diff --git a/src/app/runtime/actions/mod.rs b/src/app/runtime/actions/mod.rs
index 53b5a12..9a2ad4c 100644
--- a/src/app/runtime/actions/mod.rs
+++ b/src/app/runtime/actions/mod.rs
@@ -992,10 +992,19 @@ fn run_agent_turn(
 
     // ── AUTO CEO PIPELINE ──
     // Before the main agent starts working, check if the pipeline should run.
-    let user_msg_count = msgs.iter()
-        .filter(|m| matches!(m.role, crate::dto::chat::message::Role::User))
-        .count();
-    let should_pipeline = if user_msg_count <= 2 {
+    // Gated on whether a hive-mind convergence has already happened earlier
+    // in this session (detected from message content), not an arbitrary
+    // message-count cutoff — a complex request in message 5 deserves the
+    // same treatment as one in message 1, as long as this session hasn't
+    // already converged once.
+    let already_ran_hive_mind = crate::app::workflow::hive_mind::hive_mind_already_ran(
+        msgs.iter()
+            .filter(|m| matches!(m.role, crate::dto::chat::message::Role::System))
+            .filter_map(|m| m.content.as_deref())
+    );
+    let should_pipeline = if already_ran_hive_mind {
+        false
+    } else {
         let user_request = msgs.iter()
             .rev().find(|m| matches!(m.role, crate::dto::chat::message::Role::User))
             .and_then(|m| m.content.as_deref())
@@ -1006,8 +1015,6 @@ fn run_agent_turn(
         } else {
             crate::app::workflow::hive_mind::is_complex_request(user_request)
         }
-    } else {
-        false
     };
 
     if should_pipeline {
@@ -1112,7 +1119,8 @@ fn run_agent_turn(
                 tracing::info!("[hive-mind] convergence completed successfully");
 
                 let pipeline_msg = ChatMessage::system(format!(
-                    "[Hive-Mind Consensus]\n{consensus}",
+                    "{}\n{consensus}",
+                    crate::app::workflow::hive_mind::HIVE_MIND_CONSENSUS_TAG,
                 ));
                 archive_message(tc.db.as_ref(), &tc.session_id, &pipeline_msg);
                 msgs.push(pipeline_msg);
diff --git a/src/app/workflow/hive_mind.rs b/src/app/workflow/hive_mind.rs
index 5814bf3..b573112 100644
--- a/src/app/workflow/hive_mind.rs
+++ b/src/app/workflow/hive_mind.rs
@@ -69,6 +69,27 @@ pub struct NodeReport {
     pub output: String,
 }
 
+/// Tag prefixing the system message `run_hive_mind`'s caller pushes into
+/// the conversation after a successful convergence. Shared between the
+/// push site (`actions/mod.rs`) and `hive_mind_already_ran` below so the
+/// two can never drift out of sync.
+pub const HIVE_MIND_CONSENSUS_TAG: &str = "[Hive-Mind Consensus]";
+
+/// Detect whether a hive-mind convergence has already run earlier in this
+/// conversation, by checking prior system-message bodies for the
+/// consensus tag.
+///
+/// Why: gates re-triggering the Core Intelligence pipeline more than once
+/// per session on message *content* actually observed, rather than an
+/// arbitrary "first two user messages" cutoff that silently disabled the
+/// pipeline for any complex request phrased later in a long conversation.
+///
+/// Return: `true` if any prior system message starts with
+/// `HIVE_MIND_CONSENSUS_TAG`.
+pub fn hive_mind_already_ran<'a>(system_message_bodies: impl Iterator<Item = &'a str>) -> bool {
+    system_message_bodies.into_iter().any(|body| body.starts_with(HIVE_MIND_CONSENSUS_TAG))
+}
+
 /// Build the live-state callback that forwards node status updates to the
 /// TUI's workflow panel.
 fn build_live(
@@ -408,4 +429,19 @@ mod tests {
         let node_id = format!("Node-{}-{}", 2, 1);
         assert_eq!(node_id, "Node-2-1");
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn hive_mind_already_ran_detects_prior_consensus_tag() {
+        let bodies = vec![
+            "you are a helpful assistant".to_string(),
+            format!("{HIVE_MIND_CONSENSUS_TAG}\nthe bug is a null check"),
+        ];
+        assert!(hive_mind_already_ran(bodies.iter().map(std::string::String::as_str)));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn hive_mind_already_ran_false_when_no_prior_convergence() {
+        let bodies = vec!["you are a helpful assistant".to_string()];
+        assert!(!hive_mind_already_ran(bodies.iter().map(std::string::String::as_str)));
+    }
 }