diff --git a/apps/machine/electron/__tests__/state-store-transactions.test.ts b/apps/machine/electron/__tests__/state-store-transactions.test.ts
index fbb9a87..93c3434 100644
--- a/apps/machine/electron/__tests__/state-store-transactions.test.ts
+++ b/apps/machine/electron/__tests__/state-store-transactions.test.ts
@@ -12,10 +12,14 @@
 
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
 import {
+  applyOperatorCassettesConfig,
   closeDatabase,
   getCashbox,
+  getCountsUncertainSince,
+  getInventory,
   initDatabase,
   loadCassettes,
+  markCountsUncertain,
   recordTransaction,
   setCassettes,
 } from '../state-store.js'
@@ -168,3 +172,196 @@ describe('state-store: recordTransaction cash_in cashbox', () => {
     expect(countsByPosition()).toEqual({ 1: 50, 2: 50, 3: 30 })
   })
 })
+
+describe('state-store: recordTransaction manual_dispense inventory (#76)', () => {
+  it('decrements the bays an operator remediation actually emptied', () => {
+    recordTransaction({
+      ...TX_BASE,
+      txid: 'tx-manual',
+      type: 'manual_dispense',
+      status: 'complete',
+      bills: [{ denomination: 20, count: 2 }],
+      cassettes: [
+        {
+          name: 'cassette1',
+          position: 1,
+          denomination: 20,
+          provisioned: 2,
+          dispensed: 2,
+          rejected: 0,
+        },
+      ],
+    })
+    // Bills physically left bay 1; before #76 this row was untouched and the
+    // inflated count became truth on the next boot.
+    expect(countsByPosition()).toEqual({ 1: 48, 2: 50, 3: 30 })
+  })
+
+  it('decrements again when remediating a partly-dispensed cash-out', () => {
+    // Original cash-out managed 1 of the 2 notes it provisioned.
+    recordTransaction({
+      ...TX_BASE,
+      txid: 'tx-partial',
+      type: 'cash_out',
+      status: 'partial',
+      bills: [{ denomination: 50, count: 1 }],
+      cassettes: [
+        {
+          name: 'cassette3',
+          position: 3,
+          denomination: 50,
+          provisioned: 2,
+          dispensed: 1,
+          rejected: 0,
+        },
+      ],
+    })
+    expect(countsByPosition()[3]).toBe(29)
+
+    // The operator dispenses the missing note by hand. That is a second lot of
+    // bills leaving the bay, so it debits again — the original only ever
+    // debited what physically left.
+    recordTransaction({
+      ...TX_BASE,
+      txid: 'tx-remediate',
+      type: 'manual_dispense',
+      status: 'complete',
+      bills: [{ denomination: 50, count: 1 }],
+      cassettes: [
+        {
+          name: 'cassette3',
+          position: 3,
+          denomination: 50,
+          provisioned: 1,
+          dispensed: 1,
+          rejected: 0,
+        },
+      ],
+    })
+    expect(countsByPosition()[3]).toBe(28)
+  })
+
+  it('leaves the cashbox alone (bills leave, they do not arrive)', () => {
+    const before = getCashbox()
+    recordTransaction({
+      ...TX_BASE,
+      txid: 'tx-manual-cashbox',
+      type: 'manual_dispense',
+      status: 'complete',
+      bills: [{ denomination: 20, count: 1 }],
+      cassettes: [
+        {
+          name: 'cassette2',
+          position: 2,
+          denomination: 20,
+          provisioned: 1,
+          dispensed: 1,
+          rejected: 0,
+        },
+      ],
+    })
+    expect(getCashbox()).toEqual(before)
+    expect(countsByPosition()[2]).toBe(49)
+  })
+})
+
+describe('state-store: getInventory represents a drained machine', () => {
+  it('keeps configured bays at zero rather than dropping them', () => {
+    recordTransaction({
+      ...TX_BASE,
+      txid: 'tx-drain-50s',
+      type: 'cash_out',
+      status: 'complete',
+      bills: [{ denomination: 50, count: 30 }],
+      cassettes: [
+        {
+          name: 'cassette3',
+          position: 3,
+          denomination: 50,
+          provisioned: 30,
+          dispensed: 30,
+          rejected: 0,
+        },
+      ],
+    })
+    // The $50 bay is empty but still configured. Dropping the key made this
+    // look like "no inventory known", and callers then fell back to a stale
+    // snapshot or to HAL.
+    expect(getInventory()).toEqual({ 20: 100, 50: 0 })
+  })
+
+  it('reports every bay at zero when the machine is fully drained', () => {
+    for (const [txid, position, denomination, count] of [
+      ['d1', 1, 20, 50],
+      ['d2', 2, 20, 50],
+      ['d3', 3, 50, 30],
+    ] as const) {
+      recordTransaction({
+        ...TX_BASE,
+        txid,
+        type: 'cash_out',
+        status: 'complete',
+        bills: [{ denomination, count }],
+        cassettes: [
+          {
+            name: `cassette${position}`,
+            position,
+            denomination,
+            provisioned: count,
+            dispensed: count,
+            rejected: 0,
+          },
+        ],
+      })
+    }
+    expect(getInventory()).toEqual({ 20: 0, 50: 0 })
+  })
+
+  it('returns an empty map only when no cassettes are configured', () => {
+    // A fresh DB with no bays at all — the one case that should read as
+    // "nothing known", so callers may legitimately defer to the hardware.
+    closeDatabase()
+    initDatabase(':memory:')
+    expect(getInventory()).toEqual({})
+  })
+})
+
+describe('state-store: unverified counts after a silent dispense', () => {
+  it('starts clear, latches the first time, and keeps the earliest time', () => {
+    expect(getCountsUncertainSince()).toBeNull()
+    markCountsUncertain(1000)
+    expect(getCountsUncertainSince()).toBe(1000)
+    // A second failure does not move the clock forward — the question is how
+    // long the numbers have been untrustworthy, not when we last noticed.
+    markCountsUncertain(2000)
+    expect(getCountsUncertainSince()).toBe(1000)
+  })
+
+  it('clears when an operator asserts real counts', () => {
+    markCountsUncertain(1000)
+    const applied = applyOperatorCassettesConfig(
+      {
+        positions: {
+          '1': { denomination: 20, count: 40 },
+          '2': { denomination: 20, count: 40 },
+          '3': { denomination: 50, count: 25 },
+        },
+      },
+      1_700_000_000
+    )
+    expect(applied.applied).toBe(true)
+    // A recount is exactly the operator asserting authoritative counts.
+    expect(getCountsUncertainSince()).toBeNull()
+  })
+
+  it('leaves the flag alone when the operator config is rejected', () => {
+    markCountsUncertain(1000)
+    // Position key-set mismatch — the bay layout is hardware-determined.
+    const applied = applyOperatorCassettesConfig(
+      { positions: { '1': { denomination: 20, count: 40 } } },
+      1_700_000_001
+    )
+    expect(applied.applied).toBe(false)
+    expect(getCountsUncertainSince()).toBe(1000)
+  })
+})
diff --git a/apps/machine/electron/main.ts b/apps/machine/electron/main.ts
index 0331392..7383552 100644
--- a/apps/machine/electron/main.ts
+++ b/apps/machine/electron/main.ts
@@ -24,9 +24,11 @@ import {
   markCommandExecuting,
   completeCommand,
   getLastKnownConfigCreatedAt,
-  getBootstrapPublishedAt,
-  markBootstrapPublished,
-  resetBootstrapGate,
+  getCountsUncertainSince,
+  getLastStatePublishedAt,
+  markCountsUncertain,
+  markStatePublished,
+  resetStatePublishWatermark,
   resetForRepair,
   applyOperatorCassettesConfig,
   getFeeConfig,
@@ -410,7 +412,7 @@ ipcMain.handle('get-atm-secrets', () => {
 })
 
