diff --git a/src/git-clone.ts b/src/git-clone.ts
index f22d3e46..3523156e 100644
--- a/src/git-clone.ts
+++ b/src/git-clone.ts
@@ -37,15 +37,21 @@
  * Every git spawn has a timeout, a hard kill escalation, captured-output caps,
  * and shares a small global concurrency pool (same reasoning as
  * `document-conversion-limiter.ts`: N simultaneous clones of large repos is a
- * localhost resource-exhaustion vector). Cloning is otherwise unbounded in disk
- * and time, which is exactly why the caller must treat the timeout as normal.
+ * localhost resource-exhaustion vector). The pool's waiter queue is itself
+ * bounded (overflow answers BUSY immediately), and time spent queued counts
+ * against the operation's own deadline, so a caller's timeout bounds the whole
+ * call rather than starting when a slot happens to free up. Cloning is
+ * otherwise unbounded in disk and time, which is exactly why the caller must
+ * treat the timeout as normal.
  *
  * @module git-clone
  */
 
 import { spawn, execFileSync } from 'node:child_process';
+import { randomBytes } from 'node:crypto';
 import { existsSync } from 'node:fs';
-import { rm } from 'node:fs/promises';
+import { rename, rm } from 'node:fs/promises';
+import { basename, dirname, join } from 'node:path';
 import { EXEC_TIMEOUT_MS } from './config/exec-timeout.js';
 
 // ─── Tunables ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -78,6 +84,18 @@ const MAX_CONCURRENT_GIT_OPERATIONS = (() => {
   return Number.isFinite(raw) && raw >= 1 ? Math.floor(raw) : 2;
 })();
 
+/**
+ * Waiters allowed BEHIND the pool before new work is refused outright with
+ * BUSY. Without a bound, every queued request holds its HTTP connection (and
+ * its closure) open indefinitely, so a burst of clone requests becomes the
+ * memory/socket exhaustion the pool exists to prevent. Override with
+ * CODEMAN_MAX_GIT_QUEUE (0 disables queuing entirely).
+ */
+const MAX_QUEUED_GIT_OPERATIONS = (() => {
+  const raw = Number(process.env.CODEMAN_MAX_GIT_QUEUE);
+  return Number.isFinite(raw) && raw >= 0 ? Math.floor(raw) : 16;
+})();
+
 /** Longest accepted repository operand. Real URLs are far shorter; this bounds abuse. */
 const MAX_REPOSITORY_LENGTH = 2048;
 /** Longest accepted branch/tag. git's own limit is much higher; 200 covers every real ref. */
@@ -156,6 +174,7 @@ export type GitFailureCode =
   | 'REF_NOT_FOUND'
   | 'HOST_UNREACHABLE'
   | 'DESTINATION_EXISTS'
+  | 'BUSY'
   | 'FAILED';
 
 export interface GitFailure {
@@ -314,7 +333,16 @@ export function parseGitRepositoryUrl(input: string): GitUrlParse {
     }
     const host = url.host;
     if (!host || !HOST_RE.test(host)) return reject('BAD_SYNTAX', 'That URL has no usable hostname.');
-    const { owner, repo } = splitRepoPath(decodeURIComponent(url.pathname));
+    // `new URL` tolerates malformed percent-escapes ("%zz" passes through), but
+    // decodeURIComponent throws on them: uncaught, that URIError was a 500 for
+    // what is simply a malformed URL.
+    let pathname: string;
+    try {
+      pathname = decodeURIComponent(url.pathname);
+    } catch {
+      return reject('BAD_SYNTAX', 'That URL contains an invalid percent-escape.');
+    }
+    const { owner, repo } = splitRepoPath(pathname);
 
     const warnings: string[] = [];
     if (scheme === 'http') warnings.push('Plain http:// is unencrypted. Prefer https:// when the host offers it.');
@@ -519,6 +547,13 @@ export function classifyGitFailure(stderr: string, timedOut: boolean, spawnError
       stderr: clean,
     };
   }
+  if (spawnError && spawnError.startsWith('EBUSY')) {
+    return {
+      code: 'BUSY',
+      message: 'Too many git operations are already running on this server. Try again in a moment.',
+      stderr: clean,
+    };
+  }
   if (timedOut) {
     return {
       code: 'TIMEOUT',
@@ -571,25 +606,57 @@ function firstLine(text: string): string {
 // ─── IO: bounded git spawns ──────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 let activeGitOperations = 0;
-const gitWaiters: Array<() => void> = [];
+
+type SlotAcquisition = 'acquired' | 'queue-full' | 'timed-out';
+interface GitSlotWaiter {
+  grant: () => void;
+}
+const gitWaiters: GitSlotWaiter[] = [];
 
