diff --git a/cecli/tools/command.py b/cecli/tools/command.py
index 3712fcd5c0a..4f581db0d64 100644
--- a/cecli/tools/command.py
+++ b/cecli/tools/command.py
@@ -722,6 +722,14 @@ def format_output(cls, coder, mcp_server, tool_response):
         elif command:
             coder.io.tool_output(f"{color_start}Command:{color_end}")
             coder.io.tool_output(coder.format_command_with_prefix(command))
+        else:
+            # No command and no background_key/action pair: this call will
+            # be rejected by execute() before it ever reaches confirmation.
+            # Say so explicitly instead of leaving the panel looking blank,
+            # which is otherwise indistinguishable from a display bug.
+            coder.io.tool_output(
+                f"{color_start}(no command provided — call will be rejected){color_end}"
+            )
 
         coder.io.tool_output("")
 
diff --git a/tests/tools/test_command_format_output.py b/tests/tools/test_command_format_output.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..7e5b3423dd0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/tools/test_command_format_output.py
@@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
+"""Regression tests for Command.format_output rendering.
+
+format_output() prints the "Tool Call:" header before execute() runs, so it
+must clearly communicate what execute() is about to do — including the case
+where the LLM emits an empty/no-op call (no `command` and no
+`background_key`/`action` pair). Without an explicit message, such a call
+renders a header with a blank body, which looks identical (from the user's
+perspective) to a genuine display bug where an auto-approved command call
+fails to print its body at all.
+"""
+
+import json
+from types import SimpleNamespace
+
+import pytest
+
+from cecli.tools import command
+
+
+class DummyIO:
+    def __init__(self):
+        self.outputs = []
+        self._last_type = None
+
+    def tool_output(self, msg="", type=None, **kwargs):
+        self.outputs.append(str(msg))
+        self._last_type = type
+
+    def tool_error(self, msg="", **kwargs):
+        self.outputs.append(f"ERROR: {msg}")
+
+
+class DummyCoder:
+    def __init__(self):
+        self.io = DummyIO()
+        self.pretty = False
+        self.verbose = False
+
+    def format_command_with_prefix(self, cmd):
+        return cmd
+
+
+def make_tool_response(args):
+    return SimpleNamespace(
+        id="test-id",
+        type="function",
+        function=SimpleNamespace(
+            name="Command",
+            arguments=json.dumps(args),
+        ),
+    )
+
+
+def render(coder, args):
+    command.Tool.format_output(
+        coder,
+        mcp_server=SimpleNamespace(name="Local"),
+        tool_response=make_tool_response(args),
+    )
+    return "\n".join(coder.io.outputs)
+
+
+def test_format_output_shows_command_text():
+    coder = DummyCoder()
+    output = render(coder, {"command": "echo hi"})
+    assert "Tool Call:" in output
+    assert "Command:" in output
+    assert "echo hi" in output
+
+
+def test_format_output_empty_args_shows_explicit_placeholder():
+    """Regression test: an empty-args call (no command, no background_key/action)
+    must not render a header with a silently blank body.
+
+    Reproduces a real session where the model called `Command` with `{}` —
+    execute() correctly rejects this ("'command' must be provided."), but the
+    displayed panel showed nothing after the header, which was mistaken for
+    a display bug (auto-approved commands failing to render their body).
+    """
+    coder = DummyCoder()
+    output = render(coder, {})
+
+    assert "Tool Call:" in output
+    assert "no command provided" in output
+    # Must not silently look identical to a "nothing rendered" panel.
+    assert "Command:" not in output
+
+
+def test_format_output_background_key_action_shown_without_command():
+    coder = DummyCoder()
+    output = render(coder, {"background_key": "bg-123", "action": "stop"})
+
+    assert "Tool Call:" in output
+    assert "Background Key:" in output
+    assert "bg-123" in output
+    assert "Action:" in output
+    assert "stop" in output
+    assert "no command provided" not in output
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_execute_rejects_empty_args_matching_format_output_case():
+    """execute() must actually reject the same empty-args shape that
+    format_output flags, keeping the two code paths consistent."""
+
+    class ExecCoder(DummyCoder):
+        skip_cli_confirmations = True
+
+        def __init__(self):
+            super().__init__()
+            self.agent_config = {}
+
+    coder = ExecCoder()
+    response = await command.Tool.execute(coder)
+    result = response.to_dict()
+    assert result["result"] == []
+    assert "'command' must be provided." in result["errors"]