diff --git a/docs/tools/subagent.md b/docs/tools/subagent.md
index 6dc02208..ca2c0e7c 100644
--- a/docs/tools/subagent.md
+++ b/docs/tools/subagent.md
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ turn's end-of-turn todo, carrying claude's own message plus the location
 this daemon searched.
 
 ```
-claude error: no session matched the requested id or title (searched /home/agent/.claude for cwd /home/agent/work; if the session was started elsewhere, pass `dir`)
+claude error: no session matched the requested id or title (searched /home/agent/.claude for cwd /home/agent/work; if it was started elsewhere, pass the `dir` it was started in)
 ```
 
 The directory is the part claude's own message never names, and the part
diff --git a/hive-subagent-mcp/src/session.rs b/hive-subagent-mcp/src/session.rs
index d81e13bc..9ae11203 100644
--- a/hive-subagent-mcp/src/session.rs
+++ b/hive-subagent-mcp/src/session.rs
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ fn searched_location(config: &Config) -> Option<String> {
     let home = config.resolved_claude_home().ok()?;
     let cwd = config.resolved_cwd().ok()?;
     Some(format!(
-        "(searched {} for cwd {}; if the session was started elsewhere, pass `dir`)",
+        "(searched {} for cwd {}; if it was started elsewhere, pass the `dir` it was started in)",
         home.display(),
         cwd.display()
     ))
@@ -1410,8 +1410,8 @@ mod tests {
         // where this daemon looked. claude's own message names the value it
         // failed to match but never the directory, which is the fact that
         // was missing.
-        let searched = "(searched /home/agent/.claude for cwd /home/agent/work; if the session \
-                        was started elsewhere, pass `dir`)";
+        let searched = "(searched /home/agent/.claude for cwd /home/agent/work; if it was started \
+                        elsewhere, pass the `dir` it was started in)";
         let end = classify_end(Err(hive_claude::Error::SessionNotFound), Some(searched));
         let TurnEnd::Failed(msg) = end else {
             panic!("a missed resume is a failed turn");
@@ -1425,7 +1425,7 @@ mod tests {
             "and the search location must be appended to it: {msg}"
         );
         assert!(
-            msg.contains("pass `dir`"),
+            msg.contains("pass the `dir` it was started in"),
             "naming the directory is only half of it — say what to do about it: {msg}"
         );
     }