diff --git a/BEDIENUNGSANLEITUNG.md b/BEDIENUNGSANLEITUNG.md
index afb00f6..b7a473a 100644
--- a/BEDIENUNGSANLEITUNG.md
+++ b/BEDIENUNGSANLEITUNG.md
@@ -434,6 +434,7 @@ python3 epub2md_merge.py --help
 | `--chapter-level N` | ab welcher Überschriftenebene eine neue Datei beginnt (Standard 1) |
 | `--code-language SPRACHE` | Sprache für Codeblöcke ohne erkannte Sprache |
 | `--keep-wrap-markers` | Druck-Umbruchzeichen `↪` im Code stehen lassen |
+| `--keep-invisible-chars` | unsichtbare Zeichen (Nullbreiten-Leerzeichen, weiche Trennstriche) behalten |
 | `--math auto/tex/mathml/image` | Formeldarstellung |
 | `--footnotes end-of-chapter/end-of-book/inline/keep-links` | Fußnoten-Platzierung |
 | `--format gfm/commonmark` | Markdown-Variante; `commonmark` für sehr strikte Programme |
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index f48bfdd..caf194f 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -97,6 +97,7 @@ python3 epub2md.py buch.epub output/buch --force --report berichte/buch.json
 | `--slug-language {de,en,none}` | `de` | Dateinamen: `de` ä→ae, ß→ss; `en` ä→a, ß→ss; `none` Unicode bleibt |
 | `--code-language SPRACHE` | – | Sprachlabel für Codeblöcke ohne erkannte Sprache (z. B. `python`, `c`; Aliase wie `py` erlaubt). Erkannte Labels haben Vorrang; im Bericht `detected_by: "option"` |
 | `--keep-wrap-markers` | aus | Druck-Umbruchzeichen `↪`/`➥` in Codeblöcken stehen lassen. Standard: Fortsetzungszeilen werden wieder zur ursprünglichen Codezeile zusammengefügt (Anzahl im Bericht: `wrap_lines_joined`) |
+| `--keep-invisible-chars` | aus | Nullbreiten-Zeichen und weiche Trennstriche im Fließtext behalten. Standard: entfernen, weil sie Suche und RAG stören (Anzahl im Bericht: `text_cleanup`). Code bleibt immer unverändert |
 | `--keep-html` | aus | Unbekannte/nicht sicher konvertierbare Elemente als bereinigtes HTML erhalten (sonst: Text übernommen + Eintrag in `diagnostics/unsupported-elements.md`) |
 | `--strict` | aus | Abbruch bei kritischen Fehlern (fehlende/unlesbare Spine-Dokumente, unsichere ZIP-Pfade, ungültige Spine-Verweise) |
 | `--force` | aus | Bestehendes Ausgabeverzeichnis ersetzen – siehe [Sicherheit](#sicherheit-und-fehlerbehandlung) |
diff --git a/epub2md/chapters.py b/epub2md/chapters.py
index 5845852..0b16de3 100644
--- a/epub2md/chapters.py
+++ b/epub2md/chapters.py
@@ -9,7 +9,17 @@ from typing import Any
 from .diagnostics import Diagnostics
 from .models import Chapter, NavEntry
 from .normalize import Doc, has_content
-from .utils import classes, epub_types, is_element, iter_elements, local, norm_ws, roles, text_content
+from .utils import (
+    classes,
+    epub_types,
+    is_element,
+    iter_elements,
+    local,
+    norm_ws,
+    remove_invisible,
+    roles,
+    text_content,
+)
 
 HEADINGS = {"h1": 1, "h2": 2, "h3": 3, "h4": 4, "h5": 5, "h6": 6}
 CONTAINERS = {"body", "div", "section", "article", "aside", "main", "header", "footer", "nav", "span", "hgroup"}
@@ -270,6 +280,7 @@ class ChapterBuilder:
         if not doc.linear and all(not d or d == doc.path for d in ch.docs[:1]):
             types.append("auxiliary")
         ch.types = list(dict.fromkeys(types))
+        ch.title = remove_invisible(ch.title)[0]  # titles feed file names, frontmatter and README
         return ch
 
