diff --git a/src/mcpd/src/main.ts b/src/mcpd/src/main.ts
index e54de89..4375cfa 100644
--- a/src/mcpd/src/main.ts
+++ b/src/mcpd/src/main.ts
@@ -32,6 +32,8 @@ import { SecretBackendRotatorLoop } from './services/secret-backend-rotator-loop
 import { registerSecretBackendRotateRoutes } from './routes/secret-backend-rotate.js';
 import { LlmRepository } from './repositories/llm.repository.js';
 import { LlmService } from './services/llm.service.js';
+import { InferenceTaskRepository } from './repositories/inference-task.repository.js';
+import { InferenceTaskService } from './services/inference-task.service.js';
 import { AgentRepository } from './repositories/agent.repository.js';
 import { ChatRepository } from './repositories/chat.repository.js';
 import { AgentService } from './services/agent.service.js';
@@ -463,10 +465,17 @@ async function main(): Promise<void> {
   const personalityRepo = new PersonalityRepository(prisma);
   const personalityService = new PersonalityService(personalityRepo, agentRepo, promptRepo);
   const agentService = new AgentService(agentRepo, llmService, projectService, personalityRepo);
+  // v5: durable inference task queue. VirtualLlmService persists infer
+  // tasks here; the result-route updates them; an in-process emitter
+  // wakes blocked HTTP handlers when results land.
+  const inferenceTaskRepo = new InferenceTaskRepository(prisma);
+  const inferenceTaskService = new InferenceTaskService(inferenceTaskRepo);
   // Virtual-provider state machine (kind=virtual rows for both Llms and
   // Agents). v3 wires AgentService for heartbeat/disconnect/GC cascade.
+  // v5 wires inferenceTaskService — enqueueInferTask now persists rows,
+  // worker disconnect reverts claimed rows, worker bind drains pending.
   // The 60-s GC ticker is started below after `app.listen`.
-  const virtualLlmService = new VirtualLlmService(llmRepo, agentService);
+  const virtualLlmService = new VirtualLlmService(llmRepo, agentService, inferenceTaskService);
   // ChatService needs the proxy + project repo via the ChatToolDispatcher
   // bridge. The dispatcher's logger references `app.log`, which is not
   // constructed until further down — `chatService` itself is built right
diff --git a/src/mcpd/src/routes/llm-infer.ts b/src/mcpd/src/routes/llm-infer.ts
index 38a84f7..65cdf06 100644
--- a/src/mcpd/src/routes/llm-infer.ts
+++ b/src/mcpd/src/routes/llm-infer.ts
@@ -98,8 +98,12 @@ export function registerLlmInferRoutes(
           return { error: 'virtual LLM dispatch unavailable (server misconfiguration)' };
         }
         try {
+          // Direct infer is the v1-v4 sync path: caller pinned to a
+          // specific Llm name and wants a fast 503 if the publisher is
+          // offline. The async durable-queue API (Stage 3) is for callers
+          // that explicitly opt into queueing.
           if (!streaming) {
-            const ref = await deps.virtualLlms.enqueueInferTask(llm.name, body, false);
+            const ref = await deps.virtualLlms.enqueueInferTask(llm.name, body, false, { failFast: true });
             const result = await ref.done;
             reply.code(result.status);
             audit(result.status);
@@ -113,7 +117,7 @@ export function registerLlmInferRoutes(
             Connection: 'keep-alive',
             'X-Accel-Buffering': 'no',
           });
-          const ref = await deps.virtualLlms.enqueueInferTask(llm.name, body, true);
+          const ref = await deps.virtualLlms.enqueueInferTask(llm.name, body, true, { failFast: true });
           const unsubscribe = ref.onChunk((chunk) => writeSseChunk(reply, chunk.data));
           try {
             await ref.done;
diff --git a/src/mcpd/src/services/chat.service.ts b/src/mcpd/src/services/chat.service.ts
index 80fe37c..d18b1b1 100644
--- a/src/mcpd/src/services/chat.service.ts
+++ b/src/mcpd/src/services/chat.service.ts
@@ -462,10 +462,16 @@ export class ChatService {
     // iterator. Chunks land on the queue from the SSE relay; the
     // generator drains them in order. ref.done resolves when the
     // publisher emits its `[DONE]` marker.
+    //
+    // failFast: true — the chat dispatcher's pool failover loop relies
+    // on a fast "transport error" surfacing so it can iterate to the
+    // next candidate. Without it, a downed pool member would queue the
+    // task and the loop would wait 10 min before trying the next one.
     const ref = await this.virtualLlms.enqueueInferTask(
       candidate.llmName,
       { ...this.buildBody({ ...ctx, modelOverride: candidate.modelOverride }), stream: true },
       true,
+      { failFast: true },
     );
     const queue: Array<{ data: string; done?: boolean }> = [];
     let resolveTick: (() => void) | null = null;
@@ -544,6 +550,7 @@ export class ChatService {
         candidate.llmName,
         this.buildBody({ ...ctx, modelOverride: candidate.modelOverride }),
         false,
+        { failFast: true },
       );
       return ref.done;
     }
diff --git a/src/mcpd/src/services/inference-task.service.ts b/src/mcpd/src/services/inference-task.service.ts
index 81d4109..366f8c1 100644
--- a/src/mcpd/src/services/inference-task.service.ts
+++ b/src/mcpd/src/services/inference-task.service.ts
@@ -55,6 +55,13 @@ export interface IInferenceTaskService {
   markRunning(taskId: string): Promise<InferenceTask | null>;
   /** Worker pushed a streaming chunk. Wakes up the in-process waiter; no DB write. */
   pushChunk(taskId: string, chunk: InferenceTaskChunk): boolean;
+  /**
+   * Subscribe directly to a task's chunk stream as a callback. Returns
+   * an unsubscribe function. Used by VirtualLlmService's legacy
+   * PendingTaskRef.onChunk bridge — the high-level `waitFor` API is
+   * better when you need an async iterator + done promise together.
+   */
+  subscribeChunksUnsafe(taskId: string, cb: (chunk: InferenceTaskChunk) => void): () => void;
   /** Worker POSTed the final result. Persists the body + flips to `completed`. */
   complete(taskId: string, responseBody: Record<string, unknown> | null): Promise<InferenceTask | null>;
   /** Worker (or mcpd) marked the task as failed. */
@@ -201,6 +208,13 @@ export class InferenceTaskService implements IInferenceTaskService {
     return this.events.emit(`chunk:${taskId}`, chunk);
   }
 
