diff --git a/nanobot/agent/loop.py b/nanobot/agent/loop.py
index 19afea206..d5673603d 100644
--- a/nanobot/agent/loop.py
+++ b/nanobot/agent/loop.py
@@ -195,6 +195,15 @@ class TurnState(Enum):
     DONE = auto()
 
 
+@dataclass
+class StateTraceEntry:
+    state: TurnState
+    started_at: float
+    duration_ms: float
+    event: str
+    error: str | None = None
+
+
 @dataclass
 class TurnContext:
     msg: InboundMessage
@@ -225,6 +234,8 @@ class TurnContext:
     pending_queue: asyncio.Queue | None = None
     pending_summary: str | None = None
 
+    trace: list[StateTraceEntry] = field(default_factory=list)
+
 
 class AgentLoop:
     """
@@ -241,6 +252,19 @@ class AgentLoop:
     _RUNTIME_CHECKPOINT_KEY = "runtime_checkpoint"
     _PENDING_USER_TURN_KEY = "pending_user_turn"
 
+    # Event-driven state transition table.
+    # Handlers return an event string; the driver looks up the next state here.
+    _TRANSITIONS: dict[tuple[TurnState, str], TurnState] = {
+        (TurnState.RESTORE, "ok"): TurnState.COMPACT,
+        (TurnState.COMPACT, "ok"): TurnState.COMMAND,
+        (TurnState.COMMAND, "dispatch"): TurnState.BUILD,
+        (TurnState.COMMAND, "shortcut"): TurnState.DONE,
+        (TurnState.BUILD, "ok"): TurnState.RUN,
+        (TurnState.RUN, "ok"): TurnState.SAVE,
+        (TurnState.SAVE, "ok"): TurnState.RESPOND,
+        (TurnState.RESPOND, "ok"): TurnState.DONE,
+    }
+
     def __init__(
         self,
         bus: MessageBus,
@@ -1257,7 +1281,45 @@ class AgentLoop:
             handler = getattr(self, handler_name, None)
             if handler is None:
                 raise RuntimeError(f"Missing state handler for {ctx.state}")
-            ctx.state = await handler(ctx)
+
+            t0 = time.perf_counter()
+            try:
+                event = await handler(ctx)
+            except Exception:
+                duration = (time.perf_counter() - t0) * 1000
+                ctx.trace.append(
+                    StateTraceEntry(
+                        state=ctx.state,
+                        started_at=t0,
+                        duration_ms=duration,
+                        event="",
+                        error="exception",
+                    )
+                )
+                raise
+
+            duration = (time.perf_counter() - t0) * 1000
+            ctx.trace.append(
+                StateTraceEntry(
+                    state=ctx.state,
+                    started_at=t0,
+                    duration_ms=duration,
+                    event=event,
+                )
+            )
+            logger.debug(
+                "State {} took {:.1f}ms -> event {}",
+                ctx.state.name,
+                duration,
+                event,
+            )
+
+            next_state = self._TRANSITIONS.get((ctx.state, event))
+            if next_state is None:
+                raise RuntimeError(
+                    f"No transition from {ctx.state} on event {event!r}"
+                )
+            ctx.state = next_state
 
         return ctx.outbound
 
@@ -1321,14 +1383,14 @@ class AgentLoop:
         if self._restore_pending_user_turn(ctx.session):
             self.sessions.save(ctx.session)
 
-        return TurnState.COMPACT
+        return "ok"
 
-    async def _state_compact(self, ctx: TurnContext) -> TurnState:
+    async def _state_compact(self, ctx: TurnContext) -> str:
         ctx.session, pending = self.auto_compact.prepare_session(ctx.session, ctx.session_key)
         ctx.pending_summary = pending
-        return TurnState.COMMAND
+        return "ok"
 
-    async def _state_command(self, ctx: TurnContext) -> TurnState:
+    async def _state_command(self, ctx: TurnContext) -> str:
         raw = ctx.msg.content.strip()
         cmd_ctx = CommandContext(
             msg=ctx.msg, session=ctx.session, key=ctx.session_key, raw=raw, loop=self
@@ -1336,10 +1398,10 @@ class AgentLoop:
         result = await self.commands.dispatch(cmd_ctx)
         if result is not None:
             ctx.outbound = result
-            return TurnState.DONE
-        return TurnState.BUILD
+            return "shortcut"
+        return "dispatch"
 
-    async def _state_build(self, ctx: TurnContext) -> TurnState:
+    async def _state_build(self, ctx: TurnContext) -> str:
         await self.consolidator.maybe_consolidate_by_tokens(
             ctx.session,
             session_summary=ctx.pending_summary,
@@ -1376,9 +1438,9 @@ class AgentLoop:
         if ctx.on_retry_wait is None:
             ctx.on_retry_wait = await self._build_retry_wait_callback(ctx.msg)
 
-        return TurnState.RUN
+        return "ok"
 
-    async def _state_run(self, ctx: TurnContext) -> TurnState:
+    async def _state_run(self, ctx: TurnContext) -> str:
         result = await self._run_agent_loop(
             ctx.initial_messages,
             on_progress=ctx.on_progress,
@@ -1399,9 +1461,9 @@ class AgentLoop:
         ctx.all_messages = all_msgs
         ctx.stop_reason = stop_reason
         ctx.had_injections = had_injections
-        return TurnState.SAVE
+        return "ok"
 
-    async def _state_save(self, ctx: TurnContext) -> TurnState:
+    async def _state_save(self, ctx: TurnContext) -> str:
         if ctx.final_content is None or not ctx.final_content.strip():
             ctx.final_content = EMPTY_FINAL_RESPONSE_MESSAGE
 
@@ -1425,9 +1487,9 @@ class AgentLoop:
                 replay_max_messages=self._max_messages,
             )
         )
-        return TurnState.RESPOND
+        return "ok"
 
-    async def _state_respond(self, ctx: TurnContext) -> TurnState:
+    async def _state_respond(self, ctx: TurnContext) -> str:
         ctx.outbound = self._assemble_outbound(
             ctx.msg,
             ctx.final_content,
@@ -1437,7 +1499,7 @@ class AgentLoop:
             ctx.generated_media,
             ctx.on_stream,
         )
-        return TurnState.DONE
+        return "ok"
 
     def _sanitize_persisted_blocks(
         self,