diff --git a/mcp-server/src/legal_mcp/services/claude_session.py b/mcp-server/src/legal_mcp/services/claude_session.py
index f6b077b..668d230 100644
--- a/mcp-server/src/legal_mcp/services/claude_session.py
+++ b/mcp-server/src/legal_mcp/services/claude_session.py
@@ -82,6 +82,7 @@ async def query(
     system: str | None = None,
     model: str | None = None,
     effort: str | None = None,
+    tools: str | None = None,
 ) -> str:
     """Send a prompt to Claude Code headless and return the text response.
 
@@ -104,6 +105,12 @@ async def query(
         effort: Optional effort level (``low``/``medium``/``high``/``xhigh``/
             ``max``). When set, passed as ``--effort``. Pairs with ``model``;
             an empty string is treated as "unset" (CLI default).
+        tools: Optional available-tools spec, passed as ``--tools``. Pass an
+            empty string (``""``) to disable ALL tools — for pure text→JSON
+            extraction the model has no reason to call a tool, and leaving
+            tools enabled makes it occasionally emit ``stop_reason: tool_use``
+            which trips ``--max-turns 1`` → ``error_max_turns`` and forces a
+            retry (slow). ``None`` leaves the CLI default (all tools).
 
     Returns:
         The text response from Claude.
@@ -126,6 +133,8 @@ async def query(
         cmd += ["--model", model]
     if effort:
         cmd += ["--effort", effort]
+    if tools is not None:  # "" → disable all tools (no tool_use → no max-turns trip)
+        cmd += ["--tools", tools]
 
     size_info = f"; prompt_len={len(full_prompt):,} chars" if len(full_prompt) > 100_000 else ""
     last_err = "unknown error"
@@ -204,13 +213,15 @@ async def query_json(
     system: str | None = None,
     model: str | None = None,
     effort: str | None = None,
+    tools: str | None = None,
 ) -> dict | list | None:
     """Send a prompt and parse the response as JSON.
 
     Uses parse_llm_json for robust parsing (handles markdown wrapping, truncation).
-    ``model``/``effort`` are forwarded to :func:`query` (see its docstring).
+    ``model``/``effort``/``tools`` are forwarded to :func:`query` (see its docstring).
+    Pure text→JSON extractors should pass ``tools=""`` to avoid ``error_max_turns``.
     """
-    raw = await query(prompt, timeout=timeout, system=system, model=model, effort=effort)
+    raw = await query(prompt, timeout=timeout, system=system, model=model, effort=effort, tools=tools)
     return parse_llm_json(raw)
 
 
diff --git a/mcp-server/src/legal_mcp/services/digest_metadata_extractor.py b/mcp-server/src/legal_mcp/services/digest_metadata_extractor.py
index 6745439..48cb52b 100644
--- a/mcp-server/src/legal_mcp/services/digest_metadata_extractor.py
+++ b/mcp-server/src/legal_mcp/services/digest_metadata_extractor.py
@@ -101,6 +101,8 @@ async def extract(raw_text: str, model: str | None = None) -> dict:
         result = await claude_session.query_json(
             user_msg, system=DIGEST_EXTRACTION_PROMPT,
             model=(model or config.DIGEST_EXTRACT_MODEL or None),
+            tools="",  # pure text→JSON: disable tools so the model never emits
+                       # stop_reason=tool_use and trips --max-turns (error_max_turns).
         )
     except Exception as e:  # surfaced as warning, not swallowed silently (§6)
         logger.warning("digest_metadata_extractor: query failed: %s", e)