diff --git a/tests/tools/test_read_past_eof_note.py b/tests/tools/test_read_past_eof_note.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..a2c27380d1739
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/tools/test_read_past_eof_note.py
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+"""Tests for the past-EOF and empty-file notes in read_file.
+
+An empty content string is ambiguous from inside the model (empty file?
+bad offset? broken tool?) — the tool names the dead end and the recovery.
+"""
+
+import json
+
+from tools.file_tools import read_file_tool
+
+
+class TestPastEofNote:
+    def test_offset_beyond_eof_names_recovery(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+        monkeypatch.setenv("TERMINAL_CWD", str(tmp_path))
+        p = tmp_path / "r.txt"
+        p.write_text("\n".join(f"l{i}" for i in range(1, 51)) + "\n")
+        result = json.loads(read_file_tool(str(p), offset=900, limit=50))
+        hint = result.get("hint") or ""
+        assert "beyond the end" in hint
+        assert "50" in hint  # states actual line count
+        assert not result.get("error"), "a fact about the file is not an error"
+
+    def test_offset_at_last_line_still_reads(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+        monkeypatch.setenv("TERMINAL_CWD", str(tmp_path))
+        p = tmp_path / "r.txt"
+        p.write_text("a\nb\nc\n")
+        result = json.loads(read_file_tool(str(p), offset=3, limit=10))
+        assert "c" in result.get("content", "")
+        assert "beyond" not in (result.get("hint") or "")
+
+    def test_empty_file_says_so(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+        monkeypatch.setenv("TERMINAL_CWD", str(tmp_path))
+        p = tmp_path / "e.txt"
+        p.write_text("")
+        result = json.loads(read_file_tool(str(p)))
+        assert "empty" in (result.get("hint") or "").lower()
+        assert not result.get("error")
+
+    def test_normal_pagination_hint_unchanged(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+        monkeypatch.setenv("TERMINAL_CWD", str(tmp_path))
+        p = tmp_path / "r.txt"
+        p.write_text("\n".join(f"l{i}" for i in range(1, 300)) + "\n")
+        result = json.loads(read_file_tool(str(p), offset=1, limit=100))
+        assert "offset=101" in (result.get("hint") or "")
diff --git a/tools/file_operations.py b/tools/file_operations.py
index 87c8a26efc0ad..de47b89c3add3 100644
--- a/tools/file_operations.py
+++ b/tools/file_operations.py
@@ -1331,7 +1331,30 @@ class ShellFileOperations(FileOperations):
         hint = None
         if truncated:
             hint = f"Use offset={end_line + 1} to continue reading (showing {offset}-{end_line} of {total_lines} lines)"
-        
+
+        # Ambiguous-silence guards: an empty content string is
+        # indistinguishable, from inside the model, from a broken tool —
+        # it re-reads, widens the window, tries another path. Name the
+        # dead end and its recovery instead.
+        if file_size == 0:
+            return ReadResult(
+                content="",
+                total_lines=0,
+                file_size=0,
+                hint="File is empty (0 bytes).",
+            )
+        if offset > total_lines > 0:
+            return ReadResult(
+                content="",
+                total_lines=total_lines,
+                file_size=file_size,
+                hint=(
+                    f"Note: offset {offset} is beyond the end of the file "
+                    f"({total_lines} lines total). Retry with offset <= "
+                    f"{total_lines}."
+                ),
+            )
+
         return ReadResult(
             content=self._add_line_numbers(read_output, offset),
             total_lines=total_lines,