diff --git a/lib/shared/messages/create-sidebar-message-spec.js b/lib/shared/messages/create-sidebar-message-spec.js
--- a/lib/shared/messages/create-sidebar-message-spec.js
+++ b/lib/shared/messages/create-sidebar-message-spec.js
@@ -17,6 +17,11 @@
 import type { NotifTexts } from '../../types/notif-types';
 import type { ThreadInfo } from '../../types/thread-types';
 import type { RelativeUserInfo } from '../../types/user-types';
+import {
+  ET,
+  type EntityText,
+  pluralizeEntityText,
+} from '../../utils/entity-text';
 import {
   robotextToRawString,
   robotextForMessageInfo,
@@ -29,7 +34,6 @@
   type CreateMessageInfoParams,
   type MessageSpec,
   type MessageTitleParam,
-  type RobotextParams,
 } from './message-spec';
 import { assertSingleMessageInfo } from './utils';
 
@@ -164,23 +168,22 @@
     return { ...messageData, id };
   },
 
-  robotext(
-    messageInfo: CreateSidebarMessageInfo,
-    creator: string,
-    params: RobotextParams,
-  ): string {
-    let text = `started ${params.encodedThreadEntity(
-      messageInfo.threadID,
-      `this thread`,
-    )}`;
+  robotext(messageInfo: CreateSidebarMessageInfo): EntityText {
+    let text = ET`started ${ET.thread({
+      display: 'alwaysDisplayShortName',
+      threadID: messageInfo.threadID,
+    })}`;
     const users = messageInfo.initialThreadState.otherMembers.filter(
       member => member.id !== messageInfo.sourceMessageAuthor.id,
     );
     if (users.length !== 0) {
-      const initialUsersString = params.robotextForUsers(users);
-      text += ` and added ${initialUsersString}`;
+      const initialUsers = pluralizeEntityText(
+        users.map(user => ET`${ET.user({ userInfo: user })}`),
+      );
+      text = ET`${text} and added ${initialUsers}`;
     }
-    return `${creator} ${text}`;
+    const creator = ET.user({ userInfo: messageInfo.creator });
+    return ET`${creator} ${text}`;
   },
 
   shimUnsupportedMessageInfo(
diff --git a/lib/shared/messages/create-thread-message-spec.js b/lib/shared/messages/create-thread-message-spec.js
--- a/lib/shared/messages/create-thread-message-spec.js
+++ b/lib/shared/messages/create-thread-message-spec.js
@@ -15,6 +15,11 @@
 import type { NotifTexts } from '../../types/notif-types';
 import type { ThreadInfo } from '../../types/thread-types';
 import type { RelativeUserInfo } from '../../types/user-types';
+import {
+  ET,
+  type EntityText,
+  pluralizeEntityText,
+} from '../../utils/entity-text';
 import {
   robotextToRawString,
   robotextForMessageInfo,
@@ -27,7 +32,6 @@
   type MessageSpec,
   type MessageTitleParam,
   type NotificationTextsParams,
-  type RobotextParams,
 } from './message-spec';
 import { assertSingleMessageInfo } from './utils';
 
@@ -141,32 +145,30 @@
     return { ...messageData, id };
   },
 
-  robotext(
-    messageInfo: CreateThreadMessageInfo,
-    creator: string,
-    params: RobotextParams,
-  ): string {
-    let text = `created ${params.encodedThreadEntity(
-      messageInfo.threadID,
-      `this chat`,
-    )}`;
+  robotext(messageInfo: CreateThreadMessageInfo): EntityText {
+    let text = ET`created ${ET.thread({
+      display: 'alwaysDisplayShortName',
+      threadID: messageInfo.threadID,
+    })}`;
     const parentThread = messageInfo.initialThreadState.parentThreadInfo;
     if (parentThread) {
-      text +=
-        ' as a child of ' +
-        `<${encodeURI(parentThread.uiName)}|t${parentThread.id}>`;
+      text = ET`${text} as a child of ${ET.thread({
+        display: 'uiName',
+        threadInfo: parentThread,
+      })}`;
     }
     if (messageInfo.initialThreadState.name) {
-      text += ` with the name "${encodeURI(
-        messageInfo.initialThreadState.name,
-      )}"`;
+      text = ET`${text} with the name "${messageInfo.initialThreadState.name}"`;
     }
     const users = messageInfo.initialThreadState.otherMembers;
     if (users.length !== 0) {
-      const initialUsersString = params.robotextForUsers(users);
-      text += ` and added ${initialUsersString}`;
+      const initialUsers = pluralizeEntityText(
+        users.map(user => ET`${ET.user({ userInfo: user })}`),
+      );
+      text = ET`${text} and added ${initialUsers}`;
     }
-    return `${creator} ${text}`;
+    const creator = ET.user({ userInfo: messageInfo.creator });
+    return ET`${creator} ${text}`;
   },
 
   notificationTexts(