diff --git a/mu4e/mu4e-context.el b/mu4e/mu4e-context.el
index a61f7ef6..f5f8fff9 100644
--- a/mu4e/mu4e-context.el
+++ b/mu4e/mu4e-context.el
@@ -45,7 +45,8 @@ describing mu4e's contexts.")
   "Propertized string with the current context name, or \"\" if
   there is none."
   (if (mu4e-context-current)
-    (concat "[" (propertize (mu4e-context-name (mu4e-context-current))
+    (concat "[" (propertize (mu4e~quote-for-modeline
+			      (mu4e-context-name (mu4e-context-current)))
 		  'face 'mu4e-title-face) "]") ""))
 
 (defstruct mu4e-context
diff --git a/mu4e/mu4e-headers.el b/mu4e/mu4e-headers.el
index 352154f9..2446b4f8 100644
--- a/mu4e/mu4e-headers.el
+++ b/mu4e/mu4e-headers.el
@@ -999,7 +999,7 @@ the query history stack."
 	'(:eval
 	   (concat
 	    (propertize
-	     (replace-regexp-in-string "%" "%%" mu4e~headers-last-query t t)
+	     (mu4e~quote-for-modeline mu4e~headers-last-query)
 	     'face 'mu4e-modeline-face)
 	     " "
 	     (mu4e-context-label)))))
diff --git a/mu4e/mu4e-utils.el b/mu4e/mu4e-utils.el
index f86cb948..e3c482a9 100644
--- a/mu4e/mu4e-utils.el
+++ b/mu4e/mu4e-utils.el
@@ -1207,5 +1207,10 @@ the view and compose modes."
 	  (add-text-properties p (point-max) '(face mu4e-footer-face)))))))
 ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
 
+(defun mu4e~quote-for-modeline (str)
+  "Quote a string to be used literally in the modeline."
+  (replace-regexp-in-string "%" "%%" str t t))
+
+
 (provide 'mu4e-utils)
 ;;; End of mu4e-utils.el