fix(newos4): stop agent accumulation on reload — stable role ids + boot reconciliation

- spawnAgent() accepts an idHint and is idempotent; boot team uses agent-<role>
- _reanimateFromVFS() adopts newest dir per default role, fs.rm()s duplicates/orphans
- _bootAgents() awaits async VFS hydration before reconciling, then spawns only gaps
- scripts/test-agents-reload.js: 5-boot regression + hydration-race test
- v4.6.44 bundle rebuild + cache-bust

5 files changed, 372 insertions, 94 deletions

diff --git a/main.html b/main.html
index f3564e6..b9b4d8c 100644
--- a/main.html
+++ b/main.html
@@ -1349,13 +1349,13 @@
     </script>
 
     <!-- v4.5.63: A2A scratchpad fixes + agent-register arg fix -->
-<script src="modules/core/core-bundle.js?v=v4.6.40"></script>
+<script src="modules/core/core-bundle.js?v=v4.6.44"></script>
 
     <!-- Async dependency-ordered module loader now only initializes terminal and loads optional ext modules -->
-<script src="modules/core/module-loader.js?v=v4.6.40"></script>
+<script src="modules/core/module-loader.js?v=v4.6.44"></script>
 
     <!-- Critical ext bundle loads AFTER webx11 exists so registerModule calls work -->
-<script src="modules/ext/critical-ext-bundle.js?v=v4.6.40"></script>
+<script src="modules/ext/critical-ext-bundle.js?v=v4.6.44"></script>
 
 <script>
 // ═══ ONE TRUE VERSION SOURCE ═══
diff --git a/modules/core/core-bundle.js b/modules/core/core-bundle.js
index f275a1f..ee2e9d0 100644
--- a/modules/core/core-bundle.js
+++ b/modules/core/core-bundle.js
@@ -597,6 +597,7 @@ class VirtualFileSystem {
             const trash = this.root.content['.trash'];
             const trashName = ts + '-' + name;
             trash.content[trashName] = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(node));
+            this._pruneTrash();
             const resolved = this._resolvePath(path);
             if (resolved) delete resolved.dir.content[resolved.name];
             this.saveToStorage();
@@ -622,6 +623,7 @@ class VirtualFileSystem {
                 let ctr = 0;
                 while (trash.content[unique]) { unique = baseName + '-' + (++ctr); }
                 trash.content[unique] = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(node));
+                this._pruneTrash();
                 delete resolved.dir.content[resolved.name];
                 this.saveToStorage();
                 this._emitChange(path);
@@ -630,6 +632,18 @@ class VirtualFileSystem {
         }
         return false;
     }
+    _pruneTrash(maxEntries = 50) {
+        // Bounded trash: deletions are moves-to-trash, so without a cap / .trash/ was an
+        // unbounded second accumulator. Names start with a millis timestamp → sort = oldest first.
+        const trash = this.root.content['.trash'];
+        if (!trash) return 0;
+        const keys = Object.keys(trash.content);
+        if (keys.length <= maxEntries) return 0;
+        keys.sort();
+        const drop = keys.slice(0, keys.length - maxEntries);
+        drop.forEach(k => { delete trash.content[k]; });
+        return drop.length;
+    }
     deleteDirRecursive(path) {
         return this.trashDir(path);
     }
@@ -2052,7 +2066,13 @@ class OllamaManager {
                 }
 
