diff --git a/strix/report/state.py b/strix/report/state.py
index a665adea..e043f088 100644
--- a/strix/report/state.py
+++ b/strix/report/state.py
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import json
 import logging
+import re
 import subprocess
 import threading
 from collections.abc import Callable
@@ -32,6 +33,8 @@ logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 _global_report_state: Optional["ReportState"] = None
 
+_CONTROL_CHARS = re.compile(r"[\x00-\x1f\x7f]+")
+
 
 def _strix_version() -> str | None:
     """Best-effort package version for the SARIF tool.driver.version field."""
@@ -41,6 +44,17 @@ def _strix_version() -> str | None:
         return None
 
 
+def _clean_title(title: str) -> str:
+    """Return a single-line finding title.
+
+    A title quotes text from the scanned target, so it can carry newlines, tabs or
+    other control characters. Those break every artifact that renders the title on
+    one line, such as the markdown heading, the CSV cell and the TUI list. Control
+    characters become spaces and runs of whitespace collapse to one space.
+    """
+    return " ".join(_CONTROL_CHARS.sub(" ", title).split())
+
+
 def _number(value: Any) -> int | float:
     try:
         return float(value or 0)
@@ -266,7 +280,7 @@ class ReportState:
 
         report: dict[str, Any] = {
             "id": report_id,
-            "title": title.strip(),
+            "title": _clean_title(title),
             "severity": severity.lower().strip(),
             "timestamp": datetime.now(UTC).strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S UTC"),
         }
diff --git a/strix/report/writer.py b/strix/report/writer.py
index b5f65b45..47184d39 100644
--- a/strix/report/writer.py
+++ b/strix/report/writer.py
@@ -42,8 +42,10 @@ def csv_safe(value: object) -> str:
     scanned target, which is exactly the attacker-influenced input this guards
     against.
 
-    Prefixing with an apostrophe is the standard mitigation: spreadsheets treat
-    the rest of the cell as literal text and hide the apostrophe on display.
+    Prefixing with an apostrophe is the standard mitigation (OWASP): the rest of
+    the cell is kept as literal text instead of being evaluated. Excel shows the
+    apostrophe when it opens a ``.csv`` directly, which is cosmetic — the point is
+    that nothing runs.
     """
     text = str(value)
     if text.startswith(_CSV_FORMULA_PREFIXES):
@@ -197,11 +199,17 @@ def write_vulnerabilities(
 
 
 def atomic_write_text(path: Path, payload: str) -> None:
-    """Write *payload* to *path* via a sibling temp file and an atomic rename."""
+    """Write *payload* to *path* via a sibling temp file and an atomic rename.
+
+    ``newline=""`` disables newline translation so *payload* lands byte-for-byte:
+    the CSV index carries its own ``\\r\\n`` terminators, which text mode would turn
+    into ``\\r\\r\\n`` on Windows.
+    """
     path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
     with tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile(
         mode="w",
         encoding="utf-8",
+        newline="",
         dir=str(path.parent),
         prefix=f".{path.name}.",
         suffix=".tmp",
diff --git a/tests/test_list_reports.py b/tests/test_list_reports.py
index 95025ac3..8fb90f9d 100644
--- a/tests/test_list_reports.py
+++ b/tests/test_list_reports.py
@@ -27,6 +27,20 @@ def report_state(tmp_path: Path, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> ReportState
     return state
 
 
+def test_add_vulnerability_report_strips_control_chars_from_title(
+    report_state: ReportState,
+) -> None:
+    # A title quotes text from the scanned target, so it can carry newlines or
+    # tabs that break the markdown heading, the CSV cell and the TUI list.
+    report_id = report_state.add_vulnerability_report(
+        title="\tXSS in\r\n search\x00 form ",
+        severity="medium",
+        target="https://app.example.com",
+    )
+    report = next(r for r in report_state.vulnerability_reports if r["id"] == report_id)
+    assert report["title"] == "XSS in search form"
+
+
 def _seed(state: ReportState) -> None:
     state.add_vulnerability_report(
         title="Reflected XSS in search",
diff --git a/tests/test_report_writer.py b/tests/test_report_writer.py
index 25ad3de6..9b849010 100644
--- a/tests/test_report_writer.py
+++ b/tests/test_report_writer.py
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Any
 import pytest
 
 from strix.report.writer import (
+    atomic_write_text,
     read_run_record,
     render_vulnerability_md,
     write_executive_report,
@@ -210,6 +211,17 @@ def test_write_vulnerabilities_csv_leaves_benign_titles_unchanged(tmp_path: Path
     assert csv_rows[0]["title"] == "SQL Injection in /login"
 
 
+def test_atomic_write_text_keeps_payload_byte_for_byte(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    # The CSV index carries its own \r\n terminators, so newline translation would
+    # turn every row ending into \r\r\n on Windows.
+    payload = "a,b\r\nc,d\r\n"
+    path = tmp_path / "index.csv"
+
+    atomic_write_text(path, payload)
+
+    assert path.read_bytes() == payload.encode("utf-8")
+
+
 def test_write_vulnerabilities_skips_already_saved_ids(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
     reports = [_sample_report(id="vuln-0001")]
     saved: set[str] = {"vuln-0001"}