diff --git a/packages/chord/CHANGELOG.md b/packages/chord/CHANGELOG.md
index 6705867e6..32af9a067 100644
--- a/packages/chord/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/packages/chord/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+### Fixed
+
+- A link that is already closed when a host accepts or routes to it is no longer kept as a connection: before, a route that returned a dead link (a child process that exited before its link was wrapped) made every later call to that host name fail with `unavailable` until restart, and leaked the connection's ping timer.
+
 ## [1.2.0] - 2026-10-12
 
 ### Breaking Changes
diff --git a/packages/chord/node_modules b/packages/chord/node_modules
new file mode 120000
index 000000000..126c7e284
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/chord/node_modules
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+/home/badlogic/pi-private/packages/chord//node_modules
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/chord/src/connection.ts b/packages/chord/src/connection.ts
index 5a9907fdd..594f9357f 100644
--- a/packages/chord/src/connection.ts
+++ b/packages/chord/src/connection.ts
@@ -254,6 +254,8 @@ export class Connection implements RemoteChannel {
 		this.send({ t: "hello", name: host.name, kind: host.kind, epoch: host.current.id });
 		const interval = config.pingInterval ?? 15_000;
 		const timeout = config.pingTimeout ?? 45_000;
+		// A link that was already closed closed this connection above; it needs no keepalive.
+		if (link.closed) return;
 		let n = 0;
 		this.#pinger = setInterval(() => {
 			if (Date.now() - this.#lastSeen > timeout) link.close("ping timeout");
diff --git a/packages/chord/src/host.ts b/packages/chord/src/host.ts
index 93d753298..fb0ade01b 100644
--- a/packages/chord/src/host.ts
+++ b/packages/chord/src/host.ts
@@ -750,7 +750,8 @@ export class HostImpl implements Host, HostCore {
 
 	#addConnection(link: Link, config: ConstructorParameters<typeof Connection>[2]): Connection {
 		const connection = new Connection(this, link, config);
-		this.connections.add(connection);
+		// A link that was already closed closed the connection in its constructor: keeping it would route to it forever.
+		if (connection.open) this.connections.add(connection);
 		return connection;
 	}
 
@@ -800,7 +801,10 @@ export class HostImpl implements Host, HostCore {
 	#childNamed(name: string): Connection | undefined {
 		return [...this.connections].find(
 			(connection) =>
-				connection.role === "downstream" && connection.peer.kind === "host" && connection.peer.name === name,
+				connection.open &&
+				connection.role === "downstream" &&
+				connection.peer.kind === "host" &&
+				connection.peer.name === name,
 		);
 	}
 
diff --git a/packages/chord/test/link.test.ts b/packages/chord/test/link.test.ts
index 6b4c09170..709c62c0b 100644
--- a/packages/chord/test/link.test.ts
+++ b/packages/chord/test/link.test.ts
@@ -248,6 +248,29 @@ describe("links: relay, stamping, lifetime", () => {
 		assert.deepEqual(childResult?.t === "result" ? childResult.value : undefined, { worker: "w9" });
 	});
 
+	it("a route that returns an already closed link does not poison the host name", async () => {
+		const server = createHost({ name: "server", onError: () => {} });
+		let attempt = 0;
+		server.route("session:", {
+			authorize: () => true,
+			resolve: async (name) => {
+				attempt++;
+				const [down, up] = memoryLinkPair();
+				const worker = createHost({ name, upstream: up, onError: () => {} });
+				serveCounter(worker);
+				// The first worker dies before the server wraps its link.
+				if (attempt === 1) down.close("worker exited");
+				return down;
+			},
+		});
+		const first = server.get(Counter, { name: "a" }, { at: "session:S1" });
+		await assert.rejects(first.add(1), (error: Error) => /closed/.test(error.message));
+		// The next call resolves the route again and reaches the new worker.
+		const second = server.get(Counter, { name: "a" }, { at: "session:S1" });
+		assert.equal(await second.add(2), 2);
+		assert.equal(attempt, 2);
+	});
+
 	it("authorizes before resolving and again after", async () => {
 		const c = cluster();
 		c.allow = (principal) => (principal as { guest: string }).guest !== "blocked";