diff --git a/gitnexus/src/core/ingestion/parsing-processor.ts b/gitnexus/src/core/ingestion/parsing-processor.ts
index 73a72aa22..a276a0ab4 100644
--- a/gitnexus/src/core/ingestion/parsing-processor.ts
+++ b/gitnexus/src/core/ingestion/parsing-processor.ts
@@ -875,7 +875,7 @@ export const processParsing = async (
       );
     }
     try {
-      return await processParsingWithWorkers(
+      const data = await processParsingWithWorkers(
         graph,
         files,
         symbolTable,
@@ -884,6 +884,28 @@ export const processParsing = async (
         reportProgress,
         outRawResults,
       );
+      // Session-scoped quarantine (worker-pool resilience Layer 3): surface
+      // any files this pool has decided are unsafe for workers so the
+      // operator can see what was skipped. The pool already filtered them
+      // out of dispatch; we only need to log + progress-report. Quarantine
+      // is session-scoped per pool instance — a fresh `createWorkerPool`
+      // call clears it.
+      const quarantineSet = new Set(workerPool.getQuarantinedPaths?.() ?? []);
+      if (quarantineSet.size > 0) {
+        const quarantinedInChunk = files.filter((file) => quarantineSet.has(file.path));
+        if (quarantinedInChunk.length > 0) {
+          logger.warn(
+            { quarantinedFiles: quarantinedInChunk.map((file) => file.path) },
+            `Worker quarantine: ${quarantinedInChunk.length} file(s) skipped in this chunk (cumulative pool quarantine: ${quarantineSet.size}).`,
+          );
+          reportProgress?.(
+            lastProgress,
+            files.length,
+            `${quarantinedInChunk.length} worker-quarantined file(s) skipped`,
+          );
+        }
+      }
+      return data;
     } catch (err) {
       const message = err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err);
       let fallbackFiles = files;
diff --git a/gitnexus/src/core/ingestion/workers/parse-worker.ts b/gitnexus/src/core/ingestion/workers/parse-worker.ts
index da681b070..2166ca950 100644
--- a/gitnexus/src/core/ingestion/workers/parse-worker.ts
+++ b/gitnexus/src/core/ingestion/workers/parse-worker.ts
@@ -1401,6 +1401,13 @@ const processFileGroup = (
     // Skip files larger than the max tree-sitter buffer (32 MB)
     if (getTreeSitterContentByteLength(file.content) > TREE_SITTER_MAX_BUFFER) continue;
 
+    // Authoritative in-flight signal for the pool: lets `WorkerPool` exclude
+    // exactly this file if the worker dies during parse/extract, instead of
+    // guessing from `items[lastProgress]` (which the language-grouped order
+    // here would defeat). The pool gracefully ignores this when running an
+    // older worker build that doesn't emit it.
+    if (parentPort) parentPort.postMessage({ type: 'starting-file', path: file.path });
+
     // Vue SFC preprocessing: extract <script> block content
     let parseContent = file.content;
     let lineOffset = 0;
diff --git a/gitnexus/src/core/ingestion/workers/worker-pool.ts b/gitnexus/src/core/ingestion/workers/worker-pool.ts
index 2ef895f2e..c5d1d9711 100644
--- a/gitnexus/src/core/ingestion/workers/worker-pool.ts
+++ b/gitnexus/src/core/ingestion/workers/worker-pool.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,12 @@ export interface WorkerPool {
   /**
    * Dispatch items across workers. Items are split into bounded jobs, each job
    * is committed independently, and stalled jobs are split/retried locally.
+   *
+   * Files in {@link WorkerPool.getQuarantinedPaths} are filtered out before
+   * dispatch — they have already caused a worker death this pool lifetime and
+   * are not safe to re-attempt in workers. The caller is responsible for
+   * routing them (e.g. to sequential fallback); inspect the quarantine
+   * snapshot before and after each dispatch.
    */
   dispatch<TInput, TResult>(
     items: TInput[],
@@ -17,8 +23,16 @@ export interface WorkerPool {
   /** Terminate all workers. Must be called when done. */
   terminate(): Promise<void>;
 
-  /** Number of workers in the pool */
+  /** Number of worker slots originally requested for the pool. */
   readonly size: number;
+
+  /**
+   * Snapshot of paths quarantined by this pool instance. Populated when a
+   * worker dies with an authoritative in-flight file (Layer 4 starting-file
+   * message) or a singleton-timeout exclusion. Cleared only by pool teardown
+   * — quarantine is session-scoped per `createWorkerPool` invocation.
+   */
+  getQuarantinedPaths(): readonly string[];
 }
 
 export interface WorkerPoolOptions {
@@ -27,6 +41,34 @@ export interface WorkerPoolOptions {
   subBatchIdleTimeoutMs?: number;
   maxTimeoutRetries?: number;
   timeoutBackoffFactor?: number;
+  /**
+   * Max replacement spawns per worker slot before the slot is dropped from
+   * the active rotation. Bounds respawn loops on a slot that consistently
+   * crashes the worker (likely a system-level fault rather than a single
+   * bad input). Default 3.
+   */
+  maxRespawnsPerSlot?: number;
+  /**
+   * Hard ceiling on total wall time the pool will spend retrying / splitting
+   * any single job. Combined with `timeoutBackoffFactor`, this prevents
+   * exponentially-growing retry waits from accumulating into multi-hour
+   * stalls before the pool finally surfaces the bad file to sequential
+   * fallback. Default 5x `subBatchIdleTimeoutMs`.
+   */
+  maxCumulativeTimeoutMs?: number;
+  /**
+   * Number of consecutive worker deaths (no successful job in between) that
+   * trip the pool circuit breaker. Once tripped, the pool rejects every
+   * subsequent `dispatch` with `WorkerPoolDispatchError` until a new pool is
+   * created. Default `Math.max(3, poolSize)`.
+   */
+  consecutiveFailureThreshold?: number;
+  /**
+   * Test-only injection point for the Worker constructor. When provided,
+   * the pool uses this factory instead of `new Worker(workerUrl)`. Production
+   * code should leave this unset.
+   */
+  workerFactory?: (workerUrl: URL) => Worker;
 }
 
 export class WorkerPoolDispatchError extends Error {
@@ -45,7 +87,15 @@ type WorkerOutgoingMessage =
   | { type: 'warning'; message: string }
   | { type: 'sub-batch-done' }
   | { type: 'error'; error: string }
-  | { type: 'result'; data: unknown };
+  | { type: 'result'; data: unknown }
+  /**
+   * Authoritative in-flight signal: worker is about to process this file.
+   * Pool records it per slot so worker death can be attributed exactly,
+   * instead of guessing from `items[lastProgress]` (which language-grouped
+   * worker processing defeats). Optional — older worker builds may not
+   * emit it; pool falls back to the heuristic when absent.
+   */
+  | { type: 'starting-file'; path: string };
 
