diff --git a/src/frontend/mcp-server/cmd/main.go b/src/frontend/mcp-server/cmd/main.go
index ac2d7cd..fd34ea9 100644
--- a/src/frontend/mcp-server/cmd/main.go
+++ b/src/frontend/mcp-server/cmd/main.go
@@ -159,6 +159,17 @@ func main() {
 		mcp.WithDestructiveHintAnnotation(false),
 	), app.HandleEstimateWaitTime)
 
+	// ── scheduler_pend_reasons (bjobs -p equivalent) ──
+	s.AddTool(mcp.NewTool("scheduler_pend_reasons",
+		mcp.WithDescription("Explain why PEND (queued) jobs are waiting — the bjobs -p equivalent. Lists pending jobs (or one by id) and translates each job's PEND reason into a human-readable scenario (no_resource, match_fail, limit_host/global, queue_closed, host_unavail, ...)."),
+		mcp.WithString("id", mcp.Description("Specific job id to explain (optional; defaults to all pending jobs)")),
+		mcp.WithString("queue", mcp.Description("Filter by queue name")),
+		mcp.WithString("owner", mcp.Description("Filter by job owner username")),
+		mcp.WithNumber("limit", mcp.Description("Max results to return")),
+		mcp.WithReadOnlyHintAnnotation(true),
+		mcp.WithDestructiveHintAnnotation(false),
+	), app.HandlePendReasons)
+
 	// ── write tools (Phase 1) ──
 	// Write tools are annotated destructive so the MCP client (e.g. Claude
 	// Code) prompts the user for confirmation before executing them — the
diff --git a/src/frontend/mcp-server/internal/app.go b/src/frontend/mcp-server/internal/app.go
index 6611104..3b8e5d1 100644
--- a/src/frontend/mcp-server/internal/app.go
+++ b/src/frontend/mcp-server/internal/app.go
@@ -113,6 +113,64 @@ func (a *App) HandleGetJob(ctx context.Context, req mcp.CallToolRequest) (*mcp.C
 	return textResult(job)
 }
 
+// HandlePendReasons implements the scheduler_pend_reasons tool — the
+// bjobs -p equivalent. Lists PEND jobs (or one job by id) and translates each
+// job's pending_reason into a human-readable "why is my job waiting".
+func (a *App) HandlePendReasons(ctx context.Context, req mcp.CallToolRequest) (*mcp.CallToolResult, error) {
+	if id := getString(req, "id"); id != "" {
+		job, err := a.client.GetJob(ctx, id)
+		if err != nil {
+			return mcp.NewToolResultError(fmt.Sprintf("get job failed: %v", err)), nil
+		}
+		return textResult(formatPendJob(job))
+	}
+
+	filter := sclient.JobFilter{
+		Statuses: []sclient.JobStatus{sclient.JobStatusPending},
+		Queue:    getString(req, "queue"),
+		Owner:    getString(req, "owner"),
+	}
+	if n := getNumber(req, "limit"); n > 0 {
+		filter.Limit = int(n)
+	}
+	jobs, _, err := a.client.ListJobs(ctx, filter)
+	if err != nil {
+		return mcp.NewToolResultError(fmt.Sprintf("list pending jobs failed: %v", err)), nil
+	}
+	out := make([]any, 0, len(jobs))
+	for _, j := range jobs {
+		out = append(out, formatPendJob(j))
+	}
+	resp := map[string]any{"jobs": out}
+	if len(out) == 0 {
+		resp["note"] = "no pending jobs"
+	}
+	return textResult(resp)
+}
+
+// formatPendJob renders one job's PEND reason, or notes it is not waiting.
