CB-617 review: warn instead of refuse on conflicting autoCompactWindow

rejectConflictingAutoCompactWindows threw and stopped fleetd from starting when a
Claude Code profile's autoCompactWindow flag and CLAUDE_CODE_AUTO_COMPACT_WINDOW
env var disagreed. Under launchd that is a restart loop, and the config that
would fix it (fleetd.yaml) is gitignored, so the cause is invisible on the host
where it bites (measured live: 4 profiles on this host trip it, including the
lead's own profile and the one every worker spawns on).

Renamed to warnConflictingAutoCompactWindows: it now logs a WARN naming each
offending profile with BOTH values (autoCompactWindow=... and
env.CLAUDE_CODE_AUTO_COMPACT_WINDOW=...) instead of throwing, so the daemon
starts and an operator can fix the config without reading the source. Equal
values still load silently.

Also reworded ClaudeCodeArguments' javadoc, which stated as fact that the env
var takes precedence over the flag. That was never measured, and this host's
own fleetd.yaml comment asserts the opposite — the javadoc no longer picks a
side.

.claude/agents/hunter.md

@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+---
+name: hunter
+description: Sweep one assigned scope for defects and report ranked findings without changes.
+---
+
+<!-- CB-617: The model comes from fleetd.yaml because the launch flag overrides model here on both backends. -->
+
+You sweep the assigned package or scope for real defects. Read the full assigned scope before you
+judge it. Report several ranked findings when the evidence supports them. Change nothing: do not
+edit code, commit, push, or open a pull request.
+
+You may run the build or tests to check a finding. Read the complete output and report the real
+result. Do not hide failures with a pipe. State only checks you actually ran. The primary's IDE
+tools are not yours. A mounted forge tool may use a blocked credential and fail by design.
+
+Do only the assigned scope. Note anything outside it in one line and do not investigate it further.
+Use `fleet_ask{question}` only when a decision belongs to the lead, such as an unclear requirement
+or two defensible fixes. Do not ask about something you can decide by reading more code.
+
+Your handoff must name the files you read, each ranked finding or `NO FINDINGS`, the checks you ran,
+and any caveat for review.
+
+The launcher provides the required bridge reply instructions for every member.

.claude/skills/handover/SKILL.md

@@ -141,6 +141,14 @@ refused.**
    own workspace before it hands it to you. The daemon and your pane can run in different
    directories, so a path you resolve yourself can point at a different file from the one the daemon
    will check.
+
+   **Check that the path is ignored by git before you write to it (#491).** A relative
+   `handoverPath` resolves inside YOUR workspace, which is usually a repository — and usually not
+   the `fleetd` one, so an ignore rule added to `fleetd` does not protect it. Run
+   `grep -n handover <your workspace>/.gitignore`. No output means the file you are about to write
+   will show up as untracked content in that repo. The file is a snapshot of live state and must
+   never be committed, so tell the operator rather than committing it or silently editing their
+   `.gitignore`.
 2. **Write the handover file at that path**, following sections 1–10 above.
 3. **Ask the operator, then `fleet_handover{action: "confirm", token, operatorConfirmed: true}`.**
 
@@ -164,10 +172,14 @@ fails.
   session.
 - **The roll can still refuse after `confirm` returns**, and by then there is no caller to tell.
   Those outcomes are logged only, as `lead-rollover:` lines in the daemon log.
-- **If the bootstrap prompt never lands, your context is gone and no fresh session starts.** This
-  has not yet been proven end-to-end (see fleetd #480). The recovery is the manual path: the file
-  is already written, so the operator starts a session and points it at the file. That is why you
-  write the file before you confirm, and never the other way round.
+- **The bootstrap prompt has never yet landed, and the fix is unproven (fleetd #489).** The first
+  real rollover, on 2026-09-12, joined `/clear` and the bootstrap text into one line and Claude Code
+  refused it as `Unknown command: /clearFresh`. The pane was never cleared and no context was lost,
+  so the failure was safe — the roll simply did nothing. PR #490 fixed the cause and is deployed,
+  but no roll has bootstrapped a fresh session end to end yet. **Assume it may still fail, and tell
+  the operator so before you confirm.** The recovery is the same either way: the file is already
+  written, so the operator starts a session and points it at the file. That is why you write the
+  file before you confirm, and never the other way round.
 
 ## Writing style
 

.gitea/workflows/ci.yml

@@ -39,6 +39,10 @@ jobs:
         # that runs does so against the fake UDS herdr and fake ccs/claude stubs.
         run: mvn -B clean install
 
+      - name: javadoc reference lint
+        working-directory: fleetd
+        run: mvn -B -DskipTests javadoc:javadoc -Ddoclint=reference
+
       # Deliberately NOT actions/upload-artifact: this Gitea instance presents as GHES, and
       # @actions/artifact v2+ (i.e. upload-artifact@v4) refuses to run there —
       # "GHESNotSupportedError ... not currently supported on GHES", which red-Xes an otherwise
@@ -54,6 +58,23 @@ jobs:
           done
           exit 0
 
+  # fleetd #550 — nothing ran scripts/test-redeploy-fleetd.sh in CI before this, on any platform,
+  # so it had run only on macOS by hand and two Linux-only bugs (this issue's items 1 and 2)
+  # survived undetected: shasum is a macOS-only tool (it ships with Perl; GNU coreutils, i.e. every
+  # mainstream Linux distro including this runner's ubuntu-latest, does not have it and ships
+  # sha256sum instead). The gate here is the step's own exit code, nothing else: a `run:` step in
+  # Gitea/GitHub Actions already fails the job on a non-zero exit with no extra scripting needed,
+  # so this deliberately does NOT grep the output for a `FAIL:` count. That is the #550 item-2
+  # lesson one level up — a suite that dies before it runs a single test prints zero FAIL lines,
+  # which is exactly what a clean pass also prints, so counting FAIL lines can never be the gate.
+  shell-tests:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: redeploy-fleetd.sh shell suite
+        run: bash scripts/test-redeploy-fleetd.sh
+
   # CB-521 — actually run the AMQP contract test in CI, against a REAL broker. The broker is a
   # RabbitMQ SERVICE CONTAINER, not Testcontainers-with-Docker: the runner image has no Docker, so
   # AmqpReplyInboxContractTest reads AMQP_URI (set below to the service's network alias) and binds

CLAUDE.md

@@ -95,9 +95,21 @@ below are the procedure — run them in order, every task, not only the big ones
    `fleet_status`, never by reading its terminal; it also reports an open question and the `turnId`
    that answers it. **A worker's ask waits ~55 seconds, and no nudge makes that longer** — so never
    brief a worker to "ask me". Decide before you delegate, or give it an explicit default.
+   **A correction cannot reach a busy member.** A `fleet_send` to a working member is *accepted* and
+   returns a ticket, and is then never delivered — measured here three times in one session, and the
+   member was released still executing a brief that had been retracted twice. The receipt is true and
+   it is a fact about the *mailbox*; what you needed was a fact about the *pane*. **A push delivery
+   needs the recipient free at send time; a pull channel needs only that they look before acting.** So
+   put every correction on the **ticket**, which they can read whenever they look, and send as the
+   notification. That obliges you, not them: **all corrections go to the ticket, and the brief is
+   write-once.** The member cannot check which source is newer — it just always prefers the ticket —
+   so the day you revise a brief in place instead of commenting, it obeys your rule and does the wrong
+   thing. A *first* brief for a unit not yet running is not a correction, and may be the whole spec.
 6. **Verify yourself.** Re-run the build and the checks. A worker cannot run your IDE tooling, any
-   forge tools it appears to have hold a blocked credential and fail, and a piped command
-   (`… | tail`) hides failures behind a zero exit — never promote a worker's "clean" to a fact.
+   forge MCP server it appears to have holds a blocked credential and fails every call, and a piped
+   command (`… | tail`) hides failures behind a zero exit — never promote a worker's "clean" to a
+   fact. Its injected repo-scoped `GITEA_TOKEN` is a different credential and does work, so a worker
+   reporting that it opened its own PR is reporting something it really can do.
 7. **Review — fan out.** Spawn reviewers against the diff, one per dimension or per file, with
    `wait:false`. Never the implementer of the scope it reviews, and brief them from the diff — not
    from the implementer's rationale, which carries its own blind spot. Dispatch each PR's reviewers
@@ -127,12 +139,23 @@ prefer `wait:false` + `fleet_poll` for anything non-trivial: a blocking `fleet_s
 **Delegating does not delegate responsibility.** Workers open PRs; you are the gate. Never delegate
 the merge — and merging on a reviewer's word is delegating it by proxy.
 
+**When a decision blocks you, consult architects — not the operator.** Spawn one or more architect
+members, give them the question and the evidence you have, and act on what they agree. They are
+authorized to settle it, not only to advise. Architects first form independent positions, then
+compare them. If they still disagree after that comparison, they return both positions and their
+checked evidence; the lead decides. Go to the operator only for an action the fleet has no
+authority to take, such as spending money, granting access, or making a promise to someone else.
+**Then write the decision on the ticket.** Taking the operator out of the loop also removes the
+signal they used to get, because that signal was the block itself — work stopped, so they found
+out. A ticket comment replaces it, and it reaches them whether or not they are at a terminal when
+you decide.
+
 | Intent | Tool |
 |---|---|
 | Confirm your own role | `fleet_whoami` |
 | See backends available | `fleet_profiles` |
 | Start a member | `fleet_spawn{role?, profile?, cwd?, worktree?, ticket?, sessionName?, resumeSessionId?}` → `sessionId` + `paneId` |
-| See the fleet | `fleet_list` → `leads` (your peers) + `members` (each carries `agentSessionId` when its backend knows one) · one peer's state: `fleet_status{sessionId}` |
+| See the fleet | `fleet_list` → `leads` (your peers) + `members` (each carries `agentSessionId` when its backend knows one) + `loopHealth` (`RUNNING`, `STALLED`, or `STOPPED` for `statusPoller` and `sessionReaper`) · one peer's state: `fleet_status{sessionId}` |
 | Delegate (blocking) | `fleet_send{sessionId, content}` |
 | Delegate (long task) | `fleet_send{sessionId, content, wait:false}` → ticket → `fleet_poll{ticket}` |
 | Answer a member's `fleet_ask` | `fleet_send{turnId, content}` — **not** `sessionId` |
@@ -189,20 +212,26 @@ simply complies has thrown away the reason there are two of you.
 3. **`fleet_ask{question}`** when a decision is genuinely the lead's (ambiguous requirement, two
    defensible fixes, "bug or intended?"). It blocks and you resume the *same* turn with the answer.
    Don't ask what you could decide yourself.
-4. **End the turn with exactly one `fleet_reply{content}`**, carrying your complete answer. This is
+4. **Re-read the ticket before you act on anything you were told earlier**, and again before you
+   commit. A message reaches you only while you are free to receive it; the ticket is there whenever
+   you look. **If a ticket comment contradicts your brief, the ticket comment is newer and it wins.**
+5. **End the turn with exactly one `fleet_reply{content}`**, carrying your complete answer. This is
    the whole handoff. No `fleet_reply` ⇒ the sender gets nothing and the exchange stalls.
    Do **not** lean on the completion fallback to carry your answer for you: when you end a turn
    without replying, the bridge scrapes your pane, and it can return only the last 4000 characters.
    A clipped scrape is marked as partial, but the missing text is gone — your report reaches the
    lead with its end cut off.
-5. **Report honestly.** State only what you actually ran and its real output, including failures,
+6. **Report honestly.** State only what you actually ran and its real output, including failures,
    and never claim the result of a check you had no way to run. **Measure your own tools; do not
    assume them.** What you mount depends on your backend: an opencode member gets the bridge and
    nothing else, while a Claude Code member also inherits the operator's user-scope MCP servers,
    which the bridge never chose for you. Two rules follow. The primary's IDE tooling is still not
-   yours, whatever you see. And **a mounted tool is not a working tool** — the forge server you may
-   find there holds a deliberately blocked credential and fails every call, by design.
-6. **Never merge.** Stage files explicitly — never `git add -A` — and leave alone anything the
+   yours, whatever you see. And **a mounted tool is not a working tool** — the forge MCP server you
+   may find there holds a deliberately blocked credential and fails every call, by design. That is
+   not your only forge route, and the two must not be confused: the repo-scoped `GITEA_TOKEN` the
+   daemon injects into your environment does work, and using it to open your own PR is part of the
+   job. A blocked MCP tool is never a reason to skip that step.
+7. **Never merge.** Stage files explicitly — never `git add -A` — and leave alone anything the
    project marks as not-yours-to-commit.
 
 ### Where each rule lives (don't duplicate — extend the right layer)
@@ -257,6 +286,8 @@ must obey belongs in the charter, not here.
   it for a multi-finding sweep hands the worker two contradictory output contracts. That has
   already cost three workers' turns: each wrote a good report to its terminal and ended the turn
   with no `fleet_reply`, and the scrape returned the tail of the brief instead.
+  Spawn `implementer` with role `dev`, `reviewer` with role `reviewer`, and `hunter` with role
+  `hunter`.
 - **Primary-side skills** (not delegation playbooks — a worker cannot use them):
   `port-to-opencode` (make an OpenCode session a participant in this workspace),
   `fleets-status` (report every fleet that shares one LavinMQ instance),

docs/CB-591-Gateway-Migration.md

@@ -5,6 +5,21 @@
 here took a revert and two upstream fixes — see §7.1, which is the useful part of this document. One
 risk is **accepted rather than solved**: a stream cut by any mid-response timer arrives as HTTP 200
 with no terminator, and our third-party members cannot detect it (§7.2).
+
+> **Superseded in part — 2026-09-13.** Two claims on this page are no longer true of the live fleet.
+> I measured both on this host today.
+>
+> 1. **The model is named `acoder` now, not `deepseek-v4-flash`.** `acoder` is a stable alias, and
+>    the model behind it changed on 2026-08-28: it is Qwen3.8-27B, not DeepSeek. The old name is
+>    still served, so nothing broke — the gateway answers it and reports `"model": "acoder"` in the
+>    reply, which is how you can see for yourself that it is an alias. `fleetd.yaml` moved to
+>    `acoder` on 2026-09-13. Do not guess behaviour from the name; ask the gateway's own manifest,
+>    `GET https://llm.ltms.dev/v1/deployment`, and read its `generation` field.
+> 2. **`local` sits at `weight: 0`, not 100.** Only `gx` is auto-selected today.
+>
+> §2 and §3 below are the plan as written in August. They are the record of the migration, so they
+> stay as they are. If this note stops matching `fleetd.yaml`, re-measure and rewrite the note.
+
 · **Upstream:** [systems/vms wiki → LLM and MCP Gateway](https://git.ltms.dev/systems/vms/wiki/LLM-and-MCP-Gateway)
 · **Upstream issue:** [systems/vms#31](https://git.ltms.dev/systems/vms/issues/31)
 
@@ -380,7 +395,10 @@ one turn; this one costs the whole task and is indistinguishable from a slow wor
 
 - Token accepted on both surfaces. **Unauthenticated → 401**, so the Caddy proxy really does gate —
   the wiki's "SecurityPolicy fails open" warning is about the gateway itself, not the edge.
-- `/v1/models` returns exactly `["deepseek-v4-flash"]`, so trap 3 is clear.
+- `/v1/models` returned exactly `["deepseek-v4-flash"]` **on 2026-08-15**, so trap 3 was clear
+  then. It returns 6 ids now — `acoder`, `qwen3.8-27b-nvfp4`, `deepseek-v4-flash` and three
+  embedding names — measured on this host 2026-09-13. The exact-name rule still holds; the
+  one-item list does not.
 - **Reasoning survives both surfaces** — see §3b above.
 - The launcher's generated opencode provider block is correct, carrying a real 48-character `llmk-`
   key rather than the `fleetd-local-noauth` placeholder.

fleetd/fleetd.example.yaml

@@ -77,16 +77,25 @@ bind:
 # a lead turn nobody asked for), so upgrading the daemon must never switch it on for you. Absent
 # block = feature off, exactly as before.
 #
-# Three knobs, each with a default that errs on the side of not burning context:
+# Four knobs, each with a default that errs on the side of not burning context:
 #   idleAfterSeconds: 300   # how long the lead must stay idle before the FIRST nudge (default 300 —
 #                           # absorbs normal post-turn pauses; re-prompting every pause burns context)
 #   backoffMs: 60000        # re-check cadence / spacing between nudges past the quiet period (default 60000)
 #   quietNudgeCap: 3        # cap on consecutive nudges that find NOTHING pending, then it stops
 #                           # until real state appears (default 3 — never nag an empty fleet forever)
+#   contextHighNudge: false # fleetd #609 — when true, an idle lead whose OWN Claude Code context
+#                           # reads HIGH (see LeadContextGauge; fleet_list's context row) gets a text
+#                           # notice appended to its nudge telling it to consider fleet_handover. Text
+#                           # only — it never rolls a pane by itself, and only the operator can approve
+#                           # a roll. Fires once per HIGH stretch (a later OK reading re-arms it), and
+#                           # never spends the quietNudgeCap budget. Default false/absent = off, same
+#                           # as every other knob here — an upgraded daemon must not start telling
+#                           # leads to hand over on its own.
 # leadHeartbeat:
 #   idleAfterSeconds: 300
 #   backoffMs: 60000
 #   quietNudgeCap: 3
+#   contextHighNudge: false
 
 # Lead rollover (fleetd #480): replace a lead session that has decided it is ready to be replaced,
 # without an operator doing it by hand. A lead writes a handover file, then asks fleetd to clear its
@@ -200,13 +209,13 @@ herdrSocket: ~/.config/herdr/herdr.sock
 #                      e.g. `env DISPLAY=:10.0 idea {dir}`. Best-effort: a failure is logged, never
 #                      fails the spawn. Omit to open the member's module by hand. There is no close
 #                      half yet — an opened module stays open until the operator closes it.
-#   autoCompactWindow → opt-in, default off. A bounded token window that forces a spawned member to
-#                      compact its context instead of running on the backend's own default and dying
-#                      mid-turn (losing its fleet_reply — the whole point of the turn — with it).
+#   autoCompactWindow → opt-in, default off. A bounded token window that forces a launched Claude Code
+#                      lead or member to compact its context instead of running on the backend's own
+#                      default. A member that runs out of context can die mid-turn and lose its fleet_reply.
 #                      Validated at config load to [100000, 1000000] — the band Claude Code's own
 #                      --autocompact flag accepts.
 #                      CROSS-BACKEND SEMANTICS DIFFER: on claude-code this is a launch-time
-#                      `--autocompact <tokens>` flag — the member compacts AT this window. opencode
+#                      `--autocompact <tokens>` flag — the Claude Code session compacts AT this window. opencode
 #                      has no equivalent flag (it only forces `compaction.auto: true`, unconditionally,
 #                      already), so this is instead applied as the model's `limit.context` in the
 #                      generated opencode.json — the member compacts WITHIN this window, not exactly
@@ -406,7 +415,7 @@ profiles:
     # ideMcpUrl: http://127.0.0.1:29170/index-mcp/streamable-http   # opt-in (CB-634): IDE code intelligence, pinned to the worktree
     # ideProjectDir: fleetd          # CB-634: module dir the IDE opens + the overlay pins (this repo's pom is in fleetd/)
     # ideOpenCommand: env DISPLAY=:10.0 idea {dir}   # CB-634 auto-open: opens {dir} in the IDE at spawn; omit to open by hand
-    # autoCompactWindow: 250000   # opt-in: bound member context; claude-code compacts AT this, opencode within it (model limit.context)
+    # autoCompactWindow: 250000   # opt-in: bound Claude Code lead/member context; claude-code compacts AT this, opencode within it (model limit.context)
   gx11:                              # a second backend, so `placement: weighted` has a choice
     baseUrl: http://gx01.gw:8000     # self-hosted; ccs handles the model + token
     placement: tab
@@ -560,7 +569,7 @@ placement: weighted
 # older keys: `leaders:`, `members:`, `leadScan:` and `defaultProfile:`.
 #
 # A member is anything a lead spawns, and every member has two INDEPENDENT attributes:
-#   role    — which contract: architect, dev or reviewer. It picks the launch charter, the role
+#   role    — which contract: architect, dev, hunter or reviewer. It picks the launch charter, the role
 #             file, the playbook skill and the authz row.
 #   profile — which backend: one of the `profiles:` keys above (model, CLI adapter, cost).
 # They vary on their own. A reviewer may run on the same profile as the dev whose diff it reads,
@@ -572,13 +581,13 @@ placement: weighted
 #
 # Each pool lists the profiles that role MAY run on — these are pools, not identities. That is also
 # what replaced `defaultProfile:`: an unqualified spawn names a role, and that role's pool supplies
-# the candidates, in definition order. A dev and a reviewer staying anonymous is exactly compatible
-# with being listed here; the entry key just names the entry.
+# the candidates, in definition order. A dev, hunter and reviewer staying anonymous is exactly
+# compatible with being listed here; the entry key just names the entry.
 fleet:
   # Optional launch-charter text, keyed only by the singular role wire names: architect, dev,
-  # reviewer. Changes are HOT and reach the next spawn without a daemon restart. Do not put secrets
-  # here: a later launch step writes this text to a world-readable temp file, and ${ENV} interpolation
-  # is deliberately not supported.
+  # hunter, reviewer. Changes are HOT and reach the next spawn without a daemon restart. Do not put
+  # secrets here: a later launch step writes this text to a world-readable temp file, and ${ENV}
+  # interpolation is deliberately not supported.
   charters:
     architect: |-
       You are an architect in this fleet. You refine work before anyone builds it:
@@ -589,6 +598,9 @@ fleet:
     dev: |-
       You implement the one unit you were given, and nothing else. You test it,
       commit it, and open your own pull request. You never merge.
+    hunter: |-
+      You sweep the assigned scope for real defects. You may run the build or tests
+      to check a finding. You change nothing, and report several ranked findings.
     reviewer: |-
       You review the diff you were given. You report bugs, risks and missing tests.
       You do not change code.
@@ -666,6 +678,9 @@ fleet:
   developers:
     gx10:
       profile: gx10
+  # hunters:
+  #   gx10:
+  #     profile: gx10                # a hunt may run checks, but never changes code
   # reviewers:
   #   gx10:
   #     profile: gx10                # the same backend may serve two roles; that is the point

fleetd/src/main/java/dev/ltms/fleet/Fleetd.java

@@ -4,11 +4,13 @@ import dev.ltms.fleet.config.FleetConfig;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.config.ConfigRef;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.config.ConfigWatcher;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.guard.SubscriptionGuard;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.Agent;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.AgentControl;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.HerdrClient;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.HerdrException;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.HerdrRouter;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.LeadTabScanner;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.lead.LeadContextGauge;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.lead.LeadLauncher;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.lead.LeadRollover;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.PaneLocator;
@@ -21,8 +23,10 @@ import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.ExhaustedPatternLookup;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.ExhaustionSink;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.LiveExhaustedPatterns;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.Injector;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.LoopWatchdog;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.StatusPoller;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.TurnListener;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.TurnRegistrar;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.MemberPresence;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.auth.MemberRegistry;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.auth.CallerResolver;
@@ -79,7 +83,11 @@ import java.util.concurrent.Executors;
 import java.util.concurrent.ScheduledExecutorService;
 import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
 import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReference;
+import java.util.function.BiConsumer;
+import java.util.function.BooleanSupplier;
+import java.util.function.Consumer;
 import java.util.function.Function;
+import java.util.function.LongSupplier;
 import java.util.function.Predicate;
 import java.util.function.Supplier;
 import java.util.regex.Pattern;
@@ -215,23 +223,23 @@ public final class Fleetd {
         // there is no 2-arg overload left for any lambda to silently bind to instead), but so a
         // test can call the exact same object this line builds, instead of asserting a copy of its
         // shape (round 3's lesson).
-        ExhaustionSink forwardingExhaustionSink = ExhaustionSink.forwardingTo(exhaustionSinkRef::get);
+        // fleetd #589 Group 1: extracted to forwardingExhaustionSink(...) below (see that method's
+        // javadoc) so a dedicated test can prove this factory keeps reading the reference live,
+        // rather than a rebuilt copy of its shape.
+        ExhaustionSink forwardingExhaustionSink = forwardingExhaustionSink(exhaustionSinkRef);
         // The claude-code adapter is the always-present default; keep it even with no profiles (so a
         // bridge configured with no workers, or opencode-only, still has a well-defined base adapter)
         // unless opencode is the only kind configured.
+        // fleetd #589 Group 2: extracted to claudeCodeLauncher(...)/openCodeLauncher(...) below (see
+        // those methods' javadoc) so a dedicated test can prove the CB-596 memberCredentials policy
+        // supplier is actually wired to each adapter, not silently replaced with `() -> null`.
         if (!claudeProfiles.isEmpty() || opencodeProfiles.isEmpty()) {
-            adapters.add(new ClaudeCodeLauncher(router.memberAgents(), router.memberSpaces(), guard,
-                    claudeProfiles, cfg.effectiveDefaultProfile(), System::getenv,
-                    cfg.spawnReadyTimeoutMs(), cfg.spawnReadyPollMs(),
-                    () -> config.get().fleet(),
-                    () -> config.get().memberCredentials(), null, config::get));
+            adapters.add(claudeCodeLauncher(router.memberAgents(), router.memberSpaces(), guard,
+                    claudeProfiles, cfg, config));
         }
         if (!opencodeProfiles.isEmpty()) {
-            adapters.add(new OpenCodeLauncher(router.memberAgents(), router.memberSpaces(),
-                    opencodeProfiles, cfg.effectiveDefaultProfile(), System::getenv,
-                    cfg.spawnReadyTimeoutMs(), cfg.spawnReadyPollMs(),
-                    () -> config.get().fleet(),
-                    () -> config.get().memberCredentials(), config::get, forwardingExhaustionSink));
+            adapters.add(openCodeLauncher(router.memberAgents(), router.memberSpaces(),
+                    opencodeProfiles, cfg, config, forwardingExhaustionSink));
         }
         AtomicReference<Function<String, Integer>> liveCountRef = new AtomicReference<>(_ -> 0);
         // CB-578 stage B: one quarantine tracker for the whole daemon, shared between the launcher
@@ -270,15 +278,12 @@ public final class Fleetd {
         // the first thing that actually talks to herdr, so without this wait a boot-order race
         // would crash the daemon into a restart loop. Wait, then degrade rather than die: serving
         // with /healthz reporting "degraded" is strictly more useful than exiting.
-        boolean herdrUp = awaitHerdr(herdr);
+        HerdrAwaitOutcome herdrOutcome = awaitHerdr(herdr, System::nanoTime, Fleetd::sleepHerdrPoll);
+        boolean herdrUp = logHerdrWaitOutcomeAndShouldReap(herdrOutcome);
         if (herdrUp) {
             // CB-117: herdr keeps worker panes alive across a daemon restart, and their ids died
             // with the previous process — reap those leaked orphans now, before we start serving.
             workers.reapOrphanWorkers();
-        } else {
-            log.warn("herdr did not answer within {}s — starting anyway; /healthz will report "
-                    + "degraded until it comes up. Orphaned worker panes (if any) were NOT reaped.",
-                    HERDR_WAIT_SECONDS);
         }
 
         // CB-301: authoritative session registry + lifecycle FSM on top of ClaudeCodeLauncher.
@@ -408,12 +413,12 @@ public final class Fleetd {
         // LiveExhaustedPatterns's class doc for why this replaces the old compiled-once-at-startup
         // map. A profile with no exhaustedPattern simply returns null here, so its workers keep
         // today's completion-fallback behaviour unchanged.
-        LiveExhaustedPatterns liveExhaustedPatterns = new LiveExhaustedPatterns(() -> config.get().profiles());
-        ExhaustedPatternLookup exhaustedPatterns = target -> sessions.roster().stream()
-                .filter(session -> target.equals(session.terminalId()))
-                .findFirst()
-                .map(session -> liveExhaustedPatterns.patternFor(session.profile()))
-                .orElse(null);
+        // fleetd #589 Group 1: both extracted to liveExhaustedPatterns(...)/
+        // exhaustedPatternLookup(...) below (see those methods' javadoc) — this is the worst
+        // consequence in the whole #589 sweep: silently losing either wiring means a genuine
+        // usage-limit refusal is handed back as a real completion instead of BACKEND_EXHAUSTED.
+        LiveExhaustedPatterns liveExhaustedPatterns = liveExhaustedPatterns(config);
+        ExhaustedPatternLookup exhaustedPatterns = exhaustedPatternLookup(sessions::roster, liveExhaustedPatterns);
         // The startup coverage line still reports the boot-time snapshot only — it is printed once,
         // here, and a reload no longer needs to change what it said; exhaustionDetectionArmed (via
         // liveExhaustedPatterns.armed, wired into quarantineSource below) is what stays live.
@@ -461,11 +466,13 @@ public final class Fleetd {
         // method's javadoc for the full fleetd #175/#234/#446 history this used to carry inline —
         // so a dedicated test can drive the exact ExhaustionSink main() builds, not a hand-rebuilt
         // copy of its shape.
-        ExhaustionSink exhaustionSink = exhaustionSink(sessions, config, quarantine,
-                quarantineReasonByCredential, cfg);
         // fleetd #175: point the forwarding sink handed to OpenCodeLauncher above at the real one,
         // now that `sessions` exists to resolve target -> session -> profile.
-        exhaustionSinkRef.set(exhaustionSink);
+        // fleetd #589 Group 1: both statements (build + set) folded into publishExhaustionSink(...)
+        // below (see that method's javadoc), so a test can prove the reference is actually
+        // repointed at the real sink, not silently left at ExhaustionSink.none().
+        ExhaustionSink exhaustionSink = publishExhaustionSink(exhaustionSinkRef, sessions, config,
+                quarantine, quarantineReasonByCredential, cfg);
         // fleetd #201 Unit 5: the production BackendErrorSink needs `pushLoop` (built further below,
         // after `sessions`) to tell a lead about an incident or an unmapped target — the same
         // construction-order cycle `exhaustionSinkRef` breaks above, broken the same way: a mutable
@@ -493,58 +500,34 @@ public final class Fleetd {
         // CB-113: deliver only to an available worker (its MCP is connected), never its boot window.
         // CB-301: the manager's presence bridge records availability and drives SPAWNING → READY.
         MemberPresence presence = sessions.asPresence();
-        TurnListener turnListener = new TurnListener() {
-            @Override
-            public void onTurnComplete(String target) {
-                completion.onTurnComplete(target);
-                sessions.onTurnComplete(target);
-            }
-
-            @Override
-            public boolean hasPostTurnAction(String target) {
-                return sessions.hasPostTurnAction(target);
-            }
-
-            @Override
-            public boolean onTurnCompleteWithPostAction(String target) {
-                completion.resolveBeforePostAction(target);
-                return sessions.onTurnCompleteWithPostAction(target);
-            }
-
-            @Override
-            public void onDelivered(String target, dev.ltms.fleet.msg.TurnToken token) {
-                completion.onDelivered(target, token);
-                sessions.onDelivered(target, token);
-            }
-
-            @Override
-            public void onTurnFailed(String target) {
-                completion.onTurnFailed(target);
-                sessions.onTurnFailed(target);
-            }
-
-            @Override
-            public void onTurnFailed(String target, String reason) {
-                completion.onTurnFailed(target, reason);
-                sessions.onTurnFailed(target);
-            }
-        };
+        // fleetd #561: extracted to a static factory (see turnListener below) — the anonymous class
+        // this replaced had two bare, unguarded statements per callback, and nothing enforced that
+        // the completion half went first beyond call order in the source.
+        TurnListener turnListener = turnListener(completion, sessions);
         Predicate<String> deliverable = deliverableTo(presence, leads);
+        // fleetd #556: registration is wired directly to `completion`, not folded into the
+        // `turnListener` fan-out above — so it survives `sessions.onDelivered` (or any future
+        // listener) throwing, regardless of call order. See TurnRegistrar's javadoc.
+        // fleetd #589 Group 3 (:505): extracted to turnRegistrar(...) — see FleetdTurnRegistrarWiringTest.
         Injector injector = new Injector(router, turnListener, deliverable,
-                presence::forget);
+                presence::forget, turnRegistrar(completion));
         StatusPoller poller = new StatusPoller(router, injector, Injector.POLL_INTERVAL_MILLIS);
         poller.start();
 
         // CB-307: reply inbox. A broker: block selects the AMQP-backed durable adapter; absent (or
         // unusable), fleetd stays soft-state on the in-memory inbox. The AMQP inbox owns a broker
         // connection, so keep the reference to close it in the ordered shutdown hook.
-        final ReplyInbox replyInbox = selectReplyInbox(cfg.broker(), System.getenv(), AmqpReplyInbox::open);
+        // fleetd #589 Group 3 (:512): opener extracted to replyInboxOpener() — see
+        // FleetdReplyInboxOpenerWiringTest.
+        final ReplyInbox replyInbox = selectReplyInbox(cfg.broker(), System.getenv(), replyInboxOpener());
         // CB-637: this daemon's lead-to-lead mailbox on the SHARED coordination vhost — a separate
         // broker from the reply inbox by design (see FleetConfig.Coordinator). Absent a coordinator:
         // block this is null and every lead path below is simply not wired, which is exactly the
         // behaviour before this ticket. It owns a broker connection, so keep the reference for the
         // ordered shutdown hook.
-        final LeadMailbox leadMailbox = openLeadMailbox(cfg.coordinator(), System.getenv(), LeadMailbox::open);
+        // fleetd #589 Group 3 (:518): opener extracted to leadMailboxOpener() — see
+        // FleetdLeadMailboxOpenerWiringTest.
+        final LeadMailbox leadMailbox = openLeadMailbox(cfg.coordinator(), System.getenv(), leadMailboxOpener());
         // CB-307: learn the primary's terminal from orchestration tool calls (or pin from config).
         // The pin also feeds CallerResolver below: a primary running inside a herdr pane would
         // otherwise resolve as a worker and be refused every orchestration tool.
@@ -582,10 +565,18 @@ public final class Fleetd {
                 Thread.ofVirtual().name("bridge-heartbeat-").unstarted(r));
         if (cfg.leadHeartbeat() != null) {
             var hb = cfg.leadHeartbeat();
+            // fleetd #609: own LeadContextGauge instance for the heartbeat loop — separate from the
+            // one FleetMcp builds internally for fleet_list's context row. Each caches independently
+            // (keyed by configDir+sessionId), so this costs at most one extra bounded tail read per
+            // TTL window, never a shared-mutable-state hazard between the two callers.
+            var leadContextGauge = new LeadContextGauge();
             heartbeat = new LeadHeartbeatLoop(primaryRegistry, router.leadAgents(), replyInbox, sessions::roster,
                     pushLoop, heartbeatScheduler, System::nanoTime,
                     TimeUnit.SECONDS.toNanos(hb.idleAfterSeconds()), hb.backoffMs(), hb.quietNudgeCap(),
-                    metrics);
+                    metrics,
+                    leadContextSource(leadContextGauge, router.leadAgents(), leads,
+                            leadConfigDirLookup(() -> config.get().profiles(), leaders)),
+                    Boolean.TRUE.equals(hb.contextHighNudge()));
             heartbeat.start();
         } else {
             heartbeat = null;
@@ -614,10 +605,12 @@ public final class Fleetd {
             // fleetd #386: System::nanoTime freezes across a macOS sleep, so the stall check also
             // gets a wall-clock source to detect and correct for that freeze. Every other decision
             // in FleetHealthMonitor stays on the monotonic clock, unchanged.
+            // fleetd #589 Group 3 (:591): failTarget extracted to healthFailTarget(...) — see
+            // FleetdHealthFailTargetWiringTest.
             healthMonitor = new FleetHealthMonitor(agents, sessions::roster, messages, healthScheduler,
                     System::nanoTime, () -> TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS.toNanos(System.currentTimeMillis()),
                     cfg.health().intervalOrDefault(),
-                    cfg.health().workingSuspectAfterOrDefault(), messages::abandon);
+                    cfg.health().workingSuspectAfterOrDefault(), healthFailTarget(messages));
             String coverage = FleetHealthMonitor.coverage(true,
                     cfg.health().notifications() != null && cfg.health().notifications().configured());
             if ("detection-only".equals(coverage)) {
@@ -637,27 +630,11 @@ public final class Fleetd {
         // CB-516: releasing a worker must fail whatever send was waiting on it. Without this a
         // torn-down delegation kept reporting PENDING until the 30-minute async timeout, and never
         // reached /metrics — the delegation was unresolvable and nothing said so.
-        sessions.onRelease(detail -> {
-            // CB-578 stage C, acceptance criterion 10: a failed ticket's detail should tell a lead
-            // where to re-dispatch onto the same tree, not just that the worker vanished.
-            String reason = "the worker session was released before it replied";
-            if (detail.worktreePath() != null) {
-                reason += "; worktree=" + detail.worktreePath() + " branch=" + detail.branch()
-                        + " snapshot=" + (detail.snapshotRef() != null ? detail.snapshotRef() : "none");
-            }
-            // CB-584 (issue #65 criterion 5): also name the agent session, so a lead can resume the
-            // member's conversation instead of only re-dispatching a fresh one onto the same files.
-            if (detail.agentSessionId() != null) {
-                reason += " agentSessionId=" + detail.agentSessionId();
-            }
-            // fleetd #275: this is an explicit teardown (fleet_stop, or the idle reaper) — the
-            // worker's pane is being stopped right now, so an open fleet_ask has no turn left to
-            // resume into. Sweep it too, unlike FleetHealthMonitor's health-classification call
-            // (see MessageService.abandon's javadoc for why those two must differ).
-            messages.abandon(detail.terminalId(), reason, true);
-            replyInbox.release(detail.terminalId());
-            primaryRegistry.forgetDelegation(detail.terminalId()); // CB-532: don't leak the lead binding
-        });
+        // fleetd #589 Group 3 (:611-631): the whole cleanup lambda extracted to releaseCleanup(...)
+        // — see FleetdReleaseCleanupWiringTest, and MessageService.abandon's javadoc for the
+        // documented incident (a torn-down worker's rendezvous waiter left open) this lambda exists
+        // to prevent.
+        sessions.onRelease(releaseCleanup(messages, replyInbox, primaryRegistry));
 
         // MCP server face (CB-105): fleet_send/fleet_reply/fleet_status, mounted at /mcp.
         // Caller identity is resolved from the connection (peer PID → herdr pane), not arguments.
@@ -695,18 +672,20 @@ public final class Fleetd {
             return configured == null ? null : configured.effectiveCredentialId();
         }, outagePolicy);
 
+        FleetMcp.LoopHealthSource loopHealth = loopHealthSource(poller, reaper);
         FleetMcp mcp = new FleetMcp(messages, workers, sessions, identity, presence,
-                primaryRegistry, callers, metrics,
+                primaryRegistry, callers, FleetMcp.AuthorizationMode.ENFORCED, metrics,
                 capacitySource(config, cfg, profile -> liveCountRef.get().apply(profile)),
-                new FleetMcp.HealthCoverageSource(() -> {
-                    var health = config.get().health();
-                    return FleetHealthMonitor.coverage(health != null && health.isEnabled(),
-                            health != null && health.notifications() != null && health.notifications().configured());
-                }),
+                healthCoverageSource(config),
+                loopHealth,
                 quarantineSource,
                 leadMailbox,
                 outageSource,
                 new FleetMcp.LeadSeatSource(leadSeatLookup(() -> config.get().profiles(), leaders, leads)),
+                // fleetd #602 gauge-wiring: threads each lead's configured configDir into the
+                // context gauge — see leadConfigDirSource's own doc for why this, not a hardcoded
+                // null, is what fleet_list's context row now reads.
+                leadConfigDirSource(() -> config.get().profiles(), leaders),
                 // fleetd #361: the operator-declared peers this daemon's fleet_list should try to
                 // reach. Read from the SAME snapshot leadMailbox itself opened from (cfg.coordinator()),
                 // not the live config.get() — coordinator wiring is already boot-time-fixed (see
@@ -794,7 +773,7 @@ public final class Fleetd {
         Javalin app = new FleetApp(herdr, memberHerdr, workers, sessions, messages, presence, mcp.servlet(),
                 callers, metrics, deliverable,
                 () -> MemberCredentialPolicyView.of(config.get().memberCredentials()),
-                quarantineSource, outageSource).build();
+                quarantineSource, outageSource, loopHealth).build();
         app.start(cfg.bind().host(), cfg.bind().port());
         log.info("fleetd listening on {}:{}, herdr socket {}",
                 cfg.bind().host(), cfg.bind().port(), socket);
@@ -1040,6 +1019,275 @@ public final class Fleetd {
                 cfg.profiles()::keySet, System::nanoTime);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * fleetd #589 Group 1: the forwarding {@link ExhaustionSink} handed to the adapters built
+     * before {@code sessions} exists (see the {@code exhaustionSinkRef}/{@code
+     * forwardingExhaustionSink} locals in {@code main}, just above {@link #capacitySource}'s call
+     * site). Before this ticket, {@code ExhaustionSink.forwardingTo(exhaustionSinkRef::get)} was
+     * built inline — nothing a test could call directly, so a mutation swapping the supplier for a
+     * hardcoded {@code () -> ExhaustionSink.none()} compiled clean and left the suite green: the
+     * forwarder would silently stop reading the reference at all, and {@link
+     * #publishExhaustionSink} repointing that reference later would have no effect.
+     *
+     * <p>Extracted the same way {@link #capacitySource}/{@link #loopHealthSource} were, so {@code
+     * FleetdExhaustionSinkForwardingWiringTest} can call this factory directly with a real {@link
+     * AtomicReference}, mutate the reference AFTER the forwarder is built, and prove the forwarder
+     * still reads it live rather than a fixed target captured at construction time.
+     */
+    static ExhaustionSink forwardingExhaustionSink(AtomicReference<ExhaustionSink> exhaustionSinkRef) {
+        return ExhaustionSink.forwardingTo(exhaustionSinkRef::get);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * fleetd #589 Group 1: publish the real {@link ExhaustionSink} — built the same way {@link
+     * #exhaustionSink} always was — into the forwarding reference {@link #forwardingExhaustionSink}
+     * built above, replacing {@code main}'s previously untested two-statement sequence ({@code
+     * ExhaustionSink exhaustionSink = exhaustionSink(...); exhaustionSinkRef.set(exhaustionSink);}).
+     * Before this ticket, nothing proved the {@code .set(...)} call actually received the real sink
+     * rather than a hardcoded {@code ExhaustionSink.none()} — the whole point of {@code
+     * exhaustionSinkRef} existing (fleetd #175) is that {@link
+     * dev.ltms.fleet.member.OpenCodeLauncher}'s model-mismatch check, built before {@code sessions}
+     * exists, keeps working once this line runs; silently keeping the reference at {@code none()}
+     * would mean that check permanently does nothing, with the full suite still green because no
+     * existing test drives this exact call site.
+     *
+     * <p>Returns the built sink so {@code main} can still pass it to {@link CompletionResolver}'s
+     * constructor at the same call site it already does, without building it twice.
+     */
+    static ExhaustionSink publishExhaustionSink(AtomicReference<ExhaustionSink> exhaustionSinkRef,
+            SessionManager sessions, ConfigRef config, BackendQuarantine quarantine,
+            Map<String, String> quarantineReasonByCredential, FleetConfig cfg) {
+        ExhaustionSink sink = exhaustionSink(sessions, config, quarantine, quarantineReasonByCredential, cfg);
+        exhaustionSinkRef.set(sink);
+        return sink;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * fleetd #589 Group 1: the live {@code exhaustedPattern} source (fleetd #446) {@link
+     * CompletionResolver} enforces on, extracted out of {@code main} for the same reason {@link
+     * #capacitySource} was. Before this ticket {@code new LiveExhaustedPatterns(() ->
+     * config.get().profiles())} was built inline; replacing the supplier with a hardcoded {@code ()
+     * -> Map.of()} compiled clean and left the suite green, meaning every profile's {@code
+     * exhaustedPattern} would silently stop being recognised and a genuine usage-limit refusal
+     * would be handed back as a real completion instead of {@code BACKEND_EXHAUSTED}.
+     */
+    static LiveExhaustedPatterns liveExhaustedPatterns(ConfigRef config) {
+        return new LiveExhaustedPatterns(() -> config.get().profiles());
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * fleetd #589 Group 1: the {@link ExhaustedPatternLookup} {@link CompletionResolver} enforces
+     * on, resolving a herdr {@code target} to its session's profile and then to that profile's live
+     * {@link LiveExhaustedPatterns#patternFor}. Extracted out of {@code main} the same way {@link
+     * #worktreeBranchLookup} was — same {@code Supplier<List<MemberSession>>} roster shape, same
+     * reason: before this ticket the lambda was built inline, and replacing it with {@code target ->
+     * null} (the exact shape of {@link ExhaustedPatternLookup#none()}) compiled clean and left the
+     * suite green. This is the worst consequence in the whole #589 sweep (see the ticket): a
+     * genuine usage-limit refusal would stop being classified as {@code BACKEND_EXHAUSTED} and
+     * would be handed back to a waiting {@code fleet_send} as if it were real completed work.
+     *
+     * @param roster the live member roster, normally {@code sessions::roster}
+     */
+    static ExhaustedPatternLookup exhaustedPatternLookup(Supplier<List<MemberSession>> roster,
+            LiveExhaustedPatterns liveExhaustedPatterns) {
+        return target -> roster.get().stream()
+                .filter(session -> target.equals(session.terminalId()))
+                .findFirst()
+                .map(session -> liveExhaustedPatterns.patternFor(session.profile()))
+                .orElse(null);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * fleetd #589 Group 2: the production {@link ClaudeCodeLauncher} adapter, extracted out of
+     * {@code main} the same way {@link #capacitySource} was. Before this ticket the constructor
+     * call (11 arguments, including the CB-596 {@code memberCredentials} policy supplier) was built
+     * inline; replacing the {@code () -> config.get().memberCredentials()} argument with {@code ()
+     * -> null} compiled clean and left the suite green — {@code memberCredentials} is not {@code
+     * null} itself (a lambda is never {@code null}), so {@link
+     * dev.ltms.fleet.member.HerdrPeerLauncher#applyMemberCredentialPolicy} sees {@code
+     * memberCredentials.get() == null} and silently shadows nothing, reopening the exact CB-592
+     * exposure gap CB-596's policy closed. {@code FleetdClaudeCodeLauncherCredentialWiringTest}
+     * calls this factory with a real {@link ConfigRef} carrying a {@code memberCredentials:} block
+     * and proves a known-but-not-allowed name is actually shadowed on {@code spawn()}.
+     */
+    static ClaudeCodeLauncher claudeCodeLauncher(AgentControl agents, WorkspaceControl spaces,
+            SubscriptionGuard guard, Map<String, FleetConfig.Profile> claudeProfiles, FleetConfig cfg,
+            ConfigRef config) {
+        return new ClaudeCodeLauncher(agents, spaces, guard, claudeProfiles, cfg.effectiveDefaultProfile(),
+                System::getenv, cfg.spawnReadyTimeoutMs(), cfg.spawnReadyPollMs(),
+                () -> config.get().fleet(), () -> config.get().memberCredentials(), null, config::get);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * fleetd #589 Group 2: the production {@link OpenCodeLauncher} adapter, the {@code opencode}
+     * counterpart to {@link #claudeCodeLauncher} above and extracted for the identical reason: the
+     * same {@code () -> config.get().memberCredentials()} argument, reopening the same CB-592
+     * exposure gap if silently replaced with {@code () -> null}.
+     */
+    static OpenCodeLauncher openCodeLauncher(AgentControl agents, WorkspaceControl spaces,
+            Map<String, FleetConfig.Profile> opencodeProfiles, FleetConfig cfg, ConfigRef config,
+            ExhaustionSink forwardingExhaustionSink) {
+        return new OpenCodeLauncher(agents, spaces, opencodeProfiles, cfg.effectiveDefaultProfile(),
+                System::getenv, cfg.spawnReadyTimeoutMs(), cfg.spawnReadyPollMs(),
+                () -> config.get().fleet(), () -> config.get().memberCredentials(), config::get,
+                forwardingExhaustionSink);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * fleetd #426: package-private factory for {@code fleet_list}'s {@code healthCoverage} source,
+     * extracted out of {@code main} for the same reason {@link #capacitySource} and {@link
+     * #quarantineSource} were — and the same reason {@link #exhaustedPatternCoverageLine}/{@link
+     * #errorPatternCoverageLine} exist: {@link FleetHealthMonitor#coverage}'s three-branch method
+     * is easy to pin directly (a plain {@code (boolean, boolean) -> String} call), but that proves
+     * nothing about whether <em>this call site</em> pairs the right boolean with the right meaning.
+     * fleetd #415's measured lesson is the reason this matters here — swapping the two arguments at
+     * a call site like this one compiled clean and left the full suite green, because every existing
+     * test exercised the method in both directions without ever exercising the pairing.
+     *
+     * <p>{@code #407}'s "keep the config invalid, assert on the log line before the throw" option
+     * does not apply to this call site: the five reporters #407 covers all run in {@code main}
+     * <em>before</em> {@code cfg.validateAll()} (line ~171), so an invalid config still exercises
+     * them. This call site is built during {@code FleetMcp} construction, which runs only after
+     * {@code UnixSocketHerdrClient.connect} has already opened a real herdr socket (line ~188) —
+     * reaching it at all means main already performed real I/O, which the no-socket constraint on
+     * this ticket rules out. So the pairing is pinned by extracting it to this directly-callable
+     * factory instead, the same shape {@link #capacitySource}/{@link #quarantineSource} already use.
+     *
+     * <p>Reads {@code config.get().health()} live (health.notifications is a {@code SPLIT_KEYS}
+     * entry — see {@link ConfigRef#SPLIT_KEYS}), so a hot-reloaded notifications block changes what
+     * {@code fleet_list} reports without a restart, exactly like {@link #capacitySource}'s maxLoad.
+     */
+    static FleetMcp.HealthCoverageSource healthCoverageSource(ConfigRef config) {
+        return new FleetMcp.HealthCoverageSource(() -> {
+            var health = config.get().health();
+            return FleetHealthMonitor.coverage(health != null && health.isEnabled(),
+                    health != null && health.notifications() != null && health.notifications().configured());
+        });
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * fleetd #562 follow-up: package-private factory for {@code fleet_list}'s and {@code
+     * /healthz}'s {@code loopHealth} source, extracted out of {@code main} for the same reason
+     * {@link #capacitySource} and {@link #healthCoverageSource} were. Before this ticket the
+     * {@link FleetMcp.LoopHealthSource} was built inline with a bare {@code new}, so there was
+     * nothing a test could call directly — measured: replacing {@code poller::health} with a
+     * constant {@code () -> LoopWatchdog.State.RUNNING} at the call site compiled clean and left
+     * the full suite green, meaning the daemon could report the {@link StatusPoller} as always
+     * {@code RUNNING} even while it was actually stalled. That is a false negative on the exact
+     * signal this ticket exists to surface, and is the mirror of a false positive muting a real
+     * monitoring component — worse, because there is no noise for anyone to notice and then
+     * silence. {@link FleetdLoopHealthSourceWiringTest} calls this factory directly and pins both
+     * halves separately, plus the {@code reaper == null} branch below.
+     *
+     * <p>{@code reaper} may be {@code null} — a {@link SessionReaper} is only constructed when
+     * {@code lifecycle.idleTtlSeconds} is configured (see the {@code reaper} local above) — and
+     * this factory preserves the existing behaviour of reporting {@link LoopWatchdog.State#STOPPED}
+     * in that case, rather than a {@code NullPointerException} on the first {@code fleet_list} or
+     * {@code /healthz} call.
+     */
+    static FleetMcp.LoopHealthSource loopHealthSource(StatusPoller poller, SessionReaper reaper) {
+        return new FleetMcp.LoopHealthSource(poller::health,
+                () -> reaper == null ? LoopWatchdog.State.STOPPED : reaper.health());
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * fleetd #589 Group 3 (site {@code :505}): package-private factory for the {@link Injector}'s
+     * {@link TurnRegistrar}, extracted out of {@code main} for the same reason {@link
+     * #loopHealthSource} was — before this ticket {@code completion::register} was an inline
+     * argument to {@code new Injector(...)}, so nothing could pin it directly. Replacing it with
+     * {@link TurnRegistrar#NOOP} compiles clean and leaves every existing test green: {@code
+     * onDelivered}'s own {@code captureBaseline} does the identical {@code inFlight} check-and-put a
+     * moment later on the ordinary path, so the two are indistinguishable once a turn's delivery
+     * finishes normally. The gap {@link TurnRegistrar}'s own javadoc (fleetd #556) exists to close is
+     * a {@code turnListener} callback throwing between the two — {@link
+     * FleetdTurnRegistrarWiringTest} pins that {@code register} itself (not just {@code
+     * captureBaseline}) makes a delivered turn's waiter resolvable.
+     */
+    static TurnRegistrar turnRegistrar(CompletionResolver completion) {
+        return completion::register;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * fleetd #589 Group 3 (site {@code :591}): package-private factory for {@link
+     * FleetHealthMonitor}'s {@code failTarget} callback, extracted out of {@code main} for the same
+     * reason {@link #loopHealthSource} was. Before this ticket {@code messages::abandon} was an
+     * inline argument to {@code new FleetHealthMonitor(...)}; replacing it with a no-op {@code
+     * BiConsumer} compiles clean and leaves every existing test green, and in production it means a
+     * member found {@code GONE}/{@code NEVER_READY} never fails the ticket waiting on it — the
+     * caller reports {@code PENDING} for the full 30-minute async timeout instead of the immediate,
+     * accurate failure CB-580 exists to give it. {@link FleetdHealthFailTargetWiringTest} pins that
+     * the returned callback actually reaches the real {@link MessageService#abandon}.
+     */
+    static BiConsumer<String, String> healthFailTarget(MessageService messages) {
+        return messages::abandon;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * fleetd #589 Group 3 (site {@code :611-631}): package-private factory for the whole {@link
+     * SessionManager#onRelease} cleanup callback, extracted out of {@code main} for the same reason
+     * {@link #loopHealthSource} was. Before this ticket this was an inline lambda built directly
+     * inside {@code main}; replacing its body with a no-op {@code detail -> { }} compiles clean and
+     * leaves every existing test green, and in production it is the exact incident {@link
+     * MessageService#abandon}'s own javadoc documents: a torn-down worker's rendezvous waiter is
+     * left open, so a blocking {@code fleet_send} keeps blocking and an async one reports {@code
+     * PENDING} for a hardcoded thirty minutes on every {@code fleet_stop} and every idle-reap.
+     *
+     * <p>{@link FleetdReleaseCleanupWiringTest} pins all three collaborator calls this lambda makes
+     * — {@code messages.abandon}, {@code replyInbox.release}, and {@code
+     * primaryRegistry.forgetDelegation} — each already tested on its own ({@code MessageServiceTest},
+     * {@code PrimaryRegistryTest}), but never before proven to actually be reached from here.
+     */
+    static Consumer<SessionManager.ReleaseDetail> releaseCleanup(MessageService messages, ReplyInbox replyInbox,
+                                                                  PrimaryRegistry primaryRegistry) {
+        return detail -> {
+            // CB-578 stage C, acceptance criterion 10: a failed ticket's detail should tell a lead
+            // where to re-dispatch onto the same tree, not just that the worker vanished.
+            String reason = "the worker session was released before it replied";
+            if (detail.worktreePath() != null) {
+                reason += "; worktree=" + detail.worktreePath() + " branch=" + detail.branch()
+                        + " snapshot=" + (detail.snapshotRef() != null ? detail.snapshotRef() : "none");
+            }
+            // CB-584 (issue #65 criterion 5): also name the agent session, so a lead can resume the
+            // member's conversation instead of only re-dispatching a fresh one onto the same files.
+            if (detail.agentSessionId() != null) {
+                reason += " agentSessionId=" + detail.agentSessionId();
+            }
+            // fleetd #275: this is an explicit teardown (fleet_stop, or the idle reaper) — the
+            // worker's pane is being stopped right now, so an open fleet_ask has no turn left to
+            // resume into. Sweep it too, unlike FleetHealthMonitor's health-classification call
+            // (see MessageService.abandon's javadoc for why those two must differ).
+            messages.abandon(detail.terminalId(), reason, true);
+            replyInbox.release(detail.terminalId());
+            primaryRegistry.forgetDelegation(detail.terminalId()); // CB-532: don't leak the lead binding
+        };
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * fleetd #589 Group 3 (site {@code :512}): package-private factory for {@code selectReplyInbox}'s
+     * production {@link AmqpOpener}, extracted out of {@code main} for the same reason {@link
+     * #loopHealthSource} was. Before this ticket {@code AmqpReplyInbox::open} was an inline argument
+     * to the {@code selectReplyInbox(...)} call; replacing it with {@code (uri, prefetch) -> new
+     * InMemoryReplyInbox()} compiles clean and leaves every existing test green — {@link
+     * FleetdReplyInboxSelectionTest} drives {@code selectReplyInbox} with its own injected opener and
+     * never sees what {@code main} actually passes. {@link FleetdReplyInboxOpenerWiringTest} pins
+     * that this returns the real opener by pointing it at a guaranteed-closed local port and
+     * asserting the real network attempt throws — the inert stub never attempts a connection at all.
+     */
+    static AmqpOpener replyInboxOpener() {
+        return AmqpReplyInbox::open;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * fleetd #589 Group 3 (site {@code :518}): package-private factory for {@code
+     * openLeadMailbox}'s production {@link LeadMailboxOpener}, extracted out of {@code main} for the
+     * same reason {@link #replyInboxOpener} was — same gap, same fix, the lead-coordination mailbox
+     * instead of the reply inbox. {@link FleetdLeadMailboxOpenerWiringTest} pins that this returns
+     * the real opener the same way.
+     */
+    static LeadMailboxOpener leadMailboxOpener() {
+        return LeadMailbox::open;
+    }
+
     /**
      * fleetd #248: package-private factory for the member worktree/branch lookup {@link
      * CompletionResolver} uses to name a fallback report's worktree and branch (fleetd#241).
@@ -1067,6 +1315,157 @@ public final class Fleetd {
                 .orElse(null);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * fleetd #561: compose the production {@link TurnListener} from its two halves — the
+     * completion resolver (which resolves a blocked {@code fleet_send}'s waiter) and the session
+     * manager (which drives the member's lifecycle state) — hardened so a throw from either
+     * half's callback can never suppress the other half's callback for the same event.
+     *
+     * <p>Before this, each method below was two bare, unguarded statements: whichever ran first
+     * throwing meant the second one never ran at all, and nothing beyond call order in the
+     * source enforced "the completion half goes first". #556 fixed the identical shape for {@code
+     * onDelivered}'s registration by moving it off the fan-out entirely (see {@code
+     * TurnRegistrar}); this fixes the four remaining callbacks — {@code onTurnComplete}, {@code
+     * onTurnCompleteWithPostAction}, and both {@code onTurnFailed} overloads — by hardening the
+     * fan-out itself instead, since none of them can be pulled out of the listener the way
+     * registration was.
+     *
+     * <p>The invariant this composition guarantees: <b>a throwing session-listener must not
+     * prevent the completion resolver from being told the turn ended.</b> The completion half is
+     * always attempted first, and — as a bonus the resolver does not depend on — its own throw
+     * does not stop the session half from running either. Whatever escapes (from one half or
+     * both) is rethrown once both have been attempted, with a second failure recorded via {@link
+     * Throwable#addSuppressed} on the first, so it still reaches {@link StatusPoller}'s {@code
+     * catch (Throwable)} and logs at ERROR. Nothing here swallows a failure to make the two halves
+     * look safe.
+     *
+     * <p>{@code onTurnCompleteWithPostAction} is the one place order is not just fault-tolerance
+     * but a functional requirement: {@code completion.resolveBeforePostAction} must resolve the
+     * scrape before {@code sessions.onTurnCompleteWithPostAction}'s adapter housekeeping can erase
+     * the pane's rendered output (see {@link CompletionResolver#resolveBeforePostAction}). That is
+     * why this composition does not treat the pair symmetrically the way {@link #bothMustRun}
+     * does for the other three callbacks: the mirror case (completion half throws, session half's
+     * return value still observed) is not preserved here — once the completion half's failure
+     * escapes, the session half's return value is discarded, matching how the {@link Injector}
+     * already treats any throw from this callback as "the action did not start" (see the {@code
+     * started} default at its call site, {@code Injector.java} ~line 616).
+     *
+     * <p>Package-private so {@code FleetdTurnListenerCompositionTest} can build this listener
+     * directly from a real {@link CompletionResolver} and a fake {@link TurnListener} standing in
+     * for {@code sessions}, without booting the rest of {@code main}.
+     */
+    static TurnListener turnListener(CompletionResolver completion, TurnListener sessions) {
+        return new TurnListener() {
+            @Override
+            public void onTurnComplete(String target) {
+                bothMustRun(() -> completion.onTurnComplete(target), () -> sessions.onTurnComplete(target));
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public boolean hasPostTurnAction(String target) {
+                return sessions.hasPostTurnAction(target);
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public boolean onTurnCompleteWithPostAction(String target) {
+                return bothMustRunKeepingSecondResult(() -> completion.resolveBeforePostAction(target),
+                        () -> sessions.onTurnCompleteWithPostAction(target));
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void onDelivered(String target, dev.ltms.fleet.msg.TurnToken token) {
+                // fleetd #561: left unguarded on purpose, not because registration survives a
+                // throw elsewhere. completion.onDelivered runs CompletionResolver.captureBaseline,
+                // which already wraps its scrape read in its own catch (RuntimeException) and
+                // fails open (baseline = null) — so this call does not realistically throw, and
+                // there is nothing here for bothMustRun to protect.
+                completion.onDelivered(target, token);
+                sessions.onDelivered(target, token);
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void onTurnFailed(String target) {
+                bothMustRun(() -> completion.onTurnFailed(target), () -> sessions.onTurnFailed(target));
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void onTurnFailed(String target, String reason) {
+                bothMustRun(() -> completion.onTurnFailed(target, reason), () -> sessions.onTurnFailed(target));
+            }
+        };
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * fleetd #561: run two listener-callback halves for one lifecycle event, guaranteeing the
+     * SECOND always runs even when the FIRST throws. Whatever is thrown is rethrown once both
+     * halves have been attempted — a second failure is attached to the first via {@link
+     * Throwable#addSuppressed} rather than dropped. Never swallows.
+     */
+    private static void bothMustRun(Runnable completionHalf, Runnable sessionsHalf) {
+        Throwable failure = null;
+        try {
+            completionHalf.run();
+        } catch (Throwable t) {
+            failure = t;
+        }
+        try {
+            sessionsHalf.run();
+        } catch (Throwable t) {
+            if (failure == null) {
+                failure = t;
+            } else {
+                failure.addSuppressed(t);
+            }
+        }
+        if (failure != null) {
+            throwUnchecked(failure);
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * fleetd #561: like {@link #bothMustRun}, but for {@code onTurnCompleteWithPostAction}, whose
+     * session half returns the value the {@link Injector} needs. The second (session) half's
+     * result is what this method returns; if the first (completion) half throws, the second half
+     * still runs and its result is still computed here, but the throw is rethrown afterward
+     * regardless — so that result is discarded at the {@link Injector} call site exactly as it
+     * already is today when this callback throws (see {@link #turnListener}'s javadoc).
+     */
+    private static boolean bothMustRunKeepingSecondResult(Runnable completionHalf,
+                                                           BooleanSupplier sessionsHalf) {
+        Throwable failure = null;
+        try {
+            completionHalf.run();
+        } catch (Throwable t) {
+            failure = t;
+        }
+        boolean result = false;
+        try {
+            result = sessionsHalf.getAsBoolean();
+        } catch (Throwable t) {
+            if (failure == null) {
+                failure = t;
+            } else {
+                failure.addSuppressed(t);
+            }
+        }
+        if (failure != null) {
+            throwUnchecked(failure);
+        }
+        return result;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * fleetd #561: rethrow a captured {@link Throwable} without a checked-exception wrapper. The
+     * two callback halves above never declare a checked exception (both existing production
+     * halves — {@code CompletionResolver} and {@code SessionManager} — only ever throw unchecked),
+     * so this only ever actually rethrows a {@link RuntimeException} or {@link Error}; the generic
+     * cast is the standard "sneaky throw" idiom, not a claim that a checked exception is expected.
+     */
+    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+    private static <T extends Throwable> void throwUnchecked(Throwable t) throws T {
+        throw (T) t;
+    }
+
     /**
      * fleetd #480: construct the {@link LeadRollover} executor only when {@code leadRollover:} is
      * present at startup — the same presence gate {@code leadHeartbeat:} uses just above this
@@ -1191,6 +1590,109 @@ public final class Fleetd {
         };
     }
 
+    /**
+     * fleetd #602 gauge-wiring: per-lead-name factory for {@link FleetMcp.LeadConfigDirSource} — the
+     * {@code CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR} the named lead's own profile runs on, so {@code LeadContextGauge}
+     * reads the transcript directory that lead's Claude Code process actually writes to, not always
+     * the built-in {@code <user.home>/.claude} default.
+     *
+     * <p>Follows the same {@code fleet.leaders.<name>.profile} link {@link #leadSeatLookup} already
+     * uses to find a lead's profile, one step further to that profile's own {@code configDir:}. A
+     * lead entry that names no {@code profile:}, or whose named profile is not configured, or whose
+     * profile sets no {@code configDir:} override, returns {@code null} — {@code LeadContextGauge}
+     * then falls back to its own default, exactly as before this ticket.
+     *
+     * @param profiles the live profile map, normally {@code () -> config.get().profiles()} in
+     *                 {@code main} — read live, like every other {@code configDir} lookup, so a
+     *                 config reload takes effect on the very next {@code fleet_list} call
+     * @param leaders  {@code fleet.leaders}, read once at startup like {@link #leadSeatLookup}'s own
+     *                 {@code leaders} parameter — passed as a plain map, never re-read from
+     *                 {@code config.get()}
+     */
+    static Function<String, String> leadConfigDirLookup(Supplier<Map<String, FleetConfig.Profile>> profiles,
+            Map<String, FleetConfig.Leader> leaders) {
+        return leadName -> {
+            FleetConfig.Leader lead = leaders.get(leadName);
+            if (lead == null || lead.profile() == null || lead.profile().isBlank()) {
+                return null;
+            }
+            FleetConfig.Profile leadProfile = profiles.get().get(lead.profile());
+            return leadProfile == null ? null : leadProfile.configDir();
+        };
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * fleetd #602 gauge-wiring follow-up (PR #606 review comment 17353): {@code main} used to build
+     * {@code new FleetMcp.LeadConfigDirSource(leadConfigDirLookup(...))} inline, with nothing a test
+     * could call directly. Measured on that shape: replacing the whole expression with {@code
+     * FleetMcp.LeadConfigDirSource.none()} at the call site compiled with 0 errors and left the full
+     * 1822-test suite green — the daemon could be changed to always report every lead's context as
+     * {@code UNKNOWN}, forever, while every test stayed green. That is the same hand-built-vs-wired
+     * shape as fleetd #561/#248/#426/#562 ({@link #loopHealthSource}).
+     *
+     * <p>The fix extracts the inline {@code new} into this factory, in the same style as {@link
+     * #loopHealthSource}/{@link #capacitySource}/{@link #healthCoverageSource} — which is exactly
+     * what makes it directly callable from {@code FleetdLeadConfigDirSourceWiringTest}. That test
+     * calls this factory with real {@link FleetConfig.Profile}/{@link FleetConfig.Leader} fixtures and
+     * asserts the returned source resolves a real {@code configDir} — a property that would be false
+     * if this method's body were mutated to {@code return FleetMcp.LeadConfigDirSource.none();}.
+     */
+    static FleetMcp.LeadConfigDirSource leadConfigDirSource(Supplier<Map<String, FleetConfig.Profile>> profiles,
+            Map<String, FleetConfig.Leader> leaders) {
+        return new FleetMcp.LeadConfigDirSource(leadConfigDirLookup(profiles, leaders));
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * fleetd #609: per-terminal factory for {@link LeadHeartbeatLoop.LeadContextSource} — the lead's
+     * own {@link LeadContextGauge} reading, so the heartbeat loop can tell an idle, HIGH-context lead
+     * to consider a handover.
+     *
+     * <p>Three hops, each degrading to {@link LeadContextGauge.Reading#unknown()} rather than
+     * throwing, since a herdr hiccup or an unrecognised terminal must never kill the heartbeat's own
+     * tick: {@code liveLeadTerminals} (terminal id → lead name, the same live supplier {@link
+     * #leadSeatLookup} and {@code LeadCoordLoop} already read) → {@code configDirForLeadName} (that
+     * lead's {@code configDir}, normally {@link #leadConfigDirLookup}'s return) → {@code agents.get}
+     * for the live {@link Agent#sessionId()}/{@link Agent#agentType()} the gauge itself needs.
+     *
+     * @param gauge                 the {@link LeadContextGauge} instance to read through — shares its
+     *                              cache across every call this factory's function makes
+     * @param agents                the {@link AgentControl} instance that reaches the LEAD's pane
+     *                              (not {@code memberAgents}), normally {@code router.leadAgents()}
+     * @param liveLeadTerminals     terminal id → lead name for every CURRENTLY recognised lead
+     * @param configDirForLeadName  lead name → {@code configDir}, normally {@link
+     *                              #leadConfigDirLookup}'s return
+     */
+    static Function<String, LeadContextGauge.Reading> leadContextLookup(LeadContextGauge gauge, AgentControl agents,
+            Supplier<Map<String, String>> liveLeadTerminals, Function<String, String> configDirForLeadName) {
+        return terminal -> {
+            String leadName = liveLeadTerminals.get().get(terminal);
+            if (leadName == null) {
+                return LeadContextGauge.Reading.unknown();
+            }
+            String configDir = configDirForLeadName.apply(leadName);
+            Agent live;
+            try {
+                live = agents.get(terminal);
+            } catch (RuntimeException e) {
+                return LeadContextGauge.Reading.unknown();
+            }
+            return gauge.read(configDir, live.sessionId(), live.agentType());
+        };
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * fleetd #609: wraps {@link #leadContextLookup} into a {@link LeadHeartbeatLoop.LeadContextSource}
+     * — the same hand-built-vs-wired shape as {@link #leadConfigDirSource}/{@link #loopHealthSource}/
+     * {@link #capacitySource}/{@link #healthCoverageSource}. Extracted so a test can call the exact
+     * factory {@code main} calls, rather than only a lookup nothing in {@code main} is proven to use
+     * (see {@code FleetdLeadConfigDirSourceWiringTest}'s javadoc for the measured gap this shape closes).
+     */
+    static LeadHeartbeatLoop.LeadContextSource leadContextSource(LeadContextGauge gauge, AgentControl agents,
+            Supplier<Map<String, String>> liveLeadTerminals, Function<String, String> configDirForLeadName) {
+        return new LeadHeartbeatLoop.LeadContextSource(
+                leadContextLookup(gauge, agents, liveLeadTerminals, configDirForLeadName));
+    }
+
     /**
      * fleetd #248 / fleetd#201 Unit 5: package-private factory for the per-target backend-error
      * pattern lookup {@link CompletionResolver} classifies a pane scrape against. Closes over the
@@ -1696,12 +2198,70 @@ public final class Fleetd {
     }
 
     /**
-     * Poll herdr's {@code ping} until it answers or {@link #HERDR_WAIT_SECONDS} elapses (CB-504).
-     *
-     * @return true if herdr answered, false if it never did
+     * How {@link #awaitHerdr} ended (fleetd #498). The old code returned a bare {@code boolean},
+     * which collapsed two different facts onto the same {@code false}: the configured wait budget
+     * genuinely running out, and the waiting thread being interrupted possibly milliseconds in.
+     * Those need different operator messages — see {@link #logHerdrWaitOutcomeAndShouldReap} — so
+     * this is a third state, not a better number (the same shape fleetd #497 named). Never treat
+     * {@link #INTERRUPTED} as if it were {@link #DEADLINE_PASSED}: only the latter means herdr was
+     * actually given the full {@link #HERDR_WAIT_SECONDS} and still failed to answer.
      */
-    private static boolean awaitHerdr(HerdrClient herdr) {
-        long deadline = System.nanoTime() + HERDR_WAIT_SECONDS * 1_000_000_000L;
+    enum HerdrWaitResult {
+        /** herdr answered {@code ping} before the deadline. */
+        ANSWERED,
+        /** the configured {@link #HERDR_WAIT_SECONDS} budget elapsed with no answer. */
+        DEADLINE_PASSED,
+        /**
+         * the waiting thread was interrupted before the budget ran out — a different event from
+         * {@link #DEADLINE_PASSED} and must never be reported as "did not answer within Ns".
+         */
+        INTERRUPTED
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * The outcome of one {@link #awaitHerdr} call, carrying the MEASURED elapsed wait time
+     * alongside {@link #result}. {@code elapsedNanos} is always measured against the {@code nanos}
+     * supplier passed to {@link #awaitHerdr} — never assume it equals the configured budget, the
+     * same defect fleetd #494 already fixed once in {@code LeadRollover}.
+     */
+    record HerdrAwaitOutcome(HerdrWaitResult result, long elapsedNanos) {}
+
+    /**
+     * The real per-poll wait {@link #main} passes to {@link #awaitHerdr}: sleep
+     * {@link #HERDR_WAIT_POLL_MILLIS}, and on interruption re-set the thread's interrupt flag
+     * rather than throwing — {@link #awaitHerdr} detects an interruption by checking {@link
+     * Thread#isInterrupted()} right after this returns, so a poller that swallowed the flag
+     * instead of restoring it would make that check silently miss the interruption.
+     */
+    private static void sleepHerdrPoll() {
+        try {
+            Thread.sleep(HERDR_WAIT_POLL_MILLIS);
+        } catch (InterruptedException ie) {
+            Thread.currentThread().interrupt();
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Poll herdr's {@code ping} until it answers, the configured {@link #HERDR_WAIT_SECONDS}
+     * budget elapses, or the waiting thread is interrupted (CB-504, fleetd #498).
+     *
+     * <p>{@code nanos} and {@code poller} are required parameters with no defaulted overload
+     * (fleetd #415's shape: a defaulted overload is a silent survivor a green suite would vouch
+     * for) — the previous version read {@link System#nanoTime()} and called {@link Thread#sleep}
+     * directly, so nothing could drive it from a test. The one production call site in {@link
+     * #main} passes {@code System::nanoTime} and {@link #sleepHerdrPoll}.
+     *
+     * @param nanos  a monotonic elapsed-time clock, e.g. {@code System::nanoTime} — never a
+     *               wall-clock source, since only elapsed time (not a timestamp) is measured here
+     * @param poller called once per failed ping while the budget remains; must, on an
+     *               {@link InterruptedException}, re-set the thread's interrupt flag rather than
+     *               throw or swallow it — this method's interruption check reads that flag right
+     *               after {@code poller.run()} returns
+     * @return the outcome and the measured elapsed wait time — see {@link HerdrAwaitOutcome}
+     */
+    static HerdrAwaitOutcome awaitHerdr(HerdrClient herdr, LongSupplier nanos, Runnable poller) {
+        long start = nanos.getAsLong();
+        long deadline = start + HERDR_WAIT_SECONDS * 1_000_000_000L;
         boolean waited = false;
         while (true) {
             try {
@@ -1709,25 +2269,57 @@ public final class Fleetd {
                 if (waited) {
                     log.info("herdr is up");
                 }
-                return true;
+                return new HerdrAwaitOutcome(HerdrWaitResult.ANSWERED, nanos.getAsLong() - start);
             } catch (HerdrException e) {
-                if (System.nanoTime() >= deadline) {
-                    return false;
+                if (nanos.getAsLong() >= deadline) {
+                    return new HerdrAwaitOutcome(HerdrWaitResult.DEADLINE_PASSED, nanos.getAsLong() - start);
                 }
                 if (!waited) {
                     log.info("waiting up to {}s for the herdr socket…", HERDR_WAIT_SECONDS);
                     waited = true;
                 }
-                try {
-                    Thread.sleep(HERDR_WAIT_POLL_MILLIS);
-                } catch (InterruptedException ie) {
-                    Thread.currentThread().interrupt();
-                    return false;
+                poller.run();
+                if (Thread.currentThread().isInterrupted()) {
+                    return new HerdrAwaitOutcome(HerdrWaitResult.INTERRUPTED, nanos.getAsLong() - start);
                 }
             }
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Log the right message for {@code outcome} — never the configured {@link #HERDR_WAIT_SECONDS}
+     * budget alone, always the measured elapsed time next to it — and say whether {@link #main}
+     * should now reap orphan worker panes (fleetd #498).
+     *
+     * <p>Extracted out of {@link #main} so this decision is drivable from a test: {@link #main}
+     * boots the whole daemon and cannot itself be run in a unit test, but this is the exact,
+     * unmodified code {@link #main} calls for the decision, not a re-derivation of it.
+     *
+     * @return true only for {@link HerdrWaitResult#ANSWERED} — orphan workers are reaped only
+     *         then, exactly as before this ticket
+     */
+    static boolean logHerdrWaitOutcomeAndShouldReap(HerdrAwaitOutcome outcome) {
+        long elapsedMillis = TimeUnit.NANOSECONDS.toMillis(outcome.elapsedNanos());
+        if (outcome.result() == HerdrWaitResult.ANSWERED) {
+            return true;
+        }
+        if (outcome.result() == HerdrWaitResult.DEADLINE_PASSED) {
+            log.warn("herdr did not answer within the configured wait (configured={}s elapsed={}ms) "
+                    + "— starting anyway; /healthz will report degraded until it comes up. Orphaned "
+                    + "worker panes (if any) were NOT reaped.",
+                    HERDR_WAIT_SECONDS, elapsedMillis);
+            return false;
+        }
+        // HerdrWaitResult.INTERRUPTED — a different fact from DEADLINE_PASSED (fleetd #498): the
+        // wait was cut short, not exhausted, and must never be reported as "did not answer within
+        // Ns" — that claim would be false and would send an operator to debug herdr for nothing.
+        log.warn("herdr wait was interrupted before the configured wait ran out (configured={}s "
+                + "elapsed={}ms) — starting anyway; /healthz will report degraded until it comes "
+                + "up. Orphaned worker panes (if any) were NOT reaped.",
+                HERDR_WAIT_SECONDS, elapsedMillis);
+        return false;
+    }
+
     private Fleetd() {
     }
 }

fleetd/src/main/java/dev/ltms/fleet/auth/CallerResolver.java

@@ -221,7 +221,8 @@ public final class CallerResolver {
                 // The config/live binding names this pane as an architect slot's own. Same
                 // unforgeable pane mapping; the live binding, never a request argument, decides.
                 // Check the slot role too: this defence in depth prevents a bad lifecycle bind from
-                // escalating a dev or reviewer into an architect. Checked before the worker fallback.
+                // escalating a dev, hunter or reviewer into an architect. Checked before
+                // the worker fallback.
                 return Principal.architect(memberSlotNames.apply(slot), c.terminal(), c.pid());
             }
             return Principal.worker(c.terminal(), c.pid()); // unforgeable; never token-gated
@@ -244,7 +245,15 @@ public final class CallerResolver {
         // already names what happens if that case is handed the primary role: a worker→primary
         // escalation. So an unresolved caller is refused (ANONYMOUS — the same clean, already-tested
         // "authenticated as nothing" outcome used everywhere else in this method), never promoted.
-        return isLoopback(remoteAddr) && c.resolved() ? Principal.primary(c.pid()) : Principal.anonymous();
+        //
+        // fleetd #505: the OTHER way a real pid can wrongly reach here with a null terminal — not a
+        // failed lsof lookup, but a herdr error partway through PaneLocator's pane scan. c.resolved()
+        // says nothing about that; it only tests the lsof sentinel (by design — see
+        // ConnectionIdentity.Caller#resolved). c.scanComplete() is the separate signal: a scan that
+        // could not check every pane must not be read as "checked everywhere, no match" — the pane it
+        // could not check might have been the caller's own. So both must hold before this promotes.
+        return isLoopback(remoteAddr) && c.resolved() && c.scanComplete()
+                ? Principal.primary(c.pid()) : Principal.anonymous();
     }
 
     private boolean presentedTokenMatches(String authorizationHeader) {

fleetd/src/main/java/dev/ltms/fleet/auth/MemberLifecycle.java

@@ -42,7 +42,8 @@ public interface MemberLifecycle {
      * Try to bind a newly spawned {@code terminal} into the role it was granted.
      *
      * @return the role this session actually holds: {@code role} unchanged for a role with no
-     *         live slot-binding semantics (dev, reviewer), or when the bind succeeded; a fallback
+     *         live slot-binding semantics (dev, hunter, reviewer), or when the bind
+     *         succeeded; a fallback
      *         role — never {@code role} — when a slot-bound role (architect) could not be bound.
      *         Callers must record THIS value on the session, never the requested {@code role}, so
      *         a later roster read never reports a role the session does not hold (CB-619). In

fleetd/src/main/java/dev/ltms/fleet/auth/MemberRegistry.java

@@ -20,7 +20,8 @@ import java.util.function.Supplier;
  *
  * <p>Two halves, split by who owns each:
  * <ul>
- *   <li><b>slots</b> — read from {@code fleet.architects}/{@code developers}/{@code reviewers}
+ *   <li><b>slots</b> — read from {@code fleet.architects}/{@code developers}/
+ *       {@code hunters}/{@code reviewers}
  *       (see {@link #slots()}), each carrying the {@code profile} reference the spawn lifecycle
  *       reads when it stands the slot up. <strong>Live, since fleetd #424</strong>: {@link #live}
  *       re-reads {@code fleet:} on every call, through a supplier the same shape as
@@ -322,7 +323,7 @@ public final class MemberRegistry implements MemberLifecycle {
      * CB-619 / fleetd #123: refuse an architect acquire before anything spawns when no configured
      * slot carries {@code profile} — the config-gap case from the original defect report (a spawn
      * asked for {@code role=architect, profile=sonnet}, and {@code fleet.architects} carried only
-     * {@code opus} and {@code sol}). A dev/reviewer acquire is always a no-op: those pools are
+     * {@code opus} and {@code sol}). A dev/hunter/reviewer acquire is always a no-op: those pools are
      * placement candidates only (see {@code CompositePeerLauncher}), never a live identity binding,
      * so there is nothing here to refuse — an explicit profile outside the pool for those roles is a
      * documented operator override, not a defect.

fleetd/src/main/java/dev/ltms/fleet/config/ConfigRef.java

@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ import java.util.function.Supplier;
  *       {@code placement:}, and an existing profile's {@code weight} / {@code maxLoad}. Both are
  *       read through a supplier on {@code CompositePeerLauncher}, which is what makes them hot —
  *       not the fact that they are config. Most of {@code fleet:} — every role pool
- *       ({@code architects}/{@code developers}/{@code reviewers}), {@code charters}, and
+ *       ({@code architects}/{@code developers}/{@code hunters}/{@code reviewers}), {@code charters}, and
  *       {@code tabLabel} — is read the same live way, through the same supplier
  *       ({@code () -> config.get().fleet()}). {@code architects} in particular is hot for
  *       <strong>two independent consumers</strong> (fleetd #424): {@code CompositePeerLauncher}
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ import java.util.function.Supplier;
  * that is correctly hot and for a key nobody triaged. Three times now — {@code worktreeGroup} (#323),
  * {@code primary}/{@code configReload} (#326), and {@code fleet.leaders} sitting in the escape hatch
  * (#333) — the second kind hid among the first. A top-level coverage checker in the
- * {@link ConfigRefProfileCoverageTest} shape (one level up, over {@code FleetConfig} itself rather
+ * {@code ConfigRefProfileCoverageTest} shape (one level up, over {@code FleetConfig} itself rather
  * than {@code FleetConfig.Profile}) proves this file's four classes exhaust the record's components
  * — see {@code ConfigRefTopLevelCoverageTest}. That test proves the record's <em>shape</em> is fully
  * triaged; it does NOT prove a {@code SPLIT_KEYS}/{@code COLD_KEYS}/{@code DEFERRED_KEYS} member has
@@ -605,7 +605,7 @@ public final class ConfigRef implements Supplier<FleetConfig> {
                     + "opened once and needs a restart; the broker URI env-var name kept out of a "
                     + "member's environment is read live on every spawn and already applied");
         }
-        // fleetd #333: unlike health/coordinator above, most of `fleet:` (developers, reviewers,
+        // fleetd #333: unlike health/coordinator above, most of `fleet:` (developers, hunters, reviewers,
         // charters, tabLabel) is genuinely hot — ConfigRefTest.aHotChangeIsAppliedAndRead-
         // ThroughGet and aCharterChangeIsHotAndReachesTheLiveConfig prove it reaches the live config
         // with no restart note. `architects` is hot too, and — since fleetd #424 — hot for BOTH of
@@ -630,7 +630,7 @@ public final class ConfigRef implements Supplier<FleetConfig> {
                     + "identity map and to auto-launch leads, and neither is rebuilt on reload, so a "
                     + "lead added, removed, or given a new tab: label needs a restart — until then it "
                     + "stays unrecognised, and a caller from its new tab resolves as a worker, not a "
-                    + "lead; the rest of fleet: (developers, reviewers, charters, tabLabel) is read "
+                    + "lead; the rest of fleet: (developers, hunters, reviewers, charters, tabLabel) is read "
                     + "live through the supplier on CompositePeerLauncher, and architects is read "
                     + "live through that same supplier for placement AND through a separate supplier "
                     + "on MemberRegistry for spawn-time identity — both already applied");

fleetd/src/main/java/dev/ltms/fleet/config/FleetConfig.java

@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ import java.util.regex.PatternSyntaxException;
  * @param fleet         who the daemon may run and under which role (CB-557). One block replacing
  *                      the former {@code leaders:}, {@code members:}, {@code leadScan:} and
  *                      {@code defaultProfile:}. Role is the containing key — {@code leaders},
- *                      {@code architects}, {@code developers}, {@code reviewers} — and each entry
+ *                      {@code architects}, {@code developers}, {@code hunters}, {@code reviewers} — and each entry
  *                      names the {@code profiles:} backend it runs on. See {@link Fleet}
  * @param leadHeartbeat opt-in idle-lead heartbeat (CB-551); {@code null} ⇒ off, and an upgraded
  *                      daemon never nudges an idle lead on its own initiative
@@ -462,8 +462,8 @@ public record FleetConfig(
      *                       profile that does not opt in. Read live off the current config, so it is
      *                       HOT: a change takes effect on the next exhaustion classification / spawn,
      *                       no restart needed.
-     * @param autoCompactWindow  opt-in per-profile token window that forces a spawned member to
-     *                       auto-compact its context at (Claude Code) or within (opencode) a bound the
+     * @param autoCompactWindow  opt-in per-profile token window that forces a launched Claude Code
+     *                       session to auto-compact its context at, or an opencode session within, a bound the
      *                       operator chooses, instead of the backend's own default. {@code null} (the
      *                       default) leaves today's behaviour exactly — opencode already forces
      *                       {@code compaction.auto: true} unconditionally (CB-523) but has no absolute
@@ -1200,6 +1200,7 @@ public record FleetConfig(
      * @param leaders     panes that orchestrate rather than are orchestrated, keyed by lead name
      * @param architects  profiles the {@code architect} role may run on
      * @param developers  profiles the {@code dev} role may run on
+     * @param hunters     profiles the {@code hunter} role may run on
      * @param reviewers   profiles the {@code reviewer} role may run on
      * @param charters    optional launch-charter text keyed by singular role wire name
      * @param tabLabel    template for a member tab's label; {@code {role}}, {@code {profile}},
@@ -1210,6 +1211,7 @@ public record FleetConfig(
     public record Fleet(Map<String, Leader> leaders,
                         Map<String, Slot> architects,
                         Map<String, Slot> developers,
+                        Map<String, Slot> hunters,
                         Map<String, Slot> reviewers,
                         Map<String, String> charters,
                         String tabLabel) {
@@ -1226,6 +1228,7 @@ public record FleetConfig(
             leaders = unmodifiableOrEmpty(leaders);
             architects = unmodifiableOrEmpty(architects);
             developers = unmodifiableOrEmpty(developers);
+            hunters = unmodifiableOrEmpty(hunters);
             reviewers = unmodifiableOrEmpty(reviewers);
             charters = unmodifiableOrEmpty(charters);
             tabLabel = (tabLabel == null || tabLabel.isBlank()) ? DEFAULT_TAB_LABEL : tabLabel;
@@ -1240,9 +1243,15 @@ public record FleetConfig(
          * constructor: the launcher reads {@code fleet.charters()} from the live config. Jackson
          * binds the canonical constructor, so this one cannot swallow an operator's YAML.
          */
+        public Fleet(Map<String, Leader> leaders, Map<String, Slot> architects,
+                     Map<String, Slot> developers, Map<String, Slot> reviewers,
+                     Map<String, String> charters, String tabLabel) {
+            this(leaders, architects, developers, null, reviewers, charters, tabLabel);
+        }
+
         public Fleet(Map<String, Leader> leaders, Map<String, Slot> architects,
                      Map<String, Slot> developers, Map<String, Slot> reviewers, String tabLabel) {
-            this(leaders, architects, developers, reviewers, null, tabLabel);
+            this(leaders, architects, developers, null, reviewers, null, tabLabel);
         }
 
         /**
@@ -1264,6 +1273,7 @@ public record FleetConfig(
             return switch (role) {
                 case ARCHITECT -> architects;
                 case DEV -> developers;
+                case HUNTER -> hunters;
                 case REVIEWER -> reviewers;
             };
         }
@@ -1319,9 +1329,20 @@ public record FleetConfig(
      *                         each such nudge costs the lead a turn just to read "nothing pending";
      *                         three is enough to tell it it may stand down without nagging forever, and
      *                         it is the bound that stops an idle fleet from being a subscription burner.
+     * @param contextHighNudge fleetd #609: when {@code true}, an idle lead whose own {@code
+     *                         LeadContextGauge} reading is {@code HIGH} gets a text notice telling it
+     *                         to consider a handover, appended to whatever heartbeat nudge the loop
+     *                         already sends. Default {@code false} ({@code null} also means off) — an
+     *                         upgraded daemon must not silently start telling leads to hand over.
      */
     @JsonIgnoreProperties(ignoreUnknown = true)
-    public record LeadHeartbeat(Integer idleAfterSeconds, Long backoffMs, Integer quietNudgeCap) {
+    public record LeadHeartbeat(Integer idleAfterSeconds, Long backoffMs, Integer quietNudgeCap,
+                                 Boolean contextHighNudge) {
+        /** Convenience constructor for every call site that predates fleetd #609: no context notice. */
+        public LeadHeartbeat(Integer idleAfterSeconds, Long backoffMs, Integer quietNudgeCap) {
+            this(idleAfterSeconds, backoffMs, quietNudgeCap, null);
+        }
+
         public LeadHeartbeat {
             idleAfterSeconds = (idleAfterSeconds == null || idleAfterSeconds <= 0) ? 300 : idleAfterSeconds;
             backoffMs = (backoffMs == null || backoffMs <= 0) ? 60_000L : backoffMs;
@@ -1670,7 +1691,7 @@ public record FleetConfig(
      * <p>A herdr pane runs a login shell that re-sources the operator's own secret store, so a
      * member inherits every credential the operator's shell holds — measured at 31 names on this
      * host, of which only one ({@code GITEA_ACCESS_TOKEN}) used to be blocked, and that block was a
-     * single name hardcoded in {@link HerdrPeerLauncher} rather than driven by config (gitea issue
+     * single name hardcoded in {@link dev.ltms.fleet.member.HerdrPeerLauncher} rather than driven by config (gitea issue
      * #82). This record replaces that hardcoded shadow with a config-driven one.
      *
      * <p><b>deny-by-default, not a deny-list.</b> A deny-list (block these specific names, let
@@ -1854,6 +1875,7 @@ public record FleetConfig(
             rejectDuplicateMemberSlots(yaml);
             rejectNegativeMaxLoad(yaml);
             rejectAutoCompactWindowOutOfRange(yaml);
+            warnConflictingAutoCompactWindows(yaml);
             rejectMalformedProfilePatterns(yaml);
             rejectUnknownKind(yaml);
             rejectUnknownAuthMode(yaml);
@@ -1872,7 +1894,7 @@ public record FleetConfig(
 
