diff --git a/SGT_CONTEXT.md b/SGT_CONTEXT.md
index 037014c..e13bd37 100644
--- a/SGT_CONTEXT.md
+++ b/SGT_CONTEXT.md
@@ -1670,3 +1670,67 @@ Required follow-up:
 
 ```
 - 2026-04-01T13:28:48+02:00 — 2026-04-01 issue #392: regression coverage now pins Ralph lane issue-number accounting, the non-underfilled anti-false-completion override (declared acceptance waived/verified still forced back to pending while condition is unmet), and President's ralph-idle branch as refresh-not-wake distinct from ralph-underfilled refill wakes.
+- 2026-04-01T13:34:17+02:00 — 2026-04-01 issue #394: README now includes a realistic PMKB-style Ralph-mode walkthrough (target=3, active=2, backlog=1, support-only excluded, duplicate excluded) and test_ralph_mode_latest_main_proof.sh now runs test_ralph_mode_realistic_rig_example.sh so latest-main proof covers documented operator-plausible Ralph behavior, anti-false-completion, and refillable underfill state.
+- 2026-04-01T13:42:59+02:00 — Acceptance blocker sgt-acceptance-1775041349-4cbdb7d1 resolved.
+- 2026-04-01T13:42:59+02:00 — Acceptance blocker sgt-acceptance-1775039964-1c53354b resolved.
+- 2026-04-01T13:48:51+02:00 — 2026-04-01 issue #359: President hibernation regression coverage must exercise the missing-session path too; the earlier runtime test proved no refresh/wake on hibernated rigs but did not explicitly prove that a hibernated rig with mayor/<rig> already absent still skips President start/restart intervention.
+- 2026-04-01T13:49:34+02:00 — 2026-04-01 issue #379: _plan_state_snapshot must preserve the live Ralph pending override from plan-state when completion is in a ralph-* rollup or Ralph still blocks completion; otherwise status/plan resync can rehydrate stale blocked or verified acceptance from SGT_PLAN.json. _plan_state_update_completion now also preserves existing completion.acceptance.declared_* forensic fields across repeated pending rewrites. Regression coverage in test_ralph_mode_config_and_state.sh exercises stale blocked metadata across status snapshot plus retick.
+- 2026-04-01T13:50:19+02:00 — Acceptance blocker sgt-acceptance-1775044219-ceb68ca5 reported by witness: Replacement work required after stalled polecat for issue #379
+
+### Acceptance Blocker sgt-acceptance-1775044219-ceb68ca5
+
+- Reported at: 2026-04-01T13:50:19+02:00
+- Reported by: witness
+- Title: Replacement work required after stalled polecat for issue #379
+
+```markdown
+Replacement work required after stalled polecat for issue #379
+
+Stalled polecat recovery did not produce replacement work.
+
+- Rig: sgt
+- Repo: codejeet/sgt
+- Issue: #379
+- Issue URL: https://github.com/codejeet/sgt/issues/379
+- Issue title: unknown
+- Polecat: sgt-d2f4f4a3
+- Failure reason: witness-stalled-issue-title-unavailable
+
+Required follow-up:
+- create replacement work (new PR or re-dispatched polecat) before closing the incident
+- re-investigate why the worker exited without producing a PR
+
+```
+- 2026-04-01T13:50:32+02:00 — Acceptance blocker sgt-acceptance-1775044232-db30880b reported by witness: Replacement work required after stalled polecat for issue #359
+
+### Acceptance Blocker sgt-acceptance-1775044232-db30880b
+
+- Reported at: 2026-04-01T13:50:32+02:00
+- Reported by: witness
+- Title: Replacement work required after stalled polecat for issue #359
+
+```markdown
+Replacement work required after stalled polecat for issue #359
+
+Stalled polecat recovery did not produce replacement work.
+
+- Rig: sgt
+- Repo: codejeet/sgt
+- Issue: #359
+- Issue URL: https://github.com/codejeet/sgt/issues/359
+- Issue title: unknown
+- Polecat: sgt-e083b7bf
+- Failure reason: witness-stalled-issue-title-unavailable
+
+Required follow-up:
+- create replacement work (new PR or re-dispatched polecat) before closing the incident
+- re-investigate why the worker exited without producing a PR
+
+```
+- 2026-04-01T13:56:24+02:00 — Acceptance blocker sgt-acceptance-1775044219-ceb68ca5 resolved.
+- 2026-04-01T13:56:24+02:00 — Acceptance blocker sgt-acceptance-1775044232-db30880b resolved.
