diff --git a/src/browser/utils/messages/modelMessageTransform.test.ts b/src/browser/utils/messages/modelMessageTransform.test.ts
index e2a57c9e82..b23458fdb9 100644
--- a/src/browser/utils/messages/modelMessageTransform.test.ts
+++ b/src/browser/utils/messages/modelMessageTransform.test.ts
@@ -1123,3 +1123,75 @@ describe("injectFileChangeNotifications", () => {
     expect(text).toContain("diff2");
   });
 });
+
+describe("transformModelMessages - empty content filtering", () => {
+  it("should filter out messages with empty content arrays", () => {
+    // This tests the defense-in-depth filtering of empty content
+    // Note: consecutive user messages get merged, so we verify the empty assistant is removed
+    const messages: ModelMessage[] = [
+      { role: "user", content: [{ type: "text", text: "Hello" }] },
+      { role: "assistant", content: [] }, // Empty content - should be filtered
+      { role: "user", content: [{ type: "text", text: "World" }] },
+    ];
+
+    const result = transformModelMessages(messages, "anthropic");
+
+    // The empty assistant message should be filtered out
+    // The two user messages get merged into one
+    expect(result.length).toBe(1);
+    expect(result[0].role).toBe("user");
+    // Verify both user texts were merged
+    const content = result[0].content;
+    expect(Array.isArray(content)).toBe(true);
+    if (Array.isArray(content)) {
+      const text = content.find((c) => c.type === "text")?.text;
+      expect(text).toContain("Hello");
+      expect(text).toContain("World");
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("should filter out messages with empty string content", () => {
+    const messages: ModelMessage[] = [
+      { role: "user", content: [{ type: "text", text: "Hello" }] },
+      { role: "assistant", content: "" }, // Empty string content - should be filtered
+      { role: "user", content: [{ type: "text", text: "World" }] },
+    ];
+
+    const result = transformModelMessages(messages, "anthropic");
+
+    // Same as above - empty assistant filtered, users merged
+    expect(result.length).toBe(1);
+    expect(result[0].role).toBe("user");
+  });
+
+  it("should keep messages with non-empty content", () => {
+    const messages: ModelMessage[] = [
+      { role: "user", content: [{ type: "text", text: "Hello" }] },
+      { role: "assistant", content: [{ type: "text", text: "Hi there!" }] },
+      { role: "user", content: [{ type: "text", text: "World" }] },
+    ];
+
+    const result = transformModelMessages(messages, "anthropic");
+
+    expect(result.length).toBe(3);
+    expect(result[0].role).toBe("user");
+    expect(result[1].role).toBe("assistant");
+    expect(result[2].role).toBe("user");
+  });
+
+  it("should filter out empty assistant message between non-user messages", () => {
+    const messages: ModelMessage[] = [
+      { role: "user", content: [{ type: "text", text: "Hello" }] },
+      { role: "assistant", content: [{ type: "text", text: "Hi there!" }] },
+      { role: "assistant", content: [] }, // Empty - should be filtered
+      { role: "user", content: [{ type: "text", text: "Thanks" }] },
+    ];
+
+    const result = transformModelMessages(messages, "anthropic");
+
+    expect(result.length).toBe(3);
+    expect(result[0].role).toBe("user");
+    expect(result[1].role).toBe("assistant");
+    expect(result[2].role).toBe("user");
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/browser/utils/messages/modelMessageTransform.ts b/src/browser/utils/messages/modelMessageTransform.ts
index ce549be3aa..95c4d5977a 100644
--- a/src/browser/utils/messages/modelMessageTransform.ts
+++ b/src/browser/utils/messages/modelMessageTransform.ts
@@ -391,6 +391,26 @@ function filterReasoningOnlyMessages(messages: ModelMessage[]): ModelMessage[] {
   });
 }
 
+/**
+ * Filter out any ModelMessage with empty content.
+ * This is defense-in-depth to catch edge cases where upstream transforms
+ * (e.g., ignoreIncompleteToolCalls, reasoning stripping) leave messages
+ * with empty content arrays that would cause API errors.
+ *
+ * Anthropic API rejects messages like: { role: "assistant", content: [] }
+ */
+function filterEmptyContentMessages(messages: ModelMessage[]): ModelMessage[] {
+  return messages.filter((msg) => {
+    // String content with actual text is valid
+    if (typeof msg.content === "string") {
+      return msg.content.length > 0;
+    }
+
+    // Array content must have at least one item
+    return msg.content.length > 0;
+  });
+}
+
 /**
  * Coalesce consecutive parts of the same type within each message.
  * Streaming creates many individual text/reasoning parts; merge them for easier debugging.
@@ -534,7 +554,12 @@ export function transformModelMessages(messages: ModelMessage[], provider: strin
   // Pass 3: Merge consecutive user messages (applies to all providers)
   const merged = mergeConsecutiveUserMessages(reasoningHandled);
 
