diff --git a/agent/prompt_builder.py b/agent/prompt_builder.py
index b8e60722168..97836f27b05 100644
--- a/agent/prompt_builder.py
+++ b/agent/prompt_builder.py
@@ -320,9 +320,11 @@ TASK_COMPLETION_GUIDANCE = (
 # concurrently when they are independent (read-only tools always; path-scoped
 # file ops when their targets don't overlap — see
 # run_agent._execute_tool_calls / tool_dispatch_helpers). The missing piece
-# was telling the *model* to emit those calls together in the first place;
-# nothing in the open-source system prompt encouraged batching. This block
-# closes that gap.
+# was telling the *model* to emit those calls together in the first place.
+# Until now the only batching steer in the prompt lived in
+# GOOGLE_MODEL_OPERATIONAL_GUIDANCE — Gemini/Gemma got it, every other model
+# got nothing. This block makes the steer universal; the now-redundant
+# Google-only bullet has been dropped so no model receives it twice.
 #
 # Short on purpose — shipped in the cached system prompt to every user, every
 # session. Token cost is paid once at install and amortised across all
@@ -425,9 +427,10 @@ GOOGLE_MODEL_OPERATIONAL_GUIDANCE = (
     "package.json, requirements.txt, Cargo.toml, etc. before importing.\n"
     "- **Conciseness:** Keep explanatory text brief — a few sentences, not "
     "paragraphs. Focus on actions and results over narration.\n"
-    "- **Parallel tool calls:** When you need to perform multiple independent "
-    "operations (e.g. reading several files), make all the tool calls in a "
-    "single response rather than sequentially.\n"
+    # Parallel-tool-call steering now lives in the universal
+    # PARALLEL_TOOL_CALL_GUIDANCE block (injected for all models), so it is no
+    # longer duplicated here — keeping it would send Gemini/Gemma the same
+    # instruction twice.
     "- **Non-interactive commands:** Use flags like -y, --yes, --non-interactive "
     "to prevent CLI tools from hanging on prompts.\n"
     "- **Keep going:** Work autonomously until the task is fully resolved. "
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/app/session/hooks/use-message-stream.ts b/apps/desktop/src/app/session/hooks/use-message-stream.ts
index 3ee52ec8eb7..909c1424796 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/app/session/hooks/use-message-stream.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/app/session/hooks/use-message-stream.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import {
   type GatewayEventPayload,
   reasoningPart,
   renderMediaTags,
+  textPart,
   upsertToolPart
 } from '@/lib/chat-messages'
 import { coerceGatewayText, coerceThinkingText, normalizePersonalityValue } from '@/lib/chat-runtime'
@@ -1080,6 +1081,32 @@ export function useMessageStream({
           // completions / watch matches here — re-sync the status stack.
           void refreshBackgroundProcesses(sessionId)
         }
+      } else if (event.type === 'review.summary') {
+        // Self-improvement background review saved something to memory/skills
+        // and emitted a persistent summary (Python formats it as
+        // "💾 Self-improvement review: …"). The CLI prints this via
+        // prompt_toolkit and the Ink TUI renders it as a system line; the
+        // desktop has neither, so without this handler the skill/memory
+        // change happens silently. Surface it as a persistent system message
+        // in the transcript so the user is always informed — it must not be a
+        // transient toast that can be missed.
+        const text = coerceGatewayText(payload?.text).trim()
+
+        if (text && sessionId) {
+          flushQueuedDeltas(sessionId)
+          updateSessionState(sessionId, state => ({
+            ...state,
+            messages: [
+              ...state.messages,
+              {
+                id: `review-summary-${Date.now()}`,
+                role: 'system',
+                parts: [textPart(text)],
+                timestamp: Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000)
+              }
+            ]
+          }))
+        }
       } else if (event.type === 'error') {
         const errorMessage = payload?.message || 'Hermes reported an error'
         const looksLikeProviderSetup = isProviderSetupErrorMessage(errorMessage)
diff --git a/tests/agent/test_prompt_builder.py b/tests/agent/test_prompt_builder.py
index e98c26e319f..6f0206dfbcb 100644
--- a/tests/agent/test_prompt_builder.py
+++ b/tests/agent/test_prompt_builder.py
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ from agent.prompt_builder import (
     TOOL_USE_ENFORCEMENT_MODELS,
     OPENAI_MODEL_EXECUTION_GUIDANCE,
     PARALLEL_TOOL_CALL_GUIDANCE,
+    GOOGLE_MODEL_OPERATIONAL_GUIDANCE,
     MEMORY_GUIDANCE,
     SESSION_SEARCH_GUIDANCE,
     PLATFORM_HINTS,
@@ -1512,8 +1513,9 @@ class TestParallelToolCallGuidance:
 
     def test_steers_batching_into_one_response(self):
         text = PARALLEL_TOOL_CALL_GUIDANCE.lower()
-        # Must tell the model to group independent calls together.
-        assert "single response" in text or "same" in text and "turn" in text
+        # Must tell the model to group independent calls together — accept any
+        # phrasing that means "one turn" without freezing exact wording.
+        assert "single response" in text or ("same" in text and "turn" in text)
         assert "independent" in text
 
     def test_carves_out_dependent_calls(self):
@@ -1533,6 +1535,11 @@ class TestParallelToolCallGuidance:
         # Heading delimits it as its own section in the assembled prompt.
         assert PARALLEL_TOOL_CALL_GUIDANCE.lstrip().startswith("#")
 
