diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index c722e5c5..031165a3 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -41,6 +41,10 @@ heading, and (b) bumping `pubspec.yaml` `version:` in the same commit.
   agent pinning its parent instance) that beats workspace auto-discovery — and
   fails loudly if that socket is dead instead of silently driving a different
   instance. (T-247)
+- **Orphaned IPC sockets are swept on startup.** The app probes the runtime
+  socket dir on launch and unlinks dead `*.sock` nodes left by crashed
+  instances (live instances are left untouched), so the dir no longer
+  accumulates stale sockets. (T-247)
 - **Default window opens larger (1600×900) on Linux.** 720p was short enough
   that the welcome screen's version/theme footer overlapped the tips card;
   the taller default clears it, matching the macOS default. (T-477)
diff --git a/lib/src/ipc/server.dart b/lib/src/ipc/server.dart
index c8c862b2..7d659752 100644
--- a/lib/src/ipc/server.dart
+++ b/lib/src/ipc/server.dart
@@ -82,10 +82,14 @@ class IpcServer {
   /// listening on the path the bind throws — the caller is the
   /// stale-vs-live arbiter (per D-72 there's one server per
   /// workspace; a colliding live process means a real conflict).
+  /// Orphaned sockets from crashed instances of OTHER workspaces are
+  /// also swept from the runtime dir on startup (T-247), so the dir
+  /// doesn't accumulate dead nodes.
   Future<void> start() async {
     if (isRunning) return;
     final path = workspaceSocketPath(workspaceRoot);
     await _prepareParentDir(path);
+    await _sweepStaleSockets(path);
     await _unlinkStale(path);
     final socket = await ServerSocket.bind(InternetAddress(path, type: InternetAddressType.unix), 0);
     try {
@@ -249,6 +253,38 @@ class IpcServer {
     }
   }
 
+  /// Sweep the runtime socket dir for orphaned `*.sock` nodes left by crashed
+  /// instances of OTHER workspaces (T-247): probe each, unlink only the dead
+  /// ones. A live instance (something answers) or an unresponsive node (could
+  /// be a hung instance) is left untouched; the current workspace's own path is
+  /// handled by [_unlinkStale]. Best-effort — a sweep failure never blocks our
+  /// own startup.
+  Future<void> _sweepStaleSockets(String selfPath) async {
+    try {
+      final dir = Directory(File(selfPath).parent.path);
+      if (!dir.existsSync()) return;
+      for (final entry in dir.listSync()) {
+        if (entry is! File || !entry.path.endsWith('.sock') || entry.path == selfPath) continue;
+        try {
+          final probe = await Socket.connect(InternetAddress(entry.path, type: InternetAddressType.unix), 0).timeout(const Duration(milliseconds: 200));
+          await probe.close(); // live instance — leave it alone
+        } on SocketException {
+          // No listener — an orphan from a crashed instance. Unlink it.
+          try {
+            entry.deleteSync();
+            log.info('ipc', 'swept orphaned socket ${entry.path}');
+          } catch (e) {
+            log.warn('ipc', 'failed to sweep ${entry.path}: $e');
+          }
+        } on TimeoutException {
+          // Exists but unresponsive — possibly a hung instance; don't clobber.
+        }
+      }
+    } catch (e) {
+      log.warn('ipc', 'socket sweep failed: $e');
+    }
+  }
+
   Future<void> _unlinkStale(String path) async {
     final f = File(path);
     if (!f.existsSync()) return;
diff --git a/test/ipc/server_test.dart b/test/ipc/server_test.dart
index 74e451be..89adbb08 100644
--- a/test/ipc/server_test.dart
+++ b/test/ipc/server_test.dart
@@ -146,6 +146,30 @@ void main() {
       expect(() async => other.start(), throwsA(isA<StateError>()));
     });
 
+    test('startup sweeps dead orphan sockets from the runtime dir, keeps live ones (T-247)', () async {
+      final socketDir = Directory(File(workspaceSocketPath(workRoot)).parent.path);
+      socketDir.createSync(recursive: true);
+      final uniq = DateTime.now().microsecondsSinceEpoch;
+      // A dead orphan (a socket node with no listener) and a live orphan
+      // (a real listener for some other "workspace"). Unique names so the
+      // assertions don't depend on whatever else is in the shared runtime dir.
+      final dead = File('${socketDir.path}/clide-sweep-dead-$uniq.sock')..writeAsBytesSync([]);
+      final livePath = '${socketDir.path}/clide-sweep-live-$uniq.sock';
+      final live = await ServerSocket.bind(InternetAddress(livePath, type: InternetAddressType.unix), 0);
+      addTearDown(() async {
+        await live.close();
+        for (final p in [livePath, dead.path]) {
+          if (File(p).existsSync()) File(p).deleteSync();
+        }
+      });
+
+      server = IpcServer(dispatcher: dispatcher, workspaceRoot: workRoot, log: _silentLog());
+      await server.start();
+
+      expect(dead.existsSync(), isFalse, reason: 'a dead orphan should be swept on startup');
+      expect(File(livePath).existsSync(), isTrue, reason: 'a live instance must be left untouched');
+    });
+
     test('start is idempotent: second call on the same instance is a no-op', () async {
       server = IpcServer(dispatcher: dispatcher, workspaceRoot: workRoot, log: _silentLog());
       await server.start();