diff --git a/docs/architecture/client.md b/docs/architecture/client.md
index 264e341..e21cca4 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/client.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/client.md
@@ -113,6 +113,31 @@ half-capability, which the family forbids (ADR-003 symmetry +
   primitives (bound ports, handles, cancellation, clean close) to
   make that possible.
 
+> **The landed lifecycle surface (`w4-lifecycle` — recorded at
+> landing):** the `-R` listens return **`ReverseListener` handles** —
+> the `ReverseEndpoint` carried (the *actually bound* values:
+> the wire address + the bound port / the socket path — the
+> assembly's own record for a rebind policy it may compose), the
+> explicit `cancel()` the wire-honest teardown (the confirmed cancel
+> also releases the connection's listener count; a repeat rides the
+> wire and hits the unknown-listener refusal). The **stateless**
+> cancel forms (`reverse_listen_cancel` + the unix twin) ride beside
+> the handles 1:1 (sshd's global-request cancels are stateless — a
+> cancel by the raw wire strings works from anywhere, including
+> after the handle itself is gone: the handle shares the
+> connection's internals through the arc, so its `cancel()` is the
+> same wire op). **No `Drop` hides a wire op** on any of these
+> handles: a cancellation/bundle of the wire ops is async and cannot
+> run in a sync `Drop`, and at this russh pin dropping the last
+> wire-stack handle ends the client runner — the transport *breaks*
+> (the peer observes an error-class session end, never the clean
+> disconnect message). The primitives-not-policy posture is the
+> module-docs contract: `client.rs` §Lifecycle posture (the
+> primitives list + the abrupt-drop/clean-close boundary,
+> row-pinned both ways) and `client_accept`'s recorded decisions;
+> the alkminer reconnect-and-restore flow stays assembly
+> composition (reverse-runner fact 4).
+
 ## What the crate does *not* include (client direction)
 
 - **Job supervision** — background-job lifecycle (the alkminer
diff --git a/src/client.rs b/src/client.rs
index 6a309d6..9ca5622 100644
--- a/src/client.rs
+++ b/src/client.rs
@@ -43,14 +43,39 @@
 //! everything else in the wave rides (the op rows open channels on
 //! it; the `-R` leg installs the acceptor registry over it) — the
 //! russh `client::Handle` wrapped with the crate's surface, the
-//! policy, limits and endpoint labels carried. The full
-//! cancellation/clean-close lifecycle surface is `w4-lifecycle`'s;
-//! this task lands the raw material (the explicit [`SshConnection::
-//! close`] path; the handle primitives below it).
+//! policy, limits and endpoint labels carried. The connection handle's
+//! clean-close path is [`SshConnection::close`]; the listener handles'
+//! surface is [`crate::client_accept`]'s.
 //!
-//! No reconnect or restore policy is owned by the crate (OQ-12):
-//! failures are failures ([`DialError`]); reconnection strategy is
-//! assembly composition over these primitives.
+//! ## Lifecycle posture (`w4-lifecycle` — the OQ-12 resolution in code)
+//!
+//! The handle surface is **primitives, not policy** (reverse-runner
+//! fact 4): reconnect-and-restore (rebinding persisted tunnel ports —
+//! the alkminer flow) is *assembly* composition over these
+//! primitives; the crate provides bound ports, handles, cancellation,
+//! clean close, and never owns a reconnect/restore policy. Two
+//! recorded facts pin the explicit-vs-drop boundary:
+//!
+//! - **Drop is never the clean path.** At this russh pin dropping the
+//!   last wire-stack handle ends the runner and the transport goes
+//!   down **abruptly** — the peer observes a broken session (its
+//!   serving outcome is an error wire class), never the clean
+//!   disconnect message. So the surface never relies on drop timing
+//!   for clean state: only [`SshConnection::close`] sends
+//!   `Disconnect::ByApplication` — the peer observes a clean
+//!   disconnect, no half-open channels (row-pinned through the
+//!   server double, both directions of the boundary: abrupt-on-drop,
+//!   clean-on-close).
+//!   And a cancellation is async — it cannot hide inside a sync
+//!   `Drop` hook, so no handle hides a `Drop` side effect: the
+//!   listener handles' drop frees *nothing* on their wire state.
+//! - **Every listener/handle is explicitly cancellable** — the `-R`
+//!   listens return the [`ReverseListener`](crate::client_accept::
+//!   ReverseListener) handles (the actually-bound endpoint carried;
+//!   `cancel()` the wire-honest teardown), the connection handle
+//!   carries [`SshConnection::close`]; the stateless wire forms
+//!   ([`SshConnection::reverse_listen_cancel`] + the unix twin)
+//!   mirror sshd's global-request cancels 1:1.
 //!
 //! ## Test surface
 //!
@@ -111,14 +136,16 @@ pub async fn dial(config: DialConfig) -> Result<SshConnection, DialError> {
     }
 
     Ok(SshConnection {
-        handle,
-        limits: config.limits,
-        address: config.address,
-        username: config.username,
-        #[cfg(feature = "tunnel")]
-        acceptors,
-        #[cfg(feature = "tunnel")]
-        listener_budget: ChannelCap::default(),
+        shared: Arc::new(ConnectionShared {
+            handle,
+            limits: config.limits,
+            address: config.address,
+            username: config.username,
+            #[cfg(feature = "tunnel")]
+            acceptors,
+            #[cfg(feature = "tunnel")]
+            listener_budget: Arc::new(ChannelCap::default()),
+        }),
     })
 }
 
