diff --git a/agent/replay_cleanup.py b/agent/replay_cleanup.py
index febd7aaea0..da1c78ff07 100644
--- a/agent/replay_cleanup.py
+++ b/agent/replay_cleanup.py
@@ -31,9 +31,7 @@ def is_interrupted_tool_result(content: Any) -> bool:
     if not isinstance(content, str):
         return False
     lowered = content.lower()
-    if "[command interrupted]" in lowered:
-        return True
-    return "exit_code" in lowered and ("130" in lowered or "-1" in lowered) and "interrupt" in lowered
+    return "[command interrupted]" in lowered or ("exit_code" in lowered and ("130" in lowered or "-1" in lowered) and "interrupt" in lowered)
 
 
 def _call_name(call: Dict[str, Any]) -> str:
@@ -62,8 +60,7 @@ def strip_interrupted_tool_tails(agent_history: List[Dict[str, Any]]) -> List[Di
     if not agent_history:
         return agent_history
     cleaned: List[Dict[str, Any]] = []
-    i = 0
-    n = len(agent_history)
+    i, n = 0, len(agent_history)
     while i < n:
         msg = agent_history[i]
         if msg.get("role") == "assistant" and "tool_calls" in msg:
@@ -71,24 +68,20 @@ def strip_interrupted_tool_tails(agent_history: List[Dict[str, Any]]) -> List[Di
             while j < n and agent_history[j].get("role") == "tool":
                 j += 1
             tool_results = agent_history[i + 1:j]
-            if tool_results and any(is_interrupted_tool_result(m.get("content", "")) for m in tool_results):
+            if any(is_interrupted_tool_result(m.get("content", "")) for m in tool_results):
                 calls = msg.get("tool_calls") or []
                 if _any_side_effecting(calls):
                     call_names = {_call_id(call): _call_name(call) for call in calls}
                     cleaned.append(msg)
                     for tool_result in tool_results:
-                        if not is_interrupted_tool_result(tool_result.get("content", "")):
-                            cleaned.append(tool_result)
-                            continue
-                        recovered = dict(tool_result)
-                        name = call_names.get(str(tool_result.get("tool_call_id") or ""), "")
-                        recovered["effect_disposition"], recovered["content"] = _orphan_recovery(name, _INTERRUPTED_NOTICES)
-                        cleaned.append(recovered)
+                        if is_interrupted_tool_result(tool_result.get("content", "")):
+                            name = call_names.get(str(tool_result.get("tool_call_id") or ""), "")
+                            disposition, content = _orphan_recovery(name, _INTERRUPTED_NOTICES)
+                            tool_result = {**tool_result, "effect_disposition": disposition, "content": content}
+                        cleaned.append(tool_result)
                 else:
-                    logger.debug(
-                        "Stripping interrupted read-only assistant→tool replay block (indices %d–%d, tool_results=%d)",
-                        i, j - 1, len(tool_results),
-                    )
+                    logger.debug("Stripping interrupted read-only assistant→tool replay block (indices %d–%d, tool_results=%d)",
+                                 i, j - 1, len(tool_results))
                 i = j
                 continue
         if msg.get("role") == "tool" and is_interrupted_tool_result(msg.get("content", "")):
@@ -151,10 +144,7 @@ _EXPIRED_CONFIRMATION_SENTINEL = (
 
 def is_dangerous_confirmation(content: Any) -> bool:
     """True if user-message text contains a known dangerous confirmation phrase."""
-    if not isinstance(content, str):
-        return False
-    text = content.strip().lower()
-    return any(pattern in text for pattern in _DANGEROUS_CONFIRMATION_PATTERNS)
+    return isinstance(content, str) and any(pattern in content.strip().lower() for pattern in _DANGEROUS_CONFIRMATION_PATTERNS)
 
 
 def strip_stale_dangerous_confirmations(
diff --git a/agent/session_persistence.py b/agent/session_persistence.py
index 528c460f12..0454e83df0 100644
--- a/agent/session_persistence.py
+++ b/agent/session_persistence.py
@@ -103,14 +103,6 @@ def _durable_content(content: Any) -> Any:
     return "\n".join(txt) if txt else None
 
 
-def _tool_calls_data(msg: Dict) -> Any:
-    if hasattr(msg, "tool_calls") and isinstance(msg.tool_calls, list) and msg.tool_calls:
-        return [{"name": tc.function.name, "arguments": tc.function.arguments} for tc in msg.tool_calls]
-    if isinstance(msg.get("tool_calls"), list):
-        return msg["tool_calls"]
-    return None
-
-
 def _persist_lock(agent):
     """Close and turn-start persistence can run on separate CLI threads: one critical section."""
     return getattr(agent, "_session_persist_lock", None) or nullcontext()
@@ -122,9 +114,8 @@ def _db_flush_seed_ids(agent) -> set:
     """One-shot ``_flushed_db_message_ids`` seed (same session, after a non-empty flush); the scan translates
     it to markers and the flush clears it."""
     current_session_id = getattr(agent, "session_id", None)
-    seed_ids = None
-    if getattr(agent, "_flushed_db_message_session_id", None) == current_session_id and agent._last_flushed_db_idx != 0:
-        seed_ids = getattr(agent, "_flushed_db_message_ids", None)
+    same_session = getattr(agent, "_flushed_db_message_session_id", None) == current_session_id
+    seed_ids = getattr(agent, "_flushed_db_message_ids", None) if same_session and agent._last_flushed_db_idx != 0 else None
     agent._flushed_db_message_session_id = current_session_id
     return seed_ids if isinstance(seed_ids, set) else set()
 
