diff --git a/apps/server/src/core/ai-chat/tools/ai-chat-tools.service.ts b/apps/server/src/core/ai-chat/tools/ai-chat-tools.service.ts
index e2cca688..5e1d6cba 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/core/ai-chat/tools/ai-chat-tools.service.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/core/ai-chat/tools/ai-chat-tools.service.ts
@@ -632,8 +632,15 @@ export class AiChatToolsService {
       editPageText: tool({
         description:
           'Surgical find/replace inside a page\'s text, preserving all block ' +
-          'ids and marks. Each find must match exactly once unless replaceAll ' +
-          'is set. Reversible: the previous version is kept in page history.',
+          'ids and marks. A find MAY cross bold/italic/link boundaries; the ' +
+          'replacement inherits marks from the unchanged common prefix/suffix ' +
+          '(so editing plain text next to a bold word keeps it bold, and ' +
+          'editing inside a bold word keeps the new text bold). Each find must ' +
+          'match exactly once unless replaceAll is set. The batch applies what ' +
+          'it can and returns applied[] + failed[]; a fully-unmatched batch ' +
+          'writes nothing and errors. Examples: edits:[{find:"teh",replace:"the"}]; ' +
+          'edits:[{find:"Hello world",replace:"Hello there"}] (crosses a bold ' +
+          'boundary). Reversible: the previous version is kept in page history.',
         inputSchema: z.object({
           pageId: z.string().describe('The id of the page to edit.'),
           edits: z
@@ -657,8 +664,13 @@ export class AiChatToolsService {
       patchNode: tool({
         description:
           'Replace a single content block (by id) with a new ProseMirror ' +
-          'node; the replacement keeps the same nodeId. Reversible: the ' +
-          'previous version is kept in page history.',
+          'node; the replacement keeps the same nodeId. Example node: a ' +
+          'paragraph {"type":"paragraph","content":[{"type":"text","text":"Hello"}]} ' +
+          'or a heading {"type":"heading","attrs":{"level":2},"content":' +
+          '[{"type":"text","text":"Title"}]}. Bold is a mark: ' +
+          '{"type":"text","text":"x","marks":[{"type":"bold"}]}. The node arg ' +
+          'may be a JSON object or a JSON string (both accepted). Reversible: ' +
+          'the previous version is kept in page history.',
         inputSchema: z.object({
           pageId: z.string().describe('The id of the page.'),
           nodeId: z
@@ -666,20 +678,48 @@ export class AiChatToolsService {
             .describe('The block id to replace (from getOutline/getPageJson).'),
           node: z
             .any()
-            .describe('The replacement ProseMirror node object.'),
+            .describe(
+              'The replacement ProseMirror node, e.g. ' +
+                '{"type":"paragraph","content":[{"type":"text","text":"Hello"}]}. ' +
+                'JSON object or JSON string both accepted.',
+            ),
         }),
-        execute: async ({ pageId, nodeId, node }) =>
-          await client.patchNode(pageId, nodeId, node),
+        execute: async ({ pageId, nodeId, node }) => {
+          // Parity with the standalone MCP server (index.ts patch_node): the
+          // model sometimes serializes the node as a JSON string. Parse it
+          // before the client's typeof-object guard rejects it.
+          let parsedNode = node;
+          if (typeof node === 'string') {
+            try {
+              parsedNode = JSON.parse(node);
+            } catch {
+              throw new Error('node was a string but not valid JSON');
+            }
+          }
+          return await client.patchNode(pageId, nodeId, parsedNode);
+        },
       }),
 
       insertNode: tool({
         description:
           'Insert a ProseMirror node relative to an anchor, or append it at ' +
           'the top level. For before/after you MUST provide EXACTLY ONE of ' +
-          'anchorNodeId or anchorText. Reversible via page history.',
+          'anchorNodeId or anchorText. Example node: a paragraph ' +
+          '{"type":"paragraph","content":[{"type":"text","text":"Hello"}]} or a ' +
+          'heading {"type":"heading","attrs":{"level":2},"content":' +
+          '[{"type":"text","text":"Title"}]}. Bold is a mark: ' +
+          '{"type":"text","text":"x","marks":[{"type":"bold"}]}. The node arg ' +
+          'may be a JSON object or a JSON string (both accepted). Reversible ' +
+          'via page history.',
         inputSchema: z.object({
           pageId: z.string().describe('The id of the page.'),
-          node: z.any().describe('The ProseMirror node object to insert.'),
+          node: z
+            .any()
+            .describe(
+              'The ProseMirror node to insert, e.g. ' +
+                '{"type":"paragraph","content":[{"type":"text","text":"Hello"}]}. ' +
+                'JSON object or JSON string both accepted.',
+            ),
           position: z
             .enum(['before', 'after', 'append'])
             .describe('Where to insert relative to the anchor.'),
@@ -692,12 +732,30 @@ export class AiChatToolsService {
             .optional()
             .describe('Anchor text fragment (for before/after).'),
         }),
-        execute: async ({ pageId, node, position, anchorNodeId, anchorText }) =>
-          await client.insertNode(pageId, node, {
+        execute: async ({
+          pageId,
+          node,
+          position,
+          anchorNodeId,
+          anchorText,
+        }) => {
+          // Parity with the standalone MCP server (index.ts insert_node): the
+          // model sometimes serializes the node as a JSON string. Parse it
+          // before the client's typeof-object guard rejects it.
+          let parsedNode = node;
+          if (typeof node === 'string') {
+            try {
+              parsedNode = JSON.parse(node);
+            } catch {
+              throw new Error('node was a string but not valid JSON');
+            }
+          }
+          return await client.insertNode(pageId, parsedNode, {
             position,
             anchorNodeId,
             anchorText,
-          }),
+          });
+        },
       }),
 
       deleteNode: tool({
@@ -714,23 +772,43 @@ export class AiChatToolsService {
 
       updatePageJson: tool({
         description:
-          "Replace a page's body with a full ProseMirror document " +
-          "({type:'doc',content:[...]}) — a full overwrite — and/or update " +
-          'its title. Omit content for a title-only update. Reversible: the ' +
-          'previous version is kept in page history.',
+          "Replace a page's body with a full ProseMirror document — a full " +
+          'overwrite — and/or update its title. Minimal example content: ' +
+          '{"type":"doc","content":[{"type":"paragraph","content":' +
+          '[{"type":"text","text":"Hi"}]}]}. The content arg may be a JSON ' +
+          'object or a JSON string (both accepted). Omit content for a ' +
+          'title-only update. Reversible: the previous version is kept in page ' +
+          'history.',
         inputSchema: z.object({
           pageId: z.string().describe('The id of the page to update.'),
           content: z
             .any()
             .optional()
             .describe(
-              "Full ProseMirror doc {type:'doc',content:[...]}; omit for a " +
-                'title-only update.',
+              'Full ProseMirror doc {"type":"doc","content":[...]} (JSON ' +
+                'object or JSON string); omit for a title-only update.',
             ),
           title: z.string().optional().describe('Optional new title.'),
         }),
-        execute: async ({ pageId, content, title }) =>
-          await client.updatePageJson(pageId, content, title),
+        execute: async ({ pageId, content, title }) => {
+          // Parity with the standalone MCP server (index.ts update_page_json):
+          // undefined/null pass through as undefined (title-only / no-op); any
+          // string is JSON.parsed (so an empty string "" throws, matching the
+          // MCP server); an object is passed through unchanged.
+          let doc;
+          if (content === undefined || content === null) {
+            doc = undefined;
+          } else if (typeof content === 'string') {
+            try {
+              doc = JSON.parse(content);
+            } catch {
+              throw new Error('content was a string but not valid JSON');
+            }
+          } else {
+            doc = content;
+          }
+          return await client.updatePageJson(pageId, doc, title);
+        },
       }),
 
