diff --git a/myst_parser/mdit_to_docutils/base.py b/myst_parser/mdit_to_docutils/base.py
index 4c407de1..7d1a8af9 100644
--- a/myst_parser/mdit_to_docutils/base.py
+++ b/myst_parser/mdit_to_docutils/base.py
@@ -1098,7 +1098,7 @@ def render_inventory_link(self, token: SyntaxTreeNode) -> None:
         elif match.text:
             ref_node.append(nodes.Text(match.text))
         else:
-            ref_node.append(nodes.Text(match.name))
+            ref_node.append(nodes.literal(match.name, match.name))
 
     def get_inventory_matches(
         self,
diff --git a/myst_parser/mdit_to_docutils/sphinx_.py b/myst_parser/mdit_to_docutils/sphinx_.py
index 4e7aee1d..36497194 100644
--- a/myst_parser/mdit_to_docutils/sphinx_.py
+++ b/myst_parser/mdit_to_docutils/sphinx_.py
@@ -80,29 +80,31 @@ def render_internal_link(self, token: SyntaxTreeNode) -> None:
                     refdomain="doc", reftarget=docname, reftargetid=path_id, **kwargs
                 )
                 classes = ["xref", "myst"]
-                text = ""
             else:
                 wrap_node = addnodes.download_reference(
                     refdomain=None, reftarget=path_dest, **kwargs
                 )
                 classes = ["xref", "download", "myst"]
-                text = destination if not token.children else ""
         else:
             wrap_node = addnodes.pending_xref(
                 refdomain=None, reftarget=destination, **kwargs
             )
             classes = ["xref", "myst"]
-            text = ""
 
         self.add_line_and_source_path(wrap_node, token)
         self.copy_attributes(token, wrap_node, ("class", "id", "title"))
         self.current_node.append(wrap_node)
 
-        inner_node = nodes.inline("", text, classes=classes)
-        wrap_node.append(inner_node)
         if explicit:
+            inner_node = nodes.inline("", "", classes=classes)
             with self.current_node_context(inner_node):
                 self.render_children(token)
+        elif isinstance(wrap_node, addnodes.download_reference):
+            inner_node = nodes.literal(path_dest, path_dest, classes=classes)
+        else:
+            inner_node = nodes.inline("", "", classes=classes)
+
+        wrap_node.append(inner_node)
 
     def get_inventory_matches(
         self,
diff --git a/myst_parser/sphinx_ext/myst_refs.py b/myst_parser/sphinx_ext/myst_refs.py
index e00afc4d..8a4dc202 100644
--- a/myst_parser/sphinx_ext/myst_refs.py
+++ b/myst_parser/sphinx_ext/myst_refs.py
@@ -392,7 +392,7 @@ def _resolve_myst_ref_intersphinx(
             )
         else:
             newnode.append(
-                contnode.__class__(match.name, match.name, classes=["iref", "myst"])
+                nodes.literal(match.name, match.name, classes=["iref", "myst"])
             )
 
         return newnode
diff --git a/tests/test_renderers/fixtures/sphinx_link_resolution.md b/tests/test_renderers/fixtures/sphinx_link_resolution.md
index 85120769..d8616b38 100644
--- a/tests/test_renderers/fixtures/sphinx_link_resolution.md
+++ b/tests/test_renderers/fixtures/sphinx_link_resolution.md
@@ -199,11 +199,12 @@ c  | d
 <document source="<src>/index.md">
     <paragraph>
         <download_reference filename="dd18bf3a8e0a2a3e53e2661c7fb53534/test.txt" refdoc="index" refdomain="True" refexplicit="False" reftarget="test.txt" reftype="myst">
-            <inline classes="xref download myst">
+            <literal classes="xref download myst">
                 test.txt
 
         <download_reference filename="dd18bf3a8e0a2a3e53e2661c7fb53534/test.txt" refdoc="index" refdomain="True" refexplicit="False" reftarget="./test.txt" reftype="myst">
-            <inline classes="xref download myst">
+            <literal classes="xref download myst">
+                ./test.txt
 
