diff --git a/internal/delivery/dispatcher.go b/internal/delivery/dispatcher.go
index f3ad35d..22b7724 100644
--- a/internal/delivery/dispatcher.go
+++ b/internal/delivery/dispatcher.go
@@ -166,7 +166,14 @@ func (d *Dispatcher) DispatchNudge(ctx context.Context, pn PhrasedNudge, now tim
 			continue
 		}
 		attemptID := d.beginOutbox(ctx, "nudge", c.Rule.Name, 0, ch, messageForChannel(s), now)
-		if err := sink.Send(ctx, s); err != nil {
+		if err := safeSend(ctx, sink, s); err != nil {
+			if errors.Is(err, ErrSinkPanicked) {
+				// one broken sink must not eat the other channels for this
+				// nudge (sev4 present is voice + ntfy). the attempt is closed
+				// as failed and we move on.
+				d.completeOutbox(ctx, attemptID, store.DeliveryFailed, now)
+				continue
+			}
 			if errors.Is(err, ErrVoiceNoSession) {
 				// voice was assumed reachable (presence=present) but no live
 				// session exists — the presence guess was wrong. reroute through
@@ -232,7 +239,11 @@ func (d *Dispatcher) DispatchReminder(ctx context.Context, pr PhrasedReminder, n
 			continue
 		}
 		attemptID := d.beginOutbox(ctx, "reminder", "", rd.Reminder.ID, ch, messageForChannel(s), now)
-		if err := sink.Send(ctx, s); err != nil {
+		if err := safeSend(ctx, sink, s); err != nil {
+			if errors.Is(err, ErrSinkPanicked) {
+				d.completeOutbox(ctx, attemptID, store.DeliveryFailed, now)
+				continue
+			}
 			if errors.Is(err, ErrVoiceNoSession) {
 				// presence guess was wrong — reroute reminder to the away
 				// channel (ntfy). voice is the only present channel, so nothing
@@ -319,8 +330,11 @@ func (d *Dispatcher) RepeatUnacked(ctx context.Context, keys []string, now time.
 		}
 		s = minimalForAway(s)
 		attemptID := d.beginOutbox(ctx, "nudge", key, 0, ChannelTelegram, messageForChannel(s), now)
-		if err := d.cfg.Telegram.Send(ctx, s); err != nil {
+		if err := safeSend(ctx, d.cfg.Telegram, s); err != nil {
 			d.completeOutbox(ctx, attemptID, store.DeliveryFailed, now)
+			if errors.Is(err, ErrSinkPanicked) {
+				continue
+			}
 			return out, fmt.Errorf("repeat send telegram %s: %w", key, err)
 		}
 		d.completeOutbox(ctx, attemptID, store.DeliverySent, now)
@@ -332,6 +346,24 @@ func (d *Dispatcher) RepeatUnacked(ctx context.Context, keys []string, now time.
 	return out, nil
 }
 
+// ErrSinkPanicked — a sink panicked mid-send. the send did not happen, so the
+// attempt is recorded failed and never silently retried as if it had.
+var ErrSinkPanicked = errors.New("delivery: sink panicked mid-send")
+
+// safeSend calls a sink and turns a panic into an error. without this a
+// panicking sink unwinds past completeOutbox and leaves the delivery_attempts
+// row pending forever — reconciliation only runs at daemon startup, and core
+// is long-lived, so the row would sit there for weeks.
+func safeSend(ctx context.Context, sink Sink, s Sendable) (err error) {
+	defer func() {
+		if r := recover(); r != nil {
+			log.Printf("dispatcher: PANIC in %s sink (this is a bug, fix the sink): %v", s.Channel, r)
+			err = fmt.Errorf("%w: %s: %v", ErrSinkPanicked, s.Channel, r)
+		}
+	}()
+	return sink.Send(ctx, s)
+}
+
 func (d *Dispatcher) sinkFor(ch Channel) Sink {
 	switch ch {
 	case ChannelVoice: