diff --git a/src/main/ipc/worktrees-orphan-directory-cleanup.test.ts b/src/main/ipc/worktrees-orphan-directory-cleanup.test.ts
index 954a994940d..8b8a89ca450 100644
--- a/src/main/ipc/worktrees-orphan-directory-cleanup.test.ts
+++ b/src/main/ipc/worktrees-orphan-directory-cleanup.test.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
+import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
 import { lstat, mkdir, mkdtemp, rm, writeFile } from 'node:fs/promises'
 import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
 import { join } from 'node:path'
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import {
 import { handlers, mainWindow, setupWorktreeHandlers, store } from './worktrees-test-harness'
 import { makeWorktreeMeta, mockKnownFeatureWorktree } from './worktrees-test-fixtures'
 import type { WorktreeRuntimeStub } from './worktrees-test-runtime-stub'
+import { setWorktreeRemovalSshHostHomeResolver } from '../worktree-removal-execution-host-route'
 
 vi.mock('electron', async () =>
   (await import('./worktrees-test-module-mocks')).electronModuleMock()
@@ -105,6 +106,10 @@ describe('registerWorktreeHandlers', () => {
     runtimeStub = setupWorktreeHandlers()
   })
 
+  afterEach(() => {
+    setWorktreeRemovalSshHostHomeResolver(() => null)
+  })
+
   it('reports already-missing unregistered delete paths before teardown, hooks, or git removal', async () => {
     mockKnownFeatureWorktree('/workspace/real-feature')
     getEffectiveHooksMock.mockReturnValue({
@@ -421,7 +426,10 @@ describe('registerWorktreeHandlers', () => {
     }
   })
 
+  // The recursive-delete gate now requires the execution host to have reported its `$HOME`, so
+  // this test has to establish it before it can reach the symlink check it is actually about.
   it('refuses SSH orphan cleanup when remote .git is a symlink', async () => {
+    setWorktreeRemovalSshHostHomeResolver(() => '/remote/home/alice')
     const repo = {
       id: 'repo-ssh-symlink-git',
       path: '/remote/repo',
diff --git a/src/main/runtime/orca-runtime-tests/worktree-removal-and-reconciliation-part-03.spec.ts b/src/main/runtime/orca-runtime-tests/worktree-removal-and-reconciliation-part-03.spec.ts
index 06982cf179e..9daec4aec70 100644
--- a/src/main/runtime/orca-runtime-tests/worktree-removal-and-reconciliation-part-03.spec.ts
+++ b/src/main/runtime/orca-runtime-tests/worktree-removal-and-reconciliation-part-03.spec.ts
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ import {
   store
 } from '../orca-runtime-test-fixtures.spec'
 import { createWorktreeRemovalRuntime } from '../orca-runtime-test-scenario-builders.spec'
+import { setWorktreeRemovalSshHostHomeResolver } from '../../worktree-removal-execution-host-route'
 
