diff --git a/packages/core/src/session/runner/llm.ts b/packages/core/src/session/runner/llm.ts
index b98a2e0ef5c..658872c3a99 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/session/runner/llm.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/session/runner/llm.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ export * as SessionRunnerLLM from "./llm.js"
 import {
   LLMClient,
   AIError,
+  InvalidProviderOutputReason,
   LLMEvent,
   Message,
   isContextOverflowFailure,
@@ -514,7 +515,18 @@ const layer = Layer.effect(
           if (overflowFailure) yield* publisher.publish(overflowFailure)
           // A thrown LLM failure not already recorded as the provider error either
           // escapes as a scheduled retry or fails the assistant durably.
-          const llmFailure = streamFailure instanceof AIError ? streamFailure : undefined
+          const unknownFinish =
+            stream._tag === "Success" && publisher.record().finish?.finish === "unknown"
+              ? new AIError({
+                  module: "session",
+                  method: "stream",
+                  reason: new InvalidProviderOutputReason({
+                    classification: "incomplete-stream",
+                    message: "The provider response ended with an unknown finish reason.",
+                  }),
+                })
+              : undefined
+          const llmFailure = streamFailure instanceof AIError ? streamFailure : unknownFinish
           const llmError = llmFailure && !publisher.record().providerFailed ? toSessionError(llmFailure) : undefined
           if (
             recoverContinuation &&
diff --git a/packages/core/test/session-runner.test.ts b/packages/core/test/session-runner.test.ts
index 3d899c3be11..2ab49fa7c61 100644
--- a/packages/core/test/session-runner.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core/test/session-runner.test.ts
@@ -4519,6 +4519,31 @@ describe("SessionRunnerLLM", () => {
     }),
   )
 
+  it.effect("retries an unknown finish before output", () =>
+    Effect.gen(function* () {
+      const session = yield* setup
+      yield* admit(session, "Retry unknown finish")
+      yield* TestLLM.push([
+        LLMEvent.stepStart({ index: 0 }),
+        LLMEvent.stepFinish({ index: 0, reason: { normalized: "unknown" } }),
+        LLMEvent.finish({ reason: { normalized: "unknown" } }),
+      ])
+      yield* TestLLM.push(TestLLM.text("Recovered", "unknown-finish-success"))
+
+      const run = yield* session.resume(sessionID).pipe(Effect.forkChild)
+      yield* TestLLM.wait(1)
+      yield* TestClock.adjust("2400 millis")
+      yield* Fiber.join(run)
+
+      expect(requests).toHaveLength(2)
+      expect(yield* recordedEventTypes(sessionID)).toContain("session.retry.scheduled.1")
+      expect(yield* session.context(sessionID)).toMatchObject([
+        { type: "user" },
+        { type: "assistant", finish: "stop", content: [{ type: "text", text: "Recovered" }] },
+      ])
+    }),
+  )
+
   it.effect("uses a larger provider retry-after delay", () =>
     Effect.gen(function* () {
       const session = yield* setup
@@ -4594,6 +4619,39 @@ describe("SessionRunnerLLM", () => {
     }),
   )
 
+  it.effect("continues an unknown finish after observable text", () =>
+    Effect.gen(function* () {
+      const session = yield* setup
+      yield* admit(session, "Continue unknown finish")
+      yield* TestLLM.push([
+        LLMEvent.stepStart({ index: 0 }),
+        LLMEvent.textStart({ id: "unknown-partial" }),
+        LLMEvent.textDelta({ id: "unknown-partial", text: "Partial" }),
+        LLMEvent.textEnd({ id: "unknown-partial" }),
+        LLMEvent.stepFinish({ index: 0, reason: { normalized: "unknown" } }),
+        LLMEvent.finish({ reason: { normalized: "unknown" } }),
+      ])
+      yield* TestLLM.push(TestLLM.text(" continuation", "unknown-continuation"))
+
+      const run = yield* session.resume(sessionID).pipe(Effect.forkChild)
+      yield* TestLLM.wait(1)
+      yield* TestClock.adjust("2400 millis")
+      yield* Fiber.join(run)
+
+      expect(requests).toHaveLength(2)
+      expect(requests[1]?.messages.at(-1)).toMatchObject({
+        role: "user",
+        content: [{ type: "text", text: INCOMPLETE_STREAM_CONTINUATION }],
+      })
+      expect(yield* session.context(sessionID)).toMatchObject([
+        { type: "user" },
+        { type: "assistant", finish: "error", content: [{ type: "text", text: "Partial" }] },
+        { type: "synthetic", text: INCOMPLETE_STREAM_CONTINUATION },
+        { type: "assistant", finish: "stop", content: [{ type: "text", text: " continuation" }] },
+      ])
+    }),
+  )
+
   it.effect("lowers interrupted reasoning before continuing an incomplete stream", () =>
     Effect.gen(function* () {
       const session = yield* setup