diff --git a/awareness.el b/awareness.el
index e2bb68e..e1cd139 100644
--- a/awareness.el
+++ b/awareness.el
@@ -30,8 +30,16 @@ fn ise_post(content: String) -> Void {
         )
         return ""
     }
-    let safe: String = str_replace(content, "\"", "\\\"")
-    let body: String = "{\"content\":\"" + safe + "\"}"
+    // Proper JSON string escaping: backslashes first, then quotes, then control chars.
+    // Previously only escaped " — this caused ise_post to produce malformed JSON when
+    // content contained \n (backslash-n) from wm_top label escaping: the HTTP Engram
+    // server would decode \n as a literal newline in the stored content field, making
+    // the heartbeat ISE unparseable as JSON. (2026-06-10 self-review)
+    let safe1: String = str_replace(content, "\\", "\\\\")
+    let safe2: String = str_replace(safe1, "\"", "\\\"")
+    let safe3: String = str_replace(safe2, "\n", "\\n")
+    let safe4: String = str_replace(safe3, "\r", "\\r")
+    let body: String = "{\"content\":\"" + safe4 + "\"}"
     let discard: String = http_post_json(engram_url + "/api/neuron/state-events", body)
     return ""
 }
diff --git a/dist/awareness.c b/dist/awareness.c
index 999939a..ca59a05 100644
--- a/dist/awareness.c
+++ b/dist/awareness.c
@@ -174,8 +174,11 @@ el_val_t ise_post(el_val_t content) {
     el_val_t discard = engram_node_full(content, EL_STR("InternalStateEvent"), EL_STR("state-event"), el_from_float(el_from_float(0.3)), el_from_float(el_from_float(0.3)), el_from_float(el_from_float(0.8)), EL_STR("Episodic"), EL_STR("[\"internal-state\",\"InternalStateEvent\"]"));
     return EL_STR("");
   }
-  el_val_t safe = str_replace(content, EL_STR("\""), EL_STR("\\\""));
-  el_val_t body = el_str_concat(el_str_concat(EL_STR("{\"content\":\""), safe), EL_STR("\"}"));
+  el_val_t safe1 = str_replace(content, EL_STR("\\"), EL_STR("\\\\"));
+  el_val_t safe2 = str_replace(safe1, EL_STR("\""), EL_STR("\\\""));
+  el_val_t safe3 = str_replace(safe2, EL_STR("\n"), EL_STR("\\n"));
+  el_val_t safe4 = str_replace(safe3, EL_STR("\r"), EL_STR("\\r"));
+  el_val_t body = el_str_concat(el_str_concat(EL_STR("{\"content\":\""), safe4), EL_STR("\"}"));
   el_val_t discard = http_post_json(el_str_concat(engram_url, EL_STR("/api/neuron/state-events")), body);
   return EL_STR("");
   return 0;
diff --git a/dist/neuron b/dist/neuron
index a0dd954..fc4bf65 100755
Binary files a/dist/neuron and b/dist/neuron differ
diff --git a/dist/neuron.c b/dist/neuron.c
index 76aa2ba..8d3b485 100644
--- a/dist/neuron.c
+++ b/dist/neuron.c
@@ -25299,8 +25299,11 @@ el_val_t ise_post(el_val_t content) {
     el_val_t discard = engram_node_full(content, EL_STR("InternalStateEvent"), EL_STR("state-event"), el_from_float(el_from_float(0.3)), el_from_float(el_from_float(0.3)), el_from_float(el_from_float(0.8)), EL_STR("Episodic"), EL_STR("[\"internal-state\",\"InternalStateEvent\"]"));
     return EL_STR("");
   }
-  el_val_t safe = str_replace(content, EL_STR("\""), EL_STR("\\\""));
-  el_val_t body = el_str_concat(el_str_concat(EL_STR("{\"content\":\""), safe), EL_STR("\"}"));
+  el_val_t safe1 = str_replace(content, EL_STR("\\"), EL_STR("\\\\"));
+  el_val_t safe2 = str_replace(safe1, EL_STR("\""), EL_STR("\\\""));
+  el_val_t safe3 = str_replace(safe2, EL_STR("\n"), EL_STR("\\n"));
+  el_val_t safe4 = str_replace(safe3, EL_STR("\r"), EL_STR("\\r"));
+  el_val_t body = el_str_concat(el_str_concat(EL_STR("{\"content\":\""), safe4), EL_STR("\"}"));
   el_val_t discard = http_post_json(el_str_concat(engram_url, EL_STR("/api/neuron/state-events")), body);
   return EL_STR("");
   return 0;