diff --git a/crates/buzz-acp/src/acp.rs b/crates/buzz-acp/src/acp.rs
index 8a698954a0..46fffa24a3 100644
--- a/crates/buzz-acp/src/acp.rs
+++ b/crates/buzz-acp/src/acp.rs
@@ -211,6 +211,27 @@ pub struct AcpClient {
     /// deltas. Both goose and buzz-agent emit this notification; goose gates
     /// on client capability advertisement, buzz-agent emits unconditionally.
     goose_usage: UsageTracker,
+    /// Accumulated `agent_message_chunk` text for the current turn. Used by the
+    /// content-delivery fallback: weak local models (e.g. via Buzz shared
+    /// compute) often answer a conversational prompt in plain assistant
+    /// `content` instead of calling `buzz messages send`, which would otherwise
+    /// be silently dropped (buzz-agent's output is its tool calls; streamed
+    /// text is observability-only). Reset at the start of every turn.
+    turn_message_text: String,
+    /// Whether a message publish was CONFIRMED this turn. When true the
+    /// fallback does NOT fire — the agent delivered its own reply. Confirmation
+    /// comes from the terminal `tool_call_update` outcome (successful
+    /// completion, ideally carrying the CLI's `{"accepted":true,...}` envelope
+    /// in the tool output), never from the tool call's input text alone:
+    /// intent is not delivery. Reset at the start of every turn.
+    turn_sent_message: bool,
+    /// Publish *candidates* for the current turn: `toolCallId`s whose
+    /// `tool_call` input matched the publish signature, awaiting a terminal
+    /// `tool_call_update`. A candidate that completes successfully confirms
+    /// delivery; one that fails (or completes with `isError`, or whose output
+    /// lacks the publish acknowledgement) is discarded so the fallback stays
+    /// armed. Reset at the start of every turn.
+    turn_publish_candidates: std::collections::HashSet<String>,
 }
 
 /// Recursively merge `overlay` into `base`, with `overlay` winning on scalar/shape
@@ -550,6 +571,9 @@ impl AcpClient {
             steering_supported: false,
             steer_rx: None,
             goose_usage: UsageTracker::default(),
+            turn_message_text: String::new(),
+            turn_sent_message: false,
+            turn_publish_candidates: std::collections::HashSet::new(),
         })
     }
 
@@ -760,6 +784,11 @@ impl AcpClient {
         // misattributed to this turn.
         self.goose_usage.begin_turn(session_id);
 
+        // Reset the content-delivery fallback trackers for this turn.
+        self.turn_message_text.clear();
+        self.turn_sent_message = false;
+        self.turn_publish_candidates.clear();
+
         self.last_prompt_id = Some(self.next_id);
         let id = self.next_id;
         self.next_id += 1;
@@ -864,6 +893,30 @@ impl AcpClient {
         self.goose_usage.take()
     }
 
+    /// Take the accumulated assistant `content` text for the completed turn,
+    /// if and only if a message publish was NOT confirmed this turn.
+    ///
+    /// Returns `Some(trimmed_text)` when the turn produced streamed assistant
+    /// content but no publish tool call was confirmed delivered (see
+    /// `publish_outcome_confirms_delivery`) — the caller then delivers it as
+    /// the channel reply (content-delivery fallback). Returns `None` when the
+    /// agent's own send was confirmed, when there was no content, or when the
+    /// content is only a bare acknowledgement (which the base prompt forbids
+    /// publishing). Clears the buffer either way.
+    pub fn take_undelivered_turn_message(&mut self) -> Option<String> {
+        let text = std::mem::take(&mut self.turn_message_text);
+        let sent = self.turn_sent_message;
+        self.turn_sent_message = false;
+        if sent {
+            return None;
+        }
+        let trimmed = text.trim();
+        if trimmed.is_empty() || is_bare_acknowledgement(trimmed) {
+            return None;
+        }
+        Some(trimmed.to_string())
+    }
+
     /// Install a per-turn steer request channel for goose-native
     /// non-cancelling mid-turn delivery.
     ///
@@ -1715,6 +1768,10 @@ impl AcpClient {
             "agent_message_chunk" => {
                 if let Some(text) = update["content"]["text"].as_str() {
                     tracing::info!(target: "acp::stream", "{text}");
+                    // Accumulate for the content-delivery fallback (see
+                    // `turn_message_text`). Streamed assistant text is otherwise
+                    // observability-only and never posted to the channel.
