diff --git a/slab/bin/codex-session-watch.mjs b/slab/bin/codex-session-watch.mjs
--- a/slab/bin/codex-session-watch.mjs
+++ b/slab/bin/codex-session-watch.mjs
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ // Usage: node codex-session-watch.mjs <sessionId> <beginEpochSec> <wrapperPid> <tty> <cwd>
 // Launched (and killed) by codex-slab.sh. Exits when the wrapper pid dies.
 
 import { readFile, writeFile, stat, unlink, utimes } from "node:fs/promises";
+import { realpathSync } from "node:fs";
 import { execFile } from "node:child_process";
 import { promisify } from "node:util";
 import { join } from "node:path";
diff --git a/slab/bin/imsg.mjs b/slab/bin/imsg.mjs
--- a/slab/bin/imsg.mjs
+++ b/slab/bin/imsg.mjs
@@ -1182,6 +1182,39 @@ fallbackFrom: "backend",
       backendError: error.message,
     };
   }
+  const rowid = Number(lastRow?.rowid) || 0;
+  throw new Error(
+    `Messages queued row ${rowid || "unknown"} via ${route.appleService} but did not confirm sending within ${timeoutMs / 1000}s`,
+  );
+}
+
+async function sendMessage(handles, body) {
+  const route = chooseMessagesRoute(handles, latestSuccessfulRoute(handles));
+  let result = await sendAttempt(handles, body, route);
+
+  // A phone number may retain a stale iMessage handle. Only retry when
+  // Messages explicitly rejects that attempt; never retry an ambiguous
+  // pending send, which could create a duplicate later.
+  if (shouldRetryViaSms(route, result)) {
+    result = await sendAttempt(handles, body, {
+      handle: route.handle,
+      appleService: "SMS",
+      observedService: "SMS fallback",
+    });
+    if (result.status === "failed") {
+      throw new Error(
+        `Messages rejected row ${result.rowid} via ${result.service || "SMS"} (error ${result.error})`,
+      );
+    }
+    return { ...result, fallbackFrom: "iMessage" };
+  }
+
+  if (result.status === "failed") {
+    throw new Error(
+      `Messages rejected row ${result.rowid} via ${result.service || route.appleService} (error ${result.error})`,
+    );
+  }
+  return result;
 }
 
 const TAPBACKS = new Map([
diff --git a/slab/bin/prox-mcp.mjs b/slab/bin/prox-mcp.mjs
--- a/slab/bin/prox-mcp.mjs
+++ b/slab/bin/prox-mcp.mjs
@@ -585,7 +585,7 @@ const body = JSON.stringify({
     agent: agentName,
     prompt: launchPrompt,
     ...(cwd ? { cwd: String(cwd) } : {}),
-    ...(loopboyContact ? { loopboyContact: String(loopboyContact).toLowerCase() } : {}),
+    ...(contactKey ? { loopboyContact: contactKey } : {}),
     by: launcher,
   });
   const res = await fetch(`http://${target.ip}:${PORT}/launch`, {
@@ -599,13 +599,10 @@ let result;
   try { result = JSON.parse(text); } catch { throw new Error(`launch on ${target.host} returned invalid JSON (HTTP ${res.status}).`); }
   if (!res.ok || !result.ok) throw new Error(`launch on ${target.host} failed: ${result.error || `HTTP ${res.status}`}`);
   let binding = "";
-  if (loopboyContact) {
+  if (contactKey) {
     if (String(target.host).toLowerCase() !== String(self).toLowerCase()) {
       throw new Error("Loopboy contact routes can only be launched on this local iMessage host");
     }
-    if (!result.nudgeScreen) {
-      throw new Error("Loopboy launch did not return a nudge screen; prompt host needs the updated Slab build");
-    }
     let marker = null;
     for (let attempt = 0; attempt < 20 && !marker; attempt++) {
       for (const dir of MARKER_DIRS) {
@@ -613,7 +610,8 @@ let names = [];
         try { names = await readdir(dir); } catch {}
         for (const name of names) {
           const value = await readJson(join(dir, name));
-          if (value?.nudge_screen === result.nudgeScreen) {
+          const id = value?.session_id || name;
+          if (!existingMarkerIds.has(id) && value?.loopboy_contact === contactKey) {
             marker = { id: value.session_id || name, value };
             break;
           }
@@ -626,14 +624,13 @@ if (!marker) throw new Error("Loopboy launched but its live marker did not appear");
     await mkdir(join(homedir(), ".config", "slab"), { recursive: true });
     const cfg = (await readJson(LOOPBOY_CONFIG)) || { version: 1, loops: {} };
     cfg.version = 1; cfg.loops ||= {};
-    cfg.loops[String(loopboyContact).toLowerCase()] = {
-      event: "imessage", contact: String(loopboyContact).toLowerCase(),
+    cfg.loops[contactKey] = {
+      event: "imessage", contact: contactKey,
       sessionId: marker.id, host: result.host || target.host,
-      name: "pending-ledger-name", agent: agentName, wake: true,
-      nudgeScreen: result.nudgeScreen, assignedAt: new Date().toISOString(),
+      agent: agentName, wake: true, assignedAt: new Date().toISOString(),
     };
     await writeFile(LOOPBOY_CONFIG, JSON.stringify(cfg, null, 2) + "\n", { mode: 0o600 });
-    binding = ` and bound Loopboy contact ${loopboyContact}`;
+    binding = ` and bound Loopboy contact ${contactKey}`;
   }
   return [{
     type: "text",
diff --git a/slab/bin/zzz b/slab/bin/zzz
--- a/slab/bin/zzz
+++ b/slab/bin/zzz
@@ -25,7 +25,8 @@ const ZZZ_DIR = join(STATE, "zzz");
 const ACTIVE_DIR = join(STATE, "active-prompts");
 const AWAITING_DIR = join(STATE, "awaiting-prompts");
 const RUNNING_DIR = join(STATE, "running-tools");
-const LOOPBOY = join(HOME_DIR, ".config", "slab", "loopboy.json");
+const LOOPBOY = process.env.SLAB_LOOPBOY_CONFIG
+  || join(HOME_DIR, ".config", "slab", "loopboy.json");
 