+    def test_not_duplicated_in_google_guidance(self):
+        # The universal block is now the single source of parallel-batching
+        # steer. The Google-only block must NOT carry its own copy, otherwise
+        # Gemini/Gemma would receive the instruction twice in one prompt.
+        assert "parallel tool call" not in GOOGLE_MODEL_OPERATIONAL_GUIDANCE.lower()
 
 
 # =========================================================================
diff --git a/tests/tui_gateway/test_review_summary_callback.py b/tests/tui_gateway/test_review_summary_callback.py
index 2c6d3cbeb7c..6ca17889d64 100644
--- a/tests/tui_gateway/test_review_summary_callback.py
+++ b/tests/tui_gateway/test_review_summary_callback.py
@@ -120,3 +120,48 @@ def test_review_summary_callback_survives_agent_without_attribute(server, monkey
     # LockedAgent's __slots__ blocks background_review_callback assignment.
     server._init_session("sid-x", "key-x", LockedAgent(), [], cols=80)
     # If we got here, _init_session swallowed the AttributeError gracefully.
+
+
+def test_init_session_sets_memory_notifications_from_config(server, monkeypatch):
+    """_init_session must apply display.memory_notifications to the agent so
+    the TUI/desktop honors the same off/on/verbose toggle as the messaging
+    gateway and CLI. Without this the review always behaved as 'on'."""
+    monkeypatch.setattr(server, "_SlashWorker", lambda *a, **kw: object())
+    monkeypatch.setattr(server, "_wire_callbacks", lambda sid: None)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(server, "_notify_session_boundary", lambda *a, **kw: None)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(server, "_session_info", lambda agent, session=None: {"model": "m"})
+    monkeypatch.setattr(server, "_load_show_reasoning", lambda: False)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(server, "_load_tool_progress_mode", lambda: "all")
+    monkeypatch.setattr(server, "_emit", lambda *a, **kw: None)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(server, "_load_memory_notifications", lambda: "verbose")
+
+    class FakeAgent:
+        model = "fake/model"
+        background_review_callback = None
+        memory_notifications = "on"
+
+    agent = FakeAgent()
+    server._init_session("sid-mn", "key-mn", agent, [], cols=80)
+
+    assert agent.memory_notifications == "verbose"
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "raw,expected",
+    [
+        (None, "on"),       # unset → default on
+        ("on", "on"),
+        ("off", "off"),
+        ("verbose", "verbose"),
+        ("VERBOSE", "verbose"),  # case-normalized
+        (True, "on"),       # bool back-compat
+        (False, "off"),
+    ],
+)
+def test_load_memory_notifications_normalization(server, monkeypatch, raw, expected):
+    """_load_memory_notifications mirrors the gateway's bool→str normalization
+    and defaults to 'on' when the key is absent."""
+    display = {} if raw is None else {"memory_notifications": raw}
+    monkeypatch.setattr(server, "_load_cfg", lambda: {"display": display})
+    assert server._load_memory_notifications() == expected
+
diff --git a/tui_gateway/server.py b/tui_gateway/server.py
index 12ee450c6f5..782a8ba457b 100644
--- a/tui_gateway/server.py
+++ b/tui_gateway/server.py
@@ -1907,6 +1907,22 @@ def _load_show_reasoning() -> bool:
     return bool((_load_cfg().get("display") or {}).get("show_reasoning", False))
 
 
+def _load_memory_notifications() -> str:
+    """Self-improvement review notification mode from config.yaml.
+
+    Parity with the messaging gateway (``gateway/run.py``) and the classic CLI:
+    ``display.memory_notifications`` controls whether the background review's
+    "💾 Self-improvement review: …" summary is surfaced. Without this the
+    TUI/desktop backend always behaved as ``"on"`` and silently ignored a user
+    who set ``off``. Accepts ``off`` / ``on`` (default) / ``verbose``; a bool is
+    normalized for back-compat.
+    """
+    raw = (_load_cfg().get("display") or {}).get("memory_notifications")
+    if isinstance(raw, bool):
+        return "on" if raw else "off"
+    return str(raw).lower() if raw else "on"
+
+
 def _load_tool_progress_mode() -> str:
     env = os.environ.get("HERMES_TUI_TOOL_PROGRESS", "").strip().lower()
     if env in {"off", "new", "all", "verbose"}:
@@ -3770,6 +3786,10 @@ def _init_session(
         agent.background_review_callback = lambda message, _sid=sid: _emit(
             "review.summary", _sid, {"text": str(message)}
         )
+        # Honor display.memory_notifications (off | on | verbose) like the
+        # messaging gateway and CLI do — otherwise the review always behaved as
+        # "on" on the TUI/desktop and a user who set "off" was ignored.
+        agent.memory_notifications = _load_memory_notifications()
     except Exception:
         # Bare AIAgents that don't expose the attribute (unlikely, but keep
         # session startup resilient).