CB-582: make a pending bridge_ask question visible on the lead's poll cadence

bridge_ask blocks the worker's turn for ~55s by default (BridgedApp.java,
BridgeMcp.java) — a value deliberately kept just under the worker's own MCP
client's ~60s call cap so the daemon can return a clean timeout before the
client severs the call, not a value that can usefully be widened. A lead
following the charter's wait:false + poll cadence is minutes away, so the
window closes long before a poll would ever see the question — and until now
bridge_poll on such a ticket just read as ordinary "pending" progress.

bridge_poll(ticket) already surfaced Phase.ASKING with the question and
turnId (CB-205); this ships the two pieces that were still missing:

- The lead's own pane is now nudged the instant a question opens, reusing
  the CB-588 ReplyPushLoop push mechanism (a third source alongside queued
  replies and terminal tickets) rather than a new path. The nudge is capped
  by the loop's existing maxReminders budget, and stops the moment the
  question is answered or lapses.
- bridge_status(sessionId) and REST GET /sessions/{id}/status now also show
  an open question and how to answer it, via a new
  MessageService.pendingAsk() lookup — covering the case where a lead checks
  status directly rather than the ticket.
- The REST /tasks/{ticket} endpoint was silently missing turnId on an ASKING
  phase (only the MCP layer's formatted text carried it) — fixed as part of
  making the state genuinely visible over both surfaces.

An unanswered question still behaves as today: the worker proceeds and its
reply says the ask went unanswered — not a hard failure.

bridged/src/main/java/dev/ltms/bridged/Bridged.java

@@ -555,7 +555,10 @@ public final class Bridged {
      * where set (opt-in). Derived from the config, not hard-coded, so a new profile is covered for
      * free. A var required by more than one profile is one entry naming every profile that needs
      * it. Deliberately excludes {@code auth.tokenEnv}: that one is already enforced loudly, by a
-     * startup throw, a few lines above this method's call site.
+     * startup throw in {@code main()} — about 370 lines <em>below</em> this method's call site
+     * ({@link #reportRequiredSecrets(BridgedConfig)}), not a few lines above it. That throw only
+     * fires when {@code auth.mode: token} is configured; under the default loopback-trust mode it
+     * never runs, and {@code auth.tokenEnv} is simply not required.
      *
      * <p>Package-private and pure (no I/O, no logging) so the derivation is unit-testable without
      * capturing log output; {@link #reportRequiredSecrets(BridgedConfig)} is the logging caller.

bridged/src/main/java/dev/ltms/bridged/mcp/BridgeMcp.java

@@ -577,13 +577,25 @@ public final class BridgeMcp {
         return text("acknowledged " + msgId);
     }
 
-    /** {@code bridge_status}: the live lifecycle status of a worker session. */
+    /**
+     * {@code bridge_status}: the live lifecycle status of a worker session, plus — when the worker
+     * is paused mid-turn in an async {@code bridge_ask} (CB-582) — the open question and how to
+     * answer it, so a lead on its normal poll cadence does not need the ticket to notice.
+     */
     static McpSchema.CallToolResult status(MessageService messages, String sessionId) {
         if (isBlank(sessionId)) {
             return error("sessionId is required");
         }
         try {
-            return text(messages.status(sessionId).name().toLowerCase());
+            String base = messages.status(sessionId).name().toLowerCase();
+            MessageService.PendingAsk ask = messages.pendingAsk(sessionId);
+            if (ask == null) {
+                return text(base);
+            }
+            return text(base + "\n\n[question — worker is waiting for your answer]\n" + ask.question()
+                    + "\n\nAnswer it by calling bridge_send again with turnId=\"" + ask.turnId()
+                    + "\" and content set to your answer; the worker resumes the same turn."
+                    + " (ticket " + ask.ticket() + ")");
         } catch (HerdrException e) {
             return error("herdr error for session " + sessionId + ": " + e.getMessage());
         }

bridged/src/main/java/dev/ltms/bridged/msg/MessageService.java

@@ -164,18 +164,30 @@ public final class MessageService {
 
     /** An in-flight or finished async delegation, keyed by its ticket. */
     private static final class Task {
+        private final String ticket;
         private final String target;
         private final CompletableFuture<Reply> future = new CompletableFuture<>();
         private final long createdNanos;
         private volatile Reply question;
         private volatile String turnId;
 
-        private Task(String target, long createdNanos) {
+        private Task(String ticket, String target, long createdNanos) {
+            this.ticket = ticket;
             this.target = target;
             this.createdNanos = createdNanos;
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * A worker session's currently-open {@code bridge_ask} question, surfaced so {@code bridge_status}
+     * can show it without the caller needing the ticket first (CB-582). Only covers async
+     * (fire-and-poll) delegations, which track the question on their {@link Task}; a blocking
+     * ({@code wait:true}) send already hands the question straight back to its own caller, so there is
+     * nothing hidden left for {@code bridge_status} to surface in that case.
+     */
+    public record PendingAsk(String ticket, String question, String turnId) {
+    }
+
     private final AgentControl agents;
     private final Injector injector;
     private final Rendezvous rendezvous;
@@ -200,9 +212,11 @@ public final class MessageService {
      * Create with an explicit {@link ReplyInbox} and optional {@link ReplyPushLoop}.
      *
      * @param pushLoop nullable — when non-null, the push loop is notified on the no-waiter reply
-     *                 branch ({@link #reply}) so it can nudge the primary to drain the inbox, and
+     *                 branch ({@link #reply}) so it can nudge the primary to drain the inbox,
      *                 (CB-588) whenever an async ticket started by {@link #sendAsync} reaches a
-     *                 terminal phase, and whenever {@link #poll} hands a terminal ticket to its caller
+     *                 terminal phase, whenever {@link #poll} hands a terminal ticket to its caller,
+     *                 and (CB-582) whenever an async ticket's worker pauses mid-turn in
+     *                 {@code bridge_ask} or that pause ends (answered or lapsed)
      */
     public MessageService(AgentControl agents, Injector injector, Rendezvous rendezvous,
                           ReplyInbox inbox, ReplyPushLoop pushLoop) {
@@ -495,6 +509,15 @@ public final class MessageService {
                 rendezvous.closeAsk(ticket.turnId());
                 return new AskResult(AskOutcome.NO_WAITER, null); // no primary is blocked on this worker
             }
+            // CB-582: the question just became visible via bridge_poll (Phase.ASKING) for an async
+            // (wait:false) delegation — nudge the lead's own pane the same way a terminal ticket does
+            // (CB-588), since the lead's normal poll cadence is minutes away and the reverse-rendezvous
+            // window (~55s, see BridgeMcp/BridgedApp) is far shorter. A blocking (wait:true) send has
+            // no Task and gets the question directly in its own reply, so task == null there — nothing
+            // to nudge.
+            if (task != null && pushLoop != null) {
+                pushLoop.onQuestionOpened(task.ticket, workerSession, ticket.turnId(), question);
+            }
         }
         try {
             String answer = ticket.answer().get(timeoutMillis, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS);
@@ -589,7 +612,7 @@ public final class MessageService {
      */
     public String sendAsync(String target, String content, Runnable onAccepted) {
         String ticket = "task-" + ticketSeq.incrementAndGet();
-        Task task = new Task(target, nowNanos.getAsLong());
+        Task task = new Task(ticket, target, nowNanos.getAsLong());
         tasks.put(ticket, task);
         if (pushLoop != null) {
             // CB-588: task.future only ever completes on a terminal phase (DONE or a failure) — a
@@ -715,6 +738,12 @@ public final class MessageService {
 
     /** Clear an answered or lapsed question, but only when it matches the ticket's current turn. */
     private void clearAsyncQuestion(String turnId, boolean forgetTurn) {
+        // CB-582: tell the push loop first — like ticketCollected, a removal for a turnId it never
+        // nudged about (or already dropped) is a harmless no-op, so this is safe to call unconditionally
+        // rather than threading the guard below through it.
+        if (pushLoop != null) {
+            pushLoop.questionClosed(turnId);
+        }
         Task task = asyncTasksByTurn.get(turnId);
         if (task != null && turnId.equals(task.turnId)) {
             task.question = null;
@@ -746,6 +775,23 @@ public final class MessageService {
         return asyncTasksByTurn.values().stream().anyMatch(task -> target.equals(task.target));
     }
 
+    /**
+     * The question {@code workerSession} is currently paused on via {@code bridge_ask}, if any
+     * (CB-582) — {@code bridge_status} uses this to show a pending question without the caller
+     * needing the ticket. {@code null} when the session has no open async question (including a
+     * session mid a <em>blocking</em> {@code bridge_ask}, which has no {@link Task} to look up — see
+     * {@link PendingAsk}).
+     */
+    public PendingAsk pendingAsk(String workerSession) {
+        for (Task task : tasks.values()) {
+            Reply q = task.question;
+            if (q != null && workerSession.equals(task.target)) {
+                return new PendingAsk(task.ticket, q.text(), q.turnId());
+            }
+        }
+        return null;
+    }
+
     /** Release the async executor. */
     public void close() {
         asyncExecutor.shutdown();

bridged/src/main/java/dev/ltms/bridged/msg/ReplyPushLoop.java

@@ -19,30 +19,33 @@ import java.util.stream.Collectors;
 