@@ -178,41 +205,68 @@ pub fn russh_client_config(limits: &Limits) -> russh::client::Config {
 /// surface. The remote end is authenticated (publickey-only, single
 /// attempt); the dial key is gone (its lifetime is the dial's —
 /// everything after rides the wire, never the key).
+///
+/// The russh handle, budgets and registry ride one shared inner
+/// (behind the `Arc`) — the sharing the `client_accept` module's
+/// listener handles need for their independent `cancel()` calls; the
+/// wire-visible teardowns stay explicit calls on top of that shared
+/// stack (the module docs' §Lifecycle posture: drop is never a
+/// wire-visible act).
 pub struct SshConnection {
-    handle: russh::client::Handle<ClientHandler>,
-    limits: Limits,
-    address: String,
-    username: String,
+    shared: Arc<ConnectionShared>,
+}
+
+/// The connection handle's internals — the one behind the
+/// [`SshConnection`]'s `Arc`, every field private to the crate: the
+/// wire surface is the wrapped methods, never the russh stack itself
+/// (`serve.rs`'s wrapped-surface pattern mirrored client-side).
+///
+/// The arc's meaning for the lifecycle boundary: the russh stack
+/// (the runner) lives while *any* handle holds the arc — the
+/// connection handle's drop is the abrupt teardown only when it is
+/// the last holder (row-pinned), and a live `ReverseListener` (its
+/// `cancel()` composes on this stack) keeps the wire serving until
+/// its own explicit cancel. The clean teardown is
+/// [`SshConnection::close`]'s, whatever holders exist.
+pub(crate) struct ConnectionShared {
+    /// The russh handle the connection and the listener handles
+    /// compose into (its own request methods take `&self` at this
+    /// pin — the shared arc is the concurrent-sharing shape).
+    pub(crate) handle: russh::client::Handle<ClientHandler>,
+    pub(crate) limits: Limits,
+    pub(crate) address: String,
+    pub(crate) username: String,
     /// The `-R` leg's acceptor registry (the dial constructs it empty;
     /// the assembly installs/uninstalls across the live connection —
     /// see [`SshConnection::acceptors`] and
     /// [`crate::client_accept`]`'s recorded decisions.
     #[cfg(feature = "tunnel")]
-    acceptors: Arc<AcceptorRegistry>,
+    pub(crate) acceptors: Arc<AcceptorRegistry>,
     /// The reverse-listen count's dedicated bound — admitted at the
     /// listen rows, released at the confirmed cancels and the refused/
     /// wire-error paths (the cap relation recorded in
     /// [`crate::client_accept`]; [`crate::channel_cap`]'s mutex makes
-    /// the counts sound under the caller's task).
+    /// the counts sound under the caller's task). Behind the arc so
+    /// the listener handles release it from their own tasks too.
     #[cfg(feature = "tunnel")]
-    listener_budget: ChannelCap,
+    pub(crate) listener_budget: Arc<ChannelCap>,
 }
 
 impl SshConnection {
     /// The bounded-resource budget the dial ran under (carried; the
     /// later op rows' admission surface).
     pub fn limits(&self) -> &Limits {
-        &self.limits
+        &self.shared.limits
     }
 
     /// The dialed address as the config carried it.
     pub fn address(&self) -> &str {
-        &self.address
+        &self.shared.address
     }
 
     /// The user the connection authenticated as.
     pub fn username(&self) -> &str {
-        &self.username
+        &self.shared.username
     }
 
     /// The `-R` leg's acceptor registry (the
@@ -224,19 +278,22 @@ impl SshConnection {
     /// arrival time.
     #[cfg(feature = "tunnel")]
     pub fn acceptors(&self) -> &AcceptorRegistry {
-        &self.acceptors
+        &self.shared.acceptors
     }
 
     /// The reverse-listen count's shared handle — the op rows
     /// ([`crate::client_accept`]) read it; private to the crate.
     #[cfg(feature = "tunnel")]
     pub(crate) fn listener_budget(&self) -> &ChannelCap {
-        &self.listener_budget
+        &self.shared.listener_budget
     }
 
-    /// Whether the underlying russh session is closed.
-    pub fn is_closed(&self) -> bool {
-        self.handle.is_closed()
+    /// The shared inner — the listener handles' compose-into point
+    /// (their cancels run against the same russh stack); private to
+    /// the crate.
+    #[cfg(feature = "tunnel")]
+    pub(crate) fn shared(&self) -> &Arc<ConnectionShared> {
+        &self.shared
     }
 
     /// The russh handle the op rows compose into (`w4-op-rows` — the
@@ -246,7 +303,7 @@ impl SshConnection {
     pub(crate) fn russh_handle(
         &self,
     ) -> &russh::client::Handle<crate::client_handler::ClientHandler> {
-        &self.handle
+        &self.shared.handle
     }
 
     /// The dial's bounded-resource budget, verbatim — the op rows
@@ -254,15 +311,25 @@ impl SshConnection {
     /// drives the command-carrying rows' client-mirror gate).
     #[cfg(any(feature = "session", feature = "git"))]
     pub(crate) fn budgets(&self) -> &Limits {
-        &self.limits
+        &self.shared.limits
     }
 
