diff --git a/src/cli/session-caller-flags.ts b/src/cli/session-caller-flags.ts
index b136bccb4bc..1ef820d7fee 100644
--- a/src/cli/session-caller-flags.ts
+++ b/src/cli/session-caller-flags.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@
 import type { CommandSpec, IdentityFlag } from './command-spec'
 import { RuntimeClientError } from './runtime/types'
 import { readInjectedAgentSessionId } from '../shared/agent-session-caller-env'
-import { normalizeOrchestrationActor } from '../shared/orchestration-actor'
 import { isStructuredWorkerHandle } from '../shared/structured-worker-handle'
 
 export function refuseConflictingSessionCallerFlags(
@@ -42,10 +41,13 @@ export function refuseConflictingSessionCallerFlags(
 
 const IDENTITY_FLAGS: readonly IdentityFlag[] = ['from', 'terminal']
 
-/** The session's own spellings, plus the handle a structured worker session was minted. */
+/**
+ * The session's own spellings, plus the handle a structured worker session was minted. Plain
+ * strings: this runs at the CLI entry for every command, before the actor codec's module graph.
+ */
 function namesInjectedSession(value: string, sessionId: string, env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv): boolean {
   return (
-    normalizeOrchestrationActor(value)?.id === sessionId || value === injectedSessionAddress(env)
+    value === sessionId || value === `session:${sessionId}` || value === injectedSessionAddress(env)
   )
 }