diff --git a/lua/opencode/ui/formatter.lua b/lua/opencode/ui/formatter.lua
index 4a2f643b..16b766d7 100644
--- a/lua/opencode/ui/formatter.lua
+++ b/lua/opencode/ui/formatter.lua
@@ -764,7 +764,12 @@ local function add_symbol_reference_highlights(output, rendered, rendered_mentio
       local abs_start = line_start + start_pos - 1
       local abs_end = line_start + end_pos - 1
 
-      if token and not in_ranges(rendered_mention_ranges, abs_start, abs_end) and symbol_refs[token] then
+      if
+        token
+        and symbol_refs[token]
+        and symbol_tokens.is_code_like(line, start_pos, end_pos, token)
+        and not in_ranges(rendered_mention_ranges, abs_start, abs_end)
+      then
         output:add_extmark(first_line_idx + line_idx - 1, {
           start_col = start_pos - 1,
           end_col = end_pos,
@@ -818,7 +823,12 @@ local function add_symbol_reference_targets(output, rendered, rendered_mention_r
 
       -- Empty-candidate guard keeps the zero-lookup contract testable here;
       -- targets_for_token re-checks internally for other callers.
-      if token and not in_ranges(rendered_mention_ranges, abs_start, abs_end) and #candidates > 0 then
+      if
+        token
+        and #candidates > 0
+        and symbol_tokens.is_code_like(line, start_pos, end_pos, token)
+        and not in_ranges(rendered_mention_ranges, abs_start, abs_end)
+      then
         local targets = symbol_snapshot.targets_for_token(context.symbol_cycle, token, candidates)
         if #targets > 0 then
           output:add_target({
diff --git a/lua/opencode/ui/symbol_tokens.lua b/lua/opencode/ui/symbol_tokens.lua
index 28a89f3d..1e7dd477 100644
--- a/lua/opencode/ui/symbol_tokens.lua
+++ b/lua/opencode/ui/symbol_tokens.lua
@@ -50,6 +50,19 @@ function M.find(line, scan_from)
   return start_pos, end_pos, token
 end
 
+-- Plain prose words collide with locals in candidate files, so only accept
+-- identifier-shaped tokens or ones quoted as inline code.
+---@param line string
+---@param start_pos integer
+---@param end_pos integer
+---@param token string
+---@return boolean
+function M.is_code_like(line, start_pos, end_pos, token)
+  return token:find('[_.:]') ~= nil
+    or token:find('%l%u') ~= nil
+    or (line:sub(start_pos - 1, start_pos - 1) == '`' and line:sub(end_pos + 1, end_pos + 1) == '`')
+end
+
 function M.at_col(line, col)
   local scan_from = 1
   while scan_from <= #line do
diff --git a/tests/data/symbol-reference-navigation.json b/tests/data/symbol-reference-navigation.json
index 735b1ef5..ca8bd8e4 100644
--- a/tests/data/symbol-reference-navigation.json
+++ b/tests/data/symbol-reference-navigation.json
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@
                 "messageID": "msg_symbol_reference_navigation",
                 "sessionID": "ses_symbol_reference_navigation",
                 "type": "text",
-                "text": "collect should be highlighted from the referenced file."
+                "text": "`collect` should be highlighted from the referenced file."
             }
         }
     }
diff --git a/tests/unit/formatter_spec.lua b/tests/unit/formatter_spec.lua
index 080ef2b0..958af782 100644
--- a/tests/unit/formatter_spec.lua
+++ b/tests/unit/formatter_spec.lua
@@ -808,7 +808,7 @@ describe('formatter', function()
     }
 
     local output = Output.new()
-    formatter._format_assistant_message(output, 'foo', { id = 'part_symbol_only' }, {
+    formatter._format_assistant_message(output, '`foo`', { id = 'part_symbol_only' }, {
       id = 'msg_symbol_only',
       kind = 'assistant',
       session_id = 'ses_1',
@@ -826,12 +826,47 @@ describe('formatter', function()
       {
         kind = 'symbol',
         token = 'foo',
-        range = { line = 1, start_col = 0, end_col = 3 },
+        range = { line = 1, start_col = 1, end_col = 4 },
       },
     }, output.targets)
     assert.are.equal('OpencodeSymbolReference', output.extmarks[0][1].hl_group)
   end)
 