 const sleep = (ms) => new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, ms));
 const readJson = async (path) => {
@@ -199,7 +200,9 @@ if (!sid || !pid || !marker.tty || !marker.cwd) throw new Error("prompt lacks resumable session/pid/tty/cwd metadata");
   if (!force && marker.status !== "complete" && marker.status !== "interrupted") {
     throw new Error(`refusing to zzz ${marker.status || "working"} prompt without --force`);
   }
-  if (!force && (await loopboyIds()).has(sid)) throw new Error("refusing to zzz a Loopboy-bound prompt");
+  // A live client route is stronger than --force. Force exists to override
+  // activity/idle checks, never to sever a Loopboy's notification target.
+  if ((await loopboyIds()).has(sid)) throw new Error("refusing to zzz a Loopboy-bound prompt");
   if ((await ancestorPids()).has(pid)) throw new Error("refusing to zzz the session running this harness");
   const providerSessionId = marker.agent_type === "codex"
     ? (marker.codex_session_id || await providerFromProcess(pid)) : sid;
diff --git a/slab/menubar-swift/Sources/SlabMenubar/Ledger.swift b/slab/menubar-swift/Sources/SlabMenubar/Ledger.swift
--- a/slab/menubar-swift/Sources/SlabMenubar/Ledger.swift
+++ b/slab/menubar-swift/Sources/SlabMenubar/Ledger.swift
@@ -195,14 +195,17 @@ return ["ok": false, "error": "\(agent) launcher is not installed"]
         }
 