 /**
  * A status-gated push loop that nudges a lead's own herdr pane when it has uncollected work
- * waiting: a worker reply queued with no live {@code bridge_send} to resolve it (CB-307), or an
+ * waiting: a worker reply queued with no live {@code bridge_send} to resolve it (CB-307), an
  * async delegation ticket ({@code bridge_send(wait:false)}) that reached a terminal phase
- * (CB-588).
+ * (CB-588), or an async ticket's worker pausing mid-turn in {@code bridge_ask} to await an answer
+ * (CB-582).
  *
- * <p><strong>CB-590: one schedule per lead.</strong> Both kinds of work are triggered through
- * their own entry point — {@link #onReplyQueued(String)} and
- * {@link #onTicketTerminal(String, String, boolean)} — but both resolve the lead that should be
- * nudged and coalesce onto a single per-lead reminder schedule, tracked in {@link #activeLeads}.
- * Earlier this was two independent schedules (one keyed by worker target for replies, one keyed
- * by lead for tickets) that could both decide to inject into the same pane in the same window —
- * a race, not routine behaviour, but the expensive kind: it interrupts the lead's live turn
- * twice. Collapsing to one schedule per lead makes that structurally impossible: at most one
- * scheduled tick chain is ever live for a given lead (guarded by {@link #activeLeads}'
+ * <p><strong>CB-590: one schedule per lead.</strong> All three kinds of work are triggered
+ * through their own entry point — {@link #onReplyQueued(String)},
+ * {@link #onTicketTerminal(String, String, boolean)}, and
+ * {@link #onQuestionOpened(String, String, String, String)} — but each resolves the lead that
+ * should be nudged and coalesces onto a single per-lead reminder schedule, tracked in
+ * {@link #activeLeads}. Earlier this was two independent schedules (one keyed by worker target
+ * for replies, one keyed by lead for tickets) that could both decide to inject into the same pane
+ * in the same window — a race, not routine behaviour, but the expensive kind: it interrupts the
+ * lead's live turn twice. Collapsing to one schedule per lead makes that structurally impossible:
+ * at most one scheduled tick chain is ever live for a given lead (guarded by {@link #activeLeads}'
  * compare-and-set), so at most one {@code agents.send} to that lead's pane is ever in flight.
  *
  * <p>Each tick examines <em>everything</em> pending for that lead — reply targets whose inbox
- * still holds an unacked message ({@link #pendingReplies}) and tickets not yet collected
- * ({@link #pendingTickets}) — and sends at most one combined nudge per tick
- * ({@link #injectNudge(String, 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 — reply and ticket work each spend from their own budget, so
- * one source exhausting its cap does not stop nudges about the other (post-CB-590 regression fix;
- * see {@link #decide}) — whichever the durable inbox / pending-ticket set doesn't already answer
- * via {@code STOP}.
+ * 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
+ * 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
+ * {@link #decide}) — whichever the durable inbox / pending set doesn't already answer via
+ * {@code STOP}.
  */
 public final class ReplyPushLoop {
 
@@ -57,6 +60,14 @@ public final class ReplyPushLoop {
     /** Coalesced form, several uncollected tickets for the same lead. */
     static final String TICKETS_NUDGE_FORMAT =
             "%d tickets finished%s — run bridge_poll(ticket=...) for each to collect them: %s";
+    /** Singular form, one worker paused mid-turn in bridge_ask (CB-582) — names the answer call directly. */
+    static final String QUESTION_NUDGE_FORMAT =
+            "Worker %s asked a question (ticket %s) — answer it with bridge_send(turnId=\"%s\", "
+                    + "content=...) to resume its turn:\n%s";
+    /** Coalesced form, several open questions for the same lead. */
+    static final String QUESTIONS_NUDGE_FORMAT =
+            "%d workers are paused on a question — run bridge_poll(ticket=...) for each, then answer "
+                    + "with bridge_send(turnId=..., content=...): %s";
 
     private final PrimaryRegistry primaryRegistry;
     private final AgentControl agents;
@@ -66,11 +77,23 @@ public final class ReplyPushLoop {
     private final long backoffMs;
     private final Metrics metrics; // CB-512: nullable — no registry in unit tests
 
-    /** Worker targets with a reply queued, and the lead to nudge about it, keyed by target. */
-    private final ConcurrentHashMap<String, String> pendingReplies = new ConcurrentHashMap<>();
+    /**
+     * Worker targets with a reply queued, keyed by target. Each entry carries its own nudge
+     * count (CB-598) rather than sharing one counter per lead per source: a target's count only
+     * ever reflects nudges that actually named that target, so a target that joins while the
+     * schedule is already deep into another target's reminders still reads as fresh.
+     */
+    private final ConcurrentHashMap<String, ReplyEntry> pendingReplies = new ConcurrentHashMap<>();
     /** Tickets that have gone terminal but not yet been polled, keyed by ticket. */
     private final ConcurrentHashMap<String, PendingTicket> pendingTickets = new ConcurrentHashMap<>();
-    /** CB-590: leads with an active combined reminder schedule (replies and/or tickets). */
+    /**
+     * Open {@code bridge_ask} questions not yet answered or lapsed, keyed by {@code turnId}
+     * (CB-582). A question's own nudge count is tracked the same per-item way as
+     * {@link #pendingTickets} (CB-598): a fresh question keeps its source eligible regardless of
+     * how depleted an older, still-open question's count is.
+     */
+    private final ConcurrentHashMap<String, PendingQuestion> pendingQuestions = new ConcurrentHashMap<>();
+    /** CB-590: leads with an active combined reminder schedule (replies and/or tickets and/or questions). */
     private final ConcurrentHashMap<String, Boolean> activeLeads = new ConcurrentHashMap<>();
 
     public ReplyPushLoop(PrimaryRegistry primaryRegistry, AgentControl agents, ReplyInbox inbox,
@@ -116,10 +139,10 @@ public final class ReplyPushLoop {
         Set<String> result = new HashSet<>();
         for (var entry : pendingReplies.entrySet()) {
             String target = entry.getKey();
-            String owningLead = entry.getValue();
-            if (!lead.equals(owningLead)) continue;
+            ReplyEntry owning = entry.getValue();
+            if (!lead.equals(owning.lead())) continue;
             if (inbox.peek(target).isEmpty()) {
-                pendingReplies.remove(target, owningLead);
+                pendingReplies.remove(target, owning);
                 continue;
             }
             result.add(target);
@@ -127,8 +150,15 @@ public final class ReplyPushLoop {
         return result;
     }
 
-    /** A ticket awaiting collection: which lead to nudge, and whether it ended in failure. */
-    private record PendingTicket(String ticket, String lead, boolean failed) {
+    /** A pending reply target: which lead to nudge, and how many nudges have named it so far. */
+    private record ReplyEntry(String lead, int nudgeCount) {
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * A ticket awaiting collection: which lead to nudge, whether it ended in failure, and how
+     * many nudges have named it so far (CB-598 — tracked per ticket, not per lead per source).
+     */
+    private record PendingTicket(String ticket, String lead, boolean failed, int nudgeCount) {
     }
 
     /** Tickets still pending for {@code lead}, snapshotted fresh for one tick. */
@@ -142,6 +172,70 @@ public final class ReplyPushLoop {
                 .collect(Collectors.toUnmodifiableSet());
     }
 