       tableInsertRow: tool({
diff --git a/packages/mcp/build/client.js b/packages/mcp/build/client.js
index fca067eb..ed4ab202 100644
--- a/packages/mcp/build/client.js
+++ b/packages/mcp/build/client.js
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ import { docmostExtensions } from "./lib/docmost-schema.js";
 import { serializeDocmostMarkdown, parseDocmostMarkdown, } from "./lib/markdown-document.js";
 import { replaceNodeById, deleteNodeById, insertNodeRelative, buildOutline, getNodeByRef, readTable, insertTableRow, deleteTableRow, updateTableCell, } from "./lib/node-ops.js";
 import { withPageLock } from "./lib/page-lock.js";
-import { applyTextEdits } from "./lib/json-edit.js";
+import { applyTextEdits, } from "./lib/json-edit.js";
 import { getCollabToken, performLogin } from "./lib/auth-utils.js";
 import { diffDocs } from "./lib/diff.js";
 import { blockText, walk, getList, insertMarkerAfter, setCalloutRange, noteItem, mdToInlineNodes, commentsToFootnotes, } from "./lib/transforms.js";
@@ -1111,18 +1111,59 @@ export class DocmostClient {
         const collabToken = await this.getCollabTokenWithReauth();
         // Apply the edits against the LIVE synced document, not the debounced REST
         // snapshot, so concurrent human edits/comments are preserved. applyTextEdits
-        // throws descriptive errors on zero/multiple matches — let them propagate.
+        // records per-edit match problems in `failed` instead of throwing, and
+        // applies whatever it can; we abort the write only when nothing applied.
         let results;
+        let failed;
+        // Whether we actually wrote new content. Set inside the transform: a
+        // degenerate edit (e.g. find === replace, or a batch that nets to no change)
+        // can "apply" yet leave the document byte-for-byte identical, in which case
+        // we must NOT write (no spurious history version) and must not claim a write
+        // happened.
+        let wrote = false;
         await mutatePageContent(pageId, collabToken, this.apiUrl, (liveDoc) => {
+            wrote = false;
             const r = applyTextEdits(liveDoc, edits);
             results = r.results;
+            failed = r.failed;
+            // Nothing applied -> abort the write (mutatePageContent treats a null
+            // return from the transform as "write nothing").
+            if (r.results.length === 0)
+                return null;
+            // Edits "applied" but produced an identical document: skip the write so no
+            // new history version is created. Stable structural comparison via
+            // JSON.stringify (both docs come from the same deep-copied source, so key
+            // order is stable).
+            if (JSON.stringify(r.doc) === JSON.stringify(liveDoc))
+                return null;
+            wrote = true;
             return r.doc;
         });
+        if ((results?.length ?? 0) === 0 && (failed?.length ?? 0) > 0) {
+            // No edit applied: surface an aggregated, actionable error so the caller
+            // does not mistake a no-op for a partial success.
+            throw new Error("edit_page_text: no edits were applied (nothing written). " +
+                failed.map((f) => `"${f.find}": ${f.reason}`).join("; "));
+        }
+        // Edits matched but produced no content change (identical document): report
+        // a successful no-op — NOT a failure — and do not falsely claim a write.
+        if (!wrote) {
+            return {
+                success: true,
+                pageId,
+                applied: results,
+                failed,
+                message: "No changes written (edits produced identical content).",
+            };
+        }
         return {
             success: true,
             pageId,
-            edits: results,
-            message: "Text edits applied (node ids and formatting preserved).",
+            applied: results,
+            failed,
+            message: (failed?.length ?? 0)
+                ? `Applied ${results?.length ?? 0} edit(s); ${failed.length} failed (see failed[]). Node ids and formatting preserved.`
+                : "Text edits applied (node ids and formatting preserved).",
         };
     }
     /**
diff --git a/packages/mcp/build/index.js b/packages/mcp/build/index.js
index 3b9c09d4..e8cdd1ee 100644
--- a/packages/mcp/build/index.js
+++ b/packages/mcp/build/index.js
@@ -217,15 +217,19 @@ export function createDocmostMcpServer(config) {
             "(lossless write: preserves the block ids, callouts, tables and " +
             "attributes you pass in). Typical flow: get_page_json -> modify the " +
             "JSON -> update_page_json. Keep existing node ids intact so heading " +
-            "anchors and history stay stable. `content` is OPTIONAL: omit it to " +
-            "update only the title (though prefer rename_page for a title-only " +
-            "change). Supplying neither content nor title is an error.",
+            "anchors and history stay stable. Minimal full-doc example: " +
+            '{"type":"doc","content":[{"type":"paragraph","content":' +
+            '[{"type":"text","text":"Hi"}]}]}. `content` may be a JSON object or a ' +
+            "JSON string (both accepted), and is OPTIONAL: omit it to update only " +
+            "the title (though prefer rename_page for a title-only change). " +
+            "Supplying neither content nor title is an error.",
         inputSchema: {
             pageId: z.string().min(1).describe("ID of the page to update"),
             content: z
                 .any()
                 .optional()
-                .describe('ProseMirror document: {"type":"doc","content":[...]}. Omit to rename only.'),
+                .describe('ProseMirror document {"type":"doc","content":[...]} (JSON object or ' +
+                "JSON string). Omit to rename only."),
             title: z.string().optional().describe("Optional new title"),
         },
     }, async ({ pageId, content, title }) => {
@@ -314,11 +318,16 @@ export function createDocmostMcpServer(config) {
     // Tool: edit_page_text
     server.registerTool("edit_page_text", {
         description: "Surgical find/replace inside a page's text. Preserves ALL structure: " +
-            "block ids, marks, links, callouts, tables. Each `find` must match " +
-            "exactly once (or set replaceAll). A match must lie inside one " +
-            "formatting run; if the target text crosses bold/link boundaries the " +
-            "tool reports it — use a shorter fragment or update_page_json then. " +
-            "This is the preferred tool for fixing wording, typos, numbers, names.",
+            "block ids, marks, links, callouts, tables. A `find` MAY cross " +
+            "bold/italic/link boundaries; the replacement inherits marks from the " +
+            "unchanged common prefix/suffix (editing plain text next to a bold word " +
+            "keeps it bold; editing inside a bold word keeps the new text bold). " +
+            "Each `find` must match exactly once (or set replaceAll). The batch " +
+            "applies what it can and returns applied[] + failed[]; a fully-unmatched " +
+            "batch writes nothing and errors. Examples: edits:[{find:\"teh\"," +
+            "replace:\"the\"}]; edits:[{find:\"Hello world\",replace:\"Hello there\"}] " +
+            "(crosses a bold boundary). This is the preferred tool for fixing " +
+            "wording, typos, numbers, names.",
         inputSchema: {
             pageId: z.string().describe("ID of the page to edit"),
             edits: z
@@ -341,14 +350,21 @@ export function createDocmostMcpServer(config) {
     server.registerTool("patch_node", {
         description: "Replaces a single block identified by its attrs.id WITHOUT resending the " +
             "whole document. Get the block id from get_page_json, then pass a " +
-            "ProseMirror node to put in its place. Cheaper and safer than " +
+            "ProseMirror node to put in its place. Example node: a paragraph " +
+            '{"type":"paragraph","content":[{"type":"text","text":"Hello"}]} or a ' +
+            'heading {"type":"heading","attrs":{"level":2},"content":' +
+            '[{"type":"text","text":"Title"}]}. Bold is a mark: ' +
+            '{"type":"text","text":"x","marks":[{"type":"bold"}]}. The node may be a ' +
+            "JSON object or a JSON string (both accepted). Cheaper and safer than " +
             "update_page_json for one-block structural edits.",
         inputSchema: {
             pageId: z.string().min(1),
             nodeId: z.string().min(1),
             node: z
                 .any()
-                .describe("ProseMirror node JSON to put in place of the node with this id"),
+                .describe("ProseMirror node to put in place of the node with this id, e.g. " +
+                '{"type":"paragraph","content":[{"type":"text","text":"Hello"}]}. ' +
+                "JSON object or JSON string both accepted."),
         },
     }, async ({ pageId, nodeId, node }) => {
         let parsedNode;
@@ -376,10 +392,19 @@ export function createDocmostMcpServer(config) {
             "anchorText matching the table; to add a tableCell/tableHeader, use " +
             "anchorNodeId of a block inside the target row (anchorText only resolves " +
             "top-level blocks, so it cannot target a row). Note: append is top-level " +
-            "only and rejects structural table nodes.",
+            "only and rejects structural table nodes. Example node: a paragraph " +
+            '{"type":"paragraph","content":[{"type":"text","text":"Hello"}]} or a ' +
+            'heading {"type":"heading","attrs":{"level":2},"content":' +
+            '[{"type":"text","text":"Title"}]}. Bold is a mark: ' +
+            '{"type":"text","text":"x","marks":[{"type":"bold"}]}. The node may be a ' +
+            "JSON object or a JSON string (both accepted).",
         inputSchema: {
             pageId: z.string().min(1),
-            node: z.any(),
+            node: z
+                .any()
+                .describe("ProseMirror node to insert, e.g. " +
+                '{"type":"paragraph","content":[{"type":"text","text":"Hello"}]}. ' +
+                "JSON object or JSON string both accepted."),
             position: z.enum(["before", "after", "append"]),
             anchorNodeId: z.string().optional(),
             anchorText: z.string().optional(),
diff --git a/packages/mcp/build/lib/json-edit.js b/packages/mcp/build/lib/json-edit.js
index a00f41ef..b0696697 100644
--- a/packages/mcp/build/lib/json-edit.js
+++ b/packages/mcp/build/lib/json-edit.js
@@ -1,91 +1,306 @@
 /**
  * Surgical text edits on a ProseMirror document without re-importing it.
  *
- * Each edit replaces an exact substring inside individual text nodes,
- * preserving every node id, mark and attribute around it. This is the
- * safe alternative to a full markdown re-import for small wording fixes.
+ * Each edit replaces an exact substring of a block's inline text, preserving
+ * every node id, mark and attribute around it. Matching works at the
+ * INLINE-CONTAINER (block) level: a block's text nodes are flattened into a
+ * per-character array, so a `find` may freely cross bold/italic/link
+ * boundaries (separate text nodes). The replacement inherits marks from the
+ * unchanged common prefix/suffix of the match, so editing plain text next to a
+ * bold word keeps the bold word bold, and editing the inside of a bold word
+ * keeps the inserted text bold. This is the safe alternative to a full markdown
+ * re-import for small wording fixes.
  */
-/** Collect plain text of the whole document (for span-detection hints). */
-function collectText(node) {
-    let out = "";
-    if (node.type === "text")
-        out += node.text || "";
-    for (const child of node.content || [])
-        out += collectText(child);
+/** Placeholder code unit standing in for one opaque (non-text) inline node. */
+const ATOM_PLACEHOLDER = ""; // OBJECT REPLACEMENT CHARACTER
+/**
+ * Find every VALID occurrence of `needle` in a block's flattened slots.
+ *
+ * A candidate occurrence at slot range [start, start+needle.length) is valid
+ * ONLY IF none of the slots in that range are atoms (non-text inline nodes).
+ * This makes atom matching collision-safe against the U+FFFC placeholder: an
+ * atom slot can never be part of a match, while a real text node containing a
+ * literal U+FFFC code unit still matches normally (its slot has no `.atom`).
+ *
+ * Overlapping candidates that touch an atom are skipped (not counted, not
+ * spliced); the scan resumes one code unit past the rejected start so a valid
+ * match that begins just after an atom is not missed.
+ */
+function findValidMatches(chars, plain, needle) {
+    if (!needle)
+        return [];
+    const positions = [];
+    let idx = plain.indexOf(needle);
+    while (idx !== -1) {
+        const end = idx + needle.length;
+        let hasAtom = false;
+        for (let i = idx; i < end; i++) {
+            if (chars[i] && chars[i].atom) {
+                hasAtom = true;
+                break;
+            }
+        }
+        if (!hasAtom) {
+            positions.push(idx);
+            // Non-overlapping: skip past this match.
+            idx = plain.indexOf(needle, end);
+        }
+        else {
+            // This candidate crosses an atom: reject it and resume one unit later so
+            // an overlapping valid match starting after the atom is still found.
+            idx = plain.indexOf(needle, idx + 1);
+        }
+    }
+    return positions;
+}
+/** Order-sensitive deep-equality of two marks arrays. */
+function marksEqual(a, b) {
+    if (a === b)
+        return true;
+    if (a.length !== b.length)
+        return false;
+    for (let i = 0; i < a.length; i++) {
+        if (JSON.stringify(a[i]) !== JSON.stringify(b[i]))
+            return false;
+    }
+    return true;
+}