-    /// The explicit clean-close path (OQ-12's raw material; the full
-    /// cancellable-listener lifecycle surface is `w4-lifecycle`'s):
-    /// `Disconnect::ByApplication`, the honest close — the peer
-    /// observes a clean disconnect, no half-open channels.
+    /// Whether the underlying russh session is closed.
+    pub fn is_closed(&self) -> bool {
+        self.shared.handle.is_closed()
+    }
+
+    /// The explicit clean-close path (the lifecycle primitive,
+    /// [`russh::Disconnect::ByApplication`] — the honest close): the
+    /// peer observes a clean disconnect, no half-open channels —
+    /// every open channel is torn down with the session (row-pinned
+    /// through the server double). **Drop is not this path** (the
+    /// module docs' §Lifecycle posture): a dropped handle releases
+    /// nothing on the wire — the connection outlives the handle
+    /// until the peer or the wall clock ends it.
     pub async fn close(self) {
         let _ = self
+            .shared
             .handle
             .disconnect(Disconnect::ByApplication, "closed by application", "en")
             .await;
@@ -273,12 +340,12 @@ impl std::fmt::Debug for SshConnection {
     fn fmt(&self, f: &mut std::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> std::fmt::Result {
         let mut debug = f.debug_struct("SshConnection");
         debug
-            .field("address", &self.address)
-            .field("username", &self.username)
-            .field("limits", &self.limits)
-            .field("closed", &self.handle.is_closed());
+            .field("address", &self.shared.address)
+            .field("username", &self.shared.username)
+            .field("limits", &self.shared.limits)
+            .field("closed", &self.shared.handle.is_closed());
         #[cfg(feature = "tunnel")]
-        debug.field("acceptors", &self.acceptors);
+        debug.field("acceptors", &self.shared.acceptors);
         debug.finish()
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/client_accept.rs b/src/client_accept.rs
index 78ca5c3..e26b8e1 100644
--- a/src/client_accept.rs
+++ b/src/client_accept.rs
@@ -6,9 +6,11 @@
 //!    / [`SshConnection::reverse_listen_cancel`] / the unix pair
 //!    (`reverse_listen_unix` / `reverse_listen_unix_cancel`): the
 //!    vanilla-server listen requests, the lifecycle primitives
-//!    (`client.md` §Lifecycle — the actually-bound port surfaced,
-//!    every listener explicitly cancellable; the *handles*' surface is
-//!    `w4-lifecycle`'s growth).
+//!    (`client.md` §Lifecycle). The listens return the
+//!    **[`ReverseListener`] handles** (`w4-lifecycle` — the handles'
+//!    surface: the actually-bound endpoint carried, the explicit
+//!    `cancel()`); the stateless wire cancel forms ride beside them
+//!    (sshd's global-request cancels mirrored 1:1).
 //! 2. **The acceptor registry** ([`AcceptorRegistry`]) — the
 //!    assembly-mutable, per-channel-type registry the dial surface's
 //!    russh handler routes **server-initiated `forwarded-*` opens**
@@ -79,6 +81,26 @@
 //!   else: the pump is the acceptor's from the handoff on, the
 //!   channel's transport bounds are russh's windows, and the slot read
 //!   is the arrival admission).
+//! - **The listener handles (`w4-lifecycle` — the handles'
+//!   surface)**: the listen rows return **[`ReverseListener`]**
+//!   handles — the endpoint (the actually-bound values, the cancel
+//!   match keys) carried, the explicit `cancel()` the wire-honest
+//!   teardown. Decisions recorded:
+//!   (a) **no `Drop` hides a wire op** — a cancellation is async and
+//!   cannot run in a sync `Drop`, so no `Drop` hook exists: the
+//!   listen **outlives a dropped handle until an explicit cancel or
+//!   the connection's end** (no drop-timing-only wire state —
+//!   row-pinned);
+//!   (b) the handle **shares the connection's inner stack** (the
+//!   `SshConnection`'s `Arc`-held internals — the russh request
+//!   methods take `&self` at this pin), so the handle's cancel is the
+//!   same wire op the stateless forms issue;
+//!   (c) the **stateless cancel forms ride beside** the handles
+//!   (sshd's global-request cancels are stateless — a cancel by the
+//!   raw strings works from anywhere); every form releases the
+//!   listener count exactly once on a confirmed cancel (the wire
+//!   state machine governs: the second cancel is the unknown-listener
+//!   refusal, no release).
 //! - **The runtime-Unix gate (OQ-11 symmetry)**: the streamlocal
 //!   *listen* rows (`reverse_listen_unix` / `reverse_listen_unix_cancel`)
 //!   compile everywhere and
@@ -377,6 +399,132 @@ pub(crate) async fn handoff_forwarded_streamlocal(
     observe::serving_path_ended("forwarded-streamlocal", channel_number, None);
 }
 
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// The listener handles (w4-lifecycle — the handles' surface)
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+/// The endpoint a reverse listener is bound to — what a
+/// [`ReverseListener`] carries for its assembly-side use (the
+/// alkminer restore flow: the *actually bound* values to persist and
+/// rebind) and the cancel forms' raw wire match key (sshd parity: a
+/// cancel matches by the wire strings).
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq)]
+pub enum ReverseEndpoint {
+    /// A tcp forward: the wire address verbatim + the actually-bound
+    /// port (for a `port = 0` mint the peer-picked number, never `0`).
+    Tcp { address: String, port: u32 },
+    /// A unix forward: the wire socket path verbatim.
+    Unix { path: String },
+}
+
+impl ReverseEndpoint {
+    /// The actually-bound port — the tcp shape's; `None` for the unix
+    /// shape (no port semantics — the cancel matches by the path).
+    pub fn bound_port(&self) -> Option<u32> {
+        match self {
+            Self::Tcp { port, .. } => Some(*port),
+            Self::Unix { .. } => None,
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+/// A returned forward listener — the `-R` leg's **listener handle**
+/// (the lifecycle primitive: every listener explicitly cancellable):
+/// the bound endpoint carried (see [`ReverseEndpoint`]; the
+/// assembly's own record for a restore/rebind policy — the crate
+/// ships none, OQ-12), and the explicit `cancel()`.
+///
+/// **Drop frees nothing on the wire** (the recorded decision in this
+/// module's docs): there is no `Drop` hook — a dropped handle leaves
+/// the peer's listen serving until an explicit `cancel()` or the
+/// connection's end removes it. The handle does not borrow the
+/// connection: the cancel composes on the shared wire stack (the
+/// connection's `Arc`-held internals, kept alive by the handle's
+/// arc) and works after the connection handle itself was dropped
+/// (the stateless-form posture).
+pub struct ReverseListener {
+    endpoint: ReverseEndpoint,
+    shared: Arc<crate::client::ConnectionShared>,
+}
+
+impl ReverseListener {
+    /// The bound endpoint — the actually-bound address/port or socket
+    /// path (never the requested `0` for a mint: the peer's answer is
+    /// the surfaced number).
+    pub fn endpoint(&self) -> &ReverseEndpoint {
+        &self.endpoint
+    }
+
+    /// The explicit cancellation — the wire teardown: the peer
+    /// removes the matching listen (the endpoint's raw wire strings,
+    /// sshd parity; the accept loop ends, the bound port frees) and
+    /// the confirmed cancel releases the connection's listener count.
+    /// The peer's refusal (an unknown listener — e.g. the already-
+    /// cancelled, or a cancelled by the connection's end itself) is
+    /// [`OpError::ListenRefused`](crate::OpError). The handle is
+    /// consumed (one cancel through it); a later cancel by the same
+    /// listener is the stateless wire forms' business.
+    pub async fn cancel(self) -> Result<(), OpError> {
+        match &self.endpoint {
+            ReverseEndpoint::Tcp { address, port } => {
+                cancel_reverse_tcp(&self.shared, address.clone(), *port).await
+            }
+            ReverseEndpoint::Unix { path } => {
+                #[cfg(unix)]
+                return cancel_reverse_unix(&self.shared, path.clone()).await;
+                #[cfg(not(unix))]
+                {
+                    let _ = path;
+                    Err(OpError::UnixUnavailable)
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl std::fmt::Debug for ReverseListener {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut std::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> std::fmt::Result {
+        f.debug_struct("ReverseListener")
+            .field("endpoint", &self.endpoint)
+            .finish()
+    }
+}
+
+/// The tcp cancel's shared path — the stateless wire form and the
+/// listener handle's `cancel` compose into it: the wire op, then the
+/// confirmed release (exactly once: a second cancel hits the wire's
+/// unknown-listener refusal, no release — budget-safe by the wire's
+/// own state machine).
+async fn cancel_reverse_tcp(
+    shared: &crate::client::ConnectionShared,
+    address: String,
+    port: u32,
+) -> Result<(), OpError> {
+    match shared.handle.cancel_tcpip_forward(address, port).await {
+        Ok(()) => {
+            shared.listener_budget.release();
+            Ok(())
+        }
+        Err(error) => Err(OpError::from(error)),
+    }
+}
+
+/// The unix cancel's shared path (the twin; the runtime-Unix gate
+/// answers before the wire — see the module docs' gate record).
+#[cfg(unix)]
+async fn cancel_reverse_unix(
+    shared: &crate::client::ConnectionShared,
+    path: String,
+) -> Result<(), OpError> {
+    match shared.handle.cancel_streamlocal_forward(path).await {
+        Ok(()) => {
+            shared.listener_budget.release();
+            Ok(())
+        }
+        Err(error) => Err(OpError::from(error)),
+    }
+}
+
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // The reverse-listen rows (under `tunnel`)
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -402,14 +550,14 @@ impl SshConnection {
     /// [`OpError::ListenRefused`](crate::OpError) (the wire's
     /// `RequestDenied`) and releases the count; the connection stays
     /// usable after every refusal class. The listener is explicitly
-    /// cancellable ([`SshConnection::reverse_listen_cancel`]; it is
-    /// not implicitly unlistened by anything but the connection's
-    /// end).
+    /// cancellable — the returned [`ReverseListener`] handle's
+    /// `cancel()` (the wire-honest teardown; a cancel is never
+    /// triggered by a drop — the module docs' recorded decision).
     pub async fn reverse_listen(
         &self,
         address: impl Into<String>,
         port: u32,
-    ) -> Result<u32, OpError> {
+    ) -> Result<ReverseListener, OpError> {
         if self.acceptors().tcpip_acceptor().is_none() {
             return Err(OpError::NoAcceptor);
         }
@@ -419,7 +567,8 @@ impl SshConnection {
         {
             return Err(OpError::ListenCapExceeded);
         }
-        let bound = match self.russh_handle().tcpip_forward(address, port).await {
+        let address = address.into();
+        let bound = match self.russh_handle().tcpip_forward(&address, port).await {
             Ok(minted) if port == 0 => minted,
             Ok(_) => port,
             Err(error) => {
@@ -427,45 +576,46 @@ impl SshConnection {
                 return Err(OpError::from(error));
             }
         };
-        Ok(bound)
+        Ok(ReverseListener {
+            endpoint: ReverseEndpoint::Tcp {
+                address,
+                port: bound,
+            },
+            shared: Arc::clone(self.shared()),
+        })
     }
 
