diff --git a/src/auto-reply/reply/get-reply-inline-actions.skip-when-config-empty.test.ts b/src/auto-reply/reply/get-reply-inline-actions.skip-when-config-empty.test.ts
index 61b6f3d91ba0..de59e1d4414c 100644
--- a/src/auto-reply/reply/get-reply-inline-actions.skip-when-config-empty.test.ts
+++ b/src/auto-reply/reply/get-reply-inline-actions.skip-when-config-empty.test.ts
@@ -801,6 +801,40 @@ describe("handleInlineActions", () => {
     expect(handleCommandsMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
+  it("keeps inline skill markers literal when command interpretation is suppressed", async () => {
+    const typing = createTypingController();
+    const body = "Please use /office_hours: to build me a deployment plan";
+    const ctx = buildTestCtx({
+      Body: body,
+      CommandBody: body,
+      Provider: "webchat",
+      Surface: "webchat",
+      CommandInterpretationSuppressed: true,
+    });
+
+    const result = await handleInlineActions(
+      createHandleInlineActionsInput({
+        ctx,
+        typing,
+        cleanedBody: body,
+        command: {
+          isAuthorizedSender: true,
+          rawBodyNormalized: body,
+          commandBodyNormalized: body,
+        },
+        overrides: {
+          allowTextCommands: true,
+          cfg: { commands: { text: true } },
+          skillCommands: officeHoursSkillCommands(),
+        },
+      }),
+    );
+
+    expect(result).toMatchObject({ kind: "continue", cleanedBody: body });
+    expect(ctx.Body).toBe(body);
+    expect(handleCommandsMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
   it("preserves slash commands inside an inline skill payload", async () => {
     const typing = createTypingController();
     const body = "/office_hours: compare /help and /commands with /status";
diff --git a/src/auto-reply/reply/get-reply-inline-actions.ts b/src/auto-reply/reply/get-reply-inline-actions.ts
index 8a860bb15263..a490d9dc3cd2 100644
--- a/src/auto-reply/reply/get-reply-inline-actions.ts
+++ b/src/auto-reply/reply/get-reply-inline-actions.ts
@@ -338,13 +338,13 @@ export async function handleInlineActions(params: {
   const canUseInlineSkills = command.isAuthorizedSender && ctx.Surface === INTERNAL_MESSAGE_CHANNEL;
   const hasInlineSkillCandidate =
     canUseInlineSkills &&
+    !ctx.CommandInterpretationSuppressed &&
     listColonMarkedInlineSkillNames(command.commandBodyNormalized).some(isPotentialInlineSkillName);
   const shouldLoadSkillCommands =
     allowTextCommands && (hasSkillReferences || hasSkillSlashCandidate || hasInlineSkillCandidate);
-  const canReusePreloadedSkillCommands = execOverrides === undefined;
   const skillCommands =
     shouldLoadSkillCommands &&
-    canReusePreloadedSkillCommands &&
+    execOverrides === undefined &&
     params.skillCommands &&
     params.skillCommands.length > 0
       ? params.skillCommands
@@ -381,7 +381,7 @@ export async function handleInlineActions(params: {
           skillCommands,
         })
       : null;
-  if (!skillInvocation && allowTextCommands && canUseInlineSkills && skillCommands.length > 0) {
+  if (!skillInvocation && allowTextCommands && hasInlineSkillCandidate && skillCommands.length) {
     skillInvocation = resolveInlineSkillCommandInvocation({
       commandBodyNormalized: command.commandBodyNormalized,
       skillCommands,