diff --git a/changelog.d/fix-kv-unified-open-flight-on-retry.fixed.md b/changelog.d/fix-kv-unified-open-flight-on-retry.fixed.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6e3879c6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog.d/fix-kv-unified-open-flight-on-retry.fixed.md
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+- kv-unified: a new activation now closes any receipt flight its predecessor left unsettled before it submits its own. A provider attempt that died without a usage event (transport error, idle timeout, budget-restart or endTurn cancel) used to keep its flight open until the old stream's teardown, and every successor path started first — so the retry itself failed with `kv-unified submission … is still in flight` (devops agent, 2026-09-16).
+- Inference-log records below the blob threshold are persisted through their JSON view; the kv-unified receipt hook on a compiled request (a function) made Chronicle reject the record with `JS functions cannot be represented as a serde_json::Value`, throwing from the failure path it was logging.
diff --git a/src/agent.ts b/src/agent.ts
index c3d6d160..c8ea7b60 100644
--- a/src/agent.ts
+++ b/src/agent.ts
@@ -99,6 +99,11 @@ export class Agent {
   private _state: AgentState = { status: 'idle' };
   private _inferenceStartedAt = 0;
   private _streamId = 0;
+  /** kv-unified receipt flights opened by the CURRENT activation and not yet
+   * settled by a usage event. Held on the agent (not only in the stream's
+   * closure) so the next activation can close whatever its predecessor left
+   * open — see failOpenKvSubmissions. */
+  private kvOpenQueue: Array<{ submissionId: string; wireReceipt: CacheWireReceipt }> | null = null;
   lastStreamInputTokens = 0;
   /** Real prefix size of the last usage event: fresh + cache creation +
    *  cache read. THE window-shaped number — `lastStreamInputTokens` alone
@@ -730,6 +735,19 @@ export class Agent {
       throw new Error(`Agent ${this.name} cannot start stream in state ${this._state.status}`);
     }
 
+    // A new activation supersedes every receipt flight the previous one left
+    // open. Membrane fires the kv-unified wire receipt per provider attempt,
+    // BEFORE the adapter call; only that attempt's usage event settles it.
+    // When the attempt dies without usage (transport error, idle timeout,
+    // framework cancel for a budget restart or endTurn) the flight stays open
+    // until the old driveStream's `finally` runs — and every successor path
+    // (error-policy retry, budget restart, the next wake after an abort)
+    // starts the new stream BEFORE that `finally`. The successor's first
+    // receipt then met the ledger's single-flight guard and failed the
+    // recovery itself: "kv-unified submission devops:46:…:4 is still in
+    // flight" (devops agent, 2026-09-16 07:33Z, no provider error logged).
+    this.failOpenKvSubmissions();
+
     this._streamId++;
     this._inferenceStartedAt = Date.now();
     this.lastStreamInputTokens = 0;
@@ -753,6 +771,7 @@ export class Agent {
     const kvQueue: Array<{ submissionId: string; wireReceipt: CacheWireReceipt }> = [];
     let kvCall = 0;
     if (kvEnabled) {
+      this.kvOpenQueue = kvQueue;
       const layoutHash = stableHash(request.messages);
       const kvRequest = request as NormalizedRequest & KvUnifiedRequestHooks;
       kvRequest.onCacheWireReceipt = (receipt) => {
@@ -791,6 +810,28 @@ export class Agent {
     };
   }
 
+  /** Close every kv-unified receipt flight the previous activation left
+   * unsettled. Idempotent: the framework's driveStream `finally` drains the
+   * same per-stream queue, so whichever runs first empties it and the other
+   * finds nothing. Failing an already-settled id is a no-op in the ledger. */
+  private failOpenKvSubmissions(): void {
+    const open = this.kvOpenQueue?.splice(0) ?? [];
+    this.kvOpenQueue = null;
+    if (open.length === 0) return;
+    const strategy = (this.contextManager as unknown as { getStrategy?: () => unknown })
+      .getStrategy?.() as { reportKvUnifiedFailed?: (submissionId: string) => void } | undefined;
+    for (const { submissionId } of open) {
+      console.error(
+        `[kv-unified] ${this.name}: closing receipt flight ${submissionId} left open by the previous activation`,
+      );
+      try {
+        strategy?.reportKvUnifiedFailed?.(submissionId);
+      } catch (err) {
+        console.error(`[kv-unified] ${this.name}: could not close flight ${submissionId}:`, err);
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
   /**
    * Transition to waiting_for_tools when stream yields tool calls.
