diff --git a/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run/payloads.ts b/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run/payloads.ts
index b59315683..be7ca41f5 100644
--- a/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run/payloads.ts
+++ b/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run/payloads.ts
@@ -170,7 +170,11 @@ export function buildEmbeddedRunPayloads(params: {
       errorLower.includes("needs") ||
       errorLower.includes("requires");
 
-    if (!hasUserFacingReply || !isRecoverableError) {
+    // Show tool errors only when:
+    // 1. There's no user-facing reply AND the error is not recoverable
+    // Recoverable errors (validation, missing params) are already in the model's context
+    // and shouldn't be surfaced to users since the model should retry.
+    if (!hasUserFacingReply && !isRecoverableError) {
       const toolSummary = formatToolAggregate(
         params.lastToolError.toolName,
         params.lastToolError.meta ? [params.lastToolError.meta] : undefined,
@@ -182,8 +186,6 @@ export function buildEmbeddedRunPayloads(params: {
         isError: true,
       });
     }
-    // Note: Recoverable errors are already in the model's context as tool_result is_error.
-    // We only suppress them when a user-facing reply already exists.
   }
 
   const hasAudioAsVoiceTag = replyItems.some((item) => item.audioAsVoice);
diff --git a/src/auto-reply/reply/agent-runner.heartbeat-typing.runreplyagent-typing-heartbeat.signals-typing-normal-runs.test.ts b/src/auto-reply/reply/agent-runner.heartbeat-typing.runreplyagent-typing-heartbeat.signals-typing-normal-runs.test.ts
index d5a984a42..4040c6dc5 100644
--- a/src/auto-reply/reply/agent-runner.heartbeat-typing.runreplyagent-typing-heartbeat.signals-typing-normal-runs.test.ts
+++ b/src/auto-reply/reply/agent-runner.heartbeat-typing.runreplyagent-typing-heartbeat.signals-typing-normal-runs.test.ts
@@ -179,7 +179,7 @@ describe("runReplyAgent typing (heartbeat)", () => {
     expect(typing.startTypingOnText).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
     expect(typing.startTypingLoop).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
-  it("starts typing on assistant message start in message mode", async () => {
+  it("does not start typing on assistant message start without prior text in message mode", async () => {
     runEmbeddedPiAgentMock.mockImplementationOnce(async (params: EmbeddedPiAgentParams) => {
       await params.onAssistantMessageStart?.();
       return { payloads: [{ text: "final" }], meta: {} };
@@ -190,7 +190,8 @@ describe("runReplyAgent typing (heartbeat)", () => {
     });
     await run();
 
-    expect(typing.startTypingLoop).toHaveBeenCalled();
+    // Typing only starts when there's actual renderable text, not on message start alone
+    expect(typing.startTypingLoop).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
     expect(typing.startTypingOnText).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
   it("starts typing from reasoning stream in thinking mode", async () => {