diff --git a/cli/__tests__/adapters.claude.context-tokens.test.mjs b/cli/__tests__/adapters.claude.context-tokens.test.mjs
index 1fbeaf3e58..f977ac0d59 100644
--- a/cli/__tests__/adapters.claude.context-tokens.test.mjs
+++ b/cli/__tests__/adapters.claude.context-tokens.test.mjs
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 import { describe, expect, test } from '@jest/globals';
 import { EventEmitter } from 'events';
-import { mkdirSync, mkdtempSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from 'fs';
+import {
+  mkdirSync, mkdtempSync, realpathSync, rmSync, symlinkSync, writeFileSync,
+} from 'fs';
 import { tmpdir } from 'os';
 import { join } from 'path';
 
@@ -51,6 +53,38 @@ describe('claude adapter reports the turn context from the child HOME', () => {
     }
   });
 
+  test('a symlinked cwd is read under its physical path, where claude writes it', async () => {
+    const childHome = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'claude-home-'));
+    const real = join(childHome, 'real-work');
+    const link = join(childHome, 'linked-work');
+    mkdirSync(real);
+    symlinkSync(real, link);
+    try {
+      const impl = (_cmd, args) => {
+        const flag = args.includes('--resume') ? '--resume' : '--session-id';
+        const sid = args[args.indexOf(flag) + 1];
+        // claude names the folder after process.cwd(), the resolved path.
+        const dir = join(childHome, '.claude', 'projects', realpathSync(real).replace(/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/g, '-'));
+        mkdirSync(dir, { recursive: true });
+        writeFileSync(join(dir, `${sid}.jsonl`), `${JSON.stringify({
+          type: 'assistant',
+          message: { usage: { input_tokens: 7, cache_creation_input_tokens: 0, cache_read_input_tokens: 500 } },
+        })}\n`);
+        return fakeChild();
+      };
+      const res = await claude.spawn('hi', { environment: { model: 'test-model' },
+        sessionId: 'sid-link',
+        cwd: link,
+        env: { HOME: childHome },
+        memoryLongTerm: '',
+        _spawnImpl: impl,
+      });
+      expect(res.contextTokens).toBe(507);
+    } finally {
+      rmSync(childHome, { recursive: true, force: true });
+    }
+  });
+
   test('a turn with no transcript reports unknown, so the seat keeps resuming', async () => {
     const childHome = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'claude-home-'));
     try {
diff --git a/cli/__tests__/first-output-watchdog.test.mjs b/cli/__tests__/first-output-watchdog.test.mjs
index 3b33546163..6f38aed0b9 100644
--- a/cli/__tests__/first-output-watchdog.test.mjs
+++ b/cli/__tests__/first-output-watchdog.test.mjs
@@ -182,6 +182,39 @@ describe('the claude adapter under the first-output watchdog', () => {
     }
   });
 
+  test('at the grace deadline the pipes are dropped, so a holder the snapshot missed cannot block close', async () => {
+    const saved = process.env.COMMONLY_FIRST_OUTPUT_WINDOW_MS;
+    process.env.COMMONLY_FIRST_OUTPUT_WINDOW_MS = '50';
+    const spawned = {};
+    try {
+      const { error } = await claude.spawn('hello', {
+        environment: { model: 'test-model' },
+        _spawnImpl: () => {
+          const proc = fakeChild();
+          proc.kill = jest.fn();
+          // Close fires only once both of our pipe ends are gone.
+          let open = 2;
+          const drop = () => { open -= 1; if (open === 0) setImmediate(() => proc.emit('close', null)); };
+          proc.stdout.destroy = jest.fn(drop);
+          proc.stderr.destroy = jest.fn(drop);
+          spawned.child = proc;
+          return proc;
+        },
+        _lockProbe: async () => true,
+        _stallKillGraceMs: 30,
+        _processTable: () => [], // ps saw no descendants
+        env: { ...process.env, HOME: sessionsTmpDir },
+        cwd: sessionsTmpDir,
+      }).then(() => ({}), (err) => ({ error: err }));
+      expect(error.code).toBe('spawn_stalled');
+      expect(spawned.child.stdout.destroy).toHaveBeenCalled();
+      expect(spawned.child.stderr.destroy).toHaveBeenCalled();
+    } finally {
+      if (saved === undefined) delete process.env.COMMONLY_FIRST_OUTPUT_WINDOW_MS;
+      else process.env.COMMONLY_FIRST_OUTPUT_WINDOW_MS = saved;
+    }
+  });
+
   test('a spawn that ignores SIGTERM gets SIGKILL after the grace', async () => {
     const spawned = {};
     const saved = process.env.COMMONLY_FIRST_OUTPUT_WINDOW_MS;
diff --git a/cli/src/lib/adapters/claude.js b/cli/src/lib/adapters/claude.js
index a793bffec3..d692c6f35f 100644
--- a/cli/src/lib/adapters/claude.js
+++ b/cli/src/lib/adapters/claude.js
@@ -537,6 +537,11 @@ const runClaude = ({
       stallKill = setTimeout(() => {
         killProcessTree(proc, 'SIGKILL', treeIo(processTable));
         sweepStallSurvivors();
+        // A pipe holder the snapshot missed (ps failed, or it was reparented
+        // before the stall) would still keep close from firing. Dropping our
+        // ends of the pipes bounds every stalled turn at window plus grace.
+        proc.stdout?.destroy?.();
+        proc.stderr?.destroy?.();
       }, stallKillGraceMs);
       stallKill.unref?.();
     },
@@ -1262,7 +1267,7 @@ export default {
       // TASK-440: the context this turn left, read from the transcript the
       // child wrote under its own env (an isolated HOME for public seats).
       const contextTokens = claudeContextTokens({
-        cwd: ctx.cwd, sessionId, configDir: claudeConfigDirFor({ ...env, HOME: childHome || env?.HOME }),
+        cwd: physicalPath(ctx.cwd), sessionId, configDir: claudeConfigDirFor({ ...env, HOME: childHome || env?.HOME }),
       });
       return { text: stdout.trim(), newSessionId: sessionId, contextTokens };
     } catch (err) {
@@ -1324,7 +1329,7 @@ export default {
           survivorIo: ctx._survivorIo,
         });
         const contextTokens = claudeContextTokens({
-          cwd: ctx.cwd, sessionId: freshId,
+          cwd: physicalPath(ctx.cwd), sessionId: freshId,
           configDir: claudeConfigDirFor({ ...retry.env, HOME: retry.childHome || retry.env?.HOME }),
         });
         return { text: stdout.trim(), newSessionId: freshId, contextTokens };