     def _title_from_content(self, items: list[tuple[str, Any]], number: int) -> tuple[str, str]:
diff --git a/epub2md/cli.py b/epub2md/cli.py
index 4679493..4f40c58 100644
--- a/epub2md/cli.py
+++ b/epub2md/cli.py
@@ -85,6 +85,9 @@ def build_parser() -> argparse.ArgumentParser:
     p.add_argument("--keep-wrap-markers", action="store_true",
                    help="Druck-Umbruchzeichen (↪/➥) in Codeblöcken nicht entfernen; Standard: fortgesetzte "
                         "Zeilen werden wieder zur ursprünglichen Codezeile zusammengefügt")
+    p.add_argument("--keep-invisible-chars", action="store_true",
+                   help="Nullbreiten-Zeichen und weiche Trennstriche (U+00AD) im Fließtext behalten; Standard: entfernen "
+                        "(stören Suche und Weiterverarbeitung). Code bleibt immer unverändert")
     p.add_argument("--strict", action="store_true",
                    help="Bei kritischen Fehlern abbrechen: fehlende/unlesbare Spine-Dokumente, nicht dekodierbares "
                         "XHTML, unsichere ZIP-Pfade, übersprungene (verdächtige) Medien")
@@ -119,6 +122,7 @@ def main(argv: list[str] | None = None) -> int:
         keep_html=args.keep_html,
         code_language=args.code_language or "",
         keep_wrap_markers=args.keep_wrap_markers,
+        keep_invisible_chars=args.keep_invisible_chars,
         strict=args.strict,
         verbose=args.verbose,
         dry_run=args.dry_run,
diff --git a/epub2md/html_converter.py b/epub2md/html_converter.py
index 68c0c4d..d842b90 100644
--- a/epub2md/html_converter.py
+++ b/epub2md/html_converter.py
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ from .utils import (
     local,
     norm_ws,
     rel_link,
+    remove_invisible,
     resolve_href,
     text_content,
     url_path,
@@ -93,6 +94,7 @@ class RenderOptions:
     language: str = "de"
     code_language: str = ""  # --code-language: label for blocks without a detected language
     keep_wrap_markers: bool = False  # --keep-wrap-markers: do not join ↪-continued code lines
+    keep_invisible_chars: bool = False  # --keep-invisible-chars: keep zero-width chars and soft hyphens
 
 
 def md_escape(text: str, table: bool = False) -> str:
@@ -231,6 +233,7 @@ class Renderer:
                  notes: NoteIndex, diag: Diagnostics, zip_names: set[str],
                  entry_problem: Callable[[str], str | None] | None = None) -> None:
         self.entry_problem = entry_problem or (lambda path: None)
+        self.invisible_removed = 0
         self.opt = options
         self.zip_names = zip_names
         self.in_table_html = False
@@ -293,7 +296,7 @@ class Renderer:
             if doc:
                 self.doc = doc
             if isinstance(item, str):
-                buf.append(("t", md_escape(item, self.in_table)))
+                buf.append(("t", self._text(item)))
             elif isinstance(item, IdCarrier):
                 anchor = self.resolver.anchor_for(self.doc, item.element)
                 if anchor:
@@ -755,12 +758,12 @@ class Renderer:
     def inline_children(self, el: Any) -> list[Piece]:
         pieces: list[Piece] = []
         if el.text:
-            pieces.append(("t", md_escape(el.text, self.in_table)))
+            pieces.append(("t", self._text(el.text)))
         for child in el:
             if is_element(child):
                 pieces.extend(self.inline(child))
             if child.tail:
-                pieces.append(("t", md_escape(child.tail, self.in_table)))
+                pieces.append(("t", self._text(child.tail)))
         return pieces
 
     def inline(self, el: Any) -> list[Piece]:
@@ -1046,7 +1049,16 @@ class Renderer:
         title_part = f' "{title.replace(chr(34), chr(39))}"' if title else ""
         return [("r", f"![{self._alt(alt)}]({url_path(rel_link(self.file, mf.output))}{title_part})")]
 