 // Bunker binding persistence — the renderer writes the binding after a
-// successful pairing (connectNewSeed), and resets the bootstrap gate so the
+// successful pairing (connectNewSeed), and resets the publish watermark so the
 // new operator receives the spire's hello-event (aiolabs/bitspire#52 / #56).
 ipcMain.handle('state:save-bunker-binding', (_event, binding: StoredBunkerBinding): void => {
   saveBunkerBinding(binding)
@@ -418,8 +420,8 @@ ipcMain.handle('state:save-bunker-binding', (_event, binding: StoredBunkerBindin
 ipcMain.handle('state:clear-bunker-binding', (): void => {
   clearBunkerBinding()
 })
-ipcMain.handle('state:reset-bootstrap-gate', (): void => {
-  resetBootstrapGate()
+ipcMain.handle('state:reset-state-publish-watermark', (): void => {
+  resetStatePublishWatermark()
 })
 ipcMain.handle('state:reset-for-repair', (): void => {
   resetForRepair()
@@ -555,9 +557,13 @@ ipcMain.handle('state:remediate-transaction', (_event, txid: string, remediatedB
 ipcMain.handle('state:get-last-known-config-created-at', (): number =>
   getLastKnownConfigCreatedAt()
 )
-ipcMain.handle('state:get-bootstrap-published-at', (): number | null => getBootstrapPublishedAt())
-ipcMain.handle('state:mark-bootstrap-published', (_event, unixTimestamp: number): void => {
-  markBootstrapPublished(unixTimestamp)
+ipcMain.handle('state:get-last-state-published-at', (): number | null => getLastStatePublishedAt())
+ipcMain.handle('state:get-counts-uncertain-since', (): number | null => getCountsUncertainSince())
+ipcMain.handle('state:mark-counts-uncertain', (_event, unixTimestamp: number): void => {
+  markCountsUncertain(unixTimestamp)
+})
+ipcMain.handle('state:mark-state-published', (_event, unixTimestamp: number): void => {
+  markStatePublished(unixTimestamp)
 })
 ipcMain.handle(
   'state:apply-operator-cassettes-config',
@@ -841,6 +847,11 @@ function startCommandPoller(): void {
           error: result.error,
         })
 
+        // This dispense happened entirely in the main process, so the renderer
+        // has no idea the bays moved — it would keep serving a stale inventory
+        // and would never republish the operator's view. Tell it.
+        mainWindow?.webContents.send('cassettes:changed')
+
         // Only remediate the original tx if ALL requested bills were dispensed
         let refRemediated = false
         if (parsed.ref_txid && result.dispensed) {
diff --git a/apps/machine/electron/preload.ts b/apps/machine/electron/preload.ts
index df4ba0b..c376170 100644
--- a/apps/machine/electron/preload.ts
+++ b/apps/machine/electron/preload.ts
@@ -108,16 +108,21 @@ contextBridge.exposeInMainWorld('electronAPI', {
   // Operator-config consumer (aiolabs/lamassu-next#56)
   getLastKnownConfigCreatedAt: (): Promise<number> =>
     ipcRenderer.invoke('state:get-last-known-config-created-at'),
-  getBootstrapPublishedAt: (): Promise<number | null> =>
-    ipcRenderer.invoke('state:get-bootstrap-published-at'),
-  markBootstrapPublished: (unixTimestamp: number): Promise<void> =>
-    ipcRenderer.invoke('state:mark-bootstrap-published', unixTimestamp),
+  getLastStatePublishedAt: (): Promise<number | null> =>
+    ipcRenderer.invoke('state:get-last-state-published-at'),
+  getCountsUncertainSince: (): Promise<number | null> =>
+    ipcRenderer.invoke('state:get-counts-uncertain-since'),
+  markCountsUncertain: (unixTimestamp: number): Promise<void> =>
+    ipcRenderer.invoke('state:mark-counts-uncertain', unixTimestamp),
+  markStatePublished: (unixTimestamp: number): Promise<void> =>
+    ipcRenderer.invoke('state:mark-state-published', unixTimestamp),
 
