diff --git a/packages/triage-manager/src/actions/judge.ts b/packages/triage-manager/src/actions/judge.ts
index 9e463f22b..9d2519df2 100644
--- a/packages/triage-manager/src/actions/judge.ts
+++ b/packages/triage-manager/src/actions/judge.ts
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ export async function deployJudge(input: unknown, ctx: EffectContext, _signal: A
   return { reviewer: { kind: "judge", head, runId: judgeRun, deployedBy: runId, deadline }, mail: { tenantId, to: judgeRun, content, readyBy: deadline } };
 }
 
-const MailedInput = type({ deployJudge: { output: { reviewer: Reviewer } }, mailJudge: { output: "string" } });
+const MailedInput = type({ deployJudge: { output: { reviewer: Reviewer } }, mailJudge: { output: { reply: "string" } } });
 
 /**
  * The judge becomes a reviewer to wait for once its mail went. A mail that failed by its deadline leaves the pass to
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ const MailedInput = type({ deployJudge: { output: { reviewer: Reviewer } }, mail
 export async function judgeMailed(input: unknown): Promise<{ reviewer?: Reviewer; post: boolean }> {
   const parsed = MailedInput(input);
   if (parsed instanceof type.errors) throw new Error(`judgeMailed: ${parsed.summary}`);
-  const mailed = Mailed(parsed.mailJudge.output);
+  const mailed = Mailed(parsed.mailJudge.output.reply);
   if (mailed instanceof type.errors) throw new Error(`judgeMailed: ${mailed.summary}`);
   return mailed.mailed ? { reviewer: parsed.deployJudge.output.reviewer, post: false } : { post: true };
 }
diff --git a/packages/triage-manager/src/actions/review.ts b/packages/triage-manager/src/actions/review.ts
index d001a420e..d62837dfb 100644
--- a/packages/triage-manager/src/actions/review.ts
+++ b/packages/triage-manager/src/actions/review.ts
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ export async function deployReview(input: unknown, ctx: EffectContext, _signal:
   return { reviewer: { kind: "code-review", head, runId: reviewRun, deployedBy: runId, deadline }, mail: { tenantId, to: reviewRun, content, readyBy: deadline } };
 }
 
-const MailedInput = type({ deployReview: { output: { reviewer: Reviewer } }, mailReview: { output: "string" } });
+const MailedInput = type({ deployReview: { output: { reviewer: Reviewer } }, mailReview: { output: { reply: "string" } } });
 
 /**
  * The review becomes a reviewer to wait for once its mail went. A mail that failed by its deadline leaves the pass to
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ const MailedInput = type({ deployReview: { output: { reviewer: Reviewer } }, mai
 export async function reviewMailed(input: unknown): Promise<{ reviewer?: Reviewer; post: boolean }> {
   const parsed = MailedInput(input);
   if (parsed instanceof type.errors) throw new Error(`reviewMailed: ${parsed.summary}`);
-  const mailed = Mailed(parsed.mailReview.output);
+  const mailed = Mailed(parsed.mailReview.output.reply);
   if (mailed instanceof type.errors) throw new Error(`reviewMailed: ${mailed.summary}`);
   return mailed.mailed ? { reviewer: parsed.deployReview.output.reviewer, post: false } : { post: true };
 }
diff --git a/packages/triage-manager/src/triage-manager.test.ts b/packages/triage-manager/src/triage-manager.test.ts
index 1e66d7f5f..85cdec06a 100644
--- a/packages/triage-manager/src/triage-manager.test.ts
+++ b/packages/triage-manager/src/triage-manager.test.ts
@@ -118,7 +118,10 @@ function actionCredentials(bindings: Bindings, host: Fetch, hub: (url: URL, init
 
 const loopFns = (ref: string) => (loops as Record<string, LoopFn>)[ref]!;
 
-/** Runs one mail's body; the mail agent's director runs its one tool, so the mail it would send is recorded and answered `mailed`. */
+/**
+ * Runs one mail's body; the mail agent's director runs its one tool, so the mail it would send is recorded and answered
+ * `mailed` in the `{ reply, turn }` a live agent step outputs.
+ */
 async function runMail(definition: WorkflowDefinition, mail: unknown, host: Fetch, hub: ReturnType<typeof fakeHub>["hub"], mailed: unknown[] = [], delivers = true) {
   const body = (definition.steps.events as OnTriggerPrimitive).body;
   if (!("inline" in body)) throw new Error("the body is not inline");
@@ -128,7 +131,8 @@ async function runMail(definition: WorkflowDefinition, mail: unknown, host: Fetc
     invokeStep: async function mailAgent({ agent, input }) {
       if (!agent.id.startsWith("triage-mail")) throw new Error(`no agent but the mail agent runs, not ${agent.id}`);
       mailed.push(input);
-      return { output: JSON.stringify({ mailed: delivers }) };
+      const reply = JSON.stringify({ mailed: delivers });
+      return { output: { reply, turn: { role: "assistant", content: [{ type: "text", text: reply }] } } };
     },
     actionResolver: (ref) => (actions as Record<string, ActionHandler>)[ref]!,
     actionCredentials: actionCredentials((definition.credentialBindings ?? []) as Bindings, host, hub),