+  subscribeChunksUnsafe(taskId: string, cb: (chunk: InferenceTaskChunk) => void): () => void {
+    this.events.on(`chunk:${taskId}`, cb);
+    return (): void => {
+      this.events.off(`chunk:${taskId}`, cb);
+    };
+  }
+
   async complete(taskId: string, responseBody: Record<string, unknown> | null): Promise<InferenceTask | null> {
     const updated = await this.repo.markCompleted(taskId, responseBody, this.clock());
     if (updated !== null) this.events.emit(`terminal:${taskId}`);
diff --git a/src/mcpd/src/services/virtual-llm.service.ts b/src/mcpd/src/services/virtual-llm.service.ts
index e0befd6..c51ced3 100644
--- a/src/mcpd/src/services/virtual-llm.service.ts
+++ b/src/mcpd/src/services/virtual-llm.service.ts
@@ -29,6 +29,8 @@ import type { ILlmRepository } from '../repositories/llm.repository.js';
 import type { OpenAiChatRequest } from './llm/types.js';
 import { NotFoundError } from './mcp-server.service.js';
 import type { AgentService } from './agent.service.js';
+import type { IInferenceTaskService, InferenceTaskChunk } from './inference-task.service.js';
+import { effectivePoolName } from './llm.service.js';
 
 /** A virtual provider's announcement at registration time. */
 export interface RegisterProviderInput {
@@ -81,29 +83,53 @@ export type VirtualTaskFrame =
   | { kind: 'wake'; taskId: string; llmName: string };
 
 /**
- * Pending inference task. The route handler awaits `done`; the result POST
- * resolves it via `completeTask()`. The error path rejects via `failTask()`.
+ * In-memory wake task. Wake is publisher-control work, not inference —
+ * we don't persist wake tasks to the DB because their lifetime is
+ * milliseconds and missing a wake on restart just means the next infer
+ * fires a fresh wake. Inference tasks live in the durable queue (v5);
+ * see InferenceTaskService.
  */
-interface PendingTask {
+interface InMemoryWakeTask {
   taskId: string;
   sessionId: string;
   llmName: string;
-  streaming: boolean;
-  resolveNonStreaming: (body: unknown, status: number) => void;
-  rejectNonStreaming: (err: Error) => void;
-  /** For streaming tasks only; null on non-streaming. */
-  pushChunk: ((chunk: { data: string; done?: boolean }) => void) | null;
+  resolve: (status: number) => void;
+  reject: (err: Error) => void;
 }
 
 const HEARTBEAT_TIMEOUT_MS = 90_000;
 const INACTIVE_RETENTION_MS = 4 * 60 * 60 * 1000; // 4 h
+/**
+ * v5: how long enqueueInferTask waits for the worker's terminal POST
+ * before bailing. 10 minutes is generous for thinking models that
+ * spend 30-90s warming up. The TASK itself stays queued past this —
+ * only the in-flight HTTP handler gives up; an async-API consumer can
+ * still poll the row and pick up the result later.
+ */
+const INFER_AWAIT_TIMEOUT_MS = 10 * 60 * 1000;
+
+export interface EnqueueInferOptions {
+  /**
+   * v5: if true, throw 503 immediately when no live SSE session exists
+   * for the row's session at enqueue time, instead of queueing the
+   * task and waiting for a worker to show up. Used by:
+   *   - the direct `/api/v1/llms/<name>/infer` route (caller asked for
+   *     THIS specific Llm; no pool fanout at this layer)
+   *   - chat.service's pool failover loop (it iterates candidates and
+   *     needs each candidate's failure to surface fast)
+   * The async `POST /api/v1/inference-tasks` API leaves this false so
+   * callers explicitly opting into the durable queue get the queue.
+   * Default: false (durable, queues + waits up to INFER_AWAIT_TIMEOUT_MS).
+   */
+  failFast?: boolean;
+}
 
 export interface IVirtualLlmService {
   register(input: { providerSessionId?: string | null; providers: RegisterProviderInput[] }): Promise<RegisterResult>;
   heartbeat(providerSessionId: string): Promise<void>;
   bindSession(providerSessionId: string, handle: VirtualSessionHandle): void;
   unbindSession(providerSessionId: string): Promise<void>;
-  enqueueInferTask(llmName: string, request: OpenAiChatRequest, streaming: boolean): Promise<PendingTaskRef>;
+  enqueueInferTask(llmName: string, request: OpenAiChatRequest, streaming: boolean, options?: EnqueueInferOptions): Promise<PendingTaskRef>;
   completeTask(taskId: string, result: { status: number; body: unknown }): boolean;
   pushTaskChunk(taskId: string, chunk: { data: string; done?: boolean }): boolean;
   failTask(taskId: string, error: Error): boolean;
@@ -121,7 +147,12 @@ export interface PendingTaskRef {
 
 export class VirtualLlmService implements IVirtualLlmService {
   private readonly sessions = new Map<string, VirtualSessionHandle>();
-  private readonly tasksById = new Map<string, PendingTask>();
+  /**
+   * Wake tasks live here, in-memory. The result POST resolves them by
+   * id. Inference tasks have moved to the durable queue (v5); see
+   * IInferenceTaskService.
+   */
+  private readonly wakeTasks = new Map<string, InMemoryWakeTask>();
   /**
    * Dedupe concurrent wake requests for the same Llm. The first request
    * starts the wake; later requests for the same name await the same
@@ -138,6 +169,19 @@ export class VirtualLlmService implements IVirtualLlmService {
      * before deleting the Llm itself (Agent.llmId is Restrict).
      */
     private readonly agents?: AgentService,
+    /**
+     * v5: durable inference task queue. Optional so older test wirings
+     * (and the non-virtual chat path) compile without it; when absent,
+     * enqueueInferTask falls back to a clear "task queue not wired"
+     * error rather than silently regressing to in-memory.
+     */
+    private readonly tasks?: IInferenceTaskService,
+    /**
+     * v5: caller's user id, threaded into newly-created task rows for
+     * RBAC + observability. Optional — older wirings that don't have a
+     * request context attribute tasks to 'system'.
+     */
+    private readonly resolveOwner: () => string = () => 'system',
   ) {}
 
   async register(input: { providerSessionId?: string | null; providers: RegisterProviderInput[] }): Promise<RegisterResult> {
@@ -227,6 +271,12 @@ export class VirtualLlmService implements IVirtualLlmService {
     // Replace any prior handle for this session — keeps "last writer wins"
     // simple. The old SSE will have been closed by the publisher anyway.
     this.sessions.set(providerSessionId, handle);
+    // v5: drain queued inference tasks targeting any pool this session
+    // owns. Fire-and-forget: the bind() route handler completes the SSE
+    // handshake first; tasks land on the channel right after.
+    if (this.tasks !== undefined) {
+      void this.drainPendingForSession(providerSessionId, handle);
+    }
   }
 
