diff --git a/actions/setup/js/messages.test.cjs b/actions/setup/js/messages.test.cjs
index 7bcd881c630..6697556a369 100644
--- a/actions/setup/js/messages.test.cjs
+++ b/actions/setup/js/messages.test.cjs
@@ -354,7 +354,7 @@ describe("messages.cjs", () => {
       expect(result).toBe("> Generated by [Test Workflow](https://github.com/test/repo/actions/runs/123/custom_path)");
     });
 
-    it("should include effective tokens from env var when not passed in context", async () => {
+    it("should not include effective tokens from env var in default footer", async () => {
       process.env.GH_AW_EFFECTIVE_TOKENS = "12500";
 
       const { getFooterMessage } = await import("./messages.cjs");
@@ -364,10 +364,10 @@ describe("messages.cjs", () => {
         runUrl: "https://github.com/test/repo/actions/runs/123",
       });
 
-      expect(result).toBe("> Generated by [Test Workflow](https://github.com/test/repo/actions/runs/123) · 12.5K");
+      expect(result).toBe("> Generated by [Test Workflow](https://github.com/test/repo/actions/runs/123)");
     });
 
-    it("should prepend reduced model identifier to effective tokens when engine model is set", async () => {
+    it("should not append model-prefixed effective tokens in default footer", async () => {
       process.env.GH_AW_EFFECTIVE_TOKENS = "12500";
       process.env.GH_AW_ENGINE_MODEL = "claude-sonnet-4.6";
 
@@ -378,10 +378,10 @@ describe("messages.cjs", () => {
         runUrl: "https://github.com/test/repo/actions/runs/123",
       });
 
-      expect(result).toBe("> Generated by [Test Workflow](https://github.com/test/repo/actions/runs/123) · sonnet46 12.5K");
+      expect(result).toBe("> Generated by [Test Workflow](https://github.com/test/repo/actions/runs/123)");
     });
 
-    it("should include effective tokens from env var before history link", async () => {
+    it("should include history link without effective tokens in default footer", async () => {
       process.env.GH_AW_EFFECTIVE_TOKENS = "5000";
       const historyUrl = "https://github.com/search?q=repo:test/repo+is:issue&type=issues";
 
@@ -393,10 +393,10 @@ describe("messages.cjs", () => {
         historyUrl,
       });
 
-      expect(result).toBe(`> Generated by [Test Workflow](https://github.com/test/repo/actions/runs/123) · 5K · [◷](${historyUrl})`);
+      expect(result).toBe(`> Generated by [Test Workflow](https://github.com/test/repo/actions/runs/123) · [◷](${historyUrl})`);
     });
 
-    it("should include AI Credits next to effective tokens when GH_AW_AIC is set", async () => {
+    it("should include AI Credits without effective tokens when GH_AW_AIC is set", async () => {
       process.env.GH_AW_EFFECTIVE_TOKENS = "5000";
       process.env.GH_AW_AIC = "0.125";
 
@@ -407,7 +407,7 @@ describe("messages.cjs", () => {
         runUrl: "https://github.com/test/repo/actions/runs/123",
       });
 
-      expect(result).toBe("> Generated by [Test Workflow](https://github.com/test/repo/actions/runs/123) · 5K · 0.125 AIC");
+      expect(result).toBe("> Generated by [Test Workflow](https://github.com/test/repo/actions/runs/123) · 0.125 AIC");
     });
 
     it("should not include effective tokens when GH_AW_EFFECTIVE_TOKENS is not set and not passed in context", async () => {
@@ -424,7 +424,7 @@ describe("messages.cjs", () => {
       expect(result).not.toContain("●");
     });
 
-    it("should prefer effectiveTokens from context over env var", async () => {
+    it("should ignore context and env effectiveTokens for default footer", async () => {
       process.env.GH_AW_EFFECTIVE_TOKENS = "99000";
 
       const { getFooterMessage } = await import("./messages.cjs");
@@ -435,7 +435,7 @@ describe("messages.cjs", () => {
         effectiveTokens: 5000,
       });
 
-      expect(result).toBe("> Generated by [Test Workflow](https://github.com/test/repo/actions/runs/123) · 5K");
+      expect(result).toBe("> Generated by [Test Workflow](https://github.com/test/repo/actions/runs/123)");
       expect(result).not.toContain("99K");
     });
 
@@ -522,7 +522,7 @@ describe("messages.cjs", () => {
       expect(result).toBe("> Custom: [Test Workflow](https://github.com/test/repo/actions/runs/123) · gpt55 5K");
     });
 
-    it("should preserve mini-tier gpt identifiers in footer suffixes", async () => {
+    it("should not include mini-tier model identifiers in default footer suffixes", async () => {
       const { getFooterMessage } = await import("./messages.cjs");
 
       const result = getFooterMessage({
@@ -532,7 +532,7 @@ describe("messages.cjs", () => {
         effectiveTokens: 5000,
       });
 
-      expect(result).toBe("> Generated by [Test Workflow](https://github.com/test/repo/actions/runs/123) · gpt54mini 5K");
+      expect(result).toBe("> Generated by [Test Workflow](https://github.com/test/repo/actions/runs/123)");
     });
 
     it("should append slash command hint when slashCommand is provided", async () => {
@@ -559,7 +559,7 @@ describe("messages.cjs", () => {
       expect(result).not.toContain("<em>");
     });
 
-    it("should include slash command hint after tokens and history link", async () => {
+    it("should include slash command hint after history link", async () => {
       process.env.GH_AW_EFFECTIVE_TOKENS = "5000";
       const historyUrl = "https://github.com/search?q=repo:test";
 
