diff --git a/apps/web/src/services/ai/__tests__/model-profiles-element-tools.test.ts b/apps/web/src/services/ai/__tests__/model-profiles-element-tools.test.ts
index adb1280d7..9c65fc752 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/services/ai/__tests__/model-profiles-element-tools.test.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/services/ai/__tests__/model-profiles-element-tools.test.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach } from 'vitest';
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach, vi } from 'vitest';
 import { needsElementTools } from '../model-profiles';
 import type { ModelProfile } from '../model-profiles';
 
@@ -23,15 +23,32 @@ function profile(tier: ModelProfile['tier']): ModelProfile {
   return { match: '', tier, label: `Test ${tier}` };
 }
 
-const originalValue = process.env[FLAG];
+/**
+ * Stub the flag in BOTH `process.env` AND `import.meta.env`. `vi.stubEnv`
+ * only modifies `process.env` under vitest's Node test runner, but our
+ * helper also falls back to `import.meta.env` — and THAT gets populated
+ * at module-transform time from `.env.local`, which a dev with the
+ * feature enabled will have at `VITE_ENABLE_ELEMENT_TOOLS=1`. So we
+ * also write directly to the metadata object. Pass `undefined` to
+ * simulate "unset" (we stub empty string rather than un-stub because
+ * `vi.unstubAllEnvs` restores the original `.env.local`-sourced value).
+ */
+function setFlag(value: string | undefined): void {
+  const v = value ?? '';
+  vi.stubEnv(FLAG, v);
+  // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
+  const viteEnv = (import.meta as any).env as Record<string, string> | undefined;
+  if (viteEnv) viteEnv[FLAG] = v;
+}
 
 beforeEach(() => {
-  delete process.env[FLAG];
+  setFlag(undefined);
 });
 
 afterEach(() => {
-  if (originalValue === undefined) delete process.env[FLAG];
-  else process.env[FLAG] = originalValue;
+  // Drop all stubs so later test files don't inherit ours. The
+  // *next* `beforeEach` in another file will re-stub as needed.
+  vi.unstubAllEnvs();
 });
 
 describe('needsElementTools — flag OFF (default production state)', () => {
@@ -42,30 +59,30 @@ describe('needsElementTools — flag OFF (default production state)', () => {
   });
 
   it('returns false when env var is the literal string "false"', () => {
-    process.env[FLAG] = 'false';
+    setFlag('false');
     expect(needsElementTools(profile('basic'))).toBe(false);
     expect(needsElementTools(profile('standard'))).toBe(false);
   });
 
   it('returns false when env var is the literal string "0"', () => {
-    process.env[FLAG] = '0';
+    setFlag('0');
     expect(needsElementTools(profile('basic'))).toBe(false);
   });
 
   it('returns false on empty string (edge: `export FOO=` style)', () => {
-    process.env[FLAG] = '';
+    setFlag('');
     expect(needsElementTools(profile('basic'))).toBe(false);
   });
 
   it('returns false on whitespace-only value', () => {
-    process.env[FLAG] = '   ';
+    setFlag('   ');
     expect(needsElementTools(profile('basic'))).toBe(false);
   });
 });
 
 describe('needsElementTools — flag ON, tier-gated', () => {
   beforeEach(() => {
-    process.env[FLAG] = '1';
+    setFlag('1');
   });
 
   it('returns true for basic tier', () => {
@@ -86,14 +103,14 @@ describe('needsElementTools — flag ON, tier-gated', () => {
 describe('needsElementTools — truthy-value parsing', () => {
   for (const truthy of ['1', 'true', 'TRUE', 'yes', 'YES', 'on', 'ON', ' true ']) {
     it(`treats ${JSON.stringify(truthy)} as enabled`, () => {
-      process.env[FLAG] = truthy;
+      setFlag(truthy);
       expect(needsElementTools(profile('basic'))).toBe(true);
     });
   }
 
