diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 6bef6d5..8601ec2 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -8,6 +8,19 @@ new version heading in the same commit.
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+## [0.265.2] — 2026-07-24
+### Fixed
+- **The `consolidator` (memory gardener) crashed at launch on every tenant — and so could any run with a
+  large task prompt.** `LocalSessionBackend` puts every launch env var on the `tmux new-session` command
+  line, and tmux hard-caps that command at ~16KB (`command too long`). The consolidator embeds up to 40
+  recent episodes/lessons in its task (18–46KB), which — base64'd into `TASK_B64` — overflowed the cap, so
+  `new-session` failed **silently**: no pane, no transcript, no `.log`, and the liveness sweep then flipped
+  the never-launched row to `crashed` (~11s in, `turns=null`). Only the single small-task run ever
+  succeeded. The task now rides as a **file** (`TASK_FILE`, like `mcp.json`/`company.md` already do) instead
+  of a giant env var, keeping the command line tiny regardless of task size; `claude-launch.sh` reads
+  `TASK_FILE` (falling back to `TASK_B64` for pre-existing resume envs). Fixes the consolidation half of the
+  self-learning loop and any chat/automation run whose prompt exceeded ~10KB.
+
 ## [0.265.1] — 2026-07-24
 ### Fixed
 - **Task room sidebar no longer overlaps/cramps its Status/Assignee/Goal/Criteria controls.** Select
diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index 2b5a61d..7917135 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 {
   "name": "agent-os",
-  "version": "0.265.1",
+  "version": "0.265.2",
   "lockfileVersion": 3,
   "requires": true,
   "packages": {
     "": {
       "name": "agent-os",
-      "version": "0.265.1",
+      "version": "0.265.2",
       "license": "MIT",
       "bin": {
         "agent-os": "bin/agent-os"
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index f2e2cc0..5b43ef9 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "agent-os",
-  "version": "0.265.1",
+  "version": "0.265.2",
   "description": "A generic, governed operating system for running autonomous agents safely across brands. Ships with a local web console.",
   "license": "MIT",
   "type": "commonjs",
diff --git a/src/edge/launcher.ts b/src/edge/launcher.ts
index 654a75a..8b6bc55 100644
--- a/src/edge/launcher.ts
+++ b/src/edge/launcher.ts
@@ -319,7 +319,7 @@ export class LauncherDaemon {
    * uid can read them, and return the env additions (MCP_CONFIG/COMPANY_FILE) pointing at them.
    * Written as root then chowned to the member uid, 0600. (The app can't write the member's 0700 home.)
    */
-  private writeSessionFiles(member: string, uid: number, sessionId: string, files?: { mcp?: string; company?: string }): Record<string, string> {
+  private writeSessionFiles(member: string, uid: number, sessionId: string, files?: { mcp?: string; company?: string; task?: string }): Record<string, string> {
     const dir = this.sessionsDir(member);
     this.prepareDir(dir, uid); // mkdir + chown uid + 0700
     const extra: Record<string, string> = {};
@@ -332,6 +332,7 @@ export class LauncherDaemon {
     };
     if (files?.mcp) put(`${sessionId}.mcp.json`, files.mcp, 'MCP_CONFIG');
     if (files?.company) put(`${sessionId}.company.md`, files.company, 'COMPANY_FILE');
+    if (files?.task) put(`${sessionId}.task`, files.task, 'TASK_FILE');
     return extra;
   }
 
diff --git a/src/edge/session-backend.ts b/src/edge/session-backend.ts
index 87dfaab..9b71f3f 100644
--- a/src/edge/session-backend.ts
+++ b/src/edge/session-backend.ts
@@ -21,9 +21,11 @@ export interface SpawnSpec {
   env: Record<string, string>;
   /** The in-session command, e.g. `['bash', '/abs/terminal/claude-launch.sh']`. */
   argv: string[];
-  /** Per-session file CONTENTS the runner reads: the `.mcp.json` (connectors) + company markdown.
-   *  Each backend materialises them somewhere the session can read (local dir vs the member home). */
-  files?: { mcp?: string; company?: string };
+  /** Per-session file CONTENTS the runner reads: the `.mcp.json` (connectors), company markdown, and the
+   *  opening task prompt. Each backend materialises them somewhere the session can read (local dir vs the
+   *  member home). The task rides as a file (not inline env) so a large prompt can't overflow tmux's
+   *  new-session command-length cap — see launchClaudeCode. */
+  files?: { mcp?: string; company?: string; task?: string };
   /** The shared agent source dir. Under the launcher it's copied to a per-member working dir (so the
    *  member uid can write claude's `.claude/`/scratch); the local backend ignores it (claude runs as
    *  the app uid directly in the source dir, as today). */
diff --git a/src/terminal.ts b/src/terminal.ts
index aca2c71..c000900 100644
--- a/src/terminal.ts
+++ b/src/terminal.ts
@@ -1591,8 +1591,11 @@ export class TerminalManager {
     // agent's plain `ssh` authenticates to a host without ever handling the key. (Local-lane only.)
     this.injectHostCredentials(env, o.agent, o.actingMember, o.id);
     if (this.uidIsolation) {
-      // Flag on: the launcher writes the files INTO the member's home and sets MCP_CONFIG/COMPANY_FILE itself.
