superlocalmemory 4.1.3 → 4.1.5

package/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json

@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
       "license": "AGPL-3.0-or-later",
       "name": "superlocalmemory",
       "source": "./plugin",
-      "version": "4.1.3"
+      "version": "4.1.5"
     },
     {
       "author": {
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@
       "license": "AGPL-3.0-or-later",
       "name": "superlocalmemory-codex",
       "source": "./codex-plugin",
-      "version": "4.1.3"
+      "version": "4.1.5"
     }
   ]
 }

package/CHANGELOG.md

@@ -5,6 +5,70 @@ All notable changes to SuperLocalMemory will be documented in this file.
 The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/),
 and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).
 
+## [4.1.5] — Ask whether a feature is working, not whether it is present
+
+### Added
+- **`slm diagnostics reliability`** — two read-only checks that answer a question
+  neither a code search nor a call trace can: is a wired feature actually taking
+  effect on *your* store?
+  - The first asks whether the retrieval learner's posteriors have moved away from
+    where they started. A learner that records activity and never shifts its
+    distribution looks healthy from every counter it keeps; this reports it plainly.
+  - The second asks whether a feature gated on a table or column can run here at
+    all, and when it cannot, searches the rest of the store for the data it needs
+    and tells you where it is, how much of what is needed it covers, and whether
+    connecting it would need a backfill.
+  Both are read-only, run in a second, and print what they found in plain language.
+  Run it on your own store: it may tell you something you assumed was on is not.
+
+### Fixed
+- **A refused write said only "temporarily unavailable."** Three unrelated causes
+  produced that one message — a busy write journal, another process holding the
+  writer, and a rejected stale write. They call for different responses, and one of
+  them is not a fault at all. The cause is now named, so a log line says which
+  happened instead of leaving you to guess.
+- **The Codex and Antigravity plugins still advertised 4.1.3 after 4.1.4 shipped.**
+  Their manifests are generated from a shared source and were not regenerated during
+  that release, so both surfaces reported a version they were not. All four editor
+  surfaces are regenerated and checked against the package version on every release.
+- **The benchmark instructions could not be followed.** The documented command named
+  a directory that does not exist and an interpreter path pointing outside the
+  project, and the environment it suggested carries an older release — so anyone
+  following it measured the wrong code. Corrected, with a check that the interpreter
+  you choose has the version you mean to test.
+
+## [4.1.4] — A busy daemon is not a dead daemon
+
+### Fixed
+- **`slm serve stop` and `slm restart` could report a live daemon as "not
+  running."** `daemon_request()` preflights every call with `GET /health`,
+  which needs the daemon's single-threaded event loop to be free to answer.
+  `/maintenance/run` and `/consolidate/cognitive` run multi-second (sometimes
+  multi-minute) work directly inline in their handlers with no thread
+  offload — unlike `/recall`, fixed for exactly this in v3.4.52 — so every
+  request blocks for as long as they run, health included. Reproduced live: a
+  genuine `/maintenance/run` call held the loop long enough that 15 of 15
+  health polls in that window timed out at the 2s cap while the process never
+  stopped listening. `stop_daemon()` now checks process liveness directly
+  (PID plus a clock-independent start token, no HTTP) before deciding whether
+  a stop is owed, and sends the stop itself without the health preflight —
+  the daemon still authenticates the request by its capability header on
+  arrival, so no ownership guarantee is lost, only the stall-prone round
+  trip. `cmd_restart`'s Step 1 uses the same liveness check, so a busy-but-alive
+  daemon is no longer skipped as "already stopped," which previously cascaded
+  into Step 3 refusing to start a second daemon and failing the whole restart.
+  The underlying blocking handlers are unchanged by this fix — recall and
+  remember calls can still be delayed by a running maintenance pass, just not
+  misreported as a dead daemon.
+
+### Added
+- **A one-command Antigravity plugin install.** `agy`'s plugin installer only
+  accepts a local directory — there is no marketplace or remote-install
+  path — so Claude Code and Codex had a real one-liner and Antigravity did
+  not. `scripts/install-antigravity-plugin.sh` closes the gap: a shallow,
+  sparse checkout of `antigravity-plugin/` into a local cache, then
+  `agy plugin install` against it. Idempotent; safe to re-run to update.
+
 ## [4.1.3] — Your install, your tools, your memories
 
 ### Fixed

package/README.md

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
   </picture>
 </p>
 
-<h1 align="center">SuperLocalMemory V4.1.3</h1>
+<h1 align="center">SuperLocalMemory V4.1.5</h1>
 
