diff --git a/renderers/lit/CHANGELOG.md b/renderers/lit/CHANGELOG.md
index 9e86306a2..56bf693e4 100644
--- a/renderers/lit/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/renderers/lit/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,3 +1,10 @@
+## 0.9.0
+
+- \[v0_9\] Modify Text widget from the basic catalog to support markdown.
+- \[v0_9\] Add `Context.markdown` to the public API
+- \[CI\] Fix post-build script. This pins the dependency on `@a2ui/web_core` to
+  the latest available in the repo when publishing.
+
 ## 0.8.4
 
 - Add a `v0_9` renderer. Import from `@a2ui/lit/v0_9`.
diff --git a/renderers/lit/package-lock.json b/renderers/lit/package-lock.json
index 36ecf5807..658abd36e 100644
--- a/renderers/lit/package-lock.json
+++ b/renderers/lit/package-lock.json
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 {
   "name": "@a2ui/lit",
-  "version": "0.8.4",
+  "version": "0.9.0",
   "lockfileVersion": 3,
   "requires": true,
   "packages": {
     "": {
       "name": "@a2ui/lit",
-      "version": "0.8.4",
+      "version": "0.9.0",
       "license": "Apache-2.0",
       "dependencies": {
         "@a2ui/web_core": "file:../web_core",
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
     },
     "../web_core": {
       "name": "@a2ui/web_core",
-      "version": "0.8.8",
+      "version": "0.9.1",
       "license": "Apache-2.0",
       "dependencies": {
         "@preact/signals-core": "^1.13.0",
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@
         "@angular/core": "^21.2.5",
         "@types/node": "^24.11.0",
         "c8": "^11.0.0",
+        "google-artifactregistry-auth": "^3.5.0",
         "gts": "^7.0.0",
         "rxjs": "^7.8.2",
         "typescript": "^5.8.3",
diff --git a/renderers/lit/src/v0_9/catalogs/basic/components/Text.ts b/renderers/lit/src/v0_9/catalogs/basic/components/Text.ts
index 70b8b76fb..73ea577b9 100644
--- a/renderers/lit/src/v0_9/catalogs/basic/components/Text.ts
+++ b/renderers/lit/src/v0_9/catalogs/basic/components/Text.ts
@@ -16,11 +16,20 @@
 
 import { html, nothing } from "lit";
 import { customElement } from "lit/decorators.js";
+import { consume } from "@lit/context";
 import { TextApi } from "@a2ui/web_core/v0_9/basic_catalog";
-import { A2uiLitElement, A2uiController } from "@a2ui/lit/v0_9";
+import { A2uiLitElement, A2uiController, Context } from "@a2ui/lit/v0_9";
+import * as Types from "@a2ui/web_core/types/types";
+
+import { markdown } from "../../../directives/directives.js";
 
 @customElement("a2ui-basic-text")
 export class A2uiBasicTextElement extends A2uiLitElement<typeof TextApi> {
+
+  // Retrieve a MarkdownRenderer provided by the application.
+  @consume({ context: Context.markdown, subscribe: true })
+  accessor markdownRenderer: Types.MarkdownRenderer | undefined;
+
   protected createController() {
     return new A2uiController(this, TextApi);
   }
@@ -29,23 +38,35 @@ export class A2uiBasicTextElement extends A2uiLitElement<typeof TextApi> {
     const props = this.controller.props;
     if (!props) return nothing;
 
-    const variant = props.variant ?? "body";
-    switch (variant) {
+    // Use props.variant to convert props.text to markdown
+    let markdownText = props.text;
+    switch (props.variant) {
       case "h1":
-        return html`<h1>${props.text}</h1>`;
+        markdownText = `# ${markdownText}`;
+        break;
       case "h2":
-        return html`<h2>${props.text}</h2>`;
+        markdownText = `## ${markdownText}`;
+        break;
       case "h3":
-        return html`<h3>${props.text}</h3>`;
+        markdownText = `### ${markdownText}`;
+        break;
       case "h4":
-        return html`<h4>${props.text}</h4>`;
+        markdownText = `#### ${markdownText}`;
+        break;
       case "h5":
-        return html`<h5>${props.text}</h5>`;
-      case "caption":
-        return html`<span class="a2ui-caption">${props.text}</span>`;
+        markdownText = `##### ${markdownText}`;
+        break;
       default:
-        return html`<p>${props.text}</p>`;
+        break; // body and caption.