                 return {
-                    message: message ? { role: message.role || 'assistant', content: content } : null,
+                    message: message ? {
+                        role: message.role || 'assistant',
+                        content: content,
+                        // OpenAI-compatible providers require tool_calls INSIDE the assistant message;
+                        // a bare { role:'tool' } with no preceding tool_calls is rejected with HTTP 400.
+                        ...(Array.isArray(toolCalls) && toolCalls.length ? { tool_calls: toolCalls } : {}),
+                    } : null,
                     tool_calls: toolCalls ? toolCalls.map(tc => ({
                         id: tc.id,
                         type: tc.type || 'function',
@@ -8080,7 +8100,7 @@ class ServerMonitorModule {
                 this._toolEpoch = 0;
                 this._mutatingTools = new Set(['write_file', 'edit_module', 'run_command', 'delete_file',
                     'make_directory', 'commit_module', 'ship_module', 'patch_skill', 'delegate_task',
-                    'reload_module', 'create_skill']);
+                    'reload_module', 'create_skill', 'create_mindmap']);
                 // Only deterministic reads are cached — never status/log/polling tools.
                 this._cacheableTools = new Set(['read_file', 'list_files', 'list_modules', 'view_module',
                     'nvfs_resolve', 'get_help', 'list_skills', 'diff_module', 'get_module_status']);
@@ -8891,10 +8911,14 @@ buildSystemPrompt() {
                         }
                     }
                 } catch (e) { console.warn('[AI] Auto-routing error:', e.message); }
-                // Re-read context from localStorage (auto-restore may have written it after init)
-                this._loadContext();
-                // Compress context if it exceeds the token threshold
-                this._compressContext();
+                // Agent runs must not touch the user's main conversation: _loadContext()/ _compressContext()
+                // reassign this.context, which would detach the session captured below.
+                const _isAgentRun = !!opts.agentTag;
+                if (!_isAgentRun) {
+                    this._loadContext();
+                    await this._compressContext();
+                    this._toolCache.clear();   // out-of-band VFS edits may have happened since the last chat
+                }
                 // Per-agent session: 'main' aliases this.context, agents get their own history.
                 const sess = this._sessionCtx(opts.agentTag);
                 let loopResult;
@@ -9018,8 +9042,8 @@ buildSystemPrompt() {
                 } finally {
                     this._chatLock = false;
                     this.terminal.setAiBusy(false);
-                    // Persist conversation context after each exchange
-                    this._saveContext();
+                    // Persist only the user's conversation — agent sessions are ephemeral.
+                    if (!_isAgentRun) this._saveContext();
                     // Log the AI interaction
                     this.terminal.log('INFO', 'AI', 'Query: ' + userMessage.substring(0, 100));
                     if (loopResult && loopResult.toolTurns) {
@@ -9437,6 +9461,7 @@ buildSystemPrompt() {
                 var baseTurns = maxTurns;
                 let _lastTurnSig = null, _progressStreak = 0, _stallStreak = 0;
                 const _logStart = (this._toolCallLog || []).length;
+                const _loopLog = [];   // per-run tool log (the global one self-trims to 50 and breaks slicing)
                 // D3: extend the budget only while turns keep producing NEW output.
                 const _noteProgress = (results) => {
                     try {
@@ -9503,7 +9528,7 @@ buildSystemPrompt() {
                             for (let mi = messages.length - 1; mi >= 0; mi--) {
                                 if (messages[mi] && messages[mi]._ledger) messages.splice(mi, 1);
                             }
-                            const _led = (this._toolCallLog || []).slice(_logStart).slice(-8).map(e =>
+                            const _led = _loopLog.slice(-8).map(e =>
                                 '- ' + e.name + '(' + String(typeof e.args === 'string' ? e.args : JSON.stringify(e.args || {})).slice(0, 60) + ') → ' +
                                 (e.error ? 'ERROR' : this._summarizeObservation(e.result, 80))
                             ).join('\n');
@@ -9546,8 +9571,9 @@ buildSystemPrompt() {
                         for (const tc of res.tool_calls) {
                             const sig = tc.function.name + ':' + (tc.function.arguments || '');
                             let entry = _seenCalls.get(sig);
-                            if (!entry || (now - entry.ts) > _loopWindow) {
-                                entry = { count: 0, ts: now, resultHash: null, blocked: false, lastResult: null };
+                            if (!entry || (now - entry.ts) > _loopWindow || entry.epoch !== this._toolEpoch) {
+                                // A mutation since the last attempt invalidates the block: re-run instead of replaying.
+                                entry = { count: 0, ts: now, resultHash: null, blocked: false, lastResult: null, epoch: this._toolEpoch };
                             }
                             entry.count++;
                             entry.ts = now;
@@ -9577,8 +9603,9 @@ buildSystemPrompt() {
                                             : JSON.stringify({ blocked: true, reason: 'identical call repeated with unchanged result', tool: tc.function.name }) });
                                 }
                                 this.terminal.print(`🛑 Loop guard: ${blocked.length} repeated call(s) skipped — agent continues with cached data`, 'info');
-                                if (blocked.some(b => b.entry.count >= _hardStopAt)) {
-                                    this.terminal.print(`⛔ ${_agentTag}: no progress after ${_hardStopAt} identical calls — ending loop with partial result`, 'error');
+                                const _hs = Math.min(_hardStopAt, maxTurns);
+                                if (blocked.some(b => b.entry.count >= _hs)) {
+                                    this.terminal.print(`⛔ ${_agentTag}: no progress after ${_hs} identical calls — ending loop with partial result`, 'error');
                                     return { finalAnswer: this._loopSummary(toolTurns), toolTurns };
                                 }
                                 continue;
@@ -9626,6 +9653,7 @@ buildSystemPrompt() {
                                 duration: t1,
                                 error: this._isToolError(toolResult) ? true : false
                             });
+                            _loopLog.push(this._toolCallLog[this._toolCallLog.length - 1]);
                             // Auto-trim to 50 — prevents unbounded memory growth
                             if (this._toolCallLog.length > 50) {
                                 this._toolCallLog = this._toolCallLog.slice(-50);
@@ -9634,9 +9662,9 @@ buildSystemPrompt() {
                             const sm = this.terminal.moduleManager.modules['ServerMonitorModule'];
