diff --git a/polygerrit-ui/app/elements/shared/gr-linked-text/gr-linked-text_test.html b/polygerrit-ui/app/elements/shared/gr-linked-text/gr-linked-text_test.html
index f9b663cb36..db030119d3 100644
--- a/polygerrit-ui/app/elements/shared/gr-linked-text/gr-linked-text_test.html
+++ b/polygerrit-ui/app/elements/shared/gr-linked-text/gr-linked-text_test.html
@@ -69,6 +69,10 @@ limitations under the License.
           match: 'test (.+)',
           html: '<a href="/r/awesomesauce">$1</a>',
         },
+        anotatstartwithbaseurl: {
+          match: 'a test (.+)',
+          html: '[Lookup: <a href="/r/awesomesauce">$1</a>]',
+        },
         disabledconfig: {
           match: 'foo:(.+)',
           link: 'https://google.com/search?q=$1',
@@ -212,6 +216,15 @@ limitations under the License.
       assert.equal(linkEl.textContent, 'foo');
     });
 
+    test('a is not at start', function() {
+      window.CANONICAL_PATH = '/r';
+
+      element.content = 'a test foo';
+      const linkEl = element.$.output.childNodes[1];
+      assert.isTrue(linkEl.href.endsWith('/r/awesomesauce'));
+      assert.equal(linkEl.textContent, 'foo');
+    });
+
     test('hash html with base url', function() {
       window.CANONICAL_PATH = '/r';
 
diff --git a/polygerrit-ui/app/elements/shared/gr-linked-text/link-text-parser.js b/polygerrit-ui/app/elements/shared/gr-linked-text/link-text-parser.js
index 1afcc30fd4..f5b3824704 100644
--- a/polygerrit-ui/app/elements/shared/gr-linked-text/link-text-parser.js
+++ b/polygerrit-ui/app/elements/shared/gr-linked-text/link-text-parser.js
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ GrLinkTextParser.prototype.addHTML =
     function(html, position, length, outputArray) {
   if (!this.hasOverlap(position, length, outputArray)) {
     if (!!this.baseUrl && html.match(/<a href=\"\//g) &&
-         !new RegExp(`^<a href="${this.baseUrl}`, 'g').test(html)) {
+         !new RegExp(`<a href="${this.baseUrl}`, 'g').test(html)) {
       html = html.replace(/<a href=\"\//g, `<a href=\"${this.baseUrl}\/`);
     }
     this.addItem(null, null, html, position, length, outputArray);