diff --git a/apps/simplex-store-service/src/StoreService/Names/Profiles.hs b/apps/simplex-store-service/src/StoreService/Names/Profiles.hs
index c81da4f8e6..06f896ed4c 100644
--- a/apps/simplex-store-service/src/StoreService/Names/Profiles.hs
+++ b/apps/simplex-store-service/src/StoreService/Names/Profiles.hs
@@ -185,7 +185,7 @@ data ProfileRead = ProfileOk LinkProfile | ProfileUnread | ProfileUnavailable
 data Preview = Preview {previewType :: LinkKind, previewProfile :: ProfileRead}
   deriving (Eq, Show)
 
-data Entity = Entity {entityPreview :: Preview, link :: Text, deepLink :: Text}
+data Entity = Entity {entityPreview :: Preview, link :: Text, deepLink :: Maybe Text}
   deriving (Eq, Show)
 
 instance J.ToJSON Preview where
@@ -228,11 +228,11 @@ chatKindText = \case
   CKChannel -> "channel"
 
 -- | A search answer's entity, within the search bound. Every server host of the link must pass the host rule.
--- The deep link is the core's @simplex:/@ form, which carries the server; a link the core cannot parse keeps its own text.
+-- The deep link is the core's @simplex:/@ form, which carries the server; a link the core cannot parse has none.
 linkEntity :: Profiles -> LinkKind -> Text -> IO Entity
 linkEntity ps@Profiles {searchSlots} t link = do
   r <- boundedProfile ps searchSlots link sl_
-  pure Entity {entityPreview = Preview t r, link, deepLink = maybe link (safeDecodeUtf8 . strEncode . simplexShortLink) sl_}
+  pure Entity {entityPreview = Preview t r, link, deepLink = safeDecodeUtf8 . strEncode . simplexShortLink <$> sl_}
   where
     sl_ = parseShortLink link
 
diff --git a/tests/Bots/StoreService/NamesProfilesTests.hs b/tests/Bots/StoreService/NamesProfilesTests.hs
index e6b37bafec..3914fe308b 100644
--- a/tests/Bots/StoreService/NamesProfilesTests.hs
+++ b/tests/Bots/StoreService/NamesProfilesTests.hs
@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@ namesProfilesTests = describe "StoreService names: profiles" $ do
     H.it "encodes a channel entity with subscribers and a simplex:/ deep link" testEntityChannelJSON
     H.it "encodes previews without a profile as empty, kind from the link" testPreviewEmptyJSON
     H.it "gives a deep link that parses back in the core with the link's server" testDeepLinkParses
+    H.it "gives a null deep link and keeps the link for a link the core cannot parse" testDeepLinkUnparsed
   describe "bounds and cache" $ do
     H.it "answers a link again from the cache, and fetches it again once the cache expires" testCacheExpiry
     H.it "does not cache a failed fetch" testFailureNotCached
@@ -191,24 +192,33 @@ testEntityChannelJSON = do
                      \ \"link\": \"https://smp9.simplex.im/c#Rk27xN4pDe9Tz1Wb3Yc5Vd7Xf9Hg2Jk4LmAAAAAAAAA\", \"deepLink\": \"simplex:/c#Rk27xN4pDe9Tz1Wb3Yc5Vd7Xf9Hg2Jk4LmAAAAAAAAA?h=smp9.simplex.im\"}"
   let simplexLink = "simplex:/c#Rk27xN4pDe9Tz1Wb3Yc5Vd7Xf9Hg2Jk4LmAAAAAAAAA?h=smp9.simplex.im"
   Entity {link, deepLink} <- linkEntity ps LKChannel simplexLink
-  (link, deepLink) `shouldBe` (simplexLink, simplexLink)
+  (link, deepLink) `shouldBe` (simplexLink, Just simplexLink)
   where
     news = LinkProfile {kind = CKChannel, displayName = "Bakery news", fullName = "Daily bakes and opening hours", image = Nothing, subscribers = Just 1204}
 
+testDeepLinkUnparsed :: IO ()
+testDeepLinkUnparsed = do
+  ps <- quietProfiles answerAll publicResolver
+  e <- linkEntity ps LKContact unparsed
+  e
+    `shouldEncodeAs` "{\"type\": \"address\", \"kind\": \"contact\", \"displayName\": \"\", \"fullName\": \"\", \"image\": null, \"subscribers\": null,\
+                     \ \"profile\": \"unavailable\", \"link\": \"https://smp8.simplex.im/a#Y8m3qT0vLw2Ab7cD9eF1gH3jK5mN7pQ9rS\", \"deepLink\": null}"
+  where
+    -- the webapp's seeded contact link, whose key is too short for the core
+    unparsed = "https://smp8.simplex.im/a#Y8m3qT0vLw2Ab7cD9eF1gH3jK5mN7pQ9rS"
+
 testDeepLinkParses :: IO ()
 testDeepLinkParses = do
   ps <- quietProfiles answerAll publicResolver
   mapM_ (deepLinkKeepsServer ps) [bakeryLink, keyedLink, twoHostLink]
-  Entity {deepLink} <- linkEntity ps LKContact "https://smp8.simplex.im/a#x"
-  deepLink `shouldBe` "https://smp8.simplex.im/a#x"
   where
     keyedLink = "https://smp.example.com/a#Y8m3qT0vLw2Ab7cD9eF1gH3jK5mN7pQ9rSAAAAAAAAA?p=5224&c=LcJUMfVhwD8yxjAiSaDzzGF3-kLG4Uh0Fl_ZIjrRwjI"
     twoHostLink = "simplex:/c#Rk27xN4pDe9Tz1Wb3Yc5Vd7Xf9Hg2Jk4LmAAAAAAAAA?h=a.example.com%2Cb.example.com"
     deepLinkKeepsServer ps l = do
       Entity {deepLink} <- linkEntity ps LKContact l
       let original = parseLink l
-          reparsed = parseLink deepLink
-      ("simplex:/" `T.isPrefixOf` deepLink, serverOf <$> reparsed) `shouldBe` (True, serverOf <$> original)
+          reparsed = maybe (Left "no deep link") parseLink deepLink
+      (fmap ("simplex:/" `T.isPrefixOf`) deepLink, serverOf <$> reparsed) `shouldBe` (Just True, serverOf <$> original)
       reparsed `shouldBe` (simplexShortLink <$> original)
     parseLink :: Text -> Either String (ConnShortLink 'CMContact)
     parseLink = strDecode . encodeUtf8