diff --git a/internal/dashboard/chat.go b/internal/dashboard/chat.go
index 1fea624..41d1053 100644
--- a/internal/dashboard/chat.go
+++ b/internal/dashboard/chat.go
@@ -68,10 +68,12 @@ func chatReposContext() string {
 //
 // Injected on the first turn only (like the context hint); later turns inherit it
 // via --resume. Kept short and optional so it never forces a question.
-const chatQuestionGuidance = "When a choice is genuinely ambiguous and a quick decision from the user would " +
-	"unblock you, you MAY ask with a fenced `corral-question` block instead of prose — the UI renders the " +
-	"options as one-click buttons. Use it sparingly (skip it when you can reasonably proceed). Format:\n" +
-	"```corral-question\nquestion: <the question>\n- <option one>\n- <option two>\n```\n" +
+const chatQuestionGuidance = "ASKING THE USER A QUESTION: you do NOT have an interactive question tool here " +
+	"(any AskUserQuestion-style tool is unavailable and its call is silently discarded — the user never sees it). " +
+	"The ONLY way to ask the user something is a fenced `corral-question` block, which the UI renders as one-click " +
+	"buttons. When a choice is genuinely ambiguous and a quick decision would unblock you, ask with this block " +
+	"(never with a tool, never buried in prose). Use it sparingly — skip it when you can reasonably proceed. " +
+	"Format:\n```corral-question\nquestion: <the question>\n- <option one>\n- <option two>\n```\n" +
 	"One question per block, 2–4 short options. After the block, stop and wait for the answer."
 
 // chatConductorGuidance is prepended to the GLOBAL chat's first turn so the
@@ -510,7 +512,7 @@ func isExecutable(path string) bool {
 // --allowedTools entirely when no tools are granted: a bare "--allowedTools"
 // with no following value is a malformed flag that makes `claude` fail — the
 // bug that broke the PR-review chat (which grants no tools).
-func buildClaudeArgs(prompt, systemPrompt string, tools []string, sessionID string) []string {
+func buildClaudeArgs(prompt, systemPrompt string, tools, disallowed []string, sessionID string) []string {
 	args := []string{
 		"-p", prompt,
 		"--output-format", "stream-json", "--verbose",
@@ -541,6 +543,16 @@ func buildClaudeArgs(prompt, systemPrompt string, tools []string, sessionID stri
 		args = append(args, "--allowedTools")
 		args = append(args, tools...)
 	}
+	// Deny specific tools. The conductor passes AskUserQuestion here: that native
+	// tool is auto-DISMISSED in headless `claude -p` mode (no interactive channel
+	// to answer it over the stream), so a question asked with it silently vanishes
+	// — the user sees nothing and the model gets an empty "dismissed" result. It's
+	// intermittent because the model sometimes uses the answerable `corral-question`
+	// fenced convention instead; denying the native tool forces it onto that path.
+	if len(disallowed) > 0 {
+		args = append(args, "--disallowedTools")
+		args = append(args, disallowed...)
+	}
 	if sessionID != "" {
 		args = append(args, "--resume", sessionID)
 	}
@@ -569,10 +581,15 @@ func (d *dashboardServer) runChatTurn(ctx context.Context, claudeBin, workspace
 	// The global chat (workspace=="") is the conductor: give it its operating rules
 	// as a system prompt on EVERY turn, so a resumed/multi-turn session keeps them.
 	sysPrompt := ""
+	var disallowed []string
 	if workspace == "" {
 		sysPrompt = conductorSystemPrompt()
+		// The conductor asks questions via the `corral-question` fenced convention
+		// (answerable over the stream). Deny the native AskUserQuestion tool, which
+		// is auto-dismissed in headless mode — so a question can't silently vanish.
+		disallowed = []string{"AskUserQuestion"}
 	}
-	args := buildClaudeArgs(prompt, sysPrompt, tools, sessionID)
+	args := buildClaudeArgs(prompt, sysPrompt, tools, disallowed, sessionID)
 
 	cmd := exec.CommandContext(ctx, claudeBin, args...)
 	// Cross-origin linkage: stamp the conversation driving THIS turn into the
diff --git a/internal/dashboard/chat_args_test.go b/internal/dashboard/chat_args_test.go
index be5c184..4424f40 100644
--- a/internal/dashboard/chat_args_test.go
+++ b/internal/dashboard/chat_args_test.go
@@ -15,10 +15,13 @@ func argsContain(args []string, flag string) bool {
 
 func TestBuildClaudeArgs(t *testing.T) {
 	// No tools (PR-review chat), no system prompt.
-	noTools := buildClaudeArgs("hi", "", nil, "")
+	noTools := buildClaudeArgs("hi", "", nil, nil, "")
 	if argsContain(noTools, "--allowedTools") {
 		t.Errorf("empty tools should omit --allowedTools, got: %v", noTools)
 	}
+	if argsContain(noTools, "--disallowedTools") {
+		t.Errorf("no disallowed should omit --disallowedTools, got: %v", noTools)
+	}
 	if argsContain(noTools, "--append-system-prompt") {
 		t.Errorf("empty system prompt should omit --append-system-prompt, got: %v", noTools)
 	}
@@ -27,8 +30,20 @@ func TestBuildClaudeArgs(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("missing base args: %v", noTools)
 	}
 