+/** A block is any node that DIRECTLY contains at least one inline text child. */
+function isInlineBlock(node) {
+    return (Array.isArray(node?.content) &&
+        node.content.some((child) => child && child.type === "text"));
+}
+/** Flatten a block's inline content into a per-code-unit slot array. */
+function flattenBlock(node) {
+    const chars = [];
+    for (const child of node.content || []) {
+        if (child && child.type === "text" && typeof child.text === "string") {
+            const marks = child.marks || [];
+            // Iterate by UTF-16 code unit so indices align with String.indexOf.
+            for (let i = 0; i < child.text.length; i++) {
+                chars.push({ ch: child.text[i], marks });
+            }
+        }
+        else {
+            // Any non-text inline node becomes one opaque slot.
+            chars.push({
+                ch: ATOM_PLACEHOLDER,
+                marks: (child && child.marks) || [],
+                atom: child,
+            });
+        }
+    }
+    return chars;
+}
+/** Re-tokenize a slot array back into ProseMirror inline nodes. */
+function tokenizeChars(chars) {
+    const out = [];
+    let buffer = "";
+    let bufferMarks = null;
+    const flush = () => {
+        if (buffer.length === 0)
+            return;
+        const textNode = { type: "text", text: buffer };
+        if (bufferMarks && bufferMarks.length > 0)
+            textNode.marks = bufferMarks;
+        out.push(textNode);
+        buffer = "";
+        bufferMarks = null;
+    };
+    for (const slot of chars) {
+        if (slot.atom) {
+            flush();
+            out.push(slot.atom);
+            continue;
+        }
+        if (bufferMarks !== null && !marksEqual(bufferMarks, slot.marks)) {
+            flush();
+        }
+        if (bufferMarks === null)
+            bufferMarks = slot.marks;
+        buffer += slot.ch;
+    }
+    flush();
     return out;
 }
-function countOccurrences(haystack, needle) {
-    if (!needle)
-        return 0;
-    let count = 0;
-    let idx = haystack.indexOf(needle);
-    while (idx !== -1) {
-        count++;
-        idx = haystack.indexOf(needle, idx + needle.length);
-    }
-    return count;
+/** Longest common prefix length of two strings. */
+function commonPrefixLen(a, b) {
+    const max = Math.min(a.length, b.length);
+    let i = 0;
+    while (i < max && a[i] === b[i])
+        i++;
+    return i;
+}
+/** Longest common suffix length of two strings, capped so it can't overlap. */
+function commonSuffixLen(a, b, cap) {
+    const max = Math.min(a.length, b.length, cap);
+    let i = 0;
+    while (i < max && a[a.length - 1 - i] === b[b.length - 1 - i])
+        i++;
+    return i;
 }
 /**
- * Apply text edits to a ProseMirror doc (mutates a deep copy, returns it).
- * Throws a descriptive error when an edit matches zero times or matches
- * multiple times without replaceAll — so the caller can refine `find`.
+ * Apply one edit to one block's flattened slot array.
+ *
+ * The caller passes only VALID (atom-free) match positions (see
+ * findValidMatches), so no match range can overlap an atom slot here.
+ */
+function applyEditToChars(chars, edit, matchPositions) {
+    // Pre-compute the diff slices once (find/replace are constant per edit).
+    const p = commonPrefixLen(edit.find, edit.replace);
+    const s = commonSuffixLen(edit.find, edit.replace, Math.min(edit.find.length, edit.replace.length) - p);
+    const insertText = edit.replace.slice(p, edit.replace.length - s);
+    // Rebuild the slot array in a single left-to-right pass, splicing at each
+    // match start. Offsets into `chars` stay valid because we copy through.
+    const newChars = [];
+    let cursor = 0;
+    let spliced = 0;
+    for (const mStart of matchPositions) {
+        const mEnd = mStart + edit.find.length;
+        const changedStart = mStart + p;
+        const changedEnd = mEnd - s;
+        // Copy through everything up to the changed region (incl. the prefix).
+        for (; cursor < changedStart; cursor++)
+            newChars.push(chars[cursor]);
+        const removed = chars.slice(changedStart, changedEnd);
+        // Choose the marks for the inserted characters.
+        let chosenMarks = [];
+        if (removed.length > 0 &&
+            removed.every((r) => marksEqual(r.marks, removed[0].marks))) {
+            // Uniform removed region: inherit its marks directly.
+            chosenMarks = removed[0].marks;
+        }
+        else {
+            // Empty or non-uniform removed region: inherit from the nearest TEXT
+            // neighbour, skipping atom slots (an atom carries marks that do not
+            // belong on inserted text). Scan left first, then right; fall back to [].
+            let inherited = null;
+            for (let i = changedStart - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
+                if (!chars[i].atom) {
+                    inherited = chars[i].marks;
+                    break;
+                }
+            }
+            if (inherited === null) {
+                for (let i = changedEnd; i < chars.length; i++) {
+                    if (!chars[i].atom) {
+                        inherited = chars[i].marks;
+                        break;
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+            chosenMarks = inherited === null ? [] : inherited;
+        }
+        // Emit the inserted text (one slot per code unit).
+        for (let i = 0; i < insertText.length; i++) {
+            newChars.push({ ch: insertText[i], marks: chosenMarks });
+        }
+        // Skip the removed region.
+        cursor = changedEnd;
+        spliced++;
+    }
+    // Copy through the tail.
+    for (; cursor < chars.length; cursor++)
+        newChars.push(chars[cursor]);
+    return { newChars, spliced };
+}
+/**
+ * Apply text edits to a ProseMirror doc (operates on a deep copy, returns it).
+ *
+ * Returns { doc, results, failed }:
+ *  - results: edits that applied (replacements >= 1).
+ *  - failed:  edits that matched zero times, were ambiguous (multi-match
+ *    without replaceAll), or whose changed region crosses a non-text inline
+ *    node. These do NOT throw — they are recorded so the caller can surface an
+ *    actionable message and still keep the edits that did apply.
+ *
+ * Edits apply IN ORDER to the same working copy, so a later edit can target
+ * text produced by an earlier one. The input doc is never mutated. The only
+ * thrown error is for invalid input (an empty `edit.find`).
  */
 export function applyTextEdits(doc, edits) {
     const copy = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(doc));
     const results = [];
+    const failed = [];
     for (const edit of edits) {
         if (!edit.find)
             throw new Error("edit.find must be a non-empty string");
-        // Count matches inside individual text nodes first.
-        let nodeMatches = 0;
-        (function count(node) {
-            if (node.type === "text" && node.text) {
-                nodeMatches += countOccurrences(node.text, edit.find);
-            }
+        // Gather every inline block in document order (recurse the whole tree so
+        // nested containers — callouts, list items, table cells, blockquotes — are
+        // all covered).
+        const blocks = [];
+        (function collect(node) {
+            if (isInlineBlock(node))
+                blocks.push(node);
             for (const child of node.content || [])
-                count(child);
+                collect(child);
         })(copy);
-        if (nodeMatches === 0) {
-            // Distinguish "text not present" from "text spans formatting runs".
-            const fullText = collectText(copy);
-            if (fullText.includes(edit.find)) {
-                throw new Error(`Edit "${truncate(edit.find)}": the text exists in the document but spans ` +
-                    `multiple formatting runs (bold/link/italic boundaries). Use a shorter ` +
-                    `fragment that stays inside one run, or use update_page_json for ` +
-                    `structural changes.`);
-            }
-            throw new Error(`Edit "${truncate(edit.find)}": text not found in the document.`);
+        // Find every VALID (atom-free) occurrence per block. A candidate whose slot
+        // range overlaps a non-text inline atom is never a match (collision-safe vs
+        // the U+FFFC placeholder), so it is excluded from both the uniqueness count
+        // and the splicing.
+        const blockChars = blocks.map((b) => flattenBlock(b));
+        const blockPlain = blockChars.map((chars) => chars.map((c) => c.ch).join(""));
+        const validPerBlock = blockChars.map((chars, b) => findValidMatches(chars, blockPlain[b], edit.find));
+        let total = 0;
+        for (const positions of validPerBlock)
+            total += positions.length;
+        if (total === 0) {
+            // Distinguish "the text exists but only across an atom" from a plain
+            // not-found: if a raw substring scan (atoms included) WOULD have hit,
+            // the only thing blocking the edit is the atom, so report that.
+            const existsAcrossAtom = blockPlain.some((plain) => plain.indexOf(edit.find) !== -1);
+            failed.push({
+                find: edit.find,
+                reason: existsAcrossAtom
+                    ? "match crosses a non-text inline node (image/break/mention); use update_page_json for structural changes."
+                    : "text not found in the document.",
+            });
+            continue;
         }
-        if (nodeMatches > 1 && !edit.replaceAll) {
-            throw new Error(`Edit "${truncate(edit.find)}": matches ${nodeMatches} times. ` +
-                `Provide a longer, unique fragment or set replaceAll: true.`);
+        if (total > 1 && !edit.replaceAll) {
+            failed.push({
+                find: edit.find,
+                reason: `matches ${total} times. Provide a longer, unique fragment or set replaceAll: true.`,
+            });
+            continue;
         }
-        // Perform the replacement(s).
-        let done = 0;
-        (function replace(node) {
-            if (node.type === "text" && node.text && node.text.includes(edit.find)) {
+        // Plan the splices from the valid positions. For a non-replaceAll edit we
+        // splice only the first valid match (left-to-right across blocks); for
+        // replaceAll we splice every valid match.
+        const plannedPerBlock = blockChars.map(() => []);
+        let takenFirst = false;
+        for (let b = 0; b < validPerBlock.length; b++) {
+            for (const idx of validPerBlock[b]) {
                 if (edit.replaceAll) {
-                    done += countOccurrences(node.text, edit.find);
-                    node.text = node.text.split(edit.find).join(edit.replace);
+                    plannedPerBlock[b].push(idx);
                 }
-                else if (done === 0) {
-                    // Avoid String.replace: its second arg treats $&, $1, $`, $', $$ as
-                    // special patterns, expanding them instead of inserting literally.
-                    // Splice the first occurrence by index to keep the replacement literal.
-                    const idx = node.text.indexOf(edit.find);
-                    node.text =
-                        node.text.slice(0, idx) +
-                            edit.replace +
-                            node.text.slice(idx + edit.find.length);
-                    done = 1;
+                else if (!takenFirst) {
+                    plannedPerBlock[b].push(idx);
+                    takenFirst = true;
+                    break;
+                }
+                else {
+                    break;
                 }
             }
-            for (const child of node.content || [])
-                replace(child);
-        })(copy);
-        results.push({ find: edit.find, replacements: done });
+            if (!edit.replaceAll && takenFirst)
+                break;
+        }
+        // Apply the splices block-by-block and re-tokenize changed blocks.
+        let spliced = 0;
+        for (let b = 0; b < blocks.length; b++) {
+            if (plannedPerBlock[b].length === 0)
+                continue;
+            const { newChars, spliced: n } = applyEditToChars(blockChars[b], edit, plannedPerBlock[b]);
+            spliced += n;
+            blocks[b].content = tokenizeChars(newChars);
+        }
+        results.push({ find: edit.find, replacements: spliced });
     }
-    // Drop text nodes that became empty (ProseMirror forbids empty text nodes).
+    // Safety net: drop any empty text nodes (ProseMirror forbids them). The
+    // re-tokenizer never emits empty text nodes, but untouched blocks could in
+    // principle carry one in from upstream.
     (function prune(node) {
         if (Array.isArray(node.content)) {
             node.content = node.content.filter((child) => !(child.type === "text" && child.text === ""));
@@ -93,8 +308,5 @@ export function applyTextEdits(doc, edits) {
                 prune(child);
         }
     })(copy);
-    return { doc: copy, results };
-}
-function truncate(s) {
-    return s.length > 60 ? s.slice(0, 57) + "..." : s;
+    return { doc: copy, results, failed };
 }
diff --git a/packages/mcp/src/client.ts b/packages/mcp/src/client.ts
index 388a22ff..1b1b9f66 100644
--- a/packages/mcp/src/client.ts
+++ b/packages/mcp/src/client.ts
@@ -39,7 +39,12 @@ import {
   updateTableCell,
 } from "./lib/node-ops.js";
 import { withPageLock } from "./lib/page-lock.js";
-import { applyTextEdits, TextEdit, TextEditResult } from "./lib/json-edit.js";
+import {
+  applyTextEdits,
+  TextEdit,
+  TextEditResult,
+  TextEditFailure,
+} from "./lib/json-edit.js";
 import { getCollabToken, performLogin } from "./lib/auth-utils.js";
 import { diffDocs } from "./lib/diff.js";
 import {
@@ -1373,19 +1378,62 @@ export class DocmostClient {
 
