diff --git a/bin/agent-dispatch.sh b/bin/agent-dispatch.sh
index deb16abe..3250c778 100755
--- a/bin/agent-dispatch.sh
+++ b/bin/agent-dispatch.sh
@@ -202,6 +202,19 @@ curl -s -X POST "{gitea_url}/api/v1/repos/{repo}/issues/{issue_num}/comments" \\
 REVIEW CHECKLIST BEFORE YOU PUSH:
 {review}
 
+COMMIT DISCIPLINE (CRITICAL):
+- Commit every 3-5 tool calls. Do NOT wait until the end.
+- After every meaningful file change: git add -A && git commit -m "WIP: <what changed>"
+- Before running any destructive command: commit current state first.
+- If you are unsure whether to commit: commit. WIP commits are safe. Lost work is not.
+- Never use --no-verify.
+- The auto-commit-guard is your safety net, but do not rely on it. Commit proactively.
+
+RECOVERY COMMANDS (if interrupted, another agent can resume):
+git log --oneline -10          # see your WIP commits
+git diff HEAD~1                # see what the last commit changed
+git status                     # see uncommitted work
+
 RULES:
 - Do not skip hooks with --no-verify.
 - Do not silently widen the scope.
diff --git a/bin/agent-loop.sh b/bin/agent-loop.sh
index d2e56bc0..83e2cf32 100755
--- a/bin/agent-loop.sh
+++ b/bin/agent-loop.sh
@@ -161,6 +161,14 @@ run_worker() {
     CYCLE_END=$(date +%s)
     CYCLE_DURATION=$((CYCLE_END - CYCLE_START))
 