     /** The {@code fleet:} child blocks whose direct children are slot names. */
     private static final Set<String> FLEET_POOL_KEYS =
-            Set.of("leaders", "architects", "developers", "reviewers");
+            Set.of("leaders", "architects", "developers", "hunters", "reviewers");
 
     /**
      * Reject a {@code fleet:} role pool whose slot names repeat (CB-548, re-homed by CB-557).
@@ -1882,7 +1904,7 @@ public record FleetConfig(
      * daemon would never know. Jackson's YAML parser does not fail on duplicate mapping keys by
      * default, so duplicates are caught here, at parse time, before the map is built.
      *
-     * <p>Only the four pools <em>directly under the top-level {@code fleet:}</em> are considered,
+     * <p>Only the five pools <em>directly under the top-level {@code fleet:}</em> are considered,
      * and only their direct child keys (the slot names). A nested field elsewhere, even one also
      * named {@code developers:}, is ignored, so parsing of the rest of the config is unaffected.
      *
@@ -2049,8 +2071,9 @@ public record FleetConfig(
             "defaultProfile", "a role pool under 'fleet:' — an unqualified spawn now names a role,"
                     + " and that role's pool supplies the candidate profiles",
             "architects", "'fleet.architects'",
-            "members", "a role pool under 'fleet:' — 'fleet.architects', 'fleet.developers' or"
-                    + " 'fleet.reviewers'; the role is the containing key, not a 'role:' field",
+            "members", "a role pool under 'fleet:' — 'fleet.architects', 'fleet.developers',"
+                    + " 'fleet.hunters' or 'fleet.reviewers'; the role is the containing key, not"
+                    + " a 'role:' field",
             "leaders", "'fleet.leaders'",
             "leadScan", "'fleet.leaders.<name>.tabPrefix' and '.scanIntervalSeconds' — lead"
                     + " discovery is now configured on the lead it discovers");
@@ -2203,6 +2226,71 @@ public record FleetConfig(
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Warn (never refuse to start) about a Claude Code profile whose auto-compaction flag and
+     * environment setting disagree.
+     *
+     * <p>Renamed from {@code rejectConflictingAutoCompactWindows} (fleetd #601 review, measured
+     * 2026-09-22): that method threw {@link IllegalStateException}, so {@link #load(Path)} refused
+     * to start on a config carrying this conflict. On this host, four profiles trip it, including
+     * the lead's own profile and the one every worker spawns on — so the throw is not a rare edge
+     * case. Under launchd, a throw inside {@code load()} is a restart loop, not an error an operator
+     * reads once, and the config that would fix it ({@code fleetd/fleetd.yaml}) is gitignored, so
+     * the cause is invisible on the host where it bites. A WARN gives the operator the same
+     * information — which profiles, and now both values, so they can fix it without reading the
+     * source — without ever taking the fleet down.
+     *
+     * <p>Which of the two inputs Claude Code actually follows when they disagree is intentionally
+     * <em>not</em> asserted here. {@code ClaudeCodeArguments}'s javadoc used to state the
+     * environment variable always wins; nobody had measured that, and this host's own
+     * {@code fleetd.yaml} asserts the opposite in a comment. This method only detects and reports
+     * the disagreement — see {@link dev.ltms.fleet.launch.ClaudeCodeArguments}.
+     *
+     * <p>Equal values never warn: either input then produces the same session window, so there is
+     * nothing to reconcile.
+     */
+    static void warnConflictingAutoCompactWindows(String yaml) {
+        Map<?, ?> raw;
+        try {
+            raw = YAML.readValue(yaml, Map.class);
+        } catch (IOException | IllegalArgumentException e) {
+            return;
+        }
+        if (raw == null || !(raw.get("profiles") instanceof Map<?, ?> profiles)) {
+            return;
+        }
+        List<String> names = new ArrayList<>();
+        List<String> detail = new ArrayList<>();
+        for (Map.Entry<?, ?> entry : profiles.entrySet()) {
+            if (!(entry.getValue() instanceof Map<?, ?> profile)
+                    || !(profile.get("autoCompactWindow") instanceof Number window)
+                    || !(profile.get("env") instanceof Map<?, ?> env)
+                    || !env.containsKey("CLAUDE_CODE_AUTO_COMPACT_WINDOW")) {
+                continue;
+            }
+            Object kind = profile.get("kind");
+            boolean claudeCode = kind == null || String.valueOf(kind).isBlank()
+                    || Profile.KIND_CLAUDE_CODE.equalsIgnoreCase(String.valueOf(kind));
+            Object envValue = env.get("CLAUDE_CODE_AUTO_COMPACT_WINDOW");
+            if (claudeCode && !String.valueOf(window).equals(String.valueOf(envValue))) {
+                String name = String.valueOf(entry.getKey());
+                names.add(name);
+                detail.add(name + " (autoCompactWindow=" + window
+                        + ", env.CLAUDE_CODE_AUTO_COMPACT_WINDOW=" + envValue + ")");
+            }
+        }
+        if (names.isEmpty()) {
+            return;
+        }
+        names.sort(String::compareTo);
+        detail.sort(String::compareTo);
+        log.warn("Claude Code profile(s) {} set disagreeing autoCompactWindow and env."
+                        + "CLAUDE_CODE_AUTO_COMPACT_WINDOW — the daemon starts anyway. Fix by "
+                        + "removing one key or setting equal values on each: {}. Which input Claude "
+                        + "Code actually follows when they disagree is not verified here.",
+                names, String.join(", ", detail));
+    }
+
     /**
      * Reject a profile whose {@code errorPattern} (fleetd #201 Unit 5) or {@code exhaustedPattern}
      * (CB-578 stage A) is not a valid Java regex, naming the profile, the key, and the parser's own

fleetd/src/main/java/dev/ltms/fleet/herdr/PaneLocator.java

@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 package dev.ltms.fleet.herdr;
 
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.JsonNode;
+import org.slf4j.Logger;
+import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
 
 import java.util.LinkedHashSet;
 import java.util.List;
@@ -36,6 +38,8 @@ import java.util.Set;
  */
 public final class PaneLocator {
 
+    private static final Logger log = LoggerFactory.getLogger(PaneLocator.class);
+
     /**
      * Bound on how many ancestor generations {@link #ancestorsOf} walks. This runs on every MCP
      * call, so a cycle or a pathologically deep process tree must not hang identity resolution;
@@ -73,22 +77,46 @@ public final class PaneLocator {
     }
 
     /**
-     * The {@code terminal_id} of the agent pane whose process tree contains {@code pid}, or
-     * {@code null} if no agent pane on any searched daemon owns it (e.g. the caller is the
-     * primary, or off-host).
+     * The outcome of a {@link #terminalForPid} scan: the {@code terminal_id} of the agent pane
+     * whose process tree contains the pid ({@link #terminal} is {@code null} if none matched),
+     * and whether the scan that produced that answer ran to completion on every daemon searched.
+     *
+     * <p>{@link #complete} is {@code false} exactly when some {@code pane.process_info} call
+     * failed and, despite that, no pane was ever found to own the pid. In that case a {@code null}
+     * {@link #terminal} means "could not tell", not "definitely not a worker" — fleetd #505: a
+     * transient herdr error on the very pane that <em>does</em> own the caller's pid must not read
+     * as a clean negative and fall through to {@code Principal.primary}, the same way #317's
+     * {@code Caller.resolved()} already guards a failed lsof lookup. Callers ({@code
+     * ConnectionIdentity}, {@code CallerResolver}) must refuse rather than promote on an incomplete
+     * scan.
+     *
+     * <p>When a pane genuinely owns the pid, {@link #complete} is {@code true} regardless of
+     * whether some other, unrelated pane failed to answer earlier in the same scan — a positive
+     * match is definitive and does not need every pane to have been checked (a pane that "vanished
+     * mid-scan" but was never the match is still a clean, complete result).
      */
-    public String terminalForPid(long pid) {
+    public record Lookup(String terminal, boolean complete) {
+        private static final Lookup NOT_FOUND = new Lookup(null, true);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Resolve {@code pid} to the agent pane whose process tree contains it, across every searched
+     * herdr daemon. See {@link Lookup} for how to read a {@code null} terminal.
+     */
+    public Lookup terminalForPid(long pid) {
         if (pid <= 0) {
-            return null;
+            return Lookup.NOT_FOUND;
         }
         Set<Long> ancestry = ancestorsOf(pid);
-        for (HerdrClient herdr : herdrs) {
-            String terminal = terminalForPid(herdr, ancestry);
-            if (terminal != null) {
-                return terminal;
+        boolean complete = true;
+        for (int i = 0; i < herdrs.size(); i++) {
+            Lookup outcome = scan(herdrs.get(i), i, herdrs.size(), ancestry);
+            if (outcome.terminal() != null) {
+                return outcome; // a definite match — no need to finish checking other clients
             }
+            complete = complete && outcome.complete();
         }
-        return null;
+        return new Lookup(null, complete);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -117,31 +145,51 @@ public final class PaneLocator {
         return ancestry;
     }
 
-    private static String terminalForPid(HerdrClient herdr, Set<Long> ancestry) {
+    /** Whether a pane owns one of the scanned pid's ancestors, or the check of it failed outright. */
+    private enum Ownership { OWNS, DOES_NOT_OWN, UNKNOWN }
+
+    private static Lookup scan(HerdrClient herdr, int clientIndex, int clientCount, Set<Long> ancestry) {
+        boolean complete = true;
         for (JsonNode pane : herdr.call("pane.list", Map.of()).path("panes")) {
             String paneId = pane.path("pane_id").asText(null);
-            if (paneId != null && paneOwnsAnyOf(herdr, paneId, ancestry)) {
-                return pane.path("terminal_id").asText(null);
+            if (paneId == null) {
+                continue;
+            }
+            Ownership owns = paneOwnsAnyOf(herdr, clientIndex, clientCount, paneId, ancestry);
+            if (owns == Ownership.OWNS) {
+                return new Lookup(pane.path("terminal_id").asText(null), true);
+            }
+            if (owns == Ownership.UNKNOWN) {
+                complete = false;
             }
         }
-        return null;
+        return new Lookup(null, complete);
     }
 
-    private static boolean paneOwnsAnyOf(HerdrClient herdr, String paneId, Set<Long> ancestry) {
+    private static Ownership paneOwnsAnyOf(HerdrClient herdr, int clientIndex, int clientCount,
+                                            String paneId, Set<Long> ancestry) {
         JsonNode info;
         try {
             info = herdr.call("pane.process_info", Map.of("pane_id", paneId)).path("process_info");
         } catch (HerdrException e) {
-            return false; // pane vanished mid-scan — just skip it
+            // fleetd #505: this used to be read as a clean "does not own it" (the pane vanished
+            // mid-scan, just skip it) — one boolean carrying two different facts. It is UNKNOWN
+            // now: if THIS pane is the one that owns the pid, the caller must not be told "no pane
+            // owns it", because that reads as a real primary and is promoted under loopback-trust.
+            log.warn("pane.process_info failed for pane {} on herdr client {} of {} during a "
+                            + "pid-owner scan — treating it as \"could not tell\", not a clean "
+                            + "negative (fleetd #505): {}",
+                    paneId, clientIndex + 1, clientCount, e.getMessage());
+            return Ownership.UNKNOWN;
         }
         if (ancestry.contains(info.path("shell_pid").asLong(-1))) {
-            return true;
+            return Ownership.OWNS;
         }
         for (JsonNode p : info.path("foreground_processes")) {
             if (ancestry.contains(p.path("pid").asLong(-1))) {
-                return true;
+                return Ownership.OWNS;
             }
         }
-        return false;
+        return Ownership.DOES_NOT_OWN;
     }
 }

fleetd/src/main/java/dev/ltms/fleet/inject/CompletionResolver.java

@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ import java.util.regex.Pattern;
  * so the scrape's herdr round-trip never stalls the status poller. The captured waiter is read on the
  * poller thread (before any next-turn delivery can overwrite it) and passed into the virtual thread.
  */
-public final class CompletionResolver implements TurnListener {
+public final class CompletionResolver implements TurnListener, TurnRegistrar {
 
     private static final Logger log = LoggerFactory.getLogger(CompletionResolver.class);
 
@@ -235,6 +235,26 @@ public final class CompletionResolver implements TurnListener {
         this.worktreeBranches = Objects.requireNonNull(worktreeBranches, "worktreeBranches");
     }
 
+    /**
+     * fleetd #556: {@link TurnRegistrar}'s structural half of what {@link #captureBaseline} used to
+     * do alone — record the waiter, no I/O. Called directly and unconditionally by the {@link
+     * Injector} as part of delivering a turn, before {@link #onDelivered} ever runs, so this
+     * registration cannot be skipped by a {@link TurnListener} throwing (from {@code onDelivered} or
+     * any other callback). {@link #captureBaseline} still performs this exact check-and-put itself
+     * as well — harmless and idempotent when it runs right after this — so a caller that only wires
+     * the {@link TurnListener} path (e.g. an existing test that never mentions {@link TurnRegistrar})
+     * keeps working unchanged.
+     */
+    @Override
+    public void register(String target, TurnToken token) {
+        CompletableFuture<Rendezvous.Resolution> waiter = token.waiter();
+        if (waiter == null) {
+            inFlight.remove(target); // no send is waiting on this delivery — nothing to resolve later
+            return;
+        }
+        inFlight.put(target, new InFlight(waiter, null, nowNanos.getAsLong(), token.injectedText()));
+    }
+
     @Override
     public void onDelivered(String target, TurnToken token) {
         // Capture the exact waiter this turn belongs to (CB-116) and snapshot the pane's pre-turn
@@ -244,7 +264,14 @@ public final class CompletionResolver implements TurnListener {
         captureBaseline(target, token);
     }
 
-    /** Capture the in-flight turn: its waiter and pre-turn baseline (the testable core of {@link #onDelivered}). */
+    /**
+     * Capture the in-flight turn: its waiter and pre-turn baseline (the testable core of {@link
+     * #onDelivered}). fleetd #556: this still does its own full waiter check and {@code inFlight.put}
+     * — the same registration {@link #register} performs — so it keeps working standalone (as every
+     * test calling it directly already does) even though the {@link Injector} now also calls {@link
+     * #register} on its own, earlier and unconditionally. The two writes are idempotent with each
+     * other; only the second (this one) carries a real baseline, since only this one pays for a scrape.
+     */
     void captureBaseline(String target, TurnToken token) {
         CompletableFuture<Rendezvous.Resolution> waiter = token.waiter();
         if (waiter == null) {

fleetd/src/main/java/dev/ltms/fleet/inject/Injector.java

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package dev.ltms.fleet.inject;
 
 import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.AgentControl;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.AgentStatus;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.HerdrException;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.HerdrRouter;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.msg.TurnToken;
 import org.slf4j.Logger;
@@ -11,10 +12,12 @@ import java.util.ArrayDeque;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Deque;
 import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Objects;
 import java.util.Set;
 import java.util.concurrent.CompletableFuture;
 import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentHashMap;
 import java.util.function.Consumer;
+import java.util.function.LongSupplier;
 import java.util.function.Predicate;
 import java.util.stream.Collectors;
 
@@ -44,6 +47,17 @@ import java.util.stream.Collectors;
  * turn — the pickup-grace path (a turn too fast to sample) unwedges the queue but does not fire
  * completion, since without a sampled {@code working} there is no trustworthy "the worker just
  * finished the task" signal to act on.
+ *
+ * <p><strong>Delivery honesty (fleetd #551).</strong> The one external send call
+ * ({@link AgentControl#send}) is irreversible, and its own response can still fail after the text
+ * has already reached the worker's pane — herdr replied (or may have), so the request was already
+ * processed, but the reply itself then failed to parse or carried an error. A queued entry is
+ * polled off the queue and marked {@code ATTEMPTED} <em>before</em> that call is made, not after,
+ * so a failure from the call itself can never be recorded as a confident {@code NOT_DELIVERED} for
+ * text that may already be sitting in the pane. {@code NOT_DELIVERED} stays reserved for the cases
+ * where nothing was ever attempted — the readiness grace expiring, {@link #drop}, or a herdr
+ * {@code *_not_found} error, which the rest of this codebase already treats as a confirmed absence
+ * rather than a merely inconclusive failure (see {@code StatusPoller}, {@code AgentControl}).
  */
 public final class Injector {
 
@@ -92,8 +106,21 @@ public final class Injector {
     private final AgentControl agents;
     private final HerdrRouter router;
     private final TurnListener turnListener;
+    /**
+     * fleetd #556: the Injector's own registration invariant, called directly and unconditionally —
+     * never folded into {@link #turnListener}'s fan-out. See {@link TurnRegistrar}.
+     */
+    private final TurnRegistrar registrar;
     private final Predicate<String> ready; // CB-113: a target is deliverable only when available
     private final Consumer<String> forget; // CB-114: clear a gone worker's readiness/presence
+    /**
+     * Wall-clock source for the readiness-grace elapsed time logged in {@link #onStatus} (fleetd
+     * #501). Production constructors default this to {@code System::currentTimeMillis}; the
+     * package-private constructors below take it explicitly so a test can supply a stub whose
+     * advance does not track {@link #POLL_INTERVAL_MILLIS} — copying the shape {@code LeadRollover}
+     * already uses for the same purpose.
+     */
+    private final LongSupplier nowMillis;
     private final ConcurrentHashMap<String, Target> targets = new ConcurrentHashMap<>();
 
     /** Delivery only; completion signalling is a no-op and every target is treated as available. */
@@ -125,20 +152,75 @@ public final class Injector {
      */
     public Injector(AgentControl agents, TurnListener turnListener, Predicate<String> ready,
                     Consumer<String> forget) {
+        // fleetd #556: no explicit registrar named here, so fall back to turnListener itself when it
+        // happens to also implement TurnRegistrar (true for CompletionResolver, the only production
+        // TurnListener that needs CB-106 registration) — every existing caller of this overload keeps
+        // working unchanged. A turnListener that does NOT implement TurnRegistrar (a fan-out object,
+        // or a bare test lambda) gets TurnRegistrar.NOOP here, same as before this ticket.
+        this(agents, turnListener, ready, forget,
+                turnListener instanceof TurnRegistrar r ? r : TurnRegistrar.NOOP);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * fleetd #556: explicit-registrar overload. Use this whenever {@code turnListener} does not
+     * itself implement {@link TurnRegistrar} — e.g. a fan-out object that also notifies unrelated
+     * observers — so registration is wired directly to the one component that owns it, rather than
+     * relying on {@code turnListener} happening to implement both interfaces.
+     */
+    public Injector(AgentControl agents, TurnListener turnListener, Predicate<String> ready,
+                    Consumer<String> forget, TurnRegistrar registrar) {
+        this(agents, turnListener, ready, forget, registrar, System::currentTimeMillis);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Package-private constructor — for tests: an injectable wall-clock supplier (fleetd #501),
+     * with no explicit registrar (fleetd #556 fallback, same as the public 4-arg overload above).
+     */
+    Injector(AgentControl agents, TurnListener turnListener, Predicate<String> ready,
+             Consumer<String> forget, LongSupplier nowMillis) {
+        this(agents, turnListener, ready, forget,
+                turnListener instanceof TurnRegistrar r ? r : TurnRegistrar.NOOP, nowMillis);
+    }
+
+    /** Full constructor — for tests: an explicit registrar and an injectable wall-clock supplier. */
+    Injector(AgentControl agents, TurnListener turnListener, Predicate<String> ready,
+             Consumer<String> forget, TurnRegistrar registrar, LongSupplier nowMillis) {
         this.agents = agents;
         this.router = null;
         this.turnListener = turnListener;
+        this.registrar = Objects.requireNonNull(registrar, "registrar");
         this.ready = ready;
         this.forget = forget;
+        this.nowMillis = nowMillis;
     }
 
     public Injector(HerdrRouter router, TurnListener turnListener, Predicate<String> ready,
                     Consumer<String> forget) {
+        // fleetd #556: see the AgentControl overload above for the fallback rationale.
+        this(router, turnListener, ready, forget,
+                turnListener instanceof TurnRegistrar r ? r : TurnRegistrar.NOOP);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * fleetd #556: explicit-registrar overload — production wiring ({@code Fleetd}) uses this, since
+     * its {@code turnListener} is a fan-out object that also notifies {@code SessionManager} and does
+     * not itself implement {@link TurnRegistrar}.
+     */
+    public Injector(HerdrRouter router, TurnListener turnListener, Predicate<String> ready,
+                    Consumer<String> forget, TurnRegistrar registrar) {
+        this(router, turnListener, ready, forget, registrar, System::currentTimeMillis);
+    }
+
+    /** Full constructor — for tests: an injectable wall-clock supplier (fleetd #501). */
+    Injector(HerdrRouter router, TurnListener turnListener, Predicate<String> ready,
+             Consumer<String> forget, TurnRegistrar registrar, LongSupplier nowMillis) {
         this.agents = null;
         this.router = router;
         this.turnListener = turnListener;
+        this.registrar = Objects.requireNonNull(registrar, "registrar");
         this.ready = ready;
         this.forget = forget;
+        this.nowMillis = nowMillis;
     }
 
     private AgentControl agentsFor(String target) {
@@ -147,8 +229,23 @@ public final class Injector {
 
     /** The result of trying to remove an undelivered message from the injector. */
     public enum Cancellation {
+        /** The message was still queued and this call removed it; the target saw nothing. */
         CANCELLED,
+        /** The message reached the worker's pane and is confirmed delivered. */
         DELIVERED,
+        /**
+         * fleetd #551: the injector called {@link AgentControl#send} for this message and that call
+         * threw before its outcome was known — the text may or may not have reached the pane. A
+         * caller reporting this to an operator must say "uncertain", not "definitely not
+         * delivered": reading it as a confident negative invites a resend of text that may already
+         * be sitting in the pane (a double delivery), which is worse than the ambiguity itself.
+         */
+        ATTEMPTED,
+        /**
+         * The message never reached the worker's pane — nothing was ever attempted for it (the
+         * readiness grace expired, the target was dropped, or send failed with a herdr
+         * {@code *_not_found} error, which is a confirmed absence, not merely inconclusive).
+         */
         NOT_DELIVERED
     }
 
@@ -171,7 +268,29 @@ public final class Injector {
 
     /** A pending message and the future that completes when it has been delivered. */
     private static final class Pending {
-        enum State { QUEUED, DELIVERED, NOT_DELIVERED, CANCELLED }
+        enum State {
+            /** Still in the target's queue, not yet attempted. */
+            QUEUED,
+            /**
+             * fleetd #551: {@link AgentControl#send} has been called for this entry and its outcome
+             * is not yet known — recorded BEFORE the call (see {@link #onStatus}), so a Throwable
+             * from send() can never leave the entry either still QUEUED or falsely marked
+             * NOT_DELIVERED. Upgraded to DELIVERED on success; left as ATTEMPTED on an ordinary
+             * failure, since reaching the catch does not prove the text never reached the pane.
+             */
+            ATTEMPTED,
+            /** {@code send()} returned normally: the text is confirmed to have reached the pane. */
+            DELIVERED,
+            /**
+             * Confirmed — not merely inconclusive — that nothing was ever sent for this entry: the
+             * worker never became ready ({@link #onStatus}'s readiness-grace expiry), the target was
+             * dropped ({@link #drop}), or send failed with a herdr {@code *_not_found} error. Never
+             * written for an entry whose send() outcome is unknown; see ATTEMPTED.
+             */
+            NOT_DELIVERED,
+            /** Removed from the queue by {@link #cancel} before it was ever attempted. */
+            CANCELLED
+        }
 
         final String target;
         final String text;
@@ -209,6 +328,7 @@ public final class Injector {
         int unknownSinceTurn;      // consecutive `unknown` samples while a delegation is outstanding (CB-109)
         int unknownSincePostTurn;  // the same, for the post-turn housekeeping phase (fleetd #306)
         int notReadySincePoll;     // consecutive injectable samples a queued message waited on the readiness gate (CB-114)
+        long notReadySinceMillis;  // wall-clock time of the FIRST non-ready sample in the current notReadySincePoll streak (fleetd #501); reset alongside it
         boolean postTurnPending;   // completion observed; adapter housekeeping has not started yet
         boolean awaitingPostTurnPickup;
         boolean postTurnObserved;
@@ -262,7 +382,14 @@ public final class Injector {
     }
 
     private static Cancellation cancellationOf(Pending p) {
-        return p.state == Pending.State.DELIVERED ? Cancellation.DELIVERED : Cancellation.NOT_DELIVERED;
+        // fleetd #551 (comment 17037): a two-way split on a now-three-way question folded ATTEMPTED
+        // into NOT_DELIVERED with no compiler error and no failing test — the exact defect this
+        // ticket exists to fix, one layer up. ATTEMPTED gets its own answer instead.
+        return switch (p.state) {
+            case DELIVERED -> Cancellation.DELIVERED;
+            case ATTEMPTED -> Cancellation.ATTEMPTED;
+            case QUEUED, NOT_DELIVERED, CANCELLED -> Cancellation.NOT_DELIVERED;
+        };
     }
 
     private static boolean isQuiescent(Target t) {
@@ -282,7 +409,7 @@ public final class Injector {
         if (t == null) return;
 
         Pending sent = null;
-        RuntimeException sendError = null;
+        Throwable sendError = null;
         boolean turnCompleted = false;
         boolean turnFailed = false;
         boolean resubmit = false;
@@ -302,6 +429,7 @@ public final class Injector {
                 t.unknownSinceTurn = 0;
                 t.unknownSincePostTurn = 0;
                 t.notReadySincePoll = 0;
+                t.notReadySinceMillis = 0;
                 if (t.awaitingCompletion) t.turnObserved = true;
             } else if (status.injectable()) { // IDLE or BLOCKED
                 t.unknownSinceTurn = 0;
@@ -353,40 +481,93 @@ public final class Injector {
                         Pending p = t.queue.peek();
                         if (p != null && ready.test(target)) {
                             t.notReadySincePoll = 0;
+                            t.notReadySinceMillis = 0;
+                            // fleetd #551: poll and record BEFORE the irreversible send, not after.
+                            // The entry comes off the queue and its state is set to ATTEMPTED here,
+                            // unconditionally — so a Throwable escaping the send call below (caught or
+                            // not) can never leave the entry QUEUED at the head of t.queue (the fleetd
+                            // #546 hazard, since peek() alone would let the next onStatus round re-enter
+                            // this block and send the same text again), and no path can write a
+                            // confident DELIVERED or NOT_DELIVERED before we actually know which one
+                            // happened.
+                            t.queue.poll();
+                            p.state = Pending.State.ATTEMPTED;
                             try {
                                 agentsFor(target).send(target, p.text());
-                                t.queue.poll();
                                 p.state = Pending.State.DELIVERED;
                                 t.awaitingPickup = true;
                                 t.awaitingCompletion = true;
                                 t.turnObserved = false;
                                 t.injectableSincePickup = 0;
                                 sent = p;
-                            } catch (RuntimeException e) {
-                                // Delivery failed at herdr; drop the poisoned message and surface it
-                                // rather than blocking the queue behind it.
-                                t.queue.poll();
-                                p.state = Pending.State.NOT_DELIVERED;
+                            } catch (Throwable e) {
+                                // fleetd #551: leave p.state == ATTEMPTED (recorded above, before the
+                                // call) rather than downgrading it to NOT_DELIVERED here — reaching this
+                                // catch does not prove the text never reached the pane. Three of the
+                                // four HerdrException throw sites in HerdrCodec fire only after herdr
+                                // has already replied (so it processed the request), and the fourth (a
+                                // transport IOException) leaves it genuinely unknown whether herdr even
+                                // received the bytes — see #551 comment 16867. The one exception is a
+                                // herdr `*_not_found` error: that family is already read as "definitely
+                                // absent, not merely inconclusive" everywhere else in this codebase
+                                // (StatusPoller, AgentControl's own retry, WorkspaceControl,
+                                // HerdrPeerLauncher, FleetApp, ReplyPushLoop) because it means the
+                                // target pane/agent does not exist at all, so nothing could have been
+                                // pasted anywhere — #551 keeps the new state consistent with that
+                                // existing vocabulary rather than inventing a second one.
+                                if (e instanceof HerdrException he && he.code() != null
+                                        && he.code().endsWith("_not_found")) {
+                                    p.state = Pending.State.NOT_DELIVERED;
+                                }
                                 sent = p;
                                 sendError = e;
                             }
-                        } else if (p != null && ++t.notReadySincePoll >= READINESS_GRACE_POLLS) {
-                            // The worker has been idle-but-not-ready for the whole grace: its Claude
-                            // never connected the bridge MCP (crashed during boot, or wedged on a
-                            // startup prompt). The readiness gate would hold this message forever, so
-                            // fail every queued message and release the target (CB-114) instead of
-                            // polling it indefinitely with the caller's future never completing.
-                            notReady = new ArrayList<>(t.queue);
-                            for (Pending pending : notReady) {
-                                pending.state = Pending.State.NOT_DELIVERED;
+                        } else if (p != null) {
+                            // fleetd #501: stamp the wall-clock time of the FIRST non-ready sample in
+                            // this streak, so the expiry log below can print how long the target
+                            // actually sat non-ready — not just how many polls that took.
+                            if (t.notReadySincePoll == 0) {
+                                t.notReadySinceMillis = nowMillis.getAsLong();
+                            }
+                            if (++t.notReadySincePoll >= READINESS_GRACE_POLLS) {
+                                // The worker has been idle-but-not-ready for the whole grace: its Claude
+                                // never connected the bridge MCP (crashed during boot, or wedged on a
+                                // startup prompt). The readiness gate would hold this message forever, so
+                                // fail every queued message and release the target (CB-114) instead of
+                                // polling it indefinitely with the caller's future never completing.
+                                notReady = new ArrayList<>(t.queue);
+                                for (Pending pending : notReady) {
+                                    pending.state = Pending.State.NOT_DELIVERED;
+                                }
+                                // fleetd #501: t.notReadySincePoll — the loop's own counter, already in
+                                // scope — is printed here instead of the READINESS_GRACE_POLLS constant.
+                                // On this branch the counter has JUST reached the threshold, so the two
+                                // agree by construction and no test can tell them apart. Printed anyway:
+                                // it gives this line one source of truth instead of two, so a later
+                                // change to the loop above cannot leave this message reporting a number
+                                // the loop no longer produces.
+                                //
+                                // elapsedMillis is a different case: it is NOT equal-by-construction to
+                                // the truth. notReadySincePoll only increments on a sample that reaches
+                                // this branch (p != null, not ready) — a poll that misses that condition
+                                // advances real time without advancing the counter — and this loop's real
+                                // period is not guaranteed to equal POLL_INTERVAL_MILLIS (load, or a host
+                                // sleep, can widen the real gap far past it). READINESS_GRACE_POLLS *
+                                // POLL_INTERVAL_MILLIS / 1000 is arithmetic on two constants, not a
+                                // measurement, so it stays here only as the labelled CONFIGURED budget,
+                                // never presented as elapsed time.
+                                long elapsedMillis = nowMillis.getAsLong() - t.notReadySinceMillis;
+                                log.warn("readiness grace for {} expired after {} polls (configured={} "
+                                                + "polls/{}s elapsed={}ms): target never became "
+                                                + "deliverable, so failing {} queued message(s) that "
+                                                + "never reached its pane",
+                                        target, t.notReadySincePoll, READINESS_GRACE_POLLS,
+                                        READINESS_GRACE_POLLS * POLL_INTERVAL_MILLIS / 1000, elapsedMillis,
+                                        notReady.size());
+                                t.queue.clear();
+                                t.notReadySincePoll = 0;
+                                t.notReadySinceMillis = 0;
                             }
-                            log.warn("readiness grace for {} expired after {} polls ({}s): target never "
-                                    + "became deliverable, so failing {} queued message(s) that never "
-                                    + "reached its pane",
-                                    target, READINESS_GRACE_POLLS,
-                                    READINESS_GRACE_POLLS * POLL_INTERVAL_MILLIS / 1000, notReady.size());
-                            t.queue.clear();
-                            t.notReadySincePoll = 0;
                         }
                     }
                 }
@@ -434,54 +615,182 @@ public final class Injector {
 
         // Fire listeners / herdr calls after releasing the monitor so nothing runs on the poller
         // thread while it holds the target lock.
-        if (resubmit) {
-            try {
-                agentsFor(target).submit(target); // nudge a raced Enter so the pending paste submits
-            } catch (RuntimeException e) {
-                log.debug("resubmit to {} failed (will retry next poll): {}", target, e.getMessage());
+        //
+        // fleetd #553: wrapped in try/finally. By this point, if `sent != null`, the delivery has
+        // already happened inside the monitor above — off the queue, p.state == DELIVERED, text
+        // typed into the target's pane — so `sent`'s future MUST be completed one way or another,
+        // in every path out of this region, or the caller (a blocking fleet_send, or an async
+        // ticket) waits forever on a message it actually received. But the finally must not
+        // swallow whatever escaped: a listener that throws is a defect in THAT listener, and it
+        // must still reach StatusPoller's catch (Throwable) so log.error fires — converting a
+        // loud listener bug into a silently orphaned future would be worse than the bug itself.
+        //
+        // There are TWO futures at stake here, not one: `sent.delivered()` (the delivery future)
+        // and `sent.token().waiter()` (the rendezvous waiter a blocking fleet_send actually waits
+        // on for the worker's ANSWER). fleetd #556: the waiter is registered by `registrar.register`
+        // now — called directly and unconditionally, structural rather than delegated to a listener
+        // callback — never by turnListener.onDelivered() alone (before this ticket, that WAS the
+        // only path, and any TurnListener wired ahead of the one that mattered could throw and skip
+        // it; #553 could only make the reachable listener behave, not remove that dependency).
+        // Completing `sent.delivered()` without also calling `registrar.register` leaves the waiter
+        // unregistered forever — a hang with a success receipt, which is worse than the plain hang
+        // #553 was about. So the `finally` below does not just complete the future: on the path
+        // where the `if (sent != null)` block never ran, it does that block's whole job —
+        // register, then onDelivered (notification only, may throw), then complete.
+        //
+        // `sentHandled` is NOT allowed to move earlier than this: an earlier comment on #553
+        // proposed running `if (sent != null)` first, before turnCompleted/turnFailed, and that
+        // was withdrawn — `registrar.register` WRITES CompletionResolver's inFlight record for this
+        // turn, onTurnComplete READS it for the PREVIOUS turn, and running register first makes
+        // onTurnComplete resolve the NEW turn's waiter with the PREVIOUS turn's stale output
+        // (CB-116). The `if (sent != null)` block stays last; the `finally` is a backstop for it,
+        // not a replacement. fleetd #556 keeps this ordering unchanged — it only splits what used
+        // to be one listener call (register + notify) into two calls in the same position.
+        boolean sentHandled = false;
+        try {
+            if (resubmit) {
+                try {
+                    agentsFor(target).submit(target); // nudge a raced Enter so the pending paste submits
+                } catch (Throwable e) {
+                    // fleetd #553: widened from RuntimeException (same reasoning as #549 at :382) —
+                    // this is the FIRST block after the monitor, so an Error escaping it used to skip
+                    // every block below it, including the `sent` completion.
+                    log.debug("resubmit to {} failed (will retry next poll): {}", target, e.getMessage());
+                }
             }
-        }
-        if (notReady != null) {
-            // Worker never became available: forget its (never-set) readiness, unblock every queued
-            // caller, and route the awaiting send through the same failure path as a stalled turn so
-            // a blocking or async waiter resolves WORKER_FAILED rather than riding out the timeout.
-            forget.accept(target);
-            RuntimeException cause = new IllegalStateException(
-                    target + " never became available (no bridge MCP connection within the boot window)");
-            for (Pending p : notReady) {
-                p.delivered().completeExceptionally(cause);
+            if (notReady != null) {
+                // Worker never became available: unblock every queued caller FIRST — these messages'
+                // fate (NOT_DELIVERED, off the queue) was already decided inside the monitor above, so
+                // fleetd #553 completes every one of them before calling forget.accept or
+                // turnListener.onTurnFailed below. Either of those is a listener/consumer callback and
+                // can throw (an ordinary RuntimeException is enough — the same reasoning as the rest of
+                // this ticket): completing the futures first means such a throw can no longer leave any
+                // of them permanently pending, regardless of which one throws or in which order.
+                RuntimeException cause = new IllegalStateException(
+                        target + " never became available (no bridge MCP connection within the boot window)");
+                for (Pending p : notReady) {
+                    p.delivered().completeExceptionally(cause);
+                }
+                // route the awaiting send through the same failure path as a stalled turn so a blocking
+                // or async waiter resolves WORKER_FAILED rather than riding out the timeout.
+                forget.accept(target);
+                turnListener.onTurnFailed(target);
             }
-            turnListener.onTurnFailed(target);
-        }
-        if (turnCompleted) {
-            if (startPostTurn) {
-                boolean started = turnListener.onTurnCompleteWithPostAction(target);
-                synchronized (t) {
-                    t.postTurnPending = false;
-                    if (started) {
-                        t.awaitingPostTurnPickup = true;
-                        t.injectableSincePostTurnPickup = 0;
+            if (turnCompleted) {
+                if (startPostTurn) {
+                    // fleetd #553: the listener call is wrapped so `t.postTurnPending` (set true inside
+                    // the monitor above, before this call) is always reset. Before this wrapping, a
+                    // RuntimeException from onTurnCompleteWithPostAction skipped the reset below,
+                    // permanently wedging the target: postTurnPending stayed true forever, so this
+                    // target's delivery guard (:376) would never again pass and no further message to it
+                    // would ever be delivered — a target-level lockup, not just one skipped future.
+                    // `started` defaults to false so an exception is treated as "the post-turn action did
+                    // not start" rather than falsely arming the post-turn pickup latch for an action that
+                    // never ran.
+                    boolean started = false;
+                    try {
+                        started = turnListener.onTurnCompleteWithPostAction(target);
+                    } finally {
+                        synchronized (t) {
+                            t.postTurnPending = false;
+                            if (started) {
+                                t.awaitingPostTurnPickup = true;
+                                t.injectableSincePostTurnPickup = 0;
+                            }
+                            if (t.queue.isEmpty() && !t.awaitingPostTurnPickup) {
+                                targets.remove(target, t);
+                            }
+                        }
                     }
-                    if (t.queue.isEmpty() && !t.awaitingPostTurnPickup) {
-                        targets.remove(target, t);
+                } else {
+                    turnListener.onTurnComplete(target);
+                }
+            }
+            if (turnFailed) {
+                turnListener.onTurnFailed(target);
+            }
+            if (sent != null) {
+                // fleetd #553: record the INTENT to handle before any side effect, not the fact of
+                // having completed it. If register()/onDelivered() throws part way through — e.g.
+                // after CompletionResolver's captureBaseline has already done its inFlight.put — a
+                // flag set only after this block would still read false, and the `finally` below
+                // would re-run this block's job a SECOND time. A second captureBaseline runs later,
+                // once onTurnComplete has already thrown and possibly scraped the pane, and can
+                // snapshot a pane that already absorbed this turn's output — which means the pane's
+                // tail never differs from that baseline again and CompletionResolver.resolve's own
+                // suppression at :364-369 (`return` keeping the in-flight record) drops every future
+                // completion for this turn, permanently. So this flag must go true FIRST.
+                sentHandled = true;
+                if (sendError != null) {
+                    log.warn("inject to {} failed, dropped message: {}", target, sendError.getMessage());
+                    sent.delivered().completeExceptionally(sendError);
+                } else {
+                    // fleetd #556: register the waiter FIRST and unconditionally — this is the
+                    // Injector's own invariant, kept structural rather than delegated. Even if
+                    // turnListener.onDelivered below throws (a bug in an unrelated observer, e.g.
+                    // SessionManager's bookkeeping, or a fan-out wired in a different order), the
+                    // waiter is already registered and resolvable — a throwing TurnListener can no
+                    // longer take this invariant down with it.
+                    registrar.register(target, sent.token());
+                    // Notification only, from here down: baseline the pane's pre-turn content so a
+                    // misattributed completion (no new output) can't resolve this send with the
+                    // previous turn's stale answer (CB-115). Allowed to throw and to fail (the herdr
+                    // scrape inside already fails open with baseline == null on its own).
+                    turnListener.onDelivered(target, sent.token());
+                    sent.delivered().complete(null);
+                }
+            }
+        } finally {
+            // Backstop (fleetd #553, extended #556): if an earlier block in this try threw before the
+            // `if (sent != null)` block above ran, `sentHandled` is still false here, and this does
+            // that block's WHOLE job — not just the future completion. Skipping registrar.register()
+            // here would leave sent.token().waiter() never registered with CompletionResolver, so a
+            // blocking fleet_send would be told its message was delivered and then wait out its full
+            // timeout for an answer that can never resolve — worse than the plain hang, because it now
+            // looks like success. This block runs only when sendError == null: nothing was delivered
+            // on the error path, so there is nothing to register.
+            //
+            // fleetd #553 (lead review, comment 16916): `sentHandled` guards ONLY the register/notify
+            // re-call below, never the future completion outside this inner try. One boolean cannot
+            // carry both meanings — "the turn was handled" and "the future has been dealt with" —
+            // because they come apart exactly when onDelivered throws PART WAY THROUGH: sentHandled
+            // is already true (set before the call, correctly — see the `if (sent != null)` block
+            // above), so a guard on the outer `if` here would skip this whole recovery, including the
+            // completion, and leave sent.delivered() pending forever even though the message really
+            // was typed into the pane and taken off the queue. So `sent != null` alone gates whether
+            // this target has anything to finish; `!sentHandled` gates only the register/notify
+            // re-call inside. CompletableFuture.complete/completeExceptionally are idempotent — on the
+            // ordinary path (sentHandled == true, no throw) the `if (sent != null)` block above has
+            // already completed this future, so the calls below are a no-op returning false.
+            //
+            // This recovery is wrapped in its own try/catch(Throwable) that swallows only ITS OWN
+            // throwable and logs at WARN — the future is still completed either way — while the
+            // ORIGINAL throwable from the try block above is left alone to keep unwinding out of
+            // this method to StatusPoller's catch (Throwable), so a listener bug stays loud.
+            if (sent != null) {
+                try {
+                    if (!sentHandled && sendError == null) {
+                        // fleetd #556: register first here too, same as the ordinary path above — this
+                        // recovery path is reached only when an EARLIER block (resubmit/turnCompleted/
+                        // turnFailed) threw before the ordinary path ever ran, so nothing has
+                        // registered this turn yet.
+                        registrar.register(target, sent.token());
+                        turnListener.onDelivered(target, sent.token());
+                    }
+                } catch (Throwable recoveryError) {
+                    log.warn("fleetd #553 backstop: onDelivered failed for {} while recovering from "
+                                    + "an earlier listener failure; completing its delivery future "
+                                    + "anyway: {}",
+                            target, recoveryError.getMessage());
+                } finally {
+                    // No-op (returns false) on the ordinary path, where the `if (sent != null)` block
+                    // above already completed this future — see the comment above this block.
+                    if (sendError != null) {
+                        sent.delivered().completeExceptionally(sendError);
+                    } else {
+                        sent.delivered().complete(null);
                     }
                 }
-            } else {
-                turnListener.onTurnComplete(target);
-            }
-        }
-        if (turnFailed) {
-            turnListener.onTurnFailed(target);
-        }
-        if (sent != null) {
-            if (sendError != null) {
-                log.warn("inject to {} failed, dropped message: {}", target, sendError.getMessage());
-                sent.delivered().completeExceptionally(sendError);
-            } else {
-                // Baseline the pane's pre-turn content so a misattributed completion (no new output)
-                // can't resolve this send with the previous turn's stale answer (CB-115).
-                turnListener.onDelivered(target, sent.token());
-                sent.delivered().complete(null);
             }
         }
     }

fleetd/src/main/java/dev/ltms/fleet/inject/LoopWatchdog.java

@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+package dev.ltms.fleet.inject;
+
+import java.util.function.LongSupplier;
+
+/**
+ * A progress watchdog for a singleton background loop (fleetd #544): {@link StatusPoller} and
+ * {@code dev.ltms.fleet.session.SessionReaper} each hold one. It tracks the monotonic timestamp
+ * of the loop's last <em>completed</em> round and classifies health from that timestamp alone —
+ * never from thread liveness. That choice is deliberate: measured on {@code main} at
+ * {@code 7611b69}, {@code UnixSocketHerdrClient.call()} reads with no deadline anywhere in
+ * {@code herdr/}, so a herdrd that accepts a connection and never answers parks the calling
+ * loop's thread forever — the thread stays alive and {@code Thread.isAlive()} keeps reporting
+ * {@code true} the whole time. A last-round timestamp that stops advancing catches that parked
+ * case exactly the same way it catches a thread that died outright: either way, nothing marks a
+ * new round complete.
+ *
+ * <p>Lives in {@code inject} (rather than {@code health}, which would be the more obvious home
+ * for a health-reporting fact) because {@code health} already depends on {@code session}
+ * ({@code HealthSnapshot}/{@code FleetHealthMonitor} read {@code MemberSession}), and
+ * {@code session} already depends on {@code inject} ({@code SessionManager} implements
+ * {@code TurnListener} and extends {@code MemberPresence}). Putting this class in {@code health}
+ * would have made {@code SessionReaper} (in {@code session}) depend back on {@code health},
+ * closing a cycle through {@code health -> session -> health} — {@code PackageCyclesTest} catches
+ * exactly this. {@code inject} has no dependency on {@code health}, so {@code session} depending
+ * on {@code inject} for this stays a one-way edge, same direction it already depends in.
+ *
+ * <p>Three states, not two (the fleetd #512 shape — one flag carrying two conditions that need
+ * opposite handling). {@code stop()} also makes the loop go quiet, exactly like a crash or a
+ * hang does, so a caller must say which one happened: {@link #markStoppedByCaller()} records
+ * "this halt was on purpose," and {@link #state()} reports {@link State#STOPPED} for it
+ * regardless of how stale the last round looks — an intentional stop is never an alarm.
+ */
+public final class LoopWatchdog {
+
+    /**
+     * {@code RUNNING} — the loop is going and its last round finished recently.
+     * {@code STALLED} — the loop was never stopped on purpose, and its last-completed-round
+     * timestamp is older than the threshold. Covers both a dead loop and a parked one.
+     * {@code STOPPED} — {@link #markStoppedByCaller()} was called. Not an alarm.
+     */
+    public enum State { RUNNING, STALLED, STOPPED }
+
+    private final LongSupplier nowNanos;
+    private final long staleAfterNanos;
+    private volatile long lastRoundNanos;
+    private volatile boolean stoppedByCaller;
+
+    /**
+     * @param nowNanos       a monotonic elapsed-time clock, e.g. {@code System::nanoTime} live, a
+     *                       controllable stub in tests.
+     * @param staleAfterNanos how long a last-completed-round timestamp may age before {@link #state()}
+     *                       reports {@link State#STALLED}. Derive this from the loop's own poll
+     *                       interval with generous headroom — see the caller's own derivation comment.
+     */
+    public LoopWatchdog(LongSupplier nowNanos, long staleAfterNanos) {
+        this.nowNanos = nowNanos;
+        this.staleAfterNanos = staleAfterNanos;
+        this.lastRoundNanos = nowNanos.getAsLong();
+    }
+
+    /** Call once per completed round, from inside the loop. */
+    public void recordRoundComplete() {
+        lastRoundNanos = nowNanos.getAsLong();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Call from {@code start()} (and any future restart): clears a previous stop's mark and
+     * resets the clock, so the loop gets a fresh grace period before its first round completes
+     * rather than being judged against a timestamp left over from before it was (re)started.
+     */
+    public void reset() {
+        stoppedByCaller = false;
+        lastRoundNanos = nowNanos.getAsLong();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Call from {@code stop()}: marks the halt as intentional, so {@link #state()} reports
+     * {@link State#STOPPED} rather than {@link State#STALLED} no matter how stale the last round is.
+     */
+    public void markStoppedByCaller() {
+        stoppedByCaller = true;
+    }
+
+    /** The current fact about this loop, per the three-state contract above. */
+    public State state() {
+        if (stoppedByCaller) {
+            return State.STOPPED;
+        }
+        return (nowNanos.getAsLong() - lastRoundNanos >= staleAfterNanos) ? State.STALLED : State.RUNNING;
+    }
+}

fleetd/src/main/java/dev/ltms/fleet/inject/StatusPoller.java

@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@ import org.slf4j.Logger;
 import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
 
 import java.util.Set;
+import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
+import java.util.function.LongSupplier;
 
 /**
  * Drives the {@link Injector} by sampling each active worker's {@code agent_status} and
@@ -22,11 +24,25 @@ public final class StatusPoller {
 
     private static final Logger log = LoggerFactory.getLogger(StatusPoller.class);
 
+    /**
+     * How many multiples of {@code intervalMillis} the last-completed round may age before
+     * {@link #health()} reports {@link LoopWatchdog.State#STALLED} (fleetd #544). A round this
+     * loop runs is normally a small fraction of one interval — it only takes longer when a herdr
+     * call is genuinely wedged (herdr's {@code UnixSocketHerdrClient} has no read deadline, so a
+     * herdrd that accepts and never answers parks the thread forever) — so a wide multiplier
+     * avoids false alarms from an ordinarily slow round. At the production interval
+     * ({@link Injector#POLL_INTERVAL_MILLIS} = 250ms) this puts the threshold at 10s: long enough
+     * that a transient slow poll never trips it, short enough that a stuck poller is visible well
+     * before anything else downstream (delivery, `/healthz` consumers) would show a symptom.
+     */
+    private static final long STALE_AFTER_INTERVAL_MULTIPLIER = 40;
+
     private final AgentControl agents;
     private final HerdrRouter router;
     private final Injector injector;
     private final StatusRefiner refiner;
     private final long intervalMillis;
+    private final LoopWatchdog watchdog;
     private volatile boolean running;
     private Thread thread;
 
@@ -36,14 +52,26 @@ public final class StatusPoller {
 
     public StatusPoller(AgentControl agents, Injector injector, StatusRefiner refiner,
                         long intervalMillis) {
+        this(agents, injector, refiner, intervalMillis, System::nanoTime);
+    }
+
+    /** Full constructor — for tests: an injectable monotonic clock (fleetd #544). */
+    StatusPoller(AgentControl agents, Injector injector, StatusRefiner refiner,
+                        long intervalMillis, LongSupplier nowNanos) {
         this.agents = agents;
         this.router = null;
         this.injector = injector;
         this.refiner = refiner;
         this.intervalMillis = intervalMillis;
+        this.watchdog = new LoopWatchdog(nowNanos, staleAfterNanos(intervalMillis));
     }
 
     public StatusPoller(HerdrRouter router, Injector injector, long intervalMillis) {
+        this(router, injector, intervalMillis, System::nanoTime);
+    }
+
+    /** Full constructor — for tests: an injectable monotonic clock (fleetd #544). */
+    StatusPoller(HerdrRouter router, Injector injector, long intervalMillis, LongSupplier nowNanos) {
         this.agents = null;
         this.router = router;
         this.injector = injector;
@@ -53,45 +81,70 @@ public final class StatusPoller {
         // against the LEAD daemon even though this field points at the member one.
         this.refiner = new StatusRefiner(router.memberAgents());
         this.intervalMillis = intervalMillis;
+        this.watchdog = new LoopWatchdog(nowNanos, staleAfterNanos(intervalMillis));
+    }
+
+    private static long staleAfterNanos(long intervalMillis) {
+        return TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS.toNanos(Math.max(intervalMillis, 1)) * STALE_AFTER_INTERVAL_MULTIPLIER;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * This loop's progress fact (fleetd #544): {@code RUNNING}, {@code STALLED} (dead or parked —
+     * indistinguishable from outside, and never observed on purpose), or {@code STOPPED}
+     * ({@link #stop()} was called). See {@link LoopWatchdog} for why staleness — not thread
+     * liveness — is the signal.
+     */
+    public LoopWatchdog.State health() {
+        return watchdog.state();
     }
 
     /** Start the polling loop on a virtual thread. Idempotent. */
     public synchronized void start() {
         if (running) return;
         running = true;
+        watchdog.reset(); // fleetd #544: a fresh grace period, not last run's stale mark/timestamp.
         thread = Thread.ofVirtual().name("status-poller").start(this::loop);
         log.info("status poller started (interval {}ms)", intervalMillis);
     }
 
     private void loop() {
-        while (running) {
-            Set<String> active = injector.activeTargets();
-            for (String target : active) {
-                if (!running) return;
-                try {
-                    // herdr's agent_status can misreport a settled worker as `unknown`; refine it
-                    // against the pane content before it drives delivery/completion (CB-115).
-                    // CB-185: refine THROUGH the same control the raw status came from — a router
-                    // splits lead/member targets across two herdr daemons, and reading a lead's pane
-                    // through the (fixed) member refiner never finds it, wedging that lead at UNKNOWN.
-                    AgentControl control = router != null ? router.agentsFor(target) : agents;
-                    AgentStatus status = refiner.refine(target, control.status(target), control);
-                    injector.onStatus(target, status);
-                } catch (HerdrException e) {
-                    // The worker's agent is gone — stop trying and unblock its waiters.
-                    if (e.code() != null && e.code().endsWith("_not_found")) {
-                        log.debug("target {} gone; dropping its queue", target);
-                        injector.drop(target, e);
-                    } else {
-                        log.debug("status poll for {} failed (will retry): {}", target, e.getMessage());
+        try {
+            while (running) {
+                Set<String> active = injector.activeTargets();
+                for (String target : active) {
+                    if (!running) return;
+                    try {
+                        // herdr's agent_status can misreport a settled worker as `unknown`; refine it
+                        // against the pane content before it drives delivery/completion (CB-115).
+                        // CB-185: refine THROUGH the same control the raw status came from — a router
+                        // splits lead/member targets across two herdr daemons, and reading a lead's pane
+                        // through the (fixed) member refiner never finds it, wedging that lead at UNKNOWN.
+                        AgentControl control = router != null ? router.agentsFor(target) : agents;
+                        AgentStatus status = refiner.refine(target, control.status(target), control);
+                        injector.onStatus(target, status);
+                    } catch (HerdrException e) {
+                        // The worker's agent is gone — stop trying and unblock its waiters.
+                        if (e.code() != null && e.code().endsWith("_not_found")) {
+                            log.debug("target {} gone; dropping its queue", target);
+                            injector.drop(target, e);
+                        } else {
+                            log.debug("status poll for {} failed (will retry): {}", target, e.getMessage());
+                        }
+                    } catch (Throwable e) {
+                        log.error("unexpected failure polling {}; skipping this round", target, e);
                     }
-                } catch (RuntimeException e) {
-                    // Never let one target's unexpected error (e.g. an odd agent.get shape) kill
-                    // the single poller thread and stall injection for every worker.
-                    log.warn("unexpected error polling {}; skipping this round", target, e);
                 }
+                // fleetd #544: a round is "complete" only once every active target has been polled —
+                // a target parked mid-for-loop (control.status(target) never returning) means this
+                // line is never reached, so the watchdog goes stale exactly like a dead loop would.
+                watchdog.recordRoundComplete();
+                sleep();
             }
-            sleep();
+        } finally {
+            if (running) {
+                log.error("status poller loop exited unexpectedly; it can be restarted");
+            }
+            running = false;
         }
     }
 
@@ -107,6 +160,7 @@ public final class StatusPoller {
     /** Stop the polling loop. Idempotent. */
     public synchronized void stop() {
         running = false;
+        watchdog.markStoppedByCaller(); // fleetd #544: this halt is on purpose — health() must say STOPPED, not STALLED.
         if (thread != null) thread.interrupt();
     }
 }

fleetd/src/main/java/dev/ltms/fleet/inject/TurnRegistrar.java

@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+package dev.ltms.fleet.inject;
+
+import dev.ltms.fleet.msg.TurnToken;
+
+/**
+ * fleetd #556: the {@link Injector}'s own invariant — every delivered turn has a registered
+ * waiter — kept structural rather than delegated to a {@link TurnListener} callback that can
+ * throw. The {@link Injector} calls {@link #register} directly and unconditionally as part of
+ * delivering a turn, before it ever calls {@code turnListener.onDelivered}. A {@link TurnListener}
+ * that throws from every callback (a bug in an unrelated observer, e.g. session bookkeeping, or a
+ * fan-out object wired in the wrong order) can therefore never leave a delivered turn unregistered
+ * — the shape #553 could not close, since that fix could only make the reachable listener behave,
+ * never remove the Injector's dependency on a listener behaving at all.
+ *
+ * <p>Deliberately narrow: registration only, no I/O, nothing that scrapes a pane or can reasonably
+ * fail. The CB-115 staleness baseline (a herdr round-trip, allowed to fail) stays a
+ * {@link TurnListener#onDelivered} concern — fired by the {@link Injector} only after this call has
+ * already run, so its own failure cannot un-register anything.
+ */
+@FunctionalInterface
+public interface TurnRegistrar {
+
+    /** Record {@code token}'s waiter as the turn currently in flight for {@code target}. */
+    void register(String target, TurnToken token);
+
+    /** No-op registrar for callers that don't need CB-106 rendezvous tracking. */
+    TurnRegistrar NOOP = (_, _) -> {
+    };
+}

fleetd/src/main/java/dev/ltms/fleet/launch/ClaudeCodeArguments.java

@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+package dev.ltms.fleet.launch;
+
+import dev.ltms.fleet.config.FleetConfig;
+
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.List;
+
+/** Arguments shared by every fleetd path that starts Claude Code. */
+public final class ClaudeCodeArguments {
+
+    private ClaudeCodeArguments() {
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Append the configured Claude Code auto-compaction window when the profile opts in.
+     *
+     * <p>This flag and the environment variable {@code CLAUDE_CODE_AUTO_COMPACT_WINDOW} can
+     * disagree. Which one Claude Code actually follows when they do is NOT verified here — this
+     * javadoc used to claim the environment variable always wins, but nobody had measured that, and
+     * this host's own {@code fleetd.yaml} asserts the opposite in a comment. So this javadoc no
+     * longer picks a side. {@link FleetConfig#load(java.nio.file.Path)} only WARNS when a Claude
+     * Code profile sets both to different values (see {@code
+     * FleetConfig.warnConflictingAutoCompactWindows}) — it does not stop the daemon from starting,
+     * and a launched session may end up honouring either window.
+     */
+    public static List<String> withAutoCompactWindow(List<String> argv, FleetConfig.Profile profile) {
+        if (profile.autoCompactWindow() == null) {
+            return argv;
+        }
+        List<String> withAutoCompact = new ArrayList<>(argv);
+        withAutoCompact.add("--autocompact");
+        withAutoCompact.add(String.valueOf(profile.autoCompactWindow()));
+        return withAutoCompact;
+    }
+}

fleetd/src/main/java/dev/ltms/fleet/lead/LeadContextGauge.java

@@ -0,0 +1,313 @@
+package dev.ltms.fleet.lead;
+
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.JsonNode;
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.ObjectMapper;
+
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.io.RandomAccessFile;
+import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
+import java.nio.file.Files;
+import java.nio.file.Path;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentHashMap;
+import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicInteger;
+import java.util.function.LongSupplier;
+
+/**
+ * Reads how full a lead's own Claude Code context window is, from the transcript Claude Code
+ * itself writes — never from the lead's pane (fleetd has {@code AgentControl.read} for that, and
+ * this must not use it: a pane holds terminal text, not the structured usage numbers a transcript
+ * carries, and scraping it would also race the lead's own rendering).
+ *
+ * <p><strong>Why this exists.</strong> A lead auto-compacts when its context fills — on the host
+ * this was built for, that happened 30 times in one session, discarding roughly 250,000 tokens
+ * and costing 46 seconds to 3 minutes each time, and fleetd had no way to see it coming. This
+ * class is the first thing that looks.
+ *
+ * <p><strong>The route.</strong> Claude Code appends one JSON object per line to
+ * {@code <configDir>/projects/<slug>/<sessionId>.jsonl}. {@code <slug>} is an undocumented,
+ * internal encoding of the working directory — this class never derives it. Instead it lists the
+ * one-level-deep subdirectories of {@code <configDir>/projects/} and looks for
+ * {@code <sessionId>.jsonl} by name, so the slug rule can change without breaking this reader.
+ *
+ * <ul>
+ *   <li><strong>Live context</strong> is read off the last record in the read window that carries
+ *       a {@code message.usage} object: {@code input_tokens + cache_read_input_tokens +
+ *       cache_creation_input_tokens}. This is what actually fills the window — a plain
+ *       {@code input_tokens} count alone understates it once the conversation has any cached
+ *       prefix, which on a long-lived lead is always.</li>
+ *   <li><strong>Compaction history</strong> is a count of {@code subtype: "compact_boundary"}
+ *       records seen in the same read window — see {@link Reading#compactions()}. It is a count
+ *       within the window this reader actually looked at, not a lifetime total: a session with
+ *       more compactions than fit in {@link #TAIL_BYTES} of transcript will undercount. That
+ *       trade-off is deliberate — see {@link #TAIL_BYTES}.</li>
+ * </ul>
+ *
+ * <p><strong>Three states, not two (OK / HIGH / UNKNOWN).</strong> Every path that cannot
+ * positively establish the live token count — a missing file, an unreadable one, a peer that
+ * is not a Claude backend, or every line in the read window failing to parse as JSON — returns
+ * {@link State#UNKNOWN} with no token number, never a default "0" or "ok" that would read as
+ * "this lead is fine" when the honest answer is "I could not look".
+ *
+ * <p><strong>A torn final line does not mean UNKNOWN.</strong> {@code fleet_list} reads this
+ * transcript while Claude Code may be mid-write on it, so the last line in the window can be cut
+ * off mid-flush — that is an ordinary, expected race, not a sign the format has changed. Earlier
+ * this class treated ANY unparseable last line as UNKNOWN, on the theory that "if the format
+ * changes, we should see UNKNOWN". That reasoning does not hold: a real format change makes
+ * <em>every</em> line in the window unparseable, not only the last one written. So a single
+ * malformed line (most often the final, torn one, but the check is not position-specific) is
+ * simply skipped rather than treated as fatal, and the reading is built from whatever lines in the
+ * window did parse. Only when <em>none</em> of them parse — the real format-change signal — does
+ * this return {@link State#UNKNOWN}, still with no stale number standing in for "I could not
+ * tell".
+ *
+ * <p><strong>Bounded cost.</strong> {@code fleet_list} is polled constantly, so every read is
+ * capped two ways: {@link #TAIL_BYTES} bounds how much of the transcript is ever read from disk
+ * (never the whole 52 MB a long-lived transcript reaches on the host this was measured on), and
+ * {@link #DEFAULT_CACHE_TTL_MILLIS} bounds how often that bounded read actually happens — a burst
+ * of {@code fleet_list} calls inside one TTL window reads the file once. One instance's cache is
+ * keyed by {@code (configDir, sessionId)}, so it is safe to share across every lead a single
+ * {@code fleet_list} call reports on.
+ */
+public final class LeadContextGauge {
+
+    private static final String PROJECTS_DIR = "projects";
+    private static final ObjectMapper MAPPER = new ObjectMapper();
+
+    /**
+     * How many trailing bytes of a transcript a single read ever pulls off disk. Chosen so one
+     * read comfortably spans many recent turns — each usage or compact_boundary record is at most
+     * a few KB — while staying nowhere near the 52 MB a long session's real transcript reaches on
+     * the host this was built for; reading that whole file on every {@code fleet_list} call is
+     * exactly the cost this bound exists to avoid. 2 MiB holds on the order of hundreds of recent
+     * lines even when a turn's tool output is unusually large, which is far more than needed to
+     * find the most recent usage record and any recent compaction.
+     */
+    static final int TAIL_BYTES = 2 * 1024 * 1024;
+
+    /**
+     * How long a {@link Reading} is served from cache before the file is read again.
+     * {@code fleet_list} is called constantly (by design — it is the fleet's own status probe), so
+     * without a TTL a burst of calls would re-read the transcript tail once per call. 5 seconds is
+     * short enough that a caller watching for a state change never waits long, and long enough that
+     * a poll loop calling every second or two only touches disk once per window.
+     */
+    static final long DEFAULT_CACHE_TTL_MILLIS = 5_000;
+
+    /**
+     * Live tokens at or above this count report {@link State#HIGH}. On the host this was measured
+     * on, auto-compaction actually fires around 267,000–270,000 tokens, but the point of a HIGH
+     * state is to warn before that happens, not at it — 200,000 is the standard Claude context
+     * window size and a sensible built-in default: no config key is required to pick it, and a
+     * lead crossing it is already deep enough into its window that a compaction is foreseeable.
+     */
+    static final long HIGH_THRESHOLD_TOKENS = 200_000;
+
+    /** The only peer kind this reader understands ({@code Agent.agentType()}'s wire value). */
+    private static final String CLAUDE_AGENT_TYPE = "claude";
+
+    public enum State { OK, HIGH, UNKNOWN }
+
+    /**
+     * @param state       {@link State#UNKNOWN} whenever {@code tokens} could not be established
+     * @param tokens      live context tokens, or {@code null} exactly when {@code state} is
+     *                    {@link State#UNKNOWN}
+     * @param compactions {@code compact_boundary} records seen in the read window (see class
+     *                    javadoc) — {@code 0} both for "genuinely none seen" and for "unknown",
+     *                    since a caller that already sees {@code state: UNKNOWN} has no reason to
+     *                    trust this number either way
+     */
+    public record Reading(State state, Long tokens, int compactions) {
+        /**
+         * fleetd #609: widened from package-private to public so {@code
+         * dev.ltms.fleet.msg.LeadHeartbeatLoop.LeadContextSource.none()} (a different package) can
+         * return the same inert "I could not look" reading the gauge itself uses, without inventing
+         * a parallel unknown-reading constant. Behaviour of this class is otherwise unchanged.
+         */
+        public static Reading unknown() {
+            return new Reading(State.UNKNOWN, null, 0);
+        }
+    }
+
+    private record CacheEntry(Reading reading, long readAtMillis) {
+    }
+
+    private final LongSupplier clock;
+    private final long ttlMillis;
+    private final Map<String, CacheEntry> cache = new ConcurrentHashMap<>();
+    /** Test seam only (package-private) — counts real disk reads, i.e. cache misses. */
+    private final AtomicInteger diskReads = new AtomicInteger();
+
+    public LeadContextGauge() {
+        this(System::currentTimeMillis, DEFAULT_CACHE_TTL_MILLIS);
+    }
+
+    /** Test seam: an injectable clock and TTL so cache expiry is provable without sleeping. */
+    LeadContextGauge(LongSupplier clock, long ttlMillis) {
+        this.clock = clock;
+        this.ttlMillis = ttlMillis;
+    }
+
+    /** How many times this instance has actually read a transcript off disk — test seam only. */
+    int diskReadCount() {
+        return diskReads.get();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @param configDir the lead's {@code CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR}, or {@code null}/blank to use the
+     *                  default {@code <user.home>/.claude} — the right answer for the common case
+     *                  where the lead's profile sets no {@code configDir} override
+     * @param sessionId the lead's own Claude session id ({@code Agent.sessionId()}), or
+     *                  {@code null} when herdr has not resolved one yet
+     * @param agentType the detected peer kind ({@code Agent.agentType()}); anything other than
+     *                  {@code "claude"} (including {@code null}, meaning undetected) reports
+     *                  {@link State#UNKNOWN} — this reader only understands Claude Code's own
+     *                  transcript format
+     */
+    public Reading read(String configDir, String sessionId, String agentType) {
+        if (sessionId == null || sessionId.isBlank()) {
+            return Reading.unknown();
+        }
+        if (!CLAUDE_AGENT_TYPE.equalsIgnoreCase(agentType)) {
+            return Reading.unknown();
+        }
+        String base = (configDir == null || configDir.isBlank())
+                ? System.getProperty("user.home") + "/.claude"
+                : configDir;
+        String cacheKey = base + '\u0000' + sessionId;
+        long now = clock.getAsLong();
+        CacheEntry cached = cache.get(cacheKey);
+        if (cached != null && now - cached.readAtMillis() < ttlMillis) {
+            return cached.reading();
+        }
+        Reading fresh = readUncached(base, sessionId);
+        cache.put(cacheKey, new CacheEntry(fresh, now));
+        return fresh;
+    }
+
+    private Reading readUncached(String base, String sessionId) {
+        diskReads.incrementAndGet();
+        Path file = findTranscript(base, sessionId);
+        if (file == null) {
+            return Reading.unknown();
+        }
+        TailRead tail;
+        try {
+            tail = tailBytes(file, TAIL_BYTES);
+        } catch (IOException e) {
+            return Reading.unknown();
+        }
+        return parse(tail);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Finds {@code <sessionId>.jsonl} under {@code <base>/projects/}, one level deep — never by
+     * deriving the slug directory from a working directory (see class javadoc). Bounded to a
+     * single {@code list()} of {@code projects/} itself: it never recurses further, so the cost is
+     * the number of project directories, not the size of any transcript inside them.
+     */
+    private Path findTranscript(String base, String sessionId) {
+        Path projectsDir = Path.of(base, PROJECTS_DIR);
+        if (!Files.isDirectory(projectsDir)) {
+            return null;
+        }
+        String filename = sessionId + ".jsonl";
+        Path direct = projectsDir.resolve(filename);
+        if (Files.isRegularFile(direct)) {
+            return direct;
+        }
+        try (var children = Files.list(projectsDir)) {
+            return children.filter(Files::isDirectory)
+                    .map(dir -> dir.resolve(filename))
+                    .filter(Files::isRegularFile)
+                    .findFirst()
+                    .orElse(null);
+        } catch (IOException e) {
+            return null;
+        }
+    }
+
+    /** Package-private (not {@code private}): {@link #tailBytes} is a test seam, see its javadoc. */
+    record TailRead(byte[] bytes, boolean fromStart) {
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Reads at most {@code maxBytes} trailing bytes of {@code file}. Package-private (not
+     * {@code private}) so a test can assert directly on the returned array's length — "bytes
+     * actually read", not on any parsed answer — without needing a file anywhere near
+     * {@link #TAIL_BYTES} in size to prove the cap holds.
+     */
+    static TailRead tailBytes(Path file, int maxBytes) throws IOException {
+        try (RandomAccessFile raf = new RandomAccessFile(file.toFile(), "r")) {
+            long length = raf.length();
+            long start = Math.max(0, length - maxBytes);
+            raf.seek(start);
+            byte[] buf = new byte[(int) (length - start)];
+            raf.readFully(buf);
+            return new TailRead(buf, start == 0);
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Parses the tail into a {@link Reading}. The first line is dropped unconditionally whenever
+     * the tail is not the whole file (it starts mid-line, cut by {@link #TAIL_BYTES} — an expected
+     * artefact of the bound, not a data problem). Every remaining line is then parsed on a
+     * best-effort basis: a line that fails to parse (most often the last one, torn by a write this
+     * read raced — see the "torn final line" section of the class javadoc) is skipped, not fatal.
+     * Only when none of the remaining lines parse does this report {@link State#UNKNOWN}.
+     */
+    private Reading parse(TailRead tail) {
+        String text = new String(tail.bytes(), StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+        List<String> lines = new ArrayList<>(List.of(text.split("\n", -1)));
+        if (!lines.isEmpty() && lines.get(lines.size() - 1).isEmpty()) {
+            lines.remove(lines.size() - 1); // trailing newline leaves a phantom empty last element
+        }
+        if (!tail.fromStart() && !lines.isEmpty()) {
+            lines.remove(0); // first line is a fragment cut by our own tail bound, not real data
+        }
+        if (lines.isEmpty()) {
+            return Reading.unknown();
+        }
+        Long tokens = null;
+        int compactions = 0;
+        boolean anyLineParsed = false;
+        for (String line : lines) {
+            JsonNode node = tryParse(line);
+            if (node == null) {
+                // A malformed line — typically the last one, cut mid-flush by a write this read
+                // raced — is skipped rather than treated as fatal. See the class javadoc's "torn
+                // final line" section for why: a real format change makes EVERY line unparseable,
+                // not only this one, and that case is still caught below by anyLineParsed.
+                continue;
+            }
+            anyLineParsed = true;
+            JsonNode usage = node.path("message").path("usage");
+            if (usage.isObject()) {
+                tokens = usage.path("input_tokens").asLong(0)
+                        + usage.path("cache_read_input_tokens").asLong(0)
+                        + usage.path("cache_creation_input_tokens").asLong(0);
+            }
+            if ("compact_boundary".equals(node.path("subtype").asText(null))) {
+                compactions++;
+            }
+        }
+        if (!anyLineParsed) {
+            return Reading.unknown();
+        }
+        if (tokens == null) {
+            return new Reading(State.UNKNOWN, null, compactions);
+        }
+        State state = tokens >= HIGH_THRESHOLD_TOKENS ? State.HIGH : State.OK;
+        return new Reading(state, tokens, compactions);
+    }
+
+    private JsonNode tryParse(String line) {
+        try {
+            return MAPPER.readTree(line);
+        } catch (IOException e) {
+            return null;
+        }
+    }
+}

fleetd/src/main/java/dev/ltms/fleet/lead/LeadLauncher.java

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.PendingCloseMarker;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.Tab;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.Workspace;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.WorkspaceControl;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.launch.ClaudeCodeArguments;
 import org.slf4j.Logger;
 import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
 
@@ -358,7 +359,8 @@ public final class LeadLauncher {
     }
 
     /**
-     * The lead's argv: the profile's own command, the model pin, and the bridge MCP mount.
+     * The lead's argv: the profile's own command, the model and auto-compaction pins, and the bridge
+     * MCP mount.
      *
      * <p>No {@code --append-system-prompt}. That flag carries the worker reply charter, and a lead
      * is not a worker — it reads its orchestration rules from the project's {@code CLAUDE.md} like
@@ -380,7 +382,7 @@ public final class LeadLauncher {
             argv.add("--model");
             argv.add(profile.model());
         }
-        return argv;
+        return profile.isOpenCode() ? argv : ClaudeCodeArguments.withAutoCompactWindow(argv, profile);
     }
 
     /**

fleetd/src/main/java/dev/ltms/fleet/lead/LeadRollover.java

@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@ import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.UncheckedIOException;
 import java.nio.file.Files;
 import java.nio.file.Path;
+import java.util.Collections;
+import java.util.LinkedHashMap;
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.UUID;
 import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentHashMap;
@@ -25,9 +27,11 @@ import java.util.function.Supplier;
  * every gate ({@link #confirm}'s own checks) has passed — a deferred, single-shot continuation
  * clears the lead's own pane and bootstraps a fresh session against that file.
  *
- * <p>This is the executor only. Nothing in this ticket wires an MCP tool onto {@link #open}/
- * {@link #confirm}/{@link #cancel} — that is a separate, later unit; until it lands, nothing calls
- * this class at all.
+ * <p>This is the executor behind the {@code fleet_handover} MCP tool ({@code
+ * dev.ltms.fleet.mcp.FleetMcp#handover}), which drives {@link #open}, {@link #confirm}, {@link
+ * #cancel}, and {@link #status} from a tool call — wired in fleetd #480 Unit C. <strong>An earlier
+ * version of this paragraph said nothing called this class at all; that stopped being true once
+ * that unit landed, and this correction exists so the javadoc does not go on claiming it.</strong>
  *
  * <p><strong>{@code confirm()} cannot roll inline — a fleetd #480 correction.</strong> The first
  * version of this class called {@code agents.send(lead, "/clear")} directly from inside {@code
@@ -181,6 +185,91 @@ public final class LeadRollover {
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * How many tokens {@link #outcomes} remembers before it starts evicting the oldest — bounded
+     * so a long-running daemon never grows this map without limit. Chosen generously rather than
+     * tightly: production rolls are rare (this class's own ticket found exactly ONE completed roll
+     * ever logged on this host), and each entry is a handful of short strings, so even a full cap
+     * costs a few tens of kilobytes — nowhere near a reason to make it configurable. 200 entries
+     * comfortably outlasts any operator's own memory of "did that roll I asked for actually
+     * happen", which is the whole reason {@link #status} exists.
+     *
+     * <p><strong>This cap counts {@link RollState#IN_PROGRESS} entries exactly the same as
+     * finished ones.</strong> There is only the one bounded map: {@link #confirm} writes an {@link
+     * RollState#IN_PROGRESS} entry into {@link #outcomes} at hand-off, and the deferred
+     * continuation later overwrites that SAME key with a terminal state — it never inserts a
+     * second entry. An approved roll therefore occupies one slot in this map for its entire
+     * lifetime, from the moment {@link #confirm} hands off, not only once it finishes; a
+     * confirmed-but-not-yet-finished roll counts against the cap exactly like a finished one. The
+     * alternative (a separate, uncapped in-flight map) would let a burst of confirmed-but-stuck
+     * rolls grow without bound — the exact failure this cap exists to prevent — so it was rejected.
+     */
+    static final int OUTCOME_HISTORY_CAP = 200;
+
+    /**
+     * What is known about one token, right now — the answer {@link #status} gives. Distinguishes
+     * three terminal outcomes an approved roll can finish with, one in-flight outcome for a roll
+     * that has been approved but has not finished yet, and two answers for a token that names no
+     * active work at all: still pending confirmation, or nothing known about this token at all.
+     */
+    public enum RollState {
+        /**
+         * {@code token} is still open: either {@link #open} was called and {@link #confirm} has not
+         * been (or not successfully) yet, or a {@link #confirm} call failed one of its gate checks
+         * and left the token pending for a retry — see {@link #confirm}'s javadoc ("token stays
+         * pending"). Indistinguishable from a genuinely fresh request; a caller wanting to know
+         * WHICH gate most recently refused should read the {@link RollDecision} that {@link
+         * #confirm} itself returned, not this status. <strong>Never the state of an APPROVED
+         * roll</strong> — see {@link #IN_PROGRESS}, which {@link #confirm} records at the moment it
+         * hands off, before this token is even removed from the pending set.
+         */
+        PENDING,
+        /**
+         * {@link #confirm} approved this roll and handed it to the deferred continuation, which has
+         * not finished yet. Recorded by {@link #confirm} itself, at hand-off — <strong>before</strong>
+         * {@code token} is removed from the pending set — so there is never a gap in which {@link
+         * #status} could wrongly answer {@link #UNKNOWN} ("nothing was ever requested") for a roll
+         * that is, in fact, actively running. This is not sticky: the deferred continuation
+         * overwrites this same entry with a terminal state ({@link #ROLLED}, {@link
+         * #TURN_NEVER_SETTLED}, or {@link #CLEAR_NEVER_SETTLED}) once it finishes.
+         */
+        IN_PROGRESS,
+        /**
+         * {@link #confirm} was approved and the deferred continuation completed the entire roll:
+         * the calling lead's turn settled, {@code /clear} was sent and settled, and {@code
+         * bootstrapText} was sent.
+         */
+        ROLLED,
+        /**
+         * {@link #confirm} was approved, but the calling lead's own turn never reached a boundary
+         * (IDLE or DONE) within {@code turnSettleSeconds} — no {@code /clear} was ever sent, at
+         * all. This is the branch the fleetd #480 correction exists to make safe, and the one this
+         * status exists to make VISIBLE: before this, a lead that hit this case had no way to find
+         * out, and would carry on believing it was about to be replaced. See this class's javadoc.
+         */
+        TURN_NEVER_SETTLED,
+        /**
+         * {@link #confirm} was approved and {@code /clear} was sent, but the pane never re-settled
+         * within {@code clearSettleSeconds} — {@code bootstrapText} was never sent.
+         */
+        CLEAR_NEVER_SETTLED,
+        /**
+         * {@code token} names nothing this instance currently knows about: never issued by {@link
+         * #open}, dropped by {@link #cancel}, or aged out of {@link #outcomes}'s bounded history.
+         * These three causes are not distinguished — all of them mean "there is nothing to tell
+         * you", which is the entire content of a clean answer here.
+         */
+        UNKNOWN
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * The answer {@link #status} gives for one token: a {@link RollState} and a human-readable
+     * {@code detail}. For {@link RollState#TURN_NEVER_SETTLED}, {@code detail} names {@code
+     * turnSettleSeconds} and its configured value explicitly, so a reader who sees this knows what
+     * to raise.
+     */
+    public record RollStatus(RollState state, String detail) {}
+
     private final AgentControl agents;
     private final Supplier<FleetConfig.LeadRollover> configSupplier;
     /**
@@ -201,6 +290,23 @@ public final class LeadRollover {
      */
     private final Consumer<Runnable> continuationRunner;
     private final Map<String, PendingRollover> pending = new ConcurrentHashMap<>();
+    /**
+     * Finished tokens → what actually happened, for {@link #status}. Bounded by {@link
+     * #OUTCOME_HISTORY_CAP}, oldest evicted first ({@code removeEldestEntry} on an insertion-order
+     * {@link LinkedHashMap}). Wrapped in {@link Collections#synchronizedMap} because entries are
+     * written from whatever thread {@code continuationRunner} runs the roll on (a fresh virtual
+     * thread in production, the calling test thread under {@code Runnable::run}) and read from
+     * whatever thread calls {@link #status} (the MCP handler thread) — a plain {@code
+     * LinkedHashMap} is not safe for that, and {@code removeEldestEntry} additionally requires
+     * external synchronization even for a thread-safe map that merely wraps it.
+     */
+    private final Map<String, RollStatus> outcomes = Collections.synchronizedMap(
+            new LinkedHashMap<>(16, 0.75f, false) {
+                @Override
+                protected boolean removeEldestEntry(Map.Entry<String, RollStatus> eldest) {
+                    return size() > OUTCOME_HISTORY_CAP;
+                }
+            });
 
     /** Production constructor — wall clock, real sleep between settle polls, a real virtual thread. */
     public LeadRollover(AgentControl agents, Supplier<FleetConfig.LeadRollover> configSupplier,
@@ -366,6 +472,15 @@ public final class LeadRollover {
             return docCheck;
         }
 
+        // Record IN_PROGRESS BEFORE removing from `pending` — see RollState#IN_PROGRESS and
+        // OUTCOME_HISTORY_CAP's javadoc. This ordering means `token` is written into `outcomes`
+        // while it is STILL present in `pending`; status() checks `outcomes` first (see that
+        // method), so it reports IN_PROGRESS immediately, not the brief-but-real gap a
+        // remove-then-put ordering would leave in which the token is in neither map.
+        outcomes.put(token, new RollStatus(RollState.IN_PROGRESS,
+                "confirm() approved this roll and handed it to the deferred continuation; it has "
+                        + "not finished yet — still waiting for the calling turn to settle, for "
+                        + "/clear to be sent and settle, or for bootstrapText to be sent"));
         pending.remove(token);
         log.info("lead-rollover: confirmed token={} lead={} — roll scheduled once the calling turn ends",
                 token, callerTerminal);
@@ -381,13 +496,23 @@ public final class LeadRollover {
      */
     private void runRollover(PendingRollover p, FleetConfig.LeadRollover cfg) {
         String lead = p.leadTerminal();
-        boolean turnSettled = waitUntilAtTurnBoundary(lead, cfg.turnSettleSeconds());
-        if (!turnSettled) {
-            log.warn("lead-rollover: pane {} did not reach a turn boundary (IDLE or DONE) within {}s "
-                            + "after confirm() — refusing to send /clear at all; the calling lead's "
-                            + "own turn is still live and clearing it now would destroy live context "
-                            + "(token={})",
-                    lead, cfg.turnSettleSeconds(), p.token());
+        long rollStartMillis = nowMillis.getAsLong();
+        TurnSettleResult turnResult = waitUntilAtTurnBoundary(lead, cfg.turnSettleSeconds());
+        if (!turnResult.settled()) {
+            // fleetd #494 follow-up: this line had the SAME defect as the /clear-timeout line below
+            // — cfg.turnSettleSeconds() is the CONFIGURED budget, not how long this wait actually
+            // ran. Print the measured elapsed time alongside it, labelled, exactly like the /clear
+            // path already does.
+            log.warn("lead-rollover: pane {} did not reach a turn boundary (IDLE or DONE) after "
+                            + "confirm() — refusing to send /clear at all; the calling lead's own "
+                            + "turn is still live and clearing it now would destroy live context "
+                            + "(token={}, configured={}s elapsed={}ms)",
+                    lead, p.token(), cfg.turnSettleSeconds(), turnResult.elapsedMillis());
+            outcomes.put(p.token(), new RollStatus(RollState.TURN_NEVER_SETTLED,
+                    "the calling lead's own turn never reached a boundary (IDLE or DONE) within "
+                            + "turnSettleSeconds=" + cfg.turnSettleSeconds() + "s (measured elapsed="
+                            + turnResult.elapsedMillis() + "ms) — no /clear was ever sent. If this "
+                            + "keeps happening, raise turnSettleSeconds in fleetd.yaml"));
             return;
         }
 
@@ -395,15 +520,28 @@ public final class LeadRollover {
         // /clear is housekeeping, not a delegated turn, and routing it through Injector wedges the
         // pane forever (see this class's javadoc).
         agents.send(lead, "/clear");
-        boolean clearSettled = waitForClearPickupAndSettle(lead, cfg.clearSettleSeconds());
-        if (!clearSettled) {
-            log.warn("lead-rollover: pane {} did not reach a turn boundary (IDLE or DONE) within {}s "
-                            + "after /clear — NOT sending bootstrapText (token={})",
-                    lead, cfg.clearSettleSeconds(), p.token());
+        ClearSettleResult clearResult = waitForClearPickupAndSettle(lead, cfg.clearSettleSeconds());
+        if (!clearResult.settled()) {
+            // fleetd #494: cfg.clearSettleSeconds() is the CONFIGURED budget, not how long the wait
+            // actually ran — an operator reading only that number wrongly believes it is a measured
+            // duration. Print the measured elapsed time and nudge count alongside it, each labelled,
+            // so the two can be compared at a glance.
+            log.warn("lead-rollover: pane {} did not reach a turn boundary (IDLE or DONE) after "
+                            + "/clear — NOT sending bootstrapText (token={}, configured={}s "
+                            + "elapsed={}ms nudges={})",
+                    lead, p.token(), cfg.clearSettleSeconds(), clearResult.elapsedMillis(),
+                    clearResult.nudges());
+            outcomes.put(p.token(), new RollStatus(RollState.CLEAR_NEVER_SETTLED,
+                    "/clear was sent, but the pane never re-settled within clearSettleSeconds="
+                            + cfg.clearSettleSeconds() + "s (measured elapsed=" + clearResult.elapsedMillis()
+                            + "ms, nudges=" + clearResult.nudges() + ") — bootstrapText was never sent"));
             return;
         }
         agents.send(lead, cfg.bootstrapTextFor(p.handoverPath()));
-        log.info("lead-rollover: rolled token={} lead={}", p.token(), lead);
+        long rollElapsedMillis = nowMillis.getAsLong() - rollStartMillis;
+        log.info("lead-rollover: rolled token={} lead={} elapsedMs={}", p.token(), lead, rollElapsedMillis);
+        outcomes.put(p.token(), new RollStatus(RollState.ROLLED,
+                "rolled successfully in " + rollElapsedMillis + "ms"));
     }
 
