diff --git a/src/resources/extensions/sf/uok/agent-runner.js b/src/resources/extensions/sf/uok/agent-runner.js
index 6c1fa15f2..f8e485997 100644
--- a/src/resources/extensions/sf/uok/agent-runner.js
+++ b/src/resources/extensions/sf/uok/agent-runner.js
@@ -178,23 +178,65 @@ export async function runAgentTurn(agent, opts = {}) {
 	// expected dispatchResult.messageId.
 	let messages;
 	if (onlyMessageId) {
-		const allMessages = agent.receive(false); // all messages (read + unread)
-		const target = allMessages.find((m) => m.id === onlyMessageId && !m.read);
+		// #sf-mp8g4rcd-w01tkh fix: bounded retry on missing-message.
+		//
+		// Symptom: MessageBus dispatch returns success and the SF kernel marks
+		// the unit as dispatched, but the consumer agent's in-memory inbox
+		// doesn't yet see the new message (likely because the swarm-dispatch
+		// bus instance and this agent's inbox bus instance are different
+		// objects with their own SQLite read caches). Previously this triggered
+		// a silent early-return with {turnsProcessed:0,response:null} → caller
+		// swallowed it as "no work" → LLM never ran → autonomous-loop froze →
+		// 59 idle-halt feedback entries piled up.
+		//
+		// Fix: retry the inbox refresh with exponential backoff (50, 100, 200,
+		// 400, 800 ms; ~1.55s total). If found mid-retry, log a recovery event
+		// and proceed normally. If still missing after the last retry, throw a
+		// loud error — the caller (swarm-dispatch.js:462-484) wraps this in
+		// try/catch and surfaces it as turnResult.error, so the autonomous
+		// loop sees a real failure instead of phantom progress.
+		const MAX_INBOX_REFRESH_RETRIES = 5;
+		const INBOX_REFRESH_BACKOFFS_MS = [50, 100, 200, 400, 800];
+		let allMessages = agent.receive(false);
+		let target = allMessages.find((m) => m.id === onlyMessageId && !m.read);
+		let retryAttempt = 0;
+		let totalBackoffMs = 0;
+		while (!target && retryAttempt < MAX_INBOX_REFRESH_RETRIES) {
+			const backoffMs = INBOX_REFRESH_BACKOFFS_MS[retryAttempt];
+			retryAttempt++;
+			await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, backoffMs));
+			totalBackoffMs += backoffMs;
+			agent._inbox.refresh();
+			allMessages = agent.receive(false);
+			target = allMessages.find((m) => m.id === onlyMessageId && !m.read);
+			if (target) {
+				debugLog("agent-runner", {
+					event: "missing-message-recovered",
+					agentName: agent.identity?.name,
+					onlyMessageId,
+					retryAttempt,
+					totalBackoffMs,
+				});
+			}
+		}
 		if (!target) {
-			// #sf-mp8g4rcd-w01tkh: silent early-return when target isn't in inbox.
-			// This is the chronic prompt-never-sent failure mode — caller swallows
-			// {turnsProcessed:0,response:null} as 'no work' and the LLM never runs.
-			// Surface the inbox state so the bus-instance / refresh-timing bug
-			// becomes debuggable.
 			debugLog("agent-runner", {
-				event: "silent-missing-message",
-				phase: "target-not-found",
+				event: "missing-message-loud-failure",
+				phase: "target-not-found-after-retries",
 				agentName: agent.identity?.name,
 				onlyMessageId,
+				retryAttempt,
+				totalBackoffMs,
 				inboxSize: allMessages.length,
 				inboxIds: allMessages.map((m) => ({ id: m.id, read: m.read })),
 			});
-			return { turnsProcessed: 0, response: null };
+			throw new Error(
+				`agent-runner: message ${onlyMessageId} not found in inbox of "${agent.identity?.name ?? "?"}" ` +
+					`after ${MAX_INBOX_REFRESH_RETRIES} refresh retries (~${totalBackoffMs}ms total). ` +
+					`MessageBus dispatch did not deliver to consumer inbox. ` +
+					`See sf-mp8g4rcd-w01tkh in self-feedback for root-cause analysis ` +
+					`(likely separate bus instances / SQLite read-cache lag).`,
+			);
 		}
 		messages = [target];
 	} else {