diff --git a/tidal/src/db/session_restore.rs b/tidal/src/db/session_restore.rs
index 04844de..d18824d 100644
--- a/tidal/src/db/session_restore.rs
+++ b/tidal/src/db/session_restore.rs
@@ -4,9 +4,9 @@ use std::collections::HashMap;
 use std::sync::Arc;
 use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicBool, AtomicU64, Ordering};
 
-use crate::schema::Timestamp;
+use crate::schema::{EntityId, Timestamp};
 use crate::session::{self as session_mod, AgentId, SessionId, SessionState};
-use crate::storage::{Tag, parse_key};
+use crate::storage::{Tag, encode_key, parse_key};
 
 use super::TidalDb;
 
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ impl TidalDb {
                     }
                 }
                 b"start" => {
-                    if let Some((session_id, _user_id, _started_at_ns)) =
+                    if let Some((session_id, _user_id, _started_at_ns, _metadata)) =
                         session_mod::deserialize_start_record(&value)
                     {
                         tracing::warn!(
@@ -120,6 +120,19 @@ impl TidalDb {
 
             let closed = Arc::new(AtomicBool::new(false));
 
+            // Rehydrate metadata from the persisted start record in storage.
+            // The WAL Start event does not carry metadata; the storage start record does.
+            let metadata = self
+                .storage
+                .as_ref()
+                .and_then(|storage| {
+                    let key = encode_key(EntityId::new(session_id), Tag::Session, b"start");
+                    storage.items_engine().get(&key).ok().flatten()
+                })
+                .and_then(|bytes| session_mod::deserialize_start_record(&bytes))
+                .map(|(_, _, _, meta)| meta)
+                .unwrap_or_default();
+
             let state = Arc::new(SessionState {
                 id: SessionId::from_raw(session_id),
                 user_id,
@@ -128,7 +141,7 @@ impl TidalDb {
                 // We lost the exact monotonic Instant -- approximate with "now".
                 started_at: std::time::Instant::now(),
                 started_at_ns,
-                metadata: HashMap::new(), // metadata not persisted in the session journal
+                metadata,
                 signals: dashmap::DashMap::new(),
                 signaled_entities: dashmap::DashMap::new(),
                 annotations: std::sync::Mutex::new(Vec::new()),
@@ -138,9 +151,9 @@ impl TidalDb {
                 closed,
             });
 
-            // Replay signals into the restored session state.
+            // Replay signals and annotations into the restored session state.
             if let Some(signals) = session_signals.get(&session_id) {
-                for (entity_id, weight, ts_ns, signal_name, _annotation) in signals {
+                for (entity_id, weight, ts_ns, signal_name, annotation) in signals {
                     let lambda = schema
                         .signal(signal_name)
                         .and_then(|def| def.decay().lambda())
@@ -155,6 +168,14 @@ impl TidalDb {
 
                     state.signaled_entities.insert(*entity_id, ());
                     state.signals_written.fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed);
+
+                    // Replay annotation if present.
+                    if let Some(ann) = annotation
+                        && let Ok(mut anns) = state.annotations.lock()
+                        && anns.len() < session_mod::MAX_ANNOTATIONS
+                    {
+                        anns.push((*ts_ns, ann.clone()));
+                    }
                 }
             }
 
diff --git a/tidal/src/session/serde.rs b/tidal/src/session/serde/mod.rs
similarity index 89%
rename from tidal/src/session/serde.rs
rename to tidal/src/session/serde/mod.rs
index 252e2f1..0aebe6c 100644
--- a/tidal/src/session/serde.rs
+++ b/tidal/src/session/serde/mod.rs
@@ -6,10 +6,13 @@
 //!   a snapshot when the session closes.
 //! - **Audit log** — standalone serialisation used for the separate audit keyspace.
 
