diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index 5d4da3d..9277bd9 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -355,7 +355,7 @@ Use chat for yes/no decisions; use lavish-axi when there are multiple findings o
 For PR-based ship tasks, the ready signal depends on mode: `no-mistakes` reports `done: PR <url> checks green` after CI is green, while `direct-PR` reports `done: PR <url>` after opening the PR.
 Run `bin/fm-pr-check.sh <id> <PR url>` - it records `pr=` in the task's meta and arms the watcher's merge poll.
 Tell the captain: the PR's full URL (always the complete `https://...` link, never a bare `#number` - the captain's terminal makes a full URL clickable), a one-paragraph summary, and, for `no-mistakes`, the risk level it emitted.
-(The check contract, for any custom `state/<id>.check.sh` you write yourself: print one line only when firstmate should wake, print nothing otherwise, and finish before `FM_CHECK_TIMEOUT`.)
+(The check contract, for any custom `state/<id>.check.sh` you write yourself: **print the current state every run** (idempotent), e.g. `echo "merged"` while merged. The watcher dedups against `.seen-check-<name>` and enqueues to the durable queue *before* advancing that marker, so a lost stdout or a crashed watcher can never swallow a wake - the same lossless guarantee signals enjoy. Edge-triggered checks that self-suppress via their own `.babysit-*.seen` are tolerated (empty stdout = no wake), but a swallowed transition is only recovered by the watcher's catch-all backstop, so prefer the stateless "always print current state" form. Finish before `FM_CHECK_TIMEOUT`.)
 
 If the captain says "merge it", run `gh-axi pr merge` yourself; that instruction is the explicit approval. If `yolo=on`, merge a green/approved PR yourself and post the required FYI.
 
@@ -389,7 +389,7 @@ From there the task is an ordinary ship task through its mode-specific validatio
 The watcher is the backbone.
 Whenever at least one task is in flight, `bin/fm-watch.sh` must be running as a background task.
 It costs zero tokens while running and exits with one reason line when something needs you.
-It also writes each detected wake to the durable queue at `state/.wake-queue` before advancing suppression markers such as `.seen-*`, `.stale-*`, `.last-check`, or `.last-heartbeat`.
+It also writes each detected wake to the durable queue at `state/.wake-queue` before advancing suppression markers such as `.seen-*`, `.stale-*`, `.seen-check-*`, `.escalated-*`, `.last-check`, or `.last-heartbeat`.
 At the start of every wake-handling turn and every recovery turn, run `bin/fm-wake-drain.sh` before peeking panes, reading status files beyond the reason line, or starting new work.
 The printed one-shot reason line is still useful, but the drained queue is the lossless backlog.
 After handling drained wakes, re-arm `bin/fm-watch.sh` before you end the turn.
diff --git a/bin/fm-watch.sh b/bin/fm-watch.sh
index 0028483..e877ec3 100755
--- a/bin/fm-watch.sh
+++ b/bin/fm-watch.sh
@@ -4,7 +4,9 @@
 #   signal: <file>...     a crewmate wrote a status line or a turn-end hook fired; signals
 #                         landing within FM_SIGNAL_GRACE of each other coalesce into one wake
 #   stale: <window>       a crewmate pane stopped changing and shows no busy signature
-#   check: <script>: <out> a per-task check script (e.g. merged-PR poll) produced output
+#   check: <script>: <out> a per-task check produced output (deduped by the watcher;
+#                         enqueued before suppression so the wake is lossless), or the
+#                         catch-all force-escalated a swallowed terminal transition
 #   heartbeat              fleet review due; starts at FM_HEARTBEAT and backs off to FM_HEARTBEAT_MAX
 # Run as a background task. Re-arm it after handling each wake; duplicate
 # invocations no-op through the watcher singleton lock.
@@ -72,6 +74,10 @@ hash_pane() {
   if command -v md5 >/dev/null 2>&1; then md5 -q; else md5sum | cut -d' ' -f1; fi
 }
 
+# Collapse a check/sidecar basename into a safe suffix for watcher-side state
+# files (.seen-check-*, .escalated-*). LC_ALL=C so the complement is byte-stable.
