diff --git a/packages/server/src/server/agent/mcp-server.test.ts b/packages/server/src/server/agent/mcp-server.test.ts
index f8f763684..05a9f3b6d 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/server/agent/mcp-server.test.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/server/agent/mcp-server.test.ts
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import {
 import type { CreatePaseoWorktreeWorkflowFn } from "../worktree-session.js";
 import { WorkspaceGitServiceImpl } from "../workspace-git-service.js";
 import type { GitHubService } from "../../services/github-service.js";
+import type { TerminalManager } from "../../terminal/terminal-manager.js";
 
 interface LooseSafeParseResult {
   success: boolean;
@@ -136,6 +137,23 @@ function createTestDeps(): TestDeps {
   };
 }
 
+function createTerminalManagerStub(overrides: Partial<TerminalManager> = {}): TerminalManager {
+  return {
+    getTerminals: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue([]),
+    createTerminal: vi.fn(),
+    registerCwdEnv: vi.fn(),
+    getTerminal: vi.fn(),
+    getTerminalState: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(null),
+    killTerminal: vi.fn(),
+    killTerminalAndWait: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined),
+    captureTerminal: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({ lines: [], totalLines: 0 }),
+    listDirectories: vi.fn().mockReturnValue([]),
+    killAll: vi.fn(),
+    subscribeTerminalsChanged: vi.fn().mockReturnValue(() => {}),
+    ...overrides,
+  } as unknown as TerminalManager;
+}
+
 function createProviderDefinition(overrides: Partial<ProviderDefinition>): ProviderDefinition {
   const provider = overrides.id ?? "claude";
   return {
@@ -339,6 +357,53 @@ function createPaseoWorktreeForMcpTest(options: {
   };
 }
 
+describe("terminal MCP tools", () => {
+  const logger = createTestLogger();
+
+  it("captures terminal output through the terminal manager authority", async () => {
+    const { agentManager, agentStorage } = createTestDeps();
+    const captureTerminal = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({
+      lines: ["from worker scrollback"],
+      totalLines: 42,
+    });
+    const terminalManager = createTerminalManagerStub({
+      getTerminal: vi.fn().mockReturnValue({
+        id: "term-1",
+        name: "daemon",
+        cwd: process.cwd(),
+        getState: vi.fn().mockReturnValue({ scrollback: [], grid: [[]] }),
+      }),
+      captureTerminal,
+    });
+    const server = await createAgentMcpServer({
+      agentManager,
+      agentStorage,
+      terminalManager,
+      logger,
+    });
+    const tool = registeredTool(server, "capture_terminal");
+
+    const response = await tool.callback({
+      terminalId: "term-1",
+      scrollback: true,
+      stripAnsi: false,
+      start: -10,
+      end: -1,
+    });
+
+    expect(captureTerminal).toHaveBeenCalledWith("term-1", {
+      start: 0,
+      end: -1,
+      stripAnsi: false,
+    });
+    expect(response.structuredContent).toEqual({
+      terminalId: "term-1",
+      lines: ["from worker scrollback"],
+      totalLines: 42,
+    });
+  });
+});
+
 describe("create_agent MCP tool", () => {
   const logger = createTestLogger();
   const existingCwd = process.cwd();
diff --git a/packages/server/src/server/agent/mcp-server.ts b/packages/server/src/server/agent/mcp-server.ts
index 5ba6a6d4a..b158a0c22 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/server/agent/mcp-server.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/server/agent/mcp-server.ts
@@ -39,7 +39,6 @@ import { scheduleAgentMetadataGeneration } from "./agent-metadata-generator.js";
 import type { VoiceCallerContext, VoiceSpeakHandler } from "../voice-types.js";
 import { expandUserPath, isSameOrDescendantPath, resolvePathFromBase } from "../path-utils.js";
 import type { TerminalManager } from "../../terminal/terminal-manager.js";
-import { captureTerminalLines } from "../../terminal/terminal-capture.js";
 import type {
   AgentWorktreeSetupContinuation,
   CreatePaseoWorktreeSetupContinuationInput,
@@ -1433,12 +1432,11 @@ export async function createAgentMcpServer(options: AgentMcpServerOptions): Prom
         throw new Error("Terminal manager is not configured");
       }
 
-      const terminal = terminalManager.getTerminal(terminalId);
-      if (!terminal) {
+      if (!terminalManager.getTerminal(terminalId)) {
         throw new Error(`Terminal ${terminalId} not found`);
       }
 
-      const capture = captureTerminalLines(terminal, {
+      const capture = await terminalManager.captureTerminal(terminalId, {
         start: scrollback ? 0 : start,
         end,
         stripAnsi,
diff --git a/packages/server/src/terminal/terminal-manager.ts b/packages/server/src/terminal/terminal-manager.ts
index 9741bb139..2a01b2252 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/terminal/terminal-manager.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/terminal/terminal-manager.ts
@@ -1,10 +1,5 @@
-import {
-  captureTerminalLines,
-  createTerminal,
-  type CaptureTerminalLinesResult,
-  type TerminalSession,
-  type TerminalStateSnapshot,
-} from "./terminal.js";
+import { createTerminal, type TerminalSession, type TerminalStateSnapshot } from "./terminal.js";
+import { captureTerminalLines, type CaptureTerminalLinesResult } from "./terminal-capture.js";
 import { resolve, sep, win32, posix } from "node:path";
 
 export interface TerminalListItem {
diff --git a/packages/server/src/terminal/terminal.ts b/packages/server/src/terminal/terminal.ts
index 401758876..84bcbeee4 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/terminal/terminal.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/terminal/terminal.ts
@@ -8,11 +8,6 @@ import { createRequire } from "node:module";
 import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
 import { createExternalProcessEnv } from "../server/paseo-env.js";
 import type { TerminalCell, TerminalState } from "../shared/messages.js";
-export {
-  captureTerminalLines,
-  type CaptureTerminalLinesOptions,
-  type CaptureTerminalLinesResult,
-} from "./terminal-capture.js";
 
 const { Terminal } = xterm;
 const require = createRequire(import.meta.url);
diff --git a/packages/server/src/terminal/worker-terminal-manager.ts b/packages/server/src/terminal/worker-terminal-manager.ts
index 2fa7a92c2..fc30088ee 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/terminal/worker-terminal-manager.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/terminal/worker-terminal-manager.ts
@@ -4,13 +4,13 @@ import { randomUUID } from "node:crypto";
 import type { TerminalState } from "../shared/messages.js";
 import type {
   ClientMessage,
-  CaptureTerminalLinesResult,
   ServerMessage,
   TerminalCommandFinishedInfo,
   TerminalExitInfo,
   TerminalSession,
   TerminalStateSnapshot,
 } from "./terminal.js";
+import type { CaptureTerminalLinesResult } from "./terminal-capture.js";
 import type {
   TerminalListItem,
   TerminalManager,