diff --git a/crates/cm-api/src/evaluator.rs b/crates/cm-api/src/evaluator.rs
index 16c7fc4..2a52fe4 100644
--- a/crates/cm-api/src/evaluator.rs
+++ b/crates/cm-api/src/evaluator.rs
@@ -232,7 +232,13 @@ require content the condition does not ask for.
 Judge the condition AS WRITTEN. Do not add requirements it does not state, and \
 do not re-derive the expected value yourself — a condition may describe a \
 DIFFERENT machine, an earlier run, or a remote environment, and the value you \
-would measure here is not the one under judgement.";
+would measure here is not the one under judgement.
+You have a limited number of commands. A file you `cat` comes back COMPLETE \
+unless the output says bytes were omitted; do not read it again with head, \
+tail, sed or grep — check the claim against the text you already have. Decide \
+what you need to verify first, then read each file once. Outputs from earlier \
+rounds are shortened to their opening lines to save space, so read a file in \
+the round you intend to check it.";
 
 /// Which provider family a model spec belongs to.
 ///
@@ -834,7 +840,19 @@ const KEPT_OF_EARLIER_RESULT: usize = 800;
 fn compact_earlier_results(messages: &mut [cm_llm::ChatMessage]) {
     use cm_llm::ContentPart;
     const MARKER: &str = "\n[… output elided here — it was shown in full when this check ran]";
-    for m in messages.iter_mut() {
+    // The most recent round's results stay whole, so a read lives through
+    // TWO model calls — the one that receives it and the one after. With
+    // everything compacted at once, mission 01a0b803 read REPORT.md in full
+    // (18,698 B, the 64 KB window working) and then, the round after, ran
+    // wc/head/tail/sed/grep against it anyway: the file was already down to
+    // 800 bytes by the time the judge went to check a claim against it.
+    let keep = messages
+        .iter()
+        .rposition(|m| m.parts.iter().any(|p| matches!(p, ContentPart::ToolResult { .. })));
+    for (i, m) in messages.iter_mut().enumerate() {
+        if Some(i) == keep {
+            continue;
+        }
         for part in m.parts.iter_mut() {
             if let ContentPart::ToolResult { content, .. } = part {
                 if let Some(text) = content.as_str() {
@@ -1016,6 +1034,12 @@ mod cross_provider_tests {
                 ],
             },
         ];
+        // A second, later round of results: the compaction must leave THIS one
+        // whole and shrink only the round before it.
+        messages.push(ChatMessage {
+            role: ChatRole::User,
+            parts: vec![ContentPart::ToolResult { tool_use_id: "c".into(), content: Value::String(big.clone()) }],
+        });
         compact_earlier_results(&mut messages);
         for part in &messages[1].parts {
             let ContentPart::ToolResult { content, .. } = part else { panic!() };
@@ -1024,11 +1048,16 @@ mod cross_provider_tests {
             assert!(s.starts_with("line of output"), "the head survives");
             assert!(s.contains("elided"), "and says so");
         }
+        let ContentPart::ToolResult { content, .. } = &messages[2].parts[0] else { panic!() };
+        assert_eq!(content.as_str().unwrap().len(), big.len(), "the latest round stays whole");
         // Idempotent: a second pass must not shrink the reminder further.
         let once: Vec<String> = messages[1].parts.iter().map(|p| serde_json::to_string(p).unwrap()).collect();
         compact_earlier_results(&mut messages);
         let twice: Vec<String> = messages[1].parts.iter().map(|p| serde_json::to_string(p).unwrap()).collect();
         assert_eq!(once, twice);
+        // And the latest round is still whole after the second pass.
+        let ContentPart::ToolResult { content, .. } = &messages[2].parts[0] else { panic!() };
+        assert_eq!(content.as_str().unwrap().len(), big.len());
         // Plain text parts are untouched.
         assert!(matches!(&messages[0].parts[0], ContentPart::Text { text } if text == "judge this"));
     }