     // Apply the edits against the LIVE synced document, not the debounced REST
     // snapshot, so concurrent human edits/comments are preserved. applyTextEdits
-    // throws descriptive errors on zero/multiple matches — let them propagate.
+    // records per-edit match problems in `failed` instead of throwing, and
+    // applies whatever it can; we abort the write only when nothing applied.
     let results: TextEditResult[] | undefined;
+    let failed: TextEditFailure[] | undefined;
+    // Whether we actually wrote new content. Set inside the transform: a
+    // degenerate edit (e.g. find === replace, or a batch that nets to no change)
+    // can "apply" yet leave the document byte-for-byte identical, in which case
+    // we must NOT write (no spurious history version) and must not claim a write
+    // happened.
+    let wrote = false;
     await mutatePageContent(pageId, collabToken, this.apiUrl, (liveDoc) => {
+      wrote = false;
       const r = applyTextEdits(liveDoc, edits);
       results = r.results;
+      failed = r.failed;
+      // Nothing applied -> abort the write (mutatePageContent treats a null
+      // return from the transform as "write nothing").
+      if (r.results.length === 0) return null;
+      // Edits "applied" but produced an identical document: skip the write so no
+      // new history version is created. Stable structural comparison via
+      // JSON.stringify (both docs come from the same deep-copied source, so key
+      // order is stable).
+      if (JSON.stringify(r.doc) === JSON.stringify(liveDoc)) return null;
+      wrote = true;
       return r.doc;
     });
 
