diff --git a/codex-rs/core/src/agent/control.rs b/codex-rs/core/src/agent/control.rs
index 8f25074d76f0..f72f34cd4e6b 100644
--- a/codex-rs/core/src/agent/control.rs
+++ b/codex-rs/core/src/agent/control.rs
@@ -788,15 +788,45 @@ impl AgentControl {
     /// agent and any live descendants reached from the in-memory tree.
     pub(crate) async fn close_agent(&self, agent_id: ThreadId) -> CodexResult<String> {
         let state = self.upgrade()?;
-        if let Ok(thread) = state.get_thread(agent_id).await
-            && let Some(state_db_ctx) = thread.state_db()
-            && let Err(err) = state_db_ctx
-                .set_thread_spawn_edge_status(agent_id, DirectionalThreadSpawnEdgeStatus::Closed)
-                .await
-        {
-            warn!("failed to persist thread-spawn edge status for {agent_id}: {err}");
+        let known_agent = self.state.agent_metadata_for_thread(agent_id).is_some();
+        match state.get_thread(agent_id).await {
+            Ok(thread) => {
+                if let Some(state_db_ctx) = thread.state_db()
+                    && let Err(err) = state_db_ctx
+                        .set_thread_spawn_edge_status(
+                            agent_id,
+                            DirectionalThreadSpawnEdgeStatus::Closed,
+                        )
+                        .await
+                {
+                    warn!("failed to persist thread-spawn edge status for {agent_id}: {err}");
+                }
+            }
+            Err(CodexErr::ThreadNotFound(_)) if known_agent => {
+                if let Some(state_db_ctx) = state.state_db()
+                    && let Err(err) = state_db_ctx
+                        .set_thread_spawn_edge_status(
+                            agent_id,
+                            DirectionalThreadSpawnEdgeStatus::Closed,
+                        )
+                        .await
+                {
+                    return Err(CodexErr::Fatal(format!(
+                        "failed to persist stale thread-spawn edge status for {agent_id}: {err}"
+                    )));
+                }
+            }
+            Err(CodexErr::ThreadNotFound(_)) => {}
+            Err(err) => {
+                warn!("failed to inspect agent before close {agent_id}: {err}");
+            }
+        }
+        match Box::pin(self.shutdown_agent_tree(agent_id)).await {
+            Err(CodexErr::ThreadNotFound(_)) | Err(CodexErr::InternalAgentDied) if known_agent => {
+                Ok(String::new())
+            }
+            result => result,
         }
-        Box::pin(self.shutdown_agent_tree(agent_id)).await
     }
 
     /// Shut down `agent_id` and any live descendants reachable from the in-memory spawn tree.
diff --git a/codex-rs/core/src/tools/handlers/multi_agents/close_agent.rs b/codex-rs/core/src/tools/handlers/multi_agents/close_agent.rs
index de069854f106..bcfa5231b9d2 100644
--- a/codex-rs/core/src/tools/handlers/multi_agents/close_agent.rs
+++ b/codex-rs/core/src/tools/handlers/multi_agents/close_agent.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 use super::*;
 use crate::tools::handlers::multi_agents_spec::create_close_agent_tool_v1;
 use crate::turn_timing::now_unix_timestamp_ms;
+use codex_protocol::error::CodexErr;
 use codex_tools::ToolSpec;
 
 pub(crate) struct Handler;
@@ -36,11 +37,9 @@ async fn handle_close_agent(
     let arguments = function_arguments(payload)?;
     let args: CloseAgentArgs = parse_arguments(&arguments)?;
     let agent_id = parse_agent_id_target(&args.target)?;
-    let receiver_agent = session
-        .services
-        .agent_control
-        .get_agent_metadata(agent_id)
-        .unwrap_or_default();
+    let receiver_agent = session.services.agent_control.get_agent_metadata(agent_id);
+    let known_agent = receiver_agent.is_some();
+    let receiver_agent = receiver_agent.unwrap_or_default();
     session
         .send_event(
             &turn,
@@ -60,6 +59,9 @@ async fn handle_close_agent(
         .await
     {
         Ok(mut status_rx) => status_rx.borrow_and_update().clone(),
+        Err(CodexErr::ThreadNotFound(_)) if known_agent => {
+            session.services.agent_control.get_status(agent_id).await
+        }
         Err(err) => {
             let status = session.services.agent_control.get_status(agent_id).await;
             session
diff --git a/codex-rs/core/src/tools/handlers/multi_agents_tests.rs b/codex-rs/core/src/tools/handlers/multi_agents_tests.rs
index 68b19adea9e0..164d5410e0b0 100644
--- a/codex-rs/core/src/tools/handlers/multi_agents_tests.rs
+++ b/codex-rs/core/src/tools/handlers/multi_agents_tests.rs
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ use codex_protocol::protocol::TurnAbortReason;
 use codex_protocol::protocol::TurnAbortedEvent;
 use codex_protocol::protocol::TurnCompleteEvent;
 use codex_protocol::user_input::UserInput;
+use codex_state::DirectionalThreadSpawnEdgeStatus;
 use core_test_support::TempDirExt;
 use pretty_assertions::assert_eq;
 use serde::Deserialize;
@@ -3751,6 +3752,126 @@ async fn multi_agent_v2_close_agent_accepts_task_name_target() {
     );
 }
 