    * Called by framework's driveStream.
diff --git a/src/framework.ts b/src/framework.ts
index db55fc98..911e59fe 100644
--- a/src/framework.ts
+++ b/src/framework.ts
@@ -8853,11 +8853,18 @@ export class AgentFramework {
     // Blob threshold: 10KB - typical context-heavy requests exceed this
     const BLOB_THRESHOLD = 10000;
 
+    // Both branches persist the JSON view, never the live object: a compiled
+    // request carries non-JSON members (the kv-unified `onCacheWireReceipt`
+    // hook is a function) and Chronicle's JSON bridge rejects those with
+    // "JS functions cannot be represented as a serde_json::Value" — which,
+    // thrown from the failure path, masked the failure being logged.
     if (entry.request && typeof entry.request === 'object') {
       const requestJson = JSON.stringify(entry.request);
       if (requestJson.length > BLOB_THRESHOLD) {
         const blobId = this.store.storeBlob(Buffer.from(requestJson), 'application/json');
         entryToStore.request = { blobId };
+      } else {
+        entryToStore.request = JSON.parse(requestJson);
       }
     }
 
@@ -8866,6 +8873,8 @@ export class AgentFramework {
       if (responseJson.length > BLOB_THRESHOLD) {
         const blobId = this.store.storeBlob(Buffer.from(responseJson), 'application/json');
         entryToStore.response = { blobId };
+      } else {
+        entryToStore.response = JSON.parse(responseJson);
       }
     }
 
diff --git a/test/kv-unified-open-flight-retry.test.ts b/test/kv-unified-open-flight-retry.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9f38473c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/kv-unified-open-flight-retry.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,211 @@
+/**
+ * kv-unified receipt flight vs. the framework's error-policy retry.
+ *
+ * Field incident (devops agent on gpt-6-astra, 2026-09-16 10:42 local):
+ *   [inference-failed] kv-unified submission devops:46:1789544019150:4 is still in flight
+ *
+ * Membrane fires the cache-wire receipt once per provider attempt, BEFORE the
+ * adapter call, and the framework only settles that flight on the attempt's
+ * usage event (accept) or in driveStream's `finally` (fail). A provider call
+ * that dies before its usage event therefore leaves the flight open until the
+ * stream is torn down — but the error-policy retry starts the successor stream
+ * from INSIDE the failed stream's event loop, before that `finally` runs. The
+ * successor's first receipt then hits the ledger's single-flight guard and the
+ * retry itself fails with "is still in flight", turning one transient provider
+ * error into a lost turn.
+ */
+import { test } from 'node:test';
+import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
+import { mkdtempSync, rmSync } from 'node:fs';
+import { tmpdir } from 'node:os';
+import { join } from 'node:path';
+import type { NormalizedRequest, StreamEvent, YieldingStream } from '@animalabs/membrane';
+import { AutobiographicalStrategy } from '@animalabs/context-manager';
+import { AgentFramework } from '../src/index.js';
+import type {
+  ErrorAction,
+  ErrorPolicy,
+  EventResponse,
+  Module,
+  ModuleContext,
+  ProcessEvent,
+  ProcessState,
+  ToolCall,
+  ToolDefinition,
+  ToolResult,
+  TraceEvent,
+} from '../src/index.js';
+import type { KvUnifiedRequestHooks } from '../src/kv-unified-wire.js';
+import { createMockResponse, MockMembrane } from './helpers/mock-membrane.js';
+
+/** Mirrors membrane's yielding stream closely enough for the receipt seam:
+ * the wire receipt fires inside streamOnce, after `await applyBeforeRequestHook`,
+ * i.e. a microtask or two after the consumer's first pull, and before any
+ * usage event. A receipt hook that throws surfaces as an `error` event (the
+ * real stream's startInference catch), never as a thrown `next()`. */
+class ScriptedStream {
+  private done = false;
+  constructor(
+    private readonly onFirstPull: () => void,
+    private readonly script: StreamEvent[],
+  ) {}
+  cancel(): void { this.done = true; }
+  get isWaitingForTools(): boolean { return false; }
+  get pendingToolCallIds(): string[] { return []; }