+    if ((results?.length ?? 0) === 0 && (failed?.length ?? 0) > 0) {
+      // No edit applied: surface an aggregated, actionable error so the caller
+      // does not mistake a no-op for a partial success.
+      throw new Error(
+        "edit_page_text: no edits were applied (nothing written). " +
+          failed!.map((f) => `"${f.find}": ${f.reason}`).join("; "),
+      );
+    }
+
+    // Edits matched but produced no content change (identical document): report
+    // a successful no-op — NOT a failure — and do not falsely claim a write.
+    if (!wrote) {
+      return {
+        success: true,
+        pageId,
+        applied: results,
+        failed,
+        message: "No changes written (edits produced identical content).",
+      };
+    }
+
     return {
       success: true,
       pageId,
-      edits: results,
-      message: "Text edits applied (node ids and formatting preserved).",
+      applied: results,
+      failed,
+      message: (failed?.length ?? 0)
+        ? `Applied ${results?.length ?? 0} edit(s); ${failed!.length} failed (see failed[]). Node ids and formatting preserved.`
+        : "Text edits applied (node ids and formatting preserved).",
     };
   }
 
diff --git a/packages/mcp/src/index.ts b/packages/mcp/src/index.ts
index 5d91b914..6f38d15d 100644
--- a/packages/mcp/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/mcp/src/index.ts
@@ -322,16 +322,20 @@ server.registerTool(
       "(lossless write: preserves the block ids, callouts, tables and " +
       "attributes you pass in). Typical flow: get_page_json -> modify the " +
       "JSON -> update_page_json. Keep existing node ids intact so heading " +
-      "anchors and history stay stable. `content` is OPTIONAL: omit it to " +
-      "update only the title (though prefer rename_page for a title-only " +
-      "change). Supplying neither content nor title is an error.",
+      "anchors and history stay stable. Minimal full-doc example: " +
+      '{"type":"doc","content":[{"type":"paragraph","content":' +
+      '[{"type":"text","text":"Hi"}]}]}. `content` may be a JSON object or a ' +
+      "JSON string (both accepted), and is OPTIONAL: omit it to update only " +
+      "the title (though prefer rename_page for a title-only change). " +
+      "Supplying neither content nor title is an error.",
     inputSchema: {
       pageId: z.string().min(1).describe("ID of the page to update"),
       content: z
         .any()
         .optional()
         .describe(
-          'ProseMirror document: {"type":"doc","content":[...]}. Omit to rename only.',
+          'ProseMirror document {"type":"doc","content":[...]} (JSON object or ' +
+            "JSON string). Omit to rename only.",
         ),
       title: z.string().optional().describe("Optional new title"),
     },
@@ -451,11 +455,16 @@ server.registerTool(
   {
     description:
       "Surgical find/replace inside a page's text. Preserves ALL structure: " +
-      "block ids, marks, links, callouts, tables. Each `find` must match " +
-      "exactly once (or set replaceAll). A match must lie inside one " +
-      "formatting run; if the target text crosses bold/link boundaries the " +
-      "tool reports it — use a shorter fragment or update_page_json then. " +
-      "This is the preferred tool for fixing wording, typos, numbers, names.",
+      "block ids, marks, links, callouts, tables. A `find` MAY cross " +
+      "bold/italic/link boundaries; the replacement inherits marks from the " +
+      "unchanged common prefix/suffix (editing plain text next to a bold word " +
+      "keeps it bold; editing inside a bold word keeps the new text bold). " +
+      "Each `find` must match exactly once (or set replaceAll). The batch " +
+      "applies what it can and returns applied[] + failed[]; a fully-unmatched " +
+      "batch writes nothing and errors. Examples: edits:[{find:\"teh\"," +
+      "replace:\"the\"}]; edits:[{find:\"Hello world\",replace:\"Hello there\"}] " +
+      "(crosses a bold boundary). This is the preferred tool for fixing " +
+      "wording, typos, numbers, names.",
     inputSchema: {
       pageId: z.string().describe("ID of the page to edit"),
       edits: z
@@ -486,14 +495,23 @@ server.registerTool(
     description:
       "Replaces a single block identified by its attrs.id WITHOUT resending the " +
       "whole document. Get the block id from get_page_json, then pass a " +
-      "ProseMirror node to put in its place. Cheaper and safer than " +
+      "ProseMirror node to put in its place. Example node: a paragraph " +
+      '{"type":"paragraph","content":[{"type":"text","text":"Hello"}]} or a ' +
+      'heading {"type":"heading","attrs":{"level":2},"content":' +
+      '[{"type":"text","text":"Title"}]}. Bold is a mark: ' +
+      '{"type":"text","text":"x","marks":[{"type":"bold"}]}. The node may be a ' +
+      "JSON object or a JSON string (both accepted). Cheaper and safer than " +
       "update_page_json for one-block structural edits.",
     inputSchema: {
       pageId: z.string().min(1),
       nodeId: z.string().min(1),
       node: z
         .any()
-        .describe("ProseMirror node JSON to put in place of the node with this id"),
+        .describe(
+          "ProseMirror node to put in place of the node with this id, e.g. " +
+            '{"type":"paragraph","content":[{"type":"text","text":"Hello"}]}. ' +
+            "JSON object or JSON string both accepted.",
+        ),
     },
   },
   async ({ pageId, nodeId, node }) => {
@@ -525,10 +543,21 @@ server.registerTool(
       "anchorText matching the table; to add a tableCell/tableHeader, use " +
       "anchorNodeId of a block inside the target row (anchorText only resolves " +
       "top-level blocks, so it cannot target a row). Note: append is top-level " +
-      "only and rejects structural table nodes.",
+      "only and rejects structural table nodes. Example node: a paragraph " +
+      '{"type":"paragraph","content":[{"type":"text","text":"Hello"}]} or a ' +
+      'heading {"type":"heading","attrs":{"level":2},"content":' +
+      '[{"type":"text","text":"Title"}]}. Bold is a mark: ' +
+      '{"type":"text","text":"x","marks":[{"type":"bold"}]}. The node may be a ' +
+      "JSON object or a JSON string (both accepted).",
     inputSchema: {
       pageId: z.string().min(1),
-      node: z.any(),
+      node: z
+        .any()
+        .describe(
+          "ProseMirror node to insert, e.g. " +
+            '{"type":"paragraph","content":[{"type":"text","text":"Hello"}]}. ' +
+            "JSON object or JSON string both accepted.",
+        ),
       position: z.enum(["before", "after", "append"]),
       anchorNodeId: z.string().optional(),
       anchorText: z.string().optional(),
diff --git a/packages/mcp/src/lib/json-edit.ts b/packages/mcp/src/lib/json-edit.ts
index d452cd97..92a98c0d 100644
--- a/packages/mcp/src/lib/json-edit.ts
+++ b/packages/mcp/src/lib/json-edit.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,15 @@
 /**
  * Surgical text edits on a ProseMirror document without re-importing it.
  *
- * Each edit replaces an exact substring inside individual text nodes,
- * preserving every node id, mark and attribute around it. This is the
- * safe alternative to a full markdown re-import for small wording fixes.
+ * Each edit replaces an exact substring of a block's inline text, preserving
+ * every node id, mark and attribute around it. Matching works at the
+ * INLINE-CONTAINER (block) level: a block's text nodes are flattened into a
+ * per-character array, so a `find` may freely cross bold/italic/link
+ * boundaries (separate text nodes). The replacement inherits marks from the
+ * unchanged common prefix/suffix of the match, so editing plain text next to a
+ * bold word keeps the bold word bold, and editing the inside of a bold word
+ * keeps the inserted text bold. This is the safe alternative to a full markdown
+ * re-import for small wording fixes.
  */
 
 export interface TextEdit {
@@ -18,98 +24,342 @@ export interface TextEditResult {
   replacements: number;
 }
 