 /** Test/diagnostic hook: git operations currently holding a slot. */
 export function getActiveGitOperationCount(): number {
   return activeGitOperations;
 }
 
-function acquireGitSlot(): Promise<void> {
+/** Test/diagnostic hook: git operations currently queued behind the pool. */
+export function getQueuedGitOperationCount(): number {
+  return gitWaiters.length;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Acquire a pool slot, waiting at most `maxWaitMs` in a BOUNDED queue.
+ *
+ * Both failure modes resolve (never reject): a full queue answers immediately,
+ * and a queue wait that exhausts the caller's deadline removes itself before
+ * resolving, so an abandoned waiter can never be granted a slot later and leak
+ * it.
+ */
+function acquireGitSlot(maxWaitMs: number): Promise<SlotAcquisition> {
   if (activeGitOperations < MAX_CONCURRENT_GIT_OPERATIONS) {
     activeGitOperations++;
-    return Promise.resolve();
+    return Promise.resolve('acquired');
   }
-  return new Promise<void>((resolve) => gitWaiters.push(resolve));
+  if (gitWaiters.length >= MAX_QUEUED_GIT_OPERATIONS) return Promise.resolve('queue-full');
+  return new Promise<SlotAcquisition>((resolve) => {
+    const waiter: GitSlotWaiter = {
+      grant: () => {
+        clearTimeout(timer);
+        resolve('acquired');
+      },
+    };
+    const timer = setTimeout(() => {
+      const idx = gitWaiters.indexOf(waiter);
+      if (idx !== -1) gitWaiters.splice(idx, 1);
+      resolve('timed-out');
+    }, maxWaitMs);
+    gitWaiters.push(waiter);
+  });
 }
 
 function releaseGitSlot(): void {
   const next = gitWaiters.shift();
   // Hand the slot straight over so the active count can never exceed the cap.
-  if (next) next();
+  if (next) next.grant();
   else activeGitOperations--;
 }
 
@@ -611,7 +678,18 @@ interface GitRun {
  * signal is used rather than `child.kill()`.
  */
 async function runGit(args: string[], timeoutMs: number, maxStdoutBytes: number): Promise<GitRun> {
-  await acquireGitSlot();
+  // The queue wait spends the SAME deadline as the operation: `timeoutMs` is a
+  // promise about the whole call, not about git's runtime after some unbounded
+  // wait. A full queue is refused outright rather than queued.
+  const queuedAt = Date.now();
+  const slot = await acquireGitSlot(timeoutMs);
+  if (slot === 'queue-full') {
+    return { stdout: '', stderr: '', code: null, timedOut: false, spawnError: 'EBUSY: git operation queue is full' };
+  }
+  if (slot === 'timed-out') {
+    return { stdout: '', stderr: '', code: null, timedOut: true };
+  }
+  const remainingMs = Math.max(1, timeoutMs - (Date.now() - queuedAt));
   try {
     return await new Promise<GitRun>((resolve) => {
       let child: ReturnType<typeof spawn>;
@@ -649,7 +727,7 @@ async function runGit(args: string[], timeoutMs: number, maxStdoutBytes: number)
         timedOut = true;
         killTree('SIGTERM');
         killTimer = setTimeout(() => killTree('SIGKILL'), 3_000);
-      }, timeoutMs);
+      }, remainingMs);
 