+    }
+
+    const renderedMarkdown = markdown(markdownText, this.markdownRenderer);
+    // There's not a good way to handle the caption variant in markdown, so we
+    // tag it with a class so it can be tweaked via CSS.
+    if (props.variant === "caption") {
+      return html`<span class="a2ui-caption">${renderedMarkdown}</span>`;
     }
+    return html`${renderedMarkdown}`;
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/renderers/lit/src/v0_9/context/context.ts b/renderers/lit/src/v0_9/context/context.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d0ab62d8f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/renderers/lit/src/v0_9/context/context.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+/**
+ * Copyright 2026 Google LLC
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+import { markdown } from "./markdown.js";
+
+/**
+ * Contexts used to inject dependencies into the Lit renderer.
+ */
+export const Context = {
+  markdown,
+};
diff --git a/renderers/lit/src/v0_9/context/markdown.ts b/renderers/lit/src/v0_9/context/markdown.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0b3e152a5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/renderers/lit/src/v0_9/context/markdown.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2025 Google LLC
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *      https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+import { createContext } from "@lit/context";
+import * as Types from "@a2ui/web_core/types/types";
+
+/**
+ * The markdown renderer context.
+ *
+ * This is used by the Text widget to render markdown content.
+ */
+export const markdown = createContext<Types.MarkdownRenderer | undefined>(Symbol("A2UIMarkdown"));
diff --git a/renderers/lit/src/v0_9/directives/directives.ts b/renderers/lit/src/v0_9/directives/directives.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..92713e9d7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/renderers/lit/src/v0_9/directives/directives.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2025 Google LLC
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *      https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+export { markdown } from "./markdown.js";
diff --git a/renderers/lit/src/v0_9/directives/markdown.ts b/renderers/lit/src/v0_9/directives/markdown.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3151ed52d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/renderers/lit/src/v0_9/directives/markdown.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2025 Google LLC
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *      https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+import { html, noChange } from "lit";
+import {
+  Directive,
+  DirectiveParameters,
+  Part,
+  directive,
+} from "lit/directive.js";
+import { unsafeHTML } from "lit/directives/unsafe-html.js";
+import { until } from "lit/directives/until.js";
+import * as Types from "@a2ui/web_core/types/types";
+
+class MarkdownDirective extends Directive {
+  private lastValue: string | null = null;
+  private lastTagClassMap: string | null = null;
+
+  update(_part: Part, [value, markdownRenderer, markdownOptions]: DirectiveParameters<this>) {
+    const jsonTagClassMap = JSON.stringify(markdownOptions?.tagClassMap);
+    if (
+      this.lastValue === value &&
+      jsonTagClassMap === this.lastTagClassMap
+    ) {
+      return noChange;
+    }
+
+    this.lastValue = value;
+    this.lastTagClassMap = jsonTagClassMap;
+    return this.render(value, markdownRenderer, markdownOptions);
+  }
+
+  private static defaultMarkdownWarningLogged = false;
+  /**
+   * Renders the markdown string to HTML using the injected markdown renderer,
+   * if present. Otherwise, it returns the value wrapped in a span.
+   */
+  render(value: string, markdownRenderer?: Types.MarkdownRenderer, markdownOptions?: Types.MarkdownRendererOptions) {
+    if (markdownRenderer) {
+      const rendered = markdownRenderer(value, markdownOptions).then((value) => {
+        // `value` is a plain string, which we need to convert to a template
+        // with the `unsafeHTML` directive.
+        // It is the responsibility of the markdown renderer to sanitize the HTML.
+        return unsafeHTML(value);
+      })
+      // The until directive lets us render a placeholder *until* the rendered
+      // content resolves.
