diff --git a/bin/gstack-brain-enqueue b/bin/gstack-brain-enqueue
index ffc09c11e..815eff31b 100755
--- a/bin/gstack-brain-enqueue
+++ b/bin/gstack-brain-enqueue
@@ -1,13 +1,13 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
-# gstack-brain-enqueue — atomically append a path to the GBrain sync queue.
+# gstack-brain-enqueue — write a path record into the GBrain sync spool.
 #
 # Usage:
 #   gstack-brain-enqueue <file-path>
 #
 # Called by writer scripts (gstack-learnings-log, gstack-timeline-log, etc.)
 # after their local write. Fire-and-forget; failures are silent (never blocks
-# the writer). Queue is drained by `gstack-brain-sync --once` invoked from the
-# preamble at skill START and END boundaries.
+# the writer). The spool is drained by `gstack-brain-sync --once` invoked from
+# the preamble at skill START and END boundaries.
 #
 # No-op when:
 #   - artifacts_sync_mode is off (the default)
@@ -18,8 +18,12 @@
 #   GSTACK_HOME — override ~/.gstack state directory (aligns with writers).
 #                 Tests use GSTACK_HOME=/tmp/test-$$ for isolation.
 #
-# Concurrency: POSIX append is atomic up to PIPE_BUF (~4KB Linux, 512 BSD).
-# Queue lines are ~200 bytes, safe under concurrent callers.
+# Concurrency: maildir-style spool — one FILE per record under
+# .brain-queue.d/, created via tmp-file + atomic rename. Writer and drainer
+# never share an inode, so there is no append/rewrite race by construction
+# (the legacy single-file .brain-queue.jsonl append could race the drain's
+# rewrite). Filenames are <epoch>-<pid>-<uniq>.json, so a sorted listing is
+# chronological.
 
 # No `-e` — writer shims rely on this never failing loudly.
 set -uo pipefail
@@ -28,7 +32,7 @@ FILE="${1:-}"
 [ -z "$FILE" ] && exit 0
 
 GSTACK_HOME="${GSTACK_HOME:-$HOME/.gstack}"
-QUEUE="$GSTACK_HOME/.brain-queue.jsonl"
+SPOOL="$GSTACK_HOME/.brain-queue.d"
 SKIP_FILE="$GSTACK_HOME/.brain-skip.txt"
 
 # Fast exits: no git repo, no sync.
@@ -50,6 +54,11 @@ fi
 ESC_FILE=$(printf '%s' "$FILE" | sed 's/\\/\\\\/g; s/"/\\"/g')
 TS=$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ 2>/dev/null || echo "")
 
-printf '{"file":"%s","ts":"%s"}\n' "$ESC_FILE" "$TS" >> "$QUEUE" 2>/dev/null
+# One spool file per record: tmp write + atomic rename. Any failure exits 0
+# silently (fire-and-forget contract), cleaning up the tmp file.
+mkdir -p "$SPOOL" 2>/dev/null || exit 0
+TMP="$SPOOL/.tmp-$$-$RANDOM"
+printf '{"file":"%s","ts":"%s"}\n' "$ESC_FILE" "$TS" > "$TMP" 2>/dev/null || { rm -f "$TMP" 2>/dev/null; exit 0; }
+mv -f "$TMP" "$SPOOL/$(date +%s)-$$-$RANDOM.json" 2>/dev/null || rm -f "$TMP" 2>/dev/null
 
 exit 0
diff --git a/bin/gstack-brain-sync b/bin/gstack-brain-sync
index 1a9c7b5ff..52b757877 100755
--- a/bin/gstack-brain-sync
+++ b/bin/gstack-brain-sync
@@ -20,6 +20,13 @@
 set -uo pipefail
 
 GSTACK_HOME="${GSTACK_HOME:-$HOME/.gstack}"
+# Maildir-style spool: one FILE per record, <epoch>-<pid>-<uniq>.json.
+# Writers (gstack-brain-enqueue, --discover-new) create records via tmp-file
+# + atomic rename; the drain deletes exactly the files it snapshotted. No
+# shared inode between writer and drainer → no append/rewrite race.
+QUEUE_DIR="$GSTACK_HOME/.brain-queue.d"
+# Legacy single-file queue: kept ONLY for migration. Pre-spool writers
+# appended lines here; migrate_legacy_queue converts them to spool files.
 QUEUE="$GSTACK_HOME/.brain-queue.jsonl"
 ALLOWLIST="$GSTACK_HOME/.brain-allowlist"
 PRIVACY_MAP="$GSTACK_HOME/.brain-privacy-map.json"
@@ -120,7 +127,84 @@ sys.exit(0)
 "
 }
 
