diff --git a/src/bot/handlers/message.py b/src/bot/handlers/message.py
index bbd24084..d83f4c4e 100644
--- a/src/bot/handlers/message.py
+++ b/src/bot/handlers/message.py
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
     should_send_as_photo,
     validate_image_path,
 )
+from ..utils.quote_prompt import build_user_prompt
 
 logger = structlog.get_logger()
 
@@ -298,7 +299,9 @@ async def handle_text_message(
 ) -> None:
     """Handle regular text messages as Claude prompts."""
     user_id = update.effective_user.id
-    message_text = update.message.text
+    # Include reply/quote context so Claude sees the fragment the user is
+    # responding to, not just their new text.
+    message_text = build_user_prompt(update.message)
     settings: Settings = context.bot_data["settings"]
 
     # Get services
diff --git a/src/bot/orchestrator.py b/src/bot/orchestrator.py
index 6d9719f0..f49cf53a 100644
--- a/src/bot/orchestrator.py
+++ b/src/bot/orchestrator.py
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@
     should_send_as_photo,
     validate_image_path,
 )
+from .utils.quote_prompt import build_user_prompt
 
 logger = structlog.get_logger()
 
@@ -917,7 +918,9 @@ async def agentic_text(
     ) -> None:
         """Direct Claude passthrough. Simple progress. No suggestions."""
         user_id = update.effective_user.id
-        message_text = update.message.text
+        # Include reply/quote context so Claude sees the fragment the user is
+        # responding to, not just their new text.
+        message_text = build_user_prompt(update.message)
 