-  return merged;
+  // Pass 4: Filter any messages that ended up with empty content
+  // This is defense-in-depth for edge cases where transforms produce empty content
+  // (e.g., tool calls dropped, reasoning stripped, but message structure remained)
+  const nonEmpty = filterEmptyContentMessages(merged);
+
+  return nonEmpty;
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/src/node/services/historyService.test.ts b/src/node/services/historyService.test.ts
index 6d3229676e..ddd8ccf3fa 100644
--- a/src/node/services/historyService.test.ts
+++ b/src/node/services/historyService.test.ts
@@ -523,4 +523,52 @@ describe("HistoryService", () => {
       }
     });
   });
+
+  describe("deleteMessageBySequence", () => {
+    it("should delete message by historySequence", async () => {
+      const workspaceId = "workspace-delete";
+      const msg1 = createMuxMessage("msg1", "user", "Hello");
+      const msg2 = createMuxMessage("msg2", "assistant", "Hi");
+      const msg3 = createMuxMessage("msg3", "user", "Bye");
+
+      await service.appendToHistory(workspaceId, msg1);
+      await service.appendToHistory(workspaceId, msg2);
+      await service.appendToHistory(workspaceId, msg3);
+
+      // Delete the middle message (sequence 1)
+      const result = await service.deleteMessageBySequence(workspaceId, 1);
+      expect(result.success).toBe(true);
+
+      const history = await service.getHistory(workspaceId);
+      if (history.success) {
+        expect(history.data).toHaveLength(2);
+        expect(history.data[0].metadata?.historySequence).toBe(0);
+        expect(history.data[1].metadata?.historySequence).toBe(2);
+      }
+    });
+
+    it("should return success if message not found (idempotent)", async () => {
+      const workspaceId = "workspace-delete-idempotent";
+      const msg1 = createMuxMessage("msg1", "user", "Hello");
+
+      await service.appendToHistory(workspaceId, msg1);
+
+      // Try to delete non-existent sequence
+      const result = await service.deleteMessageBySequence(workspaceId, 999);
+      expect(result.success).toBe(true);
+
+      // History should be unchanged
+      const history = await service.getHistory(workspaceId);
+      if (history.success) {
+        expect(history.data).toHaveLength(1);
+      }
+    });
+
+    it("should handle deleting from empty workspace", async () => {
+      const workspaceId = "workspace-delete-empty";
+
+      const result = await service.deleteMessageBySequence(workspaceId, 0);
+      expect(result.success).toBe(true);
+    });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/src/node/services/historyService.ts b/src/node/services/historyService.ts
index fbb86a6b80..db226bbd2c 100644
--- a/src/node/services/historyService.ts
+++ b/src/node/services/historyService.ts
@@ -246,6 +246,51 @@ export class HistoryService {
     });
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Delete a specific message from history by its historySequence number.
+   * Used to clean up empty placeholder messages when a stream is interrupted
+   * before producing any content.
+   */
+  async deleteMessageBySequence(
+    workspaceId: string,
+    historySequence: number
+  ): Promise<Result<void>> {
+    return this.fileLocks.withLock(workspaceId, async () => {
+      try {
+        const historyPath = this.getChatHistoryPath(workspaceId);
+
+        // Read all messages
+        const historyResult = await this.getHistory(workspaceId);
+        if (!historyResult.success) {
+          return historyResult;
+        }
+
+        const messages = historyResult.data;
+
+        // Filter out the message with the target sequence
+        const filteredMessages = messages.filter(
+          (msg) => msg.metadata?.historySequence !== historySequence
+        );
+
+        // If nothing was removed, return success (idempotent)
+        if (filteredMessages.length === messages.length) {
+          return Ok(undefined);
+        }
+
+        // Rewrite entire file without the deleted message
+        const historyEntries = filteredMessages
+          .map((msg) => JSON.stringify({ ...msg, workspaceId }) + "\n")
+          .join("");
+
+        await writeFileAtomic(historyPath, historyEntries);
+        return Ok(undefined);
+      } catch (error) {
+        const message = error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error);
+        return Err(`Failed to delete message: ${message}`);
+      }
+    });
+  }
+
   /**
    * Truncate history after a specific message ID
    * Removes the message with the given ID and all subsequent messages
diff --git a/src/node/services/partialService.ts b/src/node/services/partialService.ts
index 0f3677ed9e..7c594c35d4 100644
--- a/src/node/services/partialService.ts
+++ b/src/node/services/partialService.ts
@@ -156,10 +156,13 @@ export class PartialService {
         (msg) => msg.metadata?.historySequence === partialSeq
       );
 
+      const partialHasContent = (partial.parts?.length ?? 0) > 0;
+      const existingIsEmpty = (existingMessage?.parts?.length ?? 0) === 0;
+
       const shouldCommit =
         (!existingMessage || // No message with this sequence yet
           (partial.parts?.length ?? 0) > (existingMessage.parts?.length ?? 0)) && // Partial has more parts
-        (partial.parts?.length ?? 0) > 0; // Don't commit empty messages
+        partialHasContent; // Don't commit empty messages
 
       if (shouldCommit) {
         if (existingMessage) {
@@ -175,6 +178,18 @@ export class PartialService {
             return appendResult;
           }
         }
+      } else if (!partialHasContent && existingMessage && existingIsEmpty) {
+        // Partial has no content AND there's an empty placeholder in history
+        // This happens when stream is interrupted before producing any content
+        // Delete the empty placeholder to prevent "content field is empty" API errors
+        const deleteResult = await this.historyService.deleteMessageBySequence(
+          workspaceId,
+          partialSeq
+        );
+        if (!deleteResult.success) {
+          // Log but don't fail - the message filter will catch this as fallback
+          log.warn(`Failed to delete empty placeholder: ${deleteResult.error}`);
+        }
       }
 
       // Delete partial.json after successful commit (or if already finalized)