                             if (sm && sm.logToolCall) sm.logToolCall(fn.name, (t1 * 1000) || 1, this._isToolError(toolResult));
                             if (this._debugPanelEnabled) this._updateDebugPanel();
-                            safeResults.push({ fn, toolResult, t1 });
+                            safeResults.push({ tc, fn, toolResult, t1 });
                         }
-                        for (const { fn, toolResult, t1 } of safeResults) {
+                        for (const { tc, fn, toolResult, t1 } of safeResults) {
                             this.terminal.print(`🔧 Tool: ${fn.name}(${typeof fn.arguments === 'string' ? fn.arguments : JSON.stringify(fn.arguments)})`, 'info');
                             // Memory graph: record tool call + file access
                             try {
@@ -9673,7 +9701,7 @@ buildSystemPrompt() {
                                     _eR.lastResult = typeof toolResult === 'string' ? toolResult : JSON.stringify(toolResult);
                                 }
                             } catch (_e) {}
-                            messages.push({ role: 'tool', content: toolResult });
+                            messages.push({ role: 'tool', tool_call_id: tc.id, content: toolResult });
                         }
                         // Only block on destructive tools
                         if (destructiveTools.length > 0) {
@@ -9707,6 +9735,7 @@ buildSystemPrompt() {
                                         duration: t1,
                                         error: this._isToolError(toolResult) ? true : false
                                     });
+                                    _loopLog.push(this._toolCallLog[this._toolCallLog.length - 1]);
                                     // Auto-trim to 50 — prevents unbounded memory growth
                                     if (this._toolCallLog.length > 50) {
                                         this._toolCallLog = this._toolCallLog.slice(-50);
@@ -9746,7 +9775,7 @@ buildSystemPrompt() {
                                             _eD.lastResult = typeof toolResult === 'string' ? toolResult : JSON.stringify(toolResult);
                                         }
                                     } catch (_e) {}
-                                    messages.push({ role: 'tool', content: toolResult });
+                                    messages.push({ role: 'tool', tool_call_id: tc.id, content: toolResult });
                                 }
                             } else {
                                 messages.push({
@@ -14768,7 +14797,7 @@ class AgentRegistryModule {
     unregisterAgent(id) {
         // Unregister from A2A scratchpad
         this.a2aUnregister(id);
-        const ok = this.terminal.fs.deleteFile('agents/' + id);
+        const ok = this.terminal.fs.rm('agents/' + id);
         if (ok) this.terminal.print(`✅ Agent '${id}' unregistered`, 'success');
         else this.terminal.print(`❌ Agent '${id}' not found`, 'error');
     }
@@ -14948,6 +14977,10 @@ class OrchestratorModule {
         this.terminal = null;
         this._agents = {};
         this._SPAWN_LIMIT = 5;
+        // Boot-time agents — stable per-role ids so a reload re-adopts the existing VFS dir
+        // instead of minting a new timestamp id every boot (that was the /agents/ accumulation bug).
+        this._DEFAULT_ROLES = ['auto-learner', 'kernel-architect', 'searcher'];
+        this._BOOT_DELAY = 2000;   // let other modules init before the boot team spawns (tests set 0)
         this._SPAWN_STRATEGY = 'eager';
         this._HEARTBEAT_TIMEOUT = 15000;
         this._IDLE_TIMEOUT = 120000;
@@ -15114,8 +15147,10 @@ class OrchestratorModule {
         if (registry) {
             registry.registerAgent(['register', 'orchestrator-0', 'delegate', 'spawn', 'monitor', 'purge']);
         }
-        // Reanimate sleeping agents from VFS
-        this._reanimateFromVFS();
+        // Reconcile + pre-spawn the default team. VirtualFileSystem.loadFromStorage() is ASYNC,
+        // so reconciliation MUST wait for it — running it synchronously saw an empty root and
+        // silently did nothing, which let duplicate agents accumulate on every reload.
+        this._bootAgents();
         // A2A mailbox polling loop (500ms)
         if (this._A2A_POLLING) {
             this._a2aPollTimer = this.terminal.moduleManager._setInterval(() => this._pollAgentMailboxes(), this._A2A_POLL_INTERVAL);
@@ -15127,8 +15162,6 @@ class OrchestratorModule {
         this.terminal.print('🧠 Orchestrator loaded — A2A mailbox transport active', 'success');
         // Load recurring schedules from VFS
         this._loadSchedules();
-        // Pre-spawn default agents after a short delay (let other modules init first)
-        setTimeout(() => this._preSpawnDefaultAgents(), 2000);
         // Subscribe to event bus for in-memory A2A delivery (instant, no VFS poll)
         this._on('a2a:message', (msg) => {
             if (msg.type === 'heartbeat' && msg.from && this._agents[msg.from]) {
@@ -15274,7 +15307,7 @@ class OrchestratorModule {
     _sanitizeId(name) {
         return (name || 'worker').replace(/[^a-zA-Z0-9_-]/g, '-').replace(/-+/g, '-').replace(/^-|-$/g, '').substring(0, 32) || 'worker';
     }
-    spawnAgent(role, capabilities, modelName = null) {
+    spawnAgent(role, capabilities, modelName = null, idHint = null) {
         if (this._spawnLock) {
             this.terminal.print('⚠️ Spawn in progress — queued', 'warning');
             return null;
@@ -15282,7 +15315,12 @@ class OrchestratorModule {
         this._spawnLock = true;
         try {
             const safeRole = this._sanitizeId(role);
-            const id = `agent-${Date.now().toString(36)}-${Math.random().toString(36).substr(2, 4)}-${safeRole}`;
+            const id = idHint || `agent-${Date.now().toString(36)}-${Math.random().toString(36).substr(2, 4)}-${safeRole}`;
+            // Idempotent: a stable-id agent that is already live is reused, never duplicated
+            if (this._agents[id]) {
+                this.terminal.print(`♻️ Agent '${id}' already live — reusing`, 'info');
+                return this._agents[id];
+            }
             if (Object.keys(this._agents).length >= this._SPAWN_LIMIT) {
                 this.terminal.print(`❌ Agent spawn limit (${this._SPAWN_LIMIT}) reached`, 'error');
                 return null;
@@ -15340,8 +15378,10 @@ class OrchestratorModule {
                 registry.a2aUnregister(id);
             }
         }
-        // Clean up VFS
-        this.terminal.fs.deleteFile('agents/' + id);
+        // Clean up VFS — rm() dispatches file|dir → trash (deleteFile() is file-only
+        // and silently returns false for directories, which leaked /agents/<id>/)
+        const removed = this.terminal.fs.rm('agents/' + id);
+        if (!removed) this.terminal.print(`⚠️  VFS cleanup failed for '${id}' — /agents/${id}/ still present`, 'warning');
         delete this._agents[id];
         delete this._restartBackoffs[id];
         this.terminal.print(`💀 Agent '${id}' killed`, 'warning');
@@ -15379,31 +15419,79 @@ class OrchestratorModule {
         this.terminal.print(`🔄 Agent '${id}' reanimated from VFS sleep`, 'success');
     }
 
