diff --git a/nanobot/agent/loop.py b/nanobot/agent/loop.py
index e58156758..66d765d00 100644
--- a/nanobot/agent/loop.py
+++ b/nanobot/agent/loop.py
@@ -323,117 +323,12 @@ class AgentLoop:
         from nanobot.utils.helpers import strip_think
         return strip_think(text) or None
 
-    # Registry: tool_name -> (key_args, template, is_path, is_command)
-    _TOOL_HINT_FORMATS: dict[str, tuple[list[str], str, bool, bool]] = {
-        "read_file":  (["path", "file_path"],              "read {}",     True,  False),
-        "write_file": (["path", "file_path"],              "write {}",    True,  False),
-        "edit":       (["file_path", "path"],              "edit {}",     True,  False),
-        "glob":       (["pattern"],                        'glob "{}"',   False, False),
-        "grep":       (["pattern"],                        'grep "{}"',   False, False),
-        "exec":       (["command"],                        "$ {}",        False, True),
-        "web_search": (["query"],                          'search "{}"', False, False),
-        "web_fetch":  (["url"],                            "fetch {}",    True,  False),
-        "list_dir":   (["path"],                           "ls {}",       True,  False),
-    }
-
     @staticmethod
     def _tool_hint(tool_calls: list) -> str:
         """Format tool calls as concise hints with smart abbreviation."""
-        if not tool_calls:
-            return ""
+        from nanobot.utils.tool_hints import format_tool_hints
 
-        from nanobot.utils.path import abbreviate_path
-
-        def _get_args(tc) -> dict:
-            """Extract args dict from tc.arguments, handling list/dict/None/empty."""
-            if tc.arguments is None:
-                return {}
-            if isinstance(tc.arguments, list):
-                return tc.arguments[0] if tc.arguments else {}
-            if isinstance(tc.arguments, dict):
-                return tc.arguments
-            return {}
-
-        def _group_consecutive(calls):
-            """Group consecutive calls to the same tool: [(name, count, first), ...]."""
-            groups = []
-            for tc in calls:
-                if groups and groups[-1][0] == tc.name:
-                    groups[-1] = (groups[-1][0], groups[-1][1] + 1, groups[-1][2])
-                else:
-                    groups.append((tc.name, 1, tc))
-            return groups
-
-        def _extract_arg(tc, key_args):
-            """Extract the first available value from preferred key names."""
-            args = _get_args(tc)
-            if not isinstance(args, dict):
-                return None
-            for key in key_args:
-                val = args.get(key)
-                if isinstance(val, str) and val:
-                    return val
-            # Fallback: first string value
-            for val in args.values():
-                if isinstance(val, str) and val:
-                    return val
-            return None
-
-        def _fmt_known(tc, fmt):
-            """Format a registered tool using its template."""
-            val = _extract_arg(tc, fmt[0])
-            if val is None:
-                return tc.name
-            if fmt[2]:  # is_path
-                val = abbreviate_path(val)
-            elif fmt[3]:  # is_command
-                val = val[:40] + "\u2026" if len(val) > 40 else val
-            return fmt[1].format(val)
-
-        def _fmt_mcp(tc):
-            """Format MCP tool as server::tool."""
-            name = tc.name
-            # mcp_<server>__<tool> or mcp_<server>_<tool>
-            if "__" in name:
-                parts = name.split("__", 1)
-                server = parts[0].removeprefix("mcp_")
-                tool = parts[1]
-            else:
-                rest = name.removeprefix("mcp_")
-                parts = rest.split("_", 1)
-                server = parts[0] if parts else rest
-                tool = parts[1] if len(parts) > 1 else ""
-            if not tool:
-                return name
-            args = _get_args(tc)
-            val = next((v for v in args.values() if isinstance(v, str) and v), None)
-            if val is None:
-                return f"{server}::{tool}"
-            return f'{server}::{tool}("{abbreviate_path(val, 40)}")'
-
-        def _fmt_fallback(tc):
-            """Original formatting logic for unregistered tools."""
-            args = _get_args(tc)
-            val = next(iter(args.values()), None) if isinstance(args, dict) else None
-            if not isinstance(val, str):
-                return tc.name
-            return f'{tc.name}("{abbreviate_path(val, 40)}")' if len(val) > 40 else f'{tc.name}("{val}")'
-
-        hints = []
-        for name, count, example_tc in _group_consecutive(tool_calls):
-            fmt = AgentLoop._TOOL_HINT_FORMATS.get(name)
-            if fmt:
-                hint = _fmt_known(example_tc, fmt)
-            elif name.startswith("mcp_"):
-                hint = _fmt_mcp(example_tc)
-            else:
-                hint = _fmt_fallback(example_tc)
-
-            if count > 1:
-                hint = f"{hint} \u00d7 {count}"
-            hints.append(hint)
-
-        return ", ".join(hints)
+        return format_tool_hints(tool_calls)
 