+                    self.turn_message_text.push_str(text);
                 }
                 false
             }
@@ -1728,6 +1785,28 @@ impl AcpClient {
                     .and_then(|v| v.as_str())
                     .unwrap_or("unknown");
                 tracing::info!(target: "acp::tool", "tool_call: {title} ({kind})");
+                // Register a message-publish CANDIDATE for the content-delivery
+                // fallback. Intent is not delivery: the flag that suppresses
+                // the fallback (`turn_sent_message`) is only set when this
+                // call's terminal `tool_call_update` confirms success — a send
+                // that fails must leave the fallback armed, otherwise the
+                // feature silently drops the exact reply it exists to save.
+                if tool_call_is_message_publish(update) {
+                    if let Some(id) = update.get("toolCallId").and_then(|v| v.as_str()) {
+                        self.turn_publish_candidates.insert(id.to_string());
+                        tracing::debug!(
+                            "publish candidate registered ({title}, toolCallId={id}); \
+                             awaiting terminal outcome"
+                        );
+                    }
+                    // Some agents emit `tool_call` already carrying a terminal
+                    // status (single-event shape). Handle it like an update.
+                    if let Some(confirmed) = publish_outcome_confirms_delivery(update) {
+                        if confirmed {
+                            self.turn_sent_message = true;
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
                 true
             }
             "tool_call_update" => {
@@ -1737,6 +1816,24 @@ impl AcpClient {
                     .unwrap_or("?");
                 let status = update.get("status").and_then(|v| v.as_str()).unwrap_or("?");
                 tracing::info!(target: "acp::tool", "tool_call_update: {tool_id} → {status}");
+                // Resolve a pending publish candidate on its terminal outcome.
+                if self.turn_publish_candidates.contains(tool_id) {
+                    if let Some(confirmed) = publish_outcome_confirms_delivery(update) {
+                        self.turn_publish_candidates.remove(tool_id);
+                        if confirmed {
+                            self.turn_sent_message = true;
+                            tracing::debug!(
+                                "publish confirmed (toolCallId={tool_id}); \
+                                 content-delivery fallback stays dormant this turn"
+                            );
+                        } else {
+                            tracing::debug!(
+                                "publish attempt failed (toolCallId={tool_id}); \
+                                 content-delivery fallback stays armed"
+                            );
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
                 false
             }
             "plan" => {
@@ -2163,6 +2260,181 @@ pub fn model_in_catalog(
         })
 }
 
+/// Return true if a `tool_call` session update *looks like* a Buzz message
+/// publish (kind 9 / forum post / comment) from its input. This only registers
+/// a publish **candidate** — delivery is confirmed separately from the call's
+/// terminal outcome by [`publish_outcome_confirms_delivery`].
+///
+/// The publish path is the dev-mcp `shell` tool running `buzz messages send`
+/// (or `buzz social publish`), so the tool name alone is not enough — inspect
+/// `rawInput` (the command/args) for the CLI publish signature. The haystack is
+/// normalized (quotes/commas/brackets → spaces, whitespace collapsed) so both
+/// shell strings (`buzz messages send --channel …`) and argv forms
+/// (`['buzz','messages','send',…]`, e.g. Python `subprocess.run`) match.
+/// Conservative: only matches an actual send subcommand, not reads like
+/// `buzz messages get`.
+fn tool_call_is_message_publish(update: &serde_json::Value) -> bool {
+    // Flatten title + rawInput into one lowercase haystack. rawInput is
+    // arbitrary JSON (shell command string, or structured args), so serialize
+    // whatever is there.
+    let mut haystack = String::new();
+    if let Some(title) = update.get("title").and_then(|v| v.as_str()) {
+        haystack.push_str(title);
+        haystack.push(' ');
+    }
+    if let Some(raw) = update.get("rawInput") {
+        haystack.push_str(&raw.to_string());
+    }
+    // Normalize away quoting/punctuation so argv-style invocations
+    // ('buzz','messages','send') match the same signature as shell strings.
+    let normalized: String = haystack
+        .to_ascii_lowercase()
+        .chars()
+        .map(|c| match c {
+            '\'' | '"' | '`' | ',' | '[' | ']' | '(' | ')' | '{' | '}' | ':' => ' ',
+            other => other,
+        })
+        .collect();
+    let h = normalized.split_whitespace().collect::<Vec<_>>().join(" ");
+    // Match the publish subcommands that actually post to a channel. Guard
+    // against read subcommands (get/thread/search/list) sharing the "messages"
+    // prefix by requiring the send/publish verb. ("messages send-diff"
+    // contains "messages send", so it is covered.)
+    h.contains("messages send") || h.contains("social publish")
+}
+
+/// Classify the terminal outcome of a publish tool call.