@@ -146,7 +137,7 @@ def _db_flush_row(agent, msg: Dict, is_current_turn_user: bool) -> Dict[str, Any
     # api_content sidecar: exact bytes sent to the API when they differ from clean content (replay parity).
     api_content = msg.get("api_content") if isinstance(msg.get("api_content"), str) else None
     timestamp = msg.get("timestamp")
-    if is_current_turn_user and msg.get("role") == "user":
+    if is_current_turn_user and role == "user":
         override = getattr(agent, "_persist_user_message_override", None)
         if _override_replaces_content(msg, content, override):
             # Live content is what the wire sent, the override is the clean transcript; keep the sent bytes.
@@ -154,8 +145,7 @@ def _db_flush_row(agent, msg: Dict, is_current_turn_user: bool) -> Dict[str, Any
                 api_content = content
             content = override
         ov_timestamp = getattr(agent, "_persist_user_message_timestamp", None)
-        if ov_timestamp is not None:
-            timestamp = ov_timestamp
+        timestamp = timestamp if ov_timestamp is None else ov_timestamp
     if api_content == content:
         api_content = None
     # get_messages_as_conversation replays rows through sanitize_context().strip(); capture the sent bytes
@@ -167,20 +157,14 @@ def _db_flush_row(agent, msg: Dict, is_current_turn_user: bool) -> Dict[str, Any
         api_content = content
     # Key order is the divert-JSONL wire order (divert_session_transcript_jsonl).
     row = {
-        "role": role,
-        "content": _durable_content(content),
-        "tool_name": msg.get("tool_name"),
-        "tool_calls": _tool_calls_data(msg),
-        "tool_call_id": msg.get("tool_call_id"),
-        "finish_reason": msg.get("finish_reason"),
+        "role": role, "content": _durable_content(content), "tool_name": msg.get("tool_name"),
+        "tool_calls": msg["tool_calls"] if isinstance(msg.get("tool_calls"), list) else None,
+        "tool_call_id": msg.get("tool_call_id"), "finish_reason": msg.get("finish_reason"),
         **{k: msg.get(k) for k in _ROW_REASONING_KEYS},
         "_compressed_summary": bool(msg.get(COMPRESSED_SUMMARY_METADATA_KEY)),
-        "timestamp": timestamp,
-        "api_content": api_content,
-        "display_kind": _summary_display_kind(msg),
-        "display_metadata": msg.get("display_metadata"),
-        # Load-bearing for restart drain-window recovery dedup.
-        "platform_message_id": msg.get("platform_message_id"),
+        "timestamp": timestamp, "api_content": api_content,
+        "display_kind": _summary_display_kind(msg), "display_metadata": msg.get("display_metadata"),
+        "platform_message_id": msg.get("platform_message_id"),  # load-bearing for restart drain-window recovery dedup
     }
     if isinstance(msg.get("_row_id"), int):
         row["_row_id"] = msg["_row_id"]
@@ -217,8 +201,7 @@ def _db_flush_write(agent, batch_rows: List[Dict[str, Any]], batch_msgs: List[Di
     if not batch_rows:
         return
     agent._session_db.append_messages_batch(
-        session_id=agent.session_id,
-        messages=batch_rows,
+        session_id=agent.session_id, messages=batch_rows,
         compression_lock_holder=getattr(agent, "_active_compression_lock_holder", None),
         turn_lease_holder=getattr(agent, "_active_session_turn_lease_holder", None),
         turn_lease_ttl_seconds=getattr(agent, "_active_session_turn_lease_ttl_seconds", 300.0) or 300.0,
@@ -244,9 +227,7 @@ def _db_flush_adopt_compression_tip(agent) -> bool:
     if tip_row is None or tip_row.get("ended_at") is not None:
         return False
     logger.warning("Adopted live compression tip %s for closed session %s; retrying flush once", tip, old_id)
-    agent.session_id = tip
-    agent._flushed_db_message_ids = set()
-    agent._last_flushed_db_idx = 0
+    agent.session_id, agent._flushed_db_message_ids, agent._last_flushed_db_idx = tip, set(), 0
     agent._compression_adoption_failed = False
     return True
 
@@ -257,23 +238,17 @@ def _db_flush_failed(agent, e: Exception, batch_rows: List[Dict[str, Any]], adop
     # The only place the SQLite error is visible before it becomes a bare False — classify it so the turn-end
     # explanation can distinguish lock contention from disk-full/read-only.
     from hermes_state import (
-        CompressionSessionClosedError,
-        StateDbCorruptError,
-        StateDbReplacedError,
-        classify_persistence_error,
+        CompressionSessionClosedError, StateDbCorruptError, StateDbReplacedError, classify_persistence_error,
         divert_session_transcript_jsonl,
     )
-
     agent._last_persistence_error_cause = classify_persistence_error(e)
     if isinstance(e, (StateDbReplacedError, StateDbCorruptError)):
         # A replaced/quarantined handle will not take this batch again — keep it on disk.
         try:
             divert_session_transcript_jsonl(getattr(agent, "session_id", "") or "", batch_rows)
         except Exception:
-            logger.warning(
-                "JSONL divert failed after state.db %s for %s",
-                agent._last_persistence_error_cause, getattr(agent, "session_id", None), exc_info=True,
-            )
+            logger.warning("JSONL divert failed after state.db %s for %s",
+                           agent._last_persistence_error_cause, getattr(agent, "session_id", None), exc_info=True)
     if isinstance(e, CompressionSessionClosedError):
         # Compression race: another path rotated this session mid-write. Retry exactly once on the live tip; a
         # second closed-parent write fails closed.
@@ -329,8 +304,7 @@ class SessionPersistenceMixin:
             msg["content"] = override
         if timestamp is not None:
             msg["timestamp"] = timestamp
-        # Load-bearing for restart drain-window recovery dedup (has_platform_message_id).
-        if platform_id is not None:
+        if platform_id is not None:  # load-bearing for restart drain-window recovery dedup (has_platform_message_id)
             msg["platform_message_id"] = platform_id
 
     def _persist_session(self, messages: List[Dict], conversation_history: List[Dict] = None):
@@ -429,10 +403,8 @@ class SessionPersistenceMixin:
         """Convert REASONING_SCRATCHPAD to think tags and clean up whitespace."""
         if not content:
             return content
-        content = convert_scratchpad_to_think(content)
-        content = re.sub(r'\n+(<think>)', r'\n\1', content)
-        content = re.sub(r'(</think>)\n+', r'\1\n', content)
-        return content.strip()
+        content = re.sub(r'\n+(<think>)', r'\n\1', convert_scratchpad_to_think(content))
+        return re.sub(r'(</think>)\n+', r'\1\n', content).strip()
 
     @staticmethod
     def _redact_message_content(content):
@@ -441,11 +413,8 @@ class SessionPersistenceMixin:
             return redact_sensitive_text(content)
         if not isinstance(content, list):
             return content
-        return [
-            {**p, **{k: redact_sensitive_text(p[k]) for k in ("text", "content") if isinstance(p.get(k), str)}}
-            if isinstance(p, dict) else p
-            for p in content
-        ]
+        return [{**p, **{k: redact_sensitive_text(p[k]) for k in ("text", "content") if isinstance(p.get(k), str)}}
+                if isinstance(p, dict) else p for p in content]
 