     /// The reverse-listen cancel row (`-R` teardown): the explicit
-    /// cancellation of one bound listener (the lifecycle primitive:
-    /// every listener explicitly cancellable, the wire-honest path —
-    /// the peer tears its listen down, the bound port frees). Matches
-    /// by the raw wire strings (sshd parity). The peer's refusal
-    /// (unknown listener) is [`OpError::ListenRefused`](crate::OpError);
-    /// a confirmed cancel releases the listener count.
+    /// cancellation of one bound listener by the raw wire strings
+    /// (sshd parity) — the **stateless** wire form beside the
+    /// [`ReverseListener`] handles' `cancel()` (compose into the same
+    /// shared path; a confirmed cancel releases the listener count —
+    /// never twice, the wire's unknown-listener refusal governs the
+    /// repeats). The peer's refusal (unknown listener) is
+    /// [`OpError::ListenRefused`](crate::OpError).
     pub async fn reverse_listen_cancel(
         &self,
         address: impl Into<String>,
         port: u32,
     ) -> Result<(), OpError> {
-        match self
-            .russh_handle()
-            .cancel_tcpip_forward(address, port)
-            .await
-        {
-            Ok(()) => {
-                self.listener_budget().release();
-                Ok(())
-            }
-            Err(error) => Err(OpError::from(error)),
-        }
+        cancel_reverse_tcp(self.shared(), address.into(), port).await
     }
 
     /// The streamlocal reverse-listen row (the unix `-R`): asks the
     /// vanilla server to listen on the unix socket at `socket_path`,
     /// minting no port (the global request's success is the outcome;
-    /// the accepted opens' echo carries the path). Same gates as
+    /// the accepted opens' echo carries the path). Returns the
+    /// [`ReverseListener`] handle like the tcp row. Same gates as
     /// [`SshConnection::reverse_listen`] for the
     /// `forwarded-streamlocal` slot, plus the **runtime-Unix gate**
     /// (OQ-11: off-Unix, [`OpError::UnixUnavailable`](crate::OpError)
     /// before any wire op — the bind is the platform-bound operation;
     /// the channel ingestion is platform-neutral).
     #[cfg_attr(not(unix), allow(unused_variables))]
-    pub async fn reverse_listen_unix(&self, socket_path: impl Into<String>) -> Result<(), OpError> {
+    pub async fn reverse_listen_unix(
+        &self,
+        socket_path: impl Into<String>,
+    ) -> Result<ReverseListener, OpError> {
         #[cfg(not(unix))]
         {
             return Err(OpError::UnixUnavailable);
@@ -481,8 +631,12 @@ impl SshConnection {
             {
                 return Err(OpError::ListenCapExceeded);
             }
-            match self.russh_handle().streamlocal_forward(socket_path).await {
-                Ok(()) => Ok(()),
+            let socket_path = socket_path.into();
+            match self.russh_handle().streamlocal_forward(&socket_path).await {
+                Ok(()) => Ok(ReverseListener {
+                    endpoint: ReverseEndpoint::Unix { path: socket_path },
+                    shared: Arc::clone(self.shared()),
+                }),
                 Err(error) => {
                     self.listener_budget().release();
                     Err(OpError::from(error))
@@ -492,7 +646,8 @@ impl SshConnection {
     }
 