     /** Drop a pending request without rolling. @return whether a pending request existed for {@code token} */
@@ -411,6 +549,47 @@ public final class LeadRollover {
         return pending.remove(token) != null;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Read-only: what is currently known about {@code token}. <strong>Never sends anything, never
+     * schedules, cancels, or retries a roll</strong> — a caller may poll this as often as it likes
+     * with no side effect at all, which is exactly why it exists: every failure past {@link
+     * #confirm} used to be a {@code log.warn} a lead can never read (see this class's javadoc), and
+     * this is the only route back.
+     *
+     * @param token the token {@link #open} returned; {@code null} or blank is a clean {@link
+     *              RollState#UNKNOWN}, never a {@link NullPointerException} — {@link #pending} is a
+     *              {@link ConcurrentHashMap}, which throws on a {@code null} key lookup, so this
+     *              short-circuits before ever reaching it
+     * @return {@link RollState#IN_PROGRESS} for an approved roll whose continuation has not
+     *         finished yet, or a terminal state once it has (both read from {@link #outcomes} —
+     *         checked FIRST, see below); {@link RollState#PENDING} while {@code token} is still
+     *         open and has not yet been approved (including one left pending by a {@link #confirm}
+     *         gate refusal — see that method's javadoc); or {@link RollState#UNKNOWN} for a token
+     *         never issued, cancelled, or aged out of the bounded history
+     */
+    public RollStatus status(String token) {
+        if (token == null || token.isBlank()) {
+            return new RollStatus(RollState.UNKNOWN, "no token given");
+        }
+        // `outcomes` is checked BEFORE `pending`, deliberately: `confirm` writes an IN_PROGRESS
+        // entry into `outcomes` before it removes `token` from `pending` (see `confirm`'s own
+        // comment at that call site), so for the brief window where a token is present in BOTH
+        // maps, this order reports the more accurate answer (IN_PROGRESS, already approved) rather
+        // than the stale one (PENDING, not yet approved) a pending-first check would give.
+        RollStatus recorded = outcomes.get(token);
+        if (recorded != null) {
+            return recorded;
+        }
+        if (pending.containsKey(token)) {
+            return new RollStatus(RollState.PENDING, "open() has been called for this token and "
+                    + "it has not yet been confirmed — or a confirm() gate check failed and left it "
+                    + "pending, so the same token may be retried once the problem is fixed");
+        }
+        return new RollStatus(RollState.UNKNOWN, "token names no pending or finished rollover "
+                + "request known to this instance — never issued, cancelled, or aged out of the "
+                + "bounded history (cap=" + OUTCOME_HISTORY_CAP + ")");
+    }
+
     /**
      * The three handover-file checks, in order: exists, not empty, fresh (modified after
      * {@link #open}'s timestamp and not older than {@code maxDocAgeSeconds}). Stats {@code
@@ -475,9 +654,15 @@ public final class LeadRollover {
      * gate exists to prevent. Do not "simplify" this back to {@code injectable()}. ({@link
      * #waitForClearPickupAndSettle} keeps the same exclusion of {@code BLOCKED}, for the same
      * reason, on the second wait.)
+     *
+     * @return a {@link TurnSettleResult} whose {@code settled()} is {@code true} once a real
+     *         boundary was observed, {@code false} if {@code settleSeconds} elapses first.
+     *         {@code elapsedMillis()} is a MEASURED value from the injected {@link #nowMillis}
+     *         clock, never the configured {@code settleSeconds} budget (fleetd #494 follow-up).
      */
-    private boolean waitUntilAtTurnBoundary(String target, int settleSeconds) {
-        long deadline = nowMillis.getAsLong() + TimeUnit.SECONDS.toMillis(settleSeconds);
+    private TurnSettleResult waitUntilAtTurnBoundary(String target, int settleSeconds) {
+        long startMillis = nowMillis.getAsLong();
+        long deadline = startMillis + TimeUnit.SECONDS.toMillis(settleSeconds);
         while (nowMillis.getAsLong() < deadline) {
             AgentStatus status;
             try {
@@ -488,13 +673,20 @@ public final class LeadRollover {
                 status = null;
             }
             if (status == AgentStatus.IDLE || status == AgentStatus.DONE) {
-                return true;
+                return new TurnSettleResult(true, nowMillis.getAsLong() - startMillis);
             }
             settleSleeper.run();
         }
-        return false;
+        return new TurnSettleResult(false, nowMillis.getAsLong() - startMillis);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * The measured outcome of {@link #waitUntilAtTurnBoundary} — fleetd #494 follow-up. The sibling
+     * of {@link ClearSettleResult} for the FIRST wait, which never nudges, so it carries no nudge
+     * count.
+     */
+    private record TurnSettleResult(boolean settled, long elapsedMillis) {}
+
     /**
      * The SECOND wait in {@link #runRollover} — after {@code /clear} has been sent, waits for it to
      * settle, bounded by {@code settleSeconds}. <strong>fleetd #489 — the paste-race fix.</strong>
@@ -524,8 +716,9 @@ public final class LeadRollover {
      *       Claude Code prompt is a no-op, so repeating it is safe;</li>
      *   <li>the {@code PICKUP_GRACE_POLLS}th consecutive such poll, with {@code WORKING} still never
      *       observed, releases rather than wedges the roll instead of nudging again — the same
-     *       choice {@code Injector} makes — and returns {@code true} anyway, logged at {@code info}
-     *       so an operator can see which path ran;</li>
+     *       choice {@code Injector} makes — and returns {@code settled() == true} anyway, logged at
+     *       {@code warn} with the measured elapsed time (fleetd #494) so an operator can see which
+     *       path ran and how long it actually took;</li>
      *   <li>once {@code WORKING} has been observed, nudging stops and this instead waits for a real
      *       {@code working → IDLE/DONE} completion boundary before returning {@code true}.</li>
      * </ul>
@@ -541,15 +734,20 @@ public final class LeadRollover {
      * swallowed and logged at {@code debug}, exactly like {@code Injector.java:437-442} — a failed
      * nudge must not abort the roll.
      *
-     * @return {@code true} once {@code /clear} has settled, or once the nudge budget was exhausted
-     *         with no pickup ever observed (released rather than wedged); {@code false} if {@code
-     *         settleSeconds} elapses first — the caller must NOT send {@code bootstrapText} in that
-     *         case, exactly as before this fix
+     * @return a {@link ClearSettleResult} whose {@code settled()} is {@code true} once {@code
+     *         /clear} has settled, or once the nudge budget was exhausted with no pickup ever
+     *         observed (released rather than wedged); {@code false} if {@code settleSeconds} elapses
+     *         first — the caller must NOT send {@code bootstrapText} in that case, exactly as before
+     *         this fix. {@code elapsedMillis()} and {@code nudges()} are MEASURED values (from the
+     *         injected {@link #nowMillis} clock and an actual nudge count), never the configured
+     *         {@code settleSeconds} budget (fleetd #494).
      */
-    private boolean waitForClearPickupAndSettle(String target, int settleSeconds) {
-        long deadline = nowMillis.getAsLong() + TimeUnit.SECONDS.toMillis(settleSeconds);
+    private ClearSettleResult waitForClearPickupAndSettle(String target, int settleSeconds) {
+        long startMillis = nowMillis.getAsLong();
+        long deadline = startMillis + TimeUnit.SECONDS.toMillis(settleSeconds);
         boolean pickedUp = false; // a WORKING sample has been observed since /clear was sent
         int idlePollsAwaitingPickup = 0;
+        int nudges = 0;
         while (nowMillis.getAsLong() < deadline) {
             AgentStatus status;
             try {
@@ -563,26 +761,56 @@ public final class LeadRollover {
                 pickedUp = true;
             } else if (status == AgentStatus.IDLE || status == AgentStatus.DONE) {
                 if (pickedUp) {
-                    return true; // a real WORKING -> IDLE/DONE completion boundary
+                    // a real WORKING -> IDLE/DONE completion boundary
+                    return new ClearSettleResult(true, nowMillis.getAsLong() - startMillis, nudges);
                 }
                 if (++idlePollsAwaitingPickup >= PICKUP_GRACE_POLLS) {
-                    log.info("lead-rollover: /clear on {} was never observed as WORKING after {} "
+                    long elapsedMillis = nowMillis.getAsLong() - startMillis;
+                    // fleetd #494: this release trades a possibly-unsubmitted /clear for progress
+                    // instead of wedging the roll — that trade is deliberate and stays. But it is
+                    // also exactly the case that reported false success in the real incident (the
+                    // whole roll "succeeded" after 438ms of a 20s budget), so raise it to WARN and
+                    // print the MEASURED elapsed time next to the target pane, not just the count.
+                    //
+                    // fleetd #494 follow-up (2nd pass): BOTH numbers in this line must come from
+                    // the loop's own counters, never from the PICKUP_GRACE_POLLS constant.
+                    // `idlePollsAwaitingPickup` and `nudges` each have exactly one write site in
+                    // this loop, on the same branch, so on this branch they cannot differ from
+                    // PICKUP_GRACE_POLLS / PICKUP_GRACE_POLLS - 1 today — no test can prove the
+                    // difference on this line, and printing the counters does not change that.
+                    // What it does buy: one source of truth instead of two, so a later change to
+                    // the loop (an early return, a second increment site, a different exit
+                    // condition) cannot leave this message reporting a number the loop no longer
+                    // produces. The place where `nudges` genuinely varies with the run — and is
+                    // covered by a test that can tell it apart from a constant — is the
+                    // /clear-timeout warn in runRollover, which prints clearResult.nudges().
+                    log.warn("lead-rollover: /clear on {} was never observed as WORKING after {} "
                                     + "consecutive IDLE/DONE polls ({} of those were nudged) — "
-                                    + "releasing rather than wedging the roll",
-                            target, PICKUP_GRACE_POLLS, PICKUP_GRACE_POLLS - 1);
-                    return true;
+                                    + "releasing rather than wedging the roll (elapsed={}ms)",
+                            target, idlePollsAwaitingPickup, nudges, elapsedMillis);
+                    return new ClearSettleResult(true, elapsedMillis, nudges);
                 }
                 try {
                     agents.submit(target); // nudge a raced Enter (CB-113) so /clear actually submits
                 } catch (RuntimeException e) {
                     log.debug("lead-rollover: resubmit to {} failed (will retry next poll): {}",
                             target, e.getMessage());
+                } finally {
+                    nudges++; // an attempted nudge, whether or not the submit call itself threw
                 }
             }
             // AgentStatus.BLOCKED or UNKNOWN (or an unreadable status, above): neither a pickup
             // signal nor a boundary — keep polling without nudging or releasing.
             settleSleeper.run();
         }
-        return false;
+        return new ClearSettleResult(false, nowMillis.getAsLong() - startMillis, nudges);
     }
+
+    /**
+     * The measured outcome of {@link #waitForClearPickupAndSettle} — fleetd #494. Carries the
+     * MEASURED elapsed time (from the injected {@link #nowMillis} clock) and nudge count alongside
+     * the settle/timeout decision, so callers can log them instead of the configured budget, which
+     * is not how long the wait actually ran.
+     */
+    private record ClearSettleResult(boolean settled, long elapsedMillis, int nudges) {}
 }

fleetd/src/main/java/dev/ltms/fleet/mcp/ConnectionIdentity.java

@@ -33,9 +33,10 @@ public final class ConnectionIdentity {
 
     /**
      * The caller resolved from the connection: its worker {@code terminal} (or {@code null} for the
-     * primary / an off-host client) and its {@code pid} (or {@code -1} if not resolvable).
+     * primary / an off-host client), its {@code pid} (or {@code -1} if not resolvable), and whether
+     * the pane scan behind {@code terminal} ran to completion ({@link #scanComplete}).
      */
-    public record Caller(String terminal, long pid) {
+    public record Caller(String terminal, long pid, boolean scanComplete) {
 
         /**
          * Whether the OS peer-PID lookup actually succeeded — {@code false} means {@code pid} is
@@ -51,6 +52,10 @@ public final class ConnectionIdentity {
          * {@link ConnectionIdentity#isLoopback} is centralised rather than left for each caller to
          * reimplement: a raw {@code pid > 0} check duplicated at every call site is precisely the
          * "one rule, two copies" shape that let #305 drift.
+         *
+         * <p>This method is deliberately NOT widened for fleetd #505's failure (a herdr error
+         * during the pane scan, not a failed lsof lookup) — it still tests only the sentinel it is
+         * named for. #505 is a different axis, carried separately in {@link #scanComplete}.
          */
         public boolean resolved() {
             return pid > 0;
@@ -60,10 +65,11 @@ public final class ConnectionIdentity {
     /** Resolve the caller's terminal and PID from one peer-PID lookup. */
     public Caller resolve(String remoteAddr, int remotePort) {
         if (!isLoopback(remoteAddr)) {
-            return new Caller(null, -1); // only same-host callers can be workers
+            return new Caller(null, -1, true); // only same-host callers can be workers
         }
         long pid = pids.pidForLocalPort(remotePort);
-        return new Caller(panes.terminalForPid(pid), pid);
+        PaneLocator.Lookup lookup = panes.terminalForPid(pid);
+        return new Caller(lookup.terminal(), pid, lookup.complete());
     }
 
     /**

fleetd/src/main/java/dev/ltms/fleet/mcp/FleetMcp.java

@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import dev.ltms.fleet.metrics.Metrics;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.MemberPresence;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.CompletionResolver;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.HerdrException;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.lead.LeadContextGauge;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.lead.LeadRollover;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.msg.LeadChannel;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.msg.LeadMessage;
@@ -20,6 +21,7 @@ import dev.ltms.fleet.msg.Rendezvous;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.peer.PeerUnreachableException;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.placement.BackendOutagePolicy;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.placement.BackendQuarantine;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.LoopWatchdog;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.placement.PlacementException;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.session.SessionManager;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.session.MemberSession;
@@ -93,15 +95,29 @@ public final class FleetMcp {
 
     private final HttpServletStreamableServerTransportProvider transport;
     private final McpSyncServer server;
-    private final CallerResolver authz; // CB-501: null → authorization not enforced (legacy)
+    /**
+     * fleetd #518: whether {@link #denyFor} enforces the CB-505 policy table at all. Replaces the
+     * old {@code CallerResolver authz} field, whose null-ness used to decide BOTH this AND which
+     * principal-resolution code path {@link #contextExtractor} ran — reaching "authorization off"
+     * by simply not passing a {@link CallerResolver} also meant the resolved {@link Principal}
+     * came from a second, separately-maintained heuristic ({@code legacyPrincipal}, now deleted)
+     * that nothing ever exercised. There is now exactly one resolution path ({@code callers},
+     * required and non-null below) and a separate, explicitly-chosen {@link AuthorizationMode}
+     * for this flag — so a caller can turn enforcement off without silently swapping in a second,
+     * untested identity heuristic.
+     */
+    private final boolean authorizationEnforced;
     private final Metrics metrics;      // CB-502: null → auth failures not counted
     private final CapacitySource capacity;
     private final HealthCoverageSource healthCoverage;
+    private final LoopHealthSource loopHealth;
     private final QuarantineSource quarantine;
     /** fleetd #201 Unit 5: SEPARATE from {@link #quarantine} — see {@link OutageSource}'s doc. */
     private final OutageSource outage;
     /** fleetd #176: SEPARATE from both of the above — see {@link LeadSeatSource}'s doc. */
     private final LeadSeatSource leadSeats;
+    /** fleetd #602 gauge-wiring: see {@link LeadConfigDirSource}. */
+    private final LeadConfigDirSource leadConfigDirs;
     /** CB-637: this daemon's lead-to-lead channel; {@code null} when no coordinator is configured. */
     private final LeadChannel leadChannel;
     /** fleetd #361: {@code coordinator.peers} — see {@link CoordinationSource}. Empty when unset. */
@@ -113,6 +129,17 @@ public final class FleetMcp {
      * clean {@code NOT_CONFIGURED} refusal rather than throwing. See {@link #handover}.
      */
     private final LeadRollover leadRollover;
+    /**
+     * "Lead context gauge": how full each lead's own Claude Code context window is, reported on
+     * {@code fleet_list}'s {@code leads} rows (see {@link #contextView}). Built unconditionally, in
+     * the field initializer rather than a constructor parameter — this is not a togglable feature
+     * with an on/off config knob the way {@link OutageSource}/{@link LeadSeatSource} are: it needs
+     * no config at all (see {@link LeadContextGauge}'s own javadoc for the built-in defaults), so
+     * there is no "off" value to thread through every existing constructor call site. One instance
+     * per daemon so its read cache (keyed by session, TTL'd) is actually shared across
+     * {@code fleet_list} calls rather than rebuilt — and therefore useless — on every call.
+     */
+    private final LeadContextGauge leadContextGauge = new LeadContextGauge();
 
     /** Capacity facts used by {@code fleet_list}; production must supply the placement live count. */
     public record CapacitySource(Function<String, Integer> liveCount, Function<String, Integer> maxLoad,
@@ -125,6 +152,15 @@ public final class FleetMcp {
     /** Coverage is supplied by the health wiring, not inferred from a missing dependency. */
     public record HealthCoverageSource(Supplier<String> value) { }
 
+    /** Progress states for fleetd's singleton background loops, read by {@code fleet_list} and {@code /healthz}. */
+    public record LoopHealthSource(Supplier<LoopWatchdog.State> statusPoller,
+                                   Supplier<LoopWatchdog.State> sessionReaper) {
+        /** Inert source for callers that do not wire the background loops. */
+        public static LoopHealthSource none() {
+            return new LoopHealthSource(() -> LoopWatchdog.State.STOPPED, () -> LoopWatchdog.State.STOPPED);
+        }
+    }
+
     /**
      * CB-578 stage B quarantine facts used by {@code fleet_profiles}: a profile → credential id
      * lookup, plus the shared {@link BackendQuarantine} to read remaining cooldowns off.
@@ -224,6 +260,29 @@ public final class FleetMcp {
         public static LeadSeatSource none() { return new LeadSeatSource(_ -> 0); }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * fleetd #602 gauge-wiring: a lead name's configured {@code CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR} override, fed to
+     * {@link LeadContextGauge#read} so {@code fleet_list}'s {@code context} row reads the transcript
+     * directory the lead's own profile actually writes to, not always the built-in
+     * {@code <user.home>/.claude} default.
+     *
+     * <p>The same idiom as {@link LeadSeatSource} — a {@code FleetMcp} constructor field, not a
+     * lookup {@code contextView} performs itself, because {@code FleetMcp} holds no
+     * {@link dev.ltms.fleet.config.FleetConfig} and {@code contextView} is {@code static}. See
+     * {@code Fleetd.leadConfigDirLookup} for the derivation: the same
+     * {@code fleet.leaders.<name>.profile} link {@link LeadSeatSource} already follows, resolved to
+     * that profile's own {@code configDir:}.
+     *
+     * @param configDirFor lead name → {@code configDir}, or {@code null} when the lead's entry names
+     *                      no profile, or that profile sets no {@code configDir} override — either
+     *                      way {@link LeadContextGauge} then falls back to its own built-in default,
+     *                      exactly as before this ticket
+     */
+    public record LeadConfigDirSource(Function<String, String> configDirFor) {
+        /** Inert source — every lead reads {@link LeadContextGauge}'s built-in default {@code configDir}. */
+        public static LeadConfigDirSource none() { return new LeadConfigDirSource(_ -> null); }
+    }
+
     /**
      * fleetd #361: peer-visibility facts for {@code fleet_list}'s {@code coordinator} row — this
      * daemon's own {@link LeadChannel} (for its self mailbox state and held messages) plus the
@@ -250,6 +309,17 @@ public final class FleetMcp {
         public static CoordinationSource none() { return new CoordinationSource(null, List.of()); }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * fleetd #518: whether {@link #denyFor} enforces the CB-505 policy table. A required
+     * constructor parameter with no default, so "authorization is off" can only be reached by a
+     * caller explicitly saying so — never by omitting a {@link CallerResolver} the way the old
+     * {@code callers == null} idiom allowed. {@code callers} itself is required either way: even
+     * under {@link #UNENFORCED}, the one real {@link CallerResolver} still resolves every caller's
+     * {@link Principal} (so {@code markSpawnedMemberPresent}/{@code recordPrimarySingleton} see a
+     * real identity), and {@link #denyFor} is the only thing that changes.
+     */
+    public enum AuthorizationMode { ENFORCED, UNENFORCED }
+
     /**
      * The only constructor (fleetd #480 Unit C correction round). Every field below used to have
      * its own defaulting overload — {@code leadChannel}/{@code outage}/{@code leadSeats}/
@@ -268,10 +338,16 @@ public final class FleetMcp {
      * {@link OutageSource#none()}, {@link LeadSeatSource#none()}, {@code List.of()} are all still
      * perfectly fine values, just never an implicit default reached by omission.
      *
-     * @param callers      resolves each call's {@link Principal}; {@code null} disables
-     *                     authorization. This surface needs its own enforcement: {@code /mcp} is a
-     *                     raw servlet on Jetty's context handler and never passes through
-     *                     Javalin's {@code before} filter, so the REST guard does not cover it.
+     * @param callers      resolves each call's {@link Principal}. Required, never {@code null} —
+     *                     fleetd #518: use {@link AuthorizationMode#UNENFORCED} to disable
+     *                     enforcement, not a missing resolver. This surface needs its own
+     *                     enforcement: {@code /mcp} is a raw servlet on Jetty's context handler and
+     *                     never passes through Javalin's {@code before} filter, so the REST guard
+     *                     does not cover it.
+     * @param authorizationMode fleetd #518: whether {@link #denyFor} enforces the CB-505 policy
+     *                     table ({@link AuthorizationMode#ENFORCED}) or leaves the gate open
+     *                     ({@link AuthorizationMode#UNENFORCED}, for the pre-CB-513 test suite that
+     *                     does not exercise authorization). Required, with no default.
      * @param metrics      registry for auth-failure counting; may be {@code null}
      * @param quarantine   CB-578 stage B facts for {@code fleet_profiles}; pass
      *                     {@link QuarantineSource#none()} for a caller that does not want the
@@ -300,17 +376,35 @@ public final class FleetMcp {
      *                     instead of throwing. See {@link #handover}.
      */
     public FleetMcp(MessageService messages, PeerLauncher workers, SessionManager sessions,
-                     ConnectionIdentity identity, MemberPresence presence, PrimaryRegistry primaryRegistry,
-                      CallerResolver callers, Metrics metrics, CapacitySource capacity, HealthCoverageSource healthCoverage,
-                      QuarantineSource quarantine, LeadChannel leadChannel, OutageSource outage,
-                      LeadSeatSource leadSeats, List<String> peers, LeadRollover leadRollover) {
+                      ConnectionIdentity identity, MemberPresence presence, PrimaryRegistry primaryRegistry,
+                       CallerResolver callers, AuthorizationMode authorizationMode, Metrics metrics,
+                       CapacitySource capacity, HealthCoverageSource healthCoverage,
+                       QuarantineSource quarantine, LeadChannel leadChannel, OutageSource outage,
+                       LeadSeatSource leadSeats, List<String> peers, LeadRollover leadRollover) {
+        this(messages, workers, sessions, identity, presence, primaryRegistry, callers, authorizationMode, metrics,
+                capacity, healthCoverage, LoopHealthSource.none(), quarantine, leadChannel, outage, leadSeats,
+                LeadConfigDirSource.none(), peers, leadRollover);
+    }
+
+    public FleetMcp(MessageService messages, PeerLauncher workers, SessionManager sessions,
+                    ConnectionIdentity identity, MemberPresence presence, PrimaryRegistry primaryRegistry,
+                    CallerResolver callers, AuthorizationMode authorizationMode, Metrics metrics,
+                    CapacitySource capacity, HealthCoverageSource healthCoverage, LoopHealthSource loopHealth,
+                    QuarantineSource quarantine, LeadChannel leadChannel, OutageSource outage,
+                    LeadSeatSource leadSeats, LeadConfigDirSource leadConfigDirs, List<String> peers,
+                    LeadRollover leadRollover) {
+        Objects.requireNonNull(callers, "callers");
+        this.authorizationEnforced = Objects.requireNonNull(authorizationMode, "authorizationMode")
+                == AuthorizationMode.ENFORCED;
         this.leadChannel = leadChannel;
         this.peers = peers == null ? List.of() : List.copyOf(peers);
         this.capacity = capacity;
         this.quarantine = Objects.requireNonNull(quarantine, "quarantine");
         this.outage = Objects.requireNonNull(outage, "outage");
         this.leadSeats = Objects.requireNonNull(leadSeats, "leadSeats");
+        this.leadConfigDirs = Objects.requireNonNull(leadConfigDirs, "leadConfigDirs");
         this.healthCoverage = healthCoverage;
+        this.loopHealth = Objects.requireNonNull(loopHealth, "loopHealth");
         this.leadRollover = leadRollover;
         McpJsonMapper json = new JacksonMcpJsonMapperSupplier().get();
         this.transport = HttpServletStreamableServerTransportProvider.builder()
@@ -322,11 +416,11 @@ public final class FleetMcp {
                 // (CB-113) — its MCP initialize is the reliable "the agent is up" signal.
                 .contextExtractor(req -> {
                     // One resolution per call, shared with the REST surface via CallerResolver so
-                    // the two paths cannot drift on who a caller is.
-                    Principal p = callers != null
-                            ? callers.resolve(req.getRemoteAddr(), req.getRemotePort(),
-                                    req.getHeader("Authorization"))
-                            : legacyPrincipal(identity, req.getRemoteAddr(), req.getRemotePort());
+                    // the two paths cannot drift on who a caller is. fleetd #518: callers is
+                    // required (never null) so there is no second, untested resolution path to
+                    // fall back to here — AuthorizationMode governs enforcement, not identity.
+                    Principal p = callers.resolve(req.getRemoteAddr(), req.getRemotePort(),
+                            req.getHeader("Authorization"));
                     // CB-532: guard on the ROLE, not on the terminal being null. This excludes a
                     // lead, which carries its pane too, while including every spawned member role.
                     // Enrolling a lead would count it as an available member in the roster.
@@ -442,8 +536,8 @@ public final class FleetMcp {
                 (exchange, _) -> {
                     McpSchema.CallToolResult denied = deny(exchange, toolAction("fleet_list", Map.of()), null);
                     if (denied != null) return denied;
-                    return listFleet(workers, sessions, messages, capacity, healthCoverage, quarantine, outage,
-                            leadSeats, callers == null ? Map.of() : callers.leads(),
+                    return listFleet(workers, sessions, messages, capacity, healthCoverage, loopHealth, quarantine, outage,
+                            leadSeats, leadContextGauge, leadConfigDirs, callers.leads(),
                             callerTerminal(exchange),
                             new CoordinationSource(leadChannel, peers),
                             coordinatorVisibleTo(principal(exchange)));
@@ -522,21 +616,9 @@ public final class FleetMcp {
                 .toolCall(fleetWhoami, whoamiHandler)
                 .toolCall(fleetHandover, handoverHandler)
                 .build();
-        this.authz = callers;
         this.metrics = metrics;
     }
 
-    /**
-     * Pre-CB-501 identity: worker if the connection maps to a pane, otherwise the primary. Used
-     * only by the legacy constructor, where authorization is not enforced anyway.
-     */
-    private static Principal legacyPrincipal(ConnectionIdentity identity, String addr, int port) {
-        ConnectionIdentity.Caller c = identity.resolve(addr, port);
-        return c.terminal() != null
-                ? Principal.worker(c.terminal(), c.pid())
-                : Principal.primary(c.pid());
-    }
-
     /** The caller reconstructed from the transport context. */
     private static Principal principal(McpSyncServerExchange exchange) {
         return principalFrom(exchange.transportContext().get(CALLER_ROLE),
@@ -591,8 +673,8 @@ public final class FleetMcp {
     McpSchema.CallToolResult denyFor(Principal caller, Authz.Action action, String target) {
         // The enforcement switch lives HERE rather than in the exchange-facing wrapper: any future
         // tool that calls this directly must not be able to skip the gate by accident.
-        if (authz == null) {
-            return null; // legacy constructor: authorization not enforced
+        if (!authorizationEnforced) {
+            return null; // AuthorizationMode.UNENFORCED: authorization not enforced (fleetd #518)
         }
         if (Authz.permits(caller, action, target)) {
             if (action != Authz.Action.READ) {
@@ -785,6 +867,12 @@ public final class FleetMcp {
                     + "answered (turnId stale)");
             case TIMED_OUT_WORKING, TIMED_OUT_QUEUED, BUSY -> text("[no reply within " + timeout + "ms — worker "
                     + r.outcome().name().toLowerCase().replace("timed_out_", "") + "; retry or poll status]");
+            // fleetd #571: delivery is unknown here — agent.prompt pastes and submits in one call,
+            // so the message may already be sitting in the pane. Do not invite a blind retry the way
+            // the case above does; a resend on this route can double-deliver the same brief.
+            case TIMED_OUT_UNCONFIRMED -> text("[no reply within " + timeout + "ms — delivery unconfirmed; "
+                    + "the message may already have reached the worker, so a retry risks sending it "
+                    + "twice — poll status before resending]");
         };
     }
 
@@ -1199,14 +1287,16 @@ public final class FleetMcp {
                                               Map<String, Object> args) {
         String action = str(args, "action");
         if (isBlank(action)) {
-            return error("action is required: \"open\", \"confirm\" or \"cancel\"");
+            return error("action is required: \"open\", \"confirm\", \"cancel\" or \"status\"");
         }
         return switch (action) {
             case "open" -> handoverOpen(leadRollover, callerTerminal, str(args, "reason"));
             case "confirm" -> handoverConfirm(leadRollover, callerTerminal, str(args, "token"),
                     truthy(args, "operatorConfirmed"));
             case "cancel" -> handoverCancel(leadRollover, str(args, "token"));
-            default -> error("unknown action \"" + action + "\" — must be \"open\", \"confirm\" or \"cancel\"");
+            case "status" -> handoverStatus(leadRollover, str(args, "token"));
+            default -> error("unknown action \"" + action
+                    + "\" — must be \"open\", \"confirm\", \"cancel\" or \"status\"");
         };
     }
 
@@ -1276,6 +1366,29 @@ public final class FleetMcp {
         return text(json(m));
     }
 
+    /**
+     * {@code action: "status"}. Read-only — see {@link LeadRollover#status}: never schedules,
+     * cancels, or retries anything, and it is the only way for a lead to find out what happened to
+     * a token past {@code confirm()}, since every outcome after that point is otherwise logged only
+     * (see {@link LeadRollover}'s class javadoc).
+     */
+    private static McpSchema.CallToolResult handoverStatus(LeadRollover leadRollover, String token) {
+        if (leadRollover == null) {
+            Map<String, Object> m = new LinkedHashMap<>();
+            m.put("state", "NOT_CONFIGURED");
+            m.put("detail", "leadRollover: is not configured");
+            return text(json(m));
+        }
+        if (isBlank(token)) {
+            return error("token is required for action \"status\"");
+        }
+        LeadRollover.RollStatus s = leadRollover.status(token);
+        Map<String, Object> m = new LinkedHashMap<>();
+        m.put("state", s.state().name());
+        m.put("detail", s.detail());
+        return text(json(m));
+    }
+
     /** The one shared {@code NOT_CONFIGURED} refusal shape for {@code open}/{@code confirm}. */
     private static McpSchema.CallToolResult notConfigured() {
         return refusalJson(false, "NOT_CONFIGURED", "leadRollover: is not configured");
@@ -1526,25 +1639,42 @@ public final class FleetMcp {
      * @param selfTerm the calling pane's terminal id, or blank for a caller with no pane
      */
     static McpSchema.CallToolResult listFleet(PeerLauncher workers, SessionManager sessions,
-                                              Map<String, String> leads, String selfTerm) {
+                                               Map<String, String> leads, String selfTerm) {
         return listFleet(workers, sessions, null, CapacitySource.none(), new HealthCoverageSource(() -> "off"),
-                QuarantineSource.none(), leads, selfTerm);
+                LoopHealthSource.none(), QuarantineSource.none(), leads, selfTerm);
+    }
+
+    static McpSchema.CallToolResult listFleet(PeerLauncher workers, SessionManager sessions, MessageService messages,
+                                                CapacitySource capacity, HealthCoverageSource healthCoverage,
+                                                QuarantineSource quarantine, Map<String, String> leads, String selfTerm) {
+        return listFleet(workers, sessions, messages, capacity, healthCoverage, LoopHealthSource.none(), quarantine, leads, selfTerm,
+                CoordinationSource.none());
     }
 
     static McpSchema.CallToolResult listFleet(PeerLauncher workers, SessionManager sessions, MessageService messages,
                                                CapacitySource capacity, HealthCoverageSource healthCoverage,
-                                               QuarantineSource quarantine, Map<String, String> leads, String selfTerm) {
-        return listFleet(workers, sessions, messages, capacity, healthCoverage, quarantine, leads, selfTerm,
+                                               LoopHealthSource loopHealth, QuarantineSource quarantine,
+                                               Map<String, String> leads, String selfTerm) {
+        return listFleet(workers, sessions, messages, capacity, healthCoverage, loopHealth, quarantine, leads, selfTerm,
                 CoordinationSource.none());
     }
 
+    static McpSchema.CallToolResult listFleet(PeerLauncher workers, SessionManager sessions, MessageService messages,
+                                               CapacitySource capacity, HealthCoverageSource healthCoverage,
+                                               LoopHealthSource loopHealth, QuarantineSource quarantine,
+                                               Map<String, String> leads, String selfTerm,
+                                               CoordinationSource coordination) {
+        return listFleet(workers, sessions, messages, capacity, healthCoverage, loopHealth, quarantine,
+                OutageSource.none(), LeadSeatSource.none(), new LeadContextGauge(), LeadConfigDirSource.none(), leads, selfTerm, coordination, false);
+    }
+
     /** As above, plus fleetd #201 Unit 5 cool-off facts (see {@link OutageSource}). */
     static McpSchema.CallToolResult listFleet(PeerLauncher workers, SessionManager sessions, MessageService messages,
                                                CapacitySource capacity, HealthCoverageSource healthCoverage,
                                                QuarantineSource quarantine, OutageSource outage,
                                                Map<String, String> leads, String selfTerm) {
-        return listFleet(workers, sessions, messages, capacity, healthCoverage, quarantine, outage,
-                LeadSeatSource.none(), leads, selfTerm, CoordinationSource.none());
+        return listFleet(workers, sessions, messages, capacity, healthCoverage, LoopHealthSource.none(), quarantine, outage,
+                LeadSeatSource.none(), new LeadContextGauge(), LeadConfigDirSource.none(), leads, selfTerm, CoordinationSource.none(), false);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -1560,8 +1690,8 @@ public final class FleetMcp {
                                                CapacitySource capacity, HealthCoverageSource healthCoverage,
                                                QuarantineSource quarantine, Map<String, String> leads, String selfTerm,
                                                CoordinationSource coordination) {
-        return listFleet(workers, sessions, messages, capacity, healthCoverage, quarantine, OutageSource.none(),
-                LeadSeatSource.none(), leads, selfTerm, coordination);
+        return listFleet(workers, sessions, messages, capacity, healthCoverage, LoopHealthSource.none(), quarantine, OutageSource.none(),
+                LeadSeatSource.none(), new LeadContextGauge(), LeadConfigDirSource.none(), leads, selfTerm, coordination, false);
     }
 
     /** As above, plus fleetd #201 Unit 5 cool-off facts (see {@link OutageSource}). */
@@ -1569,8 +1699,8 @@ public final class FleetMcp {
                                                CapacitySource capacity, HealthCoverageSource healthCoverage,
                                                QuarantineSource quarantine, OutageSource outage,
                                                Map<String, String> leads, String selfTerm, CoordinationSource coordination) {
-        return listFleet(workers, sessions, messages, capacity, healthCoverage, quarantine, outage,
-                LeadSeatSource.none(), leads, selfTerm, coordination);
+        return listFleet(workers, sessions, messages, capacity, healthCoverage, LoopHealthSource.none(), quarantine, outage,
+                LeadSeatSource.none(), new LeadContextGauge(), LeadConfigDirSource.none(), leads, selfTerm, coordination, false);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -1591,8 +1721,8 @@ public final class FleetMcp {
                                                QuarantineSource quarantine, OutageSource outage,
                                                LeadSeatSource leadSeats, Map<String, String> leads, String selfTerm,
                                                CoordinationSource coordination) {
-        return listFleet(workers, sessions, messages, capacity, healthCoverage, quarantine, outage,
-                leadSeats, leads, selfTerm, coordination, false);
+        return listFleet(workers, sessions, messages, capacity, healthCoverage, LoopHealthSource.none(), quarantine, outage,
+                leadSeats, new LeadContextGauge(), LeadConfigDirSource.none(), leads, selfTerm, coordination, false);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -1611,9 +1741,29 @@ public final class FleetMcp {
      *                        an explicit {@code true}
      */
     static McpSchema.CallToolResult listFleet(PeerLauncher workers, SessionManager sessions, MessageService messages,
-                                               CapacitySource capacity, HealthCoverageSource healthCoverage,
-                                               QuarantineSource quarantine, OutageSource outage,
-                                               LeadSeatSource leadSeats, Map<String, String> leads, String selfTerm,
+                                                CapacitySource capacity, HealthCoverageSource healthCoverage,
+                                                QuarantineSource quarantine, OutageSource outage,
+                                                LeadSeatSource leadSeats, Map<String, String> leads, String selfTerm,
+                                                CoordinationSource coordination, boolean callerIsPrimary) {
+        return listFleet(workers, sessions, messages, capacity, healthCoverage, LoopHealthSource.none(), quarantine,
+                outage, leadSeats, new LeadContextGauge(), LeadConfigDirSource.none(), leads, selfTerm, coordination, callerIsPrimary);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * The canonical implementation. {@code contextGauge} is the "lead context gauge" (see
+     * {@link LeadContextGauge}) — every wrapper overload above passes a freshly constructed one,
+     * which is correct for them (none of them exercise repeated calls where a shared cache would
+     * matter); the one caller that matters for caching, {@code fleet_list}'s MCP handler, passes
+     * its own single long-lived instance instead (see {@code FleetMcp}'s {@code leadContextGauge}
+     * field).
+     */
+    static McpSchema.CallToolResult listFleet(PeerLauncher workers, SessionManager sessions, MessageService messages,
+                                                 CapacitySource capacity, HealthCoverageSource healthCoverage,
+                                                 LoopHealthSource loopHealth,
+                                                QuarantineSource quarantine, OutageSource outage,
+                                               LeadSeatSource leadSeats, LeadContextGauge contextGauge,
+                                               LeadConfigDirSource leadConfigDirs,
+                                               Map<String, String> leads, String selfTerm,
                                                CoordinationSource coordination, boolean callerIsPrimary) {
         try {
             Map<String, Agent> live = workers.list().stream()
@@ -1622,7 +1772,8 @@ public final class FleetMcp {
                     .collect(Collectors.toMap(Agent::terminalId, Function.identity(), (_, b) -> b));
             List<Map<String, Object>> leadRows = leads.entrySet().stream()
                     .sorted(Map.Entry.comparingByValue())
-                    .map(e -> leadView(e.getKey(), e.getValue(), live.get(e.getKey()), selfTerm))
+                    .map(e -> leadView(e.getKey(), e.getValue(), live.get(e.getKey()), selfTerm, contextGauge,
+                            leadConfigDirs))
                     .toList();
             // fleetd #209: this is the caller-driven fleet_list read that actually reports
             // agentSessionId (via memberCapacityView -> SessionManager.rosterView), so it uses the
@@ -1636,6 +1787,9 @@ public final class FleetMcp {
             Map<String, Object> result = new LinkedHashMap<>();
             result.put("leads", leadRows); result.put("members", out);
             result.put("healthCoverage", healthCoverage.value().get());
+            result.put("loopHealth", Map.of(
+                    "statusPoller", loopHealth.statusPoller().get().name(),
+                    "sessionReaper", loopHealth.sessionReaper().get().name()));
             // fleetd #439: coordinator/coordinatorView is lead-to-lead coordination state and must
             // never reach a worker or an architect -- gate BEFORE assembling it, not after, so the
             // key is absent rather than present-and-empty.
@@ -1914,15 +2068,25 @@ public final class FleetMcp {
     }
 
     /**
-     * One lead's row: its address, its name, and whether it can be reached right now.
+     * One lead's row: its address, its name, whether it can be reached right now, and how full its
+     * own Claude Code context window is.
      *
      * <p>{@code status} is herdr's live view, and {@code unknown} when herdr is not tracking that
      * pane as an agent — the honest answer, and the one that matters: a lead whose pane herdr cannot
      * see is a lead a {@code fleet_send} cannot be typed into. It is reported rather than hidden,
      * because a peer that has gone unreachable is exactly what the sender needs to know.
+     *
+     * <p>{@code context} is the "lead context gauge" (fleetd's context-usage visibility ticket):
+     * {@code {state: "ok"|"high"|"unknown", tokens?: number, compactions: number}}, read from the
+     * lead's transcript — see {@link LeadContextGauge}. Kept small on purpose (a token count, a
+     * state, and a compaction count) rather than echoing the whole reading history: this is a
+     * roster row a caller glances at, not a diagnostics dump. {@code tokens} is present only when
+     * {@code state} is not {@code "unknown"} — never a stale or default number standing in for "I
+     * could not tell".
      */
     private static Map<String, Object> leadView(String terminal, String name, Agent live,
-                                                String selfTerm) {
+                                                String selfTerm, LeadContextGauge contextGauge,
+                                                LeadConfigDirSource leadConfigDirs) {
         Map<String, Object> m = new LinkedHashMap<>();
         m.put("sessionId", terminal);
         m.put("name", name);
@@ -1931,9 +2095,32 @@ public final class FleetMcp {
         if (terminal.equals(selfTerm)) {
             m.put("self", true);
         }
+        String configDir = leadConfigDirs.configDirFor().apply(name);
+        m.put("context", contextView(contextGauge, live, configDir));
         return m;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Reads the lead context gauge for one lead. {@code configDir} is this lead's configured
+     * {@code CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR} override (see {@link LeadConfigDirSource}), derived from
+     * {@code fleet.leaders.<name>.profile} → that profile's own {@code configDir:} — or {@code null}
+     * when the lead's entry names no profile, or that profile sets no override, in which case
+     * {@link LeadContextGauge#read} falls back to its own built-in default
+     * ({@code <user.home>/.claude}).
+     */
+    private static Map<String, Object> contextView(LeadContextGauge contextGauge, Agent live, String configDir) {
+        String sessionId = live == null ? null : live.sessionId();
+        String agentType = live == null ? null : live.agentType();
+        LeadContextGauge.Reading reading = contextGauge.read(configDir, sessionId, agentType);
+        Map<String, Object> c = new LinkedHashMap<>();
+        c.put("state", reading.state().name().toLowerCase());
+        if (reading.tokens() != null) {
+            c.put("tokens", reading.tokens());
+        }
+        c.put("compactions", reading.compactions());
+        return c;
+    }
+
     /** {@code fleet_stop}: tear a worker down by its pane id. */
     static McpSchema.CallToolResult stop(SessionManager sessions, String paneId) {
         if (isBlank(paneId)) {
@@ -2055,8 +2242,9 @@ public final class FleetMcp {
         return tool(FleetTool.SPAWN.wireName(),
                 "Spawn a new off-subscription member session. A member has two independent attributes: "
                         + "role (what it is for) and profile (which backend it runs on). Pass role to pick "
-                        + "the contract — 'dev' implements a unit and opens its own PR, 'reviewer' reviews a "
-                        + "diff it did not write, 'architect' refines a ticket before anyone builds it; omit "
+                        + "the contract — 'dev' implements a unit and opens its own PR, 'hunter' sweeps a "
+                        + "scope without changing it, 'reviewer' reviews a diff it did not write, 'architect' "
+                        + "refines a ticket before anyone builds it; omit "
                         + "it for 'dev'. Pass profile (from fleet_profiles) to pick the backend, or omit it "
                         + "for the default. The two are independent: a reviewer may run on the same profile "
                         + "as the dev it reviews. The member opens your current directory by default; pass "
@@ -2073,7 +2261,7 @@ public final class FleetMcp {
                         + "one. Returns the member's sessionId (use with fleet_send) and paneId (use with "
                         + "fleet_stop).",
                 objectSchema(Map.of(
-                        "role", stringProp("What the member is for: architect, dev or reviewer (default dev)"),
+                        "role", stringProp("What the member is for: architect, dev, hunter, or reviewer (default dev)"),
                         "profile", stringProp("Which backend to run it on (omit for the default profile)"),
                         "cwd", stringProp("Working directory for the member (omit to inherit yours)"),
                         "worktree", Map.of("type", "string", "description", "'true' or a ticket slug — requests an isolated git worktree"),
@@ -2115,9 +2303,10 @@ public final class FleetMcp {
                         + "cannot reliably re-identify: some backends (e.g. opencode) resolve it from the "
                         + "member's working directory, which only uniquely identifies a member when it "
                         + "was spawned into its own fleetd-provisioned worktree (worktree:true/<slug>); a "
-                        + "member spawned without one shares its directory with others and never reports "
-                        + "an id, however long it runs (fleetd #249). An empty 'members' "
-                        + "means no members are spawned; it says nothing about peers. When capacity "
+                         + "member spawned without one shares its directory with others and never reports "
+                         + "an id, however long it runs (fleetd #249). An empty 'members' "
+                        + "means no members are spawned; it says nothing about peers. 'loopHealth' reports "
+                        + "the RUNNING, STALLED, or STOPPED state of statusPoller and sessionReaper. When capacity "
                         + "facts are configured, a 'capacity' row per profile reports 'free' — the "
                         + "slots a fresh fleet_spawn on that profile will actually be granted right "
                         + "now (max(0, maxLoad - live)), the same check the spawn gate itself runs. A "
@@ -2184,20 +2373,26 @@ public final class FleetMcp {
         return tool(FleetTool.HANDOVER.wireName(),
                 "Replace your OWN lead session once its context is full: write a handover file, "
                         + "then use this to have fleetd clear your pane and bootstrap a fresh lead "
-                        + "session against it. Three actions: 'open' (requests a token and the "
+                        + "session against it. Four actions: 'open' (requests a token and the "
                         + "handoverPath you must write the handover file to before confirming), "
                         + "'confirm' (validates every gate and — only if every one passes — schedules "
                         + "the roll; it does NOT itself clear the pane, the roll runs once this call's "
-                        + "own turn ends), and 'cancel' (drops a pending request without rolling). "
-                        + "Primary-only. There is deliberately no terminal/session/leadTerminal "
-                        + "parameter: the pane to roll is always resolved from YOUR OWN connection, "
-                        + "never a value you pass, so you can only ever roll yourself — never another "
-                        + "lead. Requires leadRollover: to be configured; when it is not, every action "
-                        + "returns a clean refusal naming NOT_CONFIGURED instead of failing.",
+                        + "own turn ends), 'cancel' (drops a pending request without rolling), and "
+                        + "'status' (read-only: what happened to a token after 'confirm' — still "
+                        + "running (approved but not finished yet), the roll completed, the calling "
+                        + "turn never settled within turnSettleSeconds so no /clear was ever sent, or "
+                        + "/clear itself never settled so bootstrapText was never sent; never "
+                        + "schedules, cancels or retries anything). Primary-only. "
+                        + "There is deliberately no terminal/session/leadTerminal parameter: the pane "
+                        + "to roll is always resolved from YOUR OWN connection, never a value you "
+                        + "pass, so you can only ever roll yourself — never another lead. Requires "
+                        + "leadRollover: to be configured; when it is not, every action returns a "
+                        + "clean refusal naming NOT_CONFIGURED instead of failing.",
                 objectSchema(Map.of(
-                        "action", stringProp("\"open\", \"confirm\" or \"cancel\""),
+                        "action", stringProp("\"open\", \"confirm\", \"cancel\" or \"status\""),
                         "reason", stringProp("Free-text audit note for \"open\" (optional, logged only)"),
-                        "token", stringProp("The token \"open\" returned — required for \"confirm\" and \"cancel\""),
+                        "token", stringProp("The token \"open\" returned — required for \"confirm\", "
+                                + "\"cancel\" and \"status\""),
                         "operatorConfirmed", Map.of("type", "boolean",
                                 "description", "For \"confirm\": your answer to \"has the human operator "
                                         + "confirmed this wipe\" (default false; only consulted when "

fleetd/src/main/java/dev/ltms/fleet/member/ClaudeCodeLauncher.java

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import dev.ltms.fleet.guard.SubscriptionGuard;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.Agent;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.AgentControl;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.WorkspaceControl;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.launch.ClaudeCodeArguments;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.peer.Capability;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.peer.PeerLauncher;
 import org.slf4j.Logger;
@@ -298,7 +299,7 @@ public final class ClaudeCodeLauncher extends HerdrPeerLauncher {
         // has neither MCP nor a charter — session flags must be added into a list we own.
         List<String> argv = mutableArgv(argvWithFleet(cfg, spec));
         String agentSessionId = applySessionIdentity(argv, spec.sessionName(), spec.resumeSessionId());
-        return new Launch(workerEnv, argvWithAutoCompact(argvWithModel(argv, cfg), cfg), agentSessionId);
+        return new Launch(workerEnv, ClaudeCodeArguments.withAutoCompactWindow(argvWithModel(argv, cfg), cfg), agentSessionId);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -908,30 +909,6 @@ public final class ClaudeCodeLauncher extends HerdrPeerLauncher {
         return withModel;
     }
 
-    /**
-     * Pin a bounded auto-compaction window on the command line via {@code --autocompact <tokens>},
-     * opt-in per profile (CB-634's sibling ticket: a member that runs out of context dies mid-turn
-     * and its {@code fleet_reply} — the whole point of the turn — is lost with it; opencode already
-     * forces {@code compaction.auto: true} unconditionally, CB-523, but Claude Code has no equivalent
-     * and runs at the backend's own default window).
-     *
-     * <p>Mirrors {@link #argvWithModel}: appended after it, so it survives the {@code ccs <profile>}
-     * wrapper the same way {@code --model} does, and outranks env/settings and the operator's own
-     * {@code argv}. Verified: {@code claude 2.1.241 --help} lists {@code --autocompact <auto|tokens>}
-     * (either the literal {@code auto}, or an integer 100k–1M) — {@link FleetConfig#load} rejects a
-     * configured value outside that band before this ever runs, so the flag Claude Code receives here
-     * is always in range.
-     */
-    private static List<String> argvWithAutoCompact(List<String> argv, FleetConfig.Profile cfg) {
-        if (cfg.autoCompactWindow() == null) {
-            return argv;
-        }
-        List<String> withAutoCompact = mutableArgv(argv);
-        withAutoCompact.add("--autocompact");
-        withAutoCompact.add(String.valueOf(cfg.autoCompactWindow()));
-        return withAutoCompact;
-    }
-
     // --- Agent-returning convenience spawns (used by callers/tests that want the herdr Agent) ---
 
     /** Spawn a worker for the default profile in the resolved default cwd. */

fleetd/src/main/java/dev/ltms/fleet/msg/AmqpReplyInbox.java

@@ -246,7 +246,7 @@ public final class AmqpReplyInbox implements ReplyInbox, AutoCloseable {
      * neither. So before this method existed with a requeue step, it dropped {@link #held}'s entries
      * for {@code target} while the broker still considered them outstanding: never acked, never
      * nacked, never requeued, and no longer reachable by {@link #peek} — permanently invisible. This
-     * is unlike {@link #handleRecovery} and {@link #close()}, whose bare {@code held.clear()} is
+     * is unlike {@link RecoveryListener#handleRecovery(Recoverable)} and {@link #close()}, whose bare {@code held.clear()} is
      * correct because each has already made the broker requeue (a real connection drop, or
      * {@code channel.close()} respectively) before clearing local state.
      *

fleetd/src/main/java/dev/ltms/fleet/msg/LeadHeartbeatLoop.java

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package dev.ltms.fleet.msg;
 
 import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.AgentControl;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.AgentStatus;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.lead.LeadContextGauge;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.mcp.PrimaryRegistry;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.metrics.FleetMetrics;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.metrics.Metrics;
@@ -13,6 +14,7 @@ import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.concurrent.ScheduledExecutorService;
 import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
+import java.util.function.Function;
 import java.util.function.LongSupplier;
 import java.util.function.Supplier;
 
@@ -44,6 +46,15 @@ import java.util.function.Supplier;
  *       loop stands down, so two competing injections never start two turns in the same pane
  *       (constraint 6).</li>
  * </ol>
+ *
+ * <p><b>fleetd #609 — context-high notice.</b> Optionally ({@code contextHighNudge}, opt-in like the
+ * loop itself), a tick that finds the lead's own {@link LeadContextGauge} reading at {@link
+ * LeadContextGauge.State#HIGH} appends a text notice to whatever nudge it sends, telling the lead to
+ * consider {@code fleet_handover}. This is text only — it never rolls a pane itself. It fires once per
+ * HIGH stretch (a latch, cleared only by a later {@code OK} reading — {@code UNKNOWN} neither sets nor
+ * clears it, since "I could not look" must not be read as "it got better"), and it never spends the
+ * quiet-nudge budget: an idle, quiet, HIGH-context lead is exactly the case {@link Action#QUIET_DONE}
+ * would otherwise swallow, and it is the one case most worth interrupting the quiet cap for.
  */
 public final class LeadHeartbeatLoop {
 
@@ -63,11 +74,15 @@ public final class LeadHeartbeatLoop {
     private final long backoffMs;
     private final int quietNudgeCap;
     private final Metrics metrics; // CB-512 pattern: nullable — no registry in unit tests
+    private final LeadContextSource contextSource; // fleetd #609
+    private final boolean contextHighNudge; // fleetd #609: opt-in, like the loop itself
 
     /** When the current idle stretch began (nanos), or {@link #NOT_IDLE}. Single scheduler thread only. */
     private long idleSinceNanos = NOT_IDLE;
     /** Consecutive nudges that found no pending fleet state. Single scheduler thread only. */
     private int quietCount = 0;
+    /** fleetd #609: latched "already told this lead about this HIGH stretch". Single scheduler thread only. */
+    private boolean contextNotified = false;
 
     /** Constructor with an injectable clock and no metric registry (unit tests, or wiring that opts out). */
     public LeadHeartbeatLoop(PrimaryRegistry primaryRegistry, AgentControl agents, ReplyInbox inbox,
@@ -75,7 +90,7 @@ public final class LeadHeartbeatLoop {
                              ScheduledExecutorService scheduler, LongSupplier clock,
                              long idleAfterNanos, long backoffMs, int quietNudgeCap) {
         this(primaryRegistry, agents, inbox, roster, pushLoop, scheduler, clock,
-                idleAfterNanos, backoffMs, quietNudgeCap, null);
+                idleAfterNanos, backoffMs, quietNudgeCap, null, LeadContextSource.none(), false);
     }
 
     /** As above, with a metric registry (the CB-512 pattern) so nudge outcomes are counted. */
@@ -83,6 +98,20 @@ public final class LeadHeartbeatLoop {
                              Supplier<List<MemberSession>> roster, ReplyPushLoop pushLoop,
                              ScheduledExecutorService scheduler, LongSupplier clock,
                              long idleAfterNanos, long backoffMs, int quietNudgeCap, Metrics metrics) {
+        this(primaryRegistry, agents, inbox, roster, pushLoop, scheduler, clock,
+                idleAfterNanos, backoffMs, quietNudgeCap, metrics, LeadContextSource.none(), false);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * fleetd #609: as above, plus the lead's own context source and whether a HIGH reading should
+     * append a hand-over notice to the loop's nudge. Pass {@link LeadContextSource#none()} and
+     * {@code false} to keep the pre-#609 behaviour exactly (both existing public constructors do).
+     */
+    public LeadHeartbeatLoop(PrimaryRegistry primaryRegistry, AgentControl agents, ReplyInbox inbox,
+                             Supplier<List<MemberSession>> roster, ReplyPushLoop pushLoop,
+                             ScheduledExecutorService scheduler, LongSupplier clock,
+                             long idleAfterNanos, long backoffMs, int quietNudgeCap, Metrics metrics,
+                             LeadContextSource contextSource, boolean contextHighNudge) {
         this.primaryRegistry = primaryRegistry;
         this.agents = agents;
         this.inbox = inbox;
@@ -94,6 +123,19 @@ public final class LeadHeartbeatLoop {
         this.backoffMs = backoffMs;
         this.quietNudgeCap = quietNudgeCap;
         this.metrics = metrics;
+        this.contextSource = contextSource;
+        this.contextHighNudge = contextHighNudge;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * fleetd #609: one lead's own context reading, keyed by its terminal id — the same injected-source
+     * idiom {@code FleetMcp.LeadSeatSource}/{@code FleetMcp.LeadConfigDirSource} already use.
+     */
+    public record LeadContextSource(Function<String, LeadContextGauge.Reading> readingFor) {
+        /** Inert source — every lead reads UNKNOWN, so the context notice can never fire. */
+        public static LeadContextSource none() {
+            return new LeadContextSource(_ -> LeadContextGauge.Reading.unknown());
+        }
     }
 
     /**
@@ -126,8 +168,11 @@ public final class LeadHeartbeatLoop {
         STAND_DOWN
     }
 
-    /** The outcome of one decision: the action plus the state to persist for the next tick. */
-    record Decision(Action action, Long idleSinceNanos, int quietCount) {}
+    /**
+     * The outcome of one decision: the action, the state to persist for the next tick, and (fleetd
+     * #609) whether the lead has now been told about the current HIGH context stretch.
+     */
+    record Decision(Action action, Long idleSinceNanos, int quietCount, boolean contextNotified) {}
 
     /**
      * Pure decision function: given the current loop state and fleet/lead facts, return what to do
@@ -142,34 +187,47 @@ public final class LeadHeartbeatLoop {
      * @param pushLoopActive  whether {@link ReplyPushLoop} is currently nudging some target (constraint 6)
      * @param leadKnown       whether a lead terminal is known to nudge at all
      * @param fleet           a snapshot of the pending fleet state (constraint 5)
+     * @param context         fleetd #609: the lead's own {@link LeadContextGauge} reading for this tick
+     * @param contextNotified fleetd #609: whether the lead has already been told about the current HIGH
+     *                        stretch — a latch, carried forward by {@link #applyDecision}
      * @return the action to take and the state to persist
      */
     Decision decide(long nowNanos, Long idleSinceNanos, int quietCount, AgentStatus status,
-                    boolean pushLoopActive, boolean leadKnown, FleetState fleet) {
+                    boolean pushLoopActive, boolean leadKnown, FleetState fleet,
+                    LeadContextGauge.State context, boolean contextNotified) {
+        // fleetd #609: re-arm the latch only on a positive OK reading. UNKNOWN means "I could not
+        // look", not "it got better" — re-arming on UNKNOWN would let a flapping gauge (a transcript
+        // read that misses one tick) nudge a full lead again on every recovery, defeating the "once
+        // per HIGH stretch" promise. Computed once, up front, so every gate below carries it forward
+        // unchanged unless it is the gate that actually discharges it.
+        boolean latch = context == LeadContextGauge.State.OK ? false : contextNotified;
+        boolean contextHigh = contextHighNudge && context == LeadContextGauge.State.HIGH;
+
         // Constraint 6: while ReplyPushLoop is actively nudging the lead, injecting a second,
         // competing prompt into the same pane would start a second turn — racing loops multiply
         // turns and context burn. Stand aside, and treat the active push as real state (re-arm the
         // quiet counter), because the reply that drove it is exactly the kind of new state that
-        // should reset the cap.
+        // should reset the cap. The context latch is untouched: standing down must not spend the
+        // one notice this stretch gets.
         if (pushLoopActive) {
-            return new Decision(Action.STAND_DOWN, idleSinceNanos, 0);
+            return new Decision(Action.STAND_DOWN, idleSinceNanos, 0, latch);
         }
         // Constraint 2: a WORKING lead is making progress and must NOT be touched; an unreadable
         // status (read failure, or the agent is gone) is safest treated the same way — never inject
         // into a state we cannot read. Either way, reset the idle window and the quiet counter: the
         // lead was / may be active, so the next idle stretch must count its own quiet period fresh.
         if (status == null || !status.injectable()) {
-            return new Decision(Action.LEAD_BUSY, null, 0);
+            return new Decision(Action.LEAD_BUSY, null, 0, latch);
         }
         if (idleSinceNanos == null) {
             // The lead just became injectable — record the start of an idle stretch and wait out the
             // debounce quiet period before ever nudging (constraint 3).
-            return new Decision(Action.WAIT_IDLE, nowNanos, quietCount);
+            return new Decision(Action.WAIT_IDLE, nowNanos, quietCount, latch);
         }
         if (nowNanos - idleSinceNanos < idleAfterNanos) {
             // Still within the quiet period: the lead that just finished a turn sits momentarily idle
             // and must not be re-prompted into every natural pause.
-            return new Decision(Action.WAIT_IDLE, idleSinceNanos, quietCount);
+            return new Decision(Action.WAIT_IDLE, idleSinceNanos, quietCount, latch);
         }
         // Past the quiet period with an injectable lead: it is a genuine candidate for a nudge. Two
         // gating facts decide whether and how:
@@ -177,23 +235,33 @@ public final class LeadHeartbeatLoop {
             // No lead terminal is known yet (e.g. the registry has not learned one) — there is nobody
             // to nudge. Keep waiting; the window stays open so discovery re-arms it without a fresh
             // quiet period.
-            return new Decision(Action.WAIT_IDLE, idleSinceNanos, quietCount);
+            return new Decision(Action.WAIT_IDLE, idleSinceNanos, quietCount, latch);
         }
         if (fleet.hasPending()) {
             // Real fleet state is waiting — a worker reply or a DONE session. This is new state, so
-            // it resets the quiet counter (constraint 4) and the lead is nudged to go collect it.
-            return new Decision(Action.INJECT, idleSinceNanos, 0);
+            // it resets the quiet counter (constraint 4) and the lead is nudged to go collect it. The
+            // nudge text carries the context notice too when contextHigh — see injectNudge/contextNotice
+            // — so this route discharges the same duty and must set the latch.
+            return new Decision(Action.INJECT, idleSinceNanos, 0, latch || contextHigh);
+        }
+        if (contextHigh && !latch) {
+            // fleetd #609: the lead is idle, its context is full, and nothing is pending. This is the
+            // one case the quiet cap would otherwise swallow, and it is exactly when the lead most
+            // needs to hear it. Fire once per HIGH stretch, and do NOT spend the quiet budget on it:
+            // this is an event notice, not a "are you still there" nudge.
+            return new Decision(Action.INJECT, idleSinceNanos, quietCount, true);
         }
         if (quietCount < quietNudgeCap) {
             // Nothing is pending, but the cap is not exhausted: nudge anyway, telling the lead
             // exactly that nothing is waiting so it can choose to stand down rather than hunt
-            // (constraint 5). Count it toward the consecutive-quiet cap.
-            return new Decision(Action.INJECT, idleSinceNanos, quietCount + 1);
+            // (constraint 5). Count it toward the consecutive-quiet cap. This nudge also carries the
+            // context notice when contextHigh (already latched above, or being latched now).
+            return new Decision(Action.INJECT, idleSinceNanos, quietCount + 1, latch || contextHigh);
         }
         // Nothing pending and the cap is exhausted: stop nudging until real state appears again
         // (constraint 4). The loop still ticks on backoff so a genuinely new reply or session change
         // re-arms it — QUIET_DONE stops injection, not observation.
-        return new Decision(Action.QUIET_DONE, idleSinceNanos, quietCount);
+        return new Decision(Action.QUIET_DONE, idleSinceNanos, quietCount, latch);
     }
 
     // --- loop ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -208,57 +276,152 @@ public final class LeadHeartbeatLoop {
         scheduler.schedule(this::tick, backoffMs, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS);
     }
 
-    /** One loop tick, every {@link #backoffMs} — the thin scheduler around {@link #decide}. */
-    private void tick() {
+    /** One loop tick, every {@link #backoffMs} — the thin scheduler around {@link #decide}. Package-private
+     * (mirroring {@link ReplyPushLoop#tick(String)}) so tests can drive it directly with a fake clock and a
+     * fake {@link AgentControl} instead of racing the scheduler thread. */
+    void tick() {
         boolean leadKnown = primaryRegistry.primaryTerminal().isPresent();
         FleetState fleet = snapshot(inbox, roster);
         AgentStatus status = AgentStatus.UNKNOWN;
+        LeadContextGauge.Reading reading = LeadContextGauge.Reading.unknown();
         if (leadKnown) {
+            String leadTerminal = primaryRegistry.primaryTerminal().orElseThrow();
             try {
-                status = agents.status(primaryRegistry.primaryTerminal().orElseThrow());
+                status = agents.status(leadTerminal);
             } catch (RuntimeException e) {
                 // A failed status read degrades to "unknown" — decide() treats that like a busy lead
                 // and never injects into a state it cannot read. Retry on the next backoff.
                 log.debug("idle-heartbeat: status check failed for lead, will retry: {}", e.toString());
             }
+            // fleetd #609: read the lead's own context regardless of status — decide() still gates on
+            // status first (constraint 2), so this is harmless work on a WORKING lead and lets the
+            // latch state stay accurate for whenever the lead does go idle.
+            reading = contextSource.readingFor().apply(leadTerminal);
         }
 
         Decision d = decide(clock.getAsLong(),
                 idleSinceNanos == NOT_IDLE ? null : idleSinceNanos,
-                quietCount, status, pushLoop.isActive(), leadKnown, fleet);
+                quietCount, status, pushLoop.isActive(), leadKnown, fleet,
+                reading.state(), contextNotified);
         applyDecision(d);
         switch (d.action()) {
-            case INJECT -> injectNudge(fleet);
-            case QUIET_DONE -> countNudge("exhausted");
-            case WAIT_IDLE, LEAD_BUSY, STAND_DOWN -> { /* nothing to inject, nothing to count */ }
+            case INJECT -> injectNudge(d, fleet, reading);
+            case QUIET_DONE -> {
+                countNudge("exhausted");
+                contextNotified = d.contextNotified();
+            }
+            case WAIT_IDLE, LEAD_BUSY, STAND_DOWN -> contextNotified = d.contextNotified();
         }
         scheduleNext();
     }
 
-    /** Persist the state a decision returned, so the next tick starts from it. */
+    /**
+     * Persist the idle/quiet state a decision returned, so the next tick starts from it.
+     *
+     * <p>fleetd #609 review: the context latch ({@link #contextNotified}) is deliberately <em>not</em>
+     * set here any more. Setting it from the decision unconditionally — before {@link #injectNudge} even
+     * tries to send — is exactly the review's blocker: a decision to notify is not the same fact as "the
+     * notice reached the pane". Every branch of {@link #tick} now assigns {@link #contextNotified} itself,
+     * once it knows whether a send happened and whether it carried the notice (see {@link #injectNudge}).
+     */
     private void applyDecision(Decision d) {
         idleSinceNanos = d.idleSinceNanos() == null ? NOT_IDLE : d.idleSinceNanos();
         quietCount = d.quietCount();
     }
 
-    /** Send the nudge to the known lead. */
-    private void injectNudge(FleetState fleet) {
+    /**
+     * Send the nudge to the known lead, with the fleetd #609 context notice appended when it applies, and
+     * persist the context latch based on what actually happened this tick — not merely what {@code d}
+     * chose to attempt.
+     */
+    private void injectNudge(Decision d, FleetState fleet, LeadContextGauge.Reading reading) {
+        // fleetd #609 review: build the notice from the latch as it stood BEFORE this tick's decision —
+        // d.contextNotified() is the value to persist once delivery is confirmed, not the value the text
+        // itself should be built from. Otherwise a HIGH stretch that is still latched would never see the
+        // notice at all, defeating the very check this fixes.
+        String notice = contextNotice(contextHighNudge, reading, contextNotified);
         var lead = primaryRegistry.primaryTerminal();
-        if (lead.isEmpty()) {
-            return; // the lead disappeared between the decision and the injection
-        }
-        String leadTerminal = lead.get();
+        boolean sent = lead.isPresent() && trySend(lead.get(), fleet.nudgeText() + notice, notice);
+        // The latch becomes true only when all three hold: decide() chose to notify, a notice was
+        // actually included in the text, and the send reached the pane without throwing. Whenever no
+        // notice was attempted (disabled, not HIGH, or already latched), nothing was promised to the lead
+        // this tick, so apply the decision's own carried-forward value unconditionally — that is how the
+        // OK-only re-arm rule and STAND_DOWN's "don't burn the notice" rule keep working through this path
+        // too. A lead that disappeared between the decision and the send (lead.isEmpty()) is treated the
+        // same as a failed send: nothing reached the pane, so the latch must not be set.
+        contextNotified = notice.isEmpty() ? d.contextNotified() : sent;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Attempt one herdr send and count its outcome. Returns whether {@code agents.send} returned without
+     * throwing — the caller ({@link #injectNudge}) needs this to decide whether the fleetd #609 context
+     * latch may be persisted as set.
+     */
+    private boolean trySend(String leadTerminal, String text, String notice) {
         try {
-            agents.send(leadTerminal, fleet.nudgeText());
+            agents.send(leadTerminal, text);
             log.debug("idle-heartbeat: nudge sent to lead {} (quiet nudges so far in this stretch: {})",
                     leadTerminal, quietCount);
-            countNudge("sent");
+            // fleetd #609: a nudge that carries the context notice is counted under its own outcome so
+            // it is visible in /metrics — one count per nudge either way, never two.
+            countNudge(notice.isEmpty() ? "sent" : "sent_context");
+            return true;
         } catch (RuntimeException e) {
             log.warn("idle-heartbeat: failed to nudge lead {}: {}", leadTerminal, e.toString());
             countNudge("failed");
+            return false;
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * fleetd #609: the text appended to a nudge when the lead's own context is full — {@code ""}
+     * whenever the notice does not apply, so callers can unconditionally append this without an extra
+     * branch. Wording stays plain (CEFR B1) and honest that only the operator approves a roll — this
+     * loop only ever prints text, it never calls {@code fleet_handover} itself.
+     *
+     * @param enabled the {@code leadHeartbeat.contextHighNudge} config flag
+     * @param reading the lead's current {@link LeadContextGauge} reading
+     * @return the notice text (starting with a leading space, to append directly after {@link
+     *         FleetState#nudgeText()}), or {@code ""} when disabled or the state is not {@code HIGH}
+     */
+    static String contextNotice(boolean enabled, LeadContextGauge.Reading reading) {
+        return contextNotice(enabled, reading, false);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * fleetd #609 review: as {@link #contextNotice(boolean, LeadContextGauge.Reading)}, but also gated on
+     * {@code alreadyNotified} — the context latch as it stood <em>before</em> the current tick's decision.
+     * Without this gate, every pending-driven {@code INJECT} that lands while the context stays {@code
+     * HIGH} would re-append the full notice on top of an already-latched stretch, making the notice's own
+     * closing sentence ("You will not be told again until your context reads ok.") false. {@link
+     * #injectNudge} is the only caller that passes a non-default {@code alreadyNotified}.
+     *
+     * @param alreadyNotified whether the lead has already been told about the current HIGH stretch
+     */
+    static String contextNotice(boolean enabled, LeadContextGauge.Reading reading, boolean alreadyNotified) {
+        if (!enabled || alreadyNotified || reading.state() != LeadContextGauge.State.HIGH) {
+            return "";
+        }
+        StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder(" Your own context is nearly full");
+        String compactionWord = reading.compactions() == 1 ? "compaction" : "compactions";
+        if (reading.tokens() != null) {
+            sb.append(": ").append(reading.tokens()).append(" tokens used, ")
+                    .append(reading.compactions()).append(' ').append(compactionWord).append(" so far.");
+        } else {
+            // A HIGH reading always carries a non-null token count today: LeadContextGauge only
+            // reaches HIGH by comparing a number against HIGH_THRESHOLD_TOKENS. That invariant
+            // lives in another class and nothing asserts it, so this branch does not rely on it —
+            // it drops the token clause rather than printing "null tokens".
+            sb.append(" (").append(reading.compactions()).append(' ').append(compactionWord)
+                    .append(" so far).");
+        }
+        sb.append(" A fresh session would work better. To hand over: call fleet_handover(action=\"open\"), "
+                + "write the file it names, ask the operator, then call fleet_handover(action=\"confirm\", "
+                + "token, operatorConfirmed). Only the operator can approve the roll. You will not be told "
+                + "again until your context reads ok.");
+        return sb.toString();
+    }
+
     /** Schedule the next tick on the scheduler thread pool. */
     private void scheduleNext() {
         scheduler.schedule(this::tick, backoffMs, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS);

fleetd/src/main/java/dev/ltms/fleet/msg/MessageService.java

@@ -92,8 +92,31 @@ public final class MessageService {
         QUESTION,
         /** Timed out after the message was delivered — the worker is still working. */
         TIMED_OUT_WORKING,
-        /** Timed out before delivery — the message is still queued for the worker. */
+        /**
+         * Timed out with no confirmed delivery, and the target saw nothing — the message will not
+         * arrive later, so a caller may resend. {@link #send} reaches this outcome through {@link
+         * Injector#cancel} reporting one of two routes: {@link Injector.Cancellation#CANCELLED}
+         * means the message was still queued and this call removed it; {@link
+         * Injector.Cancellation#NOT_DELIVERED} means nothing was ever sent — the queue was cleared
+         * because the target never became ready or was abandoned, or the injector's call to the
+         * target's terminal ({@link dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.AgentControl#send}) failed with a herdr
+         * error that this codebase already treats as a confirmed absence. A third route,
+         * {@link Injector.Cancellation#ATTEMPTED}, used to be folded into this same outcome
+         * (fleetd #571) — it no longer is; see {@link #TIMED_OUT_UNCONFIRMED}.
+         */
         TIMED_OUT_QUEUED,
+        /**
+         * Timed out with delivery unknown. {@link #send} reaches this outcome when {@link
+         * Injector#cancel} reports {@link Injector.Cancellation#ATTEMPTED} (fleetd #551): the call
+         * to the target's terminal ({@link dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.AgentControl#send}) was made, but
+         * this caller never observed whether it reached the pane. {@code agent.prompt} pastes
+         * <em>and submits</em> in one call, so the target may already hold a complete, submitted
+         * turn and be working on it right now — the same reality as {@link #TIMED_OUT_WORKING},
+         * just not confirmed. The message may or may not have arrived. Treat this as neither a
+         * confirmed delivery nor a confirmed absence: a caller that resends on this outcome risks a
+         * double delivery — the same brief typed into the pane twice (fleetd #571).
+         */
+        TIMED_OUT_UNCONFIRMED,
         /** Another send to this session was in flight for the whole window. */
         BUSY,
         /**
@@ -299,12 +322,21 @@ public final class MessageService {
      */
     private final ConcurrentHashMap<String, Boolean> strandedReplies = new ConcurrentHashMap<>();
     /**
-     * Targets whose last send timed out with {@link Outcome#TIMED_OUT_QUEUED} (CB-640) — the
-     * message never reached the {@link Injector} delivery window before the caller's deadline, so
-     * it is still sitting in the injector's own per-target queue. Set where {@link #send} already
-     * computes {@code wasDelivered} for that outcome; no new queue is kept here, only the fact.
-     * Cleared the same way as {@link #strandedReplies}: the next accepted delivery for the target
-     * ({@link #send} opening a fresh waiter) or a teardown ({@link #abandon}).
+     * Targets whose last send timed out with no confirmed delivery (CB-640) — {@link #send} called
+     * {@link Injector#cancel} and got back something other than {@code DELIVERED}. That covers
+     * three histories, not one: {@link Injector.Cancellation#CANCELLED} — the message was still
+     * queued and {@code cancel} removed it right there; {@link Injector.Cancellation#NOT_DELIVERED}
+     * — nothing was ever sent, because the target never became ready, was torn down, or the call to
+     * its terminal failed with a herdr error this codebase already treats as a confirmed absence; or
+     * {@link Injector.Cancellation#ATTEMPTED} (fleetd #551) — the call to the target's terminal was
+     * made and its outcome is unknown, so the target may already hold a complete, submitted turn.
+     * Only the first two mean the message will not arrive later and the target saw nothing; on the
+     * third it may already have arrived in full — and the caller sees a different outcome for it
+     * ({@link Outcome#TIMED_OUT_UNCONFIRMED}, fleetd #571) than for the first two ({@link
+     * Outcome#TIMED_OUT_QUEUED}). Set where {@link #send} already computes {@code wasDelivered} for
+     * that outcome; no queue is kept here, only the fact that the send ended with no confirmed
+     * delivery. Cleared the same way as {@link #strandedReplies}: the next accepted delivery for the
+     * target ({@link #send} opening a fresh waiter) or a teardown ({@link #abandon}).
      */
     private final ConcurrentHashMap<String, Boolean> queuedDeliveries = new ConcurrentHashMap<>();
     private final AtomicLong ticketSeq = new AtomicLong();
@@ -391,12 +423,22 @@ public final class MessageService {
 
     /**
      * Read-only delegation fact for fleet views (CB-640): {@code target}'s last send timed out
-     * before the {@link Injector} ever delivered it — the caller saw
-     * {@link Outcome#TIMED_OUT_QUEUED} (see the {@code TimeoutException} branch of {@link #send}),
-     * and the message is still sitting in the injector's per-target queue waiting for the worker
-     * to go idle. Distinct from {@link Outcome#TIMED_OUT_WORKING}, where delivery already happened
-     * and only the reply is outstanding. Cleared the next time this target's delivery is accepted
-     * or the target is abandoned — see {@link #queuedDeliveries}.
+     * with no confirmed delivery — the caller saw {@link Outcome#TIMED_OUT_QUEUED} or {@link
+     * Outcome#TIMED_OUT_UNCONFIRMED} (fleetd #571; see the {@code TimeoutException} branch of
+     * {@link #send}). Despite the method's name, this is not proof that a message is sitting in a
+     * queue: {@link Injector#cancel} reports this outcome through three routes. {@link
+     * Injector.Cancellation#CANCELLED} means the message was still queued and got removed right
+     * there. {@link Injector.Cancellation#NOT_DELIVERED} means nothing was ever sent — the target
+     * never became ready, was torn down, or the call to its terminal failed with a herdr error this
+     * codebase already treats as a confirmed absence. Only these two routes mean the message will
+     * not arrive later, and both report {@code TIMED_OUT_QUEUED}. {@link
+     * Injector.Cancellation#ATTEMPTED} (fleetd #551) means the call to the target's terminal was
+     * made and its outcome is unknown: {@code agent.prompt} pastes <em>and submits</em> in one
+     * call, so on this route the target may already hold a complete, submitted turn and be
+     * working on it right now — it does NOT follow that the target saw nothing, and this route
+     * reports {@code TIMED_OUT_UNCONFIRMED} instead. Distinct from {@link Outcome#TIMED_OUT_WORKING},
+     * where delivery already happened and only the reply is outstanding. Cleared the next time this
+     * target's delivery is accepted or the target is abandoned — see {@link #queuedDeliveries}.
      */
     public boolean hasQueuedDelivery(String target) {
         return target != null && queuedDeliveries.containsKey(target);
@@ -416,15 +458,15 @@ public final class MessageService {
     /**
      * Read-only delegation fact for fleet views (CB-640): an async ticket is still
      * {@link Phase#PENDING} against {@code target}, yet nothing is actually in flight for it — no
-     * open rendezvous waiter ({@link #hasAcceptedDelivery}) and no message still sitting in the
-     * injector's queue ({@link #hasQueuedDelivery}). A healthy PENDING ticket can briefly look this
-     * way while its virtual thread has not yet been scheduled or is blocked on the session lock
-     * behind another send to the same target, so this is a snapshot fact for the health classifier
-     * to weigh across ticks, not proof on its own that the ticket is stuck. It also genuinely
-     * persists — not just as a passing race — once an async {@code fleet_ask} lapses unanswered:
-     * {@link #ask} clears the ticket's question and returns it to {@code PENDING}, but {@link #send}
-     * already closed the forward waiter the instant the question surfaced, so the target has
-     * neither an accepted nor a queued delivery left to show for it.
+     * open rendezvous waiter ({@link #hasAcceptedDelivery}) and no record of a send that ended with
+     * no confirmed delivery ({@link #hasQueuedDelivery}). A healthy PENDING ticket can briefly look
+     * this way while its virtual thread has not yet been scheduled or is blocked on the session
+     * lock behind another send to the same target, so this is a snapshot fact for the health
+     * classifier to weigh across ticks, not proof on its own that the ticket is stuck. It also
+     * genuinely persists — not just as a passing race — once an async {@code fleet_ask} lapses
+     * unanswered: {@link #ask} clears the ticket's question and returns it to {@code PENDING}, but
+     * {@link #send} already closed the forward waiter the instant the question surfaced, so the
+     * target has neither an accepted nor a queued delivery left to show for it.
      *
      * <p><strong>Deliberately still {@code question == null} only (fleetd #275).</strong> This
      * method must not also report a still-{@link Phase#ASKING} task as orphaned: the worker may
@@ -611,7 +653,7 @@ public final class MessageService {
         return switch (o) {
             case REPLIED -> "replied";
             case COMPLETED_UNREPLIED -> "completion_fallback";
-            case TIMED_OUT_WORKING, TIMED_OUT_QUEUED, BUSY -> "timeout";
+            case TIMED_OUT_WORKING, TIMED_OUT_QUEUED, TIMED_OUT_UNCONFIRMED, BUSY -> "timeout";
             case WORKER_FAILED -> "failed";
             case BACKEND_EXHAUSTED -> "backend_exhausted";
             case STALE_TURN, QUESTION -> null; // not a completed delegation
@@ -713,7 +755,7 @@ public final class MessageService {
      * failure.
      *
      * <p><strong>Without {@code sweepAsking} on the release path, a target torn down while
-     * genuinely {@code ASKING} was unrecoverable.</strong> {@link #resolveQuestion} had already
+     * genuinely {@code ASKING} was unrecoverable.</strong> {@link Rendezvous#resolveQuestion(String, String, String)} had already
      * closed the forward waiter the instant the question surfaced (so the {@code waiter} branch
      * below finds nothing to fail), the {@code question == null} guard excluded the task from
      * {@code matching} (so the loop below skipped it too), and the worker's own {@code fleet_ask}
@@ -940,6 +982,7 @@ public final class MessageService {
                 } catch (TimeoutException e) {
                     boolean wasDelivered = delivery.completion().isDone()
                             && !delivery.completion().isCompletedExceptionally();
+                    Injector.Cancellation cancellation = null;
                     if (!wasDelivered) {
                         if (timeoutCancellationRaceHookForTest != null) {
                             // Test-only (fleetd #345): see the field's own javadoc.
@@ -947,16 +990,27 @@ public final class MessageService {
                         }
                         // The target monitor makes cancellation atomic with onStatus picking this
                         // Pending up. If pickup won, report TIMED_OUT_WORKING because the text landed.
-                        wasDelivered = injector.cancel(delivery) == Injector.Cancellation.DELIVERED;
+                        cancellation = injector.cancel(delivery);
+                        wasDelivered = cancellation == Injector.Cancellation.DELIVERED;
                     }
                     log.debug("send to {} timed out (delivered={})", target, wasDelivered);
-                    if (!wasDelivered) {
-                        // CB-640: record that delivery did not happen for fleet health (see
-                        // queuedDeliveries). The exact Pending was cancelled, so it cannot arrive later.
+                    Outcome outcome;
+                    if (wasDelivered) {
+                        outcome = Outcome.TIMED_OUT_WORKING;
+                    } else if (cancellation == Injector.Cancellation.ATTEMPTED) {
+                        // fleetd #571: the call to the target's terminal was made and its outcome is
+                        // unknown — the message may already have arrived in full, so this must not
+                        // be reported as TIMED_OUT_QUEUED, which promises it never will.
+                        outcome = Outcome.TIMED_OUT_UNCONFIRMED;
+                    } else {
+                        // CB-640: record that delivery is not confirmed, for fleet health (see
+                        // queuedDeliveries). cancellation is CANCELLED (this call removed a
+                        // still-queued Pending) or NOT_DELIVERED (an earlier attempt already failed
+                        // with a confirmed absence) — both mean the target saw nothing.
                         queuedDeliveries.put(target, Boolean.TRUE);
+                        outcome = Outcome.TIMED_OUT_QUEUED;
                     }
-                    return recorded(new Reply(
-                            wasDelivered ? Outcome.TIMED_OUT_WORKING : Outcome.TIMED_OUT_QUEUED, null));
+                    return recorded(new Reply(outcome, null));
                 } catch (ExecutionException e) {
                     Throwable cause = e.getCause();
                     throw cause instanceof RuntimeException re ? re : new IllegalStateException(cause);
@@ -1096,21 +1150,33 @@ public final class MessageService {
         }
         try {
             CompletableFuture<Rendezvous.Resolution> reply = rendezvous.open(workerSession);
-            // #282: mirror send()'s registration (:802) so a SECOND fleet_ask inside this same
-            // resumed turn can re-associate the async ticket with its new turnId via
-            // markAsyncQuestion — without this, that second ask has no Task to attach to, and
-            // markAsyncQuestion silently returns null.
-            Task task = asyncTasksByTurn.get(turnId);
-            if (task != null) {
-                asyncTasksByWaiter.put(reply, task);
-            }
-            if (!rendezvous.answerAsk(turnId, content)) {
-                asyncTasksByWaiter.remove(reply);
-                rendezvous.close(workerSession, reply);
-                return new Reply(Outcome.STALE_TURN, null); // lapsed between the lookup and the unblock
-            }
-            clearAsyncQuestion(turnId, false);
+            // fleetd #575: this try used to open below, AFTER the Task lookup/registration and the
+            // STALE_TURN early return that follows it — so that return was covered only by a
+            // hand-rolled copy of the finally's own cleanup pair, not the finally itself. Widening the
+            // try up to wrap the registration closes the gap structurally: every exit from here on,
+            // STALE_TURN included, now runs through the one finally below exactly once, and the
+            // duplicated pair is gone. This did not fix a live leak — see the ticket: neither
+            // rendezvous.answerAsk nor clearAsyncQuestion(turnId, false) can throw, so nothing ever
+            // actually left through the old gap uncovered — but #572 found this exact drift (one
+            // finally asserted, an identical sibling not) on this same file, and the hand-rolled copy
+            // was the wrong shape to keep regardless of whether it was ever exercised.
             try {
+                // #282: mirror send()'s registration (:802) so a SECOND fleet_ask inside this same
+                // resumed turn can re-associate the async ticket with its new turnId via
+                // markAsyncQuestion — without this, that second ask has no Task to attach to, and
+                // markAsyncQuestion silently returns null.
+                Task task = asyncTasksByTurn.get(turnId);
+                if (task != null) {
+                    asyncTasksByWaiter.put(reply, task);
+                }
+                if (answerAskLapseRaceHookForTest != null) {
+                    // Test-only (fleetd #575): see the field's own javadoc.
+                    answerAskLapseRaceHookForTest.run();
+                }
+                if (!rendezvous.answerAsk(turnId, content)) {
+                    return new Reply(Outcome.STALE_TURN, null); // lapsed between the lookup and the unblock
+                }
+                clearAsyncQuestion(turnId, false);
                 Rendezvous.Resolution r = reply.get(remainingMillis(deadlineNanos), TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS);
                 Reply result = new Reply(outcomeOf(r.kind()), r.text(), r.turnId());
                 // #282: this waiter can resolve with a FRESH question rather than a terminal reply —
@@ -1610,6 +1676,30 @@ public final class MessageService {
         this.askTimeoutRaceHookForTest = hook;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Null in production; test seam for fleetd #575 — invoked from {@link #answer}, right after this
+     * call's own {@code Task} registration and right before its {@code rendezvous.answerAsk(turnId,
+     * content)} call. A test installs this to complete the SAME turnId's ask directly via {@link
+     * Rendezvous#answerAsk} from inside that exact window, deterministically reproducing what a
+     * second, concurrent {@code answer()} call racing to unblock the same ask can otherwise only
+     * win by timing luck: this call's own {@code askSession(turnId)} lookup at the top already saw
+     * the ask as open, but by the time it reaches {@code rendezvous.answerAsk} here, the other call
+     * already completed it (or the worker's own {@code ask()} teardown already closed it) — so this
+     * call must see {@code false} and return {@link Outcome#STALE_TURN}, exactly the "lapsed between
+     * the lookup and the unblock" case named at that call site. Proves the #575 fix (widening this
+     * method's try so a single finally covers this exit) does not change that outcome and still
+     * cleans this call's own {@code reply} up exactly once.
+     */
+    private volatile Runnable answerAskLapseRaceHookForTest;
+
+    /**
+     * Test-only (fleetd #575): install {@link #answerAskLapseRaceHookForTest}. Package-private so the
+     * test, in the same package, can reach it without widening any production API.
+     */
+    void setAnswerAskLapseRaceHookForTest(Runnable hook) {
+        this.answerAskLapseRaceHookForTest = hook;
+    }
+
     /** A new send must not open a waiter while an async ticket owns this worker's paused turn. */
     private boolean hasAsyncQuestion(String target) {
         return asyncTasksByTurn.values().stream().anyMatch(task -> target.equals(task.target));

fleetd/src/main/java/dev/ltms/fleet/msg/ReplyPushLoop.java

@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ import java.util.stream.Collectors;
  * still holds an unacked message ({@link #pendingReplies}), tickets not yet collected
  * ({@link #pendingTickets}), and open questions not yet answered or lapsed
  * ({@link #pendingQuestions}) — and sends at most one combined nudge per tick
- * ({@link #injectNudge(String, int, int, int)}). Work that arrives while the lead is busy is
+ * ({@link #injectNudge(String, int, int, int, int, int)}). Work that arrives while the lead is busy is
  * never lost: it is re-read fresh on every tick until the lead is injectable or its own reminder
  * cap ({@link #maxReminders}) is reached — each source spends from its own budget, so one source
  * exhausting its cap does not stop nudges about the others (post-CB-590 regression fix; see

fleetd/src/main/java/dev/ltms/fleet/peer/MemberRole.java

@@ -29,8 +29,8 @@ public enum MemberRole {
      * <p>Reads the repo and writes analysis. Never commits code and never opens a pull request —
      * an architect that starts implementing has stopped doing the job that makes it useful.
      *
-     * <p>Architects are the one member kind declared in config, because a lead addresses the same
-     * slots across many tickets and needs a stable name for them.
+     * <p>Architects are the one member kind with live slot binding, because a lead addresses the
+     * same slots across many tickets and needs a stable name for them.
      */
     ARCHITECT,
 
@@ -43,6 +43,14 @@ public enum MemberRole {
      */
     DEV,
 
+    /**
+     * Sweeps an assigned package for defects and reports several ranked findings.
+     *
+     * <p>Never changes code, commits, or opens a pull request. A hunt gathers evidence, which can
+     * include running the build, but leaves every fix to a later implementation unit.
+     */
+    HUNTER,
+
     /**
      * Reviews a diff it did not write and reports one structured finding.
      *
@@ -59,7 +67,7 @@ public enum MemberRole {
 
     /**
      * The {@code fleet:} block that holds this role's pool — {@code architects},
-     * {@code developers}, {@code reviewers}.
+     * {@code developers}, {@code hunters}, {@code reviewers}.
      *
      * <p>Plural, and not always the wire name: the pool of things a {@code dev} may run on reads
      * naturally as {@code developers:}. The wire name stays the singular {@code dev}, because that
@@ -69,6 +77,7 @@ public enum MemberRole {
         return switch (this) {
             case ARCHITECT -> "architects";
             case DEV -> "developers";
+            case HUNTER -> "hunters";
             case REVIEWER -> "reviewers";
         };
     }

fleetd/src/main/java/dev/ltms/fleet/rest/FleetApp.java

@@ -94,6 +94,7 @@ public final class FleetApp {
     // .none() (the honest "feature not wired" view) for every constructor that does not pass one.
     private final FleetMcp.QuarantineSource quarantine;
     private final FleetMcp.OutageSource outage;
+    private final FleetMcp.LoopHealthSource loopHealth;
     private final ObjectMapper mapper = new ObjectMapper();
 
     /**
@@ -155,7 +156,8 @@ public final class FleetApp {
                        HttpServlet mcpServlet, CallerResolver auth, Metrics metrics,
                        Predicate<String> deliverable, Supplier<MemberCredentialPolicyView> memberCredentials) {
         this(herdr, memberHerdr, workers, sessions, messages, presence, mcpServlet, auth, metrics,
-                deliverable, memberCredentials, FleetMcp.QuarantineSource.none(), FleetMcp.OutageSource.none());
+                deliverable, memberCredentials, FleetMcp.QuarantineSource.none(), FleetMcp.OutageSource.none(),
+                FleetMcp.LoopHealthSource.none());
     }
 
     /**
@@ -169,8 +171,18 @@ public final class FleetApp {
     public FleetApp(HerdrClient herdr, HerdrClient memberHerdr, PeerLauncher workers, SessionManager sessions,
                        MessageService messages, MemberPresence presence,
                        HttpServlet mcpServlet, CallerResolver auth, Metrics metrics,
-                       Predicate<String> deliverable, Supplier<MemberCredentialPolicyView> memberCredentials,
-                       FleetMcp.QuarantineSource quarantine, FleetMcp.OutageSource outage) {
+                        Predicate<String> deliverable, Supplier<MemberCredentialPolicyView> memberCredentials,
+                        FleetMcp.QuarantineSource quarantine, FleetMcp.OutageSource outage) {
+        this(herdr, memberHerdr, workers, sessions, messages, presence, mcpServlet, auth, metrics, deliverable,
+                memberCredentials, quarantine, outage, FleetMcp.LoopHealthSource.none());
+    }
+
+    public FleetApp(HerdrClient herdr, HerdrClient memberHerdr, PeerLauncher workers, SessionManager sessions,
+                    MessageService messages, MemberPresence presence,
+                    HttpServlet mcpServlet, CallerResolver auth, Metrics metrics,
+                    Predicate<String> deliverable, Supplier<MemberCredentialPolicyView> memberCredentials,
+                    FleetMcp.QuarantineSource quarantine, FleetMcp.OutageSource outage,
+                    FleetMcp.LoopHealthSource loopHealth) {
         this.herdr = herdr;
         this.memberHerdr = memberHerdr != null ? memberHerdr : herdr;
         this.workers = workers;
@@ -183,6 +195,7 @@ public final class FleetApp {
         this.memberCredentials = memberCredentials != null ? memberCredentials : MemberCredentialPolicyView::absent;
         this.quarantine = quarantine != null ? quarantine : FleetMcp.QuarantineSource.none();
         this.outage = outage != null ? outage : FleetMcp.OutageSource.none();
+        this.loopHealth = loopHealth != null ? loopHealth : FleetMcp.LoopHealthSource.none();
     }
 