     def _save_session_log(self, messages: List[Dict[str, Any]] = None):
         """Optional per-session JSON snapshot (``sessions.write_json_snapshots``, default False) for external
@@ -465,16 +434,10 @@ class SessionPersistenceMixin:
             if _existing_log_is_larger(log_file, len(cleaned)):
                 return
             entry = {
-                "session_id": self.session_id,
-                "model": self.model,
-                "base_url": self.base_url,
-                "platform": self.platform,
-                "session_start": self.session_start.isoformat(),
-                "last_updated": datetime.now().isoformat(),
-                "system_prompt": redact_sensitive_text(self._cached_system_prompt or ""),
-                "tools": self.tools or [],
-                "message_count": len(cleaned),
-                "messages": cleaned,
+                "session_id": self.session_id, "model": self.model, "base_url": self.base_url, "platform": self.platform,
+                "session_start": self.session_start.isoformat(), "last_updated": datetime.now().isoformat(),
+                "system_prompt": redact_sensitive_text(self._cached_system_prompt or ""), "tools": self.tools or [],
+                "message_count": len(cleaned), "messages": cleaned,
             }
             atomic_json_write(log_file, entry, indent=2, default=str)
         except Exception as e:
diff --git a/agent/shell_hooks.py b/agent/shell_hooks.py
index 5e3244b751..1cf992436b 100644
--- a/agent/shell_hooks.py
+++ b/agent/shell_hooks.py
@@ -142,7 +142,6 @@ def register_from_config(cfg: Optional[Dict[str, Any]], *, accept_hooks: bool =
     if not isinstance(cfg, dict):
         return []
     from utils import env_var_enabled
-
     if env_var_enabled("HERMES_SAFE_MODE"):  # hooks are user customizations too — fire zero user-configured code
         logger.info("HERMES_SAFE_MODE=1 — shell-hook registration skipped")
         return []
@@ -150,10 +149,8 @@ def register_from_config(cfg: Optional[Dict[str, Any]], *, accept_hooks: bool =
     specs = _parse_hooks_block(cfg.get("hooks"))
     if not specs:
         return []
-    registered: List[ShellHookSpec] = []
     from hermes_cli.plugins import get_plugin_manager  # lazy: avoids import cycle
-    manager = get_plugin_manager()
-    home_key = _home_key()
+    manager, home_key, registered = get_plugin_manager(), _home_key(), []
     # Idempotence + allowlist read under the lock; TTY prompt outside it; mutation re-takes the lock and re-checks.
     for spec in specs:
         key = (home_key, spec.event, spec.matcher, spec.command)
@@ -162,11 +159,9 @@ def register_from_config(cfg: Optional[Dict[str, Any]], *, accept_hooks: bool =
                 continue
             already_allowlisted = _is_allowlisted(spec.event, spec.command)
         if not already_allowlisted and not _prompt_and_record(spec.event, spec.command, accept_hooks=effective_accept):
-            logger.warning(
-                "shell hook for %s (%s) not allowlisted — skipped. Use --accept-hooks / "
-                "HERMES_ACCEPT_HOOKS=1 / hooks_auto_accept: true, or approve at the TTY prompt next run.",
-                spec.event, spec.command,
-            )
+            logger.warning("shell hook for %s (%s) not allowlisted — skipped. Use --accept-hooks / "
+                           "HERMES_ACCEPT_HOOKS=1 / hooks_auto_accept: true, or approve at the TTY prompt next run.",
+                           spec.event, spec.command)
             continue
         with _registered_lock:
             if key in _registered:
@@ -174,10 +169,8 @@ def register_from_config(cfg: Optional[Dict[str, Any]], *, accept_hooks: bool =
             manager._hooks.setdefault(spec.event, []).append(_make_callback(spec))
             _registered.add(key)
             registered.append(spec)
-            logger.info(
-                "shell hook registered: %s -> %s (matcher=%s, timeout=%ds, fail_closed=%s)",
-                spec.event, spec.command, spec.matcher, spec.timeout, spec.fail_closed,
-            )
+            logger.info("shell hook registered: %s -> %s (matcher=%s, timeout=%ds, fail_closed=%s)",
+                        spec.event, spec.command, spec.matcher, spec.timeout, spec.fail_closed)
     return registered
 
 
@@ -205,20 +198,15 @@ def reset_for_tests() -> None:
 def _parse_hooks_block(hooks_cfg: Any) -> List[ShellHookSpec]:
     """Normalise ``hooks:`` into specs; malformed entries warn-and-skip, never raise."""
     from hermes_cli.plugins import SHELL_UNSUPPORTED_HOOKS, VALID_HOOKS
-
     if not isinstance(hooks_cfg, dict):
         return []
     specs: List[ShellHookSpec] = []
     for event_name, entries in hooks_cfg.items():
         if event_name in ("output_spill", "outbound"):  # reserved non-event sub-sections under `hooks:`
             continue
-        if event_name in SHELL_UNSUPPORTED_HOOKS:
-            # _parse_response has no channel for these directives — refuse loudly.
-            logger.warning(
-                "hook event %r is Python-plugin-only: shell hooks cannot return its directive, "
-                "so this registration is refused rather than silently ignored",
-                event_name,
-            )
+        if event_name in SHELL_UNSUPPORTED_HOOKS:  # _parse_response has no channel for these directives — refuse loudly
+            logger.warning("hook event %r is Python-plugin-only: shell hooks cannot return its directive, "
+                           "so this registration is refused rather than silently ignored", event_name)
             continue
         if event_name not in VALID_HOOKS:
             suggestion = difflib.get_close_matches(str(event_name), VALID_HOOKS, n=1, cutoff=0.6)
@@ -252,11 +240,8 @@ def _parse_single_entry(event: str, index: int, raw: Any) -> Optional[ShellHookS
         warn(".matcher must be a string regex; ignoring")
         matcher = None
     if matcher is not None and event not in _TOOL_EVENTS:
-        warn(
-            ".matcher=%r will be ignored at runtime — the matcher field is only honored for "
-            "pre_tool_call / post_tool_call.  The hook will fire on every %s event.",
-            matcher, event,
-        )
+        warn(".matcher=%r will be ignored at runtime — the matcher field is only honored for "
+             "pre_tool_call / post_tool_call.  The hook will fire on every %s event.", matcher, event)
         matcher = None
     try:
         timeout = int(raw.get("timeout", DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_SECONDS))
@@ -266,7 +251,7 @@ def _parse_single_entry(event: str, index: int, raw: Any) -> Optional[ShellHookS
     if timeout < 1:
         warn(".timeout must be >=1; using default %ds", DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_SECONDS)
         timeout = DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_SECONDS
-    if timeout > MAX_TIMEOUT_SECONDS:
+    elif timeout > MAX_TIMEOUT_SECONDS:
         warn(".timeout=%ds exceeds max %ds; clamping", timeout, MAX_TIMEOUT_SECONDS)
         timeout = MAX_TIMEOUT_SECONDS
     # ``fail_closed`` (canonical) wins over ``failClosed`` (Cursor/Claude-Code compat).
@@ -275,11 +260,8 @@ def _parse_single_entry(event: str, index: int, raw: Any) -> Optional[ShellHookS
         warn(".fail_closed must be a boolean (got %r); using default false (fail open)", fail_closed)
         fail_closed = False
     if fail_closed and event not in _BLOCKING_EVENTS:
-        warn(
-            ".fail_closed=true will be ignored at runtime — fail_closed only applies to blocking-capable "
-            "events (%s).  The hook will fail open on %s like any other hook.",
-            ", ".join(sorted(_BLOCKING_EVENTS)), event,
-        )
+        warn(".fail_closed=true will be ignored at runtime — fail_closed only applies to blocking-capable "
+             "events (%s).  The hook will fail open on %s like any other hook.", ", ".join(sorted(_BLOCKING_EVENTS)), event)
         fail_closed = False
     return ShellHookSpec(event=event, command=command.strip(), matcher=matcher, timeout=timeout, fail_closed=fail_closed)
 
