diff --git a/src/adapters/exec-tool-result-normalize.ts b/src/adapters/exec-tool-result-normalize.ts
index c31e1c76eff..632d671703e 100644
--- a/src/adapters/exec-tool-result-normalize.ts
+++ b/src/adapters/exec-tool-result-normalize.ts
@@ -20,8 +20,11 @@
  * `function_call_output` is parsed with `isError: false`. Cursor combines this set with
  * `isFailedEmptyExecWrapper` below for Computer Use, where a failed wrapper is separately marked
  * `isError`.
+ *
+ * `(?=(X))\1` pins each wildcard run to its maximal match — without it, adjacent `\n+`/`\s*`
+ * runs can repartition a newline block combinatorially (the ReDoS shape this had before).
  */
-export const EMPTY_EXEC_OUTPUT_REGEX = /^(?:(?:Script completed|Command finished|Execution finished)[^\n]*\n+)?(?:Wall time[^\n]*\n+)?(?:Output:\s*)?(?:<empty>)?\s*$/;
+export const EMPTY_EXEC_OUTPUT_REGEX = /^(?:(?:Script completed|Command finished|Execution finished)(?=([^\n]*))\1(?=(\n+))\2)?(?:Wall time(?=([^\n]*))\3(?=(\n+))\4)?(?:Output:(?=(\s*))\5)?(?:<empty>)?(?=(\s*))\6$/;
 
 function skipFailedWrapperBlankSeparators(text: string, start: number): number {
   let index = start;
diff --git a/src/lab/events/limits.ts b/src/lab/events/limits.ts
index 1447801a15e..e4a37c44633 100644
--- a/src/lab/events/limits.ts
+++ b/src/lab/events/limits.ts
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ const FORBIDDEN_EXACT_KEYS = new Set([
 ]);
 
 const RAW_POSIX_PATH_RE =
-  /(?:^|[^A-Za-z0-9._~/])\/(?:(?=$|[^A-Za-z0-9._~/])|(?!\/)(?![ \t\r\n])(?:\/|[^/\0\r\n]+)+\/?(?=$|[^A-Za-z0-9._~/]))/u;
+  /(?:^|[^A-Za-z0-9._~/])\/(?:(?=$|[^A-Za-z0-9._~/])|(?!\/)(?![ \t\r\n])[^/\0\r\n]+(?:\/+[^/\0\r\n]+)*\/*(?=$|[^A-Za-z0-9._~/]))/u;
 const ASCII_URL_WHITESPACE_RE = /[\t\r\n]/g;
 const FILE_URI_RE = /(?:^|[^A-Za-z0-9+.-])file:/i;
 
diff --git a/tests/adapters/exec-tool-result-normalize.test.ts b/tests/adapters/exec-tool-result-normalize.test.ts
index 953e769aace..e5aef8215f7 100644
--- a/tests/adapters/exec-tool-result-normalize.test.ts
+++ b/tests/adapters/exec-tool-result-normalize.test.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import { parseRequest } from "../../src/responses/parser";
 import {
   CODE_MODE_HOST_CONTRACT_SENTENCE,
   CODE_MODE_HOST_FAILURE_GUIDANCE,
+  EMPTY_EXEC_OUTPUT_REGEX,
   annotateCodeModeHostFailure,
 } from "../../src/adapters/exec-tool-result-normalize";
 
@@ -112,3 +113,43 @@ describe("code-mode host failure annotation", () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe("empty exec output wrapper detection", () => {
+  test("recognizes each optional section and their combinations", () => {
+    for (const text of [
+      "Script completed\nWall time 0.1 seconds\nOutput:\n",
+      "Script completed\nWall time 0.1 seconds\nOutput:\n<empty>\n",
+      "Command finished\nOutput:\n",
+      "Execution finished\n\n\nWall time 1s\n\nOutput:\n\n<empty>\n\n",
+      "Wall time 5s\n",
+      "Wall time 5s\nOutput:\n<empty>",
+      "Output:<empty>",
+      "Output:\n\n\n",
+      "<empty>",
+      "\n\n\n",
+    ]) {
+      expect(EMPTY_EXEC_OUTPUT_REGEX.test(text)).toBe(true);
+    }
+    for (const text of [
+      "Script completed",
+      "Script completed\nreal output\n",
+      "Script failed\nOutput:\n",
+      "Output: hi\n",
+      "text\n<empty>",
+      "x<empty>",
+      "Script completed\nWall time\nOutput:\n<empty>x",
+      "Wall time\n<empty> trailing",
+    ]) {
+      expect(EMPTY_EXEC_OUTPUT_REGEX.test(text)).toBe(false);
+    }
+  });
+
+  // The previous pattern let adjacent `\n+`/`\s*` quantifiers repartition a newline block
+  // combinatorially; these inputs keep that a timeout-scale regression rather than a silent one.
+  test("stays linear on pathological whitespace runs", () => {
+    const newlines = "\n".repeat(200_000);
+    expect(EMPTY_EXEC_OUTPUT_REGEX.test(`Script completed\n${newlines}!`)).toBe(false);
+    expect(EMPTY_EXEC_OUTPUT_REGEX.test(`Output:${newlines}`)).toBe(true);
+    expect(EMPTY_EXEC_OUTPUT_REGEX.test(`Script completed\nWall time x\n${newlines}trailing`)).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
+
diff --git a/tests/lab/lab-post-merge-hardening.test.ts b/tests/lab/lab-post-merge-hardening.test.ts
index 0e8660a448a..45a63b5b252 100644
--- a/tests/lab/lab-post-merge-hardening.test.ts
+++ b/tests/lab/lab-post-merge-hardening.test.ts
@@ -222,6 +222,30 @@ test("event privacy admission rejects raw filesystem path bypass forms", () => {
   }
 });
 
+test("event privacy admission stays linear on pathological path strings", () => {
+  // RAW_POSIX_PATH_RE once alternated `\/` with `[^/]+` under a shared `+`; long segment runs
+  // were repartitioned combinatorially. Keep these just under the 4 KiB field cap so a
+  // backtracking regression surfaces as a timeout rather than a wrong verdict.
+  const deep = `cwd=/${"a/".repeat(2000)}`;
+  try {
+    enforceEventStructureLimits({ detail: deep });
+    throw new Error("expected raw_path rejection for a long segment chain");
+  } catch (err) {
+    expect((err as { code?: string }).code).toBe("raw_path");
+  }
+
+  const dense = `cwd=/${"a//".repeat(1300)}`;
+  try {
+    enforceEventStructureLimits({ detail: dense });
+    throw new Error("expected raw_path rejection for a slash-dense chain");
+  } catch (err) {
+    expect((err as { code?: string }).code).toBe("raw_path");
+  }
+
+  const notAPath = `https://example.com/${"a/".repeat(2000)}`;
+  expect(() => enforceEventStructureLimits({ detail: notAPath })).not.toThrow();
+});
+
 test("invalid JSON contract artifacts classify as artifact_mismatch", () => {
   const home = tempHome();
   const artifactsDir = join(home, "artifacts");