diff --git a/cli.py b/cli.py
index 40f875ee00..12b179f1d8 100644
--- a/cli.py
+++ b/cli.py
@@ -1475,6 +1475,86 @@ def _path_is_within_root(path: Path, root: Path) -> bool:
         return False
 
 
+def _cleanup_failed_worktree_add(repo_root: str, wt_path: Path, branch_name: str) -> None:
+    """Make a failed/timed-out ``git worktree add`` atomic after the fact.
+
+    ``git worktree add`` is not transactional: killed mid-checkout (the 30s
+    timeout) it leaves (a) the partially-materialized worktree directory,
+    (b) an admin entry under ``.git/worktrees/<name>`` that is LOCKED with a
+    reason naming the *current, live* pid — so the startup pruner's
+    dead-pid unlock will never touch it — and (c) sometimes the new branch.
+    Any retry of the same name then fails on the leftovers. Sweep all three,
+    quietly; every step is fail-soft because this runs on an error path.
+    """
+    import shutil
+    import subprocess
+
+    def _git(*args: str) -> None:
+        try:
+            subprocess.run(
+                ["git", *args],
+                capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=15, cwd=repo_root, check=False,
+            )
+        except Exception:
+            pass
+
+    try:
+        # Unlock first: `worktree remove --force` refuses a locked tree.
+        _git("worktree", "unlock", str(wt_path))
+        _git("worktree", "remove", "--force", str(wt_path))
+        if wt_path.exists():
+            shutil.rmtree(wt_path, ignore_errors=True)
+        # Drop the orphaned admin entry when the dir is already gone
+        # (`remove` needs the dir; `prune` handles the dirless case).
+        _git("worktree", "prune")
+        _git("branch", "-D", branch_name)
+    except Exception as e:
+        logger.debug("cleanup after failed worktree add: %s", e)
+
+
+_PACK_SPRAWL_THRESHOLD = 15
+
+
+def _maintain_pack_health(repo_root: str) -> None:
+    """Repack the object store when pack files sprawl (background thread).
+
+    On a multi-agent box every fetch/salvage session adds packs; git never
+    consolidates them on its own aggressively enough (``gc --auto``'s
+    threshold is 50 *and* it counts only non-kept packs). Past a few dozen
+    packs every object lookup scans every pack index, and worktree creation
+    can blow its 30s timeout under concurrent load (Aug 2026 incident: 39
+    packs, 638MB → ``hermes -w`` timing out; a full repack halved the store
+    and restored 0.5s creates). Threshold 15 keeps lookups fast without
+    repacking on every startup; ``nice`` + background thread keeps it off
+    the startup path. Fail-soft everywhere.
+    """
+    import subprocess
+
+    try:
+        pack_dir = Path(repo_root) / ".git" / "objects" / "pack"
+        if not pack_dir.is_dir():
+            return
+        packs = len(list(pack_dir.glob("*.pack")))
+        if packs < _PACK_SPRAWL_THRESHOLD:
+            return
+        logger.info("git pack sprawl (%d packs) — repacking in background", packs)
+        cmd = ["git", "repack", "-a", "-d", "--quiet"]
+        if os.name == "posix":
+            cmd = ["nice", "-n", "19", *cmd]
+        subprocess.run(
+            cmd,
+            capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=1800, cwd=repo_root, check=False,
+        )
+        # Repacking can strand now-duplicated admin files; a prune here keeps
+        # the worktree bookkeeping tight on the same maintenance pass.
+        subprocess.run(
+            ["git", "worktree", "prune"],
+            capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=60, cwd=repo_root, check=False,
+        )
+    except Exception as e:
+        logger.debug("pack maintenance skipped: %s", e)
+
+
 def _resolve_worktree_base(
     repo_root: str,
     fetch_timeout: float = 5,
@@ -1711,15 +1791,25 @@ def _setup_worktree(repo_root: str = None, sync_base: bool = True,
                     "worktree add from %s failed (%s); retrying from local HEAD",
                     base_ref, result.stderr.strip(),
                 )
+                _cleanup_failed_worktree_add(repo_root, wt_path, branch_name)
                 base_ref, base_label = "HEAD", "HEAD (fallback — remote base failed)"
                 result = subprocess.run(
                     ["git", "worktree", "add", str(wt_path), "-b", branch_name, base_ref],
                     capture_output=True, text=True, encoding="utf-8", errors="replace", timeout=30, cwd=repo_root,
                 )
             if result.returncode != 0:
+                _cleanup_failed_worktree_add(repo_root, wt_path, branch_name)
                 print(f"\033[31m✗ Failed to create worktree: {result.stderr.strip()}\033[0m")
                 return None
     except Exception as e:
+        # A timed-out/failed `worktree add` is NOT atomic: git leaves the
+        # partially-materialized directory plus a LOCKED admin entry under
+        # .git/worktrees/<name> whose lock pid is THIS live process — so the
+        # startup pruner's dead-pid unlock never reaps it and every retry of
+        # the same name fails. Clean up our own wreckage before surfacing
+        # the error (Aug 2026 incident: 30s timeout during pack-sprawl left
+        # exactly this poison).
