diff --git a/packages/provider-core/src/server/notification.test.ts b/packages/provider-core/src/server/notification.test.ts
index cab8ed06a64c6..272cd007632a2 100644
--- a/packages/provider-core/src/server/notification.test.ts
+++ b/packages/provider-core/src/server/notification.test.ts
@@ -42,6 +42,12 @@ describe("backgroundWorkNotification", () => {
         .summary,
       'Monitor "Three ticks" reported new output',
     );
+    assert.equal(
+      backgroundWorkNotification([
+        { kind: "command", label: `${"a".repeat(78)}😀 and more`, outcome: "completed" },
+      ]).summary,
+      `Command "${"a".repeat(78)}…" finished`,
+    );
   });
 
   it("names every piece of work that ended together, without opening one of them", () => {
diff --git a/packages/provider-core/src/server/notification.ts b/packages/provider-core/src/server/notification.ts
index 85cac547cfa37..55b1125fd9448 100644
--- a/packages/provider-core/src/server/notification.ts
+++ b/packages/provider-core/src/server/notification.ts
@@ -25,9 +25,14 @@ const LABEL_MAX_LENGTH = 80;
 export function reportLabel(label: string | undefined): string | undefined {
   const firstLine = label?.trim().split("\n")[0]?.trim();
   if (firstLine === undefined || firstLine.length === 0) return undefined;
-  return firstLine.length > LABEL_MAX_LENGTH
-    ? `${firstLine.slice(0, LABEL_MAX_LENGTH - 1)}…`
-    : firstLine;
+  if (firstLine.length <= LABEL_MAX_LENGTH) return firstLine;
+  let end = LABEL_MAX_LENGTH - 1;
+  const previous = firstLine.charCodeAt(end - 1);
+  const next = firstLine.charCodeAt(end);
+  if (previous >= 0xd800 && previous <= 0xdbff && next >= 0xdc00 && next <= 0xdfff) {
+    end -= 1;
+  }
+  return `${firstLine.slice(0, end)}…`;
 }
 
 const KIND_NOUN: Record<BackgroundWork["kind"], readonly [string, string]> = {