       child.stdout?.on('data', (chunk: Buffer) => {
         stdoutBytes += chunk.length;
@@ -735,10 +813,14 @@ export async function probeGitRemote(
 /**
  * Clone `repository` into `destination`.
  *
- * On failure the destination is removed — but only when it did not exist before
- * the attempt, so a half-written clone is cleaned up while an existing
- * directory is never touched. Callers still reject a pre-existing destination
- * upfront; this is the second line of that same defence.
+ * git clones into an ATTEMPT-OWNED temp sibling (`.<name>.cloning-<random>`,
+ * dot-prefixed so an orphan from a crash never shows up as a case), which is
+ * atomically renamed into place on success. Two concurrent requests for the
+ * same destination used to both pass the existence check, and the loser's
+ * failure cleanup then deleted the WINNER's freshly cloned tree; now each
+ * attempt only ever creates and removes its own directory, the rename decides
+ * the winner, and the loser reports DESTINATION_EXISTS. The upfront existence
+ * check stays as the fast path for the common non-racing case.
  *
  * Never throws; every outcome is a `CloneResult`.
  */
@@ -752,19 +834,51 @@ export async function cloneRepository(opts: CloneOptions): Promise<CloneResult>
       failure: { code: 'REF_NOT_FOUND', message: 'Invalid branch or tag name.', stderr: '' },
     };
   }
-  const preexisting = existsSync(opts.destination);
-  if (preexisting) {
+  if (existsSync(opts.destination)) {
     return {
       ok: false,
       failure: { code: 'DESTINATION_EXISTS', message: 'The destination directory already exists.', stderr: '' },
     };
   }
 
-  const run = await runGit(buildCloneArgs(opts), opts.timeoutMs ?? GIT_CLONE_TIMEOUT_MS, MAX_STDERR_BYTES);
-  if (run.code === 0 && !run.spawnError) return { ok: true, stderr: sanitizeGitOutput(run.stderr) };
+  // Sibling of the destination (same filesystem), so the rename is atomic.
+  const attemptDir = join(
+    dirname(opts.destination),
+    `.${basename(opts.destination)}.cloning-${randomBytes(6).toString('hex')}`
+  );
+  const run = await runGit(
+    buildCloneArgs({ ...opts, destination: attemptDir }),
+    opts.timeoutMs ?? GIT_CLONE_TIMEOUT_MS,
+    MAX_STDERR_BYTES
+  );
+  if (run.code === 0 && !run.spawnError) {
+    try {
+      await rename(attemptDir, opts.destination);
+      return { ok: true, stderr: sanitizeGitOutput(run.stderr) };
+    } catch (err) {
+      // Renaming a directory onto an existing non-empty one fails: someone
+      // else won the race. Clean up OUR tree only; theirs is never touched.
+      await rm(attemptDir, { recursive: true, force: true }).catch(() => {});
+      const code = (err as NodeJS.ErrnoException).code;
+      if (code === 'EEXIST' || code === 'ENOTEMPTY' || code === 'ENOTDIR' || code === 'EPERM') {
+        return {
+          ok: false,
+          failure: { code: 'DESTINATION_EXISTS', message: 'The destination directory already exists.', stderr: '' },
+        };
+      }
+      return {
+        ok: false,
+        failure: {
+          code: 'FAILED',
+          message: `Could not move the finished clone into place: ${String(err)}`,
+          stderr: '',
+        },
+      };
+    }
+  }
 
-  // Remove ONLY the directory this attempt created (git may have written a
-  // partial tree, or nothing at all).
-  await rm(opts.destination, { recursive: true, force: true }).catch(() => {});
+  // Remove ONLY this attempt's temp directory (git may have written a partial
+  // tree, or nothing at all). The destination is never deleted on failure.
+  await rm(attemptDir, { recursive: true, force: true }).catch(() => {});
   return { ok: false, failure: classifyGitFailure(run.stderr, run.timedOut, run.spawnError) };
 }
diff --git a/src/hooks-config.ts b/src/hooks-config.ts
index 8a2cfc1f..9c0048bd 100644
--- a/src/hooks-config.ts
+++ b/src/hooks-config.ts
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
 
 import { randomBytes } from 'node:crypto';
 import { existsSync } from 'node:fs';
-import { readFile, writeFile, mkdir, lstat, readdir, rename, unlink, rmdir } from 'node:fs/promises';
+import { readFile, writeFile, mkdir, lstat, readdir, realpath, rename, unlink, rmdir } from 'node:fs/promises';
 import { join, dirname } from 'node:path';
 import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url';
 