     async def _run_agent_loop(
         self,
diff --git a/nanobot/utils/tool_hints.py b/nanobot/utils/tool_hints.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a907a2700
--- /dev/null
+++ b/nanobot/utils/tool_hints.py
@@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
+"""Tool hint formatting for concise, human-readable tool call display."""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from nanobot.utils.path import abbreviate_path
+
+# Registry: tool_name -> (key_args, template, is_path, is_command)
+_TOOL_FORMATS: dict[str, tuple[list[str], str, bool, bool]] = {
+    "read_file":  (["path", "file_path"],              "read {}",     True,  False),
+    "write_file": (["path", "file_path"],              "write {}",    True,  False),
+    "edit":       (["file_path", "path"],              "edit {}",     True,  False),
+    "glob":       (["pattern"],                        'glob "{}"',   False, False),
+    "grep":       (["pattern"],                        'grep "{}"',   False, False),
+    "exec":       (["command"],                        "$ {}",        False, True),
+    "web_search": (["query"],                          'search "{}"', False, False),
+    "web_fetch":  (["url"],                            "fetch {}",    True,  False),
+    "list_dir":   (["path"],                           "ls {}",       True,  False),
+}
+
+
+def format_tool_hints(tool_calls: list) -> str:
+    """Format tool calls as concise hints with smart abbreviation."""
+    if not tool_calls:
+        return ""
+
+    hints = []
+    for name, count, example_tc in _group_consecutive(tool_calls):
+        fmt = _TOOL_FORMATS.get(name)
+        if fmt:
+            hint = _fmt_known(example_tc, fmt)
+        elif name.startswith("mcp_"):
+            hint = _fmt_mcp(example_tc)
+        else:
+            hint = _fmt_fallback(example_tc)
+
+        if count > 1:
+            hint = f"{hint} \u00d7 {count}"
+        hints.append(hint)
+
+    return ", ".join(hints)
+
+
+def _get_args(tc) -> dict:
+    """Extract args dict from tc.arguments, handling list/dict/None/empty."""
+    if tc.arguments is None:
+        return {}
+    if isinstance(tc.arguments, list):
+        return tc.arguments[0] if tc.arguments else {}
+    if isinstance(tc.arguments, dict):
+        return tc.arguments
+    return {}
+
+
+def _group_consecutive(calls: list) -> list[tuple[str, int, object]]:
+    """Group consecutive calls to the same tool: [(name, count, first), ...]."""
+    groups: list[tuple[str, int, object]] = []
+    for tc in calls:
+        if groups and groups[-1][0] == tc.name:
+            groups[-1] = (groups[-1][0], groups[-1][1] + 1, groups[-1][2])
+        else:
+            groups.append((tc.name, 1, tc))
+    return groups
+
+
+def _extract_arg(tc, key_args: list[str]) -> str | None:
+    """Extract the first available value from preferred key names."""
+    args = _get_args(tc)
+    if not isinstance(args, dict):
+        return None
+    for key in key_args:
+        val = args.get(key)
+        if isinstance(val, str) and val:
+            return val
+    for val in args.values():
+        if isinstance(val, str) and val:
+            return val
+    return None
+
+
+def _fmt_known(tc, fmt: tuple) -> str:
+    """Format a registered tool using its template."""
+    val = _extract_arg(tc, fmt[0])
+    if val is None:
+        return tc.name
+    if fmt[2]:  # is_path
+        val = abbreviate_path(val)
+    elif fmt[3]:  # is_command
+        val = val[:40] + "\u2026" if len(val) > 40 else val
+    return fmt[1].format(val)
+
+
+def _fmt_mcp(tc) -> str:
+    """Format MCP tool as server::tool."""
+    name = tc.name
+    if "__" in name:
+        parts = name.split("__", 1)
+        server = parts[0].removeprefix("mcp_")
+        tool = parts[1]
+    else:
+        rest = name.removeprefix("mcp_")
+        parts = rest.split("_", 1)
+        server = parts[0] if parts else rest
+        tool = parts[1] if len(parts) > 1 else ""
+    if not tool:
+        return name
+    args = _get_args(tc)
+    val = next((v for v in args.values() if isinstance(v, str) and v), None)
+    if val is None:
+        return f"{server}::{tool}"
+    return f'{server}::{tool}("{abbreviate_path(val, 40)}")'
+
+
+def _fmt_fallback(tc) -> str:
+    """Original formatting logic for unregistered tools."""
+    args = _get_args(tc)
+    val = next(iter(args.values()), None) if isinstance(args, dict) else None
+    if not isinstance(val, str):
+        return tc.name
+    return f'{tc.name}("{abbreviate_path(val, 40)}")' if len(val) > 40 else f'{tc.name}("{val}")'
diff --git a/tests/agent/test_tool_hint.py b/tests/agent/test_tool_hint.py
index caaa37ee3..2384cfbb2 100644
--- a/tests/agent/test_tool_hint.py
+++ b/tests/agent/test_tool_hint.py
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
-"""Tests for AgentLoop._tool_hint() formatting."""
+"""Tests for tool hint formatting (nanobot.utils.tool_hints)."""
 