+- 2026-04-01T14:01:46+02:00 — 2026-04-01 issue #379: _plan_state_snapshot must preserve the live Ralph pending override from plan-state when completion is in a ralph-* rollup or Ralph still blocks completion; otherwise status/plan resync can rehydrate stale blocked or verified acceptance from SGT_PLAN.json. _plan_state_update_completion now also preserves existing completion.acceptance.declared_* forensic fields across repeated pending rewrites. Regression coverage in test_ralph_mode_config_and_state.sh exercises stale blocked metadata across status snapshot plus retick.
+- 2026-04-01T14:01:49+02:00 — 2026-04-01 issue #359: President hibernation-guard regression now covers the missing-session path — when a hibernated rig has no mayor tmux session, President skips start/restart/refresh/wake intervention. PR #399.
+
+## 2026-04-02
+- 2026-04-02T05:26:50+02:00 — 2026-04-02 live Ralph/PMKB repro: repeated PMKB recovery is no longer just false-exhaustion. Direct refill/materialization is creating successor issues, but the newly attached polecats die within minutes with dead-session-missing-worktree, which drops active_polecats back below target and sends President/Mayor into the same pending-plan-underfilled refresh/wake loop. Concrete live sequence from trail: RESLING #1304 at 04:52:50, #1305 at 04:53:04, #1306 at 04:53:16; all three reached active-output, then #1306 auto-pruned dead-session-missing-worktree at 04:56:44, #1304 at 04:57:34, #1305 at 04:59:59; plan tick still reports tasks-exhausted-awaiting-acceptance while acceptance remains pending and continuation intent open.
diff --git a/sgt b/sgt
index 99ca435..50d9ca2 100755
--- a/sgt
+++ b/sgt
@@ -2984,6 +2984,58 @@ _cleanup_failed_polecat_dispatch() {
   fi
 }
 
+_polecat_issue_title() {
+  local cached_title="${1:-}" repo="${2:-}" issue="${3:-}"
+  local live_title=""
+  if [[ -n "$cached_title" ]]; then
+    printf '%s\n' "$cached_title"
+    return 0
+  fi
+  [[ -n "$repo" && "$issue" =~ ^[0-9]+$ && "$issue" != "0" ]] || return 1
+  live_title="$(gh issue view "$issue" --repo "$repo" --json title --jq '.title // ""' 2>/dev/null || true)"
+  [[ -n "$live_title" ]] || return 1
+  printf '%s\n' "$live_title"
+}
+
+_record_refill_attach_blocker() {
+  local rig="${1:-}" repo="${2:-}" issue_number="${3:-}" issue_title="${4:-}" source_event="${5:-unknown}" reason_code="${6:-dispatch-failed}" detail="${7:-dispatch failed}"
+  local requester title evidence blocker_id owner_repo issue_url comment_body
+
+  [[ -n "$rig" && -n "$repo" && "$issue_number" =~ ^[0-9]+$ && "$issue_number" != "0" ]] || return 1
+
+  requester="witness"
+  owner_repo="$(_repo_owner_repo "$repo")"
+  issue_url="$(_repo_issue_url "$repo" "$issue_number")"
+  title="Refill could not attach replacement polecat for issue #$issue_number"
+  printf -v evidence '%s\n\nSGT could not attach a replacement polecat during refill/recovery.\n\n- Rig: %s\n- Repo: %s\n- Issue: #%s\n- Issue URL: %s\n- Issue title: %s\n- Source event: %s\n- Failure reason: %s\n- Detail: %s\n\nRequired follow-up:\n- investigate the spawn/worktree failure before repeating wake/refresh churn\n- do not treat the rig as healthy until a replacement polecat attaches successfully\n' \
+    "$title" \
+    "$rig" \
+    "${owner_repo:-$repo}" \
+    "$issue_number" \
+    "${issue_url:-unknown}" \
+    "${issue_title:-unknown}" \
+    "${source_event:-unknown}" \
+    "${reason_code:-unknown}" \
+    "${detail:-unknown}"
+
+  blocker_id="$(_acceptance_blocker_write "$rig" "$evidence" "$requester" "$reason_code" 2>/dev/null || true)"
+  if [[ -n "$blocker_id" ]]; then
+    _context_append_acceptance_blocker "$rig" "$blocker_id" "$requester" "$title" "$evidence" || true
+    if [[ -n "${OPENAI_API_KEY:-}" ]] && [[ -n "$(_context_python_bin)" ]]; then
+      _context_index_build "$rig" >/dev/null 2>&1 || true
+    fi
+    _wake_mayor "acceptance-blocker:${rig}:${blocker_id}"
+    log_event "REFILL_ATTACH_BLOCKER rig=$rig issue=#$issue_number blocker_id=$blocker_id source_event=$source_event reason_code=$reason_code detail=\"$(_escape_quotes "${detail:-unknown}")\""
