diff --git a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/auto-recovery.ts b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/auto-recovery.ts
index 4b2155921..e7705e077 100644
--- a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/auto-recovery.ts
+++ b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/auto-recovery.ts
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ import {
 import { isValidationTerminal } from "./state.js";
 import { existsSync, mkdirSync, readFileSync, writeFileSync, unlinkSync } from "node:fs";
 import { atomicWriteSync } from "./atomic-write.js";
+import { loadJsonFileOrNull } from "./json-persistence.js";
 import { dirname, join } from "node:path";
 
 // ─── Artifact Resolution & Verification ───────────────────────────────────────
@@ -354,6 +355,10 @@ export function skipExecuteTask(
 
 // ─── Disk-backed completed-unit helpers ───────────────────────────────────────
 
+function isStringArray(data: unknown): data is string[] {
+  return Array.isArray(data) && data.every(item => typeof item === "string");
+}
+
 /** Path to the persisted completed-unit keys file. */
 export function completedKeysPath(base: string): string {
   return join(base, ".gsd", "completed-units.json");
@@ -362,12 +367,7 @@ export function completedKeysPath(base: string): string {
 /** Write a completed unit key to disk (read-modify-write append to set). */
 export function persistCompletedKey(base: string, key: string): void {
   const file = completedKeysPath(base);
-  let keys: string[] = [];
-  try {
-    if (existsSync(file)) {
-      keys = JSON.parse(readFileSync(file, "utf-8"));
-    }
-  } catch (e) { /* corrupt file — start fresh */ void e; }
+  const keys = loadJsonFileOrNull(file, isStringArray) ?? [];
   const keySet = new Set(keys);
   if (!keySet.has(key)) {
     keys.push(key);
@@ -378,27 +378,21 @@ export function persistCompletedKey(base: string, key: string): void {
 /** Remove a stale completed unit key from disk. */
 export function removePersistedKey(base: string, key: string): void {
   const file = completedKeysPath(base);
-  try {
-    if (existsSync(file)) {
-      const keys: string[] = JSON.parse(readFileSync(file, "utf-8"));
-      const filtered = keys.filter(k => k !== key);
-      // Only write if the key was actually present
-      if (filtered.length !== keys.length) {
-        atomicWriteSync(file, JSON.stringify(filtered));
-      }
-    }
-  } catch (e) { /* non-fatal: removePersistedKey failure */ void e; }
+  const keys = loadJsonFileOrNull(file, isStringArray);
+  if (!keys) return;
+  const filtered = keys.filter(k => k !== key);
+  if (filtered.length !== keys.length) {
+    atomicWriteSync(file, JSON.stringify(filtered));
+  }
 }
 
 /** Load all completed unit keys from disk into the in-memory set. */
 export function loadPersistedKeys(base: string, target: Set<string>): void {
   const file = completedKeysPath(base);
-  try {
-    if (existsSync(file)) {
-      const keys: string[] = JSON.parse(readFileSync(file, "utf-8"));
-      for (const k of keys) target.add(k);
-    }
-  } catch (e) { /* non-fatal: loadPersistedKeys failure */ void e; }
+  const keys = loadJsonFileOrNull(file, isStringArray);
+  if (keys) {
+    for (const k of keys) target.add(k);
+  }
 }
 
 // ─── Merge State Reconciliation ───────────────────────────────────────────────
diff --git a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/auto-worktree-sync.ts b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/auto-worktree-sync.ts
index 5231917c7..d855438ef 100644
--- a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/auto-worktree-sync.ts
+++ b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/auto-worktree-sync.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
  */
 
