diff --git a/tests/test_monitor.py b/tests/test_monitor.py
index 0c9c930..a19d5e7 100644
--- a/tests/test_monitor.py
+++ b/tests/test_monitor.py
@@ -72,6 +72,30 @@ def test_monitor_marks_errors():
     assert snap["status"]["errors_total"] >= 1
 
 
+def test_error_turn_increments_errors_total_once():
+    """The dashboard voice turn (dashboard.voice_turn) records a turn and calls
+    turn.finish(error=...) directly — it never goes through the pipeline's
+    log("error") path. That failure must still land in errors_total, and exactly
+    once no matter how many times the turn is re-published."""
+    mon = Monitor()
+    turn = mon.turn(source="discord")
+    turn.heard("`코드` 얘기")           # touches/publishes again
+    turn.replied("답변")                 # and again
+    assert mon.status_snapshot()["errors_total"] == 0
+
+    turn.finish(error="melo synth failed: KeyError '`'")
+    assert mon.status_snapshot()["errors_total"] == 1
+
+    # A stray re-finish/re-publish must not double count.
+    turn.finish(error="melo synth failed: KeyError '`'")
+    turn._touch()
+    assert mon.status_snapshot()["errors_total"] == 1
+
+    # The failure is also visible as an error-level event for the live feed.
+    events = mon.snapshot()["events"]
+    assert any(e["type"] == "log" and e["level"] == "error" for e in events)
+
+
 def test_subscriber_receives_live_turn_events():
     async def go():
         mon = Monitor()
diff --git a/tests/test_textnorm.py b/tests/test_textnorm.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3982041
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_textnorm.py
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+"""TTS input normalisation. Claude speaks in markdown/backticks; MeloTTS's
+Korean normaliser crashes on a bare backtick (``KeyError: '`'``), which used to
+take down the whole voice turn. normalize_for_speech() must strip formatting and
+above all guarantee no backtick reaches the synthesiser."""
+
+from wsai.backends.melo import normalize_for_speech
+
+
+def test_backticks_are_always_removed():
+    # The exact crash trigger: inline code, a fenced block, and a stray backtick.
+    reply = "`ls -la` 를 써봐. 예시:\n```python\nprint('hi')\n```\n그리고 ` 이건 홀로 남은 백틱"
+    out = normalize_for_speech(reply)
+    assert "`" not in out            # the character that crashes MeloTTS is gone
+    assert "ls -la" in out           # inner words are kept, just unwrapped
+    assert "print('hi')" in out      # fenced code content survives as spoken text
+
+
+def test_markdown_structure_flattened():
+    reply = "# 제목\n- 첫째 항목\n- 둘째 항목\n**굵게** 그리고 _기울임_\n> 인용문"
+    out = normalize_for_speech(reply)
+    assert "#" not in out
+    assert "**" not in out and "_" not in out
+    assert not out.lstrip().startswith(("-", ">"))
+    assert "첫째 항목" in out and "굵게" in out and "인용문" in out
+
+
+def test_links_reduced_to_label():
+    out = normalize_for_speech("자세히는 [문서](https://example.com/docs) 참고해")
+    assert "문서" in out
+    assert "http" not in out and "]" not in out and "(" not in out
+
+
+def test_plain_text_is_left_intact():
+    plain = "안녕, 지금 화면 잘 보고 있어. 뭐 도와줄까?"
+    assert normalize_for_speech(plain) == plain
+
+
+def test_empty_is_safe():
+    assert normalize_for_speech("") == ""
diff --git a/wsai/backends/claude.py b/wsai/backends/claude.py
index 9ab71fc..5488328 100644
--- a/wsai/backends/claude.py
+++ b/wsai/backends/claude.py
@@ -125,7 +125,8 @@ class ClaudeBrain:
     PERSONA = (
         "너는 사용자의 디스코드 화면공유를 실시간으로 함께 보는 AI 파트너야. "
         "화면 설명을 참고해 자연스러운 반말/존댓말은 사용자에 맞추고, 짧고 대화하듯 답해. "
-        "화면을 못 봤으면 솔직히 말해."
+        "화면을 못 봤으면 솔직히 말해. "
+        "네 답변은 음성으로 읽히니 마크다운·코드블록·백틱 같은 서식 없이 평범한 말로만 답해."
     )
 
     def __init__(self, *, model: str = "claude-sonnet-4-5", api_key: str | None = None) -> None:
diff --git a/wsai/backends/melo.py b/wsai/backends/melo.py
index 7b0a249..776bac7 100644
--- a/wsai/backends/melo.py
+++ b/wsai/backends/melo.py
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import collections
 import json
 import logging
 import os
+import re
 import time
 from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Awaitable, Callable
@@ -32,6 +33,42 @@ log = logging.getLogger("wsai.tts.melo")
 
 _DEFAULT_PYTHON = "/home/claude/jarvis-tts/melo311/bin/python"
 
