diff --git a/src/tools/delegate-task/sync-continuation.test.ts b/src/tools/delegate-task/sync-continuation.test.ts
index 7d0015503..967b30fb4 100644
--- a/src/tools/delegate-task/sync-continuation.test.ts
+++ b/src/tools/delegate-task/sync-continuation.test.ts
@@ -357,6 +357,60 @@ describe("executeSyncContinuation - toast cleanup error paths", () => {
     expect(removeTaskCalls[0]).toBe("resume_sync_ses_test")
   })
 
+  test("does not recover abort poll error when anchor cannot be established", async () => {
+    const mockClient = {
+      session: {
+        messages: async () => {
+          throw new Error("messages unavailable")
+        },
+        promptAsync: async () => ({}),
+        status: async () => ({
+          data: { ses_test: { type: "idle" } },
+        }),
+      },
+    }
+
+    const { executeSyncContinuation } = require("./sync-continuation")
+    let fetchSyncResultCalled = false
+
+    const deps = {
+      pollSyncSession: async () => "The operation was aborted.",
+      fetchSyncResult: async () => {
+        fetchSyncResultCalled = true
+        return { ok: true as const, textContent: "Recovered result" }
+      },
+    }
+
+    const mockCtx = {
+      sessionID: "parent-session",
+      callID: "call-123",
+      metadata: () => {},
+    }
+
+    const mockExecutorCtx = {
+      client: mockClient,
+    }
+
+    const args = {
+      task_id: "ses_test_12345678",
+      prompt: "test prompt",
+      description: "test task",
+      category: "test",
+      load_skills: [],
+      run_in_background: false,
+    }
+
+    //#when
+    const result = await executeSyncContinuation(args, mockCtx, mockExecutorCtx, {
+      sessionID: "parent-session",
+      messageID: "parent-message",
+    }, deps)
+
+    //#then
+    expect(result).toBe("The operation was aborted.")
+    expect(fetchSyncResultCalled).toBe(false)
+  })
+
   test("removes toast on successful completion", async () => {
     //#given - mock successful completion with messages growing after anchor
     const mockClient = {
diff --git a/src/tools/delegate-task/sync-continuation.ts b/src/tools/delegate-task/sync-continuation.ts
index 17c85f026..817a7e95d 100644
--- a/src/tools/delegate-task/sync-continuation.ts
+++ b/src/tools/delegate-task/sync-continuation.ts
@@ -188,6 +188,9 @@ export async function executeSyncContinuation(
         anchorMessageCount,
       }, syncPollTimeoutMs)
       if (pollError && shouldAttemptPollErrorRecovery(pollError)) {
+        if (anchorMessageCount === undefined) {
+          return pollError
+        }
         const recoveredResult = await deps.fetchSyncResult(client, continuationID, anchorMessageCount)
         if (!recoveredResult.ok) {
           return pollError
diff --git a/src/tools/delegate-task/sync-result-fetcher.ts b/src/tools/delegate-task/sync-result-fetcher.ts
index f2274eae6..9631d3637 100644
--- a/src/tools/delegate-task/sync-result-fetcher.ts
+++ b/src/tools/delegate-task/sync-result-fetcher.ts
@@ -56,5 +56,12 @@ export async function fetchSyncResult(
     }
   }
 
+  if (!textContent) {
+    return {
+      ok: false,
+      error: `No assistant text output found in completed response.\n\nSession ID: ${sessionID}`,
+    }
+  }
+
   return { ok: true, textContent }
 }