     /** Wire routes onto a fresh, unstarted Javalin instance. Caller starts it. */
@@ -291,15 +304,19 @@ public final class FleetApp {
      * spotted by comparing two numbers by eye.
      */
     private void healthz(Context ctx) {
+        HealthzResponse response = healthzResponse(herdr, memberHerdr, loopHealth);
+        ctx.status(response.status()).json(response.body());
+    }
+
+    record HealthzResponse(int status, Map<String, Object> body) { }
+
+    static HealthzResponse healthzResponse(HerdrClient herdr, HerdrClient memberHerdr,
+                                            FleetMcp.LoopHealthSource loopHealth) {
         JsonNode pong;
         try {
             pong = herdr.call("ping");
         } catch (HerdrException e) {
-            ctx.status(503).json(Map.of(
-                    "status", "degraded",
-                    "herdr", "unreachable",
-                    "detail", e.getMessage()));
-            return;
+            return degradedResponse("unreachable", e.getMessage(), loopHealth);
         }
         Map<String, Object> body = new LinkedHashMap<>();
         body.put("status", "ok");
@@ -311,11 +328,11 @@ public final class FleetApp {
             try {
                 memberPong = memberHerdr.call("ping");
             } catch (HerdrException e) {
-                ctx.status(503).json(Map.of(
+                return new HealthzResponse(503, Map.of(
                         "status", "degraded",
                         "herdr", "member unreachable",
-                        "detail", e.getMessage()));
-                return;
+                        "detail", e.getMessage(),
+                        "loopHealth", loopHealthView(loopHealth)));
             }
             int leadProtocol = pong.path("protocol").asInt();
             int memberProtocol = memberPong.path("protocol").asInt();
@@ -326,7 +343,20 @@ public final class FleetApp {
                 body.put("protocolMismatch", true);
             }
         }
-        ctx.status(200).json(body);
+        body.put("loopHealth", loopHealthView(loopHealth));
+        return new HealthzResponse(200, body);
+    }
+
+    private static Map<String, String> loopHealthView(FleetMcp.LoopHealthSource loopHealth) {
+        return Map.of("statusPoller", loopHealth.statusPoller().get().name(),
+                "sessionReaper", loopHealth.sessionReaper().get().name());
+    }
+
+    private static HealthzResponse degradedResponse(String herdr, String detail,
+                                                    FleetMcp.LoopHealthSource loopHealth) {
+        return new HealthzResponse(503, Map.of(
+                "status", "degraded", "herdr", herdr, "detail", detail,
+                "loopHealth", loopHealthView(loopHealth)));
     }
 
     /**
@@ -640,15 +670,31 @@ public final class FleetApp {
             }
             default -> ctx.status(202).json(Map.of(
                     "sessionId", id,
+                    // fleetd #571 (ticket comment 17126): no `default` here on purpose. This switch
+                    // is an expression, so the compiler already demands every Outcome constant have
+                    // an arm — adding an 11th constant to Outcome is a compile error here, not a
+                    // silent fall-through. That is exactly the bug this ticket exists to fix:
+                    // `default -> "done"` used to sit here and would have told a REST caller the
+                    // delegation completed for TIMED_OUT_UNCONFIRMED, the one outcome where delivery
+                    // is unknown. REPLIED, COMPLETED_UNREPLIED, QUESTION and STALE_TURN can never
+                    // actually reach this inner switch — the outer switch above always dispatches
+                    // them first — but they still need an arm to keep this switch exhaustive.
                     "status", switch (reply.outcome()) {
                         case TIMED_OUT_WORKING -> "working";
                         case TIMED_OUT_QUEUED -> "queued";
+                        // Delivery here is unknown, not merely still queued — see
+                        // Outcome#TIMED_OUT_UNCONFIRMED's own javadoc.
+                        case TIMED_OUT_UNCONFIRMED -> "unconfirmed";
                         case BUSY -> "busy";
                         case WORKER_FAILED -> "failed";
                         case BACKEND_EXHAUSTED -> "backend_exhausted";
-                        default -> "done"; // unreachable (terminal outcomes handled above)
+                        case REPLIED, COMPLETED_UNREPLIED, QUESTION, STALE_TURN -> "done"; // unreachable
                     },
-                    "detail", (reply.outcome() == MessageService.Outcome.WORKER_FAILED
+                    "detail", reply.outcome() == MessageService.Outcome.TIMED_OUT_UNCONFIRMED
+                            ? "no reply within " + timeout + "ms; delivery is unconfirmed — the "
+                                    + "message may already have reached the worker, so a resend "
+                                    + "risks sending it twice; poll status first"
+                            : (reply.outcome() == MessageService.Outcome.WORKER_FAILED
                                     || reply.outcome() == MessageService.Outcome.BACKEND_EXHAUSTED)
                                     && reply.text() != null
                             ? reply.text()

fleetd/src/main/java/dev/ltms/fleet/session/SessionManager.java

@@ -302,9 +302,10 @@ public final class SessionManager implements TurnListener {
      * with no copy and no error. Do NOT fuse these back together; the cost of an orphaned worktree
      * is a logged path an operator can reclaim, the cost of a deleted one is unrecoverable work.
      */
-    private void release(String paneId, ReleaseCause cause) {
+    private MemberSession release(String paneId, ReleaseCause cause) {
         MemberSession removed = registry.remove(paneId);
         releaseRemoved(paneId, removed, handles.remove(paneId), cause);
+        return removed;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -870,10 +871,23 @@ public final class SessionManager implements TurnListener {
         // digest lets a lead tell at a glance whether all members got the same charter; the source
         // records whether a role charter was configured ("fleet.charters.<role>") or only the reply
         // charter was composed ("none").
+        // #604: charterBytes rides along with charterSha256, not with charterSource — it is only
+        // meaningful as the digest's companion (a length turns "they differ" into "by how much").
+        // A member with no composed charter reports charterSource and nothing else, as before.
+        //
+        // Gating on the DIGEST rather than on the receipt is deliberate, and the two are not
+        // always null together. CharterReceipt.compose() derives the digest with digestOf(), which
+        // returns null for BLANK text, while the byte count is composed.getBytes().length, which
+        // does not. So a whitespace-only charter (a blank fleet.charters.<role> on a profile with
+        // no MCP, so no reply charter is appended) yields a null digest beside a non-zero size.
+        // Reporting a size with no digest would say "they differ by N bytes" about an artifact we
+        // cannot fingerprint, so this gate omits both. Never widen it to the receipt-level null
+        // check without deciding what that case should report.
         if (session.charterReceipt() != null) {
             m.put("charterSource", session.charterReceipt().charterSource());
             if (session.charterReceipt().charterSha256() != null) {
                 m.put("charterSha256", session.charterReceipt().charterSha256());
+                m.put("charterBytes", session.charterReceipt().charterBytes());
             }
         }
         m.put("liveStatus", live == null ? "unknown" : live.status().name().toLowerCase());
@@ -1064,16 +1078,62 @@ public final class SessionManager implements TurnListener {
      * drain (see above), and a straggler must not buy the drain more time than the flag it lost the
      * race against would have. In the ordinary case the sweep finds nothing and costs one empty
      * {@link #roster()} call.
+     *
+     * <p>fleetd #512: a drain that releases every session cleanly used to log nothing at all — the
+     * only log calls in this method and {@link #drainSnapshot} sit on abnormal paths, so "nothing
+     * logged" was indistinguishable from "died on the first session". The {@code log.info} at the
+     * end below is a positive assertion that the drain actually finished, on the normal path,
+     * every time — including the all-zero case, which is a common and legitimate outcome (no
+     * members were live) and must still produce the line. Both {@link #drainSnapshot} passes (the
+     * main snapshot and the straggler sweep) are folded into the one line: a caller reading two
+     * lines could not tell a two-pass drain from two separate drains.
+     *
+     * <p><strong>Non-goal: this line must never move into a {@code finally} block, and this method
+     * must never grow one around it.</strong> "Every time" above means every time the drain
+     * <em>finishes</em>, not every time this method exits. The absence of the line is the signal
+     * that the drain died, so a {@code finally} would destroy the signal and print confident
+     * partial counts in the same edit — the line would appear after a drain that threw, carrying
+     * whatever {@code tally} it had reached. Both halves of the value are lost at once. The line
+     * has to be the last statement of the successful path and reachable only from it.
+     *
+     * <p>This is written down because it is the obvious review comment ("shouldn't we always log
+     * the drain result?"), it sounds like thoroughness, and the paragraph above reads as an
+     * invitation to it. Raised by the fleet01 lead on 2026-09-12, from their 2026-09-10 incident:
+     * we only know that drain died on that host because it <em>threw</em>, and a
+     * {@code NoClassDefFoundError} reached the JVM's uncaught handler. A drain that hung on one
+     * session, or returned early on a condition rather than an exception, would leave no stack
+     * trace, no {@code ERROR} token and no priority — only a missing line. That makes the loud
+     * variant the one we have seen and the quiet variants the ones this line exists to catch.
+     *
+     * <p>Related: {@code released} and {@code abandoned} are counted incrementally inside {@link
+     * #drainSnapshot}'s loop and folded with {@link DrainTally#plus}, rather than derived from a
+     * collection read at the end, for the same reason. If a partial report is ever wanted it must
+     * be a different line with a different verb. One line must not serve both, or a reader cannot
+     * tell a finished drain from an interrupted one by its wording.
      */
     void drainAll(long timeoutNanos) {
         long deadline = System.nanoTime() + timeoutNanos;
         draining.set(true);
-        drainSnapshot(roster(), deadline);
+        DrainTally tally = drainSnapshot(roster(), deadline);
         List<MemberSession> stragglers = roster();
         if (!stragglers.isEmpty()) {
             log.warn("drain sweep found {} session(s) registered after the drain snapshot was "
                     + "taken (raced past the shutdown guard); draining them too", stragglers.size());
-            drainSnapshot(stragglers, deadline);
+            tally = tally.plus(drainSnapshot(stragglers, deadline));
+        }
+        log.info("drain complete: released={} abandoned={} (still BUSY at the shutdown deadline)",
+                tally.released(), tally.abandoned());
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Running count for one {@link #drainAll} invocation, folded across both {@link #drainSnapshot}
+     * passes (fleetd #512). {@code abandoned} counts sessions that were still {@code BUSY} at the
+     * moment they were released — i.e. the whole-drain deadline passed before they left {@code BUSY}
+     * on their own (see {@link #drainSnapshot}) — a subset of {@code released}, not additional to it.
+     */
+    private record DrainTally(int released, int abandoned) {
+        private DrainTally plus(DrainTally other) {
+            return new DrainTally(released + other.released, abandoned + other.abandoned);
         }
     }
 
@@ -1081,8 +1141,12 @@ public final class SessionManager implements TurnListener {
      * Drain exactly the sessions in {@code snapshot}, waiting out a {@code BUSY} one against the
      * shared whole-drain {@code deadline} before releasing it. Shared by {@link #drainAll}'s main
      * pass and its post-loop straggler sweep (fleetd #308) so both honor the same one budget.
+     * Returns how many sessions this pass released, and how many of those were still {@code BUSY}
+     * (abandoned mid-turn) at the moment of release.
      */
-    private void drainSnapshot(List<MemberSession> snapshot, long deadline) {
+    private DrainTally drainSnapshot(List<MemberSession> snapshot, long deadline) {
+        int released = 0;
+        int abandoned = 0;
         for (MemberSession s : snapshot) {
             try {
                 if (s.state() == MemberSession.State.BUSY) {
@@ -1100,11 +1164,16 @@ public final class SessionManager implements TurnListener {
                         }
                     }
                 }
-                release(s.paneId(), ReleaseCause.SHUTDOWN);
+                MemberSession removed = release(s.paneId(), ReleaseCause.SHUTDOWN);
+                released++;
+                if (removed != null && removed.state() == MemberSession.State.BUSY) {
+                    abandoned++;
+                }
             } catch (RuntimeException e) {
                 log.warn("drain failed for pane={}; continuing with remaining sessions", s.paneId(), e);
             }
         }
+        return new DrainTally(released, abandoned);
     }
 
     /**

fleetd/src/main/java/dev/ltms/fleet/session/SessionReaper.java

@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
 package dev.ltms.fleet.session;
 
+import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.LoopWatchdog;
 import org.slf4j.Logger;
 import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
 
 import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
+import java.util.function.LongSupplier;
 
 /**
  * Periodic virtual-thread reaper that tears down {@code READY}/{@code DONE} sessions which have
@@ -14,6 +16,16 @@ public final class SessionReaper {
 
     private static final Logger log = LoggerFactory.getLogger(SessionReaper.class);
     private static final long DEFAULT_INTERVAL_MILLIS = 5000;
+    /**
+     * How many multiples of {@code intervalMillis} the last-completed round may age before
+     * {@link #health()} reports {@link LoopWatchdog.State#STALLED} (fleetd #544). One round here
+     * is {@code sessions.reapIdle} plus the (rare, best-effort) WIP sweep — both normally finish
+     * in a small fraction of one interval. At the default 5s interval this puts the threshold at
+     * 60s: generous enough that an occasional slow git call in the WIP sweep never trips it, short
+     * enough that a genuinely wedged reap round (mirroring the herdr-read-with-no-deadline hang
+     * {@code StatusPoller} guards against — see fleetd #544) is caught inside about a minute.
+     */
+    private static final long STALE_AFTER_INTERVAL_MULTIPLIER = 12;
     /** CB-586: the refs/wip age floor — never sweep a snapshot younger than 24h (the CB-586 rule). */
     private static final long WIP_MIN_AGE_MILLIS = TimeUnit.HOURS.toMillis(24);
     /**
@@ -25,6 +37,7 @@ public final class SessionReaper {
     private final SessionManager sessions;
     private final long idleTtlNanos;
     private final long intervalMillis;
+    private final LoopWatchdog watchdog;
     private volatile boolean running;
     private Thread thread;
     /**
@@ -45,29 +58,61 @@ public final class SessionReaper {
 
     /** Construct a reaper with an explicit polling interval (useful for tests). */
     public SessionReaper(SessionManager sessions, long idleTtlSeconds, long intervalMillis) {
+        this(sessions, idleTtlSeconds, intervalMillis, System::nanoTime);
+    }
+
+    /** Full constructor — for tests: an injectable monotonic clock (fleetd #544). */
+    SessionReaper(SessionManager sessions, long idleTtlSeconds, long intervalMillis, LongSupplier nowNanos) {
         this.sessions = sessions;
         this.idleTtlNanos = TimeUnit.SECONDS.toNanos(idleTtlSeconds);
         this.intervalMillis = intervalMillis;
+        this.watchdog = new LoopWatchdog(nowNanos, staleAfterNanos(intervalMillis));
+    }
+
+    private static long staleAfterNanos(long intervalMillis) {
+        return TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS.toNanos(Math.max(intervalMillis, 1)) * STALE_AFTER_INTERVAL_MULTIPLIER;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * This loop's progress fact (fleetd #544): {@code RUNNING}, {@code STALLED} (dead or parked —
+     * indistinguishable from outside, and never observed on purpose), or {@code STOPPED}
+     * ({@link #stop()} was called). See {@link LoopWatchdog} for why staleness — not thread
+     * liveness — is the signal.
+     */
+    public LoopWatchdog.State health() {
+        return watchdog.state();
     }
 
     /** Start the reaper loop on a virtual thread. Idempotent. */
     public synchronized void start() {
         if (running) return;
         running = true;
+        watchdog.reset(); // fleetd #544: a fresh grace period, not last run's stale mark/timestamp.
         thread = Thread.ofVirtual().name("session-reaper").start(this::loop);
         log.info("session reaper started (idle ttl {}s, interval {}ms)",
                 TimeUnit.NANOSECONDS.toSeconds(idleTtlNanos), intervalMillis);
     }
 
     private void loop() {
-        while (running) {
-            try {
-                sessions.reapIdle(idleTtlNanos);
-            } catch (RuntimeException e) {
-                log.warn("session reaper iteration failed; continuing", e);
+        try {
+            while (running) {
+                try {
+                    sessions.reapIdle(idleTtlNanos);
+                } catch (Throwable e) {
+                    log.error("session reaper iteration failed; continuing", e);
+                }
+                maybeSweepWipRefs();
+                // fleetd #544: a round is "complete" only after reapIdle AND the WIP-sweep gate have
+                // both returned — a hang in either (e.g. a wedged git call) means this line is never
+                // reached, so the watchdog goes stale exactly like a dead loop would.
+                watchdog.recordRoundComplete();
+                sleep();
             }
-            maybeSweepWipRefs();
-            sleep();
+        } finally {
+            if (running) {
+                log.error("session reaper loop exited unexpectedly; it can be restarted");
+            }
+            running = false;
         }
     }
 
@@ -90,8 +135,8 @@ public final class SessionReaper {
                 log.info("refs/wip retention sweep deleted {} snapshot ref(s) older than 24h whose "
                         + "content was already reachable from main", deleted);
             }
-        } catch (RuntimeException e) {
-            log.warn("refs/wip retention sweep failed; continuing", e);
+        } catch (Throwable e) {
+            log.error("refs/wip retention sweep failed; continuing", e);
         }
         // Set even when the sweep threw, so a broken repo is retried on the slow cadence rather
         // than hammering git on every 5-second iteration.
@@ -111,6 +156,7 @@ public final class SessionReaper {
     /** Stop the reaper loop. Idempotent. */
     public synchronized void stop() {
         running = false;
+        watchdog.markStoppedByCaller(); // fleetd #544: this halt is on purpose — health() must say STOPPED, not STALLED.
         if (thread != null) thread.interrupt();
     }
 }

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/FleetdAwaitHerdrTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,192 @@
+package dev.ltms.fleet;
+
+import ch.qos.logback.classic.Level;
+import ch.qos.logback.classic.spi.ILoggingEvent;
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.JsonNode;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.HerdrClient;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.HerdrException;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.testing.CapturedLog;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicBoolean;
+import java.util.function.LongSupplier;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertFalse;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.fail;
+
+/**
+ * fleetd #498: {@code Fleetd.awaitHerdr} used to return a bare {@code boolean}, collapsing "the
+ * configured wait budget genuinely ran out" and "the waiting thread was interrupted, possibly
+ * milliseconds in" onto the same {@code false} — and the caller's log line printed only the
+ * configured budget, never how long the wait actually ran. This class covers both halves of the
+ * fix:
+ * <ul>
+ *   <li>the seam — {@link Fleetd#awaitHerdr} itself, driven with an injected clock and a stub
+ *       {@link HerdrClient}, one test per {@link Fleetd.HerdrWaitResult};</li>
+ *   <li>the call site — {@link Fleetd#logHerdrWaitOutcomeAndShouldReap}, the exact decision {@code
+ *       main} calls (extracted here because {@code main} itself boots the whole daemon and cannot
+ *       be driven from a unit test), pinning the three distinct log messages it emits.</li>
+ * </ul>
+ * Every expected message below is a plain literal, not built from {@code HERDR_WAIT_SECONDS} or
+ * any other production constant — a test that derives its expectation the way the code does
+ * cannot see a change to either (fleetd #496's identical trap).
+ */
+class FleetdAwaitHerdrTest {
+
+    // ---- the seam: Fleetd.awaitHerdr ----------------------------------------------------------
+
+    @Test
+    void answeredReturnsImmediatelyWithZeroElapsedAndNeverPolls() {
+        HerdrStub herdr = new HerdrStub(0); // succeeds on the very first call
+        LongSupplier clock = fixedClock(1_000L);
+        AtomicBoolean polled = new AtomicBoolean(false);
+        Runnable poller = () -> polled.set(true);
+
+        Fleetd.HerdrAwaitOutcome outcome = Fleetd.awaitHerdr(herdr, clock, poller);
+
+        assertEquals(Fleetd.HerdrWaitResult.ANSWERED, outcome.result());
+        assertEquals(0L, outcome.elapsedNanos(), "a fixed clock must measure zero elapsed time");
+        assertFalse(polled.get(), "herdr answering on the first try must never poll");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void deadlinePassedIsMeasuredNotAssumed() {
+        HerdrStub herdr = new HerdrStub(-1); // never succeeds
+        // call order inside awaitHerdr: start, then per failed attempt: deadline-check, elapsed-calc
+        ScriptedClock clock = new ScriptedClock(0L, 30_500_000_000L, 30_500_000_000L);
+        Runnable poller = () -> fail("the deadline was already exceeded on the first attempt — must not poll");
+
+        Fleetd.HerdrAwaitOutcome outcome = Fleetd.awaitHerdr(herdr, clock, poller);
+
+        assertEquals(Fleetd.HerdrWaitResult.DEADLINE_PASSED, outcome.result());
+        assertEquals(30_500_000_000L, outcome.elapsedNanos(),
+                "elapsed must be the MEASURED clock delta, not the configured budget");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void interruptedIsDistinctFromDeadlinePassedAndPreservesTheInterruptFlag() {
+        HerdrStub herdr = new HerdrStub(-1); // never succeeds
+        // start=0, deadline-check returns 500ms (well under the 30s budget) -> not deadline-passed,
+        // then the poller interrupts, and the elapsed-calc call returns 750ms.
+        ScriptedClock clock = new ScriptedClock(0L, 500_000_000L, 750_000_000L);
+        Runnable poller = () -> Thread.currentThread().interrupt();
+
+        try {
+            Fleetd.HerdrAwaitOutcome outcome = Fleetd.awaitHerdr(herdr, clock, poller);
+
+            assertEquals(Fleetd.HerdrWaitResult.INTERRUPTED, outcome.result());
+            assertEquals(750_000_000L, outcome.elapsedNanos(),
+                    "elapsed must be measured even when the wait ends via interruption, not the deadline");
+            assertTrue(Thread.currentThread().isInterrupted(),
+                    "the interrupt flag the old code re-set must still be set on return");
+        } finally {
+            Thread.interrupted(); // clear it so it cannot leak into another test on this thread
+        }
+    }
+
+    // ---- the call site: Fleetd.logHerdrWaitOutcomeAndShouldReap -------------------------------
+
+    @Test
+    void answeredLogsNothingAndSaysReap() {
+        try (CapturedLog log = attach()) {
+            boolean shouldReap = Fleetd.logHerdrWaitOutcomeAndShouldReap(
+                    new Fleetd.HerdrAwaitOutcome(Fleetd.HerdrWaitResult.ANSWERED, 0L));
+
+            assertTrue(shouldReap, "only ANSWERED should tell main to reap orphan workers");
+            assertEquals(0, log.events().size(), "the answered path logs nothing itself");
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void deadlinePassedLogsConfiguredAndMeasuredElapsedTogether() {
+        try (CapturedLog log = attach()) {
+            boolean shouldReap = Fleetd.logHerdrWaitOutcomeAndShouldReap(
+                    new Fleetd.HerdrAwaitOutcome(Fleetd.HerdrWaitResult.DEADLINE_PASSED, 30_500_000_000L));
+
+            assertFalse(shouldReap, "a deadline-passed wait must not tell main to reap");
+            assertEquals(1, log.events().size());
+            ILoggingEvent event = log.events().getFirst();
+            assertEquals(Level.WARN, event.getLevel());
+            assertEquals("herdr did not answer within the configured wait (configured=30s "
+                    + "elapsed=30500ms) — starting anyway; /healthz will report degraded until it "
+                    + "comes up. Orphaned worker panes (if any) were NOT reaped.",
+                    event.getFormattedMessage());
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void interruptedLogsItsOwnMessageAndNeverClaimsTheBudgetElapsed() {
+        try (CapturedLog log = attach()) {
+            // 3ms: the ticket's own example of "a few milliseconds in", not the 30s budget.
+            boolean shouldReap = Fleetd.logHerdrWaitOutcomeAndShouldReap(
+                    new Fleetd.HerdrAwaitOutcome(Fleetd.HerdrWaitResult.INTERRUPTED, 3_000_000L));
+
+            assertFalse(shouldReap, "an interrupted wait must not tell main to reap");
+            assertEquals(1, log.events().size());
+            ILoggingEvent event = log.events().getFirst();
+            assertEquals(Level.WARN, event.getLevel());
+            String message = event.getFormattedMessage();
+            assertEquals("herdr wait was interrupted before the configured wait ran out "
+                    + "(configured=30s elapsed=3ms) — starting anyway; /healthz will report "
+                    + "degraded until it comes up. Orphaned worker panes (if any) were NOT reaped.",
+                    message);
+            assertFalse(message.contains("did not answer"),
+                    "an interrupted wait must not be reported as if herdr failed to answer within the budget");
+        }
+    }
+
+    // ---- fixtures --------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+    /** Always returns the same value, i.e. a clock that measures zero elapsed time. */
+    private static LongSupplier fixedClock(long value) {
+        return () -> value;
+    }
+
+    /** Returns each value in order, then repeats the last one for any call beyond the list. */
+    private static final class ScriptedClock implements LongSupplier {
+        private final long[] values;
+        private int index;
+
+        ScriptedClock(long... values) {
+            this.values = values;
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public long getAsLong() {
+            long v = values[Math.min(index, values.length - 1)];
+            if (index < values.length - 1) {
+                index++;
+            }
+            return v;
+        }
+    }
+
+    /** Fails {@code failuresBeforeSuccess} times, then succeeds forever; {@code -1} never succeeds. */
+    private static final class HerdrStub implements HerdrClient {
+        private final int failuresBeforeSuccess;
+        private int calls;
+
+        HerdrStub(int failuresBeforeSuccess) {
+            this.failuresBeforeSuccess = failuresBeforeSuccess;
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public JsonNode call(String method, Object params) throws HerdrException {
+            calls++;
+            if (failuresBeforeSuccess < 0 || calls <= failuresBeforeSuccess) {
+                throw new HerdrException("herdr not up yet");
+            }
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public void close() {
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static CapturedLog attach() {
+        return CapturedLog.at(Fleetd.class, Level.DEBUG);
+    }
+}

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/FleetdClaudeCodeLauncherCredentialWiringTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+package dev.ltms.fleet;
+
+import dev.ltms.fleet.config.ConfigRef;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.config.FleetConfig;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.guard.SubscriptionGuard;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.AgentControl;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.FakeHerdr;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.WorkspaceControl;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.member.ClaudeCodeLauncher;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.DisplayName;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.io.TempDir;
+
+import java.nio.file.Files;
+import java.nio.file.Path;
+import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.Set;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertFalse;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNotNull;
+
+/**
+ * fleetd #589 Group 2: {@link Fleetd#claudeCodeLauncher} is the factory that replaced {@code
+ * main}'s inline {@code new ClaudeCodeLauncher(...)} call, whose 10th argument is the CB-596 {@code
+ * memberCredentials} policy supplier ({@code () -> config.get().memberCredentials()}). Before this
+ * ticket that argument was untestable wiring: replacing it with {@code () -> null} compiled with 0
+ * errors and left every existing test green, since no existing test builds the exact object {@code
+ * main} wires and then spawns it. {@code memberCredentials} being a lambda is never itself {@code
+ * null}, so {@link dev.ltms.fleet.member.HerdrPeerLauncher#applyMemberCredentialPolicy} sees {@code
+ * memberCredentials.get() == null} and silently shadows nothing — reopening the exact CB-592
+ * exposure gap CB-596's policy closed (gitea issue #82).
+ *
+ * <p>This test drives the factory with a real {@link ConfigRef} carrying a {@code
+ * memberCredentials:} block, spawns through the resulting launcher, and inspects what {@code
+ * tab.create} actually carried — the same observable surface {@code ClaudeCodeLauncherTest}'s
+ * {@code everyKnownNameNotAllowedIsShadowedWithTheSentinel} uses for the launcher's own credential
+ * policy, applied here to prove {@code main}'s wiring reaches it.
+ */
+class FleetdClaudeCodeLauncherCredentialWiringTest {
+
+    private static final String YAML = """
+            bind:
+              host: 127.0.0.1
+              port: 8765
+            herdrSocket: ~/.config/herdr/herdr.sock
+            profiles:
+              ltms-local:
+                baseUrl: http://gx00.gw:8000
+                model: coder
+            memberCredentials:
+              policy: deny-by-default
+              known:
+                - GITEA_ACCESS_TOKEN
+            """;
+
+    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+    private static Map<String, String> startEnv(FakeHerdr herdr) {
+        return (Map<String, String>) ((Map<String, Object>) herdr.lastCall("tab.create").params()).get("env");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("main's memberCredentials wiring reaches ClaudeCodeLauncher: a known-but-not-allowed "
+            + "name is shadowed on spawn")
+    void memberCredentialsWiringReachesClaudeCodeLauncher(@TempDir Path dir) throws Exception {
+        Path file = dir.resolve("fleetd.yaml");
+        Files.writeString(file, YAML);
+        FleetConfig cfg = FleetConfig.load(file);
+        ConfigRef config = ConfigRef.fixed(cfg);
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr();
+
+        ClaudeCodeLauncher launcher = Fleetd.claudeCodeLauncher(new AgentControl(herdr),
+                new WorkspaceControl(herdr), new SubscriptionGuard(Set.of("gx00.gw")),
+                cfg.profiles(), cfg, config);
+        launcher.spawn();
+
+        String shadowed = startEnv(herdr).get("GITEA_ACCESS_TOKEN");
+        assertNotNull(shadowed,
+                "GITEA_ACCESS_TOKEN is 'known' but not 'allow'-ed in the loaded config — it must be "
+                        + "explicitly shadowed on spawn; replacing the memberCredentials supplier with "
+                        + "() -> null at the Fleetd.claudeCodeLauncher call site must fail this "
+                        + "assertion, since a null policy shadows nothing");
+        assertFalse(shadowed.isBlank(), "the overlay value must be non-blank");
+    }
+}

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/FleetdExhaustedPatternLookupWiringTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+package dev.ltms.fleet;
+
+import dev.ltms.fleet.config.ConfigRef;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.config.FleetConfig;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.ExhaustedPatternLookup;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.LiveExhaustedPatterns;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.peer.MemberRole;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.session.MemberSession;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.DisplayName;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.io.TempDir;
+
+import java.nio.file.Files;
+import java.nio.file.Path;
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.regex.Pattern;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNotNull;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNull;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
+
+/**
+ * fleetd #589 Group 1: {@link Fleetd#exhaustedPatternLookup} is the factory that replaced {@code
+ * main}'s inline lambda — resolve a herdr {@code target} to its session's profile, then to that
+ * profile's live {@link LiveExhaustedPatterns#patternFor}. Same shape as {@link
+ * Fleetd#worktreeBranchLookup} (which {@code FleetdWorktreeBranchLookupTest} pins the same way).
+ *
+ * <p>Before this ticket the lambda was built inline in {@code main} and untestable: replacing it
+ * with {@code target -> null} — the exact shape of {@link ExhaustedPatternLookup#none()} — compiled
+ * with 0 errors and left every existing test green. Per the ticket, this is the worst consequence
+ * in the whole #589 sweep: a genuine usage-limit refusal would stop being classified as {@code
+ * BACKEND_EXHAUSTED} and would be handed back to a waiting {@code fleet_send} as if it were real
+ * completed work.
+ */
+class FleetdExhaustedPatternLookupWiringTest {
+
+    private static final String YAML = """
+            bind:
+              host: 127.0.0.1
+              port: 8765
+            herdrSocket: ~/.config/herdr/herdr.sock
+            profiles:
+              terra:
+                baseUrl: http://gx00.gw:8000
+                model: claude-opus-5
+                exhaustedPattern: "usage limit"
+            """;
+
+    private static MemberSession session(String terminal, String profile) {
+        return new MemberSession("pane-" + terminal, terminal, profile, MemberRole.DEV,
+                "/cwd", null, 0L, 0L, 0, MemberSession.State.READY, null, null);
+    }
+
+    private static LiveExhaustedPatterns liveExhaustedPatterns(Path dir) throws Exception {
+        Path file = dir.resolve("fleetd.yaml");
+        Files.writeString(file, YAML);
+        FleetConfig cfg = FleetConfig.load(file);
+        return new LiveExhaustedPatterns(() -> ConfigRef.fixed(cfg).get().profiles());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("a known target resolves through its session's profile to that profile's live pattern")
+    void knownTargetResolvesThroughItsProfile(@TempDir Path dir) throws Exception {
+        LiveExhaustedPatterns patterns = liveExhaustedPatterns(dir);
+        ExhaustedPatternLookup lookup = Fleetd.exhaustedPatternLookup(
+                () -> List.of(session("term1", "terra")), patterns);
+
+        Pattern resolved = lookup.patternFor("term1");
+
+        assertNotNull(resolved,
+                "the lookup must resolve term1 -> profile 'terra' -> LiveExhaustedPatterns.patternFor("
+                        + "'terra') — replacing the lambda body with 'target -> null' at the "
+                        + "Fleetd.exhaustedPatternLookup call site must fail this assertion");
+        assertTrue(resolved.matcher("the usage limit has been reached").find());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("an unknown target resolves to null, not a thrown exception")
+    void unknownTargetResolvesToNull(@TempDir Path dir) throws Exception {
+        LiveExhaustedPatterns patterns = liveExhaustedPatterns(dir);
+        ExhaustedPatternLookup lookup = Fleetd.exhaustedPatternLookup(
+                () -> List.of(session("term1", "terra")), patterns);
+
+        assertNull(lookup.patternFor("term_stranger"));
+    }
+}

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/FleetdExhaustionSinkForwardingWiringTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+package dev.ltms.fleet;
+
+import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.ExhaustionSink;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.DisplayName;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicBoolean;
+import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReference;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertFalse;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
+
+/**
+ * fleetd #589 Group 1: {@link Fleetd#forwardingExhaustionSink} is the factory that replaced
+ * {@code main}'s inline {@code ExhaustionSink.forwardingTo(exhaustionSinkRef::get)} (fleetd #175's
+ * construction-order break: the adapters need a sink before {@code sessions} exists to build the
+ * real one). Before this ticket that call site was untestable wiring: replacing the supplier
+ * argument with a hardcoded {@code () -> ExhaustionSink.none()} compiled with 0 errors and left
+ * every existing test green, because no test builds the object {@code main} actually wires and
+ * then mutates the reference afterward — every existing {@code ExhaustionSink.forwardingTo} caller
+ * in this codebase reads and writes the SAME reference within one test, so a hardcoded-none supplier
+ * and a correctly-forwarding one are indistinguishable to them.
+ *
+ * <p>This test builds the reference, builds the forwarder from it, and only THEN repoints the
+ * reference at a spy sink — the discriminating order fleetd #175's whole design depends on
+ * ({@code exhaustionSinkRef} starts at {@code none()} and is repointed once {@code sessions}
+ * exists). A forwarder that captured a fixed target at construction time (the inert form) can never
+ * see that later repoint.
+ */
+class FleetdExhaustionSinkForwardingWiringTest {
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("the forwarder reads the reference live: repointing it AFTER construction is honoured")
+    void forwarderReadsTheReferenceLiveNotAFixedTargetCapturedAtConstruction() {
+        AtomicReference<ExhaustionSink> exhaustionSinkRef = new AtomicReference<>(ExhaustionSink.none());
+        ExhaustionSink forwarder = Fleetd.forwardingExhaustionSink(exhaustionSinkRef);
+
+        AtomicBoolean spyCalled = new AtomicBoolean(false);
+        exhaustionSinkRef.set((target, reason, profile) -> spyCalled.set(true));
+
+        forwarder.onExhausted("term_x", "usage limit reached", "terra");
+
+        assertTrue(spyCalled.get(),
+                "forwardingExhaustionSink must delegate to whatever exhaustionSinkRef currently "
+                        + "holds — hardcoding the supplier to () -> ExhaustionSink.none() at the "
+                        + "Fleetd.forwardingExhaustionSink call site must fail this assertion, "
+                        + "since the spy set into the reference after construction would never run");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("before any repoint, the forwarder is inert — it starts at none(), not a crash")
+    void beforeAnyRepointTheForwarderIsInert() {
+        AtomicReference<ExhaustionSink> exhaustionSinkRef = new AtomicReference<>(ExhaustionSink.none());
+        ExhaustionSink forwarder = Fleetd.forwardingExhaustionSink(exhaustionSinkRef);
+
+        AtomicBoolean spyCalled = new AtomicBoolean(false);
+        forwarder.onExhausted("term_x", "usage limit reached", "terra");
+
+        assertFalse(spyCalled.get(), "nothing was ever wired to be called here — this only pins "
+                + "that the factory does not throw before a real sink is published");
+    }
+}

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/FleetdExhaustionSinkPublishWiringTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,110 @@
+package dev.ltms.fleet;
+
+import dev.ltms.fleet.config.ConfigRef;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.config.FleetConfig;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.guard.SubscriptionGuard;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.AgentControl;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.FakeHerdr;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.WorkspaceControl;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.ExhaustionSink;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.member.ClaudeCodeLauncher;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.placement.BackendQuarantine;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.session.SessionManager;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.DisplayName;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.io.TempDir;
+
+import java.nio.file.Files;
+import java.nio.file.Path;
+import java.util.HashMap;
+import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.Set;
+import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
+import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReference;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertFalse;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
+
+/**
+ * fleetd #589 Group 1: {@link Fleetd#publishExhaustionSink} is the factory that replaced {@code
+ * main}'s previously untested two-statement sequence — build the real {@link
+ * Fleetd#exhaustionSink}, then {@code exhaustionSinkRef.set(exhaustionSink)}. {@link
+ * Fleetd#exhaustionSink} itself is already pinned by {@code FleetdExhaustionSinkWarningTest} (its
+ * log text) — what was NEVER pinned is the {@code .set(...)} call: {@code main} could replace it
+ * with {@code exhaustionSinkRef.set(ExhaustionSink.none())} and compile with 0 errors, leaving
+ * every existing test green, because {@link Fleetd#exhaustionSink}'s own tests build and call the
+ * sink directly, never through the reference {@code main} publishes it into.
+ *
+ * <p>This test proves the PUBLISHED reference — not a freshly rebuilt sink — is the one that
+ * actually quarantines a credential, by reading {@link BackendQuarantine#isQuarantined} after
+ * calling {@code exhaustionSinkRef.get().onExhausted(...)}, the same object {@link
+ * Fleetd#forwardingExhaustionSink} forwards to in production.
+ */
+class FleetdExhaustionSinkPublishWiringTest {
+
+    private static final String YAML = """
+            bind:
+              host: 127.0.0.1
+              port: 8765
+            herdrSocket: ~/.config/herdr/herdr.sock
+            profiles:
+              terra:
+                baseUrl: http://gx00.gw:8000
+                model: claude-opus-5
+            guard:
+              offSubscriptionHosts:
+                - gx00.gw
+            """;
+
+    private static SessionManager emptyRosterSessions() {
+        FakeHerdr h = new FakeHerdr();
+        FleetConfig.Profile dummy = new FleetConfig.Profile(
+                "dummy", "http://gx00.gw:8000", "coder", null, "FLEETD_WORKER_TOKEN", null,
+                "tab", "fleetd-workers", "worker: {profile} #{n}", null, null, null);
+        ClaudeCodeLauncher launcher = new ClaudeCodeLauncher(new AgentControl(h), new WorkspaceControl(h),
+                new SubscriptionGuard(Set.of("gx00.gw")), Map.of(dummy.profile(), dummy), dummy.profile(), _ -> "tok");
+        // Never acquires a session — publishExhaustionSink's built sink resolves target -> profile
+        // via the profileHint fallback (fleetd #234), exactly like OpenCodeLauncher's real call
+        // site does, so this never needs a populated roster.
+        return new SessionManager(launcher);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("the published reference actually quarantines — not a rebuilt-but-never-set sink")
+    void publishedReferenceActuallyQuarantines(@TempDir Path dir) throws Exception {
+        Path file = dir.resolve("fleetd.yaml");
+        Files.writeString(file, YAML);
+        FleetConfig cfg = FleetConfig.load(file);
+        ConfigRef config = ConfigRef.fixed(cfg);
+        BackendQuarantine quarantine = new BackendQuarantine(() -> 0L, TimeUnit.MINUTES.toNanos(30));
+        Map<String, String> reasonByCredential = new HashMap<>();
+        AtomicReference<ExhaustionSink> exhaustionSinkRef = new AtomicReference<>(ExhaustionSink.none());
+
+        Fleetd.publishExhaustionSink(exhaustionSinkRef, emptyRosterSessions(), config, quarantine,
+                reasonByCredential, cfg);
+        exhaustionSinkRef.get().onExhausted("term_x", "The usage limit has been reached", "terra");
+
+        assertTrue(quarantine.isQuarantined("terra"),
+                "publishExhaustionSink must repoint exhaustionSinkRef at the REAL sink — "
+                        + "replacing the .set(...) call with exhaustionSinkRef.set(ExhaustionSink.none()) "
+                        + "at the Fleetd.publishExhaustionSink call site must fail this assertion, "
+                        + "since none()'s onExhausted does nothing");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("before publishing, the reference is still inert — no quarantine, no crash")
+    void beforePublishingTheReferenceIsStillInert(@TempDir Path dir) throws Exception {
+        Path file = dir.resolve("fleetd.yaml");
+        Files.writeString(file, YAML);
+        FleetConfig cfg = FleetConfig.load(file);
+        ConfigRef config = ConfigRef.fixed(cfg);
+        BackendQuarantine quarantine = new BackendQuarantine(() -> 0L, TimeUnit.MINUTES.toNanos(30));
+        AtomicReference<ExhaustionSink> exhaustionSinkRef = new AtomicReference<>(ExhaustionSink.none());
+
+        exhaustionSinkRef.get().onExhausted("term_x", "The usage limit has been reached", "terra");
+
+        assertFalse(quarantine.isQuarantined("terra"),
+                "nothing was published yet — this only pins the starting state the other test's "
+                        + "assertion actually distinguishes from");
+    }
+}

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/FleetdHealthCoverageSourceWiringTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,160 @@
+package dev.ltms.fleet;
+
+import dev.ltms.fleet.config.ConfigRef;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.config.FleetConfig;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.mcp.FleetMcp;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.DisplayName;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.io.TempDir;
+
+import java.nio.file.Files;
+import java.nio.file.Path;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
+
+/**
+ * fleetd #426: {@code FleetHealthMonitor.coverage} had zero references anywhere in the test
+ * tree — not the method, not either output string, not the field it populates. {@code
+ * FleetHealthMonitorCoverageTest} (package {@code dev.ltms.fleet.health}) pins the three-branch
+ * method itself; that is the easy half.
+ *
+ * <p>The half that actually matters is this one: {@link Fleetd#healthCoverageSource} is the exact
+ * call site {@code Fleetd.main} wires into {@code FleetMcp}'s constructor, and it is what feeds
+ * {@code fleet_list}'s {@code healthCoverage} field (see {@code FleetMcp#listFleet}'s {@code
+ * result.put("healthCoverage", healthCoverage.value().get())}). Measured precedent on fleetd #423
+ * (for #415): swapping two arguments at a call site like this one — recreating #415's defect with
+ * the keys exchanged — compiled with 0 errors and ran the ENTIRE suite (1506 tests) green. A
+ * thoroughly-tested method proves nothing about whether the call site pairs its arguments correctly;
+ * only a test that drives the call site itself can catch that.
+ *
+ * <p><strong>Why this is not driven through a real {@code Fleetd.main} the way #407 drives its five
+ * reporters</strong> (keep the config invalid, assert on the log line emitted before {@code
+ * cfg.validateAll()} throws): all five of #407's reporters run in {@code main} before {@code
+ * validateAll()} (line ~171). {@link Fleetd#healthCoverageSource} is built during {@code FleetMcp}
+ * construction, which happens only after {@code UnixSocketHerdrClient.connect} has already opened a
+ * real herdr socket (line ~188) and after {@code sessions}/{@code workers} are constructed. Reaching
+ * this call site by actually running {@code main} would require a real socket connect — banned by
+ * this ticket's hard constraints — so #407's option 1 does not apply here. Instead {@link
+ * Fleetd#healthCoverageSource} is extracted to a directly-callable package-private factory, the same
+ * shape {@link Fleetd#capacitySource} and {@link Fleetd#quarantineSource} already use for the same
+ * reason (see {@code FleetdCapacitySourceWiringTest}, the direct precedent this test follows).
+ *
+ * <p>Uses a real {@link FleetConfig#load} + {@link ConfigRef} (no socket, no port bind, no spawn,
+ * nothing written outside {@code @TempDir}) so the fixture goes through the actual YAML parser and
+ * {@code FleetConfig.Health}/{@code Notifications} records, not a hand-built stand-in that could
+ * silently drift from what the parser actually produces.
+ */
+class FleetdHealthCoverageSourceWiringTest {
+
+    private static final String BASE = """
+            bind:
+              host: 127.0.0.1
+              port: 8765
+            herdrSocket: ~/.config/herdr/herdr.sock
+            """;
+
+    private static final String HEALTH_DISABLED_WITH_WEBHOOK = BASE + """
+            health:
+              enabled: false
+              notifications:
+                mode: webhook
+            """;
+
+    private static final String HEALTH_DETECTION_ONLY = BASE + """
+            health:
+              enabled: true
+            """;
+
+    private static final String HEALTH_FULL = BASE + """
+            health:
+              enabled: true
+              notifications:
+                mode: webhook
+            """;
+
+    private static final String HEALTH_ABSENT = BASE;
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("enabled: false reports off, even with a webhook configured")
+    void disabledHealthReportsOff(@TempDir Path dir) throws Exception {
+        FleetMcp.HealthCoverageSource source = sourceFor(dir, HEALTH_DISABLED_WITH_WEBHOOK);
+
+        assertEquals("off", source.value().get(),
+                "health.enabled: false must report 'off' regardless of notifications — flipping "
+                        + "the 'enabled' argument at the HealthCoverageSource call site would report "
+                        + "'full' here instead");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("enabled with no notifications reports detection-only")
+    void enabledWithoutNotificationsReportsDetectionOnly(@TempDir Path dir) throws Exception {
+        FleetMcp.HealthCoverageSource source = sourceFor(dir, HEALTH_DETECTION_ONLY);
+
+        assertEquals("detection-only", source.value().get());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("enabled with a webhook configured reports full")
+    void enabledWithNotificationsReportsFull(@TempDir Path dir) throws Exception {
+        FleetMcp.HealthCoverageSource source = sourceFor(dir, HEALTH_FULL);
+
+        assertEquals("full", source.value().get(),
+                "health.enabled: true with notifications.mode: webhook must report 'full' — "
+                        + "swapping 'full' and 'detection-only' at the call site, or breaking the "
+                        + "enabled/notificationConfigured argument pairing, would report "
+                        + "'detection-only' here instead");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("an absent health: block reports off")
+    void absentHealthBlockReportsOff(@TempDir Path dir) throws Exception {
+        FleetMcp.HealthCoverageSource source = sourceFor(dir, HEALTH_ABSENT);
+
+        assertEquals("off", source.value().get());
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * fleetd #426, the live-wiring half: {@code health.notifications} is a {@code
+     * ConfigRef.SPLIT_KEYS} entry, and {@link Fleetd#healthCoverageSource} reads {@code
+     * config.get().health()} live (not the frozen startup {@code cfg}) — exactly like {@link
+     * Fleetd#capacitySource}'s {@code maxLoad} ({@code FleetdCapacitySourceWiringTest}'s {@code
+     * reloadedMaxLoadStillChangesWhatFleetListReports}). A hot-reloaded notifications block must
+     * change what {@code fleet_list} reports without a restart; a fix that froze the whole source
+     * against the startup snapshot would silently break that and every other test above would stay
+     * green, since none of them reload.
+     */
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("a hot notifications reload still changes what fleet_list reports")
+    void reloadedNotificationsStillChangeWhatFleetListReports(@TempDir Path dir) throws Exception {
+        Path file = dir.resolve("fleetd.yaml");
+        Files.writeString(file, HEALTH_DETECTION_ONLY);
+        FleetConfig cfg = FleetConfig.load(file);
+        ConfigRef config = new ConfigRef(file, cfg);
+
+        FleetMcp.HealthCoverageSource source = Fleetd.healthCoverageSource(config);
+        assertEquals("detection-only", source.value().get(),
+                "sanity: detection-only before any reload");
+
+        Files.writeString(file, HEALTH_FULL);
+        assertTrue(config.reload().applied());
+        // The live snapshot now carries the webhook — proves the reload really happened and this
+        // test is not accidentally passing because nothing changed.
+        assertTrue(config.get().health().notifications() != null
+                        && config.get().health().notifications().configured(),
+                "sanity: the reloaded config really carries a configured webhook");
+
+        assertEquals("full", source.value().get(),
+                "the SAME HealthCoverageSource instance must reflect a reloaded notifications "
+                        + "block without a restart — health.notifications is read live off "
+                        + "config.get(), exactly like capacitySource's maxLoad");
+    }
+
+    private static FleetMcp.HealthCoverageSource sourceFor(Path dir, String yaml) throws Exception {
+        Path file = dir.resolve("fleetd.yaml");
+        Files.writeString(file, yaml);
+        FleetConfig cfg = FleetConfig.load(file);
+        ConfigRef config = new ConfigRef(file, cfg);
+        return Fleetd.healthCoverageSource(config);
+    }
+}

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/FleetdHealthFailTargetWiringTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+package dev.ltms.fleet;
+
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.AgentControl;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.FakeHerdr;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.Injector;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.msg.MessageService;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.msg.Rendezvous;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.DisplayName;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import java.util.function.BiConsumer;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
+
+/**
+ * fleetd #589 Group 3, site {@code :591}. {@code Fleetd.main} wires {@link
+ * dev.ltms.fleet.health.FleetHealthMonitor}'s {@code failTarget} callback with {@code
+ * messages::abandon} — before this ticket that was an inline argument to {@code new
+ * FleetHealthMonitor(...)}. Measured: replacing it with a no-op {@code BiConsumer} at the call
+ * site compiles with 0 errors and leaves the full suite green, because nothing else in the tree
+ * ever drives that specific constructor argument. In production it means a member the monitor
+ * classifies {@code GONE}/{@code NEVER_READY} never has its pending ticket failed — the caller
+ * keeps reporting {@code PENDING} for the full 30-minute async timeout instead of the immediate,
+ * accurate failure CB-580 exists to give it.
+ *
+ * <p>This test calls {@link Fleetd#healthFailTarget} directly — never {@code FleetHealthMonitor}
+ * or {@code main} — against a real {@link MessageService}, using the same {@code sendAsync} +
+ * {@code poll} observable {@link MessageServiceTest} already relies on to pin {@code
+ * MessageService.abandon} itself.
+ */
+class FleetdHealthFailTargetWiringTest {
+
+    private static final String T = "term_a";
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("Fleetd.healthFailTarget delegates to the real MessageService.abandon, not a no-op")
+    void healthFailTargetDelegatesToMessagesAbandon() throws Exception {
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr().readText("$ prompt");
+        AgentControl agents = new AgentControl(herdr);
+        Rendezvous rendezvous = new Rendezvous();
+        Injector injector = new Injector(agents);
+        MessageService messages = new MessageService(agents, injector, rendezvous);
+
+        BiConsumer<String, String> failTarget = Fleetd.healthFailTarget(messages);
+
+        String ticket = messages.sendAsync(T, "long task");
+        awaitWaiting(rendezvous);
+        assertEquals(MessageService.Phase.PENDING, messages.poll(ticket).phase());
+
+        failTarget.accept(T, "member unreachable (health monitor)");
+
+        MessageService.TaskView view = null;
+        long deadline = System.currentTimeMillis() + 3000;
+        while (System.currentTimeMillis() < deadline) {
+            view = messages.poll(ticket);
+            if (view.phase() != MessageService.Phase.PENDING) {
+                break;
+            }
+            //noinspection BusyWait
+            Thread.sleep(10);
+        }
+        assertEquals(MessageService.Phase.FAILED, view == null ? null : view.phase(),
+                "Fleetd.healthFailTarget(messages) must return messages::abandon — replacing it "
+                        + "with a no-op BiConsumer at the Fleetd.healthFailTarget call site means "
+                        + "this ticket is never failed and keeps polling as PENDING");
+        assertTrue(view.detail() != null && view.detail().contains("member unreachable"),
+                "the failure reason passed to failTarget.accept must reach MessageService.abandon "
+                        + "and end up in the ticket's detail");
+    }
+
+    private static void awaitWaiting(Rendezvous rendezvous) throws InterruptedException {
+        long deadline = System.currentTimeMillis() + 2000;
+        while (!rendezvous.isWaiting(T) && System.currentTimeMillis() < deadline) {
+            //noinspection BusyWait
+            Thread.sleep(5);
+        }
+        assertTrue(rendezvous.isWaiting(T), "send should have opened its rendezvous waiter");
+    }
+}

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/FleetdLeadConfigDirLookupTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,100 @@
+package dev.ltms.fleet;
+
+import dev.ltms.fleet.config.FleetConfig;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.DisplayName;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.function.Function;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNull;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+
+/**
+ * fleetd #602 gauge-wiring: {@link Fleetd#leadConfigDirLookup} is the factory {@code Fleetd.main}
+ * wires into {@code FleetMcp.LeadConfigDirSource} so {@code fleet_list}'s {@code context} row reads
+ * the transcript directory a lead's OWN profile actually writes to, instead of always falling back
+ * to the built-in {@code <user.home>/.claude} default (see {@code LeadContextGauge}).
+ *
+ * <p>{@code FleetMcpLeadContextGaugeWiringTest} proves the directory this factory returns is what
+ * actually gets read; this class proves the factory's own matching logic — the same
+ * {@code fleet.leaders.<name>.profile} link {@code Fleetd.leadSeatLookup} already follows (see
+ * {@code FleetdLeadSeatLookupTest}), one step further to that profile's own {@code configDir:}.
+ */
+class FleetdLeadConfigDirLookupTest {
+
+    private static FleetConfig.Profile profileWithConfigDir(String name, String configDir) {
+        return new FleetConfig.Profile(name, null, "claude-sonnet-5", configDir, null, null,
+                "tab", "fleet", "w #{n}", null, null, null, null, null, null, null,
+                null, 3, true, null, null, null);
+    }
+
+    private static FleetConfig.Leader leadOnProfile(String profile) {
+        return new FleetConfig.Leader(profile, "lead: primary", 1, "lead:", 10, "claude", "claude-sonnet-5");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("a lead on a profile that sets configDir resolves to that directory")
+    void leadOnAProfileWithConfigDirResolvesToIt() {
+        Map<String, FleetConfig.Profile> profiles = Map.of("opus", profileWithConfigDir("opus", "/mnt/opus-claude"));
+        Map<String, FleetConfig.Leader> leaders = Map.of("primary", leadOnProfile("opus"));
+        Function<String, String> lookup = Fleetd.leadConfigDirLookup(() -> profiles, leaders);
+
+        assertEquals("/mnt/opus-claude", lookup.apply("primary"));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("changing the config from directory A to directory B changes what the lookup reports")
+    void configChangeFromDirectoryAToDirectoryBChangesTheAnswer() {
+        java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReference<Map<String, FleetConfig.Profile>> profilesRef =
+                new java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReference<>(
+                        Map.of("opus", profileWithConfigDir("opus", "/mnt/dir-a")));
+        Map<String, FleetConfig.Leader> leaders = Map.of("primary", leadOnProfile("opus"));
+        Function<String, String> lookup = Fleetd.leadConfigDirLookup(profilesRef::get, leaders);
+
+        assertEquals("/mnt/dir-a", lookup.apply("primary"), "must read directory A before the config changes");
+
+        profilesRef.set(Map.of("opus", profileWithConfigDir("opus", "/mnt/dir-b")));
+        assertEquals("/mnt/dir-b", lookup.apply("primary"), "must read directory B once the LIVE config changes — "
+                + "a lookup that snapshotted the profile map at construction would still answer directory A here");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("a lead entry with no `profile:` (recognise-only) resolves to null, not a thrown exception")
+    void recogniseOnlyLeadWithNoProfileResolvesToNull() {
+        Map<String, FleetConfig.Profile> profiles = Map.of("opus", profileWithConfigDir("opus", "/mnt/opus-claude"));
+        FleetConfig.Leader recogniseOnly = new FleetConfig.Leader(null, "lead: primary", 1, "lead:", 10,
+                "claude", "claude-sonnet-5");
+        Map<String, FleetConfig.Leader> leaders = Map.of("primary", recogniseOnly);
+        Function<String, String> lookup = Fleetd.leadConfigDirLookup(() -> profiles, leaders);
+
+        assertNull(lookup.apply("primary"));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("a lead naming a profile that is not configured resolves to null, not a thrown exception")
+    void leadOnAnUnconfiguredProfileResolvesToNull() {
+        Map<String, FleetConfig.Leader> leaders = Map.of("primary", leadOnProfile("ghost-profile"));
+        Function<String, String> lookup = Fleetd.leadConfigDirLookup(Map::of, leaders);
+
+        assertNull(lookup.apply("primary"));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("a lead on a profile that sets no configDir override resolves to null")
+    void leadOnAProfileWithNoConfigDirResolvesToNull() {
+        Map<String, FleetConfig.Profile> profiles = Map.of("opus", profileWithConfigDir("opus", null));
+        Map<String, FleetConfig.Leader> leaders = Map.of("primary", leadOnProfile("opus"));
+        Function<String, String> lookup = Fleetd.leadConfigDirLookup(() -> profiles, leaders);
+
+        assertNull(lookup.apply("primary"));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("an unrecognised lead name resolves to null, not a thrown exception")
+    void unrecognisedLeadNameResolvesToNull() {
+        Function<String, String> lookup = Fleetd.leadConfigDirLookup(Map::of, Map.of());
+
+        assertNull(lookup.apply("ghost-lead"));
+    }
+}

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/FleetdLeadConfigDirSourceWiringTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+package dev.ltms.fleet;
+
+import dev.ltms.fleet.config.FleetConfig;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.mcp.FleetMcp;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.DisplayName;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import java.util.Map;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNull;
+
+/**
+ * fleetd #602 gauge-wiring follow-up (PR #606 review comment 17353): {@code Fleetd.main}'s {@code
+ * LeadConfigDirSource} local used to be a bare {@code new FleetMcp.LeadConfigDirSource(
+ * leadConfigDirLookup(...))} built inline, with nothing a test could call directly. Measured on
+ * that shape: replacing the whole expression with {@code FleetMcp.LeadConfigDirSource.none()} at
+ * the call site compiled with 0 errors and left the full 1822-test suite green — the daemon could
+ * be changed to always report every lead's context as {@code UNKNOWN}, forever, and no test would
+ * notice. That is the same hand-built-vs-config-wired shape as fleetd #561/#248/#426/#562
+ * ({@code FleetdLoopHealthSourceWiringTest}).
+ *
+ * <p>{@code FleetMcpLeadContextGaugeWiringTest} and {@code FleetdLeadConfigDirLookupTest} both
+ * predate this class and are both still correct — but neither can catch the mutation above. One
+ * builds its own {@code FleetMcp} and hands it its own {@code LeadConfigDirSource}; the other
+ * builds its own lookup and calls {@link Fleetd#leadConfigDirLookup} directly. Neither one ever
+ * calls the thing {@code Fleetd.main} actually calls.
+ *
+ * <p>The fix extracts the inline {@code new} into {@link Fleetd#leadConfigDirSource}, a
+ * package-private factory in the same style as {@link Fleetd#loopHealthSource}/{@link
+ * Fleetd#capacitySource}/{@link Fleetd#healthCoverageSource} — which is exactly what makes it
+ * directly callable here. This test calls that factory with real {@link FleetConfig.Profile}/
+ * {@link FleetConfig.Leader} fixtures (the same shapes {@code FleetdLeadConfigDirLookupTest}
+ * already uses) and asserts the returned source resolves a real {@code configDir} — a property
+ * that would be false if {@link Fleetd#leadConfigDirSource} were mutated to {@code return
+ * FleetMcp.LeadConfigDirSource.none();}. Measured: mutating exactly that line makes
+ * {@link #resolvesTheRealConfiguredConfigDir()} fail ({@code expected: </mnt/opus-claude> but was:
+ * <null>}); restoring it makes the whole suite green again.
+ *
+ * <p><b>What this class does not and cannot cover.</b> {@code main}'s own line —
+ * {@code leadConfigDirSource(() -> config.get().profiles(), leaders)} — could itself be swapped
+ * for a bare {@code FleetMcp.LeadConfigDirSource.none()}, bypassing this factory entirely. Measured:
+ * that exact mutation compiles with 0 errors and leaves every test in this file, and the full
+ * 1825-test suite, green. {@link Fleetd#loopHealthSource}'s own wiring test has the identical gap
+ * for its own one-line call in {@code main} — no test in this codebase calls {@code Fleetd.main}
+ * far enough to observe which factory call it made. This class narrows the gap from "nothing tests
+ * the wiring" (the pre-extraction state this ticket found) to "the factory's own logic is pinned,
+ * and main's call to it is a one-line, visually-verifiable delegation" — the same standard already
+ * accepted for {@code loopHealthSource}/{@code capacitySource}/{@code healthCoverageSource}.
+ */
+class FleetdLeadConfigDirSourceWiringTest {
+
+    private static FleetConfig.Profile profileWithConfigDir(String name, String configDir) {
+        return new FleetConfig.Profile(name, null, "claude-sonnet-5", configDir, null, null,
+                "tab", "fleet", "w #{n}", null, null, null, null, null, null, null,
+                null, 3, true, null, null, null);
+    }
+
+    private static FleetConfig.Leader leadOnProfile(String profile) {
+        return new FleetConfig.Leader(profile, "lead: primary", 1, "lead:", 10, "claude", "claude-sonnet-5");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("the returned source resolves the lead's REAL configured configDir, not a hardcoded null")
+    void resolvesTheRealConfiguredConfigDir() {
+        Map<String, FleetConfig.Profile> profiles = Map.of("opus", profileWithConfigDir("opus", "/mnt/opus-claude"));
+        Map<String, FleetConfig.Leader> leaders = Map.of("primary", leadOnProfile("opus"));
+
+        FleetMcp.LeadConfigDirSource source = Fleetd.leadConfigDirSource(() -> profiles, leaders);
+
+        assertEquals("/mnt/opus-claude", source.configDirFor().apply("primary"),
+                "the configDirFor function must delegate to the real leadConfigDirLookup — mutating "
+                        + "Fleetd.leadConfigDirSource's own body to `return FleetMcp.LeadConfigDirSource.none();` "
+                        + "must fail this assertion (measured: it does — see this test's class javadoc for the "
+                        + "companion measurement on main's one-line call to this factory, which this assertion "
+                        + "does not and structurally cannot cover)");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("a lead on a profile with no configDir override still resolves to null, not a crash")
+    void leadWithNoConfigDirOverrideResolvesToNull() {
+        Map<String, FleetConfig.Profile> profiles = Map.of("opus", profileWithConfigDir("opus", null));
+        Map<String, FleetConfig.Leader> leaders = Map.of("primary", leadOnProfile("opus"));
+
+        FleetMcp.LeadConfigDirSource source = Fleetd.leadConfigDirSource(() -> profiles, leaders);
+
+        assertNull(source.configDirFor().apply("primary"),
+                "no configDir: override configured ⇒ null, so LeadContextGauge falls back to its own default");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("an unrecognised lead name resolves to null, not a thrown exception")
+    void unrecognisedLeadNameResolvesToNull() {
+        FleetMcp.LeadConfigDirSource source = Fleetd.leadConfigDirSource(Map::of, Map.of());
+
+        assertNull(source.configDirFor().apply("ghost-lead"));
+    }
+}

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/FleetdLeadContextLookupTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,156 @@
+package dev.ltms.fleet;
+
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.JsonNode;
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.ObjectMapper;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.AgentControl;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.HerdrClient;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.HerdrException;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.lead.LeadContextGauge;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.DisplayName;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.io.TempDir;
+
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
+import java.nio.file.Files;
+import java.nio.file.Path;
+import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.function.Function;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertDoesNotThrow;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNull;
+
+/**
+ * fleetd #609: {@link Fleetd#leadContextLookup} is the factory {@code Fleetd.main} wires into
+ * {@code LeadHeartbeatLoop.LeadContextSource} so the idle-lead heartbeat can read a lead's own
+ * {@link LeadContextGauge} reading by its terminal id. Three hops: terminal → lead name (unknown ⇒
+ * UNKNOWN), lead name → configDir, and {@code agents.get(terminal)} for the live session id and
+ * agent type the gauge itself needs — a herdr failure on that last hop must degrade to UNKNOWN, not
+ * throw and kill the heartbeat's own tick.
+ *
+ * <p>{@code AgentControl.agentCall} resolves a {@code term_}-prefixed target's pane id via a first
+ * {@code agent.list} round trip (see its own javadoc); this class's terminal id deliberately does
+ * NOT start with {@code term_} so the stub {@link HerdrClient} below only needs to answer
+ * {@code agent.get} — the one call this factory actually depends on.
+ */
+class FleetdLeadContextLookupTest {
+
+    private static final String LEAD_TERMINAL = "leadpane1";
+    private static final String LEAD_NAME = "opus";
+    private static final String SESSION_ID = "sess-609-happy-path";
+
+    private static String usageLine(long tokens) {
+        return "{\"type\":\"assistant\",\"message\":{\"role\":\"assistant\",\"usage\":{"
+                + "\"input_tokens\":" + tokens + ",\"cache_read_input_tokens\":0,\"cache_creation_input_tokens\":0}}}";
+    }
+
+    /** Lays out {@code <configDir>/projects/<anySlug>/<sessionId>.jsonl} carrying one usage record. */
+    private static void writeTranscript(Path configDir, String sessionId, long tokens) throws IOException {
+        Path projectDir = configDir.resolve("projects").resolve("some-project-slug");
+        Files.createDirectories(projectDir);
+        Files.writeString(projectDir.resolve(sessionId + ".jsonl"), usageLine(tokens) + "\n", StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+    }
+
+    /** An {@link AgentControl} whose every {@code agent.get} answers with the given session/type/status. */
+    private static AgentControl agentControlStub(String sessionId, String agentType, String status) {
+        HerdrClient client = new HerdrClient() {
+            @Override
+            public JsonNode call(String method, Object params) {
+                if (!"agent.get".equals(method)) {
+                    throw new HerdrException("stub has no canned response for " + method);
+                }
+                try {
+                    String sessionField = sessionId == null ? ""
+                            : ",\"agent_session\":{\"kind\":\"id\",\"value\":\"" + sessionId + "\"}";
+                    String agentField = agentType == null ? "null" : "\"" + agentType + "\"";
+                    return new ObjectMapper().readTree(("""
+                        {"type":"agent_info","agent":{"terminal_id":"%s","agent":%s,
+                          "agent_status":"%s"%s}}""")
+                            .formatted(LEAD_TERMINAL, agentField, status, sessionField));
+                } catch (Exception e) {
+                    throw new HerdrException("stub decode failed", e);
+                }
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void close() {
+            }
+        };
+        return new AgentControl(client);
+    }
+
+    /** An {@link AgentControl} whose every herdr call fails — models a herdr hiccup mid-tick. */
+    private static AgentControl throwingAgentControl() {
+        HerdrClient client = new HerdrClient() {
+            @Override
+            public JsonNode call(String method, Object params) {
+                throw new HerdrException("herdr unreachable (stub)");
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void close() {
+            }
+        };
+        return new AgentControl(client);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("an unrecognised terminal resolves to UNKNOWN, not a thrown exception")
+    void unrecognisedTerminalResolvesToUnknown() {
+        Function<String, LeadContextGauge.Reading> lookup = Fleetd.leadContextLookup(
+                new LeadContextGauge(), throwingAgentControl(), Map::of, name -> null);
+
+        LeadContextGauge.Reading reading = assertDoesNotThrow(() -> lookup.apply("ghost-terminal"));
+
+        assertEquals(LeadContextGauge.State.UNKNOWN, reading.state());
+        assertNull(reading.tokens());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("agents.get throwing degrades to UNKNOWN, no exception escapes")
+    void agentsGetThrowingDegradesToUnknown() {
+        Map<String, String> liveLeadTerminals = Map.of(LEAD_TERMINAL, LEAD_NAME);
+        Function<String, LeadContextGauge.Reading> lookup = Fleetd.leadContextLookup(
+                new LeadContextGauge(), throwingAgentControl(), () -> liveLeadTerminals, name -> null);
+
+        LeadContextGauge.Reading reading = assertDoesNotThrow(() -> lookup.apply(LEAD_TERMINAL));
+
+        assertEquals(LeadContextGauge.State.UNKNOWN, reading.state(),
+                "a herdr failure resolving the live agent must degrade to UNKNOWN, never kill the heartbeat's tick");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("the happy path resolves the configDir, sessionId and agentType through to the gauge")
+    void happyPathPassesResolvedFactsThroughToTheGauge(@TempDir Path tmp) throws IOException {
+        writeTranscript(tmp, SESSION_ID, 12_345);
+        Map<String, String> liveLeadTerminals = Map.of(LEAD_TERMINAL, LEAD_NAME);
+        AgentControl agents = agentControlStub(SESSION_ID, "claude", "idle");
+        Function<String, LeadContextGauge.Reading> lookup = Fleetd.leadContextLookup(
+                new LeadContextGauge(), agents, () -> liveLeadTerminals,
+                name -> LEAD_NAME.equals(name) ? tmp.toString() : null);
+
+        LeadContextGauge.Reading reading = lookup.apply(LEAD_TERMINAL);
+
+        assertEquals(LeadContextGauge.State.OK, reading.state(),
+                "the resolved configDir + the live agent's own sessionId/agentType must reach the gauge — "
+                        + "a wrong hop anywhere in the chain would read no transcript and report UNKNOWN instead");
+        assertEquals(12_345L, reading.tokens());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("a lead whose agent type is not claude still resolves to UNKNOWN, never a crash")
+    void nonClaudeAgentTypeResolvesToUnknown(@TempDir Path tmp) throws IOException {
+        writeTranscript(tmp, SESSION_ID, 12_345);
+        Map<String, String> liveLeadTerminals = Map.of(LEAD_TERMINAL, LEAD_NAME);
+        AgentControl agents = agentControlStub(SESSION_ID, "opencode", "idle");
+        Function<String, LeadContextGauge.Reading> lookup = Fleetd.leadContextLookup(
+                new LeadContextGauge(), agents, () -> liveLeadTerminals,
+                name -> LEAD_NAME.equals(name) ? tmp.toString() : null);
+
+        LeadContextGauge.Reading reading = lookup.apply(LEAD_TERMINAL);
+
+        assertEquals(LeadContextGauge.State.UNKNOWN, reading.state(),
+                "the agentType hop must reach the gauge too — a non-claude peer must not be misread as claude");
+    }
+}

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/FleetdLeadContextSourceWiringTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,108 @@
+package dev.ltms.fleet;
+
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.JsonNode;
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.ObjectMapper;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.AgentControl;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.HerdrClient;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.HerdrException;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.lead.LeadContextGauge;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.msg.LeadHeartbeatLoop;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.DisplayName;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.io.TempDir;
+
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
+import java.nio.file.Files;
+import java.nio.file.Path;
+import java.util.Map;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+
+/**
+ * fleetd #609: {@code Fleetd.main}'s {@code LeadHeartbeatLoop.LeadContextSource} local could be
+ * swapped for a bare {@code LeadHeartbeatLoop.LeadContextSource.none()} at the call site — compiling
+ * with 0 errors and leaving every pre-existing test green — exactly the shape #602/#606 already found
+ * for {@code LeadConfigDirSource} (see {@code FleetdLeadConfigDirSourceWiringTest}'s own javadoc for
+ * the measured version of that gap).
+ *
+ * <p>The fix follows the same pattern: {@link Fleetd#leadContextSource} is the extracted,
+ * directly-callable factory {@code main} calls to build the source it hands {@code
+ * LeadHeartbeatLoop}'s constructor. This test calls that exact factory and asserts it resolves a
+ * REAL reading off a real transcript file — a property that would be false if {@link
+ * Fleetd#leadContextSource} were mutated to {@code return LeadHeartbeatLoop.LeadContextSource.none();}.
+ *
+ * <p>What this class does not and cannot cover: {@code main}'s own one-line call to this factory
+ * could itself be swapped for {@code LeadHeartbeatLoop.LeadContextSource.none()}, bypassing this
+ * factory entirely — the same structural gap {@code FleetdLeadConfigDirSourceWiringTest} names for
+ * its own factory, and for the same reason (no test in this codebase calls {@code Fleetd.main} far
+ * enough to observe which factory call it made).
+ */
+class FleetdLeadContextSourceWiringTest {
+
+    /** Deliberately not {@code term_}-prefixed — see {@code FleetdLeadContextLookupTest}'s class doc. */
+    private static final String LEAD_TERMINAL = "leadpane1";
+    private static final String LEAD_NAME = "opus";
+    private static final String SESSION_ID = "sess-609-wiring";
+
+    private static String usageLine(long tokens) {
+        return "{\"type\":\"assistant\",\"message\":{\"role\":\"assistant\",\"usage\":{"
+                + "\"input_tokens\":" + tokens + ",\"cache_read_input_tokens\":0,\"cache_creation_input_tokens\":0}}}";
+    }
+
+    private static void writeTranscript(Path configDir, String sessionId, long tokens) throws IOException {
+        Path projectDir = configDir.resolve("projects").resolve("some-project-slug");
+        Files.createDirectories(projectDir);
+        Files.writeString(projectDir.resolve(sessionId + ".jsonl"), usageLine(tokens) + "\n", StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+    }
+
+    private static AgentControl agentControlStub() {
+        HerdrClient client = new HerdrClient() {
+            @Override
+            public JsonNode call(String method, Object params) {
+                if (!"agent.get".equals(method)) {
+                    throw new HerdrException("stub has no canned response for " + method);
+                }
+                try {
+                    return new ObjectMapper().readTree(("""
+                        {"type":"agent_info","agent":{"terminal_id":"%s","agent":"claude",
+                          "agent_status":"idle","agent_session":{"kind":"id","value":"%s"}}}""")
+                            .formatted(LEAD_TERMINAL, SESSION_ID));
+                } catch (Exception e) {
+                    throw new HerdrException("stub decode failed", e);
+                }
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void close() {
+            }
+        };
+        return new AgentControl(client);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("main's factory resolves a REAL reading, not the inert none() answer")
+    void resolvesARealReadingNotTheInertNoneAnswer(@TempDir Path tmp) throws IOException {
+        writeTranscript(tmp, SESSION_ID, 54_321);
+        Map<String, String> liveLeadTerminals = Map.of(LEAD_TERMINAL, LEAD_NAME);
+
+        LeadHeartbeatLoop.LeadContextSource source = Fleetd.leadContextSource(new LeadContextGauge(),
+                agentControlStub(), () -> liveLeadTerminals, name -> LEAD_NAME.equals(name) ? tmp.toString() : null);
+
+        LeadContextGauge.Reading reading = source.readingFor().apply(LEAD_TERMINAL);
+
+        assertEquals(LeadContextGauge.State.OK, reading.state(),
+                "mutating Fleetd.leadContextSource's own body to `return LeadHeartbeatLoop.LeadContextSource.none();` "
+                        + "must fail this assertion");
+        assertEquals(54_321L, reading.tokens());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("an unrecognised lead terminal resolves to UNKNOWN, not a thrown exception")
+    void unrecognisedTerminalResolvesToUnknown() {
+        LeadHeartbeatLoop.LeadContextSource source = Fleetd.leadContextSource(new LeadContextGauge(),
+                agentControlStub(), Map::of, name -> null);
+
+        assertEquals(LeadContextGauge.State.UNKNOWN, source.readingFor().apply("ghost-terminal").state());
+    }
+}

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/FleetdLeadMailboxOpenerWiringTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+package dev.ltms.fleet;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.DisplayName;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import java.net.ServerSocket;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertThrows;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
+
+/**
+ * fleetd #589 Group 3, site {@code :518}. {@code Fleetd.main} passes {@code LeadMailbox::open} as
+ * the {@link Fleetd.LeadMailboxOpener} argument to {@code openLeadMailbox(...)} — before this
+ * ticket that method reference was inline at the call site. Measured: replacing it with the inert
+ * {@code (uri, selfCoordId, prefetch) -> null} compiles with 0 errors and leaves the full suite
+ * green — {@code FleetdLeadMailboxSelectionTest} drives {@code openLeadMailbox} with its own
+ * injected opener and never observes what {@code main} itself actually passes.
+ *
+ * <p>This test calls {@link Fleetd#leadMailboxOpener} directly and proves it is the real,
+ * network-attempting opener rather than a stub: pointed at a guaranteed-closed local port, it must
+ * throw, exactly mirroring {@link FleetdReplyInboxOpenerWiringTest} for the reply-inbox opener.
+ * The inert form never attempts a connection and returns {@code null} without throwing, so it
+ * fails this assertion silently.
+ */
+class FleetdLeadMailboxOpenerWiringTest {
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("Fleetd.leadMailboxOpener is the real LeadMailbox::open, not a stub that never connects")
+    void leadMailboxOpenerAttemptsARealConnection() throws Exception {
+        int closedPort;
+        try (ServerSocket socket = new ServerSocket(0)) {
+            closedPort = socket.getLocalPort();
+        } // released immediately — connecting to it now is a guaranteed refusal, not a fluke
+
+        Fleetd.LeadMailboxOpener opener = Fleetd.leadMailboxOpener();
+
+        IllegalStateException thrown = assertThrows(IllegalStateException.class,
+                () -> opener.open("amqp://user:pw@127.0.0.1:" + closedPort + "/coord", "coord-1", 50),
+                "Fleetd.leadMailboxOpener() must be LeadMailbox::open — a real network attempt "
+                        + "against a genuinely unreachable broker must throw. The inert form "
+                        + "(uri, selfCoordId, prefetch) -> null never attempts a connection and "
+                        + "returns null instead of throwing, so it would fail this assertion "
+                        + "silently.");
+        assertTrue(thrown.getMessage().contains("cannot connect to AMQP coordination broker"),
+                "must be LeadMailbox.open's own real failure message, not a different exception "
+                        + "shape standing in for it");
+    }
+}

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/FleetdLeadMailboxSelectionTest.java

@@ -1,15 +1,12 @@
 package dev.ltms.fleet;
 
 import ch.qos.logback.classic.Level;
-import ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger;
 import ch.qos.logback.classic.spi.ILoggingEvent;
-import ch.qos.logback.core.read.ListAppender;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.config.FleetConfig;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.msg.LeadMailbox;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.testing.CapturedLog;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
-import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
 
-import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
 
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.*;
@@ -52,29 +49,22 @@ class FleetdLeadMailboxSelectionTest {
         }
     }
 
-    private static ListAppender<ILoggingEvent> captureFleetdLogs() {
-        Logger logger = (Logger) LoggerFactory.getLogger(Fleetd.class);
-        ListAppender<ILoggingEvent> appender = new ListAppender<>();
-        appender.start();
-        logger.addAppender(appender);
-        return appender;
-    }
-
-    private static String joined(ListAppender<ILoggingEvent> appender, Level level) {
-        return appender.list.stream().filter(e -> e.getLevel() == level)
+    private static String joined(CapturedLog captured, Level level) {
+        return captured.events().stream().filter(e -> e.getLevel() == level)
                 .map(ILoggingEvent::getFormattedMessage).reduce("", (a, b) -> a + "\n" + b);
     }
 
     @Test
     void noCoordinatorBlockLeavesTheFeatureOffSilently() {
-        var appender = captureFleetdLogs();
-        var opener = new RecordingOpener();
+        try (var captured = CapturedLog.of(Fleetd.class)) {
+            var opener = new RecordingOpener();
 
-        assertNull(Fleetd.openLeadMailbox(null, Map.of(), opener));
+            assertNull(Fleetd.openLeadMailbox(null, Map.of(), opener));
 
-        assertNull(opener.offeredUri, "nothing configured means nothing is opened");
-        assertEquals("", joined(appender, Level.WARN),
-                "an opt-in feature nobody asked for must not warn on every boot");
+            assertNull(opener.offeredUri, "nothing configured means nothing is opened");
+            assertEquals("", joined(captured, Level.WARN),
+                    "an opt-in feature nobody asked for must not warn on every boot");
+        }
     }
 
     @Test
@@ -114,31 +104,33 @@ class FleetdLeadMailboxSelectionTest {
 
     @Test
     void warnsAndStaysOffWhenSelfIdIsMissing() {
-        var appender = captureFleetdLogs();
-        var opener = new RecordingOpener();
-        var coordinator = new FleetConfig.Coordinator(RESOLVED_URI, null, null, null, null);
+        try (var captured = CapturedLog.of(Fleetd.class)) {
+            var opener = new RecordingOpener();
+            var coordinator = new FleetConfig.Coordinator(RESOLVED_URI, null, null, null, null);
 
-        assertNull(Fleetd.openLeadMailbox(coordinator, Map.of(), opener));
+            assertNull(Fleetd.openLeadMailbox(coordinator, Map.of(), opener));
 
-        assertNull(opener.offeredUri, "a mailbox with no owning coord-id has no queue to declare");
-        String warns = joined(appender, Level.WARN);
-        assertTrue(warns.contains("coordinator.selfId"), () -> "say which key is missing: " + warns);
-        assertFalse(warns.contains(SECRET), () -> "the URI's password must never be logged: " + warns);
+            assertNull(opener.offeredUri, "a mailbox with no owning coord-id has no queue to declare");
+            String warns = joined(captured, Level.WARN);
+            assertTrue(warns.contains("coordinator.selfId"), () -> "say which key is missing: " + warns);
+            assertFalse(warns.contains(SECRET), () -> "the URI's password must never be logged: " + warns);
+        }
     }
 
     @Test
     void warnsAndStaysOffWhenTheBrokerIsUnreachableAtBoot() {
-        var appender = captureFleetdLogs();
-        var opener = new RecordingOpener();
-        opener.unreachable = true;
-        var coordinator = new FleetConfig.Coordinator(RESOLVED_URI, null, "mac-opus", null, null);
+        try (var captured = CapturedLog.of(Fleetd.class)) {
+            var opener = new RecordingOpener();
+            opener.unreachable = true;
+            var coordinator = new FleetConfig.Coordinator(RESOLVED_URI, null, "mac-opus", null, null);
 
-        assertNull(Fleetd.openLeadMailbox(coordinator, Map.of(), opener),
-                "a down coordination broker turns the feature off; it must never take the daemon down");
+            assertNull(Fleetd.openLeadMailbox(coordinator, Map.of(), opener),
+                    "a down coordination broker turns the feature off; it must never take the daemon down");
 
-        String warns = joined(appender, Level.WARN);
-        assertTrue(warns.contains("coord.example"), () -> "name the host that failed: " + warns);
-        assertFalse(warns.contains(SECRET), () -> "with credentials stripped: " + warns);
-        assertTrue(warns.contains("Connection refused"), () -> "and the real reason: " + warns);
+            String warns = joined(captured, Level.WARN);
+            assertTrue(warns.contains("coord.example"), () -> "name the host that failed: " + warns);
+            assertFalse(warns.contains(SECRET), () -> "with credentials stripped: " + warns);
+            assertTrue(warns.contains("Connection refused"), () -> "and the real reason: " + warns);
+        }
     }
 }

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/FleetdLiveExhaustedPatternsWiringTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+package dev.ltms.fleet;
+
+import dev.ltms.fleet.config.ConfigRef;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.config.FleetConfig;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.LiveExhaustedPatterns;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.DisplayName;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.io.TempDir;
+
+import java.nio.file.Files;
+import java.nio.file.Path;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertFalse;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNull;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
+
+/**
+ * fleetd #589 Group 1: {@link Fleetd#liveExhaustedPatterns} is the factory that replaced {@code
+ * main}'s inline {@code new LiveExhaustedPatterns(() -> config.get().profiles())}. Before this
+ * ticket, that supplier argument was untestable wiring: replacing it with a hardcoded {@code () ->
+ * Map.of()} compiled with 0 errors and left every existing test green, because {@code
+ * LiveExhaustedPatternsTest} builds its own instance directly with a hand-supplied map and never
+ * goes through {@code main}'s call site.
+ *
+ * <p>Silently losing this wiring means every profile's {@code exhaustedPattern} stops being
+ * recognised — {@link Fleetd#exhaustedPatternLookup} would never see a match, and a genuine
+ * usage-limit refusal would be handed back to a waiting {@code fleet_send} as real completed work.
+ */
+class FleetdLiveExhaustedPatternsWiringTest {
+
+    private static final String YAML = """
+            bind:
+              host: 127.0.0.1
+              port: 8765
+            herdrSocket: ~/.config/herdr/herdr.sock
+            profiles:
+              terra:
+                baseUrl: http://gx00.gw:8000
+                model: claude-opus-5
+                exhaustedPattern: "usage limit"
+              gx:
+                baseUrl: http://gx00.gw:8000
+            """;
+
+    private static ConfigRef loadConfig(Path dir) throws Exception {
+        Path file = dir.resolve("fleetd.yaml");
+        Files.writeString(file, YAML);
+        FleetConfig cfg = FleetConfig.load(file);
+        return ConfigRef.fixed(cfg);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("a profile with a configured exhaustedPattern is armed, with a compiled matcher")
+    void configuredProfileIsArmed(@TempDir Path dir) throws Exception {
+        LiveExhaustedPatterns patterns = Fleetd.liveExhaustedPatterns(loadConfig(dir));
+
+        assertTrue(patterns.armed("terra"),
+                "the config's live profiles() supplier must reach LiveExhaustedPatterns — hardcoding "
+                        + "the supplier to () -> Map.of() at the Fleetd.liveExhaustedPatterns call "
+                        + "site must fail this assertion");
+        assertTrue(patterns.patternFor("terra").matcher("the usage limit has been reached").find());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("a profile with no configured exhaustedPattern is not armed, but is still resolvable")
+    void unconfiguredProfileIsNotArmed(@TempDir Path dir) throws Exception {
+        LiveExhaustedPatterns patterns = Fleetd.liveExhaustedPatterns(loadConfig(dir));
+
+        assertFalse(patterns.armed("gx"), "'gx' has no exhaustedPattern configured");
+        assertNull(patterns.patternFor("gx"));
+    }
+}

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/FleetdLoopHealthSourceWiringTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,174 @@
+package dev.ltms.fleet;
+
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.AgentControl;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.FakeHerdr;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.Injector;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.LoopWatchdog;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.StatusPoller;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.mcp.FleetMcp;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.peer.Capability;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.peer.PeerHandle;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.peer.PeerLauncher;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.peer.SpawnRequest;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.placement.PlacementDecision;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.session.SessionManager;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.session.SessionReaper;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.DisplayName;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Set;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+
+/**
+ * fleetd #562 follow-up (issue comment "HOLD on PR #579"): {@code Fleetd.main}'s {@code loopHealth}
+ * local used to be a bare {@code new FleetMcp.LoopHealthSource(poller::health, ...)} built inline,
+ * with nothing a test could call directly. Measured on that shape: replacing {@code
+ * poller::health} with a constant {@code () -> LoopWatchdog.State.RUNNING} at the call site
+ * compiled with 0 errors and left all 1771 existing tests green — the daemon could be changed to
+ * always report the {@link StatusPoller} as {@code RUNNING}, so the watchdog could never fire and
+ * a stalled poller would be invisible, while every test stayed green. That is exactly the false
+ * negative this ticket exists to prevent.
+ *
+ * <p>The five tests PR #579 added ({@code FleetMcpTest}, {@code FleetAppTest}) all build their own
+ * {@link FleetMcp.LoopHealthSource} directly with fixed lambdas — they prove the seam ({@code
+ * LoopHealthSource} reports what it is given) and nothing about what {@code Fleetd.main} actually
+ * gives it. This is the same hand-built-vs-config-wired shape as fleetd #561/#248/#426.
+ *
+ * <p>The fix extracts the inline {@code new} into {@link Fleetd#loopHealthSource}, a package-private
+ * factory in the same style as {@link Fleetd#capacitySource} and {@link Fleetd#healthCoverageSource}
+ * — which is exactly what makes it directly callable here. This test calls that factory with real
+ * {@link StatusPoller}/{@link SessionReaper} instances (never started, so no herdr or git I/O
+ * happens) and pins each half separately, plus the {@code reaper == null} branch: one invariant
+ * wired at three places needs three assertions, not one combined check whose non-zero total could
+ * hide a gap at any single place.
+ */
+class FleetdLoopHealthSourceWiringTest {
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("the statusPoller half reports the real poller's health, not a hardcoded state")
+    void statusPollerHalfReflectsThePollersRealHealth() {
+        // Stopped without ever being started — stop() still marks the watchdog STOPPED. A poller
+        // that has never reported RUNNING is the discriminating case: if Fleetd.loopHealthSource
+        // ever hardcoded RUNNING (the exact mutation this test exists to catch), this would fail.
+        StatusPoller stoppedPoller = freshPoller();
+        stoppedPoller.stop();
+        SessionReaper unusedReaper = freshReaper(); // present only to satisfy the signature
+
+        FleetMcp.LoopHealthSource source = Fleetd.loopHealthSource(stoppedPoller, unusedReaper);
+
+        assertEquals(LoopWatchdog.State.STOPPED, source.statusPoller().get(),
+                "the statusPoller supplier must delegate to the real poller's health() — "
+                        + "replacing poller::health with a constant () -> RUNNING at the "
+                        + "Fleetd.loopHealthSource call site must fail this assertion");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("the sessionReaper half reports the real reaper's health, not a hardcoded state")
+    void sessionReaperHalfReflectsTheReapersRealHealth() {
+        StatusPoller unusedPoller = freshPoller(); // present only to satisfy the signature
+        SessionReaper stoppedReaper = freshReaper();
+        stoppedReaper.stop();
+
+        FleetMcp.LoopHealthSource source = Fleetd.loopHealthSource(unusedPoller, stoppedReaper);
+
+        assertEquals(LoopWatchdog.State.STOPPED, source.sessionReaper().get(),
+                "the sessionReaper supplier must delegate to the real reaper's health() — "
+                        + "replacing reaper.health() with a constant at the "
+                        + "Fleetd.loopHealthSource call site must fail this assertion");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("a null reaper (idle ttl not configured) still reports STOPPED, not a crash")
+    void nullReaperStillReportsStopped() {
+        // SessionReaper is only constructed when lifecycle.idleTtlSeconds is configured (see the
+        // `reaper` local in Fleetd.main) — a real deployment routinely passes null here. That null
+        // check is real behaviour, not a simplification to delete: it must keep reporting STOPPED
+        // rather than throwing a NullPointerException on the first fleet_list/healthz call.
+        StatusPoller runningPoller = freshPoller();
+
+        FleetMcp.LoopHealthSource source = Fleetd.loopHealthSource(runningPoller, null);
+
+        assertEquals(LoopWatchdog.State.STOPPED, source.sessionReaper().get(),
+                "reaper == null must still report STOPPED, exactly like an intentionally-stopped "
+                        + "reaper would — do not delete this null check to simplify the wiring");
+    }
+
+    /** Never started, so no herdr call is ever made; freshly constructed reports RUNNING. */
+    private static StatusPoller freshPoller() {
+        AgentControl agents = new AgentControl(new FakeHerdr());
+        return new StatusPoller(agents, new Injector(agents), 1000);
+    }
+
+    /** Never started, so no git/session I/O is ever made; freshly constructed reports RUNNING. */
+    private static SessionReaper freshReaper() {
+        return new SessionReaper(new SessionManager(new NeverSpawnsLauncher()), 60, 1000);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Same minimal shape as {@code FleetdBackendErrorSinkTest.NeverSpawnsLauncher} — every method
+     * throws or returns an empty/no-op value, since a {@link SessionReaper} that is only ever
+     * constructed and then stopped (never started) never calls any of them.
+     */
+    private static final class NeverSpawnsLauncher implements PeerLauncher {
+        @Override
+        public Set<Capability> capabilities() {
+            return Set.of();
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public Set<Capability> capabilitiesFor(String profileName) {
+            return Set.of();
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public PeerHandle spawn(SpawnRequest req) {
+            throw new UnsupportedOperationException("not reachable — this test never acquires a session");
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public PeerHandle spawn(SpawnRequest req, PlacementDecision decision) {
+            throw new UnsupportedOperationException("not reachable — this test never acquires a session");
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public Set<String> profiles() {
+            return Set.of();
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public String defaultProfile() {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public String effectiveCwd(SpawnRequest req) {
+            throw new UnsupportedOperationException("not reachable — this test never acquires a session");
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public List<String> parityOverlay(String profileName) {
+            return List.of();
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public List<?> list() {
+            return List.of();
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public int reapOrphanWorkers() {
+            return 0;
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public void stop(String id) {
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public boolean clearContext(String id) {
+            return false;
+        }
+    }
+}

