diff --git a/docs/hosted-groomer.md b/docs/hosted-groomer.md
index c61b2d3f..0aa1635e 100644
--- a/docs/hosted-groomer.md
+++ b/docs/hosted-groomer.md
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ The feature is disabled by default.
 | `DISPATCH_GROOMER_MAX_FILE_BYTES` | `4096` | Maximum bytes per fetched file snippet. |
 | `DISPATCH_GROOMER_COMMENT_COOLDOWN_HOURS` | `24` | Suppresses repeated hosted-groomer comments on the same issue. A comment is skipped (and recorded on the run) when a prior run posted a comment within this window, unless `force` is true. |
 | `DISPATCH_GROOMER_TOOL_LOOP_ENABLED` | `true` | Lets the groomer drive its own repository exploration with tools (`search_code`, `read_file`, `list_directory`, `submit_findings`) instead of one pre-computed context block. |
-| `DISPATCH_GROOMER_MAX_TOOL_CALLS` | `12` | Tool calls the exploration loop may make per grooming run. |
+| `DISPATCH_GROOMER_MAX_ROUNDS` | `12` | Model round-trips the exploration loop may make. One round can carry several tool calls, so this is not a cap on calls. `DISPATCH_GROOMER_MAX_TOOL_CALLS` is accepted as a deprecated alias. |
 | `DISPATCH_GROOMER_CONTEXT_MODE` | `medium` | Exploration budget preset: `small`, `medium`, `large`. See below. |
 | `DISPATCH_GROOMER_MODEL_CONTEXT_TOKENS` | unset | The model's real context window in tokens. When set, the exploration budget is derived from it and `DISPATCH_GROOMER_CONTEXT_MODE` is ignored — recommended for self-hosted models whose windows do not match what a named preset assumes. |
 | `DISPATCH_GROOMER_EXPLORE_MAX_BYTES` | from mode | Overrides the exploration byte budget. |
@@ -54,6 +54,10 @@ own rather than the single-call one. Three ways to size it, most specific first:
 | `medium` (default) | 24 KB | 8 KB | 150s |
 | `large` | 96 KB | 24 KB | 300s |
 
+With two rounds left the loop tells the model to submit what it has, so a run
+that explores well but never volunteers findings is not discarded empty. The
+byte budget carries the same nudge when it runs out.
+
 The default suits a modest self-hosted model. If your model's window is much
 larger, prefer setting `DISPATCH_GROOMER_MODEL_CONTEXT_TOKENS` over guessing a
 preset: a starved loop stops mid-investigation and reports fewer files, which
diff --git a/src/lib/groomer/config.ts b/src/lib/groomer/config.ts
index 09b4b8ae..689261e2 100644
--- a/src/lib/groomer/config.ts
+++ b/src/lib/groomer/config.ts
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ export interface HostedGroomerConfig {
   commentCooldownHours: number;
   groomerToken: string | null;
   toolLoopEnabled: boolean;
-  maxToolCalls: number;
+  maxRounds: number;
   maxSearchResults: number;
   maxDirEntries: number;
   exploration: ExplorationBudget;
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ export function getHostedGroomerConfig(): HostedGroomerConfig {
       maxContextBytes: 8192,
       repoContextEnabled: false,
       toolLoopEnabled: false,
-      maxToolCalls: 0,
+      maxRounds: 0,
       maxSearchResults: 0,
       maxDirEntries: 0,
       exploration: { maxTotalBytes: 0, maxFileBytes: 0, timeoutMs: 0, source: "small" },
@@ -97,7 +97,10 @@ export function getHostedGroomerConfig(): HostedGroomerConfig {
     commentCooldownHours: parseIntEnv(process.env.DISPATCH_GROOMER_COMMENT_COOLDOWN_HOURS, 24),
     groomerToken: process.env.DISPATCH_GROOMER_TOKEN?.trim() || null,
     toolLoopEnabled: parseBool(process.env.DISPATCH_GROOMER_TOOL_LOOP_ENABLED, true),
-    maxToolCalls: parseIntEnv(process.env.DISPATCH_GROOMER_MAX_TOOL_CALLS, 12),
+    maxRounds: parseIntEnv(
+      process.env.DISPATCH_GROOMER_MAX_ROUNDS ?? process.env.DISPATCH_GROOMER_MAX_TOOL_CALLS,
+      12,
+    ),
     maxSearchResults: parseIntEnv(process.env.DISPATCH_GROOMER_MAX_SEARCH_RESULTS, 10),
     maxDirEntries: parseIntEnv(process.env.DISPATCH_GROOMER_MAX_DIR_ENTRIES, 60),
     exploration: resolveExplorationBudget(),
diff --git a/src/lib/groomer/explore.test.ts b/src/lib/groomer/explore.test.ts
index 97473aa1..4af4ea36 100644
--- a/src/lib/groomer/explore.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/groomer/explore.test.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ const options: ExploreOptions = {
   repoFullName: "org/repo",
   prompt: "Issue #899: DATABASE_URL with sslmode=no-verify does not turn TLS on",
   timeoutMs: 60_000,
-  maxToolCalls: 12,
+  maxRounds: 12,
   maxTotalBytes: 8192,
   maxSearchResults: 10,
   maxFileBytes: 4096,
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ describe("exploreRepository", () => {
     });
     const deps = makeDeps({ readFile: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue("y".repeat(400)) }, fetchImpl);
 