+sanitize_name() { printf '%s' "$1" | LC_ALL=C tr -c 'A-Za-z0-9._-' '_'; }
+
 # Exit reporting a wake. Consecutive heartbeats with no other wake in between
 # mean an idle fleet, so the heartbeat interval backs off exponentially
 # (base * 2^streak, capped at HEARTBEAT_MAX); any real wake resets the cadence.
@@ -139,17 +145,65 @@ while :; do
   # keeps producing signals - the slow poll (e.g. merge detection) would then
   # never run until the fleet went quiet. Checks are due only every
   # CHECK_INTERVAL, so most cycles skip this block and fall straight through.
+  #
+  # LOSSLESS CHECK WAKES (the #29 invariant, ported to checks). Checks were the
+  # sole wake source whose suppression lived inside an opaque script: an
+  # edge-triggered check advanced its own .babysit-*.seen marker BEFORE the
+  # print could become a wake, so a lost stdout (timeout / concurrent run /
+  # crash) permanently swallowed the transition - the root cause of the missed
+  # PR #3095 merge. Suppression now lives HERE, in the watcher, with
+  # enqueue-before-suppress - exactly the pattern scan_signals uses:
+  #   * the check always prints its current state (idempotent); the watcher
+  #     dedups against .seen-check-<name> and only wakes on a delta;
+  #   * fm_wake_append (durable queue) happens BEFORE the .seen-check marker
+  #     advances, so a crash between detect and suppress leaves the wake in the
+  #     queue (recovered next turn) and the marker un-advanced (re-detected
+  #     next cycle). A lost check wake is now impossible.
+  # Backward-compatible with old edge-triggered checks: empty stdout never
+  # produces a wake, so they keep their quiet behavior. Any transition they
+  # swallow is caught by the catch-all scan at the end of this block.
   if [ "$(age_of "$STATE/.last-check")" -ge "$CHECK_INTERVAL" ]; then
     for c in "$STATE"/*.check.sh; do
       [ -e "$c" ] || continue
       out=$(run_check "$c")
-      if [ -n "$out" ]; then
+      [ -n "$out" ] || continue
+      sf="$STATE/.seen-check-$(sanitize_name "$(basename "$c")")"
+      if [ "$out" != "$(cat "$sf" 2>/dev/null || true)" ]; then
         reason="check: $c: $out"
         fm_wake_append check "$c" "$reason" || exit 1
+        # Test-only hook: prove the wake is durable by simulating a crash
+        # between enqueue and suppress. Never set outside the test suite.
+        [ -n "${FM_WATCH_BREAK_AFTER_CHECK_ENQUEUE:-}" ] && exit 99
+        printf '%s' "$out" > "$sf"
         touch "$STATE/.last-check"
         wake "$reason"
       fi
     done
+
+    # Catch-all backstop: force-escalate any edge-triggered check whose own
+    # .babysit-*.seen sidecar shows a terminal state the watcher never
+    # delivered a wake for. This catches a swallowed transition (sidecar
+    # advanced inside the script but stdout lost) within one sweep - the
+    # belt-and-suspenders safety net for checks that have not migrated to the
+    # lossless "always print current state" contract. Deduped via
+    # .escalated-<sidecar> so each terminal transition fires at most once.
+    for sf in "$STATE"/.babysit-*.seen; do
+      [ -e "$sf" ] || continue
+      terminal=$(cat "$sf" 2>/dev/null || true)
+      state=${terminal%%|*}
+      case "$state" in
+        MERGED|CLOSED) ;;
+        *) continue ;;
+      esac
+      ec="$STATE/.escalated-$(sanitize_name "$(basename "$sf")")"
+      [ "$terminal" = "$(cat "$ec" 2>/dev/null || true)" ] && continue
+      reason="check: catch-all: $sf: $state"
+      fm_wake_append check "$sf" "$reason" || exit 1
+      printf '%s' "$terminal" > "$ec"
+      touch "$STATE/.last-check"
+      wake "$reason"
+    done
+
     touch "$STATE/.last-check"
   fi
 
diff --git a/tests/fm-wake-queue.test.sh b/tests/fm-wake-queue.test.sh
index 23508dd..30c7291 100755
--- a/tests/fm-wake-queue.test.sh
+++ b/tests/fm-wake-queue.test.sh
@@ -193,6 +193,126 @@ SH
   pass "check output is queued before cadence suppression"
 }
 
+# Regression for the missed PR #3095 merge: a check wake must survive a
+# crash/race between enqueue and suppress. The watcher enqueues to the durable
+# queue BEFORE advancing the .seen-check marker, so even if the marker is never
+# advanced (simulated here via FM_WATCH_BREAK_AFTER_CHECK_ENQUEUE), the wake is
+# already in the queue and is re-detected next cycle.
