diff --git a/backend/internal/session/fakes_test.go b/backend/internal/session/fakes_test.go
index d8e4b2483..648172dee 100644
--- a/backend/internal/session/fakes_test.go
+++ b/backend/internal/session/fakes_test.go
@@ -319,12 +319,19 @@ func (noopNotifier) Notify(_ context.Context, _ ports.OrchestratorEvent) error {
 type recordingLCM struct {
 	log   *callLog
 	inner ports.LifecycleManager
+
+	// onSpawnErr, when set, makes OnSpawnCompleted fail (without touching the
+	// inner manager) so tests can exercise the SM's post-spawn failure paths.
+	onSpawnErr error
 }
 
 var _ ports.LifecycleManager = (*recordingLCM)(nil)
 
 func (l *recordingLCM) OnSpawnCompleted(ctx context.Context, id domain.SessionID, o ports.SpawnOutcome) error {
 	l.log.add("OnSpawnCompleted")
+	if l.onSpawnErr != nil {
+		return l.onSpawnErr
+	}
 	return l.inner.OnSpawnCompleted(ctx, id, o)
 }
 
@@ -358,6 +365,7 @@ type harness struct {
 	agent     *fakeAgent
 	workspace *fakeWorkspace
 	messenger *recordingMessenger
+	lcm       *recordingLCM
 	log       *callLog
 }
 
@@ -384,7 +392,7 @@ func newHarness(id domain.SessionID) *harness {
 		NewID:     func(ports.SpawnConfig) domain.SessionID { return id },
 	})
 
-	return &harness{sm: sm, store: store, runtime: rt, agent: ag, workspace: ws, messenger: msg, log: log}
+	return &harness{sm: sm, store: store, runtime: rt, agent: ag, workspace: ws, messenger: msg, lcm: lcm, log: log}
 }
 
 func cloneMap(in map[string]string) map[string]string {
diff --git a/backend/internal/session/manager_test.go b/backend/internal/session/manager_test.go
index 85f9297c3..bda7e9883 100644
--- a/backend/internal/session/manager_test.go
+++ b/backend/internal/session/manager_test.go
@@ -121,6 +121,38 @@ func TestSpawn_RuntimeCreateFailure_RollsBack(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestSpawn_OnSpawnCompletedFailure_RoutesOrphanToErrored(t *testing.T) {
+	h := newHarness("sess-1")
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	h.lcm.onSpawnErr = errors.New("lcm boom")
+
+	_, err := h.sm.Spawn(ctx, spawnCfg())
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("spawn: want error, got nil")
+	}
+
+	// Runtime + workspace are torn down on the failure path.
+	if len(h.runtime.destroyed) != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("runtime.destroyed = %d, want 1", len(h.runtime.destroyed))
+	}
+	if len(h.workspace.destroyed) != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("workspace.destroyed = %d, want 1", len(h.workspace.destroyed))
+	}
+	// The record was already seeded and the store has no delete, so the orphan is
+	// routed to a terminal errored state (via OnKillRequested(KillError)) rather
+	// than stranded forever as "spawning".
+	rec, ok, _ := h.store.Get(ctx, "sess-1")
+	if !ok {
+		t.Fatal("seeded record vanished; expected it parked as errored")
+	}
+	if got := rec.Lifecycle.Session; got.State != domain.SessionTerminated || got.Reason != domain.ReasonErrorInProcess {
+		t.Errorf("session substate = %+v, want terminated/error_in_process", got)
+	}
+	if status := domain.DeriveLegacyStatus(rec.Lifecycle); status != domain.StatusErrored {
+		t.Errorf("status = %q, want errored", status)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestKill_OrderingAndTerminalState(t *testing.T) {
 	h := newHarness("sess-1")
 	ctx := context.Background()
@@ -326,6 +358,38 @@ func TestRestore_MissingAgentSessionID_Errors(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestRestore_OnSpawnCompletedFailure_RollsBackRuntime(t *testing.T) {
+	h := newHarness("sess-1")
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	if _, err := h.sm.Spawn(ctx, spawnCfg()); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("spawn: %v", err)
+	}
+	if _, err := h.sm.Kill(ctx, "sess-1", ports.KillOptions{Reason: ports.KillManual}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("kill: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := h.store.PatchMetadata(ctx, "sess-1", map[string]string{lifecycle.MetaAgentSessionID: "agent-xyz"}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("patch metadata: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// Fail the post-create LCM call; capture teardown counts just before restore.
+	h.lcm.onSpawnErr = errors.New("lcm boom")
+	destroyedBefore := len(h.runtime.destroyed)
+	wsDestroyedBefore := len(h.workspace.destroyed)
+
+	if _, err := h.sm.Restore(ctx, "sess-1"); err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("restore: want error, got nil")
+	}
+
+	// The runtime created during restore is torn back down so no process is
+	// stranded; the workspace is left intact (it holds the agent's prior work).
+	if len(h.runtime.destroyed) != destroyedBefore+1 {
+		t.Errorf("runtime.destroyed grew by %d, want 1 (restore rollback)", len(h.runtime.destroyed)-destroyedBefore)
+	}
+	if len(h.workspace.destroyed) != wsDestroyedBefore {
+		t.Errorf("workspace was destroyed on restore rollback; it must be preserved")
+	}
+}
+
 func TestCleanup_SkipsUncommittedWork(t *testing.T) {
 	h := newHarness("unused")
 	ctx := context.Background()