 <h2 align="center">Rent the LLM. Own the memory.</h2>
 
@@ -27,12 +27,12 @@ guarantee here is stated as a falsifiable invariant, tested under an adversarial
 negative control, and shipped with the harness that regenerates the evidence:
 <code>python benchmark/run_all.py --trials 200 --output-dir results/</code>. What each experiment
 does <em>not</em> exercise is stated too.</p>
-<p align="center"><code>v4.1.3</code> — one control plane: <strong>SLM-Mesh</strong> peer coordination · multi-scope memory (personal / shared / global) · profiles · Cache · Compress · 7-layer retrieval · code graph · Entity Explorer · skill evolution · Modes A/B/C · GDPR retention &amp; audit chain · bounded loops — across CLI, MCP, dashboard, the <strong>Claude plugin</strong>, the <strong>Codex add-on</strong>, and documented IDE integrations.<br/>
+<p align="center"><code>v4.1.5</code> — one control plane: <strong>SLM-Mesh</strong> peer coordination · multi-scope memory (personal / shared / global) · profiles · Cache · Compress · 7-layer retrieval · code graph · Entity Explorer · skill evolution · Modes A/B/C · GDPR retention &amp; audit chain · bounded loops — across CLI, MCP, dashboard, the <strong>Claude plugin</strong>, the <strong>Codex add-on</strong>, and documented IDE integrations.<br/>
 Proxy: <code>slm wrap claude</code> &nbsp;·&nbsp; MCP: add <code>slm_compress</code> to your config &nbsp;·&nbsp; Skill: zero-config</p>
 <p align="center"><strong>Four public arXiv preprints</strong> · V4: <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.08253">arXiv:2608.08253</a> · companion archive: <a href="https://zenodo.org/records/21853302">Zenodo 21853302</a> (<a href="https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21853302">DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21853302</a>) · prior preprints: <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.02240">2603.02240</a> · <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.14588">2603.14588</a> · <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.04514">2604.04514</a>.</p>
 
 <p align="center">
-  <a href="CHANGELOG.md"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/v4.1.3-Current_Release-2ea44f?style=for-the-badge&logo=checkmarx&logoColor=white" alt="v4.1.3 — Current Release"/></a>
+  <a href="CHANGELOG.md"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/v4.1.5-Current_Release-2ea44f?style=for-the-badge&logo=checkmarx&logoColor=white" alt="v4.1.5 — Current Release"/></a>
   <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.08253"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/arXiv-2608.08253-b31b1b?style=for-the-badge&logo=arxiv&logoColor=white" alt="SuperLocalMemory 4.0 paper on arXiv:2608.08253"/></a>
   <a href="https://zenodo.org/records/21853302"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/Zenodo-10.5281%2Fzenodo.21853302-1682D4?style=for-the-badge&logo=zenodo&logoColor=white" alt="V4 paper on Zenodo: 10.5281/zenodo.21853302"/></a>
   <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.14588"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/arXiv-2603.14588-b31b1b?style=for-the-badge&logo=arxiv&logoColor=white" alt="arXiv Paper"/></a>

package/package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "superlocalmemory",
-  "version": "4.1.3",
+  "version": "4.1.5",
   "description": "Local-first agent memory with MCP and an agent-native CLI. Documented clients include Claude Code, Cursor, and Windsurf.",
   "keywords": [
     "ai-memory",

package/plugin/.claude-plugin/plugin.json

@@ -15,5 +15,5 @@
   "mcpServers": "./.mcp.json",
   "name": "superlocalmemory",
   "repository": "https://github.com/qualixar/superlocalmemory",
-  "version": "4.1.3"
+  "version": "4.1.5"
 }

package/plugin/CLAUDE.md

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-<!-- BEGIN SuperLocalMemory v4.1.3 -->
+<!-- BEGIN SuperLocalMemory v4.1.5 -->
 
 ## SuperLocalMemory (SLM) — Agent Rules
 
@@ -39,6 +39,6 @@ slm-recall · slm-remember · slm-session · slm-status · slm-cache · slm-comp
 ### Subagents
 slm-memory-advisor (memory decisions, session hygiene, scope/profile guidance) · slm-optimize-advisor (context compression + KV cache) · slm-governance-advisor (scope/roles/compliance/GDPR)
 
-<!-- END SuperLocalMemory v4.1.3 -->
+<!-- END SuperLocalMemory v4.1.5 -->
 
-SuperLocalMemory v4.1.3 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later
+SuperLocalMemory v4.1.5 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later

package/plugin/agents/slm-governance-advisor.md

@@ -77,4 +77,4 @@ slm-scope · slm-governance · slm-profile · slm-remember · slm-recall
 # What NOT to do
 Never session_init twice; never forget without dry-run preview; never store secrets; never bypass role checks; never claim an erasure succeeded without verifying via recall.
 
