diff --git a/crates/tracedecay/tests/mcp_suite/mcp_handler_test.rs b/crates/tracedecay/tests/mcp_suite/mcp_handler_test.rs
index ec5f21ffcf..34ae994892 100644
--- a/crates/tracedecay/tests/mcp_suite/mcp_handler_test.rs
+++ b/crates/tracedecay/tests/mcp_suite/mcp_handler_test.rs
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ mod project_context_test;
 mod project_list_test;
 #[cfg(feature = "test-transport")]
 mod project_search_behavior_test;
+mod remote_status_test;
 #[cfg(feature = "test-transport")]
 mod rename_symbol_test;
 mod retrieve_truncation_test;
diff --git a/crates/tracedecay/tests/mcp_suite/mcp_handler_test/remote_status_test.rs b/crates/tracedecay/tests/mcp_suite/mcp_handler_test/remote_status_test.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..078dd96375
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/tracedecay/tests/mcp_suite/mcp_handler_test/remote_status_test.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,164 @@
+//! Real `tools/call` coverage for `tracedecay_remote_status`.
+//!
+//! The production daemon mounts the Remote Brain reader. With no listener and
+//! no registered node, that reader is `unconfigured`. A direct server never
+//! installs the reader, so the same call is `unavailable`. Neither outcome is
+//! an empty success or a semantic tool error.
+//!
+//! The configured (`observed`) plane is proved at the two seams that can mount
+//! one cheaply: `daemon::remote_protocol_tests` provisions a real node and
+//! serving listener against the session runtime registry, and
+//! `mcp::tools::handlers::info::remote_status_dispatch_tests` drives an
+//! observed reader through dispatch. This suite owns the transport boundary
+//! those two do not cross.
+
+use std::path::PathBuf;
+use std::process::Command;
+
+use serde_json::{Value, json};
+use tracedecay::daemon::ProductionProjectCompositionHarnessV1;
+
+use crate::common;
+use crate::fixture;
+use crate::mcp_server_test::support::{
+    jsonrpc_request, response_with_id, run_server_with_messages, setup_server, successful_tool_text,
+};
+use crate::support::{TestTempDir, test_temp_dir};
+
+const UNCONFIGURED_JSON: &str = r#"{"kind":"unconfigured"}"#;
+const UNAVAILABLE_JSON: &str = r#"{"kind":"unavailable"}"#;
+const UNCONFIGURED_MARKDOWN: &str = "**kind:** unconfigured\n";
+const UNAVAILABLE_MARKDOWN: &str = "**kind:** unavailable\n";
+
+struct MountedDaemon {
+    harness: ProductionProjectCompositionHarnessV1,
+    project: PathBuf,
+    _isolation: TestTempDir,
+}
+
+async fn mount_daemon_without_remote_plane() -> MountedDaemon {
+    let isolation = test_temp_dir();
+    let project = isolation.path().join("project");
+    std::fs::create_dir_all(&project).expect("remote-status project directory");
+    fixture::write_indexed_fixture_sources(&project);
+    for args in [
+        vec!["init", "-q"],
+        vec!["add", "."],
+        vec![
+            "-c",
+            "user.name=TraceDecay Test",
+            "-c",
+            "user.email=tracedecay@example.invalid",
+            "commit",
+            "-qm",
+            "remote status fixture",
+        ],
+    ] {
+        let status = Command::new(common::git_program())
+            .args(args)
+            .current_dir(&project)
+            .status()
+            .expect("git");
+        assert!(status.success(), "git must succeed for {project:?}");
+    }
+    let harness = Box::pin(
+        ProductionProjectCompositionHarnessV1::open_for_session_retrieval(
+            isolation.path(),
+            [project.clone()],
+        ),
+    )
+    .await
+    .expect("production composition");
+    MountedDaemon {
+        harness,
+        project,
+        _isolation: isolation,
+    }
+}
+
+fn status_text(result: &Value) -> &str {
+    let content = result["content"]
+        .as_array()
+        .unwrap_or_else(|| panic!("remote status returned no content array: {result}"));
+    assert_eq!(
+        content.len(),
+        1,
+        "remote status must not attach banners or token footers: {result}"
+    );
+    assert!(
+        result.get("isError").is_none(),
+        "a typed remote-status read is not a semantic tool error: {result}"
+    );
+    content[0]["text"]
+        .as_str()
+        .unwrap_or_else(|| panic!("remote status text content missing: {result}"))
+}
+
+async fn daemon_status(mounted: &MountedDaemon, arguments: Value) -> Value {
+    let response = mounted
+        .harness
+        .call_tool(&mounted.project, "tracedecay_remote_status", arguments)
+        .await
+        .expect("production tools/call");
+    assert!(
+        response.error.is_none(),
+        "production remote status must succeed: {:?}",
+        response.error
+    );
+    response
+        .result
+        .unwrap_or_else(|| panic!("production remote status missing result"))
+}
+
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn production_daemon_reports_unconfigured_remote_plane() {
+    let mounted = mount_daemon_without_remote_plane().await;
+
+    let markdown = daemon_status(&mounted, json!({})).await;
+    assert_eq!(status_text(&markdown), UNCONFIGURED_MARKDOWN);
+
+    let json_result = daemon_status(&mounted, json!({"format": "json"})).await;
+    assert_eq!(status_text(&json_result), UNCONFIGURED_JSON);
+}
+
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn direct_server_reports_unmounted_remote_authority() {
+    let (server, _dir) = setup_server().await;
+    let responses = run_server_with_messages(
+        server,
+        vec![
+            jsonrpc_request(
+                json!(1),
+                "tools/call",
+                json!({
+                    "name": "tracedecay_remote_status",
+                    "arguments": {}
+                }),
+            ),
+            jsonrpc_request(
+                json!(2),
+                "tools/call",
+                json!({
+                    "name": "tracedecay_remote_status",
+                    "arguments": {"format": "json"}
+                }),
+            ),
+        ],
+    )
+    .await;
+
+    let markdown = response_with_id(&responses, json!(1));
+    assert_eq!(
+        successful_tool_text(&markdown, "markdown remote status"),
+        UNAVAILABLE_MARKDOWN
+    );
+    let json_response = response_with_id(&responses, json!(2));
+    assert_eq!(
+        successful_tool_text(&json_response, "json remote status"),
+        UNAVAILABLE_JSON
+    );
+    assert!(
+        json_response["result"].get("isError").is_none(),
+        "an unmounted remote authority is a typed read, not a tool error: {json_response}"
+    );
+}