diff --git a/gateway/platforms/base.py b/gateway/platforms/base.py
index 1273bd64f7..4f9193188a 100644
--- a/gateway/platforms/base.py
+++ b/gateway/platforms/base.py
@@ -1833,8 +1833,11 @@ class BasePlatformAdapter(ABC):
         try:
             await self._run_processing_hook("on_processing_start", event)
 
-            # Call the handler (this can take a while with tool calls)
-            response = await self._message_handler(event)
+            handler = self._message_handler
+            if handler is None:
+                return
+
+            response = await handler(event)
             
             # Send response if any.  A None/empty response is normal when
             # streaming already delivered the text (already_sent=True) or
diff --git a/gateway/run.py b/gateway/run.py
index cf0b1c309f..4956930a76 100644
--- a/gateway/run.py
+++ b/gateway/run.py
@@ -4431,9 +4431,10 @@ class GatewayRunner:
         # is speaking, without needing a separate tool call.
         # -----------------------------------------------------------------
         if source.platform == Platform.DISCORD:
+            from gateway.platforms.discord import DiscordAdapter
             adapter = self.adapters.get(Platform.DISCORD)
             guild_id = self._get_guild_id(event)
-            if guild_id and adapter and hasattr(adapter, "get_voice_channel_context"):
+            if guild_id and isinstance(adapter, DiscordAdapter):
                 vc_context = adapter.get_voice_channel_context(guild_id)
                 if vc_context:
                     context_prompt += f"\n\n{vc_context}"
@@ -6026,9 +6027,10 @@ class GatewayRunner:
                 "all": "TTS (voice reply to all messages)",
             }
             # Append voice channel info if connected
+            from gateway.platforms.discord import DiscordAdapter
             adapter = self.adapters.get(event.source.platform)
             guild_id = self._get_guild_id(event)
-            if guild_id and hasattr(adapter, "get_voice_channel_info"):
+            if guild_id and isinstance(adapter, DiscordAdapter):
                 info = adapter.get_voice_channel_info(guild_id)
                 if info:
                     lines = [
@@ -6059,8 +6061,9 @@ class GatewayRunner:
 
     async def _handle_voice_channel_join(self, event: MessageEvent) -> str:
         """Join the user's current Discord voice channel."""
+        from gateway.platforms.discord import DiscordAdapter
         adapter = self.adapters.get(event.source.platform)
-        if not hasattr(adapter, "join_voice_channel"):
+        if not isinstance(adapter, DiscordAdapter):
             return "Voice channels are not supported on this platform."
 
         guild_id = self._get_guild_id(event)
@@ -6075,10 +6078,8 @@ class GatewayRunner:
 
         # Wire callbacks BEFORE join so voice input arriving immediately
         # after connection is not lost.
-        if hasattr(adapter, "_voice_input_callback"):
-            adapter._voice_input_callback = self._handle_voice_channel_input
-        if hasattr(adapter, "_on_voice_disconnect"):
-            adapter._on_voice_disconnect = self._handle_voice_timeout_cleanup
+        adapter._voice_input_callback = self._handle_voice_channel_input
+        adapter._on_voice_disconnect = self._handle_voice_timeout_cleanup
 
         try:
             success = await adapter.join_voice_channel(voice_channel)
@@ -6095,8 +6096,7 @@ class GatewayRunner:
 
         if success:
             adapter._voice_text_channels[guild_id] = int(event.source.chat_id)
-            if hasattr(adapter, "_voice_sources"):
-                adapter._voice_sources[guild_id] = event.source.to_dict()
+            adapter._voice_sources[guild_id] = event.source.to_dict()
             self._voice_mode[self._voice_key(event.source.platform, event.source.chat_id)] = "all"
             self._save_voice_modes()
             self._set_adapter_auto_tts_disabled(adapter, event.source.chat_id, disabled=False)
@@ -6110,13 +6110,14 @@ class GatewayRunner:
 
     async def _handle_voice_channel_leave(self, event: MessageEvent) -> str:
         """Leave the Discord voice channel."""
+        from gateway.platforms.discord import DiscordAdapter
         adapter = self.adapters.get(event.source.platform)
         guild_id = self._get_guild_id(event)
 
-        if not guild_id or not hasattr(adapter, "leave_voice_channel"):
+        if not guild_id or not isinstance(adapter, DiscordAdapter):
             return "Not in a voice channel."
 
