diff --git a/src/bun_core/output.rs b/src/bun_core/output.rs
index 3274e5c074cb..6fdf8d11e4d1 100644
--- a/src/bun_core/output.rs
+++ b/src/bun_core/output.rs
@@ -1991,6 +1991,13 @@ pub fn pretty_fmt_runtime(fmt: &[u8], is_enabled: bool) -> Vec<u8> {
                 i += 1;
             }
             b'{' => {
+                // `{{` is an escaped literal brace, not the start of a
+                // placeholder: the text after it is still subject to markup.
+                if fmt.get(i + 1) == Some(&b'{') {
+                    out.extend_from_slice(b"{{");
+                    i += 2;
+                    continue;
+                }
                 while i < fmt.len() && fmt[i] != b'}' {
                     out.push(fmt[i]);
                     i += 1;
@@ -2940,6 +2947,55 @@ mod pretty_fmt_tests {
         assert_eq!(pretty_fmt!("{?}", true), "{:?}");
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn markup_after_escaped_brace_is_rewritten() {
+        // `{{` is a literal brace, not the start of a spec: tags between it
+        // and the next `}` must still be converted / stripped.
+        assert_eq!(
+            pretty_fmt!(
+                "<r><green>\"{}\"<r>: {{\n  <green>\"bun\"<r>: <green>\"latest\"<r>\n}}",
+                false
+            ),
+            "\"{}\": {{\n  \"bun\": \"latest\"\n}}"
+        );
+        assert_eq!(pretty_fmt!("{{<green>x<r>}}", true), "{{\x1b[32mx\x1b[0m}}");
+        assert_eq!(pretty_fmt!("{{<green>x<r>}}", false), "{{x}}");
+        assert_eq!(pretty_fmt!("{{{{<r>", false), "{{{{");
+        // The escapes pass through untouched, so the output is still a valid
+        // `format_args!` template, including when an escape abuts a spec.
+        assert_eq!(
+            format!(pretty_fmt!("{{ <green>{s}<r> }}", false), "bun"),
+            "{ bun }"
+        );
+        assert_eq!(pretty_fmt!("<b>{{{s}}}<r>", false), "{{{}}}");
+        assert_eq!(format!(pretty_fmt!("<b>{{{s}}}<r>", false), "bun"), "{bun}");
+        // A spec after the escape is still shielded from the tag parser.
+        assert_eq!(pretty_fmt!("{{<d>{:<4}<r>}}", false), "{{{:<4}}}");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn runtime_markup_after_escaped_brace_is_rewritten() {
+        assert_eq!(
+            pretty_fmt_runtime(b"{{<green>x<r>}}", true),
+            b"{{\x1b[32mx\x1b[0m}}"
+        );
+        assert_eq!(pretty_fmt_runtime(b"{{<green>x<r>}}", false), b"{{x}}");
+        assert_eq!(
+            format!(
+                "{}",
+                super::pretty_fmt_args("{{ <green>{s}<r> }}", false, ("bun",))
+            ),
+            "{ bun }"
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            format!(
+                "{}",
+                super::pretty_fmt_args("{{ <green>{s}<r> }}", true, ("bun",))
+            ),
+            "{ \x1b[32mbun\x1b[0m }"
+        );
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn concat_and_stringify_inputs() {
         assert_eq!(
@@ -3008,5 +3064,7 @@ mod pretty_fmt_tests {
         check!(
             "  <b><blue>link<r>      <d>[\\<package\\>]<r>          Register or link a local npm package\n"
         );
+        check!("<r><green>\"{}\"<r>: {{\n  <green>\"bun\"<r>: <green>\"latest\"<r>\n}}");
+        check!("{{{{<r>{{<d>{:<4}<r>}}");
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/bun_core_macros/lib.rs b/src/bun_core_macros/lib.rs
index 1e8e0b2e85db..a37f6707bdd0 100644
--- a/src/bun_core_macros/lib.rs
+++ b/src/bun_core_macros/lib.rs
@@ -114,6 +114,13 @@ fn rewrite(fmt: &str, is_enabled: bool) -> Result<String, String> {
                 i += 1;
             }
             b'{' => {
+                // `{{` is `format_args!`'s escaped literal brace, not the start
+                // of a spec: the text after it is still subject to markup.
