diff --git a/cmd/hwlab-device-pod/main.test.ts b/cmd/hwlab-device-pod/main.test.ts
index aca5821e..83e5f527 100644
--- a/cmd/hwlab-device-pod/main.test.ts
+++ b/cmd/hwlab-device-pod/main.test.ts
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ test("device pod executor lists and isolates multiple logical device pods", asyn
 });
 
 test("device-pod executor bounds gateway output text", async () => {
-  const longText = "z".repeat(25000);
+  const longText = "z".repeat(65000);
   const cloudApi = createServer(async (request, response) => {
     const body = await requestJson(request);
     response.writeHead(200, { "content-type": "application/json; charset=utf-8" });
@@ -184,11 +184,11 @@ test("device-pod executor bounds gateway output text", async () => {
     });
     assert.equal(jobResponse.status, 202);
     const output = await waitForJobStatus(service.port, "device-pod-test", "job_bounded_output_test", "completed");
-    assert.equal(output.output.text.length, 24000);
-    assert.equal(output.text.length, 24000);
-    assert.equal(output.bytes, 24000);
+    assert.equal(output.output.text.length, 64000);
+    assert.equal(output.text.length, 64000);
+    assert.equal(output.bytes, 64000);
     assert.equal(output.truncation.truncated, true);
-    assert.equal(output.truncation.originalBytes, 25000);
+    assert.equal(output.truncation.originalBytes, 65000);
     assert.equal(output.output.omitted.reason, "device_job_output_truncated");
     assert.equal(JSON.stringify(output).includes(longText), false);
   } finally {
diff --git a/cmd/hwlab-device-pod/main.ts b/cmd/hwlab-device-pod/main.ts
index e0ca69d0..7997fe81 100644
--- a/cmd/hwlab-device-pod/main.ts
+++ b/cmd/hwlab-device-pod/main.ts
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ const environment = process.env.HWLAB_ENVIRONMENT || process.env.HWLAB_GITOPS_PR
 const cloudApiInternalUrl = normalizeBaseUrl(process.env.HWLAB_CLOUD_API_INTERNAL_URL || process.env.HWLAB_CLOUD_API_URL);
 const internalToken = textOr(process.env.HWLAB_DEVICE_POD_INTERNAL_TOKEN, "");
 const dispatchTimeoutMs = numberOr(process.env.HWLAB_DEVICE_POD_GATEWAY_DISPATCH_TIMEOUT_MS, 120000);
-const DEVICE_JOB_OUTPUT_MAX_BYTES = 24000;
+const DEVICE_JOB_OUTPUT_MAX_BYTES = 64000;
 const jobs = new Map();
 
 listen(createServer(async (request, response) => {
diff --git a/internal/cloud/access-control.test.ts b/internal/cloud/access-control.test.ts
index e9487609..0a5d8e0f 100644
--- a/internal/cloud/access-control.test.ts
+++ b/internal/cloud/access-control.test.ts
@@ -2055,7 +2055,7 @@ test("cloud api dispatches authorized device jobs to the internal device-pod exe
 });
 
 test("cloud api bounds device-pod job output payloads", async () => {
-  const longText = "x".repeat(25000);
+  const longText = "x".repeat(65000);
   const executor = createServer(async (request, response) => {
     const body = await requestJson(request);
     response.writeHead(200, { "content-type": "application/json; charset=utf-8" });
@@ -2100,11 +2100,11 @@ test("cloud api bounds device-pod job output payloads", async () => {
     assert.equal(job.status, 200);
     const output = await getJson(port, `/v1/device-pods/device-pod-71-freq/jobs/${job.body.job.id}/output`, aliceLogin.cookie);
     assert.equal(output.status, 200);
-    assert.equal(output.body.bytes, 24000);
-    assert.equal(output.body.text.length, 24000);
-    assert.equal(output.body.output.text.length, 24000);
+    assert.equal(output.body.bytes, 64000);
+    assert.equal(output.body.text.length, 64000);
+    assert.equal(output.body.output.text.length, 64000);
     assert.equal(output.body.truncation.truncated, true);
-    assert.equal(output.body.truncation.originalBytes, 25000);
+    assert.equal(output.body.truncation.originalBytes, 65000);
     assert.equal(output.body.output.omitted.reason, "device_job_output_truncated");
     assert.equal(JSON.stringify(output.body).includes(longText), false);
   } finally {
diff --git a/internal/cloud/access-control.ts b/internal/cloud/access-control.ts
index 962223c9..f3d4d77b 100644
--- a/internal/cloud/access-control.ts
+++ b/internal/cloud/access-control.ts
@@ -202,7 +202,7 @@ const DEVICE_JOB_ACTIONABLE_INTENTS = new Set([
   "workspace.build",
   "debug.download"
 ]);
-const DEVICE_JOB_OUTPUT_MAX_BYTES = 24000;
+const DEVICE_JOB_OUTPUT_MAX_BYTES = 64000;
 const DEVICE_POD_PROFILE_SECRET_KEY_PATTERN = /(?:token|secret|password|passphrase|credential|api[_-]?key|access[_-]?key|private[_-]?key|git[_-]?key|cloud[_-]?token|kubeconfig|database[_-]?url|db[_-]?url|connection[_-]?string)/iu;
 const DEVICE_POD_PROFILE_SECRET_VALUE_PATTERN = /(?:-----BEGIN [A-Z ]*PRIVATE KEY-----|postgres(?:ql)?:\/\/|mysql:\/\/|mongodb(?:\+srv)?:\/\/|redis:\/\/|gh[pousr]_[A-Za-z0-9_]{20,}|sk-[A-Za-z0-9_-]{20,})/u;
 
