diff --git a/.github/workflows/smoke-checkout-pr-dispatch.lock.yml b/.github/workflows/smoke-checkout-pr-dispatch.lock.yml
index da8cf360d0b..bb61f3eb769 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/smoke-checkout-pr-dispatch.lock.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/smoke-checkout-pr-dispatch.lock.yml
@@ -880,7 +880,7 @@ jobs:
         # --allow-tool shell(wc)
         # --allow-tool shell(yq)
         # --allow-tool write
-        timeout-minutes: 10
+        timeout-minutes: 20
         run: |
           set -o pipefail
           printf '%s' "$(date +%s%3N)" > /tmp/gh-aw/agent_cli_start_ms.txt
@@ -927,7 +927,7 @@ jobs:
           GH_AW_PHASE: agent
           GH_AW_PROMPT: /tmp/gh-aw/aw-prompts/prompt.txt
           GH_AW_SAFE_OUTPUTS: ${{ steps.set-runtime-paths.outputs.GH_AW_SAFE_OUTPUTS }}
-          GH_AW_TIMEOUT_MINUTES: 10
+          GH_AW_TIMEOUT_MINUTES: 20
           GH_AW_VERSION: dev
           GITHUB_API_URL: ${{ github.api_url }}
           GITHUB_AW: true
diff --git a/actions/setup/js/create_pull_request.test.cjs b/actions/setup/js/create_pull_request.test.cjs
index 58f459c6277..e17d52ec36d 100644
--- a/actions/setup/js/create_pull_request.test.cjs
+++ b/actions/setup/js/create_pull_request.test.cjs
@@ -3593,6 +3593,8 @@ describe("create_pull_request - threat detection caution", () => {
     copyPromptTemplate(promptsDir, "manifest_protection_request_review.md");
     copyPromptTemplate(promptsDir, "manifest_protection_request_changes_review.md");
     copyPromptTemplate(promptsDir, "threat_warning_request_changes_review.md");
+    copyPromptTemplate(promptsDir, "threat_detection_caution.md");
+    copyPromptTemplate(promptsDir, "threat_detection_engine_error.md");
     copyPromptTemplate(promptsDir, "safe_outputs_disclosure_header.md");
     process.env.GH_AW_PROMPTS_DIR = promptsDir;
 
diff --git a/actions/setup/js/generate_footer.cjs b/actions/setup/js/generate_footer.cjs
index 77e5af6340f..7c1413d7c64 100644
--- a/actions/setup/js/generate_footer.cjs
+++ b/actions/setup/js/generate_footer.cjs
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 /// <reference types="@actions/github-script" />
 
 const { getDetectionReasonText, getThreatDetectedMarker, isToolingFailureReason } = require("./threat_detection_warning.cjs");
+const { getPromptPath, renderTemplateFromFile } = require("./messages_core.cjs");
 
