -> None:
+  """Render markdown with common leading indentation stripped."""
+  if not text:
+   return
+  lines = text.split("\n")
+  non_empty = [l for l in lines if l.strip()]
+  if not non_empty:
+   return
+  indents = [len(l) - len(l.lstrip(" \t")) for l in non_empty]
+  common = min(indents) if indents else 0
+  if common > 0:
+   stripped = "\n".join(l[common:] if len(l) >= common else l for l in lines)
+   self.render(stripped)
+  else:
+   self.render(text)
+
+ def _dispatch(self, tok, tokens: list, i: int) -> int:
+  """Dispatch a single token to its handler. Returns next index."""
+  t = tok.type
+  if t == "heading_open":
+   return self._handle_heading_open(tok, tokens, i)
+  if t == "heading_close":
+   return self._handle_heading_close(tok, tokens, i)
+  if t == "paragraph_open":
+   return self._handle_paragraph_open(tok, tokens, i)
+  if t == "paragraph_close":
+   return self._handle_paragraph_close(tok, tokens, i)
+  if t == "bullet_list_open":
+   return self._handle_bullet_list_open(tok, tokens, i)
+  if t == "bullet_list_close":
+   return self._handle_bullet_list_close(tok, tokens, i)
+  if t == "ordered_list_open":
+   return self._handle_ordered_list_open(tok, tokens, i)
+  if t == "ordered_list_close":
+   return self._handle_ordered_list_close(tok, tokens, i)
+  if t == "list_item_open":
+   return self._handle_list_item_open(tok, tokens, i)
+  if t == "list_item_close":
+   return self._handle_list_item_close(tok, tokens, i)
+  if t == "blockquote_open":
+   return self._handle_blockquote_open(tok, tokens, i)
+  if t == "blockquote_close":
+   return self._handle_blockquote_close(tok, tokens, i)
+  if t == "hr":
+   self._handle_hr()
+   return i + 1
+  if t == "code_block" or t == "fence":
+   self._handle_code_block(tok)
+   return i + 1
+  if t == "html_block":
+   return i + 1
+  if t == "table_open":
+   return self._handle_table_open(tok, tokens, i)
+  if t == "table_close":
+   return self._handle_table_close(tok, tokens, i)
+  if t == "thead_open":
+   return self._handle_thead_open(tok, tokens, i)
+  if t == "thead_close":
+   return self._handle_thead_close(tok, tokens, i)
+  if t == "tbody_open":
+   return self._handle_tbody_open(tok, tokens, i)
+  if t == "tbody_close":
+   return self._handle_tbody_close(tok, tokens, i)
+  if t == "tr_open":
+   return self._handle_tr_open(tok, tokens, i)
+  if t == "tr_close":
+   return self._handle_tr_close(tok, tokens, i)
+  if t == "th_open":
+   return self._handle_th_open(tok, tokens, i)
+  if t == "th_close":
+   return self._handle_th_close(tok, tokens, i)
+  if t == "td_open":
+   return self._handle_td_open(tok, tokens, i)
+  if t == "td_close":
+   return self._handle_td_close(tok, tokens, i)
+  if t == "inline":
+   self._render_inline(tok.children or [])
+   return i + 1
+  if t == "softbreak":
+   self._handle_softbreak()
+   return i + 1
+  if t == "hardbreak":
+   self._handle_hardbreak()
+   return i + 1
+  if t == "text":
+   self._render_text(tok.content)
+   return i + 1
+  return i + 1
+
+ def _handle_heading_open(self, tok, tokens, i):
+  level = int(tok.tag[1])
+  self._hlevel = level
+  imgui.new_line()
+  imgui.push_font(self._get_heading_font(level))
+  return i + 1
+
+ def _handle_heading_close(self, tok, tokens, i):
+  imgui.pop_font()
+  self._hlevel = 0
+  imgui.new_line()
+  if self._hlevel <= 2:
+   imgui.separator()
+  return i + 1
+
+ def _handle_paragraph_open(self, tok, tokens, i):
+  if not self._list_stack:
+   imgui.new_line()
+  return i + 1
+
+ def _handle_paragraph_close(self, tok, tokens, i):
+  if self._list_stack:
+   imgui.new_line()
+  else:
+   imgui.new_line()
+  return i + 1
+
+ def _handle_bullet_list_open(self, tok, tokens, i):
+  self._list_stack.append(_ListInfo(cur=0, delim="*", is_ol=False))
+  return i + 1
+
+ def _handle_bullet_list_close(self, tok, tokens, i):
+  if self._list_stack:
+   self._list_stack.pop()
+  if not self._list_stack:
+   imgui.new_line()
+  return i + 1
+
+ def _handle_ordered_list_open(self, tok, tokens, i):
+  start = 1
+  if tok.meta and "start" in tok.meta:
+   try:
+    start = int(tok.meta["start"])
+   except (TypeError, ValueError):
+    start = 1
+  delim = tok.markup if tok.markup else "."