   // Bunker binding persistence (aiolabs/bitspire#52)
   saveBunkerBinding: (binding: BunkerBindingRecord): Promise<void> =>
     ipcRenderer.invoke('state:save-bunker-binding', binding),
   clearBunkerBinding: (): Promise<void> => ipcRenderer.invoke('state:clear-bunker-binding'),
-  resetBootstrapGate: (): Promise<void> => ipcRenderer.invoke('state:reset-bootstrap-gate'),
+  resetStatePublishWatermark: (): Promise<void> =>
+    ipcRenderer.invoke('state:reset-state-publish-watermark'),
   resetForRepair: (): Promise<void> => ipcRenderer.invoke('state:reset-for-repair'),
 
   // QR-pairing wizard (aiolabs/bitspire#52): persist a scanned spire-seed,
@@ -222,6 +227,13 @@ contextBridge.exposeInMainWorld('electronAPI', {
   // Bolt Card reader (main process → renderer). removeAllListeners first: a
   // renderer reload re-runs this, and a duplicated card-tap listener would
   // trigger the LNURL-withdraw twice.
+  // The main process changed the cassettes table (an operator-command dispense,
+  // boot seeding). The renderer reloads its inventory and republishes state.
+  onCassettesChanged: (callback: () => void) => {
+    ipcRenderer.removeAllListeners('cassettes:changed')
+    ipcRenderer.on('cassettes:changed', () => callback())
+  },
+
   onNfcCardTapped: (callback: (lnurlw: string) => void) => {
     ipcRenderer.removeAllListeners('nfc:card-tapped')
     ipcRenderer.on('nfc:card-tapped', (_event, lnurlw) => callback(lnurlw))
@@ -282,11 +294,13 @@ declare global {
       emptyCashbox: () => Promise<void>
       remediateTransaction: (txid: string, remediatedByTxid: string) => Promise<boolean>
       getLastKnownConfigCreatedAt: () => Promise<number>
-      getBootstrapPublishedAt: () => Promise<number | null>
-      markBootstrapPublished: (unixTimestamp: number) => Promise<void>
+      getLastStatePublishedAt: () => Promise<number | null>
+      getCountsUncertainSince: () => Promise<number | null>
+      markCountsUncertain: (unixTimestamp: number) => Promise<void>
+      markStatePublished: (unixTimestamp: number) => Promise<void>
       saveBunkerBinding: (binding: BunkerBindingRecord) => Promise<void>
       clearBunkerBinding: () => Promise<void>
-      resetBootstrapGate: () => Promise<void>
+      resetStatePublishWatermark: () => Promise<void>
       resetForRepair: () => Promise<void>
       saveSpireSeed: (seed: string) => Promise<void>
       relaunchApp: () => Promise<void>
diff --git a/apps/machine/electron/state-store.ts b/apps/machine/electron/state-store.ts
index cfbfd71..ab3e304 100644
--- a/apps/machine/electron/state-store.ts
+++ b/apps/machine/electron/state-store.ts
@@ -295,7 +295,9 @@ export function initDatabase(dbPath?: string): void {
     `)
     db.pragma('foreign_keys = ON')
     db.prepare('UPDATE meta SET value = ? WHERE key = ?').run('9', 'schema_version')
-    console.log('[StateStore] Migrated schema v8 → v9 (cassettes PK position; allow duplicate denominations)')
+    console.log(
+      '[StateStore] Migrated schema v8 → v9 (cassettes PK position; allow duplicate denominations)'
+    )
     existing.value = '9'
   }
 
@@ -397,32 +399,80 @@ export function initDatabase(dbPath?: string): void {
  */
 export function getLastKnownConfigCreatedAt(): number {
   if (!db) throw new Error('Database not initialized')
-  const row = db
-    .prepare('SELECT value FROM meta WHERE key = ?')
-    .get('lastKnownConfigCreatedAt') as { value: string } | undefined
+  const row = db.prepare('SELECT value FROM meta WHERE key = ?').get('lastKnownConfigCreatedAt') as
+    | { value: string }
+    | undefined
   return row ? Number(row.value) || 0 : 0
 }
 
 /**
- * Read the one-shot bootstrap-publish gate. Returns null if the ATM has
- * not yet published its `bitspire-cassettes-state:<machine_id>` hello-event.
+ * The `created_at` of the last `bitspire-cassettes-state` event this machine
+ * published, or null if it has never published one.
+ *
+ * This used to be a one-shot gate ("have we said hello yet"), which meant a
+ * layout change after first boot was never announced (#94). It is now a
+ * high-water mark: every publish records its stamp, and the next one is forced
+ * strictly above it. Addressable events are ordered by `created_at` at second
+ * granularity, and a relay silently keeps the higher one, so a clock that steps
+ * backwards would otherwise make this machine's reports vanish with an `OK`.
+ *
+ * Stored under the original `bootstrapPublishedAt` meta key so no migration is
+ * needed; the name is historical, the meaning is not.
  */
-export function getBootstrapPublishedAt(): number | null {
+export function getLastStatePublishedAt(): number | null {
   if (!db) throw new Error('Database not initialized')
-  const row = db
-    .prepare('SELECT value FROM meta WHERE key = ?')
-    .get('bootstrapPublishedAt') as { value: string } | undefined
+  const row = db.prepare('SELECT value FROM meta WHERE key = ?').get('bootstrapPublishedAt') as
+    | { value: string }
+    | undefined
   if (!row || row.value === '') return null
   const n = Number(row.value)
   return Number.isFinite(n) ? n : null
 }
 
