diff --git a/tests/tools/test_session_search.py b/tests/tools/test_session_search.py
index 3d68a9dec532a..9468c561977dc 100644
--- a/tests/tools/test_session_search.py
+++ b/tests/tools/test_session_search.py
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 from tools.session_search_tool import (
     SESSION_SEARCH_SCHEMA,
     _format_timestamp,
+    _READ_MAX_CONTENT,
     _is_compacted_message,
     _resolve_to_parent,
     _session_link,
@@ -491,6 +492,22 @@ def test_read_truncates_large_session(self, db):
         assert result["truncated"] is True
         assert len(result["messages"]) == 30  # head 20 + tail 10
 
+    def test_read_caps_oversized_message_content(self, db):
+        # #114344: a huge archived tool result stored as a message must not come
+        # back whole on the read shape - discovery/scroll already cap (#69334).
+        db.create_session("s_huge", source="cli")
+        db.append_message("s_huge", role="user", content="run it")
+        db.append_message("s_huge", role="assistant", content="x" * 80_000)
+        db.append_message("s_huge", role="user", content="thanks")
+        db._conn.commit()
+        result = json.loads(session_search(session_id="s_huge", db=db))
+        assert result["mode"] == "read"
+        assert result["truncated"] is False  # 3 messages, count-wise it all fits
+        big = next(m for m in result["messages"] if m.get("content_truncated"))
+        assert len(big["content"]) <= _READ_MAX_CONTENT + 1  # cap plus ellipsis
+        assert big["original_content_chars"] == 80_000
+        assert sum(len(m.get("content") or "") for m in result["messages"]) < 5_000
+
 
 # =========================================================================
 # Session links — the value the agent writes to point the user at a session
diff --git a/tools/session_search_tool.py b/tools/session_search_tool.py
index 1b7e60344ad3b..2589364000029 100644
--- a/tools/session_search_tool.py
+++ b/tools/session_search_tool.py
@@ -29,6 +29,14 @@
 # Demoting — not excluding — keeps cron content reachable when it's the only match, while interactive
 # sessions always win when both match.
 _DEMOTED_SESSION_SOURCES = ("cron",)
+
+# Read-shape per-message content cap. #69334 capped discovery bookends (1200) and
+# scroll windows (4000) but left ``_read_session`` returning whole messages, so a
+# single archived tool result stored as a message could come back verbatim - one
+# read returned 74K chars and took a request from ~50K to ~89K tokens in a step.
+# Bounding message COUNT (head/tail) is not enough when content per message is
+# unbounded; the agent can scroll around a message for detail (#114344).
+_READ_MAX_CONTENT = 2000
 # FTS rows scanned before dedup-by-lineage — well above the distinct sessions a query
 # returns, so interactive matches buried under cron hits survive the demotion pass.
 _DISCOVER_SCAN_LIMIT = 300
@@ -441,7 +449,7 @@ def _read_session(db, session_id: str, head: int = 20, tail: int = 10, link_prof
                       session_id)
     if err:
         return err
-    shaped = [_shape_message(m) for m in rows]
+    shaped = [_shape_message(m, max_content_len=_READ_MAX_CONTENT) for m in rows]
     total, truncated = len(shaped), len(shaped) > head + tail
     return _ok(mode="read", session_id=session_id, link=_session_link(session_id, link_profile),
                session_meta=_session_meta_block(meta), message_count=total, truncated=truncated,