-# Compute matched allowlisted, privacy-filtered path set from queue.
+# True (0) if the spool holds at least one record file.
+spool_has_records() {
+  local f
+  for f in "$QUEUE_DIR"/*.json; do
+    [ -e "$f" ] && return 0
+  done
+  return 1
+}
+
+# Convert one legacy queue file's lines into spool record files (tmp +
+# os.replace, one file per line). Reads the file TWICE before unlinking: a
+# pre-rename writer can still append through its already-open fd after our
+# rename, and those appends land in the renamed file — the second pass
+# catches them (the tail race the shared-file design could never close).
+# Unparseable lines migrate as-is; finalize_queue keeps + warns on them.
+convert_legacy_file() {
+  local legacy="$1"
+  python3 - "$legacy" "$QUEUE_DIR" <<'PYEOF' 2>/dev/null || true
+import os, sys, time
+
+legacy, spool = sys.argv[1:3]
+
+def read_lines(path):
+    try:
+        with open(path) as f:
+            return [l.rstrip("\r\n") for l in f if l.strip()]
+    except (FileNotFoundError, OSError):
+        return []
+
+seq = 0
+def write_spool(line):
+    global seq
+    seq += 1
+    tmp = os.path.join(spool, f".tmp-{os.getpid()}-m{seq}")
+    with open(tmp, "w") as f:
+        f.write(line + "\n")
+    os.replace(tmp, os.path.join(spool, f"{int(time.time())}-{os.getpid()}-m{seq}.json"))
+
+written = set()
+for _pass in (1, 2):   # second read closes the pre-rename-fd tail race
+    for line in read_lines(legacy):
+        if line not in written:   # identical duplicates collapse, as the old rewrite did
+            write_spool(line)
+            written.add(line)
+os.unlink(legacy)
+PYEOF
+}
+
+# Legacy migration (transition window only). If the single-file queue holds
+# records, atomically rename it aside and convert each line to a spool file.
+# A concurrent OLD writer that recreates a fresh legacy file after the rename
+# simply gets migrated on the NEXT drain — nothing is lost, only deferred one
+# boundary. Runs inside the run lock, before the drain reads the spool.
+migrate_legacy_queue() {
+  local migrating="$QUEUE.migrating"
+  # Crash leftover: a prior migration renamed but died before unlink. Some of
+  # its lines may already exist as spool files — re-converting duplicates is
+  # safe (at-least-once; the drain dedups paths per snapshot and downstream
+  # content-hash dedup absorbs re-syncs). Losing the file would not be. If
+  # the conversion itself fails, the file stays for the next run (never rm a
+  # non-empty .migrating file outside convert_legacy_file's own unlink).
+  if [ -f "$migrating" ]; then
+    if [ -s "$migrating" ]; then
+      mkdir -p "$QUEUE_DIR" 2>/dev/null || return 0
+      convert_legacy_file "$migrating"
+    else
+      rm -f "$migrating" 2>/dev/null || true
+    fi
+  fi
+  if [ -s "$QUEUE" ]; then
+    mkdir -p "$QUEUE_DIR" 2>/dev/null || return 0
+    mv -f "$QUEUE" "$migrating" 2>/dev/null || return 0
+    convert_legacy_file "$migrating"
+  fi
+  return 0
+}
+
+# Compute matched allowlisted, privacy-filtered path set from the spool.
 # Output: newline-delimited relative paths that should be staged.
 #
 # #2549: every non-staged queue entry is CLASSIFIED, never silently discarded.
@@ -132,13 +216,20 @@ sys.exit(0)
 # attempt, no allowlist glob, not on disk) and are removed WITH a counted
 # status — the old behavior truncated the whole queue and reported every one
 # of these, including privacy holds, as "no allowlisted changes".
+#
+# Spool snapshot ($3): the sorted list of spool record filenames read here is
+# written to the snapshot manifest, one filename per line. finalize_queue
+# deletes exactly the manifest's files and never touches records created
+# after this listing — a concurrent enqueue is a separate file by
+# construction, so it simply rides to the next drain.
 compute_paths_to_stage() {
   local mode="$1"
   local class_file="${2:-}"
-  python3 - "$GSTACK_HOME" "$QUEUE" "$ALLOWLIST" "$PRIVACY_MAP" "$SKIP_FILE" "$mode" "$class_file" <<'PYEOF'
+  local snapshot_file="${3:-}"
+  python3 - "$GSTACK_HOME" "$QUEUE_DIR" "$ALLOWLIST" "$PRIVACY_MAP" "$SKIP_FILE" "$mode" "$class_file" "$snapshot_file" <<'PYEOF'
 import sys, json, os, fnmatch, glob
 
-gstack_home, queue, allowlist_path, privacy_path, skip_path, mode, class_file = sys.argv[1:8]
+gstack_home, spool_dir, allowlist_path, privacy_path, skip_path, mode, class_file, snapshot_file = sys.argv[1:9]
 
 def load_lines(path):
     try:
@@ -164,23 +255,38 @@ privacy_map = load_privacy_map(privacy_path)
 # discover_new — otherwise an explicitly-skipped file gets committed.
 skip_lines = {s.replace(os.sep, "/") for s in load_lines(skip_path)}
 
-# Read queue; collect unique file paths.
-queue_paths = set()
+# Snapshot the spool: sorted (= chronological, filenames are epoch-first)
+# list of record files at read time. Records that appear after this listing
+# belong to the NEXT drain. Files we cannot read stay OUT of the manifest so
+# finalize never deletes a record this drain didn't actually consume.
 try:
-    with open(queue) as f:
-        for line in f:
-            line = line.strip()
-            if not line:
-                continue
-            try:
-                obj = json.loads(line)
-                p = obj.get("file")
-                if isinstance(p, str):
-                    queue_paths.add(p)
-            except json.JSONDecodeError:
-                continue
-except FileNotFoundError:
-    pass
+    snapshot = sorted(n for n in os.listdir(spool_dir) if n.endswith(".json"))
+except (FileNotFoundError, NotADirectoryError):
+    snapshot = []
+
+queue_paths = set()
+consumed = []
+for name in snapshot:
+    try:
+        with open(os.path.join(spool_dir, name)) as f:
+            line = f.readline().strip()
+    except OSError:
+        continue
+    consumed.append(name)
+    if not line:
+        continue
+    try:
+        obj = json.loads(line)
+        p = obj.get("file")
+        if isinstance(p, str):
+            queue_paths.add(p)
+    except json.JSONDecodeError:
+        continue   # unparseable record: finalize keeps + warns
+
+if snapshot_file:
+    with open(snapshot_file, "w") as f:
+        for name in consumed:
+            f.write(name + "\n")
 
 def path_matches_any(path, globs):
     for pattern in globs:
@@ -241,22 +347,26 @@ for p in final:
 PYEOF
 }
 
-# #2549: surgical queue rewrite — replaces every whole-queue truncation
-# (`: > "$QUEUE"`). Re-reads the LIVE queue at rewrite time (a writer may have
-# enqueued while we were staging/pushing — those entries must survive; the old
-# truncation destroyed them) and keeps every line whose file is either
-# retained (privacy/mode-held) or not part of this drain at all. Atomic
-# tmp+mv in the same directory. Dropped-path detail goes to a 0600 sidecar so
-# the status line can stay content-free (counts only).
-rewrite_queue() {
-  local paths_file="$1"   # staged (drained) paths, one per line
-  local class_file="$2"   # classification JSON from compute_paths_to_stage
-  # Fail-open by design (a failed rewrite self-corrects next run: re-stage →
+# Finalize the drain: delete exactly the spool record files this drain
+# consumed (per the snapshot manifest), keeping retained (privacy/mode-held)
+# and unparseable records queued. The predecessor (a shared-file queue
+# rewrite) had a lockless-append race between its live re-read and the
+# os.replace; with one file per record that race class is structurally gone —
+# a concurrent enqueue is a separate file the snapshot never listed, so
+# finalize cannot touch it. Crash semantics are at-least-once: a drain that
+# dies before finalize leaves its spool files in place and the next run
+# re-drains them; downstream content-hash dedup absorbs the duplicates.
+# Dropped-path detail goes to a 0600 sidecar so the status line can stay
+# content-free (counts only).
+finalize_queue() {
+  local snapshot_file="$1"  # spool filenames this drain consumed, one per line
+  local class_file="$2"     # classification JSON from compute_paths_to_stage
+  # Fail-open by design (a failed finalize self-corrects next run: re-stage →
   # nothing-to-commit), but say so — a silent failure here would let the
   # subsequent "ok/idle" status claim a drain that did not happen.
-  python3 - "$QUEUE" "$paths_file" "$class_file" "$GSTACK_HOME/.brain-sync-drops.json" <<'PYEOF' || echo "BRAIN_SYNC: warning: queue rewrite failed — entries retained; next run re-drains" >&2
+  python3 - "$QUEUE_DIR" "$snapshot_file" "$class_file" "$GSTACK_HOME/.brain-sync-drops.json" <<'PYEOF' || echo "BRAIN_SYNC: warning: queue finalize failed — entries retained; next run re-drains" >&2
 import json, os, sys, time
-queue, paths_file, class_file, drops_file = sys.argv[1:5]
+spool_dir, snapshot_file, class_file, drops_file = sys.argv[1:5]
 
 def lines(path):
     try:
@@ -265,7 +375,6 @@ def lines(path):
     except FileNotFoundError:
         return []
 