+  it('limits symbol targets to code-like or backticked tokens', function()
+    local original_symbol_snapshot = package.loaded['opencode.ui.symbol_snapshot']
+    package.loaded['opencode.ui.symbol_snapshot'] = {
+      targets_for_token = function(_, token)
+        return { { token = token, path = '/test/project/src/foo.lua', line = 1, col = 1 } }
+      end,
+    }
+
+    local output = Output.new()
+    formatter._format_assistant_message(
+      output,
+      'Move to the first line, `first` switch_to_mode M.apply fooBar',
+      {
+        id = 'part_prose',
+      },
+      nil,
+      {
+        interactive = true,
+        current_files = { '/test/project/src/foo.lua' },
+        current_refs = {},
+        symbol_cycle = {},
+      }
+    )
+
+    package.loaded['opencode.ui.symbol_snapshot'] = original_symbol_snapshot
+
+    assert.are.same(
+      { 'first', 'switch_to_mode', 'M.apply', 'fooBar' },
+      vim.tbl_map(function(target)
+        return target.token
+      end, output.targets)
+    )
+    assert.are.equal(4, #output.extmarks[0])
+  end)
+
   it('does not create symbol targets without local candidate files', function()
     local original_symbol_snapshot = package.loaded['opencode.ui.symbol_snapshot']
 
@@ -930,14 +965,15 @@ describe('formatter', function()
 
   it('highlights a symbol before trailing prose colon', function()
     local original_symbol_snapshot = package.loaded['opencode.ui.symbol_snapshot']
-    local text = 'See `src/main.lua` foo: call this'
+    local text = 'See `src/main.lua` foo_bar: call this'
     local ref_start, ref_end = text:find('`src/main.lua`', 1, true)
     local part = { id = 'part_colon', kind = 'text', text = text }
     local message = assistant({ part }, { id = 'msg_colon' })
     package.loaded['opencode.ui.symbol_snapshot'] = {
       targets_for_token = function(_, token, candidate_files)
         assert.are.same({ vim.fn.getcwd() .. '/src/main.lua' }, candidate_files)
-        return token == 'foo' and { { token = 'foo', path = vim.fn.getcwd() .. '/src/main.lua', line = 3, col = 1 } }
+        return token == 'foo_bar'
+            and { { token = 'foo_bar', path = vim.fn.getcwd() .. '/src/main.lua', line = 3, col = 1 } }
           or {}
       end,
     }
@@ -961,11 +997,11 @@ describe('formatter', function()
     package.loaded['opencode.ui.symbol_snapshot'] = original_symbol_snapshot
 
     local symbol_mark = output.extmarks[0][2]
-    local foo_start = output.lines[1]:find('foo:', 1, true)
+    local foo_start = output.lines[1]:find('foo_bar:', 1, true)
     assert.are.equal(text:gsub('See ', 'See ' .. require('opencode.ui.icons').get('reference'), 1), output.lines[1])
     assert.are.equal(foo_start - 1, symbol_mark.start_col)
-    assert.are.equal(foo_start + 2, symbol_mark.end_col)
-    assert.are.equal('foo', output.targets[2].token)
+    assert.are.equal(foo_start + 6, symbol_mark.end_col)
+    assert.are.equal('foo_bar', output.targets[2].token)
   end)
 
   it('formats grep tools when streamed input contains vim.NIL placeholders', function()
diff --git a/tests/unit/symbol_tokens_spec.lua b/tests/unit/symbol_tokens_spec.lua
index baf1e6f4..e23df699 100644
--- a/tests/unit/symbol_tokens_spec.lua
+++ b/tests/unit/symbol_tokens_spec.lua
@@ -60,4 +60,14 @@ describe('opencode.ui.symbol_tokens', function()
     assert.is_nil(symbol_tokens.at_col('tests/data/symbol-reference-navigation.json', 8))
     assert.is_nil(symbol_tokens.at_col('.cache/', 2))
   end)
+
+  it('accepts only code-like tokens', function()
+    for _, token in ipairs({ 'switch_to_mode', 'M.apply', 'A::b', 'fooBar' }) do
+      assert.is_true(symbol_tokens.is_code_like(token, 1, #token, token), token)
+    end
+    for _, token in ipairs({ 'first', 'Update', 'JSON' }) do
+      assert.is_false(symbol_tokens.is_code_like(token, 1, #token, token), token)
+    end
+    assert.is_true(symbol_tokens.is_code_like('see `first`', 6, 10, 'first'))
+  end)
 end)