diff --git a/app/javascript/mastodon/components/status/handled_link.stories.tsx b/app/javascript/mastodon/components/status/handled_link.stories.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..a45e33626ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/javascript/mastodon/components/status/handled_link.stories.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+import type { Meta, StoryObj } from '@storybook/react-vite';
+
+import { HashtagMenuController } from '@/mastodon/features/ui/components/hashtag_menu_controller';
+import { accountFactoryState } from '@/testing/factories';
+
+import { HoverCardController } from '../hover_card_controller';
+
+import type { HandledLinkProps } from './handled_link';
+import { HandledLink } from './handled_link';
+
+const meta = {
+  title: 'Components/Status/HandledLink',
+  render(args) {
+    return (
+      <>
+        <HandledLink {...args} mentionAccountId='1' hashtagAccountId='1' />
+        <HashtagMenuController />
+        <HoverCardController />
+      </>
+    );
+  },
+  args: {
+    href: 'https://example.com/path/subpath?query=1#hash',
+    text: 'https://example.com',
+  },
+  parameters: {
+    state: {
+      accounts: {
+        '1': accountFactoryState(),
+      },
+    },
+  },
+} satisfies Meta<Pick<HandledLinkProps, 'href' | 'text'>>;
+
+export default meta;
+
+type Story = StoryObj<typeof meta>;
+
+export const Default: Story = {};
+
+export const Hashtag: Story = {
+  args: {
+    text: '#example',
+  },
+};
+
+export const Mention: Story = {
+  args: {
+    text: '@user',
+  },
+};
+
+export const InternalLink: Story = {
+  args: {
+    href: '/about',
+    text: 'About',
+  },
+};
+
+export const InvalidURL: Story = {
+  args: {
+    href: 'ht!tp://invalid-url',
+    text: 'ht!tp://invalid-url -- invalid!',
+  },
+};
diff --git a/app/javascript/mastodon/components/status/handled_link.tsx b/app/javascript/mastodon/components/status/handled_link.tsx
index b5d97f66a97..c9e8dde3844 100644
--- a/app/javascript/mastodon/components/status/handled_link.tsx
+++ b/app/javascript/mastodon/components/status/handled_link.tsx
@@ -1,9 +1,8 @@
-import { useId } from 'react';
 import type { ComponentProps, FC } from 'react';
 
 import { Link } from 'react-router-dom';
 
-interface HandledLinkProps {
+export interface HandledLinkProps {
   href: string;
   text: string;
   hashtagAccountId?: string;
@@ -15,9 +14,9 @@ export const HandledLink: FC<HandledLinkProps & ComponentProps<'a'>> = ({
   text,
   hashtagAccountId,
   mentionAccountId,
+  key,
   ...props
 }) => {
-  const id = useId();
   // Handle hashtags
   if (text.startsWith('#')) {
     const hashtag = text.slice(1).trim();
@@ -28,7 +27,7 @@ export const HandledLink: FC<HandledLinkProps & ComponentProps<'a'>> = ({
         to={`/tags/${hashtag}`}
         rel='tag'
         data-menu-hashtag={hashtagAccountId}
-        key={id}
+        key={key}
       >
         #<span>{hashtag}</span>
       </Link>
@@ -39,20 +38,29 @@ export const HandledLink: FC<HandledLinkProps & ComponentProps<'a'>> = ({
     return (
       <Link
         {...props}
+        className='mention'
         to={`/@${mention}`}
         title={`@${mention}`}
         data-hover-card-account={mentionAccountId}
-        key={id}
+        key={key}
       >
         @<span>{mention}</span>
       </Link>
     );
   }
+
+  // Non-absolute paths treated as internal links.
   if (href.startsWith('/')) {
-    return text;
+    return (
+      <Link {...props} className='unhandled-link' to={href} key={key}>
+        {text}
+      </Link>
+    );
   }
+
   try {
     const url = new URL(href);
+    const [first, ...rest] = url.pathname.split('/').slice(1); // Start at 1 to skip the leading slash.
     return (
       <a
         {...props}
@@ -62,15 +70,11 @@ export const HandledLink: FC<HandledLinkProps & ComponentProps<'a'>> = ({
         target='_blank'
         rel='noreferrer noopener'
         translate='no'
-        key={id}
+        key={key}
       >
-        <span className='invisible'>{url.protocol}</span>
-        <span className='ellipsis'>
-          {url.hostname + url.pathname.split('/').slice(0, 1).join('/')}
-        </span>
-        <span className='invisible'>
-          {url.pathname.split('/').slice(1).join('/') + url.search + url.hash}
-        </span>
+        <span className='invisible'>{url.protocol + '//'}</span>
+        <span className='ellipsis'>{`${url.hostname}/${first ?? ''}`}</span>
+        <span className='invisible'>{'/' + rest.join('/')}</span>
       </a>
     );
   } catch {