diff --git a/modules/software-engineer/__tests__/workers/verify.test.ts b/modules/software-engineer/__tests__/workers/verify.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1c1ccb30
--- /dev/null
+++ b/modules/software-engineer/__tests__/workers/verify.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,105 @@
+// @ts-nocheck — vitest harness; the worker is @ts-nocheck'd already.
+//
+// Regression coverage for issue #57: a per-run cost ceiling trip (`result.costCeiling === true`)
+// must route through `blockRun` (status='blocked', a resumable config problem) instead of the
+// worker's generic `result.error` → status='failed' dead end. An ordinary agent-session crash
+// (no `costCeiling` flag) must still take the unchanged `failed` path.
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, vi } from 'vitest';
+
+const rs = vi.hoisted(() => ({
+  starts: [] as any[], ends: [] as any[], blocks: [] as any[],
+}));
+vi.mock('../../lib/run-state.js', () => ({
+  recordPhaseStart: async (_sb: unknown, run: any, phase: string) => { rs.starts.push({ runId: run.id, phase }); },
+  recordPhaseEnd: async (_sb: unknown, run: any, phase: string, status: string, summary?: string) => {
+    rs.ends.push({ runId: run.id, phase, status, summary });
+  },
+  blockRun: async (_sb: unknown, run: any, phase: string, gate: string, reason: string) => {
+    rs.blocks.push({ runId: run.id, phase, gate, reason });
+    return { blocked: reason };
+  },
+  writeGate: async () => {},
+  listRunPrs: async () => [],
+}));
+
+vi.mock('../../lib/enqueue.js', () => ({ enqueuePhase: async () => {} }));
+
+vi.mock('../../lib/worktree.js', () => ({
+  makeMultiWorkspace: async () => ({ root: '/tmp/x', repos: [], cleanup: async () => {} }),
+}));
+
+vi.mock('../../lib/github.js', () => ({
+  githubClient: () => ({ defaultBranch: async () => 'main', compare: async () => ({ files: [] }) }),
+}));
+
+vi.mock('../../lib/git.js', () => ({ redactToken: (msg: string) => msg }));
+
+vi.mock('../../lib/credentials.js', () => ({
+  getProject: async () => ({
+    intakeEnabled: true, githubToken: 'ghp_token', modelCred: 'cred', model: 'sonnet',
+  }),
+  getCodeRepos: async () => [],
+}));
+
+const runAgentSession = vi.hoisted(() => vi.fn());
+vi.mock('../../lib/phase-runner.js', () => ({ runAgentSession }));
+
+vi.mock('@supabase/supabase-js', () => ({
+  createClient: () => { throw new Error('createClient should not be called in tests'); },
+}));
+
+import verify from '../../workers/verify.js';
+
+function mockSupabase() {
+  const updates: any[] = [];
+  const run = {
+    id: 'run-1', site_id: 'site-1', project_id: 'proj-1', status: 'running',
+    repo_owner: 'acme', repo_name: 'issues', issue_number: 57, branch_name: 'se/issue-57',
+  };
+  const from = (table: string) => {
+    const b: any = {
+      select() { return b; },
+      update(row: any) { updates.push({ table, row }); return b; },
+      eq() { return b; },
+      maybeSingle() {
+        if (table === 'se_runs') return Promise.resolve({ data: run, error: null });
+        return Promise.resolve({ data: null, error: null });
+      },
+      then(onF: any) { return Promise.resolve({ error: null }).then(onF); },
+    };
+    return b;
+  };
+  return { supabase: { from }, updates, run };
+}
+
+describe('verify worker cost ceiling handling (issue #57)', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    rs.starts.length = 0; rs.ends.length = 0; rs.blocks.length = 0;
+    runAgentSession.mockReset();
+  });
+
+  it('routes a cost-ceiling trip through blockRun instead of failing the run', async () => {
+    const msg = 'cost ceiling reached: this run has spent $22.55 of its $20.00 per-run ceiling — raise it in Setup or split the issue';
+    runAgentSession.mockImplementation(async () => ({ error: msg, costCeiling: true }));
+
+    const { supabase, updates } = mockSupabase();
+    const result = await verify({ data: { runId: 'run-1' } }, { supabase });
+
+    expect(result).toEqual({ blocked: msg });
+    expect(rs.blocks).toEqual([{ runId: 'run-1', phase: 'verify', gate: 'cost_ceiling', reason: msg }]);