 /**
  * Generates a standalone workflow-id XML comment marker for searchability.
@@ -113,12 +114,7 @@ function generateXMLMarker(workflowName, runUrl) {
  * admonition is used so reviewers can distinguish "detection engine crashed" from "detection
  * engine found something". Actual threat findings (threat_detected) keep [!CAUTION].
  *
- * Note: This function is intentionally kept inline (not imported from messages_footer.cjs)
- * because importing messages_footer.cjs here would cause the bundler to inline
- * messages_core.cjs which contains 'GH_AW_SAFE_OUTPUT_MESSAGES:' in a warning message,
- * breaking tests that check for env var declarations.
- *
- * Warning reason text and threat marker formatting are centralized in
+ * Note: Warning reason text and threat marker formatting are centralized in
  * threat_detection_warning.cjs to keep warning-mode messaging consistent.
  *
  * @param {string} workflowName - Name of the workflow
@@ -132,10 +128,11 @@ function getExpiredEntityCautionAlert(workflowName, runUrl) {
   }
   const detectionReason = process.env.GH_AW_DETECTION_REASON || "";
   const reasonText = getDetectionReasonText(detectionReason);
+  const context = { threat_detected_marker: getThreatDetectedMarker(detectionReason), reason_text: reasonText, run_url: runUrl };
   if (isToolingFailureReason(detectionReason)) {
-    return `> [!WARNING]\n> threat detection engine error\n> The threat detection engine encountered an error and could not complete analysis. This is a tooling failure, not a security finding.\n> ${getThreatDetectedMarker(detectionReason)}\n>\n> <details>\n> <summary>Details</summary>\n>\n> ${reasonText}\n>\n> Review the [workflow run logs](${runUrl}) for details.\n> </details>`;
+    return renderTemplateFromFile(getPromptPath("threat_detection_engine_error.md"), context).trimEnd();
   }
-  return `> [!CAUTION]\n> agentic threat detected\n> Threat detection flagged this output in warn mode. Manual review is REQUIRED before any follow-up automation.\n> ${getThreatDetectedMarker(detectionReason)}\n>\n> <details>\n> <summary>Details</summary>\n>\n> ${reasonText}\n>\n> Review the [workflow run logs](${runUrl}) for details.\n> </details>`;
+  return renderTemplateFromFile(getPromptPath("threat_detection_caution.md"), context).trimEnd();
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/actions/setup/js/generate_footer.test.cjs b/actions/setup/js/generate_footer.test.cjs
index ebea285cdc9..618ee17f1c2 100644
--- a/actions/setup/js/generate_footer.test.cjs
+++ b/actions/setup/js/generate_footer.test.cjs
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
-import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, vi } from "vitest";
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach, vi } from "vitest";
+import { fileURLToPath } from "url";
+import path from "path";
 
 // Mock the global objects that GitHub Actions provides
 const mockCore = {
@@ -337,8 +339,14 @@ describe("generate_footer.cjs", () => {
   describe("generateExpiredEntityFooter", () => {
     let generateExpiredEntityFooter;
     let getExpiredEntityCautionAlert;
+    let originalPromptsDir;
 
     beforeEach(async () => {
+      // Point GH_AW_PROMPTS_DIR to the source md/ directory so getPromptPath()
+      // resolves to the local templates. This is needed because RUNNER_TEMP may be
+      // set but the runtime prompts directory is not populated in the test environment.
+      originalPromptsDir = process.env.GH_AW_PROMPTS_DIR;
+      process.env.GH_AW_PROMPTS_DIR = path.join(path.dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "../md");
       // Reset modules and import fresh
       vi.resetModules();
       const freshModule = await import("./generate_footer.cjs");
@@ -346,6 +354,14 @@ describe("generate_footer.cjs", () => {
       getExpiredEntityCautionAlert = freshModule.getExpiredEntityCautionAlert;
     });
 
+    afterEach(() => {
+      if (originalPromptsDir !== undefined) {
+        process.env.GH_AW_PROMPTS_DIR = originalPromptsDir;
+      } else {
+        delete process.env.GH_AW_PROMPTS_DIR;
+      }
+    });
+
     it("should generate footer with 'Closed by' wording and workflow link", () => {
       const result = generateExpiredEntityFooter("Test Workflow", "https://github.com/test/repo/actions/runs/123", "test-workflow");
 
@@ -486,7 +502,8 @@ describe("generate_footer.cjs", () => {
         const result = getExpiredEntityCautionAlert("Test Workflow", "https://github.com/test/repo/actions/runs/123");
 
         expect(result).toContain("> [!WARNING]");
-        expect(result).toContain("threat detection engine error");
+        expect(result).toContain("**Threat Detection Engine Failure**");
+        expect(result).toContain("What happened");
         expect(result).toContain("<!-- gh-aw-threat-engine-error -->");
         expect(result).not.toContain("<!-- gh-aw-threat-detected -->");
         expect(result).not.toContain("> [!CAUTION]");
@@ -501,7 +518,8 @@ describe("generate_footer.cjs", () => {
         const result = getExpiredEntityCautionAlert("Test Workflow", "https://github.com/test/repo/actions/runs/123");
 