 /**
- * Mark the bootstrap hello-event as published. Idempotent — only takes
- * effect the first time it's set. Subsequent calls overwrite the
- * timestamp (harmless; the gate just needs to be non-null).
+ * Whether the bay counts are known to be unverified, and since when.
+ *
+ * Set when a dispense ends without the dispenser reporting what it moved — a
+ * driver throw, or the dispense timeout. Bills may well have reached the
+ * customer, but nothing knows how many, so neither the rows here nor HAL's
+ * bays were debited and both now read high. Reporting that number as fact is
+ * the worst option available; saying the number is unverified is honest and
+ * tells the operator to open the machine and recount.
+ *
+ * Cleared when an operator asserts authoritative counts (a config apply),
+ * which is precisely what a recount is. Uses an upsert so no migration is
+ * needed for machines whose meta table predates the key.
  */
-export function markBootstrapPublished(unixTimestamp: number): void {
+export function getCountsUncertainSince(): number | null {
+  if (!db) throw new Error('Database not initialized')
+  const row = db.prepare('SELECT value FROM meta WHERE key = ?').get('countsUncertainSince') as
+    | { value: string }
+    | undefined
+  if (!row || row.value === '') return null
+  const n = Number(row.value)
+  return Number.isFinite(n) ? n : null
+}
+
+/** Flag the counts as unverified. Keeps the earliest time it went bad. */
+export function markCountsUncertain(unixTimestamp: number): void {
+  if (!db) throw new Error('Database not initialized')
+  if (getCountsUncertainSince() !== null) return
+  db.prepare(
+    'INSERT INTO meta (key, value) VALUES (?, ?) ON CONFLICT(key) DO UPDATE SET value = excluded.value'
+  ).run('countsUncertainSince', String(unixTimestamp))
+  console.warn('[StateStore] Cassette counts flagged unverified at', unixTimestamp)
+}
+
+/** Clear the flag — an operator has asserted real counts. */
+export function clearCountsUncertain(): void {
+  if (!db) throw new Error('Database not initialized')
+  db.prepare(
+    'INSERT INTO meta (key, value) VALUES (?, ?) ON CONFLICT(key) DO UPDATE SET value = excluded.value'
+  ).run('countsUncertainSince', '')
+}
+
+/** Record the `created_at` just published, as the next publish's floor. */
+export function markStatePublished(unixTimestamp: number): void {
   if (!db) throw new Error('Database not initialized')
   db.prepare('UPDATE meta SET value = ? WHERE key = ?').run(
     String(unixTimestamp),
@@ -531,11 +581,12 @@ export function clearBunkerBinding(): void {
 }
 
 /**
- * Reset the bootstrap-publish gate so the ATM re-publishes its
- * `bitspire-cassettes-state` hello-event. Called on a re-pair (new seed) so
- * the new operator receives the spire's current state (aiolabs/bitspire#56).
+ * Forget the publish high-water mark. Called on a re-pair (new seed): the
+ * next publish is then free to use the wall clock, which is what a fresh
+ * operator relationship wants. The state itself is republished on startup
+ * regardless, so the new operator always receives current counts.
  */
-export function resetBootstrapGate(): void {
+export function resetStatePublishWatermark(): void {
   if (!db) throw new Error('Database not initialized')
   db.prepare('UPDATE meta SET value = ? WHERE key = ?').run('', 'bootstrapPublishedAt')
 }
@@ -570,9 +621,7 @@ export type OperatorCassettesPayload = {
   positions: Record<string, { denomination: number; count: number }>
 }
 
-export type ApplyResult =
-  | { applied: true }
-  | { applied: false; reason: string }
+export type ApplyResult = { applied: true } | { applied: false; reason: string }
 
 /**
  * Atomic apply of an operator-published cassette config (aiolabs/lamassu-next#56).
@@ -613,9 +662,7 @@ export function applyOperatorCassettesConfig(
     }
   }
 
-  const currentRows = db
-    .prepare('SELECT position FROM cassettes')
-    .all() as { position: number }[]
+  const currentRows = db.prepare('SELECT position FROM cassettes').all() as { position: number }[]
   const currentPositions = new Set(currentRows.map((r) => r.position))
   const payloadPositions = new Set(Object.keys(payload.positions).map((k) => Number(k)))
 
@@ -656,11 +703,18 @@ export function applyOperatorCassettesConfig(
   )
   const setWatermark = db.prepare('UPDATE meta SET value = ? WHERE key = ?')
 