@@ -292,9 +274,7 @@ _POPEN_ERRORS = ((FileNotFoundError, "command not found"), (PermissionError, "co
 
 def _spawn(spec: ShellHookSpec, stdin_json: str) -> Dict[str, Any]:
     """The single subprocess site: run ``spec.command`` with ``stdin_json`` on stdin. Same result keys for every outcome."""
-    result: Dict[str, Any] = {
-        "returncode": None, "stdout": "", "stderr": "", "timed_out": False, "elapsed_seconds": 0.0, "error": None,
-    }
+    result: Dict[str, Any] = {"returncode": None, "stdout": "", "stderr": "", "timed_out": False, "elapsed_seconds": 0.0, "error": None}
 
     def failed(error: str) -> Dict[str, Any]:
         result["error"] = error
@@ -311,27 +291,21 @@ def _spawn(spec: ShellHookSpec, stdin_json: str) -> Dict[str, Any]:
     # / taskkill /T). Hooks that finish in time keep detached helpers alive.
     popen_kwargs: Dict[str, Any] = {"creationflags": windows_hide_flags()} if IS_WINDOWS else {"process_group": 0}
     try:
-        proc = subprocess.Popen(
-            argv, stdin=subprocess.PIPE, stdout=subprocess.PIPE, stderr=subprocess.PIPE,
-            text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', shell=False, **popen_kwargs,
-        )
+        proc = subprocess.Popen(argv, stdin=subprocess.PIPE, stdout=subprocess.PIPE, stderr=subprocess.PIPE,
+                                text=True, encoding='utf-8', errors='replace', shell=False, **popen_kwargs)
     except Exception as exc:
         return failed(next((msg for cls, msg in _POPEN_ERRORS if isinstance(exc, cls)), str(exc)))
     try:
         stdout, stderr = proc.communicate(input=stdin_json, timeout=spec.timeout)
     except Exception as exc:
-        # Kill the whole tree — forked helpers holding the pipes would stall the drain.
-        kill_process_tree(proc)
+        kill_process_tree(proc)  # the whole tree — forked helpers holding the pipes would stall the drain
         with suppress(Exception):
             proc.communicate(timeout=1)
         if not isinstance(exc, subprocess.TimeoutExpired):  # pragma: no cover — defensive
             return failed(str(exc))
-        result["timed_out"] = True
-        result["elapsed_seconds"] = round(time.monotonic() - t0, 3)
+        result.update(timed_out=True, elapsed_seconds=round(time.monotonic() - t0, 3))
         return result
-    result.update(
-        returncode=proc.returncode, stdout=stdout or "", stderr=stderr or "", elapsed_seconds=round(time.monotonic() - t0, 3),
-    )
+    result.update(returncode=proc.returncode, stdout=stdout or "", stderr=stderr or "", elapsed_seconds=round(time.monotonic() - t0, 3))
     return result
 
 
@@ -359,10 +333,10 @@ def _evaluate_result(spec: ShellHookSpec, r: Dict[str, Any]) -> Optional[Dict[st
     fail_closed = spec.fail_closed and blocking_event
     if r["error"]:
         logger.warning("shell hook failed (event=%s command=%s): %s", spec.event, spec.command, r["error"])
-        return _fail_closed_block(spec, r["error"]) if fail_closed else None
-    if r["timed_out"]:
+    elif r["timed_out"]:
         logger.warning("shell hook timed out after %.2fs (event=%s command=%s)", r["elapsed_seconds"], spec.event, spec.command)
-        return _fail_closed_block(spec, f"timed out after {spec.timeout}s") if fail_closed else None
+    if r["error"] or r["timed_out"]:
+        return _fail_closed_block(spec, r["error"] or f"timed out after {spec.timeout}s") if fail_closed else None
     stderr = r["stderr"].strip()
     if stderr:
         logger.debug("shell hook stderr (event=%s command=%s): %s", spec.event, spec.command, stderr[:_STDERR_MESSAGE_LIMIT])
@@ -375,10 +349,8 @@ def _evaluate_result(spec: ShellHookSpec, r: Dict[str, Any]) -> Optional[Dict[st
         return {"action": "block", "message": message}
     # Other non-zero exits: still parse stdout so exit-code failures can carry a block directive.
     if r["returncode"] != 0:
-        logger.warning(
-            "shell hook exited %d (event=%s command=%s); stderr=%s",
-            r["returncode"], spec.event, spec.command, stderr[:_STDERR_MESSAGE_LIMIT],
-        )
+        logger.warning("shell hook exited %d (event=%s command=%s); stderr=%s",
+                       r["returncode"], spec.event, spec.command, stderr[:_STDERR_MESSAGE_LIMIT])
     stdout = (r["stdout"] or "").strip()
     parsed = _parse_response(spec.event, stdout)
     if parsed is None and fail_closed and stdout and not _is_json_object(stdout):
@@ -434,10 +406,7 @@ def _parse_context(data: Dict[str, Any]) -> Optional[Dict[str, Any]]:
     return {"context": context} if isinstance(context, str) and context.strip() else None
 
 
-_RESPONSE_PARSERS: Dict[str, Callable[[Dict[str, Any]], Optional[Dict[str, Any]]]] = {
-    "pre_tool_call": _parse_pre_tool_call,
-    "pre_verify": _parse_pre_verify,
-}
+_RESPONSE_PARSERS: Dict[str, Callable[[Dict[str, Any]], Optional[Dict[str, Any]]]] = {"pre_tool_call": _parse_pre_tool_call, "pre_verify": _parse_pre_verify}
 
 
 def _parse_response(event: str, stdout: str) -> Optional[Dict[str, Any]]:
@@ -488,12 +457,9 @@ def save_allowlist(data: Dict[str, Any]) -> None:
                 os.unlink(tmp_path)
             raise
     except OSError as exc:
-        logger.warning(
-            "Failed to persist shell hook allowlist to %s: %s. The approval is in-memory for this run, "
-            "but the next startup will re-prompt (or skip registration on non-TTY runs without "
-            "--accept-hooks / HERMES_ACCEPT_HOOKS).",
-            p, exc,
-        )
+        logger.warning("Failed to persist shell hook allowlist to %s: %s. The approval is in-memory for this run, "
+                       "but the next startup will re-prompt (or skip registration on non-TTY runs without "
+                       "--accept-hooks / HERMES_ACCEPT_HOOKS).", p, exc)
 