         var command: String
-        var nudgeScreen = ""
+        let nudgeScreen = ""
         if !loopboyContact.isEmpty {
-            nudgeScreen = "loopboy-\(UUID().uuidString.prefix(8).lowercased())"
+            // Keep Loopboys on the real Terminal PTY. GNU Screen forwards
+            // Terminal focus-report sequences (ESC [ I / ESC [ O) as literal
+            // Codex input, corrupting the prompt whenever focus changes. Slab
+            // already knows how to focus the exact tty and type the wake prompt
+            // through trusted CGEvents, so an extra terminal layer is harmful.
             command = "cd \(shellQuote(cwd)) && "
                 + "SLAB_TERMINAL_TTY=$(basename \"$(tty)\") "
-                + "SLAB_NUDGE_SCREEN=\(shellQuote(nudgeScreen)) "
                 + "SLAB_LOOPBOY_CONTACT=\(shellQuote(loopboyContact)) "
-                + "exec /usr/bin/screen -S \(shellQuote(nudgeScreen)) \(shellQuote(binary))"
+                + "exec \(shellQuote(binary))"
         } else {
             command = "cd \(shellQuote(cwd)) && exec \(shellQuote(binary))"
         }
@@ -491,7 +494,11 @@ static func selfIdentity() -> (host: String, ip: String) {
         // Host is the SHORT OS hostname (neo, blueberry) — the name the fleet
         // references, not tailscale's device label ("Jeffrey's MacBook Neo").
         // IP is this machine's tailscale v4, for binding + advertising.
-        let raw = ProcessInfo.processInfo.hostName
+        let fleetName = ShellRunner.output(
+            "/usr/sbin/scutil", args: ["--get", "LocalHostName"], timeout: 2
+        )?.trimmingCharacters(in: .whitespacesAndNewlines)
+        let raw = fleetName.flatMap { $0.isEmpty ? nil : $0 }
+            ?? ProcessInfo.processInfo.hostName
         let host = raw.split(separator: ".").first.map { $0.lowercased() } ?? raw.lowercased()
         var ip = ""
         if let ts = Tools.resolve("tailscale"),
diff --git a/slab/test/codex-slab.test.mjs b/slab/test/codex-slab.test.mjs
--- a/slab/test/codex-slab.test.mjs
+++ b/slab/test/codex-slab.test.mjs
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import test from "node:test";
 import assert from "node:assert/strict";
 import { spawn } from "node:child_process";
 import {
-  chmod, mkdtemp, mkdir, readFile, readdir, writeFile,
+  chmod, mkdtemp, mkdir, readFile, readdir, symlink, writeFile,
 } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
 import { dirname, join } from "node:path";
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
 
 const here = dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url));
 const wrapper = join(here, "..", "bin", "codex-slab");
+const watcher = join(here, "..", "bin", "codex-session-watch.mjs");
 const sleep = (ms) => new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, ms));
 
 async function waitFor(fn, timeoutMs = 5000) {
@@ -21,6 +22,19 @@ await sleep(50);
   }
   throw new Error("timed out waiting for Codex wrapper state");
 }
+
+test("Codex watcher runs when invoked through its installed symlink", async () => {
+  const root = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), "codex-watch-symlink-test-"));
+  const link = join(root, "codex-session-watch.mjs");
+  await symlink(watcher, link);
+  const child = spawn(process.execPath, [link, "test-rock", "0", String(process.pid), "ttys099", root], {
+    stdio: "ignore",
+  });
+  await sleep(250);
+  assert.equal(child.exitCode, null, "watcher exited instead of following the symlink target");
+  child.kill("SIGTERM");
+  await new Promise((resolve) => child.once("exit", resolve));
+});
 
 test("SIGTERM reaches Codex while its terminal remains available", async () => {
   const root = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), "codex-slab-test-"));
diff --git a/slab/test/zzz.test.mjs b/slab/test/zzz.test.mjs
--- a/slab/test/zzz.test.mjs
+++ b/slab/test/zzz.test.mjs
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ return {
     ...process.env,
     SLAB_HOME: root,
     SLAB_BIN: "/opt/slab/bin",
+    SLAB_LOOPBOY_CONFIG: join(root, "loopboy.json"),
     ZZZ_DRY_RUN: "1",
   };
 }
@@ -79,6 +80,32 @@
   await assert.rejects(
     execFileAsync(process.execPath, [zzz, "park", marker.session_id], { env: env(root) }),
     /refusing to zzz working prompt/,
+  );
+});
+
+test("park refuses a Loopboy-bound prompt even with --force", async () => {
+  const { root, state } = await fixture();
+  const marker = {
+    session_id: "alex-loopboy",
+    codex_session_id: providerId,
+    agent_type: "codex",
+    agent_pid: 999999,
+    tty: "ttys095",
+    cwd: "/tmp/project",
+    subject: "Alex Loopboy",
+    updated: new Date().toISOString(),
+    state: "working",
+  };
+  await writeFile(join(state, "active-prompts", marker.session_id), JSON.stringify(marker));
+  await writeFile(join(root, "loopboy.json"), JSON.stringify({
+    loops: { alex: { sessionId: marker.session_id, wake: true } },
+  }));
+
+  await assert.rejects(
+    execFileAsync(process.execPath, [zzz, "park", marker.session_id, "--force"], {
+      env: env(root),
+    }),
+    /refusing to zzz a Loopboy-bound prompt/,
   );
 });