@@ -526,6 +526,13 @@ export async function updateCaseEnvVars(casePath: string, envVars: Record<string
  * Pass a non-empty string to set, or empty/null to remove.
  */
 export async function updateCaseModel(casePath: string, model: string | null): Promise<void> {
+  // Same symlink refusal as writeHooksConfig: this writer runs for cloned
+  // cases too (modelOverride at quick-start), against foreign tree contents.
+  const blocker = await settingsWriteBlocker(casePath);
+  if (blocker) {
+    console.warn(`[hooks-config] Refusing to write model for ${casePath}: ${blocker}`);
+    return;
+  }
   const claudeDir = join(casePath, '.claude');
   const settingsPath = join(claudeDir, 'settings.local.json');
   await withSettingsLock(settingsPath, async () => {
@@ -550,11 +557,47 @@ export async function updateCaseModel(casePath: string, model: string | null): P
   });
 }
 
+/**
+ * Why writing into `<casePath>/.claude/settings.local.json` must NOT proceed,
+ * or null when it is safe.
+ *
+ * Case contents can be FOREIGN (a freshly cloned repository, an imported
+ * tree): `.claude` or the settings file itself can arrive as a symlink
+ * pointing anywhere on this machine, and `writeFile` follows links, so a
+ * scaffold write would land outside the case, up to and including replacing
+ * the user's own `~/.claude/settings.json` (#251 review). Any symlink in the
+ * chain, or a `.claude` that resolves outside the case, refuses the write.
+ * A missing `.claude` is fine (the writer creates it).
+ */
+export async function settingsWriteBlocker(casePath: string): Promise<string | null> {
+  const claudeDir = join(casePath, '.claude');
+  try {
+    const dirStat = await lstat(claudeDir).catch(() => null);
+    if (dirStat?.isSymbolicLink()) return 'its .claude is a symlink';
+    if (dirStat && !dirStat.isDirectory()) return 'its .claude is a file, not a directory';
+    if (dirStat && (await realpath(claudeDir)) !== join(await realpath(casePath), '.claude')) {
+      return 'its .claude directory resolves outside the case';
+    }
+    const settingsStat = await lstat(join(claudeDir, 'settings.local.json')).catch(() => null);
+    if (settingsStat?.isSymbolicLink()) return 'its .claude/settings.local.json is a symlink';
+  } catch (err) {
+    return `its .claude paths could not be verified (${String(err)})`;
+  }
+  return null;
+}
+
 /**
  * Writes hooks config to .claude/settings.local.json in the given case path.
  * Merges with existing file content, only touching the `hooks` key.
+ * Refuses (with a console.warn, not a throw: hooks degrade to output-based
+ * idle detection) when `settingsWriteBlocker` reports the target unsafe.
  */
 export async function writeHooksConfig(casePath: string): Promise<void> {
+  const blocker = await settingsWriteBlocker(casePath);
+  if (blocker) {
+    console.warn(`[hooks-config] Refusing to write hooks for ${casePath}: ${blocker}`);
+    return;
+  }
   const claudeDir = join(casePath, '.claude');
   const settingsPath = join(claudeDir, 'settings.local.json');
   await withSettingsLock(settingsPath, async () => {
diff --git a/src/web/routes/case-routes.ts b/src/web/routes/case-routes.ts
index 224c6d00..978ac941 100644
--- a/src/web/routes/case-routes.ts
+++ b/src/web/routes/case-routes.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
  */
 
 import { FastifyInstance } from 'fastify';
-import { existsSync, mkdirSync, writeFileSync, readdirSync, readFileSync, createReadStream } from 'node:fs';
+import { existsSync, lstatSync, mkdirSync, writeFileSync, readdirSync, readFileSync, createReadStream } from 'node:fs';
 import { exec } from 'node:child_process';
 import fs from 'node:fs/promises';
 import { join, resolve, basename } from 'node:path';
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ import {
 } from '../../git-clone.js';
 import type { GitRemoteProbe, GitUrlParse } from '../../git-clone.js';
 import { generateClaudeMd } from '../../templates/claude-md.js';
-import { writeHooksConfig } from '../../hooks-config.js';
+import { settingsWriteBlocker, writeHooksConfig } from '../../hooks-config.js';
 import {
   canAccessOwned,
   getAuthUser,
@@ -477,17 +477,25 @@ export function registerCaseRoutes(app: FastifyInstance, ctx: EventPort & Config
               ? ApiErrorCode.ALREADY_EXISTS
               : clone.failure.code === 'REF_NOT_FOUND'
                 ? ApiErrorCode.INVALID_INPUT
-                : ApiErrorCode.OPERATION_FAILED;
+                : clone.failure.code === 'BUSY'
+                  ? ApiErrorCode.RATE_LIMITED
+                  : ApiErrorCode.OPERATION_FAILED;
         const detail = clone.failure.stderr
           ? `${clone.failure.message} (${gitDiagnosticLine(clone.failure.stderr)})`
           : clone.failure.message;
         return createErrorResponse(code, detail);
       }
 
