diff --git a/tests/test_coordinator_tools.py b/tests/test_coordinator_tools.py
index 7b85dbff..ea4be919 100644
--- a/tests/test_coordinator_tools.py
+++ b/tests/test_coordinator_tools.py
@@ -649,6 +649,95 @@ def test_list_nodes_prepare_drops_invalid_filter_types(coord_session):
     assert item["filters"] == {"arch": "x86_64"}
 
 
+def test_list_nodes_prepare_accepts_flat_args_as_filters(coord_session):
+    """The model frequently drops the ``filters`` nesting and passes
+    each filter as a top-level kwarg (``list_nodes(os="Linux",
+    has_gpu=true)``).  Operators saw this surface during shakedown:
+    flat-arg calls returned the full cluster because the strict-
+    nested prepare silently dropped the filter.  The relaxed prepare
+    treats every top-level non-reserved kwarg as a flat filter."""
+    sess, _coord, _ui = coord_session
+    item = sess._prepare_tool(
+        _tc("list_nodes", {"os": "Linux", "gpu_has_nvidia": True, "memory_gb": 64})
+    )
+    assert item["filters"] == {"os": "Linux", "gpu_has_nvidia": True, "memory_gb": 64}
+
+
+def test_list_nodes_prepare_reserves_paging_and_visibility_kwargs(coord_session):
+    """Top-level reserved kwargs (``limit``, ``include_network_detail``,
+    ``include_inactive``, ``filters``) are control parameters, NOT
+    filters.  A flat call like ``list_nodes(limit=10, os="Linux")``
+    must put ``limit`` on the paging path and ``os`` in the
+    filter dict — not vice-versa."""
+    sess, _coord, _ui = coord_session
+    item = sess._prepare_tool(
+        _tc(
+            "list_nodes",
+            {
+                "limit": 10,
+                "include_network_detail": True,
+                "include_inactive": True,
+                "os": "Linux",
+            },
+        )
+    )
+    assert item["limit"] == 10
+    assert item["include_network_detail"] is True
+    assert item["include_inactive"] is True
+    assert item["filters"] == {"os": "Linux"}
+
+
+def test_list_nodes_prepare_nested_wins_on_key_collision(coord_session):
+    """When the model accidentally passes the same filter key both
+    nested AND flat (rare but possible mid-refactor), the canonical
+    nested form wins so the call is deterministic."""
+    sess, _coord, _ui = coord_session
+    item = sess._prepare_tool(
+        _tc(
+            "list_nodes",
+            {
+                "filters": {"os": "Linux"},  # canonical
+                "os": "DifferentOS",  # flat — should NOT override
+            },
+        )
+    )
+    assert item["filters"] == {"os": "Linux"}
+
+
+def test_list_nodes_prepare_mixes_nested_and_flat(coord_session):
+    """A model can split filters across both shapes.  Both contribute
+    to the final filter set; nested wins only on direct collisions."""
+    sess, _coord, _ui = coord_session
+    item = sess._prepare_tool(
+        _tc(
+            "list_nodes",
+            {
+                "filters": {"os": "Linux"},
+                "gpu_has_nvidia": True,
+                "memory_gb": 64,
+            },
+        )
+    )
+    assert item["filters"] == {
+        "os": "Linux",
+        "gpu_has_nvidia": True,
+        "memory_gb": 64,
+    }
+
+
+def test_list_nodes_exec_dispatches_flat_arg_filters(coord_session):
+    """End-to-end: flat-arg filters must actually flow through to the
+    coordinator client's ``list_nodes(filters=...)`` call.  The bug
+    operators reported was the filters being silently dropped on the
+    way to storage; this test pins the prepare→exec wiring."""
+    sess, coord, _ui = coord_session
+    coord.list_nodes.return_value = {"nodes": [], "truncated": False}
+    item = sess._prepare_tool(_tc("list_nodes", {"os": "Linux"}))
+    sess._exec_list_nodes(item)
+    kwargs = coord.list_nodes.call_args.kwargs
+    assert kwargs["filters"] == {"os": "Linux"}
+
+
 def test_list_nodes_prepare_clamps_limit(coord_session):
     sess, _coord, _ui = coord_session
     over = sess._prepare_tool(_tc("list_nodes", {"limit": 9999}))
diff --git a/turnstone/core/session.py b/turnstone/core/session.py
index 520a0e87..73735dea 100644
--- a/turnstone/core/session.py
+++ b/turnstone/core/session.py
@@ -203,6 +203,15 @@ _VALID_MEMORY_SCOPES: tuple[str, ...] = ("global", "workstream", "user", "coordi
 # :meth:`ChatSession._implicit_scope_walk`.
 _IMPLICIT_SCOPE_WALK: tuple[str, ...] = ("workstream", "user", "global")
 
+# ``list_nodes`` reserves four top-level kwargs for control parameters
+# (filters / paging / output verbosity / liveness toggle).  Anything
+# else the model passes at the top level is treated as a flat filter
+# entry — see :meth:`ChatSession._prepare_list_nodes`.
+_LIST_NODES_RESERVED_ARGS: frozenset[str] = frozenset(
+    {"filters", "limit", "include_network_detail", "include_inactive"}
+)
+
+
 # ``tasks`` action classifier — partitions actions into read vs write
 # so the parallel-batch guard can permit homogeneous batches (all
 # writes serialise under the per-ws lock and converge to a consistent
@@ -6059,15 +6068,35 @@ class ChatSession:
     def _prepare_list_nodes(self, call_id: str, args: dict[str, Any]) -> dict[str, Any]:
         if self._coord_client is None:
             return self._coord_tool_error(call_id, "list_nodes", "coordinator client unavailable")
+        # Metadata values are JSON-encoded at rest; the client handles
+        # the encode/decode so preserve the model's natural types (``4``
+        # stays an int, ``"gpu"`` stays a string) rather than
+        # stringifying here.
+        #
+        # Two accepted shapes:
+        #
+        #   list_nodes(filters={"os": "Linux"})   ← canonical, nested
+        #   list_nodes(os="Linux")                ← flat top-level args
+        #
+        # Several models drop the ``filters`` nesting and emit each
+        # filter as a top-level kwarg; the strict-nested-only shape
+        # silently degraded those calls to "no filter" and returned
+        # the full cluster, which an operator hit during shakedown
+        # ("``os="DefinitelyNotAnOS"`` returned all 10 nodes").
+        # Treating top-level non-reserved args as filters fixes the
+        # natural mistake without changing the canonical shape;
+        # nested entries still win on key collision.
         raw_filters = args.get("filters")
-        # Metadata values are JSON-encoded at rest; the client handles the
-        # encode/decode so preserve the model's natural types (``4`` stays
-        # an int, ``"gpu"`` stays a string) rather than stringifying here.
         filters: dict[str, Any] = {}
         if isinstance(raw_filters, dict):
             for k, v in raw_filters.items():
                 if isinstance(k, str) and k and isinstance(v, (str, int, float, bool)):
                     filters[k] = v
+        for k, v in args.items():
+            if k in _LIST_NODES_RESERVED_ARGS:
+                continue
+            if isinstance(k, str) and k and isinstance(v, (str, int, float, bool)):
+                filters.setdefault(k, v)
         try:
             limit = int(args.get("limit") or 100)
         except (TypeError, ValueError):