diff --git a/crates/forge_app/src/dto/anthropic/response.rs b/crates/forge_app/src/dto/anthropic/response.rs
index 8837a25604..ef0cd78ac6 100644
--- a/crates/forge_app/src/dto/anthropic/response.rs
+++ b/crates/forge_app/src/dto/anthropic/response.rs
@@ -205,6 +205,7 @@ pub enum StopReason {
     MaxTokens,
     StopSequence,
     ToolUse,
+    Refusal,
 }
 
 impl From<StopReason> for forge_domain::FinishReason {
@@ -214,6 +215,7 @@ impl From<StopReason> for forge_domain::FinishReason {
             StopReason::MaxTokens => forge_domain::FinishReason::Length,
             StopReason::StopSequence => forge_domain::FinishReason::Stop,
             StopReason::ToolUse => forge_domain::FinishReason::ToolCalls,
+            StopReason::Refusal => forge_domain::FinishReason::ContentFilter,
         }
     }
 }
@@ -844,4 +846,36 @@ mod tests {
 
         assert_eq!(actual.usage, None);
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_message_delta_refusal_stop_reason() {
+        // Fable returns HTTP 200 with stop_reason "refusal" when safety
+        // classifiers decline a request. This must parse as a known event,
+        // not fall through to EventData::Unknown (which silently drops the
+        // finish reason and triggers an empty-completion retry loop).
+        let fixture = r#"{"type":"message_delta","delta":{"stop_reason":"refusal","stop_sequence":null},"usage":{"output_tokens":0}}"#;
+
+        let actual = serde_json::from_str::<EventData>(fixture).unwrap();
+
+        let expected = EventData::KnownEvent(Event::MessageDelta {
+            delta: MessageDelta { stop_reason: StopReason::Refusal, stop_sequence: None },
+            usage: Usage {
+                input_tokens: None,
+                output_tokens: Some(0),
+                cache_creation_input_tokens: None,
+                cache_read_input_tokens: None,
+            },
+        });
+        assert_eq!(actual, expected);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_refusal_maps_to_content_filter() {
+        let fixture = StopReason::Refusal;
+
+        let actual = forge_domain::FinishReason::from(fixture);
+
+        let expected = forge_domain::FinishReason::ContentFilter;
+        assert_eq!(actual, expected);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/crates/forge_domain/src/error.rs b/crates/forge_domain/src/error.rs
index 02d8f60529..31db4e4203 100644
--- a/crates/forge_domain/src/error.rs
+++ b/crates/forge_domain/src/error.rs
@@ -74,6 +74,13 @@ pub enum Error {
     #[error("Empty completion received - no content, tool calls, or valid finish reason")]
     EmptyCompletion,
 
+    #[error(
+        "The model refused to generate a response (safety/content filter). \
+         Retrying the same request will produce the same refusal - rephrase \
+         the request or switch to a different model."
+    )]
+    Refusal,
+
     #[error(transparent)]
     Retryable(anyhow::Error),
 
diff --git a/crates/forge_domain/src/result_stream_ext.rs b/crates/forge_domain/src/result_stream_ext.rs
index 9250ff0adc..46e08e7452 100644
--- a/crates/forge_domain/src/result_stream_ext.rs
+++ b/crates/forge_domain/src/result_stream_ext.rs
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ use tokio_stream::StreamExt;
 use crate::reasoning::{Reasoning, ReasoningFull};
 use crate::{
     ArcSender, ChatCompletionMessage, ChatCompletionMessageFull, ChatResponse, ChatResponseContent,
-    ToolCallFull, ToolCallPart, Usage,
+    FinishReason, ToolCallFull, ToolCallPart, Usage,
 };
 
 /// Extension trait for ResultStream to provide additional functionality
@@ -259,6 +259,14 @@ impl ResultStreamExt<anyhow::Error> for crate::BoxStream<ChatCompletionMessage,
         // Get phase from the last message that has one
         let phase = messages.iter().rev().find_map(|message| message.phase);
 
+        // A refusal/content-filter finish is deterministic - the provider
+        // will return the same result for the same request - so it must not
+        // enter the retry loop (issue #3624). Tool calls alongside a
+        // content-filter finish are left to the normal flow.
+        if finish_reason == Some(FinishReason::ContentFilter) && tool_calls.is_empty() {
+            return Err(crate::Error::Refusal.into());
+        }
+
         // Check for empty completion - map to retryable error for retry
         if content.trim().is_empty()
             && tool_calls.is_empty()
@@ -1221,6 +1229,43 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(actual, expected);
     }
 
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_into_full_refusal_is_non_retryable_error() {
+        // A refusal/content-filter finish is deterministic: retrying the same
+        // request yields the same refusal. It must NOT surface as the
+        // retryable EmptyCompletion error (issue #3624).
+        let messages = vec![Ok(ChatCompletionMessage::assistant(Content::part(""))
+            .finish_reason(FinishReason::ContentFilter))];
+        let fixture: BoxStream<ChatCompletionMessage, anyhow::Error> =
+            Box::pin(tokio_stream::iter(messages));
+
+        let actual = fixture.into_full(false).await.unwrap_err();
+
+        let domain_error = actual.downcast_ref::<crate::Error>().unwrap();
+        assert!(matches!(domain_error, crate::Error::Refusal));
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_into_full_refusal_with_partial_content_is_error() {
+        // Mid-stream refusals can arrive after partial output. The partial
+        // text has already been streamed to the UI; the turn still must end
+        // with the refusal error rather than looping.
+        let messages = vec![
+            Ok(ChatCompletionMessage::assistant(Content::part(
+                "I was about to say",
+            ))),
+            Ok(ChatCompletionMessage::assistant(Content::part(""))
+                .finish_reason(FinishReason::ContentFilter)),
+        ];
+        let fixture: BoxStream<ChatCompletionMessage, anyhow::Error> =
+            Box::pin(tokio_stream::iter(messages));
+
+        let actual = fixture.into_full(false).await.unwrap_err();
+
+        let domain_error = actual.downcast_ref::<crate::Error>().unwrap();
+        assert!(matches!(domain_error, crate::Error::Refusal));
+    }
+
     #[tokio::test]
     async fn test_into_full_empty_completion_with_tool_calls_should_not_error() {
         // Fixture: Create a stream with empty content but with tool calls