diff --git a/agent/transports/chat_completions.py b/agent/transports/chat_completions.py
index 5664c7450..49bc91f44 100644
--- a/agent/transports/chat_completions.py
+++ b/agent/transports/chat_completions.py
@@ -682,11 +682,21 @@ class ChatCompletionsTransport(ProviderTransport):
             if isinstance(_msg_extra, dict):
                 refusal = _msg_extra.get("refusal")
         if isinstance(refusal, str) and refusal.strip():
-            if not (isinstance(content, str) and content.strip()):
-                content = refusal
-            if finish_reason in (None, "stop"):
-                finish_reason = "content_filter"
+            # Record the refusal explanation regardless — it's useful provider
+            # metadata even when the model also returned a usable payload.
             provider_data["refusal"] = refusal
+            _has_text = isinstance(content, str) and content.strip()
+            _has_tool_calls = bool(tool_calls)
+            # Only promote to a terminal ``content_filter`` when the refusal is
+            # the *sole* payload — no visible text and no tool calls. A response
+            # that carries real content (or tool calls) alongside a refusal note
+            # is a normal, usable turn: surfacing it as a failed safety refusal
+            # would discard the model's actual work. In the empty-payload case,
+            # adopt the refusal as content so the loop has something to show.
+            if not _has_text and not _has_tool_calls:
+                content = refusal
+                if finish_reason in (None, "stop"):
+                    finish_reason = "content_filter"
 
         return NormalizedResponse(
             content=content,
diff --git a/tests/agent/transports/test_chat_completions.py b/tests/agent/transports/test_chat_completions.py
index 588b019d7..da642e2ae 100644
--- a/tests/agent/transports/test_chat_completions.py
+++ b/tests/agent/transports/test_chat_completions.py
@@ -923,8 +923,10 @@ class TestChatCompletionsNormalize:
         assert nr.content is None
 
     def test_refusal_does_not_clobber_existing_content(self, transport):
-        """If the model emitted partial text *and* a refusal, keep the visible
-        text as content but still flag the refusal via content_filter."""
+        """If the model emitted real text *and* a refusal note, the turn is a
+        normal usable response: keep the visible text, record the refusal in
+        provider_data, and do NOT promote to a terminal content_filter (which
+        would discard the model's actual work by reframing it as a failure)."""
         r = SimpleNamespace(
             choices=[SimpleNamespace(
                 message=SimpleNamespace(
@@ -937,7 +939,32 @@ class TestChatCompletionsNormalize:
         )
         nr = transport.normalize_response(r)
         assert nr.content == "partial answer"
-        assert nr.finish_reason == "content_filter"
+        assert nr.finish_reason == "stop"
+        assert nr.provider_data == {"refusal": "cannot continue"}
+
+    def test_refusal_with_tool_calls_is_not_promoted(self, transport):
+        """A response that carries tool calls alongside a refusal note is a
+        usable tool turn — record the refusal but keep the tool calls and do
+        NOT terminate it as a content_filter refusal."""
+        tc = SimpleNamespace(
+            id="call_1", type="function",
+            function=SimpleNamespace(name="do_thing", arguments="{}"),
+        )
+        r = SimpleNamespace(
+            choices=[SimpleNamespace(
+                message=SimpleNamespace(
+                    content=None, tool_calls=[tc],
+                    reasoning_content=None, refusal="cannot continue",
+                ),
+                finish_reason="tool_calls",
+            )],
+            usage=None,
+        )
+        nr = transport.normalize_response(r)
+        # Tool calls survive; finish reason is untouched; content not clobbered.
+        assert nr.tool_calls and nr.tool_calls[0].name == "do_thing"
+        assert nr.finish_reason == "tool_calls"
+        assert nr.content in (None, "")
         assert nr.provider_data == {"refusal": "cannot continue"}