@@ -492,3 +492,64 @@ def test_site3_keeps_the_self_pagination_pointer(processor, tool: str) -> None:
     # work instead of being handed the path or offset that continues it.
     assert "/spill/abc123.md" in out, f"{tool}: recovery pointer was cut"
     assert out == body, f"{tool}: body was shortened despite fitting gate ①"
+
+
+_EXEC_TOOLS = ["bash", "run_python_code"]
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("processor", _processors())
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("tool", _EXEC_TOOLS)
+def test_the_exec_pointer_survives_the_default_gate_1(
+    processor, tool: str, spill_store
+) -> None:
+    """gate ② must not cut below the gate ① preview it is protecting.
+
+    ``bash``/``run_python_code`` overflow to disk at gate ①
+    (``meta.max_result_chars`` = ``tool_exec_result_max_chars``, 8K by default)
+    and the preview that comes back carries both the recovery pointer and, for
+    bash, the exit status. Those live at the tail. If gate ②'s budget for these
+    tools is a hardcoded number below gate ①, it takes the pointer and the
+    verdict with it and the agent is left with a truncated result it cannot
+    recover — the exact failure the 10K grep/glob entries above exist to prevent,
+    one layer down.
+    """
+    from frontier_agent.core.loop_types import ToolResult
+    from frontier_agent.infra.config import get_config
+    from plugins.tools import _overflow
+
+    cap = get_config().tool_exec_result_max_chars
+    body = _overflow.maybe_overflow(tool, _pytest_output(cap * 3))
+    assert "saved read-only at" in body, f"{tool}: fixture did not overflow"
+
+    out = processor.process(ToolResult(
+        name=tool, args={}, result=body, duration_ms=0,
+        tool_call_id="call-1", is_error=False,
+    ))
+
+    assert "saved read-only at" in out, f"{tool}: gate ② cut gate ①'s recovery pointer"
+    assert "1 failed, 812 passed" in out, f"{tool}: gate ② cut gate ①'s verdict"
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("processor", _processors())
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("tool", _EXEC_TOOLS)
+def test_gate_2_follows_a_raised_exec_cap(processor, tool: str, monkeypatch) -> None:
+    """Raising ``TOOL_EXEC_RESULT_MAX_CHARS`` has to widen gate ② too.
+
+    The cap is documented as tunable (docs/tool-result-truncation-ab.md runs the
+    A/B at 8000 vs 50000). A deployment that raises it to give long scans more
+    room must actually get more room; a fixed gate ② would silently cap the gain
+    at its own hardcoded number.
+    """
+    from frontier_agent.core.loop_types import ToolResult
+    from frontier_agent.infra.config import get_config
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(get_config(), "tool_exec_result_max_chars", 50_000)
+    body = _pytest_output(40_000)
+
+    out = processor.process(ToolResult(
+        name=tool, args={}, result=body, duration_ms=0,
+        tool_call_id="call-1", is_error=False,
+    ))
+
+    # 50K + 2K headroom covers the 40K body, so nothing is cut.
+    assert out == body, f"{tool}: a raised gate ① did not widen gate ②"
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@
     compaction_trigger_tokens,
 )
 from frontier_agent.core.runtime.loop.tool_exec import ToolResultPostProcessor
+from frontier_agent.infra.config import get_config
 from frontier_agent.state.event_store.sqlite import EventStore
 from plugins.tools._filesystem_state import current_filesystem_state
 from plugins.tools.bash import BASH_STDERR_SEPARATOR
@@ -741,13 +742,6 @@ class SwarmToolResultPostProcessor(ToolResultPostProcessor):
     })
 
     _BUDGETS: ClassVar[dict[str, int]] = {
-        "bash": 4_000,
-        "run_python_code": 5_000,
-        # Gate ① overflows these to disk at meta.max_result_chars=8K and puts the
-        # "saved to <path>, use read_file" pointer at the TAIL. The 6K default cut
-        # below that and took the pointer with it, leaving a truncated result with
-        # no way back to the rest. 10K leaves the 8K body and its footer room to
-        # both survive — the value react has carried for this reason all along.
         "grep_search": 10_000,
         "glob_search": 10_000,
         # Belt-and-suspenders: collect_reports is whitelisted above (pass-
@@ -756,6 +750,17 @@ class SwarmToolResultPostProcessor(ToolResultPostProcessor):
         # TOOL_RESULT_MAX_CHARS ceiling) rather than falling back to 6K.
         "collect_reports": 150_000,
     }
+    # bash / run_python_code overflow to disk at gate ①, which is configurable
+    # via TOOL_EXEC_RESULT_MAX_CHARS, and they carry two things worth keeping:
+    # the "saved to <path>, use read_file" pointer and the exit status, both of
+    # which live at the tail. Gate ② must therefore track gate ① — a deployment
+    # that raises the exec cap to give long scans more room would otherwise have
+    # gate ② cut the extra room straight back off, and a deployment that raises
+    # it above the fixed 6K default would lose the recovery path entirely. Same
+    # rule, same headroom, as the React processor in
+    # workflows.stateful_react_agent._runtime.
+    _CONFIGURED_EXEC_TOOLS = frozenset({"bash", "run_python_code"})
+    _EXEC_FOOTER_HEADROOM = 2_000
     _BUDGET_DEFAULT = 6_000
 
     _BASH_STDERR_KEEP = 3_000
@@ -777,7 +782,15 @@ def process(self, tool_result: ToolResult) -> str:
         if name in self._PASS_THROUGH:
             return content
 
-        budget = self._BUDGETS.get(name, self._BUDGET_DEFAULT)
+        if name in self._CONFIGURED_EXEC_TOOLS:
+            # Gate ① is configurable. Gate ② must track it or a deployment
+            # raising TOOL_EXEC_RESULT_MAX_CHARS can lose the overflow pointer.
+            budget = (
+                get_config().tool_exec_result_max_chars
+                + self._EXEC_FOOTER_HEADROOM
+            )
+        else:
+            budget = self._BUDGETS.get(name, self._BUDGET_DEFAULT)
         if name == "bash":
             return self._compact_bash(content, budget)
         return self._head_cap(content, budget)