 interface WorkerJob<TInput> {
   startIndex: number;
@@ -54,6 +104,13 @@ interface WorkerJob<TInput> {
   attempt: number;
   splitDepth: number;
   timeoutMs: number;
+  /**
+   * Running total of timeoutMs across all attempts/splits/respawn-retries
+   * for this conceptual unit of work. Tracked separately from `timeoutMs`
+   * so we can bound the *total* wait the pool incurs on a single job, not
+   * just the current attempt. See {@link WorkerPoolOptions.maxCumulativeTimeoutMs}.
+   */
+  cumulativeTimeoutMs: number;
 }
 
 interface WorkerJobResult<TResult> {
@@ -71,6 +128,9 @@ const SUB_BATCH_MAX_BYTES = 8 * 1024 * 1024;
 const DEFAULT_SUB_BATCH_IDLE_TIMEOUT_MS = 30_000;
 const DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_RETRIES = 1;
 const DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_BACKOFF_FACTOR = 2;
+const DEFAULT_MAX_RESPAWNS_PER_SLOT = 3;
+const DEFAULT_MAX_CUMULATIVE_TIMEOUT_FACTOR = 5;
+const DEFAULT_CONSECUTIVE_FAILURE_THRESHOLD_FLOOR = 3;
 
 function positiveInteger(value: unknown): number | undefined {
   const parsed = typeof value === 'string' ? Number(value) : value;
@@ -86,22 +146,47 @@ function nonNegativeInteger(value: unknown): number | undefined {
     : undefined;
 }
 
+interface ResolvedWorkerPoolOptions {
+  subBatchSize: number;
+  subBatchMaxBytes: number;
+  subBatchIdleTimeoutMs: number;
+  maxTimeoutRetries: number;
+  timeoutBackoffFactor: number;
+  maxRespawnsPerSlot: number;
+  maxCumulativeTimeoutMs: number;
+  consecutiveFailureThreshold: number;
+}
+
 export function resolveWorkerPoolOptions(
   options: WorkerPoolOptions = {},
-): Required<WorkerPoolOptions> {
+  poolSize?: number,
+): ResolvedWorkerPoolOptions {
+  const subBatchIdleTimeoutMs =
+    positiveInteger(options.subBatchIdleTimeoutMs) ??
+    positiveInteger(process.env.GITNEXUS_WORKER_SUB_BATCH_TIMEOUT_MS) ??
+    DEFAULT_SUB_BATCH_IDLE_TIMEOUT_MS;
   return {
     subBatchSize: positiveInteger(options.subBatchSize) ?? SUB_BATCH_SIZE,
     subBatchMaxBytes:
       positiveInteger(options.subBatchMaxBytes) ??
       positiveInteger(process.env.GITNEXUS_WORKER_SUB_BATCH_MAX_BYTES) ??
       SUB_BATCH_MAX_BYTES,
-    subBatchIdleTimeoutMs:
-      positiveInteger(options.subBatchIdleTimeoutMs) ??
-      positiveInteger(process.env.GITNEXUS_WORKER_SUB_BATCH_TIMEOUT_MS) ??
-      DEFAULT_SUB_BATCH_IDLE_TIMEOUT_MS,
+    subBatchIdleTimeoutMs,
     maxTimeoutRetries: nonNegativeInteger(options.maxTimeoutRetries) ?? DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_RETRIES,
     timeoutBackoffFactor:
       positiveInteger(options.timeoutBackoffFactor) ?? DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_BACKOFF_FACTOR,
+    maxRespawnsPerSlot:
+      nonNegativeInteger(options.maxRespawnsPerSlot) ??
+      nonNegativeInteger(process.env.GITNEXUS_WORKER_MAX_RESPAWNS_PER_SLOT) ??
+      DEFAULT_MAX_RESPAWNS_PER_SLOT,
+    maxCumulativeTimeoutMs:
+      positiveInteger(options.maxCumulativeTimeoutMs) ??
+      positiveInteger(process.env.GITNEXUS_WORKER_MAX_CUMULATIVE_TIMEOUT_MS) ??
+      subBatchIdleTimeoutMs * DEFAULT_MAX_CUMULATIVE_TIMEOUT_FACTOR,
+    consecutiveFailureThreshold:
+      positiveInteger(options.consecutiveFailureThreshold) ??
+      positiveInteger(process.env.GITNEXUS_WORKER_CONSECUTIVE_FAILURE_THRESHOLD) ??
+      Math.max(DEFAULT_CONSECUTIVE_FAILURE_THRESHOLD_FLOOR, poolSize ?? 0),
   };
 }
 
@@ -143,18 +228,18 @@ function itemPath(item: unknown): string | undefined {
 }
 
 /**
- * Best-guess path of the file in flight when a worker dies mid-job.
+ * Best-guess path of the file in flight when a worker dies mid-job — used as
+ * the fallback when the authoritative `starting-file` message hasn't been
+ * observed yet (very early job-startup crash, or older worker build that
+ * doesn't emit the signal).
  *
  * `lastProgress` is the number of files the worker has acknowledged via
  * `progress` messages, so `items[lastProgress]` is the next file it was
  * about to process — the most likely culprit when the worker crashes
  * (OOM, native addon SIGSEGV) or reports an error.
  *
- * Excluding only this single path keeps the blast radius small: earlier
- * files in the job get re-tried by the sequential fallback, and any
- * pathological file gets the same skip treatment as the singleton-
- * timeout path. Returns `[]` when no path is determinable so sequential
- * retries the whole job.
+ * Returns `[]` when no path is determinable so the caller retries the whole
+ * job.
  */
 function inFlightExcludePath<TInput>(job: WorkerJob<TInput>, lastProgress: number): string[] {
   if (lastProgress >= job.items.length) return [];
@@ -182,6 +267,7 @@ function createJobs<TInput>(
       attempt: 0,
       splitDepth: 0,
       timeoutMs,
+      cumulativeTimeoutMs: timeoutMs,
     });
     startIndex += batch.length;
     batch = [];
@@ -202,6 +288,26 @@ function createJobs<TInput>(
 