     /// The streamlocal cancel row (matches by the socket path, sshd
-    /// parity — see [`SshConnection::reverse_listen_cancel`]).
+    /// parity — see [`SshConnection::reverse_listen_cancel`]; composes
+    /// into the same shared path as the unix handles' `cancel()`).
     #[cfg_attr(not(unix), allow(unused_variables))]
     pub async fn reverse_listen_unix_cancel(
         &self,
@@ -504,17 +659,7 @@ impl SshConnection {
         }
         #[cfg(unix)]
         {
-            match self
-                .russh_handle()
-                .cancel_streamlocal_forward(socket_path)
-                .await
-            {
-                Ok(()) => {
-                    self.listener_budget().release();
-                    Ok(())
-                }
-                Err(error) => Err(OpError::from(error)),
-            }
+            cancel_reverse_unix(self.shared(), socket_path.into()).await
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index 694d8a4..0b58003 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -60,12 +60,13 @@ pub use client::dial;
 #[doc(hidden)]
 pub use client::russh_client_config;
 /// The `-R` leg's acceptor registry + the reverse-listen rows'
-/// payload/acceptor types (`w4-reverse-listen` — under `tunnel`; the
-/// recorded decisions live in the `client_accept` module docs).
+/// payload/acceptor types + the listener handles (`w4-reverse-listen`
+/// / `w4-lifecycle` — under `tunnel`; the recorded decisions live in
+/// the `client_accept` module docs).
 #[cfg(feature = "tunnel")]
 pub use client_accept::{
-    AcceptorHeld, AcceptorRegistry, ForwardedStreamlocal, ForwardedTcpip,
-    StreamlocalForwardedAcceptor, TcpipForwardedAcceptor,
+    AcceptorHeld, AcceptorRegistry, ForwardedStreamlocal, ForwardedTcpip, ReverseEndpoint,
+    ReverseListener, StreamlocalForwardedAcceptor, TcpipForwardedAcceptor,
 };
 #[doc(hidden)]
 pub use client_handler::ClientHandler;
diff --git a/tasks/implementation/w4-lifecycle.md b/tasks/implementation/w4-lifecycle.md
index 001e13e..20b14cc 100644
--- a/tasks/implementation/w4-lifecycle.md
+++ b/tasks/implementation/w4-lifecycle.md
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ---
 id: w4-lifecycle
 name: Wave 4 — lifecycle primitives (cancellable handles + clean disconnect)
-status: pending
+status: completed
 depends_on: [w4-op-rows, w4-reverse-listen]
 scope: narrow
 risk: low
@@ -38,14 +38,14 @@ policy *possible* — and nothing more:
 
 ## Acceptance Criteria
 
-- [ ] Every client-direction listener/handle is explicitly
+- [x] Every client-direction listener/handle is explicitly
       cancellable; no drop-timing-only wire state
-- [ ] `Disconnect::ByApplication` clean-close lands; the peer
+- [x] `Disconnect::ByApplication` clean-close lands; the peer
       observes a clean disconnect, no half-open channels (row-pinned)
-- [ ] The no-reconnect-policy boundary stated in module docs (the
+- [x] The no-reconnect-policy boundary stated in module docs (the
       primitives-not-policy posture)
-- [ ] Contract rows green through the server double
-- [ ] `cargo test` (+ per-feature + `--all-features`), clippy ×2
+- [x] Contract rows green through the server double
+- [x] `cargo test` (+ per-feature + `--all-features`), clippy ×2
       (`-D warnings`), fmt, `cargo doc --no-deps` pass
 
 ## References
@@ -62,8 +62,133 @@ policy *possible* — and nothing more:
 
 ## Notes
 
-> To be filled by implementation agent
+### What landed (2026-10-29)
+
+- `src/client_accept.rs`: the **listener handles** —
+  [`ReverseListener`] + [`ReverseEndpoint`] (the handles' surface the
+  `w4-reverse-listen` block deferred to this task): `reverse_listen` /
+  `reverse_listen_unix` return a handle carrying the *actually-bound*
+  endpoint (the `bound_port()` accessor, `None` for the unix shape)
+  with the explicit `cancel()`; the shared cancel helpers
+  (`cancel_reverse_tcp` / `cancel_reverse_unix`) — both the handles'
+  `cancel()` and the stateless wire forms compose into the same
+  paths; the confirmed cancel releases the connection's listener
+  count exactly once (the repeat is the wire's unknown-listener
+  refusal, no release). The recorded decisions (module docs): no
+  `Drop` hides a wire op (async cancel cannot ride a sync `Drop`);
+  the handle shares the connection's internals through the arc so
+  its `cancel()` works against a live stack regardless of the
+  connection handle's own holders; the stateless forms ride beside
+  1:1.
+- `src/client.rs`: the **`SshConnection` restructure** — the russh
+  handle, limits/labels, acceptor registry and listener budget ride
+  one `ConnectionShared` behind the `Arc` (the concurrency-safe
+  sharing the handles' independent `cancel()`s need; the russh client
+  request methods all take `&self` at this pin, so the arc is the
+  sharing shape — no mutex), `SshConnection`'s public surface
+  unchanged (`close()` consumes the handle and sends
+  `Disconnect::ByApplication`), and the module docs' new **§Lifecycle
+  posture** (the primitives-not-policy boundary, reverse-runner fact
+  4; the explicit-vs-drop facts, row-pinned).
+- `src/lib.rs`: the `ReverseListener` / `ReverseEndpoint` exports
+  (under `tunnel`).
+- `docs/architecture/client.md`: the §Lifecycle primitives landing
+  block (the handle shape + the abrupt-drop/clean-close boundary +
+  the modules-docs posture anchors).
+- `tests/client_dial.rs`: the every-build row
+  `dropping_the_connection_is_an_abrupt_teardown_close_is_the_only_clean_path`
+  (the `next_session_outcome` observable: drop → the peer's session
+  ends with an **error wire class, never the clean `Ok`** — the
+  boundary pinned both ways: the clean `Ok` is only `close()`'s).
+- `tests/client_reverse_listen.rs`: three new lifecycle rows —
+  `dropping_the_listener_handle_leaves_no_drop_timing_wire_state`
+  (drop → the peer's listen still serves a round-tripping data leg;
+  only the explicit cancel tears down), 
+  `the_listener_handle_cancel_tears_the_forward_down_and_releases_the_budget`
+  (ceiling → refuse pre-wire; the handle's cancel confirms and
+  releases; the next listen admits; the repeat rides the wire and
+  refuses — no budget manufactured), 
+  `cancel_mid_data_leg_tears_the_forward_down_mid_connection` (the
+  cancel lands while a data leg is mid-pump; the forward tears down,
+  the connection stays usable, ends clean); the existing rows
+  adapted to the handle returns (the endpoint assertions ride the
+  handles now); the unix row's cancel exercises the handle's
+  `cancel()` (the streamlocal flavor).
+
+### Decided + recorded
+
+1. **The handles' shape — single `ReverseListener`, one
+   `ReverseEndpoint` enum, not two handle types.** The endpoint enum
+   mirrors the wire's two bind shapes (an actually-bound
+   address+port / a socket path); the tcp-flavored `bound_port()`
+   accessor returns `Option` (the unix shape carries no port —
+   honest, no panic path). A second handle type would have duplicated
+   the cancel plumbing for a shape the cancel forms already treat as
+   raw strings.
+2. **The abrupt-drop fact (row-pinned, corrected mid-task):** at this
+   russh pin dropping the *last* wire-stack handle closes the
+   `Handle`'s sender; the client runner's `receiver.recv()` → `None`
+   sets `disconnected` and the transport tears down abruptly — the
+   peer's session outcome is an error wire class (`Err(Disconnect)`
+   observed through the double). So the honest boundary is not
+   "drop does nothing" but **"drop is never the clean path"** — the
+   clean `Ok` session end is only `close()`'s
+   (`Disconnect::ByApplication`), row-pinned in both directions
+   (abrupt-on-drop, clean-on-close) through the server double. No
+   handle relies on drop timing for *clean* wire state, and the
+   listener handles' drop is a pure local no-op (no `Drop` hook; a
+   cancellation is async and cannot hide in one — the listen lives at
+   the peer until an explicit cancel or the connection's end).
+3. **The `SshConnection` restructure is a shape change, not a
+   surface change** — the public surface (the wrapped methods,
+   `limits()`/`address()`/`username()`/`is_closed()`/`acceptors()`/
+   `close()`) is unchanged; only the internals moved behind the arc
+   (the handles' independent cancel). No `Clone` was added — not in
+   the contract, and the arc means a cloned handle's `close()`
+   semantics would need their own contract; wave-5 review can add it
+   if an assembly shape needs it.
+4. **A live `ReverseListener` keeps the wire stack alive after the
+   connection handle's drop** — the arc's ownership side effect,
+   recorded (the alkminer flow's shape: the listener handle outlives
+   the connection slot; its `cancel()` composes on the still-live
+   stack).
+
+### Verification
+
+`cargo test` (default), `--features session`, `--features git`,
+`--features tunnel`, `--all-features` — all green (16 test binaries
+each); `cargo clippy --all-targets -- -D warnings` and
+`cargo clippy --all-features --all-targets -- -D warnings` clean;
+`cargo fmt --check` clean; `cargo doc --no-deps` warning-free in the
+default build (the pre-existing `client_ops.rs` private-link warnings
+remain under `--all-features`, unchanged).
 
