diff --git a/Sources/MiniWhisper/Services/Hotkeys/EventTapManager.swift b/Sources/MiniWhisper/Services/Hotkeys/EventTapManager.swift
index fe05fd8..e8b2ed2 100644
--- a/Sources/MiniWhisper/Services/Hotkeys/EventTapManager.swift
+++ b/Sources/MiniWhisper/Services/Hotkeys/EventTapManager.swift
@@ -11,9 +11,31 @@ final class EventTapManager: @unchecked Sendable {
     private var eventTap: CFMachPort?
     private var runLoopSource: CFRunLoopSource?
     private var retryTimer: Timer?
+    private var watchdogTimer: Timer?
     private var shouldRun = false
     private let callbackLock = NSLock()
     private var callback: EventCallback?
+    // Written from the tap callback, read from the watchdog — both on the main
+    // run loop, like the rest of this class's mutable state.
+    private var lastEventTime: CFAbsoluteTime = CFAbsoluteTimeGetCurrent()
+    private var starvedRebuilds = 0
+
+    // Shared between tap creation and the watchdog's CGGetEventTapList lookup:
+    // the mask is how we find our own tap among this process's taps (the
+    // shortcut recorder creates ephemeral taps with a different mask).
+    private static let eventMask: CGEventMask = (1 << CGEventType.keyDown.rawValue)
+        | (1 << CGEventType.keyUp.rawValue)
+        | (1 << CGEventType.flagsChanged.rawValue)
+
+    private static let watchdogInterval: TimeInterval = 30
+    // Silence alone can't prove tap death (identical to the user not touching
+    // the keyboard), so the starvation check requires both prolonged silence
+    // AND WindowServer reporting queued-but-unserviced events.
+    private static let staleTapInterval: CFTimeInterval = 90
+    // Healthy taps report µs–ms queue latency; WindowServer's own per-event
+    // tap timeout is single-digit seconds. Past 5s, events are rotting in the
+    // queue while tapIsEnabled still says true.
+    private static let starvedTapLatencyUs: Float = 5_000_000
 
     func setEventCallback(_ callback: @escaping EventCallback) {
         callbackLock.lock()
@@ -32,6 +54,7 @@ final class EventTapManager: @unchecked Sendable {
         log.info("AXIsProcessTrusted: \(AXIsProcessTrusted())")
         log.info("CGPreflightListenEventAccess: \(CGPreflightListenEventAccess())")
         createEventTap()
+        startWatchdog()
     }
 
     @MainActor
@@ -39,6 +62,8 @@ final class EventTapManager: @unchecked Sendable {
         shouldRun = false
         retryTimer?.invalidate()
         retryTimer = nil
+        watchdogTimer?.invalidate()
+        watchdogTimer = nil
 
         if let source = runLoopSource {
             CFRunLoopRemoveSource(CFRunLoopGetMain(), source, .commonModes)
@@ -78,20 +103,17 @@ final class EventTapManager: @unchecked Sendable {
     private func createEventTap(retryCount: Int = 0) {
         guard shouldRun else { return }
 
-        let eventMask: CGEventMask = (1 << CGEventType.keyDown.rawValue)
-            | (1 << CGEventType.keyUp.rawValue)
-            | (1 << CGEventType.flagsChanged.rawValue)
-
         let refcon = Unmanaged.passUnretained(self).toOpaque()
 
         guard let tap = CGEvent.tapCreate(
             tap: .cgSessionEventTap,
             place: .headInsertEventTap,
             options: .defaultTap,
-            eventsOfInterest: eventMask,
+            eventsOfInterest: Self.eventMask,
             callback: { proxy, type, event, refcon -> Unmanaged<CGEvent>? in
                 guard let refcon = refcon else { return Unmanaged.passUnretained(event) }
                 let manager = Unmanaged<EventTapManager>.fromOpaque(refcon).takeUnretainedValue()
+                manager.lastEventTime = CFAbsoluteTimeGetCurrent()
 
                 if type == .tapDisabledByTimeout || type == .tapDisabledByUserInput {
                     Task { @MainActor in
@@ -131,6 +153,77 @@ final class EventTapManager: @unchecked Sendable {
         runLoopSource = source
         CFRunLoopAddSource(CFRunLoopGetMain(), source, .commonModes)
         CGEvent.tapEnable(tap: tap, enable: true)
+        lastEventTime = CFAbsoluteTimeGetCurrent()
         log.info("Event tap created and enabled successfully")
     }
+
+    private func startWatchdog() {
+        watchdogTimer?.invalidate()
+        watchdogTimer = Timer.scheduledTimer(withTimeInterval: Self.watchdogInterval, repeats: true) { [weak self] _ in
+            Task { @MainActor [weak self] in
+                self?.checkTapHealth()
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    // The tapDisabledBy* callbacks only fire while the tap is being serviced.
+    // A tap can instead starve silently: still registered, tapIsEnabled still
+    // true, but its events queue in WindowServer unserviced. Only a full teardown
+    // + recreate recovers from that, so the watchdog checks WindowServer's view
+    // of our tap rather than trusting local state.
+    @MainActor
+    private func checkTapHealth() {
+        guard shouldRun else { return }
+        guard let tap = eventTap else { return }  // creation retries handle nil
+
+        if !CGEvent.tapIsEnabled(tap: tap) {
+            log.warning("Watchdog found tap disabled; re-enabling")
+            CGEvent.tapEnable(tap: tap, enable: true)
+            if !CGEvent.tapIsEnabled(tap: tap) {
+                log.error("Re-enable did not stick; recreating tap")
+                recreateTap()
+            }
+            return
+        }
+
+        let silent = CFAbsoluteTimeGetCurrent() - lastEventTime
+        if silent > Self.staleTapInterval,
+           let latencyUs = reportedTapLatencyUs(), latencyUs > Self.starvedTapLatencyUs {
+            starvedRebuilds += 1
+            log.error("Tap starved — enabled but WindowServer queue latency \(Int(latencyUs / 1_000_000))s; recreating (rebuild #\(self.starvedRebuilds) since last healthy tick)")
+            recreateTap()
+            return
+        }
+        starvedRebuilds = 0
+    }
+
+    @MainActor
+    private func recreateTap() {
+        if let source = runLoopSource {
+            CFRunLoopRemoveSource(CFRunLoopGetMain(), source, .commonModes)
+            runLoopSource = nil
+        }
+        if let tap = eventTap {
+            CGEvent.tapEnable(tap: tap, enable: false)
+            CFMachPortInvalidate(tap)
+            eventTap = nil
+        }
+        createEventTap()
+    }
+
+    // WindowServer's per-tap queue latency, matched to our tap by pid + event
+    // mask (other app features can create ephemeral taps with different masks).
+    // It grows in lockstep with wall clock while an event sits undelivered —
+    // the external signal that distinguishes a starved tap from an idle one.
+    private func reportedTapLatencyUs() -> Float? {
+        var count: UInt32 = 0
+        guard CGGetEventTapList(0, nil, &count) == .success, count > 0 else { return nil }
+        var taps = [CGEventTapInformation](repeating: CGEventTapInformation(), count: Int(count))
+        guard CGGetEventTapList(count, &taps, &count) == .success else { return nil }
+        let pid = getpid()
+        return taps.prefix(Int(count))
+            .filter { $0.tappingProcess == pid && $0.eventsOfInterest == Self.eventMask }
+            .map(\.avgUsecLatency)
+            .max()
+    }
 }