fleetd #615: write FAILED instead of leaving status(token) stuck at IN_PROGRESS

LeadRollover.runRollover made two unwrapped agents.send calls. HerdrException
is unchecked, and the production continuationRunner is a bare virtual thread
with no uncaught-exception handler, so a throw from either send call killed
the continuation silently — confirm() had already written IN_PROGRESS into
outcomes before scheduling it, and nothing ever overwrote that entry with a
terminal state.

Wrap the whole continuation body in one try/catch(RuntimeException), matching
the local convention already used around agents.status in
waitUntilAtTurnBoundary. On a throw, write a new terminal RollState.FAILED
entry naming the exception, in the same diagnostic style as
TURN_NEVER_SETTLED and CLEAR_NEVER_SETTLED.

Two new tests make send() throw on the /clear call and on the bootstrap-text
call respectively, each asserting status(token) reports FAILED, not
IN_PROGRESS. Reverting only the production catch (keeping the tests) turns
both red; restoring it turns them green again.

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

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;
@@ -563,10 +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;
@@ -1632,6 +1642,57 @@ public final class Fleetd {
         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

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

@@ -1329,9 +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;

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

@@ -120,7 +120,13 @@ public final class LeadContextGauge {
      *                    trust this number either way
      */
     public record Reading(State state, Long tokens, int compactions) {
-        static Reading unknown() {
+        /**
+         * 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);
         }
     }

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

@@ -231,7 +231,9 @@ public final class LeadRollover {
          * #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.
+         * #TURN_NEVER_SETTLED}, {@link #CLEAR_NEVER_SETTLED}, or {@link #FAILED}) once it finishes
+         * — including by throwing, which fleetd #615's catch in {@link #runRollover} now turns into
+         * {@link #FAILED} instead of leaving this entry stuck forever.
          */
         IN_PROGRESS,
         /**
@@ -253,6 +255,19 @@ public final class LeadRollover {
          * within {@code clearSettleSeconds} — {@code bootstrapText} was never sent.
          */
         CLEAR_NEVER_SETTLED,
+        /**
+         * fleetd #615: the deferred continuation threw a {@link RuntimeException} — most likely a
+         * {@link dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.HerdrException} out of one of the two unwrapped {@code
+         * agents.send} calls in {@link #runRollover} — and the continuation thread died with it.
+         * Before this state existed, that throw left {@link #outcomes} holding {@link #IN_PROGRESS}
+         * forever, because the production {@code continuationRunner} is a bare virtual thread with
+         * no uncaught-exception handler and nothing downstream of the throw ever ran to write a
+         * terminal outcome. {@code detail} names the exception, so a reader has something to act on
+         * — the same diagnostic style as {@link #TURN_NEVER_SETTLED} and {@link
+         * #CLEAR_NEVER_SETTLED}. The roll is dead at this point and does not retry itself; a stuck
+         * lead must {@link #open} a fresh request.
+         */
+        FAILED,
         /**
          * {@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.
@@ -493,8 +508,42 @@ public final class LeadRollover {
      * entirely after {@link #confirm} has returned to its caller — see this class's javadoc for the
      * four-step order. There is no result to return to by this point, so every outcome is logged
      * only.
+     *
+     * <p><strong>fleetd #615 — the whole body is wrapped in one {@code try}.</strong> The two {@code
+     * agents.send} calls below are not wrapped individually: {@code send} → {@code agentCall} →
+     * {@code herdr.call} can throw an unchecked {@link dev.ltms.fleet.herdr.HerdrException} (see
+     * {@code AgentControl.java}), and the production {@code continuationRunner} is a bare virtual
+     * thread with no uncaught-exception handler (see this class's public constructor). Before this
+     * fix, either throw killed the continuation thread silently, leaving the {@link
+     * RollState#IN_PROGRESS} entry {@link #confirm} wrote at hand-off stuck forever — {@link
+     * #status} had no way to tell a dead roll from one still genuinely running. The {@code catch}
+     * below is scoped to the method body rather than to each {@code send} call individually, so it
+     * also covers anything else added to this continuation later, not just today's two call sites —
+     * the same reasoning that put the write-a-terminal-outcome step at each of this method's other
+     * exits (see the {@link RollState#TURN_NEVER_SETTLED} and {@link RollState#CLEAR_NEVER_SETTLED}
+     * branches below) rather than inside the helpers that detect them.</p>
+     *
+     * <p>Only {@link RuntimeException} is caught, matching the local convention {@link
+     * #waitUntilAtTurnBoundary} already set around its own {@code agents.status} call — not the
+     * broader {@link Exception} or {@link Throwable}, which would also swallow something like an
+     * {@link OutOfMemoryError} this continuation has no business handling.</p>
      */
     private void runRollover(PendingRollover p, FleetConfig.LeadRollover cfg) {
+        try {
+            runRolloverUnguarded(p, cfg);
+        } catch (RuntimeException e) {
+            log.warn("lead-rollover: continuation for token={} lead={} threw {} — the roll is dead; "
+                            + "no further step in this continuation will run",
+                    p.token(), p.leadTerminal(), e.toString(), e);
+            outcomes.put(p.token(), new RollStatus(RollState.FAILED,
+                    "the roll's continuation threw " + e.toString() + " — the roll is dead and will "
+                            + "not retry itself; check the daemon log for the stack trace, then open() "
+                            + "a fresh rollover request"));
+        }
+    }
+
+    /** The actual body of {@link #runRollover}, unwrapped — see that method's javadoc for the catch. */
+    private void runRolloverUnguarded(PendingRollover p, FleetConfig.LeadRollover cfg) {
         String lead = p.leadTerminal();
         long rollStartMillis = nowMillis.getAsLong();
         TurnSettleResult turnResult = waitUntilAtTurnBoundary(lead, cfg.turnSettleSeconds());

