diff --git a/crates/nuwiki-core/src/ast/inline.rs b/crates/nuwiki-core/src/ast/inline.rs
index 2e082f2..6b37e52 100644
--- a/crates/nuwiki-core/src/ast/inline.rs
+++ b/crates/nuwiki-core/src/ast/inline.rs
@@ -17,6 +17,22 @@ pub enum Keyword {
     Stopped,
 }
 
+impl Keyword {
+    /// The literal source text of the keyword (e.g. `"TODO"`). Used both for
+    /// the rendered span and for anchor/id derivation via [`inline_text`].
+    pub fn label(self) -> &'static str {
+        match self {
+            Keyword::Todo => "TODO",
+            Keyword::Done => "DONE",
+            Keyword::Started => "STARTED",
+            Keyword::Fixme => "FIXME",
+            Keyword::Fixed => "FIXED",
+            Keyword::Xxx => "XXX",
+            Keyword::Stopped => "STOPPED",
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq)]
 pub enum InlineNode {
     Text(TextNode),
@@ -89,6 +105,7 @@ fn push_inline_text(inlines: &[InlineNode], out: &mut String) {
             InlineNode::Superscript(s) => push_inline_text(&s.children, out),
             InlineNode::Subscript(s) => push_inline_text(&s.children, out),
             InlineNode::Color(c) => push_inline_text(&c.children, out),
+            InlineNode::Keyword(k) => out.push_str(k.keyword.label()),
             InlineNode::WikiLink(w) => match &w.description {
                 Some(d) => push_inline_text(d, out),
                 None => {
diff --git a/crates/nuwiki-core/src/render/html.rs b/crates/nuwiki-core/src/render/html.rs
index cbb628c..c21d511 100644
--- a/crates/nuwiki-core/src/render/html.rs
+++ b/crates/nuwiki-core/src/render/html.rs
@@ -352,6 +352,11 @@ impl HtmlRenderer {
     ) -> io::Result<()> {
         let level = n.level.clamp(1, 6);
         let anchor = crate::ast::inline_text(&n.children);
+        // Inside a heading, render TODO/DONE/… as plain text rather than a
+        // keyword badge — a section title that *is* a keyword (`== TODO ==`)
+        // should look like a header, not an inline tag. (The keyword text is
+        // still part of `anchor` above, so the id stays correct.)
+        let body = flatten_keywords(&n.children);
 
         // The TOC section heading (vimwiki `toc_header`) is wrapped in a
         // `<div class="toc">`, matching upstream so vimwiki's `.toc { … }`
@@ -365,7 +370,7 @@ impl HtmlRenderer {
             if !number.is_empty() {
                 write_escaped(number, w)?;
             }
-            self.render_inlines(&n.children, w)?;
+            self.render_inlines(&body, w)?;
             write!(w, "</h{level}></div>")?;
             return writeln!(w);
         }
@@ -378,7 +383,7 @@ impl HtmlRenderer {
             if !number.is_empty() {
                 write_escaped(number, w)?;
             }
-            self.render_inlines(&n.children, w)?;
+            self.render_inlines(&body, w)?;
             write!(w, "</h{level}>")?;
             return writeln!(w);
         }
@@ -398,7 +403,7 @@ impl HtmlRenderer {
         if !number.is_empty() {
             write_escaped(number, w)?;
         }
-        self.render_inlines(&n.children, w)?;
+        self.render_inlines(&body, w)?;
         write!(w, "</a></h{level}></div>")?;
         writeln!(w)
     }
@@ -753,16 +758,16 @@ impl HtmlRenderer {
         // One class per keyword so stylesheets can colour them independently
         // (e.g. red TODO/FIXME/XXX vs green DONE/FIXED/STARTED). TODO keeps the
         // vimwiki `todo` class so stock vimwiki CSS still styles it.
