diff --git a/hive-ag3nt/src/mcp.rs b/hive-ag3nt/src/mcp.rs
index 2ff5c7d9..540c37b9 100644
--- a/hive-ag3nt/src/mcp.rs
+++ b/hive-ag3nt/src/mcp.rs
@@ -743,7 +743,8 @@ impl AgentServer {
             let mcp_items = crate::mcp_loose_ends::collect();
             if !mcp_items.is_empty() {
                 use std::fmt::Write as _;
-                let _ = write!(out, "\n\nlocal task(s):");
+                let n = mcp_items.len();
+                let _ = write!(out, "\n\n{n} local task(s):");
                 for item in &mcp_items {
                     let _ = write!(out, "\n- {item}");
                 }
diff --git a/hive-ag3nt/src/mcp_loose_ends.rs b/hive-ag3nt/src/mcp_loose_ends.rs
index e7e537e0..222a6392 100644
--- a/hive-ag3nt/src/mcp_loose_ends.rs
+++ b/hive-ag3nt/src/mcp_loose_ends.rs
@@ -10,6 +10,9 @@
 
 use std::path::PathBuf;
 
+/// NOTE: the base-dir resolution logic here is intentionally mirrored in
+/// `hive-bash-mcp/src/paths.rs::mcp_loose_ends_dir()`. They can't share
+/// code across crates — keep them in sync if the fallback logic changes.
 fn loose_ends_dir() -> PathBuf {
     let base = if let Some(p) = std::env::var_os("HYPERHIVE_HARNESS_DIR") {
         PathBuf::from(p)
diff --git a/hive-bash-mcp/src/paths.rs b/hive-bash-mcp/src/paths.rs
index 854bcc9c..dd4c5a70 100644
--- a/hive-bash-mcp/src/paths.rs
+++ b/hive-bash-mcp/src/paths.rs
@@ -51,6 +51,10 @@ pub fn hyperhive_socket() -> PathBuf {
 /// Directory where MCP daemons write loose-end summary files for the harness.
 /// Each daemon writes `<name>.json` here; the harness scans the dir in
 /// `get_loose_ends` to surface active work from all MCPs generically.
+///
+/// NOTE: the base-dir resolution logic here is intentionally mirrored in
+/// `hive-ag3nt/src/mcp_loose_ends.rs::loose_ends_dir()`. They can't share
+/// code across crates — keep them in sync if the fallback logic changes.
 #[must_use]
 pub fn mcp_loose_ends_dir() -> PathBuf {
     let base = if let Some(p) = std::env::var_os("HYPERHIVE_HARNESS_DIR") {
diff --git a/nix/templates/harness-base.nix b/nix/templates/harness-base.nix
index 20abfb36..7315e5cc 100644
--- a/nix/templates/harness-base.nix
+++ b/nix/templates/harness-base.nix
@@ -1130,6 +1130,14 @@ in
         HIVE_BASH_SOCKET = "/run/hive-bash/socket";
         HIVE_CONTROL_SOCKET = "/run/hive/mcp.sock";
         RUST_LOG = "info";
+        # HYPERHIVE_HARNESS_DIR and HYPERHIVE_STATE_DIR are already
+        # injected via systemd.globalEnvironment by the meta flake
+        # (set to /agents/<name>/harness and /agents/<name>/state
+        # respectively). Listed here for explicitness — the daemon
+        # uses these to derive its task + loose-ends dir paths.
+        # Without them the daemon falls back to deriving harness/ as a
+        # sibling of state/, which produces the same value but is
+        # less robust if the two vars ever diverge.
       };
       serviceConfig = {
         ExecStart = "${pkgs.hyperhive}/bin/hive-bash-daemon";