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/FleetdOpenCodeLauncherCredentialWiringTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+package dev.ltms.fleet;
+
+import dev.ltms.fleet.config.ConfigRef;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.config.FleetConfig;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.AgentControl;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.FakeHerdr;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.WorkspaceControl;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.ExhaustionSink;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.member.OpenCodeLauncher;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.DisplayName;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.io.TempDir;
+
+import java.nio.file.Files;
+import java.nio.file.Path;
+import java.util.Map;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertFalse;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNotNull;
+
+/**
+ * fleetd #589 Group 2: {@link Fleetd#openCodeLauncher} is the factory that replaced {@code main}'s
+ * inline {@code new OpenCodeLauncher(...)} call — the {@code opencode} counterpart to {@link
+ * Fleetd#claudeCodeLauncher}, extracted for the identical reason. Its {@code memberCredentials}
+ * argument is the same {@code () -> config.get().memberCredentials()} supplier; replacing it with
+ * {@code () -> null} compiled with 0 errors and left every existing test green before this ticket,
+ * reopening the same CB-592 exposure gap CB-596's policy closed.
+ *
+ * <p>Same observable surface as {@code OpenCodeLauncherTest}'s own {@code memberCredentials} tests:
+ * spawn through the launcher {@code main} actually wires and inspect what {@code tab.create}
+ * carried.
+ */
+class FleetdOpenCodeLauncherCredentialWiringTest {
+
+    private static final String YAML = """
+            bind:
+              host: 127.0.0.1
+              port: 8765
+            herdrSocket: ~/.config/herdr/herdr.sock
+            profiles:
+              gemini:
+                kind: opencode
+                model: google/gemini-2.5-pro
+            memberCredentials:
+              policy: deny-by-default
+              known:
+                - GITEA_ACCESS_TOKEN
+            """;
+
+    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+    private static Map<String, String> startEnv(FakeHerdr herdr) {
+        return (Map<String, String>) ((Map<String, Object>) herdr.lastCall("tab.create").params()).get("env");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("main's memberCredentials wiring reaches OpenCodeLauncher: a known-but-not-allowed "
+            + "name is shadowed on spawn")
+    void memberCredentialsWiringReachesOpenCodeLauncher(@TempDir Path dir) throws Exception {
+        Path file = dir.resolve("fleetd.yaml");
+        Files.writeString(file, YAML);
+        FleetConfig cfg = FleetConfig.load(file);
+        ConfigRef config = ConfigRef.fixed(cfg);
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr();
+
+        OpenCodeLauncher launcher = Fleetd.openCodeLauncher(new AgentControl(herdr),
+                new WorkspaceControl(herdr), cfg.profiles(), cfg, config, ExhaustionSink.none());
+        launcher.spawn();
+
+        String shadowed = startEnv(herdr).get("GITEA_ACCESS_TOKEN");
+        assertNotNull(shadowed,
+                "GITEA_ACCESS_TOKEN is 'known' but not 'allow'-ed in the loaded config — it must be "
+                        + "explicitly shadowed on spawn; replacing the memberCredentials supplier with "
+                        + "() -> null at the Fleetd.openCodeLauncher call site must fail this "
+                        + "assertion, since a null policy shadows nothing");
+        assertFalse(shadowed.isBlank(), "the overlay value must be non-blank");
+    }
+}

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/FleetdReleaseCleanupWiringTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,107 @@
+package dev.ltms.fleet;
+
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.AgentControl;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.FakeHerdr;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.Injector;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.mcp.PrimaryRegistry;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.msg.InMemoryReplyInbox;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.msg.MessageService;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.msg.Rendezvous;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.session.SessionManager;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.DisplayName;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import java.util.function.Consumer;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
+
+/**
+ * fleetd #589 Group 3, site {@code :611-631}. {@code Fleetd.main} wires {@code
+ * sessions.onRelease(...)} with a lambda that calls three collaborators — {@code
+ * messages.abandon}, {@code replyInbox.release}, and {@code primaryRegistry.forgetDelegation} —
+ * before this ticket built inline inside {@code main}. Measured: replacing the whole lambda body
+ * with {@code detail -> { }} compiles with 0 errors and leaves the full suite green, because each
+ * collaborator is separately tested in isolation ({@code MessageServiceTest}, {@code
+ * PrimaryRegistryTest}) but nothing before this ticket drove the lambda that calls all three from
+ * {@code main}.
+ *
+ * <p>{@code MessageService.abandon}'s own javadoc documents the consequence: without this,
+ * tearing a worker down leaves its rendezvous waiter open, so a blocking {@code fleet_send} keeps
+ * blocking and an async one reports {@code PENDING} for a hardcoded thirty minutes on every {@code
+ * fleet_stop} and every idle-reap.
+ *
+ * <p>This test calls {@link Fleetd#releaseCleanup} directly — never {@code SessionManager} or
+ * {@code main} — against real {@link MessageService}, {@link InMemoryReplyInbox}, and {@link
+ * PrimaryRegistry} instances, and asserts each collaborator's own observable effect: the pending
+ * async ticket transitions to {@code FAILED} (abandon), the inbox no longer owns the target's
+ * queue (release), and the recorded delegation is forgotten (forgetDelegation).
+ */
+class FleetdReleaseCleanupWiringTest {
+
+    private static final String T = "term_a";
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("Fleetd.releaseCleanup reaches messages.abandon, replyInbox.release, and primaryRegistry.forgetDelegation")
+    void releaseCleanupReachesAllThreeCollaborators() throws Exception {
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr().readText("$ prompt");
+        AgentControl agents = new AgentControl(herdr);
+        Rendezvous rendezvous = new Rendezvous();
+        Injector injector = new Injector(agents);
+        MessageService messages = new MessageService(agents, injector, rendezvous);
+        InMemoryReplyInbox replyInbox = new InMemoryReplyInbox();
+        PrimaryRegistry primaryRegistry = new PrimaryRegistry(null);
+
+        // Set up the "before" state each collaborator's own effect is measured against.
+        String ticket = messages.sendAsync(T, "long task");
+        awaitWaiting(rendezvous);
+        assertEquals(MessageService.Phase.PENDING, messages.poll(ticket).phase(),
+                "sanity: the async ticket is pending before cleanup runs");
+
+        replyInbox.own(T);
+        replyInbox.publish(T, "msg-1", "hello");
+        assertEquals(1, replyInbox.peek(T).size(),
+                "sanity: the inbox owns T and holds one message before cleanup runs");
+
+        primaryRegistry.recordDelegation(T, "lead-1");
+        assertEquals("lead-1", primaryRegistry.nudgeTargetFor(T).orElse(null),
+                "sanity: the delegation is recorded before cleanup runs");
+
+        Consumer<SessionManager.ReleaseDetail> cleanup =
+                Fleetd.releaseCleanup(messages, replyInbox, primaryRegistry);
+        cleanup.accept(new SessionManager.ReleaseDetail(T, null, null, null, null));
+
+        MessageService.TaskView view = null;
+        long deadline = System.currentTimeMillis() + 3000;
+        while (System.currentTimeMillis() < deadline) {
+            view = messages.poll(ticket);
+            if (view.phase() != MessageService.Phase.PENDING) {
+                break;
+            }
+            //noinspection BusyWait
+            Thread.sleep(10);
+        }
+        assertEquals(MessageService.Phase.FAILED, view == null ? null : view.phase(),
+                "releaseCleanup must call messages.abandon(...) — an inert detail -> { } lambda "
+                        + "leaves this ticket PENDING forever");
+        assertTrue(view.detail() != null && view.detail().contains("released"),
+                "the abandon reason must say the worker session was released");
+
+        assertTrue(replyInbox.peek(T).isEmpty(),
+                "releaseCleanup must call replyInbox.release(...) — an inert lambda leaves the "
+                        + "inbox still owning T with its message");
+
+        assertTrue(primaryRegistry.nudgeTargetFor(T).isEmpty(),
+                "releaseCleanup must call primaryRegistry.forgetDelegation(...) — an inert lambda "
+                        + "leaves the stale delegation in place");
+    }
+
+    private static void awaitWaiting(Rendezvous rendezvous) throws InterruptedException {
+        long deadline = System.currentTimeMillis() + 2000;
+        while (!rendezvous.isWaiting(T) && System.currentTimeMillis() < deadline) {
+            //noinspection BusyWait
+            Thread.sleep(5);
+        }
+        assertTrue(rendezvous.isWaiting(T), "send should have opened its rendezvous waiter");
+    }
+}

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/FleetdReplyInboxOpenerWiringTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+package dev.ltms.fleet;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.DisplayName;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import java.net.ServerSocket;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertThrows;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
+
+/**
+ * fleetd #589 Group 3, site {@code :512}. {@code Fleetd.main} passes {@code AmqpReplyInbox::open}
+ * as the {@link Fleetd.AmqpOpener} argument to {@code selectReplyInbox(...)} — before this ticket
+ * that method reference was inline at the call site. Measured: replacing it with the inert {@code
+ * (uri, prefetch) -> new InMemoryReplyInbox()} compiles with 0 errors and leaves the full suite
+ * green — {@code FleetdReplyInboxSelectionTest} drives {@code selectReplyInbox} with its own
+ * injected opener (including one test that passes the real {@code AmqpReplyInbox::open}
+ * explicitly) and never observes what {@code main} itself actually passes.
+ *
+ * <p>This test calls {@link Fleetd#replyInboxOpener} directly and proves it is the real, network-
+ * attempting opener rather than a stub: pointed at a guaranteed-closed local port, it must throw —
+ * the same shape {@code FleetdReplyInboxSelectionTest.aRealUnreachableBrokerFallsBackViaTheRealOpener}
+ * already relies on for {@code AmqpReplyInbox.open} itself. The inert form never attempts a
+ * connection and never throws, so it fails this assertion silently (by returning normally).
+ */
+class FleetdReplyInboxOpenerWiringTest {
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("Fleetd.replyInboxOpener is the real AmqpReplyInbox::open, not a stub that never connects")
+    void replyInboxOpenerAttemptsARealConnection() throws Exception {
+        int closedPort;
+        try (ServerSocket socket = new ServerSocket(0)) {
+            closedPort = socket.getLocalPort();
+        } // released immediately — connecting to it now is a guaranteed refusal, not a fluke
+
+        Fleetd.AmqpOpener opener = Fleetd.replyInboxOpener();
+
+        IllegalStateException thrown = assertThrows(IllegalStateException.class,
+                () -> opener.open("amqp://user:pw@127.0.0.1:" + closedPort + "/vh", 50),
+                "Fleetd.replyInboxOpener() must be AmqpReplyInbox::open — a real network attempt "
+                        + "against a genuinely unreachable broker must throw. The inert form "
+                        + "(uri, prefetch) -> new InMemoryReplyInbox() never attempts a connection "
+                        + "and never throws, so it would return normally here and fail this "
+                        + "assertion silently.");
+        assertTrue(thrown.getMessage().contains("cannot connect to AMQP broker"),
+                "must be AmqpReplyInbox.open's own real failure message, not a different exception "
+                        + "shape standing in for it");
+    }
+}

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/FleetdReplyInboxSelectionTest.java

@@ -1,15 +1,13 @@
 package dev.ltms.fleet;
 
 import ch.qos.logback.classic.Level;
-import ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger;
 import ch.qos.logback.classic.spi.ILoggingEvent;
-import ch.qos.logback.core.read.ListAppender;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.config.FleetConfig;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.msg.AmqpReplyInbox;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.msg.InMemoryReplyInbox;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.msg.ReplyInbox;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.testing.CapturedLog;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
-import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
 
 import java.net.ServerSocket;
 import java.util.List;
@@ -50,43 +48,34 @@ class FleetdReplyInboxSelectionTest {
         }
     }
 
-    private static ListAppender<ILoggingEvent> attach() {
-        Logger logger = (Logger) LoggerFactory.getLogger(Fleetd.class);
+    private static CapturedLog attach() {
         // logback-test.xml pins dev.ltms.fleet to WARN; raise it so INFO selection lines are captured.
-        logger.setLevel(Level.INFO);
-        ListAppender<ILoggingEvent> appender = new ListAppender<>();
-        appender.start();
-        logger.addAppender(appender);
-        return appender;
+        return CapturedLog.at(Fleetd.class, Level.INFO);
     }
 
-    private static void detach(ListAppender<ILoggingEvent> appender) {
-        ((Logger) LoggerFactory.getLogger(Fleetd.class)).detachAppender(appender);
-    }
-
-    private static void assertNoLogContains(ListAppender<ILoggingEvent> appender, String secret) {
-        assertTrue(appender.list.stream().noneMatch(e -> e.getFormattedMessage().contains(secret)),
+    private static void assertNoLogContains(List<ILoggingEvent> events, String secret) {
+        assertTrue(events.stream().noneMatch(e -> e.getFormattedMessage().contains(secret)),
                 "no log line may contain the resolved URI's password");
     }
 
     @Test
     void uriEnvSetAndPresentSelectsAmqpWithTheResolvedUri() {
         FleetConfig.Broker broker = new FleetConfig.Broker(null, "LAVINMQ_URI", null);
-        recording(broker, Map.of("LAVINMQ_URI", RESOLVED_URI), false, (opener, appender, inbox) -> {
+        recording(broker, Map.of("LAVINMQ_URI", RESOLVED_URI), false, (opener, events, inbox) -> {
             assertEquals(RESOLVED_URI, opener.offeredUri,
                     "the daemon must connect with the value resolved from uriEnv — selection, not just parse");
             assertEquals(opener.inbox, inbox, "the AMQP opener's inbox is what is selected");
-            assertNoLogContains(appender, SECRET);
+            assertNoLogContains(events, SECRET);
         });
     }
 
     @Test
     void uriEnvSetButVariableMissingFallsBackToInMemoryAndWarns() {
         FleetConfig.Broker broker = new FleetConfig.Broker(null, "LAVINMQ_URI", null);
-        recording(broker, Map.of(), false, (opener, appender, inbox) -> {
+        recording(broker, Map.of(), false, (opener, events, inbox) -> {
             assertInstanceOf(InMemoryReplyInbox.class, inbox);
             assertNull(opener.offeredUri, "AMQP must never be attempted when the variable is missing");
-            assertTrue(hasWarnContaining(appender, "LAVINMQ_URI") && hasWarnContaining(appender, "DISABLED"),
+            assertTrue(hasWarnContaining(events, "LAVINMQ_URI") && hasWarnContaining(events, "DISABLED"),
                     "a missing uriEnv variable must warn loudly, not fail silently");
         });
     }
@@ -94,10 +83,10 @@ class FleetdReplyInboxSelectionTest {
     @Test
     void uriEnvSetButVariableBlankFallsBackToInMemoryAndWarns() {
         FleetConfig.Broker broker = new FleetConfig.Broker("amqp://user:lame@old:5672/", "LAVINMQ_URI", null);
-        recording(broker, Map.of("LAVINMQ_URI", "   "), false, (opener, appender, inbox) -> {
+        recording(broker, Map.of("LAVINMQ_URI", "   "), false, (opener, events, inbox) -> {
             assertInstanceOf(InMemoryReplyInbox.class, inbox);
             assertNull(opener.offeredUri, "a blank env value must not select AMQP, not even via the literal uri");
-            assertTrue(hasWarnContaining(appender, "LAVINMQ_URI"),
+            assertTrue(hasWarnContaining(events, "LAVINMQ_URI"),
                     "a blank uriEnv value must warn, and must not fall back to the literal uri");
         });
     }
@@ -106,22 +95,22 @@ class FleetdReplyInboxSelectionTest {
     void bothUriAndUriEnvSetUriEnvWinsDeterministically() {
         FleetConfig.Broker broker
                 = new FleetConfig.Broker("amqp://user:oldpw@old.example:5672/", "LAVINMQ_URI", null);
-        recording(broker, Map.of("LAVINMQ_URI", RESOLVED_URI), false, (opener, appender, inbox) -> {
+        recording(broker, Map.of("LAVINMQ_URI", RESOLVED_URI), false, (opener, events, inbox) -> {
             assertEquals(RESOLVED_URI, opener.offeredUri,
                     "uriEnv must win over uri, deterministically, every run");
-            assertTrue(appender.list.stream().anyMatch(e -> e.getFormattedMessage().contains("broker.uri is ignored")),
+            assertTrue(events.stream().anyMatch(e -> e.getFormattedMessage().contains("broker.uri is ignored")),
                     "must log that the literal uri is ignored when uriEnv is set");
-            assertNoLogContains(appender, SECRET);
-            assertNoLogContains(appender, "oldpw");
+            assertNoLogContains(events, SECRET);
+            assertNoLogContains(events, "oldpw");
         });
     }
 
     @Test
     void unreachableBrokerStartsDaemonWithInMemoryInboxAndLoudWarning() {
         FleetConfig.Broker broker = new FleetConfig.Broker(null, "LAVINMQ_URI", null);
-        recording(broker, Map.of("LAVINMQ_URI", RESOLVED_URI), true, (opener, appender, inbox) -> {
+        recording(broker, Map.of("LAVINMQ_URI", RESOLVED_URI), true, (opener, events, inbox) -> {
             assertInstanceOf(InMemoryReplyInbox.class, inbox, "an unreachable broker must NOT stop the daemon");
-            String warn = appender.list.stream()
+            String warn = events.stream()
                     .filter(e -> e.getLevel() == Level.WARN)
                     .map(ILoggingEvent::getFormattedMessage)
                     .reduce("", (a, b) -> a + "\n" + b)
@@ -129,16 +118,16 @@ class FleetdReplyInboxSelectionTest {
             assertTrue(warn.contains("durable") && warn.contains("soft-state"),
                     "the warning must say exactly what was lost: durable delivery off, replies soft-state");
             assertTrue(!warn.contains(SECRET), "the failing URI must be logged with credentials stripped");
-            assertNoLogContains(appender, SECRET);
+            assertNoLogContains(events, SECRET);
         });
     }
 
     @Test
     void noBrokerConfiguredStaysQuietInMemory() {
         FleetConfig.Broker broker = null;
-        recording(broker, Map.of(), false, (opener, appender, inbox) -> {
+        recording(broker, Map.of(), false, (opener, events, inbox) -> {
             assertInstanceOf(InMemoryReplyInbox.class, inbox);
-            assertTrue(appender.list.stream().noneMatch(e -> e.getLevel() == Level.WARN),
+            assertTrue(events.stream().noneMatch(e -> e.getLevel() == Level.WARN),
                     "no broker configured must keep the existing QUIET in-memory path — no warning");
         });
     }
@@ -152,21 +141,18 @@ class FleetdReplyInboxSelectionTest {
             closedPort = s.getLocalPort();
         }
         FleetConfig.Broker broker = new FleetConfig.Broker(null, "LAVINMQ_URI", null);
-        ListAppender<ILoggingEvent> appender = attach();
-        try {
+        try (CapturedLog log = attach()) {
             ReplyInbox inbox = Fleetd.selectReplyInbox(
                     broker, Map.of("LAVINMQ_URI", "amqp://user:" + SECRET + "@127.0.0.1:" + closedPort + "/vh"),
                     AmqpReplyInbox::open);
             assertInstanceOf(InMemoryReplyInbox.class, inbox,
                     "a genuinely unreachable broker (real AmqpReplyInbox::open) must fall back to in-memory");
-        } finally {
-            detach(appender);
+            assertNoLogContains(log.events(), SECRET);
         }
-        assertNoLogContains(appender, SECRET);
     }
 
-    private boolean hasWarnContaining(ListAppender<ILoggingEvent> appender, String fragment) {
-        return appender.list.stream().anyMatch(e ->
+    private boolean hasWarnContaining(List<ILoggingEvent> events, String fragment) {
+        return events.stream().anyMatch(e ->
                 e.getLevel() == Level.WARN && e.getFormattedMessage().contains(fragment));
     }
 
@@ -174,18 +160,14 @@ class FleetdReplyInboxSelectionTest {
     private void recording(FleetConfig.Broker broker, Map<String, String> env, boolean unreachable, Check check) {
         RecordingAmqp opener = new RecordingAmqp();
         opener.unreachable = unreachable;
-        ListAppender<ILoggingEvent> appender = attach();
-        ReplyInbox inbox;
-        try {
-            inbox = Fleetd.selectReplyInbox(broker, env, opener);
-        } finally {
-            detach(appender);
+        try (CapturedLog log = attach()) {
+            ReplyInbox inbox = Fleetd.selectReplyInbox(broker, env, opener);
+            check.run(opener, log.events(), inbox);
         }
-        check.run(opener, appender, inbox);
     }
 
     @FunctionalInterface
     private interface Check {
-        void run(RecordingAmqp opener, ListAppender<ILoggingEvent> appender, ReplyInbox inbox);
+        void run(RecordingAmqp opener, List<ILoggingEvent> events, ReplyInbox inbox);
     }
 }

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/FleetdTurnListenerCompositionTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,286 @@
+package dev.ltms.fleet;
+
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.AgentControl;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.FakeHerdr;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.CompletionResolver;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.ExhaustedPatternLookup;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.ExhaustionSink;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.TurnListener;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.msg.Rendezvous;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.msg.TurnToken;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import java.util.LinkedHashSet;
+import java.util.Set;
+import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
+import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicLong;
+import java.util.function.LongSupplier;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertThrows;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
+
+/**
+ * fleetd #561: {@code Fleetd.turnListener} composes the completion resolver and the session
+ * manager into one {@link TurnListener}. Each of the four callbacks below used to be two bare,
+ * unguarded statements (completion first, then sessions) — a throw from the session half used to
+ * skip nothing <em>after</em> it (there was nothing after it), but nothing enforced that the
+ * completion half had to come first either, beyond call order in the source. {@code onDelivered}
+ * had the identical shape and was fixed by #556 (moving its registration off the fan-out
+ * entirely); these four callbacks cannot be fixed that way, so the fan-out itself is hardened
+ * instead (see {@link Fleetd#turnListener} and {@code Fleetd.bothMustRun}/{@code
+ * bothMustRunKeepingSecondResult}).
+ *
+ * <p>The invariant under test: <b>a throwing session-listener must not prevent the completion
+ * resolver from being told the turn ended.</b> Each test below builds the exact production
+ * composition ({@link Fleetd#turnListener}) from a real {@link CompletionResolver} and a fake
+ * {@code sessions} half that throws, then asserts the completion half's effect (the captured
+ * {@link Rendezvous} waiter resolving) happened anyway — never by inspecting call order directly.
+ */
+class FleetdTurnListenerCompositionTest {
+
+    /** Records which callbacks ran and can be told to throw from a chosen one. */
+    private static final class RecordingSessions implements TurnListener {
+        final Set<String> called = new LinkedHashSet<>();
+        private final Set<String> throwing;
+
+        RecordingSessions(String... throwingMethods) {
+            this.throwing = Set.of(throwingMethods);
+        }
+
+        private void maybeThrow(String method) {
+            called.add(method);
+            if (throwing.contains(method)) {
+                throw new IllegalStateException("boom: sessions." + method);
+            }
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public void onTurnComplete(String target) {
+            maybeThrow("onTurnComplete");
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public boolean onTurnCompleteWithPostAction(String target) {
+            maybeThrow("onTurnCompleteWithPostAction");
+            return true;
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public void onTurnFailed(String target) {
+            maybeThrow("onTurnFailed");
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public void onTurnFailed(String target, String reason) {
+            maybeThrow("onTurnFailedWithReason");
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static CompletionResolver newResolver(FakeHerdr herdr, Rendezvous rendezvous) {
+        return new CompletionResolver(new AgentControl(herdr), rendezvous,
+                ExhaustedPatternLookup.none(), ExhaustionSink.none());
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * A resolver with a controllable clock, and the clock itself, so a test can register a turn
+     * "delivered" at time 0 and then jump the clock past {@link CompletionResolver#MIN_TURN_NANOS}
+     * before resolving it — otherwise {@code onTurnComplete}/{@code onTurnCompleteWithPostAction}
+     * resolve within microseconds of registering in-test, well inside the fleetd#164 floor, and
+     * get classified as a too-fast crash rather than a real completion. Mirrors the {@code
+     * LongSupplier} clock-injection pattern fleetd#164's own tests use.
+     */
+    private static CompletionResolver newResolverPastTheFloor(FakeHerdr herdr, Rendezvous rendezvous,
+                                                                AtomicLong clock) {
+        LongSupplier nowNanos = clock::get;
+        return new CompletionResolver(new AgentControl(herdr), rendezvous,
+                ExhaustedPatternLookup.none(), ExhaustionSink.none(), nowNanos);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void onTurnCompleteResolvesTheWaiterEvenWhenTheSessionHalfThrows() throws Exception {
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr().readText("⏺ real answer\n❯ ");
+        Rendezvous rendezvous = new Rendezvous();
+        AtomicLong clock = new AtomicLong(0);
+        CompletionResolver completion = newResolverPastTheFloor(herdr, rendezvous, clock);
+        var waiter = rendezvous.open("term_a");
+        completion.register("term_a", new TurnToken("term_a", waiter)); // delivered at clock=0
+        clock.set(CompletionResolver.MIN_TURN_NANOS + 1_000_000); // past the too-fast floor
+
+        RecordingSessions sessions = new RecordingSessions("onTurnComplete");
+        TurnListener composed = Fleetd.turnListener(completion, sessions);
+
+        IllegalStateException thrown = assertThrows(IllegalStateException.class,
+                () -> composed.onTurnComplete("term_a"),
+                "the session half's throw must still escape the composed listener");
+        assertEquals("boom: sessions.onTurnComplete", thrown.getMessage());
+        assertTrue(sessions.called.contains("onTurnComplete"), "the session half must have run");
+
+        // onTurnComplete resolves off-thread (a virtual thread) — wait on the waiter itself,
+        // exactly like MessageServiceTest.completionFallbackIsNeverQueued does.
+        Rendezvous.Resolution resolution = waiter.get(5, TimeUnit.SECONDS);
+        assertEquals(Rendezvous.Kind.COMPLETION, resolution.kind(),
+                "the completion resolver must still have resolved the send, despite the session "
+                        + "half throwing");
+        assertEquals("real answer", resolution.text());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void onTurnFailedResolvesTheWaiterAsFailedEvenWhenTheSessionHalfThrows() throws Exception {
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr().readText("⏺ crash context\n❯ ");
+        Rendezvous rendezvous = new Rendezvous();
+        CompletionResolver completion = newResolver(herdr, rendezvous);
+        var waiter = rendezvous.open("term_b");
+        completion.register("term_b", new TurnToken("term_b", waiter));
+
+        RecordingSessions sessions = new RecordingSessions("onTurnFailed");
+        TurnListener composed = Fleetd.turnListener(completion, sessions);
+
+        IllegalStateException thrown = assertThrows(IllegalStateException.class,
+                () -> composed.onTurnFailed("term_b"),
+                "the session half's throw must still escape the composed listener");
+        assertEquals("boom: sessions.onTurnFailed", thrown.getMessage());
+        assertTrue(sessions.called.contains("onTurnFailed"), "the session half must have run");
+
+        Rendezvous.Resolution resolution = waiter.get(5, TimeUnit.SECONDS);
+        assertEquals(Rendezvous.Kind.FAILED, resolution.kind(),
+                "the completion resolver must still have failed the send, despite the session "
+                        + "half throwing");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void onTurnFailedWithReasonResolvesTheWaiterEvenWhenTheSessionHalfThrows() throws Exception {
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr();
+        Rendezvous rendezvous = new Rendezvous();
+        CompletionResolver completion = newResolver(herdr, rendezvous);
+        var waiter = rendezvous.open("term_c");
+        completion.register("term_c", new TurnToken("term_c", waiter));
+
+        // fleetd #561: the composed listener calls sessions.onTurnFailed(target) — the ONE-arg
+        // overload — for this reason-carrying event too (matching the pre-existing production
+        // behaviour: SessionManager never overrides the two-arg overload either), so the
+        // throwing key here is "onTurnFailed", not a distinct "...WithReason" one.
+        RecordingSessions sessions = new RecordingSessions("onTurnFailed");
+        TurnListener composed = Fleetd.turnListener(completion, sessions);
+
+        IllegalStateException thrown = assertThrows(IllegalStateException.class,
+                () -> composed.onTurnFailed("term_c", "worker unreachable"),
+                "the session half's throw must still escape the composed listener");
+        assertEquals("boom: sessions.onTurnFailed", thrown.getMessage());
+        assertTrue(sessions.called.contains("onTurnFailed"), "the session half must have run");
+
+        Rendezvous.Resolution resolution = waiter.get(5, TimeUnit.SECONDS);
+        assertEquals(Rendezvous.Kind.FAILED, resolution.kind(),
+                "the completion resolver must still have failed the send, despite the session "
+                        + "half throwing");
+        assertEquals("worker unreachable", resolution.text(),
+                "the explicit reason must still reach the resolved send");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void onTurnCompleteWithPostActionResolvesTheWaiterEvenWhenTheSessionHalfThrows() {
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr().readText("⏺ answer before reset\n❯ ");
+        Rendezvous rendezvous = new Rendezvous();
+        AtomicLong clock = new AtomicLong(0);
+        CompletionResolver completion = newResolverPastTheFloor(herdr, rendezvous, clock);
+        var waiter = rendezvous.open("term_d");
+        completion.register("term_d", new TurnToken("term_d", waiter)); // delivered at clock=0
+        clock.set(CompletionResolver.MIN_TURN_NANOS + 1_000_000); // past the too-fast floor
+
+        RecordingSessions sessions = new RecordingSessions("onTurnCompleteWithPostAction");
+        TurnListener composed = Fleetd.turnListener(completion, sessions);
+
+        IllegalStateException thrown = assertThrows(IllegalStateException.class,
+                () -> composed.onTurnCompleteWithPostAction("term_d"),
+                "the session half's throw must still escape the composed listener");
+        assertEquals("boom: sessions.onTurnCompleteWithPostAction", thrown.getMessage());
+        assertTrue(sessions.called.contains("onTurnCompleteWithPostAction"), "the session half must have run");
+
+        // resolveBeforePostAction is synchronous by design (it must run before the context reset
+        // can erase the pane) — the waiter is already resolved by the time the throw propagates.
+        assertTrue(waiter.isDone(), "resolveBeforePostAction is synchronous — the send must "
+                + "already be resolved once the composed call returns (by throwing)");
+        assertEquals(Rendezvous.Kind.COMPLETION, waiter.getNow(null).kind());
+        assertEquals("answer before reset", waiter.getNow(null).text());
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * The mirror case (comment 17041's acceptance item 2): the completion half throws, and the
+     * session half still ran. The production {@link CompletionResolver} is deliberately defensive
+     * (its scrape reads are wrapped in {@code catch (RuntimeException)}, by the same fail-open
+     * design {@link CompletionResolver#captureBaseline} documents) so it essentially never throws
+     * synchronously in normal operation — forcing it to do so needs a genuinely-real trigger, not
+     * a fabricated one. {@code ConcurrentHashMap.get(null)} is that trigger: passing a {@code null}
+     * target makes {@code onTurnComplete}'s {@code inFlight.get(target)} throw a
+     * {@link NullPointerException} before it ever starts its resolving thread — a real code path,
+     * not a contrived one.
+     */
+    @Test
+    void sessionHalfStillRunsWhenTheCompletionHalfThrowsSynchronously() {
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr();
+        Rendezvous rendezvous = new Rendezvous();
+        CompletionResolver completion = newResolver(herdr, rendezvous);
+
+        RecordingSessions sessions = new RecordingSessions(); // throws from nothing
+        TurnListener composed = Fleetd.turnListener(completion, sessions);
+
+        assertThrows(NullPointerException.class, () -> composed.onTurnComplete(null),
+                "ConcurrentHashMap.get(null) inside CompletionResolver.onTurnComplete must still "
+                        + "escape the composed listener");
+        assertTrue(sessions.called.contains("onTurnComplete"),
+                "the session half must still have run even though the completion half threw first");
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * The mirror case above only exercises {@code onTurnComplete}/{@code bothMustRun}. {@code
+     * onTurnCompleteWithPostAction} is composed through the OTHER helper,
+     * {@code bothMustRunKeepingSecondResult}, and nothing previously asserted that its session half
+     * still runs when its completion half throws — that helper could be reverted to the pre-#561
+     * broken shape (run the session half only if the completion half did not throw) and the suite
+     * would still stay green. Uses the same real, non-fabricated trigger as the test above: a
+     * {@code null} target makes {@code resolveBeforePostAction}'s {@code inFlight.get(target)}
+     * throw a {@link NullPointerException} before {@code resolve} is ever entered.
+     */
+    @Test
+    void sessionHalfStillRunsWhenTheCompletionHalfThrowsSynchronouslyForPostAction() {
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr();
+        Rendezvous rendezvous = new Rendezvous();
+        CompletionResolver completion = newResolver(herdr, rendezvous);
+
+        RecordingSessions sessions = new RecordingSessions(); // throws from nothing
+        TurnListener composed = Fleetd.turnListener(completion, sessions);
+
+        assertThrows(NullPointerException.class, () -> composed.onTurnCompleteWithPostAction(null),
+                "ConcurrentHashMap.get(null) inside CompletionResolver.resolveBeforePostAction must "
+                        + "still escape the composed listener");
+        assertTrue(sessions.called.contains("onTurnCompleteWithPostAction"),
+                "the session half must still have run even though the completion half threw first");
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * {@code bothMustRun} must not just run both halves — it must not DROP a second failure when
+     * both halves throw. Forces the completion half to throw (the same real {@code
+     * inFlight.get(null)} NullPointerException trigger used above) while the session half throws a
+     * distinct {@link IllegalStateException}, and asserts the completion half's throwable is what
+     * escapes while the session half's throwable survives as a suppressed exception rather than
+     * being silently discarded.
+     */
+    @Test
+    void bothFailuresEscapeWhenBothHalvesThrowDistinctExceptions() {
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr();
+        Rendezvous rendezvous = new Rendezvous();
+        CompletionResolver completion = newResolver(herdr, rendezvous);
+
+        RecordingSessions sessions = new RecordingSessions("onTurnComplete");
+        TurnListener composed = Fleetd.turnListener(completion, sessions);
+
+        NullPointerException thrown = assertThrows(NullPointerException.class,
+                () -> composed.onTurnComplete(null),
+                "the completion half's throw (NPE from inFlight.get(null)) must be what escapes");
+        assertTrue(sessions.called.contains("onTurnComplete"), "the session half must still have run");
+        assertEquals(1, thrown.getSuppressed().length,
+                "the session half's distinct failure must be recorded as suppressed, not dropped");
+        assertEquals(IllegalStateException.class, thrown.getSuppressed()[0].getClass());
+        assertEquals("boom: sessions.onTurnComplete", thrown.getSuppressed()[0].getMessage());
+    }
+}

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/FleetdTurnRegistrarWiringTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+package dev.ltms.fleet;
+
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.AgentControl;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.FakeHerdr;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.CompletionResolver;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.ExhaustedPatternLookup;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.ExhaustionSink;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.TurnRegistrar;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.msg.Rendezvous;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.msg.TurnToken;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.DisplayName;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import java.util.concurrent.CompletableFuture;
+import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicLong;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
+
+/**
+ * fleetd #589 Group 3, site {@code :505}. {@code Fleetd.main} wires the {@link
+ * dev.ltms.fleet.inject.Injector}'s {@link TurnRegistrar} with {@code completion::register} —
+ * before this ticket that was an inline argument to {@code new Injector(...)}, so nothing could
+ * pin it directly. Measured: replacing it with {@link TurnRegistrar#NOOP} at the call site
+ * compiles with 0 errors and leaves the full suite green, because {@code onDelivered}'s own {@code
+ * captureBaseline} performs the identical {@code inFlight} check-and-put a moment later on the
+ * ordinary delivery path — the two are indistinguishable unless something reads the resolver
+ * between {@code register} and {@code onDelivered}, or {@code onDelivered} never runs at all (the
+ * gap fleetd #556 introduced {@link TurnRegistrar} to close).
+ *
+ * <p>This test calls {@link Fleetd#turnRegistrar} directly — never {@code Injector} or {@code
+ * main} — and drives {@link CompletionResolver} entirely through its public API: {@link
+ * TurnRegistrar#register} followed by {@link CompletionResolver#resolveBeforePostAction}, which
+ * looks up the same {@code inFlight} entry {@code onTurnComplete} would. With the real registrar,
+ * that entry exists and the waiter opened by {@link Rendezvous#open} resolves; with {@link
+ * TurnRegistrar#NOOP} nothing was ever registered, {@code resolveBeforePostAction} finds no
+ * in-flight turn, and the waiter is left exactly as it started — never done.
+ */
+class FleetdTurnRegistrarWiringTest {
+
+    private static final String T = "term_a";
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("Fleetd.turnRegistrar delegates to the real CompletionResolver, not a no-op")
+    void turnRegistrarDelegatesToCompletionRegister() {
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr().readText("⏺ BUILD GREEN: 391 files\n❯ ");
+        AgentControl agents = new AgentControl(herdr);
+        Rendezvous rendezvous = new Rendezvous();
+        // fleetd#164: an ever-advancing fake clock stands in for the real time a turn would take
+        // between delivery and resolution, so the MIN_TURN_NANOS "too fast" floor never trips here —
+        // see MessageServiceTest's resolverClock for the same technique.
+        AtomicLong clock = new AtomicLong();
+        CompletionResolver completion = new CompletionResolver(agents, rendezvous,
+                ExhaustedPatternLookup.none(), ExhaustionSink.none(),
+                () -> clock.addAndGet(CompletionResolver.MIN_TURN_NANOS + 1));
+
+        TurnRegistrar registrar = Fleetd.turnRegistrar(completion);
+
+        CompletableFuture<Rendezvous.Resolution> waiter = rendezvous.open(T);
+        registrar.register(T, new TurnToken(T, waiter));
+
+        // Mirrors what Injector.onStatus's confirmed working->idle boundary would trigger via
+        // CompletionResolver.onTurnComplete — resolveBeforePostAction is the public, synchronous
+        // twin of that path and reads the exact same inFlight entry register() must have written.
+        completion.resolveBeforePostAction(T);
+
+        assertTrue(waiter.isDone(),
+                "Fleetd.turnRegistrar(completion) must return completion::register — replacing it "
+                        + "with TurnRegistrar.NOOP at the Fleetd.turnRegistrar call site means this "
+                        + "turn is never registered with CompletionResolver, so resolveBeforePostAction "
+                        + "finds no in-flight turn and this waiter is never resolved");
+    }
+}

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/auth/AuditLogTest.java

@@ -1,15 +1,12 @@
 package dev.ltms.fleet.auth;
 
 import ch.qos.logback.classic.Level;
-import ch.qos.logback.classic.LoggerContext;
-import ch.qos.logback.classic.spi.ILoggingEvent;
-import ch.qos.logback.core.read.ListAppender;
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.JsonNode;
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.ObjectMapper;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.testing.CapturedLog;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.AfterEach;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.BeforeEach;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
-import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
 
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.*;
 
@@ -24,28 +21,21 @@ import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.*;
 class AuditLogTest {
 
     private final ObjectMapper mapper = new ObjectMapper();
-    private ListAppender<ILoggingEvent> appender;
-    private ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger auditLogger;
+    private CapturedLog auditLog;
 
     @BeforeEach
     void attach() {
-        LoggerContext ctx = (LoggerContext) LoggerFactory.getILoggerFactory();
-        auditLogger = ctx.getLogger("audit");
-        appender = new ListAppender<>();
-        appender.setContext(ctx);
-        appender.start();
-        auditLogger.addAppender(appender);
-        auditLogger.setLevel(Level.INFO);
+        auditLog = CapturedLog.at("audit", Level.INFO);
     }
 
     @AfterEach
     void detach() {
-        auditLogger.detachAppender(appender);
+        auditLog.close();
     }
 
     private JsonNode onlyRecord() throws Exception {
-        assertEquals(1, appender.list.size(), "exactly one audit line expected");
-        String line = appender.list.getFirst().getFormattedMessage();
+        assertEquals(1, auditLog.events().size(), "exactly one audit line expected");
+        String line = auditLog.events().getFirst().getFormattedMessage();
         return mapper.readTree(line); // throws if the line is not valid JSON
     }
 

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/auth/CallerResolverTest.java

@@ -186,6 +186,43 @@ class CallerResolverTest {
         assertEquals(Role.PRIMARY, r.resolve("127.0.0.1", 99, "BEARER s3cret").role());
     }
 
+    // ── fleetd #505: a herdr error DURING THE SCAN must not be conflated with "not a worker" ──────
+    // #317 (above) covers a failed lsof lookup. This is the other input to the same decision: the
+    // lsof lookup succeeds (a real pid), but PaneLocator's own pane scan hits a herdr error on the
+    // pane that owns that pid — so c.resolved() is true and c.terminal() is null, exactly like a
+    // real primary. c.scanComplete() is what tells them apart.
+
+    /**
+     * The discriminating case named in the ticket: the error must land on the pane that DOES own
+     * the caller's pid, or the test proves nothing (any other pane's failure is invisible to the
+     * scan's outcome, since a match found elsewhere is definitive regardless).
+     */
+    @Test
+    void aHerdrErrorOnTheOwningPaneDuringTheScanIsRefusedNotPromotedToPrimary() {
+        FakeHerdr failing = new FakeHerdr().processInfoFailsForPane("w2:p7", "transient");
+        ConnectionIdentity incomplete = new ConnectionIdentity(new PaneLocator(failing), _ -> FakeHerdr.WORKER_PID);
+
+        Principal p = new CallerResolver(incomplete).resolve("127.0.0.1", 55555, null);
+
+        assertEquals(Role.ANONYMOUS, p.role(),
+                "an incomplete pane scan must never be read as a clean negative and promoted to primary");
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * The companion invariant: a herdr error on a DIFFERENT, non-owning pane must not turn every
+     * mid-scan teardown into a refusal — the real match is still found and resolves as a worker.
+     */
+    @Test
+    void aHerdrErrorOnANonOwningPaneStillResolvesTheRealWorker() {
+        FakeHerdr vanishedElsewhere = new FakeHerdr().processInfoFailsForPane("w2:p9", "pane_not_found");
+        ConnectionIdentity id = new ConnectionIdentity(new PaneLocator(vanishedElsewhere), _ -> FakeHerdr.WORKER_PID);
+
+        Principal p = new CallerResolver(id).resolve("127.0.0.1", 55555, null);
+
+        assertEquals(Role.WORKER, p.role());
+        assertEquals("term_a", p.terminal());
+    }
+
     @Test
     void aNonLoopbackCallerIsNeverThePrimaryUnderLoopbackTrust() {
         // Defence in depth: startup already refuses this pairing (validateAuthExposure), but if a

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/config/FleetConfigTest.java

@@ -1,8 +1,11 @@
 package dev.ltms.fleet.config;
 
+import ch.qos.logback.classic.Level;
+import ch.qos.logback.classic.spi.ILoggingEvent;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.auth.MemberRegistry;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.msg.LeadMailbox;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.peer.MemberRole;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.testing.CapturedLog;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.io.TempDir;
 
@@ -93,6 +96,72 @@ class FleetConfigTest {
                 "unset means off — today's behaviour, unchanged");
     }
 
+    /**
+     * fleetd #601 review (measured 2026-09-22): this guard used to throw {@link
+     * IllegalStateException} and refuse to start. On a host with the conflict configured, that
+     * turned into a launchd restart loop with no readable cause, since {@code fleetd.yaml} is
+     * gitignored. It must now WARN and let the daemon start, and the warning must carry both values
+     * so an operator can fix the config without reading the source. Pinning the log line itself (via
+     * {@link CapturedLog}) rather than a snippet of production source text — the latter is the
+     * anti-pattern this repo avoids; the former is the actual observable behaviour a reader (or an
+     * alert on the log) depends on.
+     */
+    @Test
+    void aClaudeProfileWithConflictingAutoCompactFlagAndEnvironmentWindowLoadsAndWarnsWithBothValues(
+            @TempDir Path dir) throws Exception {
+        Path f = dir.resolve("conflicting-auto-compact-window.yaml");
+        Files.writeString(f, """
+                profiles:
+                  claude-profile:
+                    autoCompactWindow: 250000
+                    env:
+                      CLAUDE_CODE_AUTO_COMPACT_WINDOW: "300000"
+                """);
+
+        FleetConfig cfg;
+        List<String> warnings;
+        try (CapturedLog log = CapturedLog.at(FleetConfig.class, Level.WARN)) {
+            cfg = FleetConfig.load(f);
+            warnings = log.events().stream().map(ILoggingEvent::getFormattedMessage).toList();
+        }
+
+        assertEquals(250_000, cfg.profiles().get("claude-profile").autoCompactWindow(),
+                "the disagreement is reported, not corrected — the flag value still loads as-is");
+        assertEquals(1, warnings.size(), "exactly one warning for the one conflicting profile: " + warnings);
+        String warning = warnings.get(0);
+        assertTrue(warning.contains("claude-profile"), "names the offending profile: " + warning);
+        assertTrue(warning.contains("autoCompactWindow=250000"), "names the flag value: " + warning);
+        assertTrue(warning.contains("CLAUDE_CODE_AUTO_COMPACT_WINDOW=300000"), "names the env value: " + warning);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * The negative probe paired with the test above (per fleetd #601 review): a warning that fires
+     * on every load and a warning that never fires read the same from a single test, so both must be
+     * checked. No conflict here — the flag and the env value agree — so no warning should be logged.
+     */
+    @Test
+    void aClaudeProfileWithEqualAutoCompactFlagAndEnvironmentWindowLoadsWithNoWarning(@TempDir Path dir)
+            throws Exception {
+        Path f = dir.resolve("equal-auto-compact-window.yaml");
+        Files.writeString(f, """
+                profiles:
+                  claude-profile:
+                    autoCompactWindow: 250000
+                    env:
+                      CLAUDE_CODE_AUTO_COMPACT_WINDOW: "250000"
+                """);
+
+        FleetConfig cfg;
+        List<ILoggingEvent> events;
+        try (CapturedLog log = CapturedLog.at(FleetConfig.class, Level.WARN)) {
+            cfg = FleetConfig.load(f);
+            events = log.events();
+        }
+
+        assertEquals(250_000, cfg.profiles().get("claude-profile").autoCompactWindow());
+        assertTrue(events.isEmpty(), "equal values must not warn: " + events);
+    }
+
     // ── fleetd #201 Unit 5: errorPattern ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
     @Test
@@ -345,7 +414,7 @@ class FleetConfigTest {
         IllegalStateException unknownError = assertThrows(IllegalStateException.class,
                 () -> FleetConfig.load(unknown).validateCharters());
         assertTrue(unknownError.getMessage().contains("architetc"));
-        assertTrue(unknownError.getMessage().contains("[architect, dev, reviewer]"));
+        assertTrue(unknownError.getMessage().contains("[architect, dev, hunter, reviewer]"));
     }
 
     /**
@@ -812,13 +881,17 @@ class FleetConfigTest {
                   reviewers:
                     b:
                       profile: sonnet
+                  hunters:
+                    c:
+                      profile: sonnet
                 """);
 
         FleetConfig cfg = FleetConfig.load(f);
         assertEquals(List.of("sonnet"), cfg.fleet().profilesFor(MemberRole.DEV));
+        assertEquals(List.of("sonnet"), cfg.fleet().profilesFor(MemberRole.HUNTER));
         assertEquals(List.of("sonnet"), cfg.fleet().profilesFor(MemberRole.REVIEWER));
         assertTrue(cfg.fleet().profilesFor(MemberRole.ARCHITECT).isEmpty());
-        assertEquals(List.of(MemberRole.DEV, MemberRole.REVIEWER), cfg.fleet().rolesConfigured());
+        assertEquals(List.of(MemberRole.DEV, MemberRole.HUNTER, MemberRole.REVIEWER), cfg.fleet().rolesConfigured());
     }
 
     /** The case the two axes exist for: one backend, two roles, and neither is a duplicate. */

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/health/FleetHealthMonitorCoverageTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+package dev.ltms.fleet.health;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+
+/**
+ * fleetd #426: {@link FleetHealthMonitor#coverage} had zero references anywhere in the test tree —
+ * not the method, not either output string, not the field it populates. This pins the method's own
+ * three branches directly.
+ *
+ * <p>This is the easy half. It proves the method words each combination correctly, but it proves
+ * nothing about whether {@code Fleetd.java}'s two call sites pass the right argument in the right
+ * position — see {@code FleetdHealthCoverageSourceWiringTest} (package {@code dev.ltms.fleet}) for
+ * the half that actually guards the call site, following the measured fleetd #415 lesson that a
+ * thoroughly-tested method and an untested argument pairing at its call site are different risks.
+ *
+ * <p><strong>The three output strings are load-bearing and must not change here.</strong> {@code
+ * "detection-only"} is read live off a running daemon's {@code fleet_list} today (measured
+ * 2026-09-12) — this test intentionally asserts the exact literal strings so a future edit to the
+ * wording trips it here first.
+ */
+class FleetHealthMonitorCoverageTest {
+
+    @Test
+    void disabledIsOffRegardlessOfNotificationConfig() {
+        assertEquals("off", FleetHealthMonitor.coverage(false, false));
+        assertEquals("off", FleetHealthMonitor.coverage(false, true));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void enabledWithoutNotificationsIsDetectionOnly() {
+        assertEquals("detection-only", FleetHealthMonitor.coverage(true, false));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void enabledWithNotificationsIsFull() {
+        assertEquals("full", FleetHealthMonitor.coverage(true, true));
+    }
+}

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/herdr/FakeHerdr.java

@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ public final class FakeHerdr implements HerdrClient {
     private int workerTabPaneCount = 1;
     private String paneCloseErrorCode = null;
     private final Map<String, String> paneCloseErrorCodeFor = new ConcurrentHashMap<>();
+    private final Map<String, String> processInfoErrorCodeFor = new ConcurrentHashMap<>();
     private String tabCloseErrorCode = null;
     private final Map<String, String> tabCloseErrorCodeFor = new ConcurrentHashMap<>();
     private String agentSendErrorCode = null;
@@ -144,6 +145,18 @@ public final class FakeHerdr implements HerdrClient {
         return this;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Make {@code pane.process_info} fail with this herdr error code, but only for the given
+     * {@code pane_id} — every other pane's {@code pane.process_info} still succeeds. Models a
+     * transient herdr failure partway through a {@link PaneLocator} pid→pane scan (fleetd #505):
+     * the scan must be able to tell "this pane does not own the pid" apart from "the scan could
+     * not check this pane at all", instead of collapsing both into one {@code false}.
+     */
+    public FakeHerdr processInfoFailsForPane(String paneId, String code) {
+        this.processInfoErrorCodeFor.put(paneId, code);
+        return this;
+    }
+
     /** Set the {@code agent_status} that {@code agent.get} reports (drives the injector). */
     public FakeHerdr agentStatus(String status) {
         this.agentStatus = status;
@@ -407,6 +420,13 @@ public final class FakeHerdr implements HerdrClient {
                           {"pane_id":"w2:p9","terminal_id":"term_shell","workspace_id":"w2","tab_id":"w2:t8"}]}""");
                 case "pane.process_info" -> {
                     Object paneId = params instanceof java.util.Map<?, ?> m ? m.get("pane_id") : null;
+                    String failCode = paneId == null ? null
+                            : processInfoErrorCodeFor.get(String.valueOf(paneId));
+                    if (failCode != null) {
+                        throw new HerdrException(
+                                "herdr error [" + failCode + "]: pane.process_info failed",
+                                failCode, null);
+                    }
                     yield "w2:p7".equals(paneId)
                             ? mapper.readTree(("""
                                 {"type":"pane_process_info","process_info":{"pane_id":"w2:p7","shell_pid":%d,

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/herdr/PaneLocatorContractTest.java

@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ class PaneLocatorContractTest {
                         .path("pane").path("terminal_id").asText(null);
                 assertNotNull(terminalId, "seed pane should carry a terminal_id");
 
-                assertEquals(terminalId, new PaneLocator(herdr).terminalForPid(shellPid),
+                assertEquals(terminalId, new PaneLocator(herdr).terminalForPid(shellPid).terminal(),
                         "a real PID must resolve back to its own pane's terminal_id");
             } finally {
                 spaces.closeTab(tab.tab().tabId());

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/herdr/PaneLocatorTest.java

@@ -15,18 +15,20 @@ class PaneLocatorTest {
 
     @Test
     void resolvesTerminalForAForegroundPid() {
-        assertEquals("term_a", loc.terminalForPid(FakeHerdr.WORKER_PID));
+        assertEquals("term_a", loc.terminalForPid(FakeHerdr.WORKER_PID).terminal());
     }
 
     @Test
     void nullForAPidInNoPane() {
-        assertNull(loc.terminalForPid(999_999));
+        PaneLocator.Lookup outcome = loc.terminalForPid(999_999);
+        assertNull(outcome.terminal());
+        assertTrue(outcome.complete(), "a full, error-free scan that finds no match is complete");
     }
 
     @Test
     void nullForNonPositivePid() {
-        assertNull(loc.terminalForPid(0));
-        assertNull(loc.terminalForPid(-1));
+        assertNull(loc.terminalForPid(0).terminal());
+        assertNull(loc.terminalForPid(-1).terminal());
     }
 
     // --- two-daemon fallback (CB-185) -----------------------------------------
@@ -38,7 +40,7 @@ class PaneLocatorTest {
         HerdrClient lead = new FakeHerdr().withNoPanes();
         HerdrClient member = new FakeHerdr();
         PaneLocator two = new PaneLocator(lead, member);
-        assertEquals("term_a", two.terminalForPid(FakeHerdr.WORKER_PID));
+        assertEquals("term_a", two.terminalForPid(FakeHerdr.WORKER_PID).terminal());
     }
 
     @Test
@@ -48,13 +50,13 @@ class PaneLocatorTest {
         HerdrClient lead = new FakeHerdr();
         HerdrClient member = new FakeHerdr().withNoPanes();
         PaneLocator two = new PaneLocator(lead, member);
-        assertEquals("term_a", two.terminalForPid(FakeHerdr.WORKER_PID));
+        assertEquals("term_a", two.terminalForPid(FakeHerdr.WORKER_PID).terminal());
     }
 
     @Test
     void nullWhenNeitherClientHasTheMatch() {
         PaneLocator two = new PaneLocator(new FakeHerdr().withNoPanes(), new FakeHerdr().withNoPanes());
-        assertNull(two.terminalForPid(FakeHerdr.WORKER_PID));
+        assertNull(two.terminalForPid(FakeHerdr.WORKER_PID).terminal());
     }
 
     @Test
@@ -63,7 +65,7 @@ class PaneLocatorTest {
         // must behave exactly like the one-arg constructor, including making only one herdr call.
         FakeHerdr shared = new FakeHerdr();
         PaneLocator two = new PaneLocator(shared, shared);
-        assertEquals("term_a", two.terminalForPid(FakeHerdr.WORKER_PID));
+        assertEquals("term_a", two.terminalForPid(FakeHerdr.WORKER_PID).terminal());
         long paneListCalls = shared.calls.stream().filter(c -> c.method().equals("pane.list")).count();
         assertEquals(1, paneListCalls, "same-object lead/member must scan exactly once, not twice");
     }
@@ -75,7 +77,7 @@ class PaneLocatorTest {
         // Regression: a pid with no parent chain at all — no ancestry walk is needed to match it.
         OnePaneHerdr pane = new OnePaneHerdr("term_x", "pX", 5000, 6000);
         PaneLocator loc = new PaneLocator(pane, new FakeParentResolver());
-        assertEquals("term_x", loc.terminalForPid(5000));
+        assertEquals("term_x", loc.terminalForPid(5000).terminal());
     }
 
     @Test
@@ -83,7 +85,7 @@ class PaneLocatorTest {
         // Regression: same as above, but matching via the foreground-processes list.
         OnePaneHerdr pane = new OnePaneHerdr("term_x", "pX", 5000, 6000);
         PaneLocator loc = new PaneLocator(pane, new FakeParentResolver());
-        assertEquals("term_x", loc.terminalForPid(6000));
+        assertEquals("term_x", loc.terminalForPid(6000).terminal());
     }
 
     @Test
@@ -97,7 +99,7 @@ class PaneLocatorTest {
                 .parent(7002, 7001)   // grandchild -> child
                 .parent(7001, 5000);  // child -> shell (the pane's shell_pid)
         PaneLocator loc = new PaneLocator(pane, parents);
-        assertEquals("term_x", loc.terminalForPid(7002));
+        assertEquals("term_x", loc.terminalForPid(7002).terminal());
     }
 
     @Test
@@ -110,7 +112,7 @@ class PaneLocatorTest {
                 .parent(9002, 9001)
                 .parent(9001, 9000); // chain never reaches 5000 or 6000
         PaneLocator loc = new PaneLocator(pane, parents);
-        assertNull(loc.terminalForPid(9002));
+        assertNull(loc.terminalForPid(9002).terminal());
     }
 
     @Test
@@ -122,7 +124,7 @@ class PaneLocatorTest {
                 .parent(100, 101)
                 .parent(101, 100); // cycle, never reaches the pane's pids
         PaneLocator loc = new PaneLocator(pane, parents);
-        assertNull(loc.terminalForPid(100));
+        assertNull(loc.terminalForPid(100).terminal());
     }
 
     @Test
@@ -141,11 +143,69 @@ class PaneLocatorTest {
         };
         HerdrClient noPanes = new FakeHerdr().withNoPanes();
         PaneLocator two = new PaneLocator(noPanes, pane, counting);
-        assertEquals("term_x", two.terminalForPid(7002));
+        assertEquals("term_x", two.terminalForPid(7002).terminal());
         assertEquals(3, calls.get(), "ancestry must be walked once (3 lookups: 7002, 7001, 5000), "
                 + "not re-walked per herdr client");
     }
 
+    // --- fleetd #505: a herdr error during the scan must not read as a clean negative ---------
+
+    @Test
+    void anErrorOnThePaneThatOwnsThePidMakesTheScanIncompleteNotAClearNegative() {
+        // The discriminating case: pane.process_info fails for exactly the pane that DOES own the
+        // caller's pid ("w2:p7", term_a). Before the fix, that failure was swallowed into a plain
+        // "does not own it" and the scan finished with a clean-looking null — indistinguishable
+        // from a real primary. It must now report incomplete, not a definite null.
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr().processInfoFailsForPane("w2:p7", "transient");
+        PaneLocator loc = new PaneLocator(herdr);
+
+        PaneLocator.Lookup outcome = loc.terminalForPid(FakeHerdr.WORKER_PID);
+
+        assertNull(outcome.terminal(), "the failing pane's ownership could not be confirmed");
+        assertFalse(outcome.complete(),
+                "a scan that could not check the owning pane must not report as complete");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void aVanishedPaneThatIsNotTheMatchLeavesAnOtherwiseSuccessfulScanComplete() {
+        // The companion invariant: a DIFFERENT pane (not the caller's own) failing mid-scan must
+        // not turn every mid-scan teardown into a refusal — the real match is still found, and the
+        // scan is still reported complete.
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr().processInfoFailsForPane("w2:p9", "pane_not_found");
+        PaneLocator loc = new PaneLocator(herdr);
+
+        PaneLocator.Lookup outcome = loc.terminalForPid(FakeHerdr.WORKER_PID);
+
+        assertEquals("term_a", outcome.terminal());
+        assertTrue(outcome.complete(), "a positive match elsewhere in the scan is definitive");
+    }
+
+    // --- fleetd #509: the completeness fold across clients must not collapse to "last wins" ----
+
+    @Test
+    void anEarlierClientsErrorSurvivesALaterClientsCleanNegative() {
+        // terminalForPid folds each client's Lookup.complete() with
+        //     complete = complete && outcome.complete();
+        // (PaneLocator.java:117). With a SINGLE client, a fold that keeps only the last outcome
+        // (dropping the "complete &&" prefix) agrees with the real fold — which is why 14 of the
+        // 15 pre-existing tests never catch that mutation: none of them vary the number of clients.
+        // Here the LEAD client errors on exactly the pane that would have owned the pid (so its
+        // scan is incomplete AND finds no match), and the MEMBER client cleanly reports no panes
+        // at all (a complete, negative scan). The real fold ANDs the two into false. A fold that
+        // just keeps the last client's outcome would read this as a clean true — the earlier
+        // error is erased, and CallerResolver.java:254 would read scanComplete() as true and
+        // promote an unverified caller to the primary.
+        HerdrClient lead = new FakeHerdr().processInfoFailsForPane("w2:p7", "transient");
+        HerdrClient member = new FakeHerdr().withNoPanes();
+        PaneLocator two = new PaneLocator(lead, member);
+
+        PaneLocator.Lookup outcome = two.terminalForPid(FakeHerdr.WORKER_PID);
+
+        assertNull(outcome.terminal(), "the pane that could have owned the pid was never checked");
+        assertFalse(outcome.complete(),
+                "an earlier client's error must survive a later client's clean negative");
+    }
+
     /** Minimal single-pane {@link HerdrClient} fake, purpose-built for the ancestry tests above. */
     private static final class OnePaneHerdr implements HerdrClient {
         private final ObjectMapper mapper = new ObjectMapper();

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/inject/CompletionResolverTest.java

@@ -1,9 +1,7 @@
 package dev.ltms.fleet.inject;
 
 import ch.qos.logback.classic.Level;
-import ch.qos.logback.classic.LoggerContext;
 import ch.qos.logback.classic.spi.ILoggingEvent;
-import ch.qos.logback.core.read.ListAppender;
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.JsonNode;
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.ObjectMapper;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.AgentControl;
@@ -12,8 +10,8 @@ import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.HerdrClient;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.msg.Rendezvous;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.msg.TestTurnTokens;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.msg.TurnToken;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.testing.CapturedLog;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
-import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
 
 import java.util.Set;
 import java.util.regex.Pattern;
@@ -21,6 +19,7 @@ import java.util.regex.Pattern;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertFalse;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNotEquals;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNotNull;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
 
 /** Unit behaviour of the CB-106 completion resolver in isolation from the injector. */
@@ -470,15 +469,7 @@ class CompletionResolverTest {
         // CB-564: this used to be a bare DEBUG "failed send to X via turn-stall fallback" — a symptom
         // with no cause, and below the level anyone watching for member health would see. A fail that
         // resolves a caller's blocked send is at least WARN and must carry the reason.
-        LoggerContext ctx = (LoggerContext) LoggerFactory.getILoggerFactory();
-        ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger resolverLog =
-                (ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger) LoggerFactory.getLogger(CompletionResolver.class);
-        ListAppender<ILoggingEvent> appender = new ListAppender<>();
-        appender.setContext(ctx);
-        appender.start();
-        resolverLog.addAppender(appender);
-        resolverLog.setLevel(Level.WARN);
-        try {
+        try (CapturedLog log = CapturedLog.at(CompletionResolver.class, Level.WARN)) {
             FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr().readText("stuck on an error screen");
             Rendezvous rendezvous = new Rendezvous();
             CompletionResolver resolver = new CompletionResolver(new AgentControl(herdr), rendezvous, ExhaustedPatternLookup.none(), ExhaustionSink.none());
@@ -486,7 +477,7 @@ class CompletionResolverTest {
 
             resolver.fail("term_a", null);
 
-            String warn = appender.list.stream()
+            String warn = log.events().stream()
                     .filter(e -> e.getLevel().equals(Level.WARN))
                     .map(ILoggingEvent::getFormattedMessage)
                     .findFirst()
@@ -494,8 +485,6 @@ class CompletionResolverTest {
             assertTrue(warn.contains("term_a"), "the log names the target: " + warn);
             assertTrue(warn.contains("stuck on an error screen"), "the log carries the reason: " + warn);
             assertTrue(waiter.isDone());
-        } finally {
-            resolverLog.detachAppender(appender);
         }
     }
 
@@ -531,6 +520,254 @@ class CompletionResolverTest {
         assertTrue(rendezvous.isWaiting("term_a"), "turn N+1 is still awaiting its own resolution");
     }
 
+    // --- fleetd #556 (comment 16908): name the invariant the two-arg remove(target, turn) idiom
+    // exists to maintain — a superseded turn's terminal handling must not evict its successor's
+    // registration — and test THAT, not the idiom's literal spelling. Three entry points reach a
+    // conditional remove: resolve()'s plain completion path, resolve()'s echoed-brief/noReportMessage
+    // sub-path, and fail(). This is a non-goal-to-break for fleetd #556's redesign: flattening any of
+    // these removes to the one-arg form must turn one of these three red. -------------------------
+
+    @Test
+    void aSupersededTurnsPlainCompletionMustNotEvictItsSuccessorsRegistration() {
+        // Turn A is overtaken by turn B on the same target (a rapid back-to-back send): B's own
+        // delivery overwrites the map entry A's delivery installed. A's late completion fallback
+        // then finally fires and reaches resolve()'s ordinary (non-echoed) completion branch — the
+        // two-arg remove(target, turnA) there must be a no-op once the map holds B, not a blind
+        // evict.
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr().readText("⏺ A's pre-turn pane\n❯ ");
+        Rendezvous rendezvous = new Rendezvous();
+        CompletionResolver resolver = new CompletionResolver(new AgentControl(herdr), rendezvous,
+                ExhaustedPatternLookup.none(), ExhaustionSink.none());
+
+        var waiterA = rendezvous.open("term_a");
+        var turnA = new CompletionResolver.InFlight(waiterA, null); // baseline null: fails open, never suppressed
+        rendezvous.close("term_a", waiterA); // A's own send's finally, freeing the session for B
+        var waiterB = rendezvous.open("term_a");
+        resolver.captureBaseline("term_a", new TurnToken("term_a", waiterB)); // the injector registering B
+
+        herdr.readText("⏺ A's late, genuine answer\n❯ "); // what the pane shows when A's fallback fires
+        resolver.resolve("term_a", turnA);
+
+        assertTrue(waiterA.isDone(), "A's own resolve must still complete A's waiter normally");
+        assertEquals(Rendezvous.Kind.COMPLETION, waiterA.getNow(null).kind());
+
+        CompletionResolver.InFlight afterA = resolver.inFlight("term_a");
+        assertNotNull(afterA, "B's registration must still be present — a one-arg remove(target) "
+                + "here would evict it even though the map no longer holds turnA");
+        assertEquals(waiterB, afterA.waiter(), "the surviving entry must still be B's, untouched by A's "
+                + "terminal handling");
+        assertTrue(rendezvous.resolve("term_a", "B replied"),
+                "B must still resolve normally through the ordinary reply path");
+        assertEquals(Rendezvous.Kind.REPLY, waiterB.getNow(null).kind());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void aSupersededTurnsEchoedNoReportSubPathMustNotEvictItsSuccessorsRegistration() {
+        // Same invariant, driven down resolve()'s OTHER branch: a pane that merely echoes the
+        // injected brief back (no real report) resolves through noReportMessage(), not the plain
+        // tail — comment 16908 calls this "a sub-path of the first, not a separate method", reaching
+        // the same terminal remove() call site from different logic above it.
+        String echoedBrief = "y".repeat(450); // >= CompletionResolver.ECHO_MIN_CHARS normalised chars
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr().readText("⏺ " + echoedBrief + "\n❯ ");
+        Rendezvous rendezvous = new Rendezvous();
+        CompletionResolver resolver = new CompletionResolver(new AgentControl(herdr), rendezvous,
+                ExhaustedPatternLookup.none(), ExhaustionSink.none());
+
+        var waiterA = rendezvous.open("term_a");
+        // Back-dated deliveredAtNanos (like the 2-arg InFlight convenience ctor) so MIN_TURN_NANOS
+        // never fires; injectedText == the pane's own content so echoesInjectedBrief() is true.
+        var turnA = new CompletionResolver.InFlight(waiterA, null, Long.MIN_VALUE / 2, echoedBrief);
+        rendezvous.close("term_a", waiterA);
+        var waiterB = rendezvous.open("term_a");
+        resolver.captureBaseline("term_a", new TurnToken("term_a", waiterB));
+
+        resolver.resolve("term_a", turnA);
+
+        assertTrue(waiterA.isDone(), "A's own resolve must still complete A's waiter via the echoed "
+                + "no-report branch");
+        assertTrue(waiterA.getNow(null).text().contains(CompletionResolver.NO_REPORT_PREFIX),
+                "sanity: A must actually have gone down the noReportMessage sub-path, not the plain one");
+
+        CompletionResolver.InFlight afterA = resolver.inFlight("term_a");
+        assertNotNull(afterA, "B's registration must still be present after A's echoed-brief resolve");
+        assertEquals(waiterB, afterA.waiter());
+        assertTrue(rendezvous.resolve("term_a", "B replied"),
+                "B must still resolve normally through the ordinary reply path");
+        assertEquals(Rendezvous.Kind.REPLY, waiterB.getNow(null).kind());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void aSupersededTurnsFailMustNotEvictItsSuccessorsRegistration() {
+        // The fail() entry point (CB-109 wedge / CB-110 drop): turn A is failed while turn B has
+        // already superseded it in the map. fail()'s own two-arg remove(target, turnA) must be a
+        // no-op once the map holds B.
+        Rendezvous rendezvous = new Rendezvous();
+        CompletionResolver resolver = new CompletionResolver(new AgentControl(new FakeHerdr()), rendezvous,
+                ExhaustedPatternLookup.none(), ExhaustionSink.none());
+
+        var waiterA = rendezvous.open("term_a");
+        var turnA = new CompletionResolver.InFlight(waiterA, null);
+        rendezvous.close("term_a", waiterA);
+        var waiterB = rendezvous.open("term_a");
+        resolver.captureBaseline("term_a", new TurnToken("term_a", waiterB));
+
+        resolver.fail("term_a", turnA, "A wedged in an unknown state");
+
+        assertTrue(waiterA.isDone(), "A's own fail must still complete A's waiter");
+        assertEquals(Rendezvous.Kind.FAILED, waiterA.getNow(null).kind());
+
+        CompletionResolver.InFlight afterA = resolver.inFlight("term_a");
+        assertNotNull(afterA, "B's registration must still be present — a one-arg remove(target) in "
+                + "fail() would evict it even though the map no longer holds turnA");
+        assertEquals(waiterB, afterA.waiter());
+        assertTrue(rendezvous.resolve("term_a", "B replied"),
+                "B must still resolve normally through the ordinary reply path");
+        assertEquals(Rendezvous.Kind.REPLY, waiterB.getNow(null).kind());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void aSupersededDoneTurnMustNotEvictItsSuccessorsRegistration() {
+        Rendezvous rendezvous = new Rendezvous();
+        CompletionResolver resolver = new CompletionResolver(new AgentControl(new FakeHerdr()), rendezvous,
+                ExhaustedPatternLookup.none(), ExhaustionSink.none());
+
+        var waiterA = rendezvous.open("term_a");
+        var turnA = new CompletionResolver.InFlight(waiterA, null);
+        assertTrue(rendezvous.resolve("term_a", "A replied"));
+        rendezvous.close("term_a", waiterA);
+        var waiterB = rendezvous.open("term_a");
+        resolver.captureBaseline("term_a", new TurnToken("term_a", waiterB));
+
+        resolver.resolve("term_a", turnA);
+
+        assertSuccessorRegistrationSurvives(resolver, rendezvous, waiterB,
+                "a done turn must not evict B from resolve()'s early return");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void aSupersededExhaustedTurnMustNotEvictItsSuccessorsRegistration() {
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr().readText("⏺ usage limit has been reached\n❯ ");
+        Rendezvous rendezvous = new Rendezvous();
+        CompletionResolver resolver = new CompletionResolver(new AgentControl(herdr), rendezvous,
+                target -> Pattern.compile("usage limit has been reached"), ExhaustionSink.none());
+
+        var waiterA = rendezvous.open("term_a");
+        var turnA = new CompletionResolver.InFlight(waiterA, null);
+        rendezvous.close("term_a", waiterA);
+        var waiterB = rendezvous.open("term_a");
+        resolver.captureBaseline("term_a", new TurnToken("term_a", waiterB));
+
+        resolver.resolve("term_a", turnA);
+
+        assertSuccessorRegistrationSurvives(resolver, rendezvous, waiterB,
+                "an exhausted turn must not evict B from resolve()'s exhausted branch");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void aSupersededBackendErrorTurnMustNotEvictItsSuccessorsRegistration() {
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr().readText("⏺ API Error: 400 invalid request body\n❯ ");
+        Rendezvous rendezvous = new Rendezvous();
+        CompletionResolver resolver = new CompletionResolver(new AgentControl(herdr), rendezvous,
+                ExhaustedPatternLookup.none(), ExhaustionSink.none());
+
+        var waiterA = rendezvous.open("term_a");
+        var turnA = new CompletionResolver.InFlight(waiterA, null);
+        rendezvous.close("term_a", waiterA);
+        var waiterB = rendezvous.open("term_a");
+        resolver.captureBaseline("term_a", new TurnToken("term_a", waiterB));
+
+        resolver.resolve("term_a", turnA);
+
+        assertSuccessorRegistrationSurvives(resolver, rendezvous, waiterB,
+                "a backend-error turn must not evict B from resolve()'s error branch");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void aSupersededRawExhaustedTurnMustNotEvictItsSuccessorsRegistration() {
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr().readText("╭────\nusage limit has been reached");
+        Rendezvous rendezvous = new Rendezvous();
+        CompletionResolver resolver = new CompletionResolver(new AgentControl(herdr), rendezvous,
+                target -> Pattern.compile("usage limit has been reached"), ExhaustionSink.none());
+
+        var waiterA = rendezvous.open("term_a");
+        var turnA = new CompletionResolver.InFlight(waiterA, null);
+        rendezvous.close("term_a", waiterA);
+        var waiterB = rendezvous.open("term_a");
+        resolver.captureBaseline("term_a", new TurnToken("term_a", waiterB));
+
+        resolver.resolve("term_a", turnA);
+
+        assertSuccessorRegistrationSurvives(resolver, rendezvous, waiterB,
+                "a raw exhausted turn must not evict B from the raw-scrape exhausted branch");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void aSupersededRawBackendErrorTurnMustNotEvictItsSuccessorsRegistration() {
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr().readText("╭────\nAPI Error: 400 invalid request body");
+        Rendezvous rendezvous = new Rendezvous();
+        CompletionResolver resolver = new CompletionResolver(new AgentControl(herdr), rendezvous,
+                ExhaustedPatternLookup.none(), ExhaustionSink.none());
+
+        var waiterA = rendezvous.open("term_a");
+        var turnA = new CompletionResolver.InFlight(waiterA, null);
+        rendezvous.close("term_a", waiterA);
+        var waiterB = rendezvous.open("term_a");
+        resolver.captureBaseline("term_a", new TurnToken("term_a", waiterB));
+
+        resolver.resolve("term_a", turnA);
+
+        assertSuccessorRegistrationSurvives(resolver, rendezvous, waiterB,
+                "a raw backend-error turn must not evict B from the raw-scrape error branch");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void aSupersededDoneFailedTurnMustNotEvictItsSuccessorsRegistration() {
+        Rendezvous rendezvous = new Rendezvous();
+        CompletionResolver resolver = new CompletionResolver(new AgentControl(new FakeHerdr()), rendezvous,
+                ExhaustedPatternLookup.none(), ExhaustionSink.none());
+
+        var waiterA = rendezvous.open("term_a");
+        var turnA = new CompletionResolver.InFlight(waiterA, null);
+        assertTrue(rendezvous.resolve("term_a", "A replied"));
+        rendezvous.close("term_a", waiterA);
+        var waiterB = rendezvous.open("term_a");
+        resolver.captureBaseline("term_a", new TurnToken("term_a", waiterB));
+
+        resolver.fail("term_a", turnA);
+
+        assertSuccessorRegistrationSurvives(resolver, rendezvous, waiterB,
+                "a done failed turn must not evict B from fail()'s early return");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void aSupersededTooFastBackendErrorTurnMustNotEvictItsSuccessorsRegistration() {
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr().readText("⏺ API Error: 400 invalid request body\n❯ ");
+        Rendezvous rendezvous = new Rendezvous();
+        long[] clock = {10_000_000_000L};
+        CompletionResolver resolver = new CompletionResolver(new AgentControl(herdr), rendezvous,
+                ExhaustedPatternLookup.none(), ExhaustionSink.none(), () -> clock[0]);
+
+        var waiterA = rendezvous.open("term_a");
+        var turnA = new CompletionResolver.InFlight(waiterA, null, clock[0]);
+        rendezvous.close("term_a", waiterA);
+        var waiterB = rendezvous.open("term_a");
+        resolver.captureBaseline("term_a", new TurnToken("term_a", waiterB));
+        clock[0] += CompletionResolver.MIN_TURN_NANOS - 1;
+
+        resolver.resolve("term_a", turnA);
+
+        assertSuccessorRegistrationSurvives(resolver, rendezvous, waiterB,
+                "a too-fast backend-error turn must not evict B from failTooFast()");
+    }
+
+    private static void assertSuccessorRegistrationSurvives(CompletionResolver resolver, Rendezvous rendezvous,
+                                                             Object waiterB, String message) {
+        CompletionResolver.InFlight afterA = resolver.inFlight("term_a");
+        assertNotNull(afterA, message + " — a one-arg remove(target) would remove B");
+        assertEquals(waiterB, afterA.waiter(), message + " — the surviving record must belong to B");
+        assertTrue(rendezvous.resolve("term_a", "B replied"), message + " — B must still resolve normally");
+    }
+
     // --- CB-578 stage A: backend-exhausted classification ---------------------------------
 
     @Test

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/inject/InjectorTest.java

@@ -1,16 +1,18 @@
 package dev.ltms.fleet.inject;
 
 import ch.qos.logback.classic.Level;
-import ch.qos.logback.classic.LoggerContext;
 import ch.qos.logback.classic.spi.ILoggingEvent;
-import ch.qos.logback.core.read.ListAppender;
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.JsonNode;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.AgentControl;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.AgentStatus;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.FakeHerdr;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.HerdrClient;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.HerdrException;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.msg.Rendezvous;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.msg.TestTurnTokens;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.msg.TurnToken;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.testing.CapturedLog;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
-import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
 
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.List;
@@ -19,6 +21,8 @@ import java.util.Set;
 import java.util.concurrent.CompletableFuture;
 import java.util.concurrent.ExecutionException;
 import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
+import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicInteger;
+import java.util.function.LongSupplier;
 
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.*;
 
@@ -491,23 +495,15 @@ class InjectorTest {
     void readinessGraceExpiryIsLogged() {
         // CB-562: the grace-expiry path used to clear the queue silently, so a message that never
         // reached the worker's pane surfaced elsewhere as an unrelated turn-stall failure. Assert the
-        // expiry now names the real cause. (ListAppender capture pattern mirrors AuditLogTest.)
-        LoggerContext ctx = (LoggerContext) LoggerFactory.getILoggerFactory();
-        ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger injectorLog =
-                (ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger) LoggerFactory.getLogger(Injector.class);
-        ListAppender<ILoggingEvent> appender = new ListAppender<>();
-        appender.setContext(ctx);
-        appender.start();
-        injectorLog.addAppender(appender);
-        injectorLog.setLevel(Level.WARN);
-        try {
+        // expiry now names the real cause. (CapturedLog pattern mirrors AuditLogTest.)
+        try (CapturedLog log = CapturedLog.at(Injector.class, Level.WARN)) {
             Injector inj = new Injector(new AgentControl(herdr), TurnListener.NOOP, _ -> false, _ -> {
             });
             inj.enqueue(T, "task", TestTurnTokens.inert(T));
 
             for (int i = 0; i < READINESS_SAMPLES; i++) inj.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.IDLE);
 
-            String warn = appender.list.stream()
+            String warn = log.events().stream()
                     .filter(e -> e.getLevel().equals(Level.WARN))
                     .map(ILoggingEvent::getFormattedMessage)
                     .findFirst()
@@ -516,8 +512,77 @@ class InjectorTest {
             assertTrue(warn.contains("never reached"), "the log names the real cause: " + warn);
             assertTrue(warn.contains("1 queued message"),
                     "the log carries the failed message count: " + warn);
-        } finally {
-            injectorLog.detachAppender(appender);
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void readinessGraceExpiryLogsTheMeasuredPollCountNextToTheConfiguredBudget() {
+        // fleetd #501, defect 1: READINESS_GRACE_POLLS (240) used to be printed twice — once as
+        // "after {} polls" and once inside the parenthesised budget — even though the loop's own
+        // counter (Target.notReadySincePoll) was in scope at the same call site. On THIS branch the
+        // counter has just reached the threshold, so it equals the constant by construction and this
+        // test cannot tell the two apart — it only pins that the message still carries both a poll
+        // count and a labelled configured budget, using literal numbers (240, 60), never
+        // READINESS_GRACE_POLLS or POLL_INTERVAL_MILLIS, so the assertion can't silently track a
+        // constant change instead of catching a real regression.
+        try (CapturedLog log = CapturedLog.at(Injector.class, Level.WARN)) {
+            Injector inj = new Injector(new AgentControl(herdr), TurnListener.NOOP, _ -> false, _ -> {
+            });
+            inj.enqueue(T, "task", TestTurnTokens.inert(T));
+
+            for (int i = 0; i < READINESS_SAMPLES; i++) inj.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.IDLE);
+
+            String warn = log.events().stream()
+                    .filter(e -> e.getLevel().equals(Level.WARN))
+                    .map(ILoggingEvent::getFormattedMessage)
+                    .findFirst()
+                    .orElse("no grace-expiry WARN logged");
+            assertTrue(warn.contains("after 240 polls"),
+                    "must print the measured poll count as a plain number: " + warn);
+            assertTrue(warn.contains("configured=240 polls/60s"),
+                    "must print the configured budget, clearly labelled: " + warn);
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void readinessGraceExpiryLogsTheMeasuredElapsedTimeNotArithmeticOnConstants() {
+        // fleetd #501, defect 2: the old line computed "({}s)" as READINESS_GRACE_POLLS *
+        // POLL_INTERVAL_MILLIS / 1000 — arithmetic on two constants, never a measurement, and wrong
+        // in the direction that says everything ran on schedule. This stub clock returns two FIXED
+        // values (1_000ms at the first non-ready sample, 318_412ms at the poll that trips the grace)
+        // whose difference — 317_412ms — does NOT equal 240 * POLL_INTERVAL_MILLIS (=60_000ms).
+        // Asserting on that literal, non-derived number is what makes this test able to fail if the
+        // production code goes back to printing the constant-arithmetic value instead of the
+        // injected clock's measurement.
+        long[] readings = {1_000L, 318_412L};
+        AtomicInteger call = new AtomicInteger(0);
+        LongSupplier stubClock = () -> {
+            int i = call.getAndIncrement();
+            if (i >= readings.length) {
+                throw new AssertionError("nowMillis read more times than this fixture expects (" + i
+                        + "); the readiness-not-ready branch should read the clock exactly twice — "
+                        + "once to stamp the first non-ready sample, once at grace expiry");
+            }
+            return readings[i];
+        };
+
+        try (CapturedLog log = CapturedLog.at(Injector.class, Level.WARN)) {
+            Injector inj = new Injector(new AgentControl(herdr), TurnListener.NOOP, _ -> false, _ -> {
+            }, stubClock);
+            inj.enqueue(T, "task", TestTurnTokens.inert(T));
+
+            for (int i = 0; i < READINESS_SAMPLES; i++) inj.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.IDLE);
+
+            String warn = log.events().stream()
+                    .filter(e -> e.getLevel().equals(Level.WARN))
+                    .map(ILoggingEvent::getFormattedMessage)
+                    .findFirst()
+                    .orElse("no grace-expiry WARN logged");
+            assertTrue(warn.contains("elapsed=317412ms"), "must print the MEASURED elapsed time from "
+                    + "the injected clock (318412 - 1000 = 317412), not an arithmetic value: " + warn);
+            assertFalse(warn.contains("elapsed=60000ms"), "must not print "
+                    + "READINESS_GRACE_POLLS * POLL_INTERVAL_MILLIS (240 * 250 = 60000ms) as if it "
+                    + "were the measured elapsed time: " + warn);
         }
     }
 
@@ -554,21 +619,13 @@ class InjectorTest {
         // CB-564: a vanished worker used to drop its queue with no log at all — the only trace was
         // whatever failed downstream (e.g. a caller's send timing out with no clue why). Assert the
         // drop itself now names the cause and the number of messages it failed.
-        LoggerContext ctx = (LoggerContext) LoggerFactory.getILoggerFactory();
-        ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger injectorLog =
-                (ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger) LoggerFactory.getLogger(Injector.class);
-        ListAppender<ILoggingEvent> appender = new ListAppender<>();
-        appender.setContext(ctx);
-        appender.start();
-        injectorLog.addAppender(appender);
-        injectorLog.setLevel(Level.WARN);
-        try {
+        try (CapturedLog log = CapturedLog.at(Injector.class, Level.WARN)) {
             Injector inj = new Injector(new AgentControl(herdr), TurnListener.NOOP, _ -> true, _ -> {
             });
             inj.enqueue(T, "orphan", TestTurnTokens.inert(T));
             inj.drop(T, new HerdrException("worker gone", "pane_not_found", null));
 
-            String warn = appender.list.stream()
+            String warn = log.events().stream()
                     .filter(e -> e.getLevel().equals(Level.WARN))
                     .map(ILoggingEvent::getFormattedMessage)
                     .findFirst()
@@ -576,8 +633,6 @@ class InjectorTest {
             assertTrue(warn.contains(T), "the log names the target terminal: " + warn);
             assertTrue(warn.contains("1 message"), "the log carries the failed message count: " + warn);
             assertTrue(warn.contains("worker gone"), "the log carries the real cause: " + warn);
-        } finally {
-            injectorLog.detachAppender(appender);
         }
     }
 