+    async _bootAgents() {
+        // Boot sequence for /agents/ — order is load-bearing:
+        //   1. await VFS hydration (loadFromStorage is async; a sync reconcile sees an empty root)
+        //   2. reconcile /agents/ (adopt what is already there, purge duplicates/orphans)
+        //   3. only then spawn any missing default agent
+        try {
+            await Promise.resolve(this.terminal.fs._ready);
+        } catch (e) {
+            this.terminal.print('⚠️  VFS hydration failed — agent reconciliation skipped', 'warning');
+            return this._agents;
+        }
+        this._reanimateFromVFS();
+        if (this._BOOT_DELAY > 0) await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, this._BOOT_DELAY));
+        this._preSpawnDefaultAgents();
+        return this._agents;
+    }
+
     _reanimateFromVFS() {
+        // Boot reconciliation for /agents/:
+        //  1. sleep.json                  → reanimate the agent (previous behaviour)
+        //  2. status.json + default role  → ADOPT it (a reload left it behind, still wanted)
+        //  3. no usable state / duplicate → orphan → fs.rm(), so a reload cannot grow /agents/
+        // Only `agent-*` dirs are touched; /agents/register/ belongs to AgentRegistry.
         const fs = this.terminal.fs;
         const agentsDir = fs.readDir('/agents/');
         if (!agentsDir) return;
-        let reanimated = 0;
+
+        // Stable ids (agent-<role>) beat timestamped ones; among timestamped ids, newest wins.
+        const tsOf = (id) => {
+            const m = /^agent-([0-9a-z]+)-[0-9a-z]{4}-/.exec(id);
+            return m ? (parseInt(m[1], 36) || 0) : Number.MAX_SAFE_INTEGER;
+        };
+        const keep = new Map();     // role:<role> for default agents (singleton) | id:<id> for workers
+        const orphans = [];
+
         for (const entry of agentsDir) {
-            if (entry.type !== 'dir') continue;
-            const sleepData = fs.fsReadJSON(`/agents/${entry.name}/sleep.json`);
-            if (sleepData) {
-                const agent = {
-                    ...sleepData,
-                    status: 'idle',
-                    currentTask: null,
-                    leaseId: null,
-                    lastHeartbeat: Date.now()
-                };
-                delete agent._sleepTime;
-                this._agents[entry.name] = agent;
-                fs.writeFile(`agents/${entry.name}/status.json`, JSON.stringify({ ...agent, status: 'idle' }));
-                reanimated++;
+            if (entry.type !== 'dir' || !entry.name.startsWith('agent-')) continue;
+            const id = entry.name;
+            if (this._agents[id]) continue;
+            const sleepData = fs.fsReadJSON(`/agents/${id}/sleep.json`);
+            const statusData = fs.fsReadJSON(`/agents/${id}/status.json`);
+            const state = sleepData || null;
+            const role = (state || statusData || {}).role;
+            const wanted = !!state || (statusData && this._DEFAULT_ROLES.includes(role));
+            if (!wanted) { orphans.push(id); continue; }
+            // Default roles are singletons (one dir per role); worker agents stay unique per id.
+            const key = this._DEFAULT_ROLES.includes(role) ? 'role:' + role : 'id:' + id;
+            const prev = keep.get(key);
+            if (!prev || tsOf(id) > tsOf(prev.id)) {
+                if (prev) orphans.push(prev.id);
+                keep.set(key, { id, state: state || statusData });
+            } else {
+                orphans.push(id);
             }
         }
-        if (reanimated > 0) {
-            this.terminal.print(`🔄 Reanimated ${reanimated} agent(s) from VFS sleep`, 'info');
+
+        for (const { id, state } of keep.values()) {
+            const agent = {
+                ...state,
+                status: 'idle',
+                currentTask: null,
+                leaseId: null,
+                lastHeartbeat: Date.now()
+            };
+            delete agent._sleepTime;
+            this._agents[id] = agent;
+            fs.writeFile(`agents/${id}/status.json`, JSON.stringify({ ...agent, status: 'idle' }));
+            if (fs.readFile(`/agents/${id}/sleep.json`)) fs.rm(`agents/${id}/sleep.json`);
         }
+        for (const id of orphans) fs.rm('agents/' + id);   // rm() dispatches dir → trashDir
+
+        if (keep.size > 0) this.terminal.print(`🔄 Restored ${keep.size} agent(s) from VFS`, 'info');
+        if (orphans.length > 0) this.terminal.print(`🧹 Purged ${orphans.length} orphaned agent dir(s)`, 'warning');
     }
 
