diff --git a/packages/gpt-control-driver/src/driver.ts b/packages/gpt-control-driver/src/driver.ts
index cc9bde9..4fd3a96 100755
--- a/packages/gpt-control-driver/src/driver.ts
+++ b/packages/gpt-control-driver/src/driver.ts
@@ -358,6 +358,18 @@ export function extractAssistantTurn(html: string): { text: string; imageUrls: s
   return { text, imageUrls: images, fingerprint: `${text}\u0000${images.join(",")}` };
 }
 
+export function nextAssistantProgress(
+  current: { assistantCount: number; lastAssistantFingerprint: string; awaitingAssistant: boolean },
+  fingerprint: string,
+): { assistantCount: number; lastAssistantFingerprint: string; awaitingAssistant: false } | undefined {
+  if (fingerprint === current.lastAssistantFingerprint) return undefined;
+  return {
+    assistantCount: current.assistantCount + (current.awaitingAssistant ? 1 : 0),
+    lastAssistantFingerprint: fingerprint,
+    awaitingAssistant: false,
+  };
+}
+
 async function readAssistant(session: DriverSession): Promise<{ count: number; text: string; imageUrls: string[] }> {
   const client = await connectSession(session.sessionId);
   try {
@@ -379,19 +391,13 @@ async function readAssistant(session: DriverSession): Promise<{ count: number; t
     }
     const turn = extractAssistantTurn(snapshot.content);
     const metadata = await readMetadata(session.sessionId);
-    let assistantCount = metadata.assistantCount;
-    if (metadata.awaitingAssistant && turn.fingerprint !== metadata.lastAssistantFingerprint) {
-      assistantCount += 1;
-    }
-    if (turn.fingerprint !== metadata.lastAssistantFingerprint || metadata.awaitingAssistant) {
-      await writeMetadata({
-        ...metadata,
-        assistantCount,
-        lastAssistantFingerprint: turn.fingerprint,
-        awaitingAssistant: false,
-      });
-    }
-    return { count: assistantCount, text: turn.text, imageUrls: turn.imageUrls };
+    const progress = nextAssistantProgress(metadata, turn.fingerprint);
+    if (progress) await writeMetadata({ ...metadata, ...progress });
+    return {
+      count: progress?.assistantCount ?? metadata.assistantCount,
+      text: turn.text,
+      imageUrls: turn.imageUrls,
+    };
   } finally {
     client.close();
   }
diff --git a/packages/gpt-control-driver/test/driver.test.ts b/packages/gpt-control-driver/test/driver.test.ts
index 1ecdb90..f1f008d 100644
--- a/packages/gpt-control-driver/test/driver.test.ts
+++ b/packages/gpt-control-driver/test/driver.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { describe, expect, test } from "bun:test";
 import { join } from "node:path";
-import { extractAssistantTurn } from "../src/driver.js";
+import { extractAssistantTurn, nextAssistantProgress } from "../src/driver.js";
 
 describe("extractAssistantTurn", () => {
   test("returns only assistant prose and approved generated images", () => {
@@ -26,6 +26,40 @@ describe("extractAssistantTurn", () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe("nextAssistantProgress", () => {
+  test("keeps waiting when polling still sees the previous assistant turn", () => {
+    expect(nextAssistantProgress({
+      assistantCount: 2,
+      lastAssistantFingerprint: "previous",
+      awaitingAssistant: true,
+    }, "previous")).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
+  test("counts and records a new assistant turn", () => {
+    expect(nextAssistantProgress({
+      assistantCount: 2,
+      lastAssistantFingerprint: "previous",
+      awaitingAssistant: true,
+    }, "next")).toEqual({
+      assistantCount: 3,
+      lastAssistantFingerprint: "next",
+      awaitingAssistant: false,
+    });
+  });
+
+  test("records baseline content without incrementing the assistant count", () => {
+    expect(nextAssistantProgress({
+      assistantCount: 0,
+      lastAssistantFingerprint: "",
+      awaitingAssistant: false,
+    }, "baseline")).toEqual({
+      assistantCount: 0,
+      lastAssistantFingerprint: "baseline",
+      awaitingAssistant: false,
+    });
+  });
+});
+
 test("rejects browser sessions outside the GPT-Control ownership namespace", async () => {
   const child = Bun.spawn(
     [process.execPath, join(import.meta.dir, "../src/driver.ts")],