+mod start_record;
+
+pub use start_record::{deserialize_start_record, serialize_start_record};
+
 use super::audit::AuditEntry;
 use super::signal_state::SignalSnapEntry;
 use super::snapshot::SessionSnapshot;
-use super::state::SessionState;
 use super::types::SessionId;
 
 /// Format version byte for snapshot serialization.
@@ -275,51 +278,6 @@ pub fn deserialize_snapshot(bytes: &[u8]) -> Option<SessionSnapshot> {
     })
 }
 
-// ── Start record ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-
-/// Serialize a compact session start record.
-///
-/// Written to storage on `start_session`; deleted when the session is closed
-/// and replaced by a snapshot record.
-///
-/// Format: `[session_id: 8][user_id: 8][started_at_ns: 8][metadata_count: u32][...kv...]`
-#[must_use]
-#[allow(clippy::cast_possible_truncation)]
-pub fn serialize_start_record(state: &SessionState) -> Vec<u8> {
-    let mut buf = Vec::new();
-    buf.extend_from_slice(&state.id.as_u64().to_le_bytes());
-    buf.extend_from_slice(&state.user_id.to_le_bytes());
-    buf.extend_from_slice(&state.started_at_ns.to_le_bytes());
-    buf.extend_from_slice(&(state.metadata.len() as u32).to_le_bytes());
-    for (k, v) in &state.metadata {
-        buf.extend_from_slice(&(k.len() as u32).to_le_bytes());
-        buf.extend_from_slice(k.as_bytes());
-        buf.extend_from_slice(&(v.len() as u32).to_le_bytes());
-        buf.extend_from_slice(v.as_bytes());
-    }
-    buf
-}
-
-/// Deserialize a session start record (reads `session_id`, `user_id`, `started_at_ns`).
-///
-/// Returns `None` if the bytes are malformed.
-#[must_use]
-pub fn deserialize_start_record(bytes: &[u8]) -> Option<(SessionId, u64, u64)> {
-    if bytes.len() < 24 {
-        return None;
-    }
-    let session_id = u64::from_le_bytes([
-        bytes[0], bytes[1], bytes[2], bytes[3], bytes[4], bytes[5], bytes[6], bytes[7],
-    ]);
-    let user_id = u64::from_le_bytes([
-        bytes[8], bytes[9], bytes[10], bytes[11], bytes[12], bytes[13], bytes[14], bytes[15],
-    ]);
-    let started_at_ns = u64::from_le_bytes([
-        bytes[16], bytes[17], bytes[18], bytes[19], bytes[20], bytes[21], bytes[22], bytes[23],
-    ]);
-    Some((SessionId::from_raw(session_id), user_id, started_at_ns))
-}
-
 // ── Audit log ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 /// Serialize an audit log to bytes for storage archival.
diff --git a/tidal/src/session/serde/start_record.rs b/tidal/src/session/serde/start_record.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0f4ced5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tidal/src/session/serde/start_record.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,202 @@
+//! Binary encoding and decoding for session start records.
+//!
+//! A start record is written to storage on `start_session` and deleted (replaced
+//! by a snapshot) when the session closes. On restart, surviving start records
+//! indicate sessions that were active at crash time; their metadata is
+//! rehydrated from this record during WAL replay.
+
+use super::super::state::SessionState;
+use super::super::types::SessionId;
+
+/// Serialize a compact session start record.
+///
+/// Written to storage on `start_session`; deleted when the session is closed
+/// and replaced by a snapshot record.
+///
+/// Format: `[session_id: 8][user_id: 8][started_at_ns: 8][metadata_count: u32][...kv...]`
+#[must_use]
+#[allow(clippy::cast_possible_truncation)]
+pub fn serialize_start_record(state: &SessionState) -> Vec<u8> {
