diff --git a/crates/helexa-acp/src/agent.rs b/crates/helexa-acp/src/agent.rs
index f93f068..c3ac51a 100644
--- a/crates/helexa-acp/src/agent.rs
+++ b/crates/helexa-acp/src/agent.rs
@@ -500,6 +500,38 @@ async fn drive_prompt(
             break;
         }
 
+        // Recovery pass before deciding "is there work to do?".
+        // For each malformed body, try shape-based inference
+        // against the tool catalogue (handles the "model emitted
+        // `arguments` but forgot `name`" case). Successes get
+        // promoted to real tool buckets; failures stay in
+        // `malformed_calls` for the Failed-card path below.
+        malformed_calls.retain(|raw| match try_repair_missing_name(raw) {
+            Some((name, args_json)) => {
+                let idx = tool_buckets
+                    .keys()
+                    .max()
+                    .copied()
+                    .map(|m| m + 1)
+                    .unwrap_or(0);
+                tracing::debug!(
+                    inferred_name = %name,
+                    index = idx,
+                    "qwen3: recovered missing-name tool call via shape inference"
+                );
+                tool_buckets.insert(
+                    idx,
+                    ToolCallBucket {
+                        id: format!("call_recovered_{idx}"),
+                        name,
+                        arguments: args_json,
+                    },
+                );
+                false
+            }
+            None => true,
+        });
+
         let has_tool_calls = !tool_buckets.is_empty();
         let has_malformed = !malformed_calls.is_empty();
 
@@ -679,6 +711,32 @@ fn emit_malformed_tool_card(
 /// (so the model sees its own previous output), and the tool
 /// result spells out *why* it failed with the expected schema —
 /// enough for a competent model to self-correct on the next round.
+/// Last-chance repair for a malformed `<tool_call>` body: if the
+/// model emitted a structurally-valid JSON object with `arguments`
+/// but a missing `name`, infer the intended tool from the
+/// arguments' shape (see [`tools::infer_tool_name`]). Returns
+/// `Some((name, arguments_json))` only when the inference is
+/// unambiguous; ambiguous or unrecognised shapes return `None`
+/// so the caller surfaces a Failed card.
+///
+/// We don't try to repair anything qwen3.rs already gave up on for
+/// structural reasons (truncation, free-form prose) — those stay
+/// Failed and the model retries.
+fn try_repair_missing_name(raw: &str) -> Option<(String, String)> {
+    let value: serde_json::Value = serde_json::from_str(raw.trim()).ok()?;
+    // If a `name` exists at the top level, the parser's own
+    // earlier repair passes already had a shot at this and decided
+    // it was malformed for some other reason. Don't second-guess
+    // them here.
+    if value.get("name").is_some() {
+        return None;
+    }
+    let arguments = value.get("arguments")?;
+    let name = tools::infer_tool_name(arguments)?;
+    let args_json = serde_json::to_string(arguments).ok()?;
+    Some((name.to_string(), args_json))
+}
+
 fn synthesize_malformed_history(tool_call_id: &str, raw: &str) -> (Message, Message) {
     let call = Message {
         role: Role::Assistant,
diff --git a/crates/helexa-acp/src/tools.rs b/crates/helexa-acp/src/tools.rs
index eb93768..fba9c1d 100644
--- a/crates/helexa-acp/src/tools.rs
+++ b/crates/helexa-acp/src/tools.rs
@@ -140,6 +140,55 @@ pub fn all_tools() -> Vec<ToolSpec> {
     ]
 }
 