+      return until(rendered, html`<span class="no-markdown-renderer">${value}</span>`);
+    }
+
+    if (!MarkdownDirective.defaultMarkdownWarningLogged) {
+      console.warn("[MarkdownDirective]",
+        "can't render markdown because no markdown renderer is configured.\n",
+        "Use `@a2ui/markdown-it`, or your own markdown renderer.");
+      MarkdownDirective.defaultMarkdownWarningLogged = true;
+    }
+    return html`<span class="no-markdown-renderer">${value}</span>`;
+  }
+}
+
+export const markdown = directive(MarkdownDirective);
diff --git a/renderers/lit/src/v0_9/index.ts b/renderers/lit/src/v0_9/index.ts
index de2c57d62..3cf805a71 100644
--- a/renderers/lit/src/v0_9/index.ts
+++ b/renderers/lit/src/v0_9/index.ts
@@ -18,5 +18,6 @@ export type { LitComponentApi } from "./types.js";
 export { A2uiController } from "./a2ui-controller.js";
 export { A2uiSurface } from "./surface/a2ui-surface.js";
 export { A2uiLitElement } from "./a2ui-lit-element.js";
+export { Context } from "./context/context.js";
 export { minimalCatalog } from "./catalogs/minimal/index.js";
 export { basicCatalog } from "./catalogs/basic/index.js";
diff --git a/renderers/lit/src/v0_9/tests/markdown.test.ts b/renderers/lit/src/v0_9/tests/markdown.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6c65992ed
--- /dev/null
+++ b/renderers/lit/src/v0_9/tests/markdown.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2025 Google LLC
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *      https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+import { setupTestDom, teardownTestDom, asyncUpdate } from "./dom-setup.js";
+import assert from "node:assert";
+import { describe, it, before, after } from "node:test";
+import * as Types from "@a2ui/web_core/types/types";
+
+describe("Markdown Directive", () => {
+  before(() => {
+    // Set up the DOM before any lit imports in the tests
+    setupTestDom();
+  });
+
+  after(() => {
+    teardownTestDom();
+  });
+
+  it("should render fallback when no renderer is provided", async () => {
+    const { html, render } = await import("lit");
+    const { markdown } = await import("../directives/markdown.js");
+
+    const container = document.createElement("div");
+
+    // Render the directive directly into our container
+    render(html`<div>${markdown("Hello world")}</div>`, container);
+
+    const htmlContent = container.innerHTML;
+    assert.ok(
+      htmlContent.includes("no-markdown-renderer"),
+      "Should render fallback span class",
+    );
+    assert.ok(
+      container.textContent?.includes("Hello world"),
+      "Should render fallback text properly",
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("should render parsed markdown when renderer is provided", async () => {
+    const { html, render } = await import("lit");
+    const { markdown } = await import("../directives/markdown.js");
+
+    const container = document.createElement("div");
+
+    let resolveRenderer: (value: string) => void;
+    // Leak the `resolve` function of this promise to the `resolveRenderer`
+    // variable, so we can call it later in the test.
+    const renderPromise = new Promise<string>((resolve) => {
+      resolveRenderer = resolve;
+    });
+    // Mock a markdown renderer that resolves by calling `resolveRenderer`
+    const mockRenderer: Types.MarkdownRenderer = async () => renderPromise;
+
+    // Render the directive with our mock renderer
+    render(
+      html`<div>${markdown("Hello markdown", mockRenderer)}</div>`,
+      container,
+    );
+
+    // Before resolution, should show the placeholder (until directive)
+    assert.ok(container.innerHTML.includes("no-markdown-renderer"));
+
+    // Resolve the promise via asyncUpdate so it yields to the macro-task queue