-      // Scaffold WITHOUT overwriting anything the repository shipped.
+      // Scaffold WITHOUT overwriting anything the repository shipped, and
+      // WITHOUT writing through anything it shipped as a symlink.
       const warnings = [...parsed.warnings];
       try {
-        if (!existsSync(join(casePath, 'CLAUDE.md'))) {
+        // Presence via lstat, not existsSync: a repo-shipped CLAUDE.md SYMLINK
+        // counts as "the repository ships its own" even when the link is
+        // broken (existsSync follows links and reports a broken one as
+        // absent), because writeFileSync would write THROUGH it to a
+        // repository-chosen path outside the case.
+        if (!lstatSync(join(casePath, 'CLAUDE.md'), { throwIfNoEntry: false })) {
           const templatePath = await ctx.getDefaultClaudeMdPath();
           const summary = description || `Cloned from ${parsed.repository}`;
           writeFileSync(join(casePath, 'CLAUDE.md'), generateClaudeMd(name, summary, templatePath));
@@ -499,7 +507,18 @@ export function registerCaseRoutes(app: FastifyInstance, ctx: EventPort & Config
             'This repository ships its own .claude/settings files. Codeman merged its hooks alongside them without removing anything — review them before starting a session, since repo-supplied hooks run on this machine.'
           );
         }
-        await writeHooksConfig(casePath);
+        // A repository can ship `.claude` (or the settings file) as a symlink
+        // pointing anywhere on this machine; writeHooksConfig itself refuses
+        // to write through those (settingsWriteBlocker in hooks-config.ts).
+        // Checking here too turns that refusal into a user-visible warning.
+        const hooksBlocker = await settingsWriteBlocker(casePath);
+        if (hooksBlocker) {
+          warnings.push(
+            `Codeman hooks were NOT installed: ${hooksBlocker}. Codeman refuses to write through repository-controlled links; replace the link with a real file or directory if you want hooks in this case.`
+          );
+        } else {
+          await writeHooksConfig(casePath);
+        }
       } catch (err) {
         // The clone itself succeeded: keep the case and report the scaffolding
         // problem, rather than deleting a tree the user just waited for.
diff --git a/test/git-clone.test.ts b/test/git-clone.test.ts
index a1c3a731..9c5fb11d 100644
--- a/test/git-clone.test.ts
+++ b/test/git-clone.test.ts
@@ -14,9 +14,9 @@
  * Port: N/A (no server).
  */
 
-import { describe, it, expect, beforeAll, afterAll } from 'vitest';
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeAll, afterAll, vi } from 'vitest';
 import { execFileSync } from 'node:child_process';
-import { existsSync, mkdirSync, mkdtempSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from 'node:fs';
+import { existsSync, mkdirSync, mkdtempSync, readdirSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from 'node:fs';
 import { tmpdir } from 'node:os';
 import { join } from 'node:path';
 import {
@@ -134,6 +134,13 @@ describe('parseGitRepositoryUrl', () => {
   it('REFUSES a URL with no repository name', () => {
     expect(rejected('https://github.com/').code).toBe('NO_REPOSITORY_NAME');
   });
+
+  it('REFUSES a malformed percent-escape as BAD_SYNTAX instead of throwing', () => {
+    // `new URL` tolerates "%zz" in a path; decodeURIComponent throws on it,
+    // and uncaught that URIError surfaced as a 500 from the route.
+    expect(rejected('https://github.com/%zz/repo.git').code).toBe('BAD_SYNTAX');
+    expect(rejected('https://github.com/owner/repo%').code).toBe('BAD_SYNTAX');
+  });
 });
 
