diff --git a/src/services/startup.ts b/src/services/startup.ts
index 20fd1de..d8782de 100644
--- a/src/services/startup.ts
+++ b/src/services/startup.ts
@@ -267,11 +267,21 @@ async function resumeProject(
     return;
   }
 
-  // Index is complete — start watcher and do incremental catch-up
+  // Index is complete — start watcher and do incremental catch-up.
+  // Watcher startup failure must not skip the catch-up below: a project
+  // without a live watcher is degraded, but a project with a stale index
+  // is broken for search.
   if (!isWatching(resolvedPath)) {
-    const started = await startWatching(resolvedPath);
-    if (started) {
-      logger.info("Auto-resume: started file watcher", { projectPath: resolvedPath });
+    try {
+      const started = await startWatching(resolvedPath);
+      if (started) {
+        logger.info("Auto-resume: started file watcher", { projectPath: resolvedPath });
+      }
+    } catch (err) {
+      logger.warn("Auto-resume: failed to start watcher, continuing with incremental catch-up", {
+        projectPath: resolvedPath,
+        error: err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err),
+      });
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/tests/unit/startup.test.ts b/tests/unit/startup.test.ts
index 0215baf..ff009b1 100644
--- a/tests/unit/startup.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/startup.test.ts
@@ -554,6 +554,21 @@ describe("autoResumeIndexedProjects (multi-project modes)", () => {
     expect(mockUpdateProjectIndex).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
+  it("still runs the incremental catch-up when watcher startup throws", async () => {
+    process.env.SOCRATICODE_AUTO_RESUME_PROJECTS = dirA;
+    mockStartWatching.mockRejectedValue(new Error("inotify limit reached"));
+
+    await autoResumeIndexedProjects();
+
+    // A project without a live watcher is degraded; a project with a stale
+    // index is broken for search. The catch-up must survive watcher failure.
+    expect(logger.warn).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      "Auto-resume: failed to start watcher, continuing with incremental catch-up",
+      expect.objectContaining({ projectPath: dirA, error: "inotify limit reached" }),
+    );
+    expect(mockUpdateProjectIndex).toHaveBeenCalledWith(dirA);
+  });
+
   it("unrecognized SOCRATICODE_AUTO_RESUME value warns and falls back to default cwd behavior", async () => {
     process.env.SOCRATICODE_AUTO_RESUME = "yes";
     mockListCollections.mockResolvedValue([collA]);