+    await asyncUpdate(container, () => {
+      resolveRenderer!("<b>Rendered HTML</b>");
+    });
+
+    const htmlContent = container.innerHTML;
+    assert.ok(
+      htmlContent.includes("<b>Rendered HTML</b>"),
+      "Should render the HTML from the renderer",
+    );
+    assert.ok(
+      !htmlContent.includes("no-markdown-renderer"),
+      "Placeholder should be gone",
+    );
+  });
+});
diff --git a/renderers/markdown/markdown-it/package-lock.json b/renderers/markdown/markdown-it/package-lock.json
index a670bb61f..02fde5bf0 100644
--- a/renderers/markdown/markdown-it/package-lock.json
+++ b/renderers/markdown/markdown-it/package-lock.json
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
     },
     "../../web_core": {
       "name": "@a2ui/web_core",
-      "version": "0.8.1",
+      "version": "0.9.1",
       "dev": true,
       "license": "Apache-2.0",
       "dependencies": {
diff --git a/renderers/web_core/package-lock.json b/renderers/web_core/package-lock.json
index 17869ecb4..479d99962 100644
--- a/renderers/web_core/package-lock.json
+++ b/renderers/web_core/package-lock.json
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 {
   "name": "@a2ui/web_core",
-  "version": "0.8.8",
+  "version": "0.9.1",
   "lockfileVersion": 3,
   "requires": true,
   "packages": {
     "": {
       "name": "@a2ui/web_core",
-      "version": "0.8.8",
+      "version": "0.9.1",
       "license": "Apache-2.0",
       "dependencies": {
         "@preact/signals-core": "^1.13.0",
@@ -691,7 +691,6 @@
     },
     "node_modules/agent-base": {
       "version": "7.1.4",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/agent-base/-/agent-base-7.1.4.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha512-MnA+YT8fwfJPgBx3m60MNqakm30XOkyIoH1y6huTQvC0PwZG7ki8NacLBcrPbNoo8vEZy7Jpuk7+jMO+CUovTQ==",
       "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT",
@@ -793,7 +792,6 @@
     },
     "node_modules/base64-js": {
       "version": "1.5.1",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/base64-js/-/base64-js-1.5.1.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha512-AKpaYlHn8t4SVbOHCy+b5+KKgvR4vrsD8vbvrbiQJps7fKDTkjkDry6ji0rUJjC0kzbNePLwzxq8iypo41qeWA==",
       "dev": true,
       "funding": [
@@ -814,7 +812,6 @@
     },
     "node_modules/bignumber.js": {
       "version": "9.3.1",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/bignumber.js/-/bignumber.js-9.3.1.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha512-Ko0uX15oIUS7wJ3Rb30Fs6SkVbLmPBAKdlm7q9+ak9bbIeFf0MwuBsQV6z7+X768/cHsfg+WlysDWJcmthjsjQ==",
       "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT",
@@ -860,7 +857,6 @@
     },
     "node_modules/buffer-equal-constant-time": {
       "version": "1.0.1",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/buffer-equal-constant-time/-/buffer-equal-constant-time-1.0.1.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha512-zRpUiDwd/xk6ADqPMATG8vc9VPrkck7T07OIx0gnjmJAnHnTVXNQG3vfvWNuiZIkwu9KrKdA1iJKfsfTVxE6NA==",
       "dev": true,
       "license": "BSD-3-Clause"
@@ -1126,7 +1122,6 @@
     },
     "node_modules/ecdsa-sig-formatter": {
       "version": "1.0.11",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/ecdsa-sig-formatter/-/ecdsa-sig-formatter-1.0.11.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha512-nagl3RYrbNv6kQkeJIpt6NJZy8twLB/2vtz6yN9Z4vRKHN4/QZJIEbqohALSgwKdnksuY3k5Addp5lg8sVoVcQ==",
       "dev": true,
       "license": "Apache-2.0",
@@ -1555,7 +1550,6 @@
     },
     "node_modules/extend": {
       "version": "3.0.2",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/extend/-/extend-3.0.2.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha512-fjquC59cD7CyW6urNXK0FBufkZcoiGG80wTuPujX590cB5Ttln20E2UB4S/WARVqhXffZl2LNgS+gQdPIIim/g==",