diff --git a/tools/device-pod-cli.test.ts b/tools/device-pod-cli.test.ts
index 0c333e78..dabc86c5 100644
--- a/tools/device-pod-cli.test.ts
+++ b/tools/device-pod-cli.test.ts
@@ -290,6 +290,7 @@ test("device-pod-cli bootsharp creates a formal workspace bootsharp REST job", a
 });
 
 test("device-pod-cli job output is compact by default and full with --full", async () => {
+  const longText = `${"x".repeat(30000)}FREQ_Controller_FW.axf${"y".repeat(30000)}FREQ_Controller_FW.hex${"z".repeat(30000)}`;
   const payload = {
     serviceId: "hwlab-cloud-api",
     contractVersion: "device-pod-job-v1",
@@ -299,9 +300,9 @@ test("device-pod-cli job output is compact by default and full with --full", asy
     operationId: "op_job",
     job: { id: "job_1", status: "completed" },
     output: {
-      text: "x".repeat(5000),
+      text: longText,
       dispatch: { command: "verbose command that should stay out of compact output" },
-      bytes: 5000,
+      bytes: Buffer.byteLength(longText, "utf8"),
       summary: "gateway/device-host-cli dispatch completed"
     }
   };
@@ -313,7 +314,10 @@ test("device-pod-cli job output is compact by default and full with --full", asy
   ], { fetchImpl, now: () => "2026-05-31T00:00:00.000Z" });
   assert.equal(compact.exitCode, 0);
   assert.equal(compact.payload.body.compacted, true);
-  assert.equal(compact.payload.body.text.length, 4000);
+  assert.equal(compact.payload.body.text.length, 64000);
+  assert.equal(compact.payload.body.text.includes("device-pod job output compacted"), true);
+  assert.equal(compact.payload.body.text.includes("FREQ_Controller_FW.hex"), true);
+  assert.equal(compact.payload.body.text.includes("FREQ_Controller_FW.axf"), true);
   assert.equal(JSON.stringify(compact.payload).includes("verbose command"), false);
 
   const full = await runAssembledDevicePodCli([
diff --git a/tools/src/device-pod-cli-lib.ts b/tools/src/device-pod-cli-lib.ts
index 9a0e609a..be80cde8 100644
--- a/tools/src/device-pod-cli-lib.ts
+++ b/tools/src/device-pod-cli-lib.ts
@@ -766,9 +766,9 @@ function compactJobOutputBody(body: any) {
   if (!body || typeof body !== "object") return body;
   const output = body.output && typeof body.output === "object" ? body.output : {};
   const textValue = typeof body.text === "string" ? body.text : typeof output.text === "string" ? output.text : "";
-  const maxTextBytes = 4000;
+  const maxTextBytes = 64000;
   const textBuffer = Buffer.from(textValue, "utf8");
-  const clippedText = textBuffer.length > maxTextBytes ? textBuffer.subarray(0, maxTextBytes).toString("utf8") : textValue;
+  const clippedText = compactTextPreservingTail(textBuffer, textValue, maxTextBytes);
   return clean({
     serviceId: body.serviceId,
     contractVersion: body.contractVersion,
@@ -800,3 +800,17 @@ function compactJobOutputBody(body: any) {
     }
   });
 }
+
+function compactTextPreservingTail(textBuffer: Buffer, textValue: string, maxTextBytes: number) {
+  if (textBuffer.length <= maxTextBytes) return textValue;
+  const marker = "\n... device-pod job output compacted; middle omitted ...\n";
+  const markerBuffer = Buffer.from(marker, "utf8");
+  if (markerBuffer.length >= maxTextBytes) return clipUtf8(textBuffer, 0, maxTextBytes);
+  const headBytes = Math.floor((maxTextBytes - markerBuffer.length) / 2);
+  const tailBytes = maxTextBytes - markerBuffer.length - headBytes;
+  return `${clipUtf8(textBuffer, 0, headBytes)}${marker}${clipUtf8(textBuffer, textBuffer.length - tailBytes, textBuffer.length)}`;
+}
+
+function clipUtf8(buffer: Buffer, start: number, end: number) {
+  return buffer.subarray(start, end).toString("utf8").replace(/\uFFFD$/u, "").replace(/^\uFFFD/u, "");
+}