diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 315ae8e..cbc9253 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -2,6 +2,12 @@
 
 Notable changes to Swarmail. Versions follow [semantic versioning](https://semver.org).
 
+## Unreleased
+
+- A prompt no longer retries a pending registration whose edit checkout has been deleted. The server refuses a
+  worktree that is gone, so the hook warned on every prompt until the session ended. The pending entry is dropped;
+  the session's next edit registers it again.
+
 ## 0.5.1 - 2026-10-09
 
 - A session whose usual name is already held by another session in a project
diff --git a/src/registry.ts b/src/registry.ts
index 0cf6937..2fe085d 100644
--- a/src/registry.ts
+++ b/src/registry.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import { renameOver } from "./files.ts";
 import { stateHome, t3Home } from "./paths.ts";
 import {
   closeSync,
+  existsSync,
   mkdirSync,
   openSync,
   readdirSync,
@@ -412,10 +413,14 @@ export function openRegistry<S extends RegisterState = RegisterState>(
         if (endedSince(state, since)) {
           return;
         }
-        pending = state.pending;
-        if (state.ended) {
+        // A retry for an edit checkout that has since been deleted can never succeed: the server refuses a
+        // worktree that is gone, and the hook would warn on every prompt. A later edit registers again.
+        const stale = state.pending?.worktree !== undefined && !existsSync(state.pending.worktree);
+        pending = stale ? undefined : state.pending;
+        if (stale || state.ended) {
           const { ended, ...rest } = state;
-          writeState(file, rest as S);
+          const { pending: dropped, ...withoutPending } = rest;
+          writeState(file, (stale ? withoutPending : rest) as S);
         }
       });
       return pending;
diff --git a/test/registry.test.js b/test/registry.test.js
index d6d3c32..fddd5e8 100644
--- a/test/registry.test.js
+++ b/test/registry.test.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { expect, test } from "bun:test";
-import { mkdtempSync, readdirSync, readFileSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs";
+import { mkdirSync, mkdtempSync, readdirSync, readFileSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
 import { join } from "node:path";
 import { openRegistry } from "../src/registry.ts";
@@ -92,7 +92,11 @@ test("readers skip unreadable or foreign state and leftover temporary files", ()
 });
 
 test("a changed edit checkout refreshes registration and survives a failed retry", () => {
-  withRegistry((registry) => {
+  withRegistry((registry, dir) => {
+    const a = join(dir, "a");
+    const b = join(dir, "b");
+    mkdirSync(a);
+    mkdirSync(b);
     let up = true;
     const calls = [];
     const register = (project, name) => {
@@ -107,24 +111,24 @@ test("a changed edit checkout refreshes registration and survives a failed retry
         worktree,
         register,
       });
-    settle("/w/a");
-    settle("/w/a");
+    settle(a);
+    settle(a);
     expect(calls).toHaveLength(1);
     up = false;
-    expect(settle("/w/b").after.worktrees["/r"]).toBe("/w/a");
+    expect(settle(b).after.worktrees["/r"]).toBe(a);
     expect(registry.resume("edit", 0)).toEqual({
       project: "/r",
       tag: "[claude:edit cwd:/launch]",
-      worktree: "/w/b",
+      worktree: b,
     });
     expect(settle(undefined).after.pending).toEqual({
       project: "/r",
       tag: "[claude:edit cwd:/launch]",
-      worktree: "/w/b",
+      worktree: b,
     });
     up = true;
     const pending = registry.resume("edit", 0);
-    expect(settle(pending.worktree).after.worktrees["/r"]).toBe("/w/b");
+    expect(settle(pending.worktree).after.worktrees["/r"]).toBe(b);
     expect(registry.read("edit").pending).toBeUndefined();
     expect(calls).toEqual([
       ["/r", null],
@@ -134,6 +138,26 @@ test("a changed edit checkout refreshes registration and survives a failed retry
   });
 });
 
+test("a prompt drops a pending registration whose edit checkout was deleted", () => {
+  withRegistry((registry, dir) => {
+    const gone = join(dir, "gone");
+    mkdirSync(gone);
+    const settle = (worktree) =>
+      registry.settle("s1", {
+        since: 0,
+        project: "/r",
+        tag: "[t1]",
+        worktree,
+        register: () => null,
+      });
+    expect(settle(gone).after.pending).toEqual({ project: "/r", tag: "[t1]", worktree: gone });
+    expect(registry.resume("s1", 0)).toEqual({ project: "/r", tag: "[t1]", worktree: gone });
+    rmSync(gone, { recursive: true });
+    expect(registry.resume("s1", 0)).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(registry.read("s1").pending).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+});
+
 test("registration orderings preserve pending edit locations across supervisor calls", () => {
   withRegistry((registry, dir) => {
     const events = [