-SuperLocalMemory v4.1.3 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later
+SuperLocalMemory v4.1.5 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later

package/plugin/agents/slm-loop-runner.md

@@ -68,4 +68,4 @@ assessment. The gate is the authority.
 
 ---
 
-SuperLocalMemory v4.1.3 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later
+SuperLocalMemory v4.1.5 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later

package/plugin/agents/slm-memory-advisor.md

@@ -46,4 +46,4 @@ slm-recall · slm-remember · slm-session · slm-scope · slm-profile · slm-gov
 # What NOT to do
 Never session_init twice; never forget dry_run=False without reporting preview; never dump a whole file into remember; never invent a memory; never claim "saved" without success:true / clean CLI exit; never bypass scope or governance restrictions.
 
-SuperLocalMemory v4.1.3 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later
+SuperLocalMemory v4.1.5 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later

package/plugin/agents/slm-optimize-advisor.md

@@ -41,4 +41,4 @@ slm-compress · slm-cache · slm-status · slm-profile
 # What NOT to do
 Never compress code-for-edit/JSON-to-parse/<500 chars; never store secrets/ccr_ids; never let optimize failure block/alter the task; never claim a specific savings %; never carry ccr_ids across profile switches.
 
-SuperLocalMemory v4.1.3 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later
+SuperLocalMemory v4.1.5 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later

package/plugin/requirements.txt

@@ -1 +1 @@
-superlocalmemory==4.1.3
+superlocalmemory==4.1.5

package/plugin/skills/slm-cache/SKILL.md

@@ -145,4 +145,4 @@ These subcommands control daemon-level cache settings. They do not read or write
 
 ---
 
-SuperLocalMemory v4.1.3 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later
+SuperLocalMemory v4.1.5 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later

package/plugin/skills/slm-compress/SKILL.md

@@ -147,4 +147,4 @@ Content over 1 MB (1 000 000 bytes UTF-8) is processed but `reversible` is force
 
 ---
 
-SuperLocalMemory v4.1.3 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later
+SuperLocalMemory v4.1.5 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later

package/plugin/skills/slm-governance/SKILL.md

@@ -245,4 +245,4 @@ Before running any destructive operation (`forget`, `compact_memories`):
 
 ---
 
-*SuperLocalMemory v4.1.3 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later*
+*SuperLocalMemory v4.1.5 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later*

package/plugin/skills/slm-graph/SKILL.md

@@ -312,4 +312,4 @@ profile. See `slm-profile` for the full profile switching workflow.
 
 ---
 
-SuperLocalMemory v4.1.3 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later
+SuperLocalMemory v4.1.5 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later

package/plugin/skills/slm-loop/SKILL.md

@@ -96,4 +96,4 @@ paused, name the approval needed; when errored, quote the short detail.
 
 ---
 
-SuperLocalMemory v4.1.3 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later
+SuperLocalMemory v4.1.5 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later

package/plugin/skills/slm-mesh/SKILL.md

@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ mesh_send(to=target_id, message="I'm starting work on auth/handler.py — please
 mesh_send(to="broadcast", message="Deploying to staging in 5 minutes")
 
 # Message all sessions working in the same project
-mesh_send(to="project:/Users/me/myproject", message="Tests are green on main")
+mesh_send(to="project:~/myproject", message="Tests are green on main")
 ```
 
 **4 KB message cap.** For large payloads (diffs, file contents), write to a file
@@ -279,4 +279,4 @@ mesh availability.
 
 ---
 
-*SuperLocalMemory v4.1.3 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later*
+*SuperLocalMemory v4.1.5 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later*

package/plugin/skills/slm-profile/SKILL.md

@@ -146,4 +146,4 @@ Name them differently in your MCP config (e.g. `superlocalmemory-personal` and
 
 ---
 
-*SuperLocalMemory v4.1.3 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later*
+*SuperLocalMemory v4.1.5 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later*

package/plugin/skills/slm-recall/SKILL.md

@@ -323,4 +323,4 @@ before recalling, then switch back. See `slm-profile` for workspace switching.
 
 ---
 
-*SuperLocalMemory v4.1.3 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later*
+*SuperLocalMemory v4.1.5 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later*

package/plugin/skills/slm-remember/SKILL.md

@@ -270,4 +270,4 @@ different workspace, use `switch_profile` first. See `slm-profile`.
 
 ---
 
-*SuperLocalMemory v4.1.3 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later*
+*SuperLocalMemory v4.1.5 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later*

package/plugin/skills/slm-scope/SKILL.md

@@ -173,4 +173,4 @@ to review the impact. See `slm-remember` for the full deletion discipline.
 
 ---
 
-*SuperLocalMemory v4.1.3 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later*
+*SuperLocalMemory v4.1.5 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later*

package/plugin/skills/slm-session/SKILL.md

@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ recalls or remembers in that session.
 
