diff --git a/zig/src/families/flashnext/cuda_ple.zig b/zig/src/families/flashnext/cuda_ple.zig
index 9aea70bba3..2a938bf22d 100644
--- a/zig/src/families/flashnext/cuda_ple.zig
+++ b/zig/src/families/flashnext/cuda_ple.zig
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ const cuda = @import("cuda");
 const core = @import("core");
 const embed = @import("cuda_embed.zig");
 const hc = @import("cuda_hc.zig");
+const ple_pool = @import("cuda_ple_pool.zig");
 
 const golden: u64 = 0x9E3779B97F4A7C15;
 const mix1: u64 = 0xBF58476D1CE4E5B9;
@@ -343,6 +344,7 @@ pub const Ngram = struct {
     b: [max_shards][]const u8 = undefined,
     format: enum { mlx, nvfp4 } = .mlx,
     tables: [max_shards]core.nvfp4_rows.Table = undefined,
+    pool: ?*ple_pool.Pool = null, // the gather's parked workers (null: every row on the caller's thread)
 
     pub fn init(gpa: std.mem.Allocator, io: std.Io, model_dir: []const u8) !Ngram {
         const cfg = try readSpec(gpa, io, model_dir);
@@ -410,10 +412,12 @@ pub const Ngram = struct {
                 g.b[shard] = bias.bytes;
             }
         }
+        g.pool = try ple_pool.Pool.create(gpa, io);
         return g;
     }
 
     pub fn deinit(g: *Ngram) void {
+        if (g.pool) |p| p.destroy();
         for (g.files.items) |*o| o.close(g.gpa);
         g.files.deinit(g.gpa);
     }
@@ -436,11 +440,19 @@ pub const Ngram = struct {
         }
     }
 
-    fn worker(g: *const Ngram, ids: []const i64, out: []u16, lo: usize, hi: usize, failed: *?anyerror) void {
-        g.fill(ids, out, lo, hi) catch |err| {
-            failed.* = err;
-        };
-    }
+    /// One call's rows split into `parts` equal ranges, part i filling [i * per, (i + 1) * per).
+    const Split = struct {
+        g: *const Ngram,
+        ids: []const i64,
+        out: []u16,
+        per: usize,
+
+        fn part(ctx: *const anyopaque, i: usize) anyerror!void {
+            const s: *const Split = @ptrCast(@alignCast(ctx));
+            const lo = @min(s.ids.len, i * s.per);
+            try s.g.fill(s.ids, s.out, lo, @min(s.ids.len, lo + s.per));
+        }
+    };
 
     /// `embedding` for each token after `history` (moved past the chunk) into out and xs, read by up to 128 threads.
     pub fn rows(g: *const Ngram, history: []i64, tokens: []const u32, out: []u16, xs: []f32) !void {
@@ -457,25 +469,12 @@ pub const Ngram = struct {
             for (0..history.len - 1) |i| hist[i] = hist[i + 1];
             hist[history.len - 1] = token;
         }
-        const max_threads = 128;
-        const n_threads = @min(max_threads, items / 4);
-        if (n_threads <= 1) {
+        const n_threads = @min(ple_pool.max_parts, items / 4);
+        if (n_threads <= 1 or g.pool == null) {
             try g.fill(ids, out, 0, items);
         } else {
-            var threads: [max_threads]std.Thread = undefined;
-            var failed: [max_threads]?anyerror = @splat(null);
-            var spawned: usize = 0;
-            defer for (threads[0..spawned]) |th| th.join();
-            const per = (items + n_threads - 1) / n_threads;
-            for (0..n_threads) |i| {
-                const lo = @min(items, i * per);
-                const hi = @min(items, lo + per);
-                threads[i] = try std.Thread.spawn(.{}, worker, .{ g, ids, out, lo, hi, &failed[i] });
-                spawned += 1;
-            }
-            for (threads[0..spawned]) |th| th.join();
-            spawned = 0;
-            for (failed[0..n_threads]) |f| if (f) |err| return err;
+            const split: Split = .{ .g = g, .ids = ids, .out = out, .per = (items + n_threads - 1) / n_threads };
+            try g.pool.?.run(n_threads, .{ .ctx = &split, .run = Split.part });
         }
         for (0..tokens.len) |t| {
             const row = out[t * w ..][0..w];
@@ -517,4 +516,5 @@ test "a fresh window hashes token 7 into sixteen rows" {
 