+  const clearUncertain = db.prepare(
+    'INSERT INTO meta (key, value) VALUES (?, ?) ON CONFLICT(key) DO UPDATE SET value = excluded.value'
+  )
+
   const run = db.transaction(() => {
     for (const [posKey, entry] of Object.entries(payload.positions)) {
       updateCassette.run(entry.denomination, entry.count, Number(posKey))
     }
     setWatermark.run(String(eventCreatedAt), 'lastKnownConfigCreatedAt')
+    // The operator just asserted real counts, which is what a recount is.
+    // Whatever made the old numbers untrustworthy no longer applies.
+    clearUncertain.run('countsUncertainSince', '')
   })
 
   run()
@@ -752,10 +806,7 @@ export interface FeeConfigPayload {
  */
 const FEE_CAP_PER_DIRECTION = 0.15
 
-export function applyFeeConfig(
-  payload: FeeConfigPayload,
-  eventCreatedAt: number
-): ApplyResult {
+export function applyFeeConfig(payload: FeeConfigPayload, eventCreatedAt: number): ApplyResult {
   if (!db) throw new Error('Database not initialized')
 
   const watermark = getLastKnownFeeConfigCreatedAt()
@@ -879,9 +930,14 @@ export function getInventory(): Record<number, number> {
   const rows = loadCassettes()
   const inv: Record<number, number> = {}
   for (const row of rows) {
-    if (row.count > 0) {
-      inv[row.denomination] = (inv[row.denomination] ?? 0) + row.count
-    }
+    // Zero-count bays are KEPT. Dropping them made a drained machine
+    // indistinguishable from an unconfigured one, and every caller reads an
+    // empty map as "I don't know, ask the hardware" — so the last non-empty
+    // snapshot stuck and the availability beacon went on advertising bills
+    // that had already been dispensed. An empty map now means exactly one
+    // thing: no cassettes are configured. Consumers already filter for
+    // `> 0` before offering a denomination (CashOutView, machine.ts).
+    inv[row.denomination] = (inv[row.denomination] ?? 0) + row.count
   }
   return inv
 }
@@ -1026,7 +1082,15 @@ export function recordTransaction(tx: TransactionInput): void {
       }
     }
 
-    if (t.type === 'cash_out') {
+    // Any dispense empties bays, whoever asked for it. `manual_dispense`
+    // (operator remediation, via the command poller or a kind-21003 command)
+    // used to fall outside this branch: HAL decremented its in-memory bays but
+    // the rows here did not move, and on the next boot HAL re-seeds from these
+    // rows — so the machine came back believing it still held bills a customer
+    // had already been handed (#76). A remediation against a partly-dispensed
+    // original decrements again on purpose: the original only ever debited what
+    // physically left, and this is a second lot of bills leaving.
+    if (t.type === 'cash_out' || t.type === 'manual_dispense') {
       // Decrement cassettes by ACTUALLY dispensed count (not requested).
       // Position is the addressable unit (v9): duplicate denominations
       // across bays are legal, so a denomination-keyed UPDATE would
diff --git a/apps/machine/src/services/operator-config.ts b/apps/machine/src/services/operator-config.ts
index d853114..1627f5a 100644
--- a/apps/machine/src/services/operator-config.ts
+++ b/apps/machine/src/services/operator-config.ts
@@ -11,15 +11,16 @@
  *
  * - Operator → ATM: `kind=30078`, `["d", "bitspire-cassettes:<machine_id>"]`,
  *   `["p", <atm_npub>]`, NIP-44 v2 encrypted content, author = operator pubkey
- * - ATM bootstrap: `kind=30078`, `["d", "bitspire-cassettes-state:<machine_id>"]`,
+ * - ATM state:     `kind=30078`, `["d", "bitspire-cassettes-state:<machine_id>"]`,
  *   `["p", <operator_pubkey>]`, NIP-44 v2 encrypted content, author = ATM pubkey
  *
  * The ATM's hex pubkey serves as `<machine_id>` — globally unique, no
  * extra provisioning step required.
  *
- * v1 only publishes the one-shot bootstrap hello-event. The continuous
- * ATM-state reverse channel (publish on every count change + heartbeat)
- * is v2 territory.
+ * The ATM publishes its state on startup, after every change to the bays, and
+ * on a heartbeat. It was once a single hello-event gated on a one-shot flag,
+ * which left the operator validating against a layout the machine no longer
+ * had (#94), and left a dispense published during a relay outage lost for good.
  */
 
 import {
@@ -37,6 +38,19 @@ const KIND_NIP78 = 30078
 /** Accept operator events stamped up to this many seconds in the future. */
 const MAX_FUTURE_SKEW_S = 60
 
+/**
+ * Republish the cassette state on this interval even when nothing changed.
+ *
+ * A publish is a single fire-and-forget event with no retry: if the relay is
+ * unreachable at the moment of a dispense, that update is simply gone and the
+ * operator's view stays wrong until the next customer happens to buy cash. A
+ * relay also acknowledges an event it then discards, so a publish that returns
+ * cleanly is not proof of anything. The heartbeat is what makes the channel
+ * self-healing, and it is also the only way an out-of-band edit to the table
+ * (atm-tui, direct SQL) ever reaches the operator.
+ */
+const STATE_HEARTBEAT_MS = 5 * 60 * 1000
+
 const operatorConfigDTag = (machineId: string) => `bitspire-cassettes:${machineId}`
 const atmStateDTag = (machineId: string) => `bitspire-cassettes-state:${machineId}`
 
@@ -45,7 +59,7 @@ const isElectron = typeof window !== 'undefined' && window.electronAPI !== undef
 export interface OperatorConfigServiceConfig {
   /** Connected NostrClient — shared with the Lightning service. */
   nostrClient: NostrClient
-  /** Signer for the ATM identity. Decrypts operator events + signs the bootstrap. */
+  /** Signer for the ATM identity. Decrypts operator events + signs our state. */
   signer: Signer
   /** Operator pubkeys (hex) authorized to publish cassette config. From VITE_OPERATOR_PUBKEYS. */
   operatorPubkeys: string[]
@@ -83,12 +97,15 @@ export async function startOperatorConfigService(
   const api = window.electronAPI
   const machineId = cfg.machineId ?? cfg.signer.pubkey
 