-from nanobot.agent.loop import AgentLoop
+from nanobot.utils.tool_hints import format_tool_hints
 from nanobot.providers.base import ToolCallRequest
 
 
@@ -8,51 +8,56 @@ def _tc(name: str, args) -> ToolCallRequest:
     return ToolCallRequest(id="c1", name=name, arguments=args)
 
 
+def _hint(calls):
+    """Shortcut for format_tool_hints."""
+    return format_tool_hints(calls)
+
+
 class TestToolHintKnownTools:
     """Test registered tool types produce correct formatted output."""
 
     def test_read_file_short_path(self):
-        result = AgentLoop._tool_hint([_tc("read_file", {"path": "foo.txt"})])
+        result = _hint([_tc("read_file", {"path": "foo.txt"})])
         assert result == 'read foo.txt'
 
     def test_read_file_long_path(self):
-        result = AgentLoop._tool_hint([_tc("read_file", {"path": "/home/user/.local/share/uv/tools/nanobot/agent/loop.py"})])
+        result = _hint([_tc("read_file", {"path": "/home/user/.local/share/uv/tools/nanobot/agent/loop.py"})])
         assert "loop.py" in result
         assert "read " in result
 
     def test_write_file_shows_path_not_content(self):
-        result = AgentLoop._tool_hint([_tc("write_file", {"path": "docs/api.md", "content": "# API Reference\n\nLong content..."})])
+        result = _hint([_tc("write_file", {"path": "docs/api.md", "content": "# API Reference\n\nLong content..."})])
         assert result == "write docs/api.md"
 
     def test_edit_shows_path(self):
-        result = AgentLoop._tool_hint([_tc("edit", {"file_path": "src/main.py", "old_string": "x", "new_string": "y"})])
+        result = _hint([_tc("edit", {"file_path": "src/main.py", "old_string": "x", "new_string": "y"})])
         assert "main.py" in result
         assert "edit " in result
 
