diff --git a/commands/custom_commands/main.py b/commands/custom_commands/main.py
index ae30f3a..0b3fb34 100644
--- a/commands/custom_commands/main.py
+++ b/commands/custom_commands/main.py
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ from models.custom_command import CustomCommandSearchFilters
 from utils.logging import get_contextual_logger
 from utils.decorators import logged_command
 from utils.permissions import requires_team
+from utils.mentions import convert_mentions
 from views.embeds import EmbedTemplate, EmbedColors
 from views.custom_commands import (
     CustomCommandCreateModal,
@@ -43,7 +44,7 @@ class CustomCommandsCommands(commands.Cog):
     @logged_command("/cc")
     async def execute_custom_command(self, interaction: discord.Interaction, name: str):
         """Execute a custom command."""
-        await interaction.response.defer()
+        await interaction.response.defer(ephemeral=True)
         
         try:
             # Execute the command and get response
@@ -57,27 +58,21 @@ class CustomCommandsCommands(commands.Cog):
             await interaction.followup.send(embed=embed, ephemeral=True)
             return
             
-        # # Create embed with the response
-        # embed = EmbedTemplate.create_base_embed(
-        #     title=f"🎮 {command.name}",
-        #     description=response_content,
-        #     color=EmbedColors.PRIMARY
-        # )
+        # Convert text mentions (@RoleName, @Username) to proper Discord format (<@&id>, <@id>)
+        converted_content = convert_mentions(response_content, interaction.guild)
 
-        # # Add creator info in footer
-        # embed.set_footer(
-        #     text=f"Created by {command.creator.username} • Used {command.use_count} times"
-        # )
+        await interaction.followup.send(f"Sending `{name}`...", ephemeral=True)
 
-        # Send with mentions enabled (users and roles, but not @everyone/@here)
-        await interaction.followup.send(
-            content=response_content,
-            allowed_mentions=discord.AllowedMentions(
-                users=True,     # Allow user mentions (<@123456789>)
-                roles=True,     # Allow role mentions (<@&987654321>)
-                everyone=False  # Block @everyone/@here (already validated)
+        # Use channel.send() instead of followup.send() so mentions trigger notifications
+        if interaction.channel:
+            await interaction.channel.send(
+                content=converted_content,
+                allowed_mentions=discord.AllowedMentions(
+                    users=True,     # Allow user mentions (<@123456789>)
+                    roles=True,     # Allow role mentions (<@&987654321>)
+                    everyone=False  # Block @everyone/@here
+                )
             )
-        )
     
