diff --git a/.claude/hooks/ascii-guard.sh b/.claude/hooks/ascii-guard.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..cc8bdfe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.claude/hooks/ascii-guard.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Agent-loop guard, paired with the internal/sourceguard CI test: after a .go
+# file is edited, run the non-ASCII source guard and block the edit (exit 2,
+# stderr fed back to the agent) when it introduces an unsanctioned non-ASCII
+# rune. Wired from .claude/settings.json as a PostToolUse hook on
+# Edit|Write|MultiEdit. Dependency-free (no jq); works on macOS and Linux.
+set -u
+
+# The PostToolUse payload arrives as JSON on stdin. Trigger only when it
+# references a .go file, so edits to other file types are no-ops.
+input=$(cat)
+case "$input" in
+*'.go"'*) ;;
+*) exit 0 ;;
+esac
+
+cd "${CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR:-.}" || exit 0
+
+if ! out=$(go test ./internal/sourceguard/ -count=1 2>&1); then
+	printf '%s\n' "$out" >&2
+	exit 2
+fi
diff --git a/.claude/settings.json b/.claude/settings.json
index dc20082..0fb2266 100644
--- a/.claude/settings.json
+++ b/.claude/settings.json
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
         "hooks": [
           {
             "type": "command",
-            "command": "input=$(cat); case \"$input\" in *'.go\"'*) cd \"$CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR\" || exit 0; out=$(go test ./internal/sourceguard/ -count=1 2>&1) || { printf '%s\\n' \"$out\" >&2; exit 2; };; esac",
+            "command": "bash \"${CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR:-.}/.claude/hooks/ascii-guard.sh\"",
             "statusMessage": "non-ASCII source guard",
             "timeout": 60
           }
diff --git a/internal/cli/output.go b/internal/cli/output.go
index b2d0881..47c64d7 100644
--- a/internal/cli/output.go
+++ b/internal/cli/output.go
@@ -176,18 +176,41 @@ func renderSearchResult(w io.Writer, origin string, matches []skillcore.CatalogE
 	return err
 }
 
+// cellSanitizer neutralizes characters that would corrupt the tabwriter layout:
+// a tab inside a cell is read by tabwriter as a column separator, and a newline
+// or carriage-return breaks the one-row-per-line invariant. Each is replaced
+// with a single space so cell content can never inject extra columns or rows —
+// catalog descriptions and skill names are taken verbatim from manifests/paths
+// and are not guaranteed control-character-free (PR #22 review).
+var cellSanitizer = strings.NewReplacer("\t", " ", "\n", " ", "\r", " ")
+
 // writeAlignedColumns renders rows as space-padded, fixed-width columns via the
 // stdlib text/tabwriter (elastic tabstops) so columns line up across rows in
 // compact human output. It is the one shared table renderer for search and the
-// verify failure list — no duplicated tabwriter setup. Each row's cells are
-// tab-joined; the final cell is newline-terminated, so it is never right-padded
-// (no trailing whitespace). Cell width is counted in runes (tabwriter assumes
-// equal-width code points), matching truncateDesc's rune budget so the column
-// math and the clip agree. An empty rows slice writes nothing.
+// verify failure list — no duplicated tabwriter setup. Each cell is sanitized of
+// tabs/newlines (see cellSanitizer) and then tab-joined; the final cell is
+// newline-terminated, so it is never right-padded (no trailing whitespace). Cell
+// width is counted in runes (tabwriter assumes equal-width code points),
+// matching truncateDesc's rune budget so the column math and the clip agree. An
+// empty rows slice writes nothing.
 func writeAlignedColumns(w io.Writer, rows [][]string) error {
-	tw := tabwriter.NewWriter(w, 0, 0, 2, ' ', 0)
+	// tabwriter params: minwidth, tabwidth, padding, padchar, flags.
+	tw := tabwriter.NewWriter(
+		w,
+		0,   // minwidth
+		0,   // tabwidth
+		2,   // padding: spaces between columns
+		' ', // padchar
+		0,   // flags
+	)
+
 	for _, cells := range rows {
-		if _, err := fmt.Fprintln(tw, strings.Join(cells, "\t")); err != nil {
+		clean := make([]string, len(cells))
+		for i, c := range cells {
+			clean[i] = cellSanitizer.Replace(c)
+		}
+
+		if _, err := fmt.Fprintln(tw, strings.Join(clean, "\t")); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/internal/cli/output_test.go b/internal/cli/output_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..95e26ad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/cli/output_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+package cli
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// TestWriteAlignedColumns_NeutralizesTabsInCells guards the PR #22 review bug: a
+// tab embedded in a cell must not be read by tabwriter as a column separator
+// (which would corrupt alignment). The renderer sanitizes \t/\n/\r to spaces, so
+// a tabbed description stays a single cell.
+func TestWriteAlignedColumns_NeutralizesTabsInCells(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	var b strings.Builder
+
+	rows := [][]string{
+		{"name", "desc with\ttab"},
+		{"longer-name", "second"},
+	}
+
+	if err := writeAlignedColumns(&b, rows); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("writeAlignedColumns: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	out := b.String()
+
+	// Exactly two rows render — the embedded tab did not split a cell into a new
+	// column or inject a row.
+	if lines := strings.Split(strings.TrimRight(out, "\n"), "\n"); len(lines) != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("want 2 rendered lines, got %d:\n%q", len(lines), out)
+	}
+
+	// The tab became a space inside the cell, so the description survives as one
+	// contiguous token. If the tab had leaked into tabwriter as a separator, the
+	// two halves would be split across padded columns and this substring (single
+	// space) would not appear.
+	if !strings.Contains(out, "desc with tab") {
+		t.Errorf("embedded tab not sanitized to a space; got:\n%q", out)
+	}
+}