       "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT"
@@ -1759,7 +1753,6 @@
     },
     "node_modules/gaxios": {
       "version": "6.7.1",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/gaxios/-/gaxios-6.7.1.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha512-LDODD4TMYx7XXdpwxAVRAIAuB0bzv0s+ywFonY46k126qzQHT9ygyoa9tncmOiQmmDrik65UYsEkv3lbfqQ3yQ==",
       "dev": true,
       "license": "Apache-2.0",
@@ -1776,7 +1769,6 @@
     },
     "node_modules/gcp-metadata": {
       "version": "6.1.1",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/gcp-metadata/-/gcp-metadata-6.1.1.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha512-a4tiq7E0/5fTjxPAaH4jpjkSv/uCaU2p5KC6HVGrvl0cDjA8iBZv4vv1gyzlmK0ZUKqwpOyQMKzZQe3lTit77A==",
       "dev": true,
       "license": "Apache-2.0",
@@ -1871,7 +1863,6 @@
     },
     "node_modules/google-artifactregistry-auth": {
       "version": "3.5.0",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/google-artifactregistry-auth/-/google-artifactregistry-auth-3.5.0.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha512-SIvVBPjVr0KvYFEJEZXKfELt8nvXwTKl6IHyOT7pTHBlS8Ej2UuTOJeKWYFim/JztSjUyna9pKQxa3VhTA12Fg==",
       "dev": true,
       "license": "Apache-2.0",
@@ -1886,7 +1877,6 @@
     },
     "node_modules/google-auth-library": {
       "version": "9.15.1",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/google-auth-library/-/google-auth-library-9.15.1.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha512-Jb6Z0+nvECVz+2lzSMt9u98UsoakXxA2HGHMCxh+so3n90XgYWkq5dur19JAJV7ONiJY22yBTyJB1TSkvPq9Ng==",
       "dev": true,
       "license": "Apache-2.0",
@@ -1904,7 +1894,6 @@
     },
     "node_modules/google-logging-utils": {
       "version": "0.0.2",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/google-logging-utils/-/google-logging-utils-0.0.2.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha512-NEgUnEcBiP5HrPzufUkBzJOD/Sxsco3rLNo1F1TNf7ieU8ryUzBhqba8r756CjLX7rn3fHl6iLEwPYuqpoKgQQ==",
       "dev": true,
       "license": "Apache-2.0",
@@ -1920,7 +1909,6 @@
     },
     "node_modules/gtoken": {
       "version": "7.1.0",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/gtoken/-/gtoken-7.1.0.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha512-pCcEwRi+TKpMlxAQObHDQ56KawURgyAf6jtIY046fJ5tIv3zDe/LEIubckAO8fj6JnAxLdmWkUfNyulQ2iKdEw==",
       "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT",
@@ -2015,7 +2003,6 @@
     },
     "node_modules/https-proxy-agent": {
       "version": "7.0.6",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/https-proxy-agent/-/https-proxy-agent-7.0.6.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha512-vK9P5/iUfdl95AI+JVyUuIcVtd4ofvtrOr3HNtM2yxC9bnMbEdp3x01OhQNnjb8IJYi38VlTE3mBXwcfvywuSw==",
       "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT",
@@ -2288,7 +2275,6 @@
     },
     "node_modules/json-bigint": {
       "version": "1.0.0",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/json-bigint/-/json-bigint-1.0.0.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha512-SiPv/8VpZuWbvLSMtTDU8hEfrZWg/mH/nV/b4o0CYbSxu1UIQPLdwKOCIyLQX+VIPO5vrLX3i8qtqFyhdPSUSQ==",
       "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT",
@@ -2340,7 +2326,6 @@
     },
     "node_modules/jwa": {
       "version": "2.0.1",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/jwa/-/jwa-2.0.1.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha512-hRF04fqJIP8Abbkq5NKGN0Bbr3JxlQ+qhZufXVr0DvujKy93ZCbXZMHDL4EOtodSbCWxOqR8MS1tXA5hwqCXDg==",
       "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT",
@@ -2352,7 +2337,6 @@
     },
     "node_modules/jws": {
       "version": "4.0.1",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/jws/-/jws-4.0.1.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha512-EKI/M/yqPncGUUh44xz0PxSidXFr/+r0pA70+gIYhjv+et7yxM+s29Y+VGDkovRofQem0fs7Uvf4+YmAdyRduA==",
