diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/mail-watch.ts b/packages/cli/src/commands/mail-watch.ts
index 97fa78f..ae8699e 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/mail-watch.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/mail-watch.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,11 @@
 /**
  * mail-watch — watch an agent's inbox for new messages and run exec hooks.
  *
- * OPS-121: event-driven mail watcher using fs.watch + debounce.
- * Zero CPU overhead when idle — no polling.
+ * OPS-121: mail watcher using fs.watch + debounce for low-latency delivery,
+ * backed by a low-frequency poll fallback. fs.watch (FSEvents on macOS) goes
+ * deaf after uptime, so it can't be the sole trigger — the poll guarantees
+ * delivery and lets a (re)start recover any mail stranded in new/. Near-zero
+ * idle CPU; reliability over strictly-zero-CPU.
  *
  * Security mitigations (K&S):
  * - exec hooks use args[] array, no shell interpolation
@@ -41,6 +44,8 @@ export interface MailWatchOptions {
   onMessage?: (msg: MailMessage) => void | Promise<void>;
   /** Max concurrent handlers (default: 3) */
   maxConcurrent?: number;
+  /** Polling-fallback interval in ms — guards against fs.watch going deaf (default: 15000) */
+  pollMs?: number;
 }
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -145,21 +150,23 @@ export function watchMail(opts: MailWatchOptions): MailWatcher {
 
   const inbox = getInbox(opts.agent);
 
-  // Pre-populate seen with already-present files so we don't replay old mail
-  for (const f of listNewFiles(inbox.fresh)) {
-    seen.add(f);
-  }
-
+  // NOTE: we intentionally do NOT pre-populate `seen` with files already in
+  // new/. new/ holds UNDELIVERED mail — the exec hook moves delivered mail to
+  // cur/ on ack — so anything present at (re)start must be delivered. Marking
+  // it seen on boot is what made a mail-watch kickstart silently strand stuck
+  // dispatches (and forced re-dispatches, which double-posted K&S reviews).
   const processNew = async () => {
     if (stopped) return;
     for (const filePath of listNewFiles(inbox.fresh)) {
       if (seen.has(filePath)) continue;
+      // Check the concurrency cap BEFORE marking seen. If we're at the limit,
+      // leave the file UNSEEN so the next pass (poll or fs event) retries it.
+      // The old order marked it seen and THEN dropped it → never delivered.
+      if (activeHandlers >= maxConcurrent) continue;
       seen.add(filePath);
 
       const msg = readMessageSafe(filePath);
       if (!msg) continue; // moved to cur/ before we could read — skip
-
-      if (activeHandlers >= maxConcurrent) continue; // drop when at limit
       activeHandlers++;
 
       (async () => {
@@ -169,7 +176,13 @@ export function watchMail(opts: MailWatchOptions): MailWatcher {
         try {
           if (opts.hook) await runHook(opts.hook, msg);
         } catch { /* hook errors don't crash the watcher */ }
-      })().finally(() => { activeHandlers--; });
+      })().finally(() => {
+        activeHandlers--;
+        // A slot just freed — immediately re-check for mail that was over the
+        // concurrency cap on a prior pass, so a burst drains as slots cycle
+        // instead of waiting for the next fs event or poll.
+        if (!stopped) void processNew();
+      });
     }
   };
 
@@ -180,13 +193,24 @@ export function watchMail(opts: MailWatchOptions): MailWatcher {
     debounceTimer = setTimeout(() => { void processNew(); }, debounceMs);
   };
 
-  // fs.watch on the new/ directory — fires on file create/rename
+  // fs.watch on new/ fires on file create/rename — low-latency, but fs.watch
+  // (FSEvents on macOS) silently stops emitting after uptime, which strands
+  // mail. So treat fs.watch as a latency optimization, NOT the source of truth:
+  // a low-frequency poll guarantees delivery even if the watcher goes deaf.
+  // Reliability > idle CPU for the review/mail pipeline.
   const watcher = fsWatch(inbox.fresh, onFsEvent);
+  const pollMs = opts.pollMs ?? 15_000;
+  const pollTimer = setInterval(() => { void processNew(); }, pollMs);
+
+  // Deliver anything already waiting in new/ at (re)start, immediately — so a
+  // kickstart RECOVERS stuck mail instead of waiting for the first event/poll.
+  void processNew();
 
   return {
     stop() {
       stopped = true;
       if (debounceTimer) clearTimeout(debounceTimer);
+      clearInterval(pollTimer);
       try { watcher.close(); } catch {}
     },
   };
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/mail-watch.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/mail-watch.test.ts
index 3da5e91..e4ad821 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/mail-watch.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/mail-watch.test.ts
@@ -95,9 +95,13 @@ describe("watchMail (fs.watch)", () => {
     expect(received).toContain("msg-001");
   });
 
-  it("does not replay pre-existing messages present before watch starts", async () => {
+  it("delivers pre-existing undelivered messages waiting in new/ at startup", async () => {
+    // new/ holds UNDELIVERED mail — the exec hook moves delivered mail to cur/
+    // on ack. So a (re)started watcher MUST deliver whatever is already waiting:
+    // this is the recovery path that lets a kickstart drain mail stranded by an
+    // fs.watch stall, instead of marking it seen and forcing a re-dispatch.
     const { fresh } = makeInbox(tmp, "test-agent");
-    writeMsg(fresh, "old-msg", "sender", "test-agent", "pre-existing");
+    writeMsg(fresh, "waiting-msg", "sender", "test-agent", "stranded before watch start");
 
     const received: string[] = [];
     const watcher = watchMail({
@@ -108,7 +112,7 @@ describe("watchMail (fs.watch)", () => {
 
     await sleep(150);
     watcher.stop();
-    expect(received).not.toContain("old-msg");
+    expect(received).toContain("waiting-msg");
   });
 
   it("does not deliver the same message twice (dedup via seen set)", async () => {
@@ -188,32 +192,37 @@ describe("watchMail concurrency", () => {
     rmSync(tmp, { recursive: true, force: true });
   });
 
-  it("respects maxConcurrent=2 — at most 2 handlers run simultaneously", async () => {
+  it("respects maxConcurrent=2 and still delivers every message (over-cap mail is retried)", async () => {
     const { fresh } = makeInbox(tmp, "conc-agent");
     let active = 0;
     let maxSeen = 0;
+    const received: string[] = [];
 
     const watcher = watchMail({
       agent: "conc-agent",
       debounceMs: 20,
       maxConcurrent: 2,
-      onMessage: async () => {
+      onMessage: async (msg) => {
         active++;
         maxSeen = Math.max(maxSeen, active);
-        await sleep(80);
+        await sleep(60);
+        received.push(msg.id);
         active--;
       },
     });
 
     await sleep(30);
-    // Write 5 messages — all arrive in a single debounce window
+    // Write 5 messages — all arrive in a single debounce window, over the cap.
     for (let i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
       writeMsg(fresh, `m${i}`, "s", "conc-agent", `body${i}`);
     }
-    await sleep(400);
+    await sleep(500);
     watcher.stop();
 
     expect(maxSeen).toBeLessThanOrEqual(2);
+    // All 5 must be delivered: mail over the cap is left UNSEEN and retried as
+    // slots free (the old code marked it seen then dropped it → lost forever).
+    expect(received.sort()).toEqual(["m0", "m1", "m2", "m3", "m4"]);
   });
 });