 ```
 session_init(
-  project_path: str = "",  # working directory path, e.g. "/Users/me/projects/foo"
+  project_path: str = "",  # working directory path, e.g. "~/projects/foo"
   query: str = "",         # topic override; if omitted, derived from project_path
   max_results: int = 10,   # max memories to return (default: 10)
   max_age_days: int = 30,  # suppress memories older than N days unless score >= 0.7
@@ -253,4 +253,4 @@ explicitly and call `recall` with `include_global`/`include_shared` after
 
 ---
 
-*SuperLocalMemory v4.1.3 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later*
+*SuperLocalMemory v4.1.5 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later*

package/plugin/skills/slm-status/SKILL.md

@@ -163,4 +163,4 @@ multi-profile setup. To switch the active profile, see `slm-profile`.
 
 ---
 
-SuperLocalMemory v4.1.3 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later
+SuperLocalMemory v4.1.5 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later

package/plugin-src/rules/AGENTS.md

@@ -137,4 +137,4 @@ When the SLM MCP server is unavailable, use these CLI equivalents:
 - **slm-optimize-advisor** — context compression and KV cache
 - **slm-governance-advisor** — scope/role compliance, retention policies, GDPR
 
-SuperLocalMemory v4.1.3 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later
+SuperLocalMemory v4.1.5 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later

package/plugin-src/skills/slm-cache/SKILL.md

@@ -145,4 +145,4 @@ These subcommands control daemon-level cache settings. They do not read or write
 
 ---
 
-SuperLocalMemory v4.1.3 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later
+SuperLocalMemory v4.1.5 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later

package/plugin-src/skills/slm-compress/SKILL.md

@@ -147,4 +147,4 @@ Content over 1 MB (1 000 000 bytes UTF-8) is processed but `reversible` is force
 
 ---
 
-SuperLocalMemory v4.1.3 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later
+SuperLocalMemory v4.1.5 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later

package/plugin-src/skills/slm-governance/SKILL.md

@@ -245,4 +245,4 @@ Before running any destructive operation (`forget`, `compact_memories`):
 
 ---
 
-*SuperLocalMemory v4.1.3 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later*
+*SuperLocalMemory v4.1.5 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later*

package/plugin-src/skills/slm-graph/SKILL.md

@@ -312,4 +312,4 @@ profile. See `slm-profile` for the full profile switching workflow.
 
 ---
 
-SuperLocalMemory v4.1.3 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later
+SuperLocalMemory v4.1.5 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later

package/plugin-src/skills/slm-loop/SKILL.md

@@ -96,4 +96,4 @@ paused, name the approval needed; when errored, quote the short detail.
 
 ---
 
-SuperLocalMemory v4.1.3 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later
+SuperLocalMemory v4.1.5 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later

package/plugin-src/skills/slm-mesh/SKILL.md

@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ mesh_send(to=target_id, message="I'm starting work on auth/handler.py — please
 mesh_send(to="broadcast", message="Deploying to staging in 5 minutes")
 
