diff --git a/doc/plans/2026-10-25-configuration-worker-drain-repair.md b/doc/plans/2026-10-25-configuration-worker-drain-repair.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..03501ef329e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/plans/2026-10-25-configuration-worker-drain-repair.md
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+# Configuration worker drain repairs
+
+The voice drain audit exposed a pattern in three earlier independent workers:
+retained dirty scopes reported as pending work keep the coordinator's intent
+activity hold alive after the write has settled. No recurring SQL is necessary
+to block idle admission this way. The earlier tests checked traffic but did not
+check the idle counter or generation while paused.
+
+Each owner must retain its hints and next deadline for resume, report dirty work
+as pending only while dispatch is allowed, and leave unresolved transaction
+fencing to the shared coordinator. No hint is acknowledged or discarded during
+drain. Business health/registration/lease deadlines and provider behavior stay
+unchanged. This is an idle-work boundary repair, not provider sleep qualification.
+
+## Tool health — slice 18 / #17554
+
+Baseline 9ef6e4f4c8 reproduces the bug: the strengthened existing drain case fails
+with active=1 after commit, recorded in /tmp/sleep18-drain-before.log. The repaired
+case asserts active=0, then a stable idle snapshot and no SQL/provider calls for a
+minute, then the saved work runs on resume without another producer.
+
+All 23 lifecycle cases pass in /tmp/sleep18-drain-tests.log; production server
+typecheck passes in /tmp/sleep18-drain-typecheck.log. The test database is the
+fresh migrated paperclip_sleep18_drain_20261025_test. No test failures were retried
+blindly. Current master bf9a8551c3 has no changes to these three worker owners
+since the preceding aec86c794b inspection; full stack reconciliation remains open.
+
+Discord command registration and receiver discovery require the same causal
+check at their own parents, then propagation through every dependent stack PR.
+The full original recurring-work inventory, milestone producer audit, older E2E
+failure and inbound cleanup/deletion policy finding remain outstanding.
+
+## Discord command registration — slice 19 / #17557
+
+The strengthened outer-rollback/drain case reproduces active=1 after commit in
+/tmp/sleep19-drain-before.log. The repair preserves the dirty scope and saved
+deadlines, but reports pending dirty work only while dispatch is allowed. The
+shared coordinator still holds unresolved transactions independently.
+
+All 67 registration/store cases pass in /tmp/sleep19-drain-tests.log, including
+90 seconds of no SQL/provider calls and an unchanged idle snapshot during drain,
+followed by registration on resume without another producer. Production server
+typecheck passes in /tmp/sleep19-drain-typecheck.log. These tests use the migrated
+paperclip_sleep19_drain_20261025_test database. Remote CI/review must run on the
+new head; this is not evidence of provider suspension.
+
+## Receiver discovery — slice 20 / #17572
+
+The strengthened first-receiver drain case fails with active=1 after commit in
+/tmp/sleep20-drain-before.log. Apply the same owner-level pending predicate while
+retaining all dirty scopes and lease/retry deadlines. All 19 receiver lifecycle
+cases pass in /tmp/sleep20-drain-tests.log, including no SQL and an unchanged idle
+snapshot for a minute after settlement, then receiver acquisition on resume.
+Production server typecheck passes in /tmp/sleep20-drain-typecheck.log. The fresh
+migrated database is paperclip_sleep20_drain_20261025_test.
+
+The three configuration owners now have measured drain activity as well as traffic
+checks. Their retained timers remain memory-only while paused; they do not provide
+external wake coverage. Fresh remote CI/review and downstream propagation remain
+required. Origin/master was refreshed to e335265568; the latest change removes
+idle task-run UI polling and does not replace these worker repairs.
