diff --git a/open-java-format/src/main/java/com/palantir/javaformat/java/JavaCommentsHelper.java b/open-java-format/src/main/java/com/palantir/javaformat/java/JavaCommentsHelper.java
index 4d6316601..7cac97a7a 100644
--- a/open-java-format/src/main/java/com/palantir/javaformat/java/JavaCommentsHelper.java
+++ b/open-java-format/src/main/java/com/palantir/javaformat/java/JavaCommentsHelper.java
@@ -139,8 +139,11 @@ private List<String> wrapLineComments(List<String> lines, int column0) {
             String prefix = lineCommentPrefix(line);
             while (line.length() + column0 > options.maxLineLength()) {
                 int idx = options.maxLineLength() - column0;
-                // only break on whitespace characters, and ignore the leading `// `
-                while (idx >= prefix.length() && !CharMatcher.whitespace().matches(line.charAt(idx))) {
+                // only break on whitespace characters, and ignore the leading `// `. Not on a no-break space
+                // such as U+00A0: the new line would start with `//` and that space, which the next run takes
+                // for a missing space and pads, and then the comment never settles.
+                while (idx >= prefix.length()
+                        && !CharMatcher.breakingWhitespace().matches(line.charAt(idx))) {
                     idx--;
                 }
                 if (idx <= prefix.length()) {
diff --git a/open-java-format/src/test/resources/com/palantir/javaformat/java/testdata/ojf-issue-38-nbsp-line-comment.input b/open-java-format/src/test/resources/com/palantir/javaformat/java/testdata/ojf-issue-38-nbsp-line-comment.input
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..82fe33b19
--- /dev/null
+++ b/open-java-format/src/test/resources/com/palantir/javaformat/java/testdata/ojf-issue-38-nbsp-line-comment.input
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+class NbspLineComment {
+    // Batches are capped: the importer rejects any upstream export file whose total row count is at or above 1 000 000 000 rows, so split larger files first.
+    int rows;
+
+    //String testString = " thisisnotaHYPERLINKandsoitshouldntbetruncatedinsteaditshouldbedroppedthisisnotaHYPERLINKandsoit \"http://www.example.com/\""
+    String url;
+}
diff --git a/open-java-format/src/test/resources/com/palantir/javaformat/java/testdata/ojf-issue-38-nbsp-line-comment.output b/open-java-format/src/test/resources/com/palantir/javaformat/java/testdata/ojf-issue-38-nbsp-line-comment.output
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a504eee7f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/open-java-format/src/test/resources/com/palantir/javaformat/java/testdata/ojf-issue-38-nbsp-line-comment.output
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+class NbspLineComment {
+    // Batches are capped: the importer rejects any upstream export file whose total row count is at or above
+    // 1 000 000 000 rows, so split larger files first.
+    int rows;
+
+    // String testString =
+    // " thisisnotaHYPERLINKandsoitshouldntbetruncatedinsteaditshouldbedroppedthisisnotaHYPERLINKandsoit
+    // \"http://www.example.com/\""
+    String url;
+}