diff --git a/frontend/src/core/messages/utils.ts b/frontend/src/core/messages/utils.ts
index f1bbe4d075..adbcbd4510 100644
--- a/frontend/src/core/messages/utils.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/core/messages/utils.ts
@@ -90,19 +90,43 @@ export function getMessageGroups(messages: Message[]): MessageGroup[] {
     }
 
     if (message.type === "ai") {
+      const messageHasContent = hasContent(message);
+      const messageHasToolCalls = hasToolCalls(message);
+      const messageHasReasoning = hasReasoning(message);
+      const needsProcessing = messageHasReasoning || messageHasToolCalls;
+
+      // The present-files renderer shows visible text and the file-list panel
+      // from this single group, so do not also create an assistant bubble.
       if (hasPresentFiles(message)) {
         groups.push({
           id: message.id,
           type: "assistant:present-files",
           messages: [message],
         });
-      } else if (hasSubagent(message)) {
+        continue;
+      }
+
+      if (hasSubagent(message)) {
+        // Render visible text in a regular assistant bubble so the user
+        // sees "Launching a subagent…" before the subagent panel unfolds.
+        if (messageHasContent) {
+          groups.push({
+            id: message.id,
+            type: "assistant",
+            messages: [message],
+          });
+        }
+
         groups.push({
           id: message.id,
           type: "assistant:subagent",
           messages: [message],
         });
-      } else if (hasReasoning(message) || hasToolCalls(message)) {
+
+        continue;
+      }
+
+      if (needsProcessing) {
         const lastGroup = groups[groups.length - 1];
         // Accumulate consecutive intermediate AI messages into one processing group.
         if (lastGroup?.type !== "assistant:processing") {
@@ -116,10 +140,29 @@ export function getMessageGroups(messages: Message[]): MessageGroup[] {
         }
       }
 
-      // Not an else-if: a message with reasoning + content (but no tool calls) goes
-      // into the processing group above AND gets its own assistant bubble here.
-      if (hasContent(message) && !hasToolCalls(message)) {
-        groups.push({ id: message.id, type: "assistant", messages: [message] });
+      // Not an else-if: a message with reasoning + content goes into the
+      // processing group above AND gets its own assistant bubble. This
+      // includes messages with tool calls — their text content was previously
+      // hidden behind the Chain of Thought panel.
+      //
+      // When *this message* triggered a processing group, insert the
+      // assistant bubble BEFORE it so lastOpenGroup() still finds the
+      // processing group for subsequent tool messages. Otherwise push
+      // normally at the end (plain final answer).
+      if (messageHasContent) {
+        const authorGroup = {
+          id: message.id,
+          type: "assistant" as const,
+          messages: [message],
+        };
+        if (
+          messageHasToolCalls &&
+          groups[groups.length - 1]?.type === "assistant:processing"
+        ) {
+          groups.splice(groups.length - 1, 0, authorGroup);
+        } else {
+          groups.push(authorGroup);
+        }
       }
     }
   }
diff --git a/frontend/tests/unit/core/messages/utils-regression.test.ts b/frontend/tests/unit/core/messages/utils-regression.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8e0ade9518
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/tests/unit/core/messages/utils-regression.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,280 @@
+import type { AIMessage, Message } from "@langchain/langgraph-sdk";
+import { describe, expect, test } from "vitest";
+
+import {
+  extractPresentFilesFromMessage,
+  getMessageGroups,
+} from "@/core/messages/utils";
+
+describe("regression: tool-call messages must not swallow text/reasoning content", () => {
+  test("AI message with tool_calls + text content generates both processing and assistant bubble", () => {
+    const messages = [
+      {
+        id: "human-1",
+        type: "human",
+        content: "Search for deer",
+      },
+      {
+        id: "ai-1",
+        type: "ai",
+        content: "Let me search that for you",
+        tool_calls: [
+          { id: "tc-1", name: "web_search", args: { query: "deer" } },
+        ],
+      },
+      {
+        id: "tool-1",
+        type: "tool",
+        name: "web_search",
+        tool_call_id: "tc-1",
+        content: "Results about deer",
+      },
+      {
+        id: "ai-2",
+        type: "ai",
+        content: "Here is what I found",
+      },
+    ] as Message[];
+
+    const groups = getMessageGroups(messages);
+
+    expect(groups.map((g) => g.type)).toEqual([
+      "human",
+      "assistant",
+      "assistant:processing",
+      "assistant",
+    ]);
+
+    // The assistant bubble with the tool-call message text must exist
+    // and contain the visible content.
+    const assistantGroups = groups.filter((g) => g.type === "assistant");
+    expect(assistantGroups).toHaveLength(2);
+    expect(assistantGroups[0]!.messages).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(assistantGroups[0]!.messages[0]!.content).toBe(
+      "Let me search that for you",
+    );
+
+    // The processing group must contain the tool-call AI + tool result.
+    const processingGroup = groups.find(
+      (g) => g.type === "assistant:processing",
+    );
+    expect(processingGroup).toBeDefined();
+    expect(processingGroup!.messages.map((m) => m.id)).toEqual([
+      "ai-1",
+      "tool-1",
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  test("AI message with reasoning + tool_calls + text content produces all three", () => {
+    const messages = [
+      {
+        id: "human-1",
+        type: "human",
+        content: "Hello",
+      },
+      {
+        id: "ai-1",
+        type: "ai",
+        content: "<think>need to search</think>Let me check",
+        tool_calls: [{ id: "tc-1", name: "web_search", args: {} }],
+      },
+    ] as Message[];
+
+    const groups = getMessageGroups(messages);
+
+    // Order: human, assistant bubble (before processing), processing
+    expect(groups.map((g) => g.type)).toEqual([
+      "human",
+      "assistant",
+      "assistant:processing",
+    ]);
+
+    const assistantGroup = groups.find((g) => g.type === "assistant");
+    expect(assistantGroup).toBeDefined();
+    // The visible content after stripping <think> should be "Let me check"
+    expect(assistantGroup!.messages[0]!.content).toContain("Let me check");
+
+    // The processing group must be the last group (after the assistant bubble)
+    // and contain both reasoning and tool_calls.