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/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/lead/LeadContextGaugeTest.java

@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ 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
@@ -137,6 +138,15 @@ class LeadContextGaugeTest {
         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());

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

@@ -1359,4 +1359,92 @@ class LeadRolloverTest {
                     + "it were the measured wait duration: " + message);
         }
     }
+
+    // ---- fleetd #615: a HerdrException out of either unwrapped agents.send call must leave a ----
+    // ---- TERMINAL FAILED outcome, never a stuck IN_PROGRESS ---------------------------------------
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("[fleetd #615 — 1] send() throwing on the /clear call leaves status(token) "
+            + "reporting FAILED, not stuck at IN_PROGRESS")
+    void sendThrowingOnClearLeavesStatusReportingFailed() throws IOException {
+        FakeHerdr fake = new FakeHerdr(); // default idle — the turn-settle wait passes immediately
+        HerdrClient throwsOnClear = new HerdrClient() {
+            @Override
+            public JsonNode call(String method, Object params) throws HerdrException {
+                if ("agent.prompt".equals(method) && String.valueOf(params).contains("/clear")) {
+                    throw new HerdrException("simulated herdr transport failure sending /clear");
+                }
+                return fake.call(method, params);
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void close() {
+                fake.close();
+            }
+        };
+        Path handover = writeHandover("handover contents");
+        AtomicLong clock = new AtomicLong(1_000);
+        LeadRollover rollover = newRollover(throwsOnClear, 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(), "every synchronous gate passes; the throw happens only "
+                + "inside the deferred continuation, which this test's synchronous runner has "
+                + "already run to completion by the time confirm() returns");
+
+        LeadRollover.RollStatus status = rollover.status(pending.token());
+        assertEquals(LeadRollover.RollState.FAILED, status.state(),
+                "a HerdrException out of the /clear send must leave a TERMINAL FAILED outcome — "
+                        + "before fleetd #615's fix, the continuation thread died silently and "
+                        + "status() was stuck reporting the IN_PROGRESS confirm() wrote at hand-off, "
+                        + "forever: got " + status.state() + " / " + status.detail());
+        assertNotEquals(LeadRollover.RollState.IN_PROGRESS, status.state());
+        assertTrue(status.detail().contains("HerdrException"), "the detail must name the exception "
+                + "so an operator reading status() has something to act on: " + status.detail());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("[fleetd #615 — 2] send() throwing on the bootstrap-text call (after /clear "
+            + "succeeded and the pane settled) also leaves status(token) reporting FAILED — a "
+            + "DIFFERENT exit from the /clear-throw case above")
+    void sendThrowingOnBootstrapTextLeavesStatusReportingFailed() throws IOException {
+        FakeHerdr fake = new FakeHerdr(); // default idle throughout — both settle waits pass promptly
+        HerdrClient throwsOnBootstrapText = new HerdrClient() {
+            @Override
+            public JsonNode call(String method, Object params) throws HerdrException {
+                if ("agent.prompt".equals(method) && String.valueOf(params).contains("read the handover file")) {
+                    throw new HerdrException("simulated herdr transport failure sending bootstrapText");
+                }
+                return fake.call(method, params);
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void close() {
+                fake.close();
+            }
+        };
+        Path handover = writeHandover("handover contents");
+        AtomicLong clock = new AtomicLong(1_000);
+        LeadRollover rollover = newRollover(throwsOnBootstrapText, 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(), "every synchronous gate passes; the throw happens only "
+                + "inside the deferred continuation, which this test's synchronous runner has "
+                + "already run to completion by the time confirm() returns");
+        assertEquals(1, promptCallCount(fake), "sanity: /clear was sent and settled — only the "
+                + "SECOND agent.prompt call (bootstrapText) threw");
+
+        LeadRollover.RollStatus status = rollover.status(pending.token());
+        assertEquals(LeadRollover.RollState.FAILED, status.state(),
+                "a HerdrException out of the bootstrapText send — a DIFFERENT exit from the /clear "
+                        + "throw, reached only after /clear already succeeded and the pane already "
+                        + "settled — must also leave a TERMINAL FAILED outcome, not a stuck "
+                        + "IN_PROGRESS: got " + status.state() + " / " + status.detail());
+        assertNotEquals(LeadRollover.RollState.IN_PROGRESS, status.state());
+        assertTrue(status.detail().contains("HerdrException"), "the detail must name the exception "
+                + "so an operator reading status() has something to act on: " + status.detail());
+    }
 }

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() {
+        }
+    }
 }