diff --git a/src/smallestai/atoms/crew/session.py b/src/smallestai/atoms/crew/session.py
index f580b759..f997a153 100644
--- a/src/smallestai/atoms/crew/session.py
+++ b/src/smallestai/atoms/crew/session.py
@@ -220,8 +220,15 @@ async def start(self) -> None:
 
         self._running = True
 
-        await self._start_nodes(self._init_event, self.task_manager)
+        # Send Ready BEFORE starting nodes. A node's start() may emit a speak
+        # event (e.g. a greeting); if that reaches the platform before Ready, the
+        # platform's connect handshake sees a non-Ready first frame and never
+        # spawns its receive loop, silencing the whole call. Ready-first keeps any
+        # early speak legal. Incoming events still buffer on the websocket until
+        # our own receive loop starts below (after nodes are up), so nothing is
+        # lost by ordering Ready first.
         await self.send_to_websocket(SDKAgentReadyEvent())
+        await self._start_nodes(self._init_event, self.task_manager)
 
         self._receive_loop_task = self.task_manager.create_task(
             self._receive_loop(), name="receive_loop"
diff --git a/tests/custom/test_crew_session_ready_ordering.py b/tests/custom/test_crew_session_ready_ordering.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..bcb5c25e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/custom/test_crew_session_ready_ordering.py
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+"""Regression test: CrewSession.start() must send SDKAgentReadyEvent BEFORE
+starting nodes, so a node's start() that emits a speak (e.g. a greeting) doesn't
+reach the platform before Ready and poison the connect handshake."""
+import unittest
+from unittest import mock
+
+from smallestai.atoms.crew.session import CrewSession
+from smallestai.atoms.crew.nodes import OutputCrewNode
+
+
+class _OrderNode(OutputCrewNode):
+    def __init__(self, order):
+        super().__init__(name="rec")
+        self._order = order
+
+    async def start(self, init_event, task_manager):
+        await super().start(init_event, task_manager)
+        self._order.append("node_started")
+
+    async def generate_response(self):
+        if False:
+            yield ""  # never runs; satisfies the abstract async-generator
+
+
+class ReadyBeforeNodesTest(unittest.IsolatedAsyncioTestCase):
+    async def test_ready_sent_before_nodes_start(self):
+        order = []
+        session = CrewSession(
+            websocket=mock.AsyncMock(), session_id="t", setup_handler=None
+        )
+        session._init_event = mock.MagicMock()
+        session.task_manager = mock.MagicMock()
+        session.task_manager.create_task = mock.MagicMock()  # don't run receive loop
+        session._receive_loop = mock.MagicMock()  # avoid unawaited-coroutine warning
+
+        async def _record_ready(event):
+            order.append("ready_sent")
+
+        session.send_to_websocket = _record_ready
+        session.add_node(_OrderNode(order))
+
+        await session.start()
+
+        self.assertIn("ready_sent", order)
+        self.assertIn("node_started", order)
+        self.assertLess(
+            order.index("ready_sent"),
+            order.index("node_started"),
+            f"Ready must be sent before nodes start; got order={order}",
+        )
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    unittest.main()