         logger.info(
             "Agentic text message",
diff --git a/src/bot/utils/quote_prompt.py b/src/bot/utils/quote_prompt.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5c1a8426
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/bot/utils/quote_prompt.py
@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+"""Build prompts from Telegram messages, including reply/quote context.
+
+When a user replies to a message (especially with a highlighted fragment —
+Telegram's partial-quote feature, Bot API 7.0+), the bot's default behaviour
+of reading only `update.message.text` drops the quoted context. Claude then
+has to guess what the user is referring to.
+
+This helper extracts the quoted fragment (partial quote has priority over
+the full replied-to message) and renders it as a markdown blockquote above
+the user's new text.
+"""
+
+from typing import Any, Optional
+
+
+def build_user_prompt(message: Any) -> str:
+    """Return the prompt text to send to Claude for a given user message.
+
+    Shape, when reply/quote context is present::
+
+        > quoted fragment line 1
+        > quoted fragment line 2
+
+        new user text
+
+    When no reply/quote is present, returns just the user's text (or caption).
+    """
+    user_text = _safe_str(getattr(message, "text", None)) or _safe_str(
+        getattr(message, "caption", None)
+    )
+    quoted = _extract_quoted_text(message)
+
+    if not quoted:
+        return user_text
+
+    blockquote = "\n".join(f"> {line}" if line else ">" for line in quoted.split("\n"))
+    if not user_text:
+        return blockquote
+
+    return f"{blockquote}\n\n{user_text}"
+
+
+def _extract_quoted_text(message: Any) -> Optional[str]:
+    """Return the text the user is referring to, or None.
+
+    Priority:
+    1. `message.quote.text` — Telegram partial-quote (user highlighted a
+       fragment of the replied-to message). Bot API 7.0+.
+    2. `message.reply_to_message.text` or `.caption` — plain reply with no
+       partial highlight; fall back to the whole replied message.
+    """
+    quote = getattr(message, "quote", None)
+    if quote is not None:
+        quote_text = _safe_str(getattr(quote, "text", None))
+        if quote_text:
+            return quote_text
+
+    reply = getattr(message, "reply_to_message", None)
+    if reply is not None:
+        reply_text = _safe_str(getattr(reply, "text", None)) or _safe_str(
+            getattr(reply, "caption", None)
+        )
+        if reply_text:
+            return reply_text
+
+    return None
+
+
+def _safe_str(value: Any) -> str:
+    """Return value if it's a string, else empty string.
+
+    Guards against MagicMock attributes in tests that set up
+    `update.message` without specifying `text`/`caption`/`quote`/
+    `reply_to_message` — those attributes return mock objects rather than
+    None, which would otherwise crash downstream string handling.
+    """
+    return value if isinstance(value, str) else ""
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_bot/test_quote_prompt.py b/tests/unit/test_bot/test_quote_prompt.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..63aac2aa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/test_bot/test_quote_prompt.py
@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+"""Tests for build_user_prompt — reply/quote context extraction."""
+
+from types import SimpleNamespace
+
+from src.bot.utils.quote_prompt import build_user_prompt
+
+
+def _make_message(text=None, caption=None, quote=None, reply_to_message=None):
+    return SimpleNamespace(
+        text=text,
+        caption=caption,
+        quote=quote,
+        reply_to_message=reply_to_message,
+    )
+
+
+def test_plain_message_returns_text_unchanged():
+    msg = _make_message(text="hello")
+    assert build_user_prompt(msg) == "hello"
+
+
+def test_message_without_text_or_caption_returns_empty_string():
+    msg = _make_message()
+    assert build_user_prompt(msg) == ""
+
+
+def test_partial_quote_takes_priority_over_reply_text():
+    """When user highlights a fragment (Bot API 7.0+ partial quote), that
+    fragment — not the whole replied-to message — is put in the blockquote."""
+    quote = SimpleNamespace(text="only this fragment")
+    reply = _make_message(text="the whole long original message")
+    msg = _make_message(
+        text="tell me more about it", quote=quote, reply_to_message=reply
+    )
+
+    result = build_user_prompt(msg)
+
+    assert result == "> only this fragment\n\ntell me more about it"
+    assert "whole long original" not in result
+
+
+def test_reply_without_partial_quote_uses_full_reply_text():
+    reply = _make_message(text="original text")
+    msg = _make_message(text="my reply", reply_to_message=reply)
+
+    assert build_user_prompt(msg) == "> original text\n\nmy reply"
+
+
+def test_reply_to_media_uses_caption():
+    """If the replied-to message is a photo/document (no `.text`), fall back
+    to its caption."""
+    reply = _make_message(text=None, caption="photo caption")
+    msg = _make_message(text="what is this?", reply_to_message=reply)
+
+    assert build_user_prompt(msg) == "> photo caption\n\nwhat is this?"
+
+
+def test_multiline_quote_renders_every_line_with_prefix():
+    reply = _make_message(text="first line\nsecond line\nthird line")
+    msg = _make_message(text="comment", reply_to_message=reply)
+
+    assert build_user_prompt(msg) == (
+        "> first line\n> second line\n> third line\n\ncomment"
+    )
+
+
+def test_blank_line_inside_quote_stays_as_bare_gt():
+    """Markdown blockquote convention — blank lines in the quote stay as `>`."""
+    reply = _make_message(text="para1\n\npara2")
+    msg = _make_message(text="x", reply_to_message=reply)
+
+    assert build_user_prompt(msg) == "> para1\n>\n> para2\n\nx"
+
+
+def test_reply_with_empty_text_and_caption_falls_through_to_plain():
+    reply = _make_message(text=None, caption=None)
+    msg = _make_message(text="standalone", reply_to_message=reply)
+
+    assert build_user_prompt(msg) == "standalone"
+
+
+def test_quote_without_reply_to_message_still_works():
+    """Edge: Telegram does send `quote` alongside `reply_to_message` in practice,
+    but the helper must not assume that."""
+    quote = SimpleNamespace(text="fragment")
+    msg = _make_message(text="ack", quote=quote, reply_to_message=None)
+
+    assert build_user_prompt(msg) == "> fragment\n\nack"
+
+
+def test_user_text_only_quote_no_new_text_returns_quote_alone():
+    """Edge: a reply with empty user text but a quoted fragment — still send
+    the quote so Claude has the context."""
+    quote = SimpleNamespace(text="just the quote")
+    msg = _make_message(text="", quote=quote)
+
+    assert build_user_prompt(msg) == "> just the quote"