+  get toolDepth(): number { return 0; }
+  provideToolResults(): void { throw new Error('ScriptedStream is not waiting for tools'); }
+  async *[Symbol.asyncIterator](): AsyncIterator<StreamEvent> {
+    await Promise.resolve();
+    await Promise.resolve();
+    try {
+      this.onFirstPull();
+    } catch (error) {
+      yield { type: 'error', error: error as Error } as StreamEvent;
+      return;
+    }
+    for (const event of this.script) {
+      if (this.done) return;
+      yield event;
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+/** First provider attempt dies after the receipt fired and before any usage
+ * event (a transport error); every later attempt completes normally. */
+class DeadThenAliveMembrane extends MockMembrane {
+  readonly order: string[] = [];
+  private attempts = 0;
+
+  streamYielding(request: NormalizedRequest): YieldingStream {
+    this.calls.push(request);
+    const attempt = this.attempts++;
+    const hooks = request as NormalizedRequest & KvUnifiedRequestHooks;
+    const fireReceipt = () => {
+      this.order.push(`pull:${attempt}`);
+      hooks.onCacheWireReceipt?.({ requestHash: `wire-${attempt}`, markers: [] });
+      this.order.push(`receipt:${attempt}`);
+    };
+    const script: StreamEvent[] = attempt === 0
+      ? [{ type: 'error', error: new Error('socket hang up') } as StreamEvent]
+      : [
+          { type: 'usage', usage: { inputTokens: 10, outputTokens: 5 } } as StreamEvent,
+          {
+            type: 'complete',
+            response: createMockResponse([{ type: 'text', text: 'recovered' }]),
+          } as StreamEvent,
+        ];
+    return new ScriptedStream(fireReceipt, script) as unknown as YieldingStream;
+  }
+}
+
+class WakeModule implements Module {
+  readonly name = 'wake';
+  async start(_ctx: ModuleContext): Promise<void> {}
+  async stop(): Promise<void> {}
+  getTools(): ToolDefinition[] { return []; }
+  async handleToolCall(_call: ToolCall): Promise<ToolResult> {
+    return { success: false, error: 'no tools', isError: true };
+  }
+  async onProcess(event: ProcessEvent, _state: ProcessState): Promise<EventResponse> {
+    if (event.type !== 'external-message') return {};
+    return {
+      addMessages: [{ participant: 'User', content: [{ type: 'text', text: String(event.content) }] }],
+      requestInference: true,
+    };
+  }
+}
+
+class RetryOncePolicy implements ErrorPolicy {
+  maxRetries = 1;
+  onInferenceError(_error: Error, _agentName: string, attempt: number): ErrorAction {
+    return attempt < this.maxRetries ? { retry: true, delayMs: 0 } : { retry: false };
+  }
+}
+
+function kvUnifiedStrategy(): AutobiographicalStrategy {
+  return new AutobiographicalStrategy({
+    adaptiveResolution: true,
+    foldingStrategy: 'kv-unified',
+    headWindowTokens: 0,
+    recentWindowTokens: 100,
+    kvUnified: {
+      policy: {
+        alpha: 0.7,
+        budgetLowRatio: 0.5,
+        budgetHighRatio: 0.9,
+        budgetUnderLambda: 10,
+        budgetOverLambda: 10,
+        cacheLambda: 1,
+        cacheScale: 1000,
+        cacheReadPrice: 0.1,
+        cacheWritePrice: 1.25,
+        continuityLambda: 1,
+        continuityScale: 1000,
+        continuityRecencyHalfLifeTokens: 1000,
+        continuityRecencyFloor: 0.2,
+        continuityStableHalfLife: 10,
+        continuityStableFloor: 0.25,
+      },
+      tokenBucketSize: 100,
+      continuityBucketSize: 100,
+      fidelityBucketSize: 100,
+      labelCeiling: 10_000,
+      adoptEpsilon: 0,
+      treeifyNonContiguousSummaries: false,
+      preserveGapBearingSummaries: true,
+    },
+  } as ConstructorParameters<typeof AutobiographicalStrategy>[0]);
+}
+
+test('error-policy retry settles the dead attempt\'s kv-unified flight before the successor submits', async () => {
+  const tempDir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'kv-open-flight-'));
+  const membrane = new DeadThenAliveMembrane();
+  const strategy = kvUnifiedStrategy();
+  // Observe the ledger from the outside: the framework reaches the strategy
+  // through getStrategy(), so instance-level wrapping sees every call.