+                if bytes.get(i + 1) == Some(&b'{') {
+                    out.push_str("{{");
+                    i += 2;
+                    continue;
+                }
                 // copy `{ ... }` verbatim, optionally rewriting legacy specs
                 let start = i;
                 while i < bytes.len() && bytes[i] != b'}' {
diff --git a/src/clap_macros/lib.rs b/src/clap_macros/lib.rs
index 0969a83031f5..92a46fcdda37 100644
--- a/src/clap_macros/lib.rs
+++ b/src/clap_macros/lib.rs
@@ -298,6 +298,11 @@ fn pretty_rewrite(fmt: &[u8], is_enabled: bool) -> Vec<u8> {
                 i += 1;
             }
             b'{' => {
+                if fmt.get(i + 1) == Some(&b'{') {
+                    out.extend_from_slice(b"{{");
+                    i += 2;
+                    continue;
+                }
                 while i < fmt.len() && fmt[i] != b'}' {
                     out.push(fmt[i]);
                     i += 1;
diff --git a/test/cli/install/__snapshots__/bun-install.test.ts.snap b/test/cli/install/__snapshots__/bun-install.test.ts.snap
index a0e509edac2b..9a7db97f6e22 100644
--- a/test/cli/install/__snapshots__/bun-install.test.ts.snap
+++ b/test/cli/install/__snapshots__/bun-install.test.ts.snap
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ exports[`should report error on invalid format for dependencies 1`] = `
                                     ^
 error: dependencies expects a map of specifiers, e.g.
   "dependencies": {
-    <green>"bun"<r>: <green>"latest"<r>
+    "bun": "latest"
   }
     at [dir]/package.json:1:33
 "
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ exports[`bun-install should report error on invalid format for dependencies 1`]
                                     ^
 error: dependencies expects a map of specifiers, e.g.
   "dependencies": {
-    <green>"bun"<r>: <green>"latest"<r>
+    "bun": "latest"
   }
     at [dir]/package.json:1:33
 "
diff --git a/test/cli/install/bun-install.test.ts b/test/cli/install/bun-install.test.ts
index 5170edcc68f0..53add48ee679 100644
--- a/test/cli/install/bun-install.test.ts
+++ b/test/cli/install/bun-install.test.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import {
   bunEnv as env,
   isWindows,
   joinP,
+  normalizeBunSnapshot,
   readdirSorted,
   runBunInstall,
   tempDir,
@@ -4965,7 +4966,7 @@ describe.concurrent("bun-install", () => {
         `                                    ^`,
         `error: optionalDependencies expects a map of specifiers, e.g.`,
         `  "optionalDependencies": {`,
-        `    <green>"bun"<r>: <green>"latest"<r>`,
+        `    "bun": "latest"`,
         `  }`,
         `    at [dir]/package.json:1:33`,
       ]);
@@ -4975,6 +4976,52 @@ describe.concurrent("bun-install", () => {
     });
   });
 
+  it("should report error on non-string specifier in dependencies", async () => {
+    using dir = tempDir("invalid-dependency-specifier", {
+      "package.json": JSON.stringify({ name: "foo", version: "0.0.1", dependencies: { bun: 1 } }),
+    });
+
+    await using proc = spawn({
+      cmd: [bunExe(), "install"],
+      cwd: String(dir),
+      env,
+      stdout: "pipe",
+      stderr: "pipe",
+    });
+    const [stdout, stderr, exitCode] = await Promise.all([proc.stdout.text(), proc.stderr.text(), proc.exited]);
+
+    expect(normalizeBunSnapshot(stderr, String(dir))).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
+      "1 | {"name":"foo","version":"0.0.1","dependencies":{"bun":1}}
+                                                                ^
+      error: dependencies expects a map of specifiers, e.g.
+        "dependencies": {
+          "bun": "latest"
+        }
+          at <dir>/package.json:1:55"
+    `);
+    expect(stdout).toContain("bun install v1.");
+    expect(exitCode).toBe(1);
+  });
+
+  it("should color the example in the invalid dependencies error when colors are enabled", async () => {
+    using dir = tempDir("invalid-dependencies-color", {
+      "package.json": JSON.stringify({ name: "foo", version: "0.0.1", dependencies: [] }),
+    });
+
+    await using proc = spawn({
+      cmd: [bunExe(), "install"],
+      cwd: String(dir),
+      env: { ...env, FORCE_COLOR: "1" },
+      stdout: "ignore",
+      stderr: "pipe",
+    });
+    const [stderr, exitCode] = await Promise.all([proc.stderr.text(), proc.exited]);
+
+    expect(stderr).toContain(`\n    \x1b[32m"bun"\x1b[0m: \x1b[32m"latest"\x1b[0m\n`);
+    expect(stderr).not.toContain("<green>");
+    expect(exitCode).toBe(1);
+  });
+
   test.serial("should report error on invalid format for workspaces", async () => {
     await withContext(defaultOpts, async ctx => {
       await writeFile(