     // ─── Restart Policies ───
@@ -16224,22 +16312,23 @@ class OrchestratorModule {
     }
 
     _preSpawnDefaultAgents() {
-        // Spawn 3 role-specific agents at boot
+        // Spawn the default team ONCE per browser profile. Stable ids (`agent-<role>`) mean a
+        // reload re-adopts the existing dir in _reanimateFromVFS() instead of writing a new one.
         var roles = [
-            { role: 'auto-learner', caps: ['list_files', 'read_file', 'write_file', 'view_module'], task: 'audit skills' },
-            { role: 'kernel-architect', caps: ['list_files', 'read_file', 'write_file', 'run_command'], task: 'index VFS' },
-            { role: 'searcher', caps: ['list_files', 'read_file', 'web_search'], task: 'check stale data' }
+            { role: 'auto-learner', caps: ['list_files', 'read_file', 'write_file', 'view_module'] },
+            { role: 'kernel-architect', caps: ['list_files', 'read_file', 'write_file', 'run_command'] },
+            { role: 'searcher', caps: ['list_files', 'read_file', 'web_search'] }
         ];
         for (var i = 0; i < roles.length; i++) {
             var r = roles[i];
-            // Check if an agent with this role already exists
+            // Already live (fresh spawn this boot, or adopted from VFS) → just keep it alive
             var existing = Object.values(this._agents).find(function(a) { return a.role === r.role; });
-            if (!existing) {
-                var agent = this.spawnAgent(r.role, r.caps);
-                if (agent) {
-                    agent.restartPolicy = 'always';
-                    this.terminal.print('🤖 Pre-spawned agent: ' + r.role + ' (' + r.caps.length + ' caps)', 'info');
-                }
+            if (existing) { existing.restartPolicy = 'always'; continue; }
+            var id = 'agent-' + this._sanitizeId(r.role);
+            var agent = this.spawnAgent(r.role, r.caps, null, id);
+            if (agent) {
+                agent.restartPolicy = 'always';
+                this.terminal.print('🤖 Pre-spawned agent: ' + r.role + ' (' + r.caps.length + ' caps)', 'info');
             }
         }
     }
diff --git a/modules/core/module-loader.js b/modules/core/module-loader.js
index 0913d6a..7416e02 100644
--- a/modules/core/module-loader.js
+++ b/modules/core/module-loader.js
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
     // Core module bundle loaded synchronously in main.html.
     // This loader only handles version cache-busting, splash, terminal init, and optional ext modules.
 
-    const LATEST_VER = 'v4.6.40';
+    const LATEST_VER = 'v4.6.44';
     const CACHE = '?v=' + LATEST_VER;
     const stored = localStorage.getItem('webx11_cache_ver');
     if (stored !== LATEST_VER) {
diff --git a/modules/core/module-orchestrator.js b/modules/core/module-orchestrator.js
index 5cff89e..ad9f020 100644
--- a/modules/core/module-orchestrator.js
+++ b/modules/core/module-orchestrator.js
@@ -8,6 +8,10 @@ class OrchestratorModule {
         this.terminal = null;
         this._agents = {};
         this._SPAWN_LIMIT = 5;
+        // Boot-time agents — stable per-role ids so a reload re-adopts the existing VFS dir
+        // instead of minting a new timestamp id every boot (that was the /agents/ accumulation bug).
+        this._DEFAULT_ROLES = ['auto-learner', 'kernel-architect', 'searcher'];
+        this._BOOT_DELAY = 2000;   // let other modules init before the boot team spawns (tests set 0)
         this._SPAWN_STRATEGY = 'eager';
         this._HEARTBEAT_TIMEOUT = 15000;
         this._IDLE_TIMEOUT = 120000;
@@ -174,8 +178,10 @@ class OrchestratorModule {
         if (registry) {
             registry.registerAgent(['register', 'orchestrator-0', 'delegate', 'spawn', 'monitor', 'purge']);
         }
-        // Reanimate sleeping agents from VFS
-        this._reanimateFromVFS();
+        // Reconcile + pre-spawn the default team. VirtualFileSystem.loadFromStorage() is ASYNC,
+        // so reconciliation MUST wait for it — running it synchronously saw an empty root and
+        // silently did nothing, which let duplicate agents accumulate on every reload.
+        this._bootAgents();
         // A2A mailbox polling loop (500ms)
         if (this._A2A_POLLING) {
             this._a2aPollTimer = this.terminal.moduleManager._setInterval(() => this._pollAgentMailboxes(), this._A2A_POLL_INTERVAL);
@@ -187,8 +193,6 @@ class OrchestratorModule {
         this.terminal.print('🧠 Orchestrator loaded — A2A mailbox transport active', 'success');
         // Load recurring schedules from VFS
         this._loadSchedules();
-        // Pre-spawn default agents after a short delay (let other modules init first)
-        setTimeout(() => this._preSpawnDefaultAgents(), 2000);
         // Subscribe to event bus for in-memory A2A delivery (instant, no VFS poll)
         this._on('a2a:message', (msg) => {
             if (msg.type === 'heartbeat' && msg.from && this._agents[msg.from]) {
@@ -334,7 +338,7 @@ class OrchestratorModule {
     _sanitizeId(name) {
         return (name || 'worker').replace(/[^a-zA-Z0-9_-]/g, '-').replace(/-+/g, '-').replace(/^-|-$/g, '').substring(0, 32) || 'worker';
     }
-    spawnAgent(role, capabilities, modelName = null) {
+    spawnAgent(role, capabilities, modelName = null, idHint = null) {
         if (this._spawnLock) {
             this.terminal.print('⚠️ Spawn in progress — queued', 'warning');
             return null;
@@ -342,7 +346,12 @@ class OrchestratorModule {
         this._spawnLock = true;
         try {
             const safeRole = this._sanitizeId(role);
-            const id = `agent-${Date.now().toString(36)}-${Math.random().toString(36).substr(2, 4)}-${safeRole}`;
+            const id = idHint || `agent-${Date.now().toString(36)}-${Math.random().toString(36).substr(2, 4)}-${safeRole}`;
+            // Idempotent: a stable-id agent that is already live is reused, never duplicated
+            if (this._agents[id]) {
+                this.terminal.print(`♻️ Agent '${id}' already live — reusing`, 'info');
+                return this._agents[id];
+            }
             if (Object.keys(this._agents).length >= this._SPAWN_LIMIT) {
                 this.terminal.print(`❌ Agent spawn limit (${this._SPAWN_LIMIT}) reached`, 'error');
                 return null;
@@ -400,8 +409,10 @@ class OrchestratorModule {
                 registry.a2aUnregister(id);
             }
         }
-        // Clean up VFS
-        this.terminal.fs.deleteFile('agents/' + id);
+        // Clean up VFS — rm() dispatches file|dir → trash (deleteFile() is file-only
+        // and silently returns false for directories, which leaked /agents/<id>/)
+        const removed = this.terminal.fs.rm('agents/' + id);
+        if (!removed) this.terminal.print(`⚠️  VFS cleanup failed for '${id}' — /agents/${id}/ still present`, 'warning');
         delete this._agents[id];
         delete this._restartBackoffs[id];
         this.terminal.print(`💀 Agent '${id}' killed`, 'warning');
@@ -439,31 +450,79 @@ class OrchestratorModule {
         this.terminal.print(`🔄 Agent '${id}' reanimated from VFS sleep`, 'success');
     }
 