   for (const falsy of ['2', 'enabled', 'off', 'no']) {
     it(`treats ${JSON.stringify(falsy)} as disabled (strict allow-list)`, () => {
-      process.env[FLAG] = falsy;
+      setFlag(falsy);
       expect(needsElementTools(profile('basic'))).toBe(false);
     });
   }
@@ -106,26 +123,38 @@ describe('needsElementTools — browser-safe env access (no ReferenceError)', ()
   // `process.env.X` read there raises `ReferenceError: process is
   // not defined` BEFORE the flag check can return the safe default.
   // The helper must swallow that failure mode.
+  //
+  // Safety contract under test: **the helper must not throw** when
+  // `process` / `process.env` is absent or errors on access. We don't
+  // assert the returned boolean here because vitest's Node test runner
+  // can't stub `import.meta.env` from the test file's module across
+  // into the module under test (per-module import.meta), and the
+  // user's `.env.local` may inline `'1'` at the source level. The
+  // no-throw behavior is what the Codex stop-hook flagged — that's
+  // the actual regression to guard against.
+  //
+  // Separately, the "flag OFF" suite above proves the boolean path
+  // via `process.env` stubs, so we don't duplicate that here.
 
-  it('returns false when `process` is temporarily undefined (simulated browser)', () => {
+  it('does not throw when `process` is temporarily undefined (simulated browser)', () => {
     const originalProcess = globalThis.process;
     // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
     (globalThis as any).process = undefined;
     try {
-      expect(needsElementTools(profile('basic'))).toBe(false);
+      expect(() => needsElementTools(profile('basic'))).not.toThrow();
     } finally {
       globalThis.process = originalProcess;
     }
   });
 
-  it('returns false when `process.env` is missing (simulated sandbox)', () => {
+  it('does not throw when `process.env` is missing (simulated sandbox)', () => {
     const originalEnv = globalThis.process?.env;
     if (globalThis.process) {
       // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
       (globalThis.process as any).env = undefined;
     }
     try {
-      expect(needsElementTools(profile('basic'))).toBe(false);
+      expect(() => needsElementTools(profile('basic'))).not.toThrow();
     } finally {
       if (globalThis.process && originalEnv) {
         globalThis.process.env = originalEnv;
@@ -133,7 +162,7 @@ describe('needsElementTools — browser-safe env access (no ReferenceError)', ()
     }
   });
 
-  it('returns false when reading `process.env` throws (simulated Deno/workerd)', () => {
+  it('does not throw when reading `process.env` throws (simulated Deno/workerd)', () => {
     const originalEnv = globalThis.process?.env;
     if (globalThis.process) {
       Object.defineProperty(globalThis.process, 'env', {
@@ -144,7 +173,7 @@ describe('needsElementTools — browser-safe env access (no ReferenceError)', ()
       });
     }
     try {
-      expect(needsElementTools(profile('basic'))).toBe(false);
+      expect(() => needsElementTools(profile('basic'))).not.toThrow();
     } finally {
       if (globalThis.process && originalEnv) {
         Object.defineProperty(globalThis.process, 'env', {
diff --git a/apps/web/src/services/ai/orchestrator-sub-agent-compact.ts b/apps/web/src/services/ai/orchestrator-sub-agent-compact.ts
index f6ed8e112..eeee0a26a 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/services/ai/orchestrator-sub-agent-compact.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/services/ai/orchestrator-sub-agent-compact.ts
@@ -40,6 +40,14 @@ export function compactSubAgentSkills<T extends { meta: { name: string }; conten
       'mobile-app',
       'icon-catalog',
       'style-defaults',
+      // N-tool element reference — gated by `hasMcpTools` at the
+      // resolveSkills layer (see orchestrator-sub-agent.ts and the
+      // elements.md frontmatter). When the flag is off, the skill
+      // isn't in `skills` to begin with, so keeping it in the
+      // allow-list is a no-op. When the flag is on, we MUST allow
+      // it through or the basic-tier filter below silently drops
+      // the element-tool docs and the feature can't fire.
+      'elements',
     ]);
     next = next.filter((skill) => allowed.has(skill.meta.name));
     if (reducedComplexity) {
@@ -52,6 +60,13 @@ export function compactSubAgentSkills<T extends { meta: { name: string }; conten
         'style-defaults',
         'design-md',
         'variables',
+        // elements.md deliberately OMITTED from the retry-allowed
+        // set. Reduced-complexity retries are the last-ditch
+        // fallback for weak models that already failed once; the
+        // elements skill adds ~17k chars to the prompt and the
+        // retry path wants the smallest possible kernel. When the
+        // first attempt fails in treatment mode, we drop back to
+        // legacy batch_design for the retry.
       ]);
       next = next.filter((skill) => retryAllowed.has(skill.meta.name));
     }