diff --git a/office-hours/sections/design-and-handoff.md.tmpl b/office-hours/sections/design-and-handoff.md.tmpl
index 9f1f5c68b..f3c88f914 100644
--- a/office-hours/sections/design-and-handoff.md.tmpl
+++ b/office-hours/sections/design-and-handoff.md.tmpl
@@ -167,6 +167,19 @@ Supersedes: {prior filename — omit this line if first design on this branch}
 
 ---
 
+**Before asking for approval, output the full design doc inline.**
+
+Print the complete contents of the design doc as direct assistant text in the
+conversation — do NOT ask the user to open the file, and do NOT rely on a
+`Bash cat` or `Read` tool call to show it. Tool outputs are frequently
+collapsed in the Claude Code UI, which leaves the user approving a document
+they cannot actually see. The one place the full doc is guaranteed to render
+is the assistant message itself.
+
+Format: a short preamble (`Here is the design doc saved to {path} — please
+review before approving:`) followed by the verbatim document body. Then
+proceed to the AskUserQuestion below.
+
 Present the reviewed design doc to the user via AskUserQuestion:
 - A) Approve — mark Status: APPROVED and proceed to handoff
 - B) Revise — specify which sections need changes (loop back to revise those sections)