diff --git a/hive-matrix-mcp/src/handlers.rs b/hive-matrix-mcp/src/handlers.rs
index 5edf00d5..6aa2ccf4 100644
--- a/hive-matrix-mcp/src/handlers.rs
+++ b/hive-matrix-mcp/src/handlers.rs
@@ -281,22 +281,6 @@ async fn room_unread_state(
         .map(|(id, _)| id);
 
     let is_encrypted = room.encryption_state().is_encrypted();
-    // UTD-gated body, same rule `to_timeline_event` uses for `read_room`:
-    // an encrypted room's genuinely-undecryptable event gets the sentinel;
-    // everything else (plaintext rooms, and successfully-decrypted events
-    // in an encrypted one) gets its real extracted body. Without this an
-    // encrypted room's raw ciphertext extracted as "" for every event, so
-    // two different unread messages produced the identical summary and
-    // never re-armed the wake.
-    let body_of = |raw: &matrix_sdk::deserialized_responses::TimelineEvent,
-                   parsed: &matrix_sdk::ruma::events::AnySyncTimelineEvent| {
-        if is_encrypted && raw.kind.is_utd() {
-            "[unable to decrypt]".to_owned()
-        } else {
-            extract_body_sync(parsed)
-        }
-    };
-
     let events = recent_events(room).await;
     for raw in &events {
         let Ok(event) = raw.raw().deserialize() else {
@@ -318,7 +302,7 @@ async fn room_unread_state(
         if event.sender().as_str() == own_user_id.as_str() {
             return None;
         }
-        let body = body_of(raw, &event);
+        let body = utd_gated_body(is_encrypted, raw.kind.is_utd(), &event);
         return Some((event.event_id().to_owned(), event.sender().to_owned(), body));
     }
     // Exhausted the lookback window without hitting the receipt or an
@@ -334,7 +318,7 @@ async fn room_unread_state(
     if newest.sender().as_str() == own_user_id.as_str() {
         return None;
     }
-    let body = body_of(newest_raw, &newest);
+    let body = utd_gated_body(is_encrypted, newest_raw.kind.is_utd(), &newest);
     Some((
         newest.event_id().to_owned(),
         newest.sender().to_owned(),
@@ -342,6 +326,32 @@ async fn room_unread_state(
     ))
 }
 
+/// UTD-gated body, same rule `to_timeline_event` uses for `read_room`: an
+/// encrypted room's genuinely-undecryptable event gets a sentinel that
+/// still varies per event; everything else (plaintext rooms, and
+/// successfully-decrypted events in an encrypted one) gets its real
+/// extracted body.
+///
+/// The sentinel can't be a constant string. Two different UTD events
+/// (the normal e2ee failure mode — a new device, a missing megolm
+/// session, late-arriving keys) would otherwise produce byte-identical
+/// summaries, and the harness's content-diff upsert would never re-wake
+/// on the second one — the same silent-deafness failure as an undecrypted
+/// room reporting an empty body for every event, just with a different
+/// unchanging text. Folding the event id into the sentinel is cheap and
+/// needs no new dedup-key plumbing.
+fn utd_gated_body(
+    is_encrypted: bool,
+    is_utd: bool,
+    parsed: &matrix_sdk::ruma::events::AnySyncTimelineEvent,
+) -> String {
+    if is_encrypted && is_utd {
+        format!("[unable to decrypt] ({})", parsed.event_id())
+    } else {
+        extract_body_sync(parsed)
+    }
+}
+
 pub async fn send_message(client: &Client, room_ref: &str, body: &str) -> DaemonResponse {
     let room = match resolve_room(client, room_ref).await {
         Ok(r) => r,
@@ -1042,3 +1052,52 @@ pub async fn unread_summary(client: &Client) -> DaemonResponse {
     let rooms = collect_unread(client).await;
     DaemonResponse::ok(&rooms)
 }
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod utd_body_tests {
+    use super::utd_gated_body;
+
+    /// Parses a minimal `m.room.message` sync event with the given event
+    /// id and body, enough for `utd_gated_body`'s plaintext path
+    /// (`extract_body_sync`) and the UTD path (which only reads the event
+    /// id) alike.
+    fn text_event(event_id: &str, body: &str) -> matrix_sdk::ruma::events::AnySyncTimelineEvent {
+        serde_json::from_value(serde_json::json!({
+            "type": "m.room.message",
+            "event_id": event_id,
+            "sender": "@alice:example.org",
+            "origin_server_ts": 1,
+            "content": {"msgtype": "m.text", "body": body},
+        }))
+        .expect("valid minimal m.room.message")
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn two_utd_events_get_different_bodies() {
+        let a = utd_gated_body(true, true, &text_event("$a:example.org", "ciphertext a"));
+        let b = utd_gated_body(true, true, &text_event("$b:example.org", "ciphertext b"));
+        assert_ne!(
+            a, b,
+            "two different undecryptable events must not collapse to the \
+             same summary text, or the harness's content-diff upsert never \
+             re-wakes on the second one"
+        );
+        assert!(a.contains("$a:example.org"));
+        assert!(b.contains("$b:example.org"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn decrypted_event_in_an_encrypted_room_uses_its_real_body() {
+        let got = utd_gated_body(true, false, &text_event("$a:example.org", "hello"));
+        assert_eq!(got, "hello");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn plaintext_room_ignores_the_utd_flag() {
+        // `is_utd` can transiently fire in a non-encrypted room while the
+        // SDK finishes reclassifying a freshly-synced cache row (see
+        // `to_timeline_event`'s doc comment) — `is_encrypted` gates it.
+        let got = utd_gated_body(false, true, &text_event("$a:example.org", "hello"));
+        assert_eq!(got, "hello");
+    }
+}