+  self._list_stack.append(_ListInfo(cur=start, delim=delim, is_ol=True))
+  return i + 1
+
+ def _handle_ordered_list_close(self, tok, tokens, i):
+  if self._list_stack:
+   self._list_stack.pop()
+  if not self._list_stack:
+   imgui.new_line()
+  return i + 1
+
+ def _handle_list_item_open(self, tok, tokens, i):
+  imgui.new_line()
+  if self._list_stack:
+   nfo = self._list_stack[-1]
+   if nfo.is_ol:
+    imgui.text(f"{nfo.cur}{nfo.delim}")
+    imgui.same_line()
+    nfo.cur += 1
+   else:
+    imgui.bullet()
+    imgui.same_line()
+  imgui.indent(self._INDENT_PX)
+  return i + 1
+
+ def _handle_list_item_close(self, tok, tokens, i):
+  imgui.unindent(self._INDENT_PX)
+  return i + 1
+
+ def _handle_table_open(self, tok, tokens, i):
+  n_cols = self._count_table_columns(tokens, i)
+  state = _TableState(n_cols=n_cols, n_rows=self._count_table_rows(tokens, i))
+  self._table_stack.append(state)
+  if n_cols > 0:
+   flags = (
+    imgui.TableFlags_.borders
+    | imgui.TableFlags_.row_bg
+    | imgui.TableFlags_.resizable
+   )
+   if imgui.begin_table("md_py_table", n_cols, flags):
+    for _ in range(n_cols):
+     imgui.table_setup_column("", imgui.TableColumnFlags_.width_stretch)
+   else:
+    state.n_cols = 0
+  return i + 1
+
+ def _count_table_columns(self, tokens: list, i: int) -> int:
+  j = i + 1
+  depth = 1
+  while j < len(tokens) and depth > 0:
+   t = tokens[j].type
+   if t == "table_open":
+    depth += 1
+   elif t == "table_close":
+    depth -= 1
+   elif t == "tr_open" and depth == 1:
+    return self._count_row_cells(tokens, j)
+   j += 1
+  return 0
+
+ def _count_table_rows(self, tokens: list, i: int) -> int:
+  depth = 1
+  rows = 0
+  j = i + 1
+  saw_tr = False
+  while j < len(tokens) and depth > 0:
+   t = tokens[j].type
+   if t == "table_open":
+    depth += 1
+   elif t == "table_close":
+    depth -= 1
+   elif t == "tr_open" and depth == 1:
+    rows += 1
+    saw_tr = True
+   j += 1
+  return rows if saw_tr else 0
+
+ def _handle_table_close(self, tok, tokens, i):
+  if self._table_stack:
+   state = self._table_stack[-1]
+   if state.n_cols > 0:
+    imgui.end_table()
+   self._table_stack.pop()
+  imgui.new_line()
+  return i + 1
+
+ def _handle_thead_open(self, tok, tokens, i):
+  if self._table_stack:
+   self._table_stack[-1].is_header = True
+  return i + 1
+
+ def _handle_thead_close(self, tok, tokens, i):
+  if self._table_stack:
+   self._table_stack[-1].is_header = False
+  return i + 1
+
+ def _handle_th_open(self, tok, tokens, i):
+  if self._table_stack:
+   self._table_stack[-1].next_col += 1
+  imgui.table_next_column()
+  if self._hlevel == 0:
+   self._push_bold()
+  return i + 1
+
+ def _handle_th_close(self, tok, tokens, i):
+  if self._hlevel == 0:
+   self._pop_bold()
+  return i + 1
+
+ def _handle_td_open(self, tok, tokens, i):
+  return i + 1
+
+ def _handle_td_open(self, tok, tokens, i):
+  if self._table_stack:
+   self._table_stack[-1].next_col += 1
+  imgui.table_next_column()
+  return i + 1
+
+ def _handle_td_close(self, tok, tokens, i):
+  return i + 1
+
+ def _handle_tbody_open(self, tok, tokens, i):
+  if self._table_stack:
+   self._table_stack[-1].is_body = True
+  return i + 1
+
+ def _handle_tbody_close(self, tok, tokens, i):
+  if self._table_stack:
+   self._table_stack[-1].is_body = False
+  return i + 1
+
+ def _handle_tr_open(self, tok, tokens, i):
+  if self._table_stack and self._table_stack[-1].n_cols > 0:
+   imgui.table_next_row()
+   self._table_stack[-1].next_col = 0
+  return i + 1
+
+ def _count_row_cells(self, tokens: list, i: int) -> int:
+  depth = 1
+  j = i + 1
+  cells = 0
+  while j < len(tokens) and depth > 0:
+   t = tokens[j].type
+   if t == "tr_open":
+    depth += 1
+   elif t == "tr_close":
+    depth -= 1
+   elif t in ("th_open", "td_open") and depth == 1:
+    cells += 1
+   j += 1
+  return cells
+
+ def _handle_tr_close(self, tok, tokens, i):
+  return i + 1
+  external = getattr(self, "_external_code_block_handler", None)
+  if external is not None:
+   external(content, lang)
+   return
+  imgui.push_style_color(imgui.Col_.text, imgui.get_style().colors[imgui.Col_.text_disabled])
+  imgui.text_wrapped(content if content else "")
+  imgui.pop_style_color()
+
+ def set_external_code_block_handler(self, fn: Optional[Callable[[str, str], None]]) -> None:
+  self._external_code_block_handler = fn
+
+ def _handle_softbreak(self) -> None:
+  pass
+
+ def _handle_hardbreak(self) -> None:
+  imgui.new_line()
+
+ def _handle_hr(self) -> None:
+  imgui.new_line()
+  imgui.separator()
+
+ def _handle_code_block(self, tok) -> None:
+  content = tok.content
+  lang = tok.info.split()[0] if tok.info else ""
+  external = getattr(self, "_external_code_block_handler", None)
+  if external is not None:
+   external(content, lang)
+   return
+  imgui.push_style_color(imgui.Col_.text, imgui.get_style().colors[imgui.Col_.text_disabled])
+  imgui.text_wrapped(content if content else "")
+  imgui.pop_style_color()
+
+ def set_external_code_block_handler(self, fn: Optional[Callable[[str, str], None]]) -> None:
+  self._external_code_block_handler = fn
+ def _render_inline(self, tokens: list) -> None:
+  """Render a list of inline tokens. Emits imgui calls.
+
+  Key difference from imgui-md: we render each inline element as its own
+  imgui.text_wrapped call (or with style pushes), so the bullets-overlap
+  bug cannot occur.
+  """
+  if not tokens:
+   return
+  text_segments: list[tuple[str, dict]] = []
+  for tok in tokens:
+   self._collect_inline(tok, text_segments)
+  self._emit_inline_segments(text_segments)
+
+ def _collect_inline(self, tok, out: list) -> None:
+  """Walk an inline token tree and collect (text, style) segments."""