-  // Bootstrap hello-event on first boot (best-effort — failure leaves the
-  // gate null so the next boot retries).
+  // Announce current state on every start. This used to be gated on a
+  // one-shot "have we said hello" flag, so any later change to the layout —
+  // a reseed, an atm-tui edit, direct SQL — was never published and the
+  // operator's dashboard kept validating against a bay set that no longer
+  // existed (#94). Best-effort; the heartbeat below is the safety net.
   try {
-    await maybePublishBootstrap(cfg, api, machineId)
+    await publishCassettesState(cfg, api, machineId)
   } catch (err) {
-    console.warn('[OperatorConfig] Bootstrap publish failed (will retry next boot):', err)
+    console.warn('[OperatorConfig] Startup cassettes-state publish failed:', err)
   }
 
   // Subscribe to operator-published cassette config events.
@@ -112,8 +129,17 @@ export async function startOperatorConfigService(
   )
   console.log('[OperatorConfig] Subscribed:', { dTag, subscriptionId })
 
+  const heartbeat = setInterval(() => {
+    publishCassettesState(cfg, api, machineId).catch((err) =>
+      console.warn('[OperatorConfig] cassettes-state heartbeat failed:', err)
+    )
+  }, STATE_HEARTBEAT_MS)
+
   return {
-    stop: () => cfg.nostrClient.unsubscribe(subscriptionId),
+    stop: () => {
+      clearInterval(heartbeat)
+      cfg.nostrClient.unsubscribe(subscriptionId)
+    },
     publishCassettesState: () =>
       publishCassettesState(cfg, api, machineId)
         .then(() => {})
@@ -224,11 +250,11 @@ async function handleOperatorConfigEvent(
  * Publish the ATM's current cassette state as a replaceable kind-30078 event
  * (`bitspire-cassettes-state:<machineId>`), NIP-44-encrypted to the operator.
  * Replaceable → latest wins; the operator consumes every update. Call after a
- * dispense and on a cassette reload so the operator view tracks reality, not
- * the frozen bootstrap snapshot (coord 2026-06-21 / lamassu-next#56).
+ * dispense, on a cassette reload, at startup and on a heartbeat, so the
+ * operator view tracks reality (coord 2026-06-21 / lamassu-next#56).
  *
- * NOT gated on the bootstrap flag — this is the live update. Returns whether an
- * event was published (false when there are no cassettes / no operator).
+ * Returns whether an event was published (false when there are no cassettes /
+ * no operator).
  */
 async function publishCassettesState(
   cfg: OperatorConfigServiceConfig,
@@ -244,7 +270,23 @@ async function publishCassettesState(
   for (const c of cassettes) {
     positions[String(c.position)] = { denomination: c.denomination, count: c.count }
   }
-  const ciphertext = await cfg.signer.nip44Encrypt(operatorPubkey, JSON.stringify({ positions }))
+  // Additive field: an operator on the old consumer reads `positions` and
+  // ignores this, so it needs no coordinated release. When set, the counts
+  // above are the machine's best guess, not a measurement.
+  const countsUncertainSince = await api.getCountsUncertainSince()
+  const payload = countsUncertainSince
+    ? { positions, counts_uncertain_since: countsUncertainSince }
+    : { positions }
+  const ciphertext = await cfg.signer.nip44Encrypt(operatorPubkey, JSON.stringify(payload))
+
+  // Force the stamp strictly above our last one. Addressable events are ordered
+  // by `created_at` at second granularity, ties broken by lowest event id, and
+  // the relay keeps one and silently drops the other while acknowledging both.
+  // So two publishes inside one second would leave the winner decided by a hash,
+  // permanently — and a clock that stepped backwards would make every report
+  // from this machine disappear. Neither failure is visible from here.
+  const lastPublished = (await api.getLastStatePublishedAt()) ?? 0
+  const createdAt = Math.max(Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000), lastPublished + 1)
 
   const dTag = atmStateDTag(machineId)
   const event = await createSignedEvent(cfg.signer, {
@@ -254,34 +296,11 @@ async function publishCassettesState(
       ['d', dTag],
       ['p', operatorPubkey],
     ],
-    created_at: Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000),
+    created_at: createdAt,
   })
 