 describe('suggestCaseNameFromRepo', () => {
@@ -377,8 +384,29 @@ describe.skipIf(!gitPresent)('cloneRepository / probeGitRemote (real git)', () =
     const result = await cloneRepository({ repository: origin, destination: dest, ref: 'no-such-branch' });
     expect(result.ok).toBe(false);
     if (!result.ok) expect(result.failure.code).toBe('REF_NOT_FOUND');
-    // The half-written tree must not survive as a phantom case directory.
+    // The half-written tree must not survive as a phantom case directory,
+    // and neither may the attempt-owned temp directory it cloned into.
     expect(existsSync(dest)).toBe(false);
+    expect(readdirSync(root).filter((n) => n.includes('.cloning-'))).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
+  it('lets two concurrent clones of the SAME destination race safely', async () => {
+    // Both used to pass the existence check; the loser's cleanup then DELETED
+    // the winner's finished tree. Now each attempt clones into its own temp
+    // sibling and an atomic rename decides the winner.
+    const dest = join(root, 'clone-race');
+    const results = await Promise.all([
+      cloneRepository({ repository: origin, destination: dest }),
+      cloneRepository({ repository: origin, destination: dest }),
+    ]);
+    expect(results.filter((r) => r.ok)).toHaveLength(1);
+    const loser = results.find((r) => !r.ok);
+    if (loser && !loser.ok) expect(loser.failure.code).toBe('DESTINATION_EXISTS');
+    // The winner's tree survives the loser's cleanup intact...
+    expect(existsSync(join(dest, 'README.md'))).toBe(true);
+    expect(existsSync(join(dest, '.git'))).toBe(true);
+    // ...and neither attempt leaves its temp directory behind.
+    expect(readdirSync(root).filter((n) => n.includes('.cloning-'))).toEqual([]);
   });
 
   it('refuses a destination that already exists instead of cloning into it', async () => {
@@ -418,6 +446,70 @@ describe.skipIf(!gitPresent)('cloneRepository / probeGitRemote (real git)', () =
     expect(result.ok).toBe(false);
     if (!result.ok) expect(result.failure.code).toBe('TIMEOUT');
     expect(existsSync(join(root, 'clone-timeout'))).toBe(false);
+    expect(readdirSync(root).filter((n) => n.includes('.cloning-'))).toEqual([]);
+  });
+});
+
+// ─── Pool bounds, driven with a fake `git` that sleeps ──────────────────────
+//
+// A fresh module instance (vi.resetModules + dynamic import) picks up the
+// 1-slot/1-waiter env config, and a PATH-shimmed `git` that answers --version
+// then sleeps lets one operation HOLD the slot deterministically with no
+// network. Placed after the real-git suite so the PATH shim never leaks into it.
+describe('git pool queue bounds (fake git)', () => {
+  let fakeDir: string;
+  let savedPath: string | undefined;
+  let mod: typeof import('../src/git-clone.js');
+
+  beforeAll(async () => {
+    fakeDir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'codeman-fake-git-'));
+    writeFileSync(
+      join(fakeDir, 'git'),
+      '#!/bin/sh\nif [ "$1" = "--version" ]; then echo "git version 2.43.0"; exit 0; fi\nsleep 30\n',
+      { mode: 0o755 }
+    );
+    savedPath = process.env.PATH;
+    process.env.PATH = `${fakeDir}:${savedPath}`;
+    process.env.CODEMAN_MAX_GIT_OPERATIONS = '1';
+    process.env.CODEMAN_MAX_GIT_QUEUE = '1';
+    vi.resetModules();
+    mod = await import('../src/git-clone.js');
+  });
+
+  afterAll(() => {
+    process.env.PATH = savedPath;
+    delete process.env.CODEMAN_MAX_GIT_OPERATIONS;
+    delete process.env.CODEMAN_MAX_GIT_QUEUE;
+    rmSync(fakeDir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+    vi.resetModules();
+  });
+
+  it('bounds the queue with BUSY and counts queue time against the deadline', async () => {
+    // Occupies the single slot: the fake git sleeps far past its 3s budget.
+    const holder = mod.probeGitRemote('https://pool.invalid/repo.git', 3_000);
+    await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 100));
+
+    // Fills the single queue seat; its 300ms deadline must elapse IN the queue.
+    const queued = mod.probeGitRemote('https://pool.invalid/repo.git', 300);
+    await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 50));
+
+    // Queue full: answered BUSY immediately, without waiting out its own 5s budget.
+    const before = Date.now();
+    const overflow = await mod.probeGitRemote('https://pool.invalid/repo.git', 5_000);
+    expect(Date.now() - before).toBeLessThan(1_000);
+    expect(overflow.reachable).toBe(false);
+    expect(overflow.failure?.code).toBe('BUSY');
+
+    // The queued waiter timed out WITHOUT ever spawning git (slot never freed).
+    const queuedResult = await queued;
+    expect(queuedResult.reachable).toBe(false);
+    expect(queuedResult.failure?.code).toBe('TIMEOUT');
+
+    // The slot holder is killed by its own deadline, and nothing leaks.
+    const holderResult = await holder;
+    expect(holderResult.failure?.code).toBe('TIMEOUT');
+    expect(mod.getActiveGitOperationCount()).toBe(0);
+    expect(mod.getQueuedGitOperationCount()).toBe(0);
   });
 });
 