+    /**
+     * An open question awaiting the lead's answer: which ticket it belongs to, which worker asked,
+     * which lead to nudge, the question text, and how many nudges have named it so far (CB-598 —
+     * tracked per question, not per lead per source).
+     */
+    private record PendingQuestion(String turnId, String ticket, String target, String lead,
+                                   String question, int nudgeCount) {
+    }
+
+    /** Questions still open for {@code lead}, snapshotted fresh for one tick. */
+    private List<PendingQuestion> pendingQuestionsFor(String lead) {
+        return pendingQuestions.values().stream().filter(q -> lead.equals(q.lead())).toList();
+    }
+
+    /** Question turnIds still open for {@code lead} — a plain snapshot for race comparison. */
+    private Set<String> pendingQuestionTurnIdsFor(String lead) {
+        return pendingQuestionsFor(lead).stream().map(PendingQuestion::turnId)
+                .collect(Collectors.toUnmodifiableSet());
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * The reply-source reminder count {@link #decide} should see for {@code lead} on this tick:
+     * the <em>minimum</em> nudge count among the reply targets currently pending for it (CB-598).
+     *
+     * <p>Before this, the count passed to {@code decide} was a single counter carried forward
+     * across scheduled ticks ({@code scheduleNext(lead, count + 1, ...)}), incremented whenever
+     * the source had <em>any</em> pending work — not tied to which target that work was. A target
+     * that joined while an older target's count was already near the cap inherited that count on
+     * its very next tick, even though no nudge had ever named it. Taking the minimum over what is
+     * actually pending now means a fresh target (count 0) keeps the source eligible regardless of
+     * how many times an older, still-undrained target has already been nudged; that older target
+     * keeps riding along in the combined nudge text without spending any more of its own budget
+     * (see {@link #bumpNudgeCounts}). Returns 0 when nothing is pending — {@link #decide} never
+     * consults the count in that case, since {@code hasReplyWork} is false.
+     */
+    private int minReplyNudgeCountFor(String lead) {
+        int min = Integer.MAX_VALUE;
+        for (String target : pendingReplyTargetsFor(lead)) {
+            ReplyEntry entry = pendingReplies.get(target);
+            if (entry != null) {
+                min = Math.min(min, entry.nudgeCount());
+            }
+        }
+        return min == Integer.MAX_VALUE ? 0 : min;
+    }
+
+    /** As {@link #minReplyNudgeCountFor}, for the ticket source. */
+    private int minTicketNudgeCountFor(String lead) {
+        int min = Integer.MAX_VALUE;
+        for (PendingTicket ticket : pendingTicketsFor(lead)) {
+            min = Math.min(min, ticket.nudgeCount());
+        }
+        return min == Integer.MAX_VALUE ? 0 : min;
+    }
+
+    /** As {@link #minReplyNudgeCountFor}, for the question source (CB-582). */
+    private int minQuestionNudgeCountFor(String lead) {
+        int min = Integer.MAX_VALUE;
+        for (PendingQuestion q : pendingQuestionsFor(lead)) {
+            min = Math.min(min, q.nudgeCount());
+        }
+        return min == Integer.MAX_VALUE ? 0 : min;
+    }
+
     /**
      * Pure decision function: examine everything pending for {@code lead} — reply targets and
      * tickets alike — and return what the loop should do.
@@ -155,21 +249,40 @@ public final class ReplyPushLoop {
      * {@link Action#INJECT}. Only when neither source has eligible work does the loop
      * {@link Action#STOP}.
      *
+     * <p><strong>CB-598: the counts are per-item, not per-tick.</strong> {@link #tick} no longer
+     * carries these counts forward across scheduled calls — it recomputes them fresh every tick via
+     * {@link #minReplyNudgeCountFor} / {@link #minTicketNudgeCountFor}, so this function itself did
+     * not need to change; only what its caller feeds it did.
+     *
      * @param lead                the lead terminal to nudge
-     * @param replyReminderCount  how many nudges have covered pending reply work for this lead
-     * @param ticketReminderCount how many nudges have covered pending ticket work for this lead
+     * @param replyReminderCount  the lowest nudge count among reply targets pending for this lead
+     * @param ticketReminderCount the lowest nudge count among tickets pending for this lead
      * @return the action the caller should take
      */
     Action decide(String lead, int replyReminderCount, int ticketReminderCount) {
+        return decide(lead, replyReminderCount, ticketReminderCount, minQuestionNudgeCountFor(lead));
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * As {@link #decide(String, int, int)}, with the question source (CB-582) folded in on the
+     * same footing as replies and tickets: its own eligibility (has open questions AND under its
+     * own {@link #maxReminders} budget) is enough on its own to {@link Action#INJECT}, exactly like
+     * the other two.
+     *
+     * @param questionReminderCount the lowest nudge count among questions open for this lead
+     */
+    Action decide(String lead, int replyReminderCount, int ticketReminderCount, int questionReminderCount) {
         boolean hasReplyWork = !pendingReplyTargetsFor(lead).isEmpty();
         boolean hasTicketWork = !pendingTicketIdsFor(lead).isEmpty();
-        if (!hasReplyWork && !hasTicketWork) {
+        boolean hasQuestionWork = !pendingQuestionTurnIdsFor(lead).isEmpty();
+        if (!hasReplyWork && !hasTicketWork && !hasQuestionWork) {
             log.debug("push: nothing pending for lead {}, stopping reminder", lead);
             return Action.STOP;
         }
         boolean replyEligible = hasReplyWork && replyReminderCount < maxReminders;
         boolean ticketEligible = hasTicketWork && ticketReminderCount < maxReminders;
-        if (!replyEligible && !ticketEligible) {
+        boolean questionEligible = hasQuestionWork && questionReminderCount < maxReminders;
+        if (!replyEligible && !ticketEligible && !questionEligible) {
             log.debug("push: reminder cap ({}) reached for lead {} on every source with pending work, stopping",
                     maxReminders, lead);
             countNudge("exhausted");
@@ -204,7 +317,8 @@ public final class ReplyPushLoop {
             log.debug("push: no lead is known to be waiting on {}, skipping reminder", target);
             return;
         }
-        pendingReplies.put(target, lead.get());
+        pendingReplies.compute(target, (t, existing) ->
+                new ReplyEntry(lead.get(), existing == null ? 0 : existing.nudgeCount()));
         startOrCoalesce(lead.get());
     }
 
@@ -232,7 +346,8 @@ public final class ReplyPushLoop {
                     ticket, target);
             return;
         }
-        pendingTickets.put(ticket, new PendingTicket(ticket, lead.get(), failed));
+        pendingTickets.compute(ticket, (id, existing) ->
+                new PendingTicket(ticket, lead.get(), failed, existing == null ? 0 : existing.nudgeCount()));
         startOrCoalesce(lead.get());
     }
 
@@ -246,6 +361,39 @@ public final class ReplyPushLoop {
         pendingTickets.remove(ticket);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Called when an async ticket's worker pauses mid-turn in {@code bridge_ask} (CB-582): the
+     * question is now visible via {@code bridge_poll} (Phase.ASKING), but the reverse-rendezvous
+     * window it opened with (~55s default, see {@code BridgeMcp}/{@code BridgedApp}) is far shorter
+     * than a lead's normal minutes-long poll cadence — exactly the gap this closes. Resolves the
+     * delegating lead the same way {@link #onTicketTerminal} does and coalesces onto the same
+     * per-lead schedule (CB-590).
+     *
+     * @param ticket   the async ticket the question belongs to (for {@code bridge_poll})
+     * @param target   the worker session that asked
+     * @param turnId   correlation id the lead answers with ({@code bridge_send turnId=...})
+     * @param question the question text
+     */
+    public void onQuestionOpened(String ticket, String target, String turnId, String question) {
+        var lead = primaryRegistry.nudgeTargetFor(target);
+        if (lead.isEmpty()) {
+            log.debug("push: no lead is known to be waiting on {}'s question (turnId {}), skipping nudge",
+                    target, turnId);
+            return;
+        }
+        pendingQuestions.put(turnId, new PendingQuestion(turnId, ticket, target, lead.get(), question, 0));
+        startOrCoalesce(lead.get());
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Called when a worker's {@code bridge_ask} resolves — answered or lapsed unanswered — so a
+     * scheduled tick never nudges about a question the lead already handled. A {@code turnId} that
+     * was never pending (never nudged, or already closed) is a no-op.
+     */
+    public void questionClosed(String turnId) {
+        pendingQuestions.remove(turnId);
+    }
+
     // --- the schedule ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
     /** Start a reminder schedule for {@code lead}, or join the one already running. */
@@ -255,29 +403,40 @@ public final class ReplyPushLoop {
             return;
         }
         log.debug("push: starting reminder loop for lead {}", lead);
-        scheduleNext(lead, 0, 0);
+        scheduleNext(lead);
     }
 
-    /** Execute one loop tick — called on the scheduler thread. */
-    private void tick(String lead, int replyReminderCount, int ticketReminderCount) {
+    /**
+     * Execute one loop tick — called on the scheduler thread (or directly by a test; package-private
+     * for the same reason as {@link #stopOrRestart}).
+     *
+     * <p><strong>CB-598.</strong> The reminder counts fed into {@link #decide} are recomputed fresh
+     * every tick from what is actually pending right now ({@link #minReplyNudgeCountFor} /
+     * {@link #minTicketNudgeCountFor}), rather than carried forward as running counters across
+     * scheduled calls. A counter carried forward has no memory of which item it was counting for:
+     * a target or ticket that joined mid-backoff — after the previous tick fired but before this one
+     * did — is already sitting in {@code repliesBefore} / {@code ticketsBefore} below by the time this
+     * tick takes its snapshot, indistinguishable at that point from backlog the cap is meant to
+     * silence. Recomputing from the per-item counts fixes that: a newly-joined item's own count is
+     * still 0, so it keeps its source eligible regardless of how depleted an older, still-undrained
+     * item's count is.
+     */
+    void tick(String lead) {
         Set<String> repliesBefore = pendingReplyTargetsFor(lead);
         Set<String> ticketsBefore = pendingTicketIdsFor(lead);
-        var action = decide(lead, replyReminderCount, ticketReminderCount);
+        Set<String> questionsBefore = pendingQuestionTurnIdsFor(lead);
+        int replyReminderCount = minReplyNudgeCountFor(lead);
+        int ticketReminderCount = minTicketNudgeCountFor(lead);
+        int questionReminderCount = minQuestionNudgeCountFor(lead);
+        var action = decide(lead, replyReminderCount, ticketReminderCount, questionReminderCount);
         switch (action) {
             case INJECT -> {
-                injectNudge(lead, replyReminderCount, ticketReminderCount);
-                // Only the source(s) actually eligible this tick spend a unit of their own budget —
-                // an exhausted source riding along in the combined message (still pending, still
-                // named) does not get charged again; its count stays put until it drains.
-                boolean replyEligible = !repliesBefore.isEmpty() && replyReminderCount < maxReminders;
-                boolean ticketEligible = !ticketsBefore.isEmpty() && ticketReminderCount < maxReminders;
-                scheduleNext(lead,
-                        replyEligible ? replyReminderCount + 1 : replyReminderCount,
-                        ticketEligible ? ticketReminderCount + 1 : ticketReminderCount);
+                injectNudge(lead, replyReminderCount, ticketReminderCount, questionReminderCount);
+                scheduleNext(lead);
             }
             // Re-check after the configured backoff; the lead may become injectable soon.
-            case WAIT_BUSY -> scheduleNext(lead, replyReminderCount, ticketReminderCount);
-            case STOP -> stopOrRestart(lead, repliesBefore, ticketsBefore);
+            case WAIT_BUSY -> scheduleNext(lead);
+            case STOP -> stopOrRestart(lead, repliesBefore, ticketsBefore, questionsBefore);
         }
     }
 
