diff --git a/bridged/src/test/java/dev/ltms/bridged/session/SessionReaperTest.java b/bridged/src/test/java/dev/ltms/bridged/session/SessionReaperTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..aafb465
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bridged/src/test/java/dev/ltms/bridged/session/SessionReaperTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,131 @@
+package dev.ltms.bridged.session;
+
+import dev.ltms.bridged.config.BridgedConfig;
+import dev.ltms.bridged.guard.SubscriptionGuard;
+import dev.ltms.bridged.herdr.AgentControl;
+import dev.ltms.bridged.herdr.FakeHerdr;
+import dev.ltms.bridged.herdr.WorkspaceControl;
+import dev.ltms.bridged.worker.ClaudeCodeLauncher;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.Set;
+import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicLong;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertDoesNotThrow;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
+
+/**
+ * Wrapper-behaviour tests for {@link SessionReaper} (the thread lifecycle). The TTL policy itself
+ * (SessionManager.reapIdle) is covered by SessionManagerTest and is deliberately not retested here.
+ * A real SessionManager is used, built the same way the rest of this package's tests do.
+ */
+class SessionReaperTest {
+
+    private static final long IDLE_TTL_SECONDS = 60;
+    private static final long SHORT_INTERVAL_MILLIS = 20;
+
+    private static ClaudeCodeLauncher launcher() {
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr();
+        BridgedConfig.Worker cfg = new BridgedConfig.Worker(
+                "ltms-local", "http://gx00.gw:8000", "coder", null, "BRIDGED_WORKER_TOKEN",
+                List.of("ccs", "ltms-local"), "tab", "bridged-workers",
+                "worker: {profile} #{n}", null, null, null);
+        return new ClaudeCodeLauncher(new AgentControl(herdr), new WorkspaceControl(herdr),
+                new SubscriptionGuard(Set.of("gx00.gw")), Map.of(cfg.profile(), cfg), cfg.profile(), _ -> null);
+    }
+
+    /** A manager on the fake worktree seam — these tests never touch a real git checkout. */
+    private static SessionManager sessionManager() {
+        return new SessionManager(launcher(), new FakeWorktrees());
+    }
+
+    private static SessionReaper reaper() {
+        return new SessionReaper(sessionManager(), IDLE_TTL_SECONDS, SHORT_INTERVAL_MILLIS);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * A double {@code start()} must leave exactly one live loop, so a single {@code stop()} still
+     * silences it. Asserting only "no throw" would pass against a reaper that never started at
+     * all — and against one that started twice — which is the entire point of the guard.
+     */
+    @Test
+    void startIsIdempotent() throws InterruptedException {
+        AtomicLong ticks = new AtomicLong();
+        SessionReaper reaper = new SessionReaper(countingManager(ticks),
+                IDLE_TTL_SECONDS, SHORT_INTERVAL_MILLIS);
+
+        assertDoesNotThrow(() -> {
+            reaper.start();
+            reaper.start();
+        }, "a second start() must not throw");
+        assertTrue(awaitTicks(ticks, 2), "the loop is running after a double start()");
+
+        // One stop() for two start() calls: if the second start had spawned its own loop, a
+        // surviving thread would keep the counter climbing past this point.
+        reaper.stop();
+        Thread.sleep(SHORT_INTERVAL_MILLIS * 4);
+        long settled = ticks.get();
+        Thread.sleep(SHORT_INTERVAL_MILLIS * 4);
+        assertEquals(settled, ticks.get(),
+                "a single stop() must silence the reaper even after two start() calls");
+    }
+
+    /** A manager whose clock counts reads — every {@code reapIdle} reads it exactly once. */
+    private static SessionManager countingManager(AtomicLong ticks) {
+        return new SessionManager(launcher(), new FakeWorktrees(), () -> {
+            ticks.incrementAndGet();
+            return System.nanoTime();
+        });
+    }
+
+    /** Bounded wait for the loop to tick at least {@code n} times; avoids fixed-sleep flakiness. */
+    private static boolean awaitTicks(AtomicLong ticks, long n) throws InterruptedException {
+        long deadline = System.currentTimeMillis() + 2000;
+        while (ticks.get() < n && System.currentTimeMillis() < deadline) {
+            Thread.sleep(10);
+        }
+        return ticks.get() >= n;
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void stopIsIdempotentAndSafeBeforeStart() {
+        SessionReaper reaper = reaper();
+
+        assertDoesNotThrow(reaper::stop, "stop() before start() must not throw");
+        assertDoesNotThrow(reaper::stop, "a second stop() must not throw");
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * The loop must actually iterate, and {@code stop()} must actually end it.
+     *
+     * <p>Observed through an injected clock rather than by sleeping and hoping: every
+     * {@code reapIdle} call reads {@code nowNanos} exactly once, so the tick count <em>is</em> the
+     * iteration count. Asserting merely "nothing threw" would pass even if {@code start()} were a
+     * no-op, which is the whole behaviour under test.
+     */
+    @Test
+    void theLoopRunsRepeatedlyAndStopEndsIt() throws InterruptedException {
+        AtomicLong ticks = new AtomicLong();
+        SessionReaper reaper = new SessionReaper(countingManager(ticks),
+                IDLE_TTL_SECONDS, SHORT_INTERVAL_MILLIS);
+
+        reaper.start();
+        // Bounded wait rather than a fixed sleep + exact count: proves repetition without pinning
+        // a timing-derived number that would flake on a loaded machine.
+        boolean iterated = awaitTicks(ticks, 2);
+        long whileRunning = ticks.get();
+        reaper.stop();
+        assertTrue(iterated,
+                "the reaper loop must iterate repeatedly; observed " + whileRunning + " tick(s)");
+
+        // After stop() the loop must go quiet. Allow one in-flight iteration to finish, then
+        // confirm the count has stopped advancing.
+        Thread.sleep(SHORT_INTERVAL_MILLIS * 4);
+        long settled = ticks.get();
+        Thread.sleep(SHORT_INTERVAL_MILLIS * 4);
+        assertEquals(settled, ticks.get(), "stop() must end the loop, not just flag it");
+    }
+}