       "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT",
@@ -2645,7 +2629,6 @@
     },
     "node_modules/node-fetch": {
       "version": "2.7.0",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/node-fetch/-/node-fetch-2.7.0.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha512-c4FRfUm/dbcWZ7U+1Wq0AwCyFL+3nt2bEw05wfxSz+DWpWsitgmSgYmy2dQdWyKC1694ELPqMs/YzUSNozLt8A==",
       "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT",
@@ -3238,7 +3221,6 @@
     },
     "node_modules/safe-buffer": {
       "version": "5.2.1",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/safe-buffer/-/safe-buffer-5.2.1.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha512-rp3So07KcdmmKbGvgaNxQSJr7bGVSVk5S9Eq1F+ppbRo70+YeaDxkw5Dd8NPN+GD6bjnYm2VuPuCXmpuYvmCXQ==",
       "dev": true,
       "funding": [
@@ -3536,7 +3518,6 @@
     },
     "node_modules/tr46": {
       "version": "0.0.3",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/tr46/-/tr46-0.0.3.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha512-N3WMsuqV66lT30CrXNbEjx4GEwlow3v6rr4mCcv6prnfwhS01rkgyFdjPNBYd9br7LpXV1+Emh01fHnq2Gdgrw==",
       "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT"
@@ -3679,7 +3660,6 @@
     },
     "node_modules/uuid": {
       "version": "9.0.1",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/uuid/-/uuid-9.0.1.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha512-b+1eJOlsR9K8HJpow9Ok3fiWOWSIcIzXodvv0rQjVoOVNpWMpxf1wZNpt4y9h10odCNrqnYp1OBzRktckBe3sA==",
       "dev": true,
       "funding": [
@@ -3717,14 +3697,12 @@
     },
     "node_modules/webidl-conversions": {
       "version": "3.0.1",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/webidl-conversions/-/webidl-conversions-3.0.1.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha512-2JAn3z8AR6rjK8Sm8orRC0h/bcl/DqL7tRPdGZ4I1CjdF+EaMLmYxBHyXuKL849eucPFhvBoxMsflfOb8kxaeQ==",
       "dev": true,
       "license": "BSD-2-Clause"
     },
     "node_modules/whatwg-url": {
       "version": "5.0.0",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/whatwg-url/-/whatwg-url-5.0.0.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha512-saE57nupxk6v3HY35+jzBwYa0rKSy0XR8JSxZPwgLr7ys0IBzhGviA1/TUGJLmSVqs8pb9AnvICXEuOHLprYTw==",
       "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT",
diff --git a/samples/client/lit/gallery_v0_9/package-lock.json b/samples/client/lit/gallery_v0_9/package-lock.json
index f794cb2fd..0c5d58df8 100644
--- a/samples/client/lit/gallery_v0_9/package-lock.json
+++ b/samples/client/lit/gallery_v0_9/package-lock.json
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
     },
     "../../../../renderers/lit": {
       "name": "@a2ui/lit",
-      "version": "0.8.4",
+      "version": "0.9.0",
       "license": "Apache-2.0",
       "dependencies": {
         "@a2ui/web_core": "file:../web_core",
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@
     },
     "../../../../renderers/web_core": {
       "name": "@a2ui/web_core",
-      "version": "0.8.8",
+      "version": "0.9.1",
       "license": "Apache-2.0",
       "dependencies": {
         "@preact/signals-core": "^1.13.0",
@@ -78,6 +78,7 @@
         "@angular/core": "^21.2.5",
         "@types/node": "^24.11.0",
         "c8": "^11.0.0",
+        "google-artifactregistry-auth": "^3.5.0",
         "gts": "^7.0.0",
         "rxjs": "^7.8.2",
         "typescript": "^5.8.3",
diff --git a/samples/client/lit/gallery_v0_9/src/local-gallery.ts b/samples/client/lit/gallery_v0_9/src/local-gallery.ts
index 094a98ff1..8b111d806 100644
--- a/samples/client/lit/gallery_v0_9/src/local-gallery.ts
+++ b/samples/client/lit/gallery_v0_9/src/local-gallery.ts
@@ -14,10 +14,12 @@
  * limitations under the License.