 # Message all sessions working in the same project
-mesh_send(to="project:/Users/me/myproject", message="Tests are green on main")
+mesh_send(to="project:~/myproject", message="Tests are green on main")
 ```
 
 **4 KB message cap.** For large payloads (diffs, file contents), write to a file
@@ -279,4 +279,4 @@ mesh availability.
 
 ---
 
-*SuperLocalMemory v4.1.3 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later*
+*SuperLocalMemory v4.1.5 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later*

package/plugin-src/skills/slm-profile/SKILL.md

@@ -146,4 +146,4 @@ Name them differently in your MCP config (e.g. `superlocalmemory-personal` and
 
 ---
 
-*SuperLocalMemory v4.1.3 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later*
+*SuperLocalMemory v4.1.5 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later*

package/plugin-src/skills/slm-recall/SKILL.md

@@ -323,4 +323,4 @@ before recalling, then switch back. See `slm-profile` for workspace switching.
 
 ---
 
-*SuperLocalMemory v4.1.3 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later*
+*SuperLocalMemory v4.1.5 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later*

package/plugin-src/skills/slm-remember/SKILL.md

@@ -270,4 +270,4 @@ different workspace, use `switch_profile` first. See `slm-profile`.
 
 ---
 
-*SuperLocalMemory v4.1.3 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later*
+*SuperLocalMemory v4.1.5 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later*

package/plugin-src/skills/slm-scope/SKILL.md

@@ -173,4 +173,4 @@ to review the impact. See `slm-remember` for the full deletion discipline.
 
 ---
 
-*SuperLocalMemory v4.1.3 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later*
+*SuperLocalMemory v4.1.5 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later*

package/plugin-src/skills/slm-session/SKILL.md

@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ recalls or remembers in that session.
 
 ```
 session_init(
-  project_path: str = "",  # working directory path, e.g. "/Users/me/projects/foo"
+  project_path: str = "",  # working directory path, e.g. "~/projects/foo"
   query: str = "",         # topic override; if omitted, derived from project_path
   max_results: int = 10,   # max memories to return (default: 10)
   max_age_days: int = 30,  # suppress memories older than N days unless score >= 0.7
@@ -253,4 +253,4 @@ explicitly and call `recall` with `include_global`/`include_shared` after
 
 ---
 
-*SuperLocalMemory v4.1.3 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later*
+*SuperLocalMemory v4.1.5 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later*

package/plugin-src/skills/slm-status/SKILL.md

@@ -163,4 +163,4 @@ multi-profile setup. To switch the active profile, see `slm-profile`.
 
 ---
 
-SuperLocalMemory v4.1.3 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later
+SuperLocalMemory v4.1.5 · Qualixar · AGPL-3.0-or-later

package/pyproject.toml

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [project]
 name = "superlocalmemory"
-version = "4.1.3"
+version = "4.1.5"
 description = "Local-first agent memory with auditable hybrid retrieval"
 readme = "README.md"
 license = "AGPL-3.0-or-later"

package/src/superlocalmemory/__init__.py

@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ if "OMP_NUM_THREADS" not in os.environ:
     os.environ["OMP_NUM_THREADS"] = "2"
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-__version__ = "4.1.3"
+__version__ = "4.1.5"
 
 _REQUIRED_VERSIONS = {
     "sentence_transformers": "5.3.0",

package/src/superlocalmemory/cli/commands.py

@@ -754,13 +754,19 @@ def cmd_restart(args: Namespace) -> None:
     # Step 1: stop only the descriptor-owned daemon. Its graceful shutdown
     # owns worker termination; process-name-wide scans are forbidden.
     from superlocalmemory.cli.daemon import (
-        is_daemon_running,
+        owned_daemon_process_alive,
         read_descriptor,
         stop_daemon,
         wait_for_owned_daemon_shutdown,
     )
 
-    was_running = is_daemon_running()
+    # v4.1.4: process liveness, not HTTP health-readiness, decides whether a
+    # stop is owed. is_daemon_running() additionally requires a live /health
+    # response, which a daemon busy inside /maintenance/run or
+    # /consolidate/cognitive cannot give for the duration of that call even
+    # though it is fully alive and holding the port — see stop_daemon()'s
+    # docstring for the reproduced failure this fixes.
+    was_running = owned_daemon_process_alive()
     owned_descriptor = read_descriptor() if was_running else None
     stopped = stop_daemon() if was_running else True
     if stopped and was_running:

package/src/superlocalmemory/cli/daemon.py

@@ -254,6 +254,29 @@ def is_daemon_running() -> bool:
     return legacy is not None
 