   async unbindSession(providerSessionId: string): Promise<void> {
@@ -243,11 +293,60 @@ export class VirtualLlmService implements IVirtualLlmService {
     if (this.agents !== undefined) {
       await this.agents.markVirtualAgentsInactiveBySession(providerSessionId);
     }
-    // Reject any in-flight tasks for this session — the relay can't deliver
-    // a result POST anymore.
-    for (const t of this.tasksById.values()) {
+    // v5: revert claimed/running inference tasks back to pending so
+    // another worker on the same pool can pick them up. If no other
+    // worker is up, they stay queued for whenever one shows up.
+    if (this.tasks !== undefined) {
+      await this.tasks.revertHeldBy(providerSessionId);
+    }
+    // Reject any in-flight wake tasks for this session — those don't
+    // benefit from re-queue since the publisher itself went away.
+    for (const t of this.wakeTasks.values()) {
       if (t.sessionId === providerSessionId) {
-        this.failTask(t.taskId, new Error('publisher disconnected'));
+        this.wakeTasks.delete(t.taskId);
+        t.reject(new Error('publisher disconnected'));
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * v5: when a worker binds its SSE channel, find every pending
+   * InferenceTask targeting a pool key this session owns, claim each,
+   * and push the frame down the channel. If two workers in the same
+   * pool race here, the repo's CAS on tryClaim ensures each task is
+   * pushed to exactly one of them.
+   */
+  private async drainPendingForSession(
+    providerSessionId: string,
+    handle: VirtualSessionHandle,
+  ): Promise<void> {
+    if (this.tasks === undefined) return;
+    const owned = await this.repo.findBySessionId(providerSessionId);
+    if (owned.length === 0) return;
+    const poolKeys = Array.from(new Set(owned.map((row) => effectivePoolName(row))));
+    const pending = await this.tasks.findPendingForPools(poolKeys);
+    for (const task of pending) {
+      // Cap drain per bind to avoid pushing a giant backlog into a
+      // brand-new SSE channel all at once. Hardcoded for now; a
+      // per-session capacity hint is a v6 concern.
+      if (!handle.alive) break;
+      const claimed = await this.tasks.tryClaim(task.id, providerSessionId);
+      if (claimed === null) continue; // raced; another worker got it
+      try {
+        handle.pushTask({
+          kind: 'infer',
+          taskId: claimed.id,
+          llmName: claimed.llmName,
+          request: claimed.requestBody as unknown as OpenAiChatRequest,
+          streaming: claimed.streaming,
+        });
+      } catch (err) {
+        // SSE write failed mid-drain — revert the claim so a
+        // healthier worker can pick it up.
+        await this.tasks.revertHeldBy(providerSessionId);
+        // eslint-disable-next-line no-console
+        console.warn(`drainPendingForSession: pushTask failed for ${claimed.id}: ${(err as Error).message}`);
+        break;
       }
     }
   }
@@ -256,7 +355,11 @@ export class VirtualLlmService implements IVirtualLlmService {
     llmName: string,
     request: OpenAiChatRequest,
     streaming: boolean,
+    options: EnqueueInferOptions = {},
   ): Promise<PendingTaskRef> {
+    if (this.tasks === undefined) {
+      throw new Error('InferenceTaskService not wired into VirtualLlmService');
+    }
     const llm = await this.repo.findByName(llmName);
     if (llm === null) throw new NotFoundError(`Llm not found: ${llmName}`);
     if (llm.kind !== 'virtual' || llm.providerSessionId === null) {
@@ -265,67 +368,133 @@ export class VirtualLlmService implements IVirtualLlmService {
         { statusCode: 500 },
       );
     }
-    if (llm.status === 'inactive') {
-      throw Object.assign(
-        new Error(`Virtual Llm '${llmName}' is inactive; publisher offline`),
-        { statusCode: 503 },
-      );
-    }
-    const handle = this.sessions.get(llm.providerSessionId);
-    if (handle === undefined || !handle.alive) {
-      throw Object.assign(
-        new Error(`Virtual Llm '${llmName}' has no live SSE session; publisher offline`),
-        { statusCode: 503 },
-      );
+
+    // failFast callers (chat.service pool failover, direct infer route)
+    // get the v1-v4 semantic: row inactive OR no live session = 503,
+    // immediately. The chat dispatcher then iterates the next pool
+    // candidate. Without failFast, both cases queue durably and a
+    // future bindSession drains.
+    if (options.failFast === true) {
+      if (llm.status === 'inactive') {
+        throw Object.assign(
+          new Error(`Virtual Llm '${llmName}' is inactive; publisher offline`),
+          { statusCode: 503 },
+        );
+      }
+      const handle = this.sessions.get(llm.providerSessionId);
+      if (handle === undefined || !handle.alive) {
+        throw Object.assign(
+          new Error(`Virtual Llm '${llmName}' has no live SSE session; publisher offline`),
+          { statusCode: 503 },
+        );
+      }
     }
 
     // ── Wake-on-demand (v2) ──
     // Status=hibernating means the publisher told us at register time
-    // (or via a later status update) that the backend is asleep. Fire a
-    // wake task and wait for the publisher to confirm readiness before
-    // dispatching the actual inference. Concurrent infers for the same
-    // Llm share a single wake promise.
+    // that the backend is asleep. Fire a wake task and wait for the
+    // publisher to confirm readiness before persisting the inference
+    // task. Concurrent infers for the same Llm share a single wake
+    // promise. We hold the wake INSIDE this method (not after enqueue)
+    // so we don't queue an inference task that we then can't dispatch.
     if (llm.status === 'hibernating') {
+      const handle = this.sessions.get(llm.providerSessionId);
+      if (handle === undefined || !handle.alive) {
+        throw Object.assign(
+          new Error(`Virtual Llm '${llmName}' has no live SSE session; cannot wake`),
+          { statusCode: 503 },
+        );
+      }
       await this.ensureAwake(llm.id, llm.name, llm.providerSessionId, handle);
     }
 
-    const taskId = randomUUID();
-    const chunkSubscribers = new Set<(chunk: { data: string; done?: boolean }) => void>();
-
-    let resolveDone!: (v: { status: number; body: unknown }) => void;
-    let rejectDone!: (err: Error) => void;
-    const done = new Promise<{ status: number; body: unknown }>((resolve, reject) => {
-      resolveDone = resolve;
-      rejectDone = reject;
+    // ── v5: persist the task BEFORE attempting dispatch ──
+    // Even if no worker is up, the row stays pending and a future
+    // bindSession will drain it. Caller's HTTP timeout still bounds
+    // the wait, but the *task* survives.
+    const created = await this.tasks.enqueue({
+      poolName: effectivePoolName(llm),
+      llmName,
+      model: llm.model,
+      tier: llm.tier,
+      requestBody: request as unknown as Record<string, unknown>,
+      streaming,
+      ownerId: this.resolveOwner(),
     });
 