+    let mut buf = Vec::new();
+    buf.extend_from_slice(&state.id.as_u64().to_le_bytes());
+    buf.extend_from_slice(&state.user_id.to_le_bytes());
+    buf.extend_from_slice(&state.started_at_ns.to_le_bytes());
+    buf.extend_from_slice(&(state.metadata.len() as u32).to_le_bytes());
+    for (k, v) in &state.metadata {
+        buf.extend_from_slice(&(k.len() as u32).to_le_bytes());
+        buf.extend_from_slice(k.as_bytes());
+        buf.extend_from_slice(&(v.len() as u32).to_le_bytes());
+        buf.extend_from_slice(v.as_bytes());
+    }
+    buf
+}
+
+/// Deserialize a session start record.
+///
+/// Returns `(session_id, user_id, started_at_ns, metadata)`.
+/// Older records written before metadata support was added return an empty map
+/// rather than `None` — partial reads are treated as empty metadata, not errors.
+///
+/// Returns `None` only if the mandatory first 24 bytes are missing.
+#[must_use]
+#[allow(clippy::cast_possible_truncation)]
+pub fn deserialize_start_record(
+    bytes: &[u8],
+) -> Option<(
+    SessionId,
+    u64,
+    u64,
+    std::collections::HashMap<String, String>,
+)> {
+    if bytes.len() < 24 {
+        return None;
+    }
+    let session_id = u64::from_le_bytes([
+        bytes[0], bytes[1], bytes[2], bytes[3], bytes[4], bytes[5], bytes[6], bytes[7],
+    ]);
+    let user_id = u64::from_le_bytes([
+        bytes[8], bytes[9], bytes[10], bytes[11], bytes[12], bytes[13], bytes[14], bytes[15],
+    ]);
+    let started_at_ns = u64::from_le_bytes([
+        bytes[16], bytes[17], bytes[18], bytes[19], bytes[20], bytes[21], bytes[22], bytes[23],
+    ]);
+
+    // Metadata section: [count: u32][key_len: u32][key bytes][val_len: u32][val bytes]...
+    // Records written before metadata support stop at byte 24 — return empty map.
+    let mut pos = 24usize;
+    let read_u32 = |p: &mut usize| -> Option<u32> {
+        if *p + 4 > bytes.len() {
+            return None;
+        }
+        let v = u32::from_le_bytes([bytes[*p], bytes[*p + 1], bytes[*p + 2], bytes[*p + 3]]);
+        *p += 4;
+        Some(v)
+    };
+    let metadata = 'parse: {
+        let Some(count) = read_u32(&mut pos) else {
+            break 'parse std::collections::HashMap::new();
+        };
+        let mut map = std::collections::HashMap::with_capacity(count as usize);
+        for _ in 0..count {
+            let Some(key_len) = read_u32(&mut pos) else {
+                break 'parse map;
+            };
+            let key_len = key_len as usize;
+            if pos + key_len > bytes.len() {
+                break 'parse map;
+            }
+            let key = String::from_utf8_lossy(&bytes[pos..pos + key_len]).to_string();
+            pos += key_len;
+
+            let Some(val_len) = read_u32(&mut pos) else {
+                break 'parse map;
+            };
+            let val_len = val_len as usize;
+            if pos + val_len > bytes.len() {
+                break 'parse map;
+            }
+            let val = String::from_utf8_lossy(&bytes[pos..pos + val_len]).to_string();
+            pos += val_len;
+
+            map.insert(key, val);
+        }
+        map
+    };
+
+    Some((
+        SessionId::from_raw(session_id),
+        user_id,
+        started_at_ns,
+        metadata,
+    ))
+}
+
+// ── Unit tests ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+#[allow(clippy::unwrap_used)]
+mod tests {
+    use std::collections::HashMap;
+    use std::sync::Arc;
+    use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicBool, AtomicU64};