+    def _text(self, text: str) -> str:
+        """Escape prose text; zero-width characters and soft hyphens are dropped (P6)."""
+        if not self.opt.keep_invisible_chars:
+            text, n = remove_invisible(text)
+            self.invisible_removed += n
+        return md_escape(text, self.in_table)
+
     def _alt(self, alt: str) -> str:
+        if not self.opt.keep_invisible_chars:
+            alt = remove_invisible(alt)[0]
         return WS.sub(" ", alt).replace("\\", "\\\\").replace("[", "\\[").replace("]", "\\]").strip()
 
     def _is_formula_image(self, el: Any, alt: str, path: str) -> bool:
diff --git a/epub2md/pipeline.py b/epub2md/pipeline.py
index e5dd9dc..7c683cb 100644
--- a/epub2md/pipeline.py
+++ b/epub2md/pipeline.py
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ class Options:
     keep_html: bool = False
     code_language: str = ""
     keep_wrap_markers: bool = False
+    keep_invisible_chars: bool = False
     strict: bool = False
     verbose: bool = False
     dry_run: bool = False
@@ -235,7 +236,8 @@ def _render(reader: EpubReader, package: Any, chapters: list[Chapter], resolver:
     renderer = Renderer(
         RenderOptions(format=opts.format, footnotes=opts.footnotes, math=opts.math,
                       extract_media=opts.extract_media, keep_html=opts.keep_html, language=language,
-                      code_language=opts.code_language, keep_wrap_markers=opts.keep_wrap_markers),
+                      code_language=opts.code_language, keep_wrap_markers=opts.keep_wrap_markers,
+                      keep_invisible_chars=opts.keep_invisible_chars),
         resolver, media, notes, diag, set(reader.names), reader.entry_problem,
     )
     width = max(3, len(str(len(chapters) + 1)))
@@ -495,6 +497,7 @@ def _report(input_path: Path, sha: str, generated_at: str, package: Any, opts: O
                       "referenced": sum(1 for n in notes.notes.values() if n.ref_count),
                       "rendered": len(renderer.book_notes)},
         "special_sections": special,
+        "text_cleanup": {"invisible_chars_removed": renderer.invisible_removed},
         "warnings": warnings,
         "errors": errors,
         "infos": [d.as_dict() for d in diag.items if d.level == "info"],
diff --git a/epub2md/utils.py b/epub2md/utils.py
index 5d88b3e..d9115c0 100644
--- a/epub2md/utils.py
+++ b/epub2md/utils.py
@@ -185,6 +185,15 @@ def text_content(el: Any) -> str:
     return "".join(parts)
 
 
+INVISIBLE = re.compile("[\u200b\u200c\u200d\u2060\ufeff\u00ad]")  # zero-width chars, BOM, soft hyphen
+
+
+def remove_invisible(text: str) -> tuple[str, int]:
+    """Remove zero-width characters and soft hyphens; returns (text, number removed)."""
+    cleaned, n = INVISIBLE.subn("", text)
+    return cleaned, n
+
+
 def norm_ws(text: str) -> str:
     return re.sub(r"[ \t\r\n\f]+", " ", text or "").strip()
 
diff --git a/tests/test_styles.py b/tests/test_styles.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8ce166f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_styles.py
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+"""Typography and layout: invisible characters, CSS emphasis, scene breaks, boxes, styles, page markers."""
+
+from conftest import Book, Doc
+
+ZW, SHY = "​", "­"
+
+
+def test_p6_invisible_characters_removed_outside_code(convert):
+    body = (f"<h1>Kapitel 1.{ZW}1</h1><p>Lese{SHY}rinnen und 1.{ZW}1 sowie{ZW}Wort.</p>"
+            f"<pre>a{ZW}b</pre><p><code>x{SHY}y</code></p>")
+    run = convert(Book(docs=[Doc("c.xhtml", body)]))
+    text = run.chapter("001")
+    assert "Leserinnen und 1.1 sowieWort." in text
+    assert "# Kapitel 1.1" in text and 'chapter_title: "Kapitel 1.1"' in text
+    assert f"a{ZW}b" in text and f"x{SHY}y" in text  # code stays verbatim
+    assert run.report["text_cleanup"]["invisible_chars_removed"] == 4
+    kept = convert(Book(docs=[Doc("c.xhtml", body)]), "--keep-invisible-chars").chapter("001")
+    assert f"Lese{SHY}rinnen" in kept