diff --git a/src/jarvis/reply/engine.py b/src/jarvis/reply/engine.py
index 2ddfe99..d04c41c 100644
--- a/src/jarvis/reply/engine.py
+++ b/src/jarvis/reply/engine.py
@@ -1704,6 +1704,12 @@ def run_reply_engine(db: "Database", cfg, tts: Optional[Any],
         # else: tools are passed via the native tools API parameter — do not include tools_desc
         # here as well, since that confuses the model and causes it to not use tools properly.
 
+        # Recency reinforcement: repeat the language lock at the very END too.
+        # In a ~5k-token prompt the front-placed rule gets "lost in the middle";
+        # bigger models (qwen2.5:7b) otherwise leak Chinese/Cyrillic mid-reply.
+        if _lang_directive:
+            guidance.append(_lang_directive)
+
         return "\n".join(guidance)
 
     messages = []  # type: ignore[var-annotated]
diff --git a/src/jarvis/system_prompt.py b/src/jarvis/system_prompt.py
index c68b8aa..15e90cb 100644
--- a/src/jarvis/system_prompt.py
+++ b/src/jarvis/system_prompt.py
@@ -133,8 +133,12 @@ def output_language_directive(language: Optional[str]) -> Optional[str]:
         f"CRITICAL OUTPUT RULE: write your ENTIRE reply only in {lang}. Even if "
         f"the user writes in English or any other language, you must still reply "
         f"only in {lang}. This rule overrides every other instruction about "
-        f"matching or using the user's language. Never mix in words, characters, "
-        f"or punctuation from any other language or script."
+        f"matching or using the user's language. Do NOT output a single Chinese/"
+        f"Hanja character, Japanese kana, Cyrillic letter, Arabic letter, or any "
+        f"other non-{lang} script anywhere in the reply — not even one word or "
+        f"clause. If a {lang} word exists, use it; never substitute or append a "
+        f"foreign-language equivalent. (Numerals and unavoidable proper-noun "
+        f"brand names are fine.)"
     )