     @execute_custom_command.autocomplete('name')
     async def execute_custom_command_autocomplete(
diff --git a/tests/test_utils_mentions.py b/tests/test_utils_mentions.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5319e14
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_utils_mentions.py
@@ -0,0 +1,214 @@
+"""
+Tests for the mention conversion utilities.
+
+These tests verify that human-readable @mentions are properly converted
+to Discord's ID-based format for triggering notifications.
+"""
+import pytest
+from unittest.mock import MagicMock, AsyncMock
+from utils.mentions import convert_mentions, convert_mentions_async
+
+
+class TestConvertMentions:
+    """Tests for the synchronous convert_mentions function."""
+
+    def test_converts_role_mention(self):
+        """Test that @RoleName is converted to <@&role_id>."""
+        # Create mock guild with a role
+        mock_role = MagicMock()
+        mock_role.name = "Waikiki Whale Sharks"
+        mock_role.id = 123456789
+
+        mock_guild = MagicMock()
+        mock_guild.roles = [mock_role]
+        mock_guild.members = []
+
+        content = "@Waikiki Whale Sharks"
+        result = convert_mentions(content, mock_guild)
+
+        assert result == "<@&123456789>"
+
+    def test_converts_role_mention_case_insensitive(self):
+        """Test that role matching is case-insensitive."""
+        mock_role = MagicMock()
+        mock_role.name = "Waikiki Whale Sharks"
+        mock_role.id = 123456789
+
+        mock_guild = MagicMock()
+        mock_guild.roles = [mock_role]
+        mock_guild.members = []
+
+        content = "@waikiki whale sharks"
+        result = convert_mentions(content, mock_guild)
+
+        assert result == "<@&123456789>"
+
+    def test_converts_user_mention_by_display_name(self):
+        """Test that @DisplayName is converted to <@user_id>."""
+        mock_member = MagicMock()
+        mock_member.display_name = "CalCorum"
+        mock_member.name = "cal"
+        mock_member.id = 987654321
+
+        mock_guild = MagicMock()
+        mock_guild.roles = []
+        mock_guild.members = [mock_member]
+
+        content = "@CalCorum"
+        result = convert_mentions(content, mock_guild)
+
+        assert result == "<@987654321>"
+
+    def test_converts_user_mention_by_username(self):
+        """Test that @username is converted to <@user_id>."""
+        mock_member = MagicMock()
+        mock_member.display_name = "Cal Corum"
+        mock_member.name = "calcorum"
+        mock_member.id = 987654321
+
+        mock_guild = MagicMock()
+        mock_guild.roles = []
+        mock_guild.members = [mock_member]
+
+        content = "@calcorum"
+        result = convert_mentions(content, mock_guild)
+
+        assert result == "<@987654321>"
+
+    def test_converts_multiple_mentions(self):
+        """Test that multiple mentions in same content are all converted."""
+        mock_role1 = MagicMock()
+        mock_role1.name = "Team A"
+        mock_role1.id = 111
+
+        mock_role2 = MagicMock()
+        mock_role2.name = "Team B"
+        mock_role2.id = 222
+
+        mock_guild = MagicMock()
+        mock_guild.roles = [mock_role1, mock_role2]
+        mock_guild.members = []
+
+        content = "@Team A vs @Team B"
+        result = convert_mentions(content, mock_guild)
+
+        assert result == "<@&111> vs <@&222>"
+
+    def test_preserves_already_formatted_mentions(self):
+        """Test that <@123> and <@&456> are not modified."""
+        mock_guild = MagicMock()
+        mock_guild.roles = []
+        mock_guild.members = []
+
+        content = "Already formatted: <@123456789> and <@&987654321>"
+        result = convert_mentions(content, mock_guild)
+
+        assert result == content
+
+    def test_preserves_unrecognized_mentions(self):
+        """Test that @mentions with no match are left unchanged."""
+        mock_guild = MagicMock()
+        mock_guild.roles = []
+        mock_guild.members = []
+
+        content = "@UnknownRole says hello"
+        result = convert_mentions(content, mock_guild)
+
+        assert result == "@UnknownRole says hello"
+
+    def test_handles_none_guild(self):
+        """Test that None guild returns content unchanged."""
+        content = "@SomeRole"
+        result = convert_mentions(content, None)
+
+        assert result == content
+
+    def test_handles_empty_content(self):
+        """Test that empty content returns empty."""
+        mock_guild = MagicMock()
+        result = convert_mentions("", mock_guild)
+
+        assert result == ""
+
+    def test_handles_mentions_with_punctuation(self):
+        """Test that mentions followed by punctuation are handled."""
+        mock_role = MagicMock()
+        mock_role.name = "TestRole"
+        mock_role.id = 123
+
+        mock_guild = MagicMock()
+        mock_guild.roles = [mock_role]
+        mock_guild.members = []
+
+        content = "Hello @TestRole!"
+        result = convert_mentions(content, mock_guild)
+
+        assert result == "Hello <@&123>!"
+
+    def test_role_takes_priority_over_user(self):
+        """Test that when a name matches both role and user, role wins."""
+        mock_role = MagicMock()
+        mock_role.name = "SameName"
+        mock_role.id = 111
+
+        mock_member = MagicMock()
+        mock_member.display_name = "SameName"
+        mock_member.name = "samename"
+        mock_member.id = 222
+
+        mock_guild = MagicMock()
+        mock_guild.roles = [mock_role]
+        mock_guild.members = [mock_member]
+
+        content = "@SameName"
+        result = convert_mentions(content, mock_guild)
+
+        # Role should be matched first
+        assert result == "<@&111>"
+
+
+class TestConvertMentionsAsync:
+    """Tests for the async convert_mentions_async function."""
+
+    @pytest.mark.asyncio
+    async def test_async_converts_role_mention(self):
+        """Test async version converts mentions."""
+        mock_role = MagicMock()
+        mock_role.name = "TestRole"
+        mock_role.id = 123
+
+        mock_guild = MagicMock()
+        mock_guild.roles = [mock_role]
+        mock_guild.members = []
+        mock_guild.chunked = True
+
+        content = "@TestRole"
+        result = await convert_mentions_async(content, mock_guild)
+