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn multi_agent_v2_close_agent_reaps_stale_task_name_target() {
+    let (mut session, mut turn) = make_session_and_context().await;
+    let mut config = (*turn.config).clone();
+    config.agent_max_threads = Some(1);
+    config
+        .features
+        .enable(Feature::MultiAgentV2)
+        .expect("test config should allow feature update");
+    config
+        .features
+        .enable(Feature::Sqlite)
+        .expect("test config should allow sqlite");
+    let state_db = init_state_db(&config)
+        .await
+        .expect("sqlite state db should initialize");
+    let manager = ThreadManager::with_models_provider_home_and_state_for_tests(
+        CodexAuth::from_api_key("dummy"),
+        config.model_provider.clone(),
+        config.codex_home.to_path_buf(),
+        Arc::new(codex_exec_server::EnvironmentManager::default_for_tests()),
+        Some(state_db.clone()),
+    );
+    let root = manager
+        .start_thread(config.clone())
+        .await
+        .expect("root thread should start");
+    session.services.agent_control = manager.agent_control();
+    session.conversation_id = root.thread_id;
+    turn.config = Arc::new(config.clone());
+
+    let session = Arc::new(session);
+    let turn = Arc::new(turn);
+    SpawnAgentHandlerV2::default()
+        .handle(invocation(
+            session.clone(),
+            turn.clone(),
+            "spawn_agent",
+            function_payload(json!({
+                "message": "inspect this repo",
+                "task_name": "worker"
+            })),
+        ))
+        .await
+        .expect("spawn_agent should succeed");
+
+    let agent_id = session
+        .services
+        .agent_control
+        .resolve_agent_reference(session.conversation_id, &turn.session_source, "worker")
+        .await
+        .expect("worker path should resolve");
+    let stale_thread = manager
+        .remove_thread(&agent_id)
+        .await
+        .expect("worker thread should be loaded before removal");
+    stale_thread
+        .submit(Op::Shutdown {})
+        .await
+        .expect("removed worker thread should still accept shutdown");
+    stale_thread.wait_until_terminated().await;
+
+    let output = CloseAgentHandlerV2
+        .handle(invocation(
+            session.clone(),
+            turn.clone(),
+            "close_agent",
+            function_payload(json!({"target": "worker"})),
+        ))
+        .await
+        .expect("close_agent should reap stale v2 task names");
+    let (content, success) = expect_text_output(output);
+    let result: close_agent::CloseAgentResult =
+        serde_json::from_str(&content).expect("close_agent result should be json");
+    assert_eq!(result.previous_status, AgentStatus::NotFound);
+    assert_eq!(success, Some(true));
+
+    let open_children = state_db
+        .list_thread_spawn_children_with_status(
+            root.thread_id,
+            DirectionalThreadSpawnEdgeStatus::Open,
+        )
+        .await
+        .expect("open children should load");
+    assert_eq!(open_children, Vec::<ThreadId>::new());
+    let closed_children = state_db
+        .list_thread_spawn_children_with_status(
+            root.thread_id,
+            DirectionalThreadSpawnEdgeStatus::Closed,
+        )
+        .await
+        .expect("closed children should load");
+    assert_eq!(closed_children, vec![agent_id]);
+
+    SpawnAgentHandlerV2::default()
+        .handle(invocation(
+            session.clone(),
+            turn.clone(),
+            "spawn_agent",
+            function_payload(json!({
+                "message": "inspect this repo again",
+                "task_name": "replacement"
+            })),
+        ))
+        .await
+        .expect("spawn_agent should succeed after stale close releases the slot");
+    let replacement_id = session
+        .services
+        .agent_control
+        .resolve_agent_reference(session.conversation_id, &turn.session_source, "replacement")
+        .await
+        .expect("replacement path should resolve");
+    let _ = session
+        .services
+        .agent_control
+        .shutdown_live_agent(replacement_id)
+        .await
+        .expect("replacement should shut down");
+}
+
 #[tokio::test]
 async fn multi_agent_v2_close_agent_rejects_root_target_and_id() {
     let (mut session, mut turn) = make_session_and_context().await;
diff --git a/codex-rs/core/src/tools/handlers/multi_agents_v2/close_agent.rs b/codex-rs/core/src/tools/handlers/multi_agents_v2/close_agent.rs
index 088e5310623a..15502572a509 100644
--- a/codex-rs/core/src/tools/handlers/multi_agents_v2/close_agent.rs
+++ b/codex-rs/core/src/tools/handlers/multi_agents_v2/close_agent.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 use super::*;
 use crate::tools::handlers::multi_agents_spec::create_close_agent_tool_v2;
 use crate::turn_timing::now_unix_timestamp_ms;
+use codex_protocol::error::CodexErr;
 use codex_tools::ToolSpec;
 
 pub(crate) struct Handler;
@@ -36,11 +37,9 @@ async fn handle_close_agent(
     let arguments = function_arguments(payload)?;
     let args: CloseAgentArgs = parse_arguments(&arguments)?;
     let agent_id = resolve_agent_target(&session, &turn, &args.target).await?;
-    let receiver_agent = session
-        .services
-        .agent_control
-        .get_agent_metadata(agent_id)
-        .unwrap_or_default();
+    let receiver_agent = session.services.agent_control.get_agent_metadata(agent_id);
+    let known_agent = receiver_agent.is_some();
+    let receiver_agent = receiver_agent.unwrap_or_default();
     if receiver_agent
         .agent_path
         .as_ref()
@@ -69,6 +68,9 @@ async fn handle_close_agent(
         .await
     {
         Ok(mut status_rx) => status_rx.borrow_and_update().clone(),
+        Err(CodexErr::ThreadNotFound(_)) if known_agent => {
+            session.services.agent_control.get_status(agent_id).await
+        }
         Err(err) => {
             let status = session.services.agent_control.get_status(agent_id).await;
             session