diff --git a/connectors/gemini/delegate.js b/connectors/gemini/delegate.js
index 0181dc5..4753c3b 100644
--- a/connectors/gemini/delegate.js
+++ b/connectors/gemini/delegate.js
@@ -815,11 +815,33 @@ export async function runInvestigation({ task, max_steps = 6, resume_run_id }) {
     // before this field existed won't have it; fall back to whatever the
     // caller passed (may be undefined) rather than erroring.
     effectiveTask = checkpoint.task || task;
+  } else if (resume_run_id && !task) {
+    // A resume WAS requested but its checkpoint didn't load -- expired past
+    // the 1-hour TTL, Redis unavailable (checkpoint.js is deliberately
+    // fail-open, see its header), or an invalid/typo'd runId -- AND there is
+    // no task to fall back on either. This must NEVER be silently treated as
+    // "no resume was requested" and fall through to a fresh run: that
+    // previously produced a conversation seeded with `Task: undefined` (task
+    // is genuinely ignored on a live resume, so callers legitimately omit
+    // it), and the model burned several steps hunting blind for context
+    // instead of investigating (found via the 2026-07-26 checkpoint-miss
+    // test). Fail loudly and distinctly instead, so the caller can tell
+    // "your resume target is gone" apart from any other failure.
+    //
+    // If a task WAS provided alongside a resume_run_id that fails to load,
+    // this branch is skipped and the fresh-run branch below runs instead --
+    // a legitimate defensive-caller pattern (passing the task as a fallback
+    // even on a resume call), kept intentionally per the fix plan.
+    throw new Error(
+      `resume_run_id "${resume_run_id}" has no live checkpoint -- it may have expired (1 hour TTL), Redis may be unavailable, or the id may be wrong. ` +
+      `There is no saved task to resume from. Start a new investigation by calling again with a task and no resume_run_id.`
+    );
   } else {
-    // Either no resume_run_id was given, or the checkpoint had already
-    // expired/wasn't found -- start a fresh run either way. Requires a real
-    // `task` (the caller-facing tool in tools.js already guards against a
-    // missing task on a non-resumable call, so `task` is trustworthy here).
+    // Either no resume_run_id was given, or one was given with its checkpoint
+    // missing but a `task` supplied as a fallback (see branch above) --
+    // start a fresh run either way. Requires a real `task` (the caller-facing
+    // tool in tools.js already guards against a missing task on a
+    // non-resumable call, so `task` is trustworthy here).
     runId = randomUUID();
     contents = [{ role: "user", parts: [{ text: `${SYSTEM_PREAMBLE}\n\nTask: ${task}` }] }];
     transcript = [];
@@ -827,9 +849,18 @@ export async function runInvestigation({ task, max_steps = 6, resume_run_id }) {
   }
 
   for (let step = startStep; step <= cappedSteps; step++) {
+    // On the final allowed step, withhold the function-calling tools
+    // entirely instead of just reminding the model to wrap up: a text-only
+    // reminder wasn't reliable enough on its own (found via the 2026-07-26
+    // test -- the model spent its very last step on another tool call
+    // anyway, and the run hit the cap with zero synthesized answer, not
+    // even an incomplete one). Without `tools` in the request body, Gemini
+    // structurally cannot return a functionCall part here, so this step is
+    // guaranteed to be a real text-answer attempt rather than another read.
+    const isFinalStep = step === cappedSteps;
     let candidate;
     try {
-      candidate = await geminiChat(contents, { tools: FUNCTION_DECLARATIONS });
+      candidate = await geminiChat(contents, { tools: isFinalStep ? undefined : FUNCTION_DECLARATIONS });
     } catch (err) {
       // The step-1..N-1 work already happened and is real -- don't throw it
       // away. Persist it (redundant with the save at the end of the prior
@@ -895,9 +926,22 @@ export async function runInvestigation({ task, max_steps = 6, resume_run_id }) {
     // an honest one: the model is told to say it couldn't finish, rather
     // than presenting a rushed, incomplete answer as if it were complete.
     const remainingAfterThisStep = cappedSteps - step;
-    if (remainingAfterThisStep <= 1) {
+    if (remainingAfterThisStep === 2) {
+      // Earlier, softer nudge -- gives the model a chance to steer toward
+      // synthesis before the hard cutoff two notes down, instead of only
+      // finding out at the last possible moment.
       responseParts.push({
-        text: `[SYSTEM NOTE: only ${remainingAfterThisStep} step(s) remain before this investigation is forced to stop. If you cannot fully complete the task -- including any specific format requested (e.g. an exhaustive table, per-item breakdown) -- in the remaining budget, say so explicitly and describe what's missing, rather than presenting a partial or reformatted-for-brevity answer as if it were complete.]`,
+        text: `[SYSTEM NOTE: only 2 step(s) remain after this one. Start wrapping up -- prioritize synthesizing what you've already found over opening new lines of investigation.]`,
+      });
+    } else if (remainingAfterThisStep <= 1) {
+      // When remainingAfterThisStep is 0, the NEXT turn is the final step,
+      // which is called with no tools at all (see isFinalStep above) -- so
+      // this note can say so as a fact, not just a suggestion to wrap up.
+      const noToolsNote = remainingAfterThisStep === 0
+        ? " The next turn will NOT include any tools -- a function call is not possible; you must answer in plain text now."
+        : "";
+      responseParts.push({
+        text: `[SYSTEM NOTE: only ${remainingAfterThisStep} step(s) remain before this investigation is forced to stop.${noToolsNote} If you cannot fully complete the task -- including any specific format requested (e.g. an exhaustive table, per-item breakdown) -- in the remaining budget, say so explicitly and describe what's missing, rather than presenting a partial or reformatted-for-brevity answer as if it were complete.]`,
       });
     }