  */
 
-import { LitElement, html, css, nothing, PropertyValues } from "lit";
+import { LitElement, html, css, nothing } from "lit";
+import { provide } from "@lit/context";
 import { customElement, state } from "lit/decorators.js";
 import { MessageProcessor } from "@a2ui/web_core/v0_9";
-import { minimalCatalog, basicCatalog } from "@a2ui/lit/v0_9";
+import { minimalCatalog, basicCatalog, Context } from "@a2ui/lit/v0_9";
+import { renderMarkdown } from "@a2ui/markdown-it";
 // Try avoiding direct deep import if A2uiMessage is not exported at the top level, using any for now as this is just a type for the array of messages
 interface DemoItem {
   id: string;
@@ -36,6 +38,9 @@ export class LocalGallery extends LitElement {
   @state() accessor processedMessageCount = 0;
   @state() accessor currentDataModelText = "{}";
 
+  @provide({ context: Context.markdown })
+  private accessor markdownRenderer = renderMarkdown;
+
   private processor = new MessageProcessor(
     [minimalCatalog, basicCatalog],
     (action: any) => {
diff --git a/samples/client/lit/package-lock.json b/samples/client/lit/package-lock.json
index 154896027..5f57845af 100644
--- a/samples/client/lit/package-lock.json
+++ b/samples/client/lit/package-lock.json
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
       "name": "@a2ui/lit-samples",
       "version": "0.8.1",
       "workspaces": [
-        "contact",
+        "custom-components-example",
         "shell"
       ],
       "dependencies": {
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
     },
     "../../../renderers/lit": {
       "name": "@a2ui/lit",
-      "version": "0.8.4",
+      "version": "0.9.0",
       "license": "Apache-2.0",
       "dependencies": {
         "@a2ui/web_core": "file:../web_core",
@@ -2021,7 +2021,7 @@
     },
     "../../../renderers/web_core": {
       "name": "@a2ui/web_core",
-      "version": "0.8.8",
+      "version": "0.9.1",
       "license": "Apache-2.0",
       "dependencies": {
         "@preact/signals-core": "^1.13.0",
@@ -2033,6 +2033,7 @@
         "@angular/core": "^21.2.5",
         "@types/node": "^24.11.0",
         "c8": "^11.0.0",
+        "google-artifactregistry-auth": "^3.5.0",
         "gts": "^7.0.0",
         "rxjs": "^7.8.2",
         "typescript": "^5.8.3",
@@ -5277,6 +5278,27 @@
     "contact": {
       "name": "@a2ui/contact",
       "version": "0.8.1",
+      "extraneous": true,
+      "license": "Apache-2.0",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "@a2a-js/sdk": "^0.3.4",
+        "@a2ui/lit": "file:../../../../renderers/lit",
+        "@lit-labs/signals": "^0.1.3",
+        "@lit/context": "^1.1.4",
+        "@modelcontextprotocol/ext-apps": "^1.1.2",
+        "lit": "^3.3.1"
+      },
+      "devDependencies": {
+        "dotenv": "^17.2.3",
+        "typescript": "^5.8.3",
+        "uuid": "^13.0.0",
+        "vite": "^7.1.11",
+        "wireit": "^0.15.0-pre.2"
+      }
+    },
+    "custom-components-example": {
+      "name": "@a2ui/custom-components-example",
+      "version": "0.8.1",
       "license": "Apache-2.0",
       "dependencies": {
         "@a2a-js/sdk": "^0.3.4",
@@ -5294,8 +5316,9 @@
         "wireit": "^0.15.0-pre.2"
       }
     },
-    "contact/node_modules/uuid": {
+    "custom-components-example/node_modules/uuid": {
       "version": "13.0.0",
+      "integrity": "sha512-XQegIaBTVUjSHliKqcnFqYypAd4S+WCYt5NIeRs6w/UAry7z8Y9j5ZwRRL4kzq9U3sD6v+85er9FvkEaBpji2w==",
       "dev": true,
       "funding": [
         "https://github.com/sponsors/broofa",
@@ -5332,8 +5355,8 @@
         }
       }
     },
-    "node_modules/@a2ui/contact": {
-      "resolved": "contact",
+    "node_modules/@a2ui/custom-components-example": {
+      "resolved": "custom-components-example",
       "link": true
     },
     "node_modules/@a2ui/lit": {