diff --git a/test/hooks-config.test.ts b/test/hooks-config.test.ts
index 1f751905..500fa6c9 100644
--- a/test/hooks-config.test.ts
+++ b/test/hooks-config.test.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
  */
 
 import { describe, it, expect, beforeAll, beforeEach, afterAll, afterEach } from 'vitest';
-import { closeSync, existsSync, openSync, readFileSync, writeFileSync, mkdirSync, rmSync } from 'node:fs';
+import { closeSync, existsSync, openSync, readFileSync, writeFileSync, mkdirSync, rmSync, symlinkSync } from 'node:fs';
 import { join } from 'node:path';
 import { tmpdir } from 'node:os';
 import { spawn } from 'node:child_process';
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import {
   generateHooksConfig,
   generateSubagentStopGuardScript,
   refreshStaleCodemanHooks,
+  settingsWriteBlocker,
   writeHooksConfig,
 } from '../src/hooks-config.js';
 
@@ -198,6 +199,37 @@ describe('writeHooksConfig', () => {
     expect(parsed.hooks.Stop).toHaveLength(1);
   });
 
+  it('refuses to write through a symlinked .claude directory (#251 review)', async () => {
+    // Case contents can be foreign (a freshly cloned repository): a symlinked
+    // .claude would redirect the scaffold write outside the case.
+    const outside = join(testDir, 'outside-target');
+    mkdirSync(outside);
+    const caseDir = join(testDir, 'case');
+    mkdirSync(caseDir);
+    symlinkSync(outside, join(caseDir, '.claude'));
+    expect(await settingsWriteBlocker(caseDir)).toMatch(/symlink/);
+    await writeHooksConfig(caseDir);
+    expect(existsSync(join(outside, 'settings.local.json'))).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('refuses to write through a symlinked settings.local.json (#251 review)', async () => {
+    const outsideFile = join(testDir, 'victim-settings.json');
+    writeFileSync(outsideFile, '{"model":"precious"}\n');
+    const caseDir = join(testDir, 'case2');
+    mkdirSync(join(caseDir, '.claude'), { recursive: true });
+    symlinkSync(outsideFile, join(caseDir, '.claude', 'settings.local.json'));
+    expect(await settingsWriteBlocker(caseDir)).toMatch(/symlink/);
+    await writeHooksConfig(caseDir);
+    // The link target is untouched: no hooks were merged into it.
+    expect(readFileSync(outsideFile, 'utf-8')).toBe('{"model":"precious"}\n');
+  });
+
+  it('reports a real, confined .claude as safe', async () => {
+    const caseDir = join(testDir, 'case3');
+    mkdirSync(join(caseDir, '.claude'), { recursive: true });
+    expect(await settingsWriteBlocker(caseDir)).toBeNull();
+  });
+
   it('should merge with existing settings.local.json', async () => {
     const claudeDir = join(testDir, '.claude');
     mkdirSync(claudeDir, { recursive: true });
diff --git a/test/routes/case-clone-routes.test.ts b/test/routes/case-clone-routes.test.ts
index 9821d407..6cb7e7a8 100644
--- a/test/routes/case-clone-routes.test.ts
+++ b/test/routes/case-clone-routes.test.ts
@@ -19,7 +19,16 @@ import { describe, it, expect, beforeAll, afterAll, beforeEach, afterEach } from
 import Fastify, { type FastifyInstance } from 'fastify';
 import fastifyCookie from '@fastify/cookie';
 import { execFileSync } from 'node:child_process';
-import { existsSync, mkdirSync, mkdtempSync, readFileSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from 'node:fs';
+import {
+  existsSync,
+  lstatSync,
+  mkdirSync,
+  mkdtempSync,
+  readFileSync,
+  rmSync,
+  symlinkSync,
+  writeFileSync,
+} from 'node:fs';
 import { homedir, tmpdir } from 'node:os';
 import { join } from 'node:path';
 import { createMockRouteContext, type MockRouteContext } from '../mocks/index.js';
@@ -146,6 +155,9 @@ describe('POST /api/cases/clone — input rejection', () => {
 describe.skipIf(!gitPresent)('POST /api/cases/clone — real clone', () => {
   let root: string;
   let origin: string;
+  let hostileOrigin: string;
+  let victimDir: string;
+  let victimFile: string;
   const created: string[] = [];
 