+test_check_wake_survives_lost_delivery() {
+  local dir state fakebin out drain_out check_file seen_check
+  dir=$(make_case check-lossless)
+  state="$dir/state"
+  fakebin="$dir/fakebin"
+  out="$dir/watch.out"
+  drain_out="$dir/drain.out"
+  check_file="$state/pr-3095.check.sh"
+  seen_check="$state/.seen-check-pr-3095.check.sh"
+  cat > "$check_file" <<'SH'
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+printf 'merged: https://example.test/pr/3095\n'
+SH
+  chmod +x "$check_file"
+  # Cycle 1: enqueue, then simulate a crash before the suppression marker
+  # advances. The wake is already durable; the marker is still absent.
+  PATH="$fakebin:$PATH" FM_WATCH_BREAK_AFTER_CHECK_ENQUEUE=1 FM_STATE_OVERRIDE="$state" FM_POLL=1 FM_SIGNAL_GRACE=1 FM_CHECK_INTERVAL=0 FM_HEARTBEAT=999999 "$WATCH" > "$out" 2>/dev/null &
+  wait_for_exit "$!" 40
+  local crash_status=$?
+  [ "$crash_status" -eq 99 ] || fail "crashing watcher did not simulate the post-enqueue crash (exit $crash_status)"
+  [ ! -e "$seen_check" ] || fail "suppression marker advanced before the wake was durable (enqueue-before-suppress broken)"
+  # The wake survived the crash in the durable queue.
+  FM_STATE_OVERRIDE="$state" "$DRAIN" > "$drain_out" || fail "drain after crash failed"
+  grep "$(printf '\tcheck\t')" "$drain_out" | grep -F "$check_file" | grep -F 'pr/3095' >/dev/null || fail "check wake was lost when delivery failed (the #3095 regression)"
+  # Cycle 2: re-run normally. The un-advanced marker means the delta is
+  # re-detected, enqueued again (deduped downstream), and now suppressed.
+  : > "$out"
+  PATH="$fakebin:$PATH" FM_STATE_OVERRIDE="$state" FM_POLL=1 FM_SIGNAL_GRACE=1 FM_CHECK_INTERVAL=0 FM_HEARTBEAT=999999 "$WATCH" > "$out" &
+  wait_for_exit "$!" 40 || fail "watcher did not exit on re-detection"
+  grep -F "check: $check_file: merged: https://example.test/pr/3095" "$out" >/dev/null || fail "watcher did not re-detect the delta after the crash"
+  [ -e "$seen_check" ] || fail "suppression marker was not advanced after a clean delivery"
+  pass "check wake is enqueued before suppression so a lost delivery is recovered"
+}
+
+# Dedup: a stateless check that always prints the same state must wake exactly
+# once; subsequent identical output is suppressed by the watcher's .seen-check.
+test_check_dedup_suppresses_repeats() {
+  local dir state fakebin out drain_out check_file count
+  dir=$(make_case check-dedup)
+  state="$dir/state"
+  fakebin="$dir/fakebin"
+  out="$dir/watch.out"
+  drain_out="$dir/drain.out"
+  check_file="$state/steady.check.sh"
+  cat > "$check_file" <<'SH'
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+printf 'merged\n'
+SH
+  chmod +x "$check_file"
+  # Cycle 1: empty -> "merged" is a delta -> wake.
+  PATH="$fakebin:$PATH" FM_STATE_OVERRIDE="$state" FM_POLL=1 FM_SIGNAL_GRACE=1 FM_CHECK_INTERVAL=0 FM_HEARTBEAT=999999 "$WATCH" > "$out" &
+  wait_for_exit "$!" 40 || fail "watcher did not exit for first check wake"
+  grep -Fx "check: $check_file: merged" "$out" >/dev/null || fail "watcher did not wake on first check output"
+  # Cycle 2: same output -> no delta -> no wake (watcher loops until the
+  # timeout kills it; the background poll is what lets wait_for_exit return).
+  : > "$out"
+  PATH="$fakebin:$PATH" FM_STATE_OVERRIDE="$state" FM_POLL=1 FM_SIGNAL_GRACE=1 FM_CHECK_INTERVAL=0 FM_HEARTBEAT=999999 "$WATCH" > "$out" &
+  local pid=$!
