diff --git a/hive-c0re/src/broker.rs b/hive-c0re/src/broker.rs
index d8619c96..1ad74403 100644
--- a/hive-c0re/src/broker.rs
+++ b/hive-c0re/src/broker.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 //! Sqlite-backed message broker. Survives `hive-c0re` restart, and taps every
 //! send/recv onto a broadcast channel so the dashboard can stream it.
 
-use std::collections::{HashMap, HashSet};
+use std::collections::{HashMap, HashSet, VecDeque};
 use std::path::Path;
 use std::sync::Mutex;
 use std::time::{SystemTime, UNIX_EPOCH};
@@ -147,6 +147,13 @@ struct RecipientInflight {
     requeued_ids: HashSet<i64>,
 }
 
+/// Hard cap on buffered transient pings per recipient. Pings are
+/// ephemeral wakes (bash completions, matrix events); an agent drains
+/// them on its next `recv`, so the buffer is normally near-empty. The
+/// cap only bounds memory if a recipient stops recv'ing entirely (e.g.
+/// a stopped container) — past it the oldest ping is dropped.
+const MAX_PENDING_PINGS: usize = 256;
+
 pub struct Broker {
     conn: Mutex<Connection>,
     events: broadcast::Sender<MessageEvent>,
@@ -155,6 +162,15 @@ pub struct Broker {
     /// boot, which rebuilds the `requeued_ids` set from the DB and
     /// clears any stale `unacked_ids`).
     inflight: Mutex<HashMap<String, RecipientInflight>>,
+    /// Per-recipient buffer of transient wake signals (`ping`) that
+    /// haven't been consumed by a `recv` yet. The broadcast channel only
+    /// reaches a `recv_blocking_batch` that is *currently parked*; a ping
+    /// fired while the harness is mid-turn (no live subscriber) would
+    /// otherwise be lost. Buffering here makes a transient wake reliable
+    /// — the next `recv` drains it — without sqlite persistence or
+    /// redelivery-on-restart (the buffer is in-memory, dropped on
+    /// hive-c0re restart, which is fine: a wake that old is stale).
+    pending_pings: Mutex<HashMap<String, VecDeque<(String, String)>>>,
 }
 
 impl Broker {
@@ -173,6 +189,7 @@ impl Broker {
             conn: Mutex::new(conn),
             events,
             inflight: Mutex::new(HashMap::new()),
+            pending_pings: Mutex::new(HashMap::new()),
         })
     }
 
@@ -201,11 +218,25 @@ impl Broker {
     }
 
     /// Deliver a transient wake signal to `to` without writing to sqlite.
-    /// The signal wakes a long-polling `recv_blocking_batch` for the target
-    /// agent but is not persisted, not redelivered on restart, and not shown
-    /// in message history. Use for ephemeral notifications (bash task
-    /// completions) where persistence would cause duplicate delivery.
+    /// The signal wakes the target agent's next `recv_blocking_batch` but is
+    /// not persisted, not redelivered on restart, and not shown in message
+    /// history. Use for ephemeral notifications (bash task completions,
+    /// matrix events) where persistence would cause duplicate delivery.
+    ///
+    /// The ping is buffered in `pending_pings` *before* the broadcast so a
+    /// `recv` that wasn't parked at fire time still drains it on its next
+    /// call — the broadcast alone reaches only a currently-parked receiver.
     pub fn ping(&self, to: &str, from: &str, body: &str) {
+        {
+            let mut pending = self.pending_pings.lock().unwrap();
+            let queue = pending.entry(to.to_owned()).or_default();
+            queue.push_back((from.to_owned(), body.to_owned()));
+            // Bound memory if the recipient never recv's (stopped container):
+            // drop the oldest so the most recent wakes survive.
+            while queue.len() > MAX_PENDING_PINGS {
+                queue.pop_front();
+            }
+        }
         let _ = self.events.send(MessageEvent::Ping {
             to: to.to_owned(),
             from: from.to_owned(),
@@ -213,6 +244,50 @@ impl Broker {
         });
     }
 
