diff --git a/brain-bar/Sources/BrainBar/MCPRouter.swift b/brain-bar/Sources/BrainBar/MCPRouter.swift
index c7f57078..8f2d830a 100644
--- a/brain-bar/Sources/BrainBar/MCPRouter.swift
+++ b/brain-bar/Sources/BrainBar/MCPRouter.swift
@@ -395,11 +395,16 @@ final class MCPRouter: @unchecked Sendable {
             return toolCallResult(id: id, output: expandPalette(session: session))
         }
 
-        // Check tool exists
-        guard isToolExposed(toolName, session: session) else {
+        guard Self.toolDefinitions.contains(where: { ($0["name"] as? String) == toolName }) else {
             return jsonRPCError(id: id, code: -32601, message: "Unknown tool: \(toolName)")
         }
 
+        guard isToolExposed(toolName, session: session) else {
+            let message = "Tool '\(toolName)' is gated by the core MCP profile. "
+                + "Call expand_palette, or set BRAINLAYER_MCP_PROFILE=full on the MCP server."
+            return jsonRPCError(id: id, code: -32601, message: message)
+        }
+
         // Dispatch to handler
         do {
             try Self.validate(arguments: arguments, for: toolName)
diff --git a/brain-bar/Tests/BrainBarTests/MCPRouterTests.swift b/brain-bar/Tests/BrainBarTests/MCPRouterTests.swift
index 60419d55..6d26359d 100644
--- a/brain-bar/Tests/BrainBarTests/MCPRouterTests.swift
+++ b/brain-bar/Tests/BrainBarTests/MCPRouterTests.swift
@@ -169,6 +169,19 @@ final class MCPRouterTests: XCTestCase {
         }
     }
 
+    func testCoreProfileExplainsGateAndBothRemedies() throws {
+        let router = MCPRouter(profile: "core")
+        let response = router.handle(toolCall(id: 19, name: "brain_digest", arguments: [:]))
+        let error = try XCTUnwrap(response["error"] as? [String: Any])
+
+        XCTAssertEqual(error["code"] as? Int, -32601)
+        XCTAssertEqual(
+            error["message"] as? String,
+            "Tool 'brain_digest' is gated by the core MCP profile. "
+                + "Call expand_palette, or set BRAINLAYER_MCP_PROFILE=full on the MCP server."
+        )
+    }
+
     func testEnvironmentProfileControlsDefaultRouter() throws {
         let environmentKey = "BRAINLAYER_MCP_PROFILE"
         let originalProfile = ProcessInfo.processInfo.environment[environmentKey]
@@ -1038,6 +1051,7 @@ No results found.
 
         XCTAssertNotNil(error, "Unknown tool should return JSON-RPC error")
         XCTAssertEqual(error?["code"] as? Int, -32601, "Should be method-not-found error")
+        XCTAssertEqual(error?["message"] as? String, "Unknown tool: nonexistent_tool")
     }
 
     func testBrainDigestRejectsOversizedContentAtSchemaLayer() throws {
diff --git a/src/brainlayer/mcp/__init__.py b/src/brainlayer/mcp/__init__.py
index 342e6b4d..a9db06ca 100644
--- a/src/brainlayer/mcp/__init__.py
+++ b/src/brainlayer/mcp/__init__.py
@@ -1340,7 +1340,10 @@ async def call_tool(name: str, arguments: dict[str, Any]):
         )
 
     if name in _FULL_TOOL_NAMES and not _tool_palette.is_exposed(name):
-        return _error_result(f"Tool not exposed in the core profile: {name}. Call {EXPAND_TOOL_NAME} first.")
+        return _error_result(
+            f"Tool '{name}' is gated by the core MCP profile. "
+            f"Call {EXPAND_TOOL_NAME}, or set BRAINLAYER_MCP_PROFILE=full on the MCP server."
+        )
 
     # --- New consolidated tools ---
 
diff --git a/tests/test_mcp_palette.py b/tests/test_mcp_palette.py
index 543af736..d25b6ef3 100644
--- a/tests/test_mcp_palette.py
+++ b/tests/test_mcp_palette.py
@@ -35,6 +35,29 @@ def test_environment_profile_is_resolved_once(monkeypatch):
     assert len(palette.expose(_full_tool_definitions())) == 13
 
 
+def test_python_core_profile_explains_gate_and_both_remedies(monkeypatch):
+    palette = ToolPalette("core")
+    monkeypatch.setattr(mcp_module, "_tool_palette", palette)
+
+    result = asyncio.run(call_tool("brain_digest", {}))
+
+    assert result.isError is True
+    assert result.content[0].text == (
+        "Tool 'brain_digest' is gated by the core MCP profile. "
+        "Call expand_palette, or set BRAINLAYER_MCP_PROFILE=full on the MCP server."
+    )
+
+
+def test_python_unknown_tool_remains_unknown(monkeypatch):
+    palette = ToolPalette("core")
+    monkeypatch.setattr(mcp_module, "_tool_palette", palette)
+
+    result = asyncio.run(call_tool("nonexistent_tool", {}))
+
+    assert result.isError is True
+    assert result.content[0].text == "Unknown tool: nonexistent_tool"
+
+
 def test_python_palette_expands_once_and_dispatches_deferred_tools(monkeypatch):
     palette = ToolPalette("core")
     monkeypatch.setattr(mcp_module, "_tool_palette", palette)
@@ -43,7 +66,7 @@ def test_python_palette_expands_once_and_dispatches_deferred_tools(monkeypatch):
 
     before = asyncio.run(call_tool("brain_tags", {}))
     assert before.isError is True
-    assert "not exposed" in before.content[0].text
+    assert "gated by the core MCP profile" in before.content[0].text
 
     first = asyncio.run(call_tool("expand_palette", {}))
     assert first.isError is False