diff --git a/roboco/agent_sdk/intake_driver.py b/roboco/agent_sdk/intake_driver.py
index 2f69a581..db7f6f64 100644
--- a/roboco/agent_sdk/intake_driver.py
+++ b/roboco/agent_sdk/intake_driver.py
@@ -235,12 +235,20 @@ def _block_to_chunk(
     return None, None, None
 
 
-def _blocks_to_chunks(content: list[Any]) -> list[StreamChunk]:
+def _blocks_to_chunks(
+    content: list[Any], *, emit_text: bool = False
+) -> list[StreamChunk]:
     """Map an assistant message's content blocks to chunks (duck-typed).
 
-    Text is deliberately NOT re-emitted here: with ``include_partial_messages``
+    Text is normally NOT re-emitted here: with ``include_partial_messages``
     the live token deltas (``StreamEvent``) already streamed it, so re-emitting
     the complete ``TextBlock`` would render every reply twice on the panel.
+    ``emit_text=True`` is the no-deltas fallback — the CLI's partial-message
+    emission is remotely gated and can silently vanish (2026-07-23 live
+    incident: zero ``stream_event`` lines in the NAS containers while the
+    identical binary streams elsewhere), and without this fallback the
+    double-render guard becomes a total blackout: replies are generated but
+    never reach the panel.
 
     The canonical draft signal is the agent calling the **``propose_draft``**
     tool — that ToolUseBlock becomes a single ``draft`` chunk. As a fallback (if
@@ -257,6 +265,8 @@ def _blocks_to_chunks(content: list[Any]) -> list[StreamChunk]:
             chunks.append(chunk)
         if text_part is not None:
             text_parts.append(text_part)
+            if emit_text and text_part:
+                chunks.append(StreamChunk(kind="text", text=text_part))
         draft = draft or block_draft
     draft = draft or _extract_draft("".join(text_parts))
     if draft is not None:
@@ -275,17 +285,23 @@ def _stream_event_to_chunks(msg: Any) -> list[StreamChunk]:
     return []
 
 
-def normalize(msg: Any) -> list[StreamChunk]:
+def normalize(msg: Any, *, text_already_streamed: bool = True) -> list[StreamChunk]:
     """Map a single ``claude-agent-sdk`` message to panel-facing chunks.
 
     Duck-typed on type name + attributes so it works on real SDK messages and
-    on test fakes alike (no SDK import required).
+    on test fakes alike (no SDK import required). ``text_already_streamed``
+    is the caller's per-turn "any text delta seen yet?" tracker: when False,
+    an AssistantMessage emits its complete text as chunks (the no-deltas
+    fallback — see ``_blocks_to_chunks``); the default preserves the
+    suppress-always behavior for callers that don't track.
     """
     name = type(msg).__name__
     if name == "StreamEvent":
         return _stream_event_to_chunks(msg)
     if name == "AssistantMessage":
-        return _blocks_to_chunks(getattr(msg, "content", []))
+        return _blocks_to_chunks(
+            getattr(msg, "content", []), emit_text=not text_already_streamed
+        )
     if name == "ResultMessage":
         return [
             StreamChunk(
@@ -617,6 +633,16 @@ class SdkIntakeSession:  # pragma: no cover - requires the live claude binary
 
     async def send(self, text: str) -> AsyncIterator[StreamChunk]:
         await self._client.query(text)
+        # Per-turn delta tracker: once a live text delta arrives, complete
+        # AssistantMessage text stays suppressed (double-render guard); if
+        # none ever do (the remotely-gated no-partial-messages mode), the
+        # complete text is emitted instead so replies still reach the panel.
+        saw_text_delta = False
         async for msg in self._client.receive_response():
-            for chunk in normalize(msg):
+            chunks = normalize(msg, text_already_streamed=saw_text_delta)
+            if type(msg).__name__ == "StreamEvent" and any(
+                c.kind == "text" for c in chunks
+            ):
+                saw_text_delta = True
+            for chunk in chunks:
                 yield chunk
diff --git a/tests/unit/agent_sdk/test_intake_driver.py b/tests/unit/agent_sdk/test_intake_driver.py
index 0964dca4..64c7b006 100644
--- a/tests/unit/agent_sdk/test_intake_driver.py
+++ b/tests/unit/agent_sdk/test_intake_driver.py
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import pytest
 from roboco.agent_sdk.intake_driver import (
     _INTAKE_BASE_TOOLS,
     IntakeDriver,
+    SdkIntakeSession,
     StreamChunk,
     normalize,
 )
@@ -98,6 +99,63 @@ def test_normalize_assistant_message_blocks() -> None:
     assert chunks[1].data["input"] == {"file": "metrics.tsx"}
 
 
+def test_normalize_assistant_message_emits_text_when_no_deltas_streamed() -> None:
+    """The no-deltas fallback (2026-07-23 incident): when the CLI's remotely
+    gated partial-message emission is off, no StreamEvent ever carries the
+    reply — the AssistantMessage's complete text must then be emitted instead
+    of being swallowed by the double-render guard."""
+    msg = AssistantMessage([TextBlock("hello there"), ThinkingBlock("hmm")])
+    chunks = normalize(msg, text_already_streamed=False)
+    assert [c.kind for c in chunks] == ["text", "thinking"]
+    assert chunks[0].text == "hello there"
+
+
+def test_normalize_assistant_message_default_still_suppresses_text() -> None:
+    msg = AssistantMessage([TextBlock("hello there")])
+    assert normalize(msg) == []
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_sdk_session_send_falls_back_to_complete_text_without_deltas() -> None:
+    """End-to-end through SdkIntakeSession.send: a turn with zero StreamEvents
+    yields the reply text from the AssistantMessage; a turn WITH deltas keeps
+    the complete text suppressed (no double render)."""
+
+    class _FakeClient:
+        def __init__(self, messages: list) -> None:
+            self._messages = messages
+
+        async def query(self, _text: str) -> None: ...
+
+        async def receive_response(self) -> AsyncIterator[object]:
+            for m in self._messages:
+                yield m
+
+    # Gated mode: no StreamEvents at all.
+    session = SdkIntakeSession(options=None)
+    session._client = _FakeClient(
+        [
+            SystemMessage("init"),
+            AssistantMessage([TextBlock("the reply")]),
+            ResultMessage("s1"),
+        ]
+    )
+    kinds = [(c.kind, c.text) async for c in session.send("hi")]
+    assert ("text", "the reply") in kinds
+
+    # Streaming mode: deltas first — complete text stays suppressed.
+    session._client = _FakeClient(
+        [
+            StreamEvent({"delta": {"type": "text_delta", "text": "the "}}),
+            StreamEvent({"delta": {"type": "text_delta", "text": "reply"}}),
+            AssistantMessage([TextBlock("the reply")]),
+            ResultMessage("s2"),
+        ]
+    )
+    texts = [c.text async for c in session.send("hi") if c.kind == "text"]
+    assert texts == ["the ", "reply"]
+
+
 def test_normalize_assistant_message_extracts_draft_block() -> None:
     # A finished reply that ends with a fenced roboco-draft block yields a
     # single `draft` chunk carrying the parsed object — and no `text` chunk.