   const git = (args: string[], cwd: string) =>
@@ -174,6 +186,33 @@ describe.skipIf(!gitPresent)('POST /api/cases/clone — real clone', () => {
     git(['remote', 'add', 'origin', origin], work);
     git(['push', '--quiet', 'origin', 'main', '--tags'], work);
     git(['symbolic-ref', 'HEAD', 'refs/heads/main'], origin);
+
+    // A HOSTILE repository: it ships the scaffold paths as symlinks aimed
+    // outside the case, so a scaffolder that follows them writes onto this
+    // machine's own files. victimFile deliberately does NOT exist, because a
+    // BROKEN CLAUDE.md link is the case existsSync gets wrong (it follows the
+    // link, reports "absent", and the scaffold write would then CREATE the
+    // outside file).
+    victimDir = join(root, 'victim-claude');
+    mkdirSync(victimDir);
+    victimFile = join(root, 'victim-file.md');
+    hostileOrigin = join(root, 'hostile.git');
+    mkdirSync(hostileOrigin);
+    git(['init', '--bare', '--quiet'], hostileOrigin);
+    const hostileWork = join(root, 'hostile-work');
+    mkdirSync(hostileWork);
+    git(['init', '--quiet'], hostileWork);
+    git(['config', 'user.email', 'test@example.com'], hostileWork);
+    git(['config', 'user.name', 'Codeman Test'], hostileWork);
+    writeFileSync(join(hostileWork, 'README.md'), '# hostile fixture\n');
+    symlinkSync(victimFile, join(hostileWork, 'CLAUDE.md'));
+    symlinkSync(victimDir, join(hostileWork, '.claude'));
+    git(['add', '.'], hostileWork);
+    git(['commit', '--quiet', '-m', 'hostile'], hostileWork);
+    git(['branch', '-M', 'main'], hostileWork);
+    git(['remote', 'add', 'origin', hostileOrigin], hostileWork);
+    git(['push', '--quiet', 'origin', 'main'], hostileWork);
+    git(['symbolic-ref', 'HEAD', 'refs/heads/main'], hostileOrigin);
   });
 
   afterAll(() => {
@@ -249,6 +288,24 @@ describe.skipIf(!gitPresent)('POST /api/cases/clone — real clone', () => {
     expect(error).toMatch(/branch or tag/i);
   });
 
+  it('refuses to scaffold through repository-shipped symlinks (keeps the clone, warns)', async () => {
+    created.push('hostile');
+    const res = await clone({ name: 'hostile', repository: hostileOrigin });
+    expect(res.statusCode).toBe(200);
+    const body = JSON.parse(res.body);
+    expect(body.success).toBe(true);
+    const casePath = join(CASES_DIR, 'hostile');
+    // The repo's symlinks are still symlinks: nothing wrote through them.
+    expect(lstatSync(join(casePath, 'CLAUDE.md')).isSymbolicLink()).toBe(true);
+    expect(lstatSync(join(casePath, '.claude')).isSymbolicLink()).toBe(true);
+    // The outside targets were neither created nor written.
+    expect(existsSync(victimFile)).toBe(false);
+    expect(existsSync(join(victimDir, 'settings.local.json'))).toBe(false);
+    // And the response says the hooks scaffold was skipped, and why.
+    expect(body.data.warnings.join(' ')).toMatch(/hooks were NOT installed/i);
+    expect(body.data.warnings.join(' ')).toMatch(/symlink/i);
+  });
+
   it('preflights the local fixture for its branches and tags', async () => {
     const res = await preflight(origin);
     const body = JSON.parse(res.body);