diff --git a/changelog.d/fixes/8169-lite-word-boundary-truncation.md b/changelog.d/fixes/8169-lite-word-boundary-truncation.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4943d64cf0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog.d/fixes/8169-lite-word-boundary-truncation.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+- fix(backend): word-boundary-safe tool-result truncation in lite compression mode (#8169)
diff --git a/open-sse/services/compression/lite.ts b/open-sse/services/compression/lite.ts
index 3ed09beebf..6c795766fd 100644
--- a/open-sse/services/compression/lite.ts
+++ b/open-sse/services/compression/lite.ts
@@ -105,6 +105,47 @@ export function dedupSystemPrompt(
   return { body: { ...body, messages }, applied };
 }
 
+// Adjust a hard cut index to the nearest whitespace within a small lookback/lookahead
+// window, so a truncated tool result never garbles the word it lands in the middle of
+// (#8169). Prefers backing off to the end of the previous word (keeps the result at or
+// under the limit); if no whitespace precedes the cut within the window (e.g. the tail
+// end of a very long unbroken run), looks forward to complete the current word instead.
+// Falls back to the original hard cut index when neither direction finds a boundary.
+const TOOL_TRUNCATION_LOOKBACK = 80;
+
+function isWordChar(char: string | undefined): boolean {
+  return char !== undefined && /\S/.test(char);
+}
+
+function findWhitespaceBackward(content: string, cutIndex: number): number {
+  const windowStart = Math.max(0, cutIndex - TOOL_TRUNCATION_LOOKBACK);
+  for (let i = cutIndex; i > windowStart; i--) {
+    if (!isWordChar(content[i - 1])) return i - 1;
+  }
+  return -1;
+}
+
+function findWhitespaceForward(content: string, cutIndex: number): number {
+  const windowEnd = Math.min(content.length, cutIndex + TOOL_TRUNCATION_LOOKBACK);
+  for (let i = cutIndex; i < windowEnd; i++) {
+    if (!isWordChar(content[i])) return i;
+  }
+  return -1;
+}
+
+function backOffToWordBoundary(content: string, cutIndex: number): number {
+  const onWordBoundary = !isWordChar(content[cutIndex - 1]) || !isWordChar(content[cutIndex]);
+  if (onWordBoundary) return cutIndex;
+
+  const backward = findWhitespaceBackward(content, cutIndex);
+  if (backward !== -1) return backward;
+
+  const forward = findWhitespaceForward(content, cutIndex);
+  if (forward !== -1) return forward;
+
+  return cutIndex;
+}
+
 export function compressToolResults(body: ChatBody): {
   body: ChatBody;
   applied: boolean;
@@ -116,9 +157,10 @@ export function compressToolResults(body: ChatBody): {
     if (msg.role !== "tool" || typeof msg.content !== "string") return msg;
     if (msg.content.length <= MAX_TOOL_LENGTH) return msg;
     applied = true;
+    const cutIndex = backOffToWordBoundary(msg.content, MAX_TOOL_LENGTH);
     return {
       ...msg,
-      content: msg.content.slice(0, MAX_TOOL_LENGTH) + "\n...[truncated]",
+      content: msg.content.slice(0, cutIndex) + "\n...[truncated]",
     };
   });
   return { body: { ...body, messages }, applied };
diff --git a/tests/unit/8169-lite-word-boundary-truncation.test.ts b/tests/unit/8169-lite-word-boundary-truncation.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e3e634c766
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/8169-lite-word-boundary-truncation.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+import { test } from "node:test";
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import { compressToolResults } from "../../open-sse/services/compression/lite.ts";
+
+interface TestMessage {
+  role: string;
+  content: string;
+}
+
+interface TestChatBody {
+  messages: TestMessage[];
+}
+
+function toolBody(content: string): TestChatBody {
+  return { messages: [{ role: "tool", content }] };
+}
+
+function firstMessageContent(body: TestChatBody): string {
+  return body.messages[0].content;
+}
+
+test("#8169: lite compressToolResults must not cut a word in half", () => {
+  const prefix = "x".repeat(1990);
+  const word = "authentication"; // straddles the 2000-char cut point
+  const content = prefix + word + " rest of the message continues here.";
+  const { body: out } = compressToolResults(toolBody(content));
+  const resultContent = firstMessageContent(out as TestChatBody);
+  const cutPoint = resultContent.indexOf("\n...[truncated]");
+  assert.notEqual(cutPoint, -1);
+  const lastChar = resultContent[cutPoint - 1];
+  const charAfterWouldBe = content[cutPoint];
+  const isMidWord = /[a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(lastChar) && /[a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(charAfterWouldBe);
+  assert.equal(
+    isMidWord,
+    false,
+    `mid-word cut: "...${resultContent.slice(cutPoint - 20, cutPoint)}" next="${charAfterWouldBe}"`
+  );
+});
+
+test("#8169: compressToolResults still truncates content well over MAX_TOOL_LENGTH", () => {
+  const content = "word ".repeat(1000); // 5000 chars, plenty of whitespace boundaries
+  const { body: out, applied } = compressToolResults(toolBody(content));
+  const resultContent = firstMessageContent(out as TestChatBody);
+  assert.equal(applied, true);
+  assert.ok(resultContent.length < content.length);
+  assert.ok(resultContent.endsWith("\n...[truncated]"));
+});
+
+test("#8169: compressToolResults falls back to hard cut when no whitespace found in lookback window", () => {
+  const content = "a".repeat(2100); // no whitespace anywhere
+  const { body: out, applied } = compressToolResults(toolBody(content));
+  const resultContent = firstMessageContent(out as TestChatBody);
+  assert.equal(applied, true);
+  assert.ok(resultContent.endsWith("\n...[truncated]"));
+});
+
+test("#8169: compressToolResults leaves short tool content untouched", () => {
+  const content = "short content";
+  const { body: out, applied } = compressToolResults(toolBody(content));
+  const resultContent = firstMessageContent(out as TestChatBody);
+  assert.equal(applied, false);
+  assert.equal(resultContent, content);
+});