-        let (label, class) = match n.keyword {
-            Keyword::Todo => ("TODO", "todo"),
-            Keyword::Done => ("DONE", "done"),
-            Keyword::Started => ("STARTED", "started"),
-            Keyword::Fixme => ("FIXME", "fixme"),
-            Keyword::Fixed => ("FIXED", "fixed"),
-            Keyword::Xxx => ("XXX", "xxx"),
-            Keyword::Stopped => ("STOPPED", "stopped"),
+        let class = match n.keyword {
+            Keyword::Todo => "todo",
+            Keyword::Done => "done",
+            Keyword::Started => "started",
+            Keyword::Fixme => "fixme",
+            Keyword::Fixed => "fixed",
+            Keyword::Xxx => "xxx",
+            Keyword::Stopped => "stopped",
         };
-        write!(w, "<span class=\"{class}\">{label}</span>")
+        write!(w, "<span class=\"{class}\">{}</span>", n.keyword.label())
     }
 
     fn render_color(&self, n: &ColorNode, w: &mut dyn Write) -> io::Result<()> {
@@ -939,6 +944,51 @@ fn table_spans(table: &TableNode) -> Vec<Vec<CellLayout>> {
 /// wiki pages become `path.html`; interwiki links land in sibling
 /// directories; diary entries land under `diary/`; file/local schemes
 /// use their literal path; anchor-only links collapse to a fragment.
+/// Return a copy of `nodes` with every `Keyword` replaced by its literal text.
+/// Used for heading content so a keyword in a title renders as plain text (with
+/// the heading's own styling) rather than as an inline keyword badge.
+fn flatten_keywords(nodes: &[InlineNode]) -> Vec<InlineNode> {
+    nodes
+        .iter()
+        .map(|n| match n {
+            InlineNode::Keyword(k) => InlineNode::Text(TextNode {
+                span: k.span,
+                content: k.keyword.label().to_string(),
+            }),
+            InlineNode::Bold(b) => InlineNode::Bold(BoldNode {
+                span: b.span,
+                children: flatten_keywords(&b.children),
+            }),
+            InlineNode::Italic(i) => InlineNode::Italic(ItalicNode {
+                span: i.span,
+                children: flatten_keywords(&i.children),
+            }),
+            InlineNode::BoldItalic(b) => InlineNode::BoldItalic(BoldItalicNode {
+                span: b.span,
+                children: flatten_keywords(&b.children),
+            }),
+            InlineNode::Strikethrough(s) => InlineNode::Strikethrough(StrikethroughNode {
+                span: s.span,
+                children: flatten_keywords(&s.children),
+            }),
+            InlineNode::Superscript(s) => InlineNode::Superscript(SuperscriptNode {
+                span: s.span,
+                children: flatten_keywords(&s.children),
+            }),
+            InlineNode::Subscript(s) => InlineNode::Subscript(SubscriptNode {
+                span: s.span,
+                children: flatten_keywords(&s.children),
+            }),
+            InlineNode::Color(c) => InlineNode::Color(ColorNode {
+                span: c.span,
+                color: c.color.clone(),
+                children: flatten_keywords(&c.children),
+            }),
+            other => other.clone(),
+        })
+        .collect()
+}
+
 pub fn default_link_resolver(target: &LinkTarget) -> String {
     if matches!(target.kind, LinkKind::AnchorOnly) {
         return match &target.anchor {
diff --git a/crates/nuwiki-core/src/syntax/vimwiki/lexer.rs b/crates/nuwiki-core/src/syntax/vimwiki/lexer.rs
index e0a6aa5..12ba237 100644
--- a/crates/nuwiki-core/src/syntax/vimwiki/lexer.rs
+++ b/crates/nuwiki-core/src/syntax/vimwiki/lexer.rs
@@ -875,8 +875,10 @@ impl<'src> LexState<'src> {
                 flush(self, &mut buf, &mut buf_start, abs_col);
                 self.emit(VimwikiTokenKind::WikiLinkOpen, abs_col, abs_col + 2);
                 i += 2;
-                // Lex until `]]` (absolute index into `slice`).
-                let close_abs_in_slice = after_open.find("]]").map(|c| i + c);
+                // Lex until the closing `]]`. A single `]` inside the body —
+                // e.g. a `[TICKET-1]` in the description — is literal text, so
+                // we balance inner `[ ]` rather than stopping at the first `]]`.