+    expect(rs.ends.find((e) => e.status === 'failed')).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(updates.find((u) => u.table === 'se_runs' && u.row?.status === 'failed')).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
+  it('leaves an ordinary (non-ceiling) error on the unchanged failed path', async () => {
+    runAgentSession.mockImplementation(async () => ({ error: 'agent session crashed' }));
+
+    const { supabase, updates } = mockSupabase();
+    const result = await verify({ data: { runId: 'run-1' } }, { supabase });
+
+    expect(result).toEqual({ failed: 'agent session crashed' });
+    expect(rs.blocks).toEqual([]);
+    expect(rs.ends.at(-1)).toMatchObject({ phase: 'verify', status: 'failed', summary: 'agent session crashed' });
+    expect(updates.find((u) => u.table === 'se_runs')?.row).toMatchObject({ status: 'failed' });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/modules/software-engineer/admin/__tests__/resume-route.test.ts b/modules/software-engineer/admin/__tests__/resume-route.test.ts
index 1254f37b..7eb22be2 100644
--- a/modules/software-engineer/admin/__tests__/resume-route.test.ts
+++ b/modules/software-engineer/admin/__tests__/resume-route.test.ts
@@ -250,6 +250,29 @@ describe('POST /runs/:id/resume', () => {
     expect(msg.row.content).toContain('intake disabled');
   });
 
+  it('resumes a cost-ceiling-blocked run into the gated phase (issue #57)', async () => {
+    const supabase = mockSupabase({
+      run: failedRun({
+        status: 'blocked',
+        current_phase: 'verify',
+        error: 'cost ceiling reached: this run has spent $22.55 of its $20.00 per-run ceiling — raise it in Setup or split the issue',
+      }),
+      prs: [],
+      attemptCount: 1,
+    });
+    const { router, enqueued } = mount(supabase);
+    const res = mockRes();
+    await router.handler('POST /runs/:id/resume')({ params: { id: RID } }, res);
+    expect(res.statusCode).toBe(200);
+    expect(res.body).toEqual({ resumed: true, phase: 'verify', attempt: 2 });
+    expect(enqueued).toEqual([[
+      'se', 'software-engineer:verify', { runId: RID, attempt: 2 },
+      { jobId: `se-run-${RID}-verify`, removeOnComplete: true, removeOnFail: true },
+    ]]);
+    const msg = supabase.__calls.inserts.find((c: any) => c.table === 'se_messages');
+    expect(msg.row.content).toContain('cost ceiling reached');
+  });
+
   it('500s when the atomic status-guarded update fails', async () => {
     const { router } = mount(mockSupabase({
       run: failedRun(),
diff --git a/modules/software-engineer/lib/__tests__/decision-kind.test.ts b/modules/software-engineer/lib/__tests__/decision-kind.test.ts
index c7bec73d..1bcd3e5e 100644
--- a/modules/software-engineer/lib/__tests__/decision-kind.test.ts
+++ b/modules/software-engineer/lib/__tests__/decision-kind.test.ts
@@ -53,6 +53,15 @@ describe('classifyDecision', () => {
     const prs = [{ state: 'open' }, { state: 'merged' }];
     expect(classifyDecision(run, prs)).toBe('config_blocked');
   });
+
+  it('classifies a cost-ceiling block as config_blocked with the raise-the-ceiling text (issue #57)', () => {
+    const run = {
+      status: 'blocked',
+      error: 'cost ceiling reached: this run has spent $22.55 of its $20.00 per-run ceiling — raise it in Setup or split the issue',
+    };
+    expect(classifyDecision(run, [])).toBe('config_blocked');
+    expect(decisionTextFor('config_blocked', run)).toBe(run.error);
+  });
 });
 
 describe('decisionTextFor', () => {
diff --git a/modules/software-engineer/lib/__tests__/phase-runner.test.ts b/modules/software-engineer/lib/__tests__/phase-runner.test.ts
index 6982ead3..5bf194e8 100644
--- a/modules/software-engineer/lib/__tests__/phase-runner.test.ts
+++ b/modules/software-engineer/lib/__tests__/phase-runner.test.ts
@@ -123,3 +123,64 @@ describe('runAgentSession heartbeat cost attribution (issue #55)', () => {
     clearIntervalSpy.mockRestore();
   });
 });
+
+// Pins issue #57: a per-run cost ceiling trip must be machine-distinguishable from an ordinary
+// agent-session error, so the five phase workers that hard-fail on `result.error` can instead park
+// the run as `blocked` (a config problem, not a crash) rather than dead-ending it as `failed`.
