diff --git a/graphify/serve.py b/graphify/serve.py
index 75798f5b7..c5cd16987 100644
--- a/graphify/serve.py
+++ b/graphify/serve.py
@@ -919,9 +919,15 @@ def _cut_lines_to_budget(lines: list[str], token_budget: int, narrow_hint: str)
     cut_at = output[:char_budget].rfind("\n")
     cut_at = cut_at if cut_at > 0 else char_budget
     kept = output[:cut_at]
-    cut_count = len(lines) - kept.count("\n") - 1
+    shown = kept.count("\n") + 1
+    cut_count = len(lines) - shown
+    # Announce truncation at the TOP as well, matching _subgraph_to_text — a
+    # bottom-only marker reads as silence/absence (the BUG-2 fix rationale). The
+    # notice sits outside char_budget by design (one bounded wrapper line).
     return (
-        kept
+        f"[!] TRUNCATED: showing {shown} of {len(lines)} lines "
+        f"(~{token_budget}-token budget). {narrow_hint}\n\n"
+        + kept
         + f"\n... (truncated — {cut_count} more lines cut by ~{token_budget}-token budget. "
         + narrow_hint
         + ")"
diff --git a/tests/test_serve.py b/tests/test_serve.py
index b133e82cf..9fae2cec1 100644
--- a/tests/test_serve.py
+++ b/tests/test_serve.py
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ from graphify.serve import (
     _query_graph_text,
     _resolve_context_filters,
     _subgraph_to_text,
+    _cut_lines_to_budget,
     _load_graph,
     _community_header,
     _search_tokens,
@@ -1335,3 +1336,28 @@ def test_subgraph_to_text_order_is_deterministic():
     a = _subgraph_to_text(G, nodes, [])
     b = _subgraph_to_text(G, set(reversed(list(nodes))), [])
     assert a == b
+
+
+# --- #2069: token budget on get_neighbors / get_community line lists ----------
+
+def test_cut_lines_to_budget_under_budget_is_byte_identical():
+    lines = ["Neighbors of X:", "  --> a [calls] [EXTRACTED]", "  --> b [calls] [EXTRACTED]"]
+    out = _cut_lines_to_budget(lines, token_budget=2000, narrow_hint="use relation_filter")
+    assert out == "\n".join(lines)
+    assert "TRUNCATED" not in out and "truncated" not in out
+
+
+def test_cut_lines_to_budget_over_budget_announces_at_top():
+    lines = [f"  --> node{i} [calls] [EXTRACTED]" for i in range(200)]
+    out = _cut_lines_to_budget(lines, token_budget=20, narrow_hint="use get_node for a specific symbol")
+    # Top notice (silence must not read as absence) + accurate counts + bottom marker + hint.
+    assert out.startswith("[!] TRUNCATED: showing ")
+    first = out.splitlines()[0]
+    assert "of 200 lines" in first
+    assert "use get_node for a specific symbol" in out
+    assert "truncated" in out  # end marker retained
+    # shown count in the notice matches the actual kept line count.
+    import re
+    shown = int(re.search(r"showing (\d+) of", first).group(1))
+    body = out.split("\n\n", 1)[1].split("\n... (truncated", 1)[0]
+    assert body.count("\n") + 1 == shown