diff --git a/gsd-core/workflows/plan-phase.md b/gsd-core/workflows/plan-phase.md
index 6b6060eb2..88a62ccfd 100644
--- a/gsd-core/workflows/plan-phase.md
+++ b/gsd-core/workflows/plan-phase.md
@@ -591,7 +591,8 @@ map is refreshed first. (`drift_action: auto-remap` stays at `execute:wave:post`
 ls "${PHASE_DIR}"/*-PLAN.md 2>/dev/null || true
 ```
 
-**If exists AND no `--reviews` flag:** Offer: 1) Add more plans, 2) View existing, 3) Replan from scratch.
+**If exists AND no `--reviews` flag:** Offer: 1) Verify existing plans (resume an interrupted run;
+proceed to step 10), 2) Add more plans, 3) View existing, 4) Replan from scratch.
 
 ## 7. Use Context Paths from INIT
 
@@ -729,8 +730,15 @@ Read+execute `gsd-core/workflows/plan-phase/steps/stall-detection-helpers.md` (d
 `gsd_stall_should_recover`/`gsd_stall_watch`, and how `{outputFile}` below is bound;
 independent of the teams-status guard above, AC2).
 
+## 7.995. Agent Recovery and Stage Timing
+
+Read+execute `gsd-core/workflows/plan-phase/steps/agent-recovery-and-timing.md`. Its retry guard,
+quota classifier, and stage timers apply to planner, checker, and revision dispatches.
+
 ## 8. Spawn gsd-planner Agent
 
+Run `gsd_plan_stage_start planner` immediately before dispatch.
+
 Display banner:
 ```
 ### GSD ► PLANNING PHASE {X}
@@ -966,6 +974,8 @@ If `section_manifest` is `null` or `"chunked-planning-mode"` is in its `included
 
 ## 9. Handle Planner Return
 
+Call `gsd_plan_stage_end` with the outcome. Before fallback or retry, apply step 7.995.
+
 - **`## PLANNING COMPLETE`:** Display plan count. If `--skip-verify` or `plan_checker_enabled` is false (from init): skip to step 13. Otherwise: step 10.
 - **`## PHASE SPLIT RECOMMENDED`:** The planner determined the phase exceeds the context budget for full-fidelity implementation of all source items. Handle in step 9b.
 - **`## ⚠ Source Audit: Unplanned Items Found`:** The planner's multi-source coverage audit found items from REQUIREMENTS.md, RESEARCH.md, ROADMAP goal, or CONTEXT.md decisions that are not covered by any plan. Handle in step 9c.
@@ -978,7 +988,7 @@ If `section_manifest` is `null` or `"chunked-planning-mode"` is in its `included
 **Triggered when:** Agent() returns but the return contains no recognized marker (`## PLANNING COMPLETE`, `## PHASE SPLIT RECOMMENDED`, `## ⚠ Source Audit`, `## CHECKPOINT REACHED`, `## PLANNING INCONCLUSIVE`).
 
 ```bash
-DISK_PLANS=$(gsd_run query find-phase "${PHASE_NUMBER}" | jq -r '.plan_count_all // 0')
+DISK_PLANS=$(gsd_run query find-phase "${phase_number}" | jq -r '.plan_count_all // 0')
 ```
 
 If `DISK_PLANS` is greater than 0 (a known Windows stdio hang pattern — the planner wrote plans to disk but the return never arrived), offer: 1) Accept plans (treat as `## PLANNING COMPLETE`), 2) Retry planner (return to step 8), 3) Stop. If it is 0 and no marker, treat as `## PLANNING INCONCLUSIVE`. Full banner text: `gsd-core/workflows/plan-phase/detail/elaboration.md` § 9a.
@@ -993,6 +1003,8 @@ When the planner returns `## ⚠ Source Audit: Unplanned Items Found`, items fro
 
 ## 10. Spawn gsd-plan-checker Agent
 
+Run `gsd_plan_stage_start checker` immediately before dispatch.
+
 Display banner:
 ```
 ### GSD ► VERIFYING PLANS
@@ -1094,6 +1106,8 @@ Agent(
 
 ## 11. Handle Checker Return
 
+Call `gsd_plan_stage_end` with the outcome. Before fallback or retry, apply step 7.995.
+
 - **`marker_received` + `## VERIFICATION PASSED`:** Display confirmation, proceed to step 13.
 - **`marker_received` + `## ISSUES FOUND`:** Display issues, check iteration count, proceed to step 12.
 - **`stalled`:** Automatically surface 11a's recovery choice (Accept verification / Retry checker / Stop) — no manual interrupt needed.
@@ -1106,7 +1120,7 @@ Agent(
 **Triggered when:** Checker Agent() returns but the return contains neither `## VERIFICATION PASSED` nor `## ISSUES FOUND`.
 