-staged = set(lines(paths_file))
 try:
     with open(class_file) as f:
         classified = json.load(f)
@@ -275,36 +384,31 @@ retained = set(classified.get("retained", []))
 dropped = set()
 for group in (classified.get("dropped", {}) or {}).values():
     dropped.update(group)
-processed = staged | dropped
 
-kept = []
-seen_lines = set()
 unparseable = 0
-# LIVE re-read narrows (not fully closes) the concurrent-append window: the
-# lockless enqueue can still land on the old inode between this read and the
-# os.replace below. Vastly better than the old whole-queue truncation.
-for line in lines(queue):
-    if line in seen_lines:
-        continue            # identical duplicate lines collapse on rewrite
+for name in lines(snapshot_file):
+    full = os.path.join(spool_dir, name)
     try:
-        p = json.loads(line).get("file")
+        with open(full) as f:
+            rec = f.readline().strip()
+    except OSError:
+        continue                 # unreadable now: leave it for the next drain
+    p = None
+    try:
+        p = json.loads(rec).get("file")
     except Exception:
-        unparseable += 1
-        kept.append(line)   # unparseable line: keep, never destroy
-        seen_lines.add(line)
+        pass
+    if not isinstance(p, str):
+        unparseable += 1         # keep — never destroy what we can't read
         continue
-    if not isinstance(p, str) or p in retained or p not in processed:
-        kept.append(line)
-        seen_lines.add(line)
+    if p in retained:
+        continue                 # stays queued: syncs under a higher mode
+    try:
+        os.unlink(full)          # staged or dropped: fully processed
+    except FileNotFoundError:
+        pass
 if unparseable:
-    import sys as _sys
-    print(f"BRAIN_SYNC: {unparseable} unparseable queue line(s) held (inspect {queue})", file=_sys.stderr)
-
-tmp = queue + ".tmp." + str(os.getpid())
-with open(tmp, "w") as f:
-    for l in kept:
-        f.write(l + "\n")
-os.replace(tmp, queue)
+    print(f"BRAIN_SYNC: {unparseable} unparseable spool record(s) held (inspect {spool_dir})", file=sys.stderr)
 
 if dropped:
     fd = os.open(drops_file, os.O_WRONLY | os.O_CREAT | os.O_TRUNC, 0o600)
@@ -374,6 +478,10 @@ subcmd_once() {
   # the lock removal.
   trap 'rm -rf "$lock_dir" 2>/dev/null || true' EXIT INT TERM
 
+  # Convert any legacy single-file queue lines into spool records before the
+  # drain reads the spool (transition window for pre-spool writers).
+  migrate_legacy_queue
+
   local mode
   mode=$("$CONFIG_BIN" get artifacts_sync_mode 2>/dev/null || echo off)
 
@@ -449,27 +557,31 @@ subcmd_once() {
   fi
 
   # Empty-queue fast path: this is the steady state at every skill boundary.
-  # Skipping compute/rewrite here is safe — with zero queue lines there is
-  # nothing to classify, retain, or drop, and a concurrent append after this
-  # check simply waits for the next boundary. (The detector above already ran:
-  # its whole point is re-pushing stranded commits when the queue is empty.)
-  # The lock-release trap installed at acquisition covers this exit.
-  if [ ! -s "$QUEUE" ]; then
+  # Skipping compute/finalize here is safe — with zero spool records there is
+  # nothing to classify, retain, or drop, and a record created after this
+  # check simply waits for the next boundary. The legacy file is checked too:
+  # an OLD writer may have recreated it after the migration above (it gets
+  # migrated next run, but the depth is honest now). (The detector above
+  # already ran: its whole point is re-pushing stranded commits when the
+  # queue is empty.) The lock-release trap installed at acquisition covers
+  # this exit.
+  if ! spool_has_records && [ ! -s "$QUEUE" ]; then
     write_status "idle" "queue empty"
     exit 0
   fi
 
-  local paths_file class_file
+  local paths_file class_file snapshot_file
   paths_file=$(mktemp /tmp/brain-sync-paths.XXXXXX) || { rm -rf "$lock_dir" 2>/dev/null; write_status "error" "mktemp failed"; exit 1; }
   class_file=$(mktemp /tmp/brain-sync-class.XXXXXX) || { rm -f "$paths_file"; rm -rf "$lock_dir" 2>/dev/null; write_status "error" "mktemp failed"; exit 1; }
+  snapshot_file=$(mktemp /tmp/brain-sync-snapshot.XXXXXX) || { rm -f "$paths_file" "$class_file"; rm -rf "$lock_dir" 2>/dev/null; write_status "error" "mktemp failed"; exit 1; }
   # Single trap covers all: lock cleanup AND tempfile cleanup.
-  trap 'rm -f "$paths_file" "$class_file" 2>/dev/null; rm -rf "$lock_dir" 2>/dev/null || true' EXIT INT TERM
+  trap 'rm -f "$paths_file" "$class_file" "$snapshot_file" 2>/dev/null; rm -rf "$lock_dir" 2>/dev/null || true' EXIT INT TERM
 