-/** Collect plain text of the whole document (for span-detection hints). */
-function collectText(node: any): string {
-  let out = "";
-  if (node.type === "text") out += node.text || "";
-  for (const child of node.content || []) out += collectText(child);
+export interface TextEditFailure {
+  find: string;
+  reason: string;
+}
+
+/** One flattened inline slot: a single UTF-16 code unit, or an opaque atom. */
+interface CharSlot {
+  ch: string;
+  marks: any[];
+  /** Set for non-text inline nodes (hardBreak/mention/image/emoji/...). */
+  atom?: any;
+}
+
+/** Placeholder code unit standing in for one opaque (non-text) inline node. */
+const ATOM_PLACEHOLDER = ""; // OBJECT REPLACEMENT CHARACTER
+
+/**
+ * Find every VALID occurrence of `needle` in a block's flattened slots.
+ *
+ * A candidate occurrence at slot range [start, start+needle.length) is valid
+ * ONLY IF none of the slots in that range are atoms (non-text inline nodes).
+ * This makes atom matching collision-safe against the U+FFFC placeholder: an
+ * atom slot can never be part of a match, while a real text node containing a
+ * literal U+FFFC code unit still matches normally (its slot has no `.atom`).
+ *
+ * Overlapping candidates that touch an atom are skipped (not counted, not
+ * spliced); the scan resumes one code unit past the rejected start so a valid
+ * match that begins just after an atom is not missed.
+ */
+function findValidMatches(
+  chars: CharSlot[],
+  plain: string,
+  needle: string,
+): number[] {
+  if (!needle) return [];
+  const positions: number[] = [];
+  let idx = plain.indexOf(needle);
+  while (idx !== -1) {
+    const end = idx + needle.length;
+    let hasAtom = false;
+    for (let i = idx; i < end; i++) {
+      if (chars[i] && chars[i].atom) {
+        hasAtom = true;
+        break;
+      }
+    }
+    if (!hasAtom) {
+      positions.push(idx);
+      // Non-overlapping: skip past this match.
+      idx = plain.indexOf(needle, end);
+    } else {
+      // This candidate crosses an atom: reject it and resume one unit later so
+      // an overlapping valid match starting after the atom is still found.
+      idx = plain.indexOf(needle, idx + 1);
+    }
+  }
+  return positions;
+}
+
+/** Order-sensitive deep-equality of two marks arrays. */
+function marksEqual(a: any[], b: any[]): boolean {
+  if (a === b) return true;
+  if (a.length !== b.length) return false;
+  for (let i = 0; i < a.length; i++) {
+    if (JSON.stringify(a[i]) !== JSON.stringify(b[i])) return false;
+  }
+  return true;
+}
+
+/** A block is any node that DIRECTLY contains at least one inline text child. */
+function isInlineBlock(node: any): boolean {
+  return (
+    Array.isArray(node?.content) &&
+    node.content.some((child: any) => child && child.type === "text")
+  );
+}
+
+/** Flatten a block's inline content into a per-code-unit slot array. */
+function flattenBlock(node: any): CharSlot[] {
+  const chars: CharSlot[] = [];
+  for (const child of node.content || []) {
+    if (child && child.type === "text" && typeof child.text === "string") {
+      const marks = child.marks || [];
+      // Iterate by UTF-16 code unit so indices align with String.indexOf.
+      for (let i = 0; i < child.text.length; i++) {
+        chars.push({ ch: child.text[i], marks });
+      }
+    } else {
+      // Any non-text inline node becomes one opaque slot.
+      chars.push({
+        ch: ATOM_PLACEHOLDER,
+        marks: (child && child.marks) || [],
+        atom: child,
+      });
+    }
+  }
+  return chars;
+}
+
+/** Re-tokenize a slot array back into ProseMirror inline nodes. */
+function tokenizeChars(chars: CharSlot[]): any[] {
+  const out: any[] = [];
+  let buffer = "";
+  let bufferMarks: any[] | null = null;
+
+  const flush = () => {
+    if (buffer.length === 0) return;
+    const textNode: any = { type: "text", text: buffer };
+    if (bufferMarks && bufferMarks.length > 0) textNode.marks = bufferMarks;
+    out.push(textNode);
+    buffer = "";
+    bufferMarks = null;
+  };
+
+  for (const slot of chars) {
+    if (slot.atom) {
+      flush();
+      out.push(slot.atom);
+      continue;
+    }
+    if (bufferMarks !== null && !marksEqual(bufferMarks, slot.marks)) {
+      flush();
+    }
+    if (bufferMarks === null) bufferMarks = slot.marks;
+    buffer += slot.ch;
+  }
+  flush();
   return out;
 }
 
-function countOccurrences(haystack: string, needle: string): number {
-  if (!needle) return 0;
-  let count = 0;
-  let idx = haystack.indexOf(needle);
-  while (idx !== -1) {
-    count++;
-    idx = haystack.indexOf(needle, idx + needle.length);
-  }
-  return count;
+/** Longest common prefix length of two strings. */
+function commonPrefixLen(a: string, b: string): number {
+  const max = Math.min(a.length, b.length);
+  let i = 0;
+  while (i < max && a[i] === b[i]) i++;
+  return i;
+}
+
+/** Longest common suffix length of two strings, capped so it can't overlap. */
+function commonSuffixLen(a: string, b: string, cap: number): number {
+  const max = Math.min(a.length, b.length, cap);
+  let i = 0;
+  while (i < max && a[a.length - 1 - i] === b[b.length - 1 - i]) i++;
+  return i;
 }
 
