diff --git a/strix/agents/factory.py b/strix/agents/factory.py
index 12139fa..aa7094b 100644
--- a/strix/agents/factory.py
+++ b/strix/agents/factory.py
@@ -151,6 +151,7 @@ def build_strix_agent(
         skills=skills,
         scan_mode=scan_mode,
         is_whitebox=is_whitebox,
+        is_root=is_root,
         interactive=interactive,
         system_prompt_context=system_prompt_context,
     )
diff --git a/strix/agents/prompt.py b/strix/agents/prompt.py
index 6723c63..feb3c50 100644
--- a/strix/agents/prompt.py
+++ b/strix/agents/prompt.py
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ def _resolve_skills(
     requested: list[str] | None,
     scan_mode: str = "deep",
     is_whitebox: bool = False,
+    is_root: bool = False,
 ) -> list[str]:
     """Build the deduped, ordered skills list for the prompt render.
 
@@ -36,11 +37,15 @@ def _resolve_skills(
     2. ``scan_modes/<mode>`` (always).
     3. ``tooling/agent_browser`` (always — every agent has shell + the
        agent-browser CLI).
-    4. Whitebox-specific skills if applicable.
+    4. ``coordination/root_agent`` for the root agent only — orchestration
+       guidance for delegating to specialist subagents.
+    5. Whitebox-specific skills if applicable.
     """
     ordered: list[str] = list(requested or [])
     ordered.append(f"scan_modes/{scan_mode}")
     ordered.append("tooling/agent_browser")
+    if is_root:
+        ordered.append("coordination/root_agent")
     if is_whitebox:
         ordered.append("coordination/source_aware_whitebox")
         ordered.append("custom/source_aware_sast")
@@ -59,6 +64,7 @@ def render_system_prompt(
     skills: list[str] | None = None,
     scan_mode: str = "deep",
     is_whitebox: bool = False,
+    is_root: bool = False,
     interactive: bool = False,
     system_prompt_context: dict[str, Any] | None = None,
 ) -> str:
@@ -70,6 +76,8 @@ def render_system_prompt(
             skill.
         is_whitebox: When True, the source-aware whitebox skill stack
             is loaded too.
+        is_root: When True, ``coordination/root_agent`` orchestration
+            guidance is auto-loaded.
         interactive: When True, the prompt renders the interactive-mode
             communication rules block.
         system_prompt_context: Free-form dict that the template's
@@ -96,6 +104,7 @@ def render_system_prompt(
             requested=skills,
             scan_mode=scan_mode,
             is_whitebox=is_whitebox,
+            is_root=is_root,
         )
         skill_content = load_skills(skills_to_load)
         env.globals["get_skill"] = lambda name: skill_content.get(name, "")
diff --git a/strix/interface/tui.py b/strix/interface/tui.py
index 8c5882b..100ee09 100644
--- a/strix/interface/tui.py
+++ b/strix/interface/tui.py
@@ -1843,11 +1843,16 @@ class StrixTUIApp(App):  # type: ignore[misc]
         return agent_name, False
 
     def action_confirm_stop_agent(self, agent_id: str) -> None:
+        # Graceful stop: each agent's current turn finishes (and is saved to
+        # session) before the run loop honors the cancel. The interactive
+        # outer loop sees ``stopping`` and exits with status="stopped".
+        # The hard ``cancel_descendants`` path remains for KeyboardInterrupt
+        # in entry.py where graceful isn't possible.
         if self._scan_loop is None or self._scan_loop.is_closed():
             logging.warning("No active scan loop; cannot stop agent %s", agent_id)
             return
         asyncio.run_coroutine_threadsafe(
-            self.bus.cancel_descendants(agent_id),
+            self.bus.cancel_descendants_graceful(agent_id),
             self._scan_loop,
         )
 
diff --git a/strix/orchestration/filter.py b/strix/orchestration/filter.py
index 09ee8a0..a219d8b 100644
--- a/strix/orchestration/filter.py
+++ b/strix/orchestration/filter.py
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@ retries — so a single drain per turn doesn't lose messages on retry.
 from __future__ import annotations
 
 import logging
-from datetime import UTC, datetime
 from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
 
 from agents.run_config import CallModelData, ModelInputData
@@ -26,11 +25,8 @@ logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 async def inject_messages_filter(data: CallModelData) -> ModelInputData:
     """Drain bus inbox and append messages as user-role items before the LLM call.
 
-    Peer-agent messages are wrapped in the legacy ``<inter_agent_message>``
-    XML envelope (sender / metadata / content / delivery_info) so the
-    receiving model gets the same prompt-shape as pre-migration — including
-    the explicit "DO NOT echo back" instruction. Direct user messages
-    (``from="user"``) are passed plain.
+    Peer-agent messages get a one-line labeled header followed by the
+    body. Direct user messages (``from="user"``) are passed plain.
 
     Any exception inside the filter — malformed message dict, bug in
     ``bus.drain``, etc. — is caught and the original ``data.model_data``
@@ -72,31 +68,24 @@ async def inject_messages_filter(data: CallModelData) -> ModelInputData:
 
 
 def _format_inter_agent_message(bus: AgentMessageBus, msg: dict[str, Any]) -> str:
-    """Render a peer-agent message in the legacy XML envelope.
+    """Render a peer-agent message as a labeled header + body.
 