+    # --- Mid-session auto-commit: commit before timeout if work is dirty ---
+    cd "$worktree" 2>/dev/null || true
+    # Ensure auto-commit-guard is running
+    if ! pgrep -f "auto-commit-guard.sh" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+      log "Starting auto-commit-guard daemon"
+      nohup bash "$(dirname "$0")/auto-commit-guard.sh" 120 "$WORKTREE_BASE"         >> "$LOG_DIR/auto-commit-guard.log" 2>&1 &
+    fi
+
     # Salvage
     cd "$worktree" 2>/dev/null || true
     DIRTY=$(git status --porcelain 2>/dev/null | wc -l | tr -d ' ')
diff --git a/bin/auto-commit-guard.sh b/bin/auto-commit-guard.sh
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e95494d7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bin/auto-commit-guard.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,159 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# auto-commit-guard.sh — Background daemon that auto-commits uncommitted work
+#
+# Usage: auto-commit-guard.sh [interval_seconds] [worktree_base]
+#   auto-commit-guard.sh          # defaults: 120s, ~/worktrees
+#   auto-commit-guard.sh 60       # check every 60s
+#   auto-commit-guard.sh 180 ~/my-worktrees
+#
+# Scans all git repos under the worktree base for uncommitted changes.
+# If dirty for >= 1 check cycle, auto-commits with a WIP message.
+# Pushes unpushed commits so work is always recoverable from the remote.
+#
+# Also scans /tmp for orphaned agent workdirs on startup.
+
+set -uo pipefail
+
+INTERVAL="${1:-120}"
+WORKTREE_BASE="${2:-$HOME/worktrees}"
+LOG_DIR="$HOME/.hermes/logs"
+LOG="$LOG_DIR/auto-commit-guard.log"
+PIDFILE="$LOG_DIR/auto-commit-guard.pid"
+ORPHAN_SCAN_DONE="$LOG_DIR/.orphan-scan-done"
+
+mkdir -p "$LOG_DIR"
+
+# Single instance guard
+if [ -f "$PIDFILE" ]; then
+  old_pid=$(cat "$PIDFILE")
+  if kill -0 "$old_pid" 2>/dev/null; then
+    echo "auto-commit-guard already running (PID $old_pid)" >&2
+    exit 0
+  fi
+fi
+echo $$ > "$PIDFILE"
+trap 'rm -f "$PIDFILE"' EXIT
+
+log() {
+  echo "[$(date '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S')] AUTO-COMMIT: $*" >> "$LOG"
+}
+
+# --- Orphaned workdir scan (runs once on startup) ---
+scan_orphans() {
+  if [ -f "$ORPHAN_SCAN_DONE" ]; then
+    return 0
+  fi
+  log "Scanning /tmp for orphaned agent workdirs..."
+  local found=0
+  local rescued=0
+
+  for dir in /tmp/*-work-* /tmp/timmy-burn-* /tmp/tc-burn; do
+    [ -d "$dir" ] || continue
+    [ -d "$dir/.git" ] || continue
+
+    found=$((found + 1))
+    cd "$dir" 2>/dev/null || continue
+
+    local dirty
+    dirty=$(git status --porcelain 2>/dev/null | wc -l | tr -d " ")
+    if [ "${dirty:-0}" -gt 0 ]; then
+      local branch
+      branch=$(git branch --show-current 2>/dev/null || echo "orphan")
+      git add -A 2>/dev/null
+      if git commit -m "WIP: orphan rescue — $dirty file(s) auto-committed on $(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)
+
+Orphaned workdir detected at $dir.
+Branch: $branch
+Rescued by auto-commit-guard on startup." 2>/dev/null; then
+        rescued=$((rescued + 1))
+        log "RESCUED: $dir ($dirty files on branch $branch)"
+
+        # Try to push if remote exists
+        if git remote get-url origin >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+          git push -u origin "$branch" 2>/dev/null &&             log "PUSHED orphan rescue: $dir → $branch" ||             log "PUSH FAILED orphan rescue: $dir (no remote access)"
+        fi
+      fi
+    fi
+  done
+
+  log "Orphan scan complete: $found workdirs checked, $rescued rescued"
+  touch "$ORPHAN_SCAN_DONE"
+}
+
+# --- Main guard loop ---
+guard_cycle() {
+  local committed=0
+  local scanned=0
+
+  # Scan worktree base
+  if [ -d "$WORKTREE_BASE" ]; then
+    for dir in "$WORKTREE_BASE"/*/; do
+      [ -d "$dir" ] || continue
+      [ -d "$dir/.git" ] || continue
+
+      scanned=$((scanned + 1))
+      cd "$dir" 2>/dev/null || continue
+
+      local dirty
+      dirty=$(git status --porcelain 2>/dev/null | wc -l | tr -d " ")
+      [ "${dirty:-0}" -eq 0 ] && continue
+
+      local branch
+      branch=$(git branch --show-current 2>/dev/null || echo "detached")
+
+      git add -A 2>/dev/null
+      if git commit -m "WIP: auto-commit — $dirty file(s) on $branch
+
+Automated commit by auto-commit-guard at $(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ).
+Work preserved to prevent loss on crash." 2>/dev/null; then
+        committed=$((committed + 1))
+        log "COMMITTED: $dir ($dirty files, branch $branch)"
+
+        # Push to preserve remotely
+        if git remote get-url origin >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+          git push -u origin "$branch" 2>/dev/null &&             log "PUSHED: $dir → $branch" ||             log "PUSH FAILED: $dir (will retry next cycle)"
+        fi
+      fi
+    done
+  fi
+
+  # Also scan /tmp for agent workdirs
+  for dir in /tmp/*-work-*; do
+    [ -d "$dir" ] || continue
+    [ -d "$dir/.git" ] || continue
+
+    scanned=$((scanned + 1))
+    cd "$dir" 2>/dev/null || continue
+
+    local dirty
+    dirty=$(git status --porcelain 2>/dev/null | wc -l | tr -d " ")
+    [ "${dirty:-0}" -eq 0 ] && continue
+
+    local branch
+    branch=$(git branch --show-current 2>/dev/null || echo "detached")
+
+    git add -A 2>/dev/null
+    if git commit -m "WIP: auto-commit — $dirty file(s) on $branch
+
+Automated commit by auto-commit-guard at $(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ).
+Agent workdir preserved to prevent loss." 2>/dev/null; then
+      committed=$((committed + 1))
+      log "COMMITTED: $dir ($dirty files, branch $branch)"
+
+      if git remote get-url origin >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+        git push -u origin "$branch" 2>/dev/null &&           log "PUSHED: $dir → $branch" ||           log "PUSH FAILED: $dir (will retry next cycle)"
+      fi
+    fi
+  done
+
+  [ "$committed" -gt 0 ] && log "Cycle done: $scanned scanned, $committed committed"
+}
+
+# --- Entry point ---
+log "Starting auto-commit-guard (interval=${INTERVAL}s, worktree=${WORKTREE_BASE})"
+scan_orphans
+
+while true; do
+  guard_cycle
+  sleep "$INTERVAL"
+done
diff --git a/bin/timmy-orchestrator.sh b/bin/timmy-orchestrator.sh
index 806a721f..990e83da 100755
--- a/bin/timmy-orchestrator.sh
+++ b/bin/timmy-orchestrator.sh
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 # Uses Hermes CLI plus workforce-manager to triage and review.
 # Timmy is the brain. Other agents are the hands.
 