+_FENCE_RE = re.compile(r"```[^\n`]*\n?(.*?)```", re.DOTALL)
+_LINK_RE = re.compile(r"\[([^\]]+)\]\([^)]*\)")
+_INLINE_CODE_RE = re.compile(r"`+([^`]*)`+")
+
+
+def normalize_for_speech(text: str) -> str:
+    """Flatten Claude's markdown/code formatting into plain prose before TTS.
+
+    MeloTTS's Korean text normaliser has no dictionary entry for characters
+    like the backtick and dies with ``KeyError: '`'`` — which crashes the whole
+    voice turn the moment the model mentions a command or shows a code block.
+    Code/markdown also reads terribly aloud. So strip the formatting and keep
+    the words. Every spoken path (dashboard voice turn and the Discord speak()
+    bridge) funnels through ``synth()``, so normalising there covers them both.
+    """
+    if not text:
+        return text
+    # Fenced code block -> keep its inner text as spoken words, drop the fences.
+    text = _FENCE_RE.sub(lambda m: " " + m.group(1) + " ", text)
+    # [label](url) -> label
+    text = _LINK_RE.sub(r"\1", text)
+    # `code` -> code
+    text = _INLINE_CODE_RE.sub(r"\1", text)
+    # Any stray/unbalanced backtick that survived -> gone. This is the exact
+    # character that crashes MeloTTS, so guarantee none remain.
+    text = text.replace("`", "")
+    # Markdown structure markers -> plain text.
+    text = re.sub(r"(?m)^\s{0,3}#{1,6}\s*", "", text)   # ATX headings
+    text = re.sub(r"(?m)^\s{0,3}>\s?", "", text)         # blockquotes
+    text = re.sub(r"(?m)^\s{0,3}[-*+]\s+", "", text)     # bullet list markers
+    text = re.sub(r"[*_]{1,3}", "", text)                # bold/italic emphasis
+    # Collapse the whitespace the stripping leaves behind.
+    text = re.sub(r"[ \t]+", " ", text)
+    text = re.sub(r"\n{2,}", "\n", text)
+    return text.strip()
+
 # A sink receives the finished wav path plus the reply it voices.
 Sink = Callable[[str, Reply], Awaitable[None]]
 
@@ -135,6 +172,7 @@ class MeloTTS:
         """Synthesize `text` to a wav and return its path (no sink). Reusable by
         callers that want the wav directly (e.g. the Discord voice bridge)."""
         await self._ensure()
+        text = normalize_for_speech(text)
         self._n += 1
         out = str(self.out_dir / f"tts-{self._n:06d}.wav")
         req = json.dumps({"text": text, "out": out, "speed": self.speed})
diff --git a/wsai/monitor.py b/wsai/monitor.py
index 1382469..8b89e5e 100644
--- a/wsai/monitor.py
+++ b/wsai/monitor.py
@@ -88,6 +88,7 @@ class Turn:
         self.error = ""
         self.total_ms = 0.0
         self._steps: list[Step] = []
+        self._error_logged = False  # count this turn's failure at most once
 
     # -- recording API (called from the pipeline) ------------------------- #
     def heard(self, text: str) -> None:
@@ -108,8 +109,19 @@ class Turn:
             self.error = error
         elif any(s.ok is False for s in self._steps):
             self.status = "error"
+            if not self.error:
+                failed = next((s for s in self._steps if s.ok is False), None)
+                self.error = (failed.error if failed else "") or "step failed"
         else:
             self.status = "ok"
+        # A turn that ended in error must be reflected in errors_total. That
+        # counter is driven by error-level log events on BOTH the server
+        # (Monitor.log) and the browser (dashboard SSE handler), so emit one
+        # log event here rather than bumping a counter the client won't mirror.
+        # Guarded so the repeated _touch()/finish() calls can't double-count.
+        if self.status == "error" and not self._error_logged:
+            self._error_logged = True
+            self._monitor.log("error", f"대화 #{self.id} 실패: {self.error}")
         self._touch()
 
     # -- internal --------------------------------------------------------- #
@@ -185,11 +197,8 @@ class Monitor:
         return t
 
     def _publish(self, t: Turn) -> None:
-        # Recompute error total lazily on error transitions.
-        if t.status == "error":
-            with self._lock:
-                # errors_total counts turns that ended in error at most once
-                pass
+        # errors_total is bumped once when the turn transitions to error, inside
+        # Turn.finish() (via a log event), so this only streams the turn state.
         self._broadcast({"type": "turn", "turn": t.to_dict()})
 
     # -- snapshot / subscribe (read side, HTTP threads) ------------------- #
diff --git a/wsai/pipeline.py b/wsai/pipeline.py
index 884639d..0c40cd3 100644
--- a/wsai/pipeline.py
+++ b/wsai/pipeline.py
@@ -94,8 +94,9 @@ class Pipeline:
             async with turn.step("응답(TTS/전송)"):
                 await self._emit(reply)
         except Exception as exc:
+            # finish() records the error and emits the single error-level log
+            # event that bumps errors_total, so don't log the same failure twice.
             turn.finish(error=f"{type(exc).__name__}: {exc}")
-            self.monitor.log("error", f"대화 #{turn.id} 실패: {exc}")
             raise
         else:
             turn.finish()