     def test_glob_shows_pattern(self):
-        result = AgentLoop._tool_hint([_tc("glob", {"pattern": "**/*.py", "path": "src"})])
+        result = _hint([_tc("glob", {"pattern": "**/*.py", "path": "src"})])
         assert result == 'glob "**/*.py"'
 
     def test_grep_shows_pattern(self):
-        result = AgentLoop._tool_hint([_tc("grep", {"pattern": "TODO|FIXME", "path": "src"})])
+        result = _hint([_tc("grep", {"pattern": "TODO|FIXME", "path": "src"})])
         assert result == 'grep "TODO|FIXME"'
 
     def test_exec_shows_command(self):
-        result = AgentLoop._tool_hint([_tc("exec", {"command": "npm install typescript"})])
+        result = _hint([_tc("exec", {"command": "npm install typescript"})])
         assert result == "$ npm install typescript"
 
     def test_exec_truncates_long_command(self):
         cmd = "cd /very/long/path && cat file && echo done && sleep 1 && ls -la"
-        result = AgentLoop._tool_hint([_tc("exec", {"command": cmd})])
+        result = _hint([_tc("exec", {"command": cmd})])
         assert result.startswith("$ ")
         assert len(result) <= 50  # reasonable limit
 
     def test_web_search(self):
-        result = AgentLoop._tool_hint([_tc("web_search", {"query": "Claude 4 vs GPT-4"})])
+        result = _hint([_tc("web_search", {"query": "Claude 4 vs GPT-4"})])
         assert result == 'search "Claude 4 vs GPT-4"'
 
     def test_web_fetch(self):
-        result = AgentLoop._tool_hint([_tc("web_fetch", {"url": "https://example.com/page"})])
+        result = _hint([_tc("web_fetch", {"url": "https://example.com/page"})])
         assert result == "fetch https://example.com/page"
 
 
@@ -60,12 +65,12 @@ class TestToolHintMCP:
     """Test MCP tools are abbreviated to server::tool format."""
 
     def test_mcp_standard_format(self):
-        result = AgentLoop._tool_hint([_tc("mcp_4_5v_mcp__analyze_image", {"imageSource": "https://img.jpg", "prompt": "describe"})])
+        result = _hint([_tc("mcp_4_5v_mcp__analyze_image", {"imageSource": "https://img.jpg", "prompt": "describe"})])
         assert "4_5v" in result
         assert "analyze_image" in result
 
     def test_mcp_simple_name(self):
-        result = AgentLoop._tool_hint([_tc("mcp_github__create_issue", {"title": "Bug fix"})])
+        result = _hint([_tc("mcp_github__create_issue", {"title": "Bug fix"})])
         assert "github" in result
         assert "create_issue" in result
 
@@ -74,21 +79,21 @@ class TestToolHintFallback:
     """Test unknown tools fall back to original behavior."""
 
     def test_unknown_tool_with_string_arg(self):
-        result = AgentLoop._tool_hint([_tc("custom_tool", {"data": "hello world"})])
+        result = _hint([_tc("custom_tool", {"data": "hello world"})])
         assert result == 'custom_tool("hello world")'
 
     def test_unknown_tool_with_long_arg_truncates(self):
         long_val = "a" * 60
-        result = AgentLoop._tool_hint([_tc("custom_tool", {"data": long_val})])
+        result = _hint([_tc("custom_tool", {"data": long_val})])
         assert len(result) < 80
         assert "\u2026" in result
 
     def test_unknown_tool_no_string_arg(self):
-        result = AgentLoop._tool_hint([_tc("custom_tool", {"count": 42})])
+        result = _hint([_tc("custom_tool", {"count": 42})])
         assert result == "custom_tool"
 
     def test_empty_tool_calls(self):
-        result = AgentLoop._tool_hint([])
+        result = _hint([])
         assert result == ""
 