+///
+/// Returns `None` while the call is still pending/in-progress, `Some(true)`
+/// when the outcome confirms the message was delivered, and `Some(false)` when
+/// the attempt failed (so the content-delivery fallback must stay armed —
+/// see the `tool_call`/`tool_call_update` arms in `handle_session_update`).
+///
+/// Signals, strongest first:
+/// 1. `status: "failed"` (or cancelled) → not delivered.
+/// 2. `rawOutput.isError: true` → not delivered (buzz-agent's builtin shape).
+/// 3. Visible tool output containing the CLI's response envelope:
+///    `"accepted":true` confirms, `"accepted":false` denies.
+/// 4. A reported `exit_code` in the output (dev-mcp `shell` completes the
+///    *tool* call even when the *command* failed): nonzero → not delivered.
+/// 5. Otherwise, a `completed` non-error publish attempt counts as delivered —
+///    the status-quo direction (suppressed fallback == today's behavior),
+///    chosen over risking a duplicate post when output isn't visible.
+fn publish_outcome_confirms_delivery(update: &serde_json::Value) -> Option<bool> {
+    let status = update.get("status").and_then(|v| v.as_str())?;
+    match status {
+        "failed" | "cancelled" | "canceled" | "error" => Some(false),
+        "completed" => {
+            if update
+                .get("rawOutput")
+                .and_then(|r| r.get("isError"))
+                .and_then(serde_json::Value::as_bool)
+                == Some(true)
+            {
+                return Some(false);
+            }
+            // Compact the visible output (content blocks + rawOutput) so the
+            // envelope matches regardless of pretty-printing — and strip
+            // backslashes so JSON nested inside a JSON string (rawOutput
+            // serialization escapes the quotes) matches too.
+            let compact: String = publish_output_text(update)
+                .chars()
+                .filter(|c| !c.is_whitespace() && *c != '\\')
+                .collect();
+            if compact.contains(r#""accepted":true"#) {
+                return Some(true);
+            }
+            if compact.contains(r#""accepted":false"#) {
+                return Some(false);
+            }
+            if let Some(code) = extract_reported_exit_code(&compact) {
+                return Some(code == 0);
+            }
+            Some(true)
+        }
+        // "pending" / "in_progress" / anything non-terminal.
+        _ => None,
+    }
+}
+
+/// Gather the human-visible output of a tool call update: ACP `content` text
+/// blocks plus the serialized `rawOutput`, whichever are present.
+fn publish_output_text(update: &serde_json::Value) -> String {
+    let mut out = String::new();
+    if let Some(items) = update.get("content").and_then(|c| c.as_array()) {
+        for item in items {
+            // ACP shape: {type:"content", content:{type:"text", text:…}};
+            // tolerate a flat {text:…} too.
+            if let Some(t) = item.pointer("/content/text").and_then(|v| v.as_str()) {
+                out.push_str(t);
+                out.push(' ');
+            } else if let Some(t) = item.get("text").and_then(|v| v.as_str()) {
+                out.push_str(t);
+                out.push(' ');
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    if let Some(raw) = update.get("rawOutput") {
+        out.push_str(&raw.to_string());
+    }
+    out
+}
+
+/// Extract a `"exit_code": N` value from compacted (whitespace-free) tool
+/// output, e.g. the dev-mcp `shell` tool's result JSON. Returns `None` when no
+/// exit code is reported.
+fn extract_reported_exit_code(compact: &str) -> Option<i64> {
+    const KEY: &str = r#""exit_code":"#;
+    let idx = compact.find(KEY)?;
+    let rest = &compact[idx + KEY.len()..];
+    let end = rest
+        .find(|c: char| !(c.is_ascii_digit() || c == '-'))
+        .unwrap_or(rest.len());
+    rest[..end].parse().ok()
+}
+
+/// Return true if `text` is a bare acknowledgement the base prompt forbids
+/// publishing ("Got it", "Confirmed", "Standing by", …). Used to keep the
+/// content-delivery fallback from posting filler that a capable agent would
+/// have suppressed. Deliberately conservative — only short, whole-message
+/// acks match, so a substantive reply that merely opens with "Got it, …"
+/// still gets delivered.
+fn is_bare_acknowledgement(text: &str) -> bool {
+    // Only consider short messages — a real reply with content is never a bare
+    // ack even if it starts with one.
