diff --git a/src/mcp/__tests__/command-tools.test.ts b/src/mcp/__tests__/command-tools.test.ts
index b795cccb5..6d911da0a 100644
--- a/src/mcp/__tests__/command-tools.test.ts
+++ b/src/mcp/__tests__/command-tools.test.ts
@@ -59,6 +59,28 @@ test('MCP command tool executor renders optimized snapshot text by default', asy
   assert.doesNotMatch(result.content[0]?.text ?? '', /^\{/);
 });
 
+test('MCP renders a non-default response level as JSON text, not misleading optimized text', async () => {
+  // With responseLevel:digest the daemon returns the digest shape (no `nodes`).
+  // The optimized snapshot formatter expects `nodes` and would print
+  // "Snapshot: 0 nodes" — contradicting structuredContent. The text must instead
+  // be the digest payload verbatim (JSON), even though mcpOutputFormat is optimized.
+  const digest = { nodeCount: 3, refs: [{ ref: 'e1', label: 'Continue' }], truncated: false };
+  const executor = createCommandToolExecutor({
+    createClient: () => ({}) as AgentDeviceClient,
+    runCommand: async () => digest,
+  });
+
+  const result = await executor.execute('snapshot', {
+    mcpOutputFormat: 'optimized',
+    responseLevel: 'digest',
+  });
+
+  assert.deepEqual(result.structuredContent, digest);
+  assert.match(result.content[0]?.text ?? '', /^\{/);
+  assert.deepEqual(JSON.parse(result.content[0]?.text ?? ''), digest);
+  assert.doesNotMatch(result.content[0]?.text ?? '', /Snapshot: 0 nodes/);
+});
+
 test('MCP command tool executor renders JSON text when requested', async () => {
   const executor = createCommandToolExecutor({
     createClient: () => ({}) as AgentDeviceClient,
@@ -99,6 +121,10 @@ test('MCP tool schemas add MCP client config fields at the MCP boundary', () =>
     (devicesTool.inputSchema.properties?.includeCost as { type?: string } | undefined)?.type,
     'boolean',
   );
+  assert.deepEqual(
+    (devicesTool.inputSchema.properties?.responseLevel as { enum?: unknown[] } | undefined)?.enum,
+    ['digest', 'default', 'full'],
+  );
 });
 
 test('MCP includeCost:true opts into agent-cost: sets client.cost, strips the arg, surfaces cost', async () => {
@@ -156,6 +182,58 @@ test('MCP includeCost rejects non-boolean values at the boundary', async () => {
   );
 });
 
+test('MCP responseLevel:digest opts into a verbosity level: sets client.responseLevel, strips the arg', async () => {
+  const createdConfigs: unknown[] = [];
+  const calls: unknown[] = [];
+  const executor = createCommandToolExecutor({
+    createClient: (config) => {
+      createdConfigs.push(config);
+      return {} as AgentDeviceClient;
+    },
+    runCommand: async (_client, name, input) => {
+      calls.push({ name, input });
+      return { message: `Ran ${name}` };
+    },
+  });
+
+  const result = await executor.execute('wait', { responseLevel: 'digest' });
+
+  // responseLevel maps to the client `responseLevel` config (→ meta.responseLevel on the daemon).
+  assert.deepEqual(createdConfigs, [{ responseLevel: 'digest' }]);
+  // responseLevel is an MCP-boundary field and must not leak into the command input.
+  assert.deepEqual(calls, [{ name: 'wait', input: {} }]);
+  assert.deepEqual(result.structuredContent, { message: 'Ran wait' });
+});
+
+test('MCP responseLevel absent leaves the request shape untouched (no responseLevel config)', async () => {
+  const createdConfigs: unknown[] = [];
+  const executor = createCommandToolExecutor({
+    createClient: (config) => {
+      createdConfigs.push(config);
+      return {} as AgentDeviceClient;
+    },
+    runCommand: async () => ({ message: 'ok' }),
+  });
+
+  const absent = await executor.execute('wait', {});
+
+  // The absent path never sets `responseLevel`; the config is byte-identical to today.
+  assert.deepEqual(createdConfigs, [{}]);
+  assert.deepEqual(absent.structuredContent, { message: 'ok' });
+});
+
+test('MCP responseLevel rejects unknown values at the boundary', async () => {
+  const executor = createCommandToolExecutor({
+    createClient: () => ({}) as AgentDeviceClient,
+    runCommand: async () => ({}),
+  });
+
+  await assert.rejects(
+    executor.execute('wait', { responseLevel: 'verbose' }),
+    /Expected responseLevel to be one of 'digest', 'default', or 'full'\./,
+  );
+});
+
 test('MCP typed commands advertise an outputSchema with the contract discriminant', () => {
   const tools = listCommandTools();
 
