diff --git a/go-api/internal/runtime/smalltalk.go b/go-api/internal/runtime/smalltalk.go
index 1052526..cfe4777 100644
--- a/go-api/internal/runtime/smalltalk.go
+++ b/go-api/internal/runtime/smalltalk.go
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ import "strings"
 // question with a greeting, so the set only holds phrases that carry no request
 // at all.
 func isSmalltalk(q string) bool {
-	n := normaliseSmalltalk(q)
+	n := stripVocative(normaliseSmalltalk(q))
 	if n == "" {
 		return false
 	}
@@ -36,6 +36,38 @@ func isSmalltalk(q string) bool {
 	return ok
 }
 
+// stripVocative drops the assistant's name when the message is addressed to it.
+//
+// "Thank you Owliver" cost a full operational turn — tools, retrieval, a
+// six-section briefing with citations — because the set held "thank you" and
+// "hi owliver" but not "thank you owliver". The greetings had been given name
+// variants by hand and the thanks and farewells had not, which is the failure
+// mode of writing the cross product out: one half gets maintained.
+//
+// So the name comes off once, here, and the set holds each phrase exactly
+// once. "Thanks Owliver", "Owliver hi" and "Good night Owliver" all reduce to
+// a phrase already in it.
+//
+// Only at an end, and only as a WHOLE word: a name in the middle of a sentence
+// is not a vocative, and "owliver" inside a longer message ("ask owliver to
+// check the rota") must not be removed — stripping it would leave a fragment
+// that could match something it should not. Nothing is stripped if the name is
+// all there is, because "Owliver" alone is somebody getting the agent's
+// attention, which the set already covers as its own row.
+func stripVocative(n string) string {
+	const name = "owliver"
+	if n == name {
+		return n
+	}
+	if rest, ok := strings.CutSuffix(n, " "+name); ok {
+		return rest
+	}
+	if rest, ok := strings.CutPrefix(n, name+" "); ok {
+		return rest
+	}
+	return n
+}
+
 // normaliseSmalltalk reduces a message to lowercase letters and single spaces.
 //
 // Punctuation and emoji are dropped rather than enumerated, so "Hi!", "hi :)"
@@ -80,8 +112,11 @@ func normaliseSmalltalk(q string) string {
 var smalltalkPhrases = map[string]struct{}{
 	"hi": {}, "hii": {}, "hiya": {}, "hello": {}, "helo": {}, "hey": {},
 	"yo": {}, "howdy": {}, "greetings": {}, "hi there": {},
-	"hello there": {}, "hey there": {}, "hi owliver": {},
-	"hello owliver": {}, "hey owliver": {},
+	"hello there": {}, "hey there": {},
+	// "Owliver" alone: somebody getting the agent's attention. The NAMED
+	// variants of every other phrase are handled by stripVocative, not by rows
+	// here — see the note on why the cross product was a mistake.
+	"owliver": {},
 
 	"good morning": {}, "good afternoon": {}, "good evening": {},
 	"good day": {}, "morning": {}, "afternoon": {}, "evening": {},
@@ -92,7 +127,10 @@ var smalltalkPhrases = map[string]struct{}{
 
 	"thanks": {}, "thank you": {}, "thanks a lot": {},
 	"thank you very much": {}, "thanks very much": {}, "many thanks": {},
-	"ty": {}, "cheers": {}, "thank u": {},
+	"ty": {}, "cheers": {}, "thank u": {}, "thankyou": {}, "thx": {},
+	"thank you so much": {}, "thanks so much": {}, "tysm": {},
+	"much appreciated": {}, "appreciated": {}, "perfect thanks": {},
+	"great thanks": {},
 
 	"bye": {}, "goodbye": {}, "good bye": {}, "see you": {},
 	"see ya": {}, "good night": {}, "goodnight": {}, "later": {},
diff --git a/go-api/internal/runtime/smalltalk_test.go b/go-api/internal/runtime/smalltalk_test.go
index 73f7e70..2bb4369 100644
--- a/go-api/internal/runtime/smalltalk_test.go
+++ b/go-api/internal/runtime/smalltalk_test.go
@@ -176,3 +176,35 @@ func TestCatalogueWithheldOnceToolBudgetIsSpent(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("the final call carried %d tool definitions; the tool budget was spent", n)
 	}
 }
+
+// The case from production: "Thank you Owliver" answered with a six-section
+// operational briefing — tools, retrieval, citations, next steps — because the
+// set held "thank you" and "hi owliver" but not the two together.
+func TestSmalltalkSurvivesBeingAddressedByName(t *testing.T) {
+	for _, q := range []string{
+		"Thank you Owliver", "thanks owliver", "Thanks, Owliver!",
+		"Owliver hi", "hi owliver", "Hello Owliver",
+		"Good morning Owliver", "good night owliver", "bye owliver",
+		"owliver", "Owliver?",
+	} {
+		if !isSmalltalk(q) {
+			t.Errorf("isSmalltalk(%q) = false; a greeting addressed by name is still a greeting", q)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// The name comes off only as a vocative at an end. A real question that
+// mentions the agent is still a real question.
+func TestAQuestionMentioningTheNameIsNotSmalltalk(t *testing.T) {
+	for _, q := range []string{
+		"ask owliver to check the rota",
+		"owliver how many shifts are uncovered",
+		"thanks owliver now show me the backlog",
+		"is owliver working",
+		"hi owliver which positions are at risk",
+	} {
+		if isSmalltalk(q) {
+			t.Errorf("isSmalltalk(%q) = true; this asks for something and must keep its tools", q)
+		}
+	}
+}