diff --git a/packages/core/src/tool/shell.ts b/packages/core/src/tool/shell.ts
index e86f960ba5..a4ee10af5a 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/tool/shell.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/tool/shell.ts
@@ -18,8 +18,10 @@ export const DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_MS = 2 * 60 * 1_000
 export const MAX_TIMEOUT_MS = 10 * 60 * 1_000
 export const MAX_CAPTURE_BYTES = 1024 * 1024
 
+// Persisted in the transcript, so it must stay accurate after the command later
+// finishes; do not claim the command is currently running.
 const BACKGROUND_STARTED =
-  "The command has not completed; it is now running in the background."
+  "The command was moved to the background. You will be notified automatically when it finishes. DO NOT sleep, poll, or proactively check on its progress."
 
 export const Input = Schema.Struct({
   command: Schema.String.annotate({ description: "Shell command string to execute" }),
@@ -124,8 +126,11 @@ export const Plugin = {
               : state === "error"
                 ? (result.info!.error ?? "Command failed")
                 : "Command cancelled"
+          // The description makes the completion visible in clients; synthetic
+          // messages without one are model-facing context only.
           return runtime.session.synthetic({
             sessionID,
+            description: `Background command ${state}: ${command.split("\n")[0]}`,
             text: `<shell id="${callID}" state="${state}" command="${command}">\n${text}\n</shell>`,
           })
         }),
diff --git a/packages/core/src/tool/subagent.ts b/packages/core/src/tool/subagent.ts
index 517d1ce65f..db4c5f2fe4 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/tool/subagent.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/tool/subagent.ts
@@ -67,8 +67,11 @@ export const Plugin = {
       state: "completed" | "error" | "cancelled",
       text: string,
     ) {
+      // The description makes the completion visible in clients; synthetic
+      // messages without one are model-facing context only.
       yield* runtime.session.synthetic({
         sessionID: parentID,
+        description: `Subagent ${state}: ${description}`,
         text: `<subagent id="${childID}" state="${state}" description="${description}">\n${text}\n</subagent>`,
       })
     })
diff --git a/packages/core/test/tool-shell.test.ts b/packages/core/test/tool-shell.test.ts
index 15bd741a2e..57396fa645 100644
--- a/packages/core/test/tool-shell.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core/test/tool-shell.test.ts
@@ -455,6 +455,37 @@ describe("ShellTool", () => {
     ),
   )
 
+  it.live("notifies with a visible description when a background command completes", () =>
+    Effect.acquireUseRelease(
+      Effect.promise(() => tmpdir()),
+      (tmp) => {
+        reset()
+        return withSession(tmp.path, (registry) =>
+          Effect.gen(function* () {
+            const sessions = yield* SessionV2.Service
+            yield* settleTool(registry, call({ command: helloCommand, background: true }))
+            const awaitNotice = (remaining = 1000): Effect.Effect<SessionMessage.Message, Error> =>
+              Effect.gen(function* () {
+                const notice = (yield* sessions.context(sessionID)).find((message) => message.type === "synthetic")
+                if (notice) return notice
+                if (remaining <= 0)
+                  return yield* Effect.fail(new Error("Timed out waiting for background completion notice"))
+                yield* Effect.promise(() => Bun.sleep(1))
+                return yield* awaitNotice(remaining - 1)
+              })
+            const notice = yield* awaitNotice()
+            expect(notice).toMatchObject({
+              type: "synthetic",
+              description: `Background command completed: ${helloCommand}`,
+              text: expect.stringContaining('state="completed"'),
+            })
+          }),
+        )
+      },
+      (tmp) => Effect.promise(() => tmp[Symbol.asyncDispose]().then(() => undefined)),
+    ),
+  )
+
   it.live("backgrounds a foreground command when the session is signaled", () =>
     Effect.acquireUseRelease(
       Effect.promise(() => tmpdir()),
@@ -484,7 +515,7 @@ describe("ShellTool", () => {
             expect(settled.output?.structured).toMatchObject({ truncated: false })
             expect(settled.output?.content[0]).toMatchObject({
               type: "text",
-              text: expect.stringContaining("running in the background"),
+              text: expect.stringContaining("moved to the background"),
             })
             expect(shellID).toStartWith("sh_")
 
diff --git a/packages/core/test/tool-subagent.test.ts b/packages/core/test/tool-subagent.test.ts
index 6274e329aa..86a4df0d5d 100644
--- a/packages/core/test/tool-subagent.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core/test/tool-subagent.test.ts
@@ -279,6 +279,7 @@ describe("SubagentTool", () => {
           expect(synthetic).toHaveLength(1)
           expect(synthetic[0]?.text).toContain(`<subagent id="${childID}" state="completed"`)
           expect(synthetic[0]?.text).toContain(childText)
+          expect(synthetic[0]?.description).toBe("Subagent completed: background review")
         }),
       ),
     ),