diff --git a/hive-bash-mcp/src/mcp.rs b/hive-bash-mcp/src/mcp.rs
index fdd75f44..5c159409 100644
--- a/hive-bash-mcp/src/mcp.rs
+++ b/hive-bash-mcp/src/mcp.rs
@@ -30,35 +30,9 @@ fn status_str(status: &TaskStatus) -> &'static str {
     }
 }
 
-/// What a state means and what the caller should do about it — carried on
-/// every `format_task` answer instead of the tool description enumerating
-/// all six up front, so a caller who only ever sees one state at a time
-/// still learns what it means without reading anything else.
-fn status_explanation(status: &TaskStatus) -> &'static str {
-    match status {
-        TaskStatus::Pending => "queued, not started yet",
-        TaskStatus::Running => {
-            "still going — check back later, or pass wait_seconds to block briefly"
-        }
-        TaskStatus::Done => "finished normally",
-        TaskStatus::TimedOut => "exceeded timeout_secs and was killed",
-        TaskStatus::Interrupted => {
-            "the daemon restarted mid-task — the process is gone, no result to report"
-        }
-        TaskStatus::Killed => {
-            "killed on request via `kill` — a signal was sent to the whole process group"
-        }
-    }
-}
-
 /// Format a `TaskFile` as the human-readable status string claude sees.
 fn format_task(task: &TaskFile) -> String {
-    let mut out = format!(
-        "task `{}`: status={} ({})",
-        task.id,
-        status_str(&task.status),
-        status_explanation(&task.status)
-    );
+    let mut out = format!("task `{}`: status={}", task.id, status_str(&task.status));
 
     if let Some(code) = task.exit_code {
         let _ = write!(out, ", exit={code}");
@@ -215,9 +189,10 @@ impl BashMcp {
     }
 
     #[tool(
-        description = "Check the status of a background bash task by its ID (from `run`). The \
-            answer names the state it found and what to do about it, plus the exit code if \
-            finished and a tail of stdout/stderr. \
+        description = "Check the status of a background bash task by its ID (from `run`). \
+            Returns the current status (pending/running/done/timed_out/interrupted/killed), exit \
+            code if finished, and a tail of stdout/stderr. Full output lives in \
+            `harness/bash-tasks/<id>.out` / `.err`. \
             Pass `wait_seconds` (capped at 30) to wait inline for the task to finish: when the \
             task finishes within the window the full status is returned immediately. Useful to \
             avoid a separate round-trip when the task is expected to finish soon."
@@ -357,31 +332,4 @@ mod status_hint_tests {
             assert!(out.contains("status=done"));
         });
     }
-
-    #[test]
-    fn every_status_answer_names_its_state_and_the_next_move() {
-        // Pins the split this module's doc describes: the tool description
-        // says what the tool is for, and each individual answer — not a
-        // list the caller has to cross-reference — says what state it got
-        // and what to do about it. One state's explanation text is
-        // distinct enough from the others that a copy-paste regression
-        // (e.g. `Killed` picking up `TimedOut`'s wording) would fail this.
-        with_harness_dir(|| {
-            for status in [
-                TaskStatus::Pending,
-                TaskStatus::Running,
-                TaskStatus::Done,
-                TaskStatus::TimedOut,
-                TaskStatus::Interrupted,
-                TaskStatus::Killed,
-            ] {
-                let explanation = super::status_explanation(&status);
-                let out = format_task(&task(status.clone()));
-                assert!(
-                    out.contains(explanation),
-                    "status={status:?} explanation missing from: {out}"
-                );
-            }
-        });
-    }
 }