diff --git a/agent/chat_completion_helpers.py b/agent/chat_completion_helpers.py
index 486aa2b1b9..13dc0dfbd1 100644
--- a/agent/chat_completion_helpers.py
+++ b/agent/chat_completion_helpers.py
@@ -38,8 +38,8 @@ from agent.model_metadata import is_local_endpoint
 from agent.message_content import flatten_message_text
 from agent.message_metadata import append_message, stamp_message_timestamp
 from agent.message_sanitization import (
-    _sanitize_structure_non_ascii, _sanitize_structure_surrogates, _sanitize_surrogates,
-    _repair_tool_call_arguments, normalize_finish_reason as _normalize_finish_reason,
+    _sanitize_surrogates, _repair_tool_call_arguments, normalize_finish_reason as _normalize_finish_reason,
+    sanitize_outbound_kwargs,
 )
 from agent.reasoning_summaries import append_streamed_reasoning_detail, separate_glued_reasoning_blocks
 from agent.stream_single_writer import claim_stream_writer, stream_writer_is_current
@@ -2015,8 +2015,8 @@ def _managed_summary_call(agent, api_request_id: str, request, callback, *, retr
 def _summary_text(agent, response, **normalize_kwargs) -> str:
     normalized = agent._get_transport().normalize_response(response, **normalize_kwargs)
     if normalized.tool_calls:
-        # The summary request carries tools (cache lineage), but this path never executes a
-        # call; log so a tool-only response that lands in the empty-summary retry is diagnosable.
+        # No summary path executes tool calls; log so a tool-only response that falls into the
+        # empty-summary retry is diagnosable.
         logger.warning("Iteration summary emitted tool calls; discarding them")
     return (normalized.content or "").strip()
 
@@ -2046,16 +2046,14 @@ def _anthropic_summary_attempt(agent, api_messages: list, api_request_id: str):
 
 
 def _chat_summary_attempt(agent, api_messages: list, api_request_id: str):
-    # Same builder as the main loop so the summary keeps the cached prefix (tools, prompt_cache_key,
-    # xAI alias, Moonshot sanitization). Do not omit tools or force tool_choice="none" here:
-    # SGLang renders the prompt with tools=None in that mode and the KV prefix diverges.
+    # Same kwargs builder as the main loop so the summary keeps the cached prefix (tools,
+    # prompt_cache_key, xAI alias, Moonshot sanitization). Do not omit tools or force
+    # tool_choice="none" here: SGLang renders the prompt with tools=None in that mode and the KV
+    # prefix diverges. (cache_control breakpoint decoration is not re-applied on this path.)
     summary_kwargs = agent._build_api_kwargs(api_messages)
-    # Same outbound chokepoint as turn_api_request: the summary now carries ``tools``, and on
-    # cache-planned routes the main loop scrubbed a deep copy, so ``agent.tools`` may still hold
-    # the lone surrogates / non-ASCII bytes the provider 400s on (#50959 class).
-    _sanitize_structure_surrogates(summary_kwargs)
-    if agent._force_ascii_payload:
-        _sanitize_structure_non_ascii(summary_kwargs)
+    # The summary now carries ``tools``; on cache-planned routes the main loop scrubbed a deep
+    # copy, so ``agent.tools`` may still hold bytes the provider 400s on.
+    sanitize_outbound_kwargs(agent, summary_kwargs)
 
     def _attempt(retry_count: int) -> str:
         summary_client = agent._ensure_primary_openai_client(reason="iteration_limit_summary_retry" if retry_count else "iteration_limit_summary")
diff --git a/agent/message_sanitization.py b/agent/message_sanitization.py
index b91c08a3eb..4575937a36 100644
--- a/agent/message_sanitization.py
+++ b/agent/message_sanitization.py
@@ -95,6 +95,19 @@ _sanitize_messages_non_ascii = partial(_sanitize_messages, fix=_strip_non_ascii,
 _sanitize_tools_non_ascii = _sanitize_structure_non_ascii
 