+	// Disallowed tools: --disallowedTools immediately followed by the names.
+	withDenied := buildClaudeArgs("hi", "", nil, []string{"AskUserQuestion"}, "")
+	d := -1
+	for k, a := range withDenied {
+		if a == "--disallowedTools" {
+			d = k
+		}
+	}
+	if d < 0 || d+1 >= len(withDenied) || withDenied[d+1] != "AskUserQuestion" {
+		t.Errorf("expected --disallowedTools followed by AskUserQuestion, got: %v", withDenied)
+	}
+
 	// With tools (project chat): --allowedTools immediately followed by tools.
-	withTools := buildClaudeArgs("hi", "", []string{"Read", "Grep"}, "")
+	withTools := buildClaudeArgs("hi", "", []string{"Read", "Grep"}, nil, "")
 	i := -1
 	for k, a := range withTools {
 		if a == "--allowedTools" {
@@ -43,7 +58,7 @@ func TestBuildClaudeArgs(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	// A system prompt (the conductor) appends --append-system-prompt + its value.
-	withSys := buildClaudeArgs("hi", "RULES HERE", nil, "")
+	withSys := buildClaudeArgs("hi", "RULES HERE", nil, nil, "")
 	j := -1
 	for k, a := range withSys {
 		if a == "--append-system-prompt" {
@@ -55,7 +70,7 @@ func TestBuildClaudeArgs(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	// Session id appends --resume.
-	resumed := buildClaudeArgs("hi", "", nil, "sess123")
+	resumed := buildClaudeArgs("hi", "", nil, nil, "sess123")
 	if !argsContain(resumed, "--resume") || !argsContain(resumed, "sess123") {
 		t.Errorf("expected --resume sess123, got: %v", resumed)
 	}
diff --git a/internal/dashboard/chat_skill_test.go b/internal/dashboard/chat_skill_test.go
index f7fed29..23836c9 100644
--- a/internal/dashboard/chat_skill_test.go
+++ b/internal/dashboard/chat_skill_test.go
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ import (
 func TestChatLoadsCorralApiSkill(t *testing.T) {
 	// Absent bundle → no --plugin-dir, no panic.
 	t.Setenv("CORRAL_HOME", t.TempDir())
-	if got := strings.Join(buildClaudeArgs("hi", "", nil, ""), " "); strings.Contains(got, "--plugin-dir") {
+	if got := strings.Join(buildClaudeArgs("hi", "", nil, nil, ""), " "); strings.Contains(got, "--plugin-dir") {
 		t.Errorf("expected no --plugin-dir with an empty bundle, got: %s", got)
 	}
 
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ func TestChatLoadsCorralApiSkill(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 
-	args := buildClaudeArgs("hi", "", nil, "")
+	args := buildClaudeArgs("hi", "", nil, nil, "")
 	joined := strings.Join(args, " ")
 	if !strings.Contains(joined, "--plugin-dir") || !strings.Contains(joined, skillDir) {
 		t.Errorf("expected --plugin-dir %s in args, got: %s", skillDir, joined)
diff --git a/internal/dashboard/conv_capture_test.go b/internal/dashboard/conv_capture_test.go
index f833767..269da9a 100644
--- a/internal/dashboard/conv_capture_test.go
+++ b/internal/dashboard/conv_capture_test.go
@@ -47,9 +47,20 @@ func TestCaptureSendRecordsAndPassesThrough(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	finalize("done")
 
-	// Every frame reached the browser, in order.
-	if len(delivered) != len(frames) {
-		t.Fatalf("delivered %d frames, want %d", len(delivered), len(frames))
+	// Every frame reached the browser, PLUS the one-shot conv_meta frame the
+	// capturer injects when it first creates the conversation row (it carries the
+	// conv id/uuid to the UI). So delivered = the 6 sent frames + 1 conv_meta.
+	var metaCount int
+	for _, m := range delivered {
+		if m.Type == "conv_meta" {
+			metaCount++
+		}
+	}
+	if metaCount != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected exactly 1 injected conv_meta frame, got %d", metaCount)
+	}
+	if len(delivered) != len(frames)+1 {
+		t.Fatalf("delivered %d frames, want %d (6 sent + 1 conv_meta)", len(delivered), len(frames)+1)
 	}
 
 	// The conversation + messages persisted. Prompt(user) + text + tool_use +
diff --git a/internal/dashboard/worker_resume_test.go b/internal/dashboard/worker_resume_test.go
index 4662964..cd371cc 100644
--- a/internal/dashboard/worker_resume_test.go
+++ b/internal/dashboard/worker_resume_test.go
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import (
 // is a real safety boundary — it must never be bypassed. Fails loudly if anyone
 // reintroduces a bypass into the argv.
 func TestHostClaudeStaysGated(t *testing.T) {
-	args := strings.Join(buildClaudeArgs("hi", "", []string{"Bash"}, ""), " ")
+	args := strings.Join(buildClaudeArgs("hi", "", []string{"Bash"}, nil, ""), " ")
 	if !strings.Contains(args, "--permission-mode default") {
 		t.Fatalf("host claude must use --permission-mode default, got: %s", args)
 	}