+describe('runAgentSession cost ceiling (issue #57)', () => {
+  const RUN = { id: 'run-1', site_id: 'site-1', project_id: 'proj-1', title: 'fix bug' };
+  const SPEC = { cwd: '/tmp/x', prompt: 'do it', repos: [], allowedTools: [] };
+
+  beforeEach(() => { __runPhase.mockReset(); });
+
+  // Like fakeSupabase, but se_runs.maybeSingle() resolves to a configurable cost_usd — the ceiling
+  // check reads this fresh instead of trusting the in-memory `run` object.
+  function fakeSupabaseWithRunCost(runCostUsd: number) {
+    const from = (table: string) => {
+      const b: any = {
+        select() { return b; },
+        insert() { return Promise.resolve({ data: null, error: null }); },
+        update() { return b; },
+        upsert() { return Promise.resolve({ data: null, error: null }); },
+        eq() { return b; },
+        maybeSingle() {
+          return Promise.resolve(
+            table === 'se_runs' ? { data: { cost_usd: runCostUsd }, error: null } : { data: null, error: null },
+          );
+        },
+        then(onF: any, onR: any) { return Promise.resolve({ data: [], error: null, count: 0 }).then(onF, onR); },
+      };
+      return b;
+    };
+    return { from };
+  }
+
+  it('returns costCeiling: true and the unchanged error message once spend crosses the ceiling, without invoking the runner', async () => {
+    const supa = fakeSupabaseWithRunCost(22.55);
+    const PROJECT = { modelCredKind: 'api_key', modelCred: 'x', perRunCostCeilingUSD: 20 };
+
+    const result = await runAgentSession(supa, {}, RUN, PROJECT, 'verify', SPEC);
+
+    expect(result.costCeiling).toBe(true);
+    expect(result.error).toBe(
+      'cost ceiling reached: this run has spent $22.55 of its $20.00 per-run ceiling — raise it in Setup or split the issue',
+    );
+    expect(__runPhase).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it('does not trip when spend is below the ceiling', async () => {
+    const supa = fakeSupabaseWithRunCost(5);
+    const PROJECT = { modelCredKind: 'api_key', modelCred: 'x', perRunCostCeilingUSD: 20 };
+
+    __runPhase.mockImplementation((opts: any) => {
+      opts.onUsage?.({});
+      return Promise.resolve({ text: 'ok', costUSD: 0.1, tokensInput: 1, tokensOutput: 1 });
+    });
+
+    const result = await runAgentSession(supa, {}, RUN, PROJECT, 'verify', SPEC);
+
+    expect(result.costCeiling).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(result.error).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(__runPhase).toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/modules/software-engineer/lib/phase-runner.ts b/modules/software-engineer/lib/phase-runner.ts
index 8c5dddf6..5a640998 100644
--- a/modules/software-engineer/lib/phase-runner.ts
+++ b/modules/software-engineer/lib/phase-runner.ts
@@ -165,6 +165,7 @@ export async function runAgentSession(supabase, ctx, run, project, phase, spec)
         const spent = Number(fresh?.cost_usd) || 0;
         if (spent >= project.perRunCostCeilingUSD) {
           return { text: '', tokensInput: 0, tokensOutput: 0, tokensCacheRead: 0, tokensCacheCreation: 0, costUSD: 0, interrupted: false,
+            costCeiling: true,
             error: `cost ceiling reached: this run has spent $${spent.toFixed(2)} of its $${project.perRunCostCeilingUSD.toFixed(2)} per-run ceiling — raise it in Setup or split the issue` };
         }
       } catch { /* ceiling check is best-effort — never block a run on a read blip */ }
diff --git a/modules/software-engineer/workers/architecture.ts b/modules/software-engineer/workers/architecture.ts
index c403284c..9e0b152e 100644
--- a/modules/software-engineer/workers/architecture.ts
+++ b/modules/software-engineer/workers/architecture.ts
@@ -126,6 +126,7 @@ export default async function architecture(job, ctx) {
     });
     if (result.error) {
       const msg = redactToken(result.error, token);
+      if (result.costCeiling) return blockRun(supabase, run, 'architecture', 'cost_ceiling', msg);