+
+    use super::{deserialize_start_record, serialize_start_record};
+    use crate::session::audit::AuditLog;
+    use crate::session::state::SessionState;
+    use crate::session::types::{AgentId, SessionId};
+
+    fn make_state(metadata: HashMap<String, String>) -> SessionState {
+        let closed = Arc::new(AtomicBool::new(false));
+        SessionState {
+            id: SessionId(42),
+            user_id: 7,
+            agent_id: AgentId::new("agent-a").unwrap(),
+            policy_name: "default".to_string(),
+            started_at: std::time::Instant::now(),
+            started_at_ns: 123_456_789,
+            metadata,
+            signals: dashmap::DashMap::new(),
+            signaled_entities: dashmap::DashMap::new(),
+            annotations: std::sync::Mutex::new(Vec::new()),
+            signals_written: AtomicU64::new(0),
+            signals_rejected: AtomicU64::new(0),
+            audit_log: std::sync::Mutex::new(AuditLog::new()),
+            closed,
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn start_record_roundtrip_with_metadata() {
+        let mut metadata = HashMap::new();
+        metadata.insert("tool".to_string(), "planner".to_string());
+        metadata.insert("context".to_string(), "daily-feed".to_string());
+
+        let state = make_state(metadata);
+        let bytes = serialize_start_record(&state);
+        let (session_id, user_id, started_at_ns, metadata) =
+            deserialize_start_record(&bytes).unwrap();
+
+        assert_eq!(session_id, SessionId(42));
+        assert_eq!(user_id, 7);
+        assert_eq!(started_at_ns, 123_456_789);
+        assert_eq!(metadata.get("tool").map(String::as_str), Some("planner"));
+        assert_eq!(
+            metadata.get("context").map(String::as_str),
+            Some("daily-feed")
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn start_record_roundtrip_empty_metadata() {
+        let state = make_state(HashMap::new());
+        let bytes = serialize_start_record(&state);
+        let (session_id, user_id, started_at_ns, metadata) =
+            deserialize_start_record(&bytes).unwrap();
+
+        assert_eq!(session_id, SessionId(42));
+        assert_eq!(user_id, 7);
+        assert_eq!(started_at_ns, 123_456_789);
+        assert!(metadata.is_empty());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn start_record_backward_compat_no_metadata() {
+        // A record with only the 24-byte header (pre-metadata format) must parse
+        // without error and return an empty metadata map.
+        let mut buf = Vec::new();
+        buf.extend_from_slice(&42u64.to_le_bytes()); // session_id
+        buf.extend_from_slice(&7u64.to_le_bytes()); // user_id
+        buf.extend_from_slice(&999u64.to_le_bytes()); // started_at_ns
+        // No metadata bytes — simulates a record written before this fix.
+
+        let (session_id, user_id, started_at_ns, metadata) =
+            deserialize_start_record(&buf).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(session_id, SessionId(42));
+        assert_eq!(user_id, 7);
+        assert_eq!(started_at_ns, 999);
+        assert!(
+            metadata.is_empty(),
+            "backward-compat: metadata should be empty"
+        );
+    }
+}
diff --git a/tidal/tests/session_durability.rs b/tidal/tests/session_durability.rs
index 80bdd37..7493acf 100644
--- a/tidal/tests/session_durability.rs
+++ b/tidal/tests/session_durability.rs
@@ -441,7 +441,165 @@ fn active_session_state_restored_after_crash() {
     }
 }
 