+    comment_body="[sgt] Refill could not attach a replacement polecat for issue #$issue_number. Recorded acceptance blocker \`$blocker_id\` with reason \`$reason_code\`: ${detail:-unknown}"
+  else
+    _wake_mayor "refill-attach-failed:${rig}:#${issue_number}"
+    log_event "REFILL_ATTACH_BLOCKER rig=$rig issue=#$issue_number blocker_id=unavailable source_event=$source_event reason_code=$reason_code detail=\"$(_escape_quotes "${detail:-unknown}")\""
+    comment_body="[sgt] Refill could not attach a replacement polecat for issue #$issue_number. Mayor has been notified. Reason \`$reason_code\`: ${detail:-unknown}"
+  fi
+  gh issue comment "$issue_number" --repo "$repo" --body "$comment_body" 2>/dev/null || true
+  return 0
+}
+
 _mayor_cleanup_stale_polecat() {
   local pfile="${1:-}" pname="${2:-}" rig="${3:-}" repo="${4:-}" issue="${5:-}" branch="${6:-}" session="${7:-}" worktree="${8:-}" reason_code="${9:-}" issue_state="${10:-}" pr_number="${11:-}" pr_state="${12:-}"
   local owner_repo key key_id fence_dir cleanup_marker decision_marker action
@@ -9163,8 +9215,15 @@ cmd_sling() {
 
   local worktree="$SGT_ROOT/polecats/$pname"
   mkdir -p "$SGT_ROOT/polecats"
-  git -C "$rpath" worktree add -b "$branch" "$worktree" "origin/$default_branch" 2>/dev/null \
-    || git -C "$rpath" worktree add -b "$branch" "$worktree" "$default_branch"
+  local worktree_error=""
+  if ! worktree_error="$(
+    git -C "$rpath" worktree add -b "$branch" "$worktree" "origin/$default_branch" 2>&1 \
+      || git -C "$rpath" worktree add -b "$branch" "$worktree" "$default_branch" 2>&1
+  )"; then
+    _cleanup_failed_polecat_dispatch "$SGT_POLECATS/$pname" "$pname" "$rig" "$branch" "$session_name" "$worktree"
+    log_event "SLING_SPAWN_FAILED polecat=$pname rig=$rig issue=#$issue_number branch=$branch reason_code=worktree-attach-failed detail=\"$(_escape_quotes "${worktree_error:-git worktree add returned non-zero exit status}")\""
+    die "failed to attach worktree for polecat '$pname': ${worktree_error:-git worktree add returned non-zero exit status}"
+  fi
 
   _ensure_context_file "$rig" >/dev/null
   if [[ -f "$rpath/CLAUDE.md" ]]; then
@@ -9181,6 +9240,7 @@ RIG=$rig
 REPO=$repo
 ISSUE=$issue_number
 ISSUE_URL=$issue_url
+ISSUE_TITLE=$(printf '%q' "$task")
 BRANCH=$branch
 WORKTREE=$worktree
 OUTPUT_LOG=$worktree/.sgt-agent-output.log
@@ -10569,8 +10629,8 @@ _mayor_recover_stranded_actionable_rig() {
     resling_output="$(cat "$resling_log" 2>/dev/null || true)"
     rm -f "$resling_log"
 
-    blocked_reason_code="dispatch-failed"
-    blocked_detail="$(_one_line "${resling_output:-dispatch failed}")"
+    blocked_reason_code="${_RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_REASON_CODE:-dispatch-failed}"
+    blocked_detail="$(_one_line "${_RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_DETAIL:-${resling_output:-dispatch failed}}")"
     if [[ "$blocked_detail" == *"dispatch-instant gate"* ]]; then
       blocked_reason_code="final-gate"
     elif [[ "$blocked_detail" == *"stale event"* ]]; then
@@ -10586,6 +10646,9 @@ _mayor_recover_stranded_actionable_rig() {
     _MAYOR_STRANDED_RECOVERY_DETAILS+="${issue_number}|${blocked_reason_code}|${blocked_detail}"$'\n'
     echo "[mayor] stranded rig $rig could not recover issue #$issue_number ($blocked_reason_code)"
     log_event "MAYOR_STRANDED_RIG_RECOVERY_BLOCKED issue=#$issue_number rig=$rig repo=$(_repo_owner_repo "$repo") reason_code=$blocked_reason_code detail=\"$(_escape_quotes "$blocked_detail")\" source_event=$source_event source_event_key=\"$(_escape_quotes "$source_event_key")\""
+    if [[ "$blocked_reason_code" == "worktree-attach-failed" || "$blocked_reason_code" == "tmux-new-session-failed" || "$blocked_reason_code" == "command-too-long" ]]; then
+      _record_refill_attach_blocker "$rig" "$repo" "$issue_number" "$issue_title" "$source_event" "$blocked_reason_code" "$blocked_detail" || true
+    fi
   done <<< "$issue_rows"
 }
 
@@ -11041,12 +11104,13 @@ _witness_loop() {
       pname="$(basename "$f")"
 
       # Source in subshell to avoid polluting