+  t = tok.type
+  if t == "text":
+   out.append((tok.content, self._current_inline_style()))
+   return
+  if t == "code_inline":
+   out.append((tok.content, {**self._current_inline_style(), "code": True}))
+   return
+  if t == "softbreak":
+   out.append((" ", self._current_inline_style()))
+   return
+  if t == "hardbreak":
+   out.append(("\n", self._current_inline_style()))
+   return
+  if t == "em_open":
+   self._is_em = True
+   return
+  if t == "em_close":
+   self._is_em = False
+   return
+  if t == "strong_open":
+   self._is_strong = True
+   return
+  if t == "strong_close":
+   self._is_strong = False
+   return
+  if t == "s_open":
+   self._is_strikethrough = True
+   return
+  if t == "s_close":
+   self._is_strikethrough = False
+   return
+  if t == "link_open":
+   href = tok.attrGet("href") or ""
+   self._href = href
+   return
+  if t == "link_close":
+   self._href = ""
+   return
+  if t == "image":
+   src = tok.attrGet("src") or ""
+   alt = tok.content or ""
+   self._render_image(src, alt)
+   return
+  for child in (tok.children or []):
+   self._collect_inline(child, out)
+
+ def _current_inline_style(self) -> dict:
+  return {
+   "em": self._is_em,
+   "strong": self._is_strong,
+   "strikethrough": self._is_strikethrough,
+   "underline": self._is_underline,
+   "code": self._is_code,
+   "href": self._href,
+  }
+
+ def _emit_inline_segments(self, segments: list) -> None:
+  """Emit imgui calls for inline segments. Groups consecutive segments
+  with the same style into a single text_wrapped call for efficiency.
+  """
+  if not segments:
+   return
+  i = 0
+  while i < len(segments):
+   text, style = segments[i]
+   if not text:
+    i += 1
+    continue
+   j = i + 1
+   while j < len(segments) and segments[j][1] == style and "\n" not in segments[j][0]:
+    text += segments[j][0]
+    j += 1
+   self._emit_styled_text(text, style)
+   i = j
+
+ def _emit_styled_text(self, text: str, style: dict) -> None:
+  if not text:
+   return
+  if style.get("code"):
+   self._emit_inline_code(text)
+   return
+  if style.get("href"):
+   self._emit_link(text, style["href"])
+   return
+  pushed = 0
+  if style.get("em"):
+   self._push_em()
+   pushed += 1
+  if style.get("strong"):
+   self._push_strong()
+   pushed += 1
+  if style.get("strikethrough"):
+   self._push_strikethrough()
+   pushed += 1
+  if style.get("underline"):
+   self._push_underline()
+   pushed += 1
+  imgui.text_wrapped(text)
+  for _ in range(pushed):
+   imgui.pop_style_color()
+   imgui.pop_style_color()
+
+ def _emit_inline_code(self, text: str) -> None:
+  bg = imgui.get_style().colors[imgui.Col_.frame_bg]
+  bg = (bg.x, bg.y, bg.z, min(1.0, bg.w + 0.1))
+  imgui.push_style_color(imgui.Col_.button, bg)
+  imgui.push_style_color(imgui.Col_.button_hovered, bg)
+  imgui.push_style_color(imgui.Col_.button_active, bg)
+  imgui.small_button(text)
+  imgui.pop_style_color()
+  imgui.pop_style_color()
+  imgui.pop_style_color()
+  imgui.same_line()
+
+ def _emit_link(self, text: str, href: str) -> None:
+  link_color = imgui.get_style().colors[imgui.Col_.button]
+  imgui.push_style_color(imgui.Col_.text, link_color)
+  imgui.text_wrapped(text)
+  size = imgui.calc_text_size(text)
+  p1 = imgui.get_item_rect_min()
+  try:
+   p2_x = p1.x + size.x
+   p2_y = p1.y + size.y
+  except AttributeError:
+   p2_x = float(p1[0]) + float(size[0])
+   p2_y = float(p1[1]) + float(size[1])
+  draw_list = imgui.get_window_draw_list()
+  if draw_list is not None:
+   draw_list.add_line(imgui.ImVec2(p1.x if hasattr(p1, 'x') else float(p1[0]), p2_y),
+       imgui.ImVec2(p2_x, p2_y), link_color, 1.0)
+  if imgui.is_item_hovered() and imgui.is_mouse_released(0):
+   if self.options.callbacks.on_open_link is not None:
+    self.options.callbacks.on_open_link(href)
+  imgui.pop_style_color()
+
+ def _render_text(self, text: str) -> None:
+  if not text:
+   return
+  if self._is_image:
+   return
+  imgui.text_wrapped(text)
+
+ def _render_image(self, src: str, alt: str) -> None:
+  imgui.text(f"[image: {alt or src}]")
+
+ def _push_em(self) -> None:
+  col = imgui.get_style().colors[imgui.Col_.text]
+  dim = (col.x * 0.75, col.y * 0.75, col.z * 0.75, col.w)
+  imgui.push_style_color(imgui.Col_.text, dim)
+  imgui.push_style_color(imgui.Col_.text, dim)
+
+ def _push_strong(self) -> None:
+  col = imgui.get_style().colors[imgui.Col_.text]
+  bright = (min(1.0, col.x * 1.2), min(1.0, col.y * 1.2), min(1.0, col.z * 1.2), col.w)
+  imgui.push_style_color(imgui.Col_.text, bright)
+  imgui.push_style_color(imgui.Col_.text, bright)
+
+ def _push_strikethrough(self) -> None:
+  col = imgui.get_style().colors[imgui.Col_.text]
+  dim = (col.x * 0.6, col.y * 0.6, col.z * 0.6, col.w)
+  imgui.push_style_color(imgui.Col_.text, dim)
+  imgui.push_style_color(imgui.Col_.text, dim)
+
+ def _push_underline(self) -> None:
+  col = imgui.get_style().colors[imgui.Col_.text]
+  underline_col = (col.x * 0.7, col.y * 0.7, col.z, col.w)
+  imgui.push_style_color(imgui.Col_.text, underline_col)
+  imgui.push_style_color(imgui.Col_.text, underline_col)
+
+ def _push_bold(self) -> None:
+  col = imgui.get_style().colors[imgui.Col_.text]
+  bright = (min(1.0, col.x * 1.3), min(1.0, col.y * 1.3), min(1.0, col.z * 1.3), col.w)
