diff --git a/src/plugin.ts b/src/plugin.ts
index 035ca1e..184d2fb 100644
--- a/src/plugin.ts
+++ b/src/plugin.ts
@@ -231,8 +231,7 @@ export const MemoryV2Plugin: Plugin = async (input) => {
     ];
     if (pending.length === 0) return;
 
-    const promotedKeys = new Set<string>();
-    await updateWorkspaceMemory(directory, workspaceMemory => {
+    const updatedWorkspaceMemory = await updateWorkspaceMemory(directory, workspaceMemory => {
       const existingKeys = new Set(workspaceMemory.entries.map(memory => memoryKey(memory)));
 
       for (const memory of pending) {
@@ -241,21 +240,24 @@ export const MemoryV2Plugin: Plugin = async (input) => {
           workspaceMemory.entries.push(memory);
           existingKeys.add(key);
         }
-        promotedKeys.add(key);
       }
 
       return workspaceMemory;
     });
 
+    // Only clear pending memories that survived workspace normalization/limits.
+    // updateWorkspaceMemory() may dedupe, supersede, redact, or cap entries.
+    const retainedKeys = new Set(updatedWorkspaceMemory.entries.map(memory => memoryKey(memory)));
+
     if (sessionID) {
       await updateSessionState(directory, sessionID, state => {
-        state.pendingMemories = state.pendingMemories.filter(memory => !promotedKeys.has(memoryKey(memory)));
+        state.pendingMemories = state.pendingMemories.filter(memory => !retainedKeys.has(memoryKey(memory)));
         return state;
       });
       clearFrozenWorkspaceMemoryCache(sessionID);
     }
 
-    await clearPendingMemories(directory, promotedKeys);
+    await clearPendingMemories(directory, retainedKeys);
   }
 
   function bashExitCode(hookOutput: unknown): number | undefined {
@@ -314,6 +316,11 @@ export const MemoryV2Plugin: Plugin = async (input) => {
     frozenWorkspaceMemoryCache.delete(sessionID);
   }
 
+  function sessionIDFromEventProperties(properties: unknown): string | undefined {
+    const props = properties as { sessionID?: string; info?: { id?: string } } | undefined;
+    return props?.sessionID ?? props?.info?.id;
+  }
+
   return {
     // Inject workspace memory and hot session state into system prompt
     "experimental.chat.system.transform": async (hookInput, output) => {
@@ -469,8 +476,7 @@ export const MemoryV2Plugin: Plugin = async (input) => {
     // Handle session events
     event: async ({ event }) => {
       if (event.type === "session.compacted") {
-        const sessionID = (event.properties as { sessionID?: string; info?: { id?: string } })?.sessionID
-          ?? (event.properties as { info?: { id?: string } })?.info?.id;
+        const sessionID = sessionIDFromEventProperties(event.properties);
         if (!sessionID) return;
 
         // Sub-agents don't need post-compaction processing
@@ -492,7 +498,7 @@ export const MemoryV2Plugin: Plugin = async (input) => {
       }
 
       if (event.type === "session.deleted") {
-        const sessionID = (event.properties as { info?: { id?: string } })?.info?.id;
+        const sessionID = sessionIDFromEventProperties(event.properties);
         if (sessionID) {
           // Promote pending memories before deleting per-session state.
           // If promotion fails, leave session state and journal intact.
diff --git a/tests/plugin.test.ts b/tests/plugin.test.ts
index 86f0de5..afa25f7 100644
--- a/tests/plugin.test.ts
+++ b/tests/plugin.test.ts
@@ -630,7 +630,22 @@ test("compaction intentionally refreshes frozen system[1] with promoted memories
   const tmpDir = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), "memory-plugin-test-"));
 
   try {
-    // 1. First transform creates frozen system[1]
+    // 1. Seed workspace memory, then first transform creates non-empty frozen system[1].
+    const now = new Date().toISOString();
+    await updateWorkspaceMemory(tmpDir, store => {
+      store.entries.push({
+        id: "mem_old_stable",
+        type: "project",
+        text: "Old stable memory.",
+        source: "compaction",
+        confidence: 0.9,
+        status: "active",
+        createdAt: now,
+        updatedAt: now,
+      });
+      return store;
+    });
+
     const client = mockRootClient();
     const plugin = await MemoryV2Plugin({ directory: tmpDir, client });
 
@@ -640,7 +655,9 @@ test("compaction intentionally refreshes frozen system[1] with promoted memories
       output1,
     );
 
-    const firstSystem1 = output1.system[1]; // workspace memory snapshot
+    const firstSystem1 = output1.system.find((part: string) => part.startsWith("Workspace memory"));
+    assert.match(firstSystem1 ?? "", /Old stable memory/,
+      "first transform should create a non-empty frozen system[1]");
 
     // 2. Add pending memory to session state
     await saveSessionState(tmpDir, {
@@ -678,13 +695,15 @@ test("compaction intentionally refreshes frozen system[1] with promoted memories
       output2,
     );
 
-    const secondSystem1 = output2.system[1];
+    const secondSystem1 = output2.system.find((part: string) => part.startsWith("Workspace memory"));
 
     // 5. Assert: system[1] changed (compaction started new cache epoch)
     assert.notEqual(secondSystem1, firstSystem1,
       "frozen system[1] should change after compaction (new cache epoch)");
 
-    // 6. Assert: promoted memory is now in system[1]
+    // 6. Assert: old stable memory is preserved and promoted memory is now in system[1]
+    assert.match(secondSystem1 ?? "", /Old stable memory/,
+      "refreshed system[1] should preserve existing workspace memory");
     assert.match(secondSystem1 ?? "", /Compaction refreshes frozen snapshot/,
       "promoted memory should appear in refreshed system[1]");