diff --git a/ouroboros/loop_transport.py b/ouroboros/loop_transport.py
index 7e6f66000..6013430ff 100644
--- a/ouroboros/loop_transport.py
+++ b/ouroboros/loop_transport.py
@@ -857,7 +857,7 @@ _SUBSTITUTION_DISPOSITIONS = {
     "redos_exhausted": "the answer was not accepted and no further attempt was available",
     "pinned_account": "the account is pinned, so the round was not asked again",
     "admitted_candidate": "this send was already admitted, so the round was not asked again",
-    "send_budget_spent": "asking again would have spent this task's last send",
+    "send_budget_spent": "this caller had no send left, so the round was not asked again",
     "deadline_spent": "the task's own time was spent, so the round was not asked again",
 }
 
diff --git a/tests/test_model_substitution_rail.py b/tests/test_model_substitution_rail.py
index 8c75cf1b8..a1767c0e0 100644
--- a/tests/test_model_substitution_rail.py
+++ b/tests/test_model_substitution_rail.py
@@ -370,10 +370,19 @@ def test_no_outer_paid_repeat_can_nest_another_redo_budget_on_this_transport():
 
     target = LLMClient()._resolve_remote_target(MODEL)
     assert target["provider"] == "claudexor" and is_loopback_base_url(target["base_url"])
-    error = transport.ClaudexorModelError({"code": "model_operation_failed", "message": "died"})
-    error.physical_attempt_capture = SimpleNamespace(
-        state="dispatched", provider="claudexor", route_is_loopback=True)
-    assert is_retryable_transport_death(error) is False
+    import httpx
+
+    def died(loopback):
+        # A typed transport death on a dispatched send: the ONLY thing left to
+        # decide the verdict is the route's locality.
+        error = transport.ClaudexorModelError({"code": "model_operation_failed", "message": "died"})
+        error.__cause__ = httpx.ReadError("connection reset")
+        error.physical_attempt_capture = SimpleNamespace(
+            state="dispatched", provider="claudexor", route_is_loopback=loopback)
+        return error
+
+    assert is_retryable_transport_death(died(False)) is True
+    assert is_retryable_transport_death(died(True)) is False
 
 
 def test_a_discarded_generation_never_becomes_the_live_turn(setup, monkeypatch):