+    async _bootAgents() {
+        // Boot sequence for /agents/ — order is load-bearing:
+        //   1. await VFS hydration (loadFromStorage is async; a sync reconcile sees an empty root)
+        //   2. reconcile /agents/ (adopt what is already there, purge duplicates/orphans)
+        //   3. only then spawn any missing default agent
+        try {
+            await Promise.resolve(this.terminal.fs._ready);
+        } catch (e) {
+            this.terminal.print('⚠️  VFS hydration failed — agent reconciliation skipped', 'warning');
+            return this._agents;
+        }
+        this._reanimateFromVFS();
+        if (this._BOOT_DELAY > 0) await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, this._BOOT_DELAY));
+        this._preSpawnDefaultAgents();
+        return this._agents;
+    }
+
     _reanimateFromVFS() {
+        // Boot reconciliation for /agents/:
+        //  1. sleep.json                  → reanimate the agent (previous behaviour)
+        //  2. status.json + default role  → ADOPT it (a reload left it behind, still wanted)
+        //  3. no usable state / duplicate → orphan → fs.rm(), so a reload cannot grow /agents/
+        // Only `agent-*` dirs are touched; /agents/register/ belongs to AgentRegistry.
         const fs = this.terminal.fs;
         const agentsDir = fs.readDir('/agents/');
         if (!agentsDir) return;
-        let reanimated = 0;
+
+        // Stable ids (agent-<role>) beat timestamped ones; among timestamped ids, newest wins.
+        const tsOf = (id) => {
+            const m = /^agent-([0-9a-z]+)-[0-9a-z]{4}-/.exec(id);
+            return m ? (parseInt(m[1], 36) || 0) : Number.MAX_SAFE_INTEGER;
+        };
+        const keep = new Map();     // role:<role> for default agents (singleton) | id:<id> for workers
+        const orphans = [];
+
         for (const entry of agentsDir) {
-            if (entry.type !== 'dir') continue;
-            const sleepData = fs.fsReadJSON(`/agents/${entry.name}/sleep.json`);
-            if (sleepData) {
-                const agent = {
-                    ...sleepData,
-                    status: 'idle',
-                    currentTask: null,
-                    leaseId: null,
-                    lastHeartbeat: Date.now()
-                };
-                delete agent._sleepTime;
-                this._agents[entry.name] = agent;
-                fs.writeFile(`agents/${entry.name}/status.json`, JSON.stringify({ ...agent, status: 'idle' }));
-                reanimated++;
+            if (entry.type !== 'dir' || !entry.name.startsWith('agent-')) continue;
+            const id = entry.name;
+            if (this._agents[id]) continue;
+            const sleepData = fs.fsReadJSON(`/agents/${id}/sleep.json`);
+            const statusData = fs.fsReadJSON(`/agents/${id}/status.json`);
+            const state = sleepData || null;
+            const role = (state || statusData || {}).role;
+            const wanted = !!state || (statusData && this._DEFAULT_ROLES.includes(role));
+            if (!wanted) { orphans.push(id); continue; }
+            // Default roles are singletons (one dir per role); worker agents stay unique per id.
+            const key = this._DEFAULT_ROLES.includes(role) ? 'role:' + role : 'id:' + id;
+            const prev = keep.get(key);
+            if (!prev || tsOf(id) > tsOf(prev.id)) {
+                if (prev) orphans.push(prev.id);
+                keep.set(key, { id, state: state || statusData });
+            } else {
+                orphans.push(id);
             }
         }
-        if (reanimated > 0) {
-            this.terminal.print(`🔄 Reanimated ${reanimated} agent(s) from VFS sleep`, 'info');
+
+        for (const { id, state } of keep.values()) {
+            const agent = {
+                ...state,
+                status: 'idle',
+                currentTask: null,
+                leaseId: null,
+                lastHeartbeat: Date.now()
+            };
+            delete agent._sleepTime;
+            this._agents[id] = agent;
+            fs.writeFile(`agents/${id}/status.json`, JSON.stringify({ ...agent, status: 'idle' }));
+            if (fs.readFile(`/agents/${id}/sleep.json`)) fs.rm(`agents/${id}/sleep.json`);
         }
+        for (const id of orphans) fs.rm('agents/' + id);   // rm() dispatches dir → trashDir
+
+        if (keep.size > 0) this.terminal.print(`🔄 Restored ${keep.size} agent(s) from VFS`, 'info');
+        if (orphans.length > 0) this.terminal.print(`🧹 Purged ${orphans.length} orphaned agent dir(s)`, 'warning');
     }
 