+    if text.chars().count() > 40 {
+        return false;
+    }
+    let normalized: String = text
+        .to_ascii_lowercase()
+        .chars()
+        .filter(|c| c.is_alphanumeric() || c.is_whitespace())
+        .collect();
+    let normalized = normalized.trim();
+    const BARE_ACKS: &[&str] = &[
+        "got it",
+        "confirmed",
+        "acknowledged",
+        "ack",
+        "clear and noted",
+        "noted",
+        "aligned",
+        "standing by",
+        "parked",
+        "ok",
+        "okay",
+        "will do",
+        "understood",
+        "sounds good",
+        "on it",
+        "roger",
+        "roger that",
+        "i wont reply again",
+        "i will not reply again",
+    ];
+    BARE_ACKS.contains(&normalized)
+}
+
 // ─── Drop: kill child process ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 impl Drop for AcpClient {
@@ -2223,6 +2495,323 @@ fn configure_no_window(cmd: &mut tokio::process::Command) {
 mod tests {
     use super::*;
 
+    #[test]
+    fn tool_call_publish_detection() {
+        // A `buzz messages send` shell tool call → detected as a publish.
+        let send = serde_json::json!({
+            "title": "shell",
+            "rawInput": { "command": "buzz messages send --channel abc --content 'hi'" }
+        });
+        assert!(tool_call_is_message_publish(&send));
+
+        // send-diff variant → detected.
+        let diff = serde_json::json!({
+            "title": "shell",
+            "rawInput": { "command": "buzz messages send-diff --channel abc" }
+        });
+        assert!(tool_call_is_message_publish(&diff));
+
+        // social publish → detected.
+        let social = serde_json::json!({
+            "title": "shell",
+            "rawInput": { "command": "buzz social publish --content x" }
+        });
+        assert!(tool_call_is_message_publish(&social));
+
+        // Python-argv publish (the pattern agents use for backtick-heavy
+        // content): serialized rawInput has no "messages send" substring, but
+        // normalization must still match it.
+        let argv = serde_json::json!({
+            "title": "shell",
+            "rawInput": {
+                "command": "python3 - <<'PY'\nimport subprocess\nsubprocess.run(['buzz','messages','send','--channel','abc','--content',content])\nPY"
+            }
+        });
+        assert!(tool_call_is_message_publish(&argv));
+
+        // A READ subcommand sharing the "messages" prefix → NOT a publish.
+        let read = serde_json::json!({
+            "title": "shell",
+            "rawInput": { "command": "buzz messages get --channel abc" }
+        });
+        assert!(!tool_call_is_message_publish(&read));
+
+        // Unrelated tool → not a publish.
+        let other = serde_json::json!({
+            "title": "read_file",
+            "rawInput": { "path": "/tmp/foo" }
+        });
+        assert!(!tool_call_is_message_publish(&other));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn publish_outcome_classification() {
+        // Non-terminal statuses → None (candidate stays pending).
+        for status in ["pending", "in_progress"] {
+            assert_eq!(
+                publish_outcome_confirms_delivery(&serde_json::json!({ "status": status })),
+                None,
+                "{status} is not terminal"
+            );
+        }
+        // No status at all (e.g. a content-only update) → None.
+        assert_eq!(
+            publish_outcome_confirms_delivery(&serde_json::json!({})),
+            None
+        );
+
+        // Failure statuses → Some(false): the fallback must stay armed.
+        for status in ["failed", "cancelled", "canceled", "error"] {
+            assert_eq!(
+                publish_outcome_confirms_delivery(&serde_json::json!({ "status": status })),
+                Some(false),
+                "{status} must not confirm delivery"
+            );
+        }
+
+        // completed + rawOutput.isError → not delivered (buzz-agent shape).
+        assert_eq!(
+            publish_outcome_confirms_delivery(&serde_json::json!({
+                "status": "completed",
+                "rawOutput": { "isError": true }
+            })),
+            Some(false)
+        );
+
+        // completed + CLI envelope accepted:true in the content text → delivered.
+        assert_eq!(
+            publish_outcome_confirms_delivery(&serde_json::json!({
+                "status": "completed",
+                "content": [{ "type": "content", "content": { "type": "text",
+                    "text": "0 {\"accepted\": true, \"event_id\": \"abc\"}" } }]
+            })),
+            Some(true)
+        );
+
+        // completed + envelope accepted:false (relay rejected) → not delivered.
+        assert_eq!(
+            publish_outcome_confirms_delivery(&serde_json::json!({
+                "status": "completed",
+                "rawOutput": { "stdout": "{\"accepted\": false, \"message\": \"rate limited\"}" }
+            })),
+            Some(false)
+        );
+
+        // completed, no envelope, dev-mcp shell reports nonzero exit_code →
+        // the COMMAND failed even though the TOOL completed. Not delivered.
