diff --git a/src/lib/llm/client.test.ts b/src/lib/llm/client.test.ts
index 2f11b0f..edd72bc 100644
--- a/src/lib/llm/client.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/llm/client.test.ts
@@ -69,6 +69,68 @@ describe('complete — request shapes', () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe('complete — multi-turn messages', () => {
+  it('without messages, the Anthropic body is identical to the single-user shape', async () => {
+    const fn = mockFetch(() => anthropicReply('ok'));
+    await complete(base, { system: 'sys', user: 'hi' });
+    const body = JSON.parse((fn.mock.calls[0]![1].body as string));
+    expect(body.messages).toEqual([{ role: 'user', content: 'hi' }]);
+  });
+
+  it('without messages, the OpenAI body keeps system + single user', async () => {
+    const fn = mockFetch(() => openaiReply('ok'));
+    const cfg: LlmConfig = { ...base, provider: 'openai-compatible', baseUrl: 'https://api.openai.com/v1', model: 'gpt-4o' };
+    await complete(cfg, { system: 'sys', user: 'hi' });
+    const body = JSON.parse((fn.mock.calls[0]![1].body as string));
+    expect(body.messages).toEqual([
+      { role: 'system', content: 'sys' },
+      { role: 'user', content: 'hi' },
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it('passes a transcript through as alternating turns (Anthropic), superseding user', async () => {
+    const fn = mockFetch(() => anthropicReply('ok'));
+    await complete(base, {
+      system: 'sys', user: 'ignored-when-messages-present',
+      messages: [
+        { role: 'user', content: 'I open the door.' },
+        { role: 'assistant', content: 'It creaks open.' },
+        { role: 'user', content: 'I step through.' },
+      ],
+    });
+    const body = JSON.parse((fn.mock.calls[0]![1].body as string));
+    expect(body.messages).toEqual([
+      { role: 'user', content: 'I open the door.' },
+      { role: 'assistant', content: 'It creaks open.' },
+      { role: 'user', content: 'I step through.' },
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it('prepends a synthetic user turn when the transcript starts with assistant', async () => {
+    const fn = mockFetch(() => anthropicReply('ok'));
+    await complete(base, {
+      system: 'sys', user: 'u',
+      messages: [{ role: 'assistant', content: 'The tavern is loud.' }, { role: 'user', content: 'I sit.' }],
+    });
+    const body = JSON.parse((fn.mock.calls[0]![1].body as string));
+    expect(body.messages[0]).toEqual({ role: 'user', content: '(scene start)' });
+    expect(body.messages.at(-1)).toEqual({ role: 'user', content: 'I sit.' });
+  });
+
+  it('appends a Continue. user turn when the transcript ends on assistant', async () => {
+    const fn = mockFetch(() => openaiReply('ok'));
+    const cfg: LlmConfig = { ...base, provider: 'openai-compatible', baseUrl: 'https://api.openai.com/v1', model: 'gpt-4o' };
+    await complete(cfg, {
+      system: 'sys', user: 'u',
+      messages: [{ role: 'user', content: 'Where am I?' }, { role: 'assistant', content: 'A dark wood.' }],
+    });
+    const body = JSON.parse((fn.mock.calls[0]![1].body as string));
+    // system first, then the two turns, then the synthetic Continue.
+    expect(body.messages[0].role).toBe('system');
+    expect(body.messages.at(-1)).toEqual({ role: 'user', content: 'Continue.' });
+  });
+});
+
 describe('complete — structured output', () => {
   const schema = z.object({ name: z.string() });
   it('parses JSON wrapped in markdown fences', async () => {
diff --git a/src/lib/llm/client.ts b/src/lib/llm/client.ts
index c098bb7..aae7209 100644
--- a/src/lib/llm/client.ts
+++ b/src/lib/llm/client.ts
@@ -81,6 +81,23 @@ interface Request {
   body: unknown;
 }
 
+type Turn = { role: 'user' | 'assistant'; content: string };
+
+/**
+ * Resolve the message list both providers send. Collapses to today's single
+ * `[{role:'user',content:user}]` when no `messages` are supplied, so existing
+ * callers are byte-identical. When a transcript is given it enforces the shared
+ * provider invariants: the first turn must be `user`, and the last turn must NOT
+ * be an `assistant` prefill (Anthropic Opus 4.6+ 400s on that; OpenAI handles it
+ * poorly) — a trailing assistant turn gets a `"Continue."` user turn appended.
+ */
+function turns(opts: CompleteOptions): Turn[] {
+  const src = opts.messages?.length ? opts.messages : [{ role: 'user' as const, content: opts.user }];
+  const out: Turn[] = src[0]?.role === 'assistant' ? [{ role: 'user', content: '(scene start)' }, ...src] : [...src];
+  if (out[out.length - 1]?.role === 'assistant') out.push({ role: 'user', content: 'Continue.' });
+  return out;
+}
+
 function buildAnthropic(cfg: LlmConfig, opts: CompleteOptions, wantJson: boolean): Request {
   return {
     url: `${trimSlash(cfg.baseUrl)}/v1/messages`,
@@ -94,7 +111,7 @@ function buildAnthropic(cfg: LlmConfig, opts: CompleteOptions, wantJson: boolean
       model: cfg.model,
       max_tokens: opts.maxTokens ?? DEFAULT_MAX_TOKENS,
       system: wantJson ? opts.system + jsonInstruction() : opts.system,
-      messages: [{ role: 'user', content: opts.user }],
+      messages: turns(opts),
     },
   };
 }
@@ -111,7 +128,7 @@ function buildOpenai(cfg: LlmConfig, opts: CompleteOptions, wantJson: boolean):
       max_tokens: opts.maxTokens ?? DEFAULT_MAX_TOKENS,
       messages: [
         { role: 'system', content: wantJson ? opts.system + jsonInstruction() : opts.system },
-        { role: 'user', content: opts.user },
+        ...turns(opts),
       ],
       ...(wantJson ? { response_format: { type: 'json_object' } } : {}),
     },
diff --git a/src/lib/llm/types.ts b/src/lib/llm/types.ts
index 82e32a2..dc34f45 100644
--- a/src/lib/llm/types.ts
+++ b/src/lib/llm/types.ts
@@ -32,8 +32,13 @@ export type LlmResult<T> =
 export interface CompleteOptions<T = unknown> {
   /** System prompt — must lead with the grounding/system constraint. */
   system: string;
-  /** User message. */
+  /** User message. Used when `messages` is absent (and as a fallback). */
   user: string;
+  /** Optional multi-turn conversation history. When non-empty it supersedes `user`.
+   *  The provider request enforces the shared invariants (first turn must be `user`;
+   *  no trailing `assistant` prefill — Anthropic Opus 4.6+ rejects it), so callers may
+   *  pass a raw transcript without normalizing alternation themselves. */
+  messages?: { role: 'user' | 'assistant'; content: string }[];
   /** When provided, structured JSON output is requested and validated against it.
    *  Input is left open (`any`) so schemas using coerce/preprocess/transform — whose
    *  parsed input type differs from T — are accepted; T is pinned to the output. */