diff --git a/llm.cpp b/llm.cpp
index fd56deb..ea2e785 100644
--- a/llm.cpp
+++ b/llm.cpp
@@ -258,7 +258,10 @@ static void stream_handle_data(StreamCtx *sc, const std::string &data) {
       if (nl == std::string::npos) break;
       std::string cur = sc->line_buf.substr(0, nl);
       sc->line_buf.erase(0, nl + 1);
-      if (!sc->md.in_code && !is_table_line(cur)) {
+      /* Inside a code block every line is rendered verbatim as code; only
+       * outside a code block do table-shaped lines get accumulated for
+       * box-drawing table rendering. */
+      if (sc->md.in_code || !is_table_line(cur)) {
         flush_tbl(sc);
         render_md_line_print(cur, sc->md);
       } else {
diff --git a/render.cpp b/render.cpp
index d8cab80..8e393dc 100644
--- a/render.cpp
+++ b/render.cpp
@@ -29,6 +29,22 @@ static bool is_table_sep(const std::vector<std::string> &cells) {
   }
   return true;
 }
+/* A run of lines only counts as a table when it contains a real delimiter
+ * row (a separator made of '-'/':' columns) and at least one data row. Without
+ * this, ordinary lists (or prose that merely contains '|') whose items happen
+ * to start or end with '|' would be mis-rendered as box-drawing tables. */
+static std::vector<std::string> parse_table_cells(std::string_view line);
+static bool looks_like_table(const std::vector<std::string> &lines) {
+  if (lines.size() < 2) return false;
+  bool has_sep = false, has_row = false;
+  for (auto &line : lines) {
+    std::vector<std::string> cells = parse_table_cells(line);
+    if (is_table_sep(cells)) has_sep = true;
+    else has_row = true;
+  }
+  return has_sep && has_row;
+}
+
 static std::vector<std::string> parse_table_cells(std::string_view line) {
   std::string_view t = line;
   while (!t.empty() && (t.front() == ' ' || t.front() == '\t')) t.remove_prefix(1);
@@ -350,6 +366,13 @@ static void print_row(int num_cols, const std::vector<int> &col_widths,
 
 void render_table_print(const std::vector<std::string> &lines) {
   if (lines.empty()) return;
+  /* Not an actual table (e.g. a list whose items merely contain '|'): render
+   * the lines as ordinary markdown instead of forcing a box-drawing table. */
+  if (!looks_like_table(lines)) {
+    MdState st;
+    for (auto &ln : lines) render_md_line_print(ln, st);
+    return;
+  }
   std::vector<std::vector<std::string>> rows_cells;
   std::vector<std::string> header_cells;
   bool has_header = false;