+        assert_eq!(
+            publish_outcome_confirms_delivery(&serde_json::json!({
+                "status": "completed",
+                "content": [{ "type": "content", "content": { "type": "text",
+                    "text": "{\"exit_code\": 3, \"stderr\": \"auth failure\"}" } }]
+            })),
+            Some(false)
+        );
+
+        // completed, exit_code 0, no envelope → delivered.
+        assert_eq!(
+            publish_outcome_confirms_delivery(&serde_json::json!({
+                "status": "completed",
+                "content": [{ "type": "content", "content": { "type": "text",
+                    "text": "{\"exit_code\": 0, \"stdout\": \"sent\"}" } }]
+            })),
+            Some(true)
+        );
+
+        // completed with no inspectable output at all → delivered (status-quo
+        // direction: suppressing the fallback == today's behavior).
+        assert_eq!(
+            publish_outcome_confirms_delivery(&serde_json::json!({ "status": "completed" })),
+            Some(true)
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn bare_acknowledgement_detection() {
+        // Bare acks the base prompt forbids publishing.
+        for ack in [
+            "Got it",
+            "confirmed",
+            "Standing by",
+            "OK",
+            "  Noted. ",
+            "will do",
+        ] {
+            assert!(is_bare_acknowledgement(ack), "should be bare ack: {ack:?}");
+        }
+        // Substantive replies are NOT bare acks, even if they open with one.
+        for real in [
+            "Got it — I'll start on the migration and report back when the tests pass.",
+            "I'm doing well, thank you for asking! How are you today?",
+            "The build failed: missing dependency in Cargo.toml.",
+        ] {
+            assert!(
+                !is_bare_acknowledgement(real),
+                "should NOT be bare ack: {real:?}"
+            );
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Build a `session/update` notification wrapping the given update object.
+    fn session_update_msg(update: serde_json::Value) -> serde_json::Value {
+        serde_json::json!({ "params": { "update": update } })
+    }
+
+    /// Successful send: candidate registered on `tool_call`, confirmed on the
+    /// terminal completed update with the CLI envelope → fallback suppressed.
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn fallback_suppressed_when_send_completes_successfully() {
+        let mut client = spawn_inert_client().await;
+        let _ = client.handle_session_update(&session_update_msg(serde_json::json!({
+            "sessionUpdate": "agent_message_chunk",
+            "content": { "type": "text", "text": "Here's my full reply narration." }
+        })));
+        let _ = client.handle_session_update(&session_update_msg(serde_json::json!({
+            "sessionUpdate": "tool_call",
+            "toolCallId": "tc-1",
+            "title": "shell",
+            "status": "pending",
+            "rawInput": { "command": "buzz messages send --channel abc --content 'hi'" }
+        })));
+        // Not yet confirmed: a crash here must leave the fallback ARMED.
+        assert!(!client.turn_sent_message);
+        let _ = client.handle_session_update(&session_update_msg(serde_json::json!({
+            "sessionUpdate": "tool_call_update",
+            "toolCallId": "tc-1",
+            "status": "completed",
+            "rawOutput": { "stdout": "{\"accepted\":true,\"event_id\":\"e1\"}" }
+        })));
+        assert!(
+            client.turn_sent_message,
+            "successful send must confirm delivery"
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            client.take_undelivered_turn_message(),
+            None,
+            "confirmed delivery suppresses the fallback"
+        );
+    }
+
+    /// Failed send: candidate registered, terminal update is `failed` → the
+    /// fallback stays armed and the buffered content is released for posting.
+    /// This is the false-negative path from review: intent is not delivery.
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn fallback_stays_armed_when_send_fails() {
+        let mut client = spawn_inert_client().await;
+        let _ = client.handle_session_update(&session_update_msg(serde_json::json!({
+            "sessionUpdate": "agent_message_chunk",
+            "content": { "type": "text", "text": "The answer is 42." }
+        })));
+        let _ = client.handle_session_update(&session_update_msg(serde_json::json!({
+            "sessionUpdate": "tool_call",
+            "toolCallId": "tc-2",
+            "title": "shell",
+            "status": "pending",
+            "rawInput": { "command": "buzz messages send --channel abc --content 'The answer is 42.'" }
+        })));
+        let _ = client.handle_session_update(&session_update_msg(serde_json::json!({
+            "sessionUpdate": "tool_call_update",
+            "toolCallId": "tc-2",
+            "status": "failed",
+            "rawOutput": { "error": "relay unreachable" }
+        })));
+        assert!(
+            !client.turn_sent_message,
+            "failed send must NOT count as delivery"
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            client.take_undelivered_turn_message().as_deref(),
+            Some("The answer is 42."),
+            "failed send leaves the fallback armed with the buffered reply"
+        );
+    }
+
+    /// Cancelled send behaves like failure: fallback stays armed.
