diff --git a/src/__tests__/client.test.ts b/src/__tests__/client.test.ts
index dd380a793..0bd732989 100644
--- a/src/__tests__/client.test.ts
+++ b/src/__tests__/client.test.ts
@@ -852,3 +852,27 @@ test('capture.screenshot normalizes the default-level result (unchanged)', async
   assert.equal(result.path, '/tmp/shot.png');
   assert.deepEqual(result.identifiers, { session: 'qa' });
 });
+
+test('capture.snapshot passes a digest (non-default level) payload through unnormalized', async () => {
+  const digest = {
+    nodeCount: 3,
+    refs: [{ ref: 'e1', label: 'Login' }],
+    truncated: false,
+  };
+  const setup = createTransport(async (req) => {
+    assert.equal(req.command, 'snapshot');
+    assert.equal(req.meta?.responseLevel, 'digest'); // the level reached the daemon
+    return { ok: true, data: digest };
+  });
+  const client = createAgentDeviceClient(setup.config, { transport: setup.transport });
+
+  const result = await client.capture.snapshot({ responseLevel: 'digest' });
+
+  // The digest SURVIVES the client path: nodeCount/refs are preserved and the
+  // default normalizer (which expects `nodes` and would yield an empty snapshot
+  // plus `identifiers`) is skipped.
+  const asRecord = result as Record<string, unknown>;
+  assert.deepEqual(asRecord, digest);
+  assert.equal(asRecord.nodeCount, 3);
+  assert.ok(!('identifiers' in asRecord));
+});
diff --git a/src/cli/commands/__tests__/generic.test.ts b/src/cli/commands/__tests__/generic.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3873e3009
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/cli/commands/__tests__/generic.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+import { test } from 'vitest';
+import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
+import { createAgentDeviceClient } from '../../../client.ts';
+import type { DaemonResponse } from '../../../contracts.ts';
+import type { CliFlags } from '../../../utils/cli-flags.ts';
+import type { ClientBackedCliCommandName } from '../../../command-catalog.ts';
+import { runGenericClientBackedCommand } from '../generic.ts';
+
+async function captureStdout(fn: () => Promise<unknown>): Promise<string> {
+  const chunks: string[] = [];
+  const original = process.stdout.write.bind(process.stdout);
+  process.stdout.write = ((chunk: unknown) => {
+    chunks.push(String(chunk));
+    return true;
+  }) as typeof process.stdout.write;
+  try {
+    await fn();
+  } finally {
+    process.stdout.write = original;
+  }
+  return chunks.join('');
+}
+
+test('snapshot --level digest --json preserves the digest through the generic CLI path', async () => {
+  const digest = { nodeCount: 3, refs: [{ ref: 'e1', label: 'Login' }], truncated: false };
+  const client = createAgentDeviceClient(
+    { session: 'qa', responseLevel: 'digest' },
+    {
+      transport: async (req): Promise<DaemonResponse> => {
+        assert.equal(req.command, 'snapshot');
+        return { ok: true, data: digest };
+      },
+    },
+  );
+  const flags = { json: true, responseLevel: 'digest' } as CliFlags;
+
+  const out = await captureStdout(() =>
+    runGenericClientBackedCommand({
+      command: 'snapshot' as ClientBackedCliCommandName,
+      positionals: [],
+      flags,
+      client,
+    }),
+  );
+  const parsed = JSON.parse(out) as { success: boolean; data: Record<string, unknown> };
+
+  assert.equal(parsed.success, true);
+  // nodeCount/refs — the digest fields — are preserved, not collapsed by the
+  // snapshot formatter that expects `nodes`.
+  assert.deepEqual(parsed.data, digest);
+});
diff --git a/src/cli/commands/generic.ts b/src/cli/commands/generic.ts
index 82665dd1d..aa5dc3758 100644
--- a/src/cli/commands/generic.ts
+++ b/src/cli/commands/generic.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import type { CliOutput } from '../../commands/command-contract.ts';
 import type { ReplaySuiteResult } from '../../daemon/types.ts';
 import type { CliFlags } from '../../utils/cli-flags.ts';
 import { readCommandMessage } from '../../utils/success-text.ts';
+import { isNonDefaultResponseLevel } from '../../contracts.ts';
 import { writeCommandOutput } from './shared.ts';
 import type { ClientBackedCliCommandName } from '../../command-catalog.ts';
 import type { ClientCommandParams } from './router-types.ts';
@@ -23,6 +24,14 @@ export async function runGenericClientBackedCommand({
     positionals,
     flags,
   });
+  // A non-default responseLevel returns a leveled payload (e.g. the snapshot
+  // digest { nodeCount, refs }) that the per-command CLI formatters assume away —
+  // they serialize the default shape and drop the digest fields. Emit the leveled
+  // payload verbatim instead.
+  if (isNonDefaultResponseLevel(flags.responseLevel)) {
+    writeCommandOutput(flags, result, () => JSON.stringify(result, null, 2));
+    return true;
+  }
   if (cliOutput) {
     writeCliOutput(flags, cliOutput);
   } else {
diff --git a/src/client.ts b/src/client.ts
index 089de6a09..30076d7ee 100644
--- a/src/client.ts
+++ b/src/client.ts
@@ -274,6 +274,12 @@ export function createAgentDeviceClient(
       snapshot: async (options: CaptureSnapshotOptions = {}) => {
         const session = resolveRequestSession(options);
         const data = await executeCommand<Record<string, unknown>>('snapshot', options);
+        // A non-default responseLevel returns the leveled snapshot digest
+        // ({ nodeCount, refs, … }); normalizeSnapshotResult expects the full
+        // `nodes` tree and would collapse it to an empty snapshot. Pass the
+        // leveled payload through verbatim. (Mirrors capture.screenshot; the
+        // caller opted into the level, so the runtime value is the leveled shape.)
+        if (isLeveledResponse(options)) return data as unknown as CaptureSnapshotResult;
         return normalizeSnapshotResult(data, session);
       },
       screenshot: async (options: CaptureScreenshotOptions = {}) => {