diff --git a/bitchat/Nostr/NostrProtocol.swift b/bitchat/Nostr/NostrProtocol.swift
index 4919b183..7ca4300a 100644
--- a/bitchat/Nostr/NostrProtocol.swift
+++ b/bitchat/Nostr/NostrProtocol.swift
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ struct NostrProtocol {
         teleported: Bool = false
     ) throws -> NostrEvent {
         var tags = [["g", geohash]]
-        if let nickname = nickname, !nickname.isEmpty {
+        if let nickname = nickname?.trimmingCharacters(in: .whitespacesAndNewlines), !nickname.isEmpty {
             tags.append(["n", nickname])
         }
         if teleported {
diff --git a/bitchat/ViewModels/ChatViewModel.swift b/bitchat/ViewModels/ChatViewModel.swift
index 41dac351..05872bfc 100644
--- a/bitchat/ViewModels/ChatViewModel.swift
+++ b/bitchat/ViewModels/ChatViewModel.swift
@@ -897,7 +897,7 @@ final class ChatViewModel: ObservableObject, BitchatDelegate {
                 if Date().timeIntervalSince(eventTime) < 15 { return }
             }
             if let nickTag = event.tags.first(where: { $0.first == "n" }), nickTag.count >= 2 {
-                let nick = nickTag[1]
+                let nick = nickTag[1].trimmingCharacters(in: .whitespacesAndNewlines)
                 self.geoNicknames[event.pubkey.lowercased()] = nick
             }
             // Store mapping for geohash sender IDs used in messages (ensures consistent colors)
@@ -1616,7 +1616,7 @@ final class ChatViewModel: ObservableObject, BitchatDelegate {
             }
             // Cache nickname from tag if present
             if let nickTag = event.tags.first(where: { $0.first == "n" }), nickTag.count >= 2 {
-                let nick = nickTag[1]
+                let nick = nickTag[1].trimmingCharacters(in: .whitespacesAndNewlines)
                 self.geoNicknames[event.pubkey.lowercased()] = nick
             }
             // If this pubkey is blocked, skip mapping, participants, and timeline