-      local p_session p_branch p_issue p_worktree p_created p_repo p_auto_merge p_output_log
+      local p_session p_branch p_issue p_issue_title p_worktree p_created p_repo p_auto_merge p_output_log
       local p_runtime_classification p_runtime_reason_code p_runtime_summary p_runtime_output_age p_runtime_busy_pid p_runtime_busy_comm
-      eval "$(grep -E '^(SESSION|BRANCH|ISSUE|WORKTREE|CREATED|REPO|AUTO_MERGE|BACKEND|OUTPUT_LOG|RUNTIME_CLASSIFICATION|RUNTIME_REASON_CODE|RUNTIME_SUMMARY|RUNTIME_OUTPUT_AGE_SECS|RUNTIME_BUSY_PID|RUNTIME_BUSY_COMM)=' "$f")"
+      eval "$(grep -E '^(SESSION|BRANCH|ISSUE|ISSUE_TITLE|WORKTREE|CREATED|REPO|AUTO_MERGE|BACKEND|OUTPUT_LOG|RUNTIME_CLASSIFICATION|RUNTIME_REASON_CODE|RUNTIME_SUMMARY|RUNTIME_OUTPUT_AGE_SECS|RUNTIME_BUSY_PID|RUNTIME_BUSY_COMM)=' "$f")"
       p_session="$SESSION"
       p_branch="$BRANCH"
       p_issue="$ISSUE"
+      p_issue_title="${ISSUE_TITLE:-}"
       p_worktree="$WORKTREE"
       p_created="$CREATED"
       p_repo="$REPO"
@@ -11134,7 +11198,7 @@ _witness_loop() {
             rm -f "$f"
 
             local issue_title
-            issue_title=$(gh issue view "$p_issue" --repo "$p_repo" --json title --jq '.title' 2>/dev/null || true)
+            issue_title="$(_polecat_issue_title "$p_issue_title" "$p_repo" "$p_issue" || true)"
             if [[ -n "$issue_title" ]]; then
               if _mayor_rig_manually_hibernated "$rig"; then
                 echo "[witness/$rig] rig manually hibernated — leaving stalled issue #$p_issue parked"
@@ -11150,6 +11214,9 @@ _witness_loop() {
               log_event "WITNESS_RESLING $pname issue=#$p_issue reason_code=$runtime_reason"
               if ! _resling_existing_issue "$rig" "$p_issue" "$issue_title" "$p_repo" "$(_ai_backend_default)" "" "witness-stalled" "witness-stalled:$pname:#$p_issue"; then
                 echo "[witness/$rig] re-sling failed for issue #$p_issue — recording durable follow-up"
+                if [[ "${_RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_REASON_CODE:-}" == "worktree-attach-failed" || "${_RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_REASON_CODE:-}" == "tmux-new-session-failed" || "${_RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_REASON_CODE:-}" == "command-too-long" ]]; then
+                  _record_refill_attach_blocker "$rig" "$p_repo" "$p_issue" "$issue_title" "witness-stalled" "${_RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_REASON_CODE:-dispatch-failed}" "${_RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_DETAIL:-dispatch failed}"
+                fi
                 _witness_record_stalled_followup "$rig" "$p_repo" "$p_issue" "$issue_title" "$pname" "witness-stalled-resling-failed"
               fi
             else
@@ -11215,7 +11282,7 @@ _witness_loop() {
             rm -f "$f"
 
             local issue_title
-            issue_title=$(gh issue view "$p_issue" --repo "$p_repo" --json title --jq '.title' 2>/dev/null || true)
+            issue_title="$(_polecat_issue_title "$p_issue_title" "$p_repo" "$p_issue" || true)"
             _witness_record_backend_limit_followup "$rig" "$p_repo" "$p_issue" "$issue_title" "$pname" "${backend_limit_name:-${BACKEND:-unknown}}" "$backend_limit_reason" "$backend_limit_match"
             continue
           fi
@@ -11240,7 +11307,7 @@ _witness_loop() {
 
           # Re-sling: get the issue title and re-dispatch
           local issue_title
-          issue_title=$(gh issue view "$p_issue" --repo "$p_repo" --json title --jq '.title' 2>/dev/null || true)
+          issue_title="$(_polecat_issue_title "$p_issue_title" "$p_repo" "$p_issue" || true)"
           if [[ -n "$issue_title" ]]; then
             if _mayor_rig_manually_hibernated "$rig"; then
               echo "[witness/$rig] rig manually hibernated — leaving stalled issue #$p_issue parked"
@@ -11258,6 +11325,9 @@ _witness_loop() {
             # Re-sling with a new polecat (reuse existing issue — don't create a new one)
             if ! _resling_existing_issue "$rig" "$p_issue" "$issue_title" "$p_repo" "$(_ai_backend_default)" "" "witness-stalled" "witness-stalled:$pname:#$p_issue"; then