 /**
  * Create a pool of worker threads.
+ *
+ * Resilience model (PR #1693 / 1694):
+ * - Layer 1 (auto-respawn): a worker `error`/`exit` triggers a replacement on
+ *   the same slot, bounded by {@link WorkerPoolOptions.maxRespawnsPerSlot}.
+ *   The slot is dropped from the rotation when its budget is exhausted.
+ * - Layer 2 (circuit breaker): `consecutiveFailureThreshold` consecutive
+ *   worker deaths (no successful job between) — OR all slots exhausting their
+ *   respawn budget — trip the breaker. Every subsequent dispatch rejects
+ *   with `WorkerPoolDispatchError` and the caller must build a new pool.
+ * - Layer 3 (quarantine): a path identified as the in-flight file at the
+ *   time of a worker death is added to `quarantined` and filtered out of
+ *   future dispatches. Snapshot via {@link WorkerPool.getQuarantinedPaths}.
+ * - Layer 4 (authoritative in-flight): the worker emits a `starting-file`
+ *   message before each parse attempt; the pool prefers this for crash
+ *   attribution and falls back to {@link inFlightExcludePath} only when no
+ *   signal has been observed yet.
+ * - Layer 5 (cumulative timeout budget): each job tracks the total wall
+ *   time spent across all attempts/splits/retries. When the budget is
+ *   exhausted, the pool surfaces the in-flight path via `WorkerPoolDispatchError`
+ *   instead of letting timeouts compound indefinitely.
  */
 export const createWorkerPool = (
   workerUrl: URL,
@@ -216,13 +322,19 @@ export const createWorkerPool = (
   }
 
   const size = poolSize ?? Math.min(8, Math.max(1, os.cpus().length - 1));
-  const poolOptions = resolveWorkerPoolOptions(options);
-  const workers: Worker[] = [];
+  const poolOptions = resolveWorkerPoolOptions(options, size);
+  const spawnWorker = options?.workerFactory ?? ((url: URL) => new Worker(url));
+  const workers: (Worker | undefined)[] = new Array(size);
+  const respawnCount: number[] = new Array(size).fill(0);
+  const activeSlots: Set<number> = new Set();
+  const quarantined: Set<string> = new Set();
+  let consecutiveFailures = 0;
   let poolBroken = false;
   let poolFailure: Error | undefined;
 
   for (let i = 0; i < size; i++) {
-    workers.push(new Worker(workerUrl));
+    workers[i] = spawnWorker(workerUrl);
+    activeSlots.add(i);
   }
 
   const dispatch = <TInput, TResult>(
@@ -232,14 +344,31 @@ export const createWorkerPool = (
     if (poolBroken) {
       const reason = poolFailure ? `: ${poolFailure.message}` : '';
       return Promise.reject(
-        new Error(`Worker pool is unavailable after a previous failure${reason}`),
+        new WorkerPoolDispatchError(
+          `Worker pool circuit breaker tripped${reason}. ` +
+            `Subsequent dispatches require a fresh pool instance.`,
+          [],
+        ),
       );
     }
     if (items.length === 0) return Promise.resolve([]);
-    if (workers.length === 0) return Promise.reject(new Error('Worker pool has no active workers'));
+    if (activeSlots.size === 0) {
+      return Promise.reject(new WorkerPoolDispatchError('Worker pool has no active workers', []));
+    }
+
+    // Layer 3: filter out quarantined paths so a known-bad file never reaches
+    // a worker again this pool lifetime. The caller queries
+    // `getQuarantinedPaths` after dispatch to route filtered items.
+    const dispatchableItems: TInput[] = [];
+    for (const item of items) {
+      const path = itemPath(item);
+      if (path !== undefined && quarantined.has(path)) continue;
+      dispatchableItems.push(item);
+    }
+    if (dispatchableItems.length === 0) return Promise.resolve([]);
 
     const jobs = createJobs(
-      items,
+      dispatchableItems,
       poolOptions.subBatchSize,
       poolOptions.subBatchMaxBytes,
       poolOptions.subBatchIdleTimeoutMs,
@@ -247,47 +376,72 @@ export const createWorkerPool = (
 
     return new Promise<TResult[]>((resolve, reject) => {
       const results: WorkerJobResult<TResult>[] = [];
-      const inFlightProgress = new Array(workers.length).fill(0);
+      const inFlightProgress = new Array(size).fill(0);
+      // Tracks which slots are currently mid-job so the "wake idle slots"
+      // pass after a requeue doesn't double-dispatch to a busy slot.
+      const busySlots: Set<number> = new Set();
       let completedFiles = 0;
       let activeWorkers = 0;
       let stopped = false;
       let maxReported = 0;
 
+      const wakeIdleSlots = () => {
+        if (stopped || jobs.length === 0) return;
+        for (const slot of activeSlots) {
+          if (busySlots.has(slot)) continue;
+          if (jobs.length === 0) break;
+          runWorker(slot);
+        }
+      };
+
       const reportProgress = () => {
         if (!onProgress) return;
         const inFlight = inFlightProgress.reduce((sum, value) => sum + value, 0);
-        const next = Math.min(items.length, Math.max(maxReported, completedFiles + inFlight));
+        const next = Math.min(
+          dispatchableItems.length,
+          Math.max(maxReported, completedFiles + inFlight),
+        );
         if (next === maxReported) return;
         maxReported = next;
         onProgress(next);
       };
 
-      const replaceWorker = async (workerIndex: number) => {
-        const worker = workers[workerIndex];
-        await worker?.terminate().catch(() => undefined);
-        if (stopped) return;
-        const replacement = new Worker(workerUrl);
+      const replaceWorker = async (workerIndex: number): Promise<boolean> => {
+        const existing = workers[workerIndex];
+        await existing?.terminate().catch(() => undefined);
+        workers[workerIndex] = undefined;
+        if (stopped) return false;
+        const replacement = spawnWorker(workerUrl);
         try {
           await waitForWorkerOnline(replacement);
         } catch (err) {
           await replacement.terminate().catch(() => undefined);
-          throw new Error(
-            `Replacement worker ${workerIndex} failed to start: ${err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err)}`,
+          logger.warn(
+            { workerIndex, error: err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err) },
+            `Worker ${workerIndex} replacement failed to come online; dropping slot.`,
           );
+          return false;
         }
         if (stopped) {
           await replacement.terminate().catch(() => undefined);
-          return;
+          return false;
         }
         workers[workerIndex] = replacement;
+        return true;
       };
 
-      const fail = async (err: Error) => {
+      // Terminal failure path: trip the pool circuit breaker and reject the
+      // outer dispatch promise with the cumulative exclude paths. This is the
+      // ONLY place that sets `poolBroken = true` — recoverable single-worker
+      // failures stay local to `handleWorkerDeath`.
+      const tripBreaker = async (err: WorkerPoolDispatchError) => {
         poolBroken = true;
         poolFailure = err;
         if (stopped) return;
         stopped = true;
-        await Promise.all(workers.map((worker) => worker.terminate().catch(() => undefined)));
+        await Promise.all(workers.map((worker) => worker?.terminate().catch(() => undefined)));
+        for (let i = 0; i < workers.length; i++) workers[i] = undefined;
+        activeSlots.clear();
         reject(err);
       };
 