 
+def owned_daemon_process_alive() -> bool:
+    """Return whether an owned daemon *process* is alive, HTTP aside.
+
+    ``is_daemon_running()`` additionally requires a live, matching
+    ``/health`` response, which conflates two different questions: "is there
+    a process I need to stop" and "is it ready to serve requests right now."
+    A daemon whose event loop is synchronously blocked by a long-running
+    handler (``/maintenance/run``, ``/consolidate/cognitive``) cannot answer
+    the second for the duration of that call, but the answer to the first is
+    still yes. Callers that only need to decide whether a stop is owed
+    (``slm restart`` Step 1) should use this instead, so a transiently busy
+    daemon is not skipped as "already stopped" while it keeps running and
+    holding the port — which then made Step 3 refuse to start a second
+    daemon on the still-occupied port and fail the whole restart.
+    """
+    descriptor = read_descriptor()
+    if descriptor is not None:
+        return _descriptor_process_is_alive(descriptor)
+    if descriptor_path().exists():
+        return False
+    return _verified_legacy_health() is not None
+
+
 def _fetch_health(port: int) -> dict | None:
     """Fetch loopback health without following cross-namespace discovery."""
     try:
@@ -349,8 +372,25 @@ def daemon_request(
     timeout_seconds: float = 30.0,
     expected_descriptor=_EXPECTED_DESCRIPTOR_UNSET,
     expected_legacy: dict | None = None,
+    verify_health: bool = True,
 ) -> dict | None:
-    """Send a request only after validating the owned daemon identity."""
+    """Send a request only after validating the owned daemon identity.
+
+    ``verify_health`` — when True (the default), a ``GET /health`` preflight
+    must succeed and match the descriptor before the real request is sent.
+    That preflight needs the daemon's event loop to be free to answer HTTP,
+    which is a *readiness* question, not a *liveness* one: a daemon whose
+    loop is synchronously blocked by a long-running handler (e.g.
+    ``/maintenance/run``, ``/consolidate/cognitive``, neither of which is
+    offloaded to a thread the way ``/recall`` was for exactly this reason in
+    v3.4.52) cannot answer /health for the duration of that call even though
+    the process is fully alive and listening. Callers that have already
+    proven process-level ownership some other way (e.g. ``stop_daemon()`` via
+    ``_descriptor_process_is_alive``) should pass ``verify_health=False`` so a
+    busy-but-alive daemon does not get misreported as not running. Only
+    meaningful for the descriptor path — the legacy bridge has no capability
+    header and still needs health to identify its target.
+    """
     legacy = None
     if expected_legacy is not None:
         # Legacy daemons have no capability header. Bind the compatibility
@@ -377,11 +417,12 @@ def daemon_request(
     capability: str | None = None
     target_instance: str | None = None
     if descriptor is not None:
-        health = _fetch_health(descriptor.port)
-        if health is None or not descriptor_matches_health(descriptor, health):
-            return None
-        if method.upper() == "GET" and path == "/health":
-            return health
+        if verify_health:
+            health = _fetch_health(descriptor.port)
+            if health is None or not descriptor_matches_health(descriptor, health):
+                return None
+            if method.upper() == "GET" and path == "/health":
+                return health
         port = descriptor.port
         capability = descriptor.capability
         target_instance = descriptor.instance_id
@@ -796,16 +837,38 @@ def stop_daemon() -> bool:
     HTTP capability; the daemon itself terminates its child process tree.
     Success means the owned process exited and released its listener, not just
     that the asynchronous stop request was accepted.
+
+    A busy daemon is not a dead daemon. ``daemon_request()`` normally
+    preflights every call with ``GET /health`` before sending it, but that
+    preflight needs the daemon's single-threaded event loop to be free to
+    answer HTTP. ``/maintenance/run`` and ``/consolidate/cognitive`` run
+    multi-second (sometimes multi-minute) synchronous work directly inline in
+    their handlers with no thread offload, which blocks *every* request on
+    that loop, health included, for as long as they run. Reproduced live: a
+    genuine ``/maintenance/run`` call held the loop long enough that 15/15
+    health polls during the window timed out at exactly the 2s cap while
+    ``ps``/``lsof`` proved the process never stopped listening — which is
+    exactly the "Daemon was not running" false report this fixes. Process
+    liveness (PID + clock-independent start token, proven below via
+    ``_descriptor_process_is_alive``) is the fact that actually matters for
+    "should I try to stop this," so it is checked directly and the mutating
+    ``/stop`` POST is sent with ``verify_health=False`` once that is proven —
+    the daemon still authenticates the request by its capability header on
+    arrival, so this loses no ownership guarantee, only the redundant,
+    stall-prone preflight round trip.
     """
     descriptor = read_descriptor()
     legacy = _verified_legacy_health() if descriptor is None else None
     if descriptor is None and legacy is None:
         return False
     if descriptor is not None:
+        if not _descriptor_process_is_alive(descriptor):
+            return False
         response = daemon_request(
             "POST",
             "/stop",
             expected_descriptor=descriptor,
+            verify_health=False,
         )
     else:
         if legacy is None: