diff --git a/pilot/ai_review.py b/pilot/ai_review.py
index 300fd90..5245b27 100644
--- a/pilot/ai_review.py
+++ b/pilot/ai_review.py
@@ -420,6 +420,39 @@ def parse_findings(text: str) -> list[dict]:
     return out
 
 
+SALVAGE_MAX_CHARS = 4000
+
+
+def salvage_summary(text: str, max_chars: int = SALVAGE_MAX_CHARS) -> str:
+    """Recover something postable from agent output we could not parse.
+
+    An opencode run costs minutes and millions of tokens. When the findings JSON
+    is missing or malformed, the analysis itself is usually still there in the
+    prose — discarding it to post "no parseable output" throws away the whole
+    run and tells the maintainer nothing. This keeps the tail of the prose (the
+    conclusion, which is what the agent writes last), drops fenced code blocks
+    so a half-written JSON blob doesn't dominate, and labels it plainly as
+    unstructured so nobody mistakes it for a normal review.
+
+    Returns "" when there is genuinely nothing to salvage.
+    """
+    if not text or not text.strip():
+        return ""
+    # Drop fenced blocks — a truncated ```json block is noise here.
+    prose = re.sub(r"```.*?```", "", text, flags=re.DOTALL)
+    prose = re.sub(r"```.*$", "", prose, flags=re.DOTALL)  # unterminated fence
+    prose = prose.strip()
+    if not prose:
+        return ""
+    if len(prose) > max_chars:
+        prose = "…" + prose[-max_chars:]
+    return (
+        "⚠️ _The reviewer did not emit a parseable findings block, so there are "
+        "no inline comments. Its raw notes are below — treat them as unverified: "
+        "line numbers were not validated against the diff._\n\n" + prose
+    )
+
+
 def parse_review_output(text: str) -> tuple[str, list[dict]]:
     """Parse the opengine's stdout into (summary, findings).
 
@@ -904,9 +937,22 @@ def review_pr(
             )
             review_summary, findings = parse_review_output(stdout)
             if not findings and not review_summary:
-                # opencode produced nothing parseable — fall back to a note.
+                # The findings JSON was missing or malformed. Don't discard the
+                # run: salvage the prose, keep the usage report (the label asked
+                # for it, and the tokens were spent either way), and log enough
+                # of the raw output to diagnose why the agent went off-format.
+                print(
+                    f"pragent: {repo}#{index} sha={sha[:8]} unparseable output "
+                    f"({len(stdout)} chars); tail: {stdout[-600:]!r}",
+                    file=sys.stderr, flush=True,
+                )
+                salvaged = salvage_summary(stdout)
+                usage_section = ""
+                if report_usage and usage:
+                    usage_section = format_usage_section(usage, [], model)
                 post_review(api, repo, index, token, format_review_body(
-                    "AI review produced no parseable output.", model, sha))
+                    salvaged or "AI review produced no parseable output.",
+                    model, sha, usage_section=usage_section))
                 return True
         else:
             user_prompt = build_user_prompt(title, body, diff, config, prior)
diff --git a/tests/pilot/test_ai_review.py b/tests/pilot/test_ai_review.py
index 192dedf..0c412c6 100644
--- a/tests/pilot/test_ai_review.py
+++ b/tests/pilot/test_ai_review.py
@@ -737,3 +737,45 @@ def test_fetch_pr_diff_error_reports_both_statuses(monkeypatch):
         assert "files=500" in str(e)
     else:
         raise AssertionError("expected RuntimeError")
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# salvage_summary — don't discard an expensive run over a missing JSON block
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+def test_salvage_summary_keeps_the_prose():
+    text = "I reviewed the diff. The retry loop in worker.py never terminates."
+    out = ai_review.salvage_summary(text)
+    assert "never terminates" in out
+    assert "unverified" in out
+
+
+def test_salvage_summary_drops_fenced_blocks():
+    text = 'Analysis here.\n\n```json\n{"findings": [ truncated...\n'
+    out = ai_review.salvage_summary(text)
+    assert "Analysis here." in out
+    # The half-written JSON blob is gone (the banner legitimately says
+    # "findings", so assert on the blob's own content instead).
+    assert "truncated..." not in out
+    assert "[" not in out.split("_\n\n", 1)[1]
+
+
+def test_salvage_summary_drops_complete_fences_too():
+    text = "Before.\n```python\nprint(1)\n```\nAfter."
+    out = ai_review.salvage_summary(text)
+    assert "Before." in out and "After." in out
+    assert "print(1)" not in out
+
+
+def test_salvage_summary_keeps_the_tail_when_long():
+    text = "x" * 9000 + " FINAL CONCLUSION"
+    out = ai_review.salvage_summary(text, max_chars=1000)
+    assert "FINAL CONCLUSION" in out  # the conclusion is written last
+    assert len(out) < 1600
+
+
+def test_salvage_summary_empty_when_nothing_to_salvage():
+    assert ai_review.salvage_summary("") == ""
+    assert ai_review.salvage_summary("   \n  ") == ""
+    assert ai_review.salvage_summary("```json\n{}\n```") == ""