@@ -312,50 +471,92 @@ public final class ReplyPushLoop {
      * side always wins; neither can miss the other, so this never loops on its own account.
      */
     void stopOrRestart(String lead, Set<String> repliesBefore, Set<String> ticketsBefore) {
+        stopOrRestart(lead, repliesBefore, ticketsBefore, pendingQuestionTurnIdsFor(lead));
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * As {@link #stopOrRestart(String, Set, Set)}, with the question source's (CB-582) own "before"
+     * snapshot folded into the same race check: a question that raced in during the
+     * decision-to-release window reclaims the schedule slot exactly like a raced-in reply or ticket.
+     */
+    void stopOrRestart(String lead, Set<String> repliesBefore, Set<String> ticketsBefore,
+                       Set<String> questionsBefore) {
         activeLeads.remove(lead);
         boolean racedIn = pendingReplyTargetsFor(lead).stream().anyMatch(t -> !repliesBefore.contains(t))
-                || pendingTicketIdsFor(lead).stream().anyMatch(t -> !ticketsBefore.contains(t));
+                || pendingTicketIdsFor(lead).stream().anyMatch(t -> !ticketsBefore.contains(t))
+                || pendingQuestionTurnIdsFor(lead).stream().anyMatch(t -> !questionsBefore.contains(t));
         if (racedIn && activeLeads.putIfAbsent(lead, Boolean.TRUE) == null) {
             log.debug("push: new work for lead {} raced the reminder loop's stop — restarting", lead);
-            scheduleNext(lead, 0, 0);
+            scheduleNext(lead);
             return;
         }
         log.debug("push: reminder loop ended for lead {}", lead);
     }
 
     /** Send one combined nudge covering everything currently pending for {@code lead}. */
-    private void injectNudge(String lead, int replyReminderCount, int ticketReminderCount) {
-        // Re-read rather than threading it down from decide(): a reply can drain, or a ticket be
-        // collected (or another arrive), between the decision and the injection.
+    private void injectNudge(String lead, int replyReminderCount, int ticketReminderCount,
+                             int questionReminderCount) {
+        // Re-read rather than threading it down from decide(): a reply can drain, a ticket be
+        // collected, or a question be answered (or another arrive), between the decision and the
+        // injection.
         Set<String> replyTargets = pendingReplyTargetsFor(lead);
         List<PendingTicket> tickets = pendingTicketsFor(lead);
-        if (replyTargets.isEmpty() && tickets.isEmpty()) {
+        List<PendingQuestion> questions = pendingQuestionsFor(lead);
+        if (replyTargets.isEmpty() && tickets.isEmpty() && questions.isEmpty()) {
             log.debug("push: pending work for lead {} drained before the nudge could be sent", lead);
             return;
         }
-        String nudge = formatNudge(replyTargets, tickets);
+        String nudge = formatNudge(replyTargets, tickets, questions);
         try {
             agents.send(lead, nudge);
-            log.debug("push: nudge sent to lead {} (reply {}/{}, ticket {}/{}; {} reply target(s), {} ticket(s))",
+            log.debug("push: nudge sent to lead {} (reply {}/{}, ticket {}/{}, question {}/{}; "
+                            + "{} reply target(s), {} ticket(s), {} question(s))",
                     lead, replyReminderCount + 1, maxReminders, ticketReminderCount + 1, maxReminders,
-                    replyTargets.size(), tickets.size());
+                    questionReminderCount + 1, maxReminders,
+                    replyTargets.size(), tickets.size(), questions.size());
             countNudge("delivered");
         } catch (RuntimeException e) {
-            log.warn("push: failed to nudge lead {} (reply {}/{}, ticket {}/{}): {}",
-                    lead, replyReminderCount + 1, maxReminders, ticketReminderCount + 1, maxReminders, e.toString());
+            log.warn("push: failed to nudge lead {} (reply {}/{}, ticket {}/{}, question {}/{}): {}",
+                    lead, replyReminderCount + 1, maxReminders, ticketReminderCount + 1, maxReminders,
+                    questionReminderCount + 1, maxReminders, e.toString());
+        }
+        // Bump every item actually named in this nudge, not just whatever the shared source-level
+        // eligibility used to gate (CB-598) — each item's own count is what the next tick's
+        // minReplyNudgeCountFor / minTicketNudgeCountFor / minQuestionNudgeCountFor will read. An
+        // item already at or over the cap keeps riding along in the text (still pending, still
+        // named) but its extra bumps here are inert: decide() already treats it as ineligible once
+        // its count reaches maxReminders.
+        bumpNudgeCounts(replyTargets, tickets, questions);
+    }
+
+    /** Record that every one of these items was just named in a sent (or attempted) nudge. */
+    private void bumpNudgeCounts(Set<String> replyTargets, List<PendingTicket> tickets,
+                                 List<PendingQuestion> questions) {
+        for (String target : replyTargets) {
+            pendingReplies.computeIfPresent(target, (t, e) -> new ReplyEntry(e.lead(), e.nudgeCount() + 1));
+        }
+        for (PendingTicket ticket : tickets) {
+            pendingTickets.computeIfPresent(ticket.ticket(),
+                    (id, e) -> new PendingTicket(e.ticket(), e.lead(), e.failed(), e.nudgeCount() + 1));
+        }
+        for (PendingQuestion question : questions) {
+            pendingQuestions.computeIfPresent(question.turnId(), (id, e) ->
+                    new PendingQuestion(e.turnId(), e.ticket(), e.target(), e.lead(), e.question(),
+                            e.nudgeCount() + 1));
         }
     }
 
     /** Schedule the next tick on the scheduler thread pool. */
-    private void scheduleNext(String lead, int nextReplyReminderCount, int nextTicketReminderCount) {
-        scheduler.schedule(() -> tick(lead, nextReplyReminderCount, nextTicketReminderCount),
+    private void scheduleNext(String lead) {
+        scheduler.schedule(() -> tick(lead),
                 backoffMs, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS);
     }
 
     // --- nudge formatting ------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
     /** Render everything pending for one lead as a single nudge line. */
-    private static String formatNudge(Set<String> replyTargets, List<PendingTicket> tickets) {
+    private static String formatNudge(Set<String> replyTargets, List<PendingTicket> tickets,
+                                      List<PendingQuestion> questions) {
         List<String> parts = new ArrayList<>();
         if (!replyTargets.isEmpty()) {
             parts.add(formatRepliesNudge(replyTargets));
@@ -363,6 +564,9 @@ public final class ReplyPushLoop {
         if (!tickets.isEmpty()) {
             parts.add(formatTicketsNudge(tickets));
         }
+        if (!questions.isEmpty()) {
+            parts.add(formatQuestionsNudge(questions));
+        }
         return String.join(" | ", parts);
     }
 
@@ -390,6 +594,18 @@ public final class ReplyPushLoop {
         return TICKETS_NUDGE_FORMAT.formatted(pending.size(), failedNote, ids);
     }
 
+    /** Render one or several open questions (CB-582). */
+    private static String formatQuestionsNudge(List<PendingQuestion> pending) {
+        if (pending.size() == 1) {
+            PendingQuestion q = pending.get(0);
+            return QUESTION_NUDGE_FORMAT.formatted(q.target(), q.ticket(), q.turnId(), q.question());
+        }
+        String ids = pending.stream()
+                .map(q -> q.ticket() + " (turnId=" + q.turnId() + ")")
+                .collect(Collectors.joining(", "));
+        return QUESTIONS_NUDGE_FORMAT.formatted(pending.size(), ids);
+    }
+
     // --- lifecycle -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
     /**
@@ -397,8 +613,8 @@ public final class ReplyPushLoop {
      * uses this to stand aside: while the push loop is actively nudging a lead, a concurrent
      * heartbeat injection would start a second competing turn in the same pane — racing loops
      * multiply turns and context burn. "Active" means a schedule exists in {@link #activeLeads},
-     * which now covers both reply-queued (CB-307) and ticket-terminal (CB-588) work (CB-590) —
-     * bounded by what has been triggered, not by any persistent state.
+     * which now covers reply-queued (CB-307), ticket-terminal (CB-588), and question-open (CB-582)
+     * work (CB-590) — bounded by what has been triggered, not by any persistent state.
      */
     public boolean isActive() {
         return !activeLeads.isEmpty();
@@ -410,6 +626,7 @@ public final class ReplyPushLoop {
         activeLeads.clear();
         pendingReplies.clear();
         pendingTickets.clear();
+        pendingQuestions.clear();
     }
 
     /** @see #stop() */

bridged/src/main/java/dev/ltms/bridged/rest/BridgedApp.java

@@ -509,10 +509,20 @@ public final class BridgedApp {
             return;
         }
         try {
-            ctx.status(200).json(Map.of(
-                    "sessionId", id,
-                    "status", messages.status(id).name().toLowerCase(),
-                    "ready", presence.isPresent(id)));
+            Map<String, Object> body = new LinkedHashMap<>();
+            body.put("sessionId", id);
+            body.put("status", messages.status(id).name().toLowerCase());
+            body.put("ready", presence.isPresent(id));
+            // CB-582: a worker paused mid-turn in an async bridge_ask is otherwise invisible to a
+            // status poll — surface the open question and how to answer it, same as bridge_poll's
+            // Phase.ASKING view.
+            MessageService.PendingAsk ask = messages.pendingAsk(id);
+            if (ask != null) {
+                body.put("question", ask.question());
+                body.put("turnId", ask.turnId());
+                body.put("ticket", ask.ticket());
+            }
+            ctx.status(200).json(body);
         } catch (HerdrException e) {
             herdrError(ctx, e);
         }
@@ -538,6 +548,11 @@ public final class BridgedApp {
         if (v.detail() != null) {
             body.put("detail", v.detail());
         }
+        // CB-582: Phase.ASKING carries the question in v.reply() (handled above) and its answer-
+        // correlation id here — a REST caller polling this ticket otherwise has no way to answer it.
+        if (v.turnId() != null) {
+            body.put("turnId", v.turnId());
+        }
         ctx.status(200).json(body);
     }
 

bridged/src/test/java/dev/ltms/bridged/herdr/FakeHerdr.java

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.LinkedHashMap;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.concurrent.CopyOnWriteArrayList;
 