+                let close_abs_in_slice = find_wikilink_close(after_open).map(|c| i + c);
                 let inner_end = close_abs_in_slice.unwrap_or(slice.len());
                 self.lex_link_body(slice, i, line_col_start, inner_end, true);
                 i = inner_end;
@@ -1062,6 +1064,27 @@ impl<'src> LexState<'src> {
 /// Parse the bit after `{{{` on a fence line. Format is forgiving:
 /// `lang` (single word) followed by optional `key=value` pairs separated
 /// by spaces.
+/// Byte offset of the closing `]]` for a wikilink body that begins at the start
+/// of `s` (just after the opening `[[`). Inner `[ ]` pairs are balanced so a
+/// bracketed description like `[[page|Task [B-1]]]` keeps the `[B-1]` and closes
+/// at the final `]]`. A stray single `]` (no matching `[`) is treated as literal
+/// body text. Returns `None` if no closing `]]` is found.
+fn find_wikilink_close(s: &str) -> Option<usize> {
+    let b = s.as_bytes();
+    let mut depth: u32 = 0;
+    let mut i = 0;
+    while i < b.len() {
+        match b[i] {
+            b'[' => depth += 1,
+            b']' if depth > 0 => depth -= 1, // closes an inner '['
+            b']' if i + 1 < b.len() && b[i + 1] == b']' => return Some(i),
+            _ => {}
+        }
+        i += 1;
+    }
+    None
+}
+
 fn parse_fence_attrs(s: &str) -> (Option<String>, HashMap<String, String>) {
     let mut attrs = HashMap::new();
     let mut language: Option<String> = None;
diff --git a/crates/nuwiki-core/tests/html_renderer.rs b/crates/nuwiki-core/tests/html_renderer.rs
index 915742e..7ab0598 100644
--- a/crates/nuwiki-core/tests/html_renderer.rs
+++ b/crates/nuwiki-core/tests/html_renderer.rs
@@ -77,6 +77,43 @@ fn centered_heading_gets_centered_class() {
     assert!(out.contains("<h1 class=\"centered\" id=\"T\">T</h1>"));
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn heading_keyword_renders_as_plain_text_not_badge() {
+    // `== TODO ==` is a section title, not an inline keyword: it must render as
+    // a normal header (with a correct, non-empty id), not a `<span class="todo">`
+    // badge. Regression for the exported header losing its header styling + id.
+    let out = render("== TODO ==\n");
+    assert!(
+        out.contains(
+            "<div id=\"TODO\"><h2 id=\"TODO\" class=\"header\">\
+             <a href=\"#TODO\">TODO</a></h2></div>"
+        ),
+        "got: {out}"
+    );
+    assert!(!out.contains("class=\"todo\""), "no keyword badge: {out}");
+
+    // A keyword mid-title keeps its text in the id (no dropped word / double
+    // space) and still renders plainly.
+    let out2 = render("= My TODO list =\n");
+    assert!(out2.contains("id=\"My TODO list\""), "got: {out2}");
+    assert!(!out2.contains("class=\"todo\""), "got: {out2}");
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn wikilink_description_keeps_inner_brackets() {
+    // A `]` inside a wikilink description (e.g. a `[TICKET-1]`) must not close
+    // the link early. Regression for descriptions with brackets being mangled.
+    let out = render("[[page|Task [B-1]]]\n");
+    assert!(
+        out.contains("<a href=\"page.html\">Task [B-1]</a>"),
+        "got: {out}"
+    );
+    // Two bracketed links on one line both resolve.
+    let out2 = render("[[a|X [1]]] and [[b|Y [2]]]\n");
+    assert!(out2.contains("<a href=\"a.html\">X [1]</a>"), "got: {out2}");
+    assert!(out2.contains("<a href=\"b.html\">Y [2]</a>"), "got: {out2}");
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn paragraph_wraps_inline_content() {
     let out = render("Hello world\n");