Direction-mark guide · October 26, 2026
Does Claude Text Cleaner Remove Left-to-Right Marks?
Yes. The browser cleaner deletes U+200E LEFT-TO-RIGHT MARK (LRM) from pasted text without inserting a replacement. Its rule groups the mark under “Bidi controls.” For A + U+200E + B, the rule produces AB: three code points become two, with one removal in one changed category. Keep the original if that mark intentionally controls mixed-direction display.
A + U+200E + BThe direction mark is invisible in ordinary display.ABBidi controls: 1. No replacement is inserted.Check a copied line without changing the file
Copy this exact input into the cleaner: AB. The middle mark is present even though the letters may look like AB. Save the original line first, then compare the cleaned text and the “Bidi controls” count. The tool processes pasted text in the browser; it does not open, edit, or validate configuration files.
A public .htaccess question asks about an invisible mark in a copied address, and a Vim question asks how to replace U+200E. They show practical reasons to inspect the stored character, not evidence of its origin. If you paste a cleaned line into code or configuration, check it in the destination's own parser or editor.
When should the mark stay?
Unicode's bidirectional algorithm describes directional marks used to influence adjacent text. In a line mixing left-to-right and right-to-left scripts, removing one can change how nearby punctuation or numbers appear. Keep the original, inspect the rendered result in its destination, and preserve an intentional mark when needed. The U+200F guide covers the opposite direction mark in a mixed-script example.
The removal report identifies a matched code point; it cannot tell whether Claude inserted it, detect an embedded watermark, or predict an AI detector's outcome. Read the report guide for the difference between removed characters and changed categories.