 describe('OrcaRuntimeService', () => {
   it('force-deletes a preserved branch on the qualified host when repo ids collide', async () => {
@@ -453,6 +454,10 @@ describe('OrcaRuntimeService', () => {
     }
     registerSshGitProvider(repo.connectionId, gitProvider as never)
     registerSshFilesystemProvider(repo.connectionId, fsProvider as never)
+    // The recursive-delete gate needs the execution host to have reported its `$HOME`. In
+    // production that comes from the same relay session that minted this fs provider; the test
+    // registers the provider directly, so it has to supply the other half.
+    setWorktreeRemovalSshHostHomeResolver(() => '/remote/home/alice')
     const runtime = new OrcaRuntimeService(runtimeStore as never, undefined, {
       getSshProvider: () => ptyProvider as never
     })
@@ -460,6 +465,7 @@ describe('OrcaRuntimeService', () => {
     try {
       await expect(runtime.removeManagedWorktree(`id:${worktreeId}`, true)).resolves.toEqual({})
     } finally {
+      setWorktreeRemovalSshHostHomeResolver(() => null)
       unregisterSshGitProvider(repo.connectionId)
       unregisterSshFilesystemProvider(repo.connectionId)
     }
diff --git a/src/main/runtime/relay/desktop-relay-service-transient-demand-teardown.test.ts b/src/main/runtime/relay/desktop-relay-service-transient-demand-teardown.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..8ac7e62549f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/runtime/relay/desktop-relay-service-transient-demand-teardown.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,113 @@
+import { describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
+import { DesktopRelayService } from './desktop-relay-service'
+import type { MobilePairingConnectionMode } from '../../../shared/mobile-pairing-connection-mode'
+
+/**
+ * `withTransientDemand`'s teardown runs work that can fail on its own.
+ *
+ * `refreshDemand` reaches the device registry (`nextPendingExpiry` -> `listDevices`) and the
+ * settings store (`hasDemand` -> `isRelayAllowedForDevice`). Running it bare in the `finally` let
+ * its failure replace the operation's result in BOTH directions: a named mint failure arrived as
+ * an unrelated message, and a successful mint arrived as a rejection. Before the operation it was
+ * worse still: the throw landed after the transient ref was acquired, so the ref was never
+ * released, and transient refs have no expiry.
+ */
+type TransientDemandHost = {
+  withTransientDemand: (
+    kind: string,
+    deviceId: string,
+    operation: () => Promise<unknown>
+  ) => Promise<unknown>
+}
+
+function serviceWithTeardown(options: {
+  release?: () => void
+  refreshDemand?: () => void
+}): (operation: () => Promise<unknown>) => Promise<unknown> {
+  const service = Object.create(DesktopRelayService.prototype) as DesktopRelayService
+  Object.assign(service, {
+    hostMobilePairingConnectionMode: () => 'automatic' as MobilePairingConnectionMode,
+    runtimeRpc: {
+      getDeviceRegistry: () => ({ getMobilePairingConnectionMode: () => 'automatic' })
+    },
+    demandLedger: { acquireTransient: () => options.release ?? ((): void => {}) },
+    refreshDemand: options.refreshDemand ?? ((): void => {})
+  })
+  const host = service as unknown as TransientDemandHost
+  return (operation) => host.withTransientDemand.call(service, 'pairing', 'device-1', operation)
+}
+
+describe('DesktopRelayService transient-demand teardown', () => {
+  it('keeps the operation failure when the demand refresh throws', async () => {
+    const warn = vi.spyOn(console, 'warn').mockImplementation(() => {})
+    const run = serviceWithTeardown({
+      refreshDemand: () => {
+        throw new Error('listDevices exploded')
+      }
+    })
+
+    await expect(
+      run(async () => {
+        throw new Error('relay_broker_rejected')
+      })
+    ).rejects.toThrow('relay_broker_rejected')
+    expect(warn).toHaveBeenCalled()
+    warn.mockRestore()
+  })
+
+  it('does not strand the demand ref when the pre-operation refresh throws', async () => {
+    const warn = vi.spyOn(console, 'warn').mockImplementation(() => {})
+    const release = vi.fn()
+    const operation = vi.fn(async () => 'minted')
+    const run = serviceWithTeardown({
+      release,
+      refreshDemand: () => {
+        throw new Error('listDevices exploded')
+      }
+    })
+
+    // The ref has no expiry, so failing the wake signal must not take the release with it.
+    await expect(run(operation)).resolves.toBe('minted')
+    expect(operation).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+    expect(release).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+    warn.mockRestore()
+  })
+
+  it('keeps a successful mint successful when the demand refresh throws', async () => {
+    const warn = vi.spyOn(console, 'warn').mockImplementation(() => {})
+    const run = serviceWithTeardown({
+      refreshDemand: () => {
+        throw new Error('listDevices exploded')
+      }
+    })
+
+    await expect(run(async () => 'minted')).resolves.toBe('minted')
+    warn.mockRestore()
+  })
+
+  it('carries the original failure as the cause of a mid-operation policy flip', async () => {
+    const mode = { current: 'automatic' as MobilePairingConnectionMode }
+    const service = Object.create(DesktopRelayService.prototype) as DesktopRelayService
+    Object.assign(service, {
+      hostMobilePairingConnectionMode: () => mode.current,
+      runtimeRpc: {
+        getDeviceRegistry: () => ({ getMobilePairingConnectionMode: () => 'automatic' })
+      },
+      demandLedger: { acquireTransient: () => (): void => {} },
+      refreshDemand: () => {}
+    })
+    const host = service as unknown as TransientDemandHost
+
+    const rejection = await host.withTransientDemand
+      .call(service, 'pairing', 'device-1', async () => {
+        mode.current = 'local-only'
+        throw new Error('relay_token_exchange_failed_503')
+      })
+      .catch((error: unknown) => error)
+
+    expect((rejection as Error).message).toBe('relay_disabled_for_device')
+    expect(((rejection as Error).cause as Error | undefined)?.message).toBe(
+      'relay_token_exchange_failed_503'
+    )
+  })
+})
diff --git a/src/main/runtime/relay/desktop-relay-service.ts b/src/main/runtime/relay/desktop-relay-service.ts
index ca961759e4e..29d1bc54983 100644
--- a/src/main/runtime/relay/desktop-relay-service.ts
+++ b/src/main/runtime/relay/desktop-relay-service.ts
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ import type { PairingRelay } from '../../../shared/mobile-relay-pairing-offer'
 import type { RelayDeviceBinding, RelayRevokeOutboxItem } from './relay-revoke-outbox'
 import { RelayRevokeOutboxFlusher } from './relay-revoke-outbox-flush'
 import { deriveRelayHostId } from './relay-http-client'
-import { RelayDemandLedger } from './relay-demand-ledger'
+import { RelayDemandLedger, refreshRelayDemandBestEffort } from './relay-demand-ledger'
 import { createRelayRegionPreferenceReader } from './relay-region-preference'
 import { pairingAuthorizationForContext } from './relay-pairing-authorization'
 import { buildPairingEndpointsResult } from './relay-pairing-endpoints-result'
@@ -290,7 +290,7 @@ export class DesktopRelayService {
       throw new Error('relay_disabled_for_device')
     }
     const release = this.demandLedger.acquireTransient(`${kind}:${deviceId}`, deviceId)
-    this.refreshDemand()
+    refreshRelayDemandBestEffort(() => this.refreshDemand())
     try {
       return await operation()
     } catch (error) {
@@ -299,12 +299,12 @@ export class DesktopRelayService {
       // reaches `standby` and clears the offline reason. The wait then ends with no cause at all
       // — the generic `relay_control_not_active` — when the flip is exactly the cause.
       if (!this.isRelayAllowedForDevice(deviceId)) {
-        throw new Error('relay_disabled_for_device')
+        throw new Error('relay_disabled_for_device', { cause: error })
       }
       throw error
     } finally {
       release()
-      this.refreshDemand()
+      refreshRelayDemandBestEffort(() => this.refreshDemand())
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/src/main/runtime/relay/relay-demand-ledger.ts b/src/main/runtime/relay/relay-demand-ledger.ts
index cc585351ae9..7aad8959d45 100644
--- a/src/main/runtime/relay/relay-demand-ledger.ts
+++ b/src/main/runtime/relay/relay-demand-ledger.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,25 @@ type RelayDemandLedgerOptions = {
 