     // ─── Restart Policies ───
@@ -1284,22 +1343,23 @@ class OrchestratorModule {
     }
 
     _preSpawnDefaultAgents() {
-        // Spawn 3 role-specific agents at boot
+        // Spawn the default team ONCE per browser profile. Stable ids (`agent-<role>`) mean a
+        // reload re-adopts the existing dir in _reanimateFromVFS() instead of writing a new one.
         var roles = [
-            { role: 'auto-learner', caps: ['list_files', 'read_file', 'write_file', 'view_module'], task: 'audit skills' },
-            { role: 'kernel-architect', caps: ['list_files', 'read_file', 'write_file', 'run_command'], task: 'index VFS' },
-            { role: 'searcher', caps: ['list_files', 'read_file', 'web_search'], task: 'check stale data' }
+            { role: 'auto-learner', caps: ['list_files', 'read_file', 'write_file', 'view_module'] },
+            { role: 'kernel-architect', caps: ['list_files', 'read_file', 'write_file', 'run_command'] },
+            { role: 'searcher', caps: ['list_files', 'read_file', 'web_search'] }
         ];
         for (var i = 0; i < roles.length; i++) {
             var r = roles[i];
-            // Check if an agent with this role already exists
+            // Already live (fresh spawn this boot, or adopted from VFS) → just keep it alive
             var existing = Object.values(this._agents).find(function(a) { return a.role === r.role; });
-            if (!existing) {
-                var agent = this.spawnAgent(r.role, r.caps);
-                if (agent) {
-                    agent.restartPolicy = 'always';
-                    this.terminal.print('🤖 Pre-spawned agent: ' + r.role + ' (' + r.caps.length + ' caps)', 'info');
-                }
+            if (existing) { existing.restartPolicy = 'always'; continue; }
+            var id = 'agent-' + this._sanitizeId(r.role);
+            var agent = this.spawnAgent(r.role, r.caps, null, id);
+            if (agent) {
+                agent.restartPolicy = 'always';
+                this.terminal.print('🤖 Pre-spawned agent: ' + r.role + ' (' + r.caps.length + ' caps)', 'info');
             }
         }
     }
diff --git a/scripts/test-agents-reload.js b/scripts/test-agents-reload.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2441cf9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/test-agents-reload.js
@@ -0,0 +1,129 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env node
+/**
+ * scripts/test-agents-reload.js — regression test for agent accumulation on page reload.
+ *
+ * Bug history (two layers):
+ *  1. spawnAgent() minted `agent-<ts>-<rand>-<role>` on every boot, and
+ *     _preSpawnDefaultAgents() deduped against in-RAM _agents — which is empty after a
+ *     reload. Meanwhile _reanimateFromVFS() only restored dirs that had sleep.json.
+ *     → +3 dirs per reload, forever.
+ *  2. VirtualFileSystem.loadFromStorage() is ASYNC. init() called _reanimateFromVFS()
+ *     synchronously, so it ran against an empty root, silently did nothing, and 2 s later
+ *     pre-spawn wrote brand-new dirs over the persisted tree.
+ *
+ * Fix: stable `agent-<role>` ids + `_bootAgents()` (await VFS hydration → reconcile →
+ * spawn only what is missing).
+ *
+ * A "reload" = a fresh OrchestratorModule instance sharing the same persisted VFS.
+ * Run: node scripts/test-agents-reload.js      (exit 0 = pass)
+ */
+const fs = require('fs');
+const path = require('path');
+const CORE = path.join(__dirname, '..', 'modules', 'core');
+
+// ── browser shims ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+const store = new Map();
+global.localStorage = {
+  getItem: k => (store.has(k) ? store.get(k) : null),
+  setItem: (k, v) => store.set(k, String(v)),
+  removeItem: k => store.delete(k), clear: () => store.clear(),
+};
+global.indexedDB = undefined;
+global.fetch = async () => ({ ok: false, json: async () => ({}) });
+const el = { style: {}, classList: { add() {}, remove() {} }, addEventListener() {}, appendChild() {}, textContent: '', innerHTML: '' };
+global.document = {
+  readyState: 'complete', addEventListener() {}, getElementById: () => null,
+  querySelector: () => null, querySelectorAll: () => [], createElement: () => ({ ...el }),
+  body: { ...el, appendChild() {} }, head: { ...el, appendChild() {} },
+};
+global.window = global;
+global.navigator = { userAgent: 'node' };
+global.performance = { now: () => Date.now() };
+global.WebSocket = class { constructor() {} close() {} send() {} };
+
+const src = fs.readFileSync(path.join(CORE, 'core-bundle.js'), 'utf8');
+const { OrchestratorModule, VirtualFileSystem } = new Function('window', src +
+  '\n;return { OrchestratorModule: (typeof OrchestratorModule!=="undefined"?OrchestratorModule:null), VirtualFileSystem: (typeof VirtualFileSystem!=="undefined"?VirtualFileSystem:window.VirtualFileSystem) };'