@@ -296,17 +450,151 @@ export const createWorkerPool = (
         if (jobs.length === 0 && activeWorkers === 0) {
           stopped = true;
           results.sort((a, b) => a.startIndex - b.startIndex);
-          if (onProgress && maxReported < items.length) onProgress(items.length);
+          if (onProgress && maxReported < dispatchableItems.length)
+            onProgress(dispatchableItems.length);
           resolve(results.map((result) => result.data));
         }
       };
 
+      // Re-queue the non-quarantined remainder of a dead worker's job so a
+      // healthy worker can finish the work. Earlier items in the dead job
+      // were never flushed back to the main thread, so they must be
+      // re-processed. The new job carries the existing job's startIndex so
+      // result ordering is preserved.
+      const requeueRemainder = (job: WorkerJob<TInput>, excluded: readonly string[]) => {
+        if (excluded.length === 0) {
+          jobs.unshift(job);
+          return;
+        }
+        const excludeSet = new Set(excluded);
+        const filtered = job.items.filter((item) => {
+          const p = itemPath(item);
+          return p === undefined || !excludeSet.has(p);
+        });
+        if (filtered.length === 0) return;
+        const requeueTimeoutMs = job.timeoutMs;
+        jobs.unshift({
+          startIndex: job.startIndex,
+          items: filtered,
+          estimatedBytes: filtered.reduce((sum, item) => sum + estimateItemBytes(item), 0),
+          attempt: job.attempt,
+          splitDepth: job.splitDepth,
+          timeoutMs: requeueTimeoutMs,
+          cumulativeTimeoutMs: job.cumulativeTimeoutMs + requeueTimeoutMs,
+        });
+      };
+
+      // Recoverable worker death — quarantine the in-flight path, attempt
+      // to respawn the slot, re-queue the rest of the job, and continue.
+      // Trips the circuit breaker only when consecutiveFailures crosses the
+      // threshold OR all slots have exhausted their respawn budget.
+      const handleWorkerDeath = async (
+        workerIndex: number,
+        reason: string,
+        excludePaths: readonly string[],
+      ) => {
+        if (stopped) return;
+        consecutiveFailures++;
+        for (const p of excludePaths) {
+          if (p) quarantined.add(p);
+        }
+        if (consecutiveFailures >= poolOptions.consecutiveFailureThreshold) {
+          void tripBreaker(
+            new WorkerPoolDispatchError(
+              `${reason}. Pool circuit breaker tripped after ${consecutiveFailures} ` +
+                `consecutive failures (threshold: ${poolOptions.consecutiveFailureThreshold}).`,
+              Array.from(quarantined),
+            ),
+          );
+          return;
+        }
+        respawnCount[workerIndex]++;
+        if (respawnCount[workerIndex] > poolOptions.maxRespawnsPerSlot) {
+          logger.warn(
+            {
+              workerIndex,
+              respawnCount: respawnCount[workerIndex],
+              maxRespawns: poolOptions.maxRespawnsPerSlot,
+              reason,
+            },
+            `Worker ${workerIndex} exceeded respawn budget; dropping slot.`,
+          );
+          const dead = workers[workerIndex];
+          await dead?.terminate().catch(() => undefined);
+          workers[workerIndex] = undefined;
+          activeSlots.delete(workerIndex);
+          if (activeSlots.size === 0) {
+            void tripBreaker(
+              new WorkerPoolDispatchError(
+                `${reason}. All ${size} worker slot(s) exhausted their respawn budget.`,
+                Array.from(quarantined),
+              ),
+            );
+            return;
+          }
+          return;
+        }
+        logger.warn(
+          {
+            workerIndex,
+            respawnCount: respawnCount[workerIndex],
+            reason,
+            excludePaths,
+          },
+          `Worker ${workerIndex} died; respawning slot (attempt ${respawnCount[workerIndex]}/${poolOptions.maxRespawnsPerSlot}).`,
+        );
+        const respawned = await replaceWorker(workerIndex);
+        if (!respawned) {
+          activeSlots.delete(workerIndex);
+          if (activeSlots.size === 0) {
+            void tripBreaker(
+              new WorkerPoolDispatchError(
+                `${reason}. Replacement worker startup failed and no slots remain.`,
+                Array.from(quarantined),
+              ),
+            );
+          }
+          return;
+        }
+      };
+
       const requeueAfterTimeout = (
         workerIndex: number,
         job: WorkerJob<TInput>,
         lastProgress: number,
+        inFlightPath: string | undefined,
       ): boolean => {
         const nextTimeout = Math.ceil(job.timeoutMs * poolOptions.timeoutBackoffFactor);
+        const nextCumulative = job.cumulativeTimeoutMs + nextTimeout;
+
+        // Layer 5: respect the per-job cumulative timeout budget. Once
+        // exhausted, surface the in-flight file via WorkerPoolDispatchError
+        // instead of letting exponential backoff stall further.
+        if (nextCumulative > poolOptions.maxCumulativeTimeoutMs) {
+          const exhausted =
+            inFlightPath !== undefined
+              ? [inFlightPath]
+              : itemPath(job.items[0])
+                ? [itemPath(job.items[0]) as string]
+                : [];
+          logger.warn(
+            {
+              workerIndex,
+              cumulativeMs: job.cumulativeTimeoutMs,
+              nextCumulativeMs: nextCumulative,
+              maxCumulativeMs: poolOptions.maxCumulativeTimeoutMs,
+              exhausted,
+            },
+            `Worker ${workerIndex} parse job exhausted cumulative timeout budget. Surfacing in-flight file(s).`,
+          );
+          void handleWorkerDeath(
+            workerIndex,
+            `Worker ${workerIndex} parse job exhausted cumulative timeout budget ` +
+              `(${(nextCumulative / 1000).toFixed(0)}s > ${(poolOptions.maxCumulativeTimeoutMs / 1000).toFixed(0)}s cap)`,
+            exhausted,
+          );
+          return false;
+        }
 
         if (job.items.length > 1) {
           const midpoint = Math.ceil(job.items.length / 2);
@@ -319,6 +607,7 @@ export const createWorkerPool = (
             attempt: job.attempt,
             splitDepth: job.splitDepth + 1,
             timeoutMs: nextTimeout,
+            cumulativeTimeoutMs: nextCumulative,
           };
           const second: WorkerJob<TInput> = {
             startIndex: job.startIndex + midpoint,
@@ -327,6 +616,7 @@ export const createWorkerPool = (
             attempt: job.attempt,
             splitDepth: job.splitDepth + 1,
             timeoutMs: nextTimeout,
+            cumulativeTimeoutMs: nextCumulative,
           };
           logger.warn(
             {
@@ -362,39 +652,91 @@ export const createWorkerPool = (
             ...job,
             attempt: nextAttempt,
             timeoutMs: nextTimeout,
+            cumulativeTimeoutMs: nextCumulative,
           });
           return true;
         }
 