-        if not hasattr(adapter, "is_in_voice_channel") or not adapter.is_in_voice_channel(guild_id):
+        if not adapter.is_in_voice_channel(guild_id):
             return "Not in a voice channel."
 
         try:
@@ -6127,8 +6128,7 @@ class GatewayRunner:
         self._voice_mode[self._voice_key(event.source.platform, event.source.chat_id)] = "off"
         self._save_voice_modes()
         self._set_adapter_auto_tts_disabled(adapter, event.source.chat_id, disabled=True)
-        if hasattr(adapter, "_voice_input_callback"):
-            adapter._voice_input_callback = None
+        adapter._voice_input_callback = None
         return "Left voice channel."
 
     def _handle_voice_timeout_cleanup(self, chat_id: str) -> None:
@@ -6288,13 +6288,13 @@ class GatewayRunner:
             adapter = self.adapters.get(event.source.platform)
 
             # If connected to a voice channel, play there instead of sending a file
+            from gateway.platforms.discord import DiscordAdapter
             guild_id = self._get_guild_id(event)
             if (guild_id
-                    and hasattr(adapter, "play_in_voice_channel")
-                    and hasattr(adapter, "is_in_voice_channel")
+                    and isinstance(adapter, DiscordAdapter)
                     and adapter.is_in_voice_channel(guild_id)):
                 await adapter.play_in_voice_channel(guild_id, actual_path)
-            elif adapter and hasattr(adapter, "send_voice"):
+            elif adapter:
                 send_kwargs: Dict[str, Any] = {
                     "chat_id": event.source.chat_id,
                     "audio_path": actual_path,
@@ -10627,8 +10627,6 @@ class GatewayRunner:
                     adapter = self.adapters.get(source.platform)
                     if adapter and pending_event:
                         merge_pending_message_event(adapter._pending_messages, session_key, pending_event)
-                    elif adapter and hasattr(adapter, 'queue_message'):
-                        adapter.queue_message(session_key, pending)
                     return result_holder[0] or {"final_response": response, "messages": history}
 
                 was_interrupted = result.get("interrupted")
diff --git a/hermes_cli/tools_config.py b/hermes_cli/tools_config.py
index e89f961781..9d66ed98bf 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/tools_config.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/tools_config.py
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ import json as _json
 import logging
 import sys
 from pathlib import Path
-from typing import Dict, List, Optional, Set
+from typing import Any, Callable, Dict, List, Optional, Set, Tuple, TypedDict
 
 
 from hermes_cli.config import (
@@ -1098,13 +1098,19 @@ def _detect_active_provider_index(providers: list, config: dict) -> int:
 # right catalog at picker time.
 
 
-def _fal_model_catalog():
+class _ImagegenBackend(TypedDict):
+    display: str
+    config_key: str
+    catalog_fn: Callable[[], Tuple[Dict[str, Dict[str, Any]], str]]
+
+
+def _fal_model_catalog() -> Tuple[Dict[str, Dict[str, Any]], str]:
     """Lazy-load the FAL model catalog from the tool module."""
     from tools.image_generation_tool import FAL_MODELS, DEFAULT_MODEL
     return FAL_MODELS, DEFAULT_MODEL
 
 
-IMAGEGEN_BACKENDS = {
+IMAGEGEN_BACKENDS: Dict[str, _ImagegenBackend] = {
     "fal": {
         "display": "FAL.ai",
         "config_key": "image_gen",
diff --git a/scripts/batch_runner.py b/scripts/batch_runner.py
index 1cc3a12d2a..05c7934e51 100644
--- a/scripts/batch_runner.py
+++ b/scripts/batch_runner.py
@@ -1130,7 +1130,7 @@ def main(
     num_workers: int = 4,
     resume: bool = False,
     verbose: bool = False,
-    list_distributions: bool = False,
+    show_distributions: bool = False,
     ephemeral_system_prompt: str = None,
     log_prefix_chars: int = 100,
     providers_allowed: str = None,
@@ -1158,7 +1158,7 @@ def main(
         num_workers (int): Number of parallel worker processes (default: 4)
         resume (bool): Resume from checkpoint if run was interrupted (default: False)
         verbose (bool): Enable verbose logging (default: False)
-        list_distributions (bool): List available toolset distributions and exit
+        show_distributions (bool): List available toolset distributions and exit
         ephemeral_system_prompt (str): System prompt used during agent execution but NOT saved to trajectories (optional)
         log_prefix_chars (int): Number of characters to show in log previews for tool calls/responses (default: 20)
         providers_allowed (str): Comma-separated list of OpenRouter providers to allow (e.g. "anthropic,openai")
@@ -1190,10 +1190,10 @@ def main(
                                --prefill_messages_file=configs/prefill_opus.json
         
         # List available distributions
-        python batch_runner.py --list_distributions
+        python batch_runner.py --show_distributions
     """
     # Handle list distributions
-    if list_distributions:
+    if show_distributions:
         from toolset_distributions import print_distribution_info
 
         print("📊 Available Toolset Distributions")
diff --git a/tools/approval.py b/tools/approval.py
index fc344bd77b..913371b01b 100644
--- a/tools/approval.py
+++ b/tools/approval.py
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ import sys
 import threading
 import time
 import unicodedata
-from typing import Optional
+from typing import Any, Callable, Dict, Optional
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -228,10 +228,10 @@ class _ApprovalEntry:
 
 
 _gateway_queues: dict[str, list] = {}        # session_key → [_ApprovalEntry, …]
-_gateway_notify_cbs: dict[str, object] = {}  # session_key → callable(approval_data)
+_gateway_notify_cbs: Dict[str, Callable[[Dict[str, Any]], None]] = {}
 
 
-def register_gateway_notify(session_key: str, cb) -> None:
+def register_gateway_notify(session_key: str, cb: Callable[[Dict[str, Any]], None]) -> None:
     """Register a per-session callback for sending approval requests to the user.
 