 ## Summary
 
-> To be filled on completion
\ No newline at end of file
+> To be filled on completion
+
+Landed (`feat(client)`: w4-lifecycle):
+
+- **`src/client_accept.rs`** — the listener handles: `ReverseListener`
+  (+ `ReverseEndpoint`) — `reverse_listen` / `reverse_listen_unix`
+  now return them; the actually-bound endpoint carried, the explicit
+  `cancel()` the wire-honest teardown, the listener count released
+  exactly once per confirmed cancel through the shared cancel paths
+  the stateless wire forms compose into too; no `Drop` hides a wire
+  op (recorded, row-pinned no-drop-timing wire state).
+- **`src/client.rs`** — the `SshConnection` internals behind the arc
+  (`ConnectionShared`) + the §Lifecycle posture module docs (the
+  primitives-not-policy boundary, the abrupt-drop/clean-close facts);
+  the public surface unchanged (`close()` is the clean path).
+- **`src/lib.rs`** — the handle exports; **`docs/architecture/
+  client.md`** — the §Lifecycle primitives landing block.
+- **Rows** — 3 new tunnel-build rows through the server double
+  (`tests/client_reverse_listen.rs`: the drop-handle no-wire-state
+  row, the handle-cancel + budget-release row, the cancel-mid-data-leg
+  row) + 1 new every-build row (`tests/client_dial.rs`: the abrupt-
+  drop row); the existing reverse rows adapted to the handles; the
+  unix cancel row exercises the handle flavor.
+
+Verification: `cargo test` / `--features <each>` / `--all-features`
+all green; clippy ×2 (`-D warnings`) clean; `cargo fmt --check`
+clean; `cargo doc --no-deps` clean (default build).
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/client_dial.rs b/tests/client_dial.rs
index 909fc22..c9f7f3a 100644
--- a/tests/client_dial.rs
+++ b/tests/client_dial.rs
@@ -90,6 +90,39 @@ fn postured_key_source(posture: &'static str) -> (Arc<dyn KeySource>, KeySourceE
     }
 }
 
+/// - *Contract stamp:* `client.md` §Lifecycle primitives (the
+///   explicit-vs-drop boundary, the OQ-12 primitives-only posture) —
+///   **drop is never the clean path**: dropping the (feature-free,
+///   last) wire-stack handle ends the runner and the transport goes
+///   down abruptly — the double's serving outcome is the error wire
+///   class, never the clean session end only `close()` produces (see
+///   `dial_success_lands_an_authenticated_connection`'s `Ok`).
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn dropping_the_connection_is_an_abrupt_teardown_close_is_the_only_clean_path() {
+    let (mut double, accepts) = spawn_double().await;
+    accepts.register(fixture("alpha").fingerprint);
+
+    let policy = Arc::new(MemHostKeyPolicy::new());
+    policy.pin("127.0.0.1", fixture("bravo").fingerprint);
+    let config = DialConfig::new(
+        double.address.clone(),
+        "runner",
+        alpha_key_source(),
+        Arc::clone(&policy) as Arc<dyn HostKeyPolicy>,
+    );
+    let connection = dial(config).await.expect("the dial succeeds");
+
+    drop(connection);
+
+    let outcome = double.next_session_outcome().await;
+    assert!(
+        matches!(outcome, Some(Err(_))),
+        "the un-closed drop tears the peer's session down abruptly — \
+         never the clean `Ok`, got {outcome:?}"
+    );
+    double.shutdown();
+}
+
 /// - *Contract stamp:* the dial surface's success row: decrypt-at-dial
 ///   → the policy accept → the single publickey attempt — an
 ///   authenticated connection, the dial data carried on its surface,
diff --git a/tests/client_reverse_listen.rs b/tests/client_reverse_listen.rs
index ba93459..853f501 100644
--- a/tests/client_reverse_listen.rs
+++ b/tests/client_reverse_listen.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
-//! The `-R` leg's contract rows (`w4-reverse-listen`) — driven through
-//! the in-process fake `sshd` grown with the reverse-forward surfaces
+//! The `-R` leg's contract rows (`w4-reverse-listen` + the listener
+//! handles' lifecycle rows — `w4-lifecycle`) — driven through the
+//! in-process fake `sshd` grown with the reverse-forward surfaces
 //! ([`sshd_double`](common::sshd_double): the `tcpip-forward` /
 //! `streamlocal-forward` hooks that bind **real** sockets and open the
 //! `forwarded-*` channels toward the client per accepted connection):
@@ -9,8 +10,13 @@
 //! live connection — decline-before-install, serve-after; uninstall;
 //! the data-leg pump round trip), the off-Unix streamlocal rows
 //! (OQ-11), and the connection-stays-usable row after every decline
-//! class. The row/stamp discipline (`tests/common/mod.rs`'s doc)
-//! applies verbatim.
+//! class. The lifecycle rows pin the handles' posture: the actually-
+//! bound endpoint is carried by the handle, dropping a handle leaves
+//! no wire state (no drop-timing teardown), the handle's `cancel()` is
+//! the wire-honest teardown that releases the listener count, and a
+//! cancel mid-data-leg tears the forward down mid-connection. The
+//! row/stamp discipline (`tests/common/mod.rs`'s doc) applies
+//! verbatim.
 //!
 //! **Per-build matrix note (recorded):** this file is the
 //! `tunnel`-featured build's rows (the only build whose surface can
@@ -206,11 +212,15 @@ async fn reverse_listen_serves_and_the_data_leg_pumps() {
         .expect("the slot installs");
 
