diff --git a/tools/chatgui-android/capture-tests/src/main/kotlin/android/media/HostVoicePlayback.kt b/tools/chatgui-android/capture-tests/src/main/kotlin/android/media/HostVoicePlayback.kt
index 005c378c..45de8754 100644
--- a/tools/chatgui-android/capture-tests/src/main/kotlin/android/media/HostVoicePlayback.kt
+++ b/tools/chatgui-android/capture-tests/src/main/kotlin/android/media/HostVoicePlayback.kt
@@ -9,10 +9,11 @@ object AudioManager { const val STREAM_MUSIC = 3 }
 class AudioTrack(stream: Int, rate: Int, mask: Int, encoding: Int, bytes: Int, mode: Int) {
     class Plan {
         var initialized = true
-        var failures = emptySet<String>()
+        @Volatile var failures = emptySet<String>()
         val results = LinkedBlockingQueue<Int>()
         val accepted = CopyOnWriteArrayList<Short>()
         var releaseCalls = 0
+        @Volatile var released = false
     }
     companion object {
         const val MODE_STREAM = 1; const val STATE_INITIALIZED = 1
@@ -32,5 +33,8 @@ class AudioTrack(stream: Int, rate: Int, mask: Int, encoding: Int, bytes: Int, m
         return result
     }
     fun stop() { check("stop" !in plan.failures) { "track stop failed" } }
-    fun release() { plan.releaseCalls++; check("release" !in plan.failures) { "track release failed" } }
+    fun release() {
+        plan.releaseCalls++; check("release" !in plan.failures) { "track release failed" }; plan.released = true
+        check("release after" !in plan.failures) { "track release failed after effect" }
+    }
 }
diff --git a/tools/chatgui-android/capture-tests/src/main/kotlin/com/utun/chat/data/RecorderHostEnvironment.kt b/tools/chatgui-android/capture-tests/src/main/kotlin/com/utun/chat/data/RecorderHostEnvironment.kt
index c6cb0d00..3242ac3b 100644
--- a/tools/chatgui-android/capture-tests/src/main/kotlin/com/utun/chat/data/RecorderHostEnvironment.kt
+++ b/tools/chatgui-android/capture-tests/src/main/kotlin/com/utun/chat/data/RecorderHostEnvironment.kt
@@ -17,11 +17,14 @@ object NativeLib {
     val cancels = AtomicInteger()
     val decoderReads = LinkedBlockingQueue<Int>()
     val decoderCloses = AtomicInteger()
+    @Volatile var failDecoderClose = false
+    @Volatile var failCancel = false
     var decoderInfo = intArrayOf(48000, 1, 960)
     fun reset() {
         active = false; acceptStart = true; acceptFeed = true; stopResult = 800; onFeed = {}
         starts.clear(); feeds.clear(); stops.set(0); cancels.set(0)
         decoderReads.clear(); decoderCloses.set(0); decoderInfo = intArrayOf(48000, 1, 960)
+        failDecoderClose = false; failCancel = false
     }
     @Synchronized fun voiceStart(channel: String, reply: String = "", request: Long = 0, generation: Long = 0): Boolean {
         starts.add(listOf(channel, reply, request, generation))
@@ -30,14 +33,14 @@ object NativeLib {
     }
     fun voiceFeed(pcm: ShortArray): Boolean { feeds.add(pcm.copyOf()); onFeed(); return active && acceptFeed }
     @Synchronized fun voiceStop(): Int { stops.incrementAndGet(); active = false; return stopResult }
-    @Synchronized fun voiceCancel() { cancels.incrementAndGet(); active = false }
+    @Synchronized fun voiceCancel() { check(!failCancel) { "native cancel rejected" }; cancels.incrementAndGet(); active = false }
     fun voiceDecodeOpen(path: String, info: IntArray): Long { decoderInfo.copyInto(info); return 1 }
     fun voiceDecodeRead(handle: Long, pcm: ShortArray): Int {
         val count = decoderReads.poll() ?: 0
         if (count > 0) pcm.fill(12, 0, count)
         return count
     }
-    fun voiceDecodeClose(handle: Long) { decoderCloses.incrementAndGet() }
+    fun voiceDecodeClose(handle: Long) { check(!failDecoderClose) { "decoder close rejected" }; decoderCloses.incrementAndGet() }
 }
 
 object StreamController { var blocked = false; fun blocksCapture() = blocked }
diff --git a/tools/chatgui-android/capture-tests/src/test/kotlin/com/utun/chat/data/AudioRecorderManagerTest.kt b/tools/chatgui-android/capture-tests/src/test/kotlin/com/utun/chat/data/AudioRecorderManagerTest.kt
index 79456c45..c5119f66 100644
--- a/tools/chatgui-android/capture-tests/src/test/kotlin/com/utun/chat/data/AudioRecorderManagerTest.kt
+++ b/tools/chatgui-android/capture-tests/src/test/kotlin/com/utun/chat/data/AudioRecorderManagerTest.kt
@@ -21,9 +21,11 @@ class AudioRecorderManagerTest {
         ChatApplication.instance = RecorderHostContext(); LogManager.entries.clear()
     }
     @After fun release() {
+        NativeLib.failCancel = false; NativeLib.failDecoderClose = false
         AudioRecord.created.forEach { it.plan.failures = emptySet(); it.plan.chunks.offer(AudioRecord.Chunk(count = -3)) }