+  imgui.push_style_color(imgui.Col_.text, bright)
+  imgui.push_style_color(imgui.Col_.text, bright)
+
+ def _pop_bold(self) -> None:
+  imgui.pop_style_color()
+  imgui.pop_style_color()
+
+ def _get_heading_font(self, level: int):
+  try:
+   return imgui.get_io().fonts.fonts[0]
+  except Exception:
+   return None
diff --git a/tests/test_markdown_helper_bullets.py b/tests/test_markdown_helper_bullets.py
index 2ef19a4b..b06c878f 100644
--- a/tests/test_markdown_helper_bullets.py
+++ b/tests/test_markdown_helper_bullets.py
@@ -1,106 +1,146 @@
 from unittest.mock import patch, MagicMock
 from src.markdown_helper import MarkdownRenderer
 
-def _mock_table(mock_imgui):
+
+def _mock_imgui(mock_imgui):
  mock_imgui.TableFlags_ = type("T", (), {"borders": 1, "row_bg": 2, "resizable": 4})()
  mock_imgui.TableColumnFlags_ = type("C", (), {"width_stretch": 8})()
- mock_imgui.begin_table.return_value = True
- mock_imgui.table_next_column = lambda: None
- mock_imgui.table_next_row = lambda: None
- mock_imgui.table_headers_row = lambda: None
- mock_imgui.text = lambda *a, **k: None
- mock_imgui.text_wrapped = lambda *a, **k: None
- mock_imgui.end_table = lambda: None
- mock_imgui.same_line = lambda: None
- mock_imgui.spacing = lambda: None
- mock_imgui.indent = lambda *a: None
- mock_imgui.unindent = lambda *a: None
+ mock_imgui.Col_ = type("C", (), {"text": 0, "text_disabled": 1, "frame_bg": 2,
+  "button": 3, "button_hovered": 4, "button_active": 5})()
+ mock_imgui.begin_table = MagicMock(return_value=True)
+ mock_imgui.end_table = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.table_setup_column = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.table_next_row = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.table_next_column = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.text = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.text_wrapped = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.bullet = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.same_line = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.new_line = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.indent = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.unindent = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.spacing = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.separator = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.push_style_color = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.pop_style_color = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.push_font = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.pop_font = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.small_button = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.get_style = MagicMock(return_value=MagicMock(
+  colors={i: MagicMock(x=1, y=1, z=1, w=1) for i in range(6)}
+ ))
+ mock_imgui.get_io = MagicMock(return_value=MagicMock(fonts=MagicMock(fonts=[None])))
+ mock_imgui.calc_text_size = MagicMock(return_value=MagicMock(x=50, y=20))
+ mock_imgui.get_item_rect_min = MagicMock(return_value=MagicMock(x=0, y=0))
+ mock_imgui.get_window_draw_list = MagicMock(return_value=MagicMock(
+  add_line=MagicMock()
+ ))
+ mock_imgui.is_item_hovered = MagicMock(return_value=False)
+ mock_imgui.is_mouse_released = MagicMock(return_value=False)
+ mock_imgui.get_text_line_height = MagicMock(return_value=20.0)
+ mock_imgui.ImVec2 = lambda *a: MagicMock(x=a[0] if a else 0, y=a[1] if len(a) > 1 else 0)
 
-def test_render_calls_imgui_md_render_for_bullet_chunks():
+
+def test_render_passes_bullet_chunks_to_python_renderer():
  md = "- one\n- two\n- three\n"
- with patch("src.markdown_helper.imgui_md") as mock_md, \
-      patch("src.markdown_helper.imgui") as mock_imgui, \
-      patch("src.markdown_table.imgui") as mock_table_imgui:
-  _mock_table(mock_table_imgui)
-  mock_md.render = MagicMock()
-  mock_imgui.spacing = MagicMock()
+ with patch("src.md_renderer_py.imgui") as mock_imgui:
+  _mock_imgui(mock_imgui)
   MarkdownRenderer().render(md, context_id="bullets")
-  assert mock_md.render.call_count == 1, f"expected 1 imgui_md.render call (full chunk passed through), got {mock_md.render.call_count}"
-  assert mock_imgui.spacing.call_count >= 1, "imgui.spacing must be called to force vertical gap between chunks"
+  assert mock_imgui.bullet.call_count == 3, f"expected 3 bullets, got {mock_imgui.bullet.call_count}"
+  assert mock_imgui.text_wrapped.called
 
-def test_render_does_not_strip_bullet_prefix_from_markdown():
- md = "- one\n- two\n"
- with patch("src.markdown_helper.imgui_md") as mock_md, \
-      patch("src.markdown_helper.imgui") as mock_imgui, \
-      patch("src.markdown_table.imgui") as mock_table_imgui:
-  _mock_table(mock_table_imgui)
-  mock_md.render = MagicMock()
-  mock_imgui.spacing = MagicMock()
+def test_render_passes_dash_and_asterisk_bullets_uniformly():
+ md = "- dash\n* asterisk\n+ plus\n"
+ with patch("src.md_renderer_py.imgui") as mock_imgui:
+  _mock_imgui(mock_imgui)
   MarkdownRenderer().render(md, context_id="bullets")
-  args, _ = mock_md.render.call_args
-  rendered_text = args[0]
-  assert "- one" in rendered_text, f"bullet prefix must NOT be stripped (regression: was double-rendering as bullet + imgui_md numbered list), got {rendered_text!r}"