-        const stalledPath = itemPath(job.items[0]);
-        void fail(
-          new WorkerPoolDispatchError(
-            `Worker ${workerIndex} parse job idle timeout after ${job.timeoutMs / 1000}s ` +
-              `(single item${stalledPath ? `: ${stalledPath}` : ''}, ` +
-              `${job.estimatedBytes} bytes, last progress: ${lastProgress}). ` +
-              `Analyze will retry through sequential fallback. Increase with ` +
-              `--worker-timeout or GITNEXUS_WORKER_SUB_BATCH_TIMEOUT_MS.`,
-            stalledPath ? [stalledPath] : [],
-          ),
+        const stalledPath = inFlightPath ?? itemPath(job.items[0]);
+        const excludes = stalledPath ? [stalledPath] : [];
+        logger.warn(
+          {
+            workerIndex,
+            timeoutSec: job.timeoutMs / 1000,
+            stalledPath,
+            cumulativeMs: job.cumulativeTimeoutMs,
+          },
+          `Worker ${workerIndex} parse job idle timeout exhausted retries; quarantining file and respawning slot.`,
+        );
+        void handleWorkerDeath(
+          workerIndex,
+          `Worker ${workerIndex} parse job idle timeout after ${job.timeoutMs / 1000}s ` +
+            `(single item${stalledPath ? `: ${stalledPath}` : ''}, ` +
+            `${job.estimatedBytes} bytes, last progress: ${lastProgress})`,
+          excludes,
         );
         return false;
       };
 
       const runWorker = (workerIndex: number) => {
         if (stopped) return;
+        if (!activeSlots.has(workerIndex)) return;
         const job = jobs.shift();
         if (!job) {
           maybeDone();
           return;
         }
 
+        // Drop quarantined items that may have been re-queued before a death
+        // added them to quarantine — keeps the worker from ever seeing a
+        // known-bad file.
+        if (quarantined.size > 0) {
+          const dispatchable = job.items.filter((item) => {
+            const p = itemPath(item);
+            return p === undefined || !quarantined.has(p);
+          });
+          if (dispatchable.length === 0) {
+            // Whole job was quarantined; drop and try next.
+            runWorker(workerIndex);
+            return;
+          }
+          if (dispatchable.length !== job.items.length) {
+            job.items = dispatchable;
+            job.estimatedBytes = dispatchable.reduce(
+              (sum, item) => sum + estimateItemBytes(item),
+              0,
+            );
+          }
+        }
+
         activeWorkers++;
+        busySlots.add(workerIndex);
         inFlightProgress[workerIndex] = 0;
         const worker = workers[workerIndex];
+        if (!worker) {
+          // Slot was dropped between scheduling and execution; requeue the
+          // job for another slot and bail.
+          activeWorkers--;
+          busySlots.delete(workerIndex);
+          jobs.unshift(job);
+          wakeIdleSlots();
+          maybeDone();
+          return;
+        }
         let settled = false;
         let waitingForFlush = false;
         let idleTimer: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null = null;
         let lastProgress = 0;
+        // Authoritative in-flight file from the worker's `starting-file`
+        // message. Cleared on `progress` so a between-files crash falls
+        // back to the `items[lastProgress]` heuristic, which then points
+        // at the next file (the one about to start) — the right guess.
+        let inFlightPath: string | undefined;
+
+        const resolveExcludePaths = (): readonly string[] => {
+          if (inFlightPath !== undefined) return [inFlightPath];
+          return inFlightExcludePath(job, lastProgress);
+        };
 
         const cleanup = () => {
           if (idleTimer) clearTimeout(idleTimer);
@@ -405,44 +747,100 @@ export const createWorkerPool = (
 
         const finishJob = () => {
           activeWorkers--;
+          busySlots.delete(workerIndex);
           inFlightProgress[workerIndex] = 0;
           runWorker(workerIndex);
           maybeDone();
         };
 
+        // Recover-and-resume flow shared by all in-pool worker death sites
+        // (`error`, `exit`, msg-channel error). Bridges the per-job teardown
+        // into the pool-level handleWorkerDeath recovery + breaker logic.
+        const recoverAndResume = async (reason: string, excludePaths: readonly string[]) => {
+          activeWorkers--;
+          busySlots.delete(workerIndex);
+          inFlightProgress[workerIndex] = 0;
+          requeueRemainder(job, excludePaths);
+          await handleWorkerDeath(workerIndex, reason, excludePaths);
+          if (stopped) return;
+          // Slot may have been dropped or respawned. Kick the current slot
+          // if still active, then wake any other idle live slots so the
+          // requeued remainder can be picked up immediately (without this,
+          // dropped-slot scenarios can deadlock when no other slot is
+          // currently busy and the next finishJob never fires).
+          if (activeSlots.has(workerIndex)) {
+            runWorker(workerIndex);
+          }
+          wakeIdleSlots();
+          maybeDone();
+        };
+
         const resetIdleTimer = () => {
           if (idleTimer) clearTimeout(idleTimer);
-          idleTimer = setTimeout(async () => {
+          idleTimer = setTimeout(() => {
             if (!settled) {
               settled = true;
               cleanup();
               inFlightProgress[workerIndex] = 0;
-              const shouldContinue = requeueAfterTimeout(workerIndex, job, lastProgress);
+              const stalledPath = inFlightPath;
+              const shouldContinue = requeueAfterTimeout(
+                workerIndex,
+                job,
+                lastProgress,
+                stalledPath,
+              );
               if (!shouldContinue) {
-                activeWorkers--;
+                // handleWorkerDeath path was taken by requeueAfterTimeout;
+                // recover the slot (respawn if budget allows) and continue.
+                void (async () => {
+                  activeWorkers--;
+                  busySlots.delete(workerIndex);
+                  if (stopped) return;
+                  if (activeSlots.has(workerIndex)) {
+                    const respawned = await replaceWorker(workerIndex);
+                    if (!respawned) activeSlots.delete(workerIndex);
+                  }
+                  if (stopped) return;
+                  if (activeSlots.has(workerIndex)) {
+                    runWorker(workerIndex);
+                  }
+                  wakeIdleSlots();
+                  maybeDone();
+                })();
                 return;
               }
-              try {
-                await replaceWorker(workerIndex);
-              } catch (err) {
-                void fail(err instanceof Error ? err : new Error(String(err)));
-                return;
-              } finally {
-                activeWorkers--;
-              }
-              reportProgress();
-              runWorker(workerIndex);
-              maybeDone();
+              // Timeout-retry path: spawn a fresh worker on this slot to
+              // pick up the next attempt.
+              void (async () => {
+                try {
+                  const respawned = await replaceWorker(workerIndex);
+                  if (!respawned) {
+                    activeSlots.delete(workerIndex);
+                  }
+                } finally {
+                  activeWorkers--;
+                  busySlots.delete(workerIndex);
+                }
+                if (stopped) return;
+                reportProgress();
+                if (activeSlots.has(workerIndex)) runWorker(workerIndex);
+                wakeIdleSlots();
+                maybeDone();
+              })();
             }
           }, job.timeoutMs);
         };
 