+    const processingGroup = groups.at(-1);
+    expect(processingGroup?.type).toBe("assistant:processing");
+    expect(processingGroup!.messages).toHaveLength(1);
+
+    const processingMessage = processingGroup!.messages[0]! as AIMessage;
+    expect(processingMessage.id).toBe("ai-1");
+    // Both reasoning (<think>) and tool_calls must be present
+    expect(processingMessage.content).toContain("<think>");
+    expect(processingMessage.tool_calls).toBeDefined();
+    expect(processingMessage.tool_calls).toHaveLength(1);
+  });
+
+  test("plain AI answer without tool_calls produces only an assistant bubble", () => {
+    const messages = [
+      { id: "human-1", type: "human", content: "Hi" },
+      { id: "ai-1", type: "ai", content: "Hello there" },
+    ] as Message[];
+
+    const groups = getMessageGroups(messages);
+    expect(groups.map((g) => g.type)).toEqual(["human", "assistant"]);
+  });
+
+  test("AI message with files presented will not be displayed twice in processing and assistant bubble", () => {
+    const messages = [
+      { id: "human-1", type: "human", content: "Hi" },
+      {
+        id: "ai-1",
+        type: "ai",
+        content: "Here are the files you requested",
+        tool_calls: [
+          {
+            id: "tc-1",
+            name: "present_files",
+            args: {
+              filepaths: ["/path/to/file1.txt", "test.txt"],
+            },
+          },
+        ],
+      },
+    ] as Message[];
+
+    const groups = getMessageGroups(messages);
+    expect(groups.map((g) => g.type)).toEqual([
+      "human",
+      "assistant:present-files",
+    ]);
+    expect(groups[1]!.messages).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(groups[1]!.messages[0]!.content).toBe(
+      "Here are the files you requested",
+    );
+    expect(extractPresentFilesFromMessage(groups[1]!.messages[0]!)).toEqual([
+      "/path/to/file1.txt",
+      "test.txt",
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  test("present_files tool result attaches to the present-files group", () => {
+    const messages = [
+      { id: "human-1", type: "human", content: "Show me the report" },
+      {
+        id: "ai-1",
+        type: "ai",
+        content: "Here is the report.",
+        tool_calls: [
+          {
+            id: "tc-1",
+            name: "present_files",
+            args: {
+              filepaths: ["/mnt/user-data/outputs/report.md"],
+            },
+          },
+        ],
+      },
+      {
+        id: "tool-1",
+        type: "tool",
+        name: "present_files",
+        tool_call_id: "tc-1",
+        content: "Successfully presented files",
+      },
+    ] as Message[];
+
+    const groups = getMessageGroups(messages);
+
+    expect(groups.map((g) => g.type)).toEqual([
+      "human",
+      "assistant:present-files",
+    ]);
+    expect(groups[1]!.messages.map((message) => message.id)).toEqual([
+      "ai-1",
+      "tool-1",
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  test("subagent AI message with content creates assistant bubble and subagent group", () => {
+    const messages = [
+      { id: "human-1", type: "human", content: "Delegate this" },
+      {
+        id: "ai-1",
+        type: "ai",
+        content: "Launching a subagent to help.",
+        tool_calls: [
+          {
+            id: "tc-1",
+            name: "task",
+            args: {
+              subagent_type: "general-purpose",
+              description: "Inspect the issue",
+              prompt: "Inspect the issue",
+            },
+          },
+        ],
+      },
+    ] as Message[];
+
+    const groups = getMessageGroups(messages);
+
+    expect(groups.map((g) => g.type)).toEqual([
+      "human",
+      "assistant",
+      "assistant:subagent",
+    ]);
+    expect(groups[1]!.messages.map((message) => message.id)).toEqual(["ai-1"]);
+    expect(groups[1]!.messages[0]!.content).toBe(
+      "Launching a subagent to help.",
+    );
+    expect(groups[2]!.messages.map((message) => message.id)).toEqual(["ai-1"]);
+    expect(groups[2]!.messages[0]!.type).toBe("ai");
+    expect(groups[2]!.messages[0]!.tool_calls).toEqual([
+      {
+        id: "tc-1",
+        name: "task",
+        args: {
+          subagent_type: "general-purpose",
+          description: "Inspect the issue",
+          prompt: "Inspect the issue",
+        },
+      },
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  test("subagent tool result attaches to the subagent group", () => {
+    const messages = [
+      { id: "human-1", type: "human", content: "Delegate this" },
+      {
+        id: "ai-1",
+        type: "ai",
+        content: "Launching a subagent to help.",
+        tool_calls: [
+          {
+            id: "tc-1",
+            name: "task",
+            args: {
+              subagent_type: "general-purpose",
+              description: "Inspect the issue",
+              prompt: "Inspect the issue",
+            },
+          },
+        ],
+      },
+      {
+        id: "tool-1",
+        type: "tool",
+        name: "task",
+        tool_call_id: "tc-1",
+        content: "Done",
+      },
+    ] as Message[];
+
+    const groups = getMessageGroups(messages);
+
+    expect(groups.map((g) => g.type)).toEqual([
+      "human",
+      "assistant",
+      "assistant:subagent",
+    ]);
+    expect(groups[2]!.messages.map((message) => message.id)).toEqual([
+      "ai-1",
+      "tool-1",
+    ]);
+  });
+});