 import { existsSync, mkdirSync, readFileSync, cpSync, unlinkSync, readdirSync } from "node:fs";
+import { loadJsonFileOrNull } from "./json-persistence.js";
 import { join, sep as pathSep } from "node:path";
 import { homedir } from "node:os";
 import { safeCopy, safeCopyRecursive } from "./safe-fs.js";
@@ -112,15 +113,15 @@ export function syncStateToProjectRoot(worktreePath: string, projectRoot: string
  * Uses gsdVersion instead of syncedAt so that launching a second session
  * doesn't falsely trigger staleness (#804).
  */
+function isManifestWithVersion(data: unknown): data is { gsdVersion: string } {
+  return data !== null && typeof data === "object" && "gsdVersion" in data! && typeof (data as Record<string, unknown>).gsdVersion === "string";
+}
+
 export function readResourceVersion(): string | null {
   const agentDir = process.env.GSD_CODING_AGENT_DIR || join(homedir(), ".gsd", "agent");
   const manifestPath = join(agentDir, "managed-resources.json");
-  try {
-    const manifest = JSON.parse(readFileSync(manifestPath, "utf-8"));
-    return typeof manifest?.gsdVersion === "string" ? manifest.gsdVersion : null;
-  } catch {
-    return null;
-  }
+  const manifest = loadJsonFileOrNull(manifestPath, isManifestWithVersion);
+  return manifest?.gsdVersion ?? null;
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/commands-logs.ts b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/commands-logs.ts
index bd2fa958b..379c7aef2 100644
--- a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/commands-logs.ts
+++ b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/commands-logs.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import type { ExtensionCommandContext } from "@gsd/pi-coding-agent";
 import { existsSync, readdirSync, readFileSync, statSync, unlinkSync } from "node:fs";
 import { join } from "node:path";
 import { gsdRoot } from "./paths.js";
+import { loadJsonFileOrNull } from "./json-persistence.js";
 
 // ─── Types ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
@@ -331,20 +332,18 @@ async function handleLogsList(basePath: string, ctx: ExtensionCommandContext): P
 
   // Metrics summary
   const metricsPath = join(gsdRoot(basePath), "metrics.json");
-  if (existsSync(metricsPath)) {
-    try {
-      const metrics = JSON.parse(readFileSync(metricsPath, "utf-8"));
-      const units = metrics?.units;
-      if (Array.isArray(units) && units.length > 0) {
-        const totalCost = units.reduce((sum: number, u: Record<string, unknown>) => sum + ((u.cost as number) ?? 0), 0);
-        const totalTokens = units.reduce((sum: number, u: Record<string, unknown>) => {
-          const t = u.tokens as Record<string, number> | undefined;
-          return sum + (t?.total ?? 0);
-        }, 0);
-        lines.push("");
-        lines.push(`Metrics: ${units.length} units tracked · $${totalCost.toFixed(2)} · ${(totalTokens / 1000).toFixed(0)}K tokens`);
-      }
-    } catch { /* ignore */ }
+  const isMetrics = (d: unknown): d is { units: Array<Record<string, unknown>> } =>
+    d !== null && typeof d === "object" && "units" in d! && Array.isArray((d as Record<string, unknown>).units);
+  const metrics = loadJsonFileOrNull(metricsPath, isMetrics);
+  if (metrics && metrics.units.length > 0) {
+    const units = metrics.units;
+    const totalCost = units.reduce((sum: number, u) => sum + ((u.cost as number) ?? 0), 0);
+    const totalTokens = units.reduce((sum: number, u) => {
+      const t = u.tokens as Record<string, number> | undefined;
+      return sum + (t?.total ?? 0);
+    }, 0);
+    lines.push("");
+    lines.push(`Metrics: ${units.length} units tracked · $${totalCost.toFixed(2)} · ${(totalTokens / 1000).toFixed(0)}K tokens`);
   }
 
   lines.push("");
diff --git a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/json-persistence.ts b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/json-persistence.ts
index 8cb9da14b..c58c28cf1 100644
--- a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/json-persistence.ts
+++ b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/json-persistence.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { existsSync, readFileSync, writeFileSync, mkdirSync } from "node:fs";
+import { existsSync, readFileSync, writeFileSync, mkdirSync, renameSync } from "node:fs";
 import { dirname } from "node:path";
 