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn fallback_stays_armed_when_send_cancelled() {
+        let mut client = spawn_inert_client().await;
+        let _ = client.handle_session_update(&session_update_msg(serde_json::json!({
+            "sessionUpdate": "agent_message_chunk",
+            "content": { "type": "text", "text": "Reply that never made it out." }
+        })));
+        let _ = client.handle_session_update(&session_update_msg(serde_json::json!({
+            "sessionUpdate": "tool_call",
+            "toolCallId": "tc-3",
+            "title": "shell",
+            "status": "pending",
+            "rawInput": { "command": "buzz messages send --channel abc --content x" }
+        })));
+        let _ = client.handle_session_update(&session_update_msg(serde_json::json!({
+            "sessionUpdate": "tool_call_update",
+            "toolCallId": "tc-3",
+            "status": "cancelled"
+        })));
+        assert!(!client.turn_sent_message);
+        assert!(client.take_undelivered_turn_message().is_some());
+    }
+
+    /// A failed attempt followed by a successful retry (new toolCallId)
+    /// confirms delivery — the fallback must not double-post after a retry.
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn fallback_suppressed_after_failed_then_successful_retry() {
+        let mut client = spawn_inert_client().await;
+        let _ = client.handle_session_update(&session_update_msg(serde_json::json!({
+            "sessionUpdate": "agent_message_chunk",
+            "content": { "type": "text", "text": "narration" }
+        })));
+        for (id, status) in [("tc-4a", "failed"), ("tc-4b", "completed")] {
+            let _ = client.handle_session_update(&session_update_msg(serde_json::json!({
+                "sessionUpdate": "tool_call",
+                "toolCallId": id,
+                "title": "shell",
+                "status": "pending",
+                "rawInput": { "command": "buzz messages send --channel abc --content x" }
+            })));
+            let _ = client.handle_session_update(&session_update_msg(serde_json::json!({
+                "sessionUpdate": "tool_call_update",
+                "toolCallId": id,
+                "status": status,
+                "rawOutput": { "stdout": "{\"accepted\":true,\"event_id\":\"e2\"}" }
+            })));
+        }
+        assert!(
+            client.turn_sent_message,
+            "retry succeeded — delivery confirmed"
+        );
+        assert_eq!(client.take_undelivered_turn_message(), None);
+    }
+
+    /// Argv-style publish (Python subprocess) is recognized as a candidate and
+    /// confirmed on success — the normalization regression from review.
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn fallback_suppressed_for_argv_style_publish() {
+        let mut client = spawn_inert_client().await;
+        let _ = client.handle_session_update(&session_update_msg(serde_json::json!({
+            "sessionUpdate": "agent_message_chunk",
+            "content": { "type": "text", "text": "long narration between tool calls" }
+        })));
+        let _ = client.handle_session_update(&session_update_msg(serde_json::json!({
+            "sessionUpdate": "tool_call",
+            "toolCallId": "tc-5",
+            "title": "shell",
+            "status": "pending",
+            "rawInput": { "command": "python3 - <<'PY'\nimport subprocess\nsubprocess.run(['buzz','messages','send','--channel','abc','--content',content])\nPY" }
+        })));
+        let _ = client.handle_session_update(&session_update_msg(serde_json::json!({
+            "sessionUpdate": "tool_call_update",
+            "toolCallId": "tc-5",
+            "status": "completed",
+            "content": [{ "type": "content", "content": { "type": "text",
+                "text": "0 {\"accepted\": true, \"event_id\": \"abc\"}" } }]
+        })));
+        assert!(client.turn_sent_message);
+        assert_eq!(
+            client.take_undelivered_turn_message(),
+            None,
+            "argv publish must not double-post the narration"
+        );
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn stop_reason_parses_all_known_values() {
         assert_eq!(StopReason::from_str("end_turn"), Some(StopReason::EndTurn));
diff --git a/crates/buzz-acp/src/pool.rs b/crates/buzz-acp/src/pool.rs
index 158477c0af..d82a8694cf 100644
--- a/crates/buzz-acp/src/pool.rs
+++ b/crates/buzz-acp/src/pool.rs
@@ -1901,6 +1901,28 @@ pub async fn run_prompt_task(
         None => prompt_sections.iter().map(String::as_str).collect(),
     };
 
+    // Capture the reply destination for the content-delivery fallback BEFORE
+    // the prompt runs, so it survives any move of `batch` in the outcome arms.
