diff --git a/repl.lua b/repl.lua
index 0d28a4b..2da2740 100644
--- a/repl.lua
+++ b/repl.lua
@@ -54,7 +54,22 @@ local function expand_mentions(line, on_status)
         local at_start = (i == 1) or line:sub(i - 1, i - 1):match("%s") ~= nil
         if at_start and line:sub(i, i) == "@" then
             local path_end = line:find("%s", i + 1) or (#line + 1)
-            local path = line:sub(i + 1, path_end - 1)
+            local raw = line:sub(i + 1, path_end - 1)
+            -- Peel one or more trailing punctuation chars (,.;:?!) if the
+            -- full path doesn't resolve — handles natural prose like
+            -- "look at @README.md, then..." or "@foo.lua." at sentence end.
+            local path, trail = raw, ""
+            while #path > 0 do
+                local f = io.open(path, "rb")
+                if f then f:close(); break end
+                local last = path:sub(-1)
+                if last:match("[%.,;:?!)]") then
+                    trail = last .. trail
+                    path  = path:sub(1, -2)
+                else
+                    break
+                end
+            end
             if path ~= "" then
                 local content, truncated = _read_truncated(path)
                 if content then
@@ -62,12 +77,12 @@ local function expand_mentions(line, on_status)
                         on_status(("@%s expanded (%d bytes%s)"):format(
                             path, #content, truncated and ", truncated" or ""))
                     end
-                    out[#out + 1] = ("```%s path=%s\n%s\n```"):format(
-                        _lang_of(path), path, content)
+                    out[#out + 1] = ("```%s path=%s\n%s\n```%s"):format(
+                        _lang_of(path), path, content, trail)
                     i = path_end
                 else
                     if on_status then
-                        on_status(("@%s: not found"):format(path))
+                        on_status(("@%s: not found"):format(raw))
                     end
                     out[#out + 1] = line:sub(i, path_end - 1)
                     i = path_end