               echo "[witness/$rig] re-sling failed for issue #$p_issue — recording durable follow-up"
+              if [[ "${_RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_REASON_CODE:-}" == "worktree-attach-failed" || "${_RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_REASON_CODE:-}" == "tmux-new-session-failed" || "${_RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_REASON_CODE:-}" == "command-too-long" ]]; then
+                _record_refill_attach_blocker "$rig" "$p_repo" "$p_issue" "$issue_title" "witness-stalled" "${_RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_REASON_CODE:-dispatch-failed}" "${_RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_DETAIL:-dispatch failed}"
+              fi
               _witness_record_stalled_followup "$rig" "$p_repo" "$p_issue" "$issue_title" "$pname" "witness-stalled-resling-failed"
             fi
           else
@@ -11351,9 +11421,13 @@ _resling_existing_issue() {
   local source_event="${7:-unknown}"
   local source_event_key="${8:-$source_event}"
   local canonical_repo resolve_meta resolve_code resolve_reason
+  _RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_REASON_CODE=""
+  _RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_DETAIL=""
   source_event_key="$(_wake_trigger_key "$source_event_key")"
   [[ -n "$source_event_key" ]] || source_event_key="${source_event:-unknown}"
   if _mayor_rig_manually_hibernated "$rig"; then
+    _RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_REASON_CODE="manual-hibernation"
+    _RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_DETAIL="rig $rig is manually hibernated"
     echo "[resling] rig $rig is manually hibernated — skipping issue #$issue_number"
     log_event "RESLING_SKIP_HIBERNATED issue=#$issue_number rig=$rig mode=manual source_event=$source_event source_event_key=\"$(_escape_quotes "$source_event_key")\""
     return 1
@@ -11362,6 +11436,8 @@ _resling_existing_issue() {
   if ! canonical_repo="$(_resolve_rig_repo_canonical "resling-dispatch" "$rig" "$repo" "1")"; then
     resolve_meta="$(_rig_repo_resolve_error_unpack "$canonical_repo")"
     IFS='|' read -r resolve_code resolve_reason <<< "$resolve_meta"
+    _RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_REASON_CODE="${resolve_code:-repo-resolve-failed}"
+    _RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_DETAIL="${resolve_reason:-unable to resolve rig repo}"
     echo "[resling] stale event ($source_event) for issue #$issue_number — skipping: ${resolve_reason:-unable to resolve rig repo}"
     log_event "RESLING_SKIP_STALE issue=#$issue_number rig=$rig source_event=$source_event source_event_key=\"$(_escape_quotes "$source_event_key")\" source_pr=${source_pr:-none} skip_reason=\"$(_escape_quotes "${resolve_reason:-unable to resolve rig repo}")\""
     return 1
@@ -11370,6 +11446,8 @@ _resling_existing_issue() {
 
   local stale_reason=""
   if ! stale_reason=$(_resling_pre_dispatch_revalidate "$rig" "$repo" "$issue_number" "$source_pr"); then
+    _RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_REASON_CODE="stale-event"
+    _RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_DETAIL="$stale_reason"
     echo "[resling] stale event ($source_event) for issue #$issue_number — skipping: $stale_reason"
     log_event "RESLING_SKIP_STALE issue=#$issue_number rig=$rig source_event=$source_event source_event_key=\"$(_escape_quotes "$source_event_key")\" source_pr=${source_pr:-none} skip_reason=\"$(_escape_quotes "$stale_reason")\""
     return 1
@@ -11377,11 +11455,15 @@ _resling_existing_issue() {
 
   # Security gate: verify issue has sgt-authorized label
   if ! _has_sgt_authorized "$repo" "$issue_number"; then
+    _RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_REASON_CODE="unauthorized"
+    _RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_DETAIL="issue lacks sgt-authorized label"
     echo "[resling] issue #$issue_number lacks sgt-authorized label — skipping"
