diff --git a/tools/src/hwpod-node-lib.ts b/tools/src/hwpod-node-lib.ts
index 2802550b..683b8f93 100644
--- a/tools/src/hwpod-node-lib.ts
+++ b/tools/src/hwpod-node-lib.ts
@@ -419,7 +419,7 @@ async function workspaceReplace(args: any) {
   assertExpectedSha(before, args.expectedSha, relativePath);
   const find = requiredRawString(args.find, "find");
   const replace = rawString(args.replace ?? args.replacement);
-  const normalizedFind = normalizeContentLineEndings(find, "\n", false);
+  const normalizedFind = normalizeContentLineEndings(find, "\n", false, true);
   const normalizedReplace = normalizeContentLineEndings(replace, "\n", false);
   const normalizedContent = before.normalizedContent;
   const occurrences = countOccurrences(normalizedContent, normalizedFind);
@@ -443,7 +443,7 @@ async function workspaceInsertAfter(args: any) {
   assertExpectedSha(before, args.expectedSha, relativePath);
   const anchor = requiredRawString(args.anchor, "anchor");
   const insertText = requiredRawString(args.line ?? args.insert ?? args.text, "line");
-  const normalizedAnchor = normalizeContentLineEndings(anchor, "\n", false);
+  const normalizedAnchor = normalizeContentLineEndings(anchor, "\n", false, true);
   const normalizedInsert = normalizeContentLineEndings(insertText, "\n", false);
   const lines = splitNormalizedLines(before.normalizedContent, before.hadFinalNewline);
   const anchorLines = splitNormalizedLines(normalizedAnchor, false);
@@ -611,7 +611,7 @@ function splitNormalizedLines(content: string, hadFinalNewline: boolean) {
 }
 
 function diagnosticDetails(fileState: any, expected: string, relativePath: string) {
-  const expectedLines = splitNormalizedLines(normalizeContentLineEndings(expected, "\n", false), false).filter((line) => line.length > 0);
+  const expectedLines = splitNormalizedLines(normalizeContentLineEndings(expected, "\n", false, true), false).filter((line) => line.length > 0);
   const normalizedLines = splitNormalizedLines(fileState.normalizedContent, fileState.hadFinalNewline);
   const candidates = expectedLines.slice(0, 4).flatMap((line) => candidateLines(normalizedLines, line)).slice(0, 12);
   return {
@@ -700,9 +700,9 @@ function lineEndingFromArgs(args: any, fallback: string) {
   throw cliError("invalid_line_ending", "lineEnding must be preserve, lf, or crlf", { lineEnding: value });
 }
 
-function normalizeContentLineEndings(content: string, lineEnding: string, finalNewline: boolean) {
-  const unescaped = String(content).replace(/\\r\\n/gu, "\r\n").replace(/\\n/gu, "\n").replace(/\\r(?!\n)/gu, "\r");
-  const normalized = unescaped.replace(/\r\n?/gu, "\n");
+function normalizeContentLineEndings(content: string, lineEnding: string, finalNewline: boolean, unescapeEscapeSequences = false) {
+  const base = unescapeEscapeSequences ? String(content).replace(/\\r\\n/gu, "\r\n").replace(/\\n/gu, "\n").replace(/\\r(?!\n)/gu, "\r") : String(content);
+  const normalized = base.replace(/\r\n?/gu, "\n");
   const withFinal = finalNewline && !normalized.endsWith("\n") ? `${normalized}\n` : normalized;
   return lineEnding === "\r\n" ? withFinal.replace(/\n/gu, "\r\n") : withFinal;
 }