 type TransientRef = { deviceId: string; count: number }
 
+/**
+ * Run a demand refresh as the wake signal it is.
+ *
+ * A refresh reaches the device registry (`nextPendingExpiry` -> `listDevices`) and the settings
+ * store (`hasDemand` -> the host pairing mode), so it can fail on its own. Bare, it failed the
+ * caller it was waking for: before an operation it threw with a transient ref already acquired —
+ * and those have no expiry, so the ref held relay demand for the rest of the process — and after
+ * one it replaced the operation's own result, turning a named mint failure into an unrelated
+ * message and a successful mint into a rejection. A lost wake signal is recoverable; the liveness
+ * tick and the next refresh both re-ask.
+ */
+export function refreshRelayDemandBestEffort(refresh: () => void): void {
+  try {
+    refresh()
+  } catch (error) {
+    console.warn('[relay] demand refresh failed:', error)
+  }
+}
+
 export class RelayDemandLedger {
   private readonly options: RelayDemandLedgerOptions
   private readonly transientRefs = new Map<string, TransientRef>()
diff --git a/src/main/runtime/relay/relay-retry-schedule.test.ts b/src/main/runtime/relay/relay-retry-schedule.test.ts
index aff1ce6319a..db99e31382e 100644
--- a/src/main/runtime/relay/relay-retry-schedule.test.ts
+++ b/src/main/runtime/relay/relay-retry-schedule.test.ts
@@ -27,6 +27,32 @@ describe('RelayRetrySchedule', () => {
     expect(schedule.settled).toBeNull()
   })
 
+  // Why this matters beyond the throw itself: the retry callback is the caller's whole recovery
+  // step (the origin pool's `handleDrain` reaches `onStatus` -> `webContents.send`). A throw used
+  // to escape the timer AND skip the resolve, parking every `settled` waiter on a promise nothing
+  // would settle while the schedule held no armed timer — dead with no re-entry.
+  it('settles and stays reschedulable when the retry throws', async () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers()
+    const consoleError = vi.spyOn(console, 'error').mockImplementation(() => {})
+    const schedule = new RelayRetrySchedule(() => 0.5)
+    schedule.schedule(0, () => {
+      throw new Error('recovery step blew up')
+    })
+    const settled = schedule.settled!
+
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(500)
+
+    await expect(settled).resolves.toBeUndefined()
+    expect(schedule.pending).toBe(false)
+    expect(consoleError).toHaveBeenCalled()
+
+    const next = vi.fn()
+    schedule.schedule(0, next)
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(10_000)
+    expect(next).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+    consoleError.mockRestore()
+  })
+
   it('settles on cancel without running the retry', async () => {
     vi.useFakeTimers()
     const schedule = new RelayRetrySchedule(() => 0.5)
diff --git a/src/main/runtime/relay/relay-retry-schedule.ts b/src/main/runtime/relay/relay-retry-schedule.ts
index dcab1069e37..a3ef621d454 100644
--- a/src/main/runtime/relay/relay-retry-schedule.ts
+++ b/src/main/runtime/relay/relay-retry-schedule.ts
@@ -28,8 +28,18 @@ export class RelayRetrySchedule {
     this.timer = setTimeout(() => {
       this.timer = null
       this.armed = null
-      retry()
-      armed.resolve()
+      // Why contained: `retry` is the caller's whole recovery step, run bare inside a timer. A
+      // synchronous throw there escaped as an uncaughtException AND skipped the resolve, so every
+      // waiter on `settled` parked on a promise nothing would ever settle, while the schedule was
+      // left with no armed timer — the chain dead with no re-entry. Waking the waiters is right
+      // either way: the retry is over, however it ended.
+      try {
+        retry()
+      } catch (error) {
+        console.error('[relay] scheduled retry threw:', error)
+      } finally {
+        armed.resolve()
+      }
     }, delayMs)
   }
 
diff --git a/src/main/runtime/runtime-unregistered-worktree-removal-host-home.test.ts b/src/main/runtime/runtime-unregistered-worktree-removal-host-home.test.ts
index 259209b9b04..3248680f023 100644
--- a/src/main/runtime/runtime-unregistered-worktree-removal-host-home.test.ts
+++ b/src/main/runtime/runtime-unregistered-worktree-removal-host-home.test.ts
@@ -77,6 +77,34 @@ describe('removeRuntimeUnregisteredWorktree against an SSH host home', () => {
     expect(fsProvider.deletePath).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
   })
 
