diff --git a/assistant/src/daemon/conversation-tool-setup.ts b/assistant/src/daemon/conversation-tool-setup.ts
index df13437aec5..208e6d3e041 100644
--- a/assistant/src/daemon/conversation-tool-setup.ts
+++ b/assistant/src/daemon/conversation-tool-setup.ts
@@ -352,7 +352,7 @@ export const HOST_TOOL_TO_CAPABILITY = new Map<string, HostProxyCapability>([
 export const HOST_TOOL_NAMES = new Set(HOST_TOOL_TO_CAPABILITY.keys());
 /**
  * Capabilities eligible for cross-client exposure on non-host-proxy
- * transports (e.g. web, iphone routing to a connected macOS client).
+ * transports (e.g. web, ios routing to a connected macOS client).
  * Adding a capability here exposes ALL tools that map to it (per
  * HOST_TOOL_TO_CAPABILITY) on non-host-proxy transports — the daemon then
  * routes the actual invocation to the connected capable client via the
@@ -409,7 +409,7 @@ export function isToolActiveForContext(
     if (transport && capability && !supportsHostProxy(transport, capability)) {
       // Cross-client exception: allow host tools whose capabilities have
       // cross-client routing infrastructure (Phases 1–3) to be exposed for
-      // non-host-proxy transports (e.g. "web", "iphone") when at least one
+      // non-host-proxy transports (e.g. "web", "ios") when at least one
       // capable client is connected via the event hub. Members of
       // CROSS_CLIENT_EXPOSED_CAPABILITIES (host_bash, host_file) qualify;
       // host_browser is intentionally excluded (chrome-extension is its
diff --git a/assistant/src/tools/host-filesystem/edit.ts b/assistant/src/tools/host-filesystem/edit.ts
index fc3f7240a40..e6093c6b4b1 100644
--- a/assistant/src/tools/host-filesystem/edit.ts
+++ b/assistant/src/tools/host-filesystem/edit.ts
@@ -131,8 +131,11 @@ class HostFileEditTool implements Tool {
     // and tool-execution). Scoped to !supportsHostProxy so macos turns —
     // where local-fs fallback IS the intended offline behavior — still fall
     // through if the LLM auto-fills a stale target_client_id from a prior
-    // cross-client turn. On web/iphone, the call must fail loudly rather
+    // cross-client turn. On web/ios, the call must fail loudly rather
     // than silently target the daemon container's filesystem.
+    // Note: this scoping deliberately differs from host_bash
+    // (host-shell.ts:239-247), which rejects unconditionally; see PR #29613
+    // review discussion for rationale.
     if (
       targetClientId != null &&
       transportInterface != null &&
diff --git a/assistant/src/tools/host-filesystem/read.ts b/assistant/src/tools/host-filesystem/read.ts
index ef7e96f3542..bc6c783c89e 100644
--- a/assistant/src/tools/host-filesystem/read.ts
+++ b/assistant/src/tools/host-filesystem/read.ts
@@ -102,8 +102,11 @@ class HostFileReadTool implements Tool {
     // and tool-execution). Scoped to !supportsHostProxy so macos turns —
     // where local-fs fallback IS the intended offline behavior — still fall
     // through if the LLM auto-fills a stale target_client_id from a prior
-    // cross-client turn. On web/iphone, the call must fail loudly rather
+    // cross-client turn. On web/ios, the call must fail loudly rather
     // than silently target the daemon container's filesystem.
+    // Note: this scoping deliberately differs from host_bash
+    // (host-shell.ts:239-247), which rejects unconditionally; see PR #29613
+    // review discussion for rationale.
     if (
       targetClientId != null &&
       transportInterface != null &&
diff --git a/assistant/src/tools/host-filesystem/transfer.test.ts b/assistant/src/tools/host-filesystem/transfer.test.ts
index a5e83140fdf..a2a6cf8e958 100644
--- a/assistant/src/tools/host-filesystem/transfer.test.ts
+++ b/assistant/src/tools/host-filesystem/transfer.test.ts
@@ -31,6 +31,15 @@ mock.module("../../daemon/host-transfer-proxy.js", () => ({
   },
 }));
 
+// Mirror read/write/edit test files: stub the event hub so the multi-client
+// guard at line ~100 of transfer.ts is exercised against an isolated stub
+// rather than the live process-wide singleton.
+mock.module("../../runtime/assistant-event-hub.js", () => ({
+  assistantEventHub: {
+    listClientsByCapability: () => [],
+  },
+}));
+
 const { hostFileTransferTool } = await import("./transfer.js");
 
 const testDirs: string[] = [];
diff --git a/assistant/src/tools/host-filesystem/transfer.ts b/assistant/src/tools/host-filesystem/transfer.ts
index b263a1221ab..09c9f41cb60 100644
--- a/assistant/src/tools/host-filesystem/transfer.ts
+++ b/assistant/src/tools/host-filesystem/transfer.ts
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ class HostFileTransferTool implements Tool {
     ) {
       return {
         content:
-          "Error: no client with host_file capability is connected. Connect a macOS client to use host_file_transfer from a non-desktop interface.",
+          "Error: no client with host_file capability is connected. Connect a macOS client to use host_file from a non-desktop interface.",
         isError: true,
       };
     }
@@ -129,8 +129,11 @@ class HostFileTransferTool implements Tool {
     // and tool-execution). Scoped to !supportsHostProxy so macos turns —
     // where local-fs fallback IS the intended offline behavior — silently
     // ignore a stale target_client_id auto-filled from a prior cross-client
-    // turn. On web/iphone, the call must fail loudly rather than silently
+    // turn. On web/ios, the call must fail loudly rather than silently
     // target the daemon container's filesystem.
+    // Note: this scoping deliberately differs from host_bash
+    // (host-shell.ts:239-247), which rejects unconditionally; see PR #29613
+    // review discussion for rationale.
     if (
       targetClientId != null &&
       context.transportInterface != null &&
diff --git a/assistant/src/tools/host-filesystem/write.ts b/assistant/src/tools/host-filesystem/write.ts
index defbb969e71..bdb205d19c5 100644
--- a/assistant/src/tools/host-filesystem/write.ts
+++ b/assistant/src/tools/host-filesystem/write.ts
@@ -101,8 +101,11 @@ class HostFileWriteTool implements Tool {
     // and tool-execution). Scoped to !supportsHostProxy so macos turns —
     // where local-fs fallback IS the intended offline behavior — still fall
     // through if the LLM auto-fills a stale target_client_id from a prior
-    // cross-client turn. On web/iphone, the call must fail loudly rather
+    // cross-client turn. On web/ios, the call must fail loudly rather
     // than silently target the daemon container's filesystem.
+    // Note: this scoping deliberately differs from host_bash
+    // (host-shell.ts:239-247), which rejects unconditionally; see PR #29613
+    // review discussion for rationale.
     if (
       targetClientId != null &&
       transportInterface != null &&