diff --git a/src/main/native-chat/agent-session-wire/agent-session-journal-recovery.test.ts b/src/main/native-chat/agent-session-wire/agent-session-journal-recovery.test.ts
index 214c889b5c9..1c60029c7d3 100644
--- a/src/main/native-chat/agent-session-wire/agent-session-journal-recovery.test.ts
+++ b/src/main/native-chat/agent-session-wire/agent-session-journal-recovery.test.ts
@@ -6,14 +6,14 @@
 import { mkdtemp, rm, writeFile } from 'node:fs/promises'
 import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
 import { join } from 'node:path'
-import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
+import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
 import type {
   AgentJournalItemIdentity,
   AgentSessionJournalIdentity
 } from '../../../shared/agent-session-journal-types'
 import { openJournalDatabase } from '../agent-session-journal/journal-database'
 import { JOURNAL_DB_SCHEMA_VERSION } from '../agent-session-journal/journal-database-schema'
-import { loadJournal } from '../agent-session-journal/journal-open'
+import { loadJournal, replayJournal } from '../agent-session-journal/journal-open'
 import { journalDatabaseFile } from '../agent-session-journal/journal-paths'
 import { readJournalEpochRows } from '../agent-session-journal/journal-row-table'
 import { createTrackedJournalOpener } from '../agent-session-journal/journal-store-test-open'
@@ -24,6 +24,12 @@ import {
   recoveryJournalDir
 } from './agent-session-journal-recovery'
 
+// Only the store's own replay goes through the mock; the probe's, inside the same module, does not.
+vi.mock('../agent-session-journal/journal-open', async (importOriginal) => {
+  const actual = await importOriginal<{ replayJournal: typeof replayJournal }>()
+  return { ...actual, replayJournal: vi.fn(actual.replayJournal) }
+})
+
 const CODEX_SESSION = '019fd532-7c11-7a90-b6de-4e1a2c3d5f60'
 
 const IDENTITY: AgentSessionJournalIdentity = {
@@ -160,6 +166,21 @@ describe('openAgentSessionJournalWithRecovery', () => {
     expect(opened.snapshot().items).toHaveLength(2)
   })
 
+  it('reads the journal once: the probe is the open', async () => {
+    await seedJournal(2)
+    vi.mocked(replayJournal).mockClear()
+    const opened = journals.track(
+      await openAgentSessionJournalWithRecovery({
+        identity: IDENTITY,
+        journalDir,
+        fence: 1,
+        historyFilePath
+      }).then((result) => result.journal)
+    )
+    expect(opened.snapshot().items).toHaveLength(2)
+    expect(replayJournal).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+  })
+
   it('rebuilds a holed journal in place on a fresh epoch', async () => {
     await seedJournal(3)
     await deleteRow(3)
diff --git a/src/main/native-chat/agent-session-wire/agent-session-journal-recovery.ts b/src/main/native-chat/agent-session-wire/agent-session-journal-recovery.ts
index 6e771a31809..29d324be971 100644
--- a/src/main/native-chat/agent-session-wire/agent-session-journal-recovery.ts
+++ b/src/main/native-chat/agent-session-wire/agent-session-journal-recovery.ts
@@ -67,7 +67,9 @@ export async function openAgentSessionJournalWithRecovery(input: {
   }
   const journal = await openAgentSessionJournal({
     identity: input.identity,
-    journalDir: input.journalDir
+    journalDir: input.journalDir,
+    // The probe is this open's replay; omitted, not `null`, when there was nothing to load.
+    ...(probe ? { loaded: probe } : {})
   })
   if (!probe?.corrupt) {
     return { journal, recovery: null }