-  assert "- two" in rendered_text
+  assert mock_imgui.bullet.call_count == 3, f"all 3 markers should render as bullets (no upstream '*' Y-overlap bug), got {mock_imgui.bullet.call_count}"
 
-def test_render_passes_numbered_list_intact_to_imgui_md():
+def test_render_passes_numbered_list_intact():
  md = "1. First question\n2. Second question\n"
- with patch("src.markdown_helper.imgui_md") as mock_md, \
-      patch("src.markdown_helper.imgui") as mock_imgui, \
-      patch("src.markdown_table.imgui") as mock_table_imgui:
-  _mock_table(mock_table_imgui)
-  mock_md.render = MagicMock()
-  mock_imgui.spacing = MagicMock()
+ with patch("src.md_renderer_py.imgui") as mock_imgui:
+  _mock_imgui(mock_imgui)
   MarkdownRenderer().render(md, context_id="numbered")
-  assert mock_md.render.call_count == 1
-  args, _ = mock_md.render.call_args
-  rendered_text = args[0]
-  assert "1. First question" in rendered_text
-  assert "2. Second question" in rendered_text
-  assert not mock_imgui.bullet.called, "no manual imgui.bullet should be added — let imgui_md handle list rendering"
+  text_args = [str(c) for c in mock_imgui.text.call_args_list]
+  assert any("1." in s for s in text_args), f"expected '1.' in numbered list, got {text_args!r}"
+  assert any("2." in s for s in text_args), f"expected '2.' in numbered list, got {text_args!r}"
 
-def test_normalize_nested_list_endings_inserts_blank_after_nested_item():
- r = MarkdownRenderer()
- text = "- top\n  - nested last\nnext paragraph\n"
- out = r._normalize_nested_list_endings(text)
- assert "  - nested last\n\nnext paragraph" in out, f"expected blank line between nested list item and less-indented next line, got {out!r}"
+def test_render_explicit_newline_between_list_paragraphs_fixes_overlap():
+ md = "- bullet text (long enough to wrap maybe)\n\n  continuation paragraph after a blank line"
+ with patch("src.md_renderer_py.imgui") as mock_imgui:
+  _mock_imgui(mock_imgui)
+  MarkdownRenderer().render(md, context_id="cont")
+  assert mock_imgui.new_line.call_count >= 3, (
+   f"expected at least 3 new_line calls (before bullet, between paragraphs, after list), "
+   f"got {mock_imgui.new_line.call_count}. The pure-Python renderer MUST emit explicit "
+   f"newlines to avoid the imgui-md C++ BLOCK_P no-NewLine-inside-list bug."
+  )
 
-def test_normalize_nested_list_endings_does_not_insert_blank_for_top_level_list():
+def test_render_handles_empty_input():
  r = MarkdownRenderer()
- text = "- one\n- two\n- three\nnext paragraph\n"
- out = r._normalize_nested_list_endings(text)
- assert out == text, f"top-level list ending should not trigger blank line insertion, got {out!r}"
+ r.render("")
 
-def test_normalize_nested_list_endings_does_not_double_blank():
- r = MarkdownRenderer()
- text = "- a\n  - b\n\nalready blank\n"
- out = r._normalize_nested_list_endings(text)
- assert out == text, f"already-blank separator should not get doubled, got {out!r}"
+def test_render_handles_nested_lists():
+ md = "- outer\n  - inner1\n  - inner2\n- outer2"
+ with patch("src.md_renderer_py.imgui") as mock_imgui:
+  _mock_imgui(mock_imgui)
+  MarkdownRenderer().render(md, context_id="nested")
+  assert mock_imgui.bullet.call_count == 4, f"expected 4 bullets (1 outer + 2 inner + 1 outer2), got {mock_imgui.bullet.call_count}"
 
-def test_normalize_bullet_delimiters_still_converts_asterisk():
- r = MarkdownRenderer()
- text = "- one\n* two\n+ three\n"
- out = r._normalize_bullet_delimiters(text)
- assert "- one" in out
- assert "- two" in out and "* two" not in out, f"* must be converted to -, got {out!r}"
- assert "+ three" in out, f"+ must be left alone, got {out!r}"
- assert "+ three" in out, f"+ must be left alone, got {out!r}"
+def test_render_handles_emphasis_inline():
+ md = "This is *emphasized* text."
+ with patch("src.md_renderer_py.imgui") as mock_imgui:
+  _mock_imgui(mock_imgui)
+  MarkdownRenderer().render(md, context_id="em")
+  assert mock_imgui.push_style_color.called, "em should push style color"
+  assert mock_imgui.pop_style_color.called
 
-def test_normalize_list_continuations_strips_blank_between_bullet_and_indented_continuation():
- r = MarkdownRenderer()
- text = "- bullet text\n\n   continuation paragraph\n\nnext paragraph\n"
- out = r._normalize_list_continuations(text)
- assert "   continuation paragraph" in out
- assert "- bullet text\n   continuation paragraph" in out, f"blank between bullet and indented continuation must be stripped (workaround for imgui_md BLOCK_P no-NewLine-inside-list bug), got {out!r}"
- assert "next paragraph" in out
+def test_render_handles_strong_inline():
+ md = "This is **strong** text."
+ with patch("src.md_renderer_py.imgui") as mock_imgui:
+  _mock_imgui(mock_imgui)
+  MarkdownRenderer().render(md, context_id="strong")
+  assert mock_imgui.push_style_color.called
 
-def test_normalize_list_continuations_preserves_blank_between_indented_and_next_paragraph():
- r = MarkdownRenderer()
- text = "- bullet\n   cont\n\nnext\n"
- out = r._normalize_list_continuations(text)
- assert "- bullet\n   cont\n\nnext\n" == out, f"blank between continuation and next paragraph must be preserved (it ends the list item), got {out!r}"
+def test_render_handles_inline_code():
+ md = "Use `foo()` inline."
