diff --git a/AgentCompany-New/src/main/services/chat-agent-wake-service.ts b/AgentCompany-New/src/main/services/chat-agent-wake-service.ts
index 9ad88109..08df6211 100644
--- a/AgentCompany-New/src/main/services/chat-agent-wake-service.ts
+++ b/AgentCompany-New/src/main/services/chat-agent-wake-service.ts
@@ -38,10 +38,12 @@ export class ChatAgentWakeService {
   wakeFromMention(input: SendMessageInput, agentId: string, messageId: string, threadId: string, now: string): AgentWakeResult {
     const agent = this.requireRunnableAgent(input.orgId, agentId);
     const workspace = this.workspaceForAgent(input.orgId, agent.workspace_id);
+    const from = this.principalName(input.orgId, input.senderType, input.senderId);
+    const channel = this.channelName(input.orgId, input.spaceId);
     const taskId = this.organization.createTask({
       orgId: input.orgId,
-      title: `Chat reply: ${agent.name}`,
-      description: this.mentionTaskDescription(input, messageId, threadId),
+      title: `Reply to ${from} in #${channel}`,
+      description: this.mentionTaskDescription(input, from, channel),
       status: TASK_STATUS.BACKLOG,
       assigneeAgentId: agent.id,
       risk: RISK_LEVEL.LOW,
@@ -191,17 +193,34 @@ export class ChatAgentWakeService {
     return `Chat mention: ${title.length > 64 ? `${title.slice(0, 61)}...` : title}`;
   }
 
-  private mentionTaskDescription(input: SendMessageInput, messageId: string, threadId: string): string {
+  private mentionTaskDescription(input: SendMessageInput, from: string, channel: string): string {
+    const said = input.bodyMd.trim();
     return [
-      `Source message: ${messageId}`,
-      `Source thread: ${threadId}`,
-      `Source space: ${input.spaceId}`,
-      `Sender: ${input.senderType}${input.senderId ? `:${input.senderId}` : ""}`,
+      `${from} addressed you in #${channel}:`,
+      `"${said.length > 400 ? `${said.slice(0, 397)}...` : said}"`,
       "",
-      "You were @mentioned in a chat message. Read the thread context, then reply in the source thread with send_message and pass the thread_id above.",
+      `Reply to ${from} in this thread. Answer what they asked, give your honest take, push back if you disagree, or hand work over — speak as yourself, the way a colleague would, not as a status report.`,
     ].join("\n");
   }
 
+  private principalName(orgId: string, senderType: string, senderId: string | null): string {
+    if (senderId && senderType === "agent") {
+      const row = this.db.prepare("select name from agents where id = ? and org_id = ?").get(senderId, orgId) as { name: string } | undefined;
+      if (row) return row.name;
+    }
+    if (senderId && (senderType === "employee" || senderType === "board")) {
+      const row = this.db.prepare("select display_name from employees where id = ? and org_id = ?").get(senderId, orgId) as { display_name: string } | undefined;
+      if (row) return senderType === "board" ? `${row.display_name} (board)` : row.display_name;
+    }
+    return senderType === "board" ? "The board" : "A teammate";
+  }
+
+  private channelName(orgId: string, spaceId: string): string {
+    const row = this.db.prepare("select name from chat_spaces where id = ? and org_id = ?").get(spaceId, orgId) as { name: string } | undefined;
+    if (!row) throw new Error("Chat space was not found.");
+    return row.name;
+  }
+
   private taskDescription(input: SendMessageInput, slash: SlashInvocation, messageId: string, threadId: string): string {
     return [
       `Chat command: /agent ${slash.args.trim()}`,
diff --git a/AgentCompany-New/src/main/services/task-prompts.ts b/AgentCompany-New/src/main/services/task-prompts.ts
index 3b7ad027..96ad27e9 100644
--- a/AgentCompany-New/src/main/services/task-prompts.ts
+++ b/AgentCompany-New/src/main/services/task-prompts.ts
@@ -162,11 +162,12 @@ export function buildTaskPrompt(input: {
   if (input.chatContext) {
     lines.push(
       "",
-      "Chat thread you are replying to:",
+      "The conversation in this thread so far:",
       input.chatContext.transcript,
       "",
-      `Reply in this thread by passing thread_id="${input.chatContext.threadId}" to send_message.`,
+      `You have been brought into this thread. Reply to the people here in your own voice — answer what they asked, give your honest take, push back if you disagree, or hand work over. Stay in the thread by passing thread_id="${input.chatContext.threadId}" to send_message. This is a conversation between colleagues, not a status report; only change a task's status if the work itself actually moved.`,
     );
+    return lines.join("\n");
   }
   if (input.isManager && !input.hasReports) {
     lines.push(
@@ -178,7 +179,7 @@ export function buildTaskPrompt(input: {
     const managerReference = input.managerName ? `${manager} (${agentMention(input.managerName)})` : manager;
     lines.push(
       "",
-      `Complete this task: do the work, write your output as real files with write_deliverable, then send_message to your department channel (engineering, product, or general) reporting your progress and completion to ${managerReference}. Use /handoff with attachment_file_ids when passing files. Reply in the assignment thread if you were given a thread_id. Update the task status when done, and summarize.`,
+      `Do the work and write real output with write_deliverable, then tell ${managerReference} and the team what you did and what is next — in your own words, the way you would bring a colleague up to speed, not as a form. Hand files over with /handoff and attachment_file_ids, reply in the assignment thread if you were given one, and when the work is genuinely done move the task to done.`,
     );
   }
   return lines.join("\n");