diff --git a/lib/options.nix b/lib/options.nix
index 40c1af667619..b069cfc7d4f0 100644
--- a/lib/options.nix
+++ b/lib/options.nix
@@ -322,10 +322,16 @@ rec {
   showOption = parts: let
     escapeOptionPart = part:
       let
-        escaped = lib.strings.escapeNixString part;
-      in if escaped == "\"${part}\""
+        # We assume that these are "special values" and not real configuration data.
+        # If it is real configuration data, it is rendered incorrectly.
+        specialIdentifiers = [
+          "<name>"          # attrsOf (submodule {})
+          "*"               # listOf (submodule {})
+          "<function body>" # functionTo
+        ];
+      in if builtins.elem part specialIdentifiers
          then part
-         else escaped;
+         else lib.strings.escapeNixIdentifier part;
     in (concatStringsSep ".") (map escapeOptionPart parts);
   showFiles = files: concatStringsSep " and " (map (f: "`${f}'") files);
 
diff --git a/lib/tests/modules.sh b/lib/tests/modules.sh
index 57d3b5a76cec..2be9b5835090 100755
--- a/lib/tests/modules.sh
+++ b/lib/tests/modules.sh
@@ -302,11 +302,11 @@ checkConfigOutput '^"baz"$' config.value.nested.bar.baz ./types-anything/mk-mods
 ## types.functionTo
 checkConfigOutput '^"input is input"$' config.result ./functionTo/trivial.nix
 checkConfigOutput '^"a b"$' config.result ./functionTo/merging-list.nix
-checkConfigError 'A definition for option .fun.\[function body\]. is not of type .string.. Definition values:\n\s*- In .*wrong-type.nix' config.result ./functionTo/wrong-type.nix
+checkConfigError 'A definition for option .fun.<function body>. is not of type .string.. Definition values:\n\s*- In .*wrong-type.nix' config.result ./functionTo/wrong-type.nix
 checkConfigOutput '^"b a"$' config.result ./functionTo/list-order.nix
 checkConfigOutput '^"a c"$' config.result ./functionTo/merging-attrs.nix
 checkConfigOutput '^"a bee"$' config.result ./functionTo/submodule-options.nix
-checkConfigOutput '^"fun.\[function body\].a fun.\[function body\].b"$' config.optionsResult ./functionTo/submodule-options.nix
+checkConfigOutput '^"fun.<function body>.a fun.<function body>.b"$' config.optionsResult ./functionTo/submodule-options.nix
 
 # moduleType
 checkConfigOutput '^"a b"$' config.resultFoo ./declare-variants.nix ./define-variant.nix
diff --git a/lib/types.nix b/lib/types.nix
index b11dca5e3fee..b83898744df8 100644
--- a/lib/types.nix
+++ b/lib/types.nix
@@ -617,8 +617,8 @@ rec {
       descriptionClass = "composite";
       check = isFunction;
       merge = loc: defs:
-        fnArgs: (mergeDefinitions (loc ++ [ "[function body]" ]) elemType (map (fn: { inherit (fn) file; value = fn.value fnArgs; }) defs)).mergedValue;
-      getSubOptions = prefix: elemType.getSubOptions (prefix ++ [ "[function body]" ]);
+        fnArgs: (mergeDefinitions (loc ++ [ "<function body>" ]) elemType (map (fn: { inherit (fn) file; value = fn.value fnArgs; }) defs)).mergedValue;
+      getSubOptions = prefix: elemType.getSubOptions (prefix ++ [ "<function body>" ]);
       getSubModules = elemType.getSubModules;
       substSubModules = m: functionTo (elemType.substSubModules m);
       functor = (defaultFunctor "functionTo") // { wrapped = elemType; };
diff --git a/nixos/lib/make-options-doc/options-to-docbook.xsl b/nixos/lib/make-options-doc/options-to-docbook.xsl
index d5b921b1dedb..0fe14a6d2d16 100644
--- a/nixos/lib/make-options-doc/options-to-docbook.xsl
+++ b/nixos/lib/make-options-doc/options-to-docbook.xsl
@@ -40,8 +40,8 @@
             concat($optionIdPrefix,
               translate(
                 attr[@name = 'name']/string/@value,
-                '*&lt; >[]:',
-                '_______'
+                '*&lt; >[]:&quot;',
+                '________'
             ))" />
           <varlistentry>
             <term xlink:href="#{$id}">