lib/PublicInbox/LeiMark.pm | 2 +-
 t/lei-mark.t               | 6 ++++++

diff --git a/lib/PublicInbox/LeiMark.pm b/lib/PublicInbox/LeiMark.pm
index 6d236411b4639d03b100ff5a46c42f9da3d9f06c..34846b842a5aff01164dd0662b8a210dd98310e4 100644
--- a/lib/PublicInbox/LeiMark.pm
+++ b/lib/PublicInbox/LeiMark.pm
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ 	L => sub {
 		my ($label) = @_;
 		length($label) >= $L_MAX and
 			return "`$label' too long (must be <= $L_MAX)";
-		$label =~ m{\A[a-z0-9_][a-z0-9_\-\./\@,]*[a-z0-9]\z} ?
+		$label =~ m{\A[a-z0-9_](?:[a-z0-9_\-\./\@,]*[a-z0-9])?\z}i ?
 			undef : "`$label' is invalid";
 	},
 	kw => sub {
diff --git a/t/lei-mark.t b/t/lei-mark.t
index 23f5002ed9495644f052b02aff6841ccb1e51c67..7855839e31a2c5e2730d8b3da3cfe765be3c3b02 100644
--- a/t/lei-mark.t
+++ b/t/lei-mark.t
@@ -78,6 +78,12 @@ 			msg => 'external-only message');
 	lei_ok(qw(ls-label));
 	is($lei_out, "nope\nqp\nurgent\n", 'ls-label shows qp');
 
+	lei_ok qw(mark -F eml t/utf8.eml +L:INBOX +L:x); diag $lei_err;
+	lei_ok qw(q m:testmessage@example.com);
+	$check_kw->([qw(answered seen)], L => [qw(INBOX nope urgent x)]);
+	lei_ok(qw(ls-label));
+	is($lei_out, "INBOX\nnope\nqp\nurgent\nx\n", 'ls-label shows qp');
+
 	if (0) { # TODO label+kw search w/ externals
 		lei_ok(qw(q L:qp), "mid:$mid", '--only', "$ro_home/t2");
 	}