diff --git a/bin/gstack-skill-start b/bin/gstack-skill-start
index 6dbaaa698..c461bdbc5 100755
--- a/bin/gstack-skill-start
+++ b/bin/gstack-skill-start
@@ -101,6 +101,7 @@ fi
 mkdir -p "$_GH/sessions" 2>/dev/null || true
 touch "$_GH/sessions/$PARENT_PID" 2>/dev/null || true
 find "$_GH/sessions" -mmin +120 -type f -exec rm {} + 2>/dev/null || true
+_SESSIONS=$(find "$_GH/sessions" -mmin -120 -type f 2>/dev/null | wc -l | tr -d ' ')
 
 _PROACTIVE=$("$_BIN/gstack-config" get proactive 2>/dev/null || echo "true")
 _PROACTIVE_PROMPTED=$([ -f "$_GH/.proactive-prompted" ] && echo "yes" || echo "no")
@@ -118,6 +119,7 @@ eval "$("$_BIN/gstack-repo-mode" 2>/dev/null)" 2>/dev/null || true
 REPO_MODE=${REPO_MODE:-unknown}
 echo "REPO_MODE: $REPO_MODE"
 echo "SESSION_KIND: $_SESSION_KIND"
+echo "SESSIONS: ${_SESSIONS:-0}"
 # Tamper visibility (#2733 review): a repo-provided settings env block or a CI
 # wrapper could set GSTACK_SESSION_KIND or OPENCLAW_SESSION for a real human's
 # session, silently flipping every gate to auto-choose. Surface the env-driven
diff --git a/test/gstack-skill-start.test.ts b/test/gstack-skill-start.test.ts
index e0eb737de..b892fd72b 100644
--- a/test/gstack-skill-start.test.ts
+++ b/test/gstack-skill-start.test.ts
@@ -204,6 +204,24 @@ describe('gstack-skill-start behavior', () => {
     expect(fs.existsSync(path.join(tmpGstackHome, 'sessions', '424242'))).toBe(true);
   });
 
+  test('echoes SESSIONS: the count of live session markers, this one included (#1651)', () => {
+    const state = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'gstack-ss-sessions-'));
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(state, 'config.yaml'), 'update_check: false\n');
+    try {
+      const sessions = path.join(state, 'sessions');
+      fs.mkdirSync(sessions);
+      fs.writeFileSync(path.join(sessions, '111'), '');
+      fs.writeFileSync(path.join(sessions, 'stale'), '');
+      const threeHoursAgo = new Date(Date.now() - 3 * 3600_000);
+      fs.utimesSync(path.join(sessions, 'stale'), threeHoursAgo, threeHoursAgo);
+      const out = runStart(['--parent-pid', '222'], { GSTACK_HOME: state });
+      expect(out).toMatch(/^SESSIONS: 2$/m);
+      expect(fs.readdirSync(sessions).sort()).toEqual(['111', '222']);
+    } finally {
+      fs.rmSync(state, { recursive: true, force: true });
+    }
+  });
+
   test('without --parent-pid the script derives the harness pid past tool-call shells (#2763)', () => {
     // Claude Code runs each Bash call in a fresh `bash -c`; the session must be
     // the harness (here: this bun process), not that per-call shell, even