         <download_reference filename="dd18bf3a8e0a2a3e53e2661c7fb53534/test.txt" refdoc="index" refdomain="True" refexplicit="True" reftarget="/test.txt" reftype="myst">
             <inline classes="xref download myst">
diff --git a/tests/test_sphinx/test_sphinx_builds/test_references.html b/tests/test_sphinx/test_sphinx_builds/test_references.html
index 666196dd..55b13a77 100644
--- a/tests/test_sphinx/test_sphinx_builds/test_references.html
+++ b/tests/test_sphinx/test_sphinx_builds/test_references.html
@@ -93,9 +93,11 @@ <h1>
     </p>
     <p>
      <a class="reference download internal" download="" href="_downloads/1952147a8403903cb78cecf56f049085/file_link2.txt">
-      <span class="xref download myst">
-       subfolder/file_link2.txt
-      </span>
+      <code class="xref download myst docutils literal notranslate">
+       <span class="pre">
+        subfolder/file_link2.txt
+       </span>
+      </code>
      </a>
     </p>
     <p id="insidecodeblock">
@@ -225,9 +227,11 @@ <h1>
     <p>
      Known no title
      <a class="reference external" href="https://example.com/index.html#paragraph-target" title="Example 0.0.1">
-      <span class="iref myst">
-       paragraph-target
-      </span>
+      <code class="iref myst docutils literal notranslate">
+       <span class="pre">
+        paragraph-target
+       </span>
+      </code>
      </a>
     </p>
     <p>
@@ -251,9 +255,11 @@ <h1>
     <p>
      Ambiguous
      <a class="reference external" href="https://example.com/index.html#module-duplicate" title="Example 0.0.1">
-      <span class="iref myst">
-       duplicate
-      </span>
+      <code class="iref myst docutils literal notranslate">
+       <span class="pre">
+        duplicate
+       </span>
+      </code>
      </a>
     </p>
    </section>
diff --git a/tests/test_sphinx/test_sphinx_builds/test_references.resolved.xml b/tests/test_sphinx/test_sphinx_builds/test_references.resolved.xml
index b539bf39..20056086 100644
--- a/tests/test_sphinx/test_sphinx_builds/test_references.resolved.xml
+++ b/tests/test_sphinx/test_sphinx_builds/test_references.resolved.xml
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@
                         link
         <paragraph>
             <download_reference filename="1952147a8403903cb78cecf56f049085/file_link2.txt" refdoc="index" refdomain="True" refexplicit="False" reftarget="subfolder/file_link2.txt" reftype="myst">
-                <inline classes="xref download myst">
+                <literal classes="xref download myst">
                     subfolder/file_link2.txt
         <target refid="insidecodeblock">
         <paragraph ids="insidecodeblock" names="insidecodeblock">
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@
         <paragraph>
             Known no title 
             <reference internal="False" reftitle="Example 0.0.1" refuri="https://example.com/index.html#paragraph-target">
-                <inline classes="iref myst">
+                <literal classes="iref myst">
                     paragraph-target
         <paragraph>
             Known explicit 
@@ -148,5 +148,5 @@
         <paragraph>
             Ambiguous 
             <reference internal="False" reftitle="Example 0.0.1" refuri="https://example.com/index.html#module-duplicate">
-                <inline classes="iref myst">
+                <literal classes="iref myst">
                     duplicate
diff --git a/tests/test_sphinx/test_sphinx_builds/test_references.xml b/tests/test_sphinx/test_sphinx_builds/test_references.xml
index b6fcdc9e..68eca0cd 100644
--- a/tests/test_sphinx/test_sphinx_builds/test_references.xml
+++ b/tests/test_sphinx/test_sphinx_builds/test_references.xml
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@
                         link
         <paragraph>
             <download_reference filename="1952147a8403903cb78cecf56f049085/file_link2.txt" refdoc="index" refdomain="True" refexplicit="False" reftarget="subfolder/file_link2.txt" reftype="myst">
-                <inline classes="xref download myst">
+                <literal classes="xref download myst">
                     subfolder/file_link2.txt
         <target refid="insidecodeblock">
         <paragraph ids="insidecodeblock" names="insidecodeblock">