diff --git a/hermes_state.py b/hermes_state.py
index f19e36ea7f24..cd05ae2a1083 100644
--- a/hermes_state.py
+++ b/hermes_state.py
@@ -5143,10 +5143,15 @@ class SessionDB:
             )
             if not writer_stopped:
                 self._token_queue.append((session_id, kwargs))
-                if thread is None:
+                if thread is None or not thread.is_alive():
                     # Daemon so process exit never hangs on accounting; the
                     # atexit hook drains anything still queued at interpreter
                     # shutdown (registered once per instance, on first use).
+                    # ``not is_alive()`` (rather than ``is None`` only)
+                    # respawns the writer if it ever died from an unexpected
+                    # escape — otherwise a dead thread object would block
+                    # respawn forever and deltas would pile up on the deque
+                    # until a reader's flush drained them synchronously.
                     thread = threading.Thread(
                         target=self._token_writer_loop,
                         name="session-db-token-writer",
@@ -5240,7 +5245,18 @@ class SessionDB:
 
     def _apply_token_batch(self, batch: List[Tuple[str, Dict[str, Any]]]) -> None:
         """Apply queued deltas in order, coalescing where safe. Never raises."""
-        for session_id, kwargs in self._coalesce_token_deltas(batch):
+        try:
+            coalesced = self._coalesce_token_deltas(batch)
+        except Exception as exc:
+            # Coalescing must never kill the writer thread (a dead writer
+            # can't be observed by callers). Fall back to applying the raw
+            # batch delta-by-delta — the merge is an optimization only.
+            logger.warning(
+                "async token accounting: coalesce failed, applying raw "
+                "batch: %s", exc,
+            )
+            coalesced = batch
+        for session_id, kwargs in coalesced:
             try:
                 self.update_token_counts(session_id, **kwargs)
             except Exception as exc:
diff --git a/tests/agent/test_async_token_accounting.py b/tests/agent/test_async_token_accounting.py
index daa1dbfa2e41..70cd5d8d34c2 100644
--- a/tests/agent/test_async_token_accounting.py
+++ b/tests/agent/test_async_token_accounting.py
@@ -562,3 +562,49 @@ class TestWriterFailure:
             db.update_token_counts = original
 
         assert _totals(db, "s-f")["input_tokens"] == 7
+
+    def test_coalesce_failure_falls_back_to_raw_batch(self, db, caplog):
+        """A coalescing bug must never kill the writer: the batch is applied
+        raw (delta-by-delta) and the failure is logged."""
+        db.create_session("s-co", "test")
+
+        original = db._coalesce_token_deltas
+
+        def broken(batch):
+            raise TypeError("unclassified kwarg broke the merge")
+
+        db._coalesce_token_deltas = broken
+        try:
+            with caplog.at_level("WARNING", logger="hermes_state"):
+                db.queue_token_counts("s-co", input_tokens=3, api_call_count=1)
+                db.queue_token_counts("s-co", input_tokens=4, api_call_count=1)
+                assert db.flush_token_counts()
+            assert any(
+                "coalesce failed" in rec.getMessage() for rec in caplog.records
+            )
+        finally:
+            db._coalesce_token_deltas = original
+
+        totals = _totals(db, "s-co")
+        assert totals["input_tokens"] == 7
+        assert totals["api_call_count"] == 2
+
+    def test_dead_writer_respawns_on_next_enqueue(self, db):
+        """If the writer thread ever dies unexpectedly, the next enqueue
+        must respawn it instead of parking deltas on a queue forever."""
+        db.create_session("s-respawn", "test")
+        db.queue_token_counts("s-respawn", input_tokens=1, api_call_count=1)
+        assert db.flush_token_counts()
+        first = db._token_writer_thread
+        assert first is not None
+
+        # Simulate an unexpected writer death: a finished dummy thread.
+        dead = threading.Thread(target=lambda: None)
+        dead.start()
+        dead.join()
+        db._token_writer_thread = dead
+
+        db.queue_token_counts("s-respawn", input_tokens=2, api_call_count=1)
+        assert db._token_writer_thread is not dead
+        assert db.flush_token_counts()
+        assert _totals(db, "s-respawn")["input_tokens"] == 3