diff --git a/docs/about/changelog.md b/docs/about/changelog.md
index 15bf39ba71..ac6720c248 100644
--- a/docs/about/changelog.md
+++ b/docs/about/changelog.md
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@ priorities and future plans.
 
 - Parse forward-declared qualified classes as indirect constructors inside `new` methods (#1899).
 
+- Preserve literal control bytes at the edges of `qw` lists and keep original named CV references when `MODIFY_CODE_ATTRIBUTES` installs wrappers (#1481, #1448).
+
 - Match Perl `Encode` aliases for ANSI X3.4-1968, HZ-GB-2312, and ISO-8859-8-I, and include the BOM when encoding generic UTF-32 (#1897).
 
 - Separate organizational and project issue queues, record temporary agent claims and dependencies, and keep agent checkpoints concise (#1895).
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/frontend/parser/StringParser.java b/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/frontend/parser/StringParser.java
index 1ca12510ba..efad3d896c 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/frontend/parser/StringParser.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/frontend/parser/StringParser.java
@@ -763,7 +763,10 @@ public static ListNode parseWordsString(ParsedString rawStr) {
             index++;
         }
 
-        String trimmed = processed.toString().trim();
+        // Java String.trim() removes every leading/trailing character <= U+0020.
+        // Perl qw splits on whitespace, but control bytes such as BEL/ENQ/ACK
+        // are ordinary data and must remain part of their words.
+        String trimmed = processed.toString().replaceAll("^\\s+|\\s+$", "");
         ListNode list = new ListNode(rawStr.index);
         if (trimmed.isEmpty()) {
             return list;
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/frontend/parser/SubroutineParser.java b/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/frontend/parser/SubroutineParser.java
index 6709a55340..2057935cf4 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/frontend/parser/SubroutineParser.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/frontend/parser/SubroutineParser.java
@@ -2141,6 +2141,12 @@ public static ListNode handleNamedSubWithFilter(Parser parser, String subName, S
 
         // Initialize placeholder metadata (accessed via codeRef.value)
         RuntimeCode placeholder = (RuntimeCode) codeRef.value;
+        // Attribute handlers may replace the named CV's glob while retaining
+        // the supplied code reference (for example, an audit wrapper captures
+        // the original and installs an anonymous wrapper under the same name).
+        // Keep a stable scalar reference to the definition CV before dispatch;
+        // the live glob slot can be mutated by the handler.
+        RuntimeScalar definitionCodeRef = new RuntimeScalar(placeholder);
         if (block != null && block.getAnnotation("signatureMinArgs") instanceof Integer minArgs) {
             placeholder.applySignatureMetadata(block);
         }
@@ -2219,7 +2225,7 @@ public static ListNode handleNamedSubWithFilter(Parser parser, String subName, S
             String attrPackage = (placeholder.packageName != null && !placeholder.packageName.isEmpty())
                     ? placeholder.packageName
                     : packageToUse;
-            callModifyCodeAttributes(attrPackage, codeRef, attributes, parser, block.tokenIndex);
+            callModifyCodeAttributes(attrPackage, definitionCodeRef, attributes, parser, block.tokenIndex);
         }
 
         // B::CV->START line must be available before lazy compilation instantiates
@@ -2646,7 +2652,7 @@ && isLexicalSubStorageReferenced(explicitlyUsedVars, entry.name())
 
                     // Set the __SUB__ instance field to codeRef
                     Field field = placeholder.codeObject.getClass().getDeclaredField("__SUB__");
-                    field.set(placeholder.codeObject, codeRef);
+                    field.set(placeholder.codeObject, definitionCodeRef);
 
                     installClosureCaptureMetadata(placeholder, paramList);
                     placeholder.cvStartFile = compiledCode.cvStartFile;
@@ -2695,7 +2701,7 @@ && isLexicalSubStorageReferenced(explicitlyUsedVars, entry.name())
                     }
 
                     // Set the __SUB__ field for self-reference
-                    interpretedCode.__SUB__ = codeRef;
+                    interpretedCode.__SUB__ = definitionCodeRef;
 
                     // Set PerlSubroutine interface for direct invocation
                     // InterpretedCode implements PerlSubroutine, so we can use it directly
@@ -2751,7 +2757,7 @@ && isLexicalSubStorageReferenced(explicitlyUsedVars, entry.name())
                         placeholder.constantValue = interpretedCode.constantValue;
                     }
                 }
-                interpretedCode.__SUB__ = codeRef;
+                interpretedCode.__SUB__ = definitionCodeRef;
                 placeholder.subroutine = interpretedCode;
                 placeholder.codeObject = interpretedCode;
                 installClosureCaptureMetadata(placeholder, materializedCaptures);
@@ -2778,8 +2784,7 @@ && isLexicalSubStorageReferenced(explicitlyUsedVars, entry.name())
         };
 
         // Store the supplier in the placeholder
-        RuntimeCode placeholderForSupplier = (RuntimeCode) codeRef.value;
-        placeholderForSupplier.compilerSupplier = subroutineCreationTaskSupplier;
+        placeholder.compilerSupplier = subroutineCreationTaskSupplier;
 
         ListNode result = new ListNode(parser.tokenIndex);
         result.setAnnotation("compileTimeOnly", true);
diff --git a/src/test/resources/unit/issue_1448_code_attribute_wrapper.t b/src/test/resources/unit/issue_1448_code_attribute_wrapper.t
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9436013e14
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/resources/unit/issue_1448_code_attribute_wrapper.t
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+use strict;
+use warnings;
+use Test::More;
+
+{
+    package Local::AuditWrapper;
+    our $calls = 0;
+
+    sub MODIFY_CODE_ATTRIBUTES {
+        my ($package, $code, @attributes) = @_;
+        return @attributes unless @attributes == 1 && $attributes[0] eq 'Audit';
+
+        no strict 'refs';
+        no warnings 'redefine';
+        *{"${package}::run"} = sub {
+            my @out = $code->(@_);
+            return wantarray ? @out : shift @out;
+        };
+        return ();
+    }
+
+    sub run : Audit {
+        ++$calls;
+        return wantarray ? ('first', 'second') : 'scalar';
+    }
+}
+
+is(scalar Local::AuditWrapper::run(), 'first', 'audit wrapper returns the first list value in scalar context');
+is($Local::AuditWrapper::calls, 1, 'scalar call reaches the original sub once');
+
+my @result = Local::AuditWrapper::run();
+is_deeply(\@result, ['first', 'second'], 'audit wrapper preserves list context');
+is($Local::AuditWrapper::calls, 2, 'list call reaches the original sub once');
+
+done_testing;
diff --git a/src/test/resources/unit/issue_1481_qw_control_characters.t b/src/test/resources/unit/issue_1481_qw_control_characters.t
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..87b9539be9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/resources/unit/issue_1481_qw_control_characters.t
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+use strict;
+use warnings;
+use Test::More;
+
+my @leading = qw(  middle);
+is_deeply(\@leading, ["\x07", "\x05", "middle"],
+    'qw preserves leading literal control characters');
+
+my @trailing = qw(middle  );
+is_deeply(\@trailing, ["middle", "\x05", "\x06"],
+    'qw preserves trailing literal control characters');
+
+my @ordinary = qw(alpha beta gamma);
+is_deeply(\@ordinary, [qw(alpha beta gamma)], 'qw still splits ordinary whitespace');
+
+done_testing;