+  // The resolver answers null whenever the relay session left `activeSessions` or never resolved
+  // its host env — an ordinary disconnect. That skips the containment check entirely and leaves
+  // only path SHAPES, which do not know `/srv/homes/alice`. "Could not ask the host where its home
+  // is" is unverifiable, so the recursive delete has to fail closed.
+  it('refuses the recursive delete when the host never reported its home', async () => {
+    setWorktreeRemovalSshHostHomeResolver(() => null)
+    const fsProvider = provenOrphanFilesystem(HOST_HOME)
+
+    await expect(
+      removeRuntimeUnregisteredWorktree(removalArgs(HOST_HOME, fsProvider))
+    ).rejects.toThrow(`Refusing to delete unregistered worktree path: ${HOST_HOME}`)
+    expect(fsProvider.deletePath).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+  })
+
+  // The stated cost of failing closed: an ordinary orphan is also declined until the host answers.
+  // Declining is recoverable — the row survives and the next connected removal proceeds — while a
+  // recursive delete of the wrong directory is not.
+  it('declines an ordinary orphan too while the home is unknown', async () => {
+    setWorktreeRemovalSshHostHomeResolver(() => null)
+    const worktreePath = `${HOST_HOME}/workspaces/leftover`
+    const fsProvider = provenOrphanFilesystem(worktreePath)
+
+    await expect(
+      removeRuntimeUnregisteredWorktree(removalArgs(worktreePath, fsProvider))
+    ).rejects.toThrow(`Refusing to delete unregistered worktree path: ${worktreePath}`)
+    expect(fsProvider.deletePath).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+  })
+
   it('still deletes a proven orphan under that host home', async () => {
     setWorktreeRemovalSshHostHomeResolver(() => HOST_HOME)
     const worktreePath = `${HOST_HOME}/workspaces/leftover`
diff --git a/src/main/startup/desktop-relay-startup.ts b/src/main/startup/desktop-relay-startup.ts
index 1846c004193..d61701de381 100644
--- a/src/main/startup/desktop-relay-startup.ts
+++ b/src/main/startup/desktop-relay-startup.ts
@@ -23,10 +23,16 @@ export function startDesktopRelayService(runtimeRpc: OrcaRuntimeRpcServer): void
       onStatus: (status, cellUrl) => {
         state.desktopRelayStatus = status
         state.desktopRelayCellUrl = cellUrl
-        state.mainWindow?.webContents.send('mobile:relayStatusChanged', {
-          status,
-          ...(cellUrl === undefined ? {} : { cellUrl })
-        } satisfies MobileRelayStatusDetail)
+        // Why isDestroyed and not just the optional chain: `state.mainWindow` is nulled on
+        // 'closed', so between destroy and that event `webContents.send` throws
+        // "Object has been destroyed". This callback runs from inside a bare `setTimeout`
+        // recovery step, where a throw killed the whole retry chain.
+        if (state.mainWindow && !state.mainWindow.isDestroyed()) {
+          state.mainWindow.webContents.send('mobile:relayStatusChanged', {
+            status,
+            ...(cellUrl === undefined ? {} : { cellUrl })
+          } satisfies MobileRelayStatusDetail)
+        }
       }
     })
     state.desktopRelayService = relayService
diff --git a/src/main/worktree-removal-safety.ts b/src/main/worktree-removal-safety.ts
index 0d84e3af354..7ca6c1a289c 100644
--- a/src/main/worktree-removal-safety.ts
+++ b/src/main/worktree-removal-safety.ts
@@ -128,6 +128,22 @@ export function assertWorktreeDoesNotContainRegisteredWorktree(
   }
 }
 
+/**
+ * Whether the home guard was able to ask the machine that executes the removal.
+ *
+ * An execution host with no reported `$HOME` is `unknown`, not safe: the containment check is
+ * skipped entirely and only path SHAPES remain, and shapes do not know `/srv/homes/alice`,
+ * `/export/home/alice` or `D:\Profiles\bob`. The resolver answers `null` whenever the relay
+ * session is gone from `activeSessions` or never resolved its host env, which is an ordinary
+ * disconnect — and loss of contact is not permission to recursively delete
+ * (docs/reference/ssh-execution-boundary.md). Only the recursive-delete gates consult this;
+ * `isDangerousWorktreeRemovalPath` deliberately does not, because it also fences the registered
+ * `git worktree remove` path, which must stay usable while a session is mid-reconnect.
+ */
+function homeAuthorityAnswered(home: WorktreeRemovalHomeAuthority): boolean {
+  return home.kind !== 'executionHost' || Boolean(home.homePath)
+}
+
 export async function canSafelyRemoveOrphanedWorktreeDirectory(
   worktreePath: string,
   repoPath: string,
@@ -135,6 +151,9 @@ export async function canSafelyRemoveOrphanedWorktreeDirectory(
   statPath: StatPath = lstat,
   readPath: ReadPath = (path) => readFile(path, 'utf8')
 ): Promise<boolean> {
+  if (!homeAuthorityAnswered(home)) {
+    return false
+  }
   if (isDangerousWorktreeRemovalPath(worktreePath, repoPath, home)) {
     return false
   }
@@ -185,6 +204,9 @@ export async function canCleanupUnregisteredOrcaLeftoverDirectory(args: {
   if (!hasCurrentOrcaCreationProvenance(args.meta) && !hasLegacyOrcaCreationEvidence(args.meta)) {
     return false
   }
+  if (!homeAuthorityAnswered(args.home)) {
+    return false
+  }
 
   if (
     isDangerousWorktreeRemovalPath(args.worktreePath, args.repo.path, args.home) ||
diff --git a/src/relay/protocol-handshake.test.ts b/src/relay/protocol-handshake.test.ts
index c50f8ae2d4b..68ea0178ef7 100644
--- a/src/relay/protocol-handshake.test.ts
+++ b/src/relay/protocol-handshake.test.ts
@@ -61,6 +61,13 @@ describe('handshake framing', () => {
     expect(() => parseHandshakeMessage(bogus)).toThrow(/Unknown handshake type/)
   })
 