-    const result = await exploreRepository({ ...options, maxTotalBytes: 100, maxToolCalls: 4 }, deps);
+    const result = await exploreRepository({ ...options, maxTotalBytes: 100, maxRounds: 4 }, deps);
 
     expect(result.warnings).toContain("repository exploration hit its byte budget");
     expect(deps.tools.readFile).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
@@ -138,11 +138,11 @@ describe("exploreRepository", () => {
     });
     const deps = makeDeps({ searchCode: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue([{ path: "a.ts" }]) }, fetchImpl);
 
-    const result = await exploreRepository({ ...options, maxToolCalls: 3 }, deps);
+    const result = await exploreRepository({ ...options, maxRounds: 3 }, deps);
 
     expect(result.toolCalls).toHaveLength(3);
     expect(result.warnings).toContain(
-      "repository exploration hit its tool-call budget without submitting findings",
+      "repository exploration used all its rounds without submitting findings",
     );
   });
 
@@ -207,3 +207,65 @@ describe("exploreRepository bounds model-supplied findings", () => {
     expect(result.files).toEqual(["src/a.ts"]);
   });
 });
+
+describe("exploreRepository round-limit warning", () => {
+  it("tells the model to submit when it is nearly out of rounds", async () => {
+    const calls: string[][] = [];
+    const fetchImpl = vi.fn().mockImplementation(async (_url: string, init: RequestInit) => {
+      const body = JSON.parse(init.body as string);
+      calls.push(body.messages.map((m: { role: string }) => m.role));
+      return {
+        ok: true,
+        status: 200,
+        json: async () => ({
+          choices: [
+            { message: { content: null, tool_calls: [toolCall("1", "search_code", { query: "x" })] } },
+          ],
+        }),
+        text: async () => "",
+      };
+    }) as unknown as typeof fetch;
+
+    const deps = makeDeps({ searchCode: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue([{ path: "a.ts" }]) }, fetchImpl);
+    await exploreRepository({ ...options, maxRounds: 4 }, deps);
+
+    const sent = (fetchImpl as unknown as ReturnType<typeof vi.fn>).mock.calls.map((c) =>
+      JSON.parse((c[1] as RequestInit).body as string),
+    );
+    const nudges = sent.flatMap((b) =>
+      b.messages.filter(
+        (m: { role: string; content?: string }) =>
+          m.role === "user" && typeof m.content === "string" && m.content.includes("round(s) left"),
+      ),
+    );
+    expect(nudges.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+    expect(nudges[0].content).toContain("submit_findings");
+  });
+
+  it("does not nudge before the final rounds", async () => {
+    const fetchImpl = fetchReturning({
+      content: null,
+      tool_calls: [toolCall("1", "search_code", { query: "x" })],
+    });
+    const deps = makeDeps({ searchCode: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue([{ path: "a.ts" }]) }, fetchImpl);
+    await exploreRepository({ ...options, maxRounds: 12 }, deps);
+
+    const first = JSON.parse(
+      ((fetchImpl as unknown as ReturnType<typeof vi.fn>).mock.calls[0][1] as RequestInit)
+        .body as string,
+    );
+    expect(
+      first.messages.some(
+        (m: { content?: string }) => typeof m.content === "string" && m.content.includes("round(s) left"),
+      ),
+    ).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("does not warn about rounds when the model stopped on its own", async () => {
+    const deps = makeDeps({}, fetchReturning({ content: "nothing to do", tool_calls: [] }));
+    const result = await exploreRepository({ ...options, maxRounds: 12 }, deps);
+    expect(result.warnings).not.toContain(
+      "repository exploration used all its rounds without submitting findings",
+    );
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/lib/groomer/explore.ts b/src/lib/groomer/explore.ts
index 4d3b4b4b..cbc9e437 100644
--- a/src/lib/groomer/explore.ts
+++ b/src/lib/groomer/explore.ts
@@ -13,7 +13,9 @@ export interface ExploreOptions {
   /** The same issue context the final grooming call receives. */
   prompt: string;
   timeoutMs: number;
-  maxToolCalls: number;
+  /** Model round-trips the loop may make. One round can carry several tool
+   *  calls, so this is not a cap on calls — see maxToolCalls' doc comment. */
+  maxRounds: number;
   maxTotalBytes: number;
   maxSearchResults: number;
   maxFileBytes: number;
@@ -64,6 +66,9 @@ Work like this:
 