@@ -613,4 +668,783 @@ class InjectorTest {
         ExecutionException ex = assertThrows(ExecutionException.class, f::get);
         assertInstanceOf(HerdrException.class, ex.getCause());
     }
+
+    /**
+     * A {@link HerdrClient} that throws a non-{@link RuntimeException} {@link Error} from {@code
+     * agent.prompt} instead of delegating — the fleetd #546 case: a stray non-RuntimeException
+     * throwable (e.g. a {@code NoClassDefFoundError}, fleetd #413) escaping the send seam at
+     * {@code Injector.java:383}. Records every call it sees itself, including the ones it throws
+     * for, since the delegate's own recording is never reached for {@code agent.prompt} — so a test
+     * can assert on exactly what this fake actually received.
+     */
+    private static final class ErrorOnPrompt implements HerdrClient {
+        private final FakeHerdr delegate;
+        private final List<FakeHerdr.Call> calls = new java.util.concurrent.CopyOnWriteArrayList<>();
+
+        private ErrorOnPrompt(FakeHerdr delegate) {
+            this.delegate = delegate;
+        }
+
+        List<FakeHerdr.Call> calls() {
+            return calls;
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public JsonNode call(String method, Object params) {
+            calls.add(new FakeHerdr.Call(method, params));
+            if (method.equals("agent.prompt")) {
+                throw new AssertionError("simulated non-RuntimeException send failure (fleetd #546)");
+            }
+            return delegate.call(method, params);
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public void close() {
+            delegate.close();
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Mirrors StatusPoller's own per-target {@code catch (Throwable)} (fleetd #538 / PR #543): the
+     * production polling loop already swallows whatever escapes one target's round and comes back
+     * for the next one. A unit test that calls {@code onStatus} directly (bypassing StatusPoller)
+     * needs the same survival so it can observe what a SECOND round does, regardless of whether
+     * fleetd #546's fix is present.
+     */
+    private static void pollOnceSurviving(Injector inj, String target, AgentStatus status) {
+        try {
+            inj.onStatus(target, status);
+        } catch (Throwable ignored) {
+            // matches StatusPoller.loop's own catch (Throwable) added by PR #543
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void anErrorFromSendRemovesTheMessageAndMarksItAttempted() {
+        // fleetd #546, acceptance test 1: an Error (not a RuntimeException) escaping the send seam
+        // must still be caught and the message dropped from the queue, never left QUEUED at the
+        // head. fleetd #551 updates what it is marked: an AssertionError from the send call itself
+        // proves nothing about whether the text reached the pane, so it is recorded as ATTEMPTED
+        // (uncertain), not a confident NOT_DELIVERED — see anErrorFromSendMarksItNotDeliveredOnlyForANotFoundCode
+        // below for the one case that still gets NOT_DELIVERED.
+        ErrorOnPrompt throwing = new ErrorOnPrompt(new FakeHerdr());
+        Injector inj = new Injector(new AgentControl(throwing));
+        Injector.Delivery delivery = inj.enqueue(T, "brief", TestTurnTokens.inert(T));
+
+        assertDoesNotThrow(() -> inj.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.IDLE),
+                "fleetd #546: an Error from the send seam must be caught inside onStatus, not "
+                        + "escape it");
+
+        assertTrue(delivery.completion().isCompletedExceptionally(),
+                "the delivery's future must surface the send failure");
+        assertEquals(Injector.Cancellation.ATTEMPTED, inj.cancel(delivery),
+                "fleetd #551: the message must be dropped and marked ATTEMPTED (not a confident "
+                        + "NOT_DELIVERED), and never left QUEUED at the head of the queue");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void anErrorFromSendDoesNotRedeliverOnASecondRound() {
+        // fleetd #546, acceptance test 2 — the test this ticket exists for. Before the fix, an
+        // Error at the send seam left the message QUEUED (Injector.java:378 peeks, not polls), so a
+        // second onStatus round re-entered the same try and sent the same text again: the member's
+        // pane got the same brief typed into it twice.
+        ErrorOnPrompt throwing = new ErrorOnPrompt(new FakeHerdr());
+        Injector inj = new Injector(new AgentControl(throwing));
+        inj.enqueue(T, "brief", TestTurnTokens.inert(T));
+
+        pollOnceSurviving(inj, T, AgentStatus.IDLE);
+        pollOnceSurviving(inj, T, AgentStatus.IDLE);
+
+        long promptCalls = throwing.calls().stream().filter(c -> c.method().equals("agent.prompt")).count();
+        assertEquals(1, promptCalls, "fleetd #546: the poisoned text must be sent exactly once — a "
+                + "second onStatus round must not re-enter send for the same message");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void aHerdrExceptionFromSendStillSurfacesButNowReportsAttempted() {
+        // fleetd #546, acceptance test 3 (control): HerdrException extends RuntimeException, so it
+        // was already caught before #546's widening. The send-failure/surface behaviour is
+        // unchanged by #551 — still dropped, still surfaced to the caller — but fleetd #551
+        // deliberately changes WHAT it is marked: "send_failed" is not a herdr `*_not_found` code,
+        // so this is exactly the response-half case #551 exists to fix. See
+        // aHerdrExceptionAfterThePasteIsNeverRecordedAsConfidentlyNotDelivered for the acceptance
+        // test this ticket was filed for.
+        FakeHerdr failing = new FakeHerdr().agentSendFailsWith("send_failed");
+        Injector inj = new Injector(new AgentControl(failing));
+        Injector.Delivery delivery = inj.enqueue(T, "boom", TestTurnTokens.inert(T));
+
+        inj.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.IDLE);
+
+        assertTrue(delivery.completion().isCompletedExceptionally(),
+                "a HerdrException at the send seam must still surface to the caller, unchanged by "
+                        + "fleetd #546's widening");
+        assertEquals(Injector.Cancellation.ATTEMPTED, inj.cancel(delivery),
+                "fleetd #551: a non-*_not_found HerdrException must now report ATTEMPTED, not a "
+                        + "confident NOT_DELIVERED");
+    }
+
+    // --- fleetd #551: the injector records the delivery attempt BEFORE the irreversible send, not
+    // after, so a failure in the send's response window can never be written down as a confident
+    // NOT_DELIVERED for text that may already be sitting in the worker's pane. ---
+
+    @Test
+    void aHerdrExceptionAfterThePasteIsNeverRecordedAsConfidentlyNotDelivered() {
+        // fleetd #551, the ticket's acceptance test 1, and comment 17037's added test ("a test
+        // pinning that a caller cannot receive a confident NOT_DELIVERED for a message that reached
+        // the paste"): a HerdrException thrown from the response half of the send seam — herdr
+        // replied, with an error, so it definitely processed the request — must not leave a record
+        // claiming the text was never delivered. Red before the fix: on main at ba2f4d1 this
+        // asserted (and got) Injector.Cancellation.NOT_DELIVERED.
+        FakeHerdr failing = new FakeHerdr().agentSendFailsWith("send_failed");
+        Injector inj = new Injector(new AgentControl(failing));
+        Injector.Delivery delivery = inj.enqueue(T, "brief", TestTurnTokens.inert(T));
+
+        inj.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.IDLE);
+
+        assertTrue(delivery.completion().isCompletedExceptionally(),
+                "the caller must still see the send failure");
+        assertEquals(Injector.Cancellation.ATTEMPTED, inj.cancel(delivery),
+                "fleetd #551: a HerdrException from the response half of the send seam must not be "
+                        + "recorded as a confident NOT_DELIVERED — the text may already be sitting "
+                        + "in the pane");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void ordinarySuccessStillReportsDeliveredExactlyOnce() {
+        // fleetd #551, the ticket's acceptance test 2: the record-before-send reorder must not
+        // change the ordinary success path — exactly one send, and the caller-facing Cancellation
+        // for it is still DELIVERED, never left at the new ATTEMPTED value.
+        Injector.Delivery delivery = injector.enqueue(T, "hello", TestTurnTokens.inert(T));
+
+        injector.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.IDLE);
+
+        assertEquals(List.of("hello"), sent(), "the text must be sent exactly once");
+        assertTrue(delivery.completion().isDone() && !delivery.completion().isCompletedExceptionally(),
+                "the ordinary success path must still complete normally");
+        assertEquals(Injector.Cancellation.DELIVERED, injector.cancel(delivery),
+                "fleetd #551: the ordinary success path must still report DELIVERED, unaffected by "
+                        + "the record-before-send reorder");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void transportDownStillSurfacesTheErrorAndDropsTheEntry() {
+        // fleetd #551, the ticket's acceptance test 3: the ordinary transport-down path (herdr
+        // unreachable — a plain HerdrException with no error code) must be unaffected by the #551
+        // reorder — the failure still surfaces to the caller, and the entry is not left sitting in
+        // the queue for a second onStatus round to resend.
+        FakeHerdr unreachable = new FakeHerdr().healthy(false);
+        Injector inj = new Injector(new AgentControl(unreachable));
+        Injector.Delivery delivery = inj.enqueue(T, "brief", TestTurnTokens.inert(T));
+
+        inj.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.IDLE);
+
+        assertTrue(delivery.completion().isCompletedExceptionally(),
+                "a transport-down failure must still surface to the caller");
+        assertTrue(inj.activeTargets().isEmpty(),
+                "the entry must not be left queued for a second round to resend");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void aNotFoundCodeFromSendStillReportsAConfidentNotDelivered() {
+        // fleetd #551 (comment 17037, point 3): a herdr `*_not_found` error means the target
+        // pane/agent does not exist at all, so nothing could have been pasted anywhere — the
+        // codebase already treats this family as a confirmed absence everywhere else (StatusPoller,
+        // AgentControl's own retry). #551's new ATTEMPTED state must not swallow this case: it stays
+        // a confident NOT_DELIVERED.
+        FakeHerdr failing = new FakeHerdr().agentSendFailsWith("agent_not_found");
+        Injector inj = new Injector(new AgentControl(failing));
+        Injector.Delivery delivery = inj.enqueue(T, "brief", TestTurnTokens.inert(T));
+
+        inj.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.IDLE);
+
+        assertTrue(delivery.completion().isCompletedExceptionally(),
+                "an agent_not_found failure must still surface to the caller");
+        assertEquals(Injector.Cancellation.NOT_DELIVERED, inj.cancel(delivery),
+                "fleetd #551: a herdr *_not_found error is a confirmed absence, not merely "
+                        + "inconclusive — it must stay NOT_DELIVERED, not the new ATTEMPTED");
+    }
+
+    // --- fleetd #553: a throwable from any listener callback in onStatus must not skip the
+    // delivered-future completion. The whole post-monitor region is now wrapped in try/finally. ---
+
+    @Test
+    void theOriginalThrowableFromAListenerStillEscapesOnStatus() {
+        // fleetd #553's control: the entire point of the finally backstop is that it completes a
+        // future WITHOUT swallowing whatever escaped. A fix built the wrong way (e.g. catching
+        // Throwable in the finally, or wrapping the region in try/catch instead of try/finally)
+        // could make every other test in this group pass while still converting a loud listener
+        // bug into a silent one — which the ticket calls a worse outcome than the bug itself. This
+        // is deliberately its own test, not folded into another one's assertion.
+        RuntimeException boom = new RuntimeException("fleetd #553 control");
+        TurnListener throwing = new TurnListener() {
+            @Override
+            public void onTurnComplete(String target) {
+                throw boom;
+            }
+        };
+        Injector inj = new Injector(new AgentControl(herdr), throwing);
+        inj.enqueue(T, "only", TestTurnTokens.inert(T));
+        inj.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.IDLE);    // deliver
+        inj.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.WORKING); // pickup
+
+        RuntimeException thrown = assertThrows(RuntimeException.class,
+                () -> inj.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.IDLE),
+                "onStatus must still propagate the listener's own throwable, unmodified");
+        assertSame(boom, thrown, "must be the EXACT throwable, not a wrapper or a different instance");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void aRuntimeExceptionFromOnTurnCompleteStillCompletesTheNextDelivery() {
+        // fleetd #553, acceptance test 1: onTurnComplete fires for "first"'s completed turn INSIDE
+        // the same onStatus call that then peeks and delivers "second" — the turnCompleted check
+        // (Injector.java, inside the released-pickup branch) clears awaitingCompletion just before
+        // the delivery guard right below it is evaluated, so both happen in one round when there is
+        // no post-turn action. Before fleetd #553, a RuntimeException thrown here unwound straight
+        // out of onStatus and skipped the `if (sent != null)` block, leaving "second"'s future
+        // pending forever even though it was already off the queue, marked DELIVERED, and typed
+        // into the pane.
+        RuntimeException boom = new RuntimeException("boom from onTurnComplete");
+        TurnListener throwing = new TurnListener() {
+            @Override
+            public void onTurnComplete(String target) {
+                throw boom;
+            }
+        };
+        Injector inj = new Injector(new AgentControl(herdr), throwing);
+        inj.enqueue(T, "first", TestTurnTokens.inert(T));
+        Injector.Delivery second = inj.enqueue(T, "second", TestTurnTokens.inert(T));
+
+        inj.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.IDLE);    // delivers "first"
+        inj.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.WORKING); // picked up
+
+        RuntimeException thrown = assertThrows(RuntimeException.class,
+                () -> inj.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.IDLE),
+                "the throwable from onTurnComplete must still escape onStatus");
+        assertSame(boom, thrown);
+
+        assertEquals(List.of("first", "second"), sent(),
+                "fleetd #553: \"second\" must still be sent even though onTurnComplete threw for "
+                        + "\"first\"'s completion");
+        assertTrue(second.completion().isDone() && !second.completion().isCompletedExceptionally(),
+                "fleetd #553: \"second\"'s delivered future must still complete normally despite "
+                        + "the throw");
+    }
+
+    private static final int READINESS_GRACE_SAMPLES = 240; // Injector.READINESS_GRACE_POLLS is private
+
+    @Test
+    void aRuntimeExceptionFromForgetStillCompletesTheReadinessFailureFutures() {
+        // fleetd #553: forget.accept fires as part of the CB-114 readiness-grace path (production
+        // wires it to presence::forget). Before fleetd #553, that block called forget.accept
+        // BEFORE completing the queued messages' futures, so a RuntimeException from forget left
+        // every one of them pending forever even though they were already marked NOT_DELIVERED and
+        // dropped from the queue. fleetd #553 completes those futures first, so forget.accept
+        // throwing afterward can no longer un-complete them.
+        RuntimeException boom = new RuntimeException("boom from forget");
+        Injector inj = new Injector(new AgentControl(herdr), TurnListener.NOOP, _ -> false, _ -> {
+            throw boom;
+        });
+        Injector.Delivery delivery = inj.enqueue(T, "task", TestTurnTokens.inert(T));
+
+        // Build the not-ready streak up to (but not past) the grace threshold.
+        for (int i = 0; i < READINESS_GRACE_SAMPLES - 1; i++) inj.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.IDLE);
+        assertFalse(delivery.completion().isDone(), "must not be resolved before the grace expires");
+
+        RuntimeException thrown = assertThrows(RuntimeException.class,
+                () -> inj.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.IDLE),
+                "the throwable from forget.accept must still escape onStatus");
+        assertSame(boom, thrown);
+
+        assertTrue(delivery.completion().isCompletedExceptionally(),
+                "fleetd #553: the queued message's future must still be completed even though "
+                        + "forget.accept threw");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void aRuntimeExceptionFromOnTurnFailedStillLeavesTheReadinessFailureFuturesCompleted() {
+        // fleetd #553, acceptance test: same readiness-grace path as the forget test above, but the
+        // throw comes from onTurnFailed instead. NOTE: onTurnFailed is the LAST statement in this
+        // block (both before and after this ticket), so the queued messages' futures are already
+        // completed by the time it runs, regardless of this fix — this test cannot be made to fail
+        // against the pre-fleetd-553 code the way the onTurnComplete/forget/postAction tests can; I
+        // could not find a construction where onTurnFailed's own throw is what stands between a
+        // future and its completion (flagged to the lead via fleet_ask; no reply arrived before the
+        // ~55s window closed, so recorded here instead). It still pins a real invariant this ticket
+        // cares about — an ordinary RuntimeException from this callback must not un-complete a
+        // future that was already decided — so it stays as a regression lock, not a bug-fix proof.
+        RuntimeException boom = new RuntimeException("boom from onTurnFailed");
+        TurnListener throwing = new TurnListener() {
+            @Override
+            public void onTurnComplete(String target) {
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void onTurnFailed(String target) {
+                throw boom;
+            }
+        };
+        Injector inj = new Injector(new AgentControl(herdr), throwing, _ -> false, _ -> {
+        });
+        Injector.Delivery delivery = inj.enqueue(T, "task", TestTurnTokens.inert(T));
+
+        for (int i = 0; i < READINESS_GRACE_SAMPLES - 1; i++) inj.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.IDLE);
+
+        RuntimeException thrown = assertThrows(RuntimeException.class,
+                () -> inj.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.IDLE),
+                "the throwable from onTurnFailed must still escape onStatus");
+        assertSame(boom, thrown);
+
+        assertTrue(delivery.completion().isCompletedExceptionally(),
+                "the queued message's future must remain completed despite onTurnFailed throwing");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void aRuntimeExceptionFromOnTurnCompleteWithPostActionStillUnwedgesTheTarget() {
+        // fleetd #553, acceptance test: before this ticket, a RuntimeException from
+        // onTurnCompleteWithPostAction skipped the `t.postTurnPending = false` reset that used to
+        // sit right after it (with nothing guarding it), permanently wedging the target —
+        // postTurnPending stayed true forever, so the delivery guard never passed again and
+        // "second" (already queued) was never delivered, no matter how many further onStatus
+        // rounds ran. fleetd #553 wraps that call so the reset always runs.
+        RuntimeException boom = new RuntimeException("boom from onTurnCompleteWithPostAction");
+        class ThrowingPostTurn implements TurnListener {
+            @Override
+            public void onTurnComplete(String target) {
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public boolean hasPostTurnAction(String target) {
+                return true;
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public boolean onTurnCompleteWithPostAction(String target) {
+                throw boom;
+            }
+        }
+        Injector inj = new Injector(new AgentControl(herdr), new ThrowingPostTurn());
+        inj.enqueue(T, "first", TestTurnTokens.inert(T));
+        Injector.Delivery second = inj.enqueue(T, "second", TestTurnTokens.inert(T));
+
+        inj.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.IDLE);    // delivers "first"
+        inj.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.WORKING); // picked up
+
+        RuntimeException thrown = assertThrows(RuntimeException.class,
+                () -> inj.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.IDLE), // "first"'s turn completes; post-action throws
+                "the throwable from onTurnCompleteWithPostAction must still escape onStatus");
+        assertSame(boom, thrown);
+        assertEquals(List.of("first"), sent(), "\"second\" must not be sent in the SAME round as the throw");
+
+        inj.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.IDLE); // a later, unrelated round
+        assertEquals(List.of("first", "second"), sent(),
+                "fleetd #553: the target must not stay wedged — \"second\" must still be delivered "
+                        + "once postTurnPending is reset despite the earlier throw");
+        assertTrue(second.completion().isDone() && !second.completion().isCompletedExceptionally());
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * A {@link HerdrClient} that throws a non-{@link RuntimeException} {@link Error} from {@code
+     * agent.send_keys} instead of delegating — the fleetd #553 case for the resubmit nudge: its own
+     * catch (Injector.java, the first block after the monitor) was {@code RuntimeException}-only,
+     * the same one-class-too-narrow shape #546 fixed at the send seam. Records every call it sees
+     * itself, mirroring {@code ErrorOnPrompt} above, since the delegate's own recording is never
+     * reached for {@code agent.send_keys}.
+     */
+    private static final class ErrorOnSendKeys implements HerdrClient {
+        private final FakeHerdr delegate;
+        private final List<FakeHerdr.Call> calls = new java.util.concurrent.CopyOnWriteArrayList<>();
+
+        private ErrorOnSendKeys(FakeHerdr delegate) {
+            this.delegate = delegate;
+        }
+
+        List<FakeHerdr.Call> calls() {
+            return calls;
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public JsonNode call(String method, Object params) {
+            calls.add(new FakeHerdr.Call(method, params));
+            if (method.equals("agent.send_keys")) {
+                throw new AssertionError("simulated non-RuntimeException resubmit failure (fleetd #553)");
+            }
+            return delegate.call(method, params);
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public void close() {
+            delegate.close();
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void anErrorFromTheResubmitNudgeDoesNotPreventTheSentCompletion() {
+        // fleetd #553, acceptance test: the resubmit nudge's own catch was RuntimeException-only —
+        // the same one-class-too-narrow shape #546 fixed at the send seam (now :382). It sits FIRST
+        // after the monitor, so before this ticket an Error escaping it skipped every block below in
+        // THAT round, including any `sent` completion that round might otherwise produce. Widened to
+        // Throwable (matching #549's own widening) so it can no longer escape onStatus at all — the
+        // delivery that already completed at send time, and the worker's later pickup, are both
+        // unaffected by the Error in between.
+        ErrorOnSendKeys throwing = new ErrorOnSendKeys(new FakeHerdr());
+        Injector inj = new Injector(new AgentControl(throwing));
+        Injector.Delivery delivery = inj.enqueue(T, "task", TestTurnTokens.inert(T));
+
+        inj.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.IDLE); // delivers "task"; awaiting pickup
+        assertTrue(delivery.completion().isDone() && !delivery.completion().isCompletedExceptionally(),
+                "the delivery completes at send time, before any resubmit nudge is attempted");
+
+        assertDoesNotThrow(() -> inj.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.IDLE), // still idle -> resubmit; Error thrown+caught
+                "fleetd #553: an Error from the resubmit nudge must be caught inside onStatus, not "
+                        + "escape it");
+
+        inj.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.WORKING); // the worker's real pickup must still resolve cleanly
+        long promptCalls = throwing.calls().stream().filter(c -> c.method().equals("agent.prompt")).count();
+        assertEquals(1, promptCalls,
+                "sent exactly once, unaffected by the resubmit Error in between");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void ordinarySuccessStillCompletesExactlyOnceAfterOnDelivered() {
+        // Acceptance: the ordinary success path is unchanged by fleetd #553 — the future completes
+        // normally exactly once, and onDelivered still runs before it (CB-115's pane baseline).
+        List<String> events = new ArrayList<>();
+        TurnListener listener = new TurnListener() {
+            @Override
+            public void onTurnComplete(String target) {
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void onDelivered(String target, dev.ltms.fleet.msg.TurnToken token) {
+                events.add("onDelivered");
+            }
+        };
+        Injector inj = new Injector(new AgentControl(herdr), listener);
+        CompletableFuture<Void> f = inj.enqueue(T, "hello", TestTurnTokens.inert(T)).completion();
+        f.whenComplete((v, ex) -> events.add("completed"));
+
+        inj.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.IDLE);
+
+        assertEquals(List.of("onDelivered", "completed"), events,
+                "onDelivered must still run before the future completes, unchanged by fleetd #553");
+        assertTrue(f.isDone() && !f.isCompletedExceptionally());
+    }
+
+    // Acceptance: the ordinary failure path (a HerdrException at the send seam still completes the
+    // future exceptionally with that exception) is already covered, unchanged, by the existing
+    // aHerdrExceptionFromSendStillProducesNotDeliveredUnchanged test above (fleetd #546) — its
+    // codepath is untouched by fleetd #553's try/finally, since sendError != null is set before the
+    // try block begins and that branch never threw to begin with.
+
+    // --- fleetd #553, sharpened acceptance (ticket comments 16870/16884/16890/16903): completing
+    // sent.delivered() is only HALF the job. See the two tests below. ---
+
+    @Test
+    void aRuntimeExceptionFromOnTurnCompleteStillRegistersTheRendezvousWaiterForTheNextDelivery() {
+        // fleetd #553's real invariant, not just the completion of sent.delivered(). There are TWO
+        // futures at stake: sent.delivered() (the delivery future) and sent.token().waiter() (the
+        // rendezvous waiter a blocking fleet_send actually waits on for the worker's ANSWER). The
+        // waiter is registered only by turnListener.onDelivered() — production wires this to
+        // CompletionResolver.captureBaseline, which does the inFlight.put() — and that call lives
+        // inside the very `if (sent != null)` block a plain "complete the future" backstop does not
+        // reach. A finally that only completes sent.delivered() converts a hang into a HANG WITH A
+        // SUCCESS RECEIPT: the caller is told the send landed, then waits out its full timeout for
+        // an answer that can never resolve, because CompletionResolver.resolve (:301-308) finds no
+        // inFlight entry and returns silently. This test is red on that half-fix, and green only
+        // once the finally also runs onDelivered() when the normal block never got the chance.
+        //
+        // The scenario: onTurnComplete throws while completing "first"'s turn, in the SAME onStatus
+        // round that (per Injector.java :361-391) then peeks and delivers "second" — the normal
+        // case, not a corner, since the :365 assignment is what lets the :376 delivery guard pass.
+        // turnListener.onTurnComplete runs BEFORE the `if (sent != null)` block, so the throw here
+        // means onDelivered for "second" is never reached on the normal path — only the finally
+        // backstop can register it.
+        Rendezvous rendezvous = new Rendezvous();
+        CompletionResolver resolver = new CompletionResolver(new AgentControl(new FakeHerdr()), rendezvous,
+                ExhaustedPatternLookup.none(), ExhaustionSink.none());
+        RuntimeException boom = new RuntimeException("boom from onTurnComplete");
+        TurnListener throwingOnTurnCompleteOnly = new TurnListener() {
+            @Override
+            public void onDelivered(String target, TurnToken token) {
+                resolver.onDelivered(target, token); // the real registration, exactly as production wires it
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void onTurnComplete(String target) {
+                throw boom; // "first"'s completion callback, thrown before "second" is delivered
+            }
+        };
+        Injector inj = new Injector(new AgentControl(herdr), throwingOnTurnCompleteOnly);
+        CompletableFuture<Rendezvous.Resolution> waiter = rendezvous.open("session-a");
+        TurnToken secondToken = new TurnToken(T, waiter);
+        inj.enqueue(T, "first", TestTurnTokens.inert(T));
+        Injector.Delivery second = inj.enqueue(T, "second", secondToken);
+
+        inj.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.IDLE);    // delivers "first"
+        inj.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.WORKING); // picked up
+
+        RuntimeException thrown = assertThrows(RuntimeException.class,
+                () -> inj.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.IDLE), // "first" completes (throws); "second" delivered
+                "the original throwable from onTurnComplete must still escape onStatus");
+        assertSame(boom, thrown, "must be the EXACT throwable, not a wrapper or a different instance");
+
+        assertEquals(List.of("first", "second"), sent(),
+                "\"second\" must still be sent even though onTurnComplete threw for \"first\"");
+        assertTrue(second.completion().isDone() && !second.completion().isCompletedExceptionally(),
+                "\"second\"'s delivery future must still complete despite the throw");
+
+        CompletionResolver.InFlight inFlight = resolver.inFlight(T);
+        assertNotNull(inFlight,
+                "fleetd #553: the finally must register the new turn's waiter (via onDelivered), not "
+                        + "just complete its delivery future — otherwise a blocking fleet_send is told "
+                        + "its message landed and then waits out the full timeout for an answer that "
+                        + "can never resolve");
+        assertSame(waiter, inFlight.waiter(),
+                "the registered waiter must be exactly \"second\"'s waiter, not some other one");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void anOnDeliveredThrowAfterItsOwnRegistrationDoesNotRunASecondTime() {
+        // fleetd #553 comment 16903: `sentHandled` must be set to true BEFORE onDelivered() runs,
+        // not after. Setting it after would mean a throw from onDelivered() PART WAY THROUGH — e.g.
+        // after CompletionResolver's own captureBaseline has already done its inFlight.put() — still
+        // leaves the flag false, so the finally backstop (seeing "not handled") calls onDelivered() a
+        // SECOND time. That second captureBaseline runs later, over a pane that may already have
+        // absorbed this turn's output, and CompletionResolver.resolve's own baseline-equals-tail
+        // suppression (:364-369, which deliberately keeps the in-flight record on a match) can then
+        // drop every future completion for the turn, permanently. This assertion is red on a
+        // `sentHandled = true` placed AFTER the onDelivered() call (onDelivered runs twice) and green
+        // on the correct placement (runs exactly once) — regardless of what onDelivered itself did.
+        AtomicInteger onDeliveredCalls = new AtomicInteger();
+        RuntimeException boom = new RuntimeException("boom from onDelivered, after its own registration ran");
+        TurnListener listener = new TurnListener() {
+            @Override
+            public void onTurnComplete(String target) {
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void onDelivered(String target, TurnToken token) {
+                onDeliveredCalls.incrementAndGet(); // stand-in for CompletionResolver's inFlight.put
+                throw boom; // then fail, as if a LATER step inside onDelivered blew up
+            }
+        };
+        Injector inj = new Injector(new AgentControl(herdr), listener);
+        inj.enqueue(T, "task", TestTurnTokens.inert(T));
+
+        RuntimeException thrown = assertThrows(RuntimeException.class,
+                () -> inj.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.IDLE), // delivers "task"; onDelivered throws
+                "the original throwable from onDelivered must still escape onStatus");
+        assertSame(boom, thrown);
+
+        assertEquals(1, onDeliveredCalls.get(),
+                "fleetd #553: onDelivered must be called exactly once — a `sentHandled` flag set "
+                        + "AFTER the call (rather than before) would leave it false here and the "
+                        + "finally backstop would call onDelivered a second time");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void anOnDeliveredThrowOnTheNormalPathStillCompletesTheDeliveryFuture() {
+        // fleetd #553, lead review of PR #557 (ticket comment 16916): `sentHandled` must guard ONLY
+        // the onDelivered RE-CALL in the finally, never the future completion alongside it. Gating
+        // BOTH behind `!sentHandled` (the shape this test is red against) misses the one path the
+        // flag's own correct placement creates: `sentHandled` is set to true FIRST, before the
+        // onDelivered() call, inside the `if (sent != null)` block above (see the previous test —
+        // that placement is right and must not change). So when onDelivered() itself throws on that
+        // NORMAL path, `sentHandled` already reads true by the time control reaches the finally, and
+        // a `sent != null && !sentHandled` guard around the WHOLE recovery — completion included —
+        // skips it entirely. The message was typed into the target's pane and taken off the queue
+        // inside the monitor, same as any other delivery, so its future is left pending forever: the
+        // exact defect this ticket exists to close, just reached from a different throwing call.
+        //
+        // The fix splits the one flag's two jobs: `!sentHandled` keeps gating only the onDelivered
+        // call (so the exactly-once guarantee in the test above still holds — CompletableFuture.
+        // complete/completeExceptionally are idempotent, so completing unconditionally here is a
+        // no-op on the ordinary path, where the `if (sent != null)` block already completed it.
+        RuntimeException boom = new RuntimeException("boom from onDelivered on the normal path");
+        TurnListener listener = new TurnListener() {
+            @Override
+            public void onTurnComplete(String target) {
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void onDelivered(String target, TurnToken token) {
+                throw boom;
+            }
+        };
+        Injector inj = new Injector(new AgentControl(herdr), listener);
+        CompletableFuture<Void> delivered = inj.enqueue(T, "task", TestTurnTokens.inert(T)).completion();
+
+        RuntimeException thrown = assertThrows(RuntimeException.class,
+                () -> inj.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.IDLE), // delivers "task"; onDelivered throws
+                "the original throwable from onDelivered must still escape onStatus");
+        assertSame(boom, thrown);
+
+        assertTrue(delivered.isDone(),
+                "fleetd #553: \"task\" was actually delivered — typed into the pane and taken off "
+                        + "the queue inside the monitor — so its delivery future must be completed on "
+                        + "every path out of onStatus, including the one where onDelivered itself is "
+                        + "what threw. Leaving it pending here is a hang, not a fix");
+    }
+
+    // --- fleetd #556: registration is the Injector's own invariant now, structural rather than
+    // delegated to a TurnListener callback that can throw. #553 could only make the ONE reachable
+    // listener behave; this closes the shape itself. ---
+
+    @Test
+    void aTurnListenerThatThrowsFromEveryCallbackStillLeavesTheDeliveredTurnRegisteredAndResolvable() {
+        // fleetd #556 acceptance criterion 1 (the ticket's own, restated by comment 16966 as the
+        // replacement for #561's order-dependent test): a TurnListener that throws from EVERY
+        // callback it implements — nothing about it is safe to lean on — must still leave a
+        // delivered turn registered, with its waiter still resolvable through the ordinary path.
+        // Before this ticket, registration lived INSIDE onDelivered, one of the callbacks that
+        // throws here — this test is red against that shape, because the only listener callback
+        // this specific delivery scenario exercises (a first delivery, no previous turn to
+        // complete) is exactly the one that throws.
+        RuntimeException boom = new RuntimeException("fleetd #556: throws from every callback");
+        TurnListener throwsEverywhere = new TurnListener() {
+            @Override
+            public void onTurnComplete(String target) {
+                throw boom;
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public boolean hasPostTurnAction(String target) {
+                throw boom;
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public boolean onTurnCompleteWithPostAction(String target) {
+                throw boom;
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void onTurnFailed(String target) {
+                throw boom;
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void onTurnFailed(String target, String reason) {
+                throw boom;
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void onDelivered(String target, TurnToken token) {
+                throw boom;
+            }
+        };
+        Rendezvous rendezvous = new Rendezvous();
+        CompletionResolver completion = new CompletionResolver(new AgentControl(new FakeHerdr()), rendezvous,
+                ExhaustedPatternLookup.none(), ExhaustionSink.none());
+
+        Injector inj = new Injector(new AgentControl(herdr), throwsEverywhere, _ -> true, _ -> {
+        }, completion::register);
+        CompletableFuture<Rendezvous.Resolution> waiter = rendezvous.open(T);
+        inj.enqueue(T, "brief", new TurnToken(T, waiter));
+
+        RuntimeException thrown = assertThrows(RuntimeException.class,
+                () -> inj.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.IDLE), // delivers "brief"; onDelivered throws
+                "the throwing listener's own bug must still escape onStatus — a listener bug stays "
+                        + "loud (fleetd #553's own guarantee, unchanged by this ticket)");
+        assertSame(boom, thrown);
+
+        CompletionResolver.InFlight inFlight = completion.inFlight(T);
+        assertNotNull(inFlight,
+                "fleetd #556: the delivered turn must be registered even though the ONLY "
+                        + "TurnListener wired throws from every single callback, including "
+                        + "onDelivered — registration must not depend on that call succeeding");
+        assertSame(waiter, inFlight.waiter(),
+                "the registered entry must carry the exact waiter this turn's send opened");
+
+        assertFalse(waiter.isDone(), "sanity: nothing has resolved this waiter yet");
+        assertTrue(rendezvous.resolve(T, "hello"),
+                "the waiter registrar.register captured must be the real, live rendezvous waiter — "
+                        + "still resolvable through the ordinary fleet_reply path, unaffected by the "
+                        + "throwing listener");
+        assertEquals(Rendezvous.Kind.REPLY, waiter.getNow(null).kind());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void theNewTurnsRegistrationRunsAfterThePreviousTurnsCompletionIsRead() {
+        // fleetd #556 acceptance criterion 2 (CB-116 guard, ticket body + comment 16966): the
+        // ordering constraint from fleetd #553 must survive this redesign — onTurnComplete reads
+        // CompletionResolver's inFlight entry for the PREVIOUS turn, so the new turn's
+        // registrar.register() call must not run before that read, or a redesign trades this
+        // ticket's defect for the CB-116 cross-turn stale reply. Pinned here as a call-ORDER
+        // assertion so a future redesign that hoists registrar.register() earlier (e.g. "for
+        // simplicity", ahead of the turnCompleted block) goes red immediately, before it can ever
+        // reach a real cross-turn scrape race.
+        List<String> events = new ArrayList<>();
+        TurnListener listener = new TurnListener() {
+            @Override
+            public void onTurnComplete(String target) {
+                events.add("onTurnComplete:" + target);
+            }
+        };
+        TurnRegistrar registrar = (target, token) -> events.add("register:" + target);
+
+        Injector inj = new Injector(new AgentControl(herdr), listener, _ -> true, _ -> {
+        }, registrar);
+        inj.enqueue(T, "first", TestTurnTokens.inert(T));
+        inj.enqueue(T, "second", TestTurnTokens.inert(T));
+
+        inj.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.IDLE);    // delivers "first" -> register:term_a (not asserted below)
+        inj.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.WORKING); // picked up
+        events.clear();
+        inj.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.IDLE);    // "first" completes AND "second" delivers, same cycle
+
+        assertEquals(List.of("onTurnComplete:" + T, "register:" + T), events,
+                "onTurnComplete for the previous turn (\"first\") must run before register for the "
+                        + "new turn (\"second\") within the same onStatus cycle — reversing this order "
+                        + "is the CB-116 cross-turn stale reply fleetd #553 fixed, and this redesign "
+                        + "must not reopen it");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void aRuntimeExceptionFromOnTurnCompleteStillLeavesTheNextDeliveryRegisteredOnTheRecoveryPath() {
+        // fleetd #556 rework (PR #566, comment 17009): there are TWO registrar.register call sites
+        // in the delivery method — the ordinary path inside `if (sent != null)`, and the fleetd
+        // #553 `finally` backstop, reached only when an earlier block (here, onTurnComplete for the
+        // PREVIOUS turn) throws before the ordinary path ever runs. The existing #553 regression
+        // test for this exact scenario
+        // (aRuntimeExceptionFromOnTurnCompleteStillCompletesTheNextDelivery, above) asserts only
+        // that "second"'s DELIVERED FUTURE completes — never that "second" is REGISTERED with
+        // CompletionResolver — so a redesign that dropped registrar.register() from the backstop
+        // passed every existing test while reopening this ticket's own defect on the one path
+        // fleetd #553 exists for. This test closes that gap: on the recovery path, the backstop is
+        // the ONLY thing that registers "second", so its waiter must still be resolvable afterward.
+        RuntimeException boom = new RuntimeException("fleetd #556 rework: boom from onTurnComplete");
+        TurnListener throwing = new TurnListener() {
+            @Override
+            public void onTurnComplete(String target) {
+                throw boom;
+            }
+        };
+        Rendezvous rendezvous = new Rendezvous();
+        CompletionResolver completion = new CompletionResolver(new AgentControl(herdr), rendezvous,
+                ExhaustedPatternLookup.none(), ExhaustionSink.none());
+        Injector inj = new Injector(new AgentControl(herdr), throwing, _ -> true, _ -> {
+        }, completion::register);
+
+        inj.enqueue(T, "first", TestTurnTokens.inert(T));
+        CompletableFuture<Rendezvous.Resolution> secondWaiter = rendezvous.open(T);
+        inj.enqueue(T, "second", new TurnToken(T, secondWaiter));
+
+        inj.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.IDLE);    // delivers "first" (inert token — nothing to register)
+        inj.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.WORKING); // picked up
+
+        RuntimeException thrown = assertThrows(RuntimeException.class,
+                // "first" completes (onTurnComplete throws) before "second"'s ordinary delivery
+                // path ever runs; only the finally backstop is left to register "second".
+                () -> inj.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.IDLE),
+                "the throwable from onTurnComplete must still escape onStatus");
+        assertSame(boom, thrown);
+
+        CompletionResolver.InFlight inFlight = completion.inFlight(T);
+        assertNotNull(inFlight,
+                "fleetd #556: \"second\" must be registered by the fleetd #553 finally backstop "
+                        + "even though onTurnComplete threw for \"first\"'s completion before the "
+                        + "ordinary registration path ever ran for \"second\"");
+        assertSame(secondWaiter, inFlight.waiter(),
+                "the registered entry must carry \"second\"'s own waiter, not some other value");
+    }
 }

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/inject/LoopWatchdogTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+package dev.ltms.fleet.inject;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicLong;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+
+/** fleetd #544: the three-state contract in isolation from either loop that composes it. */
+class LoopWatchdogTest {
+
+    private static final long STALE_AFTER_NANOS = 1000;
+
+    @Test
+    void reportsRunningBeforeTheThresholdElapses() {
+        AtomicLong clock = new AtomicLong(0);
+        LoopWatchdog watchdog = new LoopWatchdog(clock::get, STALE_AFTER_NANOS);
+        clock.set(STALE_AFTER_NANOS - 1);
+        assertEquals(LoopWatchdog.State.RUNNING, watchdog.state());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void reportsStalledOnceTheLastRoundAgesPastTheThreshold() {
+        AtomicLong clock = new AtomicLong(0);
+        LoopWatchdog watchdog = new LoopWatchdog(clock::get, STALE_AFTER_NANOS);
+        clock.set(STALE_AFTER_NANOS);
+        assertEquals(LoopWatchdog.State.STALLED, watchdog.state());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void recordRoundCompleteResetsTheStaleClock() {
+        AtomicLong clock = new AtomicLong(0);
+        LoopWatchdog watchdog = new LoopWatchdog(clock::get, STALE_AFTER_NANOS);
+        clock.set(STALE_AFTER_NANOS - 1);
+        watchdog.recordRoundComplete(); // last round is now "now" again
+        clock.set(2 * STALE_AFTER_NANOS - 2);
+        assertEquals(LoopWatchdog.State.RUNNING, watchdog.state(),
+                "a fresh round completion must push the staleness deadline forward");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void markStoppedByCallerReportsStoppedRegardlessOfStaleness() {
+        AtomicLong clock = new AtomicLong(0);
+        LoopWatchdog watchdog = new LoopWatchdog(clock::get, STALE_AFTER_NANOS);
+        watchdog.markStoppedByCaller();
+        clock.set(STALE_AFTER_NANOS * 1000);
+        assertEquals(LoopWatchdog.State.STOPPED, watchdog.state(),
+                "an intentional stop must never be reported as STALLED");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void resetClearsAPreviousStopAndTheStaleClock() {
+        AtomicLong clock = new AtomicLong(0);
+        LoopWatchdog watchdog = new LoopWatchdog(clock::get, STALE_AFTER_NANOS);
+        watchdog.markStoppedByCaller();
+        clock.set(STALE_AFTER_NANOS * 1000);
+        watchdog.reset();
+        assertEquals(LoopWatchdog.State.RUNNING, watchdog.state(),
+                "reset() must clear both the stop mark and the stale timestamp");
+    }
+}

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/inject/StatusPollerResilienceTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,99 @@
+package dev.ltms.fleet.inject;
+
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.JsonNode;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.AgentControl;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.FakeHerdr;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.HerdrClient;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.msg.TestTurnTokens;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import java.lang.reflect.Field;
+import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.concurrent.CompletableFuture;
+import java.util.concurrent.CountDownLatch;
+import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
+import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicBoolean;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertFalse;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNotSame;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
+
+class StatusPollerResilienceTest {
+
+    @Test
+    void anErrorForOneTargetDoesNotStopPollingTheNextTarget() throws Exception {
+        FakeHerdr fake = new FakeHerdr().withAgent("worker", "term_b", "w2:p8", "w2:t8");
+        CountDownLatch errorThrown = new CountDownLatch(1);
+        AgentControl agents = new AgentControl(new ErrorOnceForFirstTarget(fake, errorThrown));
+        Injector injector = new Injector(agents);
+        StatusPoller poller = new StatusPoller(agents, injector, 1);
+        poller.start();
+        try {
+            injector.enqueue("term_a", "first", TestTurnTokens.inert("term_a"));
+            assertTrue(errorThrown.await(2, TimeUnit.SECONDS),
+                    "the first target must throw its test Error");
+
+            CompletableFuture<Void> delivered =
+                    injector.enqueue("term_b", "second", TestTurnTokens.inert("term_b")).completion();
+            delivered.get(2, TimeUnit.SECONDS);
+        } finally {
+            poller.stop();
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void anAbnormalExitClearsRunningSoStartCreatesANewLoop() throws Exception {
+        StatusPoller poller = new StatusPoller(new AgentControl(new FakeHerdr()), new Injector(new AgentControl(new FakeHerdr())), -1);
+        poller.start();
+        Thread first = threadOf(poller);
+        first.join(2000);
+        assertFalse(runningOf(poller), "an abnormal loop exit must clear running");
+
+        poller.start();
+        Thread restarted = threadOf(poller);
+        try {
+            assertNotSame(first, restarted, "start() must create a new loop after an abnormal exit");
+            restarted.join(2000);
+        } finally {
+            poller.stop();
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static Thread threadOf(StatusPoller poller) throws ReflectiveOperationException {
+        Field field = StatusPoller.class.getDeclaredField("thread");
+        field.setAccessible(true);
+        return (Thread) field.get(poller);
+    }
+
+    private static boolean runningOf(StatusPoller poller) throws ReflectiveOperationException {
+        Field field = StatusPoller.class.getDeclaredField("running");
+        field.setAccessible(true);
+        return field.getBoolean(poller);
+    }
+
+    private static final class ErrorOnceForFirstTarget implements HerdrClient {
+        private final FakeHerdr delegate;
+        private final CountDownLatch errorThrown;
+        private final AtomicBoolean first = new AtomicBoolean(true);
+
+        private ErrorOnceForFirstTarget(FakeHerdr delegate, CountDownLatch errorThrown) {
+            this.delegate = delegate;
+            this.errorThrown = errorThrown;
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public JsonNode call(String method, Object params) {
+            if (method.equals("agent.get") && params instanceof Map<?, ?> map
+                    && "w2:p7".equals(map.get("target")) && first.compareAndSet(true, false)) {
+                errorThrown.countDown();
+                throw new AssertionError("test Error from the first poll target");
+            }
+            return delegate.call(method, params);
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public void close() {
+            delegate.close();
+        }
+    }
+}

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/inject/StatusPollerWatchdogTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,172 @@
+package dev.ltms.fleet.inject;
+
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.JsonNode;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.AgentControl;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.HerdrClient;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.msg.TestTurnTokens;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import java.lang.reflect.Field;
+import java.util.concurrent.CountDownLatch;
+import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
+import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicLong;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertFalse;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
+
+/**
+ * fleetd #544: {@link StatusPoller#health()} — the progress watchdog, not a liveness check. Every
+ * test drives {@link LoopWatchdog}'s clock explicitly (never real elapsed time), so the threshold
+ * crossing is deterministic rather than a race against the poll interval.
+ */
+class StatusPollerWatchdogTest {
+
+    private static final long INTERVAL_MILLIS = 50;
+    // Mirrors StatusPoller.staleAfterNanos(50): 50ms * the 40x multiplier = 2000ms.
+    private static final long STALE_AFTER_NANOS = TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS.toNanos(INTERVAL_MILLIS) * 40;
+
+    @Test
+    void aLoopParkedInAHerdrCallThatNeverReturnsReportsStalled() throws Exception {
+        CountDownLatch entered = new CountDownLatch(1);
+        AgentControl agents = new AgentControl(new BlocksOnAgentGet(entered));
+        Injector injector = new Injector(agents);
+        AtomicLong clock = new AtomicLong(0);
+        StatusPoller poller = new StatusPoller(agents, injector, new StatusRefiner(agents),
+                INTERVAL_MILLIS, clock::get);
+        poller.start();
+        try {
+            injector.enqueue("w1:p1", "hello", TestTurnTokens.inert("w1:p1"));
+            assertTrue(entered.await(2, TimeUnit.SECONDS),
+                    "the poller must have entered the blocking herdr call");
+
+            assertEquals(LoopWatchdog.State.RUNNING, poller.health(),
+                    "freshly parked, before the threshold elapses, must still read RUNNING");
+
+            clock.set(STALE_AFTER_NANOS + 1);
+            assertEquals(LoopWatchdog.State.STALLED, poller.health(),
+                    "a loop parked mid-round past the staleness threshold must report STALLED");
+        } finally {
+            poller.stop();
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void aLoopThatDiedReportsStalled() throws Exception {
+        AtomicLong clock = new AtomicLong(0);
+        // intervalMillis=-1: Thread.sleep(-1) throws IllegalArgumentException, uncaught by loop(),
+        // which kills the carrier thread — the same "died" shape StatusPollerResilienceTest uses.
+        StatusPoller poller = new StatusPoller(new AgentControl(new IdleHerdr()), new Injector(new AgentControl(new IdleHerdr())),
+                new StatusRefiner(new AgentControl(new IdleHerdr())), -1, clock::get);
+        poller.start();
+        Thread thread = threadOf(poller);
+        thread.join(2000);
+        assertFalse(thread.isAlive(), "the loop must have died from Thread.sleep(-1)");
+
+        // staleAfterNanos(-1) = TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS.toNanos(max(-1,1)) * 40 = 40ms.
+        clock.set(TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS.toNanos(1) * 40 + 1);
+        assertEquals(LoopWatchdog.State.STALLED, poller.health(),
+                "a dead loop's last-completed round goes stale and must report STALLED");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void aLoopStoppedOnPurposeReportsStoppedNotStalled() throws Exception {
+        AtomicLong clock = new AtomicLong(0);
+        StatusPoller poller = new StatusPoller(new AgentControl(new IdleHerdr()), new Injector(new AgentControl(new IdleHerdr())),
+                new StatusRefiner(new AgentControl(new IdleHerdr())), INTERVAL_MILLIS, clock::get);
+        poller.start();
+        poller.stop();
+
+        // Advance the clock far past any staleness threshold — an intentional stop must never
+        // be reported as STALLED no matter how old the last round looks (fleetd #512 shape).
+        clock.set(STALE_AFTER_NANOS * 100);
+        assertEquals(LoopWatchdog.State.STOPPED, poller.health(),
+                "stop() must report STOPPED, never STALLED, however stale the last round looks");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void aRestartedLoopReportsRunningAgainNotStoppedForever() throws Exception {
+        // fleetd #544 review (issue comment #16944): stoppedByCaller is sticky, and reset() —
+        // called only from start() — is the sole thing that clears it. start() is documented
+        // idempotent and loop()'s own error line says "it can be restarted", so stop() followed
+        // by start() is an anticipated path. Without the reset() call in start(), health() would
+        // report STOPPED forever after a restart even though the loop is genuinely running again.
+        AtomicLong clock = new AtomicLong(0);
+        StatusPoller poller = new StatusPoller(new AgentControl(new IdleHerdr()), new Injector(new AgentControl(new IdleHerdr())),
+                new StatusRefiner(new AgentControl(new IdleHerdr())), INTERVAL_MILLIS, clock::get);
+        poller.start();
+        poller.stop();
+        poller.start();
+
+        assertEquals(LoopWatchdog.State.RUNNING, poller.health(),
+                "an intentional stop must not outlive the restart that follows it");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void aHealthyLoopReportsRunning() throws Exception {
+        // Real elapsed time on purpose, unlike the other tests here: a clock frozen at 0 would read
+        // RUNNING even if recordRoundComplete() were never wired into loop() at all, since the
+        // constructor's own initial timestamp already satisfies "not stale yet". Running for several
+        // multiples of this instance's own threshold (5ms interval * 40 = 200ms) and still reading
+        // RUNNING instead proves the loop's repeated round completions are the thing keeping the
+        // staleness deadline pushed forward.
+        long fastIntervalMillis = 5;
+        StatusPoller poller = new StatusPoller(new AgentControl(new IdleHerdr()), new Injector(new AgentControl(new IdleHerdr())),
+                new StatusRefiner(new AgentControl(new IdleHerdr())), fastIntervalMillis, System::nanoTime);
+        poller.start();
+        try {
+            Thread.sleep(800);
+            assertEquals(LoopWatchdog.State.RUNNING, poller.health(),
+                    "a healthy loop's repeated round completions must keep pushing the staleness deadline forward");
+        } finally {
+            poller.stop();
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static Thread threadOf(StatusPoller poller) throws ReflectiveOperationException {
+        Field field = StatusPoller.class.getDeclaredField("thread");
+        field.setAccessible(true);
+        return (Thread) field.get(poller);
+    }
+
+    /** Never has any active target, so the loop just idles and completes empty rounds. */
+    private static final class IdleHerdr implements HerdrClient {
+        @Override
+        public JsonNode call(String method, Object params) {
+            throw new AssertionError("unexpected herdr call: " + method);
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public void close() {
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static final class BlocksOnAgentGet implements HerdrClient {
+        private final CountDownLatch entered;
+
+        private BlocksOnAgentGet(CountDownLatch entered) {
+            this.entered = entered;
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public JsonNode call(String method, Object params) {
+            if ("agent.get".equals(method)) {
+                entered.countDown();
+                try {
+                    // Blocks forever, mirroring UnixSocketHerdrClient.readLine()'s deadline-free
+                    // read (fleetd #544) — a test double standing in for a parked socket, not a
+                    // real one.
+                    new CountDownLatch(1).await();
+                } catch (InterruptedException e) {
+                    Thread.currentThread().interrupt();
+                }
+                throw new AssertionError("unreachable: only stop()'s interrupt reaches here");
+            }
+            throw new AssertionError("unexpected herdr call: " + method);
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public void close() {
+        }
+    }
+}

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/lead/LeadContextGaugeTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,248 @@
+package dev.ltms.fleet.lead;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.DisplayName;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.io.TempDir;
+
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.io.RandomAccessFile;
+import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
+import java.nio.file.Files;
+import java.nio.file.Path;
+import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicLong;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNull;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assumptions.assumeFalse;
+
+/**
+ * Ticket "lead context gauge" — fleetd could not see how full a lead's own Claude Code context
+ * window was, so a lead auto-compacting was always a surprise. {@link LeadContextGauge} reads that
+ * off the lead's own transcript. Five acceptance properties from the ticket, one test class each
+ * (plus the three separate UNKNOWN cases the ticket calls out by name):
+ * <ol>
+ *   <li>{@link #tokenCountTracksTheLastUsageRecordAndChangesWithIt()}</li>
+ *   <li>{@link #compactionCountTracksCompactBoundaryRecordsAndChangesWithIt()}</li>
+ *   <li>{@link #missingFileIsUnknown()}, {@link #unreadableFileIsUnknown()}</li>
+ *   <li>{@link #tornFinalLineFallsBackToTheLastGoodReading()},
+ *       {@link #everyLineUnparseableIsUnknown()} (fleetd #602 gauge-wiring, finding 2)</li>
+ *   <li>{@link #readNeverExceedsTheTailBound()}</li>
+ *   <li>{@link #secondReadInsideTtlDoesNotTouchDiskAgain()}</li>
+ * </ol>
+ *
+ * <p>Every fixture lives under {@code @TempDir} — never the operator's real config directory (see
+ * the ticket's hard constraint on this).
+ *
+ * <p><strong>fleetd #602 gauge-wiring, finding 2.</strong> The property above used to be "a
+ * truncated or invalid LAST line reports UNKNOWN" — on the theory that a bad last line signals a
+ * format change. That reasoning did not hold: {@code fleet_list} reads this transcript while Claude
+ * Code may be mid-write on it, so a torn LAST line is an ordinary race, not a format change, and a
+ * real format change makes EVERY line unparseable, not only the last one written. So the property
+ * is now split in two: {@link #tornFinalLineFallsBackToTheLastGoodReading} (the torn-line case must
+ * NOT destroy a good earlier reading) and its control, {@link #everyLineUnparseableIsUnknown} (only
+ * when NOTHING in the window parses does this report UNKNOWN).
+ */
+class LeadContextGaugeTest {
+
+    private static final String SESSION_ID = "11111111-1111-1111-1111-111111111111";
+
+    /** One line Claude Code would write for a turn with the given live-context total. */
+    private static String usageLine(long inputTokens, long cacheRead, long cacheCreation) {
+        return "{\"type\":\"assistant\",\"message\":{\"role\":\"assistant\",\"usage\":{"
+                + "\"input_tokens\":" + inputTokens + ","
+                + "\"cache_read_input_tokens\":" + cacheRead + ","
+                + "\"cache_creation_input_tokens\":" + cacheCreation + "}}}";
+    }
+
+    /** One line Claude Code writes when an auto-compaction happens. */
+    private static String compactionLine() {
+        return "{\"type\":\"system\",\"subtype\":\"compact_boundary\","
+                + "\"compactMetadata\":{\"preTokens\":250000,\"postTokens\":5000,"
+                + "\"trigger\":\"auto\",\"durationMs\":54000}}";
+    }
+
+    /** Lays out {@code <configDir>/projects/<anySlug>/<sessionId>.jsonl} and writes {@code lines}. */
+    private static String writeTranscript(Path configDir, String sessionId, String... lines) throws IOException {
+        Path projectDir = configDir.resolve("projects").resolve("some-project-slug");
+        Files.createDirectories(projectDir);
+        Path file = projectDir.resolve(sessionId + ".jsonl");
+        StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
+        for (String line : lines) {
+            sb.append(line).append('\n');
+        }
+        Files.writeString(file, sb.toString(), StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+        return configDir.toString();
+    }
+
+    // --- property 1: live token count tracks the last usage record -----------------------------
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("reported tokens equal the LAST usage record's total, and change when it does")
+    void tokenCountTracksTheLastUsageRecordAndChangesWithIt(@TempDir Path tmp) throws IOException {
+        String configDir = writeTranscript(tmp, SESSION_ID,
+                usageLine(1_000, 0, 0),
+                usageLine(40_000, 5_000, 3_000)); // last record: 48,000
+        LeadContextGauge gauge = new LeadContextGauge();
+
+        LeadContextGauge.Reading first = gauge.read(configDir, SESSION_ID, "claude");
+        assertEquals(48_000L, first.tokens(), "must total input+cache_read+cache_creation of the LAST usage record");
+        assertEquals(LeadContextGauge.State.OK, first.state());
+
+        // Change N in the fixture (a fresh session id avoids the cache) -- the reported number
+        // must change with it, not stay pinned to the first fixture's total.
+        String otherSession = "22222222-2222-2222-2222-222222222222";
+        writeTranscript(tmp, otherSession, usageLine(100_000, 50_000, 50_000)); // last record: 200,000
+        LeadContextGauge.Reading second = gauge.read(configDir, otherSession, "claude");
+        assertEquals(200_000L, second.tokens());
+        assertTrue(second.tokens() != first.tokens(), "changing N in the fixture must change the reported number");
+    }
+
+    // --- property 2: compaction count tracks compact_boundary records --------------------------
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("reported compaction count equals K compact_boundary records, and changes with K")
+    void compactionCountTracksCompactBoundaryRecordsAndChangesWithIt(@TempDir Path tmp) throws IOException {
+        String sessionTwoCompactions = "33333333-3333-3333-3333-333333333333";
+        writeTranscript(tmp, sessionTwoCompactions,
+                usageLine(1_000, 0, 0),
+                compactionLine(),
+                usageLine(2_000, 0, 0),
+                compactionLine(),
+                usageLine(3_000, 0, 0));
+        LeadContextGauge gauge = new LeadContextGauge();
+        LeadContextGauge.Reading twoCompactions = gauge.read(tmp.toString(), sessionTwoCompactions, "claude");
+        assertEquals(2, twoCompactions.compactions());
+
+        String sessionZeroCompactions = "44444444-4444-4444-4444-444444444444";
+        writeTranscript(tmp, sessionZeroCompactions, usageLine(3_000, 0, 0));
+        LeadContextGauge.Reading zeroCompactions = gauge.read(tmp.toString(), sessionZeroCompactions, "claude");
+        assertEquals(0, zeroCompactions.compactions(), "changing K in the fixture must change the reported count");
+    }
+
+    // --- property 3: two separate UNKNOWN cases -------------------------------------------------
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("a missing transcript file reports UNKNOWN with no token number")
+    void missingFileIsUnknown(@TempDir Path tmp) {
+        LeadContextGauge gauge = new LeadContextGauge();
+        LeadContextGauge.Reading reading = gauge.read(tmp.toString(), SESSION_ID, "claude");
+        assertEquals(LeadContextGauge.State.UNKNOWN, reading.state());
+        assertNull(reading.tokens());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("an unreadable transcript file reports UNKNOWN with no token number")
+    void unreadableFileIsUnknown(@TempDir Path tmp) throws IOException {
+        String configDir = writeTranscript(tmp, SESSION_ID, usageLine(1_000, 0, 0));
+        Path file = tmp.resolve("projects").resolve("some-project-slug").resolve(SESSION_ID + ".jsonl");
+        assertTrue(file.toFile().setReadable(false), "test setup: must be able to revoke read permission");
+        try {
+            // setReadable(false) really did clear the read bit (asserted above), but that alone
+            // does not prove the file is UNREADABLE: running as root (e.g. a CI container) ignores
+            // the read bit and opens the file anyway. Files.isReadable checks what actually happens
+            // on open, not the bit. When it still reports readable, this test cannot create the
+            // condition it needs on this machine, so it skips honestly instead of asserting on a
+            // state that was never reached. A skip here means "I could not set up the case", NOT
+            // "the UNKNOWN behaviour is fine" -- it is not evidence either way.
+            assumeFalse(Files.isReadable(file),
+                    "runs as root (CI container): the read bit does not stop root, so this case cannot be set up here");
+            LeadContextGauge gauge = new LeadContextGauge();
+            LeadContextGauge.Reading reading = gauge.read(configDir, SESSION_ID, "claude");
+            assertEquals(LeadContextGauge.State.UNKNOWN, reading.state());
+            assertNull(reading.tokens());
+        } finally {
+            file.toFile().setReadable(true); // so @TempDir cleanup can delete it
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("fleetd #602 finding 2: a torn final line does not destroy a good earlier reading")
+    void tornFinalLineFallsBackToTheLastGoodReading(@TempDir Path tmp) throws IOException {
+        // Deliberately NOT via writeTranscript: that helper appends a trailing newline after every
+        // line, including the last one, which would not model what a write caught mid-flush looks
+        // like on disk. Claude Code appends and flushes one line at a time, so the torn line here has
+        // no trailing newline at all -- exactly the shape a read racing an in-progress write sees.
+        Path projectDir = tmp.resolve("projects").resolve("some-project-slug");
+        Files.createDirectories(projectDir);
+        Path file = projectDir.resolve(SESSION_ID + ".jsonl");
+        String lastCompleteLine = usageLine(1_000, 2_000, 3_000); // last COMPLETE record: 6,000
+        String tornLine = "{\"type\":\"assistant\",\"message\":{\"role\":\"assistant\",\"usage\":{\"input_tok";
+        Files.writeString(file, lastCompleteLine + "\n" + tornLine, StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+
+        LeadContextGauge gauge = new LeadContextGauge();
+        LeadContextGauge.Reading reading = gauge.read(tmp.toString(), SESSION_ID, "claude");
+        assertEquals(LeadContextGauge.State.OK, reading.state(),
+                "a torn final line must not turn a good earlier reading into UNKNOWN");
+        assertEquals(6_000L, reading.tokens(),
+                "must report the last COMPLETE line's total, not fail the whole read");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("fleetd #602 finding 2 control: when EVERY line is unparseable, the reading IS UNKNOWN")
+    void everyLineUnparseableIsUnknown(@TempDir Path tmp) throws IOException {
+        // The real signal a format change gives: not one bad line, but ALL of them. Without this
+        // control, code that never reports UNKNOWN at all would still pass the torn-line property.
+        String configDir = writeTranscript(tmp, SESSION_ID,
+                "{this is not json at all",
+                "neither is this{{{");
+        LeadContextGauge gauge = new LeadContextGauge();
+        LeadContextGauge.Reading reading = gauge.read(configDir, SESSION_ID, "claude");
+        assertEquals(LeadContextGauge.State.UNKNOWN, reading.state(),
+                "every line unparseable is the real format-change signal and must still report UNKNOWN");
+        assertNull(reading.tokens());
+    }
+
+    // --- property 4: the tail bound is actually enforced ----------------------------------------
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("reading a transcript far larger than the tail bound reads no more than the bound")
+    void readNeverExceedsTheTailBound(@TempDir Path tmp) throws IOException {
+        int smallBound = 4_096; // exercise the mechanism without writing a multi-MB fixture
+        Path file = tmp.resolve("big.jsonl");
+        // One line far bigger than smallBound, repeated, so the whole file is many times the bound.
+        String line = usageLine(42, 0, 0) + " ".repeat(500);
+        StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
+        for (int i = 0; i < 50; i++) {
+            sb.append(line).append('\n');
+        }
+        Files.writeString(file, sb.toString(), StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+        long fileLength = Files.size(file);
+        assertTrue(fileLength > (long) smallBound * 5, "test setup: fixture must genuinely dwarf the bound");
+
+        var tail = LeadContextGauge.tailBytes(file, smallBound);
+        assertEquals(smallBound, tail.bytes().length,
+                "must read exactly the bound, not the whole " + fileLength + "-byte file — assert on bytes actually read");
+    }
+
+    // --- property 5: the cache TTL means a burst of calls reads the file once -------------------
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("the same (configDir, sessionId) read twice inside the TTL touches disk once")
+    void secondReadInsideTtlDoesNotTouchDiskAgain(@TempDir Path tmp) throws IOException {
+        String configDir = writeTranscript(tmp, SESSION_ID, usageLine(1_000, 0, 0));
+        AtomicLong now = new AtomicLong(0);
+        LeadContextGauge gauge = new LeadContextGauge(now::get, 5_000);
+
+        gauge.read(configDir, SESSION_ID, "claude");
+        gauge.read(configDir, SESSION_ID, "claude"); // still inside the TTL window
+        assertEquals(1, gauge.diskReadCount(), "two reads inside the TTL must touch disk once");
+
+        now.set(6_000); // past the TTL
+        gauge.read(configDir, SESSION_ID, "claude");
+        assertEquals(2, gauge.diskReadCount(), "a read past the TTL must touch disk again");
+    }
+
+    // --- non-Claude peer / unresolved session -----------------------------------------------------
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("a non-claude agent type or a null session id is UNKNOWN, never OK")
+    void nonClaudePeerOrUnresolvedSessionIsUnknown(@TempDir Path tmp) throws IOException {
+        String configDir = writeTranscript(tmp, SESSION_ID, usageLine(1_000, 0, 0));
+        LeadContextGauge gauge = new LeadContextGauge();
+
+        assertEquals(LeadContextGauge.State.UNKNOWN, gauge.read(configDir, SESSION_ID, "opencode").state());
+        assertEquals(LeadContextGauge.State.UNKNOWN, gauge.read(configDir, SESSION_ID, null).state());
+        assertEquals(LeadContextGauge.State.UNKNOWN, gauge.read(configDir, null, "claude").state());
+    }
+}

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/lead/LeadLauncherTest.java

@@ -32,13 +32,26 @@ class LeadLauncherTest {
                 Map.of("CLAUDE_CODE_AUTO_COMPACT_WINDOW", "300000"), null, null, true, null);
     }
 
+    private static FleetConfig.Profile profileWithAutoCompactWindow(String kind) {
+        return new FleetConfig.Profile(
+                "opus", null, "claude-opus-5", null, "FLEETD_WORKER_TOKEN",
+                List.of("ccs", "ltms"), "tab", "fleet", null,
+                "http://127.0.0.1:8765/mcp", null, null,
+                null, null, kind, Map.of(), null, null, true, null, null,
+                null, null, null, 250_000);
+    }
+
     private static FleetConfig configWith(FleetConfig.Leader lead) {
+        return configWith(lead, opusProfile());
+    }
+
+    private static FleetConfig configWith(FleetConfig.Leader lead, FleetConfig.Profile profile) {
         Map<String, FleetConfig.Leader> leaders = new LinkedHashMap<>();
         leaders.put("opus", lead);
         FleetConfig.Fleet fleet =
                 new FleetConfig.Fleet(leaders, Map.of(), Map.of(), Map.of(), null);
         return new FleetConfig(
-                null, null, Map.of("opus", opusProfile()), null, null, null, null, null,
+                null, null, Map.of("opus", profile), null, null, null, null, null,
                 null, null, fleet, null, "fixed", null).withDefaults();
     }
 
@@ -330,6 +343,36 @@ class LeadLauncherTest {
                 "--model is appended last so it outranks the ccs wrapper (CB-533)");
     }
 
+    @Test
+    void aClaudeLeadPassesItsConfiguredAutoCompactWindowToClaudeCode() {
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr();
+        FleetConfig.Profile profile = profileWithAutoCompactWindow("claude-code");
+
+        launcher(herdr, configWith(lead("opus", "lead: opus", 1), profile)).ensureLeads();
+
+        List<String> args = startedArgs(herdr);
+        assertEquals("250000", args.get(args.indexOf("--autocompact") + 1));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void aClaudeLeadWithNoAutoCompactWindowGetsNoAutoCompactFlag() {
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr();
+
+        launcher(herdr, configWith(lead("opus", "lead: opus", 1))).ensureLeads();
+
+        assertFalse(startedArgs(herdr).contains("--autocompact"));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void aNonClaudeLeadDoesNotGetAnAutoCompactFlag() {
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr();
+        FleetConfig.Profile profile = profileWithAutoCompactWindow("opencode");
+
+        launcher(herdr, configWith(lead("opus", "lead: opus", 1), profile)).ensureLeads();
+
+        assertFalse(startedArgs(herdr).contains("--autocompact"));
+    }
+
     /** A lead runs on the operator's subscription. Nothing may move it off. */
     @Test
     void theLeadEnvCarriesNoAnthropicBinding() {

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/lead/LeadRolloverTest.java

@@ -1,11 +1,14 @@
 package dev.ltms.fleet.lead;
 
+import ch.qos.logback.classic.Level;
+import ch.qos.logback.classic.spi.ILoggingEvent;
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.JsonNode;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.config.FleetConfig;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.AgentControl;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.FakeHerdr;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.HerdrClient;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.HerdrException;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.testing.CapturedLog;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.DisplayName;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.io.TempDir;
@@ -13,6 +16,8 @@ import org.junit.jupiter.api.io.TempDir;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.nio.file.Files;
 import java.nio.file.Path;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.List;
 import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicLong;
 import java.util.function.Function;
 import java.util.function.LongSupplier;
@@ -854,4 +859,504 @@ class LeadRolloverTest {
         assertFalse(bootstrapSent.contains("\"handover.md\""),
                 "must not name the raw relative configured value in the text actually sent");
     }
+
+    // ---- fleetd #494: the log lines must print MEASURED values, never the configured budget --
+
+    private static CapturedLog attachLog() {
+        return CapturedLog.at(LeadRollover.class, Level.DEBUG);
+    }
+
+    private static ILoggingEvent lastEventContaining(List<ILoggingEvent> events, String substring) {
+        return events.stream()
+                .filter(e -> e.getFormattedMessage().contains(substring))
+                .reduce((_, b) -> b)
+                .orElseThrow(() -> new AssertionError("no log event contained \"" + substring
+                        + "\"; got: " + events.stream().map(ILoggingEvent::getFormattedMessage).toList()));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("[fleetd #494] the /clear-timeout warn line prints the MEASURED elapsed time and "
+            + "nudge count next to the configured budget, never the configured value alone")
+    void clearTimeoutLogPrintsMeasuredElapsedAndNudgesNotJustConfigured() throws IOException {
+        // Idle until /clear is sent, then permanently WORKING (a genuinely stuck /clear that never
+        // reaches a completion boundary) — isolates the SECOND wait exactly like
+        // clearThatNeverSettlesAfterwardsNeverSendsBootstrapText, but with a clock that ADVANCES on
+        // every read so the measured elapsed time is a deterministic, non-zero value distinct from
+        // the configured budget — pinning fleetd #494's fix, not just its absence of a hang.
+        FakeHerdr fake = new FakeHerdr();
+        HerdrClient flipsAfterClear = new HerdrClient() {
+            @Override
+            public JsonNode call(String method, Object params) throws HerdrException {
+                JsonNode result = fake.call(method, params);
+                if ("agent.prompt".equals(method) && String.valueOf(params).contains("/clear")) {
+                    fake.agentStatus("working");
+                }
+                return result;
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void close() {
+                fake.close();
+            }
+        };
+        Path handover = writeHandover("handover contents");
+        FleetConfig.LeadRollover config =
+                new FleetConfig.LeadRollover(handover.toString(), true, 3600, 20, 1 /*clearSettleSeconds*/, "boot text");
+        AtomicLong clock = new AtomicLong(1_000);
+        LeadRollover rollover = newRollover(flipsAfterClear, config, () -> clock.addAndGet(500));
+
+        try (CapturedLog log = attachLog()) {
+            LeadRollover.PendingRollover pending = rollover.open(LEAD, "context is full");
+            LeadRollover.RollDecision decision = rollover.confirm(LEAD, pending.token(), true);
+
+            assertTrue(decision.accepted(), "every synchronous gate passes; the refusal is logged "
+                    + "only, deep inside the deferred continuation");
+
+            ILoggingEvent event = lastEventContaining(log.events(), "NOT sending bootstrapText");
+            assertEquals(Level.WARN, event.getLevel());
+            String message = event.getFormattedMessage();
+            assertTrue(message.contains("configured=1s"), "must label the configured budget: " + message);
+            assertTrue(message.contains("elapsed=1500ms"), "must print the MEASURED elapsed time — "
+                    + "with this fixture's advancing clock, the wait actually ran 1500ms against a "
+                    + "1s(=1000ms) configured budget: " + message);
+            assertTrue(message.contains("nudges=0"), "must print the measured nudge count (0 here — "
+                    + "the pane was WORKING throughout, never IDLE/DONE, so no nudge was ever sent): "
+                    + message);
+            assertFalse(message.contains("within 1s"), "must not present the configured budget as if "
+                    + "it were the measured wait duration: " + message);
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("[fleetd #494] the /clear pickup-grace release line is WARN (was INFO) and prints "
+            + "the measured elapsed time next to the target pane")
+    void clearGraceReleaseLogIsWarnWithMeasuredElapsed() throws IOException {
+        // Default idle throughout — no WORKING sample is ever observed, so the pickup-grace wait
+        // exhausts PICKUP_GRACE_POLLS and releases rather than wedging (see
+        // clearPickupIsNudgedBeforeBootstrapTextWhenPaneStaysIdle for the un-logged half of this
+        // scenario). A self-advancing clock makes the measured elapsed time deterministic and
+        // provably distinct from a bare poll/nudge count.
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr();
+        Path handover = writeHandover("handover contents");
+        FleetConfig.LeadRollover config = cfg(handover.toString()); // turnSettleSeconds=clearSettleSeconds=20
+        AtomicLong clock = new AtomicLong(1_000);
+        LeadRollover rollover = newRollover(herdr, config, () -> clock.addAndGet(500));
+
+        try (CapturedLog log = attachLog()) {
+            LeadRollover.PendingRollover pending = rollover.open(LEAD, "context is full");
+            LeadRollover.RollDecision decision = rollover.confirm(LEAD, pending.token(), true);
+
+            assertTrue(decision.accepted(), "expected approval; got: " + decision.reason()
+                    + " / " + decision.detail());
+
+            ILoggingEvent event = lastEventContaining(log.events(), "releasing rather than wedging the roll");
+            assertEquals(Level.WARN, event.getLevel(), "the grace-limit release must be WARN, not "
+                    + "INFO — it is exactly the case that reported false success in the real incident "
+                    + "this fix comes from (a roll that 'succeeded' after 438ms of a 20s budget)");
+            String message = event.getFormattedMessage();
+            assertTrue(message.contains(LEAD), "must name the target pane: " + message);
+            assertTrue(message.contains("elapsed=4500ms"), "must print the MEASURED elapsed time — "
+                    + "with this fixture's advancing clock, the wait ran 4500ms before releasing: "
+                    + message);
+            // fleetd #494 follow-up (2nd pass): both numbers here are DELIBERATE plain literals,
+            // not derived from LeadRollover.PICKUP_GRACE_POLLS. A version of this assertion that
+            // reads "(" + (LeadRollover.PICKUP_GRACE_POLLS - 1) + " of those were nudged)" builds
+            // its expectation the same way the production code used to build the log line, so it
+            // cannot tell a fixed constant apart from the measured counter — proved by reverting
+            // the production fix and re-running: that mutant stayed green under the old assertion.
+            // If PICKUP_GRACE_POLLS ever changes, THIS TEST MUST FAIL and a human must look at the
+            // new message and update the literals below, not just re-derive them.
+            assertTrue(message.contains("after 8 consecutive IDLE/DONE polls (7 of those were nudged)"),
+                    "must print the measured poll count and nudge count as plain numbers, not the "
+                            + "PICKUP_GRACE_POLLS constant standing in for either: " + message);
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("[fleetd #494] the success line prints the measured elapsed time for the whole roll")
+    void successLogPrintsMeasuredElapsedForTheWholeRoll() throws IOException {
+        // Same fixture as clearGraceReleaseLogIsWarnWithMeasuredElapsed: default idle throughout, so
+        // the grace release fires and the roll still goes on to send bootstrapText and log success.
+        // This is deliberately the SAME shape as the real incident (a roll that "succeeds" quickly)
+        // — the missing signal was the elapsed time on this exact line.
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr();
+        Path handover = writeHandover("handover contents");
+        FleetConfig.LeadRollover config = cfg(handover.toString());
+        AtomicLong clock = new AtomicLong(1_000);
+        LeadRollover rollover = newRollover(herdr, config, () -> clock.addAndGet(500));
+
+        try (CapturedLog log = attachLog()) {
+            LeadRollover.PendingRollover pending = rollover.open(LEAD, "context is full");
+            LeadRollover.RollDecision decision = rollover.confirm(LEAD, pending.token(), true);
+
+            assertTrue(decision.accepted(), "expected approval; got: " + decision.reason()
+                    + " / " + decision.detail());
+
+            ILoggingEvent event = lastEventContaining(log.events(), "lead-rollover: rolled");
+            assertEquals(Level.INFO, event.getLevel());
+            String message = event.getFormattedMessage();
+            // fleetd #494 follow-up: waitUntilAtTurnBoundary now also reads the injected clock one
+            // extra time (to compute ITS OWN measured elapsed on the success path), so the shared
+            // fixture clock advances by one more 500ms tick before the roll finishes than it did
+            // before that follow-up — 7000ms, not 6500ms.
+            assertTrue(message.contains("elapsedMs=7000"), "must print the MEASURED elapsed time for "
+                    + "the whole roll — with this fixture's advancing clock, the full roll (turn-settle "
+                    + "wait + /clear wait + bootstrapText) took 7000ms: " + message);
+        }
+    }
+
+    // ---- CB-... : LeadRollover#status makes the outcome of a confirmed roll readable -----------
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("[STATUS 1] after the calling turn never settles, status() reports "
+            + "TURN_NEVER_SETTLED for that token — this assertion could not even be written before "
+            + "status() existed")
+    void statusReportsTurnNeverSettledAfterTheRollIsAbandoned() throws IOException {
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr();
+        herdr.agentStatus("working"); // the calling lead's own pane — never goes idle in this test
+        Path handover = writeHandover("handover contents");
+        FleetConfig.LeadRollover config =
+                new FleetConfig.LeadRollover(handover.toString(), true, 3600, 1 /*turnSettleSeconds*/, 20, "text");
+        AtomicLong clock = new AtomicLong(1_000);
+        LeadRollover rollover = newRollover(herdr, config, () -> clock.addAndGet(500));
+
+        LeadRollover.PendingRollover pending = rollover.open(LEAD, "context is full");
+        LeadRollover.RollDecision decision = rollover.confirm(LEAD, pending.token(), true);
+        assertTrue(decision.accepted(), "every synchronous gate should pass; the refusal happens "
+                + "only inside the deferred continuation, which this test's synchronous runner has "
+                + "already run to completion by the time confirm() returns");
+        assertEquals(0, promptCallCount(herdr), "sanity: /clear was never sent");
+
+        LeadRollover.RollStatus status = rollover.status(pending.token());
+        assertEquals(LeadRollover.RollState.TURN_NEVER_SETTLED, status.state());
+        assertTrue(status.detail().contains("turnSettleSeconds"), "the detail must name the knob a "
+                + "reader needs to raise: " + status.detail());
+        assertTrue(status.detail().toLowerCase().contains("no /clear"), "the detail must say plainly "
+                + "that no /clear was ever sent: " + status.detail());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("[STATUS 2] a roll that completes reports ROLLED for its token")
+    void statusReportsRolledForACompletedRoll() throws IOException {
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr(); // default idle — a full successful roll
+        Path handover = writeHandover("handover contents");
+        AtomicLong clock = new AtomicLong(1_000);
+        LeadRollover rollover = newRollover(herdr, cfg(handover.toString()), fixedClock(clock));
+
+        LeadRollover.PendingRollover pending = rollover.open(LEAD, "context is full");
+        LeadRollover.RollDecision decision = rollover.confirm(LEAD, pending.token(), true);
+        assertTrue(decision.accepted(), "expected approval; got: " + decision.reason() + " / " + decision.detail());
+        assertEquals(2, promptCallCount(herdr), "sanity: /clear then bootstrapText were both sent");
+
+        LeadRollover.RollStatus status = rollover.status(pending.token());
+        assertEquals(LeadRollover.RollState.ROLLED, status.state());
+        assertNotNull(status.detail());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("[STATUS 3] a roll where /clear never settles reports CLEAR_NEVER_SETTLED — "
+            + "distinct from both ROLLED and TURN_NEVER_SETTLED")
+    void statusReportsClearNeverSettledDistinctFromTheOtherTwoStates() throws IOException {
+        // Idle until /clear is sent, then permanently working — the SECOND wait never settles.
+        FakeHerdr fake = new FakeHerdr();
+        HerdrClient flipsAfterClear = new HerdrClient() {
+            @Override
+            public JsonNode call(String method, Object params) throws HerdrException {
+                JsonNode result = fake.call(method, params);
+                if ("agent.prompt".equals(method) && String.valueOf(params).contains("/clear")) {
+                    fake.agentStatus("working");
+                }
+                return result;
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void close() {
+                fake.close();
+            }
+        };
+        Path handover = writeHandover("handover contents");
+        FleetConfig.LeadRollover config =
+                new FleetConfig.LeadRollover(handover.toString(), true, 3600, 20, 1 /*clearSettleSeconds*/, "boot text");
+        AtomicLong clock = new AtomicLong(1_000);
+        LeadRollover rollover = newRollover(flipsAfterClear, config, () -> clock.addAndGet(500));
+
+        LeadRollover.PendingRollover pending = rollover.open(LEAD, "context is full");
+        LeadRollover.RollDecision decision = rollover.confirm(LEAD, pending.token(), true);
+        assertTrue(decision.accepted(), "every synchronous gate passes; the refusal is logged only, "
+                + "deep inside the deferred continuation");
+        assertEquals(1, promptCallCount(fake), "sanity: only /clear was sent, never bootstrapText");
+
+        LeadRollover.RollStatus status = rollover.status(pending.token());
+        assertEquals(LeadRollover.RollState.CLEAR_NEVER_SETTLED, status.state());
+        assertNotEquals(LeadRollover.RollState.ROLLED, status.state());
+        assertNotEquals(LeadRollover.RollState.TURN_NEVER_SETTLED, status.state());
+        assertTrue(status.detail().contains("clearSettleSeconds"), status.detail());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("[STATUS 4] a token that was never issued, or was cancelled, gives a clean "
+            + "UNKNOWN answer rather than an exception or a false ROLLED")
+    void statusOnUnissuedOrCancelledTokenIsCleanNotAnExceptionOrFalseSuccess() throws IOException {
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr();
+        Path handover = writeHandover("handover contents");
+        AtomicLong clock = new AtomicLong(1_000);
+        LeadRollover rollover = newRollover(herdr, cfg(handover.toString()), fixedClock(clock));
+
+        // never issued at all
+        LeadRollover.RollStatus neverIssued = assertDoesNotThrow(() -> rollover.status("no-such-token"));
+        assertEquals(LeadRollover.RollState.UNKNOWN, neverIssued.state());
+        assertNotEquals(LeadRollover.RollState.ROLLED, neverIssued.state());
+
+        // null / blank must not throw either — pending is a ConcurrentHashMap, which throws on a
+        // null-key lookup unless status() guards it first
+        assertEquals(LeadRollover.RollState.UNKNOWN, assertDoesNotThrow(() -> rollover.status(null)).state());
+        assertEquals(LeadRollover.RollState.UNKNOWN, assertDoesNotThrow(() -> rollover.status("  ")).state());
+
+        // opened, then cancelled
+        LeadRollover.PendingRollover pending = rollover.open(LEAD, "context is full");
+        assertTrue(rollover.cancel(pending.token()));
+        LeadRollover.RollStatus cancelled = assertDoesNotThrow(() -> rollover.status(pending.token()));
+        assertEquals(LeadRollover.RollState.UNKNOWN, cancelled.state());
+        assertNotEquals(LeadRollover.RollState.ROLLED, cancelled.state());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("[STATUS 5] the bounded outcome history never grows past its cap")
+    void statusHistoryDoesNotGrowPastItsCap() throws IOException {
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr(); // default idle — every roll completes
+        Path handover = writeHandover("handover contents"); // one file, reused by every roll below —
+        // checkHandover only compares its mtime against each open()'s OWN requestedAtMillis (the
+        // fake clock, in the low thousands), and the file's real (wall-clock) mtime is always far
+        // larger than that, so freshness passes on every iteration without rewriting the file.
+        AtomicLong clock = new AtomicLong(1_000);
+        LeadRollover rollover = newRollover(herdr, cfg(handover.toString()), () -> clock.addAndGet(1));
+
+        int rolls = LeadRollover.OUTCOME_HISTORY_CAP + 50;
+        String[] tokens = new String[rolls];
+        for (int i = 0; i < rolls; i++) {
+            LeadRollover.PendingRollover pending = rollover.open(LEAD, "context is full #" + i);
+            LeadRollover.RollDecision decision = rollover.confirm(LEAD, pending.token(), true);
+            assertTrue(decision.accepted(), "roll #" + i + " should have been approved: " + decision.detail());
+            tokens[i] = pending.token();
+        }
+
+        assertEquals(LeadRollover.RollState.ROLLED, rollover.status(tokens[rolls - 1]).state(),
+                "the most recently finished roll's outcome must still be in the bounded history");
+
+        // There is no direct size accessor for the bounded history, so boundedness is asserted
+        // indirectly and behaviourally: the OLDEST finished roll's outcome must have been evicted
+        // (reads back as a clean UNKNOWN, exactly like a token that was never issued) once more than
+        // OUTCOME_HISTORY_CAP rolls have gone through this instance. If the cap were not enforced,
+        // tokens[0] would still read back ROLLED here, and this assertion would fail.
+        assertEquals(LeadRollover.RollState.UNKNOWN, rollover.status(tokens[0]).state(),
+                "the oldest finished roll's outcome must have been evicted once the cap was "
+                        + "exceeded — otherwise the bounded history is not actually bounded");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("[STATUS 6] a status() call against a pending roll is read-only — no herdr call is "
+            + "made and the pending request is left untouched")
+    void statusCallAgainstAPendingRollIsReadOnlyAndTouchesNothing() throws IOException {
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr();
+        Path handover = writeHandover("handover contents");
+        AtomicLong clock = new AtomicLong(1_000);
+        LeadRollover rollover = newRollover(herdr, cfg(handover.toString()), fixedClock(clock));
+
+        LeadRollover.PendingRollover pending = rollover.open(LEAD, "context is full");
+
+        LeadRollover.RollStatus status = rollover.status(pending.token());
+        assertEquals(LeadRollover.RollState.PENDING, status.state());
+        assertEquals(0, herdr.calls.size(), "status() must never make any herdr call at all — not "
+                + "just no agent.prompt — since it must never schedule, cancel, or retry anything");
+
+        // the pending request must be left exactly as it was: the SAME token can still be confirmed
+        // afterwards, as if status() had never been called.
+        LeadRollover.RollDecision decision = rollover.confirm(LEAD, pending.token(), true);
+        assertTrue(decision.accepted(), "status() must not have consumed or otherwise disturbed the "
+                + "pending request: " + decision.reason() + " / " + decision.detail());
+    }
+
+    // ---- PR #600 review round 2: IN_PROGRESS — the gap between confirm() handing off and the ----
+    // ---- continuation finishing must never read back as UNKNOWN ("nothing was ever requested") --
+
+    /**
+     * A {@code continuationRunner} that CAPTURES the roll instead of running it, so a test can
+     * observe {@link LeadRollover#status} in the window between {@link LeadRollover#confirm}
+     * handing off and the roll actually finishing — the window the synchronous {@code
+     * Runnable::run} runner used everywhere else in this class collapses to nothing. Call {@link
+     * #runNext()} to finish exactly one held roll, once the test is done observing the in-flight
+     * state.
+     */
+    private static final class HoldingRunner implements java.util.function.Consumer<Runnable> {
+        private final List<Runnable> held = new ArrayList<>();
+
+        @Override
+        public void accept(Runnable runnable) {
+            held.add(runnable);
+        }
+
+        int heldCount() {
+            return held.size();
+        }
+
+        /** Runs (and removes) the oldest held roll — FIFO, matching confirm() call order. */
+        void runNext() {
+            held.remove(0).run();
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static LeadRollover newRolloverWithHoldingRunner(HerdrClient herdr,
+            FleetConfig.LeadRollover config, LongSupplier nowMillis, HoldingRunner runner) {
+        AgentControl agents = new AgentControl(herdr);
+        return new LeadRollover(agents, () -> config, _ -> null, nowMillis, () -> { }, runner);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("[IN-PROGRESS 1] between an approved confirm() and the continuation finishing, "
+            + "status() reports IN_PROGRESS — not UNKNOWN, and not PENDING")
+    void statusReportsInProgressBetweenConfirmAndTheContinuationFinishing() throws IOException {
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr(); // default idle — the held roll WOULD complete once run
+        Path handover = writeHandover("handover contents");
+        AtomicLong clock = new AtomicLong(1_000);
+        HoldingRunner runner = new HoldingRunner();
+        LeadRollover rollover = newRolloverWithHoldingRunner(herdr, cfg(handover.toString()),
+                fixedClock(clock), runner);
+
+        LeadRollover.PendingRollover pending = rollover.open(LEAD, "context is full");
+        LeadRollover.RollDecision decision = rollover.confirm(LEAD, pending.token(), true);
+        assertTrue(decision.accepted(), "expected approval; got: " + decision.reason() + " / " + decision.detail());
+        assertEquals(1, runner.heldCount(), "sanity: the roll must have been handed to the "
+                + "continuation runner and held there, not run yet");
+        assertEquals(0, promptCallCount(herdr), "sanity: the held continuation has not run, so "
+                + "nothing has been sent to the pane yet");
+
+        LeadRollover.RollStatus status = rollover.status(pending.token());
+        assertEquals(LeadRollover.RollState.IN_PROGRESS, status.state(),
+                "a lead calling status() right after confirm() returned approved, while the roll "
+                        + "is still running, must be told IN_PROGRESS — not UNKNOWN (\"nothing was "
+                        + "ever requested\", which would wrongly invite it to call open() again "
+                        + "mid-roll) and not PENDING (\"not yet approved\", which is simply false "
+                        + "here): got " + status.state() + " / " + status.detail());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("[IN-PROGRESS 2] once the continuation finishes, the same token reports its "
+            + "terminal state — IN_PROGRESS is not sticky")
+    void inProgressStateIsNotStickyOnceTheContinuationFinishes() throws IOException {
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr(); // default idle — the held roll completes once run
+        Path handover = writeHandover("handover contents");
+        AtomicLong clock = new AtomicLong(1_000);
+        HoldingRunner runner = new HoldingRunner();
+        LeadRollover rollover = newRolloverWithHoldingRunner(herdr, cfg(handover.toString()),
+                fixedClock(clock), runner);
+
+        LeadRollover.PendingRollover pending = rollover.open(LEAD, "context is full");
+        LeadRollover.RollDecision decision = rollover.confirm(LEAD, pending.token(), true);
+        assertTrue(decision.accepted(), "expected approval; got: " + decision.reason() + " / " + decision.detail());
+        assertEquals(LeadRollover.RollState.IN_PROGRESS, rollover.status(pending.token()).state(),
+                "sanity: must be IN_PROGRESS before the held continuation is run");
+
+        runner.runNext(); // finish the held roll now
+
+        assertEquals(2, promptCallCount(herdr), "sanity: the roll actually ran to completion "
+                + "once released — /clear then bootstrapText");
+        LeadRollover.RollStatus after = rollover.status(pending.token());
+        assertEquals(LeadRollover.RollState.ROLLED, after.state(),
+                "the SAME token must now report its terminal state — IN_PROGRESS must not still be "
+                        + "reported once the roll has actually finished");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("[IN-PROGRESS 4] IN_PROGRESS is distinct from every other RollState")
+    void inProgressStateIsDistinctFromAllOtherStates() throws IOException {
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr();
+        Path handover = writeHandover("handover contents");
+        AtomicLong clock = new AtomicLong(1_000);
+        HoldingRunner runner = new HoldingRunner();
+        LeadRollover rollover = newRolloverWithHoldingRunner(herdr, cfg(handover.toString()),
+                fixedClock(clock), runner);
+
+        LeadRollover.PendingRollover pending = rollover.open(LEAD, "context is full");
+        LeadRollover.RollDecision decision = rollover.confirm(LEAD, pending.token(), true);
+        assertTrue(decision.accepted(), "expected approval; got: " + decision.reason() + " / " + decision.detail());
+
+        LeadRollover.RollState inProgress = rollover.status(pending.token()).state();
+        assertEquals(LeadRollover.RollState.IN_PROGRESS, inProgress);
+        for (LeadRollover.RollState other : LeadRollover.RollState.values()) {
+            if (other == LeadRollover.RollState.IN_PROGRESS) {
+                continue;
+            }
+            assertNotEquals(other, inProgress, "IN_PROGRESS must be distinct from " + other);
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("[IN-PROGRESS 5] eviction counts IN_PROGRESS entries toward the cap exactly like "
+            + "finished ones — a burst of confirmed-but-not-yet-finished rolls still ages out")
+    void evictionCountsInProgressEntriesTowardTheCap() throws IOException {
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr();
+        Path handover = writeHandover("handover contents"); // reused by every roll — see
+        // statusHistoryDoesNotGrowPastItsCap for why one shared file is enough for freshness.
+        AtomicLong clock = new AtomicLong(1_000);
+        HoldingRunner runner = new HoldingRunner(); // nothing run below — every roll stays IN_PROGRESS
+        LeadRollover rollover = newRolloverWithHoldingRunner(herdr, cfg(handover.toString()),
+                () -> clock.addAndGet(1), runner);
+
+        int rolls = LeadRollover.OUTCOME_HISTORY_CAP + 50;
+        String[] tokens = new String[rolls];
+        for (int i = 0; i < rolls; i++) {
+            LeadRollover.PendingRollover pending = rollover.open(LEAD, "context is full #" + i);
+            LeadRollover.RollDecision decision = rollover.confirm(LEAD, pending.token(), true);
+            assertTrue(decision.accepted(), "roll #" + i + " should have been approved: " + decision.detail());
+            tokens[i] = pending.token();
+        }
+        assertEquals(rolls, runner.heldCount(), "sanity: none of these rolls have been run — every "
+                + "one of them is sitting in outcomes as IN_PROGRESS, not a separate uncapped map");
+
+        assertEquals(LeadRollover.RollState.IN_PROGRESS, rollover.status(tokens[rolls - 1]).state(),
+                "the most recently confirmed (still in-flight) roll must still be in the bounded "
+                        + "history");
+        assertEquals(LeadRollover.RollState.UNKNOWN, rollover.status(tokens[0]).state(),
+                "the oldest confirmed roll's IN_PROGRESS entry must have been evicted once the cap "
+                        + "was exceeded, exactly like a finished entry would be — proving IN_PROGRESS "
+                        + "entries share the SAME bounded map and count against the SAME cap, rather "
+                        + "than living in a second, uncapped in-flight map");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("[fleetd #494 follow-up] the turn-settle timeout warn line prints the MEASURED "
+            + "elapsed time next to the configured budget, never the configured value alone")
+    void turnTimeoutLogPrintsMeasuredElapsedNotJustConfigured() throws IOException {
+        // The brief that named the four items this ticket fixed left this exact sibling line out —
+        // "did not reach a turn boundary (IDLE or DONE) within {}s after confirm()" — even though it
+        // has the identical defect shape one method below. Same fixture shape as
+        // clearTimeoutLogPrintsMeasuredElapsedAndNudgesNotJustConfigured, but for the FIRST wait: the
+        // calling lead's own pane never goes idle, so waitUntilAtTurnBoundary times out.
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr();
+        herdr.agentStatus("working"); // the calling lead's own pane — never goes idle in this test
+        Path handover = writeHandover("handover contents");
+        FleetConfig.LeadRollover config =
+                new FleetConfig.LeadRollover(handover.toString(), true, 3600, 1 /*turnSettleSeconds*/, 20, "text");
+        AtomicLong clock = new AtomicLong(1_000);
+        LeadRollover rollover = newRollover(herdr, config, () -> clock.addAndGet(500));
+
+        try (CapturedLog log = attachLog()) {
+            LeadRollover.PendingRollover pending = rollover.open(LEAD, "context is full");
+            LeadRollover.RollDecision decision = rollover.confirm(LEAD, pending.token(), true);
+
+            assertTrue(decision.accepted(), "every synchronous gate should pass; the refusal happens "
+                    + "only inside the deferred continuation, which this test's synchronous runner "
+                    + "has already run to completion by the time confirm() returns");
+
+            ILoggingEvent event = lastEventContaining(log.events(), "refusing to send /clear at all");
+            assertEquals(Level.WARN, event.getLevel());
+            String message = event.getFormattedMessage();
+            assertTrue(message.contains("configured=1s"), "must label the configured budget: " + message);
+            assertTrue(message.contains("elapsed=1500ms"), "must print the MEASURED elapsed time — "
+                    + "with this fixture's advancing clock, the wait actually ran 1500ms against a "
+                    + "1s(=1000ms) configured budget: " + message);
+            assertFalse(message.contains("within 1s"), "must not present the configured budget as if "
+                    + "it were the measured wait duration: " + message);
+        }
+    }
 }

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/mcp/ConnectionIdentityTest.java