+  // `type` is peer-supplied, so it can be an object whose String() conversion throws — which
+  // replaced the one diagnostic this refusal exists to produce with a primitive-conversion error.
+  it('still names the refusal when the peer type cannot be stringified', () => {
+    const hostile = Buffer.from(JSON.stringify({ type: { toString: 1 } }))
+    expect(() => parseHandshakeMessage(hostile)).toThrow(/Unknown handshake type: object/)
+  })
+
   // The daemon logs the peer's version before any credential check, and `JSON.parse` can hand
   // back a value a template literal throws on. The parser is the one place every reader shares.
   it('rejects a version that is not a string on both arms that carry one', () => {
diff --git a/src/relay/protocol.ts b/src/relay/protocol.ts
index bc54a5f4f6d..1a2f7882930 100644
--- a/src/relay/protocol.ts
+++ b/src/relay/protocol.ts
@@ -107,7 +107,10 @@ export function parseHandshakeMessage(payload: Buffer): HandshakeMessage {
       ? HANDSHAKE_STRING_FIELDS[t as HandshakeMessage['type']]
       : null
   if (required === null) {
-    throw new Error(`Unknown handshake type: ${String(t)}`)
+    // Why typeof and not String(t): a peer-supplied `{ "type": { "toString": 1 } }` makes String()
+    // itself throw "Cannot convert object to primitive value", replacing the one diagnostic this
+    // line exists to produce.
+    throw new Error(`Unknown handshake type: ${typeof t === 'string' ? t : typeof t}`)
   }
   for (const field of required) {
     if (typeof msg[field] !== 'string') {
diff --git a/src/relay/relay-orca-cli-channel.ts b/src/relay/relay-orca-cli-channel.ts
index e174850c309..1d528c63280 100644
--- a/src/relay/relay-orca-cli-channel.ts
+++ b/src/relay/relay-orca-cli-channel.ts
@@ -154,9 +154,13 @@ export async function runRelayOrcaCliChannel(
   // Why an explicit error path: the decoder contains a throwing frame owner instead of letting
   // it escape, so a malformed relay reply must still end this one-shot command, not park it.
   const onDecodeError = (error: Error): void => {
-    process.stderr.write(`[orca-cli] Relay protocol error: ${error.message}\n`)
-    sock.destroy()
-    process.exit(1)
+    // Why exit inside the write callback: stderr is async on pipe transports, so exiting early
+    // drops the only evidence this failure ever produces — the same reason relay-handshake.ts
+    // writes its mismatch line this way.
+    process.stderr.write(`[orca-cli] Relay protocol error: ${error.message}\n`, () => {
+      sock.destroy()
+      process.exit(1)
+    })
   }
   const decoder = new FrameDecoder((frame: DecodedFrame) => {
     if (frame.id > highestReceivedSeq) {
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/mobile/MobilePage.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/mobile/MobilePage.tsx
index 4087e483efe..312d896746d 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/mobile/MobilePage.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/mobile/MobilePage.tsx
@@ -152,12 +152,12 @@ export default function MobilePage(): React.JSX.Element {
     if (relayMintFailure == null) {
       return
     }
-    // Why: users share this payload — an address (selected or relay cell) would leak a LAN/Tailscale IP or hostname.
-    const payload = await collectMobileRelayDiagnosticsPayload({
-      connectionMode,
-      failure: relayMintFailure
-    })
     try {
+      // Why: users share this payload — an address (selected or relay cell) would leak a LAN/Tailscale IP or hostname.
+      const payload = await collectMobileRelayDiagnosticsPayload({
+        connectionMode,
+        failure: relayMintFailure
+      })
       await window.api.ui.writeClipboardText(JSON.stringify(payload, null, 2))
       if (mountedRef.current) {
         toast.success(
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/mobile/mobile-relay-diagnostics-payload.test.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/mobile/mobile-relay-diagnostics-payload.test.ts
index 3bd45ed3368..81c6857e013 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/mobile/mobile-relay-diagnostics-payload.test.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/mobile/mobile-relay-diagnostics-payload.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
-import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
-import { buildMobileRelayDiagnosticsPayload } from './mobile-relay-diagnostics-payload'
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
+import {
+  buildMobileRelayDiagnosticsPayload,
+  collectMobileRelayDiagnosticsPayload
+} from './mobile-relay-diagnostics-payload'
 import type { MobileRelayMintFailure } from '../../../../shared/mobile-relay-mint-failure'
 
 const failure: MobileRelayMintFailure = {
@@ -47,3 +50,51 @@ describe('buildMobileRelayDiagnosticsPayload', () => {
     expect(payload).not.toHaveProperty('cellUrl')
   })
 })
+
+// Why this matters beyond the field value: the payload is what a user pastes into a bug report,
+// and both Copy-diagnostics buttons fire the collector as `void copyRelayDiagnostics()` with the
+// await sitting ahead of their try/catch — so a rejection here is a click that writes no
+// clipboard and shows no toast at all.
+describe('collectMobileRelayDiagnosticsPayload', () => {
+  afterEach(() => {
+    Reflect.deleteProperty(globalThis, 'window')
+  })
+
+  function stubWindow(mobile: unknown): void {
+    const api: Record<string, unknown> = {}
+    if (mobile !== undefined) {
+      api.mobile = mobile
+    }
+    Object.defineProperty(globalThis, 'window', { configurable: true, value: { api } })
+  }
+
+  it("reports 'unreadable' rather than the definite 'offline' when the status lookup fails", async () => {
+    stubWindow({ getRelayStatus: vi.fn().mockRejectedValue(new Error('ipc down')) })
+
+    const payload = await collectMobileRelayDiagnosticsPayload({
+      connectionMode: 'automatic',
+      failure
+    })
+
+    expect(payload.relayStatus).toBe('unreadable')
+  })
+
+  it('still resolves when the mobile bridge is missing entirely', async () => {
+    stubWindow(undefined)
+
+    await expect(
+      collectMobileRelayDiagnosticsPayload({ connectionMode: 'automatic', failure })
+    ).resolves.toMatchObject({ relayStatus: 'unreadable' })
+  })
+
+  it('reports a host-answered offline as offline', async () => {
+    stubWindow({ getRelayStatus: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({ status: 'offline' }) })
+
+    const payload = await collectMobileRelayDiagnosticsPayload({
+      connectionMode: 'automatic',
+      failure
+    })
+
+    expect(payload.relayStatus).toBe('offline')
+  })
+})
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/mobile/mobile-relay-diagnostics-payload.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/mobile/mobile-relay-diagnostics-payload.ts
index 8ccac2eedc8..07ea129fa05 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/mobile/mobile-relay-diagnostics-payload.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/mobile/mobile-relay-diagnostics-payload.ts
@@ -3,11 +3,18 @@ import type { MobileRelayMintFailure } from '../../../../shared/mobile-relay-min
 import type { MobileRelayStatus } from '../../../../shared/mobile-relay-status'
 import { resolveClientEnvironmentInfo } from '@/lib/client-environment-info'
 
