diff --git a/apps/web/tests/assembled-boot.ts b/apps/web/tests/assembled-boot.ts
index 0c213c4444..0e168ba9fe 100644
--- a/apps/web/tests/assembled-boot.ts
+++ b/apps/web/tests/assembled-boot.ts
@@ -124,3 +124,10 @@ export function mountAssembledApp(): void {
 export function hasClass(el: Element, name: string): boolean {
   return [...el.classList].some(cls => cls === name || cls.endsWith(`_${name}`) || cls.startsWith(`_${name}_`) || cls.includes(`_${name}_`))
 }
+
+/**
+ * Whether this run rewrites its golden instead of comparing against it, set by
+ * the snapshot gate's `DSH_SNAPSHOT` mode (`record` re-runs the scenarios from
+ * scratch, `refresh` re-derives the expected text from the existing ones).
+ */
+export const REFRESHING_GOLDEN = process.env.DSH_SNAPSHOT === 'record' || process.env.DSH_SNAPSHOT === 'refresh'
diff --git a/apps/web/tests/search-card.snapshot.ts b/apps/web/tests/search-card.snapshot.ts
index 745b545293..626be993a6 100644
--- a/apps/web/tests/search-card.snapshot.ts
+++ b/apps/web/tests/search-card.snapshot.ts
@@ -18,10 +18,9 @@ import { mkdirSync, writeFileSync } from 'node:fs'
 import { dirname, join } from 'node:path'
 import { act, fireEvent, screen, waitFor, within } from '@testing-library/react'
 import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
-import { hasClass, installAssembledBootEnv, mountAssembledApp } from './assembled-boot.ts'
+import { hasClass, installAssembledBootEnv, mountAssembledApp, REFRESHING_GOLDEN } from './assembled-boot.ts'
 
 const EXPECTED = join(process.cwd(), 'apps/web/tests/snapshots/search-card/grep-card.expected.txt')
-const refreshing = process.env.DSH_SNAPSHOT === 'record' || process.env.DSH_SNAPSHOT === 'refresh'
 
 installAssembledBootEnv()
 
@@ -72,7 +71,7 @@ describe('assembled search card', () => {
       expect(grepRow.querySelector('[data-search]')).not.toBeNull()
     }, { timeout: 10_000 })
     const shape = cardShape(grepRow)
-    if (refreshing) {
+    if (REFRESHING_GOLDEN) {
       mkdirSync(dirname(EXPECTED), { recursive: true })
       writeFileSync(EXPECTED, shape)
     }
diff --git a/apps/web/tests/todo-row.snapshot.ts b/apps/web/tests/todo-row.snapshot.ts
index 70fd95c447..c05057dddc 100644
--- a/apps/web/tests/todo-row.snapshot.ts
+++ b/apps/web/tests/todo-row.snapshot.ts
@@ -14,10 +14,9 @@ import { mkdirSync, writeFileSync } from 'node:fs'
 import { dirname, join } from 'node:path'
 import { fireEvent, screen, waitFor, within } from '@testing-library/react'
 import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
-import { hasClass, installAssembledBootEnv, mountAssembledApp } from './assembled-boot.ts'
+import { hasClass, installAssembledBootEnv, mountAssembledApp, REFRESHING_GOLDEN } from './assembled-boot.ts'
 
 const EXPECTED = join(process.cwd(), 'apps/web/tests/snapshots/todo-row/parallel-plan.expected.txt')
-const refreshing = process.env.DSH_SNAPSHOT === 'record' || process.env.DSH_SNAPSHOT === 'refresh'
 
 installAssembledBootEnv()
 
@@ -63,7 +62,7 @@ describe('assembled todo surfaces', () => {
     if (toggle.getAttribute('aria-expanded') === 'false') fireEvent.click(toggle)
 
     const shape = todoShape(row, panel)
-    if (refreshing) {
+    if (REFRESHING_GOLDEN) {
       mkdirSync(dirname(EXPECTED), { recursive: true })
       writeFileSync(EXPECTED, shape)
     }
diff --git a/packages/client/ui-conversation/src/client/toolviews/plan-summary.ts b/packages/client/ui-conversation/src/client/toolviews/plan-summary.ts
index 6fc37d8c28..dd4fd67be1 100644
--- a/packages/client/ui-conversation/src/client/toolviews/plan-summary.ts
+++ b/packages/client/ui-conversation/src/client/toolviews/plan-summary.ts
@@ -38,17 +38,19 @@ export interface PlanSummary {
  * the first `in_progress` item and counts the remaining active ones, so a
  * parallel plan reports how many tasks are running rather than naming one and
  * hiding the others. `activeContent` is null when nothing is in progress, or
- * when the first active item carries no usable content — model JSON may. The
- * row then renders the counts alone rather than falling back to the generic
- * tool summary: the counts are already known to be good, and the active-item
- * clause is the only part an unusable name costs.
+ * when the first active item's content is missing, mistyped, or blank once
+ * trimmed — the tool's own rule for usable content, applied here because a
+ * rejected call keeps its args verbatim. The row then renders the counts alone
+ * rather than falling back to the generic tool summary: the counts are already
+ * known to be good, and the active-item clause is the only part an unusable
+ * name costs.
  * @param todos - the whole list, in model order.
  * @returns the done/total counts and the two summary halves.
  */
 export function planSummary(todos: readonly PlanItemLike[]): PlanSummary {
   const active = todos.filter(t => t.status === 'in_progress')
   const first = active[0]?.content
-  const named = typeof first === 'string' && first !== ''
+  const named = typeof first === 'string' && first.trim() !== ''
   return {
     done: todos.filter(t => t.status === 'completed').length,
     total: todos.length,
diff --git a/packages/client/ui-conversation/tests/todo-panel.spec.tsx b/packages/client/ui-conversation/tests/todo-panel.spec.tsx
index 57149c9195..3ab95168a7 100644
--- a/packages/client/ui-conversation/tests/todo-panel.spec.tsx
+++ b/packages/client/ui-conversation/tests/todo-panel.spec.tsx
@@ -62,12 +62,16 @@ describe('planSummary', () => {
   })
 
   it('has no hint when the first active item carries no usable content (model JSON)', () => {
-    // Unvalidated args: a missing, mistyped, or empty content yields no hint —
-    // and no orphan count, even with a second active item to count.
+    // Unvalidated args: a missing, mistyped, empty, or whitespace-only content
+    // yields no hint — and no orphan count, even with a second active item to
+    // count. Whitespace-only is the tool's own rejection rule (trimmed
+    // non-empty), and a rejected call keeps its args verbatim.
     expect(planSummary([{ status: 'in_progress' }, { content: 'x', status: 'in_progress' }]))
       .toMatchObject({ activeContent: null, activeExtra: 0 })
     expect(planSummary([{ content: 42, status: 'in_progress' }]).activeContent).toBeNull()
     expect(planSummary([{ content: '', status: 'in_progress' }]).activeContent).toBeNull()
+    expect(planSummary([{ content: '   ', status: 'in_progress' }, { content: 'x', status: 'in_progress' }]))
+      .toMatchObject({ activeContent: null, activeExtra: 0 })
   })
 
   it('is empty-safe', () => {