 /**
@@ -50,3 +50,18 @@ export function saveJsonFile<T>(filePath: string, data: T): void {
     // Non-fatal — don't let persistence failures break operation
   }
 }
+
+/**
+ * Write a JSON file atomically (write to .tmp, then rename).
+ * Creates parent directories as needed. Non-fatal on error.
+ */
+export function writeJsonFileAtomic<T>(filePath: string, data: T): void {
+  try {
+    mkdirSync(dirname(filePath), { recursive: true });
+    const tmp = filePath + ".tmp";
+    writeFileSync(tmp, JSON.stringify(data, null, 2), "utf-8");
+    renameSync(tmp, filePath);
+  } catch {
+    // Non-fatal — don't let persistence failures break operation
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/queue-order.ts b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/queue-order.ts
index de8ef6cf9..fa87a1a80 100644
--- a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/queue-order.ts
+++ b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/queue-order.ts
@@ -9,10 +9,10 @@
  * survives branch switches and is shared across sessions.
  */
 
-import { readFileSync, writeFileSync, existsSync } from "node:fs";
 import { join } from "node:path";
 import { gsdRoot } from "./paths.js";
 import { milestoneIdSort } from "./milestone-ids.js";
+import { loadJsonFileOrNull, saveJsonFile } from "./json-persistence.js";
 
 // ─── Types ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
@@ -45,6 +45,12 @@ function queueOrderPath(basePath: string): string {
   return join(gsdRoot(basePath), "QUEUE-ORDER.json");
 }
 
+// ─── Type Guards ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+function isQueueOrderFile(data: unknown): data is QueueOrderFile {
+  return data !== null && typeof data === "object" && "order" in data! && Array.isArray((data as QueueOrderFile).order);
+}
+
 // ─── Read / Write ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 /**
@@ -52,15 +58,8 @@ function queueOrderPath(basePath: string): string {
  * the file is corrupt/unreadable.
  */
 export function loadQueueOrder(basePath: string): string[] | null {
-  const p = queueOrderPath(basePath);
-  if (!existsSync(p)) return null;
-  try {
-    const data: QueueOrderFile = JSON.parse(readFileSync(p, "utf-8"));
-    if (!Array.isArray(data.order)) return null;
-    return data.order;
-  } catch {
-    return null;
-  }
+  const data = loadJsonFileOrNull(queueOrderPath(basePath), isQueueOrderFile);
+  return data?.order ?? null;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -71,7 +70,7 @@ export function saveQueueOrder(basePath: string, order: string[]): void {
     order,
     updatedAt: new Date().toISOString(),
   };
-  writeFileSync(queueOrderPath(basePath), JSON.stringify(data, null, 2) + "\n", "utf-8");
+  saveJsonFile(queueOrderPath(basePath), data);
 }
 
 // ─── Sorting ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
diff --git a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/session-status-io.ts b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/session-status-io.ts
index 452d7201f..7d8558a59 100644
--- a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/session-status-io.ts
+++ b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/session-status-io.ts
@@ -11,9 +11,6 @@
  */
 
 import {
-  writeFileSync,
-  readFileSync,
-  renameSync,
   unlinkSync,
   readdirSync,
   mkdirSync,
@@ -21,6 +18,7 @@ import {
 } from "node:fs";
 import { join } from "node:path";
 import { gsdRoot } from "./paths.js";
+import { loadJsonFileOrNull, writeJsonFileAtomic } from "./json-persistence.js";
 
 // ─── Types ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
@@ -49,9 +47,16 @@ export interface SignalMessage {
 const PARALLEL_DIR = "parallel";
 const STATUS_SUFFIX = ".status.json";
 const SIGNAL_SUFFIX = ".signal.json";
-const TMP_SUFFIX = ".tmp";
 const DEFAULT_STALE_TIMEOUT_MS = 30_000;
 