+/** The status lookup's own failure, kept distinct from the host answering 'offline'. */
+export const MOBILE_RELAY_DIAGNOSTICS_STATUS_UNREADABLE = 'unreadable'
+
+export type MobileRelayDiagnosticsStatus =
+  | MobileRelayStatus
+  | typeof MOBILE_RELAY_DIAGNOSTICS_STATUS_UNREADABLE
+
 export type MobileRelayDiagnosticsPayload = {
   kind: 'mobile_pairing_relay_failure'
   preferredConnectionMode: MobilePairingConnectionMode
   failure: MobileRelayMintFailure
-  relayStatus: MobileRelayStatus
+  relayStatus: MobileRelayDiagnosticsStatus
   appVersion: string
   at: string
 }
@@ -17,7 +24,7 @@ export type MobileRelayDiagnosticsPayload = {
 export function buildMobileRelayDiagnosticsPayload(args: {
   connectionMode: MobilePairingConnectionMode
   failure: MobileRelayMintFailure
-  relayStatus: MobileRelayStatus
+  relayStatus: MobileRelayDiagnosticsStatus
   appVersion: string
 }): MobileRelayDiagnosticsPayload {
   return {
@@ -30,6 +37,25 @@ export function buildMobileRelayDiagnosticsPayload(args: {
   }
 }
 