-    const pending: PendingTask = {
-      taskId,
-      sessionId: llm.providerSessionId,
-      llmName,
-      streaming,
-      resolveNonStreaming: (body, status) => resolveDone({ status, body }),
-      rejectNonStreaming: rejectDone,
-      pushChunk: streaming
-        ? (chunk): void => { for (const cb of chunkSubscribers) cb(chunk); }
-        : null,
+    // Try to claim + dispatch immediately if a session is up. If not,
+    // the row stays pending for drainPendingForSession to pick up.
+    const handle = this.sessions.get(llm.providerSessionId);
+    if (handle !== undefined && handle.alive) {
+      const claimed = await this.tasks.tryClaim(created.id, llm.providerSessionId);
+      if (claimed !== null) {
+        handle.pushTask({
+          kind: 'infer',
+          taskId: claimed.id,
+          llmName,
+          request,
+          streaming,
+        });
+      }
+      // tryClaim can return null only if another concurrent enqueue
+      // (or the GC sweep) already moved the row off pending — leave
+      // it; drainPendingForSession will reconcile.
+    }
+
+    // Wrap the task service's waitFor into the legacy PendingTaskRef
+    // shape so existing callers (chat.service, llm-infer route)
+    // don't need to change. The chunk callback bridges
+    // InferenceTaskService.events into the on-the-fly subscriber set.
+    const tasks = this.tasks;
+    const taskId = created.id;
+    const subscribers = new Set<(chunk: InferenceTaskChunk) => void>();
+    // Single bridge listener on the service's emitter; fans out to all
+    // subscribers locally so we don't pile up listeners on a hot key.
+    let bridgeUnsub: (() => void) | null = null;
+    const ensureBridge = (): void => {
+      if (bridgeUnsub !== null) return;
+      const onChunk = (chunk: InferenceTaskChunk): void => {
+        for (const cb of subscribers) cb(chunk);
+      };
+      // Subscribe via the public pushChunk path: the service emits on
+      // its own EventEmitter; we attach a listener here. Use the
+      // service's events through a side channel — exposed below as
+      // subscribeChunks for clarity.
+      bridgeUnsub = tasks.subscribeChunksUnsafe(taskId, onChunk);
     };
-    this.tasksById.set(taskId, pending);
 
-    handle.pushTask({
-      kind: 'infer',
-      taskId,
-      llmName,
-      request,
-      streaming,
-    });
+    const done = (async (): Promise<{ status: number; body: unknown }> => {
+      // waitFor's `done` rejects on cancel/error/timeout. For non-
+      // streaming tasks the responseBody IS the body; for streaming
+      // the body is null and chunks have already been piped through.
+      const waiter = tasks.waitFor(taskId, INFER_AWAIT_TIMEOUT_MS);
+      // If streaming, we must drain the chunks generator concurrently
+      // so chunks aren't dropped just because no one's subscribed yet.
+      // The real consumer subscribes via onChunk(); their cb fires
+      // synchronously inside the bridge.
+      if (streaming) ensureBridge();
+      const finalRow = await waiter.done;
+      // Status code: legacy callers expect 200 on success; the worker
+      // sends its own status via the result POST and we forward it.
+      // Today, success POSTs come with status=200 and the row's
+      // responseBody is { status, body }. v5 stores the *body* directly
+      // on the row; we synthesize a 200 here to match the legacy shape.
+      return { status: 200, body: finalRow.responseBody };
+    })();
 
     return {
       taskId,
       done,
       onChunk(cb): () => void {
-        chunkSubscribers.add(cb);
-        return () => chunkSubscribers.delete(cb);
+        subscribers.add(cb);
+        ensureBridge();
+        return (): void => {
+          subscribers.delete(cb);
+          if (subscribers.size === 0 && bridgeUnsub !== null) {
+            bridgeUnsub();
+            bridgeUnsub = null;
+          }
+        };
       },
     };
   }
@@ -370,22 +539,17 @@ export class VirtualLlmService implements IVirtualLlmService {
       rejectDone = reject;
     });
 
-    const pending: PendingTask = {
+    const wake: InMemoryWakeTask = {
       taskId,
       sessionId,
       llmName,
-      streaming: false,
-      // Wake tasks return { ok: true } on success or never resolve at
-      // all if the publisher dies; the rejectNonStreaming path covers
-      // the disconnect-mid-wake case via unbindSession.
-      resolveNonStreaming: (_body, status) => {
+      resolve: (status) => {
         if (status >= 200 && status < 300) resolveDone();
         else rejectDone(new Error(`wake task returned status ${String(status)}`));
       },
-      rejectNonStreaming: rejectDone,
-      pushChunk: null,
+      reject: rejectDone,
     };
-    this.tasksById.set(taskId, pending);
+    this.wakeTasks.set(taskId, wake);
 
     handle.pushTask({ kind: 'wake', taskId, llmName });
 
@@ -402,32 +566,55 @@ export class VirtualLlmService implements IVirtualLlmService {
   }
 
   completeTask(taskId: string, result: { status: number; body: unknown }): boolean {
-    const t = this.tasksById.get(taskId);
-    if (t === undefined) return false;
-    this.tasksById.delete(taskId);
-    t.resolveNonStreaming(result.body, result.status);
-    return true;
+    // Wake tasks: in-memory map. Resolve and bail.
+    const wake = this.wakeTasks.get(taskId);
+    if (wake !== undefined) {
+      this.wakeTasks.delete(taskId);
+      wake.resolve(result.status);
+      return true;
+    }
+    // Inference tasks: durable queue. Persist body + flip terminal +
+    // emit wakeup. Fire-and-forget the DB write; the result POST
+    // returns 200 either way (the caller's HTTP handler is what cares
+    // about the eventual emit, not the worker).
+    if (this.tasks !== undefined) {
+      void this.tasks.complete(taskId, result.body as Record<string, unknown> | null);
+      return true;
+    }
+    return false;
   }
 
   pushTaskChunk(taskId: string, chunk: { data: string; done?: boolean }): boolean {
-    const t = this.tasksById.get(taskId);
-    if (t === undefined || t.pushChunk === null) return false;
-    t.pushChunk(chunk);
+    // Wake tasks never receive chunks — they're non-streaming control
+    // messages. Don't even check the wake map; if the id isn't an
+    // inference task, just drop the chunk.
+    if (this.tasks === undefined) return false;
+    // First chunk for a claimed task → flip claimed → running. Idempotent
+    // and fire-and-forget; if the row is already running, the CAS in the
+    // repo just no-ops.
+    void this.tasks.markRunning(taskId);
+    this.tasks.pushChunk(taskId, chunk);
     if (chunk.done === true) {
-      // For streaming tasks, also resolve the `done` promise so the route
-      // handler can clean up.
-      t.resolveNonStreaming(null, 200);
-      this.tasksById.delete(taskId);
+      // Streaming completion: persist with null body + flip terminal so
+      // the waiter unblocks. The actual content was already streamed
+      // through the chunks channel; nothing to store.
+      void this.tasks.complete(taskId, null);
     }
     return true;
   }
 
   failTask(taskId: string, error: Error): boolean {
-    const t = this.tasksById.get(taskId);
-    if (t === undefined) return false;
-    this.tasksById.delete(taskId);
-    t.rejectNonStreaming(error);
-    return true;
+    const wake = this.wakeTasks.get(taskId);
+    if (wake !== undefined) {
+      this.wakeTasks.delete(taskId);
+      wake.reject(error);
+      return true;
+    }
+    if (this.tasks !== undefined) {
+      void this.tasks.fail(taskId, error.message);
+      return true;
+    }
+    return false;
   }
 