+        _cleanup_failed_worktree_add(repo_root, wt_path, branch_name)
         print(f"\033[31m✗ Failed to create worktree: {e}\033[0m")
         return None
 
@@ -19730,8 +19820,16 @@ def main(
                     # is immune to reaping (<24h age gate + live pid lock).
                     _repo = _git_repo_root()
                     if _repo:
+                        def _worktree_maintenance(repo: str) -> None:
+                            _prune_stale_worktrees(repo)
+                            # Same pass: repack when packs sprawl, so object
+                            # lookups (and the next `worktree add`) stay fast
+                            # on multi-agent boxes. After the pruner so the
+                            # repack sees final refs.
+                            _maintain_pack_health(repo)
+
                         threading.Thread(
-                            target=_prune_stale_worktrees,
+                            target=_worktree_maintenance,
                             args=(_repo,),
                             name="worktree-prune",
                             daemon=True,
diff --git a/hermes_cli/main.py b/hermes_cli/main.py
index 8e43f0ffa0..575c87ff48 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/main.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/main.py
@@ -2707,6 +2707,7 @@ def _launch_tui(
             from cli import (
                 _cleanup_worktree,
                 _git_repo_root,
+                _maintain_pack_health,
                 _prune_stale_worktrees,
                 _setup_worktree,
             )
@@ -2714,6 +2715,19 @@ def _launch_tui(
             repo = _git_repo_root()
             if repo:
                 _prune_stale_worktrees(repo)
+                # Same maintenance pass as the CLI path: repack on pack
+                # sprawl so `worktree add` never crawls on a multi-agent box
+                # (cli._maintain_pack_health is a cheap no-op below the
+                # threshold). Runs on a thread — the TUI path calls the
+                # pruner synchronously, and a repack must not block launch.
+                import threading as _threading
+
+                _threading.Thread(
+                    target=_maintain_pack_health,
+                    args=(repo,),
+                    name="pack-maintenance",
+                    daemon=True,
+                ).start()
             wt_info = _setup_worktree()
         except Exception as exc:
             print(f"✗ Failed to create TUI worktree: {exc}", file=sys.stderr)
diff --git a/tests/cli/test_worktree_selfheal.py b/tests/cli/test_worktree_selfheal.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9afed83464
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/cli/test_worktree_selfheal.py
@@ -0,0 +1,129 @@
+"""Tests for git self-heal: atomic worktree-add failure cleanup + pack maintenance.
+
+Regression for the Aug 2026 `hermes -w` timeout incident: 39 accumulated packs
+slowed object lookups until `git worktree add` blew its 30s timeout, and the
+timed-out add left a partially-materialized worktree plus a LOCKED admin entry
+(lock pid = the live hermes process), poisoning every retry.
+
+Two behaviors:
+1. `_cleanup_failed_worktree_add` — removes the partial dir, the admin entry
+   (even when LOCKED), and the orphaned branch, so a failed add is atomic.
+2. `_maintain_pack_health` — repacks when *.pack count reaches the sprawl
+   threshold; no-op below it.