 
 def _is_allowlisted(event: str, command: str) -> bool:
@@ -531,31 +497,22 @@ def _prompt_and_record(event: str, command: str, *, accept_hooks: bool) -> bool:
     if not sys.stdin.isatty():
         return False
     print(
-        f"\n⚠ Hermes is about to register a shell hook that will run a\n"
-        f"  command on your behalf.\n\n"
-        f"    Event:   {event}\n"
-        f"    Command: {command}\n\n"
-        f"  Commands run with your full user credentials.  Only approve\n"
-        f"  commands you trust."
+        f"\n⚠ Hermes is about to register a shell hook that will run a\n  command on your behalf.\n\n"
+        f"    Event:   {event}\n    Command: {command}\n\n"
+        f"  Commands run with your full user credentials.  Only approve\n  commands you trust."
     )
     try:
         answer = input("Allow this hook to run? [y/N]: ").strip().lower()
     except (EOFError, KeyboardInterrupt):
         print()  # keep the terminal tidy after ^C
         return False
-    if answer not in {"y", "yes"}:
-        return False
-    _record_approval(event, command)
-    return True
+    if answer in {"y", "yes"}:
+        _record_approval(event, command)
+    return answer in {"y", "yes"}
 
 
 def _record_approval(event: str, command: str) -> None:
-    entry = {
-        "event": event,
-        "command": command,
-        "approved_at": _utc_now_iso(),
-        "script_mtime_at_approval": script_mtime_iso(command),
-    }
+    entry = {"event": event, "command": command, "approved_at": _utc_now_iso(), "script_mtime_at_approval": script_mtime_iso(command)}
     with _locked_update_approvals() as data:
         data["approvals"] = [e for e in data.get("approvals", []) if not _entry_matches(e, event, command)] + [entry]
 
@@ -568,9 +525,7 @@ def revoke(command: str) -> int:
         return before - len(data["approvals"])
 
 
-_SCRIPT_EXTENSIONS: Tuple[str, ...] = (
-    ".sh", ".bash", ".zsh", ".fish", ".py", ".pyw", ".rb", ".pl", ".lua", ".js", ".mjs", ".cjs", ".ts",
-)
+_SCRIPT_EXTENSIONS: Tuple[str, ...] = (".sh", ".bash", ".zsh", ".fish", ".py", ".pyw", ".rb", ".pl", ".lua", ".js", ".mjs", ".cjs", ".ts")
 
 
 def _command_script_path(command: str) -> str:
@@ -579,11 +534,8 @@ def _command_script_path(command: str) -> str:
         parts = split_command_line(command) or [command]
     except ValueError:
         return command
-    return (
-        next((p for p in parts if p.lower().endswith(_SCRIPT_EXTENSIONS)), None)
-        or next((p for p in parts if "/" in p or p.startswith("~")), None)
-        or parts[0]
-    )
+    return (next((p for p in parts if p.lower().endswith(_SCRIPT_EXTENSIONS)), None)
+            or next((p for p in parts if "/" in p or p.startswith("~")), None) or parts[0])
 
 
 def _resolve_effective_accept(cfg: Dict[str, Any], accept_hooks_arg: bool) -> bool:
@@ -591,9 +543,7 @@ def _resolve_effective_accept(cfg: Dict[str, Any], accept_hooks_arg: bool) -> bo
     if accept_hooks_arg or os.environ.get("HERMES_ACCEPT_HOOKS", "").strip().lower() in _TRUTHY:
         return True
     cfg_val = cfg.get("hooks_auto_accept", False)
-    if isinstance(cfg_val, bool):
-        return cfg_val
-    return isinstance(cfg_val, str) and cfg_val.strip().lower() in _TRUTHY
+    return cfg_val if isinstance(cfg_val, bool) else isinstance(cfg_val, str) and cfg_val.strip().lower() in _TRUTHY
 
 
 # --- Introspection (used by `hermes hooks` CLI) ---
@@ -606,27 +556,22 @@ def allowlist_entry_for(event: str, command: str) -> Optional[Dict[str, Any]]:
 def script_mtime_iso(command: str) -> Optional[str]:
     """ISO-8601 mtime of the resolved script path, or ``None`` if missing."""
     path = _command_script_path(command)
-    if not path:
-        return None
     try:
-        mtime = os.path.getmtime(os.path.expanduser(path))
+        mtime = os.path.getmtime(os.path.expanduser(path)) if path else None
     except OSError:
         return None
-    return datetime.fromtimestamp(mtime, tz=timezone.utc).isoformat().replace("+00:00", "Z")
+    return None if mtime is None else datetime.fromtimestamp(mtime, tz=timezone.utc).isoformat().replace("+00:00", "Z")
 
 
 def script_is_executable(command: str) -> bool:
     """Runnable as configured: a bare script needs X_OK, an interpreter-prefixed one only R_OK (as ``_spawn`` does)."""
     path = _command_script_path(command)
     expanded = os.path.expanduser(path)
-    if not path or not os.path.isfile(expanded):
-        return False
     try:
-        argv = split_command_line(command)
+        argv = split_command_line(command) if path and os.path.isfile(expanded) else None
     except ValueError:
         return False
-    is_bare_invocation = bool(argv) and argv[0] == path
-    return os.access(expanded, os.X_OK if is_bare_invocation else os.R_OK)
+    return argv is not None and os.access(expanded, os.X_OK if argv and argv[0] == path else os.R_OK)
 
 
 def run_once(spec: ShellHookSpec, kwargs: Dict[str, Any]) -> Dict[str, Any]:
diff --git a/agent/subagent_lifecycle.py b/agent/subagent_lifecycle.py
index 6a103bb1da..a7f333137f 100644
--- a/agent/subagent_lifecycle.py
+++ b/agent/subagent_lifecycle.py
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import math
 import secrets
 import threading
 import time
+import contextlib
 from contextlib import contextmanager
 from concurrent.futures import Future, TimeoutError
 from typing import Any, Callable, Mapping, Optional
@@ -182,10 +183,6 @@ def _session_id_of(agent: Any) -> Optional[str]:
     return str(getattr(agent, "session_id", "") or "") or None
 
 
-def _finite_number(value: Any) -> bool:
-    return not isinstance(value, bool) and isinstance(value, (int, float)) and math.isfinite(value)
-
-
 def _clip(value: Any) -> Optional[str]:
     return str(value)[:_MAX_RESULT_CHARS] if value is not None else None
 
@@ -196,7 +193,7 @@ _HANDLE_FIELD_CHECKS: tuple[tuple[str, Callable[[Any], bool]], ...] = (
     ("subagent_id", lambda v: isinstance(v, str) and bool(v)),
     ("parent_session_id", _opt_str),
     ("correlation_id", _opt_str),
-    ("created_at", _finite_number),
+    ("created_at", lambda v: not isinstance(v, bool) and isinstance(v, (int, float)) and math.isfinite(v)),
     ("provider", _opt_str),
     ("model", _opt_str),
     ("role", lambda v: isinstance(v, str)),
@@ -280,13 +277,13 @@ class SubagentLifecycleService:
         record = self._record(handle)
         if record is None:
             return SubagentTerminalState(handle, SubagentState.UNKNOWN, True, diagnostic="UNKNOWN_HANDLE")
-        if record.future is not None:
-            try:
+        try:
+            if record.future is not None:
                 record.future.result(timeout=timeout_seconds)
-            except TimeoutError:
-                return SubagentTerminalState(record.handle, record.state, False, True)
-            except Exception:
-                pass
+        except TimeoutError:
+            return SubagentTerminalState(record.handle, record.state, False, True)
+        except Exception:
+            pass
         with _REGISTRY.lock:
             return SubagentTerminalState(record.handle, record.state, record.result is not None)
 