         expect(result).toContain("> [!WARNING]");
-        expect(result).toContain("threat detection engine error");
+        expect(result).toContain("**Threat Detection Engine Failure**");
+        expect(result).toContain("What happened");
         expect(result).toContain("<!-- gh-aw-threat-engine-error -->");
         expect(result).not.toContain("<!-- gh-aw-threat-detected -->");
         expect(result).not.toContain("> [!CAUTION]");
diff --git a/actions/setup/js/handle_agent_failure.test.cjs b/actions/setup/js/handle_agent_failure.test.cjs
index 31ec2878f7d..ecc666b34cb 100644
--- a/actions/setup/js/handle_agent_failure.test.cjs
+++ b/actions/setup/js/handle_agent_failure.test.cjs
@@ -184,6 +184,14 @@ describe("handle_agent_failure", () => {
       fs.writeFileSync(path.join(promptsDir, "daily_cap_rollup_issue.md"), "Daily cap rollup issue body cap={cap} window={window_hours}");
       fs.writeFileSync(path.join(promptsDir, "daily_cap_rollup_comment.md"), "Failure suppressed workflow={workflow_name} run={run_url} categories={summary} cap={cap} window={window_hours}h");
       fs.writeFileSync(path.join(promptsDir, "optimize_token_consumption_context.md"), "OPTIMIZE CONTEXT guardrail={guardrail_name} run={run_url}");
+      fs.writeFileSync(
+        path.join(promptsDir, "threat_detection_caution.md"),
+        "> [!CAUTION]\n> agentic threat detected\n> Threat detection flagged this output in warn mode. Manual review is REQUIRED before any follow-up automation.\n> {threat_detected_marker}\n>\n> <details>\n> <summary>Details</summary>\n>\n> {reason_text}\n>\n> Review the [workflow run logs]({run_url}) for details.\n> </details>"
+      );
+      fs.writeFileSync(
+        path.join(promptsDir, "threat_detection_engine_error.md"),
+        "> [!WARNING]\n> **Threat Detection Engine Failure** — The analysis engine could not complete. This is a tooling failure, not a security finding.\n> {threat_detected_marker}\n>\n> <details>\n> <summary>What happened</summary>\n>\n> {reason_text}\n>\n> Review the [workflow run logs]({run_url}) for details.\n> </details>"
+      );
 
       process.env.RUNNER_TEMP = tmpDir;
       process.env.GH_AW_WORKFLOW_NAME = "Test Workflow";
diff --git a/actions/setup/js/messages.test.cjs b/actions/setup/js/messages.test.cjs
index d19c06eec65..f4e79aac848 100644
--- a/actions/setup/js/messages.test.cjs
+++ b/actions/setup/js/messages.test.cjs
@@ -1411,7 +1411,8 @@ describe("messages.cjs", () => {
       const result = getDetectionCautionAlert("Test Workflow", "https://github.com/test/repo/actions/runs/123");
 
       expect(result).toContain("> [!WARNING]");
-      expect(result).toContain("threat detection engine error");
+      expect(result).toContain("**Threat Detection Engine Failure**");
+      expect(result).toContain("What happened");
       expect(result).toContain("<!-- gh-aw-threat-engine-error -->");
       expect(result).not.toContain("<!-- gh-aw-threat-detected -->");
       expect(result).not.toContain("> [!CAUTION]");
diff --git a/actions/setup/js/messages_run_status.cjs b/actions/setup/js/messages_run_status.cjs
index 6796c7a60ee..2834b3e7be8 100644
--- a/actions/setup/js/messages_run_status.cjs
+++ b/actions/setup/js/messages_run_status.cjs
@@ -7,8 +7,8 @@
  * for workflow execution notifications.
  */
 
-const { getMessages, renderTemplate, toSnakeCase } = require("./messages_core.cjs");
-const { getDetectionReasonText, getThreatWarningPresentation, normalizeThreatKinds, isToolingFailureReason } = require("./threat_detection_warning.cjs");
+const { getMessages, renderTemplate, renderTemplateFromFile, toSnakeCase, getPromptPath } = require("./messages_core.cjs");
+const { getDetectionReasonText, getThreatDetectedMarkerTemplate, getThreatEngineErrorMarkerTemplate, normalizeThreatKinds, isToolingFailureReason } = require("./threat_detection_warning.cjs");
 
