diff --git a/src/fetch/src/mcp_server_fetch/server.py b/src/fetch/src/mcp_server_fetch/server.py
index 9bdbb1ef47..bb628235fb 100644
--- a/src/fetch/src/mcp_server_fetch/server.py
+++ b/src/fetch/src/mcp_server_fetch/server.py
@@ -36,12 +36,19 @@ def extract_content_from_html(html: str) -> str:
     ret = readabilipy.simple_json.simple_json_from_html_string(
         html, use_readability=True
     )
+    failed = "<error>Page failed to be simplified from HTML</error>"
     if not ret["content"]:
-        return "<error>Page failed to be simplified from HTML</error>"
+        return failed
     content = markdownify.markdownify(
         ret["content"],
         heading_style=markdownify.ATX,
     )
+    # Without Node, readabilipy's pure-Python extractor never returns empty
+    # content: an empty page comes back as "<div></div>", which converts to an
+    # empty string. Report that as the same simplification failure the Node
+    # path reports, rather than letting it reach pagination as an exhausted page.
+    if not content.strip():
+        return failed
     return content
 
 
diff --git a/src/fetch/tests/test_protocol.py b/src/fetch/tests/test_protocol.py
index d13a2fb2a2..f6672662fd 100644
--- a/src/fetch/tests/test_protocol.py
+++ b/src/fetch/tests/test_protocol.py
@@ -451,18 +451,23 @@ async def test_html_without_node_falls_back_to_pure_python(web: FakeWeb) -> None
     assert "https://example.com/x" not in text
 
 
-# KNOWN BUG #4989: an empty page without Node reports "No more content available" at start_index 0 instead of a simplification failure; the fix changes this assertion.
 @pytest.mark.usefixtures("python_readability")
-async def test_empty_html_without_node_reads_as_no_more_content(web: FakeWeb) -> None:
-    # The pure-Python extractor never returns empty content, so the
-    # "failed to be simplified" message is not reached; the page converts to
-    # an empty string and the pagination check reports it as exhausted.
+async def test_empty_html_without_node_cannot_be_simplified(web: FakeWeb) -> None:
+    # The pure-Python extractor returns "<div></div>" for an empty page, which
+    # converts to an empty string. It reports the same simplification failure
+    # as the Node path, not "No more content available" at start_index 0.
     web.add(PAGE, html("<html><body></body></html>"))
     async with connect(ignore_robots_txt=True) as (session, _):
         result = await call(session, {"url": PAGE})
-    assert text_of(result) == (
-        f"Contents of {PAGE}:\n<error>No more content available.</error>"
-    )
+    assert wire(result) == {
+        "content": [
+            {
+                "type": "text",
+                "text": f"Contents of {PAGE}:\n<error>Page failed to be simplified from HTML</error>",
+            }
+        ],
+        "isError": False,
+    }
 
 
 async def test_raw_returns_html_unsimplified(web: FakeWeb) -> None: