diff --git a/cmd/mavwaked/nudge_test.go b/cmd/mavwaked/nudge_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..20102af
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/mavwaked/nudge_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,170 @@
+package main
+
+// The receiving half: a nudge pushed by mavend has to reach the speaker, and
+// it has to obey the same two gates a reply obeys (V-671).
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/audio"
+	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/voice"
+)
+
+func nudgeAudio() audio.Audio {
+	return audio.Audio{Format: audio.PCM16kMono, Bytes: make([]byte, 8000)}
+}
+
+// pushFrame builds the frame mavend's voicesink sends.
+func pushFrame(t *testing.T, a audio.Audio) voice.Push {
+	t.Helper()
+	body, err := json.Marshal(voice.AudioNudgePush{
+		RuleName: "test-rule",
+		Severity: 3,
+		Audio:    a,
+		Text:     "пора пить воду",
+		Ts:       time.Unix(0, 0),
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("marshal push: %v", err)
+	}
+	return voice.Push{Kind: voice.PushKindAudioNudge, Params: body}
+}
+
+// The defect itself: the push arrived and nothing came out of the speaker.
+func TestNudgeReachesThePlayer(t *testing.T) {
+	sess, p, snd := newTestSession(bargeInConfig{})
+	(&nudgeHandler{sess: sess}).OnPush(pushFrame(t, nudgeAudio()))
+
+	if p.plays != 0 {
+		t.Fatal("nudge played from the push goroutine; it must wait for the capture loop")
+	}
+	if err := sess.feed(context.Background(), silentBytes()); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("feed: %v", err)
+	}
+	if p.plays != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("plays = %d, want 1", p.plays)
+	}
+	if len(p.last.Bytes) != 8000 {
+		t.Errorf("played %d bytes, want the nudge audio", len(p.last.Bytes))
+	}
+	if sess.nudges != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("nudges = %d, want 1", sess.nudges)
+	}
+	if len(snd.sent) != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("a nudge must not be shipped back to the daemon as an utterance")
+	}
+}
+
+// A push of some other kind, or one carrying no audio, must not reach the
+// player and must not wedge the one that follows.
+func TestNudgeIgnoresUnusablePushes(t *testing.T) {
+	sess, p, _ := newTestSession(bargeInConfig{})
+	h := &nudgeHandler{sess: sess}
+
+	h.OnPush(voice.Push{Kind: "something-else", Params: json.RawMessage(`{}`)})
+	h.OnPush(voice.Push{Kind: voice.PushKindAudioNudge, Params: json.RawMessage(`not json`)})
+	h.OnPush(pushFrame(t, audio.Audio{Format: audio.PCM16kMono}))
+
+	if err := sess.feed(context.Background(), silentBytes()); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("feed: %v", err)
+	}
+	if p.plays != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("plays = %d, want 0", p.plays)
+	}
+
+	h.OnPush(pushFrame(t, nudgeAudio()))
+	if err := sess.feed(context.Background(), silentBytes()); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("feed: %v", err)
+	}
+	if p.plays != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("plays after a usable nudge = %d, want 1", p.plays)
+	}
+}
+
+// The half-duplex gate covers a nudge exactly as it covers a reply: she does
+// not start one over herself, and the mic stays muted while it runs.
+func TestNudgeWaitsForTheReplyToFinish(t *testing.T) {
+	sess, p, _ := newTestSession(bargeInConfig{})
+	speakThenPause(t, sess)
+	if !p.Playing() {
+		t.Fatal("expected the reply to be playing")
+	}
+	plays := p.plays
+
+	(&nudgeHandler{sess: sess}).OnPush(pushFrame(t, nudgeAudio()))
+	for i := 0; i < 20; i++ {
+		if err := sess.feed(context.Background(), silentBytes()); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("feed: %v", err)
+		}
+	}
+	if p.plays != plays {
+		t.Fatalf("nudge cut across the reply: plays = %d, want %d", p.plays, plays)
+	}
+
+	p.playing = false
+	if err := sess.feed(context.Background(), silentBytes()); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("feed: %v", err)
+	}
+	if p.plays != plays+1 {
+		t.Fatalf("nudge never played after the reply ended: plays = %d", p.plays)
+	}
+}
+
+// Speaking a nudge must not leave half a sentence in the VAD. The frames
+// captured before it are pre-nudge speech, and splicing them onto whatever he
+// says afterwards ships one utterance that is two.
+func TestNudgeResetsTheVAD(t *testing.T) {
+	sess, p, snd := newTestSession(bargeInConfig{})
+	loud := frameAt(0.35)
+	speechFrames := (defaultSpeechMs + defaultFrameMs - 1) / defaultFrameMs
+	for i := 0; i < speechFrames+5; i++ {
+		if err := sess.feed(context.Background(), loud); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("feed: %v", err)
+		}
+	}
+
+	(&nudgeHandler{sess: sess}).OnPush(pushFrame(t, nudgeAudio()))
+	if err := sess.feed(context.Background(), silentBytes()); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("feed: %v", err)
+	}
+	if p.plays != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("nudge did not play: plays = %d", p.plays)
+	}
+
+	// Playback ends, silence follows. The half-formed utterance must be gone
+	// rather than closing on the first quiet frame.
+	p.playing = false
+	silenceFrames := (defaultSilenceMs+defaultFrameMs-1)/defaultFrameMs + 2
+	for i := 0; i < silenceFrames; i++ {
+		if err := sess.feed(context.Background(), silentBytes()); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("feed: %v", err)
+		}
+	}
+	if len(snd.sent) != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("sent %d utterances after a nudge, want 0", len(snd.sent))
+	}
+}
+
+// Two nudges queued back to back: the newer one is what he hears. The
+// PushHandler contract in internal/voice says the next nudge replaces the
+// stale one rather than dogpiling on it.
+func TestNudgeReplacesAnUnspokenOne(t *testing.T) {
+	sess, p, _ := newTestSession(bargeInConfig{})
+	h := &nudgeHandler{sess: sess}
+
+	h.OnPush(pushFrame(t, audio.Audio{Format: audio.PCM16kMono, Bytes: make([]byte, 4000)}))
+	h.OnPush(pushFrame(t, audio.Audio{Format: audio.PCM16kMono, Bytes: make([]byte, 12000)}))
+
+	if err := sess.feed(context.Background(), silentBytes()); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("feed: %v", err)
+	}
+	if p.plays != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("plays = %d, want 1", p.plays)
+	}
+	if len(p.last.Bytes) != 12000 {
+		t.Errorf("played %d bytes, want the newer nudge", len(p.last.Bytes))
+	}
+}