 Call submit_findings once you can name the files a worker would change and state what the issue is asking for in this repository's own terms. Be concrete: real paths you have actually seen, never a guess.`;
 
+/** Rounds remaining at which the model is told to wrap up. */
+export const ROUNDS_REMAINING_WARNING = 2;
+
 const EMPTY: Omit<ExploreResult, "warnings"> = {
   findings: "",
   files: [],
@@ -142,6 +147,7 @@ export async function exploreRepository(
   const sources: string[] = [];
   let bytes = 0;
 
+  let roundsExhausted = false;
   const controller = new AbortController();
   const timeoutId = setTimeout(() => controller.abort(), options.timeoutMs);
 
@@ -151,7 +157,24 @@ export async function exploreRepository(
   ];
 
   try {
-    for (let turn = 0; turn < options.maxToolCalls; turn++) {
+    for (let turn = 0; turn < options.maxRounds; turn++) {
+      roundsExhausted = turn === options.maxRounds - 1;
+      // Tell the model when it is running out of rounds. The byte-budget path
+      // already does this and the model reliably submits when it hears it; the
+      // round limit used to just end the loop, so a run that explored well but
+      // did not volunteer findings was discarded with nothing to show. Give it
+      // the same deadline pressure rather than a silent cut-off.
+      const roundsLeft = options.maxRounds - turn;
+      if (roundsLeft <= ROUNDS_REMAINING_WARNING && roundsLeft > 0 && records.length > 0) {
+        messages.push({
+          role: "user",
+          content:
+            `You have ${roundsLeft} round(s) left before this investigation ends. ` +
+            "Call submit_findings now with the files you have already opened, " +
+            "even if you have not finished exploring.",
+        });
+      }
+
       const response = await deps.fetchImpl(`${options.baseUrl}/chat/completions`, {
         method: "POST",
         headers: {
@@ -263,8 +286,8 @@ export async function exploreRepository(
       }
     }
 
-    if (records.length >= options.maxToolCalls) {
-      warnings.push("repository exploration hit its tool-call budget without submitting findings");
+    if (roundsExhausted) {
+      warnings.push("repository exploration used all its rounds without submitting findings");
     }
 
     return {
diff --git a/src/lib/groomer/run.test.ts b/src/lib/groomer/run.test.ts
index d20f5585..074ae3f4 100644
--- a/src/lib/groomer/run.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/groomer/run.test.ts
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@ const mockConfig: HostedGroomerConfig = {
   commentCooldownHours: 24,
   groomerToken: null,
   toolLoopEnabled: false,
-  maxToolCalls: 12,
+  maxRounds: 12,
   maxSearchResults: 10,
   maxDirEntries: 60,
   exploration: { maxTotalBytes: 24576, maxFileBytes: 8192, timeoutMs: 150000, source: "medium" },
diff --git a/src/lib/groomer/run.ts b/src/lib/groomer/run.ts
index cb7211c2..dcaa6990 100644
--- a/src/lib/groomer/run.ts
+++ b/src/lib/groomer/run.ts
@@ -197,7 +197,7 @@ async function executeGroomerRun(
           repoFullName: candidate.repoFullName,
           prompt: context,
           timeoutMs: config.exploration.timeoutMs,
-          maxToolCalls: config.maxToolCalls,
+          maxRounds: config.maxRounds,
           maxTotalBytes: config.exploration.maxTotalBytes,
           maxSearchResults: config.maxSearchResults,
           maxFileBytes: config.exploration.maxFileBytes,