diff --git a/crates/bxctl/src/admin.rs b/crates/bxctl/src/admin.rs
index cde00b0..6d38c81 100644
--- a/crates/bxctl/src/admin.rs
+++ b/crates/bxctl/src/admin.rs
@@ -40,7 +40,17 @@ pub fn request_with_timeout(
         msg,
     };
     write_frame(&mut stream, &env).map_err(AdminError::Frame)?;
-    let answer = read_frame(&mut stream).map_err(AdminError::Frame)?;
+    let answer = read_frame(&mut stream).map_err(|e| match e {
+        FrameError::Io(io)
+            if matches!(
+                io.kind(),
+                io::ErrorKind::WouldBlock | io::ErrorKind::TimedOut
+            ) =>
+        {
+            AdminError::NoAnswer(timeout)
+        }
+        other => AdminError::Frame(other),
+    })?;
     if answer.id != 1 || !answer.r#final {
         return Err(AdminError::Protocol(
             "expected an answer for request 1".to_string(),
@@ -70,19 +80,27 @@ pub enum AdminError {
     Protocol(String),
     /// Writing the output failed; the caller stops rather than write again.
     Io(std::io::Error),
+    /// The request was sent and no answer came in time, so what brokerd did is not known.
+    NoAnswer(std::time::Duration),
 }
 
 impl std::fmt::Display for AdminError {
     fn fmt(&self, f: &mut std::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> std::fmt::Result {
         match self {
             AdminError::Connect(p, e) => write!(f, "cannot reach brokerd at {}: {e}", p.display()),
-            AdminError::Frame(e) => write!(f, "{e}"),
+            // serde quotes the offending text of a bad frame, decoded: escape it.
+            AdminError::Frame(e) => write!(f, "{}", escape_json_text(&e.to_string())),
             // The detail may carry text from the inference server or a tool: escape it.
             AdminError::Refused(w) => {
                 write!(f, "{}: {}", code_name(w.code), escape_json_text(&w.detail))
             }
             AdminError::Protocol(s) => write!(f, "{s}"),
             AdminError::Io(e) => write!(f, "{e}"),
+            AdminError::NoAnswer(t) => write!(
+                f,
+                "brokerd did not answer within {} s; whether it acted is unknown: check `bxctl approvals` and `bxctl audit verify`",
+                t.as_secs_f64()
+            ),
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/crates/bxctl/src/chat.rs b/crates/bxctl/src/chat.rs
index 11548a6..e05dab9 100644
--- a/crates/bxctl/src/chat.rs
+++ b/crates/bxctl/src/chat.rs
@@ -24,7 +24,8 @@ impl std::fmt::Display for ChatError {
     fn fmt(&self, f: &mut std::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> std::fmt::Result {
         match self {
             ChatError::Connect(e) => write!(f, "{e}"),
-            ChatError::Frame(e) => write!(f, "{e}"),
+            // serde quotes the offending text of a bad frame, decoded: escape it.
+            ChatError::Frame(e) => write!(f, "{}", escape_json_text(&e.to_string())),
             // The detail may carry the inference server's body: escape it like model text.
             ChatError::Refused(w) => {
                 write!(f, "{}: {}", code_name(w.code), escape_json_text(&w.detail))
diff --git a/crates/bxctl/tests/admin_timeout.rs b/crates/bxctl/tests/admin_timeout.rs
index f716c0d..1b3e69e 100644
--- a/crates/bxctl/tests/admin_timeout.rs
+++ b/crates/bxctl/tests/admin_timeout.rs
@@ -31,7 +31,11 @@ fn a_silent_brokerd_is_an_error_after_the_timeout() {
         Duration::from_millis(200),
     );
     let took = started.elapsed();
-    assert!(got.is_err(), "{got:?}");
+    let text = got.expect_err("a silent brokerd is an error").to_string();
+    assert!(
+        text.contains("whether it acted is unknown"),
+        "brokerd may have approved and run the call before going quiet: {text}"
+    );
     assert!(took < Duration::from_millis(1_500), "waited {took:?}");
     held.join().unwrap();
     let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(&dir);
diff --git a/crates/bxctl/tests/escape_details.rs b/crates/bxctl/tests/escape_details.rs
index 587c993..238ea48 100644
--- a/crates/bxctl/tests/escape_details.rs
+++ b/crates/bxctl/tests/escape_details.rs
@@ -55,3 +55,21 @@ fn an_error_detail_is_escaped_in_chat_and_admin_errors() {
         assert!(text.contains("\\u202e"), "{text}");
     }
 }
+
+/// A frame that does not decode is reported with serde's message, which quotes the offending
+/// text after JSON decoding: from a compromised peer that can be raw escape sequences.
+#[test]
+fn a_frame_error_is_escaped() {
+    let bad = r#"{"v":1,"id":1,"final":true,"msg":{"kind":"\u001b[2J\u202e"}}"#;
+    let error = serde_json::from_str::<proto::Envelope>(bad).unwrap_err();
+    for text in [
+        ChatError::Frame(proto::FrameError::Json(
+            serde_json::from_str::<proto::Envelope>(bad).unwrap_err(),
+        ))
+        .to_string(),
+        AdminError::Frame(proto::FrameError::Json(error)).to_string(),
+    ] {
+        clean(&text);
+        assert!(text.contains("\\u001b"), "{text}");
+    }
+}