 /**
- * Apply text edits to a ProseMirror doc (mutates a deep copy, returns it).
- * Throws a descriptive error when an edit matches zero times or matches
- * multiple times without replaceAll — so the caller can refine `find`.
+ * Apply one edit to one block's flattened slot array.
+ *
+ * The caller passes only VALID (atom-free) match positions (see
+ * findValidMatches), so no match range can overlap an atom slot here.
+ */
+function applyEditToChars(
+  chars: CharSlot[],
+  edit: TextEdit,
+  matchPositions: number[],
+): { newChars: CharSlot[]; spliced: number } {
+  // Pre-compute the diff slices once (find/replace are constant per edit).
+  const p = commonPrefixLen(edit.find, edit.replace);
+  const s = commonSuffixLen(
+    edit.find,
+    edit.replace,
+    Math.min(edit.find.length, edit.replace.length) - p,
+  );
+  const insertText = edit.replace.slice(p, edit.replace.length - s);
+
+  // Rebuild the slot array in a single left-to-right pass, splicing at each
+  // match start. Offsets into `chars` stay valid because we copy through.
+  const newChars: CharSlot[] = [];
+  let cursor = 0;
+  let spliced = 0;
+  for (const mStart of matchPositions) {
+    const mEnd = mStart + edit.find.length;
+    const changedStart = mStart + p;
+    const changedEnd = mEnd - s;
+
+    // Copy through everything up to the changed region (incl. the prefix).
+    for (; cursor < changedStart; cursor++) newChars.push(chars[cursor]);
+
+    const removed = chars.slice(changedStart, changedEnd);
+
+    // Choose the marks for the inserted characters.
+    let chosenMarks: any[] = [];
+    if (
+      removed.length > 0 &&
+      removed.every((r) => marksEqual(r.marks, removed[0].marks))
+    ) {
+      // Uniform removed region: inherit its marks directly.
+      chosenMarks = removed[0].marks;
+    } else {
+      // Empty or non-uniform removed region: inherit from the nearest TEXT
+      // neighbour, skipping atom slots (an atom carries marks that do not
+      // belong on inserted text). Scan left first, then right; fall back to [].
+      let inherited: any[] | null = null;
+      for (let i = changedStart - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
+        if (!chars[i].atom) {
+          inherited = chars[i].marks;
+          break;
+        }
+      }
+      if (inherited === null) {
+        for (let i = changedEnd; i < chars.length; i++) {
+          if (!chars[i].atom) {
+            inherited = chars[i].marks;
+            break;
+          }
+        }
+      }
+      chosenMarks = inherited === null ? [] : inherited;
+    }
+
+    // Emit the inserted text (one slot per code unit).
+    for (let i = 0; i < insertText.length; i++) {
+      newChars.push({ ch: insertText[i], marks: chosenMarks });
+    }
+
+    // Skip the removed region.
+    cursor = changedEnd;
+    spliced++;
+  }
+  // Copy through the tail.
+  for (; cursor < chars.length; cursor++) newChars.push(chars[cursor]);
+
+  return { newChars, spliced };
+}
+
+/**
+ * Apply text edits to a ProseMirror doc (operates on a deep copy, returns it).
+ *
+ * Returns { doc, results, failed }:
+ *  - results: edits that applied (replacements >= 1).
+ *  - failed:  edits that matched zero times, were ambiguous (multi-match
+ *    without replaceAll), or whose changed region crosses a non-text inline
+ *    node. These do NOT throw — they are recorded so the caller can surface an
+ *    actionable message and still keep the edits that did apply.
+ *
+ * Edits apply IN ORDER to the same working copy, so a later edit can target
+ * text produced by an earlier one. The input doc is never mutated. The only
+ * thrown error is for invalid input (an empty `edit.find`).
  */
 export function applyTextEdits(
   doc: any,
   edits: TextEdit[],
-): { doc: any; results: TextEditResult[] } {
+): { doc: any; results: TextEditResult[]; failed: TextEditFailure[] } {
   const copy = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(doc));
   const results: TextEditResult[] = [];
+  const failed: TextEditFailure[] = [];
 
   for (const edit of edits) {
     if (!edit.find) throw new Error("edit.find must be a non-empty string");
 
-    // Count matches inside individual text nodes first.
-    let nodeMatches = 0;
-    (function count(node: any) {
-      if (node.type === "text" && node.text) {
-        nodeMatches += countOccurrences(node.text, edit.find);
-      }
-      for (const child of node.content || []) count(child);
+    // Gather every inline block in document order (recurse the whole tree so
+    // nested containers — callouts, list items, table cells, blockquotes — are
+    // all covered).
+    const blocks: any[] = [];
+    (function collect(node: any) {
+      if (isInlineBlock(node)) blocks.push(node);
+      for (const child of node.content || []) collect(child);
     })(copy);
 
-    if (nodeMatches === 0) {
-      // Distinguish "text not present" from "text spans formatting runs".
-      const fullText = collectText(copy);
-      if (fullText.includes(edit.find)) {
-        throw new Error(
-          `Edit "${truncate(edit.find)}": the text exists in the document but spans ` +
-            `multiple formatting runs (bold/link/italic boundaries). Use a shorter ` +
-            `fragment that stays inside one run, or use update_page_json for ` +
-            `structural changes.`,
-        );
-      }
-      throw new Error(
-        `Edit "${truncate(edit.find)}": text not found in the document.`,
+    // Find every VALID (atom-free) occurrence per block. A candidate whose slot
+    // range overlaps a non-text inline atom is never a match (collision-safe vs
+    // the U+FFFC placeholder), so it is excluded from both the uniqueness count
+    // and the splicing.
+    const blockChars = blocks.map((b) => flattenBlock(b));
+    const blockPlain = blockChars.map((chars) =>
+      chars.map((c) => c.ch).join(""),
+    );
+    const validPerBlock: number[][] = blockChars.map((chars, b) =>
+      findValidMatches(chars, blockPlain[b], edit.find),
+    );
+    let total = 0;
+    for (const positions of validPerBlock) total += positions.length;
+
+    if (total === 0) {
+      // Distinguish "the text exists but only across an atom" from a plain
+      // not-found: if a raw substring scan (atoms included) WOULD have hit,
+      // the only thing blocking the edit is the atom, so report that.
+      const existsAcrossAtom = blockPlain.some(
+        (plain) => plain.indexOf(edit.find) !== -1,
       );
+      failed.push({
+        find: edit.find,
+        reason: existsAcrossAtom
+          ? "match crosses a non-text inline node (image/break/mention); use update_page_json for structural changes."
+          : "text not found in the document.",
+      });
+      continue;
+    }
+    if (total > 1 && !edit.replaceAll) {
+      failed.push({
+        find: edit.find,
+        reason: `matches ${total} times. Provide a longer, unique fragment or set replaceAll: true.`,
+      });
+      continue;
     }
 
-    if (nodeMatches > 1 && !edit.replaceAll) {
-      throw new Error(
-        `Edit "${truncate(edit.find)}": matches ${nodeMatches} times. ` +
-          `Provide a longer, unique fragment or set replaceAll: true.`,
-      );
-    }
-
-    // Perform the replacement(s).
-    let done = 0;
-    (function replace(node: any) {
-      if (node.type === "text" && node.text && node.text.includes(edit.find)) {
+    // Plan the splices from the valid positions. For a non-replaceAll edit we
+    // splice only the first valid match (left-to-right across blocks); for
+    // replaceAll we splice every valid match.
+    const plannedPerBlock: number[][] = blockChars.map(() => []);
+    let takenFirst = false;
+    for (let b = 0; b < validPerBlock.length; b++) {
+      for (const idx of validPerBlock[b]) {
         if (edit.replaceAll) {
-          done += countOccurrences(node.text, edit.find);
-          node.text = node.text.split(edit.find).join(edit.replace);
-        } else if (done === 0) {
-          // Avoid String.replace: its second arg treats $&, $1, $`, $', $$ as
-          // special patterns, expanding them instead of inserting literally.
-          // Splice the first occurrence by index to keep the replacement literal.
-          const idx = node.text.indexOf(edit.find);
-          node.text =
-            node.text.slice(0, idx) +
-            edit.replace +
-            node.text.slice(idx + edit.find.length);
-          done = 1;
+          plannedPerBlock[b].push(idx);
+        } else if (!takenFirst) {
+          plannedPerBlock[b].push(idx);
+          takenFirst = true;
+          break;
+        } else {
+          break;
         }
       }
-      for (const child of node.content || []) replace(child);
-    })(copy);
+      if (!edit.replaceAll && takenFirst) break;
+    }
 
-    results.push({ find: edit.find, replacements: done });
+    // Apply the splices block-by-block and re-tokenize changed blocks.
+    let spliced = 0;
+    for (let b = 0; b < blocks.length; b++) {
+      if (plannedPerBlock[b].length === 0) continue;
+      const { newChars, spliced: n } = applyEditToChars(
+        blockChars[b],
+        edit,
+        plannedPerBlock[b],
+      );
+      spliced += n;
+      blocks[b].content = tokenizeChars(newChars);
+    }
+
+    results.push({ find: edit.find, replacements: spliced });
   }
 
-  // Drop text nodes that became empty (ProseMirror forbids empty text nodes).
+  // Safety net: drop any empty text nodes (ProseMirror forbids them). The
+  // re-tokenizer never emits empty text nodes, but untouched blocks could in
+  // principle carry one in from upstream.
   (function prune(node: any) {
     if (Array.isArray(node.content)) {
       node.content = node.content.filter(
@@ -119,9 +369,5 @@ export function applyTextEdits(
     }
   })(copy);
 
-  return { doc: copy, results };
-}
-
-function truncate(s: string): string {
-  return s.length > 60 ? s.slice(0, 57) + "..." : s;
+  return { doc: copy, results, failed };
 }
diff --git a/packages/mcp/test/unit/json-edit.test.mjs b/packages/mcp/test/unit/json-edit.test.mjs
index a270dc9c..d1958b38 100644
--- a/packages/mcp/test/unit/json-edit.test.mjs
+++ b/packages/mcp/test/unit/json-edit.test.mjs
@@ -32,18 +32,24 @@ test("single-match replace preserves ids/marks and reports replacements===1", ()
   assert.equal(tnode.text, "Hello there");
 });
 
