diff --git a/front_end/src/components/markdown_editor/__tests__/initialized_editor.test.tsx b/front_end/src/components/markdown_editor/__tests__/initialized_editor.test.tsx
index 07e7fb86d4..629e5de5b7 100644
--- a/front_end/src/components/markdown_editor/__tests__/initialized_editor.test.tsx
+++ b/front_end/src/components/markdown_editor/__tests__/initialized_editor.test.tsx
@@ -172,6 +172,23 @@ describe("InitializedMarkdownEditor", () => {
     });
   });
 
+  describe("code blocks", () => {
+    it("renders existing code blocks in write mode when withCodeBlocks is false", async () => {
+      // Given
+      const markdown = "Before\n\n```\nconsole.log('hi');\n```\n\nAfter";
+
+      // When / Then — must not throw "Parsing of the following markdown
+      // structure failed: {type: code, name: N/A}".
+      await renderWithAct(
+        <MockedEditorComponent markdown={markdown} mode="write" />
+      );
+
+      const editor = screen.getByLabelText(EDITOR_LABEL);
+      expect(editor).toHaveTextContent("Before");
+      expect(editor).toHaveTextContent("After");
+    });
+  });
+
   describe("html tags", () => {
     it("properly preserves HTML tags with custom attributes", async () => {
       // Given
diff --git a/front_end/src/components/markdown_editor/editor.css b/front_end/src/components/markdown_editor/editor.css
index fa8d7a5c16..f9706512bb 100644
--- a/front_end/src/components/markdown_editor/editor.css
+++ b/front_end/src/components/markdown_editor/editor.css
@@ -131,6 +131,22 @@
 div:has(.prism-code) + p:has(> br:only-child) {
   display: none;
 }
+
+/*
+ * Keep fenced code blocks from stretching the editor horizontally.
+ * `overflow-x: auto` on the <pre> only clips when every ancestor up to the
+ * content-editable is width-bounded — Lexical wraps decorator blocks in
+ * intermediate spans/divs that default to intrinsic width, so we force
+ * min-width: 0 on the wrappers and cap the <pre> at 100% of its container.
+ */
+.mdx-content-editable pre {
+  max-width: 100%;
+}
+.mdx-content-editable [data-lexical-decorator],
+.mdx-content-editable [data-lexical-decorator] > * {
+  min-width: 0;
+  max-width: 100%;
+}
 @media (min-width: 1024px) {
   .markdown-editor.markdown-editor-read .tweets-wrapper {
     display: block;
diff --git a/front_end/src/components/markdown_editor/initialized_editor.tsx b/front_end/src/components/markdown_editor/initialized_editor.tsx
index ef49036383..8ef5e93fa0 100644
--- a/front_end/src/components/markdown_editor/initialized_editor.tsx
+++ b/front_end/src/components/markdown_editor/initialized_editor.tsx
@@ -81,8 +81,8 @@ const PrismCodeBlock: FC<{ code?: string; language?: string }> = ({
   // Handle plain text without syntax highlighting
   if (normalizedLang === "text") {
     return (
-      <div className="my-4">
-        <pre className="overflow-x-auto rounded border border-gray-300 bg-gray-100 p-3 dark:border-gray-300-dark dark:bg-gray-100-dark">
+      <div className="my-4 w-full min-w-0 max-w-full">
+        <pre className="w-full max-w-full overflow-x-auto rounded border border-gray-300 bg-gray-100 p-3 dark:border-gray-300-dark dark:bg-gray-100-dark">
           {codeTrimmed}
         </pre>
       </div>
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ const PrismCodeBlock: FC<{ code?: string; language?: string }> = ({
   const prismLang = CANONICAL_TO_PRISM[normalizedLang] ?? "tsx";
 
   return (
-    <div className="my-4">
+    <div className="my-4 w-full min-w-0 max-w-full">
       <Highlight
         key={theme}
         theme={prismTheme}
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ const PrismCodeBlock: FC<{ code?: string; language?: string }> = ({
       >
         {({ className, tokens, getLineProps, getTokenProps }) => (
           <pre
-            className={`${className} overflow-x-auto rounded border border-gray-300 bg-gray-100 p-3 dark:border-gray-300-dark dark:bg-gray-100-dark`}
+            className={`${className} w-full max-w-full overflow-x-auto rounded border border-gray-300 bg-gray-100 p-3 dark:border-gray-300-dark dark:bg-gray-100-dark`}
           >
             {tokens.map((line, i) => (
               <div key={i} {...getLineProps({ line })}>
@@ -258,11 +258,11 @@ const InitializedMarkdownEditor: FC<
       equationPlugin(),
     ];
 
-    if (!withCodeBlocks) {
-      return common;
-    }
-
-    if (mode === "read") {
+    // Always register codeBlockPlugin so pre-existing ``` fences in the source
+    // markdown parse — otherwise MDXEditor throws on unknown "code" nodes.
+    // `withCodeBlocks` only gates the insert-code-block toolbar affordance and
+    // the rich CodeMirror editing experience.
+    if (!withCodeBlocks || mode === "read") {
       return [
         ...common,
         codeBlockPlugin({