+function isSessionStatus(data: unknown): data is SessionStatus {
+  return data !== null && typeof data === "object" && "milestoneId" in data && "pid" in data;
+}
+
+function isSignalMessage(data: unknown): data is SignalMessage {
+  return data !== null && typeof data === "object" && "signal" in data && "sentAt" in data;
+}
+
 // ─── Helpers ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 function parallelDir(basePath: string): string {
@@ -86,25 +91,13 @@ function isPidAlive(pid: number): boolean {
 
 /** Write session status atomically (write to .tmp, then rename). */
 export function writeSessionStatus(basePath: string, status: SessionStatus): void {
-  try {
-    ensureParallelDir(basePath);
-    const dest = statusPath(basePath, status.milestoneId);
-    const tmp = dest + TMP_SUFFIX;
-    writeFileSync(tmp, JSON.stringify(status, null, 2), "utf-8");
-    renameSync(tmp, dest);
-  } catch { /* non-fatal */ }
+  ensureParallelDir(basePath);
+  writeJsonFileAtomic(statusPath(basePath, status.milestoneId), status);
 }
 
 /** Read a specific milestone's session status. */
 export function readSessionStatus(basePath: string, milestoneId: string): SessionStatus | null {
-  try {
-    const p = statusPath(basePath, milestoneId);
-    if (!existsSync(p)) return null;
-    const raw = readFileSync(p, "utf-8");
-    return JSON.parse(raw) as SessionStatus;
-  } catch {
-    return null;
-  }
+  return loadJsonFileOrNull(statusPath(basePath, milestoneId), isSessionStatus);
 }
 
 /** Read all session status files from .gsd/parallel/. */
@@ -114,13 +107,10 @@ export function readAllSessionStatuses(basePath: string): SessionStatus[] {
 
   const results: SessionStatus[] = [];
   try {
-    const entries = readdirSync(dir);
-    for (const entry of entries) {
+    for (const entry of readdirSync(dir)) {
       if (!entry.endsWith(STATUS_SUFFIX)) continue;
-      try {
-        const raw = readFileSync(join(dir, entry), "utf-8");
-        results.push(JSON.parse(raw) as SessionStatus);
-      } catch { /* skip corrupt files */ }
+      const status = loadJsonFileOrNull(join(dir, entry), isSessionStatus);
+      if (status) results.push(status);
     }
   } catch { /* non-fatal */ }
   return results;
@@ -138,27 +128,19 @@ export function removeSessionStatus(basePath: string, milestoneId: string): void
 
 /** Write a signal file for a worker to consume. */
 export function sendSignal(basePath: string, milestoneId: string, signal: SessionSignal): void {
-  try {
-    ensureParallelDir(basePath);
-    const dest = signalPath(basePath, milestoneId);
-    const tmp = dest + TMP_SUFFIX;
-    const msg: SignalMessage = { signal, sentAt: Date.now(), from: "coordinator" };
-    writeFileSync(tmp, JSON.stringify(msg, null, 2), "utf-8");
-    renameSync(tmp, dest);
-  } catch { /* non-fatal */ }
+  ensureParallelDir(basePath);
+  const msg: SignalMessage = { signal, sentAt: Date.now(), from: "coordinator" };
+  writeJsonFileAtomic(signalPath(basePath, milestoneId), msg);
 }
 
 /** Read and delete a signal file (atomic consume). Returns null if no signal pending. */
 export function consumeSignal(basePath: string, milestoneId: string): SignalMessage | null {
-  try {
-    const p = signalPath(basePath, milestoneId);
-    if (!existsSync(p)) return null;
-    const raw = readFileSync(p, "utf-8");
-    unlinkSync(p);
-    return JSON.parse(raw) as SignalMessage;
-  } catch {
-    return null;
+  const p = signalPath(basePath, milestoneId);
+  const msg = loadJsonFileOrNull(p, isSignalMessage);
+  if (msg) {
+    try { unlinkSync(p); } catch { /* non-fatal */ }
   }
+  return msg;
 }
 
 // ─── Stale Detection ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────