diff --git a/apps/server/src/plan/room.test.ts b/apps/server/src/plan/room.test.ts
index 457f98c2..e610ab20 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/plan/room.test.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/plan/room.test.ts
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
 import { describe, expect, it, spyOn } from "bun:test";
 import { createHeadlessEditor } from "@lexical/headless";
 import { createYjsBinding, syncLexicalUpdateToYjs, syncYjsChangesToLexical } from "@lexical/yjs";
-import { $getRoot, $isElementNode, $isParagraphNode } from "lexical";
+import { $createParagraphNode, $getRoot, $isElementNode, $isParagraphNode } from "lexical";
 import * as Y from "yjs";
 
 import { $importPlan, registry } from "@chopin/dialect";
@@ -271,6 +271,23 @@ describe("recovery", () => {
 		}
 	});
 
+	it("restores a checkpoint stored with an empty paragraph's former blank line", async () => {
+		let document = await room.create("# Title\n");
+		document.editor.update(() => $getRoot().append($createParagraphNode()), { discrete: true });
+		await room.settle();
+		let checkpoint = Y.encodeStateAsUpdate(document.doc);
+		try {
+			let restored = await room.restore(document.epoch, checkpoint, "# Title\n\n", []);
+			expect(room.project(restored)).toBe("# Title\n");
+			restored.doc.destroy();
+			await expect(room.restore(document.epoch, checkpoint, "# Other\n", [])).rejects.toThrow(
+				"stored plan source does not match its Yjs checkpoint",
+			);
+		} finally {
+			document.doc.destroy();
+		}
+	});
+
 	/**
 	 * A rejected batch cannot be undone — Yjs has no such operation — so the
 	 * document is rebuilt from the last state that was known to be good.
diff --git a/apps/server/src/plan/room.ts b/apps/server/src/plan/room.ts
index c00773f1..d1673765 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/plan/room.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/plan/room.ts
@@ -278,7 +278,10 @@ export async function restore(
 	try {
 		Y.applyUpdate(restored.doc, checkpoint, REMOTE);
 		await settle();
-		if (project(restored) !== source) {
+		// Checkpoints written before empty paragraphs were dropped from projection
+		// store their former blank lines; the canonical form is the same document.
+		let projected = project(restored);
+		if (projected !== source && projected !== serialize(parse(source))) {
 			throw new Error("stored plan source does not match its Yjs checkpoint");
 		}
 
diff --git a/packages/dialect/src/convert.test.ts b/packages/dialect/src/convert.test.ts
index eafab152..72aa6d48 100644
--- a/packages/dialect/src/convert.test.ts
+++ b/packages/dialect/src/convert.test.ts
@@ -1,14 +1,15 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from "bun:test";
 import { createHeadlessEditor } from "@lexical/headless";
 import { $isTableNode, TableCellNode, TableRowNode } from "@lexical/table";
-import { $getRoot, $isElementNode } from "lexical";
+import { $createParagraphNode, $getRoot, $isElementNode } from "lexical";
 
 import { $createPlanNodes, exportPlan, importPlan } from "./convert";
 import { $isCodeBlockNode } from "./nodes/content";
 import { parse } from "./parse";
 import { registry } from "./registry";
+import { serialize } from "./serialize";
 
-import type { LexicalEditor } from "lexical";
+import type { ElementNode, LexicalEditor, RootNode } from "lexical";
 
 const REGISTRY = registry();
 
@@ -188,4 +189,34 @@ describe("conversion", () => {
 		importPlan(instance, "# Title\n", { registry: REGISTRY });
 		expect(exportPlan(instance, { registry: REGISTRY })).not.toContain("import ");
 	});
+
+	it("exports empty paragraphs as canonical source that parsing preserves", () => {
+		let research = '<Research id="d5a1b471-4788-48e3-9518-62ef6777d07e" />';
+		let cases: [source: string, place: (root: RootNode) => void, expected: string][] = [
+			["Text\n", root => root.append($createParagraphNode()), "Text\n"],
+			[
+				`Text\n\n${research}\n`,
+				root => root.append($createParagraphNode(), $createParagraphNode()),
+				`Text\n\n${research}\n`,
+			],
+			[
+				"First\n\nSecond\n",
+				root => root.getFirstChildOrThrow().insertAfter($createParagraphNode()),
+				"First\n\nSecond\n",
+			],
+			[
+				"> Quoted\n",
+				root => root.getFirstChildOrThrow<ElementNode>().append($createParagraphNode()),
+				"> Quoted\n",
+			],
+		];
+		for (let [source, place, expected] of cases) {
+			let instance = editor();
+			importPlan(instance, source, { registry: REGISTRY });
+			instance.update(() => place($getRoot()), { discrete: true });
+			let output = exportPlan(instance, { registry: REGISTRY });
+			expect(output).toBe(expected);
+			expect(serialize(parse(output))).toBe(output);
+		}
+	});
 });
diff --git a/packages/dialect/src/convert.ts b/packages/dialect/src/convert.ts
index dc41e9ff..ef87adc9 100644
--- a/packages/dialect/src/convert.ts
+++ b/packages/dialect/src/convert.ts
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ import { assert } from "./validate";
 
 import type { ImportPoint } from "@mdxeditor/editor";
 import type { LexicalEditor, LexicalNode, RootNode } from "lexical";
-import type { Root } from "mdast";
+import type { Nodes, Parent, Root } from "mdast";
 import type { Registry } from "./registry";
 
 export type ConvertOptions = {
@@ -92,6 +92,19 @@ export function $createPlanNodes(tree: Root, options: ConvertOptions = {}): Lexi
 	return nodes;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Parsing never yields an empty paragraph, so exporting one would persist
+ * source that does not survive its own round trip.
+ */
+function dropEmptyParagraphs(node: Nodes): void {
+	let parent = node as Parent;
+	if (!parent.children) return;
+	parent.children = parent.children.filter(child =>
+		child.type !== "paragraph" || child.children.length > 0
+	);
+	for (let child of parent.children) dropEmptyParagraphs(child);
+}
+
 /** Project the current editor content to MDAST. Must run inside a read or update. */
 export function $exportPlanTree(options: ConvertOptions = {}): Root {
 	let reg = options.registry ?? buildRegistry();
@@ -106,6 +119,7 @@ export function $exportPlanTree(options: ConvertOptions = {}): Root {
 	});
 
 	normalizeMarks(tree);
+	dropEmptyParagraphs(tree);
 	return tree;
 }