 /**
  * Recording fake {@link HerdrClient} for unit/acceptance tests. Returns canned frames
@@ -22,7 +23,13 @@ public final class FakeHerdr implements HerdrClient {
     public static final long WORKER_PID = 4242;
 
     private final ObjectMapper mapper = new ObjectMapper();
-    public final List<Call> calls = new ArrayList<>();
+    /**
+     * Thread-safe on purpose. Background loops — {@link dev.ltms.bridged.msg.ReplyPushLoop} and the
+     * lead heartbeat — call this fake from their own scheduler threads while a test polls
+     * {@link #called} from the test thread. A plain {@code ArrayList} threw
+     * {@code ConcurrentModificationException} out of {@code called()} when a nudge landed mid-stream.
+     */
+    public final List<Call> calls = new CopyOnWriteArrayList<>();
     private boolean healthy = true;
     private final List<String> extraWorkspaces = new ArrayList<>();
     private final List<String> extraAgents = new ArrayList<>();

bridged/src/test/java/dev/ltms/bridged/mcp/BridgeMcpTest.java

@@ -773,6 +773,52 @@ class BridgeMcpTest {
         assertEquals("blocked", textOf(res));
     }
 
+    /**
+     * CB-582: a lead polling {@code bridge_status} on its normal cadence — not {@code bridge_poll}
+     * — must also see a worker's open async {@code bridge_ask} question, since the reverse-rendezvous
+     * window it opened with is far shorter than that cadence.
+     */
+    @Test
+    void statusReportsAnOpenQuestionWhenTheWorkerIsMidAsk() throws Exception {
+        String ticket = messages.sendAsync(T, "task that asks");
+        long deadline = System.currentTimeMillis() + 3000;
+        while (!rendezvous.isWaiting(T) && System.currentTimeMillis() < deadline) {
+            Thread.sleep(5);
+        }
+        assertTrue(rendezvous.isWaiting(T), "sendAsync should have opened its rendezvous waiter");
+
+        CompletableFuture<MessageService.AskResult> ask =
+                CompletableFuture.supplyAsync(() -> messages.ask(T, "which config file?", 5000));
+
+        MessageService.TaskView asking;
+        deadline = System.currentTimeMillis() + 3000;
+        do {
+            asking = messages.poll(ticket);
+            Thread.sleep(5);
+        } while (asking.phase() != MessageService.Phase.ASKING && System.currentTimeMillis() < deadline);
+        assertEquals(MessageService.Phase.ASKING, asking.phase());
+
+        McpSchema.CallToolResult res = BridgeMcp.status(messages, T);
+        assertNotEquals(Boolean.TRUE, res.isError());
+        String out = textOf(res);
+        assertTrue(out.startsWith("idle"), "the live status must still lead the text: " + out);
+        assertTrue(out.contains("which config file?"), "the question text must be shown: " + out);
+        assertTrue(out.contains("turnId=\"" + asking.turnId() + "\""), "the turnId must be shown: " + out);
+        assertTrue(out.contains("(ticket " + ticket + ")"), "the ticket must be shown: " + out);
+
+        // Clean up the still-open ask so the background thread does not linger past the test.
+        String turnId = asking.turnId();
+        CompletableFuture<MessageService.Reply> answer = CompletableFuture.supplyAsync(
+                () -> messages.answer(turnId, "config.yaml", 5000));
+        assertEquals("config.yaml", ask.get(5, TimeUnit.SECONDS).answer());
+        deadline = System.currentTimeMillis() + 3000;
+        while (!rendezvous.isWaiting(T) && System.currentTimeMillis() < deadline) {
+            Thread.sleep(5);
+        }
+        assertTrue(rendezvous.resolve(T, "done"));
+        answer.get(5, TimeUnit.SECONDS);
+    }
+
     // --- bridge_whoami: the caller's own identity, so an agent never has to guess its role -------
 
     @Test

bridged/src/test/java/dev/ltms/bridged/msg/AmqpReplyInboxRecoveryRaceTest.java

@@ -35,9 +35,12 @@ import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
  */
 class AmqpReplyInboxRecoveryRaceTest {
 
-    /** Large enough that the (unfixed) unsynchronized sweep's iteration is a real, observable window
-     *  a concurrently-started publish can land in — not just a best case, single-entry sprint. */
-    private static final int STALE_PUBLISHES = 100_000;
+    /** Large enough that thousands of entries are still unprocessed by the time the very first one
+     *  is observed as failed (see {@code sweepIsHoldingTheLock} below) — that gap is what makes the
+     *  head start deterministic instead of a coin flip. 100,000 gave the same guarantee but made the
+     *  test far more expensive than the guarantee needs; the ordering no longer depends on a timing
+     *  window sized to the full backlog; just to the tail of it. */
+    private static final int STALE_PUBLISHES = 2_000;
 
     @Test
     @Timeout(30)
@@ -58,6 +61,12 @@ class AmqpReplyInboxRecoveryRaceTest {
         // pendingByMsgId exactly like publishes whose confirm never arrived before a connection drop.
         // Virtual threads make this many concurrent blocking publish() calls cheap.
         CountDownLatch staleStarted = new CountDownLatch(STALE_PUBLISHES);
+        // Counted down by the FIRST stale publish thread to observe its own failure. That can only
+        // happen from inside failPendingPublishesOnRecovery() — nothing else in this test ever
+        // completes a stale Pending exceptionally (no nack/return is simulated for any "stale-*"
+        // msgId) — so seeing it fire is direct, observable proof the sweep is inside its loop, not a
+        // timing guess. It replaces the old fixed Thread.sleep(5) head start.
+        CountDownLatch sweepIsHoldingTheLock = new CountDownLatch(1);
         for (int i = 0; i < STALE_PUBLISHES; i++) {
             String msgId = "stale-" + i;
             Thread.ofVirtual().start(() -> {
@@ -65,7 +74,7 @@ class AmqpReplyInboxRecoveryRaceTest {
                 try {
                     inbox.publish("worker-stale", msgId, "x");
                 } catch (IllegalStateException expected) {
-                    // resolved (failed by the sweep) — that is exactly what this thread is here for
+                    sweepIsHoldingTheLock.countDown();
                 }
             });
         }
@@ -83,13 +92,28 @@ class AmqpReplyInboxRecoveryRaceTest {
             }
         }, "recovery-sweep");
         sweepThread.start();
-        // A short, deliberate head start: with STALE_PUBLISHES this large, the (unfixed) sweep's own
-        // iteration takes several milliseconds, so this guarantees the sweep has already begun —
-        // and, once guarded, is already holding publishChannelLock — before "fresh" attempts to
-        // register. Without this head start, "fresh" sometimes wins the race for the lock and
-        // registers before the sweep even starts, which is the accepted "already in flight when
-        // recovery fires" case (correctly failed either way) rather than the bug under test.
-        Thread.sleep(5);
+
+        // Deterministic head start: block until the sweep has actually failed one of the stale
+        // publishes. failPendingPublishesOnRecovery() (once guarded, as it is on main) holds
+        // publishChannelLock for its ENTIRE loop, not just per entry — so this failure proves the
+        // sweep is, at this instant, still holding that lock. With STALE_PUBLISHES this large, the
+        // remaining ~1,999 entries give an enormous margin between "first failure observed" and "sweep
+        // releases the lock": there is no window left for "fresh" to slip in before the sweep starts,
+        // or to win the lock ahead of it — see the case-2 note below. This also means Case 1 (the sweep
+        // is already inside its loop, holding the lock, when "fresh" tries to register) is now
+        // guaranteed by construction rather than merely likely under a fixed sleep.
+        assertTrue(sweepIsHoldingTheLock.await(20, TimeUnit.SECONDS),
+                "the sweep never failed a single stale publish — it may not have started");
+
+        // Case 2 ("fresh" wins publishChannelLock before the sweep even starts, so it genuinely
+        // published on the stale channel and the sweep correctly fails it) is impossible by
+        // construction in this test: freshThread.start() below is reached only after
+        // sweepIsHoldingTheLock has counted down, which can only happen once
+        // failPendingPublishesOnRecovery() is already running and has already failed a stale entry.
+        // There is no code path that lets "fresh" start before the sweep starts. That case is real
+        // and correct production behaviour (see AmqpReplyInbox#failPendingPublishesOnRecovery's
+        // javadoc), it is just not reachable from this deterministic ordering, so it does not need a
+        // separate assertion here.
 
