diff --git a/crates/nuwiki-core/src/syntax/vimwiki/lexer.rs b/crates/nuwiki-core/src/syntax/vimwiki/lexer.rs
index 12ba237..2d4b1af 100644
--- a/crates/nuwiki-core/src/syntax/vimwiki/lexer.rs
+++ b/crates/nuwiki-core/src/syntax/vimwiki/lexer.rs
@@ -526,10 +526,9 @@ impl<'src> LexState<'src> {
         if level == 0 {
             return false;
         }
-        // Must be followed by at least one space.
-        if leading_ws + level >= bytes.len() || bytes[leading_ws + level] != b' ' {
-            return false;
-        }
+        // vimwiki accepts both spaced (`== H ==`) and spaceless (`==H==`)
+        // headings, so we don't require a space after the opening `=`s. The
+        // title is still trimmed of one optional space per side below.
 
         // Trailing `=`s of the same level.
         let trimmed_end = line.trim_end_matches([' ', '\t']);
diff --git a/crates/nuwiki-core/tests/html_renderer.rs b/crates/nuwiki-core/tests/html_renderer.rs
index 7ab0598..713728e 100644
--- a/crates/nuwiki-core/tests/html_renderer.rs
+++ b/crates/nuwiki-core/tests/html_renderer.rs
@@ -77,6 +77,27 @@ fn centered_heading_gets_centered_class() {
     assert!(out.contains("<h1 class=\"centered\" id=\"T\">T</h1>"));
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn spaceless_heading_renders_as_heading() {
+    // `==Heading==` (no surrounding spaces) is a heading, like vimwiki — not a
+    // literal `<p>==Heading==</p>`.
+    let out = render("==Plain==\n");
+    assert!(
+        out.contains(
+            "<div id=\"Plain\"><h2 id=\"Plain\" class=\"header\">\
+             <a href=\"#Plain\">Plain</a></h2></div>"
+        ),
+        "got: {out}"
+    );
+    // The spaceless + keyword combo from the report: a header, not a badge.
+    let out2 = render("==TODO==\n");
+    assert!(
+        out2.contains("<h2 id=\"TODO\" class=\"header\">"),
+        "got: {out2}"
+    );
+    assert!(!out2.contains("<p>"), "not a paragraph: {out2}");
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn heading_keyword_renders_as_plain_text_not_badge() {
     // `== TODO ==` is a section title, not an inline keyword: it must render as
diff --git a/crates/nuwiki-core/tests/lexer.rs b/crates/nuwiki-core/tests/lexer.rs
index 53a3fcb..b3aab42 100644
--- a/crates/nuwiki-core/tests/lexer.rs
+++ b/crates/nuwiki-core/tests/lexer.rs
@@ -85,6 +85,32 @@ fn centered_heading_is_marked_centered() {
     assert!(matches!(lexed[2], HeadingClose));
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn spaceless_heading_is_a_heading() {
+    // vimwiki accepts `==Heading==` with no spaces around the text.
+    let lexed = lex("==Plain==\n");
+    assert_eq!(
+        lexed,
+        vec![
+            HeadingOpen {
+                level: 2,
+                centered: false
+            },
+            text("Plain"),
+            HeadingClose,
+            Newline,
+        ]
+    );
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn marker_only_or_unbalanced_lines_are_not_headings() {
+    // No title between markers, and trailing `=` not at line end → plain text.
+    assert!(!matches!(lex("======\n")[0], HeadingOpen { .. }));
+    assert!(!matches!(lex("==> arrow\n")[0], HeadingOpen { .. }));
+    assert!(!matches!(lex("==a==b\n")[0], HeadingOpen { .. }));
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn heading_with_inline_bold() {
     let lexed = lex("== Hello *world* ==\n");