+ with patch("src.md_renderer_py.imgui") as mock_imgui:
+  _mock_imgui(mock_imgui)
+  MarkdownRenderer().render(md, context_id="code")
+  assert mock_imgui.small_button.called, "inline code should use small_button"
 
-def test_normalize_list_continuations_leaves_simple_list_alone():
- r = MarkdownRenderer()
- text = "- one\n- two\n- three\n"
- out = r._normalize_list_continuations(text)
- assert out == text, f"simple list with no continuations should be unchanged, got {out!r}"
+def test_render_handles_table():
+ md = "| A | B |\n|---|---|\n| 1 | 2 |"
+ with patch("src.md_renderer_py.imgui") as mock_imgui:
+  _mock_imgui(mock_imgui)
+  MarkdownRenderer().render(md, context_id="table")
+  assert mock_imgui.begin_table.called
+  assert mock_imgui.end_table.called
+  assert mock_imgui.table_setup_column.call_count == 2
+
+def test_render_handles_link():
+ md = "Click [here](https://example.com)."
+ with patch("src.md_renderer_py.imgui") as mock_imgui:
+  _mock_imgui(mock_imgui)
+  MarkdownRenderer().render(md, context_id="link")
+  assert mock_imgui.text_wrapped.called
+  assert mock_imgui.push_style_color.called
+
+def test_render_unindented_strips_common_indent():
+ md = "   - a\n   - b\n   - c"
+ with patch("src.md_renderer_py.imgui") as mock_imgui:
+  _mock_imgui(mock_imgui)
+  MarkdownRenderer().render_unindented(md)
+  assert mock_imgui.bullet.call_count == 3, f"expected 3 bullets after unindenting, got {mock_imgui.bullet.call_count}"
+
+def test_render_does_not_use_imgui_md_anymore():
+ md = "# heading\n\n- item 1\n- item 2\n\nplain prose"
+ with patch("src.md_renderer_py.imgui") as mock_imgui, \
+      patch("src.markdown_helper.imgui_md") as mock_md:
+  _mock_imgui(mock_imgui)
+  MarkdownRenderer().render(md, context_id="all")
+  assert mock_md.render.call_count == 0, (
+   "imgui_md.render must NOT be called — the new design uses src.md_renderer_py "
+   "to avoid the C++ imgui-md BLOCK_P no-NewLine-inside-list bug and BLOCK_LI "
+   "asteroid-Y-overlap bug"
+  )
diff --git a/tests/test_markdown_render_robust.py b/tests/test_markdown_render_robust.py
index b6df6072..63fb0030 100644
--- a/tests/test_markdown_render_robust.py
+++ b/tests/test_markdown_render_robust.py
@@ -1,17 +1,48 @@
-from unittest.mock import patch
+from unittest.mock import patch, MagicMock
 from src.markdown_helper import MarkdownRenderer
 from src.markdown_table import parse_tables
 
-def _mock_table_calls(mock_imgui):
- mock_imgui.TableFlags_ = type("T", (), {"borders": 1, "row_bg": 2, "resizable": 4})()
- mock_imgui.begin_table.return_value = True
- mock_imgui.table_next_column = lambda: None
- mock_imgui.table_next_row = lambda: None
- mock_imgui.table_headers_row = lambda: None
- mock_imgui.text = lambda *a, **k: None
- mock_imgui.end_table = lambda: None
 
-def test_tables_in_crlf_text_all_get_masked():
+def _mock_imgui(mock_imgui):
+ mock_imgui.TableFlags_ = type("T", (), {"borders": 1, "row_bg": 2, "resizable": 4})()
+ mock_imgui.TableColumnFlags_ = type("C", (), {"width_stretch": 8})()
+ mock_imgui.Col_ = type("C", (), {"text": 0, "text_disabled": 1, "frame_bg": 2,
+  "button": 3, "button_hovered": 4, "button_active": 5})()
+ mock_imgui.begin_table = MagicMock(return_value=True)
+ mock_imgui.end_table = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.table_setup_column = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.table_next_row = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.table_next_column = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.text = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.text_wrapped = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.bullet = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.same_line = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.new_line = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.indent = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.unindent = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.spacing = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.separator = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.push_style_color = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.pop_style_color = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.push_font = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.pop_font = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.small_button = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.get_style = MagicMock(return_value=MagicMock(
+  colors={i: MagicMock(x=1, y=1, z=1, w=1) for i in range(6)}
+ ))
+ mock_imgui.get_io = MagicMock(return_value=MagicMock(fonts=MagicMock(fonts=[None])))
+ mock_imgui.calc_text_size = MagicMock(return_value=MagicMock(x=50, y=20))
+ mock_imgui.get_item_rect_min = MagicMock(return_value=MagicMock(x=0, y=0))
+ mock_imgui.get_window_draw_list = MagicMock(return_value=MagicMock(
+  add_line=MagicMock()
+ ))
+ mock_imgui.is_item_hovered = MagicMock(return_value=False)
+ mock_imgui.is_mouse_released = MagicMock(return_value=False)
+ mock_imgui.get_text_line_height = MagicMock(return_value=20.0)
+ mock_imgui.ImVec2 = lambda *a: MagicMock(x=a[0] if a else 0, y=a[1] if len(a) > 1 else 0)
+
+
+def test_tables_in_crlf_text_are_handled_by_python_renderer():
  text = (
   "# Title\r\n"
   "\r\n"
@@ -27,14 +58,15 @@ def test_tables_in_crlf_text_all_get_masked():
  )
  blocks = parse_tables(text)
  assert len(blocks) == 2
- with patch("src.markdown_helper.imgui_md") as mock_md, patch("src.markdown_helper.imgui") as mock_imgui, patch("src.markdown_table.imgui") as mock_table_imgui:
-  _mock_table_calls(mock_table_imgui)
+ with patch("src.md_renderer_py.imgui") as mock_imgui, \
+      patch("src.markdown_helper.imgui_md") as mock_md:
+  _mock_imgui(mock_imgui)
   MarkdownRenderer().render(text, context_id="t")
-  full = "".join(str(c) for c in mock_md.render.call_args_list)