-  compute_paths_to_stage "$mode" "$class_file" > "$paths_file"
+  compute_paths_to_stage "$mode" "$class_file" "$snapshot_file" > "$paths_file"
   if [ ! -s "$paths_file" ]; then
-    # Nothing stageable. Rewrite the queue (retained entries + concurrent
-    # appends survive; classified drops removed) instead of truncating it.
-    rewrite_queue "$paths_file" "$class_file"
+    # Nothing stageable. Finalize the snapshot (retained entries survive;
+    # classified drops removed; records created after the snapshot untouched).
+    finalize_queue "$snapshot_file" "$class_file"
     local summary
     summary=$(queue_summary "$class_file")
     write_status "idle" "no stageable changes${summary:+ ($summary)}"
@@ -520,8 +632,8 @@ subcmd_once() {
   git -C "$GSTACK_HOME" -c user.email="gstack@localhost" -c user.name="gstack-brain-sync" \
     commit -q -m "$msg" 2>/dev/null || {
       # Nothing to commit (e.g. all files already committed). The drained
-      # paths leave the queue; retained + concurrent entries survive (#2549).
-      rewrite_queue "$paths_file" "$class_file"
+      # records leave the spool; retained + post-snapshot records survive.
+      finalize_queue "$snapshot_file" "$class_file"
       write_status "idle" "queue drained but no new changes to commit"
       exit 0
     }
@@ -535,10 +647,10 @@ subcmd_once() {
       hint=$(remote_auth_hint)
       write_status "push_failed" "push failed: auth error; commit retained locally, will retry next run. fix: $hint"
       echo "BRAIN_SYNC: push failed: auth. fix: $hint" >&2
-      # Drained paths leave the queue — they live in the local commit, which
+      # Drained records leave the spool — they live in the local commit, which
       # the run-start detector re-pushes next time (#2549). Retained +
-      # concurrent entries survive the rewrite.
-      rewrite_queue "$paths_file" "$class_file"
+      # post-snapshot records survive the finalize.
+      finalize_queue "$snapshot_file" "$class_file"
       exit 0
     fi
 
@@ -552,7 +664,7 @@ subcmd_once() {
       if git -C "$GSTACK_HOME" merge --no-edit "origin/$branch" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
         if GSTACK_HOME="$GSTACK_HOME" _receipted_git closed brain-sync "$push_host" curated-memory-git-push "artifacts_sync_mode!=off" \
             bash -c 'git -C "$1" push origin HEAD 2>/dev/null' _ "$GSTACK_HOME"; then
-          rewrite_queue "$paths_file" "$class_file"
+          finalize_queue "$snapshot_file" "$class_file"
           date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ > "$LAST_PUSH_FILE"
           write_status "ok" "pushed $n file(s) after rebase"
           exit 0
@@ -561,12 +673,12 @@ subcmd_once() {
     fi
     # Commit exists locally; the run-start detector re-pushes it next time.
     write_status "push_failed" "push failed: $(printf '%s' "$push_err" | head -1); commit retained locally, will retry next run"
-    rewrite_queue "$paths_file" "$class_file"
+    finalize_queue "$snapshot_file" "$class_file"
     exit 0
   }
 
-  # Success: drained paths leave the queue (retained + concurrent survive).
-  rewrite_queue "$paths_file" "$class_file"
+  # Success: drained records leave the spool (retained + post-snapshot survive).
+  finalize_queue "$snapshot_file" "$class_file"
   date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ > "$LAST_PUSH_FILE"
   write_status "ok" "pushed $n file(s)"
   exit 0
@@ -578,9 +690,13 @@ subcmd_status() {
   else
     echo '{"status":"unknown","message":"no status file yet"}'
   fi
-  # Supplemental info (not in status file).
-  local queue_depth=0
-  [ -f "$QUEUE" ] && queue_depth=$(wc -l < "$QUEUE" | tr -d ' ')
+  # Supplemental info (not in status file). Depth = spool record files plus
+  # any not-yet-migrated legacy queue lines (transition window).
+  local queue_depth spool_depth legacy_depth
+  spool_depth=$(ls "$QUEUE_DIR"/*.json 2>/dev/null | wc -l | tr -d ' ')
+  legacy_depth=0
+  [ -f "$QUEUE" ] && legacy_depth=$(wc -l < "$QUEUE" | tr -d ' ')
+  queue_depth=$(( spool_depth + legacy_depth ))
   local last_push="never"
   [ -f "$LAST_PUSH_FILE" ] && last_push=$(cat "$LAST_PUSH_FILE" 2>/dev/null || echo never)
   local mode
@@ -611,13 +727,22 @@ subcmd_drop_queue() {
     echo "Refusing: --drop-queue discards pending syncs. Pass --yes to confirm." >&2
     exit 1
   fi
-  if [ ! -f "$QUEUE" ]; then
+  # Remove spool record files, then truncate any legacy queue remnant.
+  local n=0 f
+  for f in "$QUEUE_DIR"/*.json; do
+    [ -e "$f" ] || continue
+    rm -f "$f" 2>/dev/null && n=$(( n + 1 ))
+  done
+  if [ -f "$QUEUE" ]; then
+    local legacy_n
+    legacy_n=$(wc -l < "$QUEUE" | tr -d ' ')
+    n=$(( n + legacy_n ))
+    : > "$QUEUE"
+  fi
+  if [ "$n" -eq 0 ]; then
     echo "queue already empty"
     exit 0
   fi
-  local n
-  n=$(wc -l < "$QUEUE" | tr -d ' ')
-  : > "$QUEUE"
   echo "dropped $n queue entries"
 }
 
@@ -627,11 +752,11 @@ subcmd_discover_new() {
   fi
   # Walk allowlist globs; enqueue any file where mtime+size differs from cursor.
   python3 - "$GSTACK_HOME" "$ALLOWLIST" "$DISCOVER_CURSOR" <<'PYEOF' 2>/dev/null || true
-import sys, os, json, fnmatch
+import sys, os, json, fnmatch, time
 from datetime import datetime, timezone
 
 gstack_home, allowlist_path, cursor_path = sys.argv[1:4]
-queue_path = os.path.join(gstack_home, ".brain-queue.jsonl")
+spool_dir = os.path.join(gstack_home, ".brain-queue.d")
 skip_path = os.path.join(gstack_home, ".brain-skip.txt")
 
 def load_lines(path):
@@ -689,34 +814,36 @@ for root, dirs, files in os.walk(gstack_home):
         if cursor.get(rel) != key:
             to_enqueue.append((rel, key))
 