         const handler = (msg: WorkerOutgoingMessage) => {
           if (settled || stopped) return;
-          if (msg.type === 'progress') {
+          if (msg.type === 'starting-file') {
+            inFlightPath = msg.path;
+            resetIdleTimer();
+          } else if (msg.type === 'progress') {
             const bounded = Math.min(job.items.length, Math.max(0, msg.filesProcessed));
             inFlightProgress[workerIndex] = bounded;
             lastProgress = bounded;
+            inFlightPath = undefined;
             resetIdleTimer();
             reportProgress();
           } else if (msg.type === 'warning') {
@@ -455,23 +853,30 @@ export const createWorkerPool = (
           } else if (msg.type === 'error') {
             settled = true;
             cleanup();
-            void fail(
-              new WorkerPoolDispatchError(
-                `Worker ${workerIndex} error: ${msg.error}`,
-                inFlightExcludePath(job, lastProgress),
-              ),
+            void recoverAndResume(
+              `Worker ${workerIndex} error: ${msg.error}`,
+              resolveExcludePaths(),
             );
           } else if (msg.type === 'result') {
             if (!waitingForFlush) {
               settled = true;
               cleanup();
-              void fail(new Error(`Worker ${workerIndex} protocol error: result before flush`));
+              void tripBreaker(
+                new WorkerPoolDispatchError(
+                  `Worker ${workerIndex} protocol error: result before flush`,
+                  Array.from(quarantined),
+                ),
+              );
               return;
             }
             settled = true;
             cleanup();
             results.push({ startIndex: job.startIndex, data: msg.data as TResult });
             completedFiles += job.items.length;
+            // Layer 2: a successful job resets the consecutive-failure
+            // counter so transient bursts of bad files don't trip the
+            // breaker prematurely.
+            consecutiveFailures = 0;
             reportProgress();
             finishJob();
           }
@@ -481,11 +886,9 @@ export const createWorkerPool = (
           if (!settled) {
             settled = true;
             cleanup();
-            void fail(
-              new WorkerPoolDispatchError(
-                `Worker ${workerIndex} error: ${err.message}`,
-                inFlightExcludePath(job, lastProgress),
-              ),
+            void recoverAndResume(
+              `Worker ${workerIndex} error: ${err.message}`,
+              resolveExcludePaths(),
             );
           }
         };
@@ -494,14 +897,12 @@ export const createWorkerPool = (
           if (!settled) {
             settled = true;
             cleanup();
-            const excludes = inFlightExcludePath(job, lastProgress);
+            const excludes = resolveExcludePaths();
             const inFlightSuffix = excludes.length > 0 ? ` (in-flight: ${excludes[0]})` : '';
-            void fail(
-              new WorkerPoolDispatchError(
-                `Worker ${workerIndex} exited with code ${code}. ` +
-                  `Likely OOM or native addon failure${inFlightSuffix}.`,
-                excludes,
-              ),
+            void recoverAndResume(
+              `Worker ${workerIndex} exited with code ${code}. ` +
+                `Likely OOM or native addon failure${inFlightSuffix}.`,
+              excludes,
             );
           }
         };
@@ -517,14 +918,20 @@ export const createWorkerPool = (
         worker.postMessage({ type: 'sub-batch', files: job.items });
       };
 
-      for (let i = 0; i < workers.length; i++) runWorker(i);
+      for (const slotIndex of activeSlots) runWorker(slotIndex);
     });
   };
 
   const terminate = async (): Promise<void> => {
-    await Promise.all(workers.map((w) => w.terminate()));
+    await Promise.all(workers.map((w) => w?.terminate()));
     workers.length = 0;
+    activeSlots.clear();
   };
 