   await cfg.nostrClient.publish(event)
-  console.log('[OperatorConfig] cassettes-state published:', { dTag, eventId: event.id })
+  await api.markStatePublished(createdAt)
+  console.log('[OperatorConfig] cassettes-state published:', { dTag, eventId: event.id, createdAt })
   return true
 }
-
-/**
- * First-boot hello: publish the cassette state once and mark the gate. The
- * gate (lamassu-next#56) prevents re-emitting the *bootstrap* on every boot;
- * live updates after dispenses go through `publishCassettesState` directly.
- */
-async function maybePublishBootstrap(
-  cfg: OperatorConfigServiceConfig,
-  api: NonNullable<typeof window.electronAPI>,
-  machineId: string
-): Promise<void> {
-  const already = await api.getBootstrapPublishedAt()
-  if (already !== null) {
-    console.log('[OperatorConfig] Bootstrap already published at unix', already)
-    return
-  }
-  const published = await publishCassettesState(cfg, api, machineId)
-  if (published) {
-    await api.markBootstrapPublished(Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000))
-    console.log('[OperatorConfig] Bootstrap hello-event published')
-  } else {
-    console.log('[OperatorConfig] No cassettes/operator — skipping bootstrap')
-  }
-}
diff --git a/apps/machine/src/services/signer-resolver.ts b/apps/machine/src/services/signer-resolver.ts
index f830073..9db99b1 100644
--- a/apps/machine/src/services/signer-resolver.ts
+++ b/apps/machine/src/services/signer-resolver.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
  *  1. A seed is present whose fingerprint differs from the stored binding
  *     (first pair or re-pair) → generate a fresh NIP-46 transport key, redeem
  *     the one-shot connect secret, persist the binding, and reset the
- *     bootstrap gate so the (possibly new) operator gets a hello-event (#56).
+ *     publish watermark so the (possibly new) operator gets current state (#56).
  *  2. A seed is present matching the stored binding, OR no seed but a stored
  *     binding exists → resume the bunker session with the persisted transport
  *     key (no re-redeem — the binding is server-persistent).
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ export async function resolveSigner(opts: ResolveSignerOptions): Promise<Resolve
       if (binding) {
         console.warn(
           '[Signer] Stored spire seed is unparseable; resuming from existing binding:',
-          (err as Error).message,
+          (err as Error).message
         )
         return { signer: await resume(binding), transport: transportFromBinding(binding) }
       }
@@ -150,7 +150,9 @@ export async function resolveSigner(opts: ResolveSignerOptions): Promise<Resolve
       // first pair (no prior binding) has nothing to reset. Cash accounting is
       // preserved — see resetForRepair; a full wipe is the factory-reset path.
       if (binding) {
-        console.log('[Signer] Re-pair (new seed fingerprint) — clearing prior operator config state')
+        console.log(
+          '[Signer] Re-pair (new seed fingerprint) — clearing prior operator config state'
+        )
         await window.electronAPI.resetForRepair()
       }
       // Persist the seed's transport config alongside the binding so a later
@@ -165,7 +167,7 @@ export async function resolveSigner(opts: ResolveSignerOptions): Promise<Resolve
         lnbitsServerPubkey: seed.lnbitsServerPubkey,
       })
       // Re-pair → re-publish the cassette-state hello to the new operator (#56).
-      await window.electronAPI.resetBootstrapGate()
+      await window.electronAPI.resetStatePublishWatermark()
     }
     return { signer, transport: transportFromSeed(seed) }
   }
diff --git a/apps/machine/src/stores/atm.ts b/apps/machine/src/stores/atm.ts
index 0ed4719..23fcd2e 100644
--- a/apps/machine/src/stores/atm.ts
+++ b/apps/machine/src/stores/atm.ts
@@ -72,7 +72,13 @@ async function handleManagementCommand(
   request: ManagementRequest,
   dispenseFn: (amounts: { denomination: number; count: number }[]) => Promise<any>,
   machineIdle: boolean,
-  currency: string
+  currency: string,
+  /**
+   * Called once the dispense has been persisted. Bills left the bays whether or
+   * not the dispense completed, so the caller refreshes its inventory and
+   * republishes the operator's view — this path used to do neither.
+   */
+  onCassettesChanged?: () => Promise<void>
 ): Promise<ManagementResponse | null> {
   if (!isMachineDispenseRequest(request)) return null
 
@@ -130,6 +136,7 @@ async function handleManagementCommand(
       cassettes: result.cassettes,
       error: result.error,
     })
+    await onCassettesChanged?.()
 
     // Only remediate the original tx if ALL requested bills were dispensed
     let refRemediated = false
@@ -161,10 +168,14 @@ async function handleManagementCommand(
 }
 
 /**
- * Load inventory from SQLite via IPC (Electron only).
- * Returns empty object in browser dev mode.
+ * Load inventory from SQLite via IPC.
+ *
+ * Returns `null` when the DB could not be asked at all — browser dev mode, or
+ * a failed IPC call — so callers can tell "no answer" from an answer of "the
+ * bays are empty". An empty map is a real, actionable reading: cassettes are
+ * configured and drained, or none are configured.
  */
-async function loadInventoryFromDb(): Promise<Record<number, number>> {
+async function loadInventoryFromDb(): Promise<Record<number, number> | null> {
   if (isElectron && window.electronAPI) {
     try {
       const inv = await window.electronAPI.getInventory()
@@ -174,7 +185,7 @@ async function loadInventoryFromDb(): Promise<Record<number, number>> {
       console.warn('[ATM] Failed to load inventory from DB:', e)
     }
   }
-  return {}
+  return null
 }
 
 /**
@@ -446,12 +457,24 @@ export const useAtmStore = defineStore('atm', () => {
    */
   const persistedInventory = ref<Record<number, number>>({})
 
+  /**
+   * The bays moved outside the normal cash-out flow — an operator-command
+   * dispense, a main-process seed. Refresh the renderer's view and push the
+   * operator's. Best-effort: a publish failure must not fail the dispense.
+   */
+  async function refreshAndPublishCassettes() {
+    await reloadPersistedInventory()
+    await operatorConfigSvc?.publishCassettesState()
+  }
+
   async function reloadPersistedInventory() {
     const inv = await loadInventoryFromDb()
-    if (Object.keys(inv).length > 0) {
-      persistedInventory.value = inv
-      console.log('[ATM] Persisted inventory updated:', inv)
-    }
+    // Only a failed read is ignored. An empty map used to be skipped too,
+    // which meant the last bill out of the machine never updated anything and
+    // the availability beacon kept advertising a full cassette.
+    if (inv === null) return
+    persistedInventory.value = inv
+    console.log('[ATM] Persisted inventory updated:', inv)
   }
 
   /** Detect Bitcoin network from a BOLT-11 invoice prefix (called once, persisted) */
@@ -610,6 +633,19 @@ export const useAtmStore = defineStore('atm', () => {
             bills = dr.bills
               .filter((b) => b.dispensed > 0)
               .map((b) => ({ denomination: b.denomination, count: b.dispensed }))
+          } else {
+            // The dispenser threw, or the dispense timed out, so there is no
+            // per-bay report. Bills may well have reached the customer, and
+            // nothing knows how many: neither the cassette rows nor HAL's bays
+            // were debited, so both now read high. Record that the counts are
+            // unverified instead of letting a number we know may be wrong go
+            // on being treated as fact.
+            console.error(
+              `[ATM] Dispense ended with no report — bay counts are unverified (txid=${ctx.txid})`
+            )
+            void window.electronAPI
+              ?.markCountsUncertain(Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000))
+              .catch((e) => console.warn('[ATM] Could not flag counts unverified:', e))
           }
 
           persistTransaction({
@@ -703,6 +739,7 @@ export const useAtmStore = defineStore('atm', () => {
     // Start the machine
     actor.value.start()
     setupNfcListener()
+    setupCassettesChangedListener()
     console.log('[ATM] State machine initialized')
   }
 