     log_event "RESLING_SKIP_UNAUTHORIZED issue=#$issue_number rig=$rig source_event=$source_event source_event_key=\"$(_escape_quotes "$source_event_key")\" skip_reason=\"issue lacks sgt-authorized\""
     return 1
   fi
   if ! _plan_task_issue_matches_current_plan "$rig" "$repo" "$issue_number" "$task"; then
+    _RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_REASON_CODE="${_PLAN_TASK_MISMATCH_REASON_CODE:-stale-plan-task-mismatch}"
+    _RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_DETAIL="task_id=${_PLAN_TASK_MISMATCH_TASK_ID:-unknown}"
     echo "[resling] issue #$issue_number no longer matches current plan task — skipping"
     log_event "RESLING_SKIP_STALE_PLAN_TASK issue=#$issue_number rig=$rig source_event=$source_event source_event_key=\"$(_escape_quotes "$source_event_key")\" task_id=${_PLAN_TASK_MISMATCH_TASK_ID:-unknown} reason_code=${_PLAN_TASK_MISMATCH_REASON_CODE:-stale-plan-task-mismatch}"
     return 1
@@ -11389,6 +11471,8 @@ _resling_existing_issue() {
 
   local backend_limited_reason=""
   if backend_limited_reason="$(_issue_backend_dispatch_limited_reason "$repo" "$issue_number" 2>/dev/null || true)" && [[ -n "$backend_limited_reason" ]]; then
+    _RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_REASON_CODE="$backend_limited_reason"
+    _RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_DETAIL="issue is backend-limited"
     echo "[resling] issue #$issue_number is backend-limited — skipping"
     log_event "RESLING_SKIP_BACKEND_LIMIT issue=#$issue_number rig=$rig source_event=$source_event source_event_key=\"$(_escape_quotes "$source_event_key")\" source_pr=${source_pr:-none} reason_code=$backend_limited_reason"
     return 1
@@ -11396,6 +11480,8 @@ _resling_existing_issue() {
 
   local existing_issue_polecat=""
   if existing_issue_polecat=$(_resling_find_existing_issue_polecat "$rig" "$repo" "$issue_number"); then
+    _RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_REASON_CODE="active-polecat-existing"
+    _RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_DETAIL="issue #$issue_number already has active polecat $existing_issue_polecat"
     echo "[resling] issue #$issue_number already has active polecat $existing_issue_polecat — skipping duplicate re-sling"
     log_event "RESLING_SKIP_DUPLICATE_ACTIVE issue=#$issue_number rig=$rig source_event=$source_event source_event_key=\"$(_escape_quotes "$source_event_key")\" source_pr=${source_pr:-none} existing_polecat=$existing_issue_polecat skip_reason=\"active polecat already exists for issue\""
     return 1
@@ -11414,8 +11500,17 @@ _resling_existing_issue() {
 
   local worktree="$SGT_ROOT/polecats/$pname"
   mkdir -p "$SGT_ROOT/polecats"
-  git -C "$rpath" worktree add -b "$branch" "$worktree" "origin/$default_branch" 2>/dev/null \
-    || git -C "$rpath" worktree add -b "$branch" "$worktree" "$default_branch"
+  local worktree_error=""
+  if ! worktree_error="$(
+    git -C "$rpath" worktree add -b "$branch" "$worktree" "origin/$default_branch" 2>&1 \
+      || git -C "$rpath" worktree add -b "$branch" "$worktree" "$default_branch" 2>&1
+  )"; then
+    _RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_REASON_CODE="worktree-attach-failed"
+    _RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_DETAIL="${worktree_error:-git worktree add returned non-zero exit status}"
+    log_event "RESLING_SPAWN_FAILED polecat=$pname rig=$rig issue=#$issue_number branch=$branch source_event=$source_event source_event_key=\"$(_escape_quotes "$source_event_key")\" reason_code=worktree-attach-failed detail=\"$(_escape_quotes "${worktree_error:-git worktree add returned non-zero exit status}")\""
+    echo "[resling] dispatch failed ($source_event) for issue #$issue_number — ${worktree_error:-git worktree add returned non-zero exit status}" >&2
+    return 1
+  fi
 
   _ensure_context_file "$rig" >/dev/null
   if [[ -f "$rpath/CLAUDE.md" ]]; then
@@ -11428,6 +11523,8 @@ _resling_existing_issue() {
 
   local final_gate_reason=""
   if ! final_gate_reason=$(_resling_pre_dispatch_revalidate "$rig" "$repo" "$issue_number" "$source_pr"); then
+    _RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_REASON_CODE="final-gate"
