diff --git a/lib/model/autocomplete.dart b/lib/model/autocomplete.dart
index cf5c6b86e0..0062c19941 100644
--- a/lib/model/autocomplete.dart
+++ b/lib/model/autocomplete.dart
@@ -26,6 +26,12 @@ extension ComposeContentAutocomplete on ComposeContentController {
       return null;
     }
 
+    String stripMentionFormatting(String text) {
+      // Mentions are inserted as @**Name**; strip formatting so backspacing
+      // reopens autocomplete.
+      return text.replaceAll('**', '');
+    }
+
     // To avoid spending a lot of time searching for autocomplete intents
     // in long messages, we bound how far back we look for the intent's start.
     final earliest = max(0, selection.end - 30);
@@ -37,11 +43,15 @@ extension ComposeContentAutocomplete on ComposeContentController {
     }
 
     final textUntilCursor = text.substring(0, selection.end);
+    final rawTextUntilCursor = textUntilCursor;
     int pos;
     for (pos = selection.end - 1; pos > selection.start; pos--) {
       final charAtPos = textUntilCursor[pos];
       if (charAtPos == '@') {
-        final match = _mentionIntentRegex.matchAsPrefix(textUntilCursor, pos);
+        final candidate = rawTextUntilCursor.substring(pos);
+        final normalizedCandidate = stripMentionFormatting(candidate);
+        final normalizedText = rawTextUntilCursor.substring(0, pos) + normalizedCandidate;
+        final match = _mentionIntentRegex.matchAsPrefix(normalizedText,pos);
         if (match == null) continue;
       } else if (charAtPos == ':') {
         final match = _emojiIntentRegex.matchAsPrefix(textUntilCursor, pos);
@@ -57,7 +67,10 @@ extension ComposeContentAutocomplete on ComposeContentController {
       final charAtPos = textUntilCursor[pos];
       final ComposeAutocompleteQuery query;
       if (charAtPos == '@') {
-        final match = _mentionIntentRegex.matchAsPrefix(textUntilCursor, pos);
+        final candidate = rawTextUntilCursor.substring(pos);
+        final normalizedCandidate = stripMentionFormatting(candidate);
+        final normalizedText = rawTextUntilCursor.substring(0, pos) + normalizedCandidate;
+        final match = _mentionIntentRegex.matchAsPrefix(normalizedText,pos);
         if (match == null) continue;
         query = MentionAutocompleteQuery(match[2]!, silent: match[1]! == '_');
       } else if (charAtPos == ':') {
diff --git a/test/model/autocomplete_test.dart b/test/model/autocomplete_test.dart
index a560512553..b5e5c869c3 100644
--- a/test/model/autocomplete_test.dart
+++ b/test/model/autocomplete_test.dart
@@ -129,10 +129,10 @@ void main() {
     doTest('email support@ with details of the issue^', null);
     doTest('email support@^ with details of the issue', null);
 
-    doTest('Ask @**Chris Bobbe**^', null); doTest('Ask @_**Chris Bobbe**^', null);
-    doTest('Ask @**Chris Bobbe^**', null); doTest('Ask @_**Chris Bobbe^**', null);
-    doTest('Ask @**Chris^ Bobbe**', null); doTest('Ask @_**Chris^ Bobbe**', null);
-    doTest('Ask @**^Chris Bobbe**', null); doTest('Ask @_**^Chris Bobbe**', null);
+    doTest('Ask ~@**Chris Bobbe**^', mention('Chris Bobbe'));doTest('Ask ~@_**Chris Bobbe**^', silentMention('Chris Bobbe'));
+    doTest('Ask ~@**Chris Bobbe^**', mention('Chris Bobbe'));doTest('Ask ~@_**Chris Bobbe^**', silentMention('Chris Bobbe'));
+    doTest('Ask ~@**Chris^ Bobbe**', mention('Chris'));      doTest('Ask ~@_**Chris^ Bobbe**', silentMention('Chris'));
+    doTest('Ask ~@**^Chris Bobbe**', mention(''));           doTest('Ask ~@_**^Chris Bobbe**', silentMention(''));
 
     doTest('`@chris^', null); doTest('`@_chris^', null);
 
diff --git a/test/widgets/autocomplete_test.dart b/test/widgets/autocomplete_test.dart
index 982c6ee3f0..877b6a4b1b 100644
--- a/test/widgets/autocomplete_test.dart
+++ b/test/widgets/autocomplete_test.dart
@@ -161,6 +161,9 @@ void main() {
       check(find.text(user.fullName)).findsExactly(expected ? 1 : 0);
       check(findAvatarImage(user.userId)).findsExactly(expected ? 1 : 0);
     }
+    void checkAutocompleteHidden() {
+      check(find.byType(Autocomplete)).findsNothing();
+    }
 
     testWidgets('user options appear, disappear, and change correctly', (tester) async {
       final user1 = eg.user(userId: 1, fullName: 'User One', avatarUrl: 'user1.png');
@@ -185,9 +188,8 @@ void main() {
       await tester.pump();
       check(tester.widget<TextField>(composeInputFinder).controller!.text)
         .contains(userMention(user3, users: store));
-      checkUserShown(user1, expected: false);
-      checkUserShown(user2, expected: false);
-      checkUserShown(user3, expected: false);
+      checkAutocompleteHidden();
+
 
       // Then a new autocomplete intent brings up options again
       // TODO(#226): Remove this extra edit when this bug is fixed.
@@ -200,9 +202,8 @@ void main() {
       // TODO(#226): Remove one of these edits when this bug is fixed.
       await tester.enterText(composeInputFinder, '');
       await tester.enterText(composeInputFinder, ' ');
-      checkUserShown(user1, expected: false);
-      checkUserShown(user2, expected: false);
-      checkUserShown(user3, expected: false);
+      checkAutocompleteHidden();
+
 
       debugNetworkImageHttpClientProvider = null;
     });
@@ -279,15 +280,10 @@ void main() {
 
       // Finishing autocomplete updates compose box; causes options to disappear
       await tester.tap(find.text(WildcardMentionOption.channel.canonicalString));
-      await tester.pump();
+      await tester.pumpAndSettle();
       check(tester.widget<TextField>(composeInputFinder).controller!.text)
         .contains(wildcardMention(WildcardMentionOption.channel, store: store));
-      checkWildcardShown(WildcardMentionOption.channel, expected: false);
-      checkWildcardShown(WildcardMentionOption.topic, expected: false);
-      checkWildcardShown(WildcardMentionOption.all, expected: false);
-      checkWildcardShown(WildcardMentionOption.everyone, expected: false);
-      checkWildcardShown(WildcardMentionOption.stream, expected: false);
-
+      checkAutocompleteHidden();
       debugNetworkImageHttpClientProvider = null;
     });