@@ -302,12 +299,10 @@ class SubagentLifecycleService:
             record.updated_at = time.time()
         accepted = False
         if agent is not None:
-            try:
+            with contextlib.suppress(Exception):
                 accepted = request_hard_interrupt(
                     agent, f"Lifecycle cancellation requested: {reason[:500]}", tool_reason="subagent cancellation requested",
                 )
-            except Exception:
-                accepted = False
         return SubagentCancelResult(bool(accepted), unsupported=not accepted, state=SubagentState.CANCEL_REQUESTED)
 
     def result(self, handle: SubagentHandle) -> SubagentResult:
@@ -365,9 +360,8 @@ class SubagentLifecycleService:
             else:
                 state = SubagentState.SUCCEEDED if status == "completed" else SubagentState.FAILED
             fields: dict[str, Any] = dict(
-                summary=_clip(raw.get("summary")),
+                summary=_clip(raw.get("summary")), error_message=_clip(raw.get("error") or None),
                 error_classification=None if state == SubagentState.SUCCEEDED else status.upper(),
-                error_message=_clip(raw.get("error") or None),
                 usage_metadata={"api_calls": raw.get("api_calls", 0)} if is_dict else {},
                 tool_execution_summary={"duration_seconds": raw.get("duration_seconds", 0)} if is_dict else {},
             )
@@ -377,14 +371,10 @@ class SubagentLifecycleService:
         result = SubagentResult(record.handle, state, True, started_at=record.started_at, completed_at=time.time(), **fields)
         payload = dataclasses.asdict(result)
         payload.pop("result_hash", None)
-        digest = hashlib.sha256(json.dumps(payload, sort_keys=True, default=str).encode()).hexdigest()
-        result = dataclasses.replace(result, result_hash=digest)
+        result = dataclasses.replace(result, result_hash=hashlib.sha256(json.dumps(payload, sort_keys=True, default=str).encode()).hexdigest())
         with _REGISTRY.lock:
-            record.agent = None
-            record.result = result
-            record.state = result.terminal_state
-            record.completed_at = result.completed_at
-            record.updated_at = result.completed_at or time.time()
+            record.agent, record.result, record.state = None, result, result.terminal_state
+            record.completed_at = record.updated_at = result.completed_at
 
     @staticmethod
     def _capability(subagent_id: str, parent_session_id: Optional[str], created_at: float) -> str:
@@ -402,11 +392,12 @@ class SubagentLifecycleService:
             raise SubagentLifecycleError("metadata must be JSON-serializable.") from exc
         if metadata_bytes > _MAX_METADATA_BYTES:
             raise SubagentLifecycleError("metadata exceeds 8192 bytes.")
-        if request.allowed_toolsets:
-            from toolsets import TOOLSETS
-            unknown = set(request.allowed_toolsets) - set(TOOLSETS)
-            if unknown:
-                raise SubagentLifecycleError(f"Unknown toolsets: {', '.join(sorted(unknown))}.")
-            enabled = getattr(parent, "enabled_toolsets", None)
-            if enabled is not None and not set(request.allowed_toolsets).issubset(set(enabled)):
-                raise SubagentLifecycleError("Requested toolsets would broaden parent permissions.")
+        if not request.allowed_toolsets:
+            return
+        from toolsets import TOOLSETS
+        unknown = set(request.allowed_toolsets) - set(TOOLSETS)
+        if unknown:
+            raise SubagentLifecycleError(f"Unknown toolsets: {', '.join(sorted(unknown))}.")
+        enabled = getattr(parent, "enabled_toolsets", None)
+        if enabled is not None and not set(request.allowed_toolsets).issubset(set(enabled)):
+            raise SubagentLifecycleError("Requested toolsets would broaden parent permissions.")
diff --git a/agent/title_generator.py b/agent/title_generator.py
index f4d4f66a95..b729670d50 100644
--- a/agent/title_generator.py
+++ b/agent/title_generator.py
@@ -61,11 +61,8 @@ _LANGUAGE_RULE_PINNED = "- Write the title in {language}."
 # Constrains the response to a single title field ("model answered instead of titling" failure class).
 _TITLE_RESPONSE_FORMAT = {
     "type": "json_schema",
-    "json_schema": {
-        "name": "session_title",
-        "strict": True,
-        "schema": {"type": "object", "properties": {"title": {"type": "string"}}, "required": ["title"], "additionalProperties": False},
-    },
+    "json_schema": {"name": "session_title", "strict": True, "schema": {
+        "type": "object", "properties": {"title": {"type": "string"}}, "required": ["title"], "additionalProperties": False}},
 }
 
 # Control-tag wrappers around machine-authored content inside a nominal "user" message (Codex CLI's
@@ -147,9 +144,8 @@ def _summarize_user_message(user_message: str) -> str:
 
 def is_titleable_user_message(user_message: str) -> bool:
     """False for machine-authored openers and turns that reduce to nothing once scaffolding is stripped."""
-    if not isinstance(user_message, str) or not user_message.strip() or user_message.lstrip().startswith(_MACHINE_PREFIXES):
-        return False
-    return bool(_summarize_user_message(user_message).strip())
+    return (isinstance(user_message, str) and bool(user_message.strip()) and not user_message.lstrip().startswith(_MACHINE_PREFIXES)
+            and bool(_summarize_user_message(user_message).strip()))
 
 
 def derive_title(user_message: str) -> Optional[str]:
@@ -186,10 +182,9 @@ def _extract_title_text(content: str) -> str:
         pass
     match = re.search(r'"title\"\s*:\s*"((?:[^"\\]|\\.)*)"', raw)
     if match:
-        try:
+        with suppress(ValueError):
             return json.loads(f'"{match.group(1)}"').strip()
-        except ValueError:
-            return match.group(1).strip()
+        return match.group(1).strip()
     # Prose fallback: scrub <think> blocks so reasoning can't leak into a title.
     try:
         from agent.agent_runtime_helpers import strip_think_blocks
@@ -209,10 +204,9 @@ def _clean_title(text: str) -> Optional[str]:
 
 def _safe_callback(callback: Optional[Callable], args: tuple, log_fmt: str, label: str) -> None:
     """Invoke an optional consumer callback, never raising."""
-    if callback is None:
-        return
     try:
-        callback(*args)
+        if callback is not None:
+            callback(*args)
     except Exception:
         logger.debug(log_fmt, label, exc_info=True)
 