+    /// Drain up to `max` buffered transient pings for `recipient`, mapping
+    /// each to a `Delivery` with the sentinel `id = 0` (never pushed to
+    /// `unacked_ids`, so `ack_turn` ignores it). FIFO; leaves any remainder
+    /// buffered for the next call.
+    fn drain_pings(&self, recipient: &str, max: usize) -> Vec<Delivery> {
+        if max == 0 {
+            return Vec::new();
+        }
+        let mut pending = self.pending_pings.lock().unwrap();
+        let Some(queue) = pending.get_mut(recipient) else {
+            return Vec::new();
+        };
+        let take = queue.len().min(max);
+        let drained: Vec<Delivery> = queue
+            .drain(..take)
+            .map(|(from, body)| Delivery {
+                id: 0,
+                redelivered: false,
+                message: Message {
+                    from,
+                    to: recipient.to_owned(),
+                    body,
+                    in_reply_to: None,
+                },
+            })
+            .collect();
+        if queue.is_empty() {
+            pending.remove(recipient);
+        }
+        drained
+    }
+
+    /// Collect a batch for `recipient`: buffered transient pings first
+    /// (they're wakes — surface them ahead of queued mail), then sqlite
+    /// messages up to the remaining budget. Shared by the immediate check
+    /// and the post-wake path of `recv_blocking_batch`.
+    fn collect_batch(&self, recipient: &str, max: usize) -> Result<Vec<Delivery>> {
+        let mut batch = self.drain_pings(recipient, max);
+        if batch.len() < max {
+            batch.extend(self.recv_batch(recipient, max - batch.len())?);
+        }
+        Ok(batch)
+    }
+
     /// Latest `limit` messages addressed to `recipient`, newest-first.
     /// Includes delivered + undelivered alike — used for the operator
     /// inbox view on the dashboard. Caller decides what to show.
@@ -440,7 +515,9 @@ impl Broker {
             return Ok(Vec::new());
         }
         let mut rx = self.subscribe();
-        let batch = self.recv_batch(recipient, max)?;
+        // Immediate check: buffered pings (incl. any fired while no recv was
+        // parked) + queued sqlite mail.
+        let batch = self.collect_batch(recipient, max)?;
         if !batch.is_empty() {
             return Ok(batch);
         }
@@ -452,37 +529,21 @@ impl Broker {
             };
             match tokio::time::timeout(remaining, rx.recv()).await {
                 Err(_) => return Ok(Vec::new()),
-                // Channel lagged or closed — fall back to a single direct
-                // pop (in case we missed our notification while behind).
-                Ok(Err(_)) => return self.recv_batch(recipient, max),
-                Ok(Ok(MessageEvent::Sent { to, .. })) if to == recipient => {
-                    let batch = self.recv_batch(recipient, max)?;
+                // Channel lagged or closed — fall back to a direct collect
+                // (in case we missed our notification while behind).
+                Ok(Err(_)) => return self.collect_batch(recipient, max),
+                // A relevant event landed (real message or transient ping).
+                // Re-collect from the buffers; the ping payload on the event
+                // is ignored — `drain_pings` is the source of truth, so a
+                // ping can't be double-delivered.
+                Ok(Ok(MessageEvent::Sent { to, .. } | MessageEvent::Ping { to, .. }))
+                    if to == recipient =>
+                {
+                    let batch = self.collect_batch(recipient, max)?;
                     if !batch.is_empty() {
                         return Ok(batch);
                     }
-                    // Lost a race (concurrent recv elsewhere). Keep waiting.
-                }
-                // Transient ping — not sqlite-backed. Return it directly as
-                // a Delivery with id=0 (sentinel: never pushed to unacked_ids
-                // so ack_turn silently ignores it).
-                Ok(Ok(MessageEvent::Ping { to, from, body })) if to == recipient => {
-                    // Also drain any real sqlite messages that may have landed
-                    // concurrently; prepend the ping so the agent sees both.
-                    let mut batch = self.recv_batch(recipient, max.saturating_sub(1))?;
-                    batch.insert(
-                        0,
-                        Delivery {
-                            id: 0,
-                            redelivered: false,
-                            message: Message {
-                                from,
-                                to,
-                                body,
-                                in_reply_to: None,
-                            },
-                        },
-                    );
-                    return Ok(batch);
+                    // Lost a race (concurrent recv drained it). Keep waiting.
                 }
                 Ok(Ok(_)) => {}
             }
@@ -1291,6 +1352,47 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(broker.ack_turn("b").unwrap(), 5);
     }
 
+    /// The #1462 fix: a transient `ping` fired while no `recv` is parked
+    /// must NOT be lost — it's buffered and drained by the next collect.
+    #[test]
+    fn transient_ping_buffered_when_no_receiver_parked() {
+        let h = open_broker();
+        let broker = &h.broker;
+        // Nobody is parked on recv when these fire (the old broadcast-only
+        // path dropped them here).
+        broker.ping("b", "matrix", "wake1");
+        broker.ping("b", "bash-task", "wake2");
+        let batch = broker.collect_batch("b", 10).unwrap();
+        let got: Vec<_> = batch
+            .iter()
+            .map(|d| (d.id, d.message.from.as_str(), d.message.body.as_str()))
+            .collect();
+        assert_eq!(
+            got,
+            vec![(0, "matrix", "wake1"), (0, "bash-task", "wake2")],
+            "buffered pings drain FIFO as id=0 deliveries"
+        );
+        // Drained — the buffer is now empty.
+        assert!(broker.collect_batch("b", 10).unwrap().is_empty());
+        // Pings are sentinel id=0, so ack_turn has nothing to close out.
+        assert_eq!(broker.ack_turn("b").unwrap(), 0);
+    }
+
+    /// Buffered pings surface ahead of queued sqlite mail in one batch.
+    #[test]
+    fn pending_pings_surface_before_queued_mail() {
+        let h = open_broker();
+        let broker = &h.broker;
+        broker.send(&msg("a", "b", "mail")).unwrap();
+        broker.ping("b", "matrix", "wake");
+        let batch = broker.collect_batch("b", 10).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(batch.len(), 2);
+        assert_eq!(batch[0].id, 0, "ping first");
+        assert_eq!(batch[0].message.body, "wake");
+        assert!(batch[1].id > 0, "sqlite mail after");
+        assert_eq!(batch[1].message.body, "mail");
+    }
+
     /// `recv_batch` with no pending traffic returns an empty vec
     /// (the "(empty)" path), not an error.
     #[test]