diff --git a/src/shared/structured-agent-session-send-disposition.test.ts b/src/shared/structured-agent-session-send-disposition.test.ts
index 98ea2ff8b67..5514d422015 100644
--- a/src/shared/structured-agent-session-send-disposition.test.ts
+++ b/src/shared/structured-agent-session-send-disposition.test.ts
@@ -411,6 +411,33 @@ describe('ambiguous operation refusals', () => {
     expect(disposition.entries).toMatchObject([{ clientMessageId: 'fresh-id', state: 'rejected' }])
   })
 
+  it("parks an older host's restart answer that carries the reason but not the recovered marker", () => {
+    const result = rejectedWith(null)
+    if (!result.ok || !('submission' in result.value)) {
+      throw new Error('expected a send result')
+    }
+    result.value.submission = {
+      ...result.value.submission,
+      dispatchState: 'unknown',
+      reason: 'host_restarted_before_acknowledgement'
+    }
+
+    const disposition = disposeStructuredAgentSessionSendResult({
+      entries: [entry],
+      entry,
+      result,
+      createOperationId: () => 'unused'
+    })
+
+    expect(disposition.entries).toMatchObject([
+      {
+        clientMessageId: entry.clientMessageId,
+        state: 'unconfirmed',
+        retryAfterUnknownSubmittedAt: -1
+      }
+    ])
+  })
+
   it('parks a recovered missing submission without polling forever', () => {
     const result = rejectedWith(null)
     if (!result.ok || !('submission' in result.value)) {
diff --git a/src/shared/structured-agent-session-send-disposition.ts b/src/shared/structured-agent-session-send-disposition.ts
index f717e54f2d4..a8f68057fd5 100644
--- a/src/shared/structured-agent-session-send-disposition.ts
+++ b/src/shared/structured-agent-session-send-disposition.ts
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import {
 import type { AgentSessionFailureFact } from './agent-session-failure'
 import type { AgentSessionFailureWordsContext } from './agent-session-failure-words'
 import { classifyDispatchRejection } from './structured-agent-session-dispatch-rejection'
+import { isRecoveredStructuredAgentSessionSubmission } from './structured-agent-session-unanswered-dispatch'
 import {
   classifyStructuredAgentSessionSendFailure,
   requeueStructuredAgentSessionSendRefusal,
@@ -277,7 +278,7 @@ export function disposeStructuredAgentSessionSendResult(
       error: null
     }
   }
-  if (submission.dispatchState === 'unknown' && submission.recovered) {
+  if (isRecoveredStructuredAgentSessionSubmission(submission)) {
     return {
       entries: input.entries.map((candidate) =>
         candidate.clientMessageId === input.entry.clientMessageId
diff --git a/src/shared/structured-agent-session-unanswered-dispatch.test.ts b/src/shared/structured-agent-session-unanswered-dispatch.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..39a67f880e7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/shared/structured-agent-session-unanswered-dispatch.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
+import type { AgentJournalSubmission } from './agent-session-journal-types'
+import {
+  isRecoveredStructuredAgentSessionSubmission,
+  isUnansweredStructuredAgentSessionDispatch
+} from './structured-agent-session-unanswered-dispatch'
+
+function submission(patch: Partial<AgentJournalSubmission>): AgentJournalSubmission {
+  return {
+    clientMessageId: 'client-1',
+    fence: 1,
+    payloadFingerprint: 'fingerprint',
+    dispatchState: 'unknown',
+    providerItemId: null,
+    reason: null,
+    submittedAt: 1,
+    resolvedAt: 1,
+    ...patch
+  }
+}
+
+describe('a send whose outcome the host lost for good', () => {
+  it('is one the host marked recovered', () => {
+    const row = submission({ recovered: true, reason: 'provider_exited_before_acknowledgement' })
+    expect(isRecoveredStructuredAgentSessionSubmission(row)).toBe(true)
+    expect(isUnansweredStructuredAgentSessionDispatch(row)).toBe(false)
+  })
+
+  it("is an older host's restart row, which carries the reason without the marker", () => {
+    const row = submission({ reason: 'host_restarted_before_acknowledgement' })
+    expect(isRecoveredStructuredAgentSessionSubmission(row)).toBe(true)
+    expect(isUnansweredStructuredAgentSessionDispatch(row)).toBe(false)
+  })
+
+  it('is never a live unknown, which something still running may answer', () => {
+    const row = submission({ reason: 'provider_ack_ambiguous' })
+    expect(isRecoveredStructuredAgentSessionSubmission(row)).toBe(false)
+    expect(isUnansweredStructuredAgentSessionDispatch(row)).toBe(true)
+  })
+
+  it('is never a settled send, whatever its reason says', () => {
+    expect(
+      isRecoveredStructuredAgentSessionSubmission(
+        submission({ dispatchState: 'rejected', reason: 'host_restarted_before_acknowledgement' })
+      )
+    ).toBe(false)
+  })
+})
diff --git a/src/shared/structured-agent-session-unanswered-dispatch.ts b/src/shared/structured-agent-session-unanswered-dispatch.ts
index 412b3e98196..2113525564d 100644
--- a/src/shared/structured-agent-session-unanswered-dispatch.ts
+++ b/src/shared/structured-agent-session-unanswered-dispatch.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,19 @@
 import type { AgentJournalSubmission } from './agent-session-journal-types'
 import { isQueuedAgentJournalSubmission } from './agent-session-queued-submission'
 
+/** A send whose outcome the host lost for good when the process that sent it went away (a restart,
+ *  a provider exit, an idle release): nothing still running can answer it. */
+export function isRecoveredStructuredAgentSessionSubmission(
+  submission: Pick<AgentJournalSubmission, 'dispatchState' | 'recovered' | 'reason'>
+): boolean {
+  return (
+    submission.dispatchState === 'unknown' &&
+    (submission.recovered === true ||
+      // Older hosts publish the recovery reason but omit the optional marker.
+      submission.reason === 'host_restarted_before_acknowledgement')
+  )
+}
+
 /** One send the provider has neither opened a turn for nor refused; the rule is explained on
  *  `hasUnansweredStructuredAgentSessionDispatch`, which asks it of every send. */
 export function isUnansweredStructuredAgentSessionDispatch(
@@ -15,9 +28,7 @@ export function isUnansweredStructuredAgentSessionDispatch(
     (currentFence == null || submission.fence >= currentFence) &&
     (submission.dispatchState === 'pending' ||
       (submission.dispatchState === 'unknown' &&
-        submission.recovered !== true &&
-        // Older hosts publish the recovery reason but omit the optional marker.
-        submission.reason !== 'host_restarted_before_acknowledgement'))
+        !isRecoveredStructuredAgentSessionSubmission(submission)))
   )
 }