@@ -237,20 +231,20 @@ def generate_title(
     if not _auto_title_enabled():
         logger.debug("Auto-title skipped: auxiliary.title_generation.enabled=false")
         return None
-    if runtime_validator is not None:
-        try:
-            if not runtime_validator():
-                logger.debug("Title generation skipped: runtime validator returned False")
-                return None
-        except Exception:  # fail open: a broken validator must not disable titling
-            logger.debug("Title runtime validator raised; proceeding", exc_info=True)
+    try:
+        if runtime_validator is not None and not runtime_validator():
+            logger.debug("Title generation skipped: runtime validator returned False")
+            return None
+    except Exception:  # fail open: a broken validator must not disable titling
+        logger.debug("Title runtime validator raised; proceeding", exc_info=True)
     user_snippet = _summarize_user_message(user_message)[:MAX_TITLE_INPUT_CHARS]
     if not user_snippet.strip():
         return None
     language = _title_language()
-    language_rule = _LANGUAGE_RULE_PINNED.format(language=language) if language else _LANGUAGE_RULE_MATCH_USER
     # str.replace, not str.format: the prompt embeds literal JSON braces.
-    prompt = _TITLE_PROMPT_TEMPLATE.replace("__LANGUAGE_RULE__", language_rule)
+    prompt = _TITLE_PROMPT_TEMPLATE.replace(
+        "__LANGUAGE_RULE__", _LANGUAGE_RULE_PINNED.format(language=language) if language else _LANGUAGE_RULE_MATCH_USER,
+    )
     try:
         response = call_llm(
             task="title_generation",
@@ -260,8 +254,8 @@ def generate_title(
             extra_body={"response_format": _TITLE_RESPONSE_FORMAT},
         )
         title = _clean_title(_extract_title_text(response.choices[0].message.content or ""))
-        # Answer-shaped output: reject (not truncate) so the caller retries next exchange.
         if title is not None and len(title.split()) > _MAX_TITLE_WORDS:
+            # Answer-shaped output: reject (not truncate) so the caller retries next exchange.
             logger.debug("Rejecting answer-shaped title output (%d words > %d)", len(title.split()), _MAX_TITLE_WORDS)
             return None
         return title
@@ -309,9 +303,7 @@ def _persist_session_title(session_db, session_id, title, *, source, dedupe=True
         return _set(title)
     except ValueError:
         next_title_fn = getattr(session_db, "get_next_title_in_lineage", None)
-        if not dedupe or next_title_fn is None:
-            raise
-        deduped = next_title_fn(title)
+        deduped = next_title_fn(title) if dedupe and next_title_fn is not None else None
         if not deduped or deduped == title:
             raise
         return _set(deduped)
@@ -323,9 +315,7 @@ def apply_instant_title(session_db, session_id: str, user_message: str, title_ca
         return None
     try:
         title = derive_title(user_message) if is_titleable_user_message(user_message) else None
-        if not title:
-            return None
-        persisted = _persist_session_title(session_db, session_id, title, source="derived", dedupe=False)
+        persisted = _persist_session_title(session_db, session_id, title, source="derived", dedupe=False) if title else None
         if persisted:
             _notify_title(title_callback, persisted, "derived", "Instant-title")
         return persisted
@@ -359,22 +349,21 @@ def auto_title_session(
             conversation_id = session_db.get_conversation_root(session_id) or session_id
         set_conversation_context(conversation_id)
         set_accounting_context(session_db, session_id)
-        title = generate_title(
+        title, source = generate_title(
             user_message, failure_callback=failure_callback, main_runtime=main_runtime, runtime_validator=runtime_validator,
-        )
-        source = "llm"
+        ), "llm"
         if not title:  # the inline attempt declined collisions; off the critical path the lineage scan is affordable
             title, source = derive_title(user_message), "derived"
-            if not title:
-                return
+        if not title:
+            return
         try:
             persisted = _persist_session_title(session_db, session_id, title, source=source)
-            if persisted is None:
-                return
-            logger.debug("Auto-generated session title: %s", persisted)
-            _notify_title(title_callback, persisted, source, "Auto-title")
         except Exception as e:
             logger.debug("Failed to set auto-generated title: %s", e)
+            return
+        if persisted is not None:
+            logger.debug("Auto-generated session title: %s", persisted)
+            _notify_title(title_callback, persisted, source, "Auto-title")
     except Exception as e:
         # WARNING so operators see it in agent.log; names the likely cause.
         logger.warning("Auto-title failed (harmless; if this started after an update, restart the running Hermes process): %s", e)
@@ -393,10 +382,8 @@ def _is_real_user_turn(message: Any) -> bool:
 def _session_is_untitled(session_db, session_id: str) -> bool:
     """No title of any provenance; False when it can't tell (no model call per turn for an unreadable title)."""
     getter = getattr(session_db, "get_session_title", None)
-    if not callable(getter):
-        return False
     try:
-        return not str(getter(session_id) or "").strip()
+        return callable(getter) and not str(getter(session_id) or "").strip()
     except Exception:
         logger.debug("Untitled check failed for %s", session_id, exc_info=True)
         return False
@@ -418,9 +405,7 @@ def maybe_auto_title(
     # History may be pre- or post-message. Skip only when BOTH past the opening turn AND named: count alone
     # left a machinery-opened session nameless; title alone never titles on an old store.
     user_msg_count = sum(1 for m in (conversation_history or []) if _is_real_user_turn(m))
-    if user_msg_count > 1 and not _session_is_untitled(session_db, session_id):
-        return
-    if not is_titleable_user_message(user_message):
+    if (user_msg_count > 1 and not _session_is_untitled(session_db, session_id)) or not is_titleable_user_message(user_message):
         return
     if not _auto_title_enabled():  # config read after the cheap guards so the file isn't touched every turn
         logger.debug("Auto-title skipped: auxiliary.title_generation.enabled=false")
diff --git a/agent/trace_upload.py b/agent/trace_upload.py
index 10a87030d6..735d775b1c 100644
--- a/agent/trace_upload.py
+++ b/agent/trace_upload.py
@@ -65,21 +65,18 @@ def _text_block(text: Any, redact: bool) -> Dict[str, Any]:
 def _part_to_block(part: Any, redact: bool) -> Dict[str, Any]:
     if not isinstance(part, dict):
         return _text_block(str(part), redact)
-    ptype = part.get("type")
-    if ptype == "text":
+    if part.get("type") == "text":
         return _text_block(part.get("text", ""), redact)
-    if ptype in ("image_url", "image"):
+    if part.get("type") in ("image_url", "image"):
         return {"type": "text", "text": "[image omitted]"}  # the viewer renders text turns; no base64
     return _text_block(json.dumps(part), redact)
 
 
 def _content_to_blocks(content: Any, redact: bool) -> List[Dict[str, Any]]:
     """Normalize a message ``content`` field into Anthropic content blocks."""
-    if content is None:
-        return []
     if isinstance(content, list):
         return [_part_to_block(part, redact) for part in content]
-    return [_text_block(content if isinstance(content, str) else json.dumps(content), redact)]
+    return [] if content is None else [_text_block(content if isinstance(content, str) else json.dumps(content), redact)]
 