-// ── Test 7: WAL replay preserves signal counts exactly ───────────────────────
+// ── Test 6: Session metadata survives crash recovery ─────────────────────────
+
+/// Verifies that `start_session` metadata (e.g. `{"tool": "planner"}`) is
+/// rehydrated from the storage start record during WAL replay, so that
+/// `session_snapshot().metadata` is populated after a crash.
+#[test]
+fn metadata_survives_crash() {
+    let dir = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+    let schema = test_schema();
+
+    let session_id;
+    {
+        let db = TidalDb::builder()
+            .with_data_dir(dir.path())
+            .with_schema(schema.clone())
+            .open()
+            .unwrap();
+
+        let mut meta = HashMap::new();
+        meta.insert("tool".to_string(), "planner".to_string());
+        meta.insert("context".to_string(), "daily-feed".to_string());
+
+        let handle = db
+            .start_session(10, "agent-meta", "default_policy", meta)
+            .unwrap();
+        session_id = handle.id;
+
+        // Write a signal so the WAL has a SessionSignal record too.
+        let mut item_meta = HashMap::new();
+        item_meta.insert("title".to_string(), "item-1".to_string());
+        db.write_item_with_metadata(EntityId::new(1), &item_meta)
+            .unwrap();
+        let ts = Timestamp::now();
+        db.session_signal(&handle, "reward", EntityId::new(1), 1.0, ts, None)
+            .unwrap();
+
+        // Simulate crash: drop without close_session().
+        drop(db);
+    }
+
+    // Reopen — metadata must be present in the restored active session.
+    {
+        let db = TidalDb::builder()
+            .with_data_dir(dir.path())
+            .with_schema(schema)
+            .open()
+            .unwrap();
+
+        let active = db.active_sessions();
+        assert!(
+            active.iter().any(|info| info.id == session_id),
+            "session must be restored as active after crash"
+        );
+
+        let snap = db.session_snapshot(session_id).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(
+            snap.metadata.get("tool").map(String::as_str),
+            Some("planner"),
+            "tool metadata must survive crash recovery"
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            snap.metadata.get("context").map(String::as_str),
+            Some("daily-feed"),
+            "context metadata must survive crash recovery"
+        );
+
+        db.close().unwrap();
+    }
+}
+
+// ── Test 7: Preference annotations survive crash recovery ────────────────────
+
+/// Verifies that session signal annotations ("more jazz today") are replayed
+/// from the WAL during crash recovery, so that `SessionContext::keywords` is
+/// populated for FOR SESSION ranking after a restart.
+#[test]
+fn annotations_survive_crash() {
+    let dir = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+    let schema = test_schema();
+
+    let session_id;
+    {
+        let db = TidalDb::builder()
+            .with_data_dir(dir.path())
+            .with_schema(schema.clone())
+            .open()
+            .unwrap();
+
+        let handle = db
+            .start_session(11, "agent-ann", "default_policy", HashMap::new())
+            .unwrap();
+        session_id = handle.id;
+
+        let mut item_meta = HashMap::new();
+        item_meta.insert("genre".to_string(), "jazz".to_string());
+        db.write_item_with_metadata(EntityId::new(1), &item_meta)
+            .unwrap();
+        let ts = Timestamp::now();
+
+        // Write two annotated signals.
+        db.session_signal(
+            &handle,
+            "reward",
+            EntityId::new(1),
+            1.0,
+            ts,
+            Some("more jazz today".to_string()),
+        )
+        .unwrap();
+        db.session_signal(
+            &handle,
+            "view",
+            EntityId::new(1),
+            0.5,
+            ts,
+            Some("acoustic vibes".to_string()),
+        )
+        .unwrap();
+
+        // Simulate crash.
+        drop(db);
+    }
+
+    // Reopen — annotations must be present so FOR SESSION ranking can use them.
+    {
+        let db = TidalDb::builder()
+            .with_data_dir(dir.path())
+            .with_schema(schema)
+            .open()
+            .unwrap();
+
+        let active = db.active_sessions();
+        assert!(
+            active.iter().any(|info| info.id == session_id),
+            "session must be restored as active after crash"
+        );
+
+        let snap = db.session_snapshot(session_id).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(
+            snap.annotations.len(),
+            2,
+            "both annotations must be replayed from WAL"
+        );
+
+        let texts: Vec<&str> = snap.annotations.iter().map(|(_, s)| s.as_str()).collect();
+        assert!(
+            texts.contains(&"more jazz today"),
+            "jazz annotation must survive crash recovery"
+        );
+        assert!(
+            texts.contains(&"acoustic vibes"),
+            "acoustic annotation must survive crash recovery"
+        );
+
+        db.close().unwrap();
+    }
+}
+
+// ── Test 8: WAL replay preserves signal counts exactly ───────────────────────
 
 /// Property-like correctness test: write exactly K signals of one type into
 /// an active session, "crash" (drop without close_session), reopen, and