         AudioTrack.created.forEach { it.plan.failures = emptySet() }
         manager.cancelRecording(); manager.stopMicTest(); manager.stopPlayback()
+        manager.requestClose().get(3, TimeUnit.SECONDS)
         AudioRecord.created.forEach {
             it.plan.reader?.join(2_000)
             assertFalse("reader survived cleanup", it.plan.reader?.isAlive == true)
@@ -176,4 +178,69 @@ class AudioRecorderManagerTest {
         manager.playVoiceFile("voice.opus", onComplete = { done.countDown() })
         assertTrue(done.await(2, TimeUnit.SECONDS)); assertEquals(1, NativeLib.decoderCloses.get()); diagnostic("decode")
     }
+
+    @Test fun disposedViewModelLeavesAProcessOwnerUntilCaptureReleaseIsAcknowledged() {
+        val device = plan(); assertTrue(manager.startRecording("7")); device.failures = setOf("release")
+        val closed = manager.requestClose()
+        waitUntil { NativeLib.cancels.get() == 1 }
+        assertFalse(closed.isDone); assertFalse(NativeLib.active)
+        assertThrows(IllegalStateException::class.java) { AudioRecorderManager.requireReleasedForCore() }
+        device.failures = emptySet(); closed.get(2, TimeUnit.SECONDS)
+        assertTrue(device.released); AudioRecorderManager.requireReleasedForCore()
+    }
+
+    @Test fun nativeCancelFailureRetainsTheCaptureUntilARealAcknowledgement() {
+        plan(); assertTrue(manager.startRecording("7")); NativeLib.failCancel = true
+        assertEquals(-1, manager.stopRecording()); assertTrue(NativeLib.active)
+        val closed = manager.requestClose(); assertFalse(closed.isDone)
+        assertThrows(IllegalStateException::class.java) { AudioRecorderManager.requireReleasedForCore() }
+        NativeLib.failCancel = false; closed.get(2, TimeUnit.SECONDS)
+        assertFalse(NativeLib.active); AudioRecorderManager.requireReleasedForCore()
+    }
+
+    @Test fun playbackReleaseFailureDoesNotLoseItsDeviceAfterCompletionCallback() {
+        val output = AudioTrack.Plan().also { it.failures = setOf("release"); AudioTrack.plans.add(it) }
+        val completed = CountDownLatch(1)
+        manager.playVoiceFile("voice.opus", onComplete = { completed.countDown() })
+        assertTrue(completed.await(2, TimeUnit.SECONDS)); assertEquals(1, NativeLib.decoderCloses.get())
+        val closed = manager.requestClose(); assertFalse(closed.isDone); assertFalse(output.released)
+        output.failures = emptySet(); closed.get(2, TimeUnit.SECONDS)
+        assertTrue(output.released); assertTrue(output.releaseCalls >= 2)
+    }
+
+    @Test fun releaseAfterEffectStillNeedsAcknowledgementAndDoesNotCloseDecoderTwice() {
+        val output = AudioTrack.Plan().also { it.failures = setOf("release after"); AudioTrack.plans.add(it) }
+        val completed = CountDownLatch(1)
+        manager.playVoiceFile("voice.opus", onComplete = { completed.countDown() })
+        assertTrue(completed.await(2, TimeUnit.SECONDS)); assertTrue(output.released)
+        val closed = manager.requestClose(); assertFalse(closed.isDone)
+        output.failures = emptySet(); closed.get(2, TimeUnit.SECONDS)
+        assertEquals(1, NativeLib.decoderCloses.get())
+    }
+
+    @Test fun decoderCloseFailureDoesNotSkipTheIndependentTrackRelease() {
+        NativeLib.failDecoderClose = true
+        val output = AudioTrack.Plan().also { AudioTrack.plans.add(it) }; val completed = CountDownLatch(1)
+        manager.playVoiceFile("voice.opus", onComplete = { completed.countDown() })
+        assertTrue(completed.await(2, TimeUnit.SECONDS)); assertTrue(output.released)
+        val closed = manager.requestClose(); assertFalse(closed.isDone)
+        NativeLib.failDecoderClose = false; closed.get(2, TimeUnit.SECONDS)
+        assertEquals(1, NativeLib.decoderCloses.get()); assertEquals(1, output.releaseCalls)
+    }
+
+    @Test fun blockedNativeFeedCannotHoldMainWhileAnAsynchronousCloseIsPending() {
+        val entered = CountDownLatch(1); val leave = CountDownLatch(1)
+        NativeLib.onFeed = {
+            entered.countDown()
+            while (leave.count != 0L) try { leave.await() } catch (_: InterruptedException) {}
+        }
+        val device = plan(); assertTrue(manager.startRecording("7")); device.chunks.add(AudioRecord.Chunk())
+        assertTrue(entered.await(1, TimeUnit.SECONDS))
+        val closed = manager.requestClose()
+        try {
+            assertFalse(closed.isDone); assertFalse(manager.startRecording("8"))
+            assertThrows(IllegalStateException::class.java) { AudioRecorderManager.requireReleasedForCore() }
+        } finally { leave.countDown() }
+        closed.get(2, TimeUnit.SECONDS); assertTrue(device.released); assertFalse(NativeLib.active)
+    }
 }