+    // Only channel turns with a triggering event can receive a fallback post;
+    // heartbeats and DMs without a triggering message are skipped (None).
+    let fallback_reply: Option<FallbackReplyTarget> = batch.as_ref().and_then(|b| {
+        b.events.last().map(|last| {
+            let tags = crate::queue::parse_thread_tags(&last.event);
+            // Thread the reply to the triggering event: if the trigger is
+            // itself a reply, anchor to its root; otherwise the trigger IS
+            // the root. Mirrors the CLI `resolve_thread_ref` semantics.
+            let root_hex = tags
+                .root_event_id
+                .clone()
+                .unwrap_or_else(|| last.event.id.to_hex());
+            FallbackReplyTarget {
+                channel_id: b.channel_id,
+                root_event_hex: root_hex,
+                parent_event_hex: last.event.id.to_hex(),
+            }
+        })
+    });
+
     // Turn start, labelled exactly as `log_stop_reason` labels the end, so a
     // log reads as start/stop pairs. Purely observational: an unpaired start is
     // the only durable evidence that a turn was entered and never returned, and
@@ -2065,6 +2087,20 @@ pub async fn run_prompt_task(
                             Some(buzz_core::agent_turn_metric::StopReason::EndTurn),
                         )
                         .await;
+                        // Content-delivery fallback (see the main EndTurn arm):
+                        // this rare branch is also a successful turn end, so an
+                        // undelivered plain-text reply still needs posting.
+                        if let (Some(target), Some(content)) =
+                            (&fallback_reply, agent.acp.take_undelivered_turn_message())
+                        {
+                            let outcome =
+                                post_agent_content_fallback(&ctx.rest_client, target, &content)
+                                    .await;
+                            agent.acp.observe(
+                                "delivery_fallback",
+                                content_fallback_activity_payload(&outcome),
+                            );
+                        }
                         send_prompt_result(
                             &result_tx,
                             &turn_id,
@@ -2128,6 +2164,26 @@ pub async fn run_prompt_task(
             )
             .await;
 
+            // Content-delivery fallback: on a normal turn end, if the agent
+            // produced assistant text but never called a publish tool, post
+            // that text as the channel reply. Only fires for `EndTurn` (not
+            // MaxTokens/MaxTurnRequests, which are truncated/aborted turns
+            // whose partial text shouldn't be treated as a deliberate reply)
+            // and only when a `fallback_reply` destination was captured
+            // (channel turns with a triggering event; not heartbeats).
+            if matches!(stop_reason, StopReason::EndTurn) {
+                if let (Some(target), Some(content)) =
+                    (&fallback_reply, agent.acp.take_undelivered_turn_message())
+                {
+                    let outcome =
+                        post_agent_content_fallback(&ctx.rest_client, target, &content).await;
+                    agent.acp.observe(
+                        "delivery_fallback",
+                        content_fallback_activity_payload(&outcome),
+                    );
+                }
+            }
+
             send_prompt_result(
                 &result_tx,
                 &turn_id,
@@ -3844,6 +3900,115 @@ pub(crate) async fn post_failure_notice(
     }
 }
 
+/// Captured reply destination for the content-delivery fallback, taken before
+/// the prompt runs so it survives any move of the triggering `batch`.
+#[derive(Clone)]
+struct FallbackReplyTarget {
+    channel_id: Uuid,
+    /// Thread root the reply anchors to (hex). Equals `parent_event_hex` when
+    /// the trigger was a top-level message.
+    root_event_hex: String,
+    /// Immediate parent being replied to (hex) — the triggering event.
+    parent_event_hex: String,
+}
+
+/// Content-delivery fallback: post an agent's plain-text reply (kind:9) that it
+/// generated but never published itself.
+///
+/// buzz-agent's output is its tool calls; streamed assistant `content` is
+/// observability-only and is normally not posted. Capable models reliably call
+/// `buzz messages send`, but weaker local models (e.g. via Buzz shared compute)
+/// often answer a conversational prompt in plain content and never call the
+/// send tool — silently dropping the reply. When [`AcpClient`] reports such an
+/// undelivered turn message, this posts it as a threaded reply, mirroring
+/// [`post_failure_notice`]'s build/sign/submit path. Best-effort: any error is
+/// logged and returned to the caller so it can surface the degraded delivery in
+/// the owner-visible Activity feed without failing the turn.