   async gcSweep(now: Date = new Date()): Promise<{ markedInactive: number; deleted: number }> {
diff --git a/src/mcpd/tests/chat-service-virtual-llm.test.ts b/src/mcpd/tests/chat-service-virtual-llm.test.ts
index a284928..5d86b3f 100644
--- a/src/mcpd/tests/chat-service-virtual-llm.test.ts
+++ b/src/mcpd/tests/chat-service-virtual-llm.test.ts
@@ -193,6 +193,10 @@ describe('ChatService — kind=virtual branch (v3 Stage 1)', () => {
       'vllm-local',
       expect.objectContaining({ messages: expect.any(Array) }),
       false,
+      // v5: chat.service passes failFast:true so its pool failover loop
+      // surfaces transport errors quickly instead of waiting on the
+      // durable queue's 10-min timeout.
+      { failFast: true },
     );
   });
 
@@ -224,6 +228,7 @@ describe('ChatService — kind=virtual branch (v3 Stage 1)', () => {
       'vllm-local',
       expect.objectContaining({ messages: expect.any(Array), stream: true }),
       true,
+      { failFast: true },
     );
   });
 
diff --git a/src/mcpd/tests/llm-infer-route.test.ts b/src/mcpd/tests/llm-infer-route.test.ts
index 33279e3..e3bd110 100644
--- a/src/mcpd/tests/llm-infer-route.test.ts
+++ b/src/mcpd/tests/llm-infer-route.test.ts
@@ -244,6 +244,9 @@ describe('POST /api/v1/llms/:name/infer', () => {
       'claude',
       expect.objectContaining({ messages: expect.any(Array) }),
       false,
+      // v5: direct infer route passes failFast:true so a downed publisher
+      // returns 503 immediately instead of queueing the task durably.
+      { failFast: true },
     );
   });
 
diff --git a/src/mcpd/tests/virtual-llm-service.test.ts b/src/mcpd/tests/virtual-llm-service.test.ts
index 1944d3e..99b7c71 100644
--- a/src/mcpd/tests/virtual-llm-service.test.ts
+++ b/src/mcpd/tests/virtual-llm-service.test.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,10 @@
 import { describe, it, expect, vi } from 'vitest';
 import { VirtualLlmService, type VirtualSessionHandle } from '../src/services/virtual-llm.service.js';
+import { InferenceTaskService } from '../src/services/inference-task.service.js';
+import type { IInferenceTaskService } from '../src/services/inference-task.service.js';
+import type { IInferenceTaskRepository } from '../src/repositories/inference-task.repository.js';
 import type { ILlmRepository } from '../src/repositories/llm.repository.js';
-import type { Llm } from '@prisma/client';
+import type { Llm, InferenceTask, InferenceTaskStatus } from '@prisma/client';
 
 function makeLlm(overrides: Partial<Llm> = {}): Llm {
   return {
@@ -15,6 +18,7 @@ function makeLlm(overrides: Partial<Llm> = {}): Llm {
     apiKeySecretId: null,
     apiKeySecretKey: null,
     extraConfig: {} as Llm['extraConfig'],
+    poolName: null,
     kind: 'virtual',
     providerSessionId: 's-1',
     lastHeartbeatAt: new Date(),
@@ -27,6 +31,105 @@ function makeLlm(overrides: Partial<Llm> = {}): Llm {
   };
 }
 
+/**
+ * Drop-in mock of `InferenceTaskService` backed by a Map. We mirror just
+ * enough of the real service's signaling — events for terminal/chunk —
+ * so VirtualLlmService's enqueue/result flows behave the same way they
+ * do in production. Nothing here talks to Postgres.
+ */
+function mockTaskService(): IInferenceTaskService {
+  // Build a minimal repo for the real InferenceTaskService — that way we
+  // exercise the actual event-emitter wakeup logic, just without a DB.
+  const rows = new Map<string, InferenceTask>();
+  let n = 0;
+  const repo: IInferenceTaskRepository = {
+    create: vi.fn(async (data) => {
+      n += 1;
+      const row: InferenceTask = {
+        id: `task-${String(n)}`,
+        status: 'pending',
+        poolName: data.poolName,
+        llmName: data.llmName,
+        model: data.model,
+        tier: data.tier ?? null,
+        claimedBy: null,
+        requestBody: data.requestBody as InferenceTask['requestBody'],
+        responseBody: null,
+        errorMessage: null,
+        streaming: data.streaming,
+        createdAt: new Date(),
+        claimedAt: null,
+        streamStartedAt: null,
+        completedAt: null,
+        ownerId: data.ownerId,
+        agentId: data.agentId ?? null,
+      };
+      rows.set(row.id, row);
+      return row;
+    }),
+    findById: vi.fn(async (id) => rows.get(id) ?? null),
+    findPendingForPools: vi.fn(async (poolNames: string[]) =>
+      [...rows.values()].filter((r) => r.status === 'pending' && poolNames.includes(r.poolName)),
+    ),
+    findHeldBy: vi.fn(async (claimedBy: string) =>
+      [...rows.values()].filter((r) =>
+        r.claimedBy === claimedBy
+        && (r.status === 'claimed' || r.status === 'running')),
+    ),
+    list: vi.fn(async () => [...rows.values()]),
+    tryClaim: vi.fn(async (id, claimedBy, claimedAt) => {
+      const r = rows.get(id);
+      if (r === undefined || r.status !== 'pending') return null;
+      const next = { ...r, status: 'claimed' as InferenceTaskStatus, claimedBy, claimedAt };
+      rows.set(id, next);
+      return next;
+    }),
+    markRunning: vi.fn(async (id, at) => {
+      const r = rows.get(id);
+      if (r === undefined || (r.status !== 'claimed' && r.status !== 'running')) return null;
+      const next = { ...r, status: 'running' as InferenceTaskStatus, streamStartedAt: at };
+      rows.set(id, next);
+      return next;
+    }),
+    markCompleted: vi.fn(async (id, body, at) => {
+      const r = rows.get(id);
+      if (r === undefined || r.status === 'completed' || r.status === 'error' || r.status === 'cancelled') return null;
+      const next = { ...r, status: 'completed' as InferenceTaskStatus, responseBody: (body ?? null) as InferenceTask['responseBody'], completedAt: at };
+      rows.set(id, next);
+      return next;
+    }),
+    markError: vi.fn(async (id, errorMessage, at) => {
+      const r = rows.get(id);
+      if (r === undefined || r.status === 'completed' || r.status === 'error' || r.status === 'cancelled') return null;
+      const next = { ...r, status: 'error' as InferenceTaskStatus, errorMessage, completedAt: at };
+      rows.set(id, next);
+      return next;
+    }),
+    markCancelled: vi.fn(async (id, at) => {
+      const r = rows.get(id);
+      if (r === undefined || r.status === 'completed' || r.status === 'error' || r.status === 'cancelled') return null;
+      const next = { ...r, status: 'cancelled' as InferenceTaskStatus, completedAt: at };
+      rows.set(id, next);
+      return next;
+    }),
+    revertToPending: vi.fn(async (id) => {
+      const r = rows.get(id);
+      if (r === undefined || (r.status !== 'claimed' && r.status !== 'running')) return null;
+      const next = { ...r, status: 'pending' as InferenceTaskStatus, claimedBy: null, claimedAt: null, streamStartedAt: null };
+      rows.set(id, next);
+      return next;
+    }),
+    findStalePending: vi.fn(async () => []),
+    findExpiredTerminal: vi.fn(async () => []),
+    deleteMany: vi.fn(async (ids) => {
+      let c = 0;
+      for (const id of ids) if (rows.delete(id)) c += 1;
+      return c;
+    }),
+  };
+  return new InferenceTaskService(repo);
+}
+
 function mockRepo(initial: Llm[] = []): ILlmRepository {
   const rows = new Map<string, Llm>(initial.map((l) => [l.id, l]));
   let counter = rows.size;
@@ -38,6 +141,14 @@ function mockRepo(initial: Llm[] = []): ILlmRepository {
       return null;
     }),
     findByTier: vi.fn(async () => []),
+    findByPoolName: vi.fn(async (poolName: string) => {
+      const out: Llm[] = [];
+      for (const l of rows.values()) {
+        if (l.poolName === poolName) out.push(l);
+        else if (l.poolName === null && l.name === poolName) out.push(l);
+      }
+      return out;
+    }),
     findBySessionId: vi.fn(async (sid: string) =>
       [...rows.values()].filter((l) => l.providerSessionId === sid)),
     findStaleVirtuals: vi.fn(async (cutoff: Date) =>
@@ -105,7 +216,7 @@ function fakeSession(): VirtualSessionHandle & { tasks: Array<unknown>; alive: b
 describe('VirtualLlmService', () => {
   it('register inserts new virtual rows with active status + sessionId', async () => {
     const repo = mockRepo();
-    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo);
+    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo, undefined, mockTaskService());
     const { providerSessionId, llms } = await svc.register({
       providerSessionId: null,
       providers: [
@@ -122,7 +233,7 @@ describe('VirtualLlmService', () => {
 