 
 def _parse_tool_args(raw_args: Any) -> Dict[str, Any]:
@@ -105,12 +102,8 @@ def _tool_calls_to_blocks(tool_calls: Any, redact: bool) -> List[Dict[str, Any]]
             except (json.JSONDecodeError, ValueError):
                 logger.warning("Trace upload redacted tool arguments are not valid JSON; refusing upload")
                 raise TraceRedactionError(_REDACTION_BLOCKED_MESSAGE)
-        blocks.append({
-            "type": "tool_use",
-            "id": tc.get("id") or f"toolu_{uuid.uuid4().hex[:16]}",
-            "name": fn.get("name") or tc.get("name") or "tool",
-            "input": parsed,
-        })
+        blocks.append({"type": "tool_use", "id": tc.get("id") or f"toolu_{uuid.uuid4().hex[:16]}",
+                       "name": fn.get("name") or tc.get("name") or "tool", "input": parsed})
     return blocks
 
 
@@ -119,10 +112,8 @@ def _git_branch(cwd: str) -> str:
         return ""
     try:
         import subprocess
-        r = subprocess.run(
-            ["git", "rev-parse", "--abbrev-ref", "HEAD"],
-            capture_output=True, text=True, encoding="utf-8", errors="replace", timeout=3, cwd=cwd,
-        )
+        r = subprocess.run(["git", "rev-parse", "--abbrev-ref", "HEAD"],
+                           capture_output=True, text=True, encoding="utf-8", errors="replace", timeout=3, cwd=cwd)
     except Exception:
         return ""
     return r.stdout.strip() if r.returncode == 0 else ""
@@ -135,14 +126,10 @@ def _assistant_message(msg: Dict[str, Any], model: str, redact: bool) -> Dict[st
 
 def _tool_result_message(msg: Dict[str, Any], model: str, redact: bool) -> Dict[str, Any]:
     content = msg.get("content")
-    return {
-        "role": "user",
-        "content": [{
-            "type": "tool_result",
-            "tool_use_id": msg.get("tool_call_id") or msg.get("tool_name") or "tool",
-            "content": _redact(content if isinstance(content, str) else json.dumps(content), redact),
-        }],
-    }
+    return {"role": "user", "content": [{
+        "type": "tool_result", "tool_use_id": msg.get("tool_call_id") or msg.get("tool_name") or "tool",
+        "content": _redact(content if isinstance(content, str) else json.dumps(content), redact),
+    }]}
 
 
 def _user_message(msg: Dict[str, Any], model: str, redact: bool) -> Dict[str, Any]:
@@ -151,10 +138,7 @@ def _user_message(msg: Dict[str, Any], model: str, redact: bool) -> Dict[str, An
 
 
 # role -> (Claude Code line type, message builder). Unknown roles render as user.
-_ROLE_RENDERERS: Dict[Any, Tuple[str, Any]] = {
-    "assistant": ("assistant", _assistant_message),
-    "tool": ("user", _tool_result_message),
-}
+_ROLE_RENDERERS: Dict[Any, Tuple[str, Any]] = {"assistant": ("assistant", _assistant_message), "tool": ("user", _tool_result_message)}
 
 
 def build_trace_jsonl(messages: List[Dict[str, Any]], *, session_id: str, model: str = "", cwd: str = "", redact: bool = True) -> str:
@@ -170,18 +154,10 @@ def build_trace_jsonl(messages: List[Dict[str, Any]], *, session_id: str, model:
             continue
         turn_uuid = str(uuid.uuid4())
         line_type, render = _ROLE_RENDERERS.get(role, ("user", _user_message))
-        entry = {
-            "parentUuid": parent,
-            "isSidechain": False,
-            "userType": "external",
-            "cwd": cwd or os.getcwd(),
-            "sessionId": session_id,
-            "version": _HERMES_VERSION,
-            "gitBranch": git_branch,
-            "uuid": turn_uuid,
-            "timestamp": base_ts,
-            "type": line_type,
-            "message": render(msg, model, redact),
+        entry = {  # key order is the wire order
+            "parentUuid": parent, "isSidechain": False, "userType": "external", "cwd": cwd or os.getcwd(),
+            "sessionId": session_id, "version": _HERMES_VERSION, "gitBranch": git_branch, "uuid": turn_uuid,
+            "timestamp": base_ts, "type": line_type, "message": render(msg, model, redact),
         }
         lines.append(json.dumps(entry, ensure_ascii=False))
         parent = turn_uuid
@@ -207,10 +183,10 @@ def _do_upload(jsonl: str, *, token: str, session_id: str, dataset_name: str = D
     api = HfApi(token=token)
     try:
         who = api.whoami()
-        user = who.get("name") if isinstance(who, dict) else None
     except Exception as e:
         logger.warning("HF whoami failed: %s", e)
         return "Your Hugging Face token was rejected (whoami failed). Make sure it has WRITE access and isn't expired."
+    user = who.get("name") if isinstance(who, dict) else None
     if not user:
         return "Could not resolve your Hugging Face username from the token."
     repo_id = f"{user}/{dataset_name}"
@@ -221,10 +197,8 @@ def _do_upload(jsonl: str, *, token: str, session_id: str, dataset_name: str = D
         return f"Could not create/access dataset {repo_id}: {e}"
     path_in_repo = f"sessions/{session_id}.jsonl"
     try:
-        api.upload_file(
-            path_or_fileobj=jsonl.encode("utf-8"), path_in_repo=path_in_repo, repo_id=repo_id, repo_type="dataset",
-            commit_message=f"add session trace {session_id}",
-        )
+        api.upload_file(path_or_fileobj=jsonl.encode("utf-8"), path_in_repo=path_in_repo, repo_id=repo_id,
+                        repo_type="dataset", commit_message=f"add session trace {session_id}")
     except Exception as e:
         logger.warning("HF upload_file failed for %s: %s", repo_id, e)
         return f"Upload to Hugging Face failed: {e}"
@@ -249,15 +223,8 @@ def load_session_messages(session_id: str, db_path=None) -> Tuple[List[Dict[str,
 
 
 def upload_session_trace(
-    session_id: str,
-    *,
-    model: str = "",
-    cwd: str = "",
-    redact: bool = True,
-    private: bool = True,
-    dataset_name: str = DEFAULT_DATASET_NAME,
-    db_path=None,
-    token: Optional[str] = None,
+    session_id: str, *, model: str = "", cwd: str = "", redact: bool = True, private: bool = True,
+    dataset_name: str = DEFAULT_DATASET_NAME, db_path=None, token: Optional[str] = None,
 ) -> str:
     """CLI/gateway entry point: load, convert, upload to ``{user}/hermes-traces``. Status string, never raises."""
     if not session_id: