diff --git a/gateway/run.py b/gateway/run.py
index 3353124823..8340ae80eb 100644
--- a/gateway/run.py
+++ b/gateway/run.py
@@ -12222,6 +12222,36 @@ class GatewayRunner(GatewayAuthorizationMixin, GatewayKanbanWatchersMixin, Gatew
             logger.warning("Legacy session recovery on startup failed: %s", exc)
         return exact, fallback
 
+    def _start_loop_heartbeat_task(self) -> None:
+        """Start the loop-liveness heartbeat task (#66892), idempotent.
+
+        An asyncio task so a frozen loop stops refreshing
+        ``state/gateway.heartbeat``. Cancelled with the other background
+        tasks during stop(). Best-effort — a liveness probe must never be
+        able to abort startup.
+        """
+        try:
+            _existing_hb = getattr(self, "_loop_heartbeat_task", None)
+            if _existing_hb is not None and not _existing_hb.done():
+                return
+            self._loop_heartbeat_task = asyncio.create_task(
+                loop_heartbeat_forever(
+                    interval_s=DEFAULT_HEARTBEAT_INTERVAL_S,
+                    start_time=getattr(self, "_gateway_started_at", 0.0),
+                )
+            )
+            # PERMANENT for the process lifetime, same as a
+            # _spawn_supervised watcher — tag it so
+            # _scale_to_zero_has_live_background_work() doesn't treat an
+            # armed, otherwise-idle gateway as busy forever.
+            self._loop_heartbeat_task._hermes_supervised_watcher = True  # type: ignore[attr-defined]
+            _bg = getattr(self, "_background_tasks", None)
+            if _bg is not None:
+                _bg.add(self._loop_heartbeat_task)
+                self._loop_heartbeat_task.add_done_callback(_bg.discard)
+        except Exception:
+            logger.debug("Failed to start gateway loop heartbeat", exc_info=True)
+
     async def start(self) -> bool:
         """
         Start the gateway and all configured platform adapters.
@@ -12991,25 +13021,7 @@ class GatewayRunner(GatewayAuthorizationMixin, GatewayKanbanWatchersMixin, Gatew
         self._install_plugin_message_injector()
         self._update_runtime_status("running")
 
-        # Loop-liveness heartbeat (#66892): an asyncio task so a frozen loop
-        # stops refreshing ``state/gateway.heartbeat``. Cancelled with the
-        # other background tasks during stop(). Best-effort — a liveness probe
-        # must never be able to abort startup.
-        try:
-            _existing_hb = getattr(self, "_loop_heartbeat_task", None)
-            if _existing_hb is None or _existing_hb.done():
-                self._loop_heartbeat_task = asyncio.create_task(
-                    loop_heartbeat_forever(
-                        interval_s=DEFAULT_HEARTBEAT_INTERVAL_S,
-                        start_time=getattr(self, "_gateway_started_at", 0.0),
-                    )
-                )
-                _bg = getattr(self, "_background_tasks", None)
-                if _bg is not None:
-                    _bg.add(self._loop_heartbeat_task)
-                    self._loop_heartbeat_task.add_done_callback(_bg.discard)
-        except Exception:
-            logger.debug("Failed to start gateway loop heartbeat", exc_info=True)
+        self._start_loop_heartbeat_task()
 
         # Emit gateway:startup hook
         hook_count = len(self.hooks.loaded_hooks)
@@ -21249,6 +21261,11 @@ class GatewayRunner(GatewayAuthorizationMixin, GatewayKanbanWatchersMixin, Gatew
         try:
             task = asyncio.create_task(_poll_loop())
             self._heartbeat_poll_task = task
+            # PERMANENT once started (an infinite while-True loop, no exit
+            # condition) — same as a _spawn_supervised watcher. Tag it so
+            # _scale_to_zero_has_live_background_work() doesn't treat a
+            # gateway with an active heartbeat watch as busy forever.
+            task._hermes_supervised_watcher = True  # type: ignore[attr-defined]
             _bg = getattr(self, "_background_tasks", None)
             if _bg is not None:
                 _bg.add(task)
diff --git a/tests/gateway/test_scale_to_zero_watcher.py b/tests/gateway/test_scale_to_zero_watcher.py
index f5e5eedac7..f4fc4fdb23 100644
--- a/tests/gateway/test_scale_to_zero_watcher.py
+++ b/tests/gateway/test_scale_to_zero_watcher.py
@@ -370,3 +370,48 @@ async def test_done_supervised_watcher_is_ignored_either_way():
     await t
     r._background_tasks = {t}
     assert r._scale_to_zero_has_live_background_work() is False
+
+
+# ── permanent tasks spawned OUTSIDE _spawn_supervised must also be tagged ──
+#
+# _loop_heartbeat_task and _heartbeat_poll_task are both infinite while-True
+# loops added to _background_tasks via plain asyncio.create_task() + manual
+# add(), NOT through _spawn_supervised — so they were untagged and defeated
+# the fix above: _loop_heartbeat_task starts unconditionally on every
+# gateway boot (start()), which would make the busy check return True
+# forever regardless of the _spawn_supervised fix, on every armed instance.
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_loop_heartbeat_task_does_not_block_idle():
+    r = GatewayRunner.__new__(GatewayRunner)
+    r._running = True
+    r._background_tasks = set()
+    r._loop_heartbeat_task = None
+    r._gateway_started_at = time.time()
+
+    r._start_loop_heartbeat_task()
+    await asyncio.sleep(0)  # let the task start
+    try:
+        assert r._scale_to_zero_has_live_background_work() is False
+    finally:
+        r._loop_heartbeat_task.cancel()
+        await asyncio.gather(r._loop_heartbeat_task, return_exceptions=True)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_heartbeat_poll_task_does_not_block_idle():
+    r = GatewayRunner.__new__(GatewayRunner)
+    r._running = True
+    r._background_tasks = set()
+    r._heartbeat_poll_task = None
+    r._heartbeat_watch = {}
+    r._running_agents = {}
+
+    r._start_heartbeat_poller()
+    await asyncio.sleep(0)  # let the task start
+    try:
+        assert r._scale_to_zero_has_live_background_work() is False
+    finally:
+        r._heartbeat_poll_task.cancel()
+        await asyncio.gather(r._heartbeat_poll_task, return_exceptions=True)