 
@@ -97,7 +102,7 @@ class TestToolHintFolding:
 
     def test_single_call_no_fold(self):
         calls = [_tc("grep", {"pattern": "*.py"})]
-        result = AgentLoop._tool_hint(calls)
+        result = _hint(calls)
         assert "\u00d7" not in result
 
     def test_two_consecutive_same_folded(self):
@@ -105,7 +110,7 @@ class TestToolHintFolding:
             _tc("grep", {"pattern": "*.py"}),
             _tc("grep", {"pattern": "*.ts"}),
         ]
-        result = AgentLoop._tool_hint(calls)
+        result = _hint(calls)
         assert "\u00d7 2" in result
 
     def test_three_consecutive_same_folded(self):
@@ -114,7 +119,7 @@ class TestToolHintFolding:
             _tc("read_file", {"path": "b.py"}),
             _tc("read_file", {"path": "c.py"}),
         ]
-        result = AgentLoop._tool_hint(calls)
+        result = _hint(calls)
         assert "\u00d7 3" in result
 
     def test_different_tools_not_folded(self):
@@ -122,7 +127,7 @@ class TestToolHintFolding:
             _tc("grep", {"pattern": "TODO"}),
             _tc("read_file", {"path": "a.py"}),
         ]
-        result = AgentLoop._tool_hint(calls)
+        result = _hint(calls)
         assert "\u00d7" not in result
 
     def test_interleaved_same_tools_not_folded(self):
@@ -131,7 +136,7 @@ class TestToolHintFolding:
             _tc("read_file", {"path": "f.py"}),
             _tc("grep", {"pattern": "b"}),
         ]
-        result = AgentLoop._tool_hint(calls)
+        result = _hint(calls)
         assert "\u00d7" not in result
 
 
@@ -143,7 +148,7 @@ class TestToolHintMultipleCalls:
             _tc("grep", {"pattern": "TODO"}),
             _tc("read_file", {"path": "main.py"}),
         ]
-        result = AgentLoop._tool_hint(calls)
+        result = _hint(calls)
         assert 'grep "TODO"' in result
         assert "read main.py" in result
         assert ", " in result
@@ -154,27 +159,27 @@ class TestToolHintEdgeCases:
 
     def test_known_tool_empty_list_args(self):
         """C1/G1: Empty list arguments should not crash."""
-        result = AgentLoop._tool_hint([_tc("read_file", [])])
+        result = _hint([_tc("read_file", [])])
         assert result == "read_file"
 
     def test_known_tool_none_args(self):
         """G2: None arguments should not crash."""
-        result = AgentLoop._tool_hint([_tc("read_file", None)])
+        result = _hint([_tc("read_file", None)])
         assert result == "read_file"
 
     def test_fallback_empty_list_args(self):
         """C1: Empty list args in fallback should not crash."""
-        result = AgentLoop._tool_hint([_tc("custom_tool", [])])
+        result = _hint([_tc("custom_tool", [])])
         assert result == "custom_tool"
 
     def test_fallback_none_args(self):
         """G2: None args in fallback should not crash."""
-        result = AgentLoop._tool_hint([_tc("custom_tool", None)])
+        result = _hint([_tc("custom_tool", None)])
         assert result == "custom_tool"
 
     def test_list_dir_registered(self):
         """S2: list_dir should use 'ls' format."""
-        result = AgentLoop._tool_hint([_tc("list_dir", {"path": "/tmp"})])
+        result = _hint([_tc("list_dir", {"path": "/tmp"})])
         assert result == "ls /tmp"
 
 
@@ -190,7 +195,7 @@ class TestToolHintMixedFolding:
             _tc("grep", {"pattern": "y"}),
             _tc("read_file", {"path": "c.py"}),
         ]
-        result = AgentLoop._tool_hint(calls)
+        result = _hint(calls)
         assert "\u00d7 2" in result
         # Should have 3 groups: read×2, grep×2, read
         parts = result.split(", ")