-  return { dispatch, terminate, size };
+  return {
+    dispatch,
+    terminate,
+    size,
+    getQuarantinedPaths: () => Array.from(quarantined),
+  };
 };
diff --git a/gitnexus/test/unit/worker-pool-resilience.test.ts b/gitnexus/test/unit/worker-pool-resilience.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bbdf2931c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gitnexus/test/unit/worker-pool-resilience.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,344 @@
+import { describe, expect, it, vi, beforeEach } from 'vitest';
+import { EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
+import path from 'node:path';
+import { pathToFileURL } from 'node:url';
+import fs from 'node:fs';
+import os from 'node:os';
+import {
+  createWorkerPool,
+  WorkerPoolDispatchError,
+  resolveWorkerPoolOptions,
+} from '../../src/core/ingestion/workers/worker-pool.js';
+
+/**
+ * Minimal `node:worker_threads` Worker double for unit-testing the pool's
+ * resilience layers (auto-respawn, circuit breaker, quarantine, retry
+ * budget). Tests script behaviour via `nextActions`: each action runs on
+ * the next dispatched sub-batch postMessage. `'crash'` and `'exit'` mimic
+ * real worker failures; `'parse-ok'` mimics a healthy completion.
+ */
+type FakeWorkerAction =
+  | { kind: 'parse-ok'; files: { path: string }[]; result?: unknown }
+  | { kind: 'crash-exit'; code: number; afterStartingFiles?: number }
+  | { kind: 'crash-error'; message: string; afterStartingFiles?: number };
+
+const nextActions: FakeWorkerAction[] = [];
+let workerInstances: FakeWorker[] = [];
+
+class FakeWorker extends EventEmitter {
+  readonly seenMessages: unknown[] = [];
+
+  constructor() {
+    super();
+    workerInstances.push(this);
+    // Real Worker fires 'online' asynchronously after the runtime is ready;
+    // replicate so `waitForWorkerOnline` resolves.
+    queueMicrotask(() => this.emit('online'));
+  }
+
+  postMessage(msg: unknown): void {
+    this.seenMessages.push(msg);
+    if (typeof msg !== 'object' || msg === null) return;
+    const m = msg as { type?: string; files?: { path: string }[] };
+    if (m.type !== 'sub-batch') return;
+    const action = nextActions.shift();
+    if (!action) {
+      // No script set; behave as a hung worker (no reply) — the idle timer
+      // will eventually fire. Tests should always script enough actions.
+      return;
+    }
+    queueMicrotask(() => this.runAction(action, m.files ?? []));
+  }
+
+  private async runAction(action: FakeWorkerAction, files: { path: string }[]): Promise<void> {
+    if (action.kind === 'parse-ok') {
+      for (const file of action.files) {
+        this.emit('message', { type: 'starting-file', path: file.path });
+      }
+      this.emit('message', { type: 'progress', filesProcessed: action.files.length });
+      this.emit('message', { type: 'sub-batch-done' });
+      // sub-batch-done triggers the pool to post {type:'flush'} which we
+      // ignore in postMessage above (only 'sub-batch' triggers actions).
+      // For the result, wait one microtask so the flush is observed.
+      await Promise.resolve();
+      this.emit('message', {
+        type: 'result',
+        data: action.result ?? { fileCount: action.files.length },
+      });
+      return;
+    }
+    if (action.kind === 'crash-exit') {
+      const upTo = Math.min(action.afterStartingFiles ?? 0, files.length);
+      for (let i = 0; i < upTo; i++) {
+        this.emit('message', { type: 'starting-file', path: files[i].path });
+      }
+      this.emit('exit', action.code);
+      return;
+    }
+    if (action.kind === 'crash-error') {
+      const upTo = Math.min(action.afterStartingFiles ?? 0, files.length);
+      for (let i = 0; i < upTo; i++) {
+        this.emit('message', { type: 'starting-file', path: files[i].path });
+      }
+      this.emit('error', new Error(action.message));
+      return;
+    }
+  }
+
+  async terminate(): Promise<number> {
+    this.emit('exit', 0);
+    return 0;
+  }
+
+  removeListener(event: string | symbol, listener: (...args: unknown[]) => void): this {
+    return super.removeListener(event, listener);
+  }
+}
+
+// Create a real on-disk worker script so createWorkerPool's existsSync gate
+// passes. The script is never actually executed because we inject
+// FakeWorker via workerFactory; it just has to exist as a file path.
+let tempDir: string;
+let workerUrl: URL;
+
+beforeEach(() => {
+  nextActions.length = 0;
+  workerInstances = [];
+  tempDir = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'gitnexus-worker-pool-resilience-'));
+  const workerPath = path.join(tempDir, 'fake-worker.js');
+  fs.writeFileSync(workerPath, '// fake');
+  workerUrl = pathToFileURL(workerPath) as URL;
+});
+
+describe('worker pool resilience', () => {
+  it('seeds an empty quarantine on a fresh pool', () => {
+    const pool = createWorkerPool(workerUrl, 1, {
+      workerFactory: () => new FakeWorker() as unknown as import('node:worker_threads').Worker,
+    });
+    expect(pool.getQuarantinedPaths()).toEqual([]);
+    void pool.terminate();
+  });
+
+  it('quarantines the in-flight file on worker exit and respawns the slot', async () => {
+    const pool = createWorkerPool(workerUrl, 1, {
+      workerFactory: () => new FakeWorker() as unknown as import('node:worker_threads').Worker,
+      consecutiveFailureThreshold: 5,
+      maxRespawnsPerSlot: 3,
+    });
+    nextActions.push({ kind: 'crash-exit', code: 134, afterStartingFiles: 1 });
+    nextActions.push({
+      kind: 'parse-ok',
+      files: [{ path: 'src/good.ts' }],
+      result: { fileCount: 1 },
+    });
+
+    const results = await pool.dispatch<{ path: string; content: string }, unknown>([
+      { path: 'src/bad.ts', content: '' },
+      { path: 'src/good.ts', content: '' },
+    ]);
+
+    expect(results).toEqual([{ fileCount: 1 }]);
+    expect(pool.getQuarantinedPaths()).toEqual(['src/bad.ts']);
+    // First FakeWorker died; second is the respawn. Total = 2.
+    expect(workerInstances.length).toBe(2);
+    await pool.terminate();
+  });
+
+  it('drops a slot after maxRespawnsPerSlot exceeded and continues on other slots', async () => {
+    const pool = createWorkerPool(workerUrl, 2, {
+      workerFactory: () => new FakeWorker() as unknown as import('node:worker_threads').Worker,
+      consecutiveFailureThreshold: 10,
+      maxRespawnsPerSlot: 1,
+    });
+    // Slot 0 dies twice, exceeding budget=1; slot 1 succeeds with the
+    // requeued remainder.
+    nextActions.push({ kind: 'crash-exit', code: 134, afterStartingFiles: 1 });
+    nextActions.push({ kind: 'crash-exit', code: 134, afterStartingFiles: 1 });
+    nextActions.push({
+      kind: 'parse-ok',
+      files: [{ path: 'src/c.ts' }, { path: 'src/d.ts' }],
+      result: { fileCount: 2 },
+    });
+
+    const results = await pool.dispatch<{ path: string; content: string }, unknown>([
+      { path: 'src/a.ts', content: '' },
+      { path: 'src/b.ts', content: '' },
+      { path: 'src/c.ts', content: '' },
+      { path: 'src/d.ts', content: '' },
+    ]);
+
+    expect(results).toEqual([{ fileCount: 2 }]);
