diff --git a/cmd/mavend/main.go b/cmd/mavend/main.go
index 747da94..d6c6ea2 100644
--- a/cmd/mavend/main.go
+++ b/cmd/mavend/main.go
@@ -319,6 +319,13 @@ func run(args []string) error {
 		if voiceW != nil {
 			voiceSink = voiceW.voiceSink
 		}
+		// A crashed prior run may have left "pending" delivery attempts (send
+		// may have landed externally, then the process died before recording
+		// it) — reconcile them to "unknown" before the tick loop resumes
+		// sending, so nothing auto-resends into that ambiguity.
+		if _, err := st.ReconcileStaleDeliveryAttempts(context.Background(), time.Now()); err != nil {
+			log.Printf("delivery outbox reconcile: %v", err)
+		}
 		dispatcher = delivery.NewDispatcher(delivery.Config{
 			Ntfy:      ntfy,
 			Telegram:  telegram,
@@ -326,6 +333,7 @@ func run(args []string) error {
 			Ack:       st,
 			Nudges:    st,
 			Reminders: st,
+			Outbox:    st,
 		})
 
 		// tick loop
@@ -475,6 +483,9 @@ func run(args []string) error {
 			if voiceW != nil {
 				voiceSink = voiceW.voiceSink
 			}
+			if _, err := st.ReconcileStaleDeliveryAttempts(context.Background(), time.Now()); err != nil {
+				log.Printf("delivery outbox reconcile: %v", err)
+			}
 			dispatcher = delivery.NewDispatcher(delivery.Config{
 				Ntfy:      ntfy,
 				Telegram:  telegram,
@@ -482,6 +493,7 @@ func run(args []string) error {
 				Ack:       st,
 				Nudges:    st,
 				Reminders: st,
+				Outbox:    st,
 			})
 
 			tickInterval := time.Duration(cfg.TickInterval)
diff --git a/internal/store/delivery.go b/internal/store/delivery.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8c37b14
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/store/delivery.go
@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+package store
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+	"log"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// DeliveryAttempt statuses. pending = Begin recorded, no Complete yet — either
+// still in flight or the process died mid-send (crash window the outbox
+// exists to close). sent/failed = Complete recorded the sink's outcome.
+// unknown = a pending row found stale at startup: the process that started it
+// is gone, and the send may or may not have reached the external channel.
+// Never auto-resolved into sent or failed — that would be guessing.
+const (
+	DeliveryPending = "pending"
+	DeliverySent    = "sent"
+	DeliveryFailed  = "failed"
+	DeliveryUnknown = "unknown"
+)
+
+// BeginDeliveryAttempt durably records intent to send BEFORE the external
+// send happens, so a crash between "sent externally" and "recorded" leaves a
+// trace instead of silence. kind is "nudge" or "reminder"; rule is set for
+// nudges, reminderID for reminders (the other left at its zero value).
+// bodyHash is an opaque caller-computed key (e.g. sha256 of channel+body) —
+// stored for post-crash operator triage, not enforced as a uniqueness
+// constraint (a rule/reminder legitimately re-sends across ticks).
+func (s *Store) BeginDeliveryAttempt(ctx context.Context, kind, rule string, reminderID int64, channel, bodyHash string, now time.Time) (int64, error) {
+	res, err := s.db.ExecContext(ctx,
+		`INSERT INTO delivery_attempts (kind, rule, reminder_id, channel, body_hash, status, created_ts)
+		 VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, 'pending', ?)`,
+		kind, rule, reminderID, channel, bodyHash, now.UnixMilli())
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, fmt.Errorf("begin delivery attempt: %w", err)
+	}
+	id, err := res.LastInsertId()
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, fmt.Errorf("begin delivery attempt: last insert id: %w", err)
+	}
+	return id, nil
+}
+
+// CompleteDeliveryAttempt records the sink's outcome for a prior
+// BeginDeliveryAttempt. status is "sent" or "failed" — never "pending" or
+// "unknown" (those are set only by Begin and reconciliation respectively).
+func (s *Store) CompleteDeliveryAttempt(ctx context.Context, id int64, status string, now time.Time) error {
+	if status != DeliverySent && status != DeliveryFailed {
+		return fmt.Errorf("store: invalid delivery completion status %q", status)
+	}
+	_, err := s.db.ExecContext(ctx,
+		`UPDATE delivery_attempts SET status = ?, completed_ts = ? WHERE id = ? AND status = 'pending'`,
+		status, now.UnixMilli(), id)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("complete delivery attempt %d: %w", id, err)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// ReconcileStaleDeliveryAttempts runs once at daemon startup, before the tick
+// loop resumes sending. Any attempt still "pending" from a previous process
+// life is the exact crash window the outbox exists to close: the external
+// send may have landed and the process died before recording the outcome.
+// Marking it "unknown" (rather than silently resending, and rather than
+// silently dropping it) preserves the same never-guess-an-ambiguous-outcome
+// rule as the IPC client and Hexis execution engine. Returns the count
+// reconciled, for startup logging.
+func (s *Store) ReconcileStaleDeliveryAttempts(ctx context.Context, now time.Time) (int, error) {
+	res, err := s.db.ExecContext(ctx,
+		`UPDATE delivery_attempts SET status = 'unknown', completed_ts = ? WHERE status = 'pending'`,
+		now.UnixMilli())
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, fmt.Errorf("reconcile stale delivery attempts: %w", err)
+	}
+	n, err := res.RowsAffected()
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, fmt.Errorf("reconcile stale delivery attempts: rows affected: %w", err)
+	}
+	if n > 0 {
+		log.Printf("store: reconciled %d stale delivery attempt(s) from a prior run as outcome=unknown", n)
+	}
+	return int(n), nil
+}
diff --git a/internal/store/migrations.go b/internal/store/migrations.go
index bd8c8b2..8221303 100644
--- a/internal/store/migrations.go
+++ b/internal/store/migrations.go
@@ -50,6 +50,19 @@ ALTER TABLE reminders ADD COLUMN next_fire_ts INTEGER;`, // #2
 		sent_at   INTEGER NOT NULL
 	);
 	CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_ack_sends_rule ON ack_sends (rule, sent_at DESC);`, // #5 — sev4 telegram repeat-til-ack tracking
+
+	`CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS delivery_attempts (
+		id           INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
+		kind         TEXT NOT NULL CHECK (kind IN ('nudge','reminder')),
+		rule         TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT '',
+		reminder_id  INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+		channel      TEXT NOT NULL,
+		body_hash    TEXT NOT NULL,
+		status       TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT 'pending' CHECK (status IN ('pending','sent','failed','unknown')),
+		created_ts   INTEGER NOT NULL,
+		completed_ts INTEGER
+	);
+	CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_delivery_attempts_status ON delivery_attempts (status);`, // #6 — durable delivery outbox
 }
 
 // migrate applies every migration with a number greater than the DB's current