@@ -57,6 +57,23 @@ class ConnectionIdentityTest {
         // must read as "resolved" — the distinction #317 turns on.
         ConnectionIdentity.Caller c = with(_ -> 999_999).resolve("127.0.0.1", 55555);
         assertTrue(c.resolved());
+        assertTrue(c.scanComplete(), "no herdr error happened, so the scan is complete");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void scanIsIncompleteWhenHerdrErrorsOnThePaneThatOwnsThePid() {
+        // fleetd #505: a transient herdr error on exactly the pane that DOES own the caller's pid
+        // must be visible as an incomplete scan, distinct from a real primary (resolved(), null
+        // terminal, complete scan). Both have pid > 0 and a null terminal — scanComplete is the
+        // only thing that tells them apart.
+        FakeHerdr failing = new FakeHerdr().processInfoFailsForPane("w2:p7", "transient");
+        ConnectionIdentity id = new ConnectionIdentity(new PaneLocator(failing), _ -> FakeHerdr.WORKER_PID);
+
+        ConnectionIdentity.Caller c = id.resolve("127.0.0.1", 55555);
+
+        assertTrue(c.resolved(), "the pid itself resolved fine — this is not #317's failure");
+        assertNull(c.terminal(), "the owning pane could not be confirmed");
+        assertFalse(c.scanComplete(), "the scan could not check the pane that owns this pid");
     }
 
     @Test

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/mcp/FleetMcpAuthzTest.java

@@ -78,10 +78,15 @@ class FleetMcpAuthzTest {
         // fleetd #480 correction round: FleetMcp has one constructor now (no defaulting
         // overloads — see its javadoc), so every feature this test does not exercise is passed
         // its explicit "off" value here rather than being omitted.
+        //
+        // fleetd #518: callers is now required (never null) either way — the resolver that used
+        // to be omitted to reach "legacy" is now always real, and AuthorizationMode is the
+        // separate, explicit choice that governs enforcement.
         mcp = new FleetMcp(messages, workers, sessions, identity, sessions.asPresence(),
                 new PrimaryRegistry(null),
-                enforce ? CallerResolver.withLeadsAndMembers(identity, false, null,
-                Map::of, new MemberRegistry(null)) : null,
+                CallerResolver.withLeadsAndMembers(identity, false, null,
+                Map::of, new MemberRegistry(null)),
+                enforce ? FleetMcp.AuthorizationMode.ENFORCED : FleetMcp.AuthorizationMode.UNENFORCED,
                 metrics, FleetMcp.CapacitySource.none(), new FleetMcp.HealthCoverageSource(() -> "off"),
                 FleetMcp.QuarantineSource.none(), null, FleetMcp.OutageSource.none(),
                 FleetMcp.LeadSeatSource.none(), List.of(), null);
@@ -187,7 +192,31 @@ class FleetMcpAuthzTest {
         // The 22 pre-existing FleetMcpTest cases rely on no authorization being enforced.
         FleetMcp m = mcp(false);
         assertNull(m.denyFor(ANON, Authz.Action.SPAWN, null),
-                "no CallerResolver supplied ⇒ authorization not enforced (legacy behaviour)");
+                "AuthorizationMode.UNENFORCED chosen explicitly ⇒ authorization not enforced "
+                        + "(legacy behaviour) — fleetd #518 replaced the old callers == null idiom");
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * fleetd #509 was originally proven against {@code FleetMcp.legacyPrincipal} — a second,
+     * separately-maintained principal-resolution heuristic that only ran when {@code callers} was
+     * omitted (null). fleetd #518 deleted that whole heuristic: {@code callers} is now required
+     * and non-null under every {@link FleetMcp.AuthorizationMode}, so the ONE real
+     * {@link CallerResolver} resolves every caller, enforced or not, and #509's property (a
+     * non-loopback / unresolved caller must never earn the primary's authority) is exactly what
+     * {@code CallerResolverTest.aNonLoopbackCallerIsNeverThePrimaryUnderLoopbackTrust} already
+     * proves on that one real path. There is no longer a second heuristic here to test.
+     */
+    @Test
+    void anUnresolvedNonLoopbackCallerIsAnonymousUnderTheOneRealResolver() {
+        ConnectionIdentity identity = new ConnectionIdentity(new PaneLocator(herdr), _ -> 999_999);
+        CallerResolver resolver = CallerResolver.withLeadsAndMembers(identity, false, null,
+                Map::of, new MemberRegistry(null));
+        // A non-loopback address never even reaches the pane scan — resolve() short-circuits it
+        // to Caller(null, -1, true), the same "no terminal" shape a genuine primary's connection
+        // produces on loopback. The real resolver must not conflate the two.
+        Principal p = resolver.resolve("8.8.8.8", 1234, null);
+        assertEquals(Principal.anonymous(), p,
+                "an unresolved, non-loopback caller must earn no authority, not the primary's");
     }
 
     // --- fleetd #439: who may see fleet_list's coordinator row ----------------------------------

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/mcp/FleetMcpContextExtractorTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,147 @@
+package dev.ltms.fleet.mcp;
+
+import dev.ltms.fleet.auth.CallerResolver;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.auth.MemberRegistry;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.config.FleetConfig;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.guard.SubscriptionGuard;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.AgentControl;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.FakeHerdr;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.PaneLocator;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.WorkspaceControl;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.Injector;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.member.ClaudeCodeLauncher;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.msg.InMemoryReplyInbox;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.msg.MessageService;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.msg.Rendezvous;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.session.FakeWorktrees;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.session.SessionManager;
+import io.modelcontextprotocol.client.McpClient;
+import io.modelcontextprotocol.client.McpSyncClient;
+import io.modelcontextprotocol.client.transport.HttpClientStreamableHttpTransport;
+import io.modelcontextprotocol.spec.McpClientTransport;
+import io.modelcontextprotocol.spec.McpSchema;
+import org.eclipse.jetty.server.Server;
+import org.eclipse.jetty.server.ServerConnector;
+import org.eclipse.jetty.servlet.ServletContextHandler;
+import org.eclipse.jetty.servlet.ServletHolder;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.AfterEach;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import java.net.http.HttpRequest;
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.Set;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertFalse;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
+
+/**
+ * fleetd #518 — Part 2: drive the {@code contextExtractor} closure for real.
+ *
+ * <p>{@code FleetMcp.deny()}/{@code denyFor()} has a full policy table of tests
+ * ({@code FleetMcpAuthzTest}), and {@code CallerResolver.resolve()} has its own full suite
+ * ({@code CallerResolverTest}). Neither one ever exercises the closure that WIRES them together
+ * inside {@code FleetMcp}'s constructor: it is built once, handed to the MCP SDK's transport, and
+ * only ever runs when a real MCP client makes a real HTTP request. Every existing test either
+ * calls {@code denyFor(Principal, ...)} with a hand-built {@link dev.ltms.fleet.auth.Principal}
+ * (never asking who the transport would actually have resolved) or drives a static handler method
+ * directly. A mutation that swapped the whole resolution decision for an unconditional fallback —
+ * bypassing {@link CallerResolver} entirely — passed the full suite, including every
+ * {@code FleetMcpAuthzTest} case, because none of them go through the transport at all.
+ *
+ * <p>This test boots the real {@code HttpServletStreamableServerTransportProvider} on a real
+ * Jetty server, drives it with a real MCP client over HTTP, and checks a result that only the
+ * real {@link CallerResolver} can produce: token-mode inspects the {@code Authorization} header
+ * and grants {@code PRIMARY} only for the right bearer token. The connection never resolves to a
+ * worker pane (the fake peer-pid lookup always misses), so the ONLY way {@code fleet_whoami} can
+ * come back as {@code primary} is if the closure actually called {@code callers.resolve(...)} and
+ * read that header — a behaviour the deleted {@code legacyPrincipal} heuristic never had at all.
+ */
+class FleetMcpContextExtractorTest {
+
+    private static final String TOKEN = "s3cret-mcp-token";
+
+    private final FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr();
+    private final AgentControl agents = new AgentControl(herdr);
+    private FleetMcp mcp;
+    private Server server;
+
+    @AfterEach
+    void tearDown() throws Exception {
+        if (server != null) {
+            server.stop();
+        }
+        if (mcp != null) {
+            mcp.close();
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void aRealMcpRequestIsResolvedByTheRealCallerResolverNotAFallback() throws Exception {
+        FleetConfig.Profile cfg = new FleetConfig.Profile(
+                "ltms-local", "http://gx00.gw:8000", "coder", null, "FLEETD_WORKER_TOKEN", null,
+                "tab", "fleetd-workers", "worker: {profile} #{n}", null, null, null);
+        ClaudeCodeLauncher workers = new ClaudeCodeLauncher(agents, new WorkspaceControl(herdr),
+                new SubscriptionGuard(Set.of("gx00.gw")), Map.of(cfg.profile(), cfg), cfg.profile(),
+                _ -> "tok");
+        SessionManager sessions = new SessionManager(workers, new FakeWorktrees());
+        MessageService messages = new MessageService(agents, new Injector(agents), new Rendezvous(),
+                new InMemoryReplyInbox());
+        // The peer-pid lookup always misses (-1), so no connection here is ever resolved to a
+        // worker pane — every call falls through to CallerResolver's token check, the one branch
+        // that is unreachable through the deleted legacy heuristic.
+        ConnectionIdentity identity = new ConnectionIdentity(new PaneLocator(herdr), _ -> -1);
+        CallerResolver callers = CallerResolver.withLeadsAndMembers(identity, true, TOKEN,
+                Map::of, new MemberRegistry(null));
+
+        mcp = new FleetMcp(messages, workers, sessions, identity, sessions.asPresence(),
+                new PrimaryRegistry(null), callers, FleetMcp.AuthorizationMode.ENFORCED,
+                null, FleetMcp.CapacitySource.none(), new FleetMcp.HealthCoverageSource(() -> "off"),
+                FleetMcp.QuarantineSource.none(), null, FleetMcp.OutageSource.none(),
+                FleetMcp.LeadSeatSource.none(), List.of(), null);
+
+        ServletContextHandler handler = new ServletContextHandler();
+        handler.setContextPath("/");
+        handler.addServlet(new ServletHolder(mcp.servlet()), "/mcp");
+        server = new Server(0);
+        server.setHandler(handler);
+        server.start();
+        String baseUrl = "http://127.0.0.1:"
+                + ((ServerConnector) server.getConnectors()[0]).getLocalPort();
+
+        // The right bearer token: the real CallerResolver grants PRIMARY, which fleet_whoami's
+        // READ gate lets through.
+        McpSchema.CallToolResult authorized = callWhoami(baseUrl, "Bearer " + TOKEN);
+        assertFalse(authorized.isError(), "a valid bearer token must resolve as PRIMARY and pass "
+                + "fleet_whoami's READ gate: " + textOf(authorized));
+        assertTrue(textOf(authorized).contains("\"role\":\"primary\""),
+                "fleet_whoami must report the role the real CallerResolver resolved over this "
+                        + "connection, not a fallback: " + textOf(authorized));
+
+        // No credential at all, over the SAME wiring: the real resolver refuses it as ANONYMOUS.
+        // legacyPrincipal never looked at the Authorization header, so it could not have told
+        // these two calls apart at all -- this is the assertion the deleted mutation would fail.
+        McpSchema.CallToolResult unauthorized = callWhoami(baseUrl, null);
+        assertTrue(unauthorized.isError(), "no credential must be refused, not silently let "
+                + "through: " + textOf(unauthorized));
+    }
+
+    private static McpSchema.CallToolResult callWhoami(String baseUrl, String authorizationHeader) {
+        HttpRequest.Builder requestTemplate = HttpRequest.newBuilder();
+        if (authorizationHeader != null) {
+            requestTemplate.header("Authorization", authorizationHeader);
+        }
+        McpClientTransport transport = HttpClientStreamableHttpTransport.builder(baseUrl)
+                .endpoint("/mcp")
+                .requestBuilder(requestTemplate)
+                .build();
+        try (McpSyncClient client = McpClient.sync(transport).build()) {
+            client.initialize();
+            return client.callTool(McpSchema.CallToolRequest.builder("fleet_whoami").arguments(Map.of()).build());
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static String textOf(McpSchema.CallToolResult r) {
+        return ((McpSchema.TextContent) r.content().getFirst()).text();
+    }
+}

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/mcp/FleetMcpHandoverTest.java

@@ -89,6 +89,7 @@ class FleetMcpHandoverTest {
         mcp = new FleetMcp(messages, workers, sessions, identity, sessions.asPresence(),
                 new PrimaryRegistry(null),
                 CallerResolver.withLeadsAndMembers(identity, false, null, Map::of, new MemberRegistry(null)),
+                FleetMcp.AuthorizationMode.ENFORCED,
                 null, FleetMcp.CapacitySource.none(), new FleetMcp.HealthCoverageSource(() -> "off"),
                 FleetMcp.QuarantineSource.none(), null, FleetMcp.OutageSource.none(),
                 FleetMcp.LeadSeatSource.none(), List.of(), leadRollover);
@@ -257,5 +258,51 @@ class FleetMcpHandoverTest {
         assertTrue(textOf(r).contains("\"cancelled\":true"), textOf(r));
     }
 
+    // --- new: action "status" — makes the outcome of a confirm() readable through the tool ----
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("status on a null LeadRollover is a clean NOT_CONFIGURED refusal, never a throw")
+    void statusWithNullLeadRolloverRefusesCleanly() {
+        McpSchema.CallToolResult r = assertDoesNotThrow(() -> FleetMcp.handover(null, LEAD,
+                Map.of("action", "status", "token", "whatever")));
+        assertFalse(r.isError());
+        assertTrue(textOf(r).contains("NOT_CONFIGURED"), textOf(r));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("status on a token that was never opened reports UNKNOWN")
+    void statusOnUnknownTokenReportsUnknown() {
+        LeadRollover rollover = newRollover(tmp.resolve("h.md").toString());
+
+        McpSchema.CallToolResult r = FleetMcp.handover(rollover, LEAD,
+                Map.of("action", "status", "token", "does-not-exist"));
+        assertFalse(r.isError());
+        assertTrue(textOf(r).contains("\"state\":\"UNKNOWN\""), textOf(r));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("status on a token that is still pending (opened, not confirmed) reports PENDING")
+    void statusOnPendingTokenReportsPending() {
+        LeadRollover rollover = newRollover(tmp.resolve("h.md").toString());
+        String token = extractToken(textOf(FleetMcp.handover(rollover, LEAD, Map.of("action", "open"))));
+
+        McpSchema.CallToolResult r = FleetMcp.handover(rollover, LEAD,
+                Map.of("action", "status", "token", token));
+        assertFalse(r.isError());
+        assertTrue(textOf(r).contains("\"state\":\"PENDING\""), textOf(r));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("status is registered on the tool's schema and the schema still names no caller-identity parameter")
+    void statusActionIsAdvertisedOnTheSchema() {
+        FleetMcp m = mcp(null);
+        McpSchema.Tool tool = m.registeredTools().stream()
+                .filter(t -> "fleet_handover".equals(t.name()))
+                .findFirst()
+                .orElseThrow(() -> new AssertionError("fleet_handover was not registered"));
+        assertTrue(tool.description().contains("'status'"),
+                "the tool's own description must advertise the 'status' action: " + tool.description());
+    }
+
     // --- acceptance 7 (wiring) is covered by FleetdLeadRolloverWiringTest, unchanged -----------
 }

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/mcp/FleetMcpLeadContextGaugeWiringTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,126 @@
+package dev.ltms.fleet.mcp;
+
+import dev.ltms.fleet.config.FleetConfig;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.guard.SubscriptionGuard;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.AgentControl;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.FakeHerdr;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.WorkspaceControl;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.lead.LeadContextGauge;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.member.ClaudeCodeLauncher;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.session.SessionManager;
+import io.modelcontextprotocol.spec.McpSchema;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.DisplayName;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.io.TempDir;
+
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
+import java.nio.file.Files;
+import java.nio.file.Path;
+import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.Set;
+import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReference;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertFalse;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNotEquals;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
+
+/**
+ * fleetd #602 gauge-wiring: {@code FleetMcp}'s {@code fleet_list} handler shipped calling
+ * {@code LeadContextGauge.read(null, ...)} unconditionally, so every lead whose profile sets a
+ * {@code configDir:} override read the wrong transcript directory forever, with no error anywhere —
+ * {@link LeadContextGauge}'s own 8 tests all passed because none of them exercised THIS wiring; each
+ * one hands the gauge its own directory directly.
+ *
+ * <p>This class proves the directory {@code fleet.leaders.<name>.profile}'s own {@code configDir:}
+ * names is the one {@code fleet_list}'s {@code context} row actually reads — not merely that SOME
+ * directory got passed. If the wiring in {@code FleetMcp.leadView}/{@code contextView} is ever
+ * reverted to a hardcoded {@code null}, {@link #configuredDirectoryDecidesWhichTranscriptIsRead()}
+ * must go red: both directories below hold a REAL, DIFFERENT token count for the SAME session id,
+ * so a hardcoded {@code null} (always reading the built-in default, where neither transcript lives)
+ * would report {@code UNKNOWN} both times instead of the two distinct numbers this test asserts.
+ */
+class FleetMcpLeadContextGaugeWiringTest {
+
+    private static final String LEAD_TERMINAL = "term_lead";
+    private static final String LEAD_NAME = "opus";
+    /** {@code FakeHerdr.withAgent} always projects {@code agent_session.value} as {@code sess-<terminalId>}. */
+    private static final String LEAD_SESSION_ID = "sess-" + LEAD_TERMINAL;
+
+    private static ClaudeCodeLauncher workerService(FakeHerdr h) {
+        FleetConfig.Profile cfg = new FleetConfig.Profile(
+                "ltms-local", "http://gx00.gw:8000", "coder", null, "FLEETD_WORKER_TOKEN", null,
+                "tab", "fleetd-workers", "worker: {profile} #{n}", null, null, null);
+        return new ClaudeCodeLauncher(new AgentControl(h), new WorkspaceControl(h),
+                new SubscriptionGuard(Set.of("gx00.gw")), Map.of(cfg.profile(), cfg), cfg.profile(), _ -> "tok");
+    }
+
+    private static String textOf(McpSchema.CallToolResult r) {
+        return ((McpSchema.TextContent) r.content().getFirst()).text();
+    }
+
+    /** One line Claude Code would write for a turn with the given live-context total. */
+    private static String usageLine(long tokens) {
+        return "{\"type\":\"assistant\",\"message\":{\"role\":\"assistant\",\"usage\":{"
+                + "\"input_tokens\":" + tokens + ",\"cache_read_input_tokens\":0,\"cache_creation_input_tokens\":0}}}";
+    }
+
+    /** Lays out {@code <configDir>/projects/<anySlug>/<sessionId>.jsonl} carrying one usage record. */
+    private static String writeTranscript(Path configDir, String sessionId, long tokens) throws IOException {
+        Path projectDir = configDir.resolve("projects").resolve("some-project-slug");
+        Files.createDirectories(projectDir);
+        Files.writeString(projectDir.resolve(sessionId + ".jsonl"), usageLine(tokens) + "\n", StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+        return configDir.toString();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("the CONFIGURED directory decides which transcript is read, and follows a config change")
+    void configuredDirectoryDecidesWhichTranscriptIsRead(@TempDir Path tmp) throws IOException {
+        Path dirA = Files.createDirectory(tmp.resolve("dir-a"));
+        Path dirB = Files.createDirectory(tmp.resolve("dir-b"));
+        writeTranscript(dirA, LEAD_SESSION_ID, 11_000);
+        writeTranscript(dirB, LEAD_SESSION_ID, 22_000);
+
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr().withAgent("lead-opus", LEAD_TERMINAL, "wL:p1", "wL:t1");
+        SessionManager sessions = new SessionManager(workerService(herdr));
+        LeadContextGauge contextGauge = new LeadContextGauge();
+        AtomicReference<String> configuredDir = new AtomicReference<>(dirA.toString());
+        FleetMcp.LeadConfigDirSource source = new FleetMcp.LeadConfigDirSource(name ->
+                LEAD_NAME.equals(name) ? configuredDir.get() : null);
+
+        String firstRead = textOf(listFleet(herdr, sessions, contextGauge, source));
+        assertTrue(firstRead.contains("\"tokens\":11000"),
+                "config names directory A ⇒ fleet_list must report A's token count: " + firstRead);
+
+        // The config changes to name directory B instead -- the very next read must follow it.
+        configuredDir.set(dirB.toString());
+        String secondRead = textOf(listFleet(herdr, sessions, contextGauge, source));
+        assertTrue(secondRead.contains("\"tokens\":22000"),
+                "config now names directory B ⇒ fleet_list must report B's token count, not A's stale one: "
+                        + secondRead);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("a lead whose config names no directory still degrades to the built-in default, never throws")
+    void aLeadWhoseConfigNamesNoDirectoryStillFallsBackWithoutThrowing() {
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr().withAgent("lead-opus", LEAD_TERMINAL, "wL:p1", "wL:t1");
+        SessionManager sessions = new SessionManager(workerService(herdr));
+        LeadContextGauge contextGauge = new LeadContextGauge();
+
+        McpSchema.CallToolResult res = listFleet(herdr, sessions, contextGauge, FleetMcp.LeadConfigDirSource.none());
+
+        assertNotEquals(Boolean.TRUE, res.isError(), "a lead with no configured configDir must degrade, never throw");
+        String out = textOf(res);
+        assertTrue(out.contains("\"state\":\"unknown\""), "no transcript under the built-in default ⇒ UNKNOWN: " + out);
+        assertFalse(out.contains("\"tokens\""), "UNKNOWN must never carry a stale/default token number: " + out);
+    }
+
+    private static McpSchema.CallToolResult listFleet(FakeHerdr herdr, SessionManager sessions,
+            LeadContextGauge contextGauge, FleetMcp.LeadConfigDirSource leadConfigDirs) {
+        return FleetMcp.listFleet(workerService(herdr), sessions, null,
+                FleetMcp.CapacitySource.none(), new FleetMcp.HealthCoverageSource(() -> "off"),
+                FleetMcp.LoopHealthSource.none(), FleetMcp.QuarantineSource.none(), FleetMcp.OutageSource.none(),
+                FleetMcp.LeadSeatSource.none(), contextGauge, leadConfigDirs,
+                Map.of(LEAD_TERMINAL, LEAD_NAME), LEAD_TERMINAL, FleetMcp.CoordinationSource.none(), false);
+    }
+}

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/mcp/FleetMcpTest.java

@@ -7,7 +7,9 @@ import dev.ltms.fleet.auth.Role;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.config.FleetConfig;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.guard.SubscriptionGuard;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.AgentControl;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.AgentStatus;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.FakeHerdr;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.LoopWatchdog;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.PaneLocator;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.WorkspaceControl;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.Injector;
@@ -57,9 +59,10 @@ class FleetMcpTest {
 
     private final FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr();
     private final AgentControl agents = new AgentControl(herdr);
+    private final Injector injector = new Injector(agents);
     private final Rendezvous rendezvous = new Rendezvous();
     private final InMemoryReplyInbox inbox = new InMemoryReplyInbox();
-    private final MessageService messages = new MessageService(agents, new Injector(agents), rendezvous, inbox);
+    private final MessageService messages = new MessageService(agents, injector, rendezvous, inbox);
 
     @BeforeEach
     void setUp() {
@@ -298,6 +301,35 @@ class FleetMcpTest {
         assertTrue(textOf(res).contains("no reply"), "got: " + textOf(res));
     }
 
+    /**
+     * fleetd #571 (ticket CORRECTION 5): {@code formatReply}'s {@code TIMED_OUT_UNCONFIRMED} arm is
+     * the one message whose whole job is to stop a caller retrying a delivery that may already have
+     * arrived. Pin that its wording is actually distinct from the queued/working arm's retry
+     * invitation — a mutation that swapped this arm's text for that one still passed every other
+     * test in this suite, because nothing asserted the specific wording.
+     */
+    @Test
+    void sendTimesOutWithAnUnconfirmedNoteNotARetryInvitation() throws Exception {
+        herdr.agentSendFailsWith("send_failed");
+        CompletableFuture<McpSchema.CallToolResult> send = CompletableFuture.supplyAsync(
+                () -> FleetMcp.send(messages, T, "hi", 150L, null, Set.of()));
+        long deadline = System.currentTimeMillis() + 2000;
+        while (!rendezvous.isWaiting(T) && System.currentTimeMillis() < deadline) {
+            //noinspection BusyWait
+            Thread.sleep(5);
+        }
+        assertTrue(rendezvous.isWaiting(T), "send should have opened its rendezvous waiter");
+        injector.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.IDLE); // triggers the failing delivery attempt -> ATTEMPTED
+
+        McpSchema.CallToolResult res = send.get(5, TimeUnit.SECONDS);
+        String text = textOf(res);
+        assertNotEquals(Boolean.TRUE, res.isError(), "a timeout is informational, not a tool error");
+        assertTrue(text.contains("delivery unconfirmed"), "got: " + text);
+        assertFalse(text.contains("retry or poll status"),
+                "an unconfirmed delivery must not carry the queued/working arm's retry invitation — "
+                        + "a resend here can double-deliver the same brief: got " + text);
+    }
+
     @Test
     void sendRejectsMissingArgs() {
         assertTrue(FleetMcp.send(messages, null, "hi", null, null, Set.of()).isError());
@@ -1053,6 +1085,36 @@ class FleetMcpTest {
         assertFalse(out.contains("quarantinedForSeconds"), out);
     }
 
+    @Test
+    void loopHealthReportsStalledStatusPoller() {
+        String out = loopHealth(LoopWatchdog.State.STALLED, LoopWatchdog.State.RUNNING);
+        assertTrue(out.contains("\"statusPoller\":\"STALLED\""),
+                "fleet_list must report a stalled StatusPoller: " + out);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void loopHealthReportsStoppedSessionReaperAsStopped() {
+        String out = loopHealth(LoopWatchdog.State.RUNNING, LoopWatchdog.State.STOPPED);
+        assertTrue(out.contains("\"sessionReaper\":\"STOPPED\""),
+                "fleet_list must report a deliberately stopped SessionReaper as STOPPED, not an alarm: " + out);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void loopHealthReportsRunningStatusPoller() {
+        String out = loopHealth(LoopWatchdog.State.RUNNING, LoopWatchdog.State.STOPPED);
+        assertTrue(out.contains("\"statusPoller\":\"RUNNING\""),
+                "fleet_list must report a running StatusPoller: " + out);
+    }
+
+    private static String loopHealth(LoopWatchdog.State statusPoller, LoopWatchdog.State sessionReaper) {
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr();
+        return textOf(FleetMcp.listFleet(workerService(herdr, "http://gx00.gw:8000", Set.of("gx00.gw")),
+                new SessionManager(workerService(herdr, "http://gx00.gw:8000", Set.of("gx00.gw"))), null,
+                FleetMcp.CapacitySource.none(), new FleetMcp.HealthCoverageSource(() -> "off"),
+                new FleetMcp.LoopHealthSource(() -> statusPoller, () -> sessionReaper),
+                FleetMcp.QuarantineSource.none(), Map.of(), ""));
+    }
+
     @Test
     void capacityIncludesConfiguredProfileWithoutMembers() {
         FakeHerdr h = new FakeHerdr();
@@ -1875,7 +1937,7 @@ class FleetMcpTest {
                 null, null, null, null, null, null);
 
         assertEquals(Boolean.TRUE, res.isError());
-        assertTrue(textOf(res).contains("architect, dev, reviewer"), textOf(res));
+        assertTrue(textOf(res).contains("architect, dev, hunter, reviewer"), textOf(res));
     }
 
     // ── CB-619 / fleetd #123: a spawn asking for a role its profile has no slot for must be

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/member/ClaudeCodeLauncherTest.java

@@ -556,6 +556,31 @@ class ClaudeCodeLauncherTest {
                 "no --agent flag when the role has no agent-definition file");
     }
 
+    @Test
+    void hunterRoleUsesItsAgentFileAndStopsUsingItWhenRemoved(@TempDir Path cwd) throws Exception {
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr();
+        Path agentFile = Files.createDirectories(cwd.resolve(".claude/agents")).resolve("hunter.md");
+        Files.writeString(agentFile, "---\nname: hunter\n---\nSweep for defects.");
+        FleetConfig.Profile cfg = new FleetConfig.Profile(
+                "sonnet", "http://gx00.gw:8000", null, null, "FLEETD_WORKER_TOKEN",
+                List.of("claude"), "tab", "fleetd-workers", "w #{n}", null, null, null);
+        ClaudeCodeLauncher svc = new ClaudeCodeLauncher(new AgentControl(herdr), new WorkspaceControl(herdr),
+                new SubscriptionGuard(Set.of("gx00.gw")), Map.of(cfg.profile(), cfg), cfg.profile(), _ -> null);
+
+        svc.spawn(new SpawnRequest("sonnet", cwd.toString(), null, null, null, MemberRole.HUNTER));
+
+        List<String> args = spawnedArgs(herdr);
+        int flag = args.indexOf("--agent");
+        assertTrue(flag >= 0, "the hunter role reaches its agent-definition file: " + args);
+        assertEquals("hunter", args.get(flag + 1));
+
+        Files.delete(agentFile);
+        svc.spawn(new SpawnRequest("sonnet", cwd.toString(), null, null, null, MemberRole.HUNTER));
+
+        assertFalse(spawnedArgs(herdr).contains("--agent"),
+                "the hunter role no longer gets an agent when its file is removed");
+    }
+
     private ClaudeCodeLauncher multiProfile(FakeHerdr herdr) {
         FleetConfig.Profile gx10 = new FleetConfig.Profile("gx10", "http://gx10.gw:8000", "coder",
                 null, "FLEETD_WORKER_TOKEN", List.of("claude"), "tab", "fleetd-workers", "w #{n}", null, null, null);

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/msg/AmqpConnectionFailureLoggerTest.java

@@ -1,17 +1,17 @@
 package dev.ltms.fleet.msg;
 
 import ch.qos.logback.classic.Level;
-import ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger;
 import ch.qos.logback.classic.spi.ILoggingEvent;
-import ch.qos.logback.core.read.ListAppender;
 import com.rabbitmq.client.Channel;
 import com.rabbitmq.client.ConnectionFactory;
 import com.rabbitmq.client.impl.DefaultExceptionHandler;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.testing.CapturedLog;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
 import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.lang.reflect.Proxy;
+import java.util.List;
 import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicInteger;
 
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
@@ -32,21 +32,17 @@ class AmqpConnectionFailureLoggerTest {
         assertEquals(AmqpConnectionFailureLogger.REPLY_INBOX, inboxHandler.connectionName());
         assertEquals(AmqpConnectionFailureLogger.LEAD_MAILBOX, mailboxHandler.connectionName());
 
-        ListAppender<ILoggingEvent> inboxEvents = attach(AmqpReplyInbox.class);
-        ListAppender<ILoggingEvent> mailboxEvents = attach(LeadMailbox.class);
         IllegalStateException inboxFailure = new IllegalStateException("inbox failure");
         IllegalStateException mailboxFailure = new IllegalStateException("mailbox failure");
-        try {
+        try (CapturedLog inboxLog = attach(AmqpReplyInbox.class);
+             CapturedLog mailboxLog = attach(LeadMailbox.class)) {
             inboxHandler.handleUnexpectedConnectionDriverException(null, inboxFailure);
             mailboxHandler.handleConnectionRecoveryException(null, mailboxFailure);
 
-            assertError(inboxEvents, "AMQP connection fleetd-reply-inbox: An unexpected connection driver error occurred",
+            assertError(inboxLog.events(), "AMQP connection fleetd-reply-inbox: An unexpected connection driver error occurred",
                     inboxFailure, "inbox failure line");
-            assertError(mailboxEvents, "AMQP connection fleetd-lead-mailbox: Caught an exception during connection recovery!",
+            assertError(mailboxLog.events(), "AMQP connection fleetd-lead-mailbox: Caught an exception during connection recovery!",
                     mailboxFailure, "mailbox recovery line");
-        } finally {
-            detach(AmqpReplyInbox.class, inboxEvents);
-            detach(LeadMailbox.class, mailboxEvents);
         }
     }
 
@@ -54,17 +50,14 @@ class AmqpConnectionFailureLoggerTest {
     void connectionResetKeepsForgivingHandlerWarningSemantics() {
         AmqpConnectionFailureLogger handler = new AmqpConnectionFailureLogger(
                 AmqpConnectionFailureLogger.REPLY_INBOX, LoggerFactory.getLogger(AmqpReplyInbox.class));
-        ListAppender<ILoggingEvent> events = attach(AmqpReplyInbox.class);
-        try {
+        try (CapturedLog log = attach(AmqpReplyInbox.class)) {
             handler.handleUnexpectedConnectionDriverException(null, new IOException("Connection reset"));
-            assertEquals(1, events.list.size(), "the handler must still log a reset");
-            ILoggingEvent event = events.list.getFirst();
+            assertEquals(1, log.events().size(), "the handler must still log a reset");
+            ILoggingEvent event = log.events().getFirst();
             assertEquals(Level.WARN, event.getLevel(), "ForgivingExceptionHandler logs connection resets at WARN");
             assertEquals("AMQP connection fleetd-reply-inbox: An unexpected connection driver error occurred "
                             + "(Exception message: Connection reset)", event.getFormattedMessage());
             assertTrue(event.getThrowableProxy() == null, "ForgivingExceptionHandler does not attach a reset stack trace");
-        } finally {
-            detach(AmqpReplyInbox.class, events);
         }
     }
 
@@ -103,17 +96,8 @@ class AmqpConnectionFailureLoggerTest {
                 "all exception-handling methods must remain inherited from DefaultExceptionHandler");
     }
 
-    private static ListAppender<ILoggingEvent> attach(Class<?> owner) {
-        Logger logger = (Logger) LoggerFactory.getLogger(owner);
-        logger.setLevel(Level.DEBUG);
-        ListAppender<ILoggingEvent> appender = new ListAppender<>();
-        appender.start();
-        logger.addAppender(appender);
-        return appender;
-    }
-
-    private static void detach(Class<?> owner, ListAppender<ILoggingEvent> appender) {
-        ((Logger) LoggerFactory.getLogger(owner)).detachAppender(appender);
+    private static CapturedLog attach(Class<?> owner) {
+        return CapturedLog.at(owner, Level.DEBUG);
     }
 
     private static AmqpConnectionFailureLogger installedStrictHandler(ConnectionFactory factory, String connection) {
@@ -123,9 +107,9 @@ class AmqpConnectionFailureLoggerTest {
         return assertInstanceOf(AmqpConnectionFailureLogger.class, factory.getExceptionHandler());
     }
 
-    private static void assertError(ListAppender<ILoggingEvent> events, String message, Throwable cause, String name) {
-        assertEquals(1, events.list.size(), name);
-        ILoggingEvent event = events.list.getFirst();
+    private static void assertError(List<ILoggingEvent> events, String message, Throwable cause, String name) {
+        assertEquals(1, events.size(), name);
+        ILoggingEvent event = events.getFirst();
         assertEquals(Level.ERROR, event.getLevel(), name);
         assertEquals(message, event.getFormattedMessage(), name);
         assertEquals(cause.toString(), event.getThrowableProxy().getClassName() + ": "

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/msg/AmqpReplyInboxRecoveryRaceTest.java

@@ -8,7 +8,10 @@ import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Timeout;
 
 import java.lang.reflect.InvocationHandler;
+import java.lang.reflect.Method;
 import java.lang.reflect.Proxy;
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.concurrent.CopyOnWriteArrayList;
 import java.util.concurrent.CountDownLatch;
@@ -20,6 +23,7 @@ import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReference;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNotNull;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNull;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
 
 /**
  * CB-528 follow-up: {@link AmqpReplyInbox#failPendingPublishesOnRecovery()} must not fail a publish
@@ -197,11 +201,78 @@ class AmqpReplyInboxRecoveryRaceTest {
                         + elapsedMillis.get() + "ms");
     }
 
+    @Test
+    void publishIOExceptionRemovesThePendingMessageId() throws Exception {
+        AtomicLong seqCounter = new AtomicLong();
+        Channel failing = fakeChannel(seqCounter, new CopyOnWriteArrayList<>(), new CopyOnWriteArrayList<>(),
+                new AtomicReference<>(), new AtomicReference<>(), true);
+        AmqpReplyInbox inbox = new AmqpReplyInbox(fakeConnection(failing, failing), AmqpReplyInbox.DEFAULT_PREFETCH);
+
+        try {
+            org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertThrows(IllegalStateException.class,
+                    () -> inbox.publish("worker", "catch", "body"));
+            assertEquals(0, pendingByMsgId(inbox).size(), "publish IOException must remove its msgId entry");
+        } finally {
+            inbox.close();
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void interruptedPublishRemovesThePendingMessageIdInFinally() throws Exception {
+        InboxFixture fixture = new InboxFixture();
+        Thread publish = fixture.startPublish("finally");
+        fixture.awaitPublished("finally");
+        publish.interrupt();
+        publish.join(5_000);
+
+        assertEquals(0, pendingByMsgId(fixture.inbox).size(), "publish finally must remove its msgId entry");
+        fixture.inbox.close();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void confirmResolutionRemovesThePendingMessageId() throws Exception {
+        AmqpReplyInbox inbox = new InboxFixture().inbox;
+        try {
+            seedPending(inbox, 1, "confirm");
+            invoke(inbox, "resolveConfirm", new Class<?>[] {long.class, boolean.class, boolean.class}, 1L, false, true);
+            assertEquals(0, pendingByMsgId(inbox).size(), "confirm resolution must remove its msgId entry");
+        } finally {
+            inbox.close();
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void recoverySweepRemovesThePendingMessageId() throws Exception {
+        AmqpReplyInbox inbox = new InboxFixture().inbox;
+        try {
+            seedPending(inbox, 1, "recovery");
+            inbox.failPendingPublishesOnRecovery();
+            assertEquals(0, pendingByMsgId(inbox).size(), "recovery sweep must remove its msgId entry");
+        } finally {
+            inbox.close();
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void closeRemovesThePendingMessageId() throws Exception {
+        AmqpReplyInbox inbox = new InboxFixture().inbox;
+        seedPending(inbox, 1, "close");
+        inbox.close();
+
+        assertEquals(0, pendingByMsgId(inbox).size(), "close must remove its msgId entry");
+    }
+
     /** A {@link Proxy}-backed {@link Channel}: only the calls {@link AmqpReplyInbox} actually makes
      *  are meaningfully implemented; everything else returns a harmless default. */
     private static Channel fakeChannel(AtomicLong seqCounter, List<Long> seqOrder, List<String> msgIdOrder,
-                                        AtomicReference<ConfirmCallback> ackCallback,
-                                        AtomicReference<ConfirmCallback> nackCallback) {
+                                         AtomicReference<ConfirmCallback> ackCallback,
+                                         AtomicReference<ConfirmCallback> nackCallback) {
+        return fakeChannel(seqCounter, seqOrder, msgIdOrder, ackCallback, nackCallback, false);
+    }
+
+    private static Channel fakeChannel(AtomicLong seqCounter, List<Long> seqOrder, List<String> msgIdOrder,
+                                         AtomicReference<ConfirmCallback> ackCallback,
+                                         AtomicReference<ConfirmCallback> nackCallback, boolean failPublish) {
         InvocationHandler handler = (proxy, method, args) -> {
             String name = method.getName();
             if (name.equals("getNextPublishSeqNo")) {
@@ -210,6 +281,9 @@ class AmqpReplyInboxRecoveryRaceTest {
                 return value;
             }
             if (name.equals("basicPublish")) {
+                if (failPublish) {
+                    throw new IOException("test publish failure");
+                }
                 AMQP.BasicProperties props = (AMQP.BasicProperties) args[3];
                 msgIdOrder.add(props.getMessageId());
                 return null;
@@ -285,4 +359,60 @@ class AmqpReplyInboxRecoveryRaceTest {
         }
         return 0;
     }
+
+    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+    private static Map<String, Object> pendingByMsgId(AmqpReplyInbox inbox) throws Exception {
+        var field = AmqpReplyInbox.class.getDeclaredField("pendingByMsgId");
+        field.setAccessible(true);
+        return (Map<String, Object>) field.get(inbox);
+    }
+
+    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+    private static void seedPending(AmqpReplyInbox inbox, long seq, String msgId) throws Exception {
+        Class<?> pendingType = Class.forName(AmqpReplyInbox.class.getName() + "$Pending");
+        var constructor = pendingType.getDeclaredConstructor(String.class);
+        constructor.setAccessible(true);
+        Object pending = constructor.newInstance(msgId);
+        var seqField = AmqpReplyInbox.class.getDeclaredField("pendingBySeq");
+        seqField.setAccessible(true);
+        ((Map<Long, Object>) seqField.get(inbox)).put(seq, pending);
+        pendingByMsgId(inbox).put(msgId, pending);
+    }
+
+    private static void invoke(AmqpReplyInbox inbox, String name, Class<?>[] types, Object... args) throws Exception {
+        Method method = AmqpReplyInbox.class.getDeclaredMethod(name, types);
+        method.setAccessible(true);
+        method.invoke(inbox, args);
+    }
+
+    private static final class InboxFixture {
+        final AtomicLong seqCounter = new AtomicLong();
+        final List<Long> seqOrder = new CopyOnWriteArrayList<>();
+        final List<String> msgIdOrder = new CopyOnWriteArrayList<>();
+        final AtomicReference<ConfirmCallback> ackCallback = new AtomicReference<>();
+        final AtomicReference<ConfirmCallback> nackCallback = new AtomicReference<>();
+        final AmqpReplyInbox inbox = new AmqpReplyInbox(
+                fakeConnection(fakeChannel(seqCounter, seqOrder, msgIdOrder, ackCallback, nackCallback),
+                        fakeChannel(seqCounter, seqOrder, msgIdOrder, ackCallback, nackCallback)),
+                AmqpReplyInbox.DEFAULT_PREFETCH);
+
+        Thread startPublish(String msgId) {
+            Thread thread = Thread.ofVirtual().start(() -> {
+                try {
+                    inbox.publish("worker", msgId, "body");
+                } catch (IllegalStateException ignored) {
+                    // Interrupting the confirm wait is the path under test.
+                }
+            });
+            return thread;
+        }
+
+        void awaitPublished(String msgId) throws InterruptedException {
+            long deadline = System.nanoTime() + TimeUnit.SECONDS.toNanos(5);
+            while (!msgIdOrder.contains(msgId) && System.nanoTime() < deadline) {
+                Thread.sleep(10);
+            }
+            assertTrue(msgIdOrder.contains(msgId), "publish did not register " + msgId);
+        }
+    }
 }

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/msg/LeadHeartbeatLoopTest.java

@@ -1,6 +1,11 @@
 package dev.ltms.fleet.msg;
 
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.JsonNode;
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.ObjectMapper;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.AgentControl;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.AgentStatus;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.HerdrClient;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.lead.LeadContextGauge;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.mcp.PrimaryRegistry;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.peer.MemberRole;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.session.MemberSession;
@@ -8,20 +13,29 @@ import org.junit.jupiter.api.AfterEach;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.BeforeEach;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
 
+import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.concurrent.Executors;
 import java.util.concurrent.ScheduledExecutorService;
 import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
+import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicLong;
 
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.*;
 
 /**
  * Unit tests for the CB-551 idle-lead heartbeat: the pure {@link LeadHeartbeatLoop#decide} decision
- * function, the nudge text, and the {@link LeadHeartbeatLoop#snapshot} fleet snapshot.
+ * function, the nudge text, and the {@link LeadHeartbeatLoop#snapshot} fleet snapshot. Also covers
+ * fleetd #609's context-high notice: the {@code context}/{@code contextNotified} parameters {@code
+ * decide} gained, and the standalone {@link LeadHeartbeatLoop#contextNotice} text builder.
  *
  * <p>All decision tests call {@code decide} directly with explicit nanoTime values from an injected
  * clock — no sleeping, no scheduler races. This mirrors how {@code ReplyPushLoopTest} pins the pure
  * decision before exercising the loop.
+ *
+ * <p>Every pre-#609 test below passes {@code LeadContextGauge.State.UNKNOWN, false} for the two new
+ * {@code decide} parameters — the same as a lead whose context could not be read and has never been
+ * notified — so each one still pins exactly the behaviour it pinned before this ticket.
  */
 class LeadHeartbeatLoopTest {
 
@@ -56,12 +70,18 @@ class LeadHeartbeatLoopTest {
         return new LeadHeartbeatLoop.FleetState(2, 1, 3, List.of("term_a", "term_b"));
     }
 
-    /** The loop under test; the scheduler is never invoked on the pure decide path. */
+    /** The loop under test, context notice off; the scheduler is never invoked on the pure decide path. */
     private static LeadHeartbeatLoop loop(int quietCap) {
+        return loop(quietCap, false);
+    }
+
+    /** As above, with the fleetd #609 {@code contextHighNudge} flag set explicitly. */
+    private static LeadHeartbeatLoop loop(int quietCap, boolean contextHighNudge) {
         return new LeadHeartbeatLoop(
                 new PrimaryRegistry("term_lead"), null /*agents — unused on the decide path*/,
                 null /*inbox*/, List::of, null /*pushLoop*/, null /*scheduler*/, () -> 0L,
-                IDLE_AFTER_NANOS, 1_000L, quietCap);
+                IDLE_AFTER_NANOS, 1_000L, quietCap, null,
+                LeadHeartbeatLoop.LeadContextSource.none(), contextHighNudge);
     }
 
     // ── (a) a working lead is never injected ───────────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -69,7 +89,8 @@ class LeadHeartbeatLoopTest {
     @Test
     void aWorkingLeadIsNeverInjected() {
         LeadHeartbeatLoop.Decision d = loop(3).decide(
-                NOW, IDLE_PAST, 0, AgentStatus.WORKING, false, true, quietFleet());
+                NOW, IDLE_PAST, 0, AgentStatus.WORKING, false, true, quietFleet(),
+                LeadContextGauge.State.UNKNOWN, false);
         assertEquals(LeadHeartbeatLoop.Action.LEAD_BUSY, d.action(),
                 "a WORKING lead is making progress and must not be touched");
         assertNull(d.idleSinceNanos(), "a busy lead resets the idle window");
@@ -80,7 +101,8 @@ class LeadHeartbeatLoopTest {
     void anUnreadableStatusIsNeverInjectedEither() {
         // A failed status read (or a gone agent) must degrade to "do not inject", never hammer the pane.
         LeadHeartbeatLoop.Decision d = loop(3).decide(
-                NOW, IDLE_PAST, 0, AgentStatus.UNKNOWN, false, true, pendingFleet());
+                NOW, IDLE_PAST, 0, AgentStatus.UNKNOWN, false, true, pendingFleet(),
+                LeadContextGauge.State.UNKNOWN, false);
         assertEquals(LeadHeartbeatLoop.Action.LEAD_BUSY, d.action(),
                 "never inject into a state the loop cannot read");
     }
@@ -90,7 +112,8 @@ class LeadHeartbeatLoopTest {
     @Test
     void justBecameIdleStartsTheDebounceWindow() {
         LeadHeartbeatLoop.Decision d = loop(3).decide(
-                NOW, null, 0, AgentStatus.IDLE, false, true, quietFleet());
+                NOW, null, 0, AgentStatus.IDLE, false, true, quietFleet(),
+                LeadContextGauge.State.UNKNOWN, false);
         assertEquals(LeadHeartbeatLoop.Action.WAIT_IDLE, d.action(),
                 "the first injectable tick only records the start of the idle stretch");
         assertEquals(NOW, d.idleSinceNanos(), "the idle window opens at the moment the lead became injectable");
@@ -99,7 +122,8 @@ class LeadHeartbeatLoopTest {
     @Test
     void idleWithinQuietPeriodIsNotInjected() {
         LeadHeartbeatLoop.Decision d = loop(3).decide(
-                NOW, IDLE_WITHIN, 0, AgentStatus.IDLE, false, true, quietFleet());
+                NOW, IDLE_WITHIN, 0, AgentStatus.IDLE, false, true, quietFleet(),
+                LeadContextGauge.State.UNKNOWN, false);
         assertEquals(LeadHeartbeatLoop.Action.WAIT_IDLE, d.action(),
                 "a lead idle for 10s (< 300s) has just finished a turn — do not re-prompt it");
     }
@@ -109,7 +133,8 @@ class LeadHeartbeatLoopTest {
     @Test
     void idlePastQuietPeriodIsInjected() {
         LeadHeartbeatLoop.Decision d = loop(3).decide(
-                NOW, IDLE_PAST, 0, AgentStatus.IDLE, false, true, quietFleet());
+                NOW, IDLE_PAST, 0, AgentStatus.IDLE, false, true, quietFleet(),
+                LeadContextGauge.State.UNKNOWN, false);
         assertEquals(LeadHeartbeatLoop.Action.INJECT, d.action(),
                 "a lead continuously idle past the quiet period is the reason to nudge");
     }
@@ -117,14 +142,17 @@ class LeadHeartbeatLoopTest {
     @Test
     void blockedAndDoneAreInjectableViewsOfIdle() {
         assertEquals(LeadHeartbeatLoop.Action.INJECT, loop(3).decide(
-                NOW, IDLE_PAST, 0, AgentStatus.BLOCKED, false, true, quietFleet()).action());
+                NOW, IDLE_PAST, 0, AgentStatus.BLOCKED, false, true, quietFleet(),
+                LeadContextGauge.State.UNKNOWN, false).action());
         assertEquals(LeadHeartbeatLoop.Action.INJECT, loop(3).decide(
-                NOW, IDLE_PAST, 0, AgentStatus.DONE, false, true, quietFleet()).action());
+                NOW, IDLE_PAST, 0, AgentStatus.DONE, false, true, quietFleet(),
+                LeadContextGauge.State.UNKNOWN, false).action());
     }
 
     @Test
     void nothingIsInjectedWhenNoLeadIsKnown() {
-        var d = loop(3).decide(NOW, IDLE_PAST, 0, AgentStatus.IDLE, false, false, pendingFleet());
+        var d = loop(3).decide(NOW, IDLE_PAST, 0, AgentStatus.IDLE, false, false, pendingFleet(),
+                LeadContextGauge.State.UNKNOWN, false);
         assertEquals(LeadHeartbeatLoop.Action.WAIT_IDLE, d.action(),
                 "with no known lead there is nobody to nudge — keep waiting until one is discovered");
         assertEquals(IDLE_PAST, d.idleSinceNanos(), "the idle window stays open so discovery re-arms it");
@@ -135,7 +163,8 @@ class LeadHeartbeatLoopTest {
     @Test
     void quietNudgeCapStopsTheLoopWhenNothingIsPending() {
         LeadHeartbeatLoop.Decision d = loop(3).decide(
-                NOW, IDLE_PAST, 3, AgentStatus.IDLE, false, true, quietFleet());
+                NOW, IDLE_PAST, 3, AgentStatus.IDLE, false, true, quietFleet(),
+                LeadContextGauge.State.UNKNOWN, false);
         assertEquals(LeadHeartbeatLoop.Action.QUIET_DONE, d.action(),
                 "3 consecutive nothing-pending nudges have already happened — stop nagging an empty fleet");
     }
@@ -145,7 +174,8 @@ class LeadHeartbeatLoopTest {
     @Test
     void newPendingStateResetsTheQuietCap() {
         LeadHeartbeatLoop.Decision d = loop(3).decide(
-                NOW, IDLE_PAST, 3, AgentStatus.IDLE, false, true, pendingFleet());
+                NOW, IDLE_PAST, 3, AgentStatus.IDLE, false, true, pendingFleet(),
+                LeadContextGauge.State.UNKNOWN, false);
         assertEquals(LeadHeartbeatLoop.Action.INJECT, d.action(),
                 "real state appearing re-arms the loop past an exhausted cap");
         assertEquals(0, d.quietCount(), "the pending state resets the consecutive-quiet counter");
@@ -156,7 +186,8 @@ class LeadHeartbeatLoopTest {
     @Test
     void standsDownWhileReplyPushLoopIsActive() {
         LeadHeartbeatLoop.Decision d = loop(3).decide(
-                NOW, IDLE_PAST, 2, AgentStatus.IDLE, true, true, quietFleet());
+                NOW, IDLE_PAST, 2, AgentStatus.IDLE, true, true, quietFleet(),
+                LeadContextGauge.State.UNKNOWN, false);
         assertEquals(LeadHeartbeatLoop.Action.STAND_DOWN, d.action(),
                 "a second injection would start a competing turn — stand aside instead");
         assertEquals(0, d.quietCount(), "the active push is real state, so it re-arms the cap");
@@ -213,4 +244,378 @@ class LeadHeartbeatLoopTest {
         assertFalse(fs.hasPending());
         assertEquals(0, fs.liveWorkers());
     }
+
+    // ── fleetd #609: context-high notice ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+    /** One gate scenario, keyed by name, over which the off-state/context-independence property is checked. */
+    private record Gate(String name, Long idleSince, int quietCount, AgentStatus status,
+                         boolean pushLoopActive, boolean leadKnown, LeadHeartbeatLoop.FleetState fleet) {}
+
+    private static List<Gate> allEightGates() {
+        return List.of(
+                new Gate("1-standDown", IDLE_PAST, 2, AgentStatus.IDLE, true, true, quietFleet()),
+                new Gate("2-leadBusy", IDLE_PAST, 0, AgentStatus.WORKING, false, true, quietFleet()),
+                new Gate("3-justBecameIdle", null, 0, AgentStatus.IDLE, false, true, quietFleet()),
+                new Gate("4-withinQuietPeriod", IDLE_WITHIN, 0, AgentStatus.IDLE, false, true, quietFleet()),
+                new Gate("5-noLeadKnown", IDLE_PAST, 0, AgentStatus.IDLE, false, false, pendingFleet()),
+                new Gate("6-pending", IDLE_PAST, 3, AgentStatus.IDLE, false, true, pendingFleet()),
+                new Gate("7-quietNotExhausted", IDLE_PAST, 0, AgentStatus.IDLE, false, true, quietFleet()),
+                new Gate("8-quietExhausted", IDLE_PAST, 3, AgentStatus.IDLE, false, true, quietFleet()));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void aOffFlagIgnoresContextAcrossAllEightGates() {
+        // Property A: with contextHighNudge off, decide() must not depend on the context reading at
+        // all — not just "usually agrees", but identical Action/idleSinceNanos/quietCount whatever
+        // context state is passed, and contextNotified must stay false throughout. This is the proof
+        // that fleetd #609 is opt-in: a daemon upgraded to carry this code, but never configuring
+        // `contextHighNudge: true`, behaves exactly as it did before this ticket for every one of the
+        // 8 gates the class javadoc numbers.
+        LeadHeartbeatLoop offLoop = loop(3, false);
+        for (Gate g : allEightGates()) {
+            var withHigh = offLoop.decide(NOW, g.idleSince(), g.quietCount(), g.status(),
+                    g.pushLoopActive(), g.leadKnown(), g.fleet(), LeadContextGauge.State.HIGH, false);
+            var withUnknown = offLoop.decide(NOW, g.idleSince(), g.quietCount(), g.status(),
+                    g.pushLoopActive(), g.leadKnown(), g.fleet(), LeadContextGauge.State.UNKNOWN, false);
+            var withOk = offLoop.decide(NOW, g.idleSince(), g.quietCount(), g.status(),
+                    g.pushLoopActive(), g.leadKnown(), g.fleet(), LeadContextGauge.State.OK, false);
+
+            assertEquals(withUnknown.action(), withHigh.action(), g.name() + ": action must not depend on context");
+            assertEquals(withUnknown.idleSinceNanos(), withHigh.idleSinceNanos(), g.name());
+            assertEquals(withUnknown.quietCount(), withHigh.quietCount(), g.name());
+            assertEquals(withUnknown.action(), withOk.action(), g.name() + ": nor on an OK reading");
+            assertFalse(withHigh.contextNotified(), g.name() + ": contextNotified must stay false when the flag is off");
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void bHighContextFiresEvenPastAnExhaustedQuietCapWithoutSpendingIt() {
+        LeadHeartbeatLoop on = loop(3, true);
+        LeadHeartbeatLoop.Decision d = on.decide(
+                NOW, IDLE_PAST, 3, AgentStatus.IDLE, false, true, quietFleet(),
+                LeadContextGauge.State.HIGH, false);
+        assertEquals(LeadHeartbeatLoop.Action.INJECT, d.action(),
+                "an idle, quiet, HIGH-context lead is exactly the case the exhausted cap must not swallow");
+        assertEquals(3, d.quietCount(), "the context notice is an event notice, not a quiet nudge — it must not "
+                + "spend or grow the consecutive-quiet budget");
+        assertTrue(d.contextNotified(), "firing the notice sets the latch");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void cASecondTickWithTheLatchAlreadySetDoesNotTellTheLeadAgain() {
+        LeadHeartbeatLoop on = loop(3, true);
+        LeadHeartbeatLoop.Decision d = on.decide(
+                NOW, IDLE_PAST, 3, AgentStatus.IDLE, false, true, quietFleet(),
+                LeadContextGauge.State.HIGH, true);
+        assertEquals(LeadHeartbeatLoop.Action.QUIET_DONE, d.action(),
+                "the lead was already told once about this HIGH stretch — telling it every tick would be nagging, "
+                        + "not a notice");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void dFlappingBetweenHighAndUnknownNeverReInjectsWhileLatched() {
+        LeadHeartbeatLoop on = loop(3, true);
+        // The lead was already told once (latch = true from a prior HIGH tick).
+        LeadHeartbeatLoop.Decision afterUnknown = on.decide(
+                NOW, IDLE_PAST, 3, AgentStatus.IDLE, false, true, quietFleet(),
+                LeadContextGauge.State.UNKNOWN, true);
+        assertTrue(afterUnknown.contextNotified(),
+                "UNKNOWN means 'I could not look', not 'it got better' — it must not clear the latch");
+        assertEquals(LeadHeartbeatLoop.Action.QUIET_DONE, afterUnknown.action(),
+                "a still-latched, still-quiet tick must not inject just because the reading is UNKNOWN");
+
+        LeadHeartbeatLoop.Decision afterHighAgain = on.decide(
+                NOW, IDLE_PAST, 3, AgentStatus.IDLE, false, true, quietFleet(),
+                LeadContextGauge.State.HIGH, afterUnknown.contextNotified());
+        assertEquals(LeadHeartbeatLoop.Action.QUIET_DONE, afterHighAgain.action(),
+                "HIGH -> UNKNOWN -> HIGH with the latch already set must never inject again — this is the "
+                        + "flapping case that would otherwise cost a full lead its remaining turns");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void eAnOkReadingClearsTheLatchSoALaterHighInjectsAgain() {
+        LeadHeartbeatLoop on = loop(3, true);
+        LeadHeartbeatLoop.Decision afterOk = on.decide(
+                NOW, IDLE_PAST, 3, AgentStatus.IDLE, false, true, quietFleet(),
+                LeadContextGauge.State.OK, true);
+        assertFalse(afterOk.contextNotified(), "an OK reading clears the latch — the lead's context recovered");
+
+        LeadHeartbeatLoop.Decision afterHighAgain = on.decide(
+                NOW, IDLE_PAST, 3, AgentStatus.IDLE, false, true, quietFleet(),
+                LeadContextGauge.State.HIGH, afterOk.contextNotified());
+        assertEquals(LeadHeartbeatLoop.Action.INJECT, afterHighAgain.action(),
+                "the cleared latch lets a genuinely new HIGH stretch notify again");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void fStandingDownDoesNotBurnTheOneContextNotice() {
+        LeadHeartbeatLoop on = loop(3, true);
+        LeadHeartbeatLoop.Decision d = on.decide(
+                NOW, IDLE_PAST, 2, AgentStatus.IDLE, true, true, quietFleet(),
+                LeadContextGauge.State.HIGH, false);
+        assertEquals(LeadHeartbeatLoop.Action.STAND_DOWN, d.action(), "ReplyPushLoop is active — stand aside");
+        assertFalse(d.contextNotified(),
+                "standing down must not spend the one notice this HIGH stretch gets — the latch stays clear so a "
+                        + "later tick can still fire it");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void gAWorkingLeadWithHighContextIsStillLeadBusy() {
+        LeadHeartbeatLoop on = loop(3, true);
+        LeadHeartbeatLoop.Decision d = on.decide(
+                NOW, IDLE_PAST, 0, AgentStatus.WORKING, false, true, quietFleet(),
+                LeadContextGauge.State.HIGH, false);
+        assertEquals(LeadHeartbeatLoop.Action.LEAD_BUSY, d.action(), "the status gate wins over the context notice");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void hAPendingDrivenInjectWhileHighSetsTheLatchTooSoTheLeadIsNotToldTwice() {
+        LeadHeartbeatLoop on = loop(3, true);
+        LeadHeartbeatLoop.Decision d = on.decide(
+                NOW, IDLE_PAST, 3, AgentStatus.IDLE, false, true, pendingFleet(),
+                LeadContextGauge.State.HIGH, false);
+        assertEquals(LeadHeartbeatLoop.Action.INJECT, d.action());
+        assertTrue(d.contextNotified(),
+                "the pending-driven nudge carries the context notice too (see contextNotice), so it must set the "
+                        + "latch — otherwise the lead could be told twice by two different routes");
+    }
+
+    // ── contextNotice text builder ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+    @Test
+    void contextNoticeIsEmptyWhenDisabled() {
+        var reading = new LeadContextGauge.Reading(LeadContextGauge.State.HIGH, 260_771L, 1);
+        assertEquals("", LeadHeartbeatLoop.contextNotice(false, reading));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void contextNoticeIsEmptyWhenStateIsOk() {
+        var reading = new LeadContextGauge.Reading(LeadContextGauge.State.OK, 1_000L, 0);
+        assertEquals("", LeadHeartbeatLoop.contextNotice(true, reading));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void contextNoticeIsEmptyWhenStateIsUnknown() {
+        assertEquals("", LeadHeartbeatLoop.contextNotice(true, LeadContextGauge.Reading.unknown()));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void contextNoticeNamesTheTokenCountWhenHighAndEnabled() {
+        var reading = new LeadContextGauge.Reading(LeadContextGauge.State.HIGH, 260_771L, 1);
+        String notice = LeadHeartbeatLoop.contextNotice(true, reading);
+        assertFalse(notice.isEmpty());
+        assertTrue(notice.contains("260771"), notice);
+        assertTrue(notice.contains("1 compaction"), notice);
+        assertTrue(notice.contains("fleet_handover"), notice);
+        assertTrue(notice.contains("operator"), notice);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void contextNoticeOmitsTheTokenClauseRatherThanPrintingNull() {
+        var reading = new LeadContextGauge.Reading(LeadContextGauge.State.HIGH, null, 2);
+        String notice = LeadHeartbeatLoop.contextNotice(true, reading);
+        assertFalse(notice.isEmpty());
+        assertFalse(notice.toLowerCase().contains("null"), notice);
+        assertTrue(notice.contains("2 compactions"), notice);
+    }
+
+    // ── fleetd #609 review: the latch must mean "the notice reached the pane" ────────────────────
+    //
+    // These four drive LeadHeartbeatLoop.tick() directly (package-private, same reasoning as
+    // ReplyPushLoop#tick(String) being directly testable) against a real AgentControl wrapping a
+    // FailableHerdrClient, so the send path (agents.send -> herdr -> possible throw) is exercised
+    // for real rather than assumed from decide()'s Decision alone.
+
+    private static final String LEAD = "term_lead";
+    private static final String WORKER = "term_w1";
+
+    /** A HIGH reading with a fixed token/compaction count, for the four tests below. */
+    private static LeadContextGauge.Reading highReading() {
+        return new LeadContextGauge.Reading(LeadContextGauge.State.HIGH, 260_771L, 1);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Builds a real {@link LeadHeartbeatLoop} wired to {@code herdr} via a real {@link AgentControl},
+     * a mutable fake clock, and a mutable roster so a test can change fleet state between ticks. The
+     * lead is always reported IDLE by {@code herdr}, so every tick's outcome is governed only by the
+     * idle-window/quiet-cap/context gates under test.
+     */
+    private static LeadHeartbeatLoop tickableLoop(FailableHerdrClient herdr, AtomicLong now,
+                                                   List<MemberSession>[] rosterBox, InMemoryReplyInbox inbox,
+                                                   int quietNudgeCap, ScheduledExecutorService scheduler) {
+        AgentControl agents = new AgentControl(herdr);
+        PrimaryRegistry registry = new PrimaryRegistry(LEAD);
+        ReplyPushLoop pushLoop = new ReplyPushLoop(registry, agents, inbox, scheduler, 5, 100_000);
+        return new LeadHeartbeatLoop(registry, agents, inbox, () -> rosterBox[0], pushLoop, scheduler,
+                now::get, IDLE_AFTER_NANOS, 100_000L, quietNudgeCap, null,
+                new LeadHeartbeatLoop.LeadContextSource(t -> highReading()), true);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void iAFailedSendDoesNotConsumeTheNotice() {
+        var herdr = new FailableHerdrClient(LEAD);
+        var now = new AtomicLong(NOW);
+        @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+        List<MemberSession>[] rosterBox = new List[]{List.of()}; // quiet: nothing pending
+        InMemoryReplyInbox inbox = new InMemoryReplyInbox();
+        LeadHeartbeatLoop loop = tickableLoop(herdr, now, rosterBox, inbox, 0, scheduler);
+
+        loop.tick(); // first injectable tick: only opens the idle window (WAIT_IDLE)
+        now.addAndGet(TimeUnit.SECONDS.toNanos(400)); // now clearly past the quiet period
+
+        herdr.throwOnNextSend();
+        loop.tick(); // quiet fleet, quiet cap exhausted (0), context HIGH, latch clear -> INJECT, send throws
+
+        assertEquals(0, herdr.sentTexts().size(), "the failed send must not have recorded any text");
+
+        loop.tick(); // same inputs — the latch must still be clear, so this must INJECT and send again
+        assertEquals(1, herdr.sentTexts().size(),
+                "a retried tick with the latch still clear must attempt the send again");
+        assertTrue(herdr.sentTexts().get(0).contains("Your own context is nearly full"),
+                "the retried, successful send must carry the notice: " + herdr.sentTexts().get(0));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void jASuccessfulSendDoesConsumeIt() {
+        var herdr = new FailableHerdrClient(LEAD);
+        var now = new AtomicLong(NOW);
+        @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+        List<MemberSession>[] rosterBox = new List[]{List.of()};
+        InMemoryReplyInbox inbox = new InMemoryReplyInbox();
+        LeadHeartbeatLoop loop = tickableLoop(herdr, now, rosterBox, inbox, 0, scheduler);
+
+        loop.tick(); // opens the idle window
+        now.addAndGet(TimeUnit.SECONDS.toNanos(400));
+
+        loop.tick(); // INJECT, send succeeds -> latch set
+        assertEquals(1, herdr.sentTexts().size());
+        assertTrue(herdr.sentTexts().get(0).contains("Your own context is nearly full"), herdr.sentTexts().get(0));
+
+        loop.tick(); // same inputs — the lead was already told this stretch
+        assertEquals(1, herdr.sentTexts().size(),
+                "the next tick with the same inputs must not send a second notice");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void kAPendingDrivenInjectWithTheLatchAlreadySetSendsNoNotice() {
+        var herdr = new FailableHerdrClient(LEAD);
+        var now = new AtomicLong(NOW);
+        @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+        List<MemberSession>[] rosterBox = new List[]{List.of()};
+        InMemoryReplyInbox inbox = new InMemoryReplyInbox();
+        LeadHeartbeatLoop loop = tickableLoop(herdr, now, rosterBox, inbox, 0, scheduler);
+
+        loop.tick();
+        now.addAndGet(TimeUnit.SECONDS.toNanos(400));
+        loop.tick(); // latches the notice (quiet, HIGH, cap exhausted -> the forced context INJECT)
+        assertEquals(1, herdr.sentTexts().size());
+        assertTrue(herdr.sentTexts().get(0).contains("Your own context is nearly full"));
+
+        // Now make the fleet have real pending state, so the NEXT INJECT is pending-driven, not the
+        // forced-context route — with the latch already set from the tick above.
+        inbox.own(WORKER);
+        inbox.publish(WORKER, "m1", "hello");
+        rosterBox[0] = List.of(new MemberSession("p1", WORKER, "prof", MemberRole.DEV, "/cwd", null,
+                0, 0, 0, MemberSession.State.READY, null, null));
+
+        loop.tick();
+
+        assertEquals(2, herdr.sentTexts().size(), "the pending-driven tick must still send a nudge");
+        assertFalse(herdr.sentTexts().get(1).contains("Your own context is nearly full"),
+                "a pending-driven INJECT while the latch is already set must carry no context notice: "
+                        + herdr.sentTexts().get(1));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void lTheNoticeAppearsExactlyOnceAcrossThreeDifferentlyDrivenInjects() {
+        var herdr = new FailableHerdrClient(LEAD);
+        var now = new AtomicLong(NOW);
+        @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+        List<MemberSession>[] rosterBox = new List[]{List.of()};
+        InMemoryReplyInbox inbox = new InMemoryReplyInbox();
+        // quietNudgeCap=1 so a still-not-exhausted quiet nudge is available as the "forced" route below,
+        // distinct from both the pending-driven route and the exhausted-cap forced-context route.
+        LeadHeartbeatLoop loop = tickableLoop(herdr, now, rosterBox, inbox, 1, scheduler);
+
+        loop.tick(); // opens the idle window
+        now.addAndGet(TimeUnit.SECONDS.toNanos(400));
+
+        // 1) pending-driven INJECT: real fleet state present. Sets the latch and carries the notice.
+        inbox.own(WORKER);
+        inbox.publish(WORKER, "m1", "hello");
+        rosterBox[0] = List.of(new MemberSession("p1", WORKER, "prof", MemberRole.DEV, "/cwd", null,
+                0, 0, 0, MemberSession.State.READY, null, null));
+        loop.tick();
+        assertEquals(1, herdr.sentTexts().size());
+        assertTrue(herdr.sentTexts().get(0).contains("Your own context is nearly full"), herdr.sentTexts().get(0));
+
+        // 2) "forced" INJECT: nothing pending, but the quiet cap (1) is not yet exhausted, so decide()
+        // nudges anyway. The latch is already set, so no notice.
+        inbox.ack(WORKER, "m1");
+        rosterBox[0] = List.of();
+        loop.tick();
+        assertEquals(2, herdr.sentTexts().size(), "the quiet-cap-not-yet-exhausted nudge must still fire");
+        assertFalse(herdr.sentTexts().get(1).contains("Your own context is nearly full"), herdr.sentTexts().get(1));
+
+        // 3) pending-driven INJECT again. Still latched, still no notice.
+        inbox.publish(WORKER, "m2", "hello again");
+        rosterBox[0] = List.of(new MemberSession("p1", WORKER, "prof", MemberRole.DEV, "/cwd", null,
+                0, 0, 0, MemberSession.State.READY, null, null));
+        loop.tick();
+        assertEquals(3, herdr.sentTexts().size());
+        assertFalse(herdr.sentTexts().get(2).contains("Your own context is nearly full"), herdr.sentTexts().get(2));
+
+        long noticeCount = herdr.sentTexts().stream()
+                .filter(t -> t.contains("Your own context is nearly full")).count();
+        assertEquals(1, noticeCount,
+                "the notice text must appear exactly once across all three sends: " + herdr.sentTexts());
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Fake herdr client for the four tests above: always reports {@code lead} as IDLE, records the
+     * {@code text} of every {@code agent.prompt} call, and can be told to throw on the very next
+     * {@code agent.prompt} call — standing in for one transient herdr send failure.
+     */
+    private static final class FailableHerdrClient implements HerdrClient {
+        private static final ObjectMapper MAPPER = new ObjectMapper();
+        private final String lead;
+        private final List<String> sentTexts = new ArrayList<>();
+        private boolean throwOnNextSend = false;
+
+        FailableHerdrClient(String lead) {
+            this.lead = lead;
+        }
+
+        void throwOnNextSend() {
+            throwOnNextSend = true;
+        }
+
+        List<String> sentTexts() {
+            return List.copyOf(sentTexts);
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+        public JsonNode call(String method, Object params) {
+            if ("agent.get".equals(method)) {
+                return MAPPER.createObjectNode()
+                        .set("agent", MAPPER.createObjectNode()
+                                .put("terminal_id", lead)
+                                .put("agent_status", "idle"));
+            }
+            if ("agent.prompt".equals(method)) {
+                if (throwOnNextSend) {
+                    throwOnNextSend = false;
+                    throw new RuntimeException("simulated transient herdr send failure");
+                }
+                Map<String, Object> p = params instanceof Map ? (Map<String, Object>) params : Map.of();
+                sentTexts.add(String.valueOf(p.get("text")));
+            }
+            return MAPPER.createObjectNode();
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public void close() {
+        }
+    }
 }

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/msg/LeadMailboxTest.java

@@ -12,13 +12,18 @@ import org.testcontainers.junit.jupiter.Testcontainers;
 import org.testcontainers.utility.DockerImageName;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
+import java.lang.reflect.InvocationHandler;
+import java.lang.reflect.Method;
+import java.lang.reflect.Proxy;
 import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
 import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicLong;
 
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertFalse;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertInstanceOf;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNotNull;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertThrows;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
 
@@ -207,6 +212,31 @@ class LeadMailboxTest {
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * {@link LeadMailbox#inspect} opens a third channel after the mailbox's consume and publish
+     * channels. Limit this connection to three channels, then require a replacement channel after
+     * the successful inspect. If inspect leaves its probe open, the broker refuses that replacement.
+     */
+    @Test
+    void inspectClosesItsSuccessfulProbeChannel() throws Exception {
+        var factory = LeadMailbox.connectionFactory(uri());
+        factory.setRequestedChannelMax(3);
+        Connection connection = factory.newConnection();
+        try (LeadMailbox mailbox = new LeadMailbox(connection, coordId("lead-inspect-probe-close"))) {
+            LeadChannel.MailboxState state = mailbox.inspect(mailbox.selfCoordId());
+            assertTrue(state.exists(), "the owned mailbox must be found before checking the probe channel");
+
+            Channel replacement = connection.createChannel();
+            assertNotNull(replacement,
+                    "inspect must close its successful probe channel; the replacement channel was null");
+            try {
+                assertTrue(replacement.isOpen(), "the replacement channel must be open after inspect returns");
+            } finally {
+                replacement.close();
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
     /**
      * fleetd #440: {@code heldDurable()} must be derived from what {@link LeadMailbox#own} actually
      * did against the real broker — a durable queue declare plus a manual-ack consumer — not a
@@ -347,6 +377,72 @@ class LeadMailboxTest {
                 () -> "expected AlreadyClosedException, got: " + thrown);
     }
 
+    @Test
+    void publishIOExceptionRemovesThePendingMessageId() throws Exception {
+        LeadMailbox mailbox = newMailbox(true);
+        try {
+            assertThrows(IllegalStateException.class,
+                    () -> mailbox.publish("target", new LeadMessage("catch", "from", "target", "body")));
+            assertEquals(0, pendingByMsgId(mailbox).size(), "publish IOException must remove its msgId entry");
+        } finally {
+            mailbox.close();
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void interruptedPublishRemovesThePendingMessageIdInFinally() throws Exception {
+        LeadMailbox mailbox = newMailbox(false);
+        Thread publish = Thread.ofVirtual().start(() -> {
+            try {
+                mailbox.publish("target", new LeadMessage("finally", "from", "target", "body"));
+            } catch (IllegalStateException ignored) {
+                // Interrupting the confirm wait is the path under test.
+            }
+        });
+        awaitPending(mailbox, "finally");
+        publish.interrupt();
+        publish.join(5_000);
+
+        try {
+            assertEquals(0, pendingByMsgId(mailbox).size(), "publish finally must remove its msgId entry");
+        } finally {
+            mailbox.close();
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void confirmResolutionRemovesThePendingMessageId() throws Exception {
+        LeadMailbox mailbox = newMailbox(false);
+        try {
+            seedPending(mailbox, 1, "confirm");
+            invoke(mailbox, "resolveConfirm", new Class<?>[] {long.class, boolean.class, boolean.class}, 1L, false, true);
+            assertEquals(0, pendingByMsgId(mailbox).size(), "confirm resolution must remove its msgId entry");
+        } finally {
+            mailbox.close();
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void recoverySweepRemovesThePendingMessageId() throws Exception {
+        LeadMailbox mailbox = newMailbox(false);
+        try {
+            seedPending(mailbox, 1, "recovery");
+            mailbox.failPendingPublishesOnRecovery();
+            assertEquals(0, pendingByMsgId(mailbox).size(), "recovery sweep must remove its msgId entry");
+        } finally {
+            mailbox.close();
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void closeRemovesThePendingMessageId() throws Exception {
+        LeadMailbox mailbox = newMailbox(false);
+        seedPending(mailbox, 1, "close");
+        mailbox.close();
+
+        assertEquals(0, pendingByMsgId(mailbox).size(), "close must remove its msgId entry");
+    }
+
     /** Poll peek until at least one message is held, or ~10s elapse (broker delivery is async). */
     @SuppressWarnings("BusyWait")
     private static List<LeadMessage> awaitPeek(LeadMailbox inbox) throws InterruptedException {
@@ -372,4 +468,108 @@ class LeadMailboxTest {
         }
         return state;
     }
+
+    private static LeadMailbox newMailbox(boolean failPublish) {
+        AtomicLong sequence = new AtomicLong();
+        Channel consume = fakeChannel(sequence, false);
+        Channel publish = fakeChannel(sequence, failPublish);
+        return new LeadMailbox(fakeConnection(consume, publish), "self");
+    }
+
+    private static Channel fakeChannel(AtomicLong sequence, boolean failPublish) {
+        InvocationHandler handler = (proxy, method, args) -> {
+            if (method.getName().equals("getNextPublishSeqNo")) {
+                return sequence.incrementAndGet();
+            }
+            if (method.getName().equals("basicPublish") && failPublish) {
+                throw new IOException("test publish failure");
+            }
+            if (method.getName().equals("equals")) {
+                return proxy == args[0];
+            }
+            if (method.getName().equals("hashCode")) {
+                return System.identityHashCode(proxy);
+            }
+            return defaultValue(method.getReturnType());
+        };
+        return (Channel) Proxy.newProxyInstance(LeadMailboxTest.class.getClassLoader(), new Class<?>[] {Channel.class}, handler);
+    }
+
+    private static Connection fakeConnection(Channel first, Channel second) {
+        AtomicLong calls = new AtomicLong();
+        InvocationHandler handler = (proxy, method, args) -> {
+            if (method.getName().equals("createChannel") && (args == null || args.length == 0)) {
+                return calls.getAndIncrement() == 0 ? first : second;
+            }
+            if (method.getName().equals("equals")) {
+                return proxy == args[0];
+            }
+            if (method.getName().equals("hashCode")) {
+                return System.identityHashCode(proxy);
+            }
+            return defaultValue(method.getReturnType());
+        };
+        return (Connection) Proxy.newProxyInstance(LeadMailboxTest.class.getClassLoader(), new Class<?>[] {Connection.class}, handler);
+    }
+
+    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+    private static Map<String, Object> pendingByMsgId(LeadMailbox mailbox) throws Exception {
+        var field = LeadMailbox.class.getDeclaredField("pendingByMsgId");
+        field.setAccessible(true);
+        return (Map<String, Object>) field.get(mailbox);
+    }
+
+    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+    private static void seedPending(LeadMailbox mailbox, long seq, String msgId) throws Exception {
+        Class<?> pendingType = Class.forName(LeadMailbox.class.getName() + "$Pending");
+        var constructor = pendingType.getDeclaredConstructor(String.class);
+        constructor.setAccessible(true);
+        Object pending = constructor.newInstance(msgId);
+        var seqField = LeadMailbox.class.getDeclaredField("pendingBySeq");
+        seqField.setAccessible(true);
+        ((Map<Long, Object>) seqField.get(mailbox)).put(seq, pending);
+        pendingByMsgId(mailbox).put(msgId, pending);
+    }
+
+    private static void invoke(LeadMailbox mailbox, String name, Class<?>[] types, Object... args) throws Exception {
+        Method method = LeadMailbox.class.getDeclaredMethod(name, types);
+        method.setAccessible(true);
+        method.invoke(mailbox, args);
+    }
+
+    private static void awaitPending(LeadMailbox mailbox, String msgId) throws Exception {
+        long deadline = System.nanoTime() + TimeUnit.SECONDS.toNanos(5);
+        while (!pendingByMsgId(mailbox).containsKey(msgId) && System.nanoTime() < deadline) {
+            Thread.sleep(10);
+        }
+        assertTrue(pendingByMsgId(mailbox).containsKey(msgId), "publish did not register " + msgId);
+    }
+
+    private static Object defaultValue(Class<?> type) {
+        if (!type.isPrimitive() || type == void.class) {
+            return null;
+        }
+        if (type == boolean.class) {
+            return Boolean.FALSE;
+        }
+        if (type == long.class) {
+            return 0L;
+        }
+        if (type == short.class) {
+            return (short) 0;
+        }
+        if (type == byte.class) {
+            return (byte) 0;
+        }
+        if (type == char.class) {
+            return (char) 0;
+        }
+        if (type == double.class) {
+            return 0.0d;
+        }
+        if (type == float.class) {
+            return 0.0f;
+        }
+        return 0;
+    }
 }

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/msg/ManualScheduler.java

@@ -0,0 +1,168 @@
+package dev.ltms.fleet.msg;
+
+import java.util.ArrayDeque;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.Collection;
+import java.util.Deque;
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.concurrent.Callable;
+import java.util.concurrent.ExecutionException;
+import java.util.concurrent.Future;
+import java.util.concurrent.RejectedExecutionException;
+import java.util.concurrent.ScheduledExecutorService;
+import java.util.concurrent.ScheduledFuture;
+import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
+
+/**
+ * A {@link ScheduledExecutorService} for tests that never runs a task on a timer — it records what
+ * {@link ReplyPushLoop} schedules and only ever runs it when the test itself calls
+ * {@link #runDueTasks()} (fleetd #608).
+ *
+ * <p>The test this exists for ({@code anAlreadyCollectedTicketProducesNoNudge}) used to wire
+ * {@link ReplyPushLoop} to a real {@code Executors.newSingleThreadScheduledExecutor()} and bet a
+ * 300ms backoff was "wide" enough that the test's own work (collecting the ticket) always won the
+ * race against the scheduler's own timer firing the next tick. On an idle machine that held; under
+ * a loaded full-suite run it did not, and the test went red on perfectly correct code. Replacing
+ * the timer with this fake removes the race rather than widening it: nothing here ever runs on a
+ * schedule of its own, so no backoff value — however small — can make the tick fire before the test
+ * is ready for it.
+ *
+ * <p><strong>Deliberately narrow.</strong> {@link ReplyPushLoop} calls exactly two methods on its
+ * {@link ScheduledExecutorService} field — {@link #schedule(Runnable, long, TimeUnit)} (every tick,
+ * including the very first one {@code startOrCoalesce} kicks off) and {@link #shutdownNow()} (on
+ * {@code ReplyPushLoop.stop()}/{@code close()}) — verified by reading every {@code scheduler.} call
+ * site in that class. Every other {@link ScheduledExecutorService} method throws
+ * {@link UnsupportedOperationException} rather than silently doing the wrong thing, so a future
+ * change to {@code ReplyPushLoop} that starts calling one of them fails this fake loudly, on the
+ * very first test that exercises it, instead of being quietly mishandled.
+ */
+final class ManualScheduler implements ScheduledExecutorService {
+
+    private final Deque<Runnable> pending = new ArrayDeque<>();
+    private boolean shutdown = false;
+
+    /**
+     * Run every task pending as of the START of this call — a snapshot taken before anything runs.
+     * {@link ReplyPushLoop#tick} always reschedules its own next tick before returning (see
+     * {@code scheduleNext} in its {@code INJECT}/{@code WAIT_BUSY} branches), so without the
+     * snapshot a single call here would recurse forever. Taking it up front means one call is
+     * exactly one tick, deterministically, no matter what that tick itself goes on to schedule.
+     *
+     * @return how many tasks actually ran
+     */
+    synchronized int runDueTasks() {
+        List<Runnable> due = new ArrayList<>(pending);
+        pending.clear();
+        for (Runnable task : due) {
+            task.run();
+        }
+        return due.size();
+    }
+
+    /** How many tasks are currently queued, without running any of them. */
+    synchronized int pendingCount() {
+        return pending.size();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public synchronized ScheduledFuture<?> schedule(Runnable command, long delay, TimeUnit unit) {
+        if (shutdown) {
+            throw new RejectedExecutionException("ManualScheduler is shut down");
+        }
+        pending.add(command);
+        return null; // ReplyPushLoop discards the return value of every schedule() call it makes.
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public synchronized List<Runnable> shutdownNow() {
+        shutdown = true;
+        List<Runnable> left = new ArrayList<>(pending);
+        pending.clear();
+        return left;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public synchronized boolean isShutdown() {
+        return shutdown;
+    }
+
+    // --- everything below: not called by ReplyPushLoop, and not supported by this fake (see the
+    // class javadoc's "deliberately narrow" note) -------------------------------------------------
+
+    @Override
+    public ScheduledFuture<?> scheduleAtFixedRate(Runnable command, long initialDelay, long period, TimeUnit unit) {
+        throw unsupported();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public ScheduledFuture<?> scheduleWithFixedDelay(Runnable command, long initialDelay, long delay, TimeUnit unit) {
+        throw unsupported();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public <V> ScheduledFuture<V> schedule(Callable<V> callable, long delay, TimeUnit unit) {
+        throw unsupported();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void shutdown() {
+        throw unsupported();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public boolean isTerminated() {
+        throw unsupported();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public boolean awaitTermination(long timeout, TimeUnit unit) {
+        throw unsupported();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public <T> Future<T> submit(Callable<T> task) {
+        throw unsupported();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public <T> Future<T> submit(Runnable task, T result) {
+        throw unsupported();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public Future<?> submit(Runnable task) {
+        throw unsupported();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public <T> List<Future<T>> invokeAll(Collection<? extends Callable<T>> tasks) {
+        throw unsupported();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public <T> List<Future<T>> invokeAll(Collection<? extends Callable<T>> tasks, long timeout, TimeUnit unit) {
+        throw unsupported();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public <T> T invokeAny(Collection<? extends Callable<T>> tasks) throws ExecutionException {
+        throw unsupported();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public <T> T invokeAny(Collection<? extends Callable<T>> tasks, long timeout, TimeUnit unit)
+            throws ExecutionException {
+        throw unsupported();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void execute(Runnable command) {
+        throw unsupported();
+    }
+
+    private static UnsupportedOperationException unsupported() {
+        return new UnsupportedOperationException(
+                "ManualScheduler only supports schedule(Runnable, long, TimeUnit), shutdownNow() and isShutdown() "
+                        + "— see the class javadoc");
+    }
+}

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/msg/MessageServiceTest.java

@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
 
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertFalse;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNotEquals;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNotNull;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNull;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertThrows;
@@ -505,6 +506,52 @@ class MessageServiceTest {
                 "an answer to a turn that never existed (or already lapsed) is stale, not a hang");
     }
 
+    /**
+     * fleetd #575. {@code answer()}'s STALE_TURN return for "the ask lapsed between the lookup and
+     * the unblock" ({@code rendezvous.answerAsk(turnId, content)} returning {@code false} even though
+     * this call's own {@code rendezvous.askSession(turnId)} check at the top saw the ask as open) used
+     * to be covered only by a hand-rolled copy of the cleanup pair its own finally already runs, not
+     * the finally itself — a structural gap, closed by widening the try up to cover the registration
+     * above it. This test pins the exact race with {@link
+     * MessageService#setAnswerAskLapseRaceHookForTest}, which fires right before this call's own
+     * {@code rendezvous.answerAsk} call and completes the same turnId's ask directly — reproducing
+     * what a second, concurrent {@code answer()} winning that race could otherwise only do by timing
+     * luck. Proves the fix changed no behaviour on this path: it still returns {@code STALE_TURN},
+     * and this call's own forward waiter is still closed exactly once (not left open, and not closed
+     * twice — there is now only one cleanup site left to run).
+     */
+    @Test
+    void answerLosingTheRaceToAnAlreadyAnsweredAskStillReturnsStaleTurnAndCleansUpOnce() throws Exception {
+        String ticket = messages.sendAsync(T, "long task");
+        awaitWaiting();
+        injectDelivery();
+
+        CompletableFuture<MessageService.AskResult> ask =
+                CompletableFuture.supplyAsync(() -> messages.ask(T, "which config?", 5000));
+        MessageService.TaskView asking = awaitTicketPhase(ticket, MessageService.Phase.ASKING);
+        String turnId = asking.turnId();
+        assertNotNull(turnId, "an ASKING view carries the turnId to answer on");
+
+        messages.setAnswerAskLapseRaceHookForTest(() -> rendezvous.answerAsk(turnId, "raced in first"));
+        try {
+            MessageService.Reply r = messages.answer(turnId, "too late", 500);
+            assertEquals(MessageService.Outcome.STALE_TURN, r.outcome(),
+                    "an ask already answered by the race must be seen as lapsed, not double-delivered");
+        } finally {
+            messages.setAnswerAskLapseRaceHookForTest(null);
+        }
+
+        // Cleanup ran exactly once: the forward waiter THIS call opened is closed, not leaked.
+        assertNull(rendezvous.currentWaiter(T),
+                "the forward waiter this answer() call opened must be closed after a STALE_TURN return");
+
+        // The worker's own ask() call, unblocked by the hook's direct answerAsk, still completes
+        // normally — the race this test simulates does not strand it.
+        MessageService.AskResult a = ask.get(5, TimeUnit.SECONDS);
+        assertEquals(MessageService.AskOutcome.ANSWERED, a.outcome());
+        assertEquals("raced in first", a.answer());
+    }
+
     // --- timeout, answer, poll, and lock-contention edges ----------------------------------
 
     @Test
@@ -554,6 +601,30 @@ class MessageServiceTest {
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * fleetd #571 (the acceptance test the ticket was filed for). The worker is idle so the injector
+     * attempts delivery, but the {@code agent.prompt} call itself fails with a herdr error that is
+     * not a confirmed absence (not a {@code *_not_found} code) — {@link Injector} marks the Pending
+     * {@code ATTEMPTED} (fleetd #551), meaning the call was made and whether it reached the pane is
+     * unknown. Before this fix, {@code send}'s {@code TimeoutException} branch collapsed
+     * {@code ATTEMPTED} into {@code TIMED_OUT_QUEUED} — a promise that the message will never arrive,
+     * which may already be false: {@code agent.prompt} pastes and submits in one call.
+     */
+    @Test
+    void sendTimesOutWithAttemptedDeliveryReportsUnconfirmedNotQueued() throws Exception {
+        herdr.agentSendFailsWith("send_failed");
+        CompletableFuture<MessageService.Reply> send =
+                CompletableFuture.supplyAsync(() -> messages.send(T, "brief", 150));
+        awaitWaiting();
+        injector.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.IDLE); // triggers the failing delivery attempt → ATTEMPTED
+
+        MessageService.Reply r = send.get(5, TimeUnit.SECONDS);
+        assertEquals(MessageService.Outcome.TIMED_OUT_UNCONFIRMED, r.outcome(),
+                "an ATTEMPTED delivery must not collapse into TIMED_OUT_QUEUED — the message may "
+                        + "already have arrived in full, and TIMED_OUT_QUEUED promises it never will");
+        assertNull(r.text());
+    }
+
     @Test
     void answerTimesOutWhenTheResumedWorkerNeverReplies() throws Exception {
         CompletableFuture<MessageService.Reply> send = sendAsync();
@@ -579,6 +650,183 @@ class MessageServiceTest {
         assertEquals("config.yaml", a.answer());
     }
 