+    _RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_DETAIL="$final_gate_reason"
     echo "[resling] dispatch-instant gate ($source_event) for issue #$issue_number — skipping: $final_gate_reason"
     log_event "RESLING_SKIP_FINAL_GATE issue=#$issue_number rig=$rig source_event=$source_event source_event_key=\"$(_escape_quotes "$source_event_key")\" source_pr=${source_pr:-none} skip_reason=\"$(_escape_quotes "$final_gate_reason")\""
     git -C "$rpath" worktree remove --force "$worktree" 2>/dev/null || rm -rf "$worktree"
@@ -11440,6 +11537,7 @@ RIG=$rig
 REPO=$repo
 ISSUE=$issue_number
 ISSUE_URL=https://github.com/${repo#https://github.com/}/issues/$issue_number
+ISSUE_TITLE=$(printf '%q' "$task")
 BRANCH=$branch
 WORKTREE=$worktree
 OUTPUT_LOG=$worktree/.sgt-agent-output.log
@@ -11465,6 +11563,8 @@ PSTATE
     if [[ "${tmux_error,,}" == *"command too long"* ]]; then
       dispatch_reason_code="command-too-long"
     fi
+    _RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_REASON_CODE="$dispatch_reason_code"
+    _RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_DETAIL="${tmux_error:-tmux new-session returned non-zero exit status}"
     _cleanup_failed_polecat_dispatch "$SGT_POLECATS/$pname" "$pname" "$rig" "$branch" "$session_name" "$worktree"
     log_event "RESLING_SPAWN_FAILED polecat=$pname rig=$rig issue=#$issue_number branch=$branch source_event=$source_event source_event_key=\"$(_escape_quotes "$source_event_key")\" reason_code=$dispatch_reason_code detail=\"$(_escape_quotes "${tmux_error:-tmux new-session returned non-zero exit status}")\""
     echo "[resling] dispatch failed ($source_event) for issue #$issue_number — ${tmux_error:-tmux new-session returned non-zero exit status}" >&2
diff --git a/test_ralph_refill_attach_blocker.sh b/test_ralph_refill_attach_blocker.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..391a87b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test_ralph_refill_attach_blocker.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# test_ralph_refill_attach_blocker.sh — stranded Ralph refill failures should emit an explicit blocker with spawn/worktree root cause.
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+REPO_ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")" && pwd)"
+SGT_SCRIPT="$REPO_ROOT/sgt"
+TMP_ROOT="$(mktemp -d)"
+trap 'rm -rf "$TMP_ROOT"' EXIT
+
+extract_fn() {
+  local name="$1"
+  awk -v n="$name" '
+    $0 ~ "^" n "\\(\\) \\{" {in_fn=1}
+    in_fn {print}
+    in_fn && $0 == "}" {exit}
+  ' "$SGT_SCRIPT"
+}
+
+eval "$(extract_fn _one_line)"
+eval "$(extract_fn _escape_quotes)"
+eval "$(extract_fn log_event)"
+eval "$(extract_fn _record_refill_attach_blocker)"
+eval "$(extract_fn _mayor_recover_stranded_actionable_rig)"
+
+export SGT_ROOT="$TMP_ROOT/root"
+export SGT_CONFIG="$SGT_ROOT/.sgt"
+export SGT_LOG="$TMP_ROOT/sgt.log"
+mkdir -p "$SGT_CONFIG"
+: > "$SGT_LOG"
+
+BLOCKER_FILE="$TMP_ROOT/blockers"
+WAKE_FILE="$TMP_ROOT/wakes"
+COMMENT_FILE="$TMP_ROOT/comments"
+: > "$BLOCKER_FILE"
+: > "$WAKE_FILE"
+: > "$COMMENT_FILE"
+
+_repo_owner_repo() { printf '%s\n' "${1#https://github.com/}"; }
+_repo_issue_url() { printf '%s/issues/%s\n' "$1" "$2"; }
+_context_append_acceptance_blocker() { :; }
+_context_python_bin() { return 1; }
+_context_index_build() { :; }
+_wake_mayor() { printf '%s\n' "$1" >> "$WAKE_FILE"; }
+_acceptance_blocker_write() {
+  printf '%s|%s|%s|%s\n' "$1" "$3" "$4" "blocker-ralph" >> "$BLOCKER_FILE"
+  printf 'blocker-ralph\n'
+}
+_mayor_rig_hibernated() { return 1; }
+_mayor_rig_activity_snapshot() { printf '%s\n' 'active|ralph state=underfilled target=3 active_lanes=0 admissible_lanes=1 underfilled=1 condition="Keep three live lanes"|1|0|0|0|0|ralph-underfilled|pending'; }
+_plan_task_issue_matches_current_plan() { return 0; }
+_issue_backend_dispatch_limited_reason() { return 1; }
+_resling_find_existing_issue_polecat() { return 1; }
+_sweep_watchdog_find_open_pr_for_issue() { return 1; }
+_ai_backend_default() { printf '%s\n' 'codex'; }
+_plan_pending_underfill_target() { printf '%s\n' '0'; }