+/// Try to infer which tool was intended from the shape of an
+/// `arguments` object alone. Used by the agent when the model
+/// emits a `<tool_call>` whose JSON has the right arguments but a
+/// missing or invalid top-level `name` field — a recurring
+/// Qwen3.6-27B failure mode.
+///
+/// Returns `Some(name)` only when the argument keys uniquely match
+/// exactly one tool in the catalogue. Ambiguous shapes (`{path}`
+/// alone could be either [`READ_FILE`] or [`LIST_DIR`]) return
+/// `None` so the caller surfaces a Failed-card and lets the model
+/// retry rather than guessing wrong.
+///
+/// Inference table (key set → tool):
+///
+/// | Keys                                  | Tool         |
+/// |---------------------------------------|--------------|
+/// | `{command}` or `{command, cwd}`       | `bash`       |
+/// | `{path, content}`                     | `write_file` |
+/// | `{path, old_text, new_text}`          | `edit_file`  |
+/// | `{path}` / `{path, line}` / `{path, line, limit}` | *ambiguous* — None |
+/// | (anything else)                       | None         |
+pub fn infer_tool_name(arguments: &serde_json::Value) -> Option<&'static str> {
+    let obj = arguments.as_object()?;
+    let keys: std::collections::HashSet<&str> = obj.keys().map(|s| s.as_str()).collect();
+
+    // `command` is unique to bash. Allow the optional `cwd` arg
+    // alongside but nothing else (any unrecognised keys → bail and
+    // let the model retry rather than misroute).
+    if keys.contains("command") && keys.iter().all(|k| matches!(*k, "command" | "cwd")) {
+        return Some(BASH);
+    }
+    // `content` is unique to write_file.
+    if keys.contains("content") && keys.contains("path") && keys.len() == 2 {
+        return Some(WRITE_FILE);
+    }
+    // `old_text` + `new_text` are unique to edit_file.
+    if keys.contains("old_text")
+        && keys.contains("new_text")
+        && keys.contains("path")
+        && keys.len() == 3
+    {
+        return Some(EDIT_FILE);
+    }
+    // `{path}` / `{path, line}` / `{path, line, limit}` overlap
+    // between read_file (file contents) and list_dir (directory
+    // contents). No safe inference — refuse.
+    None
+}
+
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
     use super::*;
@@ -154,6 +203,78 @@ mod tests {
         );
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn infer_bash_from_command_only() {
+        let args = serde_json::json!({"command": "ls /tmp"});
+        assert_eq!(infer_tool_name(&args), Some(BASH));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn infer_bash_from_command_and_cwd() {
+        let args = serde_json::json!({"command": "ls", "cwd": "/tmp"});
+        assert_eq!(infer_tool_name(&args), Some(BASH));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn infer_bash_from_mkdir_like_real_failure() {
+        // Lifted verbatim from the agent failure that motivated
+        // this helper (helexa-acp.log @ 10:03:11).
+        let args = serde_json::json!({
+            "command": "mkdir -p /home/grenade/git/beat/beat/doc/plan/{01-discovery,02-segmentation,03-description,04-summary,05-output}"
+        });
+        assert_eq!(infer_tool_name(&args), Some(BASH));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn infer_write_file() {
+        let args = serde_json::json!({"path": "/tmp/x", "content": "hi"});
+        assert_eq!(infer_tool_name(&args), Some(WRITE_FILE));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn infer_edit_file() {
+        let args = serde_json::json!({
+            "path": "/tmp/x", "old_text": "a", "new_text": "b"
+        });
+        assert_eq!(infer_tool_name(&args), Some(EDIT_FILE));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn refuse_ambiguous_path_only() {
+        let args = serde_json::json!({"path": "/tmp/x"});
+        assert_eq!(infer_tool_name(&args), None);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn refuse_ambiguous_path_with_optionals() {
+        // read_file accepts these optionals; list_dir doesn't —
+        // but Qwen wouldn't reliably emit them either, so we
+        // can't use their presence to disambiguate. Refuse.
+        let args = serde_json::json!({"path": "/tmp/x", "line": 1, "limit": 50});
+        assert_eq!(infer_tool_name(&args), None);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn refuse_command_with_extra_unknown_keys() {
+        // Defence in depth: an unrecognised key alongside
+        // `command` means we don't really know what tool the
+        // model wanted; refuse rather than guess.
+        let args = serde_json::json!({"command": "ls", "extra": "?"});
+        assert_eq!(infer_tool_name(&args), None);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn refuse_empty_args() {
+        let args = serde_json::json!({});
+        assert_eq!(infer_tool_name(&args), None);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn refuse_non_object_args() {
+        let args = serde_json::json!("not an object");
+        assert_eq!(infer_tool_name(&args), None);
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn every_tool_has_an_object_parameter_schema() {
         for tool in all_tools() {