         // This is the exact interleaving CB-528's follow-up describes: "the still-running recovery
         // sweep" racing a publish that registers while it is mid-flight.
@@ -109,8 +133,8 @@ class AmqpReplyInboxRecoveryRaceTest {
         // Simulate the broker's real confirm for "fresh" now that the sweep is done, so a correct
         // implementation's publish() returns normally instead of idling out CONFIRM_TIMEOUT_MS. Poll
         // for the registration rather than checking once: freshThread may still be contending for
-        // publishChannelLock (behind the 20,000 stale threads' own lock acquisitions) even though the
-        // sweep itself has already finished.
+        // publishChannelLock (behind the sweep's own hold on it, and possibly other stale threads
+        // still unwinding) even though the sweep itself has already finished.
         long deadline = System.nanoTime() + TimeUnit.SECONDS.toNanos(9);
         int idx = -1;
         while (idx < 0 && System.nanoTime() < deadline) {

bridged/src/test/java/dev/ltms/bridged/msg/MessageServiceTest.java

@@ -714,6 +714,47 @@ class MessageServiceTest {
         assertEquals(MessageService.Outcome.REPLIED, answer.get(5, TimeUnit.SECONDS).outcome());
     }
 
+    // --- CB-582: bridge_status pendingAsk() ------------------------------------------------------
+
+    @Test
+    void pendingAskReturnsNullWhenNoQuestionIsOpen() throws Exception {
+        assertNull(messages.pendingAsk(T), "no async ticket at all -> no pending ask");
+
+        String ticket = messages.sendAsync(T, "long task");
+        awaitWaiting();
+        assertNull(messages.pendingAsk(T), "a plain pending delegation is not a question");
+
+        injectDelivery();
+        assertTrue(rendezvous.resolve(T, "done"));
+        awaitTicketPhase(ticket, MessageService.Phase.DONE);
+        assertNull(messages.pendingAsk(T), "a finished ticket carries no open question either");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void pendingAskReturnsTheOpenQuestionForAnAsyncTicket() throws Exception {
+        String ticket = messages.sendAsync(T, "task that asks");
+        awaitWaiting();
+        injectDelivery();
+
+        CompletableFuture<MessageService.AskResult> ask =
+                CompletableFuture.supplyAsync(() -> messages.ask(T, "which config file?", 5000));
+        MessageService.TaskView asking = awaitTicketPhase(ticket, MessageService.Phase.ASKING);
+
+        MessageService.PendingAsk pending = messages.pendingAsk(T);
+        assertNotNull(pending, "bridge_status should see the open question");
+        assertEquals(ticket, pending.ticket());
+        assertEquals("which config file?", pending.question());
+        assertEquals(asking.turnId(), pending.turnId());
+
+        CompletableFuture<MessageService.Reply> answer = CompletableFuture.supplyAsync(
+                () -> messages.answer(asking.turnId(), "config.yaml", 5000));
+        assertEquals("config.yaml", ask.get(5, TimeUnit.SECONDS).answer());
+        assertNull(messages.pendingAsk(T), "an answered question is no longer pending");
+        awaitWaiting();
+        assertTrue(rendezvous.resolve(T, "done"));
+        assertEquals(MessageService.Outcome.REPLIED, answer.get(5, TimeUnit.SECONDS).outcome());
+    }
+
     // --- CB-588: async ticket terminal nudges ---------------------------------------------------
     //
     // MessageService.reply's rendezvous fast path is exactly what an async ticket always takes
@@ -833,6 +874,71 @@ class MessageServiceTest {
         }
     }
 
+    // --- CB-582: bridge_ask question-open nudges --------------------------------------------------
+
+    @Test
+    void anAsyncTicketThatPausesOnAQuestionNudgesTheLeadWithNoPriorPollCall() throws Exception {
+        try (var wiring = wireWithPushLoop(5, 50)) {
+            String ticket = wiring.service().sendAsync(T, "task that asks");
+            awaitWaiting();
+            injectDelivery();
+
+            CompletableFuture<MessageService.AskResult> ask = CompletableFuture.supplyAsync(
+                    () -> wiring.service().ask(T, "which config file?", 5000));
+            MessageService.TaskView asking = awaitTicketPhaseOn(wiring.service(), ticket, MessageService.Phase.ASKING);
+
+            awaitNudge(wiring.leadHerdr());
+            String nudge = wiring.leadHerdr().lastCall("agent.prompt").params().toString();
+            assertTrue(nudge.contains(ticket), "the nudge should name the ticket: " + nudge);
+            assertTrue(nudge.contains(asking.turnId()), "the nudge should name the turnId: " + nudge);
+            assertTrue(nudge.contains("bridge_send(turnId="),
+                    "the nudge should name the exact answer call: " + nudge);
+            assertTrue(nudge.contains("which config file?"), "the nudge should include the question: " + nudge);
+
+            // Clean up the still-open ask so the background thread does not linger past the test.
+            CompletableFuture<MessageService.Reply> answer = CompletableFuture.supplyAsync(
+                    () -> wiring.service().answer(asking.turnId(), "config.yaml", 5000));
+            assertEquals("config.yaml", ask.get(5, TimeUnit.SECONDS).answer());
+            awaitWaiting();
+            assertTrue(rendezvous.resolve(T, "done"));
+            answer.get(5, TimeUnit.SECONDS);
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void answeringAQuestionStopsFurtherNudgesAboutIt() throws Exception {
+        try (var wiring = wireWithPushLoop(5, 50)) {
+            String ticket = wiring.service().sendAsync(T, "task that asks");
+            awaitWaiting();
+            injectDelivery();
+
+            CompletableFuture<MessageService.AskResult> ask = CompletableFuture.supplyAsync(
+                    () -> wiring.service().ask(T, "which config file?", 5000));
+            MessageService.TaskView asking = awaitTicketPhaseOn(wiring.service(), ticket, MessageService.Phase.ASKING);
+
+            awaitNudge(wiring.leadHerdr());
+            long callsBeforeAnswer = wiring.leadHerdr().calls.stream()
+                    .filter(c -> c.method().equals("agent.prompt")).count();
+
+            CompletableFuture<MessageService.Reply> answer = CompletableFuture.supplyAsync(
+                    () -> wiring.service().answer(asking.turnId(), "config.yaml", 5000));
+            assertEquals("config.yaml", ask.get(5, TimeUnit.SECONDS).answer());
+            awaitWaiting();
+            assertTrue(rendezvous.resolve(T, "done"));
+            answer.get(5, TimeUnit.SECONDS);
+
+            // Let several more ticks (and the ticket's own now-legitimate terminal nudge) fire —
+            // none of them may still name the question's turnId, which is closed.
+            Thread.sleep(300);
+            boolean anyNamesClosedQuestion = wiring.leadHerdr().calls.stream()
+                    .filter(c -> c.method().equals("agent.prompt"))
+                    .skip(callsBeforeAnswer)
+                    .anyMatch(c -> c.params().toString().contains(asking.turnId()));
+            assertFalse(anyNamesClosedQuestion,
+                    "no nudge sent after the answer may still name the now-closed turnId " + asking.turnId());
+        }
+    }
+
     @Test
     void aFleetWithNoPushLoopConfiguredBehavesExactlyAsToday() throws Exception {
         // `messages` (the shared field) uses the no-pushLoop constructor — poll() must not throw,

bridged/src/test/java/dev/ltms/bridged/msg/ReplyPushLoopTest.java

@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ class ReplyPushLoopTest {
 
     private static final String PRIMARY = "term_primary";
     private static final String WORKER = "term_worker";
+    private static final String WORKER2 = "term_worker2";
     private static final ObjectMapper MAPPER = new ObjectMapper();
 
     private PrimaryRegistry registry;
@@ -579,6 +580,209 @@ class ReplyPushLoopTest {
                 "both the reply and the ticket source are at their own cap — must still stop");
     }
 