-      this.backend.spawn(this.spaceFor(o.actingMember ?? o.spawnedBy), { sessionId: o.id, agent: o.agent, tmuxName: tmux, env, argv: ['bash', this.launcher], files: { mcp: mcpJson || undefined, company: companyMd || undefined }, agentSrc: manifest.dir });
+      // Flag on: the launcher writes the files INTO the member's home and sets MCP_CONFIG/COMPANY_FILE/
+      // TASK_FILE itself. The task rides as a FILE (not the inline TASK_B64 env) for the same reason as the
+      // local lane below — see the delete note there; the launcher points TASK_FILE at the member-home copy.
+      delete env.TASK_B64;
+      this.backend.spawn(this.spaceFor(o.actingMember ?? o.spawnedBy), { sessionId: o.id, agent: o.agent, tmuxName: tmux, env, argv: ['bash', this.launcher], files: { mcp: mcpJson || undefined, company: companyMd || undefined, task: o.task || undefined }, agentSrc: manifest.dir });
     } else {
       // Flag off: materialise into the app's connectors dir and persist the launch context so the ttyd
       // attach wrapper can resurrect a dead session. Headless automation runs write no resurrect env.
@@ -1600,6 +1603,15 @@ export class TerminalManager {
       if (mcpFile) env.MCP_CONFIG = mcpFile;
       const companyFile = this.writeSessionFile(o.id, 'company.md', companyMd);
       if (companyFile) env.COMPANY_FILE = companyFile;
+      // The task rides as a FILE, not the inline TASK_B64 env. LocalSessionBackend.spawn puts EVERY env var
+      // on the `tmux new-session` command line, and tmux hard-caps that command at ~16KB ("command too
+      // long") — so a base64'd task over ~10KB (e.g. the consolidator's 40-episode batch, or any long
+      // chat/automation prompt) made new-session fail SILENTLY: no pane, no transcript, then the liveness
+      // sweep flipped the never-launched row to `crashed`. Passing the task by path keeps the command line
+      // tiny regardless of task size; the launcher reads TASK_FILE (falling back to TASK_B64 for old
+      // persisted resume envs). Drop TASK_B64 once the file is written so it can't re-inflate the cmdline.
+      const taskFile = this.writeSessionFile(o.id, 'task', o.task);
+      if (taskFile) { env.TASK_FILE = taskFile; delete env.TASK_B64; }
       if (!o.headless) this.writeEnvFile(o.id, env);
       this.backend.spawn(this.spaceFor(o.actingMember ?? o.spawnedBy), { sessionId: o.id, agent: o.agent, tmuxName: tmux, env, argv: ['bash', this.launcher] });
     }
diff --git a/terminal/claude-launch.sh b/terminal/claude-launch.sh
index 243c9e1..b9ced79 100755
--- a/terminal/claude-launch.sh
+++ b/terminal/claude-launch.sh
@@ -27,7 +27,15 @@ fi
 # The `claude` CLI is commonly installed under ~/.local/bin; make sure it's findable even
 # when the parent process (e.g. a hardened systemd unit) ships a minimal PATH.
 export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"
-TASK=$(printf '%s' "${TASK_B64:-}" | base64 -d 2>/dev/null)
+# The opening task prompt. Prefer TASK_FILE (a path the server materialised) over the inline TASK_B64
+# env: LocalSessionBackend puts every env var on the `tmux new-session` command line, which tmux caps at
+# ~16KB, so a large base64 task there made new-session fail and the run never launched. TASK_B64 is kept
+# as a fallback for sessions whose persisted resume env predates TASK_FILE.
+if [ -n "${TASK_FILE:-}" ] && [ -f "${TASK_FILE}" ]; then
+  TASK=$(cat "${TASK_FILE}")
+else
+  TASK=$(printf '%s' "${TASK_B64:-}" | base64 -d 2>/dev/null)
+fi
 
 cyan() { printf '\033[36m%s\033[0m\n' "$1"; }
 dim()  { printf '\033[2m%s\033[0m\n' "$1"; }