@@ -916,6 +953,21 @@ export const useAtmStore = defineStore('atm', () => {
     }
   }
 
+  /**
+   * The main process can move the bays without the renderer knowing — an
+   * operator-command dispense runs entirely there, and boot seeding writes the
+   * table before the store exists. Listen for that and catch up, otherwise the
+   * renderer serves a stale inventory and the operator's view never updates.
+   * Idempotent via preload removeAllListeners.
+   */
+  function setupCassettesChangedListener() {
+    if (!isElectron || !window.electronAPI?.onCassettesChanged) return
+    window.electronAPI.onCassettesChanged(() => {
+      console.log('[ATM] Cassettes changed in the main process — refreshing')
+      void refreshAndPublishCassettes()
+    })
+  }
+
   /** Wire the main-process reader once (idempotent via preload removeAllListeners). */
   function setupNfcListener() {
     if (!isElectron || !window.electronAPI?.onNfcCardTapped) return
@@ -1064,7 +1116,8 @@ export const useAtmStore = defineStore('atm', () => {
         }),
         getInventory: async () => {
           const fresh = await loadInventoryFromDb()
-          return Object.keys(fresh).length > 0 ? fresh : services.atmServices.getInventory()
+          // null == the DB could not be asked; an empty map is a real reading.
+          return fresh ?? services.atmServices.getInventory()
         },
       }
 
@@ -1312,7 +1365,8 @@ export const useAtmStore = defineStore('atm', () => {
           request,
           (amounts) => hal.atmServices.dispenseCash(amounts),
           isIdle.value,
-          fiatCode.value
+          fiatCode.value,
+          refreshAndPublishCassettes
         )
       })
 
@@ -1327,7 +1381,8 @@ export const useAtmStore = defineStore('atm', () => {
         // If DB has inventory, use it; otherwise fall back to HAL
         getInventory: async () => {
           const fresh = await loadInventoryFromDb()
-          return Object.keys(fresh).length > 0 ? fresh : hal.atmServices.getInventory()
+          // null == the DB could not be asked; an empty map is a real reading.
+          return fresh ?? hal.atmServices.getInventory()
         },
       }
 
@@ -1611,9 +1666,11 @@ export const useAtmStore = defineStore('atm', () => {
           return await api.halDispense(amounts)
         },
         getInventory: async () => {
-          // Priority: DB inventory > HAL hardware inventory > empty
+          // Priority: DB inventory > HAL hardware inventory > empty. Only a
+          // null (unreadable) DB defers to HAL — a drained machine reports
+          // drained rather than borrowing the hardware's view.
           const fresh = await loadInventoryFromDb()
-          if (Object.keys(fresh).length > 0) return fresh
+          if (fresh !== null) return fresh
           // Fall back to HAL's cassette-based inventory
           try {
             const halInv = await api.halGetInventory()
@@ -1641,7 +1698,8 @@ export const useAtmStore = defineStore('atm', () => {
           request,
           (amounts) => api.halDispense(amounts),
           isIdle.value,
-          fiatCode.value
+          fiatCode.value,
+          refreshAndPublishCassettes
         )
       })
 
diff --git a/apps/machine/src/types/electron.d.ts b/apps/machine/src/types/electron.d.ts
index 1ab609c..e366f6d 100644
--- a/apps/machine/src/types/electron.d.ts
+++ b/apps/machine/src/types/electron.d.ts
@@ -146,11 +146,14 @@ declare global {
       emptyCashbox: () => Promise<void>
       remediateTransaction: (txid: string, remediatedByTxid: string) => Promise<boolean>
       getLastKnownConfigCreatedAt: () => Promise<number>
-      getBootstrapPublishedAt: () => Promise<number | null>
-      markBootstrapPublished: (unixTimestamp: number) => Promise<void>
+      getLastStatePublishedAt: () => Promise<number | null>
+      /** When the bay counts became unverified (a dispense that reported nothing), or null. */
+      getCountsUncertainSince: () => Promise<number | null>
+      markCountsUncertain: (unixTimestamp: number) => Promise<void>
+      markStatePublished: (unixTimestamp: number) => Promise<void>
       saveBunkerBinding: (binding: BunkerBindingRecord) => Promise<void>
       clearBunkerBinding: () => Promise<void>
-      resetBootstrapGate: () => Promise<void>
+      resetStatePublishWatermark: () => Promise<void>
       resetForRepair: () => Promise<void>
       saveSpireSeed: (seed: string) => Promise<void>
       relaunchApp: () => Promise<void>
@@ -217,6 +220,8 @@ declare global {
       onHalBillInserted: (callback: (denomination: number) => void) => void
       onHalBillRejected: (callback: (reason: string) => void) => void
       onHalError: (callback: (error: string) => void) => void
+      /** The main process mutated the cassettes table; reload + republish. */
+      onCassettesChanged: (callback: () => void) => void
       /** Bolt Card reader: a tapped card's lnurlw voucher. */
       onNfcCardTapped: (callback: (lnurlw: string) => void) => void
       /** Bolt Card reader status (ready / reading / error / unavailable). */