 ```bash
-DISK_PLANS=$(gsd_run query find-phase "${PHASE_NUMBER}" | jq -r '.plan_count_all // 0')
+DISK_PLANS=$(gsd_run query find-phase "${phase_number}" | jq -r '.plan_count_all // 0')
 ```
 
 If `DISK_PLANS` is greater than 0 (plans exist on disk; a known Windows stdio hang pattern), offer: 1) Accept verification (treat as `## VERIFICATION PASSED`, continue to step 13), 2) Retry checker (return to step 10), 3) Stop. If it is 0, something is seriously wrong — display error and stop. Full banner text: `gsd-core/workflows/plan-phase/detail/elaboration.md` § 11a.
@@ -1145,6 +1159,9 @@ Set `prev_issue_count = issue_count`.
 
 Revision prompt:
 
+Before dispatch, run the stale-run guard from step 7.995, then `gsd_plan_stage_start revision`.
+On return, call `gsd_plan_stage_end` and apply step 7.995 before any retry.
+
 ```markdown
 <revision_context>
 **Phase:** {phase_number}
diff --git a/gsd-core/workflows/plan-phase/steps/agent-recovery-and-timing.md b/gsd-core/workflows/plan-phase/steps/agent-recovery-and-timing.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e3575cebd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gsd-core/workflows/plan-phase/steps/agent-recovery-and-timing.md
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+# Agent Recovery and Stage Timing
+
+Initialize once before the first planning agent is dispatched:
+
+```bash
+PLAN_PHASE_STARTED_AT=$(date +%s)
+PLAN_PHASE_STAGE_STARTED_AT=$PLAN_PHASE_STARTED_AT
+PLAN_PHASE_BASELINE_SUMMARIES=$(gsd_run query find-phase "${phase_number}" | jq -r '.summary_count // 0')
+
+gsd_plan_stage_start() {
+  PLAN_PHASE_STAGE="$1"
+  PLAN_PHASE_STAGE_STARTED_AT=$(date +%s)
+  echo "◆ Stage ${PLAN_PHASE_STAGE} started"
+}
+
+gsd_plan_stage_end() {
+  _now=$(date +%s)
+  echo "◆ Stage ${PLAN_PHASE_STAGE:-unknown}: $((_now - PLAN_PHASE_STAGE_STARTED_AT))s (${1:-complete}); plan-phase total: $((_now - PLAN_PHASE_STARTED_AT))s"
+}
+
+gsd_plan_external_execution_started() {
+  _current_summaries=$(gsd_run query find-phase "${phase_number}" | jq -r '.summary_count // 0')
+  [ "$_current_summaries" -gt "$PLAN_PHASE_BASELINE_SUMMARIES" ]
+}
+
+gsd_plan_classify_return() {
+  gsd_run query agent.classify-failure -- "$1"
+}
+```
+
+Call `gsd_plan_stage_start <planner|checker|revision>` immediately before each corresponding
+Agent dispatch. Call `gsd_plan_stage_end <marker|stalled|quota-exceeded|unrecognized>` exactly
+once when that dispatch ends, before retrying, stopping, or moving on. This exposes elapsed time
+even when an agent fails or exhausts quota.
+
+Before every retry or revision dispatch, call `gsd_plan_external_execution_started`. If it
+succeeds, stop this stale planning run immediately: another session produced a new SUMMARY.md
+since this run started. Report baseline/current counts and direct the user to `/gsd:progress`.
+
+For every empty, truncated, errored, or unrecognized Agent return, read the complete return body
+(for a background agent, read its bound `{outputFile}`), then run:
+
+```bash
+PLAN_AGENT_FAILURE=$(gsd_plan_classify_return "$AGENT_RETURN_BODY")
+PLAN_AGENT_FAILURE_CLASS=$(printf '%s' "$PLAN_AGENT_FAILURE" | jq -r '.class // "unknown-failure"')
+```
+
+If the class is `quota-exceeded`, call `gsd_plan_stage_end quota-exceeded`, show `sentinel` and
+`retryAfterSeconds` when present, and stop cleanly. Never offer or perform an immediate retry.
+Preserve PLAN.md files and tell the user to rerun `/gsd:plan-phase {PHASE}` after reset; step 6
+offers verification of existing plans. Non-quota failures continue to the existing fallback.
diff --git a/tests/plan-phase-agent-recovery.test.cjs b/tests/plan-phase-agent-recovery.test.cjs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b64f33b2d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/plan-phase-agent-recovery.test.cjs
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+// allow-test-rule: source-text-is-the-product — workflow markdown is the runtime contract.
+'use strict';
+const { describe, test } = require('node:test');
+const assert = require('node:assert/strict');
+const fs = require('node:fs');
+const path = require('node:path');
+const root = path.join(__dirname, '..');
+const workflow = fs.readFileSync(path.join(root, 'gsd-core/workflows/plan-phase.md'), 'utf8');
+const recovery = fs.readFileSync(path.join(root, 'gsd-core/workflows/plan-phase/steps/agent-recovery-and-timing.md'), 'utf8');
+
+describe('plan-phase agent recovery and timing', () => {
+  test('classifies quota failures and forbids immediate retry', () => {
+    assert.match(recovery, /agent\.classify-failure/);
+    assert.match(recovery, /class is `quota-exceeded`/);
+    assert.match(recovery, /Never offer or perform an immediate retry/);
+  });
+  test('stops stale planning after execution starts', () => {
+    assert.match(recovery, /PLAN_PHASE_BASELINE_SUMMARIES/);
+    assert.match(recovery, /summary_count/);
+    assert.match(recovery, /find-phase "\$\{phase_number\}"/);
+    assert.match(recovery, /stop this stale planning run immediately/);
+  });
+  test('times all three agent stages and quota exits', () => {
+    for (const stage of ['planner', 'checker', 'revision']) assert.match(workflow, new RegExp(`gsd_plan_stage_start ${stage}`));
+    assert.match(recovery, /gsd_plan_stage_end quota-exceeded/);
+    assert.match(recovery, /plan-phase total/);
+  });
+  test('existing plans resume directly at verification', () => {
+    assert.match(workflow, /Verify existing plans[\s\S]{0,160}proceed to step 10/);
+    assert.doesNotMatch(workflow, /find-phase "\$\{PHASE_NUMBER\}"/);
+  });
+});