diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 053f5bc4..15536b93 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ Every agent is a full NixOS container with its own unix user (passwordless
 sudo inside the cage) and a durable, self-compacting session. Out of the
 box it gets:
 
-- **messaging** — peers and the operator talk over matrix; `send` / `recv` is the hive-local broker for system traffic and agents without matrix,
+- **messaging** — peers and the operator talk over matrix; agents without matrix are cut off from peers on purpose,
   `remind` to wake itself, scheduled prompts the operator sets for it at
   swarm level, and a todo list that forge notifications and other
   producers feed. → [schedules](docs/2-handbook/swarm/schedules.md)
diff --git a/hive-agent-mcp/src/mcp/mod.rs b/hive-agent-mcp/src/mcp/mod.rs
index 23f1af78..3ba7a9b5 100644
--- a/hive-agent-mcp/src/mcp/mod.rs
+++ b/hive-agent-mcp/src/mcp/mod.rs
@@ -410,9 +410,9 @@ impl AgentServer {
 }
 
 #[tool_handler(
-    instructions = "You are a hyperhive agent. Talk to peers and the operator over matrix if \
-        you have it; `send` (by logical name) is the hive-local broker, for peers without matrix. Use `recv` to drain your inbox one \
-        message at a time. Use `remind` to schedule a future wake-up message for yourself."
+    instructions = "You are a hyperhive agent. Talk to peers and the operator over matrix \
+        (`send_dm` takes a peer's agent name). Use `remind` to schedule a future wake-up \
+        message for yourself."
 )]
 impl ServerHandler for AgentServer {}
 
diff --git a/hive-agent-mcp/src/mcp/render.rs b/hive-agent-mcp/src/mcp/render.rs
index 38895436..b4204f2a 100644
--- a/hive-agent-mcp/src/mcp/render.rs
+++ b/hive-agent-mcp/src/mcp/render.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-//! Formatting / render helpers for the MCP tool surface: ack / recv /
+//! Formatting / render helpers for the MCP tool surface: ack /
 //! loose-end / agent-meta reply shaping plus the retry annotation.
 //! Stateless string builders, with one exception —
 //! [`matrix_unread_summary`] queries `hive-matrix-daemon`'s local
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ fn render_one_loose_end(out: &mut String, t: &hive_sh4re::inbox::LooseEnd) {
         hive_sh4re::inbox::LooseEnd::PendingMessages { count } => {
             let _ = writeln!(
                 out,
-                "- {count} pending inbox message(s) — drain with recv (recv(max: {count}) to batch)"
+                "- {count} inbox message(s) queued; the harness delivers them one per turn"
             );
         }
         hive_sh4re::inbox::LooseEnd::UnreadMatrix { rooms, summary } => {
diff --git a/hive-agent/src/mcp_config.rs b/hive-agent/src/mcp_config.rs
index f5cdafac..a96a3b56 100644
--- a/hive-agent/src/mcp_config.rs
+++ b/hive-agent/src/mcp_config.rs
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 use hive_types::Permission;
 
 /// Name of the hyperhive MCP server inside claude's view. Claude prefixes
-/// tools as `mcp__<this>__<tool>` (e.g. `mcp__hyperhive__send`).
+/// tools as `mcp__<this>__<tool>` (e.g. `mcp__hyperhive__remind`).
 pub const SERVER_NAME: &str = "hyperhive";
 
 /// Default loopback port the built-in hyperhive MCP surface is served on
diff --git a/hive-c0re/src/loose_ends.rs b/hive-c0re/src/loose_ends.rs
index e783edd5..dccac27d 100644
--- a/hive-c0re/src/loose_ends.rs
+++ b/hive-c0re/src/loose_ends.rs
@@ -13,8 +13,8 @@ use hive_sh4re::inbox::LooseEnd;
 
 use crate::coordinator::Coordinator;
 
-/// Open threads pending against `agent`: undelivered inbox messages this
-/// agent still owes itself a `recv` for, only when the count is non-zero.
+/// Open threads pending against `agent`: undelivered inbox messages for this
+/// agent, only when the count is non-zero.
 ///
 /// # Errors
 ///
diff --git a/hive-sh4re/src/inbox.rs b/hive-sh4re/src/inbox.rs
index 2f3eeaa9..d7cec80b 100644
--- a/hive-sh4re/src/inbox.rs
+++ b/hive-sh4re/src/inbox.rs
@@ -1,8 +1,7 @@
 //! Per-agent socket — `/run/hyperhive/agents/<name>/mcp.sock` on the
 //! host, bind-mounted into the container at `/run/hive/mcp.sock`. The
 //! inbox/messaging wire shapes: message envelopes, the loose-ends
-//! response types, and the shared wake-prompt/`recv`-result hint
-//! constants + builder.
+//! response types, and the shared wake-prompt hint constants.
 
 use chrono::{DateTime, Utc};
 use hive_types::Ident;
@@ -18,10 +17,8 @@ use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
 /// constant instead of a scattered magic value.
 pub const RECV_BATCH_MAX: u32 = 5;
 
-/// Banner prepended to a wake prompt / `recv` result when the message was
-/// redelivered after a harness restart (the turn that first drove it never
-/// acked). Shared between the harness serve loop (wake prompt) and the MCP
-/// server (`recv` tool result) so both surfaces phrase it identically.
+/// Banner prepended to a wake prompt when the message was redelivered after
+/// a harness restart (the turn that first drove it never acked).
 pub const REDELIVERY_HINT: &str = "[redelivered after harness restart — may already be handled]\n";
 
 /// Banner prepended to a wake prompt when the previous turn was cut off by
@@ -120,11 +117,10 @@ pub enum LooseEnd {
         due_at: DateTime<Utc>,
         age_seconds: u64,
     },
-    /// Undelivered inbox messages waiting to be `recv`'d by this agent.
-    /// Not cancellable — drain them with `recv`. Surfaced so an agent
-    /// doing a between-turns `get_loose_ends` sweep sees it still owes
-    /// itself a `recv` without having to poll the inbox separately. Only
-    /// emitted when `count > 0`.
+    /// Undelivered inbox messages waiting for this agent. Not cancellable:
+    /// the harness delivers them one per turn. Surfaced so a between-turns
+    /// `get_loose_ends` sweep sees a backlog without polling the inbox.
+    /// Only emitted when `count > 0`.
     PendingMessages {
         /// Number of undelivered messages queued for this agent.
         count: u64,