diff --git a/src/librustdoc/html/render.rs b/src/librustdoc/html/render.rs
index e721b66779fff..73c9b15648b7b 100644
--- a/src/librustdoc/html/render.rs
+++ b/src/librustdoc/html/render.rs
@@ -591,7 +591,7 @@ fn build_index(krate: &clean::Crate, cache: &mut Cache) -> String {
                 ty: item.type_(),
                 name: item.name.clone().unwrap(),
                 path: fqp[..fqp.len() - 1].join("::"),
-                desc: Escape(&shorter(item.doc_value())).to_string(),
+                desc: plain_summary_line(item.doc_value()),
                 parent: Some(did),
                 parent_idx: None,
                 search_type: get_index_search_type(&item),
@@ -629,7 +629,7 @@ fn build_index(krate: &clean::Crate, cache: &mut Cache) -> String {
     }
 
     let crate_doc = krate.module.as_ref().map(|module| {
-        Escape(&shorter(module.doc_value())).to_string()
+        plain_summary_line(module.doc_value())
     }).unwrap_or(String::new());
 
     let mut crate_data = BTreeMap::new();
@@ -1064,7 +1064,7 @@ impl DocFolder for Cache {
                             ty: item.type_(),
                             name: s.to_string(),
                             path: path.join("::").to_string(),
-                            desc: Escape(&shorter(item.doc_value())).to_string(),
+                            desc: plain_summary_line(item.doc_value()),
                             parent: parent,
                             parent_idx: None,
                             search_type: get_index_search_type(&item),
diff --git a/src/librustdoc/html/static/main.js b/src/librustdoc/html/static/main.js
index 6ea25fa1241f8..c12e1e7d6080d 100644
--- a/src/librustdoc/html/static/main.js
+++ b/src/librustdoc/html/static/main.js
@@ -609,7 +609,7 @@
                               displayPath + '<span class="' + type + '">' +
                               name + '</span></a></td><td>' +
                               '<a href="' + href + '">' +
-                              '<span class="desc">' + item.desc +
+                              '<span class="desc">' + escape(item.desc) +
                               '&nbsp;</span></a></td></tr>';
                 });
             } else {
@@ -807,14 +807,6 @@
             search();
         }
 
-        function plainSummaryLine(markdown) {
-            markdown.replace(/\n/g, ' ')
-            .replace(/'/g, "\'")
-            .replace(/^#+? (.+?)/, "$1")
-            .replace(/\[(.*?)\]\(.*?\)/g, "$1")
-            .replace(/\[(.*?)\]\[.*?\]/g, "$1");
-        }
-
         index = buildIndex(rawSearchIndex);
         startSearch();
 
@@ -836,13 +828,10 @@
                 if (crates[i] === window.currentCrate) {
                     klass += ' current';
                 }
-                if (rawSearchIndex[crates[i]].items[0]) {
-                    var desc = rawSearchIndex[crates[i]].items[0][3];
-                    var link = $('<a>', {'href': '../' + crates[i] + '/index.html',
-                                         'title': plainSummaryLine(desc),
-                                         'class': klass}).text(crates[i]);
-                    ul.append($('<li>').append(link));
-                }
+                var link = $('<a>', {'href': '../' + crates[i] + '/index.html',
+                                     'title': rawSearchIndex[crates[i]].doc,
+                                     'class': klass}).text(crates[i]);
+                ul.append($('<li>').append(link));
             }
             sidebar.append(div);
         }
diff --git a/src/test/rustdoc/search-index-summaries.rs b/src/test/rustdoc/search-index-summaries.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..dd195dc33e499
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/rustdoc/search-index-summaries.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+// Copyright 2016 The Rust Project Developers. See the COPYRIGHT
+// file at the top-level directory of this distribution and at
+// http://rust-lang.org/COPYRIGHT.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 <LICENSE-APACHE or
+// http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0> or the MIT license
+// <LICENSE-MIT or http://opensource.org/licenses/MIT>, at your
+// option. This file may not be copied, modified, or distributed
+// except according to those terms.
+
+#![crate_name = "foo"]
+
+// @has 'search-index.js' 'Foo short link.'
+// @!has - 'www.example.com'
+// @!has - 'More Foo.'
+
+/// Foo short [link](https://www.example.com/).
+///
+/// More Foo.
+pub struct Foo;