+  sleep 2
+  if ! kill -0 "$pid" 2>/dev/null; then
+    fail "watcher woke on a duplicate check output (dedup broken)"
+  fi
+  kill "$pid" 2>/dev/null || true
+  wait "$pid" 2>/dev/null || true
+  # Only the first wake should be in the queue.
+  FM_STATE_OVERRIDE="$state" "$DRAIN" > "$drain_out" || fail "drain failed"
+  count=$(grep -c "$(printf '\tcheck\t')" "$drain_out" || true)
+  [ "$count" -eq 1 ] || fail "expected 1 deduped check wake, got $count"
+  pass "watcher-side .seen-check dedup suppresses repeated identical check output"
+}
+
+# Catch-all backstop: an old edge-triggered check that swallowed its own
+# transition (advanced .babysit-*.seen inside the script but lost stdout) is
+# force-escalated within one sweep by the watcher's catch-all scanning the
+# sidecar. This is the belt-and-suspenders safety net that would have surfaced
+# PR #3095 within one scan even without the lossless primary path.
+test_catch_all_escalates_swallowed_transition() {
+  local dir state fakebin out drain_out check_file sidecar escalated
+  dir=$(make_case check-catchall)
+  state="$dir/state"
+  fakebin="$dir/fakebin"
+  out="$dir/watch.out"
+  drain_out="$dir/drain.out"
+  check_file="$state/legacy-pr.check.sh"
+  sidecar="$state/.babysit-legacy-pr.seen"
+  escalated="$state/.escalated-.babysit-legacy-pr.seen"
+  # The check already self-suppressed: its sidecar says MERGED, but the script
+  # prints nothing (the transition's stdout was lost - exactly the #3095 mode).
+  printf 'MERGED|comment-a comment-b\n' > "$sidecar"
+  cat > "$check_file" <<'SH'
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Edge-triggered babysit that already advanced its own .seen; prints nothing.
+exit 0
+SH
+  chmod +x "$check_file"
+  PATH="$fakebin:$PATH" FM_STATE_OVERRIDE="$state" FM_POLL=1 FM_SIGNAL_GRACE=1 FM_CHECK_INTERVAL=0 FM_HEARTBEAT=999999 "$WATCH" > "$out" &
+  wait_for_exit "$!" 40 || fail "watcher did not exit for catch-all escalation"
+  grep -F "catch-all" "$out" >/dev/null || fail "catch-all did not force-escalate the swallowed transition"
+  grep -F "MERGED" "$out" >/dev/null || fail "catch-all wake did not report the terminal state"
+  FM_STATE_OVERRIDE="$state" "$DRAIN" > "$drain_out" || fail "drain after catch-all failed"
+  grep "$(printf '\tcheck\t')" "$drain_out" | grep -F "$sidecar" >/dev/null || fail "catch-all wake was not queued"
+  [ -e "$escalated" ] || fail "catch-all did not record its dedup marker"
+  # A second sweep must NOT re-escalate (deduped by .escalated-*).
+  : > "$out"
+  PATH="$fakebin:$PATH" FM_STATE_OVERRIDE="$state" FM_POLL=1 FM_SIGNAL_GRACE=1 FM_CHECK_INTERVAL=0 FM_HEARTBEAT=999999 "$WATCH" > "$out" &
+  local pid=$!
+  sleep 2
+  if ! kill -0 "$pid" 2>/dev/null; then
+    fail "catch-all re-escalated an already-handled terminal state (dedup broken)"
+  fi
+  kill "$pid" 2>/dev/null || true
+  wait "$pid" 2>/dev/null || true
+  pass "catch-all force-escalates a swallowed terminal transition within one sweep"
+}
+
 test_singleton_start() {
   local dir state fakebin out1 out2 pid1 pid2 live
   dir=$(make_case singleton)
@@ -329,6 +449,9 @@ test_concurrent_append_and_drain
 test_signal_catchup_without_running_watcher
 test_stale_enqueue_before_suppressor
 test_check_output_is_queued
+test_check_wake_survives_lost_delivery
+test_check_dedup_suppresses_repeats
+test_catch_all_escalates_swallowed_transition
 test_singleton_start
 test_atomic_double_drain
 test_drain_dedupes_obvious_duplicates