+async fn post_agent_content_fallback(
+    rest: &crate::relay::RestClient,
+    target: &FallbackReplyTarget,
+    content: &str,
+) -> Result<(), String> {
+    let thread_ref = match (
+        nostr::EventId::from_hex(&target.root_event_hex),
+        nostr::EventId::from_hex(&target.parent_event_hex),
+    ) {
+        (Ok(root_id), Ok(parent_id)) => Some(buzz_sdk::ThreadRef {
+            root_event_id: root_id,
+            parent_event_id: parent_id,
+        }),
+        _ => None,
+    };
+    let builder = match buzz_sdk::build_message(
+        target.channel_id,
+        content,
+        thread_ref.as_ref(),
+        &[],
+        false,
+        &[],
+    ) {
+        Ok(b) => b,
+        Err(e) => {
+            tracing::warn!(channel = %target.channel_id, "content fallback: build failed: {e}");
+            return Err(format!("build failed: {e}"));
+        }
+    };
+    let event = match builder.sign_with_keys(&rest.keys) {
+        Ok(e) => e,
+        Err(e) => {
+            tracing::warn!(channel = %target.channel_id, "content fallback: sign failed: {e}");
+            return Err(format!("sign failed: {e}"));
+        }
+    };
+    match tokio::time::timeout(Duration::from_secs(5), rest.submit_event(&event)).await {
+        Ok(Ok(_)) => {
+            // WARN (not INFO) and default target (buzz_acp::pool) so it is
+            // always visible under the harness's `buzz_acp=info` filter — this
+            // fallback firing is a signal worth surfacing (a model failed to
+            // call the send tool and we delivered its reply for it).
+            tracing::warn!(
+                channel = %target.channel_id,
+                "content-delivery fallback: posted undelivered agent content as channel reply"
+            );
+            Ok(())
+        }
+        Ok(Err(e)) => {
+            tracing::warn!(channel = %target.channel_id, "content fallback failed: {e}");
+            Err(format!("relay publish failed: {e}"))
+        }
+        Err(_) => {
+            tracing::warn!(channel = %target.channel_id, "content fallback timed out");
+            Err("relay publish timed out".to_string())
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+/// Build a free-form observer status record understood by the Desktop Activity
+/// transcript. The explicit title/text pair keeps fallback delivery visible to
+/// operators instead of leaving the only signal in harness logs.
+fn content_fallback_activity_payload(outcome: &Result<(), String>) -> serde_json::Value {
+    let (title, text) = match outcome {
+        Ok(()) => (
+            "Delivery fallback",
+            "Agent skipped message publishing; Buzz delivered its plain-text response automatically."
+                .to_string(),
+        ),
+        Err(error) => (
+            "Delivery fallback failed",
+            format!(
+                "Agent skipped message publishing; Buzz could not deliver its plain-text response automatically: {error}"
+            ),
+        ),
+    };
+
+    serde_json::json!({
+        "type": "delivery_fallback",
+        "title": title,
+        "text": text,
+        "posted": outcome.is_ok(),
+    })
+}
+
 /// Best-effort: remove a reaction via a signed kind:5 (NIP-09) deletion event.
 ///
 /// Queries kind:7 reactions by our pubkey targeting the event, finds the matching
@@ -3965,6 +4130,32 @@ mod tests {
     use nostr::{EventBuilder, Keys, Kind, Tag, Timestamp};
     use serde_json::json;
 
+    #[test]
+    fn content_fallback_activity_reports_degraded_but_successful_delivery() {
+        let payload = content_fallback_activity_payload(&Ok(()));
+
+        assert_eq!(payload["type"], "delivery_fallback");
+        assert_eq!(payload["title"], "Delivery fallback");
+        assert_eq!(payload["posted"], true);
+        assert!(payload["text"]
+            .as_str()
+            .unwrap()
+            .contains("Agent skipped message publishing"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn content_fallback_activity_reports_failed_delivery() {
+        let payload = content_fallback_activity_payload(&Err("relay unavailable".to_string()));
+
+        assert_eq!(payload["type"], "delivery_fallback");
+        assert_eq!(payload["title"], "Delivery fallback failed");
+        assert_eq!(payload["posted"], false);
+        assert!(payload["text"]
+            .as_str()
+            .unwrap()
+            .contains("relay unavailable"));
+    }
+
     // These pin the initial_message dispatch path (run_prompt_task, ~line 855):
     // a legacy agent WITH a base_prompt must get [Base] prepended to the user
     // message. This is the exact regression that shipped in the round-2 bug.