diff --git a/frontend/packages/swarm-ui/src/agent/terminal/CancelTurnBadge.tsx b/frontend/packages/swarm-ui/src/agent/terminal/CancelTurnBadge.tsx
index 1fcf0d85..4171654e 100644
--- a/frontend/packages/swarm-ui/src/agent/terminal/CancelTurnBadge.tsx
+++ b/frontend/packages/swarm-ui/src/agent/terminal/CancelTurnBadge.tsx
@@ -1,12 +1,19 @@
 // <CancelTurnBadge> — "cancel turn" among the state badges over the terminal.
 // Shown only while the agent is in a turn (`canCancel`). POSTs
 // `/api/agents/{name}/cancel`; the answer says whether a turn was running, and
-// the badge shows that (or the failure) in place of its label until the next
-// click, so a cancel is never silently a no-op.
-import { useState } from "preact/hooks";
+// the badge shows that (or the failure) in place of its label, so a cancel is
+// never silently a no-op. The answer clears when the next turn starts
+// (`statusOnTurnChange`), so every turn can be cancelled; a failure can also be
+// retried by clicking it.
+import { useEffect, useRef, useState } from "preact/hooks";
 import { Badge } from "@hive/shared/badge.js";
 import { readApiError } from "@hive/shared/api-error.js";
-import { canCancel, cancelNote, cancelPath } from "./cancel.js";
+import {
+  canCancel,
+  cancelNote,
+  cancelPath,
+  statusOnTurnChange,
+} from "./cancel.js";
 
 type CancelState =
   | { status: "idle" }
@@ -22,6 +29,13 @@ export function CancelTurnBadge({
   turnState: string;
 }) {
   const [state, setState] = useState<CancelState>({ status: "idle" });
+  const prevTurn = useRef<string | undefined>(undefined);
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const next = statusOnTurnChange(state.status, prevTurn.current, turnState);
+    prevTurn.current = turnState;
+    if (next !== state.status) setState({ status: next } as CancelState);
+  }, [turnState]);
 
   async function cancel() {
     setState({ status: "cancelling" });
@@ -42,8 +56,6 @@ export function CancelTurnBadge({
     }
   }
 
-  // The answer outlives the turn it stopped: once the agent leaves
-  // `thinking`, the note is the only thing worth keeping on screen.
   if (state.status === "done") {
     return <Badge variant="quiet" value={cancelNote(state.acted)} />;
   }
diff --git a/frontend/packages/swarm-ui/src/agent/terminal/cancel.ts b/frontend/packages/swarm-ui/src/agent/terminal/cancel.ts
index fef11a3e..6c25f2dd 100644
--- a/frontend/packages/swarm-ui/src/agent/terminal/cancel.ts
+++ b/frontend/packages/swarm-ui/src/agent/terminal/cancel.ts
@@ -16,3 +16,26 @@ export function cancelPath(agentName: string): string {
 export function cancelNote(acted: boolean): string {
   return acted ? "turn cancelled" : "nothing was running";
 }
+
+/** What the cancel badge is showing. */
+export type CancelStatus = "idle" | "cancelling" | "done" | "error";
+
+/**
+ * The badge's status once the agent's turn state moves from `prev` to `now`.
+ * The answer ("turn cancelled") stays up after the turn it stopped ends, and
+ * clears when the next turn starts, so that turn can be cancelled too. A
+ * failure clears as soon as its turn ends: with no turn running, there is
+ * nothing left to retry.
+ */
+export function statusOnTurnChange(
+  status: CancelStatus,
+  prev: string | undefined,
+  now: string | undefined,
+): CancelStatus {
+  if (status === "cancelling") return status;
+  const wasIn = canCancel(prev);
+  const isIn = canCancel(now);
+  if (isIn && !wasIn) return "idle";
+  if (!isIn && wasIn && status === "error") return "idle";
+  return status;
+}
diff --git a/frontend/packages/swarm-ui/test/cancel.test.mjs b/frontend/packages/swarm-ui/test/cancel.test.mjs
index 9dd0be10..41caebc4 100644
--- a/frontend/packages/swarm-ui/test/cancel.test.mjs
+++ b/frontend/packages/swarm-ui/test/cancel.test.mjs
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import {
   canCancel,
   cancelNote,
   cancelPath,
+  statusOnTurnChange,
 } from "../src/agent/terminal/cancel.ts";
 
 test("cancel is offered while the agent is in a turn, and only then", () => {
@@ -23,3 +24,26 @@ test("the note says whether a turn was stopped", () => {
   assert.equal(cancelNote(true), "turn cancelled");
   assert.equal(cancelNote(false), "nothing was running");
 });
+
+test("the answer stays after its turn ends and clears when the next starts", () => {
+  assert.equal(statusOnTurnChange("done", "thinking", "idle"), "done");
+  assert.equal(statusOnTurnChange("done", "idle", "idle"), "done");
+  assert.equal(statusOnTurnChange("done", "idle", "thinking"), "idle");
+});
+
+test("a failure clears when its turn ends, or a new one starts", () => {
+  assert.equal(statusOnTurnChange("error", "thinking", "thinking"), "error");
+  assert.equal(statusOnTurnChange("error", "thinking", "idle"), "idle");
+  assert.equal(statusOnTurnChange("error", "idle", "thinking"), "idle");
+});
+
+test("a cancel in flight is left alone", () => {
+  assert.equal(
+    statusOnTurnChange("cancelling", "thinking", "idle"),
+    "cancelling",
+  );
+  assert.equal(
+    statusOnTurnChange("cancelling", "idle", "thinking"),
+    "cancelling",
+  );
+});