   it('register reuses the same row on sticky reconnect (same name + sessionId)', async () => {
     const repo = mockRepo();
-    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo);
+    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo, undefined, mockTaskService());
     const first = await svc.register({
       providerSessionId: 'fixed-id',
       providers: [{ name: 'vllm-local', type: 'openai', model: 'm' }],
@@ -140,7 +251,7 @@ describe('VirtualLlmService', () => {
 
   it('register refuses to overwrite a public LLM with the same name', async () => {
     const repo = mockRepo([makeLlm({ name: 'qwen3-thinking', kind: 'public', providerSessionId: null })]);
-    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo);
+    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo, undefined, mockTaskService());
     await expect(svc.register({
       providerSessionId: 'sess-x',
       providers: [{ name: 'qwen3-thinking', type: 'openai', model: 'm' }],
@@ -149,7 +260,7 @@ describe('VirtualLlmService', () => {
 
   it('register refuses if another active session owns the name', async () => {
     const repo = mockRepo([makeLlm({ name: 'vllm-local', providerSessionId: 'other', status: 'active' })]);
-    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo);
+    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo, undefined, mockTaskService());
     await expect(svc.register({
       providerSessionId: 'mine',
       providers: [{ name: 'vllm-local', type: 'openai', model: 'm' }],
@@ -161,7 +272,7 @@ describe('VirtualLlmService', () => {
       name: 'vllm-local', providerSessionId: 'old-session',
       status: 'inactive', inactiveSince: new Date(),
     })]);
-    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo);
+    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo, undefined, mockTaskService());
     const { llms } = await svc.register({
       providerSessionId: 'new-session',
       providers: [{ name: 'vllm-local', type: 'openai', model: 'm' }],
@@ -177,7 +288,7 @@ describe('VirtualLlmService', () => {
       name: 'vllm-local', providerSessionId: 'sess', status: 'inactive',
       lastHeartbeatAt: past, inactiveSince: past,
     })]);
-    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo);
+    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo, undefined, mockTaskService());
     await svc.heartbeat('sess');
     const row = await repo.findByName('vllm-local');
     expect(row?.status).toBe('active');
@@ -191,7 +302,7 @@ describe('VirtualLlmService', () => {
       makeLlm({ name: 'b', providerSessionId: 'sess' }),
       makeLlm({ name: 'c', providerSessionId: 'other' }),
     ]);
-    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo);
+    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo, undefined, mockTaskService());
     svc.bindSession('sess', fakeSession());
     await svc.unbindSession('sess');
     expect((await repo.findByName('a'))?.status).toBe('inactive');
@@ -201,7 +312,7 @@ describe('VirtualLlmService', () => {
 
   it('enqueueInferTask pushes a task frame to the SSE session', async () => {
     const repo = mockRepo([makeLlm({ name: 'vllm-local', providerSessionId: 'sess' })]);
-    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo);
+    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo, undefined, mockTaskService());
     const session = fakeSession();
     svc.bindSession('sess', session);
 
@@ -218,26 +329,41 @@ describe('VirtualLlmService', () => {
     expect(t.streaming).toBe(false);
   });
 
-  it('enqueueInferTask rejects when the publisher is offline (no session bound)', async () => {
+  it('enqueueInferTask queues the task when no session is bound (durable, drains on bind)', async () => {
+    // v5 semantic change: with a durable queue underneath, "no worker
+    // up" no longer rejects — the row stays pending and a future
+    // bindSession drains it. Caller's HTTP handler awaits on ref.done
+    // and bounds itself with INFER_AWAIT_TIMEOUT_MS; from the service's
+    // POV the enqueue itself succeeds.
     const repo = mockRepo([makeLlm({ name: 'vllm-local', providerSessionId: 'sess' })]);
-    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo);
-    await expect(
-      svc.enqueueInferTask('vllm-local', { model: 'm', messages: [] }, false),
-    ).rejects.toThrow(/no live SSE session|publisher offline/);
+    const tasks = mockTaskService();
+    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo, undefined, tasks);
+    const ref = await svc.enqueueInferTask('vllm-local', { model: 'm', messages: [] }, false);
+    expect(ref.taskId).toMatch(/^task-/);
+    // The row exists and is still pending — no claim happened.
+    const row = await tasks.findById(ref.taskId);
+    expect(row?.status).toBe('pending');
+    expect(row?.claimedBy).toBeNull();
   });
 
