diff --git a/crates/headroom-core/src/pw/registry.rs b/crates/headroom-core/src/pw/registry.rs
index ecc19e2..32631e8 100644
--- a/crates/headroom-core/src/pw/registry.rs
+++ b/crates/headroom-core/src/pw/registry.rs
@@ -496,6 +496,17 @@ impl RoutingState {
     /// `sinks_by_name`. If the captured name matches the active
     /// `preferred_real_sink`, populate `real_sink.node_id` so `status`
     /// reports it and downstream ops can route by id.
+    ///
+    /// **Cold-boot fallback (F4).** If we haven't captured a real-sink
+    /// name yet — either because the metadata listener's initial
+    /// replay hasn't fired, or because `default.audio.sink` was
+    /// already `headroom-processed` from a prior daemon run that
+    /// didn't clean up — adopt the first non-processed Audio/Sink we
+    /// see as the real sink. This avoids the failure mode Codex
+    /// flagged where `real_sink.name = None` indefinitely and bypass
+    /// routes log "no real sink known" forever. A subsequent
+    /// `default.audio.sink` event will refine the choice via
+    /// `adopt_new_real_sink` if the user/WP picks a different one.
     fn try_capture_real_sink(&mut self, global: &GlobalObject<&DictRef>) {
         let Some(props) = &global.props else { return };
         let dict: &DictRef = props;
@@ -510,7 +521,15 @@ impl RoutingState {
         }
         self.sinks_by_name.insert(name.to_owned(), global.id);
         let mut s = self.daemon.lock();
-        if s.real_sink.name.as_deref() == Some(name) && s.real_sink.node_id != Some(global.id) {
+        if s.real_sink.name.is_none() {
+            tracing::info!(
+                node_id = global.id,
+                name,
+                "no preferred_real_sink yet; adopting first available Audio/Sink as fallback"
+            );
+            s.real_sink.name = Some(name.to_owned());
+            s.real_sink.node_id = Some(global.id);
+        } else if s.real_sink.name.as_deref() == Some(name) && s.real_sink.node_id != Some(global.id) {
             tracing::info!(
                 node_id = global.id,
                 name,