diff --git a/docs/CONFIGURATION.md b/docs/CONFIGURATION.md
index 0fe43582..3025e1cc 100644
--- a/docs/CONFIGURATION.md
+++ b/docs/CONFIGURATION.md
@@ -81,6 +81,10 @@ CODEOID_MAX_SESSIONS_PER_HOUR=0         # session creations per subject per hour
 CODEOID_DAEMON_URL=ws://127.0.0.1:7400  # (for CLI + TUI client)
 CODEOID_DB_PATH=~/.codeoid/codeoid.db   # SQLite path
 CODEOID_TRANSCRIPT_DIR=~/.codeoid/transcripts
+CODEOID_RESUME_MAX_SESSIONS=200          # sessions restored from disk at startup, newest-first.
+                                        #   Resume is also time-boxed, so raising this costs
+                                        #   startup time; the remainder stays on disk and loads
+                                        #   on a later restart.
 
 # Memory
 CODEOID_MEMORY=1                        # default: on; set to 0 to disable
diff --git a/src/config.ts b/src/config.ts
index 1e27ab66..edc34a71 100644
--- a/src/config.ts
+++ b/src/config.ts
@@ -351,11 +351,21 @@ const SessionSchema = z
      * on big sessions. Legacy clients always get the full buffer.
      */
     attachTailBytes: z.number().int().min(1024).default(512 * 1024),
+    /**
+     * How many sessions the daemon restores from disk on start, newest-first
+     * by last activity. Resume is ALSO time-boxed (RESUME_DEADLINE_MS), so
+     * this is the coarse guard and the deadline is the fine one: raising it
+     * on a box with many long-lived sessions costs startup time, not
+     * correctness. Sessions past the cap stay on disk and load on a later
+     * restart.
+     */
+    resumeMaxSessions: z.number().int().min(1).default(200),
   })
   .default({
     turnStallTimeoutMs: 300_000,
     mcpToolTimeoutMs: 120_000,
     attachTailBytes: 512 * 1024,
+    resumeMaxSessions: 200,
   })
   // Enforce the "SDK signals first" contract across BOTH fields — not just the
   // defaults. An env override / config file could otherwise set the MCP timeout
@@ -1011,6 +1021,8 @@ export interface CodeoidConfig {
     mcpToolTimeoutMs?: number;
     /** Tail window (bytes) replayed on attach for `scrollback.paging` clients; older history is paged on demand. Defaults to 524288 (512 KiB) when omitted. */
     attachTailBytes?: number;
+    /** Sessions restored from disk at daemon start, newest-first by last activity. Resume is also time-boxed, so this is the coarse guard; the remainder stays on disk. Defaults to 200 when omitted. */
+    resumeMaxSessions?: number;
   };
   /**
    * The per-tenant conductor session (fleet supervisor). Optional in the
@@ -1235,6 +1247,7 @@ const ENV_OVERRIDES: readonly EnvOverride[] = [
   { env: "CODEOID_PUSH_RELAY_TOKEN", path: "push.relayToken", kind: "string" },
   { env: "CODEOID_TURN_STALL_TIMEOUT_MS", path: "session.turnStallTimeoutMs", kind: "int" },
   { env: "CODEOID_MCP_TOOL_TIMEOUT_MS", path: "session.mcpToolTimeoutMs", kind: "int" },
+  { env: "CODEOID_RESUME_MAX_SESSIONS", path: "session.resumeMaxSessions", kind: "int" },
   // Embed-SSO trusted framing origins (comma-separated). Each is an exact
   // origin (scheme://host[:port]) permitted to frame the web UI and hand it a
   // credential via the URL hash. Empty ⇒ hash handoff disabled (safe default).
diff --git a/src/daemon/session-manager.ts b/src/daemon/session-manager.ts
index 8ed85d83..585602f2 100644
--- a/src/daemon/session-manager.ts
+++ b/src/daemon/session-manager.ts
@@ -288,7 +288,9 @@ function toFleetEventWire(row: DispatchEventRow): FleetEventWire {
   };
 }
 
-const RESUME_MAX_SESSIONS = 50;
+/** Fallback when no config is supplied (tests, embedded use). The
+ *  configured value is `session.resumeMaxSessions`. */
+const RESUME_MAX_SESSIONS_DEFAULT = 200;
 const RESUME_DEADLINE_MS = 20_000;
 /** Per-session transcript read budget on resume. Scrollback keeps at most
  * 20 MiB / 5000 messages — parsing history past that would be evicted on
@@ -614,11 +616,13 @@ export class SessionManager {
 
     const allMetas = await this.#transcriptStore.loadAllMeta();
     // Newest-first by last activity so the cap keeps the most relevant
-    // sessions when there are more than RESUME_MAX_SESSIONS on disk.
+    // sessions when there are more than the configured cap on disk.
     const sorted = [...allMetas].sort(
       (a, b) => resumeSortKey(b) - resumeSortKey(a),
     );
-    const capped = sorted.slice(0, RESUME_MAX_SESSIONS);
+    const resumeMaxSessions =
+      this.#config?.session?.resumeMaxSessions ?? RESUME_MAX_SESSIONS_DEFAULT;
+    const capped = sorted.slice(0, resumeMaxSessions);
     // Goal config by orchestrator session id, built from EVERY meta on disk
     // rather than from `capped`. A child inside this boot's resume window whose
     // orchestrator fell outside it still needs its restrictions and its brief,
@@ -782,7 +786,7 @@ mcpHub: this.#mcpHub,
     const droppedCap = sorted.length - capped.length;
     if (droppedCap > 0 || skippedDeadline > 0) {
       console.warn(
-        `[codeoid] resume: restored ${resumed} of ${sorted.length} session(s); ${droppedCap} left over the ${RESUME_MAX_SESSIONS}-session cap, ${skippedDeadline} skipped past the ${RESUME_DEADLINE_MS}ms deadline (still on disk; loadable on a future restart).`,
+        `[codeoid] resume: restored ${resumed} of ${sorted.length} session(s); ${droppedCap} left over the ${resumeMaxSessions}-session cap, ${skippedDeadline} skipped past the ${RESUME_DEADLINE_MS}ms deadline (still on disk; loadable on a future restart).`,
       );
     }
     if (resumedChildren > 0) {
diff --git a/src/daemon/settings/manifest.ts b/src/daemon/settings/manifest.ts
index ca503d42..cb895b3a 100644
--- a/src/daemon/settings/manifest.ts
+++ b/src/daemon/settings/manifest.ts
@@ -76,6 +76,13 @@ const general: SettingsTab = {
           default: 524288,
           advanced: true,
         }),
+        cfg("session.resumeMaxSessions", "Resume session cap", "Sessions restored from disk on daemon start, newest-first. Resume is also time-boxed, so raising this costs startup time; sessions past the cap stay on disk.", {
+          kind: "int",
+          envVar: "CODEOID_RESUME_MAX_SESSIONS",
+          min: 1,
+          default: 200,
+          advanced: true,
+        }),
       ],
     },
     {