-# Append to the queue directly. The previous implementation shelled out to
+# Write spool records directly. The previous implementation shelled out to
 # gstack-brain-enqueue once per file, but Windows Python cannot exec a
 # bash-shebang script (the spawn fails with a fork error), so discovery
 # enqueued nothing on Windows even after the path-match fix above.
-# Writing the queue line here is platform-agnostic; the drain step
+# Writing the record here is platform-agnostic; the drain step
 # (compute_paths_to_stage) still re-applies the skip-list + privacy filters.
 if to_enqueue:
     ts = datetime.now(timezone.utc).strftime("%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ")
+    written = []
     try:
-        # One atomic append per record (O_APPEND, each line < PIPE_BUF), matching
-        # gstack-brain-enqueue's concurrency contract so a writer-shim append
-        # running in parallel can't interleave mid-record. Buffered text writes
-        # don't guarantee that. Compact separators match the shim's JSON shape.
-        fd = os.open(queue_path, os.O_WRONLY | os.O_CREAT | os.O_APPEND, 0o644)
-        try:
-            for rel, key in to_enqueue:
-                rec = json.dumps({"file": rel, "ts": ts}, separators=(",", ":"))
-                os.write(fd, (rec + "\n").encode("utf-8"))
-        finally:
-            os.close(fd)
+        # One spool FILE per record (tmp write + atomic os.replace), matching
+        # gstack-brain-enqueue's maildir contract: writers and the drain never
+        # share an inode, so a parallel writer or drain can't race this.
+        # Compact separators match the shim's JSON shape.
+        os.makedirs(spool_dir, exist_ok=True)
+        for i, (rel, key) in enumerate(to_enqueue):
+            rec = json.dumps({"file": rel, "ts": ts}, separators=(",", ":"))
+            tmp = os.path.join(spool_dir, f".tmp-{os.getpid()}-d{i}")
+            with open(tmp, "w") as f:
+                f.write(rec + "\n")
+            os.replace(tmp, os.path.join(spool_dir, f"{int(time.time())}-{os.getpid()}-d{i}.json"))
+            written.append((rel, key))
     except OSError:
-        # Queue write failed (disk full, AV file lock). Leave the cursor
-        # unadvanced so these files are retried on the next discover instead of
-        # being silently recorded as synced (which loses the change until the
-        # file next changes).
-        to_enqueue = []
+        # Spool write failed (disk full, AV file lock). Leave the cursor
+        # unadvanced for unwritten records so they are retried on the next
+        # discover instead of being silently recorded as synced (which loses
+        # the change until the file next changes).
+        pass
     # Advance the cursor only for records actually written.
-    for rel, key in to_enqueue:
+    for rel, key in written:
         new_cursor[rel] = key
 
 save_cursor(cursor_path, new_cursor)
diff --git a/bin/gstack-brain-uninstall b/bin/gstack-brain-uninstall
index e170b11dd..72841aca9 100755
--- a/bin/gstack-brain-uninstall
+++ b/bin/gstack-brain-uninstall
@@ -19,7 +19,8 @@
 #   .gitattributes             — merge driver declarations
 #   .brain-allowlist           — sync path list
 #   .brain-privacy-map.json    — sync privacy classifier
-#   .brain-queue.jsonl         — pending queue
+#   .brain-queue.d/            — pending spool (one file per record)
+#   .brain-queue.jsonl         — legacy pending queue (pre-spool)
 #   .brain-discover-cursor     — discover-new cursor
 #   .brain-last-push           — timestamp marker
 #   .brain-skip.txt            — user-maintained skip list
@@ -118,7 +119,9 @@ rm -f "$GSTACK_HOME/.gitignore" 2>/dev/null || true
 rm -f "$GSTACK_HOME/.gitattributes" 2>/dev/null || true
 rm -f "$GSTACK_HOME/.brain-allowlist" 2>/dev/null || true
 rm -f "$GSTACK_HOME/.brain-privacy-map.json" 2>/dev/null || true
+rm -rf "$GSTACK_HOME/.brain-queue.d" 2>/dev/null || true
 rm -f "$GSTACK_HOME/.brain-queue.jsonl" 2>/dev/null || true
+rm -f "$GSTACK_HOME/.brain-queue.jsonl.migrating" 2>/dev/null || true
 rm -f "$GSTACK_HOME/.brain-discover-cursor" 2>/dev/null || true
 rm -f "$GSTACK_HOME/.brain-last-push" 2>/dev/null || true
 rm -f "$GSTACK_HOME/.brain-last-pull" 2>/dev/null || true
diff --git a/test/brain-sync.test.ts b/test/brain-sync.test.ts
index 4f22f933d..bc42bd6fc 100644
--- a/test/brain-sync.test.ts
+++ b/test/brain-sync.test.ts
@@ -51,6 +51,28 @@ function git(args: string[], cwd?: string) {
   return { stdout: res.stdout || '', stderr: res.stderr || '', status: res.status ?? -1 };
 }
 
+// ---- spool helpers (maildir-style queue: one FILE per record) ----
+// Writers create <epoch>-<pid>-<uniq>.json under .brain-queue.d/ via tmp +
+// atomic rename; the drain deletes exactly the files it snapshotted. The
+// legacy single-file .brain-queue.jsonl exists only as a migration source.
+const spoolDir = () => path.join(tmpHome, '.brain-queue.d');
+const spoolFiles = () =>
+  fs.existsSync(spoolDir())
+    ? fs.readdirSync(spoolDir()).filter((f) => f.endsWith('.json')).sort()
+    : [];
+const spoolText = () =>
+  spoolFiles()
+    .map((f) => fs.readFileSync(path.join(spoolDir(), f), 'utf-8'))
+    .join('');
+let spoolSeq = 0;
+function seedSpool(record: string): string {
+  fs.mkdirSync(spoolDir(), { recursive: true });
+  spoolSeq += 1;
+  const name = `${Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000)}-${process.pid}-t${spoolSeq}.json`;
+  fs.writeFileSync(path.join(spoolDir(), name), record.endsWith('\n') ? record : record + '\n');
+  return name;
+}
+
 beforeEach(() => {
   tmpHome = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'brain-sync-home-'));
   bareRemote = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'brain-sync-remote-'));
@@ -130,6 +152,7 @@ describe('gstack-brain-enqueue', () => {
   test('no-op when feature not initialized', () => {
     const r = run(['gstack-brain-enqueue', 'projects/foo/learnings.jsonl']);
     expect(r.status).toBe(0);
+    expect(fs.existsSync(spoolDir())).toBe(false);
     expect(fs.existsSync(path.join(tmpHome, '.brain-queue.jsonl'))).toBe(false);
   });
 
@@ -137,18 +160,22 @@ describe('gstack-brain-enqueue', () => {
     fs.mkdirSync(path.join(tmpHome, '.git'), { recursive: true });
     const r = run(['gstack-brain-enqueue', 'projects/foo/learnings.jsonl']);
     expect(r.status).toBe(0);
-    expect(fs.existsSync(path.join(tmpHome, '.brain-queue.jsonl'))).toBe(false);
+    expect(fs.existsSync(spoolDir())).toBe(false);
   });
 