-  for needle in ["| A | B |", "|---|", "| 1 | 2 |", "| X | Y |", "| 3 | 4 |"]:
-   assert needle not in full, f"Raw table text leaked to imgui_md: {needle!r} in calls: {full!r}"
+  assert mock_md.render.call_count == 0, "imgui_md.render must NOT be called — the new design uses the pure-Python renderer"
+  assert mock_imgui.begin_table.call_count >= 2, f"expected at least 2 begin_table calls (one per table), got {mock_imgui.begin_table.call_count}"
+  assert mock_imgui.text_wrapped.called, "body text should still render via text_wrapped"
 
-def test_duplicate_table_content_both_get_replaced():
+def test_duplicate_table_content_both_get_handled():
  text = (
   "| A | B |\r\n"
   "|---|---|\r\n"
@@ -48,9 +80,9 @@ def test_duplicate_table_content_both_get_replaced():
  )
  blocks = parse_tables(text)
  assert len(blocks) == 2
- with patch("src.markdown_helper.imgui_md") as mock_md, patch("src.markdown_helper.imgui") as mock_imgui, patch("src.markdown_table.imgui") as mock_table_imgui:
-  _mock_table_calls(mock_table_imgui)
+ with patch("src.md_renderer_py.imgui") as mock_imgui, \
+      patch("src.markdown_helper.imgui_md") as mock_md:
+  _mock_imgui(mock_imgui)
   MarkdownRenderer().render(text, context_id="dup")
-  full = "".join(str(c) for c in mock_md.render.call_args_list)
-  assert "| A | B |" not in full, f"Raw table text leaked on duplicate: {full!r}"
-
+  assert mock_md.render.call_count == 0
+  assert mock_imgui.begin_table.call_count >= 2, f"expected 2 begin_table calls, got {mock_imgui.begin_table.call_count}"
diff --git a/tests/test_md_renderer_py.py b/tests/test_md_renderer_py.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..70e19afd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_md_renderer_py.py
@@ -0,0 +1,190 @@
+from unittest.mock import patch, MagicMock
+from src.md_renderer_py import MarkdownRenderer, MdOptions
+
+
+def _mock_imgui(mock_imgui):
+ mock_imgui.TableFlags_ = type("T", (), {"borders": 1, "row_bg": 2, "resizable": 4})()
+ mock_imgui.TableColumnFlags_ = type("C", (), {"width_stretch": 8})()
+ mock_imgui.Col_ = type("C", (), {
+  "text": 0, "text_disabled": 1, "frame_bg": 2, "button": 3,
+  "button_hovered": 4, "button_active": 5,
+ })()
+ mock_imgui.begin_table = MagicMock(return_value=True)
+ mock_imgui.end_table = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.table_setup_column = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.table_next_row = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.table_next_column = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.text = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.text_wrapped = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.bullet = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.same_line = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.new_line = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.indent = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.unindent = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.spacing = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.separator = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.push_style_color = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.pop_style_color = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.push_font = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.pop_font = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.small_button = MagicMock()
+ mock_imgui.get_style = MagicMock(return_value=MagicMock(
+  colors={
+   0: MagicMock(x=1, y=1, z=1, w=1),
+   1: MagicMock(x=0.5, y=0.5, z=0.5, w=1),
+   2: MagicMock(x=0.1, y=0.1, z=0.1, w=1),
+   3: MagicMock(x=0.3, y=0.5, z=1.0, w=1),
+   4: MagicMock(x=0.4, y=0.6, z=1.0, w=1),
+   5: MagicMock(x=0.5, y=0.7, z=1.0, w=1),
+  }
+ ))
+ mock_imgui.get_io = MagicMock(return_value=MagicMock(fonts=MagicMock(fonts=[None])))
+ mock_imgui.calc_text_size = MagicMock(return_value=MagicMock(x=50, y=20))
+ mock_imgui.get_item_rect_min = MagicMock(return_value=MagicMock(x=0, y=0))
+ mock_imgui.get_window_draw_list = MagicMock(return_value=MagicMock(
+  add_line=MagicMock()
+ ))
+ mock_imgui.is_item_hovered = MagicMock(return_value=False)
+ mock_imgui.is_mouse_released = MagicMock(return_value=False)
+ return mock_imgui
+
+
+def test_renderer_parses_simple_paragraph():
+ r = MarkdownRenderer()
+ with patch("src.md_renderer_py.imgui") as mock_imgui:
+  _mock_imgui(mock_imgui)
+  r.render("Hello, world.")
+  assert mock_imgui.text_wrapped.called
+
+def test_renderer_renders_h1_with_separator():
+ r = MarkdownRenderer()
+ with patch("src.md_renderer_py.imgui") as mock_imgui:
+  _mock_imgui(mock_imgui)
+  r.render("# Heading 1")
+  assert mock_imgui.push_font.called
+  assert mock_imgui.pop_font.called
+  assert mock_imgui.separator.called
+
+def test_renderer_renders_bullet_list_with_bullets():
+ r = MarkdownRenderer()
+ with patch("src.md_renderer_py.imgui") as mock_imgui:
+  _mock_imgui(mock_imgui)
+  r.render("- one\n- two\n- three")
+  assert mock_imgui.bullet.call_count == 3, f"expected 3 bullets, got {mock_imgui.bullet.call_count}"
+  assert mock_imgui.indent.call_count == 3
+  assert mock_imgui.unindent.call_count == 3
+
+def test_renderer_renders_ordered_list_with_numbers():
+ r = MarkdownRenderer()
+ with patch("src.md_renderer_py.imgui") as mock_imgui:
+  _mock_imgui(mock_imgui)
+  r.render("1. first\n2. second\n3. third")
+  assert mock_imgui.bullet.call_count == 0, "ordered list should not use bullets"
+  assert mock_imgui.text.called, "ordered list should render the number+delim text"
+  for call in mock_imgui.text.call_args_list:
+   args, _ = call
+   assert any(s in str(args[0]) for s in ["1.", "2.", "3."]), f"got {args[0]!r}"
+
+def test_renderer_renders_emphasis_with_dim_color():
+ r = MarkdownRenderer()
+ with patch("src.md_renderer_py.imgui") as mock_imgui:
+  _mock_imgui(mock_imgui)
+  r.render("This is *emphasized* text.")
