diff --git a/src/tools/council-archive/council-response-extractor.test.ts b/src/tools/council-archive/council-response-extractor.test.ts
index d436d2a0b..65441343b 100644
--- a/src/tools/council-archive/council-response-extractor.test.ts
+++ b/src/tools/council-archive/council-response-extractor.test.ts
@@ -275,5 +275,62 @@ describe("extractCouncilResponse", () => {
       })
     })
   })
+
+  describe("#given leading spaces before opening tag", () => {
+    it("#then recognizes the tag as structural and extracts content", () => {
+      const content = "a".repeat(100)
+      const text = `  <COUNCIL_MEMBER_RESPONSE>\n${content}\n</COUNCIL_MEMBER_RESPONSE>`
+      const result = extractCouncilResponse(text)
+
+      expect(result).toEqual({
+        has_response: true,
+        response_complete: true,
+        result: content,
+      })
+    })
+  })
+
+  describe("#given leading tab before opening tag", () => {
+    it("#then recognizes the tag as structural and extracts content", () => {
+      const content = "a".repeat(100)
+      const text = `\t<COUNCIL_MEMBER_RESPONSE>\n${content}\n</COUNCIL_MEMBER_RESPONSE>`
+      const result = extractCouncilResponse(text)
+
+      expect(result).toEqual({
+        has_response: true,
+        response_complete: true,
+        result: content,
+      })
+    })
+  })
+
+  describe("#given trailing spaces after closing tag", () => {
+    it("#then recognizes the closing tag as structural and extracts content", () => {
+      const content = "a".repeat(100)
+      const text = `<COUNCIL_MEMBER_RESPONSE>\n${content}\n</COUNCIL_MEMBER_RESPONSE>  `
+      const result = extractCouncilResponse(text)
+
+      expect(result).toEqual({
+        has_response: true,
+        response_complete: true,
+        result: content,
+      })
+    })
+  })
+
+  describe("#given inline opening tag (text before tag on same line)", () => {
+    it("#then rejects the inline tag and returns has_response false", () => {
+      const content = "a".repeat(100)
+      const text = `text <COUNCIL_MEMBER_RESPONSE>\n${content}\n</COUNCIL_MEMBER_RESPONSE>`
+      const result = extractCouncilResponse(text)
+
+      expect(result).toEqual({
+        has_response: false,
+        response_complete: false,
+        result: null,
+      })
+    })
+  })
+
 })
 
diff --git a/src/tools/council-archive/council-response-extractor.ts b/src/tools/council-archive/council-response-extractor.ts
index f0be4d8f4..a3fd44fe1 100644
--- a/src/tools/council-archive/council-response-extractor.ts
+++ b/src/tools/council-archive/council-response-extractor.ts
@@ -55,12 +55,20 @@ export function hasCouncilResponseTag(sessionMessages: Array<{ info?: { role?: s
 }
 
 function isStructuralOpen(text: string, idx: number): boolean {
-  return idx === 0 || text[idx - 1] === "\n"
+  if (idx === 0) return true
+  const prevNewline = text.lastIndexOf("\n", idx - 1)
+  const lineStart = prevNewline === -1 ? 0 : prevNewline + 1
+  const between = text.slice(lineStart, idx)
+  return between.split("").every((ch) => ch === " " || ch === "\t")
 }
 
 function isStructuralClose(text: string, idx: number): boolean {
   const afterIdx = idx + CLOSING_TAG.length
-  return afterIdx === text.length || text[afterIdx] === "\n" || text[afterIdx] === "\r"
+  if (afterIdx === text.length) return true
+  const nextNewline = text.indexOf("\n", afterIdx)
+  const lineEnd = nextNewline === -1 ? text.length : nextNewline
+  const between = text.slice(afterIdx, lineEnd)
+  return between.split("").every((ch) => ch === " " || ch === "\t" || ch === "\r")
 }
 
 function findLastStructuralClose(text: string): number {