-  test('enqueues when mode is full and .git exists', () => {
+  test('enqueues one spool file when mode is full and .git exists', () => {
     fs.mkdirSync(path.join(tmpHome, '.git'), { recursive: true });
     run(['gstack-config', 'set', 'artifacts_sync_mode', 'full']);
     run(['gstack-brain-enqueue', 'projects/foo/learnings.jsonl']);
-    const queue = fs.readFileSync(path.join(tmpHome, '.brain-queue.jsonl'), 'utf-8');
-    expect(queue).toContain('projects/foo/learnings.jsonl');
-    const obj = JSON.parse(queue.trim());
+    const files = spoolFiles();
+    expect(files.length).toBe(1);
+    // Sortable maildir name: <epoch>-<pid>-<uniq>.json.
+    expect(files[0]).toMatch(/^\d+-\d+-\d+\.json$/);
+    const obj = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(spoolDir(), files[0]), 'utf-8').trim());
     expect(obj.file).toBe('projects/foo/learnings.jsonl');
     expect(obj.ts).toBeTruthy();
+    // No tmp-file droppings left behind.
+    expect(fs.readdirSync(spoolDir()).filter((f) => f.startsWith('.tmp-')).length).toBe(0);
   });
 
   test('skip list honored', () => {
@@ -157,12 +184,11 @@ describe('gstack-brain-enqueue', () => {
     fs.writeFileSync(path.join(tmpHome, '.brain-skip.txt'), 'projects/foo/secret.jsonl\n');
     run(['gstack-brain-enqueue', 'projects/foo/secret.jsonl']);
     run(['gstack-brain-enqueue', 'projects/foo/ok.jsonl']);
-    const queue = fs.readFileSync(path.join(tmpHome, '.brain-queue.jsonl'), 'utf-8');
-    expect(queue).not.toContain('secret.jsonl');
-    expect(queue).toContain('ok.jsonl');
+    expect(spoolText()).not.toContain('secret.jsonl');
+    expect(spoolText()).toContain('ok.jsonl');
   });
 
-  test('concurrent enqueues all land (atomic append)', async () => {
+  test('concurrent enqueues all land (one spool file per record)', async () => {
     fs.mkdirSync(path.join(tmpHome, '.git'), { recursive: true });
     run(['gstack-config', 'set', 'artifacts_sync_mode', 'full']);
     const procs = [];
@@ -176,9 +202,10 @@ describe('gstack-brain-enqueue', () => {
       }));
     }
     await Promise.all(procs);
-    const queue = fs.readFileSync(path.join(tmpHome, '.brain-queue.jsonl'), 'utf-8');
-    const lines = queue.trim().split('\n').filter(Boolean);
-    expect(lines.length).toBe(10);
+    expect(spoolFiles().length).toBe(10);
+    for (let i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
+      expect(spoolText()).toContain(`file-${i}.jsonl`);
+    }
   });
 
   test('no args does not crash', () => {
@@ -366,9 +393,8 @@ describe('gstack-brain-sync egress receipt gate', () => {
       expect(refused.stderr).toContain('EGRESS_RECEIPT_FAILED');
       expect(refused.stderr).toContain('Fix: chmod -R u+w');
       expect(refused.stderr).toContain('ATTEMPTS to send off-machine');
-      // Queue intact (receipt is written BEFORE the commit consumes it).
-      const queue = fs.readFileSync(path.join(tmpHome, '.brain-queue.jsonl'), 'utf-8');
-      expect(queue).toContain('projects/p/learnings.jsonl');
+      // Spool intact (receipt is written BEFORE finalize consumes records).
+      expect(spoolText()).toContain('projects/p/learnings.jsonl');
       // No local commit was created.
       expect(git(['rev-list', '--count', 'HEAD']).stdout.trim()).toBe(commitsBefore);
       // Nothing reached the remote.
@@ -433,19 +459,17 @@ describe('gstack-brain-uninstall', () => {
 // --discover-new: cursor-based change detection
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------
 describe('gstack-brain-sync --discover-new', () => {
-  test('enqueues new allowlisted files; idempotent on re-run', () => {
+  test('enqueues new allowlisted files as spool records; idempotent on re-run', () => {
     run(['gstack-artifacts-init', '--remote', bareRemote]);
     run(['gstack-config', 'set', 'artifacts_sync_mode', 'full']);
     fs.mkdirSync(path.join(tmpHome, 'retros'), { recursive: true });
     fs.writeFileSync(path.join(tmpHome, 'retros/week-1.md'), '# retro\n');
     run(['gstack-brain-sync', '--discover-new']);
-    let queue = fs.readFileSync(path.join(tmpHome, '.brain-queue.jsonl'), 'utf-8');
-    expect(queue).toContain('retros/week-1.md');
-    // Clear queue, run again — idempotent (no new entries).
-    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(tmpHome, '.brain-queue.jsonl'), '');
+    expect(spoolText()).toContain('retros/week-1.md');
+    // Clear the spool, run again — idempotent (no new records).
+    for (const f of spoolFiles()) fs.unlinkSync(path.join(spoolDir(), f));
     run(['gstack-brain-sync', '--discover-new']);
-    queue = fs.readFileSync(path.join(tmpHome, '.brain-queue.jsonl'), 'utf-8');
-    expect(queue.trim()).toBe('');
+    expect(spoolFiles().length).toBe(0);
   });
 });
 
@@ -458,7 +482,6 @@ describe('#2549 queue integrity', () => {
     run(['gstack-artifacts-init', '--remote', bareRemote]);
     run(['gstack-config', 'set', 'artifacts_sync_mode', mode]);
   }
-  const queueText = () => fs.readFileSync(path.join(tmpHome, '.brain-queue.jsonl'), 'utf-8');
   const statusJson = () => JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(tmpHome, '.brain-sync-status.json'), 'utf-8'));
 
   test('privacy-held entries are RETAINED and classified, not wiped as "no allowlisted changes"', () => {
@@ -470,9 +493,9 @@ describe('#2549 queue integrity', () => {
     const r = run(['gstack-brain-sync', '--once']);
     expect(r.status).toBe(0);
     // The exact #2549 repro: the old code truncated the queue here and said
-    // "no allowlisted changes in queue". The entry must survive, and the
+    // "no allowlisted changes in queue". The record must survive, and the
     // status must attribute the hold honestly.
-    expect(queueText()).toContain('projects/p/timeline.jsonl');
+    expect(spoolText()).toContain('projects/p/timeline.jsonl');
     const s = statusJson();
     expect(s.status).toBe('idle');
     expect(s.message).toContain('privacy-held retained');
@@ -484,13 +507,13 @@ describe('#2549 queue integrity', () => {
     fs.mkdirSync(path.join(tmpHome, 'projects', 'p'), { recursive: true });
     // Unmatched: no allowlist glob covers .txt scratch files.
     fs.writeFileSync(path.join(tmpHome, 'projects/p/scratch.txt'), 'x\n');
-    fs.appendFileSync(path.join(tmpHome, '.brain-queue.jsonl'), '{"file":"projects/p/scratch.txt"}\n');
+    seedSpool('{"file":"projects/p/scratch.txt"}');
     // Missing: allowlisted name that does not exist on disk.
-    fs.appendFileSync(path.join(tmpHome, '.brain-queue.jsonl'), '{"file":"projects/p/learnings.jsonl"}\n');
+    seedSpool('{"file":"projects/p/learnings.jsonl"}');
     const r = run(['gstack-brain-sync', '--once']);
     expect(r.status).toBe(0);
-    expect(queueText()).not.toContain('scratch.txt');
-    expect(queueText()).not.toContain('learnings.jsonl');
+    expect(spoolText()).not.toContain('scratch.txt');
+    expect(spoolText()).not.toContain('learnings.jsonl');
     const s = statusJson();
     expect(s.message).toContain('1 unmatched dropped');
     expect(s.message).toContain('1 missing dropped');
@@ -504,17 +527,20 @@ describe('#2549 queue integrity', () => {
     expect(detail.dropped.missing).toContain('projects/p/learnings.jsonl');
   });
 
