diff --git a/packages/core/src/agent/async-agent.ts b/packages/core/src/agent/async-agent.ts
index 41c33778..ce11f17a 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/agent/async-agent.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/agent/async-agent.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import type { AgentOptions, Message } from "./types.js";
 import type { MulticaEvent } from "./events.js";
 import { injectMessageTimestamp } from "./message-timestamp.js";
 import { isSilentReplyText } from "./tokens.js";
+import { isHeartbeatAckEvent } from "../hub/heartbeat-filter.js";
 
 const devNull = { write: () => true } as unknown as NodeJS.WritableStream;
 
@@ -45,10 +46,10 @@ export class AsyncAgent {
     // Forward raw AgentEvent and MulticaEvent into the channel.
     // Suppress forwarding during internal runs to avoid leaking
     // orchestration messages to the frontend/real-time stream.
-    this.agent.subscribeAll((event: AgentEvent | MulticaEvent) => {
-      if (!this.shouldForwardEvent(event)) return;
-      this.channel.send(event);
-    });
+    // Also suppresses pure heartbeat ACK messages (e.g. "HEARTBEAT_OK").
+    this.agent.subscribeAll(
+      this.createFilteredHandler((event) => this.channel.send(event)),
+    );
   }
 
   get closed(): boolean {
@@ -160,11 +161,12 @@ export class AsyncAgent {
    */
   subscribe(callback: (event: AgentEvent | MulticaEvent) => void): () => void {
     console.log(`[AsyncAgent] Adding subscriber for agent: ${this.sessionId}`);
-    const unsubscribe = this.agent.subscribeAll((event) => {
-      if (!this.shouldForwardEvent(event)) return;
-      console.log(`[AsyncAgent] Event received: ${event.type}`);
-      callback(event);
-    });
+    const unsubscribe = this.agent.subscribeAll(
+      this.createFilteredHandler((event) => {
+        console.log(`[AsyncAgent] Event received: ${event.type}`);
+        callback(event);
+      }),
+    );
     return () => {
       console.log(`[AsyncAgent] Removing subscriber for agent: ${this.sessionId}`);
       unsubscribe();
@@ -225,6 +227,68 @@ export class AsyncAgent {
     return (maybeMessage as { role?: unknown }).role === "assistant";
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Wrap a forwarding callback with shouldForwardEvent + heartbeat ACK suppression.
+   *
+   * Mirrors Hub's pattern: buffer `message_start` for assistant messages, then
+   * check subsequent events with `isHeartbeatAckEvent()`. If the message is a
+   * pure heartbeat ACK (e.g. "HEARTBEAT_OK"), suppress the entire sequence.
+   * Otherwise flush the buffered start and forward normally.
+   */
+  private createFilteredHandler(
+    forward: (event: AgentEvent | MulticaEvent) => void,
+  ): (event: AgentEvent | MulticaEvent) => void {
+    let pendingStart: (AgentEvent | MulticaEvent) | null = null;
+
+    return (event: AgentEvent | MulticaEvent) => {
+      if (!this.shouldForwardEvent(event)) return;
+
+      const isAssistantMsg = this.isAssistantMessageEvent(event);
+
+      if (!isAssistantMsg) {
+        // Non-assistant event: flush any pending start, then forward
+        if (pendingStart) {
+          forward(pendingStart);
+          pendingStart = null;
+        }
+        forward(event);
+        return;
+      }
+
+      // Assistant message event — apply heartbeat ACK suppression
+      if (event.type === "message_start") {
+        pendingStart = event;
+        return;
+      }
+
+      // Check if this is a heartbeat ACK on content/end events
+      if (isHeartbeatAckEvent(event)) {
+        if (event.type === "message_end") {
+          // Entire message was a heartbeat ACK — suppress it
+          pendingStart = null;
+        }
+        return;
+      }
+
+      // Not a heartbeat ACK — flush buffered start if present, then forward
+      if (pendingStart) {
+        forward(pendingStart);
+        pendingStart = null;
+      }
+      forward(event);
+    };
+  }
+
+  /** Check if an event is an assistant message event (message_start/update/end with role=assistant) */
+  private isAssistantMessageEvent(event: AgentEvent | MulticaEvent): boolean {
+    if (event.type !== "message_start" && event.type !== "message_update" && event.type !== "message_end") {
+      return false;
+    }
+    const maybeMessage = (event as { message?: unknown }).message;
+    if (!maybeMessage || typeof maybeMessage !== "object") return false;
+    return (maybeMessage as { role?: unknown }).role === "assistant";
+  }
+
   /** Register a callback to be invoked when the agent is closed */
   onClose(callback: () => void): void {
     if (this._closed) {