diff --git a/server/src/__tests__/chat-receiver-work.test.ts b/server/src/__tests__/chat-receiver-work.test.ts
index 8cbfe0e3577..83aff022265 100644
--- a/server/src/__tests__/chat-receiver-work.test.ts
+++ b/server/src/__tests__/chat-receiver-work.test.ts
@@ -96,7 +96,12 @@ const support = external ? { supported: true } : await getEmbeddedPostgresTestSu
   });
   it("preserves the first receiver written during drain without passive SQL", async () => {
     await start(); await settled(); enabled = false; const row = await endpoint();
-    await quiet(60_000); expect(reconcile).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    await vi.waitFor(async () => {
+      await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(1000);
+      expect(idleWorkSnapshot().active).toBe(0);
+    });
+    const drained = idleWorkSnapshot();
+    await quiet(60_000); expect(idleWorkSnapshot()).toEqual(drained); expect(reconcile).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
     enabled = true; await settled(); expect(reconcile).toHaveBeenCalledWith(row.id);
   });
   it("reconstructs after standby becomes primary without restarting the worker", async () => {
diff --git a/server/src/__tests__/tool-connection-health-work.test.ts b/server/src/__tests__/tool-connection-health-work.test.ts
index 247f3c36873..da7b53eacbe 100644
--- a/server/src/__tests__/tool-connection-health-work.test.ts
+++ b/server/src/__tests__/tool-connection-health-work.test.ts
@@ -185,8 +185,11 @@ const support = external ? { supported: true } : await getEmbeddedPostgresTestSu
   });
   it("retains first writes through drain without querying", async () => {
     await start(); await quiet(); draining = true; await connection();
+    await vi.waitFor(async () => { await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(1000); expect(idleWorkSnapshot().active).toBe(0); });
+    const drained = idleWorkSnapshot();
     const reads = vi.spyOn(db, "select"); await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(60_000);
-    expect(reads).not.toHaveBeenCalled(); reads.mockRestore(); expect(probe).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(reads).not.toHaveBeenCalled(); expect(idleWorkSnapshot()).toEqual(drained);
+    reads.mockRestore(); expect(probe).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
     draining = false; await checked();
   });
   it("moves the deadline when an actual-use health observation commits", async () => {
diff --git a/server/src/services/chat-channels/discord/command-work.ts b/server/src/services/chat-channels/discord/command-work.ts
index 28169037824..af826d9cf1b 100644
--- a/server/src/services/chat-channels/discord/command-work.ts
+++ b/server/src/services/chat-channels/discord/command-work.ts
@@ -88,7 +88,9 @@ export function registerDiscordCommandWork(
       if (due.length > batch.entries.length) earliest = Date.now() + 1_000;
       if (errors.length) throw new AggregateError(errors, "Discord command registration could not settle");
     },
-    hasPending: async () => dirty.size > 0,
+    // Preserve hints/deadlines for resume without holding settled intent during drain.
+    // The coordinator independently fences unresolved database transactions.
+    hasPending: async () => canRun() && dirty.size > 0,
     nextRunAt: next,
   });
 }
diff --git a/server/src/services/chat-channels/runtime/receiver-work.ts b/server/src/services/chat-channels/runtime/receiver-work.ts
index 5cb664d87ab..ad62f0baa06 100644
--- a/server/src/services/chat-channels/runtime/receiver-work.ts
+++ b/server/src/services/chat-channels/runtime/receiver-work.ts
@@ -79,7 +79,9 @@ export function registerChatReceiverWork(
       }
       if (errors.length) throw new AggregateError(errors, "Chat receiver discovery could not settle");
     },
-    hasPending: async () => dirty.size > 0,
+    // Preserve hints/deadlines for resume without holding settled intent during drain.
+    // The coordinator independently fences unresolved database transactions.
+    hasPending: async () => canRun() && dirty.size > 0,
     nextRunAt: next,
   });
   return { ready: worker.ready, changed(id: string) {
diff --git a/server/src/services/chat-discord-command-registration-store.test.ts b/server/src/services/chat-discord-command-registration-store.test.ts
index 71660aaeae6..44809957ca4 100644
--- a/server/src/services/chat-discord-command-registration-store.test.ts
+++ b/server/src/services/chat-discord-command-registration-store.test.ts
@@ -765,7 +765,9 @@ suite("Discord command ownership store (real PostgreSQL, no network)", () => {
     await sqlQuiet(60_000);
     draining = true;
     await db.transaction(async tx => activate(tx as unknown as typeof db));
-    await sqlQuiet(90_000); expect(f.calls).toEqual([]);
+    await vi.waitFor(async () => { await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(1000); expect(idleWorkSnapshot().active).toBe(0); });
+    const drained = idleWorkSnapshot();
+    await sqlQuiet(90_000); expect(idleWorkSnapshot()).toEqual(drained); expect(f.calls).toEqual([]);
     draining = false;
     await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(30_000);
     await vi.waitFor(() => expect(f.calls).toEqual(["GET", "POST"]));
diff --git a/server/src/services/tool-connection-health-work.ts b/server/src/services/tool-connection-health-work.ts
index 6d684ba4a42..7259baca19e 100644
--- a/server/src/services/tool-connection-health-work.ts
+++ b/server/src/services/tool-connection-health-work.ts
@@ -82,7 +82,9 @@ export function registerToolConnectionHealthWork(
       if (due.length > batch.entries.length) earliest = Date.now() + 1_000;
       if (errors.length) throw new AggregateError(errors, "Tool connection health checks could not settle");
     },
-    hasPending: async () => dirty.size > 0,
+    // Keep the hints/deadlines for resume, but release settled intent while
+    // paused. The coordinator independently fences unresolved transactions.
+    hasPending: async () => canRun() && dirty.size > 0,
     nextRunAt: next,
   });
 }