-  test('an unparseable queue line is preserved, never destroyed', () => {
+  test('an unparseable legacy queue line migrates as-is and is preserved, never destroyed', () => {
+    // The line lands in the legacy single-file queue (pre-spool writer);
+    // migration converts it verbatim to a spool record, and the drain keeps
+    // what it cannot parse.
     initWithMode('full');
     fs.appendFileSync(path.join(tmpHome, '.brain-queue.jsonl'), 'not json at all\n');
     const r = run(['gstack-brain-sync', '--once']);
     expect(r.status).toBe(0);
-    expect(queueText()).toContain('not json at all');
+    expect(spoolText()).toContain('not json at all');
   });
 
-  test('surgical rewrite: a synced entry leaves the queue while a held sibling survives the same drain', () => {
-    // Proves the rewrite is a live filtered rewrite, not a truncation: two
-    // entries drain in one --once, one stages+pushes, one is mode-held.
+  test('finalize: a synced record leaves the spool while a held sibling survives the same drain', () => {
+    // Proves finalize is a per-record delete, not a truncation: two records
+    // drain in one --once, one stages+pushes, one is mode-held.
     initWithMode('artifacts-only');
     fs.mkdirSync(path.join(tmpHome, 'projects', 'p'), { recursive: true });
     fs.writeFileSync(path.join(tmpHome, 'projects/p/learnings.jsonl'), '{"skill":"x","insight":"y","ts":"2026-01-01T00:00:00Z"}\n');
@@ -523,8 +549,8 @@ describe('#2549 queue integrity', () => {
     run(['gstack-brain-enqueue', 'projects/p/timeline.jsonl']);
     const r = run(['gstack-brain-sync', '--once']);
     expect(r.status).toBe(0);
-    expect(queueText()).not.toContain('learnings.jsonl');   // synced, removed
-    expect(queueText()).toContain('timeline.jsonl');        // held, retained
+    expect(spoolText()).not.toContain('learnings.jsonl');   // synced, removed
+    expect(spoolText()).toContain('timeline.jsonl');        // held, retained
     const log = spawnSync('git', ['--git-dir=' + bareRemote, 'log', '--oneline'], { encoding: 'utf-8' });
     expect(log.stdout).toMatch(/sync: 1 file/);
   });
@@ -550,8 +576,8 @@ describe('#2549 queue integrity', () => {
     const s = statusJson();
     expect(s.status).toBe('push_failed');
     expect(s.message).toContain('commit retained locally');
-    // Drained path left the queue — it lives in the local commit now.
-    expect(queueText()).not.toContain('learnings.jsonl');
+    // Drained record left the spool — it lives in the local commit now.
+    expect(spoolText()).not.toContain('learnings.jsonl');
     // The commit exists locally, ahead of origin.
     const ahead = git(['rev-list', '--count', 'origin/main..HEAD']).stdout.trim();
     expect(Number(ahead)).toBeGreaterThan(0);
@@ -680,3 +706,156 @@ describe('#2549 queue integrity', () => {
     expect(git(['rev-list', '--count', 'origin/main..HEAD']).stdout.trim()).toBe('0');
   });
 });
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------
+// C12 spool queue: per-record files kill the enqueue/drain race.
+// One FILE per record under .brain-queue.d/ — writer and drainer never
+// share an inode, so the lockless append-vs-rewrite race is structurally
+// gone. Crash semantics are at-least-once (unfinalized records re-drain).
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------
+describe('C12 spool queue', () => {
+  function initWithMode(mode: string) {
+    run(['gstack-artifacts-init', '--remote', bareRemote]);
+    run(['gstack-config', 'set', 'artifacts_sync_mode', mode]);
+  }
+  const remoteLog = () =>
+    spawnSync('git', ['--git-dir=' + bareRemote, 'log', '--oneline'], { encoding: 'utf-8' }).stdout;
+
+  test('two rapid enqueues of different paths create two spool files; one drain syncs both', () => {
+    initWithMode('full');
+    fs.mkdirSync(path.join(tmpHome, 'projects', 'p'), { recursive: true });
+    fs.mkdirSync(path.join(tmpHome, 'retros'), { recursive: true });
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(tmpHome, 'projects/p/learnings.jsonl'), '{"skill":"x","ts":"2026-01-01T00:00:00Z"}\n');
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(tmpHome, 'retros/week-1.md'), '# retro\n');
+    run(['gstack-brain-enqueue', 'projects/p/learnings.jsonl']);
+    run(['gstack-brain-enqueue', 'retros/week-1.md']);
+    expect(spoolFiles().length).toBe(2);
+    const r = run(['gstack-brain-sync', '--once']);
+    expect(r.status).toBe(0);
+    expect(spoolFiles().length).toBe(0);
+    expect(remoteLog()).toMatch(/sync: 2 file/);
+  });
+
+  test('a record created after a drain survives untouched and drains on the NEXT --once', () => {
+    // Structural form of the concurrent-append test: finalize deletes only
+    // snapshot-manifest files, so a record the drain never listed cannot be
+    // touched — whether it lands mid-drain or after.
+    initWithMode('full');
+    fs.mkdirSync(path.join(tmpHome, 'projects', 'p'), { recursive: true });
+    fs.mkdirSync(path.join(tmpHome, 'retros'), { recursive: true });
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(tmpHome, 'projects/p/learnings.jsonl'), '{"skill":"a","ts":"2026-01-01T00:00:00Z"}\n');
+    run(['gstack-brain-enqueue', 'projects/p/learnings.jsonl']);
+    expect(run(['gstack-brain-sync', '--once']).status).toBe(0);
+    expect(spoolFiles().length).toBe(0);
+    // New record arrives (a writer that raced the previous drain).
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(tmpHome, 'retros/week-1.md'), '# retro\n');
+    run(['gstack-brain-enqueue', 'retros/week-1.md']);
+    const [pending] = spoolFiles();
+    expect(pending).toBeTruthy();
+    const pendingContent = fs.readFileSync(path.join(spoolDir(), pending), 'utf-8');
+    expect(pendingContent).toContain('retros/week-1.md');
+    // Untouched by the completed drain; the NEXT drain delivers it.
