diff --git a/src/agents/subagent-announce.ts b/src/agents/subagent-announce.ts
index b7dd51f4ada..a04f0da5e2e 100644
--- a/src/agents/subagent-announce.ts
+++ b/src/agents/subagent-announce.ts
@@ -45,7 +45,6 @@ import {
 import { type AnnounceQueueItem, enqueueAnnounce } from "./subagent-announce-queue.js";
 import { getSubagentDepthFromSessionStore } from "./subagent-depth.js";
 import type { SpawnSubagentMode } from "./subagent-spawn.js";
-import { readLatestAssistantReply } from "./tools/agent-step.js";
 import { sanitizeTextContent, extractAssistantText } from "./tools/sessions-helpers.js";
 import { isAnnounceSkip } from "./tools/sessions-send-helpers.js";
 
@@ -71,6 +70,14 @@ type ToolResultMessage = {
   content?: unknown;
 };
 
+type SubagentOutputSnapshot = {
+  latestAssistantText?: string;
+  latestSilentText?: string;
+  latestRawText?: string;
+  assistantFragments: string[];
+  toolCallCount: number;
+};
+
 function resolveSubagentAnnounceTimeoutMs(cfg: ReturnType<typeof loadConfig>): number {
   const configured = cfg.agents?.defaults?.subagents?.announceTimeoutMs;
   if (typeof configured !== "number" || !Number.isFinite(configured)) {
@@ -275,31 +282,114 @@ function extractSubagentOutputText(message: unknown): string {
   return "";
 }
 
-async function readLatestSubagentOutput(sessionKey: string): Promise<string | undefined> {
-  try {
-    const latestAssistant = await readLatestAssistantReply({
-      sessionKey,
-      limit: 50,
-    });
-    if (latestAssistant?.trim()) {
-      return latestAssistant;
-    }
-  } catch {
-    // Best-effort: fall back to richer history parsing below.
+function countAssistantToolCalls(content: unknown): number {
+  if (!Array.isArray(content)) {
+    return 0;
   }
+  let count = 0;
+  for (const block of content) {
+    if (!block || typeof block !== "object") {
+      continue;
+    }
+    const type = (block as { type?: unknown }).type;
+    if (
+      type === "toolCall" ||
+      type === "tool_use" ||
+      type === "toolUse" ||
+      type === "functionCall" ||
+      type === "function_call"
+    ) {
+      count += 1;
+    }
+  }
+  return count;
+}
+
+function summarizeSubagentOutputHistory(messages: Array<unknown>): SubagentOutputSnapshot {
+  const snapshot: SubagentOutputSnapshot = {
+    assistantFragments: [],
+    toolCallCount: 0,
+  };
+  for (const message of messages) {
+    if (!message || typeof message !== "object") {
+      continue;
+    }
+    const role = (message as { role?: unknown }).role;
+    if (role === "assistant") {
+      snapshot.toolCallCount += countAssistantToolCalls((message as { content?: unknown }).content);
+      const text = extractSubagentOutputText(message).trim();
+      if (!text) {
+        continue;
+      }
+      if (isAnnounceSkip(text) || isSilentReplyText(text, SILENT_REPLY_TOKEN)) {
+        snapshot.latestSilentText = text;
+        snapshot.latestAssistantText = undefined;
+        snapshot.assistantFragments = [];
+        continue;
+      }
+      snapshot.latestSilentText = undefined;
+      snapshot.latestAssistantText = text;
+      snapshot.assistantFragments.push(text);
+      continue;
+    }
+    const text = extractSubagentOutputText(message).trim();
+    if (text) {
+      snapshot.latestRawText = text;
+    }
+  }
+  return snapshot;
+}
+
+function formatSubagentPartialProgress(
+  snapshot: SubagentOutputSnapshot,
+  outcome?: SubagentRunOutcome,
+): string | undefined {
+  if (snapshot.latestSilentText) {
+    return undefined;
+  }
+  const timedOut = outcome?.status === "timeout";
+  if (snapshot.assistantFragments.length === 0 && (!timedOut || snapshot.toolCallCount === 0)) {
+    return undefined;
+  }
+  const parts: string[] = [];
+  if (timedOut && snapshot.toolCallCount > 0) {
+    parts.push(
+      `[Partial progress: ${snapshot.toolCallCount} tool call(s) executed before timeout]`,
+    );
+  }
+  if (snapshot.assistantFragments.length > 0) {
+    parts.push(snapshot.assistantFragments.slice(-3).join("\n\n---\n\n"));
+  }
+  return parts.join("\n\n") || undefined;
+}
+
+function selectSubagentOutputText(
+  snapshot: SubagentOutputSnapshot,
+  outcome?: SubagentRunOutcome,
+): string | undefined {
+  if (snapshot.latestSilentText) {
+    return snapshot.latestSilentText;
+  }
+  if (snapshot.latestAssistantText) {
+    return snapshot.latestAssistantText;
+  }
+  const partialProgress = formatSubagentPartialProgress(snapshot, outcome);
+  if (partialProgress) {
+    return partialProgress;
+  }
+  return snapshot.latestRawText;
+}
+
+async function readSubagentOutput(
+  sessionKey: string,
+  outcome?: SubagentRunOutcome,
+): Promise<string | undefined> {
   const history = await callGateway<{ messages?: Array<unknown> }>({
     method: "chat.history",
-    params: { sessionKey, limit: 50 },
+    params: { sessionKey, limit: 100 },
   });
   const messages = Array.isArray(history?.messages) ? history.messages : [];
-  for (let i = messages.length - 1; i >= 0; i -= 1) {
-    const msg = messages[i];
-    const text = extractSubagentOutputText(msg);
-    if (text) {
-      return text;
-    }
-  }
-  return undefined;
+  return selectSubagentOutputText(summarizeSubagentOutputHistory(messages), outcome);
 }
 
 /**
@@ -402,12 +492,13 @@ async function readSubagentPartialProgress(sessionKey: string): Promise<string |
 async function readLatestSubagentOutputWithRetry(params: {
   sessionKey: string;
   maxWaitMs: number;
+  outcome?: SubagentRunOutcome;
 }): Promise<string | undefined> {
   const RETRY_INTERVAL_MS = FAST_TEST_MODE ? FAST_TEST_RETRY_INTERVAL_MS : 100;
   const deadline = Date.now() + Math.max(0, Math.min(params.maxWaitMs, 15_000));
   let result: string | undefined;
   while (Date.now() < deadline) {
-    result = await readLatestSubagentOutput(params.sessionKey);
+    result = await readSubagentOutput(params.sessionKey, params.outcome);
     if (result?.trim()) {
       return result;
     }
@@ -419,7 +510,7 @@ async function readLatestSubagentOutputWithRetry(params: {
 export async function captureSubagentCompletionReply(
   sessionKey: string,
 ): Promise<string | undefined> {
-  const immediate = await readLatestSubagentOutput(sessionKey);
+  const immediate = await readSubagentOutput(sessionKey);
   if (immediate?.trim()) {
     return immediate;
   }
@@ -1395,13 +1486,14 @@ export async function runSubagentAnnounceFlow(params: {
         (isAnnounceSkip(fallbackReply) || isSilentReplyText(fallbackReply, SILENT_REPLY_TOKEN));
 
       if (!reply) {
-        reply = await readLatestSubagentOutput(params.childSessionKey);
+        reply = await readSubagentOutput(params.childSessionKey, outcome);
       }
 
       if (!reply?.trim()) {
         reply = await readLatestSubagentOutputWithRetry({
           sessionKey: params.childSessionKey,
           maxWaitMs: params.timeoutMs,
+          outcome,
         });
       }