diff --git a/packages/app/src/Element/Embed/Mention.tsx b/packages/app/src/Element/Embed/Mention.tsx
index 0c599ba32..219a42212 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/Element/Embed/Mention.tsx
+++ b/packages/app/src/Element/Embed/Mention.tsx
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ export default function Mention({ link }: { link: NostrLink }) {
 
   return (
     <>
-      <ProfileLink pubkey={link.id} user={profile} onClick={e => e.stopPropagation()}>
+      <ProfileLink pubkey={link.id} link={link} user={profile} onClick={e => e.stopPropagation()}>
         <span ref={ref}>
           @<DisplayName user={profile} pubkey={link.id} />
         </span>
diff --git a/packages/app/src/Element/Embed/NostrLink.tsx b/packages/app/src/Element/Embed/NostrLink.tsx
index 994a77487..becd6f9a1 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/Element/Embed/NostrLink.tsx
+++ b/packages/app/src/Element/Embed/NostrLink.tsx
@@ -8,6 +8,10 @@ export default function NostrLink({ link, depth }: { link: string; depth?: numbe
   const nav = tryParseNostrLink(link);
 
   if (nav?.type === NostrPrefix.PublicKey || nav?.type === NostrPrefix.Profile) {
+    if(nav.id.startsWith("npub")){
+      // eslint-disable-next-line no-debugger
+      debugger;
+    }
     return <Mention link={nav} />;
   } else if (nav?.type === NostrPrefix.Note || nav?.type === NostrPrefix.Event || nav?.type === NostrPrefix.Address) {
     if ((depth ?? 0) > 0) {
diff --git a/packages/shared/src/utils.ts b/packages/shared/src/utils.ts
index 6976140dd..aa075bc74 100644
--- a/packages/shared/src/utils.ts
+++ b/packages/shared/src/utils.ts
@@ -144,13 +144,9 @@ export function getPublicKey(privKey: string) {
 }
 
 export function bech32ToHex(str: string) {
-  try {
-    const nKey = bech32.decode(str, 1_000);
-    const buff = bech32.fromWords(nKey.words);
-    return utils.bytesToHex(Uint8Array.from(buff));
-  } catch (e) {
-    return str;
-  }
+  const nKey = bech32.decode(str, 1_000);
+  const buff = bech32.fromWords(nKey.words);
+  return utils.bytesToHex(Uint8Array.from(buff));
 }
 
 /**
@@ -159,13 +155,9 @@ export function bech32ToHex(str: string) {
  * @returns
  */
 export function bech32ToText(str: string) {
-  try {
-    const decoded = bech32.decode(str, 1000);
-    const buf = bech32.fromWords(decoded.words);
-    return new TextDecoder().decode(Uint8Array.from(buf));
-  } catch {
-    return "";
-  }
+  const decoded = bech32.decode(str, 1000);
+  const buf = bech32.fromWords(decoded.words);
+  return new TextDecoder().decode(Uint8Array.from(buf));
 }
 
 export async function fetchNip05Pubkey(name: string, domain: string, timeout = 2_000): Promise<string | undefined> {
diff --git a/packages/system/src/nostr-link.ts b/packages/system/src/nostr-link.ts
index ee47ad268..9c24bf8b9 100644
--- a/packages/system/src/nostr-link.ts
+++ b/packages/system/src/nostr-link.ts
@@ -233,11 +233,16 @@ export function tryParseNostrLink(link: string, prefixHint?: NostrPrefix): Nostr
   }
 }
 
-export function parseNostrLink(link: string, prefixHint?: NostrPrefix): NostrLink {
-  let entity = link.startsWith("web+nostr:") || link.startsWith("nostr:") ? link.split(":")[1] : link;
+export function trimNostrLink(link: string) {
+  let entity = (link.startsWith("web+nostr:") || link.startsWith("nostr:")) ? link.split(":")[1] : link;
 
   // trim any non-bech32 chars
   entity = entity.match(/(n(?:pub|profile|event|ote|addr|req)1[acdefghjklmnpqrstuvwxyz023456789]+)/)?.[0] ?? entity;
+  return entity;
+}
+
+export function parseNostrLink(link: string, prefixHint?: NostrPrefix): NostrLink {
+  const entity = trimNostrLink(link);
 
   const isPrefix = (prefix: NostrPrefix) => {
     return entity.startsWith(prefix);