-set -uo pipefail
+set -uo pipefail\n\nSCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
 
 LOG_DIR="$HOME/.hermes/logs"
 LOG="$LOG_DIR/timmy-orchestrator.log"
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ gather_state() {
   > "$state_dir/unassigned.txt"
   > "$state_dir/open_prs.txt"
   > "$state_dir/agent_status.txt"
+  > "$state_dir/uncommitted_work.txt"
 
   for repo in $REPOS; do
     local short=$(echo "$repo" | cut -d/ -f2)
@@ -71,6 +72,24 @@ for p in json.load(sys.stdin):
   tail -50 "/tmp/kimi-heartbeat.log" 2>/dev/null | grep -c "FAILED:" | xargs -I{} echo "Kimi recent failures: {}" >> "$state_dir/agent_status.txt"
   tail -1 "/tmp/kimi-heartbeat.log" 2>/dev/null | xargs -I{} echo "Kimi last event: {}" >> "$state_dir/agent_status.txt"
 
+  # Scan worktrees for uncommitted work
+  for wt_dir in "$HOME/worktrees"/*/; do
+    [ -d "$wt_dir" ] || continue
+    [ -d "$wt_dir/.git" ] || continue
+    local dirty
+    dirty=$(cd "$wt_dir" && git status --porcelain 2>/dev/null | wc -l | tr -d " ")
+    if [ "${dirty:-0}" -gt 0 ]; then
+      local branch
+      branch=$(cd "$wt_dir" && git branch --show-current 2>/dev/null || echo "?")
+      local age=""
+      local last_commit
+      last_commit=$(cd "$wt_dir" && git log -1 --format=%ct 2>/dev/null || echo 0)
+      local now=$(date +%s)
+      local stale_mins=$(( (now - last_commit) / 60 ))
+      echo "DIR=$wt_dir BRANCH=$branch DIRTY=$dirty STALE=${stale_mins}m" >> "$state_dir/uncommitted_work.txt"
+    fi
+  done
+
   echo "$state_dir"
 }
 
@@ -81,6 +100,25 @@ run_triage() {
 
   log "Cycle: $unassigned_count unassigned, $pr_count open PRs"
 
+  # Check for uncommitted work — nag if stale
+  local uncommitted_count
+  uncommitted_count=$(wc -l < "$state_dir/uncommitted_work.txt" 2>/dev/null | tr -d " " || echo 0)
+  if [ "${uncommitted_count:-0}" -gt 0 ]; then
+    log "WARNING: $uncommitted_count worktree(s) with uncommitted work"
+    while IFS= read -r line; do
+      log "  UNCOMMITTED: $line"
+      # Auto-commit stale work (>60 min without commit)
+      local stale=$(echo "$line" | sed 's/.*STALE=\([0-9]*\)m.*/\1/')
+      local wt_dir=$(echo "$line" | sed 's/.*DIR=\([^ ]*\) .*/\1/')
+      if [ "${stale:-0}" -gt 60 ]; then
+        log "  AUTO-COMMITTING stale work in $wt_dir (${stale}m stale)"
+        (cd "$wt_dir" && git add -A && git commit -m "WIP: orchestrator auto-commit — ${stale}m stale work
+
+Preserved by timmy-orchestrator to prevent loss." 2>/dev/null &&           git push 2>/dev/null) && log "  COMMITTED: $wt_dir" || log "  COMMIT FAILED: $wt_dir"
+      fi
+    done < "$state_dir/uncommitted_work.txt"
+  fi
+
   # If nothing to do, skip the LLM call
   if [ "$unassigned_count" -eq 0 ] && [ "$pr_count" -eq 0 ]; then
     log "Nothing to triage"
@@ -198,6 +236,12 @@ FOOTER
 log "=== Timmy Orchestrator Started (PID $$) ==="
 log "Cycle: ${CYCLE_INTERVAL}s | Auto-assign: ${AUTO_ASSIGN_UNASSIGNED} | Inference surface: Hermes CLI"
 
+# Start auto-commit-guard daemon for work preservation
+if ! pgrep -f "auto-commit-guard.sh" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  nohup bash "$SCRIPT_DIR/auto-commit-guard.sh" 120 >> "$LOG_DIR/auto-commit-guard.log" 2>&1 &
+  log "Started auto-commit-guard daemon (PID $!)"
+fi
+
 WORKFORCE_CYCLE=0
 
 while true; do
diff --git a/deploy/auto-commit-guard.plist b/deploy/auto-commit-guard.plist
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9877d734
--- /dev/null
+++ b/deploy/auto-commit-guard.plist
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
+<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
+<plist version="1.0">
+<dict>
+    <key>Label</key>
+    <string>ai.timmy.auto-commit-guard</string>
+    <key>ProgramArguments</key>
+    <array>
+        <string>/bin/bash</string>
+        <string>/Users/apayne/.hermes/bin/auto-commit-guard.sh</string>
+        <string>120</string>
+    </array>
+    <key>RunAtLoad</key>
+    <true/>
+    <key>KeepAlive</key>
+    <true/>
+    <key>StandardOutPath</key>
+    <string>/Users/apayne/.hermes/logs/auto-commit-guard.stdout.log</string>
+    <key>StandardErrorPath</key>
+    <string>/Users/apayne/.hermes/logs/auto-commit-guard.stderr.log</string>
+    <key>WorkingDirectory</key>
+    <string>/Users/apayne</string>
+</dict>
+</plist>