diff --git a/lib/shared/message-utils.js b/lib/shared/message-utils.js
--- a/lib/shared/message-utils.js
+++ b/lib/shared/message-utils.js
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
 } from '../types/messages/reaction';
 import { type ThreadInfo } from '../types/thread-types';
 import type { UserInfos } from '../types/user-types';
-import { type EntityText, entityTextToRawString } from '../utils/entity-text';
+import { type EntityText, useEntityTextAsString } from '../utils/entity-text';
 import { codeBlockRegex, type ParserRules } from './markdown';
 import { messageSpecs } from './messages/message-specs';
 import { threadIsGroupChat } from './thread-utils';
@@ -480,30 +480,42 @@
     };
   }, [shouldDisplayUser, stringForUser, unread]);
 
-  const message = React.useMemo(() => {
+  const messageTitleEntityText = React.useMemo(() => {
     if (!messageInfo) {
       return messageInfo;
     }
-    const messageTitleEntityText = getMessageTitle(
-      messageInfo,
-      threadInfo,
-      markdownRules,
-    );
-    const messageTitle = entityTextToRawString(messageTitleEntityText, {
-      threadID: threadInfo.id,
-    });
+    return getMessageTitle(messageInfo, threadInfo, markdownRules);
+  }, [messageInfo, threadInfo, markdownRules]);
+
+  const threadID = threadInfo.id;
+  const entityTextToStringParams = React.useMemo(
+    () => ({
+      threadID,
+    }),
+    [threadID],
+  );
+  const messageTitle = useEntityTextAsString(
+    messageTitleEntityText,
+    entityTextToStringParams,
+  );
+
+  const isTextMessage = messageInfo?.type === messageTypes.TEXT;
+  const message = React.useMemo(() => {
+    if (messageTitle === null || messageTitle === undefined) {
+      return messageTitle;
+    }
 
     let style;
     if (unread) {
       style = 'unread';
-    } else if (messageInfo.type === messageTypes.TEXT) {
+    } else if (isTextMessage) {
       style = 'primary';
     } else {
       style = 'secondary';
     }
 
     return { text: messageTitle, style };
-  }, [messageInfo, threadInfo, markdownRules, unread]);
+  }, [messageTitle, unread, isTextMessage]);
 
   return React.useMemo(() => {
     if (!message) {
diff --git a/lib/utils/entity-text.js b/lib/utils/entity-text.js
--- a/lib/utils/entity-text.js
+++ b/lib/utils/entity-text.js
@@ -335,22 +335,37 @@
   );
 }
 
-function useENSNamesForEntityText(entityText: EntityText): EntityText {
-  const allObjects = React.useMemo(
-    () =>
-      entityText.map(entity =>
-        typeof entity === 'string' ? { type: 'text', text: entity } : entity,
-      ),
-    [entityText],
-  );
+function useENSNamesForEntityText(entityText: ?EntityText): ?EntityText {
+  const allObjects = React.useMemo(() => {
+    if (!entityText) {
+      return [];
+    }
+    return entityText.map(entity =>
+      typeof entity === 'string' ? { type: 'text', text: entity } : entity,
+    );
+  }, [entityText]);
   const objectsWithENSNames = useENSNames(allObjects);
-  return React.useMemo(
-    () =>
-      objectsWithENSNames.map(entity =>
-        entity.type === 'text' ? entity.text : entity,
-      ),
-    [objectsWithENSNames],
-  );
+  return React.useMemo(() => {
+    if (!entityText) {
+      return entityText;
+    }
+    return objectsWithENSNames.map(entity =>
+      entity.type === 'text' ? entity.text : entity,
+    );
+  }, [entityText, objectsWithENSNames]);
+}
+
+function useEntityTextAsString(
+  entityText: ?EntityText,
+  params?: EntityTextToRawStringParams,
+): ?string {
+  const withENSNames = useENSNamesForEntityText(entityText);
+  return React.useMemo(() => {
+    if (!withENSNames) {
+      return withENSNames;
+    }
+    return entityTextToRawString(withENSNames, params);
+  }, [withENSNames, params]);
 }
 
 export {
@@ -359,4 +374,5 @@
   entityTextToReact,
   pluralizeEntityText,
   useENSNamesForEntityText,
+  useEntityTextAsString,
 };
diff --git a/native/chat/inner-robotext-message.react.js b/native/chat/inner-robotext-message.react.js
--- a/native/chat/inner-robotext-message.react.js
+++ b/native/chat/inner-robotext-message.react.js
@@ -45,6 +45,10 @@
   const { messageInfo, robotext } = item;
   const { threadID } = messageInfo;
   const robotextWithENSNames = useENSNamesForEntityText(robotext);
+  invariant(
+    robotextWithENSNames,
+    'useENSNamesForEntityText only returns falsey when passed falsey',
+  );
   const textParts = React.useMemo(() => {
     const darkColor = activeTheme === 'dark';
     return entityTextToReact(robotextWithENSNames, threadID, {
diff --git a/web/chat/robotext-message.react.js b/web/chat/robotext-message.react.js
--- a/web/chat/robotext-message.react.js
+++ b/web/chat/robotext-message.react.js
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 // @flow
 
+import invariant from 'invariant';
 import * as React from 'react';
 import { useDispatch } from 'react-redux';
 
@@ -52,6 +53,10 @@
   const { messageInfo, robotext } = item;
   const { threadID } = messageInfo;
   const robotextWithENSNames = useENSNamesForEntityText(robotext);
+  invariant(
+    robotextWithENSNames,
+    'useENSNamesForEntityText only returns falsey when passed falsey',
+  );
   const textParts = React.useMemo(() => {
     return entityTextToReact(robotextWithENSNames, threadID, {
       // eslint-disable-next-line react/display-name