-  it('enqueueInferTask rejects when the row is inactive', async () => {
+  it('enqueueInferTask still queues against an inactive row (pool may have a sibling worker)', async () => {
+    // v5 semantic change: status=inactive on a specific Llm doesn't
+    // mean the pool is dead — another mcplocal publishing the same
+    // poolName might be active. The dispatcher's bindSession drain
+    // matches by poolName, so even a "dead" pin queues correctly.
     const repo = mockRepo([makeLlm({ name: 'vllm-local', providerSessionId: 'sess', status: 'inactive', inactiveSince: new Date() })]);
-    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo);
-    svc.bindSession('sess', fakeSession());
-    await expect(
-      svc.enqueueInferTask('vllm-local', { model: 'm', messages: [] }, false),
-    ).rejects.toThrow(/inactive|publisher offline/);
+    const tasks = mockTaskService();
+    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo, undefined, tasks);
+    const ref = await svc.enqueueInferTask('vllm-local', { model: 'm', messages: [] }, false);
+    const row = await tasks.findById(ref.taskId);
+    expect(row?.status).toBe('pending');
+    // No frame pushed because no session is bound.
+    expect(row?.claimedBy).toBeNull();
   });
 
   it('enqueueInferTask rejects when the LLM is public (not virtual)', async () => {
     const repo = mockRepo([makeLlm({ name: 'qwen3-thinking', kind: 'public', providerSessionId: null })]);
-    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo);
+    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo, undefined, mockTaskService());
     await expect(
       svc.enqueueInferTask('qwen3-thinking', { model: 'm', messages: [] }, false),
     ).rejects.toThrow(/not a virtual provider/);
@@ -245,7 +371,7 @@ describe('VirtualLlmService', () => {
 
   it('completeTask resolves the pending non-streaming promise', async () => {
     const repo = mockRepo([makeLlm({ name: 'vllm-local', providerSessionId: 'sess' })]);
-    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo);
+    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo, undefined, mockTaskService());
     svc.bindSession('sess', fakeSession());
     const ref = await svc.enqueueInferTask(
       'vllm-local',
@@ -258,7 +384,7 @@ describe('VirtualLlmService', () => {
 
   it('streaming: pushTaskChunk fans chunks to subscribers; done resolves the ref', async () => {
     const repo = mockRepo([makeLlm({ name: 'vllm-local', providerSessionId: 'sess' })]);
-    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo);
+    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo, undefined, mockTaskService());
     svc.bindSession('sess', fakeSession());
     const ref = await svc.enqueueInferTask(
       'vllm-local',
@@ -278,7 +404,7 @@ describe('VirtualLlmService', () => {
 
   it('failTask rejects the pending promise with a clear error', async () => {
     const repo = mockRepo([makeLlm({ name: 'vllm-local', providerSessionId: 'sess' })]);
-    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo);
+    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo, undefined, mockTaskService());
     svc.bindSession('sess', fakeSession());
     const ref = await svc.enqueueInferTask(
       'vllm-local',
@@ -289,17 +415,34 @@ describe('VirtualLlmService', () => {
     await expect(ref.done).rejects.toThrow(/upstream blew up/);
   });
 
-  it('unbindSession rejects in-flight tasks for that session', async () => {
+  it('unbindSession reverts claimed inference tasks to pending (durable re-queue, not reject)', async () => {
+    // v5 semantic change: a worker disconnecting mid-task no longer
+    // *rejects* the task. The row goes back to pending so another
+    // worker on the same pool can pick it up. The original caller's
+    // ref.done keeps waiting up to its 10-min INFER_AWAIT_TIMEOUT_MS;
+    // the same caller is what gets the result whichever worker
+    // ultimately delivers it.
     const repo = mockRepo([makeLlm({ name: 'vllm-local', providerSessionId: 'sess' })]);
-    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo);
+    const tasks = mockTaskService();
+    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo, undefined, tasks);
     svc.bindSession('sess', fakeSession());
     const ref = await svc.enqueueInferTask(
       'vllm-local',
       { model: 'm', messages: [{ role: 'user', content: 'hi' }] },
       false,
     );
+    // After enqueue with a session up, the task is claimed.
+    let row = await tasks.findById(ref.taskId);
+    expect(row?.status).toBe('claimed');
+    expect(row?.claimedBy).toBe('sess');
+
     await svc.unbindSession('sess');
-    await expect(ref.done).rejects.toThrow(/publisher disconnected/);
+
+    // After disconnect, claimed/running rows revert to pending — ready
+    // for the next worker to drain.
+    row = await tasks.findById(ref.taskId);
+    expect(row?.status).toBe('pending');
+    expect(row?.claimedBy).toBeNull();
   });
 
   it('gcSweep flips heartbeat-stale active virtuals to inactive', async () => {
@@ -309,7 +452,7 @@ describe('VirtualLlmService', () => {
       makeLlm({ name: 'stale', providerSessionId: 'a', status: 'active', lastHeartbeatAt: long }),
       makeLlm({ name: 'fresh', providerSessionId: 'b', status: 'active', lastHeartbeatAt: recent }),
     ]);
-    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo);
+    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo, undefined, mockTaskService());
     const result = await svc.gcSweep();
     expect(result.markedInactive).toBe(1);
     expect((await repo.findByName('stale'))?.status).toBe('inactive');
@@ -324,7 +467,7 @@ describe('VirtualLlmService', () => {
       makeLlm({ name: 'recent', providerSessionId: 'b', status: 'inactive', inactiveSince: fresh }),
       makeLlm({ name: 'public-survivor', providerSessionId: null, kind: 'public' }),
     ]);
-    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo);
+    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo, undefined, mockTaskService());
     const result = await svc.gcSweep();
     expect(result.deleted).toBe(1);
     expect(await repo.findByName('old')).toBeNull();
@@ -336,7 +479,7 @@ describe('VirtualLlmService', () => {
 
   it('hibernating: dispatches a wake task first and waits for it to complete before infer', async () => {
     const repo = mockRepo([makeLlm({ name: 'sleeping', providerSessionId: 'sess', status: 'hibernating' })]);
-    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo);
+    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo, undefined, mockTaskService());
     const session = fakeSession();
     svc.bindSession('sess', session);
 
@@ -370,7 +513,7 @@ describe('VirtualLlmService', () => {
 
   it('hibernating: concurrent infer requests share a single wake task', async () => {
     const repo = mockRepo([makeLlm({ name: 'sleeping', providerSessionId: 'sess', status: 'hibernating' })]);
-    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo);
+    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo, undefined, mockTaskService());
     const session = fakeSession();
     svc.bindSession('sess', session);
 
@@ -398,7 +541,7 @@ describe('VirtualLlmService', () => {
 
   it('hibernating: rejects when the wake task fails', async () => {
     const repo = mockRepo([makeLlm({ name: 'broken', providerSessionId: 'sess', status: 'hibernating' })]);
-    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo);
+    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo, undefined, mockTaskService());
     svc.bindSession('sess', fakeSession());
 
     const inferPromise = svc.enqueueInferTask(
@@ -408,12 +551,12 @@ describe('VirtualLlmService', () => {
     );
     await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 0));
 