 test {
     _ = @import("cuda_ple_nvfp4_test.zig");
+    _ = @import("cuda_ple_pool.zig");
 }
diff --git a/zig/src/families/flashnext/cuda_ple_pool.zig b/zig/src/families/flashnext/cuda_ple_pool.zig
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a9e6ea95c2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/zig/src/families/flashnext/cuda_ple_pool.zig
@@ -0,0 +1,139 @@
+//! The n-gram gather's parked host workers; parts claimed from one counter, each claim waking one more worker.
+const std = @import("std");
+
+/// The most parts a call may have (the caller beside up to 127 workers).
+pub const max_parts = 128;
+
+/// One part of a call: `run(ctx, part)`.
+pub const Task = struct {
+    ctx: *const anyopaque,
+    run: *const fn (ctx: *const anyopaque, part: usize) anyerror!void,
+};
+
+pub const Pool = struct {
+    gpa: std.mem.Allocator,
+    io: std.Io,
+    mutex: std.Io.Mutex = .init, // one call at a time
+    threads: [max_parts - 1]std.Thread = undefined,
+    go: [max_parts - 1]std.atomic.Value(u32) = undefined, // bumped to wake a worker: to claim parts, or to stop
+    spawned: usize = 0,
+    stopping: std.atomic.Value(bool) = .init(false),
+    // the current call: generation << 32 | parts << 16 | parts claimed (a claim is a compare-exchange on all three)
+    state: std.atomic.Value(u64) = .init(0),
+    done: std.atomic.Value(u32) = .init(0), // parts finished
+    waking: std.atomic.Value(u32) = .init(0), // workers woken
+    task: Task = undefined,
+    failed: [max_parts]?anyerror = undefined,
+
+    pub fn create(gpa: std.mem.Allocator, io: std.Io) !*Pool {
+        const p = try gpa.create(Pool);
+        p.* = .{ .gpa = gpa, .io = io };
+        return p;
+    }
+
+    /// Wakes every worker to exit, joins them and frees the pool.
+    pub fn destroy(p: *Pool) void {
+        p.stopping.store(true, .release);
+        for (p.go[0..p.spawned]) |*g| {
+            _ = g.fetchAdd(1, .release);
+            p.io.futexWake(u32, &g.raw, 1);
+        }
+        for (p.threads[0..p.spawned]) |th| th.join();
+        p.gpa.destroy(p);
+    }
+
+    /// Runs parts 0..parts-1 of `task` and returns when all are done: the first failed part's error, in part order.
+    pub fn run(p: *Pool, parts: usize, task: Task) !void {
+        if (parts == 0) return;
+        if (parts > max_parts) return error.TooManyParts;
+        p.mutex.lockUncancelable(p.io);
+        defer p.mutex.unlock(p.io);
+        while (p.spawned < parts - 1) {
+            p.go[p.spawned] = .init(0);
+            p.threads[p.spawned] = try std.Thread.spawn(.{}, work, .{ p, p.spawned });
+            p.spawned += 1;
+        }
+        p.task = task;
+        @memset(p.failed[0..parts], null);
+        p.done.store(0, .monotonic);
+        p.waking.store(0, .monotonic);
+        const gen = (p.state.load(.monotonic) >> 32) +% 1;
+        p.state.store(gen << 32 | @as(u64, parts) << 16, .release);
+        p.drain();
+        while (true) {
+            const done = p.done.load(.acquire);
+            if (done == parts) break;
+            p.io.futexWaitUncancelable(u32, &p.done.raw, done);
+        }
+        for (p.failed[0..parts]) |f| if (f) |err| return err;
+    }
+
+    /// Claims and runs parts of the current call until none is left unclaimed.
+    fn drain(p: *Pool) void {
+        var s = p.state.load(.acquire);
+        while (true) {
+            const parts: u32 = @intCast(s >> 16 & 0xffff);
+            const part: u32 = @intCast(s & 0xffff);
+            if (part >= parts) return;
+            if (p.state.cmpxchgWeak(s, s + 1, .acq_rel, .acquire)) |now| {
+                s = now;
+                continue;
+            }
+            if (part + 1 < parts) p.wakeOne(parts - 1);
+            p.failed[part] = if (p.task.run(p.task.ctx, part)) null else |err| err;
+            if (p.done.fetchAdd(1, .acq_rel) + 1 == parts) p.io.futexWake(u32, &p.done.raw, 1);
+            s = p.state.load(.acquire);
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Wakes the next parked worker: a call of quick parts stays mostly on the caller, one of slow parts fans out.
+    fn wakeOne(p: *Pool, workers: u32) void {
+        const w = p.waking.fetchAdd(1, .monotonic);
+        if (w >= workers) return;
+        _ = p.go[w].fetchAdd(1, .release);
+        p.io.futexWake(u32, &p.go[w].raw, 1);
+    }
+
+    fn work(p: *Pool, w: usize) void {
+        var seen: u32 = 0;
+        while (true) {
+            const now = p.go[w].load(.acquire);
+            if (now == seen) {
+                p.io.futexWaitUncancelable(u32, &p.go[w].raw, seen);
+                continue;
+            }
+            seen = now;
+            if (p.stopping.load(.acquire)) return;
+            p.drain();
+        }
+    }
+};
+
+test "parts run once each across calls of changing size, and the first failed part's error wins" {
+    const Job = struct {
+        hits: [max_parts]std.atomic.Value(u32) = @splat(.init(0)),
+        fail_from: usize = max_parts,
+
+        fn run(ctx: *const anyopaque, part: usize) anyerror!void {
+            const j: *@This() = @ptrCast(@alignCast(@constCast(ctx)));
+            _ = j.hits[part].fetchAdd(1, .monotonic);
+            if (part >= j.fail_from) return if (part == j.fail_from) error.First else error.Later;
+        }
+    };
+    const p = try Pool.create(std.testing.allocator, std.testing.io);
+    defer p.destroy();
+    var job: Job = .{};
+    const task: Task = .{ .ctx = &job, .run = Job.run };
+    const sizes = [_]usize{ 4, 16, 1, 128, 16, 4 };
+    for (sizes) |n| try p.run(n, task);
+    try std.testing.expectEqual(@as(usize, 127), p.spawned);
+    for (job.hits, 0..) |h, part| {
+        var calls: u32 = 0;
+        for (sizes) |n| calls += @intFromBool(part < n);
+        try std.testing.expectEqual(calls, h.load(.monotonic));
+    }
+    job.fail_from = 5;
+    try std.testing.expectError(error.First, p.run(64, task));
+    try p.run(5, task);
+    try std.testing.expectError(error.TooManyParts, p.run(max_parts + 1, task));
+}