diff --git a/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/thinking.test.ts b/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/thinking.test.ts
index 6a2481748a1..e3d0a8291b6 100644
--- a/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/thinking.test.ts
+++ b/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/thinking.test.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,22 @@ import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 import { castAgentMessage } from "../test-helpers/agent-message-fixtures.js";
 import { dropThinkingBlocks, isAssistantMessageWithContent } from "./thinking.js";
 
+function dropSingleAssistantContent(content: Array<Record<string, unknown>>) {
+  const messages: AgentMessage[] = [
+    castAgentMessage({
+      role: "assistant",
+      content,
+    }),
+  ];
+
+  const result = dropThinkingBlocks(messages);
+  return {
+    assistant: result[0] as Extract<AgentMessage, { role: "assistant" }>,
+    messages,
+    result,
+  };
+}
+
 describe("isAssistantMessageWithContent", () => {
   it("accepts assistant messages with array content and rejects others", () => {
     const assistant = castAgentMessage({
@@ -30,32 +46,18 @@ describe("dropThinkingBlocks", () => {
   });
 
   it("drops thinking blocks while preserving non-thinking assistant content", () => {
-    const messages: AgentMessage[] = [
-      castAgentMessage({
-        role: "assistant",
-        content: [
-          { type: "thinking", thinking: "internal" },
-          { type: "text", text: "final" },
-        ],
-      }),
-    ];
-
-    const result = dropThinkingBlocks(messages);
-    const assistant = result[0] as Extract<AgentMessage, { role: "assistant" }>;
+    const { assistant, messages, result } = dropSingleAssistantContent([
+      { type: "thinking", thinking: "internal" },
+      { type: "text", text: "final" },
+    ]);
     expect(result).not.toBe(messages);
     expect(assistant.content).toEqual([{ type: "text", text: "final" }]);
   });
 
   it("keeps assistant turn structure when all content blocks were thinking", () => {
-    const messages: AgentMessage[] = [
-      castAgentMessage({
-        role: "assistant",
-        content: [{ type: "thinking", thinking: "internal-only" }],
-      }),
-    ];
-
-    const result = dropThinkingBlocks(messages);
-    const assistant = result[0] as Extract<AgentMessage, { role: "assistant" }>;
+    const { assistant } = dropSingleAssistantContent([
+      { type: "thinking", thinking: "internal-only" },
+    ]);
     expect(assistant.content).toEqual([{ type: "text", text: "" }]);
   });
 });