diff --git a/packages/create-beast/src/index.ts b/packages/create-beast/src/index.ts
index 19c5b7a..a48c69c 100644
--- a/packages/create-beast/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/create-beast/src/index.ts
@@ -371,9 +371,10 @@ function normalizePackageName(name: string): string {
     .trim()
     .toLowerCase()
     .replace(/[^a-z0-9._-]+/gu, "-")
-    .replace(/^[._-]+|[._-]+$/gu, "")
-    .slice(0, 214);
-  return normalized || DEFAULT_DIRECTORY;
+    .replace(/^[._-]+/u, "");
+  let end = normalized.length;
+  while (end > 0 && "._-".includes(normalized[end - 1]!)) end -= 1;
+  return normalized.slice(0, Math.min(end, 214)) || DEFAULT_DIRECTORY;
 }
 
 function takeFlag(args: string[], name: string): boolean {
diff --git a/src/diagnostics.ts b/src/diagnostics.ts
index 02e023c..264da66 100644
--- a/src/diagnostics.ts
+++ b/src/diagnostics.ts
@@ -102,9 +102,8 @@ export function mapGeneratedError(
   offset += original.column;
   const position = { offset, line: original.line, column: original.column + 1 };
   const message = octaneError.diagnostic?.message === undefined
-    ? error.message
-      .replace(/^[^\n]*?:\d+:\d+:\s*(?=\[OCTANE_)/u, "")
-      .replace(/\s*\((?:[^()\n]*:)?\d+:\d+\)\s*$/u, "")
+    ? stripMessageLocation(error.message
+      .replace(/^[^\n]*?:\d+:\d+:\s*(?=\[OCTANE_)/u, ""))
     : `${octaneError.diagnostic.code ?? "OCTANE"}: ${octaneError.diagnostic.message}`;
   return new BeastCompileError({
     code: "BEAST9001_OCTANE",
@@ -118,8 +117,19 @@ export function mapGeneratedError(
   });
 }
 
+function stripMessageLocation(message: string): string {
+  const trimmed = message.trimEnd();
+  const start = trimmed.lastIndexOf("(");
+  return start >= 0 && /^\((?:[^()\n]*:)?\d+:\d+\)$/u.test(trimmed.slice(start))
+    ? trimmed.slice(0, start).trimEnd()
+    : message;
+}
+
 function messageLocation(message: string): { line: number; column: number } | undefined {
-  const match = /\((?:[^()\n]*:)?(\d+):(\d+)\)\s*$/u.exec(message);
+  const trimmed = message.trimEnd();
+  const start = trimmed.lastIndexOf("(");
+  if (start < 0) return undefined;
+  const match = /^\((?:[^()\n]*:)?(\d+):(\d+)\)$/u.exec(trimmed.slice(start));
   if (match === null) return undefined;
   return { line: Number(match[1]), column: Math.max(0, Number(match[2]) - 1) };
 }
diff --git a/tests/compiler.test.ts b/tests/compiler.test.ts
index 164234b..a7e2eb6 100644
--- a/tests/compiler.test.ts
+++ b/tests/compiler.test.ts
@@ -1543,6 +1543,17 @@ describe('BTSX to TSRX', () => {
 })
 
 describe('error locations', () => {
+  test('mapping long diagnostic whitespace preserves text and strips only a location suffix', () => {
+    const source = 'p Ready\n'
+    const result = compileBeastResult(source, { filename: 'a.btsx' })
+    for (const suffix of [' (a.tsrx:1:1)   ', ' (1:1)\t', ' (not a location)']) {
+      const text = 'Invalid' + ' '.repeat(100_000) + 'value'
+      const error = Object.assign(new Error(text + suffix), { loc: { line: 1, column: 0 } })
+      const mapped = mapGeneratedError(error, result.map, source, 'a.btsx') as BeastCompileError
+      expect(mapped.diagnostic.message).toBe(text + (suffix.includes('not a location') ? suffix : ''))
+    }
+  })
+
   test('compile errors carry file:line:column in the message', () => {
     expect(() => compileBeast('div\n  <p>x</p>\n', { filename: 'a.btsx' })).toThrow(/a\.btsx:2:3 - BEAST1101/u)
   })