diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/lib/speech-text.test.ts b/apps/desktop/src/lib/speech-text.test.ts
index 67709d7c3d..ea96cda647 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/lib/speech-text.test.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/lib/speech-text.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
 
-import { cutSentences, sanitizeTextForSpeech } from './speech-text'
+import { cutSentences, IncrementalSpeechSentenceBuffer, sanitizeTextForSpeech } from './speech-text'
 
 describe('sanitizeTextForSpeech', () => {
   it('does not speak placeholders for fenced code blocks', () => {
@@ -270,3 +270,17 @@ describe('cutSentences', () => {
     ])
   })
 })
+
+describe('IncrementalSpeechSentenceBuffer', () => {
+  it('does not hold later sentences when prose mentions a <thinking tag', () => {
+    const buffer = new IncrementalSpeechSentenceBuffer()
+
+    expect(buffer.append('Wrap the plan in a <thinking> tag first. ')).toEqual([
+      'Wrap the plan in a <thinking> tag first.'
+    ])
+    expect(buffer.append('Then the answer follows here in prose. And a tail')).toEqual([
+      'Then the answer follows here in prose.'
+    ])
+    expect(buffer.flush()).toEqual(['And a tail'])
+  })
+})
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/lib/speech-text.ts b/apps/desktop/src/lib/speech-text.ts
index d24cf79c2f..8504586f39 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/lib/speech-text.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/lib/speech-text.ts
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@ const THINKING_PREFIX_RE =
   /^\s*(?:\([^)\n]{1,48}\)\s*)?(?:processing|thinking|reasoning|analyzing|pondering|contemplating|musing|cogitating|ruminating|deliberating|mulling|reflecting|computing|synthesizing|formulating|brainstorming)\.\.\.\s*/i
 
 const URL_RE = /\bhttps?:\/\/\S+/gi
-const CLOSED_THINK_BLOCK_RE = /<think[\s>][\s\S]*?<\/think>/g
 
 const MARKDOWN_TABLE_DELIMITER_CELL_RE = /^:?-{3,}:?$/
 
@@ -236,28 +235,22 @@ export function cutSentences(
   return { sentences, rest }
 }
 
-/** Incremental wrapper over cutSentences() that also hides <think> blocks
- *  split across deltas. Used by the sync (non-streaming provider) fallback. */
+/** Incremental wrapper over cutSentences() for the sync (non-streaming
+ *  provider) fallback. Deliberately a pure accumulator — like the streaming
+ *  session's ingest (voice-playback.ts) — because the reply text it is fed is
+ *  already text-parts-only (reasoning lives in separate parts). */
 export class IncrementalSpeechSentenceBuffer {
   private buffer = ''
 
-  constructor(private readonly minSentenceChars?: null | number) {}
-
   append(delta: string): string[] {
-    this.buffer = (this.buffer + delta).replace(CLOSED_THINK_BLOCK_RE, '')
-
-    if (this.buffer.includes('<think') && !this.buffer.includes('</think>')) {
-      return []
-    }
-
-    const { sentences, rest } = cutSentences(this.buffer, false, this.minSentenceChars)
+    const { sentences, rest } = cutSentences(this.buffer + delta, false)
     this.buffer = rest
 
     return sentences
   }
 
   flush(): string[] {
-    const { sentences } = cutSentences(this.buffer.replace(CLOSED_THINK_BLOCK_RE, ''), true, this.minSentenceChars)
+    const { sentences } = cutSentences(this.buffer, true)
     this.buffer = ''
 
     return sentences