diff --git a/src/mcp/command-tools.ts b/src/mcp/command-tools.ts
index fd56d8bcf..1487b25ca 100644
--- a/src/mcp/command-tools.ts
+++ b/src/mcp/command-tools.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import type { AgentDeviceClient, AgentDeviceClientConfig } from '../client-types.ts';
 import type { JsonSchema } from '../commands/command-contract.ts';
+import { RESPONSE_LEVELS, type ResponseLevel } from '../contracts.ts';
 import { formatCliOutput } from '../commands/cli-output.ts';
 import {
   isCommandName,
@@ -77,6 +78,7 @@ export function createCommandToolExecutor(deps: CommandToolExecutorDeps = {}): C
               input: commandInput,
               result,
               outputFormat: config.outputFormat,
+              responseLevel: config.client.responseLevel,
             }),
           },
         ],
@@ -119,6 +121,7 @@ function readMcpToolConfig(input: unknown): McpToolConfig {
 function readClientConfig(record: Record<string, unknown>): AgentDeviceClientConfig {
   const stateDir = record.stateDir;
   const includeCost = record.includeCost;
+  const responseLevel = record.responseLevel;
   const client: AgentDeviceClientConfig = {};
   if (stateDir !== undefined && (typeof stateDir !== 'string' || stateDir.length === 0)) {
     throw new Error('Expected stateDir to be a non-empty string.');
@@ -130,9 +133,21 @@ function readClientConfig(record: Record<string, unknown>): AgentDeviceClientCon
   // Only set when explicitly true so the default request shape is untouched
   // (cost rides on response.data → structuredContent only when opted in).
   if (includeCost === true) client.cost = true;
+  // Only set when it names a known level so the default request shape is
+  // untouched (responseLevel rides on meta.responseLevel only when opted in).
+  const level = readResponseLevel(responseLevel);
+  if (level !== undefined) client.responseLevel = level;
   return client;
 }
 
+function readResponseLevel(value: unknown): ResponseLevel | undefined {
+  if (value === undefined) return undefined;
+  if (typeof value !== 'string' || !(RESPONSE_LEVELS as readonly string[]).includes(value)) {
+    throw new Error("Expected responseLevel to be one of 'digest', 'default', or 'full'.");
+  }
+  return value as ResponseLevel;
+}
+
 function readMcpOutputFormat(outputFormat: unknown): McpOutputFormat {
   if (outputFormat === undefined) return 'optimized';
   if (outputFormat !== 'optimized' && outputFormat !== 'json') {
@@ -147,6 +162,7 @@ function stripMcpConfigFields(input: unknown): unknown {
     stateDir: _stateDir,
     mcpOutputFormat: _mcpOutputFormat,
     includeCost: _includeCost,
+    responseLevel: _responseLevel,
     ...commandInput
   } = input as Record<string, unknown>;
   return commandInput;
@@ -169,6 +185,12 @@ function withMcpConfigSchema(schema: JsonSchema): JsonSchema {
         description:
           'Include per-command agent-cost (cost.wallClockMs, …) in structuredContent. Defaults to off; the default response shape is unchanged.',
       },
+      responseLevel: {
+        type: 'string',
+        enum: ['digest', 'default', 'full'],
+        description:
+          'Response verbosity: token-cheap digest / default (today) / full. Defaults to default; the default response shape is unchanged.',
+      },
     },
   };
 }
@@ -178,8 +200,19 @@ function renderToolText(params: {
   input: unknown;
   result: unknown;
   outputFormat: McpOutputFormat;
+  responseLevel?: ResponseLevel;
 }): string {
-  if (params.outputFormat === 'json') return renderJsonText(params.result);
+  // A non-default responseLevel (digest/full) hands back a leveled payload whose
+  // shape the optimized CLI formatters do not understand (e.g. the snapshot
+  // formatter expects `nodes`, which the digest drops) — rendering it through
+  // them would print misleading text that contradicts `structuredContent`. Emit
+  // the leveled payload verbatim as JSON instead.
+  if (
+    params.outputFormat === 'json' ||
+    (params.responseLevel !== undefined && params.responseLevel !== 'default')
+  ) {
+    return renderJsonText(params.result);
+  }
   const cliOutput = formatCliOutput({
     name: params.name,
     input: params.input,