-    The wrapper carries an explicit "do not echo back" instruction that
-    the legacy harness used to keep models from quoting the entire
-    received message dict in their own next turn.
+    Format:
+        [Message from {name} ({id}) | type={type} | priority={priority}]
+        {content}
+
+    Plain text by design — no XML wrapping, no escaping concerns. The
+    label line tells the receiver who sent this and why so it doesn't
+    confuse a peer message with its own work; the rest of the body is
+    delivered as-is.
     """
     sender_id = str(msg.get("from", "unknown"))
     sender_name = bus.names.get(sender_id, sender_id)
     msg_type = msg.get("type", "information")
     priority = msg.get("priority", "normal")
-    timestamp = msg.get("timestamp") or datetime.now(UTC).isoformat()
     content = str(msg.get("content", ""))
     return (
-        "<inter_agent_message>\n"
-        "  <delivery_notice><important>You have received a message from another "
-        "agent. Acknowledge and respond to the sender if needed; DO NOT echo "
-        "back this entire message block.</important></delivery_notice>\n"
-        f"  <sender><agent_name>{sender_name}</agent_name>"
-        f"<agent_id>{sender_id}</agent_id></sender>\n"
-        f"  <message_metadata><type>{msg_type}</type>"
-        f"<priority>{priority}</priority>"
-        f"<timestamp>{timestamp}</timestamp></message_metadata>\n"
-        f"  <content>{content}</content>\n"
-        "  <delivery_info><note>This message was delivered during your task "
-        "execution. Please acknowledge and respond if needed.</note>"
-        "</delivery_info>\n"
-        "</inter_agent_message>"
+        f"[Message from {sender_name} ({sender_id}) "
+        f"| type={msg_type} | priority={priority}]\n"
+        f"{content}"
     )
diff --git a/strix/orchestration/hooks.py b/strix/orchestration/hooks.py
index c785a6c..39055b8 100644
--- a/strix/orchestration/hooks.py
+++ b/strix/orchestration/hooks.py
@@ -56,6 +56,13 @@ class StrixOrchestrationHooks(RunHooks[Any]):
             # warnings fire exactly once per agent lifetime — surviving
             # ``run_with_continuation`` cycles, mirroring legacy
             # ``state.max_iterations_warning_sent``.
+            #
+            # The flags are mutated lock-free below. Safe because the SDK
+            # serializes ``on_llm_start`` per agent (one in-flight LLM call
+            # per ``Runner.run`` instance), so this hook is the sole writer
+            # to ``warned_85`` / ``warned_final`` for this agent_id.
+            # ``record_usage`` (which acquires the lock) only writes
+            # ``in`` / ``out`` / ``cached`` / ``calls`` — disjoint keys.
             if cur >= int(max_turns * 0.85) and not stats.get("warned_85"):
                 stats["warned_85"] = True
                 input_items.append(
diff --git a/strix/tools/agents_graph/tools.py b/strix/tools/agents_graph/tools.py
index 9642dd2..739f19e 100644
--- a/strix/tools/agents_graph/tools.py
+++ b/strix/tools/agents_graph/tools.py
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import asyncio
 import json
 import logging
 import uuid
+from datetime import UTC, datetime
 from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Any, Literal
 
 from agents import RunContextWrapper, function_tool
@@ -52,26 +53,34 @@ def _render_completion_report(
     findings: list[str],
     recommendations: list[str],
 ) -> str:
-    """Render an ``<agent_completion_report>`` XML payload (legacy parity)."""
-    from datetime import UTC, datetime
-    from html import escape
+    """Render a child's completion report as plain structured text.
 
+    Goes into the parent's bus inbox; the inject filter prepends a
+    ``[Message from ...]`` header on top, so this body just carries the
+    contents. No XML — no escaping concerns, no parser ambiguity.
+    """
     status = "SUCCESS" if success else "FAILED"
     completion_time = datetime.now(UTC).isoformat()
-    findings_xml = "".join(f"<finding>{escape(f)}</finding>" for f in findings)
-    recs_xml = "".join(f"<recommendation>{escape(r)}</recommendation>" for r in recommendations)
-    return (
-        "<agent_completion_report>\n"
-        f"  <agent_info><agent_name>{escape(agent_name)}</agent_name>"
-        f"<agent_id>{escape(agent_id)}</agent_id>"
-        f"<task>{escape(task)}</task>"
-        f"<status>{status}</status>"
-        f"<completion_time>{completion_time}</completion_time></agent_info>\n"
-        f"  <results><summary>{escape(result_summary)}</summary>"
-        f"<findings>{findings_xml}</findings>"
-        f"<recommendations>{recs_xml}</recommendations></results>\n"
-        "</agent_completion_report>"
-    )
+
+    lines: list[str] = [
+        f"== Completion report from {agent_name} ({agent_id}) ==",
+        f"Status: {status}",
+        f"Time: {completion_time}",
+    ]
+    if task:
+        lines.append(f"Task: {task}")
+    lines.append("")
+    lines.append("Summary:")
+    lines.append(result_summary or "(none)")
+    if findings:
+        lines.append("")
+        lines.append("Findings:")
+        lines.extend(f"- {f}" for f in findings)
+    if recommendations:
+        lines.append("")
+        lines.append("Recommendations:")
+        lines.extend(f"- {r}" for r in recommendations)
+    return "\n".join(lines)
 
 
 @function_tool(timeout=30)
@@ -456,9 +465,9 @@ async def create_agent(
             {
                 "role": "user",
                 "content": (
-                    "<inherited_context_from_parent>\n"
+                    "== Inherited context from parent (background only) ==\n"
                     f"{rendered}\n"
-                    "</inherited_context_from_parent>\n"
+                    "== End of inherited context ==\n"
                     "Use the above as background only; do not continue the "
                     "parent's work. Your task follows."
                 ),