diff --git a/frontend/src/core/ai/tools/__tests__/registry.test.ts b/frontend/src/core/ai/tools/__tests__/registry.test.ts
index 8604724235f..1b4e19f6d95 100644
--- a/frontend/src/core/ai/tools/__tests__/registry.test.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/core/ai/tools/__tests__/registry.test.ts
@@ -13,8 +13,22 @@ describe("FrontendToolRegistry", () => {
 
   it("invokes a tool with valid args and validates input/output", async () => {
     const registry = new FrontendToolRegistry([new TestFrontendTool()]);
-    const ok = await registry.invoke("test_frontend_tool", { name: "Alice" });
-    expect(ok).toEqual({ message: "Hello: Alice" });
+    const result = await registry.invoke("test_frontend_tool", {
+      name: "Alice",
+    });
+
+    expect(result).toMatchObject({
+      status: "success",
+      data: {
+        greeting: "Hello: Alice",
+      },
+      next_steps: expect.arrayContaining([expect.any(String)]),
+    });
+
+    // Verify timestamp is present and valid
+    const output = result as { data: { timestamp: string } };
+    expect(output.data.timestamp).toBeDefined();
+    expect(typeof output.data.timestamp).toBe("string");
   });
 
   it("returns a structured error on invalid args", async () => {
diff --git a/frontend/src/core/ai/tools/base.ts b/frontend/src/core/ai/tools/base.ts
index 0e2c4c366fe..a33600d92e9 100644
--- a/frontend/src/core/ai/tools/base.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/core/ai/tools/base.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,43 @@
 /* Copyright 2024 Marimo. All rights reserved. */
 
-import type { z } from "zod";
+import { z } from "zod";
 import type { CopilotMode } from "./registry";
 
+/**
+ * Status value for tool responses, mirroring status value in marimo/_ai/_tools/types.py
+ */
+export type StatusValue = "success" | "error" | "warning";
+
+/**
+ * Base interface for tool output responses.
+ * Mirrors the SuccessResult dataclass from marimo/_ai/_tools/types.py
+ *
+ * Tool outputs should extend this interface to include standardized
+ * metadata like next_steps, messages, and status information.
+ */
+export interface ToolOutputBase {
+  status?: StatusValue;
+  auth_required?: boolean;
+  next_steps?: string[];
+  action_url?: string;
+  message?: string;
+  meta?: Record<string, unknown>;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Base Zod schema for tool outputs.
+ *
+ * Tool output schemas should extend this using .extend() to add their specific fields.
+ */
+export const toolOutputBaseSchema = z.object({
+  status: z.enum(["success", "error", "warning"]).optional(),
+  auth_required: z.boolean().optional(),
+  next_steps: z.array(z.string()).optional(),
+  action_url: z.string().optional(),
+  message: z.string().optional(),
+  meta: z.record(z.string(), z.unknown()).optional(),
+});
+
 /**
  * Contract for a frontend tool.
  *
diff --git a/frontend/src/core/ai/tools/sample-tool.ts b/frontend/src/core/ai/tools/sample-tool.ts
index 454ff3f7d2b..bf8ab826303 100644
--- a/frontend/src/core/ai/tools/sample-tool.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/core/ai/tools/sample-tool.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 /* Copyright 2024 Marimo. All rights reserved. */
 
 import { z } from "zod";
-import type { AiTool } from "./base";
+import { type AiTool, type ToolOutputBase, toolOutputBaseSchema } from "./base";
 import type { CopilotMode } from "./registry";
 
 const description = `
@@ -11,26 +11,46 @@ Args:
 - name (string): The name to include in the greeting.
 
 Returns:
-- { message: string } — The greeting message, e.g., "Hello: Alice".
+- Output with data containing the greeting message.
 `;
 
 interface Input {
   name: string;
 }
 
-interface Output {
-  message: string;
+interface GreetingData {
+  greeting: string;
+  timestamp: string;
 }
 
-/** A sample frontend tool that returns "hello world" */
+interface Output extends ToolOutputBase {
+  data: GreetingData;
+}
+
+/** A sample frontend tool that demonstrates real tool output structure */
 export class TestFrontendTool implements AiTool<Input, Output> {
   readonly name = "test_frontend_tool";
   readonly description = description;
   readonly schema = z.object({ name: z.string() });
-  readonly outputSchema = z.object({ message: z.string() });
+  readonly outputSchema = toolOutputBaseSchema.extend({
+    data: z.object({
+      greeting: z.string(),
+      timestamp: z.string(),
+    }),
+  });
   readonly mode: CopilotMode[] = ["ask"];
 
-  async handler({ name }: Input) {
-    return { message: `Hello: ${name}` };
+  async handler({ name }: Input): Promise<Output> {
+    return {
+      status: "success",
+      data: {
+        greeting: `Hello: ${name}`,
+        timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
+      },
+      next_steps: [
+        "You can now proceed with your next task",
+        "Try calling another tool if needed",
+      ],
+    };
   }
 }