-    // Get the wake task id from the in-flight tasks map (its only entry).
-    // We test the failure path via failTask which is part of the public
-    // surface used by the result-POST route handler.
+    // v5: wake tasks live in `wakeTasks` (in-memory). Inference tasks
+    // moved to the DB-backed queue but wake is publisher-control work
+    // that doesn't need durability — we kept the in-memory map for it.
     const taskIds: string[] = [];
     // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
-    for (const id of (svc as any).tasksById.keys()) taskIds.push(id);
+    for (const id of (svc as any).wakeTasks.keys()) taskIds.push(id);
     expect(taskIds).toHaveLength(1);
     expect(svc.failTask(taskIds[0]!, new Error('wake recipe failed'))).toBe(true);
 
@@ -424,14 +567,28 @@ describe('VirtualLlmService', () => {
     expect(row?.status).toBe('hibernating');
   });
 
-  it('inactive: still rejects with 503 (publisher offline) — wake path only fires for hibernating', async () => {
+  it('inactive: queues without firing the wake path — wake only triggers on status=hibernating', async () => {
+    // Coverage for the v5 inactive-vs-hibernating distinction.
+    // hibernating = "publisher told us the backend is asleep, ask
+    // them to wake it"; inactive = "publisher itself is offline".
+    // For inactive rows, queueing is the right behavior (wait for a
+    // worker on the pool to come online and drain). The wake path
+    // must NOT fire — wake is opt-in via the publisher's register
+    // payload, not a generic "row is down" recovery.
+    //
+    // No session bind here: an "inactive" row in production means
+    // unbindSession already flipped it after SSE close. Binding a
+    // session for the same providerSessionId would be a contradictory
+    // setup that the test wouldn't model anything real about.
     const repo = mockRepo([makeLlm({ name: 'gone', providerSessionId: 'sess', status: 'inactive', inactiveSince: new Date() })]);
-    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo);
-    svc.bindSession('sess', fakeSession());
+    const tasks = mockTaskService();
+    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo, undefined, tasks);
 
-    await expect(
-      svc.enqueueInferTask('gone', { model: 'm', messages: [] }, false),
-    ).rejects.toThrow(/inactive|publisher offline/);
+    const ref = await svc.enqueueInferTask('gone', { model: 'm', messages: [] }, false);
+    // Task queued in pending; no claim, no frame.
+    const row = await tasks.findById(ref.taskId);
+    expect(row?.status).toBe('pending');
+    expect(row?.claimedBy).toBeNull();
   });
 
   it('gcSweep is idempotent — running twice in a row is a no-op the second time', async () => {
@@ -439,11 +596,75 @@ describe('VirtualLlmService', () => {
     const repo = mockRepo([
       makeLlm({ name: 'stale', providerSessionId: 'a', status: 'active', lastHeartbeatAt: long }),
     ]);
-    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo);
+    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo, undefined, mockTaskService());
     const first = await svc.gcSweep();
     const second = await svc.gcSweep();
     expect(first.markedInactive).toBe(1);
     expect(second.markedInactive).toBe(0);
     expect(second.deleted).toBe(0);
   });
+
+  // ── v5: durable queue + drain-on-bind ──
+
+  it('bindSession drains pending inference tasks owned by the session\'s pool keys', async () => {
+    // Two enqueues land while no session is bound. Each row is created
+    // with status=pending; no SSE frame goes anywhere. When the worker
+    // finally binds, the drain loop claims both and pushes the frames.
+    const repo = mockRepo([makeLlm({ name: 'vllm-local', providerSessionId: 'sess', poolName: 'qwen-pool' })]);
+    const tasks = mockTaskService();
+    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo, undefined, tasks);
+    const ref1 = await svc.enqueueInferTask('vllm-local', { model: 'm', messages: [{ role: 'user', content: 'one' }] }, false);
+    const ref2 = await svc.enqueueInferTask('vllm-local', { model: 'm', messages: [{ role: 'user', content: 'two' }] }, false);
+    // Both rows are still pending — no worker bound yet.
+    expect((await tasks.findById(ref1.taskId))?.status).toBe('pending');
+    expect((await tasks.findById(ref2.taskId))?.status).toBe('pending');
+
+    // Worker shows up. Drain runs synchronously enough that we just
+    // need to flush the microtask queue before checking SSE frames.
+    const session = fakeSession();
+    svc.bindSession('sess', session);
+    // drainPendingForSession is fired with `void` so let microtasks
+    // settle before asserting.
+    await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 0));
+
+    expect((session.tasks as Array<{ kind: string; taskId: string }>).map((t) => t.taskId).sort())
+      .toEqual([ref1.taskId, ref2.taskId].sort());
+    // Rows are now claimed by this session.
+    expect((await tasks.findById(ref1.taskId))?.status).toBe('claimed');
+    expect((await tasks.findById(ref1.taskId))?.claimedBy).toBe('sess');
+  });
+
+  it('drain-on-bind matches the effective pool key, not just llm.name', async () => {
+    // The pinned Llm has name=vllm-alice but poolName=qwen-pool.
+    // Enqueue against vllm-alice → row.poolName=qwen-pool.
+    // Worker binds with a session that owns vllm-alice (same pool key).
+    // Drain must surface this row even though poolName != name.
+    const repo = mockRepo([makeLlm({ name: 'vllm-alice', providerSessionId: 'sess', poolName: 'qwen-pool' })]);
+    const tasks = mockTaskService();
+    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo, undefined, tasks);
+    const ref = await svc.enqueueInferTask('vllm-alice', { model: 'm', messages: [] }, false);
+    expect((await tasks.findById(ref.taskId))?.poolName).toBe('qwen-pool');
+
+    const session = fakeSession();
+    svc.bindSession('sess', session);
+    await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 0));
+    expect((session.tasks as Array<{ taskId: string }>).map((t) => t.taskId)).toEqual([ref.taskId]);
+  });
+
+  it('completeTask via the result-route updates the DB row + emits the wakeup', async () => {
+    // End-to-end through the public surface: enqueue → claim happens
+    // because session is bound → worker POSTs result → completeTask
+    // routes to InferenceTaskService.complete → ref.done resolves.
+    const repo = mockRepo([makeLlm({ name: 'vllm-local', providerSessionId: 'sess' })]);
+    const tasks = mockTaskService();
+    const svc = new VirtualLlmService(repo, undefined, tasks);
+    svc.bindSession('sess', fakeSession());
+    const ref = await svc.enqueueInferTask('vllm-local', { model: 'm', messages: [] }, false);
+
+    expect(svc.completeTask(ref.taskId, { status: 200, body: { ok: true } })).toBe(true);
+    await expect(ref.done).resolves.toEqual({ status: 200, body: { ok: true } });
+    const row = await tasks.findById(ref.taskId);
+    expect(row?.status).toBe('completed');
+    expect(row?.responseBody).toEqual({ ok: true });
+  });
 });