diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index bf3a55eb3..749dc7faf 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 - Docker: allow optional home volume + extra bind mounts in `docker-setup.sh`. (#679) — thanks @gabriel-trigo.
 
 ### Fixes
+- CLI: avoid success message when daemon restart is skipped. (#685) — thanks @carlulsoe.
 - macOS: stabilize bridge tunnels, guard invoke senders on disconnect, and drain stdout/stderr to avoid deadlocks. (#676) — thanks @ngutman.
 - Agents/System: clarify sandboxed runtime in system prompt and surface elevated availability when sandboxed.
 - Auto-reply: prefer `RawBody` for command/directive parsing (WhatsApp + Discord) and prevent fallback runs from clobbering concurrent session updates. (#643) — thanks @mcinteerj.
diff --git a/src/auto-reply/reply.ts b/src/auto-reply/reply.ts
index b8d8b9a66..6f9be3111 100644
--- a/src/auto-reply/reply.ts
+++ b/src/auto-reply/reply.ts
@@ -589,7 +589,6 @@ export async function getReplyFromConfig(
       (agentCfg?.elevatedDefault as ElevatedLevel | undefined) ??
       "on")
     : "off";
-  const providerKey = sessionCtx.Provider?.trim().toLowerCase();
   const resolvedBlockStreaming =
     opts?.disableBlockStreaming === true
       ? "off"
diff --git a/src/cli/daemon-cli.ts b/src/cli/daemon-cli.ts
index 55a8a1450..793b1ea5b 100644
--- a/src/cli/daemon-cli.ts
+++ b/src/cli/daemon-cli.ts
@@ -993,7 +993,12 @@ export async function runDaemonStop() {
   }
 }
 
-export async function runDaemonRestart() {
+/**
+ * Restart the gateway daemon service.
+ * @returns `true` if restart succeeded, `false` if the service was not loaded.
+ * Throws/exits on check or restart failures.
+ */
+export async function runDaemonRestart(): Promise<boolean> {
   const service = resolveGatewayService();
   let loaded = false;
   try {
@@ -1001,20 +1006,22 @@ export async function runDaemonRestart() {
   } catch (err) {
     defaultRuntime.error(`Gateway service check failed: ${String(err)}`);
     defaultRuntime.exit(1);
-    return;
+    return false;
   }
   if (!loaded) {
     defaultRuntime.log(`Gateway service ${service.notLoadedText}.`);
     for (const hint of renderGatewayServiceStartHints()) {
       defaultRuntime.log(`Start with: ${hint}`);
     }
-    return;
+    return false;
   }
   try {
     await service.restart({ stdout: process.stdout });
+    return true;
   } catch (err) {
     defaultRuntime.error(`Gateway restart failed: ${String(err)}`);
     defaultRuntime.exit(1);
+    return false;
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/cli/update-cli.test.ts b/src/cli/update-cli.test.ts
index cf555a6fd..8a5f3296e 100644
--- a/src/cli/update-cli.test.ts
+++ b/src/cli/update-cli.test.ts
@@ -124,13 +124,40 @@ describe("update-cli", () => {
     };
 
     vi.mocked(runGatewayUpdate).mockResolvedValue(mockResult);
-    vi.mocked(runDaemonRestart).mockResolvedValue();
+    vi.mocked(runDaemonRestart).mockResolvedValue(true);
 
     await updateCommand({ restart: true });
 
     expect(runDaemonRestart).toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
+  it("updateCommand skips success message when restart does not run", async () => {
+    const { runGatewayUpdate } = await import("../infra/update-runner.js");
+    const { runDaemonRestart } = await import("./daemon-cli.js");
+    const { defaultRuntime } = await import("../runtime.js");
+    const { updateCommand } = await import("./update-cli.js");
+
+    const mockResult: UpdateRunResult = {
+      status: "ok",
+      mode: "git",
+      steps: [],
+      durationMs: 100,
+    };
+
+    vi.mocked(runGatewayUpdate).mockResolvedValue(mockResult);
+    vi.mocked(runDaemonRestart).mockResolvedValue(false);
+    vi.mocked(defaultRuntime.log).mockClear();
+
+    await updateCommand({ restart: true });
+
+    const logLines = vi
+      .mocked(defaultRuntime.log)
+      .mock.calls.map((call) => String(call[0]));
+    expect(
+      logLines.some((line) => line.includes("Daemon restarted successfully.")),
+    ).toBe(false);
+  });
+
   it("updateCommand validates timeout option", async () => {
     const { defaultRuntime } = await import("../runtime.js");
     const { updateCommand } = await import("./update-cli.js");
diff --git a/src/cli/update-cli.ts b/src/cli/update-cli.ts
index 8ae2872f5..8d6f0d4bb 100644
--- a/src/cli/update-cli.ts
+++ b/src/cli/update-cli.ts
@@ -156,8 +156,8 @@ export async function updateCommand(opts: UpdateCommandOptions): Promise<void> {
       defaultRuntime.log(theme.heading("Restarting daemon..."));
     }
     try {
-      await runDaemonRestart();
-      if (!opts.json) {
+      const restarted = await runDaemonRestart();
+      if (!opts.json && restarted) {
         defaultRuntime.log(theme.success("Daemon restarted successfully."));
       }
     } catch (err) {
diff --git a/src/commands/sandbox-explain.test.ts b/src/commands/sandbox-explain.test.ts
index 3fec0f172..d3e5ea2ee 100644
--- a/src/commands/sandbox-explain.test.ts
+++ b/src/commands/sandbox-explain.test.ts
@@ -42,5 +42,5 @@ describe("sandbox explain command", () => {
     expect(Array.isArray(parsed.fixIt)).toBe(true);
     expect(parsed.fixIt).toContain("agents.defaults.sandbox.mode=off");
     expect(parsed.fixIt).toContain("tools.sandbox.tools.deny");
-  });
+  }, 15_000);
 });
diff --git a/src/discord/monitor.tool-result.test.ts b/src/discord/monitor.tool-result.test.ts
index 5963a4d2d..7c36dd37b 100644
--- a/src/discord/monitor.tool-result.test.ts
+++ b/src/discord/monitor.tool-result.test.ts
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ describe("discord tool result dispatch", () => {
     expect(runtimeError).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
     expect(sendMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
     expect(sendMock.mock.calls[0]?.[1]).toMatch(/^PFX /);
-  }, 10000);
+  }, 15_000);
 
   it("caches channel info lookups between messages", async () => {
     const { createDiscordMessageHandler } = await import("./monitor.js");