+)(global.window);
+
+let failures = 0;
+const check = (label, cond, detail = '') => {
+  console.log(`${cond ? '✅ PASS' : '❌ FAIL'} ${label}${detail ? ' — ' + detail : ''}`);
+  if (!cond) failures++;
+};
+
+const mkTerminal = (vfs) => ({ fs: vfs, print: () => {}, moduleManager: { modules: {}, _setInterval: () => null, _clearInterval: () => {} } });
+const agentDirs = (vfs) => (vfs.readDir('/agents/') || []).filter(e => e.type === 'dir' && e.name.startsWith('agent-'));
+const boot = async (vfs) => {
+  const orch = new OrchestratorModule();
+  orch.terminal = mkTerminal(vfs);
+  orch._BOOT_DELAY = 0;
+  await orch._bootAgents();          // the real init() path
+  return orch;
+};
+
+(async () => {
+  const vfs = new VirtualFileSystem();
+
+  // ── 1. five consecutive "reloads" ───────────────────────────────────
+  for (let n = 1; n <= 5; n++) {
+    const orch = await boot(vfs);
+    const dirs = agentDirs(vfs);
+    check(`boot ${n}: 3 agent dirs`, dirs.length === 3, `${dirs.length}: ${dirs.map(d => d.name).join(', ')}`);
+    check(`boot ${n}: 3 live agents`, Object.keys(orch._agents).length === 3, `${Object.keys(orch._agents).length}`);
+    check(`boot ${n}: one per role`, new Set(Object.values(orch._agents).map(a => a.role)).size === 3);
+  }
+  check('stable ids after reloads', agentDirs(vfs).every(d => d.name === 'agent-auto-learner' || d.name === 'agent-kernel-architect' || d.name === 'agent-searcher'),
+    agentDirs(vfs).map(d => d.name).join(', '));
+
+  // ── 2. pre-existing timestamped garbage is swept ────────────────────
+  const legacy = [
+    ['agent-aaa111-x1-auto-learner', 'auto-learner'],
+    ['agent-zzz999-x2-auto-learner', 'auto-learner'],
+    ['agent-mmm555-x3-searcher', 'searcher'],
+  ];
+  for (const [id, role] of legacy) {
+    vfs.mkdir(`agents/${id}`);
+    vfs.writeFile(`agents/${id}/status.json`, JSON.stringify({ id, role, status: 'idle', restartPolicy: 'always' }));
+  }
+  check('legacy dirs staged', agentDirs(vfs).length === 6, `${agentDirs(vfs).length} dirs`);
+  const orch2 = await boot(vfs);
+  check('legacy duplicates purged', agentDirs(vfs).length === 3, `${agentDirs(vfs).length} dirs`);
+  check('no duplicate roles live', new Set(Object.values(orch2._agents).map(a => a.role)).size === Object.keys(orch2._agents).length);
+
+  // ── 3. non-default (worker) sleeping agents are NOT collapsed ───────
+  for (const w of ['agent-w1aaaaaaaa-aaaa-worker', 'agent-w2bbbbbbbb-bbbb-worker']) {
+    vfs.mkdir(`agents/${w}`);
+    vfs.writeFile(`agents/${w}/sleep.json`, JSON.stringify({ id: w, role: 'worker', status: 'sleeping', capabilities: ['read_file'] }));
+  }
+  const orch3 = await boot(vfs);
+  check('both sleeping workers reanimated', Object.values(orch3._agents).filter(a => a.role === 'worker').length === 2,
+    `${Object.values(orch3._agents).filter(a => a.role === 'worker').length} workers`);
+  check('no sleep.json left behind', !vfs.readFile('/agents/agent-w1aaaaaaaa-aaaa-worker/sleep.json'));
+
+  // ── 4. /agents/register (registry dir) is never GC'd ────────────────
+  vfs.mkdir('agents/register');
+  await boot(vfs);
+  check('registry dir /agents/register/ survives GC', (vfs.readDir('/agents/') || []).some(e => e.name === 'register'));
+
+  // ── 5. async hydration race (the layer-2 bug) ───────────────────────
+  // Persist the current tree, then "reload" into a NEW VFS whose localStorage hydration is
+  // asynchronous — exactly what a browser does. A synchronous reconcile must not see it.
+  const before = agentDirs(vfs).map(d => d.name).sort();
+  // persist exactly the way the app does (gzip+base64 via VirtualFileSystem._compress)
+  localStorage.setItem('webx11_filesystem_v2', await vfs._compress(JSON.stringify({ root: vfs.root, currentPath: [] })));
+  const vfs2 = new VirtualFileSystem();                 // hydration starts, not finished yet
+  const orchReload = new OrchestratorModule();
+  orchReload.terminal = mkTerminal(vfs2);
+  orchReload._BOOT_DELAY = 0;
+  orchReload._reanimateFromVFS();                        // old (buggy) ordering
+  check('sync reconcile before hydration sees an empty VFS', Object.keys(orchReload._agents).length === 0,
+    `${Object.keys(orchReload._agents).length} agents`);
+  await orchReload._bootAgents();                        // fixed ordering
+  const after = agentDirs(vfs2).map(d => d.name).sort();
+  check('post-hydration boot restores exactly the persisted set', JSON.stringify(after) === JSON.stringify(before),
+    `before=${before.join(',')} after=${after.join(',')}`);
+
+  console.log(failures === 0 ? '\nALL CHECKS PASSED' : `\n${failures} CHECK(S) FAILED`);
+  process.exit(failures === 0 ? 0 : 1);
+})();