     The callback signature is ``cb(approval_data: dict) -> None`` where
diff --git a/tools/image_generation_tool.py b/tools/image_generation_tool.py
index ac37449783..c65340eb2f 100644
--- a/tools/image_generation_tool.py
+++ b/tools/image_generation_tool.py
@@ -26,10 +26,11 @@ import os
 import datetime
 import threading
 import uuid
-from typing import Any, Dict, Optional, Union
+from typing import Any, Callable, Dict, Optional, Type, Union
 from urllib.parse import urlencode
 
 import fal_client
+import httpx
 
 from tools.debug_helpers import DebugSession
 from tools.managed_tool_gateway import resolve_managed_tool_gateway
@@ -348,21 +349,27 @@ class _ManagedFalSyncClient:
 
         self._queue_url_format = _normalize_fal_queue_url_format(queue_run_origin)
         self._sync_client = sync_client_class(key=key)
-        self._http_client = getattr(self._sync_client, "_client", None)
-        self._maybe_retry_request = getattr(client_module, "_maybe_retry_request", None)
-        self._raise_for_status = getattr(client_module, "_raise_for_status", None)
-        self._request_handle_class = getattr(client_module, "SyncRequestHandle", None)
-        self._add_hint_header = getattr(client_module, "add_hint_header", None)
-        self._add_priority_header = getattr(client_module, "add_priority_header", None)
-        self._add_timeout_header = getattr(client_module, "add_timeout_header", None)
 
-        if self._http_client is None:
+        http_client: Optional[httpx.Client] = getattr(self._sync_client, "_client", None)
+        maybe_retry: Optional[Callable[..., httpx.Response]] = getattr(client_module, "_maybe_retry_request", None)
+        raise_for_status: Optional[Callable[[httpx.Response], None]] = getattr(client_module, "_raise_for_status", None)
+        request_handle_class: Optional[Type[Any]] = getattr(client_module, "SyncRequestHandle", None)
+
+        if http_client is None:
             raise RuntimeError("fal_client.SyncClient._client is required for managed FAL gateway mode")
-        if self._maybe_retry_request is None or self._raise_for_status is None:
+        if maybe_retry is None or raise_for_status is None:
             raise RuntimeError("fal_client.client request helpers are required for managed FAL gateway mode")
-        if self._request_handle_class is None:
+        if request_handle_class is None:
             raise RuntimeError("fal_client.client.SyncRequestHandle is required for managed FAL gateway mode")
 
+        self._http_client: httpx.Client = http_client
+        self._maybe_retry_request: Callable[..., httpx.Response] = maybe_retry
+        self._raise_for_status: Callable[[httpx.Response], None] = raise_for_status
+        self._request_handle_class: Type[Any] = request_handle_class
+        self._add_hint_header: Optional[Callable[..., Any]] = getattr(client_module, "add_hint_header", None)
+        self._add_priority_header: Optional[Callable[..., Any]] = getattr(client_module, "add_priority_header", None)
+        self._add_timeout_header: Optional[Callable[..., Any]] = getattr(client_module, "add_timeout_header", None)
+
     def submit(
         self,
         application: str,
diff --git a/tools/web_tools.py b/tools/web_tools.py
index 9e5d878da0..8219c59027 100644
--- a/tools/web_tools.py
+++ b/tools/web_tools.py
@@ -1720,8 +1720,8 @@ async def web_crawl_tool(
             metadata = {}
             
             # Extract data from the item
-            if hasattr(item, 'model_dump'):
-                # Pydantic model - use model_dump to get dict
+            from pydantic import BaseModel
+            if isinstance(item, BaseModel):
                 item_dict = item.model_dump()
                 content_markdown = item_dict.get('markdown')
                 content_html = item_dict.get('html')
@@ -1730,15 +1730,15 @@ async def web_crawl_tool(
                 # Regular object with attributes
                 content_markdown = getattr(item, 'markdown', None)
                 content_html = getattr(item, 'html', None)
-                
+
                 # Handle metadata - convert to dict if it's an object
                 metadata_obj = getattr(item, 'metadata', {})
-                if hasattr(metadata_obj, 'model_dump'):
+                if isinstance(metadata_obj, BaseModel):
                     metadata = metadata_obj.model_dump()
-                elif hasattr(metadata_obj, '__dict__'):
-                    metadata = metadata_obj.__dict__
                 elif isinstance(metadata_obj, dict):
                     metadata = metadata_obj
+                elif hasattr(metadata_obj, '__dict__'):
+                    metadata = metadata_obj.__dict__
                 else:
                     metadata = {}
             elif isinstance(item, dict):