       await recordPhaseEnd(supabase, run, 'architecture', 'failed', msg, { model: result.modelUsed ?? project.model, engine: result.engineUsed ?? 'claude', input: result.tokensInput, output: result.tokensOutput, cacheRead: result.tokensCacheRead, cacheCreation: result.tokensCacheCreation, cost: result.costUSD, modelUsage: result.modelUsage });
       await supabase.from('se_runs').update({ status: 'failed', error: msg }).eq('id', run.id);
       return { failed: msg };
diff --git a/modules/software-engineer/workers/implement.ts b/modules/software-engineer/workers/implement.ts
index e7e20982..51b644a8 100644
--- a/modules/software-engineer/workers/implement.ts
+++ b/modules/software-engineer/workers/implement.ts
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ export default async function implement(job, ctx) {
     });
     if (result.error) {
       const msg = redactToken(result.error, token);
+      if (result.costCeiling) return blockRun(supabase, run, 'implement', 'cost_ceiling', msg);
       await recordPhaseEnd(supabase, run, 'implement', 'failed', msg, { model: result.modelUsed ?? project.model, engine: result.engineUsed ?? 'claude', input: result.tokensInput, output: result.tokensOutput, cacheRead: result.tokensCacheRead, cacheCreation: result.tokensCacheCreation, cost: result.costUSD, modelUsage: result.modelUsage });
       await supabase.from('se_runs').update({ status: 'failed', error: msg }).eq('id', run.id);
       return { failed: msg };
diff --git a/modules/software-engineer/workers/review.ts b/modules/software-engineer/workers/review.ts
index cc0bb110..ced611f3 100644
--- a/modules/software-engineer/workers/review.ts
+++ b/modules/software-engineer/workers/review.ts
@@ -76,6 +76,7 @@ export default async function review(job, ctx) {
     });
     if (result.error) {
       const msg = redactToken(result.error, token);
+      if (result.costCeiling) return blockRun(supabase, run, 'review', 'cost_ceiling', msg);
       await recordPhaseEnd(supabase, run, 'review', 'failed', msg, { model: result.modelUsed ?? project.model, engine: result.engineUsed ?? 'claude', input: result.tokensInput, output: result.tokensOutput, cacheRead: result.tokensCacheRead, cacheCreation: result.tokensCacheCreation, cost: result.costUSD, modelUsage: result.modelUsage });
       await supabase.from('se_runs').update({ status: 'failed', error: msg }).eq('id', run.id);
       return { failed: msg };
diff --git a/modules/software-engineer/workers/spec.ts b/modules/software-engineer/workers/spec.ts
index 7e706c03..7d4d0a3f 100644
--- a/modules/software-engineer/workers/spec.ts
+++ b/modules/software-engineer/workers/spec.ts
@@ -81,6 +81,7 @@ export default async function spec(job, ctx) {
     });
     if (result.error) {
       const msg = redactToken(result.error, token);
+      if (result.costCeiling) return blockRun(supabase, run, 'spec', 'cost_ceiling', msg);
       await recordPhaseEnd(supabase, run, 'spec', 'failed', msg, { model: result.modelUsed ?? project.model, engine: result.engineUsed ?? 'claude', input: result.tokensInput, output: result.tokensOutput, cacheRead: result.tokensCacheRead, cacheCreation: result.tokensCacheCreation, cost: result.costUSD, modelUsage: result.modelUsage });
       await supabase.from('se_runs').update({ status: 'failed', error: msg }).eq('id', run.id);
       return { failed: msg };
diff --git a/modules/software-engineer/workers/verify.ts b/modules/software-engineer/workers/verify.ts
index 4433c676..0da15d6a 100644
--- a/modules/software-engineer/workers/verify.ts
+++ b/modules/software-engineer/workers/verify.ts
@@ -81,6 +81,7 @@ export default async function verify(job, ctx) {
     });
     if (result.error) {
       const msg = redactToken(result.error, token);
+      if (result.costCeiling) return blockRun(supabase, run, 'verify', 'cost_ceiling', msg);
       await recordPhaseEnd(supabase, run, 'verify', 'failed', msg, { model: result.modelUsed ?? project.model, engine: result.engineUsed ?? 'claude', input: result.tokensInput, output: result.tokensOutput, cacheRead: result.tokensCacheRead, cacheCreation: result.tokensCacheCreation, cost: result.costUSD, modelUsage: result.modelUsage });
       await supabase.from('se_runs').update({ status: 'failed', error: msg }).eq('id', run.id);
       return { failed: msg };