@@ -572,7 +572,7 @@ describe("messages.cjs", () => {
         slashCommand: "deploy",
       });
 
-      expect(result).toBe(`> Generated by [Test Workflow](https://github.com/test/repo/actions/runs/123) · 5K · [◷](${historyUrl})\n> <sub>Comment <em>/deploy</em> to run again</sub>`);
+      expect(result).toBe(`> Generated by [Test Workflow](https://github.com/test/repo/actions/runs/123) · [◷](${historyUrl})\n> <sub>Comment <em>/deploy</em> to run again</sub>`);
     });
 
     it("should NOT include slash command hint in custom footer templates", async () => {
@@ -1018,7 +1018,7 @@ describe("messages.cjs", () => {
       expect(result).not.toContain("●");
     });
 
-    it("should include effective tokens in default footer when env var is set", async () => {
+    it("should not include effective tokens in default footer when env var is set", async () => {
       process.env.GH_AW_EFFECTIVE_TOKENS = "12500";
 
       const { getFooterAgentFailureIssueMessage } = await import("./messages.cjs");
@@ -1028,10 +1028,10 @@ describe("messages.cjs", () => {
         runUrl: "https://github.com/test/repo/actions/runs/123",
       });
 
-      expect(result).toBe("> Generated from [Test Workflow](https://github.com/test/repo/actions/runs/123) · 12.5K");
+      expect(result).toBe("> Generated from [Test Workflow](https://github.com/test/repo/actions/runs/123)");
     });
 
-    it("should include effective tokens before history link in default footer", async () => {
+    it("should include history link without effective tokens in default footer", async () => {
       process.env.GH_AW_EFFECTIVE_TOKENS = "5000";
       const historyUrl = "https://github.com/search?q=repo:test/repo+is:issue&type=issues";
 
@@ -1043,7 +1043,7 @@ describe("messages.cjs", () => {
         historyUrl,
       });
 
-      expect(result).toBe(`> Generated from [Test Workflow](https://github.com/test/repo/actions/runs/123) · 5K · [◷](${historyUrl})`);
+      expect(result).toBe(`> Generated from [Test Workflow](https://github.com/test/repo/actions/runs/123) · [◷](${historyUrl})`);
     });
 
     it("should not include effective tokens in custom footer unless placeholder is used", async () => {
@@ -1093,7 +1093,7 @@ describe("messages.cjs", () => {
       expect(result).not.toContain("●");
     });
 
-    it("should include effective tokens in default footer when env var is set", async () => {
+    it("should not include effective tokens in default footer when env var is set", async () => {
       process.env.GH_AW_EFFECTIVE_TOKENS = "12500";
 
       const { getFooterAgentFailureCommentMessage } = await import("./messages.cjs");
@@ -1103,10 +1103,10 @@ describe("messages.cjs", () => {
         runUrl: "https://github.com/test/repo/actions/runs/123",
       });
 
-      expect(result).toBe("> Generated from [Test Workflow](https://github.com/test/repo/actions/runs/123) · 12.5K");
+      expect(result).toBe("> Generated from [Test Workflow](https://github.com/test/repo/actions/runs/123)");
     });
 
-    it("should include effective tokens before history link in default footer", async () => {
+    it("should include history link without effective tokens in default footer", async () => {
       process.env.GH_AW_EFFECTIVE_TOKENS = "5000";
       const historyUrl = "https://github.com/search?q=repo:test/repo+is:issue&type=issues";
 
@@ -1118,7 +1118,7 @@ describe("messages.cjs", () => {
         historyUrl,
       });
 
-      expect(result).toBe(`> Generated from [Test Workflow](https://github.com/test/repo/actions/runs/123) · 5K · [◷](${historyUrl})`);
+      expect(result).toBe(`> Generated from [Test Workflow](https://github.com/test/repo/actions/runs/123) · [◷](${historyUrl})`);
     });
 
     it("should not include effective tokens in custom footer unless placeholder is used", async () => {
diff --git a/actions/setup/js/messages_footer.cjs b/actions/setup/js/messages_footer.cjs
index ea5c74916d2..f0a6820d107 100644
--- a/actions/setup/js/messages_footer.cjs
+++ b/actions/setup/js/messages_footer.cjs
@@ -185,10 +185,6 @@ function getFooterMessage(ctx) {
   if (ctx.triggeringNumber) {
     defaultFooter += " for issue #{triggering_number}";
   }
-  // Append effective tokens when available (compact format, no "ET" label)
-  if (effectiveTokens) {
-    defaultFooter += effectiveTokensSuffix;
-  }
   if (aiCredits) {
     defaultFooter += aiCreditsSuffix;
   }
@@ -328,10 +324,6 @@ function getFooterAgentFailureIssueMessage(ctx) {
   } else {
     // Default footer template with link to workflow run
     let defaultFooter = "> Generated from [{workflow_name}]({run_url})";
-    // Append effective tokens when available (compact format, no "ET" label)
-    if (effectiveTokens) {
-      defaultFooter += `{effective_tokens_suffix}`;
-    }
     // Append history link when available
     if (ctx.historyUrl) {
       defaultFooter += " · [◷]({history_url})";
@@ -370,10 +362,6 @@ function getFooterAgentFailureCommentMessage(ctx) {
   } else {
     // Default footer template with link to workflow run
     let defaultFooter = "> Generated from [{workflow_name}]({run_url})";
-    // Append effective tokens when available (compact format, no "ET" label)
-    if (effectiveTokens) {
-      defaultFooter += `{effective_tokens_suffix}`;
-    }
     // Append history link when available
     if (ctx.historyUrl) {
       defaultFooter += " · [◷]({history_url})";