+        assert result == "<@&123>"
+
+    @pytest.mark.asyncio
+    async def test_async_chunks_guild_when_requested(self):
+        """Test that guild.chunk() is called when fetch_members=True and not chunked."""
+        mock_guild = MagicMock()
+        mock_guild.roles = []
+        mock_guild.members = []
+        mock_guild.chunked = False
+        mock_guild.chunk = AsyncMock()
+
+        await convert_mentions_async("@Test", mock_guild, fetch_members=True)
+
+        mock_guild.chunk.assert_called_once()
+
+    @pytest.mark.asyncio
+    async def test_async_skips_chunk_when_already_chunked(self):
+        """Test that guild.chunk() is not called when already chunked."""
+        mock_guild = MagicMock()
+        mock_guild.roles = []
+        mock_guild.members = []
+        mock_guild.chunked = True
+        mock_guild.chunk = AsyncMock()
+
+        await convert_mentions_async("@Test", mock_guild, fetch_members=True)
+
+        mock_guild.chunk.assert_not_called()
diff --git a/utils/mentions.py b/utils/mentions.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0c12b4b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/utils/mentions.py
@@ -0,0 +1,136 @@
+"""
+Mention conversion utilities for Discord Bot v2.0
+
+Converts human-readable @mentions (e.g., @RoleName, @Username) to proper Discord
+mention format that triggers notifications (<@&role_id>, <@user_id>).
+
+Why this is needed:
+Discord only sends notifications for mentions that use the ID-based format.
+Text like "@Waikiki Whale Sharks" will be styled/highlighted (because Discord
+recognizes it matches a role name), but won't actually notify anyone.
+"""
+from typing import Optional
+import discord
+
+
+def convert_mentions(content: str, guild: Optional[discord.Guild]) -> str:
+    """
+    Convert human-readable @mentions to proper Discord mention format.
+
+    Transforms:
+    - @RoleName -> <@&role_id> (if role exists in guild)
+    - @Username -> <@user_id> (if member exists in guild)
+
+    Args:
+        content: The message content potentially containing @mentions
+        guild: The Discord guild to look up roles/members in
+
+    Returns:
+        Content with text mentions converted to ID-based mentions where possible.
+        Unrecognized mentions are left unchanged.
+
+    Note:
+        - Already-formatted mentions (<@123>, <@&456>) are left unchanged
+        - Case-insensitive matching for role names
+        - Matches display names and usernames for users
+        - Multi-word names are supported (e.g., @Waikiki Whale Sharks)
+    """
+    if not guild or not content:
+        return content
+
+    # Build lookup dictionaries for fast matching (lowercase -> original)
+    role_lookup: dict[str, discord.Role] = {
+        role.name.lower(): role for role in guild.roles
+    }
+    member_lookup: dict[str, discord.Member] = {}
+    for member in guild.members:
+        # Index by both display name and username
+        member_lookup[member.display_name.lower()] = member
+        member_lookup[member.name.lower()] = member
+
+    # Sort names by length (longest first) to match "Team Alpha Beta" before "Team Alpha"
+    all_role_names = sorted(role_lookup.keys(), key=len, reverse=True)
+    all_member_names = sorted(member_lookup.keys(), key=len, reverse=True)
+
+    result = []
+    i = 0
+
+    while i < len(content):
+        # Check if this is an @ that's not already part of a Discord mention
+        if content[i] == '@':
+            # Skip if this is part of <@ (already formatted mention)
+            if i > 0 and content[i - 1] == '<':
+                result.append(content[i])
+                i += 1
+                continue
+
+            # Get the text after @
+            remaining = content[i + 1:]
+            remaining_lower = remaining.lower()
+
+            # Try to match against role names (longest first)
+            matched = False
+            for role_name_lower in all_role_names:
+                if remaining_lower.startswith(role_name_lower):
+                    # Verify it's a word boundary (end of string, or non-alphanumeric follows)
+                    end_pos = len(role_name_lower)
+                    if end_pos >= len(remaining) or not remaining[end_pos].isalnum():
+                        role = role_lookup[role_name_lower]
+                        result.append(f'<@&{role.id}>')
+                        i += 1 + len(role_name_lower)  # Skip @ and the role name
+                        matched = True
+                        break
+
+            if matched:
+                continue
+
+            # Try to match against member names (longest first)
+            for member_name_lower in all_member_names:
+                if remaining_lower.startswith(member_name_lower):
+                    # Verify it's a word boundary
+                    end_pos = len(member_name_lower)
+                    if end_pos >= len(remaining) or not remaining[end_pos].isalnum():
+                        member = member_lookup[member_name_lower]
+                        result.append(f'<@{member.id}>')
+                        i += 1 + len(member_name_lower)  # Skip @ and the member name
+                        matched = True
+                        break
+
+            if matched:
+                continue
+
+        # No match or not an @, just append the character
+        result.append(content[i])
+        i += 1
+
+    return ''.join(result)
+
+
+async def convert_mentions_async(
+    content: str,
+    guild: Optional[discord.Guild],
+    fetch_members: bool = False
+) -> str:
+    """
+    Async version of convert_mentions with optional member fetching.
+
+    Use this when guild.members might not be fully populated (large guilds
+    without member intent or chunking).
+
+    Args:
+        content: The message content potentially containing @mentions
+        guild: The Discord guild to look up roles/members in
+        fetch_members: If True, fetches all members first (slower but complete)
+
+    Returns:
+        Content with text mentions converted to ID-based mentions.
+    """
+    if not guild or not content:
+        return content
+
+    if fetch_members:
+        # Ensure we have all members
+        if not guild.chunked:
+            await guild.chunk()
+
+    return convert_mentions(content, guild)