+    // --- CB-598: work arriving during a backoff must not read as stale backlog -------------------
+
+    @Test
+    void aTargetArrivingDuringTheBackoffGetsNudgedDespiteAnAlreadyCappedSibling() {
+        // The bug: reminder counts used to be a single counter per lead per source, carried
+        // forward across scheduled ticks (scheduleNext(lead, count + 1, ...)) rather than tracked
+        // per pending item. WORKER gets nudged once here, which — with cap=1 — exhausts the
+        // shared reply-source counter for this lead. WORKER2 then queues a reply for the SAME
+        // lead "during the backoff": while the schedule from WORKER's tick is still active, before
+        // the next tick's own start-of-tick snapshot runs. At that next tick, the OLD code passed
+        // the already-exhausted shared counter into decide() regardless of WORKER2 never having
+        // been named in any nudge, and — because WORKER2 was already present in that tick's
+        // "before" snapshot — stopOrRestart's race check (proven correct on its own elsewhere in
+        // this file) does not save it either: it looks like ordinary stale backlog, not a race.
+        // WORKER2 was then stranded forever with no live schedule and no nudge ever naming it.
+        //
+        // tick() is driven directly (package-private, same reasoning as stopOrRestart being
+        // directly testable) so the exact interleaving is deterministic instead of racing the
+        // scheduler thread over a real ~15s backoff.
+        //
+        // Before the fix, this test fails on the second assertEquals: rec.sendCount() stays at 1
+        // (decide() returns STOP on the second tick(), so injectNudge is never called a second
+        // time) and the "must still get one" assertion never even runs.
+        int cap = 1;
+        var rec = recordingClient();
+        agents = new AgentControl(rec);
+        inbox.own(WORKER2);
+        inbox.publish(WORKER, "m1", "hello");
+        var loop = loop(cap, 100_000); // huge backoff — nothing fires on its own; we drive tick()
+
+        loop.onReplyQueued(WORKER);
+        loop.tick(PRIMARY); // first tick: nudges WORKER alone; WORKER's own count reaches the cap
+        assertEquals(1, rec.sendCount(), "the first tick should nudge about WORKER");
+
+        // WORKER2 "arrives during the backoff": queued for the same lead while the schedule from
+        // the tick above is still active (activeLeads still holds PRIMARY), before the next tick
+        // (simulated below) takes its own start-of-tick snapshot.
+        inbox.publish(WORKER2, "m2", "hello2");
+        loop.onReplyQueued(WORKER2);
+
+        loop.tick(PRIMARY); // the tick that would fire once that backoff elapsed
+
+        assertEquals(2, rec.sendCount(),
+                "WORKER2 was never named in any nudge yet and must still get one, even though "
+                        + "WORKER's own reminder count is already at the cap");
+        String secondNudge = rec.sentParams().get(1).getValue().toString();
+        assertTrue(secondNudge.contains(WORKER2), "the never-named target must be named: " + secondNudge);
+
+        // Criterion #3: isActive() must reflect that this lead still had a live nudge to give —
+        // the second tick took the INJECT branch, so the schedule stayed live rather than being
+        // torn down under WORKER2.
+        assertTrue(loop.isActive(), "the schedule must stay active after nudging the fresh target");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void aTicketArrivingDuringTheBackoffGetsNudgedDespiteAnAlreadyCappedSibling() {
+        // Mirrors the reply-side test above for the ticket source.
+        int cap = 1;
+        var rec = recordingClient();
+        agents = new AgentControl(rec);
+        var loop = loop(cap, 100_000);
+
+        loop.onTicketTerminal("task-1", WORKER, false);
+        loop.tick(PRIMARY); // first tick: nudges task-1 alone; its count reaches the cap
+        assertEquals(1, rec.sendCount(), "the first tick should nudge about task-1");
+
+        loop.onTicketTerminal("task-2", WORKER, false); // arrives during the backoff, same lead
+        loop.tick(PRIMARY);
+
+        assertEquals(2, rec.sendCount(),
+                "task-2 was never named in any nudge yet and must still get one, even though "
+                        + "task-1's reminder count is already at the cap");
+        String secondNudge = rec.sentParams().get(1).getValue().toString();
+        assertTrue(secondNudge.contains("task-2"), "the never-named ticket must be named: " + secondNudge);
+        assertTrue(loop.isActive(), "the schedule must stay active after nudging the fresh ticket");
+    }
+
+    // --- CB-582: bridge_ask question-open nudges -------------------------------------------------
+
+    @Test
+    void onQuestionOpenedWithNoKnownLeadNeverStartsASchedule() throws Exception {
+        var rec = recordingClient();
+        agents = new AgentControl(rec);
+        var loop = new ReplyPushLoop(new PrimaryRegistry(null), agents, inbox, scheduler, 5, 50);
+
+        loop.onQuestionOpened("task-1", WORKER, "term_worker#1", "which config?");
+
+        assertFalse(loop.isActive(), "no lead known means nothing to nudge yet");
+        Thread.sleep(150);
+        assertEquals(0, rec.sendCount(), "must not nudge when no lead is known to be waiting");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void decideQuestionsWithNothingPendingIsStop() {
+        agents = agentWithStatus("idle");
+        assertEquals(ReplyPushLoop.Action.STOP, loop().decide(PRIMARY, 0, 0, 0));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void decideQuestionsAtCapIsStop() {
+        agents = agentWithStatus("idle");
+        var loop = loop(2, 100_000);
+        loop.onQuestionOpened("task-1", WORKER, "term_worker#1", "which config?");
+        assertEquals(ReplyPushLoop.Action.STOP, loop.decide(PRIMARY, 0, 0, 2));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void decideQuestionsUnderCapWithInjectableLeadIsInject() {
+        agents = agentWithStatus("idle");
+        var loop = loop(5, 100_000);
+        loop.onQuestionOpened("task-1", WORKER, "term_worker#1", "which config?");
+        assertEquals(ReplyPushLoop.Action.INJECT, loop.decide(PRIMARY, 0, 0, 0));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void onQuestionOpenedCausesExactlyOneNudgeNamingTheTicketAndTurnId() throws Exception {
+        var rec = recordingClient();
+        agents = new AgentControl(rec);
+
+        loop(1, 50).onQuestionOpened("task-1", WORKER, "term_worker#1", "which config file?");
+
+        assertTrue(rec.sendLatch.await(3, TimeUnit.SECONDS), "one question nudge should have been sent");
+        assertEquals(1, rec.sendCount());
+        String nudge = rec.sentParams().getFirst().getValue().toString();
+        assertTrue(nudge.contains("task-1"), "nudge should name the ticket: " + nudge);
+        assertTrue(nudge.contains("term_worker#1"), "nudge should name the turnId: " + nudge);
+        assertTrue(nudge.contains("bridge_send(turnId="), "nudge should name the exact answer call: " + nudge);
+        assertTrue(nudge.contains("which config file?"), "nudge should include the question text: " + nudge);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void questionClosedPreventsFurtherNudging() throws Exception {
+        var rec = recordingClient();
+        agents = new AgentControl(rec);
+        var loop = loop(1, 100);
+
+        loop.onQuestionOpened("task-1", WORKER, "term_worker#1", "which config?");
+        loop.questionClosed("term_worker#1"); // answered/lapsed before the first tick fired
+
+        Thread.sleep(300); // let the scheduled tick run
+        assertEquals(0, rec.sendCount(), "an already-closed question must never be nudged");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void questionNudgesSendUpToCapThenStop() throws Exception {
+        int cap = 2;
+        var rec = recordingClient();
+        agents = new AgentControl(rec);
+        rec.sendLatch = new CountDownLatch(cap);
+
+        loop(cap, 50).onQuestionOpened("task-1", WORKER, "term_worker#1", "which config?");
+
+        assertTrue(rec.sendLatch.await(5, TimeUnit.SECONDS), cap + " question nudges should have fired");
+        Thread.sleep(300);
+        assertEquals(cap, rec.sendCount(), "exactly " + cap + " question nudges (cap=" + cap + ")");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void questionAndTicketForTheSameLeadCoalesceIntoOneSend() throws Exception {
+        var rec = recordingClient();
+        agents = new AgentControl(rec);
+        var loop = loop(1, 300); // backoff wide enough that both entry points land before the first tick
+
+        loop.onTicketTerminal("task-1", WORKER, false);
+        loop.onQuestionOpened("task-2", WORKER, "term_worker#1", "which config?");
+
+        assertTrue(rec.sendLatch.await(3, TimeUnit.SECONDS), "one combined nudge should have been sent");
+        Thread.sleep(300);
+        assertEquals(1, rec.sendCount(),
+                "a ticket and a question for the same lead must coalesce onto ONE schedule");
+        String nudge = rec.sentParams().getFirst().getValue().toString();
+        assertTrue(nudge.contains("task-1"), "the combined nudge must still mention the ticket: " + nudge);
+        assertTrue(nudge.contains("term_worker#1"), "the combined nudge must still mention the question: " + nudge);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void oneExhaustedQuestionSourceDoesNotBlockANudgeForTheOtherSources() {
+        // Mirrors oneExhaustedSourceDoesNotBlockANudgeForTheOtherSource for the question source:
+        // the question source is at its cap (2/2), but the ticket source has never been nudged
+        // (0/2) — decide() must still INJECT so the ticket is not stranded.
+        agents = agentWithStatus("idle");
+        var loop = loop(2, 100_000);
+        loop.onQuestionOpened("task-1", WORKER, "term_worker#1", "which config?");
+        loop.onTicketTerminal("task-2", WORKER, false);
+
+        assertEquals(ReplyPushLoop.Action.INJECT, loop.decide(PRIMARY, 0, 0, 2),
+                "the question source is exhausted (2/2), but the ticket source has never been "
+                        + "nudged (0/2) — the lead must still be injected so the ticket is not lost");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void questionNudgeFormatIsCorrect() {
+        String single = ReplyPushLoop.QUESTION_NUDGE_FORMAT.formatted(
+                WORKER, "task-1", "term_worker#1", "which config?");
+        assertTrue(single.contains("Worker term_worker"));
+        assertTrue(single.contains("bridge_send(turnId=\"term_worker#1\""));
+        assertTrue(single.contains("which config?"));
+
+        String multi = ReplyPushLoop.QUESTIONS_NUDGE_FORMAT.formatted(2, "task-1 (turnId=t1), task-2 (turnId=t2)");
+        assertTrue(multi.contains("2 workers"));
+        assertTrue(multi.contains("bridge_poll(ticket=...)"));
+    }
+
     // --- metrics (CB-512) ----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
     @Test

bridged/src/test/java/dev/ltms/bridged/rest/BridgedAppTest.java

@@ -484,6 +484,67 @@ class BridgedAppTest {
         assertTrue(mapper.readTree(req(port, "GET", "/sessions/term_a/status").body()).get("ready").asBoolean());
     }
 
