diff --git a/modules/response_template.py b/modules/response_template.py
index 36030ca..a39eb3a 100644
--- a/modules/response_template.py
+++ b/modules/response_template.py
@@ -272,11 +272,13 @@ class _TemplateParser:
             # A quote immediately after ':' opts into the quoted-argument grammar.
             # Anything else stays greedy, so existing unquoted literals keep their
             # pipes and their leading/trailing whitespace exactly as written.
+            # An *unterminated* quote is not a quoted argument at all: falling back
+            # to greedy keeps `prefix_if_nonempty:"` prepending a literal quote the
+            # way it always has, rather than voiding the placeholder to raw text.
             if i < self.n and self.s[i] == '"':
                 value, j = self._parse_quoted_string(i)
-                if value is None:
-                    return None, '', j
-                return name, value, j
+                if value is not None:
+                    return name, value, j
             close = self.s.find('}', i)
             if close == -1:
                 return None, '', self.n
diff --git a/tests/test_feed_format.py b/tests/test_feed_format.py
index 34e32b1..054d9e1 100644
--- a/tests/test_feed_format.py
+++ b/tests/test_feed_format.py
@@ -138,3 +138,51 @@ class TestFormatFeedMessage:
             shorten_feed_urls=False,
         )
         assert msg == "https://example.com/long"
+
+
+class TestShortenUrlAlias:
+    """`shorten_url` is the response-template spelling; feed formats accept it too.
+
+    Without the alias a chain copied from a command response_format hits the unknown
+    -function branch and the long URL goes out unshortened, with no warning.
+    """
+
+    @patch("modules.feed_format.shorten_url_sync", return_value="https://v.gd/x")
+    def test_shorten_url_is_accepted_as_a_function(self, mock_shorten):
+        out = apply_feed_field_function(
+            "https://example.com/long", "shorten_url", config=object()
+        )
+        assert out == "https://v.gd/x"
+        mock_shorten.assert_called_once()
+
+    @patch("modules.feed_format.shorten_url_sync", return_value="https://v.gd/x")
+    def test_shorten_url_chains_like_shorten(self, _mock_shorten):
+        assert (
+            apply_feed_field_function(
+                "https://example.com/long", "shorten_url|truncate:9", config=object()
+            )
+            == apply_feed_field_function(
+                "https://example.com/long", "shorten|truncate:9", config=object()
+            )
+        )
+
+    @patch("modules.feed_format.shorten_url_sync", return_value="")
+    def test_shorten_url_falls_back_to_the_original(self, _mock_shorten):
+        out = apply_feed_field_function(
+            "https://example.com/long", "shorten_url", config=object()
+        )
+        assert out == "https://example.com/long"
+
+    @patch("modules.feed_format.shorten_url_sync", return_value="https://v.gd/x")
+    def test_explicit_shorten_url_is_not_double_shortened(self, mock_shorten):
+        """shorten_feed_urls must see through the alias, as it does through `shorten`."""
+        format_feed_message(
+            {"title": "t", "description": "", "link": "https://example.com/long"},
+            "{link|shorten_url}",
+            shorten_feed_urls=True,
+            config=object(),
+        )
+        assert mock_shorten.call_count == 1
+
+    def test_an_unrelated_name_starting_with_shorten_url_is_untouched(self):
+        assert apply_feed_field_function("abc", "shorten_urlish") == "abc"
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_response_template.py b/tests/unit/test_response_template.py
index 9bb63b2..6f94b30 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test_response_template.py
+++ b/tests/unit/test_response_template.py
@@ -569,8 +569,12 @@ async def test_async_render_does_not_warn_about_the_event_loop():
     logger = MagicMock()
 
     with pytest.MonkeyPatch.context() as mp:
+        import modules.response_template as rt
         import modules.url_shortener as us
         mp.setattr(us.requests, "get", lambda *a, **k: resp)
+        # Without this reset the assertion below passes vacuously whenever an
+        # earlier test has already tripped the warn-once flag.
+        mp.setattr(rt, "_warned_blocking_render", False)
         out = await format_piped_template_async(
             "{link|shorten_url}",
             {"link": "https://example.com/long"},
@@ -580,3 +584,24 @@ async def test_async_render_does_not_warn_about_the_event_loop():
 
     assert out == "https://v.gd/abc123"
     logger.warning.assert_not_called()
+
+
+@pytest.mark.unit
+def test_a_bare_quote_argument_is_still_a_greedy_literal():
+    """Regression: opting into quoted args must not void an unterminated quote.
+
+    `prefix_if_nonempty:"` prepends a literal quote character and always has. Reading
+    it as the start of a quoted argument leaves the string unterminated, which would
+    reject the whole placeholder and emit raw template text over RF.
+    """
+    assert format_piped_template('{d|prefix_if_nonempty:"}', {"d": "12.4km"}) == '"12.4km'
+    assert format_piped_template(
+        '{d|prefix_if_nonempty:"unterminated}', {"d": "12.4km"}
+    ) == '"unterminated12.4km'
+
+
+@pytest.mark.unit
+def test_a_quote_after_whitespace_is_a_greedy_literal_not_a_quoted_argument():
+    """Only a quote *immediately* after ':' opts in, so spacing is preserved."""
+    out = format_piped_template('{d|prefix_if_nonempty: "L" }', {"d": "12.4km"})
+    assert out == ' "L" 12.4km'