 
+def sanitize_outbound_kwargs(agent: Any, api_kwargs: dict) -> None:
+    """Outbound-request chokepoint for every built kwargs dict (main loop and iteration summary).
+
+    Tool descriptions, extra_body and kwargs strings can carry invalid code points that
+    providers reject with a non-retryable 400 (#50959); one in-place walk makes the whole
+    payload json.dumps()-safe. The ASCII strip is opt-in via the recovery flag set after an
+    ASCII-codec rejection.
+    """
+    _sanitize_structure_surrogates(api_kwargs)
+    if agent._force_ascii_payload:
+        _sanitize_structure_non_ascii(api_kwargs)
+
+
 def _escape_invalid_chars_in_json_strings(raw: str) -> str:
     """Escape literal control chars (0x00-0x1F) inside JSON string values as ``\\uXXXX``
     (for llama.cpp-style output mixing control chars with other malformations)."""
@@ -315,7 +328,7 @@ __all__ = [
     "_sanitize_surrogates", "_sanitize_structure_surrogates", "_sanitize_messages_surrogates",
     "_escape_invalid_chars_in_json_strings", "_repair_tool_call_arguments",
     "_strip_non_ascii", "_sanitize_messages_non_ascii", "_sanitize_tools_non_ascii",
-    "_strip_images_from_messages", "_sanitize_structure_non_ascii",
+    "_strip_images_from_messages", "_sanitize_structure_non_ascii", "sanitize_outbound_kwargs",
     # call_id policy owners
     "deterministic_call_id", "coalesce_tool_call_id", "tool_call_id_variants",
     "tool_result_id_variants", "uniquify_tool_call_ids",
diff --git a/agent/turn_api_request.py b/agent/turn_api_request.py
index a77aa6c6dc..f218023921 100644
--- a/agent/turn_api_request.py
+++ b/agent/turn_api_request.py
@@ -12,9 +12,7 @@ from dataclasses import dataclass
 import logging
 from typing import Any
 
-from agent.message_sanitization import (
-    _sanitize_structure_non_ascii, _sanitize_structure_surrogates
-)
+from agent.message_sanitization import sanitize_outbound_kwargs
 from utils import env_var_enabled
 
 logger = logging.getLogger("agent.conversation_loop")
@@ -120,17 +118,9 @@ def build_api_request(
         api_kwargs = agent._build_api_kwargs(api_messages)
     else:
         api_kwargs = agent._build_api_kwargs(api_messages, tools_for_api=tools_for_api)
-    # Surrogate chokepoint: tool descriptions, extra_body and kwargs strings can carry
-    # invalid code points (HTTP 400). One walk makes the payload json.dumps()-safe.
-    # Outbound-request surrogate chokepoint (#50959): the messages were scrubbed above, but the rest of the
-    # request body — tool/function descriptions (session_search's ±-heavy text is the recorded repro),
-    # extra_body, system strings routed via kwargs — can still carry invalid code points that providers
-    # reject with a non-retryable HTTP 400 ("invalid unicode code point"). One in-place walk here guarantees
-    # the entire payload json.dumps()-safe regardless of which leaf produced the string. Fast no-op when the
-    # payload is clean.
-    _sanitize_structure_surrogates(api_kwargs)
-    if agent._force_ascii_payload:
-        _sanitize_structure_non_ascii(api_kwargs)
+    # Messages were scrubbed above; this walk covers the rest of the payload (tool descriptions,
+    # extra_body, kwargs strings) — see sanitize_outbound_kwargs for the #50959 rationale.
+    sanitize_outbound_kwargs(agent, api_kwargs)
     if agent.api_mode == "codex_responses":
         api_kwargs = agent._get_transport().preflight_kwargs(
             api_kwargs, allow_stream=False, is_github_responses=agent._is_copilot_url(),
diff --git a/tests/agent/test_surrogate_chokepoints.py b/tests/agent/test_surrogate_chokepoints.py
index 24b87822df..7be75859d6 100644
--- a/tests/agent/test_surrogate_chokepoints.py
+++ b/tests/agent/test_surrogate_chokepoints.py
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ def test_conversation_loop_sanitizes_api_kwargs_after_build():
 
     src = inspect.getsource(rq.build_api_request)
     build_idx = src.index("api_kwargs = agent._build_api_kwargs(api_messages)")
-    sanitize_idx = src.index("_sanitize_structure_surrogates(api_kwargs)")
+    sanitize_idx = src.index("sanitize_outbound_kwargs(agent, api_kwargs)")
     assert build_idx < sanitize_idx
     loop_src = inspect.getsource(cl._run_api_retry_loop)
     assert loop_src.index("build_api_request,") < loop_src.index("perform_api_call,")