+func formatPendJob(job *sclient.URMJob) map[string]any {
+	pr := parsePendingReason(*job)
+	if pr == nil {
+		return map[string]any{
+			"id":          job.HumanID,
+			"name":        job.Name,
+			"queue":       job.Queue,
+			"status":      job.Status,
+			"explanation": "no PEND reason reported (job is not waiting or reason not attached)",
+		}
+	}
+	return map[string]any{
+		"id":          job.HumanID,
+		"name":        job.Name,
+		"queue":       job.Queue,
+		"status":      job.Status,
+		"main_reason": pr.MainReasonName,
+		"reason":      pr,
+		"explanation": pendReasonSummary(pr),
+	}
+}
+
 func (a *App) HandleListQueues(ctx context.Context, req mcp.CallToolRequest) (*mcp.CallToolResult, error) {
 	queues, err := a.client.ListQueues(ctx)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/src/frontend/mcp-server/internal/pendreason.go b/src/frontend/mcp-server/internal/pendreason.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d8ce173
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/frontend/mcp-server/internal/pendreason.go
@@ -0,0 +1,122 @@
+// PEND reason translation — the scheduler-agent's "bjobs -p" equivalent.
+//
+// The apiserver attaches a pending_reason JSONB to each PEND job
+// ({main_reason, main_reason_name, host_reasons[], res_reasons[]}, see
+// apiserver/backend/convert_pure.go). schedulerclient surfaces it as the
+// JSON-encoded string Extensions["pending_reason"]. This module parses it and
+// translates each PREASON_* code into the human-readable scenario LSF bjobs -p
+// would print, so the agent can answer "why is my job waiting".
+package internal
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
+	"strings"
+
+	sclient "schedulerclient"
+)
+
+// pendingReason mirrors the apiserver rawPendReason (convert_pure.go).
+type pendingReason struct {
+	MainReason    int          `json:"main_reason"`
+	MainReasonName string      `json:"main_reason_name"`
+	HostReasons   []hostReason `json:"host_reasons,omitempty"`
+	ResReasons    []resReason  `json:"res_reasons,omitempty"`
+}
+
+type hostReason struct {
+	Host       string `json:"host"`
+	Reason     int    `json:"reason"`
+	ReasonName string `json:"reason_name"`
+}
+
+type resReason struct {
+	Resource   string `json:"resource"`
+	Host       string `json:"host"`
+	Reason     int    `json:"reason"`
+	ReasonName string `json:"reason_name"`
+}
+
+// reasonScenario maps a PREASON_* name to the human-readable why. Unknown
+// names are reported verbatim so a new scheduler reason never silently reads
+// as something else.
+func reasonScenario(name string) string {
+	switch name {
+	case "bad_resreq":
+		return "the resource request is invalid or cannot be satisfied"
+	case "no_resource":
+		return "insufficient resource capacity"
+	case "match_fail":
+		return "no host matches the job's host-selection condition"
+	case "limit_global":
+		return "a global quota is exhausted"
+	case "limit_host":
+		return "a host-level quota is exhausted"
+	case "queue_closed":
+		return "the queue is closed (not accepting new jobs)"
+	case "queue_draining":
+		return "the queue is draining (no new jobs until it empties)"
+	case "time_window":
+		return "outside the queue's dispatch window"
+	case "host_unavail":
+		return "the host is unavailable"
+	default:
+		return fmt.Sprintf("unknown reason (%s)", name)
+	}
+}
+
+// parsePendingReason reads the pending_reason JSON string off a job's
+// Extensions. Returns nil when the job has no reason (e.g. not PEND).
+func parsePendingReason(job sclient.URMJob) *pendingReason {
+	raw, ok := job.Extensions["pending_reason"]
+	if !ok {
+		return nil
+	}
+	var pr pendingReason
+	switch v := raw.(type) {
+	case string:
+		if v == "" {
+			return nil
+		}
+		if err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(v), &pr); err != nil {
+			return nil
+		}
+	case map[string]any:
+		b, _ := json.Marshal(v)
+		if err := json.Unmarshal(b, &pr); err != nil {
+			return nil
+		}
+	default:
+		return nil
+	}
+	return &pr
+}
+
+// pendReasonSummary builds a bjobs -p style one-liner for one job, e.g.
+//
+//	waiting: no host matches the job's host-selection condition
+//	  host t1: match_fail (no host matches the job's host-selection condition)
+//	  resource slots on t2: no_resource (insufficient resource capacity)
+//
+// The main reason is preferred when present; otherwise the first detail row.