     let port = u32::from(pick_port().await);
-    let bound = connection
+    let listener = connection
         .reverse_listen("127.0.0.1", port)
         .await
         .expect("the featured + registered listen serves");
-    assert_eq!(bound, port, "an explicit port binds exactly that port");
+    assert_eq!(
+        listener.endpoint().bound_port(),
+        Some(port),
+        "an explicit port binds exactly that port — the handle carries it"
+    );
 
     let mut conn =
         tokio::net::TcpStream::connect(("127.0.0.1", u16::try_from(port).expect("in-range")))
@@ -266,10 +276,14 @@ async fn port_zero_mint_surfaces_the_actually_bound_port() {
         }))
         .expect("the slot installs");
 
-    let bound = connection
+    let port_zero_mint = connection
         .reverse_listen("127.0.0.1", 0)
         .await
         .expect("the mint serves");
+    let bound = port_zero_mint
+        .endpoint()
+        .bound_port()
+        .expect("the tcp mint's shape carries its bound port");
     assert!(
         bound > 0,
         "the served mint is the actually-bound port, never the requested 0"
@@ -564,6 +578,248 @@ async fn cancel_tears_the_forward_down_and_unknown_cancels_refuse() {
     expect_clean_close(connection, double).await;
 }
 
+/// - *Contract stamp:* `client.md` §Lifecycle primitives (the
+///   explicit-vs-drop boundary, `w4-lifecycle`) — **no drop-timing
+///   wire state**: dropping the listener handle without a cancel
+///   frees nothing — the peer's listen keeps serving (the arrival
+///   still hands off through the registered acceptor); only the
+///   explicit cancel tears the forward down (the bound port then
+///   refuses a reconnect). The `ReverseListener` carries no `Drop`
+///   hook on purpose (async cancellation cannot hide in one).
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn dropping_the_listener_handle_leaves_no_drop_timing_wire_state() {
+    let scripted = SshdScript {
+        tcp_listen: DblListen::Accept,
+        ..SshdScript::default()
+    };
+    let (connection, double, observed) = dial_scripted(scripted).await;
+
+    let (opens_tx, mut opens_rx) = tokio::sync::mpsc::unbounded_channel();
+    connection
+        .acceptors()
+        .install_tcpip(Arc::new(AcceptorDouble {
+            opens: opens_tx,
+            echo: true,
+        }))
+        .expect("the slot installs");
+
+    let port = u32::from(pick_port().await);
+    let listener = connection
+        .reverse_listen("127.0.0.1", port)
+        .await
+        .expect("the listen binds");
+    drop(listener);
+
+    let mut conn =
+        tokio::net::TcpStream::connect(("127.0.0.1", u16::try_from(port).expect("in-range")))
+            .await
+            .expect("the dropped handle left the peer's listen serving");
+    conn.write_all(b"after-drop")
+        .await
+        .expect("the still-live forward carries the bytes");
+    let mut echoed = [0u8; 10];
+    tokio::time::timeout(Duration::from_secs(15), conn.read_exact(&mut echoed))
+        .await
+        .expect("the round trip completes in time")
+        .expect("the echo reads");
+    assert_eq!(
+        &echoed, b"after-drop",
+        "the un-cancelled listen still serves data legs"
+    );
+    let record = next_open(&mut opens_rx, "the after-drop row").await;
+    assert_eq!(
+        record.connected_port, port,
+        "the arrival matched the listen"
+    );
+
+    connection
+        .reverse_listen_cancel("127.0.0.1", port)
+        .await
+        .expect("the explicit cancel is the teardown path");
+    assert_eq!(
+        observed.cancels(),
+        vec![("cancel-tcpip-forward", "127.0.0.1".to_string(), port)],
+        "only the explicit cancel rode the wire"
+    );
+
+    let mut refused = false;
+    for _ in 0..200 {
+        match tokio::net::TcpStream::connect(("127.0.0.1", u16::try_from(port).expect("in-range")))
+            .await
+        {
+            Ok(_) => tokio::time::sleep(Duration::from_millis(25)).await,
+            Err(err) if err.kind() == std::io::ErrorKind::ConnectionRefused => {
+                refused = true;
+                break;
+            }
+            Err(err) => panic!("the bound port errors, not refuses, after the cancel: {err:?}"),
+        }
+    }
+    assert!(refused, "the explicit cancel tore the forward down");
+
+    expect_clean_close(connection, double).await;
+}
+
+/// - *Contract stamp:* `client.md` §Lifecycle primitives (the
+///   cancel-release relation) + the cap relation with the
+///   dedicated listener counter — the handle's `cancel()` is the
+///   confirmed teardown **which releases the listener count**: beyond
+///   the ceiling the listens refuse pre-wire, the handle's cancel
+///   (not the stateless form) recovers the budget, the next listen
+///   admits again. The handle is consumed by its cancel — the one
+///   cancel through it; a second cancel rides the connection row and
+///   refuses (the unknown-listener wire answer, no release).
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn the_listener_handle_cancel_tears_the_forward_down_and_releases_the_budget() {
+    let scripted = SshdScript {
+        tcp_listen: DblListen::Accept,
+        ..SshdScript::default()
+    };
+    let limits = alkssh::Limits {
+        max_concurrent_channels: 1,
+        ..alkssh::Limits::default()
+    };
+    let (connection, double, observed) = dial_scripted_limits(scripted, limits).await;
+
+    let (opens_tx, _opens_rx) = tokio::sync::mpsc::unbounded_channel();
+    connection
+        .acceptors()
+        .install_tcpip(Arc::new(AcceptorDouble {
+            opens: opens_tx,
+            echo: false,
+        }))
+        .expect("the slot installs");
+
+    let first = u32::from(pick_port().await);
+    let listener = connection
+        .reverse_listen("127.0.0.1", first)
+        .await
+        .expect("the first listen admits");
+    assert_eq!(listener.endpoint().bound_port(), Some(first));
+