+  const spied = strategy as unknown as {
+    reportKvUnifiedFailed: (id: string) => void;
+    reportKvUnifiedAccepted: (args: { submissionId: string }) => void;
+  };
+  const origFail = spied.reportKvUnifiedFailed.bind(strategy);
+  spied.reportKvUnifiedFailed = (id: string) => { membrane.order.push(`fail:${id}`); origFail(id); };
+  const origAccept = spied.reportKvUnifiedAccepted.bind(strategy);
+  spied.reportKvUnifiedAccepted = (args: { submissionId: string }) => {
+    membrane.order.push(`accept:${args.submissionId}`);
+    origAccept(args);
+  };
+
+  const framework = await AgentFramework.create({
+    storePath: join(tempDir, 'store.chronicle'),
+    membrane: membrane.asMembrane(),
+    agents: [{ name: 'devops', model: 'test-model', systemPrompt: 'Test', strategy }],
+    modules: [new WakeModule()],
+    errorPolicy: new RetryOncePolicy(),
+    syncIntervalMs: 0,
+  });
+  const traces: TraceEvent[] = [];
+  framework.onTrace((event) => traces.push(event));
+
+  try {
+    framework.pushEvent({ type: 'external-message', source: 'test', content: 'hello', metadata: {} });
+    await framework.runUntilIdle();
+
+    const failures = traces
+      .filter((t): t is TraceEvent & { error: string } => t.type === 'inference:failed')
+      .map((t) => t.error);
+    assert.deepEqual(failures, ['socket hang up'], `only the provider error may fail: ${JSON.stringify(membrane.order)}`);
+    assert.ok(traces.some((t) => t.type === 'inference:completed'), `retry must complete the turn: ${JSON.stringify(membrane.order)}`);
+    assert.ok(!traces.some((t) => t.type === 'inference:exhausted'), 'a single transient provider error must not exhaust the turn');
+
+    // The dead attempt's flight is closed BEFORE the successor's first pull,
+    // so the successor's receipt never meets an open flight.
+    const failIndex = membrane.order.findIndex((entry) => entry.startsWith('fail:'));
+    const successorPull = membrane.order.indexOf('pull:1');
+    assert.ok(failIndex >= 0, `dead flight was never failed: ${JSON.stringify(membrane.order)}`);
+    assert.ok(failIndex < successorPull, `dead flight failed after the successor started: ${JSON.stringify(membrane.order)}`);
+    assert.ok(membrane.order.some((entry) => entry.startsWith('accept:')), 'successor flight must be accepted on its usage event');
+  } finally {
+    await framework.stop();
+    rmSync(tempDir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  }
+});
diff --git a/test/kv-unified-wiring.test.ts b/test/kv-unified-wiring.test.ts
index 3c76e622..4503cd8e 100644
--- a/test/kv-unified-wiring.test.ts
+++ b/test/kv-unified-wiring.test.ts
@@ -66,3 +66,45 @@ test('agent leaves marker ownership unchanged for non-kv strategies', async () =
   assert.equal((request as typeof request & KvUnifiedRequestHooks).cacheMarkers, undefined);
   assert.equal(compileOptions, undefined);
 });
+
+test('a new activation closes the receipt flight its predecessor left open before it submits', async () => {
+  const order: string[] = [];
+  const strategy = {
+    isKvUnifiedEnabled: () => true,
+    beginKvUnifiedSubmission: (args: { submissionId: string }) => { order.push(`begin:${args.submissionId}`); },
+    reportKvUnifiedFailed: (submissionId: string) => { order.push(`fail:${submissionId}`); },
+  };
+  const cm = {
+    getStrategy: () => strategy,
+    setToolDefinitions: () => {},
+    compile: async () => ({
+      messages: [{ participant: 'user', content: [{ type: 'text', text: 'hello' }] }],
+      systemInjections: [],
+    }),
+  } as unknown as ContextManager;
+  const membrane = { streamYielding: () => ({}) as never } as unknown as Membrane;
+  const agent = new Agent({ name: 'devops', model: 'test', systemPrompt: 'system' }, cm, membrane);
+
+  // Activation 1: the provider attempt fires its receipt and then dies with no
+  // usage event (transport error / idle timeout / framework cancel). Nothing
+  // takes the submission; the stream's own teardown has not run yet.
+  const first = await agent.startStreamWithInjections([], undefined);
+  (first.request as typeof first.request & KvUnifiedRequestHooks)
+    .onCacheWireReceipt?.({ requestHash: 'wire-1', markers: [] });
+  const firstId = order[0]?.slice('begin:'.length);
+  assert.ok(firstId, 'first activation must have begun a submission');
+  agent.reset();
+
+  // Activation 2 (retry, restart, or the next wake) must supersede that flight
+  // BEFORE its own receipt reaches the ledger.
+  const second = await agent.startStreamWithInjections([], undefined);
+  (second.request as typeof second.request & KvUnifiedRequestHooks)
+    .onCacheWireReceipt?.({ requestHash: 'wire-2', markers: [] });
+  assert.equal(order.length, 3, JSON.stringify(order));
+  assert.equal(order[1], `fail:${firstId}`);
+  assert.ok(order[2]!.startsWith('begin:') && order[2] !== order[0]);
+  // The predecessor's late teardown finds nothing left to fail.
+  assert.deepEqual(first.drainKvSubmissionIds?.(), []);
+  // The successor's own flight is still live for its usage event.
+  assert.equal(second.takeKvSubmission?.()?.wireReceipt.requestHash, 'wire-2');
+});