+/**
+ * Why not 'offline' on failure: this payload is what a user pastes into a bug report, and
+ * 'offline' is a claim the broker was down. A status call this renderer could not complete
+ * observed nothing (docs/reference/ssh-execution-boundary.md), and reporting it as the definite
+ * neighbour points triage at the relay instead of at the lookup that actually failed.
+ *
+ * Why the whole call and not just a `.catch`: both Copy-diagnostics buttons fire this as
+ * `void copyRelayDiagnostics()`, and the await now sits ahead of their try/catch, so a bridge
+ * missing `mobile` — which throws where a rejected promise was expected — would leave the click
+ * with no clipboard write and no toast at all.
+ */
+async function readRelayStatusForDiagnostics(): Promise<MobileRelayDiagnosticsStatus> {
+  try {
+    return (await window.api.mobile.getRelayStatus()).status
+  } catch {
+    return MOBILE_RELAY_DIAGNOSTICS_STATUS_UNREADABLE
+  }
+}
+
 // Why here rather than at each call site: both "Copy diagnostics" buttons must
 // fetch the same two fields the same way, and MobilePane sits at the line ceiling.
 export async function collectMobileRelayDiagnosticsPayload(args: {
@@ -37,10 +63,7 @@ export async function collectMobileRelayDiagnosticsPayload(args: {
   failure: MobileRelayMintFailure
 }): Promise<MobileRelayDiagnosticsPayload> {
   const [relayStatus, environment] = await Promise.all([
-    window.api.mobile
-      .getRelayStatus()
-      .then((detail) => detail.status)
-      .catch(() => 'offline' as const),
+    readRelayStatusForDiagnostics(),
     resolveClientEnvironmentInfo()
   ])
   return buildMobileRelayDiagnosticsPayload({
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/settings/MobilePane.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/settings/MobilePane.tsx
index 814f3beeaa1..78904d81222 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/settings/MobilePane.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/settings/MobilePane.tsx
@@ -306,12 +306,12 @@ export function MobilePane(): React.JSX.Element {
     if (relayMintFailure == null) {
       return
     }
-    // Why: users share this payload, so it carries no address (selected or relay cell).
-    const payload = await collectMobileRelayDiagnosticsPayload({
-      connectionMode,
-      failure: relayMintFailure
-    })
     try {
+      // Why: users share this payload, so it carries no address (selected or relay cell).
+      const payload = await collectMobileRelayDiagnosticsPayload({
+        connectionMode,
+        failure: relayMintFailure
+      })
       await window.api.ui.writeClipboardText(JSON.stringify(payload, null, 2))
       if (mountedRef.current) {
         toast.success(
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/lib/host-mirror-handle-gap-expiry.test.ts b/src/renderer/src/lib/host-mirror-handle-gap-expiry.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..0c9a8f87727
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/renderer/src/lib/host-mirror-handle-gap-expiry.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
+import { useAppStore } from '@/store'
+import { clearRuntimeEnvironmentConnectionGenerationsForTests } from '@/store/slices/runtime-status'
+import {
+  HOST_MIRROR_HANDLE_GAP_DEADLINE_MS,
+  countParkedHostMirrorHandleGapPanesForTests,
+  hasHostMirrorHandleWaitExpired,
+  parkUntilHostMirrorHandleLands,
+  resetHostMirrorHandleGapWaitsForTests
+} from './host-mirror-handle-gap-wait'
+
+// What this pins: the expiry verdict is per handle-gap EPISODE, not per connection generation.
+// The module's stated escape was "a reconnect bumps the connection generation and arms a fresh
+// wait", but #19647 (same stack) stops recording `status: null` for an unreachable host, so
+// `connectionChanged` no longer fires across an outage on the same runtime. A verdict that
+// outlives the gap it was about removes the bounded wait entirely for every later gap on that
+// pane — the #19735 fork with no wait at all, which is worse than the shortened wait the
+// deadline was designed to give.
+
+const initialAppStoreState = useAppStore.getState()
+const ENV_ID = 'env-gap-expiry'
+const TAB_ID = 'web-terminal-expiry-tab'
+
+function publishRowWithoutHandle(worktreeId = 'wt'): void {
+  useAppStore.setState({
+    tabsByWorktree: { [worktreeId]: [{ id: TAB_ID, title: 't', ptyId: null }] as never },
+    ptyIdsByTabId: {}
+  })
+}
+
+describe('host-mirror handle-gap expiry', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers()
+    useAppStore.setState(initialAppStoreState, true)
+  })
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    resetHostMirrorHandleGapWaitsForTests()
+    clearRuntimeEnvironmentConnectionGenerationsForTests()
+    useAppStore.setState(initialAppStoreState, true)
+    vi.useRealTimers()
+  })
+
+  it('a landed handle retires the expiry so the next gap gets its own wait', () => {
+    publishRowWithoutHandle()
+    parkUntilHostMirrorHandleLands(ENV_ID, 'wt', TAB_ID, vi.fn())
+
+    vi.advanceTimersByTime(HOST_MIRROR_HANDLE_GAP_DEADLINE_MS)
+    expect(hasHostMirrorHandleWaitExpired(ENV_ID, TAB_ID)).toBe(true)
+
+    // The handle the wait was about finally lands — positive host evidence, same connection.
+    useAppStore.setState({ ptyIdsByTabId: { [TAB_ID]: ['remote:env@@term_1'] } })
+    expect(hasHostMirrorHandleWaitExpired(ENV_ID, TAB_ID)).toBe(false)
+
+    // A later frame republishes the row ahead of its handle: a NEW gap, which must be waited on.
+    publishRowWithoutHandle()
+    expect(hasHostMirrorHandleWaitExpired(ENV_ID, TAB_ID)).toBe(false)
+    const secondRun = vi.fn()
+    parkUntilHostMirrorHandleLands(ENV_ID, 'wt', TAB_ID, secondRun)
+    expect(countParkedHostMirrorHandleGapPanesForTests()).toBe(1)
+    expect(secondRun).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+  })
+
+  it('a wait re-parked under a new worktree is released by that worktree, not the old one', () => {
+    useAppStore.setState({
+      tabsByWorktree: {
+        'wt-old': [{ id: TAB_ID, title: 't', ptyId: null }] as never,
+        'wt-new': [{ id: TAB_ID, title: 't', ptyId: null }] as never
+      },
+      ptyIdsByTabId: {}
+    })
+    parkUntilHostMirrorHandleLands(ENV_ID, 'wt-old', TAB_ID, vi.fn())
+    const replayAfterAdoption = vi.fn()
+    parkUntilHostMirrorHandleLands(ENV_ID, 'wt-new', TAB_ID, replayAfterAdoption)
+
+    // Only the OLD worktree's rows are retracted. That says nothing about the live wait.
+    useAppStore.setState({
+      tabsByWorktree: { 'wt-new': [{ id: TAB_ID, title: 't', ptyId: null }] as never }
+    })
+    expect(replayAfterAdoption).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+    expect(countParkedHostMirrorHandleGapPanesForTests()).toBe(1)
+
+    // Retracting the worktree the wait is actually about does release it.
+    useAppStore.setState({ tabsByWorktree: {} })
+    expect(replayAfterAdoption).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+  })
+})
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/lib/host-mirror-handle-gap-replay-containment.test.ts b/src/renderer/src/lib/host-mirror-handle-gap-replay-containment.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..b11d80ba188
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/renderer/src/lib/host-mirror-handle-gap-replay-containment.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
+import { useAppStore } from '@/store'
+import { clearRuntimeEnvironmentConnectionGenerationsForTests } from '@/store/slices/runtime-status'
+import {
+  HOST_MIRROR_HANDLE_GAP_DEADLINE_MS,
+  countParkedHostMirrorHandleGapPanesForTests,
+  parkUntilHostMirrorHandleLands,
+  resetHostMirrorHandleGapWaitsForTests
+} from './host-mirror-handle-gap-wait'
+
+// What this pins: the parked replay is `resumeSleepingAgentSessionsForWorktree`, a large