+  assert mock_imgui.push_style_color.call_count >= 2, "em should push 2 style colors"
+  assert mock_imgui.pop_style_color.call_count >= 2, "em should pop 2 style colors"
+  assert mock_imgui.text_wrapped.called
+
+def test_renderer_renders_strong_with_bright_color():
+ r = MarkdownRenderer()
+ with patch("src.md_renderer_py.imgui") as mock_imgui:
+  _mock_imgui(mock_imgui)
+  r.render("This is **strong** text.")
+  assert mock_imgui.push_style_color.call_count >= 2, "strong should push 2 style colors"
+  assert mock_imgui.pop_style_color.call_count >= 2
+
+def test_renderer_renders_inline_code_with_button():
+ r = MarkdownRenderer()
+ with patch("src.md_renderer_py.imgui") as mock_imgui:
+  _mock_imgui(mock_imgui)
+  r.render("Use `code` inline.")
+  assert mock_imgui.small_button.called, "inline code should use small_button"
+  assert mock_imgui.same_line.called
+
+def test_renderer_renders_table_with_columns_and_rows():
+ r = MarkdownRenderer()
+ with patch("src.md_renderer_py.imgui") as mock_imgui:
+  _mock_imgui(mock_imgui)
+  md = "| A | B |\n|---|---|\n| 1 | 2 |\n| 3 | 4 |"
+  r.render(md)
+  assert mock_imgui.begin_table.called, "table should call begin_table"
+  assert mock_imgui.end_table.called, "table should call end_table"
+  assert mock_imgui.table_setup_column.call_count == 2, f"expected 2 columns, got {mock_imgui.table_setup_column.call_count}"
+  assert mock_imgui.table_next_row.call_count == 3, f"expected 3 rows (1 header + 2 body), got {mock_imgui.table_next_row.call_count}"
+
+def test_renderer_renders_link_with_underline():
+ r = MarkdownRenderer()
+ with patch("src.md_renderer_py.imgui") as mock_imgui:
+  _mock_imgui(mock_imgui)
+  r.render("Click [here](https://example.com).")
+  assert mock_imgui.push_style_color.called
+  assert mock_imgui.text_wrapped.called
+
+def test_renderer_link_callback_fires_on_click():
+ callback = MagicMock()
+ opts = MdOptions()
+ opts.callbacks.on_open_link = callback
+ r = MarkdownRenderer(opts)
+ with patch("src.md_renderer_py.imgui") as mock_imgui:
+  mock_imgui = _mock_imgui(mock_imgui)
+  mock_imgui.is_item_hovered = MagicMock(return_value=True)
+  mock_imgui.is_mouse_released = MagicMock(return_value=True)
+  r.render("[link](https://example.com)")
+  assert callback.called
+  args, _ = callback.call_args
+  assert "https://example.com" in args
+
+def test_renderer_renders_code_block_via_external_handler():
+ r = MarkdownRenderer()
+ handler = MagicMock()
+ r.set_external_code_block_handler(handler)
+ with patch("src.md_renderer_py.imgui") as mock_imgui:
+  _mock_imgui(mock_imgui)
+  r.render("```python\nprint('hi')\n```")
+  assert handler.called
+  args, _ = handler.call_args
+  assert args[0] == "print('hi')\n", f"expected code content, got {args[0]!r}"
+  assert args[1] == "python", f"expected lang, got {args[1]!r}"
+
+def test_renderer_explicit_newline_between_list_paragraphs():
+ r = MarkdownRenderer()
+ with patch("src.md_renderer_py.imgui") as mock_imgui:
+  _mock_imgui(mock_imgui)
+  r.render("- first\n\n  continuation paragraph")
+  assert mock_imgui.new_line.call_count >= 3, f"expected at least 3 new_lines (one before bullet, one between paragraphs, one after list), got {mock_imgui.new_line.call_count}"
+
+def test_renderer_handles_empty_input():
+ r = MarkdownRenderer()
+ r.render("")
+ r.render("   \n  \n")
+
+def test_renderer_handles_nested_lists():
+ r = MarkdownRenderer()
+ with patch("src.md_renderer_py.imgui") as mock_imgui:
+  _mock_imgui(mock_imgui)
+  r.render("- outer\n  - inner1\n  - inner2\n- outer2")
+  assert mock_imgui.bullet.call_count == 4, f"expected 4 bullets (1 outer + 2 inner + 1 outer2), got {mock_imgui.bullet.call_count}"
+  assert mock_imgui.unindent.call_count == 4
+
+def test_renderer_renders_horizontal_rule():
+ r = MarkdownRenderer()
+ with patch("src.md_renderer_py.imgui") as mock_imgui:
+  _mock_imgui(mock_imgui)
+  r.render("Above\n\n---\n\nBelow")
+  assert mock_imgui.separator.called
+
+def test_renderer_render_unindented_strips_common_indent():
+ r = MarkdownRenderer()
+ with patch("src.md_renderer_py.imgui") as mock_imgui:
+  _mock_imgui(mock_imgui)
+  r.render_unindented("   - a\n   - b\n   - c")
+  assert mock_imgui.bullet.call_count == 3