diff --git a/src/cli/handlers/orchestration/concise-list-row-size.test.ts b/src/cli/handlers/orchestration/concise-list-row-size.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..8a373e5845e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/cli/handlers/orchestration/concise-list-row-size.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,144 @@
+import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
+
+vi.mock('../../selectors', () => ({ getTerminalHandle: vi.fn() }))
+
+import { ORCHESTRATION_HANDLERS } from '../orchestration'
+import { orchestrationTestContext } from '../orchestration-handler-test-context'
+
+const HUGE = 'x'.repeat(10_000)
+// Message bodies and gate questions are what check, inbox, and gate-list exist to show.
+const CONTENT = 'c'.repeat(10_000)
+const MAX_ROW_CHARS = 500
+
+const message = {
+  id: 'msg_1',
+  from_handle: 'dispatch:ctx_1',
+  to_handle: 'run:run_1',
+  subject: 'Done',
+  body: CONTENT,
+  type: 'worker_done',
+  priority: 'normal',
+  read: 0,
+  thread_id: 'msg_1',
+  payload: JSON.stringify({ taskId: 'task_1', dispatchId: 'ctx_1' }),
+  created_at: '2026-10-31T00:00:00Z'
+}
+
+const LISTS: [string, [string, string][], string, unknown][] = [
+  [
+    'task-list',
+    [['run', 'run_1']],
+    'tasks',
+    {
+      tasks: [
+        { id: 'task_1', spec: HUGE, status: 'completed', result: HUGE, dispatch_id: 'ctx_1' }
+      ],
+      count: 1
+    }
+  ],
+  [
+    'worker-list',
+    [['run', 'run_1']],
+    'workers',
+    {
+      workers: [
+        {
+          dispatchId: 'ctx_1',
+          taskId: 'task_1',
+          runId: 'run_1',
+          workerState: 'failed',
+          dispatchStatus: 'failed',
+          agentTerminalHandle: 'term_1',
+          terminalState: 'released',
+          lastError: HUGE,
+          output: HUGE,
+          projection: {
+            host: { id: 'local' },
+            stage: { activity: 'failed' },
+            liveness: { verdict: 'exited' },
+            nextAction: { argv: [] },
+            description: HUGE
+          }
+        }
+      ],
+      counts: { released: 1 },
+      page: { hasMore: false, nextCursor: null, total: 1 }
+    }
+  ],
+  [
+    'gate-list',
+    [['run', 'run_1']],
+    'gates',
+    {
+      gates: [
+        {
+          id: 'gate_1',
+          task_id: 'task_1',
+          question: CONTENT,
+          options: '["yes","no"]',
+          status: 'resolved',
+          resolution: HUGE
+        }
+      ],
+      count: 1
+    }
+  ],
+  [
+    'run-list',
+    [],
+    'runs',
+    { runs: [{ id: 'run_1', objective: HUGE, legacy: 0 }], nextCursor: null }
+  ],
+  ['inbox', [], 'messages', { messages: [message], count: 1 }],
+  [
+    'check',
+    [['run', 'run_1']],
+    'messages',
+    {
+      runId: 'run_1',
+      deliveryId: 'delivery_1',
+      deliveryAcknowledged: true,
+      messages: [message],
+      count: 1
+    }
+  ]
+]
+
+async function printed(command: string, flags: [string, string][], result: unknown, json: boolean) {
+  const callMock = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({ id: 'req_1', ok: true, result, _meta: {} })
+  const log = vi
+    .spyOn(console, 'log')
+    .mockClear()
+    .mockImplementation(() => {})
+  await ORCHESTRATION_HANDLERS[`orchestration ${command}`](
+    orchestrationTestContext(callMock, new Map(flags), json)
+  )
+  return log.mock.calls.map(([line]) => String(line).replaceAll(CONTENT, '')).join('\n')
+}
+
+describe('concise orchestration list output', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    vi.stubEnv('ORCA_TERMINAL_HANDLE', 'term_coord')
+    vi.stubEnv('ORCA_AGENT_SESSION_ID', undefined)
+  })
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    vi.unstubAllEnvs()
+    vi.restoreAllMocks()
+  })
+
+  it.each(LISTS)(
+    'keeps each %s row short when stored text is huge',
+    async (command, flags, key, result) => {
+      const text = await printed(command, flags, result, false)
+      const json: { result: Record<string, unknown[]> } = JSON.parse(
+        await printed(command, flags, result, true)
+      )
+      const rows = [...text.split('\n'), ...json.result[key].map((row) => JSON.stringify(row))]
+      expect(rows.length).toBeGreaterThan(1)
+      for (const row of rows) {
+        expect(row.length).toBeLessThan(MAX_ROW_CHARS)
+      }
+    }
+  )
+})
diff --git a/src/cli/handlers/orchestration/run-handlers.ts b/src/cli/handlers/orchestration/run-handlers.ts
index 97f7af4124d..b023c2dbf91 100644
--- a/src/cli/handlers/orchestration/run-handlers.ts
+++ b/src/cli/handlers/orchestration/run-handlers.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import { abbreviateOrchestrationText } from '../../../shared/orchestration-task-summary'
 import type { CommandHandler } from '../../dispatch'
 import { printResult } from '../../format'
 import { printOrchestrationResult } from './agent-view'
@@ -94,7 +95,8 @@ export const ORCHESTRATION_RUN_HANDLERS: Record<string, CommandHandler> = {
         fields: (r) => ({
           runs: r.runs.map((run) => {
             const { runId, ...rest } = runFields(run)
-            return { id: runId, ...rest }
+            // Objectives are caller-written and unbounded; --full prints them whole.
+            return { id: runId, ...rest, objective: abbreviateOrchestrationText(run.objective) }
           }),
           nextCursor: r.nextCursor ?? undefined
         })
diff --git a/src/shared/orchestration-task-summary.ts b/src/shared/orchestration-task-summary.ts
index 716c79c85c5..a35d95caa40 100644
--- a/src/shared/orchestration-task-summary.ts
+++ b/src/shared/orchestration-task-summary.ts
@@ -3,16 +3,18 @@ const TASK_SPEC_BRIEF_LENGTH = 160
 export function abbreviateOrchestrationTasks<T extends { spec: string }>(
   tasks: readonly T[]
 ): (T & { spec_truncated: boolean })[] {
-  return tasks.map((task) => {
-    const spec = task.spec.replace(/\s+/g, ' ').trim()
-    const truncated = spec.length > TASK_SPEC_BRIEF_LENGTH
-    return {
-      ...task,
-      spec: truncated ? `${truncateAtCodePoint(spec).trimEnd()}…` : spec,
-      // Whitespace cleanup alone must not trigger agents to refetch an already complete brief.
-      spec_truncated: truncated
-    }
-  })
+  return tasks.map((task) => ({
+    ...task,
+    spec: abbreviateOrchestrationText(task.spec),
+    // Whitespace cleanup alone must not trigger agents to refetch an already complete brief.
+    spec_truncated: task.spec.replace(/\s+/g, ' ').trim().length > TASK_SPEC_BRIEF_LENGTH
+  }))
+}
+
+/** One line of at most 160 characters, ending in … when cut. */
+export function abbreviateOrchestrationText(text: string): string {
+  const flat = text.replace(/\s+/g, ' ').trim()
+  return flat.length > TASK_SPEC_BRIEF_LENGTH ? `${truncateAtCodePoint(flat).trimEnd()}…` : flat
 }
 
 function truncateAtCodePoint(spec: string): string {