+    // --- fleetd #572: answer() must release the session lock on EVERY exit, not just return it -----
+    //
+    // answer()'s session lock is released in an outer `finally` (MessageService.java:1217-1219) that
+    // wraps its whole body. Removing that one line survives the entire suite: coverage is not the
+    // gap, assertion is — every existing answer() test checks the RETURN VALUE, never that the lock
+    // it took is reacquirable afterward. If it is not, the session is wedged forever with no
+    // exception and no log line. Each test below drives answer() through one of its four exits
+    // (normal reply, TIMED_OUT_WORKING, ExecutionException, InterruptedException) and then proves
+    // reacquisition the only way that actually proves it: a bounded follow-up `send` on the SAME
+    // session must not come back BUSY. A `send` only reports BUSY when `tryLock` itself timed out
+    // (MessageService.java:926-928) — every other early return in `send` still passes through its own
+    // lock-acquired `try`, so a non-BUSY probe result is specifically evidence the lock was free.
+
+    /** The REPLIED exit (the happy path) — the resumed worker's real {@code fleet_reply} arrives. */
+    @Test
+    void answerReleasesTheSessionLockAfterANormalReply() throws Exception {
+        CompletableFuture<MessageService.Reply> send = sendAsync();
+        awaitWaiting();
+        injector.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.IDLE);
+        injector.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.WORKING);
+
+        CompletableFuture<MessageService.AskResult> ask =
+                CompletableFuture.supplyAsync(() -> messages.ask(T, "which config file?", 5000));
+        MessageService.Reply q = send.get(5, TimeUnit.SECONDS);
+        assertEquals(MessageService.Outcome.QUESTION, q.outcome());
+
+        CompletableFuture<MessageService.Reply> answer =
+                CompletableFuture.supplyAsync(() -> messages.answer(q.turnId(), "config.yaml", 5000));
+        ask.get(5, TimeUnit.SECONDS); // worker resumed with the answer
+
+        awaitWaiting(); // the answering call has (re)opened its own forward waiter
+        assertTrue(rendezvous.resolve(T, "done"), "the worker's final reply resolves the answering send");
+        MessageService.Reply done = answer.get(5, TimeUnit.SECONDS);
+        assertEquals(MessageService.Outcome.REPLIED, done.outcome());
+
+        MessageService.Reply probe = messages.send(T, "probe after normal reply", 300);
+        assertNotEquals(MessageService.Outcome.BUSY, probe.outcome(),
+                "the session lock must be released after a normal REPLIED answer(), or this bounded "
+                        + "follow-up send would come back BUSY instead of timing out on its own work");
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * The {@code TIMED_OUT_WORKING} exit. Same setup as {@link #answerTimesOutWhenTheResumedWorkerNeverReplies}
+     * (which only checks {@code answer()}'s return value — exactly the assertion the fleetd #572
+     * mutation survives), plus the reacquisition proof that test does not make.
+     *
+     * <p>{@code answer()} MUST run on its own thread here, not the test's main thread: {@code lock}
+     * is a {@link java.util.concurrent.locks.ReentrantLock}, so a probe {@code send} issued by the
+     * SAME thread that (under the mutation) still "holds" it would reenter for free and report a
+     * false pass — reentrancy, not release. Measured while writing this test: with {@code answer()}
+     * called inline, this test stayed green under the mutation while its three siblings correctly
+     * went red.
+     */
+    @Test
+    void answerReleasesTheSessionLockAfterATimedOutWorkingReturn() throws Exception {
+        CompletableFuture<MessageService.Reply> send = sendAsync();
+        awaitWaiting();
+        injector.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.IDLE);
+        injector.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.WORKING);
+
+        CompletableFuture<MessageService.AskResult> ask =
+                CompletableFuture.supplyAsync(() -> messages.ask(T, "which config file?", 5000));
+        MessageService.Reply q = send.get(5, TimeUnit.SECONDS);
+        assertEquals(MessageService.Outcome.QUESTION, q.outcome());
+
+        // The primary answers, unblocking the worker; the worker never sends its follow-up
+        // fleet_reply, so the answering call rides out its short window as still-working.
+        CompletableFuture<MessageService.Reply> answer =
+                CompletableFuture.supplyAsync(() -> messages.answer(q.turnId(), "config.yaml", 200));
+        MessageService.Reply answered = answer.get(5, TimeUnit.SECONDS);
+        assertEquals(MessageService.Outcome.TIMED_OUT_WORKING, answered.outcome(),
+                "an answered worker that never replies times out as still working");
+        ask.get(5, TimeUnit.SECONDS); // drain: the worker resumed with the answer
+
+        MessageService.Reply probe = messages.send(T, "probe after timed-out-working", 300);
+        assertNotEquals(MessageService.Outcome.BUSY, probe.outcome(),
+                "the session lock must be released after a TIMED_OUT_WORKING answer(), or this bounded "
+                        + "follow-up send would come back BUSY instead of timing out on its own work");
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * The {@code ExecutionException} exit. Forces it directly on answer()'s own reopened forward
+     * waiter — {@code rendezvous.currentWaiter(T)} is the exact {@code CompletableFuture} its
+     * {@code reply.get(...)} is blocked on — rather than trying to make a real worker fail, since the
+     * failure mode under test is in answer()'s own wait, not in how it got triggered.
+     */
+    @Test
+    void answerReleasesTheSessionLockWhenTheReplyFutureFailsExceptionally() throws Exception {
+        CompletableFuture<MessageService.Reply> send = sendAsync();
+        awaitWaiting();
+        injector.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.IDLE);
+        injector.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.WORKING);
+
+        CompletableFuture<MessageService.AskResult> ask =
+                CompletableFuture.supplyAsync(() -> messages.ask(T, "which config file?", 5000));
+        MessageService.Reply q = send.get(5, TimeUnit.SECONDS);
+        assertEquals(MessageService.Outcome.QUESTION, q.outcome());
+        String turnId = q.turnId();
+
+        java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReference<Throwable> caught =
+                new java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReference<>();
+        Thread answerer = new Thread(() -> {
+            try {
+                messages.answer(turnId, "config.yaml", 5000);
+                caught.set(new AssertionError("expected answer() to throw"));
+            } catch (Throwable t) {
+                caught.set(t);
+            }
+        });
+        answerer.start();
+        awaitWaiting(); // answer() re-opened its forward waiter and is about to block on it
+
+        CompletableFuture<Rendezvous.Resolution> waiter = rendezvous.currentWaiter(T);
+        assertNotNull(waiter, "answer() should have registered a forward waiter for the worker session");
+        waiter.completeExceptionally(new RuntimeException("boom"));
+
+        answerer.join(5000);
+        assertFalse(answerer.isAlive(), "answer() should have left by throwing once its reply future failed");
+        Throwable thrown = caught.get();
+        assertNotNull(thrown, "answer() should have thrown");
+        assertTrue(thrown instanceof RuntimeException, "a RuntimeException cause is rethrown as-is: " + thrown);
+        assertEquals("boom", thrown.getMessage());
+
+        ask.get(5, TimeUnit.SECONDS); // drain: the worker resumed with the answer
+
+        MessageService.Reply probe = messages.send(T, "probe after exceptional failure", 300);
+        assertNotEquals(MessageService.Outcome.BUSY, probe.outcome(),
+                "the session lock must be released when answer()'s reply future fails exceptionally, "
+                        + "or this bounded follow-up send would come back BUSY instead of timing out on its own work");
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * The {@code InterruptedException} exit. Same shape as the {@code ExecutionException} case above,
+     * but the thread blocked in {@code reply.get(...)} is interrupted instead of the future failing.
+     */
+    @Test
+    void answerReleasesTheSessionLockWhenInterrupted() throws Exception {
+        CompletableFuture<MessageService.Reply> send = sendAsync();
+        awaitWaiting();
+        injector.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.IDLE);
+        injector.onStatus(T, AgentStatus.WORKING);
+
+        CompletableFuture<MessageService.AskResult> ask =
+                CompletableFuture.supplyAsync(() -> messages.ask(T, "which config file?", 5000));
+        MessageService.Reply q = send.get(5, TimeUnit.SECONDS);
+        assertEquals(MessageService.Outcome.QUESTION, q.outcome());
+        String turnId = q.turnId();
+
+        java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReference<Throwable> caught =
+                new java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReference<>();
+        Thread answerer = new Thread(() -> {
+            try {
+                messages.answer(turnId, "config.yaml", 5000);
+                caught.set(new AssertionError("expected answer() to throw"));
+            } catch (Throwable t) {
+                caught.set(t);
+            }
+        });
+        answerer.start();
+        awaitWaiting(); // answer() re-opened its forward waiter and is about to block on it
+
+        answerer.interrupt();
+        answerer.join(5000);
+        assertFalse(answerer.isAlive(), "answer() should have left by throwing once its thread was interrupted");
+        Throwable thrown = caught.get();
+        assertNotNull(thrown, "answer() should have thrown");
+        assertTrue(thrown instanceof IllegalStateException,
+                "an interrupted wait is wrapped in IllegalStateException: " + thrown);
+
+        ask.get(5, TimeUnit.SECONDS); // drain: the worker resumed with the answer
+
+        MessageService.Reply probe = messages.send(T, "probe after interruption", 300);
+        assertNotEquals(MessageService.Outcome.BUSY, probe.outcome(),
+                "the session lock must be released when answer()'s wait is interrupted, or this bounded "
+                        + "follow-up send would come back BUSY instead of timing out on its own work");
+    }
+
     @Test
     void pollReturnsNullForAnUnknownTicket() {
         assertNull(messages.poll("task-999999"), "a ticket that was never minted is unknown");
@@ -1593,6 +1841,36 @@ class MessageServiceTest {
         return new PushWiring(service, leadHerdr, scheduler);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * A {@link MessageService} wired to a real {@link ReplyPushLoop}, like {@link #wireWithPushLoop},
+     * but backed by {@link ManualScheduler} instead of a real timer (fleetd #608): its tick never
+     * fires on its own — a test drives it explicitly via {@link ManualScheduler#runDueTasks()}.
+     */
+    private record ManualPushWiring(MessageService service, FakeHerdr leadHerdr, ManualScheduler scheduler)
+            implements AutoCloseable {
+        @Override
+        public void close() {
+            scheduler.shutdownNow();
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * As {@link #wireWithPushLoop}, but the schedule never runs on its own. {@code backoffMs} is
+     * still threaded through to {@link ReplyPushLoop}'s constructor (it takes one), but nothing here
+     * ever waits it out, so its value cannot affect anything a test built on this observes — see
+     * {@code anAlreadyCollectedTicketProducesNoNudge}, which sets it to 1 to prove exactly that.
+     */
+    private ManualPushWiring wireWithManualScheduler(int maxReminders, long backoffMs) {
+        PrimaryRegistry registry = new PrimaryRegistry(null);
+        registry.recordDelegation(T, LEAD);
+        FakeHerdr leadHerdr = new FakeHerdr();
+        AgentControl leadAgents = new AgentControl(leadHerdr);
+        ManualScheduler scheduler = new ManualScheduler();
+        ReplyPushLoop pushLoop = new ReplyPushLoop(registry, leadAgents, inbox, scheduler, maxReminders, backoffMs);
+        MessageService service = new MessageService(agents, injector, rendezvous, inbox, pushLoop, null, System::nanoTime);
+        return new ManualPushWiring(service, leadHerdr, scheduler);
+    }
+
     private void awaitNudge(FakeHerdr leadHerdr) throws InterruptedException {
         long deadline = System.currentTimeMillis() + 3000;
         while (!leadHerdr.called("agent.prompt") && System.currentTimeMillis() < deadline) {
@@ -1634,16 +1912,46 @@ class MessageServiceTest {
 
     @Test
     void anAlreadyCollectedTicketProducesNoNudge() throws Exception {
-        try (var wiring = wireWithPushLoop(1, 300)) { // wide backoff: poll before the first tick fires
-            String ticket = wiring.service().sendAsync(T, "long task");
-            awaitWaiting();
-            injectDelivery();
-            assertTrue(rendezvous.resolve(T, "async result"));
+        // fleetd #608: backoff is 1ms — the most hostile value there is, the tick due immediately —
+        // and the test still must pass, because with ManualScheduler the tick never runs on a timer
+        // at all; it only runs when this test calls runDueTasks() below. The old version bet a 300ms
+        // backoff was "wide" enough that collecting the ticket always won the race against a real
+        // scheduler's own timer; that held on an idle machine and failed under a loaded full-suite
+        // run — a false red on correct code, since nothing here forced that ordering, it only made
+        // it likely.
+        try (var wiring = wireWithManualScheduler(1, 1)) {
+            java.util.concurrent.CountDownLatch terminalReached = new java.util.concurrent.CountDownLatch(1);
+            // finishAsyncTask's task.future.complete(...) runs every whenComplete registered on that
+            // same future — including sendAsync's own hook that calls ReplyPushLoop.onTicketTerminal
+            // — synchronously, before complete() returns (see finishAsyncTask's javadoc and fleetd
+            // #399). This test-only hook fires right after that complete() call, on the very same
+            // (async executor) thread, so waiting for it guarantees onTicketTerminal has already run
+            // and the ticket is really sitting in the push loop's pending set — unlike waiting for
+            // Phase.DONE via poll(), which CompletableFuture.complete() can make visible to another
+            // thread before every whenComplete dependent has actually finished running (the same
+            // publish-then-run-dependents gap awaitCompletionStamped exists to close elsewhere).
+            String ticket;
+            wiring.service().setAfterFinishAsyncTaskCompleteHookForTest(terminalReached::countDown);
+            try {
+                ticket = wiring.service().sendAsync(T, "long task");
+                awaitWaiting();
+                injectDelivery();
+                assertTrue(rendezvous.resolve(T, "async result"));
+                assertTrue(terminalReached.await(5, TimeUnit.SECONDS),
+                        "the ticket never reached its terminal phase");
+            } finally {
+                wiring.service().setAfterFinishAsyncTaskCompleteHookForTest(null);
+            }
 
+            // Collect it — the exact action the nudge must never follow.
             MessageService.TaskView view = awaitTicketPhaseOn(wiring.service(), ticket, MessageService.Phase.DONE);
             assertEquals(MessageService.Phase.DONE, view.phase());
 
-            Thread.sleep(400); // let the scheduled tick run — it must find nothing pending
+            // Now run the pending tick explicitly. onTicketTerminal scheduled exactly one (the ticket
+            // is the only thing this lead has ever had pending); it must find nothing left pending —
+            // the collection above already removed it — and send no nudge.
+            assertEquals(1, wiring.scheduler().runDueTasks(),
+                    "expected exactly the one tick onTicketTerminal scheduled");
             assertFalse(wiring.leadHerdr().called("agent.prompt"),
                     "a ticket the lead already polled must never be nudged");
         }

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/peer/MemberRoleTest.java

@@ -10,12 +10,13 @@ import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
 class MemberRoleTest {
 
     @Test
-    void theThreeRolesAreArchitectDevAndReviewer() {
-        assertEquals(3, MemberRole.values().length,
+    void theFourRolesAreArchitectDevHunterAndReviewer() {
+        assertEquals(4, MemberRole.values().length,
                 "a new role changes the charter, the role file, the skill and the authz row — "
                         + "adding one is a deliberate act, so this count is meant to fail first");
         assertEquals("architect", MemberRole.ARCHITECT.wireName());
         assertEquals("dev", MemberRole.DEV.wireName());
+        assertEquals("hunter", MemberRole.HUNTER.wireName());
         assertEquals("reviewer", MemberRole.REVIEWER.wireName());
     }
 
@@ -30,6 +31,7 @@ class MemberRoleTest {
     void parseIsCaseInsensitiveAndTrimsSurroundingSpace() {
         assertSame(MemberRole.ARCHITECT, MemberRole.parse("Architect"));
         assertSame(MemberRole.DEV, MemberRole.parse("  DEV  "));
+        assertSame(MemberRole.HUNTER, MemberRole.parse("HuNtEr"));
         assertSame(MemberRole.REVIEWER, MemberRole.parse("ReViEwEr"));
     }
 
@@ -38,7 +40,7 @@ class MemberRoleTest {
         IllegalArgumentException e =
                 assertThrows(IllegalArgumentException.class, () -> MemberRole.parse("archtiect"));
         assertTrue(e.getMessage().contains("archtiect"), e.getMessage());
-        assertTrue(e.getMessage().contains("architect, dev, reviewer"),
+        assertTrue(e.getMessage().contains("architect, dev, hunter, reviewer"),
                 "a typo in config should be fixable from the message alone: " + e.getMessage());
     }
 

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/rest/FleetAppTest.java

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.AgentControl;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.FakeHerdr;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.WorkspaceControl;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.Injector;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.LoopWatchdog;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.StatusPoller;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.MemberPresence;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.msg.InMemoryReplyInbox;
@@ -165,6 +166,29 @@ class FleetAppTest {
         assertEquals("degraded", mapper.readTree(res.body()).get("status").asText());
     }
 
+    @Test
+    void healthzKeepsOkStatusAndReportsLoopHealthInItsBody() {
+        FleetMcp.LoopHealthSource loops = new FleetMcp.LoopHealthSource(
+                () -> LoopWatchdog.State.RUNNING, () -> LoopWatchdog.State.STOPPED);
+
+        FleetApp.HealthzResponse ok = FleetApp.healthzResponse(new FakeHerdr(), new FakeHerdr(), loops);
+        assertEquals(200, ok.status(), "a healthy herdr must keep /healthz at 200 regardless of loop states");
+        assertEquals(Map.of("statusPoller", "RUNNING", "sessionReaper", "STOPPED"), ok.body().get("loopHealth"),
+                "the /healthz body must report each loop state without making STOPPED an alarm");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void healthzKeepsDegradedStatusAndReportsLoopHealthInItsBody() {
+        FleetMcp.LoopHealthSource loops = new FleetMcp.LoopHealthSource(
+                () -> LoopWatchdog.State.RUNNING, () -> LoopWatchdog.State.STOPPED);
+        FleetApp.HealthzResponse degraded = FleetApp.healthzResponse(new FakeHerdr().healthy(false),
+                new FakeHerdr(), loops);
+        assertEquals(503, degraded.status(),
+                "an unreachable herdr must keep /healthz at 503 regardless of loop states");
+        assertEquals(Map.of("statusPoller", "RUNNING", "sessionReaper", "STOPPED"),
+                degraded.body().get("loopHealth"), "the degraded /healthz body must retain loop states");
+    }
+
     @Test
     void sessionsMapsWorkspaceList() throws Exception {
         int port = startHealthy();
@@ -623,6 +647,28 @@ class FleetAppTest {
         assertTrue(herdr.called("agent.prompt"), "message was injected");
     }
 
+    /**
+     * fleetd #571: the worker is idle, so the poller attempts delivery, but the {@code agent.prompt}
+     * call itself fails with a herdr error that is not a confirmed absence — {@link
+     * dev.ltms.fleet.inject.Injector} marks this {@code ATTEMPTED}, meaning the call was made and
+     * whether it reached the pane is unknown. {@code writeReply}'s default arm must map this to its
+     * own {@code "unconfirmed"} status, not silently fall through to {@code "done"} (which would
+     * claim the delegation completed) nor collapse into {@code "queued"} (which would claim the
+     * message will never arrive, when it may already be sitting in the pane).
+     */
+    @Test
+    void messageTimesOutUnconfirmedWhenDeliveryAttemptFails() throws Exception {
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr().agentStatus("idle").agentSendFailsWith("send_failed");
+        int port = start(herdr, "http://gx00.gw:8000", Set.of("gx00.gw"));
+
+        HttpResponse<String> res = postMessage(port, "{\"content\":\"hi\",\"timeoutMs\":250}");
+        assertEquals(202, res.statusCode());
+        JsonNode body = mapper.readTree(res.body());
+        assertEquals("unconfirmed", body.get("status").asText(),
+                "an ATTEMPTED delivery must report its own status, not \"queued\" or \"done\"");
+        assertTrue(herdr.called("agent.prompt"), "delivery must have been attempted");
+    }
+
     @Test
     void messageRejectsBlankContent() throws Exception {
         int port = startHealthy();

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/session/GitWorktreesTest.java

@@ -1,16 +1,13 @@
 package dev.ltms.fleet.session;
 
 import ch.qos.logback.classic.Level;
-import ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger;
-import ch.qos.logback.classic.LoggerContext;
 import ch.qos.logback.classic.spi.IThrowableProxy;
 import ch.qos.logback.classic.spi.ILoggingEvent;
-import ch.qos.logback.core.read.ListAppender;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.testing.CapturedLog;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.AfterEach;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.BeforeEach;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.io.TempDir;
-import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
@@ -489,36 +486,33 @@ class GitWorktreesTest {
     // ---- CB-189: broader remote-URL coverage — every remote, both fetch and push URLs, any
     // non-SSH scheme. Reporting only, additive to the origin/https strip-and-refuse tests above. ----
 
-    private Logger reportingLogger;
-    private ListAppender<ILoggingEvent> reportingAppender;
+    private CapturedLog reportingLog;
 
     /** {@link GitWorktrees}'s own logger, captured fresh for each test so assertions never see a
-     *  message left over from a previous test. */
+     *  message left over from a previous test. fleetd #529: {@link CapturedLog#close} restores the
+     *  level it captured here (whatever it truly was before this test, not just WARN), so a test
+     *  below that further lowers the level to INFO for its own assertion (via {@link
+     *  #reportingLog}'s {@link CapturedLog#setLevel}) can never leak that INFO pin past its own
+     *  {@code @AfterEach} — every test's window is self-contained. */
     @BeforeEach
     void attachReportingLogCapture() {
-        LoggerContext ctx = (LoggerContext) LoggerFactory.getILoggerFactory();
-        reportingLogger = ctx.getLogger(GitWorktrees.class);
-        reportingLogger.setLevel(Level.WARN);
-        reportingAppender = new ListAppender<>();
-        reportingAppender.setContext(ctx);
-        reportingAppender.start();
-        reportingLogger.addAppender(reportingAppender);
+        reportingLog = CapturedLog.at(GitWorktrees.class, Level.WARN);
     }
 
     @AfterEach
     void detachReportingLogCapture() {
-        reportingLogger.detachAppender(reportingAppender);
+        reportingLog.close();
     }
 
     private List<String> capturedMessages() {
-        return reportingAppender.list.stream().map(ILoggingEvent::getFormattedMessage).toList();
+        return reportingLog.events().stream().map(ILoggingEvent::getFormattedMessage).toList();
     }
 
     /** Asserts {@code secret} appears in no captured message, and in no attached exception's
      *  message either — the constraint is that a credential must never reach a log, however it
      *  would have gotten there. */
     private void assertNoLeak(String secret) {
-        for (ILoggingEvent event : reportingAppender.list) {
+        for (ILoggingEvent event : reportingLog.events()) {
             assertFalse(event.getFormattedMessage().contains(secret),
                     "log message leaked a credential (" + secret + "): " + event.getFormattedMessage());
             IThrowableProxy thrown = event.getThrowableProxy();
@@ -596,7 +590,7 @@ class GitWorktreesTest {
 
         new GitWorktrees(tmp.resolve("wts").toString()).add(repo.toString(), "cb-189-d", "HEAD");
 
-        assertTrue(reportingAppender.list.isEmpty(),
+        assertTrue(reportingLog.events().isEmpty(),
                 "expected no report for an ssh remote and a credential-free https remote, got:\n"
                         + capturedMessages());
     }
@@ -812,7 +806,7 @@ class GitWorktreesTest {
     /** Criterion 1, all three present: the summary names the denominator and every neutralized file. */
     @Test
     void isolateToolSurfaceLogsAllThreeConfigsNeutralized(@TempDir Path tmp) throws Exception {
-        reportingLogger.setLevel(Level.INFO);
+        reportingLog.setLevel(Level.INFO);
         Path repo = initRepoWithAllThreeConfigs(tmp.resolve("repo"));
 
         new GitWorktrees(tmp.resolve("wts").toString()).add(repo.toString(), "cb-134-log-all", "HEAD");
@@ -827,7 +821,7 @@ class GitWorktreesTest {
     /** Criterion 1, two absent: the summary must still name the denominator and say why. */
     @Test
     void isolateToolSurfaceLogsAbsentConfigsWithReason(@TempDir Path tmp) throws Exception {
-        reportingLogger.setLevel(Level.INFO);
+        reportingLog.setLevel(Level.INFO);
         Path repo = initRepo(tmp.resolve("repo")); // only .mcp.json + README committed
 
         new GitWorktrees(tmp.resolve("wts").toString()).add(repo.toString(), "cb-134-log-partial", "HEAD");
@@ -1435,7 +1429,7 @@ class GitWorktreesTest {
     /** Criterion 2: both candidates present — the summary line names both and the denominator. */
     @Test
     void overlayParityLogsBothCopiedWhenBothCandidatesArePresent(@TempDir Path tmp) throws Exception {
-        reportingLogger.setLevel(Level.INFO);
+        reportingLog.setLevel(Level.INFO);
         Path repo = initRepo(tmp.resolve("repo"));
         Files.writeString(repo.resolve(".env"), "A=1\n");
         Files.writeString(repo.resolve(".envrc"), "export A=1\n");
@@ -1452,7 +1446,7 @@ class GitWorktreesTest {
      *  denominator, and why the other candidate was not copied. */
     @Test
     void overlayParityLogsOneCopiedOneAbsent(@TempDir Path tmp) throws Exception {
-        reportingLogger.setLevel(Level.INFO);
+        reportingLog.setLevel(Level.INFO);
         Path repo = initRepo(tmp.resolve("repo"));
         Files.writeString(repo.resolve(".env"), "A=1\n");
         // .envrc deliberately not created — the absent candidate.
@@ -1472,7 +1466,7 @@ class GitWorktreesTest {
      *  change, silently, unless this line told it so beforehand. */
     @Test
     void overlayParityLogsSkipWorktreeConsequenceForATrackedFile(@TempDir Path tmp) throws Exception {
-        reportingLogger.setLevel(Level.INFO);
+        reportingLog.setLevel(Level.INFO);
         Path repo = initRepo(tmp.resolve("repo"));
         Files.writeString(repo.resolve(".env"), "A=1\n");
         git(repo, "add", ".env");
@@ -1495,7 +1489,7 @@ class GitWorktreesTest {
     /** Criterion 5: null and empty overlay lists return quietly — no exception, no log noise. */
     @Test
     void overlayParityWithNoCandidatesLogsNothing(@TempDir Path tmp) throws Exception {
-        reportingLogger.setLevel(Level.INFO);
+        reportingLog.setLevel(Level.INFO);
         Path repo = initRepo(tmp.resolve("repo"));
         Path wt = bareWorktree(repo, tmp.resolve("wt"), "cb134-empty");
         GitWorktrees worktrees = new GitWorktrees(tmp.resolve("wts").toString());
@@ -1503,7 +1497,7 @@ class GitWorktreesTest {
         worktrees.overlayParity(repo.toString(), wt.toString(), null);
         worktrees.overlayParity(repo.toString(), wt.toString(), List.of());
 
-        assertTrue(reportingAppender.list.isEmpty(),
+        assertTrue(reportingLog.events().isEmpty(),
                 "a null/empty overlay must log nothing, got:\n" + capturedMessages());
     }
 
@@ -1683,7 +1677,7 @@ class GitWorktreesTest {
      *  denominator, what was seeded, and what was kept because the repo already had it. */
     @Test
     void seedSkillsLogsSeededAndKept(@TempDir Path tmp) throws Exception {
-        reportingLogger.setLevel(Level.INFO);
+        reportingLog.setLevel(Level.INFO);
         Path repo = tmp.resolve("repo");
         Files.createDirectories(repo);
         git(repo, "init", "-q", "-b", "main");

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/session/SessionManagerTest.java

@@ -1,9 +1,7 @@
 package dev.ltms.fleet.session;
 
 import ch.qos.logback.classic.Level;
-import ch.qos.logback.classic.LoggerContext;
 import ch.qos.logback.classic.spi.ILoggingEvent;
-import ch.qos.logback.core.read.ListAppender;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.auth.MemberRegistry;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.auth.MemberLifecycle;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.config.ConfigRef;
@@ -25,7 +23,13 @@ import dev.ltms.fleet.peer.SpawnRequest;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.placement.BackendQuarantine;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.placement.PlacementDecision;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.placement.PlacementPolicies;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.testing.CapturedLog;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.AfterAll;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.BeforeAll;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.MethodOrderer;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Order;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.TestMethodOrder;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.io.TempDir;
 import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
 
@@ -50,9 +54,46 @@ import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.*;
  * CB-301 / CB-303 acceptance tests for the authoritative session registry, one-shot lifecycle FSM,
  * and configurable lifecycle limits (idle TTL, context cap, drain).
  * No live herdr — everything runs against the same {@link FakeHerdr} the rest of the project uses.
+ *
+ * <p>fleetd #525: only {@link #onTurnFailedIsLoggedAtWarnWithThePriorState} (explicitly
+ * {@link Order#value() @Order(1)}) and the proving test right after it
+ * ({@link #sharedSessionManagerLoggerLevelIsRestoredAfterOnTurnFailedPinsWarn}, {@code @Order(2)})
+ * care about method order — every other test here has no {@code @Order} and so runs after both of
+ * these (JUnit 5's {@link MethodOrderer.OrderAnnotation} gives an unannotated method the lowest
+ * priority), in whatever relative order it already ran in.
  */
+@TestMethodOrder(MethodOrderer.OrderAnnotation.class)
 class SessionManagerTest {
 
+    /**
+     * fleetd #525: the level {@link SessionManager}'s logger had when this class started, captured
+     * before any test here — including the leak this ticket fixes — can touch it. {@code
+     * pinSessionManagerLoggerToAKnownBaseline} then forces a distinctive, known value (DEBUG) so
+     * {@link #sharedSessionManagerLoggerLevelIsRestoredAfterOnTurnFailedPinsWarn} can tell "the
+     * level came back to what it was" apart from "the level happens to already be WARN because
+     * some earlier test class in this JVM fork (surefire reuses forks by default) left it there" —
+     * a real risk, since {@code ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger} instances are cached per class and
+     * shared across the whole JVM, and this exact logger is also touched by
+     * {@code WorktreeSessionManagerTest#releasePreservesDirtyWorktreeAndLogsWarn}, which has the
+     * same unfixed leak (reported, not fixed — out of this ticket's scope).
+     */
+    private static Level sessionManagerLevelBeforeThisClass;
+
+    @BeforeAll
+    static void pinSessionManagerLoggerToAKnownBaseline() {
+        ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger sessionLog =
+                (ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger) LoggerFactory.getLogger(SessionManager.class);
+        sessionManagerLevelBeforeThisClass = sessionLog.getLevel();
+        sessionLog.setLevel(Level.DEBUG);
+    }
+
+    @AfterAll
+    static void restoreSessionManagerLoggerLevel() {
+        ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger sessionLog =
+                (ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger) LoggerFactory.getLogger(SessionManager.class);
+        sessionLog.setLevel(sessionManagerLevelBeforeThisClass);
+    }
+
     private SessionManager sessionManager(FakeHerdr herdr) {
         FleetConfig.Profile cfg = new FleetConfig.Profile(
                 "ltms-local", "http://gx00.gw:8000", "coder", null, "FLEETD_WORKER_TOKEN",
@@ -81,6 +122,9 @@ class SessionManagerTest {
         return new SessionManager(workers, worktrees, clock);
     }
 
+    // fleetd #529: CapturedLog moved to dev.ltms.fleet.testing.CapturedLog (imported above) so
+    // every test file shares one implementation instead of each hand-rolling its own capture.
+
     /**
      * CB-581: a {@link Worktrees} test double whose {@code hasUncommitted} and {@code remove} can
      * be told to throw, so {@link SessionManager#release} can be exercised against exactly the
@@ -284,9 +328,10 @@ class SessionManagerTest {
     void rosterViewExposesTheCharterReceiptButNeverTheCharterText() {
         // The roster (fleet_list and GET /members both render through rosterView) must let a lead
         // see which charter a member got, without ever carrying the charter prose itself (CB-571).
+        String composed = "role charter\n\nreply";
+        CharterReceipt receipt = CharterReceipt.compose(MemberRole.DEV, "prof", "role charter", composed);
         MemberSession s = new MemberSession("p1", "term1", "prof", MemberRole.DEV, "/cwd", null,
-                0, 0, 0, MemberSession.State.READY, null, null,
-                CharterReceipt.compose(MemberRole.DEV, "prof", "role charter", "role charter\n\nreply"), null);
+                0, 0, 0, MemberSession.State.READY, null, null, receipt, null);
 
         Map<String, Object> view = SessionManager.rosterView(s, null);
 
@@ -294,10 +339,49 @@ class SessionManagerTest {
                 "the config key that supplied the role charter is reported");
         assertEquals(CharterReceipt.digestOf("role charter\n\nreply"), view.get("charterSha256"),
                 "the digest of the exact composed charter bytes is reported");
+        // #604: the byte count rides alongside the digest, and must match what the receipt itself
+        // carries (not a hardcoded literal) so a bug that reads the wrong field is caught.
+        assertEquals(receipt.charterBytes(), view.get("charterBytes"),
+                "the exact composed byte count is reported, read from the receipt");
+        assertEquals(composed.getBytes(java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets.UTF_8).length, view.get("charterBytes"),
+                "the byte count is the real UTF-8 length of the composed charter");
         assertFalse(view.values().toString().contains("role charter"),
                 "the roster row must not embed the charter text itself");
     }
 
+    @Test
+    void rosterViewOmitsCharterBytesAndDigestWhenNoCharterWasComposed() {
+        // #604: a member with no role charter and no reply charter (composed == null) still reports
+        // charterSource ("none"), but neither a digest nor a size — the digest is absent, and the
+        // size only ever accompanies a real digest. This must not be satisfiable by code that always
+        // writes charterBytes.
+        CharterReceipt receipt = CharterReceipt.compose(MemberRole.DEV, "prof", null, null);
+        MemberSession s = new MemberSession("p1", "term1", "prof", MemberRole.DEV, "/cwd", null,
+                0, 0, 0, MemberSession.State.READY, null, null, receipt, null);
+
+        Map<String, Object> view = SessionManager.rosterView(s, null);
+
+        assertEquals(CharterReceipt.NO_SOURCE, view.get("charterSource"),
+                "no configured role or reply charter reports the explicit \"none\" source");
+        assertFalse(view.containsKey("charterSha256"), "no digest is reported when no charter was composed");
+        assertFalse(view.containsKey("charterBytes"), "no byte count is reported when no charter was composed");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void rosterViewOmitsCharterFieldsEntirelyWhenTheReceiptItselfIsAbsent() {
+        // #604 acceptance criterion 3: charterReceipt() can be null on its own (a session recorded
+        // before CB-571, or a launcher that never composed one) — the outer null-guard must still
+        // suppress charterSource, charterSha256 AND charterBytes together.
+        MemberSession s = new MemberSession("p1", "term1", "prof", MemberRole.DEV, "/cwd", null,
+                0, 0, 0, MemberSession.State.READY, null, null, null, null);
+
+        Map<String, Object> view = SessionManager.rosterView(s, null);
+
+        assertFalse(view.containsKey("charterSource"), "no charter fields at all when the receipt is null");
+        assertFalse(view.containsKey("charterSha256"), "no charter fields at all when the receipt is null");
+        assertFalse(view.containsKey("charterBytes"), "no charter fields at all when the receipt is null");
+    }
+
     @Test
     void aNullTerminalFromThePrimaryIsANoOpEvenWithSessionsRegistered() {
         // The primary resolves to a Principal with no terminal, and FleetMcp's context extractor
@@ -466,24 +550,15 @@ class SessionManagerTest {
 
     @Test
     void backendErrorForUnknownTargetIsWarnedAndDoesNotCreateASession() {
-        LoggerContext ctx = (LoggerContext) LoggerFactory.getILoggerFactory();
-        ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger sessionLog =
-                (ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger) LoggerFactory.getLogger(SessionManager.class);
-        ListAppender<ILoggingEvent> appender = new ListAppender<>();
-        appender.setContext(ctx);
-        appender.start();
-        sessionLog.addAppender(appender);
-        try {
+        try (CapturedLog log = CapturedLog.of(SessionManager.class)) {
             SessionManager sessions = sessionManager(new FakeHerdr());
 
             assertFalse(sessions.onBackendError("term_missing", "backend exited"));
 
             assertTrue(sessions.roster().isEmpty(), "unknown target must not create a session");
-            assertTrue(appender.list.stream().anyMatch(e -> e.getLevel().equals(Level.WARN)
+            assertTrue(log.events().stream().anyMatch(e -> e.getLevel().equals(Level.WARN)
                             && e.getFormattedMessage().contains("term_missing")),
                     "unknown target is logged at WARN");
-        } finally {
-            sessionLog.detachAppender(appender);
         }
     }
 
@@ -516,19 +591,12 @@ class SessionManagerTest {
     }
 
     @Test
+    @Order(1)
     void onTurnFailedIsLoggedAtWarnWithThePriorState() {
         // CB-564: this transition used to be a bare DEBUG "session marked failed" — a symptom with no
         // cause. A member that can no longer be delegated to must be at least WARN, and should name
         // what stage it failed at (here: BUSY, i.e. a turn was in flight and never resolved).
-        LoggerContext ctx = (LoggerContext) LoggerFactory.getILoggerFactory();
-        ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger sessionLog =
-                (ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger) LoggerFactory.getLogger(SessionManager.class);
-        ListAppender<ILoggingEvent> appender = new ListAppender<>();
-        appender.setContext(ctx);
-        appender.start();
-        sessionLog.addAppender(appender);
-        sessionLog.setLevel(Level.WARN);
-        try {
+        try (CapturedLog log = CapturedLog.at(SessionManager.class, Level.WARN)) {
             FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr();
             SessionManager sessions = sessionManager(herdr);
             MemberSession session = sessions.acquire("ltms-local", null, "/caller", "term_primary");
@@ -538,18 +606,37 @@ class SessionManagerTest {
 
             sessions.onTurnFailed(terminal);
 
-            String warn = appender.list.stream()
+            String warn = log.events().stream()
                     .filter(e -> e.getLevel().equals(Level.WARN))
                     .map(ILoggingEvent::getFormattedMessage)
                     .findFirst()
                     .orElse("no turn-failed WARN logged");
             assertTrue(warn.contains(terminal), "the log names the member: " + warn);
             assertTrue(warn.contains("BUSY"), "the log names the stage it failed at: " + warn);
-        } finally {
-            sessionLog.detachAppender(appender);
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * fleetd #525: proves the leak in {@link #onTurnFailedIsLoggedAtWarnWithThePriorState} above
+     * (which runs immediately before this, via {@code @Order}) is closed. That test pins the
+     * shared {@link SessionManager} logger to WARN through a {@link CapturedLog}; if {@link
+     * CapturedLog#close} only detached the appender — the original bug, before this ticket's fix —
+     * the level would still read WARN here instead of the {@code DEBUG} baseline this class's
+     * {@code @BeforeAll} set. Runs at {@code @Order(2)}, guaranteed after {@code @Order(1)} and
+     * before every other (unannotated) test in this class.
+     */
+    @Test
+    @Order(2)
+    void sharedSessionManagerLoggerLevelIsRestoredAfterOnTurnFailedPinsWarn() {
+        ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger sessionLog =
+                (ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger) LoggerFactory.getLogger(SessionManager.class);
+        assertEquals(Level.DEBUG, sessionLog.getLevel(),
+                "onTurnFailedIsLoggedAtWarnWithThePriorState pins the shared SessionManager logger "
+                        + "to WARN; its cleanup must restore the level it captured (DEBUG, set by "
+                        + "this class's @BeforeAll) rather than leaving WARN pinned for every test "
+                        + "that runs after it");
+    }
+
     /**
      * fleetd #226: a contended slot is refused through the real {@link SessionManager#acquire}
      * path before the real launcher can hand an architect charter to a process.
@@ -576,28 +663,18 @@ class SessionManagerTest {
         SessionManager sessions = sessionManager(herdr);
         MemberRegistry members = architectRegistry();
         sessions.setMemberLifecycle(bindFailureAfterReservation(members));
-        LoggerContext ctx = (LoggerContext) LoggerFactory.getILoggerFactory();
-        ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger registryLog = (ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger)
-                LoggerFactory.getLogger(MemberRegistry.class);
-        ListAppender<ILoggingEvent> appender = new ListAppender<>();
-        appender.setContext(ctx);
-        appender.start();
-        registryLog.addAppender(appender);
-        registryLog.setLevel(Level.WARN);
-        try {
+        try (CapturedLog log = CapturedLog.at(MemberRegistry.class, Level.WARN)) {
             MemberSession session = sessions.acquire("ltms-local", MemberRole.ARCHITECT, null,
                     "/caller", "term_primary", null);
 
             assertEquals(MemberRole.DEV, session.role(), "a failed reservation bind must use the fallback");
-            String warn = appender.list.stream()
+            String warn = log.events().stream()
                     .filter(e -> e.getLevel().equals(Level.WARN))
                     .map(ILoggingEvent::getFormattedMessage)
                     .findFirst()
                     .orElse("no slot-exhaustion WARN logged");
             assertTrue(warn.contains("ltms-local"), "the WARN names the profile: " + warn);
             assertTrue(warn.contains(session.terminalId()), "the WARN names the terminal: " + warn);
-        } finally {
-            registryLog.detachAppender(appender);
         }
     }
 
@@ -902,6 +979,82 @@ class SessionManagerTest {
                 .count();
     }
 
+    /**
+     * fleetd #512: a drain that releases every session cleanly used to log nothing at all — the
+     * two log calls in {@code drainAll}/{@code drainSnapshot} both sit on abnormal paths, so
+     * "clean drain" and "died on the first session" were indistinguishable. This asserts the new
+     * {@code log.info} line fires on the ordinary, nothing-went-wrong path, and that its numbers
+     * are the real counts (two released, zero abandoned) rather than just a non-empty string.
+     */
+    @Test
+    void drainAllLogsACompletionLineWithTheRealCountsOnACleanDrain() {
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr();
+        SessionManager sessions = sessionManager(herdr);
+        MemberSession first = sessions.acquire("ltms-local", "/one", "/caller", "ownerOne");
+        MemberSession second = sessions.acquire("ltms-local", "/two", "/caller", "ownerTwo");
+        sessions.asPresence().markPresent(first.terminalId());
+        sessions.asPresence().markPresent(second.terminalId());
+        // Both stay READY — neither is delivered a turn, so neither is BUSY and the drain below
+        // has nothing abnormal to hit.
+
+        // Pin INFO explicitly: fleetd #525 made CapturedLog itself restore the level it pins, but
+        // this pin stays anyway as belt-and-braces — a later change to the sweep must not be able
+        // to make this INFO assertion vacuous again by leaving some other test's WARN pin in place.
+        try (CapturedLog log = CapturedLog.at(SessionManager.class, Level.INFO)) {
+            sessions.drainAll(TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS.toNanos(100));
+
+            assertTrue(sessions.roster().isEmpty(), "precondition: the drain actually ran");
+            String info = log.events().stream()
+                    .filter(e -> e.getLevel().equals(Level.INFO))
+                    .map(ILoggingEvent::getFormattedMessage)
+                    .filter(m -> m.contains("drain complete"))
+                    .findFirst()
+                    .orElse("no drain-complete INFO logged");
+            assertTrue(info.contains("released=2"),
+                    "both released sessions must be counted: " + info);
+            assertTrue(info.contains("abandoned=0"),
+                    "neither session was BUSY, so nothing was abandoned mid-turn: " + info);
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * fleetd #512: the same completion line must also report a non-zero abandoned count when a
+     * session is still {@code BUSY} once the whole-drain deadline passes — the case the ticket
+     * calls out as the one a script needs to be able to see. Reuses the same BUSY/READY mix as
+     * {@link #drainAllReleasesBusyAndReadySessionsAndWaitsForBusy}, which already forces the busy
+     * session to spin until the real-time deadline expires (its state never leaves BUSY on its
+     * own), and adds the log assertion that test does not make.
+     */
+    @Test
+    void drainAllLogsANonZeroAbandonedCountForASessionStillBusyAtTheDeadline() {
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr();
+        SessionManager sessions = sessionManager(herdr);
+        MemberSession ready = sessions.acquire("ltms-local", "/ready", "/caller", "ownerR");
+        MemberSession busy = sessions.acquire("ltms-local", "/busy", "/caller", "ownerB");
+        sessions.asPresence().markPresent(ready.terminalId());
+        sessions.asPresence().markPresent(busy.terminalId());
+        sessions.onDelivered(busy.terminalId(), TestTurnTokens.inert(busy.terminalId()));
+        // busy never leaves BUSY — no completion is delivered — so the drain below must spin the
+        // full timeout and then release it anyway, counting it abandoned.
+
+        // Pin INFO explicitly — see the comment in drainAllLogsACompletionLineWithTheRealCountsOnACleanDrain.
+        try (CapturedLog log = CapturedLog.at(SessionManager.class, Level.INFO)) {
+            sessions.drainAll(TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS.toNanos(100));
+
+            assertTrue(sessions.roster().isEmpty(), "precondition: the drain actually ran");
+            String info = log.events().stream()
+                    .filter(e -> e.getLevel().equals(Level.INFO))
+                    .map(ILoggingEvent::getFormattedMessage)
+                    .filter(m -> m.contains("drain complete"))
+                    .findFirst()
+                    .orElse("no drain-complete INFO logged");
+            assertTrue(info.contains("released=2"),
+                    "both the ready and the busy session are released: " + info);
+            assertTrue(info.contains("abandoned=1"),
+                    "the busy session hit the deadline still BUSY and must be counted: " + info);
+        }
+    }
+
     // --- fleetd #308: a spawn accepted while the shutdown drain is running must not orphan ---
 
     @Test
@@ -1202,21 +1355,13 @@ class SessionManagerTest {
                 new WorktreeRequest("cb-581a", null));
         worktrees.failHasUncommittedWith(new WorktreeException("git status exited 128"));
 
-        LoggerContext ctx = (LoggerContext) LoggerFactory.getILoggerFactory();
-        ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger sessionLog =
-                (ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger) LoggerFactory.getLogger(SessionManager.class);
-        ListAppender<ILoggingEvent> appender = new ListAppender<>();
-        appender.setContext(ctx);
-        appender.start();
-        sessionLog.addAppender(appender);
-        sessionLog.setLevel(Level.WARN);
-        try {
+        try (CapturedLog log = CapturedLog.at(SessionManager.class, Level.WARN)) {
             assertDoesNotThrow(() -> sessions.release(s.paneId()),
                     "a throwing dirty check must not abort the release");
 
             assertTrue(worktrees.removeCalls().isEmpty(),
                     "the worktree is preserved when its dirty state cannot be determined");
-            String warn = appender.list.stream()
+            String warn = log.events().stream()
                     .filter(e -> e.getLevel().equals(Level.WARN))
                     .map(ILoggingEvent::getFormattedMessage)
                     .filter(m -> m.contains(s.worktree()))
@@ -1224,8 +1369,6 @@ class SessionManagerTest {
                     .orElse("no warn logged naming the worktree");
             assertTrue(warn.contains(s.paneId()), "the WARN names the pane: " + warn);
             assertTrue(warn.contains(s.terminalId()), "the WARN names the terminal: " + warn);
-        } finally {
-            sessionLog.detachAppender(appender);
         }
     }
 
@@ -1392,20 +1535,12 @@ class SessionManagerTest {
         // this itself, so it no longer propagates out of release() at all.
         worktrees.failRemoveFor(b.worktree());
 
-        LoggerContext ctx = (LoggerContext) LoggerFactory.getILoggerFactory();
-        ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger sessionLog =
-                (ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger) LoggerFactory.getLogger(SessionManager.class);
-        ListAppender<ILoggingEvent> appender = new ListAppender<>();
-        appender.setContext(ctx);
-        appender.start();
-        sessionLog.addAppender(appender);
-        sessionLog.setLevel(Level.WARN);
         int reaped;
-        try {
+        try (CapturedLog log = CapturedLog.at(SessionManager.class, Level.WARN)) {
             clock[0] = 100;
             reaped = sessions.reapIdle(10);
 
-            String warn = appender.list.stream()
+            String warn = log.events().stream()
                     .filter(e -> e.getLevel().equals(Level.WARN))
                     .map(ILoggingEvent::getFormattedMessage)
                     .filter(m -> m.contains(b.paneId()))
@@ -1413,8 +1548,6 @@ class SessionManagerTest {
                     .orElse("no worktree-removal-failure WARN logged");
             assertTrue(warn.contains(b.terminalId()), "the WARN names the failed session's terminal: " + warn);
             assertTrue(warn.contains(b.worktree()), "the WARN names the failed session's worktree: " + warn);
-        } finally {
-            sessionLog.detachAppender(appender);
         }
 
         assertEquals(3, reaped,
@@ -1460,28 +1593,18 @@ class SessionManagerTest {
         // trigger reapIdle's own guard is for, now that #283 closed the worktree-removal trigger.
         herdr.paneCloseFailsForPane("w9:pRoot_2", "internal_error");
 
-        LoggerContext ctx = (LoggerContext) LoggerFactory.getILoggerFactory();
-        ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger sessionLog =
-                (ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger) LoggerFactory.getLogger(SessionManager.class);
-        ListAppender<ILoggingEvent> appender = new ListAppender<>();
-        appender.setContext(ctx);
-        appender.start();
-        sessionLog.addAppender(appender);
-        sessionLog.setLevel(Level.WARN);
         int reaped;
-        try {
+        try (CapturedLog log = CapturedLog.at(SessionManager.class, Level.WARN)) {
             clock[0] = 100;
             reaped = sessions.reapIdle(10);
 
-            String warn = appender.list.stream()
+            String warn = log.events().stream()
                     .filter(e -> e.getLevel().equals(Level.WARN))
                     .map(ILoggingEvent::getFormattedMessage)
                     .filter(m -> m.contains("reap failed") && m.contains(b.paneId()))
                     .findFirst()
                     .orElse("no reap-failed WARN logged for the failing session");
             assertTrue(warn.contains(b.terminalId()), "the WARN names the failed session's terminal: " + warn);
-        } finally {
-            sessionLog.detachAppender(appender);
         }
 
         assertEquals(2, reaped,

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/session/SessionReaperResilienceTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+package dev.ltms.fleet.session;
+
+import dev.ltms.fleet.config.FleetConfig;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.guard.SubscriptionGuard;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.AgentControl;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.FakeHerdr;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.WorkspaceControl;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.member.ClaudeCodeLauncher;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import java.lang.reflect.Field;
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.Set;
+import java.util.concurrent.CountDownLatch;
+import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
+import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicBoolean;
+import java.util.function.LongSupplier;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertFalse;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNotSame;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
+
+class SessionReaperResilienceTest {
+
+    @Test
+    void anErrorInOneIterationDoesNotStopTheNextIteration() throws Exception {
+        CountDownLatch errorThrown = new CountDownLatch(1);
+        CountDownLatch nextIteration = new CountDownLatch(1);
+        AtomicBoolean first = new AtomicBoolean(true);
+        LongSupplier clock = () -> {
+            if (first.compareAndSet(true, false)) {
+                errorThrown.countDown();
+                throw new AssertionError("test Error from the first reap iteration");
+            }
+            nextIteration.countDown();
+            return System.nanoTime();
+        };
+        SessionReaper reaper = new SessionReaper(sessionManager(clock), 60, 1);
+        reaper.start();
+        try {
+            assertTrue(errorThrown.await(2, TimeUnit.SECONDS),
+                    "the first reap iteration must throw its test Error");
+            assertTrue(nextIteration.await(2, TimeUnit.SECONDS),
+                    "the reaper must continue to the next iteration after an Error");
+        } finally {
+            reaper.stop();
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void anAbnormalExitClearsRunningSoStartCreatesANewLoop() throws Exception {
+        SessionReaper reaper = new SessionReaper(sessionManager(System::nanoTime), 60, -1);
+        reaper.start();
+        Thread first = threadOf(reaper);
+        first.join(2000);
+        assertFalse(runningOf(reaper), "an abnormal loop exit must clear running");
+
+        reaper.start();
+        Thread restarted = threadOf(reaper);
+        try {
+            assertNotSame(first, restarted, "start() must create a new loop after an abnormal exit");
+            restarted.join(2000);
+        } finally {
+            reaper.stop();
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static SessionManager sessionManager(LongSupplier clock) {
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr();
+        FleetConfig.Profile cfg = new FleetConfig.Profile(
+                "ltms-local", "http://gx00.gw:8000", "coder", null, "FLEETD_WORKER_TOKEN",
+                List.of("ccs", "ltms-local"), "tab", "fleetd-workers",
+                "worker: {profile} #{n}", null, null, null);
+        ClaudeCodeLauncher launcher = new ClaudeCodeLauncher(new AgentControl(herdr), new WorkspaceControl(herdr),
+                new SubscriptionGuard(Set.of("gx00.gw")), Map.of(cfg.profile(), cfg), cfg.profile(), _ -> null);
+        return new SessionManager(launcher, new FakeWorktrees(), clock);
+    }
+
+    private static Thread threadOf(SessionReaper reaper) throws ReflectiveOperationException {
+        Field field = SessionReaper.class.getDeclaredField("thread");
+        field.setAccessible(true);
+        return (Thread) field.get(reaper);
+    }
+
+    private static boolean runningOf(SessionReaper reaper) throws ReflectiveOperationException {
+        Field field = SessionReaper.class.getDeclaredField("running");
+        field.setAccessible(true);
+        return field.getBoolean(reaper);
+    }
+}

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/session/SessionReaperWatchdogTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,170 @@
+package dev.ltms.fleet.session;
+
+import dev.ltms.fleet.config.FleetConfig;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.guard.SubscriptionGuard;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.AgentControl;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.inject.LoopWatchdog;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.FakeHerdr;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.WorkspaceControl;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.member.ClaudeCodeLauncher;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import java.lang.reflect.Field;
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.Set;
+import java.util.concurrent.CountDownLatch;
+import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
+import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicLong;
+import java.util.function.LongSupplier;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertFalse;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
+
+/**
+ * fleetd #544: {@link SessionReaper#health()} — the progress watchdog, not a liveness check. Every
+ * test drives {@link LoopWatchdog}'s clock explicitly (never real elapsed time), so the threshold
+ * crossing is deterministic rather than a race against the poll interval.
+ */
+class SessionReaperWatchdogTest {
+
+    private static final long INTERVAL_MILLIS = 50;
+    // Mirrors SessionReaper.staleAfterNanos(50): 50ms * the 12x multiplier = 600ms.
+    private static final long STALE_AFTER_NANOS = TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS.toNanos(INTERVAL_MILLIS) * 12;
+
+    @Test
+    void aLoopParkedInAReapCallThatNeverReturnsReportsStalled() throws Exception {
+        CountDownLatch entered = new CountDownLatch(1);
+        // reapIdle's very first statement reads sessions' own injected clock — blocking there
+        // parks the reaper thread mid-round, exactly as a wedged call would (fleetd #544).
+        SessionManager sessions = sessionManager(new BlocksOnFirstCall(entered));
+        AtomicLong watchdogClock = new AtomicLong(0);
+        SessionReaper reaper = new SessionReaper(sessions, 60, INTERVAL_MILLIS, watchdogClock::get);
+        reaper.start();
+        try {
+            assertTrue(entered.await(2, TimeUnit.SECONDS),
+                    "the reaper must have entered the blocking reapIdle call");
+
+            assertEquals(LoopWatchdog.State.RUNNING, reaper.health(),
+                    "freshly parked, before the threshold elapses, must still read RUNNING");
+
+            watchdogClock.set(STALE_AFTER_NANOS + 1);
+            assertEquals(LoopWatchdog.State.STALLED, reaper.health(),
+                    "a loop parked mid-round past the staleness threshold must report STALLED");
+        } finally {
+            reaper.stop();
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void aLoopThatDiedReportsStalled() throws Exception {
+        AtomicLong watchdogClock = new AtomicLong(0);
+        // intervalMillis=-1: Thread.sleep(-1) throws IllegalArgumentException, uncaught by loop(),
+        // which kills the carrier thread — the same "died" shape SessionReaperResilienceTest uses.
+        SessionReaper reaper = new SessionReaper(sessionManager(System::nanoTime), 60, -1, watchdogClock::get);
+        reaper.start();
+        Thread thread = threadOf(reaper);
+        thread.join(2000);
+        assertFalse(thread.isAlive(), "the loop must have died from Thread.sleep(-1)");
+
+        // staleAfterNanos(-1) = TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS.toNanos(max(-1,1)) * 12 = 12ms.
+        watchdogClock.set(TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS.toNanos(1) * 12 + 1);
+        assertEquals(LoopWatchdog.State.STALLED, reaper.health(),
+                "a dead loop's last-completed round goes stale and must report STALLED");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void aLoopStoppedOnPurposeReportsStoppedNotStalled() throws Exception {
+        AtomicLong watchdogClock = new AtomicLong(0);
+        SessionReaper reaper = new SessionReaper(sessionManager(System::nanoTime), 60, INTERVAL_MILLIS, watchdogClock::get);
+        reaper.start();
+        reaper.stop();
+
+        // Advance the clock far past any staleness threshold — an intentional stop must never
+        // be reported as STALLED no matter how old the last round looks (fleetd #512 shape).
+        watchdogClock.set(STALE_AFTER_NANOS * 100);
+        assertEquals(LoopWatchdog.State.STOPPED, reaper.health(),
+                "stop() must report STOPPED, never STALLED, however stale the last round looks");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void aRestartedLoopReportsRunningAgainNotStoppedForever() throws Exception {
+        // fleetd #544 review (issue comment #16944): stoppedByCaller is sticky, and reset() —
+        // called only from start() — is the sole thing that clears it. start() is documented
+        // idempotent and loop()'s own error line says "it can be restarted", so stop() followed
+        // by start() is an anticipated path. Without the reset() call in start(), health() would
+        // report STOPPED forever after a restart even though the loop is genuinely running again.
+        AtomicLong watchdogClock = new AtomicLong(0);
+        SessionReaper reaper = new SessionReaper(sessionManager(System::nanoTime), 60, INTERVAL_MILLIS, watchdogClock::get);
+        reaper.start();
+        reaper.stop();
+        reaper.start();
+
+        assertEquals(LoopWatchdog.State.RUNNING, reaper.health(),
+                "an intentional stop must not outlive the restart that follows it");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void aHealthyLoopReportsRunning() throws Exception {
+        // Real elapsed time on purpose, unlike the other tests here: a clock frozen at 0 would read
+        // RUNNING even if recordRoundComplete() were never wired into loop() at all, since the
+        // constructor's own initial timestamp already satisfies "not stale yet". Running for several
+        // multiples of this instance's own threshold (5ms interval * 12 = 60ms) and still reading
+        // RUNNING instead proves the loop's repeated round completions are the thing keeping the
+        // staleness deadline pushed forward.
+        long fastIntervalMillis = 5;
+        SessionReaper reaper = new SessionReaper(sessionManager(System::nanoTime), 60, fastIntervalMillis, System::nanoTime);
+        reaper.start();
+        try {
+            Thread.sleep(400);
+            assertEquals(LoopWatchdog.State.RUNNING, reaper.health(),
+                    "a healthy loop's repeated round completions must keep pushing the staleness deadline forward");
+        } finally {
+            reaper.stop();
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static SessionManager sessionManager(LongSupplier clock) {
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr();
+        FleetConfig.Profile cfg = new FleetConfig.Profile(
+                "ltms-local", "http://gx00.gw:8000", "coder", null, "FLEETD_WORKER_TOKEN",
+                List.of("ccs", "ltms-local"), "tab", "fleetd-workers",
+                "worker: {profile} #{n}", null, null, null);
+        ClaudeCodeLauncher launcher = new ClaudeCodeLauncher(new AgentControl(herdr), new WorkspaceControl(herdr),
+                new SubscriptionGuard(Set.of("gx00.gw")), Map.of(cfg.profile(), cfg), cfg.profile(), _ -> null);
+        return new SessionManager(launcher, new FakeWorktrees(), clock);
+    }
+
+    private static Thread threadOf(SessionReaper reaper) throws ReflectiveOperationException {
+        Field field = SessionReaper.class.getDeclaredField("thread");
+        field.setAccessible(true);
+        return (Thread) field.get(reaper);
+    }
+
+    /** Blocks forever on its first call, then falls back to real time if ever unblocked. */
+    private static final class BlocksOnFirstCall implements LongSupplier {
+        private final CountDownLatch entered;
+        private volatile boolean first = true;
+
+        private BlocksOnFirstCall(CountDownLatch entered) {
+            this.entered = entered;
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public synchronized long getAsLong() {
+            if (first) {
+                first = false;
+                entered.countDown();
+                try {
+                    // Blocks forever, mirroring a genuinely wedged call (fleetd #544) — a test
+                    // double standing in for a stuck dependency, not a real socket.
+                    new CountDownLatch(1).await();
+                } catch (InterruptedException e) {
+                    Thread.currentThread().interrupt();
+                }
+            }
+            return System.nanoTime();
+        }
+    }
+}

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/session/WorktreeSessionManagerTest.java

@@ -7,13 +7,17 @@ import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.AgentControl;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.FakeHerdr;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.WorkspaceControl;
 import ch.qos.logback.classic.Level;
-import ch.qos.logback.classic.LoggerContext;
 import ch.qos.logback.classic.spi.ILoggingEvent;
-import ch.qos.logback.core.read.ListAppender;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.member.ClaudeCodeLauncher;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.msg.TestTurnTokens;
 import dev.ltms.fleet.peer.MemberRole;
+import dev.ltms.fleet.testing.CapturedLog;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.AfterAll;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.BeforeAll;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.MethodOrderer;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Order;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.TestMethodOrder;
 import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
 
 import java.util.List;
@@ -27,9 +31,41 @@ import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.*;
  * CB-301-ext acceptance tests for worktree provisioning and config-parity overlay.
  * No live git — every Worktrees call is handled by {@link FakeWorktrees} and every herdr
  * call by {@link FakeHerdr}, matching the project's fake-based test style.
+ *
+ * <p>fleetd #529: only {@link #releasePreservesDirtyWorktreeAndLogsWarn} (explicitly
+ * {@link Order#value() @Order(1)}) and the proving test right after it
+ * ({@link #sharedSessionManagerLoggerLevelIsRestoredAfterDirtyWorktreeReleasePinsWarn},
+ * {@code @Order(2)}) care about method order — every other test here has no {@code @Order} and so
+ * runs after both (JUnit 5's {@link MethodOrderer.OrderAnnotation} gives an unannotated method the
+ * lowest priority), in whatever relative order it already ran in.
  */
+@TestMethodOrder(MethodOrderer.OrderAnnotation.class)
 class WorktreeSessionManagerTest {
 
+    /**
+     * fleetd #529: the level {@link SessionManager}'s logger had when this class started, captured
+     * before any test here touches it, then forced to a distinctive, known value (TRACE) so {@link
+     * #sharedSessionManagerLoggerLevelIsRestoredAfterDirtyWorktreeReleasePinsWarn} can tell "the
+     * level came back to what it was" apart from "the level happens to already be WARN because
+     * some other test class in this JVM fork (surefire reuses forks by default) left it there".
+     */
+    private static ch.qos.logback.classic.Level sessionManagerLevelBeforeThisClass;
+
+    @BeforeAll
+    static void pinSessionManagerLoggerToAKnownBaseline() {
+        ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger sessionLog =
+                (ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger) LoggerFactory.getLogger(SessionManager.class);
+        sessionManagerLevelBeforeThisClass = sessionLog.getLevel();
+        sessionLog.setLevel(ch.qos.logback.classic.Level.TRACE);
+    }
+
+    @AfterAll
+    static void restoreSessionManagerLoggerLevel() {
+        ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger sessionLog =
+                (ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger) LoggerFactory.getLogger(SessionManager.class);
+        sessionLog.setLevel(sessionManagerLevelBeforeThisClass);
+    }
+
     private static MemberRegistry members() {
         return new MemberRegistry(new FleetConfig.Fleet(Map.of(),
                 Map.of("architect", new FleetConfig.Slot("ltms-local")),
@@ -254,6 +290,7 @@ class WorktreeSessionManagerTest {
      * path, the session, and the cause an operator needs to find the work.
      */
     @Test
+    @Order(1)
     void releasePreservesDirtyWorktreeAndLogsWarn() {
         FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr();
         FakeWorktrees worktrees = new FakeWorktrees().withRepoRoot("/repo").withPrefix("/wt")
@@ -262,21 +299,13 @@ class WorktreeSessionManagerTest {
         MemberSession s = sessions.acquire("ltms-local", null, "/caller/proj", null,
                 new WorktreeRequest("cb-576", null));
 
-        LoggerContext ctx = (LoggerContext) LoggerFactory.getILoggerFactory();
-        ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger sessionLog =
-                (ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger) LoggerFactory.getLogger(SessionManager.class);
-        ListAppender<ILoggingEvent> appender = new ListAppender<>();
-        appender.setContext(ctx);
-        appender.start();
-        sessionLog.addAppender(appender);
-        sessionLog.setLevel(Level.WARN);
-        try {
+        try (CapturedLog log = CapturedLog.at(SessionManager.class, Level.WARN)) {
             sessions.release(s.paneId());
 
             assertTrue(herdr.called("pane.close"), "release still tears the worker pane down");
             assertTrue(worktrees.removeCalls().isEmpty(),
                     "a dirty worktree is never removed — it holds the only copy of the work");
-            String warn = appender.list.stream()
+            String warn = log.events().stream()
                     .filter(e -> e.getLevel().equals(Level.WARN))
                     .map(ILoggingEvent::getFormattedMessage)
                     .filter(m -> m.contains("dirty worktree"))
@@ -285,11 +314,38 @@ class WorktreeSessionManagerTest {
             assertTrue(warn.contains(s.worktree()), "the WARN names the worktree path: " + warn);
             assertTrue(warn.contains(s.terminalId()), "the WARN names the session: " + warn);
             assertTrue(warn.contains("COMPLETED"), "the WARN names the release cause: " + warn);
-        } finally {
-            sessionLog.detachAppender(appender);
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * fleetd #529 proving test: pins that the leak this ticket fixes stays fixed. {@link
+     * #releasePreservesDirtyWorktreeAndLogsWarn} above (which runs immediately before this, via
+     * {@code @Order}) pins the shared {@link SessionManager} logger to WARN through a {@link
+     * CapturedLog}; if {@link CapturedLog#close} only detached the appender — the original bug —
+     * the level would still read WARN here instead of the {@code TRACE} baseline this class's
+     * {@code @BeforeAll} set. Runs at {@code @Order(2)}, guaranteed after {@code @Order(1)} and
+     * before every other (unannotated) test in this class.
+     *
+     * <p>This proves only the WITHIN-CLASS case: JUnit 5's {@code @TestMethodOrder} orders methods
+     * inside one class, not test classes relative to each other, and surefire's default class order
+     * is not something a single test can force. The cross-class leak fleetd #525 measured — this
+     * class's {@code releasePreservesDirtyWorktreeAndLogsWarn} pinning WARN and bleeding into a
+     * later-running {@code SessionManagerTest} in the same fork — is fixed by the same {@link
+     * CapturedLog} mechanism proven here, but that cross-class ordering itself is NOT asserted by
+     * any test and remains unproven by construction.
+     */
+    @Test
+    @Order(2)
+    void sharedSessionManagerLoggerLevelIsRestoredAfterDirtyWorktreeReleasePinsWarn() {
+        ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger sessionLog =
+                (ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger) LoggerFactory.getLogger(SessionManager.class);
+        assertEquals(ch.qos.logback.classic.Level.TRACE, sessionLog.getLevel(),
+                "releasePreservesDirtyWorktreeAndLogsWarn pins the shared SessionManager logger to "
+                        + "WARN; its cleanup must restore the level it captured (TRACE, set by this "
+                        + "class's @BeforeAll) rather than leaving WARN pinned for every test that "
+                        + "runs after it");
+    }
+
     /**
      * CB-576 review (fleetd #116). A worktree that is already gone (operator cleanup,
      * {@code git worktree prune}, an earlier half-completed release) must not break teardown.

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/testing/CapturedLog.java

@@ -0,0 +1,112 @@
+package dev.ltms.fleet.testing;
+
+import ch.qos.logback.classic.Level;
+import ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger;
+import ch.qos.logback.classic.LoggerContext;
+import ch.qos.logback.classic.spi.ILoggingEvent;
+import ch.qos.logback.core.read.ListAppender;
+import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
+
+import java.util.List;
+
+/**
+ * fleetd #529 (promoted from {@code SessionManagerTest}, merged in #527 for fleetd #525): captures
+ * a logger's output and, on {@link #close}, restores <em>both</em> the appender and the level to
+ * what they were before.
+ *
+ * <p>{@code ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger} instances are cached per class and shared across the
+ * whole JVM — and surefire reuses forks by default — so a bare {@code addAppender}/{@code
+ * setLevel} pair whose {@code finally} only detaches the appender leaves the level pinned for
+ * every test that runs after it, in the same class or in a completely unrelated one sharing the
+ * fork. try-with-resources makes "restored the appender but not the level" impossible to write,
+ * because there is only one thing to close.
+ *
+ * <p>New code must use this rather than hand-rolling the {@code ListAppender} + {@code setLevel} +
+ * {@code finally detachAppender} pattern: use {@link #at} or {@link #of}. It is <em>not</em> yet
+ * the only instance of the pattern in this test tree, and the earlier wording here said it was —
+ * which would leave a reader who greps unable to tell a leftover from a violation.
+ *
+ * <p>Measured on main at af95897 (2026-09-12): nine test files still hand-roll it, with 42
+ * {@code setLevel} calls on a raw logback {@code Logger} between them — {@code
+ * FleetdStartupReportTest}, {@code GitHostShapeReportTest}, {@code MemberCredentialsGapReportTest},
+ * {@code MemberTrustModelReportTest}, {@code FleetHealthMonitorTest}, {@code
+ * ClaudeCodeLauncherTest}, {@code HerdrPeerLauncherAllowListWiringTest}, {@code
+ * HerdrPeerLauncherCharterTest} and {@code OpenCodeLauncherTest}. Every one of them pairs its pin
+ * with a restore, so none is the fleetd #525 leak and none was in fleetd #529's scope, which was
+ * the 19 <em>unrestored</em> pins only. They are unmigrated, not broken.
+ *
+ * <p>Re-measure with the two commands below, from the repo root. A file that appears in the first
+ * list and not the second still hand-rolls the pattern. When the first list comes back empty, this
+ * paragraph is spent and the sentence above can go back to saying "the one way" — delete the
+ * paragraph then rather than updating the count.
+ *
+ * <pre>{@code
+ * grep -rlE '\.setLevel\(' fleetd/src/test/java --include='*.java' | grep -v CapturedLog.java
+ * grep -rl 'CapturedLog' fleetd/src/test/java --include='*.java'
+ * }</pre>
+ */
+public final class CapturedLog implements AutoCloseable {
+    private final Logger logger;
+    private final Level originalLevel;
+    private final ListAppender<ILoggingEvent> appender;
+
+    private CapturedLog(Logger logger, Level pinnedLevel) {
+        LoggerContext ctx = (LoggerContext) LoggerFactory.getILoggerFactory();
+        this.logger = logger;
+        this.originalLevel = logger.getLevel();
+        this.appender = new ListAppender<>();
+        appender.setContext(ctx);
+        appender.start();
+        logger.addAppender(appender);
+        if (pinnedLevel != null) {
+            logger.setLevel(pinnedLevel);
+        }
+    }
+
+    /** Capture {@code loggerClass}'s output, pinning its level to {@code pinnedLevel} for the
+     *  duration of the try-with-resources block. */
+    public static CapturedLog at(Class<?> loggerClass, Level pinnedLevel) {
+        return new CapturedLog((Logger) LoggerFactory.getLogger(loggerClass), pinnedLevel);
+    }
+
+    /** Capture {@code loggerClass}'s output without changing its level. */
+    public static CapturedLog of(Class<?> loggerClass) {
+        return new CapturedLog((Logger) LoggerFactory.getLogger(loggerClass), null);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Capture the named logger's output, pinning its level to {@code pinnedLevel}. For a logger
+     * obtained in production code via {@code LoggerFactory.getLogger("some-name")} rather than a
+     * class — e.g. {@code AuditLog}'s {@code "audit"} logger — where {@link #at(Class, Level)}
+     * would capture the wrong {@code Logger} instance (class name and logger name are different
+     * strings and resolve to different cached loggers).
+     */
+    public static CapturedLog at(String loggerName, Level pinnedLevel) {
+        return new CapturedLog((Logger) LoggerFactory.getLogger(loggerName), pinnedLevel);
+    }
+
+    /** Capture the named logger's output without changing its level. See {@link #at(String, Level)}. */
+    public static CapturedLog of(String loggerName) {
+        return new CapturedLog((Logger) LoggerFactory.getLogger(loggerName), null);
+    }
+
+    public List<ILoggingEvent> events() {
+        return appender.list;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Re-pin the level while this capture is still open — for example to lower it further for one
+     * assertion inside a test whose fixture already pinned a coarser baseline in {@code @BeforeEach}.
+     * This does not change what {@link #close} restores: that is always the level captured when
+     * this instance was created, never a value set through this method.
+     */
+    public void setLevel(Level level) {
+        logger.setLevel(level);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void close() {
+        logger.detachAppender(appender);
+        logger.setLevel(originalLevel);
+    }
+}

fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/testing/CapturedLogTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+package dev.ltms.fleet.testing;
+
+import ch.qos.logback.classic.Level;
+import ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+
+/**
+ * fleetd #537: pins {@link CapturedLog#close}'s own contract — the appender detach half, the level
+ * restore half, and that {@link CapturedLog#setLevel} does not change what {@code close} restores.
+ * Before this, only the level-restore half was pinned (by {@code
+ * WorktreeSessionManagerTest.sharedSessionManagerLoggerLevelIsRestoredAfterDirtyWorktreeReleasePinsWarn}).
+ * Measured: deleting {@code logger.detachAppender(appender);} from {@code close()} still left
+ * {@code mvn clean install} green — 1701 tests, 0 failures — before this file existed.
+ *
+ * <p>Every test below uses a logger name no production class uses, and unique per test, so this
+ * file cannot become the next entry in fleetd #525's leak family: {@link CapturedLog}'s own
+ * javadoc re-measure commands (top of that file) would otherwise need to start naming this class.
+ */
+class CapturedLogTest {
+
+    /**
+     * The appender must be detached on close: an event logged through the raw logger after close
+     * must not land in {@link CapturedLog#events()}. Asserting on the observable list (rather than
+     * {@code logger.iteratorForAppenders()}) is what the ticket asked for, and it is also what a
+     * real leak would actually break — a later test's own {@code ListAppender} silently gaining
+     * events emitted by code under test that has nothing to do with it.
+     */
+    @Test
+    void closeDetachesTheAppenderSoALaterLogIsNotCaptured() {
+        String loggerName = "capturedlog-test-only.appender-detach";
+        Logger rawLogger = (Logger) LoggerFactory.getLogger(loggerName);
+
+        CapturedLog log = CapturedLog.of(loggerName);
+        rawLogger.info("while open");
+        int eventsWhileOpen = log.events().size();
+        assertEquals(1, eventsWhileOpen, "the event logged while open must be captured");
+
+        log.close();
+        rawLogger.info("after close");
+
+        assertEquals(eventsWhileOpen, log.events().size(),
+                "close() must detach the appender: an event logged after close must not be "
+                        + "captured, but the captured list grew from " + eventsWhileOpen + " to "
+                        + log.events().size());
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * The helper's own headline contract, pinned in one place independent of any production
+     * class's behaviour: {@code close()} restores the level the logger had before {@link
+     * CapturedLog#at} pinned it.
+     */
+    @Test
+    void closeRestoresTheLevelCapturedAtOpen() {
+        String loggerName = "capturedlog-test-only.level-restore";
+        Logger rawLogger = (Logger) LoggerFactory.getLogger(loggerName);
+        rawLogger.setLevel(Level.DEBUG);
+
+        CapturedLog log = CapturedLog.at(loggerName, Level.ERROR);
+        assertEquals(Level.ERROR, rawLogger.getLevel(), "the pinned level took effect while open");
+
+        log.close();
+
+        assertEquals(Level.DEBUG, rawLogger.getLevel(),
+                "close() must restore the level captured when at() was called (DEBUG), not leave "
+                        + "the pinned level (ERROR) in place");
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * {@link CapturedLog#setLevel}'s javadoc claims that re-pinning the level mid-capture does not
+     * change what {@code close()} restores — that restore always uses the level captured when the
+     * instance was created, never a value set through {@code setLevel}. Nothing checked this
+     * before: open with a pinned WARN, call {@code setLevel(TRACE)}, close, and the result must be
+     * the level from BEFORE {@code at} — neither WARN nor TRACE.
+     */
+    @Test
+    void setLevelDuringCaptureDoesNotChangeWhatCloseRestores() {
+        String loggerName = "capturedlog-test-only.setlevel-no-effect";
+        Logger rawLogger = (Logger) LoggerFactory.getLogger(loggerName);
+        rawLogger.setLevel(Level.DEBUG);
+
+        CapturedLog log = CapturedLog.at(loggerName, Level.WARN);
+        log.setLevel(Level.TRACE);
+        assertEquals(Level.TRACE, rawLogger.getLevel(), "setLevel took effect immediately");
+
+        log.close();
+
+        assertEquals(Level.DEBUG, rawLogger.getLevel(),
+                "close() must restore the level captured at open (DEBUG) regardless of any "
+                        + "later setLevel() call: it must be neither WARN (the level pinned by "
+                        + "at()) nor TRACE (the level set via setLevel() mid-capture), but got "
+                        + rawLogger.getLevel());
+    }
+}

scripts/probe-member-credentials.sh

@@ -64,7 +64,106 @@
 # The two outputs side by side are the finding: any name whose hash matches between them is a
 # credential the member holds in full.
 #
+# One parse pass: line 1 = present (true/false/null), line 2 = policy mode (possibly blank),
+# lines 3-5 = knownCount/allowedCount/blockedCount, remaining lines = the known[] names. A single
+# pass avoids re-parsing (and re-risking a truthiness bug) five separate times.
+#
+# This used to feed the parser straight into `mapfile -t _FIELDS < <(producer)`. That form cannot
+# see the producer fail: `<` `<(...)` is a process substitution, not a pipeline, so `set -o
+# pipefail` does not reach inside it, and mapfile's own exit status reports whether the BUILTIN
+# ran, not whether the command substituted into it succeeded — a failing jq or python3 there still
+# leaves mapfile at rc=0 with an empty array, read as a parse that genuinely found nothing (fleetd
+# #500). Capturing the parser's output with command substitution first, and checking ITS exit
+# status, reports the producer's real failure while the fact still exists — before it is handed to
+# mapfile at all.
+#
+# mapfile then reads from that captured string with `<<<` (a herestring), not `< <(...)`: `<<<`
+# materialises the whole string in memory first, where `< <(...)` would stream it. That only
+# matters for a large producer; this one is a short credential-name policy response, so the
+# tradeoff is irrelevant here — noted because it would not be for every producer.
+parse_policy_fields() {
+  if command -v jq >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    _FIELDS_RAW="$(printf '%s' "$POLICY_JSON" | jq -r '
+        (.present | tostring),
+        (.policy // ""),
+        (.knownCount // 0 | tostring),
+        (.allowedCount // 0 | tostring),
+        (.blockedCount // 0 | tostring),
+        (.known[]? // empty)')"
+    _PARSE_STATUS=$?
+    _PARSER_NAME="jq"
+  else
+    _FIELDS_RAW="$(printf '%s' "$POLICY_JSON" | python3 - <<'PY'
+import json, sys
+data = json.load(sys.stdin)
+print(str(data.get("present")))
+print(data.get("policy") or "")
+print(data.get("knownCount") if data.get("knownCount") is not None else 0)
+print(data.get("allowedCount") if data.get("allowedCount") is not None else 0)
+print(data.get("blockedCount") if data.get("blockedCount") is not None else 0)
+for n in (data.get("known") or []):
+    print(n)
+PY
+    )"
+    _PARSE_STATUS=$?
+    _PARSER_NAME="python3"
+  fi
+
+  if [ "$_PARSE_STATUS" -ne 0 ]; then
+    echo "refusing to run: could not parse the policy fetched from $POLICY_URL — $_PARSER_NAME exited" \
+         "non-zero (status $_PARSE_STATUS). That is a parser failure, not a claim about the policy" \
+         "itself; the policy response has not been read." >&2
+    return 4
+  fi
+
+  # A herestring adds a newline, so mapfile would turn an empty parser result into one empty field.
+  # Keep that case separate so the refusal reports what the parser actually returned: zero fields.
+  if [ -z "$_FIELDS_RAW" ]; then
+    _FIELDS=()
+  else
+    mapfile -t _FIELDS <<< "$_FIELDS_RAW"
+  fi
+
+  # Arity check — the CORRECTNESS fix (fleetd #500). A parser that exits 0 can still return fewer
+  # than the 5 fixed fields (present, policy mode, 3 counts) that every fixed-field read in main() expects,
+  # whatever the reason: a producer that printed nothing, malformed JSON that jq/python3 still
+  # accepted, or a schema change upstream. main()'s slice (`_FIELDS[@]:5`) does not fire
+  # `set -u` on an unset OR a short array, and every fixed-field read there used a `:-` default, so
+  # without this check a short `_FIELDS` reaches the "0 known names" guard further down with the
+  # same look as a policy that genuinely has 0 names. Check the count here, at the one point the
+  # fact is still present, before the slice consumes it.
+  if (( ${#_FIELDS[@]} < 5 )); then
+    echo "refusing to run: the policy parser ($_PARSER_NAME) returned ${#_FIELDS[@]} field(s); at" \
+         "least 5 are required (present, policy mode, knownCount, allowedCount, blockedCount). The" \
+         "parse ran but its shape is wrong — this is not a claim about how many names the policy" \
+         "knows." >&2
+    return 5
+  fi
+}
+
+main() {
 set -uo pipefail
+# `pipefail` is not what catches the parser failure handled in parse_policy_fields() above (fleetd #500): in
+# `printf '%s' "$POLICY_JSON" | jq -r '...'`, jq is the LAST element of the pipe, so the pipeline's
+# own exit status is already jq's status, with or without pipefail. It is kept as insurance for if
+# a post-processing stage is ever appended after the parser (e.g. `| tail -n +2`) — at that point
+# the parser would sit upstream and pipefail becomes the only thing that still reports its status.
+
+# --- refuse on an interpreter that cannot run this script (fleetd #500) -------------------------
+#
+# mapfile, used below to parse the policy response, was added in bash 4.0. macOS ships bash 3.2.57
+# at /bin/bash, which predates it. This script's own `set -uo pipefail` does not catch a missing
+# mapfile: the builtin just fails with "command not found" on stderr, and every line below that
+# reads the array it would have filled uses a `:-` default or a slice, neither of which `set -u`
+# catches on an unset array. Left unguarded, that chain ends in the "0 known names" refusal further
+# down — a claim about the POLICY, for a failure that is actually about the INTERPRETER. So the
+# interpreter is checked once, explicitly, before it is asked to do anything mapfile depends on.
+if (( ${BASH_VERSINFO[0]} < 4 )); then
+  echo "refusing to run: this script uses mapfile, which needs bash 4 or newer. This shell is bash" \
+       "${BASH_VERSION:-<unknown, no \$BASH_VERSION>}. Re-run it under a newer bash, for example:" \
+       "\"\$(command -v bash)\" \"$0\"" "$@" >&2
+  exit 3
+fi
 
 FLEETD_HOST="${FLEETD_HOST:-http://127.0.0.1:8765}"
 POLICY_URL="${FLEETD_HOST%/}/member-credentials"
@@ -121,31 +220,10 @@ EOF
   exit 1
 fi
 
-# One parse pass: line 1 = present (true/false/null), line 2 = policy mode (possibly blank),
-# lines 3-5 = knownCount/allowedCount/blockedCount, remaining lines = the known[] names. A single
-# pass avoids re-parsing (and re-risking a truthiness bug) five separate times.
-if command -v jq >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-  mapfile -t _FIELDS < <(printf '%s' "$POLICY_JSON" | jq -r '
-      (.present | tostring),
-      (.policy // ""),
-      (.knownCount // 0 | tostring),
-      (.allowedCount // 0 | tostring),
-      (.blockedCount // 0 | tostring),
-      (.known[]? // empty)')
-else
-  mapfile -t _FIELDS < <(printf '%s' "$POLICY_JSON" | python3 - <<'PY'
-import json, sys
-data = json.load(sys.stdin)
-print(str(data.get("present")))
-print(data.get("policy") or "")
-print(data.get("knownCount") if data.get("knownCount") is not None else 0)
-print(data.get("allowedCount") if data.get("allowedCount") is not None else 0)
-print(data.get("blockedCount") if data.get("blockedCount") is not None else 0)
-for n in (data.get("known") or []):
-    print(n)
-PY
-  )
-fi
+# Parse the policy in one pass and refuse on any of the three failure causes. The decision, the
+# three refusals and the reasoning behind each live in parse_policy_fields() above — kept there
+# with the code rather than here, so the explanation cannot drift away from what it explains.
+parse_policy_fields || exit $?
 
 PRESENT="${_FIELDS[0]:-null}"
 POLICY_MODE="${_FIELDS[1]:-}"
@@ -164,19 +242,21 @@ case "$KNOWN_COUNT_REPORTED" in
     ;;
 esac
 
-# --- guard the denominator explicitly — never proceed on a zero/short count ---------------------
+# --- guard the denominator explicitly — never proceed on a zero count ---------------------------
 #
-# This is the exact trap named in the ticket: an empty (or truncated) NAMES array passes every
-# subsequent "is it set" check vacuously and prints a table that LOOKS complete. So this is checked
-# before anything else runs, with a message that says why, not just that it failed.
+# This is the exact trap named in the ticket: an empty NAMES array passes every subsequent "is it
+# set" check vacuously and prints a table that LOOKS complete. By this point the interpreter gate,
+# the parser-exit-status check, and the arity check above have already ruled out "the interpreter
+# couldn't run mapfile", "the parser failed", and "the parser returned the wrong shape" — so a zero
+# count reaching here really does mean the policy itself reports 0 known names, not a swallowed
+# failure upstream. That is still checked before anything else runs, with a message that says so.
 if [ "${#NAMES[@]}" -eq 0 ] || [ "$KNOWN_COUNT_REPORTED" -eq 0 ]; then
   cat >&2 <<EOF
 refusing to run: the policy fetched from $POLICY_URL contains 0 known names (present=${PRESENT:-unknown}).
 
-Either memberCredentials: is absent/empty on the running daemon (nothing is protected — see fleetd's
-own startup warning), or the response could not be parsed. Either way, checking zero names would
-print a clean-looking table for a policy that protects nothing, or for a probe that read nothing.
-This is refused rather than reported as a pass.
+memberCredentials: is absent or empty on the running daemon — nothing is protected (see fleetd's own
+startup warning). Checking zero names would print a clean-looking table for a policy that protects
+nothing. This is refused rather than reported as a pass.
 EOF
   exit 1
 fi
@@ -251,3 +331,8 @@ How to read this:
     hardcoded list did. If the daemon's policy changes, the next run of this script reflects it
     with no edit to this file.
 EOF
+}
+
+if [[ "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" == "$0" ]]; then
+  main "$@"
+fi

scripts/test-probe-member-credentials.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Self-contained checks for the policy parsing guards in probe-member-credentials.sh.
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")/.." && pwd)"
+PROBE="$ROOT/scripts/probe-member-credentials.sh"
+TMP="$(mktemp -d "$ROOT/.probe-member-credentials-test.XXXXXX")"
+trap 'rm -rf "$TMP"' EXIT
+
+# The SOURCED guard exposes this pure parser without contacting POLICY_URL.
+source "$PROBE"
+
+fail() {
+  printf 'FAIL: %s\n' "$*" >&2
+  return 1
+}
+
+assert_equals() {
+  local expected="$1" actual="$2" description="$3"
+  [ "$expected" = "$actual" ] || fail "$description: expected $expected, got $actual"
+}
+
+assert_contains() {
+  local needle="$1" text="$2" description="$3"
+  printf '%s' "$text" | grep -qF "$needle" || fail "$description: missing $needle"
+}
+
+make_jq() {
+  local body="$1"
+  mkdir -p "$TMP/bin"
+  printf '%s\n' '#!/usr/bin/env bash' "$body" > "$TMP/bin/jq"
+  chmod +x "$TMP/bin/jq"
+}
+
+run_parser() {
+  local output rc=0
+  POLICY_JSON="$(< "$TMP/policy.json")"
+  POLICY_URL="fixture://member-credentials"
+  output="$(PATH="$TMP/bin:$PATH" parse_policy_fields 2>&1)" || rc=$?
+  PARSER_OUTPUT="$output"
+  PARSER_RC="$rc"
+}
+
+test_bash_older_than_four_refuses() {
+  local output rc=0 version
+  version="$(/bin/bash -c 'printf %s "$BASH_VERSION"')"
+  output="$(/bin/bash "$PROBE" 2>&1)" || rc=$?
+  assert_equals 3 "$rc" "bash 3 refusal status"
+  assert_contains 'This shell is bash' "$output" "bash 3 refusal"
+  assert_contains "$version" "$output" "bash 3 refusal version"
+}
+
+test_parser_non_zero_refuses() {
+  make_jq 'exit 17'
+  run_parser
+  assert_equals 4 "$PARSER_RC" "parser failure status"
+  assert_contains 'jq exited non-zero (status 17)' "$PARSER_OUTPUT" "parser failure message"
+}
+
+test_short_parser_output_refuses() {
+  make_jq "printf '%s\\n' true enforce 3 2"
+  run_parser
+  assert_equals 5 "$PARSER_RC" "short parser output status"
+  assert_contains 'policy parser (jq) returned 4 field(s)' "$PARSER_OUTPUT" "short parser output count"
+}
+
+test_empty_parser_output_reports_zero_fields() {
+  make_jq ':'
+  run_parser
+  assert_equals 5 "$PARSER_RC" "empty parser output status"
+  assert_contains 'policy parser (jq) returned 0 field(s)' "$PARSER_OUTPUT" "empty parser output count"
+}
+
+test_well_formed_policy_prints_name_table() {
+  local output rc=0
+  make_jq "cat '$TMP/policy.fields'"
+  # Shell functions cannot be passed in an environment assignment. Run the executable through bash.
+  output="$(BRIDGED_MEMBER=1 FIXTURE="$TMP/policy.json" PROBE="$PROBE" PATH="$TMP/bin:$PATH" bash -c '
+    curl() { cat "$FIXTURE"; }
+    export -f curl
+    exec "$PROBE"
+  ' 2>&1)" || rc=$?
+  assert_equals 0 "$rc" "well-formed policy status"
+  assert_contains 'ALPHA_TOKEN' "$output" "name table"
+  assert_contains 'BETA_TOKEN' "$output" "name table"
+  assert_contains 'GAMMA_TOKEN' "$output" "name table"
+}
+
+cat > "$TMP/policy.json" <<'JSON'
+{"present":true,"policy":"enforce","knownCount":3,"allowedCount":2,"blockedCount":1,"known":["ALPHA_TOKEN","BETA_TOKEN","GAMMA_TOKEN"]}
+JSON
+cat > "$TMP/policy.fields" <<'FIELDS'
+true
+enforce
+3
+2
+1
+ALPHA_TOKEN
+BETA_TOKEN
+GAMMA_TOKEN
+FIELDS
+
+test_bash_older_than_four_refuses
+test_parser_non_zero_refuses
+test_short_parser_output_refuses
+test_empty_parser_output_reports_zero_fields
+test_well_formed_policy_prints_name_table
+printf 'PASS: probe member credentials guards\n'