diff --git a/__tests__/cold-start-non-persistent-scan.test.ts b/__tests__/cold-start-non-persistent-scan.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d03fe368
--- /dev/null
+++ b/__tests__/cold-start-non-persistent-scan.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+import { ScannerManager } from "../src/scanner-manager";
+
+/**
+ * Captures what each ConversationScanner was constructed with. The scanner is
+ * mocked rather than driven for real because the defect is entirely in the
+ * constructor argument: a persistent scanner reads its own index, and on a
+ * cold start that index is the only thing it can read.
+ */
+const hoisted = vi.hoisted(() => ({ ctorArgs: [] as unknown[] }));
+
+vi.mock("@threadbase-sh/scanner", () => ({
+  ConversationScanner: class {
+    constructor(options?: unknown) {
+      hoisted.ctorArgs.push(options);
+    }
+    scan() {
+      return Promise.resolve([]);
+    }
+    getMetadataCache() {
+      return new Map();
+    }
+    close() {
+      return Promise.resolve();
+    }
+  },
+}));
+
+/** persistenceDisabled:false is the normal case — the flag only flips when cache.open() throws. */
+const makeManager = () =>
+  new ScannerManager({
+    scanProfiles: [],
+    codexRoots: [],
+    directoryDebounceMs: 0,
+    persistenceDisabled: false,
+    // No cache at all is the same condition an emptied cache.db produces:
+    // buildStatCache returns undefined, so nothing forced persistent:false.
+    cache: () => null,
+    cacheMonitor: () => null,
+    projectsRepo: () => null,
+    conversationsRepo: () => null,
+    cacheMetadataRepo: () => null,
+    trackCacheWrite: () => {},
+  });
+
+describe("cold-start scans never use the scanner's persistent index", () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    hoisted.ctorArgs.length = 0;
+  });
+
+  it("builds a non-persistent scanner when there is no stat cache", async () => {
+    const manager = makeManager();
+    await manager.get();
+
+    expect(hoisted.ctorArgs.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+    for (const args of hoisted.ctorArgs) {
+      expect(args).toEqual({ persistent: false });
+    }
+    await manager.close();
+  });
+
+  it("builds a non-persistent scanner for a full rescan with no stat cache", async () => {
+    const manager = makeManager();
+    hoisted.ctorArgs.length = 0;
+    await manager.getFresh();
+
+    expect(hoisted.ctorArgs.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+    for (const args of hoisted.ctorArgs) {
+      expect(args).toEqual({ persistent: false });
+    }
+    await manager.close();
+  });
+
+  it("never constructs a scanner with undefined options, which defaults to persistent", async () => {
+    const manager = makeManager();
+    await manager.get();
+    await manager.getFresh();
+
+    expect(hoisted.ctorArgs).not.toContain(undefined);
+    await manager.close();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/scanner-manager.ts b/src/scanner-manager.ts
index 0f3bfb23..cb612105 100644
--- a/src/scanner-manager.ts
+++ b/src/scanner-manager.ts
@@ -559,8 +559,11 @@ export class ScannerManager {
     }
     this.takeStaleFiles();
     const statCache = this.buildStatCache(this.scanner);
-    // Scanner 0.9.4 reads statCache only in non-persistent scans.
-    this.scanner = this.newScanner(statCache ? { persistent: false } : undefined);
+    // Scanner 0.9.4 reads statCache only in non-persistent scans, and the
+    // streamer never serves from the scanner's persistent index. Letting the
+    // no-statCache case fall through to the persistent default made an empty
+    // cache import rows for files deleted long ago (#876).
+    this.scanner = this.newScanner({ persistent: false });
     this.allScanners.add(this.scanner);
     this.scannerReady = this.scanner.scan({
       ...(this.deps.scanProfiles ? { profiles: this.deps.scanProfiles } : {}),
@@ -609,7 +612,7 @@ export class ScannerManager {
     this.takeStaleFiles();
     const previous = this.scanner;
     const statCache = this.buildStatCache(previous);
-    const shadow = this.newScanner(statCache ? { persistent: false } : undefined);
+    const shadow = this.newScanner({ persistent: false });
     this.allScanners.add(shadow);
     this.scannerReady = shadow.scan({
       ...(this.deps.scanProfiles ? { profiles: this.deps.scanProfiles } : {}),
diff --git a/src/server.ts b/src/server.ts
index 41019e5b..73a1f643 100644
--- a/src/server.ts
+++ b/src/server.ts
@@ -1762,10 +1762,9 @@ export class StreamerServer {
         // that onConversationChanged invalidations during the scan cannot cause
         // getScanner() to restart indefinitely and leave the warm-up stuck.
         const warmupStatCache = this.scannerManager.buildStatCache(null);
-        // Scanner 0.9.4 reads statCache only in non-persistent scans.
-        const warmupScanner = this.scannerManager.newScanner(
-          warmupStatCache ? { persistent: false } : undefined,
-        );
+        // Scanner 0.9.4 reads statCache only in non-persistent scans, and a
+        // cold start has none — see the note in ScannerManager.get (#876).
+        const warmupScanner = this.scannerManager.newScanner({ persistent: false });
         this.scannerManager.track(warmupScanner);
         // Throttle the per-file onProgress firings to ~one frame per whole
         // percent (plus the final tick) so a large scan doesn't flood every