diff --git a/persistent-memory.md b/persistent-memory.md
index 8841664..52e7250 100644
--- a/persistent-memory.md
+++ b/persistent-memory.md
@@ -3,9 +3,13 @@
 _Last updated: 2026-09-13 ~00:40 PT (⚠⚠ FV COLO DARK since 06:56Z — undersized UPS under two-card load; 19 of 30 gateway aliases down, no local fallback; operator on site 2026-09-14 with PDU + ammeter. Flash-Next seat + gen-large built and verified before the outage.)_
 
 > **Always check for `/tmp/infra-ops-handoff.md`** — if it exists and its
-> `Written:` stamp is under an hour old, read it (it carries the in-flight
-> handoff from the previous session), then delete it. Older than an hour:
+> `Written:` stamp is under **8 hours** old, read it (it carries the in-flight
+> handoff from the previous session), then delete it. Older than 8 hours:
 > stale — delete it unread.
+>
+> _(Raised from 1 h to 8 h by operator 2026-09-13 — a one-hour window deleted the
+> handoff unread across any overnight gap, which is the exact case it exists for.
+> 8 h also matches the global CLAUDE.md and the `/snapshot` skill default.)_
 
 ## Repo purpose