diff --git a/hermes_cli/service_manager.py b/hermes_cli/service_manager.py
index 2fe5531489..03ed06dfbb 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/service_manager.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/service_manager.py
@@ -716,8 +716,12 @@ class S6ServiceManager:
         When the gateway exits with EX_CONFIG (78) — a fatal
         configuration error such as a token collision or no messaging
         platforms — we tell s6-supervise to stop restarting by exiting
-        125 (permanent failure).  Any other exit code lets s6 restart
-        normally.  See #51228.
+        125 (permanent failure).  A clean exit 0 is an intentional stop,
+        not a crash: restarting after it turns any normal gateway exit
+        into a reconnect loop (the ashriel-discord storm in #76435 —
+        1,000+ connections and a provider token reset).  Only non-zero,
+        non-78 exits (genuine crashes) let s6 restart normally.
+        See #51228, #76435.
         """
         from gateway.restart import GATEWAY_FATAL_CONFIG_EXIT_CODE
 
@@ -727,9 +731,13 @@ class S6ServiceManager:
             "# shellcheck shell=sh\n"
             "# $1 = exit code from the run script.\n"
             f"# Exit {code} (EX_CONFIG) = fatal config error — don't restart.\n"
+            "# Exit 0 (clean stop) = intentional stop — don't restart.\n"
             f'if [ "$1" = "{code}" ]; then\n'
             "  exit 125\n"
             "fi\n"
+            'if [ "$1" = "0" ]; then\n'
+            "  exit 125\n"
+            "fi\n"
             "exit 0\n"
         )
 
diff --git a/tests/hermes_cli/test_service_manager.py b/tests/hermes_cli/test_service_manager.py
index fb1cbefad0..2b044de7c5 100644
--- a/tests/hermes_cli/test_service_manager.py
+++ b/tests/hermes_cli/test_service_manager.py
@@ -286,6 +286,28 @@ def test_render_finish_script_exits_125_on_ex_config() -> None:
     assert "exit 0" in text
 
 
+def test_render_finish_script_does_not_restart_on_clean_exit(tmp_path) -> None:
+    """Behavioral: the rendered finish script, executed for each run-exit
+    code, must exit 125 (no restart) for clean exit 0 and EX_CONFIG 78,
+    and exit 0 (restart) for genuine crashes (#76435 — restart-on-normal-
+    exit turned a supervised gateway into a reconnect storm)."""
+    import subprocess
+
+    script = tmp_path / "finish"
+    script.write_text(S6ServiceManager._render_finish_script())
+    script.chmod(0o755)
+
+    def finish_exit(run_exit_code: int) -> int:
+        proc = subprocess.run(["sh", str(script), str(run_exit_code)],
+                              capture_output=True)
+        return proc.returncode
+
+    assert finish_exit(0) == 125   # clean stop — no restart
+    assert finish_exit(78) == 125  # fatal config — no restart
+    assert finish_exit(1) == 0     # crash — s6 restarts
+    assert finish_exit(137) == 0   # SIGKILL crash — s6 restarts
+
+