+    expect(run(['gstack-brain-sync', '--once']).status).toBe(0);
+    expect(spoolFiles().length).toBe(0);
+    expect(remoteLog()).toMatch(/sync: 1 file/);
+  });
+
+  test('at-least-once: a drain that fails before finalize leaves every spool file for the next run', () => {
+    if (process.platform === 'win32' || process.getuid?.() === 0) return; // chmod advisory there
+    initWithMode('full');
+    fs.mkdirSync(path.join(tmpHome, 'projects', 'p'), { recursive: true });
+    fs.mkdirSync(path.join(tmpHome, 'retros'), { recursive: true });
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(tmpHome, 'projects/p/learnings.jsonl'), '{"skill":"a","ts":"2026-01-01T00:00:00Z"}\n');
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(tmpHome, 'retros/week-1.md'), '# retro\n');
+    run(['gstack-brain-enqueue', 'projects/p/learnings.jsonl']);
+    run(['gstack-brain-enqueue', 'retros/week-1.md']);
+    const seeded = spoolFiles();
+    expect(seeded.length).toBe(2);
+
+    // Break the egress-receipt ledger: the drain fails AFTER staging but
+    // BEFORE any commit or finalize — simulating a crash mid-drain.
+    fs.mkdirSync(path.join(tmpHome, 'security'), { recursive: true });
+    fs.chmodSync(path.join(tmpHome, 'security'), 0o500);
+    try {
+      const refused = run(['gstack-brain-sync', '--once']);
+      expect(refused.status).toBe(1);
+      // The exact same spool files are still present — nothing consumed.
+      expect(spoolFiles()).toEqual(seeded);
+    } finally {
+      fs.chmodSync(path.join(tmpHome, 'security'), 0o700);
+    }
+
+    // Next run re-drains the surviving records.
+    expect(run(['gstack-brain-sync', '--once']).status).toBe(0);
+    expect(spoolFiles().length).toBe(0);
+    expect(remoteLog()).toMatch(/sync: 2 file/);
+  });
+
+  test('legacy migration: .brain-queue.jsonl lines convert to spool records, nothing lost', () => {
+    // Pre-spool writers appended to the single-file queue. Three lines: two
+    // stageable artifacts, one behavioral (mode-held under artifacts-only).
+    initWithMode('artifacts-only');
+    fs.mkdirSync(path.join(tmpHome, 'projects', 'p'), { recursive: true });
+    fs.mkdirSync(path.join(tmpHome, 'retros'), { recursive: true });
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(tmpHome, 'projects/p/learnings.jsonl'), '{"skill":"x","ts":"2026-01-01T00:00:00Z"}\n');
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(tmpHome, 'retros/week-1.md'), '# retro\n');
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(tmpHome, 'projects/p/timeline.jsonl'), '{"skill":"x","event":"started"}\n');
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(tmpHome, '.brain-queue.jsonl'),
+      '{"file":"projects/p/learnings.jsonl","ts":"2026-01-01T00:00:00Z"}\n' +
+      '{"file":"retros/week-1.md","ts":"2026-01-01T00:00:01Z"}\n' +
+      '{"file":"projects/p/timeline.jsonl","ts":"2026-01-01T00:00:02Z"}\n');
+    const r = run(['gstack-brain-sync', '--once']);
+    expect(r.status).toBe(0);
+    // Legacy file consumed; no .migrating remnant.
+    expect(fs.existsSync(path.join(tmpHome, '.brain-queue.jsonl'))).toBe(false);
+    expect(fs.existsSync(path.join(tmpHome, '.brain-queue.jsonl.migrating'))).toBe(false);
+    // Both artifacts synced; the behavioral record survives as a spool file.
+    expect(remoteLog()).toMatch(/sync: 2 file/);
+    expect(spoolText()).toContain('projects/p/timeline.jsonl');
+    expect(spoolText()).not.toContain('learnings.jsonl');
+  });
+
+  test('an unparseable spool record is kept and warned about; the drain continues', () => {
+    initWithMode('full');
+    fs.mkdirSync(path.join(tmpHome, 'projects', 'p'), { recursive: true });
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(tmpHome, 'projects/p/learnings.jsonl'), '{"skill":"x","ts":"2026-01-01T00:00:00Z"}\n');
+    run(['gstack-brain-enqueue', 'projects/p/learnings.jsonl']);
+    const badFile = seedSpool('this is not json');
+    const r = run(['gstack-brain-sync', '--once']);
+    expect(r.status).toBe(0);
+    expect(r.stderr).toContain('unparseable');
+    // The good sibling synced; the unreadable record was never destroyed.
+    expect(remoteLog()).toMatch(/sync: 1 file/);
+    expect(spoolFiles()).toEqual([badFile]);
+    expect(spoolText()).toContain('this is not json');
+  });
+
+  test('--status queue_depth counts spool records plus unmigrated legacy lines', () => {
+    initWithMode('full');
+    seedSpool('{"file":"projects/p/a.jsonl","ts":"t"}');
+    seedSpool('{"file":"projects/p/b.jsonl","ts":"t"}');
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(tmpHome, '.brain-queue.jsonl'), '{"file":"projects/p/c.jsonl","ts":"t"}\n');
+    const r = run(['gstack-brain-sync', '--status']);
+    expect(r.status).toBe(0);
+    const supplemental = JSON.parse(r.stdout.trim().split('\n').pop()!);
+    expect(supplemental.queue_depth).toBe(3);
+  });
+
+  test('--drop-queue keeps the --yes gate and counts spool + legacy entries', () => {
+    initWithMode('full');
+    seedSpool('{"file":"projects/p/a.jsonl","ts":"t"}');
+    seedSpool('{"file":"projects/p/b.jsonl","ts":"t"}');
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(tmpHome, '.brain-queue.jsonl'), '{"file":"projects/p/c.jsonl","ts":"t"}\n');
+    const refused = run(['gstack-brain-sync', '--drop-queue']);
+    expect(refused.status).toBe(1);
+    expect(refused.stderr).toContain('--yes');
+    expect(spoolFiles().length).toBe(2);
+    const dropped = run(['gstack-brain-sync', '--drop-queue', '--yes']);
+    expect(dropped.status).toBe(0);
+    expect(dropped.stdout).toContain('dropped 3 queue entries');
+    expect(spoolFiles().length).toBe(0);
+    expect(fs.readFileSync(path.join(tmpHome, '.brain-queue.jsonl'), 'utf-8')).toBe('');
+    const again = run(['gstack-brain-sync', '--drop-queue', '--yes']);
+    expect(again.stdout).toContain('queue already empty');
+  });
+});