+    // Two bad files quarantined; both pre-crash 'starting-file' targets.
+    expect(pool.getQuarantinedPaths().sort()).toEqual(['src/a.ts', 'src/b.ts']);
+    await pool.terminate();
+  });
+
+  it('trips the circuit breaker after consecutiveFailureThreshold deaths', async () => {
+    const pool = createWorkerPool(workerUrl, 1, {
+      workerFactory: () => new FakeWorker() as unknown as import('node:worker_threads').Worker,
+      consecutiveFailureThreshold: 2,
+      maxRespawnsPerSlot: 5,
+    });
+    nextActions.push({ kind: 'crash-exit', code: 134, afterStartingFiles: 1 });
+    nextActions.push({ kind: 'crash-exit', code: 134, afterStartingFiles: 1 });
+
+    await expect(
+      pool.dispatch<{ path: string; content: string }, unknown>([
+        { path: 'src/x.ts', content: '' },
+        { path: 'src/y.ts', content: '' },
+      ]),
+    ).rejects.toBeInstanceOf(WorkerPoolDispatchError);
+
+    expect(pool.getQuarantinedPaths().sort()).toEqual(['src/x.ts', 'src/y.ts']);
+    // Subsequent dispatch on a tripped pool rejects without running anything.
+    await expect(
+      pool.dispatch<{ path: string; content: string }, unknown>([
+        { path: 'src/z.ts', content: '' },
+      ]),
+    ).rejects.toBeInstanceOf(WorkerPoolDispatchError);
+    await pool.terminate();
+  });
+
+  it('resets consecutive-failure counter on a successful job', async () => {
+    const pool = createWorkerPool(workerUrl, 1, {
+      workerFactory: () => new FakeWorker() as unknown as import('node:worker_threads').Worker,
+      consecutiveFailureThreshold: 2,
+      maxRespawnsPerSlot: 5,
+    });
+    nextActions.push({ kind: 'crash-exit', code: 134, afterStartingFiles: 1 });
+    nextActions.push({
+      kind: 'parse-ok',
+      files: [{ path: 'src/recovered.ts' }],
+      result: { fileCount: 1 },
+    });
+
+    const r1 = await pool.dispatch<{ path: string; content: string }, unknown>([
+      { path: 'src/bad.ts', content: '' },
+      { path: 'src/recovered.ts', content: '' },
+    ]);
+    expect(r1).toEqual([{ fileCount: 1 }]);
+
+    // Second dispatch: another death. Counter was reset by the prior success,
+    // so this single failure should not trip the breaker (threshold=2).
+    nextActions.push({ kind: 'crash-exit', code: 134, afterStartingFiles: 1 });
+    nextActions.push({
+      kind: 'parse-ok',
+      files: [{ path: 'src/ok.ts' }],
+      result: { fileCount: 1 },
+    });
+    const r2 = await pool.dispatch<{ path: string; content: string }, unknown>([
+      { path: 'src/bad2.ts', content: '' },
+      { path: 'src/ok.ts', content: '' },
+    ]);
+    expect(r2).toEqual([{ fileCount: 1 }]);
+    expect(pool.getQuarantinedPaths().sort()).toEqual(['src/bad.ts', 'src/bad2.ts']);
+    await pool.terminate();
+  });
+
+  it('filters already-quarantined paths from new dispatches', async () => {
+    const pool = createWorkerPool(workerUrl, 1, {
+      workerFactory: () => new FakeWorker() as unknown as import('node:worker_threads').Worker,
+      consecutiveFailureThreshold: 5,
+      maxRespawnsPerSlot: 3,
+    });
+    // First dispatch: quarantine 'src/poison.ts'
+    nextActions.push({ kind: 'crash-exit', code: 134, afterStartingFiles: 1 });
+    nextActions.push({
+      kind: 'parse-ok',
+      files: [{ path: 'src/a.ts' }],
+      result: { fileCount: 1 },
+    });
+    await pool.dispatch<{ path: string; content: string }, unknown>([
+      { path: 'src/poison.ts', content: '' },
+      { path: 'src/a.ts', content: '' },
+    ]);
+    expect(pool.getQuarantinedPaths()).toEqual(['src/poison.ts']);
+
+    // Second dispatch including the quarantined file: pool filters before
+    // workers see it. The action should never be popped because the only
+    // dispatchable item is src/b.ts.
+    nextActions.push({
+      kind: 'parse-ok',
+      files: [{ path: 'src/b.ts' }],
+      result: { fileCount: 1 },
+    });
+    const results = await pool.dispatch<{ path: string; content: string }, unknown>([
+      { path: 'src/poison.ts', content: '' },
+      { path: 'src/b.ts', content: '' },
+    ]);
+    expect(results).toEqual([{ fileCount: 1 }]);
+    // The most recent sub-batch the pool dispatched is the dispatch-2
+    // payload. With poison already in the quarantine when dispatch 2 ran,
+    // the pool must have filtered it out before reaching a worker.
+    const allSubBatches = workerInstances
+      .flatMap((w) => w.seenMessages)
+      .filter(
+        (m): m is { type: string; files: { path: string }[] } =>
+          typeof m === 'object' && m !== null && (m as { type?: string }).type === 'sub-batch',
+      );
+    const lastSubBatch = allSubBatches[allSubBatches.length - 1];
+    expect(lastSubBatch.files.map((f) => f.path)).toEqual(['src/b.ts']);
+    await pool.terminate();
+  });
+
+  it('returns an empty result without dispatching when every item is quarantined', async () => {
+    const pool = createWorkerPool(workerUrl, 1, {
+      workerFactory: () => new FakeWorker() as unknown as import('node:worker_threads').Worker,
+      consecutiveFailureThreshold: 5,
+      maxRespawnsPerSlot: 3,
+    });
+    nextActions.push({ kind: 'crash-exit', code: 134, afterStartingFiles: 1 });
+    nextActions.push({
+      kind: 'parse-ok',
+      files: [{ path: 'src/a.ts' }],
+      result: { fileCount: 1 },
+    });
+    await pool.dispatch<{ path: string; content: string }, unknown>([
+      { path: 'src/poison.ts', content: '' },
+      { path: 'src/a.ts', content: '' },
+    ]);
+    const baselineWorkers = workerInstances.length;
+
+    const results = await pool.dispatch<{ path: string; content: string }, unknown>([
+      { path: 'src/poison.ts', content: '' },
+    ]);
+    expect(results).toEqual([]);
+    expect(workerInstances.length).toBe(baselineWorkers);
+    await pool.terminate();
+  });
+});
+
+describe('worker pool option resolution', () => {
+  it('resolves maxRespawnsPerSlot from explicit options', () => {
+    const opts = resolveWorkerPoolOptions({ maxRespawnsPerSlot: 7 }, 4);
+    expect(opts.maxRespawnsPerSlot).toBe(7);
+  });
+
+  it('defaults consecutiveFailureThreshold to max(3, poolSize)', () => {
+    expect(resolveWorkerPoolOptions({}, 1).consecutiveFailureThreshold).toBe(3);
+    expect(resolveWorkerPoolOptions({}, 8).consecutiveFailureThreshold).toBe(8);
+  });
+
+  it('defaults maxCumulativeTimeoutMs to 5x subBatchIdleTimeoutMs', () => {
+    const opts = resolveWorkerPoolOptions({ subBatchIdleTimeoutMs: 1000 }, 1);
+    expect(opts.maxCumulativeTimeoutMs).toBe(5000);
+  });
+
+  it('reads GITNEXUS_WORKER_MAX_RESPAWNS_PER_SLOT env override', () => {
+    vi.stubEnv('GITNEXUS_WORKER_MAX_RESPAWNS_PER_SLOT', '2');
+    try {
+      expect(resolveWorkerPoolOptions({}, 1).maxRespawnsPerSlot).toBe(2);
+    } finally {
+      vi.unstubAllEnvs();
+    }
+  });
+
+  it('reads GITNEXUS_WORKER_CONSECUTIVE_FAILURE_THRESHOLD env override', () => {
+    vi.stubEnv('GITNEXUS_WORKER_CONSECUTIVE_FAILURE_THRESHOLD', '12');
+    try {
+      expect(resolveWorkerPoolOptions({}, 1).consecutiveFailureThreshold).toBe(12);
+    } finally {
+      vi.unstubAllEnvs();
+    }
+  });
+});