diff --git a/src/web/server.ts b/src/web/server.ts
index 2b3e582c4..76b3090e1 100644
--- a/src/web/server.ts
+++ b/src/web/server.ts
@@ -1989,8 +1989,10 @@ export class WebServer extends EventEmitter {
     this.runSummaryTrackers.set(session.id, summaryTracker);
     summaryTracker.recordSessionStarted(session.mode, session.workingDir);
 
-    // Set working directory for Ralph tracker to auto-load @fix_plan.md (not supported for external CLIs)
-    if (!isExternalCliMode(session.mode)) {
+    // Set working directory for Ralph tracker to auto-load @fix_plan.md (not supported for external CLIs).
+    // A remote session's workingDir is a path on the remote host, and the watcher reads and
+    // fs.watch()es it on the LOCAL disk, so it is skipped there too.
+    if (!isExternalCliMode(session.mode) && !session.remote) {
       session.ralphTracker.setWorkingDir(session.workingDir);
     }
 
diff --git a/test/ralph-fix-plan-remote.test.ts b/test/ralph-fix-plan-remote.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6bd6291e8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/ralph-fix-plan-remote.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+/**
+ * The Ralph tracker's `@fix_plan.md` watcher must never be pointed at a REMOTE
+ * session's working directory.
+ *
+ * A remote-SSH session's `workingDir` is a path on the remote host. The watcher
+ * reads and `fs.watch`es it on the LOCAL disk, where it usually does not exist,
+ * so every server start logged
+ * `[RalphFixPlanWatcher] Could not watch @fix_plan.md: Error: ENOENT ...` once per
+ * remote session (and where a same-named local directory did exist, it watched
+ * the wrong tree). Setting the path also made the tracker treat the unreadable
+ * file as authoritative (`isFileAuthoritative`), which switched off its
+ * output-based todo completion for every remote session. `setupSessionListeners()` already skips external CLI modes for
+ * the same reason (the tracker is not supported there); a remote location is the
+ * other case with no local file to watch.
+ *
+ * Drives the real `WebServer.setupSessionListeners()`, like
+ * discard-partially-built-session.test.ts.
+ */
+import { mkdirSync } from 'node:fs';
+import { homedir } from 'node:os';
+import { join } from 'node:path';
+import { afterAll, afterEach, beforeAll, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
+import { safeRmHomeTree } from './mocks/test-helpers.js';
+
+import { WebServer } from '../src/web/server.js';
+import { Session } from '../src/session.js';
+import { TmuxManager } from '../src/tmux-manager.js';
+
+interface ServerInternals {
+  registerSessionWithLayout(session: Session): Promise<void>;
+  setupSessionListeners(session: Session): Promise<void>;
+  discardPartiallyBuiltSession(sessionId: string): Promise<void>;
+}
+
+const WORKSPACE = join(homedir(), '.codeman-test-ralph-remote');
+// A path on the remote host: nothing exists there locally.
+const REMOTE_PATH = '/nonexistent-remote-host-path/homelab-infrastructure';
+const SESSION_ID = 'f0e1d2c3b4a59687';
+
+let server: WebServer;
+let internals: ServerInternals;
+let mux: TmuxManager;
+
+function buildSession(remote: boolean): Session {
+  return new Session({
+    id: SESSION_ID,
+    workingDir: remote ? REMOTE_PATH : WORKSPACE,
+    mode: 'claude',
+    name: remote ? 'remote session' : 'local session',
+    mux,
+    useMux: true,
+    ...(remote
+      ? {
+          remote: {
+            hostId: 'proxx',
+            label: 'proxx',
+            host: 'proxx.example.lan',
+            username: 'user',
+            remotePath: REMOTE_PATH,
+            owned: true,
+          },
+        }
+      : {}),
+  });
+}
+
+beforeAll(() => {
+  mkdirSync(WORKSPACE, { recursive: true });
+  server = new WebServer(0, false, true);
+  internals = server as unknown as ServerInternals;
+  mux = new TmuxManager();
+});
+
+afterEach(async () => {
+  vi.restoreAllMocks();
+  await internals.discardPartiallyBuiltSession(SESSION_ID).catch(() => {});
+});
+
+afterAll(async () => {
+  await server.stop().catch(() => {});
+  safeRmHomeTree(WORKSPACE);
+});
+
+describe('Ralph @fix_plan.md watcher and the session location', () => {
+  it('does not watch a remote session working directory on the local disk', async () => {
+    const session = buildSession(true);
+    const setWorkingDir = vi.spyOn(session.ralphTracker, 'setWorkingDir');
+    const log = vi.spyOn(console, 'log').mockImplementation(() => {});
+
+    await internals.registerSessionWithLayout(session);
+    await internals.setupSessionListeners(session);
+
+    expect(setWorkingDir).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(log.mock.calls.some((args) => String(args[0]).includes('Could not watch @fix_plan.md'))).toBe(false);
+    // A fix-plan path that can never be read must not make the file "authoritative":
+    // that turns off the tracker's output-based todo completion for the session.
+    expect(session.ralphTracker.isFileAuthoritative).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('still watches a local session working directory', async () => {
+    const session = buildSession(false);
+    const setWorkingDir = vi.spyOn(session.ralphTracker, 'setWorkingDir');
+
+    await internals.registerSessionWithLayout(session);
+    await internals.setupSessionListeners(session);
+
+    expect(setWorkingDir).toHaveBeenCalledWith(WORKSPACE);
+  });
+});