+"""
+
+import subprocess
+from pathlib import Path
+
+import pytest
+
+
+def _git(cwd, *args, check=True):
+    return subprocess.run(
+        ["git", *args], cwd=str(cwd), capture_output=True, text=True, check=check
+    )
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def repo(tmp_path):
+    root = tmp_path / "repo"
+    root.mkdir()
+    _git(root, "init", "-q", "-b", "main")
+    _git(root, "config", "user.email", "t@t")
+    _git(root, "config", "user.name", "t")
+    (root / "f.txt").write_text("x\n")
+    _git(root, "add", "-A")
+    _git(root, "commit", "-qm", "init")
+    return root
+
+
+class TestCleanupFailedWorktreeAdd:
+    def _simulate_timed_out_add(self, repo):
+        """Reproduce git's post-timeout wreckage: partial dir + LOCKED admin
+        entry + branch. Built from a real add then re-locking + damaging it,
+        which yields the same on-disk shape as a killed `worktree add`."""
+        wt = repo / ".worktrees" / "hermes-dead00"
+        _git(repo, "worktree", "add", str(wt), "-b", "hermes/hermes-dead00")
+        # Live-pid lock, exactly what `hermes -w` writes before the checkout.
+        _git(repo, "worktree", "lock", str(wt), "--reason", "hermes pid=999999")
+        # Partial materialization: gut the checkout but keep the dir + .git file.
+        for child in wt.iterdir():
+            if child.name != ".git":
+                child.unlink()
+        return wt
+
+    def test_sweeps_dir_admin_entry_and_branch(self, repo):
+        from cli import _cleanup_failed_worktree_add
+
+        wt = self._simulate_timed_out_add(repo)
+        admin = repo / ".git" / "worktrees" / "hermes-dead00"
+        assert admin.exists() and (admin / "locked").exists()
+
+        _cleanup_failed_worktree_add(str(repo), wt, "hermes/hermes-dead00")
+
+        assert not wt.exists(), "partial worktree dir must be removed"
+        assert not admin.exists(), "LOCKED admin entry must be removed"
+        branches = _git(repo, "branch", "--list", "hermes/hermes-dead00").stdout
+        assert branches.strip() == "", "orphaned branch must be deleted"
+
+    def test_retry_succeeds_after_cleanup(self, repo):
+        """The whole point: the same worktree name is creatable again."""
+        from cli import _cleanup_failed_worktree_add
+
+        wt = self._simulate_timed_out_add(repo)
+        _cleanup_failed_worktree_add(str(repo), wt, "hermes/hermes-dead00")
+
+        result = _git(
+            repo, "worktree", "add", str(wt), "-b", "hermes/hermes-dead00", check=False
+        )
+        assert result.returncode == 0, f"retry failed: {result.stderr}"
+
+    def test_noop_when_nothing_exists(self, repo):
+        """Fail-soft on an error path where git never created anything."""
+        from cli import _cleanup_failed_worktree_add
+
+        _cleanup_failed_worktree_add(
+            str(repo), repo / ".worktrees" / "never-existed", "hermes/never-existed"
+        )  # must not raise
+
+
+class TestMaintainPackHealth:
+    def _pack_count(self, repo):
+        return len(list((repo / ".git" / "objects" / "pack").glob("*.pack")))
+
+    def _make_packs(self, repo, n):
+        """Create n distinct packs by committing + repacking incrementally."""
+        for i in range(n):
+            (repo / f"p{i}.txt").write_text(f"{i}\n")
+            _git(repo, "add", "-A")
+            _git(repo, "commit", "-qm", f"c{i}")
+            # `repack` without -a packs only loose objects → one new pack.
+            _git(repo, "repack", "-q")
+        return self._pack_count(repo)
+
+    def test_repacks_at_threshold(self, repo, monkeypatch):
+        import cli
+
+        made = self._make_packs(repo, 6)
+        assert made >= 6
+        monkeypatch.setattr(cli, "_PACK_SPRAWL_THRESHOLD", 5)
+
+        cli._maintain_pack_health(str(repo))
+
+        after = self._pack_count(repo)
+        assert after <= 2, f"expected consolidation, still {after} packs"
+
+    def test_noop_below_threshold(self, repo, monkeypatch):
+        import cli
+
+        made = self._make_packs(repo, 3)
+        monkeypatch.setattr(cli, "_PACK_SPRAWL_THRESHOLD", 50)
+
+        cli._maintain_pack_health(str(repo))
+
+        assert self._pack_count(repo) == made, "below threshold must be a no-op"
+
+    def test_fail_soft_on_missing_pack_dir(self, tmp_path):
+        from cli import _maintain_pack_health
+
+        _maintain_pack_health(str(tmp_path / "not-a-repo"))  # must not raise