+func pendReasonSummary(pr *pendingReason) string {
+	if pr == nil {
+		return "no PEND reason reported"
+	}
+	var lines []string
+	main := reasonScenario(pr.MainReasonName)
+	lines = append(lines, fmt.Sprintf("waiting: %s", main))
+	for _, h := range pr.HostReasons {
+		lines = append(lines, fmt.Sprintf("  host %s: %s (%s)", h.Host, h.ReasonName,
+			reasonScenario(h.ReasonName)))
+	}
+	for _, r := range pr.ResReasons {
+		hostPart := ""
+		if r.Host != "" {
+			hostPart = " on " + r.Host
+		}
+		lines = append(lines, fmt.Sprintf("  resource %s%s: %s (%s)", r.Resource, hostPart,
+			r.ReasonName, reasonScenario(r.ReasonName)))
+	}
+	return strings.Join(lines, "\n")
+}
diff --git a/src/frontend/mcp-server/internal/pendreason_test.go b/src/frontend/mcp-server/internal/pendreason_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4e7fcb5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/frontend/mcp-server/internal/pendreason_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+package internal
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+
+	sclient "schedulerclient"
+)
+
+func TestReasonScenarioKnownCodes(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := map[string]string{
+		"bad_resreq":    "the resource request is invalid",
+		"no_resource":   "insufficient resource capacity",
+		"match_fail":    "no host matches",
+		"limit_global":  "global quota",
+		"limit_host":    "host-level quota",
+		"queue_closed":  "queue is closed",
+		"queue_draining": "queue is draining",
+		"time_window":   "dispatch window",
+		"host_unavail":  "host is unavailable",
+	}
+	for name, wantSub := range cases {
+		got := reasonScenario(name)
+		if !strings.Contains(got, wantSub) {
+			t.Errorf("reasonScenario(%q) = %q, want substring %q", name, got, wantSub)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestReasonScenarioUnknownVerbose(t *testing.T) {
+	if got := reasonScenario("some_new_code"); !strings.Contains(got, "some_new_code") {
+		t.Errorf("unknown reason name should be reported verbatim, got %q", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestParsePendingReason(t *testing.T) {
+	job := sclient.URMJob{Extensions: map[string]any{
+		"pending_reason": `{"main_reason":5,"main_reason_name":"limit_host","host_reasons":[],"res_reasons":[{"resource":"hg1_slots_per_host","host":"t1","reason":5,"reason_name":"limit_host"}]}`,
+	}}
+	pr := parsePendingReason(job)
+	if pr == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected a parsed pending reason")
+	}
+	if pr.MainReasonName != "limit_host" {
+		t.Errorf("main_reason_name = %q, want limit_host", pr.MainReasonName)
+	}
+	if len(pr.ResReasons) != 1 || pr.ResReasons[0].Resource != "hg1_slots_per_host" {
+		t.Errorf("res_reasons = %+v, want one hg1_slots_per_host", pr.ResReasons)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestParsePendingReasonMissing(t *testing.T) {
+	if pr := parsePendingReason(sclient.URMJob{}); pr != nil {
+		t.Errorf("job without pending_reason should parse to nil, got %+v", pr)
+	}
+	if pr := parsePendingReason(sclient.URMJob{Extensions: map[string]any{"pending_reason": ""}}); pr != nil {
+		t.Errorf("empty pending_reason should parse to nil, got %+v", pr)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestPendReasonSummary(t *testing.T) {
+	pr := &pendingReason{
+		MainReasonName: "match_fail",
+		HostReasons:    []hostReason{{Host: "t1", ReasonName: "match_fail"}},
+		ResReasons:     []resReason{{Resource: "slots", Host: "t2", ReasonName: "no_resource"}},
+	}
+	s := pendReasonSummary(pr)
+	for _, want := range []string{"waiting:", "host t1", "resource slots on t2"} {
+		if !strings.Contains(s, want) {
+			t.Errorf("summary missing %q: %s", want, s)
+		}
+	}
+}