+    let second = connection
+        .reverse_listen("127.0.0.1", u32::from(pick_port().await))
+        .await;
+    assert!(
+        matches!(second, Err(OpError::ListenCapExceeded)),
+        "beyond the ceiling the listen refuses pre-wire, got {second:?}"
+    );
+
+    listener
+        .cancel()
+        .await
+        .expect("the handle's cancel confirms");
+    assert_eq!(
+        observed.cancels(),
+        vec![("cancel-tcpip-forward", "127.0.0.1".to_string(), first)],
+        "the handle's cancel rode the wire verbatim"
+    );
+
+    let third = u32::from(pick_port().await);
+    let again = connection
+        .reverse_listen("127.0.0.1", third)
+        .await
+        .expect("the released budget admits again");
+    assert_eq!(again.endpoint().bound_port(), Some(third));
+
+    again
+        .cancel()
+        .await
+        .expect("the handle's second cancel confirms and releases again");
+    assert_eq!(
+        observed
+            .cancels()
+            .iter()
+            .map(|(_, _, port)| *port)
+            .collect::<Vec<_>>(),
+        vec![first, third],
+        "each handle's cancel rode the wire — one confirmed cancel per \
+         admitted listener"
+    );
+
+    assert!(
+        matches!(
+            connection.reverse_listen_cancel("127.0.0.1", third).await,
+            Err(OpError::ListenRefused)
+        ),
+        "the stateless form's repeat is the unknown-listener refusal — \
+         the confirmed release ran exactly once (the budgets never \
+         manufactured out of a repeated cancel)"
+    );
+
+    expect_clean_close(connection, double).await;
+}
+
+/// - *Contract stamp:* `client.md` §Lifecycle primitives (the row's
+///   recorded contract) + the teardown-mid-connection posture — the
+///   cancel lands **while a data leg is live**: the confirmed cancel
+///   tears the forward down (the bound port refuses a reconnect), the
+///   connection stays usable (the `cancel` row's channel-scoped
+///   honesty) and ends clean despite the live leg (the peer observes
+///   the clean session end — no half-open channels).
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn cancel_mid_data_leg_tears_the_forward_down_mid_connection() {
+    let scripted = SshdScript {
+        tcp_listen: DblListen::Accept,
+        ..SshdScript::default()
+    };
+    let (connection, double, _observed) = dial_scripted(scripted).await;
+
+    let (opens_tx, _opens_rx) = tokio::sync::mpsc::unbounded_channel();
+    connection
+        .acceptors()
+        .install_tcpip(Arc::new(AcceptorDouble {
+            opens: opens_tx,
+            echo: true,
+        }))
+        .expect("the slot installs");
+
+    let port = u32::from(pick_port().await);
+    connection
+        .reverse_listen("127.0.0.1", port)
+        .await
+        .expect("the listen binds");
+
+    let mut conn =
+        tokio::net::TcpStream::connect(("127.0.0.1", u16::try_from(port).expect("in-range")))
+            .await
+            .expect("the forward accepts the data leg");
+    conn.write_all(b"leg-live")
+        .await
+        .expect("the leg's bytes ride");
+    let mut echoed = [0u8; 8];
+    tokio::time::timeout(Duration::from_secs(15), conn.read_exact(&mut echoed))
+        .await
+        .expect("the echo arrives")
+        .expect("the echo reads");
+    assert_eq!(&echoed, b"leg-live", "the leg is live mid-pump");
+
+    connection
+        .reverse_listen_cancel("127.0.0.1", port)
+        .await
+        .expect("the cancel confirms mid-connection");
+
+    let mut refused = false;
+    for _ in 0..200 {
+        match tokio::net::TcpStream::connect(("127.0.0.1", u16::try_from(port).expect("in-range")))
+            .await
+        {
+            Ok(_) => tokio::time::sleep(Duration::from_millis(25)).await,
+            Err(err) if err.kind() == std::io::ErrorKind::ConnectionRefused => {
+                refused = true;
+                break;
+            }
+            Err(err) => panic!("the bound port errors, not refuses, after the cancel: {err:?}"),
+        }
+    }
+    assert!(
+        refused,
+        "the forward is torn down while the leg was live — no more arrivals"
+    );
+
+    expect_clean_close(connection, double).await;
+}
+
 /// - *Contract stamp:* the module docs' recorded cap relation (the
 ///   server-side listener-counter posture mirrored) — the dedicated
 ///   listener count against the `max_concurrent_channels` ceiling:
@@ -698,7 +954,7 @@ async fn streamlocal_listen_serves_arrivals_and_cancels_through_the_unix_gate()
     let socket_path = socket_path.to_string_lossy().to_string();
     let _ = std::fs::remove_file(&socket_path);
 
-    connection
+    let unix_listener = connection
         .reverse_listen_unix(&socket_path)
         .await
         .expect("the unix listen serves");
@@ -733,8 +989,8 @@ async fn streamlocal_listen_serves_arrivals_and_cancels_through_the_unix_gate()
         "the open echoes the listen's socket path verbatim"
     );
 
-    connection
-        .reverse_listen_unix_cancel(&socket_path)
+    unix_listener
+        .cancel()
         .await
         .expect("the unix cancel confirms");
     assert_eq!(
diff --git a/tests/tunnel_mapping.rs b/tests/tunnel_mapping.rs
index de51053..cb9f2c9 100644
--- a/tests/tunnel_mapping.rs
+++ b/tests/tunnel_mapping.rs
@@ -2000,10 +2000,14 @@ mod client_smoke {
             .install_tcpip(Arc::new(EchoAcceptor { opens: opens_tx }))
             .expect("the acceptor installs");
 
-        let bound = connection
+        let minted_listener = connection
             .reverse_listen("127.0.0.1", 0)
             .await
             .expect("the full-circle mint serves");
+        let bound = minted_listener
+            .endpoint()
+            .bound_port()
+            .expect("the tcp mint's handle carries the actually-bound port");
         assert!(
             bound > 0,
             "the server direction's fabric minted a real bound port"