 /**
  * Renders a message using a custom template from config or a default template.
@@ -152,14 +152,16 @@ function getCommitPushedMessage(ctx) {
  */
 function getDetectionWarningMessage(ctx) {
   const reasonText = getDetectionReasonText(ctx.reason);
-  const presentation = getThreatWarningPresentation(ctx.reason);
   const isEngineError = isToolingFailureReason(ctx.reason);
-  if (isEngineError) {
-    const defaultTemplate = `> [!${presentation.admonition}]\n> ${presentation.title}\n> ${presentation.summary}\n> ${presentation.marker}\n>\n> <details>\n> <summary>Details</summary>\n>\n> {reason_text}\n>\n> Review the [workflow run logs]({run_url}) for details.\n> </details>`;
-    return renderConfiguredMessage("detectionEngineError", defaultTemplate, { ...ctx, reasonText, threatKinds: normalizeThreatKinds(ctx.reason) });
+  const templateFile = isEngineError ? "threat_detection_engine_error.md" : "threat_detection_caution.md";
+  const messageKey = isEngineError ? "detectionEngineError" : "detectionWarning";
+  const markerTemplate = isEngineError ? getThreatEngineErrorMarkerTemplate() : getThreatDetectedMarkerTemplate();
+  const messages = getMessages();
+  const configTemplate = messages?.[messageKey];
+  if (configTemplate) {
+    return renderTemplate(configTemplate, toSnakeCase({ ...ctx, reasonText, threat_detected_marker: markerTemplate, threatKinds: normalizeThreatKinds(ctx.reason) }));
   }
-  const defaultTemplate = `> [!${presentation.admonition}]\n> ${presentation.title}\n> ${presentation.summary}\n> ${presentation.marker}\n>\n> <details>\n> <summary>Details</summary>\n>\n> {reason_text}\n>\n> Review the [workflow run logs]({run_url}) for details.\n> </details>`;
-  return renderConfiguredMessage("detectionWarning", defaultTemplate, { ...ctx, reasonText, threatKinds: normalizeThreatKinds(ctx.reason) });
+  return renderTemplateFromFile(getPromptPath(templateFile), toSnakeCase({ ...ctx, reasonText, threat_detected_marker: markerTemplate, threatKinds: normalizeThreatKinds(ctx.reason) })).trimEnd();
 }
 
 module.exports = {
diff --git a/actions/setup/md/detection_runs_comment.md b/actions/setup/md/detection_runs_comment.md
index 68cf428f937..edb408ab6ac 100644
--- a/actions/setup/md/detection_runs_comment.md
+++ b/actions/setup/md/detection_runs_comment.md
@@ -1,7 +1,14 @@
 ### {workflow_name}
 
+Threat detection produced a **{conclusion}** result for this run.
+
+<details>
+<summary>Run details</summary>
+
 | Field | Value |
 |---|---|
 | Conclusion | `{conclusion}` |
 | Reason | `{reason}` |
 | Run | [View run]({run_url}) |
+
+</details>
diff --git a/actions/setup/md/threat_detection_caution.md b/actions/setup/md/threat_detection_caution.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..b3577a7703b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/actions/setup/md/threat_detection_caution.md
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+> [!CAUTION]
+> agentic threat detected
+> Threat detection flagged this output in warn mode. Manual review is REQUIRED before any follow-up automation.
+> {threat_detected_marker}
+>
+> <details>
+> <summary>Details</summary>
+>
+> {reason_text}
+>
+> Review the [workflow run logs]({run_url}) for details.
+> </details>
diff --git a/actions/setup/md/threat_detection_engine_error.md b/actions/setup/md/threat_detection_engine_error.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..d910df5df87
--- /dev/null
+++ b/actions/setup/md/threat_detection_engine_error.md
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+> [!WARNING]
+> **Threat Detection Engine Failure** — The analysis engine could not complete. This is a tooling failure, not a security finding.
+> {threat_detected_marker}
+>
+> <details>
+> <summary>What happened</summary>
+>
+> {reason_text}
+>
+> Review the [workflow run logs]({run_url}) for details.
+> </details>