+// synchronous sweep, and it is released from inside `useAppStore.subscribe`. Zustand notifies
+// listeners in a plain loop, so a replay that throws escapes the `setState` that triggered it:
+// the listeners registered after this module never see the write, and every sibling pane the
+// same mirror frame made due is left parked. The waiter's own state is torn down before `run`,
+// so containing the throw holds nothing back.
+
+const initialAppStoreState = useAppStore.getState()
+const ENV_ID = 'env-gap-containment'
+
+function seedTwoMirroredPanes(): void {
+  useAppStore.setState({
+    tabsByWorktree: {
+      wt: [
+        { id: 'tab-a', title: 'a', ptyId: null },
+        { id: 'tab-b', title: 'b', ptyId: null }
+      ] as never
+    },
+    ptyIdsByTabId: {}
+  })
+}
+
+describe('host-mirror handle-gap replay containment', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers()
+    useAppStore.setState(initialAppStoreState, true)
+  })
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    resetHostMirrorHandleGapWaitsForTests()
+    clearRuntimeEnvironmentConnectionGenerationsForTests()
+    useAppStore.setState(initialAppStoreState, true)
+    vi.useRealTimers()
+    vi.restoreAllMocks()
+  })
+
+  it('a replay that throws neither aborts the store write nor strands its sibling panes', () => {
+    vi.spyOn(console, 'error').mockImplementation(() => {})
+    seedTwoMirroredPanes()
+    const siblingReplay = vi.fn()
+    parkUntilHostMirrorHandleLands(ENV_ID, 'wt', 'tab-a', () => {
+      throw new Error('replay blew up')
+    })
+    parkUntilHostMirrorHandleLands(ENV_ID, 'wt', 'tab-b', siblingReplay)
+    expect(countParkedHostMirrorHandleGapPanesForTests()).toBe(2)
+
+    // A store subscriber registered after this module's, so it is notified after the drain.
+    const laterSubscriber = vi.fn()
+    const unsubscribe = useAppStore.subscribe(laterSubscriber)
+
+    // One mirror frame lands both handles, making both waiters due on a single store write.
+    expect(() =>
+      useAppStore.setState({ ptyIdsByTabId: { 'tab-a': ['pty-a'], 'tab-b': ['pty-b'] } })
+    ).not.toThrow()
+    unsubscribe()
+
+    expect(siblingReplay).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+    expect(laterSubscriber).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+    expect(countParkedHostMirrorHandleGapPanesForTests()).toBe(0)
+  })
+
+  it('a replay that throws on the deadline path does not escape the timer', () => {
+    vi.spyOn(console, 'error').mockImplementation(() => {})
+    seedTwoMirroredPanes()
+    parkUntilHostMirrorHandleLands(ENV_ID, 'wt', 'tab-a', () => {
+      throw new Error('replay blew up')
+    })
+
+    expect(() => vi.advanceTimersByTime(HOST_MIRROR_HANDLE_GAP_DEADLINE_MS)).not.toThrow()
+    expect(countParkedHostMirrorHandleGapPanesForTests()).toBe(0)
+  })
+})
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/runtime/web-runtime-initial-terminal-bootstrap-dispatch.test.ts b/src/renderer/src/runtime/web-runtime-initial-terminal-bootstrap-dispatch.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..1f1ee5f5bd9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/renderer/src/runtime/web-runtime-initial-terminal-bootstrap-dispatch.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
+import { useAppStore } from '@/store'
+import { dispatchWebRuntimeInitialTerminalBootstrap } from './web-runtime-initial-terminal-bootstrap-dispatch'
+import {
+  isWebRuntimeInitialTerminalBootstrapInFlight,
+  releaseWebRuntimeInitialTerminalBootstrapOnMirrorFrame,
+  resetWebRuntimeInitialTerminalBootstrapForTests
+} from './web-runtime-initial-terminal-bootstrap'
+
+const createTerminal = vi.hoisted(() => vi.fn())
+vi.mock('./web-runtime-session', () => ({ createWebRuntimeSessionTerminal: createTerminal }))
+
+// What this pins: a throw AFTER the create resolves must not leave the latch in `creating`.
+// `releaseWebRuntimeInitialTerminalBootstrapOnMirrorFrame` only ever clears `awaiting-mirror`, so
+// a stranded `creating` claim survives every later mirror frame and makes the workspace refuse to
+// bootstrap a terminal for the rest of the environment's life.
+
+const ENV_ID = 'env-bootstrap-dispatch'
+const WORKTREE_ID = 'repo-1::/w/one'
+
+describe('dispatchWebRuntimeInitialTerminalBootstrap', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    resetWebRuntimeInitialTerminalBootstrapForTests()
+    createTerminal.mockReset()
+  })
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    resetWebRuntimeInitialTerminalBootstrapForTests()
+    vi.restoreAllMocks()
+  })
+
+  it('releases the latch when the post-create store read throws', async () => {
+    createTerminal.mockResolvedValue({ status: 'created' })
+    const getState = vi.spyOn(useAppStore, 'getState').mockImplementation(() => {
+      throw new Error('store read blew up')
+    })
+
+    await expect(dispatchWebRuntimeInitialTerminalBootstrap(ENV_ID, WORKTREE_ID)).rejects.toThrow(
+      'store read blew up'
+    )
+    getState.mockRestore()
+
+    expect(isWebRuntimeInitialTerminalBootstrapInFlight(ENV_ID, WORKTREE_ID)).toBe(false)
+    // A mirror frame cannot rescue a stranded `creating` claim, so the latch had to release itself.
+    releaseWebRuntimeInitialTerminalBootstrapOnMirrorFrame(ENV_ID, WORKTREE_ID)
+    expect(isWebRuntimeInitialTerminalBootstrapInFlight(ENV_ID, WORKTREE_ID)).toBe(false)
+
+    createTerminal.mockResolvedValue({ status: 'created' })
+    await dispatchWebRuntimeInitialTerminalBootstrap(ENV_ID, WORKTREE_ID)
+    expect(createTerminal).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2)
+  })
+})
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/runtime/web-runtime-initial-terminal-bootstrap-dispatch.ts b/src/renderer/src/runtime/web-runtime-initial-terminal-bootstrap-dispatch.ts
index d4f097a2a68..ad554d1f1c6 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/runtime/web-runtime-initial-terminal-bootstrap-dispatch.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/runtime/web-runtime-initial-terminal-bootstrap-dispatch.ts
@@ -31,22 +31,25 @@ export async function dispatchWebRuntimeInitialTerminalBootstrap(
     return false
   }
   let outcome: WebRuntimeTerminalCreateOutcome
+  // Why the row read is inside the try too: a throw between the create and the latch decision
+  // left `creating` held forever — the mirror-frame release only ever clears `awaiting-mirror`,
+  // so every later dispatch for that workspace refused without creating until teardown.
   try {
     outcome = await createWebRuntimeSessionTerminal({ worktreeId, environmentId, activate: true })
+    // Why check the outcome: the create reports RPC and network failures as `{ status: 'failed' }`
+    // rather than throwing, so the catch below never sees them. Both arms report the same way.
+    if (outcome.status === 'failed') {
+      endWebRuntimeInitialTerminalBootstrap(environmentId, worktreeId)
+      return false
+    }
+    if (Object.hasOwn(useAppStore.getState().tabsByWorktree, worktreeId)) {
+      endWebRuntimeInitialTerminalBootstrap(environmentId, worktreeId)
+    } else {
+      markWebRuntimeInitialTerminalBootstrapAwaitingMirror(environmentId, worktreeId)
+    }
   } catch (error) {
     endWebRuntimeInitialTerminalBootstrap(environmentId, worktreeId)
     throw error
   }
-  // Why check the outcome: the create reports RPC and network failures as `{ status: 'failed' }`
-  // rather than throwing, so the catch above never sees them. Both arms report the same way.
-  if (outcome.status === 'failed') {
-    endWebRuntimeInitialTerminalBootstrap(environmentId, worktreeId)
-    return false
-  }
-  if (Object.hasOwn(useAppStore.getState().tabsByWorktree, worktreeId)) {
-    endWebRuntimeInitialTerminalBootstrap(environmentId, worktreeId)
-  } else {
-    markWebRuntimeInitialTerminalBootstrapAwaitingMirror(environmentId, worktreeId)
-  }
   return true
 }