+    /**
+     * CB-582: a lead polling {@code GET /sessions/{id}/status} on its normal cadence — not the
+     * ticket-scoped {@code /tasks/{ticket}} — must also see a worker's open async {@code bridge_ask}
+     * question, since the reverse-rendezvous window it opened with is far shorter than that cadence.
+     */
+    @Test
+    void sessionStatusReportsAnOpenQuestionWhenTheWorkerIsMidAsk() throws Exception {
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr().agentStatus("idle"); // poller delivers the injection
+        int port = start(herdr, "http://gx00.gw:8000", Set.of("gx00.gw"));
+
+        HttpResponse<String> accepted = postMessage(port, "{\"content\":\"do it\",\"wait\":false}");
+        assertEquals(202, accepted.statusCode());
+        String ticket = mapper.readTree(accepted.body()).get("ticket").asText();
+
+        Thread.sleep(200); // let the background async send open its rendezvous waiter
+
+        var ask = java.util.concurrent.CompletableFuture.supplyAsync(() -> {
+            try {
+                return postJson(port, "/sessions/term_a/ask",
+                        "{\"question\":\"which config file?\",\"timeoutMs\":5000}");
+            } catch (Exception e) {
+                throw new RuntimeException(e);
+            }
+        });
+
+        JsonNode task;
+        long deadline = System.currentTimeMillis() + 3000;
+        do {
+            task = mapper.readTree(req(port, "GET", "/tasks/" + ticket).body());
+            if ("asking".equals(task.path("phase").asText())) break;
+            //noinspection BusyWait
+            Thread.sleep(10);
+        } while (System.currentTimeMillis() < deadline);
+        assertEquals("asking", task.get("phase").asText());
+        String turnId = task.get("turnId").asText();
+
+        HttpResponse<String> status = req(port, "GET", "/sessions/term_a/status");
+        assertEquals(200, status.statusCode());
+        JsonNode body = mapper.readTree(status.body());
+        assertEquals("idle", body.get("status").asText(), "the live status must still be reported");
+        assertEquals("which config file?", body.get("question").asText());
+        assertEquals(turnId, body.get("turnId").asText());
+        assertEquals(ticket, body.get("ticket").asText());
+
+        // Answer it — via the same /message route bridge_send uses, keyed by turnId — so the
+        // background ask thread does not linger past the test.
+        var answer = java.util.concurrent.CompletableFuture.supplyAsync(() -> {
+            try {
+                return postJson(port, "/sessions/term_a/message",
+                        "{\"content\":\"config.yaml\",\"turnId\":\"" + turnId + "\",\"timeoutMs\":4000}");
+            } catch (Exception e) {
+                throw new RuntimeException(e);
+            }
+        });
+        HttpResponse<String> askResponse = ask.get(6, java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit.SECONDS);
+        assertEquals(200, askResponse.statusCode());
+        assertEquals("config.yaml", mapper.readTree(askResponse.body()).get("answer").asText());
+        postJson(port, "/sessions/term_a/reply", "{\"content\":\"done\"}");
+        answer.get(6, java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit.SECONDS);
+    }
+
     @Test
     void stopWorkerInPanePlacementClosesOnlyThePane() throws Exception {
         FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr();

deploy/dev.ltms.bridged.plist

@@ -82,8 +82,25 @@
     <key>RunAtLoad</key>
     <true/>
 
-    <!-- Restart on crash, but not in a tight loop if the config is bad (bridged fails fast on a
-         non-loopback bind without token auth — that is a config error, not a transient one). -->
+    <!--
+      CB-600 — read this before assuming ThrottleInterval bounds anything. It paces restarts to at
+      most one per 10s; it does NOT cap how many times launchd retries. If bridged fails fast on
+      every start — a bad bridged.yaml, for example auth.mode: token with the token env var unset,
+      which throws in main() before the daemon ever binds a port — launchd restarts it forever,
+      once every 10s, until a human intervenes. LaunchAgents have no "give up after N attempts"
+      primitive, so this is not something a config change here can fix.
+
+      That loop stops only two ways: (1) `launchctl unload -w ~/Library/LaunchAgents/dev.ltms.bridged.plist`,
+      or (2) the underlying cause gets fixed, so the process starts successfully and stays up (no
+      more exits to restart). scripts/redeploy-bridged.sh does not add a third way — it does not
+      make bridged self-disable on a config error, on purpose: a fail-fast exit path that
+      sometimes decides "this is unrecoverable, stop trying" is one more thing that can misfire,
+      and a wrongly self-disabled daemon needs the exact same manual `launchctl load -w` recovery
+      this comment already names — so it buys nothing an operator watching for the crash loop
+      doesn't already have, at the cost of a new way to be silently down. Watch for it with
+      `launchctl list dev.ltms.bridged` (a high restart count) or by tailing bridged.out for the
+      same startup error repeating every ~10s.
+    -->
     <key>KeepAlive</key>
     <dict>
         <key>SuccessfulExit</key>

scripts/redeploy-bridged.sh

@@ -79,6 +79,53 @@ running_pid() { pgrep -f "$PATTERN" || true; }
 launchd_installed() { [ -f "$LAUNCHD_PLIST" ]; }
 launchd_loaded() { launchctl list "$LAUNCHD_LABEL" >/dev/null 2>&1; }
 
+# CB-600: the script computes its own log path from where it sits on disk (REPO, above); the
+# plist hard-codes an absolute StandardOutPath. Nothing forced the two to agree — if this script
+# were ever run from a checkout other than the one the loaded plist names, launchd would start and
+# log the daemon correctly, while every check below (the fresh "bridged listening" line, the
+# ERROR-count scan) would read a different, empty or stale file and the script would report a
+# clean restart while the daemon crash-loops. Pure and side-effect-free besides `die`/`ok` — reads
+# the two paths, resolves them, compares — so it never touches launchd or the daemon and can be
+# exercised by sourcing this script (see the SOURCED guard below) without installing the agent.
+check_log_path_matches_plist() {
+  local script_out="$1" plist_path="$2"
+  local plist_out resolved_out resolved_plist_out
+  # Checked by exit status, not by emptiness: on a missing file/key PlistBuddy exits nonzero but
+  # still writes a message ("File Doesn't Exist, Will Create: ...") that command substitution
+  # would happily capture as if it were the real value — testing only `-z` missed that case.
+  if ! plist_out="$(/usr/libexec/PlistBuddy -c 'Print :StandardOutPath' "$plist_path" 2>/dev/null)" \
+      || [ -z "$plist_out" ]; then
+    die "launchd agent is loaded but PlistBuddy could not read StandardOutPath from
+        $plist_path
+      — cannot verify the daemon logs where this script is about to look. Fix the plist before
+      redeploying supervised."
+  fi
+  resolved_out="$(cd "$(dirname "$script_out")" 2>/dev/null && pwd -P)/$(basename "$script_out")" || true
+  resolved_plist_out="$(cd "$(dirname "$plist_out")" 2>/dev/null && pwd -P)/$(basename "$plist_out")" || true
+  if [ -z "$resolved_out" ] || [ -z "$resolved_plist_out" ] || [ "$resolved_out" != "$resolved_plist_out" ]; then
+    die "log path mismatch — this script reads
+        $script_out  (resolved: ${resolved_out:-<directory does not exist>})
+      but the loaded plist's StandardOutPath is
+        $plist_out  (resolved: ${resolved_plist_out:-<directory does not exist>})
+      Under supervision the daemon writes to the PLIST's path, not necessarily this script's — every
+      post-restart check below (the fresh 'bridged listening' line, the ERROR-count scan) would read
+      the wrong file and could report a clean restart while the daemon crash-loops. Fix the mismatch
+      (move this checkout to match the plist, or edit the plist's StandardOutPath/StandardErrorPath)
+      before redeploying supervised."
+  fi
+  ok "log path check: script and plist agree ($resolved_out)"
+}
+
+# CB-600: sourceable for testing. When this file is SOURCED (not executed) it stops here — nothing
+# below runs — so a test harness can `source` it to call check_log_path_matches_plist (or the
+# other pure helpers above) against a throwaway plist fixture without ever reaching the mutating
+# flow (build/stop/start) or touching the real daemon or launchd. On a normal `./redeploy-bridged.sh`
+# invocation `(return 0 2>/dev/null)` fails (return is illegal at top level of an executed script),
+# so this whole block is a no-op and every line below still runs exactly as before.
+if (return 0 2>/dev/null); then
+  return 0
+fi
+
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------- report state
 
 say "current state"
@@ -103,6 +150,9 @@ SUPERVISED=0
 if launchd_loaded; then
   SUPERVISED=1
   ok "launchd agent loaded ($LAUNCHD_LABEL) — launchd supervises this daemon"
+  # CB-600: fail loudly here, before ANY other check runs, if this script and the loaded plist
+  # would read different log files — every check after this point is worthless otherwise.
+  check_log_path_matches_plist "$OUT" "$LAUNCHD_PLIST"
 else
   warn "launchd agent not loaded — this script is the only thing that will restart the daemon."
 fi
@@ -222,7 +272,22 @@ say "start"
 if [ "$SUPERVISED" = 1 ]; then
   echo "   supervision is ON: using 'launchctl load' so launchd starts and keeps supervising this"
   echo "   process, instead of a manual nohup that launchd would know nothing about."
-  launchctl load -w "$LAUNCHD_PLIST" || die "launchctl load failed"
+  # CB-600: 'launchctl unload -w' above already persisted Disabled=true for this label. A load -w
+  # that succeeds clears it; a load -w that FAILS leaves the agent both stopped and disabled — worse
+  # than before this script ran, because a later reboot or login will not bring it back either. One
+  # retry covers a transient race (e.g. launchd not yet fully done deregistering); if it still fails,
+  # die with the exact recovery command rather than a bare "failed".
+  if ! launchctl load -w "$LAUNCHD_PLIST" 2>/dev/null; then
+    warn "launchctl load failed on the first attempt — retrying once after a short pause"
+    sleep 2
+    launchctl load -w "$LAUNCHD_PLIST" || die "launchctl load failed twice.
+        The agent is now STOPPED and DISABLED — it will NOT come back on its own, not even after a
+        reboot or login, because 'launchctl unload -w' above persisted Disabled=true and load -w
+        never got the chance to clear it. Recover with:
+            launchctl load -w \"$LAUNCHD_PLIST\"
+        If that still fails, check 'launchctl list $LAUNCHD_LABEL', validate the plist with
+        'plutil -lint \"$LAUNCHD_PLIST\"', and check $OUT before assuming a retry will succeed."
+  fi
 else
   # Absolute jar path so `ps` names which checkout is running.
   ( cd "$BRIDGED" && zsh -lc "nohup java -jar '$JAR' >> bridged.out 2>&1 &" )