diff --git a/docs/ASSESSMENT-infra-friction.md b/docs/ASSESSMENT-infra-friction.md
index 9a054b9..b2ba61c 100644
--- a/docs/ASSESSMENT-infra-friction.md
+++ b/docs/ASSESSMENT-infra-friction.md
@@ -120,11 +120,14 @@ Reading:
   in 3 sessions each — corroborates the plumbing-overhead story and the live MCP
   flakiness seen during this work (REST fallback used).
 
-**Caveat — fingerprint noise:** the fail-hint heuristic also catches non-failures
-(successful hub JSON responses, source lines containing `raise …Error`, linter
-"N errors" summaries). The *top* fingerprints above are real; a future refinement
-should tighten `_is_failed` (e.g. skip valid-JSON success payloads and code-read
-snapshots) before trusting the long tail.
+**Fingerprint noise — mostly handled.** `_is_failed` now excludes successful hub
+JSON responses (top-level no-error payloads) and file-read snapshots (numbered
+`cat -n` source lines), which cut distinct fingerprints **444 → 269 (~40 %)**
+without touching the top entries. Residual low-value items remain in the long tail
+(bare structural lines like `{`, linter "N errors" summaries); the *top*
+fingerprints are real. Note several entries (`MCP error -32602`,
+`update_task_status 'title'`) reflect the State Hub MCP instability hit live during
+this work — genuine, if self-referential, friction.
 
 ## What this assessment still can't see
 
diff --git a/session_memory/core/digest.py b/session_memory/core/digest.py
index 67a6065..ef45cb2 100644
--- a/session_memory/core/digest.py
+++ b/session_memory/core/digest.py
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ belongs to the Detect phase (PRD §6.2).
 from __future__ import annotations
 
 import collections
+import json
 import re
 from typing import Any
 
@@ -22,6 +23,12 @@ _FAIL_HINTS = ("error", "failed", "exception", "traceback", "fatal", "non-zero")
 # Substrings suggesting a clean test pass.
 _PASS_HINTS = ("passed", "0 failed", "ok", "success")
 
+# A line that is numbered source content from a Read result (`cat -n` style),
+# e.g. "229\t    raise InfospaceError(" — code text, never a runtime error.
+_NUMBERED_LINE_RE = re.compile(r"^\s*\d+\t")
+# Top-level keys that mark a JSON tool-result as an actual error (vs. success).
+_JSON_ERROR_KEYS = ("error", "errors", "detail")
+
 # Normalization patterns so the same error collapses to one fingerprint
 # regardless of paths / ids / counts (WP-0006 T01).
 _UUID_RE = re.compile(r"\b[0-9a-f]{8}-[0-9a-f]{4}-[0-9a-f]{4}-[0-9a-f]{4}-[0-9a-f]{12}\b", re.I)
@@ -195,12 +202,48 @@ def _error_body(event: SessionEvent, blobs: dict) -> str:
     return event.summary or ""
 
 
+def _looks_like_file_read(body: str) -> bool:
+    """True if the body is mostly numbered source lines (a Read result), not an error."""
+    lines = [ln for ln in body.splitlines() if ln.strip()]
+    if not lines:
+        return False
+    numbered = sum(1 for ln in lines if _NUMBERED_LINE_RE.match(ln))
+    return numbered >= max(3, len(lines) // 2)
+
+
+def _json_verdict(body: str):
+    """Classify a JSON tool-result body: 'error', 'success', or None (not JSON).
+
+    Hub MCP successes look like ``{"result": "..."}`` and mention 'error' deep
+    inside summaries but are not failures ('success'). A payload with a top-level
+    error key (``{"detail": ...}`` / ``{"error": ...}``) is 'error'. Non-JSON text
+    returns None so the plain fail-hint heuristic still applies.
+    """
+    s = body.strip()
+    if not s or s[0] not in "{[":
+        return None
+    try:
+        obj = json.loads(s)
+    except (ValueError, TypeError):
+        return None
+    if isinstance(obj, dict) and any(k in obj for k in _JSON_ERROR_KEYS):
+        return "error"
+    return "success"
+
+
 def _is_failed(event: SessionEvent, blobs: dict) -> bool:
     if event.kind == "error":
         return True
     if event.kind == "tool_result":
-        body = _error_body(event, blobs).lower()
-        return bool(body) and any(h in body for h in _FAIL_HINTS)
+        body = _error_body(event, blobs)
+        if not body.strip():
+            return False
+        if _looks_like_file_read(body):
+            return False
+        verdict = _json_verdict(body)
+        if verdict is not None:
+            return verdict == "error"
+        return any(h in body.lower() for h in _FAIL_HINTS)
     return False
 
 
diff --git a/tests/test_digest_errors.py b/tests/test_digest_errors.py
index 78e0440..e1effb7 100644
--- a/tests/test_digest_errors.py
+++ b/tests/test_digest_errors.py
@@ -59,6 +59,33 @@ def test_clean_tool_result_not_mined():
     assert _error_snippets(events, blobs) == []
 
 
+def test_success_json_not_mined():
+    # a hub MCP success payload mentioning 'error' deep inside is NOT a failure
+    blobs = {"b1": '{"result": "{\\"domain\\": \\"custodian\\", \\"note\\": \\"no errors\\"}"}'}
+    events = [_ev(0, "tool_result", tool="mcp__state-hub__get_domain_summary", payload_ref="b1")]
+    assert _error_snippets(events, blobs) == []
+
+
+def test_error_json_still_mined():
+    blobs = {"b1": '{"detail": "Invalid request parameters"}'}
+    events = [_ev(0, "tool_result", tool="Bash", payload_ref="b1")]
+    snips = _error_snippets(events, blobs)
+    assert len(snips) == 1
+
+
+def test_plain_mcp_error_still_mined():
+    blobs = {"b1": "MCP error -32602: Invalid request parameters"}
+    events = [_ev(0, "tool_result", tool="Bash", payload_ref="b1")]
+    assert len(_error_snippets(events, blobs)) == 1
+
+
+def test_file_read_snapshot_not_mined():
+    # a Read result of source code containing 'raise ...Error' is not a runtime error
+    blobs = {"b1": "227\t    def f():\n228\t        x = 1\n229\t        raise InfospaceError()\n"}
+    events = [_ev(0, "tool_result", tool="Read", payload_ref="b1")]
+    assert _error_snippets(events, blobs) == []
+
+
 def test_build_digest_includes_error_snippets_and_v2():
     s = Session(session_uid="claude:s", flavor="claude", native_session_id="s", repo="r")
     events = [_ev(0, "user_msg"), _ev(1, "error", payload_ref="b1"), _ev(2, "assistant_msg")]