-test("zero match throws not found", () => {
+test("zero match is reported via failed[], doc unchanged", () => {
   const input = doc(paragraph(textNode("Hello world")));
+  const snapshot = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(input));
 
-  assert.throws(
-    () => applyTextEdits(input, [{ find: "absent", replace: "x" }]),
-    /not found/,
-  );
+  const { doc: out, results, failed } = applyTextEdits(input, [
+    { find: "absent", replace: "x" },
+  ]);
+
+  assert.deepEqual(results, []);
+  assert.equal(failed.length, 1);
+  assert.match(failed[0].reason, /not found/);
+  // Doc is structurally unchanged (modulo deep-copy identity).
+  assert.deepEqual(out, snapshot);
 });
 
-test("text split across two text nodes (one bold) throws spans-multiple-runs", () => {
+test("text split across two text nodes (one bold) now applies, marks preserved", () => {
   // "Hello world" is split: "Hello " (plain) + "world" (bold). No single text
-  // node contains "Hello world", but the collected document text does.
+  // node contains "Hello world", but the block-level matcher spans them.
   const input = doc(
     paragraph(
       textNode("Hello "),
@@ -51,20 +57,161 @@ test("text split across two text nodes (one bold) throws spans-multiple-runs", (
     ),
   );
 
-  assert.throws(
-    () => applyTextEdits(input, [{ find: "Hello world", replace: "x" }]),
-    /spans/,
-  );
+  const { doc: out, results, failed } = applyTextEdits(input, [
+    { find: "Hello world", replace: "Hello there" },
+  ]);
+
+  assert.deepEqual(results, [{ find: "Hello world", replacements: 1 }]);
+  assert.deepEqual(failed, []);
+
+  // The unchanged prefix "Hello " stays plain; the changed region "world" was
+  // uniformly bold, so the replacement "there" stays bold.
+  const para = out.content[0];
+  assert.equal(para.content.length, 2);
+  assert.equal(para.content[0].text, "Hello ");
+  assert.equal(para.content[0].marks, undefined);
+  assert.equal(para.content[1].text, "there");
+  assert.deepEqual(para.content[1].marks, [{ type: "bold" }]);
 });
 
-test("multi-match without replaceAll throws matches", () => {
+test("multi-match without replaceAll is reported via failed[], doc unchanged", () => {
   // "ab" appears twice inside a single text node.
   const input = doc(paragraph(textNode("ab cd ab")));
+  const snapshot = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(input));
 
-  assert.throws(
-    () => applyTextEdits(input, [{ find: "ab", replace: "x" }]),
-    /matches/,
+  const { doc: out, results, failed } = applyTextEdits(input, [
+    { find: "ab", replace: "x" },
+  ]);
+
+  assert.deepEqual(results, []);
+  assert.equal(failed.length, 1);
+  assert.match(failed[0].reason, /matches/);
+  assert.deepEqual(out, snapshot);
+});
+
+test("cross-run replace with mixed marks inherits left-neighbor marks", () => {
+  // The matched region "BC" is split: "B" bold, "C" italic — non-uniform marks,
+  // and the replacement "X" shares no common prefix/suffix with "BC", so the
+  // inserted text inherits the left neighbor's marks. Here the left neighbor of
+  // the changed region is "A" (plain), so "X" must be plain.
+  const input = doc(
+    paragraph(
+      textNode("A"),
+      textNode("B", { marks: [{ type: "bold" }] }),
+      textNode("C", { marks: [{ type: "italic" }] }),
+      textNode("D"),
+    ),
   );
+
+  const { doc: out, results, failed } = applyTextEdits(input, [
+    { find: "BC", replace: "X" },
+  ]);
+
+  assert.deepEqual(results, [{ find: "BC", replacements: 1 }]);
+  assert.deepEqual(failed, []);
+
+  // "A" + "X"(plain) + "D" coalesce into a single plain text node "AXD".
+  const para = out.content[0];
+  assert.equal(para.content.length, 1);
+  assert.equal(para.content[0].text, "AXD");
+  assert.equal(para.content[0].marks, undefined);
+});
+
+test("cross-run replace at block start inherits [] marks", () => {
+  // The whole block content is the mixed-mark match "BC" with no left neighbor,
+  // so inserted text falls through to the right neighbor / [] (block start).
+  const input = doc(
+    paragraph(
+      textNode("B", { marks: [{ type: "bold" }] }),
+      textNode("C", { marks: [{ type: "italic" }] }),
+    ),
+  );
+
+  const { doc: out, results } = applyTextEdits(input, [
+    { find: "BC", replace: "X" },
+  ]);
+
+  assert.deepEqual(results, [{ find: "BC", replacements: 1 }]);
+  const para = out.content[0];
+  assert.equal(para.content.length, 1);
+  assert.equal(para.content[0].text, "X");
+  assert.equal(para.content[0].marks, undefined);
+});
+
+test("partial batch: good edits apply, the bad one goes to failed[]", () => {
+  const input = doc(paragraph(textNode("alpha beta gamma")));
+
+  const { doc: out, results, failed } = applyTextEdits(input, [
+    { find: "alpha", replace: "ALPHA" },
+    { find: "absent", replace: "X" },
+    { find: "gamma", replace: "GAMMA" },
+  ]);
+
+  // The 2 matching edits applied; the missing one is reported.
+  assert.deepEqual(results, [
+    { find: "alpha", replacements: 1 },
+    { find: "gamma", replacements: 1 },
+  ]);
+  assert.equal(failed.length, 1);
+  assert.equal(failed[0].find, "absent");
+  assert.match(failed[0].reason, /not found/);
+  assert.equal(out.content[0].content[0].text, "ALPHA beta GAMMA");
+});
+
+test("a match that crosses an atom is refused, doc unchanged", () => {
+  // paragraph: "a" <hardBreak> "b". A find of "ab" spans the hardBreak atom,
+  // so it is not a valid match: a match range may not contain an atom slot.
+  // The edit lands in failed[] (reason: atom-specific OR not-found) and the
+  // document is left unchanged.
+  const input = doc(
+    paragraph(
+      textNode("a"),
+      { type: "hardBreak" },
+      textNode("b"),
+    ),
+  );
+  const snapshot = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(input));
+
+  const { doc: out, results, failed } = applyTextEdits(input, [
+    { find: "ab", replace: "z" },
+  ]);
+
+  assert.deepEqual(results, []);
+  assert.equal(failed.length, 1);
+  assert.match(failed[0].reason, /non-text inline node|not found/);
+  assert.deepEqual(out, snapshot);
+});
+
+test("a TEXT node containing a literal U+FFFC matches/replaces normally", () => {
+  // The U+FFFC OBJECT REPLACEMENT CHARACTER is the placeholder for atom slots,
+  // but a real text node may legitimately contain that code unit. Such a slot
+  // has no `.atom`, so it must match and replace like any other character —
+  // proving atoms and literal-U+FFFC text are distinguished.
+  const input = doc(paragraph(textNode("xy")));
+
+  const { doc: out, results, failed } = applyTextEdits(input, [
+    { find: "xy", replace: "done" },
+  ]);
+
+  assert.deepEqual(results, [{ find: "xy", replacements: 1 }]);
+  assert.deepEqual(failed, []);
+  assert.equal(out.content[0].content[0].text, "done");
+});
+
+test("a no-op edit (find === replace) produces a doc deep-equal to the input", () => {
+  // find === replace "applies" but changes nothing: the produced document must
+  // be structurally identical to the input (this is what lets the client skip
+  // the collaboration write and avoid a spurious history version).
+  const input = doc(paragraph(textNode("unchanged text")));
+  const snapshot = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(input));
+
+  const { doc: out, results } = applyTextEdits(input, [
+    { find: "unchanged", replace: "unchanged" },
+  ]);
+
+  assert.deepEqual(results, [{ find: "unchanged", replacements: 1 }]);
+  // Deep-equal to the input despite the edit being reported as applied.
+  assert.deepEqual(out, snapshot);
 });
 
 test("replaceAll replaces all occurrences", () => {