diff --git a/internal/session/session.go b/internal/session/session.go
index 3d1a152..8168ec4 100644
--- a/internal/session/session.go
+++ b/internal/session/session.go
@@ -256,8 +256,49 @@ func (f frame) result(found bool) ([]byte, error) {
 	}
 }
 
+// utf16Len counts a string the way the service does: in UTF-16 code units, one
+// per character up to U+FFFF and two beyond it. This is what JavaScript's
+// String.length and Java's String.length() report, and the framed payload
+// lengths are produced by that side.
+func utf16Len(s string) int {
+	n := 0
+	for _, r := range s {
+		if r > 0xFFFF {
+			n += 2
+		} else {
+			n++
+		}
+	}
+	return n
+}
+
+// utf16Split cuts s after n UTF-16 code units, returning the prefix and the
+// rest. ok is false when s holds fewer than n units.
+func utf16Split(s string, n int) (prefix, rest string, ok bool) {
+	units := 0
+	for i, r := range s {
+		if units == n {
+			return s[:i], s[i:], true
+		}
+		if r > 0xFFFF {
+			units += 2
+		} else {
+			units++
+		}
+	}
+	if units == n {
+		return s, "", true
+	}
+	return "", s, false
+}
+
 // parseFrames decodes a framed command response (PROTOCOL.md §3) into a map of
 // command id → frame. A leading E/D/B status is a session-level error.
+//
+// Payload lengths in the framing count characters, not bytes, so they are
+// consumed in UTF-16 code units. Slicing by bytes works only while everything
+// is ASCII and silently truncates the moment it is not — a localized error
+// message or an accented file name loses its tail.
 func parseFrames(body string) (map[string]frame, error) {
 	if body == "" {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("empty response")
@@ -293,11 +334,11 @@ func parseFrames(body string) (map[string]frame, error) {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("malformed length: %w", err)
 		}
 		i += l + 1
-		if i+n > len(body) {
+		payload, rest, ok := utf16Split(body[i:], n)
+		if !ok {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("truncated payload")
 		}
-		payload := body[i : i+n]
-		i += n
+		i = len(body) - len(rest)
 		if len(payload) < 1 {
 			continue
 		}
diff --git a/internal/session/session_test.go b/internal/session/session_test.go
index 0188c36..185a0ff 100644
--- a/internal/session/session_test.go
+++ b/internal/session/session_test.go
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 package session
 
-import "testing"
+import (
+	"strconv"
+	"testing"
+)
 
 // resultFor decodes the frame for id from body (test helper mirroring Execute).
 func resultFor(t *testing.T, body, id string) ([]byte, error) {
@@ -69,3 +72,49 @@ func TestFrameMissing(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatal("missing frame should error")
 	}
 }
+
+// The framed length counts characters, not bytes: the service is counting the
+// way JavaScript and Java do. Slicing the body by bytes truncates any payload
+// containing non-ASCII — a localized error message, an accented file name —
+// and leaves the caller with a payload cut mid-character.
+func TestParseFramesLengthCountsCharactersNotBytes(t *testing.T) {
+	payload := `K:{"message":"L'agente 'x' già esiste.","status":"error"}`
+	body := "K:K1:" + strconv.Itoa(len([]rune(payload))) + ":" + payload
+
+	frames, err := parseFrames(body)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("parseFrames: %v", err)
+	}
+	f, ok := frames["K1"]
+	if !ok {
+		t.Fatal("frame K1 missing")
+	}
+	data, err := f.result(true)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("result: %v", err)
+	}
+	want := `{"message":"L'agente 'x' già esiste.","status":"error"}`
+	if string(data) != want {
+		t.Fatalf("payload truncated:\n got %q\nwant %q", data, want)
+	}
+}
+
+// Beyond the basic plane a character is two UTF-16 units, which is what the
+// service counts — counting Go runes there would trade one off-by-one for
+// another.
+func TestParseFramesCountsUTF16Units(t *testing.T) {
+	payload := `K:{"n":"😀"}` // the emoji is one rune but two UTF-16 units
+	body := "K:K1:" + strconv.Itoa(utf16Len(payload)) + ":" + payload
+
+	frames, err := parseFrames(body)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("parseFrames: %v", err)
+	}
+	data, err := frames["K1"].result(true)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("result: %v", err)
+	}
+	if string(data) != `{"n":"😀"}` {
+		t.Fatalf("got %q", data)
+	}
+}