+_ralph_mode_snapshot_fields() { printf '%s\n' '1|Keep three live lanes|unmet|3|0|underfilled|condition unmet; active_lanes=0 target=3|0|1|1|0|0|1|1||||'; }
+
+gh() {
+  local args=" $* "
+  if [[ "$args" == *" issue list "* ]]; then
+    printf '91\tAttach refill lane\n'
+    return 0
+  fi
+  if [[ "$args" == *" issue comment "* ]]; then
+    printf '%s\n' "$args" >> "$COMMENT_FILE"
+    return 0
+  fi
+  echo "unexpected gh call: $*" >&2
+  return 1
+}
+
+_RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_REASON_CODE=""
+_RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_DETAIL=""
+_resling_existing_issue() {
+  _RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_REASON_CODE="worktree-attach-failed"
+  _RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_DETAIL="git worktree add failed: path already exists"
+  echo "[resling] dispatch failed (mayor-zero-worker-recovery) for issue #91 — git worktree add failed: path already exists"
+  return 1
+}
+
+_mayor_recover_stranded_actionable_rig demo https://github.com/acme/demo
+
+grep -q 'MAYOR_STRANDED_RIG_RECOVERY_BLOCKED issue=#91 rig=demo repo=acme/demo reason_code=worktree-attach-failed' "$SGT_LOG"
+grep -q 'REFILL_ATTACH_BLOCKER rig=demo issue=#91 blocker_id=blocker-ralph source_event=mayor-zero-worker-recovery reason_code=worktree-attach-failed' "$SGT_LOG"
+grep -q 'demo|witness|worktree-attach-failed|blocker-ralph' "$BLOCKER_FILE"
+grep -q 'acceptance-blocker:demo:blocker-ralph' "$WAKE_FILE"
+grep -q 'worktree-attach-failed' "$COMMENT_FILE"
+
+echo "ALL TESTS PASSED"
diff --git a/test_witness_stalled_followup_guard.sh b/test_witness_stalled_followup_guard.sh
index 43c8874..3e9268b 100755
--- a/test_witness_stalled_followup_guard.sh
+++ b/test_witness_stalled_followup_guard.sh
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ extract_fn() {
 }
 
 eval "$(extract_fn _witness_record_stalled_followup)"
+eval "$(extract_fn _polecat_issue_title)"
 eval "$(extract_fn _polecat_output_log_path)"
 eval "$(extract_fn _witness_dead_polecat_backend_limit)"
 eval "$(extract_fn _witness_pr_meta)"
@@ -99,6 +100,7 @@ _pr_head_sha() { echo "deadbeef"; }
 _merge_queue_enqueue_polecat() { return 1; }
 _ai_backend_default() { echo "codex"; }
 _resling_existing_issue() { return 1; }
+_plan_task_issue_matches_current_plan() { return 0; }
 
 tmux() {
   if [[ "${1:-}" == "has-session" ]]; then
@@ -157,12 +159,14 @@ run_witness_once() {
 make_polecat() {
   local name="$1"
   local branch="$2"
+  local issue_title="${3:-}"
   local worktree="$TMP_ROOT/worktrees/$name"
   mkdir -p "$worktree"
   cat > "$SGT_POLECATS/$name" <<STATE
 SESSION=sgt-$name
 BRANCH=$branch
 ISSUE=177
+ISSUE_TITLE=$(printf '%q' "$issue_title")
 WORKTREE=$worktree
 CREATED=2026-03-10T00:00:00Z
 REPO=https://github.com/acme/demo
@@ -204,4 +208,42 @@ if ! grep -q 'Do not close this incident without replacement work item/PR' "$GH_
   exit 1
 fi
 
+echo "=== witness reuses cached issue title when GitHub reload fails ==="
+gh() {
+  local args=" $* "
+  if [[ "$args" == *" pr list "* ]]; then
+    echo ""
+    return 0
+  fi
+  if [[ "$args" == *" issue comment "* ]]; then
+    printf '%s\n' "$args" >> "$GH_COMMENT_FILE"
+    return 0
+  fi
+  if [[ "$args" == *" issue view "* ]]; then
+    return 1
+  fi
+  echo "mock gh unsupported: $*" >&2
+  return 1
+}
+_RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_REASON_CODE=""
+_RESLING_LAST_FAILURE_DETAIL=""
+_resling_existing_issue() {
+  printf '%s|%s|%s|%s\n' "$1" "$2" "$3" "$4" > "$TMP_ROOT/resling-call"
+  return 0
+}
+
+make_polecat "rig-one-cached" "sgt/rig-one-cached" "Cached title"
+echo "0" > "$TMUX_ACTIVE_FILE"
+run_witness_once
+
+if [[ ! -f "$TMP_ROOT/resling-call" ]]; then
+  echo "expected stalled worker to re-sling using cached issue title" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+if ! grep -q '^rig-one|177|Cached title|https://github.com/acme/demo$' "$TMP_ROOT/resling-call"; then
+  echo "expected cached issue title to be reused for re-sling" >&2
+  cat "$TMP_ROOT/resling-call" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
 echo "ALL TESTS PASSED"