diff --git a/apps/worker/src/index.ts b/apps/worker/src/index.ts
index 16c1f68..d3dd044 100644
--- a/apps/worker/src/index.ts
+++ b/apps/worker/src/index.ts
@@ -676,6 +676,16 @@ function parseRepoFaceParentInterpretation(
   attempt: 1 | 2,
 ): RepoFaceParentInterpretation {
   const block = parseInterpretationBlock(interpretationText);
+  if (Object.keys(block).length === 0) {
+    const speechFallback = repoFaceInterpreterPlainSpeechFallback(interpretationText);
+    if (speechFallback) {
+      return {
+        decision: "route",
+        reasons: ["parent interpreter returned compact plain speech; wrapped it as SAY current_room"],
+        routedOutput: speechFallback,
+      };
+    }
+  }
   const decision = block.decision?.trim().toLowerCase();
   const parsedDecision =
     decision === "route" || decision === "retry" || decision === "drop"
@@ -696,6 +706,35 @@ function parseRepoFaceParentInterpretation(
   };
 }
 
+function repoFaceInterpreterPlainSpeechFallback(interpretationText: string): string | undefined {
+  const content = interpretationText.trim();
+  if (!content || content.length > 500) {
+    return undefined;
+  }
+  if (content.includes("\n\n") || parseRepoFaceActionBlocks(content).length > 0) {
+    return undefined;
+  }
+  if (/^(private thought|what should stick|work\/proposal|article draft|state note|interpretation)\s*:/i.test(content)) {
+    return undefined;
+  }
+  if (/\b(nothing public|would say nothing|stay private|hold silence|no public action|not worth routing)\b/i.test(content)) {
+    return undefined;
+  }
+  if (/\S(?:\.\.\.|…)$/.test(content)) {
+    return undefined;
+  }
+
+  return [
+    "SAY",
+    "identity: current_face_id",
+    "channel: current_room",
+    "reply_to:",
+    "content:",
+    `  ${content}`,
+    "END",
+  ].join("\n");
+}
+
 function collectForbiddenRepoFaceChildTools(artifacts: ProviderArtifact[]): string[] {
   const forbidden = new Set<string>();
   for (const artifact of artifacts) {
diff --git a/prompts/repo-face-turn-interpreter.prompt.md b/prompts/repo-face-turn-interpreter.prompt.md
index 69505e0..e920c50 100644
--- a/prompts/repo-face-turn-interpreter.prompt.md
+++ b/prompts/repo-face-turn-interpreter.prompt.md
@@ -84,6 +84,8 @@ reason:
   One or two concrete reasons.
 END
 
+Do not return only the public sentence. Even if the Face already wrote a perfect one-line reply, you must wrap it in the INTERPRETATION block and, when routing public speech, a SAY block. Plain speech without a SAY block is a broken mouth crossing.
+
 If decision is route, append a normalized output section after END. This normalized output is what the worker will parse for side effects.
 
 Normalized output rules:
diff --git a/state/evidence.jsonl b/state/evidence.jsonl
index 479cf53..6a626a0 100644
--- a/state/evidence.jsonl
+++ b/state/evidence.jsonl
@@ -345,3 +345,4 @@
 {"ts":"2026-05-25T17:36:36Z","type":"implementation","status":"ok","note":"Revived the local VoidBot stack and repo Face swarm: npm run stack:start restored runtime-stack.json to ready with bot PID 24512 and worker PID 30640, npm run state:check passed live-service gates with only a backup warning, state/agent-swarm-paused.json is now paused=false, repo Face heartbeats and mood drift ran ok, first unpaused Void moderation turn completed ok, and Norn reconciled into the active CTB participant roster."}
 {"ts":"2026-05-25T18:53:32Z","type":"implementation","status":"ok","note":"Slowed repo Face CTB cadence by 10x in the live control surface: cadenceMultiplier is now 0.04, scheduler/dashboard/API minimum is 0.01, and effective-speed/recovery floors now preserve sub-0.1 cadence instead of silently flattening it. Typecheck and a real heartbeat pass succeeded without queuing an unprompted Face turn."}
 {"ts":"2026-05-25T21:28:29Z","type":"implementation","status":"ok","note":"Fixed repo Face CTB wake/ready split: operator-absence naps now end when operator absence ends, and the swarm dashboard includes Face rest state so napping Faces are not shown as ready. Verified build and a forced repo-face heartbeat queued Fensalir, Norn, and Nibu."}
+{"ts":"2026-05-26T10:53:11Z","type":"implementation","status":"ok","note":"Fixed repo Face speech loss at the Mind-to-worker crossing: if the parent interpreter returns a compact plain public sentence instead of DSL, the worker now wraps it as SAY current_room, and the interpreter prompt explicitly forbids plain-speech-only output. Verified live worker parsed say=1 and posted Mimir/Aqua webhook messages after restart."}